A Heartfelt Thanks to All of the Musicians and Speakers
Who were on Stage for the Mike Panico Memorial Concert & Celebration
Last Monday at Roulette - Thank you Jim Staley for your hospitality!
The entire event ran smoothly, thanks to the great staff at Roulette
The live sets were Extraordinary all night, Truly Inspiring and Transcendent!
Special thanks to the following musicians: John Zorn, Ned Rothenberg,
Kirk Knuffke, Thollen McDonas, Nels Cline, William Parker, Jessica Pavone,
Michael Foster, Leila Bordreuil, Joanna Mattrey, Matt Shipp, Michael Bisio,
Jesse Dulman, Blaise Siwula, Steve Swell, Brandon Lopez and John Blum!
I have no doubt that Mike Panico would’ve been pleased with
Spirit of Love, Magic of Music and Fond Memories that Everyone shared.
It has been a difficult time for those of us who were close to Mike
But the Spirit of Healing and Sense of Celebration that Mike inspired Pervades
The Evening ended on a Positive note by playing
“The Music Never Stopped†by the Grateful Dead, a Fave of Mike’s
Yours Truly asked the Audience to get up and dance and many did!
Rest in Peace, my Brother, Rest in Peace
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A Pre-Thanksgiving Week’s Worth of Sonic Treasures from:
Mary Halvorson & Joe Morris! Ingrid Laubrock Chaos Practices: Kris Davis / Nate Wooley / Mary Halvorson! Evan Parker / William Parker Trio! Peter Brotzmann & Heather Leigh III! Larry Ochs / Gerald Cleaver! Jamie Saft Qt: Bill McHenry!
River on Mars: Avram Fefer/Greg Tate/On Ka’a Davis! Chicago Edge Unit: Mars Williams/Jeb Bishop/Hamid Drake..! Kaja Draksler Trio! Francois Houle/Alexander Hawkins/Harris Eisenstadt! Aaron Goldberg/Matt Penman/Leon Parker! Brandon Lopez & Andrew Bernstein Solo Discs! Bob Drake!
Plus Historic Discs from the United States of America! Lee Morgan! Duke Ellington & His Orchestra! Barney Kessel! The MC5! King Tubby & Linval Thompson! Plus Lots of Great Vinyl!
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Upcoming Sets at Downtown Music Gallery - FREE, every Sunday at 6pm
November 18th:
6pm: THE BEYOND TRIO: MICHAEL EATON - Soprano Sax / CHERYL PYLE - C Alto Flutes /
REGGIE SYLVESTER - Drums
7pm: MICHAEL FOSTER / JOANNA MATTREY / DAVID MEIER - Saxes / Viola / Drums!
November 25th, No In-store, Bruce in Florida for his Mom’s 90th Birthday!
Sunday, December 2nd:
6pm: GUILLERMO GREGORIO & OMAR TAMEZ - Clarinet & Guitar
7pm: GUILLERMO GREGORIO / OMAR TAMEZ / RAYMON LOPEZ - Clarinet / Guitar / Drums
Sunday, December 9th:
6pm: FACKPAMP: ANDERS NILSSON / HAMPUS OHMAN-FROLUND SARAH BERNSTEIN
7pm: AXIS: JON IRABAGON / JOHN HEGRE / NILS DRONEN!
8pm: GIACOMO MEREGA / KENT O’DOHERTY - Bass Guitar / Alto Sax
Sunday, December 16th:
6pm: HUMAN RITES TRIO: JASON KAO HWANG / KEN FILIANO / ANDREW DRURY - Strings/Bass/Drums
DMG is located at 13 Monroe St. (between Catherine & Market Sts) in a basement below a small gallery. 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 Sunday Music Series is Always Free & the Vibes are Always Cosy. You can check the weekly in-store sets through our Instagram feed
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This Week’s Sonic Treasures Begin with this Marvelous Duo:
MARY HALVORSON & JOE MORRIS - Traversing Orbits (Rogue Art 0083; France) Featuring Mary Halvorson and Joe Morris on electric guitars. Although they come from succeeding generations of creative musicians, Mary Halvorson and Joe Morris, have been long been exploring the many worlds of “jazz†guitar, in its many streams. Ms. Halvorson studied with Mr. Morris some twenty years ago and they have been playing together on rare occasions ever since. Both guitarists have large catalogues of releases, as well as collaborating with a number of other giants: Anthony Braxton, William Parker, John Zorn and Jamie Saft. Over the past decade Ms. Halvorson has worked with a large number of there great guitarists: Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, Brandon Seabrook and Miles Okazaki.
Both of these musicians were influenced by rock, folk, blues, ethnic and jazz, when they began and each has evolved through various phases. Often, a piece will begin one way, one guitar stating a theme or casting off a series of lines. Both guitarists start shifting their lines, crisscrossing, increasing in tempo or slowing down, embellishing certain chords as the other adds zigzagging lines. There is a heated dialogue going on here, often fascinating in an edge-of-your-seta sort of way. There is also a lovely sense of restraint happening on the first few pieces, the duo taking their time to eventually enter a more dense current. Over the past few years, Mr. Morris has been using a few objects (like food utensils) on his guitar to get strange sounds and has been getting better at adding some unexpected sounds to his playing. These sounds seem to push his improvising partners even further out. Some of these pieces are actually quite lovely and not so far out, giving this a rather magical, dream-like quality. What I dig most about this is that these two have a way of combining forces, adding several layers of complex interaction at a quiet level, yet no less astonishing, no matter how calm they sound. Without a doubt, one of this year’s best improvising duos. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
INGRID LAUBROCK with MARY HALVORSON / KRIS DAVIS / NATE WOOLEY - Contemporary Chaos Practices (Intakt 314; Switzerland) "Ingrid Laubrock’s credentials as an ambitious, skillful composer of intricate yet visceral works for small ensembles is well established – not least on the evidence of her excellent, much-admired Intakt recordings. Whether writing for conventionally constituted assemblages like her quintet Anti-House, or for a more unusual complement, like the mix of tuba, koto, electronics, and more that she convened two years ago for Serpentines, Laubrock has demonstrated a formidable capacity for writing music of intricacy, integrity, and broad appeal. The critic Steve Smith writes in the liner notes: “The present recording, recorded in a studio by an ensemble of first-call freelancers led by two ideally sympathetic conductors, Eric Wubbels and Taylor Ho Bynum, provides eloquent evidence of what Laubrock has achieved. Both of her orchestral pieces – Vogelfrei, with its variegated textures, animated rhythms, swooping vocals, and inexorable momentum; and Contemporary Chaos Practices, where four instantly distinguishable soloists (Mary Halvorson, Davis, Wooley, and Laubrock herself) retain their individuality while negotiating a brilliantly rendered aural landscape – serve notice of an estimable composer who has something to say, and knows exactly how to say it."
Since moving to New York nearly a decade ago, I’ve had the opportunity to watch Ingrid Laubrock grow and evolve as a musician, composer and multi-bandleader. Over some four dozen discs as a leader or collaborator, as well as witnessing dozens of performances, Ms. Laubrock has consistently surprised me time and again. Her half dozen discs on the Intakt label show immense signs of growth, and an admirable sense of adventure and risk-taking. This disc is perhaps her most ambitious effort so far, utilizing the talents of a 35 piece orchestra plus another eight vocalists. Ms. Laubrock has also chosen a handful of well-selected soloists/collaborators: Mary Halvorson, Kris Davis and Nate Wooley as well as her own tenor & soprano sax, to be featured in different sections, all four in especially fine form. I like the way the orchestra reaches up to surround and/or support the soloists, carefully adding layers or shades sympathetically or robustly at times as well. Some of the more mysterious or chaotic-sounding arranging for the strings and reeds, recalls Xenakis or Penderecki, while the soloists add their own twists and turns the different currents. There is a good deal of fascinating activity and shape-shifting spirits going on here, which will take some time to fully absorb. Bravo to Ingrid Laubrock and her extraordinary orchestra, this disc will no doubt show up on a number of year-end Best Of lists! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $18
EVAN PARKER / WILLIAM PARKER / TOSHI TSUCHITORI - The Flow of Spirit / Live Concert Tokyo (Metacompany RG 16; Japan) Featuring Evan Parker on tenor & soprano saxes, William Parker on bass & gimbri and Toshi Tsuchitori on drums. This is a live trio date, recorded April of 2015 at Sogetu Hall in Japan. Although Evan Parker (UK-based) and William Parker (NYC-based) have long careers as premiere avant/jazz musicians, they haven’t really played together on very many previous sessions. Just the Cecil Taylor European Orchestra (on FMO), two from Spring Heel Jack and the Evan Parker/Petr Brotzmann Double Trio (Victo). The drummer here, Toshi Tsuchitori, once recorded an album with Billy Bang, Masahiko Kono and William Parker, but that is the only previous record we list in the DMG database. No need to review this yet since we just have 10 copies right now, but we are hoping to get more as soon as we can. Please be patient and stay tuned! - BLG/DMG
CD $20
PETER BROTZMANN / HEATHER LEIGH - Sparrow Nights (Trost 180; Austria) “Sparrow Nights is the first studio album from the furious duo of pedal steel player Heather Leigh and saxophone legend Peter Brötzmann. Their collaboration has quickly gained a well-earned reputation for their cutting-edge music and frenetic but sensuous playing. Recorded and mastered in Vienna by Martin Siewert. Features artwork by Brötzmann; LP version comes in a heavy, '60s style tip-on cover.
