DMG Newsletter for June 6th, 2014


Is There a Cure for the Summertime Blues?

You Bet Your Sweet Bippy There is! Dig These New Discs From:


Ken Vandermark's Audio One tentet! Paul Giallorenzo/Mars Williams/Jeb Bishop..! Jason Ajemian Folklords! Brotzmann/Adasiewicz/Edwards/Noble!

Steve Day/Keith & Julie Tippetts: Blazing Flame! Carlo Actis Dato Qt! Charlotte Hug/Stefano Pastor! Umberto Petrin! Jeff Davis/Kirk Knuffke/Oscar Noreiga/Russ Lossing!

Three from Marc Edwards! Monkey Puzzle: Viv Corringham/Nick Doyne-Ditmas/Charles Hayward! Gunter Hampel/Jeanne Lee/Willem Breuker: 1968!

Helmut Lachenmann//Jack Quartet! Morton Feldman//Flux Quartet 2CD+DVD! Ming Tsao! David Moss/Hannes Strobl! Decibel!


Yes, and Even More Gems from the Auand Label!


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

Rare Friday Event - June 6th Double-Header:
6pm: GIANNI MIMMO & ALISON BLUNT - Soprano Sax & Violin!
7pm: MYSTERY GUEST SAXIST + HAN-EARL PARK / MICHAEL FOSTER / PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER!

Sunday, June 8th:
6pm: MICHAEL LYTLE/ANDERS NILSSON/LUKAS LIGETI - Bass Clarinet/Guitar/Drums!
7pm: MORTEN POULSON & KIRSTEN CAREY - Drums & Guitar!

Sunday, June 15th:
No In-Store During the Vision Festival! - See the schedule below

Sunday, June 22nd:
6pm: OMAR TAMEZ & ANGELICA SANCHEZ - Guitar & Synth - CD Release Set!
7pm: GENE MOORE/GENE JANAS/DAVE TAMURA/MATT LUCZAK!

Sunday, June 29th:
6pm: MACROSCOPIA Returns! Featuring: KEN SILVERMAN/DANIEL CARTER/CLAIRE De BRUNNER/TOM ZLABINGER - Guitar/Reeds & Brass/Bassoon/Contrabass!
7pm: BEN GOLDBERG/KIRK KNUFFKE/BILLY MINTZ - Clarinet/Cornet/Drums!


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A NEW Chicago label - Audiographic!

Audiographic Records has been organized by Ken Vandermark to document specific aspects of his creative work which will not be available through other outlets. Materials will be issued in limited edition, single runs of 500, whether LPs, CDs, or books. All items are designed by Federico Pe–alva and hand numbered.

Audio One are a new all-star Chicago 10-piece ensemble - featuring Ken Vandermark, Mars Williams, Dave Rempis & Nick Mazzarella on saxes & clarinet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Josh Berman on cornet, Jen Paulson on viola, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Nick Macri on acoustic & electric bass and Tim Daisy on drums - led by Ken Vandermark. I caught this band up the Victo Fest last month (May of 2014) and was completely knocked out by their set! - BLG

AUDIO ONE [KEN VANDERMARK/JASON ADASIEWICZ/JEB BISHOP/JOSH BERMAN/TIM DAISY/DAVE REMPIS/MARS WILLIAMS et al] - An International Report [Ltd #d ed of 500] (Audiographic 01; USA) CD edition with 2 Xtra Cuts [27 minutes more]. An all-star ten piece Chicago ensemble Audio One performs new music, dedicated to Braxton, Hemphill, Threadgill, Roscoe Mithchell, and Anna Karina, composed and led by Ken Vandermark! Audio One is the third large ensemble that Mr. Vandermark has organized, after the Territory Band and the Resonance Ensemble, so you know that Ken is ready to show off his composing and bandleading talents once more. Right from the opening bit, "Encyclopedia of a Horse" is off and running. Swirling vibes and horn soon turn into a somewhat funky groove with an amazing solo from the ever-inspired Mars Williams on sax. Instead of piano, Mr. Adasiewicz provides an impressive cushion on vibes locking in with the rhythm team and interacting with each soloist. The great bass line (by the new guy Nick Macri) is doubled by the bari sax with smokin' horn on top and the first of several great solos from vibesman Adasiewicz. All the pieces here are nearly ten minutes or longer and cover some diverse areas. There is a section of the first piece which features the viola and vibes playing what sounds like Chinese music of some sort. Considering that this disc is more than an hour long, there is a good deal of great music here to check out on many levels. The only other disc I've heard recently which compares to this is the Angles 9 CD ('Injuries') on Clean Feed which is equally fantastic and even longer. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
[in stock Monday]
CD $16

AUDIO ONE [KEN VANDERMARK/JASON ADASIEWICZ/JEB BISHOP/JOSH BERMAN/TIM DAISY/DAVE REMPIS/MARS WILLIAMS et al]] - The Midwest School [Ltd #d ed of 500] (Audiographic 02; USA) CD edition with Xtra cut [14 minutes more] covering a Henry Threadgill composition (Keep Right on Playing Through the Mirror Over the Water). Ken Vandermark's newest large band interprets the music of the Art Ensemble (Theme De Yoyo), Braxton (6C), Hemphill (The Hard Blues / Skin 1 / C), and Threadgill!
[in stock Monday]
CD $16


New on Delmark!

PAUL GIALLORENZO'S GiTGO With MARS WILLIAMS/JEB BISHOP/ANTON HATWICH/QUIN KIRCHNER - Force Majeure (Delmark 5015; USA) GitGO (short for Get in to Go Out) is pianist/composer Paul Giallorenzo's exploration of improvisation within composition, anchored in jazz traditions of time, form, and melody, with a forward-thinking sensibility of harmony and texture. The group debuted at the 2010 Chicago Jazz Festival and this is their first album for Delmark. The musicians are an intriguing cross section of creative Chicago musicians including Mars Williams (NRG Ensemble, Psychedic Furs, Extraordinary Popular Delusions), Jeb Bishop (Vandermark 5, Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet, Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra), Anton Hatwich (Fast Citizens, Kyle Bruckmann's Wrack, Nick Mazzarella Trio), and Quin Kirchner (NOMO, Wild Belle, blink.)
CD $15

JASON AJEMIAN FOLKLORDS With KID BLISS/OWEN STEWART-ROBERTSON/JASON NAZARY - Folklords (Delmark 5016; USA) Jason Ajemian's music conjures a fever dream of multiple musical universes. The bassist-composer has acquired a high profile during his years in Chicago & New York, performing with Marc Ribot's Sun Ship, Matt Bauder's Day In Pictures, Matana Robert's CoinCoin, Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra & Chicago Underground Trio. Folklords is the sound of an outstanding group of New York improvisors (Kid Bliss, Owen Stewart-Robertson & Jason Nazary) performing six conceptual, visual & sonic landscapes. Meditative Mingus ballads, imaginary conversations between Sun Ra & Thelonious Monk, poetic takes on pop culture and an elegy for Malachi Rischter are transmitted via Ajemian's unique notational methodology. FOLKLORDS defies genre with an adhesiveness that expands on the creative music tradition through a social/cultural lens of now. "The Folklords feature Jason Ajemian on bass, electronics, voice & compositions, Kid Bliss on alto sax, Owen Stewart-Robertson on guitar & electronics and Jason Nazary on drums. This is one of the strangest and most unpredictable discs I've heard in a long while. Although two of the songs are tributes to jazz icons/legends Sun Ra and Charles Mingus, we never know where they will take us. Although (former?) Chicago bassist Jason Ajemian has worked with folks like Dave Rempis, Aram Shelton, Marc Ribot and Matt Bauder, his own music comes from somewhere else. On the opening piece, the "Ask Mr. Blount Now Suite", (Blount being Sun Ra's birth name), the quartet seems to be floating quietly in space. I dig the way this piece expands and contracts at the same time, it is free and still focused with some occasional commentary from Mr. Ajemian. Ajemian mentions in the liner notes that although music is a spiritual practice, people often use their view of forms and genres to communicate expertise and wield authority. I tend to agree with him. The "Orange is the Color of the Sun, Then Blue Sky Suite" takes its title from a song by Mr. Mingus and also quotes a few of his melodies. This quartet is something else as they ascend together swirling (or swinging?) loosely with various layers coordinated in ways too hard to explain. Mr. Ajemian's ghostly voice is often buried in the mix, floating like a disembodied voice in a graveyard. There is quite hypnotic about this music which reminds me of getting stuck in quicksand and not being able to escape. Strange yet fascinating. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15


PETER BROTZMANN/JASON ADASIEWICZ/STEVE NOBLE/JOHN EDWARDS - Mental Shake (Otoroku 10; UK) LP version. Cafe OTO's tenth Otoroku release sees a return to the group that kick-started the label -- the veteran German reedsman and free-jazz pioneer Peter Brotzmann with the long-running London bass/drums partnership of John Edwards and Steve Noble. After the release of The Worse The Better, that group went on to play a series of devastating shows in Europe and to emerge as one of Brotzmann's finest working groups. Over the same period, Peter was developing a deep rapport with Jason Adasiewicz, the upstart vibraphone player from Chicago. What seems on paper like an awkward pairing reveals itself onstage and on record as a symbiotic revelation. Adasiewicz's physical attack matching Brotzmann for impact while the extended sustain of the vibes opens up an eerie space for some of Brotzmann's most fertile lyricism. The recording is from the last set of a two-day residency at Cafe OTO that brought these two groups together for an astonishing quartet. Adasiewicz and Noble struck up an immense partnership in rhythm. Edwards wrestled with a broken house bass and failing amplifier and still managed new levels of invention -- stoking the others onwards. Brotzmann was clearly energized, dancing at the side of the stage while exchanging a shattered reed. And for all the usual rhetoric of free jazz bluster and machismo, this is a meeting characterized by the joy of communal creation that makes you want to dance -- even if only in your head. Peter Brotzmann (alto and tenor sax, B-flat clarinet, Taragato); Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone), John Edwards (double bass); Steve Noble (drums).
LP $25


New on Leo!

