13 Monroe Street, New York, NY 10002-7351
 |
Email:
Mail To: POB 153, NYC, NY 10002-0153
|
|
NEWSLETTER - May 6th, 2016
|
*****
DMG NEWSLETTER FOR May 6th, 2016
Spring is Near, Spring is here, Well Almost!
Waiting for the Sun to Shine Through Grey Skies
Waiting for the Music to Break Through the Twice Told Lies
Hoping to Be Set Free from the What Holds us Down (The news, that is)
Seeing that Pot of Gold at the Other End of the Rainbow,
Thanks to the Special Sounds of The Merry Sonic Sorcerers:
Mat Walerian/Matthew Shipp/Hamid Drake! Peter Brotzmann & Heather Leigh! Borah Bergman/Peter Brotzmann/Frode Gjerstad! Jones Jones: Mark Dresser/Larry Ochs/Vladimir Tarasov! Ab Baars & Zlatko Kaucic! Two from Paul van Kemenade: Han Bennink/Ray Anderson/Ernst Glerum!
Mike Baggetta/Jerome Harris/Billy Mintz Trio! Thomas Borgmann/Max Johnson/Willi Kellers!
Frantz Loriot Systematic Distortion Orchestra! JC Jones & Yoni Kretzmer Bass Duos: Barre Phillips/Mark Dresser..! Eva Novoa/Michael Attias/Max Johnson/Jeff Davis CD!
The Return of the Holy Ghost Spermic Brotherhood! Bobby Few/Avram Fefer Duo & Trio CD Sale! Okkyung Lee & Bill Orcutt LP! Roger Turner & Yukihiro Isso LP! Klimperei & Eric Chabert LP! Scott Walker & Walker Bros Rarities! And even More!
**********
The DMG FREE Weekly In-Store Concert Series Continues With: DMG NEWSLETTER FOR May 6th, 2016
Spring is Near, Spring is here, Well Almost!
Waiting for the Sun to Shine Through Grey Skies
Waiting for the Music to Break Through the Twice Told Lies
Hoping to Be Set Free from the What Holds us Down (The news, that is)
Seeing that Pot of Gold at the Other End of the Rainbow,
Thanks to the Special Sounds of The Merry Sonic Sorcerers:
Mat Walerian/Matthew Shipp/Hamid Drake! Peter Brotzmann & Heather Leigh! Borah Bergman/Peter Brotzmann/Frode Gjerstad! Jones Jones: Mark Dresser/Larry Ochs/Vladimir Tarasov! Ab Baars & Zlatko Kaucic! Two from Paul van Kemenade: Han Bennink/Ray Anderson/Ernst Glerum!
Mike Baggetta/Jerome Harris/Billy Mintz Trio! Thomas Borgmann/Max Johnson/Willi Kellers!
Frantz Loriot Systematic Distortion Orchestra! JC Jones & Yoni Kretzmer Bass Duos: Barre Phillips/Mark Dresser..! Eva Novoa/Michael Attias/Max Johnson/Jeff Davis CD!
The Return of the Holy Ghost Spermic Brotherhood! Bobby Few/Avram Fefer Duo & Trio CD Sale! Okkyung Lee & Bill Orcutt LP! Roger Turner & Yukihiro Isso LP! Klimperei & Eric Chabert LP! Scott Walker & Walker Bros Rarities! And even More!
**********
DMG NEWSLETTER FOR May 6th, 2016
Spring is Near, Spring is here, Well Almost!
Waiting for the Sun to Shine Through Grey Skies
Waiting for the Music to Break Through the Twice Told Lies
Hoping to Be Set Free from the What Holds us Down (The news, that is)
Seeing that Pot of Gold at the Other End of the Rainbow,
Thanks to the Special Sounds of The Merry Sonic Sorcerers:
Mat Walerian/Matthew Shipp/Hamid Drake! Peter Brotzmann & Heather Leigh! Borah Bergman/Peter Brotzmann/Frode Gjerstad! Jones Jones: Mark Dresser/Larry Ochs/Vladimir Tarasov! Ab Baars & Zlatko Kaucic! Two from Paul van Kemenade: Han Bennink/Ray Anderson/Ernst Glerum!
Mike Baggetta/Jerome Harris/Billy Mintz Trio! Thomas Borgmann/Max Johnson/Willi Kellers!
Frantz Loriot Systematic Distortion Orchestra! JC Jones & Yoni Kretzmer Bass Duos: Barre Phillips/Mark Dresser..! Eva Novoa/Michael Attias/Max Johnson/Jeff Davis CD!
The Return of the Holy Ghost Spermic Brotherhood! Bobby Few/Avram Fefer Duo & Trio CD Sale! Okkyung Lee & Bill Orcutt LP! Roger Turner & Yukihiro Isso LP! Klimperei & Eric Chabert LP! Scott Walker & Walker Bros Rarities! And even More!
**********
Sunday, May 8th:
6pm: BRANDON LOPEZ & GREGORIO GUILLERMO - Acoustic Bass & Clarinet
Sunday, May 15th:
6pm: T.J. BORDEN - Solo Cello
7pm: BRIAN GRODER / MICHAEL BISIO / JAY ROSEN - CD Release Set
Sunday, May 22nd: Bruce up at Victo Fest/Chris Pitsiokos will be your host
Sunday, May 29th:
6pm: FESTER: SEAN ALI & DAVID GROLLMAN
June 5th Double-Header:
6pm: TidePool Fauna: KYOKO KITAMURA / INGRID LAUBROCK / KEN FILIANO
7pm: CARATE URIO QUINTET With JOACHIM BADENHORST
Downtown Music Gallery 25th Anniversary Celebration at Roulette:
Monday, June 20th, from 7pm til 10:30: An Amazing Line-up Featuring:
JON MADOF'S ZION 80! BURNT SUGAR & THE BILL LASWELL/MIKE SOPKO TRIO!
DMG is located at 13 Monroe St. (between Catherine & Market Sts) in a basement below a former Buddhist temple & beauty salon. Take the F train to East Broadway or the 6 train to Canal or the B or D to Grand, or the M-15 bus to Madison & Catherine. Come on Down, the Music Always Free & the Vibes are Quite Cosy!
