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DMG Newsletter for September 26th, 2014

September Slows Down and Comes to a Cool Conclusion with a Fall-like Breeze

Enough Silly Poetry from DMG Founder Bruce Lee,

Just Get Down with These Discs:

Three from John Zorn: With Bill Laswell, Marc Ribot/Trevor Dunn/Tyshawn Sorey & Roberto Rodriguez! Mostly Other People Do the Killing Do Miles' Kind of Blue! Peter Evans Quintet! Irene Schweizer & Jurg Wickihalder! Thomas Heberer & Pascal Niggenkemper!

Day & Taxi Return! Jason Adasiewicz's Sun Rooms! Andrew Raffo Dewar/Kyle Bruckmann/Gino Robair/John Shiurba! David Shea With Oren Ambarchi! Joe McPhee & Konstrukt LP! Philip Corner Plays Erik Satie!

Plus Archival Discs from Hal Russell/NRG Ensemble + Charles Tyler! Mahavishnu Orchestra! Tom Waits! Joshua Abrams! Harold Budd! Head, Hand & Feet! Glaxo Babies! Joe Harriott! Cecil Taylor LP! Eric Dolphy LP! Francis Bebey LP! And Even More Gems!


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The DMG Free In-Store Music Schedule Continues with:

This Sunday, September 28th:
6pm: DISSIPATED FACE: STEVE 'X-DREAM POPKIN/KURT RALSKE/DANIEL CARTER/ WILL DAHL/JONATHAN WOOD VINCENT + BILL MILKOWSKI!

Sunday, October 5th:
6pm: FRANTZ LORIOT - Solo viola!

Sunday, October 12th Double-Header:
6pm: DAVID GROLLMAN/RYAN KRAUSE/JILL BURTON - 1 Snare Drum & 2 Voices!
7pm: KEN ALDCROFT - Solo Guitar!

Sunday, October 19th:
6pm: CHERYL PYLE & MARK ALBAN LOTZ - International Flute Duo!

Sunday, October 26th Double-Header:
6pm: THOLLEM McDONAS & AVA MENDOZA - Electric Keyboard & Electric Guitar!
7pm: MOPPA ELLIOTT - Solo Contrabass!

Rare SATURDAY, November 1st Performance:
6pm: KIM MYHR - Experimental Solo Acoustic Guitar!


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THREE GREAT NEW JOHN ZORN CDs from TZADIK ARE NOW IN STOCK:

DAVID SMITH/BILL LASWELL/JOHN ZORN - The Dream Membrane (Tzadik 4004; USA) This fabulous collaborative musical project features the legendary magus David Chaim Smith reading selections from his mystical text The Awakening Ground along with the magical creator of Dark Ambient music Bill Laswell on bass and drones, and John Zorn on shofar and alto saxophone. Evocative and meditative, this is a rare and unique project that synthesizes Kabbalah, Mysticism and the hypnotic swirls of Dark Ambient music. TZADIK SPECTRUM SERIES
CD $14

JOHN ZORN//MARC RIBOT/TREVOR DUNN/TYSHAWN SOREY - Valentine's Day (Tzadik 8323; USA) An exciting new world of instrumental rock featuring three generations of Downtown superstars-Marc Ribot (Ceramic Dog, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Melvins, Fantomas) and Tyshawn Sorey (Steve Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Vijay Iyer). Written in 2010, these 12 instrumental miniatures combine atonal lyricism with rock intensity-Schoenberg meets Beefheart's Magic Band. Originally released as duos in 2011 on the now legendary Enigmata CD (one of the most vexing CDs in Zorn's catalog) the music is made more visceral and dynamic in this special trio version with the addition of the powerful drums of Tyshawn Sorey. Insane, outrageous and exhilarating! TZADIK ARCHIVAL SERIES
CD $14

JOHN ZORN//ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ - Aguares: The Book Of Angels Volume 23 (Tzadik 8322; USA) Roberto Rodriguez's dynamic blending of Cuban music with the Jewish tradition has produced some of the most popular and best selling CDs on the Radical Jewish series. Here he turns his brilliant arranging skills and fabulous all-star ensemble to nine beautiful melodies from Zorn's lyrical Book of Angels. Recorded in Israel with some of the strongest musicians out of the exciting Israeli music scene the music is at once familiar and surprising, touching on traditions while bringing them into the 21st century with imagination, wit and a passionate creativity.
CD $14


MOSTLY OTHER PEOPLE DO THE KILLING [JON IRABAGON/PETER EVANS/RON STABINSKY/MOPPA ELLIOTT/KEVIN SHEA] - Blue (Hot Cup 141; USA) Featuring: Jon Irabagon on alto & tenor saxes, Peter Evans on trumpet, Ron Stabinsky on piano, Moppa Elliott on acoustic bass and Kevin Shea on drums. This band, MOPDTK, are known for poking fun at jazz traditions, playing inside and outside, sometimes simultaneously and getting serious jazzbos (scholars aka men with beards) to even break down and smile. Once again, MOPDTK have done something unique and rather controversial. They have taken Miles Davis' classic album from 1959, "Kind of Blue" and copied it, note for note!?! Why is what many folks are asking. The band has been wanting to do this for many years and it has taken quite a bit of work to learn and play this classic album in its entirety. I spoke with their pianist Ron Stabinsky who said that it took him much research to understand on the two different pianists, Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans, and how they play. For a well seasoned listener, like me or you, it is difficult to criticize this music since it is so close to the original. What is interesting to consider is this: the two main frontine soloists here: Jon Irabagon (playing the role/solos of John Coltrane & Cannonball Adderley on tenor & alto saxes, overdubbed) and Peter Evans (playing the role of Miles Davis on trumpet), do an amazing job of re-creating those classic solos which have inspired so many other musicians and listeners around the world. A couple of other things to consider is this: after seven amazing CDs, the unstoppable Peter Evans has left the band to pursue other projects and word is that Mostly Other People Do the Killing will continue but they will not be playing 'Blue' live. Me? I like this disc and I love the original as well. It is impossible to recreate a masterwork like 'Kind of Blue' exactly, but this band does a fine job and yes the music still lives, breathes and fits into today's rather jaded music world. Although the band seem to have done this more for themselves, it is still enjoyable to listen to, think about and discuss amongst to aficionados. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13 (release date October 7th)

* PETER EVANS QUINTET [SAM PLUTA/RON STABINSKY/TOM BLANCARTE/JIM BLACK] - Destination: Void (More is More 141; USA) Featuring Peter Evans on trumpet, Sam Pluta on electronics, Ron Stabinsky on piano & prepared piano, Tom Blancarte on bass and Jim Black on drums & percussion. Nope, I haven't heard it yet but I can't wait! Every disc by young trumpet master Peter Evans has been astonishing so..! Review next week. - BLG CD $12 (release date sometime soon)

* The above listed Peter Evans Quintet will be play at Jack on Brooklyn tonight, September 26th through Sunday, September 28th. EVAN PARKER will also be playing a duo with Mr. Evans as well as joining the quintet on the 26th while JOE McPHEE will play a duo with Mr. Evans as well as joining the quintet on the 27th. More info below.


