Two Momentous Releases out now on our own DMG/ARC label - we're SO PROUD!


RAOUL BJORKENHEIM/WILLIAM PARKER/HAMID DRAKE - DMG @ The Stone Vol 2: December 26 2006 (DMG ARC 722; USA) The second in our series of CDs recorded at the DMG New Music Magic Mystery Festival at The Stone in December 2006.
"The final week of our festival began on Tuesday, December 26th with Raoul Bjorkenheim, William Parker and Hamid Drake, another first time meeting. Raoul is a member of the explosive Scorch Trio, one of the most exciting jazz/rock/noise power trios to emerge from Scandinavia and was once in a great quartet called Krakatau (ECM). Raoul asked that we help put him together with his dream rhythm team: William and Hamid! The gig, well attended, was explosive throughout. Raoul also played his electric viol da gamba, as well as an electric mando/guitar. Raoul looked like a kid who won the lottery and jumped around with glee, overwhelmed to be playing with two other giants who work so well together. As William and Hamid continually whipped up a rhythm storm, Raoul took one furious solo after another. Two incredible sets - the best parts of which are captured on this CD, which has been in continuous play on my home player for two weeks! Mannylunch joins me in saying a very loud "All Thumbs Up!"- BLG
CD $14


CURLEW [GEORGE CARTWRIGHT/TOM CORA/NICKY SKOPELITIS/BILL LASWELL/BILL BACON or DENARDO COLEMAN] - Curlew (1st Album) + Live at CBGB 1980 [2 CD set] (DMG ARC 704; USA)
DISC ONE: The legendary first [self-titled] album by Curlew, initially released by Landslide on LP in 1981 and out-of-print ever since, with the original lineup of saxophonist/composer/leader George Cartwright, Tom Cora on cello and devices, Nicky Skopelitis on guitar, Bill Laswell on bass, and Bill Bacon on drums. This incredible record, originally released by Landslide in the U.S. and U.K., has never before been released on CD anywhere! Bonus material on this disc includes six more cuts from one of their earliest live gigs at CBGB on February 6th 1980, previously unreleased in any format! [two other tracks from this gig are included as part of the original album sequence]
DISC TWO: Previously unreleased in any format! A complete 64 minute set from CBGB on October 1st 1980, with almost the same lineup, except Denardo Coleman [from Ornette's Prime Time, and Jayne Cortez' Firespitters] is on drums!
From the liner note: "George Cartwright formed Curlew in 1979 .. immediately attracting the brightest and best legends-to-be to his side. Bill Laswell paid his dues in R&B rhythm sections along the East Coast, first coming to prominence in New York Gong which debuted at Daevid Allen's ZU Festival, where George, Bill, Nicky, Fred (Frith) and so many others first met. (Bill later transformed NYG into Material). Nicky Skopelitis was a shy but monstrously talented guitarist and oud player. Tom Cora had worked with Karl Berger, Eugene Chadbourne, and Andrea Centazzo, extending the language of cello. Bill Bacon was formerly of Flying Island, and a student of world percussion under Collin Walcott.
Not only was [and is!] George a great genius compositionally - I still remember my jaw hanging open 30 minutes after first listening to this album! - his music was at once both new-jazz and new-art-rock, with virtuoso ensemble playing which discarded the unison crutch of fusion. His amazingly versatile reed work betrayed without imitation a wide ranging source of influences including Southern R&B, impressionistic minimalism, and Ornette's harmolodic approach. Says Mr. Cartwright, "the basic concept came from Ornette (and his recent electric albums): to be melodic, danceable, strong, clear and (more my idea) messy ... And I mean 'danceable' in a, uh, creative kind of way with toe-tapping as an integral part of [it], too. But, the ideas and inspiration came from everywhere. Not just Ornette."
Over the years, Curlew has been for avant-jazz and new music (much as Mothers Of Invention or King Crimson were to rock) an incubator and/or showcase for extraordinary talent, including founding members Cora (Skeleton Crew, Third Person), Laswell (Material, Painkiller, Praxis), Skopelitis (Ekstasis), and later members Fred Frith (Henry Cow, Massacre), Wayne Horvitz (The President, Naked City, Zony Mash), Davey Williams (TransMuseq), Pippin Barnett (Orthotonics, Nimal), Ann Rupel (No Safety), Amy Denio (Tone Dogs), et al. Even Denardo Coleman - batterie for Prime Time, and Ornette's son - felt right at home!
This group possesses all the hallmarks of the very best musical institutions, including: They sound like no one else. And, you can hear their unabated exuberance throughout - they had FUN! playing together. These outrageous recordings are where it all started. Googleplex Thumbs Up!" - Emanuel 'MannyLunch' Maris
(Did I mention this is a must for ALL LASWELL Fans as well? He plays like his [b]ass is on fire - especially with Denardo stoking the flames! Yep!)
2 CD set for $20


and our previous releases still available..

THE STONE QUARTET [JOELLE LEANDRE/MARILYN CRISPELL/ROY CAMPBELL Jr./MAT MANERI] - DMG @ The Stone Vol 1: December 22 2006 (DMG ARC 721; USA) This quartet features Joelle Leandre on contrabass, Marilyn Crispell on piano, Roy Campbell, Jr. on trumpets & flute and Mat Maneri on viola & violin. This was a first time performance by this unique drummerless lineup and it was a phenomenal set! I still get goosebumps as I listen to this disc, since it does capture that dynamic improv magic so well. ABSOLUTELY Highest Recommendation from your good friends at Downtown Music Gallery! - BLG
"With an ear to compositional detail and orchestration, they combine and recombine instruments, delighting the ear with a spectrum of tone colors. The resulting variations in density also pace the music and help it breathe. It's obvious why DMG chose this beautiful, expressive set to launch a projected series of recordings from their December '06 curatorship of The Stone. - Ed Hazell, Signal To Noise
CD $14

LAST EXIT [SONNY SHARROCK/PETER BROTZMANN/RONALD SHANNON JACKSON/BILL LASWELL] - Headfirst Into The Flames: Live In Europe (DMG ARC 701; USA) "No one's ever going to claim this recording to be an audiophile work - the music came from soundboard cassettes. DMG has pulled this record out of limbo and given it a [new] mastering job [thank Robert Musso] suggesting that judicious EQ-ing is not always a bad thing. The original [from 1991] CD edition's tinny high end actually worked pretty well for Sonny Sharrock's guitar, but this one brings Shannon Jackson's womping martial drums closer to what they must have actually sounded like.- Bill Meyer, Signal To Noise Sonny Sharrock plays nasty blues lines when he isn't beating his guitar to a pulp, while German sax madman Peter Brotzmann veers between similar extremes with his squealing and honking. Ronald Shannon Jackson is on drums, occasionally adding creepy blues vocals worthy of a serial killer. Laswell was the perfect bassist for this unit, his dirty, hard-driving lines retaining a feeling of downright meanness throughout. (Please, someone lay "My Balls/Your Chin" and "Pig Cheese" on a Najee fan!) An over-the-top live recording of frighteningly talented musicians improvising as a unit, this album is what you REALLY want to scrape out your cerebral cortex!
"One of my favorite recordings of all time, PERIOD! What a joy it is to present this as an early entry on our own label!" -MannyLunch
CD $14

SELWYN LISSACK'S FRIENDSHIP NEXT OF KIN With MIKE OSBORNE/MONGEZI FEZA/KENNETH TERROADE/HARRY MILLER/EARL FREEMAN - Facets Of The Univers (DMG ARC 702; USA) "Thanks to the NYC store Downtown Music Gallery for unearthing this 1969 treasure, originally out on the French BYG Goody imprint and never on disc until now. Besides fellow ex-pats Feza [trumpet] and Miller [bass], there was another South African percussionist, Louis Moholo [only heard for a few minutes and originally uncredited], plus monster altoist Osbourne and others joining in for this amazing slab of music! "Facets of the Universe" is a complete blowout of unbelievable proportions - an American/Euro/African universal soundmeld that spirals into vicious, relentless attack up there with Brotzmann's Machine Gun or Pharoah's Izipho Zam for sheer gut-bludgeon potential! - Brian Turner, WFMU
CD $14


*************


ATOMIC/SCHOOL DAYS [KEN VANDERMARK/JEB BISHOP/INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE et al] - Distil [2 CD set] (Okka 12073; USA) A new live recording from Atomic/School Days. Jeb Bishop (trombone), Magnus Broo (trumpet), Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (bass), Fredrik Ljungkvist (reed), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), Kjell Nordeson (vibraphone), Ken Vandermark (reeds), Havard Wiik (piano). "Two discs of new material culled from the group's April 21st & 22nd '06 dates at world-famous Chicago jazz club, the Green Mill. Distil is a melding of two outstanding groups with one wonderful rhythm section -- and a great follow-up to Atomic/School Days 2004 Okka Disk release, Nuclear Assembly Hall
2 CD set $18


