KITSOS HARISIADIS' LAMENT IN A DEEP STYLE 1929-1931
THIRD MAN RECORDS TO RELEASE PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED GREEK FOLK RECORDINGS OF KITSOS HARISIADIS
Reviews:
LAMENT FROM EPIRUS An Odyssey Into Europe’s Oldest Surviving Folk Music
By Christopher C. King
Wall Street Journal Top 10 Books of 2018
Lament from Epirus shortlisted for the London Hellenic Prize in 2019
Lament from Epirus is an unforgettable journey into a musical obsession, which traces a unique genre back to the roots of song itself. As King hunts for two long-lost virtuosos—one of whom may have committed a murder—he also tells the story of the Roma people who pioneered northwestern Greek folk music and their descendants who continue the tradition today.
King discovers clues to his most profound questions about the function of music in the history of humanity: What is the relationship between music and language? Why do we organize sound as music? Is music superfluous, a mere form of entertainment, or could it be a tool for survival? King’s journey becomes an investigation into song and dance’s role as a means of spiritual healing—and what that may reveal about music’s evolutionary origins.
Impressions and Criticism of the book in English
In the tradition of Patrick Leigh Fermor and Geoff Dyer, a Grammy-winning producer discovers a powerful and ancient folk music tradition.
In a dark record shop in Istanbul, renowned collector Christopher King uncovered some of the strangest—and most hypnotic—sounds he had ever heard. The 78s were immensely moving, seeming to tap into a primal well of emotion inaccessible to contemporary music. The songs, King learned, were from Epirus, an area straddling southern Albania and northwestern Greece and boasting a folk tradition extending back to the pre-Homeric era. Lament from Epirus is an unforgettable journey into a musical obsession, which follows a unique genre back to the roots of song itself. As King hunts for traces of two long-lost virtuosos—one of whom may have committed a murder—he tells the story of the Roma people who pioneered Epirotic folk music and whose descendants continue the tradition today. His journey becomes an investigation into song and dance’s role as a means of spiritual healing—and what this may reveal about music’s original purpose.
BOOK DETAILS
Hardcover
Forthcoming May 2018
ISBN 978-0-393-24899-9
6.1 × 9.3 in / 272 pages
Sales Territory: Worldwide
ORDER FROM NORTON HERE
ORDER FROM AMAZON HERE
Why The Mountains Are Black
THIRD MAN RECORDS TO RELEASE PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED GREEK FOLK RECORDINGS FEBRUARY 5, 2016 on CD and VINYL
(NASHVILLE, TN) -- Third Man Records is proud to present on February 5, 2016 on CD and vinyl a truly rare musical oddity- a two disc collection of primal and unhinged Greek village music that at times sounds more like free jazz or doom folk, feral and trance-like as it is. After years of research, fieldwork and collecting, Christopher King-Grammy-winning producer, sound-engineer, curator and writer- has gathered together from his private 78 rpm archive the most mind expanding and libido inducing song and dance music from the rural hinterlands of mainland Greece and its islands. Recorded between 1907 and 1960, this collection contains the first and the last-the alpha and the omega-of Greek demotika- or folk music. And it is not what you would expect.
Remastered from the original 78 rpm discs, this set contains 28 previously unissued recordings made in the cramped, primitive studios of Athens, Greece, New York, NY, and Chicago, IL. Crazed Macedonian bagpipes, keening violins, shiver-inducing zournas and shepherd-pipes are found throughout the two discs. Cover artwork is by legendary underground artist R. Crumb and designed by Grammy winning Susan Archie. A beautifully thought-provoking if not radical essay on this music by King accompanies the lavish package. Not simply for historians or collectors of long gone sounds, this compilation is intended to push the limits of what we have come to expect of music, its purpose and indeed its origin. You will experience a profound musical transformation immediately upon listening.
Hear a clip from Kalamatianos ("Dance of Kalamata") here:
https://soundcloud.com/thirdmanrecords/kalamatianos-dance-of-kalamata/s-T9oEN
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Questions?
