Bunita Marcus, an unsung heroine of post minimalist music, will release a new version of her 1985 “Lecture For Jo Kondo” composition on David August’s 99CHANTS.
Marcus was active within New York’s avant-garde music scene during the ’70s and ’80s, but her potential was side-lined, we’re told, in a patriarchal environment, where male musicians were allowed to easily dominate.
Because of this, Marcus’ role in the cannon of contemporary music has been overlooked in music and arts media, and omitted from the dominant narrative on key figures, which is something August hopes to start redressing with this release.
“Lecture For Jo Kondo” is dedicated to fellow composer and friend Jo Kondo. It was originally written for Morton Feldman’s group Feldman and Soloists, to be performed in 1985, and was recorded by Berlin’s Ensemble Adapter for the 2012 release of Marcus’ Sugar Cubes. This latest version, arriving 35 years after the piece was originally written, adds Marcus’ own vocals on top of the original recordings.
Alongside the full 20-minute piece, Lecture For Jo Kondo also includes a machine-based deconstruction by August himself.
The release is mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri.
Artwork and design is by Collin D. Fletcher and Taylor Giali.
Tracklisting
Side A: Lecture for Jo Kondo
Side B: Lecture for Jo Kondo (David August Deconstruction)
Lecture For Jo Kondo is scheduled for September 25 release. Meanwhile, you can pre-order here and stream an excerpt below.