NASUNO MITSURU With OTOMO YOSHIHIDE/KIDO NATSUKI/SAMM BENNETT et al - Prequel Oct. 1998-Mar. 1999 + 1 (Doubt 121; Japan) "This is the first CD of Nasuno Mitsuru a.k.a. "Groove Master", top bass player of Tokyo underground music field. The years for the recordings are from 1998 to 1999 as the title indicates. M3 & M4 were included in "Improvised Music from Japan" 10CD set, therfore the refernce to "Prequel.." This CD is a kind of complete version. All tunes are composed / improvised / effected experimentally but we can feel a kind of mellowness, tenderness, humor, etc. Here it is singular work. Also note remarkable style of each collaborated musician (indicated song listing). The last tune, bonus track (+1) is the demo, suggesting his next work." [roughly translated]
. In case you didn't know, Nasuno is bass player with Altered States (Uchihashi Kazuhisa -g, Yoshigaki Yasuhiro -ds), Korekyojin (Yoshida Tatsuya -ds, Kido Natsuki -g), Unbeltipo Trio (Imahori Tsuneo -g, Sano Yasuo -ds), The World Heritage (Yoshida Tatsuya -ds, Kido Natsuki g, Yamamoto Seiichi -g, Katsui Yuji -vln), Bad Knoid (Kido Natsuki -g, Nakayama Tsutomu -kbd, Sotoyama Akira -ds), and other great wild bands from Japan!
CD $20



This modern hard-bop classic - Finally on CD!

SECOND SIGHT [JOHN ESPOSITO/DAVE DOUGLAS/JEFF MARX et al] - Flying With The Comet..Plus! (Sunjump CD03; USA) 4 Bonus cuts not on the LP! John Esposito: piano; Dave Douglas: trumpet; Jeff Marx: saxes; Allen Murphy: bass; Jeff Siegel: drums; Frederick Berryhill: percussion. "Upon hearing Second Sight, I was impressed both individually and collectively. Excellent solo playing and ensemble playing. It is gratifying to hear some young guys playing with the caliber of musicianship that these guys have. Their original compositions are worthy of much merit.". . . HORACE SILVER
Pianist/Composer John Esposito has been active in a broad range of improvisational music, having worked with artists Thurman Barker, Joe Bowie, Nick Brignola, Ronnie Burrage, Baikida Carrol, Anthony Cox, Dave Holland, Gene Jackson, Carter Jefferson, Joe Lovano, J.R. Monterose, Eric Person, Arthur Rhames, Sam Rivers, Pharoah Sanders, John Stubblefield, David "Fathead" Newman, among others.
"More than twenty years have passed since we recorded this music. This really was a seminal band. This was everyone's first record release [except for 23-year-old Dave Douglas, who had been on Doctor Nerve's first release the year before]. We worked consistently in NYC and the Northeast playing only original music, no standards or Jazz repertory. We were interested in referencing the work done by musicians before us and moving it forward in our own way. I produced the two record dates: the one you have before you and one recorded a year later, in 1987, and never released, titled "Tiger Tracks" [finally to be released in 2009].
Eventually it all came out in the wash. The scene changes continuously. We all survived to find our own voices and do our own music. Douglas, Siegel and Marx have all become distinctive composers and all are playing musics that cross genres with unselfconscious ease. And happily, a new crop of young players have come along who are finding their way OUT of the Jazz-as-American-Classical-Music trap. I'm proud to have played this music and to listen back to it and hear how fresh and alive it still sounds." - JOHN ESPOSITO
"Second Sight: 'The ability to perceive that which cannot normally be perceived; clairvoyance.' Nobody who loves Jazz "in the Tradition" could fail to be enthusiastic about SECOND SIGHT. Their music calls to mind so many favorites; writers and players that have made rabid Jazz fans of us all. Echoes of the writing of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter and McCoy Tyner ricochet around this recording and resolve themselves into a voice that belongs to this group of players alone. One suspects from listening to this record, that they are bigger fans of "the music" than the rest of us. The phrasing and shadings in the horn solos bespeak of care and respect for detail that lift the performances into the rarified atmosphere of the greats. Formed in January of '86, all have had extensive experience playing with the likes of John Stubblefield, Carter Jefferson, Dave Liebman, Lou Donaldson, Larry Coryell and James Spaulding. Their collective credits only begin there. What excites me most about SECOND SIGHT as a unit is the ensemble feel in the playing, the musical ESP that seems to happen less and less in this era of pre-packaged, over-hyped product. My favorite compositions are "Flying with the Comet", "Birthright" and the delicious ballad "Barbara"; but I know that like all my favorite records, those will change each time I listen.
I tried to make this short, restrained, and scholarly to give you a balanced perspective on the group and their sound, but that's just not me. I'm a listener and I've had my turn. Now it's yours, I envy you." - JOE MILNER
CD $14




Two new releases from the Mode label:

JOHN CAGE//HENNING LOHNER dir. - The Revenge of the Dead Indians: In Memoriam John Cage [DVD] (Mode 197; USA) FEATURING: Gary Burton, John Cage, Noam Chomsky, Merce Cunningham, William Forsythe, Matt Groening, Rutger Hauer, Dennis Hopper, Ellsworth Kelly, Raymond Kurzweil, Yehudi Menuhin, Yoko Ono, Richard Serra, Shankar, Iannis Xenakis, Frank Zappa, John Zorn...and others And musical appearances by: Frank Almond, Irvine Arditti, Stephen Drury, Margaret Leng Tan, Isao Nakamura, Percussion Group Cincinnati, Joshua Pierce, Marianne Schroeder, Frances-Marie Uitti...and others
Director Henning Lohner worked with John Cage during his later years, including collaborating with Cage on his only film, One11. During that time, Lohner filmed interviews and footage with Cage, and after Cage's death decided to assemble some of it into this unique "composed film" based on musical principles - a tribute to Cage, his thoughts, music and influence. This 1993 film also features 42 personalities - from the well known (actors, architects, artists, choreographers, composers, theoreticians, writers) to the unknown (like street cleaners and market vendors) - in conversation with each other. The result is an unexpected and fascinating combination of intellectual thought, viewpoints and opinions.
"The Revenge of the Dead Indians" is neither documentary nor feature film. The thematic story development is a combination of "found" video and audio landscapes along with theatrically directed readings and interviews. Each scene of the film is complete in itself as its own narrative entity, yet simultaneously contributes to the linear progression of the story line. Lohner's goal was to honor the creative credo of composer John Cage, to whom the film is dedicated. Attention is paid to "forgotten" landscapes: places we overlook because they are the everyday and the ordinary.
Concert performances incorporated in the film were recorded live during the "Musicircus" homage at Symphony Space in New York, November 1, 1992, and at the John Cage music festival at the "Akademie der Schonen Kunste" in East Berlin, August 1, 1990.
This sound and visual material was edited to more than 1200 cuts before the final film length of 130 minutes was reached. The shortest scene has the duration of exactly one frame, the longest scene has the duration of exactly 4 minutes, 33 seconds.
Bonus material includes: a complete video performance of Cage's infamous silent piece 4'33", created in Berlin by Cage and Lohner; and Henning Lohner and Van Carlson in Conversation: created especially for this DVD. The director and cinematographer speak about their collaboration on this film, along with a commentary track (approx. 20 minutes).
DVD $22

also available:

JOHN CAGE//HENNING LOHNER dir./ARTURO TAMAYO & JOHN KENNEDY, dirs. - Vol. 36: One11/103 [DVD] (Mode 174; USA) One11 (1992) a film without subject by John Cage, produced and directed by Henning Lohner plus a second film: 103 for large orchestra (1992) the WDR Sinfonieorchester Koln or Spoleto Festival Orchestra Arturo Tamayo and John Kennedy, directors (90 minutes) ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
Choice of two orchestral soundtracks.
The Making of One11: a 43-minute documentary on the creative process and realization of the film made for television by Henning Lohner at that time - with new narration by Joan La Barbara. Interview with Van Carlson & Henning Lohner discussing their work with Cage and the film, the technical challenges, and more. Filmed for this DVD in 2006. (33 minutes).
DVD $22

