A World of Wonders! It's New Discs from:


Gigi & Material! Roscoe Mitchell & Note Factory! Ray Anderson/Marty Ehrlich QT! Dreamtime + Nick Evans/Keith Tippett & Paul Dunmall 2CD+DVD! Howard Riley: Monk & Ellington! Tony Malaby Tamarindo Live with Leo Smith!

Ken Filiano/Michael Attias/Tony Malaby! Universal QT with Yusef Lateef/Adam Rudolph/Kresten Osgood! Ben Neill! The Ex! George Lewis/Vinny Golia/Bertram Turetzky! Scanner/Matt Shipp/Khan Jamal! Nils Petter Molvaer! Matt Bauder/Nate Wooley/Angelica Snachez! DJ Spooky & Thurston Moore!

Gerald Cleaver/Andrew Bishop/Tony Malaby/Mat Maneri/Craig Taborn/Drew Gress! Ricardo Gallo/Ray Anderson/Mark Helias! Gary Husband with John McLaughlin/Alan Holdsworth/Steve Hackett! Trey Gunn! A Big Merzbow Box! 50 Years of African Music 18 CD Box Set! Rare Avant-Jazz Gems from Movie Gold!



[if the duck were to come down from the ceiling, this week's secret password would be 'Malaby'!)




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


Sunday, November 14th at 6pm:
KIRK KNUFFKE & KENNY WOLLESEN! Great New Trumpet & Drums Duo!


Sunday, November 21st - Double Header:
6pm: ANNETTE GUH Featuring: EVAN GALLAGHER on Keyboards & ANDERS NILSSON on Guitar!
7pm: DAVID BOYKIN EXPANSE - Chicago's finest!


Sunday, November 28th - NO INSTORE SHOW during JazzWerkStatt Festival


Sunday, December 5th - Rare Triple-header featuring at:
6pm: PRESTER JOHN featuring SHAWN PERSINGER!
7pm: LORIN BENEDICT / JEN SHYU / CHES SMITH!
8pm: MICHAEL THIEKE - Solo Clarinetist from the International Nothing (Berlin)


Sunday, December 12th at 6pm:
BEN GERSTEIN & GARTH STEVENSON! Smokin' Trombone & Bass Duo!


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THE ROLL-CALL THIS WEEK STARTS OFF WITH..


GIGI [EGIGAYEHU SHIBABAW] With MATERIAL [BILL LASWELL/ABEGASU SHIOTA/HAMID DRAKE/AIYB DIENG/DOMINIC KANZA/STEVEN BERNSTEIN/PETER APFELBAUM] - Mesgana Ethiopia (MODT 04; USA) On the first of her previous three U.S. releases [all on Palm label], Ethiopian star Gigi received critical acclaim and strongly established herself as a new force in the World music arena and beyond. Bill Laswell, Abegasu Shiota, Hamid Drake, Aiyb Dieng, Dominic Kanza are all featured [under Laswell's umbrella group name Material] on this latest album, as well as two world renowned guest musicians, Steven Bernstein and Peter Apfelbaum. Illuminated Ethiopian melody delivered in the Amaharic language fused with a heavy musical hybrid of African styles, Reggae, Dub, Avant-Funk/Jazz, World Beat, Trance, and Ambient - that smoothly connects as one huge sound. African Futurism - One World Music.
CD $14


RAY ANDERSON/MARTY EHRLICH QUARTET With BRAD JONES/MATT WILSON - Hear You Say: Live In Willisau (Challenge/Intuition 71303; Germany) Trombonist Ray Anderson and reed player Marty Ehrlich first played together in 1978 as part of Anthony Braxton's band. Thirty-one years later, with extensive individual discographies, the pair finally formed a band of their own and recorded a concert at the 2009 Jazz Festival Willisau, in Switzerland. Hear You Say is this recording - a highly energetic, exciting, adventurous live performance.
The two leaders share writing credit - four tunes by Ehrlich and three from Anderson. Both men are inspired writers and performers; their compositions are terrifically inventive and both writing and playing are invested with humor. It's a winning combination.
Anderson's trombone sounds just like a trombone should: fruity, throaty, raucous and fun. His solo on "Portrait of Leroy Jenkins" epitomizes this raw and physical approach: his performance is strong, creative and emotional but never loses its groove. Ehrlich's "Hot Crab Pot," a bebop tune with a simple three-note riff as its center, finds Anderson delivering another rich, rasping, solo backed by a swinging bass from Brad Jones. Ehrich's gentler, softer approach is the perfect complement to Anderson's sound. His clarinet playing, in particular, skips and dances gracefully, bringing a lightness and clarity to the quartet. Of course, he can also blow, matching Anderson's wildness on "Hot Crab Pot" and "The Lion's Tanz."
Anderson and Ehrich's richly inventive playing takes flight, thanks also to the rhythm playing of Jones and drummer Matt Wilson, the latter an experienced bandleader in his own right. The pair is solid and dependable throughout, but also plays with a style and flair that makes their own work eminently enjoyable on its own. Their playing under Anderson's growling, almost vocal, trombone on Ehrlich's "The Git Go" is simply spectacular, and the groove they deliver on Anderson's swinging and imaginative "Alligatory Rhumba" is irresistible.
The recording, by Schweitzer Radio DRS2, superbly captures the atmosphere of this live performance. The band's energy and enthusiasm and the audience's excited response give the event a real sense of occasion. Here You Say heralds the arrival of a terrific new quartet - it swings and grooves from start to finish. - Bruce Lindsay, AAJ
CD $16


ROSCOE MITCHELL & THE NOTE FACTORY With COREY WILKES/CRAIG TABORN/VIJAY IYER/HARRISON BANKHEAD et al - Far Side (ECM 2087; USA) Roscoe Mitchell: saxophones& flutes; with Corey Wilkes: trumpet& flugelhorn, Craig Taborn & Vijay Iyer: pianos, Harrison Bankhead: cello & double-bass, Jaribu Shahid: double-bass and Tani Tabbal & Vincent Davis: drums. On each release from Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory the personnel and approach has evolved. Although the Note Factory is most often a double band with two horns, two pianos, two basses and two drummers, we never know which side of Roscoe's immense palette we will find!
CD $17


DREAMTIME [JIM DVORAK/NICK EVANS/GARY CURSON/ROBERTO BELLATALLA/JIM LeBAIQUE] + KEITH TIPPETT/PAUL DUNMALL/PAUL RUTHERFORD/KEVIN DAVY/MARCIO MATTOS/MARK SANDERS - Double Trouble [Ltd Ed of 500; 2 CD + DVD set] (Reel Recordings 18-20; Canada) Dreamtime is an international quintet comprised of Welshman Nick Evans, trombone; American ex-pat Jim Dvorak, trumpet; Italian Roberto Bellatalla, bass, and Brits Gary Curson, alto sax; Jim Lebaigue, drums. Their collective musicality is an infectious display of extroverted composition and energetic jazz improvisation, all wrapped up and torn down in the borderless spirit that is Dreamtime. This is a so-called jazz band that reaches for music "beyond the notes" and succeeds with exquisite panache. CD1 presents a stunning set by the quintet before an appreciative audience at the 1984 Bracknell Jazz Festival, as introduced by compere Lol Coxhill. CD2 lets us experience a rare 1991 recording of the Dreamtime quintet doubled up with friends: Paul Rutherford, trombone; Paul Dunmall, tenor, baritone saxophone; Kevin Davy, trumpet; Marcio Mattos, bass, and Mark Sanders, drums. Here is a powerful capture of music-making as back of the neck hair-raising as you would hope.
To bring the Dreamtime into a multi-sensory realm, disc 3 is an all-region DVD of an amateur film made at London's 100 Club in 2006. Here the sextet, including pianist Keith Tippett, play homage to their late friend, Elton Dean. DVD is NTSC all region; Length: 25 minutes; mono audio; Color.
What more can be said for the music? Everything that listening will give testament to! Double Trouble presents three discs with an ear and eye towards an overdue reappraisal of this much-loved band of musical misfits, known today as "the dreamers." Limited edition of 500 copies. All recordings delicately remastered from original analog tapes.
2 CD + DVD set for $30


HOWARD RILEY//THELONIOUS MONK/DUKE ELLINGTON - The Monk & Ellington Sessions [2 CD set] (33Jazz 196; UK) Howard Riley has been making solo piano albums since 1972, and - as he points out on the sleeve of The Monk & Ellington Sessions - these two great American composers have always inspired him in this endeavour courtesy of their 'affirmation of the freedom of individual thought'. This 33Jazz release comprises one CD already issued on Wondrous in 1993, plus a second recorded a year later, appearing for the first time anywhere in this CD set.
To older British jazz fans, pianist Howard Riley's identity probably belongs with the improv scene of the late 1960s that spawned Evan Parker, Derek Bailey and Barry Guy. But Riley's powerful technique and profound knowledge of both classical and jazz music kept him fascinated by traditions, and less inclined to the purist improviser's scorched-earth policy. This double album brings together two Riley sessions first released separately in the 1990s, covering 38 tautly-interpreted classics by Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington, and in the unegotistical, but technically commanding way he explores them, Riley makes plain he's interested in those two giants as piano originals as much as composers. The music is delivered pretty authentically (Monk's boogie antecedents surface a lot), though some pieces do release Riley's storming improv forces - such as on a thundering Friday the 13th, and accounts of Ellington's It Don't Mean a Thing and Sophisticated Lady (the latter particularly haunting). Riley's quirky timing might be a bit too personal for some traditionalists, and he doesn't quite have the driving beat of that other Monk fan, Stan Tracey. However, an indestructible theme such as Ba-lue Bolivar is as insinuatingly bluesy as any Monk diehard could wish, and Skippy as eccentrically playful. - John Fordham, Guardian
2 CD set for $18


GERALD CLEAVER'S UNCLE JUNE With TONY MALABY/ANDREW BISHOP/MAT MANERI/CRAIG TABORN/DREW GRESS et al - Be It As I See It (Fresh Sound NT 375; EEC) Featuring: Gerald Cleaver (d, perc, voice), Andrew Bishop (fl, ss, b-cl, ts), Tony Malaby (ss, ts), Craig Taborn (p), Drew Gress (b), Mat Maneri (viola), Ryan MacStaller (g), Andy Taub (banjo), Jean Carla Rodea, John Cleaver (voices). Review next week, but you'd be a fool to wait..!
CD $15


CHES SMITH & THESE ARCHES With TONY MALABY/MARY HALVORSON/ANDREA PARKINS - Finally Out Of My Hands (Skirl 13; USA) Despite its brief 35-minute runtime, Finally Out Of My Hands is one of the year's most intriguing releases. The debut recording of Ches Smith & These Arches, this visceral studio session features an unorthodox instrumental combination courtesy of some of New York's finest improvisers. Leading the unusual quartet from his trap set, Smith is joined by Downtown luminaries Mary Halvorson (electric guitar), Andrea Parkins (accordion, organ and electronics) and Tony Malaby (tenor saxophone). Eschewing conventional roles, they erase preconceived boundaries separating the frontline from the rhythm section, conjuring verdant sonic panoramas that balance compositional clarity with mercurial invention. The band name These Arches alludes to the function of the arch in traditional bridge design, in which weight is supported by horizontal tension at the arches' intersection - a concept paralleled by creative improvised music's tenuous balance between freedom and form. Embracing this duality, Smith's writing juxtaposes intricate themes with free-form interludes, alternating bouts of trenchant angularity with passages of ethereal impressionism. Brief and to the point, Smith's concise structures and oddly tuneful themes are influenced by his longstanding involvement in the underground music scene as a member of such inimitable ensembles as Good For Cows, Secret Chiefs 3 and Xiu Xiu. Nebulous and unpredictable, Smith's tortuous compositions embrace linear narratives rather than standardized forms, their irregular patterns following an idiosyncratic logic of their own design. Drawing on a plethora of avant-garde traditions, he varies arrangements and instrumental pairings, providing nuanced alternatives to the unfettered collectivism typical of unstructured free improvisation.
"Anxiety Disorder," the album's compelling opener, rides a soaring modal melody infused with dramatic Middle-Eastern overtones to an inevitable, electrifying climax. The menacing title track follows suit, with Malaby's smoldering lyricism initially offsetting Parkins' discordant clusters, later intertwining with Halvorson's bristling fretwork. Beyond category, the mesmerizing "Sixteen Bars For Jail" gradually deconstructs from a rousing anthem of hypnotic rhythms to a surreal phantasmagoria of prismatic textures.
The haunting "One Long Minute" breaks form, unfolding as an atmospheric rubato tone poem driven by Malaby's ghostly flute-like altissimo - a serene respite from the preceding chaos. The cyclical variations of "It Rained and the Tent Fell Down" and the expansive "Disgust for a Pathetic Chorale" flout convention even further. The later introduces Malaby and Parkins' plangent long tones intermittently punctuated by Smith and Halvorson's throttling assaults. After a swift but tense bridge, the entire quartet regroups for the hushed coda, an effervescent mosaic of pointillist introspection.
Though short by contemporary standards, Finally Out Of My Hands trades duration for density, offering a compact study in dynamics, mood and tone that reveals subtle new details on each listen. - Troy Collins, AAJ
CD $14

and, back in print..

