Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Wonderful Kwanzaa!
...from all at DMG to YOU!

just under the wire and in:

AMM with Schlippenbach..and Butcher! Tim Berne Buffalo Collision! Kevin Ayers Box Set! Zappa Wazoo live! Sun Ra in Egypt! Hideki/Yoshihide Green Zone!

Henry Grimes solo! Pierre Dorge! Graham Bond with McLaughlin/Bruce/Baker! Jauniaux/Cora/Gilonis Hat Shoes! John Randall Qnt [damn! shades of the Softs!]

Stan Tracey early works! Elliot Carter's works at age 100 - and still going strong! Hampton Grease Band reunion DVD!



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THE DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY BENEFIT II to HELP with OUR MOVING EXPENSES:

This Saturday, December 20th at 8:00 pm at Roulette (note new time)

Featuring:

JOHN ZORN / LOUIE BELOGENIS / SHANIR BLUMENKRANZ / KENNY WOLLESEN!

And THE DOWNTOWN HORNS!
Featuring: ROY CAMPBELL, SABIR MATEEN & DANIEL CARTER!

Admission is $25

Reservations can be made only through dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com
Roulette is located in Soho at 20 Greene St (between Canal & Grand Sts)


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The 2008 comments/lists:

Bruce Lee Gallanter - 101 Recommended Recordings, all of them available and orderable!


AMM [EDDIE PREVOST/JOHN TILBURY] With JOHN BUTCHER - Trinity (Matchless 71; UK)
ANGLES - Every Woman Is A Tree (Clean Feed 112; Portugal)
LOTTE ANKER/SYLVIE COURVOISIER/IKUE MORI - Alien Huddle (Intakt 144; Switzerland)
LOTTE ANKER / CRAIG TABORN / GERALD CLEAVER - Live At The Loft (Ilk 148; EEC)
ATOMIC/SCHOOL DAYS [KEN VANDERMARK/JEB BISHOP/INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE] - Distil [2 CD set] (Okka 12073; USA)
MICHAEL BATES' OUTSIDE SOURCES With RUSS JOHNSON/QUINSIN NACHOF/JEFF DAVIS - Clockwise (Greenleaf 09; USA)
BAUER 4 [JOHANNES BAUER/CONNY [KONRAD] BAUER/MATTHIAS BAUER /LOUIS RASTIG] - Family Affairs (Jazzwerkstatt 23; Germany)
CONNY [KONRAD] BAUER/GIANLUIGI TROVESI/DIETRICH DIESNER /TONY OXLEY - Live At Jazzwerkstatt Pirtz (Jazzwerkstatt 32; Germany)
JAMIE BAUM SEPTET - Solace (Sunnyside 1193; USA)
FARUQ Z BEY & NORTHWOODS IMPROVISERS//TIMOTHY O'BRIEN & ANDREW BARE, dirs. - Journey Into The Valley [DVD + CD] (Entropy 017; USA)
RAOUL BJORKENHEIM/WILLIAM PARKER/HAMID DRAKE - DMG @ The Stone Vol 2: December 26 2006 (DMG ARC 722)
ANTHONY BRAXTON 12+1TET - (Victoriaville) 2007 (Victo 109; Quebec)
ANTHONY BRAXTON//GENEVIEVE FOCCROULLE - Piano Music 1968-2000 [9 CD Box Set] (Leo 901-909; UK)
ANTHONY BRAXTON - Solo Live At Gasthof Heidelberg Loppem 2005: Compositions 307, 308, 309 [4 CD Set] (Locusloppem; Austria)
ANTHONY BRAXTON - Nine Compositions (DVD) 2003 [DVD-Audio] (Rastascan 60; USA)
ANTHONY BRAXTON/MILFORD GRAVES/WILLIAM PARKER - Beyond Quantum (Tzadik 7626; USA)
ANTHONY BRAXTON QUARTET With TAYLOR HO BYNUM/MARY HALVORSON/KATHERINE YOUNG - Comp. 367B (Moscow) 2008 (Leo 518; UK)
ANTHONY BRAXTON & THE AIM TORONTO ORCHESTRA - Creative Orchestra (Guelph) 2007 (Line 29/Spool 130; Canada)
ROB BROWN ENSEMBLE With CRAIG TABORN/WILLIAM PARKER/GERALD CLEAVER - Crown Trunk Root Funk (AUM 44; USA)
TAYLOR HO BYNUM SEXTET With JESSICA PAVONE/MARY HALVORSON - Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths (hat ology 675; Switzerland)
ROY CAMPBELL Jr ENSEMBLE With BILLY BANG/BRYAN CARROTT - Akhenaten Suite (AUM 45)
DANIELE CAVALLANTI/TIZIANO TONONI With JENNY SCHEINMAN et al - Rings Of Fire (Long Song 110; Italy)
CLEAR FRAME [LOL COXHILL/CHARLES HAYWARD/HUGH HOPPER/ORPHY ROBINSON] + ROBERT WYATT - Clear Frame (Continuity 01)
COSMOLOGIC [MICHAEL DESSEN/JASON ROBINSON/SCOTT WALTON /NATHAN HUBBARD] - Eyes In The Back Of My Head (Cuneiform 263)
THE COSMOSAMATICS [w/ SONNY SIMMONS/MICHAEL MARCUS] - Free Within The Law (Not Two 792; Poland)
JEREMIAH CYMERMAN - In Memory of the Labyrinth System (Tzadik 8049; USA)
BILL DIXON ORCHESTRA - 17 Musicians In Search of A Sound: Darfur (In Concert at Vision Festival XII) (AUM 46; USA)
PAUL DUNMALL/SIMON PICARD/PAUL ROGERS/CHRISTIAN WEBER/TONY LEVIN - London Meets Altburon [3 CD set/Limited Ed] (Duns 060; UK)
PAUL DUNMALL/PAUL ROGERS - Regeneration (FMR 244; UK)
PAUL DUNMALL/TONY BIANCO - Spirits Past And Future (Duns 062; UK)
TREVOR DUNN - Four Films [sndtck s] (Tzadik 7518; USA)
JOHN ESCREET With DAVID BINNEY/TYSHAWN SOREY - Consequences (Posi-tone 8042)
ELLERY ESKELIN/SYLVIE COURVOISIER - Every So Often (Prime Source 5010; USA)
PETER EVANS/TOM BLANCARTE - Sparks (Creative Sources 119; Portugal)
PETER EVANS/JAMES FEI/DAMON SMITH/WEASEL WALTER - Evans/Fei/Smith/Walter (ugExplode 29)
[ERIK FRIEDLANDER/TREVOR DUNN/MIKE SARIN] BROKEN ARM TRIO - Broken Arm Trio (Skipstone 02; USA)
FRED FRITH - To Sail, To Sail (Tzadik 7625)
FRED FRITH & DANIELLE PALARDY ROGER - Pas De Deux Nouveau (AM 175; Canada)
SATOKO FUJII MA-DO With NATSUKI TAMURA/NORIKATSU KOREYASI/AKIRA KORIKOSHI - Heat Wave (Not Two 806; EEC)
SATOKO FUJII ORCHESTRA NY - Summer Suite (Libra 215-023; Japan)
STEPHEN GAUCI'S BASSO CONTINUO - Nidihyansana (Clean Feed 101; Portugal)
FRODE GJERSTAD With WILLIAM PARKER/HAMID DRAKE - On Reade Street (FMR 256; UK)
FRODE GJERSTAD & CIRCULASIONE TOTALE ORCHESTRA - Open Port: Yellow Bass & Silver Cornet (In Memory of Johnny Mbizo Dyani and John Stevens) (Circulasione 09; EEC) )
VINNY GOLIA - The Bb Saxophones: Music for Like Instruments (Nine Winds 289)
DENNIS GONZALEZ JNAANA SEPTET With ALVIN FIELDER/CHRIS PARKER et al - The Gift Of Discernment (Not Two 791; EEC)
BARRY GUY/MARILYN CRISPELL/PAUL LYTTON - Phases Of The Night (Intakt 138; Switzerland)
INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN QUINTET - The Year of the Boar (JazzlandNOR; EEC)
MARY HALVORSON/WEASEL WALTER - Opulence (ugExplode 26; USA)
MARY HALVORSON/JESSICA PAVONE//DEVIN HOFF/CHES SMITH - Calling All Portraits (Skycap 49; Germany)
JOEL HARRISON - The Wheel (Innova 220; USA)
MARK HELIAS' OPEN LOOSE - Strange Unison (Radio Legs 013)
[KATO HIDEKI / OTOMO YOSHIHIDE / UEMURA MASAHIRO] GREEN ZONE - Bayt (Callithump 02; Japan)
IDEAL BREED [JOSH SINTON/KIRK KNUFFKE/REUBEN RADDING/TOMAS FUJIWARA] - Ideal Breed [ltd ed] (KMBjazz 15)
VIJAY IYER - Tragicomic (Sunnyside 1186: USA)
KHAN JAMAL PERCUSSION AND STRING QUARTET - Cool (Porter 4018; USA)
CARLA KIHLSTEDT - Ravish And Other Tales For The Stage (Twelve Cups 01; USA)
JOELLE LEANDRE/BARRE PHILLIPS - A l'improviste (Kadima 16; Israel)
PEGGY LEE BAND - New Code (Drip Audio 18; Canada)
LUKAS LIGETI - Afrikan Machinery (Tzadik 8054; USA)
RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA With KADRI GOPALNATH & THE DAKSHINA ENSEMBLE - Kinsmen (Pi 28)
GIOVANNI MAIER TECHICOLOR With MARC RIBOT & ZENO DE ROSSI - Featuring Marc Ribot/A Turtle Soup [2 CD set] (Long Song 105; Italy)
TONY MALABY With WILLIAM PARKER/NASHEET WAITS - Tamarindo (Clean Feed 99)
MAYBE MONDAY [FRED FRITH/MIYA MASAOKA/LARRY OCHS] + CARLA KIHLSTEDT/IKUE MORI/ZEENA PARKINS/GERRY HEMINGWAY - Unsquare (Intakt 132)
SZILARD MEZEI ENSEMBLE - Nad/Reed (Red Toucan 9335; Canada)
LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO With MARILYN CRISPELL - Sibanye (We Are One): Duets With Marilyn Crispell (Intakt 145; Switzerland)
MICHAEL MOORE With ERIK FRIEDLANDER/GUY KLUCEVSEK - Holocene (Ramboy 24; Netherlands)
MOSTLY OTHER PEOPLE DO THE KILLING [MOPPA ELLIOTT/PETER EVANS/JON IRABAGON/KEVIN SHEA] - This Is Our Moosic (Hot Cup 82; USA)
[ROBERT MUSSO With RAOUL BJORKENHEIM/ELLIOTT LEVIN/DAVE DREIWITZ/JOHN 'LUNAR' RICHEY/ERIC SLICK] BOB & FRIENDS - DMG 16th Anniversary At The Bowery Poetry Club - September 22 2007 (MuWorks CR; USA)
LARRY OCHS/ROVA SPECIAL SEXTET/ORKESTROVA - The Mirror World (For Stan Brakhage) [2 CD Set] (Metalanguage 2007)
PAULINE OLIVEROS/MIYA MASAOKA - Accordion Koto (Deep Listening 36)
EVAN PARKER & THE TRANSATLANTIC ART ENSEMBLE With ROSCOE MITCHELL/BARRY GUY/CRAIG TABORN/PAUL LYTTON - Boustrophedon (ECM 1873)
WILLIAM PARKER ORCHESTRA - Double Sunrise Over Neptune (AUM 47; USA)
WILLIAM PARKER QUARTET With LEWIS 'FLIP' BARNES/ROB BROWN/HAMID DRAKE - Petit Oiseau (AUM 50; USA)
MARIO PAVONE DOUBLE TENOR QUINTET With TONY MALABY - Ancestors (Playscape 11508)
PHANTOM ORCHARD [ZEENA PARKINS/IKUE MORI] - Orra (Tzadik 7718; USA)
MATANA ROBERTS - The Chicago Project (Central Control 1006; UK)
[HERB ROBERTSON/DAVE BALLOU/DREW GRESS/TOM RAINEY] MACROQUARKTET - Each Part A Whole: Live at The Stone NYC (Ruby Flower 06; USA)
ROVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET - The Juke Box Suite (Not Two 786; Poland)
ADAM RUDOLPH'S MOVING PICTURES - Dream Garden (Justin Time)
ANGELA SANCHEZ With MARC DUCRET/TONY MALABY/DREW GRESS/TOM RAINEY - Life Between (Clean Feed 128; Portugal)
ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH TRIO With EVAN PARKER/PAUL LOVENS - Gold Is Where You Find It (Intakt 143; Switzerland)
ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH & EDDIE PREVOST - Blackheath (Matchless 73; UK)
SCORCH TRIO [RAOUL BJORKENHEIM/INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE] - Brolt (Rune Grammofon 3074; EEC)
SECRET CHIEFS 3 [JOHN ZORN MASADA BOOK TWO] - Xaphan: 'Book Of Angels' Vol. 9 (Tzadik 7364)
MATTHEW SHIPP QUARTET With DANIEL CARTER/JOE MORRIS/WHIT DICKEY - Cosmic Suite (Not Two 798; EEC)
ALAN SKIDMORE QUARTET - Impressions Of John Coltrane: Live At The Fleece [2 CD set] (ITM 920006; Germany)
WADADA LEO SMITH'S GOLDEN QUARTET With VIJAY IYER/JOHN LINDBERG/RONALD SHANNON JACKSON - Tabligh (Cuneiform 270; USA)
CHRIS SPEED/CHRIS CHEEK/ STEPHANE FURIC LEIBOVICI - Jugendstil (ESP Disk 4048)
SPRING HEEL JACK [w/ ROY CAMPBELL & JOHN TCHICAI] - Songs & Themes (Thirsty Ear/Blue Series 57183; USA)
THE STONE QUARTET [JOELLE LEANDRE/MARILYN CRISPELL/ROY CAMPBELL Jr./MAT MANERI] - DMG @ The Stone Vol 1: December 22 2006 (DMG ARC 721)
THE THING [MATS GUSTAFSSON/INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE] With KEN VANDERMARK - Immediate Sound (Smalltown SJ 105)
THE THING [MATS GUSTAFSSON/INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE] With JOE McPHEE/THURSTON MOOREl - Now And Forever: The Thing (Tribute to Don Cherry)/She Knows/Gluttony/Live At Oya [3 CD + DVD set; Ltd Ed of 2000 copies] (Smalltown Superjazz; EEC)
KEITH TIPPETT/PAUL DUNMALL/JULIE TIPPETTS [DRISCOLL] - Dartington Trio: Live at the BBC/Live At The Vortex (FMR 133; UK)
TRIO X [JOE McPHEE/DOMINIC DUVAL/JAY ROSEN] - 10 Years Of Trio X Live: Limited Edition Box [7 CD set] (CIMP OL 5006-12; USA)
[KEN VANDERMARK/LASSE MARHAUG/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE] FIREROOM - Broken Music (Atavistic 183; USA)
FRED VAN HOVE - Journey (PSI 08.03; UK)
TONY WILSON 6TET - Pearls Before Swine (Drip Audio 251; Canada)
JOHN ZORN - The Dreamers (Tzadik 7366; USA)
JOHN ZORN - FilmWorks XXII: The Last Supper [sndtck] (Tzadik 7371; USA)
JOHN ZORN//MIKE PATTON/TREVOR DUNN/JOEY BARON / MARC RIBOT - The Crucible (Tzadik 7372)