"There is complexity in simplicity, and Sparrow Nights is Brötzmann and Leigh's most enduring record to date. A series of emotionally rich and boldly elucidated tonal and timbral exchanges played like compositions on pedal steel and reeds, the tracks (released as a six-track LP and ten- track CD) are cold-forged minimalist blues motifs dragged from instrumental laments. After three years playing together Brötzmann and Leigh's connection and understanding is by now both cerebral and deeply invested in the physical and sensory possibilities of their combined sound, while retaining a melancholic distance. Within this duo there is fluidity - neither is the anchor - and these recordings sound with as much variety as the sea. At times Sparrow Nights carries the clarity and poeticism of still water and open horizon ("This Word Love"), and at others it contains the elemental and ferocious roar of white water breakers on black rocks ("This Time Around"). On their previous three live albums (Ears Are Filled With Wonder (TROST 147LP, 2016), Sex Tape (TROST 163CD, 2017), and Crowmoon (2018)), the duo have developed an intimate and intense language that manifests here as a focus on power and control, where figures blasted of unnecessary decoration are drawn from the shadows and smoke of collapse. The studio setting also allows Brötzmann to bring a broader range of reeds than in live scenarios: where previously he has played primarily tenor, clarinet and tarogato with Leigh, here he delivers the heat of alto and the low pressure of bass saxophone and clarinet. Brötzmann's duo with Leigh continues to trace a fresh new arc in his trajectory, and this release also falls at a time when Leigh releases Throne (EMEGO 257CD/LP), her most song-based record to date. Here as a studio duo they play a new-old blues for times of complexity, noise and chaos, continuing to redefine and re-sound possibilities for improvised music."--JLA.
CD $17
LP $26
LARRY OCHS - GERALD CLEAVER - Songs of the Wild Cave (Rogue Art 0084; France) Featuring Larry Ochs on tenor & sopranino saxes and Gerald Cleaver on drums. Besides being the longtime founding member of the Rova Sax Quartet, Larry Ochs remains the most prolific member of Rova with some twenty discs as a leader or co-leader, mostly trios and quartets. Mr. Ochs and Mr. Cleaver did once work to together for Didier Petit & Alexandre Pierrepont. This session was recorded in a cave in southwest France, and inspired by a visit to a similar cave nearby which featured Magdalenian cable paintings which date back from 11,000 to 17,000 years ago. This is the first time ever the an improvised concert has been recorded in a prehistoric cave. The music here is superbly recorded and it has a rather ritualistic, organic sound. At times it sounds like Mr. Cleaver is rustling with sticks or branches while Mr. Ochs slowly assembles haunting spacious drifting notes from his tenor. There is a long section where Cleaver plays with mallets, which works especially well with Mr. Ochs tenor & sopranino sax playing. Due to where this was recorded and the fact this duo seemed to have adjusted the playing to accentuate nuances of playing in a special place which reaches back to pre-historic times, there is something magically transcendent going on here. I was completely lifted up and taken away and you will be as well. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
Recently Discovered Copies of this Long Lost Gem:
LARRY OCHS & DRUMMING CORE with SCOTT AMENDOLA / DON ROBINSON - Out Trio - Volume 5 (Atavistic 182; USA) The Fifth Installment In Atavistic's Out Trios Series Configures A Triad Of West Coast Heavies On Sax & Double-Drums: Larry Ochs (Rova/Orkestrova), Scott Amendola (Nels Cline Singers & More); And Don Robinson (Cecil Taylor, Wadada Leo Smith, George Lewis, Raphe Malik & Glenn Spearman).
CD $15
JAMIE SAFT QUARTET with BILL McHENRY / BRAD JONES/ NASHEET WAITS - Blue Dream (Rare Noise 095; EEC) “If RareNoise Records has a characteristic sound as ECM Records has a characteristic sound, that sound is defined Jamie Saft. Whether it is the unholy ministry of Slobber Pup or the plaintive solo piano of his recent Solo A Genova (RareNoise, 2018), multi-instrumentalist Saft has brought Giacomo Bruzzo's and Eraldo Bernocchi's eclectic-electric British label front and center of not just the jazz world, but the music world.
Jamie Saft's penetration of acoustic jazz continues with his present quartet recording Blue Dreams. Immediately, I thought of John Coltrane's great 1960's quartet, circa A Love Supreme. "Vessels" opens with sustained bass notes in a simple harmonic figure by Saft, very much in keeping the McCoy Tyner style of the time. Tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry plays Coltrane's part, without the screeching and loss of mind. Like an early '60s Coltrane solo, the ensemble begins simply before setting out to make a sonic statement, both musically and dramatically. "Equanimity" is introduced by drummer Nasheet Waits, when, at the 1:36 mark the rest of the band enters, anxious and excited. Bassist Bradley Jones carefully chooses his figures and times in such a way to propel the music in a swinging and unpredictable manner.
The first of three standard's, "Violets for Your Furs," reels the band back into mainstream mode, capturing the sound of 1950s Miles Davis. It is a beautiful revelation. "Sweet Lorraine" is taken at a loping pace, Saft playing between the lines with Jones' ever near-the-beat pulse avoiding temp tachycardia. McHenry plays as straight as Saft, quaint and beautifully. "Walls" offers an expansive answer to "Lorraine" with Jones providing a continuo arco. McHenry barley rattles the reeds, a sound like stretching parchment, while Saft favors his beloved low notes with sustain. Like a Coltrane performance, the piece is all introduction. It is worthwhile to consider that there is no resolution in music like this, only an extended consideration. "Words and Deeds" follows the same formula of the opening "Vessels," brooding and impressionistic. The final standard "There's a Lull in My Life" completes the recording beautifully and appropriately. McHenry first duets with Jones, Waits brushing in the background. By the time Saft gets there, things are well underway, introspectively. Within this musical microcosm, Saft and company blow the dust off of and update a storied method of performance.†- C. Michael Bailey, AllAboutJazz
CD $17
RIVERS ON MARS with AVRAM FEFER / GREG TATE / ON KA’A DAVIS / JASON DI MATTEO / CHRIS EDDLETON - Deja Voodoo (Ropeadope RAD 426; USA) River on Mars features Avram Fefer on tenor & alto saxes, On Ka’a Davis on guitar, Greg Tate on loopadelics (loops or samples), Jason DiMatteo on acoustic bass and Chris Eddleton on drums. Everyone in the quintet except for On Ka’a Davis are members of the Burnt Sugar Arkestra. Frontline saxist Avram Fefer is a consummate Downtown musicians who has worked with Michael Bisio, Bobby Few, Adam Lane and Adam Rudolph. Greg Tate is the longtime leader & conductor of the Burnt Sugar Arkestra, a well-regarded author. In recent years, Mr. Tate has moved from playing guitar to using a sampler/computer at most Burnt Sugar live sets. Guitarist On Ka’a Davis is another more mysterious musician who has worked with Butch Morris and who has a few solo CD’s on the Tzadik and LiveWired labels.
