Another Wonderful Deluge of Awesome Discs from:


Vijay Iyer Trio! Bob Musso's Axiomatic! Trzaska/Swell/Holmlander/Daisy! Lee Konitz & Frank Wunsch! Gunter Baby Sommer New Trio! Theo Bleckmann - Kate Bush! Will McEvoy's Mutasm! No Neck Blues Band LTD LP!

Aksak Maboul with Fred Frith & Chris Cutler! Sussan Deyhim & Bill Laswell! Faruq Z. Bey & Northwoods Improvisers! Charlie Mariano & Quique Sinesi! Michel Godard/Franck Tortiller/Patrice Heral!

Ben Wendel! Gianluca Petrella's Cosmic Band! Islak Kopek! Merzbow! Ghedalia Tazartes! Yardbirds Rarities & Live 5CD Box! Eraldo Bernocchi's Owl! Morton Feldman! Wolfgang Rihm! Suzanne Ciani!

Loads of Vinyl from Miles Davis! Van Der Graaf Generator! Captain Beefheart! Henry Cow! Soft Machine! Faust! Funkadelic!

Last Copies of hard-to-get CDs on Jazzwerkstatt!

And a treasure trove of early Experimental/Futurist/Dadaist CDs from LTM-Salon!




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


This Sunday, March 4th - Double-Header:
6pm: NATURA MORTA Featuring: FRANTZ LORIOT - Prepared Viola/SEAN ALI - Prepared Bass /CARLO COSTA - Drums & Percussion!
7pm: SARAH BERNSTEIN - Violin & ELIE SORBSEL - Voice!


Sunday March 11th Double-Header:
6pm: JEREMIAH CYMERMAN -Solo Clarinet & Devices!
7pm: SYLVAIN LEROUX - French Flutist & CECILE BROCHE - Belgian Violist!


Sunday, March 18th Double-Header:
6pm: PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER Ensemble!
7pm: OMAR TAMEZ - Mexican Guitarist Tribute to Derek Bailey!

Sunday, March 25th at 6pm:
ROSS HAMMOND/VINNY GOLIA/ADAM LANE!
Great West Coast/East Coast Guitar/Reeds/Bass Trio!


Sunday, April 1st at Double-Header:
6pm: April Fool's Day Mystery Set!
7pm: HAN-EARL PARK - Solo Electric Guitar from the UK!


Sunday, April 8th at 6pm:
GL DIANA - Laptop/BEN GERSTEIN - Trombone/MIKE PRIDE - Drums!


Sunday, April 15th at 6pm:
LATHAN-FLIN-ALI Featuring: LATHAN HARDY - Alto Sax/SEAN ALI - Contrabass/FLIN VAN HEMMEN - Drums!


Sunday April 22nd at 6pm:
THE MUJO 4-TET featuring:
MICHAEL ATTIAS - Saxes/J.G.B. - Clarinet/PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER - Contrabass/CARLO COSTA - Drums!


Sunday April 29th at 6pm:
BIRDS IN THE MEADOW Featuring DARIUS JONES - Alto Sax & MARTY McCAVITT - Electronics!


Sunday, May 6th at 6pm:
The Return of BONNIE KANE on Sax & CHRIS WELCOME on Guitar!


Sunday, May 13th Double-Header:
6pm: SARAH BUECHI - Vocalist & CHRISTOPH KNOCHE - Bass Clarinet & Harmonica!
7pm: DANIEL LEVIN - Solo & Duo Cello(s)!


Sunday, May 20th - No In-Store During the Victo Festival!


Sunday, May 27th at 6pm:
JESSE DULMAN & JASON CANDLER - Great Tuba & Alto Sax Duo!


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INTAKT FESTIVAL AT THE STONE - March 1st - 15th!

The Swiss-based Intakt label has long been one of the most adventurous New Music labels in Europe, documenting a potent scene of Swiss, other European, Asian, African and American musicians. Intakt is a non profit association formed in 1986 by Patrik Landolt and Rosmarie A. Meier to serve the needs of a community of creative jazz artists in Zurich, Berlin, London, etc, committed to exploring the edge of improvisation, composition and innovation.


MARCH 1-15

INTAKT CURATED BY PATRIK LANDOLT

Here is the schedule for the first week:

3/2 Friday
8 pm - Elliott Sharp (guitar) Melvin Gibbs (bass) & Lucas Niggli (drums)
10 pm - Fred Frith (guitar) & Co Streiff (saxophones)


3/3 Saturday
8 pm - Sylvie Courvoisier & Julian Sartorius
10 pm - Co Streiff, Russ Johnson Quartet - Co Streiff (saxophones) Russ Johnson (trumpet) Christian Weber (bass) Julian Sartorius (drums)


3/4 Sunday
8 pm - OBJETS TROUVEE - Gabriela Friedli (piano) Co Streiff (saxes) Jan Schlegel (e-bass) Dieter Ulrich (drums)
10 pm - Ellery Eskelin (sax), Christian Weber (bass) & Michael GrienAir (drums)


3/6 Tuesday
8 pm - Oliver Lake (alto sax), Christian Weber (bass) & Dieter Ulrich (drums)
10 pm - Tim Berne (sax) Lucas Niggli (drums) Angelica Sanchez (piano)


3/7 Wednesday
8 and 10 pm - INGRID LAUBROCK ORCHESTRA
Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone, composition) Mary Halvorson (guitar) Shane Endsley (trumpet) Kris Davis (piano) Ted Reichman (accordion) Chris Hoffman (cello) Drew Gress (bass) Tom Rainey (drums)


3/8 Thursday
8 pm - Gabriela Friedli (piano) Tony Malaby (sax) Michael GrienAir (drums)
10 pm - Mark Feldman and Pierre Favre Duo
Mark Feldman (violin) Pierre Favre (drums, percussion)


3/9 Friday
8 pm - Jurg Wickihalder European Quartet featuring Irene Schweizer
Jurg Wickihalder (saxes) Ir�ne Schweizer (piano) Fabian Gisler (bass) Michael GrienAir (percussion)
10 pm - Dieter Ulrich (drums), Jan Schlegel (bass) & Ray Anderson (trombone)

3/10 Saturday
8 pm - Irene Schweizer (piano) & Pierre Favre (drums)
10 pm - TOM RAINEY TRIO featuring: Tom Rainey (drums), Mary Halvorson (guitar) and Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone)


3/11 Sunday
8 pm - Oliver Lake (alto sax) & Andrew Cyrille (drums)
10 pm - Irene Schweizer (piano) Andrew Cyrille (drums)


THE STONE
..is located at the North-West Corner of Avenue C & East 2nd Street
Admission for each set is $10, unless otherwise indicated.
There are no advance tickets, first come, first served, Cash at the door.
There is no phone. There is no food or beverage served or allowed, just a serious listening environment.


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INNER EAR [MIKOLAJ TRZASKA/STEVE SWELL/PER AKE HOLMLANDER/TIM DAISY] - Breathing Steam (Kilogram 21; EEC) Featuring Mikolaj Trzaska on alto sax, bass clarinet & taragato, Steve Swell on trombone, Per-Ake Holmlander on tuba and Tim Daisy on drums. Over the past few years Polish reedsman Mikolaj Trzaska has recorded more than two dozen discs with a diverse cast of players: Joe McPhee, Ken Vandrmark, Johannes Bauer, Peter Brotzmann and the Oles brothers, Marcin & Bartlomiej. Inner Ear is a new quartet project which includes three other busy musicians all of whom have worked with Mr. Vandermark in different projects.
All members of the quartet were involved in the direction and /or vibe of each piece. Commencing with "Lonely Consumer", Inner Ear sound like a powerful yet focused Brotzmann-like unit. Mikolaj bends each phrase on his tenor, making each note count and distinct. Swedish tuba wiz, Per-Ake Holmlander switches between playing bass lines, soloing or interacting with all the members of the quartet on a variety of levels. The quartet deal with a dizzying array of dynamics from quieter Euro-style improv to some over-the top eruptions in different combinations. This entire disc is continuous and evolving organically sounding as if a story or series of stories were unfolding one after the other. From ultra-subtle to extremely intense, this is one of most successful improv dates I've heard recently. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
[limited time price; normally $18]
CD $16



VIJAY IYER TRIO With STEPHAN CRUMP/MARCUS GILMORE - Accelerando (Act 9524; EEC) Featuring Vijay Iyer on piano, Stephan Crump on bass and Marque Gilmore on drums. This is another sterling trio effort from the ever-wonderful Vijay Iyer and his mighty trio. The program includes half original by Mr. Iyer as well as half dozen covers by Henry Threadgill, Duke Ellington, Herbie Nichols, Rodney Temperton , Flying Lotus and Michael Jackson. Vijay Iyer has continually grown in popularity and respect as his decade long career has evolved. Mr. Iyer is a restless explorer who is involved in a variety of projects from solo to duo (with Rudresh Mahanthappa), different trios and quartets. Iyer always shines in the piano trio format as he does here. The first piece, "Bode" sounds like an intro which builds beautifully throughout leading the way to the next piece called "Optimism". The lyric quality of the melody is magical and the song ascends superbly. My. Iyer seems to enjoy surprising us by playing the occasional pop song on many of his trio or quartet discs. Although I think that Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" has already been covered too much (by Miles Davis?!), the version here is quite lovely and is turned inside out by the end. I can better appreciate Vijay covering an old song by Herbie Nichols, a contemporary of Thelonius Monk and an under-recognized composer. I dig the way Mr. Iyer lets the bassist lead by playing the central theme while the piano and drums swirl around deconstructing the song. I have heard of Flying Lotus whose song "Mmmhmm" the trio plays with elegance and invention increasing the tempo as it evolves to keep the heart racing forward. I dig what the trio does with Threadgill's quirky "Little Pocket Size Demons", blending the sort of funky theme with unexpected twists and turns. Each of the eleven songs seem to explore a different approach balancing the different ways the trio works their way through assorted challenges. "Action Speaks" is an intense piece which keeps erupting through different sections providing a few layers of exciting results. 'Accererando' ends with a rather obscure song by Duke Ellington called "The Village of the Virgins" which has a gospelish melody worth savoring and makes a righteous conclusion to this fine disc. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $15



ROBERT MUSSO'S AXIOMATIC With DAVE DREIWITZ/CLAUDE COLEMAN + BILL LASWELL - Axiomatic (MuWorks 75; USA) Axiomatic is at once a continuation and a departure for Robert Musso. Continuity in the sense of clean, swiftly executed lines and phrases, in a love of improvisation combined with an organizational clarity. These are hallmarks of Musso's recorded works, from leading/co-founding the legendary Machine Gun with Thomas Chapin in the '80s; to multiple releases under the name Transonic pioneering a genre that would become known as Trip-Hop; to amazing jazz/rock hybrid recordings such as the phenomenal Innermedium album [DIW] with Dave Liebman and Byard Lancaster.
What is new with Axiomatic is context. Musso had several compositional ideas mapped out, and, choosing players he'd worked with closely before - Dave Dreiwitz and Claude Coleman, also known as the rhythm section from Ween - went beyond handing out charts or instigating the usual jam. "I let the musicians absorb the music by playing it for them, then playing it with them, then recording additional takes," Musso says. "It's a compositional technique I picked up from working with Ornette Coleman, Bill Laswell, Wayne Shorter, and also from being in the studio with Miles Davis." May we add Teo Macero?
Axiomatic's first cut, Rubicon Crossing, is a march, or shall we say a row, along a higher road or river to the grand goal each individual strives for. Next comes For The Sky To Clear, a jazzy waltz-time nugget, with the translucent light of guest Bill Laswell's Tesla-doctored bass pushing an agate glow through harmonic clouds. Nightside follows, a pump and thump through shifting vistas. Then, a blues wail call to the void, is Whispering Wall. Abyssos: Burning Mirror gives us tilted spirals into the near and yet distant blurred zones of the musical psyche. Finally, Ending Among The Angelic is an ode to Musso's friend, mentor, and influence, the late Sonny Sharrock.
CD $11



New and Recent on Jazzwerkstatt!

LEE KONITZ With FRANK WUNSCH - Insight: Solos And Duets (Jazzwerkstatt 116; Germany) The saxophonist appears on these dates, recorded between 1989-94, alone and with German pianist Frank Wunsch. Konitz completists will remember his 1990 Nabel recording S'Nice with Munsch's trio, a graceful if not all that interesting aside. Here, however, we find Konitz returning - during three of the eight tracks found on the new Jazzwerkstatt recording Insight - to the solo format that propelled him past an early-career generalization as this too-cool, too-abstract ignorer of be-bop's passions on the brilliant 1974 recording Lone-Lee. Elsewhere, Konitz appears alongside only Wunsch, avoiding the metronomic rhythmic mishaps that marred S'Nice.
But don't look for the percussive, almost free vibe found on that '74 recording's standout tracks "Cherokee" and "The Song Is You." Instead, Konitz travels back to lyrical, chamber-influenced style for which he made his name while with Lennie Tristano in the late 1940s. Lucky for us, Konitz's fluency, his ability to sound as once so delicate and yet so affable, remain as no small wonders.
The duo moments, of course, don't disappoint either. Dating back to Konitz's standout 1967 project The Lee Konitz Duets, with Joe Henderson, Jim Hall, Eddie Gomez, Elvin Jones and others - not to mention 1974's dark and instinctive I Concentrate on You, with Red Mitchell; and 1982's intimately explorative Toot Sweet, with Michel Petrucciani - he's often seemed more comfortable than any other in this conversational format. Here, as on the Mitchell recording, there is an itchy harmonic tension - but also a few moments of twinkling humor. - Nick Deriso, AAJ
CD $20

GUNTER 'BABY' SOMMER NEW TRIO With FLOROS FLORIDES/AKIRA ANDO - Melting Game (Jazzwerkstatt 101; Germany) Gunter Baby Sommer (drums, percussion): Floros Floridis (alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet); Akira Ando (double bass)
CD $20

JOHANNES ENDERS TRIO - Mondvogel (Jazzwerkstatt 117; Germany) Johannes Enders (tenor saxophone); Ed Howard (bass); Sebastian Merk (drums)
CD $20

ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH/MANFRED SCHOOF - Blue Hawk (Jazzwerkstatt 119; Germany) Alexander von Schlippenbach (piano); Manfred Schoof (trumpet, flugelhorn). Now elder statesmen of German jazz, these two distinguished players premiered as total firebrands in the free jazz scene of the sixties. Playing together in Schoof's Orchestra and in Von Schlippenbach's Globe Unity Orchestra, they were seminal influences on European free jazz. Although they have mellowed somewhat, their intuitive experience is clear on this new duo album. Interviewed in the liner notes Schoof is asked how does he approach a recording, and what makes a record successful? The answer: You listen to it and think they re either good or they aren't. That's how you decide whether to release them. As simple as that. Blue Hawk has most definitely been released!
CD $20

[see further below for last copies of older JW catalog!]



WILL McEVOY'S MUTASM With BRAD HENKEL/PATRICK BREINER/DUSTIN CARLSON/CODY BROWN - Labor Of Labor (Sulde; USA) Personnel: Brad Henkel on trumpet, Nathaniel Morgan on alto sax, Patrick Breiner on tenor sax, Dustin Carlson on guitar, Will McEvoy on bass & compositions and Cody Brown on drums. There is an ever-evolving Brooklyn underground scene that has continued to thrive even though CDs are selling in smaller numbers and most clubs in Manhattan cater to less experimental, more conservative music. Plus there are dozens of places to play in Brooklyn where many of these musicians live. You have probably noticed that many of the musicians playing here at DMG every Sunday (as well as at The Stone) are not very well known as of yet. What amazes me is how much under-recognized talent there is out there.
Four (Henkel, Breiner, Carlson & McEvoy) of the six members of this sextet have played here on occasion in different combinations. Mr. McEvoy says he played here on a half dozen occasions, he has a better memory than me. I do remember him playing great bass with Tomchess. Turns out that his composing is strong as well as each of the six pieces shows. "Murderscreed" is up front, intense, tight and mostly throttling. The powerhouse rhythm team is pumping hard as Breiner takes a great blasting tenor solo. The other sax, trumpet & guitar soon play loud, harmonized drones underneath like a series of foghorns up close. McEvoy writes in episodic sections so the the three horns come together to play a series of intricate parts before one horn or the guitar erupts over the top once more. Most exciting! The tight interplay between the guitar, bass and drums is often astonishing as they move through different sections. The written out horn parts remind me of Mingus or even Mario Pavone in the way they constantly shift tempos and dynamics. For "Artifacts", things are slowed down and more spare. A simmering trio of sax, bowed bass and careful mallet-work creates a mysterious mood while the two other horns soon enter like ghosts hovering in a cemetery. Later all the horns come together to play a solemn prayer-like melody before the song fades away. "Eventide" features mostly just the three horns with some bowed bass & guitar. Somber, hushed and somewhat hypnotic. "Boneyard" begins with a tight blast of horns before it calms down and soon erupts once again. The guitar/bass/drums rhythm team keeps things centered while the horns spin around one another in tight orbits. On each piece, Will and his crew explore a different approach to dynamics and diverse composing methods. This is a most mature offering from mainly younger musicians who have learned their lessons quickly. A solid effort on all fronts. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $13



Just In! From the limited-edition Entropy label!

FARUQ Z BEY & NORTHWOODS IMPROVISERS With MIKE CAREY/SKEETER SHELTON et al - Primal Waters [Ltd Ed of 100] (Entropy/Sagittarius 19; USA) [ltd ed CD-R] [ltd ed CD-R] Featuring Faruq Z. Bey on tenor & alto saxes, Mike carey on flute, clarinet, alto sax & kalimba, Skeeter CR Shelton on tenor, soprano & alto sax & flute, Mike Gilmore vibes & kalimba, Mike Johnston on bass and Nick Ashton on drums. The legendary ancient medicine-men of Detroit are back once again with cosmic jazz to soothe and mesmerize us all. Having witnessed this amazing sextet last year at the old Issue Project Room, I know that they are the real thing.
This disc was recorded live in the studio in August of 2011. Each of the six pieces were written by Mr. Bey, vibist Mr. Gilmore or their bassist Mr. Johnston. The sextet always draw from the history of modern jazz and often write complex harmonies for all three reeds. After an infectious opening groove, the group moves into a more dreamy, spacious vibe with restrained bass clarinet and vibes interplay, everyone slowly drifting around one another. The title track starts with a laid back marching beat, the reeds trio (sax, bass clarinet & flute) play sly, elegant solos around one another with a supportive cushion played by the vibes. I recall one of my friends saying that the other night he checked out this unit when I wasn't there, that he thought they were boring. I felt that the first set I caught, they took their time to build into a more inspired, more intense offering. They didn't really hit their stride until the second set. I still dug the first set since it forced us to deal with things on a more subtle level. Vibesman Mike Gilmore is often the central figure here, holding things together and constantly providing support and a number of special, soft yet still spirited solos. So you best relax my friends, you will be rewarded for the gems are gently hidden from obvious view.
CD $12

DENNIS GONZALEZ & FARUQ Z BEY With NORTHWOODS IMPROVISERS - Hymn For Tomasz Stanko [Ltd 2nd Ed] (QBICO/Entropy; USA) 2nd pressing of 100 "Recorded 11/04/04 and 3/13/05 by Mike Johnston & Dennis Gonzales. Dennis Gonzalez (rumpet, percussion); Faruq Z. Bey (tenor, alto sax, gon); Mike Carey (tenor sax, bass clarinet); Skeeter C.R. Shelton (tenor, soprano sax); Mike Gilmore (vibes, marimba, saz, tamboura); Mike Johnston (bass, percussion); Nick Ashton (drums, percussion). 3rd vinyl release on Qbico by this great ensemble. Here, as a 7et with special guest trumpeter Dennis Gonzalez, they play homage to one of the most underrated trumpet players ever! Back to the roots..."
CD $12

and, last copies of

FARUQ Z BEY WITH NORTHWOODS IMPROVISERS - Infa'a [Ltd Ed of 100] (QBICO/Entropy; USA) [ltd ed CD-R] Cover by Mark Rudolph. Faruq Z. Bey - tenor & alto sax; Mike Carey - tenor, alto sax, flute, kalimba; Skeeter Shelton - tenor, soprano sax; Mike Gilmore - vibes: Mike Johnston - bass; Nick Ashton - drums. Live studio rec. from August 2006. 'Mystic jazz.'"
CD $12

FARUQ Z BEY & NORTHWOODS IMPROVISERS - Rwanda [Ltd Ed of 100] (QBICO/Entropy; USA) [ltd ed CD-R] Faruq Z. Bey: tenor & alto sax, flute, zola phone; Mike Carey: flute, bass clarinet; Skeeter Shelton: tenor sax; Mike Gilmore: vibes, marimba, bone guitar; Mike Johnston: bass, shenhai, percussion; Nick Ashton: drums. Live studio rec. from June 2005. "Musician, composer and poet Faruq Z. Bey is a kind of legendary figure in the Detroit free music scene. Back in 1972 he founded Griot Galaxy (two LP, one CD and one track on Phil Ranelin's Vibes From The Tribe historic LP), but his career as a professional musician started in the late '60s. Since then he has performed with such greats as Abdullah Ibrahim, Leroy Jenkins, Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Roy Brooks, Archie Shepp, ect... On Rwanda, he rec. with the Northwoods Improvisers some extended Africanesque, Afro-jazz grooves...Sun Ra, Egypt..."
CD $12


