TUNE OUT DEMEANING Pavlovian Holiday Muzak and..

TUNE IN WONDROUS Creative Sounds of..

Dave Douglas 3CD Set! Evan Parker/Okkyung Lee/Peter Evans! ADA: Fred Lonberg-Holm/Peter Brotzmann/Paal Nilssen-Love! Kresten Osgood/Ed Thigpen Indianerne! Bonnie Kane/Chris Welcome! Talking Heads DVD+Book!

Michael Moore/Han Bennink! Kimara/Bradford/Maupin/Newton! Available Jelly! Frode Gjerstad/Sabir Mateen/Louis Moholo! Rzewski/Oppens! Daniel Goodman!

Sonny Rollins & Ornette Coleman! Adam Rudolph's Go Organic Orchestra! David Stackenas/Ingar Zach: Labfield! Charles Hayward! Fennesz/Sakamoto! Splashgirl! Nino Rota Cello Concertos! Little Axe! C Joynes! Mari Takano!

Kidd Jordan/William Parker/Joel Futterman/Alvin Fielder! Mars! Paul Giovanni's Wicker Man score! Okko Becker! Taj Mahal Travelers! Basil Kirchin! Akido!

Zorn Naked City Box..Back In Print! Sunn 0))/Nurse With Wound! Nils Petter Molvaer! Bob Drake! The Work! Thinking Plague! Kevin Ayers! David Bedford/Mike Ratledge!

And Lots More All-Purpose Weirdness!




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The DMG Free Weekly In-Store Performance Series Continues With:

This Sunday, December 4th at 6pm:
TOM BLANCARTE / LOUISE D. E. JENSEN / DAMON HOLZBORN !
New Contrabass / Saxophone / Electronics Trio!

Sunday, December 11th at 6pm:
PATRICK BRENNAN - Ronin Phasing - Solo Sax!

Rare Saturday Performance, December 17th at 6pm:
CLARINO - Amazing Clean Feed Trumpet/Reeds/Contrabass Trio featuring:
THOMAS HEBERER/JOACHIM BADENHORST/PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER!

Sunday, December 18th - OutNow Records Double-Header featuring:
6pm: YONI KRETZMER - Tenor & ANDREW DRURY- drums!
7pm: ROY CAMBPELL, JR. - trumpet & EHRAN ELISHA - drums!

There are no in-store performances on December 25th or January 1st, since we will be closed for these holi-dates

Sunday, January 8th, 2012 Double-Header: Two Great Duos featuring:
6pm: GL DIANA & KYOKO KITAMURA - Laptop & Experimental Vocals!
7pm: HAN-EARL PARK & TRACY McMULLEN - UK Guitarist & Tenor Sax Duo!

Sunday, January 15th at 6pm:
YUKARI - Solo Flute Performance!

Sunday, January 22nd at 6pm:
BILL BUCHEN - Ethnic Percussion!

Sunday, January 29th at 6pm:
DEE POP & HIS FRIENDS!


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Henry Kaiser / Elliott Sharp / Weasel Walter!!!

This Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 9:30

Freedom Garden (doors at 9pm)
294 Troutman Street, Brooklyn, NY + others TBA

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Starting off with the multi-directional genius of polymath Dave Douglas!

DAVE DOUGLAS With BRASS ECSTASY/ORANGE AFTERNOONS/SO PERCUSSION - Three Views: Rare Metals/Orange Afternoons/Bad Mango[3 CD set] (Greenleaf; USA)
(CD 1) Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy with Vincent Chancey, Luis Bonilla, Marcus Rojas, Nasheet Waits - Rare Metals
Rare Metals is the informal studio followup to the live recording United Front: Brass Ecstasy at Newport 2010, adding five new compositions and a new arrangement of Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life, to an ever-expanding Brass Ecstasy music book. Utilizing the same personnel that wowed crowds at Newport and around the world, the all-brass-plus-drums lineup balances Douglas' music between delicate, dynamic chamber-bop (Safeway, My Old Sign), and drunken, riotous revelry (Town Hall, Night Growl). Six tracks in total. Clocking in just over 40 minutes, Rare Metals feels urgent and immediate!
(CD 2) Dave Douglas with Ravi Coltrane, Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh, Marcus Gilmore - Orange Afternoons
This informal session in Brooklyn yielded six new Douglas compositions for this special quintet. The album opener, The Gulf, begins delicately with Iyer rolling clusters and Gilmore frosting the spectrum with cymbals before the plaintive melody offers the first taste of the frontline of Douglas' trumpet and Coltrane's saxophone. Moving along, Valori Bollati - translated as Revenue Stamps - swings it's way into gorgeous solos by Iyer and Oh. Solato features a simple harmonic figure floating on top of a deep groove laid down by Gilmore and Oh, and a solo from Douglas that culminates in a single long tone towering over a cymbal wash before fizzling back to the intro figure. All in all, the six tracks on this album feel immediate, with urgent playing from each of these stalwart musicians.
(CD 3) Dave Douglas With So Percussion group - Bad Mango
Personnel: Dave Douglas (trumpet), Eric Beach (estey organ, Ableton, musical saw, toys, metronomes, shruti box, crotales), Adam Sliwinski (marimba, toys, concert bass drum, glockenspiel), Jason Treuting (drumset, melodica, deskbells), Josh Quillen (korg synthesizer, vocoder, kick drum, snare drum, ride cymbal)
Bad Mango features Dave Douglas with So Percussion. From the first notes of the opening track One More News - originally recorded on Witness [2001] - it's clear that this session yielded a sound unlike any other in the expansive Dave Douglas discography. Pairing his plaintive trumpet with a myriad of percussion instruments including marimba, drumset, glockenspiel, and a whole host of nontraditional percussion like musical saw, toy bells, shruti box, crotales, et al, Douglas leads this unique ensemble through new compositions and revisitations of songs from his works catalog.
3 CD set for $30



KIDD JORDAN/JOEL FUTTERMAN/WILLIAM PARKER/ALVIN FIELDER - Live At The Guelph Jazz Festival 2011 (Creative Collective 01; USA) Do you believe in magic? You will once you hear this quartet recording by saxophonist Kidd Jordan, pianist Joel Futterman, bassist William Parker, & drummer Alvin Fielder in concert on September 11, 2011 at the Guelph Jazz Festival in Canada!
"This is music of and for the ages. The[se] great artists can evoke histories in moments, a few soulful gestures that anticipate things to come, or resolve what has gone before. The quartet performing this music engage history repeatedly, displaying encyclopedic knowledge in the service of intensive listening and interaction. Hearing it unfold is to witness the inexorability of history in motion." - Marc Medwin
CD $15


ADAM RUDOLPH/GO: ORGANIC ORCHESTRA - (Can You Imagine..) The Sound Of A Dream (Meta 014; USA) Featured soloists include Peter Apfelbaum, Steve Gorn, Ned Rothenberg, Stephen Haynes, Marco Cappelli, Jason Kao Hwang, Charles Burnham, JD Parran, Peter Zummo and Kenny Wessel. This wonderful disc the Go: Organic Orchestra's residency at Roulette for two months of weekly concerts in March and November of 2010. Adam Rudolph conducted and arranged this vast ensemble of forty to fifty musicians every week as an ongoing project. I was present at a number of these evenings and transcendent moments were revealed each week. This disc captures many of those moments and it is a joy to behold.
Considering that there are some 48 musicians involved (7 flutes, 8 reeds, 6 brass, 14 strings & 1 or 2 guitars, vibes, piano, bass and 6 percussionists), watching Mr. Rudolph conduct and direct is a sight to behold as he shapes the large ensemble in a variety of ways. Adam is a longtime gifted percussionist himself and knows how to use percussion selectively. Often he'll begin with one line or percussionist and then build from there - bringing in other musicians and weaving different sections or subgroups together. Most of the 18 excerpts feature different soloists. The massive string section often swells and creates mesmerizing waves. There are moments when Adam has criss-crossing sections crashing into one another yet it always flows seamlessly as if it was meant to be this way. There are the occasional dark and chaotic moments yet they never last too long before they are transformed into something else more stable or focused. There are also a number of magical moments when things happen that seem impossible but provide transcendent results, like the parting of the waves of the Red Sea. This disc was mixed and mastered at Bill Laswell's studio so the sound is most impressive, larger than life. Although there are number of short but outstanding solos (like Batya Sobel on oboe, Marco Cappelli on guitar and Jason Hwang on violin), it is often the orchestral segments and the way these pieces develop that really is so astonishing. There is one piece ("Love's Light") which reminds me of "Within You, Without You", a Beatles song written by George Harrison which showed his Indian/psychedelic side. This is just one highlight out of many with a dream-like solo by Charles Burnham on violin that you must hear to believe. Considering this disc was taken from eight or so different nights, it is impossible to tell since everything flows perfectly into the next section. I know I've said this before a few times this year but 'Can You Imagine...The Sound of a Dream' is the best (orchestral/ethnic) disc of the year. You really NEED to hear this special offering! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $14


EVAN PARKER/OKKYUNG LEE/PETER EVANS - The Bleeding Edge (PSI 11.10; UK) Featuring EVAN PARKER (soprano & tenor saxes), OKKYUNG LEE (cello) and PETER EVANS (trumpets). The art of trio improvisation is taken on here by three pitch producing instruments each from a different family: reeds, brass and strings. Each player comes from a different continent but the music speaks of unanimity. Purely acoustic real time improvised music continues to develop.
"I caught this trio twice during Evan Parker's 2 week curation/festival at The Stone last year and was knocked out both times. Three serious improvisers at the heights of their respective powers. No doubt amazing!" - BLG
CD $18

KAY GRANT & ALEX WARD - Fast Talk (2008-11) (Emanem 5021; UK) Singer Kay Grant left the Downtown New York scene some twenty years ago and crossed the Atlantic. Around the same time, schoolboy clarinettist Alex Ward donned long trousers and played in public with Derek Bailey. Since then, they have both been vital members of the London improvising scene, as these duo improvisations - recorded at four recent gigs and one studio session - attest. (Three of the ten pieces also involve live electronic vocal processing.)
CD $18


ADA TRIO [FRED LONBERG-HOLM/PETER BROTZMANN/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE] - Ada (PNL SPEC; EEC) Featuring Peter Brotzmann on alto & tenor saxes, clarinet & tarogato; Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello & electronics and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums; Recorded by Jost Gebers (founder of FMP) on April 22nd of 2011 at the Cafe Ada in Wuppertal, Germany. Erupting immediately with some extremely intense, over-the-top Euro free/jazz power trio insanity - high octane reeds, cello and drums. Even when they calm down a bit, the intensity and focus remain solid. Mr. Lonberg-Holm moves between amplified & altered cello & electronics creating an array dark shades and waves balancing Brotzmann's full throttle tenor or alto sax and Nilssen-Love's propulsive/explosive drums. The sax and cello work extremely well together since are working in similar tonal areas, sometimes cascading in interconnected currents. There are some strange sounds here which are hard to identify but are likely to be coming from Mr. Lonberg-Holm. A particularly strong date from start to finish although it is on the shorter side at 33+ minutes. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $16

and, back in stock..

HAIRY BONES [PETER BROTZMANN/TOSHINORI KONDO/MASSIMO PUPILLO/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE] - In Fresnes 2009 (PNL 08; EEC) Featuring Peter Brotzmann on saxes & tarogato, Toshinori Kondo on trumpet, Massimo Pupillo on electric bass and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums. This set was recorded live in October of 2009 at Vu D'Un Oeuf Festival in Fresnes, France. After witnessing Peter Brotzmann play three different yet amazing sets at the Vision Festival (2011) earlier this year, I've been looking forward to each and every release new & old that have come out this year. There have been several newer ones and even older classics like those early FMP sessions from the seventies reissued on vinyl by the Cien Fuegos label. Die Like a Dog is one of Brotzmann's most popular quartets with Brotz and Kondo up front. The DLAD rhythm team was William Parker & Hamid Drake. I don't think that this quartet has played recently so instead we find another great rhythm team with Massimo Pupillo (from Zu) on electric bass and Paal Nilssen-Love (from The Thing, etc.) on drums. This quartet is called Hairy Bones and they are pretty heavy!
Right from the opening salvo, the sound of this quartet is immense, powerful and over-whelming! Jeeez! Both Brotzmann (on tenor or alto sax) and Kondo (on trumpet) sound wonderful wailing and sailing together, they are both reaching for impossible heights, unleashing torrents of cascading waves. Equally impressive is the gargantuan rhythm team, with thick, throbbing electric bass and brain-melting awesome drums. It sounds as is a race is going on and the adrenalin and tempo speeds along higher and higher. Eventually it all calms down a bit with a fine unaccompanied sax solo from Mr. Brotzmann with each member coming back in one at a time. Once again things build to a grand conclusion before Kondo re-enters and energy escalates to dizzying heights once again. This is one amazing, colossal quartet and they mean business so get out of the way or you will be knocked over and out. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $16




Six New Discs from Michael Moore's Ramboy label:

American-born, Amsterdam-based longtime ICP reedsman Michael Moore surprised us with four new CD's just a few years back. Now, he has upped the ante with SIX new unreleased gems from his own Ramboy label! Wow! Jeez, he has been busy!?! Since I am away in Florida for Thanksgiving, I will try to review as many as possible before I split for some much needed sunshine.. so here goes..


AVAILABLE JELLY [MICHAEL MOORE/WOLTER WIERBOS/TOBIAS DELIUS/ERIC BOEREN/ERNST GLERUM/MICHAEL VATCHER] - Set 1: Plushok, Baarie Nassau, NL, 3 March 2007 (Ramboy 28 A; Netherlands) Available Jelly features Eric Boeren on cornet, Wolter Weirbos on trombone, Michael Moore on alto sax & clarinet, Tobias Delius on tenor sax & clarinet, Ernst Glerum on bass and Michael Vatcher on drums. Available Jelly are another of Michael Moore's ongoing bands whose personnel has changed in recent year to include fellow members of the ICP Orchestra like Wolter Weirbos, Tobias Delius & Ernst Glerum. Then other two members are also Netherlands-based musicians like Michael Vatcher who also plays in a few of Michael Moore other projects and Eric Boeren who has a fine quartet CD on Clean Feed and is a member of Playstation 6.
Mr. Moore composed 5 of the 7 songs here with a couple of eclectic covers like "Isfahan" by Billy Strayhorn and a traditional song from Myanmar. For "Lovelock" three of the horn play a theme while Tobias Delius takes a rip roaring solo. Drum wiz Michael Vatcher sounds as if he is about to spin out of control until the sextet breaks into a mutant Dixieland groove. While trombone ace Wolter Weirbos take a smokin' solo, the rest of the group plays some rather lop-sided swing. The traditional song from Myanmar (or Burma) has an exotic laid back charm with infectious swirling horns. Mr. Moore does a fine job of providing odd yet thoughtful harmonies for the four horns while the rhythm team consistently shines always shifting to accommodate whichever direction the songs evolve through. "Fanfare" starts off with all for horns playing in tight orbits around one another, sputtering and spinning intensely until they come together for that great sixties horn-band theme. In number of ways Available Jelly are similar in sound to the ICP Orchestra only with the hijinks of Han Bennink but still with a sense of humor in part. All four horns (alto & tenor sax, trumpet & trombone) get a few chances to solo but it is often those infectious background horn harmonies that really makes this consistently enchanting. At times it sounds as if the sextet is playing with slightly drunken swagger but they remain tight, loose and spirited throughout. Strayhorn's gem "Isfahan" get a particularly elegant reading with some especially charming Ellingtonian buttery saxes floating on top. I can't wait to hear the other set since this one is so fine! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $11

AVAILABLE JELLY [MICHAEL MOORE/WOLTER WIERBOS/TOBIAS DELIUS/ERIC BOEREN/ERNST GLERUM/MICHAEL VATCHER] - Set 2: Plushok, Baarie Nassau, NL, 3 March 2007 (Ramboy 28 B; Netherlands) Available Jelly features Eric Boeren on cornet, Wolter Weirbos on trombone, Michael Moore on alto sax & clarinet, Tobias Delius on tenor sax & clarinet, Ernst Glerum on bass and Michael Vatcher on drums. Available Jelly are another of Michael Moore's ongoing bands whose personnel has changed in recent year to include fellow members of the ICP Orchestra like Wolter Weirbos, Tobias Delius & Ernst Glerum. Then other two members are also Netherlands-based musicians like Michael Vatcher who also plays in a few of Michael Moore other projects and Eric Boeren who has a fine quartet CD on Clean Feed and is a member of Playstation 6.
Considering that the 1st set had a great Billy Strayhorn cover, this set contains three Duke Ellington covers. This discs starts with the relatively rare "Village of the Virgins" by Duke, a somber, moody delight. Although you can hear the audience quietly, the sound is well captured and warm. Mr. Wierbos plays some fine trombone with a plunger while the clarinets sing righteous harmonies. "Rat-Like Box" simmer softly with layers of rolling horns rotating together in a dream-like state. A number of Moore's pieces are filled with selective spaces so that we have to fill in the blanks in the structure. Reminiscent of the ICP Orchestra, some of these songs are filled with disparate parts the work together when sees or hears the entire picture. Some pieces feature sections of fascinating unaccompanied horns playing shrewd harmonies.
CD $11

