DMG Newsletter for August 7th, 2015

Have you heard the News..?
Do you have the Blues?
Are you gonna wake up?
Or are you gonna snooze?

Here's the list you don't wanna miss:

Amir ElSaffar Two Rivers: Ole Mathisen/Carlo DeRosa/Nasheet Waits! Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit! Fred Lonberg-Holm & Ken Vandermark! The Ex with Mats Gustafsson/John Butcher/Tony Buck/Ab Baars..! Omri Ziegele Billiger Bauer!

Josh Sinton/Dominic Lash & Ingrid Laubrock/Nate WooleyKyoko Kitamura/Alex Ward! Eszter Balint & Marc Ribot/Chris Cochrane! Steve Olson/Michael Formanek/Dave Ballou..! Motorpsycho! Skydive Trio!

Plus Historic Discs from Herbie Hancock Mwandishi Sextet! Charles Mingus & Jazz Worshop! Miles Davis With Pete Cosey/Reggie Lucas/Sonny Fortune..! Noel Akchote! David Grubbs! Conrad Schnitzler! Joelle Leandre! Iggy Pop! Merle Haggard and more!

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The DMG FREE Weekly In-Store Concert Series Continues With:

This Sunday, August 9th - Tuba Double-Header:
6pm: CARL LUDWIG HUBSCH - Solo Tuba!
7pm: BEN STAPP - Solo Tuba!

Sunday, August 16th Early Double-Header:
5pm: LEAP OF FAITH: PEK- clarinets, saxes, double reeds/GLYNIS LOMON- cello, aquasonic/STEVE NORTON-clarinets, saxes/YURI ZBITNOV-drums!
6pm: THOMAS HEBERER - Solo Trumpet & 1st Meeting with the Leap of Faith Folks!

Sunday, August 23rd:
6pm: GUILLERMO GREGORIO & NICO LETMAN-BURTINOVIC!

Sunday, August 30th:
6pm: QEEI - Solo Drummer from Buenos Aires!
7pm: The GHOST: MICHAEL FOSYER/HENRY FRASER/CONNOR BAKER!

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PLEASE HELP DMG SURVIVE!

This is has been a very difficult year for us financially speaking. Our Used & Sale CD lists get little response no matter what we do. We are selling a bit more Used vinyl through Discogs and here in the store but not enough. What can you do to help us survive? Donate money if you can afford it, order something from us, get someone you know to subscribe to the DMG weekly newsletter or come visit us when you can. Currently some 6,000 folks get our newsletter but only a hundred or so actually order from us with any regularity. If nearly everyone who does get the newsletter just contributed $5 or $10 each, this would help to make it to the end of the year and maybe beyond. We do now accept paypal as well as major credit cards.

Recently, Chuck Bettis, general manager at DMG, simplified our ancient homepage and made it much easier to deal with. No more pics or excess texts/lists to wade through. We still have to rescue our old database and put it in a safer place. Folks still come to DMG and ask how long have we been here in Chinatown?!? It has been 5 & 1/2 years with 4 more years left on our lease. It seems doubtful that we will make to the end of the lease but I do remain hopeful and still believe in miracles. Chuck says that I should be more realistic and of course, he is right. I should be preparing for the next phase: the DMG Archives/Library/Research Center. We will soon have our first 5 downloads available on our Bandcamp page. 5 sets from the Fred Frith Moves to NY Section from 1980.

If you still care about DMG and enjoy reading our newsletter than please help us in any way that you can. Tell those you know who still care about our future as well. Thanks to everyone who made donations the last time we asked in the Spring. Shalom to all, Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG

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And Now the New Stuff Begins:

AMIR ELSAFFAR/TWO RIVERS ENSEMBLE With OLE MATHISEN/CARLO DeROSA/NASHEET WAITS/TAREQ ABBOUSHI/ZAFER TAWIL - Crisis (Pi Recordings 59; USA) Featuring Amir ElSaffar on trumpet, santur (Persian hammered dulcimer) & compositions, Ole Mathisen on tenor & soprano saxes, Tareq Abboushi on buzuq (similar to bouzouki or saz), Zafer Tawil on our, Carlo DeRosa on bass and Nasheet waits on drums. This is the sixth disc from Amir ElSaffar as a leader or co-leader and the third disc with his Two Rivers Ensemble. With this disc, entitled "Crisis", Iraqi-born, American-based trumpeter, Amir ElSaffar has reached a new plateau. After several listening over the past week or so, this one sounds like his best, most engaging and consistently inspired effort yet! The hand-picked personnel has remained the same for the Two Rivers Ensemble aside from Rudresh Mahanthappa now being replaced by Ole Mathisen. The sound of the santur (hammered dulcimer), buzuq (saz-like) and oud are essential to the mysterious, Middle-Eastern sound of this wonderful ensemble. They blend perfectly with the trumpet and saxes into a strong, spirited, unified ensemble. Mr. ElSaffar does a bit of singing here and there which adds nicely to that hypnotic, desert-like sound. While Mr. Mathisen takes an extraordinary tenor solo on "The Great Dictator", the band shifts several tempos with some splendid interplay between the buzuq and the rhythm team. I wondered at first why this disc was called, "Crisis" but I get the feeling that many of us feel that we are currently within a time of great crisis. Everyday the news bombards us with an ongoing tidal wave of war, disease, fear, misunderstanding and all sorts of unfair failings. I can hear the struggle to rise above those forces by the inner energy and communion that this music inspires. Mr. ElSaffar's trumpet and Mr. Mathisen's sax provide a strong united front that keeps the band sailing and soaring together as one. The epic-length piece, "Tipping Point", builds slowly, with different currents flowing around one another, the tight frontline glides together as the pulse moves in waves, speeding up and slowing down, seamlessly intricate as it evolves. If this music does represent some sort of "Crisis", then there is also hope as well since the unified effort is so strong, spirited and uplifting. This disc is Amir ElSaffar's great achievement yet, a modest masterwork to be reckoned with! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15


Three New Gems from the Ken Vandermark/Paal Nilsson-Love/Mats Gustafsson/The Ex Axis:

PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE LARGE UNIT With THOMAS JOHANSSON/MATS ALEKLINT/PER AKE HOLMLANDER/JON RUNE STROM et al - Rio Fun (PNL 27; EEC) Limited Edition CD/EP sold mainly on the recent Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit tour of the US and Canada! I was out of town (in Denmark) during the tour but heard that the sets in New York were pretty amazing!
CD-EP $13


