ZEENA PARKINS – Isabelle [fvll albvm] (1995)

Zeena Parkins (born 1956) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist active in experimental, free improvised, contemporary classical, and avant-jazz music; she is known for having “reinvented the harp”. Parkins performs on standard harps, several custom electric harps, piano, and accordion. She is a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow and professor in the Music Department at Mills College.

Born in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, Parkins studied at Bard College and moved to New York City in 1984. Her work ranges from solo performance to large ensembles. Besides standard and electric harps, her work also incorporates Foley, field recordings, analog synthesizers, samplers, oscillators and homemade instruments.

She has recorded six solo harp records and recorded and performed with Björk, Matmos, Ikue Mori, Fred Frith, Tom Cora, Christian Marclay, Yoko Ono, John Zorn (including in Cobra performances), Chris Cutler, Pauline Oliveros, Nels Cline, Elliott Sharp, Lee Ranaldo, Butch Morris, Tin Hat Trio, William Winant, Anthony Braxton, Bobby Previte, Courtney Love’s band Hole, and others. She has also been a member of a number of experimental rock bands, including No Safety, News from Babel, and Skeleton Crew.

Zeena Parkins – Isabelle (1995)

Isabelle 00:00 Outside 02:58 The Magician 08:03 EL OUED: Romance 09:39 Si Mahmoud Essadi: The Convert 14:40 La Petite Gironde: Victor Barrucand Lends A Hand 16:16 Fever 17:32 Monastery Of Kenadsa 19:44 AIN SEFRA: In Captivity And Flood 23:44 Oblivion Seekers 26:26 The Breath Of Night

Hup! 28:26 Look Out For Gail Garrity – Girl Wonder 31:44 Chamber Of Eternal Wisdom 34:11 …The Uncanny Feeling Of Being Wathced… 37:19 “MY GOD! Have I Flung Myself Into An Endless Void?” 38:53 Ju-Jitsu Jimmy – Impulse Beam Rising

Cello – Margaret Parkins (on Isabelle) Harp [Electric] – Zeena Parkins Other [East Berlin Toy] – Zeena Parkins (on Hop!) Percussion [Electric] – Ikue Mori (on Hop!) Piano – Lisa Crowder (on Isabelle), Zeena Parkins (on Isabelle) Sampler – Zeena Parkins Snare – Zeena Parkins (on Isabelle) Violin – Sara Parkins (on Isabelle)

Artwork By – Folco Quilici Edited By – Mark Degliantoni Edited By [Assistant] – David Shea Engineer – Brooks Williams (on Hop!), Bryce Goggin (on Isabelle) Executive-Producer – Disk Union, John Zorn Executive-Producer [Associate] – Kazunori Sugiyama Liner Notes – Zeena Parkins Mastered By – Allan Tucker Photography – Valerie Shaff Producer – Zeena Parkins Written-By – Ikue Mori (on Hop!), Zeena Parkins