New on Tzadik and Avant New on Tzadik and Avant New on Tzadik  
and Avant New on Tzadik and Avant New on Tzadik and Avant 
 

1. STEVE LACY- SANDS. (Tzadik 7124) We is proud to release a new recording by Steve Lacy, MacArthur Fellow and for 40 years the undisputed master of the soprano saxophone.Recorded at his home in Paris from February to April 1998, Sands is Steve Lacy's most personal and remarkable solo document, and explores a wide variety of musical and dramatic subjects. Portraits of dose friends Barney Wilen and William Burroughs; collaborations with the texts of Allen Ginsberg and Samuel Beckett; and of course his own peculiar take on identity and Jewish heritage, which he characterizes in his most recent composition "Jewgitive." The music of Lacy, like Judaism itself, is a praxis a question, a floating anxiety, and Sands is one of Lacy's most poignant and intense recordings. $14.  

2. BEN GOLDBERG-TWELVE MINOR. Avant 035) Twelve Minor is the newest project from Ben Goldberg, the brilliant clarinetist and compositional mastermind behind the landmark group "New Klezmer Trio." Featured on this dynamic sextet is bassist Trevor Dunn, from the cult rock band Mr. Bungle"; the sensitive koto of Miya Masaoka who has worked with the likes of Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille, Mark Dresser, Fred Frith and George Lewis; NY's favorite drummer Kenny Wollesen, and two exciting young players from the bay area - violinist Carla Kihlstedt and saxophonist Rob Sudduth. Blending Jewish themes, harmonies and melodies with the fire of Free Jazz and the structural integrity of contemporary classical music, Ben's newest CD is one of his best. $18.  

3. JOHN FRENCH- 0 SOLO DRUMBO. Avant 024) An adventurous rock classic by one of the most important innovators in rock drumming. John "Drumbo" French is best known as the man responsible for creating the percussive backdrops for legendary underground rock pioneer Capt. Beefheart. An eclectic and quirky genius in his own right, 0 Solo Drumbo is the first CD under his own name. These exciting solo drum performances showcase French's startlingly original drum patterns and his distinctive structural sensibility, mixing familiar riffs from classic albums like Safe As Milk with improvisations and more recent compositions. Produced by the great guitarist/ethnomusicologist/world traveller/improviser Henry Kaiser, 0 Solo Drumbo has been meticulously recorded with an ear for the detail and precision inherent in French's distinctive percussion work. $18.  

4. MIN XIAO-FEN WITH SIX COMPOSERS (Avant 021) Striking and beautiful works for pipa and voice by some today's most important contemporary composers, including Tan Dun, Chen Yi, Leo Smith and Bun-Ching Lam. Min Xiao-Fen is one of the outstanding pipa (Chinese 4-string lute) virtuosos of our time. Well versed in the traditional Chinese repertoire she was the pipa soloist with the famed Nanjing National Music Orchestra. Since her arrival in the United States in 1992, she has become a dynamic leader in developing modern repertoire for the pipa. She has performed with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the New York Music Consort, the Chicago Contemporary Players, the San Francisco Opera Symphony, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players among many others, and has developed strong working relationships with composers as diverse as Chen Yi, Tan Dun, Wadada Leo Smith, Carl Stone, George Lewis and John Zorn. This CD features the fruit of these collaborative friendships in seven major new compositions that take this ancient instrument to new and unexpected places. $18.  

5. TEIJI ITO- KING UBU (Tzadik 7036) The first release of Ito's original 1961 recordings, authorized by the composer's estate. Teiji Ito was one of contemporary music's most elusive mavericks. Born in Tokyo in 1935, he moved to NY at the age of six, and by 1952, at the age of seven-teen, he was already composing music for the influential avant-garde film work of Maya Deren. Accompanying her to Haiti in 1955, Ito learned ceremonial and secular drumming techniques from the legendary Haitian musician Coyote. Applying these principles to his knowledge of traditional Japanese music, contemporary classical and African traditions, Ito's scores are a shocking precursor to today's cutting-edge composers. King Ubu, originally written for a 1961 NY production of Alfred Jarry's pre-dadaist masterpiece, is a delightful and eclectic score filled with sly humor and ingenious dramatic effects. Intermixing a wide range of traditional and ethnic instruments, all of which are performed with great skill by the compose r himself on this rare original re- cording, Ito's score to King Ubu establishes him as one of the most extraordinary and unique composers in the NY underground. $14. 

6.MARC RIBOT & LOS CUBANOS POSTITOS-s/t (Atlantic 83116) It's party time at the ole hacienda and a groove fest Cuban style. This cheesy/latin/post-surf twang/psych/guitar is up front & in yo face. It just makes me wanna jump up & down & smile & snap my fingers! Although Ribot has been at it for over a decade, he has really hit his stride this year. His incredible playing on John Zorn's chamber Masada releases, as well as his burning guitar on recent sets with Zorn, Medeski & drummer, live. Ribot often dives into noise, and loves to do fractured lines, creating groups that would push the patience of some fans. On Marc's major label debut, he shows how to pull off relatively straight Cuban stylings, opening them up to new surroundings, revving them up or making them all the more gracious, quiet, and lovely. Even Ribot's voice, while singing or speaking his bad version of Spanish, still has a goofy charm. Ribot gets the minimal instrumentation for backing-acoustic bass & percussion, with occasional drums, organ & horns on a tune or two. His playing is in top form, either playing ultra-subtle on a few pieces or going for the jugular when the heat is on. Recent Los Cubanos gigs have been smokin'!! Don't miss them! $14.  

