Who is Arthur Russell and why does he continue to inspire musicians so many years after his death?

American cellist, composer, producer, singer and musician Arthur Russell was a born performer sans spiritual homeland. He made pop music, had folk and country excursions, flirted with disco and released experimental cello music amid the New York avant-garde scene in ‘70-‘80s. He found himself in the circles of Allen Ginsberg and once recorded an alternative version of Psycho Killer with Talking Heads. He actually only released two studio albums during his far too short lifetime: the orchestral Tower Of Meaning in 1983 and the captivating World Of Echo in 1986 – the year in which he also received his HIV-diagnosis.

After his death, his archive was found to be bulging with piles of unreleased material. It contained an estimated 1000+ hours of music. His posthumous output now hovers around 20(!) albums.

Read more about the story behind the release of the posthumous Arthur Russell compilation. 

Peter Broderick and Ensemble 0 bring the music of Arthur Russell back to life at AB the 20th of March.

Via leading British label Erased Tapes earlier this year we saw the release of Give It to the Sky: Arthur Russell’s Tower of Meaning Expanded by the 12-member French Ensemble 0 and composer/producer/singer Peter Broderick.

Peter Broderick was so fascinated by Russell’s work that he bought one of the original copies of Tower Of Meaning for $500. 

Mojo: "A delightfully warm, immersive listening experience - ????”.

The Wire:"Their inventiveness unearths a new angle, peeling back the layers of meaning that live inside these pieces and reminding us again of the timelessness of Russell's work".

Listen to the playlist compiled by Peter Broderick with the music of Artur Russell here: