Seeking Loren Connors Recommendations

Jesse · December-13th-2005, 07:59 PM

I am a latecomer to Connors' work. Please recommend 3-5 releases you prefer.
Thank you.

Jon Abbey · December-13th-2005, 08:05 PM

I'm pretty much of a completist with my man Loren. some of my faves are Hell's Kitchen Park, In Bern (w/ O'Rourke), 9th Avenue, In Pittsburgh, In Twilight and the one I did with his Haunted House band, Up In Flames.

pretty sure there's a thread along these lines on IHM, if you pull it up, you might get the keeper of all things Lorenian, Eric Weddle of Family Vineyard, to chime in. he's finishing up a three CD compilation of his singles, etc. now, for release early next year, I believe.

http://fvrec.com/lorenmazzacaneconnors/

bluenoter · December-13th-2005, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

pretty sure there's a thread along these lines on IHM, if you pull it up, you might get the keeper of all things Lorenian, Eric Weddle of Family Vineyard, to chime in. he's finishing up a three CD compilation of his singles, etc. now, for release early next year, I believe.

Here's the IHM thread.

Jesse · December-13th-2005, 08:26 PM

Thanks, you both rock!

Paul H · December-16th-2005, 11:01 AM

I have pretty much everything of his that has made it to cd. I'd second all of Jon's recommendations above, particularly Hell's Kitchen Park and 9th Avenue. I look forward to hearing your thoughts after you've listened to some of these.

hearsay · December-16th-2005, 11:15 AM

I only know Conners from the Haunted House CD, which is excellent (based on that CD I'm assuming that long-winded is his style). I'm definitely interested to check out those other recommendation, how similar are they?

Jesse · December-16th-2005, 11:36 AM

Any comment on the Departing Of A Dream volumes?
A local brick & mortar actually has these.

Thank you.

Jon Abbey · December-16th-2005, 05:07 PM

I'm personally not quite as into his more recent stuff, which the Departing of a Dream discs all qualify as. I'm not sure if that's because of my changing tastes or his changing sound, but I think it's a combination.

Brett, most of those others are solo. the thing about the Haunted House band is that the other three musicians did a great job of amplifying Loren's sound into a quartet, so I think it's more "powerful" music, but the solo ones are great too. one of the few remaining bluesmen we have, even if it's the extremely rare Connecticut/Brooklyn variety.

Jason Bivins · December-16th-2005, 05:42 PM

Jesse, if your brick and mortar is stocking Family Vineyard stuff, I'd pick up one of Loren's duos with Darin Gray, particularly "This Past Spring." It's much stronger than the "DofD" series.

Jesse · December-16th-2005, 06:19 PM

Thanks again, all.

Jason, the local merchant has only the 3 volumes of Departing Of A Dream-today I picked up Vol. III ["Juliet"]-and The Death Of Joan Of Arc on vinyl.
This is only the begining of investigating Connors' stuff, I will look for several named here, thanks again.

Pete C · December-16th-2005, 06:39 PM

Always nice to be exposed to new names (even if they've been around a while), but nothing in this thread gives me even a ballpark idea of what kind of music it is. A little digging gave me something of an idea, but you guys don't make it easy on the uninitiated.

Jon Abbey · December-16th-2005, 06:54 PM

well, it doesn't help that Loren changed his name from Loren Mazzacane not too long ago, but I'm guessing you could make a similar complaint about pretty much every music thread everywhere, this was just someone you personally hadn't heard of.

Jesse · December-16th-2005, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete C

Always nice to be exposed to new names (even if they've been around a while), but nothing in this thread gives me even a ballpark idea of what kind of music it is. A little digging gave me something of an idea, but you guys don't make it easy on the uninitiated.

Pete, count me among the uninitiated-that's why I was seeking input. All I could have added to my inquiry was "the American guitarist Loren Connors."

Lore · January-19th-2006, 11:21 AM

Just got word on this performance next Thursday in NYC:

fwd:

Loren Connors
"The Passion of Joan of Arc"

Loren will perform a live guitar accompaniment to Carl Th. Dreyer's 1928 film masterpiece.

Thursday January 26th at 8PM

Greene Naftali
526 West 26th St. 8th Fl.
(between 10th & 11th Ave)

There is a sign at 516 that says "Greene Naftali" but the 526 address has a nighttime elevator operator, so that's a better entrance.

Jon Abbey · January-19th-2006, 04:54 PM

I've seen him do that before, very nice combo.

eric weddle · January-20th-2006, 09:34 AM

Haven't been lurking here for a long time... The Connors 3xCD set, "Night Through: Singles & Collected Works 1976-2004" will be out in a few months, as it is being manufactured next week. Exact release date is not set as of now. It is a hefty set -- all remastered from original tapes and lengthy liners from blues scholar William Ferris. Outside of a few vocal accompaniments from Suzanne Langille, Robert Crotty and two live Haunted House songs, it is all solo.

Also, Loren/Henry Kaiser duo January 28th... Flushing Town Hall, NY

Loren Connors and Henry Kaiser will play in a guitar duet with a silent film -- excerpts from Teinosuke Kinugasa’s "A Page of Madness" (Kurutta Ippeiji, 1926). The film offers a fragmented portrait of an insane asylum. It is regarded as one of the finest examples of international experimental cinema.

Then acoustic steel-string guitarist and composer Alex de Grassi will perform his original score for A Story of Floating Weeds (Ukigusa Monogatari, 1934) by director Yasujiro Ozu. He will play a few one-of-a-kind guitars, including a 39-string "Flying Dream" instrument that incorporates sympathetic strings (strings that resonate not by being plucked or bowed, but by their proximity to other strings) and extended bass and treble harp strings.

Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354 Box Office: (718) 463-7700 x222 ? www.flushingtownhall.org Tickets: $20/$16 members/$15 students/$13 student members

Jon Abbey · January-20th-2006, 09:39 AM

hi, Eric! two questions:

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric weddle

Outside of a few vocal accompaniments from Suzanne Langille, Robert Crotty and two live Haunted House songs, it is all solo.

where are the Haunted House tracks from? that band was at its peak during Loren's birthday month at Tonic, hopefully from one of those nights.

also, what's the scoop on the new Loren double CD on TOTE? how much of it is with Fahey? those TOTE PRs are never very informative. I have a copy of a recording those two made together at the Hint House, wonder if it's the same material or something else...

eric weddle · January-20th-2006, 12:08 PM

Hey Jon

"Sails" has one 38-minute duet with Fahey from a Brooklyn studio session. I know Loren has wanted to do something with those tapes for awhile but was under the impression they never got around to mixing before Fahey passed. So, this may just be part of that session.

As for Haunted House, there are two songs: "Haunted House" from 8/29/99 at Downtown Music Gallery and "Only When You Sleep" from a undetermined 1999 date at Tonic or DMG. I have a few lo-fi tapes/CDRs of HH I need to cull through this weekend to try and narrow it down.

Not sure how much of his birthday month of shows was recorded -- at the time I thought a number of those pairings would've been released. I'll have to find out.