The legendary ESP Label was founded by a lawyer from New York named Bernard Stollman in 1963, a year before the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan and changed the future of rock & popular music forever afterwards. The jazz avant-garde began around 1960 due to the music of early pioneers like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor. ESP began by releasing albums by Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders, the New York Art Quartet (with John Tchicai, Roswell Rudd & Milford Graves), Giuseppi Logan, Paul Bley and Ran Blake in 1964 & 1965. There had never been a label which was dedicated to music like this. Starting in 1966, underground/avant rock bands like the Fugs, Pearls Before Swine & the Godz as well as uncategorizable releases by Timothy Leary, The East Village Other, Randy Burns, Ed Askew and Mij. Except for a couple of records by UK saxists Tubby Hayes and Joe Harriott, ESP was the first American label to release albums by European avant/jazzers like Peter Lemer (UK), Karel Velebny (Czech), Free Music Quintet (Dutch), Nedley Elstak (Dutch), Karl Berger (German) and Gunter Hampel (German). Both Gunter Hampel and Karl Berger soon moved to the US for the better part of their long lives. Bernard Stollman had a long vision to document the avant-garde, releasing some 115 albums before the label folded in 1976, when it ran out of funds. Considering that most of the albums on ESP sold few copies (outside of the Fugs & Pearls Before Swine), ESP remained influential and was licensed to a handful of mostly illegit labels/distributors around the world. The Free Jazz/Free Music/Experimental Scene continues to simmer underneath more popular musics from around the planet, more than a half century after it began. In 2005, ESP began to reissue their back catalogue on CD and eventually on LP. The label also began to release new records by a a variety of avant/jazz, avant/rock and other beyond category artists like New Ghost, Matt Shipp, the Naked Future and Gabriel Zucker. I must admit that I still enjoy and look forward to hearing almost everything that ESP has released. All of their releases still say: “You never heard such sounds in your life”. Those words remain true to their vision.
Label founder Bernard Stollman passed away in 2015 and the label is now run by Steve Holtje, a good friend of DMG’s and just the right person to continue ESP’s important legacy. ESP-Disk continues to release around 10 discs per year, as well as reissuing their back catalogue on LP and CD. A toast to the long Legacy of ESP Records!
Here’s the deal for this sale:
Take 3 or more single ESP CD’s and pay $10 each (1 or 2 costs $12 each, our regular price)
There are a few 2-CD sets and 1 3-CD set which do cost a bit more and are priced below.
There are also a few multidisc sets whose prices have been lowered as well
Take 3 or more ESP LP’s and play $15 each (1 or 2 costs $16 each)
This sale will run until the end of this month, March of 2024. First orders should ship in a week or so, larger orders will take longer (2-3 weeks) so please be patient. All orders received will get a response from us letting you know that the order has been received. Once we do ship your order, you will receive a confirmation and tracking number. We generally ship media mail.
There are three lists below, a long CD list, a shorter LP list and a short list of the more obscure items with some blurbs attached. All items on these lists are currently available although a few items might sell out. Check to see which ones you already own and which one you need to complete your own ESP want list.
THE ESP CURRENT CD SALE LIST:
BYRON ALLEN TRIO With MACEO GILCHRIST / TED ROBINSON - Byron Allen Trio (ESP-Disk 1005; USA)
CD Sale $10
ARBOREA with SHANTI CURRAN / BUCK CURRAN - Fortress Of The Sun (ESP Disk 5002; USA) review at bottom
CD Sale $10
ALBERT AYLER With GARY PEACOCK / SUNNY MURRAY – Spiritual Unity 50th Anniversary Expanded Edition (ESP-Disk 1001; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALBERT AYLER With DONALD AYLER / LEWIS WORRELL / SUNNY MURRAY /CHARLES TYLER – Prophecy/Bells (ESP-Disk 4076; USA)
2 CD Set $14
ALBERT AYLER / DON CHERRY / JOHN TCHICAI / ROSWELL RUDD / GARY PEACOCK / SUNNY MURRAY – New York Eye & Ear Control (ESP-Disk 1016; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALBERT AYLER With CHARLES TYLER / DONALD AYLER / CALL COBBS / HENRY GRIMES / GARY PEACOCK / SUNNY MURRAY – Spirits Rejoice (ESP-Disk 1020; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALBERT AYLER With DON CHERRY / GARY PEACOCK / SUNNY MURRAY - The Hilversum Session (ESP-Disk 4035; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALBERT AYLER QUARTET With MARY PARKS / STEVE TINTWEISS / ALLEN BLAIRMAN – Live on the Riviera (ESP-Disk 4001; USA)
CD Sale $10
DUCK BAKER with DEREK BAILEY / STEVE BERESFORD / JOHN BUTCHER / MARK DRESSER / JOHN EDWARDS / MICHAEL MOORE / ROSWELL RUDD / ALEX WARD / STEVE NOBLE / JOE WILLIAMSON - Confabulations (ESP-Disk 5065; USA)
CD Sale $10
AMINA BARAKA & THE RED MICROPHONE With RAS MOSHE - The Red Microphone (ESP Disk 5021; USA) Review at bottom
CD Sale $10
GATO BARBIERI With CALO SCOTT / SIRONE / BOBBY KAPP - In Search of the Mystery (ESP-Disk 1049; USA)
CD Sale $10
ROBBIE BASHO - Live in Forli, Italy 1982 (ESP-Disk 5024; USA) See review at the bottom
CD Sale $10
MICHAEL BISIO / KIRK KNUFFKE / FRED LONBERG-HOLM - The Art Spirit (ESP-Disk 5053; USA)
CD Sale $10
PAUL BLEY QUINTET With MARSHALL ALLEN / DEWEY JOHNSON / EDDIE GOMEZ / MILFORD GRAVES // CARLA BLEY - Barrage (ESP-Disk 1008; USA)
CD Sale $10
JOHN BLUM - Nine Rivers (ESP-Disk 5062; USA)
CD Sale $10
DON CHERRY QUINTET With GATO BARBIERI / BO STIEFF / KARL BERGER / ALDO ROMANO – Live at Cafe Montmartre 1966 (ESP-Disk 4032; USA)
CD/DVD $14
DON CHERRY QUINTET With GATO BARBIERI / BO STIEFF / KARL BERGER / ALDO ROMANO – Live at Cafe Montmartre 1966 vol. 2 (ESPDisk 4043; USA)
CD Sale $10
DON CHERRY QUINTET With GATO BARBIERI / BO STIEFF / KARL BERGER / ALDO ROMANO – Live at Café Montmartre, Vol. 3 (ESP-Disk 4051; USA)
CD Sale $10
CROMAGNON with AUSTIN GRASMERE / BRIAN ELLIOT - Orgasm: Cave Rock (ESP Disk 2001; USA) - Review at bottom
CD Sale $10
BUCK CURRAN - Immortal Light (ESP-Disk 5014; USA) - review at bottom