LYDIA KAVINA - Spellbound! Lydia Kavina Plays Original Works for Theremin (mode 199; USA) Miklos ROSZA - Spellbound Concerto (1945-46) for theremin, oboe, piano & string quartet Howard SHORE - Suite from "Ed Wood" (2000) for theremin and chamber orchestra Olga NEUWIRTH - Suite from "Bahlaams Fest" (1999-2000) for theremin and chamber orchestra Christian WOLFF - Exercise 28 (2000) for theremin, violin, horn & double bass Percy GRAINGER - Free Music #1 (1936) for four theremins; Free Music #2 for six theremins; Beatless Music for four theremins
Ensemble Sospeso conducted by Charles Peltz
As a follow-up to her first CD of original theremin works, "Music from the Ether", Lydia Kavina returns with first recordings of major works for theremin and ensemble - which include 3 premiere recordings of works by Howard Shore, Olga Neuwirth and Christian Wolff; The first recording of Miklos Rosza's chamber version of music from the Hitchcock film "Spellbound"; 2 premiere recordings of graphically notated works for multiple theremins by Percy Grainger. * Enhanced CD features a 15-minute video documentary from the recording sessions, including interviews with Kavina, Shore and Wolff.
"The program [Lincoln Center concert at which these pieces were premiered] also included pieces derived from two film scores in which the theremin is prominent, Miklos Rozsa's haunting "Spellbound" Concerto (1945-6) and Howard Shore's entertainingly derivative "Ed Wood" Suite (2000). In these, and the Neuwirth, Ms. Kavina was supported by the Ensemble Sospeso's beautifully played performances, conducted by Charles Peltz." - Allan Kozinn, The New York Times, July 21, 2000
CD $15

also available

LYDIA KAVINA - Music from the Ether: Original Works For Theremin (mode 76; USA) "The Theremin continues its rise in popularity. For those folks who don't know about this invention of the 20th century, the Theremin is a box with two antennas, one controls volume, the other pitch. The performer doesn't actually touch the instrument, the antennas senses hand movements. Examples in pop music range from the Beach Boys Good Vibrations to Led Zeppelins Jimmy Pages performance on Whole Lotta Love in the film The Song Remains The Same. Lydia Kavina is the granddaughter of instrument inventor Leon Theremin's 1st cousin and the inventor's last protegee. On this cd, material ranges from the outside: Percy Grangers Free Music #1 for four Theremins (all performed by Kavina), Theremin and tape pieces by Jorge Antunes Mixolydia, and Vladimir Komarovs Voice of Theremin. And inside pieces like Joeseph Schillingers Melody and Movement electrique et pathetique. Other composers represented on this disc: Friedrich Wilckens, Bohuslav Martinu, Isidor Achron, and virtuoso Kavina performing her own Suite" - David Beardsley
CD $15


CARRIER BAND - Voice Coil (Deep Listening 39; USA) "Pauline Oliveros (accordion with Expanded Instrument System); Peer Bode (live text with Bode vocoder); Andrew Deutsch (live mixing, archival recordings, samples, loops and electronics). Voice Coil was performed by the Carrier Band in the fall of 2003 at the Deep Listening Space in Kingston, New York. Pauline Oliveros performed on accordion and computer-based Expanded Instrument System, Peer Bode performed live text with his Bode Vocoder, and Andrew Deutsch performed live mixing, archival recordings from the Bode archive, samples, loops and electronics. Voice Coil is an example of an improvisation emphasizing the integration of analog systems and new digital tools between performers both living and deceased. In 2007, Andrew Deutsch added about 35 minutes of short overdubs to the recordings and has brought the recording closer to what the audience heard at the Deep Listening Space. Furthermore, the overdubs provide added depth to the work for repeated listening. 'Frozen Speaker' is an electronic composition by Andrew Deutsch and features sections from Oliveros' Music for Expo 70. 'Video Voice' uses sounds from Pauline Oliveros' electronic works 'V of IV' and 'Mewsak,' as well as elements of Stephen Vitiello's 'Light Meter' recordings. The Carrier Band was formed in 1998 when Pauline Oliveros, Peer Bode, and Andrew Deutsch performed 3 improvisations at Alfred University that were later released as the Carrier CD on the Deep Listening label."
[in stock Monday]
CD $14


"BLUE" GENE TYRANNY - The Somewhere Songs (Mutable 17529; USA) This beautiful new recording by "Blue" Gene Tyranny includes the mysterious 'The Somewhere Songs' cycle (1997-2001) for baritone voice and electronics, and The Invention of Memory (2003-2005) a lyrical discourse for baritone voice, string ensemble, guitar, and piano, 'The Somewhere Songs' concerns friendships in or undergoing difficult circumstances. The narrator, in a sense, builds his own circumstantial world as he sings - the vocal part was composed first by singing spontaneously and the "transitional systems" (pitch/rhythm, etc., material) were derived from that vocal line to generate other acoustic and electronic parts. The question of the "true intentions" of the two former friends is of course left to the listener.
The Invention of Memory is about the behavior and physiology of the brain. In the course of reading, Tyranny was struck by what seemed to be rough parallels between the way that people have described forms of memory and certain musical procedures. This thought created a strange sensation in him - something about the true nature of music. The Invention of Memory was written to research this nameless correlation. An initial "Song", heard in a piano solo at the outset, provides a basic reference to which the players return, similar to a past event that is recalled in varied ways. The Song is then "scanned" by the players employing different musical procedures. Some of the musical forms employed are traditional (canonic imitation, passacaglia) while the majority are compositional procedures Tyranny developed for earlier pieces, including melodic transfers within a closed loop (from the transformational lattice score of Stars Over San Francisco,1972), drone with internal motion (from The Interior Distance,1959), camouflage (from Sleeping Beauty in Camouflage, 1992), and the song modulated by its own internal voice ("gravity" modulation from The Driver's Son, 1989 - present).
CD $14
[in stock Monday]

NILS BULTMANN - Terminally Unique (Mutable 17530; USA) Nils Bultmann is a violist, improviser, and composer currently based in the San Francisco Bay area. Rooted in classical technique and tradition, he has developed his own voice within the context of a wide variety of musical styles and art forms. Active as a performer in the United States and Europe, he plays both classical repertoire as well as his own compositions and is involved in collaborative projects of dance, film, and avant-garde improvised music.
He has generated an expansive body of work in the recording studio, including solo and multi-track viola music as well as collaborative and improvised material. He also writes through-composed works for traditional instrumentation including for solo pieces, string quartets, and orchestral music. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestra premiering his own work.
As an improviser, he has worked with Ken Butler, David Wessel, Frank Gratkowski, Myra Melford, Evan Parker, and Roscoe Mitchell. In September 2004 he was a guest at the International Symposium for Improvised music in Munich, Germany to perform two new works by jazz saxophonists' Roscoe Mitchell and Evan Parker, as part of the Transatlantic Art Ensemble which was recorded and released on ECM Records.
[in stock Monday]
CD $14




Tag Team BLG and MAP review recent treats!

HEIKKI SARMANTO With JUHANI ALTONEN et al - Moonflower (Porter 4000; USA) "Featuring Heikki Sarmanto on piano, Juhani Aaltonen on tenor sax, Pekka Sarmanto on bass and Craig Herndon on drums. Heikki Sarmanto is considered to be the most acclaimed and influential pianist and composer to hail from Finland. He was the first Finnish musician to study at the Berklee College of Music and has won awards for composing and playing in the US (1961), as well as at the Montreux Jazz Festival (1971). The only member of this fine quartet that I was previously familiar with is Juhani Aaltonen, another distinguished Finnish jazz legend who recorded with Edward Vesala for ECM and went on to record four fine discs for the TUM label over the past decade.
Heikki composed all but one the songs found on this fine disc. The title track is first and it has a most majestic sound and a lovely melody. Heiki writes a series of exquisite melodies that most often haunting and at times melancholy. "African Echoes" has a wonderful, simmering drum-led groove with some great swirling tenor from Juhani. There is a deeply spiritual vibe to "Jai Guru Dev" with some dark, Trane-like tenor and harp-like McCoyish piano. In a blindfold test, no doubt few folks could tell that these musicians weren't famous or from Finland [!], since this is as good as modern jazz gets." - BLG
CD $15

HEIKKI SARMANTO & THE SERIOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE With JUHANI AALTONEN - A Boston Date (Porter 4002; USA) Previously unreleased 1970 recording from Heikki Sarmanto entitled "A Boston Date" Featuring Hekki Sarmanto on piano, Juhani Aaltonen on tenor & soprano sax, Lance Gunderson on guitar, George Mraz on bass and Craig Herndon on drums. Pianist Heikki Sarmanto & tenor saxist Juhani Aaltonen both came to study at the Berklee School of Music in Boston in 1968, as had Czechoslovakian bassist George Mraz. The other two musicians, Lance Gunderson & Craig Herndon were from the US, but all five met in Boston in the late sixties. Hekki assemble the Serious Music Ensemble soon thereafter and this disc was recorded in 1970. The opening track, "Top of the Prude" is named after the Prudential building in Boston and it explodes with powerful energy. Heikki sounds like McCoy Tyner or someone influenced by McCoy. The music is both free and focused simultaneously. Guitarist, Lance Gunderson, takes the first extraordinary solo, sounding like early John McLaughlin, so small feat considering the I hadn't heard of this cat before or after this date. I love the way the band winds down organically so that the bassist, George Mraz, can take a fine solo with Heikki's piano spinning waves around everyone. "A Different Kind of Smile" is more laid back and has Juhani playing some exquisite, old-style tenor with a most lovely tone. "Ibiza" begins with some exquiste bowed bass, haunting guitar, slow burning tenor, lush piano and superb drums, but soon glides into some intense McCoyish modal waves. The interplay between Heikki's piano and Juhani's tenor is spirited throughout, sounding as if they had beeen playing together for many years and that just might have been the case. Towards the end of "Ibiza," Lance plays some crafty wah-wah guitar while Heikki plays some dark and turbulent chords. Considering that George Mraz is the only known quantity here, this is a most impressive disc that continues to surprise me every time I play it. This disc is the second of a projected handful of discs that the great Porter Records labels intends to release by Heikki Sarmanto. I can't wait to hear the rest of these buried treasures. - BLG
CD $15

