My Mom, Marilyn Gallanter Tannenbaum, turned 95 last November and has long been a positive inspiration throughout my life. We’ve talked twice a week for many years and she still worries about me, although I am almost 70 and no longer a child, she often reminds me to take better care of myself and do the right thing. She has guided me through many parts of my life. She’s been in and out of consciousness but we did get a chance to speak with her and tell her how much we Love her, how important she’s always been to her children, our step-family, relatives and the many friends she’s made in her long life.
Hence, this is a partial newsletter that I was able to put together in one day. I will be going back to Florida later this week so I am not sure when the next newsletter will be. I started the DMG newsletter around 1997 when I became the manager and then the owner of the store. First we put out a weekly one page piece of paper with just a handful of new releases & pictures of album covers. When email started to kick in, we started to do a monthly email newsletter, then bi-weekly and then weekly around 2000. So it’s been around a 1/4 century of weekly newsletters, our subscriber list is around 7,000 folks like you from around the world. Thanks to our many supporters, well-wishers, friends, music freaks and anyone who wished to be inspired by my/our enthusiasm for the things which still enrich our lives. We’ve just received an extensive CD collection (8 large boxes!) and have another large collection of CD’s coming in the next few weeks. We have quite a bit of moving around to do at the store, cleaning, re-organizing in order to fit, shelve, price and put out these many discs. I appreciate any and all donations.
Quick story: Last Thursday, I had to take two flights (to Atlanta & then to Newark) to get home. My flights were delayed due flooding in the New York area so I got in around 1 am at Newark airport. The last train back to Rahway (where I live) was at 1:46 am and I just missed it. Turns out that many trains were delayed that day so I was in time to catch the last train. Hallelujah! When I finally got home, I realized that I had left my keys in Florida, oy voy! I had an extra key in my wallet for my apt so I did get inside. The next morning, I was drinking my coffee before going to the store when all of a sudden my apt starts to shake, a very troubling experience to say the least. An earthquake in New Jersey?!?! Yes indeed! When it stopped, I heard a crash in my living room so I scurried out and discovered that my oldest custom made 9’ tall wooden record rack was leaning forward and all of the records on the top shelf had fallen out onto the milk crates below which are filled with CD’s. Around 100 of these records landed on the floor. When I looked at the pile, I noticed that it was my blues collection, albums by Paul Butterfield, Chicago Blues Anthologies, BB King, Albert King, Canned Heat, etc. On the top of the pile was a postcard for the Mike Panico Memorial Concert, which I organized for my good friend Mike after his unfortunate passing a few years back. The postcard had a picture of Mike smiling, his usual kerchief on his head and a lollipop in his hand. I was taken aback when I looked down at his image looking up smiling at me, on top of a pile of old blues albums. I said to myself that “it figures” and asked if Mike was trying to tell me something. A cosmic occurrence? Perhaps. I was shaken up by the earthquake and its aftermath. I am still quite unsettled by recent events in my life and am trying my best to remain sane and inspired. - Peace and Love to You all. - BLG at DMG
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THE DMG 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
Tuesday, April 9th:
6:30: BEYOND FLUTE GROUP: CHERYL PYLE - Flutes / MICHAEL EATON - Soprano Sax / GENE COLEMAN - Flutes / SYLVAIN LEROUX - Fula Flute / YUKO TOGAMI - Percussion
7:30: DEVIN GRAY - Drums / DAVID MIRARCH - Alto Sax / AARON RUBINSTEIN - Guitar
8:30: PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums / MATT HOLLENBERG - Guitar / RICK PARKER - Electronics-Trombone
Saturday, April 13th, 2024 - The GauciMusic Series Continues with:
6pm: NORA STANLEY - Alto Sax / JONAH PARZEN-JOHNSON - Baritone Sax
7pm: STEPHEN GAUCI - Reeds / PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums
8pm: KEISUKE MATSUNO - Guitar / SIMON KANZLER - Laptop / KEVIN MURRAY - Drums
Tuesday, April 16th:
6:30: DANNY KAMINS - Sax / SANDY EWEN - Guitar / MARC EDWARDS - Drums
7:30: NATHAN NAKADEGAWA-LEE - Solo Sax
8:00: FLIP CITY: DAVID AARON - Sax / NICK PANOUTSOS - Bass / DAVID GOULD - Drums
9:00: DAVE MILLER / GEORGIA WARTEL COLLINS - Bass / DEVIN WALDMAN - Alto Sax / DANIEL CARTER - Reeds-Trumpet
Tuesday, April 23nd: Passover - no in-store gig!
