Have a World of New Music Festival - in your Own Home!, with:


Pat Metheny plays John Zorn! Book Of Three: Taylor Ho Bynum/John Hebert/Gerald Cleaver! BOAT: D'Angelo/Wooley/Dunn/Ducret/Verbruggen! Ellery Eskelin/Susan Alcorn/Michael Formanek Mirage!

The Ex + Ken Vandermark/Mats Gustafsson! Harris Eisenstadt! Schmoliner/Badenhorst/Niggenkemper! Kawabata Makoto ressurects Mainliner! David Moss Denseland!

Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath! Trespass Trio + McPhee! Dave Rempis Percussion Qt 2CD! Lama + Chris Speed! Sun Ra LPs! Devo Live '81!

and, Last copies of fantastic American Clave releases!




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The DMG Free Weekly In-Store Performance Series Continues in 2013 With:


Sunday, May 19th - No In-Store while the Victoriaville Fest Takes Place!

Sunday, May 26th Double-Header:
6pm: SANDY EWEN & WEASEL WALTER - Incredible Guitar & Drums Duo!
7pm: SHAYNA DULBERGER & YONI KRETZMER CD Release set! - Amazing Double Bass & Sax Duo!

Sunday, June 2nd Double-Header:
6pm: WILL MASON MUSIC: Stuart Breczinski/Daniel Fischer-Lochhead/Travis Reuter/Andrew Smiley/Dan Stein/Will Mason!
7pm: JEREMY CARLSTEDT & TIM MOTZER - Percussion, Guitar & Electronics!

Sunday, June 9th:
6pm: ERIKA DAGNINO & RED MICROPHONE: JOHN PIETARO/RAS MOSHE/ROCCO JOHN IACOVONE /NICOLAS LETMAN-BURTINOVIC!

Sunday, June 16th - No In-Store During the Vision Fest!


Sunday, June 23rd:
6pm: KIRK KNUFFKE / CHRISTOF KNOCHE / SEAN ALI - Cornet/Trombone/Bass!

Sunday, June 30th:
6pm: HANS TAMMEN & DOM MINASI Guitar Duo!


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Get your Tix NOW! for

ROBERT FRIPP and THE ORCHESTRA OF CRAFTY GUITARISTS VII

Sunday May 26th at 3 PM

@ Saint Marks Church in-the-Bowery
131 East 10th Street on 2nd Avenue

General Admisssion $25


What is The ORCHESTRA Of Crafty Guitarists?

Up to 100 acoustic guitarists from different backgrounds, different countries, and all levels of playing ability and experience meet for a period of intensive, cloistered preparation. Out of a combination of concentrated work and the joy of creation and improvisation, coalesces a concert experience unlike any other. Each performance is unique, as the Orchestra responds to the particular combination of players, audience and venue in a new way each night.

Get tickets Now! - go to

https://ocgusa3.brownpapertickets.com/


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DON'T MISS...

ELLIOTT SHARP'S exhibition of his graphic score FOLIAGE!

Opening this Friday, May 17th, 7PM

at the Reverse Gallery, 28 Frost Street in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn


Foliage by Elliott Sharp is a long-form graphic music score that offers abstract instructions allowing for infinite possible interpretations by performing musicians.
Featuring a series of 80 risograph prints, Foliage is, in Sharp's words, "a graphic score open to interpretation and realization by any instrumentalist or ensemble of any sizeÉ [it] is a piece of retinal art as much as it is an instruction set for sound, form and function interlocked." Graphic notation, which evolved during the post-1945 avant-garde, experimental music scene, falls outside the realm of traditional music notation; it is the representation of music through the use of visual symbols. Foliage exists at the intersection of musical composition, art installation and performance - Sharp's score is brought to life by the distinct singular interpretation of each musician who performs it.

There will ALSO BE PERFORMANCES OF FOILIAGE EVERY NIGHT at 8PM of the run through the final night, May 26, which will be E#'s solo performance! the schedule is:

Friday, 5/17: Mary Halvorson / Jessica Pavone
Saturday, 5/18: Shelley Burgon
Sunday, 5/19: Luke DuBois
Monday, 5/20: Dither Guitar Quartet
Tuesday, 5/21: Mivos String Quartet
Wednesday, 5/22: Lea Bertucci
Thursday, 5/23: Barry Weisblat & Andrew Lafkas
Friday, 5/24: Darius Jones
Saturday, 5/25: Tracie Morris
Sunday, 5/26: Elliott Sharp
More info here: https://reversespace.org/elliott-sharp-foliage/


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New on TZADIK!

JOHN ZORN MASADA BOOK TWO: PAT METHENY - Tap: 'Book Of Angels' Vol. 20 (Tzadik 8307; USA) Ever curious, courageous and endlessly creative, virtuoso guitarist and musical mastermind Pat Metheny takes on John Zorn's Masada songbook to create some of the most soulful and adventurous sounds yet heard in the Book of Angels series. Turn up the volume and revel in the breadth of imagination in these remarkable arrangements featuring Pat on a huge arsenal of instruments, and the powerful Antonio Sanchez on drums. Pat Metheny continues to surprise and experiment with new musical frontiers well into the 21st century. Co-produced with Nonesuch Records, this is a match made in Heaven - essential! TZADIK ARCHIVAL SERIES
CD $14

GUERILLA TOSS [KASSIE CARLSON/ARIAN SHAFIEE/IAN KOVAC Jr/ SIMON SHELDON HANES/PETER NEGROPONTE] - Guerilla Toss (Tzadik 7807; USA) A brilliant band of lunatics out of Boston, Guerilla Toss is a five-piece ensemble that mixes noise, improvisation, complex composition and song forms with a punk rock aesthetic that verges on madness. Known for their intense live shows, they have garnered a cult following in the underground rock scene. Their first CD release captures all the intensity, control and insanity of their spectacular live performances. A fabulous ride to Bedlam on a new musical express train! Extreme and absolutely essential for anyone interested in the outer edges of creativity! TZADIK SPOTLIGHT SERIES
CD $14

LES RHINOCEROS [MICHAEL COLTUN/AMIT PELED/JONATHAN BURRIER] - Les Rhinoceros II (Tzadik 7808; USA) For their second CD for Tzadik, this fabulous trio takes a step toward tradition with a heavy CD of music for the classic format of guitar, bass and drums. Recorded at Bill Laswell's Orange Studio by James Dellatacoma, the sound is as intense and powerful as the music. Les Rhinoceros II is a strong second release by this tight and razor sharp new band of musical renegades. TZADIK SPOTLIGHT SERIES
CD $14


FINALLY ON CD!!!

CHRIS McGREGOR'S BROTHERHOOD OF BREATH With DUDU PUKWANA/EVAN PARKER/MIKE OSBORNE/HARRY BECKETT/BRUCE GRANT/MARC CHARIG/NICK EVANS/RADU MALFATTI/HARRY MILLER/JOHNNY DYANI/LOUIS MOHOLO - Procession: Live At Toulouse + 3 (Ogun 39; UK) McGregor (piano), Harry Beckett, Marc Charig (trumpets), Radu Malfatti (trombone), Mike Osborne, Dudu Pukwana (alto saxes), Evan Parker (tenor sax), Bruce Grant (baritone sax, flute), Johnny Dyani, Harry Miller (basses), Louis Moholo (drums). CD features three BONUS TRACKS not on the original album: "TBS", "Andromeda", and "You Ain't Gonna Know Me Cos You Think You Know Me".
Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath may have had fairly conventional instrumentation for a small big band (four saxophonists, two trumpets, one trombone, two bassists, drums and the leader on piano) but the music was anything but safe and predictable. McGregor and three of his fellow Blue Notes (altoist Dudu Pukwana, bassist Johnny Dyani and drummer Louis Moholo) join some of England's more advanced players, including altoist Mike Osborne, Evan Parker on tenor, and trumpeter Harry Beckett, for three originals, including two which are quite lengthy. Although the themes are strong, the emphasis is on improvising, particularly by the full group together, and there are plenty of intense sections on this colorful LP. Recommended to open-eared listeners, this is one of the Brotherhood of Breath's best recordings.
"Recorded live in Toulouse in May 1977, the absence of Feza from the line-up was palpably evident - though check the band's glorious freewheeling take on Feza's "Sonia," which you would like to go on forever - but, perhaps because of this, the band concentrate ferociously on the music at hand and deliver a blistering performance (Dyani finally agreed to play with the Brotherhood on this particular tour, and Miller kept his place in the band to provide a two-bass hit). Parker again provides some of the highlights - his passionate tenor outburst on "Sunrise On The Sun" (as Osborne's alto comments in tandem) and his sudden explosion in the midst of the systematically repeating motifs of "Kwhalo." Malfatti also performs his most passionate solo on record, multiphonics and all, on "Sunrise," while the 18 minutes of Pukwana's "Kwhalo" - a tune also known, and recorded, as "Diamond Express" - might be the band's finest moment on record. Is it pop? Is it minimalism? Is it kwela? It's all those things and far, far more. On his sleevenote Keith Beal observes how, by the track's end, every instrument in the band is a drum - it's astonishing, fiercely danceable and the finest of testaments to this greatest of all bands." - Marcello Carlin
CD $17


Dave Rempis' new label, Aerophonic!

