ANOTHER WONDERFULLY PROGRESSIVE WEEK WITH 5 GRAND DISCS from CUNEIFORM: RAY RUSSELL, UNIVERS ZERO, AHLEUCHATISTAS, ZAAR & RICHARD LEO JOHNSON,

3 from CLEAN FEED: VINNY GOLIA/BOBBY BRADFORD QT, JOE MORRIS QT and BENARDO SASSETTI DOUBLE TRIO + PLUNGE w/ BOBO STENSON,

SAM RIVERS' VIOLET VIOLETS, TOM ABBS & FREQUENCY RESPONSE, LOREN CONNORS, WILLIAM HOOKER & LEE RANALDO, TONY CONRAD and MATT DAVIS/RHODRI DAVIES/MARK WASTELL

4 from (DAVE KERMAN'S) AD HOC: THE WORK (TIM HODGKINSON/BILL GILONIS/AMOS/CHRIS CUTLER) LIVE IN JAPAN [reissue], K-SPACE (HODGKINSON/HYDER/CHAMZYRYN), NIMBY (JAMES GRIGSBY/BOB DRAKE/DAVE KERMAN/JERRY WHEELER), and BOB DRAKE [reissue],

5 from CIMP: BYARD LANCASTER QT, BOBBY FEW/AVRAM FEFER QT, ADAM LANE/VINNY GOLIA VIJAY ANDERSON, ERNIE KRIVDA QT & BILL GAGLIARDI QT,

5 from FOR FOUR EARS: KEITH ROWE/GUNTER MULLER/TOMAS KORBER, FREDI STUDER & AMI YOSHIDA, TETUZI AKIYAMA & JASON KAHN , SAMARTZIS, MØLLER & VOICE CRACK and CHRISTIAN WOLFARTH,

LUCIANO BERIO, MOHA! and THOMAS STRONEN plus HISTORIC DISCS from AFRIKA BAMBAATA and BRIDGET ST. JOHN!


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FIVE FANTASTIC NEW DISCS FROM THE EVER-INCREDIBLE CUNEIFORM LABEL:

RAY RUSSELL - Goodbye Svengali (Cuneiform 223) "Like contemporaries Sonny Sharrock and Terje Rypdal, Russell makes it sound as if the guitar is not enough, as if he's reaching for something wilder, something that can't be contained within the 6 string cage" - Jim O'Rourke. Not hugely known to the general public, for over four decades he has worked with artists as diverse as Nucleus, Gil Evans, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, Bill Fay, Jack Bruce, Michael Gibbs, Tina Turner, Bryan Ferry and many, many others. His wide-ranging solo career got into gear during the late 60s and can be viewed as a simultaneous and wilder variant of the same path towards electric jazz that Miles Davis and others took during this time, releasing a number of very collectable and ahead of their time albums, and becoming one of the earliest truly 'out' guitarists of the late 60's in the process. 'Goodbye Svengali' is influenced by and dedicated to visionary jazz arranger Gil Evans, and includes one of Gil's final recordings. It is an album that mixes dark fusion, lyrical guitar pieces and icy soundscapes. Ray's playing style can be compared to such great players as Sonny and Terje, as Jim noted, but also to John McLaughlin, John Abercrombie and Jeff Beck! Includes performances by noted U.K. fusion/rock players such as : Mo Foster, Gary Husband, Tony Hymas, Simon Phillips and others.
"Ray Russell's back with his first solo record in 14 years and, man, it's good. What began as an idea for a series of duets expanded into a much grander project. >From a lovely version of Mingus' classic "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" with just Russell and Gil Evans (recorded back in the eighties) to the out-and-out rock of Blaize, this is a staggeringly wide-ranging album. There's some of the free jazz-rock Russell pioneered in the sixties and seventies on "Everywhere" and in the wild guitar/drums section on the title track. But there's also a softer, tender side present on "Without a Trace" and "Wailing Wall" and a filmic quality to "So Far Away". Yet it never sounds cluttered or fragmented. Instead it moves always easily and convincingly through styles and modes. ItØs RussellØs sound that dominates but that takes nothing from the bravura playing of Gary Husband and, Russell's daughter, Amy Baldwin (fabulous on double bass) or from Miles Evans' touchingly emotional trumpet on 'Goodbye Svengali'. Fusion or jazz-rock rarely sounds this good."- Jazzwise/Duncan Heining
CD for $13

UNIVERS ZERO - LIVE (Cuneiform 220) "Since the late '70's, Univers Zero composer and drummer Daniel Denis has been pursuing his vision of a chamber music that borrows the energy and production of rock, especially working with stereo extremes, but with a classical ambiance. - John Diliberto/Pulse. Univers Zero occupy a special place in the new music pantheon. They practically invented the 'chamber-rock" style and their albums are classics of their kind, with an instantly recognizable sound. Group leader Daniel Denis had long insisted that he wasn't interested in having a performing band, so it was a thrill and a shock when he put together a stable band version of UZ for the 2000's. This edition of the band is the most perfectly realized version of Univers Zero for live performance, which is something that Daniel obviously agrees with, as he had resisted a live album until now. Consisting of six tremendous players: Daniel Denis on drums, Michael Berckmans on bassoon, English horn and oboe, Martin Lauwers on violin, Peter Van Den Berghe on piano & keyboards, Kurt BudØ-clarinet and saxophone and Eric Plantain-bass, the band has finally managed to fulfill Daniel's vision of marrying a rock band with the majesty and power of classical instrumentation. This is an utterly fantastic sounding recording which includes some significant re-arrangements of a number of great works, which bring out new aspects of these pieces! "I must say the live UZ is freakin' great. Congrats. For me, it's their best album since Ceux. Truly an excellent recording too."- Dave Kerman. "...one of the best sounding live documents I know of."- Udi Koomran
CD for $13

AHLEUCHATISTAS - What You Will (Cuneiform 221) "Third and best yet from this amazing instrumental, post-Beefheart, avant-technical, improv-core, math-metal, art-damage, punk-rock power trio from Asheville, NC. Using the simple and classic skeleton of guitar, bass and drums, these three make powerful music that is undeniably 'rock' but is also undeniably much wider in musical influences than what one would imagine in such rock-based work. For example, the opening song is "Remember Rumsfeld at Abu Ghraib"; of course we all know what that title is in reference to, but, huge Charles Mingus fan that I am, I also immediately caught the reference to Charles' great work, "Remember Rockefeller at Attica", which is not a reference I would expect from a rock band. But then, these guys are the most technically adept 'punk' band you will ever hear; they have chops growing on their chops, so surprises are to be expected! The playing from everyone is beyond powerful and while the term "Beefheartian" gets bandied about way too much, the complexity and directness of the playing here really does bear some comparisons. Their music has been developed over playing tons of shows and the sound on the CD reflects this with a very well recorded, but not so "produced", live feeling sound. If they come to your town, go see them. Having said that, if you can't see them live, this CD comes with 3 short, nicely shot QuickTime movies which you can watch on your Mac or PC, so you can see just what you are missing. " - Steve Feigenbaum
CD for $13

ZAAR - Zaar (Cuneiform 224) "This is the debut album by a quartet of musicians who know exactly what they want to do and who already have a totally distinctive ensemble sound! Guitarist Yan Hazera and drummer Michael Hazera are alumni of the great band Sotos, who spent 8 years honing their sound. After Sotos disbanded, they wanted to persue a similar musical vein, utilizing elements of chamber rock, zeuhl, improvisation, Rock In Opposition structured complexity and even French folk traditions. They found an excellent bassist and then gave themselves the unique edge of adding a vielle a roue (hurdy gurdy) player. The vielle a roue dates back to medieval times and has several strings which vibrate by turning a crank attached to a resined wheel. You play a melody by pressing keys on the instrument, while the other strings drone. It's a marvelous instrument and it sounds like nothing else; in this context, it often sounds like a cross between a Mike Ratledge-style electric organ, a cellist and bagpipes! This album includes two lengthy pieces, with several shorter works as well, giving the album a nice balance. While you can certainly hear echoes of Sotos on this album, I think that Zaar have already moved further than Sotos and have the possibility to appeal to a greater number of listeners. Excellently recorded by Bob Drake, who captured the rich overtones of these four instruments - not an easy feat! A band with a unique voice who are in the great French tradition of excellence in 'left-field' rock." - Steve Feigenbaum
CD for $13

RICHARD LEO JOHNSON - The Legend of Vernon McAlister (Cuneiform 222) On this album, Richard has traded in his trademark double-neck acoustic for a well-worn, 1930's National Duolian steel-bodied guitar which he stumbled across. "I pulled it out of the case and was immediately stunned by its playability and tone. Bells, horns, voices and other mysterious qualities emanated from its resonate chamber. Moments later I noticed something etched into the steel body. It was the name Vernon McAlister, apparently the one-time owner of this amazing instrument. Who was Vernon? I could find nothing about him. A myth of sorts emerged, using this wonderful instrument as the nucleus. Every sound on this recording comes directly from the Vernon guitar." Richard was inspired by this unique instrument and its sounds to try something different from any of his other albums. This is a CD of deep beauty and innovation, created with just this old guitar and some simple electronic and tape effects.
CD for $13



FOUR FABULOUS DISCS FROM DAVE KERMAN'S GREAT 'AD HOC' LABEL:

