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Jeez, this hazy, hot & humid weather is too much. At least the air conditioning in our store works. Unfortunately there is no ac at Tonic and it does get unbearable at times, someone fainted at the Satoko Fuji large ensemble gig last week. John Zorn has booked many amazing double bills there in June & July, so dress lightly. The two week Summer Sessions seminars at Tonic are over and everyone who attended raved about the informative & gracious repartee from Milford Graves, Marc Ribot, Tim Berne, Jim O'Rourke...Due to my work schedule, I only got a chance to hear Zorn do his question & answer session and it was a complete delight! Zorn has a rep for being difficult with uninformed journalists and stopped doing interviews for almost a decade. He has finally broken his code of silence and did a lengthy interview for the New Yorker mag last month, as well as another one for Jazziz next month (out now). John was not pleased with the outcome of the New Yorker article because it didn't cover enough of the more important issues that he had discussed. For newer Zorn fans, it is a good place to start an understanding of a very complex individual. Both the Zorn book that we sell and then Q&A session went deeper. Zorn took the time to answer each question seriously and at length. When I asked about the philosophy behind his labels Tzadik & Avant, he explained that major labels have armies of lawyers whose job it is to make the most ridiculous contracts in which the recording artists are inevitably screwed, never making the money they are promised, losing control of their product and never really being understood by marketing teams. His two labels are an attempt to both keep all of Zorn's vast catalogue in print and give an opportunity to his many composer friends to put out recordings that are treated with the utmost respect. When asked about the inspiration behind Masada, Zorn said that it was a personal journey of exploration for him that started when his father passed away and also seeing the way Jews were treated in Germany & Europe while he was on tour. Zorn explained that he goes through a long period of research before embarking on any musical project and that he had studied Jewish philosophy, history & music for a year before composing the first hundred Masada tunes in '93. Zorn played an extremely rare and spectacular solo sax set at Tonic in early July, as well as two outstanding impromptu duos with pianist Satoko Fuji and Ravi Coltrane on soprano sax. He will also be doing one set of challenging group improv with Rova guest saxist Larry Ochs at Tonic at 8pm on July 31st. Which brings us to the two new John Zorn titles for July, reviewed below. NEW RELEASES FOR JULY 1999 NEW RELEASES FOR JULY 1999 NEW RELEASES: 1.JOHN ZORN-The String Quartets (Tzadik 7047) John mentions in the liner notes that his favorite 20th century string quartet music to be that of Bela Bartok, Elliott Carter, Anton Webern and Alban Berg. Each of the four outstanding quartet pieces presented here are from much different worlds - the visual, the sensual, the emotional and the spiritual. "Cat O'Nine Tails" is from '88, has been recorded by Kronos and has been performed all around the world. It is from the era when Zorn's music was constantly changing genres, quoting other composers, abruptly leaping from one idea to another, something he would explore in even shorter bursts in Naked City. Often hilarious, cartoon-like insanity, perfect for those with short attention spans. "The Dead Man" was composed in 1990, the same year as Naked City's 'Torture Garden' and it contains Zorn's most overt S&M subtexts. Like 'Torture Garden' it consists of 13 short 'specimen' pieces, sort of one idea explored at a time, sometimes somber, sometimes explosive, sometimes eerie, and often disturbing. "Memento Mori" is from'92, it is the longest piece here at almost 29 minutes and is certainly one of Zorn's greatest triumphs. It is a long journey through complex and intense emotional landscapes. The extreme use of fractured sounds in dazzling dynamic ranges is done with care, it even flows in a natural way, calm at the center, before the flights of fancy continue. An incredible work, mysterious, beautiful, enchanting, bizarre, scary and brilliant! A more perfect ending I couldn't imagine than "Kol Nidre", perhaps Zorn's finest moment of completely haunting and melodic spiritual grace. "Kol Nidre" is actually an ancient prayer for reflection and forgiveness, chanted on Yom Kippur-the holiest of Jewish holidays. Zorn's piece glows with wonderful uplifting spirits, caressing our hearts with magical grace. The cover art of the large and spooky skull, as well as another risque Hans Bellmer illustration inside will certainly both titillate Zorn fans worldwide! $14. 2.JOHN ZORN-Godard-Spillane (Tzadik 7324) For someone who often hates interviews, Zorn makes up for it by including extensive information, both words & art works, in the liner notes of his cds. Both Zorn and new liner designer Heung-Heung have outdone themselves here! Zorn includes lengthy notes & pix explaining the inspiration, history and recording process for all three pieces found here. Key players - Bill Frisell, Bobby Previte & Anthony Coleman also get a chance to explain the magic of these sessions. These works were done from '85 to '87, the other musicians include Christian Marclay, Carol Emanuel on harp, Jim Staley, David Weinstein & Dave Hofstra, plus the narration of Richard Foreman, John Lurie, Robert Quine, Ikue, Zorn & two oriental speakers. Both "Godard" and bonus track "Blues Noel" were originally recorded for the French label Nato and are long out of print. Zorn has done a spectacular job of redoing these pieces, so that they sound better than ever - bravo!! Zorn's game piece rules and strategies had evolved into a "file card" process of guiding improvisers, here inspired by one of Zorn's film heroes - Jean Luc Godard, French filmmaker. A master of nuance, Zorn weaves his seven musicians & four narrators through cinematic scenery/dramas, an ultra well balanced seamless flow- reminding me of 'Uncle Meat' era Mothers, where instruments, noises & tapes (later samples) combine into a rich stream. "Godard" has a mysterious theme for Carol Emanuel's wonderful acoustic harp that floats in throughout, Frisell adds his special touch/sound from quaint to wailing to even banjo picking, Anthony Coleman stirs in his humor, harpsichord & tasty keys. "Spillane" was inspired by Mickey Spillane author of cheap detective novels and Zorn does a fine job of mixing genres - greasy jazz, blues, r&b, rock and soundtrack music into a compelling stories. Zorn, Frisell, Staley & Coleman seem particularly inspired throughout. John Lurie seems a perfect choice for the seedy voice of the lead character - detective Mike Hammer. "Blues Noel" is a rare treat from our favorite Jew - John Zorn's six minute Christmas collage of somber ruminations, blues guitar attack by Fred Frith and more swirling Christmas party antics. This is an important reissue that helps bring one of Zorn's early successes into sharp focus- presented in the notes, pix and sound. $14. 