7.URI CAINE/GUSTAV MAHLER-Primal Light (W&W 004) An immensely successful work of art for local jazz pianist/composer/interpreter-Uri Caine and selling huge amounts of cds in europe, where they are no doubt more familiar with Mahler, than many of us. This long piece wanders through a variety of stories, effortlessly testing many genres. Mahler's music was refered to as " a crisis in sound", an apt description of Uri's outer explorations, but what of Mahler the converted Jew?!? Uri Caine's all-star downtown ensemble includes Dave Douglas, Mark Feldman, Joey Baron, Don Byron, Arto Lindsay, Danny Blume, Michael Formanek, DJ Olive, as well as Aaron Bensoussan on warm cantorial vocals. Outstanding solos by Mark Feldman, Uri Caine, Michael Formanek & Dave Douglas. What I dig the most is not knowing where they will end up next! A short noise or funk or Cecil like excursion or even a trip to the Austrian countryside? Who knows? Find out for $14.  

8. LAWRENCE D. "BUTCH' MORRIS-Cond. #70:Tit for Tat (For 4 Ears 927) Another excellent conduction & excursion of a 15 member Swiss ensemble, live in Zurich, Sept. '96. The unit includes a number of the Swiss' finest players-Stephan Wittwer & guest Jim O'Rourke on guitars, Hans Koch on clarinets & saxes, Martin Schutz on electric cello, both Fredy Studer and Gunter Muller on drums, plus the cheesy electronics of VoiceCrack and turntablist-Buster B. Like most of Butch's finest conductions, this one unfolds ever so slowly, soft fluffy clouds float into other clouds acoustic & electronic scenery. Disembodied spirits cautiously erupt into the stew of everyday life. Butch continually challenges this & all his ensembles, always weaving of intricate tapestry of seamless musical events. This fine ensemble is outstanding in its execution of Butch's unique vision, swirling and casting a cosmic spell. Brilliant!! $14.  

9. TIM BERNE & MICHAEL FORMANEK-Ornery People (Little Brother 013) After an astonishing eight cds of material from Tim's current all-powerful qt.-BLOODCOUNT, which includes both of this duos' members, there is an immense telepathic connection of spirits between Tim's saxes & Michael's acoustic bass. A totally balanced duo that pushes & pulls all the right curves in their lifeline like evolution. They open with two long uncharacteristically lyrical duos, Tim's alto tone is especially splendid, while Michael provides a lovely cushion of arco bass passion, hence the rejoicing of spirits. Tim also burns down the pathway to salvation on baritone sax, as well. The ghost of Tim's teacher/inspiration-Julius Hemphill seems to occasionally sail through the proceedings, providing depth. Despite the fact that this release looks just like a Screwgun cd and even includes a corndog recipe inside, it is in fact on the Frisco based Little Brother label. Another winner from the Tim Berne empire!! Another gem for $14.  

10. THE LOUNGE LIZARDS-Queen of All Ears (SBM 0015) Finally!!! The Lizards of NYC have been doing their unique thing for about 2 decades. A number of current downtown greats have been through their ranks-Arto Lindsay & Anton Fier at the beginning on through Dougie Bown, Marc Ribot & most of the Jazz Passengers and members of Medeski, Martin & Wood also. All led by that actor/model soprano & alto saxist-John Lurie, usually with his brother Evan's piano sprinklings. This is only their 8th release in 20 years, their first studio release since the superb but unavailable "Voice of Chunk" mail-order only release. It's been snagged in legal bullshit for over 2 years, which is so sad since this cd captures their often elusive but swirling spirit in it's massive groove coolness. There is a sort of unexplainable connection to Afropop rockin' & ritualistic chanting on this release. John Lurie's sax continually snakes around the brew, the double drummers always turning the groove inside out. This is a powerful band whose personnel at the time of this recording included Michael Blake on reeds, Steve Bernstein (Sex Mob) on trumpet, Dave Tronzo (currently in Belgium) on slide guitar, Evan Lurie on keys, the ever-busy-Jane Scarpantoni on cello and Calvin Weston (Dying Ground) & Ben Perowsky (Lost Tribe) on drums. John Lurie's hilarious vocals on "Yak" have to heard to be believed & you gotta love a song titled, "John Zorn's S&M Circus"!?! Anyway, this is another fine downtown release, better than some hipsters would have us think. $14.  

11. BRIGGAN KRAUSS-Wayne Horvitz-Kenny Wollesen-300 (KFW 221) Outstanding debut disc from this downtown all-star trio!! Both Briggan & Kenny have moved to NY in the past few years and have made this scene all the better. They are both in a variety of cool units. Briggan plays alto sax & claribone and can be heard in the Andrea Parkins trio & his own "Good Kitty" on KFW also. Kenny is everyone's favorite all-purpose drummer around here, he was in the New Klezmer trio, subbed amazingly on Masada gigs, and most recently kicked butt with Zorn-Ribot-Medeski at Tonic. Wayne is also a giant keyboardist from Naked City, the President, Pigpen (w/ Briggan) & now-Zony Mash. These guys are masters of the downtown multi-genre hop, yet not as abrupt as Naked City, but sometimes as intense! They do 2 Wayne tunes, both lovely and delicate, quiet beauty. Briggan also composed 3 pieces, each a unique challenge from down-home melodies to extreme post-punk blasting to modern classical restraint. 300's recent gig at Obeca Li during the What Does Texaco Have To Do With Jazz Fest was a total knockout! Bravo!! $13.  

12. MISAKO KANO/THOMAS CHAPIN QUARTET-Watch Out (KFW 219) A solid & amazing modern jazz classic from up & coming piano great Misako Kano and her Knit based all-star qt. with saxist/flutist Thomas Chapin, bassist Kiyoto Fujiwara & drummer Matt Wilson. A perfect qt. that continually outdoes itself, magically following one another through diverse jazz landscapes, always together like shadows on the run. Misako has a fine Monk-like bittersweet contrast going on in her playing, all the tunes are hers except for of the one cover of Monk's "Well You Needn't". The late Thomas Chapin plays like a man possessed by heavy spirits on both his Dolphyesque alto sax swagger, as well as his always superb fluting. Bassist Fujiwara, I can recall from the loft jazz days of the late 70's playing with the legendary but ignored jazz vocal great-Joe Lee Wilson. Matt Wilson was beginning to play more & more with Thomas towards the end, he is an excellent drummer, endlessly inventive, swinging and filled with funny surprises. So nice to hear more of Thomas' impassioned playing on both this & the new Walter Thompson Orch cd, there is still more unreleased magical playing from Thomas on recordings by Pablo Aslan, Armen Do nellian, Borah Bergman and Frank London. Let's hope for more! Dig the hip CTI-like cover & title In the meantime, one can check out this superb cd for $13!  

