('For What It's Worth') continues:
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down?
What a field day for the heat (Ooh ooh ooh)
A thousand people in the street (Ooh ooh ooh)
Singing songs and they carrying signs (Ooh ooh ooh)
Mostly say, "Hooray for our side" (Ooh ooh ooh)
It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down?
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away
We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down?
You better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down?
You better stop
Now, what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down?
You better stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down?
Today is May Day, which is considered to be the first day of Spring. It is also a day of Protest and Resistance and considered to be the beginning of the modern labor movement. There are hundreds, perhaps 1000's of protests going on all around the US and the rest of the world as well today and weekly. There is even one going in the center of Rahway, NJ, where I've lived for the past 42 years. I am heading over there soon, just a couple of blocks from where I live and I look forward to be among the other protestors. If you, like me is/are frustrated, unhappy or angry with what our current administration is doing, I urge you to go to these protests and work on whatever you can do to make sure our Democracy does not come to an end. It is up to us to stand together against fascism and an oligarchy. These are the words that accompany/ explain the protests:
"Our call is for a country that puts the people at the fore—public schools over private profits, healthcare over hedge funds, housing over homelessness. We're organizing for a world where everyone has housing, healthcare, fair wages, union protection, safety and justice—regardless of race, wealth, zip code, or immigration status.
"Musk, Trump and their fellow profiteers are trying to create a race to the bottom—on wages, on benefits, on dignity itself. They’re defunding our schools, privatizing public services, attacking unions, and targeting immigrant families with fear and violence. This is a war on working people—and we will not step back. Using the principles of nonviolence and peaceful protest, we will come together and stand strong."
The above song was released at the end of 1966 and was the debut single by Buffalo Springfield (which included Steve Stills, Neil Young & Richie Furay). The band was based in L.A. although all of the members came from different backgrounds. 1967 is known for having The Summer of Love, Psychedelics, Marijuana and Protests. I had already heard about Buffalo Springfield before their first records were released thanks to Hit Parade magazine which I started buying in the summer of 1966 since I was fascinated by the lyrics to popular rock songs at the time. I recall hearing this song on AM radio and being rather spooked by its haunting sound. I love these lines especially: "Paranoia strikes deep, Into your life it will creep, Step out of line, the men come and take you away". The song casts a hypnotic spell as it keeps repeating these two notes on the guitar. This song seemed to capture a fleeting feeling that many of us were feeling at the time. It still feels appropriate today, almost 60 years later. Heading to the protest now, wish me well. Peace and Love Always, MC BruceLee, the Psychedelic Senior Citizen
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34 YEARS AGO TODAY (MAY 1ST, 1991) DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY OPENED IT DOORS!
It still seems hard to believe that my/our store has been around longer than any other record store in Manhattan. When we began in May of 1991, there were more than a hundred record stores in Manhattan and now there are around a dozen. We opened on East 5th Street (bet 2nd & 3rd Aves) in May of 1991 and we were there until 2003, then moving to the Bowery (bet Great Jones & Bond Sts) until December of 2009. Our final move (in Jan of 2010) was/is to 13 Monroe Street (bet Catherine & Market Sts) in the Two Bridges section, on the far east side of Chinatown. Our weekly newsletter goes out to around 6,500 serious listeners from around the world and we have had weekly FREE concerts here since around the turn of the millenium. Although only a couple of hundred folks order from us regularly, we appreciate hearing from any of you who read the newsletter and give us your response. I started adding lyrics to the top of the newsletter during the pandemic as a way to reach anyone who was feeling as lonely, depressed, frustrated & angry as I was, due to what has been going on here and around the world. Creative Music is still a Universal Language which radiates vibes, feelings, ideas, hopeful things... things we all share as human beings, no matter where we are. Thanks to all of you out there for your longtime support, it is greatly welcomed. I must admit that although it is often hard to survive financially at times, I still have my dream job, talking about and promoting the music that I still love and need, to stay sane and inspired. Who still loves you bubbies!?!? Me, John Mori & Caroline Morton at DMG still do
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THE DMG 34th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT CELEBRATION CONTINUES with:
Tuesday, May 6th:
6:30: SPIRIT CLARINET ORCHESTRA: DR. PAUL AUSTERLITZ / JAMES ELMORE III / STEPHEN GAUCI / RAS MOSHE / RANDOLPH MURPHY / FRED ROSENBERG / DON SLATOFF / ZIZI SLEPOVITCH / DAVID STOKES - Clarinets
7:30: GIAN PEREZ - Guitar / KYLE JESSEN - Sax / PHILL SMITH - Drums
8:30: patrick brennan's SKETCHBOOK SERIES #9: BOB HOLMAN - Poetry / ON KA'A DAVIS - Guitar / DAFNA NAPHTALI - Electronics / SARA SCHOENBECK - Bassoon / patrick brennan - Alto Sax
9:30: BEN GOLDBERG - Clarinet / MICHAEL COLEMAN - Keyboard / HAMIR ATWAL - Drums
Saturday, May 10th, The GAUCI-MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
6:30: AYAKO KANDA - Vocals / BRITTANY KARLSON - Bass / NICK NEUBERG - Drum
7:30: STEPHEN GAUCI - Tenor Sax-Clarinet-Flute / MICHAEL GILBERT - Bass / JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums
8:30: MIKE McGINNIS - Woodwinds / CARMEN STAAF - Keyboards / GUI DUVIGNAU - Bass / HAMIR ATWAL - Drums
Tuesday, May 13th:
6:30: DANIEL GALOW - Alto Sax - Electronics / HUGH ASH - Trumpet / JAMES JONES - Drums
7:30: RAS MOSHE - Tenor Sax / DAFNA NAPHTALI - Electronics / CAROLINE MORTON & JOENG LIM YANG - Contrabasses!
