1.JOHN ZORN-Archery (Tzadik 7316) Game participants include Polly Bradfield, Eugene Chadbourne, Anthony Coleman, Tom Cora, Robert Dick, Bill & Wayne Horvitz, Mark Kramer, Bill Laswell, George Lewis, David Moss, John Zorn and Mark Smith as the prompter. I began observing Zorn's game pieces in 1979 at small spaces like Studio Henry or The Saint and was both fascinated and mystified by each work. Every few months Zorn would premiere another game piece - each with a different set of rules and often a different number of players. "Archery" was premiered at Columbia University in June of 1979, but Zorn decided to wait two years before recording it in September of 1981 - due to the complexities of the work. I recall a performance of "Archery" from March of 1981 at Soundscape as Zorn's grandest work yet - with twelve players - the downtown all-star cast was well chosen - each musician was highly distinctive and from much different backgrounds. It was released as an elaborate two-LP box set and filled with 4 large pages of diagrams and notes - copies now sell for about $100, the 26 signed copies sell for twice as much. This reissue includes reproductions of all the original notes, plus as a three CD set - an extra CD's worth of the "Archery" rehearsal. Zorn has organized the ensemble as four sets of trios - flutes/trombone/reeds, three keyboards, two guitars & el. bass and violin/cello/percussion. The "Archery sketches" give us an idea of the immense number of combinations of solos, duos, trios, and quartets with their kaleidoscopic set of directions. The music itself is definitely from the Zorn universe - fascinating, confusing and richly rewarding if one takes the time to dig in. The rehearsal CD is in three long sections - both Zorn and Robert Dick are playing game (often bird) calls, as well as playing parts of their saxes, clarinet and flutes often in short bursts of activity - so it sounds as if it comes from a very specific point in their development of sonic exploration. I recognize the distinctive sounds of David Moss' percussion, Kramer's cheap organ and tapes, Eugene's wacky guitar extremities, Polly's strange violin fragments and Tom Cora's cello manipulations. This music if often sparse, yet very focused -each note well placed within the space. It is filled with suspense, drama, humor, surprise - both serious and silly. I rarely hear solos, just different combinations of players and their unique sound(s). What stands out is how everyone involved brings different snippets from varying genres - circus music, 60's rock, free jazz, modern classical, noise, sound effects and on and on. No one's personality or playing is dominant here, although Zorn's game calls and sax punctuation often stands out as the defining or most recognizable sound. Even at its noisiest or in those rare dense sections, nothing sounds completely random or chaotic. There is also a certain elegant or refined quality at the center of this - like a pearl from within an oyster. The actual version(s) of "Archery" is broken into four 20 plus minute sections, each one (r)evolving around sets of player combinations and is even more focused. This is classic Zorn-land, where the inner strategies or structures make for a sublime flow of inter-connected events. Zorn's magic is that there is a cinematic quality to this - like a story, which slowly unfolds and takes us on an event-filled journey - completely engrossing and engaging. Brilliant! A three CD set for $36.

2.SATLAH/LIVE AT TONIC-Exodus (Tzadik 7149) This is the second wonderful Tzadik release from Satlah - a trio who feature the Israeli-born Danny Zamir on alto and soprano saxes, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz on acoustic bass and Kevin Zubek on drums. It was recorded live at Tonic in the Lower East Side, which has become thee place to hear avant music in the few years since it opened. Once again, Danny Zamir has written all but two of the tunes found here and still calls these tunes - "poems" with a number. From the start - "Poem 26" has that joyous and uplifting klez-jazz groove with each member of the trio locking-in and levitating the spirits with heart-warming results. "La'Avoda Velamelacha" was written by M. Nardi and features Danny on the snake-charming soprano sax - sort-of Trane-like in the "My Favorite Things" mode, yet more exotic - the rhythm team fleshes out the tune in a mesmerizing way while the soprano takes a superb solo. Danny has done a fine job of writing memorable tunes that will have one humming along throughout - the trio is a constant and solid force where each member is perfectly suited in there role as an equal in the cosmic triangle. On "Poem 27" the passions flow fiercely pushing us higher and higher to joyful eruption of the spirit. I dig the way the bass and drums spin a flurry of almost free vibrations throughout "Poem 50" pushing the soprano into a dizzying blaze of energetic vibrations. The trio pushes the vibe even harder and higher on "Poem 33" spinning us into a whirlwind of delight. The desert wind blows softly on "Poem 40" which builds from its somber solo bass intro into a dark, mysterious dream with Danny's alto crying beautifully on top. "Hasar Hamemuneh" is a traditional Yemenite song and it is another somber beauty of a tune which has a rather hypnotic melody not easily forgotten and more of that enchanting soprano sax from Danny. Both Shanir and Kevin consistently play with fire-breathing passion and resourcefulness throughout, so that the trio is always reaching for the heavens and bringing along for the ride. This live recording is rich in sound and soul as well. $14.