ISLAK KOPEK [ROBERT REIGLE/SEVKET AKINCI et al] - Islak Kopek (AK Muzik 802; Netherlands) Robert Reigle on tenor sax, Sevket Akinci & Dirk Stromberg on electric guitars, Korhan Erel on computer, melodica & cracklebox, Volkan Terzioglu on tenor sax, bass & regular clarinets and Volkan Ergen on percussion. Islak Kopek is a Islak Kopek are a Turkish ensemble who claim to be influenced by AMM, MEV, John Cage and Peter Brotzmann. This version of the sextet has gathered together musicians most of whom are also Turkish except for saxist Robert Reigle. Mr. Reigle is the only musician here I was previously familiar since he has a series of discs out on the Acoustic Levitation label, which was/is run by my friend Steve Koenig. Reigle has also collaborated with the Romanian experimental composer Iancu Dumitrescu. The music itself is carefully organized and well-played, somewhere in between modern classical, electronic and improvised streams. The water dripping from the faucet in my kitchen fits perfectly and I had to look to see if this was a part of the recording or not. The subtle shift in instrumentation and dynamics keeps this music fresh and often fascinating. No instrument is played normally, the two reeds deal with high end squeaks and squeals, plus it is hard to tell the difference between the computer and the percussion at times. The percussion sounds as if the cymbals or gongs were being bowed or rubbed with sticks, as well as the guitars being rubbed or at least played in unorthodox ways. As the drones get louder, the tension increases. Sometimes this music is turbulent or disturbing, but always well crafted. Their music does remind me of AMM, especially when Keith Rowe was a member. Good to hear some serious (or focused) music exploration coming out of Turkey. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
[limited time price; normally $20]
CD $14

MARK LOTZ & ISLAK KOPEK [ROBERT REIGLE/SEVKET AKINCI et al] - Istanbul Improv Sessions May 4th 2010 (Evil Rabbit 16 SBT; Netherlands) Personnel: Mark Alban Lotz on flutes & piccolo, Sevket Akinci on guitar, Kevin W. Davis on cello, Korhan Erel on laptop, Robert Reigle & Volkan Terzioglu on tenor saxes. This is the second of two discs left with us by Turkish guitarist Sevket Akinci and both feature members of Turkish improv ensemble Islak Kopek with slightly differing personnel. This version consists of three reeds (flutes & two tenors), guitar, cello and laptop. Each of the fifteen pieces features an assortment of trios, duos and the sextet. Although I was only familiar with the LA-based saxist Robert Reigle before this disc, everyone plays well and listens closely. The interaction is extremely solid, spirited and filled with surprises twists and turns. The lack of a percussionist helps us to hear the nuance of sounds that everyone is making. It is hard to figure out who is doing what at times as they stretch their sounds out in different ways with attention given to textural and timbral dynamics. Unlike the other CD reviewed today by Islak Kopek, the music is often less turbulent and easier to concentrate on, especially the duos and trios. One of the highlights of this disc is the liner notes by Kevin Whitehead, always one of the best and most articulate music journalists around. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
[limited time price; normally $18]
CD $14


MERZBOW [MASAMI AKITA] + BALAZS PANDI - Ducks: Live In NYC (Space Jazz Vol 1) (Ohm Resistance 23; USA) Merzbow (Masami Akita) is the Japanese legend and progenitor of Noise music. For three decades his view of making music has created a new and different sound entirely unlike any other in the history of musical composition. Balazs Pandi is one of Hungary's hottest commodities, welding the tools of grindcore to a free, improvised style that has kept him consistently in demand. Teaming up together, the percussive attack of Pandi has provided a variance and dynamic that has brought an entirely new dimension to the Merzbow live performance. This show in New York captures a truly inspired and vibrant concert - termed independently by both Masami Akita and mixing engineer Submerged as 'SPACE JAZZ'.
The show breaks down into an opening duet, Merzbow solo, another duet, Balazs solo, and a 22 minute soul searing ending demolishing duo performance. There is not much to say in any language about the music of Merzbow - it must be heard to be believed, as it cannot be explained in words. This performance is the highlight of the recent duo performances of Akita and Pandi; we at Ohm Resistance are honored to present it.
CD $14


OWLS [TONY WAKEFORD/ERALDO BERNOCCHI/LORENZO ESPOSITO FORNASARI] - The Night Stays (RareNoise 16; UK) Tony Wakeford, Eraldo Bernocchi and Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari. The album in essence is an experimental dark rock album, featuring the eerie goth-esque vocals of Tony Wakeford, an English folk and neoclassical musician who primarily records under the name Sol Invictus and who is credited as being at the forefront of the neofolk scene. Eraldo Bernocchi is a renowned Italian multi instrumentalist/producer, who has played guitar and created the electronic soundscapes that underline Wakeford's vocals. Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari also provides vocals and manipulation of the electronic textures that resonate throughout the album. This atmospheric album is thought provoking, the songs are complicated in their structure and is best listened to in a darkened room, late at night with a bourbon in hand!
CD $17


THEO BLECKMANN With SKULI SVERISSON/JOHN HOLLENBECK et al - Hello Earth!: The Music Of Kate Bush (W&W 183; Germany) Theo Bleckmann on vocals, Henry Hey on keyboards, Caleb Burhans on strings & guitar, Skuli Sverrisson on electric bass and John Hollenbeck on drums. As a long time fan of Kate Bush and Theo Bleckmann I am eager to hear this disc. Every time I've caught Mr. Bleckmann live, something magical happens. Theo has an enchanting voice and knows how to use it in a myriad of ways. A couple of months ago, I caught Theo backed by members of Kneebody at The Stone and was knocked out once more. They performed some songs written by Charles Ives and even covered Robert Wyatt's classic "Sea Song". Can't wait to hear this no doubt new gem. - BLG
CD $17


MICHEL GODARD/FRANCK TORTILLER/PATRICE HERAL - Ivresses (Enja/Yellowbird 7718; Germany) Featuring Michel Godard on serpent, tuba & bass, Franck Tortiller on vibes & marimba and Patrice Heral on percussion, electronics & voice. The title of this disc "Ivresses" is French for intoxication and refers to the way wine and music share a common purpose in the way that they alter our collective states of being. The trio spent a week in a wine region in the heart of France, tasting wines and rehearsing their music. We know all three members of this trio from different collaborations: Godard from his work with Rabih Abou-Khalil, Louis Sclavis & Sylvie Courvoisier, Tortiller from the Orchestra National De jazz and Heral from Christy Doran, Max Nagl & Arild Andersen. Michel Godard often plays the serpent which is a bass wind instrument, descended from the cornet and a distant ancestor of the tuba, with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument but side holes like a woodwind. It is usually a long cone bent into a snakelike shape, hence the name.
All three members of the trio contributed pieces as well as a couple of select covers by Monteverdi and a traditional French song. Monteverdi's "Si Dolce E'l Tormento" opens with a somber, elegant intro. Patrice's soft wordless vocals are used subtly and add a certain delicate charm. Each member switches off on playing the lead instrument on each piece and do a strong job throughout. Tortiller plays great vibes on "Autres Volutes" while Godard plays swell tuba on "the title track. This is a most diverse and spirited trio, always listening and working together as a solid trio. I can't recall hearing Mr. Godard play bass before this but it turns out he is an excellent electric bassist. What makes this disc special is that it is filled with enchanting melodies and constantly inspired playing. It is always adventurous without ever going too far out. Joyous and well-balanced. So sip some fine French wine and sample this righteous great disc. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $16


CHARLIE MARIANO/QUIQUE SINESI - Tango Para Charlie (Enja 9128; Germany) Featuring Charlie Mariano on alto sax & flute and Quique Sinesi on 7-string Spanish guitar, charango & piccolo guitar. When legendary alto saxist died in June of 2009, the world lost one of the most distinctive and diverse musicians to grace our planet in the 20th century. Mariano's long career started with playing bebop and playing with Stan Kenton in the fifties to Elvin Jones & Charles Mingus in the sixties to moving to Germany in the early seventies and playing with a variety of musical pioneers like Embryo, United Jazz+Rock Ensemble, Eberhard Weber and Pork Pie. Just about every album he played on had different personnel, he was a restless explorer and an excellent player of different reeds like the nagaswarm (Indian shenai-like double reed). I have long collected his couple dozen discs since they are always interesting.
For this disc, Mr. Mariano collaborates with Argentinean guitarist Enrique "Quique" Sinesi who has worked with Dino Saluzzi, Pablo Ziegler and Jim Hall. All of the songs on this disc were composed by Sinesi (eight) or Mariano (four). This is a superb duo and Quique is an outstanding acoustic guitarist. This disc starts off with a four-part suite called "Berliner Tanguismos" which is a brilliant tango-like excursion for intricate guitar and sax, melodic, yet consistently adventurous. The delicate balance the guitar and sax is exquisite throughout. Mariano's soulful yet touching tone on alto is featured on his own song, "The Lady", one of the most poignant ballads I've heard in recent memory. Both men contribute songs which show that their blend of sax or flute and acoustic guitars is just right. A superb release on all fronts. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $13


BEN WENDEL With GERARD CLAYTON/TIGRAN HAMASYAN/ADAM BENJAMIN et al - Frame (Sunnyside 1308; USA) Featuring: Ben Wendel - sax, bassoon & melodica, Gerald Clayton - piano, Tigram Hamasyan - piano, Adam Benjamin - Fender Rhodes, piano, Nir Felder - guitar, Ben Street - acoustic bass and Nate Wood - drums. Among other things, recordings are frames of reference, an aural blueprint of a performer. The incredibly eclectic saxophonist/composer Ben Wendel's new CD Frame will give a glimpse of his musical foundation, composed of equal parts jazz, rock and ambient music. His unique combination of sounds and influences create compositions that are wholly unique listening experiences. The CD's program features eight new compositions and a duo arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie's Con Alma featuring piano wunderkind Gerald Clayton.
CD $16



Absolute Treasures on Crammed - that DMG had to especially import for YOU!

AKSAK MABOUL [MARC HOLLANDER/VINCENT KENIS] - Onze Dances Pour Combattre La Migraine (Crammed 101; Belgium) An absolute cult classic of the 70's RIO (Henry Cow, Slapp Happy, Faust...) movement, held in such high esteem that people like Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and Catherine Jauniaux (who is also on one cut of this 1st album) did not have to be asked twice when asked if they wanted to participate in the follow up album 3 years later [see next listing] - although all involved agree that the first album was even better! All that is, except the creative mastermind behind it, Marc Hollander (also the founder of the Crammed/Made To Measure label), who for many years did not want to re-release it. Anyway I can't do better than to quote the below - they've hit it on the head!
"Amidst the restless atmosphere of the 1970s, an LP emerged as if from nowhere that started as if it were a radio broadcast for children. Where did this music come from? From Europe or from far away? Was it a message from the future, that had been forgotten somewhere in the past? The instrumentation consisted of guitar, organ, saxophone, clarinet and violin, but also old-fashioned piano could be heard alongside an accordion, a xylophone or an electronic drum machine. The music was melancholic, sometimes sad, and yet it was refreshing, lively and made its listeners happy. A woman's voice came and went as if blown about by the wind, a singing child, melodies for eternity, and again and again little surprises as if with each piece one were unwrapping a small but precious present."
In the spring of 1977, two young Belgian musicians who called themselves Aksak Maboul (aka Marc Hollander & Vincent Kenis) set out to record an album in which they playfully fused and deconstructed all kinds of genres to create their own musical world. Many ingredients came in and out of the Aksak blender: fake jazz, electronics, imaginary African & Balkan music, minimalism (there were even pre-techno aspects such in as Saure Gurke and its characteristic keyboard stab pattern which will mysteriously find its way into many classic Detroit techno tracks some ten years later) and even improv in the best "Downtown" tradition! Onze Danses became a cult album... (oh yeah, the mystery solved: 'Aksak' is a Turkish word designating certain uneven rhythms, and 'Maboul' is French, borrowed from the Arabic, meaning 'mad' "Crazy Rhythms?") "A sum of musical and cultural references which knows no border between countries and civilizations... a spirit inherited from Dadaism and Surrealism." Hell! Talk about all over the map - you even hear moments that sound like Braxton's "Ghost Trance" compositions! - BLG
"18 Billion Thumbs Up!" - morgue thief MannyLunch
CD $17

AKSAK MABOUL [MARC HOLLANDER/VINCENT KENIS] + FRED FRITH/CHRIS CUTLER/CATHERINE JAUNIAUX et al - "Un peu de l'ame des bandits" (Crammed 02; Belgium) Marc Hollander and Vincent Kenis recorded this in 1980 with a lineup including Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, and Catherine Jauniaux. This displays the fundamental role of their music, which varies between complex structural mixes of bassoon and electronic drums, bells and Turkish melodies, instruments allsorts, tango and crypto punk! Not to be missed!!!
The late '70s were a heady time in European progressive rock circles. Chris Cutler, drummer of the leading group Henry Cow and unrepentant leftist seeking to distance himself from both major-label and American rock influences, found similarly minded groups in France, Sweden, Belgium, and Italy, and brought them together for a British tour under the banner of Rock in Opposition (RIO). New musical influences and adventures gave rise to more short-term formations for Cutler and Fred Frith (Cow's guitarist), including this venture with a Belgian duo, Aksak Maboul, comprised at the time of Marc Hollander and Vincent Kenis. This group had recorded an album in 1977, Onze Danses Pour Combattre le Migraine, which became a cult album in its own right. As Aksak toured, their paths crossed with the various RIO groups, which led to this album in 1980. Cutler and Frith brought a solid rhythm section, but ready to make terrific noise when appropriate (as on the backing tracks of "Inoculating Rabies"). Michel Berckmans, wind player from Univers Zero (one of the Belgian RIO groups), and Hollander were the wind and reed section. Frank Wuyts and Denis Van Hecke rounded out the group on keyboards and strings. Stylistically, the album is all over the board. For example, the opening track, featuring Catherine Jauniaux on vocals, launches into a twisted blues number, with the singer freely improvising and trading licks with Van Hecke's cello and Hollander's sax. The second part of "A Modern Lesson" features extremely intricate horn writing, with different players rapidly trading different elements of the lines. "I Viaggi" uses a Middle Eastern scale, with cello and voice doubling the melody line. "Palmiersen Pots" is a classical piece for string trio, followed by a tango composed from several popular pieces cut up with scissors and reassembled at random. The album culminates with a long suite (originally all of side two on the vinyl release) based on a shorter arpeggiated figure, composed sections alternating with solos on bass, cello, electric cello, and synthesizer. On top of all of the great musicianship, Frith and lead engineer Etienne Conod performed significant studio wizardry after the sessions. "A Modern Lesson" contains sounds from a pinball machine as well as bits from every other track (and this is well before the age of samplers). The lead bassoon/oboe lines of "Inoculating Rabies" would be inaudible over the guitar and percussion noise in a live situation, but the contrast makes the piece. The CD reissue also includes a bonus track by a later Hollander/Kenis group. This Aksak Maboul lineup and album remains a pinnacle of the RIO movement!
"18 Billion MORE Thumbs Up! (left-hand ones this time)" - morgue thief MannyLunch
CD $17

SUSSAN DEYHIM [DEIHIM] With GLENN VELEZ/REGGIE WORKMAN/WILL CALHOUN/KARSH KALE - Madman Of God: Divine Songs Of The Persian Sufi Masters (Crammed Cramworld 22; Belgium) w/ Glenn Velez, Reggie Workman, Will Calhoun, Karsh Kale, Reza Derekshani.
This is how extraordinary Iranian vocalist Sussan Deyhim describes her first solo album: "Madman Of God is a collection of classic melodies taken from the Persian repertoire, which were composed around the poetry of Rumi, Saadi, Djami and other Sufi writers from the 11th to the 19th centuries. These pieces are as well-known by my grandparents as they are by my own generation, and they represent the torch songs of classical Persian music"
The result is an inspired, exciting and deeply spiritual masterpiece. Deyhim and her sublime voice are surrounded by contributions from players as diverse as Iranian classical musician Reza Derakhshani, percussionist Glen Velez (a long-time collaborator of Steve Reich), veteran jazz bassist Reggie Workman (who has been heard alongside the likes of John Coltrane), percussionist Will Calhoun (who has drummed with Living Colour as well as with BB King) and others. Although practically all the sounds are performed by acoustic instruments and voices, Sussan Deyhim's innovative arrangement and production have shaped "Madman Of God" into a very modern soundscape
"The kind of record that needs its own shelf in your library - along with the Laswell mix/reconstruction 'Shy Angels'. BOTH are ESSENTIAL! - MannyLunch
CD $17

SUSSAN DEYHIM [DEIHIM]/BILL LASWELL With GLENN VELEZ/REGGIE WORKMAN/WILL CALHOUN/KARSH KALE/ZAKIR HUSSAIN/HAMID DRAKE/AIYB DIENG et al - Shy Angels: Reconstruction And Mix Translation of "Madman Of God" (Crammed Cramworld 26; Belgium) This is Bill Laswell's reinterpretation of the entire 'Madman Of God' album, in which Sussan Deyhim presents her uniquely personal reading of divine love poems by Rumi, Saadi and other Persian Sufi masters. The reconstruction and mix translation of the Madman Of God album by Laswell, who has added himself (on bass) as well as Karsh Kale, Zakir Hussain, Hamid Drake, Abegasu Shiota, Aiyb Dieng and Abdou Mboup onto the original recordings alongside the players Glenn Velez, Reggie Workman, Will Calhoun, Karsh Kale, and Reza Derekshani.. Lovingly done, and a wonderful alternate experience of this Deyhim masterpiece!
"The kind of record that needs its own shelf in your library - along with the original version 'Madman Of God'. BOTH are ESSENTIAL! - MannyLunch
CD $17

SAINKHO NAMCHYLAK [NAMTCHYLAK] - Out Of Tuva (Crammed Craw 06; Belgium) Sainkho Namtchylak was born in a small gold mining village in the former Soviet Republic of Tuva in Southern Siberia near the Mongolian border. Her grandparents were nomads and her parents were both school teachers. She studied music at the local college but was denied professional credentials by the Philharmonic Comittee and went on her own to Moscow to finish music college there. She was trained as a vocalist at the Gnesinsky Institute there. At the same time she studied different vocal techniques of lamaistic and shamanistic traditions in Siberia as well as the local Tuvan and Mongolian throat / overtone singing styles. She began her professional career as a folk singer with Sayani, the Tuvan State Folk Ensemble, touring in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. The she added herself to the jazz ensemble Tri-O [translated as "three holes"] with Sergej Letov (sax), Arkadij Kiritschenko (tuba) and Alexander Alexandrov (fagot).
From 1988 Sainkho began to work with creative improvising musicians in the Soviet Union, trying to blend traditional ethnic elements with the sounds of avant-garde. She first appeared in the West in this new role at the Muenster Festival in 1990 and in Ulrichsberg. An improvising singer, she has performed with Peter Kowald, Butch Morris, Werner Ludi, and others.
'Out of Tuva' brings us her strange brand of 'Ethno-Pop', recorded between 1989 and 1993 in Kyzyl, Moscow, Wuppertal, Paris and Brussels.
CD $17

HECTOR ZAZOU/BONY BIKAYE/CY1 With MARC HOLLANDER/FRED FRITH et al - Noir Et Blanc (Crammed 105; Belgium) An unsurpassed milestone in European/African fusion, this is a head-on collision between traditional Central African vocals and uncompromising analog electronics. Resulting from a torrid encounter between Congolese singer Bony Bikaye, Algerian-born French composer Hector Zazou and mad scientists CY1, this album was acclaimed by the international music press, has influenced scores of artists, and remains astonishingly fresh to this day. Guest musicians include Marc Hollander and Fred Frith.
the 12" single"M'Pasi Ya M'Pamba" from 1984 is included in this CD edition
CD $17


GIANLUCA PETRELLA TUBOLIBRE - Slaves (Spacebone 1002; Italy) Featuring Gianluca Petrella on trombone, Fender Rhodes & compositions, Mauro Ottini on sousaphone, bass trumpet & trombone, Gabrio Baldacci on electric guitar & balalaika and Cristiano Calcagnile on drums & percussion. Gianluca Petrella is considered to be one of the finest trombone players in Italy with disc on both the US and Italian version of Blue Note as well as on the Auand label. Mr. Petrella is in town this week (March of 2012) playing with legendary trumpeter Enrico Rava. Gianluca left us with three discs from his own Spacebone label and each one is great.
'Slaves' was released in 2010 and it features Petrella's quartet. I know of the other members of this disc from previous releases on the Auand and Caligola labels. Petrella continues to deal with space-age music with effects and selective electronic sounds weaving their way through the music. "Baby, Please Don't Go" sounds like an ancient blues like "Sitting on Top of the World" but more spacey with superb trombone from the man. Petrella seems to be in a bluesy mood since the next song, "The Forgotten Island" has a sad, desolate sound like the reverie at the end of a long battle. Guitarist Baldacci has some of that stark brutal crunch that Marc Ribot unleashes at times, while still making every note count. He even whips out some evil slide guitar on one piece coating it with some heavy tremelo. There are a series of chains on the cover of this disc and the title is slaves hence the overall vibe sounds like a funeral in New Orleans but without a marching band. Being in pain all day yesterday and having one of my molars pulled earlier today puts me in a perfect mood for the desolate sounds of this disc. The title tune is some 22 minutes long and an extremely intense blues/rock jam. The guitar and trombone completely blew my mind. Powerful music in more ways than one. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $16

GIANLUCA PETRELLA COSMIC BAND - Coming Tomorrow - Part Two (Spacebone 1003; Italy) 2nd half of sessions [see below]. Recommended!
CD $16

and, still available..

