Some say that an artist’s output is necessarily autobiographical. This set of three substantial works by Philip Blackburn does nothing to disprove that; they have...

Some say that an artist’s output is necessarily autobiographical. This set of three substantial works by Philip Blackburn does nothing to disprove that; they have his visionary DNA all over them. They show his deep concern for space, people, and ideas discovering each other through sounding and listening in the moment of performance. From a city-wide organized industrial soundscape to a virtuoso Cambridge choir, from a brainwave-generated laptop solo to Ellen Fullman’s 80-foot long string instrument with cloistered nuns blowing on organ pipes, these live events are as audacious as they are unrepeatable: Community-based experimental music at its most raw and refined, fun and profound. After producing nearly 400 albums for the innova label, this is the first disc devoted to Blackburn’s own music. His work as an environmental sound artist has made plants, sewer-, and eco-systems audible, and has animated harbors, science museums, children’s festivals, parks, parking lots, and deserts with extra opportunities for community listening.