3.WADADA LEO SMITH-Light Upon Light (Tzadik 7046) This is master trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith's second superb release for Tzadik and it features the California Ear Unit, the New Century Players, plus soloists Bertram Turetsky (contrabassist supreme), Karen Elaine Bakunin on viola, Mark Trayle on electronics and Leo Smith on trumpet, kenong & tape. "Moths, Flames & the Giant Sequoia Redwood Trees" is for chamber sextet, gamelan qt. & tape, but it is really quite minimal, spacious, natural sounding & unfolds ever so slowly. The sounds are rich, but patience is required. "Hetep: Serenity: Tranquility 2" for solo viola is filled with drones & bent notes, and it a bit more extreme. "Multiamerica" is for N'Da Kulture (who are) Leo's trumpet, Mark's electronics and Leo's wife Harumi on Japanese & English vocals/poetry. The electronics & trumpet come from a similar sonic palette, their fragmented notes mutate together as one strange serpent with peaceful poetry. "Nur: Luminous. Light Upon Light" is for the ten piece New Century Players with Bertram Turetsky as the featured bass soloist. "Nur" also starts out minimally & slowly, before it innocently opens from flowers to a dizzying forest of sounds. One can hear how Turetsky's phenomenal bowed bass influenced his student Mark Dresser on this powerful piece. The final piece, "A Thousand Cranes" for a trumpet & electronics duo - it glows with somber eerie droning beauty & it is rather short. A nice way to close this fine release. Ommmmmm. $14. 4.STEVE BERNSTEIN-Diaspora Soul (Tzadik 7137) Steve is an immensely diverse trumpeter & slide trumpeter for(ever) the Lounge Lizards, Spanish Fly and the ever-cool Sex Mob. This, his first solo release, is a part of Tzadik's radical Jewish culture series and shows off his unique diversity of spirits. Like Zorn recently mentioned doing, Bernstein researched at length, going on a journey to discover the links between New Orleans marching bands and r&b, Afro-Cuban influences and Texas blues with various Jewish tributaries. Bernstein's groovy band includes saxists Michael Blake (another Lounge Lizard), Briggan Krause, Peter Apfelbaum & Paul Shapiro, Brain Mitchell on wurlitzer el. piano & organ, the ubiquitous Tony Scherr on bass and percussionists E.J. & Robert J. Rodriguez (from Los Cubanos). Like all the music I've heard Steve pull off, this music feels just right - a slow burn Latin groove with Jewish soul. Although all but one of the tracks here are traditional hebrew tunes, it is how Steve arranges these pieces, that makes them work in their unique way. On "L'Chaim," Brian Mitchell's el. piano has that sort- of psychedelic sound that can also be found on 'Ethiopiques - Four', while on "Roumania, Roumania" his organ sets the world on fire with its haunting tone. Get down! Bernstein's trumpet is ever soulful, on target and a constant joy with a New Orleans-like swagger. It gotta make you smile or jack you dead! In many ways this cd is a perfect companion for Marc Ribot's Los Cubanos cd. It's party time, bubbies! $14. 5.BassDrumBone-Cooked to Perfection (Auricle 5) BDB is Ray Anderson on trombone, Mark Helias on bass & Gerry Hemingway on drums. This work was recorded at European gigs mostly in '86, with a few tracks from '87 and '96, but not released until now. Is this their second or third release? I had better find out. All three of these fine players contribute tunes, as well as doing some group improvs. This is solid trio, endlessly inventive, keeping each other on their toes, moving through styles/genres with ease. On "Mississippi Mud," they begin with a laid back blues thing, before moving into a long & great reggae groove on acoustic instruments only! Hemingway's "Endorphin" is Braxtonian with it's fractured flow and ghost trance-like odd repetition segments. Ray Anderson's multi-dimensional trombone is always a gas, walking the line between gutbucket tailgating & swinging and all those strange modern sounds that avant-bonests blow. "Elegy for Willie Vargas" opens with the cosmic bowing of cymbals, marimbas, bass and bone drones in a suspenseful chamber-like mode, before Ray's solo trombone explodes with twisted tones. Mark Helias' bass walks the pulse throughout "Question Mark" as Ray and then Gerry tells stories with their solos. Do I hear an early Mingus quote from Ray on this piece? There is a moment of comic relief, when the trio breaks into a short bout of obnoxious buzzing noises. 'Cooked to Perfection' does end on a light-hearted note with a New Orleans funk riff called "Portrait of Mark Dresser"?!? A wholesome and delicious stew from our friends in BassDrumBone. One of them slim cardboard covers for $14. 