Moondog
Encyclopedia
Moondog, born Louis Thomas Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999), was a blind American composer, musician, poet and inventor of several musical instruments. Moving to New York
as a young man, Moondog made a deliberate decision to make his home on the streets there, where he spent approximately twenty of the thirty years he lived in the city. Most days he could be found in his chosen part of town wearing clothes he had created based on his own interpretation of the Norse god Thor. Thanks to his unconventional outfits and lifestyle, he was known for much of his life as "The Viking of 6th Avenue".
family in Marysville
, Kansas, Hardin started playing a set of drums that he made from a cardboard box at the age of five. His family relocated to Wyoming and his father opened a trading post at Fort Bridger
. Hardin attended school in a couple of small towns. At one point, his father took him to an Arapaho
Sun Dance
where he sat on the lap of Chief Yellow Calf and played a tom-tom
made from buffalo skin.
Hardin played drums in Hurley High School
before losing his sight in a farm accident at the age of 16. After learning the principles of music in several schools for blind young men across middle America, he taught himself the skills of ear training and composition. Principally self-taught, he studied with Burnet Tuthill and at the Iowa School for the Blind.
Hardin moved to Batesville, Arkansas
where he lived until 1942, when he got a scholarship to study in Memphis, Tennessee
. Although the majority of his musical training was self-taught by ear, he learned some music theory from books in braille
there.
Hardin moved to New York in 1943, where he met noted classical music
luminaries such as Leonard Bernstein
and Toscanini, as well as legendary jazz performer-composers such as Charlie Parker
and Benny Goodman
, whose upbeat tempos and often humorous compositions would influence Hardin's later work.
and poet in New York City, busking mostly on the corner of 53rd Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan
. He was not homeless however, or at least not often—he maintained an apartment in upper Manhattan for most of his life. In addition to his music and poetry, he was also known for the distinctive fancy "Viking
" garb that he wore, which included a horned helmet. He partially supported himself by selling copies of his poetry and his musical philosophy. Because of his street post's proximity to the famed 52nd Street
nightclub strip, he was well-known to many jazz musicians and fans.
In 1947 Hardin adopted the pen name
"Moondog" in honor of a dog "who used to howl at the moon more than any dog I knew of." In 1949 he traveled to a Blackfoot
Sun Dance in Idaho
where he performed on percussion and flute, returning to the Native American music he first came in contact with as a child. It was this Native music, along with contemporary jazz and classical, mixed with the ambient
sounds from his environment (city traffic
, ocean waves, babies crying, etc.) that created the foundation of Moondog's music.
In 1954, he won a case in the New York State Supreme Court against disc jockey Alan Freed
, who had branded his radio show, "The Moondog Rock and Roll
Matinee", around the name "Moondog", using "Moondog's Symphony" (the first record that Moondog ever cut) as his "calling card". Moondog believed he would not have won the case had it not been for the help of musicians such as Benny Goodman
and Arturo Toscanini
, who testified that he was a serious composer. Freed had to apologize and stop using the nickname "Moondog" on air, on the basis that Hardin was known by the name long before Freed began using it.
Eventually, a young German student named Ilona Sommer (birth name: Goebel) helped Moondog set up the primary holding company for his artistic endeavors and hosted him, first in Oer-Erkenschwick
, and later on in Münster
in Westphalia
, Germany. Moondog lived with the family of Ilona Sommer and they spent time together in Münster. During that period Moondog created hundreds of compositions which were transferred from Braille to sheet music by Ilona Sommer. Moondog spent the remainder of his life in Germany where he died in 1999.
Moondog visited America briefly in 1989, for a tribute in which Philip Glass
asked him to conduct the Brooklyn Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, at the New Music America Festival in Brooklyn
, stimulating a renewed interest in his music.
He recorded many albums, and toured both in the U.S. and in Europe — France, Germany and Sweden.
