UPCOMING MARCH RELEASES will include Fred Frith/Ensemble Modern's 'Traffic Continues' on W&W - to be released March 14th; also on same date is Bill Laswell's Celtic remix project, plus new cds from Brad Shepik, Andrew Hill Sextet w/ Marty Ehrlich, Glenn Spearman Orchestra & Gary Lucas. The two new Tzadiks are Danny Zamir's 'Satlah' w/ John Zorn as a guest & the Derek Bailey-Jamaaladeen Tacuma-Calvin Weston trio(!) but are not released until the 28th. Out now or this week are the Dave Brubeck tribute, Other Dimensions in Music w/ Matt Shipp, Daniel Carter and Saturnalia String Trio, Raphe Malik-Cecil McBee-Cody Moffett trio, Joe McPhee-Johnny McLellan duo, Kidd Jordan-Joel Futterman duo, Ray Russell/Gary Windo unit at the ICA plus new releases from Dorgon (2), guitar manipulators Kevin Drumm & Rafael Toral and electronic weirdness from Ingram Marshall, Kenneth Gaburo and If, Bwana. There are too many reissues to mention here, but Pre-Newsletter 43 will be coming your way soon. The remarkable Robert Wyatt hour-long video 'Little Red Robin Hood' documentary just arrived and cost $25. Masada will be back at Tonic on April 1st! 

NEW RELEASES FOR FEBRUARY 2000 REVIEWED NEW RELEASES FOR FEBRUARY 2000: 

1.JOHN ZORN - ARCANA - musicians on music (Granary Books) Mr. Zorn has edited this important book in which some thirty composers discuss their personal visions and experiences about their music. ARCANA is 375 pages and quite well designed, each composer contributes a chapter which ranges from two to forty pages and can write about any subject they wish. Zorn has worked hard on collecting and editing this book because of the marketing and labeling of new music and the laziness of journalists in attempting to write seriously about this music. Why not let the composers speak or write for themselves?!? I have been reading only one chapter or composer at a time, since each one reveals so much in their own way. Fred Frith presents extracts from his notebooks covering 18 years of observations, Bill Frisell deals with new fingering techniques for the guitar, Guy Klucevsek explores how we experience the same melody in different contexts, George Lewis writes an essay on the teaching of improvisation while Marilyn Crispell tries to unravel its magic, Elliott Sharp describes his musical adventures (bands & invented instruments) since moving to NYC and John Zorn gives us a treatment for a film which lists objects & shots so that we can fill in the blanks to make our own eye-lid movie. The other contributors include John Oswald, David Shea, Mark Dresser, Miya Masaoka, Gerry Hemingway, Marc Ribot, Mike Patton, Bob Ostertag, Lois V. Vierk and Ikue Mori. It will take a while to absorb all of this stimulating reading from the wide/wild world of new music composers, so if you are truly interested in a better understanding of the varieties and complexities of this music - we need this book to help guide us. It is yours for $20. 

2.A TRIBUTE TO DAVE BRUBECK-in his own sweet way (Avant 005) Featuring Dave Douglas, Joey Baron, Erik Friedlander, Bill Frisell, Uri Caine, David Krakauer, Pachora, Slowpoke, Medeski Martin & Wood, Anthony Coleman, Eyvind Kang, Ruins, Sex Mob and Dave Slusser. Dave Brubeck is a wonderful jazz pianist, composer and bandleader - whose quartet was one of the most popular (jazz) combos of the fifties, with dozens of releases on Columbia that sold ridiculous amounts for a jazz group. Brubeck's popular quartet actually had two hits - "Blue Rondo a La Turk" and "Take Five" which was written by his well-loved, warm/cool toned alto sax hero and partner - Paul Desmond. Although Brubeck was an adventurous composer & musician who was influenced by classical and world musics, he was often dissed by jazz snobs for being too popular/white/sterile - take your pick. He is a perfect candidate or underdog for Zorn's cohorts to pay tribute to as this wonderful and wacky release proves. Fourteen tunes each done in unique and often surprising ways. I do enjoy this entire cd, but I will just mention some of the highlights : Who else but the Ruins could do a hilarious/serious Magma-esque version of "Blue Rondo"!?! Dave Slusser - Bay area sound effects wiz - does a groovy, bluesy sort of lounge version on theremin rendition of "Blue Shadows." Pachora add their distinctive middle-eastern flavor to the title track which appeared on a lp from '76 with Anthony Braxton as a special guest. Bill Frisell does a soft, heavenly take on a solo acoustic guitar cover of "Summer Song." Anthony Coleman, Erik Friedlander & Dave Douglas each do inspired solo renditions of appropriate Brubeck pieces - each is great, Anthony's is delicate, Erik's is a melancholy beaut and Dave utilizes some odd electronic sounds & samples behind his sumptuous muted trumpet. Sex Mob of course do their rambunctious best and Eyvind Kang sounds like a mutant Residents thing. Although all parties take liberties in transforming Brubeck's pieces, it is the compositions themselves that really shine through. $18. 