Like a smaller version of Burnt Sugar, Rivers on Mars blend funk, jazz, ethnic and rock influences. “Xenobia†kicks this disc off with a sly, head-modding, space/funk groove… Fefr plays soprano sax, sailing above the eerie samples, slippery guitar and soft yet slamming rhythm. Each song features a fab, hypnotic, churning rhythm with skeletal guitar, pulsating samples and often jubilant sax (mostly tenor & soprano) soloing in the center of the mix. Fefer often overdub several saxes & flute parts, one soloing, while the other(s) play those great festive riffs in circular orbits. Each piece has an infectious yet dream-like groove at the center with layers of reeds, guitar and sampler, creating this mesmerizing web of activity on top. Parts of this recall the space rock groove of Gong (mid-seventies), while other parts sound like space/ambient/techno sounds of the Orb (nineties). Although it is Mr. Tate’s ongoing, pulsating samples that often set the mood, it is Mr. Fefer’s spinning, serpentine saxes and Mr. Davis’ nimble, understated guitar which keep the currents flowing throughout. I was listening to this late at night, after midnight, and wishing to be slightly altered by herb or liquid spirits. Rather than have the need to take too many notes or show off his chops like many a younger musician, Mr. Fefer slows things down, playing gentle and dreamy at times while the rest of the band sails quietly into outer or inner space. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $14
CHICAGO EDGE ENSEMBLE With DAN PHILLIPS / MARS WILLIAMS / JEB BISHOP / KRZYSZTOF PABIAN / HAMID DRAKE - Insidious Anthem (Trost 177; Austria) Chicago Edge Ensemble is a special project of the finest Chicago musicians dealing in free jazz and improvisation, put together by Dan Phillips. Insidious Anthem is their second album, and first on Trost. Personnel: Dan Phillips - guitar; Hamid Drake - drums; Mars Williams - saxophones and percussion; Jeb Bishop - trombone; Krzysztof Pabian - double bass.
"Dan Phillips leads a quintet with muscle and a big Chicago sound and memorable compositions." - The Wire.
"Chicago jazz is the complexity of the postmodern sound with a predisposition for rump shaking. The Quintet rarely lowers the flame from boiling." --All About Jazz.
"Fans of both traditional and more adventurous jazz will find much to like here. Indeed, the Chicago Edge Ensemble does manage to succeed in representing the city's diverse musical roots, and in a highly enjoyable fashion to boot." - Avant Music News.
CD $17
KAJA DRAKSLER / PETTER ELDH / CHRISTIAN LILLINGER - Punkt.Vrt.Plastik (Intakt 318; Switzerland) Featuring Kaja Draksler on piano, Petter Eldh on bass and Christian Lillinger on drums. Slovenian pianist, Kaja Draksler, has come a long way in a short amount of time. Ms. Draksler moved to the Netherlands 10 years ago and has kept busy collaborating with a handful of European musicians: Ab Baars, Susana Santos Silva and Eve Risser. More recently, Ms. Draksler organized an octet, whose 2 CD set on the Clean Feed label is one of last year’s best under-recognized treasures. Earlier this year, Ms. Draksler was part of a trio with Ab Baars (saxes)and Joe Williamson (bass), with a CD on Relative Pitch. Ms. Draksler’s own trio features Petter Eldh on bass, who has worked with Django Bates & Peter Evans, and the ubiquitous, Christian Lillinger on drums, an in-demand percussionistic who has appeared on some 30 releases so far.
Right from the beginning. there is several layers of lines moving around one another. While the bass and drums erupt tightly together, starting and stopping, Ms. Draksler adds spurts of notes in ever-changing sequences. Bassist Petter Eldh, is often at the center of the storm here, spinning out quick, intense lines while the piano and drums take their time to flourish the slower, more suspended filled counterpoints. What is most usually here is that Ms. Draksler only wrote one piece here, while Mr. Lillinger wrote five and Mr. Eldh wrote three. Many of these pieces are well-written, and have some complex twists and turns. There also some lyrical passages where Ms. Draksler plays these sweeping waves, the the rhythm team locking into the flow, speeding up and slowing down always as one force. This is an outstanding effort and one of the best piano trio discs I’ve heard in recent times. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18
FRANCOIS HOULE & ALEXANDER HAWKINS With HARRIS EISENSTADT - You Have Options (Songlines 1628; Canada) This new international chamber-jazz trio with classical and avant leanings features beautiful tunes and tasty improvisation. Canadian clarinetist François Houle, British pianist Alexander Hawkins, and NY-based Canadian drummer Harris Eisenstadt are highly regarded leaders and genuinely sympatico. The program features original compositions by all three plus pieces by Steve Lacy, Andrew Hill and Charles Ives. The group first came together for the 2014 Vancouver jazz festival and played some wild improvisational music but the record is mostly on the more lyrical and contemplative side. Houle and Eisenstadt and Hawkins and Eisenstadt have long histories of performing together, but Alex and François had not met previously. Their performing blend is different from previous Houle projects on Songlines with European pianists Benoît Delbecq and Håvard Wiik - perhaps more classically poised and spacious, but warm rather than cool, and with an edge when needed. Harris's fastidious, highly textured drumming is the perfect percussive complement. Both Houle and Eisenstadt have extensive back catalogue on Songlines.
CD $15
Three New Ones from the Great Sunnyside Label, in stock early Next Week:
AARON GOLDBERG With MATT PENMAN / LEON PARKER - At the Edge of the World (Sunnyside 1521; USA) For the past 2 decades pianist Aaron Goldberg has crisscrossed the globe, spreading his music and absorbing local knowledge along the way. True to the jazz mentality, he learned to embrace serendipity as an artistic muse. Five years ago this month, in an historic chateau at the exact geographic center of France, Goldberg was reunited with an early influence. Soon a new project began to take shape. Goldberg’s latest recording, At The Edge of The World, documents this recent collaboration with drummer and percussionist Leon Parker, a brilliant innovator and performer, in a new trio along with the gifted bassist Matt Penman.
CD $15
YUHAN SU With MATT HOLMAN / ALEX LORE / PETROS KLAMPANIS / NATHAN ELLMAN-BELL - City Animals (Sunnyside 1529; USA) “New York City can be like a jungle. With a menagerie of people intermingling in seemingly never ceasing action, the City has ecosystems within ecosystems. Vibraphonist/composer Yuhan Su has been inspired by her chaotic new home and her experiences with the individuals she has met there. Her new recording, City Animals, captures her enthusiasm for the craziness of the City and the adventures she has had since her arrival. // Originally from Taiwan, Su came to the States in 2008 to further her music studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she expanded her classical percussion knowledge to the world of jazz and improvisation. In 2012, Su moved to New York; she fell in love with the City and immediately immersed herself in the wilds of the jazz scene. // For City Animals Yuhan Su recruited saxophonist Alex LoRe join a tightly knit ensemble, which features trumpeter Matt Holman, bassist Petros Klampanis and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell.â€
CD $15
BENNY GREEN with ANNE DRUMMOND / DAVID WONG / KENNY WASHINGTON / et al - Then and Now (Sunnyside 1528; USA) “On Green's new album, Then and Now (Sunnyside), the bop pianist and bop vocalist sound sumptuously hip together on 5 of the 12 tracks. Personally, I wish the entire album featured them together, but I'll take what I can get. Green has impeccable chops and enormous taste while Swift has a voice way beyond her years. I last heard her at Birdland earlier this year scatting with the Django All-Stars. She blew my mind. And Joe Lang tells me that she was out-of-sight at Ken Poston's Los Angeles Jazz Institute's Something Cool Festival recently, where she sang selections from Anita O'Day's big-band songbook.
For those not in the know, Swift is the 20-something daughter of late pianist Hod O'Brien and singer Stephanie Nakasian, who sang the June Christy songbook at the Something Cool Festival. I could listen to Swift all day. She knows the material, is deep into the artists, and understands how to deliver interpretations that satisfy those in the know and those new to the songs. I also love how she overdubbed her voice on the new album to create vocal harmony.
Then and Now was perfectly produced by Green. In addition to Swift and Green on Dexter Gordon's For Regulars Only, Green's Naturally and Humphrey, Horace Silver's Split Kick and the standard Something I Dreamed Last Night, the album features the gorgeous flutist Anne Drummond, bassist David Wong, percussionist Josh Jones and the ever-exciting drummer Kenny Washington.†- Marc Myers, AllAboutJazz.com
CD $15
ANDREW BERNSTEIN - An Exploded View of Time (Hausu Mountain 074; USA) “Andrew Bernstein is a saxophone player and composer most recognized for his involvement in experimental band Horse Lords. He is releasing his latest album, An Exploded View of Time, through Hausu Mountain Records.
When listening to it, I can’t help but summon a comparison with saxophone virtuoso Colin Stetson. Of course, the palette of solo sax releases is pretty wide even for this relatively niche and narrow canvas, but the choice of techniques and soundscapes with which Andrew decided to paint it are remarkably similar. A short list of those include overblowing, circular breathing, and a ceaseless discharge of arpeggi. Some techniques that are missing (and which I miss) are the percussive sounds from pressing the keys and vocal multiphonics. Nevertheless, Andrew’s mastery of the instrument is without a doubt; as if his portfolio alone wasn’t enough to clear any shadow of one.