. It tended to be relatively simple but characterized by what he called "snaketime" and described as "a slithery rhythm, in times that are not ordinary [...] I'm not gonna die in 4/4 time".
Moondog's work was early championed by Artur Rodziński
, the conductor of New York Philharmonic
in the 1940s. He released a number of 78s, 45s and EPs
of his music in the 1950s, as well as several LPs
on a number of notable jazz
labels, including an unusual record of stories and songs for children with Julie Andrews
and Martyn Green
, in 1957, called Songs of Sense and Nonsense - Tell it Again. For ten years no new recordings were heard from Moondog until producer James William Guercio took him into the studio to record an album for Columbia Records
in 1969.
A second album produced with Guercio featured one of Moondog's daughters as a vocalist and contained song compositions in canons
and rounds
. The album did not make as large an impression in popular music as the first had. The two CBS albums were re-released as a single CD in 1989.
Most of Moondog's works are published by Managarm Musikverlag in Germany. By his last will the heritage of Moondog is administered and owned by Ilona Sommer.
Moondog also invented several musical instruments, including a small triangular-shaped harp known as the "oo", another which he named the "ooo-ya-tsu", and the "hüs" (after the Norwegian, "hus", meaning "house") which is a triangular stringed instrument played with a bow.
Perhaps his best known creation is the "trimba", a triangular percussion instrument that the composer invented in the late 40s. The original Trimba is still played today by Moondog's friend Stefan Lakatos, a Swedish percussionist, to whom Moondog also explained the methods for building such an instrument.
has written that he and Steve Reich
took Moondog's work 'very seriously and understood and appreciated it much more than what we were exposed to at Juilliard.'
Moondog inspired other musicians with several songs dedicated to him. These include "Moondog" on Pentangle
's 1968 album Sweet Child
and "Spear for Moondog" (parts I and II) by jazz organist Jimmy McGriff
on his 1968 Electric Funk album. The English pop group Prefab Sprout
included the song "Moondog" on their album Jordan: The Comeback
released in 1990. Big Brother and the Holding Company
featuring Janis Joplin
covered the song "All Is Loneliness" on their 1967 self-titled album. The song was also covered by Antony and the Johnsons
during their 2005 tour. Mr. Scruff
's single "Get a Move On," from his album Keep It Unreal
, is structured around samples from "Bird's Lament." New York band The Insect Trust
play a cover of Moondog's song "Be a Hobo" on their album Hoboken Saturday Night. The track "Stamping Ground", with its odd preamble of Moondog saying one of his epigram
s, was featured on the sampler double album Fill Your Head with Rock (CBS, 1970).
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as a young man, Moondog made a deliberate decision to make his home on the streets there, where he spent approximately twenty of the thirty years he lived in the city. Most days he could be found in his chosen part of town wearing clothes he had created based on his own interpretation of the Norse god Thor. Thanks to his unconventional outfits and lifestyle, he was known for much of his life as "The Viking of 6th Avenue".
Early life
Born to an EpiscopalianEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
family in Marysville
Marysville, Kansas
Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,294.-History:...
, Kansas, Hardin started playing a set of drums that he made from a cardboard box at the age of five. His family relocated to Wyoming and his father opened a trading post at Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger was originally a 19th century fur trading outpost established in 1842 on Blacks Fork of the Green River and later a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, California Trail and Mormon Trail. The Army established a military post here in 1858 during the Utah War until...
. Hardin attended school in a couple of small towns. At one point, his father took him to an Arapaho
Arapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
Sun Dance
Sun Dance
The Sun Dance is a religious ceremony practiced by a number of Native American and First Nations peoples, primarily those of the Plains Nations. Each tribe has its own distinct practices and ceremonial protocols...
where he sat on the lap of Chief Yellow Calf and played a tom-tom
Tom-tom drum
A tom-tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snare.Although "tom-tom" is the British term for a child's toy drum, the name came originally from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala; the tom-tom itself comes from Asian or Native American cultures...
made from buffalo skin.
