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1.
St. Louis Blues Revisited 08:51
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2.
Lotsa Laffs 03:17
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3.
Short Shots 08:59
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4.
Axeman in the Woods in Winter 07:16
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5.
Nuclear Madness 09:44
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6.
Superman: An American Adam 20:16
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7.
Aphrodite 07:39
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about

Stylistically the music is primarily "ol' school" free jazz, avant-blues, & theatrical constructions reflecting the color & chemistry of the moment & presences present. The poetry speaks to timeless issues—a culture crucifying itself while those who must struggle for truth justice & the human way out. Decades later it’s still winter in America. In many regards the Ancient proves to also be the Future. The timeless politics of Spirit seeking to realize its truths is heard here in these performances as timely today as back in the day, while the dramatic thematics of oppression, madness, freedom, justice, inspiration & love are perpetual.

The amalgam of poetry & improvised music arose naturally in this era under the umbrella of the Human Arts Ensemble. Many of the musicians were themselves poets with experience in drama & visual arts as well. We did what came naturally and saw no reason to create separations where none existed. Performance poetry was a matter of fact & often part of the mix long before it became a fashion & acquired a name. Formally, poetry with improvised music hearkens back to the most ancient of origins: Word spoken sung chanted integral with spontaneous sonics emoting the expressions of the moment as prophecy, history as insight fore-sight & hindsight; this art form has always been with us. While grounded in their historical origins these performances spring free and speak to us today as they will no doubt speak to us tomorrow.

This is the spirit song.
Still work'n it for loose change.
Still work'n it to loose The Change!
--Jay Zelenka



Visit FreedoniaMusic.org where you can check out our growing catalog of Creative Music. Free mp3 downloads are available from each recording as well as physical Cds.

credits

released January 1, 2010

Michael Castro: Words
The James Marshall Human Arts Ensemble: Music

Cover art: Spyros Karayiannis,
with assistance from Shelly Walter
Edits and mastering: Jay Zelenka, 2009
Produced by Jay Zelenka/Freedonia Music

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all rights reserved

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Freedonia Music St. Louis, Missouri

Freedonia Music was born in 2006 to promote Creative Improvised Music.
Offering a
catalog of archival performances and contemporary recordings of New Music from the heart of the heartlands. Music to wake up your ears!

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