A Dynamite Stack of Discs from:

Paul Dunmall Documentary DVD! John Butcher Group! John Shiurba Qnt with Anthony Braxton! Dunmall/Chang/Gibbs/Taylor! Daniel Carter/Paul Flaherty/Randall Colbourne! Zinc Nine Psychedelic: Dave Ballou/Nick Didkovsky/Kevin Norton!

Elliott Levin & Seesaw People! Dave Stapleton Double Quartet! Gino Robair & Birgit Ulher! Fabio Orsi/Gianluca Becuzzi/Etre! Anthology of Chinese Experimental Music 4 CD Set! ..and Gino Robair's Rastascan catalog!




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Downtown Music Gallery FREE In-Store Performance Schedule Continues with:

This Sunday, August 2nd at 6pm:
GIACOMO MEREGA / NOAH KAPLAN / MARCO CAPPELLI!
International Electric Bass / Saxes / Guitar Trio!

This Sunday, August 9th at 6pm:
TED DANIEL TRIO! With RICHARD PIERCE & JAY ROSEN!
CD Release Celebration from Legendary Loft Jazz Trumpet Hero!

Sunday, August 16th at 6pm:
CLIFTON HYDE Returns!

Sunday, August 23rd at 6pm:
THINK SHADOW featuring MICHAEL ATTIAS & SEAN CONLY
Amazing New Sax & Bass Duo!

Sunday, August 30th at 6pm:
PIERRE YVES MARTEL - Viola da Gamba!


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Earlier this week, GEORGE RUSSELL, composer, pianist, bandleader, professor and the ground-breaking philosopher who developed the "Lydian Chromatic Concept", passed away at age 86.
Mr. Russell's influential involvement with music began in the late 1940's when he composed "Cubana Be, Cubana Bob" for Dizzy Gillespie which successfully combined American jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms. The Buddy DeFranco Orchestra recorded Russell's "A Bird in Igor's Yard" in 1949 (referring to Charlie 'Bird' Parker & Igor Stravinsky), another ground-breaking piece which mixed jazz and classical ideas and which was ahead of its time. Russell's book 'The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization" was published in 1953 is considered to be one of the most important advances in music theory. In the late fifties musicians such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans were influenced by George Russell's ideas and began working with modal forms.
From the mid-fifties onwards, Russell has led a variety of important bands, smaller and large, with more than three dozens discs under his belt. A number of important musicians have worked with Mr. Russell like Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Don Ellis, Barry Galbraith, Steve Swallow, Bill Evans, Max Roach, the list is endless. George Russell's legacy is that he was always a few steps ahead developments in jazz. Like Don Cherry, he was one of the first American musicians/composers to work with European players in the mid sixties like Bertil Loewgren & Brian Trentham and by the end of the sixties he discovered and worked with Scandinavian musicians like Jan Garbarek & Terje Rypdal & Manfred Schoof (from Germany), once again anticipating "fusion" before it was coined.
Russell had a number of different big bands in New York, England and including past & present students from his teaching gig at New England Conservatory for more than two decades. A number of his important pieces were played & recorded a different times throughout his long career.
As I work my way through some 20 discs that I own, I am constantly amazed at the freshness, inventiveness and exuberance found on all of them. What a remarkable man he was! Here's a short list of 5 of my favorites [although not all are in print at the moment]:

1.GEORGE RUSSELL - New York, New York (Impulse! 278) recorded 1958
2.GEORGE RUSSELL - Ezz-Thetics (Riverside OJC 070) rec 1961
3.GEORGE RUSSELL - The Essense of George Russell (Soul Note 121044) rec 1966-'67
4.GEORGE RUSSELL'S N. Y. BIG BAND - Live in American Time Spiral (Soul Note) 1983
5.GEORGE RUSSELL & THE LIVING TIME ORCHESTRA - The African Game (Blue Note 81503) 1985


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PAUL DUNMALL//TREVOR TAYLOR, dir. - Deep: A Documentary about Paul Dunmall [DVD] (FMR DVD 03; UK) This DVD tells the whole Paul Dunmall story. Featuring video clips Keith Tippett Big Band, Danny Thompson, Mujician, the Profound Trio (with Henry Grimes & Andrew Cyrille) and working with contemporary classical composers: Brian Irvine & Edd Bennett. Plus interviews with musicians: Hamid Drake, Tony Levin, Keith Tippett, Phil Gibbs, Tony Marsh and Paul Rogers, as well as with journalists and close friends: Steve Lake, Phillipe Renaud, Bernard Lyons, and yours truly Bruce Lee Gallanter.
The DVD tells Mr. Dunmall's life story through interview footage with him in his home and on the radio. He talks about the influence of John Coltrane and the spirituality of music. There a snippets of Trane's quartet playing while Dunmall discusses the importance of Trane's music. After a BBC interview Dunmall makes his way to the new Vortex Club in north London where he will be playing with bassist Nick Stephens & drummer Tony Marsh. Paul discusses his entire life in music and search for spirituality and where it took him, eventually joining an ashram and meeting & playing with Alice Coltrane. Paul lived in the US in the early 70's and played with blues & funk bands like Johnny Guitar Watson's. Moving back to England he was a member of early 70's prog band Marsupilami. Inspired by South African expatriate drummer, Paul began to meet and playing a variety of other UK musicians like Paul Rogers, Simon Picard, Tim Richards, etc. By the end of the eighties, Dunmall had decided to pursue improvised music (almost) exclusively. By the early 90's Mujician had formed (w/ Keith Tippett, Paul Rogers & Tony Levin) and Paul was also playing with the London Jazz Composers Orchestra. Mujician, who are still playing together after 20 years, are perhaps the culmination of what Dunmall has been building to since he started his musical and spiritual path. Even the short excerpt of Mujician hints at the extraordinary sound and power. We also get an excerpt from their collaboration with a Georgian Orchestra (from Russia) with playing a blisterin' tenor solo!
One performance captured here takes place in France & features Fred Van Hove, Dunmall, Paul Rogers and Paul Lytton. Dunmall gets a chance to show each of his reeds, tenor, saxello & various bagpipes. Another performance is with Dunmall improvising with a contemporary classical ensemble doing a piece by Edd Bennett. The piece which includes electronics and projections is absolutely astonishing and Paul fits perfectly, sounding like it was written for him. Paul attempts to explain what exactly he does when improvising, but soon realizes that it is too metaphysical to put into words. Perhaps the hottest performance included was last year's (2008) Vision Festival where Paul played with two legends: Henry Grimes & Andrew Cyrille. Besides the fact it was nearly 100 degrees in the room, the music was also boiling. You would never know that this is the first time this particular trio played together. The final interview is with me and I found this entire DVD to be an extraordinary experience from the beginning to the end. Beautiful! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
DVD $18

