We are also home to my favorite music of all time- the Canterbury scene. Although mostly invented & mythologized by journalists world-wide, there is a special unique magic that binds its members together. Originally, circa 1967, this scene evolved around two bands from Canterbury-SOFT MACHINE and CARAVAN. Both of their histories are intertwined and as each band put out records, 
their personnel and sound/direction changed year to year. As band members left, brilliant solo careers commenced with Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Daevid Allen and new bands emerged GONG, EGG, MATCHING MOLE, HATFIELD & THE NORTH. When the ultimate progressive unit arrived-Henry Cow, around 1972, they were quickly adopted by members of this so called Canterbury Scene. While Soft Machine, Caravan and later National Health made it to these shores, Hatfield & Henry Cow never did, and until last year neither did the original GONG. Finally, 30 years after it began, thanks to Glen Max & yours truly- the Canterbury scene comes to the Knitting Factory this weekend for a three day celebration-Hooray! 

This Saturday-Sept. 5th at the Knit there is BRAINVILLE at 9 & 11pm, which consists of DAEVID ALLEN (Softs & Gong), HUGH HOPPER-fuzz bass god (Softs vols. two-six), PIP PYLE-master drummer (GONG, HATFIELD, NATIONAL HEALTH) and KRAMER distinguished producer, songwriter, Shimmy label honcho & newest member of our beloved scene. On Sunday-Sept. 6^th its either the amazing ROY HARPER at the Knit at 8 &10pm or at Tonic-R. STEVIE MOORE at 7pm and FRED FRITH & JOHN ZORN improv insanity at 9 & 10:30. On Monday Sept. 7^th at the Knit it’s four previous members of HENRY COW in their first US appearance as Breadvan-FRED FRITH, PETER BLEGVAD, JOHN GREAVES & CHRIS CUTLER at 8 & 10pm!!! And on Tues. Sept. 8^th at 8pm at the Knit it is a tribute/celebration to the ultimate Canterbury god-ROBERT WYATT! This bill includes both aforementioned all-star units-BRAINVILLE & BREADVAN, plus Damon & Naomi, Karen Mantler and members of Neutral Milk Hotel. I’ll be providing some rare Robert Wyatt/Soft Machine videos! As you can tell I am completely psyched for these events, it is a dream come true. Help us celebrate!!!  

NEWSLETTER # 25-NEW RELEASES NEW RELEASES NEW RELEASES:  
 

1.HENRY KAISER & WADADA LEO SMITH-Yo Miles! (Shanachie 5046) Totally incredible!! A 2 hour & 40 minute journey through Miles’ electric voodoo groove period of the early 70’s. The timing is just right with the US reissues of 5 Miles live cds from this same era and Bill Laswell’s "Panthalassa" remix project also from this same era-both released in the past year. Henry always has a knack for picking the right players to fulfill the demanding roles of this cosmic music. Consistently mind-blowing el. guitar chores are handled by Henry, my man NELS CLINE and Chris Muir. During this era of live Miles gigs, burnin’ bizarre & molten Hendrix-inspired soloing came from Pete Cosey & Reggie Lucas. On "Ife" and "Miles Dewey Davis III" Nels plays particularly inspired & twisted solos. Henry, who hasn’t had a full band cd out in a few years, outdoes himself all over this loving tribute, with loads of magnificent solos! Leo Smith may seem like an odd choice since he has been playing in mostly acoustic settings for quite a while, yet he fits perfectly with a pure Miles-like tone & even plays quite a bit of electric wah wah trumpet like Miles was doing during this same period. The constant throb rhythm team is superb all the way with oft fretless el. bass great Michael Manring, drummer Lukas Ligeti (now living in NY) and percussionist Wally Ingram. Well selected guests include Paul Plimley & John Medeski on keys, the legendary Freddie Roulette & Elliott Sharp on lap steels, and all four members of the Rova Sax Quartet plus George Brooks (recently on stage with Terry Riley) on various saxes. This was an amazingly creative and intense era for Miles’ live bands before he retired in ’75. Henry Kaiser & company do an astounding job on many levels, each of the two cds is jam-packed with 80 minutes on fire-breathing electric jazz/rock/funk madness! $20. 