*******
MAT WALERIAN / MATTHEW SHIPP / HAMID DRAKE - Like at Okuden [2 CD Set] (ESP-Disk 5009; USA) Featuring Mat Walerian: alto sax, bass clarinet, clarinet & flute; Matthew Shipp: piano and Hamid Drake: drums, percussion. Recorded November 19, 2012, at the Okuden Music concert series. From William Parker's liner notes: "Stepping into the Silence, this is literary music, epic little bouts of brilliance. That expands and stretches across what you might call instant reality, the lining or other side of the cosmic blanket where ordinary yet extraordinary people live; it swings and is balanced, it knows where to stop and begin again. It Bees and it Bops, it is and isn't at the same time, but the main thing is they don't scream - not that the scream and the shout are bad. It's that you have to play inside your destiny rather than a musical style. It's all about playing free instead of asking others for freedom, so I celebrate Drake, Shipp, and Walerian for choosing life over music. Choosing intuition over tradition."
2 CD Set $15
* PETER BROTZMANN / HEATHER LEIGH - Ears are Filled with Wonder (Not Two 940; Poland) Featuring Heather Leigh on pedal steel guitar and Peter Brotzmann on tenor sax, bass clarinet & taragato. "'Ears Are Filled With Wonder', the debut release from the duo of pedal steel player Heather Leigh and reedist Peter Brotzmann, blows the old adage about improvised music somehow not being best appreciated via the recordings to beautiful pieces. This is a music that demands re-visiting, that seems to alter, slightly, every time it is played, with new details emerging, new relationships of tone and style, new romance, even. Recorded during a mammoth stint in Krakow, Poland, where Brotzmann and Leigh played as part of big bands, trios, quartets, and duos, this duo performance represents the diamond heart of the sessions, an improvised set that bears little relation to what either of the players has achieved outside of its prodigious gravity. We mentioned romance and really Ears Are Filled With Wonder, a play on a line from the poet Kenneth Patchen, showcases the full reach of Brotzmann's rebel lyricism, his lover man style, now smoky, seductive, late night, now roaring and vibrating with energy. Leigh plays it extremely subtly, sometimes fixing on the most suggestive detail and from there spinning luscious webs of repeat-time bliss that make for some of the most psychedelic and otherworldly settings of strings and horn. Elsewhere the two of them tear the roof off with tactile fuzz and horn ascensions. It's a music of organic depth, of endlessly evocative unfolding, as themes bloom and sigh and disappear and arise and it feels curiously out of time, even as both players push their instruments into futuristic configurations. As such it doesn't sit neatly in either players' extensive catalogs. . . . Ears Are Filled With Wonder is a coming together of two of the most original voices on their respective instruments and the title reflects the joyful uncovering of a whole new way of listening and relating. Indeed, it might well be the first ever freely improvised electric pedal steel and saxophone duet ever put to tape. Either way it is one of the most startlingly beautiful combinations of players and temperaments to orbit the European jazz scene in years. And this is only the beginning. So hold tight." - Moshe Idel, Ronda, Spain, February 2016
CD $17
*Peter Brotzmann & Heather Leigh will play at Fringe Arts in Philly, PA on May 25th!
BORAH BERGMAN / PETER BROTZMANN /FRODE GJERSTAD - Left (Not Two 939; Poland) Featuring Borah Bergman on piano, Peter Brotzmann on ten or sax, bass clarinet & taragato and Frode Gjerstad on alto sax. This set was recorded live at the Molde International Jazz Festival in Norway in July of 1996. When Borah Bergman passed in 2012, we lost one of the finest and most distinctive pianists to emerge from New York in the past century. Mr. Bergman has recorded duo CDs with both Mr. Brotzmann and Mr. Gjerstad in the past, as well as a couple of trios with Anthony Braxton or Andrew Cyrille.
Mr. Brotzmann erupts with his unique, clarion call tenor right from the first note. He is soon joined by Mr. Bergman's explosive piano and later by Mr. Gerstad's equally distinctive, bent-note cluster. The sound here is superb, the performance well-balanced and well-recorded. There are three long pieces here, each with the word 'Left' in the title as in "Left Hand". Mr. Bergman was well-known for his singular-style ambidextrous playing, even recording an entire album side of just his left hand at the piano. What makes this combination so intriguing is that Mr. Bergman is often balancing two separate lines or strategies with each hand as well as interacting with each saxist independently. This makes for some fascinating listening which requires some deep concentration as two strong forces shift between different poles. Both Mr. Brotzmann (on tenor or clarinet) and Mr. Gerstad are well-matched saxists. Sometimes Brotzmann slows down to carefully bend certain notes while Gjerstad speeds up, interjecting occasional streams of notes. I like that this session is not all, over-the-top bluster, there are a number of more stark moments which are filled with suspense and thoughtful ruminations. This is a colossal trio effort that had me at the edge of my seat throughout its 55 minute length. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $17
JONES JONES [MARK DRESSER / LARRY OCHS / VLADIMIR TARASOV] - The Moscow Improvisations (Not Two 935; Poland) Featuring Mark Dresser on contrabass, Larry Ochs on tenor & sopranino saxes and Vladimir Tarasov on drums. This is the second release from this wonderful trio which features three master musicians: reeds-wiz Larry Ochs (from Rova & What We Live), contrabassist Mark Dresser (currently a professor in San Diego) and Russian drummer Boris Tarasov (from the legendary Ganelin Trio). This disc was recorded live in Manege Hall in Moscow in September of 2009. There is strong connection between these men, a collective spirit which constantly expands and evolves. There is a very organic, natural sound to this set, clean and warmly recorded. Outside of a recent quartet effort with Jesper Lovdal, Butch Lacy & Kresten Osgood on Ilk and a bass duos 2 CD set on Out-Now (just released this week - 5/6/16), we haven't heard much new from bassist Mark Dresser recently. The trio take their time to stretch out so that each member gets their chance to play solos, duos and trios. Russian drummer, Vladimir Tarasov, has long been one of the most creative drummers in Russia and Europe. I've listened to his solo drums 11-CD set a couple of times and he is fine form here as well, often nimbler and consistently engaging. Bay area saxist, Larry Ochs, is the most prolific of this trio and has several ongoing projects, besides the Rova Sax Quartet, who've been around for close to forty years. This trio does have their own group sound which is often more reflective than explosive, remaining engaging throughout. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $17
AB BAARS / ZLATKO KAUCIC - Canvas (Not Two 932; Poland) "Slovenian drummer/percussionist Zlatko Kaucic was very busy in 2013-2014. The meetup with pianist Milko Lazar for Ena / One took place between November, 2013 and March, 2014. The disc at hand finds Kaucic performing with Dutch reedman Ab Baars, recorded in October, 2014. Baars is well known in the free jazz side of the Dutch scene.
