Oh Henry! by SPARKLE DIVISION

SPARKLE DIVISION is the new union of William Basinski and Preston Wendel. A vibrant electronic fusion of lounge, experimental jazz, and gritty disco is maybe not the first thing you would expect to hear from one of the world's most renowned modern composers and ambient tase loop pioneers, but upon first listen it makes so much sense that one wonders why it didn't happen sooner.

"Oh Henry!" is SPARKLE DIVISION's collaboration with and tribute to the otherworldly musician, poet, illustrator, philosopher, metaphysician, and educator, Henry Grimes, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease and died of COVID-19 in a Harlem nursing home on April 15, 2020. One of his final studio recordings, Grimes contributed upright bass and violin to "Oh Henry!".
Basinski describes his introduction to Henry Grimes, and how they came to work together on "Oh Henry!":

"I met Henry and Margaret Davis Grimes in the green room at The Empty Bottle in Chicago around 2003 or 2004, shortly after Henry had moved to NYC and began playing again. Although Henry is a very quiet man, my friend Myra Morrow charmed us all as she does with her sparkling personality, and we all hit it off and stayed in touch.

When Preston pulled out this slow groove that became "Oh Henry!", I was moved to play a sexy, slow melody. Then the beats hit and he's got it in double time..It worked! I called Margaret in NYC and said we had a track we'd like them to hear to see if Henry would come in on it. Margaret called me a few days later and said, "a lotta babies gonna be born to that track!" When their schedule allowed, we booked Henry's favorite studio, The Bunker in Brooklyn, with Nolan Thies engineering. Nolan recorded 5 takes of Henry performing upright bass and violin for the track, which Preston edited here at Musex International in LA. Henry's playing is mind-boggling as usual, and we were absolutely blown away.

We are so sad to have lost our friend Henry this spring to COVID-19, and so sorry he never got a chance to hear the finished track. We send our deepest sympathies to Margaret Davis Grimes, the family, and all of Henry's colleagues, friends and fans."

To learn more about the extraordinary story and legacy of Henry Grimes, please visit www.henrygrimes.com

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