3.IKUE MORI-One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tzadik 7055) Featuring Eyvind Kang, Erik Friedlander, Anthony Coleman, Theo Bleckman &a bit of Makigami Koichi. Sampler wizard and sound manipulator - Ikue Mori - continues to amaze us with her depth/vision of bizarre soundscape collaborations. This is her fifth release as a leader for Zorn's labels, not forgetting the two cds by the cosmic trio - Death Ambient with Fred Frith & Kato Hideki. She is also an important member of ensembles led by Zeena Parkins, Dave Douglas and Jim Staley, that scary live trio with Zorn & Mike Patton and she has wowed us with her duo gig with Jim O'Rourke a couple of months back. She seems to work well with weird vocalists who push the boundaries outwards like Arto Lindsay, Catherine Jauniaux, Tenko & Patton and on this wonderful release, she utilizes the talents of Theo Bleckman. 'One Hundred AspectsŠ' was inspired by the woodblock prints of Japanese Ukiyoe master - Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and they adorn the cover & inner booklet. The music here is cinematic, filled with suspense, dark ambient, mysterious and marvelous. Textures unfold slowly with subtle grace, Theo's vocals are used more for their soft seasoning, as are Makigami's jaw-harp peppering. Eyvind's & Erik's strings add a melodic & haunting chamber ensemble lusciousness that is quite touching throughout. What often stands out here is the occasional thick, throbbing el. bass from Kato underneath Ikue's swirling nest of samples weaving with the strings. Anthony's piano & organ are often minimal, adding a delightful somber center to the proceedings. This is a completely enchanting work that flows most naturally from beginning to end. Amen. $14. 

4.AYUO-Izutsu (Tzadik 7227) Ayuo is an enigmatic Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with Haino Keiji and whose music defies category, but combines elements of world music, improvisation, classical compositions & new age traditions. 'Izutsu' is mostly a duo effort, featuring the vocals of Ms. Makiko Sakurai, with Ayuo on Celtic harp, hurdy-gurdy, sitar-guitar, vina, & psaltery, plus a more traditional Japanese ensemble on the title suite. Ayuo's strength is his ability to combine cultures and traditions in a unique and successful way. On "Taiyo" Ayuo takes Makiko's Shomyo vocal style from a thousand year old tradition and backs her layered, lush vocals with Celtic harp, hurdy-gurdy and sitar-guitar, each instrument from a different culture, yet the combination is quite endearing, sad and beautiful. Makiko's vocals are featured throughout this wonderful cd and are often elegant, filled with mystical charm and grace. The title suite 'Izutsu' is in fifteen parts and is based on a Noh play from some 500 years ago and features a small traditional Japanese ensemble & chorus. All of the lyrics have been translated into English for the booklet and Ayuo mentions that he grew up in NYC in the late 60's, never having seen old Japan, so his vision is based on his imagination. The story is one of a boy and girl who court and fall in love & marry, but eventually their hearts wander and he has a disasterous affair with an empress. Once more, this suite is completely enchanting, filled with the universal element of resounding sadness and beauty. $14. 

5.ABDULAI BANGOURA-Sigiri (Avant 064) Abdulai is a griot or musician /story teller from a long line of family griots from Guinea in west Africa. This is a fine solo effort was recorded in Ghana with Abdulai playing drums, balafon (xylophone-like), kalimba (thumb piano) and vocals. Unlike 'Drums of Death' (Avant) and Milford Graves' solo percussion cd (Tzadik), this release is a bit more restrained, but no less engrossing. Abdulai takes his time to build his rhythmic grooves from the roots of the earth on up, from hand drums and vocals working together to bring us tribal rituals, ghosts and other enticing spirits set free. The kalimba and balafon pieces capture a flurry of lines that weave melodic and rhythmic fragments into a web of activity. The drum pieces can be more stark, yet can also hypnotize us with their careful, flowing center. Nimble spirits may arise, but the final drum piece does erupt with passions set aflame! $18. 