JOEL HARRISON - The Wheel: A Five Movement Suite For Double Quartet And Guitar (innova 220; USA) "Two classic ensembles join forces from their respective worlds: string quartet and jazz quintet. Rather than writing jazz music and then pasting on the strings, like icing on a cake, I started by writing string quartet music with Appalachian, African, and modern classical sensibilities. The improvisation stems from a bedrock of notation, and comes in a variety of forms, from more typical solos over changes, to duo improvising, to free ensemble 'blowing.' Hopefully there are seamless transitions between the soul and spontaneity of improvising and the structure of written notes, resulting in a kind of music that truly IS both worlds, and does not just borrow from them."
Joel Harrison is a musical jack-of-all-trades, who is just at home with improvised music as with rock and American,Asian, and African ethnic music. Every movement establishes its own emphases and functions as an independent piece, as in jazz. And yet it is only from the totality of all the pieces that a statement emerges; that this is a true (and attractive) fusion of opposites. "Featuring Joel Harrison on guitar & composition, David Binney on alto sax, Ralph Alessi on trumpets, Lindsey Horner on bass, Dan Weiss on drums plus a string quartet with Todd Reynolds on violin. This gem came out more than a month ago and I have been enjoying more and more. Guitarist, composer and occasional vocalist, Joel Harrison, never ceases to surprise me with the amount and diversity of projects that he is involved in. Over ten or so discs, Joel has continually evolved and tried different approaches, ideas and inspirations. No two discs of his sound quite alike. Who else but Joel could do a tribute to Soft Machine (unrecorded) one year, and the next year a George Harrison tribute (on CD).
'The Wheel' might just be his best effort yet, it is one this year's best discs. Our journey begins with "American Farewell," a most poignant piece. The string quartet actually rocks on this section with strong drum work supporting it by the amazing Dan Weiss. On "Blues Circle" Joel writes of combining African music with the blues and does a fine job of blending the two. I love the way the strings are plucked rhythmically while the horns play their own complicated lines together. Lovely flugel solo by Ralph Alessi on this track. "Rising" has some especially dynamic string writing/playing which reminds me of some of the better moments of John McLaughlin 'Apocalypse' album with the large version of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. One section even has that incredible start and stop part found on Love's 'Forever Changes' LP. "We Have Been the Victims of a Broken Promise" is an incredible piece for intense and expressive strings with a touching melody that is hard to forget. "Ceaseless Motion" is an aptly named piece that has some great swirling strings and an exciting sax solo near the end. "In Memorium: Dana Brayton" brings this classic disc to a fine conclusion with some more extraordinary strings and intersecting horns. I forgot to mention that Joel Harrison also takes a few inspired guitar solos throughout which makes this gem even better. Again, this is one of the year's best surprises." - BLG
CD $14

ANDREW McGRAW - Kolaborasi (Porter 4001; USA)"Andrew McGraw is an accomplished scholar, composer, and performer specializing in contemporary Balinese gamelan with a lot of first-hand experience in Indonesia and Thailand. This disc has two extended experimental Balinese gamelan pieces, 7 scattered fragments from an experimental shadow theater work performed mainly by the Euro-American ensemble Eighth Blackbird (flute, clarinet, violins, piano, and percussion), and a hodgepodge of curious non-traditional hybridized pieces from various collaborations, some having no relation to Balinese gamelan. One track is a tender, down-home, vibrato-rich plucked string duo (pin pia and dobro) between McGraw and Shahzad Ismaily based on a Thai melody. Another piece is a gorgeous, bristling duo of McGraw on pin pia and vocalist Gusti Sudarta, who contributes prominently to many pieces as a vocalist, instrumentalist, and shadow theater master. I dig every track on here, though my clear favorite is a version of Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse" performed by a Balinese gamelan children's group under McGraw's direction. It has the kind of insanely fast and abrupt interlocked phrases that Bali is famous for. Recordings of experimental gamelan are rare and precious, so grab this and file it alongside the three-disc New Music from Indonesia series on Lyrichord, the two offerings on New World by Evan Ziporyn, et al, Gamelan Son of Lion on Locust, Gamelan Madu Sari on Songlines, etc." - Michael Anton Parker
CD $15

MATHIAS RISSI/GUERINO MAZZOLA/HEINZ GEISSER - Aire (Cadence 1208; USA) "Featuring Mathias Rissi on tenor & soprano saxes, Guerino Mazzola on grand piano and Heinz Geisser on percussion. This fine Italian trio can be found in different combinations of duos, triso and quartets on labels like Black Saint, Silkheart, Creative Sources and Music & Arts on some dozen discs. This disc features four long and inspired trio improvisations. "Aire Part 1" blasts open with some impressive, powerful yet somehow restrained free blowing. These cats are super-tight and erupt tightly together in powerful waves. If I didn't know better, I would guessed players like Matt Shipp, Rob Brown and Whit Dickey in a blindfold test. This is some totally intense blowing, focused yet still over-the-top. There is an organic way this music unfolds, expands and contracts and takes off for the stratosphere. There seems to be a few conversations going on at the same time. Sometimes the piano and drums move together tightly while the sax soars on top and sometimes the sax & drums sail together while the piano erupts on top. On "Aire Part 2," the pianist seems to playing quite thematically, developing themes and spinning out layers of ideas. What is interesting is the way the sax boils down the theme to just a handful of notes while the piano spirals furiously ahead. It takes some work and intense listening to hear how much is going on and what is unique about this trio. In the end, the work is well worth it since the rewards are great." - BLG
CD $15

TOTEM> [BRUCE EISENBEIL/TOM BLANCARTE/ANDREW DRURY] - Solar Forge (ESP Disk 4046; USA) "This is a real in-your-face vivid studio recording of electric guitar (Bruce Eisenbeil), drumkit (Andrew Drury), and bass fiddle (Tom Blancarte) that kicks abstract ass in the ballpark of the mighty Scorch Trio, but with a guitar sound closer to the delicate Ducret/Cline side than the heavy Hendrix/Ulmer/Bjorkenheim side. Eisenbeil is more "out" than any of those guys. In the liner notes for this disc, I make the case that Totem> is special because they maintain the rhythmic excitement of a power trio despite using a lot of extended techniques that can erase the conventional identity and role of the instruments. There is more repetition and thematic consistency than common call-and-response moment form free improv. I even caught snatches of wicked grooves that had me thinking Jim Black or Squarepusher. Even when Eisenbeil is making some totally alien sounds with his guitar, he seems to be thinking more about rhythms and riffs than textures. There's nothing on this disc I'd call a solo; it's more like the whole group is the rhythm section the whole time. Across the four long tracks there's a nice alternating balance between two basic modes: a nimble, dizzying, squirrelling, skittering sound in the 1st and 3rd tracks, and a pulse-oriented textural sound in the 2nd and 4th. I love the crawling prickle/scratch/hum texture in "Annealed". These guys are quintessential contemporary creative musicians, going off into different directions with different projects. Take Drury for example. He's done world-class work in whisper precision improv, tricky-heads post-jazz, and other stuff quite different than this go-for-the-jugular mix of old school fireworks improv, new school timbral and textural improv, and power trio joyriding. This was recorded in 2007 and this group is actively playing gigs now in 2008; it's a fresh, superb thing happening right now, so check it out! (Yes, the name Totem> includes a right arrow bracket at the end.)" - Michael Anton Parker
CD $12

MARINA PETERSON//PHILLIP SCHULTZE//JONATHAN CHEN//ANDREW RAFFO DEWAR - Quartet Solo Series (Striking Mechanism 01; USA) Thus begins a new solo series for a new label, that intends on releasing a number of discs featuring four solo pieces by four different musicians. Byard Lancaster will be featured on a future release. The only musician here with whom I am previously familiar is saxist Andrew Dewar, who has worked with Anthony Braxton in his 12+1-Tet. Marina Peterson plays prepared cello (with paper clips) and gets some strange sounds as she scrapes and rubs her strings slowly and cautiously, similar to the sounds that Ricardo Arias gets from his balloons. When Marina bangs on her strings, it sounds as if we are sitting on a raft in the middle of the ocean slowly shifting back and forth. Jonathan Chen's "Drummer" is for layers of feedback channeled through a child's drum set. I can't really hear any drums, but the selective layers of electronics/feedback are occasinally thick, often intense and consistently fascinating. Philip Schulze's "Cause Unfold Proceed II" features computer generated electronic sounds and is also well-crafted. Hums and drones are slowly manipulated and mutated like some ominous audial putty-like substance. Andrew Raffo Dewar plays two pieces of solo soprano sax, recorded in a memorial chapel at Wesleyan, where Mr. Braxton still teaches. It sounds as if it is recorded from the audience of a somewhat cavernour hall. I like the way Andrew swirls and swerves his notes and then centers in on one note which he then bends and twists. Many of his bent notes sound almost electronic in the way that they pulsate. Andrew utelizes silence wisely by giving some space between his sax sounds and gicing us time to reflect on his unique approach. All in all, a most successful way to initate a new series of little-known solo efforts - BLG
CD $10