K-SPACE [TIM HODGKINSON/GENDOS CHAMZYRYN/KEN HYDER] - Going Up (Ad Hoc 12) Featuring: Gendos Chamzyryn (Tuva), Tim Hodgkinson (England), Ken Hyder (Scotland). "For 'Going Up', these musicians have super Øimposed performances from different occasions and places, some dating back to Hyder and HodgkinsonØs initial trip to Siberia in 1990, but also concerts staged in Western Europe. These recordings, with their disparate acoustic properties, are overlaid and overlapped to form dense sonic thickets alive with action and event, palpably embedded in the multi-dimensional flux of the world and lived social structures. Human voices conversing, footfalls on frozen ground, a blackbird singing, the sound of the wind or water, the crackling of wood in a fire, audience applause - sounds from specific sites with their own peculiar resonance and significance leak through the K-Space mesh into the listening present. This layering and the filtering through of discrete geographic and temporaloccasions compounds that superimposition already at work in the trio, the piling up and overlap of intense personal experience.
Chamzyryn, a bona fide shaman and folk artist; Hodgkinson, academically trained in social anthropology, an exploratory rock musician, composer and radical improviser; Hyder, jazz drummer, free player, inveterate field worker in remote musical worlds. Chamzyryn brings his astonishing deep-vocal overtone singing and the trance tempo beat of his dungur shaman drum. Hodgkinson plays lap steel guitar and reeds. Hyder, heard drumming and singing, tells me that this music puts into practice 'a whole lot of things we've learned over a very long time'. But that practical knowledge and acquired technique inhere in the substance of this remarkable montage; it's never really a matter of who's playing what or how. Other instruments feature; other sounds whose source is unclear. Going Up layers episodes of instrumental, vocal and environmental sound activity to induce states of listening that don't merely involve expectations being met. It creates its own contexts, shifting shape, juggling time, volatile with details realigning on each listen. And it carries the imprint of a lived world that admits fascination as well as intensity of physical experience. The crucial thing is to hear and feel it. It's made for those of us who want listening to remain a real adventure and an ongoing process of discovery."- Julian Cowley, The Wire
CD for $15

THE WORK [TIM HODGKINSON/BILL GILONIS/AMOS/CHRIS CUTLER] - Live In Japan (Ad Hoc 13) "By 1982 drummer Rick Wilson had left The Work to study Katakali in India and bassist Mick Hobbs followed shortly afterwards over disagreements about what the group should be playing. The remainder of the band then asked Amos (bass) and Chris Cutler (drums) to join them for a tour of Japan that had already been scheduled before the breakup. Together with sound engineer Chris Gray, the group flew there in June to play three concerts in Tokyo and one in Osaka. The recording that became 'Live in Japan' was taken at the Osaka concert, the only one on the tour that was recorded. A Japan-only release followed (on Recommended Records Japan), which has been out of print for over 20 years and is virtually impossible to find anywhere. This disc re-issues the concert for the first time, adding the extremely rare, red flexi-disc, live version of ØI Hate AmericaØ, as a bonus track. This is a different and extremely in-your-face version of The Work, made more so by the original processing of the (cassette) recording, which brought everything to the front of the mix, accentuating every hit and roar. Tim is in screaming form and the band take extreme liberties with the material, somehow staying inside the songs while systematically splitting them open and spitting them out in ruins. There's an awful lot going on here, and yet it somehow remains uncluttered. Best listened to loud, as intended; although this disk sounds loud, even when quiet. The original source tapes were recorded onto cassette, and mastered by the band one evening in an Osaka bedroom. Udi Koomran's remastering has not sanitised or modernised the sound - which was essential to the spirit of the music - but has cleaned it up and made it even more what it is." This is a really great album and Udi made what I always thought of a not very good live recording sound really great in a utterly loud, raw way; I hope that a billion of you buy this so Ad Hoc will do their long awaited (by me) The Work gigantic reissue series."
CD for $15

NIMBY [JAMES GRIGSBY/BOB DRAKE/DAVE KERMAN/JERRY WHEELER] - Songs for Adults - (Ad Hoc Records 09) Featuring Jerry Wheeler - lead vocals, trombone, harmonica, whistling, James Grigsby - guitar, organ, voice, Bob Drake - vocals, bass guitar, korg ms20, guitar, violin, banjo and Dave Kerman - drums, percussion, voice "Wheeler, Grigsby, Drake and Kerman are best known for their long-time and influential careers as denizens of the American "Rock in Opposition" school of music. Tired of hearing music designed for teenagers? Bored with all that revisionist jazz and self-indulgent art-noise? Here's something completely unexpected, from veterans of Motor Totemist Guild, Thinking Plague, 5UU's, and Giant Ant Farm. The result of this detour from their usual avant-gardism is a splendid recording, made mostly live in a barn in the south of France, of a 21st Century song-cycle representing a tongue-in-cheek manifesto for middle age in crisis. But this is not a collection of songs so much as a quiver of sonic arrows, each set in an extant style (ballad, shuffle, dirge, tango, bossa nova). Moreover, the NIMBY players possess the musical chops to make this a swingin' scene from start to finish, rip into the sides on this recording like beetles entering bark. And Wheeler's voice is an on-key velvet granite, perfect to intone with Grigsby's."
CD for $15

BOB DRAKE - What Day Is It? (Ad Hoc 10) 'What Day Is It?' is the re-issue of Bob's very first solo disc (originally self-manufactured in art packaging - here though, professionally packaged for mass market sales). It already exhibits Bob's characteristic traits: golden fingers, hi-wire vocals, eyebrow-raising country-picking, loose-but-right-in-the-pocket drums, eccentric chord inversions, and a bass-guitar sound to die for. Sitting happily with the fantasy 'Yes' Euro-progressive surface is the rather more substantial depth of a bluegrass and rooted-rock American culture; an almost unique combination and one hard to imitate (or even imagine, until you hear Bob do it). But then, Bob has always marched to the beat of a different drummer, manifestly careless of the fashion or of the easier, more superficial aspects of the music he has absorbed.
CD for $15



A NEW SAM RIVERS RELEASE!!!

SAM RIVERS With BEN STREET/KRESTEN OSGOOD - Violet Violets (Stunt 5112; EEC) You can bet BLG will give you a review on this next week..if they last!
CD $17

And, still available...

SAM RIVERS With BEN STREET/KRESTEN OSGOOD And BRYAN CARROT - Purple Violets (Stunt 416; EEC)
CD $17



A REISSUE WE JUST HAD TO MENTION UP-FRONT!...

ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO - Chi-Congo (Fuel 2K; USA) Muhal Richard Abrams, Joseph Jarman, Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors, Roscoe Mitchell. Recorded in Paris 1970, this is the last of the key early recordings to finally be available on CD!!!
(now if only 'Eda Wobu' and 'Go Home' were legitimately currently available...)
CD $13



Reviews upcoming for these next two..

JOE FONDA/MICHAEL JEFRY STEVENS GROUP With HERB ROBERTSON/HARVEY SORGEN - Live At The Alte Paketpost, December 7th 2003 [ltd ed CD-R] (self released; Germany)
CD $14

HARVEY SORGEN/STEVE RUST/MICHAEL JEFRY STEVENS - Decade (Not Two 762; EEC)
CD $17


JAH WOBBLE - Mu (Trojan/Sanctuary 34111) Featuring Jah Wobble on bass, beats, vocals & compositions, Jean-Pierre Rasle & Clive Bell on pipes & flutes, Chris Cookson on guitar, Harry Beckett on trumpet (1 track only), Sylvia Hallet on viola & sarangi and Mark Angelo Lusardi on keyboards, guitar & programming. This is about the 25th Jah Wobble disc on his own label, although this one is being distributed through Sanctuary. Jah's phat bass sound is at the center of this groovy gem, as is ususally the case. For a change, Jah sings (quite nicely) on some of tracks, something we haven't heard much of in the past. Jah's thick, dub-like bass always gets the groove going and provides an endlessly hypnotic vibe. Both Clive Bell and Jean-Pierre Rasle are longtime members of Jah's bands and always provide their layers of assorted bagpipes, swirling around the mix. Mr. Wobble's immense sounding electric bass throbs at the center, providing a heartbeat for the never-ending party of exotic, ethnic blends. This is the first Wobble disc in quite a while that doesn't include a drummer (Mark Sanders or Jaki Leibzeit), yet the programmed beats are still pretty well used. Those thick bass lines really give my small speakers a hard time, so you should probably listen this disc on a system that can handle that vast low-end throb. A truly groovy effort that made me want to get up and get down! Thanks, Jah, it certainly feels good. Jah Wobble & His English Roots Band will be performing at Irving Plaza next Thursday, January 26th. You too get down! - BLG
CD for $15


TOM ABBS & FREQUENCY RESPONSE - The Animated Adventures of Know [CD & DVD set] (482 Music 1039) Featuring Tom Abbs on bass, tuba, dijeradoo, strings & compositions, Oscar Noriega on clarinets & alto sax, Okkyung Lee on cello, Jean Cook on violin, Alex Harding on bari sax and Chad Taylor on drums & vibes. Tom calls this movie, "an emotional portrait in sound and images". Tom Abbs is one of the more formidable bassists and composers to emerge from the downtown scene in the recent past. Although, this is his second disc as a leader, he can heard on a dozen recordings with Cooper-Moore in Triptych Myth, Ori Kaplan, Steve Swell and Jemeel Moondoc. When I've caught him live, what is most striking is the way he has a dijeradoo and a violin attached to his contrabass, playing them all at the same time.
An immense amount of work has gone into the preparation and making of this music and movie. The music does have a most cinematic quality to it with each section evoking a variety of moving, yet connected images. The first disc features just the music and it unfolds slowly, one section (of nine) at a time. While the bass and drums create the skeleton, Oscar Noriega's thoughtful bass clarinet and Okkyung's eerie cello play haunting harmonies together. On "Awakening", the buzzing strings erupt together while Oscar's clarinets sail through the center calmly concentrating, while the surrounding frenzy continues until the vibes and percussion take us out to a more spacious conclusion. Okkyung Lee has a unique way of twisting the strings of her cello and on "Rebellion", both she, Tom on bass and Jean Cook on violin, all bend their strings inside-out in a way that is quite mesmerizing and perhaps a bit scary, at least until Oscar's clarinet calms things down a bit. On "Division", two clarinets (Alex & Oscar) both stretch their notes out ominously as the strings and drums create suspense-filled textures, when the dijeradoo comes in it as if some cosmic ritual is taking place and spirits are being set free. A marvelous Trane-like prayer/communion. What Tom does best is creating layers of textures while one or people takes inspired solos. While Alex Harding takes a screaming baritone sax solo on "Holding On", the rest of the ensemble swirl in waves around him, often dense and quite riveting at times.
The movie itself includes the same music, yet the visuals add another dimension to the experience. Each scene begins with a few written sentences describing an idea to think about as we view the moving images. We see a young boy running and rolling in a field as well as some blurred images. Some of the dizzying images of buildings, the ground moving as we walk down a city block and hyper-activity of people racing by fit the chaotic music very well indeed. For me, the theme here is the alienation of modern life, as well as the balance between the simplicity of nature and the complexity of dealing with life around us. We are all at odds with this precarious balance in life, so this movie does make sense on a few levels. Although there a feeling of uneasiness that runs through the entire work, this does makes it more like life itself. - BLG
2 CD set for $18