HUMAN FEEL [CHRIS SPEED/JIM BLACK/ANDREW D'ANGELO/KURT ROSENWINKEL] - Galore (Skirl 06; USA) 2006 release Reissued! "After about a decade-long hiatus, Human Feel are back with a vengeance and arguably their best album yet. Members Chris Speed, Andrew d'Angelo, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Jim Black have not remained idle during that time and the experience they have garnered undoubtedly helped improve this communal project. They perform rhythmically and melodically varied material penned by each of the musicians as well as a piece by guitarist Hilmar Jensson, whose aesthetic fits the band like a glove. At first, what grabs the attention as well as provides the adrenaline rush are their sonic assaults. Saxophones roar and squeal over angular guitar riffs and thrashing drums. The foursome, however, is most impressive when it tones down the volume. The magnificent and swirling "Cat Heaven" is a truly innovative piece, while the delicate "Serenade" or the rock ballad "Allegiance" efficiently complement the playful and raucous compositions. Finally, an epic centerpiece works as a suite that summarizes the group's intentions and captures the various moods that inhabit the session. This influential and turbulent quartet has spawned a number of bands that weld the complexity of jazz with the raw energy of rock, but none has been as successful and fully realized as this one." - Alain Drout, AMG
CD $14


RICHARD ANDERSSON SUSTAINABLE QUARTET With TONY MALABY/SULLIVAN FORTNER/ROGERIO BOCCATO - Please Recycle (Blackout 24; EEC) Review next week..
CD $17

UNIVERSAL QUARTET [KASPER TRANBERG/YUSEF LATEEF/ADAM RUDOLPH/KRESTEN OSGOOD] - Universal Quartet (Blackout 18; EEC) Featuring Kasper Tranberg on trumpet, Yusef Lateef on flutes, tenor sax, oboe, piano & vocal, Adam Rudolph on percussion, thumb piano, sintir & bamboo flutes and Kresten Osgood on drums. This gem has been out for one year but has been difficult to get ahold of until now. I wasn't very familiar with trumpeter Kasper Tranberg before this but it turns out that he has a few other CD's on the same Denmark-based label. The ubiquitous drummer Kresten Osgood is perhaps the most ambitious musician to emerge from Denmark, always searching to play & record with many of his jazz heroes from John Tchicai to Oliver Lake to Sam Rivers. I'm sure I don't need to introduce you to the legendary saxist and professor Yusef Lateef or percussion wizard & multi bandleader Adam Rudolph.
Although there is no bassist on this disc, there is no need since both percussionists keep the rhythms flowing superbly around one another as well as with both horns. All four members of this great quartet contribute to the compositions and direction. Yusef Lateef has been one of our best tenor titans since the fifties and still sounds strong and spirited throughout this disc. Yusef was also one of if not the first jazz saxists to double on exotic reeds like the oboe, bassoon or various flutes. On "Gron Galaskse" he plays sublime oboe & flutes along with Kasper's spacy muted trumpet and with layers of organic percussion surrounding. This piece has a most hypnotic jungle vibe, especially when Adam picks up the sintir, an acoustic bass-like instrument from North Africa. Yusef's earthy African-sounding voice is featured on "47th Street Breakdown" and it fits perfectly with the laid back and bluesy groove. This great disc is pretty long (73 & 1/2 minutes) and consistently engaging. I often felt like I was on a journey through ancient lands and times, much the way I feel when listening to the better discs by the Art Ensemble of Chicago. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $17



New on Clean Feed!

TONY MALABY TAMARINDO With WILLIAM PARKER/NASHEET WAITS + WADADA LEO SMITH - Live: Featuring Wadada Leo Smith (clean feed 200; Portugal) Having a trio like the one founded by saxophonist Tony Malaby with the likes of William Parker and Nasheet Waits was enough motive to rejoice, and truth is the CD released by Clean Feed with "Tamarindo" as title caused a big wave of wonder. Now, Tamarindo comes back with a live recording where this group responsible for the most captivating creative jazz played nowadays is transformed into a quartet, by the addition of the trumpeter extraordinaire Wadada Leo Smith as special guest. Only to know it would make anyone eager to listen to what can result from such an association of incredible talents - well, if you have high expectations, here are the very good news: the music inside is even better than everything you can imagine. This is powerhouse free bop performed with the most magical collective chemistry. Finally, we can say jazz is very far from being dead or from smelling funny. It's really alive and capable of the most astonishing accomplishments. "Tony Malaby's Tamarindo Live" is a serious contender for the best jazz album of 2010 - as a matter of fact, for the best jazz album of the last decade. It's the 200th record in the catalogue of this Portuguese label, a number representing the fulfillment of a dream.
CD $16

KEN FILIANO & QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENTS With MICHAEL ATTIAS/TONY MALABY/MICHAEL T A THOMPSON - Dreams From A Clown Car (Clean Feed 207; Portugal) Having recorded with the best on the east and west coasts of the USA -- Anthony Braxton, Bill Dixon, John Carter, Vinny Golia, Jason Hwang, Dom Minasi, Taylor Ho Bynum,Richard Grossman, Connie Crothers, Paul Smoker, Roswell Rudd, Steve Adams and many, many others -- Ken Filiano is back in the Clean Feed catalogue for the debut release of his quartet, Quantum Entanglements, comprising Michael Attias, Tony Malaby and Michael T.A. Thompson (also regulars on the Lisbon label). As leader and composer, Filiano shows he has much to offer in addition to his instant inventiveness and extraordinary virtuosic capacities as a double bassist who "can play anything in any context and make it work" (Chris Kelsey). The compositions are all signed by the Brooklyn musician, revealing another facet of his admirable skills. As a composer, Filiano is very much aware he's dealing with accomplished improvisers (himself included), and so conceives his scores both as melodic structures and platforms for improvisation. This doesn't mean he composes less, but that he intentionally composes in a way that opens up the inherent possibilities of both compositional and improvisational structures. The reed frontline formed by Attias and Malaby has already proven itself in other contexts (such as the project, Twines of Colesion), which implies a special empathy. Drummer drummer Thompson couldn't be a more correct choice to give fire to the music comprising "Dreams From a Clown Car." Another remarkable achievement.
CD $16

MATT BAUDER With NATE WOOLEY/ANGELICA SANCHEZ/JASON AJEMIAN/TOMAS FUJIWARA - Day In Pictures (Clean Feed 210; Portugal) Tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Matt Bauder represents brilliantly the new type of musician existing in this beginning of the 21st century, one that is aware of the most distinctive musical idioms, in some way synthesizing those genres in a personal approach. Bauder is a punk rock and soul fan, an unusual combination in itself, and he studied with three great figures of the creative music of today, one active in the domains of jazz, two in the new music scene, respectively Anthony Braxton, Ron Kuivila and Alvin Lucier. His eclecticism explains why his activity transcended the conventional labels, for instance playing jazz with Taylor Ho Bynum, Rob Mazurek and Harris Eisenstadt, and rock with the bands Howling Hex and His Name is Alive. Once again, "Day in Pictures" shows Bauder's "keen ear for timbre" and "will to abstraction", to quote the specialized press, but inside the parameters described by Matt Bauder himself as "modern jazz". The terminology can mean anything, but when you know that trumpeter Nate Wooley, pianist Angelica Sanchez, contrabassist Jason Ajemian and drummer Tomas Fujiwara are involved, you can have one good idea of what this record is all about: great music, no less.
CD $16

RICARDO GALLO'S TIERRA DE NADIE With RAY ANDERSON/MARK HELIAS/DAN BLAKE/SATOSHI TAKEISHI/PHEEROAN AkLAFF - The Great Fine Line (Clean Feed 209; Portugal) Known for his partnerships with Ray Anderson and Peter Evans, Colombian expatriate Ricardo Gallo is becoming a noteworthy voice as a pianist and composer in American creative jazz. After obtaining critical acclaim with his Bogota bands, in "The Great Fine Line" we find him in the company of some of the finest performers on the scene - trombonist Ray Anderson, bassist Mark Helias, saxophonist Dan Blake, percussionist Satoshi Takeishi and drummer Pheeroan AkLaff. All of them great improvisers, and all of them capable of the best interpretations of refined compositions, written by a jazz musician clearly interested in the contemporary classical tradition, at the same time incorporating elements of his native Latin American culture. The project Tierra de Nadie is inspired in a phrase of the novelist Julio Cortazar, stating that music is a no-man's land, a territory where the "fine line" separating genres and national/racial identities is getting blurrier. The result is a sort of imaginary folklore, reflecting the present day global condition of this music we call jazz. A refreshing, exquisite and hot-driven CD.
CD $16

AFTERFALL [LUIS LOPES/SEI MIGUEL/JOE GIARDULLO/BENJAMIN DUBOC/HARVEY SORGEN] - Afterfall (Clean Feed 208; Portugal) Considering the work done by each one of the musicians forming the band Afterfall, this is the most improbable of all projects. The fact is that it works, and we must say it works beautifully. It could have been an ad-hoc group, reunited at the end of the summer of 2008 for a couple of gigs in Portugal. But things went so well on stage that they decided to go to studio and this is the astonishing result: when you gather some improvisers coming from different parts of the world - in this case, two Portuguese, two Americans and one French - marvelous things can happen. Luis Lopes was the Master of Ceremonies, more than the leader or the mentor: it was him who invited the rest of the participants, and knowing his past life playing rock and blues, his love for the "new thing" and his passion for noise music (he's the most brutal feedback guitarist in Portugal - our own Caspar Brotzmann!), the choices he made were surprising. First Sei Miguel, a very idiosyncratic trumpeter with a cubist cool style positioned somewhere between Chet Baker and John Cage. Than, Joe Giardullo, a saxophonist specialized on the soprano who applies the George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Theory of Tonal Organization in an experimental jazz format more inspired in Jelly Roll Morton than in Anthony Braxton, and who played with such distinct personalities as the new music composer Pauline Oliveros and the free jazz legend Joe McPhee. After, came Benjamin Duboc, a contrabassist crossing the boundaries of jazz, total improvisation and electro-acoustic music, going from the "conventional" (with Oliver Lake, Henry Grimes, Sunny Murray) to the extreme (with Jean-Luc Guionnet, Bertrand Denzler, Stephane Rives). Finally, drummer Harvey Sorgen joined in, with his experience in opposite fields, with the likes of Ahmad Jamal, Carlos Santana, Dewey Redman, Paul Simon, Wadada Leo Smith, Michelle Shocked ..and Hot Tuna! This is the proof that the most crazy idea can be the best one.
CD $16