' FLAME [STEVE DAY/JULIE TIPPETTS/KEITH TIPPETT/BILL BARTLETT/AARON STANDON/DAVE PERRY/PETER EVANS/FIONA HARVEY/ANTON HENLEY] - Play High Mountain Top (Leo 687; UK) Blazing Flame is a band built around the songs of Steve Day. This is his fourth CD on Leo Records. The band consists of nine players: Steve Day - voice, perc., Julie Tippetts - voice, perc., Keith Tippett - piano, Bill Bartlett - el.piano, organ, Aaron Standon - alto, soprano sax, guitar, Dave Perry - tenor, bar. sax, bass clarinet, Peter Evans - violin, Fiona Harvey - bass, voice, Anton Henley - drums, perc. Keith and Julie Tippett bring to the Blazing Flame formidable presence and awareness. Steve's poetry is in the 12-page booklet. Among these songs are the names of several musicians - people like Cecil Taylor and Gil Scott-Heron.
CD $17

CARLO ACTIS DATO QUARTET With BEPPE DI FILIPPO/METTEO RAVIZZA/DANIEL BERTONE - Sin Fronteras (Leo 646; UK) This is the fifteenth CD by Carlo Actis Dato for Leo Records. With Carlo on baritone & tenor saxes, Beppe Di Filippo on soprano & alto, Matteo Ravizza on bass and Daniele Bertone on drums, "Sin Frtonteras" offers 10 compositions (total duration over 66 minutes) full of exuberance, sun and fun - the atmosphere of happiness that Italians can convey better than anybody else. All ten pieces on the CD have been composed by Carlo Actis Dato. As the title suggests, this is music "without borders."
CD $17

CHARLOTTE HUG/STEFANO PASTOR - Paragon D'archi (Leo 688; UK) A spectacular debut by the masters of string instuments, the Swiss Charlotte Hug (viola & voice) and the Italian Stefano Pastor (violin). They bring their musical experience from very different backgrounds finding new common ground in this unique fusion of high energy, sensuality, austerity, polyphony, sublime melody and much more. This is a hybrid of new music and jazz by two artists who re-invented their own instruments, without any amplification or electronics.
CD $17

UMBERTO PETRIN - Traces and Ghosts: Solo Piano (Leo 698; UK) Umberto Petrin, the piano player with impeccable credentials, releases his second solo piano CD for Leo Records. While featuring eleven original themes, Traces and Ghosts finishes on Billy Strayhorn's "Johnny Comes Lately" - the testimony that Petrin's individual style draws as much on classic jazz composers as well as the tradition of 20th century piano music. Being a spectacular story-teller, his music is full of drama and unpredictable turns. It has already been described as "intelligent beauty."
CD $17


TRUTH IN THE ABSTRACT BLUES [ROBERTO BELLATELLA/MIKE COOPER/FABRIZIO SPERA] - Tell Me (Ethbo 10; UK) "Double-bassist Bellatella is a member of Louis Moholo's Viva la Black. Guitarist Mike Cooper has appeared on more than sixty records to date, including 2000's World Slide, an EP of experimental blues and Hawaiian music, also for Ethbo. On drums and percussion, Fabrizio Spera has worked with John Butcher, Lol Coxhill, Tristan Honsinger and Wadada Leo Smith, amongst others. In silk-screened sleeves. A very limited run."
LP $32


LEAH PAUL With CHRIS SPEED/SARA SCHOENBECK et al - Trenza (Skirl 26; USA) limited-edition standard-size jewel-case release. Quintet and sextet pieces include Leah Paul flutes, Chris Speed clarinet, Sara Schoenbeck bassoon, Ben Kono oboe, Rob Jost french horn, Michele Gentile alto flute, Tanya Kalmanovitch viola, Peter Sachon cello.
CD $16


KEIJI HAINO/JIM O'ROURKE/OREN AMBARCHI - Only Wanting to Melt Beautifully Away Is It a Lack of Contentment That Stirs Affection for Those Things Said to Be as of Yet Unseen (Black Truffle 11; Australia) "Begun as a one-off collaboration in 2009, the trio of Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke and Oren Ambarchi has now become a solid working group, refining its craft through a series of annual concerts at Tokyo's legendary SuperDeluxe. Much of their recorded work has focused on their intense, ritualistic take on the rock power trio of electric guitar, bass and drums. Presenting the entire first set of the trio's March 2013 concert at SuperDeluxe (the second set will follow on Black Truffle later this year), Only Wanting to Melt Beautifully Away Is It a Lack of Contentment That Stirs Affection for Those Things Said to Be as of Yet Unseen is their fifth release and blows the instrumental palette wide open for a single continuous piece focused on acoustic strings, synth, flute and percussion. Featuring one of Haino's most delicate and moving recorded vocal performances, the opening section of the record takes the form of a spare duet between O'Rourke's 12-string acoustic guitar and Haino's kantele (a Finnish variant of the dulcimer), behind which Ambarchi provides a hovering backdrop of wine glass tones. While on previous releases the listener has often sensed that Haino was firmly in the driver's seat, here O'Rourke takes center stage with an acoustic guitar performance that takes the lyricism of John Abercrombie or Ralph Towner and refracts it through the free improvisation tradition of his mentors Derek Bailey and Henry Kaiser. The atmosphere of meditative, abstracted song is reminiscent of some of Haino's greatest recordings, such as the legendary Live in the First Year of the Heisei volumes recorded with Kan Mikami. After this stunningly beautiful opening sequence, the performance moves organically through a number of episodes, including a dramatic central passage in which Haino moves to synth and drum machine, crafting a current of raw electricity that unfurls slowly over the gently pulsing foundations of Ambarchi's cymbals and builds to heights of manic intensity. When Haino later turns to wooden flute, Ambarchi answers him with nimble hand-drummed percussion in a passage that calls to mind Don Cherry's liberated combination of free-jazz improvisation and non-Western musics. The trio's move away from the power trio dynamic bespeaks a risk-taking and questing spirit that refuses to be satisfied with repeating past glories, and yet the organic, immersive flow of this single improvisation attests to the intuitive bond that has formed between them over the last five years. Exuding the signature mystery and emotion of Haino's greatest works, this release is perhaps the strongest statement yet from this acclaimed trio, and holds out a tantalizing promise for everyone hooked on their continuing exploration of 'those things said to be as of yet unseen.' --Francis Plagne; Design by Stephen O'Malley with high quality live shots by Ujin Matsuo and stunning artwork by Norwegian noise legend Lasse Marhaug.
CD $17


GUNTER HAMPEL GROUP With WILLEM BREUKER/ARJEN GORTER/PIERRE COURBOIS + JEANNE LEE - The 4 Elements: Water Air Earth Fire (Birth 680402; Germany) [CD-R] Originally released as the 'Gunter Hampel Group + Jeanne Lee' LP on Wergo in 1968, preceding the recording date of the first Birth LP release from 1969. German-born multi-instrumental, Gunter Hampel first met New York vocalist Jeanne Lee at the session Gunter did for his first and only ESP album, playing their first gig together on New Years Eve, 1968. This was their first recording together and it features Mr. Hampel on vibes, bass clarinet & flute, Jeanne Lee on vocals plus Dutch musicians Willem Breuker (pre ICP?) on alto, tenor & soprano sax & clarinets, Arjen Gorter on bass and Pierre Courbois on drums. This is an early recording for Mr. Hampel whose career had started in the late fifties. I hadn't heard of this session before so I'm glad to finally get a chance to fill in a piece of the puzzle. Both Mr. Breuker and Mr. Gorter would end up as members of the Breuker's Kollektief which only came to an end a few years back when Mr. Breuker passed away. The opening song is called, "Leoni Antionette" and it was written by Mr. Breuker. The quintet sounds as if they have been working together for a while since they play both tight and free simultaneously, in that European way which was just beginning to blossom at that time. There were few (any?) free/jazz vocalists around at this time so Ms. Lee is certainly working in a new and unexplored area. The interaction between her superb, sly and charming voice and the rest of the band is a marvel to behold. This was just the beginning of her long musical and personal collaboration between her and Mr. Hampel who she would soon marry. Both Breuker on several reeds and Hampel on bass clarinet or vibes sound inspired as they weave their playing and solos around Lee's magical voice. Yes, she is coming out of the jazz vocal tradition, but she is also leaving it behind by letting things be a springboard for her fascinating improvisations. Everybody in this quintet is in fine form throughout and had this recording had some promotion when it was released it might've garnered some of the acclaim it well deserves. An outstanding yet little known effort. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16


DAVID LEE NEIL//ORNETTE COLEMAN - The Battle of the Five Spot: Ornette Coleman and the New York Jazz Field [BOOK] (Wolsak & Wynn; Canada) This is an extraordinary little book that captures the many layers of controversy surrounding the Ornette Coleman Quartet's debut and multi-week stay at the Five Spot jazz club beginning in November of 1959. Mr. Lee unravels the various schools of thought or "fields" which intersect in diverse ways when this historic event took place. The complex fields include then contemporary musicians, both mainstream and modern, some sympathetic and some threatened, painters, authors, poets, club owners and audience members. Mr. Neil was inspired by the writing of French sociologist and philosopher Pierre Bourdieu, whose explanation of the fields surrounding the work of modern artists helps to put things in an illuminating perspective. It might seem hard to believe today since many of us are a bit jaded, having heard so much music by now, but when I bought my first jazz records during my freshman year at college in 1972, these albums changed my life. The first batch included Ornette's 'Art of the Improviser", Eric Dolphy's "Outward Bound", Charles Mingus - "The Atlantic Years" and Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew". This music sounded and still sounds fresh, exciting and unlike anything I had heard at the time. Since this book is relatively short yet filled with incisive ideas, I will read it again and again since it will take a bit to fully absorb everything it has to offer. David Lee Neil is a Canadian musician (double bass) who is based in Toronto, written for Coda (Jazz) Magazine, toured with the Bill Smith Ensemble (who I caught at Soundscape in NYC in the late seventies), recorded with Leo Smith and Joe McPhee and co-authored a book about Paul Bley, amongst his many other activities. Excellent food for thought for those of us who take the music we listen to seriously. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
BOOK $18