PAUL DUNMALL/EVELYN CHANG/PHILIP GIBBS/TREVOR TAYLOR - Atmospheres Without Oxygen 2 (FMR 271; UK) Featuring Paul Dunmall on saxes, Evelyn Chang on piano, Philip Gibbs on guitar and Trevor Taylor on drums & electronics. This is the second splendid release from a fine electro-acoustic improv quartet. The balance and warm lush sound is especially superb throughout this disc. On "Improvisations 1", Trevor is playing soft waves of marimbas & sparkling electronics while Mr. Dunmall and Ms. Chang blend tenor sax and piano into a cosmic tapestry. The ever-resourceful Philip Gibbs has a way of spinning careful streams of notes on his guitar, dream-like and spacious at times yet consistently engaging without drawing too much attention too himself. This music moves from an elegant cautious sound to a quiet storm. The electronics and guitar open "Improvisation 2" with some incredible yet slow-burning flurries before that McCoyish piano rumbles in. When Dunmall enters on sublime & lyrical soprano sax he sounds perfect with Evelyn's exquisite piano. I love the way things build to an intense climax with some amazing soprano and guitar interplay, the piano & marimba and/or electronics also sailing around one another in hypnotic spirals. The heavy suspense on "Improvisation 3" fits well with the lightning & thunder storm that is going on outside my kitchen window as I type this up. The dark piano and sax excursions erupt with flashes of guitar and marimba swirling on top. Trevor adds a percussive undertow, some of which is sampled and all of which well placed with Dunmall's feisty tenor burning hot near the end. The tenor and guitar exchange furious layers of lines on "Improvisation 4" before the piano and electronics move in and take over the next section. Gibbs goes haywire on his electric guitar midway with the rest of the quartet spinning around him in a tight and powerful way. The intensity level goes up near the as the quartet wail together majestically. It doesn't get much better than this! Longtime Dunmall & FMR engineer Jonathan Scott also does a fabulous job of making this great quartet sound even better with his perfectly sonic microscope. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $16



New on John Butcher's own Weight Of Wax label [now at lower prices!]

JOHN BUTCHER GROUP With CHRIS BURN/JOHN EDWARDS/THOMAS LEHN/GINO ROBAIR et al - somethingtobesaid (Weight Of Wax 02; UK) Chris Burn - piano; John Butcher - saxophones & pre-recordings; Gino Robair - percussion; John Edwards - bass; Thomas Lehn - synth; Dieb 13 - turntables; Clare Cooper - harp/guzheng; Adam Linson - bass & electronic processing.
CD $16

also available

JOHN BUTCHER/& With TOSHIMARU NAKAMURA - Cavern With Nightlife: Two Concerts (Weight Of Wax 01; UK) 'Cavern With Nightlife' features four solos for tenor or soprano sax, and a long duo with Toshimaru Nakamura on no-input mixing board and John on both acoustic & amplified tenor sax. The four pieces for solo sax were recorded in the Oya Stone Museum in Japan, formerly a huge mining space hollowed out by 70 years of quarrying. The space adds an immense resonance to John's breathtaking sax explorations.
The long duo with Nakamura was recorded at a new gallery space called SuperDeluxe, also in Japan.- BLG
CD $16


ZINC NINE PSYCHEDELIC [DAVE BALLOU/NICK DIDKOVSKY/KEVIN NORTON] - Zinc Nine Psychedelic (Punos 08; USA) Featuring Dave Ballou on trumpet & electronics, Nick Didkovsky on guitar & electronics and Kevin Norton on drums & percussion. Our friend Dee Pop has been running an ongoing weekly or monthly series for nearly a decade and continues to do so. First at the Internet Cafe, then CBGB's Gallery, Jimmy's on 7th St, the Cake Shop and now at Local 269 on East Houston. As spaces to play creative music in NYC become more rare, it is a good thing that Dee Pop continues to do this. This fine Zinc Nine Psychedelic date was recorded at Jimmy's and the gig lasted three hours. This disc contains about an hour of the best moments. Leader & guitarist for Dr. Nerve, Nick Didkovsky has been doing more improv dates over the past few years and has recorded another trio disc with Paul Rogers & Kevin Norton for FMR. Besides having 8 discs out as a leader, Dave Ballou has worked with dozens of musicians from Andrew Hill to Dave Liebman to Don Preston to Maria Schneider.
Zinc Nine Psychedelic is something else. "Kaleidoscopic" sounds like a dream as it floats in with eerie electronic trumpet, streams of softs notes tapped on the guitar and insistent jazzy cymbal work. Nick eventually wails pulling off a nifty, slow-burning guitar solo. Kevin's drum solo at the beginning of "Diffraction" is crafty and propulsive, while Dave's solo on "Cortex" is slightly twisted with haunting bowed cymbals and floating electronic sounds. Many of the pieces flow into the next with certain sounds being transformed as they evolve. Nick mentions in the liner notes that this music should be played loud, yet things often occur on a more subtle level. I dig the restrained yet spiraling acoustic vibes solo on "Seeing Stars" which leads to a dreamy free floating guitar near the end. Nick plays some delicate Frith-like guitar (by tapping on the strings with an object) at the start of "Electricity", with a layer fractured trumpet and suspense-filled bowed cymbals. Each piece unfolds organically like a story being told with different scenery or dialogue occurring as the sounds shift into another gear. Things erupt on "Focus" with some more intense moments warping into view. Sometimes improvised music is magic that can't really be explained but you know when it happening. This is that magic music. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $10.


DANIEL CARTER/RANDALL COLBOURNE/PAUL FLAHERTY - A Flash In The Sky (Glass Museum 07; USA) Run of 500 with hand silk screened covers, liner notes by Dredd Foole. "It's hard to sell free jazz to an unsuspecting public (let's face it . . . most people 'still' think it means you get in without paying ). Especially when you claim that the music being presented is not only hard core wall to wall improvising , but is really very beautiful as well. A Flash In The Sky (Daniel Carter and Paul Flaherty on saxes with Randall Colbourne on drums) stands as testament that improvised music, performed 'live' by 3 life-long devotees of the purely free approach, can stand powerfully and beautifully next to any and all musical forms. No excuses . . . this is radiant free jazz, performed from the heart with extreme passion. The music uses transforming, ever- spontaneous themes and harmonies provided by the two free-jazz sax masters, revolving seamlessly around the intensely warm pulsating out-jazz legendary drums of Randall Colbourne. This is very strong, natural sounding music. Each player is eventually featured as breakdowns into duos occur seamlessly, reawakening as trio explosions and swooping dances that re-define the potential heat of the sax and drum possibilities. Recorded live in June of 2008 in Peterborough, NH at the Thing in the Spring, this trio recording stands tall as proof that free jazz is not only still alive and kickin' after 50 years of existence, but that it's taking on all critics who claim it doesn't have the artistic weight of it's fellow musical forms. For those who still want to question the potential legitimacy of all out, heartfelt, free-form jazz, this record has to be reckoned with." -- Damien Perdition
CD $14