CD Sale $10
BUCK CURRAN - Morning Haikus, Afternoon Ragas (ESP-Disk 5028; USA) - review at bottom
CD Sale $10
DEFUNKT With JOSEPH BOWIE / BILL BICKFORD / RONNIE DRAYTON / et al - Live at Channel Zero (ESP Disk 5008; USA)
CD Sale $10
WHIT DICKEY with MATT SHIPP / NATE WOOLEY - Morph (ESP-Disk 5016; USA)
2 CD Sale Set $12
PAUL DUNMALL / CHRIS CORSANO - Identical Sunsets (ESP Disk 4058; USA)
CD Sale $10
EAST VILLAGE OTHER with ALLEN GINSBERG & PETER ORLOVSKY / ED SANDERS / ISHMAEL REED / TULI KUPFERBERG / KEN WEAVER / STEVE WEBER / VELVET UNDERGROUND / GERARD MALANGA / ANDY WARHOL MARION BORWON - et al - The Electric Newspaper Collage: Expanded Edition (ESP Disk 1034; USA) See review at the bottom
CD Sale $10
ESP DISK FIRE MUSIC With ALBERT AYLER / SUNNY MURRAY / SUN RA / PAUL BLEY / NORMAN HOWARD / et al - Vol 1: A High Energy Avant Garde Jazz Compilation (ESP Disk 5001; USA)
CD Sale $8
EXTREMELY SERIOUS BUSINESS with JOHN D. THOMAS / GREG BURKE / PAUL BEAUDRY / TOM GARNER - Headwall (ESP Disk 5005; USA)
CD Sale $10
FLOW TRIO with LOUIE BELOGENIS / JOE MORRIS / CHARLES DOWNS a/k/a RASHID BAKR - Rejuvenation (ESP Disk 4052; USA)
CD Sale $10
FLOW TRIO with JOE McPHEE / LOUIE BELOGENIS / JOE MORRIS / CHARLES DOWNS - Winter Garden (ESP-Disk 5040; USA)
CD Sale $10
CHARLES GAYLE TRIO With MICHAEL BISIO / MICHAEL WIMBERLEY - Look Up: Live 1994 Santa Barbara (ESP-Disk 4070; USA)
CD Sale $10
THE GODZ with JIM McCARTHY / LARRY KESSLER / JAY DILLON/PAUL THORNTON - Contact High With The Godz (ESP-Disk 1037; USA)
CD Sale $10
MILFORD GRAVES With SUNNY MORGAN - Percussion Ensemble (ESP Disk 1015; USA)
CD Sale $10
BURTON GREENE TRIO With STEVE TINTWEISS / SHELLEY RUSTEN - On Tour (ESP Disk 1074; USA)
CD Sale $10
BURTON GREENE With MARION BROWN / HENRY GRIMES et al - Bloom In The Commune [a/k/a Burton Green Quartet](ESP-Disk 4038; USA)
CD Sale $10
GUILLERMO GREGORIO with CARRIE BIOLO / FRED LONBERG-HOLM // IVAN BARENBOIM / NICHOLAS JOZWIAK (ESP-Disk 5047; USA)
CD Sale $10
HENRY GRIMES TRIO With PERRY ROBINSON / TOM PRICE - The Call (ESP Disk 1026; USA)
CD Sale $10
GULFH OF BERLIN with GEBHARD ULLMANN / GERHARD GSCHLOSSL / JOHANNES FINK / JAN LEIPNITZ / MICHAEL HAVES - GULFH of Berlin (ESP-Disk 5054; USA)
CD Sale $10
GUNTER HAMPEL GROUP With WILLEM BREUKER / PIET VEENING / PIERRE COURBOIS - Music From Europe (ESP-Disk 1042; USA)
CD Sale $10
paul r. harding / MICHAEL BISIO / JUMA SULTAN They Tried to Kill Me Yesterday (ESP-Disk 5083; USA)
CD Sale $10
BILLIE HOLIDAY - Rare Live Recordings 1934-1959 (ESP-Disk 4039; USA)
5 CD Sale Set $35
NORMAN HOWARD / JOE PHILLIPS - Burn Baby Burn (ESP-Disk 4033; USA)
CD Sale $10
BOB JAMES TRIO With BARRE PHILLIPS / ROBERT POZAR - Explosions (ESP Disk 1009; USA)
CD Sale $10
EUNHYE JEONG - Nolda (ESP-Disk 5068; USA)
CD Sale $10
JONES JONES with LARRY OCHS / MARK DRESSER / VLADIMIR TARASOV - Just Justice (ESP-Disk 5072; USA)
CD Sale $10
JUGENDSTIL with STEPHANE FURIC LEIBOVICI / CHRIS SPEED / CHRIS CHEEK - Jugendstil (ESP Disk 4048; USA)
CD Sale $10
JUGENDSTIL with LEE KONITZ / STEPHANE FURIC LEIBOVICI / CHRIS CHEEK / CHRIS SPEED / JIM BLACK / et al - Jugendstil II (ESP Disk 4059; USA)
CD Sale $10
LINDHA KALLERDAHL - Gold (ESP Disk 4041; USA)
CD Sale $10
STEVE LACY With ENRICO RAVA / JOHNNY DYANI / LOUIS MOHOLO - The Forest And The Zoo (ESP Disk 1060; USA)
CD Sale $10
LAST EXIT with SONNY SHARROCK / PETER BROTZMANN / BILL LASWELL / RONALD SHANNON JACKSON -Iron Path (ESP Disk 4075; USA)
CD Sale $10
MATT LAVELLE / REGGIE SYLVESTER - Retrograde (ESP-Disk 5010; USA)
CD Sale $10
TIMOTHY LEARY - Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out (ESP Disk 1027; USA)
CD Sale $10
PETER LEMER QUINTET With JOHN SURMAN / GEORGE KHAN / TONY REEVES / JON HISEMAN - Local Colour (ESP Disk 1057; USA) 1st released in 1968
CD Sale $10
PETER LEMER QUINTET with JOHN SURMAN / ALAN SKIDMORE / TONY REEVES / JON HISEMAN - Son of Local Colour - Live at the Pizza Express (ESP-Disk 5031; USA) - Recorded February, 2018
CD Sale $10
ALLEN LOWE with JULIUS HEMPHILL / MATT SHIPP / DAVID MURRAY / MARC RIBOT / NELS CLINE / DON BYRON / JOE ALBANY / ROSWELL RUDD / GARY BARTZ / DOC CHEATHAM / RANDY SANDKE / BOBBY ZANKEL / et al - An Avant-Garde of Our Own: Disconnected Works 1980-2018 (ESP-Disk 5034; USA)
8 CD Sale Set $45
ALLEN LOWE AND THE CONSTANT SORROW ORCHESTRA with KEN PEPLOWSKI / LISA PARROTT / LEWIS PORTER / et al - In the Dark (ESP-Disk 5080; USA)
3 CD Sale Set $18
ALLEN LOWE and The CONTSTANT SORROW ORCHESTRA with ROSWELL RUDD / RAY ANDERSON / RANDY SANDKE / LEWIS PORTER / DARIUS JONES / KRESTEN OSGOOD / et al - America: The Rough Cut (ESP-Disk 5082; USA)
CD Sale $10
FRANK LOWE With JOSEPH JARMAN / THE WIZARD a/k/a RAYMOND LEE CHENG / WILLIAM PARKER /RASHIED SINAN - Black Beings (ESP-Disk 3013; USA)
CD Sale $10
FRANK LOWE With JOSEPH JARMAN / THE WIZARD a/k/a RAYMOND LEE CHENG / WILLIAM PARKER /RASHIED SINAN - The Loweski (ESP Disk 4066; USA)
CD Sale $10
MICHAEL MARCUS with FRANK LACY / TARUS MATEEN / JAY ROSEN - Abstractions in Lime Caverns (ESP-Disk 5074; USA)
CD Sale $10
THOLLEM McDONAS / TIM DUROCHE / ANDRE ST JAMES TRIO - Live In Our Time (ESP-Disk 50520; USA)
CD Sale $10
THOLLEM McDONAS / NELS CLINE / MICHAEL WIMBERLEY / RADICAL EMPATHY TRIO - Reality and Other Imaginary Places (ESP-Disk5035; USA)
CD Sale $10
THOLLEM / PARKER / CLINE with THOLLEM McDONAS / WILLIAM PARKER / NELS CLINE - Gowanis Session II (ESP-Disk 5038; USA)
CD Sale $10
MIJ with JIM HOLBERG - Yodeling Astrologer (ESP Disk 1098; USA)
CD Sale $10
JOE MORRIS With LUTHER GRAY / KATT HERNANDEZ / JUNKO FUJIWARA - Camera (ESP Disk 4063; USA)
CD Sale $10
MOVEMENT SOUL - Various - Volume 2 (ESP Disk 4034; USA)
CD Sale $10
SUNNY MURRAY With JACQUES COURSIL / JACK GRAHAM / BYARD LANCASTER / ALAN SILVA - Sunny Murray: Expanded Edition (ESP Disk 4037; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALON NECHUSHTAN with ROY CAMPBELL / DANIEL CARTER / SABIR MATEEN / WILLIAM PARKER / FEDERICO UGHI - For Those Who Cross the Seas (ESP-Disk 4084; USA)
2 CD Sale Set $14
NEW GHOST with ELLIOTT LEVIN / RICK IANNACONE / STEVE TESTA / JOHN TESTA - Live Upstairs At Nick's: January 23rd 1998 (ESP-Disk 4030; USA) 1 millions stars for the Underground/Spirit Jazz/Harmolodic/21st Century-Beat Poetry/Jazz/Rock/Avant Philly sensation!
