New title edited by John Zorn,  Arcana V: Musicians on Music, Magic & Mysticism, published by Hips Road/Tzadik, July 31, 2010.

The first four volumes (Arcana, Arcana II, Arcana III and Arcana IV) are each subtitled “Musicians on Music”. This special edition is the first volume to break that trend.

From the Amazon.com description:

For centuries musicians have tapped into mysticism, magic and alchemy, embracing ritual, spell, incantation and prayer, and experimenting with esoteric approaches to harmony, pitch and vibration. In recent decades, avant-garde musicians have rediscovered these overlaps, as occultism has reinvented itself–through Buddhist and other Asian influences, Thelema and Chaos Magic–to accommodate cultural strains from psychedelica through Punk and Industrial music. This special edition of John Zorn’s much acclaimed Arcana series focuses on the magical aspects of the act of making music.

From the description on Tzadik.com: Continue reading »

Popularity: 13%

Ouroboros Press is set to release the second volume of the Picatrix on October 18th, 2008.

To commemorate the event, a book release party will be held on that day in Historic Pioneer Square at the Rodriguez Guerra Art Studio where publisher William Kiesel will be signing.

A description of the book from the Ouroboros Press blog, The Serpent Bites Its Tail: Continue reading »

Popularity: 8%