ELTON DEAN former sax great for SOFT MACHINE & THE KEITH TIPPETT GROUP will be playing at the Knit (Jazz Festival) this Saturday June 3rd at 10pm as part of JOE GALLIVAN'S Rainforest Initiative along with other amazing saxists EVAN PARKER & CHARLES AUSTIN, plus MARCIO MATTOS on bass and (get this) an Hawaiian aura inducer!!! Elton Dean plays alto sax and saxello and is still a phenomenal player, he hasn't played in NY since 1970!! Both Soft Machine ('Third'-'Five') and the Keith Tippett Group ('Dedicated to You') were the greatest of all progressive-jazz bands of all time!!! Elton has contacted yours truly about possibly playing one other gig while he is in town, this is still up in the air. Earlier the same night at the Knit (8pm) will be another must-see set from the NEW NELS CLINE QUARTET featuring ZEENA PARKINS, KEN FILIANO and BILLY MINTZ!! Guitar god Nels Cline's excellent new cd is reviewed below and he is always amazing live!! Tickets are $25. in advance & $30. at the door. 

1.SUSIE IBARRA-flower after flower (Tzadik 7057) Featuring Leo Smith, Chris Speed, Assif Tsahar, Charles Burnham, Cooper-Moore, Pauline Oliveros and John Lindberg. Susie Ibarra's growth as both a distinguished percussionist and composer continues to amaze many of us friends/fans. She continually explores new and challenging situations and unique combinations of musicians. Since splitting from David S. Ware & William Parker ensembles, she has played in dynamic duos with Derek Bailey, Irene Schweizer & Sylvie Courvoisier. Her wonderful trio with Charles Burnham & Cooper-Moore recorded one of the best releases of last year and just last week she premiered her fine new string project with Charles Burnham, Brandon Ross, Marty Wooten & John Lindberg. Each of her projects seem to uncover more of her diverse talents and this - her Tzadik debut is yet another magical flower with a well chosen cast of special musicians. The appropriately named 'flower after flower' is a suite with four longer ensemble pieces interspersed with four short 'Fractal' solos by Susie, Pauline Oliveros on accordion and Cooper-Moore on piano. The opening piece is called "Illumination" and it begins with delicate grace, unfolding with a natural peaceful flow, Leo Smith's trumpet sending rich fragments into the stream, until the tension and density begin to thicken. Time stands still as these sounds just appear in the silence. The solos do a fine job on continuing the inner vibe of previous piece/peace. Susie plays the gamelan-like kulintang on "The Ancients" which also fits just right with contemplative aura of this work, weaving playful lines around the Charles' violin and Cooper-Moore's flute. The title piece is for just a quintet for clarinets, violin, bass & percussion and is also filled with shadows and ghosts flickering like flames, slowly building to glowing embers. The final long work is "Human Beginnings" another apt title since it includes clapping, folky percussion - an hypnotic ritualistic evocation, nature does her dance to introduce Spring, the winter chill is finally gone. Superb all the way around! $14.

2.HOAHIO-Ohayo! Hoahio! (Tzadik 7230) Featuring Haco, Yagi Michiyo and Sachiko M. Haco was once lead vocalist for the impressive, progressive Japanese band After Dinner, who had a couple of fine releases on ReR, as well as a fine solo effort more recently on the same label. Hoahio are her new trio with koto virtuoso Yagi Michiyo - who had an outstanding solo cd on Tzadik last year and sampler wiz Sachiko M. who is also a member of Otomo's current trio - I.S.O. I caught Hoahio at Victoriaville a couple of years ago and was impressed by their fresh, quirky, humorous flavor. This is their second cd and I am still impressed with their odd approach. Haco also plays mandolin, sampler, synth, bass, percussion and all three also sing. These pieces have a joyous, child-like quality, oft cute and endearing vocals and skeletal somewhat skewered arrangements. On "Marimo" Haco's voice is so soothing and sad, perfectly supported by Yagi's delicate, lovely koto. There are a few instrumental pieces that are restrained yet weird, more about setting the mood, than anything else, yet it occasionally gets strange with the koto or el. mandolin & sampler creating mysterious, swirling sounds. Jeez, what cd was I listening to, anyway!?! The last cut "Less Than Lovers, More Than Friend" kinda reminds me of a Burt Bacharach type of catchy tune with Sachiko's sampler rumbling around the charming melody. Tasty and touching. $14.