3.FRED FRITH-J.P. DROUET-LOUIS SCLAVIS-I dream of you jumping (Victo 072) Our old friend Fred Frith certainly need no introduction, as he has been in a number of important ensembles for the past three decades - Henry Cow, Art Bears, Massacre, Skeleton Crew, Naked City and Fred's Electric Guitar Quartet. He is a most distinctive and influential guitarist and a master improviser and has been more composing for modern classical ensembles over the past decade and is currently a professor at Mills College in Oakland, California. This extraordinary trio features the amazing Louis Sclavis on clarinets and soprano sax - I been blown away by Sclavis twice before at the Victo fest and have dug his numerous releases on Label Bleu (no US distribution) and ECM. J.P. Drouet is also an obvious master of both contemporary classical and world music percussion and does have a fine duo CD out with Frith from a few years back and has also done work for Stockhausen. 

This CD is quite a departure from what many have come to expect from Sclavis in the more controlled ECM environment of his previous efforts. I attended this wonderful concert at last year's Victoriaville New Music Festival and it was one the highlights of the five day fest. The music on this release was captured perfectly in all of its glory, my compliments to the recording engineers & producer. It begins with the slightly twisted and echoed ringing of delicate bells, alien soprano sax meanderings and Fred's unique sustained note guitar fragments. The improv is often playful and builds in intensity as each member of the trio adds his sound or direction to the ongoing dialogue - eventually getting crazier and noisier and more explosive. Drouet plays mostly hand percussion - like tambourines, cymbals and variety of small objects including harmonica, kalimba and some silly vocal sounds. The music moves in a big wave, which builds, to a frenzy and then back down to another quiet and haunting section. Fred has been playing more acoustic guitar in recent years and does so here rubbing the strings in his distinctive way. Anyone who has had then opportunity to see Fred play live, should recognize a number of his unique sounds - paint brush or ash tray on the el. guitar, small radio or tape deck played through the guitar's pick-up... Once more the music builds to a more frenzied section - a bit scarier than before as Sclavis ascends upwards with a fine soprano solo. Eventually quieting down once again with some child-like vocals from Fred (?) and delicate clarinet as well also builds into a strong and playful solo. My favorite section comes next and has Drouet playing exotic ethnic hand drums, Fred also playing slow and mysterious harmonic string tapping sounds and Sclavis' rumbling bass clarinet wistfulness which builds into a sort-of gypsy groove section. Things get weirder after that as all three play dark and dreamy sound fragments - dweezling clarinet, spooky guitar and suspenseful drums. A great ending for an engaging journey through the hands of three master improvisers from much different backgrounds who come together for the first time as this fine trio with excellent results. $14.

4.TISZIJI MUNOZ-Breaking the Wheel of Life and Death (Anami 019) Featuring Marilyn Crispell on piano, Don Pate on bass, Rashied Ali on drums and Tisziji Munoz on guitar, bells and compositions. Henry Kaiser put together a session for his guru and guitar-god Tisziji Munoz last year with a hand picked group that Henry chose for both guitarists to play with - this astonishing encounter was released a few months ago as "Auspicious Healing" and featured Marilyn Crispell on piano. The cosmic Coltrane vibe that Tisziji and Marilyn both share was brought together again a few months later for a powerful quartet date with Munoz' often regular rhythm team of Don Pate and former Coltrane-collaborator Rashied Ali. I just witnessed Marilyn playing in a trio with Barry Guy and Gerry Hemingway the other night at Tonic and she consistently blows mind with her ultra-deep playing. From the very first piece on this CD "Divine Urgancy" Munoz opens with that tone which gets the spirits flowing and trio around him float in cosmic space as time stands still. The title track comes next - a slow and mysterious Trane-like modal thing which takes its time to ascend higher and higher spiraling upwards as Tisziji lets those notes cascade like waves of energy flowing. Marilyn's solo comes next and it ever so elegant and beautiful, hushed and graceful that Munoz slows down the vibe to almost a standstill. Marilyn opens "Lemuria" with one of her superb harp-like solos which transcends up into the heavens as the tune itself grows from the innocent intro melody into another stellar region amongst the stars. The longest piece is "The Elder of the Mysteries" another tune in which the quartet sounds as if it is playing in slow motion as Tisziji starts to bend those notes upwards higher and higher one level at a time - Marilyn also taking a dream-inducing solo as well and a fine solo as well from Don Pate on acoustic bass. On this piece in particular there is some amazing call and response between the guitar and piano - notes that caress each other and us as well. The pulse picks up on the final long piece "God-Fire (Pyramid)" where Tisziji unleashes swarms of notes which crash over us in waves of urgent force. Marilyn also takes a spectacular piano solo - the forces of the gods to be reckoned with as she also spins notes in crashing waves, like a torrential rainstorm. Eventually the guitar also answers the call and explodes together with the piano as one cosmic force. Almost too much for us mere mortals! Older Anami single CDs are still $10. While the two latest Anami #'s 18 & 19 (this one) are now $12.

