''Live in Prague and Washington'' (''Live in Moscow, Prague & Washington'' on CD releases) is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

improvised Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

by Chris Cutler and

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock ...

. It was recorded at the 8th Prague "Jazz Days" Festival in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

in former

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

on 25 May 1979, and at the DC Space in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on 20 December 1979. The album was released by Recommended Records in 1983 on a 45

rpm Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

12 " LP. It was Frith and Cutler's first collaborative duo album. Subscribers to the ''Live in Prague and Washington'' LP received a limited edition

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

of a 1979 Cutler and Frith concert recorded in

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

, France. This recording was added to their next collaborative album, '' Live in Trondheim, Berlin & Limoges, Vol. 2'' (1994). In 1990 Recommended Records re-issued ''Live in Prague and Washington'' on CD with a Cuttler and Frith Moscow concert added, and retitled ''Live in Moscow, Prague & Washington''. The new recording was made at the Culture Palace S.P.Gorbunov in Moscow on 31 May 1989.

Reception

In a review of the CD release of the album in the improvised jazz and blues magazine '' Cadence'', Carl Baugher wrote that this type of music "truly defies categorization", and that while it has elements of

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

structures, "Frith and Cutler demand to be evaluated on their own terms". Baugher said that "Moscow" has moments that are "riveting" and others that are "distracted impersonal textures". He called "Prague" the album's "most interesting composition" in terms of structure and improvisation, adding that "tonality is hinted at but ... seldom used". Baugher described "Washington" as "strangely controlled and peaceful" compared to the other pieces. Baugher declared ''Live in Moscow, Prague & Washington'' "an unqualified success", and stated that more CDs like this would "make the world of improvised music a more interesting place". In her 1990 book, ''Sonic Transports: New Frontiers in Our Music'', Nicole V. Gagné wrote that the Prague concert credit "4500 Czechs: ambiance and opinions" is "no joke", as the audience contributes to the music. She said, "The murmuring undercurrent of voices, the whistling, clapping, and crying out, all affected the musicians and prompted several of the things they did."

Track listing

All music by Chris Cutler and

1983 LP release: ''Live in Prague and Washington''

1990 CD release: ''Live in Moscow, Prague & Washington''

Sources:

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 databas ...

Liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

, Fred Frith discography.

Personnel

* Chris Cutler – drums, electrified drums, contact mics, telephone mouthpieces, jetsam *

– guitars, Vox Organ guitar, table guitars, adapted guitars, bass guitar, six-string bass guitar, violin, voice, flotsam *4500 Czechs (Prague concert) – ambiance, opinions Sources:

, Fred Frith discography.

Sound and artwork

*Moscow concert analogue mastering by Bill Sharp *Prague concert recorded by Jiri Munzar, with live mix by E. M. Thomas *Washington concert recorded by John Page *Photography by Jiří Kučera, E. M. Thomas *Cover design by E. M. Thomas Sources:

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Live in Prague and Washington 1983 live albums 1983 collaborative albums Experimental music albums by English artists Live free improvisation albums Fred Frith live albums Chris Cutler live albums Recommended Records live albums