THREE NEW DISCS FROM THE PHENOMENAL PORTUGESE 'CLEAN FEED' LABEL:

VINNY GOLIA QUARTET - Sfumato (Clean Feed 36/Portugal) Featuring Bobby Bradford on trumpet, Vinny Golia on reeds, Ken Filiano on bass and Alex Cline on drums. Texas-raised trumpeter Bobby Bradford has long been associated with idiosyncratic reed players. Most people know him as the brass-man in an important -- but little recorded -- version of Ornette Coleman's Quartet in the early 1960s; others recall his long partnership with the late clarinetist John Carter with whom he recorded a series of memorable, interrelated LPs in the 1970s and 1980s. Just as noteworthy however has been his decades-long collaboration with multi-woodwind player Vinny Golia, live and on record, the most recent of which is displayed in glorious fashion on this CD.
Like Bradford, with whom he hooked up with in Los Angeles, Golia is a non-Californian who has adopted the Golden State as his home. Bronx, N.Y.-born Golia, who is also a visual artist, is famed for his impressive command of nearly every member of the reed family -- more than two dozen and counting when last heard. He's also a doer, who from his base in Beverly Hills -- an address known for anything but musical innovation -- has nurtured, employed and recorded scores of young and/or under-appreciated creative improvisers from all parts of the North American West Coast.
Drummer Alex Cline and Angelo-turned-Brooklynite bassist Ken Filiano, featured on this CD, are two of those musicians. Besides impressive work in other contexts, both have been part of various Golia groups, ranging from combos to big bands, for at least two decades. 'Sfumato', the CD, named for a painting technique coined by Leonardo da Vinci and used in his master works such as the Mona Lisa, is a particularly fine example of this mature quartet's interactive art. The disc was recorded in Lisbon, just before the band participated in Jazz ao Centro - Encontros Internacionais de Coimbra - 2003, a festival that takes place in a location two hours drive north of the Portuguese capital. Obviously pumped for what proved to be an enthusiastically received performance, the band members give their all on Sfumato, which features nine of Golia's distinctive compositions. It also provides the composer with a peerless showcase in which to demonstrate his prowess on sopranino and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, G piccolo and contrabass flute.
Sfumato, the visual arts term, is mutated from the Italian words for smoke and blended. The procedure overlays translucent layers of color to create perceptions of depth, volume and form -- blending these attributes so subtly that there's no perceptible transition between one and another. CD for $17 JOE MORRIS QUARTET - Beautiful Existence (Clean Feed 50/Portugal) Featuring Joe Morris on guitar, Jim Hobbs on sax, Timo Shanko on bass and Luther Gray on drums. This is avant-jazz guitar hero Joe Morris backed by Boston's Fully Celebrated Orchestra. The last time I heard this quartet, they were pretty amazing. Review as soon as we get those promos in hand.
CD for $17

BERNARDO SASSETTI TRIO2 - Ascent (Clean Feed 046/Potugal) Featuring Ajda Zupanic on cello, Jean-Francois Leze on vibes, Bernardo Sassetti on piano & compositions, Carlos Barretto on bass and Alexandre Frazao on drums. This is Mr. Sassetti's third disc for Clean Feed, after a fine trio offering with the same rhythm team as here and a superb solo piano double disc. Bernardo has added a cellist and vibes player to his trio on this disc. Starting with the stark, melancholy "Do Silencio Revelacao", and slowly building in tempo on the traditional piece, "El Testament d'Amelia", with Bernardo's piano at its most lyrical and calm. The music throughout this disc is often quite beautiful with the trio often at the center of most of the songs. Things take off on ""Reflexos", which has an eastern-like melody and a hypnotic repeating figure that appears in the second half. The cover shows an outdoor shot through a foggy window of a tree in the rain and that same rainy day vibe (like today for me) seems to be the way this entire disc feels. The cellist is featured here and there, not soloing so much as adding some soft, warm colors to the music. This could be music for one of those somber European movies that couples like to warm up to. So relax, stretch out and groove to 'Ascent'. Towards the end, the tension increases to boiling point for parts of "(In)diferente", a nice way bring (y)our affair to a fine close. - BLG
CD for $17



THREE NEW DISCS FROM THE MYSTERIOUS 'TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS' LABEL:

LOREN CONNORS - Sails [2 CD set] (Table of the Elements 089). "To accompany guitarist Loren Connors (nee Mazzacane) is to discover a strange and forgotten America, then venture irreversibly beyond. Connors is frequently pegged as an avant bluesman, and the blues are never far from the surface of his art -- but what a shimmering surface it is! The brevity and lyricism of his improvisations bear the mark of haiku; the floating, expressionist tones reflect the influence of Mark Rothko; and as he conjures keening Celtic wails, Connors offers himself as medium to the ghosts of New York City Past. With Sails, Connors enters the third decade of such intimate explorations. In the course of these two discs, we pass through saturated phrasings, slowly undulating drones, doldrumic introspection and squalls of white noise. The penultimate highlight is a duet with Connors' aesthetic compadre, the late, great John Fahey. It's an intuitive and seemingly predestined meeting of two enlightened fellow-travelers: wily Fahey as the Dr. Livingstone of raw Americana to Connors' indefatigable Stanley. For his own part, Connors can evoke more clarity and purity in a short cluster of notes than most of his shred-happy contemporaries can muster in a lifetime -- and with Fahey's passing, he may be justifiably considered this country's greatest living guitarist. Ultimately, Loren Connors path, while not for the timid, is one of unspeakable treasure: a journey to the heart of brightness; a quest to penetrate a Terra Incognita of the soul."
2 CD set for $17

WILLIAM HOOKER/LEE RANALDO - The Celestial Answer (Table of the Elements 102) "As individual performers, William Hooker and Lee Ranaldo are explosive. As collaborators, they are thermonuclear. A kinetic, avant percussionist and poet, Hooker is one of New York's most important band leaders, having fronted groups that included David Murray and David S. Ware. Ranaldo leads the improv supergroup Text of Light, whose fluid membership includes Hooker, as well as Christian Marclay, Tim Barnes and Mission of Burma's Roger Miller -- and of course, he's a co-founder of the indefatigably experimental Sonic Youth. With The Celestial Answer, Hooker and Ranaldo have created a work of blindingly brilliant, elemental force. Rays of white guitar noise penetrate clouds of analog synth; molten drumming blasts across free-form poetics. The dynamic is beautiful and inspired -- a simple cold-fusion of intuitive interaction and boundless sonic freedom. These are thoughtful and emotionally attuned artists. Open your ears and they'll take you on a soaring voyage through an ecstatic firmament, into the howling mouth of infinity."
CD for $15

TONY CONRAD - Fantastic Glissando (Table of the Elements 082) "It's 1969, and Tony Conrad wants to take you Higher. Celebrated for the thrilling roar of his amplified violin, Conrad is a founding father of 'minimalism' and a giant in the American soundscape. Now Conrad's own Audio ArtKive imprint presents the first in a series of releases that reveal the wild breadth of his 40-year career, including field recordings, piano compositions, film soundtracks and more. Fantastic Glissando (1969) is a series of (d)evolving electronic compositions created with sine-wave oscillators. The instrumentation is different, but the effect is typical Conrad: soaring, aggressively textured and jet-engine massive. This first-time CD release contains an extra ten-minute bonus track not included on the original LP version."
CD for $15



FIVE NEW DISCS FROM THE FINE FOLKS AT 'C.I.M.P.' [CADENCE sister label]:

BYARD LANCASTER QUARTET - Pam Africa (CIMP 331) With Ed Crockett, Bert Harris, Harold E Smith. One of Philly's finest saxists brings his fab quartet up to the Spirit Room for some inpsired playing.
CD for $15

BOBBY FEW/AVRAM FEFER QUARTET - Sanctuary (CIMP 333) Featuring Bobby Few on piano, Avram Fefer on saxes, Hill Greene on acoustic bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums.
CD for $15

ADAM LANE/VINNY GOLIA/VIJAY ANDERSON - Music Degree Zero (CIMP 335) Second offering from this great trio featuring Adam Lane on contrabass, Vinny Golia on multi-reeds and Vijay Anderson on drums. Their first CIMP disc was great as was their recent tour. Review next week.
CD for $15

ERNIE KRIVDA QUINTET - Stellar Sax (CIMP 334; USA) With Bob Fraser, Domick Farinacci, Jeff Halsey and Carmen Intorre
CD $15

BILL GAGLIARDI QUINTET - Memories of Tomorrow (CIMP 332) Featuring Bill Gagliardi on sax, John Carlson on trumpet, Ken Wessel on guitar, Dave Hofstra on bass and Lou Grassi on drums.
CD for $15



FIVE NEW DISCS FROM THE 'FOR 4 EARS' LABEL:

KEITH ROWE/GUNTER MULLER/TOMAS KORBER - Fibre (For 4 Ears 1657/Swiss) "Fibre consists of two recordings: One of the duo Korber/Rowe and another of the trio Korber/Muller/Rowe. Recorded at the same day and in the same room (in the afternoon and late evening respectively), this recording show a stunning homogeneity that is accentuated by Korber mixing the material into one continuous track. The music on this CD evolves in a slow, organic way and is dominated by a constant hissing and buzzing that, not unlike the movement of the tides, covers and uncovers subtle sonic details and often menaces to swallow everything in its path."
CD for $15

