Born: September 19, 1952 Primary Instrument: Guitar, electric
Henry Kaiser (born Oakland, California, 1952) is widely recognized as one of the most creative and innovative guitarists, improvisers, and producers in the fields of rock, jazz, and experimental music.
As one of the “first generation” of American free improvisers, he has helped unfetter the guitar from the conventions of genre-bound techniques. A restless collaborator who constantly seeks the most diverse and personally challenging contexts for his music, he not only produces and contributes to a staggering number of recorded projects, he performs frequently throughout the USA, Europe and Japan, with several regular groupings as well as solo guitar concerts and concerts of freely improvised music with a host of diverse instrumentalists.
Evidence of his exceptional musical breadth and versatility can be found in a partial list of the extraordinary artists with whom he has recorded and/or performed: Herbie Hancock David Lindley, Bob Weir, The Rova Sax Quartet, Elliot Sharp, John “Drumbo” French, Raymond Kane, Michael McClure, Bill Laswell, Steve Lacy, Fred Frith, Terry Riley, Ryuichi Sakamoto, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Sang-Won Park, Jin-Hi Kim, John Oswald, Yuji Takahashi, John Tchicai, George Lewis, Jerry Garcia, Miya Masaoka, and Cecil Taylor.
His grandfather was the industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. In 1978, Kaiser founded the Metalanguage Records label with Larry Ochs (Rova Saxophone Quartet) and Greg Goodman.
Henry Kaiser journeyed to the island of Madagascar in 1991, where he and David Lindley recorded 6 CDs for the Shanachie label, in collaboration with various Malagasy musicians. The first of these CDs to be released, A World Out Of Time, is, perhaps, the most successful of all American World Music releases of all time. Volume 2 of A World Out Of Time was nominated for a Grammy award.
Parachute
1977
Improvised
Music Gallery Editions
1978
Moose And Salmon
Music Gallery Editions
1978
Daredevils
Metalanguage
1979
Free Mammals
Visible Records
1979
Protocol
Metalanguage
1979
With Friends Like These
Metalanguage
1979
Outside Pleasure
Metalanguage
1980
Aloha
Metalanguage
1981
The Construction Of Ruins - The Australian Site
The Beak Doctor, Metalanguage
1982
Who Needs Enemies
Metalanguage
1983
Invite The Spirit
Celluloid
1984
It's A Wonderful Life
Metalanguage
1984
Marrying For Money
Minor Music
1986
Untitled
Guitar Player Magazine, Eva-Tone Soundsheets
1986
Devil In The Drain
SST Records
1987
Live, Love, Larf & Loaf
Demon Records
1987
With Enemies Like These, Who Needs Friends?
SST Records
1987
Re-Marrying For Money
SST Records
1988
Those Who Know History Are Doomed To Repeat It
SST Records
1988
Popular Science
Rykodisc
1989
Invisible Means
Demon Records
1990
Hope You Like Our New Direction
Reckless Records
1991
Tomorrow Knows Where You Live
Les Disques Victo
1991
Lemon Fish Tweezer
Cuneiform Records
1992
Delirium / Homesickness
Table Of The Elements
1993
The Five Heavenly Truths
FOT Records
1993
Wireforks
Shanachie
1993
Acoustics
Les Disques Victo
1994
The Psychedelic Guitar Circus
Sky Ranch Records, Virgin
1994
Eternity Blue
Shanachie
1995
Friends & Enemies
Cuneiform Records
1999
The Guitar Lesson
Les Disques Victo
1999
Through
Materiali Sonori
1999
Heavy Meta
Ecstatic Yod
2002
Domo Arigato Derek-Sensei!
Balance Point Acoustics
2006
Plane Crash
ugEXPLODE
2009
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