IRENE SCHWEIZER/JURG WICKIHALDER - Spring (Intakt 234; Switzerland) Featuring Irene Schweizer on piano and Jurg Wickihalder on soprano & tenor saxes. Unintentionally, spontaneously, amusingly, most Monkish," writes American Jazzcritik Art Lange about the music of Jurg Wickihalder and Irene Schweizer. After years of cooperation and many duo-concerts Irene Schweizer and Jurg Wickihalder present the first duo-recording - with compositions of Wickihalder, Schweizer and two beautiful pieces of Thelonious Monk. Music with a strong jazz feeling. Firm rhythm and decisive statements. Bert Noglik writes in the liner notes: "Irene Schweizer raves about the tone Wickihalder achieves on the soprano sax; he calls her "his favorite drummer on the piano" - a fine compliment to a pianist who has demonstrated her affinity with percussionists in a series of duo recordings with drummers. The pieces Jurg Wickihalder has composed for the duo are perfect for Schweizer. He knows exactly what suits her when. The entire history of jazz plays a role: Lacy, Rollins and Coltrane, Monk, Dollar Brand, Horace Silver and Mal Waldron, even a few particles of Harlem Stride Piano - but all of it filtered, not as direct quotations; they have made it their own: Reflections. Irene Schweizer, who also plays piano in Jurg Wickihalder's European Quartet, is a very sympathetic partner for the saxophonist. Right from the start he had to earn his keep and prove himself; it was not about scoring points. The two have rehearsed together a lot. The fact that we don't always notice this is proof of their mastery. What we do notice is their immense trust in each other. While they hone their craft on Monk, it's always in the knowledge that the crucial spark does not light up in the notes but between them."
CD $18


THOMAS HEBERER/PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER - Miner's Pick (FMR 383; UK) Featuring Thomas Heberer on cornet and Pascal Niggenkemper on double bass. Since moving here in recent years, I have had the opportunity to see & hear ICP trumpeter, Thomas Heberer play with numerous musicians in a variety of settings: solo, duos, trios & quartets. Whether playing songs, free improv or dealing with text/scores, each set has been fascinating in one way or another. For this duo disc, Mr. Heberer, who also plays trumpet and quartertone trumpet concentrates on cornet, an instrument which has become more popular over the past few years thanks to Kirk Knuffke, Taylor Ho Bynum and Rob Mazurek. Since moving to New York, bassist Pascal Niggenkemper has also kept very busy with many players: Joachim Baderhorst, Yoni Kretzmer & Black Host as well as leading his own band with a swell CD on Clean Feed. Both of these men love to experiment, playing odd extended sounds but not overdoing it. I've watched Mr. Niggenkemper use his bow while inserting objects in between the string. The first piece features eerie bowed bass sounds with Heberer playing hypnotic long tones or selective drones. There is closeness in range and warmth to the tones that both musicians play here. What is most interesting is the combination of strange sounds that both musicians use with Pascal tapping on an object attached to the bass strings and Thomas using mutes and gurgling sounds in a variety of ways. Mr. Heberer, who is a longtime member of the ICP Orchestra as well as working with Aki Takase, dips into the history of jazz cornet, especially when using mutes: those old wah-wah sound or even playing with a ballad-like calmness. I dig that much of this music is often low key yet still adventurous in subtle ways. Thomas Heberer and Pascal Niggenkemper will be playing here at DMG at the end of November (2014). In the meantime, check out this fine disc and hear what they have to offer. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14 (sale price, will go up when we get more directly from FMR)


DAY & TAXI [CHRISTOPH GALLIO/SILVAN JEGER/DAVID MEIER] - Artists [2 CD Set] (Percaso 31/32; Switzerland) Featuring Christoph Gallio on soprano, alto, C-melody & bari saxes, Silvan Jeger on double bass and Davis Meier on drums. There are some half dozen discs from the Swiss-based trio Day & Taxi, each one fronted by saxist Christoph Gallio. Although the rest of the personnel has changed somewhat over time, this double disc features a new rhythm team, both of whom I was not previously familiar. More than half of the thirty pieces are dedicated to people only tow of whom I know: Jimmy Giuffre and Michael Wertmuller (rock-oriented power drummer who has worked with Peter Brotzmann). Mr. Gallio wrote all of the material on both discs. With 15 pieces per disc, some are short (most 1 to 5 minutes). Starting on soprano sax, Mr. Gallio has a rich, playful, sort of Steve Lacy-like tone. The trio plays well together as Gallio writes those quirky, turn-on-a-pin type of songs. Each piece involves a different structure and/or challenge. Over time, Mr. Gallio, has grown as a composer and saxist. We never know which direction a piece will take or where Gallio will draw his diverse array of influences from. Each songs sounds like a story or scene from a play or novel, creating a mood and/or place. When we least expect it, the trio will erupt into almost super-quick post-punk-like slamming but it will last for under a minute before switching direction once again. No matter who Christoph Gallio chooses to become members of Day & Taxi, this trio remains one of Europe's best kept secrets. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18


