Other Minds
2000
Conlon Nancarrow : Lost Works, Last Works
About This Album
Other Minds' Conlon Nancarrow: Lost Works, Last Works assembles several of the odd bits and leftovers within Nancarrow's oeuvre that fall outside of the comprehensive five-disc Wergo set that contains "everything," Conlon Nancarrow: Studies for Player Piano. It also includes a 30-minute interview with Nancarrow himself, conducted by executive producer Charles Amirkhanian at Nancarrow's home in Mexico City in 1977. Therefore, the 60-minute Other Minds disc works out to roughly half music, half documentary material, and some may feel this is rather short measure on the musical part of the program. But Lost Works, Last Works is not intended so much as an appendix to the larger set as it sheds some light on projects Nancarrow undertook that are not well-known, such as his never-finished pneumatically controlled percussion orchestra, a few early pieces from the 1930s, and his late collaboration with Seattle-based master instrument builder Trimpin.

Trimpin's involvement in this project is of particular interest; as a rule, one experiences Trimpin's work only in gallery installations, and he has never permitted its circulation on commercial recordings. Nevertheless, Trimpin has relaxed this restriction in order to make available Nancarrow works in which he was involved.
Track List

Prelude, For Piano
1.
Blues, For Piano
2.
Sonatina For Piano
3.
4.
5.
String Quartet No.1
6.
7.
(untitled) Tape Piece
8.
Study For Player Piano No.30, For Prepared Player Piano
9.
Para Yoko (For Yoko), For Pianola
10.
Study For Player Piano No.50 (arr. Of The 2nd Mvt. Of The Piece No.2 For Small Orchestra)
11.
Study For Player Piano No.51 (No.3750), Pseudo-canon In 12/16/20
12.
Contraption No.1, For Computer-driven Prepared Piano
13.