CD Sale $10
CHARLIE PARKER with DIZZY GILLESPIE / COOTIE WILLIAMS / TEDDY EDWARDS / JAY McSHANN / BENNY GOODMAN / MILT JACKSON / BILLY ECKSTINE / HOWARD McGEE / et al- Bird In Time: 1940-1947 (ESP-Disk 4050; USA)
4 CD Sale Set $30
WILLIAM PARKER / PATRICIA NICHOLSON with JAMES BRANDON LEWIS / DEVIN BRAHJA WALDMAN / FRANCESCO MELA / et al - No Joke! {ESP-Disk 5067; USA)
CD Sale $10
IVO PERELMAN / MATTHEW SHIPP / WILLIAM PARKER / BOBBY KAPP - Ineffable Joy (ESP-Disk 5036; USA)
CD Sale $10
IVO PERELMAN & MATTHEW SHIPP - Fruition (ESP-Disk 5070; USA)
CD Sale $10
BUD POWELL With PIERRE MICHELOT / KENNY CLARKE / ZOOT SIMS - Live At The Blue Note Cafe, Paris 1961 (ESP Disk 4036; USA)
CD Sale $10
BUD POWELL TRIO with CHARLES MINGUS or OSCAR PETTIFORD / FRANKLIN SKEETES / GEORGE DUVIVIER / CURLEY RUSSELL / ROY HAYNES or ART TAYLOR or SONNY PAYNE CHARLIE PARKER / DIZZY GILLESPIE /CANDIDO - Birdland 1953 (ESP Disk 4073; USA)
3 CD Sale Set $21
MARK REBOUL / ROBERTA PIKET / BILLY MINTZ - Seven pieces / about an hour / saxophone, piano, drums (ESP-Disk 5041; USA)
CD Sale $10
THE RED MICROPHONE with JOHN PIETARO / RAS MOSHE / ROCCO JOHN IACOVONE / DAVE ROSS / LAURIE TOWERS / GWEN LASTER / CLAIRE DALY - And I Became of the Dark... (ESP-Disk 5066; USA) See review below
CD Sale $10
AMINA BARAKA & THE RED MICROPHONE With RAS MOSHE / ROCCO JOHN IACOVONE / LAURIE TOWERS / JOHN PIETARO - The Red Microphone (ESP Disk 5021; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALAN ROTH - Director - Inside Out In The Open (ESP Disk 4042; USA) "Featured interviews: Marion Brown, Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai, Alan Silva, Burton Greene, Joseph Jarman, Baikida Carroll, William Parker, Daniel Carter, Matthew Shipp, Susie Ibarra. Featured performers: Denis Charles, Glenn Spearman, Wilber Morris, Joseph Jarman, Peter Brotzmann, John Tchicai, Sun Ra and his Arkestra, In Order To Survive, Other Dimensions In Music (Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, Rashid Bakr, William Parker, Matt Shipp, Baikida Carroll and Reggie Workman and more.
DVD $10
ROVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET with BRUCE ACKLEY / STEVE ADAMS / LARRY OCHS / JON RASKIN - The Circumference of Reason (ESP-Disk 5061; USA)
CD Sale $10
PHAROAH SANDERS QUINTET / PHAROAH SANDERS With DON CHERRY QUINTET / PAUL BLEY QUARTET / SUN RA ARKESTRA And HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA - In The Beginning: 1963-1964, including Live At Judson Hall December 30 & 31 1964 (ESP-DISK 4069; USA)
4 CD Sale Set $30
MATTHEW SHIPP TRIO with WILLIAM PARKER / WHIT DICKEY - Circular Temple (ESP-Disk 4082CD; USA)
CD Sale $10
MATTHEW SHIPP QUARTET With MAT WALERIAN / MICHAEL BISIO / WHIT DICKEY - Sonic Fiction (ESP-Disk 5018; USA)
CD Sale $10
MATTHEW SHIPP - Zer0 (ESP-Disk 5022; USA)
2 CD Sale Set $11 / [LTD Ed of 1,000]
MATTHEW SHIPP / MAT WALERIAN DUO - Live At Okuden (ESP Disk 5007; USA)
CD Sale $10
MATTHEW SHIPP TRIO With MICHAEL BISIO / NEWMAN TAYLOR BAKER - Signature (ESP-Disk 5029; USA)
CD Sale $10
MATTHEW SHIPP TRIO With MICHAEL BISIO / NEWMAN TAYLOR BAKER - The Unidentifiable (ESP-Disk 5039; USA)
CD Sale $10
MATTHEW SHIPP TRIO with MICHAEL BISIO / NEWMAN TAYLOR BAKER - World Construct (ESP-Disk 5059; USA)
CD Sale $10
PAULA SHOCRON / LEONEL KAPLAN / AGUSTI FERNANDEZ / CHRISTOF KURZMANN / PABLO DIAZ QUINTETO - New Improvised Music from Buenos Aires (ESP-Disk 5033; USA)
CD Sale $10
SONNY SIMMONS With BARBARA DONALD / JOHN HICKS / TEDDY SMITH / MARVIN PATTILLO - Staying On The Watch (ESP Disk 1030; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALAN SONDHEIM - Ritual-All-7-70 (ESP Disk 1048; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALAN SONDHEIM / CHRISTOPHER DIASPARRA / EDWARD SCHNEIDER - Cutting Board (ESP Disk 5004; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALAN SONDHEIM / A STEPHENÂ DYDO - Dragon and Phoenix (ESP Disk 5019; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALAN SONDHEIM / AZURE CARTER - Plaguesong (ESP-Disk 5057; USA)
CD Sale $10
ALAN SONDHEIM with AZURE CARTER / EDWARD SCHNEIDER / RACHEL ROSENKRANTZ Galut - Ballads of Wadi-Sabi (ESP-Disk 5076; USA)
CD Sale $10
YMA SUMAC - Recital: Live In Bucharest, Romania 1961 (ESP Disk 4029; USA)
CD Sale $10
SUN RA & His SOLAR ARKESTRA - Complete Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra: Vol 1, 2, & 3 (ESP Disk 4062; USA)
3 CD Set $25.00
SUN RA & His ARKESTRA - College Tour: The Complete Nothing Is... St. Lawrence University, May 18 1966 (ESP-Disk 4060; USA)
2 CD set $16
SUN RA & His ARKESTRA - Concert for the Comet Kohoutek (ESP Disk 3033; USA)
CD Sale $10
HANS TAMMEN / ALFRED 23 HARTH / CHRIS DAHLGREN / JAY ROSEN - Expedition: Live at the Knitting Factory, 2001 (ESP Disk 4031; Earth)
CD Sale $10
TSIGOTI with WARISTERROR TERRORISWAR: THOLLEM McDONAS / MATTEO BENNIC I / ANDREA CAPRARA /JACOPOANDREINI / MEGAN BAER - Private Poverty Speaks To The People Of The Party (ESP-Disk 4057: USA)
CD Sale $10
JOHN D. THOMAS / GREG BURKE / PAUL BEAUDRY / TOM GARNER a/k/a EXTREMELY SERIOUS BUSINESS - Headwall (ESP Disk 5005; USA)
CD Sale $10
TIGER HATCHERY with MIKE FORBES / ANDREW SCOTT / BEN BILLINGTON - Sun Worship ESP Disk 5003; USA)