JASON ADASIEWICZ'S SUN ROOMS [With INGEBRIGT HAKER-FLATEN/MIKE REED] - From the Region (Delmark DE 5017; USA) An imagined overheard conversation in heaven between Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi goes something like this: "If only all music could swing this hard, there would be no need for war."Okay, maybe it wasn't MLK and Gandhi, but it could have been Horace Silver and Joey Ramone. In a trio format, Vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz picks up his mallets where Sonny Rollins set down his saxophone after recording the classic trio date A Night At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 1957). Maybe a better comparison would be to the rock trios, Cream, Nirvana, or The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Adasiewicz's From The Region is a power trio recording masquerading as a jazz band. This, their third recording, follows a self-titled debut (2010) and Spacer (Delmark, 2011). The lineup has changed with Norwegian bassist (now Austin, TX resident) Ingebrigt Haker replacing Nate McBride with Mike Reed on drums, whose morphing ensemble People Places and Things, is a thoroughly modern band that doesn't lack for reverence for tradition.The impetus is explained by Adasiewicz in the liner notes, "We are all drummers in this band, and we all want to swing." From the outset the rat-a-tat flavors "Lezza." Adasiewicz's vibes clang more than ring, pound instead of chime, and reverberate instead of resonate. When he plays opposite Haker-Flaten, as he does on "Classic Route," his notes ricochet off a tenacious bass groove. The trio here pushes (and pulls) against each other constantly, like a power trio, except the dialect they speak is jazz. Even though Adasiewicz is comfortable in the free jazz modality and can be found in collaborations with Peter Brotzmann, here the emphasis is placed on swing. But not your father's (Milt Jackson-like) vibraphone-swing. Sun Rooms begins with Bobby Hutcherson's work on Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch (Blue Note, 1964) then upsizes the vibraphone as the force majeure. Credit must also go Mike Reed, a self contained power unit, who sparks his partners adherence to road-mapping a rhythmic pattern throughout. - Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz
CD $15


ANDREW RAFFO DEWAR [With KYLE BRUCKMANN/GINO ROBAIR/JOHN SHIURBA] - Interactions Quartet (Rastascan 068. USA) Featuring Andrew Raffo Dewar on soprano sax & compositions, Kyle Bruckmann on oboe, English horn & electronics, John Shiurba on electric guitar and Gino Robair on percussion and electronics. This disc consists of two long pieces, "Interactions #1-6", which is dedicated to Guillermo Gregorio and "Piece for Four Instruments", dedicated to Earle Brown. Thanks to professor and composer, Anthony Braxton, we now have a number of former students and collaborators who work hard at developing a vision which incorporates several ongoing strategies or concepts. Mr Dewar was a member of Braxton's great 12tet and now teaches at the University of Alabama. Mr. Dewar has organized a strong West Coast quartet for this date. all seasoned and serious improvisers/composers. "Interactions #1-6" deals with a variety of opposites, noise & melody, acoustic & electronic sounds, notated & free improv. The music is often sparse yet very focused. Mr. Robair, is known for playing activated surfaces, bowing or rubbing drums or other objects or using small motors of certain surfaces. There is an obvious great deal of attention to detail, each sound is carefully crafted. There is a an enchanting oboe, soprano, electronics and minimal percussion towards the end of the first piece which sounds just right. The vibe is slightly disorienting yet still sublime. This disc is nearly 73 minutes long and consistently engaging. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15


DAVID SHEA [With OREN AMBARCHI/SCANNER/LAWRENCE ENGLISH/et al] - Rituals (Room40 RM 461; Australia) USA-born, now Australian-based composer David Shea is perhaps best recognized for his connections to John Zorn and the NYC downtown scene. In 2014, he returns with a new edition of outer-wave electro-acoustic deconstructions. Semiotic acoustic renderings, like dreams you lose before waking. From David Shea: "These pieces have been recorded over the last five years; combining ensembles of acoustic and electronic instruments, samples, and field recordings made in Australia and composed during my time living in Melbourne. In this period I have immersed myself in traditional ritual music centered on Buddhist and Taoist traditions as well as the work of Luc Ferrari and Giacinto Scelsi. The Rituals here are influenced by ceremonial rituals as well as internal and personal ones and pieces, which have combined the oldest and newest technologies. The character of the ritual puts the experience of listening at the center of the works, immersion in the experience of the sound as the focus. As the field of Cymatics has shown us in recent times, sound vibrations have effects on physical matter in specific ways, related to the frequencies, harmonics, time, relationship with space and the listener, something traditional healers, and those working with sound and music, have been aware of for a very long time. The ears are only one part of this extended network of hearing and the body and its senses are in constant communication with internal and external realities and beliefs. Scelsci explored this deeply in his music exposing how much life exists in a single sound and how many layers are involved in any relationship with that sound. Ferrari's work has always shown me that the connection between a composer of music, a recorder of sound and the use of the studio or electronics as physical instruments, is a process of exploring both musical structure and the full immersion in the experience of vibration (sound, light, movement) constantly around us. The Ritual forms that I explore here are a relationship between these influences, both real and imagined, with a combination of traditional instruments, samplers and electronic instruments. This weaving of these materials into patterns of layered histories, traditions, styles, techniques and the inseparable internal experience of composing them led to the hybrid of forms which each piece explores." Features contributions from Oren Ambarchi, Joe Talia, Scanner, Lawrence English, and Girish Makwana.
CD $17

CHRIS HERBERT - Constants (Room40 457; Australia) UK-based artist Chris Herbert is a man of intermittent communications. Over the past decade he has published a select oeuvre of crushingly lush and elegant records. Fittingly then, Constants, his new edition for Room40 is a transmission from an overtly private realm. Working in a relative vacuum, beyond the reach of contemporary electronic music trends, Herbert has focused his interest in intuitive composition. Drawing on a mixed musical palette and interweaving sounds sourced from field recordings and scavenged from domestic environments, Constants both refines and expands Herbert's idiosyncratic approach. Augmented by short-wave, degraded cassettes, processed guitar and cymbals, Constants blends the momentary blooming of rich structures with greyscale microclimates. A signature laminar fog pervades, partially glimpsed events and occasional implications of rhythm drift in and out of view. Recorded in restless bursts between 2007 and 2013, Constants was collated in early 2014. It adds a new dimension to his methods of process, and suggests an interiority rich with incidental depth and introspection. "After certain life events," Chris explains, "the windows, already scant, within which to make music were diminished to tiny slivers. Rather than feeling frustrated by this I realized the most radical thing I could do was to accept the limitation and exploit it as an asset. There simply wasn't time to investigate new approaches or technology. The best way forward was to use techniques I felt fluent in and be prepared to capture anything of value, regardless how small or seemingly inconsequential." Constants is a record of exploding depths. As you listen, as you are submerged, the record opens out again and again creating the effect of a fathomless realm.
CD $17