WILL HOLHOUSER/MICHAEL MOORE/HAN BENNINK - Live In NYC: At DROM 25 October 2009 (Ramboy 29; Netherlands) Featuring Michael Moore on clarinet, bass clarinet, alto sax & melodica, Will Holhouser on accordion and Han Bennink on drums. Recorded live at Drom in NYC in October of 2009. Sadly, I didn't hear about this gig until afterwards so I missed out until now. You know about local accordion wiz Will Holhouser from the three fine discs he has out on the Clean Feed label. Michael Moore has been a star soloist as well as an important part of the ICP Orchestra for many years. Although it is the legendary Dutch drummer & humorist Han Bennink who was a founding member of the ICP since the early days of the late sixties (1967 actually).
This is indeed a unique trio in different ways: the instrumentation of reeds/accordion/drums is one thing, but the song selection is also something else. Starting with a traditional song from Madagascar, we also get a Kurt Weill cover, a Cajun tune, some Moore originals and a couple of other oddities. Commencing with what sounds like a horror movie soundtrack with eerie accordion and sinister clarinet we are soon sailing into a delightful ethno-groove with Mr. Bennink on infectious swinging brushes and saying "yee-hah!". Mr. Moore sounds like an animal moaning in pain at the beginning of "Truthiness" before the trio hit their stride. Although this trio sounds skeletal at times, they are also rock solid with strong gestures. Han's brushwork (on the snare only mostly) is just incredible. This piece morphs into a blues called "Families Be So Mean" a tough, older sounding ditty with great greasy accordion by Will and a swell twisted clarinet solo from my man Michael. Although "Kerfuffle" starts out rather free in winds up as standard called "I Never Knew" which has that great old-timey sound. This song has been covered by Benny Carter, Erroll Garner & Frank Sinatra. Kurt Weill's "Bilbao Song" gets a fine, smoky, sly, poignant version. The final tune is a Cajun song called "Balfa Waltz" which features some great klez-like clarinet, festive accordion and infectious down-home rhythms. Music like this is guaranteed to make you smile so wise up all you sourpusses and take your medicine. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $11

MICHAEL MOORE QUINTET With ERIC VLOEIMANS/MARC VAN ROON/PAUL BERNER/OWEN HART Jr - Rotterdam: Lantaren Theater 16 February 2008 (Ramboy 26; Netherlands) Michael Moore - alto sax, clarinet; Eric Vloeimans - trumpet; Marc van Roon - piano; Paul Berner - bass; Owen Hart, Jr. - drums. Lantaren Theater, Rotterdam, NL 16/02/2008
[Review next week - if there are any left!]
CD $17

MICHAEL MOORE QUARTET With HARMEN FRAANJE/CLEMENS VAN DER FEEN/MICHAEL VATCHER - Amsterdam: Muziekgebouw 16 February 2010 (Ramboy 27; Netherlands) Michael Moore - alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet; Harmen Fraanje - piano; Clemens van der Feen - bass; Michael Vatcher - drums, percussion. Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam, NL 16/02/2010
[Review next week - if there are any left!]
CD $17
MICHAEL MOORE QUARTET With HARMEN FRAANJE/CLEMENS VAN DER FEEN/MICHAEL VATCHER - Easter Sunday: Bimhuis Amsterdam, 24 April 2011 (Ramboy 30; Netherlands) Live at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam April of 2011. The personnel features Michael Moore on alto sax, clarinet & compositions, Harmen Fraanje on piano, Clemens van der Feen on bass and Michael Vatcher on drums, percussion & saw. You no doubt know about reeds great Michael Moore form his many years with the ICP Orchestra as well as his own Ramboy label which now has some thirty discs with him as the leader of several ensembles. Drummer Michael Vatcher is another American expat living for many years in Amsterdam and playing with a number of fines ensembles like Maarten Altena, Jewels & Binoculars (Dylan tribute trio with Moore & Lindsay Horner) and Four Walls. Although I don't recognize the bassist, the piano player (Harmen Fraanje) has worked with Eric Vloeimans & Mats Eilertsen.
Michael Moore composed all but one of the songs here, with one cover of the standard "It Might as Well be Spring". "Cool, Simmering" opens and it has an apt title since Mr. Moore's cascading alto sax sounds like Lee Konitz or Paul Desmond at their coolest. His tone is stunning, the tune is lovely, calm and exquisitely sublime. The tempo and intensity slowly build throughout this piece until it drifts into the clouds and simmers. Overall most of these songs have mellow, spacious sound. Quietly adventurous without breaking a sweat. Pianist Harmen Fraanje plays in a haunting, warm and mostly melodic way, each of his solos are superb with never a wasted note. The tempo and temperature increases somewhat on "Evguth" which is adventurous in its own odd way. One of the more distinctive traits about Michael's music is that he has a sly way of using less notes or spaciousness while keeping the essence of the song intact. Playing a fragment of the entire melody or line and letting the listener fill in the rest. His music seems to breathe and leaves us in magical state of mostly subdued grace. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $11


Two New Ones from Gjerstad's Circulasione label!

FRODE GJERSTAD TRIO With JON RUNE STROM/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE - East Of West (Circulasione 13; EEC)
[Review next week - if there are any left!]
CD $16

FRODE GJERSTAD & CIRCULASIONE TOTALE ORCHESTRA With BOBBY BRADFORD/SABIR MATEEN/ANDERS HANA/KEVIN NORTON/NICK STEPHENS/INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN/LOUIS MOHOLO/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE et al - PhilaOslo: Philadelphia January 30 2010/Oslo March 9 2011 [2 CD set] (Circulasione 12; EEC)
[Review next week - if there are any left!]
2 CD set for $22


SONNY ROLLINS With ORNETTE COLEMAN/JIM HALL/ROY HARGROVE Jr et al - Road Shows Vol 2 (Doxy/Emarcy; USA) The saxophone colossus delivers a stellar new album of live performances from 2010. Joining songs recorded in Japan with Sonny's working band are four recorded at his 80th-birthday show at the Beacon in NY: I Can't Get Started and Rain Check with Roy Hargrove; In a Sentimental Mood with Jim Hall, and the 20-minute Sonnymoon for Two , his first-ever public performance with Ornette Coleman (it's amazing)!
[in stock Monday]
CD $16



KRESTEN OSGOOD INDIANERNE + ED THIGPEN - Sound [Ltd Ed of 300] (Ilk 176; EEC) Sound is the 2nd release by Kresten Osgoods Arhusbased large 15 piece ensemble Indianerne, this time in collaboration with Ed Thigpen, as well as a string quartet, a choir, and Niels Vincentz on saxophone. The music is recorded in Arhus at various locations from October 2009 through early 2010.
Sound is one piece of around 28 minutes duration composed by Kresten Osgood in collaboration with Ed Thigpen, inspired by the musicphilosopher and mystic Hazrat Inayat Khan. It is a combination of text recited by Ed Thigpen and instrumental sections.
"The SOUND album was concieved after spending some time with brothers Yusef Lateef and Adam Rudolph in 2008. They introduced me to the writings of Hazrat Inayat Khan and I was so inspired by these beautiful thoughts about music and sound that I approached my mentor and longtime friend Ed Thigpen to propose a collaboration, creating a music that would go along with this poetry of sound. Ed was immediately intrigued as well and that day he ordered his own copy of the book "The Mysticism of Sound". Over the next 6 or 7 months were many visits to Eds home and countless telephone conversations. Ed would call me and say: "turn to page 86. What does he mean by this or that?" I would write a section of the music and come by Eds house and play it for him on his piano. His responces were usually: "thats great! what's that chord?" or "play that again!". Slowly the form of the whole piece started to appear and in october 2009 we went to Arhus to work for 4 days with my large ensemble: Indianerne, which is under the protection of the conservatory in Arhus. We did a lot of rehearsing and played two concerts in two different churches in the Arhus area. Then, on the last day, we went into the studio and recorded the piece.
I did not know it then but it would be the last thing we did together. The next time I saw Ed was when I visited him at the hospital to kiss him goodbye, a few days before he passed away on January 13th 2010.
After that a long period of grief followed and the way I was able to deal with that was to work on finishing SOUND. I became extremely perfectionistic and spent over a year making many changes in the music. I wanted it to be the testament of my relationship with my musical father, and it was imperative to me that people understood that Ed Thigpen was so much more than Mr Taste, Brush master, Oscar Petersons drummer...you know...clichees. He was a deeply spiritual person with a very open musical mind and he was constantly searching in his art. I overdubbed a string quartet and a choir. Wrote an extra piece (which ends the record) and overdubbed a lot of piano, organ and drums. It came to a point where I thought I would never finish the album because I wasn't satisfied with the mix and the editing. Luckily I was working with Soren Lyngso Knudsen (aka Vectral) who is a very patient and talented man, and after countless trips to his little studio in Arhus I was finally satisfied. I then gave the mix to the great Goodiepal and asked him to take the album out of my hands and finish it. the next time i heard the music Goodiepal had already cut the vinyl master and here it is.
Its still not perfect, but at some point we have to let go and let the music live it's own life. I am proud to present this album and since I have no idea whether it's good or bad anymore I am just happy that it exists. This is also the explanation why its not really a commercial release - there is not a CD, nor is it to be offered as download.
[already out-of-print, we have just two copies left, both signed by Mr. Osgood!]
Ltd Ed LP $75


TALKING HEADS [DAVID BYRNE/JERRY HARRISON/TINA WEYMOUTH/CHRIS FRANTZ] - Chronology: Deluxe Edition [DVD + Book] (Eagle Rock; USA) Chronology pulls together live performances from across Talking Heads' career. It starts with their earliest days at CBGB and The Kitchen in New York City in the mid-seventies, through their breakthrough years in the late seventies and on to global success in the eighties. They completed their last tour in 1983 although they would continue to make very successful albums throughout the eighties before officially breaking up in 1991. The DVD concludes with their "reunion" performance of "Life During Wartime" on their induction into the Rock `n' Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002. This deluxe version is packaged in a hardback cover with a 48 page book containing photographs and an unexpurgated Lester Bangs essay written as a review of the "Fear Of Music" album for The Village Voice in 1979 but only ever published in a heavily edited version. As well as the 17 songs, there is the additional bonus of the 35 minute South Bank Show feature (1979).
[in stock Monday]
DVD + Book for $23


STEVEN BERNSTEIN'S MILLENNIAL TERRITORY ORCHESTRA [MTO] + BILL LASWELL/VERNON REID/BERNIE WORRELL///SLY STONE - MTO Plays Sly (Royal Potato 1110; USA) Steven Bernstein, the irrepressible and prolific trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader of the Millennial Territory Orchestra orchestrates MTO Plays Sly. A wild, woolly, ambitious, yet reverent take on Sly & the Family Stone's music, spirit, and legacy. This is no mere jazzer's stodgy reading of source material. It's chock-full of Sly's funk, grit, groove, and visionary sophistication. Issued on Royal Potato Family, this 13-track set offers 11 tunes by Sly and a pair of interludes. The nine-piece MTO is augmented by a slew of guests, most notably organist Bernie Worrell, a true contemporary of the man. Vernon Reid and Bill Laswell also lend a hand, as do five vocalists: Dean Bowman, Sandra St. Victor, Martha Wainwright, Antony Hegarty, and Shilpa Ray. Things get cracking in a hurry with "Stand," sung by St. Victor. The MTO's horns and Worrell lead the way with a bubbling acoustic bassline by Ben Allison and Ben Perowsky's on-the-money backbeat. The instrumental intro is basically half the tune and crecendoes before St. Victor enters the lyric with soulful authority, matching the intensity of the band on the refrain. Reid's guitar break at the end, careening over the call and response between the horns, is a monster add-on. Hegarty's voice on "Family Affair" may initially seem an odd choice, but he adds a vulnerability implied in the original. The smoky horns, with Charlie Burnham's wah-wah violin and Mat Munisteri's moody guitar, make this a beautiful groover. None of these tracks misses the mark but "M'Lady," with Bowman on vocals, and Burnham's violin a complementary voice, feed into the chunky horns and Perowsky's popping tom-toms and snare. Worrell's organ just enters the grain of the tune from the top. Speaking of Worrell, his intro to "Skin I'm In," is a set of off-kilter motifs delivered with Sly's good humor: dissonant, classical, gospel, and various Family Stone thematics all lead the MTO, with St. Victor, into the tune. It uses the actual song -- self-empowerment soul anthem -- and pushes it all through jazz and funk. "Time," with Bowman singing, is a slow, soul blues, complete with an extended Reid guitar flameout; it's another winner. Ultimately, it's the MTO whose playing is so tight, instinctual, and empathic in their reaction to both Sly's tunes and Bernstein's charts that makes MTO Plays Sly such a joyous, vibrant album, at least as much for dancing as listening to. ~Thom Jurek, Rovi
LP $18
also available as CD for $15



BONNIE KANE & CHRIS WELCOME - Sonic Dream Worlds (Starry Night 1011 BC; USA) Bonnie Kane on sax, flute & effects and Chris Welcome on electric guitar & effects. Recorded live at The Sweatshop in Bushwick, Brooklyn in December of 2010, a year ago this month. The ever prolific Bonnie Kane of W.O.O. & W.O.O. Revelator is back with another strong date with another one of Brooklyn's better up & coming guitarists Chris Welcome. Those in-the-know should recognize Mr. Welcome from a dozen previous discs, many with his partner bassist Shayna Dulberger.
This duo played here at DMG earlier this year and were pretty twisted. Since both players use effects, their sounds are not coming from any sort of jazz (purity) sounds. Bonnie is bathing her sax in thick reverb when this disc begins. Chris is also adding layers of feedback and/or effects and matching the bent, shimmering sounds of the sax just right. I dig the sound of the howling sax with the different layers of echoes and other manipulated sounds. It often sounds as if there are more than two players involved with a haze of shifting notes colliding in different waves. This is one of the more disturbing yet effective duos that I've heard and they sure don't sound quite like anyone else. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $12



New and recent on Hubro!

1982 - Pintura (Hubro 2510; EEC) This is the second album by Norwegian trio 1982. On Pintura, they lift their interaction and experimentation to a new level. 1982 must be designated as a super-group within the genre of modern, improvised chamber music. The group's instrumentation is unusual. As far as anyone can tell, there is no other ensemble playing improvised music using the combination of harmonium, drums and Hardanger fiddle. This gives 1982 a distinctive sound, but in a purely musical sense, too, the group follows their own path. Fiddler Nils Okland has a background as a folk musician, and is renowned internationally for his innovative playing style. His solo albums on the ECM and Rune Grammofon labels have received glowing reviews. Okland was a member of the Christian Wallumrod Ensemble for several years. Sigbjorn Apeland plays church organ and harmonium, and holds Norway's only doctorate in ethnomusicology. He is known for operating at the point where folk music, church music and improvisational music intersect. While studying organ, he became involved in learning from and playing free jazz with the legendary British drummer John Stevens. Sigbjorn Apeland and Nils Okland have also collaborated as a duo for decades, releasing a critically-acclaimed record on ECM inspired by Norwegian violinist Ole Bull and his home at Lysoen. Drummer Oyvind Skarbo has studied with Terje Isungset. He plays with BMX, Kresten Osgood, Per Jorgensen and the Icelandic guitarist Hilmar Jensson, in addition to working with a solo project under the name of DIE, Allroundhandwerker!. Skarbo found the inspiration for the name of the album when he visited the Joan Miro museum in Barcelona. "When you see the picture with the same name, the first thing that grabs your attention is a rough, monochromatic figure, which must have been painted with a broad brush. Then, when you get closer, you notice that the background, in contrast, is very detailed and nuanced. I don't know if this can function as a description of our music, but I did think it was significant." The album was recorded at Grieg Hall studio in Bergen with technician Davide Bertolini.
CD $17

LABFIELD [DAVID STACKENAS/INGAR ZACH] + STALE STORLOKKEN et al - Collab (Hubro 2502; EEC) Slow-floating improvised acoustic drone rich in details performed live by the masterly duo Labfield and guests Stole Storlokken (Supersilent), Mariam Wallentin (Wildbirds & Peacedrums) and Giuseppe Ielasi. The two powerful tracks that make up Labfield's second album were recorded at Kongsberg Jazz Festival and at Musikkhogskolan in Stockholm in 2008. Swedish guitarist David Stackenas and Norwegian percussionist Ingar Zach are well-known names in the European improvisation scene. Ingar Zach, now based in Spain, has been a key figure in Norwegian improvised music for the last 10 years. Together with guitar player Ivar Grydeland, he founded the prolific improvised music label, Sofa. Zach has played with Derek Bailey, Jon Balke's Magnetic North Orchestra, Huntsville and Sidsel Endresen, among others. Stackenas is one of Sweden's most merited guitarists with an impressive body of work behind him. Stackenas and Zach previously worked together in the now-defunct three-piece Tri-Dim, with saxophonist Hakon Kornstad. Stackenas and Zach decided to work on as a duo, but now with a radically different musical agenda. The musicians themselves describe Labfield as a musical laboratory. Labfield are: David Stackenas (acoustic guitars, preparations and low budget electronics) and Ingar Zach (prepared bass drum, gongs, percussion, sruti boxes and drone commander).
CD $17

JAE - Balls And Kittens, Draught And Strangling Rain (Hubro 2508; EEC) The Hubro label presents JAE's stunning debut album Balls And Kittens, Draught And Strangling Rain. JAE is a solo project from the talented Dutch musician, songwriter and singer Jessica Sligter, who has divided her time between Oslo and Amsterdam in recent years. JAE's music is an eclectic mix of influences from folk, pre-war blues, jazz, classical music, free improvisation and more. Ragged and windblown, seductive and captivating, always with something unexpected lurking right around the corner. Sligter is originally from Utrecht, The Netherlands, and was trained at the music conservatories in Utrecht and Amsterdam. She found a group of musicians who suited her project perfectly in Oslo's young jazz and improvisation community. "When I studied music in Amsterdam I found myself moving more and more in an experimental direction. I didn't see any possibility of doing what I wanted to do musically in Amsterdam, and couldn't find a milieu that suited me. But I did find one in Norway! When I arrived in Oslo I booked a room at a hostel, took the underground up to the Norwegian Academy of Music, and asked people coming out of the building if they were studying jazz! It was fun, but I wouldn't do the same thing now," she says. "But that's how I got to know some people from the young improv community, and then it was easy to make contact with many more." She has a versatile group of musicians joining her on the record. They come from bands that include Splashgirl, Streifenjunko, the Christian Wallumrod Ensemble and Rockettothesky. Musicians include: Jan Martin Smordal, Daniel Meyer Gronvold, Kyrre Laastad, Eivind Lonning, Martin Taxt, Ole Henrik Moe Jr., Kari Ronnekleiv, Juhani Silvola, Andreas Lowe, Andreas Lonmo Knudsrod, Espen Reinertsen, Viljam Nybacka, Jo Berger Myhre, and Havard Skaset. Mixed by Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Bonnie Prince Billy) in Nashville.
CD $17

