Henry Kaiser (musician)
Encyclopedia
Henry Kaiser is an American guitarist and composer.
Recording and performing prolifically in many styles of music, Kaiser is a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area
music scene. He is considered a member of the "first generation" of American free improvisers
.Allmusic
. In 1978, Kaiser founded Metalanguage Records
with Larry Ochs
(Rova Saxophone Quartet
) and Greg Goodman. In 1979 he recorded With Friends Like These with Fred Frith
, a collaboration that lasted for over 20 years. In 1983 they recorded Who Needs Enemies, and in 1987 With Enemies Like These, Who Needs Friends? They joined with fellow experimental musicians John French
, and English folk-rocker Richard Thompson to form French Frith Kaiser Thompson
for two eclectic albums, Live, Love, Larf & Loaf
(1987) and Invisible Means
(1990). In 1999 Frith and Kaiser released Friends and Enemies, a compilation of some of their earlier work together with new recordings.
In 1991, Kaiser went to Madagascar
with fellow guitarist David Lindley
, where they spent two weeks recording music with Malagasy musicians
. Three volumes of this music were released by Shanachie
under the title A World Out of Time.
Since 1998, Kaiser has been collaborating with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith
in the "Yo Miles!" project, releasing a series of tributes to Miles Davis
's 1970s electric music. This shifting aggregation has included musicians from the worlds of rock (guitarists Nels Cline
, Mike Keneally
and Chris Muir
, drummer Steve Smith
), jazz (saxophonists Greg Osby
and John Tchicai
), avant-garde (keyboardist John Medeski
, guitarist Elliott Sharp
), and Indian classical music (tabla player Zakir Hussain
).
In 2001, Kaiser spent two and a half months in Antarctica on a National Science Foundation
Antarctic Artists and Writers Program
grant. He has subsequently returned to work as a research diver. His underwater camerawork was featured in two Werner Herzog
film
s, The Wild Blue Yonder
(2005) and Encounters at the End of the World
(2007), which he also produced, and for which he and Lindley composed the score. Kaiser served as music producer for Herzog's Grizzly Man
(2005).
Recording and performing prolifically in many styles of music, Kaiser is a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
music scene. He is considered a member of the "first generation" of American free improvisers
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
.Allmusic
Biography
His grandfather was the industrialist Henry J. KaiserHenry J. Kaiser
Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. He established the Kaiser Shipyard which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care...
. In 1978, Kaiser founded Metalanguage Records
Metalanguage Records
Metalanguage Records was founded in 1978 by Henry Kaiser and Larry Ochs. It showcased Rova as well as many independent artists and produced the Rova Arts Festival in 1980.-Discography:*ML 101 Rova Saxophone Quartet - Cinema Rovaté 1978...
with Larry Ochs
Larry Ochs (musician)
Larry Ochs is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.Ochs studied trumpet briefly but concentrated on tenor and sopranino saxophones. He worked as a record producer and founded his own label, Metalanguage Records, in 1978, in addition to operating the Twelve Stars studio in California...
(Rova Saxophone Quartet
Rova Saxophone Quartet
The Rova Saxophone Quartet is a San Francisco-based saxophone quartet formed in October 1977 at the same time as their "less adventurous" but better known colleagues the World Saxophone Quartet. The name "Rova" is an acronym formed from the last initials of the founding members: Jon Raskin, Larry...
) and Greg Goodman. In 1979 he recorded With Friends Like These with Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
, a collaboration that lasted for over 20 years. In 1983 they recorded Who Needs Enemies, and in 1987 With Enemies Like These, Who Needs Friends? They joined with fellow experimental musicians John French
John French (musician)
John "Drumbo" French is an American drummer and musician. He played on Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica and on various other Beefheart recordings: Beefheart dubbed him "Drumbo"...
, and English folk-rocker Richard Thompson to form French Frith Kaiser Thompson
French Frith Kaiser Thompson
French Frith Kaiser Thompson was a United States experimental rock quartet comprising John French, Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser and Richard Thompson. The band was formed in 1987 to create an album, Live, Love, Larf & Loaf...
for two eclectic albums, Live, Love, Larf & Loaf
Live, Love, Larf & Loaf
Live, Love, Larf & Loaf is a studio album by the United States experimental rock quartet French Frith Kaiser Thompson. It was the group's first album and was recorded at Mobius Music in San Francisco in March 1987. The album was released in 1987 in the United States by Rhino Records on LP, CD and...
(1987) and Invisible Means
Invisible Means
Invisible Means is a studio album by the United States experimental rock quartet French Frith Kaiser Thompson. It was the group's second album and was recorded at Mobius Music in San Francisco on 19–23 March 1990...
(1990). In 1999 Frith and Kaiser released Friends and Enemies, a compilation of some of their earlier work together with new recordings.
In 1991, Kaiser went to Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
with fellow guitarist David Lindley
David Lindley (musician)
David Perry Lindley is an American musician who is notable for his work with Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, and other rock musicians. He has worked extensively in other genres as well, performing with artists as varied as Curtis Mayfield and Dolly Parton...
, where they spent two weeks recording music with Malagasy musicians
Music of Madagascar
The highly diverse and distinctive music of Madagascar has been shaped by the musical traditions of Southeast Asia, Africa, Arabia, England, France and the United States as successive waves of settlers have made the island their home...
. Three volumes of this music were released by Shanachie
Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
under the title A World Out of Time.
Since 1998, Kaiser has been collaborating with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith
Wadada Leo Smith
Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith is a trumpeter and composer working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation.-Biography:...
in the "Yo Miles!" project, releasing a series of tributes to Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
's 1970s electric music. This shifting aggregation has included musicians from the worlds of rock (guitarists Nels Cline
Nels Cline
Nels Cline is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr of the New York Times describes Cline as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."-Career:...