8:30: PHILLIP GREENLIEF - Tenor Sax / TIM BERNE - Alto Sax
Tuesday, May 20th:
6:30: PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums / JIM CLOUSE - Tenor & Soprano Saxes / ADAM LANE - Contrabass
7:30: MICHAEL EATON TRIO: MAX KUTNER - Guitar / MICHAEL EATON - Soprano Sax
8:30: JP CARLETTI BIGGISH: YONI KRETZMER - Tenor Sax / KENNY WARREN - Trumpet / RICK PARKER - Trombone / CHRISTOF KNOCHE - Bass Clarinet / PETER BITENC - Bass / JUAN PABLO CARLETTI - Percussion
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THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER BEGIN WITH AN ESSENTIAL BOOK or JOHN ZORN'S ARTWORK:
JOHN ZORN - Hermetic Cartography (The Drawing Center, Drawing Papers 158; USA) When John Zorn texted me about his 3 month exhibition at The Drawing Center earlier this year (2025), I was most surprised since I had no clue that Mr. Zorn has been creating his own visual artwork since the early days as young composer, in the mid-1970's. I met Mr. Zorn in December of 1979 at Studio Henry in the west Village playing in a duo with my hero Fred Frith. I wasn't so sure what to make of Zorn then since he just played just sax mouthpieces, bird calls and a cup of water. It took me about a year to figure out what Zorn was doing and that he was an incredible, completely unique saxist, a singular composer, creating his own unique world, perspective or vision. Little did I (or anyone else) know that Mr. Zorn was also creating his own visual art-world to accompany or illustrate his own unique creative spirit. I've been to the Zorn exhibition at The Drawing Center twice and I am astonished at what Zorn has accomplished. The exhibition and this book capture the more than 100 drawings, writings, flyers, album cover artwork and many notes about Zorn's irrepressible ability to illustrate his many ideas about art and life and the way they are connected. Besides the 100 plus drawings, there are quite a bit of fascinating texts about Zorn and his work from friends and collaborators: Richard Foreman (film director), Ella Troyiano (dancer/choreographer), Arnold I. Davidson, Laura Hoptman, Olivia Shao and Jay Sanders (curator at Artist Space Gallery). I found the text to be particularly fascinating and a great way to understand some of Mr. Zorn's unique perspective and treasure chest of fascinating artwork. Once a month during the exhibition, Mr. Zorn performed his music in the same room that his artwork is/was on display. This was a perfect match of artistic sensibilities in different forms, the right occasion to hear his varied music in an environment created to show his other view of his and our shared worlds. The March concert featured the New Masada Quartet, the April concert featured a performance of Zorn's most popular game piece, 'Cobra' and the May performance will feature the JACK Quartet performing a couple of Zorn's string quartets. This essential Zorn book is limited and will only be reprinted once more if it sells out before the exhibition closes at the end of May, 2025. We just got 50 copies on and this may be the only ones we will get. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
BOOK $45 - [216 pages, soft cover/ limited edition, not to be reprinted after the John Zorn Exhibition at The Drawing Room ends in mid-May of 2025]
TISZIJI MUNOZ / JAMAALADEEN TACUMA / PAUL SHAFFER / WILL CALHOUN - Quantum Blues (Ropeadope Records; USA) Featuring Tisziji Muñoz on guitar, Paul Shaffer on piano & keyboards, Jamaaladeen Tacuma on electric contrabass and Will Calhoun on drums & Udu clay drum. Spirit Jazz guitar god, Tisziji Muñoz, has long been a cult figure or hero to those of us who have been searching for that Cosmic Spirit/Jazz vibe that legends like John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders created in the mid-1960's. Mr. Muñoz actually joined Pharoah's band and recorded on a great album called 'Pharoah' (on India Navigation, 1977). Muñoz recorded his first leader date for India Navigation the following year (1978), 'Rendezvous With Now', a strong debut album of Spirit/Jazz/Fire music with a couple of musicians from Toronto where Muñoz was living for a period of time. Future David Letterman keyboardist, Paul Shaffer, was attending school in Toronto in 1969 and met Muñoz, who became his musical/spiritual guru, they've remained friends and collaborators ever since. Mr. Muñoz started his own Anami Music label around a decade after his debut album, releasing upwards of fifty albums in nearly four decades. Muñoz has worked with an ongoing group of Spirit/Jazz musicians like Bernie Senensky, Don Pate, Rashied Ali (another Coltrane collaborator), Ra Kalam Bob Moses, Marilyn Crispell, John Medeski... Aside from his wealth of great records for Anami, Muñoz has on rare occasion recorded for other labels like Dreyfuz Jazz and Gotta Let It Out. Keyboard wiz Paul Shaffer has been performing with and getting gigs for Muñoz for many years (check out the clip for Muñoz's appearance on the Letterman show and/or the DVD of 'Divine Radiance Live' with Pharoah, Ravi Coltrane & Rashied Ali).
It was Paul Shaffer who organized this session, a first time meeting with four strong avant/jazz greats: Tisziji Muñoz, Paul Shaffer, Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Will Calhoun. You no doubt know about electric bass great Jamaaladeen Tacuma from his work with Ornette's first Primetime band, the original Golden Palominos and a current trio with Blood Ulmer. Although most folks know drummer Will Calhoun from his work with Living Colour, Mr. Calhoun has recorded a half-dozen solo & leader dates since 1994, which show him to be one of best and most diverse (jazz, jazz/rock, funk, etc.) drummers around. I've caught Paul Shaffer playing with Tisziji around a half dozen times over the years and realized that we can hear his admiration and respect for Muñoz in his playing whenever they get together. Mr. Shaffer organized this session, choosing the personnel wisely, especially since Mr. Tacuma and Mr. Calhoun had never played with this Spirit/Jazz guitarist before this session began. This album begins with "Who is Not the Blues", with Tisziji's guitar already reaching for the stars, starting out slowly as the quartet ascends together. Each of the ten pieces are called "blues" and they do have a blues-like vibe/sound. Shaffer is playing in that modal, McCoy-like style on the piano while the bass and drums swirl tightly along together. "Mamma's Blues!" starts with a sly, bluesy melody created by Muñoz with Shaffer comping righteously underneath. Tacuma plays that ancient sounding refrain over & over, providing the heartbeat/pulse with Muñoz also playing the central theme as he solos around it, running furious cosmic scales above and below. Whenever Muñoz solos, whether in short or longer bursts, he is always reaching for and getting to those heights of transcendence. On each piece Muñoz plays the theme up front as Shaffer plays majestically underneath while Tacuma plays the central (often cosmic) pulse. On many of Muñoz's previous records and live, he usually stretches out and takes long, flowing and cosmic solos which are at times too intense for some more light-hearted listeners. This disc is much different since each piece is relatively short (under 7 minutes). Instead of longer solos, Muñoz concentrates on and explores what sound like ancient, blues-derived melodies, each one has a way of tucking away at our collective heart-strings. Although Muñoz has a dark, somewhat gnarly and distinctive tone on guitar, he also has his own way of playing melodies which are often bittersweet. Could this be a 'Muñoz for Lovers' release? Not really, but it could be a "Blues for Mother Earth" lullaby. Many of us wise older hipsters have been crying the blues for our current state of Bad New Blues daily affairs, complaining to each other and writing poems. The music here is more direct than our words could convey. We all have the 'Quantum Blues' and this is our current soundtrack. I am working on a Tisziji Muñoz gig for later this year so stay tuned and order this disc for some Cosmic Inspiration! - Bruce lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH / BARRY ALTSCHUL QUARTET with JOE FONDA / RUDI MAHALL - Free Flow (Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 09/2025; Poland) Featuring Alex Von Schlippenbach on piano, Rudi Mahall on bass clarinet, Joe Fonda on contrabass and Barry Altshul on drums. Earlier this month on April 7, the pre-eminent, free/jazz piano master Alex Von Schlippenbach turned 78! Considering that his first recording as a founding member of the Globe Unity Orchestra was released in 1967, his career stretches back nearly six decades with upwards of a hundred records under his belt. Aside from recordings with his ongoing ensembles like Globe Unity & Berlin Contemporary Orchestras, Monk's Casino and the trio with Evan Parker & Paul Lovens, Mr. Schlippenbach has long worked as a sideman for Peter Brotzmann, Manfred Schoof & Gunter Hampel and with his wife, pianist Aki Takase. Schlippenbach also does an occasional one-off like a fine quartet date with Stephen Gauci & Joe Hertenstein from 2022. I am not sure how many gigs that this quartet played but they sound like they've been together for ages. German bass clarinetist, Rudu Mahall, has been working with Schlippenbach in several different bands (Monk's Casino & Globe Unity) and has around a dozen discs with both in attendance. Bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Barry Altschul are also elders who've been creating music for a half century, with dozens of recordings between them. Fonda and Altschul have been recording together in several bands (like trios with Billy Bang & Jon Irabagon & a quartet with Oliver Lake) since 2003.