SPLASHGIRL - Pressure (Hubro 2509; EEC) Splashgirl is one of the most exciting young instrumental bands to come out of Norway in recent years. With Pressure, their third album and certainly their strongest to date, the band is taking yet another giant step forward. Here, the musicians are opening the doors to several new musical rooms -- to the dark, dank cellar as well as to the attic -- where all their forgotten memories are stored away. Splashgirl's second album, Arbor (HUBRO 2500CD), was Hubro's very first release in 2009. The group's course of development from its 2007 debut, Doors. Keys derived inspiration from Paul Bley's jazz piano recordings. The band's foundation remains acoustic: Andreas Stensland Lowe, piano (Thelma & Clyde, Lama, Jae), Jo Berger Myhre (Ingrid Olava, Solveig Slettahjell), double bass and Andreas Lonmo Knudsrod (Sacred Harp, Lama), drums. On this album there are some outstanding guest appearances by guitarist Juhani Silvola (Sacred Harp), vocalist Mari Kvien Brunvoll, tuba player Martin Taxt (Jae, Hanne Hukkelberg), trombonist Erik Johannesen (Jaga Jazzist) and Lasse Passage with field recordings and tape feedback. The musical dynamics on Pressure have a broad scope, but as on Arbor, the members of the trio also work with some simple analog electronics. Modest and lyrical, the album ranges from gloomy prophecies of doom that flow onwards like hot tar to ethereal minimalism. The opening track, "Devata," would have been perfect as film music for a Western based in the Antarctic. In any case, what is most striking this time is the enormous sense of concentration and the impressive focus on subtle details that are an integral part of Splashgirl's music. The album was recorded by Alex Kloster-Jensen at Malabar Studio in Oslo, and was mixed by Randall Dunn (Earth, Sunn O))), Jesse Sykes) at Aleph Studios, Seattle.
CD $17

SPLASHGIRL - Arbor (Hubro 2500; EEC) The second album from young Norwegians Splashgirl see them re-inventing themselves from a piano trio in the European jazz tradition to a "band" in a more boundary-less musical landscape someplace between ambient, experimental rock, jazz, and contemporary music. It is still improvised acoustic music, but it definitely sounds quite different. The music on Arbor takes a more minimalistic and defined collective approach where the use of long, sustained sounds binds together a broad palette of string and percussion instruments. The band mentions Eric Satie, Earth, Morton Feldman, and Oren Ambarchi as important references. Repetition and duration play a major role on Arbor as the music unfolds slowly and leaves a lot of room for a focus on details. Splashgirl play improvised music that doesn't sound improvised. This time they wanted to have a more collective approach to the music, and by improvising, they have found sounds and song-ideas that they have developed further during the recording sessions. Arbor also features contributions by pedal steel guitarist Anders Hofstad Soras, and singer/songwriter/sound artist Lasse Passage, two musicians with whom Splashgirl have been working closely with for some time now. Splashgirl was formed in 2004 on an initiative from pianist Andreas Stensland Lowe. He, Jo Berger Myhre and Andreas Lonmo Knudsrod had known each other since high school, and had played together in several other bands. Arbor was recorded in an old tree house called Biermannsgarden in Oslo, and mixed by Ingar Hunskaar before pre-mastered to analog tape by Lasse Passage.
CD $17


Limited SALE copies of these two gems:

JON CORBETT'S DANGEROUS MUSICS With LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO/NICK STEPHENS - Kongen's Gade (Leo 617; UK) [limited time price; normally $17] Three veterans of the British music scene join forces to record a very special CD that consitutes the joy of British free music. Jon Corbett [John Stevens, Barry Guy's LJCO] on trumpets, valve trombone and bamboo flute, with bassist Nick Stephens and drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo, set an outstanding example of the art of musical improvisation. The music is a rare blend of intellectual play and passion which is not always present in the British free jazz. All three demonstrate both muscle and fire and melodic virtuosity.
CD $12

JON CORBETT/STEVE DONE - Another Fine Mess (Slam 217; UK) [limited time sale; normally $16] Jon Corbett trumpet and trombone; Steve Done electric and acoustic guitars. 'like a charge of static electricity which snaps and crackles with electric energy. Chris Meloch Scene. Recorded Ipswich 1994
CD $12




Due to the often overwhelming task of going through an avalanche of CDs (promos, used & various collections), I am constantly surprised at finding obscure gems amongst the many boxes of received promos in the back of the store ..as well as at my apartment! Usually I have no clue when or where these discs found their way into my hands. Discovery of the month goes to the below discs by painter/sculptor/musician/composer Alan Kimara Dixon, who goes by the name of Kimara. He was based in Oakland, CA when these discs were released. Previously he lived in L.A., and is currently living in Atlanta, GA. I had not heard of him before [!], but we are certainly very proud to offer these jewelsÉ


ALAN KIMARA DIXON With BOBBY BRADFORD/BENNIE MAUPIN/JAMES NEWTON - The Inside World Vol 1 (Different Light; USA) "Recorded in 2000, featuring Alan Kimara Dixon on piano and compositions. For this session - released as two separate CDs - Kimara put together an all-star quartet of L.A. giants - cornetist Bobby Bradford (who has worked with John Carter, Ornette Coleman & Vinny Golia), bass clarinetist Benny Maupin (from Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band, Miles' 'Bitches Brew' & numerous fine solo projects) and flutist/composer James Newton (sessions for David Murray, Leroy Jenkins & John Carter).
'The Inside World' Part 1' is a set of solos, duos, trio & quartets. The instrumentation of piano/cornet/bass clarinet/flute is chamber-like, the sound is spacious and often breathtaking. The aptly titled "Meditation/Reflection" is for solo bass clarinet and it is indeed sublime and spiritual sounding. "The Mind So Restless" is for the quartet and it sounds as if the group is playing in a slow motion dream-world. It sounds as if one member of the quartet will play a fragment of a theme while the other react one or two at a time, as things slowly develop. Mr. Bradford's cornet has never sounded better as he concentrates and plays just a few notes at a time unaccompanied, stark, rich and thoughtfully executed. While Kimara plays calm and haunting piano, the flute, bass clarinet and cornet each take short, impressionistic solos. I can't recall Mr. Bradford or Mr. Maupin ever playing music as this chamber-like. There are a few quartet tracks in which all four members exchange ideas quickly yet keep the inner pulse still somewhat restrained. Although it sounds as if they are playing "free", there seems to be an almost imperceptible thread or scheme holding things together. In a sense this does sound like chamber music although it does breathe and never sounds stiff or unfocused. Please do not avoid this undiscovered gem as these discs are limited and will soon fade into obscurity once more." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $14

ALAN KIMARA DIXON With BOBBY BRADFORD/BENNIE MAUPIN/JAMES NEWTON - The Inside World Vol 2: Inner Peace (Different Light; USA) "The personnel here features Alan Kimara Dixon on piano and compositions, Bobby Bradford on cornet, Bennie Maupin on bass clarinet & alto flute and James Newton on flute. This disc was recorded at the same sessions for 'Volume I' and again the personnel is the same except that Bennie Maupin also doubles on alto flute for just one track. The title track is first and it is for solo bass clarinet. The instrument is closed mic 'd, superbly recorded and has a splendid, warm and earthy tone. The twelve pieces consist of solos (piano, flute & cornet), duos & quartets). Everyone plays cautiously and cerebrally on the ensemble pieces. All members of the quartet appear to be floating like ghosts doing a slow dance together. This is some of the most haunting, dreamy and transformative music I've heard. Members of the quartet appear to be moving in separate yet connected orbits, while the solos establish a thematic thread or create a mood that hovers over everything else. Kimara has found a way to let the soloists speak for themselves and shine while a certain thread is buried beneath the surface that holds everything together in ways that are difficult to explain or even see at times. This disc does a fine job of creating an "inner peace" in the center of various rises tides or currents." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $14


SUN RA/THE QUALITIES - Presents The Qualities [7" 45rpm single] (Norton EP 169; USA) "Reissue of impossibly rare 1955 Sun Ra doo wop chants."
LP $7


NILS PETTER MOLVAER With STIAN WESTERHUS/ERLAND DAHLEN - Baboon Moon (Thirsty Ear 57201; USA) Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer has his own very individual sound, influenced as much by the poetry of Scandinavian nature as by electronic calculation, and last but not least by colleagues like Miles Davis und Jon Hassell.
Molvaer's new album Baboon Moon marks the self- assured new start of a musician who has already travelled a long way. On his last album, "Hamada", he switched to and fro between very harmonious and extremely brutal passages, while on Baboon Moon these two opposite poles blend into a unified whole again.
In order to arrive at this point,he formed a new band. Stian Westerhus is one of Europe's most innovative, and in the meantime most sought-after guitarists. He not only plays in the post-rock band Jaga Jazzist, but also runs the industrial-improv duo Monolithic together with Motorpsycho drummer Kenneth Kapstad.
Erland Dahlen has played his way into the hearts of alternative-rock fans as drummer of the Norwegian psychoblues band Madrugada. He contributed this deep and earthy but also progressive blues feeling to Eivind Aarset's Sonic Codex Orchestra first of all, and now he brings it to Molvaer's trio. If Molvaer describes his new formation as the best band he has ever had.
Improvisation is an important factor in the trio's exploration of new soundscapes, but this music no longer has anything to do with jazz as the term is generally understood. Molvaer calls it free, black prog rock."-Thirsty Ear
CD $16


DUB TRIO - IV (ROIR 8322; USA)
CD $13


BURNT SUGAR - All Ya Needs That Negrocity (Avant Groidd 2011; USA) The Burnt Sugar Arkestra continue to expand and mutate and come up with even more surprises. Burnt Sugar have played at DMG birthday celebrations on a few occasions and I've caught them live at several other appearances. They are always a blast in concert but no one knows which direction they'll head to next as the encompass so many diverse influences. It has been a couple of years since they released something themselves but it has been well worth the wait.
'All Ya Needs That Negrocity' features some 26 musicians & vocalists was recorded over a four year period, 2008-2011. A number of their regular members are present like Lisala (vocals), Rene Akan (guitar), Jared Nickerson (bass), Trevor Holder (drums), Mazz swift (violin), Bruce Mack (synth), Vijay Iyer (piano), Lewis Barnes, Avram Fefer, Micah Gaugh & Paula Henderson (horns) and of course Greg Tate conducts. This disc is some 78 minutes long and covers a great deal of ground. They do something out of the ordinary for them, they cover a couple of classic songs like James Brown's "Cold Sweat" and Libertango's "I've Seen that Face Before". Their version of "Cold Sweat" is more laid back and not so funky and features some soulful trumpet by Flip Barnes. Lisala's sly, sexy voice sounds great on "I've Seen That Face Before" as does Mazz Swift's violin and Maya Azucena's spoken words. The jubilant layers of horns sounds as if they are on the verge of spinning out of control but never do. Abby Dobson does some sort-of operatic vocals on "Burning Crosses" while Rene Akan does some great psychedelic squealing guitar underneath. I dig Lisa Teasley's recitation on "The Guru's Lover" which soon morphs into a great laid back 70's sort of groove with layers of percussion feat. Swiss Chris (as in Exlax?). What makes Burnt Sugar magical is the way Greg Tate has learned to develop different lines or themes while giving his gifted musicians a chance to stretch out and solo. The seemingly endless flow of ideas always feels just right and often heads into hypnotic orbits. There are way too many jewels to be found here amongst the ruins of our current cultural circus so I will leave you with this. We are need some cosmic Negrocity to get through our day. Get down but don't drown y'all. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $14


CHRISTIAN FENNESZ & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO - Flumina [2 CD set] (Touch TONE 46; UK) Flumina is the third collaboration between legendary composers Ryuichi Sakamoto and Christian Fennesz. The 24 pieces of Flumina are based on piano compositions/improvisations which Ryuichi Sakamoto had recorded whilst touring in Japan. On that tour Ryuichi played a piano piece in a different key at the begin of every show, always having a Fennesz Sakomoto project in mind. After 24 shows he had 24 tracks in 24 different keys, covering all 24 tonal steps of the western tonal system. Sakamoto sent the tracks over to Christian Fennesz, who worked on them using electronics, guitars and synths. They met in New York then and mixed the album together with Fernando Aponte at KAB Studios. Quiet, restful ambient piano and effected guitar drone. Minimal and masterful. Guitar, computer [laptop] by Christian Fennesz; piano, computer [laptop] by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Artwork & photography by Jon Wozencroft. Mastered by Denis Blackham. Recorded at Amann Studios, Vienna and at KAB Studios, NY and Japan.
2 CD set for $18

still available..

CHRISTIAN FENNESZ & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO - Cendre (Touch TONE 32; UK) This is the highly anticipated full-length collaborative release by Christian Fennesz and Ryuichi Sakamoto, following the 19-minute CD EP overture, Sala Santa Cecilia (a completely separate release which is not included here). This release features a massive duet between worldwide laptop guru Fennesz (guitar/laptop) and Japanese electronic music legend Sakamoto (piano/laptop) -- a continuing collaboration between two much-lauded composers. Every once in a great while, a collaboration comes along which hints at a brighter future, a collision of giants that indicates a convergence of method and music. This is one such event. Cendre was recorded between 2004 and 2006 in New York City by Ryuichi Sakamoto and in Vienna by Christian Fennesz. Fennesz would send Sakamoto a guitar or electronic track and Sakamoto would compose his piano piece. This process was also reversed -- Sakamoto initiating the track with a piano composition and Fennesz responding. Meanwhile, they met for live shows, or communicated via digital means to compare notes, swap ideas and develop themes. And the cyclical process continued right up until the final mix. Christian Fennesz is far and away the standard-bearer of laptop music, his thawed sound of fractured guitar chords and warm noise melts hearts around the world. Ryuichi Sakamoto, meanwhile, has been a contributing force in electronic music for almost three decades in Yellow Magic Orchestra, not to mention his vast solo oeuvre. This remarkable duo blends the unstructured and imaginative qualities of improvisation with the satisfying sculpture of composition. Sakamoto's piano, his style reminiscent of Debussy and Satie, perfectly complements Fennesz with his powerful blend of shimmering guitar and passionate electronics. Together they have combined to create 11 tracks of satisfying and challenging possibilities.
"Even Eno hasn't made a record of this specific quality in a long time - I thought this was an unreleased ambient recording of his! But in no way is it a clone of his work - it stands alone. There's really no higher praise possible from me! ALL THUMBS UP" - MannyLunch
CD $16

CHRISTIAN FENNESZ & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO - Sala Santa Cecilia [CD ep] (Touch TONE 22; UK) Every once in a great while, a collaboration comes along which hints at a brighter future, a collision of giants that indicates a convergence of method and music. This is one such event. Sala Santa Cecilia documents the meeting of worldwide laptop guru Fennesz and Japanese electronic music legend Ryuichi Sakamoto at the Auditorium Parco della Musica for the Romaeuropa Festival in Rome, November 2004. This is a unique and complete 19-minute piece which marks the recording debut of this new collaborative unit. It is exclusively available via this CD EP and will not be released elsewhere, and not as part of the forthcoming Fennesz Sakamoto album. The impact and importance of this recording is difficult to overstate. Christian Fennesz is far and away the standard- bearer of laptop music, his thawed sound of fractured guitar chords and warm noise melts hearts around the world. Ryuichi Sakamoto, meanwhile, a contributing force in electronic music for almost three decades in Yellow Magic Orchestra and his vast solo oeuvre, takes his place on laptop next to Fennesz for this historic meeting. Anyone concerned with the future of sound, or interested in modern music composition, or anyone who simply enjoys sweet ambient music should welcome Sala Santa Cecilia as a herald of what is to come. This is brilliant music from brilliant talents... towards a more brilliant world.
CD ep $12


CHARLES HAYWARD - One Big Atom (Continuity 02; USA) "Charles Hayward (This Heat, Camberwell Now, Quiet Sun etc.) continues his unique and extraordinary journey through music with the release of One Big Atom on the artist-led label Continuity...From the 1970s to the present day, Charles has developed and built some of the most radical music of the European underground. Following on with a series of solo projects that have each made bold proposals for possible futures, his new recording One Big Atom is yet another departure for Charles, taking his song writing further into the personal and political, shifting focus towards a "dread bass" sensibility. It was devised, performed and engineered by him in his South London studio, affording an even more integrated and radical approach to his sound. One Big Atom stands outside of genre and any easily identified signifiers, jump-cutting between song, collage, sound field, noise, signal, melody."
CD $19

still available..

