TERRY RILEY – A Rainbow In Curved Air – LP yellow limited numbered – MOVCL046

Once the hippie phenomenon ran its pop-culture course, and after Columbia lost interest in modern composition altogether, Riley self-published his own music for several decades. And he never burned out as a creative force. Now 81, Riley still composes for string quartets and orchestras with an intuitive, form-breaking glee. His live piano improvisations are still mesmerizing. The musical structures heard at these concerts—and on A Rainbow in Curved Air—are the product of his unique understanding of chance and design. The rebellious pleasure-seekers of Easy Rider may have “blown it” in the end, but Riley’s musical revolution has proved spiritually and artistically sustaining.

Seth Colter Walls / Pitchfork