FRED LONBERG-HOLM & KEN VANDERMARK - Resistance (Bocian KF; EEC) Mr. Lonberg-Holm is in such demand because he is both a resourceful accompanist and a versatile musician. He was the most natural replacement for Jeb Bishop in the Vandermark 5, recording with the quintet until it dissolved a few years ago. He has been a key ally to saxophonist Ken Vandermark in his various Territory Bands, The Frame Quartet, Pipeline, the Topology Nonet, and the Vandermark organized Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet. As a duo, they are the definition of simpatico. Resistance recorded live in 2013 is an expected performance of unforeseen music. That said, it boosts Vandermark's stock (not that he needs it) as a soloist. He has, of late, stepped out of his role as composer, arranger, and organizer of ensembles to perform solo and in improvising duos with Nate Wooley, Agusti Fernandez, Mats Gustafsson, and Tim Daisy. Freed from all the duties associated with large ensembles, he can focus on improvising. Here with Lonberg-Holm's cello and electronics. "J = oE" pairs a drunken tenor saxophone with a skidding sawed cello that builds into a locomotive engine of sound. The pair develop a thunderhead of animation, saxophone pushing against the thrum of electric energy. "P = 12R" searches for poetry in the small bites of circulating thought. Lonberg-Holm's cello can muster Jimi Hendrix notes or play the tip-toeing soundtrack to a Warner Brothers' cartoon. He scrapes (literally) notes from the wood of his instrument on "I = V/R" while Vandermark's clarinet explores the quiet corners of their meeting. The music here, all improvised, fills a gap in both their discographies, and it was a long time coming. - Mark Corroto
CD $15


THE EX 33 1/3 FESTIVAL featuring THE EX/MATS GUSTAFSSON/TONY BUCK/KEN VANDERMARK/STEVE BERESFORD/JOHN BUTCHER/AB BAARS/ et al. - And So Say All Of Us: Live At Cafe Oto (Ex 142V; Holland) The Ex remain of the best, most creative and unique post-punk/improv ensembles ever and they have been around for a ridiculous amount of time. They still sound vital, powerful and are ever-inspired. Who else could get ace avant-jazz stars like Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafsson, Wolter Weirbos and even John Butcher to sound so funky!
DVD $15


MORE Unreleased Archival Recordings from Those Quasi-Legit UK Label Compendium:

CHARLES MINGUS & THE JAZZ WORKSHOP ALL STARS With ROLAND KIRK/BOOKER ERVIN/CHARLES McPHERSON/JAKI BYARD/TOSHIKO AKIYOSHI/ et al - The Complete Birdland Broadcasts 1961-62 [3 CD Set] (Hi Hat 010; UK) Between October 1961 and October 1962, numerous Charles Mingus performances were broadcast on WADO in New York, featuring the great jazz bassist leading about half a dozen different lineups. This three-CD set contains the complete broadcast of these performances, featuring such sterling accompanists as Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef, Booker Ervin, Charles McPherson, Jaki Byard, and Toshiko Akiyoshi on selections dominated by Mingus compositions, several of which would make it onto his 1962 album Oh Yeah. Also featured are several numbers on which Mingus switches from his customary bass to piano, an instrument on which he was more than competent. Digitally remastered; includes background liners.
3 CD Set $30

HERBIE HANCOCK SEPTET With BENNIE MAUPIN/EDDIE HENDERSON/JULIAN PRIESTER/BUSTER WILLIAMS/BILLY HART - Live at the Boston Jazz Workshop (Hi Hat 017; UK) This historically important performance from March 22nd, 1973, was taped for broadcast on WBCN-FM, and captures visionary keyboardist and composer Herbie Hancock at a vital point in his musical trajectory, as he closed the Mwandishi (1971) chapter and embarked on his Head Hunters (1973) trip. Fearlessly creative and experimental, it's presented here in its entirety and in digitally remastered sound, together with background notes and images. 63 minutes long, 2 tracks. CD $17 MILES DAVIS With PETE COSEY/REGGIE LUCAS/SONNY FORTUNE/MICHAEL HENDERSON/MTUME/AL FOSTER - Live in Tokyo 1975 [2 CD Set] (Hi Hat 012; UK) On his tour of Japan in early 1975, Miles Davis presented some of the most searing, electric fusion ever heard in concert. The performances on this 2CD set, from a soundboard recording for post-FM broadcast, hail from a January 22 gig at Shinjuku Kohseinenkin Hall in Tokyo. Staged ten days earlier than the February 1 shows at which his Agharta and Pangaea LPs were recorded, this includes some songs not contained on those albums, and spotlights one of the most adventurous bands Davis assembled. The complete broadcast is presented here in digitally remastered sound with background liners.
2 CD Set $24 (First batch already sold out so PLEASE order now to get your copy reserved - back in 1-2 weeks, hopefully but do not worry, we were promised a bunch)


OMRI ZIEGELE BILLIGER BAUER With JURG WICKIHALDER/GABRIELA FRIEDLI/MARCO KAPPELI/ et al - So Veil Schon Hin - 15 Herbstlieder (Intakt 247; Switzerland) Omri Ziegele, saxophonist, composer and and leader of the small orchestra Billiger Bauer, presents a new work with his orchestra. For its 15th anniversary, it quite aptly premiered the first performance of a 15-part work at the Zurich Theater Neumarkt with music and lyrics written by Ziegele. It is an ode to autumn with its glowing colors and also its reminder of nature's transition. The first performance of this ambitious oeuvre was an unforgettable experience - and a huge success with the audience and the critics. This piece is now finally available on CD and we listen, spellbound, to these "Herbstlieder". Jazz critic Manfred Papst (editor of "Die Neue Zurcher Zeitung am Sonnntag") writes: "A number of different elements play a role in Billiger Bauer's music: from Igor Strawinsky and Kurt Weill to the Vienna Art Orchestra. But one thing remains clear: It is about intensity, about a spiritual impetus. You can feel the passion of a John Coltrane. It excludes neither introspection nor a sense of humor .. A gentle kind of melancholia permeates this complex and at the same time accessible piece of music with its different layers of rhythms and its innovative orchestration."
CD $18 (In stock next week)


JOSH SINTON/DOMINIC LASH + INGRID LAUBROCK/NATE WOOLEY/KYOKO KITAMURA/ALEX WARD - Signal Gain (Out Now Recordings 023; USA) Featuring Josh Sinton on amplified contrabass clarinet, bari sax & bass clarinet and Dominic Lash on double bass plus guests Ingrid Laubrock on tenor & soprano sax, Nate Wooley on trumpet, Alex Ward on clarinet and Kyoko Kitamura on voice. This is an odd mix of musicians from both the Downtown and UK scenes and was recorded in a studio and live in October of 2011. All six musicians here come from varied backgrounds and should be well known to all of us well-traveled New Music fans. Strong resumes abound: Downtowners - Josh Sinton (Ideal Bread, Nate Wooley & Harris Eisenstadt), Ingrid Laubrock (leads Sleep Thief, Anti-House & Paradoxical Frog), Nate Wooley (with Paul Lytton, Daniel Levin & many of his own projects), Kyoko Kitamura (Anthony Braxton & Ras Moshe). The two Brits also get around: Dominic Lash (Convergence Quartet & Alexander Hawkins) and Alex Ward, clarinet & guitar (Derek Bailey, Dr. Chadbourne, Duck Baker & NEW). Most impressive. I can't quite recall anyone else playing amplified contrabass clarinet but this is what Mr, Sinton plays on half of these pieces.The group pieces are recorded in a studio and sound like they are closely mic'd. The music often has some of that European insect music-like sound with the quirky Downtown blend. The first piece is long and has a haunting, hushed, cautious vibe. The balance and overall sound is well captured and no one steps on any else's toes. This is group improv at its best with everyone listening closely and selectively adding their contributions. The duo pieces for contrabass and bari sax, soprano, tenor or bass clarinet work well since the the bass and reed often play with similar textures and timbral terrain. I dig the way Ms. Kitamura twists her voice into odd shapes of her own invented language, fitting in just right with the rest of the other improvisers. One of the highlights here is a trio with Lash on bass, Sinton on contrabass clarinet & Laubrock on soprano. These three pick up the tempo and take off to points unknown, tightly swirling around one another. What is interesting about this is the way each player changes their sound or playing strategy on each piece. Trumpeter Nate Wooley is a master of this reinvention technique and often inspires this around him to stay on their toes and evolve as each piece unfolds. A wonderful session to say the least. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