FREDY STUDER/AMI YOSHIDA - Duos 21-27 (For 4 Ears 1656) "This is the 4th volume of Studer's series of duos with woman-improvisors. This time he met the amazing voice of the young Japanese singer Ami Yoshida. Remarkable Studer's subtle playing of cymbals and gongs, and Yoshida's voice knocks you out anyway."
CD for $15

TETUZI AKIYAMA/JASON KAHN - Till We Meet Again (For 4 Ears 1654) "Akiyama's deep blues guitar playing melts perfectly together with Kahn's smooth percussion and synthesizer sounds. On Till We Meet Again you will find five duo pieces and two solo pieces of each of them."
CD for $15

SAMARTZIS/MULLER/VOICE CRACK - wireless_within (For 4 Ears 1655) "Together with the album Oystered of Ambarchi - Muller - Voice Crack on Audiosphere, wireless_within are the very last recordings of the legendary Voice Crack. Together with Muller and Melbourne-based Philip Samartzis they create stunning atmospheric soundscapes - recorded one day after they visited together a rain forest in South Australia."
CD for $15

CHRISTIAN WOLFARTH - Wolfarth (For 4 Ears 1658) "On this CD, his second as a solo artist, we hear Swiss percussionist Christian Wolfarth at his most focused and restrained. Unlike many contemporary drummers, Wolfarth has never expanded his instrument with electronic devices, nevertheless he explores an aesthetic that could be called 'electronic' in some respects. Reduction plays an important role in Wolfarth's music as does an almost obsessive love for the detail and an impressive palette of sonic possibilities that the drummer has been developing over the past 15 years of intense solo-playing."
CD for $15


TOM BRUNO/ANDERS NILSSON - In The Ozone [ltd ed CD-R] (Bootleg 01-self-produced) Tom Bruno is the legendary drummer for local improv quartet Test, one of the most intense bands around and known for playing at near-by subway stops, often scaring the shit out of unsuspecting commuters. Anders Nilsson is one of downtown's best electric jazz/rock guitarists. He works with Ras Moshe around here and leads a great quartet called called Aorta in his homeland of Sweden with two fine discs under their belt. 'In the Ozone' was recorded live at the Glass House Gallery in Brooklyn in May of this year and featuring just one long 26 minute piece. This duo has been playing together weekly for the past few years and have achieved a fine balance. I've known Tom Bruno for some twenty years and am still amazed that he hasn't garnered the credit he has long deserved. He has that great, Elvin Jones-like swirling ability of moving around the drums in waves. This is a very simple stereo recording , yet it sounds just right, nicely balanced. Anders plays shards of twisted notes, bending certain notes like a bluesman, as Tom plays cautiously along side. Anders uses occasional feedback and plays on the noisier side at times, always creating moods that work well with Tom's ongoing dialogue. Rather than going over the top too quickly, they take their time slowly building the momentum together. It sounds as if they are playing in slow motion, yet the pace seems to work to their advantage. Perhaps not really amazing, but still worthy of (y)our time ... - BLG
CD-R for $11 (limited edition of 20)

PLUNGE - With Bobo Stenson (Kopasetic 007/Sweden) Featuring Bobo Stenson on piano, Andreas Andersson on saxes, Mattias Hjorth on double bass and Peter Nilsson on drums. Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson is a longtime ECM all-star leader, working with Don Cherry & George Russell, co-leading bands with Jan Garbarek throughout the 70's and still releasing trio discs on ECM in the 90's. On 'Plunge', Bobo collaborates with a younger generation of Swedish players. Most of the tracks were composed by the entire quartet, making them group improvisations, with one track written by three of the four players. Much of this reminds me of those great recordings by the Garbarek/Stenson Quartet, yet without the ECM icy sound. Andreas Andersson has a strong, warm sound on tenor sax, as well as a sly, sublime tone on soprano sax. This music often has laid back, spacious and lyrical quality to it, not really very free sounding. The quartet play well together, anticipating each other very well, moving in waves at times. Sometimes haunting, sometimes delicate. The four pieces written by individual members or by a trio are especially fine as they resonate with enchanting melodies. This fine endeavor could of been a contender for ECM catalogue of gems, yet it remains a bit obscure, released by a small label in Sweden with minimal distribution here. Don't miss out on this one. - BLG
CD for $14

BROKEN CONSORT [MATT DAVIS/RHODRI DAVIES/MARK WASTELL] - Done (Quakebasket 24) Broken Consort features Matt Davis on trumpet, electronics & processing, Rhodri Davies on harp & preparations and Mark Wastell on cello, preparations and amplified textures. This disc features solo, duo and trio improvisations from 2002. Rhodri Davies and Mark Wastell are/were members of IST with Simon H. Fell, one of most fascinating improv trios to grace the stage of Tonic, during a Derek Bailey curated Company fest about four years back. Both musicians have continued to evolve their sonic palette with manipulations, preparations and playing objects other than their main instruments (harp & cello). Mark also runs an important record store in north London and when he played at the Erstwhile Fest in NY last year, he play a percussion duet (mostly gongs) with Tim Barnes. Trumpeter Matt Davis can be heard on an Erstwhile disc with Wastell and Phil Durrant. 'Done' opens with a short solo from Rhodri on prepared acoustic harp. Suspense, space and strange sounds not quite harp-like make this an enchanting piece. A long trio piece is next and it is a marvelous, spacious journey. Soft, eerie feedback, long stretches of silence, breath-like sounds on the trumpet mouth-piece, bowed cymbals, bowed and manipulated strings, occasional percussive sounds and carefully constructed sounds - make us pay attention to each texture, as well as the use of space around each sound. The electronics and processing are used just as minimally so that each sound and space of equal importance. Sometimes soft, strange sounds will float by, making it difficult to tell what instrument is actually being played, yet the entire soundscape remains mostly mesmerizing nonetheless. - BLG
CD $14



TWO NEW ONE FROM 'RUNE GRAMMOFON'..


MOHA! - Raus Aus Stavanger (Rune Grammofon 2049/Norway) MoHa! is the latest Rune Grammofon signing and, after a series of highly-sought after CD-Rs, this is the Norwegian duo's first proper full-length release. Comprised of guitarist Anders Hana and percussionist Morten Olsen, this is the absolute in improv/guitar/electronics violence. Hana and Olsen have played together since 1999, in duo or in collaboration with Andrew D'Angelo/Morthana, Ultralyd, Frode Gjerstad Trio, PhØ, John Hegre, Ingebrigt H. Flaten, Maja Ratkje, PØl Jackman and Per Zanussi. In addition, they are members of the N-Collective, and apart have participated in musical acts such as Noxagt, Thomas Dybdahl & TGOS, Jaga Jazzist, M/N/O/G and Office-R(6). Both have played with greats such as Paal Nilssen-Love, Steve Lacy, Axel DØrner, Mats Gustafsson, Lasse Marhaug, Fred Frith, Trevor Dunn and Arve Henriksen. Raus Aus Stavanger displays the best of the duo's most recent output, with noise-based rock textures, good old cheap contact microphones, screeing guitar and ear-battering, processed drums. This release was recorded in analogue heaven Athletic Sound, home of great sounding releases from Supersilent and Scorch Trio. And if pushed to find references, it's probably these two acts MoHa! have most in common with. Everything was recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, showing two young musicians playing at a very high level of control, communication and creative power. CD for $16

THOMAS STRONEN - Pohlitz (Rune Grammofon 2051/Norway) This is the first solo release from Thomas StrØnen who is founder and leader of the Norwegian/British band Food. Stronen has since long established himself as much more than a traditional drummer, but also as a composer of percussion and electronics, as well as an active contributor to other major projects including the Humcrush duo with Supersilent keyboardist Stale Storlokken, the Maria Kannegaard Trio and Parish, the quartet he leads with ace Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson. Stronen has also worked with trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, the Cikada String quartet and singer Silje Nergaard. Pohlitz marks the 30th release Stronen has appeared on, and the eight tracks show a mature writer and arranger, the music sharing some possible references with minimalists such as Steve Reich, traditional gamelan music as well as fellow Norwegian Arne Nordheim's classic electronic exercises. From jazz, to improv, to electronics, each detail and melodic element is an important part of the whole picture. Thomas Stronen has already done several solo live shows under the Pohlitz name and will continue to do so in the future, all the music being played and processed live in real-time.
CD for $16


NEW CONTEMPORARY COMPOSER ITEMS.....

LUCIANO BERIO - Canticum novissimi testamenti, A-ronne (Wergo 6678/Germany) "The mutual passion they shared for the sound of language was the basis for the long and fruitful collaboration between writer Edoardo Sanguineti and composer Luciano Berio. Sanguineti was the leader of the Italian avant-garde movement of the 1960s and formerly, a Communist senator in the Italian parliament. He remains one of Italy's most respected thinkers, teaching literature at the University of Genoa. Sanguineti considers Berio's Canticum novissimi testamenti and A-Ronne to be the most successful musical settings of his texts. In his obituary for his friend, Sanguineti wrote in 2003: 'For me he embodies purely and simply how music can be planned and thought today.' A-Ronne begins with the biblical assertion that the word stood at the beginning of all things and concludes with the line 'in the end is my music.' In Canticum novissimi testamenti Berio traces the subtle nuances and shifting moods of the poem with elegantly homogeneous sound from eight singers and eight winds."
CD for $22

IANNIS XENAKIS//MAURICE RAVEL - Complete Music For Piano//Gaspard De La Nuit (Neuma 450 104) Marc Ponthus, piano
CD $16

OLIVIER MESSIAEN - Harawi: Song Of Love And Death (Koch) performed by Lucy Shelton soprano and John Constable piano.
CD $10.00 7 for 6 SALE



B.L.G. & M.A.P. Review Recent Treasures...