3.BILL BROVOLD-Childish Delusions (Tzadik 7058) Guitarist Bill Brovold used to play with Glenn Branca's guitar army/orchestra, once ran a post-no New York band called the Zen Vikings and currently leads Larval from the Ann Arbor area - a quirky sort-of progressive outfit whose third cd was also released this month on the Knit label. 'Childish Delusions' is Bill's first solo effort and half the tracks include various members of Larval. The opening ditty is called "Attention Span" and is only a minute & a half of hard charging guitar & drums whipping it up. The title track layers repeating lines of three string players, tenor sax, two guitars & rhythm team into a somber, hypnotic, rocking groove. "The Night Tammy Wynette Died" is a quiet, reflective piece for solo acoustic guitar, a nice break. "Acts of Desperation is another duo for guitars & drums, which is also begins softly but slowly builds to a shimmering conclusion. "Majestic West" is aptly titled since it sounds like there are sleepy ghosts of the ancient west rustling through the cactus filled landscape, building slowly in melancholy crescendos of guitars and strings. The pieces with the Larval members are especially moody and evoke a number of restless themes - "Under the Ice" my favorite with its almost psychedelic lead guitar haunting the compelling proceedings. Bill gets his son's cub scout group to play on "Den 5" and even this works in an innocent yet slightly twisted way. The conclusion is "Wee Small Hours" and once again the guitars growl with somber yet evocative mystery, slowly awoken from their dream-state. Nice & relaxed. $14.

4.TETSU INOUE - Fragment Dots (Tzadik TZ 7229) Tetsu Inoue used to be known for his classic mid-90's ambient on Pete Namlook's FAX label. Solo CD's like Ambiant Otaku (reissued at last onthe FAX Ambient World label!) and Organic Cloud (FAX, out of print, 1995) gained a cult following and are still highly sought after. His collaborations with Namlook, Bill Laswell and Atom Heart are greatly prized. But starting with Slow and Low (FAX, out of print, 1995) and then World Receiver (Instinct, 1996) found sounds and enviromental recordings began to find their way into his music. By the time Waterloo Terminal (Caiprinha, CAI-2015) and Psyco-Acoustic (Tzadik 7213, 1998) came out, he was devoted to creating all his sounds on the computer resulting in some truly crunchy and abstract music that hardly sounds like the ambient from his old days. Fragment Dots continues in this direction and still manages to surprise. Starting with the opening Cuts and Clicks: I thought my cd player was skipping. A lot of this disk is like that: once he settles into an abstract groove, suddenly it changes into something totally different. So when's his next cd coming out? $14

5.SLOW POKE-redemption (Intuition 3260) Featuring (Dave) Tronzo on slide guitars, Michael Blake on tenor & soprano saxes, Tony Scherr on bass guitar & Kenny Wollesen on drums. It has taken Intuition almost two years to get this colossal studio date out, so it is about fucking time and it surely is/was worth the long wait. In the meantime, Slow Poke have released their own somewhat short & laid back ep that didn't quite capture their unique sound & fire. Considering slide guitar wonder Tronzo first recorded with Wayne Horvitz' The President in '89, he only has two trio cds under his own name as well as two cds with Spanish Fly, plus a recent trio cd with Michael Blake and J. Granelli. Both Tronzo & Blake were once Lounge Lizards as well. What I really dig about Slow Poke and this cd especially is the greasy, funky, earthy, fat grooves that these dudes excel in - both the slide geetar & tenor sax are weaving their lines around their each in finger-snapping glory, often that late night slow-dance sort of vibe. On Tronzo's "Jar of Hair" the hypnotic circular groove truly kicks butt and makes me wanna get up & dance. Tronzo layers a bunch of fine dreamy/steamy guitar parts on Blake's delightful "Dear Ear". Slow Poke often choose odd tunes to cover and here they do Blind Willie Johnson, Johnny Cash, Dave Brubeck, Nirvana & the Rolling Stones. Certainly no obvious relation between these covers, yet Slow Poke do these tunes in their own distinctive way. They add some down-home funk to Blind Willie's "God Don't Never Change"as Tronzo makes his slide guitar talk in tongues. The title tune "Redemption" is by Johnny Cash and it is a dark & mysterious rave-up that feels just right, as does the Stones' "Shine a Light" from their 'Exile on Main Street' lp - a somber, brooding, sleepy rendition. Slowpoke often play midnight sets at Tonic which are always a treat if you can make it, if not savor this fine simmering disc for $14.

6.MARC RIBOT & LOS CUBANOS POSTIZOS-Muy Divertido! (Atlantic 83293) Yeah! Those wacky Prosthetic Cubans are back with their second groovy tribute to Arsenio Rodriguez and other Cuban composers/players of note. The Cubanos consist of Brad Jones on bass, E.J. & Roberto Rodriguez on percussion and have added Anthony Coleman on keys. Ribot plays guitars & sings in his own goofy way, while guest vocalists include Frankie Vasquez & Eszter Balint. This cd is certainly the most grin-inducing release I have heard this year and shouldn't be taken too seriously. A Jersey native myself like Ribot, I crack up each time I hear Marc mentioning his longing to go back to "the hills of New Jersey" on the second tune (in English & Spanish both), a sentiment many of us can relate to depending on where we were raised. The true magic of this cd is Marc's chameleon-like guitar which shines on each tune whether he has that smoother jazz tone on "El Gaucho Rojo" or that grimy, sun-baked r & b distortion on many of the other tunes or even his superb acoustic guitar playing throughout. Ribot really cuts loose with a few of his noisy solos on "El Divorcio" and "Baile Baile Baile". Anthony Coleman adds just the right amount of cheesy organ all over and E.J. Rodriguez gets his chance to sing lead on the great "Se Formo El Bochinche". Arsenio Rodriguez has composed some of the more memorable tunes found here, making us want to search for his original versions. You be smiling as you plop down $$ for Marc Ribot's second major label release. $15.