ESZTER BALINT With MARC RIBOT/CHRIS COCHRANE/JD FOSTER/DAVE SCHRAMM/SAM PHILLIPS/ et al - Airless Midnight (Red Herring Records 001; USA) This is Ms. Balint's first album in a decade, her last one "Mud" was from 2004 and a favorite of mine due to its fine, sly, smoky Tom Waits-like resonance. Ms. Balint still has guitarist JD Foster as her producer with ace Downtowners Marc Ribot (Ceramic Dog & El. Masada) & Chris Cochrane (No Safety) on guitars and Dave Schramm (early Yo La Tengo) on lap steel plus pop singer Sam Phillips. Another fine gem. - BLG Hungarian-born Balint is an accomplished musician, and has played on albums by Marc Ribot, Angels of Light and Swans. As you can tell, she's clearly highly regarded by some of the biggest talents in two different mediums. Her new album Airless Midnight is her first since 2004's Mud, and PopMatters is pleased to premiere it here. Featuring appearances by Ribot and Sam Phillips, Balint, who plays guitar, mandolin, violin, and more, creates an eclectic collection of songs, but retains a remarkable consistent tone and theme throughout. There's not a concrete or literal "concept" behind this album per se, but a feeling which binds it all together, for sure, Balint tells PopMatters. "There was this one funny moment, when I was reviewing the words of all these songs and went, Oh. I see. So this record is about death. Okay, well then." It was never an agenda at the outset, nor was it an agenda to adhere to once I realized what was at work. Yet it did set a tone, a palette to work from. Also, it feels like a collection of stories. That's what really resonates for me with this: a group of stories, which are connected, some more, some less, but they all somehow stumbled into this exact collection for a reason." Alternately sultry, playful, and visceral, the album veers from singer-songwriter contemplation to percussive intensity that hints at a Swans influence, with Balint's distinct persona bringing it all together. Beautifully produced by bassist JD Foster, Airless Midnight is the perfect soundtrack to a dusky summer night, be it sweltering or stormy. Give it a listen, and lose yourself in her strange world." - Adrien Begrand, Pop Matters
CD $13


STEVE OLSON With MICHAEL FORMANEK/DAVE BALLOU/TONY MARTUCCI/ et al - Conversations (Release It! RT1; USA) This disc is a series of duos/dialogues with Steve Olson on drums & percussion with Michael Formanek on bass, Dave Ballou on trumpet, Tony Martucci on drums, Andrew Delclos on bassoon, Jarrett Gilgore on alto sax and Todd Marcus on bass clarinet. Last week I reviewed a marvelous new trio disc with Steve Olson on drums, Denman Maroney on hyper piano and Oscar Noreiga on reeds. Mr. Olson lives and teaches in Baltimore, also where all or most of the other musicians on this disc live. This disc was released last year (2014) but has just come to my attention recently. A few of these pieces are dedicated to fellow musicians/composers: John Cage, Anthony Braxton and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. This disc features a series of intricate conversations and is warmly recorded. "Around the World" with Mr. Marcus on bass clarinet sounds kind of boppish, playful and endearing. Mr. Olson sounds quite different on each piece, stripping things down to textures and altering the pulse of groove at times. It seems appropriate that the duo with a bassoonist (Mr. Delclos) is dedicated to Anthony Braxton, since Mr. Braxton is often known for using odd instrumentation as well as playing dozens of odd & normal reeds himself. Each of the 15 pieces creates a different mood or vibe. I had to turn off the AC in order to hear some of the subtleties that are going on here. One thing I noticed was that the silence or space was often used as an important element in the music so that the balance was well handled. All of the musicians here play well, listen and respond with care and craft. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10


SLD TRIO [PAULA SHOCRON/GERMAN LAMONEGA/PABLO DIAZ] - Anfitrion (Self-released; Argentina) The SLD Trio features Paul Shocron on piano, German Lamonega on contras and Pablo Diaz on drums. This trio hails from Argentina and were recently in town playing some gigs with local favorites like Daniel Carter, Ras Moshe, Matt Lavelle & Steve Dalachinsky (who wrote the liner notes/poem for this disc). Over the past decade there has been a number of musicians from Argentina who have come to visit or live here (like Juan Pablo Carletti & Damian Allegretti, both drummers), leaving their imprint by working with other like-minded musicians. The music of this trio moves between more or less free terrain with occasional written or directed sections. Ms. Shocron often plays quietly inside the piano, coaxing mysterious sounds as she plucks or strums the strings. I get the feeling that free improvisation has become an international language that is shared by many musicians from around the world. Unfolding in a most organic way with burst of controlled yet frenetic activity, It sounds rather difficult to tell where these folks are from by just listening but the results are amazing nonetheless with many moments of intense eruptions, extraordinary clarity of ideas and unpredictable twists and turns. Although all three members look fairly young from the pictures on the cover, they sound as if they have been working together for a long time, creating their own unique language or sound-world. Moments of this gem remind me of the magic of The Necks or Dawn of Midi yet they seem to go their own way and rarely stay quiet for very long. The Clean Feed label often comes up with little known (and often European bands) who turn out to be quite incredible. The SLD Trio fit perfectly in this magical mold. Music like this give me/us hope that there is much more undiscovered wonders than we could ever hope to check out. Right now (8/6/15), we have just five copies to sell, so don't wait since we have no idea when this trio will return to our shores and deliver more. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10