6.DAVE DOUGLAS SEXTET-Soul on Soul (BMG 63603) Featuring Chris Speed & Greg Tardy on reeds, Joshua Roseman on trombone, Uri Caine on piano, James Genus on bass, Joey Baron on drums and Dave on trumpet. It looks as though this year will be another great one for our favorite local trumpet hero, band leader of so many fine groups and hard working composer - Dave Douglas. It is only February and already we have two superb offerings from two of Dave's different units. 'Soul on Soul' is Dave's much anticipated major label debut, so a hearty mazel-tov (congratulations) is in order and like the previous sextet releases, this is a dynamic tribute to one of jazz's finest composers and pianists - Mary Lou Williams. And like the other sextet tributes, Dave covers four of Marys' pieces and composes the other nine pieces in her unique (history of) styles. Dave's "Blue Heaven" is joyous and uplifting music, earthy, bluesy and even funky in a Horace Silver sort-of way. Get down! I love the gorgeous harmonies that Dave writes for the horns throughout, bittersweet and beautiful, as well as the ultra-tasty, buoyant and ever-inspired rhythm team. The title track is a gem of sections in motion, slowing down, speeding up but never losing the thread that holds it together with Uri playing a great short multi-hued solo. "Moon of the West" has a loping, relaxed groove with fine slow burn solos from both tenor saxes that take their time to soar. Mary's spiritual concerns inspired two of Dave's tunes here - "Canticle" is an exquisite and somber prayer-like beauty with Dave's trumpet at its most lyrical and on "Kyrie" the horn parts sail together while Joey's drums explode intensely in the center. Although Mary's "Aries" is from 1945, it shows she was a modernist from before bebop hurled jazz into the future, it is short and swings hard up front, but then stops before it begins switching tempos again. It's amazing how fresh "Mary's Idea" sounds even though she composed it in 1930 & revised it in 1937, in all its finger-snapping glory - Chris Speed has really got that old-style clarinet sound down. Mary's "Waltz Boogie" also has Joey pushing it hard, his drums lifting us all upwards, with a swell trombone solo from Roseman and a fine clarinet solo by Tardy. "Multiples" has the unit moving in different tempos and sub-groups seem to go in different directions at once, yet it still works in odd waves, with breathtaking solos all around, especially Dave. "Zonish" is also an explosive work based on Mary's unusual "Zoning Fungus" with some quick spinning ensemble playing, Uri Caine's propulsive piano and outstanding solos from Chris & Dave once again. Dave ends things with a short, quaint, somber trio of trumpet, trombone & clarinet called "Eleven Years Old" - the age when Mary entered show business and finally a funky little trio groover for trumpet, bass & Joey's latin-ish hands-on-drums beats. This wonderful sextet will be at the Village Vanguard for the last week in February, hope to see you all there! $14. 

7.DAVE DOUGLAS QUARTET-Leap of Faith (Arabesque 145) Featuring Chris Potter on tenor sax, James Genus on bass and Ben Perowsky on drums. This is another one of Dave's fine ongoing units, with a couple of great releases under their belts. This was recorded in September of '98, so its taken Arabesque almost a year & a half to get this released, but it was worth the wait, even if it did come out the same time as Dave's new sextet release. It seems that Dave must spend a great deal of his time composing, since these tunes are so quirky, stopping & starting, turning the beat on its headŠ "Caterwaul" is constantly shifting, sometimes the two horns playing in tightly knit segments, sometimes they move and sputter in different directions, yet it all fits together. A bit Masada-like at times, but without the middle-eastern melodies. This is an excellent rhythm team, rising in waves, spinning in circles, tight and consistently supportive. "Another Country" has both horns swirling in lush & haunting tones, a refreshingly soft treat. Dave has found a fine partner in Chris Potter, who has a stong & resonant tone, he can wail, soar & sing when need be, matching wits with Dave no matter how far and great his solos sail. "Emmenthaler" actually has that Masada-like difficult stop & start hi-jinx that we all love. "Continental Divide" takes us on a journey through hills & valleys, past scenery, telling us a story, that unfolds slowly, the horns weaving in & around each other. Each of these tunes tells a tale, taking us on a journey and has a memorable head or melody to savor as well. Nothing less than stellar throughout the entire eleven pieces of this great work. This quartet may be playing at Iridium with special guest Misha Mengelberg in May, but we must check out Dave's new website (wwwDaveDouglas.com) for verification. Dave will touring in the US & Europe in the next few months with different groups, as well as doing a few Masada dates. Perhaps his website will tell us this also. Anywho, 'Leap of Faith' is another treasure chest of pearls to behold. $14. 

8.ERIK FRIEDLANDER'S TOPAZ-Skin (Siam 50008) Topaz is Erik on cello, Andy Laster on alto sax, Stomu Takeishi on el. bass & Satoshi Takeishi on percussion, plus special guests Alexander Fedoriouk on cimbalom & the Atlas Cello Quartet. Erik Friedlander is an extraordinary cellist, bandleader and composer, who never ceases to amaze me. Just last week, I saw him sit in with Larry Ochs' What We Live Trio and he blew both the audience, as well as the Trio away!! Besides his captivating playing with the Masada String Trio and his own chamber quartet - Chimera, this is the second wonderful release from his Topaz unit and it doesn't get much better than this. He has chosen just the right ingredients/musicians for this unique quartet - Andy Laster is a fine saxist & leader in his own right, Stomu Takeishi has his own sound on that odd-liking Klein & fretless el. bass (heard in Henry Threadgill's Make a Move) and Stomu's brother Satoshi also plays only exotic world percussion instead of a trap set (recently heard with Chris Dahlgren Qt. & Myra Melford Trio). Erik has composed half of these excellent pieces, plus covering a diverse selection of tunes by Henry Mancini, Charles Mingus, Julius Hemphill, Carlos Santana and Googoosh. From the very first note of "Split Screen", this music explodes with life & passion, the cello & alto make a joyous frontline, while Stomu's fretless bass bubbles with Takeishi's subtle hand percussion underneath with a middle-eastern type of groove. Mancini's "Susan" is short but has a beautiful melody to ponder. Both the cello & the bass weave lines nicely together in "Life, In-Line", while Hemphill's "Skin I" is fueled by throbbing percussion, hypnotic cello & bass and eastern sounding alto sax. Googoosh's "Sahel Va Danya" features a cimbalom or hammered dulcimer and has that ancient middle-eastern belly dancing sound, all we need is finger cymbals. "Doomwatcher" has some sweeping, somber, dark and haunting vibes flowing through. 'Skin' commences with an elegant solo cello version of Santana's "Golden Dawn" which is quite subdued, but the right way to end this opaque jewel. $14. 