This list does not include modern composers or reissues / historic recordings (more than 10 years old). My detailed lists will be posted directly on our homepage in the next few weeks. - BLG

*****

Chuck Bettis: "My "top ten" list of releases from 2008 that should not be missed (from the 2nd hardest person to impress at DMG, Manny being the 1st...ha ha ha)" - in no particular order:

10 (ITTA & MARQIDO) - UFO ('10' 01; So Korea) AFRICAN SCREAM CONTEST [V.A.] - African Scream Contest - Raw and Psychedelic Afro Sounds From Benin & Togo '70s (Analog Africa 63; USA)
MARYANNE AMACHER - Sound Characters Vol 2 (Tzadik 8055; USA)
BOREDOMS [YAMANTAKA 'YAMATSUKA' EYE] - Super Roots 9 (Thrill Jockey 197; USA)
THE HUB [JOHN BISCHOFF/CHRIS BROWN/TIM PERKIS/MARK TRAYLE/PHIL STONE/SCOT GRESHAM-LANCASTER] - Boundary Layer [3 CD set] (Tzadik 8050; USA)
KAZUO IMAI TRIO - "Blood" (Doubt 124/125)
YAMANTAKA 'YAMATSUKA' EYE - Re... Remix? (Commmons 45795; Japan)
SALVATORE SCIARRINO - Storie Di Altre Storie (W&W 144; Germany)
SITAAR-TAH! - Semimimimimin [Ltd Ed of 700 copies] (Archive 32; USA)
YXIMALOO - "unpop" (esp disk 4047)

*****

Manny 'Lunch' Maris - "Chuck's comment notwithstanding, the truth is I've become very retro - new things don't impress me unless they are as exponentially ahead of this time as the things I already love were at their own time of birthing [so he thinks]. So, off the top of me head...Things you should have experienced before it becomes 2009 - it may not be pretty, but it will cut you deeply":

Listen: Zorn's Six Litanies For Heliogabalus, Blue Notes Box, Braxton Arista Box, Roscoe Mitchell's Nonaah, all Teiji Ito, Zappa's Grand Wazoo live, Soft Machine's Drop, Parker/Bailey/Oxley's Topography Of The Lungs, Peter Evans' More Is More, Braxton's 200 Mote...um, um I mean Creative Orchestra (Guelph), Command All Stars, and Braxton/Parker/Graves' Beyond Quantum
[hmm, even I've got Anthony on my list thrice. There ought'a be a law: ..everyone should be this level of genius!]

Watch: Cuaron's Children Of Men [2006], Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone [2001], Pasolini's Salo [1975], Kubrick's Paths Of Glory [1957], Welles' Touch Of Evil [1956], Aldrich's Kiss Me Deadly [1955], Vidor's The Fountainhead [1949], LeRoy's I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang [1932], Von Stroheim's Greed [1925] (the 8 hour version if you have a time machine)...umm, do you smell a theme here?

Read: Canales & Guarnido's Blacksad: Arctic Nation [2003], Frank Miller's Ronin [1986], Jaynes' The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind [1976], Robbe-Grillet's The Erasers [1953], Thompson's Nothing More Than Murder [1949], Lundberg's Imperial Hearst: A Social Biography [1935], The Private Life Of Benjamin Franklin LLD Originally Written By Himself And Now Translated From The French [1793], and if you're really seeking a challenge Immanuel Kant's Prolegomena To Any Future Metaphysics [1783] while listening to any Erstwhile recordings (perhaps while your masseuse gives you a happy ending ..not)


...yeah, i know this has not conformed to 2008, but though others might call me a record- [or film- or comic-] geek, i find organizing my thoughts about sensual intake counter-intuitive to the best joy - experiencing them eidetically.
Online dictionaries offer very poor definitions of eidetic - instead reference Chomsky's own in the foreword to Psycholinguistics - as I use it here it means 'sensation without relevant knowledge aforethought'.


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THIS WEEK'S GEMS!

Three new ones from Matchless:

AMM [EDDIE PREVOST/JOHN TILBURY] With JOHN BUTCHER - Trinity (Matchless 71; UK) Eddie Prevost (percussion); John Tilbury (piano) with John Butcher (soprano and tenor saxophone). Recorded at Trinity College of Music, Greenwich, England on 13th January 2008. "The tinniest sound is amplified by intention. Other noises are transformed into counterpoint. The music begins. Tentative suggestions are offered, politely ignored, admonished or not noticed. Serendipitous slips of the wrist are canonized -- pursued by conflagrations and spectacular shell bursts. Momentum is achieved. The music has an energy with which the musicians can wrestle, deflecting its trajectory or being thrown inconsequentially aside. Tempo defied temporality. Logic limps away. As suddenly as the turbulence arose it subsides, hovering portentously, unpredictable and uncontrollable in all those ways a serialist doesn't trust. The musician waits, trying to anticipate and out-think the unthinking but thinkable direction the sounds will take. Construction overtakes the constructionist, who can only nod approvingly as the piers and girders of musical form slot automatically into place. Here is the invisible handshake, enjoined before a motion was ever formulated. The music makes itself -- just as man makes himself. Here are volition, intention, determination tempered by acceptance of eventuality. Here is definition by action. I am what I am because I do what I do, acted upon and acting upon. The sound returns. The contra-bass drum resounds, its deep vibration sympathizing with the solar-plexus. The echo grows weaker and richer at the same time, as its lingering residue settles into the crevices of perception. The drummer raises the beater; then slowly and with conscious care withdraws the intention. No more sound is need." - Eddie Prevost
CD $19

ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH & EDDIE PREVOST - Blackheath (Matchless 73; UK) Featuring Alexander von Schlippenbach piano, Eddie Prevost drums; 1. (piano solo) Four Pieces as One 21.40"; 2. (drum solo) Blackheath Breakdown 19. 36"; 3. (duet) Skipping with Monk (AvS/EP) 25.52" Recorded at a concert given at Blackheath Halls, London, England on 30th March 2008. It has been an extremely busy year for amazing German avant/jazz piano hero, Alex von Schlippenbach. Besides the return of the Globe Unity Orchestra, there were two trio discs this year: 'Gold is Where You Find It' (Intakt) and 'Friulian Sketches' (PSI), a fine duo with his partner & pianist, Ake Takase called 'Iron Wedding' (Intakt) and the recent reissue of 'Piano Solo 1977' on FMP. Since British percussion wiz, Eddie Prevost, is also one of the finest musicians around, no doubt this duo is also something to savor. - BLG
CD $19

SEYMOUR WRIGHT & EDDIE PREVOST - Gamut (Matchless 72; UK) Seymour Wright (alto saxophone); Eddie Prevost (roto toms). Recorded at Trinity School of Music, Greenwich, England on 2nd April 2008. "The idea of music can inhibit musical development. The musical practice that Seymour and I share, and aspire to develop, is the experimental. It is an open engagement with the materiality, in our case especially materials that can make sounds. It is, I suggest, a mixing of materiality without general sensibility of enquiry. We wish to know the nature of things, we wish to invest ourselves into the nature of things. We observe responses to sounds and we want to develop a processive philosophy in which the investigative ethic is given full rein. We know from our experience that new human relationships can develop within such a collaborative practice. This is the art to which we apply our imaginations." - Eddie Prevost
CD $19



SUN RA & His INTERGALACTIC MYTH SCIENCE SOLAR ARKESTRA - Horizon: Live at Balon Theatre, Egypt 12/17/71 [aka Starwatchers aka Sun Ra In Egypt Vol 2] (Art Yard CD08; UK) In 1971, in Denmark, at the end of a tour, Sun Ra suddenly decided to take his whole band to Egypt. They had no concerts and no contacts there but Ra sold some recording rights to Black Lion to pay for the tickets and they flew out. They were stopped at customs and their instruments were temporarily impounded but they were let through as tourists. Then they booked into a hotel facing the pyramid at Giza. Word got to Hartmut Geerken, then working at the Goethe institute, and he quickly threw a concert together at his house in Heliopolis, for which Brigadier Salah Ragab borrowed army instruments for the Arkestra to play (he was later disciplined for it). Ra's Moog had made it through customs and a Tiger Organ was hired. One of the audience (of 25) booked the band in for a Cairo TV session the following day. Then Ragab persuaded the Ministry of Culture to book a concert at the Balloon Theatre (for another tiny audience: only the first 4 rows were occupied). Two more concerts followed - at the American University (for the cab fare) and the Versailles Club. They stayed for more than a fortnight, making a film while they were there and finally, by band-members selling various personal items, raised the money to fly home. These 2 CDs [Horizons and Nidhamu/Dark Myth Equation] contain all the released material from that visit (3 LPs) as well as unreleased material from these same sessions.
Horizon (also known as Starwatchers and Sun Ra in Egypt Vol.2) contains a big chunk of the now legendary Balloon Theatre concert (it burned down soon after their visit, as did the hotel in which the Arkestra stayed while they were in Cairo). The Balloon extract is an uncut block (tracks 1- 4 on the CD, side 1 of the LP) and features a lot of Sun Ra's all-hell-let-loose Moog soloing, as well as a great version of Discipline 2. The rest of Horizon is from the Heliopolis concert, kicking off with an instrumental version of Enlightment and Love in Outer Space (neither are on the original LP) segueing slowly into Space is the Place - followed by drum orchestra, more Ra soloing on Moog, Tiger Organ and detuned piano (bloops, hoovering, whistles, concords taking off) leading to a first lurching, then wild, Discipline 8. Two bonus tracks, for the first time restored from the original concert, follow: We'll Wait for You (with June Tyson) and The Satellites are Spinning - which ends in full-on percussion. A classic recording of a classic band in great form.
[in stock Monday] CD $16


BUFFALO COLLISION [TIM BERNE/HANK ROBERTS/ETHAN IVERSON/DAVE KING] - Duck (Screwgun 70020; USA) This abstract-expressionist combo consists of the alto saxophonist Tim Berne, the cellist Hank Roberts, the pianist Ethan Iverson and the drummer David King. On 'Duck' they improvise three long pieces, packing each with menace and suspense. But felicitous grace has a part to play here too - the frictions between Mr. Roberts and Mr. Iverson produce some dazzling sparks - and there are moments of extraordinary sensitivity. This is an album of rough texture, unstable rhythm, deep intuition and minimal ego. Its rewards will be obvious to anyone who savors the feel of an ensemble finding complicated footing under pressure. - NY Times
CD $15


GREEN ZONE [KATO HIDEKI/OTOMO YOSHIHIDE/UEMURA MASAHIRO] - Bayt (Callithump 02; Japan) Featuring Kato Hideki on electric bass, analog synth, baritone guitar, oud, violin, viola & water, Otomo Yoshihide on electric guitar and Uemura Masahiro on drums. Both Kato Hideki and Otomo Yoshihide were original members of Ground Zero. Kato moved to New York many years back and still plays with Otomo on rare occasion. This is the second Green Zone CD with the same personnel and it is just released on a new label called Callithump. Kato is also the organizer of another longtime trio called Death Ambient with Fred Frith and Ikue Mori. In recent years and especially on the third Death Ambient disc, Kato has been playing a variety of instruments, adding a wider range of textures and sounds to both trios. Otomo, who often switches between instruments (guitar, computer and turntables) and concepts with each of his projects is featured on guitar only here.
The first of two tracks is 45 & 1/2 minutes long and features some intense, stark unaccompanied electric guitar from Otomo, something we haven't heard from Otomo in a while. Eventually Kato's simmering bass and the drums adds to the suspense. Kato plays this hypnotic, revolving bass pattern while Otomo creates eerie sounds by scraping his guitar, the drummer playing some most effective mallets. The suspense and volume slowly build in slow rolling waves. Otomo takes his time and plays a superb, story-like guitar solo that is wonderful to savor as it unfolds. What this reminds me of is the soundtrack to a spaghetti western, very cinematic in sound. Otomo shows his prowess on guitar by creating stunning melodies with his tortured string bending. In some ways, Otomo recalls Neil Young in the way that Neil taps into some primal force when he wails on his guitar. This entire is long and thoughtfully constructed so that it takes us on a journey as it evolves. Drummer Uemura Masahiro is also spectacular and the perfect man of the job. The second piece is only 5 minutes and it is a spooky, drifting world of ghost-like drones. It sounds like a perfect ending to this extraordinary offering by Green Zone. - BLG
CD $20



HENRY GRIMES - Solo (Bass And Violin) [2 CD set] (Ilk 151; EEC) Since moving back to New York in July of 2003, after a disappearance of some thirty years, master bassist Henry Grimes continues to astound us all with his leaps and strides. Since his grand return he has jumped into the fire and played with other giants like Cecil Taylor, David Murray, Rashied Ali, Marshall Allen, Dave Douglas, Marc Ribot, Bill Dixon and so many others. This fabulous two disc set features an entire unedited and uninterrupted solo bass and violin performance. Henry takes his time and works his way through many layers and textures of plucked and bowed double bass and violin, digging deep into his most creative world of sounds. One would think that it is difficult to sustain interest throughout a long solo bass performance, but not here. This disc is superbly recorded and Henry's bass sounds warm, strong and life-affirming. I turned this disc up while listening to it at home and in the store and let wash over me like layers of warm molasses. It sounds and feels so good to me and no doubt will work its magic over you. - BLG
2 CD set for $24

