Creative Music Studio Announces Launch Of First CDs From CMS Archive Project

The Creative Music Studio today announced that the long-awaited, first CD from the CMS Archive Project is now being offered through a pre-release Subscription/Membership program showcasing some of the greatest musician/composers of contemporary jazz and world music. This special offer includes exclusive membership benefits, and is available only through March 31st, in advance of world-wide distribution on the Planet Arts label in the Spring of 2010.

The unique subscription/membership plan supports the digital remastering of hundreds of hours of extraordinary music recorded at legendary CMS events in the 1970-80's. The first CD features doublebass master David Izenzon, solo and in trio with Ingrid Sertso and Karl Berger; acclaimed composer/saxophonist Oliver Lake with the CMS Orchestra; and the renowned West African musician/composer Foday Suso with the Mandingo Griot Society, featuring Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph, 

By subscribing to the membership series before March 31st, members receive these exceptional recordings as a special, limited edition package in advance of general release, signed by CMS founder Karl Berger, along with special discountso upcoming CMS events and workshops. Members will also have their name listed in upcoming CD liner notes as someone who helped in the initiation of the remarkable CMS Archive Series. 

The subscription/membership program is the only way CMS can digitize and distribute music from the Archive-- music that's universally acknowledged as historically important and extraordinary to hear and enjoy. The project is unprecedented in its scope and quality, supported primarily by CMS fans, students, friends, musicians and colleagues all over the world. 

Membership support ensures that the music of CMS will remain vibrant and available for years to come. 

Initially, there will be two recordings from the CMS Archive released per year for a total of 12. 
Subsequent releases will feature rare CMS performances by stellar artists Anthony Braxton, Jimmy Giuffre, Nana Vasconcelos, Ed Blackwell, George Lewis, Frederic Rzewski, Karl Berger, and many others. 

For the Basic Membership/Subscription of $60 per year, participants receive 2 volumes of the CMS Archive Selection CDs annually, as well as insider updates on the Archive Project, notices and discounts on CMS events and workshops, including Oral History events and access to music online.

For the Premium Membership/Subscription of $95 per year, in addition to the basic member benefits, participants become Sustaining Members with special credit listings in CD liner notes, and exclusive full access to the CMS Online Archive, including webstreams of unreleased tracks and videos, blogs and new concert recordings. 

All additional contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law: the Creative Music Foundation, Inc is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, incorporated in New York State.

Please make checks payable to "Creative Music Studio" and send to CMS, POB 671, Woodstock N.Y. 12498.

The inaugural CD's will be sent directly to the address you provide with additional information on how to access online streaming, event info, etc.

The Membership/Subscription program helps ensure that the digital remastering and distribution of these singular recordings will continue.

During the 1970-‘80's, the Woodstock-based Creative Music Studio was the premier study center for contemporary creative music. Founded in 1971 by Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso and Ornette Coleman, CMS brought together leading innovators in the jazz and world music communities. Unprecedented in its range and diversity, CMS was an acknowledged phenomenon in the international music world, providing participants with the rare opportunity to interact personally with the musical giants of improvisation and musical thought on a daily basis.
CMS is credited as the birthplace of WorldJazz - the improvisational and compositional expansion of the world's musical traditions. Now one of the main driving forces in many styles of music, this concept was pioneered very early at CMS, guided by authentic leaders from virtually every continent. Hundreds of live concerts were recorded from 1972-1986, many heralded as landmark performances by the key musical innovators of our times. These recordings - hundreds of hours of rare and extraordinary music which have been painstakingly restored by CMS over the past several years - form the basis of the CMS Archive Project. 

For more information about the CMS Archive Project, membership, or future events, visit http://www.creativemusicstudio.org or call (845) 679-5616.