6.BEN PEROWSKY TRIO-s/t (Jazz Key 51002) Ben Perowsky is a gifted jazz drummer who keeps popping up in all the right places. From his days with that fine fusion unit Lost Tribe, to a few gigs with electric Masada and then into a few with Zorn-Ribot-Medeski. Just caught him swinging hard with the Uri Caine trio last week. Ben has put together a strong trio with the ever-present reeds of Chris Speed (Bloodcount, Pachora, Same River, Twice & solo units) as well as the up & coming double-bassist Scott Colley. Ben navigates this swell trio through thick waters, the bass always locked into the pumping groove. Most of these tunes are long and winding, half of which are Ben's originals, the other are an odd assortment of covers from Bird, Duke Ellington, Olivier Messiaen and Pink Floyd. Ben's tunes often swing hard, keeping the trio on their toes for long stretches, the excitement factor turned up high! Duke's "In a Sentimental Mood" gets a gorgeous treatment from Chris' luscious tenor embers to the delicate background shadows by the rhythm team. Messiaen's "Danse de la Fureur" is an interesting choice and gets a fine reading with Chris' clarinet leading the trio through Braxton-like scientific grace. Why end with Pink Floyd's ultra popular "Money" from 'Dark Side of the Moon', well why not?!? It is last call at the Knitting Factory tap bar isn't it? They do turn it into a sort of bluesy squaller and it does have a rather memorable melody, doesn't it? One never knows where someone else's inspiration might come from, do one? A solid effort overall. $12. 7.JOE MORRIS-Many Rings (KFW 243) w/ Karen Borca on bassoon, Rob Brown on alto sax & flute and Andrea Parkins on accordion & sampler. Four giants of improv coming from much different planets, combine forces to make a special communion of difficult sounds. Each planet revolves around its own axis, yet there is an inner force which pulls each orbit into a similar path. Distinctive avant-jazz el. guitarist - Joe Morris is most selective about each ensemble he puts together and in recent years has been experimenting without the use of a rhythm section on certain cds. The unusual instrumentation of el. guitar, alto sax/flute, bassoon & accordion/sampler is unique, but it works here so well because of the high level of listening and interplay. I recall Karen Borca's outstanding bassoon work with her partner Jimmy Lyons in the 70's and missed her playing when she seemed to have disappeared in the 80's. In the last few years she has bounced back once again to blow us away once more in her own unit, as well as groups fronted by Rob Brown & Mark Whitecage. The music on "Many Rings" often reminds me of chamber jazz, yet freer and more focused simultaneously. The magic of this session is the way each member of the quartet switches roles from that of soloing on top to swimming in the stream in an instant. Solos become duos, which also turn into trios and/or quartets. It sounds as if there is no leader, but rather combinations or circles that come together in difficult patterns. This music requires complete concentration, since it is often quite dense and swirling, yet it is surely worth the task with new discoveries at every turn. $13. 8.DONALD RUBINSTEIN-"Martin" OST (Level Green 22006) w/ Marty Ehrlich, Hank Roberts & Steve Gorn. This is a reissue of the long lost soundtrack to George Romero's favorite film of his own - "Martin" from 1977. The music was composed and played by pianist Donald Rubinstein and featured early playing by the three downtowners listed above, plus a string quartet and additional oboe, flute, guitar, percussion and occasional vocals. Although the master tape was long gone, this release was taken from an unplayed vinyl copy and has the warmth of a clean record. The music of "Martin" is often minimal, sad, lovely, melancholy and touching. There is little soloing going on here, mostly the evoking of moods, usually one idea or theme at a time, not really developed because of the accompanying of the film. Marty Ehrlich' s sax often provides a warm presence to this quaint soundtrack. This music is often haunting in just the right spots, but I often wish it would develop further. Having not seen the film, this soundtrack does sound like it would be perfect for a moody flick. $14. 9.CHRISTY DORAN'S NEW BAG-"Confusing the Spirits" (On Cue 001) Swiss el. guitarist - Christy Doran is always marvelous & challenging. A power trio cd with Jamaaladeen Tacuma & Fredy Studer was released last year and although DMG has yet to get copies, Christy promised that he will send us some copies soon. If you recall, the second ADD trio release (w/ Robert Dick) was reviewed in the previous newsletter. Which brings us to Christy's New Bag, recorded in March of this year, and mixed just last month & released on Christy's own On Cue label in a limited edition. With the same instrumentation as Christy's amazing Hendrix tribute quartet of veteran players, this quartet consists of younger Swiss musicians who are previously unknown to me, but play so well, nonetheless. Their little advertised set at the Swiss Institute last week was spectacular as is this fine release. Their vocalist - Bruno Amstad sang mostly in English, as well as his own invented language and did a great job of fitting in, rather than taking over as rock vocalists often do. New Bag's music falls between the cracks of categories, with Christy's jazz chops only being one part of their sound. The pieces here are usually more song-like, based on rocking grooves & riffs, obviously not improvised, but open ended enough to evolve through themes & solos. "Paros" is a quit (witted) ride with intricate Minutemen-like precision. There are a number of quieter episodes where Christy lets them volume pedal notes swirl around the mist, with Crimson-like hypnotic repetition to follow. When the vocalist utilizes his invented language singing, this is where the mystery sets in & works best, similar to some of the better Brit rock vocalists of the 70's. One of things I like best about this cd is how some of the pieces are skeletal & moody, rarely rushed or too much going on at once, like tasty fusion cats who learned some well-placed restraint. Christy, of course, does let it rip on a few of the more exciting pieces, so don't fret you el. guitar fanatics. This is a limited edition Swiss cd in nifty paper case for $15. 