Tuesday, April 30th:
6:30: SALLY GATES - Guitar / TREVOR DUNN - Bass / ALEX KOI - Vocal
7:30: JAMES PAUL NADIEN / LAO DAN / JOE FONDA - Alto Sax / Suona / Contrabass
8:30: TODD CAPP - Drums / JOHN HAGEN - Tenor Sax
9:30: patrick brennan - Solo Alto Sax
DMG stands for Downtown Music Gallery and we are located at 13 Monroe St, between Catherine & Market Sts. You can take the F train to East Broadway or the M15 bus to Madison & Catherine Sts. We are in a basement space below an art gallery & beauty salon. We are on the east side of Chinatown, not far from East Broadway & the end of the Bowery. Admission for all concerts is free and donations are always welcome. We have concerts here every Tuesday starting at 6:30 plus Steve Gauci curates his own series here on the 2nd or 1st Saturday of each month. You can check out the weekly schedule here: https://www.downtownmusicgallery.com/shows.php. I post 1 minute segments from these sets almost every day on our InstaGram feed (if you don’t do InstaGram, you can still view these 1 minute clips on the DMG homepage, (a recently added feature), so please check them out and come down to visit when you can. - BLG/DMG
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NEW MUSIC DISCS FOR THIS WEEK BEGIN WITH:
DAVE DOUGLAS with JAMES BRANDON LEWIS / RAFIQ BHATIA / IAN CHANG - Gifts (Greenleaf Music CD-1108; USA) Featuring Dave Douglas on trumpet & compositions (6 tracks), James Brandon Lewis on tenor sax, Rafiq Bhatia on guitar and Ian Chang on drums. Trumpet master, Dave Douglas, has been a longtime mission to compose music every day, organize different bands, collaborate with other like-minded creative musicians, teach music and inspire others to play and run his own Greenleaf label, which promotes his own music as well as other musicians that he believes in. Every time I get a new Dave Douglas album in hand, I smile thinking about what Dave’s come up with next. We got this new disc in a couple of weeks ago so it has been simmering in my mind as I’ve listened to it several times so far.
Even before the first listen, I noticed a couple of things about this disc: Mr. Douglas selected local sax wonder James Brandon Lewis to fill out the frontline line plus this quartet covers four songs by jazz composer extraordinaire / Duke Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn. I’ve been amazed by the hard work, creativity and expanding catalogue of tenor saxist James Brandon Lewis, he is the Man! Although I didn’t know much about guitarist Rafiq Bhatia before he appeared on a previous CD by Dave Douglas (‘Marching Music’ from 2020), it turns out that Mr. Bhatia has two other records as a leader that I’ve heard good things about. Mr. Bhatia is also a member of Son Lux which also includes drummer Ian Chang. Mr. Chang has also worked with Mr. Douglas in a previous project called UPLift.
This disc begins with the title track, “Gifts”, which in introduced by solemn trumpet and guitar with eerie effects. Soon JB Lewis joins the fray to add some righteous harmonies to the trumpet and guitar. I love the way the trumpet, sax and guitar float around another in spacious warm waves. Mr. Bhatia’s guitar sounds a bit like Bill Frisell with less tranquil and with more bite. “Kind of Teal” is slow, simmering, laid-back sort of blues a superb duo between Lewis’ tenor and Bhatia nimble, spacey guitar with Douglas’ sublime trumpet floating on top. Next comes a suite of four great songs from Billy Strayhorn, “Take the A Train”, “Rain Check”, Blood Count” and “Day Dream”. This must be the funkiest version of “Take the A Train” that I can recall. Ever since joining the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Billy Strayhorn composed & arranged a handful of gems that fit Ellington’s ensemble perfectly. “Blood Count” has a dreamy, haunting sound and features some Mr. Douglas’ most poignant trumpet ever with some especially near ominous guitar from Bhatia and a most impressive jazz/rock guitar solo in the final section. Drummer Ian Chang is featured on the last Strayhorn song, “Day Dream”, revving things up in part, keeping the rhythmic flow moving through the quick and slow turns. Douglas’ trumpet and Lewis’ tenor sound like shadowing each other on “Seven Years Ago”, each caressing the melody and trading lines with Bhatia’s guitar outlining the form. It sounds to me like Mr. Douglas spent time writing these songs for the individual members of this quartet since each member in integral to the focused quartet sound. “Third Dream” is a haunting ballad with Mr. Douglas on exquisite muted trumpet and dreamy guitar from Bhatia. Dave Douglas titled this disc, ‘Gifts’ since the blessings of life and music are an inseparable gift. This music is also a gift to those who take the time to listen to something wonderful that this impressive quartet has created for us. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15 [In stock on April 16th]