DAVE STAPLETON With LUNAR SAXOPHONE QUARTET/NEIL YATES/PAULA GARDINER/ELLIOT BENNETT - Catching Sunlight: Music For An Imaginary Film (EditionRecords 1005; UK) Featuring Dave Stapleton on piano & compositions, Neil Yates on trumpet, Paula Gardiner on bass, Elliot Bennett on drums and the Lunar Sax Quartet. Thanks to the persistence of one of regular customers (David H.) and the reporting of UK-based Jazzwise magazine, there is seems to be a resurgence of interest in a new wave of British modern jazz. A number of fine young musicians, bands and labels have erupted over the past few years. One such label is Edition Records which released Keith Tippett's Tapestry Orchestra and four discs by pianist Dave Stapleton. Nope, I hadn't heard of Mr. Stapleton before this but listening to this disc has been a revelation. Once again, as with Stapleton and Matthew Bourne's Dismantling the Waterfall (Edition 1001), the titles for these pieces are taken from a poem by Julie Tippetts. Each line somehow capturing the mood of its piece.
Two of Mr. Stapleton's discs on Edition are duos and the other feature his quartet. 'Celebrating Sunlight' features Dave 's quartet plus a sax quartet. "Treading the Earth" starts things off with somber trumpet and piano backed by the majestic orchestral sound of the Lunar Sax Quartet. The title features some of Stapleton's best writing, feisty charts for the sax quartet with a rambunctious trumpet-led quartet at the center. Trumpeter Neil Yates is featured throughout is most accomplished player, soaring over the swirling layers of saxes. Both the tight and spirited playing of the piano-led quartet and the sax quartet work perfectly together with Dave's charts plotting their impressive path. Dave's main quartet is often stunning playing his music tightly and exuberantly. Trumpet-man Yates and piano dynamo, Stapleton, switch off between strong solos with occasional moments of fleeting ballad-like beauty like the sublime film noir melody of "A Shady Mantle". "Shimmers" is an appropriately titled piece with lush, haunting trumpet and soprano sax up front. The sub-title for this disc, "Music for an Imaginary Film" makes perfect sense since most of the music has a cinematic sweep. What I dig most about this is the way the sax quartet are used as an integral part of this music, fully integrated with the rest of this mighty fine quartet. After listening to this wonderful disc about a half dozen times, I look forward to the other three discs on this same label. This disc is without a doubt one this year's best and certainly one of those under-recognized gems that shouldn't be ignored. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $16


ELLIOTT LEVIN/SEESAW ENSEMBLE - Elliott Levin Meets The Seesaw Ensemble (Porter 1001; USA) Philadelphia based jazz musician Elliott Levin (tenor sax) teams up with San Diego based free jazz group Seesaw Ensemble to create a sound and feeling that incorporates the best characteristics of the late 60's jazz movement. Sudden bursts of energy, playful interplay, experimental sounds, sullen grooves, psychedelic and spiritual sounds that ebb and flow together. A recording that will surely appeal to fans of John and Alice Coltrane and Sun Ra. Seesaw Ensemble - Zuri Waters (alto sax), Manny Vega (upright bass), Preston Swirnoff (piano, percussion, bells, fender rhodes, organ), David Hurley (drums, percussion, flute & miscellaneous winds, Bulgarian bagpipes, moog synth).
CD $14

* The first five folks who order the above Elliott Levin CD, will receive a free copy of Elliott Levin's previous CD for the Porter label, the INTERPLAY ENSEMBLE's 'Apology to the Atonists/Tritone Suite' (Porter 4009) w/ Elliott Levin & Rick Iannicone from New Ghost - one of Philly's finest avant/jazz ensembles.


FABIO ORSI/GIANLUCA BECUZZI/ETRE [SALVATORE BORELLI] - So Far (Porter 4031; USA) Fabio Orsi, Gianluca Becuzzi and E T R E [aka Salbatore Borrelli] are three young Italian musicians with similar backgrounds in the field of experimental soundscapes. They blend electronics, field recordings, and acoustic instgruments into a fractured tapestry of drones, folk music, and sound collages. Like a day dream, the sounds flutter seamlessly from one idea to the next
CD $14


PANSONIC [PAN SONIC: MIKA VAINIO/ILPO VAISANEN] & HAINO KEIJI - Shall I Download A Blackhole And Offer It To You (Blast First Petite 14; UK) Blast First Petite presents the complete live concert recording of a musical duel/last waltz between stand-up Finnish electronic technicians Pansonic (Mika Vainio and Ilpo Vaisanen) and Japanese guitar shaman, Haino Keiji. Performed at Berlin's Volksbuhne on November 15, 2007. Drone and percussive rumbling vs. soaring guitar scrawl in a tooth-and-nail cage match. Magic. Mystery. All bow. Deluxe packaging designed by Stephen O'Malley (Khanate, Sunn O)))).
CD $17



New and recent on Gino Robair's Rastascan label!

JOHN SHIURBA 5X5 With ANTHONY BRAXTON - 5x5 1.2=A (Rastascan 55; USA) John Shiurba - guitar;m Anthony Braxton - Eb and F alto and Eb sopranino saxophones; Morgan Guberman - contrabass; Greg Kelley - trumpet; Gino Robair - percussion Recorded 12/10/03 at Guerrilla Recording, Oakland, CA, by Myles Boisen. Mastered at Headless Buddha by Myles Boisen. This CD is a co-release with UN-Limited Sedition, the permanent-collection wing of Limited Sedition. The ULS releases will feature music that is written ahead of time (at least in part), as opposed to being entirely improvised. We feel that this music should be documented differently, so these releases will not be numbered limited editions, nor will they be pressed as CDRs.
5x5 1.2=A is the second of five sets in the first of five groups of five short pieces written for five players to be used as interjections within a continuous improvisation. The A is for Anthony.
CD $15

GINO ROBAIR/BIRGIT ULHER - Blips And Ifs [Ltd Ed of 300 copies] (Rastascan 62; USA) This quiet and intense recording is a follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2005 release "Sputter" on Creative Sources. This time, Robair plays analog synthesizer exclusively, primarily the Blippoo Box, while Ulher combines her unique trumpet sounds with radio, mutes, and small speakers.
CD $15