7.URI CAINE ENSEMBLE-Robert Schumann/Love Fugue (W&W 49) With David Gilmore on guitar, Uri Caine on piano, David Moss & Mark Ledford on vocals, La Gaia Scienza Piano/String Quartet and poets & narration. This is Uri's sixth release for the great Winter & Winter label, his third re-arrangement of a classical composer's work - Mahler (studio & live), Wagner and now Robert Schumann. Uri's new ensemble is has the sparse instrumentation of just piano and guitar plus five vocalists and a piano & string quartet. Having never heard any music of Schumann that I can recall, I can't compare it to anything except other releases by Uri Caine. The piano/string quartet performs four parts of the Schumann piece-an austere romantic work, in between shorter pieces vocal pieces arranged by Uri and played by his ensemble. These pieces have layers of vocals - with poetry written and well performed by Shulamith Wechter Caine and Julie Patton, as well as narration by Mariko Takahashi. The vocal parts are also sparse and well chosen, with quaint classical & jazz vocals by Mark Ledford and expressively odd vocals by my man - David Moss (an early downtown improviser)! A reviewer for the Wire recently compared David Moss to Peter Hammill, ridiculous I say - David's crazy voice always makes me smile, while Peter's voice often gives me nightmares. Both Uri's piano and David Gilmore's (often acoustic) guitar play beautifully throughout this fine work. This is an elegant and charming release of which this label is often known for. Uri Caine's ensemble is playing this live at the Jazz Standard this very week. $14.

8.DOCTOR NERVE & SIRIUS STRING QUARTET-Ereia (Cuneiform 126) It has been four years of hard work since New York's premier progressive unit has blessed us with a new release of phenomenal proportions! The seven piece Dr. Nerve ensemble has been augmented by two versions of the Sirius String Quartet and parts were recorded live at the 1997 Victoriaville New Music Festival in Quebec, as well as in the studio. "Ereia" is a three part work for conducted improvisations, through-composed and a mixture of the two approaches. The first movement is for string quartet only and is in four parts, commencing with frantic playing and clapping, but switches to minimal fragments in the second part, but for long. Soon a Bartok-like highly charged section erupts and takes off, eventually slowing down to more dark and moody section. The second movement is a conducted improvisation for both ensembles together incorporating written material and performed live at Victo. I was in attendance and recall being blown away! Composer, lead guitarist and band leader - Nick Didkovsky - did a fabulous job of sculpting this double ensemble with various hand gestures, the new ensemble also doing an amazing job of spontaneously composing/performing this work! This music is extremely focused, tight and filled with surprises, flowing seamlessly from dense to more sparse areas. Brilliant! The third movement is also in four parts and is fully composed for the entire ensemble. The writing/performing here is a swirling mass of complex and intense emotions/colors. There are a number of outstanding solos found here - from trumpeter Rob Henke, violinist Todd Reynolds and a blistering guitar solo from Nick Didkovsky! This is progressive music at its finest, so dig in and hold on for dear life! $13.

9.RICH WOODSON'S ELLIPSIS-Control and Resistance (Cuneiform 132) Ellipsis is Peter Epstein and Aaron Stewart on saxes, Richard Woodson on el. guitar & compositions, Mat Fields on acoustic bass and John Hollenbeck on drums. A most impressive progressive debut from a local guitarist and composer who has been at our shop a few times through the years. I also recognize both sax players - Aaron Stewart also comes to DMG often and plays for Muhal Richard Abrams & just saw him with the Julius Hemphill Sax Sextet at the Vision Fest this week. Peter Epstein has cds on MA and is in a trio with Tronzo & J. Granelli. Drummer John Hollenbeck's name seems to pop up in many different downtown units. This release features the music of a very talented newcomer - Richard Woodson. The instrumentation here would lead one to anticipate that this a jazz ensemble, but this is not the case. Although these are jazz players, this music is not involved with swinging, yet it is still rich and varied in content. On the other hand, it doesn't rock hard either. The writing/playing is still somewhat busy, but never too dense and always intricate and well centered. All but two of these pieces are pretty short, yet constantly change to keep everyone on their toes. This music is not about solos either, it is about challenging ensemble playing. It is surprising to hear an acoustic bassist in this progressive context, yet it consistently works. This wonderful music probably comes from a more modern classical background and occasionally reminds me of Henry Cow or Gentle Giant, but not as far out. There are a few layers of inter-locking parts which are in constant motion, so it takes concentration to hear all that is going on. Rich tells me that Ellipsis hasn't played live in three years, so I will have to give them the opportunity to come out of hibernation once more. Prog-heads show your support and purchase this fine work for $13.