AFTER SOME SIX WEEKS OF DELAYS, THIS DISC IS SUPPOSED BE IN STOCK LATER THIS WEEK:
PAT SMYTHE QUARTET with ALLAN HOLDSWORTH / DARYL RUNSWICK / JOHN MARSHALL - New Dawn: Live 1973 (British Progressive Jazz 023STC; UK) Featuring Pat Smythe - piano & Fender Rhodes Allan Holdsworth - guitar, Daryl Runswick - double bass and John Marshall - drums Previously unreleased and captured in 1973, "New Dawn" by the Pat Smythe Quartet offers a rare glimpse into a pivotal moment in jazz fusion history, particularly for fans of guitarist Allan Holdsworth. Recorded across two dates in France, the eight-track album showcases the virtuosic quartet at the intersection of jazz fusion, jazz rock, and Latin American influences, featuring an early and electrifying performance by Holdsworth, a pioneer of the genre. Pat Smythe (piano/electric piano): A veteran of Joe Harriott's groundbreaking ensemble, Smythe's avant-garde sensibilities underpin the quartet's fusion experiments. Allan Holdsworth (guitar): This early recording captures Holdsworth on the cusp of his meteoric rise, showcasing his already-astonishing technical brilliance and emotive playing that would later reshape the landscape of fusion guitar. Daryl Runswick (double bass): Navigating both classical and contemporary realms, Runswick's versatile bass-lines provide a steady foundation for the ensemble's sonic explorations. John Marshall (drums): Steeped in the avant-garde tradition, Marshall's percussive mastery, honed in Soft Machine, adds rhythmic complexity to the quartet's sound. The eight tracks on "New Dawn" traverse a vibrant spectrum of influences, encompassing jazz fusion, jazz rock, and even Latin American rhythms. Opening with Holdsworth's "Golden Lakes," the album then delves into Smythe's compositions, like "Rank's Vibe" and "Village Greene," showcasing the interplay between his piano work and Holdsworth's guitar. Edu Lobo's "Casa Forte" provides a brief but captivating detour into Latin territory, while Holdsworth's own "Floppy Hat" pushes the boundaries of fusion with its intricate textures. In contrast, "Waiting For The Walrus" offers a glimpse into the quartet's avant-garde roots, harking back to Smythe's early days with Joe Harriott. However, it's the title track, "New Dawn," and the collaborative epic "British Rail" that truly encapsulate the heart of the album. These compositions serve as prime examples of the quartet's ability to merge Smythe's avant-garde past with the burgeoning sounds of the future. "New Dawn: Live 1973" stands as a significant contribution to the history of jazz fusion. It documents a pivotal moment in the Pat Smythe Quartet's trajectory, showcasing their mastery of the genre and their willingness to push its boundaries. As listeners delve into this rediscovered treasure, they gain a deeper understanding of the innovative spirit that defined the group and the broader fusion movement of the 1970s. Artwork by Piergiorgio Cupellini.
CD $20
IVO PERELMAN QUARTET with MATTHEW SHIPP / MARK HELIAS / TOM RAINEY - Water Music (Rogue Art 0135; France) Featuring Ivo Perelman on tenor sax, Matt Shipp on piano, Mark Helias on contrabass and Tom Rainey. Some say that Ivo Perelman has released way too many albums but this is not how i feel since I’ve listened to and reviewed all or most of them and I know that each is interesting in its own way. Mr. Perelman always chooses great improvisers to work with and this cast is one of his best quartets yet. You can’t get a better rhythm team than this! - BLG at DMG
CD $16
DAVID LEON with DOYEON KIM / LESLEY MOK - Bird’s Eye (Pyroclastic Records PR 32; USA) Featuring David Leon on soprano & alto saxes, alto flute, piccolo & compositions, DoYeon Kim on gayagum & voice and Lesley Mok on drums, percussion & glockenspiel. I am not so sure when Cuban-American saxist David Leon moved to Brooklyn, but I have noticed him since he’s played at DMG, has three previous releases (with Chris Pitsiokos, Sonya Belaya & Florian Herzog) and helps run the Pyroclastic label). I’ve caught Korean musician DoYeon Kim play on a couple occasions, once at the last Vision Fest and earlier this week (4/5/24) at Roulette with Kris Davis’ new ensemble. Percussionist Lesley Mok is also a newcomer to the current Downtown Scene, replaced Susie Ibarra in Myra Melford’s Fire & Water Quintet and has her own CD out (‘The Living Collection’ from 2023).