DAVE REMPIS PERCUSSION QUARTET With INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN/FRANK ROSALY/TIM DAISY - Phalanx [2 CD set] (Aerophonic 01; USA) The Rempis Percussion Quartet is a free- improvising whirlwind that draws inspiration from a shared interest in West African and Latin American rhythms, coupled with American funk and free jazz. Using these influences, the band creates spontaneous music which nevertheless maintains a focus on ensemble motion and compositional structures. Led by saxophonist Dave Rempis (The Engines, Ballister, Triage, Vandermark Five) the band originally formed for a house party in April 2004, and their performances maintain an unabashedly raucous energy based on relentless grooves and unrestrained blowing, tempered with occasional moments of quiet balladry. This quartet has toured regularly in both the US and Europe, with North American tours in 2006 and 2007, and European tours in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012 including several major European festival performances. The band has also released five previous CDs.
Phalanx, a two-cd set of live concert recordings from 2012, finds them in top form, barnstorming cities on two continents with their propulsive improvisations. This is the second recording of the band featuring its newest member, Norwegian phenom Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, and these two hard-charging sets show a band at the peak of its creative force.
2 CD set for $18

WHEELHOUSE [DAVE REMPIS/JASON ADASIEWICZ/NARE McBRIDE] - Boss Of The Plains (Aerophonic 02; USA) Wheelhouse was formed in the summer of 2005, when bassist Nate McBride relocated to Chicago from Boston, and was looking for some similarly-minded musicians with whom to work. Having previously met Rempis during the saxophonist's visits home to Boston, he approached him with the idea of starting a band together. Rempis recommended up-and-coming vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, who has gone on to become one of the most noted voices in the Chicago improvised music scene. Originally, the band's collaborative approach focused on playing each other's compositions, but the trio moved away from that tack in 2008, pursuing a free-improvised approach instead. The slow simmer of their development over many years has allowed for an almost telepathic empathy between these players. All notable soloists and leaders on their own, in this context they pursue a more group-oriented sound where a leader emerges and retracts in unpredictable ways.
Additionally, the lack of a drummer provides more sonic space and exposes many of the melodic and harmonic interactions that arise in the group, providing a setting that can move from passages that are remarkably austere, to ones that are highly energetic and dense. Boss of the Plains, their first studio recording, was recorded by the band itself in Adasiewicz's attic in October of 2010, with the same laid-back approach they've taken as a band for many years. This long overdue document showcases the slow-cooked development of an improvising chamber group that occupies a distinct niche within the Chicago music scene.
CD $15

and, back in stock

BALLISTER [DAVE REMPIS/FRED LONBERG-HOLM/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE] - Mi Casa es en Fuego (private release; USA) Ballister is Dave Rempis on alto, tenor & bari saxes, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, guitar & electronics and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums. This is the second disc from Ballister, the first one came out last year on Clean Feed. Ballister includes two members (Rempis & Lonberg-Holm) from the Vandermark 5 as well as the great drummer from the Thing plus numerous projects with Peter Brotzmann, Frode Gjerstad and Ken Vandermark.
This disc was recorded live at Casa Del Popolo in Montreal and wow, this is one intense trio! "Cockloft" kicks the doors wide open with an eruption that sounds more like it is midway through the set. Too much! Is this sped up?!? Is this live or memorex?!? When the frenzy calms down a bit, Rempis' blasts an amazing, over-the-top unaccompanied sax solo. Eventually the cello re-enters in a duo with the sax and finally the drums as well. Mr. Nilssen-Love remains one of the finest free/jazz drummers alive and is in good form here. Sometimes he concentrates on just cymbals or pieces of metal but always listens and responds in a tight connection. There is an impressive duo for the drums and amplified cello which builds back up to a burning trio section. The drums create a sly, sort-of snake-charming groove while the sax screams on top. No matter how far these guys go out, they always play (tightly) together as one dynamic force. Since Mr. Lonberg-Holm amplifies his cello, it is hard to tell exactly what he is playing at times. For the second piece, Rempis switches to bari sax as Lonberg-Holm plays some guitar, the trio take their time to ascend once more. All three long pieces evolve organically and sound strong, focused and spirited. This disc often bristles with nervous energy and feels just right. The demons have been unleashed and are running around creating celebratory chaos. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $13


BUREAU OF ATOMIC TOURISM [TEUN VERBRUGGEN/ANDREW D'ANGELO/NATE WOOLEY/MARC DUCRET/TREVOR DUNN/JOZEF DUMOULIN] - Second Law Of Thermodynamics (RAT 20/Boat 02; EEC) Andrew d'Angelo : Sax and bassclarinet; Nate Wooley : Trumpet; Marc Ducret : Guitar; Trevor Dunn : Bass; Jozef Dumoulin : Fender Rhodes; Teun Verbruggen : Drums , percussion and Labtop
'....good luck finding an appropriate genre label for Teun Verbruggen's Bureau Of Atomic Tourism. While the sextet delves headfirst into abstract free improvisation that abandons all conventional takes on musical notions such as melody, harmony and rhythm at one point, you witness them raging like a well-oiled outfit with years of experience the next. The front section of Andrew d'Angelo (alto saxophone, bass clarinet) and Nate Wooley (trumpet) covers the entire stylistic range from muscular solos to extended techniques, and is often joined by guitarist Marc Ducret, who makes his instrument sing mysteriously, places poignant accents or rages with an equal eagerness. Initially the unpredictable improv may sound like an abstract sound poem, but this switches quickly to first dazzling freak-outs in the New York avant-garde tradition or even throbbing fusion with a nod to Miles Davis' electric era, before ultimately arriving at muscular jazzrock in the vein of The Lounge Lizards and Belgium's X-Legged Sally, with ultra-tight themes, subtly introduced electronics and turbulent dynamics. And what to think of the unstoppable groove of the Dunn/Verbruggen rhythm section and the musical action painting of Jozef Dumoulin on Fender Rhodes? What could have either been a failed jump into the deep end or a haphazard performance with the handbrakes on, here leads to a powerful achievement, executed with discipline and the will to incorporate the outer edges of improvised music....'
CD $16

TEUN VERBRUGGEN & ARVE HENRIKSEN - Black Swan (RAT 17/Boat 01; EEC) Arve Henriksen, trumpet; Teun Verbruggen, drums
CD $16


New on Clean Feed!

HARRIS EISENSTADT SEPTEMBER TRIO With ELLERY ESKELIN/ANGELICA SANCHEZ - The Destructive Element (Clean Feed 276; Portugal) Harris Eisenstadt drums, compositions / Ellery Eskelin tenor saxophone / Angelica Sanchez piano. Following September Trio's acclaimed first release and a good number of tours, we can surely hear the band's developments in these new original compositions by Harris Eisenstadt.
CD $16

MIRAGE [ELLERY ESKELIN/SUSAN ALCORN/MICHAEL FORMANEK] - Mirage (clean feed 271; Portugal) Amazing quiet moody studio recording with three masters of their instruments: Ellery Eskelin tenor sax; Susan Lacorn pedal steel guitar; Michael Formanek double bass
CD $16

TRESPASS TRIO [MARTIN KUCHEN/PER ZANUSSI/RAYMOND STRID] + JOE McPHEE - Human Encore (Clean Feed 269; Portugal) Raymond Strid drums; Per Zanussi double bass; Martin Kuchen alto and baritone saxophone. Third album for this trio, this time recorded live in Coimbra with the addition of the fabulous Joe McPhee on either tenor sax or pocket trumpet. Just imagine this imagine these 4 guys playing together.. Smoking!
CD $16

LAMA [SUSANA SANTOS SILVA/GONCALO ALMEIDA/GREG SMITH] + CHRIS SPEED - Lamacal (clean feed 275; Portugal) Susana Santos Silva trumpet, electronics; Goncalo Almeida double bass, effects and loops; Greg Smith drums; plus Chris Speed tenor sax and clarinet. What a great follow up to their acclaimed debut recording this time featuring the unique Chris Speed once again in a melodic, open and catchy originals from everybody in the band!
CD $16

ERIC REVIS With KRIS DAVIS/ANDREW CYRILLE - City Of Asylum (Clean Feed 277; Portugal) With Kris Davis piano, and the legendary Andrew Cyrille on drums, this is Eric's first piano trio as a leader showing that his playing knows no borders.
CD $16

METEO [SOPHIE AGNEL/JOHN EDWARDS/STEVE NOBLE] - Meteo (clean feed 272; Portugal) Live recording from the famous Meteo Festival. Three top European improvisers - Sophie Agnel piano; John Edwards double bass; and Steve Nobel drums - formed an iconoclast trio for this event!
CD $16


THE EX [ANDY EX/TERRIE HESSELS/ARNOLD DE BOER/KATHERINA BORNFELD] & BRASS UNBOUND [MATS GUSTAFSSON/KEN VANDERMARK/WALTER WIERBOS/ROY PACI] - Enormous Door (Ex 138; Holland) The Ex, sometimes described as 'experimental trance-dance avant-afro-punk improv music' ,have unleashed a new wild and combustible show in collaboration with four of the world's most powerful and performative horn players for some in-the-red swing time. Brass Unbound comprise Swedish force of nature Mats Gustafsson (saxophone), Chicago jazz heavyweight Ken Vandermark (saxophone), Italian wild card Roy Paci (trumpet) and boundary busting classical/futurist Wolter Wierbos (trombone). The line up is dexterous and dangerous, as players, improvisers and entertainers, this group is nothing short of phenomenal. Expect fireworks!!!
CD $15
also available as LP for $17


New on NY's youngest but super-solid avant-jazz label, Relative Pitch!