10.GREGG BENDIAN'S INTERZONE-Myriad (Atavistic 119) Featuring Nels Cline on guitars, Steuart Liebig on basses, Alex Cline on drums and Gregg on vibes. This is the second outstanding release from Gregg Bendian's colossal bi-coastal quartet! The first Interzone cd was dedicated to progressive favorites Gentle Giant, while this release is partially inspired by (early) John McLaughlin, whose tune "Sanctuary" is covered here, as well as by an amazing local Mahavishnu cover band lead by Kermit Driscoll and including Gregg on drums. This is an incredible quartet which features my pal guitar god - Nels Cline who consistently blows minds!! The rhythm team of Alex & Steuart are also one of LA's best kept secrets and Gregg's powerful vibes and demanding writing constantly push this quartet to the outer regions of the jazz/rock/classical and progressive worlds. There was a certain dark and mysterious vibe that Mahavishnu Orchestra excelled at and Interzone often work in that same spectral area. There was a time when the term "fusion" was still fresh and exciting and not filled with speed & funky licks. On "Intrepid" both Nels & Gregg take quick and inspired solos, which tell short stories and are never an exercise in chops. On "Pattern Master" the entire quartet spins ultra quick and intricate lines which ebb and flow through waves busy sections, slowing down to a calm and then exploding once more. "Diaspora" rustles like distant ghosts with the luscious tones Steuart's evocative el. bass, Gregg's calm vibes, Nels' delicate yet mysterious creaking el. guitar and Alex's hushed percussion. "Drive" has more drive and an intoxicating riff that will pull you right in, with some Zappa-like construction and Nels unleashes a monstrous solo to devastate us once again. The Mahavishnu cover of "Sanctuary" has Nels sounding his most (early) McLaughlin-like in tone, while bending those notes up towards the heavens and letting those volume knob swirls caress our minds. The final piece is "Tactics" and it also comes from the land of Zappa with its complex vibes lead lines at the center of a tightly knitted quartet and yet more breath-taking solos from Gregg and Nels both! Another must have from the Interzone crew. $14.

11.NELS CLINE-the inkling (Cryptogramophone 105) This guitar god Nels Cline's new quartet featuring downtown all-stars Zeena Parkins on harps, Mark Dresser on contrabass and LA drummer Billy Mintz. This Nels' first new group since the demise of his astounding power trio. He has done a bunch of duo projects in recent years with bassist Devin Sarno, Thurston Moore and Carla Bozulich in Scarnella, as well as guesting in Henry Kaiser & Leo Smith's 'Yo Miles' tribute and the aforementioned Gregg Bendian Interzone band. What is amazing about this release is how well Zeena's harps and Nels' guitars work their wonders together - at times it is difficult to tell who's who!?! Nels' & Mark Dresser's acoustic guitar & bass show their somber and wonderful elegance on the opener "new old hat" as well as on two other pieces on this release. Both Zeena and Nels combine their warped and eerie sounds in a bizarre tapestry on "spider wisdom", the rhythm team also providing a cosmic cushion underneath. Nels builds his solo on "sunken song" to a swirling, hard strumming and dramatic conclusion while Dresser also bursts open on his contrabass. The long acoustic odyssey of "alstromeria" shows the quartet to blending melodic fragments into a slowly evolving mystical excursion, while "moth song" has the trio (without Zeena) performing an unexpectedly beautiful, sad and soft sort-of jazz ballad. The only other long piece is "queen of angels" where the acoustic quartet spins a weird web of free-flowing notes which Nels & Zeena eventually turn into mutant electric clouds. 'the inkling' ends with "lullaby for ian" - a somber bed-time saga of glowing embers and a hushed, suspense filled aura. Nels Cline's new quartet will perform their New York debut at the Knit's Jazz Fest this Saturday June 3rd at 8pm, they are a force to be reckoned with. "the inkling" can be purchased from for a mere $14.

12.VOLAPUK-Polyglot (Cuneiform 134) This is the French progressive trio's third studio release featuring Guigou Chenevier on drums, keyboards & sanza (once of Etron Fou & Les Batteries), Michel Mandel on clarinets & taragat and Guillaume Saurel on violin & flute. Special guests include Lars Hollmer (from all Zamlas) on accordion & harmonium and Takumi Fukushima (from After Dinner) on violin & voice. This is a mostly an acoustic endeavor and it is another progressive (?) delight. The violin and clarinets blend in an odd Euro-folk meets classical sort-of way, inventive yet endearing. Since there is no bassist, the (bass) clarinetist often plays the churning bottom-end parts, while the violin plays the gypsy-like string flourishes. Lars' keyboards also add a nice flavor throughout. "Sanza" features a haunting mix of thumb piano, plucked strings and some bagpipe-like drone (taragot perhaps?). On "Tante Yo" Guigou's drums & the violin really shine & uplift the spirits with their rambunctious playing. Since the demise of prog bands like Zamla & Etron Fou, former members like Lars Hollmer & Volapuk have gone back to a quaint, folky, acoustic sound, rich in traditional sounding melodies, little of that quick-changing prog craziness. This is completely charming and enchanting disc, it costs $13.