JOHN RASKIN - Quartet (Rastascan 59; USA) Jon Raskin, a founding member of the ROVA Saxophone Quartet, has assembled a crack team of musicians to realize his unusual graphic scores. The group features percussionist Gino Robair (Tom Waits/Anthony Braxton), trumpeter Liz Allbee (Le Flange du Mal/Neung Phak), and bassist George Cremaschi. At times, the music is delicate and spare, reminiscent of the work of John Cage and Morton Feldman. But it occasionally catches fire and gets into a free-jazz zone. Raskin's unit scores are based on photos of leaves, branches, and other organic material, each of which suggests non-traditional ways of making music.
CD $15

MILES BOISEN & JOHN RASKIN - Music + One: An Improvisation compendium (Rastascan 54; USA) This is a compendium of improvisations to be used to make music. They can be played along with in any order. The improvisations were recorded at Guerilla RecordingX and mastered at Headless Buddha Labs in the spring of 2005. The instructions for the musicians were to improvise for 3 to 4 minutes, imagining they were playing music with their shadow. The results show some of the breadth of the improvised music scene that is happening in the San Francisco Bay Area at this time.
The musicians include George Cremaschi, David Slusser, Jen Baker, Larry Ochs, Chris Brown, Gino Robair, Liz Allbee, Garth Powell, Bill Horvitz, Kiku Day, Myles Boisen, Theresa Wong, Moe! Staiano, Rhodri Davies, John Shiurba, Jon Raskin, Ches Smith, Aurora Josephson, Jonathan Segel, Phillip Gelb, Philip Greenlief, and Tim Perkis.
CD $15

CBD TRIO [CHRIS BROWN/BIGGI VINKELOE/DONALD ROBINSON] - Suspension (Rastascan 58; USA) The release features improvisations recorded in Sweden by Chris Brown - piano/electronics, Swedish saxophonist Biggi Vinkeloe, and Donald Robinson - drums. Brown has played with John Zorn and the interactive computer group The Hub. Robinson was the drummer for Glenn Spearman and Lisle Ellis, as well as the group What We Live with Rova member Larry Ochs. Vinkeloe is well known on the European free jazz scene and has played with Cecil Taylor, Peter Kowald, and Barre Phillips. Her energetic sound is reminiscent of Ornette Coleman.
CD $15

See down below for more Rastascan recent and available catalog listings!



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Our shipment of these four recent HAT releases were held at U.S. customs for 3 weeks! It finally arrived ripped open and re-taped up - and plastique-free. So they are now FINALLY in stock [and those of you who ordered them before are being shipped them already]:


ELLERY ESKELIN With ANDREA PARKINS/JIM BLACK - One Great Night ..Live (Hat ology 683; Switzerland) Never before released! Throughout this set, Eskelin, Parkins, and Black are completely at ease with the core materialx Over the years these three have grown into a unit that can bristle and wail; pick up on a melody and swing; or stretch out to whispering textures and scrubbed flutters. The magic is how they string this all together as a seamless whole with careful listening and poised reflexes. That's been one of the ongoing joys of listening to this trio. It's all about hearing how they have worked together to forge an ensemble sound and then checking in during each ensuing tour or release to find out how they've built on that foundation. That dynamism is in full force here. We're fortunate that the tapes were rolling this "one great evening." - Michael Rosenstein
CD $19

POLWECHSEL [WERNER DAFELDEDECKER/JOHN BUTCHER/MICHAEL MOSER/BURKHARD BEINS/MARTIN BRANDLMAYR] + JOHN TILBURY - Field (Hat ology 672; Switzerland) New 2009 recording! Along the Polwechsel path towards a reflected reintegration of the once excluded musical parameters, the two composers for this CD, Michael Moser and Werner Dafeldecker, have gone one step further while also reflecting Polwechsel's own history: traditional parameters are reintroduced into the original Polwechsel idiom as disturbances, refractions or inclusions. The invitation extended to guest soloist John Tilbury is also part of the reflected reintegration of traditional elements and the extension of Polwechsel's concept, which they develop in their cautious and persistent approach: it is a reference to both the tradition of free improvisation and the reductionist currents in modern composition, for Tilbury is not only a proven Feldman specialist, but also long-time pianist for AMM. - Nina Polaschegg
CD $19

GERRY HEMINGWAY QUINTET With MICHAEL MOORE/WOLTER WIERBOS/MARK DRESSER/ERNST REIJSEGER - Demon Chaser (hat ology 673; Switzerland) [reissue of Hat Art 6137] With Demon Chaser, Gerry Hemingway has written himself into the history of this great music with a script that fulfils both the requirements of complete contemporaneousness and absolute legibility. He has signed his name in the Big Book. - Brian Morton, October 1993
CD $19

LEE KONITZ & MARTIAL SOLAL - Star Eyes: Hamburg 1983 (Hat ology 668; Switzerland) [reissue of Hat ology 518] L Konitz alto sax, M Solal piano. In their duo, Solal's gift to Konitz is a liberation from ..... inherent restrictions.This in turn inspires Konitz to follow his own lyrical impulses to the extreme - listen to how often he stretches his line to the breaking point. This is improvisation that goes far beyond merely altered chords or variations on a theme. Each performance walks an invisible tightrope of harmonic and rhythmic agreement - all the more treacherous for being completely spontaneous. - Art Lange
CD $19


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AN ANTHOLOGY OF CHINESE EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC - 1992-2008 [4 CD Set] (Sub Rosa 265; Belgium) Sub Rosa presents a 4-CD anthology of experimental music (1992-2008) from Mainland China (Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guilin, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Shanxi, Harbin), and from countries within the Chinese area of influence, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Featuring 48 diverse artists, this collection is designed as a journey through what is currently happening underground in these regions, tapping a seemingly endless wellspring of new, hidden talent. It also looks at the recent past and the key role of pioneers like Wang Fan, Dajuin Yao, and also Hong Kong-based Li Chin Sung aka Dickson Dee who, for almost two decades, has been spreading the word about experimental music in Mainland China. This album was curated by Dickson Dee on Guy Marc Hinant's invitation and includes an enlightening presentation on the short yet intense advent and history of the Chinese noise explosion, co-written by Zbigniew Karkowski and Yan Jun, The Sound of the Underground: An Overview of Experimental and Non-Academic Music in China. The Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) in one way or another eradicated most of the existing and emerging culture in China. At the same time as intellectuals were sent to rural labor camps, countless ancient buildings, antiques, books, paintings and various artifacts were destroyed. This period created an enormous intellectual, cultural and artistic vacuum in China -- destruction that in a sense, time is still healing. So the tradition of music culture and especially non-academic, purely experimental music, started from scratch sometime in the '80s. With the market economy introduced in that decade and further media developments in the '90s, there was an explosion in youth culture that had been held back for decades. Movements and music scenes that previously never reached China -- for instance, psychedelic music, punk or neo-Dada -- started to appear and expanded at an astonishing pace. The birth of these alternative rock and punk music scenes that later developed into even more experimental trends is a direct result of global capitalism and profound change in China's position within the World Order. Documented for the very first time, this release provides a complete panorama of the roots and buds of an ever-growing, promising experimental community in China and beyond, with nearly 5 hours of music.
CD $32