CLEAR FRAME [LOL COXHILL/CHARLES HAYWARD/HUGH HOPPER/ORPHY ROBINSON] + ROBERT WYATT - Clear Frame (Continuity 01; USA) CLEAR FRAME is a new project bringing together 4 distinctive musicians in a combination that is strong, subtle and surprising in its diversity. Sound as sound, forward motion rhythmic groove, instant composition, this is a multi-layered and dynamically shifting music that is forever in the moment. Each player has developed their work across a wide range of attitudes, honing their craft into a unique and individual voice. Clear Frame finds these four musicians in distinctive and dynamic form with a joyful free spirit at its core.
For this, their first CD release they are joined by the widely acclaimed Robert Wyatt on cornet.
Lol Coxhill: renowned veteran soprano saxophonist has played with the Damned, Evan Parker, Kevin Ayers, in a skip, with the gibbons at London Zoo, with sound poet Bob Cobbing. His playing is a living history of European improvised music.
Charles Hayward: played drums with Quiet Sun, This Heat, Camberwell Now and wrote songs for all three projects. Since the 90s he has pursued a predominantly solo career releasing a string of CDs, whilst still finding time to instigate special projects and to collaborate with the likes of Fred Frith and Bill Laswell.
Hugh Hopper: bass player for Soft Machine, his solo release '1984' remains one of the most distinctive and influential recordings of contemporary European instrumental music. His sound and sensibility are trademark qualities.
Orphy Robinson: acid jazz pioneer, former Courtney Pine sideman and Jamaica Allstar. His early 90's trio pushed compositional ideas out beyond Thelonius Monk. Since that time he has worked further in free improvisation, adding steel drum and live electronics to his vibraphone.
Robert Wyatt needs no introduction. He has long been an admirer of these 4 musicians both individually and collectively, introducing them on stage for their London Jazz Festival concert in 2004. It was at this concert that he first suggested playing cornet with the group, and this recording is the result.
CD $17


LITTLE AXE [SKIP McDONALD With ADRIAN SHERWOOD et al] - If You Want Loyalty Buy A Dog (On-U 1019; UK) If You Want Loyalty Buy A Dog is the culmination of a 25 year long musical partnership between producer Adrian Sherwood and musician Skip 'Little Axe' McDonald. Skip's roots lie in the blues, Adrian is considered one of the world's most versatile and prolific dub producers and a sonic visionary. The new album features the legendary drummer Style Scott. From start to finish this is a dynamic and uncompromising meeting of both forms of roots music; reggae and blues. Immaculately played and defined as never before.
CD $18

LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY - On-U Sound Presents Lee Scratch Perry Nu Sound & Version (On-U 1020; UK) Remixes by Digital Mystikz, Kode9, Horsepower Productions, Bullion, Adrian Sherwood, Pempi, Dialect & Kosine, Congo Natty and Moody Boyz. "On-U Sound Presents Lee Scratch Perry Nu Sound & Version contains reworked, remixed and reinterpreted versions of eleven Adrian Sherwood-produced Lee Perry classics."
CD $18


C JOYNES - Congo (Bo Weavil 46; UK) Continuing further into the territories of domesticated English voudou sketched out by 2009's Revenants, Prodigies & The Restless Dead (WEAVIL 039CD), UK guitarist C Joynes' Congo is dominated by notions of landscape, imagination and personal ritual. However, while elements of introspection and intensity do appear, the mood is one of simple, uplifting joy. Warm, woody sounds and themes for a variety of donated, rescued and homemade instruments contrast with occasional stark arrangements, bursts of blossoming electricity, and passages of dense improvisation. Contributions from friends and colleagues generate momentum and interplay at key points, enabling these recordings to site the loner aesthetic within the traditions of social music for dancing and communion.
CD $17


DANIEL GOODMAN With ANTON FIER/ADAM LEVY/TONY SCHERR/JON COWHERD et al - Cold Wind (Magic Sin; USA) Produced by Anton Fier and featuring Daniel Goodman on vocal, acoustic guitar & songs, Adam Levy & Larry Saltsman on guitars, Tony Scherr (guitars +) & Arthur Kell on basses, Jon Cowherd on Wurlitzer piano & Hammond organ and Mr. Feir on drums. I am a longtime lover of that roots/rock/folk sound that started in the sixties (with the Byrds & Fairport Convention) and continues today (with Wilco & Neil Young). Anton Fier (Golden Palominos head honcho & ace producer) sent Daniel Goodman our way and I am glad he did. Mr. Goodman has an earthy, sincere voice that sounds somewhat familiar although I've heard of him before this disc. Each one of the ten songs here is just fine, catchy without any obvious hooks. Tony Scherr, who has worked with Bill Frisell at length and is a strong songwriter on his own, adds some sly slide guitar on "The Dark Side of Love", a classic rock/folk gem if I ever heard one. Daniel does a good job of painting an honest picture of the scenes he sees around us all, often bleak with a shimmer of hope buried beneath the facade of that things might just get better before they get worse. The arrangements by Mr. Goodman and the production by Mr. Fier are flawlessly executed and every song is a winner. As soon as this disc ends, I put it back on again and again and... I need a break from harsh reality of noise and other sonic insanity. This more than does the trick. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $15
Also available on LP for $18


SUNN 0))) & NURSE WITH WOUND - The Iron Soul Of Nothing [2 LP set] (Ideologic Organ 05; EEC) Finally, available now as double vinyl set, this is a must for fans of both of these legendary sonic travelers: Steven Stapleton and Colin Potter twist SUNN O)))'s 2000 album OOVOID inside-out on Nurse With Wound's dissection table. "In 2007 we commissioned Nurse With Wound to re-work the masters of SUNN O)))'s second album ))VOID to be included as a bonus CD on the Japanese reissue of said album released a year later on Daymare Recordings. We dug up the original 2" reels from the 2000 session, had Mell Dettmer bake the tapes, made the multi-track transfers and sent the drive over to IC studios. The initial brief was to hopefully come up with something in the vein of Nurse's legendary Soliloquy For Lilith set (my favorite release of the collective). What was returned was way beyond our expectations, completely transformed and rediscovered material, including highlighting formerly obscured vocals of the legendary Pete Stahl (Scream, Wool, Goatsnake). A vast, creepy sonic journey some part drone/depth of SUNN O))), other part concrete weirdness of Nurse, third part just downright out there in surreality and obscure referencing." --Stephen O'Malley; Alchemical dialysis at IC Studio November and December 2007. Procedures executed by Steven Stapleton & Colin Potter. Produced by SUNN O))) & Scott Reeder. Ideologic Organ curation and art direction by Stephen O'Malley.
2 LP set for $32

still available..

JESSIKA KENNEY & EYVIND KANG - Aestuarium (Ideologic Organ 02; EEC) Jessika Kenney is a vocalist known for her haunting timbral sense, as well as her profound interpretation of vocal traditions. Eyvind Kang is a violist for whom the act of music and learning is a spiritual discipline. Aestuarium is a meditation on a psalm of lamentation and the unary tone in the metaphor of salt and fresh water, inspired by Gaelic psalmery, Tibetan notational gestures, and the microtonality of the tetrachord. Recorded on the shore of Colvos Passage in 2005 by renowned engineer Mell Dettmer. Stephen O'Malley comments: "Amongst many other amazing pieces Jessika & Eyvind collaborated on SUNN O)))'s Monoliths & Dimensions album, Jessika leading the choir on the piece "Big Church" and Eyvind composing the acoustic arrangements for "Big Church" & "Alice." I learned an immense amount about music through these collaborations, specifically the idea of Spectral music through research and discussion/reference points of composers such as Grisey and Murail. Aestuarium is a beautiful piece of minimalist spectral music which has brought great pleasure to my ears over the years." Originally released on CD by Endless Records in 2005. Ideologic Organ curation and art direction by Stephen O'Malley, manufactured and distributed by Editions Mego
LP $20


MARS [SUMMER CRANE/CONNIE 'CHINA' BURG aka LUCY HAMILTON/MARK CUNNINGHAM/NANCY ARLEN] - Live At Artists Space (Feeding Tube 68; USA) In May of 1978, there was a five-night music festival at Artists Space on Hudson Street in Tribeca. Although almost no one cared at the time, the event has since entered the halls of legend, as one of the signal events in the history of the no wave era -- one that managed to include both the Lower East Side bands and those fronted by their Western contemporaries. On the final night of the festival, the two bands playing were Mars and Teenage Jesus And The Jerks. What we are presenting to you today are both sets by Mars -- the most mysterious, and bizarrely-styled NY band of their day. One set takes up each side, and while they are similar in song selection, it's wild to hear how different they are in terms of attack, sonics and approach. The quartet -- Nancy Arlen, China Burg, Sumner Crane, Mark Cuningham -- was never captured at its mutational best in the studio, but this live slab is revelatory. Tunings, structures and rhythms from a place Capt. Beefheart once called "the other side of the fence," this is Mars at their most glorious.
LP $20

COSMIC HALLWAYS - Cosmic Hallways [Ltd Ed of 200] (Feeding Tube 78; USA) Cosmic Hallways is the North by Northeast fire music crew assembled by leader Gene Moore (Prana-Bindu/Hat City Intuitive/Thurston's big brother) for this double sax, guitar axe, bass and drums -- fire music field trip to the Schoolhouse (a former one-room 16th/17th century schoolhouse turned recording studio) in the pleasant Connecticut River Valley farm town of Hadley, Massachusetts. Here, 21st century hot and sauce techniques meet the "how the fuck did people live out here -- and in this house" -- vibe from the late 1600s behind a 15 foot high fence surrounding the one street town from the natives who wanted to fry their children to send the message that's sometimes whispered softly and gently as "get...out..." Anyway, using drums, upright bass, alto & tenor saxes, electric guitar, bells & yelling, the 5 folks on this record invite you to join them for 40 minutes on their sweat-soaked & bone-toked free-fire odyssey to mindframes previously unbeknownst to the assembled. Members include: Gene Moore (guitar, bells); Paul Flaherty (Flaherty & Corsano, alto & tenor sax); Gene Janas (Owl Xounds, upright bass); Jeffrey Hayden Shurdut (alto sax); John William Moloney (Sunburned Hand Of The Man, drums). Recorded at the Schoolhouse by Jim Matus, November 22, 2010. Hand-numbered limited edition of 200 copies
LP $30

GARY WILSON - Forgotten Lovers (Feeding Tube 65; USA) First vinyl issue of this collection of rare and unreleased material by one of the most iconoclastic musicians produced by the 1970s. Gary Wilson's 1977 LP, You Think You Really Know Me, is a classic of alternate-universe lounge-wave, and has been cited as choice by everyone from The Residents to Beck Hansen. Forgotten Lovers includes unreleased studio tracks from the same period, subsequent singles tracks, as well as samples of Wilson's pre-You Think You Really Know Me records (a single and an album) which were more in a porn-soundtrack/jazz-funk vein. Gary has reanimated his career in the last decade, and we raise our hats to him for doing so, but this early stuff is really the donkey's eyelids. A classic bizzaro-world blend of various "real people" elements and explosive new wave dynamics. As rich as butter, you'll want to spread this music on your torso to promote tanning.
LP $20



Fourth and Fifth in the series of Expanded Throbbing Gristle Deluxe packages!

THROBBING GRISTLE [CHRIS CARTER/COSEY FANNI TUTTI/GENESIS BREYER P-ORRIDGE/PETER CHRISTOPHERSON] - Heathen Earth: Expanded Edition [2 CD set] (Industrial 004; UK) Originally released in 1980, Heathen Earth is a crucial live document of industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle. In member Chris Carter's own words: "You had to have been there. Which is what we always say about TG. TG on record and TG live are two completely different things." This album is probably the closest approximation of the two you'll ever get: it's a "live in-studio recording" made in front of a small audience and the event was filmed by Monte Cazzaza with the intention of also releasing it on video. The majority of the set is instrumental, fluctuating between the raw electronics of their early work and the band's more melodic material. Tracks include a rework of early classic "After Cease To Exist" and Brion Gysin fave "Dreammachine."
The bonus CD includes live recordings, plus the 7" single versions of "Subhuman" and "Adrenalin." Part of the re-release of Throbbing Gristle's first five albums on vinyl and CD. Each album has been restored and remastered specifically for each format by Chris Carter from 24bit "baked tape" digital transfers of the original first generation analogue master tapes. Each of the CD special-editions are presented in a gatefold sleeve featuring restored and remastered cover artwork and an integrated 8-page booklet (the booklets feature different artwork and content than the vinyl editions). Each CD special-edition also includes an exclusive bonus CD containing content from the year of the album's original release, including live tracks and remastered singles.
2 CD set for $22

THROBBING GRISTLE [CHRIS CARTER/COSEY FANNI TUTTI/GENESIS BREYER P-ORRIDGE/PETER CHRISTOPHERSON] - Greatest Hits - Entertainment Through Pain: Expanded Edition [2 CD set] (Industrial 005; UK) It's impossible to deny Throbbing Gristle's working methods and innovation are so deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness of... everything. TG's subversive dismantling of the apparatus of social control casts such a long shadow, and as impossible as it may seem, this collection actually provides an exceptional summation of their best work. The first real industrial group, the founders of Industrial Records and one of the most important electronic music innovators of all time, TG redefined music and laid a large part of the groundwork for all electronic music that followed. The CD version includes a bonus CD of live recordings, plus two previously unreleased mixes from the 1980s: "The Old Man Smiled (Alternative Mix)" and "AB/7A (Alt Mix)." The 8-page full-color book includes visual ephemera and previously-unpublished photographs. Cover artwork has been painstakingly restored from the original source material. Restored and remastered by Chris Carter from 24bit "baked tape" digital transfers of the original first generation analogue master tapes.
2 CD set for $22



FREDERIC RZEWSKI//URSULA OPPENS - The People United Will Never Be Defeated! (Piano Classics 19; UK) "Frederic Rzewski is a prominent composer of the American avant-garde. A student of Milton Babbitt and Walter Piston, Rzewski's works have a strong socio-historical background, inspired by his deep political conscience. One of his best-known works is the colossal set of piano variations on a Chilean protest song by Sergio Ortega, The People United will Never be Defeated. This fascinating set of 36 variations explores new pianistic techniques, new sonorities, use of extreme registers and improvisational elements (whistling of the performer, slamming the piano lid...) all of which present a huge challenge to the pianist. This recording is a classic, as pianist Ursula Oppens is the dedicatee of this work and the ideal interpreter, given her specialization in 20th Century piano music."
CD $20


DONAUESCHINGER MUSIKTAGE 2010 [V.A.] - Vol s 1, 2, 3, 4 [H-SACD; 4 CD set]] (Neos 1114-7; Germany) Works by Ondrej Adamek, Aaron Cassidy, James Dillon, Brian Ferneyhough, Vinko Globokar, Georg Friedrich Haas, Philippe Manouri, Alberto Posadas, Simon Steen-Andersen, Marco Stroppa, Ivan Wyschnegradsky. Stereo/multichannel hybrid SACDs that can be played on any CD player.
4 CD set for $64


NINO ROTA - Cello Concertos No. 1 & 2 [H-SACD] (Ars Produktion 38105; Germany) "Due to his inspired soundtracks for film classics by Fellini, Visconti and Coppola, the remainder of the substantial classical output of Nino Rota (1911-1979) has unfortunately been pushed out of the limelight. For a start, ten operas, several ballets, three symphonies and almost a dozen instrumental concertos are awaiting rediscovery. The composer as a convinced and convincing eclectic was able to express himself confidently and inventively not only in the Neo-Romantic style but also in the Neo-Classical tonal language which is slightly reminiscent of Stravinsky. His two cello concertos composed in quick succession during the 1970s which are included on this recording represent post-modern works par excellence, but also provide an effective and rewarding showcase for the virtuosity of exceptional cellists such as Friedrich Kleinhapl." Stereo/multichannel hybrid SACD that can be played on any CD player.
CD $24


MARI TAKANO - LigAlien (BIS 1453; EEC) "Born in 1960, the Japanese composer Mari Takano studied in Japan and then Germany, where Gyorgy Ligeti became a mentor to her, providing liberating impulses. Ligeti is also a near-constant presence throughout this program of works composed between 2003 and 2009. The four duos and trios that share the title LigAlien are all in various ways the results of an idea which occurred to Takano in 2002 -- what would it be like to implant 'alien' DNA (i.e. her own) into one of Ligeti's works? Explaining the process in her own liner notes, Takano started in LigAlien I with elements from the second movement of Ligeti's Horn Trio, 'letting them evolve in all kinds of directions. In the course of the work, the interruptions become bolder and more prominent, until nothing is left of Ligeti's idea. Instead an alien being has come into life, a being which seems to like jazz quite a lot.' Interspersing the four 'LigaAliens' are two solo pieces, Jungibility for piano and Full Moon for violin and electronics, which also embrace a wealth of ideas both musical and otherwise ? when discussing the works, Takano herself refers to Duke Ellington, Omar Sosa and Stockhausen (Jungibility) and Bjork, Pina Bausch and Miles David (Full Moon). Dedicated to the memory of Ligeti, the closing Flute Concerto is the largest work on the disc, both in terms of duration and the forces involved."
CD $19



Repressed on Edition RZ!

AKIO SUZUKI - Na-Gi 1997 (Edition RZ 10005; EEC) A CD of minimalist environmental sounds by this Japanese sound-artist, previously known for his fabulous Soundsphere CD on the Dutch Het Apollohuis label. "This music was recorded in Takano, Tango-cho, the northern-most coast of Kyoto, where I live. The bay surrounded by volcanic rock caves is the place where the mighty sounds of waves of the open sea have their muffled echo. Seawater flows into the hollows in the rock again and again like breathing in and breathing out. Spring water constantly drips in the cave, and now and then the wind from the meadow above the chasm brings the sounds of the crickets...the sound spaces of the coast of Takano. A site of a new encounter with the rhythm of the sounds of the sea."
CD $20

AGOSTINO DI SCIPIO - Horbare Okosysteme: Live-elektronische Kompositionen (Edition RZ 10015; EEC) HORBARE OKOSYSTEME Live-elektronische Kompositionen 1993. 20 05 TEXTURE-MULTIPLE: Ensemble Mosaik / CRAQUELURE (2 pezzi silenziosi, a Giuliano / 5 INTERAZIONI CICLICHE ALLE DIFFERENZE SENSIBILI:
Quartetto Prometeo / HORBARE OKOSYSTEME: Live-Elektronik, 20 02-20 05, Natalia Pschenitschnikova
Live elektronische Kompositionen 1993-2005. Performers: Ensemble Mosaik, Prometeo String Quartet, Natalia Pschenitschnikova. "Agostino Di Scipio teaches his sounds to listen to themselves. The digital sound processing algorithms associated with the pieces listen to their own results, and then modify themselves accordingly, during the course of the piece. Through complicated cybernetic procedures inside the black box the software adjusts to the heard in order to create the unheard."
CD $20

INVENTIONEN [V.A.] - Inventionen '98: 50 Jahre Musique Concrete [2 CD] (Edition RZ 10009/10; EEC) A documentary of pieces performed at the Inventionen Festival in Berlin, 1998. Features: Unsuk Chin, Patrick Kosk, Werner Cee, Francois Donato, Robin Minard, Wolfgang Mitterer, Francis Dhomont, Erik Mikael Karlsson, Trevor Wishart.
"Not as much as a bringer-up to speed (or yet another history lesson at that) as a fine cache of current keepers of the crop. New ('93-98), complete pieces from Trevor Wishart (northern-UK composer/programmer known and loved these days for his mid-70's works such as Menagerie and Beach Singularity ALMOST as much as for his pioneering spectral synthesis software method CDP), Francis Dhomont (INA-GRM stalwart, recent CD Frankenstein on Asphodel rocks...), Patrick Kosk (as seen on the RZ 3004 LP of Finnish Musique Concrete), Francois Donato (INA ditto), Robin Minard, Erik Michael Karlsson (Swedish EMS agent), Werner Cee, Unsuk Chin, and Wolfgang Mitterer. The perfect mix of analogue tape and computer-medium concerns, very strong efforts from all involved." -- Hrvatski.
2 CD set for $40

INVENTIONEN [V.A.] - VI (Edition RZ 10016; EEC) "Electroacoustical music from the Inventionen Festivals 2005 and 2006. Composers/tracklist: Edgar Barroso 'ODD'; Mario Verandi 'Comme un jeu des images'; Paul Wilson 'Through the Rain'; Ricardo Climent 'Wallwoodpeckers'; Vladimir Djambazov 'The Secret Life of a Snare Drum'; Ludger Brummer 'Glasharfe.'
CD $20


New on Trunk!