As expected, the music is quite different although the intent is the same: to bring together two free improvisers and see what happens. Recorded at the Alchemia Club in Krakow (no audience), (like the meeting between Francois Carrier and Rafal Mazur for Unknowable), Kaucic and Baars produced seven tracks that are at once mystifying, intimidating, amazing and a lot of fun.
The opening track "Paint Up Your Visions" is almost twenty-two minutes long and stops completely feigning an ending almost exactly in the middle. The sounds Baars gets are astounding, as is the interplay between him and Kaucic. What might seem chaotic at first takes on shape and form with close listening and a "letting go" or "wait and see" attitude. The intelligence and direction behind the seeming randomness becomes apparent as the track progresses. "Vrtilljak" is a tour de force percussion piece in which Kaucic manages to keep a pattern going while playing intensely around it. Each of the rest of the tracks has a different way of holding together in that there is some melodic fragment, technique or overall sound. On "Polder Wind's," Baars sounds like he is playing the clarinet without a reed, sounding at times much like a flute. "Strup," at sixteen minutes, the second longest track begins as a percussion solo, with tuned gongs attracting attention. Baars enters with some overblowing at first, but then a three-note scale fragment appears and is repeated, twisted and stretched enough that it becomes recognizable as a theme.
The last three tracks ("Mimogrede," "Sputa" and "Almost Danceable") share the sound of what might be called "melodic refraction." This means that what Baars plays sounds like it could be a melody, but the phrases of which are so displaced rhythmically and tonally as to hint at the ur text but never gives it away. Think "Mary Had A Little Lamb" with the familiar notes displaced in varying octaves with their time values altered. One might intuit that what is heard has something familiar about it, but never quite get what that something is. This "refraction" is quite attractive and compelling and brings the music closer to the listener." - Budd Kopman, AAJ
CD $17
A Few Not Two CDs back in stock:
PETER BROTZMANN/STEVE SWELL/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE - Krakow Nights (Not Two 937; Poland) Outstanding, intense and often in-your-face!
CD $17
RODRIGO AMADO With JOE McPHEE/KENT KESSLER/CHRIS CORSANO - This is Our Language (Not Two 922; Poland)
CD $17
STEVE SWELL With PAUL FLAHERTY/C. SPENCER YEH/WEASEL WALTER/ KEN VANDERMARK/MAGNUS BROO/MICHAEL VATCHER/NED ROTHERNBERG/GUILLERMO GREGORIO/FRED LONBERG-HOLM/DARIUS JONES/ et al - Kanreki [2 CD Set](Not Two 929; Poland)
2 CD Set $26
BARRY GUY/KEN VANDERMARK - Occasional Poems [2 CD Set](Not Two 931; Poland)
2 CD Set $26
RAY ANDERSON / HAN BENNINK / ERNST GLERUM / PAUL VAN KLEMENADE - Checking Out (Kemo 16; Netherlands) Featuring Ray Anderson on trombone, Paul van Kemenade on alto sax, Ernst Glerum on double bass and Han Bennink on drums. This is the second disc that Netherlands-based saxist Paul van Kemenade has released with the same personnel, although the previous one did include a guitarist named Frank Mobus. It is always a treat to hear NY trombonist Ray Anderson play no matter what the situation and even better that this quartet is fueled by the ICP Orchestra rhythm team. Like their last disc, each member of the quartet except for Mr. Bennink contributed 2-4 songs plus their is a cover of Monk's "Bright Mississippi". A couple of years ago, Mr. Van Kemenade, sent us nearly a dozen discs on his own Kemo label and each one was worth checking out. Considering that I hadn't heard of Van Kemenade before, I was most intrigued his composing and playing.