LUIGI ARCHETTI/BO WIGET - Low Tide Digitals III (Rune Grammofon 2087; EEC) This is the third and possibly final installment in the Low Digitals series by non-Norwegians Luigi Archetti and Bo Wiget. Low Digitals is a series of extremely fine-tuned pieces that mix acoustic instruments and electronic elements in a subtle and unforced way. The third volume is an album of sensitive, electronically-tinged free improvising, and is the work of two Switzerland-based musicians, guitarist Luigi Archetti and cellist Bo Wiget. Archetti was born in Brescia, Italy, but has been a resident of ZUrich for more than 30 years. He's a multimedia artist, well-known for his work as both a painter and as a musician. Active in both free improvisation and experimental rock since the late 1970s, Archetti joined the influential German psychedelic band Guru Guru in 1990 and he has since appeared on three new albums as well as a live album. Bo Wiget was born in Wattwil, Switzerland in 1971 and studied classical cello in Austria at the Feldkirch Academy. Over the last decade, he has worked with numerous improvisers including legendary Swiss free saxophonist Werner LUdi, Czech singer and violinist Iva Bittova and Japanese guitarist Taku Sugimoto. Wiget also works occasionally as an actor. Bo Wiget first played with Luigi Archetti in 1995 in the improv band Affront Perdu before the Archetti/Wiget duo was launched in 1998. Luigi Archetti: guitar, mandolin, electronics; Bo Wiget: cello, electronics, vocals.
CD $17

also available

LUIGI ARCHETTI/BO WIGET - Low Tide Digitals II (Rune Grammofon 2046; EEC) Low Tide Digitals II is the sequel to this non-Norwegian duo's acclaimed 2001 debut album of the same name (RCD 2019). As with the debut, this is an extremely fine-tuned mix of acoustic instruments and electronic elements. An album of sensitive, electronically-tinged free improvising, it's the work of two Swiss based musicians, guitarist Luigi Archetti and cellist Bo Wiget.
Archetti was born in Brescia, Italy, in 1955, but has been a resident of Zurich for more than 30 years. He's a multi-media artist, well-known for his work as both a painter and as a musician (he has received many awards for his paintings, drawings, objects, and videos which have been displayed in exhibitions, galleries and museums around the globe). Active in both free improvisation and experimental rock since the late 1970s, Archetti joined vintage German psychedelic band Guru Guru (one of the groups that has been an influence on latter-day ambient music, also in the Far North) in 1990 and he has since appeared on three new albums with them as well as on the live triple album Guru Guru: 30 Jahre Live issued in 1999. He has played too with numerous exponents of improvised music including Urs Voerkel, Ellen Christi, Magikami Koichi and many others.
Bo Wiget was born in Wattwil, Switzerland in 1971 and studied classical cello in Austria at the Feldkirch Academy. At the age of 16 he launched a rock band called the Dying Hedgehog, in which he was singer and banjo player as well as cellist. It was the first of a series of unfortunately-named groups which would also include the late 90s ensemble, Spot The Loony. Over the last decade he has worked with numerous improvisers including legendary Swiss free saxophonist Werner Ludi, Czech singer/violinist Iva Bittova, and Japanese guitarist Taku Sugimoto."
CD $17

LUIGI ARCHETTI/BO WIGET - Low Tide Digitals I (Rune Grammofon 2019; EEC) "First non-Norwegian artists on the label, needless to say we really love this record and are proud to have it in our catalogue. With cello, guitar and electronics our Swiss friends weave a beautiful, detailed and fragile soundscape. References to ambient, electronica and contemporary music but basically beyond categorisation. We seem to be hearing Eno in here somewhere, but can't really say why. Both Archetti and Wiget have been involved in several groups and projects over the years, both as recording artists and touring in Europe, Japan, Russia and USA. Archetti is a member of vintage German psychedelic band Guru Guru since more than 10 years and appear on 4 albums including their triple CD set from 1999."
CD $17


BRION GYSIN//NIK SHEEHAN, dir. - FLicKeR [DVD] (Alive Mind 29; USA) Directed by Nik Sheehan. "This award-winning documentary about poet, artist, calligrapher and mystic Brion Gysin, portrays the life and legacy of an artist who believed art could revolutionize human consciousness. FLicKeR chronicles Gysin's complex ideas, friendships and influence with some of the 20th century's key counterculture figures, such as William Burroughs, Kurt Cobain and Marianne Faithful. Gysin was fascinated by identity. He saw himself as incarnating the 10th-century King of Assassins, trained in counter-espionage during WWII, and wrote and rewrote his name in countless permutations, as if to make it disappear -- in the process, inventing the cut-up technique that his lifelong friend, Beat novelist Burroughs, would make famous. Featuring greats like Burroughs (in archival footage), singer Marianne Faithfull, singer/artist Genesis P-Orridge of Psychic TV, poet John Giorno, punk rocker Iggy Pop, filmmaker Kenneth Anger and artist/turntablist DJ Spooky, FLicKeR is a hypnotic documentary." 75 minutes, NTSC Region 0, aspect ratio: 16:9, production year: 2008.
DVD $25


TIM OLIVE - The Specialist (EM 1085; Japan) This is the debut full-length solo CD from Osaka, Japan-based experimental electro-acoustic musician, Tim Olive. The Specialist was recorded in December 2008 and January 2009 in Osaka. Featuring Olive's microscopic, meticulous sounds, produced with his electric guitar/bass hybrid machine -- essentially, a piece of wood with two magnetic pick-ups, a bass string or two, and occasionally an unwound guitar string. No effects, just an analog preamp. All reverb sounds are from springs and/or metal plates applied directly to the pickups. Everything was recorded in real time, with overdubs on only two tracks. There are no song titles, as the music is not programmatic and the artist does not wish to impose any interpretations on the listener. Inspired by the challenges he encountered during solo live sets in Japan, Australia and Singapore, and with recording and performance collaborations with artists such as Alfredo Costa Monteiro, Shinichi Isohata, Katsura Mouri (BusRatch), Joel Stern, Adam Sussmann; plus long-running duos with Jeffrey Allport, Bunsho Nishikawa and Kelly Churko, The Specialist is the culmination of Olive's long artistic history; first in his homeland of Canada as an improv guitarist, and into the heart of Japan's experimental music scene. There is a fairly wide variety of dynamic ranges, densities and approaches here, though all pieces are concerned with texture and implied pulse, rather than tonality and metrical rhythm -- which the artist admits could be construed as a kind of specialism. The title refers to the gentleman on the cover (the photograph looted from negatives found in an abandoned building in Nagoya, with added color map transparencies in slide frames) and not necessarily to the artist himself, though the extraordinarily high level of work on this record implies long years of specialized work with the smallest and most compelling of resonances deconstructed from the guitar.
CD $18