BILLY FOX'S BLACKBIRDS AND BULLETS With MIKI HIROSE/MATT PARKER/EVAN MAZUNIK/JAMES ILGENFRITZ/AREI SEKIGUCHI - Dulces (Clean Feed 204; Portugal) If Billy Fox's previous releases had the classical format of the suite, this new album is presented, simply, as a collection of sweets ("Dulces"). Again, the percussionist adopts the role of composer and director. Although only one track is an arrangement of a piece by India's Rabindranath Tagore, his influence is felt everywhere. The creator of Rabindra Sangeet, the name given to Tagore's patrimony of 2000 songs, is quoted in the booklet: "I am proud of my humanity when I can acknowledge the poets and artists of other countries as my own." This message is conveyed by the music inside: In "Dulces" we can detect idiomatic elements of South Asian, Middle Eastern and African musics, through the filter of a jazz ensemble. This is "jazz for the heart and hips," says Fox. In Dulces, familiar situations are mixed with surprising developments, and the music is simultaneously accessible and defiant.
CD $16

HNH [JOE HERTENSTEIN/PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER/THOMAS HEBERER] - HNH (Clean Feed 205; Portugal) Jazz is the new nomadism - it is played 'on the road' - and it is also an immigration factor. HNH, the debut recording of drummer/composer Joe Hertenstein with his trio, featuring bassist Pascal Niggenkemper and quarter-tone trumpeter Thomas Heberer, serves a great example, since all three are Germans, living in New York City. Their music is a clear product of the cityscape in all of its human complexity. Nevertheless, the musicians are still Europeans, which means they are not always performing the "in-your-face" Big Apple jazz style. There is the quietness, space, and breath that is specific to European jazz; when the trio plays free form, they move as one. Instead of taking the American "New Thing" idiom, they use the processes and vocabulary of European improvised music. Leader Joe Hertenstein, who has worked with the creme of improvisers in his native Germany, Cologne-based James Choice Orchestra (the ensemble includes Scott Fields, Frank Gratkowski, Carl Ludwig Huebsch, Thomas Lehn, Norbert Stein, Matthias Schubert a.o.), is - among other activities - a member of Butch Morris' Nublu Orchestra. Bassist Pascal Niggenkemper has released two critically-acclaimed CDs with his trio featuring Robin Verheyen and Tyshawn Sorey, while trumpeter Thomas Heberer has been a member of Alexander von Schlippenbach's Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra and Misha Mengelberg's Instant Composers Pool for many years. Heberer also has collaborated with Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Peter Brotzmann, Dave Douglas, Gerry Hemingway, Joachim Kuhn, Paul Lovens, and David Murray a.o. Both he and Hertenstein appear on 2005's "Live at Moers" CD by the James Choice Orchestra. Hertenstein and Heberer make their compositions catchy and visionary at the same time. Each piece here - composed, improvised, or a mix - finds its own form: supple, pulsating, swinging and highly explorative. Trumpet trios are still uncommon, however, HNH confirms that jazz is a universal expression.
CD $16

JARUZELSKI'S DREAM [PIERO BITTOLO BON/STEFANO SENNI/FRANCESCO CUSA] - Jazz Gawronski (Clean Feed 211; Portugal) Piero Bittolo Bon - alto sax & smartphone, Stefano Senni - double bass and Francesco Cusa - drums. If you're curious to know what's happening in the Transalpine scene besides the Italian Instabile Orchestra and its members personal projects, here you have the best of all examples. This is what's happening: freeform jazz with a groovy accent, played with refined technique, imagination, soul and guts. A heir of the ilustruous alto sax lineage coming from Eric Dolphy to Tim Berne, through Ornette Coleman and Henry Threadgill, Piero Bittolo Bon is on top of his skills and his razorsharp sound in "Jazz Gawronski". A member of the collective El Gallo Rojo, this young multi-instrumentalist (also playing alto and bass clarinets and flute) has already an astonishing CV: Anthony Braxton, John Tchicai, Ernest Dawkins, Tristan Honsinger and Jamaaladeen Tacuma are among his past partnerships. Bassist Stefano Senni, also member of El Gallo Rojo, is a top figure in Italy, side by side with the likes of Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani, Daniele D'Agaro and Zeno de Rossi, and internationally he already had the best of companies, be them from the mainstream or the avant-garde: Lee Konitz, Cedar Walton, Bobby Watson, George Cables, Tom Harrell, Eddie Henderson, Chris Speed, Ralph Alessi and Anthony Coleman, to only name a few. Also indifferent to tendencies and styles inside the jazz domain is drummer extraordinaire Francesco Cusa. Founder of Improvvisatore Involontario collective, he played with almost everyone of the "who's who" list, from Steve Lacy and Kenny Wheeler to Gianluca Petrella and Carlos "Zingaro", including Paolo Fresu, Tim Berne, Elliott Sharp, Butch Morris, Michel Godard and even the trash metal / jazz band Zu. Freshness and urgency are to be found here, and that's all we can ask jazz to be nowadays. It's becoming an exception and that's why this is such an extraordinary recording.
CD $16



New and recent on Thirsty Ear:

NILS PETTER MOLVAER With EIVIND AARSET/AUDUN KLEIVE/JAN BANG - Hamada (Thirsty Ear 57194; USA) The word 'Hamada' is taken from the Arabic language and means dead, inanimately, congealed, lapsed. It is used as the geological term for a stone or rock desert with no or only little sand. Instead it is filled with edgy stones or rocks as a result of physical erosion. It is Nils Petter Molvaer's most angry and darkest album up to date with climaxes in the songs Friction and Cruel Altitude where he and his fellow musicians, Eivind Aarset (g) and Audun Kleive (dr), leave the paths of ambient, electronica and improvisation and get the axe out to poach in the fields of indie and 70ies-prog-rock, before they cool it down to end the album on a more conciliatory note.
"Wow! This sure fills a specific void by 98% while I wait another eon for new material from Jon Hassell, but to be sure, Nils is his own recommendable flavor as well" - MannyLunch
CD $15

SCANNER [ROBIN RIMBAUD] With THE POST MODERN JAZZ QUARTET [MATT SHIPP/KHAN JAMAL/MICHAEL BISIO/MICHAEL THOMPSON] - Blink Of An Eye (Thirsty Ear 57195; USA) The blending of jazz and electronics has been one of the more difficult musical challenges, as it attempts to humanize the machine or mechanize the free spirit of improvisation. It's a very tricky balance to get right, as they can be on a collision course with each other. Bringing together the world renown electronic artist, Scanner who has collaborated with artists from every imaginable genre: musicians Bryan Ferry, Radiohead and Laurie Anderson with jazz masters Matthew Shipp, Khan Jamal, Michael Bisio and Michael Thompson has created a post modern sound encased in a traditional form. The results are unparalleled. Scanner becomes part of the PMJQ, creating cinematic textures that take a familiar jazz quartet sound and transforms it into a modern day experience in this world of bits and bytes.
CD $16

DJ SPOOKY [PAUL MILLER] With THURSTON MOORE/MIKE LADD et al - The Secret Song [CD + DVD] (Blue Series/Thirsty Ear 57191; USA) Fans of electronic music, hip-hop, and beat culture already know that Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky (That Subliminal Kid) is the most academic of DJs. His early recordings, made when he has in his early twenties, were all adorned with wordy critical and philosophical concepts in their booklets; in interview, the man was an unstoppable flow of words. Ultimately, however, then as now, it all comes down to the music. Whether or not one could get with his records, (s)he always had to admit he was original to the core. The Secret Song is DJ Spooky's first new studio recording in a decade. Issued by Thirsty Ear, it contains a CD and a DVD. The latter hosts a project where Spooky musically and visually remixes a cinematic montage by no less that Dziga Vertov from his '20s films Kino Glaz and Kino Pravda. The hip thing is that these two films were already early montage exercises, so with Spooky's mix of ambient dub, classical, cinematic snippets and space, these gorgeous black-and-white images -- that already reflect a way of life all but unknown to most of today's Westerners -- recombine history as contrast in sound, vision, and the various terrains where they begin to bleed into one another. The CD is a concept album, and it's a stone killer. Spooky has enlisted a slew of New Yorkers to help him with this set, including: Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore and wordsmith Mike Ladd -- on the same cut -- DJ Rob Swift, the Coup, Zimbabwe Legit, Mike G of the Jungle Brothers, the unwitting George W. Bush, pianist Vijay Iyer, vocalist Sussan Deyhim the Post-Modern Jazz Quartet (Matthew Shipp, Khan Jamal, Michael Bisio, and Michael Thompson) and strings and winds group, the Golden Arm Trio arranged by Peter Stopschinski and Graham Reynolds. The latter two groups appear on multiple selections. The set fixates itself on how the relationships of hip-hop and electronic musics find their places among philosophy, economics, and the sonic sciences in a world where the global financial meltdown has made music a kind of final territory of solace, a landscape of refuge for young people with less time and precious little money. Music here, regardless of genre (and its artificial definitions) doesn't collide or meld together so much as cooperate and ask questions of itself and the other sounds arranged around it. Nothing feels left to chance; instead, Secret Song feels like the sound of digging further and further into the roots of an arbitrary economy, that could only be articulated in sound because everything else relates to commerce in one sense or another. Ideology isn't the heavy suit here; sound is, as it plays with and against the transaction of space, time, and commerce in the world of the individual and society in history. These 20 tracks range from just under a minute-and-a- half to a little over six. Singling them would be to play a game that Spooky's set himself against. His music is about examining ideas and creating new ones by placing these short sequences of sonic inquiry next to, on top of, and underneath one another. There are hidden sounds inside and -- literally -- outside (the clues the album refers to are everywhere). The listener needs not so much to work at them, but to take them in and respond. The Secret Song is the welcome return to recording by one of its most mercurially intelligent musicmakers. It may also be the only concept recording of the 21st century that can be considered crucial listening. ~ Thom Jurek, AMG
CD $16

BEN NEILL - Night Science (Thirsty Ear 57190; USA) Ben Neill has been described as a 'creative composer, genius performer and inventor of the mutantrumpet' (Time Out New york 2008) whose music 'masterfully blurs the line between electronic dance music and jazz sounds' (Billboard). Neill has recently completed his newest Cd, Night Science which will be released on Thirsty Ear this Fall. Neill's new music combines dubstep beats and basslines with the trippy otherworldly sonic explorations of his self invented instrument, the uncanny mutantrumpet.
CD $15

DANIEL BERNARD ROUMAIN [DBR] - Woodbox: Beats and Balladry (Thirsty Ear 57193; USA) Having carved a reputation for himself as an innovative composer, performer, violinist, and band leader, Haitian-American artist Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) melds his classical music roots with his own cultural references and vibrant musical imagination. Proving that he's "about as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets" (New York Times), DBR recently collaborated and performed with Lady Gaga on FOX's American Idol. His accolades range from being voted as "America's Assignment" on the CBS Evening News, to receiving praise as one of the "Top 100 New Yorkers" (New York Resident).
Following up his debut release on Thirsty Ear "etudes4violin&electronix", his new release "Woodbox Beats & Balladry" is a vibrant, compositional tour de force. Featuring members of his touring ensemble, DBR's soaring violin is complemented by rich textures, haunting melodies and exhilarating performances.
CD $15