10.ELLERY ESKELIN & HAN BENNINK-Dissonant Characters (Hatology 534) A few years back master Dutch drummer & trickster Han Bennink did a series of eight challenging duos at the Knitting Factory in four nights. Some worked & some did not, Han felt. This is the third duo that has been released on cd from that series of introductions, with Dave Douglas & Myra Melford being the first two. It was recorded live in Switzerland in December of '98 & I must agree with Han that this one really does work on a variety of levels. Han has played with the jazz masters since the 60's when he played for Eric Dolphy, Sonny Rollins & Ben Webster, as well as many of Europe's finest jazz &avant musicians. Han can swing as hard any jazz musician on the planet, and has also mastered the free thing both seriously and humorously. Ellery also has that swinging to free thing down as well, which is why they work together so well. Although most of these pieces are magical improv, the duo do cover a couple of Monk tunes with finesse. "Sight Unseen/Brilliant Corners" erupts in ways that Monk might not have imagined, is deconstructed and then winds down. Han often appear like a clown on stage with a wealth of tricks to keep the audience in stitches, yet here both players get down to the business of pushing each other to new heights of solid communion. An exciting effort from start to finish for this dynamic duo! $17. 11.JANE IRA BLOOM-The Red Quartets (Arabesque 144) w/ Fred Hersch, Mark Dresser & Bobby Previte. Considering the adventurous rhythm section that Jane uses on this release, this work is certainly not what one would expect from Mark & Bobby, obvious masters of extended techniques. This is the direction that Jane has been moving towards in recent years, no matter how many outcats she employs. Like Steve Lacy or Lol Coxhill, Jane Ira Bloom is distinguished for playing (the difficult) soprano sax only. Jane has a gorgeous tone, at times rather Lacy-like and has been composing more sweet & melodic tunes than in her earlier, more experimental years. She covers two standards, "Time After Time" and "How Deep is the Ocean", not that they are much different than her originals found here. "Monk's Rec Room" has that playful jagged rhythm that Monk is most often known for, just not as abrupt. Fred Hersch is a perfect partner for Jane, as he too balances the melodic with the riskier approach so well. Quite a lovely excursion, perhaps a bit more angst might push this over the top to a new place closer to where I usually hang. $14. 12.PHAROAH'S DAUGHTER-Daddy's Pockets (self produced) It seems as if klez bands have been crawling out of the woodwork recently in NYC, but I gotta admit that Pharoah's Daughter is one of the best & brightest to emerge from the from this ever-expanding scene. What makes them unique is that they play all original material written by their leader- vocalist & acoustic guitarist Basya Schecter and consist mainly of women, with almost with no traditional Jewish songs to be found. It is the fine blend of Basya's acoustic guitar, Adam Levy (from TJ Kirk & Trevor Dunn Trio) & Benoir on el. guitars, Tracey Love's flute & crumhorn, Martha Colby's cello and two exotic percussionists that makes this blend so special. It is also Basya's deep & compelling voice, powerful acoustic guitar playing and mesmerizing middle eastern melodies that make this entire cd so wondrous. There was once a groovy band from New Brunswick, NJ called Frozen Concentrate that mixed soul, folk, rock, blues & psych in a most natural way - that made their fans want to just dance with eyes-closed in bliss. Pharoah's Daughter's earthy glow and swell groove feel the same way and they add a host of world music influences & exotic instrumentation to their delectable treat. Special thanks my pal Petra for turning me on to this delightful band. One of thee pop records of the year! So keep smiling as you put down your hard earned $14. 13.LIU SOLA-June Snow (Also Productions 10022) Liu Sola is a Chinese vocalist & composer who completely reinvents herself with each offering. Her first US release was 'Blues in the East' on Axiom, mostly a Laswell project with his cast of characters backing her odd voice. Next there was that weird improvised duo cd with Wu Man on pipa on Avant. Last year she produced her own quartet cd with some of Laswell's cohorts - Amina Claudine Myers & Pheeroan Aklaff. Each release so different from the other, and now this!?! 'June Snow' is a solo excursion by Liu Sola for a dance/drama about a woman wrongly sentenced to death, recorded in '92, but not released until now. It sounds as if Liu has sampled a variety of Chinese flutes, strings and percussion for this mysterious journey, before the darker samples take over. This often reminds me of that cosmic sampler heavy local unit - Fibre, the way they seamlessly mix tribal & electronic samples into a rich tapestry of techno-utopian fabric. There is sort of robotic march that goes on for much too long, depending on your need of (endless) repetition. The other pieces succeed as pulsating-exotic-eastern-ambient soundscapes. Would Emperor Mike find this offering worthy!?! Most likely and only $10.!! 14.DORGON & LAURA CROMWELL-Mar (Jumbo) Lovable local couple & good pals - Gordon Knauer aka Dorgon on sax & clarinet and Laura Cromwell on drums - once had their own quartet - Dim Sum Clip Job, who have on old Avant cd out. Dorgon started the Jumbo label not long ago and has released three mostly duo cds with William Parker and often hilarious liner notes. This is their first duo effort and many of the tracks were recorded here at DMG (yay), as well as the Junk Store Caf‚ in Brooklyn, plus a bonus track recorded on the space shuttle Challenger!?! NASA must be hipper than we realize! The duo have come a long way since the early days of Dim Sum's post-punk noise blasts. The tracks recorded at DMG in December of '97 are ultra quiet, slow moving & skeletal but endearing. A tribute to cool school restraint? Quite possibly. Actually much of this release features an often minimal, spacious duo with a mostly laid back pace. One more, patience is required to appreciate the unrushed beauty. Yummy. $12. 15.STATEMENTS QUINTET-The Cat's Pyjamas (Leo Lab 054) Statements is a fascinating but not very well known German led improv unit that has been around for a decade & spends much of their time in NY. Their first effort was a duo cd with experimental/free musicians Ursel Schlicht on piano and Hans Tammen on (prepared) guitar. For this cd they have added their hometown cohort Christoph Irmer on violin and the much recorded CIMP rhythm team of Dominic Duval on contrabass & Jay Rosen on drums/percussion. This music is unusually dense and often startlingly intense group free improv, sometimes too much, but always a challenge to absorb in its entirety. A sort of distant relative to early Music Improvisation Company with piano added to the porridge. There are sections where the density lightens up and we get intricate insect music to marvel at. This international alliance works well, since each member listens so closely, that mystical combinations often rise to the top of the ultra-selective heap! An alien transmission that speaks directly to those of us who love sounds from other dimensions. Beam this up today! $14. 