Written and recorded between 1972 and 1982in Western Oregon,Back to the Woodlandsisa previously unreleased, and nearly lost, albummade byErnest Hoodduring the same era as hisnear mythical albumNeighborhoods. A visionarycombination of field recordings, zithers, andsynthesizers,Back to the Woodlandsoffers anunprecedented depth of access to this singularartistic mind.Born into a musical family, Ernest Hood begana promising career as a jazz guitarist during the1940s, touring internationally with his brotherBillHoodand the saxophonistCharlie Barnet, beforecontracting polio in his late twenties. The disease leftErnest unable to play the guitar and confined him toa wheelchair for the rest of his life. It also forced himto adapt and innovate around his musical practices inthe face of adversity; Hood's value of sound maturedwith a remarkably democratic and nonhierarchicalapproach and application.Taking up the zither, a less physically-demandingstringed instrument to the guitar, embarking uponthe unprecedented process of incorporating fieldrecordings into his work as early as 1956, andeventually discovering the synthesizer, Hood's musicbecame imbued with optimism and subtle culturalcritique. This ethos and technique - refined over thecoming decades - would lay the groundwork for asprawling body of radio work, mail order recordingsfor homebound listeners, andNeighborhoods, self-issued as a small vinyl edition in 1975.WhereNeighborhoods, a nostalgic opus, drawingfrom a well of collective memory of the 1950s, isdefined by traces of human activity,Back to theWoodlandsleaves the modern world behind, delvinginto Hood's love for nature. Only recently discoveredin his archives, the album dramatically expands hisconcept of "musical cinematography," imagisticallytriggering states of sensory memory from within itszither and synthesizer melodies, intertwined with fieldrecordings made during Hood's extensive travels...