SPECTRUM STRING TRIO [CARLOS ZINGARO/DOMINIQUE REGEF/WILBERT DE JOODE] - Spectrum String Trio (clean feed 110; Portugal) "Zingaro on violin. Regef on hurdy gurdy. DeJoode on bass violin. Here are three veteran improvisors who have consistently left strong and good impressions on me, but never this strong. This session is dominated by totally sick, beastly, vicious playing on acoustic instruments, like a Xenakis or Dumitrescu string piece on steroids. It's not all hardcore energy though; there are brooding passages, and arch-form and ladder-form escalations. Everything is focused and incredible on this disc. With the special buzzing, harsh, hazy timbre of the hurdy gurdy, it enters a new realm of string texture, with textures that are unconventional even when the violin and bass violin are using conventional/non-extended technique. There's also some great simultaneous fast/slow contrasts where the violins are going nuts over a hurdy gurdy drone. The composite sound has a lot of chiseled shape, in contrast to a parallel hard-blowing session of the sort you often find in other free improv string groups like Dominic Duval's string quartet. That's not a value judgement, but just an observation that the music here is more concerned with clean interlocking modules than personal narrative. If your taste is like mine (preferring complex acoustic timbres over electronics, and preferring extreme dynamics and velocities), you'll probably also be drooling over this lightning bolt." - Michael Anton Parker
CD $16


Another classic Fred Anderson album reissued!

FRED ANDERSON TRIO With PETER KOWALD & HAMID DRAKE - Live at The Velvet Lounge (Okka Disk 12023; USA) 1999 release, repressed. "This is a new trio with Peter Kowald on bass and Hamid Drake on percussion. Recorded last summer at Fred's world famous club." "If anyone knows Fred's music it's Hamid Drake, an astonishing drummer who's worked with him for about 25 years. The German bassist, Peter Kowald, is rightfully a legend -- listen to him here playing things that he's never done before. The music is spontaneous and carved out of Fred's language, a language that's flexible and open enough to deal with this first encounter and with ideas developed on both sides of the Atlantic ocean. Those of us that caught the concert that night saw and heard something that will stay with us forever. Those of you who couldn't be there are lucky enough to have this document in your hands." -- Ken Vandermark
CD $15.


New editions on Roy Harper's own Science Friction label:

ROY HARPER - Counter Culture [2 CD set] (Science Friction 39; UK) Spanning 35 years of song writing, this double cd collection of 25 classic songs, cherry-picked according to Roy's mood in April 2005, is intended as an introduction for anyone who's not sure where to start. An enjoyable compilation for everyone of this 'songwriter's songwriter', a folkster who's recordings have enjoyed the continuous support of the British musical hierarchy, including members of Led Zeppelin [Hats Off To Roy Harper], The Who, and Pink Floyd [Have A Cigar]
2 CD set for $22

ROY HARPER With JIMMY PAGE et al - Stormcock: Deluxe Edition (Science Friction 47; UK) Deluxe edition packaged in a 20 page hard-covered booklet with new pictures, prose and poetry. Widely considered Roy Harper`s masterpiece, 1971`s STORMCOCK downplays the mercurial quirkiness of Harper`s earlier records in favor of a mature, sophisticated, but never stuffy or boring orchestrated folk-rock song cycle. Scored by David Bedford, the four lengthy songs mix folk, rock, and jazz elements into a subtle and understated blend not at all unlike an earthier, less spiritually preoccupied Van Morrison. The centerpiece is `The Same Old Rock,` a bitter anti-religion diatribe supported by a blazing extended guitar solo by Jimmy Page. Elsewhere, the swaggering `One Man Rock and Roll Band,` Harper`s signature tune, and the tender, beautifully arranged `Me and My Woman` show the range of emotions Harper was capable of successfully conveying. Somehow, Roy Harper was never an enormous star, but he's clearly an enormous talent.
"I've had it in my mind to present a new edition of my 1971 record Stormcock to the world for some years now. It seemed a shame that one of my best loved albums was hanging around as an inferior package when compared to the prowess of its original 12 inch LP forebear. I've spent a long time thinking about it, and how I might go about returning it to being one of the brightest lights in my canon. The release of this new edition marks the fruition of those thoughts. There are a few good reasons for this update and re-release. The first is that the cd packaging has never remotely been able to achieve what was possible with the original album art. Secondly, the transfer of what was a very dynamic record on vinyl to a cd with a 44.1 sample rate format just didn't seem to come across properly.
Thirdly, there has been a lot of interest in this record in recent years. It has never lost it's place in the music pantheon, and as time goes on it seems to be gaining in stature. It's become wholly appropriate that it should have the kind of new presentation we have now given it. In digitally re-mastering it I have attempted to take off some of the distortional effects and digital noise brought over by the transfer from tape/vinyl to cd. Apart from that very little has happened to it. I now believe it to be an altogether better audio experience. Producer Pete Jenner and I turned out a great record. Seems like a thousand years ago now. Though I very rarely listen to my own records I would definitely say that my personal highlight on the record is Jimmy Page's guitar solo on 'The Same Old Rock.' My opinion has not changed since the day he put it on there. Absolutely brilliant. The string arrangement on 'Me And My Woman' is by David Bedford." - Roy Harper
"While all of the free-folk heroes praise everyone under the sun, this Roy Harper record stands alone as a masterpiece regardless of genre. You MUST hear this!" - BLG
CD $22

ROY HARPER & JIMMY PAGE - Jugula (Science Friction 32; UK) "Jugula was the fifth project that Jimmy Page and I had worked on, but the first record that we made together in its entirety. It was a very enjoyable experience. I went down to Jimmy's place a few times with an eight track Teac borrowed from Pete Townsend, and we worked on it there for a while. Then he came up to Lytham, where I had helped to set up a studio with my old school friend Tony Beck, who sadly had a tragic accident and is no longer with us. Tony Franklin, later of The Firm, Nik Green, later of Whitesnake and Preston Heyman, later of Terence Trent D'Arby and Steve Broughton were the nucleus of the backing band. Nik Green also engineered the record. We had a wonderful time. One possible reason would have been that I had just fallen in love for the fourth time in my life, and that it would be forever. Etc. I think that the whole record is great with the exception of 'Advertisement', which is maybe on the wrong record. My taste varies from year to year as to which is my favorite track."
CD $19

ROY HARPER - Flat, Baroque And Beserk (Science Friction 28; UK) Original Release Date: 1970 'Flat Baroque and Berserk' was the first record of mine to go into the charts. For the first time in my recording career, proper care and attention was paid to the presentation of the song. Peter Jenner was assigned by EMI Records to produce the recording. Peter and I got on really well and he was a better overseer of my work than anyone I have been involved with before or since. I had also had a Studio upgrade. EMI Studios, Abbey Road was at that time the most advanced studio in Europe, and over the next ten years I was to record in near-perfect conditions. Over those years, the studio buzzed with four separate Beatles, some Stones, The Pink Floyd, Cliff and the Shadows, Gracie Fields, three of four musical knights, Kate Bush, Olivier Newton-John, The Hollies, Yehudi Menuin, Stefan Grapelli, The Plastic Ono Band, Eric Clapton; you name them, they were all there. Jimmy Page and I were in there three or four times together. It was a creative hotbed where the technical staff, headed by Ken Townsend, were second to none. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I was very pleased with my first record made in such elevated surroundings. The song that I was best known for in those days, 'I Hate the White Man,' was recorded live for this album, and still stands as a testament to my lifelong devotion to espousing equal rights for all humans. I have long since wondered about the wisdom of stating that you have more than the capacity to hate your own race for it's misdemeanors, but as a polemic it has been both an effective tool and somewhere of a place to stand. Much of the the record is on a gentler level, although 'Hells Angels,' recorded with 'The Nice,' is just as raw and was very eventful.
'Another Day' is one of the best love songs I ever wrote and the overall balance of the record is very good.
CD $19