5.WILLIAM PARKER QUARTET-O'Neal's Porch (Centering 1003) Monster-contrabassist William Parker released this himself and it features a rare quartet with Rob Brown on alto sax, Lewis Barnes on trumpet, Hamid Drake on drums and William on bass and as composer. Rob and Lewis are both members of William's Little Huey Orchestra and Rob was also featured in William's In Order to Survive qt. and Chicago drums & percussion wiz Hamid plays with William in Peter Brotzmann's Chicago Tentet. Unexpectedly, the opening tune "Purple" has a sort-of 60's Blue Note almost funky head, showing another area to William's all-encompassing jazz history vision. The rhythm team locks down that groove down while both the alto sax and trumpet take strong mostly inside solos. Both Hamid and William solo intensely together with William on African hand drums and then both horn wail together as the rhythm team kicks them into high gear. Nice to hear both horn players doing the inside sound so well on "Sun" another soul-groove classic head with the bass and drums also getting down and finger-snapping funky. Rob takes an extremely biting and bittersweet solo filled with fire and passion and ends with a rather jubilant bass (with drums) solo in the second half. By the time we get to the third and title tune, it should come as no surprise that that bluesy groove is here to stay - Rob continues to soar with yet another amazing hell-bent solo as does Lewis' trumpet solo - still it is the outstanding William and Hamid rhythm team who continue to fan the flames throughout constantly kicking the beat with gusto and finesse and pushing the horns to reach for the heavens. I dig the way Hamid plays this every busy, tail-spinning groove all over "Rise" which both swings and vibrates quickly at the same time while the bass also gets busier - the horns sail together in interlocking tapestry. Things slow down on "Song for Jesus" a gospel-like dirge with somber sax and muted trumpet with its sentimental church-like vibe. Both horns really spin and spiral freely on "Leaf" while the bass and drums accelerate in opposite directions together - very cool trick that works. "Moon" concludes this fine release with another hummable tune right out of Blue Note heaven that is certain to make us all smile. Groovy! $12.

6.NICK DIDKOVSKY & GUIGOU CHENEVIER-Body Parts (Vand' Oeuvre 0020) Lead guitarist/bandleader/composer/computer wiz Nick Didkovsky is an old friend and has been leading Dr. Nerve (NY prog wonders) for almost 15 years. He is also a member of Fred Frith's Electric Guitar Quartet, put out a solo CD a couple of years back and has been composing for both computers and for new music ensembles like the Bang-On-A-Can All-Stars as well. Once drummer for the charming French prog pioneers Etron Fou, Guigou has played in Les Batteries, Octavo, also released a solo CD and currently leads Volapuk. This wacky duo release has no guests - just electric guitar, drums and voices. Nick, who usually does not sing, he gets a chance to do so here - the short opening ditty is called "Pet song" and it is a hilarious post-punk prog ultra-tight stomper with funny lyrics. Most of these tunes are instrumental though. On "Du haut du mur" the duo charges through some high-falootin' quick changes - well written and well played. Nick's "The corpse" has some completely twisted guitar shredding over Guigou's moderate tempo beats - watch out! Guigou's "Bell'innommable" has some quaint and goofy small percussion and equally restrained guitar parts - cute. "The man who hated pets" is Nick's tongue-in-cheek spastic hard rocker with some rather hilarious spoken words. "One wooden leg" is another often quick, tight prog instrumental that moves through a few different fast/slow/fast sections. Guigou's "Beautiful as Democracy" reminds of the slightly skewered pop tunes of Etron Fou both serious and silly simultaneously. Guigou's tunes often feature the drums as the lead instrument, the rhythmic scheme at the center with intricate parts well placed throughout. His piece "Soft Loud" is just that - soft and spooky with harsh bits of noise guitar thrown in as punctuation - most effective. The final piece is the longest and is made up of three connected sections - the first is a weird mutant synth improv duo, which wouldn't sound out of place on a music concrete compilation. After our brains have melted, Nick's "Antaeus" comes along and explodes with some ferocious drums and noise guitar explosions - whoa! Pretty fuckin' extreme! The last part is a mostly laid back drums & guitar duo with both written and free in sections which winds down to nothingness by the end. Loads of fun from Nick and Guigou! $12.