2.DAVE DOUGLAS-Charms of the Night Sky (W&W 015) Completely enchanting, haunting, precious and beautiful. This is Dave’s third release of ’98, each one excellent but unique in sound & personnel. He’s gone from Wayne Shorter tribute to a Joni Mitchell tribute on cd, there are also his Mafouz unit and his swell trio with Myra Melford on harmonium & Amir Chatterjee on tablas, both without releases-yet. Next will be Dave’s Qt. with Chris Potter on Arabesque, as well as MASADA TEN, their final studio release. But this cd is so fine-it features Masada String Trio violin master-Mark Feldman, the world traveling member of the ACCORDIAN TRIBE-Guy Klucsevek and Masada acoustic bass supreme-Greg Cohen. It is totally acoustic & beautifully recorded, so warm, delicate, spacious. Dave wrote three quarters of the material, with a lovely Herbie Hancock & quirky Guy K. cover. The majestic drone layers of Guy’s wonderful accordion as well as the passionate to insane fiddling of Feldman, with Greg Cohen’s thick grounding punctuation on bass, create a melancholy haze, with Dave’s elegant tone on trumpet at the center, sailing, soothing, charming… This is perfect music for your loved ones, no matter what age or personal preference they have. Dave recently won an award for best new jazz trumpeter, yet the next gig I checked out of his was at TONIC and featured two other great trumpeters-Roy Campbell & Cuong Vu, a nice gesture. This is another superb Winter & Winter cd, with another distinguished refined cardboard cd cover. Mellow out to this delightful excursion. $14. 

3.PERCY HOWARD/FRED FRITH/BILL LASWELL/CHARLES HAYWARD -Meridiem (Materia Sonori 90098) Fred Frith mentioned this unusual project to me, which he was in the mist of recording in January of this year. He said it was a challenge to back California based mystical/soul singer-Percy Howard. Although I was unfamiliar with Mr. Howard before this release, I think he has a strong and oft compelling voice, sometimes a dramatic Arthur Lee like falsetto to ragged rocking. This is quite a perfect trio to pull off some superb rock/funk/noise groovin’. Bill Laswell’s often fretless electric bass creates a cushion for Percy’s voice, sometimes funky, sometimes a space groove, always on the money. Fred Frith balances some all powerful noise/rock/improv el. guitar & radio with melodic violin, organ & acoustic guitar. Charles Hayward provides some fat Anton Fier like backbeats. The backup trio do a magnificent job throughout and even get to do a fine instrumental cut. For those that can’t warm up to these vocals, be patient, Zorn will be releasing a cd from the Frith/Laswell/Hayward trio under the Massacre name in October on Tzadik. A completely solid effort nonetheless. Italian import for a domestic price-$14. 

4.WILLIAM PARKER-Lifting the Sanctions (No More No.6) WHOA!! Although William Parker consistently blows me away at each & every gig and even though William’s liner notes for this release include in-depth descriptions of the various ways he manipulates his acoustic bass, nothing can prepare us for the massive sound of his solo acoustic bass odyssey. Each of the six long pieces explore a different sonic section of William’s infinitely bizarre & totally unique acoustic bass playing. Whether you catch William in a solo setting or duo (w/ Matt Shipp or Joe Morris), or trio (w/ Cecil Taylor, Peter Brotzmann or Matt Shipp), or even quartet (his own & David S. Ware’s) or maybe with William’s amazing big band (Little Huey Creative Music Orch.), the high point of each set is William’s impossible-to-believe bass solo! Here we get six complete solo bass wonders, all solid & powerful performances. Even the cover by our local mythmaker/artist-Jeff Schlanger is some of his best work yet with William like a colorful gladiator, exploding sounds and visuals as well! William’s first solo bass cd is currently out of print, an even better reason to grab this masterwork. Bravo bravo BRAVO!! $13 

5.NOEL AKCHOTE/EUGENE CHADBOURNE/MARC RIBOT-Lust Corner (W&W 019) French improv/jazz/rock/noise guitarist Noel Akchote released about a half dozen limited lps & 10"s over the past year on clean vinyl. They included duos wth Derek Bailey & Eugene Chadbourne, Fred Frith & Noel A., and a solo Eugene lp. Noel always seem to bring out the best in each of his well selected guitar partners. This release is a series of 12 duos, Marc Ribot & Noel on half & Eugene Chadbourne & Noel on the other half. Each duo does two Ornette Coleman covers a piece, each one approached in a unique way. The first 4 pieces start off mostly restrained. Ornette’s "New York" gets a lovely, fragile & melodic version, while his "Street Woman" has gets a more rocking version with Noel on wah-wah (that was the Marc/Noel duo). The Eugene/Noel duo a completely over-the-top tortured almost punk version of Ornette’s Peace Warriors", the same duo does a most gentle, spooky, sweet version of "Broken Shadows". Eugene & Noel also quietly deconstruct "Body & Soul" , as well as a sort-of insane Django thing called "Chadology"! Both duos also wreak havoc on a couple of noise/rock distorto guitar jams, but the overall vibe is one of the more restrained & song-like coolness. It ends perfectly with a charming Chadbourne original vocal tune. The marvelous Winter & Winter cover art & packaging has to be seen to be believed. The inside photos of a very young & often nude Asian woman are done with the utmost taste. Super, all the way. $14. 

