ALWAYS IN TROUBLE
ALWAYS IN TROUBLE
JASON WEISS
ALWAYS IN TROUBLE - AN ORAL HISTORY OF ESP-DISK'
Wesleyan University Press, 2012.
Jason Weiss has a new book out. It is titled Always in Trouble (An Oral History of ESP-Disk', the Most Outrageous Record label in America) and was published by Wesleyan University Press on May 1, 2012.
ESP-Disk's first release was a Various Artists record Ni Kantu En Esperanto (Let's Sing in Esperanto), a collection of songs in the international language. And then there came a flood of incredible titles, bringing mostly free jazz, beginning with Spiritual Unity by Albert Ayler Trio, Pharoah Sanders' debut, New York Art Quartet, Ornette Coleman at Town Hall, and many other with music of e.g. Sun Ra, Don Cherry, Paul Bley, Henry Grimes, Frank Wright, Charles Tyler, Bob James or Noah Howard.
Always in Trouble is built upon a collection of 40 interviews with people involved in different aspects and activities of the legendary label, including its founder and owner Bernard Stollman. Among the reviewees were poets/writers Amiri Baraka and Ishmael Reed, a large group of musicians appearing on the original LPs, and in that number Gato Barbieri, Marion Brown, Jacques Coursil, Milford Graves, Burton Greene, Giuseppi Logan, Sunny Murray, William Parker, Gary Peacock, Roswell Rudd, Alan Silva, Sonny Simmons, Sirone, Warren Smith or John Tchicai.
The book covers also other dimensions of the ESP-Disk like their interest in underground rock. ESP released recordings by such noncommercial bands as The Fugs, The Godz and Pearls Before Swine all the time staying true to their famous slogan “The artists alone decide what you will hear on their ESP-Disk”.
Previous page: JAZZ BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS
Next page: extempore