Throughout An Exploded View of Time, Andrew submerges us within the monochromatic painting, which evokes much more than one could imagine just by looking at the tools of the painter. To the neophyte, a simple saxophone can hardly stand on its own, musically speaking. To the virtuoso, however, nothing is out of reach for that metal cylinder. To the beholder, only beauty can be found.†- canthisevenbecalledmusic.com
CD $15
BROM - Sunstroke (Trost 176; Austria) A young, super-tight and intense power trio from Moscow, Brom genuinely push heavily, crossing over among improv, noise-rock and free jazz with Sunstroke. "One of the most amazing mixes of musical elements I have heard in a long freakin´ time."- Mats Gustafsson . Personnel: Dmitry Lapshin - double bass; Anton Ponomarev - sax; Yaroslav Kurilo - drums.
CD $17
BRANDON LOPEZ - The Church of Plenty Empty (No Rent NRR 89; USA) Bassist Brandon Lopez continues to amaze me, as a gifted bassist and consistently adventurous collaborator. Earlier this week (11/11/18), Mr. Lopez played in a contrabass duo with Thomas Helton here at DMG for the second time here and the performance was excellent! You can check out an excerpt on the DMG Instagram feed. On Monday (11/12/18), Mr Lopez played in a duo with Steve Swell on trombone, with Lopez on acoustic guitar. This was also pretty great. I’ve also caught Mr. Lopez play solo, as well as in duos or trios with Dave Rempis, Chris Pitsiokos and Guillermo Gregorio. All were wonderful in one way or another.
This is another solo contrabass effort, the second one in recent times. Mr. Lopez is obviously exploring sounds and textures, carefully bowing and bending the strings in an eerie, disorienting sort of way. Lopez takes his time and works with a more restrained approach at first. Mr. Lopez sounds like he squeezing out notes, bending & banging on the strings with his bow or fingers, churning odd sounds inside-out. The overall effect is one of transformative, haunting and exploratory sonics. A most impressive effort all the way around. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
Cassette $10 [LTD Edition of 100, almost sold out]
BOB DRAKE - L'isola Dei Lupi (ReR CTA-BD 22; UK) Bob's 10th solo album sees Bob playing all the usual instruments (and a few more this time) in another collection of eccentric, songs with impossible structures, extraordinary harmonies, informative lyrics (rather outré in their subject matter, as Bob's small platoon of fans like it), virtuoso playing (in a casual sort of way), some great production and impressive musical economy. The album comes with a remarkable fold-out map and archimboldo-esque design by graphic artist Joe Mruk. Bob Drake (b.1957) has played a lot of instruments with - and has engineered - all sorts of bands from the early 1970's on. Between 1978-1989 he played an important role in Denver's underground music scene, and was a founding member of both Thinking Plague and Hail. In the early 1990's while living in Los Angeles, he wound up engineering sessions with just about everybody-from Ice Cube to Shirley MacLaine, and it was there he met David Kerman and became part of 5UU's. It was also around this time that he began to write and record his own solo albums. Since 1994 Bob has lived at his home studio in Southern France, where he has played on and recorded and/or mixed hundreds of albums by artists from around the world. He is also known for his definitive re-mastering of classic albums by Art Bears, Henry Cow, ZNR, Cassiber, Homosexuals, and others. With output this vast, Bob is dangerously close to becoming a cult.
CD $15
JANA WINDEREN - Spring Bloom in the Marginal Ice Zone (Touch 065; UK) Touch issues Jana Winderen's Spring Bloom In The Marginal Ice Zone. The marginal ice zone is the dynamic border between the open sea and the sea ice, which is ecologically extremely vulnerable. The phytoplankton present in the sea produces half of the oxygen on the planet. During spring, this zone is the most important CO2 sink in our biosphere. On Spring Bloom In The Marginal Ice Zone the sounds of the living creatures become a voice in the current political debate concerning the official definition of the location of the ice edge. The listener experiences the bloom of plankton, the shifting and crackling sea ice in the Barents Sea around Spitsbergen, towards the North Pole, and the underwater sounds made by bearded seals, migrating species such as humpbacks and orcas, and the sound made by hunting saithe, crustaceans and spawning cod, all depending on the spring bloom. Spring Bloom In The Marginal Ice Zone is a Sonic Acts and Dark Ecology commission, first shown as a seven-channel installation at the Sonic Acts festival (Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam, 2017). Includes booklet.
Jana Winderen is an artist educated in Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London with a background in mathematics, chemistry and fish ecology from the University of Oslo. Jana focuses on audio environments and ecosystems which are hard for humans to access, both physically and aurally. Amongst her activities are immersive multi-channel sound installations and concerts which have been performed internationally in major institutions and public spaces in America, Europe and Asia. Winderen lives and works in Oslo.
CD $15
Historic and Archival Recordings:
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with JOE BYRD / et al - self/titled (Esoteric 2449; UK) Fueled by the avant-garde sonic research of keyboardist/composer Joe Byrd and the haunting vocals of Dorothy Moskowitz, the United States Of America found a way to permanently hardwire space-age electronic music to the heart of rock and roll on their highly desirable, self-titled 1968 debut. Byrd's kaleidoscopic musical excursions and Gordon Marron's searing violin orbit around the icy vocals of Moskowitz, who - with a passing resemblance to early Jefferson Airplane belter Signe Anderson - remains the group's center, steady as a rock. One of the greatest psychedelic albums of all time and one of the few with no guitars utilized. Electric bassist, Rand Forbes, played one of the first (and only) fretless electric basses in a rock band, as early as 1968. If you don’t own this classic psych treasure, you best grab a copy now so your life (as a serious collector) will be complete. - BLG / DMG
CD $17
LEE MORGAN - Eight Classic Albums (Broadcast Archives 9156; EEC) American jazz trumpeter, Edward Lee Morgan- professionally known by his middle name - is still celebrated as one of the key hard-bop players of the early 1960s. Born in Philadelphia on 10th July 1938, his sister gifted him his first trumpet on his 13th birthday, having previously been interested in the vibraphone and then the alto sax. His main early influence was fellow trumpeter Clifford Brown, from whom he took a few lessons as a teenager. Morgan achieved early prominence after playing on John Coltrane's esteemed Blue Train at age 17, and joining Dizzy Gillespie's big band a year later, a group with whom he performed and recorded for 18 months, until Gillespie disbanded his group in 1958. Morgan also played alongside other founding members of the group, notably trombonist Al Grey and saxophonist Billy Mitchell, on the 1957 Specialty album, Dizzy Atmosphere included in full as part of this collection. Following the demise of Gillespie's outfit, Lee joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in late 1958, and while it further developed his talent as a soloist and composer. He toured with Blakey for a number of years, and was featured on numerous albums by the Messengers. Morgan had signed a deal with Blue Note records in 1956 and across the next 15 years, recorded twenty five albums for the label as leader. After being forced out of the Messengers in 1961 following serious drug problems, he returned to Philadelphia, where he continued to make albums, but he moved back to New York in '63. During this era he recorded his and Blue Note's most successful record, The Sidewinder, later that same year. Lee Morgan released a further 11 albums for Blue Note through the latter half of the '60s and early 1970s. Bringing together eight of Lee Morgan's most prestigious and finest albums, this 4 CD collection serves as both a welcome reminder of the great man's best ever work, and as a pivotal starting point for those investigating this Jazz giant for the first time.
4 CD Set $16
DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA - Live At The Opernhaus, Cologne 1969 (Jazzline/PO 77029; Germany) Original master concert recording from the November 10th, 1969 previously unreleased, respectively released for the first time in 2016. A release in the WDR The Cologne Broadcasts series produced by Jazz historian Dr. Bernd Hoffmann. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899-May 24, 1974) is the American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death over a career spanning more than fifty years. WDR (West German Broadcasting Cologne) is the German public broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. Engineered by Rolf-Dieter Weyer and re-mastered by Dirk Franken. Liner notes by journalist and radio host Karsten Mützelfeldt in English and German.