LOGAN STROSHAL - Up We Go (Sunnyside 1411; USA) Featuring Logan Strosahl on alto sax & songs, Sam Decker on tenor sax, Andrew McGovern on trumpet, Michael Sachs on clarinets, Nick Sanders on piano & organ, Henry Fraser on bass and Connor Baker on drums. Every week, we get a stack of promos from several sources and often a couple turn out to be little known gems. I certainly hadn't heard of the leader here or any of the other frontline horn players but I recently booked a trio set at DMG with Michael Foster and the two rhythm team players (Fraser & Baker) from this disc. This music has a quaint, lush quality with sublime harmonies for the horns: alto & tenor sax & trumpet. For "Bildung", wheezing organ is at the center of this fine brew with some swell swirling horns above, it stops at one point and a Philip Glass-like repeating organ line appears and then disappears quickly. The sound of this septet is closer to chamber music than jazz although the instrumentation appears to be a jazz group. Mr. Logan's pinched tone on alto sounds more like a clarinet at times and is a delight to hear. The organ on a few of these songs sounds more like an accordion and creates a few hypnotic drones, holding things together rather nicely. On the title track, it sounds as if two different bands are bumping into one another yet the underlying structure has them merge tightly at certain points and end it with a fine conclusion. There is an elegant, almost regal quality to some of these pieces which show some unexpected complex lines buried below the surface. It is as if this was a progressive band which escapes from the chamber jazz ethos and kept their creative juices still intact. A most impressive debut from little-recognized local (?) greats. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15 (In stock next week)


FRANTZ LORIOT/MANUEL PEROVIC NOTEBOOK LARGE ENSEMBLE With JOACHIM BADENHORST - Urban Furrow (Clean Feed 338; Portugal) French violist Frantz Loriot has been living in NY for periods of time recently, developing collaborations with players like Joachim Badenhorst & Pascal Niggenkemper (in Baloni), as well as with Jeremiah Cymerman, Sean Ali and Carlo Costa (in Natura Morta). This disc/project was recorded live in Zurich, Switzerland in April of 2014 with a fine 10 piece ensemble, co-led by Mr. Loriot and Manuel Perovic, who did arranging and conducting as well as composing. Besides Mr. Loriot & Mr. Bandenhorst, the only names I know here are Silvan Jeger from Day & Taxi and Yuko Oshima from a duo called Donkey Monkey with pianist Eve Risser. Mr. Loriot himself is an intense improviser who has done his share of solo, duo, trio and now large ensemble recordings, all engaging in their own way. The first piece, "West 4th" starts freely and intensely and then breaks into an enchanting, harmonious, near-gospel-like mid section. Odd yet winning and gliding to a soft landing. "Divison" also begins with some free frenzy with an elegant guitar line emerging from underneath. This piece builds up with rocking drums and free wailing tenor sax. Strangely enough, there is one shorter vocal piece called "To HR" which has somber lead and chorus vocals (in French) which are actually endearing and fit well in the midway point of this mostly adventurous disc. It turns out that Mr. Loriot is a fine composer of spirited, compelling melodies which wash over us like warm inviting waves, eventually breaking free of their charts as certain soloists erupt for short bursts. Guitarist Dave Gisler often plays some fine, succulent lines underneath the soaring waves above. When this disc was released with the other eight or so Clean Feed discs last month, it got lost in the shuffle. It might just be the best of that bunch. Everytime I play it, it knocks me out once more. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15


BACK IN STOCK & CONSISTENTLY SELLING OUT - 3 Essential 3 CD Sets!!

BENGT NORDSTROM/SVEN-AKE JOHANSSON/ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH - Stockholm Connection [3 CD Set] (Umlaut 202122; EEC) "A unique 3 CD-box from Umlaut Records putting in attention the musical collaborations between two of Sweden's most headstrong musicians: the pioneers Bengt "Frippe" Nordstrom and Sven-Ake Johansson. The previously non-released music was recorded in Stockholm 1970, 1977 and 1982 and portrait the musicians both in format of a trio, including legendary pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, and in a large orchestra led by Johansson including, at the time, young groundbreaking jazz musicians from Sweden, like Bernt Rosengren, Roland Keijser, Bjorn Alke and Bengt Berger. This Stockholm Connection not only connects Central Europe with the Scandinavian scene of improvised music and jazz, but also put in attention the very important hidden role Bengt "Frippe" Nordstrom played for the development of this music in USA and beyond (he was the one who released the two first albums of his friend Albert Ayler in 1962 and 1963). The breath of Ayler is heard through the questioning saxophone of Frippe in this historical 3CD-box. At the same time, this music is not only presented as a historical guidance. The perspectives distort, and we hear something, almost alarming, actual. A music unfolding the scenery of the current gray haze of today. As if in a remembrance. The past glimpse of the future. The box also includes extensive text material, photos and cuttings from among others Thomas Millroth, Orkester Journalen, Musics, and Joel Grip." - Umlaut
3 CD Set $38


EVAN PARKER/JOHN EDWARDS/EDDIE PREVOST/ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH/CHRISTOF THEWES - 3 Nights At Cafe Oto [3 CD + 1 DVD set] (Matchless 93; UK) A beautifully packaged hard cover book bound with 3 CDs, a DVD, and 78 pages of images and text, presenting the trio of Evan Parker (tenor sax), John Edwards (double bass), and Eddie Prevost (drums), joined one night by pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, and another night by trombonist Christof Thewes. Each CD is drawn from a single night, the first the core trio, the 2nd with Schlippenbach, and the 3rd with Thewes. The DVD extracts performances from each night. The wealth of images are selected from every night, and the liner notes are from Richard Williams. With masterful playing and legendary players, this is a valuable and reward release which is highly recommended!
3 CD + DVD set $72


ISKRA 1903 [PAUL RUTHERFORD/BARRY GUY/DEREK BAILEY] - Chapter One: Expanded Edition (1970-2) [3 CD set](Emanem 5311; UK) Iskra 1903, named after a newspaper founded by Lenin, has had several incarnations. This one, as befits a disc entitled Chapter One, was the first: Paul Rutherford (trombone and piano), Derek Bailey (guitar), and Barry Guy (double bass). The first revelation is that Rutherford plays piano, and that he's a worthwhile improviser on that instrument. The second is that this music, for all its uncompromisingly unpremeditated and atonal character, contains a great deal that beguiles and fascinates. This massive 3-disc set contains music from a September 2, 1970 concert, a May 3, 1972 recording session, a 1971 session, and three fall 1972 German tour dates. The first disc, containing the 1970 concert, features Rutherford on piano on three tracks only. He is a spacy, searching pianist-in his laconic use of space, he's rather like a Herbie Hancock of free playing. Perhaps because of the nature of the instrument, the piano tends to anchor the music and suggest, at times rather insistently, tonalities that Bailey nonetheless effortlessly avoids-especially in moments on the lengthy "Improvisation 1." When Rutherford switches to trombone, which he plays for the bulk of disc one and for all of discs two and three, he coils lines around Bailey's, sometimes accenting and extending, sometimes cutting off. Guy is his usual percussive self. There is, of course, no narrative flow as such to this music; rather, it progresses by the creation of evanescent soundscapes that vanish almost as quickly as they appear. Many are fascinating, especially on disc two, which is the one to which I found myself returning most often. But to isolate them is to try to catch a snowflake and frame it. So it is with all of Derek Bailey's music-as well as that of the other two. Certainly Rutherford brings a certain dash to these sessions, whereas some of the guitarist's other partners let matters slip into the cagiest of murmurings. Thus these three discs may be good entry points for those who want to hear what Derek Bailey can do as an improviser, and how he interacts with other masterful free musicians. In any case, this is a superabundance of gripping music that amply rewards close listening. - Robert Spencer, AAJ
3 CD Set $36