Hardin played drums in Hurley High School
Hurley High School
Hurley High School is a public high school located in Hurley, Virginia in Buchanan County, Virginia. It is part of the Buchanan County Public Schools system. Athletic teams compete in the Virginia High School League's A Black Diamond District in Region D....
before losing his sight in a farm accident at the age of 16. After learning the principles of music in several schools for blind young men across middle America, he taught himself the skills of ear training and composition. Principally self-taught, he studied with Burnet Tuthill and at the Iowa School for the Blind.
Hardin moved to Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 9,556...
where he lived until 1942, when he got a scholarship to study in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. Although the majority of his musical training was self-taught by ear, he learned some music theory from books in braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
there.
Hardin moved to New York in 1943, where he met noted classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
luminaries such as Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
and Toscanini, as well as legendary jazz performer-composers such as Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
and Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, whose upbeat tempos and often humorous compositions would influence Hardin's later work.
New York City
From the late 1940s until 1974, Moondog lived as a street musicianBusking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
and poet in New York City, busking mostly on the corner of 53rd Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. He was not homeless however, or at least not often—he maintained an apartment in upper Manhattan for most of his life. In addition to his music and poetry, he was also known for the distinctive fancy "Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
" garb that he wore, which included a horned helmet. He partially supported himself by selling copies of his poetry and his musical philosophy. Because of his street post's proximity to the famed 52nd Street
52nd Street (Manhattan)
52nd Street is a long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan.-Jazz center:The blocks of 52nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue were renowned in the mid-20th century for the abundance of jazz clubs and lively street life...
nightclub strip, he was well-known to many jazz musicians and fans.
In 1947 Hardin adopted the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
"Moondog" in honor of a dog "who used to howl at the moon more than any dog I knew of." In 1949 he traveled to a Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
Sun Dance in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
where he performed on percussion and flute, returning to the Native American music he first came in contact with as a child. It was this Native music, along with contemporary jazz and classical, mixed with the ambient
Ambient noise level
In atmospheric sounding and noise pollution, ambient noise level is the background sound pressure level at a given location, normally specified as a reference level to study a new intrusive sound source.Ambient sound levels are often measured in order to map sound conditions over a...
sounds from his environment (city traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
, ocean waves, babies crying, etc.) that created the foundation of Moondog's music.
In 1954, he won a case in the New York State Supreme Court against disc jockey Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
, who had branded his radio show, "The Moondog Rock and Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
Matinee", around the name "Moondog", using "Moondog's Symphony" (the first record that Moondog ever cut) as his "calling card". Moondog believed he would not have won the case had it not been for the help of musicians such as Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
and Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
, who testified that he was a serious composer. Freed had to apologize and stop using the nickname "Moondog" on air, on the basis that Hardin was known by the name long before Freed began using it.
Germany
Moondog had an idealised view of Germany ("The Holy Land with the Holy River" — the Rhine), where he settled in 1974.Eventually, a young German student named Ilona Sommer (birth name: Goebel) helped Moondog set up the primary holding company for his artistic endeavors and hosted him, first in Oer-Erkenschwick
Oer-Erkenschwick
Oer-Erkenschwick is a town in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 5 km north-east of Recklinghausen, on the northern periphery of the Ruhrgebiet...
, and later on in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
in Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, Germany. Moondog lived with the family of Ilona Sommer and they spent time together in Münster. During that period Moondog created hundreds of compositions which were transferred from Braille to sheet music by Ilona Sommer. Moondog spent the remainder of his life in Germany where he died in 1999.
Moondog visited America briefly in 1989, for a tribute in which Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
asked him to conduct the Brooklyn Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, at the New Music America Festival in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, stimulating a renewed interest in his music.
He recorded many albums, and toured both in the U.S. and in Europe — France, Germany and Sweden.