OFFICER! [MICK HOBBS] With TIM HODGKINSON/JAD FAIR/JASON WILLETT/JOHN DIERKER et al - Dead Unique: The Unreleased 1995 Album (Blackest Ever Black 06; UK) Blackest Ever Black presents to you Dead Unique, an album by Officer! recorded in 1995 but -- outrageously, inexplicably -- never before released into the public domain. This then is not a reissue or a revival; it's a new record that just happens to have been maturing in the cask for, oh, a little shy of 20 years. It also happens to be a lost classic of English art-rock, and the crowning achievement in the career of its mercurial creator, Mick Hobbs. Londoner Hobbs' roots are in the fecund RIO scene of the late '70s and early 1980s, initially as guitarist in The Work (alongside Bill Gilonis, Rick Wilson and Henry Cow's Tim Hodgkinson), and subsequent related groupings The Lowest Note, The Lo Yo Yo, and The Momes. Over the course of the decade he became closely associated with This Heat and their Cold Storage studio in Brixton. Officer! -- the project that this incorrigible collaborator and connector calls his own -- surfaced in 1982 with a cassette tape entitled Eight New Songs By Mick Hobbs. It marked the blossoming of a singular writer and improviser, with a gift for plangent melody, ingenious arrangement and lyrics at once caustic and courtly, playful and profound (two songs from this tape, "Life at the Water's Edge" and "Dogface," have been remastered for a forthcoming limited edition 7" release on Blackest Ever Black). The Cold Storage-recorded Ossification LP arrived a year later, followed by Cough (1985) and Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes (1988). Megaphone Records, responsible for Ossification's recent 30th anniversary reissue, rightly describe it as "one of the most unusual, pleasurable and character-filled 'pop' records anyone has heard -- a timeless anomaly in the history of recorded music." By the start of the 1990s Hobbs had joined Jad Fair's Half Japanese. In the early months of '95, Half Japanese were in Baltimore to record their Hot LP; Hobbs stayed on to cut the bulk of the songs that comprise Officer!'s Dead Unique -- songs drawn from a rich store of material written and refined in the seven years since the band's last outing -- with a talented assemblage of local and visiting musicians. Returning to the UK, Hobbs brought the tracks to producer Julia Brightly to mix at her 16-track home studio in Bethnal Green; by the end of the summer, Dead Unique had taken shape. And then? Nothing. For reasons that no one, least of all Hobbs, can remember, Dead Unique was shelved, all but forgotten about until 2012, when Blackest Ever Black chanced upon it while trawling the Officer! archive maintained for Hobbs by Andrew Jacques. Finally, rightfully, this album is available to all for the very first time. A complex but thrillingly immediate avant-pop song cycle that charms and confounds at every turn, Dead Unique will give immense pleasure not only to Officer!'s existing cult following, but to anyone with an appreciation of piquant, idiosyncratic songcraft -- fans of Kevin Ayers, Flaming Tunes, Art Bears, Woo, Dislocation Dance, R. Stevie Moore, Robert Wyatt, Cleaners From Venus, Lol Coxhill or The Monochrome Set should especially pay attention. It touches upon ragged-raw rock 'n roll, sumptuous chamber music, pastoral folk, blowsy prog-jazz and paranoid dub-space, effortlessly shifting from skronking abstraction to rousing harmonic refrain and back again. The tension between composition and improvisation is key to the LP's power, with Hobbs abetted by an extraordinary supporting cast that includes Tim Hodgkinson (bass clarinet), Pleasant Livers' Fred Collins (vocals), Legendary Pink Dots' Patrick Q (violin), filmmaker/animator Martha Colburn (vocal), Gilles Rieder (drums), Jad Fair (vocals) and Jason Willett (bass, keyboards, trumpet). Special mention must go to John Dierker, whose superbly expressive clarinet and saxophone parts are a fixture throughout, and to Joey Stack, who takes lead vocals on "Good" and the show-stopping "Elephant Flowers." Nonetheless, it is the voice of Hobbs -- as principal writer, performer and protagonist of these songs -- that resonates most powerfully. Blurring the roles of storyteller, poet and prankster, he turns memorable line after memorable line, booby-trapping them with mischievous puns, fleet-footed literary allusions, sudden digressions and shifts of register, nonsense rhymes and other wordplay. But his acute wit and flair for the absurd is moored by a deep romantic sensibility, and though it delights in the minutiae of the human comedy, Dead Unique ultimately addresses its biggest themes: love, loss, commitment, independence, the mutability and inconstancy of all things.
CD $17
also available as 2 LP set for $32

as well as..

OFFICER! [MICK HOBBS] With FELIX FIEDOROWICZ/BILL GILONIS/CATHERINE JAUNIAUX/TIM HODGKINSON/TOM CORA et al - Ossification (Megaphone 25; USA) CD $14 or LP $21


JEFF DAVIS With KIRK KNUFFKE/OSCAR NORIEGA/RUSS LOSSING/EIVIND OPSVIK - Dragon Father (Fresh Sound NT 444; EEC) Featuring Jeff Davis on drums & compositions, Kirk Knuffke on cornet, Oscar Noreiga alto sax & clarinets, Russ Lossing on piano and Eivind Opsvik on bass. This disc was recorded live at the Cornelia Street Cafe, one of the few clubs left in Manhattan that still features cutting edge of Downtown's vast and ever-evolving scene. Besides being one of the best drummers in town that has so many strong masters, Jeff Davis is also growing into being a strong composer and selective bandleader. Each of his discs have featured varied personnel and he continues to surprise us with his well-chosen cast of collaborators. Each member of this quintet is a bandleader on their own as well as being a strong composer and talented musician on their own. Mr. Knuffke has appeared on several new discs I(with Ideal Bread & a trio with Steve Gauci & Ken Filiano) and consistently surprises us with his diverse abilities. The same can be said for reeds wiz Oscar Noreiga who shines in both Tim Berne's Snakeoil and in the all-star quartet Endangered Species. Although Mr. Davis often still reminds me of Tony Williams, Jeff rarely overplays and always keeps the band well-balanced. Another under-recognized master is pianist Russ Lossing who also sounds wonderful here. His solo on the opening piece, "Dirt Farmer", sounds as if he is about to explode and comes pretty close to just doing that. I dig the way "Spicy Water" keeps shifting tempo throughout, slower/faster/slower, as if the current were being manipulated by some outside force (like the way the moon effects the tide). It is great to hear Mr. Noreiga soaring on alto since he plays mainly clarinet with Snakeoil. Besides having a great title, "Pavillion of Temporary Happiness", is long and filled with suspense-filled sections as well as some intense horn passages and solos and amazing piano & drums interplay. Mr. Davis wrote a fine two part suite for his son called, "Eli's Progress" which again has both horns playing tightly around one another in both written and freer sections. This disc ends with a swell ballad called "Dragon Father", which is a particularly subtle gem of a performance. Hopefully this fabulous quintet will be back at Cornelia Street sometime soon. In the meantime, they have left us with another of this month's best discs. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
[ltd time price; normally $16]
CD $15


New from Dog & Panda!

MARC EDWARDS With TOR SNYDER/ERNEST ANDERSON III/GENE JANAS/TAKUMA KANAIWA/ALEX LOZUPONE/COLIN SANDERSON/ALEXIS MARCELO - Sakura Sakura (3 Variations) (Dog & Panda 10; USA) For his 2014 offering, Marc Edwards went a different route. Rather than put forth another set of different pieces, why not put out an album with different renditions oh the same traditional piece - using different line-ups of his group. The result is Sakura Sakura (3 variations), which features different line-ups of Marc's group performing the same traditional Japanese tune. The result is something of, if not a free jazz 101, a Marc Edwards introductory course. The different line-ups take the piece into entirely different spaces. Each performance is approximately 20 minutes. Included as a bonus track is the first performance of Edwards' keyboard-enhanced group, Star Clusters.
CD $12

MARC EDWARDS & SLIPSTREAM TIME TRAVEL With TOR SNYDER/ERNEST ANDERSON III/GENE JANAS/TAKUMA KANAIWA/LAWRY ZILMRAH - Planet X Just Blew Up! (Dog & Panda 7; USA) Slipstream Time Travel is Edwards' main working unit, a revolving cast of players that generally includes guitarists Tor Snyder and Ernest Anderson III and bassist Gene Janas .... On their most recent offering, Planet X Just Blew Up!, the core is expanded with the addition of guitarist Takuma Kanaiwa and Lawry Zilmrah on bicycle wheel and electronics (shades of Sylvia Hallett). While Edwards is known for an economical, rolling storm of accents, his action is subdued and all-over in this context, a distant needling that gently nudges pathos-laden wails and sludgy feedback from this string-heavy electric ensemble. The closer, Suspended Animation, is a curious Latin-based improvisation, fuzzed lines unfurling over a clattering groove.
CD $12

MARC EDWARDS & SONOS GRAVIS With ERNEST ANDERSON III/TAKUMA KANAIWA/ALEX LOZUPONE - Holographic Projection Holograms (Dog & Panda 6; USA) Holographic Projection Holograms is the first disc by Sonos Gravis, essentially a bass-less variant of Slipstream Time Travel featuring Alex Lozupone on seven-string guitar in addition to Edwards, Anderson and Kanaiwa. Lozupone uses pedals and a device that splits his guitar across two amps, thus allowing a lower-register, droning 'bass' texture to appear amid the stew. In practice, Sonos Gravis is top-heavy and dense, creating a field of discursive statements linked by Edwards' dry, martial percussion on the opening Birth of the Universe, which intermittently gel into crunching, metallic chugs. Sonos Gravis could, in fact, be the conceptual merger of the New York Art Quartet, Black Sabbath and Last Exit, though despite signposts reflecting noise and free jazz, this music has little actual precedent. Along with the Slipstream Time Travel CD, these dates are a raw and unique view into the dedication and creativity of our underground.
CD $12

