mimaroglu music sales ☞ artists ☞ helena espvall

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previous artist: espers		there are 2 titles featuring helena espvall in stock. they are listed below.		next artist: kiko c. esseiva

$13.41

back in stock as of
december 1st, 2011

first in stock on
august 25th, 2008

threads:
free-improvisation
modern-psych
guitar-themed

drag city (usa) #dc 359 cd

helena espvall / masaki batoh “helena espvall & masaki batoh” compact disc

polska (2:34)
kristallen den fina (4:42)
uti var hage (5:37)
trollmor vaggvisa (0:47)
beneath halo (4:40)
bicinium (1:47)
zeranium (3:14)
jag vet en dejlig rosa (2:39)
neko nemurenai (3:15)
death letter (6:08)
kling klang (4:31)
kyklopes (12:42)

drag city press release...

helena espvall & masaki batoh
self-titled
dc359 cd

helena espvall and masaki batoh are known to open-eared music listeners for their collaborations with other artists — artists with names such as ghost, espers, damon & naomi, fursaxa, tom rapp, lukas ligeti, bert jansch, among many others. by collaborating with each other, they’ve made one of the most beautiful recordings either one of them has yet participated in.

they first met at a festival in the united states in 2006. batoh presented helena with a handmade bamboo instrument; short on spare celli, she gave him a copy of her solo cd. afterwards, they stayed in touch. at some point helena suggested an improvised musical collaboration. batoh wrote back and said: “actually i’m too busy now to think about music... if my idols moondog, henry cowell or toru takemitsu wanted me, i’ll refuse their orders.” several weeks later he had a change of heart. he contacted helena and said that he felt they should record not improvisations only, but songs as well. helena made a demo of some scandinavian folk songs that she remembered in her spirit from growing up in northern sweden, thinking that maybe they’d record one.

the recording session was held in tokyo over four days in december 2007. for instruments fans, this session might be a treasure. so many strings were used: 6- and 12-string guitar, banjo, cello, hurdy-gurdy, harp, contra bass, chappa tibetan bells, kin (buddist metallic bowl), timpani, bass marimba, vibraphone, thunder sheet & on & on. six of the swedish traditional tunes were reconstructed, along with batoh’s arrangement of “death letter,” a classic son house delta blues song. additionally, a european medieval tune was addressed in its own arrangement and expression. “zeranium,” a dreamy folk tune that batoh wrote for damon & naomi (they didn’t use it), was re-arranged for this session as well.

the improvisations were done on the last recording day, with no overdubs. “completely free” was the essential concept. for one of them, they were joined by batoh’s fellow ghosts takuyuki moriya (contra bass), kazuo ogino (piano, celtic harp) and the santur player mayumi nagayoshi. the same morning helena had received notice that her grandmother suddenly had died, and that a dear friend had chosen to end his life. two death letters in one day... there is great emotion reflected in the improvisations. and great depth and beauty throughout the whole helena espvall & masaki batoh album.

$14.97

back in stock as of
november 23rd, 2009

first in stock on
april 17th, 2008

threads:
guitar-themed
folk

important (usa) #imprec 162 cd

“the garden of forking paths” compact disc

chieko mori - spiral wave
james blackshaw - the broken hourglass
helena espvall - home of shadows and whirlwinds
josef van wissem - the mirror of eternal light
chieko mori - tokyo light

important press release...

va - the garden of forking paths - cd
imprec162 - cd

"i leave to several futures (not to all) my garden of forking paths" - ts'ui pen
the garden of forking paths was compiled for important records by guitarist james blackshaw. compositions were recorded specially for this collection by helena espeval (espers), james blackshaw, jozef van wissem and chieko mori. beautifully assembled, the garden of forking paths serves as a singular and particularly unique musical statement.

the story of how this compilation came into being is, unlike many other stories i could mention, a relatively simple one. my wish was to put together a compilation of experimental music for solo stringed instruments, with little to no overdubs, that would hold up well as a thoughtful and engaging experience as an entirety, from beginning to end, much as i would if i were recording and sequencing an album myself. given my own history of composing music for solo 12-string guitar, it may come as no suprise to hear that i have for a long time connected with such music in a very immediate and personal way and when the notion of curation a compilation first entered my mind, only a couple of months or so ago now - an idea also, i believe, born out of a desire for a new creative challenge involving others and a wish to hear my own music in a different context - it was immediately apparent who i would like to contribute:

chieko mori, a japanese composer, koto virtuoso and one-time fabrica resident, who first came to my attention with her beautiful and mesmerising debut recording "jumping rabbit" for john zorn's tzadik label in 2005, which ranks itself as one of my all-time favourite albums; jozef van wissem, a similarly accomplished rennaissance lute player and composer from the netherlands, who has collaborated with gary lucas and tetuzi akiyama amongst others and whose solo albums often make use of palindromic or mirrored structures interwoven with field recordings to haunting and immensely compelling effect; swedish cellist and improviser helena espvall, perhaps currently best known for her work with us psych-folk group espers, but who has also played with such luminaries as pauline oliveros and eugene chadbourne and whose own recent solo work has demonstrated her amazing power and sensitivity as an artist.

each of them has a very unique and unorthodox approach of writing and performing, which challenges as much as it embraces their respective instrument's musical roots, be they in eastern or western traditional or classical forms. despite the variation in instrumentation, not to mention the differences in nationality and backgrounds of the performers themselves, it is also interesting to note certain similarities to be found between the five tracks contained on this compilation. sometimes it can be heard melodically; sometimes within the movement, space or colour of the pieces; sometimes it is simply felt - a purity or emotional resonance that defies analysis and can rarely be articulated into words, at least not by me anyway. it is better some things remain a mystery. that you would stop for a moment to consider it so is enough.

i would like to express my deepest gratitude to chieko, helena and jozef for their time and enthusiasm and, of course, for agreeing to take part; to hanna tuulikki, for the incredible artwork and also to john brien of important records for his support and belief in this project. i must also mention that the title of this compilation is intended as a homage to argentinian author jorge luis borges' short fictional story el jardín de senderos que se bifurcan, although the album itself is not, maybe other than to the spirit and the themes which pervade borges' fascinating and inspiring body of work.

- james blackshaw, may 2007

previous artist:
espers

...and that's everything in stock featuring helena espvall.
(why not take a look at the previous and next artists?)

next artist:
kiko c. esseiva