GIANLUCA PETRELLA COSMIC BAND - Coming Tomorrow - Part One (Spacebone 1001; Italy) Through a half dozen discs, Gianluca Petrella has shown himself to be a strong trombone player, composer and bandleader. Mr. Petrella has now organized a great 10-piece ensemble and called it the Cosmic Band. Why the Cosmic Band? They cover four songs by Sun Ra and seem to be inspired by Sun Ra's intergalactic music. The opening song is a most spirited electric version of "Space is the Place," which will have you smiling and perhaps dancing around - it just feels so good! Those great fuzz keyboards, slamming drums and steaming horns, oh yeah! The rest of the songs are originals but are in a similar space/rocking or space/jazz vein. "Flexible" features just trippy, floating horns with Gianluca playing those most effective, extended trombone sounds. Sun Ra's "Saturn" has a swell laid back, slightly funky groove with sparkling electric piano, great trombone and then kicks in and swings hard before it sails out to space and then floats back down to Mother Earth."A Little Beat Waltz" has a dark, suspense filled repeating bass-line theme with some cosmic floating synth and eerie distant vocals. Is that you Sun Ra?!? Petrella has done a splendid job of arranging four of Sun Ra's classic songs so that they sound fresh, crafty and both ancient and modern simultaneously. Although I am not familiar with most of the ten musicians in this ensemble, all of these players are perfect for the task of playing this music just right. Without any doubt this disc is thee Sun Ra tribute of the year, as well as one of this year's (2009) undiscovered treasures. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $16


NELSON GASTALDI - Symphony No. 3: Siddhartha Gautama O El Poder De La Nada (Roaratorio 24; USA) "When psycho-spatial composer Nelson Gastaldi passed away in 2009 at the age of 77, he left behind a unique musical legacy that is only now beginning to be unveiled. A self-described 'musical nihilist with noble and mystic origins' (as well as an accomplished visual artist), Gastaldi supported himself and his family with a job at an electric company in Buenos Aires, Argentina, while creating an astonishing body of work that went virtually unheard during his lifetime. Synthesizing his wide-ranging interests (medicine, linguistics, Chinese and German philosophy) into his music, he welcomed paranormal/initiatic experiences into the compositional process, creating homemade Sibelius-meets-Sun Ra symphonies. The only previous publication of his work was in Bananafish magazine, which featured an excerpt of Symphony No. 3 on an accompanying CD. The same issue also contained his sole English-language interview, in which he waxed: 'The human being runs at the side of a river. When he is young, he runs faster than the river; in mid-life he runs at the same speed as the river; and at last he falls down and the river keeps going.' Take a dip into the strange and beautiful river of Nelson Gastaldi. Download coupon included."
LP $17


MORTON FELDMAN//VICKI RAY/ECLIPSE QUARTET - Piano And String Quartet (Bridge 9369; USA) "Composed two years before his death, the ultra-impressionistic Piano and String Quartet is one of the most beguiling of Feldman's late works. With its chords based on semitones, this nearly 80-minute, single movement work floats in a typical Feldmanesque haze, yet progresses with a forward moving determination and logic that sets it apart from some of Feldman's more static pieces of this period. This gorgeous performance by Vicki Ray and the Eclipse Quartet has an almost erotically sensual quality. Turn down the lights, get comfortable and prepare to be enveloped in an aural experience of exceptional warmth and depth."
CD $15


WOLFGANG RIHM - Choral Works (Harmonia Mundi 902129; EEC) "With his early compositions of the 1970s, Wolfgang Rihm opened up new perspectives for musical development by advocating a musical aesthetic that offered liberation from the constraints of the prevailing avant-garde ideology of the time. This disc from the RIASKammerchor led by Hans-Christoph Rademann includes his early Fragmenta Passionis (written when Rihm was only 16), the Sieben Passions-texte and the major half-hour-long work Astralis of 2001. These three works are linked above all by their expressive and diverse treatment of the possibilities of the human voice and at the same time by their reflection on traditional forms and genres of musical history."
CD $20


MACHINEFABRIEK [RUTGER ZUYDERVELT] - Veldwerk (Cold Spring 156; UK) Sublime drone music and field recordings by Machinefabriek, the solo project of Dutch experimentalist Rutger Zuydervelt. "Slovensko I & II" are best seen as a travel diary, recorded in Slovakia. Zuydervelt made "sound snapshots" with a small digital recorder. A major influence both while recording and assembling the tracks was Chinese sound artist Yan Jun. "Rusland" is a sound collage comprising field recordings and sections of live performances made in Russia. An incredible adventure and culture shock with long train journeys, bizarre venues and amazing people. "The Breaking Water" can be heard as a sonic portrait of Rotterdam's famous Erasmus bridge. It includes recordings taken from both on and beneath the bridge, along with further sounds from the river that it crosses, the Nieuwe Maas. "Floor & Radio" is a contrast to the outdoor pieces recorded for the installation "Licthung" in Radolfzell, Germany. Contrasted against the outdoor silence was the squeaking floor in the guest house and the distorted signal and static from the radio. Sometimes there's music in everything. Makino Takashi asked Zuydervelt to perform a score for his film In Your Star. After a screening in Tokyo, a studio version was recorded. The result is "Apollo," a sonic journey to space and beyond. Housed in a digipak.
CD $17


RICHARD GARET - Areal (23Five 16; USA) "In working with sound, video, and installation, Richard Garet has made an artform of interference. In previous work, he's employed photosensors to control a particular audio signal through the erratic nature of a violently pulsing abstract film. He's flooded a performance space with fog to disperse multi-channel video work into an ephemeral yet sculptural mass, accompanied by an equally diffused sound design. And here on Areal, Garet continues his ongoing research with electromagnetic disturbances through radio. Garet treats the radio process of transmission and reception as a routing system for the audio signal, all the while deliberately agitating and distressing the nodes that direct the course of that signal. For example, an electrical motor might be situated near a radio's antenna disrupting its ability to properly receive a transmission that Garet is broadcasting from nearby. Through the controlled use of electro-acoustic techniques (some rough and volatile, some refined and delicate), he organizes the signal distortion, the crackling static, and the ever-present tendencies for feedback into swarms of chiming resonance, electrically sourced harmonics, tactile bricolage, and impressionist din. As much as Garet's process pushes the interaction of sound and electricity to the brink of self-immolation, Areal balances his crunched textures with extended passages of radiant blooms of blurry noise and drone, finding common ground between the glassine density from Rhys Chatham and the splintered excursions of Kevin Drumm."
CD $14

HELMUT SCHAFER - Thought Provoking III (23Five 17; USA) "Thought Provoking III is the final document from the electro-acoustic composer Helmut Schafer who died in 2007. The Austrian artist spoke of his work as 'characterized by the use of very intense and direct musical language which powerfully describes his personal experience and reflections on society structures, the blindness of modern and informed masses and everyday functionalism in between civilization.' That intensity of expression manifested itself through performances and collaborations that took Schafer around the globe, including presentations at Documenta X and ARS Electronica both in 1997. For all of his tireless work, Schafer's recording output is relatively small, focusing mostly on his collaborative work with noted musical extremist Zbigniew Karkowski. Schafer posited Thought Provoking as a radical shift from his brutalist electronic engineering to a spatialized, open-ended composition based on the muffled tones from an ad hoc instrument he built from salvaged church organ pipes and hair dryers. The first presentation of this work took place in his home town of Graz, Austria in 2003; the second was a collaboration with violinist Elisabeth Gmeiner in Vienna two years later; and the third & final performance occurred in 2006 with percussionist Will Guthrie and Gmiener at the St. Andre Church where he first presented it in Graz. After Schafer's death, Guthrie reconstituted the rehearsal takes from that performance for this recording of Thought Provoking III, attempting to re-imagine the controlled energy of those sessions with Schafer's aesthetic framework at the forefront. The bellowing hums from Schafer's organ pipe and hair dryer contraction ebb and flow amidst intermittent percussive flourishes, subtle gong overtones, sustained violin trills, and fizzling electronic mark-making. On the second track of this disc, long-time friend Zbigniew Karkowski presents a smoldering electro-acoustic remix of Thought Provoking III as a fitting tribute to Schafer."
CD $14


SUZANNE CIANI - Lixiviation (BMusic 40; USA) Amazing comp of classically trained/avant-minded commercial composer Suzanne Ciani, the "American Delia Derbyshire Of The Atari Generation." Ciani stands alongside the likes of Pauline Oliveros, Daphne Oram, and Ursula Bogner in the continuum of female early electronic knob-twiddlers that would've never gone out on a date with you. "With a sonic portfolio that boasts commissions for the Xenon classic pinball machine, the sounds for the Meco Star Wars theme, the Atari TV commercials and the electronic sound effects in the original Stepford Wives film (amongst many others) the mutant electronic music CV of Suzanne Ciani is proof that in a 1970s commercial world of boys toys, monopolised by a male dominated media industry, a woman's touch was the essential secret ingredient to successful sonic seduction. A classically trained musician with an MA in music composition this American Italian pianist was first introduced to the synthesizer via her connections in the art world when abstract Sculptor and collaborator Harold Paris introduced Suzanne to synthesizer designer Don Buchla who created the instrument that would come to define Ciani's synthetic sound (The Buchla Synthesiser). Cutting her teeth providing self-initiated electronic music projects for art galleries, experimental film directors, pop record producers and proto-video nasties Suzanne soon located to New York where she quickly became the first point of call for electronic music services in both the underground experimental fields and the commercial advertising worlds alike. Counting names like Vangelis and Harald Bode amongst her close friends Suzanne and her Ciani Musica companybecame the testing ground for virtually any type of new developments in electronic and computerized music amassing an expansive vault of commercially unexposed electronic experiments which have remained untouched for over 30 years.. until now."
CD $16

K S CHITHRA - K.S. Chithra (BMusic 41; USA) "The electrification of K.S Chithra and Kollywood pop! Known by adoring fans and devotees, throughout South India, as Chinna Kuyil (Little Nightingale) on account of her expansive vocal range and crystaline sweet voice, the uplifting and surprising sound of K.S. Chithra is, for many, best exemplified by the early plugged-in-pop she made in the 1980s with the man/machine who first introduced her to the Tamil film industry, Maestro Ilaiyaraaja. There are few records you will hear this year that combine the sounds of a child's choir, a DX7 bass line, three types of drum machine, amariachi trumpet cry, a resampled forty-piece orchestra and an electronic bass line that takes the moog taurus by the horns and rides into the Indian summer. There is probably less chance of hearing a vocal performance so confusingly dazzling that it instantly detracts from the previously aforementioned wish list combination of bizarre instruments but for those intrepid enough to dig a little deeper and take a detour due East, pick-axing right where Lollywood meets Bollywood - then prepare to be rewarded with a double, triple and quadruple whammy! This compilation focuses on a small and select handful of Chithra and Ilaiyaraaja's developing collaborations from the formative years of their relationship between - 1986 and 1991- a vibrant time where analog recording techniques and digital technology first overlapped and Chithra, as a developing vocalist, adapted to the the sounds and arrangements of a classic maverick composer pushing the boundaries.... Rare Tamil recordings -- never previously released on CD and considerably rare on their original vinyl pressings."
CD $16

BOLLYWOOD BLOODBATH [V.A.] - Bollywood Bloodbath (BMusic 39; USA) "After what seems like a thousand years of blood, sweat, tears, and a lot more blood, your zombified disc disciples at Finders Kreepers unveil one of their most exquisite, exhumed, ectoplasmic, and existentially essential collections yet. This musical mausoleum of malformed freak funk and dreadful discotheque pop has been resurrected from the maligned cinematic subculture of Bombay's bloodthirsty horror film industry and witnesses the cognoscenti of the Bollywood pop scene at their most creative, destructive and experimentally effective. Bollywood Bloodbath features India's finest composers, such as Bappi Lahiri, R.D Burman, Sonik Omi, Sapan Jogmohan and Laxmikant Pyarelal making the kind of radical risk-rock that would under normal circumstances have studio security escorting these overworked maestros off set for a well-earned break or a relaxing exorcism. Take all the most oblique, indigenous characteristics of your favorite Bollywood musicals then condense them into a bubbling serum and watch the Jekyll and Hyde transformation commence as these A-list composers create bloodcurdling BMusic for the films they never thought the outernationals would see or hear. Licensed exclusively from the independent Indian film music companies (revealing incidental tracks that they didn't even know they owned) Bollywood Bloodbath is the result of avid stomach turning research via VHS tapes, chewed-up cassettes, and LPs, 12''s and 45s remastered from some of the only existing master tapes."
CD $16


NEW AGE STEPPERS - Love Forever (On-U 1021; UK) The late Ari Up, the New Age Steppers, Adrian Sherwood and On-U Sound have a long shared history. Producer Sherwood and Ari Up first met in 1978. As Sherwood put it, "Ari really stood out in the crowd partly for her appearance but more so for an almost unhinged enthusiasm for the music." Sherwood and Ari Up, the lead singer of the formative British all-female punk-group, The Slits, would go on to form a long-lasting friendship and musical partnership. Ari- Up featured as part of the original On-U collective which recorded under the guise of the New Age Steppers. The Steppers recorded 3 other album's for the label, their eponymous debut in 1980, Action Battlefield in 1981, Foundation Steppers in 1983 and during that time the band also featured the likes of Mark Stewart, Neneh Cherry, Bim Sherman and Keith Levene.
The culmination of 30 years of friendship and love between two of Britain's brightest and creative cult-talents, the recording of Love Forever began a few years back when Sherwood and Ari met again in the U.K. and started work on the track Conquer. In 2008 Ari Up was diagnosed with cancer yet her unquenchable passion for music remained un-dimmed and she maintained they would finish the album they had begun. Sherwood flew to Jamaica where Ari had lived since the early '80s where they finished the recording; Sherwood later completing the production the following year. "Love Forever" is a track on the very first New Age Steppers album and often, when Ari signed anything; it would read "Love Forever...Ari".
CD $19


CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & THE MAGIC BAND - Live 'n' Rare [2 CD set] (Ozit/Milksafe 9003; UK) "2CD set in a special slipcase. A total of 26 live'n'rare tracks from The Captain and his Magic bands including 14 tracks from a newly discovered live concert recording and some rare photographs and artwork relating to Captain Beefheart. The tracks are spread across the Captain's career including recordings from 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1980."
2 CD set for $30

and last copies of..

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & THE MAGIC BAND - Nan Trues Hole Tapes Volume 3 (Ozit/Milksafe 9011; UK) "This is the third in the series of Nan True's Hole Tapes. All these tracks were recorded live in England in the 1970s and taken from John Peel's former archive of Beefheart live tapes. Peel notes 'recording quality not always excellent but the quality of the outrageous but excellent live performances wins through.' Great CD booklet with rare montages and images of Captain Beefheart and Magic Band members." Released in conjunction with Dandelion Records.
CD $20


NO NECK BLUES BAND [aka NNCK] - YTIU (Kelippah 05; EEC) Hand-painted limited edition of 300 copies. "No Neck Blues Band are the last of their kind, children of a New York City that no longer exists. They've operated in the shadows of Gothams music scene for almost twenty years as likely to perform in art galleries as loft spaces. No Neck Blues Band are revolutionaries, carrying on the search for freedom through improvisation that began after Coltrane liberated jazz. But No Neck Blues Band doesn't play jazz per se, or any other known idiom for that matter. Their sound has its precedents most notably the genre-blurring, early-70s work of England's Third Ear Band and German groups Exmagma and recent co-conspirators Embryo. No Neck Blues Band further those explorers investigations of non-Western sounds by infusing them with psychedelic-rock dynamics, the tenets of minimalism and Fluxus-inspired performance.
Each No Neck Blues Band record is a spontaneously composed ritual containing a variety of hard-to-pronounce acoustic instruments, unmoored percussion, guitars, keyboards and various electronics, at once familiar and exotic. No Neck Blues Band activity has been sparse in recent years since their celebrated rehearsal/performance space in Harlem, The Hint House, fell victim to gentrification.
Recorded in 2009 at Faust Studios in Germany, YTIU is the avant-gangs latest offering and finds them in one of their more accessible moods. Only during the second half of Side A's 'Platinum Willows' does the band indulge its tendency for atonality. YTIU's second side fittingly dedicated to departed Pink Floyd member Richard Wright is a keyboard-dominated stunner that is more Saucerful of Secrets than The Wall." -- Jeff Conklin
LP $22


LISTEN WHITEY! [V.A.] - The Sounds of Black Power 1967-1974 (Light In The Attic 81; USA) "Over a five year period in Oakland, CA -- archivist Pat Thomas befriended key leaders of the seminal Black Power Movement, dug through Huey Newton's archives at Stanford University, spent countless hours and thousands of dollars on eBay, and talked to rank and file Black Panther Party members, uncovering dozens of obscure albums, singles, and stray tapes. Along the way, he began to piece together a time period (1967-1974) when revolutionaries were seen as pop culture icons: Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael -- and musicians were seen as revolutionaries; Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, Bob Dylan, John Lennon and others. As a result, Thomas wrote a 70,000-word hardcover book entitled Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power -- to be published by Fantagraphics in early 2012 -- which also includes some 200 full color images of obscure recordings that encompass rock, soul, jazz, comedy, poetry, and even religious sermons blended with Black Nationalism. Light In The Attic Records presents the companion 'soundtrack' to the book. For the time first ever, Black and White artists share space on a definitive anthology of the Black Power era. Listen, Whitey! is cross-cultural overview that sees Bob Dylan's out of print 1971 single 'George Jackson' reissued for the first time along with several selections from Motown's long forgotten 'Black Forum' label -- Motown's early '70s Black Power militant imprint that has never been documented until now with provocative recordings from SNCC spokesman Stokely Carmichael, outspoken African-American poet Amiri Baraka, and Black Panther Party singer/songwriter Elaine Brown." CD housed in digipak with a 36-page booklet.
CD $16
also available as 2 LP set for $26


HENRY COW With SLAPP HAPPY [FRED FRITH/TIM HODGKINSON/JOHN GREAVES/CHRIS CUTLER/LINDSAY COOPER With DAGMAR KRAUSE/PETER BLEGVAD/ANTHONY MOORE] - In Praise Of Learning (Original Mix) (ReR VHC3/Goodfellas; Italy) [Limited vinyl reissue - 1000 copies] This is the third in our series of classic re-issues, following on from Leg End and Unrest. In Praise... was produced in 1975 by a new version of Henry Cow after they had merged with cult Euro-popsters Slapp Happy, and then split apart again. It has been carefully re-mastered - for many years only a poorly mastered remix was available. This album is essential for fans of Henry Cow, the Canterbury/Soft Machine school, and all those interested in challenging music
LP $22


SOFT MACHINE [MIKE RATLEDGE/ROBERT WYATT/HUGH HOPPER/ELTON DEAN/LYN DOBSON] - Breda Reactor: Live At Het Turfschip, Netherlands, January 31st 1970 [2 LP set] (Lilith/Vinyl Lovers 901240; UK) "Recorded live in Breda, Netherlands in January of 1970, this double LP represents only one of three recordings extant of a very rare and short-lived quintet version of the band [along with Noisette on Cuneiform, and Alive In Paris on Voiceprint, which also released a Double-CD version of Breda]. Sax/flute player Lyn Dobson was the fifth member here, left over from the band's days as a septet. Just three months later Dobson would move on, leaving the classic Ratledge-Dean-Hopper-Wyatt line-up in place. Dobson's contributions to a 22-minute long version of Hopper's 'Facelift' as well as 'Backwards' are of particular interest here, as is a tentative version of 'Out-Bloody-Rageous', which was still a work in progress at this stage. Includes liner notes by band member Brian Hopper."
2 LP set for $40
also available as 2 CD set from Voiceprint for $22


JOAO GILBERTO - Joao Gilberto [aka The White Album] (Klimt 332; EEC) "Originally released in 1973, Joao Gilberto aka The White Album, is as a timeless classic of the genre and one of Joao's definitive masterpieces. Featuring only the minimalist drumming of NY jazz drummer Sonny Carr (and the backing vocals of 'Miucha', Gilberto's second wife and sister of Chico Buarque on the final track), Joao spins a delicate web of sound that from the first notes of Tom Jobim's anthem 'Aguas De Marco' has the listener dreaming of Bahia, even though the album was recorded in a New Jersey studio with electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos at the controls. This is bossanova at its very best."
LP $25


JENDE RI PALENGE [V.A.] - People of Palenque [5 LP + DVD Box Set] (Soul Jazz ; UK) Limited 5LP and DVD boxset of this film and music project made in Colombia. Featuring original Palenque music, plus remixes by Osunlade, Deadbeat, Felipe Venegas, Aurelian Riviere, Kalabrese, Santiago Posada, Secondo, Rocketnumbernine, Matias Aguayo, Subway, Kromestar and Jay Haze. "Filmmakers Santiago Posada and Simon Meija arrived at Palenque, near the Caribbean coast of Colombia to record the music of the area and to make a documentary film about the people of Palenque. Palenque is a central location for Afro-Colombian culture, the location of the first free slave (or Maroon) community in the Americas. With its own unique style of music and language, heavily influenced by its African heritage, it holds a unique position and is today proclaimed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The film-makers built a studio in the town in order to record the highly percussive roots music that mixes African and Latin in equal flavors. Once back home they enlisted a select number of like-minded electronic, house and dubstep artists to produce a second disc of remixes -- including Osunlade, Mattias Aguayo, Kromestar and others to interpret the original works." DVD is double sided, so NTSC on one side, PAL on the other, both region free.
5 LP + DVD Box Set for $40




Quality LP replica reissues from 4 Men With Beards!