CD $16
BARNEY KESSEL - Hoboken, NJ 1980 (Hi Hat 3086; UK) Hi Hat presents Barney Kessel, live from Hoboken, NJ 1980. In his twenties, this relentlessly inventive guitarist was topping magazine polls and recording with Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson and others. He went on to become one of America's top session guitarists, as well as making albums under his own name and touring widely, both on his own and with other renowned guitarists. The superb performance on Hoboken, NJ 1980 was broadcast on WBGO-FM radio, and finds him playing alongside the great Herb Ellis. It's presented here digitally remastered together with background notes and images. Personnel: Barney Kessel - guitar; Herb Ellis - guitar, track 3; Bob Magnuson - bass; Sherman Ferguson - drums.
CD $17
UNEVEN PATHS - Deviant Pop From Europe 1980-1991 (Music from Memory 031; Netherlands) Uneven Paths: Deviant Pop From Europe 1980-1991 is the second multiple artist compilation on Music From Memory. It's compiled by record connoisseur Raphael Top-Secret and label man Jamie Tiller. The compilation brings together twenty-one tracks from across the continent; exploring the more unusual and unexpected sides of pop music produced during that period. Drawing material from cult experimental artists such as Steve Beresford, Brenda Ray, and Bill Nelson alongside one-off independent musical projects rescued from the fringes, Uneven Paths focuses on a selection of tracks that go beyond the confines of mainstream pop music but which also transcend expectations of much of the "experimental" music of the time. This is music with one foot in the avant-garde and another foot firmly rooted within the sensibilities of pop; where jazz musicians detour into synth-pop, punk bands break into boogie jams, and student doctors jam out on odd melodies with synthesizers and drum machines during their night shifts. Features Nightfall In Camp, Stroer Duo Howard Fine, Tony Hymas, Violet Eves, Miko & Mubare, Piscine Et Charles, John Makin & Friends, Nonobstant, Wolfgang Klingler, Thomas Heimes, Hans-Christian Mittag, Sound On Sound, Harte 10, Pete Brandt's Method, Lost Gringos, Patrick Forgas, Brenda And The Beachballs, Xavier Jouvelet, Lou Blic, Steve Beresford, Bill Nelson's Orchestra Arcana, Harte 10, and Monica Rypma.
2 CD Set $22
ANTILLES MECHANT BATEAU - various artists (Born Bad Records 106; France) Born Bad Records present Antilles Mechant Bateau, a compilation of percussion-based music from Guadeloupe. More properly, the subject of this collection is musicians drumming on percussion as a way of asserting their creolized identity. Songs that tell, in veiled terms, a different reality from that what which mainlanders were fed. Special cases, with cries of joy and laments accompanied by cadences, as an invitation to trance, all immersed in the Caribbean melting pot of rhythm. A symbol of Guadeloupe's struggle for independence, the prominently featured ka drum became the soundtrack of a new generation, who sped up the tempo in the '70s and definitely transplanted it to town, while the plantation economy (the original soil of the ka drum) was in crisis. From then on, the old tambouyés (drummers) finally were celebrated as they should be: Anzala, Carnot, Serge Dolor, Ti Seles, Robert Loyson, Arthème Boisban, Esnard Boisdur, and especially Velo (born Marcel Lollia), who nevertheless died in misery, in the street, in 1984. As in the United States, blues and ka music fought the same battle against centuries of oppression, of negation, before finding the path to possible redemption. Between them, the same language, that of the Creole spirits, flooded the great ocean. This is what this selection is about, and its good, inborn sense of humor shouldn't hide the implicit commentaries. Here, jazz instills an emancipating energy from established formats, giving these songs a musicality that rhymes with spirituality. From infernal cadences borrowing from the Latin rhythms of neighboring islands, to beguines with percussion-spiced tempos, to more laid-back -- nonetheless dark -- ballads, this compilation takes the listener back to the early hours of a movement of rebirth synonymous with recognition, a rejuvenation in which all the music of the Black Atlantic diaspora naturally intertwine, like a wave of sounds, of sense and blood, reminding us that an original culture emerged from the holds of those 'wicked boats', the trace of which remains starkly persistent in 2018. Also features: Mahy, Guy Conquete, Joseph Lacides, Tino Saint Val, Gabby Siarras, Casimir Letang, Manuela Pioche, Gerard Valton, Beaujour Et Ses Diables Du Rythme, and Josiane Saint Louis. Digipak with 16 page booklet.
CD $15
MC5 - Thunder Express (Jungle Records 071; UK) "MC5 (Motor City Five), the legendary Detroit band. Their first single (included here) was released in 1967. In 1968 they played the infamous Democratic Convention that turned into a police riot, and they went on to be the 'Official White Panther Party Band'. Their manager John Sinclair became a hippie martyr, after being jailed for 10 years for 2 joints, inspiring John Lennon's '10 For 2' song. Thrown off their first label Electra, they signed to Atlantic for 2 more albums but only achieved underground success. Now greatly revered as one of the seminal rock'n'roll bands and a huge inspiration for punk. Thunder Express documents their first and last studio work 0- six tracks recorded in France in 1972 at Studio Castle Herouville for a TV show; and 4 tracks from their first two singles from '66 & '68. The title track is unavailable elsewhere. Includes 12-page booklet with notes and interview from 1970, along with the White Panther Party '10-Point Program'."
CD $15
MKWAJU ENSEMBLE (MIDORI TAKADA) - Mkwaju (Wrwtfww Records 025; Switzerland) Announcing the highly anticipated official reissue of holy grail album MKWAJU by acclaimed Japanese percussionist Midori Takada's MKWAJU Ensemble, sourced from the original masters and available in two versions: a vinyl LP cut at Emil Berliner Studios (formerly the in-house recording department of Deutsche Grammophon) and a digipack CD. Originally recorded in February and March 1981 and released by fabled Japanese avant-garde label Better Days (home of Ryuichi Sakamato's debut album, Yasuaki Shimizu's Kakashi (1982), Colored Music's self-titled LP (WRWTFWW 024CD/LP, 2018) and many more) MKWAJU is the fruit of the collaboration between Takada's crew and world-famous composer/musical director Joe Hisaishi, the man behind most of Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli anime soundtracks and over 100 other films scores, including Takeshi Kitano's Sonatine (1993), Hana-Bi (1997), and Kikujiro (1999). The ensemble's transcendental wonder is, in fact, the first-ever Midori Takada album and the first-ever Joe Hisaishi-produced album: historic. Led by Midori Takada on marimba, gong, vibraphone, and tom tom, MKWAJU is an inventive and riveting take on Eastern and Western minimalist traditions, African rhythms, and early electronica. Drawing from its jazz-rooted polyrhythmic improvisations in the most inventive ways, the album covers a wide spectrum of sounds, from colorful dance floor-ready percussion pieces that stand somewhere between proto-techno and experimental synth-pop, to cinematic ambient landscapes and ethereal drone delicacies. The feverishly sought-after full-length is a stepping-stone in Midori Takada's career and an all-around pioneering album. Alongside Takada and Hisaishi (who not only produced the album but also played synthesizers), personnel on MKWAJU includes famed Japanese musicians Yoji Sadanari and Hideki Matsutake of KI-Motion (WRWTFWW 026CD/LP, 2018) fame, Junko Arase (heard on Satoshi Ashikawa's legendary Still Way - Wave Notation 2(1982)), and Pecker (whose stacked resume boasts collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Jun Fukamachi). CD in digipack with sticker.
CD $16
KING TUBBY - Explosive Dub (Clocktower CTCD 3022X; Canada) 2018 digipak edition of 1975's Explosive Dub. There are very few people who define a genre the way King Tubby defines dub. From the early days of dub in the 1960s, King Tubby (born Osbourne Rodduck) influenced a generation of producers across a variety of genres and continued to do so until his death in the late 1980s. While King Tubby was known for experimenting with different sounds, he was also truly never one to settle for mediocrity. Flexing his signature dub muscle on 1975's Explosive Dub, a compilation of various Tubby gems 19 tracks long, the true beauty of his ability is brought to light. It's obvious to the listener that King Tubby spent hours perfecting each track and remix before releasing it to the public. Explosive Dub, a previously hard to find collector's item is a shining example of King Tubby's work.
CD $15
KING TUBBY - African Love Dub 1974-1979 (Clocktower 190; Canada) King Tubby's African Love Dub 1974-1979 complies rhythms played by The Aggrovators (featuring Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Aston Barrett, etc.). Mixed by King Tubby, and produced by Bunny Lee.