ALTZ - Escape: The Reconstruction of Isophonic Boogie Woogie (EM 1084; Japan) Intergenerational gene-splicing from EM Records. Roland P. Young's classic Isophonic Boogie Woogie (EM 1045CD/HJ-JP) is tripped-out, minimalist, spiritual free-jazz from 1980, and is here mutated, masticated and machined by Altz, the hotly-tipped renowned "organic electronicist" and producer/remixer from Osaka, Japan. Maintaining and magnifying the cosmic bliss-vibe of the original release, Altz lovingly massages Young's sounds into the year 2009 (as experienced through Altz's patented acid-disco filtration system). Sounds are layered and treated, atmospheres extended, and propulsive elements from Young's original recordings are bolstered (there is some fine drumming here from former Boredoms member, Muneomi Senju). Altz also respects Young's more abstract side, following the elder master into atmospheres of freedom, unrestrained by the gravity of the beat and the conventions of the dancefloor. Rather than a mere roughshod remix, this release is a meeting -- Young's San Francisco of the late '70s encountering Altz in Osaka in 2009. Young is respectfully and playfully transformed, but not trashed, and we all go home happy. Editing, programming, electric bass, guitar, synthesizer, noise and drum machine by Altz and disc-scratching by DJ Kensei.
CD $18


GERRY HEMINGWAY QUINTET With MICHAEL MOORE/WOLTER WIERBOS/MARK DRESSER/ERNST REIJSEGER - Demon Chaser (hat ology 673; Switzerland) [reissue of Hat Art 6137] With Demon Chaser, Gerry Hemingway has written himself into the history of this great music with a script that fulfils both the requirements of complete contemporaneousness and absolute legibility. He has signed his name in the Big Book. - Brian Morton, October 1993
"Featuring Michael Moore on alto sax & clarinets, Wolter Weirbos on trombone, Ernst Reijseger on cello, Mark Dresser on bass and Gerry Hemingway on drums steel drums. Recorded live in concert in March of 1993. Gerry Hemingway has his approach to the drums and hence, his bands also are distinctive sounding. For the opening piece, "Slamadam", the band sounds as if it is in flux, the inner pulse consistently speeding up and slowing down, yet the band remains tight and exuberant. What's interesting is this: the quintet features three members of the ICP Orchestra from the Netherlands (Michael, Wolter & Ernst, before he left) with two rhythm team members of the Anthony Braxton Quartet. An odd combination, you might say, but it works! All compositions are by Gerry except for a great version of Dizzy's "A Night in Tunisia". Michael Moore's calm yet spirited clarinet and Ernst's spiraling cello kick off "...Tunisia" with fluttering intro which soon swings profusely when the rhythm team comes in. Wolter takes one of the wonderful, over-the-top trombone solos while the cello and sax goose him underneath. Gerry's odd steel drum playing always adds a twist to the sound of the band. It takes until the 3/4 mark before the finally play the theme with Mr. Moore playing a fine slow burning bop solo. The quintet always sounds as if it is on the verge of spinning apart, yet remain connected throughout. For the next piece, there is complete turnaround with stark, haunting solo trombone soon with delicate clarinet and somber strings. "Holler Up" features a most memorable repeating folky theme played by the cello with some fine harmonies from the clarinet and trombone. Beautiful! "Demon Chaser" begins with both horn players doing silly vocals into their horns but soon takes off with rockin' trombone, bass clarinet and cello over Gerry's dynamic groove, which just keeps growing more intensely til the end. "More Struttin' with Mutton" brings this disc to a close with a song which blends the ancient with the modern in jazz styles. You could hum the main theme and you also get some fine, laid back solos from the bass clarinet and the cello. All in all, this is yet another gem from the rich Gerry Hemingway catalogue of goodies, so dig in, why don'tcha!" - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $19



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Still More Recent Rastascan releases:

THE NEW BLACK [GINO ROBAIR/JOHN SHIURBA/JEREMY DRAKE/DAVID ROTHBAUM] - The White Album [Ltd Ed 2 LP set] (Rastascan 61; USA) This is a free improvisation and noise session, recorded direct to disc, and pressed in a limited edition of 200 copies. The New Black is a quartet featuring SF bay area percussionist Gino Robair, who has worked with Jazz and Rock artists including Anthony Braxton and Tom Waits, and SF bay area guitarist John Shiurba who is a member of the Molecules and Eskimo and has recorded with Anthony Braxton and Carla Kihlstedt. They are joined by two Los Angeles musicians, David Rothbaum on synthesizer and guitarist Jeremy Drake. Limited edition. Pressed on black vinyl.
2 LP set for $22

SPLATTER TRIO + N [DAVE BARRETT/MILES BOISEN/GINO ROBAIR et al] - Clear The Club (Rastascan 53; USA) Dave Barrett, Myles Boisen, Gino Robair with Michaelle Goerlitz, Len Paterson, Dave Slusser, Sheldon Brown, J.A. Deane, Chris Grady, Mark Growden, Jake Rivera, John Shiurba, and Ellie Schoenwetter.
Clear the Club began as a series of studio-based jams by Splatter 3+3, which added Michaelle Goerlitz, Len Paterson, and Dave Slusser to the Splatter Trio. Later, a number of friends were invited to do overdubs, and snippets of live and studio recordings were added.
CD $15

MOE! STAINO - Piece No. 5 and No. 7 for Orchestra (Rastascan 56; USA) This is Moe! Staiano's first CD of orchcestral compositions, which differ greatly from his conducted improvisations. The release includes Piece No. 5 for Orchestra, and Piece No. 7: An Inescapable Siren Within Earshort Distance Therein and Other Whereabouts (for Strings, Percussion, U-bolts, Wine Glasses, Prepared Guitar and Sirens). The pieces were recorded in 1998 and 2003, respectively. Moe! Staiano is a self-trained composer/performer who uses large ensembles of mixed instruments as a canvas for sonic exploration. His scores combine text, graphics, and conventional notation, and he is equally inspired by the composers Glenn Branca, Krystof Penderecki, and John Zorn, as well as the bands Einsturzende Neubauten, the Ex, and the Ruins, Moe!'s pieces pit groups of acoustic instruments against amplified rock instruments and found objects to create intense orchestral collages with subtly shifting timbres.
As a percussionist, Moe! has toured the U.S.A several times, collaborated with Henry Kaiser and Amy Denio, and has performed with William Hooker, Michael Evans (God Is My Co-Pilot), Caroline Kraabel, and John Edwards (Shock Exchange). Moe!'s most recent work, Piece No. 7, is based around blocks of timbral extremes. The result is akin to a sonic color-field painting, where the most delicate of sounds -- wine glasses rubbed by wet fingers -- is placed in relief against the loud drone of electric guitars and sirens. Moe!'s large-ensemble pieces have been performed in San Francisco, New York, and Seattle.
Sadly, this recording of Piece No.7 was the final performance by bassist Matthew Sperry, who was killed in a bicycle accident two days later.
CD $15