MILES DAVIS With DAVE LIEBMAN/AZAR LAWRENCE/PETE COSEY/REGGIE LUCAS/DOMINIQUE GAUMONT/MICHAEL HENDERSON/AL FOSTER/MTUME - Dark Magus: Live At Carnegie Hall, March 30th 1974 [2 LP set] (4 Men With Beards 812; USA) Dark Magus is a live recording of a very specific 1974 Carnegie Hall date that included most, but not all, of the members who recorded the classics Agharta and Pangaea. While drummer Al Foster, bassist Michael Henderson, percussionist James Mtume, and guitarists Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas were all present, the key element of Sonny Fortune was not yet in the band. Saxophonists David Liebman and Azar Lawrence were doubling in the saxophone chairs, while Dominique Gaumont, with his Jimi Hendrix-styled effects and riffs, was the band's third guitarist. The deep voodoo funk that gelled on the aforementioned recordings hadn't yet come together on this night at Carnegie, near the end of a tour. Featuring four titles, all of them Swahili names for the numbers one through four, Dark Magus is a jam record. By this point, Miles was no longer really rehearsing his bands; they showed up and caught a whiff of what he wanted and went with it. Rhythms, colors, keys -- all of them would shift and change on a whim from Davis. There were no melodies outside of a three-note vamp on "Wili" and a few riff-oriented melodics on "Tatu" -- the rest is all deep rhythm-based funk and dark groove. Greasy, mysterious, and full of menacing energy.
2 LP set for $30

MILES DAVIS With SONNY FORTUNE/PETE COSEY/REGGIE LUCAS/MICHAEL HENDERSON/AL FOSTER/MTUME - Agharta: Live In Osaka, February 1st 1975 (Afternoon) [2 LP set] (4 Men With Beards 811; USA) Along with its sister recording, Pangaea, Agharta was recorded live in February of 1975 at the Osaka Festival Hall in Japan. Amazingly enough, given that these are arguably Davis' two greatest electric live records, they were recorded the same day. Agharta was performed in the afternoon and Pangaea in the evening. Of the two, Agharta is superior. The band with Davis -- saxophonist Sonny Fortune, guitarists Pete Cosey (lead) and Reggie Lucas (rhythm), bassist Michael Henderson, drummer Al Foster, and percussionist James Mtume -- was a group who had their roots in the radically streetwise music recorded on 1972's On the Corner, and they are brought to fruition here. The music on Agharta, a total of three tunes spread over two CDs and four LP sides, contains the "Prelude," which clocks in at over a half-hour. There is "Maiysha" from Get up With It and the Agharta "Interlude," which segues into the "Theme From Jack Johnson." The music here is almost totally devoid of melody and harmony, and is steeped into a steamy amalgam of riffs shot through and through with crossing polyrhythms, creating a deep voodoo funk groove for the soloists to inhabit for long periods of time as they solo and interact with one another. Davis' band leading at this time was never more exacting or free. The sense of dynamics created by the stop-start accents and the moods, textures, and colors brought out by this particular interaction of musicians is unparalleled in Davis' live work -- yeah, that includes the Coltrane and Bill Evans bands, but they're like apples and oranges anyway. Driven by the combination of Davis' direction and the soloing of Sonny Fortune and guitarist Pete Cosey, who is as undervalued and underappreciated for his incalculable guitar-slinging gifts as Jimi Hendrix is celebrated for his, and the percussion mania of Mtume, the performance on Agharta is literally almost too much of a good thing to bear. When Cosey starts his solo in the "Prelude" at the 12-minute mark, listeners cannot be prepared for the Hendrixian energy and pure electric whammy-bar weirdness that's about to come splintering out of the speakers. As the band reacts in intensity, the entire proceeding threatens to short out the stereo. These are some of the most screaming notes ever recorded. Luckily, since this is just the first track on the whole package, Davis can bring the tempos down a bit here and there and snake them into spots that I don't think even he anticipated before that afternoon (check the middle of "Maiysha" and the second third of "Jack Johnson" for some truly creepy and beautiful wonders). While Pangaea is awesome as well, there is simply nothing like Agharta in the canon of recorded music. This is the greatest electric funk-rock jazz record ever made -- period. - Thom Jurek, AMG
2 LP set for $30

MILES DAVIS With SONNY FORTUNE/PETE COSEY/REGGIE LUCAS/MICHAEL HENDERSON/AL FOSTER/MTUME - Pangaea: Live In Osaka, February 1st 1975 (Evening) [2 LP set] (4 Men With Beards 810; USA) This is the second of two performances from February 1975 at the Osaka Festival Hall in Japan. This is the evening show; the Columbia release Agharta was the afternoon show. Pangaea is comprised either as a double LP or double CD of two tracks, "Zimbabwe" and "Gondwana." Each is divided into two parts. The band here is comprised of Sonny Fortune on saxophones, Pete Cosey (who also played synth) and Reggie Lucas on guitars, Michael Henderson on bass, Al Foster on drums, James Mtume on percussion, and Davis on trumpet and organ. The band, no doubt inspired by their amazing performance earlier in the day, comes out swinging, and I mean like Muhammad Ali, not Benny Goodman. This is a take-no-prisoners set. Davis seems to be pushing an agenda of "What the hell is melody and harmony? And bring on the funk -- and while you're at it, Pete, play the hell outta that guitar. More drums!" If there is anything that's consistent in this free-for-all, as everybody interacts with everyone else in an almighty dirty groove & roll while improv is at an all-time high, it's the rhythmic, or should we emphasize "polyrhythmic," invention. Mtume and Foster are monstrous in moving this murky jam session along ("Zimbabwe" is one set, and "Gondwana" is the second of the evening) some surreal lines. When Cosey's not ripping the pickups out of his guitar, he's adding his hands to various percussion instruments in the pursuit of the all-powerful Miles Davis' inflected voodoo funk. And while it's true that this set is as relentless as the Agharta issue, it's not quite as successful, though it's plenty satisfying. The reason is simple: the dynamic and dramatic tensions of the afternoon session could never have been replicated, they were based on all conditions being right. Here, while the moods and textures are carried and the flow is quite free, the dramatic tension is not as present; the mood is not quite so dark. And while the playing of certain individuals here may be better than it is on Agharta, the band's playing isn't quite at that level. That said, this is still an essential Miles Davis live record and will melt your mind just as easily as Agharta. People would complain on this tour that Davis played with his back to the audience a lot -- Lester Bangs went so far as to say he hated his guts for it. But if you were this focused on creating a noise so hideously beautiful from thin air, you might not have time to socialize either. - Thom Jurek, AMG
2 LP set for $30

MILES DAVIS With JOHN McLAUGHLIN/STEVE GROSSMAN/GARY BARTZ/HERBIE HANCOCK/CHICK COREA/KEITH JARRETT/DAVE HOLLAND/MICHAEL HENDERSON/JACK DeJOHNETTE/AIRTO MOREIRA et al - Live-Evil [2 LP set] (4 Men With Beards 809; USA) "Originally released in 1971, Live-Evil is one of Davis' most extraordinary records. Here, on a double album comprised of both live and studio recordings, the electric sound that Davis first unveiled the year previous emerges as a fully formed and powerful beast. Featuring one of his finest bands, which included John McLaughlin, Keith Jarrett, Gary Bartz, Jack DeJohnette, and Brazilian percussionist Airto, Live-Evil is a stunning exploration of the outer limits of jazz, and one of the most influential records of the '70s. Absolutely essential." Gatefold sleeve; on 180 gram vinyl
2 LP set for $30

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR [PETER HAMMILL/DAVID JACKSON/HUGH BANTON/GUY EVANS] With ROBERT FRIPP - Pawn Hearts (4 Men With Beards 218; USA) Lengthy prog-rock epics mix with Peter Hammill's intensely emotional lyrics. Robert Fripp guests on guitar. "Released in 1971, Pawn Hearts is the 4th album from Peter Hammill's legendary prog group, Van Der Graaf Generator. Featuring some of their finest playing and most well known songs, Pawn Hearts is an absolute classic of British progressive and cosmic space rock."
LP $21

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR [PETER HAMMILL/DAVID JACKSON/HUGH BANTON/GUY EVANS] With ROBERT FRIPP - H to He Whom Am The Only One (4 Men With Beards 217; USA) The foreboding crawl of the Hammond organ is what made Van Der Graaf Generator one of the darkest and most engrossing of all the early progressive bands. On H to He Who Am the Only One, the brooding tones of synthesizer and oscillator along with Peter Hammil's distinct and overly ominous voice make it one of this British band's best efforts. Kicking off with the prog classic "Killer," an eight minute synthesized feast of menacing tones and threatening lyrics, the album slowly becomes shadowed with Van Der Graaf's sinister instrumental moodiness. With superb percussion work via Guy Evans, who utilizes the tympani drum to its full extent, tracks like "The Emperor in His War-Room" and "Lost" are embraced with a blackened texture that never fades. The effective use of saxophone (both alto and tenor) and baritone from David Jackson gives the somberness some life without taking away any of the instrumental petulance. Also, King Crimson mainman Robert Fripp guests on guitar. H to He is carpeted with a science fiction theme, bolstered by the bleak but extremely compelling use of heavy tones and the absence of rhythms and flighty pulsations. This album, which represents Van Der Graaf in their most illustrious stage, is a pristine example of how dark progressive rock should sound. ~ Mike DeGagne, AMG
LP $21

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR [PETER HAMMILL/DAVID JACKSON/HUGH BANTON/GUY EVANS/NIC POTTER] - The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (4 Men With Beards 216; USA) Peter Hammill has always had an abiding interest, it seems, in the blurred boundary between the mystical and the scientific, and between the rational and magical mind; this was certainly evident on the debut Van Der Graaf Generator album 'The Aerosol Grey Machine', even though Hammill had yet to really begin focusing himself on what it was that was driving him (despite the fact that the band's very name referenced a device that resembles a bastard mix of scientific apparatus and shamanic totem). 'The Least We Can Do...', their second album, brings those concerns to the fore with ferocity, with time out for a couple of more personal pieces ("Refugees" and "Out of Our Book"). Hammill's lyrics, delivered with all the passion and intent he can muster, reference mysticism, numerology, astrology, various religious pantheons, the Malleus Maleficarum (leading Hammill to conclude, a bit too hopefully, that magic needs to be gray to be balanced), Robert van deGraaf himself (in "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?"), the future of humanity, and surviving ecological catastrophe. This being the start of the 1970s, the hopeful notes are drowned out by the tidal wave of fear, sadness, and despair, despite which, the music does tend to be rather uplifting, thanks to the undercurrent of barely restrained majesty VDGG tended to have (possibly thanks to Hugh Banton, who had been rather used to communicating with God via church and cathedral organs; he brought that expertise to a position more normally occupied by determined B3 thumpers engaged in battle with show-horse guitarists).~ Steven McDonald, AMG
LP $21

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & THE MAGIC BAND - Ice Cream For Crow (4 Men With Beards 212; USA) "With yet one final Magic Band lineup in place, featuring Richard Snyder on bass and Cliff Martinez on drums alongside returning vets Morris Tepper and Gary Lucas, Beefheart put the final touch on his recording career to date with Crow. It's a last entertaining blast of wigginess from one of the few truly independent artists in late 20th century pop music, with humor, skill, and style all still intact (as even the song titles like "Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian" and "Cardboard Cutout Sundown" show). With the Magic Band turning out more choppy rhythms, unexpected guitar lines, and outre arrangements, Beefheart lets everything run wild as always, with successful results. Sometimes he sounds less like the blues shouter of lore and more of a spoken word artist with an attitude, thus the stuttering flow of "The Host the Ghost the Most Holy." "Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat" is even more entertainingly outrageous, Beefheart's addictive if near impenetrable ramble about tobacco juice and straw hats and more backed by an insanely great arrangement. Magic Band members each get chances to shine one way or another -- "Evening Bell" in particular demonstrates why Lucas went on to later solo renown, a complex, suddenly shifting solo instrumental that sits somewhere between background music and head-scratching "how did he do that?" intrigue." ~ Ned Raggett, AMG
LP $21

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & THE MAGIC BAND - Doc At The Radar Station (4 Men With Beards 211; USA) In the late '70s the Captain returned to works matching his former greatness with his last 3 albums [done for Virgin]. This is the second of those three and features repertoire classics like "Hot Head", "Flavor Bud Living" and "A Carrot Is As Close As A rabbit Gets To A Diamond"!
"Generally acclaimed as the strongest album of his comeback, and by some as his best since Trout Mask Replica, Doc at the Radar Station had a tough, lean sound owing partly to the virtuosic new version of the Magic Band (featuring future Pixies sideman Eric Drew Feldman, New York downtown-scene guitarist Gary Lucas, and a returning John "Drumbo" French, among others) and partly to the clear, stripped-down production, which augmented the Captain's basic dual-guitar interplay and jumpy rhythms with extra percussion instruments and touches of Shiny Beast's synths and trombones. Many of the songs on Doc either reworked or fully developed unused material composed around the time of the creatively fertile Trout Mask sessions, which adds to the spirited performances. Even if the Captain's voice isn't quite what it once was, Doc at the Radar Station is an excellent, focused consolidation of Beefheart's past and then-present." ~ Steve Huey, AMG
LP $21

MOONDOG [LOUIS HARDIN] - Moondog [1956] (4 Men With Beards 175; USA) His given name is Louis Thomas Hardin. He was born in 1916, grew up amidst native Americans in Wyoming, and began his career as a Manhattan street musician during World War II. By the time he began recording for Prestige in the Fifties, blind composer/multi-instrumentalist/singer Moondog had developed an underground following that is sustained to this day. "Moondog's debut release, originally on the Prestige label, came out in 1956, long after he'd become a legendary New York City street performer. The blind Kansas native showcases his talent for the minimal and avant-garde here, with compositions driven by percussion and Japanese-inspired melodies, complimented by street sounds, recitations and animal noises. Bizarre even for today's standards, it's a wonder this was released over a half-century ago. A brilliant debut."
LP $21

MOONDOG [LOUIS HARDIN] - More Moondog (4 Men With Beards 176; USA) His given name is Louis Thomas Hardin. He was born in 1916, grew up amidst native Americans in Wyoming, and began his career as a Manhattan street musician during World War II. By the time he began recording for Prestige in the Fifties, Moondog had developed an underground following that is sustained to this day. This is the second Moondog LP, originally released on Prestige in 1956. It continues the NYC street performer's exploration of minimalist composition and field recording, mixing percussion and sparse melodies with piano solos, street sounds and monologues. Surprisingly accessible despite it's avant-garde nature, bridging the gap between the familiar and the bizarre. Another all out masterwork from one of 20th century America's most unique minds."
LP $21

MOONDOG [LOUIS HARDIN] - The Story Of Moondog (4 Men With Beards 177; USA) "Originally released on Prestige in 1957, this is the third LP from NYC street performer and avant-garde/minimalist composer Moondog. Perhaps the least accessible of his early releases, this album is made up of percussive jams, usually on instruments of his own creation, street sounds, poetry and Far East melodies, despite opening with a swinging number that is, oddly, the most bizarre thing on the album. Another classic from Moondog reissued with its original Andy Warhol artwork."
LP $21

FAUST - So Far (4 Men With Beards 174; USA) "Faust's second album moves closer to actual song structure than their debut, but it still remains experimental. Songs progress and evolve instead of abruptly stopping or cutting into other tracks. The opening song "It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl" begins as a repetitive 4/4 beat played on toms and piano with the title sung over the top. But for seven minutes the song adds instruments, including a lush analog synth line, and ends in a memorable sax riff. Faust's lyrical side appears on the acoustic "Picnic on a Frozen River" and "On the Way to Adamae," whereas its abrasive side pops up on "Me Lack Space." "So Far," a jam shared by guitar, horns, and tweedy keyboard, rolls along with a funky hypnotic beat and wailing processed synths. And on "No Harm," the crazed delivery of such lines as "Daddy, take the banana, tomorrow Sunday" makes one want to believe something profound is going down. In terms of scope and the wealth of ideas, this is probably the most balanced of their first four albums. - Ted Mills / AMG
LP $21

FUNKADELIC - Funkadelic (4 Men With Beards 160; USA) "The 1970 debut from Detroit's nastiest, most shredding progenitors of funk-rock. Arising from the ashes of George Clinton's Plainfield, New Jersey led R&B group, The Parliaments, Funkadelic formed in the late '60s and, in addition to Clinton, included the blazing guitar of Eddie Hazel, organist Mickey Atkins, rhythm guitarist Tawl Ross, and drummer Tiki Fulwood. Though firmly rooted in funk and soul, Funkadelic incorporates a dark psychedelic element, influenced by Hendrix and Sly Stone, to create a sound that was unparalleled at the time and since. Sampled by everyone from DJ Shadow to Ice Cube, De La Soul, and the Beastie Boys, Funkadelic still sounds fresh today and is the first solid example of George Clinton's eccentric genius." 180 gram vinyl
LP $21

FUNKADELIC - Tales Of Kidd Funkadelic (4 Men With Beards 208; USA) eighth album from 1976 [and last one on Westbound] "1976's Tales of Kidd Funkadelic is the last Funkadelic album on Westbound Records and it was actually released after George Clinton and company had left the label for Warner Bros. Just before leaving, Clinton (as a contractual obligation) delivered to their original label a collection of recently recorded outtakes (some leftover jams, songs, and funk pieces) which were released as the album Tales of Kidd Funkadelic (the LP did significantly better commercially than their first album for Warner Bros., Hardcore Jollies, and included 'Undisco Kidd,' an R&B Top 30 single)." 180 gram vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve.
LP $21

FUNKADELIC - Let's Take It To The Stage (4 Men With Beards 207; USA) seventh album from 1975. "Originally released in April of 1975, Let's Take It To The Stage is George Clinton's pioneering combo's seventh album for Westbound Records. Let's Take It To The Stage was the work of a group that had turned a corner, a combination of all the disparate aspects of Funkadelic's music up to that point: the extended jams, abrasive guitars, smooth ballads, direct vocals, psychedelic ingredients, sexual lyrics and dirty funk into the most short and to-the-point songs they'd ever recorded. Let's Take It To The Stage is cool music made by cool people for cool people." 180 gram vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve.
LP $21

FUNKADELIC - America Eats Its Young [2 LP set] (4 Men With Beards 179; USA) "The 4th album from George Clinton's funk/psych/rock outfit, originally released in 1972, is a double LP of epic proportions. Deep and heavy grooves propelled by the always amazing guitar, bass and keyboard work of Eddie Hazel, William 'Bootsy' Collins, and Bernie Worrell, respectively. Among other great tunes, it also features the ignored gem 'If You Don't Like The Effects, Don't Produce The Cause' - which lit up the switchboard at K-ROCK when MannyLunch was DJ'ing the music for Eric Bogosian's anti-war call-in special during Desert Storm! Equally sleazy, political, heartfelt, and just plain bizarre, America Eats Its Young was, and remains, one of the few double albums of the 1970s that warranted every single minute of wax.. and with THAT gatefold cover of the Statue Of Liberty as a blood-sucking vampire in the middle of a dollar bill..!" Deluxe gatefold sleeve; 180 gram vinyl.
2 LP set for $26



THE YARDBIRDS [KEITH RELF/ERIC CLAPTON/JEFF BECK/JIMMY PAGE et al] - Glimpses 1963-1968 [5 CD set] (Easy Action 035; UK) "Three years in the making an Official box set of rarities and unheard material. It also documents the bands transition from RnB stalwarts in the beginning into the Pop world and ultimately on to more experimental psychedelic sounds lastly becoming a type of blueprint for what was to become Led Zeppelin. Features the most complete set of BBC recordings fully remastered. Includes material featuring all three of the Yardbirds legendary guitarists Eric Clapton , Jeff Beck & Jimmy Page. An in depth 6" booklet features unpublished photographs as well as liner notes by respected British music Journalist Mark Paytress as well as notes by compiler and author of Yardbirds book, Rave Up, Greg Russo."
5 CD set for $75


BALLIN' JACK - Ballin' Jack (Get On Down 52189; USA) "Seattle Washington's horn rock legends, Ballin' Jack originally formed in 1969 after witnessing the success of their childhood friend blossom and then explode. Who was this childhood friend? Well none other than the one and only Jimi Hendrix. While Ballin' Jack never reached the same Olympian heights that Hendrix did, their self titled debut garnered critical acclamations and respect amongst horn rock aficionados. Most of the material from their self titled debut album was played on tour with Hendrix, when they joined him in 1970 on his 'Cry of Love' tour. Ballin' Jack scored modest mainstream success with their single 'Super Highway,' peaking at #90 on the US Billboard Singles chart. Hip hop fans will recognize Ballin' Jack for a different reason. The song 'Found A Child' was famously sampled for Young MC's enormous hit 'Bust A Move.' Get On Down is proud to present Ballin' Jack's self titled debut as it was intended to be experienced, with a beautiful new digital transfer from the original analog tapes."
CD $15




The LTM 'Salon' label: Early 20th Century Avant Garde Recordings: Futurists, Dadaists, and 'Primitive' Electronicists!