This two disc set contains an entire 94 minute set which is mostly freely improvised with two Monk songs referenced within the long set. The music was recorded live at Porgy & Bess in Vienna in September of 2023. From the gitgo, I/we can tell that something wonderful is taking place here, free yet focused. This music is often explosive and moves in waves. Mr. Fonda and Mr. Alstchul have been working together for more than two decades and they sound like they are connected, locked in as one (occasionally) turbulent force. Joe Fonda takes a short but inspired bass solo at the 7 minute mark, popping his strings as he reaches the heights. Rudi Mahall is one of the few European reed players who plays mostly just bass clarinet. Mahall also solos here, hitting those rambunctious Dolpy-esque lines. Joe Fonda has long been one of my favorite bassists and whenever he solos here, he pushes the layers of creativity and intensity higher and higher. Equally impressive is the drumming of Barry SAltschul who also takes an occasional solo. Although this music is mainly freely improvised, both Schlippenbach and Mahall sound like they are morphing into connected melodic or at least sympathetic lines, a tight tapestry of connected ideas which flows throughout. Even when they do the two Monk songs, "Work" and "Wee See", they sound as if they are/were well-woven into the rapids that the quartet plays throughout their lengthy 85 minute set. The Monk songs actually balance the flow just right as they show another crafty side to what this group does best, createing their own unique world or sound. Consistently enchanting. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18
SATOKO FUJII TOKYO TRIO with TAKASHI SUGAWA / ITTETSU TAKEMURA - Dream a Dream (Libra 203-079; Japan) Featuring Satoko Fujii on piano & compositions, Takashi Sugawa on contrabass and Ittetsu Takemura on drums. Recorded at Studio Sextan in Paris in May of 2024. Ms. Fujii has led several trios throughout her long music career, the trio with Mark Dresser and Jim Black being around the longest (five fine discs). The Tokyo Trio has been around since 2019 and this is their third disc. Bassist Takashi Sugawa also played in a trio with Natsuki Tamura (Satoko's husband & longest collaborator) and Ms. Fujii. Drummer Ittetsu Takemura was also a member of Kira Kira with Alister Spence, Tamura and Fujii (CD from 2018). I caught this trio earlier this month (4/2/25) at I-Beam in Brooklyn and was blown away by their set.
Commencing with "Second Step", Ms. Fujii plays some dense, intense lines, wave upon wave, the pedal held down as she emits those torrential waves. Mr. Sugawa plays a strong unaccompanied solo next as the focused vibe continues with the drummer adding his own skeletal percussion, playing by himself in a subtle, exquisite way. At the beginning of the title track, Mr. Fujii used an ebow to coax a drone from inside the piano, tapping on the strings inside the piano to creating some suspense. The piano and bass play their long tones together while the drums create some turbulence on their own. This disc is superbly recorded and balanced, warm, clean and clear in sound. The drummer sounds as if he is playing a timpani at times, this is how well his playing is captured here. Each piece unfolds in a way that always adds some drama to the music, it is as if we are witnessing the beginning of a new world emerging from the depths. There is a suspense-filled theme which opens and closes this long thoughtful piece. Before the piano comes in on "Summer day", the bass and drums create their own narrative or story-line. The piano enters in tight bursts with the rest of the trio playing freely in a most focused way. Whenever anyone solos here, it sounds like they are continuing the same inner vibe, emerging from the trio in an organic way. "Rain Drop" begins like the tapping raindrops at first but soon picks up speed. These pieces often remind me of a stark painting with minimal visual (or audial) elements so that each fragment (visible or audial) has meaning on its own. The last piece, "Aruku' is a long, sprawling, tour-de-force which erupt powerfully throughout its entire length. This is some of the most exciting, most throttling piano trio music I've ever heard! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
SATOKO FUJII THIS IS IT! with NATSUKI TAMURA / TAKASHI ITANI - Message (Libra Records 203-080; Japan) Featuring Natsuki Tamura on trumpet, Satoko Fujii on piano & compositions and Takashi Itani on drums & percussion. Considering that Satoko Fujii has more than a hundred discs released, you might think how can she keep releasing discs and playing live without running out of ideas?!?! Ms. Fujii and her longtime musical & personal partner, Natsuki Tamura, have worked together in duos, trios, quartets and several different orchestras. The drummer here, Takashi Itani, has been working with Fujii & Tamura for a decade now in trios and quartets. This is the second disc from this trio which is known as 'This Is It!'. "Message" starts with an intro which is played by the trio together before they start spinning lines together with the trumpet kicking things off before Ms. Fujii takes a long, rambunctious piano solo. When Tamura re-enters, he sounds like Miles Davis soaring high for a bit before the drummer takes a feisty drum solo. As the drum solo ends the trumpet and piano play some tight (written) lines together. "Cryptography" starts off rather dark yet majestic chords played just on the piano. Natsuki plays somber elegant lines which are sweet harmony with the exquisite, sparse piano. The piano and trumpet play righteously together ,always creating a story in between the opening and closing themes. The melody to "Never Mind" reminds me of the music written for a sequence in a spy film. The drummer is particularly expressive throughout this piece, erupting intensely at times with the entire piece moving in churning waves. Each of the six pieces here tell or illustrate a different story or scene. The drummer sounds like he is laying vibes on the last piece, creating a mellow intro and outro with some lovely trumpet from Tamura. This piece is most enchanting and it feels just right as the last piece on this disc since it has a hopeful melody theme. This is another gem from a long line of buried treasures from Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura and Takashi Itani. - Bruce Lee Gallanter
CD $16
MASAYO KOKETSU / TIM BERNE / NAVA DUNKELMAN - Poiesis (Relative Pitch Records 1214; USA) Featuring Masayo Koketsu and Tim Berne on alto saxes and Nava Dunkelman on percussion. Japanese saxist Masayo Koketsu has been recording since the mid-aughts, recording in duos with Bill Nace & Tatsuya Nakamura, working with Hikashu & Liudas Mockunas and having a fine solo sax record out on the Relative Pitch label from 2022. Tim Berne is one of the guiding lights of the Downtown Scene, recording more than 65 albums since his first album in 1979. Nava Dunkelman is a relative newcomer to this scene after studying with Fred Frith at Mills College. I've caught her several times over the past few years with Fred Frith, gabby-fluke mogul, James Ilgenfritz and Brandon Seabrook. Ms. Dunkelman played here at DMG recently (4/22/25) in duos & trios with Ada Rave and Chuck Roth. All three of them blew me away that night.