RICK JONES - Fingerbobs: Original Television Music [sndtck] (Trunk 042; UK) To many people who grew up near a British television in the 1970s and 1980s, Fingerbobs was a curious, formative and hugely inspiring series. At last, the classic music from the popular British television series is now available on the Trunk label. While only thirteen episodes were ever made, the series was widely rebroadcasted for many years. It starred the audacious Fingermouse, his friends Scampi, Gulliver, and Flash, and was fronted by American folk musician, actor and former Play School presenter Rick Jones as 'Yoffy.' Much of the show's popularity was due in part to its unforgettable sing-a-long tunes, which have never been released until now. Each episode involved simple craft, music and a story based on that week's theme, such as sound, wood, shapes and shadows. The whole series was conceived, created and modeled in a brilliant homemade style by the legendary husband and wife team Joanne and Michael Cole, the minds behind much of Play School, the books and TV series Bod, and Ragtime. The Fingerbobs album was quite a challenge to put together as there are no masters and very little paper based archive to speak of, which means no set stills and no paper puppets. All that remains are a few scraps of paper in the Cole's very small archive and the Fingerbobs annual, which contains nothing but some peculiar drawings, none of which relate to the show. But, just as the album was going to print an exceptionally rare promotional flyer for the series from 1973 turned up, which was used to make the fabulous artwork. In order to produce a musical album worthy of release, Jonny Trunk entrusted the ears and musical abilities of Jon Brooks (the Advisory Circle/Ghost Box) to pull together a musical collage of the whole series. The album is complete with all the catchy themes, the instrumentals and a scattering of stories too. The music is a touch folky, a little whimsical, classically nostalgic, humble, hip, witty and occasionally camp. Fingerbobs was possibly the last remaining unreleased score from TVs golden era and finally, thanks to this first ever release, listeners can now enjoy it whenever or wherever they want, such as in the car with their kids. The fantastic sleevenotes to the album are by Ali Cole, daughter of Michael and Jo Cole. By the way, the popular urban myth that Rick Jones drowned Fingermouse in his cup of coffee on the last day of filming is completely true. Includes an 8-page booklet with detailed liner notes. Playing time: approximately 26 minutes.
CD $16

and limited represses of these essentials..

JOHN CAMERON - Psychomania [sndtck] (Trunk 002; UK) "This is not a reissue. This is the first time this cult biker soundtrack has ever been heard. Another massive soundtrack release from Trunk following their Wicker Man and Kes albums. Psychomania is a cult movie -- a cult biker movie and there's probably no other British movie quite like it. It's a tale of Frog worshipping bikers who discover the secret of eternal life. They commit suicide and return as The living Dead, bikers who wreak havoc upon local supermarkets and motorways. Released in 1972 this film has slowly gathered cult following. Not only because it's so ridiculous but more importantly because of the music which has never been released properly until now. The recording also includes some excerpts from the movie, including some hilarious lines from Beryl Reid and Nicky Henson. All in all, this is an intense listening experience. It is rocky, progressive and quite wild, with a bit of blaxploitalion thrown in for good measure. The evil kids will love it. Afterall, they've been waiting almost forty years to get their hands on it."
CD $16

JOHN CAMERON With HAROLD McNAIR/TONY CARR et al - Kes [sndtck] (Trunk 001; UK) Following the massively successful Clangers and Wicker Man soundtracks, Trunk Records is only too proud to present Kes..... One of the most beautiful unreleased soundtracks of all time. It may be short, but no score is sweeter or more memorable. Artwork comes with sleevenotes by Jarvis Cocker [Pulp]. "This is the real thing. This is beauty so fragile it hurts. This is music with the Jesses Well & truly off'. Originally recorded at Olympic Studios in 1969, the master tapes have sat silently with the composer John Cameron for over 30 years. The recording itself is a beautiful mixture of wistful pastoral compositions with slight jazz tinges. The musicians themselves read like a who's who of late 60's British Jazz: Harold McNair, Ronnie Ross, David Snell, Tony Carr, and Danny Moss; any recording by these musicians are exceptionally rare and valuable [eg. Harold Mcnair's first LP changes hands for 500 pounds!]"
CD $16

BASIL KIRCHIN With EVAN PARKER/KENNY WHEELER et al - Quantum (Trunk 003; UK) Artists involved include the hugely important Evan Parker, Darryl Runswick, Kenny Wheeler and Graham Lyons. This is not a reissue, this is the legendary Basil Kirchin's first recording released in thirty years. Although there hasn't been a Basil Kirchin release for over 30 years, his reputation is still intact as being one of the most innovative and influential composers of the late 20th century. This release is possibly his finest hour. It's certainly his weirdest. His last releases, in 1971 and 1973 are both rare and highly influential. This is the man who discovered a new way of listening and a whole newsound - with his unique mixture of jazz and field recordings he became a key influence in the development of Brian Eno's famous ambient works and also a major influence behind the industrial sound sculpture movement of the late seventies/early eighties for groups/entities like Nurse With Wound et al. However his influence does not stop in the seventies - bands such as Broadcast are now citing Kirchin as an influence. Constructed in the early 70s, 'Quantum' was spliced together by Basil using jazz, field recordings (animals, insects. trains), his wife and autistic children. The result is a very different and occasionally harrowing journey through sound. Beautiful and often extraordinarily dark.
CD $16

BASIL KIRCHIN - Particles (Trunk 021; UK) For the last five years Trunk Records have been issuing the great, lost work of pioneering British composer Basil Kirchin. Here is his last album, completed only a couple of weeks before he passed away in late 2005. It proves that Kirchin, even in his mid-'70s, was still very much an experimentalist at the top of his odd game. Kirchin invented ambient music and set the template to which much of today's avant garde music sounds like. Highlights of Particles are many -- "The Atonals" for example, was made using conversations between musicians that Basil had secretly recorded over the years. These conversations were then processed into music and the results are quite startling. In fact, the whole album is brimming and bursting with odd ideas, new ways and the unique Kirchin sound. The current Trunk favorite is the last, epic ten-minute hypnotic monster simply called "E+Me." It's an obvious homage to his dear wife Esther, who actually sings at the end of this heavily rhythmic, modal tune. Tragically, Esther died a week before this last Kirchin CD was pressed. Particles adds further fuel to the glowing Kirchin legend, and increases his standing up there with all the other groovy weirdos of the world.
CD $16

BASIL KIRCHIN - Primitive London/The Freelance [sndtck s] (Trunk 038; UK) This is the first-ever release of not ONE but TWO classic Basil Kirchin soundtracks, one from 1965, the other 1971. It's music for strippers, wife-swapping, death, birth, crime and chicken factories. Basil Kirchin is a legendary jazz drummer and grandfather of ambient music. He started his jazz career drumming in his father's jazz band. In the war years, he took over the band and post-war travelled to the East, hung out with the Maharishi, found himself, moved to Australia and finally returned home to the UK in the early 1960s with jazz ideas the likes of which no one else had ever dreamt. He moved into film music composition, library music and special commissions. By the late 1960s, he was experimenting with free jazz, tape manipulations and animal recordings. His series of works entitled Worlds Within Worlds are the first examples of ambient music. Regarded as a musical genius by many of the world's current music geniuses, Basil Kirchin's influence and following grows and grows each day. No one knows how and why drummer and jazzman Basil Kirchin came to write his first-ever soundtrack, but the sounds he created for Primitive London and its images of abattoirs, strip joints, alcoholism, beatniks and peculiar supermarkets are second-to-none. The music is film music but with touches of jazz, drones and oddness, impressive for such an early recording. There's even a tune surprisingly similar to Herrmann's Taxi Driver, a score written over a decade later. Primitive London is notorious as the UK's first and most important "Mondo" movie. The images filmed were strange, sensational, shocking and sleazy, the music harrowing, groovy and hip. This short, and until now unreleased score is accompanied on this release by a soundtrack Kirchin wrote six years later, for a very different kind of London film. Called The Freelance, this rough, tough crime flick is rarely seen, but features lively performances by classic British character actors and a young, impressive Ian McShane. Set in the criminal underworld, Kirchin brought to the screen the sounds of progressive drumming, free jazz and a touch of new decade optimism. The cues are long, develop well and are like no other. Both scores represent important times in Kirchin's musical life; the first score pre-dates his library work, the second comes at a time when this master of modern jazz music and industrial sounds had reached a creative peak. Both scores are unmistakably Kirchin, with his instant, insistent rhythms, memorable melodies and distinctive, strange jazz sounds permeating this entire release. His ever-growing band of fans will love it all. Superb full-color sleeve taken from the original 1965 Primitive London press book.
CD $17

DAWN OF THE DEAD [V.A.] - Dawn of the Dead - Unreleased Incidental Music [sndtck] (Trunk 011; UK) "An absolute classic release from Trunk records, the unreleased incidental music from Dawn of the Dead including unique original and unseen artwork. Romero's cult classic Dawn Of The Dead is possibly the greatest Zombie movie of all time. Often copied but never bettered this thrilling gorefest has over the years gained literally thousands of fans throughout the world. There are dedicated webrings, websites, fan clubs and magazines just for the film, it really is one of the great cult movies of the 70s. The music from the film was played by Goblin (the progressive Italian rockers), and their soundtrack was issued at the time and has never been out of print since its original release. However the Goblin score is only a small fraction of the soundtrack. What eager fans have always wanted are the incidental cues. The weirdo electronics. The dramatic underscores. The bonkers ragtime jazz. The truly strange big band numbers. Seriously, fans of this film have been waiting years for this one very special release. Well the wait is over for them all...Carefully compiled on this album are these great missing musical moments. They were chosen for Romero by his friend and fellow horror genius, Dario Argento as they were cutting the film, and their twisted, dark humour is all over this release. Out of the 100+ cues Romero used in the film (some only 2 seconds long!), the tracks they have selected are the longest and most distinctive in the film, this is the music the fans have been waiting for. Best of all is 'The Gonk', a truly insane piece of mechanical, almost hypnotic big band jazz. Following on from 'The Gonk' is a truly weird and wonderful menagerie of tracks -- including the rare country blues cut 'Cause I'm a Man' performed by The Electric Banana (the band which included members of The Pretty Things). All together these tracks build into a quite wonderful and unique mix of dark electronic horror and musical humour which is something we believe the hardcore horror fans will really enjoy."
CD $16


PAUL GIOVANNI - The Wicker Man (1973) [sndtck] (Silva Screen; USA) New deluxe US version, variant track listing to the mono UK version on Trunk from 1998 (which is actually a couple minutes longer), with a 20-booklet of elaborate liner notes and photos. "Music and songs by Paul Giovanni. First ever release of the stereo masters of all the songs from this cult British Horror Film. The original stereo masters that were prepared for a US album release in 1977 were thought lost but have now been discovered. From the booklet liner notes; 'It is impossible to understate the importance of these historic recordings that up until now, have only been heard by a select few. This truly is the stuff that myths are made of, but then The Wicker Man has always courted mystery and controversy ever since it first saw the light of day in 1973. Once famously credited as the 'Citizen Kane of horror movies', the enduring enigma of the film has inspired eminent critics and a worldwide legion of fans to wax lyrical about the movie's incredible power end engaging intrigue. Even today, nearly thirty years after the film's release, the ball continues to roll; web-sites, fan clubs, documentaries and books, all pay homage to what is without doubt, one of the most innovative and provocative British films ever produced." --Simon Wells
"The Trunk Records version of The Wicker Man soundtrack (the original 1973 film with Christoper Lee and Edward Woodward; NOT the recent Nicholas Cage remake) is significantly different from the Silva (U.S.) reissue. The former contains songs, incidental sounds, and short snippets of dialogue taken directly from the original version of the film; that is, what you hear during the film is exactly what you hear on the soundtrack. The effect is similar to a sound collage or field recording. The Silva version, while shorter in length, keeps the songs separate from the incidental sounds, effects, and dialogue, producing a more cohesive (if conventional) listening experience. It also includes the song "Gently Johnny," which appeared in a longer, later cut of the film and was therefore omitted from the original Trunk soundtrack. The other big difference is that the Trunk version is in mono and the Silva version in stereo. Also, despite the addition of "Gently Johnny," the Trunk version is still longer, as it contains much more incidental material. So, which one to buy? Fans of traditional British folk music are advised to pick up the Silva release; soundtrack aficionados and seekers of curious sounds should go with the original on Trunk - IF you cna find one - it is LONG out-of-print. Completists, of course, will need both, as each contains exclusive material. In any case, The Wicker Man is a stunning soundtrack. Paul Giovanni, together with Magnet, uses flutes, lyres, harmonicas, and guitars in a mixture of original and traditional material to create a mysterious and sinister world that comes to life apart from the film. ~ Jason Nickey
CD $16




Finally back in print!

NAKED CITY [JOHN ZORN/BILL FRISELL/WAYNE HORVITZ/FRED FRITH/JOEY BARON] - Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings (1988-1993) [5 CD + Book set]: Naked City/Heretic/Grand Guignol/Radio/Absinthe/Leng Tch'e/Torture Garden (Tzadik 7344; USA) NAKED CITY: The quintet of John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, Fred Frith, and Joey Baron; with Yamataka Eye, Mike Patton guest vocalists.
"I have radically remastered this music with exacting and loving attention to every last detail. Mistakes have been corrected, balances adjusted and thanks to the latest in digital technology the music is louder, clearer, more in your face and exploding with more energy than ever before. Even if you already own all of the original discs, I strongly urge you to pick this set up and experience Naked City as it always should have sounded. " -John Zorn Probably Zorn's most popular and most controversial musical project, the music of Naked City has been debated, analyzed, adored and reviled by fans, critics and academics alike, but nothing can replace the experience of hearing it in all its frightening glory. Most people know this music from the single domestic release on Nonesuch, but the major portion of their studio recordings were issued from 1989 - 1993 on the hard to find Japanese labels Avant and Toy's Factory. This long awaited set pulls together all of their recorded output - seven studio releases (including four previously released only in Japan) - on 5 CDs in beautiful new packaging, with a special 100+ page scrapbook of Naked City ephemera, including photos, posters, designs, scores, musical sketches, written tributes by members of the Naked City family and pages from Zorn's original notebooks showing the development of the music that drove so many people out of their minds. Zorn's music at its most brutal and uncompromising best.
BONUS TRACK CREATED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THIS SET: A spectacular new vocal version of the 18' composition Grand Guignol featuring the charismatic singer from Fantomas, Mr. Bungle and Faith No More, Naked City alumni Mike Patton. A tour de force concerto for voice and ensemble, finally realizing Zorn's long form composition as it was originally conceived. [PLEASE NOTE: ALL of the material from TORTURE GARDEN IS INCLUDED, on the 'Naked City' & 'Grand Guignol' CDs, from which the TG mini album was compiled]
Shipping charges for the NAKED CITY BOX will be greater than normal outside the U.S. as this weighs the equivalent of individual 7 CDs
TZADIK ARCHIVAL SERIES
5 CD + Book Box Set for $85


Now out-of-print, we have just 5 copies..

FRANK ZAPPA/THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION//TONY PALMER & CHARLES SWENSON, dirs. - 200 Motels: The Movie [DVD] (Tony Palmer/MVD; USA) The Holy Grail! Zappa's 1971 feature film starring the Mothers Of Invention [Ian Underwood, Jimmy Carl Black, George Duke, Jim Pons, Martin Lickert, Aynsley Dunbar, and Flo & Eddie (ex-Turtles Mark Volman & Howard Kaylan)] as well as Ringo Starr (!) and Theodore Bikel. A sprawling surrealistic documentary of life on the road.
"Frank Zappa's 200 Motels is a film that defies categorization. Although it was released to theaters, it was shot on videotape and blown up for the big screen. Zappa was inspired by life on the road to assemble this surreal, somewhat uneven movie which has no real plot; it is more like a series of music videos with occasional narrative passages, featuring actor Theodore Bikel as the mysterious government agent Rance Muhammitz, Ringo Starr playing Larry the Dwarf, who is dressed up to look like Zappa (!), and Keith Moon as a bizarre nun. A lot of the humor will appeal strictly to Zappa fans, as will the often exciting music. Highlights include the hard-driving "Mystery Roach," the hilarious "Lonesome Cowboy Burt," with a vocal by former Mothers of Invention drummer Jimmy Carl Black, and the grandiose finale, "Strictly Genteel," complete with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which Zappa would re-record on more than one occasion. Oddly enough, Zappa's appearances on screen are rather fleeting when compared to most rock musicians, who seem to feel that the camera must be on the leader 90-percent of the time. The supporting cast of the Mothers of Invention on this occasion includes lead singers Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (formerly of the Turtles), saxophonist Ian Underwood, George Duke (making a rare appearance on trombone instead of keyboards), drummer Aynsley Dunbar, and Ringo Starr's chauffeur, Martin Lickert, who was hired to play bass on screen after Jeff Simmons walked out (though the actual bass playing is probably by Jim Pons). Zappa's innovative ideas of the time stand up very well against the unimaginative music videos of the MTV generation in the decades that followed." ~ Ken Dryden
"..and you don't have to take any chemicals, the advanced ahead-of-their-time video effects will make your head spin all on their own!" - MannyLunch
DVD $20 (Out of print, but we have it!)