ALEX LOZUPONE PROJECT [aka EIGHTY-POUND PUG] With DAVID TAMURA/PAUL FEITZINGER - Poodle: Live And Totally Improvised At Spectrum, NYC May 23 2013 (Dog & Panda 11; USA) The first recording of the group that would become "Eighty-pound Pug", this live completely improvised performance from 2013 explores the realms of doom metal and free jazz. The songs meander between coherent, sloppy-tight riffs reminiscent of what Black Sabbath did on occasion, and more chaotic playing. "Featuring Alex Lozupone on guitar/bass, David Tamura on tenor sax and Paul Feitzinger on drums. Alex Lozupone runs the Dog & Panda label which has released a half dozen discs, three of which are sessions led by drummer Marc Edwards. This is the first time meeting between the three members of this trio recorded at Spectrum on Ludlow Street, just one subway stop away from DMG and one of last performance places left in Manhattan that features a variety of New & Experimental musics. I hadn't heard of Alex or Paul before this disc but Alex is a member of a couple of Marc Edwards bands. David Tamura we know from his recent work with Dave Burrell, Kidd Jordan and Sabir Mateen. Right from that opening salvo, this trio is powerful and impressive. Mr. Lozupone sounds as if he is playing some dark, metalish, heavy guitar with Mr. Tamura's sax also erupting intensely and Feitzinger strong drumming holding things together. Scary, punk/metal/free/jazz improv?!? Lozupoane does a fine job of playing powerful riffs, helping to keep the trio focused into a fire-breathing bohemeth. He uses effects likea wah-wah or distortion to fatten his sound into a more throbbing mass. Torture time? Indeed." - BLG/DMG
CD $12

ALEX LOZUPONE With PAIN HERTZ With NICK WOLVEN/CARMINE GUIDA et al - Sakura (Dog & Panda 8; USA) Sakura is the first full-length release by Pain Hertz. Alex Lozupone wrote most of the songs on this and played most of the instruments, with Nick Wolven contributing all of the drums. Micah Chalmer wrote 2 songs and sand them and also played bass. Also contributing are Carmine Guida, Kimmy Szeto, and Tom Caban. "Takes me back to around 1972 or 73. Were these guys even born yet in 72?" - Ron Anderson (PAK, The Molecules, RonRuins w/ Tatsuya Yoshida) "It sounds amazing, the music is so good, it blew me away, have already played it twice." - Ernest Anderson III (many things, including Marc Edwards Slipstream Time Travel, Zilmrah)
CD $12


MONKEY PUZZLE TRIO [VIV CORRINGHAM/NICK DOYNE-DITMAS/CHARLES HAYWARD] - The Pattern Familiar (Slowfoot 25; UK) Walking a tightrope between song, improvisation and sound-as-sound, Monkey Puzzle Trio is an ongoing project which features drummer Charles Hayward [This Heat, About Group, Massacre], bassist Nick Doyne-Ditmas [Pinski Zoo, Crackle] and the words, voice and textures of singer and sound artist Viv Corringham. Their music is driven by the restless energy, invention and power of Hayward's drumming underpinned by the languid and exploratory double bass playing of Doyne-Ditmas, to which Corringham adds, with the aid of a loop pedal, her unique collage of words and sound. Together they create a distinctive sound world, both exhilarating and immersive, which relies on the sensitivity and experience of all three musicians. All three musicians are obsessed with song as an ideal, and are adept and fast thinking improvisers. The Pattern Familiar is the second album from Monkey Puzzle Trio, and sees them expanding on the blueprint laid down on their acclaimed debut 'White World' [2010]. Harvested from three days of improvisation, the only watchwords were 'aim towards song' and 'leave space for the brass section'. Shaped by Corringham's lyrics, what unfolds is an abstract narrative about separation, loss and acceptance, a vibrant and energised song cycle that proffers a stark and resonant refusal of despair and the absurd. In spite of the subject matter, this is not a depressing music. JUST SAY YES. The music is an act of rebellion. Brass overdubs, orchestrated by Hayward and Doyne-Ditmas (and performed by Nick aided by Tom Marriott, Rob Mills & Tom Scott), are tightly conceived and highly organised, complementing, while contradicting, the spontaneous funk and sound art of the original improvisations, which have been savagely edited to further endorse the shapes and outlines of song.
CD $16

VIV CORRINGHAM - Walking (Innova 872; USA) A woman singing - haunting and lyrical then bursting into jagged, guttural sounds; a man speaking about memories of the port; another voice saying she longs for quiet gardens; layers of singing and speaking are interwoven with splashes and seagulls - perhaps the sea or a river. The tracks come from different places and the conversations, sounds and singing reflect the character of that place: a lively Hong Kong market, a polluted waterway in Brooklyn, the labyrinthine skyways of Minneapolis, a bar with panoramic views of Porto, an East London beach.. British singer and sound artist Viv Corringham creates works that incorporate conversations with residents on walks, recordings of ambient sounds and her own improvised singing. These relate to her very successful ongoing project Shadow-walks, which has been widely presented from New York to Portugal to Hong Kong. Now the works have been gathered together for this album. Viv Corringham has walked with local inhabitants in many countries and different continents, asking them to lead her on a special walk that has meaning for them. Later she takes a solo walk along the same route, trying to sense the person's traces on the path and to make these traces audible through her own improvised singing. Partly inspired by the Aboriginal songlines and the Kaluli song paths, these works 'trace a kind of metaphorical path through time and space, which define a place.'
[ltd time price; normally $14]
CD $12


BEAUTIFUL ROUND [AKIRA ISHIGURO/WILLIAM TATGE/PABLO MENARES/RODRIGO RECABARREN] - Beautiful Round (Tofuteriaki 01; USA) Featuring Akira Ishiguro on guitar & compositions, William Tatge on piano, Pablo Menares on bass and Rodrigo Recabarren on drums. Last Sunday (6/1/14), bassist Nico Letman-Burtinovich played a fine trio set here with two musicians that I wasn't familiar with: Akira Ishiguro on guitar and Samuel Blais on sax. Mr. Burtinovich has a knack for finding musicians from different scenes and collaborating with them for different live and studio sessions. Mr. Ishiguro is also part of a group called Split Cycle with Nico whose disc I reviewed last year. Mr. Ishiguro writes songs that sound simple or carefree from one angle yet there seems to be going on beneath the surface. This is jazz/rock with some tight lines being played by the guitar and piano together. On most of these pieces, the main theme is more melodic and mellow but when it comes to solo, the guitar and piano both reach for some more adventurous areas. Mr. Ishiguro often reminds me of Phil Miller is his tone which is a good thing also his writing is not as complex as the Hatfield/National Health/In Cahoots guitarist usually composes. This music has a dreamy laid back quality that fit well on a jazz radio like WBGO. When I play certain discs at the store, both Chuck and Chris will complain called something "smooth jazz" if there is any sort of lyrical melody or obvious hook. Some things are just too laid back for them so it is their loss. I found this disc to be charming in its own way with some unexpected twists and turns hidden below the sunny waves above. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13


New on Mode!

HELMUT LACHENMANN//JACK QUARTET - Complete String Quartets (mode 267; USA) "With a little help from my friends: Once they called me their 'father.' But when with them I feel fifty years younger, and they are my admired brothers. Each work - not only mine - when performed by the JACK, be it Beethoven or Feldman, becomes an incredible adventure of perception, a festival of intensity, touching our emotions and touching our intellect, making us remember that as human creatures we are full of possibilities and able to open our horizons infinitely. They are pure artists in that their humanity and virtuosity are one and the same: maybe they don't know or aren't aware of it, but that's what they do: create happiness in the deepest sense." - Helmut Lachenmann, Leonberg, February 14, 2014 The JACK Quartet follow up their acclaimed, best selling release of Iannis Xenakis' complete string quartets (mode 209) with a disc devoted to another iconoclastic European composer, Helmut Lachenmann. Lachenmann has created a unique sound world which he refers to as 'instrumental musique concrete.' It is a world where the musical atom is not the note but the sound, which may be drawn from the instrument in all kinds of unusual ways. Strange as the soundscape may be, Lachenmann believes that the fundamental principles of music is about finding shape and continuity, about revealing the unexpected and touching the familiar, and that the string quartet, in particular, is about conversation. Even through all the use of extended techniques, this is still a music of gestures, phrases, even melodies. The JACK Quartet, specialists in new music, are the perfect performers for such repertoire. This recording is endorsed by the composer. [Please note - there was to be a DVD edition of this release, but it has been delayed for several months]
CD $15

MING TSAO//ARDITTI QUARTET/ENSEMBLE ASCOLTA/ENSEMBLE SURPLUS et al - Pathology Of Syntax (mode 268; USA) Ming Tsao is a Chinese-American composer active in Europe. His works have been performed at the Donaueschingen Festival, Wien Modern, Wittener Tage, Maerz Musik and Darmstadt. Tsao's composition teachers include Chaya Czernowin, Brian Ferneyhough and Mario Davidovsky. Tsao is also Professor of Composition at Goteborg University, Sweden. He holds composition degrees from University of California, San Diego and Berklee College of Music. This is the first monographic CD of Tsao's music. Pathology of Syntax attempts to simulate a late Beethoven quartet. The Beethoven fragments dissolve into the physicality of the string quartet medium where the energy of bowing, plucking, scraping and brushing physical materials such as hair, wood and metal achieves an independence from the transcribed material it seeks to represent. One-Way Street is a meditative, contemplative work that gradually disassembles what we assume to be beautiful: natural harmonics, drones and ecstatic rhythms. In Not Reconciled, the sound of fingernails brushing against strings, the rattling of snares on a snare drum or the clicking of clarinet keys settle into a sound world tentatively held together by the incongruous instruments that create it. (Un)cover is a meditation on the opening of Beethoven's last piano sonata, opus 111 (first movement). The Book of Virtual Transcriptions consists of 49 aural signs ranging from abstract to concrete images of musical material from the Adagio movement of Mozart's oboe quartet (K.V. 370). These signs and their relations pose as stimuli that force the brain to complete a virtual transcription of the Mozart movement in which one constructs a way to listen to the Mozart that engages the musical unconscious. Canon probes the limits of a musical canon through references to Bach's Musical Offering.
CD $15