13. THE WALTER THOMPSON ORCHESTRA-The Colonel (Nine Winds 0205) Superb & challenging compositions and unique conduction/improvs for this all-star large ensemble led by Walter Thompson. The first half of this effort is all excellent compositions from Walter, the second half all hand conducted improv equally fascinating. The charts challenge the players to continually shift textures, layers of ideas flow through numerous strong solos. The late-great Thomas Chapin is all over this work, pulling off some incredible alto solos & blowing his magical flute spice. Thomas' alto solo on "Scones" is so gorgeous, so heartfelt, with it's riveting cry of love tone, it had me weeping once again. Guitarists Dave Tronzo & Rolf Sturm, as well as cellist Tomas Ulrich are also all over, providing an ever-changing cushion of cool bent el. strings! The other fine players include Dave Douglas, Frank London, Herb Robertson, Steve Bernstein, Phillip Johnston, Allan Chase, Steve Swell, Joe Fonda, Pablo Aslan, Boris Rayskin & Jim Pugliese. Since this recording was made in '95 & '96, both Thomas Chapin & Boris Raskin have passed and Dave Tronzo has moved to Europe indefinitely. Nice to hear them shining on this wondeful cd. $14.  

14. KATO HIDEKI-Turbulent Zone (Music for Expanded Ears 89801) Solo electric bass recordings are quite rare. Hugh Hopper's "1984" from '73 was the beginning of new explorations for (mostly) solo el. bass, recently reissued by Cuneiform. In the 25 years since that mutant gem, we've only recently seen a bunch of solo el. bass cd's-from Jonas Hellborg, Victor Wooten & Skuli Sverrsson. KATO's 3rd release is this turbulent massive solo el. bass effort! While Hopper slowly changed the sound of his bass into alien landscapes, Kato's excursions are shorter & more succinct, but no less twisted. Each of the 11 pieces takes us on a journey of cosmic sounds-bowing dense & dark clouds, explosions of distortion & feedback howling, and even some quiet lovely harmonic notes floating in space. Pretty amazing!! For historians, Kato has been sighted with Ground Zero, Optical 8, Peril and more recently with various Zorn improvs, Death Ambient (w/ Fred Frith & Ikue Mori), Oatmeal Banana & Soultronix. $14.  

15. ELLIOTT SHARP- Tectonics. Since the early 1970's Elliott Sharp, one of the avantgarde's most influential and prolific musicians, has been drawing upon chaos theory, fractals, and mathematical theorems to create his innovative and visionary music. FIELD & STREAM~ the second CD Of Sharp's TECTONICS project continues to push the envelope of modern electronica. Incorporating the grooves and programming techniques of drum n' bass plus Sharp's own signature computer processing and unique vocabulary of extended guitar sounds, FIELD & STREAM is both radical and accessible. This disc contains rhythmic and dark soundscapes that foray into the territory of illbient, 1DM, industrial, and new jazz  

16. MICHAEL FORMANEK-Am I Bothering You? (Screwgun 70006) Acoustic jazz bassists are always getting dissed, knuckleheads talking through their bass solos like they don't even exist, hence the title. This would always bother me at jazz clubs in NYC. Solo acoustic bass recordings were always pretty rare-only the likes of Dave Holland, Kent Carter or Barre Phillips would attempt this in the 70's. While a number of Europeans have taken up the challenge-Barry Guy or Peter Kowald, only in recent years have we seen a few amazing solo bass masterworks from William Parker & Mark Dresser. And now Bloodcount bass great Michael Formanek pulls off a powerful solo set. Each piece seems to be dealing with a different area of the bass itself or a different approach to playing-often plucking or bowing in odd places. There is a constant balancing of textures, from thick vibrating strings like bees in heat to swinging his tush off passages, to the deep, dark, sad, wail rendition of Muddy Waters' "Rollin' Stone". You know it's on Screwgun when it includes a recipe for cold noodles w/ spicy sesame sauce. Yummy. Immense! $14.  

17. THE ALT.COFFEE TAPES-s/t (Katahdin Recordings 0001) This compilation documents yet another local music scene, revolving around percussionist John Hollenbeck-from duo to quintet, including the likes of accordianist Ted Reichman (Braxton/Chadbourne/Krakauer collaborator), bizarre & brilliant vocalist Theo Bleckmann, balloon soloist exraordinaire-Judy Dunaway, the ever-probing vibes of Matt Moran & acoustic bass greats Drew Gress and Reuben Radding (currently disappeared or retired?), plus the ever present Chris Speed on superb clarinet. Considering this is recorded live at alt.coffee-139 Ave. A & 10th St., at their Monday nights at 9pm free music series, in the affectionately comfortable & lowkey former doctors waiting room, this is a clean & beautiful recording capturing a well thought & played & subtle scene. There is just the right amount of unobtrusive audience ambiance, there is even some character that is caught saying that this isn't music. Certainly, a good sign. $14.  

18. PHILLIP JOHNSTON-Music for Films (Tzadik 7510) Composer & saxist Phillip Johnston co-lead the Microscopic Septet for about a decade, a cool downtown jazz unit who Zorn played with in the early 80's. Nice to see their cd's coming back into print. Phillip's done about 4 other cd's since the Micros days, all solid writing and playing throughout. This new effort is strong & diverse music for 4 different films, with different size personnel & instrumentation for each flick. Musicians include Dave Douglas, Allan Chase, Mark Feldman, Dave Tronzo, Joel Forrester, Stew Cutler, Guy Klucevsek, Erik Friedlander,.. you get the picture. Phillip composes a wide array of genres, styles, corny & very out there. Each separate section of each soundtrack tells a little story or creates a mood. There are so many fine and evocative moments, that I long to see the film accompanying these excellent scores. Take a listen...$14.  

