A Genuine Tong Funeral

A Genuine Tong Funeral

A Genuine Tong Funeral

ASIN: B00000I73Z

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Perhaps the first of its kind, A Genuine Tong Funeral hasn't seen much competition in the way of jazz operas without words--or, as composer Carla Bley called it, a Dark Opera Without Words. In 1967-68, vibraphonist Gary Burton was at the top of his early game, looking shaggy like a rock star and playing inspired jazz that seemed at once close to rock, classical music, and jazz's fringes. Tong played to Burton's strengths, using his vibes as textural color and harmonic structure, but more central here is the ensemble. Burton's quartet, which recorded Duster in 1967, is backed by luminaries like Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Leandro "Gato" Barbieri on tenor sax, Mike Mantler on trumpet, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, Howard Johnson on tuba, and Bley on piano, organ, and the conducting wand. The music is symphonic in its reach, with all the minor-key blurs so key to Bley's work overall (for comparison, try her opera with words, Escalator over the Hill). Antiphony bounces from Larry Coryell's guitar to the raggy horns, and touches of psychedelic rock rub with fruitful compositional ambitions. Ending the reissue are five tunes from Burton's Lofty Fake Anagram, another in his rock-jazz hybrid that boggles with its look away from the power poses fusion would take so soon afterward. --Andrew Bartlett

A Genuine Tong Funeral,Gary Burton & Carla Bley,RCA,Avant-Garde Jazz,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Post-Bop
Lofty Fake Anagram/A Genuine Tong Funeral
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Lofty Fake Anagram/A Genuine Tong Funeral
    Gary Burton
    Manufacturer: Beat Goes On
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    ASIN: B000FP2XYQ
    Release Date: 2006-07-17

    Tracks:

    1. June the 15, 1967
    2. Feelings and Things
    3. Fleurette Africaine
    4. I'm Your Pal
    5. Lines
    6. Beach
    7. Mother of the Dead Man
    8. Good Citizen Swallow
    9. General Mojo Cuts Up

    Tracks:

    1. Opening/Interlude: Shovels/The Survivors/Grave Train
    2. Death Rolls
    3. Morning, Part 1
    4. Interlude: Lament/Intermission Music
    5. Silent Spring
    6. Fanfare/Mother of the Dead Man
    7. Some Dirge
    8. Morning, Part 2
    9. New Funeral March
    10. New National Anthem/The Survivors

    Album Description

    Digitally remastered double CD set featuring these two RCA albums from 1966/67 by ace vibes player Gary Burton. Burton was at the cutting edge of Jazz and these albums show him at his best, surrounded by young accomplished players including Larry Coryell. Slimline jewel box in a slipcase with new notes by respected Jazz author Alyn Shipton. BGO

    Album Details

    Digitally Remastered Edition that Combines the Tracks of Two Original LP Classics to a Set of Two Compact Discs. Both Albums were Originally Released on the RCA Label in from 1966 and 1967 by Ace Vibrophone Player Gary Burton. Burton was at the Cutting Edge of Jazz and These Albums Showcase Him at his Very Best, Surrounded by Young Accomplished Players Including Larry Coryell.
    A Genuine Tong Funeral
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • The Tong Show
    • almost 40 years old and still new
    • Totally demented fun!!!
    • Inventive Jazz
    		 A Genuine Tong Funeral
    Gary Burton & Carla Bley
    Manufacturer: RCA
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
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    Similar Items:
    1. Twelve

    ASIN: B00000I73Z
    Release Date: 1999-03-09

    Tracks:

    1. The End (Prologue): The Opening
    2. The End (Prologue): Interlude: Shovels
    3. The End (Prologue): The Survivors
    4. Events Leading To The End, Part One: Grave Train
    5. Events Leading To The End, Part One: Death Rolls-Ancestors
    6. Events Leading To The End, Part One: Morning-Part One
    7. Events Leading To The End, Part One: Interlude: Lament
    8. Events Leading To The End, Part Two: Silent Spring
    9. Events Leading To The End, Part Two: Fanfare
    10. Events Leading To The End, Part Three: Mother Of The Dead Man
    11. Events Leading To The End, Part Three: Some Dirge-Hour Of The Wolf
    12. Events Leading To The End, Part Three: Morning-Part Two
    13. Events Leading To The End, Part Three: The New Funeral March
    14. A Beginning (Epilogue): The New National Anthem-Son Of Jazz
    15. A Beginning (Epilogue): The Survivors
    16. Lofty Fake Anagram: June The 15, 1967
    17. Lofty Fake Anagram: Feelings And Things
    18. Lofty Fake Anagram: Fleurette Africaine
    19. Lofty Fake Anagram: I'm Your Pal
    20. Lofty Fake Anagram: Lines