More Rare & Archival Recordings from Those Semi-Legit UK Label Collective:

IGGY POP - Search and Destroy: Live in Chicago 1988 (Echoes 2053; UK) Iggy Pop was no stranger to Chicago's Cabaret Metro in the 1980s, a rock and roll fixture with decades of smoke and sweat to show for its decor. The adrenaline is laid on thick and fast when Iggy walks out to greet the Metro crowd as Hanoi Rocks' Andy McCoy rips into the slicing, dumb metal of the title-track from Iggy's latest return-to-form album Instinct (1988). Iggy's plugged in for another power surge and the pace is set as the acrobatics nearly bring the ceiling down. "We're gonna rock it to ya straight -- no bullshit... Music should never be too good, too tight. It should excite you. The Stooges' music is supposed to make me feel good. And I've always had faith that if I feel good, others will." This is the complete original WXRT-FM broadcast of Iggy Pop's explosive performance at Chicago's Cabaret Metro on July 12, 1988. Professionally remastered with background liners and rare archival photos.
CD $17


MERLE HAGGARD - Live on The Silver Eagle Radio Show (Hotspur 015; UK) By the time Merle Haggard played Nashville's Opryland theme park in 1982, he had a decade and a half of country stardom under his belt. He draws on one of the deepest repertoires in popular music on this Silver Eagle radio broadcast, including such mammoth hits as "Okie from Muskogee," "Workin' Man Blues," "Big City," and "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink." The two-dozen-song set also includes less familiar tunes that testify to Haggard's astonishing versatility, including covers of classics by Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell, and Jimmie Rodgers, as well as his hit duet with Leona Williams, "The Bull & the Beaver." The complete broadcast is presented here in digitally remastered sound with background liners.
CD $17


PAVLOV'S DOG - Of Once and Future Kings... Live (Keyhole 9059; UK) Pavlov's Dog are one of the most revered prog outfits to have emerged from 1970s America. This WABX-FM radio broadcast of their performance at the Ford Auditorium, Detroit, on May 14th, 1976, is an extremely rare document of the original band, boasting the unique vocals of David Surkamp, as well as Steve Scorfina (lead guitar), Doug Rayburn (Mellotron, guitar), Tom Nickeson (keyboards), Richard Stockton (bass), and Kirk Sarkisian (drums). The material is culled from their classic albums Pampered Menial (1975) and At the Sound of the Bell (1976). The complete broadcast is presented here together with background notes and rare images.
CD $17


FOLKSONGS OF ANOTHER AMERICA - Field Recordings from the Upper Midwest, 1937-1946 [Book/5 CD/DVD Set] (Dust-to-Digital 043; USA) Folksongs of Another America is a compilation of field recordings made in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin between 1937 and 1946. Armed with bulky microphones, blank disks, spare needles, and cumbersome disc-cutting machines, several folklorists had the foresight to document and preserve a significant but overlooked part of the nation's musical heritage, made by immigrant, Native American, rural, and working-class performers. Almost all of these restored dance tunes, ballads, lyric songs, hymns, laments, versified taunts, political anthems, street cries, and recitations are issued here for the very first time. This five-CD set is filled with African-American, Austrian, Belgian, Cornish, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French-Canadian, German, Ho-Chunk, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Irish, Italian, Luxembourger, Norwegian, Ojibwe, Oneida, Polish, Scots-Gaelic, Serbian, Swedish, Swiss, and Welsh performers, recorded by Sidney Robertson, Alan Lomax, and Helene Stratman-Thomas. The bonus DVD includes the documentary film The Most Fertile Source: Alan Lomax Goes North, with never-before-seen footage shot in Michigan in 1938. It combines digitally restored silent color film footage, related field recordings, voice-over readings from Lomax's correspondence and field notes, and onscreen text to create an audiovisual narrative featuring the performers and scenes that captivated Alan Lomax during his 1938 Upper Midwestern foray. The accompanying 456-page hardcover book includes extensive liner notes, lyric transcriptions, and translations by James P. Leary, co-founder of the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This project is a co-production between Dust-to-Digital and the University of Wisconsin Press in collaboration with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and the Association of Cultural Equity/Alan Lomax Archive.
BOOK/5 CD/DVD Set for $56


More Excellent Reissues from Noel Akchote's Rectangle Label:

NOEL AKCHOTE - Simple Joseph (Rectangle AM2; France) 2001 release. Noel Akchote: guitar, amplifier. Recorded by Laurent Dahyot and Davis Euverte (assistant) at Le Studio des Sports, Rennes, France, on November 27th, 2000. Artwork by Emilie Demarquay. Produced by Quentin Rollet and Noel Akchote. Second album of the Joseph trilogy.
CD $17

DAVID GRUBBS - Thirty Minute Raven (Rectangle AC2; France) 2001 release. Music for a 2001 installation for the Elysian Fields exhibit at Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. David Grubbs (guitar, electronics) with Noel Akchote (electric guitar), John McEntire (drums), Charlie O. (organ), and Quentin Rollet (alto saxophone). Recorded and assembled between January 2000 and February 2001 by Nicolas Vernhes at Rare Book Room, Brooklyn, and David Grubbs at Studio 364, Brooklyn. Mastered by Nicolas Vernhes at Rare Book Room. The cover image is Cosima Von Bonin's "The Shakespeare Ravens" (1997), courtesy of Galerie Christian Nagel, Cologne.
CD $17

JOELLE LEANDRE - Dire du Dire (Rectangle ELLE2; France) 2000 release. French double bassist, vocalist, improviser, and composer Joelle Leandre in dialogue with Noel Akchote. Artwork by Noel Akchote. Produced by Noel Akchote and Quentin Rollet. "Joelle Leandre has a huge voice. Not just a formidable singing voice, which can be friendly and frightening, charming and vulgar. And not only on her instrument which can be firmly grounded one moment and soar the next. Leandre's voice unabashedly carries conversation, carries it to unexpected places, making quick turns, never slowing down or backing off." --Kurt Gottschalk, All About Jazz
CD $17