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Miles Davis Columbia Recordings Box Sets..

MILES DAVIS QUINTETS With GEORGE COLEMAN or SAM RIVERS/HERBIE HANCOCK/RON CARTER/TONY WILLIAMS et al - Vol 3: Seven Steps: Miles Davis Quintets 1963-1964: The Complete Sessions [7 CD Box Set] (Columbia Legacy 90840; USA) [1st - and ONLY - edition; with CD sized box and metal spine]
The first disc - and half of the second - covers all studio material generated during this period immediately prior to Wayne Shorter joining [Miles was waiting for Wayne's contract with Blakey to end] including recordings with George Coleman/Victor Feldman/Frank Butler/Ron Carter and the Coleman/Herbie Hancock/Tony Williams/Carter quintets..
AND then there's 5 and a half discs [!] of live shows including the Coleman/Hancock/Williams/Carter quintet shows from 63-64: the COMPLETE 'Miles In Europe: Antibes Festival' [a disc and a half!] and the REALLY complete Lincoln Center 2/12/64 'Four And More/My Funny Valentine' show [with "Autumn Leaves" the show opener, finally added]; As well as the '...In Tokyo' show [1 disc] featuring Sam Rivers for the departed George Coleman [with a previously unreleased "Stella By Starlight"- boy, does that devalue my expensively-gotten Japanese CD!]
And finally, the "...In Berlin" show, where the classic mid/late '60s quintet is completed with the arrival of Wayne Shorter in the tenor sax chair! Both of these last two shows have never been previously available in the US! And, the box editions have 8 cuts [72 minutes] previously unreleased anywhere!
Normally $120
we have 3 copies only, SALE priced at $90 each - Hurry!


Also..

ONLY TWO copies each of these OUT-OF-PRINT Rare 1st Edition Miles Davis box sets SEALED..

MILES DAVIS With JOHN McLAUGHLIN/DAVE LIEBMAN/HERBIE HANCOCK/REGGIE LUCAS/CHICK COREA et al - Vol 8: Bey-On-d The Corner - The Complete On The Corner Sessions [6 CD + Book Box Set] (Columbia Legacy 62392; USA) [1st - and ONLY - edition; with CD sized box and metal spine] ORIGINAL SEALED COPY WITH ALL STICKERS
6 CD box set $200

MILES DAVIS With JOHN McLAUGHLIN/SONNY SHARROCK/WAYNE SHORTER/STEVE GROSSMAN/HERBIE HANCOCK/CHICK COREA/KEITH JARRETT/DAVE HOLLAND/MICHAEL HENDERSON/JACK DeJOHNETTE/BILLY COBHAM et al - Vol 7: Jack Johnson: The Complete Sessions [5 CD + Book Box Set] (Columbia Legacy 86359; USA) [1st edition with CD sized box and metal spine] ORIGINAL SEALED COPY WITH ALL STICKERS
5 CD box set $120

MILES DAVIS With JOHN McLAUGHLIN/WAYNE SHORTER/BENNIE MAUPIN/CHICK COREA/LARRY YOUNG/DAVE HOLLAND/JACK DeJOHNETTE/LENNY WHITE et al - Vol 6: Bitches Brew: The Complete Sessions [4 CD + Book Box Set] (Columbia Legacy 65570; USA) [1st edition with CD sized box and metal spine] ORIGINAL SEALED COPY WITH ALL STICKERS
4 CD box set $100

MILES DAVIS With JOHN McLAUGHLIN/WAYNE SHORTER/HERBIE HANCOCK/JOE ZAWINUL/CHICK COREA/DAVE HOLLAND/TONY WILLIAMS et al - Vol 5: In A Silent Way: The Complete Sessions [3 CD + Book Box Set] (Columbia Legacy 65362; USA) [1st edition with CD sized box - only one of the eight boxes issued without a metal spine] ORIGINAL SEALED COPY WITH ALL STICKERS
3 CD box set $75

MILES DAVIS & GIL EVANS ORCHESTRA - Vol 2: Miles Davis & Gil Evans - The Complete Sessions: Miles Ahead/Porgy And Bess/Sketches Of Spain/Quiet Nights/Plus.. [6 CD + Book Box Set] (Columbia Legacy 67397; USA) [1st edition with CD sized box and metal spine] ORIGINAL SEALED COPY WITH ALL STICKERS
6 CD box set $150

MILES DAVIS & JOHN COLTRANE - Vol 1: Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Complete Columbia Recordings: Round About Midnite/Milestones/At Newport 1958/Jazz At The Plaza/Kind Of Blue/..Plus [6 CD + Book Box Set] (Columbia Legacy 65833; USA) [1st edition with CD sized box and metal spine] ORIGINAL SEALED COPY WITH ALL STICKERS
[BOTH editions of this box set are now out-of-print]
6 CD box set $175



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Back in stock - at LOWER Prices!

PAUL MOTIAN With JIM PEPPER/JOE LOVANO/BILL FRISELL/ED SCHULLER/ENRICO PIERANUNZI - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: The Story Of Maryam/Jack Of Clubs/Misterioso/Notes/One Time Out/Flux And Change [6 CD set] (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1008; Italy) 6 CD set for $38

DAVID MURRAY OCTET S With HENRY THREADGILL/LAWRENCE 'BUTCH' MORRIS/BOBBY BRADFORD/GEORGE E LEWIS/CRAIG S HARRIS/OLU DARA/WILBER MORRIS/STEVE McCALL et al - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Octet Recordings: Ming/Home/Murray's Steps/New Life/Hope Scope [5 CD set]
5 CD set for $35

BILL DIXON With TONY OXLEY/ALAN SILVA/BARRY GUY/WILLIAM PARKER/PETER KOWALD/MARIO PAVONE/MARCO ENEIDI/FREDDIE WAITS/LAURENCE COOK/JOHN BUCKINGHAM - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: In Italy Vol 1 & 2/November 1981/Thoughts/Son Of Sisyphus/Vade Mecum I & II/Papyrus Vol 1 & 2 [9 CD set] (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1009; Italy)
9 CD set for $45



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Having just seen Thinking Plague together with Hamster Theater the other night in NYC, we thought of an original founding member [Robert] Bob Drake - the genius multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer - who's moved on to other projects.. and synchronicity happened..

Here is his new release!

BOB DRAKE - Bob's Drive-In (ReR/CTA 17; UK) "A set of twisty, forty-ideas-a-minute, niftily arranged, irredeemably eccentric, but strangely brilliant songs that skip blithely across genre borders - from Nashville through the Miskatonic by way of the Beach Boys, even the production values range across the history of recording, sometimes switching inside a single song; a high information ride, but still engagingly listenable. Finished with his new CD, Bob sends the raw songs -- just chords and melody -- to Dave Kerman (ds), David Campbell (bs, vc) and Kavus Torabi (guit, vc) and, a few months later, they assemble at the Crumbling Tomes studio to work up the songs for a performance. Bob is in the band but the band is not being taught his interpretations and arrangements. It finds its own. After a week of rehearsals, there is a show for an invited audience, recorded live. So now we have a second great album - quite different from Bob's own. On the CD, both versions sit side-by-side, each very different, but still intimately linked to one another. A study, if you are so inclined; fun if you isn't. That's the sort of thing I call experimental." --Chris Cutler
CD $16

also available..

BOB DRAKE - The Shunned Country (ReR/CTA SC 01; UK) "52 songs of strange events, places and things. Includes 20 original paintings by Ray O'Bannon"-Bob. The songs are brief, amusingly creepy or creepily amusing (takes your pick!) with really nice creepy/cool paintings to accompany the mood. "Perhaps the scariest thing is that each of these miniatures is a fully formed, fully orchestrated and complete structure - no lazy snippets here - and Bob plays all the parts with his famously Paganini-esque virtuosity in spooky variable-tempo synchrony - packing more ideas and material into 50 seconds than most could manage on an entire album. There is complexity here, disguised as simplicity; production genius disguised as eccentricity; the pursuit of an aesthetic of exquisite imperfection. These are ears that have heard beyond technical perfection (too easy, once you have the trick) and moved on to something else."
CD $16

BOB DRAKE - 13 Songs and a Thing (ReR/CTA 13; UK) In '13 Songs' we encounter complex Henry Cow type rock, heavy metal chords, Turkish influenced manic acoustic guitar, horror movie soundtrack music, and flashes of old time rock n' roll. And that's just the intro! Later on Bob gets mean and dirty with his fingerpickin' guitar, a music full of dead stops and unexpected changes of texture. He occasionally sings in his pure, Yes-like choirboy tones, spitting out twisted lyrics. A dog lets off a couple of barks in unexpected places. So nothing new then; just another crazed mix of Hillbilly music, Frank Zappa-like composition, mordant wit, and some fantastically heavy guitar and drums. Bonny Prince Billy and Capt. Beefheart jammin' with the Beatles
CD $16

BOB DRAKE - The Skull Mailbox (ReR/CTA 9; UK) "Bob Drake was one half of Indie rock group Hail, and still plays bass with ruthless avant rockers The 5UUS. His previous solos Little Black Train introduced us to his version of Death-Country, and Medallion Animal Carpet followed up with what sounded like a collaboration between Bonnie Prince Billy and Captain Beefhart. And now there's Skull Mailbox. With this CD Drake has lost it altogether. Strange little picked guitar pieces are the basis for grotesque songs; a seance goes horribly wrong, headless ghosts fly about, and everyone ends up dead, or locked in the cellar, or both. If this sounds strange so far, the production sends the material right over the edge. Occasionally drums pop out of the far left of the speaker, vocals far right, grungeing noises appear without warning, and everything has a rotting compost quality which makes it sound like it was recorded in a decaying barn - which indeed it was!" [ReR]
CD $16

BOB DRAKE - Medallion Animal Carpet (ReR/CTA 7; UK) Although Bob Drake has played bass for a slew of fine progressive bands both here and in Europe like Thinking Plague, Hail, the EC Nudes and currently the Science Group (reviewed above), he keeps quite a bit of odd surprises up his sleeve to keep us all guessing. Bob is also a multi-instrumentalist, singer & songwriter and fine engineer as well. This is his third solo effort and it is filled with more unexpected twists & turns, genre-hopping fun & insanity to try to fathom. This cd is mostly a solo work by Bob doing almost everything, but does include some help from a half dozen friends like Chris Cutler & Stevan Tickmayer (both from the Science Group). 'Medallion' is broken down into 25 tunes, but actually has three main continuous parts, filled with many surprises seamlessly connected to each other. Although this does have the sound of a charming/weird solo project, Bob's magic is the way he piles up layers of guitars, synth, strings, basses, drums & vocals - occasionally into a dense warped solo symphony. Nothing last too long - since there are only two tunes over three minutes, but Bob does a great job of finding ways to almost invisibly connect parts/genres to the next one. One of the highlights is when Bob blends a number of naked strings in a Fred Frith/Robert Wyatt-like twisted string fashion. Bob often throws in the monkey wrench unexpectedly - like when he has a country/rockabilly type of steel guitar toon buried in thick drones or when a tribal groove piece ("Slab") gets thicker, the production more psychedelic and Bob manipulates textures/layers of desired density. Mostly marvelous surprises are in-store for the adventurous listener(s) - BLG
CD $16

BOB DRAKE - Little Black Train (ReR/CTA 6; UK) Totally odd, & singular disc by multi-instrumentalist Bob (of 5uu's/Thinking Plague/etc.), who performs on vocals, strings (guitars, bass, violin, etc.), keyboards & real drums, making these sound like a band effort. These sounds like nothing else you've EVER heard & have a real ''Americana'' feel & sound to me. '...what the Magic Band might sound like if they had been invited to provide the soundtrack for Deliverance...'-Top magazine. [ReR]
CD $16

BOB DRAKE [ROBERT DRAKE] - What Day Is It? (Ad Hoc 10; USA) What Day Is It ? is the re-issue of Bob's very first solo disc (originally self-manufactured in art packaging - here tho, professionally packaged for mass market sales). It already exhibits Bob's characteristic traits: golden fingers, hi-wire vocals, eyebrow-raising country-picking, loose-but-right-in-the-pocket drums, eccentric chord inversions, and a bass-guitar sound to die for. Sitting happily with the fantasy 'Yes' Euro-progressive surface is the rather more substantial depth of a bluegrass and rooted-rock American culture; an almost unique combination and one hard to imitate (or even imagine, until you hear Bob do it). But then, Bob has always marched to the beat of a different drummer, manifestly careless of the fashion or of the easier, more superficial aspects of the music he has absorbed.
CD $13

VENUS HANDCUFFS [aka CORPSES AS BEDMATES aka HAIL: BOB DRAKE/SUSANNE LEWIS] - Venus Handcuffs (Ad Hoc 06; USA) Referred to as "a cross between Throbbing Gristle and Nick Cave" during the band's lifetime [the band's name originally being Corpses As Bedmates, which released this album named Venus Handcuffs], VENUS HANCUFFS (Susanne Lewis and Bob Drake) got their start in the ranks of Colorado's most far-reaching band, Thinking Plague, and went on to infamy after changing their band's name to HAIL. This disk is their debut duo recording, pre-Hail, and well-encompasses an experimental direction which, while somewhat natural for the time in America, has since been sadly overlooked by those who have followed in their wake. This is the first time this classic, experimental-rock recording has been issued on CD; the former vinyl version has been long out-of-print and hungrily sought out by collectors for years. Pain staking-ly re-mastered by Bob Drake for optimum sound quality. "Indispensable for anyone who is in love with the sound of Suzanne Lewis' voice - like I am! ALL THUMBS UP!" - MannyLunch
CD $16

HAIL [SUSANNE LEWIS/BOB DRAKE] - Hello Debris (ReR H3; UK) Hail is an ongoing project featuring the mysterious Susanne Lewis and Bob Drake, both former members of the legendary Colorado-based progressive band, Thinking Plaque. Susanne Lewis (vocals, guitar & keyboards) moved to NY, worked on a few solo projects, as well as a duo with Azailia Snail, and comes to out store on rare occasion. Bob Drake is a multi-instrumentalist who has also put out a handful of fine solo discs as well as working with 5UU's and The Science Group...and also overseeing remastering of classic ReR catalog like the Henry Cow disc above!
'Hello Debris' consists of 18 short tracks of twisted, oddly-charming prog-like rock music with a punkish edge. Songs often start off in one direction and soon mutate into something completely different. "Celestial Heartbreak" opens with majestic keyboards yet soon features some baroque harpsichord-like keyboard. The booklet includes the strange lyrics of many of the tracks, yet the vocals are often buried deep in the mix or are not even there at times. What's interesting is that some of these tunes are sewn together from disparate parts, but they somehow fit together like an intricate psychedelic jigsaw puzzle. I wonder how a more mainstream rock listener would view these quirky pieces... intrigued, mystified or perhaps even confused? I find these short ditties to be buried treasures waiting to be discovered those with curious tastes. - BLG
CD $16

HAIL [SUSANNE LEWIS/BOB DRAKE] - Kirk (ReR H2; UK) An extraordinary collection of songs by Susanne Lewis and Bob Drake (of Thinking Plague). A cross between Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd and early Jefferson Airplane (best I can do). Strong, apparently simple tunes with subtle and very powerful arrangements - not shy of enveloping bass and emotional vocal delivery. Unequivocably performed, minimal and very much to the point. Perfect songs, perfectly realised. This is the second Hail CD, guests incl Chris Cutler, David Kerman, Bill Gilonis.
CD $16


..and, let's not forget Thinking Plague!

Suzanne Lewis was the first founder to depart from this legendary group, followed later by Bob Drake, essentially leaving guitarist/composer extroadinaire Mike Johnson as the nominal leader - if anything the albums are even MORE amazing than at the beginning - and if you remeber then only from wayback, that wouldn't seem possible!

