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CD
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SMM 008CD
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"The Lion's Throne bears witness to the performances that the legendary composer Terry Riley and Italian singer Amelia Cuni did together in the United Kingdom and Italy between 1999 and 2006. Riley, whose remarkable body of work seamlessly integrates a lifetime of devotion to Indian classical music into the western classical tradition, collaborates with Cuni, a singer trained in Dhrupad who, like Riley, experiments with Indian singing in a variety of ways. In these recordings, Riley plays piano or keyboards and sings with Cuni. Together, they improvise in Hindi, English, and Italian, drawing from their Indian music background as well as from western traditions. They sing on ancient and modern texts, creating a new blend which mirrors their own musical paths."
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2LP
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SMM 006LP
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Restocked. "The raga cycle given by Pandit Pran Nath at the Palace Theater in Paris 1972 was the first time a Master Indian Classical Vocalist had presented three consecutive days of ragas sung at the appropriate times of day, giving the Western audience insight into the characteristics that inform the moods and atmospheres of evening, afternoon, and morning ragas. The recording here is from the Saturday, May 27, 1972 afternoon concert and features Raagini Bheempalasi and Raag Puriya Dhanaashree. This is the Maestro at the very summit of his creative and vocal powers. His inspiration merged with his excitement of being in Paris and added to the uniqueness of these performances. As he guided his ragas at an unhurried pace with a surety and command of the musical language, details emerge in the music so profound that new delights continue to surface. Pandit Pran Nath was born in 1918 in Lahore, India which was to become Pakistan. He was one of the foremost disciples of the legendary singer, Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan, Sahib of Kirana. Khan Sahib was known for his long extended renditions of ragas in the melodic Kirana style, often lasting hours. His knowledge of raga science was unparalleled, allowing him to unveil endless permutations and combinations of phrases. Pandit Pran Nath absorbed this knowledge of raga from his Guru, building on these majestic forms in a unique and inimitable way. Pran Nath's rich vocal quality and imaginative renditions of well-known ragas singled him out as one of the greatest masters in the history of Indian Classical Music. Pan Nath's music is ancient and modern, full of fresh flights of imagination. It is no wonder that his numerous performances in the West attracted devotees and students. Besides La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela, he instructed musicians of the American avant garde, including Jon Hassell, Lee Konitz, Allaudin Mathieu, Charlemagne Palsestine, Sufi Pir, Shabda Kahn and many others. His impact on contemporary music continues to grow." --Terry Riley
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CD
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SMM 005CD
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Terry Riley, piano and vocals; Gyan Riley, classical and electric guitars, harmony vocals on "Emerald Runner." "Nothing I have done in this life has given me more satisfaction than improvising on these songs with Gyan. Nothing I have done can match the intuitive synchronicity we have shared many times on the stage. Gyan supplies a brilliant counterpoint to the strands and moods of these pieces always surprising me with a virtuosity that serves and energizes his musical invention. I could not have dreamed up a better marriage of mind and spirit than this collaboration." -- Terry Riley
"Being able to perform with my dad has been without question the most enriching, challenging, inspirational musical experience I've had. His music is bountiful! I love the rich harmonies, the colorful lyrics, the subtle pitch inflections (stemming from his long-time devotion to the North Indian kirana tradition), and the lengthy and often complex partially improvised structures. But I think the most unique musical quality about my dad is his ability to get deeper and deeper into the mood of a piece, leaving all other concerns behind, transcending the listener. We've been talking about making a record together for years, but each time we plan to record we just end up mostly cooking and hanging out, and playing of course (we just forget to press record!). So we decided on this live release, featuring some of our favorite moments from 3 different concerts given over the last 7 years." -- Gyan Riley
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CD
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SMM 004CD
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"BH2K was commissioned by the Paul Dresher Ensemble and first performed on Feb. 10, 2001 at Stanford University as part of the Lively Arts Festival and featured Terry Riley as piano soloist. The 50-minute work is in four movements. The work takes the form of a chamber concerto and was written specifically for the performance capabilities of the Dresher Ensemble and guest soloist Tracy Silverman on electric viola. The first movement is the most classical in form and content, opening with a piano solo that leads to the opening theme. After variations on the opening theme, the driving secondary subject is introduced and then combined with the opening theme. There follows more secondary themes that lead into the spacious chorale from which the movement derives its name. Then follows a piano cadenza that leads to the Eastern-sounding coda, which concludes the movement. 'The Maze; is a labyrinthine movement based on polymetric patterns that float over a 17 beat rhythmic cycle. It is scored in an open way to allow the ensemble choices on how to assemble the flow of the music. 'Goodbye Goodtimes Blues for Millennium's Child' is my one millennium piece, feeling fortunate to be one of those having a foot in both the 20th and 21st centuries. The inspiration was to create an old-time blues tune, reminiscent of the music of the '20s and '30s that gives way to a more hard core version of 21st century blues, showing how this old 'American Raga' is capable of so many expressions as it crosses over this imaginary time marker. This movement is open to large sections of improvisation. 'Danzero,' a made-up name for a movement with South American flavoring. It is the concluding movement containing shifting rhythms and tempos combining the tunefulness of Brazilian choros superimposed on compound and polyrhythmic structures. Toward the end of the movement, there are many improvised solos over the Latin groove that impels the highly energized ending." By the way, this is not a CD for fans of the "classic" Terry Riley sound. Maybe it is a CD for fans of the Paul Dresher Ensemble, wherever they may be. We listened to it in complete bewilderment...
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CD
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SMM 002CD
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"A new collaboration by poet Michael McClure and Terry Riley recorded at the Sri Moonshine Ranch (2003-2004) features the mesmerizing voice of McClure on his own Plumstones: Cartoons Of No Heaven and Ghost Tantras. Riley creates a spellbinding counterpart on his Yamaha Midi Grand piano improvising an effortless undulating sound current which sensuously embraces the rich imagery. A real marriage of two masters of psychedelia."
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CD
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SMM 001CD
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The debut release on Terry Riley's new label, from 2002; no longer available as a limited/signed edition, this is now released in mass market fashion, but with the same deluxe packaging. "Sri Moonshine Studios is happy to announce it's first release, Atlantis Nath, recorded, mixed and edited during the period of 1993-98 in Nice France at the CIRM studios. Terry's first big studio production since the 1978 Shri Camel is a 74-minute seamless journey featuring voices, strings, synthesizer, piano and loops from India. The CD is packaged in a natural paper 6-panel foldout with radiant Asian inspired illustrations meticulously designed and rendered by New York artist, Chris Harvey. Included on the recording is the final scene of Terry's opera based on the life and works of Adolf Woelfli, 'The Crucifixion of My Humble Self' as well as 'Emerald Runner,' 'Ascención' and 'Remember this O Mind.' Produced by Terry and the masterful CIRM Studios team of Luc Martinez and Michel Redolfi, this recording shines with state of the art sonics and performance. Terry sings and plays all voice, piano and synthesizer parts on these tracks with guest appearances by the Nice Opera String Quintet and Frédéric L'Epée, Guitar."
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