I discovered Terry Riley much after his musical experimental/explorations of 1961,
'Two Pianos and Five Tape Recorders'. This was my introduction to 'Minimalist Music' and I unknowingly discovered Riley's music had had a profound effect on some of the Contemporary Rock I had been listening to; primarily The Soft Machine.
The Soft Machine (the title taken from a William S. Burrough's novel) original members included Robert Wyatt, Daevid Allen, Mike Rattledge and Kevin Ayers, they were produced along with the Jimi Hendrix Experience by Chas Chandler of the Animals in Britain's Psychedelic peak of '67.
As the Soft Machine continued with Rattledge and new coming members, their style leaned more into experimental jazz, whereas the original other members continued experimenting as before in their solo efforts and collaborations with tape looping and minimal notation inspired by Riley.
Sorry, I digress,
1973
At Santa Barbara Art Institute I was introduced to the music of Terry Riley by one of my mentors from the Santa Barbara 'Mountain Drive Tribe', Frank Goad.
Frank was both an inspirational Visual Artist as well as a 'Sound Sculptor' who mixed tracks of his field recordings and dialogue into a musical cadence and rhythm.
Riley's '69 release, 'A Rainbow in Curved Air' cycled in my head
as I peddled to my studio from Frank's flat.
written on the Album cover 'Rainbow in Curved Air'
'Psychedelicatessen Owner' by Bruce Conner
'Mountain Drive' Santa Barbara's Pioneer Bohemian Community by Elias Chiacos
