FROM HOWL TO HARMONIUM

Ginsberg, Allen with Arthur Russell

First Blues [1975 Limited Edition] [Signed & Numbered #88/100] [Arthur Russell Collaboration]

New York: Full Court Press, 1975. Limited Edition.
THE BEAT GOES AVANT-GARDE — THE MUSICAL TRANSFORMATION OF ALLEN GINSBERG — ARTHUR RUSSELL & THE LAST EVOLUTION OF THE BEATS.
Documenting the musical partnership between the King of the Beats and the icon of the NYC avant-garde, Arthur Russell

A pristine example of the rare limited cloth edition of Ginsberg’s musical transition. This is No. 88 of only 100 copies signed and numbered by Allen Ginsberg. 

Published by Full Court Press, this volume is the essential primary document of Ginsberg’s mid-70s experimentation, featuring musical notation largely composed by the legendary avant-garde cellist and composer Arthur Russell. It represents a vital bridge between the spoken word of the 1950s and the New York minimalist music scene of the 1970s.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Rarity: Limited to only 100 signed and numbered copies; far scarcer than the simultaneous trade edition.
+++ Signed: Boldly signed by Allen Ginsberg on the limitation page.
+++ Collaboration: Features musical scores by Arthur Russell, the cult-icon of downtown NYC music, including Guru Blues and other harmonium-based compositions.
+++ Format: Publisher's deluxe cloth binding with original dust jacket.
+++ Legacy: These lyrics formed the basis for Ginsberg’s 1983 John Hammond-produced LP on Columbia Records.

CONDITION: Fine in a Fine Dust Jacket -- An exceptional, Gift Quality copy. The bindings are tight, square, and sharp. The text block is bright and clean throughout. The dust jacket is remarkably well-preserved with only the most minimal shelf handling.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
Allen Ginsberg was never content with the static page. By the early 1970s, influenced by his Buddhist practice and his friendship with Bob Dylan, he began performing with a portable harmonium. First Blues is the first formal publication of the songs that defined this era. 

The involvement of Arthur Russell is significant; Russell was the musical director of The Kitchen and a bridge between disco, folk, and classical minimalism. This collaboration foreshadowed the 'New York School' of performance art, blending Buddhist chant with the structural simplicity of the blues.

SUBJECTS: Allen Ginsberg, Beat Generation, Arthur Russell, Avant-Garde Music, Limited Editions, New York Minimalism, Signed Books, Poetry, Music History, Modernism.

Item #21207
ISBN: 0916190048

Price: $425.00