Harry Bertoia

I think we need a thread over here too, especially given this news from Important Records:

"Harry Bertoia’s 99th birthday was Monday, March 10th. For his 100th birthday we will be releasing an elaborate box set containing all of his self released LPs."

I approve of this thread

http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/38/13138-004-C34649B1.jpg

:)

it's about time these were reissued; i can imagine they'll be snapped up by the Dwell-Magazine-Eames-Era-Hi-Fi-vinyl enthusiasts.

been going through the mp3's this week actually. all pretty unique and great. I got the japanese 'unfolding' CD compilation when it came out, but what I really remember is when Amoeba Records in Berkeley got a huge shipment of about 4-5 copies of each of the Sonambients sometime in the mid-90's, which dominated the experimental music bins for about a week until they were all snapped up. Almost no information on the covers, just obscure b & w photographs of each of the sculptures on the cover. Getting to hold one of those covers while getting to listen to the sounds they make is a key part of the process.

discogs has the covers: http://www.discogs.com/artist/431519-Harry-Bertoia

mentioned it before somewhere on ILX but RRRecords was selling all of those for $5 each back in the early 90's. unfortunately, I was broke at the time.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1983757235/help-archive-harry-bertoias-complete-sonambient-re

Been listening to these a lot. Excited about this 11 CD box, but more excited about getting another 20-30 albums worth; this is the kind of stuff where you don't ever want to 'learn' the albums, you just want it to keep coming, like Roland Kayn

awesome! these people are doing god's work. would be cool if someone did something similar with the kayn archives.

oh man, thanks for that link. been reading about (and listening to) this guy for a few years.

i'm a little chagrined by the way the "rewards" are structured... alas. i'll almost certainly end up buying the big box set when it comes out. maybe i can contribute a little now.

Yeah been thinking about what to do. Might go for the shirt.

Hey, great news -- the Kickstarter has been funded as of today. Still five days left to go if you want to claim any rewards etc.

I bought a cassette tape recording of an unreleased reel :)

it was at like $14,980 when i pledged $35 so YALL WELCOME

Good on yer.

Anyone have a favorite of the 11? I'm sorta just stuck on that PSF CD reissue, but I want more. Is the box really delayed until March?

That I hadn't heard. Interviewed John at ImpRec about it the other week, some intriguing details.

March 4th according to Amazon, which I realize is not the best source of info on this sorta thing

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0169PLPLW?keywords=harry%20bertoia&qid=1449542832&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

Anyone have a favorite of the 11?

I've heard 5 or 6 of the originals and like them all. I own a couple on vinyl and I think Gong-Gong/Elemental is maybe slightly more favoritish though.

I kinda hope the box is delayed, I'm broke as fuh right now but really want to get one.

what does this stuff sound like anyway?

This video is sort of the equivalent of watching a guy show you the guitars he uses but it gives you an idea of the sounds he was working with

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtZ3qmGBWEM

Here's a full track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlGhyqkQnxs

If I had to compare it to anything I'd compare it to Nurse With Wound's Soliloquy For Lilith, actually, but with more room to breath. Or a less diffuse Thomas Koner?

crazy

xp GOTT PUNCH otm

It's such a strange experience listening to this, having never seen the sculptures in person (and barely anywhere else), and trying to figure out how these sounds are being generated (physically) and imagining what each sculpture looks like.

Would love to get to play these some day. Kind of an ideal way to spend a day I imagine.

What a beautiful box

Pictures split between archival wide-shots of the sculptures from the 70s and very close up new shots by John Brien that give you a sense of the abstract details and how it might feel to play them

It's one LP per disc, which I am mixed about; most of the albums are around 30-34 minutes. I'm just spoiled by the fully immersive listening afforded by the mp3s; this is music you want to keep going forever and I feel like I'm changing discs everytime I turn around. But one LP per disc was absolutely the right call; two of the albums are just over 40 minutes which would have made it impossible to present them all in chronological order, and the tiny individual sleeves perfectly replicate the vinyl so it was the only thing to do

The new masters are beautiful, all done from original tapes save for the first 1970 LP, completely replace the WAV/mp3s of the vinyl that have been blogged around

Liner notes mention there are hundreds more tapes, all of the same quality. I'd probably buy another box of 10 even, but I hope the scale of this set gets a good online documentation. I recently just finished getting a complete set of the 29 Roland Kayn CDs and as with him, when the quality level is this high, you stop thinking in terms of albums, or relating to the music as if it's a fixed recording (even if, of course, it still is one). Instead with this much quantity to deal with, you're closer to that ideal state of just enjoying it as unfixable sound.

I recently just finished getting a complete set of the 29 Roland Kayn CDs and as with him

I The people demand a blow-by-blow account of this Milton!

^lol yeah was just about to post pretty much the same thing

want

the Kayn website is now run by his daughter; it's not made very clear, but all the Kayn CDs are still in print and she takes paypal

Kayn's enormous Tektra project is some amazing work, good thread this.

Apologies for picking yr brain Milton - do you know if the material on this alb

https://cdn.discogs.com/DGoKrIXlpp_L_OuFT7ZrsIp7bU4=/fit-in/600x591/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(96)/discogs-images/R-1909392-1417797901-4663.jpeg.jpg

is available on a CD?

(I own the record but wld prefer a disc)

out of all that Kayn music on vinyl the only one that's made it to CD is 'Tektra'. sadly. vinyl is not the kindest medium for this kind of music.

we should wake up the Kayn thread, it should be longer

Okay, here's my interview with John of ImpRec for FACT:

http://www.factmag.com/2016/02/21/harry-bertoia-sounding-sculptures-sonambient-important-records/

great interview!

it is simultaneously besides-the-point and very important that Bertoia used the word ambient in 1970 to present meditative / atmospheric music. I remember my head caving in a little bit when I realized these records dated not only from 1978 but from 1970, they looked utterly modern when they made the rounds to Amoeba in the 90s. I still haven't seen too many knowledgeable histories of ambient music, ones that mention people like Irv Teibel who sold literally millions of records and yet seldom even gets a mention (someone should certainly do an Environments box, those are an important part of the history)

the name 'Important' really offended me as a label name at first but they're admittedly pulling it off

Thanks! And yeah it's really fascinating how Bertoia clued into something and a way -- however compromised -- of describing it at that point.

had not seen either of these, contemporary HD footage closeups, with sync-sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS-YQ0-Rmmk

and vintage 16mm documentary overview of all his sculptures; last ten minutes start showing you the sonic sculptures in movement. soundtrack is beautiful, if non-sync

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9EF_zO5ihs

I am glad I am not the only one mentioning Kayn in relation to this release, the rave boomkat review goes in as well (I bought the Volker Heyn CD they mention as well the second I realized it was on Editions RZ)

https://boomkat.com/products/sonambient-recordings-of-harry-bertoia

So now that this amazing CD box set is out, maybe a poll of the 11 LPs is in order? Worth doing?

Well, maybe not. But I'm stuck on "Ocean Mysteries" / "Softly Played" at the moment...

I got the box, I love the box, I want to make a bunch of Bertoia sculptures and live my life surrounded by cosmic whispers and roars

Exhibit in NY at MAD with Val's recreations that you can play at certain times. Also bertoias jewelry.

His jewelry is crazy, I love it. Wish I was on the good coast so I could see that exhibit.

https://imgur.com/gallery/awMyxdS

Gosh.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/arts/music/bertoia-sounding-sculptures.html

https://vimeo.com/781894307