Jeff Kowalkowski performance in Retrograde for Audible Gallery Opening

Piano in Retrograde Chopin op. 28 no. 17 A-flat and no. 7 in A Major

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TA-016_Fred-Anderson-Hamid-Drake-Jeff-Parker-Tatsu-Aoki _Velve-Lounge_04-23-99

TA-018_Fred-Anderson-Bill-Brimfield-Chad-Taylor-Tatsu-Aoki_Velvet-Lounge_07-30-99

TA-019_Fred-Anderson-Chad-Taylor-Tatsu-Aoki_Velvet-Lounge_03-25-00

TA-020_Fred-Anderson-Bill-Brimfield-Chad-Taylor-Tatsu-Aoki-Bil-Penny_12-05-98

06 MR - 1455 Shellac Lounge - Ax 01 - 14 - 2000

01 MR - 1455 Shellac Lounge - Ax 01 - 14 - 2000

ESS is excited to bring to you our first set from the Creative Audio Archive's Artist Mixtape Series... The first mix comes from Lia Kohl!

From Lia ...

This playlist is organized around unlabelled tapes in the Sun Ra archive. In addition to many rehearsal, performance, and lecture recordings, there are a few tapes in the archive that aren't easily categorizable -- a collection of recordings of a voicemail machine, or a series of short synth improvisations, for example. I have a special love of uncategorizable things, so I gravitated towards these tapes particularly, including selections from the aforementioned two, as well as a tape that seems to be Ra tuning through the radio and occasionally singing along. The voicemail tape is actually recordings of voicemails left for Alton Abraham, Sun Ra's manager and good friend. I love the refrain of his most frequent caller -- "Ham pick up, pick up Ham" -- and the drama that unfolds with so little context. I'm drawn to the synth recordings because Ra seems to be truly experimenting: stopping and starting at places before finding a new pattern. I love to think of this larger-than-life man having a quiet moment in the studio by himself. On side A of the "radio poem" tape, you can hear Ra improvising words over the radio, but on side B (which I've included almost in its entirety), he only occasionally sings along. Instead of feeling like a piece, it just feels like we're listening to the radio together. The only edit I made in that recording is to cut short Hotel California -- even if Sun Ra wants to listen to that, I don't.


I also included some selections from the Malachi Ritscher collection: Mamadou Diabate Ensemble at Eli's Cheesecake World (this place still exists!), Rob Mazurek with an ensemble in 2005, and Milford Graves at the Empty Bottle. I love the aliveness of these recordings: that we can hear Graves running around the space with a whistle and some bells, people whooping as he passes; that the Diabate Ensemble's incredible playing is punctuated by children crying. Music is in space and time and real people are listening, then and now. 


In a similar vein: ESS recently uncovered a tape of Fela Kuti live at the Riviera, which I've included a few cuts of. It's really cool to hear Kuti live, but somehow equally wonderful to hear the unknown recordist offering a light to a friend. Which is to say that these recordings remind me that music is something that happens between people, and this playlist is about celebrating that. 


(each track is bookended by a voicemail)


00:28 - Mamadou Diabate Ensemble live at Eli's Cheesecake World

07:04 - Fela Kuti live at the Riviera

10:23 - Unlabelled tape from the Sun Ra Collection (synth improvisation)

14:13 - EMI Vol.3 (Hal Rammel Collection)

18:24 - Mamadou Diabate Ensemble at Eli's Cheesecake World

27:44 - Milford Graves live at the Empty Bottle (1999)

31:49 - EMI Vol.3 (Hal Rammel Collection)

37:12 - Rob Mazurek Ensemble (2005)

41:26 - EMI Vol.3 (Hal Rammel Collection)

48:06 - Unlabelled tape from the Sun Ra Collection (synth improvisation)

53:13 - Mamadou Diabate Ensemble live at Eli's Cheesecake World

1:01 - Unlabelled tape from the Sun Ra Collection (synth improvisation)

1:05 - Fela Kuti live at the Riviera

1:09 - Rob Mazurek Ensemble (2005)

