ABOUT THIS ITEM

Originally released in 1985 in an edition of 500 copies, this is the first time this album has been available on vinyl for nearly 30 years.

Peter Zummo (born 1948) is an American composer and musician. He plays the trombone, valve trombone, euphonium, synthesizer, other electronic instruments, and also sings. He is associated with the post-minimalist and Downtown aesthetics, and he describes his music as "minimalism plus a whole lot more."

Optimo says:
"I first discovered Peter Zummo when I first discovered Arthur Russell. I kept hearing THAT trombone sound throughout Arthur's music and through scanning through various label credits made the connection that this Peter Zummo character was a constant collaborator with Arthur. Zummo's trombone sound is one of those things that if I am feeling anxious or pissed off will instantly soothe me and make everything feel alright.

So, as well as wanting to hear everything Arthur had touched, I now also wanted to hear everything Mr. Zummo had created too. It's worth bearing in mind that at this point, in the mid to late 90s, there was almost zero information online about Arthur or his music or his collaborators. The upside of this was that all his records weren't too hard to track down and weren't going for crazy money. I randomly found 'Zummo With An X' in New York around 1999 and wasn't sure what to expect. I instantly liked the first side, 'Lateral Pass' but side two's 'Song IV' took my breath away and remains to this day one of my most listened to records. Despite the minimal elements, I hear more in it every time I listen to it, and sometimes the perfect interaction between cello, trombone and percussion sounds like the voice of Arthur being beamed in from the aether. It is 20 minutes of sheer bliss that feels as if it could go on for twice as long.

A1. I. Half Steps
A2. II. Sixths
A3. III. Whole Steps
A4. IV. Sevenths
A5. V. Chromatic Fourths
A6. VI. Unisons
A7. VII. Four Notes, Large Intervals
B1. Song IV