CD Sale $10
TIGER HATCHERY - Breathing In The Walls (ESP-Disk 5013; USA)
CD Sale $10
CHARLES TYLER QUARTET With DAVID BAKER / BRENT McKESSON / KENT BRINKLEY - Eastern Man Alone (ESP Disk 1059; USA)
CD Sale $10
FAY VICTOR'S SOUNDNOISEFUNK With JOE MORRIS / SAM NEWSOME / REGGIE NICHOLSON - Wet Robots (ESP-Disk 5025; USA)
CD Sale $10
FAY VICTOR'S SOUNDNOISEFUNK with JOE MORRIS / SAM NEWSOME / REGGIE NICHOLSON - We've Had Enough!(ESP-Disk 5042; Earth)
CD Sale $10
MAT WALERIAN With MATTHEW SHIPP & HAMID DRAKE - Jungle Live at Okuden (ESP Disk 5009; USA)
2 CD Sale Set $12
MAT WALERIAN / MATTHEW SHIPP / WILLIAM PARKET / TOXIC - This Is Beautiful Because We Are Beautiful People (ESP-Disk 5011; USA)
CD Sale $10
MAT WALERIAN / MATTHEW SHIPP / WILLIAM PARKER / HAMID DRAKE a/k/a OKUDEN - Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat is Getting Fatter (ESP-Disk 5037; USA)
2 CD Sale Set $12
PATTY WATERS with RAN BLAKE / DAVE BURRELL / BURTON GREENE / PERRY LIND / STEVE TINTWEISS /SHELLEY RUSTEN - College Tour (ESP Disk 1055; USA)
CD Sale $10
MARZETTE WATTS & COMPANY With SONNY SHARROCK / BYARD LANCASTER / CLIFFORD THORNTON / HENRY GRIMES / KARL BERGER / JUNEY BOOTH / J C MOSES - Marzette Watts (ESP-Disk 1044; USA)
CD Sale $10
WeFreeStrings with CHARLES BURNHAM / GWEN LESTER / MELANIE DYER / ALEXANDER WATERMAN / KEN FILIANO / MICHAEL WIMBERLEY - Love In The Form Of Sacred Outrage (ESP-Disk 5073; USA)
CD Sale $10
MARS WILLIAMS With JOSH BERMAN / FRED LONBERG-HOLM / JIM BAKER / KENT KESSLER / BRIAN SANDSTROM / STEVE HUNT / CHRISTOF KURZMANN - An Ayler Christmas - Volume 2 (ESP-Disk 0004 / Soul What Records SWR 003; USA)
CD Sale $10
MEGUMI YONEZAWA / MASA KAMAGUCHI / KEN KOBAYASHI - Boundary (ESP-Disk 5023; USA)
CD Sale $10
LESTER YOUNG with JESSE DRAKES / EARL KNIGHT / AARON BELL / LEE ABRAHAMS - Live At Birdland 1953 & 1956 (ESP Disk 4040; USA)
CD Sale $10
YUGANAUT with STEPHEN RUSH / TOM ABBS / GEOFF MANN - This Musicship (ESP Disk 4044; USA)
CD Sale $10
YXIMALLOO with NAOFUMI ISHIMARU - Unpop (ESP Disk 4047; USA) See blurb below
CD Sale $10
JAMES ZITRO With BERT WILSON / ALLAN PRASKIN / WARREN GALE / MICHALE COHEN / BRUCE GALE Zitro a/k/a West Coast Music - (ESP Disk 1052; USA)
CD Sale $10
[THE DELEGATION With] GABRIEL ZUCKER / ADAM O’FARRILL / ERIC TRUDEL / RON LAWRENCE / et al - Evergreen (Canceled World) (ESP Disk 5017; USA)
2 CD Sale Set $12
GABRIEL ZUCKER With ERIC TRUDEL / ADAM O’FARRILL / TYSHAWN SOREY - Weighting (ESP Disk 5027; USA)
CD Sale $10
GABRIEL ZUCKER & THE DELEGATION with ANNA WEBBER / JOANNA MATTREY / MARIEL ROBERTS / KATE GENTILE / MATTEO LIBERATORE / et al - Leftover Beats from the Edge of Time (ESP-Disk 5069; USA)
2 CD Sale Set $12
***********
ESP VINYL SECTION:
ARBOREA with SHANTI CURRAN / BUCK CURRAN - Fortress Of The Sun (ESP Disk 5002LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
ATTITUDE! with ROSE TANG / AYUMI ISHITO / WEN—TING WU - Pause & Effect (ESP-Disk 5048; USA)
LP Sale $15
ALBERT AYLER With CHARLES TYLER / DONALD AYLER / LEWIS WORRELL / SUNNY MURRAY – Bells (ESP-Disk 4076LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
ALBERT AYLER TRIO with GARY PEACOCK / SUNNY MURRAY - Prophecy (ESP-Disk 3030; USA)
LP Sale $15
ALBERT AYLER/DON CHERRY/JOHN TCHICAI/ROSWELL RUDD/GARY PEACOCK/SUNNY MURRAY – New York Eye & Ear Control (ESP-Disk 1016LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
ROBBIE BASHO - Live in Forli, Italy 1982 (ESP-Disk 5024LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
PAUL BLEY TRIO With STEVE SWALLOW / BARRY ALTSCHUL - Closer (ESP-Disk 1021; USA)
LP Sale $15
BRIDGE OF FLOWERS - A Soft Day's Night (ESP-Disk 5060LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
RAYMOND BYRON - Bond Wire Cur (ESP-Disk 5051LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
CROMAGNON with AUSTIN GRASMERE / BRIAN ELLIOT - Orgasm: Cave Rock (ESP Disk 2001LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
BUCK CURRAN - Immortal Light (ESP-Disk 5014; USA)
LP Sale $15
BUCK CURRAN - Morning Haikus, Afternoon Ragas (ESP-Disk 5028; USA)
LP Sale $15
BUCK CURRAN - No Love is Sorrow (ESP-Disk 5056LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
PAUL DUNMALL / CHRIS CORSANO - Identical Sunsets (ESP Disk 4058LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
EAST VILLAGE OTHER with ALLEN GINSBERG & PETER ORLOVSKY / ED SANDERS / ISHMAEL REED / TULI KUPFERBERG / KEN WEAVER / STEVE WEBER / VELVET UNDERGROUND / GERARD MALANGA / ANDY WARHOL MARION BORWON - et al - The Electric Newspaper Collage: Expanded Edition (ESP Disk 1034; USA)
LP Sale $15
SILKE EBERHARD / NIKOLAUS NEUESER and TALIBAM! - This Week in Two Weeks (ESP-Disk 5049; USA)
LP Sale $15
FREE MUSIC QUINTET with PIERRE COURBOIS / PETER VAN DER LOCHT / BOY RAAYMAKERS / ERWIN SOMMERS / FERDY RIKKERS - Free Music 1 & 2 (ESP 1083LP; USA)
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LAST EXIT with SONNY SHARROCK / PETER BROTZMANN / BILL LASWELL / RONALD SHANNON JACKSON - Iron Path (ESP Disk 4075; USA)
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PETER LEMER QUINTET With JOHN SURMAN / GEORGE KHAN / TONY REEVES / JON HISEMAN - Local Colour (ESP Disk 1057; USA) Mastered from the original tapes, great sound!