MOTORPSYCHO - En Konsert For Folk Flest [2LP/CD/DVD] (Rune Grammofon 2170; Norway) On July 31st, 2014, Motorpsycho and Stale Storlokken, together with Kammerkoret Aurum and Sheriffs of Nothingness, performed En Konsert For Folk Flest in the mighty Nidaros Cathedral in the band's hometown of Trondheim as part of Trondheim's biggest cultural festival, Olavsfestdagene (OFD). Luckily, they had the foresight to have it all filmed and recorded, and now this ambitious work is available in a lavish, heavy-duty Stoughton package containing two 180-gram records, one CD, one DVD, and a 24-page LP-size booklet. Documenting an event that most likely will never be repeated, this is a unique album in many ways, one being that all the lyrics, sung by the 24-piece choir, are in Norwegian for the first time in the band's history. The 2014 theme of OFD was "Folk." This is roughly analogous to the English "folk," but the term seems to have a slightly wider connotation in Norway. In Norwegian it can mean "people," in an ethnic sense, as well as "nation," in a cultural sense, and doesn't necessarily carry all the folkloristic connotations that it does in English. The lyrics of Motorpsycho's finished piece focus on the peculiar Norwegian notion of "folk flest." This is a term used by politicians and their ilk to signify "most people." Author and friend Johan Harstad, in addition to writing the prose pieces that were printed in the concert program specifically made for the occasion and included here in the booklet, functioned as a lyrics consultant in the process. Musically, this format also represented quite a few new challenges for the band. Writing for a choir is obviously quite a different task than writing for a hard rock trio, and one that the band hadn't grappled with before. To all involved, it was thus important that the music retained a genuinely Motorpsychodelic feel and did not come off like some choir music pastiche. Storlokken's take on the compositional minutiae of this work is obviously fully his own -- he remains a truly unique writer no matter the context -- but the combination of his and Motorpsycho's musical languages is also quite often a very special and explosive one. The DVD includes the full concert plus a 65-minute documentary. The 24-page LP-size booklet includes the Norwegian lyrics and Johan Harstad's text "Manifest For Folk Flest" with an English translation. One-time pressing of 2000 hand-numbered copies.
2-LP+CD+DVD $45

ANNELI DRECKER - Rocks & Straws (Rune Grammofon 3169; Norway) Anneli Drecker's ethereal voice first became known through the music of her band with Geir Jenssen (aka Biosphere) and Nils Johansen, Bel Canto, in the '80s. The trio signed to the legendary Belgian label Crammed Discs, alongside Zap Mama and Tuxedomoon, and captured the zeitgeist of European electronic music in the late '80s. They have won the Spellemannprisen (Norwegian music award often called the Norwegien Grammy) three times, and are regarded as pioneers in the Norwegian electronic pop music scene. With her characteristic experimental singing style, often compared to other wonderful singers such as Lisa Gerrard and Liz Fraser, Drecker has collaborated with many great artists, including Hector Zazou, Jah Wobble, Gavin Friday, DJ Krush, Tim Simenon, Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins), Guy Sigsworth, and Ketil Bjornstad; she has also recorded three albums based on poems by John Donne and Hart Crane. Drecker joined A-ha on two world tours as their guest singer, and toured the world for more than ten years with Royksopp, co-writing a number of songs with them. In 2012, Drecker left Royksopp to return to her own music, and Rocks & Straws is a homecoming album, an ode to her native town and region. The songs are based on lyrics by the North Norwegian cult poet Arvid Hanssen, translated to English by artist and writer Roy-Frode Lovland. Hanssen's poems are strongly influenced by the mysterious and powerful nature of this arctic region, like the writings of Knut Hamsun, born only a few miles from Hanssen's birthplace. Man and nature, and man in nature -- Hanssen captures the interaction of Northern Norwegians with their merciless but beautiful surroundings. Rocks & Straws is very much an acoustic album. In a world of electronic recordings, she has moved in another direction, and made an album based on recording techniques from the '70s. The music is played live, with some of Norway's finest musicians: guitarist Eivind Aarset, drummer Rune Arnesen, bassist Ole Vegard Skauge, and The Arctic Philharmonic, Tromso's acclaimed orchestra. Drecker sings and plays the piano and organ, and produced the recording with the musicians. At the time of this release, Drecker is a Ph.D. candidate at the Arctic University of Tromso, where she is researching voice techniques of indigenous people; this is apparent especially in the song "Ocean's Organ," with a Maori group singing kapa haka songs that Drecker recorded while in Auckland, New Zealand.
LP+CD $22


CONRAD SCHNITZLER - Kollektion 05: Conrad Schnitzler Compiled and Assembled by Thomas Fehlmann (Bureau B 188; Germany) Things come full circle. In 1976 Thomas Fehlmann arrives in Hamburg to study art at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts. In 1979 he attends a guest lecture by Conrad Schnitzler, who demonstrates how the "extended definition of art" established by Joseph Beuys can be applied to music. This proves to be a crucial element in Fehlmann's decision to become a musician. And now, in 2015, over 35 years later, Fehlmann has compiled the fifth installment in Bureau B's Kollektion series, arranging, in uniquely harmonious fashion, 16 pieces from the early 1980s by the man who broadened his horizons, Conrad Schnitzler. The gateway to Schnitzler's sonic cosmos has been flung wide open. Conrad Schnitzler (1937-2011), composer and concept artist, was one of the most important representatives of Germany's electronic music avant-garde. A student of Joseph Beuys, he founded Berlin's legendary Zodiak Free Arts Lab, a subculture club, in 1967/'68, was a member of Tangerine Dream (together with Klaus Schulze and Edgar Froese) and Kluster (with Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius), and released countless solo albums. Thomas Fehlmann rose to prominence in the seminal band Palais Schaumburg with Holger Hiller. Their debut album in 1981 was a milestone in German post-punk music. In 1988 Fehlmann founded the Teutonic Beats label and in 1990 he became a member of The Orb. He has played an important role in Berlin's electronic and club scenes ever since, as a musician, producer, remixer, and DJ. Thomas Fehlmann on this Kollektion: "I have strung together various pieces from Conrad Schnitzler's white period -- the CON series -- in a seamless arrangement which creates its own state of dramatic tension. The tracks retain their original form and tempo. This is not a study in montage. I have restricted myself to picking the right moment to move from one piece to the next, cross-fading. Okay, I did edit one track... I was looking for a form which would condense Conrad Schnitzler's versatility, his inventiveness and wit into a single journey. The new running order adds a certain friction to the aura of each as new connections are made. My choices were musical, not chronological, bathing these works from the early 1980s in new sensuous light. It is quite remarkable to see how intensely the sparks still fly. Preparing this collection closes an elementary circle in my life, without which I may have followed a completely different path."
CD $18