The opening song, "Low Profile", has a great, infectious, blues sound with some infectious soloing from the alto sax and clarinet. The real magic here is the elastic rhythm team, especially Han Bennink who varies between swinging, revving up and slowing down and constantly backing the frontline with effortless grace, fire and wit. His solo on "Alligatory Merengue" is marvelous and made me smile wide. Kemenade and Anderson make a great team throughout, sounding as if they are sharing a similar dialogue which combines older and freer styles in a most gleeful way. I love the way "Ominosity" starts out one way, swinging and bluesy and then spins into freer terrain, faster and faster and then settles into the same opening groove, slow and tasty. It is overcast and grey out today (5/4/16) but music like this helps us all feel better like sunshine. There are a couple of muted trombone solos by Ray Anderson which are truly joyous sounding, yeah! Soooo good, through & through! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
PAUL VAN KEMENADE With HAN BENNINK/RAY ANDERSON/STEVKO BUSCH/ANGELO VERPLOEGEN/WOLTER WEIRBOS/ et al - A Kind of... (Kemo 015; Netherlands) This disc features Netherlands-based alto saxist, Paul van Kemenade, with six different ensembles, each one very different in personnel and instrumentation. Before we gat a box of promo CDs from Mr. Van Kemenade last year, I hadn't heard very much about this musician/composer and multi-bandleader. This disc shows how diverse and creative Mr. van Kemenade is, since he plays and arranges for six different ensembles. Kemenade reminds me of another Netherlands-based alto player, Michael Moore, who is also impossible to pin down since he also has so many different bands/projects. For example: the first piece features guitarist Jacq Palinckx, who I recall from playing at the Victo Fest many years ago and who is a fine, post-punk picker. The odd combination of Palinckx on electric guitar, Maurice Leenaars on Flamenco guitar and Kemenade on alto is an unexpected delight. Kemenade has a quartet called Three Horns and a Bass which consists of flugelhorn, trombone, alto sax & bass. "In a Certain Mood" has a lovely, Ellington-like dreamy melody which is most sublime. The Podium Trio with Jan Kuiper on guitar, Wolter Weirbos (from ICP) on trombone & Kemenade on alto shows another elegant side to Kemenade's enchanting catalogue. There are a great deal of surprises found here since each of the half dozen ensembles has their own sound and Van Kemenade writes strong, diverse music for each one. A few times while listening to this long disc (over an hour), I had to remind myself of who I was listening to. How long will Paul van Kemenade remain under-recognized in the US? Hopefully not for very long since he has a wealth of great music on his own Kemo label, much of which we have in stock. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
Last copies of these on sale:
PAUL VAN KEMENADE / AKI TAKASE / HAN BENNINK - Kaiser Nari (Kemo 11; Netherlands) Kaisei Nari' is a concept record that features Dutch saxist Paul Van Kemenade playing duos & trios with Aki Takase on piano and Han Bennink on drums; plus Van Kemenade also playing with three horns and Renaissance vocal ensemble. After receiving a five star review in Downbeat last year for his disc 'Who's in Charge', I contacted Mr. Van Kemenade and began stocks his dozen or so discs on the Kemo label. The personnel and approach was different on each of these discs and the music was consistently of high quality. The same can be said for his new disc which is again filled with the odd surprise. The section is the longest (some 28 minutes) and the music is split between Ms. Takase and Mr. Van Kemenade himself. Ms. Takase is a talented pianist and composer who leads several of her own bands. The opening piece, "Cherry" is a lush duo for smokey sax and elegant piano, most sublime. The title track has that wonderful ICP-like quirkiness of being inside and outside simultaneously, recalling Fats Waller, a favorite of Ms. Takase. Throughout these duo or trio pieces Van Kemenade's tone on alto sax is superb, warm, relaxed and with a pinch of pepper to give it some spice. Ms. Takase also sounds like a wonderful jazz pianist who knows her history and Mr. Bennink on brushes also adds some sparkle and rhythmic effervescence. In the next section Mr. Van Kemenade plays some lovely, haunting sax based on some prayer-like music from the 1400's and backed by a fine Renaissance vocal choir. This is followed by two pieces for three horns (flugel, trombone & alto sax) and bass. Both pieces feature Paul's superb alto saling over the top of the rich harmonies below. For the final piece, Kemenade adds the choir, a Flamenco guitarist and a Senegalese percussionist to the three horns and bass. It is indeed an excellent combination of cultures and works perfectly to bring this enchanting disc to a great close. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $12 (while they last)
* MIKE BAGGETTA With JEROME HARRIS / BILLY MINTZ - Spectre (Fresh Sound NT 499; Spain) Featuring Mike Baggetta on guitar & processing, Jerome Harris on acoustic bass guitar and Billy Mintz on drums. Formerly LA-based guitarist Mike Baggetta is hard to pin down, since each of his projects is/are so different. From solo guitar (with preparations) to a duo with trumpeter Kris Tiner (3 discs so far) to a quartet with Jason Rigby & Eivind Opsvik, his sound/view is always evolving. For his new endeavor, Mr. Baggetta has put together a strong trio with acoustic bass guitarist Jerome Harris (diverse guitarist & bassist for many: Don Byron, Jon Hassell & Bobby Previte) and another former LA-based team player Billy Mintz (too many sessions to mention here) on drums. The composing is split between Mr. Baggetta & Mr. Mintz, a trio improv and a couple of select covers: Webb Pierce and Ornette Coleman.
The opening piece, "Second Prelude" is eerie and has an effective distant, looped fragment repeated with slowly expanding fractures up front. The title piece, "Spectre" is in three parts, the guitars softly shimmer and drift together creating rather hypnotic, reverberant mood. On a song called, "The Only Blues", Baggetta layers several guitars, with and without the occasional loops, creating shifting clouds somewhere in between jazz and rock structures/expectations. On "Passage", Mintz plays quick, dancing figures with brushes on a snare while Mr. Harris slides in a quick dialogue of matching lines while Baggetta also adds slower selective dream-like filigree on top. There is a surprising sludge rocker called "Nasty", which seems to come from nowhere and allows to boogie for a bit in a ZZ Top-sort of way with a sick, distorto mutant guitar solo..! Oddly enough what follows is a sublime cover of a country song, "Leaving on Your Mind" by Webb Pierce. Mostly poignant and completely touching. What makes this disc so great is that it defines its own place in creative music without being dragged into established genres or styles. There is no showing off going on here, just an honest effort to create a number of mesmerizing moods and dreamscapes. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
* MIKE BAGGETTA will play at the Alternative Guitar Fest on Wed, May 11th at Drom (85 Ave A), as part of a tribute to Joni Mitchell & Carla Bley