MANUEL MENGIS GRUPPE 6 - Into the Barn (Hatology 627/Switzerland) Featuing Manuel Mengis on trumpet & compositions, Achim Escher on alto sax, Christoph Erb on tenor sax, Flo Stoffner on electric guitar, Marcel Stalder on electric bass and Lionel Friedli on drums. For the second time in the past year, the Hatology label, has released sextet disc by a group of virtually unknown players and has again come up with a winner. Can't say that I've heard of any members of this amazing Swiss based sextet, previous to this disc. What we find here is four long pieces, each amazing and diverse. "Toni,Toni" opens with some heavy jazz/rock grooving, with squawking saxes, yet it is tightly written as well as played. The electric bass plays a quick repeating figure as Manuel plays a superb Miles-like muted trumpet solo. Both saxes play intricate parts underneath the trumpet solo as the drummer makes time on a garbage can lid or a bent cymbal-on-drum. "Suzie And The Ponies" begins slowly with some lovely trumpet played above the exquisite saxes and guitar parts underneath. The rhythm team here is rock solid throughout with the electric bass often providing the central thread holding things together, the guitar and drums also constantly shifting tempos and hairpin turns. Guitarist, Flo Stoffer, reminds me of Marc Ducret, tone-wise and takes odd, twisted and often stark solos, rubbing or banging on the strings as well as using some echo device to loop those strange sounds. What stands out the most is Manuel's shrewd and fascinating composing, you never know when one section will turn itself into something very different from what has gone before. "Elk" begins with a funky yet free-ish groove, the horns swirling one moment, soon playing in locked patterns, then more fine solos from the trumpet & tenor sax as the rhythm team simmers below. This music often recalls some of the fresh and innovative jazz/rock of the mid-70's coming out of the UK (If maybe?!?). Another unexpected treasure from the consistently engaging folks at Hatology. - BLG
CD for $20

DAVID LIEBMAN - The Distance Runner (Hatology 628/Switzerland) This disc features Dave Liebman's first ever solo concert performance playing soprano & tenor saxes & wooden flute. Although he has recorded four solo sax efforts in the studio previously, this was a first in his long 35+ year career. The first piece, "The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner: Mind and Body" is for soprano sax and it is an incredibly poignant piece, dedicated the late Steve Lacy, who played only soprano sax. Dave's tone and sound are just so exquisite, rich, warm and breathtaking. "Colors: Red, Gray, Blue" is for tenor sax and Dave reaches for the stars with that swell Trane-like tone and occasional screaming notes, eventually sailing down quietly to more calm currents. Sidney Bechet's "Petite Fleur" is one of the two covers here and is done on soprano sax, the instrument that Mr. Bechet was an early champion of. A somber piece that Dave does a fine job with, playfully bending the notes slightly here and there. Dave really sails on that soprano on "The Tree: Roots, Limbs, Branches" like a bird in flight gliding on the wind. "Mother; Father" is a haunting piece for wooden flute, very Eastern in sound and tastefully done. It ends with some lovely, soft tenor shades. There is one epic-length work called "Time Immemorial" for hypnotic layers of taped saxes, subtle sound effects and live tenor sax. Some of the taped saxes are stretched our and sound like an organ, the wind or other strange sonic stuff. Dave weaves his way through the collage of spacious and reflective sounds, both on tenor and on soprano saxes. Closing his solo recital is Coltrane's "Peace on Earth", Trane being Liebman's biggest influence. It is a touching tribute to an older tenor titan and done warmly, directly from the heart. -BLG
CD for $20

GILLI SMYTH/GONG MATRICES - Parade (Voiceprint 353/UK) Although poetess/sorceress Gilli Smyth's musical career stretches back to Daevid Allen's very first solo effort, 'Magick Brother, Mystic Sister' from 1970 and she was an integral part of the original Gong band, she rarely has gotten the legendary status heaped upon her former partner, Daevid Allen. She developed the "space whisper", an important part of the original Gong sound and has long been a formidable poet, feminist and philosopher. She has at least a half dozen releases out under her own name, but there could be twice as many as that. Her band on this release is called Gong Matrices, it spontaneously grew out of some jams at the 1999 Progressive Music Festival in San Francisco. The personnel features Pierce McDowell on bass, keyboards, loops and co-composer, James Rotondi on guitar (from Grassy Knoll & Mr. Bungle), Arych Frankfurter on violin & flute and Stephen Junca on percussion. Pierce, Arych & Stephen are all members of a band called Azigza. Gilli's sexy, enchanting voice and cosmic/poetic lyrics are featured throughout. The band play a wonderfully hypnotic, dub/space groove on "Welcome to the Parade", while Gilli welcomes the audience to the inner parade. Each of Gilli's songs/tales have a moral or idea to think about. "Demon Barbie & The Super Computer Matrix" speaks her truth about being real only on the inside of what is viewed from the outside. Does a computer have or need a soul? Interesting question. Gilli's luscious voice and this ever-enchanting space music do a fine job of washing over us like layers of dreams. "Battlefield/That's All Right George" is a harrowing prayer for mankind, no thanks to the efforts of our foolish president. E-mail from god, who is thinking of resigning and "virtual lovers" who only meet on a computer screen. Lots of food for thought as we travel the spaceways. The music is consistently mesmerizing, uplifting and perfect for our journey to inner or outer space. Gilli Smyth is like Mother Nature, the one true mother that we all need to make the world a better place. Amen. - BLG
CD for $16


QUENTIN DUBOST/WADE MATTHEWS/STEPHANE RIVES/INGAR ZACH - Dining Room Music (Creative Sources 39; EEC) Recorded in a unique opulent room in Beirut, Lebanon, this 2004 quartet session is an outstanding example of free improvisation breaking new musical ground closer to notationalists like Xenakis and Dumitrescu than previous generations of improvisors by introducing new timbres and avoiding narrative structures. It's practically meaningless to describe the instrumentation by its surface of electric guitar (Dubost), bass clarinet or alto flute (Matthews), soprano sax (Rives), and percussion (Zach), because each of the musicians has developed an unconventional vocabulary that typically obscures the instrument's identity and overlaps with the others. Further, the overriding structural tendency is to unify the individual parts into sustained textures or sound masses whose power is lost to a listener trying identify these parts instead of experiencing the extended forms traversed by the whole. This is achieved at both very low and fairly high volumes with very few rapid dynamic transitions, and a loose similarity to Xenakis' Kraanerg can be cited, including the brooding and gruelling qualities of some of the passages that never devolve into noisy mush thanks to the strictly acoustic sound sources of Matthews, Rives, and Zach, and the careful post-Rowe electroacoustic sounds of Dubost. Sonorous and gritty sounds are given equal prominence by all four musicians, with Zach emphasizing long tones generated by bowing and rubbing various objects (and I believe using small motored devices to make textures from fast dull clicks), Rives using his utterly original vocabulary of seething and cascading fricatives, Dubost nursing thin layers of feedback and pickup burrs, and Matthews issuing piercing long tones, breath textures, etc. For an ad hoc free improv ensemble, the lapses in focus are remarkably infrequent and have their own charm as layers peel away and eventually get replaced. For long stretches we are treated to riveting and gritty anti-narrative improv of the highest quality. -Michael Anton Parker
CD $14

WADE MATTHEWS - Aspirations & Inspirations: Solo Improvisations 2002/04 (Creative Sources 26; EEC) A vital disc collecting close-miked solo recordings from 2002 and 2004 on bass clarinet and alto flute by Wade Matthews, a virtuosic improv veteran who's been integral to the creative music scene in Spain for many years. The recording techniques allow Matthews to explicitly focus on the breath sounds that are traditionally suppressed by wind instrumentalists, in alignment with the recent lowercase movement defined by emphasis on overlooked sonic details. Shadows of conventional tones share the foreground with the sounds of mouth on mouthpiece and fingers on keys, creating three layers of distinct timbres. "Ice Palace" is an especially beautiful example with its gentle irregular cycles of key pops and wire-thin long tones revealing the essence of the flute as a source of delicate timbral marginalia unattainable by saxophones and trumpets, the instruments more commonly mined for lowercase acoustic improv. While there are a few generous passages of sparse and soft air massages, Matthews' primary aesthetic is familiar busy playing in the tradition of Parker, Braxton, etc, accounting for both the disc's rare weak spot of empty virtuosity and the disc's many dizzying passages of timbral and rhythmic jump-cuts. While the action-packed phrasal motion may be familiar, it's a rare thrill to hear it conveyed almost exclusively in this barely charted timbral territory. Most dizzying are the three tracks recorded by Laurent Sassi using "multiple mics panned across the stereo spectrum" (see Mark Dresser's recent solo masterpiece Unveil for a contrabass analogue), sounding at times like an overdubbed assortment of field recordings of root canals in a dentist's office inhabited by vociferous dogs. The thrills even extend to illusions of digitally-damaged electronica with sharp packets of aliens sounds in awkward rhythmic arrangements. While the increasingly dominant role of electrically-dependent devices in musical creation should be celebrated, it's folks like Matthews who point the way towards a future in which electricity can be limited to microphones to tap the unrealized potential of acoustic instruments as fruitfully as it can be applied to laptops and other intrinsically electric devices. At the same time, he's typical of folks who split their effort between these two courses and I'm told his recent disc of solo electronic music on Sillon is a winner too. -Michael Anton Parker
CD $14




HISTORIC RECORDINGS, REISSUES and RESTOCKS FOR THIS WEEK:

DAVID TOOP Compiler [V.A.] - Haunted Weather [2 CD set] (Staubgold 52; Germany) "Compiled by David Toop, the author of the landmark book of music Ocean Of Sound, and released parallel to his new book Haunted Weather, published by Serpent's Tail. Features 33 tracks with a total running time of 2 hours+. The double CD features a wide selection of artists written up in the book, including Autechre, Oval, Matmos, Fennesz, Pan Sonic, Chris Watson, Terre Thaemlitz, Alvin Lucier, Otomo Yoshihide, Christian Marclay, John Oswald, David Toop/Max Eastley and many more. Haunted Weather provides an international insight into new electronic music worldwide. David Toop's knowledge of and interest in music of all kinds is second to none. A musical travel diary, recording the way people work with and experience sound in the 21st century. Digital music, performance and technology -- downloaded and unzipped for your convenience. Digital technology has changed the ways in which music is perceived, stored, distributed, mediated and created. The world of music is now a vast and complex jungle, teeming with CDs, MP3s, concerts, clubs, festivals, conferences, exhibitions, installations, websites, software programmes, scenes, ideas and competing theories. In the eye of the storm stands David Toop, shedding light on the most interesting music now being made -- on laptops, in downtown bars in Tokyo, wherever he finds it. His wealth of musical knowledge provides inspiration for anyone interested in music. David Toop is a highly regarded author, music critic and musician. Since 1995 he has released three solo albums, curated five compilation albums (including the soundtrack to Ocean of Sound), and the sound and music exhibition at the Hayward Gallery -- 'Sonic Boom'. His music journalism appears in The Wire, Book Forum, The Times and The Face."
CD $17

BRIDGET ST. JOHN - Ask Me No Questions (Cherry Red 282/UK) "Bridget St John was one of the first acts signed to John Peel's legendary Dandelion Records. Cherry Red are re-releasing her first three albums with several bonus tracks that are appearing on CD for the first time. The first two albums also feature John Martyn playing guitar on some tracks. Ask Me No Questions was originally released in 1969. 'The music within was a treasure trove -- friendly, poetic, organic, a little sparse maybe but played and sung for all the right reasons. John Peel served as producer and guide after hosting Bridget at the BBC studios. The album opened with the two songs chosen for her debut 7" and both were staples of her live repertoire. 'Curl Your Toes' was exactly what it said, sung in that sunny low register one always associates with Bridget. The album's title track was its piece de resistance -- a magnificent sound picture of pastoral England and a fine companion piece to the Floyd's 'Grantchester Meadow' -- an amazing number with harmony vocals and second guitar by John Martyn, with its middle section full of the sounds of the countryside before the guitars come back a second time. Sadly, Ask Me No Questions did not sell in huge quantities but it certainly gained her a small but dedicated following and laid the foundations for her albums that followed in the 1970s -- and its naive and minimal production values, delicate playing and heartfelt singing make it an album I return to often especially when I want to evoke the atmosphere of the late '60s.' --Nigel Cross, linernotes. All these albums have become very collectable with Ask Me No Questions changing hands for over Ø100 recently. These CDs contain detailed sleeve notes written by Nigel Cross in cooperation with Bridget; she was also involved with selecting the bonus tracks.
CD for $16

BRIDGET ST. JOHN - Songs For the Gentle Man (Cherry Red 283/UK) This was Bridget St. John's second album, originally released in 1971. Bridget St John was one of the first acts signed to John Peel's legendary Dandelion Records. Cherry Red are re-releasing her first three albums with several bonus tracks that are appearing on CD for the first time. The first two albums also feature John Martyn playing guitar on some tracks. If her debut album had shown little in the way of 'production values,' then her second LP tipped towards the other end of the scale. Recorded at Sound Techniques in Chelsea, where everybody from Fairport to Nick Drake had made albums, this was a far more sophisticated work than its predecessor. And a more confident and outward-looking Bridget had emerged from its shadows too! The album opened with 'A Day A Way,' with Bridget's gentle lilting voice and guitar gliding in and out of the lush woodwinds. Organized around a small chamber orchestra, Songs For the Gentle Man was replete with strings, horn and piano. As critic and author Kim cooper, writing about it in Lost in the Grooves, so eloquently expressed, this is 'a set of cool, pastel originals garnished with a pinch of John Martyn or a splash of Donovan... Imagine a Nico of the buttercups, all sunshine, smiles and cautious optimism... a small record, yet one that fills the room and lingers.'" --Nigel Cross, linernotes. All these albums have become very collectable, some fetching hundreds at auction. These CDs contain detailed sleeve notes written by Nigel Cross in cooperation with Bridget; she was also involved with selecting the bonus tracks."
CD for $16

BRIDGET ST. JOHN - Thank You For... (Cherry Red 286/UK) Originally released in 1972, this is Bridget St. John's third album. "Bridget St. John was one of the first acts signed to John Peel's legendary Dandelion Records. Cherry Red are re-releasing her first three albums with several bonus tracks that are appearing on CD for the first time. The first two albums also feature John Martyn playing guitar on some tracks. Thank You For... was the closet Bridget ever got to full-fledged folk rock and was the album that should have finally established her as one of the leading singer/songwriters of her generation. The early '70s saw an explosion of solo performers armed with just a guitar or piano make their mark and 'soft rock' was the order of the day -- listening now to this record and her previous ones, it remains a mystery as to why she didn't go beyond a cult following. She definitely wrote and performed material that was the equal and at time even better than that of the late Nick Drake or Sandy Denny. The third album began on an upbeat note with 'Nice' and for the first time on a Bridget record there was a delightful country undercurrent as Matthews Southern Comfort's Gordon Huntley added some very attractive pedal steel guitar." -- Nigel Cross, linernotes. These CDs contain detailed sleeve notes written by Nigel Cross in cooperation with Bridget; she was also involved with selecting the bonus tracks."
CD for $16


VINYL REISSUES:

ARETHA FRANKLIN - Aretha Live At The Fillmore West (4 Men With Beards 115; USA) This 1971 Aretha Franklin album was as seminal a soul breakthrough as Albert King's visit to the Fillmore West had been for blues. It finally cemented her status beyond soul audiences as both a recording and live attraction, and it matched her with the rhythm section of King Curtis and the Kingpens. Franklin mixed pop, rock, and soul throughout the three nights, including Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With," and Bread's "Make It With You," and the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and her own songs (Ray Charles came out of the audience for a spirited duet on one cut). Features photos from the concert and new liner notes by Down Beat contributor Mitch Myers. 180 gram vinyl in gatefold sleeve.
LP $15

ARETHA FRANKLIN - Aretha Now (4 Men With Beards 131; USA) "Aretha Franklin at the peak of her early form. 'Think,' 'I Say a Little Prayer,' 'See Saw,' and 'I Can't See Myself Leaving You' were all big hits. Her choice of cover material included some of her most R&B-drenched early Atlantic cuts, like 'Night Time Is the Right Time,' 'You Send Me,' and 'I Take What I Want.' Also includes original artwork."
LP $15

ARETHA FRANKLIN - I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) (4 Men With Beards 101; USA) Aretha's 1967 debut album for Atlantic is a classic. The Queen Of Soul hits you like a thousand orgasms at once on this album that put her on top. Features the songs "Respect," "Dr. Feelgood," "Do Right Woman" & many other classics. Musicians include King Curtis, Chips Moman, Spooner Oldham, and the Muscle Shoals horn & rhythm section. (180 gram HQ vinyl in gatefold sleeve)
LP $15

ARETHA FRANKLIN - Lady Soul (4 Men With Beards 130; USA) "This 1968 LP was powered by three hit singles (including '[You Make Me Feel Like] A Natural Woman') each nested in the upper reaches of the pop Top 10. It became Aretha's second Gold LP and remained on the charts for over a year." (180 gram HQ vinyl in gatefold sleeve)
LP $15

ARETHA FRANKLIN - Soul '69 (4 Men With Beards 111; USA) Originally released in Jan. 1969, this is Aretha's 6th album for Atlantic and one of her most under-rated '60s albums. Despite the title, it's a brilliant jazz-flavored set (with sophisticated brass arrangements and cool horn playing) featuring "Today I Sing The Blues" & "Gentle On My Mind," plus passionate covers of The Miracles' "Tracks Of My Tears" and Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me". Aretha's backed by jazzmen Kenny Burrell, Ron Carter, David Newman & Joe Zawinul, plus the amazing grooves of the legendary Muscle Shoals rhythm section. Contains new liner notes by MC5 manager, poet and music historian John Sinclair. (180 gram HQ vinyl in gatefold sleeve)
LP $15

ARETHA FRANKLIN - Spirit In The Dark (4 Men With Beards 114; USA) This album from 1970 includes five vibrant, self-penned Aretha classics, as well as songs by B.B. King, Dr. John, Jimmy Reed, and Carole King. Musicians include Brother Duane Allman, Big Star/Rolling Stones' session man Jim Dickinson, along with the Muscle Shoals rhythm section and the Dixie Flyers. The November 2002 issue of Mojo magazine said of this uplifting LP: "triumphant....spiritual in immense proportions....defiant, jubilant". Features liner notes by Richie Unterberger. Remastered at Fantasy studios from the original 1970 master recordings.
LP $15

NINA SIMONE - Nina At Town Hall (4 Men With Beards 129; USA) "One of Nina Simone's finest recordings, this 1959 Colpix LP features the unique singer/pianist performing classic versions of 'Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair,' 'The Other Woman,' and 'Wild Is the Wind.' With supportive work from bassist Jimmy Bond and drummer Al 'Tootie' Heath, she also sounds fine on a few instrumentals. 'Summertime' is performed twice, once as a vocal. From the start of her career, Nina Simone carved out her own unique niche, meshing together her classical piano technique with folk singing, civil rights protest lyrics and jazz. All of those elements are in evidence on this highly recommended set."
LP $15

NINA SIMONE - The Amazing Nina Simone (4 Men With Beards 126; USA) "Nina's second LP, originally released in 1959, The Amazing Nina Simone features a repertoire ranging from a swinging 'Stompin' at the Savoy' and an emotional 'It Might as Well Be Spring' to an English folk ballad ('Tomorrow'), spirituals, and an R&B song ('You've Been Gone Too Long') and is backed by a subtle orchestra arranged by Bob Mersey that effectively showcases her top-form vocals. 180 gram vinyl."
LP $15


A HANDFUL OF SALE AND SOME OUT-OF-PRINT RARITY ITEMS:

ITALIAN INSTABILE ORCHESTRA - Litania Sibilante (Koch/Enja 9405; USA) Eugenio Colombo, Gianluigi Trovesi, Carlo Actis Dato, Daniele Cavallanti, Mario Schiano reeds; Guido Mazzon, Alberto Mandarini, Pino Minafra trumpets; Giancarlo Schiaffini, Sebi Tramontana, Lauro Rossi trombones; Martin Mayes french horn; Renato Geremia violin; Paolo Damiani cello; Umberto Petrin piano; Giovanni Maier bass; Tiziano Tononi, Vincenzo Mazzone drums; Guests: Enrico Rava trumpet; Antonello Salis accordion
CD $10.00 7 for 6 SALE.