ALEXIS ZOUMBAS A LAMENT FOR EPIRUS, 1926-1928 Original Artwork by Robert Crumb. 10 Recordings with Deluxe Gatefold LP
Alexis Zoumbas’s expressions of longing are so raw and unmediated that I suspect anyone who has ever yearned for anything – who has ever gazed dolefully out a window, or sighed audibly over a cup of whiskey, or felt subsumed by a certain kind of ache – will feel these songs like a club to the back of the knees. They are immediate, destructive, and stunning. That Christopher King was able to collect and contain them for us is an extraordinary gift. —Amanda Petrusich
Years of research and obsession have resulted in this, the first collection of recordings by the legendary and masterful Greek folk violinist Alexis Zoumbas. Very few pre-war musicians have tapped deeper into the human soul than Zoumbas and this volume presents his most profoundly hypnotic and unearthly pieces. A deep set of notes is accompanied by previously unpublished photographs as well as original art-work by R. Crumb. Respectfully crafted by Christopher King and Susan Archie for Angry Mom Records.
A Long Gone Sound Production for Angry Mom Records. AMA-04.
Part of the “How The Other Half Hears” Sound Series.
Angry Mom Records 115 The Commons Ithaca NY 14850
angrymomrecords@gmail.com
Listen and share via SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/long-gone-sound/sets/alexis-zoumbas-a-lament
Paramount Records Volume 1 & 2
Rolling Stone: Jack White's Third Man Records to Co-Release Paramount Records Set
Christopher King, Sound Engineer and Sound Designer for all 800 Paramount tracks on the collection
PARAMOUNT RECORDS WONDER-CABINET
THIRD MAN + REVENANT PARTNER TO RELEASE HISTORIC TWO-VOLUME WONDER-CABINET ‘THE RISE & FALL OF PARAMOUNT RECORDS 1917-1932’
Christopher King, Sound Engineer and Sound Designer for all 800 Paramount tracks on the collection
Five Days Married & Other Laments Song and Dance from Northern Greece 1928-1958
Featuring sublime and unhinged music rarely heard outside of Northern Greece and Southern Albania, the performances presented in this collection span the range of plaintive, ancient dirges to hypnotic, droning dance pieces. The style, repertoire, and songs from this isolated region are unearthly in their euphonic appeal. Most of the sides on this LP have not been issued since they were originally pressed on 78 rpm disc. A deep set of notes is accompanied by comprehensive lyrical translations as well as original artwork by R. Crumb. Respectfully crafted by Christopher King and Susan Archie for Angry Mom Records.
Original Artwork by Robert Crumb. 14 Songs with Deluxe Gatefold LP
A Long Gone Sound Production for Angry Mom Records. AMA-03. Part of the "How The Other Half Hears" Sound Series.
angrymomrecords.com
Beyond Rembetika: The Music & Dance of The Region of Epirus [4CD Box Set]
Years of canvassing, collecting and research have gone into this, the first in a series of exploring early Greek and Balkan folk music pre-dating the rise of Rembetika. Here are the earliest known recordings of village musicians in the northernmost hinterlands of Greece. The isolation of this area produced, and kept pure, distinct styles and vocal expressions that have rarely been heard in such high fidelity. The sound is simultaneously haunting and beautiful.
Compiled and Remastered by Chris King
![Beyond Rembetika: The Music & Dance of The Region of Epirus [4CD Box Set]Compiled and Remastered by Chris King](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5128322ce4b006d82fb7218b/1365306710323-F07JQO3IOAKENDDDYOAL/Chris+King+epiroticBOX.jpg)
Beyond Rembetika: The Music & Dance of The Region of Epirus [4CD Box Set]
Compiled and Remastered by Chris King
Imaginational Anthem Volume 6: The Roots Of American Primitive Guitar
If American Primitive Guitar begins with John Fahey and the Takoma School, then the actual origins of this sound is found within this collection of fourteen classic solo guitar performances. Recorded between 1923 to 1930, this set is the "Rosetta Stone" of style and repertoire tapped into deeply by Fahey, Basho & Rose, among many others. Sam McGee, Riley Puckett, Bayless Rose, Sylvester Weaver, Lemuel Turner, Frank Hutchison and Davey Miller are the rural artists included in this anthology. Each one of these showcases a particular technique and sensitivity sourced from the earlier 19th century parlor guitar tradition. Several of these sides are reissued for their first time including Sylvester Weaver's "Guitar Blues" which is the first solo finger picked guitar solo ever recorded. Stunningly remastered and annotated by Christopher King.