FRANTZ LORIOT SYSTEMATIC DISTORTION ORCHESTRA With JOE MOFFETT/BEN GERSTEIN/SAM KULIK/SEAN ALI/PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER/ et al - The Assembly (Out Now 024; USA) Featuring Frantz Loriot on viola, Nathaniel Morgan on alto sax, Brad Henkel & Joe Moffett on trumpets, Ben Gerstein & Sam Kulick on trombones, Sean Ali & Pascal Niggenkemper on basses and Carlo Costa, Devin Gray & Flin Van Hemmen on drums & percussion. French violist, Frantz Loriot, lives here some of the time and runs several bands both here and in Europe. The Systematic Distortion Orchestra are Mr. Loriot's ten-piece Downtown (sort of) double ensemble. The is tight, focused, partially free yet directed. It sounds like a chorus of moving waves, with a double rhythm team whipping up a storm. Each member is part of a series of rolling waves, crashing on a distant beach over and over. There is one piece which features the calm spoken words of Sean Ali, reading a letter, making some quiet observations about his family. The four pieces are around 10 minutes each and deal with a series of shifting drones. Parts of the piece are sparse with moments of simmering tension, expanding and then fading away. On the final piece, "Le Relais", several tense layers criss cross in a most disorienting way. It sounds like an ancient accordion wheezing or having problems breathing. The sliding strings, rubbed surfaces, rattles, nervous percussion all hover around one another while someone drowns in quicksand... reaching up, holding out their hand so that they will be saved. It is hard to tell soho is creating certain sounds but it is the effect that causes us float away. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
JC JONES / YONI KRETZMER + BARRE PHILLIPS/MARK DRESSER/REUBEN RADDING/DAMON SMITH/PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER/STEVEN HORENSTEIN/CARMEL RAZ - Esoteric Duos (Out Now 040; USA) On Disc One, Israeli bassist JC Jones performs seven duos: with bassists: Barre Phillips, Mark Dresser & Damon Smith, bari saxist by Steve Horenstein, tenor sax by Yoni Kretzmer and Carmel Raz on violin. Jean Claude "JC" Jones runs the Kadima label, a great Israeli-based label that features an international crew of diverse improvisers from all over with different Israeli musicians. Like most of the discs on Kadima, this disc was recorded mainly is the Kadima Studio in Jerusalem. Kadima features a couple of amazing all bass collective CD/DVD's sets, referred to as the Sonic Brotherhood. Each of the six duets on the first disc well-chosen. I know of Steve Horenstein from his work with Bill Dixon and quartet discs, both on Soul Note. Mr. Horenstein is a master of low end improv, playing bari sax on one duo and bass flute on the other. Each of the three bass duos is very different: two bowed bass sections and the rubbing of strings with objects for the duo with Barre Phillips. The duo with Mark Dresser pushes those arco bass sounds further out into a strange alien soundscape. There is some heavy bowed bass scraping on the duo with Damon Smith. The duo with Yoni Kretzmer on tenor is one of the highlights as the balance between the two is just right, hypnotic and contemplative. Disc 2 features Yoni Kretzmer in duets with four double bassists: Pascal Niggenkemper, Reuben Radding, Sean Conly and JC Jones. Over the past decade Israeli saxist Yoni Kretzmer has some 10+ releases with different combinations of players: duos, trios, quartet and most recently a fabulous quintet. Mr. Kretzmer is a gifted, diverse and creative saxist/composer who keeps moving forward by challenging himself. These eleven duos are something else, each very different. Mr. Niggenkemper has been using different objects to alter the sounds of his bass so it is nearly impossible to figure out what is doing unless you get a chance to see/hear him live. Yoni does a fine job of matching the temperament and style of each bassist. Mr. Kretzmer must dig deep to provide a vital ongoing dialogue which remains strong and spirited throughout. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $16
GHOSTS OF THE HOLY GHOST SPERMIC BROTHERHOOD [DAVID GROLLMAN / MICHAEL EVANS / ANDY HAAS] - For (Resonant Music 013; USA) Second fab disc from the Spermic Brotherhood: David Grollman on snare drum, objects & balloons, Michael Evans on snare drum, electronics & objects and Andy Haas on sax & electronics. NYC is still filled with much buried treasure (sonically speaking) as long as you are willing to explore the depths. This is the second disc by the ridiculously titled Ghosts of the Holy Ghost Spermic Brotherhood. Each member of this trio are good friends who have long supported, attended and played gigs at DMG. No doubt you should remember Andy Haas from his various solo and duo efforts, especially his work with Radio I-Ching, who used to play at DMG pretty often.
Considering that this was created in a studio with no overdubs, it is still hard to tell exactly what is going on. Several layers of strange sounds emerge, mutate slowly and then submerge into the morass. It is not too hard to pick out the rattling cymbals but the other drones or suspended tones are a different matter. Sax? Bowed cymbals? Radiator steam? Consistently fascinating and somewhat disorienting. There are times when we hear sirens and it causes us to feel uncomfortable since we know something bad has just happened to someone. The same uneasy vibe pervades this occasionally mind-melting endeavor. In a way, this sounds similar to Joe Jones Tone Deaf Music Company, a series of strange sculptures which are switched on and play themselves. Yoko Ono utilized these instruments/sculptures for her album, 'Fly'. What is interesting is that although Mr. Grollman plays mostly a snare drums, he is able to create a number of compelling sounds from that one drum. This music contains no solos, it is more about creating a strange environment. What is that?!? Who are they?!? Strange yet wonderful in their own weird way. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10
THOMAS BORGMANN TRIO [With MAX JOHNSON / WILLI KELLERS] - One for Cisco [LP Only/ LTD Edition of 300] (NoBusiness 91; Lithuania) Featuring Thomas Borgmann on soprano & tenor saxes & melodica, Max Johnson on contrabass and Willi Kellers on drums. This set was recorded live at I-Beam, during the New York Tenor Sax Festival in January of 2015. This festival was organized by Cisco Bradley, a professor and concert promoter who runs the New Revolution Arts monthly series at his home in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The great German free/jazz saxist, Thomas Borgmann, had not played in the US since the turn of the century, so Mr. Bradley invited him back and set up a handful of gigs. To make things even better, another legendary figure, German drummer Willi Kellers also was invited to play in the US for the first time, considering that Kellers is in his sixties. The ubiquitous NY bassist, Max Johnson, completed this trio, so the set was even better that one might imagine. I attended this set and it was one of the magical sets that you don't forget. This LP-only release captures that set in all of its glory. The set began quietly and built to a grand conclusion. Both Mr. Borgmann and Mr. Kellers are on the same wavelength, moving together while Mr. Johnson also knits a tight tapestry between them. Much of the first side is restrained yet consistently enchanting. There is an extraordinary soprano sax solo towards the end of the first side but most of the real fireworks takes place on the second side and they are equally amazing! It doesn't get any better than this so dive in today and catch a wave of dynamic, free spirits. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $18 (On sale while supplies last, $10 off regular NoBusiness LP price)
EVA NOVOA DITMAS QUARTET With MICHAEL ATTIAS / MAX JOHNSON / JEFF DAVIS - Butterflies and Zebras (Fresh Sound NT 492; Spain) The Ditmas Quartet features Michael Attias on alto sax, Eva Novoa on piano & Fender Rhodes, Max Johnson on bass and Jeff Davis on drums. I didn't know of pianist Eva Novoa before getting this disc from bassist Max Johnson last week. I do know the other members of this fine quartet pretty well since each one is a leader and can be found in variety of different situations/projects. Reeds wiz, Michael Attias, alone can be found on more than thirty discs leading several bands and working with Anthony Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Paul Motian and Positive Catastrophe.
