Snow Beneath the Belly of a White Swan : The Lost Live Recordings

5CD box set, deluxe slipcase, booklet notes by producer Liam Barker and Robbie Dawson, package design by Grammy-nominated Barbara Bersche, poster insert with art by Tom Weller, unseen photographs.

It has been said that Robbie Basho’s art was strongest in concert. To what extent the experience can be reconstituted is uncertain. Whatever the case, Snow Beneath the Belly of a White Swan is the mother lode of Basho live recordings. On these five discs we are treated to some remarkable pieces that have never been published, as well as surprising renditions of old favourites.

Compiled from Basho’s sprawling personal collection of master tapes (discovered during the production of Voice of the Eagle: The Enigma of Robbie Basho), and potentially encompassing his entire career, this edition represents a live companion to the studio set, Song of the Avatars: The Lost Master Tapes (Tompkins Square, 2020).

While the tapes have (in the main) survived incredibly well over the decades (against the odds), please note that some previously unpublished tracks with subpar to poor fidelity have been included.

– Liam Barker