MICROSCOPIC SEPTET [PHILLIP JOHNSTON/JOEL FORRESTER] - Take The Z Train (Koch) Featuring Phillip Johnston on soprano sax, Don Davis on alto sax, John Hagen on tenor sax, Dave Sewelson on bari sax, Joel Forrester on piano, Dave Hofstra on bass and Richard Dworkin on drums. The Microscopics were amongst the best of the early downtown scene, yet rarely got much credit for their hard work. Led by Phillip Johnston and featuring compositions by Phillip and Joel Forrester, they were perhaps too straight, jazz-wise for the rest of the further "out" downtown scene. I always found their creative arrangements, playing and sense of humor refreshing. They only made four records in their long career and none of them are currently in print. This was their first from 1983 and it is a joyous little gem. This is one of those that discs that you could enjoy with your parents or even grandparents if they are still alive. Yes, even John Zorn played with these fine folks just a year or two before this was recorded. More fun than a barrel of Erstwhile CDs...just kidding! - BLG
CD $14

MARTY EHRLICH With URI CAINE/MICHAEL FORMANEK/BILLY DRUMMOND - Song (Koch/Enja 9396; USA) Besides a half dozen releases from Marty's Traveler's Tales unit and three cds from his Dark Woods Ensemble, the marvelous reed master Mr. Ehrlich also has a couple of ongoing trios - one with Mark Dresser and Andrew Cyrille and another with Peter Erskine and Michael Formanek. What we have here is Marty's brand new quartet with Uri Caine on piano, Formanek once again on bass, Billy Drummond on drums and guest trombonist - Ray Anderson. The reason this cd is called 'Song' is that it deals with songs that have that vocal quality at their center - two from great songwriters Bob Dylan and Robin Holcomb, plus a fine Jaki Byard cover. The opening tune is Robin's "Waltz" which like most of her songs is so sublime and melancholy - Marty plays it on bass clarinet and the quartet give in a lovely, warm, enchanting reading - it sings its sad charm directly from the heart. Marty dedicates his "The Price of the Ticket" to novelist James Baldwin and it too has a haunting melody which picks up tempo as it goes and spins a fine web with the entire quartet flying high into the clouds - both Marty's alto sax and Uri on piano take inspired and uplifting solos! "Day of the Dark Bright Light" also has that somber, dreamy quality - swaying in slow motion - Marty's tone is pure, lyrical and bluesy. "Blue Boye's Blues" is dedicated to Julius Hemphill I believe and it is pretty spooky with both Ray Anderson's trombone and Marty's sax snaking around each other in mesmerizing waves and finishing each other's phrases. Later Marty and Ray spin them blues lines together. Bob Dylan's early song "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" was also recently covered by Michael Moore's trio and here also gets a rather endearing reading - its melody sounds so familiar like something we heard way back in the womb. Marty's "Fauve" is the longest track here and his soprano sax softly embraces the somber song while Billy's mallads surround with subtle suspense, everyone takes short expressive storytelling solos which keep the spirit flowing from beginning to the end. 'Song' ends with Jaki Byard's "The Falling Rains of Life" and it is dedicated to his memory - an amazing pianist who knew the depth of jazz history and was murdered not long ago. As this song begins, the sky is dark and the rains have just erupted - a fitting soundtrack for the storm is the ghostly, fragile bass clarinet which delicately unfolds in an elegant and thoughtful way. A soothing, somber and enchanting endeavor which will touch those who can deal with its endearing restraint. - BLG
CD $10.00 7 for 6 SALE.

BENNIE WALLACE With DAVE HOLLAND/ELVIN JONES - Big Jim's Tango (Enja) Rather laid back, considering the rhythm team that Bennie uses on this nice work. Bill Frisell recently employed this same rhythm section, but didn't engage them very much. Bennie has that warm, old school, fluffy tone and writes catchy tunes which can often swing and then go slightly out in sections. The trio does a lovely job of listening closely, and playing as one solid force. - BLG
CD $15

MARY MARGARET O'HARA - Miss America (Virgin/Koch) An old favorite of mine and Manny is this odd sort-of singer/songwriter from Toronto that has a unique way of chopping up her words and moving in a some spastic, yet charming manner. Produced by Michael Brook.
CD $10.00 7 for 6 SALE.

THE KINKS - Preservation Act 1 (Velvel/Koch 79721) 2 bonus cuts. The Kinks: Dave Davies, Ray Davies (vocals, guitar); John Gosling (keyboards); John Dalton (bass guitar); Mick Avory (drums).Additional personnel: Laurie Brown (flute, tenor saxophone, trumpet); Alan Holmes (clarinet, baritone saxophone); John Beecham (trombone, tuba); Pamela Travis, Krysia Kocjan, Sue Brown, Lewis Rich, Lee Pavey (background vocals).Liner Note Author: Peter Doggett.Recording information: Konk Studios, London, England (05/1973 - 07/1973); Konk Studios, London, England (10/1974).Despite the title's similarity to that of the Kinks' 1968 album THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY (which frequently turns up on "Greatest Albums of All Time" surveys), the group's 1973 rock opera PRESERVATION ACT 1 is not nearly as song-oriented as its predecessor. As Record Collector editor Peter Doggett writes in his excellent liner notes to VelVel's reissue of PRESERVATION ACT 1, VILLAGE GREEN was more of a concept album, creating a feel without using a narrative. Each of its songs was a miniature window into English villages' fast-disappearing way of life.With PRESERVATION ACT 1, Ray Davies took the basic idea behind VILLAGE GREEN and turned it into a larger-than-life production with a highly didactic narrative. It was clear that, this time around, Davies was not going to leave listeners any room to interpret his musical statements symbolically. The result was a Kinks album like no other, a forum for Davies's wildly creative imagination and his talent for storytelling. It left many Kinks fans hungry for its sequel, PRESERVATION ACT 2, which came out six months later.
CD $10.00 7 for 6 SALE.

THE KINKS - Preservation Act 2 (Velvel/Koch 79722) 2 bonus cuts. The Kinks: Dave Davies, Ray Davies (vocals, guitar); John Gosling (keyboards); John Dalton (bass guitar); Mick Avory (drums).Additional personnel: Laurie Brown (flute, tenor saxophone, trumpet); Alan Holmes (clarinet, baritone saxophone); John Beecham (trombone, tuba); Pamela Travis, Krysia Kocjan, Sue Brown, Lee Pavey, Chris Musk (background vocals).Engineers: Roger Beale; Graham Hogg; Mike Konopka.Recording information: Konk Studios, London, England (01/1974 - 03/1971); Konk Studios, London, England (06/17/1974 - 06/19/1974).Arriving in May, 1974, just six months after PRESERVATION ACT 1, the Kinks' double-album PRESERVATION ACT 2 better represented the scope of Ray Davies's aspirations to extend his creative talent to the arena of musical theater. It begins roughly where ACT 1 ended, with the formerly placid inhabitants of Davies' mythical English country village taking up arms against the sleazy dictator Flash. While Flash represents animal desires given free reign, opposition leader Mr.Black takes advantage of citizens' Puritan desires for good old law and order.As the two demagogues circle each other, the masses quickly become pawns in a political morality play that has little actual political content and no morality to speak of, save for Davies' obvious affection for everyday folks. Musically, PRESERVATION ACT 2 closely follows the style Davies affected in ACT 1. The songs are tightly produced, with close harmonies, a liberal sprinkling of hooks, and a high level of drama. Davies has periodically threatened to turn the entire PRESERVATION into a Broadway show, and this album is a reminder of just how close it was to the time-honored Broadway style even when he first conceived it.
CD $10.00 7 for 6 SALE.

THE KINKS - Schoolboys In Disgrace [H-SACD] (Velvel/Koch 79724) The Kinks: Dave Davies, Ray Davies (vocals, guitar); John Gosling (keyboards); John Dalton (bass guitar); Mick Avory (drums).Additional personnel: Alan Holmes (saxophone); Nick Newall (tenor saxophone); John Beecham (trombone); Pamela Travis, Debbie Doss, Shirley Roden (background vocals).Liner Note Author: Matt Resnicoff.Recording information: Konk Studios, London, England (08/1975 - 11/1975).Following the 1975 rock opera SOAP OPERA, Kinks leader Ray Davies continued to explore larger-than-rock themes. With SCHOOLBOYS IN DISGRACE, he examines the cruelty and superficiality of the British school system--a system Davies clearly suffered through.From the piano-driven opening track "Schooldays" to the cheeky, Jan and Dean rave-up of "Jack the Idiot Dunce" to the gospel-influenced "The Last Assembly," SCHOOLBOYS IN DISGRACE captures The Kinks at the height of their rock opera powers. However, in 1976 The Kinks were changing direction. On the closing song "No More Looking Back," which many fans consider one of Davies' best vocal performances, the band is already showing signs of going in a new musical direction.
CD $10.00 7 for 6 SALE.