9.WAYNE HORVITZ & ZONY MASH-Upper Egypt (KFW 259) Featuring Wayne on hammond B-3 organ, wurlitzer el. piano & dx-7 or roland synth, Timothy Young on guitars, (new man) Keith Lowe on basses & Andy Roth on drums. This is the third fonky groove affair from Zony Mash and bless the lord, they're at it again! Why is it that my pals Medeski, Martin & Wood draw such big (and smelly) crowds and Zony Mash rarely get their due?!!? What - Zony Mash ain't greasy enough for ya? It just don't seem fair. They pick a cosmic Pharoah Sanders tune from the late 60's for their opener and do it just right - feeling wise. Wayne writes such great smokey organ groove tunes and when they turn up the heat a bit - watch out!! Tim Young let loose a fat slow burn guitar solo to please the gods or at least the critics. There is something so soothing and hip about that hammond b-3 tone, it just makes you wanna turn down the lights and either slow dance or sit nodding & grinning with your eyes closed. Zony Mash have written all the other tunes here, except for one other cover by (Mr. Mellow) Bill Frisell. Wayne plays a few select synth solos that are just too much! Perhaps this music is bit too tasteful or mature for the masses!?! I've always had a soft spot for Booker T. & MG's, the Meters, Little Feat - smart soulful bands with great guitar & organ. And that's where this music seems to take off from. Loren Mazzacane says that you can tell that the lead guitarist is coming out of early Clapton on "Goes Round and Round", certainly a great compliment. In my book, Zony Mash can do wrong and this new one is happening once again, so please give them a chance to warm your funky soul! $13. 

10.WAYNE HORVITZ & ZONY MASH-American Bandstand [Unplugged] (Songlines 1528) Same personnel as above, except Wayne plays all piano & Keith Lowe plays acoustic bass only. This was the original project that Wayne planned on doing, but couldn't find a local club with a good piano to do a residence in, so he found a club to let him leave his B-3 organ in for a weekly gig that's how Zony Mash came to be. So, much of 'American Bandstand' is earlier material that Wayne wrote for piano. It has that wonderful rootsy, earthy, bluesy, folk-themed sound not far removed from the Band. Wayne developed that sound on releases by his great fusion unit - the President, his collaborations with Bill Frisell, as well as his playing on those superb releases by his wife Robin Holcomb. This music is so beautiful, melancholy, laid back and has a gospelish grace. I do believe I recognize a few of these tasty tunes, those delightful, delicious down-home melodies and heart-warming songs from previous efforts. The acoustic bass & acoustic piano sound so fine together, caressing the quiet side of real restraint. The usual sly, bluesy, slightly funky groove doesn't appear until this cd is half over on "In the Ballroom", Wayne stays on the piano in his finest blues dripping grace, but Tim Young does start to burn on his sly lead guitar for a bit. Still, most of this has that soothing melancholy grace, wistful and just very slightly twisted. "Little Man" is rather like a waltz and the final/title track is a great spooky piece for ghost-like piano & acoustic bass fluctuations. Excellent and soothing! $14. 

11.MATTHEW SHIPP & MAT MANERI-Gravitational Systems (Hatology 530) With my man Matt Shipp's cds being released (and also doing gigs) at a much slower pace, we can absorb his dense flow of ideas with the time and respect it truly deserves. Young master violinist Mat Maneri, on the other hand, is busier than ever - an avalanche of cds and gigs have occurred in the past year since Mat has moved to Brooklyn and gotten married. The first time I saw this duo play was almost two years ago at the Knit around the time when this cd was recorded. That concert was incredible and it remains burning in my memory as one of the year's high points. Just last Saturday (2/19), this amazing duo played once more at Tonic to a packed house and unleashed their long and winding fury to blow our minds again. 'Gravitational Systems' is a suite of pieces composed by Matt Shipp with two covers to balance the tide - "Greensleeves" near the beginning and Trane's "Naima" at the conclusion. There are times when I find Mat's violin a bit too gnarly - maybe its those micro-tonal notes that exist between the cracks that both Joe Maneri & Joe Morris seem to bring out in Mat's playing, but this duo with Mr. Shipp brings out a somewhat warmer, more sympathetic tone and execution. "Greensleeves" shows a more lyrical side to this duo, a good place to begin before the darker streams set in. On "Series of Planes" Matt's piano plays slowly and majestically, while Mat's violin dances on hot coals above. There is a constant push and pull of the forces which hold this duo together, an elastic thread which binds these two. There are quite minimal sections like on "Notes" where the spaces between the notes leave ample room to breathe. More often there are sections where both the piano and violin push hard, weaving dense waves against each other that make the muses bristle with tension. "Forcefield" opens with (what sounds to me like) the intro to the "Perry Mason Theme" before it erupts into darker areas - Matt tells me that this wasn't a conscious reference, but that he is a fan of many TV themes from the 60's. "Naima" concludes this voyage with an endearing solo piano rendition to savor. This entire journey has just the right balance of extremes - the spacious & the dense, the light & the dark, earth & the heavens. All this for $17. 