New and Recent on Kadima:

DEEP TONES FOR PEACE [HENRY GRIMES/MARK DRESSER/TREVOR DUNN/LINDSEY HORNER/WILLIAM PARKER/BARRE PHILLIPS/RUFUS REID et al] - 2009: Jerusalem - NYC - Tel-Aviv [CD + DVD + Booklet] (Kadima Triptych 02; Israel) A historic event held in 2009 featuring 13 internationally renowned bassists performing for peace in the Middle East: Thierry Barbe, Mark Dresser, Trevor Dunn, Henry Grimes, Irina-Kalina Goudeva, Lindsey Horner, JC Jones, Michael Klinghoffer, Chi-chi Nwanoku, William Parker, Barre Phillips, Dave Phillips, Rufus Reid, Bert Turetzky and Sarah Weaver.
CD: SLM, by Mark Dresser and Sarah Weaver, telematic performance between Jerusalem and New York City (49 minutes).
DVD: One and a half hour film by Christine Baudillon and Francois Lagarde documenting the Deep Tones events and concerts in Israel.
Photography booklet.
CD + DVD + Bklt for $28

MARK DRESSER - Guts [CD + DVD + Booklet] (Kadima Triptych 01; Israel) Bass explorations, Investigations and Explanations
CD: Solo bass improvisations, compositions and interpretations (48:57).
DVD: A demonstration of Mark Dresser's use of extended techniques with downloadable pdf files of notated reference charts, musical excerpts, and concert pieces.
Mark Dresser discusses improvisation, composition, and developing a personal sound.
A conversation between Pulitzer Prize winning composer Roger Reynolds and Mark Dresser on their collaboration.(2 hours 28 minutes).
Art booklet.
CD + DVD + Bklt for $28

GEORGE E LEWIS/VINNY GOLIA/BERTRAM TURETZKY - Triangulation 2 (Kadima 30; Israel) Recorded December 3rd of 2003 and featuring George Lewis on trombone, Vinny Golia of reeds and Bertram Turetzky on contrabass.
CD $16

VINNY GOLIA/MARK DRESSER - Live at Lotus (Kadima 26; Israel) Vinny Golia woodwinds, Mark Dresser contrabass
[distributor illogically charging us $4 more for this single CD - no explanation or redress.. so we have to sell for..]
CD $20

BARRE PHILLIPS - Portraits: Solo Bass (Kadima 25; Israel)
CD $16

ARIEL SHIBOLET/HAGGAI FERSHTMAN - Happiness For Things Unseen: The Cy Twombly Trilogy Pt 3 (Kadima 29; Israel) Shibolet soprano sax, Haggai Fershtman drums
CD $16

ARIEL SHIBOLET/NORI JACOBY - Scenes From An Ideal Marriage: The Cy Twombly Trilogy Pt 2 (Kadima 28; Israel) Shibolet soprano sax, Jacoby viola
CD $16

ARIEL SHIBOLET - The Cy Twombly Trilogy [Pt 1] (Kadima 27; Israel) Solo sax; Live at the Total Music Meeting, Berlin 2007
CD $16

NORI JACOBY/YONI KRETZMER/HAGGAI FERSHTMAN - One Afternoon (Kadima 21; Israel) Nori Jacoby viola, Yoni Kretzmer sax, Haggai Fershtman drums
CD $16


THE EX - Catch My Shoe (Ex 123 SBT; Holland) Talk about a collective effort: How many bands can weather the loss of a founding member who's been a mainstay for 30 years, then come out on the other side like they haven't missed a beat? Well, there aren't many groups like the Ex, who have 25 adventurous albums to their name, incorporating avant-jazz, traditional African music, European folk forms, and much more to keep their under-the-radar post-punk reliably durable and always inventive. What other first-generation punk bands from the late-70's have can claim to have stayed together continuously until 2010, anyways? [None!] Three decades down the line with a revamped lineup, the Dutch anarcho-punks are still as vital and relevant as ever on their latest album Catch My Shoe, the first since original singer/guitarist G.W. Sok left the band last year. With Arnold de Boer joining the long-time core of drummer Katherina Bornefeld and guitarists Terrie Hessels and Andy Moor, the Ex prove that change doesn't have to come at the cost of consistency and commitment.
Catch My Shoe certainly isn't the work of a band that has lost a step, even with the exit of a crucial member, though de Boer's presence does subtly but perceptibly tweak the Ex's tried-and-true formula. At first, you'd be hard pressed to notice much of a difference in the Ex's aesthetic, considering how the opening track, Maybe I Was The Pilot, starts things off: Like it was picking up where 2004's Turn left off, the new album begins with an angular lead guitar line that ping-pongs off static-y, fuzzed-out backing guitars, as aggressive, clattering percussion and skronky horns come in to push the song to a state of frenzy that Ex songs often end up in. But the band's sound loosens and lightens up with de Boer's vocals, which take on a role that might be a little too prominent, front-and-center in the mix. Without the same force and weight of Sok's voice, which gave the Ex's caustic sense of humor more gravity, de Boer's signing nudges the group in a catchier, more accessible direction, like it or not. A departure from Sok's righteously indignant screeds, de Boer's spoke-sung vocals play up extended metaphors and allegorical musings instead of hitting with agitated sloganeering. And yet, when the Ex cut loose with brassy Afro-jazz horns and aggressive improvisation on Cold Weather Is Back, they let their music do the talking, as their eclectic experimentation gets across a bold, fierce message in ways that de Boer's obscure lyrics can't quite do on their own.
But it's on Keep On Walking that Catch My Shoe finds its stride, when the only point of reference for the Ex's kitchen-sink approach is really itself. All the diverse elements that go into the group's musical melting pot are already baked into Keep On Walking, an epic punk bash-up that finds inspiration and motivation from the band's internal logic rather than any external influences. When de Boer chants 'Keep on walking/Keep on moving/Keep on listening/Keep on talking' to abrasive guitar play and rattling drums, it might as well be a rallying cry that gives the long-running act new marching orders and a renewed sense of focus. Keep On Walking casts the new Ex in a new light, a worthy acknowledgment of their legacy that also promises much more to come. And how many bands with the Ex's longevity and history can you say that about? - Arnold Pan, PopMatters
CD $15


GARY HUSBAND With JOHN McLAUGHLIN/ALLAN HOLDSWORTH/JAN HAMMER/JERRY GOODMAN/STEVE HACKETT et al - Dirty & Beautiful Vol 1 (Abstract Logix 27; USA) A visionary exercise years in the making, recorded in studios around the world, Dirty & Beautiful Volume One is a riveting showcase for the many gleaming facets of Husband's musical imagination, featuring an enviable cast of supporting musicians, among them Allan Holdsworth (Guitar); John McLaughlin (Guitar); Robin Trower (Guitar); Steve Hackett (Guitar); Steve Topping (Guitar); Jan Hammer (Keyboards); Jerry Goodman (Violin); Jimmy Johnson (Bass); Mark King (Bass); Laurence Cottle (Bass); Livingstone Brown (Bass); Steve Price (Bass) "I feel this album to be rich, full of extremes, and passionate," Husband reflects. "It's not at all my first album, but it feels a little like a debut album, in that it heralds a return to my jazz/rock roots." The album's title hints at the unique co-existence that defines his music: for all its sophistication, technique, and facility, there is an underlying grit and intensity that somehow only enhances the luminous beauty at the core of these performances. From brief, meditative keyboard soundscapes like Afterglow and Swell, to intense, full-bore fusion workouts, Dirty & Beautiful includes newly-written and older Husband compositions alongside material from Holdsworth, guitarist Steve Topping, and formative classics by Jan Hammer and Miles Davis. Throughout, Husband performs all the drums and - save for a guest spot by Hammer on the opening Leave 'Em On - all the album's keyboards. "The duality between drums and keyboards is like second nature to me," he explains. "I've always been involved with the two instruments to the same degree. It's never been one over the other, and what I do with both tools makes up my complete realm of expression. If I'm playing drums along with a previously recorded track on keyboards or vice versa there's an instinctive sort of inner trust I detect, follow and settle with very quickly. I know it probably sounds like a pretty crazy method, but it all seems to figure out in the way that I feel it and approach it in a very natural way."
From Robin Trower's churning, wailing post-Hendrix guitar on the brief visit to Miles Davis's Yesternow, to Steve Hackett's stirring interpretation of the wistful Moon Song through to Mark King's slithering bass on the refracted second-line funk of the closing Alverstone Jam, Dirty & Beautiful Volume One is an explosive, evocative celebration of the of the mutual respect between Husband and his collaborators, and instantly heightens the anticipation for a second volume!
CD $16

JOHN McLAUGHLIN And THE 4th DIMENSION - To The One (Abstract Logix 21; USA) In the liner notes for To the One, guitarist John McLaughlin writes a brief essay about the profound inspiration John Coltrane's A Love Supreme had on him musically and spiritually. In the Mahavishnu Orchestra, that debt was obvious; on Love Devotion Surrender, with Carlos Santana, the pair covered its title theme. McLaughlin even paid direct homage to the saxophonist on 1995 s After the Rain, which featured not only Coltrane s material, but drummer Elvin Jones as well. With his group the 4th Dimension -- Gary Husband on keyboards and occasional drums; Mark Mondesir on drums; and Cameroonian bassist Etienne M'Bapp --McLaughlin explores an electric jazz that is deeply and directly indebted to Coltrane s modal music and lyric interplay, and also to the emotional and spiritual aspects of the saxophonist s expressions. On set opener Discovery, carefully chosen keyboard modes drive McLaughlin s attack around a melodic statement without actually succumbing to a specifically agreed-upon theme. Likewise Husband s piano solo, which uses the middle and high registers, and offers arpeggios and ostinatos around his own articulation of the modes, playing right into them the way McCoy Tyner would. Guitar and keyboards go head to head later in the track to breathtaking result. Special Beings, by contrast is a lithe, shimmering, melodic ballad that actually swings. The bass playing by M'Bapp , while understated, here creates a sense of motion underscored by the double-timed light touch of Mondesir. Recovery employs Husband on drums and keyboards with Mondesir on additional percussion. This is a triple-timed workout for the band with inspiring bass work by M Bappe. McLaughlin s guitar work moves from taut, speedy, knotty fusion to emotional soloing. The band engages in rhythmic counterpoint, scalar interplay, and funky asides while remaining poignantly focused on singing together, rather than just expertly riffing around one another. The set contains some moody ballad work as well, in Lost and Found" and the closing title track where McLaughlin uses his guitar synth, but the playing is soulful and communicative, not just cosmic and atmospheric. To the One is an inspired milestone for McLaughlin and a fine recorded introduction to one of the more exciting electric jazz groups in the 4th Dimension. ~ Thom Jurek, AMG
CD $16


INNA ZHELANNAYA With TREY GUNN - Cocoon (7D Media 1013; USA) "Cocoon", the first release of Inna Zhelannaya's in the USA, is based on Russian folk songs. Inna is known for combining electronica, trance and progressive rock with traditional songs from the different regions of her native Russia. Executed with the utmost care for these ancient melodies, meditative "Cocoon" has been acknowledged as a boundary smashing work for Zhelannaya. The CD is co-produced with Trey Gunn and features his playing on several tracks. Inna Zhelannaya was the first world music star in Russia. She was the founder of the group "The Farlanders" which performed in hundreds of prestigious festivals throughout Europe, Asia and the USA. She has been making solo CDs since 2000.
CD $15

