Moondog Tribute Album 'Songs And Symphoniques: The Music Of Moondog' Announced for 9/29

SONGS AND SYMPHONIQUES: THE MUSIC OF MOONDOG SET TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 29   TRIBUTE ALBUM IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN KRONOS QUARTET AND GHOST TRAIN ORCHESTRA   SPECIAL GUEST VOCALISTS INCLUDE MARISSA NADLER, RUFUS WAINWRIGHT, JARVIS COCKER, JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN, PETRA HADEN, KAREN MANTLER, SAM AMIDON and AOIFE O’DONOVAN, AND BRIAN CARPENTER   SINGLE AND VIDEO FOR “HIGH ON A ROCKY LEDGE (feat. MARISSA NADLER)” – WATCH   PRE-ORDERS (CD and DOUBLE VINYL LP) AVAILABLE NOW

Songs And Symphoniques: The Music Of Moondog, a collaboration between Ghost Train Orchestra and Kronos Quartet with re-imaginings of the music of Moondog, is set to be released on September 29 through Cantaloupe Music. The album is heralded by the June 30 single and video release of Marissa Nadler’s take on “High On A Rocky Ledge.”   Watch “High On A Rocky Ledge (feat. Marissa Nadler)” here.   Moondog (Louis Hardin), was an eccentric blind musician who was ever-present on Sixth Avenue in New York City in the middle of the 20th century, decked out in Viking regalia while busking, reading poetry or selling his sheet music. Most passersby would have no clue that he composed beautiful and haunting music and was an inspiration to Phillip Glass and Steve Reich, who referred to him as “the godfather of minimalism.”   The album was initially conceived as a collaboration between Brooklyn-based Ghost Train Orchestra and the legendary Kronos Quartet, but quickly expanded to include numerous guest vocalists, including Marissa Nadler, Rufus Wainwright, Jarvis Cocker, Joan As Police Woman, Petra Haden, Karen Mantler, Sam Amidon and Aofie O’Donovan, and Brian Carpenter.   Brian Carpenter, producer, musical director, Ghost Train Orchestra: "The first Moondog record I heard was the 1969 orchestra record simply titled Moondog. Its cover featured a very striking image of a man with a long white beard and ornate headdress. From the very first track I was immediately transported to another world -- a world of wonder and whimsy, darkness and beauty. For decades Moondog lived and worked on the streets of New York City, yet in the decades since he passed, no group in New York (or even worldwide) has seriously tackled the wide breadth of his music. I wanted to hear what the talented arrangers in Ghost Train Orchestra could do with his music and experience it live in the present day. Our collaboration with the legendary Kronos Quartet and this diverse cast of some of my favorite singers was an incredible thrill. Kronos Quartet's commitment to new music over the course of five decades has and continues to be a huge inspiration to all of us. We hope you enjoy these reimaginings of the wonderful world of Moondog as much as we do." Marissa Nadler: “The mysterious, mythlike lyrics in "High On A Rocky Ledge '' are almost divinatory, where grand themes are shrouded behind minimalistic imagery and melded with the "loveliest" earworm of a melody. There's a loneliness in the repeated trips to see the edelweiss, and a sadness in my perceived loneliness of the character's countless trips that made me drawn to the song. This inanimate object, the lone lace-like flower, documents the passing of time, but also a distinct love for the purity of nature.  T. Rex referenced Moondog in the song "Rabbit Fighter," with the line "Moondog's just a prophet to the end…" and that's perhaps how this song cut deep for me. The beautiful playing of the Kronos Quartet and Ghost Train Orchestra give this rendition a sprawling space much like the mountain ranges and cliffs I imagine this song taking place in. Jenni Hensler, a filmmaker who I've worked with several times before, further interpreted her own meaning into the song with beautiful imagery, cosmic contemplation, and magically musical editing. (we had a blast searching for these locations across the Northeast, essentially becoming the flower and the searcher).”   Jenni Hensler, director of Marissa Nadler’s video for “High On A Rocky Ledge: "The tireless struggle to attain the object of one’s eternal desire makes “High On A Rocky Ledge” about so much more than simply a love for a mountain flower. I shot the video on 16 mm film, in several remote locations across the Northeast, in a quest to visually marry this universal longing with a magical figurative interpretation of the lyrics. The dreamlike quality of the film evokes a timeless aura much like the song does. This never-ending quest is personified, as the character, played by Marissa, climbs and climbs, moving constantly forward, upward, and ascending in search of this seemingly unattainable version of herself."   ### The set includes extensive liner notes and archival photos chronicling Moondog’s history and the making of the recording, featuring an in-depth interview with Kronos Quartet’s David Harrington and Ghost Train Orchestra’s Brian Carpenter moderated by Moondog scholar Irwin Chusid. Tickets are on sale now for the concert "Ghost Train Orchestra Plays Moondog" at Roulette in Brooklyn, NY.    ### Track list for Songs And Symphoniques: The Music Of Moondog     01 Theme 3:52  02 Be A Hobo (feat Rufus Wainwright) 3:45  03 High On A Rocky Ledge (feat Marissa Nadler) 4:33  04 Caribea 2:04  05 Why Spend a Dark Night with You (feat Joan As Police Woman) 3:38  06 Enough About Human Rights (feat Karen Mantler) 3:41  07 I’m This, I’m That (feat Jarvis Cocker) 3:41  08 Speak of Heaven 4:20  09 The Viking of 6th Avenue 5:31  10 Down Is Up (feat Petra Haden) 1:26  11 Coffee Beans (feat Karen Mantler) 4:10  12 Behold (feat Sam Amidon and Aoife O'Donovan) 3:40  13 Choo Choo Lullaby (feat Brian Carpenter) 3:26  14 Fog On The Hudson 1:19  15 See The Mighty Tree (feat Petra Haden) 1:24  16 Bumbo 5:17  17 All is Loneliness (feat Joan Wasser) 6:13

Kronos Quartet, Credit: Lenny Gonzalez

Ghost Train Orchestra, Credit: Reuben Radding