THE KROUMAT PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE: music of Cage, Cowell, Lindquist, & Taira (Bis Records; dist. by Qualiton Imports, 39-28 Cresent St., L.I.C., NY 11101) Side one is exactly the kind of percussion music I like to hear; thoughtful, well crafted, exuberant, and an engaging listening experience. This features the premiere recording of John Cage's Construction in Metal 2 (1940) which sounds like it could be the soundtrack for a chase scene in an avant-garde mystery movie. This is much more playful and listenable than his first and third Construction in Metal, but as much as I really like it, I'd hesitate to say that this is the best of the movements.

Also included is Henry Cowell's Pulse (1939), an exuberant work with lots of loud crashes followed by quiet intervals with tom toms, temple blocks, and cymbals clanking around.... -Robert Thomas

Typed by Cheryl Vega 6-12-95