LOTTE ANKER/CRAIG TABORN/GERALD CLEAVER - Live At The Loft (Ilk 148; EEC) Featuring Lotte Anker on alto & tenor saxes, Craig Taborn on piano and Gerald Cleaver on drums. The opening of the Victoriaville Festival in 2006 was a strong quartet with Marilyn Crispell on piano, Lotte Anker on sax, Mark Helias on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums. Earlier this year, Intakt released another trio effort with Lotte, Sylvie Courvoisier and Ikue Mori.This is the second disc from Lotte's other trio with two of downtown's best: Craig Taborn on piano and Gerald Cleaver on drums. This disc is live at The Loft in Berlin and it is comprised of two long and one shorter piece. It sounds like these pieces are all improvised and evolve organically. "Magic Carpet" starts with the suspenseful sounds of sax sputters, soft plucked notes from inside the piano and hushed percussion. The recording is quite superb and perfectly balanced. The three musicians have obviously developed a strong rapport. This piece is somewhat melodic yet most haunting with just the right amount of space between the sounds. Craig occasionally sounds as if he is playing a toy box with child-like melodies floating on top. Each member of the trio is integral to the way they evolve, building and intersecting slowly. Gerald Cleaver is one of the most resourceful, creative and imaginative drummers around. He begins "Real Solid" with some strong yet subtle mallet work. He provides the skeletal structure while Lotte and Craig weave slowly around him, an incredible tapestry of sounds and spaces. Gerald's playing is most melodic and thoughtful, balancing the soft with the slightly more intense sounds just right. Each member of this wonderful trio determines the direction and combination of textures until it is impossible to tell who in charge. Perhaps no one is in charge, yet the outcome is a well integrated trio that works as one sonic force, one world on wonders. - BLG
CD $17



THE SKEIN [ANDREA PARKINS/JESSICA CONSTABLE] - Cities And Eyes (Henceforth 106; USA) The Skein features Andrea Parkins on electric accordion, samples, synths, piano, voice & live processing and Jessica Constable on voice and electronics. This marvelous duo played a set at the old DMG store on 5th Street more than six years ago. I remember it well since it was one of those magical occasions that one doesn't forget and that my Aunt Terri and her daughter showed up unexpectedly and asked me if this was a normal Sunday at DMG? It sure was and still is as the Sunday early evening free music series continues. Hopefully we will continue when we move to Chinatown next month.
Of course, downtowners in-the-know are well aware of Andrea Parkins from her decade-plus work with Ellery Eskelin and Jim Black plus her other trio with Nels Cline (who wrote the liner notes here) and Tom Rainey. Both of these women can also be found on Ellery Eskelin's fine double disc called 'Quiet Music'. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from these two, but I was surprised by the wealth of evocative and expressive sounds that this fine duo pulls off. Jessica seems to be singing in some strange invented language (when she is not singing in English) while Andrea adds layers of kaleidoscopic electronic sounds that are forever in flux. Each piece creates a different mysterious sonic sound-scape, sort of like fractured fairy tales. I find this music to be quite hallucinogenic, like a positive acid trip with selective layers of sounds and voices floating through our collective heads. Sometimes someone will drop in a percussion sample or perhaps some spiraling seasoning, yet it all works to provide us with a fascinating journey through thoughtful inner space. Sometimes I feel a bit disoriented but then I remember that life itself is also unnerving at times. - BLG
CD $14

PIERRE DORGE & NEW JUNGLE ORCHESTRA [MORTEN CARLSEN et al] - Whispering Elephants (Steeplechase 31652; EEC) Featuring Pierre Dorge on guitar, conductor & composer, Kasper Tranberg & Gunnar Halle on trumpets, Morten Carlsen, Jakob Mygind & Anders Banke on reeds, Kenneth Agerholm on trombone, Irene Becker on piano & synth, Thommy Andersson on bass and Ayi Solomon & Martin Andersen on drums & percussion. This wonderful little big band from Denmark has been around since 1980 and this is their 19th disc! What makes them special is the combination of jazz (from its long history) with various ethnic influences. Pierre Dorge is a superb, diverse and an ever-inspired composer and arranger. The opening piece, "A Night in Hong Kong" has an infectious, somewhat Monkian swinging groove with strong solos from the trumpet(s). I especially love the way the other horns, piano, bass and drums spin tightly around one another in perfect orbits. Pierre's sly, crafty guitar is featured on "From the Same Tribe" and it reminds me of the way Frank Zappa played his own distinctive jazz/rock guitar with the Grand Wazoo band. This piece seamlessly switches styles a number of times, another Zappa-like device. The title track, "Whispering Elephants" features some quirky animal-like sounds played through the horns with some ultra-subtle yet tight ensemble playing. "Oda Eugenia" reminds me of the way Jewels & Binoculars plays those Dylan songs with a hushed elegance, while "Moonlight in the Woods" also captures some striking, thoughtful harmonies for all of the horns. I dig the way "Malamin Jobarteh" has this infectious groove with more tricky guitar from Pierre. Another thing that this band has going for them is that they sound as if they are having fun, there is often some humor involved in what they do. This disc is a consistently inspired endeavor with occasional moments reflection and lovely playing/arranging. The net disc from the New Jungle Orchestra will be their 20th, imagine that and try this one for a change. - BLG
CD $17


Speaking of which..!

FRANK ZAPPA - Wazoo [2 CD set] ((OR 82) Vaulternative 20072/Zappa; USA) The last of a series of eight stunning live concerts of the 20-piece GRAND WAZOO ORCHESTRA from 1972 under the baton of Frank Zappa and thoroughly described by him in the attendant booklet wherein he includes in the description, "A Grown Man Battles Natural Forces to Get the Right Tones from an E-Flat Contrabass Sarrusophone."
"I've been waiting 35+ years for this document - WOW! All Thumbs UP!" - MannyLunch
2 CD set for $28

FRANK ZAPPA - The Dub Room Special! [aka A Token Of His Extreme] ((OR 81) Zappa 20006; USA) All tracks are previously unreleased on CD and with the exception of the "Token" Vamp, appeared for the first time in "The Dub Room Special." [available on DVD]. The basic tracks from Inca Roads & Florentine Pogen were recorded live at KCET in 1974 during the production of our TV special," writes FZ on One Size Fits All (1975). This equally thoroughly rejected television program is know as A Token Of His Extreme. 11 tracks total.
CD $18