In the liner notes by Mr. Leon, he mentions being influenced by Afro-Cuban music and ethnic microtonality. This trio seems like a good example of the type of music that Mr. Leon has created so far. On “You Won’t Find It by Yourself”, the trio played a stripped down, focused piece with subtle yet challenging parts. Ms. Kim plays a kayageum, a traditional Korean instrument with 12 to 25 strings. It is considered a plucked zither and looks like a koto (from Japan) or a guzheng (from China). Mr. Leon plays soprano sax on “Nothing Urgent, Just Unfortunate”, in which he bends and pops notes which work well with the ornery gayakeum and crafty percussion. Much of this music sounds composed with tightly played interludes and occasional improvised solos or flourishes. Even on the sections which sound composed, either Mr. Leon or Ms. Kim will improvise solo bits which always are adventurous and stand out. Mr. Leon wrote a lovely, solemn theme on “to speak in flowers”, playing quirky, slightly bent note alto sax, slurring each note with rich harmonies from the gayakeum and subtle percussion. Mr. Leon switches to piccolo on “A Night for Counting Stars” which includes poetry sung expressively by Ms. Kim. Later on int same piece Ms. Kim really lets it out singing powerfully for a short section before the song concludes. On “Expressive Jargon I & II”, Mr. Leon plays flute along with Ms. Kim’s lightly plucked gayakeum and Mr. Mok’s glockenspiel, which works out well. Much of the music here is closer to chamber music yet it still has an inventive modern jazz-like joyousness radiates throughout as well. Instead of being completely improvised, it is David Leon’s resourceful composing which holds this disc together and gives us something to challenge us. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
LOUISE DAM ECKARDT JENSEN / CAROL LEIBOWITZ / TOM BLANCARTE / JOHN BERNARD WAGNER - Ephemeris (Marsken Records MR03; USA) Featuring Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen on alto & soprano saxes & flute, Carol Leibowitz on piano, Tom Blancarte on contrabass and John Bernard Wagner on drums. I’ve known of saxist Louise DE Jensen and bassist Tom Blancarte for many years, checking them out in duos and in other projects like Home of Easy Credit and Sweet Banditry as well as Ms. Jensen’s own sax quartet which included Tamio Shirioshi & Chris Pitsiokos. I’ve also heard pianist Carol Liebowitz (of the Tristano clan) from her work with Nick Lyons, Bill Payne & Adam Lane. I hadn’t heard much from their drummer, John Bernard Wagner, before now although he is found in a trio with Adam Caine and Tom Blancarte whose CD was released in 2014, a decade ago.
This disc has five mostly long tracks. The opener, “Gnomon,” is the longest and it is slow, suspense-filled and solemn. Ms. Jensen has a strong, warm, dreamy tone on her alto sax with Ms. Leibowitz playing free yet majestic chords underneath, the rhythm team is well-connected, plying in waves together. Although Ms. Jesne and Mr. Blancarte have done mostly more free/jazz or in just free from improv in the past, their played has mellowed a bit and matured. Ms. Jensen’s near-lyrical haunting tone on “The First Dragon” is well-matched by Ms. Leibowitz’s feisty, free piano which seems to come from a more traditional yet free point of departure. Ms. Jensen switches to soprano sax here, taking her time and stretching out each note playfully. The piano, bass and drums are starting to erupt more intensely here yet Jensen holds back and plays a series of somber, ghostlike lines. One of Mr. Blancarte’s strong points is his bowed bass which sounds especially strong on “Almagest of Ptolemy” (an astronomy textbook). The quartet sounds as if they are slowing down time on this piece with things becoming more stark in the last section. “Theia” sounds like the bass is using effects or perhaps just being manipulated with with the bow or something else, the sax being played quietly, carefully with some vocal-like sounds emanating from another world. Ms. Liebowitz’ playing here is just incredible, uplifting and inspiring, free and filled with many kernels. Drummer John B. Wagner plays mallets on the last piece and sounds splendid holding down the bottom like a warm cushion. This entire disc is quite lovely in a way that can’t be described but can be felt. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
THOLLEM (McDONAS) with samples from TERRY RILEY / NELS CLINE / WILLIAM PARKER / MICHAEL WIMBERLEY - Worlds In A Life, Two (ESP-Disk 5071; USA) Featuring Thollem on Wavestate (Korg synthesizer) sampling the music of Nels Cline (guitar, effects & Mega mouth), Pauline Oliveros (MIDI accordion), Terry Riley (vocals), William Parker (contrabass), Michael Wimberley (drums) and Thollem himself (piano, organ & Wavestate). Over the past few years Thollem (McDonas) has led several different duos & trios with aforementioned musicians listed above, recording some six albums worth of material. For this disc Thollem has taken those samples/records and altered and remixed them. I recognize some of the music from this disc since i reviewed most of the above albums when they were released. Many of these sounds were strange to begin with and here they’ve been altered even further. On “A Storm and a Feather” it sounds like Thollem is playing an older classical piece on an old synth, rather Sun Ra-like in the sound. On “Vision Cells”, it sound like Thollem has taken an old electric piano and altered it. Since electric pianos and even early synthesizers have been around for a half century, they often sound ancient compared to current synths, samples or other electronic sounds. Terry Riley’s voice, which was featured in a recent trio effort with Thollem & News Cline is further sliced and diced here sounding like a small army of alien voices. I like the way the voices have been stretched out, slowed down, twisted, layered and turned inside-out. Much of the music here is warm, haunting, hypnotic, strange yet often compelling. If you dug some of Sun Ra’s solo synth bits but without being too weird then you might want to give this one a listen. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
VINICIUS CANTUARIA with PAOLO ANDRIOLO / ROBERTO ROSSI / RAFAEL MENINAO / GIANLUCA BALLARIN - Psychedelic Rio (Sunnyside SSC 1725; USA) There seems to be a patented Brazilian musical sound, whether it be the cool strains of bossa nova or the rhythmic pull of samba. Vinicius Cantuaria is a master of Brazilian music in its many forms, but on his new recording, Psychedelic Rio, he decided to turn the music on its head. Recruiting the Italian duo of Paolo Andriolo and Roberto Rossi to form a power trio, Cantuaria and the music demand to be played loud!
