Henry Kaiser and P.ST
The Wolf at the Door
Sub Rosa
/
2025
Includes Instant Download
2CD
19.99
SR575CD
Incl. VAT plus shipping / Orders from outside the EU are exempt from VAT
Tracklist
1Hour of Trust 3:59
2A Borrowed Man 5:51
3The Lost Pilgrim 3:02
4The Death of Doctor Island 10:38
5The Island of Doctor Death 8:48
6Death of the Island Doctor 3:49
7Return to the Whorl 15:44
8Of Relays and Roses 4:36
9Seven American Nights 17:10
10Interlibrary Loan 3:19

The Wolf at the Door is a collaborative record between Henry Kaiser (California, USA; guitar) and P.ST (Prague, Czechia; electronics). The first CD called That Wolf at the Door is a solo baritone guitar disc that pays a heartfelt tribute to the late science fiction author Gene Wolfe (May 7, 1931 -April 14, 2019). The album is a testament to the decades-long friendship and mutual appreciation between Wolfe and Kaiser, two creative minds who shared a passion for pushing the boundaries of their respective art forms. With novels often as complex and extraordinary as Cecil Taylor's best piano playing. Wolfe is one of Kaiser's favorite writers of all time. On this disc, Kaiser's guitar storytelling and narratives were consciously and intentionally influenced by Wolfe's writing.

The baritone guitar, with its longer scale length, typically larger body, and lower tuning than a regular guitar, is an intriguing instrument. It is often pitched halfway between the lowest note of a bass of a regular guitar, adding a unique depth and resonance to the sound. Henry Kaiser has been playing baritone guitars for over 30 years, and this is his second CD, after 2024's The Lost Chord, which is all baritone.

The solos here are free-improvised, live, in real time, with no overdubbing. Various extended techniques, both manual and electronic, were employed to create polyphonic and orchestral textures. Many of Kaiser's musical heroes - Terry Riley, Cecil Taylor, Derek Bailey, Iannis Xenakis, Rockette Morton, Conlon Nancarrow, Barry Guy, Rakotozafy, D'Gary, Evan Parker, and György Ligeti - inspired the solos on this disc.

The second CD Sea Of Memories is a solo electronic disc by P.ST, created exclusively from Henry Kaiser's guitar playing. P.ST is a performer/composer based in Prague. The first fifty minutes of Sea of Memories are sourced from Henry Kaiser's solo guitar playing, which P.ST digitally decomposed and deconstructed. The second piece, Pattern of Joy, is an eight-minute guitar improvisation from Henry Kaiser processed by P.ST through thirty-two periodically delayed overlays that grew the piece into twenty-two minutes duration.

Japan Noise and Minimal Music are P.ST's main influences on the second disc-the former for its power and energy, and the latter for its beauty and magic.