MEREDITH MONK : Do You Be (1987) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This release features song excerpts from various long-form theater pieces, the first four coming from Meredith Monk's theater piece Acts From Under and Above, and these are the most jarring on the record. "Scared Song" features English lyrics, minimal accompaniment, and Monk singing harsh, abrasive "scared" sounds. Very unsettling -- and perhaps that is the intention. "Do You Be," a selection from her opera Vessel, features Monk solo on piano and voice with a shrill, piercing wail. Very satisfying. Additional selections from Vessel appear on Monk's 1992 recording Facing North. With one exception, the remaining tracks come from a Monk/Ping Chong science fiction epic opera called The Games, and these more diverse, more exploratory pieces really make the collection work as a recording. A casual listener unfamiliar with the theater pieces may well be put off by the abrasiveness of the first four tracks, which may unfortunately be enough to deter them from the remainder of the recording. But beyond some questionable programming choices, fans of her work will be delighted to see her continuing development as a recording artist. by Mark Allender  

MEREDITH MONK

1    Scared Song 6'04
Piano – Nurit Tilles
Voice, Synthesizer – Meredith Monk
2    I Don't Know 3'31
Voice, Piano – Meredith Monk
3    Window In 7's 2'12
Piano – Nurit Tilles
4    Double Fiesta 5'21
Piano – Edmund Niemann, Nurit Tilles
Voice – Meredith Monk
5    Do You Be 4'02
Voice, Piano – Meredith Monk
6    Panda Chant I 1'56
Voice – Andrea Goodman, Meredith Monk, Naaz Hosseini, Robert Een, Wayne Hankin
7    Memory Song 6'40
Keyboards – Nurit Tilles, Wayne Hankin
Violin – Naaz Hosseini
Voice – Andrea Goodman, Meredith Monk, Naaz Hosseini
8    Panda Chant II 1'35
Voice – Andrea Goodman, Ching Gonzalez, Meredith Monk, Naaz Hosseini, Nurit Tilles, Robert Een, Wayne Hankin
9    Quarry Lullaby 2'00
Voice – Andrea Goodman, Ching Gonzalez, Meredith Monk, Naaz Hosseini, Nurit Tilles, Robert Een, Wayne Hankin
10    Shadow Song 1'57
Voice – Meredith Monk
11    Astronaut Anthem 4'56
Piano – Meredith Monk
Voice – Andrea Goodman, Ching Gonzalez, Johanna Arnold, John Eppler, Naaz Hosseini, Nicky Paraiso, Robert Een, Wayne Hankin
12    Wheel 3'40
Bagpipes – Wayne Hankin
Synthesizer – Nurit Tilles
Voice – Andrea Goodman, Meredith Monk, Naaz Hosseini

Ensemble – Meredith Monk And Vocal Ensemble