GRAHAM BOND With JOHN McLAUGHLIN/JACK BRUCE/GINGER BAKER/ or DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH/JON HISEMAN - Solid Bond (Rhino; UK) First time on CD!
Originally a double LP isued in 1972, it contains a good assortment of '60s material that Bond did not put out during that decade, and which remains unavailable on any other release. The earliest three tracks are rare recordings of long, straight jazz pieces from the Graham Bond Group in 1962 with JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, JACK BRUCE, and GINGER BAKER and Bond on SAXOPHONE! Historically they're interesting, particularly in their documentation of early McLaughlin, who solos well, though his blistering Mahavishnu fusion style was a long way off in coming. [those tracks are the LAST three on this CD: Hi Ho Country Kicking Blues (Bruce), The Grass Is Greener (Bond-McLaughlin), and Doxy (Rollins) - you should note this, as the musicians credit info on this 'budget' reissue is non-existent!]
However, Bond's outfits became much better known when he switched both styles [to R&B] and instruments [to singing organist] and formed the Graham Bond Oranisation.
The other nine of the 12 tracks date from 1966, with Bond accompanied by Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax and Jon Hiseman on drums (Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker - originally in the Organisation, had by this time left to join Cream). Most of those latter nine tunes did not appear on the two proper GBO albums he issued in the '60s (The Sound of '65 and There's a Bond Between Us), and though a few did appear on those albums and non-LP singles, these recordings are obviously different versions due to the altered lineup. While perhaps not up to the level of the best cuts waxed by the Bruce/Baker lineup, these Hiseman/Heckstall-Smith backed numbers are still solid jazzy R&B with that aura of faint menace unique to Bond's mid-'60s work. His singing is particularly effective in its drawn-out anguish on "It's Not Goodbye" and "Springtime in the City" has those uneasy descending chord progressions and creepy R&B black-mass organ that were Bond specialties.
CD $14



BILL GILONIS/CHANTALE LAPLANTE - Zurich-Bamberg (Ad Hoc 24; USA) Bill Gilonis and Chantale Laplante worked on Zurich-Bamberg intermittently for three years. The CD comprises a series of pieces that fall loosely into a category that could be called 'electro-acoustic Horspiel.' However, with Bill in Zurich and Chantale based firstly in Bamberg, Germany and later in Montreal, Canada, it was difficult to find a way of collaborating by conventional means. But, by ping-ponging audio file CDs between these cities they managed to develop a practical, and in some ways advantageous, composition and recording strategy. For this project conventional instrumentation has been virtually abandoned. What we hear on these recordings - collaged and sometimes manipulated via processing technology - is street noise, household clatter, fragments of radio, close-miked objects, etc. By and large the pieces are constructed from precisely the sounds that our ears are constantly and automatically filtering out; but by orchestrating these sounds into pieces to be listened to - as opposed to heard - listeners are introduced to a radically personal world.
CD $16

THE HAT SHOES [CATHERINE JAUNIAUX/BILL GILONIS/TOM CORA/CHARLES HAYWARD] - Differently Desperate (Ad Hoc 23; USA) Ad Hoc Records' new, four-panel digipack reissue of THE HAT SHOES' debut album will be especially welcomed by lovers of intelligent and thoughtful Progressive music, with a hint of Romanticism. Originally released in 1991, DIFFERENTLY DESPERATE is a studio offering of diverse avant-pop songs by a 'super-group', comprised of members BILL GILONIS (The Work), CATHERINE JAUNIAUX (Fluvial), CHARLES HAYWARD (This Heat, Camberwell Now) and TOM CORA (Skeleton Crew, Curlew). There's also a slew of well-known guest performers: David Thomas, Amos, Chris Cochrane, Tim Hodgkinson, Hahn Rowne and Rick Brown, among others.
At a time when most Rock In Opposition-type bands were well known for their serious musical endeavors, some branched out to offer a lighter, more whimsical side of the genre, often exploiting 'Pop' idioms and structures. This disc is one of the finest examples of that school of thought, and along with the related groups OFFICER and THE LOWEST NOTES, goes far to dispel the myth that RIO is only for those whose tastes are mostly academic in nature. (There's even a cover of The Archies' Sugar Sugar!)
CD $16

THE RED MASQUE [LYNNETTE SHELLEY/BRANDON ROSS et al] - Fossil Eyes (Ad Hoc 25; USA) Unfortunately: it's all too seldom that an American rock band will come on to the scene, seemingly out of nowhere, to shake things up on some sort of musical level. Fortunately: we DO have The Red Masque, who have a penchant to do exactly that. Singer Lynnette Shelley's vocal prowess is so extremely formidable, that it stands unrivaled in today's world of advancement-based music (what some folks still stubbornly refer to as "Progressive Rock"). Her vocal delivery, both strong and passionate, is insistently astounding, and whilst never overbearing to the intent of her lyrical matter, often lends a helping hand of credence to it. This is a sign of musical maturity, and far too few are willing to examine this presentation, or to strip away their own influences in the hope of creating something new; Thankfully, Ms. Shelley helps her style of music to break its own mold.
The band alongside her is comprised of top-notch musicians [Brandon Ross, Vonorn and Andrew Kowal], who compose and play a fresh new slant in a school of music whose major proponents lost their sense of immediacy long ago. They work long and hard together on the compositions, and it shows. Within the framework of "normal" instrumentation (meaning guitars, keys, bass and drums), and a few not-so-ordinary (like the erhu), The Red Masque exceed the parameters of PROG which time and again have reproduced formulaic results, and therefore go well beyond the norm of their contemporaries.
CD $16


KEVIN AYERS With ROBERT WYATT/MIKE OLDFIELD/LOL COXHILL/DAVID BEDFORD/DIDIER MALHERBE/GERRY F FITZ-GERALD [FITZGERALD]/MICHAEL GILES/JOHN G PERRY et al - Songs For Insane Times: An Anthology 1969-1980 + After The Show: Live At The Queen Elizabeth Hall 1973 [4 CD set] (Harvest/EMI; UK) 2008 four CD anthology that covers Ayers' musical career from 1969 to 1980; a period most fans and critics deem his best. Ayers remains one of Rock's oddest enigmas. He makes ordinary subjects extraordinary with his rich low vocals and inventive wordplay. He projects the image of a Prog-Rock beach bum writing about life's absurdities with a celebratory, relaxed detachment, yet he is also one of Prog- Rock's more important innovators, helping to launch the Soft Machine, and working with noted progressive musicians Mike Oldfield, Lol Coxhill, and Steve Hillage. Ayers' solo material reflected a Folksier, lazier, and gentler turn than Soft Machine. He was often compared to Syd Barrett, but without the madness and is never less than enjoyable and original.
Discs One to Three contain the Anthology: 49 album, singles, and rare, cuts!
Disc Four is called "After The Show": a previously unreleased live concert recorded at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 25th May 1973, featuring Ayers with his group '747' , comprised of Archie Leggett, Gerry F Fitz-Gerald, Cal Batchelor, Henry Crallan, Henry Smith, augmented by Liza Strike, Doris Troy, and Barry St. John. The epic version of "Why Are We Sleeping" on this is KILLER!
Plus, an incredibly detailed thick booklet written by Mark Powell, who also did the digital remastering here!
4 CD set for $35 [an amazing bargain!]