THE KINKS - Sleepwalker [H-SACD] (Velvel/Koch 79725) The Kinks: Ray Davies (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Dave Davies (vocals, guitar); John Gosling (keyboards, background vocals); John Dalton (bass); Mick Avory (drums).Additional personnel: Andy Pyle (bass).The mid-to-late '70s were a time of immense change for The Kinks, both in musical styles and band personnel. On 1977's SLEEPWALKER, Ray Davies shed the complex arrangements of his earlier work of that decade and opted for a stripped-down quintet sound. Davies also simplified his songwriting style to accommodate more straight-ahead rock & roll.SLEEPWALKER features the old-school Kinks signature tunes such as "Juke Box Music" and the eminently catchy title track. There are also a number of inspired slow-tempo numbers, including "Brother," a bittersweet ballad that stands up to any of Davies' best songs. The album, which contains what many consider guitarist Dave Davies' best playing, rekindled The Kinks' career in the United States. Following the success of the release, The Kinks went on to tour arenas and play for a new generation of listeners. The re-release of SLEEPWALKER also features five bonus tracks.
CD $10.00 7 for 6 SALE.


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DMG RECOMMENDED CALENDAR OF GIGS FOR JANUARY 20TH & BEYOND

The DMG Free In-Store Weekly Music Series Continues

This Sunday January 22nd at 6pm with:
DOMINIC DUVAL & JIMMY HALPERIN PERFORM THELONIUS MONK!
Contrabassist supreme & a wonderful saxist debut their new duo!

Next Sunday January 29th at 6pm-
RADIO I-CHING w/ ANDY HAAS/DON FIORINO/DEE POP!
Local heroes and our good friends do a rare trio date!


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Dee Pop presents: Freestyle Jazz Every Thursday
Jimmy's 43 Restaurant
43 East 7th Street * NYC * 212-982-3006

January 26
8pm - Ehran Elisha's Eyetone with Ken Filiano, David Bindman and Sam Bardfeld
10pm - Steve Gauci, Mike Bisio and Jay Rosen


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HENRY KAISER COMES TO NYC FOR A RARE VISIT NEXT WEEK for TWO GIGS:

Friday January 27th at 1pm in The Apple Store - 103 Prince St. in Soho Guitarist and research diver Henry Kaiser joins us to share exciting work captured while exploring the Antarctic. Henry will discuss how his PowerBook is essential in both his scientific and creative endeavors.

And then:

On Saturday, January 28th at 8 PM

Loren Connors and Henry Kaiser will play in a guitar duet with a silent film -- excerpts from Teinosuke Kinugasa's "A Page of Madness" (Kurutta Ippeiji, 1926). The film offers a fragmented portrait of an insane asylum. It is regarded as one of the finest examples of international experimental cinema.

Then acoustic steel-string guitarist and composer Alex de Grassi will perform his original score for A Story of Floating Weeds (Ukigusa Monogatari, 1934) by director Yasujiro Ozu. He will play a few one-of-a-kind guitars, including a 39-string "Flying Dream" instrument that incorporates sympathetic strings (strings that resonate not by being plucked or bowed, but by their proximity to other strings) and extended bass and treble harp strings.

at: Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354
(one block east of Main Street in Downtown Flushing, at the corner of Linden Pl.)
Subway: 7-train to Main Street/Flushing - Free parking available
Box Office: (718) 463-7700 x 222 www.flushingtownhall.org
Tickets: $20/$16 members/$15 students/$13 student members


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January 2006 at the Stone
curated by William Parker

1/20 Friday
8 pm - Charles Gayle Trio
10 pm - Raphe Malik Quartet- featuring Raphe Malik (trumpet) Sabir Mateen (reeds, flute) Larry Roland (Bass) Rashid Bakr (drums)

1/21 Saturday
8 and 10 pm - Henry Grimes/Roswell Rudd
Henry Grimes (bass) Roswell Rudd (trombone)
20 dollars or 35 dollars for both sets. 5 dollars off for students and elders.

1/22 Sunday
8 pm - Andrew Lamb (tenor sax) Chad Taylor (drums, percussion) Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (bass, oud) Tom Abbs (cello, bass, violin) Andrei Strobert (percussion)
10 pm - Jason Hwang Edge featuring Jason Kao Hwang (violin, composer) Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet, trumpet) Andrew Drury (percussion) Ken Filiano (bass)

1/24 Tuesday
8 and 10 pm - William Parker Quartet
William Parker (bass) Rob Brown (alto sax), Lewis Barnes (trumpet) Eri Yamamoto (piano) Hamid Drake (drums)

1/25 Wednesday
8 pm - Guillermo Brown (drums)
10 pm - William Parker's Painter's Spring
William Parker (bass) Daniel Carter (reeds, trumpet) Hamid Drake (drums)

1/26 Thursday
8 pm - Pyramid Trio
Roy Campbell (trumpet) William Parker (bass) Hamid Drake (drums) 10 pm - Raining On the Moon part one
William Parker (bass), Hamid Drake (drums), Lewis Barnes (trumpet), Rob Brown (alto sax) & Leena Conquest (voice)

1/27 Friday
8 pm - Other Dimensions in Music
Daniel Carter (reeds, trumpet) Roy Campbell (trumpet) William Parker (bass) Rashid Bakr (drums)
10 pm - Raining On the Moon part two
William Parker (bass) Hamid Drake (drums), Lewis Barnes (trumpet) Rob Brown (alto sax) Leena Conquest (voice)

1/28 Saturday
8 pm - David Budbill "While We Still Have Feet"
William Parker (bass) Hamid Drake (drums) David Budbill (poetry)
10 pm - Eloping with the Sun
Joe Morris (banjo, guitar) William Parker (sintir) Hamid Drake (frame drum) Patricia Nicholson (dance)

1/29 Sunday
8 pm - "Frames" for woodwinds
Andrew Bemkey (bass clarinet) Matt Lavelle (bass clarinet) Sabir Mateen (alto clarinet, clarinet) soloist Daniel Carter (woodwinds) Alon Nechushtan (piano)
William Parker / Lakota Chamber Music-world premiere of two pieces. A Stone Benefit.
10 pm - "Light In The Hall of Whispers" for strings
Myk Freedman (lap steel) Todd Nicholson (bass) David Moss (bass) Shiau-shu Yu (cello) and others. A Stone Benefit.



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Elliott Sharp: Workshop In New Music and the New Guitarist

Sunday Jan. 22 1-5pm $60

Composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Elliott Sharp is known worldwide as a virtuoso guitarist who has greatly expanded the vocabulary of the instrument for new rock, industrial, jazz, and experimental music. In addition to leading his own groups Carbon, Tectonics, and Terraplane, he has collaborated with a wide range of musicians from around the planet including blues legends Hubert Sumlin and Pops Staples; industrial supergroup Pigface; jazz greats Jack deJohnette, Sonny Sharrock, Billy Hart, and Arthur Blythe; Qawaali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; jungle innovator DJ Soulslinger; the Radio-Symphony of Frankfurt; kotoist Michiyo Yagi; and downtowners Bill Laswell, John Zorn, and Wayne Horvitz.

In this 4-hour workshop, Sharp will demonstrate many of his musical approaches including his innovative Koll 8-string guitarbass and engage the participants in the use of extended techniques, computers and electronics, and concepts of improvisation.

Reading of music is not required!
Acoustic or electric! Not limited to guitarists!
For intermediate to advanced musicians.
Advance registration:
ffmusic@worldnet.att.net
tel: 212.539.1383
fax: 212.539.1384
174 First Ave. (bet 10/11th)
New York, NY 10009


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TEA LOUNGE, 350 7th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn. 718-768-4966

Friday, January 20th / ANDREW D'ANGELO'S "I WILL SURVIVE"
Andrew D'Angelo (alto), Jim Black (percussion), Eivind Opsvik (bass); featuring Kjetil Moster (tenor)


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Diane Moser's Composers Big Band - "9th Anniversary Celebration" featuring: vocalist-Jackie Cain / conductor-Bill Kirchner

Wednesday Jan 25th - sets at 8 & 10 PM
Trumpets Jazz Club - 6 Depot Square - Montclair, NJ - 973.744.2600


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On SATURDAY, JAN. 21 and MONDAY, JAN. 23
Lukas Ligeti will be on the FOCUS ON AFRICA FESTIVAL at the MILLER THEATER at Columbia University
(www.millertheater.com)
The festival consists of 3 evenings and features contemporary, composed music from, or influenced by, Africa.

The concert on JAN. 21ST will feature pianist William Chapman Nyaho and the So Percussion Group, and the latter will perform my piece PATTERN TRANSFORMATION for 4 players on 2 marimbas. It's my most-performed piece (for more, see below), but this is a great opportunity to hear it; the last performance of the piece in NYC by So was at the 2003 Bang On A Can Marathon and was quite memorable! Also on the program is music by Steve Reich, Kevin Volans, Iannis Xenakis, and many others.

On JAN. 23RD will be a SYMPOSIUM/panel discussion about contemporary music in Africa. Panelists will be Halim El-Dabh (Egypt), Akin Euba (Nigeria), Bongani Ndodana (South Africa), William C. Nyaho (Ghana), and myself. A rare event which ought to be very interesting! Both evenings begin at 8 pm and the Miller Theater is at 2960 Broadway, right next to the 116th St. stop on the 1 train.


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Chamberfest 2006 at Julliard presents:

MESSIAEN'S "Quartet for the End of Time"
ALBAN BERG'S "String Quartet, Op. 3"
AARON COPLAND'S "Appalachian Spring"

Saturday, January 21st at 8pm for free

at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre box-office at 60 Lincoln Center Plaza


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MAXIMAL/MINIMAL CONCERT
BY THE NEW YORK VIRTUOSO SINGERS
PERFORM THE MUSIC OF DAVID LANG, JULIA WOLFE, MICHAEL GORDON, JEFFREY SCHANZER, STEVE MARTLAND and JOHN ADAMS

Saturday, January 21st at 8pm
at Merkin Hall 129 West 67th St.


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