YELLOWCAKE [JACOB LINDSAY/GINO ROBAIR/SCOTT LOONEY] - Yellowcake (Rastascan 57; USA) In common are the trio's unusually broad palette of sounds from their respective instruments, quick ears, and iconoclasm. Where they really excel is in their ability to augment or finish each other's phrases, and to find and blend complementary sounds...an absolute delight of careening sounds, drama and good humor. -David Slusser, Transbay Calendar
CD $15

and the rest of the available Rastascan backcatalog..

RON ANDERSON - PAK r 1/2 inch [Pack small r Half Inch] (Ra Sounds/Rastascan 20; USA)
CD $15

DEREK BAILEY & EVAN PARKER - Arch Duo (Rastascan 45; USA)
CD $15

MYLES BOISEN With FRED FRITH/RALPH CARNEY/GINO ROBAIR/FRED LONBERG-HOLM et al - Guitarspeak (Rastascan 17; USA)
CD $15

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Nine Compositions (DVD) 2003 [DVD-Audio] (Rastascan 60; USA)
DVD $30

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Six Compositions (GTM) 2001 [4CD set] (Rastascan 50; USA)
(NEW LOWER PRICE!)
4 CD set for $36

PETER BROTZMANN/GREGG BENDIAN/WILLIAM PARKER - Sacred Scrape (Secret Response) (Rastascan 15; USA)
CD $15

JOHN BUTCHER - London & Cologne: Saxophone Solos (Rastascan 26; USA)
CD $15

JOHN BUTCHER & GINO ROBAIR - New Oakland Burr (Rastascan 51; USA)
CD $15

CLUB FOOT ORCHESTRA - Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr. [sndtck] (Rastascan S3; USA)
CD $15

CLUB FOOT ORCHESTRA - Plays Nino Rota: Selections from LaDolce Vita, Amarcord, Nights of Cabiria, and 8 1/2 (Rastascan 36; USA)
CD $15

CLUB FOOT ORCHESTRA - Wild Beasts/Kidnapped ..+ (Rastascan 13; USA)
CD $15

GRAHAM CONNAH SOUR NOTE SEVEN - Gurney To The Lincoln Center Of Your Mind (Rastascan 43; USA)
CD $15

DEBRIS [ANDREW D'ANGELO/STEVE NORTON/ARTHUR WEINSTEIN/MATT TURNER et al] - Terre Haute (Rastascan 11; USA)
CD $15

WOLFGANG FUCHS & FRIENDS - Six Fuchs (Rastascan 52; USA)
CD $15

GIANNI GEBBIA - Arcana Major/Sonic Tarots Session (Rastascan 47; USA)
CD $15

GIANNI GEBBIA - H Portraits (Rastascan 37; USA)
CD $15

GIANNI GEBBIA/GARTH POWELL/DAMON SMITH - People In Motion (Rastascan 44; USA)
CD $15

GIANNI GEBBIA/LELIO GIANNETTO/TOM NUNN/MIRIAM PALMA/GARTH POWELL/GINO ROBAIR/DAMON SMITH - A Night In Palermo (Rastascan 41; USA)
CD $15

PETER KOWALD/MIYA MASAOKA/GINO ROBAIR - Illuminations (Rastascan 49; USA)
CD $15

MIYA MASAOKA/GINO ROBAIR/TOM NUNN - Crepuscular Music (Rastascan 30; USA)
CD $15

RANDY McKEAN With PAUL SMOKER/DREW GRESS/PHIL HAYNES - So Dig This Big Crux (Rastascan 12; USA)
CD $15

BOB OSTERTAG With MARK DRESSER/GERRY HEMINGWAY/PHIL MINTON - Say No More Vol 3: Verbatim (Rastascan 29; USA)
CD $15

PLUTO [RALPH CARNEY/DAVE SLUSSER/MARC WEINSTEIN] - Shoehorse Emerging (Rastascan 14; USA)
CD $15

POTATO EATERS - I Thought I Heard You: Dog Eared (but forgotten)/My World (Rastascan S2; USA)
CD $12

POTATO EATERS - The Potato Eaters (Rastascan 05; USA) members of The residents and Clubfoot Orchestra
CD $15

RITUEL - New Music For A New America (Rastascan 22; USA) Experimental music quartet that blends the furious noise of N.Y. free jazz, the crazy rock structures of Captain Beefheart & the rage of Diamanda Galas, plundering '60s rock, country music lyrics & folk-rock icons
CD $15

GINO ROBAIR - Singular Pleasures (Rastascan 23; USA)
CD $15

ROVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET [BRUCE ACKLEY/STEVE ADAMS/LARRY OCHS/JON RASKIN] - Morphological Echo (Rastascan 27; USA)
CD $15

SPLATTER TRIO [DAVE BARRETT/MILES BOISEN/GINO ROBAIR] - Hi-Fi Junk Note (Rastascan 21; USA)
CD $15

SUN RA [V.A. Tribute With ELLIOTT SHARP/THE RESIDENTS/NRBQ et al] - Wavelength Infinity [2 CD set] (Rastascan 18; USA)
2 CD set for $22

DAVE TOHIR & HIS BACKBOINE - Angels Dancing In Virga (Rastascan 28; USA)
CD $15

WATER SHED 5TET - Blue Plate Tectonics (Rastascan 34; USA) ensemble combines saxophone & cello w. a rock/jazz rhythm section to explore the melodic territory of both genres, done in the style of Sun Ra, Tim Berne & Tiny Bell
CD $15

(Y)EARBOOK [V.A. With HANS REICHEL/AMY DENIO/DAVEY WILLIAMS et al] - Vol 3: Compilation Of Improvisation (Rastascan 10; USA)
CD $15

(Y)EARBOOK [V.A. With HENRY KAISER/BETH CUSTER/SPLATTER TRIO/GREGG BENDIANN et al] - Vol 1: Compilation Of Improvisation (Rastascan 08; USA)
CD $15