Although Ms. Novoa wrote half of the ten songs here, the other members each contributed a song or two themselves. Jeff Davis' "Spicy Water" opens with a cerebral, spinning web, organically speeding up and slowing down with a superb drum solo near the end. Ms. Novoa's "The Drone" has a familiar sounding repeating line that is quite tricky to navigate and it is M-Base-like in sound. Not only is Jeff Davis a strong composer and bandleader but he is one the best drummers in NY since moving here a while back. His drumming is superb throughout this disc, no matter what the structure or strategy of each piece. I dig the way there are several tightly connected lines the spin quickly around one another in tight orbits on Mr. Attias' "Pre-Nervescale". On the opposite end of boisterousness is "Coffee Stain", an exquisite ballad with a sublime bass and dreamy sax solo. Ms. Novoa has picked a perfect quartet to play these songs, everyone fits just right. I hope to check out this great quartet live but in the meantime you too can hear New York's finest now! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
Back in stock:
MARCO ENEIDI / ITZAM CANO / GABRIEL LAUBER - Cosmic Brujo Mutafuka (Dimensional 002; Mexico) Featuring Marco Eneidi on alto sax, Itzam Cano on contrabass and Gabriel Lauber on drums. During the eighties and nineties, saxist Marco Eneidi was an important part of the Downtown free/jazz scene, blowing up a storm of intensity with Bill Dixon, William Parker and Peter Brotzmann, as well as having nearly a dozen of his own discs out as a leader. More recently Mr. Eneidi spent a decade in Vienna, Austria but has now moved to Mexico. He just sent us two new discs featuring his Mexican trio and considering I hadn't heard of either member of his rhythm team, I am most impressed. The opening piece is called, "Fire Within" and this is indeed an appropriate title, intense, fire-breathing, free/jazz at its best! The free/jazz spirit is a universal language which transcends established geographical borders. After the explosive first piece, the trio calms down to a fine, more cerebral excursion with some impressive and thoughtful contrabass and strong mallet-work. This trio sounds like they have been working together for a long while as they are consistently tight and erupt together with several lines or currents moving together as one dynamic force. Both the bassist and drummer get their chance to stretch out and dig deep, showing the many sides of creative freedom. My next door next-door neighbor came by when I was playing this disc and asked what this insanity was? I said it is free/jazz from Mexico and smiled. No wall will keep these spirits from reaching us and blowing some minds, time and again! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
COSMIC BRUJO MUTAFUKA [MARCO ENEIDI / ITZAM CANO / GABRIEL LAUBER] - Rhapsody of the Oppressed (Dimensional 003; Mexico) Featuring Marco Eneidi on alto sax, Itzam Cano on contrabass and Gabriel Lauber on drums. This disc was recorded two years later than the previous disc (reviewed above in this newsletter) from this cosmic Mexican free/jazz trio. Former Downtown saxist Marco Eneidi, lived in Austria for a decade and now lives in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The trio have evolved further: stronger, tighter, more intense and like one great spirit force! All but two of the pieces here are short, but no less engaging. In a blindfold test, an experienced Downtown jazz free/jazz expert might just guess that the rhythm team was William Parker and Hamid Drake, this is how strong & spirited this trio sounds. The trio now have a group name, Cosmic Brujo Mutafuka, which sounds appropriate since they sound like a perfectly well-matched trio with no leader, all integral to that group sound. There are those who preach that free jazz is dead or at least old, dusty and no longer worthy of serious study. I disagree. Free music, from around the world, is constantly reinventing itself. No, not all of it is great, but there is no denying the transformative and creative spirits which exist when one jumps in and goes along for the great ride. This is what is found here in great abundance! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
Overstock Sale:
BOBBY FEW / AVRAM FEFER / WILBER MORRIS - Few and Far Between / Live at Tonic 6/4/00 (Boxholder 029; USA)
CD Sale $8
BOBBY FEW / AVRAM FEFER - Kindred Spirits (Boxholder 048; USA)
CD Sale $8
BOBBY FEW / AVRAM FEFER - Heavenly Places (Boxholder 049; USA)
CD Sale $8
Take all three of the above gems & pay just $20
SKIN CRIME - Case Studies In Early Taxidermy Techniques [20 CD Set] (Hospital Productions 400; USA) "Deluxe 20xcd cloth bound foil stamped box with ribbon including individual wallets, 40-page booklet and 2-sided poster. Edition of 300. Despite being the creator and main operator of the legendary and eerie Self Abuse records, Patrick O'neil founded Skin Crime in 93/94 out of the morbid surrealism of mother project -- Hanged Man's Orgasm. One of the earliest and most influential American noise institutions from the '90s, Skin Crime could be said to be the missing link between European Musique concrete, Japanese noise, and the gritty abstract electronics of what became the glory and gory days of 'American Harsh Noise.' The special and largely undocumented moment at which the 'noise' broke away from 'industrial' to destroy further its electronic roots. Its synthetic sound sources associated with industrial became so self abused that their electronic origins were rendered indecipherable and turned into a rotten organic abstraction. Skin Crime distinguished themselves as not just another 'bedroom project' but a real dedicated live noise band. With a rotating lineup surrounding their core as a three piece, their highly detailed ascending compositions offset with their forceful and dynamic textures quickly secured them a place in the rapidly emerging international noise subculture. Appearing on such cult releases as The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn tour VHS and An Evening Of Serious Noise tape box, their unique live model saw the band performing alongside heavyweights such as the Haters, Merzbow, and Masonna, outlasting many of their peers. Through careful selection yet extensive depth their key works as well as vital secrets are preserved here with respect to the mystery."