16.EUGENE CHADBOURNE-Any Other Suggestions? (Grob 009) What monthly newsletter wouldn't be complete without another new release from our fave guitar hero & musical terrorist - Dr. Chadbourne. The plain b&w homegrown cover & notes inside illustrate the extreme reaction from Eugene's audiences, with a cute thank-you note from a kid at a sleep-away camp where Eugene performed to the description of the horrors of an audience that just doesn't get it, where Eugene must resort to drastic measures to get their attention. This cd seems to be a live solo compilation from a variety of sources, the info included is purposefully sketchy. Dr. Chad has selected much jazzy and often laid back material, with covers by Mingus, Monk, Muddy Waters & Steppenwolf. Eugene's solo sets are often stream-of-consciousness affairs, where he begins with a mellow version of a jazz standard like "The Song is You" which eventually mutates into a gonzo over-the-top burst of super-fast picking & noise explosions of distortion & feedback on the guitar & voice. Does he go too far out sometimes? I guess that depends on how much noise you can deal with or how high you are. Speaking of noise, also included here are segments featuring (old favorites) the plunger & the rake & even some balloon action - this is some sick shit! One highlight is Eugene's finger-snappin' cool vocal version of Monk's "In Walked Bud" which goes into a cosmic-haze-echo version of Muddy Waters' "Rollin' Stone." The are a number of fine moments of comic relief in which the mic catches an escapee from a straight-jacket and wackiness from the streets in a Chadbourne documentary. Another high-point is his heartfelt & frantic cover of Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" - one of the greatest (anti) drug tunes of all time - a wise choice. Overall this work is pretty focused & flowing, as nutty as it gets. We anxiously await Eugene's month-long Tonic curated schedule in August, many surprises are in store! In the meantime, this be $14. 17.IVA BITTOVA-Classic (Supraphon 931) w/ the Skampa String Quartet, Lelky Girl's Choir plus too many other guests to list here. This marvelous release from the ever-wonderful violinist & vocalist Iva Bittova, whose duo was one of the high-points of this year's Victoriaville New Music Fest. Iva is always a complete charmer who can both touch your heart and make one smile with her child-like joyous & mischievous innocent aura. In the past, most of her half dozen releases have been solo or duo affairs, except for the last double cd of 'Bile Inferno,' which had Iva a variety of small groups. One of the nice things about this cd is the inclusion of Iva's interesting autobiographical info. Iva's family lived for music and while at college she studied acting & singing. She has appeared in a number of films, including the Fred Frith documentary - 'Steps Across the Border.' She has and continues to study the classics on violin. On this 'Classic' cd she does a couple of pieces by composer Leos Janacek, as well as a number of Moravian folk songs. This superb release opens with a Iva's long string quartet for our late cello hero - Tom Cora, with Iva added on vocal & violin. Immensely sad, yet touching and beautiful like a prayer soothing the loss of a loved one, luscious and consistently transporting us. Once more there are a few exquisite duos - with Michal Zpevak on clarinet, tarogato & pan-pipes - where notes caress each other in haunting resonance. The Moravian folk tunes are sung in their native tongue & are accompanied by the Brno Radio Folk Instruments Ensemble in a pure & familiar way, not unlike Marta Sebestyn with Muzukas. Janacek's "Speech Melodies" are the strangest pieces found here with draining drones, a ghost-like girls choir and twisted folkish melodies. Is that a bird chirping or a birch leaf being blown through on the final mesmerizing Moravian folk tune?!? "Kuk Kuki Kuk" is a delightful bit of children's gibberish to keep us giggling. The cd cover has Iva wearing that ridiculous half-mask that she wore up at Victo. What more could you want?!? An expensive but extremely worthy Czech import for $20. 18.JON HASSELL-Fascinoma (Waterlily Acoustics 70) We can only advance so far, before we lose sight of our roots. On Jon Hassell's early records, his elongated electric trumpet lines, with (processing) help from Eno are mixed with exotic instrumentation in radiant shadows that glow in a most distinctive way. With each recording Jon Hassell has refined his unique tone, slowly altering the surrounding instruments and eventually collaborating with (the) Farafina (African percussion ensemble) a decade ago. Since then Hassell put out a lame techno/funk cd called 'Citi' and provided the catchy theme tune for 'The Practice' tv show. For this new work 'Fascinoma', Hassell has reached back in many ways - although his closely miked trumpet's tone is still stretched out, magical & instantly identifiable, here it is done all acoustically and with much care. Jon also reaches back and does hushed & hauntingly beautiful versions of jazz standards from his youth, "Nature Boy," "Caravan" & "Poinciana." This scrumptious release is produced with the gentle touch of Ry Cooder, who also provides some delicate guitar and his son Joachim on percussion. Add some bansuri flute, bass clarinet, tamburas and swinging jazz piano giant - Jacky Terrasson to this refined mix. This music is often stripped down to bare essentials, "Nature Boy" is a pure duo of drifting flute & trumpet, so spare, yet so elegant. The delicate & enchanting tones of the trumpet and Indian flute inter-twine with each other's natural waves on a few of these pieces. The peaceful humming of a tambura drone provide the background wash on "Datura." "Caravan" becomes an ancient dirge, taken at a sub-atomic pace, with sparse and spooky ambiance. Jon Hassell has come complete circle, reinvented his wondrous tone time & again, only to sound much like he did at the beginning. Only this time it was done naturally/acoustically. $14. 