SKYDIVE TRIO - Sun Moee [LP+CD] (Hubro 3537; Norway) LP version. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl. Includes CD. On Sun Moee, we encounter guitarist Thomas Dahl for the first time as the leader and driving force of a band. SkyDive Trio is a good old-fashioned guitar trio solidly rooted in a melodious landscape and nourished by rich harmonies and Dahl's sonorous guitar wizardry. His playing surfs on the rhythmic waves made by Finnish drummer Olavi Louhivuori and Norwegian bass player extraordinaire Mats Eilertsen. The album includes compositions by each member plus a fascinating cover of Portishead's "Sour Times." Thomas T. Dahl studied in the jazz department at the University of Trondheim, and had his breakthrough as a member of the prize-winning band Kroyt featuring vocalist Kristin Asbjornsen. On Sun Moee he paints a cinematic landscape where pop and rock elements, along with subtle electronic manipulation, intersect with the sound of strings. Dahl has previously released albums with BMX, together with Per Jorgensen; and Dingobats, together with Eirik Hegdal; and has collaborated with Erlend Skomsvoll, Ole Hamre, John Inderberg, Highasakite, and Ephemera. The members of the SkyDive Trio have worked together as part of a larger band for a number of years, and it shows. All three play on Eilertsen's Radio Yonder (HUBRO 2501CD, 2009) and SkyDive (HUBRO 2507CD/HUBRO 3507LP, 2011), as well as in Eilertsen's major work "Rubicon," which had its world premiere at the Vossa Jazz Festival in 2014. Mats Eilertsen has released four albums under his own name on Hubro and has played on albums with Tord Gustavsen, the Wolfert Brederode Quartet, the Kornstad Trio, Food (with Iain Ballamy), Jacob Young, and the Havard Wiik Trio. Olavi Louhivuori studied drums and composition at the Sibelius Academy. Three of the bands he has played in have won the "Young Nordic Jazz Group" award: the Joona Toivanen Trio, the Ilmiliekki Quartet, and the Sun Trio. Louhivuori has toured and recorded with the legendary Polish trumpet player Tomasz Stanko, and has also played with Anthony Braxton, Marilyn Crispell, Susanne Abbuehl, and Kenny Wheeler. He has released several albums with his own band and as a solo artist, and was awarded an Emma Prize (Finnish Grammy) with Oddarrang in 2007. Sun Moee was recorded at The Village Recording in Copenhagen, and was produced by the band members themselves. This is an inspired jazz album from a rock-solid trio. Thomas Dahl, guitars; Mats Eilertsen, double bass; Olavi Louhivuori, drums.
LP + CD $23


CHOU WEN-CHUNG - Eternal Pine (New World 80770; USA) Featuring: Contemporary Music Ensemble Korea (CMEK), Boston Musica Viva; Yi Ji-young, gayageum; Kim Woong-sik, changgu; Taipei Chinese Orchestra, Chang Yin-fang, conductor. The series of works featured on this album ushers in a new orientation for Chou Wen-chung (b. 1923) because it marks his first direct engagement with traditional East Asian musical ensembles. The genesis of Eternal Pine came about in part by his longstanding friendship and scholarly exchange with the eminent Korean musicologist Lee Hyeku. Owing to the persistence of a gayageum master, Yi Ji-young, Chou first composed Eternal Pine I for the Korean ensemble in 2008. The other versions soon followed: one for a Western musical ensemble in 2009, the duo version for Korean instruments in 2010, and the last for Chinese Sizhu ensemble in 2012. "Eternal Pine" refers to the beauty and strength of pine as a symbol for longevity and eternity in East Asian cultures. This imagery is foreshadowed in his earlier work Windswept Peaks (1990), where Chou refers to the gnarly pine trees on mountain peaks, swept by the wind for hundreds of years. In such a context, the pine trees also symbolize the spirit of wenren-the indefatigable spirit of literati who have survived all sorts of persecutions throughout Chinese history. In his meticulous preparation for composing music, Chou gives attention to minute details to create an artistic experience comparable to seeing "the universe in a grain of sand." At one moment, an informed listener may hear echoes of Anton Webern in the brevity and contrapuntal mastery of musical lines in Chou's music; at another moment, s/he may be enthralled by the discovery of an infinite expression in the utterance of one sound.
CD $15


STEVE HOLTJE - A Man Full of Days (Mechabenaiten 015; USA) Enrico Rossini Cullen's poetic indie film A Man Full of Days (2014) is inspired by the Book of Job (minus the dogma) and the Leatherman, a famous 19th century vagrant. Full of hallucinatory beauty, nightmarish terror, eccentric creativity, and a surreal sense of the supernatural, and sprinkled with groundling humor, it is structured around unpredictable disjunctures and juxtapositions, and demanded a soundtrack that could reflect those many facets while tying them together. Brooklyn composer Steve Holtje's score mixes moody darktronica, classical majesty, and bittersweet, intimate piano pieces, even as his arrangements and production blur the lines between those styles. Brooklyn laptop artist Black Crystal Fuck Wolf also contributes two tracks. Though mostly known for his often abrasive style of drone-noise electronica, artisanally constructed through extreme manipulations of original sonic material warped beyond recognition, he also has an interest in asymmetrical rhythms looped repetitively to mimic beats, despite lacking standard metrical qualities. Bruce McKenzie aka Peckinpah's lyrical "Saudade No. 14" is a favorite of director Enrico Rossini Cullen. The climactic scene of the film is an homage to the great 1930 Soviet film Zemlya (Earth), and uses Levko Revutsky and Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov's score from the scene it is based on. Steve Holtje: piano, organ, electronics. Women of the New Amsterdam Singers Chamber Chorus: vocals on "Job 34:15-16." Black Crystal Fuck Wolf: sample manipulation and asymmetrical beats on "Man Dance 1" and "Mercury BBQ Pit." Bruce McKenzie: piano and electronics on "Saudade No. 14."
CD $13


CHIHEI HATAKEYAMA - Moon Light Reflecting Over Mountains (Room40 465; Australia) On Moon Light Reflecting Over Mountains, Tokyo's Chihei Hatakeyama evokes an instrumental poetic grace that marks him out as one of the icons of his generation. Drawing upon a broad swath of aesthetic references, he seamlessly melts glacial ambient drifts with richly harmonic guitar strata that echo the gliding motions of My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and Cocteau Twins. Never resolving to clear melody, his interest in unrestrained harmonics creates a depth to his compositions and moreover a profound sense of the personal. Like Saunter (2009) and Mirror (2011), his other editions for Room40, Moon Light Reflecting Over Mountains reveals Chihei's recurrent interest in place, as in "A Bronze Pike," in which strummed acoustic guitars are cloaked in a soundscape that suggests an urban dwelling, and sirens and voices clearly emerge as the piece meanders. Moon Light Reflecting Over Mountains is perhaps Chihei's most complete work to date. It reconciles his interests in harmony, texture, and space. It etches out a map into familiar yet unexpected territories. These are very much his own lands, but they are lands in which we, as listeners, are welcome to roam. Chichei is one of Tokyo's leading figures, and his considered minimalist approach has earned him a formidable reputation as a fearless textural experimentalist. He has performed for years under his given name and also as one half of the electroacoustic duo Opitope, along with Tomoyoshi Date. Chihei's polychromic and memory-evoking soundscapes are created utilizing various recorded materials of electric and acoustic instruments such as electric guitars, vibraphone, and piano.
CD $17


LP Only Section:

HARUOMI HOSONNO - Cochin Moon (North Korea Records 001; Japan) "Originally released in 1978 in Japan, this album is a soundtrack to a fictional Bollywood film. It features a tapestry of weird floating electronic grooves parsed within menacing rants of jungle birds and night sounds. Fans of Ash Ra Tempel guitarist Manuel Gottsching's E2-E4, Cluster, Achim Reichel & Machines, or even Aphex Twin will be in heaven with this electronic psychedelic trip of sounds and colors. Way ahead of its time, this is a magical treat from beginning to end. Cover artwork is by no other than Tadanori Yokoo (often referred to as the Japanese Andy Warhol). Limited to 500 copies on vinyl."
LP $22