JOHN RANDALL QUINTET With PHIL ROBSON - Insomnia (TenToTen 760; UK) Chris Montague or Phil Robson - guitar; Mike Fletcher - alto saxophone/flute; Tom Challenger - tenor saxophone; Tom Farmer - bass; George Fogel - keyboards
Clark Tracey first heard drummer/composer John Randall's music in an examination context at the Birmingham Conservatoire, and was, in his words, 'totally mesmerised'. It's easy to see why, presented with these eight examples of Randall's craft: they're bursting with musical ideas, rich, dexterous, vibrant and original. The basic quintet comprises Randall with Mike Fletcher (alto/flute), guitarists Chris Montague or Phil Robson, keyboardist George Fogel and bassist Tom Farmer, and they don't so much move easily between as totally disregard as irrelevant genres such as jazz/rock, hip hop, abstract electronic music; Randall simply has all these types of music in his compositional palette and uses them as required by the demands of his varied and intelligent writing. Montague (who will be familiar from his work with Fraud, Troyka, the James Taylor Quartet) and Robson (no introduction required) perhaps draw the ear most readily with their spikily arresting, texturally adventurous playing, but this is essentially group music, infused with raw energy but refreshingly subtle and complex enough to reward repeated listenings. Recommended. (Chris Parker, Vortex)
CD $18

STAN TRACEY OCTET With HARRY BECKETT/ART THEMEN/MALCOLM GRIFFITHS et al - The Early Works: The Bracknell Connection/Salisbury Suite [2 CD set] (Resteamed 107; UK) From the Steam catalogue and for the first time on CD, The Bracknell Connection album and The Salisbury Suite album reissued together. Recorded live at the 100 Club [1976] and the Royal Festival Hall [1978] in London, there is also a previously unissued encore as a bonus track. Musicians include Art Themen, Don Weller, Peter King, Jeff Daly, Harry Beckett, Malcolm Griffith, Dave Green and Bryan Spring.
2 CD set for $24

TUBBY HAYES With TERRY SHANNON/JEFF CLYNE/BENNY GOODMAN - Intensity: The 1965 Tapes (TenToTen 759; UK) Please note: the Benny Goodman in this group is a Brit drummer, NOT the American big-band legend!
CD $18


HAROLD HAERTER With DEWEY REDMAN/MICHAEL BRECKER et al - Cosmic (TCB; EEC) Harald Haerter guitar; Michael Brecker saxophone; Dewey Redman saxophone; Philipp Schaufelberger guitar; Banz Oester bass; Marcel Papaux drums
CD $17


ELLIOTT CARTER - Happy Birthday Elliott Carter! New Chamber Works [H-SACD] (Neos 10816; Germany) [This is a Hybrid SACD (H-SACD) which is playable on any ordinary CD player]
What is most amazing about this is that Elliott Carter, one of America's greatest living modern composers, turned 100 last week (late December, 2008)! Not only that, Mr. Carter has continued to compose complex works well into his nineties, when most great composers his age are long since dead. Mr. Carter still attends premiers of his own works in New York and made the front page of the NY Times last week in celebration of his birthday and the festival of his works played in various concert halls throughout the city. This fine disc compiles seven of his pieces, all composed during the last decade of Mr. Carter's life when he was in his nineties. All of the pieces are either for soloists (viola & oboe) or small ensembles. I have been listening to one or two pieces at a time, since many of these pieces are rich in nuance and complex in ideas. Time for me to go back to some of the great Elliott Carter vinyl that I purchased sometime in the seventies when great records were cheap and plentiful. - BLG
CD $20


WILLIAM PARKER QUARTET With ROB BROWN/LEWIS 'FLIP' BARNES/HAMID DRAKE - Petit Oiseau [Ltd #d 2 LP set] (AUM/Shortwave; USA) "William Parker's Quartet is the premier outlet for his (and their) immense and timeless talents. The group's first two albums are universally recognized as still-revealing exemplars of modern music. Here now is the third album -- Petit Oiseau aka 'Little Bird' -- a wholly new set of melodically, harmonically and rhythmically advanced compositions rendered by one of the greatest jazz bands the world has yet had the good fortune to bear witness to. Insinuating melodies and counter-melodies, layers upon layers of sound unfolding through dancing in your head and with your muscles 'n' bones. The band uses the launching pad of Parker's indelible tunes to explore the far reaches of collective improvisation and then returns home to move it back to you here on planet Earth. So eternally much here to enjoy, wrap yourself in sound and get alive with. Named after Little Bird (or Petit Oiseau in French), a character from one of bassist/composer William Parker's tone poems, this recording features eight original compositions, including works dedicated to musicians Malachi Favors, Alan Shorter and Arthur Williams. Other pieces take their inspiration from such diverse sources as the inherent rhythm of life and the nomadic people of Northern Europe."Its blend of tight inside and out playing, demon-possessed solos, and relentless groove delivers like no other band in jazz,' declared AllAboutJazz.com's Jeff Stockton. JunkMedia.org's Troy Collins adds, 'This quartet exemplifies the art of jazz improvisation at its most telepathic level, a group that will easily go down in the history books as revered as Miles Davis' second quintet or John Coltrane's classic quartet."
Ltd 2 LP set for $30
also available on CD for $14


SIGNAL TO NOISE - The Journal of Improvised Music (Issue 52/Winter 2009; USA) Featuring a fascinating, long cover story on Cheer-Accident plus articles on Delmark Records' Bob Koestler, Bad Brain's HR, Philip Gelb, Allen Lowe & Celer. Informative live reviews of Jazz em Agosto in Portugal, Lou Reed & John Zorn and Turtle Island String Qt. Book reviews of 'The San Francisco Tape Center: 1960's' And 45 pages of incisive reviews of recorded music from the vast world of avant-garde and experimental bands. Still the best magazine for New Music around.
MAGAZINE $5


HAMPTON GREASE BAND [COL. BRUCE HAMPTON/GLENN PHILLIPS/BOB ELSEY/JERRY FIELDS/MIKE HOLBROOK] - Music to Eat: Live 2006 [DVD] (Self released; USA) If you missed it, then here's your chance to finally experience it! On June 2, 2006, the Hampton Grease Band reunited for the first time in 33 years to perform their legendary 1971 double album, "Music to Eat." The group included all the original surviving members that played on the record (Bruce Hampton, Glenn Phillips, Jerry Fields and Mike Holbrook), along with Bob Elsey (of the Swimming Pool Q's) filling in for the late Harold Kelling.
The show took place at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta before a packed house and was professionally filmed by director Barry Mills and a 5-camera crew. After 2 1/2 years of editing, Barry has just released the 1 hour and 23 minute DVD, and we have copies for sale.
DVD $18


HEY! What better gift than a DVD at our store!