This disc was recorded at GSI Studios in Brooklyn in April of 2023. Tim Berne's releases as a leader are often cyclic in the way they evolve. Since this disc is completely improvised, it sounds different from what we usually hear from Mr. Berne. Berne still works within cycles here, playing his lines over and over, twisting them as he goes. "page 4" begins slowly with Mr. Berne playing his lines with much restraint, weighing each note one at a time. Koketsu's sax and Dunkelman's percussion swirl around the central line, weaving in and out as they go. The piece becomes freer as it evolves, moving through quicker and slower sections. Both saxes carefully bend their notes around one another over the sparse percussion underneath. On "page 5" both saxes play their bent notes in different registers both high and low, bending every note in different directions while Ms. Dunkelman plays some suspense-filled percussion. Each piece gives the trio a chance to stretch out and work together in different ways. Considering that Mr. Berne is the elder player here, his sound and style are often at the center of what's going on. Ms. Koketsu and Ms. Dunkelman do a fine job of adding shifting harmonies, odd fragments and selective punctuation to whatever Berne does. Each of the seven pieces explore somewhat different terrain or strategies, the trio remains well-connected throughout. Most impressive! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
PAUL FLAHERTY - a willing passenger (Relative Pitch RPR 1196; USA) review next week
CD $13
GIOVANNI MAIER / ALEXANDER HAWKINS - Two for Keith (Long Song Records 164/2025; Italy) - review next week
CD $15
GIAN PEREZ - Zn (Self-produced 55491-33999; USA) This is a solo guitar effort featuring former DMG employee and all-around nice guy Gian Perez. Mr. Perez worked here every Saturday for a year or so without pay mostly to learn about creative music in a comfortable environment. He also spent the better part of a year on Broadway in a newer, popular version of 'Romeo and Juliet'. Pewrez has played here at DMG a half dozen times over the past few years in solos, duos, trios and with Marc Edwards' Slipstream Travel band. This is Gian's second solo guitar effort. Beginning with "engnarnos", Perez is tapping and muting certain notes of his electric guitar. Although it is hard to tell what instrument he is playing at times, the results are consistently fascinating. On "telaranos" he is again muting his strings to give the guitar an odd mutant sort of sound as well as playing some odd, bent-note chords. The further that Perez stretches out, the more alien or unique he sounds. There are some mighty strange sounds which are not quite guitar-like sounding. "puneta" sounds like a washing machine is breaking down as it spins through its cycles, speeding up at times and mutating as well. On "danino" Perez sounds like he is playing a bass guitar, with all low rumbling notes. It feels as if we are underwater, submerged and listening to the muffled sounds around us. On each piece Gian creates his own weird, unique world, often making us wonder just what he is doing to his guitar. It took a while but I finally got used to his sound or approach and it makes more sense to me now. This is one of the strangest solo guitar efforts I've ever heard and that is saying quite a bit. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10
JULIA ULEHA and DALAVA with ARAM BAJAKIAN / PEGGY LEE / JOSH ZUBOT - Understories (Pi Records 107; USA) Featuring Julia Uhehla on voice, effects, lotar & compositions, Aram Bajakian on guitars, bass, synths, percussion & compositions, Peggy Lee on cello (5 songs) and Josh Zubot on violin (same 5 songs). Former East Coast-based guitarist, Aram Bajakian recorded several discs for the Tzadik label in three post-Klez bands: Abraxas, Kef and Zion80. Mr. Bajakian also col-leads a band with his partner (Ms. Uleha) called Dalava. This is the third disc from Dalava and the couple moved up to Vancouver a few years back. The two string players here, Peggy Lee and Josh Zubot, are/were also based in Vancouver and appear on 5 of the 11 pieces. Ms. Uleha's family came from Moravia and she sings mostly in Czech. Her great-grandfather (Vladimir Ulehla, 1888-1947) collected and transcribed folk songs sung by his family and their neighbors. Julia Uleha was inspired by these songs and decided to sing and adapt/transform them now with more contemporary musicians/instruments. Since I haven't heard of the Moravian songs before Dalava started performing them, I can only judge what I hear here. "open up your ears to the great below" features Ms. Uleha's voice chanting the melody with no words accompanied by noisy samples. On "escape velocity", Ms. Ulehla provides two voices, a sort of call & response which morphs into some strong harmony singing as well. The voices are backed by minimal ritualistic percussion only. Peggy Lee (on cello) and Josh Zubot (violin) are added to the next three pieces. Ms. Ulehla's voice drifts in the background while the hushed guitar and string buzz quietly around her. These songs often invoke a forlorn, solemn vibe, an ancient sadness that runs throughout the history of civilization. "queen of heaven and earth" sounds like an ancient lullaby of sorts, with Mr. Ulehla singing in English, her voice capturing a universal sadness that pervades life in darker times (like now). Much of this music has a ritualistic quality to it, it is stripped down of any excessive ornamentation, rather skeletal at times, yet it beams like sunshine for the hearts & souls of the folks who have created it. Even without knowing what many of the lyrics are saying, I still get the idea that there are some immense emotions being utilized here. This is a lament for ancient times, a sad yet resilient spirit which dwells in each of our hearts. This is the sonic medicine which helps us to deal with what's going on around us all right now. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
SUN RA with WALT DICKERSON - Haverford College, January 25, 1980 (Modern Harmonic 270; Saturn) Featuring Sun Ra on Fender Rhodes electric piano, acoustic piano and Walt Dickerson on vibes. According to the liner notes, this disc is a reissue of a rare record which I'd never seen or heard of. The concert took place at Haverford College in Pennsylvania as part of a festival which also included solo performances from Anthony Braxton and Leroy Jenkins. The concert was supposed to be a duo of Sun Ra on piano and Walt Dickerson on vibes. These two musicians are both based in Philly and can be found on a couple of records together (Dickerson Qt's 'Impressions of a Patch of Blue' and a duo record called 'Vision' on Steeplechase). It was actually Mr. Dickerson's gig and he invited Mr. Ra to join him. Sun Ra ended up cancelling about two weeks before the gig due to the Orchestra getting a better paying gig that night. Former Art Blakey bassist Jymie Merritt was booked to take Sun Ra's place but he passed away close to the date of the show. Hence, Sun Ra showed up the day of the show and asked to play. The college had to scramble to find an appropriate keyboard and found a Fender Rhodes which Ra used. The first six tracks feature Sun Ra on the Fender Rhodes playing Sun Ra originals, improv pieces and covers of "Rhapsody in Blue", "St. Louis Blues" and "Over the Rainbow". Mr. Ra has always worked wonders on any electric keyboard that he plays on this CD is included in that list. Mr. Ra has long been able to blend the past, present and future into his own vision and sound. It is odd to hear the ancient jazz/classical epic "Rhapsody in Blue" played on an electric piano but Sun Ra does a fine job nonetheless. Sun Ra moves from his own classic "Space is the Place" then into "Over the Rainbow", a song which he had covered numerous times. Mr. Ra coaxes those space-age spirits here by combining the two songs. When Ra improvises on "Haverford Impromptu 2", he shows off his skills at creating his own dream-like soundscapes. There are also three bonus tracks here, two short ones with Ra on an acoustic piano from a different gig playing "Take the A Train" (Billy Strayhorn) and a long (16 minutes) duo of Sun Ra and Walt Dickerson, an encore from their concert. I dig how Mr. Ra pushes the Ellington standard so far out at times. The final long duo is something else. Both the vibes and the electric piano utilize an echo device of sorts which makes them sound similar. Walt Dickerson was always a master vibes player and I've collected his albums for many years. He rarely left Philly to play elsewhere so I think I might've caught him just once with the Sun Ra Arkestra in 1979 at Soundscape, not so sure about his presence there. The duo set here is extraordinary, it sounds like these two are coming from the same planet (Saturn) and the results are special. Sun Ra fans, don't sleep on this one, - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
ANGUS MACLISE - Astral Collapse (Quakebasket QB 016CD; USA) Limited restock. "Volume 3 of Quakebasket's Angus MacLise series. At this point, you probably sleep a little better having been exposed to the obvert psychedelia and commune-esque bump and grind of Angus' previous releases. Well, here is an exploration into the genius of Angus MacLise that will throw you back into that insomniatic haze you truly enjoy. There are no large ensemble of New York's who's who here. Instead, the focus is just on Angus and his compositions, some of which are the last things he ever recorded. Even though there is a piece for hand drum and prepared tape on this record, this is not an Angus drum record. In the 70's, Angus' interest in tape music, noise, and the extreme gradualisms of music had reached its appex, and these pieces were born. Nowhere else will you hear Angus shredding apart the circuits of an Arp synthesizer, or the powerful undertow of his shimmering organ waves."
CD $16
MERZBOW - The Prosperity Of Vice, The Misfortune Of Virtue (Room40 4195CD; Australia)
"Recorded in 1996, Merzbow's The Prosperity Of Vice, The Misfortune Of Virtue is one of a series of unique editions from his vast catalogue that reveals a side of his practice often under represented. During the late 1980s and into the 1990s, Masami Akita was sometimes working on film and theatre music. In this space he created a series of recordings that capture the full scope of his sound worlds. Given the nature of these settings, his compositional approaches were varied, seeking to create both intensely crushing walls of sound and more spatial, and at times rhythmic, pieces that plot out an approach to sound making which atomizes his universe of sound, and uncovered the singular detail that is often consumed in the whole. The Prosperity Of Vice, The Misfortune Of Virtue is the soundtrack to the theatre piece "Akutoku no Sakae/Bitoku no Fuko" by Romantica. Based on Marquis de Sades's Historie de Juliette ou les Prosperités du vice and Les Infortunes de la vertu, this recording was originally released with limited distribution and remains one of the lesser available Merzbow recordings. This edition is completely remastered and contains an additional cut from those original sessions. Cheers." - Lawrence English
CD $18
BACK IN STOCK and/or IN PRINT:
JOHN HOLLENBECK JAZZ BIGBAND GRAZ With THEO BLECKMANN - Joys & Desires (Intuition 3386; Germany) "Downtown based composer and percussionist, John Hollenbeck, consistently confounds expectations by expanding his palette with every band or project he is involved in. Besides three wonderful and quite different discs from the Claudia Quintet, plus Quartet Lucy and discs with duos & trios with Theo Bleckman, Dave Liebman and Ellery Eskelin, this is John's second large ensemble CD. The first large ensemble disc, "A Blessing" featured all NY-based players, while this new features mostly German-based musicians, except for John's most constant collaborator and vocalist, Theo Bleckman. "The Bird with the Coppery, Keen Claws" opens and features Theo reading a poem by Wallace Stevens. A most charming, hypnotic pulse repeats with plucked strings, like rubber bands and superb, sublime horns floating in little waves. Hollenbeck's drums are recorded like a drum machine on "Just Like Him", yet their sound and the groove slowly shift in texture and rhythm. Theo's wordless vocals and the horns sound perfect together, shimmering exquisitely. I dig the way "Abstinence" has layers of connected parts, some free, some charted, moving around one another in surprising ways. Both the trumpeter, Horst-Michael Schaffer, and Theo use electronic devices to alter their sound, always with care, adding bits of mystery, to keeps things slightly off-balance. What follows is the "Joys & Desires" Suite in three parts. "Jazz Envy" is an extraordinary works with colossal layers of shifting sections, again freer and charted sections collide and organically grow out of one another. There is a fine, long, bizarre solo from Uli Rennert on Nord synth featured. Besides the fascinating, complex writing on this entire disc, it is Hollenbeck's wonder drumming the truly stands out as he navigates the layers of percussive movements, even laying out when need be to give space to the shining horns and Theo's magical voice. Mr. Hollenbeck's writing is often quite lovely and warm, a quality not often found in the darker, noisier regions of downtown's more experimental side. The balance between the lighter and darker areas here is just right throughout. Another triumph for renaissance man, composer and percussion wizard, John Hollenbeck." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