7.BILL FRISELL-blues dream (Nonesuch 79615) Featuring Greg Leisz on steel guitars & mandolin, Ron Miles on trumpet, Billy Drewes on alto sax, Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, Dave Piltch on bass, Kenny Wollesen on drums and Bill Frisell on electric and acoustic guitars. Mr. Frisell continues to leaves many of his old fans in the dust as he matures and mellows out in the Pacific northwest. Once a vital part of the downtown scene as a member of Naked City and with his own quartet/trio - he seems to become more restrained with each release. I really dug his solo guitars release from last year, but the few before that were somewhat lacking in energy and drive. The copy of this new one that I listen to now does not come from his label (which is kinda sad), but from a disgruntled fan who felt it was too disappointing to own. So, what have we here? The opening track is the appropriately named title track with lush and haunting resonator guitar, trumpet and Bill's ghost-like skeletal guitar in the distance. The second track is called "Ron Carter" who is the bassist in Joey Baron's Down Home with Frisell. This piece is also a sinister bluesy wonder for Bill's steamy, psychedelic electric guitars with electric trumpet adding some fine haze as well. After that it is back to that quaint, solemn Americana that Bill now does so well, but bores his old fans to snoozeland. Only Bill could mix pedal steel, soprano sax, distant horns and his own tasty guitar into a refined mix, but it is just not enough - there is no meat, no angst, no pain, nothing to knock us out. This is music for sleep walking. Occasionally Bill's distinctive sound will rise above the slumber, but this isn't enough to rescue it from molasses of expectations from those of us who Bill can do so much more. There seems to an underlying theme of the blues that permeates half of these tracks that saves this from getting too mellow and folky on the other half. Greg Leisz, who gets a tune named after him here, does a fine job of adding his nimble and ultra-tasty steel & resonator guitars to a number of the better tunes on this CD. The tune named after Greg is one the pieces which really stands out - with some of the most mysterious and mildly psychedelic wah-wah/slide guitar that we've ever heard from Bill. It is often the tunes with the horns that really bring this down to earth too much, though. I think what would have worked best here is taking all of the folky tunes and put them on another release with vocals by Robin Holcomb and Jimmy Dale Gilmore - this would keep the yuppies happy and probably win a Grammy. And then take the bluesy tunes and add some more angst - maybe some horn from Zorn and/or organ from Wayne Horvitz. This would certainly please the grumpy old downtowners like you and me. Anyway, half a great CD is better than none. But the question remains - is it worth springing for the $15.?

8.CHRISTIAN MARCLAY-IKUE MORI-ELLIOTT SHARP-acoustiphobia volume 1 (Sublingual 009/010) This is an inexpensive two CD set which features the above listed downtown all-star trio live in Boston on the first CD and twenty student works from the Sonic Arts Program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on the second CD. The downtown trio is of course Christian on turntables, Ikue on drum machines and E. Sharp on 8 string guitarbass, soprano sax and PowerBook. Disc one consists of four improvised sections. I can actually recognize much of what is going down here, since I have heard all three of these players in so many other situations. This CD is recorded and produced just right, so that the balance is perfect with equal amounts of each musician. I hear Elliott's mutated el. guitar sounds - altered and bent but still his own sound. Although Ikue used to play drums in DNA and has since switched to drum machines, what she now does is not limited by rhythmic schemes only, but by a more selected use of sampled sounds which make up her world of sound - consistently fascinating and often wondrous. Of all the many turntablists or dj's out there - Christian Marclay has always pushed the envelope as an ever-inventive improviser and also is never limited by the constant search for beats. The are often quiet and introspective moments here, with much attention to detail. Even when it is difficult to tell who is doing what, it doesn't matter since the outcome is so engrossing. Sometimes Christian's samples reach for the past (are records obsolete?) while Ikue's samples reach for the future - Elliott often bridges the gap with timeless noise, twisted soprano sax or fractured el. guitar - a compelling combination of mesmerizing soundscapes. On rare occasion Christian will throw in a sample/record from something I really recognize - I swear I heard a snippet from Soft Machine 'Third' in there, who knows for certain?!? A complete joyride and journey for us sonic explorers. 

