If, Bwana – Tripping India
Recorded in 1994 but not released until 1997, Tripping India is the fourth CD by Pogus label honcho Al Margolis’ improvisational music group If, Bwana, which boasts an ever-rotating lineup of players with each release. The album contains three long tracks that that take you on a journey through a full hour of uncompromising sound inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The first, “3 Out of 4 Ain’t Bad” is played by three pianists, who start off with some pleasurable deep rumbles, then engage in a stop / start, melodic / dissonant, tinkle ‘n’ pound fest as electronic tapes chatter and churn in the background. “PR-DR” is a somewhat more subdued affair, as two percussionists proceed from quiet and spare frottage and light pinging on their instruments to loud, metallic rattling and schwinging—all manipulated by Al, and completely coated with maximum reverb turned up to 14. Closing the album with an epic, dense sound collage that lasts 26 minutes, the title track is constructed with layers of manipulated percussionists whose rhythms are blended in with field recordings from India, including percussion and singing from religious festivals, street sounds with shouting, etc. The beats were intentionally mis-matched, which results in a crashing, crushing cacophony. With Tripping India, chalk up another fascinating release chock-full of challenging music from If, Bwana.
Label: Pogus Catalog Number: P21013-2 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 3 Total Time: 61:14 Country: United States Released: 1997 More: Bandcamp, Discogs, Official, Pogus, Soundcloud
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