Hartmut Geerken / John Tchicai - 2009 - The Kabul And Teheran Tapes

Hartmut Geerken / John Tchicai

2009 

The Kabul And Teheran Tapes

01. Wazir Akbar Khan Mena

02. Gaziantep

03. Yazilikaya

04. Afghanistan Perdu

05. Perdidoboogie

06. Blues For Underdogs

Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Goblet Drum [Darabukka], Voice, Bells, Bendir [Egyptian], Piano – John Tchicai

Piano [Piano Strings], Piano [Prepared Piano], Thumb Piano, Percussion, Bandura [Sun Harp], Gong [Peking Opera], Performer [Tibetan Tchinkas], Electronics [Short Wave Receiver] - Hartmut Geerken

Tabla – Ustad Mohammed Aref* (tracks: 1, 4)

Recorded recorded on May 22, 1977 in Kabul, Afghanistan except tracks 3 and 6 recorded on May 5, 1977 in Teheran, Iran

The Qbico label from Italy is always interesting. Whether you like the music on there or not it's always undeniably interesting. Here's another undeniably interesting record from Hartmut Geerken and John Tchicai called The Kabul And Teheran Tapes. Called that because that's where the album was recorded. It looks and sounds like they're using some instruments native to these countries to make their experimental noodlings. It's weirdly quite coherent at times. For what seems like edited jams there is some structure to the music which seems to be largely constructed of piano and percussion. If I was being cynical I'd say it just sounds like 2 people arsing about. But I'm not on this occasion as it sounds like 2 people who know they're onions trying to do something really interesting. I've not mentioned it was recorded 30 years ago which makes all the difference in my book. I'm all for this one. Yeah I like it. Sorry about the price though... you can blame the cocking euro for that!

New York free jazz journeyman Tchicai travelled to Kabul in 1977 to join German artist, philosopher and musician Geerken while he lived there in the mid-70s; Geerken is truly on a different wavelength (at the time studying ethnomycology in rural Afghanistan) and the two together go off the deep end into mystical tripper jazz embarking on journey long explorations of roomfuls of musical artifacts, all sorts of toys to jump around and lose themselves and each other in heady subconscious voyages to heightened realms of hyper realities. tribal space drones throughout but bringing a soulful, joyful praise to the frame; letting the spirits of ancient civilizations permeate through their very psyche, closing the recordings with a couple of rhythm and blues roundabouts to really wrap up the trip. a couple of truly under-appreciated geniuses of their time basking in the radiance of each other’s auras, lose yourself in their presence.