Moondog's music
Moondog's music took its inspiration from street sounds, such as the subway or a foghornFoghorn
A foghorn or fog signal or fog bell is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards or boats of the presence of other vehicles in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport...
. It tended to be relatively simple but characterized by what he called "snaketime" and described as "a slithery rhythm, in times that are not ordinary [...] I'm not gonna die in 4/4 time".
Moondog's work was early championed by Artur Rodziński
Artur Rodzinski
Artur Rodziński was a Polish conductor of opera and symphonic music. He is especially noted for his tenures as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic in the 1930s and 1940s.-Biography:...
, the conductor of New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
in the 1940s. He released a number of 78s, 45s and EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of his music in the 1950s, as well as several LPs
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
on a number of notable jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
labels, including an unusual record of stories and songs for children with Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
and Martyn Green
Martyn Green
William Martyn-Green , better known as Martyn Green, was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his work as principal comedian in the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas, which he performed and recorded with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and other troupes.After army service in World War I,...
, in 1957, called Songs of Sense and Nonsense - Tell it Again. For ten years no new recordings were heard from Moondog until producer James William Guercio took him into the studio to record an album for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1969.
A second album produced with Guercio featured one of Moondog's daughters as a vocalist and contained song compositions in canons
Canon (music)
In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration . The initial melody is called the leader , while the imitative melody, which is played in a different voice, is called the follower...
and rounds
Round (music)
A round is a musical composition in which two or more voices sing exactly the same melody , but with each voice beginning at different times so that different parts of the melody coincide in the different voices, but nevertheless fit harmoniously together...
. The album did not make as large an impression in popular music as the first had. The two CBS albums were re-released as a single CD in 1989.
Most of Moondog's works are published by Managarm Musikverlag in Germany. By his last will the heritage of Moondog is administered and owned by Ilona Sommer.
Inventions
Perhaps his best known creation is the "trimba", a triangular percussion instrument that the composer invented in the late 40s. The original Trimba is still played today by Moondog's friend Stefan Lakatos, a Swedish percussionist, to whom Moondog also explained the methods for building such an instrument.
Influence
The music of Moondog of the 1940s and 50s is said to have been a strong influence on many early minimalist composers. Philip GlassPhilip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
has written that he and Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
took Moondog's work 'very seriously and understood and appreciated it much more than what we were exposed to at Juilliard.'
Moondog inspired other musicians with several songs dedicated to him. These include "Moondog" on Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
's 1968 album Sweet Child
Sweet Child
Sweet Child was a 1968 double album by the British folk-rock band Pentangle: Terry Cox, Bert Jansch, Jacqui McShee, John Renbourn and Danny Thompson. One album was recorded at Pentangle's live concert in the Royal Festival Hall, which took place on 29 June 1968: the other was recorded in the studio...
and "Spear for Moondog" (parts I and II) by jazz organist Jimmy McGriff
Jimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ.-Early years and influences:...
on his 1968 Electric Funk album. The English pop group Prefab Sprout
Prefab Sprout
Prefab Sprout are an alternative English pop rock band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham, England who rose to fame during the 1980s. Eight of their albums have reached the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, and one of their singles, "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", peaked at number seven in the UK...
included the song "Moondog" on their album Jordan: The Comeback
Jordan: The Comeback
Jordan: The Comeback is the fifth album by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released in August 1990.- Album :Jordan: The Comeback showed Prefab Sprout continuing their musical evolution from the prickly jangle guitars of Swoon, their debut...
released in 1990. Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
featuring Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
covered the song "All Is Loneliness" on their 1967 self-titled album. The song was also covered by Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons is a music group presenting the work of Antony Hegarty and his collaborators.-Career:British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Antony's music through his Durtro label. The debut album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released...
during their 2005 tour. Mr. Scruff
Mr. Scruff
Mr. Scruff is the recording name of Andy Carthy , a British DJ and artist. He lives in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University...
