River Run

River Run

Philip Glass, organs; Dickie Landry, saxophones; Joan La Barbara and Gene Rickard, voice In case you’ve forgotten, Philip Glass changed our lives. Remind yourself by listening to Analog, a collection of early recordings featuring the composer himself tinkling the Farfisa. Yes, it totally sounds retro, but these recording are so well engineered they’re practically radioactive.… Read more »

Written By

NewMusicBox Staff

Philip Glass, organs; Dickie Landry, saxophones; Joan La Barbara and Gene Rickard, voice

In case you’ve forgotten, Philip Glass changed our lives. Remind yourself by listening to Analog, a collection of early recordings featuring the composer himself tinkling the Farfisa. Yes, it totally sounds retro, but these recording are so well engineered they’re practically radioactive. Take the composer’s “River Run,” part of the suite of pieces he wrote for François de Menil’s film Étoile Polaire about sculptor Mark di Suvero. The music exudes a lively buzz so palatable one can almost hear why the word “new” was inserted before “music” in the first place. Even though it made its big splash decades ago, the music still maintains a freshness, especially if you haven’t heard these pieces in a while—of course, the great re-mastering job doesn’t hurt either.

—RN