"NEW YORK 19" MOONDOG FOLKWAYS sound collage LP Tony Schwartz new/sealed rare

$

53

This is a mega-rare original, sealed copy of the Folkways LP New York 19. The LP comprises a collection of "urban field recordings" made by the pioneering sound archivist/artist Tony Schwartz, all recorded in New York City in the early 1950s. 
The LP is an amazing document, but it might be most of note for containing a track by Louis Hardin a.k.a. Moondog, the idiosyncratic/brilliant performer/composer. The first track on New York 19 includes Moondog's "Fog on the Hudson," recorded live on the street at (to be precise about it) 425 West 57th Street. Here's Schwartz's description of Moondog from the LP liner notes:
Moondog, one of the most unusual street musicians, conceives, builds, writes music for, and plays his own instruments. In this selection he plays his own composition on the Oo (a triangular wooden frame, each leg of the triangle about 18 inches long, with piano wire strung across and struck with a 6-inch dowel), and two triangular shaped wooden drums. The drums are struck with the horizontal motion of a maracas. This recording was made one foggy night against the background of the boat whistles on the Hudson River. 

This copy is still sealed in its original shrinkwrap. Never been opened or, needless to say, played.
Here's how Mr. Tony Schwartz describes the New York 19 project:
"New York 19" grew out of my hobby of tape recording. I work professionally as a free lance commercial artist. Since 1947 when I first purchased a magnetic recorder, I have been exchanging recordings with people all over the world. In asking people to exchange with me I said I was interested in music and folklore of their communities and that I would send them material of mine. In 1952 I decided to channelize my recording activities to a thorough study of the folklore of the community in which I live. The material on this record was made from several thousand recordings made in this study. 
My definition of folklore is broader than the traditional one. The dictionary defines folklore as "traditional customs, beliefs, tales, or sayings preserved unreflectively among a people." In addition to this type of material I include the non-commercial musical expression of people now living and working in New York 19. Folklore starts somewhere and sometime and I wanted to show material of this type starting today. 
New York 19 is located in the middle of Manhattan Island. It is bounded on the North by 60th Street, on the South by the Times Square area, on the West by the Hudson River and on the East by Fifth Avenue with the exception of Radio City. During my work on this project the southern boundary of New York 19 was raised a few blocks. All the material on this record was recorded in this area with the exception of an item or two which may have been recorded a few blocks away but which was related to life in the area. It is of interest to note that New York 19 is the commercial music center of the country. The largest record companies. music publishers, theatres, concert halls, symphony orchestras and churches are in or adjoining this area. 
And here's the official description by Smithsonian Folkways (which offers a CD-R copy of this original LP for sale on their website, which also has some sound clips from each track):
New York 19 is a collection of recordings compiled by sound archivist Tony Schwartz that captures the musicality in a single postal zone in Manhattan. The album moves from the sounds of various national and religious groups to those of children’s games as well as everyday conversations, jackhammers, and trains. Pete Seeger is heard on track 2, leading a sing-along of the classic "Wimoweh." In New York 19, Schwartz reveals the melody and rhythm of everyday life.
The official track listing is actually rather abbreviated, since the whole LP is a sound collage of "found sounds," but it's still suggestive of what's on this amazing LP:
A1 Why Collect Recordings? / El Venadito (medley)  1:40 A2 Exchange by Mail / Greetings from Afar / Wimoweh / ... in New York 19 4:28 A3 National Groups / French Song and Comment / Romanian Song and Comment / Nigerian Students / Israeli Song (medley)  5:44 A4 Religion (Street Preacher, Jewish Prayer) 4:10 A5 Translations (Italian, Puerto Rican Jukebox Record)  4:04 B1 Street Musicians / Times Square Accordionist / Carnegie Hall Fiddler (medley)  2:16 B2 Selling (Theater Barker, 52nd Street Doorman, Salesman, Theater Program, Flowers, Newspapers) 5:20 B3 Children (Ring Games, Jump Rope, Bounce Ball, Clapping, Bong o Boys Basement Drums) 3:39 B4 Sounds of the City (Street driller, 9th Avenue "L") 1:45 B5 Music in Speech (Grocer, Elderly woman, Plumber) 4:30

This item comes from a non-smoking home. I'm not a store; I just sell a few LPs a year to keep my shelves open for new stuff. :)

If you have any questions about this auction, feel free to inquire via eBay.

The winner pays $4 for media-rate shipping in the USA, $18 for shipping elsewhere in the world (sorry, but US Postal Service international shipping rates have skyrocketed recently). I'll cover insurance costs myself.