HelllszzzBelllszzz!
alga marghen proudly presents “CharleBelllzzz at Saint Thomas”, a CD in tri-folded digipak sleeve including the original Bells Studies by Charlemagne Palestine. Sixth chapter of the “Golden Research” series, these previously unreleased tracks are both some of the earliest recordings by Charlemagne and some of his darkest and most accomplished works ever.
“Bells Carillon” and “St Thomas Bells”, both recorded at unidentified dates between 1966 and 1968, are maximal bells pure resonating frontal attacks, building up in a structure that is already anticipating the later Strumming campaigns. Unique and clashing dissonances created like a spontaneous outburst, “instinctively” and “right away”. Charlemagne played the bells right next to his body. The sounds became physical, visceral, each crack of the clapper was like a small earthquake.
In 1963 while attending the high-school of music and art in NYC, 15 years old Charlemagne Palestine was asked if he’d be interested in playing a carillon with 26 bells at Saint Thomas Episcopal Church down the street from the Museum Of Modern Art. Charlemagne decided that he loved these voluptuous Taylor bells, high up in a tower and accessible only by a spiral staircase, that clanged all over 53rd Street and 5th Avenue… every day of the week from 1963 to 1970 when he left NYC to study and teach at CAL Arts.
Charlemagne soon became known as the “Quasimodo” of Midtown NYC, and his dissonant and “klanggdedangggebannggg” style of playing attracted a diverse group of fans from Moondog to John Cage to Tony Conrad among others. Charlemagne Palestine was able to continue to play his clanging bell soap operas for seven years dinggdonggingggg every late afternoon and sunday mornings!
World premier edition of these legendary seminal works!