MORTON FELDMAN//FLUX QUARTET - Ed. 12: String Quartet No. 1 and Early Quartets [2 CD + DVD set] (mode 269; USA) 2-CDs + bonus DVD packaged in deluxe slipcase. The DVD presents the music in 24-bit stereo and surround-sound options. The FLUX Quartet's performance of String Quartet No.1 is almost 90 minutes long. While it must be split over two CDs, the DVD presents the performance uninterrupted (note: no video content). The FLUX Quartet follow their acclaimed, best selling recording of Feldman's monumental 6-hour String Quartet No. 2 (mode 112, 5-CDs or 1-DVD) with this release, thus completing their cycle of Feldman's string quartets. The FLUX Quartet are the first ensemble to record all of Feldman's string quartets. String Quartet No. 1 is one of Feldman's earliest long-scale pieces. Unlike other recordings of String Quartet No.1, the FLUX recording respects Feldman's tempo and all of the repeats, making it the longest recording of the piece. The set also contains Feldman's two quartets from the 1950s: Three Pieces and Structures. Each of these string quartets presents us with a distinctive world. A very fine sensibility is behind these worlds, Feldman's ears and imagination are attuned to the incredible detail of tiny complexities of sound. He gives attention to things one might otherwise overlook. No sound is too ordinary, too small, or too plain - in fact the small, ordinary, plain sounds are given a certain radiance, a renewed and rich inner life. Structures (1951) presents us with a fragile and extremely delicate texture, almost transparent at times, like a finely woven gauze. It has moments of re-iteration, with slightly varied repetitions, like undulations, like breathing. The Three Pieces (1954-1956) form a triptych of sound worlds that have a similarity of tone, color, and density; they often feature sustained tones overlaid with plucked tones, creating a weave or counterpoint of longer notes colored by shorter ones. String Quartet (1979) is a work of far-reaching scope, even grandeur. It is long enough to get lost in, and yet it has many recurrences or near-recurrences that offer moments of familiarity within this strange and beautiful music. The piece ranges through many different territories: the chorale-like succession of soft chords followed by the quietest of single notes; dense pizzicato thickets and lonely pizzicato tones; fierce loud moments (rare for Feldman) that seem to obliterate all that came before; winding melodic figures, and sad oscillations that breathe, hover and float; moments of quickness - almost breathlessness - giving the work sudden eruptions of urgency; an exquisitely long orchestration of one note, like the spinning of multiple strands into a single thread.
2 CD + DVD set for $37

More Overlooked Gems from the Green & Black-Spined Auand Label!

CRISTIANO ARCELLI With FEDERICO CASAGRANDE/MARCELLO GIANNINI/ZENO DE ROSSI + CRISTINA ZAVALLONI - Brooks (Auand 9031; Italy) Featuring Cristiano Arcelli on alto sax & compositions, Federico Casagrande & Marcello Gainnini on guitars and Zeno de Rossi on drums. Although I hadn't heard of the leader or Mr. Casagrande, I did recognize Mr. Gainnini from an Italian prog band called Slivovitz and Mr. de Rossi, one the best & most prolific drummers in Italy, from more than two dozen discs on the El Gallo Rojo and Long Song labels. The instrumentation of two electric guitars, alto sax and drums gives this quartet a unique sound. Although Mr. Arcelli is a fine saxist and often featured soloist, he uses both guitars to provide much of their sound and somewhat quirky arrangements. The guitars are used to play both interlocking parts as well as going in different directions when they solo. There is a guest vocalist, Cristina Zavalloni, on two of these songs and her coy, understated voice fits quite well within the overall sound/story of this disc. What I find most interesting about this disc is that it doesn't quite sound like a jazz band yet it remains crafty in other ways. Could this be an unexpected hit for the under-estimated Auand label? You tell me. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

STEFANO COSTANZO With MARCELLO GIANNINI/MARCO PEZZENATI/DANIELE SORRENTINO + LUCA AQUINO - Tricatiempo (Auand 9034; Italy) Featuring Stefano Costanzo on drums & compositions, Marcello Giannini on guitar, Marco Pezzenati on vibes and Daniele Sorrentino on electric bass plus Luca Aquino on trumpet & electronics. The only members of this band that I was previously familiar are Costanzo and Gainnini, both of whom are members of Slivovitz, a progressive band from Italy with two strong discs out on Moonjune. Their guest, Luca Aquino, can also be found on several discs from the Leo, Splasch and Auand labels. The first piece kicks off with a great jazz/rock guitar solo from Mr. Giannini with the vibes, el. bass and drums slamming in strong support. Mr. Aquino takes an intense electric trumpet solo to top things off even better. Although Mr. Costanzo is a drummer, his writing often deals with spacious terrain and dreamy moods, with some unexpected changes in direction carefully placed. "Aion" starts out quietly before it shifts into hyperdrive midway and finally winding down before it ends. What I like most about this disc is that there are few solos, it the way the songs are written and unfold that tell a story or set a scene. More like a soundtrack for our mind's inner eye. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

NICCOLO FARACI With ACHILLE SUCCI/LOREZO PAESANI/DARIO CONGEDO - It Came To Broadcast The Yucatan (Auand 9038; Italy) Featuring Niccolo Faraci on acoustic & electric bass & compositions, Achille Succi on bass clarinet & flute, Lorenzo Paesani on piano & synths and Dario Congredo on drums plus guest Luca Aquino on trumpet. I am not yet familiar with any of the members of this quartet except for reeds player Achille Succi who can be found on some two dozen discs from the El Gallo Rojo, Leo and Ictus labels. Guest trumpeter Luca Aquino also appears to be more visible, recording for the Leo and Splasch labels. This is electric jazz with bass clarinet or flute and (what sounds like) electric piano or synth up front. The title track features the trumpet of Mr. Aquina who sounds rather Miles-like on this sly, funky, early 70's sounding, Herbie Hancock Headhuntersish tune. The titles of all of these songs ("The Sky was Filled with Appetizers") are humorous so I think these folks don't take themselves too seriously. The songs are often stripped down and quirky in their own way yet rarely complex, more fun than anything else on this label. Rather quaint, you could say. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

THE FRAMERS [PHIL MER/ANDREA LOMBARDINI] With JASON LINDNER/FULVIO SIGURTA/FRANCESCO BEARZATTI et al - The Framers (Auand 9030; Italy) Specially-packaged CD in a small box with 9 reproduction cards. The Framers are Phil Mer on drums and Andrea Lombardini on bass with guests: Jason Lindner on keyboards, Francesco Bearazatti on tenor sax & clarinet, Fulvio Sigurta on trumpet & electronics, Stefano Brandoni on guitar, Irene Sualdin on harp, Leonardo Di Angilla on percussion plus two three vocalists - Malika Ayane, Mario Biondi and Chiara Canzian. Each of the nine tracks here were inspired by a different painting, so we get nine small card reproductions inside the little box that this disc comes in. The artists include Hieronymus Bosch, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol. Henri Rousseau, Pablo Picasso, Edgar Dega, Umberto Boccioni and Yves Klein. I didn't know of either Framer although Mr. Lombardini is a member of another group on the Auand label called PoLo. The only other name I recognize here is Mr. Bearzatti, who is on more than a dozen discs from Auand and other Italian labels. Each piece features a different set of musicians and works hard to evoke some aspect of the enclosed paintings. The first piece was inspired by Bosch's somewhat disturbing painting "Garden of Earthly Delights". The music is an odd blend of electronic sounds with instrumentals used minimally yet mysteriously. Although the music is often interesting, it is rarely are far out as the paintings themselves. The tempo speeds up and slows down unexpectedly for Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory", which features a series a bent clocks. More obvious is the tribute to Andy Warhol's peeled banana album artwork for the first Velvet Underground & Nico record. A trio of keyboards, bass & drums plus the corpse-like vocals of Ms. Ayane singing "Sunday Morning", which was sung by Nico in an even less enthused version than it is here from that first Velvets LP. Much of the music here has that late night ultra laid back sort of dreamy vibe and more about creating a mood than anything else. Simmering quietly while taking us up or down the stream. The are moments when the drums (or drum machine) is sped up or slowed down, giving this an occasional drum n' bass vibe. X BLG/DMG
CD $18

MOF [MANUEL TRABUCCO/FILIPPO VIGNATO/FRANK MARTINO/STEFANO DALLAPORTA/DIEGO POZZAN] - Fried Generation (Auand 9032; Italy) MOF features Manuel Trabucco on alto & soprano sax, Filippo Vignato on trombone, Frank Martino on guitar & electronics, Stefano Dallaporta on basses and Diego Pozzan on drums plus Alfonso Santimone on piano (last 2 tracks). Once again, I was not familiar with any of the members of this band before this except for their guest Alfonso Santimone who can be found on a half dozens discs from the El Gallo Rojo label. Three of the five members wrote all of the songs on this disc. "A.M." enters with a slamming mid-seventies somewhat funky jazz/rock groove and smokin' electric guitar solo. The bubbling synth-like sound that continues throughout this song does give it an ancient (mid-seventies) sound. In a blindfold test most would be hard-pressed to figure that this was a current band (from 2012) and not recorded in the mid-seventies. The only thing that features a more contemporary sound is the sampled voice and beats on "Dramma in B". Both the trombone and alto or soprano sax get a number of chances to stretch out, play tight lines together and around one another and take a few strong solos as well. This music is rather sly sounding, as if it was more about having fun, hitting the groove and going along for the ride. - BLG/DMG
CD $16


New on +3DB!