19.TERJE RYPDAL & TEKRO-II (Grappa 4146) Considering Terje has been on the same label (ECM) for almost 30 years and has done offshoot projects on very rare occasion, Mike Mantler's 'Hapless Child' being the only one I can recall, this release comes as a complete surprise - Terje playing with a modern rock unit led by guitarist/vocalist Ronni Le Tekro, with keyboards, bass guitar & two drummers. All tunes are written by Terje, Tekro & keyboard dude - Dag Stokke. Opening with an ultra mellow Roxy Music like tune with a Manzanera-like guitar tone, both guitarists go for e-bow glides on "Very Loud Harold Lloyd", before those late period Crimson riffs start pumping. Tekro's voice comes right out of David Bowie/Brian Ferry/David Sylvian-land, but I have no complaints, vocals make few appearances here. It does seem odd that this is the second European jazz/rock release this month where the singers sing in English rather than their native tongue. A few of these tunes are too mellow & melodic and they should nix the drum machine - strange coming from one of the masters of that amazing distinctive distorto guitar finesse. What record was I just listening to - a silly-funky Parliament tune or David Bowie's 'Low-Part 2' ?!? On "Before" - Terje plays with that blessed, heavenly, pleading tone that burned & erupted so well all over 'The Hapless Child'! Overall, this cd is somewhat uneven, Terje pulls off a few great solos, but doesn't get to stretch out too much, this is mostly pop music. Interesting, but not outstanding. $15. 20.SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA-Kaka (Amigo Musik 884) Samla were a fine progressive quartet from Sweden who existed from 1970 to 1984 and recorded about eight records. Their name slowly evolved from Samla to Zamla to Von Zamla as did their personnel. Their original guitarist - Coste Apetrea went on to record solo records, but it was their leader & only original member - keyboard & accordion player Lars Hollmer - who continues to record swell solo cds to this day. You may recall Lars as a member of Guy Klucsevek's international accordion quintet, known as Accordion Tribe. 'Kaka' is the long awaited reunion of the original 70's quartet version of Samla, whose members also include Lars Krantz on bass and Hans Bruniusson on drums & percussion. All four also sing but once again vocals are kept to a minimum and some of it is live, some of it is studio work. After an intro in which the announcer mispronounces their name, Samla are back to their quirky, constantly changing, progressive, intricate & tight style. Along their long history Lars has added acordion & melodica, Coste also plays bouzouki & veena and Hans has added marimba. Their twisted sense of humor, by way of deranged vocals is still there as well and there are moments when things seem to fall apart - snippets of conversation & taped sounds that provide segeways between some sections. Samla's music has not really changed that much, it is still progressive & fun - an ever-changing, time-signature shifting, swirling mass of playing & composing. Welcome back! Swedish import for $17. 21.ROBERT REIGLE -The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (Acoustic Levitation 1002) Robert is an LA based tenor saxist, composer & microtonal specialist. This is the music of extremes. From the ultra-subtly of Giacinto Scelsi's influence and music to the harsh tenor blasting of Albert Ayler's influence & music. The title piece is dedicated to Scelsi & Cecil Taylor and goes right into Robert's arrangement of a Scelsi work done with a ten musicians. It is an enchanting piece which seems to buzz like insects in the higher spectrum of the sound range, very restrained considering there are ten players. "Ants Eating Through Brick" is a live cross-continental performance which features Robert's Surrealestate unit at UCLA with our local poet Steve Koenig's vocals broadcast via telephone link. This is more subtle avant weirdness to ponder. "Goodnight" is for solo tenor sax by Robert and comes from AACM school of intense, harsh, brittle, solo sax blasting - quite powerful. This is followed by Albert Ayler's "Bells" for a large Seattle based ensemble featuring Eyvind Kang on violin & eight saxists! "Bells" is the most dense & scary piece here, which has that rambling, repetitive Ayler riff at it's center. Eyvind goes for the jugular in a Billy Bang-like solo to slay us all. "A Dance Period" brings us back down to earth for more mostly quieter rumblings of a seven piece unit with Stuart Dempster on trombone. The final selection is another version of the title piece, this time for six layers of tenor saxes & flute, which builds with fascinating textures for twenty minutes. The layer(s) of high-pitched sax squealing provides an eerie drone for the great sax explosion on top. This is Robert Reigle's first cd release and it is a challenging journey throughout. Are you ready for it? $14. 22.CLAUDE ST-JEAN-Les Projectionnistes: Copie Zero (Amb Mag 071) The Ambiances Magnetiques label continues to blow us away with each & every release, although they have put out over a dozen cds so far this year and one again - this cd features only one musician I know well - drummer Remi Leclerc. Claude St-Jean plays trombone & keyboards, Bernard Falaise is on guitars, Pierre Labbe is on tenor sax & flute and Tommy Babin is on the contrabass. The music is strong, well written & well executed progressive/jazz/rock. While the horns & acoustic bass often pull this in the jazz direction, the electric guitar wails numerous aggressive rockin' wah-wah solos. Bernard's guitar has a way of stirring things up, occasionally pushing the horns to erupt into smokin' solos. Considering there are only two horn players, this band sounds quite full, due to the solid composing and playing of all five musicians. This is yet another winner from our fine friends at Ambiances Magnetiques. Sold at a domestic price of $14. 