LIQUID LIQUID - The Collection: Liquid Liquid/Succesive Reflexes/Optimo/Live From Berkley Square (Grand Royal/GR2; USA) 2008 re-release of Grand Royal Records' 1997 CD collection of their three EPs during its existence -- 1981's Liquid Liquid and Successive Reflexes, and 1983's Optimo, the latter containing the track "Cavern," which became the basis for Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines (Don't Do It)" [and an infamous court battle]; plus a 1982 performance, Live from Berkley Square.
The legendary minimalistic funk of New York's Liquid Liquid consisted almost entirely of percussion grooves with a smattering of bass, plus congas, marimba, and the occasional vocal thrown in. The quartet consisted of Salvatore Principato (percussion, vocals), Scott Hartley (drums, percussion, talking drum), Richard McGuire (bass, percussion, piano, guitar), and Dennis Young (percussion, marimba, roto toms).
CD $13


STEINSKI [STEVE STEIN] - What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective [2 CD set] (Illegal Art 116; UK) "Steinski (advertising writer, DJ, and record collector Steve Stein) produced his first record in 1983. In response to a nationwide remix contest by Tommy Boy Records, he and partner Double Dee (engineer and studio wizard Douglas DJ Franco) produced 'The Payoff Mix.' A panel of ten judges -- including Afrika Bambaataa, Shep Pettibone, Jellybean Benitez, and Arthur Baker -- unanimously chose the mix as the winner. Within two weeks 'The Payoff Mix' became a top 10 request on urban radio nationwide, but the release never saw official status and was subsequently bootlegged countless times. 'The Payoff Mix' became the first record in a series now known as The Lessons. Double Dee and Steinski followed up with cut-and-paste landmark Lesson Two: The James Brown Mix, which Fatboy Slim called 'the record that always gets the crowd going.' Then came Lesson 3: The History of Hip Hop. The series quickly became highly sought-after collectibles and led to homage records by DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, DJ Format, and others. Since The Lessons, Steinski has produced a variety of tracks, and this Illegal Art retrospective collects everything from his hip-hop narrative about the Kennedy assassination (originally a white-label promo, also issued as a flexi-disk for UK music magazine NME) to the 1998 remix of Afrika Bambaataa's 'Jazz' with Double Dee. Besides the completist archive, the release also includes the critically acclaimed 'Nothing To Fear: A Rough Mix,' an hour-long mash-up that was produced for Solid Steel/BBC London, described by Salon as, 'the closest thing to a masterpiece the genre has yet produced' and perhaps the most obvious precursor (along with The Lessons) to Girl Talk's Night Ripper."
CD $17

STEEV HISE - Original (Illegal Art 101; UK) "Illegal Art is proud to present the work of Steev Hise. Previously released on the obscure Viral Communications, Steev Hise's Original represents four years of digital audio manipulation. Though it is built almost exclusively from the recorded works of others (everyone from the Beatles to Martin Denny to Kurt Cobain), Original bears the distinctive mark of its creator. From the gentle whirring drone of 'Softly Ultra' to breakneck cutup songs like 'Frustr8ed' and 'Tentacle of the Cannibal', Hise deftly razors his digital cursor across the throat of mass culture. The opening track 'Ferrante, Zeppelin & Teicher' is a good introduction to Hise's artistic methods. Juxtaposing easily spotted Led Zeppelin samples against the lounge orchestrations of piano duo Ferrante & Teicher, a bit of role reversal happens as Zeppelin later reverberates into its own ambient soundscape. Recontextualizing cultural artifacts with cut-and-paste, abstract sound processing, and social commentary, Hise is one of the finest practitioners of what is often referred to as recombinant sound art or plunderphonics." Limited stock.
CD $12


MOONDOG [LOUIS HARDIN] - The Viking of Sixth Avenue (Honest Jon's 118; UK) This is the first retrospective of Moondog's music -- 36 tracks from 1949-1995, most of them exceptionally rare, all of them miraculous. Now re-released on its original label, Honest Jon's, with new and improved gatefold card wallet sleeve packaging.
"This new release from Honest Jon's is the first overview of Moondog's amazing artistic life -- including recordings spanning from 1949 till 1995, with numerous 78s and various other vanished records revived for the first time (not to mention a couple of Weegee photographs!). Though the compilation is rooted in the decades Moondog regularly lived rough in New York City, performing on street corners -- 'the Viking Of Sixth Avenue' -- at the same time it lays the music's claim to the future. It makes vivid sense of his inspiration of fans from Igor Stravinsky to Bob Dylan, Mr Scruff to Frank Zappa, Charlie Parker to Elvis Costello, Janis Joplin to Anthony And The Johnsons. As Moondog put it himself in 1989 -- 'I still love horned helmets and swords and spears. I like to feel that I'm loyal to my past. I wouldn't want to be on the street anymore. But, you know, that led to a lot of things.' Moondog was born Louis Thomas Hardin on May 26, 1916, in Marysville, Kansas. Noting the five-year-old's interest in percussion, his father -- an Episcopal minister -- took him to see an Arapaho Sun Dance. During the ritual the budding musician was allowed to sit on Chief Yellow Calf's lap and play the tom-tom. This experience -- and later playing tom-tom and flute with the Blackfoot tribe in Idaho at another Sun Dance -- would have a profound and lasting effect on the development of his own music and ideas. 'The American Indians have this basic beat,' Moondog said in 1995, 'a heartbeat in two speeds -- a walking beat (in twos) and a running beat (in four). I use those rhythms to this day. In fact it just came to me recently that American Indian music is just so syncopated that any jazz musician -- especially in the swing era -- would see a clear connection between jazz and Indian music. Those songs are not improvised -- they've been handed down from generation to generation -- they're extremely old. I think of America as an 'Old World' too, maybe older culturally than Europe.' And elsewhere: 'Harmonically, my music is the same as Bach, Beethoven and Brahms; rhythmically, it goes back to the past -- the swing rhythms of the Indians. You really couldn't find anything more syncopated.'"
CD $17


PIERO UMILANI - Piero's Pleasure: The Touch Of Piero Umilani [sndtck s] (Cherry Red/Bella Casa 04; UK) Italian soundtrack circles, the name Piero Umiliani is spoken with the same reverence as his world famous contemporary Ennio Morricone. Umiliani's most successful composition, the world-renowned, 'Mah Na Mah Na' is included followed by over seventy extraordinary minutes of characteristically sensual, elegant music from his film scores of the late sixties-early seventies For many Umiliani is the definitive lounge-core artist with particular appeal in Japan where a great many exclusive editions have been released. This is the sound of Rome in the sixties.
CD $17

NINO ROTA - War And Peace [sndtck] (Cherry Red/El 147; UK) "For King Vidor's 1956 filming of Tolstoy s epic, Nino Rota, already revered for his work on the films of Federico Fellini and who would go on to compose the Oscar-winning music for the first two parts of The Godfather trilogy, provides a suitably dramatic and romantic score that pays homage to the music of Tchaikovsky. The film is a truly sumptuous spectacle, thanks to the radiance of the young Audrey Hepburn (who plays Natasha) and the contribution of veteran cinematographer Jack Cardiff -- widely hailed as a genius in the field after his work on the Powell and Pressburger masterpieces A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes. Nino Rota s score is long deleted in digital form and much sought after by the composer's acolytes in America, Japan and Italy especially. Audrey Hepburn is collectable in all mediums and naturally enough she graces the front cover of our edition."
CD $17

MORT GARSON - The Wozard Of Iz (Cherry Red/El 145; UK) "An extraordinary, acid, counterculture take on The Wizard of Oz created under the auspices of electronic producer, Bernard Krause and combining Jacques Wilson's inventive lyrics with the moog synthesizers of the legendary Mort Garson. Even in the heady, drug-fuelled atmosphere of sonic exploration that ruled the late '60s, there was never another album quite like The Wozard of Iz; a psychedelic masterpiece both of and ahead of its time. A psychedelic concept album of estimable mind: funny, crazed, beautiful, thought-provoking."
CD $17

CHARLES IVES - A Radical In A Suit And Tie: Premiere Recordings (Cherry Red/El 146; UK) "The music of Charles Ives is a cultural sourcebook of America at the beginning of the 20th century. He took the evangelical hymns, the college songs, the melodies of the dance hall, the tunes of small town bands and the sounds of village life and shaped them into musical works that are at one familiar and of startling originality. Long considered to be unplayable, his musical juxtapositions would prove to be enormously influential inform such kaleidoscopic inventions as Van Dyke Parks' Song Cycle and the Beach Boys' Smile. Ives today is regarded as 'a greatly original, immensely creative composer, who gave new dimensions to the vast and varied heritage of America's music.' A true 'American Original' who marched to a different beat. Ives audience stretches beyond classical into the modern avant-garde fields of Cage, Varese and Stockhausen. He is very collectable and none of the pieces that comprise our edition have ever been re-released or restored digitally."
CD $17

