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The Mermaid's Purse: Live at Chatham College, 1976

Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble
The Mermaid's Purse: Live at Chatham College, 1976

In 1976 the Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble reached a creative zenith. The nomadic troupe had just released The Neptune Collection, its iconic second album for Moses Asch’s Folkways Records, and decided to present the music to audiences across the rust belt in its most miasmic, elemental form. Extended stretches of full-group improvisation mingled with folk-tune like melodies during these performances, which featured multiple dancers spontaneously interpreting the music, at times in elaborate costume. Like contemporaries Popol Vuh, Sandy Bull, and Don Cherry, Entourage fused jazz and strains of traditional music from around the world to form a singular, kaleidoscopic vision of musical liberation. The Mermaid’s Purse: Live at Chatham College 1976 is the most complete, best-preserved audio recording of these performances, featuring music from across the Entourage catalog. It is being released for the first time 45 years after its recording, and features liner notes by lone surviving member Wall Matthews.

Track Listing

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101
Days / Percussion Solo / King's Birdcage Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 08:13
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102
Theme / Gypsies Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 04:28
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103
Neptune Rising / A Butterfly Impaled on a Dart (Solo for Viola) Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 07:09
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104
Giraffes We Ride Through Lightning Spilling Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 02:07
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105
Nature Spirits Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 05:57
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106
Silver Drum / Daleth Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 05:54
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107
Incantation for the Death of Self Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 02:17
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108
Euphoric Bells / Druid Dance Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 05:25
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109
Space Needle Suicide Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 03:55
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110
The Mermaid's Purse Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 03:03
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111
Sleazy Sue Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 04:01
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112
Aperture Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 03:34
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113
Soft Fist / Cleopatra Music / Harbinger Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 12:09
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114
Outer Tiger / Days (Reprise) Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble 06:02