, Mike Keneally
Mike Keneally
Michael Joseph Keneally is an American guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Allmusic says: "With his wide-ranging talents and ability to be creative in almost any musical situation, Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era."Born on Long Island, New York, he...
and Chris Muir
Chris Muir
Chris Muir is a U.S. cartoonist who draws the daily web comic Day by Day. Prior to that, he drew a single-panel comic called Altered States for about 5 years for Florida Today ....
, drummer Steve Smith
Steve Smith (musician)
Steve Elliott Smith is an American drummer who has worked with hundreds of artists in his career, but is mostly known for being the drummer of the rock band Journey during their peak years of success. Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row...
), jazz (saxophonists Greg Osby
Greg Osby
Greg Osby is an American jazz saxophonist who plays mainly in the free jazz, free funk and M-Base idioms.-Biography:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, where he majored in Jazz Studies, and then at the Berklee College of Music, with Andy McGhee...
and John Tchicai
John Tchicai
John Martin Tchicai is a Danish jazz saxophonist. He was one of the earliest European free jazz musicians. He is of Danish and Congolese descent....
), avant-garde (keyboardist John Medeski
John Medeski
Anthony John Medeski is an American jazz keyboards player and composer. Medeski is a veteran of New York's 1990s avant-garde jazz scene and is known popularly as a member of Medeski Martin & Wood...
, guitarist Elliott Sharp
Elliott Sharp
Elliott Sharp is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer.A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five recordings ranging from blues, jazz, and orchestral music to noise, no wave rock,...
), and Indian classical music (tabla player Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain (musician)
Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St...
).
In 2001, Kaiser spent two and a half months in Antarctica on a National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Antarctic Artists and Writers Program
Antarctic Artists and Writers Program
The Antarctic Artists and Writers Program is a research program funded and managed by the National Science Foundation which assists artists and writers who wish to work in Antarctica....
grant. He has subsequently returned to work as a research diver. His underwater camerawork was featured in two Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s, The Wild Blue Yonder
The Wild Blue Yonder
The Wild Blue Yonder is a science fiction film by the German director Werner Herzog, released in 2005. It has been presented at the 62nd Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize. It went on to screen in competition at the Mar del Plata Film Festival and the Sitges Film...
(2005) and Encounters at the End of the World
Encounters at the End of the World
Encounters at the End of the World is an American documentary film by Werner Herzog completed in 2007. The film studies people and places in Antarctica...
(2007), which he also produced, and for which he and Lindley composed the score. Kaiser served as music producer for Herzog's Grizzly Man
Grizzly Man
Grizzly Man is a 2005 American documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. It chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell. The film consists of Treadwell's own footage of his interactions with grizzly bears before he and his girlfriend were killed and eaten by a bear...
(2005).
Discography
- 1975 : Lemon Fish Tweezer (Cuneiform Records)
- 1979 : With Friends Like These with Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
- 1983 : Who Needs Enemies? with Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
- 1984 : Invite the Spirit with Sang-Won Park and Charles K. Noyes
- 1987 : With Enemies Like These, Who Needs Friends? with Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
- 1987 : Devil in the Drain (SST RecordsSST RecordsSST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
) - 1987 : Live, Love, Larf & LoafLive, Love, Larf & LoafLive, Love, Larf & Loaf is a studio album by the United States experimental rock quartet French Frith Kaiser Thompson. It was the group's first album and was recorded at Mobius Music in San Francisco in March 1987. The album was released in 1987 in the United States by Rhino Records on LP, CD and...
(Rhino Records) with French Frith Kaiser Thompson - 1989 : Popular Science (RykodiscRykodiscRykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
) with Sergey KuryokhinSergey KuryokhinSergey Kuryokhin was a Russian film actor, film composer, pianist, music director, experimental artist and writer, based in St. Petersburg, Russia.-Biography:Kuryokhin began his acting career as a piano and keyboard player with a school band in Leningrad... - 1989 : Those Who Know History Are Doomed to Repeat It (SST Records)
- 1990 : Invisible MeansInvisible MeansInvisible Means is a studio album by the United States experimental rock quartet French Frith Kaiser Thompson. It was the group's second album and was recorded at Mobius Music in San Francisco on 19–23 March 1990...
(Windham Hill RecordsWindham Hill RecordsWindham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
) with French Frith Kaiser Thompson - 1990 : Re-Marrying For Money (SST Records)
- 1990 : Heart's Desire (Reckless Records)
- 1991 : Hope You Like Our New Direction (Reckless Records)
- 1991 : A World Out of Time (Shanachie RecordsShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
) with David LindleyDavid Lindley (musician)David Perry Lindley is an American musician who is notable for his work with Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, and other rock musicians. He has worked extensively in other genres as well, performing with artists as varied as Curtis Mayfield and Dolly Parton...
in Madagascar - 1994 : The Sweet Sunny North (Shanachie Records) with David Lindley in Norway
- 1994 : Wireforks (Shanachie Records) with Derek Bailey
External links
- Henry Kaiser: The Official Website
- Henry Kaiser Unreleased Rarities Collection at Never Get Out Of The Boat
- Henry Kaiser collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - Psychedelic Guitar Circus collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - Kaiser Plays Dead (Unreleased)
- Yo Miles! collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - Henry Kaiser in Antarctica
- Sketches of Miles with Henry Kaiser - The Music Box, July 2004, Vol. 11, #7
- Kronosonic interview with Henry Kaiser