's single "Get a Move On," from his album Keep It Unreal
Keep It Unreal
Keep It Unreal is Mr. Scruff's first major release. It includes the hit single "Get a Move On", which samples Moondog's "Bird's Lament ". The album ends with "Fish", a track made up of samples about marine life, which is a motif of Mr. Scruff. Samples used in the track include the likes of David...
, is structured around samples from "Bird's Lament." New York band The Insect Trust
The Insect Trust
The Insect Trust was a rock band that formed in New York in 1967.The members of the band were Nancy Jeffries on vocals, Bill Barth on guitar, Luke Faust, formerly of the Holy Modal Rounders, on guitar, banjo, fiddle, and harmonica, Trevor Koehler on saxophone, and Robert Palmer on clarinet and...
play a cover of Moondog's song "Be a Hobo" on their album Hoboken Saturday Night. The track "Stamping Ground", with its odd preamble of Moondog saying one of his epigram
Epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, usually memorable and sometimes surprising statement. Derived from the epigramma "inscription" from ἐπιγράφειν epigraphein "to write on inscribe", this literary device has been employed for over two millennia....
s, was featured on the sampler double album Fill Your Head with Rock (CBS, 1970).
Singles
- "Snaketimes Rhythm" (1949–1950), SMCStorch Music CompanyStorch Music Company is an American based record label that was founded by music producer Scott Storch and is distributed by Interscope Records. Storch's first major singer was Hulk Hogan's daughter, Brooke.-Discography:...
- "Moondog's Symphony" (1949–1950), SMC
- "Organ Rounds" (1949–1950), SMC
- "Oboe Rounds" (1949–1950), SMC
- "Surf Session" (c. 1953), SMC
- "Caribea Sextet"/"Oo Debut" (1956), Moondog Records
- "Stamping Ground Theme" (from the Holland Pop Festival) (1970), CBS.
EPs
- Improvisations at a Jazz Concert (1953), BrunswickBrunswick RecordsBrunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
- Moondog on the Streets of New York (1953), Decca/Mars
- Pastoral Suite / Surf Session (1953), SMC
- Moondog & His Honking Geese Playing Moondog's Music (1955), Moondog Records
Albums
- Moondog and His Friends (1953), EpicEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
- Moondog (1956), PrestigePrestige RecordsPrestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
- More Moondog (1956), Prestige
- The Story of Moondog (1957), Prestige
- Tell It Again (with Julie AndrewsJulie AndrewsDame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
) (1957), AngelAngel RecordsAngel Records is a record label belonging to EMI. It was formed in 1953 and specialised in classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score...
/Capital - Moondog (not the same as the 1956 LP) (1969), ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
- Moondog 2 (1971), Columbia
- Moondog in Europe (1977), Kopf
- H'art Songs (1978), Kopf
- Moondog: Instrumental Music by Louis Hardin (1978), Musical Heritage Society
- A New Sound of an Old Instrument (1979), Kopf
- Facets (1981), Managarm
- Bracelli (1986), Kakaphone
- Elpmas (1992), Kopf
- Sax Pax for a Sax with the London SaxophonicLondon SaxophonicLondon Saxophonic is a saxophone ensemble begun by Gareth Brady, Will Gregory and Simon Haram, while they were studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. They made their debut in 1994 on Atlantic Records with Sax Pax for a Sax, a collaboration with Moondog, who composed all of the works...