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THOLLEM / PARKER / CLINE with THOLLEM McDONAS / WILLIAM PARKER / NELS CLINE - Gowanis Session II (ESP-Disk 5038LP; USA)
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THOLLEM McDONAS / NELS CLINE / MICHAEL WIMBERLEY / RADICAL EMPATHY TRIO - Reality and Other Imaginary Places (ESP-Disk 5035-LP; USA)
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MIJ with JIM HOLBERG - Yodeling Astrologer (ESP Disk 1098LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
OPTO S with ARGELIS LIRIANO / CHARLES DODSON / DIANA K / BEN JAFFE - Human Indictive / Live (ESP-Disk 5055LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
PAINTED FACES - Tales from the Skinny Apartment (ESP-Disk 5032; USA)
LP Sale $15
PAINTED FACES - Normal Street (ESP-Disk 5058; USA)
LP Sale $15
PHAROAH SANDERS With STAN FOSTER/JANE GETZ/WILLIAM BENNETT/MARVIN PATTILLO Pharoah's First (ESP Disk 4008LP; USA)
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MATTHEW SHIPP TRIO with WILLIAM PARKER / WHIT DICKEY - Circular Temple (ESP-Disk 4082LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
YMA SUMAC - Recital: Live In Bucharest, Romania 1961 (ESP Disk 4029; USA)
LP Sale $15
SUN RA & His SOLAR ARKESTRA - Vol 1: Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra (ESP Disk 1014; USA)
LP Sale $15
SUN RA & His SOLAR ARKESTRA - Vol 2: Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra (ESP Disk 1017LP; USA)
LP Sale $15
TALIBAM! / MATT NELSON / RON STABINSKY - Hard Vibe (ESP-Disk 5015; USA)
LP Sale $15
TALIBAM! - Endgame Of The Anthropocene (ESP-Disk 5016; USA)
LP Sale $15
TIGER HATCHERY with MIKE FORBES / ANDREW SCOTT / BEN BILLINGTON - Sun Worship ESP Disk 5003LP; USA)
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TIGER HATCHERY - Breathing In The Walls (ESP-Disk 5013; USA)
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PATTY WATERS with RAN BLAKE / DAVE BURRELL / BURTON GREENE / PERRY LIND / STEVE TINTWEISS /SHELLEY RUSTEN - College Tour (ESP Disk 1055LP; USA)
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FRANK WRIGHT TRIO With HENRY GRIMES / TOM PRICE - Frank Wright Trio (ESP 1023LP; USA)
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FRANK WRIGHT with ARTHUR JONES / JACQUES COURSIL / STEVE TINTWEISS / MUHAMMAD ALI - Your Prayer (ESP 1053; USA)
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*******
ESP CD’S & LP’s with short blurbs:
AMINA BARAKA & THE RED MICROPHONE With RAS MOSHE - The Red Microphone (ESP Disk 5021; USA) Featuring Amina Baraka on poetry/vocals, Ras Moshe Burnett on tenor sax & flute, Rocco John Iacovone on curved soprano, alto sax & piano, Laurie Towers on bass guitar and John Pietaro on drums, percussion and direction. Now that legendary poet/playwright/spoken word artist, Amiri Baraka, has passed away, his wife, Amina Baraka, is carrying the torch as a poet/spoken word artist in her own right. This is her first disc as a poet/leader of a fine ensemble of local heroes. Both saxists involved are leaders, have discs out of their own and have played here at DMG. Ms. Baraka comes from a long line of jazz poets who are not afraid to tell it like it is, which is refreshing as today as we are confronts by the constant barrage of lies a/k/a “alternative facts”. Except for poets/speakers like Jayne Cortez (who gets a song named after her here), it is rare to hear female speakers dish out the painful truth with an onslaught of barbed observations. The band behind her do a fine job of matching her feisty spirit, swirling layers of lines around her intense voice. The only musician here that I wasn’t previously familiar with is electric bassist Laurie Towers , who is at the center of the storm throughout, providing a strong support, keeping the band tightly knitted around the voice. Another fine tribute here is to the late, great violinist Billy Bang. On the longest track, “Afro American Child”, Ms. Baraka paints a long list of memories while she was growing up. The music is laid back and bluesy, which fits long list of memories that Ms. Baraka dishes up. This feels like a gospel meeting but without a soul chorus to answer the lead voice although the music does a good job of answering things as well. While Ms. Baraka is perhaps not strong a poet as her late husband, she also makes many an astute observations about what is going on right now. Her voice reaches deep and makes us think hard about our lives, our sanity, our survival… - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
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ROBBIE BASHO - Live in Forli, Italy 1982 (ESP-Disk 5024; USA) Robbie Basho (1940-86), who died young after a stroke, never got his due in the culture at large, but steel-string guitar enthusiasts have known for decades that he was one of the greats of "American Primitivism". Technically adept and compositionally imaginative, fusing the music of many cultures into a mesmerizing solo style, he has been an inspiration for many; his music has generated a surge of interest in recent years. This 1982 concert was part of a four-show Italian tour. It took place at the 18th-century Palazzo Gaddi that housed the local music high school and was mostly used for classical concerts, in an intimate space co-organizer Mario Calvitti (whose memories of the events surrounding this concert make up the bulk of the liner notes) says Basho called it "one lovely little room where I could play all night." Only previously released incompletely as a download, this show can now be heard in its full glory. This release is in cooperation with the Official Robbie Basho Archives. No. 2 in the RB-Archives-Live series. Produced by Buck Curran; Co-released with Obsolete Recordings. "American musician Robbie Basho (1940-1986) is without doubt one of the greatest pioneers of world guitar music. To this day, his songs and compositions for the acoustic guitar remain wholly unique, contemporary, and otherworldy. Though largely unknown in Italy when he toured there in 1982 (in the company of Italian acoustic guitarist Maurizio Angeletti), the small to medium size audiences who attended his performances were overwhelmingly sympathetic to his musical vision and deeply entranced in the glow of his musical presence. From what is documented on this recording from Forli, we are given witness to Basho's idiosyncratic spirit and musical artistry. Wielding only a six and twelve-string guitar and his powerful voice, we hear rapturous fingerpicking and singing. As the concert evolves, Basho's spirit rises high above terra firma as he transforms into a wild mythical winged stallion, riding waves of colour and sound ... charging across plains of cosmic light towards the outer regions of space and time." - Buck Curran, September 11, 2017, Bergamo, Italy
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BRIDGE OF FLOWERS - A Soft Day's Night (ESP-Disk 5060LP; USA) Although, yes, there's a distinct Velvet Underground influence to be heard, there's an underground/outsider feel thanks to the unique vision of singer/lyricist/guitarist/visual artist Jeffrey Gallagher ("a visionary and experimental musician" - Boston Hassle), who has a plethora of self-released material under a variety of pseudonyms.
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RAYMOND BYRON - Bond Wire Cur (ESP-Disk 5051LP; USA) Bond Wire Cur is as surreal and desolate and haunting as anything he’s done. Collaborators on the album are many, yet the sound of the record is stripped-down and stark. It is a crucial chapter in his career and in ESP-Disk’s Drive to Revive Weird Rock. QUOTES: “Strong and weird. Using ancient ingredients these little vignettes grow sneakily large and become some new kind of food. It’s beautiful and Ray’s finest record yet.” – Matthew Houck
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CROMAGNON with AUSTIN GRASMERE / BRIAN ELLIOT - Orgasm: Cave Rock (ESP Disk 2001LP; USA) "On this 1969 ESP-Disk' Dadaist psych-folk release, chanting, tribal percussion, short wave radio, maniacal, almost black metal vocals, hysterical laughter, bagpipes all coalesce into something ridiculous and amazing." "One of the truly strangest and most bizarre records that I've ever heard and I've heard just about everything!" - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
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BUCK CURRAN - Immortal Light (ESP-Disk 5014; USA) Buck's music is influenced by landscapes of nature and has developed through a decade of playing with Arborea, and the experience of playing blues and folk throughout the 1990s. He also draws inspiration from the deep well of folk and rock of the 1960s (Robbie Basho, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Tim Buckley), American blues and folk music of the 1930s, British folk and psychedelic folk/rock of the '60s and early '70s (Peter Green, Sandy Denny, Pentangle, Led Zeppelin, Martin Simpson), Indian classical music (Pandit Nikhil Banerjee) and jazz of the '50s and '60s (Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane).