Cantuaria is well known to fans of Brazilian song. He began his musical sojourn with the Brazilian rock group O Têrço and continued making waves through popular the MPB, collaborating with the legendary Caetano Veloso, and cementing his credibility by expertly performing and recording the music of Carlos Antonio Jobim.
The past few decades have found Cantuaria branching even farther afield for collaborations. A few years ago, Cantuaria was approached by bassist Paolo Andriolo at a concert in Rio de Janeiro. A fantastic bassist and Brazilian music lover, Andriolo wanted to see if Cantuaria would be interesting in working together. The two met during the following week and began jamming at Cantuaria’s home.
Andriolo then introduced Cantuaria to his friend and collaborator, drummer Roberto Rossi. Within in three weeks, the trio had found a musical bond and began to visit Jupiter Studios to jam and record the bulk of the material on this album.
The music they created is set apart by the musicians’ approach and instrumentation. Rather than play the customary acoustic guitar, Cantuaria chose to play his electric Fender guitar over the Italian duo’s electric bass and drums. There was also a concerted effort to let the guitar’s reverb and distortion distort the harmonic complexities of the songs they performed, leaving a more raw and open sound.
The recording begins with an amplified version of Cantuaria and Caetano Veloso’s “Rio Negro,” which is propelled by Rossi’s insistent percussion and Cantuaria’s ambient-tinged guitar. The trio’s take on Alcyvando Luz and Carlos Coqueijo’s classic “É Preciso Perdoar” requires strict rhythm from the bass and drums as Cantuaria experiments with the harmony, allowing the aquiline reverb of his guitar create a unique atmosphere. Cantuaria wrote “Uirapuru” with the legendary percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, the title referring to a rarely seen bird native to the Amazon. The song is a lament on the rareness of witnessing the magic of the bird, though its song is commonly heard.
Cantuaria’s laconic ballad “Berlin” is a tribute to the city and its ghosts, as Cantuaria considers the turmoil the city has been through from war to occupation and the angels that seem to float in its silent night air. Cantuaria’s “Humanos” continues with a preoccupation on angels and how that however much people would like to be angels, they are only human. The musicians revisit a classic with Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes legendary “Insensatez,” which seems to float on the electric haze of guitar and guest Gianluca Ballarin’s keyboards.
The leader’s “Nossa Estrada” is a galloping rumination on the ups and downs in a relationship, using movie making as a metaphor, Cantuaria compares the switching of roles between actor and director in the relationship and celebrates the triumph of realness over fantasy. Andriolo and Rossi’s “Verde Mata” is a celebration of Rio and the beauty of the landscape, the people, and experiences therein.
On his new recording, Psychedelic Rio, Vinicius Cantuaria tries to give another vision of Brazilian music, one of intensity and power that will attract audiences that are looking for new sounds beyond those that have been connected heretofore to the Brazilian musical world.” - Sunnyside Records
CD $14
GIAN PEREZ - bambu (zOaR ZCD 150; USA) Featuring Gian Perez on solo electric guitar. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been able to check guitarist Gian Perez playing at DMG a half dozen times, each time in a different situation: solo, duos, trios and with different musicians each time. Plus Mr. Perez worked here at DMG for the better part of the last year as well so we’ve gotten to know each other better. I like that Mr. Perez sounds different in each situation and that he always enthusiastic in the way he plays. Starting with “There! A Gun!”, Mr. Perez is layering feedback or manipulated distortion along with some tapping on the strings. After the layers of distortion ends, the careful tapping continues with another layer of fractured picking and soft harmonics. Perz plays quietly on “Clave de F6”, playing a series of fractured notes, twisting certain ones and playing with odd rhythmic abandon. Perez plays quietly on “El Coque y El Grillo” yet still rubbing the strings with his fingers and creating a series of strange yet captivating sounds. Perez does a great job of using odd effects to alter his playing in a variety of ways: layering feedback as it pulsates and throbs with certain sounds effectively weird yet unpredictable in the way they were created. Perez plays a twisted Beefheartian bent-note epic on “La Mancha”, speeding up at points, altering certain sounds, tapping quickly, erupting powerfully at times. Perz plays some mighty strange jazz chords on the title track, twisting the melody inside-out, rather like an old song from another dimension that you only partially recognize. The last piece, “Banar en La Coca” explodes with a thick layer of furious strumming which could be overwhelming to the uninitiated but sounds just right to use focused noise freaks. Amen! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
PHILL NIBLOCK / ANNA CLEMENTI / THOMAS STERN - Zound Delta 2 (KarlRecords KR 115CD; Germany) A new piece by minimalist/experimental composer Phill Niblock (1933 - 2024), co-composed and performed by Anna Clementi and Thomas Stern. Intense, menacing layers of thick drones and alien sounds. In summer 2022, within just a few weeks and by pure coincidence, two proposals regarding Phill Niblock albums arrived at Karlrecords: one suggesting an overdue vinyl reissue of a CD release, while the other email was from Anna Clementi saying she and Thomas Stern were working on new pieces that Phill Niblock has written for her. When Zound Delta 2 was complete, Phill sent photographs for the two artworks, and Karlrecords met with him twice to discuss details, but unfortunately he died unexpectedly in January, 2024, so the album now is a posthumous release. An intense goodbye from one of 20th century's most iconic composers.
