A Tibbettan Trilogy: Part 1
The Big WAG Idea with
Steve Tibbetts: guitar
Marcus Wise: tabla?
Michelle Kinney: cello?
Marc Anderson: drums
Worcester Artists Group
(better known locally as "the WAG".
Worcester, Mass. U.S.A.
May 10, 1991
performance quality: A- (very nice music)
recording quality: B- to B+ (some mix variation)
source: audience tape (2nd gen?)
runtime: 92:07
(thanks to Alpine7784 for set list)
1: test (from "safe journey") > "3 Letters" excerpt (from "big map idea") 11:39
2: walking (from "northern song")6:33
3: banter > unknown 7:35
4: wish (from "big map idea") 8:59
5: banter: "How do you pronounce "Worcester?" > vision (from "safe journey") 10:22
6: name everything (from "exploded view") 9:49
7: Kelele (from Marc Anderson's CD "timefish") 9:07
8: the alien lounge > ten yr dance (from "Yr") 10:07
9: improvisation with themes of "test" (from "safe journey") >
assembly field (end cuts) (from "Exploded View") >
all for nothing (from "the fall of us all") 13:40
10: improvisation with loops of "funkytown" by Lipps, Inc 4:13
lineage: master (cassette?) > cassette? >
my cassette (Maxell XLII, I believe 2nd gen. but not sure) >
Naka. 125 into soundforge 4.5 (WAV) >
FLAC 6 > torrentially yours.
first seeded in 2008. reseeded in 2010
with a flac > wav > flac (sb's aligned) reconversion to remove the sbe's.
reseeded in 2011 with most of set list.
Do not sell this recording.
share freely, losslessly and gaplessly.
comments:
There is a cut at the very end of track 9, probably due to master tape flip.
There were 2 flips but this was the only cut I noticed, and seems only a couple
of seconds are missing at tail end of the song. The rest seems to be all complete
(this is a rather typical length for a ST show). The discs can be broken up
several different ways, as there is a couple of seconds of silence between most
of the tracks. I've balanced the levels out and reduced some loud claps between
songs but otherwise this is an unedited recording.
Although I did not see this concert, this was my 1st time hearing a live recording
of Steve Tibbetts, still the only one from 91 and the 4 piece group, and I believe
his first visit to the Worcester Artists Group, which he commented in the show as being
a very relaxed place to play. I enjoyed it alot, and went to see Tibbetts the next year
when he returned.
This was a 4 piece group, I think, not sure if the band is the same as his current CD at
this time, "Big Map Idea". That was the 1st music I ever heard of Steve Tibbetts, sounded
like a unique mix of Oregon, Michael Hedges, the Led Zeppelin version of Battle of Evermore,
maybe a little Terje Rypdal and a few other things too. Hard to describe in words, but fine
stuff. Wish I'd seen this concert. I got to meet Steve Tibbetts and his very good percussionist
for many years now, Marc Anderson, in 92 when they returned to WAG. They seem like really
good down to earth folks. When I first met Steve he was very uptight about being recorded,
mainly if not entirely because he felt very conscious/wary of making mistakes or giving a
bad performance. I've heard about 7 or 8 of his shows and seen 2 of them. I haven't heard
a bad one yet. He seems to feel alot more confident since then that his live shows are good
enough to be worth hearing more than once. This may be my favorite one, and the only one I've
ever heard from 1991. Steve Tibbetts has several official CD's out from the late 80's to
fairly current. I have Big Map Idea and YR, which are quite good, and the fall of us all
(all are released on ECM) which is good in parts, not as good in others.
this has some mix saturation in a few parts, but most is an enjoyable listen to my ears,
hopefully to yours too. The saturation is mostly from some of Steve's many guitar effects,
and most of the show doesn't have that, just a couple of the loudest passages (not all of
them). It's very hard to get the sound just right, especially in a place like the WAG
which was an old beat up building with a big studio practice space for local up and
comers to practice the fine art of concert playing. There were at least 3 locations for
the WAG over the years (only 1 at any one time), one on the Leciester town line, one on
Harlow St. in Worcester and another before that (not sure where, but also in Worcester).
I think this is from the Harlow St. location but not sure. I made several live recordings
from WAG, but that didn't start until late 1991. This is one of the earliest I've heard
from a WAG location. Steve warmed up to the place from day one, apparently. This story
to be continued next in the 1992 WAG torrent for Tibbetts/Anderson duo. It is a nice
story too. Not sure how many times he played WAG, but I have the only two shows I know
he did there. I'd like to hear more of this era of Steve, it's quite nice.
A couple of nice ones popped up in recent months on dime from earlier. He's a talented
guitar player and alot of his playing sounds like, well, Steve Tibbetts, not anybody else.
Chapter 3 of my "Tibbettan Trilogy" is much more recent, with Choying Drolma from 1998.
This is Chapter 1, and all of them include Marc Anderson sounding great as he always seems
to w/Tibbetts as well as in his own group "eighthead". Enjoy, all.