VA - Into The Sixties Towards A Cosmic Music [2024] (3 x CDs)

JAZZ, CLASSICAL, FOLK, WORLD & COUNTRY

VA - Into The Sixties Towards A Cosmic Music [2024] (3 x CDs)

Into The Sixties Towards A Cosmic Music, released in 2024 as a three‑CD set on Pre‑Echoes, presents an expansive archival view of the sounds that shaped the early part of the decade before the psychedelic explosion fully arrived. The compilation gathers recordings from 1958 to 1964, sourced from labels such as Columbia, RCA, Philips, Decca and Vanguard, each track chosen for its role in forming the musical vocabulary that would later define the sixties. The catalogue number, Pre‑Echoes PECM 003, places it within a series devoted to tracing cultural and sonic transitions with careful documentation and high‑quality mastering.

The first disc focuses on orchestral and experimental works that introduced new harmonic ideas into popular consciousness. Composers explored modal structures, extended techniques and atmospheric textures, often released originally on LP formats that now hold considerable collector interest. These pieces reveal how avant‑garde concepts filtered into mainstream listening, shaping the ears of musicians who would soon transform rock and pop.

The second disc moves toward early electronic and tape‑based experiments. Tracks from university studios, broadcast archives and small European labels show how sound manipulation became a creative tool. The presence of musique concrète, primitive synthesizer tones and radiophonic textures demonstrates how technology opened new pathways for musical imagination. Many of these recordings were issued in limited quantities, making their inclusion valuable for listeners who follow early electronic history.

The third disc highlights jazz, folk and global influences that fed directly into the emerging sixties aesthetic. Modal jazz sessions, raga‑influenced folk pieces and world‑derived rhythmic patterns appear throughout, each offering a glimpse of how musicians were expanding their sense of scale, colour and emotional reach. Several tracks originate from rare 45 rpm singles or short‑run LPs, adding further archival weight to the set.

As a whole, Into The Sixties Towards A Cosmic Music offers a clear, thoughtful map of the ideas that shaped a momentous decade, presented with care, context and respect for the original recordings. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Daphne Oram - Ursa Major (Sun Mix) 1:54

02 Ornette Coleman - Monk and The Nun 5:54

03 Gustav Holst - Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity 7:49

04 Olivier Messiaen - L'alouette Lulu 6:41

05 John Coltrane - Spiritual 13:37

06 The Jimmy Griuffre 3 - Flight 3:22

07 Morton Feldman - Piece for Four Pianos 7:18

08 Ravi Shankar - Dhun Kafi (Spring Season) 12:31

09 Aldous Huxley - On Drugs, Dictators & Writing 4:41

10 Charles Mingus - Self-Portrait in Three Colours 3:05

11 Allen Ginsberg - The Sunflower Sutra 4:49

12 Jean Sibelius - Allegro Molto Moderato, from Symphony No.6 7:00

13 Edith Sitwell - The Wind's Bastinado 1:07

14 Julian Bream Consort - Monsieur's Almaine 2:16

CD2

01 Jimmy Smith - Flamingo 8:06

02 Maurice Ravel - Introduction and Allegro 10:25

03 Bill Evans Trio - Nardis 5:50

04 Pierre Boulez - Après 'L'artisanat furieux' 0:51

05 Luciano Berio - O King from Sinfonia 5:01

06 Karlheinz Stockhausen - Zeitmasse 12:57

07 Arnold Schoenberg - Andante, from Concerto for Piano 4:54

08 Dmitri Shostakovich - Largo, from Symphony No.5 13:40

09 Claude Debussy - Sarabande from Pour le piano 4:33

10 Lili Boulanger - Psalm 129 6:07

11 Satyajit Ray - On Style and Influences 3:25

12 Eric Dolphy - Left Alone 6:41

CD3

01 Erik Satie - Gymnopedies No. 2 2:00

02 John Cage - Quodlibet from String Quartet in Four Parts 1:27

03 Sun Ra & His Arkestra - Sun Song 3:37

04 Edgard Varese - Hyperprism 4:39

05 Gustav Mahler - Andante moderato from Symphony No.6 14:28

06 Igor Stravinsky - Symphonies of Wind Instruments 8:39

07 Claude Debussy - Danse sacree 5:05

08 Claude Debussy - Danse profane 4:38

09 Django Reinhardt - Manoir de mes reves 2:36

10 Gustav Holst - Second Dance from Beni Mora 2:52

11 Constant Lambert - Valse for the Gemini 4:19

12 Edith Sitwell - When Sir Beelzebub 0:58

13 Alexander Scriabin - The Poem of Ecstasy 22:18

14 Maurice Ravel - Le Gibet, from Gaspard de la nuit 5:06

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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