6.ROY CAMPBELL PYRAMID TRIO-Ancestral Homeland (No More No. 7) Greater visibility is a good thing. Roy Campbell just keeps poppin’ up, slaying the myriads with his mighty horn-trumpets, actually. Recent gigs by Roy’s other longtime unit-Other Dimensions in Music have been total blow-away affairs. Don’t forget about recent gigs with a ZORN improv opening night at Tonic, as well as with Dave Douglas’ triple trumpet unit!! This release is a solid trio effort with William Parker’s erupting, buzzing bass, Zen Matsuura‘ s flowing, shadowy drums and Roy’s ancient to modern, in and out, whispering and screaming, swinging and getting free trumpet playing! An impressive cosmic storm is brewing, these guys whip up a furious stew. "Brother Yusef" unfolds ever so slowly, until it turns into a sad bluesy dirge-like groove. A wonderful effort from this outstanding trio and beautiful heart-felt liner notes by my pal & poet-Steve Dalachinsky. Roy is also featured on another great cd led by local drummer Ehran Elisha , another trio date with Wilber Morris on bass called "Suite Empathy" on Cadence Jazz-#1080. Both cds are $14. 

7.DAVE DOUGLAS QT.-Magic Triangle (Arabesque 139) Another one!?! Yes and another fine collection of great songs & superb playing. But which quartet is this, you ask? Chris Potter (Paul Motian Band) on tenor sax, James Genus (on numerous Douglas cds)on acoustic bass and Ben Perowsky (Lost Tribe & Zorn/Ribot Qt.) on drums. A completely solid quartet, they play with a certain swagger. After recording over 100 tunes with Zorn’s Masada Qt., you would think that Zorn’s compositional influence would overwhelm, but there is only piece ("Padded Cell") where the Masada type of broken up lines is most visible. This release is not a tribute, all tunes are written by Dave and each is a gem. It is more straight ahead jazz-wise, the rhythm team has a nice elastic swing that always feel just right. Tenor saxist- Chris Potter sounds like a young & hungry Joe Lovano and plays with quiet fire. Both the title tune and "Kisangani" are ultra delicate and gorgeous in their whispered harmonies, kinda reminds me of Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan’s quiet caress of their cool horns. Fourth fantastic release from our favorite trumpet player of the year. $14. 

8.WAYNE HORVITZ-4+1 Ensemble (Intuition 3224) We’ve been hearing about this endeavor for almost 2 years and of course it is released just 2 weeks before Wayne’s new Zony Mash cd, but unlike the total organ/el. guitar groove fest of ZM, this 4+1unit has no drummer! It does feature Eyvind Kang on violin (Frisell Qt. & Tzadik artist), Julian Priester on trombone (from Sun Ra to Herbie Hancock to Reggie Workman), Reggie Watts and Tucker Martine. Supposedly exquisite. Review next time around. $14. 

9.BILL LASWELL-Sacred System-Chapter Three-Nagual Site (BMG 63263) A soundtrack for spiritual reawakening or journey, perhaps? Bill Laswell is one of the select few who can borrow from other cultures and still put his imprint on each project, succeed in combining musicians from diverse backgrounds into one giant vat of cosmic material. This large pool of 16 players for Bill’s third Indian based sacred system features Sussan Deyhim & Gulam Mohamed Khan on vocals, Dave Liebman & Byard Lancaster on soprano saxes, Graham Haynes & Craig Harris on horns, Laswell & Jah Wobble on basses, Zakir Hussain, Badal Roy and Bill Buchen on tablas, and regulars-Bernie Worrell & Nicky Skopelitis, plus newcomer-Clive Bell-Wire zine world music scribe on shakuhachi. Three of these pieces were written by and feature Gulam Mohamed Khan on vocals & harmonium and Bill Buchan on exotic percussion-each has a cosmic Qawalli religious vibe-totally enchanting. The other tracks are Bill’s unique combination of players-Material like ecstatic world grooves with swirling tablas, organ & soprano sax mystery. On "X-Zibit-I", Graham Haynes electric cornet sends shivers down spines, while the uptempo hard charging tabla & drum funk stops & starts-the keyboard drone (sampled tamboura?) continues. Very reminiscent of Miles’ "On the Corner" type of slammin’ tabla/funk, which Laswell remixed parts of for his ‘Panthalassa’ release. $14.  

10.LOREN MAZZACANE CONNORS-Evangeline (Roadcone 021) As it turns out, Loren’s wife & occasional music partner-Suzanne Langille is distantly related to Evangeline Bellefontaine-a formidable woman of Acadian legend-who was just about to wed her beloved-Gabriel-when war breaks out in colonial America and the couple’s village is burnt to the ground, the couple is separated & shipped to different destinations-Evangeline searches all her life to find her beloved-and when she finally does-he is on his deathbed and dies just as he recognizes her. Pretty fucking sad.! The same aura of darken hope pervades this wondrous release inspired by the story/myth of Evangeline. In the past 6 months Loren has changed his approach after a few years of layering the distortion on pretty thick. He’s going for a cleaner, more fragile tone, notes ring more clearly, pure & enchanting. Another change is the brevity of the tunes-14 in about 32 minutes- the usual length of most Loren releases. Hence, Loren is forced to strip it down to the bare essentials of his layered two guitar shimmer. This is certainly the most uplifting journey Loren has taken us on so far. The cover design and drawing by Loren are also done with care & craft. The stock market may crash, but Loren soars. A classic for only a ten spot-$10. 