ELLIOTT SHARP'S TERRAPLANE With CURTIS FOWLKES / ALEX HARDING / DAVID HOFSTRA / TONY LEWIS / et al - Forgery (Intuition 34112; Germany) New 2007 recording from E#'s longtime avant-blues unit! With Curtis Fowlkes: trombone, background vocals / Alex Harding: baritone saxophone, background vocals / David Hofstra: bass, tuba / Toney Lewis: drums / Eric Mingus: vocals / Tracie Morris: vocals / E#: guitars, console steel guitar, glissentar, tenor saxophone, vocals The title Forgery refers to the current condition in New York, a city that pretends to be on the pulse of the world but has in fact long since become a museum of itself. With Forgery Elliott Sharp is turning to a new audience. Terraplane is, as Sharp himself says, a pop band that lacks only popularity. That will surely change now with its most mature and yet most provocative album yet. Terraplane - the blues of the future, which gets by without the romance of the cotton field. Few musicians have presented as many different stylistic facets over the course of their careers as the New York guitarist, bassist, clarinetist, and composer Elliott Sharp. He was one of the protagonists of the legendary New York downtown avant-garde scene that produced such other original artists as John Lurie, Fred Frith, and John Zorn. With Mofungo, already in the 1980s, he was producing a type of folk that today's antifolk heroes would be proud to espouse. With his long-standing formation Carbon he tried out all imaginable intertwinings of jazz and hardcore. With the Semantics he played a style of experimental jazz that was informed as much by blues as by serial music. With Tectonics he was one of the pioneers of freely improvised techno. And in the guitar trio Oblique, with David Torn and Vernon Reid, he devoted himself to gigantomaniac guitar madness. In addition he wrote pieces for orchestra and string quartet, invented a series of exotic big city instruments, and provided a regular series of scene updates on the current creativity of the New York sound in his State of the Union compilations. It scarcely seems to fit with the image of this bustling constant innovator that he should have a blues band as well. But Terraplane is anything but an abashed night-job project by these New York musician; rather, it turns out to have been Sharp's most stable band over decades, with which he tours constantly and has produced a wealth of albums. When Terraplane's new album is placed in the context of the blues band Hazmat Modine, the bluegrass rebels O' Death, and the Gypsy punk guerrillas of Gogol Bordello, it is clear that Sharp is once again out in front of a new movement. New York fell into a kind of creative lethargy after 9/11, but now the first voices are emerging from hibernation. It is not the avant-garde that is re-forming but rather a scene that is formulating a new relationship to tradition from a wide variety of perspectives. It is not tradition in the sense of neoconservatism but rather a new rebelliousness that does not want to permit the cultural legacy of the diverse ethnic groups of the United States to be exploited by a one-sided abuse of power. It also has a special relationship to the tradition of the blues. "Whenever we have an especially repressive government, the blues experiences its most powerful phases," says Sharp. "In that sense the blues is just the right form of expression for our time. We are not interested in making didactic speeches, but the music itself has such a strong subversive potential that he speaks directly to people's emotions at such times." So it should come as no surprise that Forgery is unusually hard, direct, massive, and unfussy in comparison to its most recent albums. The grooves are more direct than ever; the singing blunt, the solos driving and aggressive. A punk album among blues disks but nevertheless, or precisely for that reason, an entirely authentic expression of urban blues. "The songs themselves are much more the focus of this record than in the past," admits Sharp. "The band is more compactly deployed than ever. An old wise saying of R&B says that the most effective music is based on a funky rhythm section and a jazzy horn section. We put that precept to work fully." Once again Sharp has assembled a handful of masters in their respective fields, including the vocal secret weapon Eric Mingus, son of the legendary jazz magician Charles Mingus; the poet Tracy Morris, who turns Katrina Blues into a highlight here; trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, whose lush sound has previously rounded off albums by the Lounge Lizards, the Jazz Passengers, and Bill Frisell; and Dave Hofstra, one of the most senior and experienced bassists from the Big Apple, who was a founding member of Terraplane. Newcomer drummer Tony Lewis frees the band of jazzy ballast. The album is dedicated to Terraplane's former drummer Lance Carter, who died recently. The title Forgery refers to the current condition in New York, a city that pretends to be on the pulse of the world but has in fact long since become a museum of itself: the biggest yuppie community in the Western hemisphere, where the last traces of its former life are being eradicated. Sharp was always a sensitive chronicler of the New York state of mine. "Back then, all you had to do was leave your apartment and you would meet people you knew. Life took place on the street. Today everybody takes refuge behind a computer, and everyday life in New York has become very lonely. Even the lowest common denominator of social life - shopping - has been banished to the Internet for good. Nothing is left of the New York I once loved." With Forgery Elliott Sharp is turning to a new audience. Terraplane is, as Sharp himself says, a pop band that lacks only popularity. That will surely change now with its most mature and yet most provocative album yet. Terraplane - the blues of the future, which gets by without the romance of the cotton field and sticks its fingers in the gaping wounds of the twenty-first century.
CD $14
OREGON with GLEN MOORE / RALPH TOWNER / PAUL McCANDLESS / MARK WALKER - Live At Yoshi's (Intuition 3299; Germany) Oregon's storied past and relevance to jazz cannot be undermined. In addition, this outing signifies only the band's third live recording to coincide with its 30-year legacy. Besides Oregon's somewhat organic approach to jazz or world jazz, drummer Mark Walker adds pop, dazzle, and polyrhythmic fury to the ensemble's often-emotively actualized songbook. Guitarist Ralph Towner augments the overall tonal palate with synths on several pieces, while all of the instrumentalists get equal opportunities to stretch their wares. Beautifully recorded, the artists' well-placed dynamics and intuitive exchanges come to fruition once again. They explore swing grooves and perky rhythmic structures amid woodwind ace Paul McCandless' customary insertions of wistful themes and touching interludes. No major surprises here, but a first-rate effort that should appease the band's longtime admirers. Recommended. - Glenn Astarita, AllMusicGuide
CD $14
JERRY GRANELLI & UFB With KAI BRUCKNER / CHRISTIAN KOGEL / ANDREAS WALTER - Broken Circle (Intuition 3501; Germany) While not a "jazz" recording in the true sense, the group known as UFB—led by well-known drummer/composer/bandleader Jerry Granelli—represents themes and notions spurred upon by his personal interest in Native American culture on Broken Circle. Here, Granelli leads a blues/rock driven outing that also boasts funk grooves on Prince's "Sign 'o' the Times," complete with thumping, forward moving bass lines by Andreas Walter and the harmonious dual guitar attack of Christian Kogel and Kai Bruckner. On "Red and Blue Days," the guitarists provide well-stated, passionate lyricism along with bluesy and atmospheric licks yet if you're expecting fiery blues driven Stevie Ray Vaughn or Albert Collins-type guitar soloing, forget it! Throughout, the guitarists engage expressive lines, airy chord progressions, tasteful soloing and even a Canned Heat-like blues-boogie rendition of Charles Mingus' "Boogie Stop Shuffle." The quartet pursues melodic rhapsodies melded with tinges of Native American rhythms and motifs that ring of folklore, wide-open territories and/or western landscapes which is evident on pieces such as "Holy Road" and the atmospheric "Crazy Horse's Dream (reprise)".
