| Pragma | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1996–1998 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 58:44 | |||
| Label | Recommended (UK) | |||
| Producer | Tim Hodgkinson | |||
| Tim Hodgkinson chronology | ||||
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Pragma: New Works is a 1998 solo album by English experimental music composer and performer Tim Hodgkinson. It is his third solo album, after Each in Our Own Thoughts (1994), and comprises six pieces composed by Hodgkinson and recorded between 1996 and 1998. The album was released on CD in 1998 by Recommended Records in the United Kingdom.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
In a review of the album in The Wire , Julian Cowley wrote that while Pragma sounds very different to the "acerbic rock" Hodgkinson played in the Work , it is "a sustained anatomisation of [his] musical taste, an illumination of how he plays and ... hears. [2] [italics in the source] He said the six compositions can be compared to the works of established composers, for example Morton Subotnick on "Interferogram". Cowley noted that, as on his previous solo album, Each in Our Own Thoughts (1994), Pragma shows Hodgkinson "pushing back the limits of his identity as a composer, in a post-classical sense". [3] He added that Hodgkinson's musical explorations here are characterised "by the kind of vitality and intelligence that always preclude descent to the merely derivative." [2]
François Couture wrote in a review of the album at AllMusic that while the compositions on Pragma have "impetus" and "ardor", they are not "memorable". [1] "For Looking Inside" has some "interesting textures", and "Mala; Elated" has "good idea[s] that takes on cataclysmic proportions", but Couture felt that overall they are "not enough to salvage the album from its self-sufficient aura". [1]
Reviewing Pragma in Exposé, Jeff Melton called the album's music "difficult" because he felt that "the listener must have the discipline to hear the 'big picture' and not get caught in a scattering of perceived dissonant ideas." [4] Melton said the voices on "SHHH" create "a disturbing, almost ghostly mood", and described "For Looking Inside" as "controlled mayhem" that is "definitely not for the faint of heart". [4] Melton stated that he is waiting for the horror film industry to discover the potential in Hodgkinson's music, but added it is more likely he "will still languish with others who only appeal to a small, but educated audience." [4]
All music is composed by Tim Hodgkinson
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Repulsion" (for clarinet, electric guitar, brass instruments, percussion; 1997) | 10:23 |
| 2. | "SHHH" (for taped voices; 1996–1997) | 7:19 |
| 3. | "For Looking Inside" (for 3 prepared violas; 1997) | 10:32 |
| 4. | "Interferogram" (for instrumental ensemble; 1997) | 10:09 |
| 5. | "Mala; Elated" (for clarinet, harpsichord, organ, metal plates, cymbals; 1997) | 8:23 |
| 6. | "Black Death and Errors in Construction" (for bass clarinet, prepared piano, electric guitar, 2 cellos, 2 violas, percussion, tape; 1998) | 11:58 |
Source: [5]
Source: [5]
Timothy "Tim" George Hodgkinson is an English experimental music composer and performer, principally on reeds, lap steel guitar, and keyboards. He first became known as one of the core members of the British avant-rock group Henry Cow, which he formed with Fred Frith in 1968. After the demise of Henry Cow, he participated in numerous bands and projects, eventually concentrating on composing contemporary music and performing as an improviser.
The Work were an English post-punk rock group, founded in 1980 by multi-instrumentalist/composer Tim Hodgkinson and guitarist/composer Bill Gilonis, with bass guitarist Mick Hobbs and drummer Rick Wilson. The band toured Europe in 1981 and 1982, and recorded their first album, Slow Crimes in 1982. After a tour of Japan later that year and releasing Live in Japan, the band split up. In 1989, the Work reformed to record Rubber Cage and performed throughout Europe between 1989 and 1994, releasing another album, See in 1992. A live album, The 4th World, recorded in Germany in 1994, was released in 2010.
Each in Our Own Thoughts is a 1994 solo album by English experimental music composer and performer Tim Hodgkinson. It is his second solo album, after Splutter (1985), and comprises six unreleased pieces composed by Hodgkinson between 1976 and 1993. They were recorded in 1993 and co-released in 1994 on CD by Woof Records in the United Kingdom and Megaphone Records in the United States.
The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set is a nine-CD plus one-DVD limited edition box set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow, and was released by RēR Megacorp in January 2009. It consists of almost 10 hours of previously unreleased recordings made between 1972 and 1978 from concerts, radio broadcasts, one-off projects, events and the studio. Included are new compositions, over four hours of free improvisation, and live performances of some of Henry Cow's original LP repertoire.
K-Space are a British-Siberian experimental electroacoustic improvisation music ensemble comprising Scottish percussionist Ken Hyder, English multi-instrumentalist Tim Hodgkinson, and Siberian percussionist and throat singer Gendos Chamzyryn. The trio was formed in Tuva, Siberia in 1996. They have played in concerts in Asia and Europe, and released four CDs, including Infinity (2008), which was a new type of CD that is different every time it is played.
"Erk Gah" is a song written by Tim Hodgkinson for the English experimental rock group Henry Cow. "Erk Gah" was performed live by the band between 1976 and 1978, but was never recorded in the studio; three live performances of the song would later be released on the live album Stockholm & Göteborg in 2008 and the compilation The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set in 2009. In 1993, fifteen years after Henry Cow disbanded, Hodgkinson recorded the composition under the title "Hold to the Zero Burn, Imagine" for his solo album Each in Our Own Thoughts (1994), featuring former Henry Cow members Chris Cutler, Lindsay Cooper, and Dagmar Krause.
"Living in the Heart of the Beast" is a 1975 song written by Tim Hodgkinson for the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. It was recorded in 1975 by Henry Cow with Slapp Happy, who had recently merged with Henry Cow after the two groups had recorded a collaborative album, Desperate Straights the previous year. The song was released on In Praise of Learning in May 1975 by Virgin Records. The song's title is a quote from the nineteenth-century Cuban poet and liberation fighter José Martí. "Living in the Heart of the Beast" was the first of two "epic" compositions Hodgkinson wrote for Henry Cow, the second being "Erk Gah" (1976), later known as "Hold to the Zero Burn, Imagine".
Catherine Jauniaux is a Belgian avant-garde singer. She has been described as a "one-woman-orchestra", a "human sampler", and "one of the best kept secrets in the world of improvised music". Her solo album, Fluvial (1983) is regarded as one of her most accomplished works. She was married to the late American experimental cellist and composer Tom Cora.
The Stone: Issue Two is a 2007 live album of improvised experimental music by Fred Frith and Chris Cutler. It was recorded at The Stone in New York City on 15 December 2006 and was one of four CDs released between 2006 and 2010 by Tzadik Records to raise funds for The Stone. It was Frith and Cutler's fourth collaborative album.
The Compass, Log and Lead is a 2006 studio album of improvised acoustic experimental music by Fred Frith, Carla Kihlstedt and Stevie Wishart. It was recorded in October 2003 in Oakland, California, and released by Intakt Records in 2006.
Dalaba Frith Glick Rieman Kihlstedt, also stylized as DalabaFrithGlickRiemanKihlstedt, is a 2003 studio album of improvised experimental music by Lesli Dalaba, Fred Frith, Eric Glick Rieman and Carla Kihlstedt. It was recorded at Guerrilla Recording in Oakland, California, and was released by Accretions Records in San Diego, California in 2003.
Live in Japan is a 1982 live album by English post-punk rock group the Work. It is their second album and was recorded in Osaka, Japan on 29 June 1982. It was released on LP later in 1982 by Recommended Records in Japan, and follows on from their debut album, Slow Crimes, released earlier in 1982 by Woof Records in the United Kingdom. Live in Japan was reissued in 2006 on CD by Ad Hoc Records in the United States with one extra track: "I Hate America", taken from the band's first single in 1981.
Ayaya Moses is a 1997 studio album by the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet, an American-based contemporary classical and experimental music guitar quartet comprising Fred Frith, René Lussier, Nick Didkovsky and Mark Stewart. It is their debut album and was recorded in Radio-Canada's Studio 12 at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, seven years after the ensemble was formed in 1989. It was released by Canadian record label, Ambiances Magnétiques.
Upbeat is a 1999 live and studio album by the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet, an American-based contemporary classical and experimental music guitar quartet comprising Fred Frith, René Lussier, Nick Didkovsky and Mark Stewart. It is their second album, after Ayaya Moses (1997), and was released by Canadian record label, Ambiances Magnétiques. The live material was drawn from concerts the quartet had performed in Germany, Switzerland, France and Spain in November 1997. The studio tracks were recorded at Tonstudio Amann in Vienna, Austria, also in November 1997.
"Beautiful as the Moon – Terrible as an Army with Banners" is a 1975 song composed by Fred Frith with lyrics by Chris Cutler for the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. It was recorded in February and March 1975 by Henry Cow and Slapp Happy, and released in May 1975 on their collaborative album, In Praise of Learning by Virgin Records.
Still Urban is a 2009 avant-garde jazz studio album by English guitarist and composer Fred Frith and the Swiss-based ARTE Quartett. It was recorded in January 2008 at Swiss Radio DRS2 in Zürich, Switzerland, and was released in 2009 by Intakt Records, together with Frith and the ARTE Quartett's second collaborative album, The Big Picture, which was also recorded in January 2008 at Swiss Radio DRS2.
The Big Picture is a 2009 avant-garde jazz studio album by English guitarist and composer Fred Frith and the Swiss-based ARTE Quartett. It was recorded in January 2008 at Swiss Radio DRS2 in Zürich, Switzerland, and was released in 2009 by Intakt Records, together with Frith and the ARTE Quartett's first collaborative album, Still Urban, which was also recorded in January 2008 at Swiss Radio DRS2.
The Light of Corona is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded during the "Total Music Meeting" at the "Podewil", the headquarters of the Kulturprojekte Berlin non-profit organisation, on November 3, 1996, and released in 2003 on the FMP label. The album features Taylor with eight other musicians, and is a recording of two sections of a piece with a total duration of over an hour. The same group recorded the album Almeda the previous day.
Guitar Solos / Fifty is a 2024 solo double LP by English guitarist, composer and improviser Fred Frith. It was released on vinyl in Germany by Week-End Records to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Frith's 1974 debut solo album, Guitar Solos. The first disc of the double album is a reissue of his original 1974 solo album remastered, and the second disc is a new solo album of 13 guitar tracks Frith recorded in 2023. Just as the original Guitar Solos was recorded without any overdubbing, Fifty also had no overdubs.