Laughing Crinoids - Estate Tapes Album of music recorded from 1985-88 at The Estate in Durham, NC. The original recordings were remixed and mastered for a limited edition homemade CD in 2004. 01 Minnesota Spring 03:13 02 The Blind Leap 04:45 03 Comin Round Again 04:25 04 Krebs Cycle 04:31 05 Wait A Minute 04:26 06 I Am Singing 01:17 07 Salt Air 03:47 08 The Kin Of Ata 05:57 09 Divineness 02:22 10 Rockin Bedell 01:57 11 Evolution (DubCello) 02:49 12 Fred & Jim Reading Part 1 05:06 13 Fred & Jim Reading Part 2 01:16 14 Fred Boyce 01:25 15 Deep Elem Blues 04:54 16 Travellin Man 03:33 17 Waltzin Matilda - Land Down Under 07:39 18 Whiskey For Breakfast 03:21 19 ThankYou 02:48 20 Harmony 02:49 Liner notes: These tunes were all recorded on a TEAC Tascam 244 Porta-studio at the Estate (405 Swift Avenue, Durham, NC) during 1985-1988. This was a time and place of musical magic, made by a collection of talented people who were part of an evolving group called the Laughing Crinoids. Most of the musicians on this CD lived at the Estate at one time or another, and those who did not were frequent fixtures on the premises. Of this group, Curt Stager was the Estate’s original denizen, having lived there while a graduate student at Duke and performer in the area during the early ‘80s. I moved in with Curt when I started graduate school in the late summer of ’84, and together with Chris Kirkman on banjo we started a bluegrass band. I thought up the band name Laughing Crinoids as an inside joke, since both Curt and I were zoology students. We met Doug Karger while jamming in front of the 9th Street Bakery on a Sunday morning, and he soon joined the band on bass. Curt introduced me to Doug Kent and Frederica Hall, two of Durham’s Banished Fools, and to RJ, a friend from Maine who moved to Durham that fall. My friend Leo Lorenzoni from Marshville NC made frequent visits. This collection of musicians came together for a series of “Swift Jams” in the living room of the Estate, creating some sublime and ethereal free-form music the likes of which I had not previously (nor have since) experienced. Swift Jams would often last into the wee hours of the morning, and were the inspiration for the song Harmony on this disc, written in the fall of ’84. Curt went to Africa in the winter of 1984-85, and RJ moved into the Estate that spring, when some of the tunes on this disc (Salt Air, Divineness, The Kin of Ata, and Rockin Bedell) were recorded. Leo moved in soon thereafter. During the spring of ’85 the Crinoids consisted of myself, Leo, RJ, and Doug Karger. After RJ went to Maine for the summer, we recruited Chris Kirkman and Frederica Hall, and occasionally Doug Kent, and began performing at the Bread and Board Café and 9th Street Bakery. We recorded a bunch of my tunes that summer, including the versions of Evolution, Thank You, and Harmony that are on this disc. In the late summer of ’85 Leo, Doug Karger and I made a midnight post-gig trip to the Camp Springs Bluegrass Festival, where we met Zan McLeod. Zan told us about a banjo wizard from Chapel Hill named Fred Boyce, and said that we ought to link up with him. Shortly thereafter we did just that, and began playing Fred’s original “Frawg” music as well as my own “Zoograss” tunes, with Zan frequently sitting in. In 1986 that particular version of the Laughing Crinoids climaxed with some memorable performances at the Eno River Festival and at Galax. The first two tunes on this disc (Minnesota Spring and The Blind Leap) were recorded that summer. One time in late ’85 I was visiting Fred after attending a Newgrass Revival concert in Chapel Hill. Raymond McLean happened by after playing a local dance, and passed