11.DOUGLAS EWART & INVENTIONS CLARINET CHOIR-Angles of Entrance (Arawak 004) Featuring Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Don Byron, J.D. Parran, Ed Wilkerson, Mwata Bowden & Mr. Ewart on clarinets, plus Malachi Favors on acoustic bass. I can recall Douglas’s wonderful flute playing & flutes making over 20 years ago at an amazing AACM festival at Columbia University. There is a small history of modern clarinet ensembles--like that one with David Murray & Jimmy Hamilton, and Perry Robinson’s Licorice Factory, but Douglas’ Inventions Clarinet Choir feature seven giants of the AACM reknown on clarinets only, with the Art Ensemble’s Malachi Favors on acoustic bass, recorded live in Atlanta and Merkin in recent years. Douglas composes much compelling and often dense music for these greats to pull off, they all rise to the occasion. They can all swirl in and around each other, like fish swimming in schools in a stream, often concentrating on one small sonic area at a time. Both the writing & playing continually push all players to the limits of what can actually be done on seven clarinets. Timbres and ideas range from warm to humorous to modern classical-like bent harmonies. There is one solo alto clarinet piece by Douglas, recorded in a hallway at the Banff school/fest, which is haunting, beautiful & shimmering in natural echo resonance. This is Douglas Ewart’s second release in the past year and it is yet another treasure from a current AACM alumni, who hasn’t been documented enough! $14. 

12.OLIVER LAKE STRING PROJECT-Movement, Turns and Switches (Passin’ Thru 41210) A superb offering of modern classical/serious jazz writing & playing by Oliver Lake’s new 10-piece half strings unit. Name musicians include Regina Carter on violin, Donal Fox on piano, who both play marvelously on Oliver’s lengthy episodic mostly duo title tune. Oliver himself plays consistently powerful & passionate alto sax in his distinctively bittersweet & occasionally Dolphyesque swagger/tone. There is no drummer on this release, except for a congaman on one piece, hence Mr. Lake’s strong Euro-like string compositions. One would think that a cosmic string quartet composition would be a good challenge for ever-demanding muse of Oliver Lake. Although I do recall bassist Belden Bullock from Oliver’s Dolphy tribute quintet, I am unfamiliar with half of these tentet members, who do a great job of breathing life into Oliver’s breathtaking music. This fine cd concludes with "Maasai Moves", a hypnotic, sensuous African ballad groove, that feel just right for a slow dance on a hot night. We’ve received three other cd’s on this label of Oliver’s, which will be mentioned later, all cost $14. per cd. 

13.STEVE LACY-Solo:Live at Unity Temple (Wobbly Rail 003) Unity Temple is a 100 year old former house of worship designed by Frank Lloyd Wright & located in Chicago. This sounds like the perfect setting for this delightful release. Solo soprano saxophone specialist-Steve Lacy is in fine form as he slowly weaves his ever lyrical, warm & oft soothing tone throughout this quietly resonant room. As is often Lacy’s specialty, he begins with an 18 minute Thelonius Monk medley, perfectly balancing and stringing together a half dozen gnarly Monk tunes, that Mr. Lacy smooths over the edges a bit and brings out the lovely melancholy melodies to the front. The medley opens with a odd choice of the rarely covered "Shuffle Boil", last heard done by Shockabilly?!? This performance breathes in its use of spacious silences. The rest of the pieces are all mostly older Lacy compositions, redone in all their contemplative splendor. As the sun and the temperature slowly go down at dusk, this is the best time to take in this wonderful mid-tempo journey. Another excellent release from the Steve Lacy universe. $14. 

14.AALY TRIO + KEN VANDERMARK-Stumble (Wobbly Rail 002) In the last few years Chicago has become the most interesting new music scene in the USA. What began with the late Hal Russell’s (Zappaesque) NRG Ensemble, has continued with sax hotshots Ken Vandermark & Mars Williams at its current helm. There is a pool of crafty players who constantly shift through various bands and projects, an impressively diverse lot that includes Jim O’Rourke, Dave Grubbs, Kevin Drumm, Jeb Bishop, plus jazz/rock/improv members of Tortoise, the Sea & Cake, and Gastr del Sol. Chicago was a home to an FMP fest just a few years back, an historic & rare event that I had to attend, because my favorite Euro improvisers aren’t invited to NYC very often. So impressed with this scene that great out pianist-Georg Grawe came to live there for part of his year. These Chicago &European spirits has been combining ideas with great results-that recent Peter Brotzmann Chicago Octet triple cd is an outstanding effort of this sort, as is this wonderful release of the Mats Gustafsson Aaly Trio with one of Chicago’s finest tenor sax & clarinet heroes-Ken Vandermark. Ken & Mats make a fine team, both are masters of Euro style magical controlled improv and can also blast out Trane-like tenor madness. The title tune "Stumble" is Ken’s tribute to old time clarinet great-Pee Wee Russell. While Ken lays back on some ultra restrained & swell clarinet, Mats slurs the groove on Hawk-like tenor. "Umea" features fractured tenor squonk & ocean liner blasting from both tenor saxes. "Homage a Lillen" shows the quartet has perfected their selective minimalist painting of sounds. The only cover tune on this cd is Charlie Haden’s "Song for Che", last heard covered by Robert Wyatt and here done as spiritually gripping with a powerful acoustic bass strumming intro and superb toned tenors taking us a great journey through lyrical waters. Jump in! $14. 