JEAN COCTEAU, ERIK SATIE & LES SIX [GEORGES AURIC/LOUIS DUREY/ARTHUR HONNEGER/DARIUS MILHAUD/FRANCIS POULENC/GERMAINE TAILLEFAIRE] - Le Groupe Des Six: Selected Works 1915-1945 [2 CD set] (LTM/Salon 2533; EEC) Le Groupe des Six: Selected Works 1919-1945 is the latest release from the LTM label documenting links between avant-garde music and art in the 20th Century. Mentored by Erik Satie and Jean Cocteau from 1917 to 1923, the celebrated group of young French composers known as Les Six comprised Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc and Germaine Taillefaire. This 150 minute remastered double CD set features selected piano and orchestral works by Les Six composed between 1915 and 1945, including collaborations with Jean Cocteau, Guillaume Apollinaire, Max Jacob, Marcelle Meyer and Denise Duval. All selections were recorded between 1928 and 2007, including some personally performed or conducted by the composers themselves. The booklet includes archive images and detailed historical notes by James Hayward.
Disc One: 1-6. L'Album des Six Le Groupe des Six 7-9. Mouvements perpetuels Francis Poulenc 10-12. Trois pieces pour piano Arthur Honegger 13. Caramel mou (Shimmy) Darius Milhaud 14. Adieu, New York Georges Auric 15. Les Biches 16. Le Bestiaire 17. Huit nocturnes 18. Deux novellettes 19. Quinze improvisations pour piano 20. Caprice (Le Bal masque) Francis Poulenc 21. Scaramouche Darius Milhaud 22. Le printemps au fond de la mer Louis Durey
Disc Two: 1. Le Groupe des Six Jean Cocteau 2. La Creation du monde Darius Milhaud 3. Pacific 231 4. Prelude, Fugue et Postlude Arthur Honegger 5. Ouverture Germaine Tailleferre 6. Les Mamelles de Tiresias Francis Poulenc
2 CD set for $20

JEAN COCTEAU, ERIK SATIE & LES SIX [GEORGES AURIC/LOUIS DUREY/ARTHUR HONNEGER/DARIUS MILHAUD/FRANCIS POULENC/GERMAINE TAILLEFAIRE] - L'Album Des Six (LTM/Salon 2402; EEC) LTM is pleased to announce the second release on our new imprint Salon, whose catalogue will reflect the contribution of music to 20th Century avant-garde art. The celebrated L'Album des Six of 1920 is now recognised as a landmark in 20th Century modern music. Similarly the artful relationship between the composers who formed "Les Six" and their mentors Erik Satie and Jean Cocteau forms an important cornerstone of the inter-war avant garde. This 74 minute anthology also includes music composed by Satie and Les Six for spectacles staged by Cocteau between 1917 and 1920, as well as Arthur Honegger's futuristic Pacific 231, and music by Georges Auric for five Cocteau films made between 1930 and 1959: Le Sang d'un Poete, La Belle et la Bete, L'Aigle a Deux Tetes, Orphee, Le Testament D'Orphee. Full tracklist: JEAN COCTEAU Introduces Les Six (1953) L'ALBUM DES SIX (1920) 11.30 Georges Auric Prelude Louis Durey Romance sans Paroles Op 21 Arthur Honegger Sarabande Darius Milhaud Mazurka Francis Poulenc Valse Germaine Tailleferre Pastorale FRANCIS POULENC Cocardes (1920) ERIK SATIE Parade (1917) DARIUS MILHAUD Le Boeuff sur le Toit (1919) ARTHUR HONEGGER Pacific 231 (1923) JEAN COCTEAU two jazz poems (1929) GEORGES AURIC five Cocteau film themes All material on this definitive collection has been digitally remastered. The deluxe booklet features many rare images, as well as detailed historical notes by noted author James Hayward.Consider this a companion volume to LTM's Futurism & Dada Reviewed (LTMCD 2301) Surrealism Reviewed (LTMCD 2343), and Musica Futurista (LTMCD 2401)
CD $17

ERIK SATIE - Avant-Dernieres Pensees: Selected Piano Works v.1 (LTM/Salon 2501; EEC) LTM is proud to present a new CD in our series by visionary French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925), following the success of previous releases including Vexations, Socrate and Dada Works, which present selected Satie recordings with explicit links to the unconventional, the mystic and the avant-garde. Avant-Dernieres Pensees: Selected Piano Works features several of Satie's best known compositions, including the famously poised Trois Gymnopodies, all six haunting Gnossiennes and Je te veux, as well as more experimental pieces such as Descriptions automatiques, Avant-dernieres pensees and Sports et divertissements, an extraordinary collection of 21 miniatures from 1914 with illustrations by Charles Martin. Also included is Satie's single-act, neo-Dada lyric comedy Le Piege de Medusa, comprising 'seven tiny dances for Jonah the Monkey' and illustrated by the Cubist painter Georges Braque. The 46 pieces on this 72 minute CD are performed by pianist Bojan Gorisek. The booklet includes archive images and detailed liner notes by James Hayward. Also available by Erik Satie on LTM: Vexations (LTMCD 2389) Cocteau, Satie & Les Six (LTMCD 2402) Socrate / Melodies (LTMCD 2459) Musique de la Rose + Croix (LTMCD 2469) Dada Works & Entr'actes (LTMCD 2424) Cubist Works 1913-24 (LTMCD 2406)
CD $17

ERIK SATIE - Dada Works & Entr'actes (LTM/Salon 2474; EEC) LTM is pleased to announce the first CD collection of Dada-related works by French avant garde composer Erik Satie (1866-1925) including scores for Francis Picabia, Tristan Tzara, Kurt Schwitters and Rene Clair. An enthusiastic Dada activist in Paris between 1920 and 1924, Erik Satie collaborated extensively with Tzara, Man Ray, Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau, wrote often in Picabia's journal 391, and was a sworn enemy of the Surrealist faction lead by Andre Breton. According to Man Ray, Satie was "the only composer who had eyes." All of Satie's principle Dada-related works are included on this unique CD: Trois morceaux en forme de poire, performed by Satie in July 1923 at Tzara's notorious Soiree du Coeur a barbe, at which fighting broke out between Tzara's supporters and the proto-Surrealist faction. Ragtime Dada, an extract from the ballet Parade performed at a series of Dada soirees by Kurt Schwitters and Theo van Doesburg in 1922. Entr'acte and Cinema, both scores for Francis Picabia's dazzling multi-media 'instantaneist' ballet Relache performed in 1924. Cinema was Satie's custom score for the celebrated intermission film by Rene Clair, while for their curtain call Satie and Picabia drove onstage in a tiny car, resplendent in jewels and furs, the whole production amounting to an act of anti-art provocation. Both are Satie's arrangements for solo piano The 70 minute CD (40 tracks) is performed on piano by Bojan Gorisek, while the booklet features archive images and detailed historical notes by James Hayward. Also available by Erik Satie on LTM: Vexations (LTMCD 2389) Musique de la Rose+Croix (LTMCD 2469) Socrate + Melodies (LTMCD 2459) Cocteau, Satie & Les Six (LTMCD 2402).
CD $17

ERIK SATIE - Musique de la Rose + Croix/Pages Mystiques/Uspud [2 CD set] (LTM/Salon 2469; EEC) LTM is proud to announce a new CD in our series by visionary French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925), following the success of previous releases Vexations and Cocteau, Satie and Les Six, and presenting selected Satie recordings with explicit links to the unconventional, the mystic and the avant-garde. Musique de la Rose+Croix is a double disc set (94 minutes) of solo piano music comprising Satie's enigmatic Rosicrucian pieces (1891-1894) together with an instrumental version of the ballet score Uspud (1892) and the meditative works collected as the Pages Mystiques (1893). For a short period Erik Satie was appointed official composer for the esoteric Ordre de la Rose-Croix Catholique du Temple et du Graal, founded in Paris by the flamboyant mystic 'Sar' Josephin Peladan. The first Salon de la Rose-Croix was held in March 1892, at which Satie's solemn Trois Sonneries de la Rose + Croix were performed for the first time. Satie also composed music for Peladan's play Le Fils des etoiles (Son of the Stars), as well as two preludes for a chivalric play, Le Nazareen. Satie subsequently broke from the Order in August 1892. Subsequent works by Satie in the same vein include his remarkable Christian ballet Uspud (1892), sacred music intended to shock and ridicule the Parisian musical establishment, and the Pages Mystiques of 1983. The latter includes his celebrated piece Vexations, the score for which is just three lines long, yet a complete performance (840 repetitions) may last for anything between 14 and 28 hours. Satie's so-called Rosicrucian Adventure produced some of the composer's most enigmatic and extraordinary works, performed here by pianists Bojan Gorisek and Richard Cameron-Wolfe. The booklet of the double CD set includes detailed liner notes by James Hayward. Also available by Erik Satie on LTM: Vexations (LTMCD 2389), Cocteau, Satie & Les Six (LTMCD 2402), Socrate / Melodies (LTMCD 2459).
2 CD set for $20

ERIK SATIE - Socrate + Melodies (LTM/Salon 2459; EEC) 21 tracks. LTM is pleased to announce a new CD edition of the acclaimed recording of Erik Satie's symphonic drama Socrate, performed by Music Projects London and previously available on the Factory Classical label. Completed in the spring of 1918, Socrate is a typical eccentric piece from avant-garde pioneer Erik Satie. Written in three movements for voice (four sopranos) and small orchestra (or piano), the text is extracted from three Platonic dialogues and depicts the last days of the Greek philosopher Socrates, condemned to death for corrupting the young men of Athens. The subtitle "symphonic drama" belies the understatement and economy of Socrate, which Satie aimed to make "white and pure like antiquity." To achieve this, Satie claimed that he ate only white foods. Socrate itself lasts for 30 minutes, and is joined on this CD by five short song cycles written by Satie between 1886 and 1923: Trois Melodies (1886), Trois Autres Melodies, Trois Melodies (1916), Quatres Petite Melodies (1920) and the absurdist Ludions (bottle imps) (1923), the latter with lyrics by poet Leon-Paul Fargue. The 61 minute CD was digitally recorded at All Saints Church, Petersham, UK. Sopranos Susan Bickley, Eileen Hulse and Patricia Rosario perform with pianist Robin Bowman and conductor Richard Bernas. This new CD edition from LTM features new artwork and revised liner notes and translations, including full texts of Socrate and all eighteen Melodies in both French and English. Socrate + Melodies has already been praised by The Gramophone (1990). Also available by Erik Satie on LTM: Vexations (LTMCD 2389).
CD $17

ERIK SATIE - Cubist Works 1913-1924 (LTM/Salon 2406; EEC) LTM is proud to announce a new CD in our series by visionary French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925), following the success of previous releases Vexations, Socrate, Musique de la Rose + Croix and Dada Works, on which we present selected Satie recordings with explicit links to the unconventional, the mystic and the avant-garde. Cubist Works offers four works composed by Satie between 1913 and 1924 for his collaborations with the artist Pablo Picasso. These include piano and orchestral versions of his scores for the celebrated Cubist ballets Parade (1917) and Mercure (1924), as well as the seldom-heard organ 'diversion', The Statue Found (1923). The 60 minute CD also includes The Puppets Are Dancing, written for the French Futurist dancer and poet Valentine de Saint-Point in 1913, and the ludic Trois Valses distinguees du precieux degoute (Three Disgustingly Precious Waltzes), a barbed swipe at rival composer Maurice Ravel and premiered at an exhibition of works by Picasso, Matisse and others in 1916. The solo piano works on this CD are performed by Bojan Gorisek. The booklet includes archive images and detailed liner notes by James Hayward. Also available by Erik Satie on LTM: Vexations (LTMCD 2389), Cocteau, Satie & Les Six (LTMCD 2402), Socrate / Melodies (LTMCD 2459), Musique de la Rose + Croix (LTMCD 2469), Dada Works & Entr'actes (LTMCD 2424).
CD $17

ERIK SATIE - Vexations (LTM/Salon 2389; EEC) LTM is proud to announce a new CD title on the Salon imprint, following the success of our recent releases Musica Futurista and Cocteau, Satie and Les Six. Written by eccentric French composer Erik Satie in 1893, the extraordinary score for Vexations is just three lines long, yet a complete performance (840 repetitions) may last for anything between 14 and 28 hours. First performed under the supervision of John Cage in 1963, this radical yet enigmatic work is now recognized as a significant milestone in avant-garde music. This meditative 70 minute recording features 40 repetitions of the motif, performed by Alan Marks on piano. The recording was produced by Thomas Wilbrant. Some credit Vexations with occult numerical meaning, others as Satie's Greatest Prank or a 'poor man's Ring of the Nibelung'. Curiously, despite the almost infinitely repetitive nature of the piece, the central 18 note motif is notoriously hard to remember. Indeed no single pianist has yet been able to negotiate a complete performance of all 840 repetitions. By performing 40 repetitions over 70 minutes, Marks provides a relatively concise introduction. Digitally recorded, the CD also features detailed liner notes by Stephen Whittington.
CD $17

MARCEL DUCHAMP - Musical Erratum + In Conversation (LTM/Salon 2504; EEC) LTM is pleased to announce the release of a new CD by influential avant-garde artist Marcel Duchamp, featuring two interpretations of his Musical Erratum for piano, together with four spoken word extracts. Written in 1913, the Musical Erratum for piano forms part of the sequence of notes and projects which led to Duchamp's celebrated artwork, La Mariee misea nu par ses celibataires, meme (The bride stripped bare by her batchelors, even, often called The Large Glass). La Mariee.. is also the sub-title of the 1913 piano work. Abstract, elusive and even 'inachievable' according to the artist, the Musical Erratum consists of two scores. In the first, notes are replaced by numbered keys, and virtuoso performance is discouraged in favour of novel mechanical instrumentation. The second offers a form of random composition, by which numbered balls are dropped into the moving wagons of a toy train. Famously, Duchamp described the whole as "a very useless performance, in any event." Two versions are included on this new CD, including a conventional (but non-virtuoso) performance on piano, and another on which spinning rotary discs brush the piano strings to produce extraordinary tones. The extended 74 minute CD also includes four spoken word extracts by Duchamp (English language), including a fascinating lecture delivered in Houston in 1957, The Creative Act, and a lengthy interview recorded in 1959. Also available from LTM: Various : Futurism & Dada Reviewed (LTMCD 2301), Various : Voices of Dada (LTMCD 2424), Various : Surrealism Reviewed (LTMCD 2343), Francis Picabia : The American Nurse (LTMCD 2509).
CD $17

FRANCIS PICABIA - La Nourrice Americaine [The American Nurse] (LTM/Salon 2509; EEC) LTM is pleased to announce the release of a unique CD by influential avant-garde artist Francis Picabia, featuring two interpretations of his provocative 1920 Dadaist piece for piano, together a spoken word extract from 1945. Written in 1920, La Nourrice Americaine (The American Nurse) consists of "three notes repeated to infinity" and was performed for the first - and last - time at the Festival Dada, staged at the Salle Gaveau in Paris on 26 May 1920. A landmark event, the Festival Dada included contributions from Tristan Tzara, Andre Breton, Paul Eluard, Louis Aragon, Philippe Soupault and Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes, and launched the Dada phenomenon in Paris. La Nourrice Americaine was performed on the day by Marguerite Buffet, duration unknown. It seems likely that Picabia's only venture into musical composition was inspired by talks with his friends Erik Satie, Marcel Duchamp and Edgard Varese. On this CD fast and slow interpretations are included, both performed by pianist Tom Feldschuh and each lasting for 20 minutes. The CD also includes a rare spoken word piece by Picabia (in the French language), recording a visit to the artist's Paris atelier in July 1945. Artist biography: Born in Paris in 1879, artist, poet and theorist Francis Picabia is recognised as a key figure in the development of abstract art and the avant-garde in the 20th Century. After 1913 he made several visits to New York, where he was active in avant-garde circles and took part in the Armory Show. In 1917 he founded the celebrated periodical 391, and was an active participant in Paris Dada. A friend of composer Erik Satie, the pair collaborated on the ballet Relache in 1924. Picabia later resumed abstract painting and writing poerty; a lover of fast cars, he is said to have owned 150 different vehicles. Picabia died in 1953. Also available from LTM: Various : Voices of Dada (LTMCD 2424), Various : Surrealism Reviewed (LTMCD 2343), Marcel Duchamp : Musical Erratum (LTMCD 2504), Erik Satie : Vexations (LTMCD 2389).
CD $17

NELLY (PETRO) VAN DOESBURG - Repertoire De Stijl: Bauhaus: Dada (LTM/Salon 2495; EEC) LTM are pleased to present an overview of the avant-garde piano repertoire of Petro van Doesburg, performed at various De Stijl, Dada and Bauhaus soirees in Europe between 1920 and 1925. Born in Holland in 1899, Petro met De Stijl movement founder and propagandist Theo van Doesburg in 1920. Over the next decade the couple lived in Wiemar (where Theo was associated with the influential Bauhaus art and architecture school) and then Paris. A Conservatory-trained pianist, Petro accompanied her husband's lectures with selected modernist piano pieces, and also performed at Salon Dada soirees organised by Theo with Kurt Schwitters in Holland and Germany in 1922/23. Following Theo's death in 1931, Petro established the De Stijl archive and was a buyer for Peggy Guggenheim. She died in 1975. The material on this 76 minute CD includes pieces by Erik Satie, Josef Matthias Hauer, Arnold Schoenberg, Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger and Jacob van Domselaer, whose austere Proeven van Stijlkunst (1913-17) offers an application of Piet Mondrian's neo-plastic principles to musical composition. The music is performed by noted Dutch pianist Peter Beijersbergen van Henegouwen. The CD also features a deluxe booklet featuring archive images and detailed historical notes by James Hayward. Also available on LTM: Futurism & Dada Reviewed (LTMCD 2301), Surrealism Reviewed (LTMCD 2343), Bauhaus Reviewed 1919-33 (LTMCD 2472), Musica Futurista: The Art of Noises (LTMCD 2401), Voices of Dada (LTMCD 2424), Erik Satie : Dada Works & Entr'actes (LTMCD 2474)
CD $17

FRANCO CASAVOLA - Futurlieder (LTM/Salon 2454; EEC) 28 tracks. LTM is proud to present Futurlieder, the very first dedicated album of music by the leading Italian Futurist composer, theorist and writer Franco Casavola. Born near Bari in 1891, Franco Casavola was invited to join the Futurist movement by F.T. Marinetti in 1922. Casavola wrote a number of scores for theatre productions, including the mechanical ballets Anihccam del 3000 and Fantasia Meccanica. He also wrote a number of essays and manifestoes on future music, and Futurist novel, Introduction to Madness. Casavola broke with Futurism in 1927, and afterwards scored movies. He died in Bari in 1955. Although Franco Casavola claimed to have destroyed all his Futurist scores in 1927, recent research has proved otherwise. Futurlieder gathers together short Futurist pieces such as Dance of the Monkeys (Hop Frog), Zoological Foxtrot, Epileptic Cabaret and Campari (one of the first published advertising jingles). In addition the 66 minute CD includes longer song cycles such as Tankas, Liriche, La sera and Gioielleria notturna, all of which are later works (though still avowedly Modernist), and include settings of lyrics by the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio. All 28 tracks on Futurlieder are previously unreleased and were recorded by virtuoso Italian duo Daniele Lombardi (piano) and Susanna Rigacci (soprano) between 1994 and 2004. The tracks were produced by Carlo Piccardi for Radio Svizzera/Rete-Due, with whom this CD is a co-production. The cover art is based on a 1932 design by Fortunato Depero. Also available on LTM: Futurism & Dada Reviewed 1912-1959 (LTMCD 2301). Musica Futurista: The Art of Noises (LTMCD 2401).
CD $17

FESTIVAL DADA PARIS 1920-23 [V.A.] - Festival Dada 1920/Soiree du Coeur a Barbe 1923 (LTM/Salon 2513; EEC) A unique CD based on the piano repertoire performed at two landmark Dada events in Paris, namely the Festival Dada on 26 May 1920, and the infamous Soiree du Coeur a Barbe on 6 July 1923, an event disrupted by violent confrontation between Tristan Tzara's Dada faction and Surrealists lead by Andre Breton. Music from the 1920 event includes two pieces by Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes as well as The American Nurse by Francis Picabia, the latter described as 'three notes repeated to infinity'. Pieces performed at the riotous 1923 soiree include two fox-trots by Georges Auric and Darius Milhaud (both members of the celebrated group Les Six), Trois Morceaux en forme de poire by Erik Satie, and Three Easy Pieces by Igor Stravinsky. The CD also includes other pieces such as Satie's bizarre playlet Le Piege de Meduse (premiered in Paris in May 1921), Drie composities voor Klavier by the Belgian-born Dada/Surrealist E.L.T. Mesens, and a piano rendering of Marcel Duchamp's short vocal Musical Erratum of 1913. The CD closes with an historic archive Stravinsky recording from 1925 by Marcelle Meyer, the pianist who performed at the 1923 event. The music of dada is rarely heard, and remarkably this CD marks the first ever recordings of these compositions by Ribemont-Dessaignes, Picabia and Mesens. All were researched and performed for the project by virtuoso Dutch pianist Peter Beijersbergen van Henegouwen. The booklet includes detailed liner notes by James Hayward, as well as archive images.
CD $17