19. NORMAN YAMADA-Being and Time (Tzadik 7035) Norman prompted/conducted Zorn's game piece Cobra for one Sunday a month for a year at the old Knitting Factory. He has worked with the Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Crosstown Ensemble & Agon Orchestra. Norman got a third of a cd on Avant from a few years back called Rough Assemblage, but this is his first full length release on Tzadik. The title gets only a brief appearance at the beginning & at the end of the work, but it is what's in between that shows promise. "One, Two, Three" shares the personnel & sound of Marc Ribot's Shrek unit, but it more successfully captures their distinctive fractured brilliance than their messy Avant cd. Norman seems to dig dark terrain, primal rock rhythms and tortured post-punk guitar noise. Always to the utmost effect, pushing the barriers a bit of serious music listening. Ridiculously cool song title of the year goes to "On the Fetish Character in Music and the Regression of Listening." Another hour of provocative listening from the fine folks at Tzadik. $14.  

20. DAVID WEINSTEIN-Perfume (Avant 020) Sampler players have really come into their own in the past few years. Both Ikue Mori and David Shea have a host of fine cd's under their belt. It is now David Weinstein's turn to do a solo sampler cd and "Perfume" is the weird & cool results. I've always dug David's playing with Shelley Hirsch, Carbon and the sampler ensemble-Impossible Music. Everything in sampler-land has been altered, things are rarely what they seem & often turn into something unexpected. David mutates, chops up, repeats and condenses popular & obscure sounds. Sometimes he leaves my head spinning. One wonders how much has been taken, how much has it been changed?? Questions to ponder. A Jap. import for $18.  

21. JOHN HENEGAN-The Day I Blew Up The Earth (MDG 1003) John is a local (to DMG) pal & fine el. guitarist from the downtown out scene and sort-of leader of OATMEAL BANANA, who had a cool noise/improv cd out last year that should've... John's layers of twisted guitar parts slowly unfold, showing a impressive flow of ideas & sounds. Equally important contributions come from el. bass god Kato Hideki and upcoming sax blaster-Rob Reddy. Add 3 percussionists & found sound experts to the brew. This is occasionally sounds like it could be Thurston jamming with the No Neckers, or even early Pink Floyd or maybe even some Amon Duul II!?! "My World's Now Gone" is a melancholy post-apocalyptic industrial nightmare, that often reminds me of AMM, which is no small feat. You can tell these dudes have been around by the way they slide so easily in & out of avant genres. Exploding electric jazz/rock/whatever into swinging post-modern jazz, into tight but fractured noise guitar scenery. The hopelessly unrevealing & mildly disturbing cover art of course no where mentions John Henegan's name, this could only add to its charm. Your move. $10.  

22. ESCAPADE-Citrus Cloud Cover (Mother West 10698) How is it that Escapade can get rave reviews in prog (ressive) zines like Audion or Expose and be often ignored on the home turf here in NY?!? If Forced Exposure claimed this quintet was some long lost kraut/space/rock legend, which is what they often sound like, then OM or Rocket Scientist would probably sell loads of copies. This 2cd set is the 3rd offering of their unique brand of space/rock/improv jamming. They keep getting better, more refined, Hadley Kahn's production clean & warm. Some of these lengthy jams have that sort of Gong or Hawkwind like flowing electronic daydream haze. Their guest on this space trip is cellist extraordinaire Jane Scarpantoni (Lounge Lizards...), who was introduced to them by yours truly. They take their time getting to the other end of infinity, so be patient, it will be worth the trip. 2cd set for $16.  

23. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS-Women & Other Minority Groups, Vol.1 (Par 001) ATC are a NYC guitar/drums noise duo featuring Gerard Cosloy-Matador label honcho & all around nice guy on electric guitars and Claire Pannel on drums. The formula is rather simple-Gerard likes to loop/repeat a clunky guitar line for 10 minutes or so, the drums also just skeletally repeat the beat, while Gerard wails layers of thick, feedback drenched noise on the top. Sometimes the loops go on for too long, but Gerard comes up with enough story-telling angst guitar to keep us all satisfied. The cover is a bleak, b&w photo of some anonymous basement, as calmly disturbing as life & work in the apple. The life of an air traffic controller can be a difficult one. Admission for a measly $12. 

24. GONG-family jewels (GAS 008) GONG is us & we are GONG. Thirty years since Daevid Allen left Soft Machine & the original GONG mythology was dreamed up, this double cd is the result of Gong's world reunion tour from the CLASSIC GONG, which brought them to the US for the first time twice last year. This is a completely groovy compilation of both live Gong tunes from their last Euro tour, plus mostly solo collaborations with various members of this original Gong: Gilli Smyth, Didier Malherbe, Pierre Moerlen, Mike Howlet, Steffi Sharpstrings all contribute pieces done over the past 10 years & a nice surprise tune from the anxiously anticipated first PIP PYLE solo effort, supposedly due out this fall. The ever expanding GONG umbrella constantly reinvents itself, each member goes off on a solo space journey of their own. Highlights include: Daevid Allen singing a smooth/cool version of Miles Davis' "So What", Pierre Moerlen's orchestral cover of Zappa's "Little House I Used to Live In", and Didier's mighty Afro/French worldbeat groove for flutes, balafon & djembe. And just like Softs & Gong releases of the past, it all flows seamlessly from one cosmic genre to another. Beautiful divided alien animated packaging. What more do you need? A couple of hits? A 2cd set for $20.  