The second disc features some twenty solo electronics works from students at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The pieces range in length from 1 minute to almost 7 minutes and are extremely diverse and often quite fascinating as well. What is most successful is that most of these pieces deal with one or two ideas at a time, so that we can concentrate on that idea and the way in which it changes, moves or evolves into something else. Although tracks like Jon MacIntosh's "Kissing Audio Instructional" did make me giggle, I am not sure if it fits with the other more exploratory pieces. There is not an uninteresting track throughout these twenty pieces and most are brief yet worthy of some consideration. Some of the explanations are as interesting as the pieces themselves. Certainly a most worthy two CD set for only $15.

9.TONY SCHERR-Come Around (self produced) Over the past couple of years, bassist and occasionally guitarist Tony Scherr has been pretty busy with the Bill Frisell Trio, Slowpoke, Killer Joey (Baron) and Brad Shepik's Triduga. Turns out that Tony is also a gifted singer/songwriter and recently released this charming, laid back effort on his own label and recorded at his home studio like that first Slowpoke CD. His band consists of his brother Peter on bass, Chris Brown on organ, Kenny Wollesen on drums and guests include Bill Frisell, Steve Bernstein, Michael Blake, Briggan Krauss, Jane Scarpantoni & Jenny Scheinman. The CD begins with a quaint old-fashioned intro with Tony at the piano and that scratchy records ambiance. In a righteous world, this groovy CD would come out on a major label and get lots of hype and maybe even sell a few copies. Tony has a fine, earthy, bluesy folk-rock voice and that organ and those horns also have that sixties style sound as well. Lyrically, Tony wears his (broken) heart on his sleeve with most tunes about forlorn and lost love. Many of these songs are stripped down to the bare essentials of voice, guitar(s) and minimal back-up. On the ultimately sad "What Kind of Friend Are You" - Tony's somewhat hoarse voice is surrounded by tragic strings used to particularly good affect. Tony writes catchy and sentimental tunes throughout, there is not a clinker in this 12-song bunch, each is instantly memorable and we will all be humming along if you choose to indulge. A couple of months ago, Tony's quartet with Bill Frisell played these tunes at the Living Room - a cozy spot to hear these songs. Frisell took one extended psychedelic solo which blew everyone in attendance away - that tune was a raga-rock classic called "Almost Believe in Everything" which is also one of the great moments on this release. This is a nice tasty treat and a departure from the noisier side of the downtown community, so why not splurge and enjoy it. $10.

10.SHIN TERAI-Unison (ION 820152) This features Bill Laswell on basses & co-production, Bernie Worrell on organ & synth, Buckethead & Nicky Skopelitis on guitars, Bob Musso on loops & engineering and Shin Terai on synth & samples. It has only taken about two years to get this (originally) rare limited edition Japanese-only CD released over here, so it is about time. Initially Laswell recorded all the tracks from his small all-star cast and Shin co-produced and mixed the results. And with Laswell releases coming out at a slower pace these days, this one has been reissued at just the right time. The first piece is an intro of mysterious solo organ/synth in the Praxis mold called "Clue". On the second track "Dinner of Heaven" we get that fine fat dub and wah-wah bass in layers from Bill and some enchanting electric sitar and cosmic/drone el. guitars from Nicky - quite a catchy groove at the center. One of the great things about this CD is that Bill's distinctive bass sound is often the lead instrument, glowing nicely and pumping the fat groove at the center of each piece. On "Emotional Intelligence" it sounds like Buckethead adding his quick runs in waves as Nicky's electric sitar swirls around Bill's hypnotic fretless bass. It sounds to me like Bill came up with the groove lines while Nicky provides much of mesmerizing melodies and layered guitar parts - his lead on "Dusk" is especially well done. There is no drummer to be found here, only drum machine - yet the grooves are solid and engaging throughout. Bill utilizes a variety of different processed bass sounds and tricks on "Tag of War" from slide, ringing harmonics, envelope filtered to ultra-thick tones - changing the textures in each section. Nice to hear some heavy. squealing guitar from opening and closing "Dream Catcher" along with that groovy organ from Dr. Woo. Bernie is also featured getting down on funky clavinet & organ on "From Texas" another early Praxis-like funk fest groove stomper! This entire affair is perfect for a party, so get down! $12.