BOOK OF THREE [TAYLOR HO BYNUM/JOHN HEBERT/GERALD CLEAVER] - Continuum (2012) (Relative Pitch 1012; USA) No time for a review - it just came in an hour before this newsletter got sent out, but here's a comment on the group by Stef (Free-Jazz Blogspot) based on their previous album for RogueArt last year:
"The trio's music is one of real unbearable lightness, with refined sounds from the three instruments creating intimate trialogues and subtle sonic environments, sometimes rhythmic, but more often than not just hovering above the material world, with even the drums, Motian-like accentuating and creating the overall sound rather than setting the pace. On most improvisations the instruments are used in their traditional way, voiced and without too much resorting to extended techniques, except on some tracks, but they don't need that: their musical creativity suffices to offer us something special, a unique treat for listeners."
We've been listening while editing, and no less is true of this second foray!
CD $14

and, Back In Stock:

JOELLE LEANDRE & JEROME BOURDELLON - Evidence (Relative Pitch 1010; USA) Featuring Joelle Leandre on contrabass and Jerome Bourdellon on flutes & bass clarinet. Ms. Landre has played live and recorded in the duo situation more than any other combination. She has done dozens of amazing duos with George Lewis, India Cooke, Derek Bailey, Irene Schweizer and Barre Phillips, to name but a few. French flutist, Jerome Bourdellon, has worked with Joe McPhee, Roscoe Mitchell and Carlos Zingaro. This disc was recorded live at Theatre du Saulcy in France in November of 2011 and it consists of one solo by each musician and five duos.
This disc is superbly recorded and sounds rich in detail and warm in tone. The contrabass and flute sound perfect together as they share a similar timbre or texture. The balance and overall blend of both of these acoustic instruments sounds just right. Mr. Bordellon's solo is for bass flute and it has a most impressive sound, lush and similar to the way the wind howls with a mix of various layers. On the duo of bass clarinet and contrabass, it is hard to tell them apart (except for a few distinctive sounds), they are so similar in range. The longest piece is a solo contrabass and it a tour-de-force. Once again Ms. Leandre and her well chosen cohort, Mr. Bourdellon, reach deep inside and show how astonishing an acoustic duo can be. The entire disc and concert flows together as one continuous righteous work of art. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

JOE MORRIS/AGUSTI FERNANDEZ/NATE WOOLEY - From The Discrete To The Particular (Relative Pitch 1008; USA) With Joe Morris on acoustic guitar, Agusti Fernandez on piano and Nate Wooley on trumpet. This is an all acoustic session, recorded at Firehouse 12 in New Haven, Ct. Although both Joe Morris & Agusti Fernandez and Joe Morris & Nate Wooley have previous duo discs out on the Riti and Clean Feed labels, this is their first trio recording and it is excellent. All three of these musicians are gifted, unique improvisers who consistently challenge themselves in new situations. Over the past few years Spanish pianist Agusti Fernandez has been turning in a variety of diverse situations: a great trio with Barry Guy & Raymon Lopez, with Peter Evans & Mats Gustafsson and with John Edwards & Mark Sanders.
The first thing I notice about this disc is how well it is recorded, close mic'd and perfectly balanced to capture every nuance. The interaction between the piano and trumpet on the first piece is incredible: quick spiraling lines spinning together tightly and intensely. When Joe joins them on guitar he also sends out waves of fast fractured licks. The pace and nonstop ideas are exhilarating. Faster and higher and together as one amazing spirit/force. There moments when two or all three musicians are playing at the same superhuman tempo and it sounds as if the locking together the way many of the fusion bands played in the mid-seventies, although here there is no grandstanding. The pace slows down for "As Expected" so that the trio take their time to build from a sparse start. Although it sounds abstract or free, there is a sense of connected balance, notes being selectively woven together into an organic tapestry of fascinating patterns. When things slow down on "Bilocation" it is as if there is a sense of calm beneath the surface, like a ballad slowly unfolding. This trio seems to have developed their own language or way of communicating ideas. On "Hieratic" I hear a variety of emotions from lonely to brittle and on the verge of exploding before settling down again. Cartoon characters running or dancing to other humorous or unexpected turns of events. An immensely dynamic excursion from the beginning to the end. Yeah! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
URS LEIMGRUBER/ROGER TURNER - The Pancake Tour (Relative Pitch 1007; USA) Urs Leimgruber on soprano & tenor saxes and Roger Turner on percussion, cymbals, f-blade, chain and the comb. This is a studio recording done at the Loft in Cologne, Germany in April of 2012. Both of these men have long resumes of collaborators. Mr. Leimgruber has worked with Fritz Hauser, Evan Parker, Marilyn Crispell and the Om quartet. Mr. Turner has worked with Lol Coxhill, Konk Pack, Derek Bailey and Phil Minton. Quite a diverse group of musicians. Catching Mr. Turner play with Konk Pack last year (2011) and play with Phil Minton at the Knit in the nineties showed me what a unique percussionist he was and still is. I'm not sure what the silly title refers to but this music is engaging nonetheless. Urs starts on soprano slowly weaving minimal notes while Roger plays small percussive sounds - snare drum, cymbal and pieces of metal (an f-blade?). The high bent notes of the soprano and rubbed metal sound similar in texture. The subtle nuances of both players sound sympathetic and create a calm yet intense atmosphere. It sounds as if Turner is bowing his cymbals on "Art Jungle" which enhances the high bent notes of Leimgruber's sax. There is a natural, almost childlike vibe here as if these two youngsters were playing with toys. I know that Mr. Turner can be more rambunctious the way he is with Konk Pack at times but that is rarely the case here. Overall this session shows how less is more - everything about it works out just right. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

WAY OUT NORTHWEST [JOHN BUTCHER/TORSTEN MULLER/DYLAN VAN DER SCHYFF] - The White Spot (Relative Pitch 1006; USA) John Butcher on tenor & soprano saxes, Torsten Muller on contrabass and Dylan Van Der Schyff on drums. UK reeds explorer John Butcher has a scientific approach to playing his two saxes, always measuring (internally) the way certain sounds are heard in different parts of the room or in assorted outdoor spaces, as well as the effect they have on listeners (like us). Hence, Butcher doesn't quite sound like anyone else, just himself. Since is always searching for like-minded sonic explorers, he often doesn't work in a regular context, like a rhythm team. This is the second disc with the same rhythm team so he must sense some kind of kindred spirits. Both bassist Torsten Muller and drummer Dylan Van Der Schyff live in Vancouver, not to far from where this was recorded in Seattle, WA. Although Torsten Muller was originally based in Europe, working with Gunter Christmann, Lol Coxhill and Paul Rutherford, he has worked with Mr. Van Der Schyff in a few previous sessions. Mr. Van Der Schyff remains one of the busiest drummers in Vancouver, playing on dozens of sessions.
This is a radio session and the sound is clean, warm and carefully recorded. On the opening cut, Butcher's sax starts off liner an ocean liner cutting through the fog while Torsten's bowed bass creates an eerie undertow. Since all three members of this trio deal with extended or unusual techniques, it is often difficult to tell them apart. They often create very similar textures. Evan Parker-like bent bird calls is just one of the more recognizable sounds that I hear at different points on this disc. This music often deals with almost microscopic changes in texture, the closer you listen the more you hear certain nuances which are then altered and thus mutated into other odd sounds. From several vantage points, this is a marvelous disc that I keep coming back to since I hear something different each time I put it on. There seems to be quite a variety of alien beings or strange sea creatures just below the surface. Utterly fascinating and consistently absorbing! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

MICHAEL BISIO/MATTHEW SHIPP - Floating Ice (Relative Pitch 1005; USA) Featuring Michael Bisio on contrabass and Matthew Shipp on piano. My good friend Mike Panico, who co-produced this disc, has been telling me about it for a while now since he is so proud of the results of his first production. He should be since this is an amazing effort. Since moving here from the Pacific northwest, bassist Michael Bisio has become an important member of the ever-growing Downtown scene. I see and hear him dozens of times a year playing with Ivo Perelman, Joe McPhee, Avram Fefer, David Arner and Louie Belogenis. Mr. Bisio has done a number of duo discs in the past as well as playing with Matt Shipp in the trio context, but this duo is something else entirely. Bisio has a handful of discs out as a leader and he does sound like the leader on this disc since his bass is featured and foremost on many of the tracks. This is a studio effort and the sound is superbly captured. The first thing I notice is the interplay between the lower notes on the piano and the acoustic bass, extraordinary, both players are part of the same tight counterbalance. Although this music is mainly improvised, both musicians are on the same page, weaving their lines together sympathetically. Mr. Bisio takes a number of bass solos, each one inspired and concentrated on a different part of the bass. This disc sounds like a suite with all of the pieces connected by interludes between solos or duos. At times Matt mutes certain strings inside the piano to good effect, more percussive tha anything else. There a few themes or melodies which emerge and sound charted. On "Supernova" a rich, haunting web-like section has Matt playing these majestic chords while Michael bows gorgeous harmonies underneath. The total effect is most mesmerizing. From the beginning to the end, this is an outstanding disc that works well on all levels. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

AYCH [JIM HOBBS/TAYLOR HO BYNUM/MARY HALVORSON] - As The Crow Flies (Relative Pitch 1004; USA) "Aych (as in the letter "H" for the last names of the trio) features Jim Hobbs on alto sax, Mary Halvorson on guitar and Taylor Ho Bynum on trumpets. If you (like me) were expecting another "free music" session, then you would be dead wrong. Jim Hobbs, as you should know, is the leader of the great Fully Celebrated Orchestra as well as a longtime Joe Morris collaborator. Besides being one of the most intense & distinctive free saxists to emerge from the Boston scene, he is also a fine composer. Hobbs wrote five of the twelve pieces on this disc and often seems to be directing a good portion of the freer pieces. Mary Halvorson now has a lengthy resume of various projects & collaborators and is considered to be the one of the freshest voices on guitar no matter what genre you place her in. Taylor Ho Bynum is yet another young master who has already worked with the giants - Anthony Braxton & Bill Dixon, as well as leading a number of his own bands. Both Mr. Hobbs & Ms. Halvorson are members of Mr. Bynum's current sextet so there is a great deal of history between all three of these gifted musicians.
'As the Crow Flies' is a studio date and the sound is superb. The trio improvs rarely sound improvised as the each member is so focused and an integral part of the group sound. The thing that I noticed most about Mr. Hobbs when hearing & seeing him with Taylor's sextet a couple of months ago is that he attacks each note with precise clarity, bending many notes is his own distinctive way. His own compositions here are closer to chamber music than to any jazz pulse, groove or swing. The title track is actually somber with slow simmering tones from the sax, trumpet and nimble, hypnotic guitar. On a few of the trio improvs, two members will play strong harmonic lines together while the third member solos over the top providing fireworks. Each Hobbs composition is special and covers a wealth of diverse styles. "Kekionga" is perhaps the funkiest groove that I've ever heard from Ms. Halvorson, yet it keeps shifting through different unexpected detours. This entire feels like a suite that was well conceived by Mr. Hobbs who is also the producer. Since the trio rarely goes too far out, there is a certain charm that exudes which will make it easier for those who don't like to be challenged too much. A present for mother, grandmother or girlfriend?!? Perhaps. And at some just some 49 minutes, it is not too long to overstay its warm welcome. Each of the written songs are instant gems so this disc is filled with a number of fine surprises. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