25. FRED FRITH-Pacifica (Tzadik 7034) Completely brilliant, often somber and radiant, mature, majestic, a beautiful compostion specially written for the 19 member Eva Kant Ensemble based in Bologna, Italy. This unique unit's instrumentation includes 2 prepared guitarists, 3 percussionists, 3 reed players, 3 horn players, a sampler player, accordian, acoustic bass, marimba, piano, other keyboard plus female vocalist and a reading of a Pablo Neruda poem. "Pacifica" is a 60 plus minute, 3 part piece, that commences with the sound of crackling fire and builds ever so slowly, peacefully, enchanting, entrancing, mesmerizing, lines repeating in a more natural way than Glass/Reich monotony. As Fred continues to grow as a composer, his music has a definite place among serious European classical musics. A modern gem! $14.  

26. TIM HODGKINSON-Pragma (ReR TH1) This is only Tim's 3rd release under his own name in the almost two decades since the demise of Henry Cow, his second this year, and another fine exploration of modern/avant composition. Like his former cohort in Henry Cow-Fred Frith, Tim seems to have reached a new level refining his muse. Each of the six long pieces explores the nuances of a different area of sound. "Repulsion" for clarinet, el. guitar, brass & percussion is powerful contemporary classical work, dense & difficult. On "SHHH" Tim manipulates layers of taped voices, into a stream of sound as Pierre Henry might have done earlier in this century. On "For Looking Inside" for 3 prepared violas, Tim presents dark clouds of prepared strings, extremes stretched out like Penderecki or Xenakis might have done. There is always a nice balance between the dark and the light. This release takes some work to appreciate, but is well worth the challenge!! $14.  

27. RENE LUSSIER-Chronicle of a Genocide Foretold (Ambiances Magnetiques 058) This is the soundtrack for a documentary about the senseless slaughter of a million people during a 3 month period of time in Rwanda. The devastating , immensely sad stories of a few survivors graces the liner insert. The evocative sounds of Rene's seven piece unit are no less mysterious, disturbing, melancholy and resonant. The horror of having to watch 1000's of people being hacked to death or having to drown oneself to avoid the same fate and a mountain of knives on the back of the insert gives us much to consider. Rene's music/sounds do an excellent job of illustrating this tragedy of modern life. Rene often reminds me of his occasional bandmate Fred Frith, especially when matching spoken words with noise guitar fragments. There is storm brewing around in the mix & some scary strings warn of mankind's impending doom. There is a This Heat-like heavy chorus of prayers inter-spliced with bursts of Zappa/Frith shards of sound. This ensemble includes some of Montreal's finest-Jean Derome on flutes, Robert Lepage on clarinets, Tom Walsh on trombone & Pierre Tanguay on drums. Excellent job once more from Rene Lussier. $15.  

28. RENE LUSSIER, MARTIN TETREAULT-Dur Noyau Dur (Am Mag 057) Outstanding, heart pounding, mind throbbing, duo improv from two of Quebec's finest, Rene on acoustic & electric guitars and Martin on turntables. Both of these fellows come up swarms of odd sounds, a match of wits and sonic explorations. Rene goes from luscious acoustic guitar episodes to Frith-like noise fragmentation. Having recently witnessed a Martin Tetreault solo gig at Victo, remember Martin often uses no records with his performances, he uses & takes apart the turntables themselves to get the sound of technology falling apart. This duo can sometimes sound like a Frith/Marclay duo, yet they continually reinvent their own pathway as they go forward. Amazing world-class noise/improv duet to be reckoned with. $15.  

29. FRANCOIS HOULE 5-In the Vernacular/The Music of John Carter (Songlines 1522) Featuring downtowners Dave Douglas & Mark Dresser, with three excellent members of the current Vancouver scene-Francois on clarinet, Peggy Lee on cello & Dylan van der Schyff on drums. When Ornette moved his revolutionary qt. to NYC in the late 50's, he left in LA another amazing qt. who Ornette had shared explorations with. This legendary long running qt. was fronted by John Carter on clarinet & Bobby Bradford on trumpet. Throughout the 60's it was only John Carter & Jimmy Guiffre expanding the range of the clarinet, before them we also had klezmer clarinet giants-Dave Tarras & Naftule Brandwein. From the 60's forward, we've heard the likes of Perry Robinson and more recently Don Byron, Ben Goldberg and Vancouver's finest-Francois Houle! This quintet does an outstanding job of making this music completely fresh & ripe for discovery. John Carter's music covered an entire history of African/American themes, the quintet sail through this challenging music rich in spirits & warm in lifelike color! The frontline of clarinet, trumpet and cello, are a solid team of well chosen players, with powerful solos and daredevil interplay. While Mark Dresser seems to hold back, perhaps due to occasional minimal nature of this music, his duo with Peggy Lee is astonishingly fine! Another winnerfor $14.  

30. .JON ROSE-The Fence (ReR JR5) Jon Rose is an extremely odd character. A violin player who has continually found other stringed things to play and a conceptual navigator and narrator with both hilarious and serious observations on our worldwide consumer network and on this cd, the mythological fence that separates all of his at home and around the world. Sometimes Rose will invent an entire family history of his-like his infamous Rosenberg family. Each of Rose's recordings serve some ultimate purpose, to observe some ridiculous aspect of our current culture. This work is mostly a solo effort of claustrophobic violin drones, sometimes Fripp-like in tone and the calm but chilling lines of spoken words in various languages discussing fences. There is collage of news broadcasts of border wars, the clashing of local cultures due to the fences that isolate each of us. There is a lesson to be learned, a story to be told, obser- vations to be made at each and every border/fence. Musically, this also works, with layers of minimal string & found sounds mixed in the troubled brew. A most affective illustration of that which separates us. $14.  

