Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis"Ultra White Violet Light"
Charles Curtis Trio "Sleep"
Double 12" LP/Double CD (Squealer 029)1999/2000
The four sides of this double 12" (or the four tracks on the
double CD) can be freely combined with one another on multiple
stereo sets. Any combination of two, three or all four sides
at once can be heard. Each side by itself is also a complete
composition.
Side A: Cellos, sine tones, sustained electric guitars
Side B: Electric guitar and bass, drumkit, sine tones, speech
Side C: Sine tones, sustained electric guitars
Side D: Cellos, sine tones, sustained electric guitars, speech
The Charles Curtis Trio are: Henry Grant, drums, Peter Imig,
bass, and Charles Curtis, guitar and vocals. Charles Curtis
also played cello
Produced by Matthias Arfmann
Photographs by Bernhard Oe
Squealer is very proud to join in this reissue
with the German label Beau Rivage. Beau Rivage issued the original
edition of the album in a very limited pressing of 512 copies
in 1998. This second pressing of the LP, which came out in 1999,
is in an edition of 652, with only 400 LP copies available in
the US. The Compact Disc is in an initial edition of 1000.
"Some aspire to greatness, others have it thrust
upon them. Then there are the few, like Charles Curtis, who were
just born that way. Born in California in 1960, Curtis is known
internationally as a classical 'cellist of the first water. He
has performed and recorded with an amazingly diverse range of
artists, from Kathleen Battle to Herbie Hancock to Speculum Musicae.
Since 1989 he has been the principal cellist of the North German
Radio Orchestra. From 1986 Curtis has been closely associated
with La Monte Young, who considers Curtis his protege, and has
spoken of him as 'the foremost interpreter of my music in the
world'. He is also one of the few musicians ever to have shared
the stage as a duo with Young. Besides this complex history of
study and performance with The Father of Minimalism, Curtis has
also maintained a strong presence in New York's avant-garde and
underground rock scenes, working frequently as a guitarist with
such figures as Kramer and Alan Licht, and holding regular positions
in The Donald Miller Trio and King Missile. Since the early '90s,
he has also lead his own rock group in Europe, the Charles Curtis
Trio. His compositions for this classic power formation integrate
sustained sine waves and spoken prose pieces, reminding one of
a simultaneous playing of The Velvet Underground's 3rd album and
John Cage's "Indeterminacy". And simultaneous playing is one of
the features of "Ultra White Violet Light"/"Sleep". The LP release
presents four pieces on two records. Three reflect Curtis' work
with La Monte Young, bathing the listener with a wash of sine
tones, multi-tracked 'cellos and sustained guitars; a fourth features
his Trio; two feature his readings in one of the most affable
monotones ever recorded; and all may be enjoyed as individual
compositions, but may also be combined on more than one stereo
sets, up to all four at once. You may have to invite several DJ
friends over for a party, but it is worth it. The resulting release
represents a complete project unique in either Minimalism or rock,
both sumptuous and eccentric. In its original limited edition,
it recently made The Wire's Top Ten Office Playlist. On a tragic
note, photographer Bernhard Oe, whose pictures grace the covers
of all of Curtis' recordings, was killed in a traffic accident
at the end of April just after finalizing choices for this issue
of "Ultra White Violet Light"/"Sleep". He shared a great sympathy
of aesthetic with Curtis, and his talent will be sorely missed."
-Donald Miller
The Double CD and the Double LP are both out of print.
Digital files are available at eMusic.
DISCOGRAPHY • REVIEWS
• CURTIS
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
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