Old Heaven Books

Label based out of a book shop & cafe in Shenzhen, China.

Tracklisiting: Side A - Raga Chandrakaush 21:57 Side B - Raga Khamaj 30:34Nikhil Banerjee was an Indian classical sitarist of the Maihar Gharana. A student of the legendary Baba Allauddin Khan, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee was known for his technical virtuosity and execution. This very special release is a live recording of his performance at KPFA Radio in Berkeley, California, on the 9th of July, 1967. It is the first time Banerjee has been released on record and published in China. The original recordings were on two reel-to-reel tapes. In 1988, American record label Raga Records released the recordings on both CD and cassette. By chance Old Heaven's producer Tu Fei came to possess the reel-to-reel tapes and decided to release this vinyl version, hoping to present the contents to the audience as authentic as they are and pay tribute to the great musician Nikhil Banerjee. Special thanks to Chen Yun, professor Tejaswini Nirajana and her friends Deepak Raja and Meena Bannerji, for it would not be possible for us to contact with Nikhil Banerjee’s daughter Mita Tagore and get her authorization without their kind introduction. Mita has been very supportive of this release in China and has given us important suggestions during the process. We would also like to thank our friend from Morocco, Habi (Habib Rkha). He is an enthusiast and expert of Indian classical music who cleared up much confusion for us.  The woodcut artwork on the cover is by long-term collaborator of Old Heaven, artist Liu Qingyuan. Released by Old Heaven Books, 2020.

Nikhil Banerjee – Nikhil Banerjee in California, 1967

Tracklisting: 1 Chine (1) 5:172 Ezeng 4:353 地球民歌 Folk Song of the Earth 5:004 老地图 Old Map 8:345 Chine (2) 7:266 Shangkobez 5:547 工人神曲 The Divine Comedy of Workers 6:208 90's 4:179 室内游牧 Indoor Nomadism 2:3010 Mayda Konger (Akan Seri) 3:02 马木尔 Mamer - 吉他 Guitar / 口弦 Jew's Harp / 冬不拉 Dombra / 人声 Vocals录制于第七届OCT-LOFT国际爵士音乐节,2017年10月29日B10现场,中国深圳Recorded at the 7th OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival on October 29, 2017B10 Live, Shenzhen, China --- CD2 1 Kün 8:532 Kim 7:273 Babalar 8:494 Zen 5:385 Sêh 5:346 幽浮部落 UFO Tribe 4:317 核磁 Nuclear Magnetic 4:208 Tin 6:269 Daidiydao 7:4410 冬不拉即兴 Dombra Improvisation 6:23 马木尔 Mamer - 贝斯 Bass / 冬不拉 Dombra / 人声 Vocals录制于第八届OCT-LOFT国际爵士音乐节,2018年10月17日B10现场,中国深圳Recorded at the 8th OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival on October 17, 2018B10 Live, Shenzhen, China"After his self imposed exile from the global world music niche, Mamer found his stage at Shenzhen’s two annual music festivals – Tomorrow Festival and OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival – curated by his loyal friend and supporter Tu Fei, who would always reserve at least one set for Mamer’s newest sonic experimentations. Mamer’s most recent album Faintish Radiation documents his full performances of solo improvisation at the seventh (2017) and eighth (2018) OCT-LOFT Jazz Festivals, in which he performed electric bass, guitar, dombra, jew's harp and vocals. These recordings register Mamer’s trajectory towards a maturing avant garde composer who is able to capture the audience with an everchanging bizarre sonic kaleidoscope, one which summons industrial noise, doom drones, heavy metal riffs, dark and punchy grooves, and broken pieces of folk melodies. In each of his solo performances, Mamer would start from random notes and eventually build up an overpowering atmosphere that is distinctively his own, knowing only too well when to release a delicate Kazakh tune as a reward for intensive listening. Here “Daidiydao”, a heartbreaking love song believed to be composed by Kazakh poet Magzhan Zhumabayev, was unleashed towards the end of the 2018 performance, before an abrupt, typically Mamer stop that ended the whole set. --- 录音 Recording:曾君 Zeng Jun;罗绿野 Luo Lvye混音 Mixing & 母带处理 Mastering:刘英 Liu Ying制作人 Producer:涂飞 Tu Fei设计 Design:尹思卜 Yin Sibo封面照片 Front Cover Photo:@Waitetc_等等其它摄影 Other Photos:阿瓜 Wain;陈鸿@DAFA;蒙润

Mamer – Faintish Radiation

Tracklisting: 1. 老来难 = Old Man Blues - 8:052. 吹牛 = Big Talk - 18:183. 老妈妈劝闺女 = Mama's Counsel To The Girl - 12:554. 十大劝 = Ten Commandments - 14:18Born in 1945, Guo Yongzhang is a true maestro of Henan Zhuizi, a traditional Chinese talking-singing art that has a history of over 100 years. Almost blind, he plays Zhuihu and Zhuibang to accompany his own singing. His vocal style is peculiar, resounding yet smooth, adopting various types of arias from traditional local operas such as Shandong Bangzi and Shandong Zaobang, and he always sings with deep feelings and great verve. Originated in Henan, Zhuizi is included in the national intangible cultural heritage list and has been popular in Henan and its nearby regions. Its main accompaniment musical instrument is Zhuihu, a two-stringed bowed instrument made of wood, and secondly the Zhuibang, a wooden percussion played with foot tapping. Since Zhuihu has a wide diapason with a soft sound and relatively high volume, the performer can use it to imitate the voice of human and animals. Guo was born with bad eyesight. Growing up in poverty, he never had enough food and had been living on begging in the nearby village with his parents. It was during that period he discovered Zhuizi for the first time, and was so obsessed with its unique charm that he decided to learn playing by himself. He bought a second-hand Zhuihu from the local opera troupe with wages from hard physical labor, and soon managed to play some short pieces by hard practice. However, it was still difficult for him to gain respect from the local folks without training under the traditional master-apprentice system that he couldn’t afford, and even worse, his eyesight went worse and worse to nearly blind. Not until he turns 17 was he reluctantly accepted by a Zhuizi master and has been assiduously learning and playing until now. Lyrics of Guo’s Zhuizi are about respecting the old, valuing the righteousness and compassion, while keeping a sense of humor. Today, he is widely-known in the border region of Suzhou, Shandong, Henan and Anhui, and is commonly regarded as a Zhuizi master. Guo has been playing among people tirelessly for decades. As he ages, Guo knows there is not much time left for him, and he feels sorry that nowadays only few people want to learn Zhuizi. He is worried that this precious art form would disappear someday. This studio album is recorded after Guo Yongzhang performing on the 5th Tomorrow Festival stage. Released by Old Heaven Books, 2019

Guo Yongzhang – Guo Yongzhang Zhuizi Selections

LP / CD
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  • CD SOLD OUT