15.PAOLO LOTTI & HARMONIA-Hendrix (Materiali Sonori 90090) Jimi Hendrix was the god of electric guitar, a sonic explorer whose influence on his contemporaries & many who came after was immense! An obvious example would be Eric Clapton in Cream, ‘Agartha’ period electric Miles or much of the Funkadelic wailing. He has been covered by a wide array of both guitarists & other musicians alike-from Gil Evans, Derek & the Dominos, Shockabilly, Kronos, Gun Club, Henry Kaiser & Robert Dick. In more recent years a number of guitarists have done great tributes to Hendrix like Christy Doran (whoa!) to Jean-Paul Bourelly (yawn), to Erhardt Hirt (who?). And no, I haven’t heard of Italian el. guitarist Paolo Lotti & his unit before now either, but thanks to The Wire mag, I am impressed with this unusual Hendrix trib.! Paolo claims to have removed all of the rock & blues elements from Hendrix songs and concentrate on the sonic innovations and cosmic melodies. This could’ve been a recipe for disaster, but works so well thanks to Paolo’s unique classical arrangements, deconstructions and new pieces based on fragments of Hendrix tunes. Unexpectedly Paolo’s electric guitar never rises above the acoustic instrumentation of violins, cellos, flute, bassoon, bass clarinet, piano, doublebass & minimal percussion. Iti s those odd arrangements that really stand out, Paolo occasionally will layer a few mutant electric guitar parts into the minimal brew. The Philip Glass-like rendition of "The Wind Cries Mary" doesn’t even approach the tedium of most Glass music, imagine that! Nice to hear those chirping bassoons & bass clarinets reinterpreting Jimi’s cosmic guitar lines. Not for electric guitar fan-addicts only. An Italian import for a domestic price of $14. 

16.THOMAS BORGMANN’S ORKESTRA-Kith’n Kin (Cadence 1081) I’ve come to know Borgmann’s sax playing only in the last few years-from his few visits to NYC-a great trio with Peter Brotzmann & Borah Bergman was one such gig (and cd). This here cd features tentet of some of the finest Euro improvisers-Hans Reichel (on guitar & daxophone), Lol Coxhill (soprano sax) & Dietmar Diesner (soprano, alto), Pat Thomas (piano & electronics), Mark Sanders (drums) plus five other Euro cats that I’m unfamiliar with. This entire first piece (one hour) develops very organically, instead of being a free-jazz blow fest throughout, there are moments of magical chaos balanced with many amazing solos and free-but-connected ensemble passages. The 5 man sax section is what gives this group its unique sound-2 sopraninos, 2 sopranos and a gargantuan bass sax!! Coxhill, Diesner & Borgmann all play outstanding sax solos, as does the bass saxist. Who really stands out the most is of course Hans Reichel on daxophone (a self-made bowed wood instrument) which sounds like the spirits of wood given voice and Pat Thomas on dense piano excursions. The piece opens with a Braxton-like ghost trance off balanced repetition and even goes through some Brotherhood of Breath-like hypnotic jazz/funk riffs. Not to be missed! $14. 

17.MARC DUCRET-(detail) (Winter&Winter 03) Solo acoustic guitar release from this marvelous French jazz guitar great. Marc is also a member of Tim Berne’s Bloodcount and Tim’s Big Satan trio (W&W cd), Big Satan will be playing their first US gigs at the Knit’s Old Office space at the end of September with Herb Robertson as their guest and Marc will be doing a solo guitar set here at DMG on Wed. October 7^th at 7pm for free, so come on down. Marc is also a member of Bobby Previte’s Latin for Travelers whose second cd will be out on enja in a few weeks. Also Bobby & Marc have an amazing duo cd out in October on enja as well. Marc’s playing never ceases to amaze me, so this cd should be great, I’ll review it for the next newsletter, when a promo arrives. $14.  

