WILD COMBINATION, A portrait of Arthur Russell

Bits of songs float – through the radio, at parties of people who I don’t know very well, in ethnic restaurants while I sit eating, through open windows of cars driving by, and I listen. Sometimes I become so immediately enamored with the song, that I will do anything to discover it’s name or the artist. Other times, like in the case of Rita Mitsouko, I wait 20 years for this information. Luckily for me, Arthur Russell’s Instrumentals 1974-Vol 1 (please click to listen) was immediately findable thanks to internet sleuthing skills.
There are a few songs, like Instrumentals that stir my soul, that resonate in that place in me where music goes to be enjoyed. One day I’ll make a list of these songs and play them one after one until the harmonious nature of the melody and whatever it is that makes me tick, combine into one long joyful audio experience.
A little on Arthur Russell:
He was one of those genius musicians who cultivated their art in the heady days of 1970s New York. Like many of his peers, he passed away young but fortunately, his amazing music lives on. The clip above is from a new documentary of his life and work.