| Moondog | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1, 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Studio | Old Church, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 30:19 | |||
| Label | Columbia Masterworks | |||
| Producer |
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| Moondog chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Moondog | ||||
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Moondog is an album by the American composer Moondog, released by Columbia Masterworks Records on October 1, 1969. The album was made on the initiative of the producer James William Guercio and recorded at Columbia's main studio with Moondog conducting 50 musicians. It consists of compositions written by Moondog in the 1950s and '60s as he moved from jazz conventions into becoming a classical composer, resulting in a combination of classical influences and elements of what critics have described as minimalist music and third stream. The album includes short symphonic-styled works, canons, chaconnes and a couple of jazz-inspired tracks, one in memory of Charlie Parker.
Moondog received considerable media exposure and positive reviews. It peaked as number six on the Billboard chart for classical music. Moondog was regarded as an eccentric, known for standing at a street corner in New York dressed in a homemade Viking costume, and the album contributed significantly to his reputation as a serious composer.