A Field Guide to Table of the Elements: Southeastern Edition

Table of the Elements started in 1993 as a clearinghouse for rare recordings of American experimental music that were not getting out in any other way, including brittle audiotaped documents of the birth of minimalism; no wave-era New York composers whose music was not accepted at the academies; composers whose works blurred the boundaries between rock, improvised jazz, and classical forms; and sound artists with nowhere else to go. By way of celebrating their anniversary and to provide an introduction to some of their products, Table of the Elements have assembled A Field Guide to Table of the Elements as a sampler; it is not a "greatest-hits" package and contains a number of tracks not previously released. As this is the "Southeastern Edition," it also seems to have been pressed up as support material for a festival held in connection with SXSW in Austin in 2006, an occasion that marked the first appearance of Rhys Chatham in the United States in two decades. The whole second disc is devoted to a single 50-minute excerpt from Leif Inge's "9 Beet Stretch," a piece that is merely a recording of Beethoven's Ninth slowed down to the point where it takes 24 hours rather than the customary 70 minutes or so. While it is interesting, it requires incredible tolerance, so chances are the listener will make far more use of the first disc, which contains works by Chatham, Tony Conrad with and without Faust, Arnold Dreyblatt, Zeena Parkins, Jonathan Kane, and San Agustin. These pieces are of such an individual nature, even within the catalogs of the artists represented, that the "sampler" aspect of the project is sort of out the window -- the pieces may or may not move one to investigate these artists' releases further on their own terms. The Conrad and Chatham selections stand out, and as Conrad's MOCA performance and the Chatham are available nowhere else, adherents of these composers will want this package. The package is accompanied by quite a bit of hype congratulating Table of the Elements on their achievements, comparing them to more established concerns like CRI and Lovely Music. From a consumer's standpoint, the comparison might not strike a chord, as one may have a considerable number of issues in relating to their productions, including the lack of easy availability of their recordings, the enforced withdrawal of Inside the Dream Syndicate (one of their most desirable releases), and mounting artist tours without publicizing them properly. Nevertheless, A Field Guide to Table of the Elements is their party, and those already well disposed to Table of the Elements will want it for the unreleased material included; perhaps this time we will be invited to help blow out the candles. ~ Uncle Dave Lewis|