CD $17
ROLAND KIRK with VIRGIL JONES / CHARLES GREENLEE / GARNETT BROWN / HAROLD MABERN / TETE MONTOLIU / HORACE PARLAN / JAKI BYARD / NIELS-HENNING O PEDERSEN / RICHARD DAVIS / DON MOORE / JC MOSES / WALTER PERKINS / SONNY BROWN / ALBERT HEATH / ELVIN JONES / BOBBY MOSES - The Classic 1960s Albums (Enlightenment 9230) This magnificent set of eight classic Roland Kirk albums covers his most prestigious, challenging and magnificent musical output from the 1960s. American jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk played tenor saxophone, flute, and many other instruments. He was renowned for his onstage vitality, during which virtuoso improvisation was accompanied by comic banter, political ranting, and the ability to play several instruments simultaneously. This magnificent set of eight classic albums is an ideal starting point for students new to Roland Kirk's music, as well as the ideal go-to-collection for jazz fans of all vintage, covering the great man's most prestigious, challenging and magnificent music that he would ever make. Albums included are: ‘Reeds & Deeds’ (1963), ’The Roland Kirk Quartet Meets the Benny Golson Orchestra’ (1963), ‘Kirk in Copenhagen’ (1964), ‘Gifts & Messages’ (1964), ‘I Talk With Spirits’ (1965), ‘Rip, Rig and Panic’ (1965), ‘Here Comes the Whistleman’ (1967) and ’Slightly Latin’ (1966).
4 CD Set $18
NICK GRAVENITES and PETE SEARS with CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE / JIMMY VIVINO / LESTER CHAMBERS / WILLIE DIXON / ROY BLUMENFELD - Rogue Blues (M.C. Productions 0093; Earth) "Rogue Blues" by Chicago blues legend Nick Gravenites is his first new recording in 8 years and features songs he's never released previously. The stripped-down affair features special guest Charlie Musselwhite from his old Chicago days as well as Pete Sears and Jimmy Vivino.
Mr. Gravenites wrote "Born In Chicago" for the groundbreaking "East West" album for Paul Butterfield in 1965. Another classic song is Nick's "Buried Alive in the Blues", written and recorded for Janis Joplin's "Pearl" album. Gravenites scribed hits for Janis Joplin and had his songs recorded by Big Brother and the Holding Company (which he was a member for several years), Michael Bloomfield, the Electric Flag (of which Gravenites was a founding member), Quicksilver Messenger Service, Tracy Nelson and Roy Buchanan.
Nick Gravenitis is such a great no-nonsense artist...a huge part of the blues scenes of Chicago & California, in the 60s! Great songwriter and STILL performing & singing as great as ever! I've known Nick about 60 years and he's always been an inspiration! — Charlie Musselwhite
CD $15
MICHAEL CHAPMAN - Party Pieces (Live in Bremen 1975)(Made in Germany MIG 01042; Germany) Fiercely proud of his songs, but often dismissive of his live playing, his Yorkshire modesty belied the fact that he was one of the finest guitarists of his generation. Here's legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist Michael Chapman, nine years into his career. Starting in the folk clubs, Chapman kicked against the folk tag. His first gig was to get out of the Cornish rain, there's no blue plaque in Botallack yet, but there should be.
In a career spanning 55 years, his playing went far beyond folk, into his first love, jazz, improvisation, reggae, rock & even noise. It was this borderless musicianship & love of playing that connected him with newer musicians. Michael loved playing in Germany, they loved him & with three live albums recorded there in '75, this is clearly a case of right place, right time.
