TAKEN ON A VISUAL JOURNEY

From Celestial Navigations (Numero, 2010)

The Numero brand has been expanding beyond just music in their quest to become the new Folkways, as Numero's Ken Shipley has compared Numero to in the past. Aside from the collectible trading cards of the music acts they've released, they've started to branch out in other directions of the creative world. Late last year, they released “Light: On The South Side,” a book following Chicago nightlife throughout several clubs (a book that was rivaled only by the music that accompanied it) and now they've gone in a completely different direction: film.

In true Numero fashion, they haven't unearthed some lost project of a big name movie director like Roman Polanski. Instead, they've compiled 45 (a curious/coincidental number?) of pieces by Al Jarnow. With their previous releases, the music is so localized that unless you grew up in Columbus, Ohio, or had done a case study on regional arts, you had probably never heard the material. However, some of these Jarnow films most likely are part of the fabric of your childhood if you grew up watching Sesame Street or 3-2-1 Contact in the '70s and '80s, even if you don't remember them by his name prior to watching this collection.

Recently, I got a chance to rap with Michael Slaboch from Numero about this project, which he spent countless hours researching and compiling. What I came away with from our conversation was how inspired and in awe of Jarnow's work he was the deeper he got into it. That's quite a compliment considering Mr. Slaboch went to film school.

It all started when Al Jarnow's son, Jesse, sent Slaboch a YouTube clip of his father's Cosmic Clock. Intrigued, Slaboch asked to see more. After discussing with the rest of the Numero collective, they added it to their board of potential projects to pursue. He knew this project was going to be incomplete without the Sesame Street material. After numerous cold calls, he finally linked up with someone from the legal department of the Children's Television Workshop who was very accommodating. Once that connection was made, Celestial Navigations started to fully take shape.

Many of the films have a heavy science base where Jarnow deconstructs the world, according to Slaboch. It's quite amazing to watch many of these films that employ techniques like stop motion as they unfold. Take Cubits, for instance. A piece like that took thousands of photos and hundreds of individually hand-drawn index cards, which doesn't even take into account the ordering and planning after the shoot. It's truly mindboggling to think about.

Aside from the work put in by the Numero team, they got an assist from Alexander Maxwell, who happened to work at one of the leading color correction companies in the world. Maxwell, a Numero subscriber, lent his expertise in return for being a part of what he called “The Numero Experience.” One of his main duties was to transfer 16mm film prints, an arduous task. The results speak for themselves as this DVD is an artifact to be treasured with Jarnow's independent filmmaking.

For a humble man who never wanted to be a star, the spotlight is certainly on Jarnow now. Numero is even taking the film on tour (their second tour in as many years). Catch them in your city if you can. If you aren't fortunate enough to see it on the big screen, it's just as enjoyable watching over and over in the comfort of your own home.

Jarnow has since turned to computer art and software design over the last couple of decades. Some of his early work such as Computer Test may take you back to early LOGO computer programming on the Apple IIe. His work has been showcased in Exploratorium in San Francisco and The National Gallery Of Art. Artists such as Van Gogh and Picasso get many of the accolades by painting memorable and pretty pictures, but artists like Escher and Jarnow can really grab your attention with not only their visual astuteness but their keen eye to draw you into their world. The results are truly inspiring.

EXCLUSIVE OFFERINGS FROM NUMERO

Has it really only been 4 1/2 years since Numero landed on the scene with its Capsoul release, the first in the label's canon? Numero has been leading the field in reissues of a multitude of genres - pop, soul, funky gospel, folk - and now they have a special offer with some treats that are unavailable anywhere else than through a special sale on their website

The special releases are:

A limited edition 7" of a funk 45 by Cleveland's Ant Mob if you buy 3 select titles

A copy of the Eccentric Soul Revue show from this past April's show in Chicago (plus the aforementioned 7") if you buy 6 select titles. According to my source at the label, it will have its own packaging and not be just a CD-R. No word at this point of a potential release number to coincide with the rest of its catalog.

A special test pressing, hand-numbered and personalized, from their archives (plus the 7" and live show) if you buy 10 select titles.

This is great if you have some holes to fill in with your Numero collection. If you have been keeping up like a good Numerophile, though, this can be disconcerting as this sale is the only way to get any of these exclusives.

Either way, I can't imagine these special releases to be anything but essential if you love the label, especially if you have seen/heard the Revue in person or through the trailer.