Imaginational Anthem Volume 6: The Roots Of American Primitive Guitar Stunningly remastered and annotated by Christopher King.
Let Me Play This For You: Rare Cajun Recordings – Babineaux & Guidry, Angelas Le Jeune, & Blind Uncle Gaspard, 1929-1930
This latest installment in the Long Gone Sound series features some of the rarest, most compelling tunes and heart-breaking songs from South-West Louisiana. Most of the performances on this collection have not been heard since they were originally recorded on 78 rpm disc and yet they serve as a discrete Rosetta Stone for the traditional Cajun and Creole repertoire that exists today. Not to be understated, this collection features some of the most vexingly rare & valuable Cajun 78s ever recorded. Cajun discs such as those found in this release are valued not only for their magnificent artistry but also because of their desperate scarcity.
In the isolated back-water bayous & prairies of South-West Louisiana a profoundly unique and powerful form of indigenous music developed among the French speaking white Cajuns and black Creoles. Drawing from a rich range of cultural sounds, this music was first recorded in the 1920s & 1930s and featured such luminaries as Amede Ardoin, Dennis McGee and Joe & Cleoma Falcon. This special collection includes all of Percy Babineaux & Bixy Guidry’s 1929 recordings and most of Angelas Le Jeune’s 1929-1930 recordings with Denus McGee & Ernest Fruge. Found within is also the newly “discovered” 78 of Blind Uncle Gaspard & Delma Lachney. Respectfully crafted by Christopher King, Susan Archie & Ron Brown for Tompkins Square.
Let Me Play This For You: Rare Cajun Recordings – Babineaux & Guidry, Angelas Le Jeune, & Blind Uncle Gaspard, 1929-1930 Christopher King
Aimer Et Perdre: To Love & To Lose Songs, 1917-1934 [2CD 4LP Box Set]
Accompanied by three illustrations by Robert Crumb and a 60-page booklet full of lyrical translations and rare images, this unique ode to the universal power of love collects 36 prewar songs of passion. These arose from the Cajun bayous, Ukraine, Poland, rural America and beyond: "She Lied to Me" Emry Arthur; "Aimer Et Perdre" Cleoma & Joe Falcon; "I Never Will Marry" Carter Family; "False Hearted Lover's Blues" Dock Boggs; "Kolomyika Buczacka" Michael Thomasa; "Two Step De Maman" Amede Ardoin & Dennis McGee; "Too Late" Stoneman Family; "Marusia" Ukrainska Selska Orchestra; "L'Abandonner" Montet & Dupuis, and more!
![Aimer Et Perdre: To Love & To Lose Songs, 1917-1934 [2CD 4LP Box Set]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5128322ce4b006d82fb7218b/1365308692316-L21GV0WCRAJDOUDPRUCG/Aimer+et+Perdre+Chris+King.jpeg)
Aimer Et Perdre: To Love & To Lose Songs, 1917-1934 [2CD 4LP Box Set]
World's largest privately held collection of Yiddish & Jewish 78 RPM records for the Mayrent Institute at University of Madison in Wisconsin
Christopher King is currently engaged in remastering the world's largest privately held collection of Yiddish & Jewish 78 RPM records for the Mayrent Institute at University of Madison in Wisconsin. The collection contains over 9,000 unique sides and Mr. King has remastered over 4,000 sides.