THINKING PLAGUE [BOB DRAKE/MIKE JOHNSON/SUZANNE LEWIS et al] - Early Plague Years: A Thinking Plague/Moonsongs (Cuneiform 141; USA) Thinking Plague were and still are an outstanding, distinctive and by now legendary progressive outfit from Colorado. They have been around since 1983 and have made only four releases, with many years and changes in personnel in between. Their first release A Thinking Plague' came out in 1984 and their second lp Moonsongs' in 1986. Both of these lps were nearly impossible to find and still go for big bucks from prog collectors worldwide. Most folks know them from their first cd In This Life' (ReR) which sounded very Henry Cow influenced and even had a guest appearance from Fred Frith. Almost a decade later they reformed once more and released the wonderful "In Extremis" for Cuneiform and toured for the first time in a large way.
The great news is that Cuneiform has just reissued many of the best tracks from their two early long-gone lps on this here cd. Guitarist Mike Johnson is the leader and main composer still and only bassist & multi-instrumentalist Bob Drake has been on all of their releases to date. Their quirky lead singer for Moonsongs' was Susanne Lewis, who eventually moved to NY forming Hail (with Drake) and still puts out engaging solo cds. 'Early Plague Years' contains two tracks from 'In This Life' one of which - "Moonsongs" appears in its original mix. This release begins with their second release first. "Warheads" the opening track reminds me of Henry Cow's disturbing and exhilarating manifesto from 'In Praise of Learning'. It deals lyrically with those corporations who push war for profit and how religion tries to soothe us. The music has that dark ever-changing Euro-prog style that we know and love so well. "Etude for Combo" is an instrumental in which sections constantly collide, very tightly knit and filled with dread. Suzanne's voice is heard from a distance on "Inside Out" with ominous sounds surrounding her. "Moonsongs" is a long and winding epic which still knocks me, the mid-section features Susanne's intense vocals answered by a chorus of band members to great affect. Guests saxists and Chris Cutler-like drums also add much to this strong brew, as does the marching beat and demented guitar solo later on. On their first lp, the vocalist was Sharon Bradford and she also sings Mike's dark words, her own and other found poetry with probing ability. "Possessed" also has that Henry Cow/Art Bears-like disturbing/triumphant/all too real version of life's pains. Bob Drake bows a balalaika on "Four Men in the Rain" with weird hypnotic results. The final piece "Thorns of Blue and Red/the War" is another lengthy epic with haunting words by an obscure poet named Katie Floyd. This piece is often more sparse, but no less effective in its chilling resolve. We are mighty glad to see & hear these two progressive classics back in print once again. - BLG
CD $15

THINKING PLAGUE [BOB DRAKE/MIKE JOHNSON/DEBORAH PERRY/DAVE KERMAN et al] - In Extremis (Cuneiform 113; USA) Denver's legendary Thinking Plague have been making music since the early 1980's. This is their latest & includes co-founders guitarist Mike Johnson, multi-instrumentalist Bob Drake, monster drummer Dave Kerman as well as a host of others, all of whom turn in tremendous performances on vocals, guitars, multiple reeds, accordion, keyboards, bass, drums and more. Tuneful, well composed & strongly structured, this is very much in the vanguard of the RIO art-rock song style, along with peers such as U Totem, the 5uu's & the Art Bears.
"When the first Thinking Plague cd came out seven years ago, this extraordinary band seemed to have come out of nowhere (Colorado, actually) and produced an amazing Henry Cow-like progressive manifesto, with Fred Frith as their guest. The band went its separate ways-Bob Drake to LA and France, Suzanne Lewis to NYC. But, lo and behold, six years in the making & it finally arrives!! Once again we are treated to a well composed, ever evolving, progressive treasure, made to be cherished for a long time to come. I can still hear those Henry Cow-like ever changing layers of saxes, guitars & keyboards. My old friend Suzanne (Hail & Kissyfur) Lewis didn't make it onto this effort, but Deborah Perry does a fine job of Dagmar-like vocalizing. One must admit that the 3 tunes that Bob Drake plays bass (& sings on one) on-all have that Yes/Jon Anderson sound, it still sounds right. The drum chair is filled by none-other than Dave Kerman (U Totem, Blast & Present), so how can one go wrong-you can't with this cast! A brilliant progressive sometimes dense and throttling masterwork!" - BLG
''Among the vanguard of groups riding the crest of a largely unheralded contemporary avant-progressive tsunami, Denver's Thinking Plague stand out in bas-relief...the manner in which Thinking Plague...have condensed only the most fertile (& often most pulverising) aspects of the last 30 years of progressive exploration is nothing short of awe-inspiring.'' 5/5 stars - Alternative Press
CD $15

THINKING PLAGUE [MIKE JOHNSON/DEBORAH PERRY/DAVE KERMAN et al] - A History of Madness (Cuneiform 180; USA) Fifth fascinating release this legendary progressive band from Colorado who have been around for about two decades and are led by Mike Johnson (guitarist & bazouki player) with cohort Dave Willey on bass, the voice of Deborah Perry, the reeds of Mark Harris, the keyboards of Matt Mitchell & the drums of David Shamrock, plus guests Ron Miles on trumpet and Dave Kerman on percussion. Their sound is a swirling mass of intricate playing, challenging compositions and ever-shifting dynamics, which still sound like they influenced by the Art Bears/Henry Cow axis. There are often melancholy and mesmerizing with Deborah's haunting voice at the center. Mike's lyrics/poetry add a constant source of provocative ideas and imagery to ponder. One thing that makes this so special is that the majority of the instrumentation is often acoustic with layers of accordion, reeds, piano, harmonium, strings and some strange exotic things I've never heard of. A couple of tracks feature some alien soundscapes which are sure to help us sail into their own world and take us all on a journey away from the ugliness of the daily (bad) news. They really do have their very own sound and great deal of work has gone into their unique cauldron of sonic sorcery.
CD $15

THINKING PLAGUE [MIKE JOHNSON/DEBORAH PERRY/DAVE KERMAN et al] - ...Upon Both Your Houses (Nearfest 004; USA) Recorded live at NEARfest 2000, 'Upon Both Your Houses' is a stunning document of Rock-In-Opposition at its finest. Thinking Plague delivers a commanding set of highly technical and challenging, yet melodic compositions in a manner that must be heard to believe. The masterful musicianship displayed by this sextet is exquisite. They draw from obvious progressive rock sources, but refuse to merely relive the 70's as they push their unique brand of music forward. This energetic, jaw-dropping live performance is a must for your prog rock collection!

CD $15


And, recently released on Ad Hoc!

THE WORK [TIM HODGKINSON/MICK HOBBS] - The 4th World (Ad Hoc 26; USA) "The 4th World is The Work's long-lost, never before issued, very last album, from 1994. Succeeding See by some two years, it shares that album's aesthetics and approach - an economy of means, and superior song-writing/ playing - even when compared to their earlier albums. One wouldn't guess it was recorded live at a gig in Breisgau, because the sound is, quite honestly, superlative, and is even better than any of their studio albums. The original, mono recordings (by Volkmar Miedtke) were meticulously reprocessed into stereo years later by Udi Koomran, and the sound has really been, "opened up". The playing itself is also powerful and thoughtful. Especially important is the fact that only two of the twenty songs on this disc were released on previous albums, thus making The Work's entire catalog finally complete, and now wholly in print."-Ad Hoc Records
CD $17

still available..

THE WORK [TIM HODGKINSON/BILL GILONIS/MICK HOBBS/RICK WILSON] - See (Ad Hoc 22; USA) "Any album by The Work is difficult to categorize, or to pigeon-hole. The band's output has been labelled everything from 'post-punk' to 'acid jazz', and yet any sort of classification just doesn't seem to do the music justice. The approach seems to exhibit the complexity of progressive rock, whilst throwing that aesthetic to the dogs, in lieu of assimilating the energy and power of early punk. The Work were among the first few post-Henry Cow bands to purposefully break their own mould in an attempt to conquer new ground, thus creating music that seems more comfortable resting on a bed of nails than precious laurels. See was the final The Work album to be issued during the band's lifetime. It showcased some of the very best material of their later years, and a penchant to move into a different, more mature setting. The electronic experimentation here perfectly meshes with post-punk appeals and terrorist-like energy, giving the listener plenty of reasons to be drawn-in to their psychotic world of extremes. Each instrument plays perfectly off of the others to send everything, 'somewhere else', whilst somehow holding together perfectly amidst some fiendish, 'white knuckler' time relations. Though the vocals on this album were more 'sung' than 'shrieked' (as evidenced on their earliest recordings), the instrumental parts, especially the drumming, keep the group in line with its radically apparent love for showcasing a primal approach. This has been out-of-print for a number of years, so it's great to have it back again."
CD $17

THE WORK [TIM HODGKINSON/BILL GILONIS/MICK HOBBS/RICK WILSON] - Rubber Cage (Ad Hoc 14; USA) These are powerful recordings of the band's most densely composed material., musically akin to another of their classics, "Slow Crimes", but honed into even more mature fashion. (The band had broken up after a tour of Japan in 1982, and reformed for this record 7 years later. In the interim, each of the musicians' talents and compositional abilities had grown by leaps and bounds). This album was a new beginning for The Work, and set them off in a slightly different direction than they had previously employed: Much of the energy of this music came from the sheer "tenseness" of the compositions; they didn't need to bludgeon the ears to get the point across. Besides collecting what could arguably be their most finely crafted songs, this disk best displays the group's unusual sense of individual soloing: The singularly-plucked cello during "Dangerfish", and the free-form piano of "Jay", both seem to be the intrinsic opposite of the musical settings they embellish. Capturing such disparate approaches sets up a dichotomy of styling throughout this exceedingly intense album, offering startling (and usually brutal) results
CD $16

THE WORK [TIM HODGKINSON/BILL GILONIS/AMOS/CHRIS CUTLER] - Live In Japan (Ad Hoc 13; USA) "By 1982 drummer Rick Wilson had left The Work to study Katakali in India and bassist Mick Hobbs followed shortly afterwards over disagreements about what the group should be playing. The remainder of the band then asked Amos (bass) and Chris Cutler (drums) to join them for a tour of Japan that had already been scheduled before the breakup. Together with sound engineer Chris Gray, the group flew there in June to play three concerts in Tokyo and one in Osaka. The recording that became 'Live in Japan' was taken at the Osaka concert, the only one on the tour that was recorded. A Japan-only release followed (on Recommended Records Japan), which has been out of print for over 20 years and is virtually impossible to find anywhere. This disc re-issues the concert for the first time, adding the extremely rare, red flexi-disc, live version of 'I Hate America', as a bonus track. This is a different and extremely in-your-face version of The Work, made more so by the original processing of the (cassette) recording, which brought everything to the front of the mix, accentuating every hit and roar. Tim is in screaming form and the band take extreme liberties with the material, somehow staying inside the songs while systematically splitting them open and spitting them out in ruins. There's an awful lot going on here, and yet it somehow remains uncluttered. Best listened to loud, as intended; although this disk sounds loud, even when quiet. The original source tapes were recorded onto cassette, and mastered by the band one evening in an Osaka bedroom. Udi Koomran's remastering has not sanitised or modernised the sound - which was essential to the spirit of the music - but has cleaned it up and made it even more what it is." This is a really great album and Udi made what I always thought of a not very good live recording sound really great in a utterly loud, raw way; I hope that a billion of you buy this so Ad Hoc will do their long awaited (by me) The Work gigantic reissue series."
CD $16

THE WORK [TIM HODGKINSON/BILL GILONIS/MICK HOBBS/RICK WILSON] - Slow Crimes (Ad Hoc 15; USA) Originally issued on vinyl in 1982, this music, along with that of compatriots This Heat and Unrest Work & Play, set the stage for a unique type of new British Invasion; one that seemed to absorb the complexity and slickness of Progressive Rock, whilst throwing its aesthetics to the dogs, in lieu of the energy and power of early Punk. THE WORK were amongst the first few to purposefully break their own mold in an attempt to break new ground, concomitantly creating music that seems more comfortable resting on a bed of nails than precious laurels. The drums are primal, and hold the entire band together in a polyrhythmic way that was, at the time, unheard-of in Punk music. The vocals are offered unapologetically, sometimes in semi-screams of anguish and insolence. The guitars & bass chug along, daring the listener to tap their foot in time to regain one's bearings. Over it all is the collective penchant to add experimental noise, to further a state of shock. The group worked tirelessly within these guidelines on the road for 2 years before disbanding, only to reform some seven years later, releasing two additional and equally excellent albums
CD $16


**************


KEVIN AYERS - Rainbow Takeway/That's What You Get Babe [2 CD set] (BGO 990; UK) After a long spell on Harvest, where he produced his early 70s classics, Kevin moved onto another label [Island], but he came back to Harvest for these two: the first was That's What You Get Babe, and imo, it's an ok work, but nothing more. But Rainbow Takeaway from 1978, is one of his later classics, in my opinion, especially the first side of the original vinyl version. This was produced by Anthony Moore (Slapp Happy) with Kevin, which gives it a very different sonic feel.
2 CD set for $20


DAVID BEDFORD With MIKE RATLEDGE - Star Clusters, Nebulae & Places in Devon/The Song of the White Horse (Floating World 110 VPT; UK) "The Song of the White Horse is the original 1983 pressing of the album subsequently reissued as Star Clusters, Nebulae & Places in Devon/The Song of the White Horse. Originally issued on Mike Oldfield's short-lived eponymous label, it is comprised of just two pieces of music -- both of which can now be referred to as the title track. Originally composed in 1971 and performed by Bedford and former Soft Machine keyboardist Mike Ratledge, "Star Clusters, Nebulae & Places in Devon" was titled for Bedford's discovery that the stars that are visible today are only now shedding the light that was originally emitted during the Bronze Age; it is, accordingly, a lengthy piece that seems fully aware of the mysteries inherent in such vast distance. The piece itself is often bizarre -- one passage, toward the end, seems to transform the singers into a flock of chattering penguins; elsewhere, the two choirs' librettos all but battle one another, the first set of voices reciting local Devonshire place names, while the second sings out the names of the stars. Equally disconcerting is the abrupt halt to which the performance comes, a shade under 25 minutes in. "Song of the White Horse," too, is concerned with ancient mysteries -- in this instance, the giant horse carved into the chalk hills above Uffington in southern England. Originally composed for the BBC television program Omnibus in 1977, its five sections follow a journey along the lines of hilltops known as the Ridgeway; one section is named for Wayland's Smithy and another for the Blowing Stone, an ancient rock that Bedford himself "plays" during this portion of the piece. Instrumental for much of its duration, "The Song of the White Horse" finally lives up to the first half of its title during the fourth movement, when a choir enters the proceedings. Led by singer Diane Coulson and built around a lengthy G.K. Chesterton poem, the choir's arrival is initially intrusive but one rapidly warms to its presence, and the piece builds to a simply gorgeous climax, the Coulson showpiece 'Postlude.'"-Dave Thompson
CD $17

DAVID BEDFORD - Great Equatorial (Floating World 156 VPT; UK) David Bedford was originally commissioned to write Great Equatorial as part of the celebrations surrounding the renovation of the room containing the Great Equatorial Telescope at Greenwich Observatory, in London. Just ten minutes in length, his initial vision was subsequently expanded into six movements totaling a little over one hour, a vast and sweeping suite that defies ready categorization. The vastness and mystery of the universe, of course, were the inspirations behind Bedford's earlier "Star Clusters, Nebulae & Places in Devon." Musically, however, Great Equatorial steps far beyond those ambitions. Designed to be absorbed as opposed to simply listened to, the actual movements themselves are largely alike, built around many of the same musical components and themes. The differences between them, however, might be subtle but they are also extraordinarily effective -- the aural equivalent, in fact, of focusing a telescope on a distant planet and then slowly bringing it into focus, so that what was once blurred and indistinct is now readily defined. It's an unforgettable journey. ~ Dave Thompson
CD $17



Reissued on Fire!

ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS [DAVID THOMAS/CHEETAH CHROME/PETER LAUGHNER et al] - The Day The Earth Met The...Rocket From The Tombs: Live From Punk Ground Zero, Cleveland 1975 (Fire 196; UK) "Cleveland's only real legitimate claim to house the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is a band that will never be inducted there. In fact, it is more than 25 years after the group broke up that a legitimate album of their material is now available on Smog Veil. This was Rocket From the Tombs -- the mutant daddy to Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys. Originally, singer David Thomas started the band in May 1974 as a kind of comedy act, though later the group would have a good grasp of theatrics. A gifted guitarist/writer named Peter Laughner showed up at some of these farce-filled gigs, jammed with the band and joined soon after that. Thomas and Laughner would make a new more musical lineup that included Gene O'Connor (AKA Cheetah Chrome) (guitar), David Bell (bass) and Johnny Madansky (AKA Johnny Blitz) (drums). Somehow this disparate crew got opening gigs ranging from Iron Butterfly to Captain Beefheart to Television (who Laughner actually joined briefly). Without Rocket From The Tombs, the world may have never heard 'Thirty Seconds Over Toyko', 'Final Solution' , 'Ain't It Fun', 'Sonic Reducer', and 'Down in Flames' -- all Rocket's originals, and all contained on this release, along with 14 other tracks culled from archival live recordings, some of which have never previously been bootlegged. Comprehensive liner notes and never before seen photos are jam-packed in this complete retrospective that showcases the true inception of the Cleveland underground sound."
CD $18


LOU REED - Live Performances 1972 & 1974 [DVD] (IMV 5901; USA) As the lead singer and songwriter of the Velvet Underground in the 1960s, Lou Reed helped invent punk rock and while writing about femme fatales, black angels and heroin. Having seen him live since the Velvet Underground, his shows are always brilliant. Filmed in 1972 for French television, Lou is joined by frequent bandmates from this era. A true classic." NTSC format, region 0. 5.1 audio. Running time: 45 minutes.
DVD $17


Last copies of..

