Culture Sculpture by Chanan Hanspal
"Culture Sculpture" functions within the same conceptual framework as Frank Zappa's "Lumpy Gravy" album from 1968. A framework that incorporates excessive editing and assemblage of sounds and the spoken word. Incongruent musical materials are used to create a concatenation of events which fit into a coherent structure in an amusing and entertaining way.
Since 1993, I have been steadily accumulating music and monologues which would fit into the framework first instigated by Zappa. In some ways, you could say that "Culture Sculpture", is a homage. Although the conceptual framework is similar, I have endeavoured to draw from my own cultural heritage and celebrate the folklore passed along by people I consider interesting and unique. I have chosen to intersperse my own musical materials with speech drawn from field recordings of people I either know or have met only briefly on my travels. The recordings were made across a wide geographical range including Wales, Spain, London, Singapore, Australia and New York.
Narratives are often ridiculous yet honest accounts, and depending on your disposition, absolutely hilarious. From tales of misfortune, intoxication, absurd behaviour and adventure in the Welsh valleys, imprisonment in Singapore, chicken mesh entanglement in Greek nightclubs, to my interpretation of Zappa's guitar playing style, distorted and rhythmically irregular. I have also integrated the synchronised talking guitar idea first employed in "The Dangerous Kitchen" and "The Jazz Discharge Party Hats" although herein put to use alongside a reading of one of my texts about the struggle for survival shared between man and woodlouse, exquisitely read by Apurba Kundu. "Culture Sculpture" is rife with amusement and incongruences as well as serious technically involved compositions such as my solo piano composition, "Ordering the Ocean to Retire", a piece made up of very complicated rhythms and harmony.
"Culture Sculpture" features Gerald Waters, John Pipere, Steve Sweeney, Charlie Creed-Miles, Jeff Lorber, John Medeski and Phi Yaan-Zek.
Tracklist
| 1. | Culture Sculpture I | 3:58 |
| 2. | Culture Sculpture II | 3:24 |
| 3. | Culture Sculpture III | 3:45 |
| 4. | Culture Sculpture IV | 7:17 |
| 5. | Culture Sculpture V | 5:39 |
| 6. | Culture Sculpture VI | 4:40 |
| 7. | Culture Sculpture VII | 9:11 |
Credits
CULTURE SCULPTURE I
00:00-00:22 Zappafied I
00:22-00:24 This Smells A Bit Funny
00:24-00:41 Dangerous Territory
00:42-01:15 Speedy
01:16-02:08 Emergency Kebab
02:09-03:30 The Otherly World of Clive
03:30-03:58 Ripping Through Glass
CULTURE SCULPTURE I
00:00-01:18 Making a Meale out of it
01:19-01:31 That Duke Thing
01:31-01:38 Pryor Intent
01:38-01:54 The Secret Recipe
01:54-03:23 Chicken Mesh
CULTURE SCULPTURE III
00:00-01:48 Caged Funk
01:49-02:22 I Don't Wish to go to Cinderellas
02:22-02:36 Hazards of the Bush
02:36-03:45 Drum Machine
CULTURE SCULPTURE IV
00:00-01:22 Funky Wobble
01:22-01:49 The Play with Dissonance
01:50-02:04 A Boulezian Experiment
02:04-05:25 Journey of Life (Live at the Crown and Anchor, Islington, London 1998)
05:25-06:00 Medeski Magic
06:01-06:16 Cheap Thrills
06:16-06:49 The Nitty Gritty
06:50-07:16 To Sum Up
CULTURE SCULPTURE V
00:00-03:05 Man Versus Woodlouse
03:06-03:43 Two Hundred Thousand Years of History
03:43-04:02 Driving the car from outside of the car
04:02-04:59 Jelly Vibe
04:59-05:39 Blue Films and Fighting
CULTURE SCULPTURE VI
00:00-00:24 I First Met Chanan
00:24-00:42 A Six Stringed Cocksucker's Publication
00:42-00:57 This is how Vinnie would do it
00:57-02:51 Botanama
02:51-03:04 Testing 1 2
03:04-03:13 5 Star Gaff
03:13-03:23 Clean Your Room
03:24-03:31 Berlin in France
03:32-03:39 Yada Yada
03:40-04:16 The Singing Baba
04:16-04:39 Culture and Yoghurt
CULTURE SCULPTURE VII
00:00-02:17 Ordering The Ocean To Retire
02:18-03:07 Dance of the Waterbird
03:08-03:17 Too Much Wacky Baccy
03:18-03:38 Zappafied II
03:38-04:33 Gift From the Gods
04:34-05:23 Archway Lament
05:24-06:28 Arty Farty Shit
06:38-09:10 Goodbye Cuba
GUITAR, KEYS, EDITING AND PROGRAMMING - Chanan Hanspal
BASS - Dave Brooks
VOCALS - John Carney, Milton Johnson, Charlie Creed-Miles
FENDER RHODES - Jeff Lorber
HAMMOND ORGAN - John Medeski
DRUMS - Tansay Omar
PERCUSSION - Louie Stone
SPOKEN WORD
Charlie Creed-Miles
Nadia Graversen
Charlotte Jeffries
Apurba Kundu
Luca Parisot-Hanspal
Fred Merttens
John Pipere
Matthew Stone
Steve Sweeney
Gerald Waters
Phi Yaan-Zek
WOODWINDS
Andi Panayi - Piccolo and Flutes
Jane Tuff - Bb Clarinet and Bass Clarinet
Josie Woodcliff - Eb Clarinet
Charlotte Bramington - Oboe
Sheldon Clough - Bassoon
BRASS
Lisa Grifton - Trumpet
Procter Stanwick - French Horn
George Daniels - Trombone
Derek Fiumana - Trombone
STRINGS
Sarah Button - Violin
Natalia Bonner - Violin
Judy Rochester - Viola
Helen Thomas - Cello
PERCUSSION
Marc Watson - Triangle, Woodblock, Make-Shift Timpani and Cymbals
Rhian Pothecary - Tuned Percussion
PIANO
Julius Portman
All music written, arranged and composed by Chanan Hanspal.
Mixed and Mastered by Chanan Hanspal.
License
All rights reserved.
Critically acclaimed jazz rock guitarist and composer Chanan Hanspal has recorded with Miles Davis musicians Bill Evans and Mike Stern, John Medeski and Jeff Lorber. He has performed with Roots Manuva, Kylie Minogue, Jay Kay, Jazz Jamaica and The Roots. Hanspal has also recorded for Virgin, Sony, Dorado and Instinct Records, and has independently released nine solo albums.