(1994), Kopf/AtlanticAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... - Big Band (1995), Trimba
- To a Grain of Rice (1996), Paradise
- Bracelli und Moondog (2005), Laska Records
Compilations
- More Moondog/The Story of Moondog (1991), Original Jazz Classics
- Moondog/Moondog 2 (2001), Beat Goes On
- The German Years 1977–1999 (2005), ROOF Music
- Un hommage à Moondog tribute album (2005), trAce label
- The Viking Of 6th Avenue (2005, disc inside biographical book) Honest Jons (ISBN 0-976082-284)
- Rare Material (2006), ROOF Music
Various artist compilations
- New York 19 (recorded and edited by Tony Schwartz) (1954), FolkwaysFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
- Music in the Streets (recorded and edited by Tony Schwartz) (1954), FolkwaysFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
- Rosey 4 Blocks (arrangement by Andy Forsythe (1958), Rosey
- Fill Your Head With Rock (1970), CBS
- The Big LebowskiThe Big LebowskiThe Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named...
motion picture soundtrack (1998), MercuryMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal... - Fsuk vol. 3: The Future Sound of the United Kingdom (1998), Fsuk
- Miniatures 2 (2000), Cherry Red
- DJ Kicks:Henrik Schwarz K7 Records (2006)
- Pineapple Express[Motion Picture Sound Track] (2008), Track 9. Birds Lament, Moondog & The London Saxophonic.
Performed by other musicians
- The album Moondog and Suncat Suite by British Jazz musician Kenny Graham features one side of interpretations of the work of Moondog (1957)
- "All Is Loneliness" by Big Brother and the Holding CompanyBig Brother and the Holding CompanyBig Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
, featuring Janis JoplinJanis JoplinJanis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, on their self-titled first album (1967) - "Moondog" by PentanglePentangle (band)Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
on their 1968 album Sweet ChildSweet ChildSweet Child was a 1968 double album by the British folk-rock band Pentangle: Terry Cox, Bert Jansch, Jacqui McShee, John Renbourn and Danny Thompson. One album was recorded at Pentangle's live concert in the Royal Festival Hall, which took place on 29 June 1968: the other was recorded in the studio... - "Spear for Moondog (parts 1 and 2)" by jazz organist Jimmy McGriffJimmy McGriffJames Harrell McGriff was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ.-Early years and influences:...
on his 1968 album Electric FunkElectric FunkElectric Funk is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy McGriff featuring performances recorded in 1969 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:... - "Be a Hobo" by The Insect TrustThe Insect TrustThe Insect Trust was a rock band that formed in New York in 1967.The members of the band were Nancy Jeffries on vocals, Bill Barth on guitar, Luke Faust, formerly of the Holy Modal Rounders, on guitar, banjo, fiddle, and harmonica, Trevor Koehler on saxophone, and Robert Palmer on clarinet and...
on their album Hoboken Saturday Night (1970) - Canons on the Keys by Paul JordanPaul JordanPaul Jordan may refer to:*Paul Jordan , Polish-American artist*Paul T. Jordan , U.S. politician*Paul Jordan...
(1978), unreleased - "Theme and Variations" performed by John FaheyJohn Fahey (musician)John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
on the album Rain Forests, Oceans and Other ThemesRain Forests, Oceans and Other ThemesCMJ New Music wrote that Fahey's "... newest work is slightly more subdued than last year's Let Go, but equally as radiant. A nimble-fingered master.....
(1985) - Lovechild Plays Moondog 7" on Forced ExposureForced ExposureForced Exposure was an independent music magazine published sporadically out of Massachusetts from the early-'80s to 1993, edited by Jimmy Johnson and Byron Coley. It was printed on cheap newsprint with plain design and filled with corrosive yet humorous writing...
(1990) - "Moondog" by Prefab SproutPrefab SproutPrefab Sprout are an alternative English pop rock band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham, England who rose to fame during the 1980s. Eight of their albums have reached the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, and one of their singles, "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", peaked at number seven in the UK...
on Jordan: The ComebackJordan: The ComebackJordan: The Comeback is the fifth album by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released in August 1990.- Album :Jordan: The Comeback showed Prefab Sprout continuing their musical evolution from the prickly jangle guitars of Swoon, their debut...
(1990) - "All is Loneliness" by MotorpsychoMotorpsychoMotorpsycho is a band from Trondheim, Norway. Their music can generally be defined as psychedelic rock, but they also mix in elements from metal, jazz, rock, pop and many other musical styles. The members of the band are Bent Sæther , Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan and Kenneth Kapstad...