20 CD Deluxe Set $140
RITORNELL - If Nine Was Eight (Karoake Kalk 091; Germany) Austrian duo Ritornell present their third album, If Nine Was Eight, following Golden Solitude (KK 047CD, 2009) and Aquarium Eyes (KK 071CD/LP, 2013). The album sees percussionist Richard Eigner and pianist Roman Gerold create states of suspension and illusion that not only blur the lines between pop and art but also between acoustic and electronic sounds. The ambiguous beauty of their music has been compared to a detailed botanical still life -- one half-expects to see movement among the leaves. Contrabass flute, cello, piano, Rhodes -- these are only some of the ingredients that make up the ten tracks on If Nine Was Eight. Eigner and Gerold collaborate with a number of musicians on the album, including jazz tubist Jon Sass, saxophonist Werner Zangerle, and Swiss avant-garde percussionist Julian Sartorius. Flip Philipp, member of the Wiener Symphoniker, plays marimba and vibraphone. Various flutes are added by Norbert Trawoger, a prolific mediator between old and new music. Mira Lu Kovacs (Schmieds Puls) is responsible for the lyrics and vocals on the track "Old People," Viennese artist Mimu Merz (Book of Now) is once more a part of the team, and the soulful vocals on the track "Sleeping Alone" are courtesy of Tobias Koett of the duo Ant Antic. In Ritornell's protean live performances everything is flexible. Depending on the context, Eigner and Gerold dress their compositions in different guises -- dance tunes can morph into planar, cloudy soundscapes and vice versa. Thus they demonstrate that even if nine can never be eight, at least their music is full of possibilities.
CD $16
DEADSMOKE - Deadsmoke (Heavy Psych Sounds 032; Italy) Deadsmoke is an Italian doom sludge band that sounds like amplifiers buried in the deep, with down-tuned monolithic guitar riffs scraping the soil down to the core of the earth. Slow, hypnotic, dissonant cadences recall the eternal need for isolation and the atavistic fear of nothingness. Sub-frequencies corrode the one last trace of human cognition, apprehension, and judgment. Your soul is already burned - smoke is what remains. Five monolithic songs, for an incredible debut. The recordings are engineered to perfection; one can easily distinguish the mud and the power of each instrument with pleasure. For fans of: Ufomammut, Sleep, Electric Wizard.
CD $17
SCOTT WALKER & THE WALKER BROTHERS - Everything Under The Sun (Goldfish 015; UK) "Having officially disbanded in late 1967 following a hugely successful career in the UK, The Walker Brothers - non-related American natives to a man - were persuaded by management to undertake a short tour of Japan together in the opening month of 1968. 'Brother' Scott Walker (nie Engel) had adopted the most prominent role in the trio by this juncture and was pursuing a solo career too, which was proving both successful and critically acclaimed. Having released his first solo album Scott a few months before - a record which climbed to No. 3 on the UK albums chart, beating by as many points the last WB album - he still came out of the trio penniless. Knowing that to make further solo works was going to cost dear, he agreed to a final (or so he believed at the time) fling with his fake brethren, Gary and John. The shows at the Osaka Festival hall between the 2nd and 4th, recorded for television transmission, were as riotous as any pop concert in 1960's Japan was ever going to be - still an ultra-conservative albeit democratic and modern Asian territory. The songs performed can be described best as a motley collection of numbers from the group's back catalogue, plus a single strike from Scott and a rag-bag selection of covers. That being said, the results prove to be a thoroughly enjoyable live run through of both the big hits and some of the finest cuts from the Brothers' four, often underrated, albums together. With performances of such lost classics as 'Living Above Your Head,' 'In My Room,' 'Everything Under The Sun' and Scott's marvelous 'Saturday's Child' alongside 'Make It Easy On Yourself' and 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore,' and while the flow may be a little disjointed, the editing for television somewhat unorthodox to western ears and the between song announcements - well, judge those for yourself - this rare recording will prove a must-have CD for fans of both Scott Walker and of the group with which he came to the world's attention."
CD $15
DANIELLE DE PICCIOTTO & ALEXANDER HACKE - Perseverantia [LP+CD](Potomak 125171; Germany) The German-American artist couple Danielle de Picciotto and Alexander Hacke are internationally known, Danielle as the founder of the Love Parade, Alexander since over 35 years for his work with the seminal Berlin group Einsturzende Neubauten and both together as members of the band Crime & The City Solution. Since 2001 they have been creating interdisciplinary projects on stage, in theaters and museums as a duo. Perseverantia will be issued on Neubauten's very own label Potomak. Their last joint venture, the album Hitmans Heel was released in 2011 and a video to the track "Time Is Passing", shot in Mexico under Danielle's direction soon developed into a cult classic. "Perseverantia" means "endurance" or "persistence" and the artist couple, otherwise known for their adventurous lifestyle and unusual experiments are obviously concerned with a different theme this time around. Danielle de Picciotto and Alexander Hacke have been leading a nomadic life since 2010, with no permanent home and travelling from one city to the next. The reason for their restlessness is the overall gentrification, the annihilation of individualism, the rising costs of living and the relentless sellout by the mainstream entertainment industry. "Artists need to find new ways of working now-a-days in order to upkeep integrity and autonomy. The old patterns no longer function." The uncompromising decision to abandon their home has since determined their work. Their search for external & internal clarity, researching archaic principles and philosophies has helped them master the rigors of the road. For the attentive listener, Perseverantia reveals a treasure of their truisms. The album was recorded in the Californian Mojave desert and is mostly instrumental, with a few spoken-word lyrics by Danielle. Together with the throat-singing by Alexander Hacke, the purring and squeaking of the hurdy-gurdy and an ether-plucking harp, melancholic violin melodies and the hum and growl of bass and guitar, one is placed in an acoustic world of mysteries, which floats out of the loudspeakers like an epic movie, both disturbing and mesmerizing. "Perseverantia ad finem optatum" they sing in the title track, and is their main consequence of importance: To successfully achieve a positive goal, we need one thing above all: endurance. No matter how stony the road or wild the storm - we must continue following the path of our destiny. Liebe Li Surrender is not an option - for none of us. Limited to 500 copies worldwide.