13.DAVE KERMAN/5 UU'S-Purgatories (Cuneiform 135) Dave Kerman is the drummer extra-ordinaire for a number of wonderful progressive bands - Thinking Plague, 5 UU's and Present. This is his much anticipated solo offering, where he plays many of the instruments and is helped out by members of 5 UU's and our pal Keith Macksoud (road manager and bassist for Present and Devil's Breakfast). Dave seems to have put a great deal of time into this fine endeavor, layering many engaging parts to this progressive stew, as well as writing lyrics to most of these pieces. From the very first piece - "Meteora", one can tell what roads Dave has traveled, which has that dark, churning progressive sound that Present specialize in, yet with less guitars & more keyboards. Even the vocals have been processed and sound quite alien. The keyboards are quite grandiose and piled up in dense sections, most of the vocals are supplied by Deborah Perry, sounding somewhat like Dagmar in the Art Bears, with equally oblique lyrics. "To Fall on Deaf Ears (part on)" is a rather dark & frightening work with mutant vocals and a probing progressive landscape. To balance out the bleakness "Half-Akin to Gladsome" is a nice departure of just Deborah's vocals & piano. Both "Drachma" and "First Person Jocular" sound as if they come from a long lost Art Bears release, complete with Chris Cutler-like circular drumming, certainly no small feat. Many of the sections constantly evolve and shift and are ever-inventive, flowing one piece into the next seamlessly. Dave Kerman has done an impressive job here, this doesn't sound like a solo recording at all, but a well thought-out group effort, a bit dark, but amazing and engaging on all levels. Unlock this treasure for $13.

14.EDWARD RATLIFF'S RHAPSODALIA-Wong Fei-Hong Meets Little Strudel (Strudel 007) With Michael Attias on saxes (for Anthony Coleman), Sam Bardfeld on violin (CIMP cd), John Hebert on basses, Kevin Norton on drums & vibes (leader & for Braxton) and Edward Ratliff on trumpet, cornet, trombone & accordion. Although I am not familiar with Ed Ratliff until now, I do recognize three of his sidemen and am most impressed with this quirky cd. 'Wong Fei-Hong' is a heart-felt tribute to the Hong Kong movie industry. Ed's music has a playful, rather eastern European mixed with klez sort-of quality. It sounds like it was made for the cinema with that spy movie type of feel at times. It would not sound out of place on Zorn's filmworks series. Although this is only a quintet, they sound much larger due to Ed's well-written layer of parts. This music also has an older 50's type of sound, echoes of a bygone era, corny yet quaint, like it was made for dancing (cha cha cha maybe?). Although Ed wrote all but one of the tunes found here, some of these songs sound familiar, with melodies I think I have heard before. Ed has picked just the right personnel for this release, with both Sam's violin, Michael's saxes and his own trumpets, trombone & accordion hearkening back to an older approach. Ed even sounds like he was once playing Duke Ellington's trombone section on "Milos the Cat" with his squawking muted bone solo. The one cover is "The Wong Fei-Hong Theme" which is a traditional Chinese tune and even this fits perfect in the same sort-of drunken jazz style. I can hear Ed Ratliff scoring the next Woody Allen flick that takes place in Chinatown in my mind's ear. Mucho fun for $10.

15.LARVAL-Predator or Prey (KFW 274) Larval are a great post/prog/rock band from the Ann Arbor area who rarely get the respect or recognition they deserve. This is their third impressive release, their second for the Knit label and it coincides with the simultaneous release of their leader Bill Brovold's solo effort on Tzadik this month. They opened for Zorn-Frith-Laswell-Lombardo & the Boredoms last summer at the Knit jazz fest and made a slew of new fans, but couldn't get a Knit cd release gig, so they played a midnight set at Tonic last week - hmmmmm!?! Still, they continue to work hard on each cd and this one is yet another jewel. Larval are a powerful rockin' seven piece who do mostly instrumentals with two guitars, violin/viola, cello, tenor sax & rhythm team. Larval's thick sound has a visceral, pounding quality - a distant relative to King Crimson or Dr. Nerve at times. What stands out is the eerie, brooding, restrained sound of pieces like "The Entity Returns" which take their time to build to a throbbing conclusion. These tunes are made of escalating, hypnotic riffs which pound on us until we give in. There are a few quiet tunes here like "The Strange Farm" which are equally compelling, somber yet still mesmerizing in their own subtle way. Second guitarist Toby Summerfield gets a chance to contribute two tunes here and both are great, especially "The Crippled Dance" with its killer riff at center. Sometimes Larval's sound gets massive and is filled with earthquake like forces which can move mountains. There is a rather unexpected ominous cover of "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" with noisy guitars, strings & sax droning in the distance and infamous Detroit house producer Carl Craig gets a chance to remix Larval's "Entity" at the conclusion of this cd. Both pieces are interesting footnotes, but not nearly as powerful as the rest of this provocative cd. $13.