VINNY GOLIA QUARTET With BOBBY BRADFORD/KEN FILIANO/ALEX CLINE - Take Your Time (Relative Pitch 1003; USA) Featuring Vinny Golia on tenor, alto, soprano saxes & compositions, Bobby Bradford on cornet, Ken Filiano on acoustic bass and Alex Cline on drums. This is the second disc for Relative Pitch label, run by our friends & Stone volunteers (Mike P. & Kevin R.) and we have another winner. Multi-reeds wizard, Vinny Golia, founded the great Nine Winds label in the seventies, which has slowed down quite a bit over the past few years. In the meantime, Vinny has a few discs out on the Kadima label. Fellow professor at Cal Arts and elder brass master, Bobby Bradford, is an early Ornette Coleman & John Carter collaborator who well respected by fellow musicians & listeners alike but has been under-recorded until pretty recently. Vinny moved to L.A. in the early seventies where he met and worked with John Carter & Bobby Bradford, both of whom were highly influential to long musical journey. Vinny also began working & recording with the brothers Cline (Alex on drums & Nels on guitar) around 1977 as well as hooking up with bassist Ken Filiano in the mid-eighties. So, this quartet features four fine veterans of the LA creative music scene, who have worked together for many years.
Mr. Golia wrote eight new pieces for this disc and each one deals with a different set of challenges and strategies. "That Was for Albert 10" finds Vinny on tenor and Bobby on cornet swirling around one another in tight orbits while the bass and drums swirl tightly underneath. The music is slow yet quite assured, lumbering yet filled with earthy spirits. This disc sounds like a suite since each piece seems to evolve into the next one perfectly. "Otolith" begins with some superb bowed bass, somber yet strong & supportive mallet-work and floating horns in great hypnotic harmonies. Golia and Bradford sound as if they are answering each other's lines, bending notes around each other and then soloing powerfully as the rhythm team kicks up a cosmic storm down below the surface waves. "On the Steel" recalls some of those swell, slightly fractured Braxtonian compositions from the mid-seventies. Vinny sounds especially strong & Trane-like on soprano sailing above and interconnecting lines with Bradford's feisty start & stop cornet. Vinny and Bobby have a unique way of weaving their lines together so that we always hear an underlying connection of ideas. I really dig the slightly twisted theme to "Welcome Home" which keeps circulating in my mind over & over. It is quite Mingus-like and makes me want to sing some words on top. Although certain sections of these pieces sound free, the slower pace and thoughtful soloing makes them easier to swallow and follow. At 72 minutes long, this is a long and impressive work to absorb in one setting but still it is pretty extraordinary throughout. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

JOELLE LEANDRE/PHILLIP GREENLIEF - That Overt Object Of Desire (Relative Pitch 1002; USA) Fabulous duo studio session featuring Joelle Leandre on contrabass & voice and Phillip Greenlief on woodwinds & voice. Our good friends Mike Panico & Kevin Reilly - whom you might meet at door of The Stone on various nights - have been talking about starting their own label for the past year. Finally have their first release (and a second of Vinny Golia Qt next month!) which is quite extraordinary. Both Joelle and Phillip are gifted improvisers with long and varied backgrounds. Anyone who regularly reads our newsletter should know about Ms. Leandre, one of the finest contrabassists on the planet who turns sixty this year and is celebrating by playing sixty concerts around the world. Mr. Greenlief is a longtime Bay area reeds wizard who runs the Evander label and has worked with Trevor Dunn, Scott Amendola, Adam Levy & Andreas Willers, performing solo and in duos & trios. Although Mr. Greenlief often concentrates on one reed instrument per CD or set, for this duo disc he switches between alto, tenor & soprano saxes and clarinet. I've always dug the sound of reeds & contrabass together since they cover similar tonal qualities, warm, wooden, percussive and vocal-like sounds. Joelle and Phillip are obviously listening closely and responding in a heated dialogue. It sounds like both musicians are telling stories at the same time while interacting quickly and tossing ideas back and forth. Some sounds are brittle and delicate while others are explosive and frenzied, yet all sounds are focused and blend superbly into one another. Just as we breathe in between sentences, so do these musicians - this music breathes and sounds like life unfolding in a most organic way. At times Phillip adds bits of odd (animal-like) vocal sounds which enhances the sounds he is making on the sax or clarinet. There are two "Variations for Soprano Sax & Contrabass". For the second one, Joelle & Phillip exchange a flurry of high-end flutters, providing a dense buzzing activity. This is a studio effort and the sound is superbly recorded, each instrument is captured with great attention to detail. Joelle's contrabass sound is powerful and often in your face while sounding immense and intense. When she uses her bow on the the second variation for alto sax & bass, it is just incredible, bristling with transfixing tension. The last two long solo pieces are for soprano sax with voices and solo bass with voices. Both are extraordinary, highly concentrated and extreme. Every sound is loaded with layers of meaning and/or communication. The overall effect is stunning. I can hardly wait for the next release from this fine new label which will feature Vinny Golia & Bobby Bradford. Joelle Leandre will be in NYC during the third week of June (2011). Stay tuned for her performances. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

JEMEEL MOONDOC & CONNIE CROTHERS - Two (Relative Pitch 1009; USA) Featuring Jemeel Moondoc on alto sax and Connie Crothers on piano. New York in general and the Downtown scene in particular present an open landscape from which many musicians from varied backgrounds find common ground, experiment and eventually (hopefully) thrive. Check out this duo. Jemeel Moondoc was born in Chicago, moved to Boston to study at 17, studied with Cecil Taylor at University of Wisconsin, followed Taylor to Antioch and started Ensemble Muntu. Moondoc eventually found his way to New York in the mid-seventies and struggled. He put together a new version of Muntu with William Parker, Roy Campbell, Arthur Williams and Rashied Bakr. A great box-set of Muntu recordings was finally released last year on No Business. Moondoc went on to work with Dennis Charles, Khan Jamal, Fred Hopkins and Ed Blackwell and has some ten discs out as a leader. He records and plays live infrequently.
Connie Crothers moved to NY in 1962 and studied with legendary pianist Lenni Tristano. Ms. Crothers didn't start to play live for another decade and began recording more frequently in the 1980's. Connie helped organize the New Artists label and recorded some 25+ albums since then. Many of those records involve a number of musicians who studied with or were highly influenced by Lennie Tristano like Lenny Popkin and Richard Tabnik. Ms. Crothers enjoys the challenge of working with other musicians as diverse as Max Roach, Roy Campbell, Ken Filiano and David Arner.
Ms. Crothers and Mr. Moondoc have been working together in duos and ensembles for the past decade, but this is their first recording together. This is also Jemeel's first studio effort in a very long time. What do they have in common? From the sound of this disc, quite a bit. Both draw from a wealth of experiences, hence the balance, range of ideas and interaction is extraordinary. Jemeel has a superb, warn yet biting, somewhat Dolphy-esque tone. Somewhere between bebop and free yet completely distinctive. Most of these pieces are duo improvisations with one song by each player. Moondoc's lovely ballad, "You Let Me Into Your Life" is quite lyrical and touching with some elegant piano by Connie. each of the six improvisations allows the duo to stretch out and interact on different levels. Some of these pieces are no less lyrical but are still free and move in unexpected ways. What is magical is the way both musicians seem to anticipate each other's direction and end up in similar places. They often trade ideas like old friends feeling comfortable and conversing effortlessly. Occasionally they push each other into darker or denser waters yet they are always close as one unified spirit. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


INGRID SCHMOLINER/JOACHIM BADENHORST/PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER - Watussi (Listen Closely 06; EEC) Ingrid Schmoliner (AT)-voice, piano; Joachim Badenhorst (BE)-reeds; Pascal Niggenkemper (FR/GER)-doublebass
CD $13


DENSELAND [HANNO LEICHTMANN/DAVID MOSS/HANNES STROBL] - Like Likes Like (M=Minimal 21; Germany) There is a certain type of music that echoes the feeling of a dark promise. It triggers anxiety, and it is precisely this effect that makes it appealing and as fascinating as a Cronenberg film. Denseland's music oscillates precisely within this suspense. Hanno Leichtmann, Hannes Strobl, and original New York Downtowner DAVID MOSS have already released an album titled Chunk (2010). Now they bring us Like Likes Like with the Berlin label M=minimal and seek to combine everything that belongs together. Rhythmic textures, rudimentary melodies and a clear renunciation of harmonies develop into a lesson on the subject of minimalism. The songs produce a deep and chilly effect, and beyond the rhythmic structures appears David Moss' magical "sprechgesang" (a vocal technique somewhere between speaking and singing). His voice seems to whisper directly in one's ear. It creaks, it grumbles. It then expands and shapes into a sort of singing as ghostly voices breathe in the air. It is precisely this vocal that widely contributes to a feeling of discomfort on Like Likes Like. Almost all repetitive music operates on the principle of hypnosis through repetition. Sometimes a song needs a few minutes to unfold its hypnotic effect; on the contrary, Denseland needs only a few seconds. The centrifugal force in its downbeat repetitions becomes practically unavoidable. Denseland's members depict mastery in opening new frontiers, employing minimal resources with maximum efficiency. Descriptors such as "slow-motion funk" or "minimal spoken-word noise techno" do not live up to the trio's dark and energetic tracks.
CD $19