1:17 - Sun Ra Radio Poems

1:24 - Sun Ra Radio Poems

1:27 - Sun Ra Radio Poems

Lia Kohl / ESS CAA Mixtape Series 001

0:00 Material with Sonny Sharrock and Billy Bang Live at the Underground 05/13/1981
4:55 Sun Ra “Interplanetary Music” 03/26/1974
7:33 Milford Graves Live at the Empty Bottle (talking)
8:10 Milford Graves Live at the Empty Bottle 10/27/1999
12:25 PJ Harvey “Sheela Na Gig” Live at the Metro 07/01/1993
16:11 Die Like A Dog (Hamid Drake, William Parker, Peter Brotzmann, Roy Campbell) Live at the Velvet Loung 04/22/200 
28:38 James Brown “Get Up Offa That Thing” Live at The Metro 09/09/1984
30:48 Sonny Sharrock Live at the Elbo Room 12/02/1989
33:55 Sun Ra “Tapestry From An Asteroid” 03/26/1974
36:00 Bill Frissell/Ikue Mori/Jim Staley Live at Links Hall 1988
45:28 Gang of Four “Not Great Men” Live 07/24/1982
48:10 Paul Lovens/Paul Lytton/Ken Vandermark Live at ICA Theatre 09/06/2002
1:01:36 Minutemen “History Lesson Part II” Live at the Metro 11-03-1985
1:03:50 Naked City “Batman” Live at City Civic Theatre 05-12-1989
1:05:41 Marilyn Crispell/Hamid Drake/Fred Anderson Live at Hot House 04-08-1994
1:19:33 Sun Ra “Ere” 03/26/1974
1:22:37 Nirvana “Breed” Live at the Metro 04/01/1990


Somehow the ESS archive manages to cover a big portion of my musical background. My music foundation is rooted in punk, rock, jazz and funk, largely due to my parents. Most of the archive covers alternative and underground music from the 1980’s and 1990’s, some which my parents were fans of (partially explaining why I feel so connected). This was some of the first music I ever heard. “Dry” by PJ Harvey was one of the first CD’s my dad gave me when I was around 10. Nirvana is a major reason I started playing drums at age 12. At the end of middle school, I checked out “Jazz In Silhouette” by Sun Ra from the library. As a family, we attended Bill Frissell concerts. I’v spent hours playing along to James Brown  My mind was blown when I heard Minutemen in high school, emphasizing my love for funky punk. Soon after, I also discovered Sonny Sharrock and Milford Graves. Moving to Chicago I met my ultimate hero Hamid Drake and now get to play in a band with Ken Vandermark. All these artists and more are included on this mix, sharing a special place in my heart. 

I believe it’s important to follow the art that makes you FEEL something. All this music has clearly done so for me. It’s become a reason to keep going in this apocalyptic world because beauty still exists, which will fortunately never go away. Forward momentum creates a desire to keep creating, an energy I try to tap into every day. If  I can trust my passions, turn ons, and community, maybe some things will be alright. Nothing interesting fits neatly in a box.  Once I realized I didn’t have to chose between seemingly contrasting categories, I felt more free. And maybe there are more common threads then different between everything I like. For one, cool art doesn’t give a fuck about achieving some socially accepted marker of “success”. Do what you want, and some people will connect to that genuineness. All these artist represent that to the highest degree.

Lily Finnegan / ESS CAA Mixtape Series 004

...a mystery within the Creative Audio Archive. 
If you have any information on who the recordist of this show was, please let us know!

Fela Kuti Live @ The Riviera Chicago Nov. 13 1986 - side 1 13 min excerpt

MW-167_Sax³_Squat-Theater_09-14-1980(excerpt)

TA-022_All-Star_Fred-Anderson-Hamid-Drake-Jeff-Parker-Tastu-Aoki_03-26-99_Part-1

TA-022_All-Star_Fred-Anderson-Hamid-Drake-Jeff-Parker-Tastu-Aoki_03-26-99_Part-2

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