The cult figure Moondog, who performed on the streets of New York for over 30 years, meshed jazz, classical, Native American rhythms and poetry. With a lifelong fascination for the strict rules of canon-writing, and dubbed the father of minimalism, he composed more than eighty symphonies, three hundred rounds, countless percussion, organ and piano pieces, scores for brass bands and string orchestras, and five books called The Art of the Canon.

Joanna MacGregor’s stunning new arrangements of 14 of Moondog's most famous pieces are re-imaginings for larger forces, with a spectacular line-up of some of today's most cutting-edge jazz musicians, along with the brilliant Britten Sinfonia. Radically rewritten, each track retains Moondog's irresistible trademarks - short and snappy, of the street, melodic and joyful, and characterized by a pounding beat.

Read the press release for the album

Some questions we put to Joanna about the album

Visit Thomas Heinrich's Moondog's Corner website

01 Single Foot 02.23
02 Bumbo 03.56
03 Sextet 02.19
04 Dog Trot 04.08
05 All is Loneliness 01.24
06 Voices of Spring 02.53
07 Rabbit Hop 02.56
08 Invocation 05.27
09 Reedroy 01.46
10 Double Bass Duo 02.38
11 Good for Goodie 02.34
12 Birds Lament 03.53
13 Theme and Variations 03.30
14 Heath on the Heather 04.08

Listen 2.2mb MP3 progressive download

excerpts from Bumbo & Dog Trot