Ben Patterson

2002 release. Alga Marghen proudly presents the first record ever produced by Ben Patterson: "This is not only my first CD, but also the first recordings of these works available to the general public." Starting as a virtuoso double-bass performer of classical music, Ben Patterson was one of the very first founders of the Fluxus Group in Wiesban. This digipak CD will introduce you to some American neo-avant garde music classics, a crossover between John Cage's exploding influences and the experimental art atmosphere of the early 1960s in Europe. The compact disc program includes two essential 1961 documents: "Duo for Voice and a String Instrument" and "Variations for Double-Bass," both recorded in concert at the Galerie Parnass in 1962; this event has special historic significance in that it included the first public presentation by George Maciunas of his Fluxus manifesto and plans for the Wiesbaden Fluxus Festival.

 

"Duo" was Patterson's most ambitious and lost attempt to combine graphic notation and chance operations for the realization of a performance score, while "Variations" represents the moment when, unexpectedly, out of some unknown place, something new entered the process -- humor! The other three tracks were recorded in Milano especially for this release; a collaboration with Philip Corner, Walter Marchetti, Davide Mosconi, and a few more friends. These newly-recorded pieces include "A Simple Opera" (1995), a repetitive homage to Emmett Williams on his 70th birthday; "Paper Piece" (1960), the work that cut the umbilical cord to all of the author's previous classical and contemporary musical training and experience, and "Pond" (1961), a piece that reminds of Richard Maxfield's electronic music with voice collage.

The edition includes a fold-out 16-page insert with original scores and photos.