He’s had a hand in producing albums by Low and Galaxie 500, runs a record label and is an esteemed artist in his own right, so having Joyful Noise name Shimmy-Disc owner Mark Kramer (or simply Kramer) as their Artist in Residence for 2020 acted as suitable testament to his capabilities. This year, he’s been at work on a new album that intertwines the worlds of music and poetry, the first in a planned series. We’re premiering the video for the New Yorker’s adaptation of Allen Ginsberg’s ‘At Apollinaire’s Grave’.
It’s a stirring piece that stretches to nearly 7 minutes and holds a high level of personal significance to Kramer. Of the track, he says that,“When Allen and I were working together at Noise New York in 1987 on a song called ‘Dear M’, I had told him that I’d wanted to compose music for his ode to Apollinaire, but we’d just never got around to it, as our respective schedules just never coincided. He was the hardest working poet on earth, always accessible to any young writer or poet, looking for guidance. And now he is gone. But his words will never die, and the gentle thunder of his voice rings eternal.’
Listen below; ‘WORDS & MUSIC, BOOK ONE’, an album of poetic adaptations set to music, is out today via Shimmy-Disc/Joyful Noise.