CD $15
LINVAL THOMPSON - African Princess (Clocktower 1027; Canada) African Princess is a set of Linval Thompson's Channel One recordings from 1974-6. Musicians include Robbie Shakespeare, Earl "Chinna" Smith, Tony Chin, Ossie Hibbert, Augustus Pablo, Tommy McCook, and more. "Bunny Lee's 'flying cymbal' production dominates the session and consequently the listener might recognize several of these cuts from dub compilations on Blood & Fire. Generally speaking, though, this is not a dub record. Only the last song on each side is followed by a dub version. These are straight-ahead rockers with no frills and, depending on the pressing, rather muddy production. It is also worth mentioning that 'Money Money' and 'Blood Gonna Run,' among others, find Robbie Shakespeare at his slippery and infectious best. Serious basslines throughout." - AllMusic Guide.
CD $15
CURIOSITY SHOP - Volume Seven: A Rare Collection of Aural Antiquities and Objets d'Art 1967-1969 (Particles 4099; UK) Particles presents Curiosity Shop Volume Seven: A Rare Collection Of Aural Antiquities And Objets d'Art: 1967-1969, another compelling chapter from the "Enpsychlopedia Britannica". Emerging new groups get caught up in the throng of psychedelia, with nothing to lose but their hair and state of mind. Overground, underground, wherever you may be, this is the sound of bygone Britpop, enjoy! 24-page full color booklet with comprehensive liner notes and rare color photographs. Features: The Silvers, Bobby Angelo & The End, The Lemon Tree, The Traffic Jam, The Explosive, The Human Beans, Force West, Ray Ennis & The Blue Jeans, The Easybeats, Junior's Eyes, Phil Wainman, Ice, Frabjoy & Runcible Spoon, Hush, The Lemon Tree, Peter & The Wolves, The State Of Micky And Tommy, The Loot, The Kinetic, and Fortes Mentum.
CD $17
Back in stock:
DEREK BAILEY / TREVOR WATTS / JOHN STEVENS - Dynamics of the Impromptu (FMR 360-913; UK)Â Featuring Derek Bailey on acoustic & electric guitars, Trevor Watts on soprano sax and John Stevens on drums & cornet. This is a long (71 minute) live recording from the historic Little Theatre Club in London in Nov. & Dec. 1973 and Jan. '74, a little more than a month apart. There is something special going on here. This is the earlier days of the British avant/jazz scene which began in the mid-sixties and evolved thanks to small supportive spaces like the Little Theatre Club which was where Ronnie Scott's was located originally. I didn't know that the LTC was still in existence at this point but we never know until writes an accurate history or unexpected recordings appear. One of the earliest and most influential UK units was the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME) which was started by Trevor Watts & John Stevens. A number of other musicians would sit in like Kenny Wheeler, Evan Parker and Derek Bailey, so their sound changed/evolved with each gig. Around this time, the SME were a duo with Watts and Stevens, but they decided to add Derek Bailey for this date. What is also worth noting is that both Mr. Watts (Amalgam) and Mr. Stevens (JS Away) had both started their own bands which were much different from the totally free environment of the SME. This sounds like a new vocabulary, a different approach to improvisation. "Impromtu Dynamics 1" starts out with a slow moving yet still quite focused weaving of three streams. The only other scene or sound I can compare it to is the early Downtown scene (around 1980) with Zorn and Chadbourne and other fellow travelers. Trevor Watts, who plays only soprano rather than his main axe, alto, has that playful, squirrel-like sound that Evan Parker had when not circular breathing. When they slow down and deal with a more spacious approach, you can hear the wat they shape each note and selectively insert it into the dialogue or flow. It is especially great to hear Mr. Bailey playing acoustic guitar which he seemed to give up playing for many years until his later years end when he purchased an expensive acoustic guitar here in NY and recorded two fine discs for Tzadik ('Ballads' and 'Standards'). The trio take their time to work together in tight connected ways revolving around one another in well selected orbits. This is British free improv at its best! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
Sadly, the 482Music Label called it quits earlier this year so getting much of their back catalogue will become harder and harder as time goes on. We only have a handful of these discs in stock so don’t hesitate to get what you need while you can!
NICOLE MITCHELL / TOMEKA REID / MIKE REED - Artifacts (482 Music 1093; USA) This is a formidable all-star trio featuring Nicole Mitchell on flutes & electronics, Tomeka Reid on cello and Mike Reed on drums. The AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Music) turns fifty this year and this is indeed a cause for celebration! A series of concerts in Chicago (where it was born), New York (where many of its original members now live) and Europe (Paris for one) are taking place. The long history and influence of the AACM is impossible to deny. Check out George Lewis' great book, "A Power Stronger Than Itself", if you want to know more about the AACM. Since its members includes the elders/founders like Muhal Richard Abrams and Roscoe Mitchell, as well young musicians, the wide range of influence still rings true. This trio, Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid and Mike Reed are all younger members of the AACM. This disc, aptly titled "Artifacts", is a wonderful tribute to the AACM and each piece was composed by original members like Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Leroy Jenkins, Steve McCall (from Air), Amina Claudine Myers, Ed Wilkserson and Fred Anderson. Commencing with an early Braxton piece, "Composition 23B" (mid seventies), the trio do an amazing job with this demanding work. Super tight and invigorating! Each piece here is well selected and shows the wide array of ideas the the AACM has drawn from: diverse, free of any one genre or style, unpredictable and demanding. Nicole Mitchell is one of the greatest flutist alive and sounds consistently wonderful here! Since each of these musicians are leaders and strong composers on their own, all are integral to what makes this trio and CD so amazing. Ms. Reid's cello and Mr. Reed's drums are equally astonishing throughout. The liner notes briefly explain why each piece was selected so we know something about the challenges that went down. "Artifacts" is an extraordinary celebration of the great power of the AACM in more ways than I can imagine. Outstanding! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $15 (just a year old and already out-of-print, we have just 10 right now-11/15/18)
HEAR IN NOW With MAZZ SWIFT / TOMEKA REED / SILVIA BOLOGNESI - Not Living in Fear (International Anthem 0012; USA) Hear in Now features Mazz Swift on violin, Tomeka Reid on cello and Silvia Bolognesi on contrabass. This is the second release from this splendid international string trio that gets together only on rare occasions since each member hails from a different place: Mazz Swift (from Burnt Sugar in NYC), Tomeka Reid (Chicago to NYC) and Silvia Bolognesi (Italy). Each member of the trio contributes 3 or 4 songs plus there are a couple of group improvs. Since it has been a few years since their last disc was released on Rudi Records, the trio has had time to write material and evolve through all kinds of varied projects on their own. Opening with a trio improv, there is tight yet explosive eruption of ideas going on. An incredible display of talents going on here! The written pieces seem to come from the more austere side of chamber music with modest yet rich arrangements. There is poignant ballad called, “Requiem for Charlie Hadenâ€, the late, great bassist and composer which is most sublime and touching. I love the way the trio strips some of these pieces down to their bare essentials so that each note counts. This forces us to listen more closely so that we don’t miss anything. The title track, “Not Living in Fearâ€, features the charming voice of Ms. Dee Alexander, another modest gem to savor. Another tasty tribute is called, “Prayer for Wadudâ€, written by Tomeka Reid for the legendary cellist Abdul Wadud who has been missing in action for many years and word is that Ms. Reid met him recently at a concert. Mr. Wadud’s playing was an integral part of several albums by Julius Hemphill some forty years ago, his influence remains intact and can be heard in Ms. Reid’s own strong, spirited sound. This is the second string trio release in the past month, along with ‘In the Sea’ (w/ Tristan Honsinger on Relative Pitch. Both of these discs are outstanding examples of the incredible abilities of modern string trios at their best! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $14
LP Section:
OREN AMBARCHI & JIM O'ROURKE WITH SPECIAL GUEST U-ZHAAN - Hence (Editions Mego 249; Austria) Hence is the third collaborative release from Oren Ambarchi and Jim O'Rourke, following on from Behold (EMEGO 176LP, 2015). Building on the refined combination of electronics and acoustic instrumentation found on their previous releases, Hence presents two side-long pieces combining synthesizers, heavily effected guitar tones, and tabla rhythms played by special guest Uzhaan. On the first side, an explosive opening chord sends out ripples of sparse, irregularly pulsing guitar and synthesizer tones, aleatorically changing in pitch and jumping around the stereo image. Combined with the tabla, which gradually builds in busyness throughout the side, the piece is like a dream collaboration between David Behrman and the Henry Kaiser of It's A Wonderful Life (1984), gradually overtaken in its second half by a swarm of lush live electronic sizzle. The second side begins in a similar area, combining tabla, shimmering Leslie cabinet guitar tones, and a wandering melodic line. Undergoing a series of subtle variations, this initial area eventually builds to a climax of twittering synthesized birdsong reminiscent of Alvin Curran's '70s work. As on the first side, Ambarchi and O'Rourke craft a piece that is both comforting and subtly strange, as the constantly shifting dynamics and changes of focus (which recall the flow of improvised music) refuse to allow the music to settle into any one moment for too long or to build in too linear a fashion. Combining influences from post-minimalism, the pioneers of live electronics, and eastern music into a unique sound world, Hence is a seductive work from two of the most singular sensibilities in contemporary music. Cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin. Photos by Traianos Pakioufakis. Sleeve/type design by Stephen O'Malley.
