The return of “Cloud About Mercury” by David Torn. Thank you ECM!
This news is amazing. ECM has reprinted “Cloud About Mercury” by David Torn. The news is official: https://www.ecmrecords.com/catalogue/143038751188
Fantastic news, yes, because “Cloud About Mercury” is a fabulous record, almost forgotten, almost obscured by several years of honored career, of tireless work and pure, genuine dedication to music by the great David Torn. “Cloud About Mercury” has always been one of those perfect little gems hat you can find in my records collection. You know, one of those records… so beautiful and so little known, to pull out and put on the CD player, sure to attract in a moment the attention of the ignorant passing listener. A few notes and immediately his attention is focused on the cd from the polychrome cover released with apparent (but studied) negligence. Just a few seconds and the fatal question arrives: “What is the title of this marvel?”
Oh yeah! Because it’s marvelous. “Cloud About Mercury” is a flamboyant record, it looks like one of those exotic birds, which first strikes you with the colors of its plumage and then with the beauty of its singing, with its exoticism, with the richness of its details, with its lush sound.
The year was 1987, there was a lot of experimentation and there was already someone who did not like jazz fusion and there was a desire for a different progressive music, for innovation. “Cloud About Mercury” presents Tony Levin and Bill Bruford online, the columns of those King Crimson than in 1981 had created the “Discipline” masterpiece that had displaced everyone and proved that it could be done, that you could be virtuous but not boring, innovative but not pedantic, snobby but not unpleasant. “Cloud About Mercury” is even more free, expressive and cheerful. It’s a record that inspires joy and desire to move. It’s a practically perfect record that in more then 30 years has lost nothing of its glaze and its energy. If you missed it, buy it. If you did not know it, this is the moment to redeem yourself. Buy it. You will never regret it.
NeuGuitars 