DEREK BAILEY//ROBERT O'HAIRE, dir. - Playing For Friends On 5th Street: Live At Downtown Music Gallery [DVD] (Straw2Gold 02; USA) [limited time price - normally $19] 51 minutes/NTSC. Dedicated to Irving & Stephanie Stone. Filmed and produced by Robert O'Haire. This monumental in-store performance was one of the true highlights of the 11 years that DMG survived and prospered at 211 East 5th St., our old location, just a few blocks away from where we are now. We've done over 400 in-store sets, since we opened in May of '91, but this one was very special. When Derek Bailey told me that he would like to a solo set at DMG, I was honored and amazed. He had just gotten a new acoustic guitar, the guitar of his dreams and wanted to try it out in front of some friends. It took place December 29th, 2001; he recorded his Tzadik 'Ballads' CD that very same week, as well as playing on the latest version of Zorn's Cobra. Advertising was done just cryptically and mainly word of mouth, our old store couldn't fit more than 50 or 60 people at once. Derek was immensely charming, both playing that lovely new acoustic guitar in his own phenomenal and unique way and even told a couple of short tales for everyone's amusement. Our good friend and longtime Chadbourne documenter, Robert O'Haire, has done a fabulous job of capturing this intimate set just right. This is just the beginning for Robert's new DVD label, future releases include DVDs from Cecil Taylor, Dr. Chadbourne & even more. Within the next few months, we would also host a few other important solo & duo sets at the old store: Peter Kowald; Joelle Leandre; and a John Zorn/Louie Belogenis duet. Never thought I'd see my own smiling face (bottom left) on the cover of a DVD!
DVD $15


Ellery Eskelin has given us some of his private stash of sealed copies of out-of-print HAT CDs - don't hesitate!

ELLERY ESKELIN/ANDREA PARKINS/JIM BLACK - 12 (+1) Imaginary Views (Hat ology 584; Switzerland)
CD $20

ELLERY ESKELIN With ANDREA PARKINS/JIM BLACK/ERIK FRIEDLANDER/JOE DALEY - Ramifications (Hat ology 551; Switzerland)
CD $20

ELLERY ESKELIN/ANDREA PARKINS/JIM BLACK - Arcanum Moderne (Hat ology 588 S; Switzerland)
CD $20

ELLERY ESKELIN/ANDREA PARKINS/JIM BLACK - The Secret Museum (Hat ology 552 S; Switzerland)
CD $20

ELLERY ESKELIN With DREW GRESS/PHIL HAYNES - Forms (Hat ology 592 S; Switzerland)
CD $20
ELLERY ESKELIN With MAT MANERI/ERIK FRIEDLANDER/MARK DRESSER/MATT MORAN - Vanishing Point (Hat ology 577 S; Switzerland)
CD $20

ELLERY ESKELIN/ANDREA PARKINS/JIM BLACK With MARC RIBOT/MELVIN GIBBS/JESSICA CONSTABLE - Ten (Hat ology 611; Switzerland)
CD $20



KING CURTIS With DUANE ALLMAN et al - Instant Groove (Wounded Bird; USA) Curtis Ousley born in Fort Worth, Texas on February 7, 1934. Performing under the name King Curtis, he was a tenor, alto, and soprano saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and soul jazz. Tragically, he was stabbed to death August 13, 1971 at the early age of 37.
During the 1950s and early to mid 1960s he both worked as a session player on such records as Yakety Yak, and also recording his own sides - his best known singles from this period are Soul Twist and Soul Serenade. In 1965 he moved to Atlantic Records, issuing successful singles like Memphis Soul Stew and Ode To Billie Joe. He led Aretha Franklin's backup band, The Kingpins, and also produced recordings for others, also guesting on John Lennon's Imagine. He was capable of attracting the best session musicians to put in appearances for his own albums, including guitarist Duane Allman on this, his best known studio album, Instant Groove. Tracks included are covers of Hey Jude, Wichita Lineman, and Hey Jude!
CD $13


LA DUSSELDORF [KLAUS DINGER/THOMAS DINGER/HANS LAMPE] - Individuellos (Water 229; USA) "Individuellos, originally released in 1980, is the third and final release from these German proto-punk/Krautrock legends. Featuring Klaus Dinger (Kraftwerk, Neu!), La Dusseldorf is one of the most important progressive bands to come out of Germany in the second half of the '70s and their finest work rivals that of their more heralded countrymen Can and Kraftwerk. Ranging from ambient to sound collage to motorik synth and guitar workouts, Individuellos is a fine feather in the La Dusseldorf cap that is reissued here domestically for the first time ever."
CD $15

also available..

LA DUSSELDORF [KLAUS DINGER/THOMAS DINGER/HANS LAMPE] - Viva (Water 228; USA) "Viva is the second release from Klaus Dinger's post-Neu! group. Originally released in 1978, Viva is a stunning combination of washed-out synthesizers, swirling guitar work and Dinger's trademark motorik rhythms. Featuring the classic 'Cha, Cha 2000,' Viva is another fine effort from one of Krautrock's legends and stands as a testament of just how gloriously ahead of their time the German progressive rock scene of the '70s could be. An essential record, released domestically for the first time ever."
CD $15

LA DUSSELDORF [KLAUS DINGER/THOMAS DINGER/HANS LAMPE] - La Dusseldorf (Water 227; USA) "Upon the break-up of legendary Krautrock duo Neu!, drummer Klaus Dinger formed La Dusseldorf with his brother Thomas and keyboard player Hans Lampe. This, their self-titled debut, was recorded in 1975 and is a staggering mix of Dinger's trademark motorik rhythms, glammy synths, pulsing organs, and urgent guitar work that altogether create a sound that, at times, predates both punk and post-punk, no small feat. Featuring their European hit single 'Silver Cloud,' La Dusseldorf's debut record is classic Krautrock on par with the best offerings of Neu!, Kraftwerk, and Can."
CD $15


FLIPPER - Album: Generic Flipper (Water 231; USA) "The first record from San Francisco's legendary Flipper, originally released in 1982. Post-hardcore? Post-punk? Art-rock? Despite being a part of SF's punk scene, Flipper were really only punk in spirit, eschewing conventions and making no concessions. Sludgy, distorted, atonal, noise-rock jams that sound as urgent and heavy as they must have 25 years ago. A huge influence on bands such as Nirvana (their current line-up includes Krist Novoselic on bass) and The Melvins. Album - Generic Flipper contains the classics 'Sex Bomb,' and 'Life.'"
CD $15

FLIPPER - Public Flipper Limited: Live 1980-1985 (Water 233; USA) "Public Flipper Limited was originally released in 1986 as a double LP of live material culled from 1980-1985. The sound quality and playing are both a grimy, distorted mess, which suits the band just fine. Always alternating between endearing and abrasive, Flipper left no room for the middle ground of 'like.' The album title is a shot at John Lydon and his alleged plagiarism of Flipper's artwork for his own PIL [the generic Album] and it proves that Flipper was never opposed to alienating its audience, no matter how sanctified. Harsh, art-rock classics from one of SF's most important post-hippie-era bands. On CD format for the first time ever."
CD $15

FLIPPER - Gone Fishin' (Water 232; USA) "The second and final studio album for the original line-up of SF's Flipper was first released in 1984. Flipper took the 'punk' tag to extremes, as no other band in the world was playing punk this slow, sludgy, dark and disturbed. Featuring the haunting 'Survivors Of The Plague' and the public incrimination of 'Sacrifice,' Gone Fishin' is an art-punk classic that holds up alongside their more heralded debut."
CD $15

FLIPPER - Sex Bomb Baby!: Rarities '82 & Before (Water 234; USA) "Originally released in 1987, Sex Bomb Baby! is actually a collection of Flipper material dated no later than 1982, comprised of singles, B-sides, and compilation tracks. The single version of 'Sex Bomb' is an all-out classic, a frenetic, yelping punk answer to 'Louie, Louie' and the rest is no slouch either, outrageous, harsh, sludge-punk from San Francisco's finest. On CD format for the first time ever."
CD $15


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