LES TROUBADOURS DU ROI BAUDOUIN - Missa Luba (Cherry Red/El 136; UK) Hailed by Stanley Kubrick as "Absolutely, one of the great films," Lindsay Anderson's stylish, surrealistic, uncompromising and confrontational film IF... encapsulated the revolutionary atmosphere of the sixties; and four decades on has lost none of it's power to astonish and provoke. Malcolm McDowell (of whom IF... made a star), suggested the bewitching, other-worldly music of Sanctus from the Missa Luba, a version of the Latin Mass based on traditional Congolese songs, which establishes the film s very particular atmosphere. IF... captured the public's imagination beyond anyone's expectation and the memorable Sanctus subsequently became a chart hit ("I couldn't believe," it recalled McDowell). Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin, a choir, with percussion section, consisting of about 45 boys from 9 to 14 years old, and 15 teachers were formed by Father Haazen. The Missa Luba is pure Congolese. It is completely void of any modern, western musical influences. None of it is written. Certain rhythms, harmonies and embellishments are spontaneous improvisations. This edition, comprising the mass and native songs of the Congo, is the first complete restoration of the original album first released in 1963.
CD $17

EYELESS IN GAZA [MARTYN BATES/PETER BECKER] - Back> From The Rains (Cherry Red 69; UK) "As part of Cherry Red's 30th anniversary commemorations -- we shall be revisiting many key artists' releases and they will be re-mastered, repressed and re-promoted. What better then than to kick-start proceedings with one of Mike Alway's first signings -- the esteemed band Eyeless In Gaza. Here's what Martyn Bates himself has to say about the title song on this CD: 'Back >From The Rains - my personal, utter favorite of anything we've ever, ever done... just something about the instrumentation gets me, really excites and moves me, quite apart from the song itself, which I'm so proud of - the instrumentation, it's like a mad soupcon of different and clashing elements... the mournful harmonica, crazy wailing voices, a delicious bluesy bass line, and Pete's mad, wonderful drums; he plays a totally unorthodox set of drums, and it really works like a dream on the right song... he played drums all over Rust Red September, and it was his characteristic unorthodox approach that helped to make that album such an individual voice... but now, with this album, it's like we've got the best of both worlds, with Pete and Joby Palmer drumming in the studio. Strengths and weaknesses are shared, according to the demands of each song, whatever each song requires... tho' it's generally Joby who is the solid backbone type drummer, and Pete who is the 'eccentric' player, knocking and tapping and banging everything in sight at eighteen to the dozen... the lyric just has to be one of the most naked and tender things I've ever written... it echoes "Welcome Now" in its sentiment, really, except" that it's so much more personal and close, so close it aches... that's me doing the barmy soprano choirboy bit in the background; a duet with myself, thanks to the miracle of technology! ...if I never lift another finger to make any more music, it's almost as if "That's OK, everything's said now"; to me it's so special - I don't know, we must have been possessed when we recorded this!'"
CD $17

DAVE MASON - Alone Together (Cherry Red/Rev-Ola 251; UK) "One time Kim Fowley protege one time Spencer Davis guitar tech Dave Mason was a key and founder member of psych/pop/funk/soul/fusion legends Traffic. The writer of many of the band's early classics including the timeless and much-covered 'Feelin Alright?,' Mason was the first to leave due to the classic 'musical differences.' Moving to the US, his first solo album was one of the many recordings to come out of the Leon Russell/Delaney & Bonnie axis in 1969/1970. Alone Together contains excellent, tightly constructed pop songs, redolent of his singles for Traffic, albeit extended in the then new style, built on a fat bed of acoustic guitars with tasteful electric guitar accents. Mason's vocals are embellished with harmonies from Rita Coolidge, Claudia Lennear and Delaney & Bonnie. Besides the hit 'Only You Know and I Know,' (also a hit for Delaney & Bonnie) highlights include the bouncy gospel-inflected 'Waitin' On You' and the banjo-bejeweled 'Just a Song.' 'Look at You Look at Me' and the wonderfully wah-wahed 'Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave' are reminiscent of Traffic, whose drummer, Jim Capaldi is among the all-star cast assembled here. Alone Together represents Dave Mason at something of an early peak."
CD $17

STEFAN GROSSMAN - Flowers on the Wall: The Unique Art of Stefan Grossman (Cherry Red/El 108; UK) "America's master guitarist, Stefan Grossman is a recognized but underrated virtuoso in every genre of the guitar. This set draws on vintage material in the classic transatlantic folk catalogue that showcases Stefan's genius as both a guitarist and as a songwriter particularly able to evoke the atmosphere of Americana."
CD $17

ELIS REGINA - The Voice of Brazil (Cherry Red/El 143; UK) "Graced by the exquisite arrangements of Roberto Menescal, The Voice of Brazil combines Elis Regina's masterful 1968 LP, Elis, Como e Porque ('Elis, How and Why') with recordings made a year later in London where Menescal teamed with Peter Knight (of Moody Blues fame). Although the flawless album she made in 1974 with Tom Jobim is regarded internationally as one of the great treasures of Bossa Nova, almost three decades after her death Elis remains one of the music world's best-kept secrets, a truly great singer who deserves to be recognized beyond her beloved Brazil. Stylistically, Elis Regina is part Dusty Springfield, part Blossom Dearie. Considered to be part of the Tropicalia family."
CD $17

GILBERTO GIL - The Sound of Revolution 1968-69: Frevo Rasgado/Cerebro Electronico (Cherry Red/El 142; UK) "The Sound of Revolution combines Gilberto Gil's brilliant 1968 and 69 Tropicalia albums, Frevo Rasgado and Cerebro Electronico; joyous, extraordinarily inventive pop music made against a background of terrible political unrest in Brazil and in the shadow of both imprisonment and eventually exile both for Gil and his friend Caetano Veloso. The 1968 album is electrified by the meteoric Os Mutantes and both sets arranged by Rogerio Duprat who contributes a range of totally original textures and orchestration much as George Martin did with 'Strawberry Fields' and Sgt. Pepper. Suffice to say, this combination of precocious talent achieves a magical and historically important result."
CD $17

The combined-albums CD above is available as two separate CDs below from Water, a label which is noted for its excellent transfers from master tapes

GILBERTO GIL With OS MUTANTES - Gilberto Gil (1968; aka Frevo Rasgado) (Water 222; USA) The second album from this legend is one of the earliest, and most important, documents of the Tropicalia movement. Featuring help from Sao Paulo eccentric geniuses, Os Mutantes, Gil's 1968 release marries British psychedelia with mutated samba rhythms and lush orchestration. Though it is one of Gilberto Gil's most pop-oriented albums, it is no less innovative than his later, more experimental, recordings. A superb record from one of Brazil's most influential post-bossa artists."
CD $15

GILBERTO GIL - Gilberto Gil (1969; aka Cerebro Electronico) (Water 223; USA) "Originally released in 1969, this is Gilberto Gil's second self-titled album in as many years. Perhaps not as consistent as the previous year's effort, this is still a massive slab of Tropicalia, and one of the most forward-thinking pop albums to ever come out of Brazil. Featuring his first major hit 'Aquele Abraco' and other classics like 'Volks Volkswagen Blue' and 'Cerebro Eletronico,' Gilberto Gil manages to incorporate psychedelic experimentation, blues, rock, samba and post-bossa into a whole much greater than the sum of its parts. A Tropicalia classic in print domestically for the first time ever."
CD $15

GILBERTO GIL - Gilberto Gil (1971) (Water 191; USA) First ever U.S. reissue of this album, with new liner notes by Peter Margasak. "Released in 1971 while Gil was living in London, this is the third self-titled release from the bossa nova and tropicalia legend. Gil recorded this album while in political exile from his native Brazil and its somber, straightforward tone is a welcome change from the experimental, psychedelic assault of his 1969 long player. Featuring 8 originals and a brilliant cover Steve Winwood's 'Can't Find My Way Home,' this Water release also contains 3 bonus tracks including covers of Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. A tropicalia classic."
CD $15

GILBERTO GIL - Expresso 2222 (Water 224; USA) Originally released in 1972, Expresso 2222 is Gil's first release since returning to Brazil after a two-year political exile, and the joy is palpable within the grooves. Moving away from the psychedelic tone of his late '60s recordings, Expresso 2222 has a funky and jazzy feel that blends perfectly with Gil's percussive guitar work and soulful vocal delivery. More even and less experimental than previous recordings, this album is still an equal to those that came before, in both its imaginative arrangements and the seamless blend of styles that defined the Tropicalia movement. This is one of Gil's last masterworks, one that many consider to be his best."
CD $15

THE FEELIES - Only Life (Water 225; USA) "The third album, originally released in 1988, from one of New Jersey's most influential and beguiling bands. Featuring nine originals and a stellar cover of VU's classic 'What Goes On,' this is first rate jangle-pop that is equal parts loosely-structured and tightly wound. Avoiding all the shortcomings of '80s recordings, Only Life remains a timeless piece of trance-like guitar rock, indebted to the Velvets, but with a sound that is all their own. The last great Feelies record: classic!"
CD $15


