Easily one of the most beautiful pieces of music we've ever heard, composed by Harold Budd, produced by Brian Eno, and released in 1978. The interplay between the musicians is outstanding, each instrument accentuating the beauty of the others. Budd is on piano, Gavin Bryars is on glockenspiel, and there are no less than four marimba players, including Michael Nyman. The standout sound, though, is the incredible alto saxophone of Marion Brown.
Marion Brown was born here in Atlanta. Although he released several albums of his own, he is probably best known as a sideman in Archie Shepp's band, and as one of the monsters in John Coltrane's Ascension. But his interest in music was eclectic, and in Bismillahi 'Rrahmani 'Rrahim he takes the saxophone into a new dimension, far from the fire and fury that marked the free jazz movement. Brown passed in 2010 from complications of several surgeries.
We imagine that if there was a heaven, this is what it would sound like.
We've been a fan of Harold Budd since 1980, when Eno first introduced him to the world in Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirrors. We don't remember the exact year this exquisite song first entered our life, but we're pretty sure it was '80 or very early '81, after Plateaux but before we moved to Atlanta in March 1981 (we distinctly remember listening to this in Boston with our post-collegiate g.f.).
Budd has been continually composing new music and releasing albums since this '78 recording, and even though his discography includes at least one live recording (from the Lanzarote Music Festival), we've never heard him perform live or even seen him listed as performing live anywhere. So can you imagine how excited we were when we saw that he is going to be one of the featured composers in next year's Big Ears Festival?
Do yourself a favor and give this recording your full attention. It truly is one of those "it'll change your life" compositions.
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