Kuntz ( Henry )

Henry Kuntz has been intimately involved in free jazz and free improvisation for more than 30 years. From 1973 to 1979, he was editor and publisher of the internationally – acclaimed newsletter – review BELLS. He first recorded on tenor saxophone in 1977 on Henry Kaiser’s Ice Death. He has played musette and various flutes since 1981, miniature violins since 1983, gamelan and xylophones since 1988, and rhaita since1999. On Humming Bird Records, he has released 2 LPs, 16 cassettes, and 6 CDs of solo, group, and multi-tracked free improvisations.

HUMMING BIRDs Earth Series Cassettes presents indigenous music recorded by Henry in Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, and Bali (Indonesia). These musics, along with Native American and other world musics — Henry has made additional music and dance explorations to Ecuador, Nepal, Thailand, Morocco, and Java and Sumatra (Indonesia) — have very much affected his overall musical concept.

In 1986 – drawing on aspects of music, dance, performance, and ritual – he formed the “avant-shamanic trance jazz” group Opeye. He has performed with Moe Staino’s MOE!kestra and has collaborated on various projects with edgy drone master Robert Horton.

Read more about Henry Kuntz.

Moe! Staiano’s Moe!Kestra! | An Inescapable Siren Within Earshot Distance Therein And Other Whereabouts

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Moe! Staiano’s Moelkestra!: Two Compositions for Large Orchestra. Produced and mastered by Dan Rathbun, November,2004 at Polymorph Studios, Oakland, California, USA Co-produced/policed by Gino Robair, Jonathan Segal, Moe! Staiano and Michael Zelner. Piece No.7 recorded live in performance by Michael Zelner, June 3,2003 at the Oakland Theater Box, Oakland,California. Piece No.5 recorded by Cuco Daglio and Guy Brenner, November 7,1998,attheYerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, California for the OPUS415 Marathon *4. Note:The pieces are two large (and yet,separate) compositions as a whole.The indexes are provided for convenience only. All compositions, conductions and arrangements by Moe! Staiano. Design by Dan Kletter. Photos by Peter Conheim (Piece No.5 image) and Dave Grossman (everything else) © & © 2006 Moe! Staiano, © 2006 Rastascan Records, © 2006 Amanita Records. Continue reading →

Henry Kuntz & Paul V. Kuntz | JAsZ KHARdMA

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The title JAsZ KHARdMA stems from Paul’s occasional use of a number of R. Crumb’s Early Jazz Greats Trading Cards inside the piano, laying the cards across the strings to achieve a flapping percussive effect. JAsZ KHARdMA evokes as well that improvisational inspiration of ours that comes from the jazz tradition. It represents our personal connection to that tradition through our family’s New Orleans history and ancestry. Appropriated images from the Early Jazz Greats Trading Cards within the album cover & CD art are used with permission graciously granted by R. Crumb. — Henry Kuntz Continue reading →

Henry Kuntz | Sonic Flares

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The title piece “Sonic Flares” is for solo saxophone, recorded in 1998. During the 20 minutes of this solo Kuntz kept my full attention. I experienced emotional depth, humor, expressive and communicative playing. Great piece from a very advanced player! The other track on this CDR is ’6 Track Angels’, is of another nature. It is a fascinating piece that came about by multi tracking. It has Kuntz playing on a wide range of eastern instruments. Originally recorded in 1995, Kuntz re-mastered it in 2007 and now it is here on cdr. Concerning the instrumentation let me quote Kuntz. The piece “includes instruments from two types of Balinese and two types of Javanese orchestras, each one with its own scale and idiosyncratic tuning… To the four Indonesian instruments, I added Chinese musette, drums and percussion – played with sonic and formal allusions to Thai classical music.” The music makes the impression of a swirling complexity. Seemingly individual sounds swirl down into your ears. As if they happen to make up a harmonic whole by accident. In the background we hear Kuntz improvising on some wind instrument. Improvised and multilayered music in Eastern tonalities. Another intriguing piece! — Vital Weekly 784(DM) Continue reading →

Henry Kuntz | IINFIINIITY

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Multi-track recordings have been an essential means of expression for me since 1989. Within pieces that are unique in sound, multi-cultural context, and instrumental combination, I’ve been able to showcase and synthesize those musical elements that are most important to me: independence of line, textural complexity, and equality of instrumentation and mix, The process of multi-track creation has been an ongoing musical exploration and experiment, the results of which have consistently surprised and delighted me. I hope you enjoy listening.” — Henry Kuntz (March 2010) Continue reading →

Tim Perkis | Noisy People

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Noisy People is a new feature length video documentary, presenting portraits of eight sound artists and musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tim Perkis says about his film: “At first I thought I was simply stepping in to do a job I wished someone else had done, documenting a little-known musical scene with an interesting story. But it soon became clear that the film also touched upon a more basic question: what is the nature of a creative life, and how can one live it?” Continue reading →