Being back in the same room, at the same studio, to listen back to all the running tapes from Rainers last session was a supernatural experience. Like we were all there againwith rainer just beyond the glass.

It took 3 years to feel ready for the task. And then, surprisingly, another year to get through it and finish. Not because we worked on it every day, but because of the underlying shock effect of it all i sappose. It was as uplifting as it was difficult to put up with such missingness there in the shadow of rejoice hearing him be there again.

Looking back on it now, it seemed we made a science out of seance.

Example: Rainer would get done with a take and talk with us on tape as he had four years ago. You would find yourself with the knee jerk reaction of looking out through the studio glass to see him playing. The angle of the glass caused a reflection from the lights and made it difficult to see through. And as you catch yourself  looking for him there, his voice would crackle from the tape and say things like "I cant see you through the glass".

Another time ha asked us what time it is... Harvey and I looked at each other for a moment, barely hearing us mutter to him off mic from four years ago. So he repeats it then to us now on mic so clear "7:30.... ok thanks". And we slowly look up at the clock in the room now to see it read exactly 7:30.

What the session is, was the sound of a man poised on the brink. He knew he was going to die. It was a matter of days. He put in four days of recording spread over a couple of weeks, until his brain could not make sence enough to go on. This final music delivered by a sacred staddle of a man perched on the precipice.

It was a long goodbye way too short.

-Howe.