VOICES OF DADA [V.A.] - Voices Of Dada (LTM/Salon 2424; EEC) Voices of Dada features rare interviews and poetry readings by original Dada artists recorded between 1932 and 1967. All material has been carefully digitally remastered. Booklet includes detailed artist biographies and historical notes. Total running time = 72 minutes. CD edited and produced by James Hayward for LTM. HANS ARP : Dada-spruche (1961), RICHARD HUELSENBECK : Interview (1959), RICHARD HUELSENBECK : Phantastiche Gebete (1967), MARCEL DUCHAMP : Interview #1 (1959), KURT SCHWITTERS : Die Sonata in Urlauten (1932), MARCEL DUCHAMP : A l'infinitif (1967), TRISTAN TZARA : Pour compte (1948), MARCEL DUCHAMP : Interview #2 (1959), KURT SCHWITTERS : An Anna Blume (1932), RAOUL HAUSMANN : bbb + fmsbw (1956), kperioum (1956).
CD $17

BAUHAUS REVIEWED [V.A.] - 1919-1933 (LTM/Salon 2472; EEC) 19 tracks. The first audiobook CD to explore the highly influential Bauhaus school of art and architecture, which operated in Germany between 1919 and 1933. The spoken word element centres on a revealing talk by Walter Gropius, the architect and theoretician who founded the Bauhaus in 1919. The CD also includes contributions from the school's third and final director, architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and teacher Josef Albers. All interviews are in the English language. The music content of the CD features piano pieces written between 1919 and 1925 by six composers associated with the Bauhaus: Arnold Schoenberg, Josef Matthias Hauer, George Antheil, Stefan Wolpe and H.H. Stuckenschmidt. Several of these pieces reflect serialism and 12-tone technique; most are performed by Steffen Schleiermacher on piano. With a generous running time of 72 minutes, the CD also features a deluxe booklet featuring archive Bauhaus images and detailed historical notes by James Hayward.
CD $17

MUSICA FUTURISTA [V.A.] - The Art Of Noises (LTM/Salon 2401; EEC) Musica Futurista: The Art of Noises is a 74 minute collection of music and spoken word from the Italian Futurist movement 1909-1935, including original recordings by Marinetti, Russolo and Balilla Pratella. As well as vintage 'free verse' readings by Futurist figurehead F.T. Marinetti, the CD includes recordings of the celebrated intonarumori (noise intoners) created by Luigi Russolo, including the compostition The Awakening of a City. Russolo's public performances scandalized Europe in 1914 yet still resonate today. Although his extraordinary ideas met with fierce resistance, it is now clear he exerted a powerful influence on a number of leading avant-garde and experimental composers, initially Igor Stravinsky, George Antheil and Arthur Honegger, and later John Cage, Edgar Varese, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Harry Partch, as well as non-classical electronica and avant-rock. As well as period recordings, the CD includes contemporary performances of other key Futurist works by Balilla Pratella, Antonio Russolo, Aldo Giuntini, Luigi Grandi, Silvio Mix, Franco Casavola, Alfredo Casella, Matty Malneck and Frank Signorelli. All material on this definitive collection has been digitally remastered. The deluxe booklet features many rare images, as well as detailed historical notes by noted author James Hayward. Consider this a companion volume to LTM's Futurism & Dada Reviewed (LTMCD 2301) and Surrealism Reviewed (LTMCD 2343).
CD $17

SURREALISM REVIEWED [V.A.] - Archival Surreal Recordings (LTM/Salon 2343; EEC) 15 tracks. The long-awaited sequel to the acclaimed Futurism & Dada Reviewed collection, with a full length archive CD titled SURREALISM REVIEWED. For the very first time, original recordings by the following key artists, writers, poets and theorists are now gathered together on a single volume: MARCEL DUCHAMP, ANDRE BRETON, ROBERT DESNOS, LOUIS ARAGON, MAX ERNST, SALVADOR DALI, TRISTAN TZARA, PHILIPPE SOUPAULT, MAN RAY, ROLAND PENROSE, ANTONIN ARTAUD, LEE MILLER, HERBERT READ, JEAN COCTEAU. The various recordings, made between 1929 And 1963, include poetry, interviews, lectures and manifestos. Most are in the English language, and some in French. Some, such as those by Desnos (1938) and Read (1937), have not been heard since they were first recorded onto acetate discs. Running for 74 minutes and featuring extensive sleevenotes, the disc is a must for all students of 20th Century art and literature and the avant garde, as well as left-field musical ideas and endeavour.
CD $17

FUTURISM AND DADA REVIEWED [V.A.] - 1912-1959 (LTM/Salon 2301; EEC) CD release of this unique collection of original sound recordings made by key figures from both 20th Century avant garde art movements. Three years in the making, and with over one hour of playing time, the CD features sound collages, tone poems, interviews and music made between 1912 and 1959 by luminaries such as: F.T. Marinetti The poet and guiding light of Futurism in declamatory mode, circa 1931. Antonio Russolo & Luigi Russolo represented by the only surviving original recordings made with the celebrated 'intonarumori' (noise machines) in 1924. Marcel Duchamp: A much discussed but rarely heard example of Duchamp's musical non-theory, its ambient tones still sounding timeless. Kurt Schwitters: A very rare reading of the famed 'Die Sonata in Urlauten' from 1932. Tristan Tzara: The hugely influential poet of both Dada and Surrealism, whose abstract techniques went on to influence later writers such as William S. Burroughs. Wyndham Lewis: A rare 1940 reading by a leading light of the British futurist offshoot, Vorticism. Guillaume Apollinaire & Jean Cocteau: Not members of either movement, yet major influences on both, with Cocteau's contribution from 1929 a fascinating curiosity from the golden age of jazz. The collection also includes material by Marcel Janco, Luigi Grandi and Richard Huelsenbeck. 'Futurism & Dada Reviewed' is a must-have artifact for anyone interested in actually hearing the work of these pioneers, as was originally intended. Retailers may wish to catalogue this item as a 'book' as well as a spoken word CD. Praise for LTMCD 2301: "The most enthralling LTM project to date, should lie in every record collection bar none. Some more of this right now!" (Melody Maker, 12/88)
CD $17


and, let's not forget these two incredible compilations of more recent futurists..

THE FRUIT OF THE ORIGINAL SIN [V.A.] - a collection of afterhours preoccupations [2 CD set] (LTM 2497; EEC) First complete CD release of the classic 1981 compilation album The Fruit of the Original Sin, first released on chic Belgian indie label Les Disques du Crepuscule. Originally released as a deluxe double album package in November 1981, The Fruit of the Original Sin featured 24 exclusive tracks from the international avant garde and new wave, as well as the celebrated Factory Records and Postcard rosters. Then, as now, the contributing artists include William S. Burroughs, The Durutti Column, Paul Haig, Tuxedomoon, Wim Mertens, DNA, Richard Jobson, Marine, The French Impressionists and Peter Gordon. The programme also includes an extended interview with acclaimed French author Marguerite Duras. The original double album now features 8 bonus tracks, including both sides of long-lost singles by Paul Haig (Soon/Summertime) and noted New York visual artist Lawrence Weiner (Deutsche Angst/Where It Came From), as well as a rare track (Matters of Theory) by The Lost Jockey, the modernist ensemble featuring composer Andrew Poppy. The 12 page facsimile booklet features original artwork by Benoit Hennebert and Jean-Francois Octave, as well as archive images and detailed liner notes. The original cover art by Hennebert is widely recognised as one of his very best designs. This new double CD edition has been digitally remastered from the original master tapes, and features 125 minutes of material. Most of the tracks featured here STILL remain unavailable elsewhere. The CD follows on the success of our 2006 re-release of the 1980 Crepuscule compilation From Brussels With Love
2 CD set for $20

FROM BRUSSELS WITH LOVE [V.A.] - From Brussels With Love (LTM 2479; EEC) 19 tracks. First CD release of the classic 1980 compilation album From Brussels With Love, also the debut release from chic Belgian indie label Les Disques du Crepuscule (TWI 007). Originally released as a deluxe cassette/book package in November 1980, From Brussels With Love featured 22 exclusive tracks from the international avant garde and new wave, as well as the celebrated Factory Records roster. Then, as now, the contributing artists include Gavin Bryars, Harold Budd, Dome, The Durutti Column, John Foxx, Martin Hannett, Richard Jobson, Bill Nelson, New Order and Michael Nyman. The programme also includes extended interviews with Brian Eno and iconic French actress Jeanne Moreau. Writing in NME in 1980, journalist Paul Morley praised From Brussels With Love thus: This is a reminder - without really trying, without being obvious - that pop is modern poetry, is the sharpest, shiniest collection of experiences, is always something new." And according to Dave McCullough in Sounds: "This tape, a long mysterious piece of collective modern overdrive, points to a future somewhere." This new CD edition has been digitally remastered from the original master tapes, and features 75 minutes of material. Most of the tracks featured here STILL remain unavailable elsewhere. For reasons of space just one has been deleted from the original cassette (A Certain Ratio), although this track is available on LTMCD 2443. The 20 page facsimile booklet features original artwork by Benoit Hennebert and Jean-Francois Octave, as well as archive images and detailed liner notes.
CD $17

..also, two vital Gavin Bryars recordings!

GAVIN BRYARS - The Sinking of the Titanic: Live Bourges 1990 (LTM/Salon 2525; EEC) The celebrated live performance of The Sinking of the Titanic by acclaimed modern British composer Gavin Bryars. Originally released on Les Disques du Crepuscule, this extended 60 minute performance of Bryars' haunting masterpiece was recorded by the Gavin Bryars Ensemble at the French festival Le Printemps de Bourges in April 1990. The performance location was the Chateau D'Eau, a disused water tower on three storeys, in an environment conceived by L'Academie de Museologue Evocatoire, showing works by French artist Christian Boltanski and also featuring documentation relating to the wreck of the Titanic supplied by divers Taurus International. Featured Ensemble musicians are Dave Smith, Roger Heaton, Martin Allen, Alexander Balanescu, Jon Carney and directed by Bryars himself. Bryars explains: "The Bourges recording is much longer than earlier versions of Titanic and takes account of the peculiar nature of the performing environment. The six musicians were located in the basement area of the three storey water tower, and the public heard the pieces through a specially designed sound system on the middle floor - although only after the sound had passed through the cavernous top floor, which was used as a massive reverberation chamber. The acoustics of the space, previously an underwater one, conditioned the way in which the music was heard." This new CD edition also features extensive liner notes by Gavin Bryars, as well as updated artwork. "Unfortunately the only recently available one is the execrable version recorded for Philip Glass' Point Music label, which should be avoided! And, of course, the original on Eno's Obscure label, now sadly out-of-print on CD, should not be ignored. But, Bryars feels this is the best version to hear [I agree!]: a spirited haunting performance and immaculate recording sound. Great to not have to pay $100 on eBay for it anymore. All Thumbs UP!" - MannyLunch
CD $17

GAVIN BRYARS - Hommages (LTM/Salon 2503; EEC) LTM is proud to present a newly remastered CD edition of the lost yet influential album Hommages by acclaimed modern British composer Gavin Bryars. Originally released in November 1981 on Les Disques du Crepuscule, Hommages was recorded in Leicester in February 1981 and produced by noted Belgian new music composer Wim Mertens. The album was conceived as a series of diverse homages to other composers, which include Bill Evans (My First Homage), Ferruccio Busoni and Gustav Holst (The English Mail-Coach and The Vespertine Park) and Percy Grainger (Hi-Tremolo). Featured musicians included Andrew Bilham, Ronald Reah, Andrew Renshaw, Nigel Shipway, Dave Smith, John White and Marie Wilson, as well as Gavin Bryars himself on piano and vibraphone. The album is the only one which documents the important period between Bryars' early experimental music and later works from Medea onwards, as well as his enthusiasm for small composer/performer ensembles. The new 63 minute digital remaster of Hommages now INCLUDES TWO BONUS TRACKS composed and recorded by Bryars during the same period: Danse Dieppoise, and the lengthy piano piece Out of Zaleski's Gazebo. The booklet features extensive notes by Gavin Bryars on the origin and performance of all six pieces, and preserves the original album cover artwork by Marc Borgers.
CD $17




LAST COPIES of Jazzwerkstatt CDs!

HEIMATLIEDER [MANFRED SCHOOF/MATTHIAS SCHRIEFL/CONNY BAUER/HANS REICHEL/UTE VOLKER/WOLFGANG SCHMIDTKE/CHRISTIAN RAMOND/PETER WEISS] - Heimatlieder: Live November 2007 (Jazzwerkstatt 30; Germany) This disc was recorded live in Wuppertal & Berlin in November of 2007 and featuring Manfred Schoof & Matthias Schriefl [alternating] on trumpets, Conny Bauer on trombone, Hans Reichel on daxophone, Ute Volker on accordion. Wolfgang Schmidtke on sax & bass clarinet, Christian Ramond on bass and Peter Weiss on drums. Since I only knew 3 of the 8 musicians involved, I wasn't quite sure what to expect except for a couple of odd covers, the theme from "Bonanza" and the theme from "Dallas". The accordion player, Ute Volker, also appeared on a handful of discs that we've offered over the past few years with Gunda Gottschalk & John Russell. The one thing that does stand out is the strange vocal-like sound of Hans Reichel's daxophone, an instrument which played by bowing various pieces of wood that are held by a small vice on a stand - kind of like an acoustic theremin. All of these tunes are odd cover songs, often corny or at least humorous. What is great is arrangements and instrumentation: a quirky combination of brass, accordion, dax, sax, bass and drums. There are inspired solos from every player at various times! It is great to hear Conny Bauer playing more inside and tuneful than usual. Hans' ghost-like daxophone has a unique sound and blends well with accordion and horns. He takes a few hilarious solos that must be heard to be believed. Much of this music is just plain fun and would be perfect for getting drunk to. - BLG [limited time sale; normally $20]
CD $12 !!!

JOACHIM KUHN - Soundtime [6 CD Box Set] (Jazzwerkstatt 94; Germany) Joachim Kuhn has had a long and fruitful career as one of Europe's finest modern pianists since organizing his first jazz group in 1962. Six CD's of solo piano might seem like a quite a large offering unless you are ECM breadwinner Keith Jarrett. These discs were recorded over a period of five years between 2006 & 2010. Each of the six discs is graced by a cover painting by Mr. Kuhn himself as well as a few printed in the booklet and each one is fascinating like the sounds within. Kuhn's long musical journey has taken him through many detours from classical to swinging to free to fusion and world music, hence each of these discs draw from a wide river of genres. I've listened to three of the six discs so far and am currently on the fourth one. Each one has taken me to different places, embracing varies streams. Elegant, spacious, lyrical, suspense-filled, a segment like Bach sonatas to McCoy Tyner-like powerful rolling cascades. Mr. Kuhn performed this music on a Bosendorfer piano, which is larger than other pianos and the sound is magnificent, the low-end is especially resonant and expansive. So much wonderful music, so little time. On to the next treasure. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
6 CD Box Set for $75

DAVID MURRAY With LESTER BOWIE/FRED HOPKINS/PHILLIP WILSON - Live At The Lower Manhattan Ocean Club (Jazzwerkstatt 73; Germany) This All-Star quartet was recorded on New Year's Eve 1977! Four of the six songs were written by Mr. Murray with two by Butch Morris, who also collaborated and did arrangements for Murray's Big Band. The music has a joyous swagger that feels just right. Both Murray and Art Ensemble's trumpet hero Lester Bowie play swell, spirited solos that seem to spring form their hearts and minds. The great rhythm team of Air's Fred Hopkins on double bass and legendary Chicago drummer Philip Wilson also do a great job of adding righteous bits of blues, funk and overall earthiness to the grand quartet. (Sadly, all but David - long may he live - have since passed away). "Bechet's Bounce" does have an almost Dixieland-like feel with appropriate solos from Lester's trumpet and David's soprano sax. Butch Morris' two songs are longer and more adventurous. I dig the way the rhythm team plays around the theme on "Obe" with a long, thoughtful and slightly twisted solo from Lester B. What makes this quartet special is the way they take traditional ideas and extend them into the future. This disc captures a most spirited quartet and helps to remind us of those great avant/jazz gigs of the seventies, so many years ago. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

DAVID MURRAY BLACK SAINT QUARTET With LAFAYETTE GILCHRIST/JARIBU SHAHID/HAMID DRAKE - Live In Berlin 2007 (Jazzwerkstatt 35; Germany)
CD $20

WORLD SAXOPHONE QUARTET [WSQ: DAVID MURRAY/HAMIET BLUIETT/EDWARD 'KIDD' JORDAN/JAMES CARTER] - Yes We Can (Jazzwerkstatt 98; Germany) Their 22nd album in 34 years [beginning with Point Of No Return in 1977 on Moers label], and the first without charter member Oliver Lake, but the remaining founders - David Murray and Hamiet Bluiett - carry on. This live set from Berlin in 2009 by the WSQ celebrates the election of Barack Obama - as well as its own influential past in the inclusion of New Orleans saxophonist Kidd Jordan (an early mentor) and new member James Carter, a multigenre virtuoso who had admired the group since his early teens. Post-Coltrane free jazz, elegant Ellingtonian four-part harmonies and the powerful personalities of the four members (showcased in a series of arresting solo spots, notably tenorist David Murray's) make it a highly varied set, though pumping horn riffs mimicking an absent rhythm section might eventually try your patience. Nonetheless, Yes We Can represents the WSQ in exuberantly incandescent mood, from the funky opener with its wild ensemble turmoils and poignantly hymnal sounds, through fast passages in which the members play tag with each other, to bagpipe-like drones under Carter's soulful soprano wail, to stirring orchestral harmonies. Bluiett's initially classical and then strutting, bluesy clarinet solo on the closing reprise of Hattie Wall is a standout of this upbeat album. - John Fordham, Guardian
CD $20

CECIL TAYLOR/TONY OXLEY - Leaf Palm Hand (Jazzwerkstatt 26; Germany) [Reissue of FMP CD 6] Cecil Taylor piano, Tony Oxley drums. All music by Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley except Chimes (# 3, by Cecil Taylor) Recorded live by Eberhard Bingel and Jost Gebers on July 17, 1988 during Improvised Music II/88 at the Kongresshalle Berlin. Originally released in the ltd. ed. 'Cecil Taylor In Berlin '88' Box Set [2 Books/11 CDs]
CD $20 (Out of print, but we have it!)