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BUCK CURRAN - Morning Haikus, Afternoon Ragas (ESP-Disk 5028; USA) Side A, all solo acoustic instrumentals, seems to have fallen out of a wormhole emanating from Takoma Records in the 1970s. There's some of that on side B as well, but there are also vocals and other instruments, sometimes overdubbed, and the dedication of "Taurus" to Peter Green, guitarist extraordinaire of the original lineup of Fleetwood Mac (when they were a blues band), hinting at the breadth of Curran's influences. The introduction of other timbres and textures doesn't diminish the intimate, almost meditational mood, though.
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EAST VILLAGE OTHER with ALLEN GINSBERG & PETER ORLOVSKY / ED SANDERS / ISHMAEL REED / TULI KUPFERBERG / KEN WEAVER / STEVE WEBER / VELVET UNDERGROUND / GERARD MALANGA / ANDY WARHOL MARION BORWON - et al - The Electric Newspaper Collage: Expanded Edition (ESP Disk 1034; USA) Although this is indicative of the times, it was and still is one of weirdest records in the ESP catalogue. Strange chanting, found sounds, poetry from former beat-nicks, feedback from the Velvet Underground and free jazz all blended into this bizarre electric newspaper.
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EXTREMELY SERIOUS BUSINESS with JOHN D. THOMAS / GREG BURKE / PAUL BEAUDRY / TOM GARNER - Headwall (ESP Disk 5005; USA) John D. Thomas's band of the 1980s, Serious Business (heard on Serious Business (ESPDISK 5006CD)), focused on his fusion and "free funk" compositions played with an electric sound. Extremely Serious Business marked a turning point, a return to a more acoustic setting while remaining true to the pioneering spirit of "improvisation along the edges." Extremely Serious Business showcases Thomas's unique compositional skills and style while carrying on the long lineage of cutting-edge soloing "outside the changes." Headwall combines freedom in composition and conceptualization with a kickass groove to set a new standard in jazz guitar. This previously unreleased album features mostly a traditional acoustic jazz-guitar sound, but also includes two tracks with guitar synthesizer out front. All tracks were recorded with "live" musicians with the exception "Song for My Father," done in duo with drummer Tom Garner, with overdubbing. Mr. Thomas says, "Equally noteworthy is the incredible mix present throughout. Unlike previous recordings where the guitar sometimes appears either too far back or the sound too tinny and less full, this album exceeds previous mix attempts in achieving both balance and clarity." John D. Thomas: guitar, guitar synthesizer, keyboards, electric bass; Greg Burke: piano, synthesizer; Paul Beaudry contrabass; Tom Garner: drums; Avi Rothbard: guitar on "Yesterdays.
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NORMAN HOWARD / JOE PHILLIPS - Burn Baby Burn (ESP-Disk 4033; USA) Norman Howard (trumpet); Joe Phillips (alto saxophone); Cornelius Milsap (percussion); Walter Cliff (bass). Originally assigned ESP cat # 1073 decades ago but never released; thought to have been lost, ESP recently recovered this master tape by Norman Howard (once side man to Albert Ayler), and is now releasing this exceptional album for the first time. Digitally remastered. Manufactured in the USA by the original label. Never before released Studio Recording. "This is a mysterious and legendary long lost session from 1968 that features Norman Howard on trumpet, Joe Phillips on alto sax, Walter Cliff on bass and Cornelius Milsap on drums. Both Norman Howard and Albert Ayler came from Cleveland and both ended up in NY in late 1963/early 1964. Ayler's debut album, 'Spirits' (later reissued as 'Witches & Devils') was recorded in early 1964 and featured Ayler on tenor sax, Norman Howard on trumpet, Henry Grimes & Earle Henderson on basses and Sunny Murray on drums. Their definitive theme song, "Witches & Devils" was actually written by Mr. Howard, although it was credited to Albert Ayler. After a couple of years, Mr. Howard returned to Cleveland due to the lack of gigs and began working with Cleveland musicians once more. He put together a quartet with alto saxist, Joe Phillips, as recorded two records worth of material in 1968 in a Cleveland studio. ESP was supposed to release one of these but was having hard times and eventually they were released on two limited-edition cassettes by a collector named Roy Morris. Norman eventually left the music world and attempts at locating and contacting him and the other members of this quartet have proved fruitless. Finally, almost forty years later, ESP-Disk has released the 'Burn Baby Burn' sessions, so the records can be set straight. The long (ten pages of) liner notes tell the sad story of Joe Phillips's beating, arrest and jail-time thanks to the racist cops in Cleveland during the dark racial unrest of the mid-sixties. This music seems to embody those times and that restless spirit. "The Sound from There" is a dirge-like piece for simmering, haunting alto sax with trumpet cries and minimal yet effective bowed bass and somber drums. "Bug Out" is an appropriately titled Ayler-like intense free excursion with furious trumpet blasts over a quick spinning rhythm team. Soon Joe's screaming alto enters and spirals powerful bent notes at a super quick tempo. Philips sounds like an animal that has been wounded and is crying out for help as he shrieks with his sax. There is a strong bond between Joe's alto and Norman's trumpet. You can hear them completing each others phrases on "Deep Black Mystery". The notes of their horns swirl around one another in a strong unison force. Walter's bass also provides a strong central force, as he varies the throb and tempo organically with Cornelius' understated drums. I really dig Joe's tone and playing on "Time and Units", there is a purity of spirit that is difficult to describe. Both he and Norman hit many of the same notes simultaneously here. "Sad Miss Holiday" is a mournful piece that features the alto sax and trumpet playing their sad song bravely together, each horn taking an immensely gut-wrenching solo. "Haunted" is another aptly titled work with stunning, eerie trumpet and sax cries and bent notes shimmering along with the bowed bass. The title track was written by Mr. Howard and is one of those fast and furious fire music with burning trumpet, explosive alto sax and free-wheeling Sunny Murray like drumming. A perfect conclusion for an incredible free/jazz classic." - BLG
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EUNHYE JEONG - Nolda (ESP-Disk 5068; USA) Korean pianist Eunhye Jeong is a game-changer. She’s jazz from a different perspective. She’s a pianist who doesn’t sound like anyone else on the scene. In her liner notes for the release, Jeong writes, “I made my first solo piano recording under the name Chi-Da. Chi-Da and Nolda can both be translated as “play.” While Chi-Da refers to physical motions that produce sounds by crashing together two objects, Nolda is more associated with playful activities. One may interpret this word as a fun, free-flowing action on the piano. That is partly true, but I dare ask: who can have fun and experience true freedom without “knowing thyself”? Nolda means transcending the physical reality without abandoning it at all, which is made of body, mind, and the world. We music creators are artists who work with invisible and intangible energy forms as ingredients to create. Nolda, in this sense, is the magic of music-making.”