18.PAUL MOTIAN’S ELECTRIC BEBOP-Flight of the Blue Jay (W & W 09) This one features downtowners Kurt Rosenwinkel & Brad Shepik on el. guitars, as well as Chris Potter & Chris Cheek on tenors, plus Steve Swallow on el. bass & Motian on drums. Paul Motian always seem to one foot in the past (he played with Bill Evans in the early 60’s) and a foot in the future (this band features younger cats than Paul’s trio with Frisell & Lovano). Most of the tunes are bop or post-bop standards-the obligatory three Monk tunes, plus Bird, Miles, Bud Powell and even straighter pieces by George Shearing and Rodgers & Hart. Motian keeps the lads on their toes by doing bop & ballads, not the type of music these musicians are usually associated with. Sometimes too laid back, but luscious in part. Being a double band of two tenors & two el. guitars, there is a certain charm to the way both doubles shadow each other, always a fine balance of a warm west coast unrushed swing. $14.  

19.DREW GRESS’ JAGGED SKY-Heyday (Soul Note 121314) Acoustic bass great Drew Gress’ new release features Ben Monder on electric guitar, Dave Binney (Lost Tribe) on alto sax and the ubiquitous Kenny Wollesen on drums. Most likely to be a fine release, but we just got the promo yesterday, so I will haveto review it for the next newsletter. $14. 

20.BILL WARE TRIO-Vibes (KFW 210) Second release by this fine vibes player, who is also a member of the Jazz Passengers, as are his rhythm team of Brad Jones on acoustic bass & E.J. Rodriguez on drums. Both Brad & E.J. are also members of Marc Ribot’s Los Cubanos Postitos. This is recorded at the Knit’s tap bar on the Wednesdays that this trio plays weekly for free and you can tell that they’ve been at it for a while-the way they always play as one force. Most of the tunes are Bill’s originals except for Marvin Gaye’s "Inner City Blues" and a couple of jazz standards by Hank Mobley & Bobby Timmons. This disc often reminds me of MM&W, in that the laid back subtle funk groove is always present. One could slow dance easily to this cool groove fest. Don’t get me wrong, this is not jazz-lite/cd101 type of blandness-these fellows are obviously seasoned jazz players as all of the fine soloing can attest to. Makes you want to snap your funky fingers. $13. 

21.ELTON DEAN-Just Us (Cuneiform 103) This is a long awaited reissue of then Soft Machinist Elton Dean’s first solo effort recorded in 1971, with an added 26 minutes of live material from the following year. Elton Dean plays both alto sax & saxello (a rare sax whose range is between a soprano & an alto), as well as some mesmerizing echoplex electric piano. This was an incredibly exciting time in London’s avant jazz scene, with Elton having just left the amazing Keith Tippett Group, to join one of Europe’s premier jazz/rock/avant /pre-fusion supergroups-SOFT MACHINE. This scene also included Chris MacGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath, Ian Carr’s Nucleus, the John Surman Trio, Music Improvisation Company & the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Incredible, right?!? This cd captures a mind-blowing parallel to the Softs, with Marc Charig on cornet (from the Tippett Group & Softs 3^rd & 4^th), Phil Howard-a mallad master like Robert Wyatt on drums (from 1 side only of Softs 5), and Neville Whitehead on el. bass. Guests include main Softs soloist Mike Ratledge on el. piano & fuzz organ (1 track only), Roy Babbington on acoustic bass (from Softs 4, 7 & Bundles), Nick Evans on trombone (Softs 3^rd & 4^th& the Tippett unit), Jeff Green on 6 string el. bass and South African wonder-drummer Louis Moholo ( from the Blue Notes, BoB & Tippett unit as well) on one track only. A pretty stellar cast! Soft Machine actually did some of this material live, as can be witnessed on a few of their live cds. This music has an eerie, free-floating, spacious quality, with much use of echoplexed el. piano, el. bass & drums providing the cosmic cushion for Dean & Charig to spin their web of magic on top. Both are in top form throughout, Dean ‘s saxello snaking hypnotically while Charig’s cornet goes for quick jabs & blasts, a perfect communion of the spirits. An essential reissue plus! $13. 
  
22.THINKING PLAGUE-In Extremis (Cuneiform 113) When the first Thinking Plague cd came out seven years ago, this extraordinary band seemed to have come out of nowhere (Colorado, actually) and produced an amazing Henry Cow-like progressive manifesto, with Fred Frith as their guest. The band went its separate ways-Bob Drake to LA and France, Suzanne Lewis to NYC. But, lo and behold, six years in the making & it finally arrives!! Once again we are treated to a well composed, ever evolving, progressive treasure, made to be cherished for a long time to come. I can still hear those Henry Cow-like ever changing layers of saxes, guitars & keyboards. My old friend Suzanne (Hail & Kissyfur) Lewis didn’t make it onto this effort, but Deborah Perry does a fine job of Dagmar-like vocalizing. One must admit that the 3 tunes that Bob Drake plays bass (& sings on one) on-all have that Yes/Jon Anderson sound, it still sounds right. The drum chair is filled by none-other than Dave Kerman (U Totem, Blast & Present), so how can one go wrong-you can’t with this cast! A brilliant progressive sometimes dense and throttling masterwork! $13. 