TONY OXLEY/DEREK BAILEY QUARTET With PAT THOMAS/MATT WAND - Tony Oxley/Derek Bailey Quartet: Live 1993 (Jazzwerkstatt 33; Germany) Recorded at Chapter Arts Center, Cardiff/Wales on September 10, 1993. NOT the same recording as the Incus release, which was from 1992.
CD $20

ERNST-LUDWIG PETROWSKY With HARRY MILLER/HELMUT 'JOE' SACHSE/TONY OXLEY et al - Ein Nachmittag in Peitz (Jazzwerkstatt 18; Germany) This disc was recorded live from April of 1981 and it features two different groups. There are two long (26 minutes) duos with Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky on clarinet, alto & bari saxes & flute with Brotherhood of Breath's Harry Miller on bass and cello. The other longer (41 minutes) session features Petrowsky's fine quintet with Heinz Becker on trumpet, Joe Sachse on guitar, Klaus Koch o bass and Tony Oxley on drums. We know German reeds wiz, Ernst Petrowsky, from his work with Globe Unity Orchestra, Ulrich Gumpert, Zentralquartett, as well as his own discs on FMP and Konnex. The duos with Harry Miller are especially noteworthy, since the late, great South African-born, British-based bassist, Harry Miller, was rarely heard with outside of his small circle of associates. This is a truly amazing duo and it is superbly recorded. Ideas flow back and forth at high speeds and Harry is often flabberghastingly great. On "Relaxing with Harry" the duo do not sound like they are relaxing but rather burning together, rarely if ever letting up and giving them or us some time to breathe. An outstanding duo performance! There is one piece in which Petrowsky speaks in German and gets some laughs from the assembled crowd. Too bad I don't know German since the universal translater is currently off-line. The quintet with Petrowsky (reeds), Becker (trumpet), Sachse (guitar), Koch (bass) and Oxley (drums) is long, free and intense throughout. I know all of these names from a variety of different sessions, many on FMP, West Wind and/or Hat Art. At 41 minutes, this quintet is consistently crafty, spirited and engaging. - BLG
CD $20

ELTON DEAN'S NINESENSE With ALAN SKIDMORE/MARC CHARIG/RADU MALFATTI/KEITH TIPPETT/HARRY MILLER/LOUIS MOHOLO et al//HARRY BECKETT/HARRY MILLER/LOUIS MOHOLO - Ninesense Suite 1981//Beckett Trio Live 1982 (Jazzwerkstatt 107; Germany) A previously unreleased, great sounding release by Elton's fantastic, Brotherhood of Breath-influenced nonet Ninesense from their very final tour would be amazing enough on its own, but this is actually even more than that. This has their performance of June 20, 1981, which is over 40' + a 37' long trio show from April 24, 1982 by Harry Beckett, Harry Miller and Louis Moholo! Essential Brit-jazz from the archives and absolutely worth it!
CD $20

GUNTER 'BABY' SOMMER/BARRE PHILLIPS/MANFRED SCHOOF/GIANLUIGI TROVESI - Peitzer Grand Mit Vieren (Jazzwerkstatt 77; Germany) Featuring Gunter Baby Sommer on drums, Barre Phillips on double bass, Gianluigi Trovesi on clarinets & alto sax and Manfred Schoof on trumpet. There are improv dates that are just magical, you know something special is going on when you listen closely. This is one such great set. Each of these four fabulous musicians is from a different place, yet they come together as one inspired singular force. Gunter Sommer's incredible mallet work is at the center of the quartet with throbbing contrabass while the trumpet and clarinet interweave intricately. There is a great deal of inspired cross fertilization with an organic unfolding of events, eventually building to some intense interplay. Each of these four players excel at different approaches and ideas, hence different combinations and strategies are involved. It is as if a long story is unfolding with different sections occurring but there is thread that holds this altogether. Blessed relief from four strong winds. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

UWE OBERG & EVAN PARKER - Full Bloom (Jazzwerkstatt 92; Germany) Featuring Uwe Oberg on piano and Evan Parker on tenor sax. Except for Alex Von Schlippenbach (longtime trio still active) and Cecil Taylor (handful of FMP CD's), Evan Parker rarely plays with piano players. As far as recorded duos with pianists for Evan, there just a few: Borah Bergman, Agusti Fernandez, Georg Graewe & John Tilbury. German pianist Uwe Oberg is less well-known and thus has just a few trio discs out on labels like Leo Lab, Konnex and Hatology. This duo offering was recorded live Wiesbaden, Germany in June of 2008 and it is indeed something special. They take their time to get to know one another and slowly work there way through each other's territory. On "Red, Then Dark Violet" the spaciousness and melodic fragments employed give the music a chance to breathe and us a chance to admire the reflective moments. By "Amply Spiny" the duo begin to spew quick fractured notes which fit together extremely well. Uwe pulls off some of those Don Pullen-like quick hand rolls, a technique I haven't heard in a long while except for that recent reissue of 'Pullen Plays Monk'. "Alternate" features some ominous inside-the-piano sounds which work well with Evan's blustery tenor swirls. Uwe's playing here is extraordinary, which is makes it unfortunate how few records he has out. Superbly recorded and a stunning performance throughout. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

SONORE [PETER BROTZMANN/MATS GUSTAFSSON/KEN VANDERMARK] - Only The Devil Has No Dreams (Jazzwerkstatt 13; Germany) 2nd album, available only from Europe, of this Uber-Sax Assault threesome! Live at Jazzwerkstaat, Berlin Septemner 27, 2006.
CD $20

PETER BROTZMANN CHICAGO TENTET With MIKE PEARSON/KEN VANDERMARK/JOE McPHEE/MATS GUSTAFSSON et al - Be Music, Night: An Homage To Kenneth Patchen (Jazzwerkstatt 02; Germany)
CD $20

PETER BROTZMANN/BILL LASWELL//& with LAST EXIT [...SONNY SHARROCK/RONALD SHANNON JACKSON] - Lowlife//Koln (Jazzwerkstatt 12; Germany) Two MONSTER CLASSICS! The otherwise OUT-OF-PRINT'Low Life' Laz/Brotz duet album [minus one track] + Last Exit's Live In Koln album [minus one track] on 1 CD !!! WOW!
LOW LIFE: Of the many recordings Laswell has played outrageous bass throughout (numbering in the hundreds!), this is generally agreed by virtually all Laz fans to be in the absolute top ten! This pairing with Peter Brotzmann yielded an anamolous and amazing set of player textures and ideas - it so completely off the hook at times you forget that it's just bass and saxes!
KOLN: A veritable Murderer's Row of sonic stalwarts, each at full strength: Brotzmann on tenor; Sharrock on guitar; Laswell on 6-string bass; Jackson on drums. Simply put, this lineup speaks for itself.
CD $20

PETER BROTZMANN/PEETER UUSKYLA/PETER FRIIS NIELSEN - Noise Of Wings (Jazzwerkstatt 56; Germany) [reissue of Slask 19]
CD $20

FULL BLAST [PETER BROTZMANN/MARINO PLIAKAS/MICHAEL WERTMULLER] - Full Blast (Jazzwerkstatt 01; Germany)
CD $20

G9 GIPFEL [GERHARD GSCHLOESSL/AXEL DORNER/ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH/RUDI MAHALL/CHRISTIAN LILLINGER/TOBIAS DELIUS et al] - Berlin (Jazzwerkstatt 80; Germany) "Featuring Gerhard Gschlobl on trombone, Axel Dorner on trumpet, Tobias Delius, Wanja Slavin & Rudi Mahall on reeds, John Schroder on guitar, Alex Von Schlippenbach on piano, Johannes Fink on double bass and Christian Lillinger on drums. This marvelous northern Euro all-star nine-piece ensemble features a number of musicians who are leaders and/or collaborators on various other discs from the JazzWerkStatt label. No doubt you know most of them from a slew of other bands: Schlippenbach (Globe Unity), Delius (ICP) and Mahall (for Ake Takase, Monk's Casino & dozens of other discs).
Trombonist Gerhard Gschlobl is the leader of G9 Gipfel and composed five of the ten pieces for this disc. He is also a member of the trio Der Moment with Johannes Fink, who also played at the recent JazzWerkStatt Fest in NY (11/10). Similar to the Ulrich Gumpert Workshop, G9 work their way through different styles with an assortment ever-shifting changes. "Trotz, Geil" sounds both old and new at the same time. While the rhythm team shifts gears tightly throughout, often swinging hard but never in the same way for more than a few measures.Tthe horns play some twisted Ellingtonian harmonies and smears, while the rhythm team spin tightly together. Rudi Mahall's "Rumba Brutal" is a stream of interconnected lines with certain parts missing, there is a tight flow of activity that you must fill in yourself. "Ganztonleiter" reminds me of one of those tight, exuberant Mario Pavone tunes with a number of unexpected twists. What this reminds of most is a tighter version of the ICP Orchestra without the comedy. Each piece provides a challenge for the ensemble as the varied subsections shift between different parts. It is great to hear an all-star band where everyone's talents are put to good use and so little of the content is merely free blowing". - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

RUDI MAHALL QUARTETT With AKI TAKASE/JOHANNES BAUER/TONY BUCK - Rudi Mahall Quartett (Jazzwerkstatt 19; Germany) Featuring on bass clarinet, Aki Takase on piano, Johannes Bauer on trombone and Tony Buck on drums. This disc features five improvised pieces, some short (2 minutes) and some long (nearly 29 minutes). While the frontline of bass clarinet and trombone are expressive and talkative, the piano and drums are more restrained and thoughtful. There seems to be a couple of cross-connected conversations going on simultaneously. This session was well-recorded in a studio and the balance is just right with Tony's drums recorded in stereo so that as he plays on certain drums and cymbals, we hear him playing with certain players and connecting snugly. I find this music to be more challenging than just hearing recognizable songs, since it does take some work to hear all of the dynamic places that the quartet goes. Quite a number of fascinating and unexpected places along the way. - BLG
CD $20

VIERERGRUPPE GSCHLOSSL [GERHARD GSCHLOESSL/RUDI MAHALL/JOHANNES FINK/CHRISTIAN LILLINGER] - I Take Everything (Jazzwerkstatt 21; Germany) Recorded November 2006 and featuring Rudi Mahall on bass clarinet, Gerhard Gschlossl on trombone & sousaphone, Johannes Fink on contrabass & cello and Christian Lillinger on drums. Although the feisty bass clarinetist, Rudi Mahall, can be found on four discs of the Jazzwerkstatt label, as well as working with Aki Takase and Alex Von Schlippenbach, the other three members of this fine quartet are new names to me. They are members of the new Berlin scene and can be found on labels like Konnex, Nabel and JazzForEver. Bassist, Johannes Fink, wrote four of the ten songs here with the rest were written by their trombonist. Johannes' Ciao Blues' opens and is a fine, swinging blues-like song with inspired solos from the trombone and a swaggering solo from Rudi's bass clarinet. Interesting thing about this disc is the fine composing and occasionally subdued songs. Just when I thought I knew what to expect, they break into Television-World which has some complex hairpin turns and difficult changes. This disc is much different from everything else we've heard so far on JazzwerkStatt and that is certainly a good thing. - BLG
CD $20

GUNTER ADLER [RUDI MAHALL/DANIEL ERDMANN/JOHANNES FINK/HEINRICH KOBBERLING] - Auf der Schonhauser Allee (Jazzwerkstatt 44; Germany) [this is a group name and NOT to be confused with the solo electronic artist named Gunter Adler, who isn't involved with this quartet] Rudi Mahall: bass clarinet Daniel Erdmann: tenor saxophone Johannes Fink: double bass Heinrich Kobberling: drums
"Gunter Adler expressed explicitly an inventive combination of four individual-creative jazz musicians. This leads to a remarkable production of interactive jazz. This music will touch the listener through the melodic recognition value of their own compositions. All this can be heard on their CDs Gunter Adler 1, Live In Asien, and from there back in the homeland on their newest masterpiece Auf Der Schonhauser Allee.. what the pseudonym Gunter Adler means, nobody knows it even at the end.Therefore everybody wants to know when the quartet plays again..
CD $20

AKI TAKASE AND THE GOOD BOYS With RUDI MAHALL/TOBIAS DELIUS et al - Live At Willisau Jazz Festival (Jazzwerkstatt 49; Germany) Aki Takase piano, Rudi Mahall bass clarinet, Tobias Delius tenor sax and clarinet, Johannes Fink double bass, Heinrich Kobberling drums
CD $20

SOKO STEIDLE [OLIVER STEIDLE/RUDI MAHALL/JAN RODER/HENRIK WALSDORFF] - Blaulicht (Jazzwerkstatt 20; Germany) Featuring Rudi Mahall on bass clarinet, Henrik Waldsdorff on alto sax, Jan Roder on double bass and Oliver Steidle on drums.Schlippenbach wrote the incisive liner notes here and I must agree that this band 'plays together like devils and swings like sons-of-bitches.' What we have here is some 17 tracks and most under four minutes. This brevity keeps everything focused and succinct. You can tell that these guys have been playing together for a while since they move together tightly no matter how free they go. There are moments when they swing so furiously, that they sound as though they are on the verge of exploding. Wow, this is some pretty f*cking scary stuff! Surprisingly, on Stormtroopers of Love they slow down and stretch out their sound into suspense-filled space. Just when I thought I had them pegged No doubt many more surprises are in store. - BLG
CD $20

DANIEL ERDMANN/OLIVER STEIDLE - Lenina (Jazzwerkstatt 50; Germany) Studio recording and concept disc featuring Daniel Erdmann on saxes, electronics & keyboards and Oliver Steidle on drums, percussion, accordion & sampler. This disc is based on ideas found in Aldous Huxley's novel "Brave New World", hence the names of many of the pieces were inspired by the same novel. It is hard to tell from listening to this mostly instrumental music but the sounds & music are consistently engaging. Drifting, breath-like sax sounds and spooky percussion and/or samples drift by... All but one of the pieces are relatively short, yet there is a great deal of intricate interplay between these two fine musicians. Sampled voices and other odd sounds are selectively used, swirling around the sax and drums duo excursions. Steidle does a good job of establishing beats and turning the rhythms inside out time and again. There does seem to be some sort of story taking place since each piece creates a different scene or evoke a different vibe. Very interesting. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

DER MOMENT [GERHARD GSCHLOESSL/JOHANNES FINK/MATTHIAS ROSENBAUER] - Transzendenz (Jazzwerkstatt 55; Germany) Featuring Gerhard Gschlosl: trombone Johannes Fink: double bass and Matthias Rosenbauer: drums
The title track is first and it has a great groove, sort of funky yet constantly changing. I dig the way Gerhard changes the sound of his trombone during each section of the song. This is not a free improv date, as each member contributed pieces that they had written. Hence, the trio works their way though a variety of styles and changes, occasionally serious with much humor involved as well. All three members of this trio are strong musicians and each are integral to the tight, spirited and inventive sound. On "18 Grad Minus" there is a great section with bent bowed bass, quirky muted trombone and tight quick changing drums. "Virus" starts with a burlesque-like intro yet it keeps switching style and sounds like alot of fun. What makes this trio and disc so special is that it just feels right and makes me smile while also throwing in lots of curves and surprising twists & turns. It doesn't take itself too seriously. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

AUS [JOHANNES BAUER/CLAYTON THOMAS/TONY BUCK] - Live At Nicelsdorf [Nickelsdorff] (Jazzwerkstatt 51; Germany) Featuring Johannes Bauer on trombone, Clayton Thomas on acoustic bass and Tony Buck on drums. Whoops, must've forgotten my promo, so here's a review without actually hearing this. Three excellent musicians from varied backgrounds making spirited and often intense improvisations. Probably live from the Jazzwerkstatt Fest in Germany. Well recorded and well worth your time-tested consideration. Real review when I remember to actually bring one home. - BLG
CD $20

BAUER 4 [JOHANNES BAUER/CONNY [KONRAD] BAUER/MATTHIAS BAUER/LOUIS RASTIG] - Family Affairs (Jazzwerkstatt 23; Germany) Featuring Conny & Johannes Bauer on trombones, Matthias Bauer on bass and Louis Rastig on piano. Conny and Johannes are both master trombonists with a deep bag of ideas and sounds that they have developed through their long careers. Right from the start they are off and playing a wide variety of odd sounds, vocal-like, open and muted, in interesting contrasts that work well together. Matthias' contrabass is well matched and often deals with similar low-end tones and textures. Even Louis stays at the low end of the piano at times, fitting in perfectly with his family members. These pieces are all improvised and mostly short. Each one seems to explore different combinations of sounds and textures. Certain improv discs are simply astonishing for the myriad of sounds that the musicians coax from their respective instruments. This one is one of the best displays of that magic. - BLG
CD $20

CONNY [KONRAD] BAUER - Der Gelbe Klang (Jazzwerkstatt 38; Germany) Conny Bauer (trombone / Apple Powerbook / Motu Fire Wire 828 / Neumann Mikro TLM 170 / Behringer Pedal FCB 1010 / Software: CBL 1.6 by Arno Kraehahn) Conny Bauer develops his work-in-progress in a stringent and captivating manner: surging hymns, buzzing bumblebees, alphorns, marches, folk dances - a cornucopia of ideas. One hour of music spent in a dense flow of thoughts, an outing full of action, not just brains. The pleasure of playing here and now spreads from Bauer to the listener as he rumbles, mumbles, squeals, rejoices, swings. The trombone has a reputation of being unwieldy, but Bauer has given it the light-heartedness of a saxophone. - Ulrich Steinmetzger, March 2008
CD $20

ULRICH GUMPERT WORKSHOP BAND With CONRAD [KONRAD] BAUER/ERNST-LUDWIG PETROWSKY/GUNTER 'BABY' SOMMER et al - Smell A Rat (Jazzwerkstatt 04; Germany) Featuring Heinz Becker on trumpet, flugelhorn; Conrad Bauer on trombone; Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky & Manfred Hering, on alto saxes & clarinets; Helmut Forsthoff on tenor sax; Ulrich Gumpert on piano; Klaus Koch on bass and Gunter Sommer on drums. All of the pieces here were written by Gumpert or Sommer. "Blues for I.M." opens and is a righteous swinging blues tune written by Gunter Sommer with some tasty solos from Connie Bauer on trombone and Ulrich on piano. If I didn't know better, I would think that this is some long lost Blue Note session from the late sixties. Heinz Becker's flugel solo and Helmut Forsthoff's tenor solo on "Baryscha/The Fugitive" are both gems of slow-burning fire. Sommer's "Marcia Funebre" is a luscious, haunting piece with some hypnotic horn harmonies and an exquisitely lovely flugel solo. I got admit that this is one the finest, bluesy jazz discs I've heard in recent memory. Both the writing, playing and solos are consistently strong throughout. Who would've thought..?!? - BLG
CD $20

ULRICH GUMPERT WORKSHOP BAND With MARTIN KLINGEBERG/CHRISTOF THEWES/MICHAEL THIEKE/HENRIK WALSDORFF/MICHAEL GRIENER/JAN RODER/BEN ABARBANEL-WOLFF - Suites (Jazzwerkstatt 54; Germany)
CD $20

GEBHARD ULLMANN/STEVE SWELL QUARTET With HILLIARD GREENE/BARRY ALTSCHUL - News? No News! (Jazzwerkstatt 68; Germany) Gebhard Ullmann (tenor saxophone & bass clarinet); Steve Swell ((trombone); Hilliard Greene (bass); Barry Altschul (drums). The compositions are delivered in ten installments, four pieces written by Gebhard Ullmann, two collective composed pieces and four songs composed by Steve Swell. Incorporating preset motifs in both a fixed and spontaneous way. The old myth question sometimes still arises in some circles (Why is the music so angry? Where is the melody?) Well we don't hang out in such circles nor do we address such archaic ignorance. One cannot play music if one is angry this music can only arise out of love. Are thunder and hurricanes angry? No they are part of nature, where there is calm there must also be fire. Compassion is full of fire not that stupid fire of hate but the good fire that is fueled by peace and love.
CD $20

GUNTER LENZ/SPRINGTIME With GEBHARD ULLMANN/ERNST-LUDWIG PETROWSKY/CLAUS STOTTER/DIETER GLAWISCHNIG/BILLY ELGART - Strict Minimum (Jazzwerkstatt 15; Germany) Featuring Gebhard Ullmann on tenor & soprano sax & bass clarinet, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky on alto sax, clarinet & flute, Claus Stotter on trumpet & flugel, Dieter Glawischnig on piano, Gunter Lenz on bass & compositions and Billy Elgart on drums. "La Vielle Prune" erupts open with an intense piano trio intro, Gunter's bass at the center as the piano emerges in waves. I love "Holzbein", since it has a tight, powerful repeating theme that is impossible to forget. As that repeating line churns onwards, Petrowsky takes a fine clarinet solo and then Stotter also takes off on his trumpet with another dynamic solo. "Perpetual Questions" features a slow, simmering, haunting melody with some rich harmonies for the horns (flute, clarinet and flugel). Mr. Lenz loves to write pieces with feisty grooves and his powerful bass at the center with some truly inspired solos from both saxists, the trumpeter and pianist as well. Drum wiz, Billy Elgart, swings his ass off and works perfectly with Gunter's probing bass throughout. This is another winner on the Jazzwerkstatt label. - BLG
CD $20

STEREO LISA [GEBHARD ULLMANN et al] - Anno Onno Monno (Jazzwerkstatt 34; Germany) Almut Kuhne & Ibadet Ramadani (voc), Jurgen Kupke (cl), Benjamin Weidekamp (as, cl), Gebhard Ullmann (fl, ts, bcl), Aki-Sebastian Ruhl, Ritsche Koch (tp), Michael Haves (b), Matthias Muller, Simon Harrer (tb), Christian Marien (dr)
CD $20

STEVE LACY - Live at Jazzwerkstatt Peitz: Solo 1981 (Jazzwerkstatt 09; Germany) Steve Lacy, soprano saxophone; Recorded live at Jazzwerkstatt Peitz on 21 February 1981
CD $20

STEVE LACY/MAL WALDRON - Live In Berlin 1984 (Jazzwerkstatt 22; Germany) Featuring Steve Lacy on soprano sax and Mal Waldron on piano. This duo has a long history together and apart with a number of fine recordings. This fine set was recorded live in Berlin in June of 1984. There are just five pieces here, with one song by each musician, one duo improv, one Monk cover and one tune by Billy Strayhorn.
CD $20

MAX ROACH With CECIL BRIDGEWATER/ODEAN POPE/TYRONE BROWN - Live In Berlin (Jazzwerkstatt 69; Germany) This CD looks back on two momentous events in the history of jazz: the only concert that the legendary Max Roach gave in the former East Germany and at Jazzbuhne Berlin, the country's most important jazzfestival, which was held annually between 1977 and 1989. The 1984 concert brought together the internationally acclaimed trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, who had been playing with Roach since 1971 and hence longer than anyone else, Odeon Pope, who had been in the ensemble since 1979 and who being experienced in free jazz had a lot to do with the most recent innovations, and the bass player Tyrone Brown, who had joined in 1983. All of them were excellent soloists.
The quartet breathes new life into the once highly popular bebop themes Jordu and Good Bait, making for a surprise in the latter with its introduction of the organic, yet original 3/4-time that was so typical of Roach. After an astounding anthem-like introduction, Coltrane's Giant Steps turns into a crazy speed trip with a truly wonderful tenor solo and that unmistakable Max Roach solo style. Although Perdido, an Ellington swing number, fits the profile of timeless modernism and allows everyone a solo. By contrast Bits is an exquisite tour de force of musicianship. Here, Roach is the shouter with humorous, improvised lyrics, while Cecil Bridgewater demonstrates similarly comic gifts on the mouthpiece of his trumpet (reaping laughter and a special round of applause for weaving in a quotation from Struttin' with some Barbecue). The tenor sax eventually joins in to create an imaginatively upbeat dialogue
CD $20