12.EQUAL INTEREST-s/t [Joseph Jarman-Leroy Jenkins-Myra Melford] (Omnitone 12001) The influence and spirit of the AACM continues to flourish into a new century, some 35 plus years after its inception in Chicago. Two original members - Joseph Jarman (reeds & small instruments specialist) and Leroy Jenkins (violin & viola) here are joined by another younger Chicago native Myra Melford (piano & harmonium) to complete this provocative & unique trio. Their cd release gig was at Tonic last Friday (2/18) and it was a joyous occasion. Many fans of the Art Ensemble were saddened when Joseph Jarman left this spectacular band after a quarter century and even left music for a spell and has since become a Buddhist priest. Mr. Jarman has been back for the past few years and it is great to hear him returning to his magical muse. Each of Equal Interest's members are soloists, bandleaders and composers in their own realms, so each brings many years of experience into their distinctive sound. Each piece here combines a variety of genres or strains into a well woven tapestry. On Leroy's "B'Pale Night" Myra's superb bluesy piano solo erupts between Jospeh's free/jazz alto sax flight and the Braxtonian modern classical composed sections. For the past few years Myra has been playing harmonium in both her own Same River unit and in Dave Douglas' delightful trio with tabla. On Jarman's "Rondo for Jenny" the harmonium and Vietnamese oboe provide a rather twisted match of somber drone with mysterious snake charming double reed exotica. There are moments of somber beauty like Jarman's "Poem Song"- ever so pure, tranquil, refreshing, peaceful. Things go further out on Leroy's "In the Moment" and back to the pastoral, long toned drones on Myra's "The Beauty We Love". This fine release ends with a traditional Armenian folk tune called "Apricots from Eden" which features an uplifting harmonium & tambourine groove. $14. 

13.BOB MOSES-TISZIJI MUNOZ-Love Everlasting (Amulet 003) Featuring George Garzone & Jerry Bergonzi on saxes, John Medeski & Brad Hatfield on keyboards, John Lockwood & Wesley Wirth on basses, Bob Moses & Ben Wittman on drums & Tisziji Munoz on guitar. This is truly a cosmic love fest dedicated to and in the spirit of John Coltrane. Bob Moses has assembled a powerful double band with a number of Boston's finest musicians, the two saxists & John Medeski being the well known factors here, besides both leaders. Trane helped to originate the idea of the double band in the mid sixties, but instead of the long marathon solos that Trane also specialized in, this band plays more in that deep, flowing, modal sound - where the cosmic vibrations wash over our sad souls and soothe us. There are only six pieces here, with three being over ten minutes, three by Moses, two by Munoz and only one Trane cover - "Naima" once more. Both Bob and Tisziji have written some incredibly haunting melodies here, mesmerizing us with layers of lines that begin in peace and end in storms of activity set afire. Both tenor saxists - Garzone and Bergonzi play beautifully together, warm, lush-toned restraint - Trane-like without the screaming. Even on "Elephant Song" the saxists honk like elephants in heat without getting too intense. Finally, the eruption of spirits does surge forth on both of Tisziji's tunes - "Earth Changes" and "Fatherhood", where Munoz's guitar spews forth Trane-like streams of notes in short bursts - the heavens part as the entire ensemble reaches for the sky! John Medeski, organist for MMW, plays only piano here and pulls off an immensely spirited solo on "Earth Changes". Speaking of Medeski, Martin & Wood - their great drummer Billy Martin is the one who founded this fine new label Amulet and released this superb cd, as well as a swell drum/percussion duo with Calvin Weston and a bunch of excellent reissues of out of print Bob Moses releases. We stock all of these fine Amulet cds and all cost a mere $13. 

14.NOODLE SHOP-Moon Dog Girl (Sparkling Beatnik 12) Noodle Shop in Elliott Sharp on guitars & reeds, John Kruth on mandolins & flutes, Jonathan Segal on violin, guitar & piano and Atilla Engin on percussion. John Kruth is the mandolinist cohort for the Violent Femmes, has a few fine solo cds out and recently wrote a fabulous book about Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Jonathan Segal is the great violinist from Camper Van Chadbourne. Elliott Sharp we all know and Atilla Engin is a Turkish percussionist from Newark we don't know yet. An odd bunch of characters with diverse tastes and influences, to say the least. Atilla provides an assortment of exotic world music grooves while the others jam on top. On "Leopold in Mali" John plays some spirited flute & Elliott plays some great psychedelic slide (lap steel?) guitar. It is often hard to tell who is doing what, with all those wacky string things, but I do hear quite a bit of weird slide and twisted string manipulation. There is a long & winding medley that slowly evolves through strange sections of free/jazz alto sax, harmonica & smokin' noise/rock el. guitar. The second long medley is for Sun Ra (Sonny Blount) and is also long rambling cosmic jam. Mucho fun & adventure provided by Noodle Shop who will be at the Knit sometime soon. $10. 