31. LITTLE RED SPIDERS-Music of the (TES 101) An Australian qt. led by drummer TONY BUCK, recorded in Amsterdam, with music originally done for a Dutch dance performance. Three of the four participants are in KLETKA RED, an amazing, throttling, post-punk unit with Hebrew melodies who wowed us at the Victo fest last May & who have a cool cd out on Tzadik. Tony Buck used to be in PERIL with Otomo & Kato Hideki, and has out a great solo drums cd. Andy from THE EX is on guitars and Joe Williamson is on acoustic bass. Stevie Wishart plays violin & hurdy gurdy and is from MACHINE FOR MAKING SENSE & also just appeared at Victo with THE CHRIS BURN ENSEMBLE. She has a wonderful solo cd out & also played a superb duo gig in our store just prior to Victo with her partner experimental saxist Jim Denley. This cd is more about dark ambiance, slowly ever-changing soundscapes, sometimes noisy & scary, but always focused. There is little soloing here, the flow of evolving textures tell a story. When the hurdy-gurdy kicks in on track 4, it has a dark beauty that is mesmerizing!! Tony mentions the influences of Penderecki, Yoshi Wada & the Swans, but this listener hears more Tim Hodgkinson or Chris Cutler like ultra-selective sound sculptures. Only ten bucks ($10.) for believers.  

32. OBLITERATI-Havy Baubaus Inflience (Whirlybird 105) Totally nifty unknown psychedelic gem of a cd from the unlikely town of Orlando, Florida. Land where all our parents retire to, land of the Dali museum and Disneywhatever. Obliterati contain one very good palomine & fellow music traveler-Jim Ivy, who I always look forward to hanging with at the annual Victo fest. This 7 piece group often sound as bizarre & cool as late 60's psych/masters Ultimate Spinach or even the Mothers!! Perhaps a little too diverse or obscure? There are a few new wave/disco tunes that make me cringe, but mostly this has a nutty charm of its own. Anyone out there have a clue what their title means? From the Residents to Grassy Knoll to ENO to Lothar & the Hand People, that's the type of groovy ideas/influences I hear in this treasure. They will be at the Knit-in the Knot Room on Sunday July 19th at 11pm. You where you'll find me. An most impressive debut. Nice work, Jim! $14.  

33. .SAINKO-Naked Spirit (Amiata 2298) Sainko Namtchylak is a female tuvan vocal master, with a very special voice/spirit. She's studied and sang traditional songs of Mongolia, yet is also amazing improviser, who has duo recordings out with Evan Parker and Ned Rothenberg. While Sainko can push the edges with her voice and frighten some, on this cd, she deals exclusively with enchanting, exotic, resonant, mostly melodic frontiers. This is mostly a solo effort hence the title, but the well chosen few include Djivan Gasparyan on duduk, originally discovered & produced by Eno, plus a small ensemble from Italy who play all ritualistic acoustic instruments. Ancient/modern deep/naked calm/restless spirits/voices. So fine. $14.  

34. LES BATTERIES-Bell System (Rift 19) Although Les Batteries consists only of two drummers-Rick Brown from local heroes RUN ON, Fish & Roses and V Effect, and Guigou Chenevier from that charming old French prog unit-ETRON FOU, they each play enough other instruments, samples lots of odd sounds, sing & speak in their cool twisted way, and construct charming tunes that go beyond just drums. This is their third release in a decade, their earlier efforts long lost. There are catchy themes for marimbas, simple yet hypnotic. There are well selected noise samples sprinkled throughout, even some This Heat like dark layers of saxes & organ. The exquisite sound was co-produced & engineered by John McEntire from Tortoise, very nicely done. Rumor has it that Run On were dropped by Matador, a sad comment for one of NY's finest bands. This cd deserves a better fate, so give it a listen & see...$10. For now.  

35.KEVIN AYERS-Joy of a Toy, Shooting at the Moon, Whatevershebringswesing, Banamour & Confessions of Dr. Dream-the first 5 Kevin Ayers releases are all essential Canterbury gems, especially Joy of a Toy & Whatevershebringswesing, w/other Soft Machiners, all hard-to-find imports for $15.each  

36.MARC RIBOT-Don't Blame Me (DIW 902) solo electric guitar, dist. soon thru Koch. Now $16.  

37.MILFORD GRAVES/DAVID MURRAY-The Real Deal (DIW 867) an amazing duo!! $16.  

38.ORNETTE COLEMAN-Skies of America & Science Fiction (Sony/Japan) not on cd inUS. $20.  

39.JAMES BLOOD ULMER-Tales of Capt. Black & Are You Glad to be in America (DIW 403, 400) Tales has Ornette on sax & is Blood's first effort, both are great & not on cd in the US. $16. Each 40.SLAPP HAPPY-CaVa (V2 27002) excellent pop cd, finally out in the US for $14.  

41.BILL LASWELL/HARRIS/BERNOCCHI-Equations of Eternity-2 (WordSound 28) $14.  

42.DUBADELIC-Bass Invaders (WordSound 27) w/ Bill Laswell on dub bass thru-out. $14.  

43.GEORGE LEWIS & MAYA MASAOKA-The Usual Turmoil (M&A 1023) $14.  

44.LOL COXHILL & VERYAN WESTON-Boundless (Emanem 4021) superb duo. $18. 

45.AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE-Off the Beaten Path (On U 0040) early reissue of cosmic dud. $14.  

46.DUB SYNDICATE-Strike the Balance (On U 18647) another essential reissue of classic dub $14.  

47.PRAXIS-Collection (Douglas 19) no info yet, but supposedly just a compilation. $14. 

48.JUDY DUNAWAY-Balloon Music (CRI 778) Incredibly bizarre balloon virtuoso! $14.  

49.MALCOM MOONEY-The 10th Planet (MRM) first solo/group cd from former CAN vocalist!!  

50.COLUMBIA-PRINCETON ELECTRONIC MUSIC CENTER-s/t (New World 80521) historic comp. feat: Bulent Arel, Charles Dodge, Ingram Marshall & Ilhan Mimaroglu, '61-'73. $14.  