ABRASAZ [RAVI SRINIVASAN/MUSTAFA EL DINO/AKIRA ANDO/PAUL SCHWINGENSCHLOGL] - Biraminket (Jazzwerkstatt 45; Germany) Ravi Srinivasan (tabla, vocals, santoor, electronic percussion); Mustafa El Dino (saz, vocals, darabuka, bender) - Akira Ando (acoustic bass, bells); Paul Schwingenschlogl (trumpet, flugelhorn, piano)
CD $20

ALAN BERN/PAUL BRODY/MICHAEL RODACH - Triophilia (Jazzwerkstatt 71; Germany) The "cult hit" of the 2003 Berlin Jazz Festival, Bern, Brody & Rodach [pianist/accordionist Alan Bern, trumpeter Paul Brody, and guitarist Michael Rodach] brings together the unlikely combination of accordion/piano, trumpet and guitar to create surreal and evocative soundscapes of great beauty and playfulness.Haunting the intersection of film music, ambient jazz, New Jewish Music and free improvisation, all three players are acclaimed composers and bandleaders with their own individual voices. On the band's first CD, "Triophilia" (Jazzwerkstatt), Bern, Brody & Rodach play all original compositions that invite listeners to dream, dance, and join them in their "love of the trio."
CD $20

BOOM BOX JAZZ [WILLI KELLERS/THOMAS BORGMANN/AKIRA ANDO] - Boom Box Jazz (Jazzwerkstatt 105; Germany) Featuring Thomas Borgmann on tenor, soprano & sopranino saxes, Akira Ando on double bass and Willi Kellers on drums. Each of the three musicians contributed two songs for this disc. Starting with "Little Birds May Fly", this solid trio is off and running with Borgmann soaring softly on sopranino, the rhythm team spinning furiously underneath. Ando's "How Far Can You Fly" sounds like a standard when it begins with Borgmann swaggering on tenor and spinning lines that sound similar to standard riffs. Kellers' "Hey Little Bird" is restrained, lovely and free with exquisite soprano sax, hushed bass and delicate mallets cymbal work. The piece builds and increases in tempo throughout, spinning faster and faster with inspired solos from each member of the trio. Although this trio's music is basically free, there is a playfulness and consistent connection between all three members like old friends conversing in an atmosphere of trust and heated exchange. There is little or no screaming going on here, just a most engaging and thoughtful affair. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

SILKE EBERHARD TRIO With JAN RODER/KAY LUBKE - Being (Jazzwerkstatt 27; Germany) Silke Eberhard (alto saxophone, clarinet); Jan Roder (bass); Kay Lubke (drums)
CD $20

CORDULA HAMACHER QUARTETT With JOHN SCHRODER/JOHANNES FINK/ZORAN TERZIC - Connected (Jazzwerkstatt 58; Germany) Cordula Hamacher (tenor & soprano saxophone), John Schroder (drums), Zoran Terzic (piano), Johannes Fink (double bass); recorded at Tonstudio 24, Berlin in 2008.
Rarely has Whitney Balliett's much cited apercu of the Sound of Surprise seemed so apposite. And funk and groove constitute only one element among many in the band's stylistic cornucopia. The secret of how such disparate parts were forged into a coherent whole is to be found in the title with its allusion to the connectedness of the four very different musicians whom Cordula Hamacher has brought together with characteristically sure touch. They are indeed well connected, these four. And that is definitely no deception.
CD $20

THOMAS HEBERER/ANDREAS SCHMIDT/SAMUEL ROHRER - Pieces for a Husky Puzzle (Jazzwerkstatt 75; Germany) Moving seamlessly between compostion and improvisation, this German trio brings subdued and calm music, yet with an incredible depth and lyrical tension. Andreas Schmidt plays piano, Thomas Heberer quartertone trumpet and Samuel Rohrer drums. Playing mostly - but not always - full-toned and within the traditional sound spectrum of jazz or classical music, the music is quite adventurous and avant-garde, beyond any specific genre but borrowing from various traditions. So you can doubt the "husky" in the title: the music isn't hoarse or raw at all. It flows, yet in quite unexpected ways. A rare combination of accessible, creative, austere yet emotional beauty. Highly recommended! - freejazz-stef.blogspot.com
CD $20

HYPERACTIVE KID [PHILLIPP GROPPER/RONNY GRAUPE/CHRISTIAN LILLINGER] - 3. (Jazzwerkstatt 28; Germany) Philipp Gropper (saxes); Ronny Graupe (7 string guitar); Christian Lillinger (drums)
CD $20

HYPERACTIVE KID [PHILLIPP GROPPER/RONNY GRAUPE/CHRISTIAN LILLINGER] - Mit Dir Sind Wir 4 (Jazzwerkstatt 83; Germany) Philipp Gropper (saxes); Ronny Graupe (7 string guitar); Christian Lillinger (drums). Exactly fifty years after Ornette's free jazz adventure, Hyperactive Kid simply removes the eternal antagonism between form and content. The trio achieves this not by falling into the fatal trap of simply declaring form to be content and thus allowing a possible lack of substance to go by another name. No indeed - the flowing constructions on this CD are carefully reduced to that primal modeling material of all sounds, which no function pays homage to. The point here is not whether intuitive nonverbal communication through sound meets the criteria of a predetermined canon. Philipp Gropper, Christian Lillinger, and Ronny Graupe deliberately transform the familiar forms into new dynamic ingots with the flexibility required by our fast-paced era, thus carving out their own tradition. Their music solely reflects their own collective environment, and from there it communicates directly with the listener without deviating.
That makes it unique and unmistakable. It isn't free jazz, though, you say? So what! In any case, freedom resides in the ear of the listener.
CD $20

HERMANN KELLER QUARTET With JURGEN KUPKE/ULI WEBER/ANTJE MESSERSCHMIDT// & SOLO - Nicht Ohne Wasser//29 Stucke [2 CD set] (Jazzwerkstatt 91; Germany) Pianist and prepared pianist Hermann Keller in a double CD, disc 1 in a quartet with Jurgen Kupke (clarinet, prepared clarinet), Uli Weber (trumpet, flugelhorn), Antje Messerschmidt (violin, viola, waterphone, water drums), and disc 2 as solo performer. Alone or in group, Keller's work is open-minded and unusual, with unlikely added instrumentation s including water drums, waterphone, nose flute, and 'swinging measurers'. This results in music of remarkable texture and off-beat melodicism, refined in approach approach and eccentric in attitude. For the quartet, each member is an extraordinary player with strong technical skills and great listening ability making impressive group discourse and dialog; the unusual orchestration propels the players, making for an absorbing and exotic album in the best of European free-improvising traditions. You may not know these names now, but after hearing them at play, you will look again for them afterwards!
CD $28

UWE KROPINSKI/HELMUT 'JOE' SACHSE - Hey Joe/Hey Uwe (Jazzwerkstatt 36; Germany) Two amazing German guitarists, one mostly electric (Uwe) & one mostly acoustic (Joe), who have played together for many years in the Doppelmoppel ensemble with the Bauer brothers on trombones.
CD $20

ROLF KUHN & TRI-O [RONNY GRAUPE/JOHANNES FINK/CHRISTIAN LILLINGER] - Rollercoaster (Jazzwerkstatt 39; Germany) Featuring Rolf Kuhn on clarinet, Ronny Graupe on guitar, Johannes Fink on double bass and Christian Lillinger on drums. Considering that German clarinetist, Rolf Kuhn, will turn 80 next year, he has retained his adventurous spirit for his entire career. Rolf has worked with a diverse group of musicians like his younger brother Joachim Kuhn, Albert Mangelsdorff, Ornette Coleman, Phil Woods, Alan Skidmore, Lee Konitz and Martial Solal. For this fine disc, Rolf has put together a fine quartet with younger German players, none of whom I've heard of previously. Rolk wrote all but three of these pieces with one Ornette cover, a song by Rolf's brother Joachim and a tune by their guitarist. "What a F... Day" opens with a tight, challenging, theme with some fine clarinet and guitar interplay. The title track has an older, bluesy, more hard swinging structure with a nod to the past that feels just right. Joachim's sly "Changing the Umbrella" keeps shifting through difficult changes throughout, charted at the beginning and then free in the mid-section. Guitarist, Ronny Grauper, is a perfect foil/partner for Rolf throughout this fine disc. I hadn't heard of him before this, except for another disc on Jazzwerkstatt by a trio called Hyperactive Kid. One of the things that I like most about this disc is that many of the songs embrace both old styles and newer ones at the same time or within the same song. This keeps the quartet on their toes throughout, since the songs often take unexpected twists and turns. The quartet sounds like they enjoy the challenge of switching styles and dynamics throughout, giving the proceedings a joyous yet intense vibe. On "Total Reflections" the guitar, bass and drums go on an inspired, furious, near fusion-like section before the clarinet solo brings things back down to earth for a bit. It is interesting to hear Ornette's "Round Trip" played on clarinet and sound like it was from an earlier jazz era. The extraordinary Jazzwerkstatt label does it again! - BLG
CD $20

ROLF KUHN & TRI-O [RONNY GRAUPE/JOHANNES FINK/CHRISTIAN LILLINGER] + MATTHIAS SCHRIEFL - Close Up (Jazzwerkstatt 89; Germany) This is the 2nd JWS release for the lineup of Rolf Kuhn on clarinet, Ronny Graupe on guitar, Johannes Fink on double bass & Christian Lillinger on drums (w/ a CD on Clean Feed) this time with the addition of guest Matthias Schriefl on trumpet. Again it is a triumph! Legendary German clarinetist, Rolf Kuhn, turned 80 (!) this year (2009) and continues test his abilities by playing with creative musicians much younger than him. I dig the way that Rolf and guitarist Ronny Graupe play the theme of "29FF" tightly together. Both Mr. Kuhn and Mr. Graupe are gifted soloists and take consistently inventive and spirited solos throughout. The rhythm team players also burn hard at times and play consistently intricate together. I dig the way the guitarist and bassist play slow textures on "Spacerunner" while the clarinet & drums play quick, complex lines together. Electric guitarist Ronny Graupe is particularly impressive since he changes his tone and approach on every track. Why he isn't more well known is anybody's guess since he is as inventive as any other great guitarist I've heard in recent years. Ronny has also contributed two fine tunes to this disc so it turns out that he is a fine composer as well. Guest trumpeter Matthias Schriefl is featured on two tunes and is yet another undiscovered player of note, playing a couple inventive Don Cherry-like solos. Considering that Rolf Kuhn is still going strong at 80 years, there is hope those of us who think that we are getting old. There is still time left for all of us spring chickens and ancient ducks. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

URS LEIMGRUBER With JACQUES DEMIERRE/BARRE PHILLIPS - Albeit (Jazzwerkstatt 74; Germany)
CD $20

DAVE LIEBMAN GROUP//ORNETTE COLEMAN - Turnaround: The Music Of Ornette Coleman (Jazzwerkstatt 79; Germany) Dave Liebman (tenor- & soprano saxophone, wooden flute); Vic Juris (acoustic- & electric guitar); Tony Marino (acoustic bass); Marko Marcinko (drums, percussion)
A lot has been written about the music and legacy of Ornette Coleman, his harmolodicapproach and overall influence. If only for his first recordings in the late 50s and early 60s, especially Free Jazz with the double quartets, he would've made musical history.
Above all as in any great music, it is the spirit that shines brightest. In Ornette's music there is a joyful spirit which permeates throughout and explains why people love his art as they do. His music expresses an irrepressible joie de vivre, uplifting and mournful at the same time, playful and deadly serious-a full view of the human condition. With deep respect to a true individualist and master of his art, I hope you enjoy our Ornette Coleman voyage.
CD $20

ADAM PIERONCZYK QUINTET With GARY THOMAS/NELSON VERAS/ANTHONY COX/LUKASZ ZYTA//KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA - Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer (Jazzwerkstatt 104; Germany) Featuring Adam Pieronczyk & Gary Thomas on soprano & tenor saxes, Nelson Veras on guitar, Anthony Cox on double bass and Lukasz Zyta on drums & percussion. Krzysztof Komeda was one of the most influential and popular jazz composers in Poland during the fifties & sixties, famous for his soundtrack work for Roman Polanski's films like 'Rosemary's Baby' & 'Knife in the Water'. A number of different musicians have been paying tribute to the music of Komeda like the recent band the Komeda Project and well as Tomasz Stanko who worked with Komeda in the sixties.
"Wicker Basket" opens with precious, lilting harmonies for the soprano & tenor saxes & acoustic guitar. Both saxists play warm, sublime solos with tasty guitar underneath and an exquisite acoustic guitar solo near the end. Each piece features a wonderful theme that once you hear, you are unlikely to forget. Acoustic guitarist Nelson Veras is featured on "Sleep Safe and Warm" and his playing is elegant and economical, the way an angel plays the harp, gentle and lush. He is accompanied by somber saxes and typewriter, the overall effect is quite dream-like. Although this disc is more laid back and melodic than most discs I usually review, it is in fact just as enchanting as anything else I've heard recently. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

PERRY ROBINSON TRIO With ED SCHULLER/ERNST BIER - Von A Biz Z [From A To Z] (Jazzwerkstatt 85; Germany) Perry Robinson has been one of the most productive protagonists of the jazz scene for over half a century, and his creativity is still in demand internationally. His instrument, the clarinet, is usually associated with the heyday of Benny Goodman, the king of swing. But Robinson s roots run far deeper. They reach back into folk and blues, the ground water of American music, and to a time long before the division into oldtime vs. avant-garde and black vs. white. Perry Robinson tells living stories in that most universal of languages, music. From A to Z. The same applies to his colleagues in the Perry Robinson Trio. Ed Schuller on bass and Ernst Bier, a truly empathetic percussionist, have been Robinson s partners in animated (and animating) musical dialogue since 1984.
CD $20

JAN RODER - Double Bass (Jazzwerkstatt 37; Germany) The great bassist, Jan Roder, plays with Rudi Mahall in Schlippenbach's Monk's Casino Qt, as well as th Silke Eberhard Trio and Die Enttaunchung.
CD $20

HELMUT 'JOE' SACHSE WITH DAVID MOSS/GEORGE E LEWIS - Berlin Tango: Duos (Jazzwerkstatt 06; Germany) Joe Sachse, guitar, bass, flute; David Moss, drums, percussion, electronics, vocals, tapes (tracks 1-5, 8); George Lewis, trombone (tracks 6, 7). Recorded at Haus der Jungen Talente, Berlin on 8 December 1986 and 26 October 1987.


HELMUT 'JOE' SACHSE - Riff (Jazzwerkstatt 03; Germany) Joe Sachse, guitar, bass, flute, percussion.
CD $20

HELMUT 'JOE' SACHSE With JOHN MARSHALL/FRED THELONIOUS BAKER - One Take (Jazzwerkstatt 108; Germany) Featuring the great guitarist Joe Sachse from Doppelmoppel and other Intakt & JazzWerkStatt discs, plus the incredible Fred Baker on fretless electric bass guitar (from Phil Miller's In Cahoots & for Elton Dean) and elder statesman British jazz drum legend John Marshall (Nucleus, Soft Machine & Soft Machine Legacy). Can't wait to hear this. My review next week. - BLG
CD $20

JAMAALADEEN TACUMA'S COLTRANE CONFIGURATIONS - Coltrane Configurations (Jazzwerkstatt 66; Germany) John Coltrane resides in the pantheon of most, if not all, jazz lovers. Both fans of post-bop harmonies and free-jazzers appreciate his contribution to music. But few would approach Coltrane's tunes in the funky manner of Jamaaladeen Tacuma, who confesses that his main influences were The Temptations and James Brown [pre-Ornette Coleman, that is]. Yet the prominent bass player is here with a project entitled "Coltrane Configurations, Jamaaladeen's tribute to his fellow Philadelphian who has inspired just about everyone who is interested in modern and/or spiritual jazz; many of his compositions became standards that have been played again and again by his many admirers. Jamaaladeen has arranged five of Trane's classics for his fine quartet, "India", "Dahomey Dance", "Impressions", "Naima" and "A Love Supreme". They are performed live in Dortmund, Germany in October of 2008. There is one thing that I might have changed and that is leaving out some of synth playing which sounds a but dated. Otherwise this is a strong and spirited date that will many of Trane's fans smile and perhaps even get down with. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

JAMAALADEEN TACUMA/UWE KROPINSKI - Zwei (Jazzwerkstatt 61; Germany)
CD $20

TAMA [AKI TAKASE/JAN RODER/OLIVER STIEDLE] - Rolled Up (Jazzwerkstatt 67; Germany)
CD $20

TRIO DOLCE VITA [CLAUDIO PUNTIN/JOHANNES FINK/JORG BRINKMANN]//NINO ROTA - Amarcord: A Tribute to Nino Rota (Jazzwerkstatt 82; Germany) The Swiss band leader Claudio Puntin is one of the most renowned and versatile clarinettists and composers. Puntin has travelled all over the world with diverse ensembles and can be heard on over 60 CDs. He has worked with a variety of orchestras, big bands and ensembles, produced and composed various radio plays and film music. With the German musicians Jorg Brinkmann (cello, electronics) and Johannes Fink (bass), Puntin pays tribute to Nino Rota's compositions for the films of Federico Fellini on this captivating new CD.
CD $20

HENRIK WALSDORFF TRIO With JONAS WESTERGAARD/CHRISTIAN LILLINGER - Henrik Walsdorff Trio (Jazzwerkstatt 81; Germany) Featuring Henrik Walsdorff on alto sax, Jonas Westergaard on bass and Christian Lillinger on drums. Although all four of these long tracks are improvised, the trio sound as if they are working on certain unifying strategies together. There is strong amount of focused playfulness. The rhythm team are slippery yet tight, increasing and decreasing the tempo in a natural flow while Henrik's alto rides or surfs on top the waves that the bass & drums provide. Seeing them live, I marveled at Lillinger's instantly creative drumming, switching and shifting between various rhythmic ideas in an endless flow. This keeps us on the edge of our seats as the trio work their way through valleys and hills while the ongoing story unfolds. Their entire conversation is rich in nuance and filled with many surprising twists and turns. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

TREVOR WATTS - The Deep Blue (Jazzwerkstatt 84; Germany) Featuring Trevor Watts on alto & soprano saxes, percussion, piano and synth. This was recorded & mixed at ARC Studios, Hastings, UK, August - December 2008. I was under the impression that this was a solo sax disc, but it is so much more. Besides being one the singular saxists to emerge from British avant/jazz scene of the mid-sixties, Trevor Watts has led or co-led a number of innovative bands like the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (with John Stevens), Amalgam and the Moire Music Group. In each of these bands, Trevor's playing and vision have continued to evolve, from free improv through fusion (sort of) through African-inspired rhythms. For this great disc, Trevor has decided to play all of the parts himself, overdubbing saxes, percussion, piano & synth. The first time I listened to it, I thought what a marvelous band Trevor has organized yet again. There are layers of saxes, interlocking percussion and an overall joyous groove and vibe. Trevor's superb soprano rides on top of the waves of saxes and African-sounding percussion on "Lace", as well as throughout this truly joyous disc. Each song has an infectious melody, rhythm and groove. There are solo records where the use of a drum program or overdubbing give the record an artificial vibe, but not with this disc. Everything fits just right and every song is joy to hear and consider. Trevor has obviously planned this disc out carefully since there is so many inventive layers of parts involved. The repeating sax lines are used in a most hypnotic way and do a great job of taking us along for the ride. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20

ANDREAS WILLERS - Orange Years (Jazzwerkstatt 57; Germany) Andreas Willers (electric & acoustic guitars, devices, electric bass, drums, percussion, banjo, melodica)
Andreas Willers sees himself as a musician who switches back and forth between the avant-garde and other styles. For him, loops, improvisations, and other musical molecules are a kind of theatrical backdrop. By recording the music himself, he can shift his sound structures back and forth like background scenery. - Angela Ballhorn
CD $20

EKKEHARD WOLK TRIO With JOHANNES FINK/ANDREA MARCELLI - The Berlin Album (Jazzwerkstatt 109; Germany) Ekkehard Wolk on piano, Johannes Fink on double bass and Andrea Marcelli on drums & clarinet (1 track). This disc is a tribute to the city of Berlin, which is where the trio was recorded. The trio cover a few Berlin-based composers like Hans Eisler, Kurt Weill, Felix Mendelssohn and Ralp Maria Siegel. Ekkehard Wolk wrote half of the songs on this & arranged all of them. He is a fine pianist and a fine job of sparkling the ivories throughout this fine disc. I found the original songs to be more adventurous and often stunning. Bassist Johnannes Fink takes a number of spirited solos and is perfect for balancing the lines between the pianist and the drummer. There are moments when it is difficult to tell who is at the center of the trio - the piano or the bass? Wolk's writing and playing is/are both filled with surprising changes in direction and dynamic shifts. This is well conceived and somewhat adventurous without ever being too far out. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $20




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