TREY GUNN - I'll Tell What I Saw: The Anthology [2 CD set] (7D Media 1012; USA) This retrospective, two-disc set includes over 2 hours of music drawn from Gunn's catalog. Known for his work with King Crimson and as a pioneer of the touch guitar, Gunn has produced 8 solo recordings. For this dynamic mix of material, Gunn, a much sought after collaborator, has pulled in tracks from numerous artists he has worked with over the years. Music from Russia, Mexico, Italy and Finland is melded with his solo works on this fascinating collection.
2 CD set for $20


FENN O'BERG [CHRISTIAN FENNESZ/JIM O'ROURKE/PETER REHBERG] - Live In Japan 2009, Pt 1 (Editions Mego 110.1; Austria) Live In Japan Part One is the first part of two separately-released live albums from the legendary trio Fenn O'Berg (Christian Fennesz, Jim O'Rourke and Peter Rehberg), featuring recordings taken from their 2009 Japanese tour. That's it.
LP $22

FENN O'BERG [CHRISTIAN FENNESZ/JIM O'ROURKE/PETER REHBERG] - Live In Japan 2009, Pt 2 (Editions Mego 110.2; Austria) Live In Japan Part Two is the second part of two separately-released live albums from the legendary trio Fenn O'Berg (Christian Fennesz, Jim O'Rourke and Peter Rehberg), featuring recordings taken from their 2009 Japanese tour.
LP $22

CHRISTIAN FENNESZ - Endless Summer: 2007 Remixed & Expanded edition [2 LP set] (Editions Mego 135; Austria) 2010 edition with new cover. Remastered, expanded gatefold double LP version (briefly available as a single LP in 2001 and o/p for 10 years now). This version features new artwork by Tina Frank, based on the original 2001 Mego release. Contains "Ohne Sonne" and "47 Blues," previously only available on the Japanese CD versions, as well as a new, extended version of "Happy Audio," exclusive to this release. Endless Summer, originally released in 2001 by Mego, was a breakthrough album for Christian Fennesz -- the album which brought his name and music towards the first steps of mainstream recognition. Following on from the more experimental Hotel Paral.lel (EMEGO 016CD) and the Beach Boys-homaged Plays single, Endless Summer brought the guitars more to the front, the electronics shimmered more, and the melodies shined more brightly. It went on to become a classic of its time, topping many end-of-year polls. Cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, September 2010.
2 LP set for $26


MERZBOW [MASAMI AKITA] - Merzbient [Ltd Ed of 555; 12 CD Box Set] (Soleilmoon 171; USA) "Merzbient is a twelve-CD collection of Merzbow's previously unreleased ambient recordings. The music was recorded in the late '80s and early '90s, at a time when Masami Akita (Merzbow) was becoming famous for his live performances, which featured some of the harshest sounds ever heard. The records he released mirrored these performances, and helped establish his reputation as the prime mover in the Japanese noise scene. The electronics he used for his recordings were the same ones he used for live shows. Out of necessity he toured with gear that was small, simple and portable. But all the while he was secretly recording quieter, more atmospheric music, and using a wide variety of acoustic instruments including an impractical monstrosity he describes as a 'big handmade junk instrument made from a metal box with piano wires,' which he played with a violin bow. He made hours and hours of recordings, but kept them private and never released them, until they were eventually set aside and forgotten. He recently rediscovered the multi-track master tapes in a box and remastered them for release on CD. And what a discovery they are! These twelve discs represent a side of Merzbow never before heard. The music bears many of the signature styles expected from Merzbow -- think of the theme of long-form drones pierced by random bursts of sound, for example -- but it's enticingly different from what we've heard before, with spacious sounds evoking prehistoric misty landscapes, desolate abandoned industrial sites, and sci-fi/horror film soundtracks. If the familiar and traditional Merzbow is like a jet plane taking off at full-throttle, then Merzbient is the hanger where the plane was built. Not a violent assault on the ears, but something more interior, more personal, and more gentle. The twelve CDs in this collection are presented in a custom-made, hard-cover box with red foil block printing. Each disc is packed in its own slipcase. When the slipcases are arranged together in a rectangle a large image is revealed. A large and heavy (5 x 11cm, 84 gm) die-cast metal medallion with the Kanji characters representing 'Animal Liberation' completes the set, which is limited to 555 numbered copies."
12 CD Ltd Ed Box Set for $96


JOHN COLTRANE With PHAROAH SANDERS/ALICE COLTRANE/JIMMY GARRISON/RASHIED ALI - At Temple University 1966 (Free Factory 68/Disconforme; EEC) PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED live archive release from the Jazz great containing one of Coltrane's last preserved live performances ever. Taped in Philadelphia with excellent sound quality, this set presents Coltrane playing probably the freest version of 'Naima', along with readings of two more of his compositions: 'Crescent' and a powerful version of 'Leo'. Coltrane died within a year after this performance at the age of 40 on July 17, 1967
CD $17


BERT WILSON/JEFFREY MORGAN - Take No Prisoners (Konnex 5115; Germany) Featuring Bert Wilson on alto & tenor saxes and Jeffrey Morgan on upright piano.
"Should there ever be a New Thing Revival along the lines of the New Orleans Revival of the 1940s then saxophonist Bert Wilson could be prime candidate to be its Bunk Johnson. Like the legendary trumpeter from New Iberia, La., Wilson has since 1980 lived far away from mainstream jazz centres in Olympia, Wash., and plays in a style as true to what was recorded on ESP-Disk as Johnson was to pre-Swing Era traditional jazz. Unlike Johnson, who never recorded and was out of music before he was found and displayed as the genuine jazz article to fight the bebop heresy, Wilson, who has used a wheelchair since a childhood bout with polio, has lived in New York as well as L.A. Wilson actually recorded on ESP-Disk, with percussionist James Zitro and saxist Sonny Simmons, has made other recordings and played at many jazz festivals. He certainly shows his stuff on this duo, which is doubly impressive since his pianist partner here is Spokane, Wash.-born Jeffrey Morgan. Peripatetic Morgan, who has lived in Cologne, Germany since 1991, is a saxman himself, whose most recent achievement is a fine duo disc, TERRA INCOGNITA, with British drummer Paul Lytton. However he played piano before the saxophone and TAKE NO PRISONERS is like those LPs that featured bassist Charles Mingus on piano -- a rare opportunity to hear an accomplished stylist translate his skills to another medium. Maybe there are still some parallels to Johnson's unvarnished Classic Jazz, however. This 73-minute session isn't for jazz dilettantes. It's six shots of long form improvisation with each man pouring his all into and through his instrument. Even for the committed it may best be experienced in small doss rather than in one sitting. Wilson, for example, spends many passages on the longest -- nearly 15 minute -- title track squealing away altissimo. Along the way he adds sideslipping obbligatos, flutter tonguing and spetrofluctuation. Still, for all his extended techniques, he never sounds as if he's at a loss for ideas, nor, no matter how hard he blows, do the tones ever sound forced. Morgan too shines, playing perhaps with a more powerful touch than usual since his instrument is an old upright. Creating allegro fantasias, he pushes uneven note clusters against a small thematic grouping, or flashes octaves over the keys.
Meanwhile, boiling repetitive overtones, minute vibrations, yelps and cries characterize the reedist's work, which at times reaches an Aylerian march tempo. Wilson's more versatile than many would suspect, though. By the piece's end, duck-like quacks give way to tones that would be balladic in a different context, and he ends with a sweeping legato slur that reference pre-modern tenor titans like Ben Webster.
All in all, perhaps the disc is mis-titled. Take No Prisoners may be a bit too bellicose for what the two do. What they actually create, as the final tune says, is Lightning, Thunder and Rain merely using acoustic instruments and their combined talents." - Ken Waxman
CD $16


ALBRECHT MAURER/NORBERT RODENKIRCHEN - Hidden Fresco (Nemu 04; Germany) Featuring Albrecht Maurer on gothic fiddle and Nobert Rodenkirchen on medieval flutes & hand harp. Thanks to my friend Igor Voronenko, I had the good fortune to meet, hang out with and see this extraordinary duo play live last night (11/9/10). What's interesting is that both of these men started in opposite ends the musical spectrum. Mr. Maurer is a gifted violinist who has worked with the Kent Carter String Trio, Theo Jorgensmann and the Syntopia Quartet. He was searching to go beyond the limits of his chosen instrument, the violin and discovered the ancient gothic fiddle, a five-stringed instrument used centuries ago. Since playing the Gothic fiddle, he has been studying and playing the music of the distant past as well as improvising on this fiddle. Norbert started out as an improvising flutist, working in the Gunter Hampel Big Band, but decided to concentrate on the medieval flutes and the music medieval era, performing in different ensembles who specialize in this music. Mr. Rodenkirchen also plays the lyra, a small hand-held harp that was also more popular during the same period of time.
This disc was inspired by an essay of Leonardo da Vinci in which he compares the sound of bells where you imagine you are hearing other hidden sounds. The 'Hidden Fresco' of the title refers to a wall where one sees things inside the stains and textures of what appears to be there. The purely acoustic music of this disc evokes spirits which drift between the different eras of music, both ancient and modern. The first thing I noticed about this disc is that it sounds mostly modern, often experimental and consistently fascinating to hear. The other thing that I noticed both at the concert and on this disc is how well these two instruments work together, covering similar tones and textures. It is apparent that this duo has been playing together for a while since their create a perfect blend, an enchanting magical, mystical sound of their own. The pieces were written by both musicians, separate or together as well as a few duo improvisations. On some of the written sections it is difficult to tell who is doing what since the blend is so seamless. "Fadenspiel" (or cat's cradle) is refers to type of pattern made of strings, which is transformed as it is moved from one set of hands to another. It is also the name of one of the pieces here and another transformation is taking place as it moves form one section to another. The flute and fiddle seem to shadow one another as they twist their way together delicately creating a series of intense swirls. On "Erosion" Albrecht uses his voice as a dark drone is the distance, like a foreboding spirit of things to come. Norbert switches to his harp on "Melancholia" which has a most elegant sound, like an entire Renaissance ensemble boiled down to just two players. Albrecht Maurer and Norbert Rodenkirchen are two remarkable musicians. I would call this one of the best CD's of the month but it was actually released in 2006. Either way it is a treat. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $14

GIANLUIGI TROVESI OCTET With PINO MINAFRA et al - Les Hommes Armees (SoulNote 121311; Italy) Featuring Gianluigi Trovesi on alto sax, clarinet & compositions, Pino Minafra on trumpets & didjeridoo, Rodolfo Migliardi on trombone & tuba, Roberto Bonati & Marco Micheli on basses, Marco Remondini on cello and Fulvio Maras & Vittorio Marinoni on drums & percussion.
CD $16



Important reissues on the Ltd Ed MOVIE GOLD label:

MARION BROWN With MAARTEN ALTENA/HAN BENNINK - Porto Novo (Movie Gold; EEC) [CD-R] This is one of altoist Marion Brown's best recordings. Although a very adventurous improviser, Brown usually brought lyricism and a thoughtful (if unpredictable) approach to his music. Accompanied by bassist Maarten van Regteben Altena and drummer Han Bennink for this stimulating session (recorded in Holland), Brown stretches out on five of his compositions and is heard at the peak of his creative powers. -- Scott Yanow AMG
This edition has two bonus cuts from the Leo Smith/Marion Brown "Creative Improvisation Ensemble" album CD $15