    Amazon.com

    Perhaps the first of its kind, A Genuine Tong Funeral hasn't seen much competition in the way of jazz operas without words--or, as composer Carla Bley called it, a Dark Opera Without Words. In 1967-68, vibraphonist Gary Burton was at the top of his early game, looking shaggy like a rock star and playing inspired jazz that seemed at once close to rock, classical music, and jazz's fringes. Tong played to Burton's strengths, using his vibes as textural color and harmonic structure, but more central here is the ensemble. Burton's quartet, which recorded Duster in 1967, is backed by luminaries like Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Leandro "Gato" Barbieri on tenor sax, Mike Mantler on trumpet, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, Howard Johnson on tuba, and Bley on piano, organ, and the conducting wand. The music is symphonic in its reach, with all the minor-key blurs so key to Bley's work overall (for comparison, try her opera with words, Escalator over the Hill). Antiphony bounces from Larry Coryell's guitar to the raggy horns, and touches of psychedelic rock rub with fruitful compositional ambitions. Ending the reissue are five tunes from Burton's Lofty Fake Anagram, another in his rock-jazz hybrid that boggles with its look away from the power poses fusion would take so soon afterward. --Andrew Bartlett

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars The Tong Show.......2006-03-30

    Carla Bley is a fascinating figure in contemporary music, and still very much on the scene. Her musical vision is so all-encompassing that it seems to exclude nothing, weaving through jazz, rock, classical, and even world music with stunning ease. A Genuine Tong Funeral, which predates her underappreciated masterpiece, Escalator Over The Hill, draws from various sources and somehow manages to create a seamless, integrated whole. This carefully crafted, deliberate music conjures up a complete and totally seductive environment, soothing and gently beautiful, like snow falling in the woods. It's cool, slow, and has little interest in melody, narrative, or even resolution. In this regard it's reminiscent of the Miles Davis classic, Kind Of Blue, songs begin in a known framework but leave it quickly, drifting circuitously with the lazy ease of smoke.

    The players could hardly be more select; Bley must have some powerful juice in the jazz community to attract this level of talent. Led by Gary Burton, you'll also find Larry Coryell, Steve Swallow, Steve Lacey, Gato Barbieri, Howard Johnson, others, and of course, Bley herself who conducts and holds down keyboards. What is most amazing about GTF is how wildly it differs from Escalator Over The Hill, which came only a few years later. While both pieces are unapologetically surreal in sensibility, GTF is easy and alluring while EOTH is a deliberately disjointed gumbo that assaults with its blatant lack of cohesion, logic, meaning, and other virtues so attractive to many listeners.

    That said, there are certain signatures that tell you these two works are by the same hand. Bley loves those minor keys, and slow drags between them in both pieces. Barbieri's fruity sax, reminiscent of a gangster flick from the `30s, is also in evidence; in EOTH it is a major presence. But what really unites the two pieces is how daringly original they are, two creations by a woman who can only be described as one of our greatest and most fearless composers.

    5 out of 5 stars almost 40 years old and still new.......2005-02-19

    Jazz ensemble meets Kurt Weil...Its hard to believe that this dates from 1967. It still sounds fresh, timeless, out of its time. It is also hard to fathom that this predates other milestones of the era, like the late 60's free-ensemble rock-jazz work of Miles Davis. The playing is amazing, the composition so mature, and all these musicians new in their journey's and were'nt yet 30, or barely so. Highlights? The whole thing. I am constantly doing double takes on "what is this"...great disc.

    5 out of 5 stars Totally demented fun!!!.......2004-03-01

    While the soundtrack of life can occasionally get a little more twisted than this, such occasions are rare. This CD is useful for transporting yourself (unseen) between dimensions, taking along on jaunts in the Kalmiopsis or just generally confusing the neighbors. Not one for the car stereo, unless inexplicably driving off the road is your idea of a good time. If you own and love a copy of "Dancing in Your Head", you will *loooove* this. Dig Varese? It's a shoe-in. Guaranteed!!

    4 out of 5 stars Inventive Jazz.......2004-02-24

    I bought this cd without knowing anything about Gary Burton or the ensemble he performs with, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and the darkness of the disk. I expected TOM WAITS to break out into song at any time. This recording sounds like a Waits product and it goes to show how far ahead of its time this was.
    A Genuine Tong Funeral
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		A Genuine Tong Funeral
      Gary Burton & Carla Bley
      Manufacturer: RCA
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
      Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
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      Modern PostbebopModern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
      JazzJazz | Imports | Stores | Music
      ASIN: B0009I8UWI
      Release Date: 2006-08-07

      Tracks:

      1. Opening/Interlude: Shovels/The Survivors/Grave Train - Gary Burton, Gary Burton
      2. Death Rolls - Gary Burton Quartet
      3. Morning, Pt. 1 - Gary Burton Quartet
      4. Interlude: "Lament"/Intermission Music - Gary Burton Quartet
      5. Silent Spring - Gary Burton Quartet
      6. Fanfare/Mother of the Dead Man - Gary Burton Quartet
      7. Some Dirge - Gary Burton Quartet
      8. Morning, Pt. 2 - Gary Burton Quartet
      9. New Funeral March - Gary Burton Quartet
      10. New National Anthem - Gary Burton Quartet
      11. Some Dirge - Gary Burton
      12. Morning, Pt. 2 - Gary Burton
      13. New Funeral March - Gary Burton
      14. New National Anthem [*] - Gary Burton
      15. Survivors [*] - Gary Burton
      16. Lofty Fake Anagram: June 15, 1967 - Gary Burton
      17. Feelings and Things [*] - Gary Burton
      18. Fleurette Africaine [*] - Gary Burton
      19. I'm Your Pal - Gary Burton
      20. Lines [*] - Gary Burton

      Album Description

      Remastered limited edition Japanese pressing features 10 tracks. RCA. 2005.

      Album Details

      Special 24bit K2 Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.
      A Genuine Tong Funeral
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		A Genuine Tong Funeral
        Gary Burton & Carla Bley
        Manufacturer: Bmg Japan
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Modern PostbebopModern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
        JazzJazz | Imports | Stores | Music
        ASIN: B000065B6V
        Release Date: 2002-07-24

        Tracks:

        1. Opening/Interlude: Shovels/The Survivors/Grave Train - Gary Burton, Gary Burton
        2. Death Rolls - Gary Burton Quartet
        3. Morning, Pt. 1 - Gary Burton Quartet
        4. Interlude: "Lament"/Intermission Music - Gary Burton Quartet
        5. Silent Spring - Gary Burton Quartet
        6. Fanfare/Mother of the Dead Man - Gary Burton Quartet
        7. Some Dirge - Gary Burton Quartet
        8. Morning, Pt. 2 - Gary Burton Quartet
        9. New Funeral March - Gary Burton Quartet
        10. New National Anthem - Gary Burton Quartet
        11. Some Dirge - Gary Burton
        12. Morning, Pt. 2 - Gary Burton
        13. New Funeral March - Gary Burton
        14. New National Anthem [*] - Gary Burton
        15. Survivors [*] - Gary Burton
        16. Lofty Fake Anagram: June 15, 1967 - Gary Burton
        17. Feelings and Things [*] - Gary Burton
        18. Fleurette Africaine [*] - Gary Burton
        19. I'm Your Pal - Gary Burton
        20. Lines [*] - Gary Burton

        Album Details

        24 Bit Digitally Remastered Japanese Limited Edition in an LP-STYLE Slipcase.
        A Genuine Tong Funeral
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Carla Bley's First Masterpiece
        		 A Genuine Tong Funeral
        Gary Burton & Carla Bley
        Manufacturer: One Way Records Inc
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Modern PostbebopModern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Bebop & Post-BopBebop & Post-Bop | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music
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        ASIN: B000002R9E
        Release Date: 1997-08-26

        Tracks:

        1. The Opening/Interlude: Shovels/The Survivors/Grave Train
        2. Death Rolls
        3. Morning (Part One)
        4. Interlude: Lament/Intermission Music
        5. Silent Spring
        6. Fanfare/Mother of the Dead Man
        7. Some Dirge
        8. Morning (Part Two)
        9. The New Funeral March
        10. The New National Anthem/The Survivors

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Carla Bley's First Masterpiece.......2002-08-29

        This album, along with Escalator Over the Hill (sadly not easily available) represent Carla Bley's most ambitious and assured jazz compositions. While Escalator reaches farther, and the reach very often exceeds the grasp, Tong Funeral is an undisputed masterwork. By turns sardonic, witty and finally moving, this is a terrific album by a very important jazz composer. And it introduced me to Gary Burton as well, so that's a real plus.

        Musically, Tong is a suite for large ensemble and vibraphone soloist. Many of the ensemble members take solos as well, most notably Gato Barbieri, who was one of Bley's favorite musicians at the time. (This was before he bacame a smooth jazz king and lost his edge!) Musically, Bley shows alot of influences, from Kurt Weill's Berlin period, Spanish Revolutionary songs, 30's society bands and the avant-garde. It's all twisted into a suite that adds up to a deeply emotional experience. And Burton is a wonder throughout. He opens up on Bley's quirky compositions and delivers some of his most interesting soloing on record.

        The reissue is handled well. I first bought this album in a store in Munich, where I got a superior pressing to the American release. Judgeing from the sound quality, this reissue uses a similar tape. It is lovely and clean.

        Start here with Carla Bley. Her later work has sometimes drifted into the too-selfconsciously hip for my taste. but this piece is brilliant from beginning to end.
        Genuine Tong Funeral
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Genuine Tong Funeral
          Gary & Orch Button
          Manufacturer: Musicrama, Inc
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
          ASIN: B00000DYR0
          Release Date: 1995-06-05
          Genuine Tong Funeral
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		Genuine Tong Funeral

            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD

            GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
            JazzJazz | Imports | Stores | Music
            ASIN: B000ALJ014
            Release Date: 2005-10-11

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