[JAMES CHANCE] JAMES WHITE & THE FLAMING DEMONICS - Flaming Demonics (ZE 009; EEC) Reissue of this 1983 album, originally issued by Ze. "In the same vein as George Clinton, James becomes James Chance & the Contortions, then James White & the Blacks, and has a third incarnation as James White's Flaming Demonics. In those four years, James recorded his three best albums on ZE records. A considerable number of musicians participated in the adventure. James experimented the most adventurous combinations, Funk rhythmic sections, arty poseurs, rockers, a kaleidoscope of picturesque characters which we will discover later in many bands directly inherited from this experience: Bush Tetras, Raybeats, Defunk, 8 Eye-Spy... Includes deluxe 20 page booklet.
"Overshadowed by the legendary status of J Chance/Contortions 'Buy' and J White/The Blacks 'Off White' albums, it's up to me to tell you that if you're a lover of punk-funk jazz ala Joe Bowie's Defunkt or Luther Thomas' Dizzazz mode, you need to add this to your shelf of greats in this mode! Googol THUMBS UP!" - MannyLunch
CD $16

JAMES CHANCE [JAMES WHITE] & THE CONTORTIONS - Paris 1980 (ZE 010; EEC) Previously unreleased live album, recorded Live aux Bains Douches; Paris May 13, 1980. Re-mastered 2004, Paris. Personnel: James Chance: (lead vocals, alto sax & organ); Ginger Lee: (Vocals on 'I Danced with A Zombie'); Al Mac Dowell: (el. bass for Ornette's Prime Time)); Patrick Geoffrois: (guitar); Richard Harrisson: (drums); Lorenzo Wyche: (trumpet); Fred Wells: (guitar). Available for the first time ever on CD.
CD $16

UNDERCOVER [ZE RECORDS V.A.] - Undercover: Covers By ZE Artists (ZE 013; EEC) All the artists that record for ZE Records have made at least one cover version. It was a natural step forward to bring them together on this compilation. Coati Mundi has adapted 'Tropical Hot Dog Night,' one of the most joyous songs ever written by Don Van Vliet for his band Captain Beefheart. Rueben Blades is present as a Latino guest star. Alan Vega pays a tribute to Gene Vincent with his version of 'Be Bop a Lua.' Cristina revives her French roots and offers us a highly personal, Latin version of 'La Poupee qui fait Non' produced by August Darnell from Michel Polnareff's first success. Casino Music, whose leader Gilles Riberolles parodies the French Lover on the previous track by Cristina offers an excellent cover of 'The Beat Goes On,' written by Salvatore Bono & Cherilyn LaPiere, better known as Sonny & Cher. Their Frenchy compatriots Suicide Romeo have lent their influence to 'Needle in a Camel's Eye' by Brian Eno, in a version that is cleverly close to the original. James White took up the challenge with a version of '(Tropical) Heatwave' by Irving Berlin (with Anya Phillips as the platinum blond) made popular by Marilyn Monroe in the film There's No Business Like Show Business. 'Lili Marlene' by Marlene Dietrich is reviewed and adopted by Kid Creole & the Coconuts, sung in German by Adriana, accompanied on the piano by Stony Browder Jr., August Darnell's brother and co-founders of Dr Buzzard's Original Savannha Band. Aural Exciters, Bob Blank's After Hours Party Band offer their version of 'My Boy Lollipop,' originally created by Jamaican teenager Millie Small, who brought the first No 1 in the British charts (N02 in the USA) to a young producer called Chris Blackwell on his then new label, Island Records. 'My Boy Lollipop' is still today one of the top selling reggae singles in the world. Lizzy Mercier Descloux gives her offbeat version of Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get it On',recorded in Rio de Janeiro during sessions for her One for the Soul album. Sweet Pea Atkinson in a duo with Caroll Hall, supported by Was (Not Was), cover 'Anyone Who Had a Heart' by Burt Bacharach, originally made famous by Dionne Warwick. In 1980 LIO recorded Gillespie and Coots' 'You Go to My Head,' also interpreted famously by Billie Holiday. The newcomers to ZE in 2004 also rose to the challenge with pleasure. Miss OD backed by Gentleman's League pour out a very smooth version of 'Dindi' by Jobim, originally interpreted by Astrud Gilberto and also sung magnificently by Sinatra. Bohemians Vs Cow Boys featuring Miss OD and Shuuko electrify 'Money,' the Tamla Motown classic by Barret Strong. Finally LISI, a daughter of Cuban exiles in Miami rips into (with great class and style) Johnny Mercer and Harold Harlen's American classic 'Come Rain or Come Shine,' made popular by numerous artists including Judy Garland, Sinatra and Billie Holiday. The difficulty in adapting a song lies in the capacity of breaking with its past history in order to take a hold of it, breathe a different life into it, reinvent it, even revolutionize it, injecting new emotion to a song that has already made its mark
CD $16


TAJ MAHAL TRAVELLERS [TAKEHISA KOSUGI et al] - July 15, 1972 (Klimt 327; EEC) "Now available on Klimt on 140 gram black vinyl with original Japanese printed sleeve. After returning from a year-long tour of Europe and Asia, the group returned home to Tokyo for this concert. Originally released on CBS Japan in 1972, the concert remained out of print for decades and has never before been reissued on vinyl! The line up features Takehisa Kosugi on electronic violin, vocals and radio oscillators, Ryo Koike on electronic contrabass, suntool, sheet iron, and harmonica, Yukio Tsuchiya on vibraphone, Michihiro Kimura on electronic guitar & percussion, Seiji Nagai on electronic trumpet, harmonica, castanets, and Tokio Hasegawa on vocals."
LP $24


BOSSA JAZZ [V.A.] - The Birth Of Hard Bossa, Samba Jazz And The Evolution Of Brazilian Fusion 1962-1973 [2 CD set] (Soul Jazz 245; UK) "This new double CD-pack compilation on Soul Jazz Records explores the Brazilian jazz groups and artists at the centre of the bossa nova explosion of the early 1960s, known as 'samba jazz' or 'hard bossa': Groups such as the Sergio Mendes Trio, Tamba Trio, Quarteto Novo, Bossa Tres, Zimbo Trio feature alongside the greatest instrumentalists of the era in Brazil -- Dom Um Romao, Raul de Souza, Baden Powell, Edson Machado, Joao Donato and more. At the end of the 1960s many Brazilian artists left Brazil for the United States leading to an explosion in fusion where Brazilian music met jazz and this album also includes the work of the most succesfull of these artists such as Airto Moreira (who played in Miles Davis's group) and Deodato. The album comes with extensive sleevenotes contextualizing the music in its political and social context within both Brazil and the United States. Double-CD comes with slipcase and booklet."
2 CD set for $22


THE ORIGINAL SOUND OF CUMBIA [V.A.] - The History of Colombian Cumbia & Porro As Told By The Phonograph 1948-79 [2 CD set] (Soundway 32; UK) Soundway set sail for Colombia once again, delving deeper into the South American country's rich musical past. Fifty-five tracks spread over two CDs, The Original Sound Of Cumbia is Soundway's definitive guide to the origins of Colombian cumbia and porro and the result of five years' painstaking research by Will "Quantic" Holland. Disc 1 tells the story of some of the earliest Colombian cumbia recorded, a genre that captured a nation, spreading from its birthplace on the Caribbean coast inland to central Colombia and the capital Bogata. Disc 2 sees the evolution of cumbia. Greats of Colombian music like Alberto Pacheco, Tono Fernandez and Anibal Velasquez brought the genre forward, bringing new influences and instruments to the genre. What had once been considered the music of the underclasses had risen up as the new sound of a nation. After five years of becoming slowly submerged in Colombian musical culture, learning the accordion, setting up a band and a studio, and scouring the country in search of its recorded legacy, Will "Quantic" Holland (Quantic Soul Orchestra & Quantic Y Su Combo Barbaro) has compiled the fruits of his labor into this unique compilation that tells the story of cumbia in the years of the phonograph record's supremacy. Along with good friend and head of Soundway Records, Miles Cleret, Will Holland has condensed hundreds of 78s, 45s and LPs into just over two and a half hours of the finest Colombian cumbia. Includes a 40-page booklet with detailed liner notes and original artist pictures and sleeves.
2 CD set for $24

BLACK TRUTH RHYTHM BAND - Ifetayo (Soundway 33; UK) Soundway return once more to the Caribbean and are proud to present Ifetayo by Black Truth Rhythm Band, originally released in 1976. Led by the charismatic Oluko Imo, Ifetayo was the only release from the Afro-centric Trinidadian band and is re-issued here for the first time on CD and vinyl. Whereas most of their peers were taking inspiration from U.S. funk and soul artists such as James Brown, Black Truth Rhythm Band looked to Africa, fusing rhythms from Africa and the West Indies with elements of jazz, funk, calypso and soul. In 1975, band leader Imo took his musicians into the studio to record the album Ifetayo. Imo played bass, kalimba, conga, flute and percussion as well as lead vocals. The album was released the following year in 1976 and despite being released in the U.S., remained an underground, albeit unique and forward-thinking record that has remained out-of-print for years now. Ifetayo was to be the only release from Black Truth Rhythm Band, but Imo continued his music and love of African rhythms, going onto record with Fela Kuti in 1988 and later on perform with members of Fela's Egypt 80 band. Re-issued here for the first time, the CD edition comes with an exclusive bonus track.
CD $16


RANGARANG [V.A.] - Pre-Revolutionary Iranian Pop [2 CD set] (VampiSoul 138; EEC) It may seem hard to believe now, with the Islamic Republic of Iran swathed in controversial breaches of human rights and dreaded nuclear issues, but a little over 30 years ago it was all glitz and glamour, rock and roll. The shah of Iran promoted modernization to the detriment of Persian culture and most Iranians loathed the stoic king by the end of his reign. Centuries of monarchist rule gave way to a staunch Islamist regime during the populist Iranian Revolution of 1979. The new Iranian government sought to eradicate any remnants of the imperialist monarchy and "having fun" was banned entirely. Music's controversial status within Islam meant that the Persian pop industry was incongruous with Iran's new and heavy-handed rulers. All of Iran's record labels were forcibly shut down, the entire broadcasting industry was Islamicized, and a fearful population burned their records, buried their books and complied, at least on the surface, with the Islamic regime's new (and very boring) rules and regulations. Rangarang is a compilation of forgotten jewels from pre-revolutionary Iran. These songs tell the stories of an artisan community that flourished during the 1960s and 1970s before vanishing into oblivion. The pop stars who stayed in Iran were summoned to the revolutionary court and forced to sign a declaration promising to abandon their careers and never perform again. By the time an exilic music industry had been established in Los Angeles, where many musicians settled after fleeing the chaotic disarray of post-revolutionary war-torn Iran, the beats and melodies of the monarchist era had given way to the synthesizers of the 1980s and Iranian pop music would never be the same again. The range of the tracks included on Rangarang is astonishing, from funky workouts and soulful pop to jazzy grooves and yearning ballads, all wonderfully and imaginatively produced and arranged, giving shape to truly popular music.
2 CD set for $22
also available as 3 LP set for $36


AKIDO - Akido (Kismet 4021; UK) Produced by Faces' Ronnie Lane and taped in London's Marquee Studios, this lost Afro-funk classic was originally released in North America only in August 1972, and makes its CD debut here. Consisting of Ghanaian percussionist Speedy Acquaye (who also worked with The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart and many others), Nigerian bassist Biddy Wright (a member of the legendary Blo), Jamaican conga drummer Jeff Whittaker and London-based guitarist Peter Andrews, the quartet delivers a hard-hitting, irresistibly funky blend of rock and funk that's sure to appeal to beat-diggers everywhere.
CD $17

KALI BAHLU - Takes The Forest Children On A Journey Of Cosmic Remembrance (Kismet 4022; UK) Widely regarded as one of the furthest-out albums of the 1960s, this quintessential hippie artifact finds the enigmatic Miss Bahlu addressing herself to "leprechauns, dwarves, witches, warlocks, gremlins, gnomes and trolls" to the accompaniment of sitar, tabla, flute, electronics and more. Its four long tracks add up to what the original sleeve describes as "true revelations of cosmic consciousness," and it makes its CD debut here
CD $17

OKKO BEKKER - Sitar & Electronics (Kismet 4023; UK) Dutch sitar wizard Okko Bekker first appeared on the Hamburg scene in the late 1960s. Having studied music, he released this classic debut in 1971. Here, he tackles two Beatles classics, as well as six original compositions, with backing from synthesizers, electric guitar, flute, tabla and his own masterful sitar playing. The heady result is rightly regarded as a classic of the genre, and makes its long-awaited return to CD here.
CD $17

RABBIT McKAY - Bug Cloth (Kismet 4024; UK) This unconventional singer-songwriter came from Somis, California. His first album takes in blues, garage-rock and gentle psychedelic folk, with backing from guitar, keyboards, flute, drums and more. Originally released in June 1968, it's a neglected gem that makes its long-overdue CD debut here. Vintage press release included.
CD $17


BODDIE RECORDING COMPANY [V.A.] - Cleveland, Ohio [3 CD set] (Numero 35; USA) "From 1958 to 1993, Thomas and Louise Boddie's industrious Boddie Recording Company issued nearly 300 albums and 45s, recorded 10,000 hours of tape, and remained in operation longer than any other studio, pressing plant, or label group in the history of Cleveland. Long forgotten even by the standards of the chronically overlooked northeastern Ohio music scene, Boddie was a fusion of its owner's engineering genius and his limited economic means; its DIY recording studio housed in a humble barn, churned night and day to capture the sounds emanating from Cleveland's east side neighborhoods. The 57 tracks on these three CDs represent the best of the Boddies' in-house Soul Kitchen, Luau, and Bounty labels, which released an unspoiled treasure trove of kitchen-sink eccentric soul, fuzzbox funk, shoestring doo-wop, and haunted, eerily hook-laden spirituals. Enclosed inside is a mountain of office-styled ephemera: two massive booklets brimming with detail on the Boddies and their artists; extensive notes and scores of unpublished photos; a complete detailed discography folio; reproduced fliers; and a Boddie greeting card--all rendered with the handcrafted charm that was the Boddie hallmark. Call it a self-contained record industry crammed into one box."
3 CD set for $40

ECCENTRIC SOUL [V.A.] - The Nickel & Penny Labels (Numero 39; USA) Nickel and Penny are twin sides of the same eccentric coin, and that coin was Chicago's #1 Dusties DJ Richard Pegue. He was the writer, arranger and producer of some of the most beautiful Chicago soul records in the '60s and '70s; too bad they all went out of print weeks after being released. On order here are rare sides by Jerry Townes, the Voices, the Norvells, Little Ben and & the Cheers, South Shore Commission, Joyce Williams, the Halleluiah Chorus, Brothers & Sisters and more. These twenty-four tracks tell Pegue's epic tale, from dedicated music producer, to DJ making corny radio jingles that usurped the tens of thousands of air-time hours the song included here so richly deserved.
CD $18


CHOCOLATE WATCH BAND - Melts In Your Brain Not On Your Wrist.. The Complete Recordings: No Way Out/Inner Mystique/One Step Beyond ..Plus! [2 CD set] (Big Beat 249; UK) Unlike all previous reissues, this powerful set gathers together every note recorded and released under the name Chocolate Watchband during the 1960s.
Disc one is devoted solely to material performed by the classic mod 60s line-up of the band featuring charismatic lead singer Dave Aguilar, on such acknowledged punk classics as 'Sweet Young Thing', 'Misty Lane' and 'Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love In)'. It features an exciting bonus in the form of new vocals Aguilar has recently added to three original tracks, including the Watchband's best-known cut 'Let's Talk About Girls', thereby reclaiming the song upon which producer Cobb had originally substituted the voice of a session singer.
Disc two presents the alternate Chocolate Watchband, with two 1965 demos by the group's original incarnation, the complete post-Aguilar album 'One Step Beyond', and the full complement of overdubbed and pseudonymous recordings released on the band's earlier albums No Way Out and The Inner Mystique. Furthermore, extensive research into the vaults has revealed the source of this material, and thrown a couple of alternate versions that are also included. Big Beat. 2005. 'Melts In Your Brain, Not On Your Wrist' also features the most exhaustive liner note research ever afforded a reissue package on the Watchband, with the participation of all surviving members of every line-up, as well as comments from producer Cobb and manager Ray Harris. Additionally, the group have opened their personal files and the result is a stunning array of photos and memorabilia , most of which have not been used before. With a revitalised version of the band, featuring original members including David Aguilar, arriving in the UK to promote the package at the end of March, the release of this CD is a major event for all 60s garage fans.
"This double-CD set of Chocolate Watchband material is so overpowering that it's difficult to know where to begin. A group that never charted a single (forget an album) across four tumultuous years is suddenly given the box-set treatment in miniature, a double-disc package containing not only every track ever recorded and released by the actual Chocolate Watchband, but also every track ever attributed to them, and also three cuts featuring original Watchband lead singer David Aguilar providing new lead vocals to replace singing that was wiped (or not recorded) at the time. And just to show how screwed-up their history was, the non-Watchband material runs 20 minutes longer than the stuff they actually recorded. (Their one-time manager, Ed Cobb, who seldom seemed to have much good to say about the actual Watchband, is probably watching in total astonishment from whatever celestial plain he alighted upon in death.) And what makes it all even better is that not only is all of this material organized properly for the first time, the real Watchband stuff filling up disc one, but it all sounds incredible -- for the first time, even amid reissues by Rhino and Sundazed, here is a collection of songs that don't sound at least half a generation "off" in quality and source material. Disc two contains everything ever attributed to the group, including the contents of the entire third album, One Step Beyond (which was done by a substitute version of the band). The collection also, at last, identifies the sources of two sets of fake Watchband tracks as the rival West Coast bands the Yo-Yoz and the Inmates, both of which had been involved with Cobb. And even that material is in its best condition ever, and not bad for it, either -- it might not have been the Watchband, but most of this was better than decent music. The only two cuts here that were a mystery going in were the versions of "Medication" and "'Til the End of the Day" on which David Aguilar put on new vocals in 2005 -- and he pulls it off successfully. The 35-year gap is bridged without too much trouble, and if he sounds older, he still sings well. Basically, this set reduces in importance the prior reissues from Sundazed and other labels, and the accompanying annotation provides the most detailed history of the band ever assembled. In essence, it's worth every cent being asked for it, and then some, for fans of garage punk and '60s garage bands, as well as psychedelic enthusiasts." ~ Bruce Eder
2 CD set for $22


GAS-S-S-S [V.A. With COUNTRY JOE & THE FISH/JOY OF COOKING et al] - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [sndtck] (Reel Time 1005; UK) Directed by the legendary Roger Corman, Gas-s-s-s was a light-hearted B-movie about the accidental release of a gas deadly to anyone over the age of twenty-five. This long-lost soundtrack, which originally appeared in November 1970, is sure to be of interest to fans of vintage San Francisco rock, as it was overseen by Barry 'The Fish' Melton and features rare performances by both Country Joe & The Fish (as Johnny & The Tornados) and Joy Of Cooking (as The Gourmet's Delight). Rounding it off are a number of intriguing songs penned by Melton and Country Joe McDonald, and performed by the movie's star, Robert Corff, a former actor in Hair.
CD $17


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