NICKY SKOPELITIS With BILL LASWELL/FRED FRITH/SIMON SHAHEEN/GINGER BAKER/AIYB DIENG - Next To Nothing (Movie Gold; EEC) [CD-R] Next to Nothing was the first solo album by guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, long a valued member of Bill Laswell's circle of musicians and one who contributed a great deal to the unique sound that Laswell developed during the late '80s. The wonderful violin and oud virtuoso Simon Shaheen is onboard, giving the Middle Eastern-tinged pieces some solid authenticity. His violin is offset by the violin of Fred Frith, who takes the lead on pieces that are more blues- and folk-oriented. That divide between Mediterranean exotica and down-home country and blues is the main territory here and makes for some very attractive listening. Skopelitis disdains pyrotechnics, preferring to submerge himself in the music, but wields a remarkably sure hand, providing rich color and accents. Baker's typically heavy drumming may seem leaden to some, but provides both a compelling thrust and enough bedrock to anchor compositions that might otherwise appear a bit on the fluffy side. There's a general laid-back atmosphere here (though the final cut, "Omens," has a nice, edgy undertone) that can draw dangerously near a kind of new agey sensibility, but Skopelitis well avoids this pitfall.
"Fans of Laswell's Hear No Evil - also a unique entry into World Music Blues on which Skopelitis is the astonishing guitarist of the sextet - will find similar top-rate enjoyment here. Absolutely Killer record! Don't leave THUMBS UP without it!" - MannyLunch
CD $16

HENRY THREADGILL & VERY VERY CIRCUS With BRANDON ROSS/MARK TAYLOR/MASUJAA/MARCUS ROJAS/EDWIN RODRIGUEZ/GENE LAKE + LEROY JENKINS/SIMON SHAHEEN/JASON KAO HWANG et al - Too Much Sugar For A Dime (Movie Gold; EEC) [CD-R] Henry Threadgill: alto saxophone w/ Very Very Circus (Brandon Ross, Marcus Rojas, Gene Lake, Masujaa, Edwin Rodriguez, Mark Taylor) and guests Simon Shaheen, Leroy Jenkins, Jason Hwang, Dorian L Parreott II, Johnny Rudas, Miguel Urvina, Mossa Bildner, Arenae, Larry Bright.
Absolutely Stellar recording [NOT included in either the Mosaic or CAM box sets] Imagine writing for an instrumentation of two electric guitars, two tubas, French horn, drums and Henry Threadgill's alto. Threadgill was up to the challenge and his four avant-garde originals utilize the odd combination of tones to great advantage. Two additional songs feature Threadgill, just one tuba, drums, a few exotic instruments and three strings to create some particularly unusual music. Some say it's for the open-eared adherent only, but the brilliance here is that any listener will be knocked out! This was the first of four albums in a row [the other three are in the Mosiac Box] produced by Bill Laswell and Henry Threadgill!
"This ripped out my mind the first time I heard it - one of those few moments of epiphany during one's lifetime - ESSENTIAL!" MannyLunch
CD $16

HENRY THREADGILL & VERY VERY CIRCUS With BRANDON ROSS/MARK TAYLOR/MASUJAA/MARCUS ROJAS/EDWIN RODRIGUEZ/LARRY BRIGHT - Live at Koncepts (Movie Gold; EEC) [CDR] A live recording from the Koncepts Cultural Gallery in 1991 [NOT included in either the Mosaic or CAM box sets], this album captures a typically diverse and enjoyable set by Threadgill's Very Very Circus ensemble, the tuba and guitar-driven band he led for several years in the late '80s and early '90s. The pieces range from the fine, hard-driving opener, "Next," with the leader's searing, bitter alto, to the quasi-rockish "Snakes Don't Do Suicide," all martial beats and fusion-inspired guitar, to his lugubrious ballads, all steamy and off-kilter. Those listeners unfamiliar with Threadgill's approach may find both his composing style and his instrumentation a bit baffling. The former matches bluesy, though often acerbic melodies with stop-and-start rhythms that do groove, just not in the ways that one might anticipate. His conjunction of low horns with dual guitars and percussion certainly creates a unique overall sound, one that lends itself to the march-like cadences he favors but also leads to a lushness not often encountered elsewhere. It makes for a thick, throbbing matrix over which Threadgill can soar and, like his ensemble, his own alto and flute work sounds like no one else's, a sharp blues-tinged sound with heady romantic overtones... Any Threadgill fan will want to hear this! ~ Brian Olewnick, AMG
CD $16

AIR [HENRY THREADGILL/FRED HOPKINS/STEVE McCALL] - 80 Degrees Below '82 (Movie Gold; EEC) [CD-R] This was Air's seventh studio album [NOT included in either the Mosaic or CAM box sets] and the final one of nine, including two live albums, to feature the late drummer Steve McCall (after this, they were called New Air, with drummer Pheeroan AkLaff), and originally released on LP by Antilles
The avant-garde trio stretches out on three of the saxophonist's originals and Jelly Roll Morton's "Chicago Breakdown." This blues-oriented set is more accessible than many of Air's previous recordings without watering down the explorative nature of this always-interesting group. ~ Scott Yanow, AMG
CD $16

CECIL TAYLOR With WILLIAM PARKER/TONY OXLEY/HENRY MARTINEZ - Burning Poles [DVD] (Movie Gold; EEC) [NTSC; DVD-R] This video document of the 1991 version of the Cecil Taylor Unit was recorded at the National Video Industries studio, and not in a live concert performance. Across a span of 50 minutes, the quartet explores the improvisational concept of the leader that is more involved with an organism breathing, pumping fluids, and exploring life's possibilities than caring about conventional music structures. Yet in a way, Taylor has established his own parameters, signature sounds, and patterns of being. His revolutionary approach is perfectly captured on the three selections present. The video is artistically done, but not at the expense of the music, which is also produced cleanly. Crossfades, superimposed images of different bandmembers, and close-ups of the musicians pouring sweat, reacting to one another, and driving the already fiery music of Taylor enhance the effort made to create this extraordinary music. On "Poles," Taylor begins with his expected oblique poetry and body gyrations and poses while playing the strings inside of his piano, pounding them with a mallet or scratching with his fingernails. The visage of bassist William Parker's solemn face is shown frequently, and drummer Tony Oxley's playful and powerful accents with loud cymbal smashes punctuate the spaces Taylor hands out, as he plays no piano keys. Percussionist Henry Martinez introduces the track on bells and assimilates a Japanese theme on marimba. The lengthy "The Silence of Trees" has Taylor stretching out on the 88s, and you see blurring and kinetic close-ups of his flying hands, starting with simple one-note refrains, building and swelling into the animated, busy, and at times wild and inspired chords and lines only he can conceive and deliver. The video is interesting in that the lighting reveals different shades of reflected red, orange, green, and blue on the white keys Taylor is playing, and the effect is quite arresting. Parker's bowed or plucked bass and the astonishing drumming of Oxley light a rocket fuse, as Taylor goes off in dizzying fashion, crossing hands and using elbows, wrists, and forearms splaying mad runs and unlimited energy. The short finale, "For (1st Part)," is much calmer, ultra and multi-melodic, deliberate, and -- if possible -- even patient. Taylor rightfully perceives the piano as what it is: a percussion instrument. This frees Oxley to rip and shred rhythms that match what Taylor deals. The only shortcoming is Martinez, who is not as grand a contributor on a musical or visual level. His is a perfunctory element -- nay an afterthought -- and as such is not effectively featured past the first minutes. Parker seems perfectly relaxed being a sideman, though he would emerge to become a premier bandleader after this tenure with Taylor. Burning Poles is an item that all fans of the iconoclastic pianist will want to find and own, and is a very good representation of his prowess, while also embracing an accessibility that even newbies can readily appreciate. - Michael G Nastos, AMG
DVD $20

ALBERT AYLER With DON CHERRY/GARY PEACOCK/SUNNY MURRAY - Vibrations [aka Ghosts; aka Mothers And Children] (Movie Gold; EEC) [CD-R] 1964 was a busy year for Albert Ayler, who recorded at least seven albums worth of material. This particular session, a quartet date with trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray, was probably his most significant of the period. Switching between tenor and alto, Ayler is often ferocious on the six performances, jumping from simple melodies (of which "Ghosts" is the most memorable) to intense sound explorations overflowing with emotion; he even makes Cherry seem conservative. It helps greatly to have open ears to appreciate this music, although Ayler's jams would become a bit more accessible the following year. Recommended! - Scott Yanow, AMG
CD $15

ALBERT AYLER With CALL COBBS/HENRY GRIMES/SUNNY MURRAY - Goin' Home [aka Swing Low Sweet Spiritual] (Movie Gold; EEC) [CD-R; All 7 cuts from Swing Low Sweet Spiritual PLUS 3 alternate takes.] Albert Ayler was confronted with a spiritual anxiety that both plagued and comforted him throughout his life. This is frighteningly clear listening to the highly intense musical yin and yang that was present February 24, 1964, when the tracks for the Goin' Home AND the Witches And Devils albums were recorded.
"Ayler plays tenor and soprano saxophones on "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Deep River," "Goin Home," "Down by the Riverside," "When the Saints Go Marchin In," and "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." These traditional compositions are treated with reverence and a lack of improvisation, played in a quietly passionate but respectful manner. They reveal a sensitivity that was obscured with the emotionally charged tenor screeching of the Ayler originals that were also recorded at this session: "Witches and Devils," "Spirits," "Holy, Holy," and "Saints." This edition of Goin' Home bonus 2nd takes of "Down by the Riverside," "Ol' Man River," and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." The Goin' Home rhythm section is held together by the gospel-influenced piano style of Call Cobbs. This was the first time the saxophonist had played with Cobbs, who, like Ayler, was from Cleveland and had recently moved to New York. Free jazz stalwarts Henry Grimes' bass and Sunny Murray's drums rounded out the proceedings, following Ayler and Cobbs lead, sounding more accessible than they had on previous recordings. While Goin' Home and Witches and Devils haven't been released together on one compact disc, obtaining both and playing them back to back makes for an amazing comparison in moods and styles." - Al Campbell, AMG
CD $15

ALBERT AYLER With NORMAN HOWARD/HENRY GRIMES/EARLE HENDERSON/SUNNY MURRAY - Witches & Devils [aka Spirits] (Movie Gold; EEC) [CD-R] "Originally released on Debut in 1964, Spirits is Albert Ayler in his prime mid-Sixties period, recorded in NYC in February '64. Features Sunny Murray on drums, bassists Henry Grimes and Earle Henderson, and trumpeter Norman Howard." Amazing!
On February 24, 1964, tracks for both the Goin' Home AND the Witches And Devils albums were recorded. "Witches & Devils is a compelling listen because of its situational framework rather than its artistic achievement. Ayler had already had the experience of playing with Cecil Taylor in Europe two years before this. The rhythm section there, Sunny Murray and Henry Grimes, also appear here. Though Grimes plays on only one of the two sessions -- the other bassist was Earle Henderson -- Murray is present throughout, and what a difference it makes in the sound of Ayler's confidence, tone, and overall musical presentation. Previous outings featured Ayler with well-meaning but incapable European musicians trying to play his music. Here, though the trumpet chair -- Norman Howard, a friend from Ayler's hometown of Cleveland -- is a weak link in the chain, this situation allows Ayler's music to shine through, more or less. Needless to say, the quartet with Grimes and Murray, which yields two tunes here -- the title track, which also features Henderson, and "Holy, Holy" -- offers the first real glimpse of Ayler in command. His statuesque take on the tonal and timbral fronts comes from both Ornette Coleman and the honking R&B bar-walkers. And in looking inside the various registers on the title cut, he explores the emotions inherent in timbral modulation without refracting the notes themselves too much. He moves from a whisper of great tenderness to a bloodcurdling scream, and it all sounds natural. On "Holy, Holy," the arco bass work by Grimes complements the intensity with which Ayler is playing. He goes for the upper register buoyed up by Murray's triple time, timberline beats and cross-handed polyrhythms, screeching to the point of sounding like a crying child, quoting hymns and blues tunes throughout. Howard's trumpet playing is no great shakes, but he moves through note displacement very well, opening up the harmonic registers for Ayler and Grimes to break through unencumbered. This is a revealing if not completely satisfying recording.- Thom Jurek, AMG
CD $15