16.MARI KIMURA-ROBERTO MORALES MANZANERAS-Leyendas (Victo 069) Mari Kimura is a dazzling violinist of extended techniques who is currently a professor here at Julliard. Her first Victo release was a quartet date with Henry Kaiser, John Oswald & Jim O'Rourke from quite a while back; she also has a duo cd with Robert Dick on Random Acoustics. Roberto Manzaneras plays (ceramic) flutes, piano and Peruvian harp and comes from Mexico, this is our first encounter with his magical playing. Their debut at the Victoriaville New Music Festival this month was amazing. Although Mari & Roberto recently met at a computer music festival in Mexico, their playing live and on this cd are completely acoustic. Roberto's harp playing was especially magnificent and mystical and he has a similar approach to the piano. His magical harp playing is also the most radiant part of this release as well. What is most apparent throughout this release is how well these two musicians constantly come up with a vast array of strange microscopic sounds to challenge each other, combining their collective vocabularies of acoustic soundscapes. Mari is a wonder of infinite s note fragments - tapping, plucking, bending and forever manipulating the strings of her violin, Roberto has a more melodic center and works hard to keep the ideas flowing. The balance they retain is quite perfect, a shared vision that flows back and forth between the minimal and the more dense areas. There are moments when the twisted, bent notes that Mari unleashes are quite frightening, yet Roberto always finds a way to bring these excursions back down to mother earth, warm and pure in nature. Both the illuminating liner notes and mixing were done with care by Mari's friend and ours - Elliott Sharp. A superb offering from two giants of acoustic improvisation for $14.

17.ALEX CLINE-JEFF GAUTHIER-G.E. STINSON-The Other Shore (Cryptogramophone 106) Besides Nels Cline, it would seem that there is another fine improv guitar hero from L.A. worth checking out - G.E. Stinson, whose name I recall from a number of fine Nine Winds cds and who also played at Tonic for the first time in the past year. This cd is a great improv trio offering featuring Nels' brother Alex Cline (once on ECM) who also helps run this new label with electric violinist/mandolinist - Jeff Gauthier and is recorded live in August of 1999. Commencing with "Asunder" the trio first play gentle, impressionistic, swirling sounds which slowly escalate into darker, denser more mysterious clouds of colors, eventually pounding the tribal beat into an pulsating mass and then winding down to calmness once more. It sounds as if this trio really excel in notes that sail and swirl, creating mists, shadows, contemplative spirits that slowly move in clouds. Alex Cline's old ECM cd also spun similar vibations, if memory serves me… Eventually or at least by the third track - "Left On", the pulse begins to pick up and occasionally erupt with a more intense section of fractured/frantic noisy surprises. Could this be the same cd?!? There is a very natural flow of the elements on this cd - a distant storm approaches and inevitably rains upon us, thunder and lightning also touch our senses. There is a natural unfolding quality to each excursion here - a nice job from men of serious sound explorations. $14.

18.BENNINK/CHADBOURNE/KONDO-Jazz Bunker (Leo GY 7/8) Three crazy improvisers from three continents during the early days of downtown scene in February of 1980 & live in Holland. This was the very same year I saw/heard Eugene perform for the first time at Studio Henry with my hero Fred Frith and I certainly couldn't take his antics seriously, jazz & progressive snob that I was then. I also saw Japanese madman trumpeter Toshinori Kondo around the same time and could not believe that he wore a three foot dunce cap for most of the set with Frith & Henry Kaiser, which he eventually chopped off the tip and shoved into his trumpet to play through!?! I probably wouldn't have taken Han Bennink very seriously then either, but my oh my how things have changed. I soon learned to respect, love and befriend Eugene & the rest of the downtown greats; Han Bennink is also a close pal - his ridiculous shenanigans continue to this day as witnessed at Lincoln Center last month with Misha Mengelberg! Which brings us back to this wacky double cd, which features some of the earliest live recordings from Chadbourne & Kondo currently found on cd. Besides drums, Han also plays saxes, clarinet, trombone & harmonica and Kondo also tries his hand at two euphoniums and a pignose amp. Eugene probably plays balloons and any other thing at hand to his electric & acoustic guitars. Of course there are no song titles listed, since this is freely improvised music which know no boundaries It does capture that crazy, free-flowing spirit quite well. The occasional vocals are often hilarious - Eugene asks Han if it is true he once played with famous jazz musicians (like Eric Dolphy). A video camera would probably capture what is actually happening better, but the sounds also leave more to one's imagination. It is pretty easy to figure out who is playing what most of the time. Han usually plays and abandons instruments pretty quickly, his frenetic sax playing works especially well with Eugene & Kondo's frantic playing. Han has a tendency to overwhelm his partners nowadays, but each member of the trio here seem to balance, listen, respond & combine forces without taking over. Perhaps it is just that each of these three players are quick & witty enough to respond instantly to the fast paced insanity of often non-stop events taking place. What's interesting is that I have many gigs on cassette from the same period of time which sound as good, if not better than this. Perhaps Eugene, Zorn or even DMG will release some of these historic recordings. Stranger things have occurred. In the meantime, you can dig into this wild world crazy improv - two fun-filled cds for $27.