KAWABATA MAKOTO'S MAINLINER With KOJI SHIMURA/KAWABE TAIGEN - Revelation Space (Riot Season 36; UK) CD EDITION WITH EXTRA CUT. One of the most celebrated Japanese underground bands have returned. It may have taken over 12 years, but Kawabata Makoto, guitar guru and head honcho in Acid Mothers Temple, has finally decided to get his celebrated "psychedelic solid free attack group" back together. Joining original Mainliner members Kawabata Makoto (motorpsycho guitar) and Koji Shimura (drums) is new recruit Kawabe Taigen (bass/vocals) and the trio still kick up one hell of a sonic racket. Confusion surrounds the exact details of the recording, but they seem to date from December 2011, and from Kawabata's mountain-top temple studio-cum-home. The man himself, as always, is shying away from sharing too many of the magick details about the Mainliner rebirth. And the stark, minimal black-with-gold sleeve keeps the mystery intact, apart from the grainy band photo on the rear. All said, Revelation Space is a comeback statement of intent. And it's firmly in the same in-the-red/raw camp as the original trio's classic Mellow Out. From the initial speaker-shaking feedback burst of opener "Revelation Space," right through to the closing 20-minute epic "New Sun" (which showcases Taigen's otherworldly howl perfectly) there is no let-up in the brutal delivery. This will no doubt delight those Mainliner diehards who never thought they'd see the day again, and all those with a love of guitar howls and punishing feedback levels, but always underpinned by some righteous grooves.
CD $17
also available on LP for $28


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


Last copies of many of these FANTASTIC American Clave Releases!
Must-Have's for EVERYBODY!

PAUL HAINES//EVAN PARKER/JACK BRUCE/GEORGE CARTWRIGHT/DEREK BAILEY/ROBERT WYATT/JOHN TCHICAI/PAUL BLEY/WAYNE HORVITZ/ANDREW CYRILLE et al - Darn It! Poems By Paul Haines, Musics By Many [Ltd Ed silkscreened jewel case; 2 CD set] (American Clave 1014/1018; USA) Musics and voices for the 32 performances of the late Paul Haines writings found here provided by: Evan Parker, Robert Wyatt, George Cartwright, Bobby Previte, Wayne Horvitz, John Oswald, Melvin Gibbs, Derek Bailey, Don Pullen, Carla Bley, Jack Bruce, John Tchicai, Roswell Rudd, Gary Lucas, Steve Swallow, Yale Evelev (!), Mary Margaret O'Hara, Andrew Cyrille, Alva Rogers, J T Lewis, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Henry Threadgill, Peter Scherer, Greg "Iron Man" Tate, D D Jackson, Leo Nocentelli, D K Dyson, Dave Hofstra, Paul Bley, Ignacio Berroa, Lewis Barnes, Carmen Lundy, Fernando Saunders, Tim Wright, Paul Dutton...
"Canadian-born "jazz poet" Paul Haines is the poet best known for his lyric contributions to two of Carla Bley's most successful recordings,, specifically the hugely ambitious concept album Escalator Over the Hill (1971) and its follow-up, Tropic Appetites (1973). Haines' librettos for those works reflected his penchant for his surreal but earthy language, elaborate puns, and trenchant aphorisms were a vital element. Prior to those engagements, Haines had spent some time on the Greenwich Village scene during the '60s, where he made connections on the jazz circuit and occasionally penned liner notes or captured informal recordings on home equipment. After his success with Bley, he occasionally resurfaced in the jazz world as a lyrical collaborator, most notably in the '90s with the band Curlew (1993's A Beautiful Western Saddle) and its leader George Cartwright (1994's Dot). In addition to writing poetry and lyrics, Haines was also a filmmaker and world traveler, and his daughter Emily -- born during a sojourn in India -- later co-founded the indie pop group Metric. Haines passed away at his Ennismore, Ontario, home on January 21, 2003, the victim of heart failure.
In 1994, Kip Hanrahan's American Clave label released the double-disc Darn It! Poems by Paul Haines, Musics by Many. It is an extremely wide-ranging celebration of his work, recorded over six years, corralling dozens of musicians from disparate genres, each of whom pays idiosyncratic homage to this unique wordsmith.Some of the bigger names on the project included Paul Bley, Evan Parker, prog rocker Robert Wyatt, Derek Bailey, Cream's Jack Bruce, Big Star frontman Alex Chilton, Roswell Rudd, Don Pullen, and Henry Threadgill.
Sometimes the words aren't even used, but the musician(s) improvise around a poem (as do John Tchicai and Andrew Cyrille) or only on a title (as in Paul Bley's gorgeous solo ruminations). The musical styles range from Derek Bailey's wiry, cranky strumming to funk bands led by Melvin Gibbs or Greg Tate to the music-box overlays of plunderphonicist John Oswald. There are the inevitable clunkers in any project of this size, but the highlights make this a must-have for all fans of Haines' work. When Roswell Rudd growls out "C'Etait Dans la Nuit," one is quick to forgive the occasional weak track. Where else but Haines' world does one come across lines like "Just when I thought/Bicycles no longer/Existed/I saw a woman on one"? - Brain Olewnick, AMG
2 CD set for $26 (Out of print, but we have it!)
also, 3 copies left without the silkscreened cover for $20 each

PIRI THOMAS With MILTON CARDONA/BILLY BANG/J T LEWIS/ALFREDO TRIFF/FERNANDO SAUNDERS et al - Every Child Is Born A Poet (American Clave 1032; USA) Poet/writer/activist Piri Thomas is considered one of the preeminent figures of Nuyorican literary culture, as well as a forefather/precursor to the rap MCs & poetry slammers of a more recent vintage. Most well known for his 1967 autobiography Down These Mean Streets, he was also the subject of a fantastic Jonathan Robinson documentary also entitled "Every Child is Born a Poet." This record is in essence an original score to that film and an excellent stand-alone album in its own right, with Thomas reciting his poetry and prose over (mostly) new arrangements by Kip Hanrahan and his always-incredible usual stable of players - Milton Cardona, Andy Gonzalez, Jerry Gonzalez, Robby Ameen, Alfredo Triff, Billy Bang, JT Lewis, Fernando Saunders, Chocolate Armenteros providing the core - with results that come off gritty yet optimistic, the flipside to the Last Poets' streetcorner nihilist nickel. As with any American Clave project, performances and production are top-notch, as is the writing. Any of you Clave fans who've hesitated thusfar should get off their bottoms and do the right thing. Highest Recommendation!! - Mikey IQ Jones.
CD $10.00 7 for 6 SALE.

KIP HANRAHAN With JACK BRUCE/DON PULLEN/HENRY THREADGILL/STEVE SWALLOW et al - Red Nights: A Thousand Nights And A Night (American Clave 1036; USA) With DON PULLEN, ROBBY AMEEN, CARMEN LUNDY, CHARLES NEVILLE, JACK BRUCE, BRANDON ROSS, EL NEGRO HORACIO HERNANDEZ, HENRY THREADGILL, SILVANA DELUIGI, MIKE CAIN, DD JACKSON, ANTHONY CARRILLO, PUNTILLA ORLANDO RIOS, MILTON CARDONA, ALFREDO TRIFF, ERIC SCHENKMAN, ANDY GONZALEZ, STEVE SWALLOW, ABRAHAM RODRIGUEZ
(Please NOTE: There are THREE DIFFERENT albums from Kip Hanrahan titled 'A Thousand Nights And A Night', each with it own set of exclusive songs, no overlap. The other ones are subtitled 'Shadow Nights 1' and Shadow Nights 2', both of which are out-of-print at the moment). Shahrazad (opening) (1) within which Shahrazad starts telling the story of Sitt al Mila/Zumurrud (2)within which Zumurrud starts relating the the Jewish Doctor's Tale (3) within which the Jewish doctor mentions Hashim ibn Sulamain who told him about Aziz's explanation of why he's destroyed as a man,the story of Aziz and Azizah (4) within which Azizah consoles herself with Puntilla's story of Diente de Oro (5) Aziz and Azizah (6) Story continues, and she sings Aziz to rest with excerpts of traveler's stories she'd heard: al- Mamuun and the Arab Girl by the Well (7) the Lost Prince (8) Taj al-Muluk and Princess Dunya (9) Dunya's nocturnal realization (10) Shahrazad shifts angles, introducing: (11) The merchant and the three different colored women (12) the Jinniyya who envied human suffering (13) the Hasheater's tale (14) the Angel Charles and the Caravans of Jinns and Dreams (15)Shahrazad and the closing of the first night of stories (16)
"Outrageously evocative [it] is unlike anything else in the sonic universe... The effect is erotic, obscene, streetwise and jazz-like. Propelled by da riddum, Hanrahan's words groove like the hottest, wildest saxophone you could ever imagine. Wanna dance!" - Joe Vanderford, Independent Weekly
CD $16