15.GOLD SPARKLE BAND-Nu Soul Zodiac (Squealer 028) Gold Sparkle are Charles Waters on alto sax & clarinet, Roger Ruzow on trumpet, Adam Roberts on bass & Andrew Barker on drums, with guest cellist Kim Lemonde. Since moving to NY from Atlanta a couple of years back, Gold Sparkle co-leaders Charles & Andrew have kept quite busy - they are both members of William Parker's Little Huey Orchestra and Charles put out a fine solo clarinet cd and is a member of a Brooklyn based chamber ensemble. They have played a few outstanding gigs with Other Dimensions in Music and this is their third fabulous release - they just keep getting better. You can tell that these guys have worked long and hard on their thing, since they are often burning, tight and ever pushing the envelope. Their opener - "Nu Millennium Waltz" has that early Ornette Quartet throbbing bass and fresh sound. Charles switches between alto sax & clarinet, spinning notes with the trumpet in tight webs and Andrew plays that wonderful loose/tight thang that Ed Blackwell once excelled at. "Other Anthem" is a marvel from the opening tight flurry of notes and once more Ornette's 'Free Jazz' seems like a starting point for this great piece. "Motor City Fugue" shows the group's quiet resolve, the clarinet & trumpet weaving notes around the bowed bass & mallads. "The Aleph" is another droning anthem where the horns & cello spiral in circles building to controlled frenzy. Charles blasts his alto into the furthest reaches of freedom on "Fellowship" so watch out! Andrew's rhythmic stomp on "Double Bump" is an amazing exercise in propulsion - pumping the spirits into hyper-drive and the GSB completely go wild on the short but intense "Splintered Synapse". Andrew's stomping rhythmic prowess also fuels "Soul Zodiac", which continually changes section to section. All four members of the Gold Sparkle Quartet are at their heights throughout, their compositions concise, diverse and exhilarating! Charles Waters & Andrew Barker will play a rare duo performance at our store on Sunday March 5th at 7pm for free, so please do come on down!! 'Nu Soul Zodiac' sells for $14. 

16.ROB BROWN QUARTET-Jumping Off the Page (No More No. 8) Featuring Rob Brown on alto sax & flute, Roy Campbell on trumpet, Chris Lightcap on bass & Jackson Krall on drums. By now, all four of these musicians are veterans/giants of the downtown out/jazz scene. Both Rob Brown (Little Huey CM Orchestra & In Order to Survive) and Roy Campbell (Other Dimensions) have played with William Parker in a variety of contexts, as well as leading numerous bands of their own. Chris Lightcap is also in Test and wonder-drummer Jackson Krall has played for Cecil Taylor for a while now. So, it should be no surprise that they all play with immense fire on the beginning & end of 'Jumping Off the Page'. Rob & Roy blast together like there's no turning back on "Twinkle", pushing each other higher & higher into the stratosphere, the rhythm team also unleashing an explosive frenzy of free spirits. The quartet do wind down for a more laid back "Flat Out" and swing nicely on "Elbow Figure" with its memorable 60's jazz type of head, which is also the case on "Like a Top". Actually, most of these tunes have a more restrained and even lyrical side, "Charcoal Glow" is an aptly titled slow, mellow piece for softer spirits. "Step with Care" has both Rob on flute & Roy on muted trumpet both caressing us with a more melancholy sound. The final tune "Open Channel" brings back intense free/jazz fire once again like the opening piece. Everything in between shows Rob's Qt. to be maturing and actually showing much more restraint than I would have imagined. At the mini-Vision Fest last month Rob was playing some tenor sax for the first time that I can recall, so surprises are certainly in store for his future. $14. 