19.ZUSAAN KALI FASTEAU & DONALD RAFAEL GARRETT-Memoirs of a Dream (Flying Note 9008) Now that Vision Festival is over and that free/jazz love vibe (60's style) is still with us, it is a perfect time to review this wonderful cosmic gift of the gods. Donald Rafael Garrett was an amazing bassist & multi-instrumentalist and one of the unsung free/jazz heroes of the sixties. A founding member of the AACM, he played on four of Coltrane's heaviest late period lps, as well as collaborating with dozens of other jazz greats. He formed the Sea Ensemble with kindred spirit Zusaan Kali Fasteau in 1971, traveled the world playing their own cosmic music and recorded a beautiful lp for ESP. He passed in 1989. Zusaan is also an outstanding multi-instrumentalist & vocalist. I love her voice on that fabulous Noah Howard 'Patterns' reissue that Eremite released last year and her sax (flutes & piano) playing consistently blows minds on each and every release that still come our way to this day. 'Memoirs of a Dream' is a deeply moving double cd from Zusaan & Donald recorded at two concerts in Holland in May of '75 and in Ankara, Turkey in March of '77. Both Zusaan & Donald play many instruments from various flutes, balafon, clarinet, cello, sanza, zurna, contrabass, to percussion and vocals. "Streaming Love" is from the Holland gig and it sound like it is from another world where peace and harmony rule. Donald's contrabass is thick, effervescent and completely uplifting as Zusaan adds her magic on thumb piano, cello, piano (inside & out), vocal and percussion. These are two very special spirits coming together as one cosmic force, it is all connected and beautifully recorded. This music unfolds slowly and quite naturally like a flower reaching up toward the sun for nourishment, we also reach for music like this to nourish our spirits. The flutes caress each other like birds making love in flight, droning long warm tones for inner peace. Gracious, pure and lovely to behold. "Come From Deep" is the Turkish gig and although many of the pieces are shorter, it is no less cosmic -we are once again taken on a mystical journey through calm and fascinating worlds of sound. For those of you searching for the inner light, both of these cds will help you on your way. Two cd set for $20. 

20.KARL BERGER ORCHESTRA-No Man is an Island (Knit Classics 3004) Featuring Enrico Rava on trumpet, Ernst Reijseger on cello, Jean Louis Matinier on accordion, Arkady Shikloper on french horn, Bernd Konrad on reeds, Marc Abrams on bass, Billy Elgart on drums, Karl Berger on vibes & piano, Ingrid Sertso on voice and the mutare string trio. Karl Berger was perhaps the first European avant-jazz musician to move to the US in the 60's (except for Gunter Hampel?), release an lp on ESP and establish a career for himself here as an influential player & composer. He opened the Creative Music Studio school in Woodstock in the 70's which helped create an important scene for the international avant-jazz. Many of our finest loft-jazz musicians attended & taught there, many future downtowners passed through as well. Karl Berger records infrequently, but has been doing string arrangements for Bill Laswell for many years under the heading of Material Strings. I can't recall the last time he had a new release, but this one will make up for years of unknown activity. 'No Man is an Island' was first performed at the Donaueschingen Festival in October 1995, which is when this recording was done. The only musicians involved that I am familiar with from this 12 piece ensemble are Enrico Rava, Ernst Reijseger, Karl and his wife Ingrid. Karl has chosen all of these musicians with great care, since each one seems to fit perfectly with enchanting music found here. The accordion player - Jean Louis Matinier is the main soloist on most of these pieces and is nothing short of astonishing, considering I have never heard of him! What is also surprising is that Ingrid's voice which is used most sparingly here, has often marred earlier Karl recordings in the past and is usually barely tolerated by Karl's fans of the past. Still, this could be his finest recording yet. This is a nine movement piece, which also features the fine work of early ECM trumpet hero Enrico Rava, someone else who seems to have disappeared. The music is often delicate, minimal, warm and filled with melancholy beauty. The string trio is often pushed hard and swing intensely, swirling around the superb elegant trumpet, piano & accordion. Part 6 is dedicated to fallen hero and CMS teacher Don Cherry, who has just passed away and features Ingrid's exquisite voice being caressed by the lovely mournful soprano sax of Bernd Konrad, yet another unknown great. On the next part, the voice, trumpet, sax and accordion continue to swirl around each other in a rich tapestry of warm colors. The entire work is one of rare beauty and simmering, understated and often fragile playing from everyone involved. Don't miss this blissful encounter with Karl's cast of well selected characters. $13.