KIP HANRAHAN With JACK BRUCE/GEORGE ADAMS/DON PULLEN/STEVE SWALLOW et al - All Roads Are Made Of Flesh (American Clave 1029; USA) With JACK BRUCE, DON PULLEN, CHARLES NEVILLE, CARMEN LUNDY, ALLEN TOUSSAINT, LEO NOCENTELLI, ALFREDO TRIFF, ROBBIE AMEEN, JT LEWIS, GEORGE ADAMS, MILTON CARDONA, ANTHONY CARRILLO, CHOCOLATE ARMENTEROS, DINO SALUZZI, RENAUD GARCIA-FONS, MICHAEL REISLER, WOLFGANG PUCHNIK, ANDY GONZALEZ, GIOVANNI HIDALGO, JERRY GONZALEZ, ELYSEE PYRONNEAU, STEVE SWALLOW ".With it's subtle evocations of the sexual melodrama of ---go, subdued guaguanco rhythms, wisps of Haitian compas and passages of improvisational flair merging together (so that organist Don Pullen's off-kilter keyboard runs heighten the pulse of the 3/2 clave used throughout), Hanrahan's new album All Roads are Made of the Flesh is greater than the sum of its parts.... Where much of the new global fusion is rhythm as an intellectual exercise, the rhythms of Hanrahan's music evoke the many textures of desire and sensuality..." - Peter Shapiro, Wire (London)
"as Hanrahan says in his liner notes, Pullen illuminates everything around him whether bashing piano in the middle of some tropical love song or playing gospel organ behind Bruce's amazing growling performance of Buddy Boden's Blues. (Jack Bruce is one of the greatest singers God ever put on Earth.) There are late night torch songs and hard edged dance tunes here, all ful of the fire and elegance that is Hanrahan's trademark....the record opens with a ten minute live version of Buddy Bolden's Blues which features Jack Bruce's salt of the earth vocals paving the way for an astonishing New Orleans piano showcase from Toussaint that has the audienceaudibly gasping in disbelief and joy. The six pieces that follow are dramatically different yet somehow intertwined... "
CD $16

KIP HANRAHAN With JACK BRUCE/DON PULLEN/ALFREDO TRIFF/MILTON CARDONA et al - Exotica (American Clave 1027; USA) With JACK BRUCE, DON PULLEN, ROBBIE AMEEN, ALFREDO TRIFF, LEO NOCENTELLI, JT LEWIS, DAVID SANCHEZ, RALPH PETERSON JR., ANTHONY CARILLO, RICHIE FLORES, MILTON CARDONA, LUCY PENABAZ, ANDY GONZALEZ, MARIO RIVIERA
"Jack Bruce [here] is tackling material as challenging and new for the 1990s as psychedelic bluesy rock was to the 1960s. ...The songs are dense, compact and rhythmically urgent ruminations on political meaning in a world where socialism has collapsed but freedom has not been forthcoming... Helping out in a brilliant manner is Don Pullen, the jazz pianist whose ability to be melodically sensitive while he furiously pounds the keys is rivaled only by McCoy Tyner and Cecil Taylor... Jack's voice here is a wonderfully melodic instrument. You don't here enough of him these days." -Steven Rosen, The Denver Post
"Don Pullen and his B3 figure prominently on the challenging, complex and convention-shattering Exotica... Exotica keeps the clave, or heartbeat of Afro-Caribbean music, and employs to the fullest the protean talents of Pullen, bass guitarist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist Leo Nocentilli (ex-Meters) and trap drummer Robby Ameen. Ameen, in particular, is astonishing on Exotica... Hanrahan's recordings, while immensely edifying and enjoyable to attentive listeners, defy easy analysis in so short a space. I strongly suggest you get Exotica..." -Gene Kalbacher
...Our poet of the darkness that resembles intoxication, Hanrahan gives us a bitter and sensual meditation on political deception and sexual passion - or is it sexual deception and political passion? Bruce, in one of his deepest, darkest performances on record, gives both subjects the same sensual treatment. - Ed Hazell, Providence Phoenix CD $12.00 7 for 6 SALE.

KIP HANRAHAN With STEVE SWALLOW/DAFNIS PRIETO/JOHN BEASLEY/HORACIO 'EL NEGRO' HERNANDEZ et al - At Home in Anger - Which Could Also Be Called Imperfect, Happily (American Clave/Enja/Yellowbird 7720; Germany) This is the first new CD from the great producer Kip Hanrahan in a three years. The personnel features John Beasley on piano (from Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard & Jon Hassell), Steve Swallow on electric bass, Dafnis Prieto & Horacio Hernandez on drums.
A renowned composer, bandleader, visionary producer, and creative instigator, Hanrahan has long been known for intensely passionate music that is both tender and hard-driving, with a deep poetic edge. At Home In Anger is the first new Kip Hanrahan CD since a his 2007 release Beautiful Scars. Fans of forward-thinking, outernational music will no doubt be thrilled to hear that Kip Hanrahan is back !
Kip Hanrahan has experienced a lot. He was an assistant with Nouvelle Vague director Jean-Luc Godard, the video artist Nam June Paik and the innovative composer Carla Bley, made from the early eighties wonderful records like "Coup de Tete", "Desire Develops An Edge" and "Exotica "for which he formed fantastic, exciting all-star bands with Jack Bruce, Milton Cardona, Charles Neville, Henry Threadgill, David Murray, Arto Lindsay, Billy Bang, Taj Mahal, Astor Piazzolla and even Sting.
Today Kip Hanrahan moves between Rio de Janeiro and Reston, Virginia, swinging cross boundaries acts as a catalyst again, less as a jazz musician in the usual sense. The seventeen pieces on Anger are subtle, rhythmically powerful and even more focused/balanced than the previous CD. On his fifteenth album percussionist and producer, poet and visionary Kip Hanrahan compensates his vivid anger about oppression and exclusion: "At Home In Anger" - a fascination with excitement, relaxation, warmth and magic.
"There is nothing quite like Mr. Hanrahan's music - a steamy blend of rhythmic and melodic tensions, drawn from musicians of different traditions (Latin, jazz, rock), yet with something very much his own." - Jason Weiss, New York Times
CD $14

KIP HANRAHAN With STING/ROBBIE AMEEN/ALFREDO TRIFF/DON PULLEN/ANDREW CYRILLE - Tenderness (American Clave/Enja/Yellowbird 7703; Germany) With STING, DIAHNNE ABBOTT, CARMEN LUNDY, LUCY PENEBAZ, FERNANDO SAUNDERS, KIP HANRAHAN, ROBBIE AMEEN, ANDY GONZALEZ, GIOVANNI HIDALGO, LEO NOCENTELLI, DON PULLEN, ALFREDO TRIFF, CHOCOLATE
ARMANTEROS, CHICO FREEMAN, MILTON CARDONA, RICHIE FLORES, IGNACIO BERROA, ANDREW CYRILLE, MARVIN SMITH, CECILIA ENGELHARDT "...If there were such a category as 'musica erotica', this would qualify. But don't expect heavy breathing. This has depth. Hanrahan takes you on a psycho-sexual journey that throbs with passion. Not for the faint hearted, this is a turn-on for men as well as women. The lyrics explore sensuality like forbidden fruit. The music is a driving, grinding pulsating mix of rhythms. And that's just the intro! ...Tenderness is a story, a feeling and a sound concept captured with absolute mastery. Listen to it with someone you love." -Jazz Quarterly
Plenty of great musicians who've tried to forge a global language out of the boiling stew of Pan-American rhythms and melodies have come up empty - producing music with no cultural imperative, not guts and no soul. But on Tenderness... Kip Hanrahan achieves something of a miracle: a music that reaches across the cultural divide and
emerges as sensuous, jarring, provocative, wryly hilarious and profoundly beautiful. ...Awesome." -Jory Farr, The Press Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
"...the rhythmically riveting song cycle uses archetypes of courting and coupling as its conceptual pe, and a mating dance dialogue between first person singular, male first person singular, female ... Hanrahan has managed another fiery fusion that makes terms like 'eclectic world beat' seem beside the point." -Bob Townsend, Atlanta Journal Constitution
CD $14

KIP HANRAHAN With JACK BRUCE/RICKY FORD/GEORGE ADAMS/JOHN STUBBLEFIELD/JAMAALADEEN TACUMA/ANTON FIER et al - Desire Develops An Edge [16 track edition] (American Clave/Enja/Yellowbird 7731; Germany) [Double LP on 1 CD; 16 track edition - missing the Jack And The Golden Palominos cut from the original LP and ancient 1980's German CD release] With JACK BRUCE, KIP HANRAHAN, STEVE SWALLOW, PUNTILLA ORLANDO RIOS, ARTO LINDSAY, ELYSEE PYRONNEAU, RICKY FORD, IGNACIO BERROA, JERRY GONZALEZ, JOHN STUBBLEFIELD, JAMAALADEEN TACUMA, ANTON FIER, MILTON CARDONA, TEO MACERO, TiPLUME RICARDO FRANCK, FRISNER AUGUSTIN, SERGIO BRANDAO, JOHN SCOFIELD, JODY HARRIS, others
"Mr. Hanrahan often gets something deeper and more structural on Desire. Instead of writing a tune and lyrics, then deciding on a beat, he has taken a lesson from his Haitian and Cuban colleagues and learned to work his way up from the rhythm. Not just any rhythm, either: he's after a fusion of Haitian, Cuban, Brazilian, salsa, rock and jazz syncopations that will register as none of the above... Interwoven throughout Desire are sequels to the tales of sexual conflict Mr. Hanrahan started on Coup de Tete along with border crossings, bilingual puns, a Yoruba legend, smoky bossa-nova romanticism and reflections on the making (and the financing) of the album itself - all subjects that can be connected somehow, in the crossfire of distinct but interlocking rhythms... Mr. Hanrahan's ambition seems to have infected everyone in his pool of musicians. The all play as if they've found a brand new community - one where a dance party has just begun." - Jon Pareles, New York Times
"Desire Develops an Edge is well-named; it is a seductive work, but one in which you the musicians actually willing themselves to avoid the traps of habit... Bruce is a revelation. Phrasing each song as if it were an interior monologue, shedding his arena-filling roar for a completely personal sound. Bruce emerges as a remarkable gifted singer... Desire is the first Great Record of 1984." - David Bither, New York Beat "One of the 60 jazz records of the 20th Century for people who think they hate jazz... These albums changed me..." - Actual (France)
CD $14
also, 2 copies left of the original U.S. edition with the silver-embossed title cover for $16