LP $22
CATHERINE LAMB - Shade / Gradient (Black Pollen Press 03; USA) “Catherine Lamb’s work is characterized by an insistence on what she calls the “interaction of toneâ€. Precisely tuned intervals, played slowly at subtle volumes, blend and generate a host of difference and combination tones, phasing, beating and aural illusions. Her ensemble and orchestral compositions have been performed in grand halls and d.i.y. spaces alike, played by underground musicians and institutional ensembles including the BBC orchestra. Yet sometimes ideas must be stated in ways that reflect their most basic, unfettered reality and indeed, shade/gradient contains all of the elements of Lamb’s orchestral and ensemble music in their most intimate, radically distilled form.
Lamb met Mani Kaul by happenstance at CalArts, where she was a student and he a visiting filmmaker. Though best known for his films, Kaul was also a long time student of the great Indian dhrupad musician, ZM Dagar, and their chance encounter would introduce Lamb to the sonic and philosophical concepts of dhrupad music in the Dagar tradition. The score to Lamb’s shade/gradient bears a dedication to Mani Kaul, and the piece’s oceanic sense of time and emphasis on the most subtle shifts in resonance and intonation make the connection to dhrupad concepts clear, while it’s slowly unfolding structure and tuning system also point towards Morton Feldman and her studies with James Tenney. Performed by Lamb herself using only viola, formant oscillators and her own voice, the piece also falls into the lineage of composer performed solo works like Pauline Oliveros’ Horse Sings from Cloud for accordion and voice, or the ARP synthesizer works of Eliane Radigue (who has composed an as-yet unperformed piece for Lamb). Deluxe LP housed in a 3-color letter-pressed jacket with a 16-page booklet containing the full score to shade/gradient and a lengthy interview with the composer by Che Chen. Limited edition of 425 copies. Download card included.â€
LP $30 (Super Limited quantity)
MACIUNAS ENSEMBLE - Maciunas Ensemble (Edition Telemark 785-08’ Germany) The Maciunas Ensemble was founded in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 1968 as a free improvisational music group that set out to realize the score "Music for Everyman" by Fluxus initiator George Maciunas, which they interpreted as allowing total freedom in the sounds being produced. In the mid-1980s, after a number of personnel changes, the group settled on the line-up of artists Paul Panhuysen and Mario van Horrik, musician Jan van Riet, and scientist Leon van Noorden, which remained stable until Panhuysen's death in 2015. The group met and played on a regular basis, usually improvising on instruments that were at hand and recording every session. Before playing the next session, the previous recording was listened to and discussed. In 1980, the Eindhoven art initiative Het Apollohuis, also the home of Panhuysen and his family, became their home base, a place that subsequently gained fame for being one of the first and longest-running venues for sound art and experimental music in Europe. In the recent years, the Maciunas Ensemble has begun to go through its vast archive of recordings and to select material for publication that remained unreleased so far. The first bundle of archival recordings, dating from 1968 to 1980, was released on an 11-CD set on Apollo Records in 2012. For their 50th anniversary in 2018, the second part of archival recordings is to be published, its first instalment being this LP on Edition Telemark comprising unreleased tracks recorded between 1982 and 2012. More archival material will be released in digital format by the ensemble. This LP allows a glimpse into the musical directions the Maciunas Ensemble has been undergoing during those 30 years. Side A features "Ice Cream Man" and "Toxic Metals", two repetitive, thundering tracks from the early 1980s played on guitar, piano, and cello, and heavily inspired by minimalist rock and post-punk music. Side B contains four shorter tracks: "Russolution" (1985), played on self-built aluminum monochords, "Stamples" (2002), employing sampled voices, and "ZENder" (2009) and "Dèdeboum" (2012), both improvised tracks on vocals and a number of instruments. Standard edition of 250; brown Kraftpak sleeve with printed inner sleeve and liner notes by Mark van de Voort and Werner Durand.
LP $28
CREATIVE HEALING - Low Effort Social Events (Feeding Tube FTR 408; USA) "Creative Healing is a new Massachusetts combo mixing the folks from Hollow Deck (Andy Allen and Mia Friedman) with three old pals who also passed through the Ran Blake Paddle Tunnel at NE Conservatory (Katie McShane, Jesse Heasly and Nick Neuberg). The results are, as the old men say, a real gas. Although it's not a constant, there are moments throughout this album where the swonky collision of sax, guitar and drums puts me in mind of several classic versions of Beefheart's Magic Band. Nothing along those lines in the vocal department (which are often delivered as casually as they might be by MX-80's Rich Stim), but some of the harmonic threads are definitely of a Vliet-ian ilk. But there's more horn and overt jazzliness here, and also a dual tendency towards straighter and skronkier passages that would be outside the Magic Band's realm. The female vocals, when they appear, lend an edge of sophisto-mystery. It's not entirely unlike the way Dagmar Krause's parts worked during the later days of Henry Cow. As you've probably gathered from the references, this is art rock played at a very high level. There's no real nostalgia in it, however, the essential whatsis of their music is fully contemporary, and has lots of mechanical detailing that places it squarely in the post-post-hardcore stream. But it's also rooted in the great eternal gush of progressive music is all its many guises. And if that makes it seem like there's a little bit of everything here, well so be it. RIYL anything anywhere between RWA, Slapp Happy and Men & Volts." --Byron Coley, 2018. Edition of 250.
LP $19
BLACK MERLIN - Hipnotik Tradisi (Island of the Gods IOTG 002; UK) Island Of The Gods is back, with the first in the Island Explorer series of LPs. London-based artist Black Merlin delivers with the atmospheric Hipnotik Tradisi. Black Merlin ventured to the wild lands of Indonesia, exploring Bali and the neighboring islands. Working closely with old world musicians and the sounds of magical Bali, he recorded gamelan, gong, bamboo, and a number of field recordings from around the island. Jungles, sea, island wildlife and everything in between were recorded, capturing the atmosphere of the islands. The raw recordings were then taken back to his studio in London, where he crafted the recordings, re-interpreting them into a full album. Taking on a soundscape and hypnotic sound, which embodies the spirit of Indonesia through his own vision, Hipnotik Tradisi is a tropical voyage captured on the a beautiful album. 180 gram vinyl.
2 LP Set $35
FREDDIE HUBBARD with JOHN GILMORE / TOMMY FLANAGAN / ART DAVIS / LOUIS HAYES - The Artistry Of Freddie Hubbard (Down at Dawn 108; Italy) Down At Dawn presents a reissue of Freddie Hubbard's The Artistry Of Freddie Hubbard, originally issued on Impulse! in 1963. This explosive session, recorded in 1962, was young lion Freddie Hubbard's debut album for the label. For the occasion Hubbard displays a solid post-bop horn section with Curtis Fuller on trombone and the great John Gilmore on tenor saxophone in one of his rare appearances outside the Sun Ra Arkestra. The sextet is completed by an extremely dynamic rhythm section featuring Tommy Flanagan (piano), Art Davis (bass), and the super-swinging Louis Hayes on drums.
LP $18
LEE MORGAN with CLARENCE SHARPE / HORACE SILVER / et al - Indeed! (Down at Dawn 118; Italy) Down At Dawn presents a reissue of Indeed!, the debut album by genius trumpeter Lee Morgan, originally released in 1957. Recorded in 1956 at the very young age of 18, Indeed! is the result of a fine hard bop session featuring compositions by Benny Golson, Donald Byrd, Horace Silver and with Morgan leading his own band. The quintet features alto sax player Clarence Sharpe and a solid rhythm section with Horace Silver (piano) Wilbur Ware (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums).