11.BAIKIDA CARROLL-Marionettes on a High Wire (Omnitone 12101) Featuring Erica Lindsay on tenor sax, Adegoke Steve Colson on piano, Michael Formanek on acoustic bass, Pheeroan AkLaff on drums & Baikida on trumpet and compositions. Baikida is both a wonderful trumpeter and composer who has played with many of the greats - Oliver Nelson, David Murray, Julius Hemphill, John Carter and Muhal Richard Abrams. He has composed music for theatre, dance, television & film, as well as for his own ensembles. This is his first release in a while and it is a joyous occasion! Baikida has selected an excellent ensemble - both the AACM pianist Steve Colson and tenor sax of Erica Lindsay sound great, as does the superb rhythm team. The opening track "Ebullient Secrets" has the warm, airy, lovely feel with elegant solos from the sax, piano and drums. "Griot's Last Dance" is dedicated to Don Cherry and begins with the horns sailing and swirling together as the rhythm section digs in deep - as Erica takes her relaxed solo - the trio behind her really catches fire - they are a marvel of profuse swinging - inventive and threatening to explode time and time again. I love the way Baikida has written different parts that work against and with each other simultaneously. The title track is also a marvel of irregular rhythm lines that are nicely interconnected - the piece breaks down to a subtle duo of trumpet and drums which slowly takes off as the other instruments come in one at a time - each taking an inspired solo with just the drums - Pheeroan is incredible as he always is. Baikida plays a hushed and luscious muted trumpet on the ballad "Miss Julie" originally written for the title character in an August Strindberg play - Erica's sax and Steve's piano also weaves elegant, dreamy lines as well. "Our Say" was composed for the Broadway play 'Having Our Say' and is another somber and enchanting gem, soft and sad. "A Thrill a Minute" is certainly that - a quick swinging, yet light on its feet where Baikida takes an outstanding solo - super quick and soaring up the heavens - the tenor and piano also takes off for the stratosphere - whoa!! "Velma" is dedicated to Baikida's grandmother and it is a beautiful, austere and charming piece with more touching solos from trumpet and tenor and graceful brushwork from Pheeroan. "Flamboye" is for the late, great Julius Hemphill - close friend and inspiration to Baikida and it is an odd tune that starts with just the horns, but soon elevates to some difficult written passages where both horns swirl like birds around each other completing each other's lines. Marvelous! "Down Under" has a unique floating quality that envelops like a warm bath with both horns playing lovely, quaint and softened harmonies together. Quite the perfect release - Omnitone once again delivers manna from the heavens. $14. 

12.ORI KAPLAN TRIO PLUS STEVE SWELL-Delirium (CIMP 223) This is local alto sax great Ori Kaplan's second trio date for the CIMP label and it also features our favorite local trombone giant - Steve Swell. Anytime I have heard Steve Swell live, this cat has consistently knocked me out - from the days with Joey Baron's Barondown to a colossal set with Biggi Vinkeloe to burning with fellow trombone legend Roswell Rudd. Ori's trio includes two other fine musicians Tom Abbs on bass & tuba and Geoff Mann (son of Herbie) on drums & trumpet. The first piece is appropriately called "Dawn" and it has a difficult start and stop rhythmic structure, sort-of fractured that both the alto and 'bone navigate through turbulent rapids as the rhythm team speeds up and slows down. The longest track is "Air" which has a two lines going on at the same time - a trio of trombone, tuba and drums plays this sort-of march as one constant groove while the alto plays a smokin' solo in between the cracks of the rhythm - then the alto-tuba-drums trio plays the funky-march groove while the trombone pulls off an impressive solo - eventually both horns explode together as the bass and drums lay back. The title track has that early Ornette quartet sound - sharp, tight and more great stop and start sections - once more the alto and trombone both takes intense solos while the rhythm team burns down below. The only cover tune here is the challenging "Ictus" by Carla Bley - a favorite of mine and an extremely difficult piece to attempt - Ori's unit plays it at an even quicker pace - no small feat to accomplish - making it even more insane, burning down the voodoo - with solos set aflame. "Embrio" is more cerebral - hovering horns, in slow motion and somber bowed bass and mallets providing dark hues as the horns swirl in more modern classical terrain. "Henry's Fall" is a group composition which is probably an improvised piece and also has those modern classical sonorities of bent horns. "Hazy Dazy on Mars" continues those twisted sonorous sounds - but the trombone lays down the groove and another march has begun - and Steve Swell cuts loose once more - building an intense and impassioned trombone solo - reaching for the skies. The last tune is called "Still Calm" it begins with clapping beats - and a joyous groove which turns into another section with fractured rhythms and more fire-breathing solos from Steve's swell trombone and Ori's simmering sax! Another excellent session from the Ori Kaplan Trio Plus. $14.