KIP HANRAHAN With ARTO LINDSAY/CHICO FREEMAN/BYARD LANCASTER/BILLY BANG/JAMAALADEEN TACUMA/FRED FRITH/BILL LASWELL et al - Coup De Tete (American Clave/Enja/Yellowbird 7701; Germany) With KIP HANRAHAN, JERRY GONZALEZ, DANIEL PONCE, ARTO LINDSAY, JAMAALADEEN TACUMA, ANTON FIER, CHICO FREEMAN, CARLOS WARD, IGNACIO BERROA, JOHN STUBBLEFIELD, CARLA BLEY, TEO MACERO, BILL LASWELL, BILLY BANG, LISA HERMAN, NICKY MARRERO, BYARD LANCASTER, GEORGE CARTWRIGHT, ORLANDO DiGIROLAMO, DOM UM ROMAO, FRED FRITH, MIKE MANTLER, DAVE LIEBMAN
"Once in a blue moon, a new record will stick out, I'll play it again and again. I'll call friends with similar tastes and interests and play it for them. And once I've listened to the album a dozen times or so, all of the accumulated frustration from listening to mundane products will have somehow been eased. Kip Hanrahan's coup de tete is such an album. -Atlanta Journal / Constitution Weekend
"Put succinctly, this is one of the most daring, innovative records we've heard in years... A remarkable, seamless essay on the possibilities of a world music. A milestone. The Best Record of the Year" (1981) - Cashbox
CD $16

HORACIO "EL NEGRO" HERNANDEZ AND ROBBY AMEEN - Robby And Negro At The Third World War (La Timba No Es Como Ayer) (American Clave 1031; USA) What happens when you let two hip drummers on the jazz scene today loose in a recording studio with Kip Hanrahan? You get a joyful project full of intriguing ideas, textures, imagination and unexpected combinations--a free-for-all of unbridled traps and percussion. This musically varied project shows the multi-dimensional sides of Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez and Robby Ameen (both of whom have exceptional musical resumes) and marks their debut as leaders.
El Negro and Robby at the Third World War opens with Medley: Sympathy for the Devil/El Cielo featuring Ruben Blades on the English-language lead vocals. A smoking band of New York City's finest do the Rolling Stones tune justice with an arrangement by saxophonist Bobby Franceschini that transforms into a horn-driven guaguanco called El Cielo. From there, it's timba time and Blades wails in Spanish with seasoned sonerismos about good and evil.
Jazzheads check out 3 for Africa, featuring John Beasley on Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes; All Jazz Era (al-jazeera), an Ameen and Hernandez original that let Franceschini blow hardbop tenor with the double basses of Essiet Essiet and Lincoln Goines and twin drum sets propelling it and The Moon Shows Red (Tsuki ga akaku mihiri toki), a gorgeous string arrangement by Takuma Watanabe that features Jerry Gonzalez on trumpet.
The salsafied La Timba Francesa features Marie Dauline on a jazzy French-language vocal that explodes into a full-blown timba dance session. Groovers will dig Hit This, Split This with rapper Inner Soul, the funk and shuffle of We Got the Fu*k and the Ameen and Hernandez mano-a-mano drumming on Richie's; Brain and Far From Beirut (Lino 5).
Overall, the varied textures and styles on this album are worth hearing for the energy these two collaborators create that draws from the spirit to the streets. Insightful and pointed, Robby Ameen and Horacio Hernandez show that the drummers are still the messengers of the tribe - Jesse Varela/Latin Beat
JOHN BEASLEY, RUBEN BLADES, PEDRO MARTINEZ, MARIE DAULNE, TAKUMA WATANABE, JERRY GONZALEZ, YOSVANY TERRY, INNERSOUL, KELLEY SAE, BOBBY FRANCESCHINI, XIOMARA LAUGART, RICHIE FLORES, LARRY BAEDER, CHARLIE TORRES, ORLANDO PUNTILLA RIOS, ESSIETT ESSIET, LINCOLN GOINES, BRIAN LYNCH, LUIS PERDOMO, RUBEN RODRIGUEZ, FERNANDO SAUNDERS, ROMAN DIAZ
CD $16

SILVANA DELUIGI With STEVE SWALLOW/ANDY GONZALEZ/ROBBY AMEEN/RENAUD GARCI-FONS et al - Yo! (American Clave 1025; USA) The main thing about tango is the search for the real identity of woman, who is sung about so often and examined so seldom - she shows the duel of the sexes from the other side. For a century that woman was no common female but a hot-blooded creature of bewitching charm from the alleys of a glorious past. The modern Tanguera Silvana Deluigo reflects the history of tango, song by song, from a woman's point of view. Like the late Astor Piazzolla -- one of her main influences -- Silvana Deluigi is a very risk-taking and progressive tango artist. The dramatic, highly expressive singer is well aware of tango's rich history, but she doesn't feel the need to be enslaved by that history. On this CD, Deluigi combines tango with touches of post-bop jazz, European cabaret and many other influences from the players Kip has surrounded her with. Her passionate singing often reminds us just how beautiful a language Spanish can be. But Deluigi realizes that tango doesn't always have to be en espanol.... "Any song Silvana touches becomes the tango, and any tango Silvana touches becomes hers...and that's the real reason making this record made sense. But as I learned to understand what music is possible (still possible) through [the work I did] with Astor's art, I learned to understand what SEXUALITY is possible (still possible) through Silvana's art. And, with Silvana's sultry glower, the record needed to be made. Also, it's not really about tango, or whatever you'd want at that moment to call it, it's about the music that surrounds her" Kip Hanrahan "This record is one of shear beauty. The Music is passionate, romantic and in some ways different in a very nice way than any other Kip project to date ... accessable and frightfully close to perfection." - Jeff Lynch
SILVANA DELUIGI, STEVE SWALLOW, FERNANDO SUAREZ PAZ, PABLO ZIEGLER, HORACIO MALVICINO, RENAUD GARCIA-FONS, ROBBY AMEEN, ANDY GONZALEZ, GUSTAVO BEYTLEMANN, OSWALDO PUGLIESI, WALTER CASTRO
CD $16

CONJURE [ISHMAEL REED With DAVID MURRAY/HAMIET BLUIETT/LEO NOCENTELLI/STEVE SWALLOW et al] - Cab Calloway Stands In For The Moon (American Clave 1015; USA) With ISHMAEL REED, ALLEN TOUSSAINT, DON PULLEN, LEO NOCENTELLI, STEVE SWALLOW, ROBBIE AMEEN, OLU DARA, EDDIE HARRIS, DAVID MURRAY, BOBBY WOMACK, CLARE BATHE, ROBERT JASON, FERNANDO SAUNDERS, GRAYSON HUGHES, MILTON CARDONA, HAMIET BLUIETT, GIOVANNI HIDALGO, FRISNER AUGUSTIN, IGNACIO BERROA, ELYSEE PYRONNEAU, JOHNNY WATKINS, LENNY PICKETT, DIAHNNE ABBOTT, TENNESSEE REED, SHAUNICE HARRIS
"...just your basic, everyday smoky-bluesy-swinging-funky-literate-jazzy-tight improvised-crafted-ensemble thing. In short, a model for intelligent, creative pop music." -Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times
"...'Cab Calloway...' exudes pleasure. ...Put a selection of talented black musicians into the studio with poet Ishmael Reed and producer Kip Hanrahan and the result is magic... This is an important record, which no one interested in any form of black music can ignore." -Robert Lyng, Music and Media
".This is truly an original record... This is one of the best cases for music without boundaries." - Cadence
CD $16

CONJURE [ISHMAEL REED With DAVID MURRAY/LESTER BOWIE/CARLA BLEY/STEVE SWALLOW et al] - Music For The Texts Of Ismael Reed (American Clave 1006; USA) Compositions written and performed by TAJ MAHAL, ALLEN TOUSSAINT, DAVID MURRAY, STEVE SWALLOW, CARLA BLEY, LESTER BOWIE, KIP HANRAHAN, CARMAN MOORE, OLU DARA, JAMAALADEEN TACUMA, PUNTILLA, MILTON CARDONA, KENNY KIRKLAND, EJAYE TRACEY, DON JAY, JEAN-PAUL BOURELLY, BILLY HART, FRISNER AUGUSTIN, OLUFEMI CLAUDETTE MITCHELL, ROBERT JASON, MOLLY FARLEY, BRENDA NORTON, ELYSEE PYRONNEAU, ANDY GONZALEZ, PETER SCHERER, SAL CUEVAS, ARTO LINDSAY
"One of the year's best records (1985) ... To hear Taj Mahal, David Murray, and Allen Toussaint playing not alongside, but with one another is really something... Hail Ishmael Reed, whose pan Afro-American modernism was the occasion for these miracles." -Village Voice "One of the year's ten best records (1985) Conjure creates an exquisite tension between word and sound, accentuates the rhythms of both and intensifies the perceptions contained in each. It's immediately enjoyable, yet rich and challenging ... funky jazz, blues, R&B stewpot that bubbles, gurgles and steams..." -Derk Richardson, SF Bay Guardian
"Ishmael Reed has long been one of the baddest wordsliners in the land!... Combine some motor booty lyrics with fine music from the likes of Allen Toussaint, Lester Bowie and Carla Bley and you have something special. Hanrahan's Desire develops an Edge is still one of the most special international style records ever, and Conjure
compares well to that classic set." One of the top 10 albums of 1985 - Bob Blumenthal, Francis Davis, Don Snowden, Boston Phoenix
CD $16

MILTON CARDONA - Bembe: a recording of the songs and rhythms of ten Orishas (Deities) of Santeria (American Clave 1004; USA) With MILTON CARDONA, HECTOR HERNANDEZ, STEVE BERRIOS, JOSE FERNANDEZ, SANDREA WILES, YOMIYOMI AWOLOWO, CAROLE AWOLOWO, PAULETTE NIRVANA BUCKLEY, AMMA OFORIWAA AGYAPON, DENISE OLA DEJEAN, LINDA EVANS, AMMA DAWN, TERESA GOMEZ "This exquisite recording finds one of the most gifted percussionists in Latin music today working in what is perhaps his true element - the Santeria liturgy. The spiritual power of this Afro-Caribbean religious ceremony, sung in Yoruba to the accompaniment of a three-man percussion bata is awesome, but it is the intense articulation of rhythm that makes this music so devastating, incredible." -JD Considine,Musician Magazine
"Bembe reveals that improvisatory music needn't be secular to swing. It's a stone soul picnic, so party down. If you're going to buy one record this summer, here is one that, in the words of Hebrew National, answers to a higher authority."- Glenn O'Brien, Interview
CD $16


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LAST COPIES of this LIMTED EDITION!