21.DEAN ROBERTS & THE BLACK MOTHS-Play the Grand Cinema (Mille Plateaux 14859) Dean Roberts is an incredibly crafty guitarist & sound manipulator who comes from New Zealand, plays in Europe and has worked here at DMG for many months last year much to our delight. He has written for the Wire as well the DMG newsletter, his observations are always fresh and engaging. I believe this is his third solo effort, he just seems to grow in leaps and bounds. He plays prepared guitars, keyboards, electronics, percussion, voice and is a wizard of processing sound. He is accompanied on this wondrous release by Tim Barnes on percussion & harmonium, Charles Curtis on cello and Matt Valentine on bass. A couple of weeks back Dean collaborated with three members of an Austrian ultra-subtle electro-acoustic ensemble known as Polswechsel at Tonic and it was a remarkable encounter. 'The Grand Cinema' consists of two long, continuous pieces with layers of wonderful restrained, alien trans- missions. Dean often crafts his sounds like a thoughtful scientist or alchemist turning strands of various elements into gold. Noises quietly bubble, drones flow in waves of near silence, scratchy static from a record plays in then distance, a cover of Eno's "cindy tells me" appears in the next room somewhat buried by shimmering electronic sounds - like the sound of machinery playing itself. This is a marvelous release which is sure to touch those who like to listen closely and carefully. Lucky for us, Dean is back in New York to work his magic once again. This is a French import for $16. All above reviews by your friendly musical explorer - Bruce Lee Gallanter

22.KING CRIMSON - the construKction of light (DGM) As always, the release of a new King Crimson album is a most anticipated event. The construKction of light is no different. It looks forward and backwards: the interlocking gamelan guitars are back in places and so are a few musical themes from the '70's. Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew's guitars actually have a nice tone - something that was missing from their work in the '90's and Belew is again writing funny lyrics that don't make me cringe. Tony Levin and Bill Bruford are on sabbatical, supposedly until the next album, newer members Trey Gunn (Warr guitar, the fattest bass in the history of KC) and Pat Mastelotto (incredible warped sampled percussion) hold down a massive bottom end. The album starts with - surprise - a blues, ProzaKc Blues. Belew's voice pitch shifted down tells about his disappointment with a debate on the Elephant Talk email list about his role in KC. The riff is a grinder but Fripp still manages to get his gamelan guitar in there. Belew lays out some whammy bar guitar that exceeds his work in the '80's version of KC. Mama! The ConstruKction of Light gives us some of the '80's sound mixed with '70's breaks. Gamelan guitars during Part I with Mastelotto stuttering around and during Part II Belew sings a nice ditty aboutŠ uh Š something nice- dada lyrics. Maybe I'll figure it out in the weeks to come. This tune could have been on Three of a Perfect Pair II. Into The Frying Pan sounds like Belew on Red. Nice solo by Fripp over a stuttering beat. Something about the guitar melody reminds me of Red. Ends with a touch of Frippertronics. The theme from Starless and Black's Fracture is the seed for FraKctured. After a statement of the theme and a brief gamelan guitar segment we're treated to a bit of Crimson thud then its back to a few statements of the beginning. And then we're treated to the heaviest KC known yet. Fripp thrashing out variations of the theme and once you think it's over, they start it again. Relentless. After a bit of the beginning themes, we're into the dada of Belew's The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor wax Museum. Flipped out lyrics, whammy bar guitar by Belew. He cracks me up: during a solo he says, "get along little doggie" only to interrupt later with "get a hair cut". Next: Larks Tongues in Aspic IV where the band plays around with the riff from the original riff from Larks Tongues in Aspic. Not bad, thumpy as one would expect from LTIA. My hair almost fell out - these guys should be more careful. Fripp spews some classic lines, and then there are some more repetitions of themes. This all mutates into Coda: I Have A Dream. Over a slowly descending bass line Belew sings a list of major 20th century bummers - disease, mass destruction, criminals and so on. Maybe this album is Crimson' s way of summing up the millennium? After a minute of silence, the lighter "bonus track" Heaven and Earth by Project X - presumably the same group with a different approach sounding closer to the pieces on last years The Projekcts box. There are no ballads on this album - think metal! This disc is so fresh; it practically flosses my teeth. The construKction of light is probably the best studio recording by any of these people in the past 15 years.

23.EVAN ZIPORYN - Gamelan Galak Tika (New World Records 80565-2) Evan Ziporyan, a composer/performer associated at times with Steve Reich, Brian Eno, Bang on a Can, Louis Andriessen, Glenn Branca, Nick Didkovsky and others. After taking a teching job at MIT, he formed Gamelan Galak Tika (galatica? get it? nevermind…). Evan is the latest in a long line of western composers who use the gamelan as a source of inspiration: Colin McPhee, Bengeman Brittian, Steve Reich, Discipline era Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford I'm keeping the list short! These pieces were originally composed for the San Francisco Bay area's Gemelan Sekar Jaya. A lot of his music brings together east and west in a fusion of instrumentation. Tire Fire is for Gamelan Galak Tika with guitarists Eric Beyers and Mark Stewart, keyboardist Yukiko Ueno and electric bassist Blake Neuman. Amok! is for double bassist Robert Black. The music sounds like a bridge between East and West, the western instruments sit quietly in the mix. In fact it took a few listens to find the Western Instruments! The cover features a cool photo of a Fender Stratocaster with the body carved like one of the gamelan instruments: floral pattern with a reclining woman on the bass side while a dragon nibbles on her toes! Way cool music.

Reviews 4, 22 and 23 by 
David Beardsley
Juxtaposition Ezine & 49/32 Radio 

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