joe mcphee & john snyder: pieces of light

First time vinyl reissue of Joe McPhee's classic CJR LP from 1974. Repress of the original artwork. Another reissue of ultra-rare, '70s McPhee vinyl. In 1974, Pieces of Light was recorded and released by the CJR label. McPhee had picked up on the growing electronic music movement, and recorded a set of duos on saxophone, trumpet, E-flat alto horn, flute, modified Nagoya harp, chimes and voice with John Snyder, who played an ARP analog synthesizer. The result is a stunning six-part meditation on how best to combine acoustically and electrically-driven sounds. McPhee at times anticipates and complements the limited wave forms of his playing partner, but the two don't try to mimic or play on top of each other. They shift, meld, and counter each other. McPhee at times plays extremely jazz-tinted phrases, in alien vistas created by Snyder's synth, without ever coming off as quaint. Definitely something a little different from the fire music of the time. Joe McPhee (tenor saxophone, trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, alto horn, flute, chimes, harp, voice); John Snyder (synthesizer).