The Wire 168. February 1998

Matthew Shipp In the recesses of New York's musical underworld, Howard Mandel meets a piano player coming into his prime. Is this the new face of the Great Black Music? Invisible Jukebox: Julian Cope England's coolest arch-drude gets vexed over tracks by The Fall, Kevin Ayers, A Certain Radio, Scott Walker, Stockhausen, Sly & The Family Stone and more. Tested by Mike Barnes The Primer: Field Recordings Taking the pith helmet out of the history of World Music, Richard Henderson charts a beginner's route through field recordings of Balinese gamelan, Tibetan monks, rainforest pygmies and more Lalo Schifrin Hollywood's most prolific composer, whose scores include Bullitt, ,Enter The Dragon and Mission: Impossible, reveals the secrets of his demented art to Daniel Pemberton Global Ear: Havana With Cuba virtually alone in the Communist world, a new breed of musicians, from female rappers to streetwise agit-salsa groups, is telling it like it is. Holger Hiller gets close, but no cigar Bites Req Brighton beatcomber Uri Caine Classical music makeovers Xper.Xr. Honk Kong Phooey Schizoid Multiple personality disorders Label lore: Composers Recordings Inc Fred Frith Whatever you do, don't mention Henry Cow to the itinerant British guitarist and Naked City bassist, whose career encompasses experimental rock, film scores and free improvisation. By Mike Barnes Hugh Davies With his miked-up encyclopedia, multishozyg, springboards and aeolian harps, this veteran of the Music Improvisation Company is the masterbuilder of instrument inventors. By Rob Young The Secret History of Film Music How the European avant garde became Hollywood's academy of peril, adding the shock of dissonance and atonality to such horror classics as Psycho and The Creature from The Black Lagoon. By Philip Brophy