KONSTRUKT & JOE MCPHEE - Babylon [LP Only] (Roaratorio 034; USA) "Turkish free-improv group KonstruKt was formed in 2008 by guitarist Umut Caglar, and since their inception, they've gained notice through their collaborations with such old-guard stalwarts as Evan Parker, Marshall Allen and Peter Brotzmann. The latter introduced them to the legendary Joe McPhee at the Krakow Jazz Autumn festival, and after striking up a friendship, they invited him to join them in Istanbul for a concert in March of 2014. Babylon was recorded the day after he arrived, with no prior rehearsal or discussion, although the seamless meshing could fool anyone into thinking that they were a longtime working group. Caglar came from an electronic music background before delving into free jazz, and it's reflected in the incorporation of moogs & a theremin into the ensemble's arsenal. The music itself swings from space-raga improv to soaring, full-throated anthemic melodies; some sort of Joe Meek jazz world where bird squeal falsettos pierce through a current of drums, only to struggle for breath, come up laughing, and take off far above. McPhee says, 'These guys are the real deal,' and he should know. Download coupon included."
LP $17


ARKANAS AT 78 RPM - Corn Dodgers & Hoss Hair Pullers (Dust to Digital 036; USA) For the traveling recording men of the late 1920s, Arkansas offered enticing pickings. The region was thronged with vigorous, idiosyncratic string bands. This album carries the listener from the hillbilly music craze of the '20s to the song-based country music of the late '30s. Scarcely more than a decade, but a period, in music as in all American life, of galvanic change. This CD serves as the soundtrack album to the newly-released photograph book, Making Pictures: Three for a Dime by Maxine Payne. All of the photos in this package are from the same cache of photographs taken by the Massengil family in their mobile photo-booth trailer throughout rural Arkansas in the 1930s-1940s. "It is indeed gratifying to know our program has made so many minds and hearts drift back to the earlier days when all was well, when the 'hoss hair pullers' of old were in due form and all parties concerned were in a receptive mood for tipping of the fantastic toe... My aggregation from this district claim that their music and songs are not suggestive of anything except good and wholesome exercise ... So everybody come to the Arkansas Ozarks, where you can eat the best fruit in the world; where home-cured meat is found in the smokehouse and corn and hay in the barn; where you can juice your own cow, feed your own chickens, fish in the wonderful White River, meet these men of the Missouri Pacific and natives, and you will then say, 'Yes, indeed, you have the most wonderful country in the world.'" --Henry Harlin Smith, March 1926 on Hot Springs radio station KTHS
CD $14


ALICE GERRARD - Follow the Music (Tompkins Square TSQ 5050; USA) "Alice Gerrard has one of those voices that harkens back to the likes of Sara and Maybelle. She is the real deal with the right stuff and hasn't forgotten where country music came from." -- Emmylou Harris (June, 2014) "The trailblazing folksinger famously collaborated with Hazel Dickens. Their classic recordings for Folkways and Rounder in the '60's and 70's 'rank among the most influential recordings in folk music history,' (All Music Guide), and laid the groundwork for many artists, especially female bluegrass and folk musicians. Follow The Music features traditional tunes and original songs by Alice, produced by Hiss Golden Messenger's M.C. Taylor, and features members of Hiss Golden Messenger and Megafaun."
CD $14

HISHAM MAYET (DIRECTOR) - Vodoun Gods on the Slave Coast [DVD] (Sublime Frequencies 89; USA) Vodoun Gods on the Slave Coast explores the ceremonial splendor of sacred dance and ritual in Benin, the birthplace and cradle of Vodoun. Formerly known as Dahomey, Benin was also called the Slave Coast due to its importance in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Today, the worship and supplication of Vodoun gods remains integral to everyday life in Benin. Shot in January 2011 during the country's rich annual Vodoun celebrations, this film offers an impressionistic glimpse of the major ceremonies and delirious musical performances associated with this ancient religion. Guided by the otherworldly rhythms and colors of Vodoun pageantry, Hisham Mayet presents an intimate view of metaphysical dramas enacted in magisterial costumes: The cult of Sakpata, fearsome god of pestilence, disfigurement and healing. The Egoun-goun, ancestral visitors from the realm of the dead, who bring blessings and warnings for the living. And the Zangbeto nightwatchmen, ambulatory haystacks who serve as Vodoun's secret police. Traveling in a malarial fever dream from the clutter and bustle of village markets to the palace of Ahosu Agoli-Agbo Dedjalagni, the King of Abomey, Mayet provides an unforgettable portrait of secular and sacred life in Benin. Digipack with 12-page booklet of photographs from various Vodoun ceremonies throughout Benin; 48 minutes/color; all-region DVD, NTSC format. Limited one-time edition of 1,000 copies.
DVD $18


PHILIP CORNER - Satie Slowly [2 CD Set] (Unseen Worlds 12; USA) One could argue that French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925) perfected the art form of trolling everybody, and his oeuvre can be seen as a single middle finger to established tradition. The irony, though, is that his work is now considered to be quite beautiful and can often be found with the tag easy listening. So it seems about time that someone comes in to alter the way we hear Satie. Philip Corner, one of the pianists to play the first public performance of Satie's Vexations in 1963, does just that with his new 2-CD collection of Satie piano pieces, Satie Slowly, which, as the title suggests, consists of Satie pieces slowed down past the threshold of contemporary comfort. Corner elaborates on his methodology in a 44-page booklet of commentary and an additional 16-page booklet of graphic analyses. - Isaiah David, AdHoc.FM
2 CD Set $14


CLAUDE DEBUSSY - Preludes [2 CD Set] (Neos 21303; Germany) Gilead Mishory presents a fabulous interpretation of this famous work from Claude Debussy. Does a pianist play differently when he is also a composer? Gilead Mishory says yes: since he has been composing, the way he views piano-playing has changed. Composing, above all, is an art of translating what the composer hears internally, translating it into notes so that the result corresponds to what he has imagined. Interpretation - meaning "translation" in the broadest sense -- is the reverse procedure for Mishory: finding the sonic conception in the other person's writing. Each individual Prelude signifies an entire world to Mishory. He regards each one as if it were in a kaleidoscope, scattering its sonic, rhythmic and emotional layers until he even sees "La cathedrale engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral)" standing upside-down before him. He loves Debussy's sharp contrariness and his almost grotesque depiction of the male protagonists, and, at the same time, his warm, soft, discrete musical language in the landscape depictions and the fairy-like women's portraits. Mishory gives the imaginary protagonists in Debussy's cycle a voice: he allows them to speak, to tell their stories. In this way, they themselves become Gilead Mishory's "pianist's voice."
2 CD Set $24

Four Newer CDs from Erstwhile now at Slightly More Expensive Prices:

JURG FREY/RADU MALFATTI - II (Erstwhile 72; USA) "2 CDs, each containing one piece lasting just over an hour, each performed by the duo and recorded (remarkably as always) by Christoph Amann in Vienna, CD 1 is 'shoguu' by Radu, CD 2 is 'instruments, field recordings, counterpoints' by Jurg, design and photography by Yuko Zama, much of it around Amann Studios. 'shoguu' features Jurg on clarinet and Radu on trombone, 'instruments, field recordings, counterpoints' features Jurg on field recordings/electronics and Radu on trombone."
2 CD Set $22

KEVIN DRUMM/JASON LESCALLEET - The Abyss[2 CD Set] (Erstwhile 73; USA) "2 CDs, just over two hours of material, including the 33:33 title track and the 49:49 'The Echo of Your Past' (the latter takes up all of CD 2). 'After 13 months of creative effort between us, Kevin and I were finally able to call this project complete. 120 minutes of music spread over two discs, The Abyss sometimes feels you've been listening to it for an entire day. It's like staring at the whirlpool of the drain of your bathroom sink, a meditation on circling the drain that we know as The Abyss.' - Jason Lescalleet"
2 CD Set $22

HONG CHULKI/RYU HANKIL - Objets Infernaux (Erstwhile 69; USA) Again Erstwhile has decided to include no information on the outside of this disc and minimal info on the inside which just tells you that this was recorded in South Korea. If you haven't heard of Hong Chulki or Ryu Hankil, you are not alone as I haven't heard of them previously either. Hong Chulki is from South Korea and plays turntables without a cartridge, mixing board, laptop and assorted electronics. He is part of a noise duo called Astronoise with Choi Joonyong and has worked with Paal Nilssen-Love, Tetuzi Akiyama and Okkyung Lee. Ryu Hankil is also from South Korea and plays keyboards. Ryu has worked with Mattin, Otomo Yoshihide and Taku Unami. 'Objets Infernaux' is an impressive, intense and extremely focused noise project. The opening piece has layers of refined dentist drill-like sounds, eerie feedback and assorted drones. The buzzing or humming sounds are carefully manipulated, expanded and twisted into odd shapes. At times, these sounds are a bit disturbing or at least disorienting. If robots could create music, it might just sound like this: a blend of test patterns, subtle static, harsh electronics, warped sounds too difficult to describe easily. If there are ghosts in the machine, they sound as if they are trying to break loose, escape and communicate to us in their own unique language. Label founder, Jon Abbey, has obviously worked long and hard at presenting a certain, unified aesthetic. Both of these two new Erstwhile discs (# 69 & 71) are most successful at presenting this ideal. Nothing worth preserving comes without a struggle. Challenge yourself. - Bruce Lee gallanter, DMG
CD $14

TOSHIYA TSUNODA/MANFRED WERDER - Detail (Erstwhile 71; USA) The Erstwhile label likes to make things difficult for those who want an easy way to figure out what is inside each of their releases. Consider this disc: there is very little info on the outside and inside of this disc, just the names of the two participants and that they are recordings "layers" of something. We know Mr. Tsunoda as a sonic specialist who who works with unprocessed environmental sounds. I know much less about Manfred Werder who is a Swiss pianist and minimalist composer associated with the Wandelweiser collective and who plays on a James Tenney disc on Hat Art. If we spend some time listening to closely this this disc, there are rewards within. The first long section sounds like a rain storm which unfolds organically. I can hear the rain, the birds and other environmental sounds clearly. Eventually some thunder enters, but it is in the distance and almost soothing, certainly natural sounding. When a plane flies by some where overhead, I am not so sure if it is on the CD or not, since it fits so well. When the rain stops, all I hear are the birds and wind softly blowing. I can still hear the thunder further away. It seems strange to be listening intensely to the rain on such a lovely, sunny Spring day but... This disc is nearly 65 minutes long so take some time to let it sink in and observe the various layers as they unfold. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


Archival Recordings, Reissues, Restocks & Historic Discs of Note:

HAL RUSSELL NRG ENSEMBLE + CHARLES TYLER - Generation (Nessa 25; USA) Featuring Hal Russell on tenor sax, cornet, vibes & drums, Chuck Burdelik on alto & tenor sax & clarinet, Brian Sandstrom on bass, electric guitar & trumpet, Curt Bley on basses and Steve Hunt on drums & vibes plus guest Charles Tyler on bari & alto saxes & clarinet. I had to good fortune to catch Hal Russell's NRG Ensemble at Victoriaville before his passing in 1992. Their set was amazing, completely unique and unexpected delight. Although it is pretty rare, when we first listned to this disc at DMG, we all smiled wondering how this music was created. There are three serious listeners including two musicians and we were flabberghasted. The first thing we hear on this disc is a synth-like sequencer line repeating but there is no synth listed. Hmmm?!?! Live and on this disc what stood out was that each member of the ensemble switched off on a different instrument on very song. "Sinus Up" features several repeating lines going on simultaneously: saxes, vibes, bass and who knows what else. The spirit and ultimate quirkiness of composer/bandleader Frank Zappa seems to be at the center of this music but perhaps that is my own way of seeing or hearing things since was my hero for so many years. Like Zappa, this music keeps changing styles, it has that outside/inside thing going on, yet everything fits somehow. The late under-recorded free/jazz sax legend, Charles Tyler, gets several chances to stretch out and take some over-the-top solos yet he is just a part of the overall crazy world that Mr. Russell has designed. There is way too much great, challenging music to mention here so I will leave it up to you to check this dynamite disc out for yourselves. This reissue is more than 70 minutes long and includes two bonus tracks which clock in at 18+ minutes. This is a must of all of you freaks of free jazz/progressive/humor-laced righteousness. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16


MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA - Whiskey A-Go-Go, 27 March 1972 (Klondike 5006; UK) Aside from a mammoth repertoire of work alongside British rock luminaries such as Duffy Power, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Graham Bond and Pete Brown, John McLaughlin's own career marked a pinnacle in progressive, jazz-rock fusion. The Mahavishnu Orchestra's seminal appearance at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go on March 27th 1972 has become a highpoint of their achievements. In an attempt to honor this landmark performance, various bootlegs of varying quality have appeared over the years. Klondike's retrospective issue of this legendary concert salutes the stature of the Mahavishnu Orchestra's work with the original, complete and fully-remastered FM broadcast. Includes background liner notes.
CD $17


