William Hooker | LIGHT | The Early Years 1975-1989 | No Business Records

Light Box: Conception of William Hooker Don’t tell him he plays loud. He learned about music and his instrument playing within a tradition that straddles R&B and jazz. That tradition congeals in the smoothly accessible, yet sonically forceful music of the organ trios of the mid-sixties and it demanded amplitude. “An organ is powerful— a Hammond B3 with a Leslie tone cabinet. That’s a six foot cabinet. It’s got that swirly thing inside and you have to play with a certain amount of power,” — Thomas Stanley Continue reading

Henry Kuntz & Paul V. Kuntz | DOUBLE VISION | HBD 03

On Double Vision, Paul and I began with the concept of “festival form” as showcased by the Envision Ensemble Live at Berkeley Arts Festival. At Paul’s suggestion, we expanded the bounds of the sonic fairgrounds to include: on Bluebonnet Poppies solo music of mine from the LP Ancient of Days, Light of Glory; on Redwood Oaks duo music by myself and John Kuntz from the cassette New World Music; and on Sagebrush Tumbleweeds generic crowd noise which is always an integral part of any festival sound field. — Henry Kuntz Continue reading

Frank Harrison Trio | Open Secrets | Cegin Productions

Art is one way of communicating truth and beauty. For those of us who are convinced that beauty can only come out of truth, the effort involved in shaping an artwork is an intense and deeply satisfying experience. Open Secrets was made in this spirit, with an honesty embedded in each note and each word; with a pulse woven through each verse; with the timeless essence of jazz and the influence of our ancestors as evoked through Celtic Folk music. The recordings on this disc are a sonorous and deeply articulated alchemy. The result illustrates how art is capable of opening the door to a new dimension by combining different disciplines and styles; music and poetry walking hand in hand towards an undefined place full of new discovery. This is a journey into endless landscapes and skies; each unique and special, depending on the emotions of each listener. — Josep Ramon Jove (artistic director) Continue reading