23.BOUD DEUN-The Stolen Bicycle (Cuneiform 111) Third release by this young el. jazz/rock quartet from Virginia, and another swell offering. They continue to prove that intelligent fusion is not dead. Although their instrumentation of el. guitar & violin frontline with el. bass & drums rhythm is somewhat Mahavishnu Orch. -like in sound, Boud Deun are not into the speed cliches that plagued many fusion units of the 70’s. Their playing & writing are much more relaxed, diverse and open to many ideas/influences-at times I can hear some David Cross-era Crimson, just not as brutal. Although it would appear that there are many short pieces on this cd, the 36 minute suite entitled "Churches" is actually continuous and takes us through a variety of moods, intricate, tight & challenging -from this youthful but demanding fine unit. Boud Deun love to tour, so keep an eye & ear open for them, you won’t be disappointed! $13. 

24.GUIGOU CHENEVIER-The Rumors of the City (Cuneiform 114) Guigou was once the drummer for the legendary French prog/humor group-Etron Fou, is also a member of the drum trio/duo-Les Batteries who have a new cd out on Rift, and has a current trio called Volapuk with two cds on Cuneiform. This release has an interesting concept-it is played by seven professional musicians with taped fragments of eight amateur musicians selectively appearing. The fragments merely add a little spice to some amazing ensemble playing. The instrumentation includes both cello & bass clarinet from Volapuk plus sax, el. bass, keyboard, guitar & Guigou’s drums. This often reminds me of Skeleton Crew with its stripped down el. guitar & cello charm. The superb Ann Rupel (of Curlew) like trebly el. bass is at the center of many of these pieces. There is a certain clear-eyed direction which navigates these uncluttered songs. There’s even some Zappaesque humor and Penguin Café like quirkiness involved as well. Minimal vocals, just a bit of French spoken words & taped sounds, for those who need to know. Highly recommended! ($13.)  

(The following SHOULD also be in stock Fri. Sept. 11) 

25.JOHN ZORN’S MASADA-Ten (DIW 935) Final studio recording from the greatest modern jazz/klez giants of this decade! $16 

26.JOHN ZORN-Aporias:Requia for Piano & Orchestra (Tzadik 7037) Symphonic masterwork premiered at Carnegie Hall. $14. 

27.JOHN ZORN-The Bribe (Tzadik 7320) Recorded at the same sessions as "Spillane" in ’86 for Mabou Mines Theatre. 76 minutes featuring Ehrlich, Staley, Z.Parkins, W.Horvitz, IkueMori, C.Marclay, R.Quine, A.Coleman, B.Previte, D.Hofstra & Reck. $14. 

28.JOHN ZORN & SATO MICHIHIRO-Ganryu Island (Tzadik 7319) reissue of early sax/shamien duo w/ 20 min. of outtakes-$14. 

29.NAFTULE’S DREAM-Smash/Clap (Tzadik 7125) produced by Bill Laswell-2^nd amazing cd by this avant/Zappa/el klez unit-$14. 

30.MARC BOLAN-Great Jewish Music (Tzadik 7126) tribute to T Rex leader-covers by Arto&Ribot,MMW,GaryLucas,Kramer,Mike Patton/Fantomas, Buckethead, Vernon Reid, Tall Dwarves, Sean Lennon & YukaHonda, LloydCole, EszterBalint, LloydCole & more…$14. 

31.BRUCE ACKLEY-The Hearing (Avant 069) Rova sax great w/ Masada rhythm team-Greg Cohen & Joey Baron!! $18. 

32.THE WHISTLING HANGMEN-Barhopping (Avant 071) feat: John Medeski, Danny Blume, Oren Bloedow, Ben Perowsky-$18.  

33.WAYNE HORVITZ & ZONY MASH-Brand Spankin’ New (KFW 223) $13. 

34.BOBBY PREVITES’S LATIN FOR TRAVELERS-Dangerous Rip (Enja 9324) w/Marc Ducret special guest-$14. 

35.LOUNGE LIZARDS-Voice of Chunk (SBM 16) reissue of their finest studio date w/ Marc Ribot & Jazz Passengers-$14. 
 

1. African Headcharge- Akwaaba. $10
2. Azonic- Halo: solo feedback guitar pain from Andy hwakins of Blind Idiot God! $10
3. Beaver & Krause- In A Wild Sanctuary/Gandharva. $10
4. Butthole Surfers- Psychic, Powerless $10
5. " " - Rembrandt Pussyhorse. $10
6. Divination- Akasha: Laswellian excursion into ALL electronic territories. 2CD set- $14
7. The Erkose Ensemble- Tzigane: The Gypsy music of Turkey. $10
8. Jad Fair- I Like It When You Smile. $10
9. Pete Hammill- Room Temperature Live. The Complete Concert on a 2CD set. $14
10. The Killer Shrews- s/t: Gary Lucas, Jon Langford (Mekons), Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu) ultra cheap! $6
11. Magma- Live. $10
12. Painkiller- Execution Ground: Laswell/Zorn/Harris producing mutated ambient/thrash/jazz! 2CD set- $14
13. Praxis- Metatron: Laswell, Buckethead and Brain on the power trio trip of the 90’s! $10

Tues.Sept.8^th at 8pm-FRED FRITH & SYLVIE COURVOISIER guitar/piano duet Swiss Museum-495 Broadway-$7. 

