Alison Knowles - Sounds Of The Book Of Bean LP

The first vinyl LP release from Fluxus pioneer Alison Knowles(b. 1933). Sounds from the Book of Bean is an assemblage of noises and texts related to "The Book of Bean" (1982), Knowles' eight-foot tall walk-in book constructed at Franklin Furnace in New York. This recording, the sounds of making the big book, was continually played back inside of the installation. Echoes of Yoshi Wada hammering together the circular spine of the book, other collaborators mixing ink, feeding a horse, the flowing waters of the Hudson Valley... all superimposed with texts and poems read by Knowles and her daughter Jessica Higgins. On the second side of the album, the piece "Essential Divisions" features Knowles performing with red, black, and white beans. Recorded in Annea Lockwood's underground studio, Knowles sounds the beans in glass, ceramics, wood, as well as in her mouth. Further bean histories and sound poems are recited, concluding with "Popular Bean Soup" -- an ancient recipe translated by George