TOM WAITS - Nighthawks on the Radio: KNEW-FM Broadcast, 8 December 1976 (Klondike 5005; UK) California's own celebrated blues troubadour rolled into Mediasound Studios on a cold December night for a radio interview with host Vin Scelsa, accompanied only by Elektra records' rep Ralph Ebler. What transpired was an intimate session boasting material from Tom Waits' already burgeoning repertoire. Waits' noteworthy recordings made at Mediasound on December 14th, 1976 were aired on the 18th by KNEW-FM on Scelsa's show, "Idiot's Delight." Waits' trademark "growl" was very much in evidence in the charged and more cynical atmosphere of his album Small Change, released just prior to this session. Klondike marks this landmark point in Waits' career with the KHEW-FM broadcast presented here in its entirety. Includes background liner notes. Digitally remastered for enhanced sound quality.
CD $17


JOSHUA ABRAMS - Natural Information (Eremite 61; USA) "Eremite presents the first digital edition of Joshua Abrams' invaluable & out-of-print LP Natural Information (2010). Abrams' first record for Eremite is another fascinating entry in Abrams' discography of recordings that gather aesthetic input from all over the map into vivid personal statements. At the heart of natural information is the guimbri, a three-stringed animal hide bass traditionally used by the gnawa of North Africa in healing ceremonies. Combining solo, trio & quartet formats with adroit use of sampling techniques, Abrams creates intricate psychedelic environments that join the hypnotic character of gnawa guimbri music to more contemporary musics & methodologies. Praised by Downbeat, the New York Times & Wax Poetics, Natural Information appeared on WFMU, Dusted, Aquarius & numerous other best-of 2010 lists & was selected as one of the 50 notable records of 2010 by the Wire. CD edition packaged in a high gloss Stoughton miniaturized gatefold sleeve with 20 minutes of previously unreleased additional material."
CD $15

JOSHUA ABRAMS - Represencing (Eremite 62; USA) "Eremite presents the first digital edition of Joshua Abrams' invaluable & out-of-print LP Represencing (2012). Represencing is the second installment of the Joshua Abrams sound world first introduced on Natural Information. Abrams again organizes small group statements around the resonant grooves of the North African ceremonial instrument the guimbri with a unique & broadly assimilative compositional voice. Sources from traditional musics to minimalism, jazz to Krautrock, animate Represencing, but Abrams is always grounded in the solidity of true working musicianship & he proves himself an artist fluent not just in styles but traditions. Listed by Village Voice, Pitchfork, Matablog, Foxy Digitalis among others as one of the best records of 2012. CD edition packaged in a matte Stoughton miniaturized 'laserdisc' sleeve with 25 minutes of previously unreleased additional material."
CD $15


Two from HAROLD BUDD: 1 Recent & Never Listed and 1 Classic Reissue:

HAROLD BUDD - Avalon Sutra [2 CD Set] (Darla 285; USA) Avalon Sutra is to be California-born American minimalist composer and pianist Harold Budd's best recorded work. Best known for his collaborations with Brian Eno, contributing his stunning piano work to key recordings such as 1980's Ambient 2: Plateau of Mirror, Budd has produced a series of remarkable minimalist compositions and recordings, including Pavilion of Dreams, The Pearl and The Room, which have earned him worldwide respect. There's a cumulative sadness and beauty to the way that the Avalon Sutra pieces linger briefly, stop and transform into something new. Budd's gorgeous, angular string arrangements amplify this feeling. Avalon Sutra brings to a conclusion thirty years of sustained musical activity. Asked for his reasons, Budd says only that he feels that he has said what he has to say.
2 CD Set $18

HAROLD BUDD - Jane 1 - 11 (Darla 281; USA) "I've been listening to Harold Budd since I first heard Brian Eno and Harold Budd's collaboration "The Pearl 20 years ago through a friend of mine. With Jane 1-11 I own 12 of his works. I've heard them all. In the last few years he's released allot of collb work with not only Robin Guthrie but 3 with Clive Right. All guitar and keys works. Then came " Bandits of Stature" and "The Mist". Bandits of Stature being very Minimal and sound like remnants from "Avalon Sutra",..and The Mist another all piano work..which let's be honest..we've all heard if your a Budd fan. True..I bought Candylion and Song for lost Blossoms (two of the 3 Clive Right guitar collabs).. I got rid of them..and true I bought Bandits of Stature and kept that one. But overall I've been keeping track and wanting more. Well..Jane 1-11 did it. In my own opinion probably the best Harold Budd album since Avalon Sutra. I won't try and make a comparison against any other albums. But this album is without doubt his most diverse work in a long time. Lot's of synth like the early days, but still utilizing a great many other instruments to create a more complete and amazing work. It's just a great record. I'm glad after many years of what I would call making good music depending on your opinion, but making allot of the same sounding and styled good music..he finally goes back and mixes it up a bit more while still just being the Budd. If your a Harold Budd fan you gotta get this one. Worth the wait." - Budd Truly
CD $13


HEADS HANDS & FEET [With ALBERT LEE] - Heads Hands & Feet (Prog Temple PT 8029; UK) It took British band Heads, Hands & Feet just one gig to land what was at the time the biggest record advance ever offered by the U.S. record industry to a UK band -- a massive half-million dollars up front! But this was not just one potentially hip new band, but a collection of seasoned pros who knew their way around a studio. Consisting of guitar virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist Albert Lee, bass-man Chas Hodges, drummer Pete Gavin, guitarist Ray Smith, vocalist Tony Colton and keyboard player Mike O'Neill, their debut album, released as a single LP in the UK but a double in the U.S., is presented here in its entirety, and what a good album it is, too. Although the band lasted for two more albums, the group proved to be more a staging post for its members who all went on to various degrees of success, except for Pete Gavin who took a job in the construction industry in Salem, Ohio. But as Tony Colton opined "Looking back, we were one hell of a band and on a good night we could blow anybody off stage."
CD $17

BYZANTIUM - Byzantium (Prog Temple PT 8022; UK) Debut 1972 album, originally released on A&M, by UK psych/progressive/folk-rock/pop band Byzantium. Stylistically they approach everything from The Beatles to CSN&Y and Steely Dan to Pink Floyd, equal parts UK, U.S. West Coast pop, folk and rock, with some jazzy interplay, creating a relaxed, hippie-ish vibe. Most band members went on to far bigger things, notably Chas Jankel, soon to back Ian Dury as a pivotal member of The Blockheads.
CD $17