23.EVAN PARKER ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE-Drawn Inward (ECM 1693) This is the second spectacular recording from Evan Parker's amazing acoustic/electronic all-star quartet with three extra sound processors who also add live electronics. This is also Evan's long-standing trio/quartet that includes Philipp Wachsmann on strings & electronics, master double-bassist Barry Guy and percussionist Paul Lytton on even more selective electronics. The sound processors/live electronics are by Lawrence Casserley, Walter Prati & Marco Vecchi and each one approaches his task differently. Although each member of the acoustic quartet's individual sound is so utterly distinctive, the sound processing and live electronics often blur the lines of distinction. Evan's mesmerizing circular (breathed) sax lines are usually at the center of the focused haze, weaving waves of liquid notes. There are pieces like "Travel in the Homeland" where there are electronics only and their carefully crafted sounds are as intricate, hushed and rich as the acoustic quartet's sounds. The cosmic fabric that holds all of these sounds together is made from one special thread that runs through the entire ensemble. This music is never too dense and always flows in a natural stream - which comes from the long journey & exploration of (European) improvised music done with over thirty years of searching. This is the ultimate challenge - fucking brilliant! $15. 24.RAY RUSSELL QUARTET-Dragon Hill (Columbia UK 494435) & RAY RUSSELL-Rites and Rituals (Columbia UK 949436) For those of us who are constantly searching for the missing link or the Holy Grail for those almost unknown musicians who seem to come from nowhere, create their own sound/world/body of work and then disappear into the void before most of us notice. We're talking guitar players here. Some crawl out of obscurity for a while like- say- Sonny Sharrock, and some remain a mystery to the end. Sometimes other great guitarists help us to remember these figures of deserved attention - like Henry Kaiser helping Tziji Munos. Jim O'Rourke has been talking about legendary/unknown British el. jazz guitar god Ray Russell for a while now and will be reissuing one Ray's records sometime soon, but in the meantime - Columbia UK has just reissued two Ray Russell's amazing releases from his early years - 'Dragon Hill' from 1969 and 'Rites & Rituals' from 1971. Like wow!! 'Dragon Hill' features Roy Fry (who he?) on acoustic & el. piano, Ron Mathewson on bass & Alan Rushton on drums, with guests Harry Beckett on trumpet & Lyn Dobson on tenor sax. The opener is also the title tune and sounds like it is from 1969 - the free intro goes directly into a blues head that opens up to a propulsive swinging piano solo and then back to that blues head. Russell's el. guitar sounds like early John McLaughlin circa 'Extrapolation', with some fleeting, freer, flying playing - somewhere between Sharrock from that same era or even Munoz's burnin' solos of today. "Something in the Sky" swings like all get-out, with a great flugel solo by Harry Beckett & powerful tenor solo from Lyn Dobson who played with Soft Machine the following year. "Can I Have my Paperback Back" also starts with an extremely quick paced intro before it turns into a great sort-of funk tune with down-home el. piano and superb earthy jazz guitar solo. The mellow & mysterious "We Lie Naked in White Snow" is actually quite a lovely departure from all the frenzied pieces. The horn arrangements on the closer "Manadala" are dark and probing, as is the magnificent guitar solo surrounded by the horns. A total must-have! UK import for $14. 'Rites and Rituals' features the same trumpet/flugelhornist and drummer, with Tony Roberts on tenor sax, Nick Evans (from the Keith Tippett Group) on trombone, Daryl Runswick on el. bass and no piano. It was recorded in 1970. Three of the four pieces are over 13 minutes, so each one can take its time to develop through various terrain. I dig the acid-inspired stream-of-consciousness verbiage from the original liner notes found inside. "Sarana" is freer & crazier than Russell's the previous reissue, it is more Munoz than McLaughlin. Ray Russell turns on the tap and out flows an ocean of spiritual unity, with notes in vast streams. Russell kicks in a distortion device and erupts a riff worth grooving to. The el. bassist even takes a great (half fuzz-tone) solo, will wonders never cease?!? "Abyss" is a somber, haunting, haze of slow-moving creatures crawling on the moon - free & floating, laser-guided missiles looking for a convention to blow up. Both Nick Evans' continually on-fire trombone and Russell's volcanic spew guitar push this music to new heights all over this most impressive release! $14. 25.JOE HARRIOTT QUINTET-Free Form (Redial 538184) from '60 & Abstract (Redial 538183) from'62!! Joe Harriott was another of those outstanding unknown/legends of early British out/jazz. When Ornette Coleman's quartet moved to NY in 1960, they changed everyone's perception of what modern jazz could become. Many critics were furious with this change, referring to it as "anti-jazz" along with John Coltrane & Eric Dolphy. At the very same time in 1960, another amazing young alto sax hero from the West Indies but living in London - Joe Harriott put together his legendary quintet - with the same fire, freeing of boundaries and brilliant new approach called "free form" or "abstract!" Harriott's incredible quintet included two other West Indians - Shake Keane on trumpet & flugel and Coleridge Goode on contrabass, plus Pat Smythe on piano and Phil Seamen (one of UK's greatest jazz drummers of all time & teacher to Ginger Baker). It is hard to believe that 'Free Form' is from 1960 - almost forty years ago! This music is a complete blast, so tight, so quick, so joyous, overwhelming spirits soaring. Both Joe's alto and Shake's trumpet consistently match wits burnin' together, in the tradition of Diz & Bird updated to Ornette & Don Cherry! Many of Harriott's challenging compositions have that Monkish zig-zagging of lines with Ornette's quartet's brain-frying level of intensity! Word is that Joe Harriott had developed his thing independent of Ornette's influence - making this all the more amazing on many levels! 'Abstract' goes even further to burn down the bridges to the past, even freer and even more spirited, although it is from only two years later! Both of these Joe Harriott reissues are phenomenal, so give them a chance to completely knock you out! Also recently reissued is Joe Harriott's 'Indo-Jazz Fusion' from 1967 in which Joe's still outstanding quintet combines forces with an Indian quintet led by John Mayer and plays a sort of jazz-raga that works. Both Redial import releases are once again must-haves and cost $15. each!! Love ,Peace and Happiness,
