Album: Moondog

The Viking of Sixth Avenue, HONEST JON'S

Friday 04 November 2005 01:00 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Like those other musical expeditionaries, Harry Partch and Sun Ra, Moondog was an American Primitive whose seemingly rudimentary sounds disguised a music of extraordinary complexity and individuality. Originally a bohemian fixture of New York, Moondog - real name Louis Hardin - was a blind street-busker whose godlike, white-bearded countenance was augmented by Viking-horned helmet, monkish robes and wooden spear. He was the kind of character you might cross the road to avoid, except that the tricky, syncopated rhythms he picked out upon his portable percussion devices had an infectious quality that ensured he always drew a crowd. Like the fellow hobo Partch, he invented his own instruments, such as the Trimba, Oo, Yukh and Tuji, and devised a musical form which reflected both his classical training and more primitive, elemental rhythms - in his case inspired by Native American beats. This compilation mingles Moondog's basic percussion pieces with his reed-based classical and jazz compositions, which recall the early works of Sun Ra.

DOWNLOAD THIS: 'All Is Loneliness', 'Bird's Lament', 'Dog Trot', 'Moondog's Symphony 2 (Sagebrush)'

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in