Fri.Sept.11^th at 9pm-DAVID THOMAS ORCH. W/ LINDA THOMPSON!! At the Knit main space-$15. 

Sat.Sept.12^th at 9 & 10:30-LES BATTERIES w/ Guigou from Etron Fou & Rick Brown from Run On-at Tonic-$8. 

Sun.Sept.13^th at 7pm-ROGER KLEIER-excellent local el.guitarist-here at DMG for free!!! 

Sun.Sept 13^th at 9 pm-PERE UBU w/ WAYNE KRAMER on lead guitar!! Also w/ Les Batteries at the Knit-main-$15. 

Allright allright allright allright allright! Hope to see many of you at the aforementioned Canterbury fest at the Knit this groovy Labor Day weekend!! Take care bubbies, there should be another newsletter out in a few weeks. Love, Bruce Lee Gallanter 

Hi and welcome to MIKESSPACE. To be totally honest with you, I don’t even feel like trying these days. 

So, without further ado- REVIEWS:  

It is always with great joy that I receive a new release from Love Spirals Downward. The release of FLUX is no exception. However, there’s definitely something different here. To quote an old commercial- "Hey, you got your Goth in my Trance"!!, "No, you got your Trance in my Goth"!! This CD finds L.S.D. taking their stripped down Cocteau Twins flavor and adding the best elements of electronica to the mix (or should I say "re-mix"?). A re-mix album is exactly what this CD sounds like, but that is in no way a criticism. Now I’m sure the ethereal/goth purists are up in arms over this disc, but the rest of us should welcome this one with open arms. Trip-Hop, Drum-‘n’-Bass and plain old House add new touches to the already perfect blend of shimmery acoustic guitars, mesmerizing fem vox and warm electronics. Flux calls to mind "Walking Wounded" by Everything But The Girl and "Feeler" by Perfume Tree, not to mention Bel Canto. Still it manages to stand on its own and hold its head high among the giants in a burgeoning musical form. This thing is so beautiful that you’ll wear it out in about a month, but how many of you have had a month of bliss lately? 

On the other end of musical pleasures, I’m pleased to announce the long-awaited domestic release of Lord Belial’s Enter The Moonlight Gate. As I’m sure you can tell by now, this is a Black Metal release and a fine one at that. Actually Black/Death is a better descriptive term as the production is thicker than that of the typical Norwegian style of BM. These Swedes combine the sheer speed of Immortal with the majesty of Emperor or Limbonic Art. Their overall feel is similar to fellow Black/Death act- Sacramentum. However, the added touches of acoustic guitar, sweet female vocals and sometimes, beautiful melodies help this release shine. Just when things might get monotonous or the buzzsaw drone of trebled guitars gets soothing comes an acoustic break or a duet with the lass that disarms you and leaves you vulnerable to the returning blast wave a few measures later. INTENSE!!! 

Noise? You say you want noise? I got yer noise right here! Illusion of Safety’s latest Bad Karma is an often terrifying trip into the dark depths of the soul. Combining noise, drone, tribal beats, disembodied voices and large doses of sonic space Bad Karma is the musical equivalent of a factory slowly dismembering itself. My favorite tracks are the two most chilling. In one, people explain ho w children and parents can avoid child abductions, in the other, a couple of men dispassionately explain various torture techniques. Perfect late night listening. 

Drum-‘n’-Bass’ man of the hour is Duke Mushroom. Who is he? I don’t know, but 2 of the Summer’s 

phattest releases were stamped with his name. The first DM Presents Mellowtron I’ve already raved about. 

The latest DM Presents The Warriors is a bit of a throwback to the early days of Jungle when Rap was a big part of the texture. This disc calls upon the talents of MC Tasha Vega and uses them to the full. The girl is BAD! The tracks are accessible without losing a single atom of punch. The drums never remain static and the keys, while never lush, are always pleasant. IMHO, there’s just nothing wrong with this disc, 

for what it is- simply, the finest hour in American Drum-‘n’-Bass yet. 

Well, that’s it for now from the EMPEROR. Sorry if I’ve been short lately but there has been a dearth of releases good or bad that I’ve gotten copies of to review. So, until record company practices change or I get to know some new people at some worthwhile labels this is what you get. With apologies, 

EM2K  

What you have here is the DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY newsletter. Everything reviewed in here is available for purchase as supply allows. We accept all forms of payment. You may reach us at the following- 

DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY

Phone/Fax- 13 Monroe St. New York, NY 10002-7351

(212) 473-0043  (646) 781-9846  E-Mail- dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com