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Henry Kaiser Band: Heart's Desire
Guitarist Henry Kaiser is a prolific member of the San Francisco Bay
Area music scene, as well as being a globally recognized leader of the "second generation" free
improvisers who came of age in the '70s. His earliest musical inspiration came from the spiky
sounds of English improvising guitarist Derek Bailey and the many guitarists in Captain
Beefheart's Magic Band; later on Kaiser absorbed the subtle string textures of the American
blues stylists and traditional music of Asia, particularly India, Korea, and Vietnam. His initial
recordings documented solo projects and spontaneous groupings with other energetic
improvisers like Fred Frith, the ROVA Saxophone Quartet, pianist Greg Goodman, and
vocalist Diamanda Galas. Kaiser's restless creativity unearthed many new and unconventional
electric guitar techniques during these years, and he combined these innovations with a strong
sense of logic and concise development, often aided by sophisticated sound-processing
devices. Recently Kaiser's projects have tended toward the rock sound of the '60s and '70s,
with a special fascination for the music of The Grateful Dead. But he has simultaneously
explored American folk along with the folk music of Vietnam and Madagascar.
Heart's Desire is a 1990 live album from the Henry Kaiser Band, including The Band's "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" from The Band. Tracks
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