around a bit of Kentucky moonshine. The next morning I suffered a major hangover. Fred brought out a bunch of sheet music—Bach, Telemann, Mozart—and the two of us began reading. The hangover was magically cured. After that Fred and I would get together occasionally to read music, and on one of those occasions at the Estate I captured it on tape, which is included as tracks 12 and 13 on this CD. It’s not polished, but as Zan comments (shamelessly taken our of context) “it had its moments”. From 1988-90 the Crinoids consisted mainly of myself, Leo, and Doug Karger playing as a power trio. Our main gig was at the 9th Street Bakery, where we routinely filled the house. Three of the tunes on this disc were recorded in 1988 as a demo of that particular combo: Comin’ ‘Round Again, Kreb’s Cycle, and Wait a Minute. After Curt returned from Africa in ’85 he moved to Wilmington, and would occasionally travel to Durham to gig and stay at the Estate. Luckily I was inspired on one of those occasions (probably in ’87 or ’88) to record the two of us, which I’ve included here. Jawbone (another of the Banished Fools) happened by during this session, and added some fine bone work to Whiskey ‘for Breakfast. All good things must come to an end, as did the era of the Estate and the Laughing Crinoids. We held our “Extinction Performance” at the 9th Street Bakery in January, 1990, shortly before I finished at Duke. Fred came down from Charlottesville to play with us, and RJ did some tunes. The next morning we played on the Orange County Special radio program, and a couple weeks later Leo, Doug, and I travelled up to Charlottesville to hang with Fred and play at the Prism Coffeehouse. And that was the last official gig of the Laughing Crinoids. -JC 5/22/04 Tracks: 1. Minnesota Spring (J. Coffman): Jim, mandolin and lead vocal; Leo, guitar and vocal; Fred, banjo; Doug Karger, bass (3:17) 2. The Blind Leap (J. Coffman and F. Boyce): Jim, guitar, mandolin, and vocal; Fred, banjo; Doug Karger, bass (4:48) 3. Comin’ ‘Round Again (J. Coffman); Jim, mandolin, fiddle, and lead vocal; Leo, guitar; Doug Karger, bass and vocal (4:24) 4. Kreb’s Cycle (J. Coffman): Jim mandolins; Leo, guitar; Doug Karger, bass (4:33) 5. Wait a Minute (H. Pederson): Leo, guitar and lead vocal; Jim, mandolin and vocal; Doug Karger, bass (4:25) 6. I am Singing (RJ): RJ, flute and vocal (1:16) 7. Salt Air (unknown): RJ, guitar and vocal; Jim, mandolin (3:51) 8. The Kin of Ata (D. Kent): Doug Kent, guitar and vocal (5:59) 9. Divineness (unknown): RJ, vocals; Jim, laryngeal percussion (2:21) 10. Rockin’ Bedell (D. Karger): Doug Karger, Bedell electric guitar and percussion (1:57) 11. Evolution Dub Cello (J. Coffman): Frederica, tongue drum; Doug Karger, bass; Doug Kent, cello (2:50) 12. Fred and Jim Reading Part 1 (Telemann and Bach): Fred, banjo; Jim, mandolin (5:05) 13. Fred and Jim Reading Part 2 (Bach): Fred, banjo; Jim, mandolin (1:30) 14. (Title and composer unknown): Fred, banjo (1:30) 15. Deep Elem Blues (traditional): Curt, guitar and lead vocal; Jim, mandolin and vocal (5:01) 16. Travellin’ Man (traditional): Curt, guitar and vocal; Jim, mandolin (3:39) 17. Waltzin’ Matilda/Land Down Under (B. Paterson/C. Hay): Curt, guitar and vocal; Jim, mandolin (7:45) 18. Whiskey ‘for Breakfast (M. Cross): Curt, guitar and vocal; Jim, mandolin; Jawbone, bones (3:23) 19. Thank You (J. Coffman): Jim, guitar, National steel mandolin, and vocal; Leo, lead guitar; Doug Karger, bass; Frederica, tongue drum (2:47) 20. Harmony (J. Coffman): Jim, guitar, fiddle, and vocal; Leo, mandolin; Doug Karger, bass (2:52) Produced by Jim and Ron Coffman © (P) 2004. Laughing Crinoids Artwork by Frederica Hall