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LINDHA KALLERDAHL - Gold (ESP Disk 4041; USA) "Lindha Kallerdahl (grand piano, organ, vocals). Lindha Kallerdahl, born in 1972, studied jazz at the renowned Swedish Jazz-Schools Skurup near Malmo and Birka in Stockholm during 1993-1996. Situated in Stockholm, she early came in touch with free music and made successful collaborations in with Mats Gustavsson, David Stackenas, Raymond Strid, Mattias Windemo and Fredrik Ljungkvist. In the summer of 2000 Lindha made a spectacular project together with Sonic Youth, Jim O'Rourke, Mats Gustafsson and dancer Lotta Melin among others. In a small town on the southern countryside of Sweden the combo gave about 15-20 concerts in a row within a couple of weeks. The music was recorded and released in 2005 on Smalltown Supersound under the title HIDROS. Lindha's original style and emotional impact has been headhunted for different projects and she has made tours with -- for example -- Thomas Lehn and Jaap Blonk. One of these projects featured Ikue Mori and Lise-Lotte Norelius and was a new and important step for Lindha's development and also led to new musical encounters with Okkuyng Lee at Tonic, New York 2005. In 2003, Thomas Gustavsson and Lindha explored new ways of improvising and live-composing and came up with the groundbreaking Silent Arrow on Footprint Records in 2006. This album also features Anders Kjellberg and Owe Almgren. New ESP artist! Previously only available as an import."
CD Sale $10
MIJ with JIM HOLBERG - Yodeling Astrologer (ESP Disk 1098LP; USA) When MIJ, aka Jim Holmberg was found by ESP-Disk's Bernard Stollman, yodeling by the fountain in Washington Square Park, on a hot, summer Sunday afternoon IN 1969, he explained that an auto accident had fractured his skull and impaired his hearing. But it had also altered his perceptions and enabled him to do things that he did not understand, but which worked musically. The next day ESP sent him into the studio. With Onno Scholtze's help, MIJ explored the possibilities of multiple reverb to provide a series of echoes for his yodeling. When the project was completed, both participants continued to reverberate. They may be reverberating still. An original freak folk classic.
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MOVEMENT SOUL - Various - Volume 2 (ESP Disk 4034; USA) The production of this CD is to encourage people of all races to do more study involving the Civil Rights era and other thematic topics that also address stages of development during this era. It is hoped that people of all races will better understand the on-going struggle of African Americans and the many achievements towards the development of this country which dispel the negative connotations passed down through families for generations.
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OPTO S with ARGELIS LIRIANO / CHARLES DODSON / DIANA K / BEN JAFFE - Human Indictive / Live (ESP-Disk 5055LP; USA) "Though primarily associated with jazz, ESP Disk also has a rich history within the rock idiom, releasing great records by The Fugs, The Godz, Jayne County and Charles Manson. For the first time in several years, the label returns to that tradition with this powerful debut full-length from Brooklyn’s Opto S, which fits perfectly within the ESP paradigm. Comprised of bassist Argelis Liriano, drummer Diana K. and synth/guitarist Charles Dodson the trio conjure a blend of no wave, especially the keyboards of early DNA and heavy bass of Mars, with the post-punk darkwave of Clan of Xymox, as well as electronic duos like Silver Apples, Wume and Suicide. When saxophonist Ben Jaffe joins them for a couple numbers during these live sets, you can even detect a bit of Contortions!" -- Chuck Foster in The Big Takeover
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PAINTED FACES - Tales from the Skinny Apartment (ESP-Disk 5032; USA) Painted Faces is the long (strange/trip) running voyage of weirdo David Drucker, began in Florida in 2009 and decamped to NYC in 2011. It has sometimes been a loose band in the past with a revolving lineup of outsiders and interlopers (known as The Freak Band), but is usually a solo endeavor, and the bulk of the recordings have been done as such. PF has always been a home recording solo project, one-man-band style heavy on psychedelic/outsider folk/noise/experimental vibes. He started self releasing CD-Rs in the early days and quickly jumped to tapes on a variety of labels including Already Dead, Lava Church, J&C, Null Zone, Tall Tapes. A "legendary" CD compilation on Gulcher Records and an LP from Already Dead and Almost Halloween Time in Italy brings us to the here and now. Tales from the Skinny Apartment is somewhere around the 20th or so Painted Faces release...he has long lost count.
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PAINTED FACES - Normal Street (ESP-Disk 5058; USA) Near the DIY venue, cooperative and punk/freak haven, The Firehouse, in Worcester, Mass, there’s a street ironically named “Normal St.” I was lucky enough to be playing a gig with Painted Faces there a few years back. Driving up the steep, labyrinthine roads we spotted the green sign, had a laugh owing to some solid riffing by all present, and then, moved on. The gig was good, the people great, and the memories, the stuff that makes time on earth meaningful. Little did I know Normal Street would return. Considering David Drucker’s body of work and his unique brand of free form expression and clever pastiche, I shouldn’t have been surprised. When you listen to Painted Faces what you’re hearing is a mind at work.
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THE RED MICROPHONE with JOHN PIETARO / RAS MOSHE / ROCCO JOHN IACOVONE / DAVE ROSS / LAURIE TOWERS / GWEN LASTER / CLAIRE DALY - And I Became of the Dark... (ESP-Disk 5066; USA) Following up on their well-received 2017 ESP-Disk’ album backing poet Amina Baraka, The Red Microphone added guitarist Dave Ross to its roster and went into the studio with Ivan Julian (guitarist of punk icons Richard Hell & the Voidoids). A few other veterans of the downtown NYC jazz scene joined in to help accompany the provocative, political poetry of John Pietaro, who doubles on voice and drums.
CD Sale $10
PAULA SHOCRON / LEONEL KAPLAN / AGUSTI FERNANDEZ / CHRISTOF KURZMANN / PABLO DIAZ QUINTETO - New Improvised Music from Buenos Aires (ESP-Disk 5033; USA) ESP-Disk' has a little bit of history with Argentina - the label issued Gato Barbieri's first international release (ESP-DISK 1049CD), and their Steve Lacy album was recorded there -- so the label couldn't resist putting out this compilation of 2012-17 recordings (most previously unreleased) from the Buenos Aires scene. In his liner notes, compiler Jason Weiss writes, "In June 1966, just as General Juan Carlos Ongana was leading a military coup d'tat, Steve Lacy's quartet arrived in Buenos Aires: not exactly safe harbor for free jazz. Despite opposition the group gained a small following, appearing on television, at a museum, in private homes, but they couldn't earn enough for their return flights. When the quartet -- Lacy, Enrico Rava, Johnny Dyani, Louis Moholo, a supergroup in retrospect -- played at the venerable Instituto di Tella, whose experimental music center was directed by the composer Alberto Ginastera, Lacy instructed the group to do two free improvised sets of twenty minutes each; it proved to be their only document of the whole adventure, released by ESP the following year as The Forest and the Zoo (ESPDISK 1060CD)." And now? Weiss says, "As in European and American cities, the music survives on a DIY homemade spirit to subvert conventions and construct a kind of presence. But the struggle is waged against greater odds," not least because "in recent years the city government has cracked down on the modest cultural clubs found in most neighborhoods where a mix of artistic events would be held, regulating them instead on the same terms as larger, single-purpose venues. Many places couldn't afford to stay open, while others became more clandestine." It is not a scene that has managed to receive the international attention it deserves. Fortunately, Weiss provides plenty more context, biographical info, and quotes from scene stalwarts in his extensive essay in the album's 16-page booklet.