Broken Circle is a personal statement from Granelli and a well-balanced one at that. Essentially, the musicians cook up a storm in a few spots yet pursue interweaving propositions and spirited soloing that presents the listener with a multicolored and altogether inspiring musical portrait of our Native Americans. - Glenn Astarita, AllAboutJazz
CD $14
THE CONTINUING ILK MUSIC CDE SALE:
JACOB ANDERSKOV / NILS DAVIDSEN / GERALD CLEAVER - Dynamics (The Terrain) (Ilk Music 246; Denmark) Dynamics (The Terrain) is Volume III of the Habitable Exomusics 2015 trilogy, and thus the follow-up to “Kinetics (the Path)” & “Statics (the Map)”. Anderskov is heard in dynamic interplay with Nils Davidsen on bass & Gerald Cleaver on drums. The whole album was recorded in one take at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, by Jan Erik Kongshaug. Jacob Anderskov about the record:
“(The title): ''Dynamic'', is in classical mechanics almost synonymous to kinetics, that is, concerned with the study of forces and their effect on motion. But the word “Dynamics”, originating from the Greek word for ”power”, has a vast number of further meanings, including its usage in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, group dynamics, and, not the least, musical dynamics.
(The subtitle) ''The Terrain''– is in a similar way thought of as a transcendence of the metaphors “Path” and “Map” on volume I & II. It borrows from the idea that freely improvised music might be similar to going for a walk in a terrain, where you will make footprints (=music), not because you intended to, but because that is a result of you walking. “The Terrain” also symbolises the totality of Experience, beyond our plans (the path) and our knowledge (the map). And, again: is this ter- rain habitable? Could I stay here? Live here?
''Dynamics'' is, I imagine, the synthesis of the Kinetics – Statics dialectic. It con- cerns the Encounter with the “other” or the “others”, with the unpredictable, the unknown, and, in the end, with the world. It is the application of the Habitable Exomusics approach in a musical and social context, in an intuitive totality.”
CD $12
JAKOB DAVIDSEN KAMMERAT ORKESTER KOR - Uden Alder - A Tribute to Ole Sarvig (Ilk Music 342CD; Denmark) Jakob Davidsen offers genre-crossing Chamber Music with seven musical interpretations of the Danish poet Ole Sarvig’s poems on the album “Ageless”.
Ageless presents the poems exactly as new, fresh, and relevant as they were written for the first time. The music gives the poems a personal, musical universe that takes us far away from conventional paths, and offers us new and surprising experiences work by work.
Jakob Davidsen, and his star cast with Signes Asmussen at the head of musicians from DR-Bigband and Figura, reproduce poems from “Green poems”, “Jeghuset”, and “Human being”. These renderings show not just technical skill, but also ideas and boldness - when the music brings forth Sarvig’s lyrical and imaginary writing and reflects both the dark, beautiful, and light sides of the poems.
The five voices and five instrumentalists from Jakob Davidsen’s ‘Kammerat Orkester’ and Figura redeem and give live with a masterful score playing and improvisations.
CD Sale $12
NILS DAVIDSEN - Noget At Glæde Sig Til (ILK Music 217CD; Denmark) Danish bassist Nils Bo Davidsen is a prolific musician in the vibrant Danish jazz scene who performed and recorded with such greats as John Tchicai, Dave Liebman, Tim Berne, Marc Ducret and Dr. Eugene Chadbourne. He led his own ensembles (Jazz til Tiden Ilk Music, 2011), collaborated with trumpeter Kasper Tranberg (zone Blue (Ilk Music, 2012) and experimented with various keyboards on his solo FaKIRGIRaF (Ilk music, 2013).
In 2013 he decided to record himself playing the double bass in various spaces—the legendary Rainbow Studio in Oslo, the mighty Grundtvigskirken church in Copenhagen, and private recordings at Heimdalsgade Laboratories—for Noget at Glæde Sig Til (Something to Look Forward To in Danish). Three videos- one by art director Sara Lubich, and two live videos from Grundtvigskirken were added to the audio recording.
Davidesen defines the solo bass pieces as outbursts and as such all have a compact and clear expression and a unique vibe. These qualities arise out of three years of experience in solo double bass, free improvisations, and a deep understanding that the with the total freedom of such demanding settings also requires full dedication, responsibility, and wide-open ears and awareness.
The sound of Davidsen's double bass fills the room with its big, deep- toned voice, almost like a small string orchestra, and responds to each spaces unique acoustics. His technique, sense of time and articulation—both arco and pizzicato—is simply superb and at times reminiscent of the captivating articulation of the great Danish double bassist, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen. His compelling command of the instrument, rich imagination, and flowing ideas enable him to structure vivid, moving images and moods, all in coherent, melodic narratives.
On several pieces he adds gongs as a means of delicate ornamentation or to punctuate the progression of the improvisation. On "M/S Kissavik" he was recorded playing arco on two double basses corresponding gently with each other. One stressing the light, almost transparent high register, seeking to express almost human voice while the other focusing on the low, dark register. "Osiris in 4 parts" features Davidsen as imaginative an highly original improviser, well- versed with many extended techniques, but opting for the intimate chamber atmosphere that the double bass can suggest. The three double basses gentle talk on "Extraterrestrial Breakfast" is moving in its simplicity and sheer beauty. "Just Turn Red" demonstrates Davidsen's resourcefulness and the manner of him using the double bass as a singing instrument with an emotional voice similar to the human one. The videos demonstrate Davidsen's fantastic arco technique on "color charge" and him imaginative usage of sticks between the strings on "Bloodsoup." Masterful, beautiful and highly moving presentation of the double bass. - Eyal Hareuveni, AllAboutJazz
CD Sale $10
PIERRE DORGE & NEW JUNGLE ORCHESTRA with HERB ROBERTSON - Negra Tegra (Ilk Music 112; Denmark) Negra Tigra sports five renditions, plus a false start, of the title track, and all but one clock in at exactly one minute, eight seconds. Guitarist Pierre Dorge and his crew start the tune sounding like Spike Jones attempting “Salt Peanuts,” then immediately take a sharp left turn into some fast swing that channels “Hold That Tiger” before signing off. The different versions make up the odd-numbered tracks of the 11-tune disc, and each has slight arrangement variations: less squawking trumpet here; woodblock intro versus snare drum intro; tighter horn charts; added vocals. They also bring the Orchestra back down between the exotic journeys on the other cuts.
Trumpeter Herb Robertson is the nine-piece Orchestra’s guest this time out, and his blasts and smears fit in well on pieces like “Streets of Ha Noi,” which implies that said streets have a good number of cars these days, and “Vietnam Xong,” which in contrast sounds more tranquil and dreamlike. “Ushama” is built on a slow drone, with horns locking into a dissonant groove during the solos.
To get a raw, unvarnished sound, the group recorded Negra Tigra with just two microphones. The approach adds a sense of immediacy, but it also buries Dorge, who doesn’t solo and can be detected only during some fierce strumming passages. - Mike Shanley, JazzTimes
CD SALE $12
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ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE, Around the world.