HILD SOFIE TAFJORD - Breathing (+ 3DB 19; EEC) Hild Sofie Tafjord has re-written the sonic possibilities of the French horn and established herself as one of Norway's most arresting musicians. Pushing the limits of her instrument for years, whether acoustically or electronically, she has made her mark as composer, performer and improviser. Her signature is present in her group-playing in Spunk, Lemur, and Zeitkratzer, but here she takes front row in this solo work. Breathing -- her long-awaited second solo album -- is devoted to the acoustic situation, exploring different relationships between performer, instrument and space. Based on live material from the large rooms at Bergen Kunsthall, Tafjord and producer Bjornar Habbestad exploited most known recording techniques in order to create a sonic signature as wide as possible. The result is delicate, intimate, vast and exhausting, covering the grounds from the innermost sounds of Tafjord's instrument to the last decibel of reflections captured by distant microphones. Tafjord is active as a solo performer and in groups like Spunk, Lemur, Agrare, Zeitkratzer Ensemble, Trinacria, and Phantom Orchard Orchestra, amongst others. She has a broad range as an artist and has made music for dance, film, theater, installations, and sculptures. She has also given performances, workshops, and site-specific concerts. She has played and collaborated with numerous musicians and artists in Europe, America, Canada, and Asia, including Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, Evan Parker, Matmos, and Wolf Eyes, amongst others.
CD $17

STINE JANVIN MOTLAND - OK, Wow (+ 3DB 18; EEC) OK, Wow was recorded over two days in a wooden church outside Bergen. With the sounds of kindergarten children and the very special and insistent Bergen rain forcing itself onto Stine's vocal performance, an intensity was created. The image of the lone singer, meeting, responding to and filling a space, made the entire session a vivid analogy of +3DB's work with improvisers. Touching the very essence of what improvisation is about, the six tracks map out different ways to grasp what and who a voice really is. Motland's musical ancestors are many and important, but her sonic precision, clarity of intent and human fragility makes this album stand out. Stine Janvin Motland is a performer and composer from Stavanger, Norway. Working with extended vocal techniques, she explores and pushes the frontiers of the natural acoustics of the voice. In addition to projects with composers such as Maja Ratkje, Oyvind Torvund, Therese Birkelund Ulvo, Ruben Sverre Gjertsen, and Mats Gustafsson, she improvises regularly with musicians such as C Spencer Yeh, Chris Corsano, and Lasse Marhaug, and she is a member of the vocal ensemble Song Circus. Stine also collaborates with visual artists Cecilie Bjorgas Jordheim, Melissa Dubbin, and Aaron Davidsson, choreographer Ula Sickle, and theater director Hildur Kristinnsdottir. As a creator, her main focus is her solo work, in addition to her performance/theater group Brigitte & Paula Band.
CD $17

MORTEN J OLSEN - Bass Drum! (+ 3DB 17; EEC) Bass Drum! is Morten J. Olsen's solo debut. Having made a strong impact on the Berlin scene for improvised music since his arrival in 2006, his trademark is impeccable instrumental control and an exceptional affinity for sonic exploration. After touring most of the globe with MoHa! and Ultralyd, his present instrument of choice is a rotating bass drum, prepared and extended with small percussion instruments. From what seems to be limited means, he creates a complete sound world, redefining the idea of what percussion music is about. Bass Drum! is the fourth volume in +3DB's series "Music for One." Morten J. Olsen (b. 1981, Stavanger) is a musician, composer and artist. He studied in Amsterdam, but has been living and working in Berlin and Stavanger since 2006. Olsen mainly plays percussion, usually within selected forms of experimental music. He works with a sound palette that includes orchestral, electronic, improvised music and rock. He has performed throughout Europe, North America, Oceania and Asia with MoHa!, Ultralyd, The Pitch, and his latest collaboration NMO, with Ruben Patino. Olsen is also a member of Splitter Orchester, a 25-piece improvising collective based in Berlin. He has released more than 40 records on approximately 10 different labels and recently adopted a new hobby as a techno DJ. Morten J. Olsen: 32" Gran cassa and percussion.
CD $17

and, still available..

KJETIL MOSTER - Blow Job (+ 3DB 14; EEC) Blow Job is an album stripped of glamour, fancy artistry or advanced studio techniques. This is one man, one saxophone and the musical intentions of a modern musician. Kjetil Moster's musical career is one of many contradictions. After studying accordion as a kid, his stage debut was as a thrash/hardcore bass player on the scenes of Bergen, Norway in 1990. His saxophone-playing made him discover John Coltrane a few years later, a revelation that brought him to jazz studies at the conservatory in Trondheim, focusing on modal and free jazz, and later free-improvised music. After having redefined tenor-playing on the Norwegian scene, mainly in bands like Ultralyd, Zanussi Five and The Core, Moster was awarded the "World's Jazz Talent of the Year 2006" by international jazz organizations IAJE and IJFO. However, Moster was seen escaping the jazz scene in the following years, spending more and more time with electro-rock band Datarock and the occasional detour with small underground units and the N Ensemble. Moster chose to focus on Datarock full-time in 2007. Blow Job is his big step back into the world of improvised music. Kjetil Moster has performed extensively in Europe, Asia, the U.S. and South America. He has been a key person in establishing the All Ears festival in Oslo as one of the most important events for improvised music. He has participated in a large number of ad hoc projects with such musicians as Jon Christensen, Paal Nilssen-Love, Hild Sofie Tafjord, Michael Duch, Maja Ratkje, Andrew D'Angelo, Jim Black and so on. Blow Job is the second album in +3DB's series Music For One, featuring different shades of solo improvised music.
CD $17


RUSSELL HASWELL & PAIN JERK - Electroacoustic Sludge Dither Transformation Smear Grind Decomposition No!se File Exchange Mega Edit [2 CD set] (Editions Mego 200; Austria) Electroacoustic Sludge Dither Transformation Smear Grind Decomposition nO!se File Exchange Mega Edit is the long-awaited collaboration from two of the world's finest purveyors of noise, electroacoustics, and top-shelf audio mayhem. Having met at the legendary Tokyo venue 20000 Volts in 1997, Russell Haswell and Pain Jerk (Kohei Gomi) stayed in touch with the intent to collaborate at some point in the future. This was eventually realized in 2012 when they were offered a gig to play together at the Rammel Club in Nottingham. Prior to the show they exchanged files of solo recordings, as a means of forming a basis for what was initially conceived as an "extreme duet tag mass attack." It was here that the foundation was laid for the epic extreme end-result we now encounter. The Nottingham performance was recorded and both parties took away the results in addition to their solo recordings to re-edit and re-send, back and forth, for two years, re-editing and re-contextualizing these original sounds. The results of this extended collaboration is a punk academic collision which utilizes advanced computer music techniques and analog/digital modular synthesizer splurge, along with the more basic and belligerent frequencies found in distortion and feedback. This can also be read as a study of editing in all forms; hyper-editing, editing in pop music, editing in dance culture, electro-acoustic editing, the editing techniques used in musique concrete, editing used in film and advertising along with the notion of gaps -- the audible and inaudible. A blistering 2CD collision of transformation, technique, ideas and form which resides equally in the advanced fields of electroacoustic study and the high energy freeform noise from which both practitioners sprung.
2 CD set for $22


New on Monotype!

DAVID MOSS/HANNES STROBL - At the Beach: Music for Voice and Electric Bass (Monotype 78; EEC) "We enjoy the interplay of our two musical positions tremendously. I really feel this has to do with a 'story-telling' or an 'intuition for the narrative' that we both have. And I mean it even in the most general, abstract sense" -- says David Moss. Together with Hannes Strobl, they've found rhythmic and even philosophic connection that made the duo work, as a natural extension of their earlier project, created with Hanno Leichtmann's band Denseland. "When Hannes told me he had developed a number of solo bass pieces and song-frameworks that might be interesting for my voice, we easily and fruitfully created this album," explains David. At the Beach -- Music for Voice and Electric Bass is a story told in music. It starts with the specific sound of the electric bass, an instrument played mostly in pop, rock or jazz, but rarely found in contemporary, experimental music. Strobl created a special way of playing the electric bass and combines his two instruments -- one of them an electric upright bass -- with various electronic devices. Each piece on this album brings together particular advanced playing techniques and preparations with particular electronic setups. Together, the pieces make the impression of being a single cohesive work with an intimate quality, sometimes moving forward with a steady drive, sometimes rotating around themselves. In some places, the music is very physical and microscopic, one can hear how the strings are scraped or how the vocal sounds start. In other places it keeps the secret of its genesis, playing with the possibilities of psychoacoustics. David Moss brings the sounds, texts, stories, narratives and 'mystery geschichten' out of his mind in a stream of consciousness. He uses points within the rhythmic patterns to connect to or to jump from, to dive off to new words or new sounds. The connection words and sounds have to meaning, switches on and off. "When Hannes developed those bass-based pieces and played them for me, I started singing immediately. The first take was always as if we were playing live together, so I did not listen to the piece before I jumped into his 'worlds' with my voice," says David Moss. After their live act, the artists sometimes do other takes of vocals, either completely different approaches, or in order to amplify the idea of the first take. At the end, the perfect version of the vocal, the one which fit the mood, atmosphere and energy of composition was the one chosen.
CD $17

ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI & BRIAN O'REILLY - The Difficulty of Being (Monotype 64; EEC) "Though Zbigniew Karkowski and I started working together not long after our first meeting in France in 1998, this disk marks our first release. The majority of our activities together had always been focused on live performances or the generating of materials for different works we were each producing individually. When working together, we usually did not speak about specific pieces of music or about what we were going to work on. We did however speak about different ways sounds could be organized, referencing techniques other composers use. The techniques of Xenakis were used as a reference point frequently, as did many ideas and exploitations of concepts by Luc Ferrari's, the microsonic and code of Curtis Roads and also many contemporary works from a multitude of electronic/noise artists. On the day of the recording in Singapore, we took a long (by Singapore standards) train ride from the city to the woodlands on the Malaysian border. During the journey, we had a conversation about the work I did for Eliane Radigue as her music assistant in the late 1990s. What we both were interested in is how her works progressed through the exploration of slowly moving textures whose constant transformation eludes perception. Radigue's work can create elusive edges that are always in a state of flux, blurring the lines between movement and stillness, forcing the listener to shift into different ways of listening. Shifting from active to passive listening modes, the frequencies wash over your ears and when you switched back from one mode to another, you would be in a different place. All throughout the recording we kept stopping each other from changing the patch, Zbig said at one point with a laugh 'let it Radigue.' On a more technical level the audio sources were created solely using a Buchla 200e. The majority of the sounds from the patch centered around the 266e Source of Uncertainty module, which played a major part in guiding the evolution of the textures with its fluctuating voltages. The time and care we took to build the patch into a performance system was an important factor determining the outcome with the deconstruction of the patch an equally influential factor. The work unfolded by randomly removing both audio and voltage control cables, reducing the system to even more "primitive" structures and interactions of sound. The recent death of Zbigniew Karkowski has been difficult for myself and all close to him. As a collaborator and close friend, I will deeply miss our time working together, performing, traveling, and the ever unfolding hijinks that always ensued when we did, and most of all the difficulties they could often cause." --Brian O'Reilly
CD $17

EMITER [MARCIN DYMITER] - The Difficulty of Being (Monotype 72; EEC) Air/Field/Feedback is a new production from Emiter performed live using microphones, analog and digital carriers, mixer and field recordings. Combining composition, a mix of audio material of different quality and improvisation, Emiter searches for the synthesis of analog/digital sound and organic connections in the sound itself. An air transmitter becomes a starting point for music. A lot happens in the air -- practically every moment something flies through. It is the channel of emission, clutter, audio violence and silence. A field border breaks our expectations, routines, and musical convenience into pieces. Feedback is a physical/auditory experience. Marcin Dymiter aka Emiter is a musician and improviser. Emiter moves within electronics, and improvised music. He experiments with sound, transforming the sounds present in our everyday life. He uses and combines different qualities -- lo-fi/hi-fi or sounds commonly seen as interference. He creates sound installations, radio plays, soundtracks for films, performances and public spaces. He plays for dumb films. He conducts audio trainings and promotes field recording. He works with visual artists and dancers, such as: Anna Baumgart, Joanna Rajkowska, Anna Witkowska, Ludomir Franczak, Risa Takita, poet Marcin Swietlicki and writer Daniel Odija, with whom he creates literary-musical form North Lines and the "Listen With Your Ear" project -- a cycle of live radio plays. He plays in such projects as: Niski Szum and EmiterFranczak Audio Video Performance.
CD $17

DEREK PIOTR - Tempatempat (Monotype 80; EEC) Derek Piotr is a Poland-born sound artist currently based in New England, whose work focuses mainly on the voice. He has been an intern to Meredith Monk, collaborated with AGF and Richard Chartier, and had works featured on ResonanceFM. His second record, Airing, was nominated by the Jury for the Prix Ars Electronica Prize 2012. Tempatempat could be seen as Piotr's "gamelan album"; after records focused on the sound of bells (Airing, 2012) and Eastern tonality (Raj, 2013), this focus was the next logical step. Unlike Raj, where straightforward rhythms aimed to express simple, primal energy, Tempatempat sees Piotr construct deeply layered and largely complex song-based tracks, the majority of which veer close to pop territory. Piotr sings in English on the majority of tracks, an extreme departure from his primarily wordless back-catalog. Tracks "Bhadrakali" and "Yogyakarta" were sung entirely in Indonesian during an experience Piotr had being possessed by a Sufi. The English translation of these tracks was discovered only months after they were recorded, with the aid of a translator. Tracks "Rift." "Encloses" and "Conifers" are constructed entirely from Piotr's voice. A remix of "Encloses" produced by pioneering sound artist Steve Roden appears as a bonus track. Polish composer Szymon Kaliski and accomplished multimedia artist Bartholomaus Traubeck both contributed to "Slow March," Traubeck providing sections of his successful YEARS project for the intro and outro, and Kaliski processing Piotr's original piano and voice into fluttering drones. Many of the gamelan samples on this album were provided courtesy of Elisa Hough. Kent Williams provided engineering assistance on a handful of tracks, and Antony Ryan of acclaimed duo ISAN mastered the record.
CD $17

SCHLOSS MIRABELL [FLORINA SPETH] - Ghosthour Diary (Monotype 79; EEC) Florina Speth, born in 1983 in the mountains near Salzburg, started playing the cello and piano at the age of 6 and began studying music at the University Mozarteum Salzburg when she was just 11. She won several prizes playing solo and string quartet ensembles, and was part of orchestras like Bayerisches Landesjugend Orchester and Salzburger Junge Philarmonie all over Europe. Besides classical music she has always keenly been interested in contemporary music and was part of performing ensembles in lots of world premieres. Since that, she has been obsessed with creating music electronically and started Schloss Mirabell. She plays in different constellations with musicians such as Nicholas Bussmann, Dasha Rush, Niels Bottcher and Maximilian Stadler. Orchestras here are replaced by unknown sound characters that listen to each other, exchange, react, adopt dynamic shifts and act freely -- in parts, the conducting composer cannot control it. In her compositions, these sound characters step into fine-grained dialogues between her cello, bleeping spheres of electronic hummingbirds and multi-time codes. These scenarios take place in pitch-black carpets of dead butterflies falling, simmering shapes of polyoscillations against luminance or in vacuums of icy dust. The sound creates patience for unspeakable things that glamorize time -- namely music. Her album Ghosthour Diaries is a musical narrative of those unspeakable perspectives on things. As all pieces were composed after midnight during the "ghost hours," it is an intimate view of the states before sleep.
CD $17


LAST COPIES!

UNIVERSITY OF ERRORS [DAEVID ALLEN/MICHAEL CLARE/JOSH POLLOCK/WARREN HUEGEL] - Live At The Fleece, Bristol England 6 June 2003 (Subsalt SUBLIVE1; UK) One of the best memories of last year was catching Daevid Allen & University of Errors at Bowery Poetry Club for two nights in November. Both sets were joyous, crazed, fun-filled, Canterbury-style psych/rock at its best. This disc also seems to capture the same quartet at their best, live on tour in the UK in June of 2003. Like the sets at Bowery Poetry Club, UoE perform some fantastic, appropriate covers from early Soft Machine ("Hope for Happiness", Matching Mole ("O Caroline"), Gong ("Stoned Innocent Frankenstein" & "PHP 2032") and Daevid Allen ("Mystico Fanatico"). Unlike early Soft Machine, there is no organ here, just two fine electric guitarists who distort and alter their guitars in all sorts of great ways. Like Soft Machine, their set is a continuous flow of songs that segue into one another and take us on a journey as they go. Daevid's twisted voice, provocative lyrics and songs are both enchanting and occasionally disturbing simultaneously. There is something magical and bizarre about this music that is difficult to explain, unless you've seen this band perform live. This disc is over 70 minutes long and captures this wonderfully deranged lineup in all its grand glory. - BLG CD $16 (Out of print, but we have it!)



1970's ALGERIAN MUSIC [V.A.] - Vol 2: Algerian Folk and Pop (Sublime Freq 088; USA) Sublime Frequencies is thrilled to present a second volume of classic tracks from Algeria's popular music history. Where volume 1 focused on the early to mid-1970s Rai scene in western Algeria, this album features a variety of pop and folk styles from that same period. From the heavier rock and psychedelic sounds of Rachid & Fethi, Les Djinns and Les Abranis, to the haunting folk music of Kri Kri and Djamel Allem and the film soundtrack moods of Ahmed Malek, 1970s Algerian Folk & Pop documents a key period in the modern musical renaissance of a nation in transition. Most of these tracks are from 45 rpm singles, the key format during the early 1970s before the cassette took over as the medium of choice. Western musical influences can be heard throughout this extremely diverse record, yet there is an undeniable Algerian sense of sadness contained here within a more tolerant space in time between two of the country's most significant historical periods; National Independence from France and the darker times of a brutal civil war yet to come. Compiled by Hicham Chadly, this CD comes in a digipak with a booklet featuring lovely images from the period and extensive liner-notes by Omar Zelig, Algeria's most legendary radio DJ.
CD $15


Archival Mexican recordings from VAM!