17.THE GREAT ATOMIC POWER-The Mushroom of Destruction (Transcendental 003) [Intro] I am unsure whether it is getting older or just the pathetic drivel that record companies shovel onto the market, but I find so little rock music interesting these days. I'm searching for that obscure psych (edelic) and prog (ressive) gem from any period and I did go through a punk/hard core phase in the 80's & early 90's - both before & during the tenure of Naked City - who combined the best of many genres. Granted, I have little interest in metal, hip-hop, techno and most alternative rock, but I do remain open to anything exciting and maybe even original. For many of us, Naked City were the most exhilarating rock/jazz/punk/noise band of the nineties, so when a new band comes down the pike in a similar vein - we had better rejoice!! The Great Atomic Power (GAP) are one such new force to be reckoned with. They are a local quartet with special guests whose 30 minute cd has been shocking customers/friends who visit DMG. Guitar shredder - Seahag Mangano is also a member of Project Object (great local Zappa tribute band), drummer Geoff Haba is also in Mother Tongue from LA with a cd out, my new pal George Mack is on bass & Armond Tanzarian on sax & keys. Their guests include saxists Daniel Carter (Other Dimensions & Test) and Avram Fefer (who seems to be playing in a number of local jazz units) and Giovanni Fusco on vibes. Like Naked City, GAP are super tight, wizzing through genres a mile a minute. "Motion" is thrash/jazz at its finest, blasting down the doors from the first note, quick tortured wah-wah/distorto guitar wailing away at the opening and at the end of this crazy piece. "Black & Blue" constantly shifts back & forth between acoustic guitar passages and hardcore el. guitar shredding/screaming sections, with short blues bits and even a tiny country fragment thrown in. Avram's bass clarinet & Giovanni's vibes are featured on "Sampsons Wig" between mutant moments of punk/metal exclamation, swinging jazz & even circus music. "Vesuvius" is ultra heavy in a rather progressive way, but also constantly shifts genres throughout its 1:07 minute duration. The final piece is "Equinox" and it is the only long piece here, commencing with ambient synth/wind sounds before the tribal drums come in and then there's the super heavy (metal) throbbing segment complete with a blood-curdling scream, an eastern drone guitar part, more punk/metal heavy shredding guitar and more spooky, sort-of ambient bits. Perhaps we will get The Great Atomic Power to play at our Ninth Anniversary DMG Celebration in May, with Prelapse maybe!?! My only complaint is that I just wish that this amazing cd was twice as long, then again it is only $10. 

18.GUNTER HAMPEL SEXTET-The 8th of September 1999 in NY (Birth 049) Featuring Christian Weidner on alto sax, Nils Wogram on trombone, Clemens Orth on piano, Larry Roland on bass, Sadiq on drums and Gunter on vibes. Bandleader, composer, jazz historian, original independent label head and vibist/bass clarinetist extraordinaire - Gunter Hampel moves into the new century, assured of his place in the long history of modern (European) jazz. A professional jazz musician since 1958, he recorded for the ESP label in the mid-sixties, moved to NY in 1969 (where he still resides a few months out of the year), started his own label Birth in the early 70's and this cd is his 49th release! Gunter has continually attracted great musicians worldwide to work with, so this here ensemble of unrecognized talent is also outstanding! What makes Gunter's gigs & releases so great is that he embodies the world/history of jazz, not just the avant-garde as some may imagine. The title of this cd pays tribute to Gunter's first Birth release from 30 years ago called 'The 8th of July 1969' which featured kindred spirit - Anthony Braxton - then little known. Considering that the alto sax, bone & piano player here are all young German cats, they are well schooled in jazz history also, playing solos in that swinging, reverent spirit. From the first piece "Who's Controlling Whom?", the sextet has a sumptuous almost cool school vibe with some fine growling trombone and elegant electric piano. The trombonist continues to blow up a storm on much the freer "How Late is it in Your Life?" and also plays an inspired duet with Gunter's vibes on "Preface". "Preface II" pushes the entire sextet into the freedom terrain and they all swirl through layers of winds - bravo! "Truth I" seem to combine both older & newer styles nicely, swinging freely, surging but not going overboard, a groove with many lines swirling as one. "Truth II" was recorded live at the AlterKnit, which often had questionable sound, so here too the sound is marred by messy engineering - oh well - it is a good thing the AlterKnit is no longer, but the rest of this cd is great, anyway. $14. 

19.MAT MANERI & RANDY PETERSON-Light Trigger (No More No. 9) With Mat Maneri on viola and Randy Peterson on drums. This odd duo goes back more than a decade and stills plays together in a variety of trio & quartet settings often with Mat's father - Joe Maneri. I recall this duo from many moons back when they first played at the old Knit on a Boston comes to NY night with UYA & Cul de Sac. So, they have certainly developed a long-term relationship - a unique communication between themselves. I find this duo recording to be extremely difficult, challenging and hard to penetrate, yet still worthy of our time and contemplation. They often sound as if they are playing in slow motion, with each twisted note up for inspection. I am reminded of when I first listened to avant jazz around 1970, it totally confused me, I just couldn't figure out what was happening and it took a few years of bands I dug moving into jazz (the Mothers & Soft Machine) and my studying of jazz history at college in '72 before it started to make some sense. This music requires patience and work, slowly the underlying connections begin to appear. It makes me a bit dizzy, listening to Mat play these twisted fragments of notes between the cracks of usual expectations. The duo does one cover - Wayne Shorter's "Orbits" from 'Miles Smiles', although it is only hinted at, before they take off for the omnisphere once more. Does it take the patience of a saint to enjoy this music - well, it certainly helps. $13. 

