Martin Bisi contacted me to clarify a couple of things. First, the name NY Gong may not have been used until they recorded the album "About Time" upon returning from the North American tour. They may have just been called Gong during the tour. And second, the "loft" that Gomelsky lived in was a 3 story building with Gomelsky living on the top floor and the lower floors used for rehearsal space, parties, crash pad, etc. There was an S & M club leasing the bottom floor for awhile, and Gomelsky ran his own Zu House club/parties there under various names, one of the last being The Green Door.
Indeed, this is right. I was there at the LA Manifestival and the Zu Band did do an extraordinary cover of "Sombre Reptiles", which I have been trying to find ever since. I recall also that Fred Frith did a solo show the night before (or a couple of days before?) -- that was his first show in LA.
If I recall correctly, Don Davis was not present at the LA Manifestival in June '79. There the sax player for Gong was Yoch'ko Seffer, who also did his own set with the Zu Band rhythm tandem drawing on material from his Ghilgoul album. Zu's set consisted of tunes that later appeared on the Temporary Music EPs, plus a cover of Sombre Reptiles.
Thank you Rick for this excellent, instructive, and enlightened essay.
Martin Bisi contacted me to clarify a couple of things. First, the name NY Gong may not have been used until they recorded the album "About Time" upon returning from the North American tour. They may have just been called Gong during the tour. And second, the "loft" that Gomelsky lived in was a 3 story building with Gomelsky living on the top floor and the lower floors used for rehearsal space, parties, crash pad, etc. There was an S & M club leasing the bottom floor for awhile, and Gomelsky ran his own Zu House club/parties there under various names, one of the last being The Green Door.
Indeed, this is right. I was there at the LA Manifestival and the Zu Band did do an extraordinary cover of "Sombre Reptiles", which I have been trying to find ever since. I recall also that Fred Frith did a solo show the night before (or a couple of days before?) -- that was his first show in LA.
If I recall correctly, Don Davis was not present at the LA Manifestival in June '79. There the sax player for Gong was Yoch'ko Seffer, who also did his own set with the Zu Band rhythm tandem drawing on material from his Ghilgoul album. Zu's set consisted of tunes that later appeared on the Temporary Music EPs, plus a cover of Sombre Reptiles.