"Party Pieces" was recorded at the Post-Aula in Bremen, Germany in 1975 and is available digitally and on CD in a jewel case that includes a 12-page booklet with photos and extensive liner notes written by Marc Higgins.
CD $17
STEFAN GOLDMANN - Alluvium (Macro Recordings 077CD; Germany) Layered asymmetry: With Alluvium, Stefan Goldmann explores new structural paths for machine rhythm in irregular meters. Throughout the album, different non-binary patterns run simultaneously, interlocking into twelve offerings of jagged polyrhythmic magic. Such a framework may juxtapose eleven on one axis, against seven on another and five on a third -- building stunningly iridescent edifices of multidimensional time. This is the third album in a series of "first principles" research of metric asymmetry. Veiki (MACROM 059CD, 2019) laid the foundation for "real broken beat." Then, Vector Rituals (2022) explored the bending of grids in order to yield idiosyncratic forms of organizing time. Alluvium takes these two approaches and expands them beyond their initial reach: irregular patterns moving along parallel timelines within one unifying grid.
CD $16
MADELEINE COCOLAS - Bodies (Room40 4228CD; Australia) With Bodies, Australian composer Madeleine Cocolas unlocks an embodied tidal force. As many of her antipodean compatriots would appreciate, water plays a huge part in the understanding of Australia. Vast fluid bodies spill out from its shores and the dynamism and intensity of these oceans -- physically and psychologically -- act as a guide to the forms of this record. Like these fluid bodies themselves, the record shifts between violent ruptures, as waves of sound collide, before giving way to passages of rich lightness and near tranquility. From Madeleine: "Bodies explores similarities between bodies of water and human bodies and seeks to blur the boundaries between them. These works incorporate sounds of water I recorded on recent trips to the Australian coastline as well as creeks and waterfalls in Far North Queensland. I have taken these recordings and other recordings of my voice and breath and heavily processed them together with synths and electronics so that the boundaries between field recordings, vocals and electronics are also blurred. These sounds together create sonic collages that move in ways to emulate rhythmic cycles that can be found in both water and humans such as waves, pulses and currents. In many ways I consider Bodies to be a companion album to Spectral (RM 4167CD, 2022). Whilst Spectral explores the idea of sounds evoking memories and emotions, Bodies is about being present in your body. Sounds wash over you in ways that are sometimes comforting and inviting and in other moments are overwhelming and dark, but it is in those moments of intensity that I invite people to breathe through that discomfort with the knowledge that time will pass and that moment will move on. When I listen back to these pieces, I often imagine I'm floating on my back with my ears half submerged in the water, being pulled back and forth by currents and tides with a sense of vulnerability and release."
CD $18
LP SECTION:
ADAM RUDOLPH / TYSHAWN SOREY - Archaisims (Defkaz Records FK018; Meta/Yeros7; USA) Featuring Tyshawn Sorey on drumset & percussion and Adam Rudolph on handrumset, kongos, djembe, Tanja, thumb piano, slit dums, temple blocks, overtone flute, shakers and assorted percussion. This album was recorded live at the Zurcher Gallery in NYC on December 16th or 2021. Both of these dudes are master percussionists who come from very different sets of experiences. Both are influenced by and work with a wealth of genres, styles, ethnic and historic ideas. This album is warm, clean and superbly recorded, mixed and mastered. Mr. Rudolph usually plays one or two of his varied percussion instruments at a time, slowly working his way around his large percussion kit. Tyshawn Sorey, who received his doctorate and teaches, has been garnering attention for this modern classical and operatic compositions for the past few years. Mr. Sorey is also one of the best modern jazz drummers to emerge from the Downtown Scene in many years. There is quite a bit of focused attention to each sound whether played on drums, cymbals, gongs, pieces of metal or wood, etc. You can tell these these master percussionists are listening closely and reacting sympathetically. Each drum, cymbal, piece of metal or wood has its own sound which changes as it being played, both rhythmically, melodically and spiritually. The music often sounds ritualistic like a ceremony for dancing, celebrating the joy of being alive. There are series of grooves going on here and each one takes us somewhere else. The intensity or inner flame keeps growing higher and higher, reaching us through our own inner rhythmic flow. After listening to Frank Zappa’s writing for percussion for albums like ‘Uncle Meat’ and then checking out Edgar Varese’s “Density 21.5”, I realized that there was much more to the wonder of percussion than endless rock drum solos which were quite popular in the 1960’s. I find this disc to be quite extraordinary. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $32 [Limited Edition of 300]
HU VIBRATIONAL with ADAM RUDOLPH / ALEXIS MARCELO / BRAHIM FRIGANE / EIVIND AARSET / HAMID DRAKE / MARCO CAPPELLI / JAN BANG / HARRIS EISENSTADT / MUNYUNGO JACKSON / et al - Timeless (Meta 028LP; USA) Hu Vibrational was founded by Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph, who originally met at a drum shop in Chicago many years and have worked together on and off ever since. Hu Vibrational emerged around 2000 and have always embraced Spiritual, Ethnic and Cosmic Groove oriented jazz... 21st Century Dance Music. Mr. Rudolph and Mr. Drake were joined by Carlos Nino and then Hu Vibrational took off to inspire all humans to get off their tushes and dance to the Cosmic Groove. This is the forth album by Hu Vibrational and each one includes different guests: Yusef Lateef, Brahim Fribgane, Bill Laswell, Steve Gorn, Alex Marcelo, Tim Keiper and Eivind Aarset.