BRIAN ENO With RICK HOLLAND - Drums Between The Bells [Ltd 2 CD + Book ed] (Warp 214 LTD; USA) This special hardcover edition of Brian Eno's Drums Between The Bells includes a second disc with instrumental versions of tracks, and a 44 page book containing an essay by Eno as well as further images.
"Pairing prickly electronics with live drum patterns Eno dumps great globs of blotchy machine-malfunction into the mix. Holland's poetry is interlaced courtesy of [a] monotone voice...the combined effect makes the whole undertaking sound like a wild William Gibson fantasy come to life" - Pitchfork
Brian Eno first came across the work of Rick Holland in the late 90's during the Map-Making project; a series of collaborative works between students of the Royal College, the Guildhall School of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, the National Youth Orchestra and the English National Ballet, among others. In 2003, Brian and Rick made their first music together. The resulting work does not appear on this album. In the time since that initial session they have met infrequently to work on new compositions. In early 2011, following the release of Small Craft on a Milk Sea (Brian's debut album for Warp Records), the pair resolved to finish the project. Drums Between the Bells is the result.
2 CD + BOOK for $50 (Out of print, but we have it!)


Last copies of Peter Ind's WAVE releases!

DISTRICT SIX [BRIAN ABRAHAMS/JIM DVORAK/HARRISON SMITH/MERVYN AFRICA/BILL 'DILL' KATZ] - Leave My Name At The Door..: Live From The Bass Clef, London (Wave 29; UK)
CD $18

GUILDHALL JAZZ BAND With KENNY WHEELER - Walk Softly (Wave 32; UK) The Guildhall Jazz Band featuring Kenny Wheeler, directed by Scott Strongman.
"It's hard to believe that the Guildhall Jazz Band is composed almost entirely of students, so proficiently do they interpret the four compositions by guest artist Kenny Wheeler. The London-based ensemble won BBC Radio Two's Big Band Competition three years in a row about the time this recording was made. Wheeler, a superb trumpeter and effective writer is the centrepiece of this recital, soloing on every track." Jack Bowers, Cadence March 1999
CD $18

PETER IND & RUFUD REID - Alone Together (Wave 36; UK) Peter Ind and Rufus Reid - Double Basses. Recorded as a video at the Manchester Crafts Guild, Pittsburgh, PA in November 1998 and first released as Wave CD 36 in 2000.
"This is the CD to play to those who still argue that the double bass is purely a jazz rhythm instrument. Here, two virtuosic players embark on a series of remarkable duets, in which melody, lyrical improvisation and a propulsive rhythmic pulse are given equal weight, producing entrancing performances, which must make this issue a contender for CD of the year. The duo complement each other wonderfully, with Ind, perhaps the more cerebral, balanced perfectly by the more earthy Reid" Chris Lee, Manchester Evening News, March 31st 2000.
CD $18

LEE KONITZ With DON FERRARA/BILLY BAUER/DICK SCOTT/PETER IND - Peter Ind Presents: Jazz from the Nineteen Fifties (Wave 39; UK) Lee Konitz - Alto Sax, Don Ferrara - Trumpet, Billy Bauer - Guitar, Dick Scott - Drums and Peter Ind - Double Bass. Recorded at the Midway Lounge, Pittsburgh PA, in February 1957.
"Lee Konitz must be one of the most remarkable pure improvisers since the Second World War. It's amazing to hear new sides nearly forty years old. You don't feel nostalgic reminiscing about Konitz: this man was as good as it gets - and everything from 'Jazz from the Nineteen-Fifties' keeps his legend intact...'' Greg Buium. Cadence July 2001.
CD $18

WARNE MARSH QUARTET - More From The East Village.. Plus! (Wave 10; UK) Originally released on vinyl - now again available on CD with additional material. Warne Marsh - Tenor Sax, Ronnie Ball - Piano, Eddie de Haas and Peter Ind - Double Basses , Bob Minnicucci - Brushes. Recorded August 1960. "One of the greatest spontaneous soloists since Charlie Parker" Alun Morgan, Jazz Journal International.
CD $18


ARCHIE SHEPP With ROSCOE MITCHELL/ARTHUR JONES/CLIFFORD THORNTON/LESTER BOWIE/DAVE BURRELL/MALACHI FAVORS/PHILLY JOE JONES/SUNNY MURRAY/HANK MOBLEY/BURTON GREENE/GRACHAN MONCUR III/ALAN SILVA/CLAUDE DELCLOO et al - Yasmina, A Black Woman/Poem for Malcolm (Actuel 4 & 11/Charly 270; UK) Two Classic BYG/Actuel release complete on 1 CD !
Yasmina A Black Woman - Another of tenor sax giant Archie Shepp's fabulous studio dates from August of 1969 in Paris with an odd cast of characters from both the avant and more mainstream jazz world playing well together. The collective personnel features Archie, Roscoe Mitchell, Arthur Jones & Hank Mobley on saxes, Clifford Thorton on cornet, Lester Bowie on trumpet, Dave Burrell on piano, Malachi Favors & Earl Freeman on basses and Sunny Murray, Philly Joe Jones & Art Taylor on drums. The [LP] side-long title track is especially mind-blowing! . Poem for Malcolm - One of Shepp's most memorable albums for BYG. Side one has him playing with Burton Greene, Alan Silva, Philly Joe Jones, and Claude Delcloo on the extended Mamarose/Poem For Malcolm. The track starts out with very free playing, then moves into a more subdued passage, with Shepp's recitation of his "Poem For Malcolm". Side two has a great lineup that includes Grachan Moncour III, Malachi Favors, and Hank Mobley, who gives one of the wildest performances of his life! The group runs through the 20 minute track Rain Forest/Oleo, and begins with a dark, spare performance, then leaps into a reading of "Oleo" that's filled with fire.
CD $10


SUN RA & His ARKESTRA - It's After The End Of The World: Live At The Donaueschingen And Berlin Festivals (Comet/Universe 70; Italy) Recorded live at the Donaueschingen Music Festival on Oct. 17, 1970 and at the Berlin Jazz Festival on Nov. 7, 1970, at a time when Sun Ra's Arkestra (featuring Alan Silva, Leroy Taylor, Lex Humphries, etc.) was one of the most innovative things happening the already innovative avant-garde jazz scene. Lounge soundscapes from outer space plus elements of jazz, blues, tribal music, the occult, etc., etc. Sun Ra's creative genius beyond measure and guarantees a mind-altering aural experience every time. CD version will hopefully be out soon, in the meantime you can still savor this classic cosmic disc.
LP $20

SUN RA & His ARKESTRA - Vol 1: Nuits De La Fondation Maeght (Comet/Universe 80; Italy) Volume 1 features the first half of Sun Ra and his Arkestra's live performance at the Fondation Maeght in France in 1970. Opening with 'Enlightment', sung by Sun Ra and June Tyson, and followed by 'The Star Gazers', a keyboard piece that introduces 'Shadow World', characterized by Marshall Allen's chilling sax solo. However, the apex is reached by 'The Cosmic Explorer', a 20 min 'multiple keyboards freakout'. These inimitable moments captured on this recording, confirm the greatness of this ensemble
LP $22

SUN RA & His ARKESTRA - Vol 2: Nuits De La Fondation Maeght (Comet/Universe 81; Italy) Part two of Sun Ra's 1970 appearance at the Fondation Maeght. An important document for this innovator of jazz. Improvisation, percussion, Afro rhythms, mysticism, and the occult -- all this and more is what the Sun Ra universe is made of. One of the most mysterious and fascinating figures in the history of jazz
LP $22 *


DEVO - Live In Seattle 1981 (Booji Boy 01; USA) "A rare recording of Devo live in concert during their 1981 'New Traditionalists' tour, extracted from Devo's archives, and unreleased until now. For this tour, Devo donned the self-designed plastic replicas of Reagan's lacquered hair look and got to work on synchronized treadmills placed in a stage set featuring a back lit, fast food abomination of a Greek temple with Ionic columns. Devo were through bein' cool even though they never started. The look, the show and the songs mutated beyond their satiric underpinnings into something strangely captivating to many and very threatening to others. Once again Devo struck a raw nerve and served as a cultural litmus test. The press heaped big helpings of praise for their originality and vicious attacks on their 'ungodliness' in equal amounts. This 2LP set was cut from a cassette recording of Devo's show in Seattle, WA show in November '81. Devo archivist Michael Pilmer (aka Devo-Obsesso), found the tape in a shoebox full of cassettes in Bob No 2's home fifteen years ago, which he immediately transferred it to DAT. Afterward it promptly disappeared in the flotsam of Devo history. Here resurrected it stands as a testament to Prince's claim 'Devo, you guys are crazy!' Yes, crazy tight and relentless like Caucasian James Browns on marching powder. Enjoy."
CD $16




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