If you have a link for some music that you are working on and want to share it with the folks who read the DMG Newsletter, please send the link to DMG at DMG@Downtownmusicgallery.com
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JOHN ZORN - Hermetic Cartography at the Drawing Center- Feb 7th - May 11th, 2025:
John Zorn’s ‘Hermetic Cartography’ will be accompanied by a series of musical performances curated by Mr. Zorn that will be performed in the exhibition. Performances will be held from 7:30 - 9pm on the first Saturday of each month (March - May, 2025) and will be free and open to the public. The Drawing Center is located at 35 Wooster Street, in Soho in Manhattan, NYC. Website: https://drawingcenter.org
Known predominantly as a groundbreaking figure in New York’s avant-garde and experimental music scenes, John Zorn has long been celebrated for his radical innovations in music. However, his abstract drawings—a private language of symbols and notations—have remained a closely guarded secret. Offering profound insight into Zorn’s creative mind, Hermetic Cartography reveals a new dimension of his artistic practice by showcasing works on paper that span seven decades of his visionary engagement with mark-making, improvisation, and the esoteric.
The exhibition includes a diverse array of Zorn’s visual artworks, graphic scores, dense philosophical notations, abstract poetry and artist books, and not only highlights Zorn’s radical approach to marks on paper but also his unique Theatre of Musical Optics and other experimental projects. By exploring these visual elements, the exhibition provides a new perspective on how Zorn's abstract works intersect with and inform his musical compositions.
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THE STONE RESIDENCIES / FAY VICTOR / APR 30-MAY 3
4/30 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Jean - Fay Victor (voice, composition) Chris Williams (trumpet) Lesley Mok (drums)
5/1 Thursday
8:30 pm - Flutter - Fay Victor (voice, comps, electronics) Nicole Mitchell (flutes, voice, electronics)
5/2 Friday
8:30 pm - Windward Drift - Fay Victor (voice) Lyndon Achee (steelpan) Keyanna Hutchinson (guitar)
5/3 Saturday
8:30 pm - Quartet - Fay Victor (voice, comp) Karen Borca (bassoon) Lester St. Louis (cello) Reggie Nicholson (drums)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / KWEKU SUMBRY / MAY 7–10
5/7 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Solo Drum Exhibit - Kweku Sumbry (drums)
5/8 Thursday
8:30 pm - Drums & Strings (trio): Witch Hunt
Kweku Sumbry (drums) Aliya Ultan (cello) Ysaura Merino (violin)
5/9 Friday
8:30 pm - Transcendence featuring Spencer Whitfield
Kweku Sumbry (drums, percussion) Shakoor Hakeem (percussion) Spencer Whitfield (keyboards, percussion)
5/10 Saturday
8:30 pm - Time Lapse - Kweku Sumbry, Sekou VH, Sanu Basu, Jamal Dickerson, Sekou Payton , Nana Williams, Yusef Payton (drums)
THE STONE is located in
The New School at the Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th Street - near 6th ave
LIVE MUSIC
wed-sat - music at 8:30pm
ADMISSION - $20 per set
unless otherwise noted
cash only payment
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ESP-Disk’ Concert Series:
May 2 (Friday) at 8 p.m.
Larry Ochs/Joe Morris/Charles Downs
Release concert for the Ochs/Morris/Downs album EVERY DAY → ALL THE WAY.
at Loove Annex, 238 North 12th Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
May 23 (Friday) at 8pm:
Thollem McDonas: Set 1: solo piano; Set 2: trio with bassist Hilliard Greene and drummer Marc Edwards
Thollem released a brilliant solo piano album last year on ESP, Infinite-Sum Game.
At Loove Labs, 58 North 6th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
June 13 (Friday) at 8 p.m.
Joe Morris & Elliott Sharp -
Release concert for their mind-boggling guitar duo album Realism, due in late May on ESP.
At Loove Annex, 238 North 12th Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
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YONI KRETZMER CURATION:
Monday, May 5th:
8pm: Yoni Kretzmer Quartet w John Hebert ,Yuhan Su and Billy Mintz
9pm: BIGGISH Thomas Heberer, Kenny Warren,Rick Parker, Andrew Hadro, Peter Bitenc and Juan Pablo Carletti
10pm: Mike Pride Trio w Jonathan Moritz and Matt Nelson
at Hart Bar in Brooklyn, 538 Hart Street
*****
THE SHAKUHACHI 5
Featuring:
Akihisa Kominato, Akihito Obama, Ken-Ichi Tajima,
Kizan Kawamura, and Reison Kuroda
Shakuhachi Vogue – A Visual Concert
Friday, May 16 at 7:30PM
Followed by a Private Gathering for Artists and Members
A Leading Japanese Instrumental Quintet's North American Debut Concert
At The Japan Society
Located at 333 East 47 Street, between First and Second Avenue, accessible via the 4/5/6 train at Grand Central Station or the E train at Lexington and 53 Street. our box office at 212-715-1258. The box office is open Monday through Friday, 11:00am to 6:00pm
Visit japansociety.org/performing-arts for more information
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THIS NOTE COMES FROM MY GOOD BUDDY JOEL HARRISON, Gifted Guitarist and Organizer. His yearly concerts at LPR have been a highlight for myself and other Guitar Freaks…
Dear Guitar Enthusiasts … There's a lot going:
—MIDWESTERNERS: please take note of the below dates. I'm lucky to be playing with two of the greatest B-3 organ players alive, and fantastic drummers as well. https://joelharrison.com/shows/
—On March 14 AGS (Alternative Guitar Summit) recordings releases ANUPAM SHOBHAKAR'S LIQUID REALITY, a tour de force on double neck guitar that fuses Indian music, jazz, and rock. If you like John McLaughlin this is for you. Preorder here: https://agsrecordings.bandcamp.com/
—We have uploaded some GREAT NEW PODCASTS to the AGS youtube channel with Ben Monder, Redd Volkaert, and more to come. Please check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/@alternativeguitarsummit
—For a couple of years I have been working on a major piece entitled "Burn Pit." The orchestration is jazz big band and a 16 person chorus. The subject matter is the deadly toxic burnpits from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that killed or sickened hundreds of thousands of military personnel. To fulfill my obligation to the NY State Council on the Arts and the Governors Office of NY, from whom I received a generous composition grant, I have posted a video discussing and playing excerpts from this work here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulyk1Pgrym8
Don't forget to sign up for our summer camp! Kevin Eubanks, Vernon Reid, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Scofield...come on! https://www.alternativeguitarsummitcamp.com/ - Joel Harrison
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAWxt3EJSPw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvoYygehqE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6p_Q2Dwxc
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From CHRIS CUTLER:
Formerly of HENRY COW, THE ART BEARS, NEWS FOR BABEL & RECOMMENDED RECORDS (ReR) has been creating an ongoing series of podcasts called the Probes series. I am often fascinated at listening to each of these as Mr. Cutler does an incredible job of showing a deep history of Creative Music in the 20th century & beyond. I usually listen to these on the train to NYC that I take to get to work each day. The most recent Probes (#37) was released earlier this year, here are the links:
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-37
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-36