The Cosmic Groove continues on their new one, ’Timeless’. There are 13 musicians on this LP, each one integral to the dreamscape, organic flow. Adam Rudolph has collaborated with Jon Hassell on several albums, which Hassell refers to Fourth World Music, which blends several rhythmic, ethnic, acoustic and electronics streams. So too this music also blends these ritualistic sounding vibrations/sounds. I caught Mr. Rudolph’s new Sunrise Quartet at The Stone last Saturday (4/6/24) which included Kaoro Watanabe, Alexis Marcelo and Stephen Haynes. The music was spacious, Cosmic, dream-like, calm at the center and often mesmerizing. The same can be said of the music here. Each of the 9 songs here has its own hypnotic groove. It is often quite funky but never crass, commercial, overdone or predictable. I love the way this music is often skeletal, no need for too much busyness. It feels just right. I’ve been very stressed out recently due to my Mom being in a hospice, an earthquake which knocked my blues LP collection off the shelf and onto the floor and the slow sales of CD’s at DMG. ’Timeless’ sounds like Sonic Medicine which is most soothing, refreshing, inspiring and engaging. Reasons to cheerful, part 4. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $32
SUN RA - Outer Spaceways Incorporated (Gold Vinyl)(Org Music 2014G-LP; USA) Gold-color vinyl. "Sun Ra's Arkestra was at its most radical during this period, alternating simple chants with very outside playing and dense ensembles. Although no precise date is given, these five cuts are thought to have been documented circa 1967 - 1968 by Sun Ra (piano) and his Arkestra in New York City, where the band was in residence at the time. A must have for any serious avant-garde jazz fan."
LP $26 [Limited Edition]
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ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE, Around the world.
If you have a link for some music that you are working on and want to share it with the folks who read the DMG Newsletter, please send the link to DMG at DMG@Downtownmusicgallery.com
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THE STONE RESIDENCIES - gabby fluke-mogul - APRIL 10-13
4/10 Wednesday
8:30 pm - SANITY - Fred Frith (guitar, violin) gabby fluke-mogul (violin)
4/11 Thursday
8:30 pm - AM/FM - Ava Mendoza (electric guitar) gabby fluke-mogul (violin)
4/12 Friday
8:30 pm - XXE - Tcheser Holmes (drums) Mara Rosenbloom (piano) gabby fluke-mogul (violin)
4/13 Saturday
8:30 pm - DUO - Zeena Parkins (electric harp) gabby fluke-mogul (violin)
THE STONE is located in
The New School at the Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th Street - near 6th ave
LIVE MUSIC
wed-sat
music at 8:30pm
ADMISSION
$20 per set
unless otherwise noted
cash only payment
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnWxohqx4tY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj8-LKNXKuE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy9PwsO5umk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQ7nvA68pA
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IF YOU ARE A CANTERBURY/ROCK IN OPPOSITION FAN OF Bands like SOFT MACHINE, HENRY COW, MAGMA, etc…
Then you should check out the writing & interviewing by Rick Rees, who has a mailing list/website dedicated to Giorgio Gomelsky. Every month, Mr. Rees (who call himself a non-writer, no so says I), sends out an interview with different musicians that Mr. Gomelsky was involved with throughout his long music career. This month’s installment featuring a long interview with Chris Cutler and Maggie Thomas, who did album cover artwork for Virgin Records. The interview with Chris Cutler is long, fascinating and exhausting! Being a Henry Cow, Soft Machine & other Canterbury bands/musicians fanatic myself, I learned quite from these interviews! You can subscribe here: rickrees@substack.com
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CHRIS CUTLER
Formerly of HENRY COW, THE ART BEARS, NEWS FOR BABEL & RECOMMENDED RECORDS (ReR) has been creating an ongoing series of podcasts called the Probes series. I am often fascinated at listening to each of these as Mr. Cutler does an incredible job of showing a deep history of Creative Music in the 20th century & beyond. I usually listen to these on the train to NYC that I take to get to work each day. The most recent Probes (#36) was released a few weeks ago, here is the links:
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-37
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-36
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-362-auxiliaries
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ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com
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