UPCOMING RELEASES YOU ALL ASK ABOUT UPCOMING RELEASES:  

51.DON BYRON-Nu Blaxsploytation (Blue Note) July 28  

52.PERCY HOWARD/FRED FRITH/BILL LASWELL/CHARLES HAYWARD-Meridian-Aug. 4th  

53.DAVE DOUGLAS-Charms of the Night Sky (W&W 15) w/ Klucevsek & Feldman-Aug. 4th  

54.MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD-Combustication (Blue Note 93011) supposedly due Aug. 11th 5 

54.DAVID TORN TRIO-Forever Sharp & Vivid (Lolo 14) Aug. 11th  

56.DANNY GATTON-Untouchable (NRG 1242) unreleased comp. Aug. 11th  

57.HENRY KAISER/LEO SMITH-Yo Miles! (Shanachie) / E.Sharp, J.Medeski, Lukas Ligeti - Aug. 18th  

58.RED CRAYOLA (W/ JOHN FAHEY)-Live in the 60's (Drag City) legendary & lost 2 cd set  

Sun-July 19-DEAN ROBERTS/WHITE WINGED MOTH-solo el. guitar great from New Zealand-here at DMG at 7pm for free 
Wed-July 22-ZEENA PARKINS/Chistine Bard/Jim Pugliese-Tonic-9 & 10:30 $6. DAVID TORN solo &MIKE KENNEALY BAND-at the Knit-9pm 
Thur-July 23-SPANISH FLY w/ Dave Fuiczinski new guitarist-At Tonic-9 & 10:30 
Fri-July 24-EUGENE CHADBOURNE/Barry Mitterhoff/Brian Richie/Ted Reichmann at the Knit Old Office-sets at 8:00 & 9:30 for $10. 
Sat-July 25-CHADBOURNE TERMITE DAMAGE w/ Evan Gallagher/Reichmann/Charles Waters (ditto) 
MIN XIAO-FEN solo pipa virtuoso cd release party at Tonic 9 & 10:30 
FIRE IN THE VALLEY FEST w/Glenn Spearmann trio, Peter Brotzmann unit, Joe McPhee Trio, Jemeel Moondoc duo-Univ of Mass, Amherst, 1-11pm, should be amazing!! 
Sun-July 26-ANDREA PARKINS-SOLO-here at Downtown Music Gallery at 6pm for free 
EUGENE CHADBOURNE & JOHN ZORN rare duo at the Knit Old Office at 8 & 9:30!! 
WILLIAM PARKER UNIT-Tonic-9 & 10:30 for $10. 

THE NEW MUSIC SERIES AT TONIC

8/19 Judy Dunaway CRI CD Release Party 
  
Legendary balloon manipulator celebrates her debut CRI CD with DJ's and many special guests.
Great Young Percussionist/Composers Weekend 
  
8/20 Ben Perowsky Trio 
  
8/21 John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet 
  
8/22 Lukas Ligeti 
  
Three different drummers... Perowsky is known for hard grooving work with Lost Tribe, Uri Caine and many others. Hollenbeck's acclaimed quintet with accordion and vibraphone combines samba, Esquivel, and Feldman, while maintaining a skewed respect for jazz orthodoxy. A recent arrival to NYC from Austria, Lukas Ligeti is creating a radical new language for percussion and electronics. Ligeti has recently worked with Henry Kaiser and Jim O'Rourke, and released a CD of collaborations with African musicians on the Intuition label.
  
8/26 Andrea Parkins/Jim Black Duo 
 
Sampler/accordion/keyboardist meets in-demand demonic drummer. Two thirds of Ellery Eskelin's critically acclaimed jazz trio.  
  
8/27 Naftule's Dream 
  
New-jazz and klezmer combine in thought-provoking yet celebratory fashion. These Bostonians forthcoming second CD on Tzadik "Smash/Clap" is being produced by Bill Laswell. 
  
8/28 Norman Yamada 
  
This genre-busting young composer has worked with Marc Ribot, Anthony Coleman, Rough Assemblage, the Crosstown Ensemble, and the Agon Orchestra, and is a veteran prompter of John Zorn's Cobra. His debut album "Being and Time" was recently released on Tzadik records.
  
8/29 Billy Martin/Calvin Weston Duo 
    
One third of Medeski, Martin, & Wood goes head to head with the rhythmic power behind the Lounge Lizards...
  
9/2 Drew Gress's Jagged Sky 
  
With a new Soul Note CD on the way, this stalwart bassist is ready to claim his place as a major voice of NYC jazz. With Dave Binney, Ben Monder, and Kenny Wollesen.  
 
SOLO STRINGS 
  
9/3 Lee Ranaldo, Kato Hideki, Chris Cochrane 
  
9/4 Elliott Sharp, Mari Kimura, Nick Didkovsky 
  
A special event. Sonic Youth guitarist Ranaldo makes a very rare solo appearance, along with sets by bassist Hideki (Ground Zero, Bass Army, Tenko) and downtown legend guitarist Cochrane (No Safety, Curlew, etc.). On the second night, electric guitar brainiacs Sharp and Didkovsky (Dr. Nerve) take the stage along with new-music virtuoso violinist Kimura.  
 
9/5 Ned Rothenberg solo/ensemble 

A singular voice on various wind instruments since the 70's, Rothenberg is one of the great unsung avant-jazz musicians.  

9/6 John Zorn & Fred Frith 
 
Two of the most important names in contemporary music write another chapter in a longstanding musical adventure.  

9/9 Oscar Noriega Quartet 
 
Best known for work with Judi Silvano, Noriega is a young wind player whose jazz skills are often channelled into folk melodies and free improv.  

9/10 Jim Black 
 
The most celebrated drummer of his (young) generation makes a rare appearance as leader. Often seen with Dave Douglas, Ellery Eskelin, and so many others, Black has aquired an awesome reputation among the jazz cognoscenti.  

9/11 Sideshow (songs of Charles Ives) 
 
Reinterpretations of the great American composer for guitar (Adam Good), winds (Oscar Noriega), vibraphone (Matt Moran), and percussion (John Hollenbeck). A combination of majesty and chaos that Ives would probably enjoy.  