(Album: Demon Box - 1993) - Alphorn of Plenty by Hans Kennel (1995), Hat Art
- "Synchrony Nr. 2" by Kronos QuartetKronos QuartetKronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
(1997) - Trees Against the Sky compilation album (1998), SHI-RA-Nui 360°
- "Get a Move On" (remix of "Bird's Lament (In Memory of Charlie Parker)") by Mr. ScruffMr. ScruffMr. Scruff is the recording name of Andy Carthy , a British DJ and artist. He lives in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University...
on Keep It UnrealKeep It UnrealKeep It Unreal is Mr. Scruff's first major release. It includes the hit single "Get a Move On", which samples Moondog's "Bird's Lament ". The album ends with "Fish", a track made up of samples about marine life, which is a motif of Mr. Scruff. Samples used in the track include the likes of David...
(1999) - "All Is Loneliness" by Antony and the JohnsonsAntony and the JohnsonsAntony and the Johnsons is a music group presenting the work of Antony Hegarty and his collaborators.-Career:British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Antony's music through his Durtro label. The debut album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released...
, live (2005) - "Sidewalk Dances" - Joanna MacGregorJoanna MacGregorJoanna MacGregor is a classical, jazz and contemporary pianist.-Biography:MacGregor grew up in North London, and was educated at home by her Seventh-day Adventist parents until she attended South Hampstead High School at the age of 11. Her mother is a piano teacher who studied at the Royal...
& Britten SinfoniaBritten SinfoniaBritten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra ensemble based in Cambridge, UK. It was created in 1992, following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognised the need for an orchestra in the East of England. It is a flexible ensemble composed of...
(2005) Sound Circus SC010 - "Moondog Sharp Harp" by Xenia Narati (2006), Ars Musici
- "Paris" by Jens LekmanJens LekmanJens Martin Lekman is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. The English lyrics reflect an advanced knowledge of the language and its idioms...
, live (2007) - "New Amsterdam" by Pink MartiniPink MartiniPink Martini is a 13-member "little orchestra" from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1994 by pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale. They draw inspiration from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop.-History:...
(Splendor in the GrassSplendor in the Grass (album)Splendor in the Grass is the fourth full-length album from the band Pink Martini. It was released in October 2009 on their own label Heinz Records....
, 2009) - "The Orastorios - Moondog rounds", Stefan Lakatos/Andreas Heuser, Makro 2010
- "Makin Moonshine - Moondog Songs by Moondog Fans" by Various Artists 2011
Biography
- Scotto, Robert. Moondog, The Viking of 6th Avenue: The Authorized Biography. Process Music edition (22 November 2007) ISBN 9780976082286 (preface by Philip GlassPhilip GlassPhilip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
)
External links
- Moondog - official website
- Moondog discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Moondog memorial on FindAGrave
- Bach Meets Moondog with Joanna MacGregorJoanna MacGregorJoanna MacGregor is a classical, jazz and contemporary pianist.-Biography:MacGregor grew up in North London, and was educated at home by her Seventh-day Adventist parents until she attended South Hampstead High School at the age of 11. Her mother is a piano teacher who studied at the Royal...
, at the 2006 London Jazz FestivalLondon Jazz FestivalThe London Jazz Festival is a London-wide music festival held every November. It takes place in a variety of London venues, including larger concert halls—such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall—and smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and Vortex... - 2003 Britten Sinfonia Moondog tour with Joanna MacGregor, article in The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
- 2-hour radio show featuring Moondog's biographer, and many of the composer's recordings (Starts at 00:07:00 into recording)
- Stefan Lakatos - Moondog Trimbapercussion
- Moondog's Corner The original Fan Website
- Xenia Narati Moondog Interpreter (Concert Harp)