26 .STEW CUTLER - "Trio Music" - with Garry Bruer and Booker King.CD(Cogna01) A trio who have played together for a couple of years, "Trio Music" Consists of 11 pieces of various shades of electric jazz, often tinged with Rhythm and Blues/Rock outposts and in posts. Generally, melodic and adventurous, there's a lot of music in these journey-oriented compositions. Some of the pieces start out with a really pretty sounding intro and main theme that develop into more improvisational stretches that expand and contract while often maintaining an almost scripted melodic counterpoint. Other songs have a more R&B/Rock type feel. Some are line/riff oriented whileothers are slower with really delicate chordal motifs that deviate nicely. The Group seem to listen well to each other making most of the tunes come off well. Stew Cutler plays fender guitars which are more common in rock and blues, but, less so in jazz. Stew uses mostly clean guitar sounds utilizing different pickup settings and once in a while distortion. Over the past 15 years he has played with Bobby Previte, Wayne Horvitz ,Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, Lester Chambers (lead singer w/Chambers Brothers),Harvey Brooks and really, to many to list. But, it gives you an idea of his background. Booker King (Fretless Bass) and Garry Bruer (Drums) blend very well with Cutler to flesh out his pieces. Booker also played with Cory Glover and studied with Richard Davis. Bruer played with Fontela Bass and studied with Kenwood Denard. The band often plays an intro and head (instrumental verse), before moving to the more improvisational sections. Other pieces vary from this formula giving more versatility to the overall feel . Most of the playing is tasteful which helps to give the compositions a life of their own. Some of the pieces are live to tape. There are also a few subtle guitar overdubs to add color .(review by Steve Cohen) $10. 27.FENNESZ. Hotel Paral.lel.CD.MEGO(016) Sensational album from this Austrian artist on MEGO.In case you were wondering what the hell goes on over there in the Avant/electro/noise /postrock/computer music scene,this CD is no doubt the finest example of ,above all, blurring the distinctions between these definitions. This is a very singular and coherent statement :mind, very spatial high energy sounds via computer, though apparently Finnesz is a pretty wild improv guitar player in his group Orchestra 33.1/3.You can certainly hear much of that noise as the signal generator for these quirky sounds. Playing at P.S.1 in New York August 7th with Jim O'Rourke and PITA. (the PowerBook trio!!)$16. 28.LUC FERRARI -Interupteur/Tautologos 3 .CD (Blue Chopsticks BC1) This reissue from the new label of David Grubbs sees the enigmatic French composer's phenomenal late 60s work available for all to hear on CD.'Interupteur' is a 20 min piece from 67 for 10 instruments. This piece is a surprisingly Minimalist tonal exercise for the oeuvre of Ferrari, clusters of suspended tones drift and envelope each other forming patiently into amorphic clouds of harminics. Tautologos 3' clocks in over 25 minutes, and is a sublime piece that that jump-cuts between serialist textures, choppy interplay and extendeed organ phase-patterns not dissimilar to the work of Steve Reich, Robert Ashley and Terry Riley. Highly recommended from the Avant Classical section.$13. 29.DAVID GRUBBS AND MATS GUSTAFSON - Aperatura (BC2.) Mr. Grubbs' Blue Chopsticks label's 2nd release is packaged in and austere minimalist painting by Gaylene Gerber.It's grey -silver tones and sterile Plexiglass housing display a large field of two combined colors which at close examination reveal deep layers of texture. With Grubbs on Harmonium and Gustafson on "flutophone" and tenor ,the density of this minimal drone piece strikingly resembles the way two colors collide in exquisite lamination. And like the'less is more" style of painting ,this monochromatic music can reveal so much about structure and tone over the course of prolonged observation.$13. 30.PAUL PANHUYSEN-Partitas for long strings. CD(XI 122) This incredible Dutch artist makes beautiful instruments with suspended strings.He turns architecture of Art Galleries and public spaces into giant resonator boxes for his long string instruments. He performs on the instruments, bowing and plucking the strings both manually and with automated devices. These installations produce beautiful harmonic tones that fill the space with music. This CD released on Phill Niblock's XI label, is a collection of excerpts from documentation of these sounds sculptures spanning some 17 years. For those unfamiliar with Panhuysen's work it is certainly belongs in a collection with your Alvin Lucier,Joe Jones, Arnold Dreyblatt ,Lamonte Young et al.$14. 31.CARL STONE -Exusia. CD(New Tone.Fy7016) This leading American electronic composer has been hailed by the Village Voice as "one of the greatest composers working in the country today". His digital electronic works take small minimal ideas and transform them into otherworldly bombasts of full tonal blow-out, others circle slowly around repetitive pulse patterns that scatter and morph like mercury. The pieces on this CD are commissions for dances by Butho choreographer Akira Kasai, a series of short pieces that stand as a very cohesive whole.$17 32.V/A. Minatures Concretes (Emerirentes DIGITALES. IMED9837) Fantastic sampler from this French-Canadian label for electro-acoustics and Musique Concrete.This Compilation collects 24 pieces , each of a 3 min duration by artists working in academic electronic music.Better known artists include Natasha Barrett(my absolute favorite contemporary electronic artist,from the U.K.)Ios Smolders and Roger Doyle.This CD serves as a great introduction to the work of 21 the other artists engaged in this fascinating world of sound art. The CDs from this label come packaged in one the more inventive packaging designs you will see, and have extensive liner notes and details on the works.$12 (Reviews by Dean Roberts) Hi Readers,
Thanks , Dean. Spamming The Globe, Downtown Music Gallery
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