20.BUCKETRIDER-guignol's band (Dr. Jim 25) On occasion I receive some unknown treasure from a far distant shore that completely blows my mind and reminds me of the many amazing little known bands I have yet to discover. A couple of month's back I received two marvelous cds from an Australian band called Bucketrider on the Dr. Jim's label, also home of Phlegm (cd on Tzadik). They asked if DMG would be interested in selling their cds & we jumped at the chance. 'guignol's band' is from 1998 and it features a quintet with James Wilkinson on trombone, Adam Simmons & Timothy O'Dwyer on various reeds, David Brown on basses and Sean Baxter on drums. When I played this cd for Sun Ra author John Szwed and my Laswell fanatic buddy - Carl last week, we were all blown away. From the tight, frenzied horns exploding at the opening of "Nexus" - you know you are in for something special. All three horns blast together with this monstrous thick & pounding rhythm team, amazingly tight and well written horn parts/charts. Actually this reminds me of some of the finer British avant/jazz releases of the 70's, sort of Soft Machine-'Vol. Four' without the keyboards. The electric bass & drums work so well, keeping the groove hypnotically flowing throughout. The trombonist puts his horn through some strange effects on "Orbit" for some great sounds. The electric bassist also lets his bass explode with heavy effects on a number of these pieces - pretty fucking scary at times, especially on "Time Image!" I dig how all three horn players switch off between harmonies the erupt with disturbing tension and harmonies that are rich with melodic invention, all within the same piece! Their piece for Conlon Nancarrow approaches his player piano density level for three screaming horns - no small feat! A phenomenal work throughout, I'll review their other cd in the next newsletter. We only have a couple of these in stock, perhaps we'll get them to ship airmail next time. Only $10. 

21.SOFT MACHINE-Live in Europe 1970 (Blueprint 290) This makes the third live release by Soft Machine in the past year. And this one starts off with an 11 minute segment that is quite rare but has rather mediocre sound!?! This segment includes only an excerpt from "Facelift" from the classic Soft Machine 'Third' double lp and perhaps is the only known recording with saxist Lyn Dobson filling in for Elton Dean. The first half of "Facelift" has a reflective vibe, but soon erupts into fuzz-bass drenched episode with an aggressive brain-melting fuzz-organ solo to follow and some sax squealing from Lyn. The sound is somewhat better on the next part of this release which opens with "Out-Bloody-Rageous" - another amazing side long journey from the Softs "Third" lp. This version is much quicker than usual - a bit frenetic during the opening section and when it finally slows down, Elton Dean's sax has a warmer glow/tone than ever. So nice to hear Robert Wyatt's superb mallad playing throughout this tune. The opening section of (another version of) "Facelift" has Mike Ratledge's truly warped fuzz-organ grinding it all up to extremes and Elton's sax also sounds even more magical than usual. This is followed by the last four tracks from the end of the Softs' 'Volume Two'. The Softs are in really fine form here, a most natural non-stop flow between each section as their sets were always continuous. A most impressive offering from the godfather of all jazz/rock/prog outfits, whose sound evolved from gig to gig, recording to rcording. $14. 

22.DEREK BAILEY & STEVE LACY-Outcome (Potlatch 299) Live in Paris on June 25th, 1983 with Derek Bailey on electric guitar and Steve Lacy on soprano sax. This is the sixth release from the French label Potlatch and each has been a live duo or solo recording. Although Derek & Steve have played on few recordings together ('Saxophone Special' on Emanem comes to mind), this is only their second recorded release, the first ('Company Four' from 1976) is still out of print. This duo of electric guitar and soprano sax is quite unique in sound since both musicians are masters of their highly idiosyncratic style. Each seems to push the other into their opposite area/strategy - Derek's oblique guitar sounds less terse than usual and Steve's more lyrical side to his soprano sax is more shrill or weird. Thus making their common ground or bond more apparent. Derek's then usual approach of hitting strange chords with the volume pedal off and then slowly letting those sounds fade in - is what makes up much of his sound here. It is a quite distinctive and magical sound and Derek gets a chance to play a short solo of this on the second track "Input #2". When Lacy finally comes in, he does a fine job of weaving his sax lines in & around that magic territory. There are moments when it sounds as if both Bailey and Lacy are in different universes, but there are also times when they connect in some weird, almost inexplicable way. The thread that binds these two demanding players is definitely there, but it does take some work to find it. French import for $14. 

All above reviews by Bruce Lee Gallanter of DMG 

23. a-un – Kenta Nagai and Tatsuya Nakatani (no label) There's been a few fretless guitarists over the years – Adrian Belew, Ned Evett, Randy Roos, Dave Fiuczynski, Jon Catler come to mind. Pat Metheny won a Grammy for his fretless classical performance on '97's Imaginary Day. I heard about fretless guitarist Kenta Nagai for months and I finally caught up with him and percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani at the now regrettably revamped Knitting Factory Alterknit Theatre a few months ago. They knocked me out, this cd is a lot like that show. After a short solo piece where Kenta slides around on fretless acoustic guitar, we are treated to a set recorded at Artemisia Gallery in Chicago. Solos and duos: Tatsuya sometimes favors a lot of friction sounds, but also spends a lot of time playing his set melodically yet tensely. As I recall, he had quite a nice collection of gongs and cymbals. Here Kenta begins the set on acoustic fretless guitar but finishes on electric. His playing on fretless displays a flipped out sense of intonation, I'll never be the same. There's a nice section where we hear gongs being struck while a distorted guitar slides in and out – overtone city – I need more! $14. 

The above review was written by 

David Beardsley
Juxtaposition Ezine & 49/32 Radio
http://www.virtulink.com/immp/jux/j_index.htm

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

212 473 0043 
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