9/12 Les Batteries 
 
Legendary French prog-rock drummer Guigou Chenevier (Etron Fou Leloublan) and post-No Wave drum maverick Rick Brown (Run On) make wild, powerful music for drums, electronics, and voices.  

9/16 Dorgon 
 
Mysterious saxophonist Dorgon made William Parker play Nirvana's "In Bloom" on his debut CD. What will he do tonight?  

9/17 Anthony Coleman 
 
The professorial downtown keyboard master's projects range from explorations of ethnic themes (Sephardic Tinge) to examinations of ethnic angst (Selfhaters).  

9/18 Paradigm Shift 
 
A New England-based brass and percussion collective including Bostonian trombone great Bill Lowe and the wiley drummer Pheeroan AkLaff. (Pheeroan AkLaff, Taylor Bynum, Joe Daley, Steven Haynes, Bill Lowe, Syd Smart)  

9/19 Soultronix 
 
New-music virtuoso percussionist Jim Pugliese (John Zorn, Philip Glass Ensemble, etc.) makes a detour into a twisted landscape of massively amplified funk with three trap sets, guitar, bass, theremin, and lots of distortion pedals. Featuring Christine Bard, Chris Cochrane, Michael Evans, and Kato Hideki.  

9/23 Moran/Speed/Noriega 
 
Hyper-talented and hyper-eclectic vibraphonist Matt Moran has developed a telepathic rapport with clarinetists Chris Speed and Oscar Noriega. Their repetoire ranges from Webern to Balkan and beyond.  

9/24-26 John Zorn's Masada 
 
The first of two weekend engagements in honor of the High Holidays. Zorn's post-bop, post-cool, post-Jewish post-Ornette quartet is one of the most powerful jazz units in existence. Dave Douglas-trumpet, Greg Cohen-bass, Joey Baron-drums.  

9/30 Dan Willis CD Release Party 
 
Jazz wind player's axes range from tenor to English horn, and his charts range from post-bop to funk.  

10/1-3 John Zorn's Bar Kokhba 
 
Zorn's adventurous and inspiring Masada compositions expand the Jewish and Jazz traditions. His Bar Kokhba chamber arrangements take these tunes into deeper and darker realms. Mark Feldman - violin, Erik Friedlander - cello, Greg Cohen - bass, Marc Ribot - guitar, Joey Baron - drums, Cyro Baptista - percussion, John Zorn- conductor  

Tonic is at 107 Norfolk St. between Delancey and Rivington (F or J train to Delancey) 
www.tonic107.com 
212-358-7503

Well, finally we get to...  

MIKESSPACE MIKESSPACE MIKESSPACE MIKESSPACE MIKESSPACE MIKESSPACE MIKESSPACE MIKESSPACE MIKESSPACE MIKESSPACE 

I'm pretty excited about a few things at the moment one of them is -  
 

MELLOWTRON- Drum -n- Basics [KRAM]  
(RIYL- LTJ BUKEM)  

Ambient Jungle... sorta. A lot of excitement comes out of the pits of this disc combining trancey grooves and sizzling drum & bass along with a little trip-hop for good measure. At least as good as the "Promised Land" stuff on Mutant Sound Systems. 4 Crowns  

Another is -  

Front 242- Re-Boot (live) [Metropolis] 
(RIYL- Industrial dance done by the masters)  

FRONT 242, Vio-lence, Skinny Puppy, Fudge Tunnel, Carcass... what do these band have in common? They were all picked up by the majors and ruined. With the exception of 242 and Vio-lence none of these bands continued after their label fiascos. (Good Luck Marc Ribot). Anyway, this release marks the joining of the finest names in European and American industrial music- Front 242 and Metropolis Records. Congrats to both on their welcomed return and 100th release respectively. This live document catches 242 in Belgium sometime last year and show them in fine form and ready to pound heads and shake butts again. Included are ma major stops in theirs long career including "Masterhit" and "Religion". A great retrospective, a fantastic return, another jewel in the crown and proof that there is life after the majors. 4 Crowns  

A third is-  

AMON TOBIN- Permutation- [Ninja Tune]   
(RIYL- Drum heavy Drum & Bass)  

This is a KILLER disc that takes the finest Trip Hop that Ninja Tune could offer and combines it with some wild pitch breakbeat nastiness. I'm talkin' drum solo/Drum & Bass. Like John Bonham on "The Song Remains The Same", like Max Roach, like the two of them meet drum machine. The "music" part of this is mainly jazz/samba laidback grooviness which not only juxtapose against the beats but also mixes incredibly well with such intense drumming. I suppose one could debate endlessly where programming ends and music begins but the two of you should just shut up in the face of brilliance.  

The last but most exciting release for me is-  

ETERNALIST- Conscious- [Lovecat Music] 
RIYL- Progressive House/Trance, me)   

Why is this disc special? Because I wrote half of it!!! Eternalist is my band and this is our debut CD. It's over 73 minutes of mellow to hard to mellow Trance/House/Dub/World flavor. Think of it as Barry White meets Orbital or Isaac Hayes meets Juno Reactor. Now, of course, I can't, in good faith, review my own record but I can paraphrase some of the folks who already own it and say that it's "solid", "diverse", "relaxing", "energizing", and my personal fave- "great". So, those of you anywhere near the store, come on in and ask to hear Emperor Mike's CD and be prepared for a surprise because you may just like it AND it's NOT Death Metal. :) (that's my other band- MUZZLE). Ciao for Niao! EM2K  

Downtown Music Gallery 
13 Monroe St.  
New York, NY 
10002-7351 

212 473 0043 
212 533 5059 fax 

Store Hours: 
Sun-Thu 12-10pm (Wed 9-ish) 
Fri-Sat 12-11pm 

E-mail: dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com  

"Eschew Obfuscation"