DECIBEL - El Poeta Del Ruido (VAM 247; Mexico) Recorded in 1978, the instrumental El Poeta Del Ruido by Decibel could be labeled a prog album but don't expect it to sound anything like Yes! This is more in the spirit of Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, Henry Cow, Faust, and Gong, which is to say, quite experimental, a bit dark, complex, and generally highly-structured (though it's also sometimes deliberately disjointed). Classical instruments form an important part of the group's sound, but it is augmented by interesting sound effects and there are extended moments of space-y electronic exploration. Masterfully executed, this album is a compelling listen from beginning to end. Tracks include "El Poeta del Ruido," "Orgon Patafisico," "El Fin de los Dodos," "Manati," and "El Titosco" and more. "Decibel were an extraordinary Mexican progressive band that started in the late seventies. They were a unique chamber quartet with guests whose music seems to have been influenced by the RIO (Rock in Opposition) axis, similar to Henry Cow, Art Zoyd, Univers Zero and Nazca. "El Poeta del Ruido" was their first album and it was recorded in 1978. This disc features their first album plus numerous live and studio bonus tracks, clocking in at some 78 minutes. The instrumentation most often features two synths & piano, violin, alto sax or clarinet, bass and percussion. The title piece is first and is a unique progressive blend. Consistently intricate and complex in a Zappa or Henry Cow-like way, with Art Zoyd-like instrumentation. There is a quirky and playful vibe that runs through this music, reminding me of the sunnier side of Samla at times. "Orgon Patafisico" sounds like layers of synths and (sampled?) acoustic harp or guitar, which is a particularly fascinating blend. "Fakma" features two synths, prepared piano and percussion and it is quite a mesmerizing blend of eerie sounds. What I like most about this band is the way they create textures that evoke cinematic images. On "Manati," it is like walking through the jungle as well as walking through a deserted cityscape with spooky ghosts floating by. The use of synthesizer(s) is always well-selected and diverse, changing on each track. Four tracks were recorded at the first 'Rock in Opposition Festival' in Mexico City in June of 1978. Who knew that such a festival ever existed outside of Europe where most of the bands are from? Certainly not me!" - BLG
CD $16

OVERFLOW - Overflow (VAM 221; Mexico) Overflow was one of the most important of Mexico's progressive groups and their self-titled and sole album, originally released in 1985, is filled with great performances that bring to mind Yes and Genesis. A trio, they crafted a very full and dynamic sound on this record, and the majority of these eight songs are performed in English. A thoroughly interesting listen and a true rarity to boot! Songs include "Rain," "Through the Night," "Looking for a Friend," Un Gesto Solamente," "Mars," and more.
CD $16

KALEIDOSCOPE (of MEXICO) - The Kaleidoscope (VAM 02; Mexico) Fans of psych rock will likely know both the British and American bands that operated in the late '60s under the name Kaleidoscope, but you may have missed Mexico's Kaleidoscope! (Let's face it, Kaleidoscope was just too tempting a name in the psychedelic era -- no one band could claim that name). This is unquestionably one of the best psych-rock records ever released in Mexico. The album was recorded in 1967 in the Dominican Republic. The manager took it to Mexico where it had a tiny release of 200 copies on the Orfeon label in 1969.. If you're a fan of psychedelic music, just check out that cover art (designed by Bodo Molitor, a German singer who produced his own psychedelic gem in Mexico) and you know you're going to like this one. The story of the group is fascinating. Two musicians based in San Juan, Puerto Rico heard about a burgeoning psychedelic scene in the neighboring country of the Dominican Republic. They relocated to Santo Domingo, cut a record of original songs with some great local talent in 1967, and then signed to Orfeon Records in Mexico and relocated to Mexico (hence they're known as the Kaleidoscope of Mexico). Sung entirely in English, this is psych/garage rock at its finest with a great combo of organ, fuzz, and trippy, reverb-drenched vocals with a slightly hazy production hanging over it all. Did we mention there's fuzz? Titles include "I Think It's All Right," "Let Me Try," "Hang Out," "I'm Crazy," "A New Man," "A Hole In My Life," and "I'm Here, He's Gone, She's Cryin." They were friends with Addib Casta from Ladies WC, Venezuela, so one song is by Ladies WC -- the rest are all original compositions. The music features some amazing, heavy, guitar-based psychedelia of the best kind.
CD $16

BODO MOLITOR - Hits Internacionales (VAM 230; Mexico) An absolutely stellar psychedelic rock album from Bodo Molitor. A German rock 'n' roller who relocated to Mexico, he's backed here by an excellent group of Mexican musicians and together they cut this fuzz-drenched Technicolor masterpiece in 1969. The songs are significantly enhanced by fantastic organ-playing courtesy of Jorge Rene Gonzalez and Bodo's vocals are great, raspy, and brooding, often bearing a resemblance to Jim Morrison. The record includes several awesome covers like "When I Was Seventeen" done in a brilliant, sort of creepy psychedelic style. Bodo designed the album's cover himself and also created some other very groovy psychedelic cover art, such as the self-titled album by the Mexican group Kaleidoscope. This eccentric and wonderful album most certainly deserves a place in your collection! This reissue adds four bonus tracks: a cover of "Hello, I Love You" and instrumental versions of three of the album's tracks. Songs include "Sookie Sookie," "Real Real," "She's a Woman," "You Don't Know," "St. James Infirmary," "I Wish I Knew How," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "Laziness," "The Midnight Hour," and more.
CD $16

ANTORCHA [LAS ANTORCHAS] - Antorcha (VAM 01; Mexico) A terrific early '70s Mexican psych-rock album from Antorcha which never saw release in its day. Previously known as Las Antorchas, under that moniker the group played beat and garage rock whereas this album showcases their transformation into a sonically rich and often heavy psych-rock band. It's a guitar-driven record sung in Spanish with lots of fuzz, wah, and some electric 12-string. The album also features some great psychedelic organ sounds and a Latin-flavored beat is occasionally thrown into the mix for good measure. The lyrics sometimes feature anarchist themes among other more typical psychedelic subjects (see: "Grass"). Great stuff and it's particularly interesting hearing this back to back with their work as Las Antorchas. Check it out!
CD $16

SEMANFORASH - Lo Impredecible (VAM 215; Mexico) A superb debut from Mexican jazz trio Semanforash, Lo Impredecible was originally released in 1980 and is a true gem. The group was founded by the brilliant guitarist Francisco Mondragon who shines here, demonstrating not only his mastery of jazz music but also his boundless creativity. This skill and creativity later led to his collaboration with other great musicians like bassist Jaco Pastorius. Titles include "Inocencia," "El Jinete," "El Matador," La Despedida," "Barrio China," and others.
CD $16


New from Kismet!

SIDE SHOW - Side Show (Kismet 4051; UK) Originally released in the summer of 1970, this unconventional psychedelic pop LP features several songs by the band's singer/guitarist Paul Giovanni, who went on to create the unforgettable music for 1973 cult classic film The Wicker Man. Combining vocal harmonies with distorted guitars, Moog synthesizer, saxophone, melodica and more to impressive effect, it makes its CD debut here.
CD $17

THE TIFFANY SHADE - The Tiffany Shade (Kismet 4049; UK) Having formed in Cleveland in mid-1966, The Tiffany Shade swiftly became one of the city's hippest acts, sharing stages with Janis Joplin, the MC5 and others. A fine blend of folk-rock, garage and psychedelia, their sole album was swiftly recorded in the fall of 1967 and appeared that December. The band split soon after its release, but it has gone on to earn a significant cult reputation, and makes its long-awaited return to CD here, together with background notes.
CD $17

TRUK - Tracks (Kismet 4050; UK) Originally from Oklahoma, where they started life as No Large Trucks, gritty hard rockers Truk featured Willie Daffern (formerly of psych legends Hunger), and cut their sole LP in California. Co-produced by Buffalo Springfield's Dewey Martin, it's a bludgeoning classic reminiscent of other lost classics by bands like Euclid and Troyka, and makes its long-awaited return to CD here. Includes background notes.
CD $17

US 69 - Yesterday's Folks (Kismet 4052; UK) This Connecticut quintet's sole album is remarkably diverse, spanning dreamy sitar psych, garage rock, jazzy pop, Afro-pop, electronica and more. It did little upon original release in March 1969, but has gone on to have a considerable cult reputation, even being sampled by DJ Shadow. It makes its long-overdue CD debut here. Includes background notes.
CD $17


New from Sonor!

FRANCO MICALIZZI - Lo Chiamavano Trinita [sndtck] (Sonor 04; Italy) Sonor Music Editions are proud to announce the reissue of one of the Italian Western soundtrack-milestones, Lo Chiamavano Trinita (trans. "They Call Me Trinity") -- now available again in the marketplace on this deluxe vinyl edition. Totally improved sound from the 1970 stereo tapes and featuring five tracks not included on the original Ariete/Carosello LP. Lo Chiamavano Trinita was a great success on the screen and featured the famous duo of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer with a cool orchestral/pop score by Franco Micalizzi, directed by E.B. Clucher (Enzo Barboni), with acting performances by Farley Granger, Steffen Zacharias, Ezio Marano, and Michele Cimarosa. Bonus tracks are previously unreleased on vinyl. Limited edition of 500 copies. Includes a 30 x 38 cm poster.
LP $25

SANDRO BRUGNOLI - Underground (Sonor 03; Italy) Recorded in 1970 during the same period as Overground, Sandro Brugnolini's Underground was recorded in two volumes (RT 104 and RT 16), both released in the same year in May and June at Dirmaphon Studios, Roma. Together with Overground, these records are really fascinating instrumental free jazz/psych/library records, featuring the auxiliary of historical Rai session-musicians, guitarist Silvano Chimenti and organist Giorgio Carnini. This record collects all Underground tracks on one LP. Established jazz composer Sandro Brugnolini composed among the greatest Italian soundtracks and library music, ever. Limited edition of 500 copies.
LP $25

ALESSANDRO ALESSANDRONI - Inchiesta (Sonor 02; Italy) Seriously wicked and really hard to find in its original edition, this superb sound-library bears the mark of the great, eclectic maestro Alessandro Alessandroni. The songs on this LP were originally composed for the broadcast of eight episodes made by RAI Italian TV called "Open Window." Many mid-'70s jazz-funk/scat themes full of samples, breaks and funky tunes. Merged in this record you'll find heavy funk-drama tracks devoted to 1970s poliziottesco's grooves interfering with slow lounge-funk arrangements featuring sweet scat vocals. Great brass, a sure winner. Originally issued in a limited edition series for collectors, this gem has been repressed on HQ 180 gram vinyl with improved sound quality for the joy of audiophiles. Originally released in 1970, and reissued under license by Cometa Edizioni Musicali. Edition of 500 copies.
LP $25




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