ALBERT AYLER With NIELS-HENNING ORSTED PEDERSEN/NIELS BRONSTED/RONNIE GARDNER - My Name Is Albert Ayler [aka Free Jazz] (Movie Gold; EEC) [CD-R] Albert Ayler's '63 recordings for Danish radio; with Niels-Henning Orsted Peterson, Niels Bronsted, and Ronnie Gardiner. Cover art by Marte Roling.
"Hearing the soft-spoken voice of Albert Ayler at the beginning of this 1963 recording is spooky. Not because he's gone, but because he's so calm, so young, and so hesitantly articulate: Nothing like the voice of his saxophone playing at all. This session is a reissue of a Fantasy recording, and one which pairs Ayler up with a Scandinavian rhythm section that includes the 16-year-old Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass. After the weirdly wonderful spoken intro, Ayler goes for the throat on soprano in "Bye Bye Blackbird." It's difficult to tell if Ayler's tonality on the horn is intentional or the rhythm section is just so stick-in-the-butt rigid that he sounds more out of tune than he is. Ayler plays tenor on the rest of the program, which includes "Summertime," "Billie's Bounce," "On Green Dolphin Street," and "C.T." The session becomes irritating in that the rhythm section refuses to give Ayler the room he needs: they play straight bop no matter what, as if they couldn't play anything else. Only on "Summertime" does he connect with the inner voices of his emotions and lets loose in what would be come his trademark wail. Born equally of gospel, R&B, and early jazz phrasing, Ayler lets loose a torrent of emotion on the tune, making everything -- and everyone on the bandstand -- else seem nonexistent in comparison. This is a strange record, like a soloist mismatched with the recording of another band, but nonetheless there is that singular tenor voice to contend with, and, on "Summertime," it is unfathomably beautiful." - Thom Jurek, AMG
"I have to disagree with Thom - this is an amazing entry point for the fearless and for the uninitiated, as Ayler turns these known standards on their head AND inside-out, rhythm section in the act of providing a pedestrian launching pad is besides the point." - MannyLunch
CD $15

ALBERT AYLER With TORBJORN HULTCRUNTZ/SUNE SPANGBERG - Something Different!: First Recordings (1962) Vols 1 & 2 (Movie Gold; EEC) [CD-R] Albert Ayler (ts), Torbjorn Hultcruntz (b), Sune Spangberg (ds). studio recordings October 25th 1962; all 8 cuts from the previous separate volumes 1 and 2, originally released on LPs by the 'Blue Notes' label in Sweden. "This LP helps toward understanding the way that Ayler has set about hedging-in his freedom, the restraints he devises for himself, his own particular struggle between form and content. Nobody would describe it as his best record - there is, for a start, little genuine rapport between Ayler and his accompanists - but it occupies a fascinating and perhaps a significant niche in jazz history." - Charles Fox
CD $15



Last copies of these Great French CDs:

ERIC WATSON & JOHN LINDBERG - Memory of Water (Label Bleu 6536; France) Featuring Eric Watson on piano & John Lindberg on acoustic bass. I recently listened to a duo CD with Eric Watson & Steve Lacy doing Mingus tunes and thinking how great it was. Interesting to hear Lacy doing something quite different from his usual bag of Monk tunes & originals. Eric Watson is an excellent pianist, American-born & living in France for many years, although I rarely see any articles about him. He has more than a dozen releases on labels like ACT, Owl, Free Lance & Black Saint, mostly duos (with Joelle Leandre & John Lindberg) or a trio/quartet with Albert Mangelsdorff & Lindberg. This is the second duo disc with contrabass great John Lindberg as far as I can tell. Look forward to hearing it!
CD $18

CHRISTIAN BRAZIER QUARTET With SUNNY MURRAY/RASUL SIDDIK/SOPHIE AGNEL - Peregrinations (Bleu Regard 1953; EEC) Rasul Siddik on trumpet, Sophie Agnel on piano, Christian Brazier on bass and Sunny Murray on drums.
CD $18

HENRI TEXIER With NOEL AKCHOTE/JULIEN LAURAU - Mad Nomad's (Label Bleu 6568; France)
CD $18

HENRI TEXIER With FRANCOIS JEANNEAU/DANIEL HUMAIR - Update 3.3 (Label Bleu 6530; France)
CD $18

ANDY EMLER MEGA OCTET With NGUYEN LE/FRANCOIS MOUTIN et al - Headgames (Label Bleu 6536; France)
CD $18

DANIEL GOYONE With RICHARD GALLIANO/TRILOK GURTU et al - Lueurs Bleues (Label Bleu 6550; France)
CD $18

ANDY SHEPPARD/NANA VASCONCELOS/STEVE LODDER - Inclassificable (Label Bleu 6583; France)
CD $18



AFRICA: 50 YEARS OF MUSIC-INDEPENDENCE-HISTORY [V.A.] - 1960-2010: West, Central, Southern, North, East, and Lusophone Africa [18 CD + Book box set] (Discograph 3218462; EEC) "In my country alone, there are 80 ethnic groups and 200 dialects," says the Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango in an interview in the booklet enclosed with this box set. "So it's hard to talk about Cameroonian music in the singular. There are thousands of types of African music." To provide a fully comprehensive survey of African music is, indeed, beyond the practical scope of any box set. That said, the monumental 18-disc anthology Africa: 50 Years of Music: 50 Years of Independence is, by several light years ahead, the most exhaustive and erudite collection yet to have been produced, covering the majority of the main modern styles and a fair number of their tributaries.
This is also, as it needs to be, by far the biggest collection to have been compiled, and the numbers are impressive. 18 CDs, three each from West, Southern, East, Central, North and Lusophone (Portugese speaking) Africa. 185 [the outer box says 200?] tracks by 183 artists (Guinea Bisseau's Super Mama Djombo and Congo's Grand Kalle each get two tracks), mostly recorded between 1960-2009. 16 hours 20 minutes of music drawn from 38 countries: a treasure trove of landmark hits and important but more obscure recordings, which comes with a lavishly illustrated 76 page booklet, half in English, half in French, including photos, original sleeves, specially commissioned artwork and essays.
The concept behind the collection is to include only recordings made in any country after it gained independence from colonial rule. So the tracks from Egypt, the first African country to become independent in the 20th century, go back the furthest, including three from the 1940s. South Africa, on the other hand, although it became nominally independent in 1961, only gained independence from white rule with the overthrow of apartheid, and so only three, scene-setting tracks from the musically fertile 1960s and 1970s are included (singers Letta Mbulu and Myriam Makeba's "Welele" and "Pata Pata" and pianist Abdullah Ibrahim's "Liberation Dance").
Within these parameters, Africa: 50 Years of Music: 50 Years of Independence aims to include a representative sampling of each region's music from its various, immediate post-independence years up to the late 2000s; in most cases, the three discs devoted to each region progress in chronological order. It would make for tedious reading to offer even a representative sample of the 185 tracks here, and picking out "highlights" is impossible - there isn't a single dud on the entire 18 disc collection; listen and be transported.
Inevitably, even with a project as big and as deep as this one, a few personal-favourite artists and styles are likely to be missing, along with a few objectively important ones. The West Africa discs, for instance, despite an average playing time of 75 minutes each, don't include any of the Nigerian juju music popularised in Europe and the US by artists such as Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey in the 1980s.
But this is more than compensated for by the inclusion of tracks - and most particularly, countries - which may be unfamiliar to an individual listener. The North Africa discs, for instance, are likely to provide revelatory moments for many followers of African music, whose listening habits tend to favor sub-Saharan countries. Take the Paris-based, Algerian singer Rachid Taha, one of the handful of North African artists to have made a big impact in the wider world during the 2000s. One of the highlights of Taha's mesmerizing Diwan 2 (Wrasse Records, 2007) was his cover of the iconic singer Dahmane El Harrachi's "Kifache Rah." Africa: 50 Years of Music: 50 Years of Independence includes Harrachi's original 1960s recording of the tune. (And boy, does Taha owe a lot to it).
Other listeners may find the East Africa or Lusophone Africa discs as ear-opening. The Ethiopian vibraphonist and bandleader Mulatu Astatke, the father of Ethio-jazz, has recently done much to kindle interest in East Africa, while the Cape Verdean singer Mayra Andrade has built on the Lusophone breakthrough made 20 years ago by the singer Cesaria Evora. But both regions are still off the radar of many African music fans. Atatke and Evora are included in the collection, along with the singer Mahmoud Ahmed, whose "Ere Mela Mela," originally released in 1975, was the tune which announced the arrival of Ethiopia on the world stage when it was reissued by Belgium's Crammed Discs in 1986. "Ere Mela Mela" is one of 11 Ethopian tracks included on the East Africa discs. Kenya and Tanzania are also well represented and there's a solitary gem from Sudan in Abdel Galir Salim's "Sudani" from 1991. The Lusophone Africa discs join up the dots between Evora and Andrade with half a dozen other wonderful singers.
The collection also provides the opportunity for a little historical revisionism. The British-based, Afro-rock band Osibisa, for instance, should clearly be rated as a giant which peaked before its time. "Music For Gong Gong," here in a thrilling eight-minute live version from 1971 complete with a magnificent extended tenor saxophone solo from Teddy Osei, is irrefutable evidence that the band deserves a better shake than most of the histories have given it. And so the fascination continues; one familiar hit and one revelation following another throughout the 18 glittering discs. Despite some sloppiness with the liner note editing, the box's only drawback, Africa: 50 Years of Music: 50 Years of Independence is the mark by which future African music collections will measured, and it has set the bar very high indeed. - Chris May, AAJ
18 CD + Book box set for $140