THE STOOGES [IGGY POP et al] - Gimme Some Skin (Get Back 160; Italy) "This compilation of rarities is not just any 'from the vaults' collection. What we give you here are a few true moments of greatness. Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about The Stooges, these 11 raw, pulsating tracks, not found on any of the original Stooges albums, are sure to satisfy both the hardcore fan and the novice. Compiled by Pat Thomas."
CD $18


13th FLOOR ELEVATORS - The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators...Plus! (Charly/Snapper 225; UK) 10 bonus cuts! "Fronted by the truly eccentric and iconic Roky Erickson, The 13th Floor Elevators produced some of the most inventive and memorable music of the era. The intensity of this classic debut album has been rarely matched -- the influence it has had over the years upon everyone from The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and The Stooges through to The Spacemen Three, Julian Cope and so many of today's young hopefuls, is testament to its magnificence. Released in 1966 on the highly-regarded Texan label, International Artists, it lays claim to being the first psychedelic rock album and was certainly the first to use the term in a title. As well as the group's groundbreaking hit single, 'You're Gonna Miss Me,' it includes several other classics of the genre, such as 'Reverberation (Doubt)' and 'Fire Engine.' This enhanced re-issue includes ten bonus tracks. Eight of these are atmospheric live recordings from the era -- they vividly capture the heady atmosphere of the group's early gigs. These include their psychedelic takes on such '60s classics as 'The Word' and 'Gloria.' The two other bonus tracks are both sides of the single Roky made with his earlier group, The Spades -- his initial stab at 'You're Gonna Miss Me.' As with our earlier enhanced reissues of the group's Easter Everywhere and Bull Of The Woods albums, the attractive digipak packaging faithfully reproduces the original artwork, in this case, one of the most famous album images of the '60s. As well as new and authoritative updated notes, the accompanying illustrated booklet reproduces in full the original album's famed and truly off-the-wall introduction and individual track notes."
CD $14

13th FLOOR ELEVATORS - Easter Everywhere...Plus! (Charly/Snapper 132; UK) "This enhanced re-issue includes ten highly desirable bonus tracks in the form of live versions of eight songs from the group's debut album, recorded in Texas and San Francisco, an instrumental version of 'Levitation,' as well as a previously unreleased studio gem, 'I Don't Ever Want To Come Down.' One of the pioneer psychedelic groups of the '60s, The 13th Floor Elevators released four remarkable albums on the highly-regarded Texan label, International Artists. Fronted by the legendary and truly eccentric visionary Roky Erickson, the group has enjoyed sizeable cult status ever since their ground-breaking single, 'You're Gonna Miss Me' made the U.S. charts in 1966. Their first two albums are widely recognized as being landmarks of their era. The group's second album for International Artists, 1967's Easter Everywhere is essentially an extension of the sound of their debut album. Another bona fide psychedelic classic, its standout tracks include the eight minute epic 'Slip Inside This House' and an inspired cover of Bob Dylan's '(It's All Over Now) Baby Blue.'"
CD $14

13th FLOOR ELEVATORS - Bull Of The Woods...Plus! (Charly/Snapper 201; UK) "Classic final studio album now featuring 10 bonus tracks. Generally recognized as being one of the pioneer psychedelic groups of the '60s, The 13th Floor Elevators released four seminal albums on the highly-regarded Texan label, International Artists between 1966 and 1969. Leader Roky Erickson's involvement in the recording sessions for Bull of the Woods, the group's final studio album, was somewhat curtailed owing to his being sidelined by his increasing drug and legal problems. The group's guitarist Stacy Sutherland however, proved more than an able deputy for Roky and wrote most of the songs. The resulting album remains as another memorable slice of psychedelia. Roky's two contributions, the reverb-drenched 'May The Circle Remain Unbroken' and 'Never Another' along with 'Doctor Doom' are album highlights. This re-issue includes 10 bonus tracks. These include four outtakes from the Bull of the Woods sessions and includes a sublime acoustic reading of 'Splash 1,' one of the standout tracks from the group's debut album. The five 'live' titles are taken from the group's Live album, and are in fact studio recordings with overdubbed audience effects. As with last year's enhanced reissue of the group's other classic album, Easter Everywhere, the attractive digipak packaging faithfully reproduces the original artwork and includes an illustrated booklet with detailed sleeve notes."
CD $14

13th FLOOR ELEVATORS - Going Up: The Very Best Of The 13th Floor Elevators (Charly/Snapper 211; UK) 2004 release, single CD best-of collection. "The 20 greatest mind-blowing highlights recorded for the International Artists label between 1966 and 1969 by the pioneering psychedelic rock group. Featuring the groundbreaking single, 'You're Gonna Miss Me,' other classics such as 'Fire Engine,' 'Slip Inside This House' and 'May The Circle Remain Unbroken,' plus the recently discovered nugget 'I Don't Ever Want To Come Down' and a manic version of Van Morrison's garage classic, 'Gloria.' Fronted by the truly eccentric and iconic Roky Erickson, The 13th Floor Elevators produced some of the most inventive and memorable music of the era. Their often-menacing drug-fuelled songs with a potent combination of R&B, folk-rock and Kinks/Stones punk and stoned lyrics based on a nihilistic hippy philosophy have brought them cult status ever since."
CD $14


THEM [ALAN HENDERSON/JERRY COLE et al] - Them (Fallout 2100; UK) The complicated life of this legendary UK R&B outfit was almost over when this, their penultimate album, appeared in 1970. Astonishingly, by then they were reduced to a duo consisting of original bassist Alan Henderson and U.S. vocalist/percussionist Jerry Cole. It ranges from pounding psychedelia ("I Keep Singing") and snotty garage punk ("Lonely Weekends," a shameless rewrite of "Gloria") to furious rock and roll ("Jo Ann") and even a country ballad ("Take A Little Time"). As the original sleevenotes declared: "The Them sound combines the typical British style with an air of mystery and an atmosphere of excitement... mythical, mystical, Oriental, African, electronic and computer rhythms included."
CD $17

THEM [ALAN HENDERSON et al] - Them In Reality (Fallout 2101; UK) In 1971, following the departure of his bandmate Jerry Cole, bassist Alan Henderson joined forces with U.S. guitarist Jim Parker and drummer John Stark to make this lost power trio classic -- the last to be issued under the legendary Them moniker. It opens with a searing medley of the Them classics "Gloria" and "Baby Please Don't Go," boasting superb interplay and savage psychedelic guitar throughout. Elsewhere, Stark and Parker flex their songwriting muscles on a series of powerful compositions, and even an acid folk number. Like its equally overlooked predecessor, this lost classic is guaranteed to find favor with fans of top-end garage rock.
CD $17

THE ORIENT EXPRESS - The Orient Express (Fallout 2102; UK) Recorded by a Frenchman, a Belgian and an Iranian who'd wound up in New York's East Village via extensive travels out East, this 1969 classic is arguably the finest fusion of traditional Middle Eastern music and psychedelia ever recorded. Featuring guitar and drums as well as oud, electric sitar, melodica, dumbek and minitar, it's a hypnotic, compelling blast from start to finish. As the original sleeve notes state: "Like the train whose name they bear, the Orient Express travels easily from West to East and back again, maintaining their individuality and integrity all the way."
CD $17

ALL THAT THE NAME IMPLIES - All That The Name Implies (Fallout 2103; UK) This mellow collection of communal U.S. hippie folk was recorded in 1968 and went undiscovered for decades. Featuring male and female vocals, strummed 6 and 12-string acoustic guitars, congas, flute and tambourine, it's a lost gem that's bound to appeal to fans of stoned rural psychedelia. The songs range from touching ballads to whimsical ditties and a highly unusual medley in tribute to folk giant Fred Neil. It makes its CD debut here, and comes complete with all four sides of their equally-rare and obscure 45s.
CD $17


RAIN - Rain (Sunbeam 5054; UK) Rain arose from the ashes of Rock Island (who also made a highly-regarded album of psychedelic rock), and their sole album is a lost classic touching on power-pop, progressive rock, folk and psychedelia, boasting glorious melodies, harmony vocals and superb musicianship. Recorded under the aegis of the legendary Enoch Light in New York in 1971, it was barely released but has gone on to acquire a major cult reputation. This long-overdue reissue has been prepared with the full involvement of leader Cobb Bussinger, and includes detailed historical notes, previously-unseen photographs and an ultra-rare non-LP bonus track.
CD $17

JUSTINE - Justine (Sunbeam 5053; UK) Recorded in London by a youthful Anglo-American quintet and originally released in June 1970, this lost classic was described in original promotional material as "rich, splendid bursts of colorful sound." A bewitching brew of dreamy pop and whimsical psychedelia, it features glorious vocal harmonies throughout and culminates with one of the era's greatest acid trips, the mind-blowing "Unknown Journey." This long-awaited reissue tells their story for the first time, and also includes both sides of their ultra-rare pre-LP single, making it an essential purchase for all fans of top-end progressive popsike.
CD $17


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