Erik Satie (Guest rec from Paul Grimstad)
Today we have a guest recommendation from Paul Grimstad, a Yale professor and musician, who recently released two LPs. MUSIC FOR FILM collects his scores for films by the Safdie brothers, Sean Price Williams, and more; SONGS has 16 pieces of psych rock with pitched-up vocals and a ‘70s sound. He also recently appeared in the film One Battle After Another as Howard “Billy Goat” Sommerville.
Tout Satie! (on CD) is a great edition of the complete works – the complete world – of Erik Satie. What to say? Charm, surprise, grace, wit, alternately warm and spooky, proto avant-pop auteur, pals with the surrealists… Satie can say as much in a single chord voicing as other musicians take whole lifetimes to say. Off center in a DIY self-taught way (like another composer who resembles him in many ways: Thelonious Monk) Satie managed to create a sound world of total originality. Everyone knows the Trois Gymnopédies but check out from this set his weird operetta about the life of Socrates (Socrate) and the score to the tweaked ballet he did in collaboration with Picasso (Parade).
Satie: Complete Piano Works, Vol. 1 - Erik Satie, Nicolas Horvath (73m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Erik Satie: Socrate - Erik Satie, Olalla Alemán, Guy Vandromme (31m, operatic vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal
Satie: Parade etc. - Erik Satie, New London Orchestra, Ronald Corp (66m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal
I’ve recently started listening to Satie.
I’ve enjoyed the Reinbert de Leeuw interpretations. His sense of timing is impeccable, zen-like.
The Decca recoding of the Early Piano Works is a great place to start.
Was curious about how Satie would sound as orchestral works; very different from piano. Sometimes a little circus in the afternoon is welcome.