LP + CD $24
LP Section:
OKKYUNG LEE/BILL ORCUTT - Live at Cafe OTO (Otoroku 017; UK) The full recording of the first meeting between Bill Orcutt (USA) and Okkyung Lee (South Korea). Individually these players have focused on an idiosyncratic approach to their chosen instruments and technique. Okkyung is one of the most singular voices to compromise the cello's classical origin, while Orcutt has spent many years developing a unique abstraction of traditional guitar blues. Live at Cafe OTO is an uncompromising combination of these individual elements and an ecstatic improvised assault of mind and sense. Okkyung Lee: cello. Bill Orcutt: guitar. 180-gram LP in matte sleeve with artwork by Bill Orcutt. Limited edition of 500.
LP $25
ROGER TURNER/YUKIHIRO ISSO - Takanehishigu (Otoroku 015; UK) Born in 1964, Yukihiro Isso is a Japanese Noh flutist (hayashikata fuekata) from a family that has been playing this instrument since the 16th century. He received his initial instruction in flute playing from his father, Yukimasa Isso, and performed on the Noh stage for the first time at the age of nine. Beginning in his middle school years, he began listening to a variety of different kinds of music and studying new instruments including the recorder and piano. An acclaimed performer of classical Noh repertoire, Isso is also an accomplished improviser and has performed with the likes of Cecil Taylor, Peter Brotzmann, and John Zorn. Born in 1946, Roger Turner grew up among the Canterbury musical life of the 1960s with a strong jazz foundation. Since 1974 his work has been concentrated on exploring a more personal percussion language through the processes of improvisation. Solo work; collaborations with experimental rock musics and open-form song; extensive work with dance, film, and visual art; involvements in numerous jazz-based ensembles; and workshop residencies have formed part of that development. Takanehishigu is the audio documentation of the first time these artists played together. The results are a breathtaking new music that remains respectful to the individual traditions while simultaneously subverting them. Yukihiro Isso: Nohkan (Noh flute), shinobue, dengakubue, gemshorn, and recorder. Roger Turner: percussion. Recorded live at Cafe OTO on September 23, 2016, by Shaun Crook, mixed by John Chantler, and mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi. Artwork by Paul Abbott. Edition of 500.
LP $25
MYTHIC SUNSHIP - Ouroboros (El Paraiso Records 033; Denmark) Debut album from Copenhagen quartet, Mythic Sunship . The destination is transcendence alright, but the vehicle, ultimately, is assembled from decades of rock - where ferocious drum-pounding and thick, geezery basslines adds fuel to an endless pyre of blazed-out dual fuzz guitar action. This stuff is wild. Spiritually, the band seems connected to present day So-Cal psych-rock, but listening to Ouroboros, also reveals the band's strong ties to the Copenhagen underground scene: members of the band brushing elbows with the avant-garde noise of the record label Posh Isolation as well as the Mayhem venue. There's plenty of blissed-out riff-worshipping here, but there's also something slightly unsettling in the band's skyward travels - perhaps a longing for spiritual redemption. Maybe the road to satori isn't necessarily pretty after all. File next to: Amon Duul II, Earthless, Guru Guru, Travellin' Flower Band.
LP $25
KLIMPEREI & ERIC CHABERT - Sing John B Cornaway: Dealings (Bruit Direct Disques 020; France) The pataphysical toy music of Klimperei, a collective project led since 1985 by Christophe Petchanatz, gets a lot out of many small things - dismantled toys, organs with burst pipes, squeaking detuned guitars, loose broom. Sung in English by Eric Chabert, the songs on Dealings are adaptations of poems by John B. Cornaway (1957-1994), author of Heligoland. Over Chabert's scratchy voice, still manifesting all its vigor, Klimperei unload its makeshift bric-a-brac, convoking melodica, banjo and metallophone. Child-like without infantilism, these pieces sometimes show their teeth, but the bite is never violent. Woozy cabaret cantata ("Cup of Tea"), Potluck Canterbury School ("Spoil"), punk waltz under a sad sun ("Hard"), acoustic free-blues ("Solution", "Wear On") or haywire krautrock ("Soon"). Mind dust in a stormy mouth, black candy dispenser - broken bottle et verre brise. The glottis shaking sobs are quickly repressed. Because, yes, despite everything, life is good at Klimperei's. And the wind, Cornaway says, will never die.
LP $25
********
***********************************
IF YOU'RE ALREADY SUBSCRIBED TO OUR NEWSLETTER, BUT SOMEHOW YOU'RE NOT RECEIVING THEM IN YOUR INBOX..
Many of your incoming emails are being blocked and you don't know it! Many emails like our newsletter are frequently blocked by aggressive spam filters being used by nearly all email services.
To help avoid this problem and get our newsletter:
Hotmail Users: Place the domain " downtownmusicgallery.com " on your Safe List, so that you can receive our emails. The safe list can be accessed via the "Options" link next to the main menu tabs. Also place the email address dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com in your address book.
Yahoo! Mail: If one of our e-newsletters is filtered to your 'bulk' folder, open the message and click on the "this is not Spam" link next to the "From" field. The same goes for any other e-mail you receive that doesn't belong there. Add the address dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com to your address book.
Other email services [Earthlink, GMail et al]: Place the domain " downtownmusicgallery.com " on your email filter's whitelist. You may need to search your email help menu for details on how to do this. Depending on software/version, they may call it a "whitelist," a "good list" or similar name. Adding the address dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com to your address book will help too.
AOL: IF YOU HAVE AN AOL MAIL ACCOUNT, GET RID OF IT!
They block senders WITHOUT the consent of the user, and recently virtually all of our AOL newsletter subscribers have not been able to receive it, and attempts to whitelist us have failed! WE RECOMMEND you get a GMAIL or YAHOO account, and switch over!
[Home] [Order] [Search]