The overabundance of great experimental and electronic pop music being made and/or released in the Iowa City scene right now—most of it by people unaffiliated with the University—tends to make me forget about just how deep the history of more “academic” experimental music runs at Iowa’s Music Department, specifically at the Center for New Music (hilariously outdated website alert).
I was happily reminded of that this morning when a routine cruise through the UI Digital Library (whistling research, obviously), took a long-overdue procrastination detour through the “Iowa Sounds” collection. I haven’t been in a hurry to check it out, because I had a feeling I knew what I would find there: concert and marching bands, various traditional ensembles, and perhaps a handful of mid-century classical/avant-garde performances. I was mostly right.
But one recording in particular caught my eye for having an alluring title, and then caught my ear for being deliciously weird and awesome: Iowa Ear Music. Recorded over a period between 1967 and 1976, the album’s first half consists of improvisational recordings, including jams that were recorded in 4 different rooms simultaneously and then mixed into quadrophonic sound (!). Also, this album gets huge bonus points for the vanity label name and logo, which, according to the liner notes, was also sold on T-shirts (see above image). Corn pride, indeed.
In doing a bit of online research, I learned that the album has a kind of cult status now, but was also heralded at the time in the popular press, receiving 5 out of 5 stars in Downbeat magazine. Rather than waste a whole lot of my breath, I’d strongly encourage you to check out this blog post, which does a track-by-track rundown, and then read the full Downbeat review, which I included here. Download link after that. Enjoy!
There has always been a tendency to think that the most significant artistic innovations and accomplishments come from urban cauldrons like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. While the intensity and diversity of these megalopolitan centers cannot be denied, it has become increasingly clear that important enclaves exist elsewhere. Of these, one of the most vital is, yes, Iowa City, Iowa.
The hub in Iowa City around which most experimental music swirls is the adventurous music department of the University of Iowa. A Center for New Music (directed by Bill Hibbard and Richard Hervig), a sophisticated Electronic Music Studio (set up by Peter Lewis), a vigorous jazz program (nurtured by Tom Davis and Jon English) and an impressive new multi-million dollar plant are the outward signs of life. More important however is the open searching attitude of both students and faculty. As Corn Pride amateur Will Parsons says, “‘Iowa Ear Music’ means we heard about music and thought we should try some.” In documenting their efforts, the album reveals the extraordinary range and depth of the Iowans’ omni-directional musical quests.
The music itself was recorded in various formal and informal settings between 1967 and 1976. Derived from several procedures (free collective improvisation, synthesizer generation and tape manipulation), each side is a pulsating collage of contrasting and complementary music events.
The noteworthy aspects are many. There are fine individual efforts, such as those by bassist/trombonist Jon English, percussionist Parsons, violist Bill Hibbard and vocalist Candace Natvig. There is also the fresh synthesizer work of Peter Lewis and Michael Lytle. And, there are the four years of painstaking editing and trial mixes made by Parsons (and Lytle). Most significant, however, is the Iowans’ indomitable spirit of exploration and free-flowing imagination.
Listen via Iowa Libraries, University login required






