''Explosions'' is an album by the Bob James Trio. It was recorded at

Bell Sound Studios Bell Sound Studios was an independent recording studio in New York City from 1950 to 1976. At its height, the studio was the largest independent recording studio in the United States, and the site of recording sessions that produced seminal hits by ...

in New York City during May 1965, and was released later that year by

ESP-Disk ESP-Disk is a New York-based record company and label founded in 1963 by lawyer Bernard Stollman. History Though it originally existed to release Esperanto-based music, beginning with its second release (Albert Ayler's '' Spiritual Unity''), ESP ...

. On the album, James is featured on piano, and is joined by bassist

Barre Phillips Barre Phillips (born October 27, 1934, in San Francisco, California, United States) is an American jazz bassist. A professional musician since 1960, he moved to New York City in 1962, then to Europe in 1967. Since 1972, he has been based in south ...

and drummer Robert Pozar. The album also features tape collages by composers

Gordon Mumma Gordon Mumma (born March 30, 1935, in Framingham, Massachusetts) is an American composer. He is known most for his work with electronics, many devices of which he builds himself, and for his performances on horn. Biography Mumma entered the Unive ...

and

Robert Ashley Robert Reynolds Ashley (March 28, 1930 – March 3, 2014) was an American composer, who was best known for his television operas and other theatrical works, many of which incorporate electronics and extended techniques. His works often involv ...

. It is an early example of electro-acoustic jazz.

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

"Blue" Gene Tyranny Robert Nathan Sheff (January 1, 1945 – December 12, 2020), known professionally as "Blue" Gene Tyranny, was an American avant-garde composer and pianist. "His memorable pseudonym, coined during his brief stint with Iggy and the Stooges, was de ...

called the album "probably the first recording of improvised jazz combined with

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

, as well as playing inside the piano and other new music techniques," and noted that it "contains lively and often humorous compositions." The authors of ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' wrote: "This is an intriguing period piece, which has considerable staying power... It's important for the integration of electronics into a basic piano trio, and while it's callow in its way it continues to intrigue." Clifford Allen of ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' stated that James "more than acquits himself as a free player," and commented: "rare indeed is a successful pairing of electronic and acoustic

audio collage In music, montage (literally "putting together") or sound collage ("gluing together") is a technique where newly branded sound objects or compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as montage. This is often done through ...

, much less in a mid-1960s jazz setting." Writing for ''Aural Innovations'', Doug Walker remarked: "the music explodes with both vitality and subtle introspection... throughout there is a spirit of discovery that's quite refreshing, and the sense of musical optimism pervades the recording!"

Track listings

# "Explosions" (Bob James, Gordon Mumma) – 5:42 # "Untitled Mixes" (Bob James, Robert Ashley) – 5:17 # "Peasant Boy" (Bob James) – 8:30 # "An On" (Barre Phillips) – 8:54 # "Wolfman" (Bob James, Robert Ashley) – 6:07

Personnel

* Bob James – piano *

– bass * Robert Pozar – drums, percussion *

– electronics *

– electronics

References

{{Reflist 1965 albums Bob James (musician) albums ESP-Disk albums Free jazz albums Electronic albums by American artists Sound collage albums Electroacoustic music albums