13.CHRIS JONAS' THE SUN SPITS CHERRIES-The Vermilion (Hopscotch 8) Featuring Myra Melford on piano, Chris Jonas on soprano sax & compositions, Joe Fiedler on tenor trombone, Chris Washburne on bass trombone and Andrew Barker on drums. This is the second fine release for Chris' new ensemble and it includes special guest piano great Myra Melford. Commencing with "Levee" Chris and co. play tart and angular notes with ultra-selective space in between - the overall sound and approach owes more to contemporary classical than jazz. While both trombones play slow sustained notes, the piano and drums vibrate quickly - Chris is somewhere in the middle bouncing between the drones and the fast fluttering passages. Chris does a great job of breaking the quintet into sub-sections so that certain duos or trios play tight written parts while the other players solo within or around the sub-sections. There are often two or three lines of dialogue going on at once, yet it still remains quite focused. "Ottoman" illustrates this best when the trombones and soprano sax play the rich (written) harmonies together while the piano and drums swerve in and around, eventually one of the trombones will also break free and create an intense solo - the piece ends with trombones growling their drones while the piano sparkles minimal punctuation. "Portico Line" starts with just a repeating one-note phrase from the horns and piano, but soon each member of the quintet begins spinning around the repetition, which then disappears. The soprano and piano play one restrained minimal section while the trombones drone slightly twisted harmonies on the first half of "Prosperity" and then Myra plays one of her colossal two handed solos on the second half. "Amberjack" reminds me of Braxton's Ghost Trance music since it deals with certain repeating phrases as the quintet once more is broken into sub-sections - Chris plays a solo of quiet fire with Myra also pushing hard from down below while the trombones do their ponderous sustained note thing. "Tinfoil Barb" is the most minimal piece here - rather Morton Feldman-like with large amounts of space/silence between the occasional somber note(s) - adding densities slightly as the piece progresses and finally erupting towards the end. Challenging original music from a unique quintet. $14.

14.DAVID LEE MYERS-Ourobouros (pulsewidth 01) I remember seeing Arcane Device (David Myers) play his feedback looping box over a decade ago and being amazed by the sound of sculpted feedback that it produced at one of his rare sets. There were some half dozen releases and collaborations on albums, CDs and even a rare double 7". Mr. Myers eventually took his device apart and retired from music making for almost a decade. Recently David puts a new feedback looping device together, started his own label and has just released this fascinating CD 'Ourobouros' - it is great to have him back. The twelve tracks here are not named but do weave through a variety of subtle electronic textures. The sounds on the first track are rather like birds chirping, bowed cymbals, tape manipulation, soft hand percussion and similar sonorous tapestry. There are sounds that repeat but never for very long before they evolve into slightly different textures. There is quite a bit of high-end squeaking which would probably makes dogs howl and many of the sounds seem to be vibrating and slowly changing into something else. After reading through the Forced Exposure (one of our distributors) weekly new release catalogue, I have noticed that there is a movement towards stripped down electronics - thanks to Otomo, the MIMEO collective and numerous Erstwhile sound explorers. Myers seems to fit right in, since his music is all electronics based and seems to use little or no sampled sounds. Track 3 sounds as if he is sampling a crackly old record, but maybe not. The sounds here expand and contract slowly, they bubble and whirl and cautiously get more dense in sections, yet inevitably return to silence. Is that the sound of scissors snipping or the chirping of electronic insects? It really doesn't matter since all of this sonic scenery is so engaging and filled with suspense. Some of these alien transmissions take some getting used to, but this is quite a fascinating blend of sonic architecture. This CD is enclosed in a unique plastic casing with no unnecessary liner notes for only $10.

