| Luna Surface | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Alan Silva and his Celestrial Communication Orchestra | ||||
| Released | 1969 | |||
| Recorded | August 17, 1969 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 28:20 | |||
| Label | BYG Records | |||
| Producer | Jean Georgakarakos, Jean-Luc Young | |||
| Alan Silva chronology | ||||
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Luna Surface is an album by multi-instrumentalist Alan Silva, recorded on August 17, 1969 and released later that year on the BYG label as part of their Actuel series. His first recording as leader, it features Silva on violin along with a large ensemble known as the Celestrial Communication Orchestra.
The album was recorded as part of a marathon week-long BYG session which also produced albums by artists such as Archie Shepp (Yasmina, a Black Woman, Poem for Malcolm, and Blasé), the Art Ensemble Of Chicago (Message to Our Folks and Reese and the Smooth Ones), Grachan Moncur III (New Africa), Jimmy Lyons (Other Afternoons), Dave Burrell (Echo), Andrew Cyrille (What About?), and Sunny Murray (Homage to Africa and Sunshine).[1][2] In an interview, Silva commented:
If you look at it a certain way, it was one of the longest recording sessions in the history of the music... Every day for about a week there were rehearsal sessions, repetition sessions, recording sessions. Everybody had their own approach and their own compositions that they wanted you to play. My record during that time, Luna Surface, was my first attempt at conducting and letting everybody play through the conductions. The pool of resources everybody had at their disposal was quite phenomenal... And BYG captured that whole scene. They staged what I would call a coup d'etat, because no American label would ever touch this stuff."[2]
When Silva was asked if the music of Iannis Xenakis was an influence on Luna Surface, he replied:
Xenakis is my main man. When it came to recording multiple levels like that, I felt modern written music had really advanced. Luna Surface... was based on a series of chords... There's no solo as such; it's all soloing, collective improvisation throughout... Luna Surface is my idea of landing on the moon. There's a second part in the BYG vaults somewhere that was never issued called "When We Landed".[3]
- ^ "BYG Records: Story". BYG Records. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Robson, Britt (December 14, 2015). "The Greatest Week in the History of Avant-Garde Jazz". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Warburton, Dan (November 8, 2002). "Alan Silva Interview". Paris Transatlantic. Retrieved December 12, 2020.