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Gary Releases New Chinese Pop Tribute Album

On Friday September 27th the hot French jazz/world music label Indigo/Label Bleu released Gary's new album "The Edge of Heaven—Gary Lucas Plays Mid-Century Chinese Pop", a tribute to the Chinese divas Chow Hsuan and Bai Kwong, in France. Already the major French radio stations France Inter and RTL are regularly spinning selections from the new disque, sumptuously packaged and annotated by Label Bleu (Gary considers it the most beautifully designed album of his career to date).The album is currently available only in France, with worldwide release scheduled for early 2002.

Gary makes his European performing debut of this Chinese music project, "The Edge of Heaven", on Nov. 5th in Weimar Germany in the company of avant-chanteuse Gisburg, who is also featured on his new album. The pair will also showcase the new album on Nov. 11th at Le Reservoir in Paris, France. Vive la rock!

Meanwhile, Gary continues to tear it up on tour this Fall, his busiest season ever in his career, just completing a month long solo tour of Holland, Germany, and Belgium. Gary is about to embark to London for a solo show at 2000 seat Royal Festival Hall, opening for German psychedelic gurus Faust, on Friday Oct. 12th (GL is no stranger to that venue, having played there solo and backing Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry and others during Nick Cave's Meltdown Festival "Harry Smith Tribute" show in July 2000—hear "Indian War Whoop" from his "Improve the Shining Hour" album for a live taste of that performance.)

Upon return to NYC he flies a few days later to Italy for the European debut of his new project Fast 'N Bulbous, a 7 piece horn-driven ensemble devoted to instrumental versions of Don Van Vliet (a/ka/ Captain Beefheart) compositions, arranged and conducted by the Microscopic Septet's Philip Johnston, and sporting a lineup that includes trumpet, 2 saxes, trombone, guitar, bass and drums—they will appear on Sunday Oct. 21st at the Di Nova Musica Festival in Reggio Emilia and then play in Brugge Belgium and live on Radio Bremen in subsequent days (check the calendar section for more details).

Later in November Gary debuts The Du-Tels (his psychedelic acoustic duo with longtime pal Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders) in Europe with a Nov. 28th gig for the BBC 3's "Mixing It" show at London's swanky Ocean Club, followed by dates at the Paradiso in Amsterdam and then 2 weeks of gigs in Scotland, Ireland and Britain.

Also, check the full page colour photo of Gary and Jeff Buckley at Coney Island in the current issue of UK magazine Mojo which also features some quotes by Gary about his 1980 Beefheart European touring experiences. This month's Q magazine also contains quotes by Gary regarding the making of Jeff Buckley's "Grace" album.