HOKUS POKE - Earth Harmony (Prog Temple 8028; UK) Hokus Poke's brief appearance in the early '70s grapples with the tired progressive trappings, injecting innovative playing and an overall energy. The band emerged from the late '60s with most members having already trodden the path of London's psychedelic scene and were taken under the auspicious wing of another celebrated 1960s figure in Kenny Lynch (Small Faces, etc). Earth Harmony was recorded when rock was still defining itself as the major musical force we are now readily familiar with. It speaks of pragmatic values amidst the clumsy, chaotic aftermath of psychedelia, infusing a taste of The Open Mind, Northwind and Wishbone Ash. Signed to Philips' progressive Vertigo label, the band emerged amidst a thriving music scene and saw their work slugging it out with the likes of Jade Warrior, Warhorse, Legend and Paul Jones. Recorded at George Martin's Air Studios in September 1971 and scheduled for an early release in 1972, Hokus Poke had ultimately produced an album worthy of their efforts and one which has since become highly-regarded amongst collectors and critics alike, while also remaining one of Vertigo's more overlooked releases.
CD $17


GLAXO BABIES - Put Me on the Guest List (Superior Viaduct 31; USA) "Glaxo Babies are the greatest UK post-punk band you've never heard. Formed in Bristol in late 1977 and named after the British pharmaceutical giant who allegedly inoculated thousands with a toxic vaccine, the original lineup included Rob Chapman (vocals), Dan Catsis (guitar), Tom Nichols (bass) and Geoff Alsopp (drums). The band's pioneering mix of metallic guitar, dubbed-out rhythms and shamanistic chants found its way into the bloodlines of generations on both sides of the pond. Naturally, Glaxo members later joined The Pop Group and Maximum Joy. Originally released on Heartbeat Records in 1980, Put Me on the Guest List collects the band's propulsive demos, mostly performed live in the studio with no overdubs and not originally intended for release. 'This Is Your Life' is a veritable classic, with Chapman's angst-ridden lyrics soaring low as the band rides tense, sinuous grooves. The skittish 'Police State' stands toe-to-toe with the art-punk flag-bearers in the North (Gang of Four, Mekons) and in London (Wire, The Homosexuals). 'Stay Awake' is a vitriolic screed as powerful as anything from the newly formed Public Image Limited. By the time England's post-punk scene was in full bloom, dominating the pop charts in the UK and college radio in the US, Glaxo Babies had unfortunately dissolved. Released domestically for the first time ever courtesy of Superior Viaduct, Put Me on the Guest List is available on vinyl and CD with liner notes by Chapman. The CD version contains three bonus songs including the rare 'Christine Keeler' single."
CD $16

GLAXO BABIES - Nine Months to the Disco (Superior Viaduct SV 032; USA) "After the abrupt departure of singer Rob Chapman, Bristol's Glaxo Babies moved into more improvised and electronic-based territory. Their early demos only hinted at such exotic sounds. Other bands from Manchester and New York were spiking post-punk with dance beats, yet Glaxo Babies were brimming with fun and spontaneity, spearheading England's death disco movement in the process. Reportedly recorded in a single day, Nine Months to the Disco originally appeared on Heartbeat Records in 1980. Glaxo Babies' sole proper album veers between wiry electro a la Liquid Liquid ('Free Dem Cells'), piano-based free jazz burners ('Seven Days') and progressive post-Krautrock jams that would make even This Heat blush, culminating in the mutant funk masterpiece 'Shake (The Foundations)' (which was regularly covered by The Pop Group in their live set). Nine Months to the Disco is a monster statement, equal parts ballroom bangers and dancefloor clearers. Released domestically for the first time ever, with liner notes by The Pop Group founder Mark Stewart and band members Dan Catsis and Charlie Llewellin."
CD $16

MICHAEL BAIRD - Gongs & Bells (SWP Records 18; Netherlands) A solo project by drummer/composer Michael Baird. Gongs and bells vibrate, tremble, quake, quiver, flutter, flicker, murmur, hum, throb, ding, dong, peal, ping, trill, tinkle, oscillate, ring and shake. Each one a microcosm, wonderfully recorded, capturing every overtone. The album enters the borderland between ethnic music, improvisation and soundscape without the pretension of being experimental, and where you seem to get liberated from all kinds of musical conventions. Includes an 8-page booklet.
CD $15

AFRICA - Music from ''Lil Brown'' (Kismet 4056; UK) Produced by the great Lou Adler (Mamas & the Papas, Spirit, Carole King) and featuring veteran vocalists Chester Pipkin (also their superb guitarist), Gary Pipkin, Brice Coefield, Ed Wallace and Freddie Wills, this soulful, funky, psych-tinged stew spans originals and covers of contemporary standards, including a mind-blowing, conga-driven "Paint It Black," and makes its long overdue CD debut here. Includes detailed liner notes. Digitally remastered for superior sound quality.
CD $17

TAMALPAIS EXCHANGE - Tamalpais Exchange (Kismet 4055; UK) Formed in 1968, this talented three-boy, three-girl sextet named itself after a mountain north of San Francisco and an off-Broadway stage show they'd put together. Their sole album spans hard-edged pop-rock, folk-rock, and delicate hippie ballads, setting their superb vocal harmonies to highly imaginative arrangements. It makes its CD debut here, together with background notes. Digitally remastered for superior sound quality.
CD $17


DAKILA - Dakila (Aurora 5047; UK) This Filipino-American septet released their sole album of psychedelic funk in late 1972. An irresistible blend of heavy organ, guitar and drums, with prominent congas and other percussion instruments, it comes across like a heavier Santana, and makes its long-overdue CD debut here. Features detailed liner notes and images. Digitally remastered for superior sound quality.
CD $17


JOE HARRIOTT QUINTET [With SHAKE KEANE/PAT SMYTHE/COLERIDGE GOODE/PHIL SEAMEN] - Free Form [LP+CD] (Doxy DOK 230; Italy) 180 gram vinyl LP comes with the full album on CD. The West Indian-born alto saxophonist Joe Harriott was one of the most convincing boppers outside of the USA at a time when the music was still fresh, though by the end of the 1950s he was exploring freer musical pastures, and the quintet with which he undertook the exploration was an outgrowth of the hard bop band with which he'd made a name on the British scene. As the 1960s progressed, Harriott also proved himself to be something of a pioneer in the fusion field, in the way he fused jazz and classical Indian music. Often in the past the group's music, in which trumpet and flugelhorn player Shake Keane figured alongside Harriott in the front line, has been compared with that of the early Ornette Coleman quartets, but here it's far more interactive, a fact borne out most obviously by the lack of soloists. This makes for a far more organic music than anything Coleman's group was putting out at the time. Here on Free Form (1961) is where the rhythm of that indigenously West Indian form is extraordinarily maintained in the midst of characteristic group exchanges.
LP+CD $26

