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Album
Vietnam
Revolutionary Ensemble →825 listeners2,319 plays
freepurp1egammarecr ensemblefree jazzavant-garde
about this album
This recording was originally released on vinyl, and, as part of the ESP catalog, eventually fell into the treasure chest of material passed around amongst an international cartel of labels, some fly by night, resulting in confusion and often disappointment for the consumer. Although the name Vietnam was never actually used in any way on the original album cover or some of the reissues to denote it being the title, the album came to be known under this title anyway. The project consists of a single piece of music, totaling 47 minutes, which was sliced in two halves for vinyl purposes but never reassembled into a continuous piece on later compact discs. Creating music that attaches itself to a particularly horrifying historical event through its title is a tricky prospect. If the music itself doesn't seem to really have anything to do with the subject, then the artists could be found guilty of trying to acquire significance simply by, as it is, dropping names. Some pieces that actually evoke horror through musical content are incredibly powerful, such as Krzystof Penderecki's "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima," while others, such as John Zorn's "Kristellnacht," come across as shallow. This album rates more on the side of power, yet it is musical strength that comes more from the approach of the group than anything to do with the war in Vietnam. In fact, some listeners may turn around and ask what on earth any of this music has to do with Vietnam. There is an intense emoti