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YMA SUMAC - Recital: Live In Bucharest, Romania 1961 (ESP Disk 4029; USA) With the release of Voice of the Xtabay [on Capitol] in 1950, people all over the world were astounded by one of the most unusual voices to emerge on the musical scene: Peruvian singer Yma Sumac, who glides effortlessly from contralto to coloratura, her voice covering a range of no less than four octaves!The voice of Yma Sumac is indeed a miracle of nature. However, if that were all she was, the public's interest would not have gone beyond mere curiosity. What has made the singer's abilities so striking is the fact that she has managed to use the immense vocal resources at her disposal, resolutely striving for genuine artistry. Her early repertoire included popular music and jazz pieces which she performed in her own inimitable and scintillating style. However, by 1961, when this recording was made, she had abandoned this path, devoting herself to the noble and challenging goal of making known the music of her homeland. The folklore of Peru, influenced by the Spanish musical tradition, has become widely known and appreciated, due in large part to the artistry of Miss Sumac. In addition to Peruvian music, folk songs from neighboring countries - Bolivia, Chile, etc - became a major part of Yma Sumac's repertoire. (PS - to see Yma perform several pieces on film, get your hands on the 1954 Charlton Heston film Secret Of The Incas [which has key plot/Indian Jones character elements revived for Raiders Of The Lost Ark, which does not have an official DVD release. Children, can you say Suppression?) "The great sound allows one to hear all the nuances of Sumac's performance from her whispers to growls to flights of high-pitched fancy. Her voice is simply amazing. "Goomba Boomba" and "Amor Indio" are uptempo highlights with swinging orchestral accompaniment. "Cueca Chilena" and "Ccori Canastitay" are female duets with Cholita Rivera accompanied by just Vivanco on guitar. But it's on the moody "Chuncho" that Sumac pulls out all the stops, making unreal sounds and even getting some echo added to her voice to excellent effect. Yma Sumac may still be seen by some as kitsch, but the fact is that she was an amazing vocal talent the likes of which has not been seen since. Listeners who know her real value will be delighted with this excellent live date." - Sean Westergaard
LP Sale $15
TALIBAM! / MATT NELSON / RON STABINSKY - Hard Vibe (ESP-Disk 5015; USA)Talibam! delights in creating music that cannot be pinned down within the safe-spaces of existing genres. With each new album, Talibam! reinvent their methodological palette in order to bolster a fresh clarity of joyous auditory surprise, something their fans have come to depend on. Talibam! focus on compositional clarity, with reverence for their diverse interest in genre. On Hard Vibe, they push the pulse of motorik rhythm through a psychedelic jazz filter. This time out, they have created a sonic edifice so radical, so intricate in its density that additional hands were required to bring it to life; thus was born the Talibam! Hard Vibe Band with Matt Nelson (Battle Trance, tUnE-yArDs) and Ron Stabinsky (Mostly Other People Do the Killing, Peter Evans Quintet, Relâche) joining Matthew Mottel (CSC Funk Band, Alien Whale, Nymph, Platinum Vision) and Village Voice "Best Drummer in New York" Kevin Shea (Mostly Other People Do the Killing, Rhys Chatham, People featuring Mary Halvorson). The scientists in the Talibam! laboratory describe the results thusly: The Hard Vibe composition transforms aspects of rhythm changes into a disciplined sequence of minor key modulations to create a rigorous Hard Vibe obstacle course for the soloists over a tight melodic/rhythmic grid. Inspired by Herbie Hancock's '70s cosmic music, long-form repetitive works such as Miles Davis's On The Corner (1972), Charlie Parker's "Salt Peanuts," tenor sax endurance soloists, Albert Ayler's New Grass (1699), the legendary organ brutality of Larry Young, and the NYC avant-garde rock minimalism of Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca, Hard Vibe maintains an infectious pulse with virtuosic structural jazz improvisation. The Jan Hammer/'80s soundtrack-inspired keytar payoff (second half of side B) brings festival audiences to its feet in epic dance and ripping solo proportions. But those are inspirations more than ingredients. As ESP-Disk would say, "You never heard such sounds in your life."
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TALIBAM! with MATT MOTTEL / KEVIN SHEA - Endgame Of The Anthropocene (ESP-Disk 5016; USA) Endgame Of The Anthropocene marks Talibam!'s return to ESP-Disk, a partnership that started in 2009 with the highly acclaimed Boogie In The Breeze Blocks album (ESPDISK 4055CD). Talibam! is a 14-year working unit based in New York City that can be described in various ways -- as a classic keyboards/drums expanded-jazz duo, as Dadaist provocateurs with an innate love for the history of music, as a Fluxus-informed theater troupe, as an electronic ensemble inspired by Stockhausen, or as a rhythm section at the cross hair of agility, speed, punctuation, and intention. Since their inception in 2003, Talibam!'s ultimate goal has been to wed disparate ideologies through proficiency, controversy, inquiry, and compassion. Every Talibam! album attacks from a different angle; Endgame continues this tradition of each new release sounding completely different from everything they've done before, as does Hard Vibe (ESPDISK 5015LP). Talibam! has made a geo-psychic prediction: after it expires in 2048, the Antarctic Treaty System will be rejected. As the rest of the planet will have been rendered uninhabitable due to wars rooted in overpopulation, global warming, and the relentless exploitation of diminishing resources, human interference and the failure to ratify will lead to international war over the sovereignty and control of Antarctica's vast resources. Endgame Of The Anthropocene is Talibam!'s first cinematic album of through-composed eco-gothic geo-sonics. It is the soundtrack to 2048's despotic nationalism and crumbling international infrastructure, underscoring an eco-mercantilistic tragedy and the desperate plundering of the last pristine landscape on Earth. This inevitable destruction of Antarctica's purity marks the global-environmental endgame of the Anthropocene. Endgame Of The Anthropocene is a dystopian sonic pronouncement of failed socio-environmental memes, and features Talibam!'s emergence into hyperkinetic rhythm-based instrumental/electronic music. Syncopation via polyrhythmic electronic drum and synth pads create corporeal dance floor beats that would make a super computer perturbed. Kevin Shea is a master of cyber swing and eco-war rhythm -- on this record, he keeps it android yet anthropoid, like Aphex Twin meeting a hologram Phil Collins. Keyboardist Matt Mottel anchors wide sweeps of analog synthesis -- his sonic palette oscillating between the Silver Apples, Sun Ra, and Arca via an Arduino beta bass drop. This music is hallucinatory composition -- electronic muzik via an ethnographic sonic landscape influenced by Parmegiani, Don Cherry, Front 242, Hailu Mergia, Vangelis, Suicide, Islam Chipsy, Stockhausen, and DJ Shadow.
LP Sale $15
TIGER HATCHERY with MIKE FORBES / ANDREW SCOTT / BEN BILLINGTON - Sun Worship (ESP Disk 5003LP; USA) Ready for a foray of harmolodics crashing into post Naked City/Prelapse? Chicago power-jazz trio Tiger Hatchery proudly comes out of the ESP-Disk' free jazz tradition, as saxophonist Mike Forbes's playing makes clear, but there's an added noise-rock edge, especially in Ben Billington's aggressive drumming, that keeps the sound modern. Bassist Andrew Scott Young does much more than lay down the bottom, emerging as a fully equal member of their glorious cacophony. Including liner notes by John Olson of Wolf Eyes. This is one of the most powerful albums in the storied 50-year history of ESP-Disk', and that's saying something!
LP Sale $15
TIGER HATCHERY - Breathing In The Walls (ESP-Disk 5013; USA) Chicago power-jazz trio Tiger Hatchery proudly comes out of the ESP-Disk' free jazz tradition, as Mike Forbes's playing makes clear, but there's an added noise-rock edge, especially in Ben Billington's aggressive drumming, that keeps the sound modern. Andrew Scott Young does much more than lay down the bottom, emerging as an equal member of their glorious cacophony. Their 2013 ESP release, Sun Worship (ESP-DISK 5003CD/LP), earned huzzahs from press and free-jazz aficionados. Personnel: Mike Forbes - saxophones; Andrew Scott Young - basses; Ben Billington - drums.
LP Sale $15
YXIMALLOO with NAOFUMI ISHIMARU - Unpop (ESP Disk 4047; USA) Yximalloo is one of those artists that you will probably read about 10 years after he leaves this planet and wish you owned all his recordings. Don't wait for that to happen! Time is of the essence. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!" -Chuck Bettis/DMG
CD Sale $10