DUKE ELLINGTON & JOHN COLTRANE With AARON BELL or JIMMY GARRISON/ELVIN JONES or SAM WOODYARD - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (Doxy ACV 2056; Russian/Italian Axis) The classic 1962 album Duke Ellington & John Coltrane showcased the rising jazz saxophone innovator performing alongside the long-established piano institution. While the pairing might have portended a dynamic clash of the musical generations, instead it delivers a casual, respectful, and musically generous meeting of like-minded souls. Ellington and Coltrane play a handful of well-known Ellington book numbers, including a supremely lyrical "In a Sentimental Mood" and a soulful, half-lidded version of Billy Strayhorn's "My Little Brown Book." Ellington even supplied the brisk original "Take the Coltrane," allowing plenty of room for Coltrane to let loose with knotty, angular lines.
LP $21


JOHN COLTRANE With ERIC DOLPHY/McCOY TYNER/JIMMY GARRISON/ELVIN JONES/ROY HAYNES - Impressions (Doxy ACV 2058; Russian Federation) Impressions is a hodgepodge of memorable John Coltrane performances from the 1961-1963 period, originally released in 1963. "India" and "Impressions" are taken from Coltrane's famous November 1961 engagement at the Village Vanguard; bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy is heard on the former while the latter features a marathon solo from Coltrane on tenor. Also included in this set are 1962's "Up 'Gainst the Wall" and the classic of the album, 1963's "After the Rain."
LP $21


PRINCE FAR I - Psalms for I (Book of Psalms) (Deeper Knowledge Records DKR 187; USA) "10 song LP from 1976, Prince Far I's first album. Produced by Lloydie Slim, this unique album finds Far I chanting Psalms and prayers over a tough selection of mostly Aggrovators-backed rhythms. This was reissued once before over a decade ago, now back again with the original artwork, and pressed from new stampers made from the pristine-condition original mother plates, yielding the identical deep and full Jamaican mastering of the original. A truly unique album that deserves a place in every self-respecting collection of deejay records."
10" LP $15


VARIOUS ARTISTS - Early Pakistani Dance Music from Original 7" Soundtracks 1967-1975 (Ovular 001; Germany) "A wonderful LP of exotic sounds from Pakistan in the '60s and '70s. The tracks really deliver on the excellent sleeve packaging and cover design by Bwtchd Grfx. 'We wanted the world to know what fantastic music these guys played in Pakistan in those days,' says compiler Florian Pittner, who focused on instrumentals which were released on two-track 45rpm EPs and listed as either 'Dance Music' or 'Title Music.'" Artists: M. Ashraf, Azam Shaik, A. Hamid, Ghulam Ali, Tassaduq Hussain, Mohammed Ilyas, Lal Mohd Iqbal, Kamal Ahmed, and M. A. Shad.
LP $24


SUSANNA AND THE MAGICAL ORCHESTRA - Melody Mountain (Susanna Sonata 016; Norway) Melody Mountain was recorded in 2005 at several locations in Norway; in no ordinary recording studios, but in living rooms, in huts, at the Academy of Music, and at Emanuel Vigeland Mausoleum. Songs by AC/DC, Leonard Cohen, Sandy Denny, Kiss, Joy Division, and Depeche Mode were all transformed into Susanna and the Magical Orchestra's sparse and stark universe. The music critics went overboard with praise when Melody Mountain was released on CD in 2006 (RCD 2057CD), particularly for Susanna's version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart," which has received much attention and was a part of The Observer's list of "The Greatest Covers Ever." The duo Susanna and the Magical Orchestra split up in 2011, after recording three albums together and touring widely in Europe, Asia, and the USA. Both Susanna and Morten Qvenild have remained active since, each with his or her own projects and bands. Susanna records as Susanna, in her regular trio, but also in collaborations with such artists as Ensemble neoN and Jenny Hval. Both these collaborations have been awarded a Norwegian Grammy in Open Category. Melody Mountain was produced by Deathprod, with arrangements by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra. Susanna: vocals; Morten Qvenild: piano, cembalo, autoharp, vibraphone, church organ, and keyboards; Stian Carstensen: pedal steel on "It's Raining Today." Recorded by Helge Sten at Dagaliveien14, Ostre Nes, Tomba Emanuelle, Lindemansalen, and Audio Virus Lab, Norway, in 2005. This vinyl edition features a new cover design by Magnus Voll Mathiassen. The album was mixed by Helge Sten in Oslo, Norway, mastered by Bob Katz in Florida, cut by Bernie Grundman in Los Angeles, and pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl; limited to 500 copies.
LP $23

JENNY HVAL & SUSANNA - Meshes of Voice [2 LP Set] (Susanna Sonata 014; Norway) "Mythical animals were a big inspiration," says composer and songwriter Jenny Hval about Meshes of Voice, her collaboration with Susanna. "We looked at Medusa, Athena, and Harpy (a combination of woman and bird) -- as examples of depictions of woman -- the ugly, the goddess-like, the gruesome," agrees Susanna. This collaboration -- featuring the two strongest Nordic voices around today -- started back in 2008 as an exchange of letters, then developed into two live performances, one at the Henie Onstad Art Centre in March 2009, which turned out to be this album, the other at Oslo Jazz Festival. Mixed and mastered by Helge Sten (Deathprod, Supersilent), Meshes of Voice presents a stunning vocal universe of confessions, whispers, and seductions. Tracks like "I Have Walked This Body" seem to rise monstrously and threateningly out of some mythological fog of distorted improvised noise. A key inspiration was film maker Maya Deren's surrealist, cyclical Meshes of the Afternoon, a milestone of visionary film from 1943. Deren's famous image of a cloaked figure with a reflective face recurs on "A Mirror in My Mouth," creating a complex world of musical fictions akin to those of Julia Holter and Joanna Newsom. Meshes of Voice is released on SusannaSonata, which Susanna launched in 2001 as a self-operated outlet for her to curate her own back-catalog and develop new music. Upon its release as a CD in 2014 (SONATA 014CD), Meshes of Voice received much acclaim from the music critics and the audience, and won the Norwegian Grammy in Open Category. This double LP edition is limited to 500 copies, with the same gorgeous cover art made from art by Arne Bendik Sjur and designed by Johanna Blom. Jenny Hval: voice, effects, noise, samples, guitar, autoharp, piano; Susanna: voice, grand piano, effects, noise, samples, electric harmonium; Anita Kaasboll: voice, effects, noise, drums; Jo Berger Myhre: double bass, zither, effects, noise. Recorded at Henie Onstad Arts Centre, Hovikodden, Norway, on March 8, 2009, by David Solheim. Mixed and mastered at Audio Virus Lab.
2 LP Set $28




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