NANAE YOSHIMURA - The Art Of The Koto: Complete Edition - Vols 1-4 [4 CD set] (Celestial Harmonies 19918; Germany) CD1: "This recording, the first of four volumes reflecting on the history of the koto, brings together five representative pieces from the classical repertoire for the Japanese koto, composed between the mid-17th and mid-19th century. The music on this disc is largely a product of the daimyo, samurai and chonin merchant-class culture of the kamigata region of Kyoto and Osaka. This style of koto playing, known as the Ikuta school after the great master Kengyo Ikuta (1656-1750), also spread to and became popular in Edo and throughout the country soon after its emergence, but the new performance style championed by Kengyo Yamada (1757-1817) from the late years of the 18th century in Edo became extremely popular there, overwhelming the Edo representatives of the Ikuta school. Now the Yamada school is still largely confined to the area around modern Tokyo whereas many Ikuta school players, like Nanae, are also based there, and the Ikuta school dominates the koto-music scene in most other regions of the country."
CD2: "Volume Two of this series, which features the artistry of the koto player Nanae Yoshimura, comprises six pieces ranging from the core classical repertoire of the 17th century to new works composed in the first decades of the 20th. Two great masters stand out: Kengyo (Kengyo meaning master) Yatsuhashi (1614-85), the founder of the tradition of Japanese koto music played by blind musicians, and Michio Miyagi (1894-1956), the great blind musician of the first half of the 20th century who not only embodied that tradition but opened up exciting new possibilities through his new compositional and performance activities."
CD3: "The third volume of The Art of the Koto, which features the artistry of Nanae Yoshimura, takes us into the second half of the twentieth century. It comprises five works written between 1969 and 1989 for the nijugen, a version of the koto with 21 rather than the traditional thirteen strings. This instrument was developed through co-operation between the composer Minoru Miki and the virtuoso koto performer Keiko Nosaka in 1969."
CD4: "As a companion especially to Vol. 3: Works for Nijugen it contains three more compositions for the nijugen-koto, a modern version of the koto with 20 strings (instead of the 13 strings of the traditional koto). This time, however, the focus is on works for nijugen-koto and an ensemble of Japanese traditional instruments, played by members of Pro Musica Nipponia (Nihon Ongaku Shudan). On this disk two compositions by Minoru Miki can be heard: Tatsuta-no-kyoku written in 1971 is one of his earliest solo compositions for the new instrument nijugen-koto which was 'invented' in 1969 (Track 7). The other is his Concerto Requiem for nijugen-koto solo and an ensemble of Japanese instruments (Track 1), one of Miki's most important works written in 1981. Tracks 2-6 include a piece in five movements by the versatile composer Takashi Yoshimatsu (*1953). Originally written in 1998 for nijugen-koto solo and a trio of European instruments, it was newly arranged in 1999 for an ensemble of Japanese instruments to be performed during 'Pro Musica Nipponia the 156th regular concert' on 8th August 2000 in Tokyo."
4 CD set for $52


BABY, HOW CAN IT BE? [V.A.] - Songs Of Love, Lust And Contempt From The 1920s And 1930s [3 CD set] (Dust To Digital 016; USA) Three CDs of music about love, lust and contempt from the 1920s and 1930s. Three CDs from the 78 rpm record collection of John Heneghan with liner notes by Nick Tosches and several illustrations by R. Crumb. "This is a trove of delights, many of which will be new to even the furthest gone among us ... Like the man says, love is a many-splendored thing. Those who have it, had it, or hold vague memories of something like it. Those who have yearned and pined for it. Those who have thrown it away, or cried over it, or are incapable of it. Those who have killed themselves or others or both over it. Everybody knows that what the man says is true. No wonder there have been so many songs about it, going way back, all the way back to the Song of Songs, or the Song of Solomon, or whatever the hell you want to call it, and before that even ... As is commonly recognized, or so at least it should be stated for matters at hand, the 1920s and 1930s represented the golden age of the love song. Baby, How Can It Be? Songs Of Love, Lust And Contempt -- don't forget that odi-et-amo angle --
From The 1920s And 1930s reflects that age of gold resplendently. Chosen from the collection of John Heneghan, the 66 recordings here are alive with more cooing, kissing, cupidity, cussing, and killing than lifetimes of longing, heavenly and demonic, could ever aspire to. Talk about a handful of young roe and its discontents. As them Hebe smut-hounds of old used to say, you ain't heard nothin' yet." --Nick Tosches, from the liner notes. 3 CDs + booklet in an 8-panel cardboard case.
3 CD set for $32

REV JOHNNY L 'HURRICANE' JONES - The Hurricane That Hit Atlanta [2 CD set] (Dust To Digital 017; USA) Dust-to-Digital presents a 2-CD collection of archival recordings from Rev. Johnny L. "Hurricane" Jones, culled from more than 1,000 tapes going back to 1957. Every track on this set is available to the public for the very first time. Johnny Lee Jones was born on June 25, 1936 in Marion, Alabama. Growing up, Johnny said he and his brothers were "country boys" -- farming, planting cotton, picking cotton, pulling corn, plowing mules, raising cows, chickens, and hogs, but they also had the spiritual life. Johnny's mother was a very active member of the church, and his father was a deacon. Every Sunday, the family would sing and praise at Macedonia Baptist Church in Howell Crossroad, Alabama. Johnny soon taught himself how to play piano and before long he was appointed the church's choir director. In 1957, Johnny moved to Atlanta, going from church to church and from place to place, preaching and playing the piano. He hit his stride in LaGrange, a town a little more than an hour's drive southwest of Atlanta. Johnny claims he had "a lightning spark" while pastoring several churches in the rural town. It was at the Second Mount Olive Baptist Church in Atlanta where Johnny would receive the nickname "The Hurricane." The nickname stuck, as did the church, and a string of album releases followed Jones' fiery reputation. Jewel Records released Jones' last album in 1978. In the years since, those records have gone out-of-print, eventually circulating into used bins and thrift stores where they've been picked up by younger listeners unfamiliar with Jones or his church. The records have been rediscovered by a new generation, and now we can hear the recordings Johnny made for his own private use and for his radio ministry. Today, Rev. Johnny L. "Hurricane" Jones is still preaching, singing and playing music every Sunday at Second Mount Olive Baptist. He still does a radio show on WYZE every first and third Saturday of the month. In fact, many of the recordings on these CDs were made to assist Johnny with his radio ministry. The songs serve as church to those who are physically unable to leave their house, and are a calling for those who cannot wait until Sunday to hear "Hurricane" Jones. The reels of tape, which date back to Johnny's first days in Atlanta, provide documentation of a church across seven decades. The quality is raw and often distorted, yet the sounds are nothing short of heavenly. Housed in a cardboard case with an essay by label founder Lance Ledbetter
2 CD set for $24

GEORGE KING, dir - Ten Thousand Points Of Light: The 20th Anniversary Edition [DVD] (Dust To Digital 018; USA) Worshipper at the shrine of Elvis, fans of unabashed bad taste, followers of pop culture, take note. Ten Thousand Points Of Light, originally released in 1991 and now available on DVD for the very first time, is a wry, understated and terrifically funny look at The Townsends, a suburban Atlanta family who, every holiday season for eight years, transformed their Stone Mountain area brick ranch house into a meteoric blaze of Christmas lights. Known as both "the Christmas House" and the "the Elvis House," the Townsend's home was visited yearly by vast numbers of people, many of whom viewed a trip to the land of a thousand tchotchkes as an annual pilgrimage. George King, who sees the Townsends as TV-addled, mainstream eccentrics who are possessed of extraordinary community spirit, captures some priceless moments, beginning with an early interview in which Margaret Townsend opines: "Christmas and Elvis go together. Nothing will take the place of Christ. But Elvis was a good man; he was good to everybody." Graceland has clearly had an impact on the Townsend's aesthetic, as has the Cable Shopping Network and Family Circle-style craft projects. What did the Christmas/Elvis House mean to visitors, and why did they mourn its final season? King elicits some revealing comments from the patient folks who lined up until 10 p.m. on weeknights, weekends till midnight. Ten Thousand Points Of Light could have come across as a bad-tempered, Letterman-style trashing of working-class values and rituals. Instead, it's a sly portrait, shadowed with hints of the surreal, that strikes a perfect balance between affection and awe-struck disbelief. Housed in a digipak with gold foil stamping on the cover including a booklet containing an interview with the filmmaker from 2010. Length: Program Run Time - 31 min/Total Run Time - 1hour 45min; Stereo Audio; Color; Aspect ratio: 16:9. The DVD is NTSC format, region free.
DVD $23


JOHNNY DANKWORTH & HIS ORCHESTRA - Too Cool For The Blues: An Anthology [2 CD set] (Rex 337; EEC) From the late 1940s, and for over sixty years Johnny Dankworth passionately pursued his musical dream, starting off initially as an alto saxophone player. In this role, he had joined Geraldo's Navy and played with dance bands aboard transatlantic liners. When he disembarked in New York, he went straight to the jazz clubs and soaked up the sounds created by the legendary bop innovators like Charlie Parker, Bud Powell and Dizzy Gillespie. Together with colleague Ronnie Scott, Johnny spearheaded the bop movement in the UK by founding the Club Eleven. Additionally, he arranged and played alto saxophone with the Ambrose band and joined the Tito Burns Sextet.
From 1949, he became a regular Melody Maker popularity poll winner - in more than one category. It was a natural progression for him to want to head his own combo, and this was realised with the formation of The Johnny Dankworth Seven, who made their debut at the London Palladium on 5 March 1950. They broke up in July 1953 but was replaced in little over three months by a seventeen-piece big band. Cleo Laine, who had become a member of the first Dankworth unit in 1951, left the band in 1958 to concentrate on a solo career, marrying Johnny in March of that year. These forty recordings featured date from the late Fifties, and show a polished big band in a mixture of original Dankworth compositions alongside a handful of offerings by modern jazz musicians and composers. The rest of the programme is made up of standards which, like the other numbers, are played in a forward-looking progressive style. The Dankworth Orchestra's first American concert took place at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 3rd 1959 and proved a great success. Johnny disbanded the orchestra early in 1960 but re-formed a new band in the Summer of that year. During the next decade his activities were mainly centred on writing music for many films, commercials and television serials. Sadly, Sir John Dankworth died during the afternoon of 6 February 2010, aged 82 The rich legacies he has left us will, however, live on for many decades to come.
2 CD set for $18


THE ORB [ALEX PATERSON] & YOUTH [MARTIN GLOVER] - Impossible Oddities: From Underground To Overground - The Story Of 'W.A.U.! Mr. Modo' [3 CD set] (Year Zero 06; UK) Year Zero presents a deluxe 3CD package telling the comprehensive story of the iconic W.A.U.! Mr. Modo label started by Alex Paterson and Killing Joke bassist, Martin "Youth" Glover that gave birth to The Orb in the late '80s. W.A.U.! Mr. Modo was the product of like-minded music freaks and lifelong friends Youth and Alex Paterson setting out to celebrate and play their part in the acid house revolution sweeping the UK in the late '80s. In the process, they became two of the most well-known and lastingly influential names to emerge from the whole movement, while the label epitomized the innocence and questing spirit of the era. The first Orb single, recorded at KLF's Transcentral squat HQ, was a homage to KISS FM., called The Kiss EP. Meanwhile, Alex and Youth started demoing a song they called "Little Fluffy Clouds" (a never-before heard version which opens this compilation). After hooking up with former Killing Joke road manager Adam Morris (aka Mr. Modo), the label became known as W.A.U.! Mr. Modo. The music started flowing freely as names including STP Twentythree, Insync, Paradise X and Lyndsey Holloday recorded there. The two CDs also feature the cream of the early W.A.U. releases; a stellar collection of half-forgotten names from the acid house archives (several featuring Alex and Youth), including STP Twentythree, Eternity, Discotec 2000, Delkom, Johnson Dean, U.N.C.L.E., Paradise X, Sun Electric, Indica All Stars, Mystic Knights, Insync, Sound Iration and Zoe, with "Sunshine On A Rainy Day," one of the label's biggest hits. The recordings here can now be considered the acid house equivalent of Alan Lomax's blues field recordings or compilations of DIY bedroom punk; snapshots of seminal moments in musical history. In many ways, acid house was like punk rock all over again; like that movement, Youth and Alex were again in the thick of it but soon out front, leaders of the field within a very short time. This is where it all started. To accompany this celebration of the label, this must-have, collector's package includes a fold-out scrapbook poster of press cuttings from the time unearthed from Paterson's personal archive as well as iconic cover art from Jimmy Cauty. Includes a bonus DJ mix CD mixed by The Orb.
3 CD set for $18


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