CECIL TAYLOR - Live at the Cafe Montmartre [2 LP Set] (Doxy ACV 4004; Italy) "Two factors contribute to make the present record very different from previous Cecil Taylor records... it was recorded 'live' and it was recorded by a group without a bass player (...) What has been preserved on this record, is part of a night's programme at the Montmartre, and it shows Taylor playing with an intensity and abandon (especially on the one very long track) which have rarely been captured on his previous records. Listening to parts of 'Trance' and 'D. Trad, That's What,' you may find more than a bit of the biting furioso which has been foreign to jazz piano playing since the great years of Bud Powell (...)" --from the original liner notes; One of the most original pianists in the history of free jazz, Mr. Cecil Taylor developed his innovative improvisation departing from conventional idioms through distinctive musical constructions and percussive renditions, thereby opening new possibilities in jazz. His unsurpassed virtuosity and strong will inject an intense, vital force into his music, which has exerted a profound influence on a broad range of musical genres. Music composed by Cecil Taylor. Recorded in Copenhagen, November 23, 1962. Features three bonus tracks omitted from the original version. A numbered limited edition of 500 copies pressed on Audiophile Clear Vinyl (ACV). 2 LP Set $28

ERIC DOLPHY - Berlin Concerts [2 LP Set] (Doxy ACV 4005; Italy) This 2LP set features the great American jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy mostly stretching out on standards, coming up with very original statements on such songs as "Hot House," "When Lights Are Low," "Hi Fly," "I'll Remember April" and "God Bless the Child" (the latter taken as an unaccompanied bass clarinet solo), in addition to two brief originals. With trumpeter Benny Bailey helping out on half of the selections along with a strong rhythm section, the two-fer would be a perfect introduction for listeners not familiar with Eric Dolphy's innovative style, but this set is very difficult to find. A numbered limited edition of 500 copies pressed on Audiophile Clear Vinyl (ACV).
2 LP Set $28

CHARLES MINGUS QUINTET [With MAL WALDRON/GEORGE BARROW/EDDIE BERT/WILLIE JONES] - Chazz! (Doxy ACV 2012; Italy) Originally released in 1962. "Performed before a live audience at New York's Club Bohemia on December 23, 1955, this album contains some of Mingus' more adventuresome and jubilant works. Some of the tracks are arresting enough to require special comment. Generally, one is struck by the evocative, turbulent piano of Mal Waldron, particularly in 'Work Song' and 'Jump Monk.' As a bassist, Mingus remains unbelievable. No one can approach him as a technician or as an imaginative explorer. His double stops, glissandi at impossibly fast tempos and his blowing are legendary among bass men who, as a cellist once remarked of Piatigorsky, would expect to see him tuck the bass under his chin and bow it like a fiddle." --from the original liner notes; Features: Charles Mingus (bass), Mal Waldron (piano), George Barrow (tenor saxophone), Eddie Bert (trombone), and Willie Jones (drums).
LP $26


SUN RA & HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA - Visits Planet Earth (Saturn 9956-11H; USA) 180 gram vinyl version. "Recorded between late 1956 and 1958, the album was originally released on Ra's own Saturn label in 1966. In keeping with many Saturn releases, one side features cuts from the Arkestra c.1958, whilst the other side comes from the 1956 sessions originally intended for Sound of Joy but still unreleased in 1966."
LP $14


FRANCIS BEBEY - Psychedelic Sanza 1982-1984 [2 LP Set} (Born Bad 064; France) Double LP version with printed inner sleeve. Born Bad Records presents the music of Cameroonian musician Francis Bebey, circa 1982-1984. "The first time I saw a sanza (a type of African 'thumb piano'), it was just sitting there on a piece of furniture in my family's living room/dining room -- a space that our father also transformed into a recording studio every day. It seemed more like a box than a musical instrument: a mysterious instrument, which arrived at our house, like many things, in a somewhat miraculous way. The sounds it produced seemed particularly bizarre; to my young musician's ears, trained in Western classical music, it sounded out of tune. That's because, like my brothers and sisters, I had been trained on the piano. I had trouble understanding how anyone could endure these tones and, honestly, our father's passion for 'unusual sounds' did not interest me. I was in secondary school at the time (the very late 1970s) and was not at all oriented toward musical projects. I planned to graduate, and then become a chef. In the early 1980s, my interest in music picked up. I was still undecided about my career. I was content to pursue my 'serious' English studies while hanging out at jazz clubs at les Halles in Paris, where I sometimes joined jam sessions. Next, I put together my first band with professional musicians; I had hidden my age and lack of experience from them. France was just beginning to accept 'world music.' Musicians of every nationality were performing in Paris. It was a wonderful period. My father asked my brother Toups and me to accompany him for a few concerts. In particular, we toured Tunisia together at the time of the 1983 Carthage International Festival. Back then, my father was renowned across the French-speaking world. Everyone looked forward to hearing his humorous songs, like 'Agatha' and 'La condition masculine.' But, behind the scenes, he continued his research concerning electronic music, the sansa, pygmy polyphony, etc. One day he put a sansa in my hands, without saying a word. He was sending me a message: 'Let's see what you can do with it!' That's when I really discovered something. Exploring the instrument and playing, I transcended the 'imperfect' aspect of its sound and began to discover its fascinating potential. Playing the sansa, you enter a world that enraptures you in a very serene and mesmerizing way. I think its sounds evoke a rainbow, with rain falling while the sun shines. A very peaceful feeling. It allows you to make music that truly sounds like life. The sansa is also the instrument that my father and I shared the most because I am a pianist and he was a guitarist. I also share this eminently African instrument with my musician brother, Toups. Our father loved to tell us one of the legends of the sansa: how it even managed to dispel the boredom felt by... the Creator himself! This instrument gives life to the world, to beings and things. I did not participate in the production of the various records that my father devoted to the sansa. He did it himself, you might say, in his 'laboratory.' Yet today, I cannot imagine playing a concert without using a sansa. The piano remains present so that listeners don't become disoriented and wonder about the weird sounds invading their ears! However, I find the eccentric and disturbing side of sansa interesting. And the sansa always affects the audience: in reality, it excites them. The secrets of this instrument are surely its beneficial powers and... its magic!" --Patrick Bebey
2 LP Set $28




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