15.DR. EUGENE CHADBOURNE-Piramida Cu Povesti (Leo 304) The ever prolific Dr. Chad is back with another release to add to the ever-growing pile of diverse selections. There are those who complain of Eugene's vocals and wacky humor, so this CD is for them - since it features three very long solo performances for dobro steel guitar - inspired by Dr. Chad's bizarre eye-opening trip to Romania. Each track was inspired by a different set of circumstances while visiting Romania. The first piece is almost 36 minutes and deals with the fact that garbage can been seen everywhere, due to the poor disposal system in Romania. Eugene plays and manipulates his (acoustic) dobro with all sorts of objects - balloons, files, slides, picks and other items not specifically meant for a dobro. He takes his time to explore (rubbing, plucking, banging) different sections of the dobro, slowly uncovering a wealth of subtle yet strange sounds. This lengthy piece seems to tell a long and winding story which evolves through different sections and slowly unfolds as Eugene works his way through layers of string manipulations. The second piece is much shorter and is called "My Dobro had been Modified to Spurt Holy Water" which the Doc also quietly plays a variety of odd sounds all over his trusty dobro. The third and final work is entitled "This is Made to Frighten Children" and it refers to an innocent looking cartoon character who scares kids in Romania for some strange reason. Eugene goes even further out by often playing just sounds rather than plucked strings only - quite a strange array of acoustic sounds are presented throughout this other long piece. This is a much more subtle and restrained endeavor from the occasionally over-the-top guitar demon - so some much-needed patience is required to fully enjoy this more laid back release. $14.

The above reviews were composed by downtown historian, tape archivist and overly busy record storeowner - Bruce Lee Gallanter! 

16.John Cage - John Cage (Cramps/Andromedia CRS CD 101) A CD reissue of the classic vinyl album on Cramps (Why does their logo show Frankenstein? Does he have cramps? Arrrg Na!). A nice survey of John Cage's early and mid-period works with analog recorded warmth. Cage invented the prepared piano, the pianos timbre changed by objects inserted between the strings - here represented by Music for Marcel Duchamp (1947). A major work by Cage is 4'33" (1952), four minutes and thirty-three minutes of silence that force us to listen to our local ambient sounds as music. All I hear on the recording is the opening and closing of the piano keyboard lid. Radio Music (1956) features DJ Cage (actually the Italian performers featured on this recording) creating a collage of short wave radio sounds. Music for Toy Piano (1960) sounds like it's following some pretty strict rules, there are moments of silence but I also hear some canned cow talk. Mooo. The latest work, Sixty-two mesostics Re Merce Cunningham (Frammento), (1971) features some wild extended vocal techniques. $14

17.Gabriel Valverde - Luminar (Mode 94) Gabriel Valverde (Argentina) uses the language of late twentieth century music to create some really nice textures. Espacios Inasibles (1991-1992, Fleeting Spaces) for large orchestra plays with little melodic gestures and large jumps in volume. Resplandor de los Surem (1996-98, The Light of the Surem), this piano piece has a moody ambience. Terra Incognita (1992-1997) for string trio and electronic tape features large amounts of synthesized tape sounds with occasional appearances by the string trio. (My favorite track on this CD). El silencio ya no es silencio (1996, Silence is no longer merely silence) for harp is a nice meditation on the harp. Lots of paused silences juxtaposed with events. (Now I think this is MY favorite track on this CD). 5000 Voces (1994-1995) for mezzo, chamber choir and ensemble is a nice splash of the late 20th century. Liberal use of tuned percussion and large bursts from the ensemble, with sections of sustained pitch. $14

18.Giacinto Scelsi - The Piano Works I (Mode 92) Italian Giacinto Scelsi was eccentric composer. He wouldn't let anyone take photographs of him. He obscured facts about his life even to his friends and associates. His music was frequently improvised and transcribed by assistants. After his death, there was a bit of controversy over the authorship of some of his works, transcribers trying to take credit for his work. He was born in 1905, but Scelsi didn't really get wide exposure until the mid-1980s. He died in 1988. With an obsession with the color of sound, Scelsci wrote piano music that sometimes dwells on one note while dissonant chords march by. His piano music ranges from the agitated hammering of the first movement of Sonata No. 2 to the extreme calm of the second movement. An extremely fine performance by pianist Louise Bessette. $14

19.Giacinto Scelsi - The Orchestral Works I (Mode 95) Four compositions by Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi. The single movement Hymnos (1962-72) for organ and two orchestras starts out heavy but soon quiets down for a while to settle on some shimmering microtonal drones. About 8 minutes into the piece, up comes the volume, thunderous tympani and horns in waves. The mass of the first movement of Hurqualia for large orchestra is amazing. As is typical with Scelsi's music, the orchestra either sustains on one note or is obsessive with one note, the melody always returning to repeat on one note. Konx-Om-Pax (1968) for large orchestra and chorus continues in the same style. On this CD, selections from Canti del Capricorno (1962-72) for voice, with and without instruments are programmed around and in between the larger works. Soprano Pauline Vaillancourt and tenor Douglas Ahlstedt handle the demanding extended vocal techniques and overtone singing with ease. $14

The above reviews were written by David "mo' better harmonics" Beardsley. 

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