(Y)EARBOOK [V.A. With JOHN ZORN/BEN GOLDBERG/MOLECULES/KEITH ROWE et al] - Vol 2: Compilation Of Improvisation (Rastascan 09; USA)
CD $15


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JESSE FULLER - Move on Down the Line (Fledg'ling 3074; UK) Jesse "The Lone Cat" Fuller (1896-1976) was one of the great American blues troubadours. A remarkably expressive singer and fine 12-string guitarist, Fuller developed his unique Bay Area street performance one-man-band around his fotdella (a foot-operated hammer-and-pedal string bass) and harmonica/kazoo/cymbals/washboard-rig, and would later go on to record for labels such as Cavalier, Good Time Jazz, and Prestige. This CD includes his earliest recordings, including the original version of his classic "San Francisco Bay Blues," together with a splendid session taped in London in 1965 for Topic Records. One track, "John Henry," has been unavailable since the early 1960s. In the 1960s, the decade when the wider world reached out to embrace him, Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues" became one of the most popular numbers in the standard repertoire of blues and folk singers at that time. But Fuller was not a blues musician, although he played the blues. Neither was he strictly-speaking a folk musician, as the term was then understood, for his act incorporated elements of minstrelsy and vaudeville -- in other words, show business -- and he'd travelled far beyond the "rurals" to work in Hollywood. His own term "folk songster" best describes who he was and what he did. This record is just as important as a document of an oft-neglected historical aspect of American music as it is a tribute to the peculiar talents of a quite remarkable musician. Housed in stylish digifile packaging, including extensive sleevenotes by legendary producer Joe Boyd and acclaimed UK photographer Val Wilmer.
CD $17


ILL WIND - Flashes: Expanded Edition [2 CD Set] (Sunbeam 5065; UK) From Boston, but light years away from the excesses of the notorious "Bosstown Sound," Ill Wind are revered as one of America's best late-'60s underground bands. Mixing taut acid rock with gorgeous ballads, and featuring outstanding guitar interplay and the beautiful vocals of Connie Devanney, Flashes is rightly regarded as one of the key artifacts of U.S. psychedelia. Originally issued in the summer of 1968, and much bootlegged since, Sunbeam presents its first proper reissue, expanded and prepared with the band's full participation. The original album is accompanied by a second disc containing a plethora of superb bonus material comprised of demos and basement studio tapes circa 1966-1968, and includes a booklet featuring rare photographs and historical notes, making the package truly essential for psych fans.
2 CD set for $24


SHAWN PHILLIPS - Contribution/Second Contribution (BGO 871; UK) 2 LPS ON 1 CD! Shawn Phillips' first major album, recorded in 1968 with help from the members of Traffic, among others, is a condensation of a far more ambitious studio original that was intended to fill three LPs. The range of sounds on this record is shockingly diverse, from breezy folk-rock ("Man Hole Covered Wagon") to pieces incorporating classical guitar and phantasmagoric lyrics ("L Ballade" finds Phillips' at his most Donovan-like, but with a better voice), and, in between, bouncy throwaways ("Not Quite Nonsense"), bejeweled sitar-ornamented pieces ("Withered Roses"), and topical songs ("For RFK, JFK and MLK"). If Contribution had come out in 1968 when it was recorded, it probably would have been lost in the shuffle of ambient psychedelia; as it was, it was so quiet and different from the noise of most of what was released in 1970 that critics took notice. Not all of it works, though, and Phillips' later music had a weightier sound, but Contribution is a superb debut, mixing progressive rock and folk sounds in a manner unique to its time.
On this startling, ever-shifting, album-length musical landscape, Shawn Phillips carries listeners across folk ("The Ballad of Casey Deiss") and rock styles, with a heavy R&B feel at times ("Song for Mr. C"), accompanied by a band and Paul Buckmaster's most restrained orchestrations. The first four songs spin out seamlessly, like a cross-genre Sgt. Pepper's, and the album never lets up, driven by Phillips' guitars and his guileless singing. Some of the titles, like "Song for Sagittarians," seem dated, but even that number has some great hooks and a catchy chorus. Curiously, the promise of the album cover, depicting Phillips solo with an acoustic Gibson 12-string, is fulfilled on the final track, "Steel Eyes," on which he sounds like a more soulful successor to his one-time collaborator Donovan. - Bruce Eder / AMG
CD $18


Back in stock:

JOHN FAHEY - How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life (Drag City 124; USA) "John Fahey is feared and revered around the world as a guitar player and composer. His inventions for acoustic and electric strings are the stuff of legend. Since he began recording in Maryland in the late 1950s, Mr. Fahey's access to the unknown tongue has been made manifest on over 30 albums, and his presence has unsettled audiences from here to Tasmania. He has served as a spiritual model for guitarists as disparate as Leo Kottke and Thurston Moore. He has been called a musical visionary by everyone from The New York Times to Ptolemaic Terrascope. John Fahey is a giant of 20th Century American Music. This is well known. It is perhaps less well-known that Fahey's pen has the same world-gobbling ferocity as his guitar. His early records included savagely hilarious liner notes, and other sightings of his clamorous writerly discourse have surfaced over the years. Now, finally, here is a collection that makes an explosive selection of his work available for general public consumption. What else can we possibly say, except, 'Grab your ankles, dear readers. It's kingdom time!'." -Byron Coley, 1999. Introduction by Jim O'Rouke. 291 pages, paperbound.
BOOK $20


GRAHAM BOND & PETE BROWN - Two Heads Are Better Than One (Cherry Red/Esoteric 2042; UK) Bringing together the raw jazz, rock and blues talent of Graham Bond with Cream and Jack Bruce lyricist Pete Brown. Graham Bond was at the vanguard of 60s British musicians pioneering fusions of jazz, r'n'b and the newly emerging rock sensibility, most notably in his own seminal Graham Bond Organisation, which included the likes of Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Dick Heckstall-Smith and, briefly, John McLaughlin.
Pete Brown composed lyrics for some of the most classic songs of the 60'sfor Cream including White Room and Sunshine of Your Love as well as inspirational beat poetry . After the demise of Brown'sband Piblokto (also highly regarded in rock circles), Bond and Brown came together. A fusion of jazz, rock and Afro influences they created a truly unique album that was to prove Graham Bond'sfinal recorded work before his tragic death in 1974. Featuring a wealth of bonus material, this welcome reissue is a tribute to Graham Bond'slegacy and the enduring talent of Pete Brown. Bonus Tracks - Milk Is Turning Sour In My Shoes / Macumbe
CD $21

GRAHAM BOND With JOHN McLAUGHLIN/JACK BRUCE/GINGER BAKER/ or DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH/JON HISEMAN et al - 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


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