Arthur's Landing

Musicians previously associated with Arthur Russell assembled as Arthur’s Landing to honor the legacy of the avant-garde cellist, songwriter, and producer of oddball post-disco who died in 1992. Reissues, the documentary Wild Combination, and the biography Hold On to Your Dreams propelled Russell’s reputation during the 2000s, establishing him as a strikingly original, genre-blending cult figure. Although he created introspective solo work such as the 1986 album World of Echo, he also excelled within group settings. That collaborative impulse inspired Arthur’s Landing, whose central lineup included Steven Hall on guitar and vocals, Mustafa Ahmed on percussion, Joyce Bowden on vocals, clarinet, and guitar, Ernie Brooks on bass and vocals, Bill Ruyle on drums, and Peter Zummo on trombone, with additional keyboard contributions from Elodie Lauten and guitar work from both Larry Saltzman and John Scherman. The ensemble’s debut, issued as a self-titled set on Strut—the label that first spotlighted Russell through its initial pair of Disco (Not Disco) compilations—presented fresh, relaxed, and frequently whimsical reinterpretations of both familiar and obscure Russell compositions for his dedicated audience. Subsequent singles followed over the next several years, culminating in the 2015 double-album Second Thoughts on Steven Hall’s Buddhist Army imprint, which incorporated mixes and input from Russell collaborators Bob Blank and Peter Gordon.