LP $18
AKIRA RABELAIS - Eisoptrophobia (Boomkat Editions 017; UK) Boomkat Editions presents a first vinyl edition of Akira Rabelais' sophomore album, Eisoptrophobia, a spellbinding, uniquely decayed rendering of solo piano pieces by Erik Satie and Bela Bartók. The 2001 release forms a poetic farewell to the 20th century and a bittersweet embrace of new technological possibility. It's required listening for lovers of The Caretaker's haunted ballroom elegies, Stephan Mathieu's electro-acoustic microphony, or indeed the original, classical pieces. First released in 2001 on CD by Ritornell, a sub-label of Mille Plateaux, Eisoptrophobia is an early iteration of Akira applying his Argeïphontes Lyre software to classical music, and opening a fascinating schism between the original object and his modern, subjective perspective in the process. This process would also generate rarified and haunting results on Akira's Spellewauerynsherde (BKEDIT 015LP, 2017). The original piano recordings of Satie and Bartók pieces were made at Wave Equation Studios in Hollywood, California, and subsequently transformed with Argeïphontes Lyre, Adobe After Effects, SoundHack, Peak, and Pro Tools with beautifully elusive results. The recognizable melodies here ring out in myriad new ways, sometimes fractured and indented by patinas of crackle that echo the original contours, while, at other times, they're smudged into mind-bending obfuscation or spectral, timbral things. They have the uncanny capacity to resemble exhumed artifacts, dug up after decades of decay, and riddled with potently psychedelic mycelium ready to spore on the listener's mind. In its unique process and disjointed effect, Eisoptrophobia is arguably an album without precedent, and one that never ceases to yield anything less than a deeply reflective, perhaps even transformative experience with keener ears. Lacquer cut at Dubplates Mastering, Berlin. Photography by Jacqueline Roberts, design by Michael Worthington. Gatefold jacket.
2 LP Set $28
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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for November of 2018:
THE STONE RESIDENCIES - MARC RIBOT - NOV 13–17
11/16 Friday
8:30 pm - Marc Ribot Solo (guitar)
11/17 Saturday
8:30 pm - Marc Ribot (guitar) Nick Dunston (bass) Jay Rodriguez (sax) Nasheet Waits (drums)
CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING / HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
THE (NEW) STONE is located in The New School’s Glass Box TheatreÂ
55 West 13th street - near 6th ave
All Sets at The New Stone start at 8:30pm Tickets: $20
There are no refreshments or merchandise at The Stone.
Only music. All ages are welcome. Cash Only at the door.
A serious listening environment.
The Stone is booked purely on a curatorial basis
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The CORNELIA STREET CAFE - 212-989-9319
29 Cornelia St in the heart of the West Greenwich Village, NYC
Friday Nov 16
8:35PM STEPHAN CRUMP'S RHOMBAL - Ellery Eskelin, tenor sax; Adam O'Farrill, trumpet; Jeremy Dutton, drums; Stephan Crump, bass
Saturday
8:35PM STEPHAN CRUMP'S RHOMBAL - Ellery Eskelin, tenor sax; Adam O"Farrill, trumpet; Jeremy Dutton, drums; Stephan Crump, bass
Sunday Nov 18
8:01PM SERGIO PEREIRA’S SOULFUL LATIN JAZZ "NU BRASIL" ALBUM RELEASE
Sergio Pereira, acoustic guitar; Helio Alves, piano; Oriente Lopez, flute; Ariel Ramirez, bass; Mauricio Zottarelli, drums
Tuesday Nov 20
8:00PM CHET DOXAS TRIO - Chet Doxas, tenor sax; Ethan Iverson, piano; Thomas Morgan, bass 9:30PM EVAN FRANCIS SEXTET - Marianne Solivan, voice; Matt Nelson, tenor sax; Kenny Brooks, tenor sax; Evan Francis, alto sax, flute; Kenneth Salters, drums; Sam Bevan, bass
Wed Nov 21st:
8:01PM TOBIAS MEINHART QUINTET, VINYL RELEASE & FILM SCREENING - Tobias Meinhart, tenor sax; Ingrid Jensen, trumpet; Yago Vazquez, piano; Marcos Varela, bass; Jesse Simpson, drums
Friday Nov 23
6:00PM JOE PINO & THE KEEP IT MOVIN’ QUARTET - Joe Pino, trumpet/flugelhorn; Santiago Leibson, piano; Emiliano Lasansky, bass; Andrew Kushnir, drums
8:35PM HUSH POINT - John McNeil, trumpet; Jeremy Udden, saxophone; Aryeh Kobrinsky, bass;
Saturday Nov 24
6:00PM ALBERT MARQUES QUARTET - Albert Marques, piano; Pablo Menares, double bass; Raphael Pannier, drums; Victor Pablo, percussion
8:35PM HUSH POINT - John McNeil, trumpet; Jeremy Udden, sax; Aryeh Kobrinsky, bass;
Sunday Nov 25
6:00PM FLUTE AND GUITA - Roberta Michel, flute; Kenji Haba, guitar
8:00PM MATT PANAYIDES: FIELD THEORY NYC - Matt Panayides, guitar, comp.; Matt Vashlishan, ewi; Robert Sabin, bass; Mark Ferber, drums
9:30PM BURAK BEDIKYAN 4TET - Burak Bedikyan, piano; Jed Levy, saxophone; Peter Brendler, bass; Tim Horner, drums
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I-Beam Presents:
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2018
CAROL LIEBOWITZ / BILL PAYNE / MARK WEBER
8:00 PM 10:00 PM
Carol Liebowitz - piano
Bill Payne - clarinet
Mark Weber - poetry
BROOKLYN MUSIC FOR TWO PIANOS CONCERT SERIES.1
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2018
8:30 PM 10:30 PM
Shoko Nagai, piano & electronics
Eva Novoa, piano & Chinese gongs
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018
ZACK FOLEY TRIO SHRAGGE/CHESS QUARTET
8:30 PM 10:30 PM
8:30pm - Zack Foley trio
Zack Foley - vocals
Devin Gray - drums
Greg Chudzik - dass
9:30pm - Shragge/Chess quartet
Aaron Shragge - dragon mouth trumpet/shakuhachi/fx
Tom Chess - oud/ney
Michael Gam - Bass, sarod, sarangi, kanjira
Deric Dickens - Drums
  Â
I-Beam is located at 168 7th Street in Brooklyn, NY 11215 - Directions: SUBWAY: Take the F or R trains to 4th Ave & 9th Street. Walk down 4th ave to 7th street. Make a left on 7th and walk past 3rd ave. We are located on the ground floor, the grey doors to the right of the stairs of #168.
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Sound It Out Series @ Greenwich House — Concerts, September-December 2018
COMING ATTRACTIONS — 7th Season!
Thursday Nov 29, 7:30pm — Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Trio the duo of Anders Nilsson & Aaron Dugan - Double-bill — Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Trio: Nick Millevoi, electric guitar; Johnny DeBlase, bass guitar; Kevin Shea, drums the duo of Anders Nilsson, guitar & Aaron Dugan, guitar
Saturday Dec 1, 8pm — Devin Gray’s Dirigo Rataplan - Devin Gray, drums; Dave Ballou, trumpet; Ellery Eskelin, tenor sax; Michael Formanek, double-bass
Thursday Dec 6, 7:30pm — “The Afro-Cubism of Aruán Ortiz, from Avant-Jazz to Contemporary Chamber Musicâ€Â - Aruán Ortiz, piano/composer
At the Greenwich House Music School: 46 Barrow Street, just west of 7th Avenue South in New York City’s West Village; www.greenwichhouse.org, 212-242-4770.
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Bill Laswell concerts
Uplift Europe tour
Dave Douglas (tp) Jon Irabagon (sax) Mary Halvorson (gt)
Rafiq Bhatia (gt) Bill Laswell (b) Ches Smith (ds)
Nov. 15 @ Centro Cultrual Vila Flor, Guimaraes, Portugal
Nov. 16 @ EFG London Jazz Festival, London, England
Nov. 17 @ Bielskie Centrum Kultury, Bielsko-Biala, Poland
Nov. 18 @ Teatro Victoria Eugenia Antzokia, San Sebastián, Spain
Nov. 19 @ De Bijloke Muziekcentrum, Gent, Belgium
Dec. 14, 2018 (fri)
Peter Apfelbaum (keys, sax) Brandon Seabrook (gt)
Bill Laswell (b), Mark Guiliana (ds) @ Nublu, NYC
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The Bushwick Improvised Music Series
Continues on November 12th @ Bushwick Public House!
Monday November 19th
7pm Daniel Carter - woodwinds
Rose Tang - piano
Ras Moshe - tenor saxophone/flute
Sean Ali - bass
Kevin Shea - drums
8pm Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums
9pm Aaron Rubinstein - guitar/electronics
Nate Wooley - trumpet
Ben Stapp - tuba
9:45pm Colin Hinton - drums
Tony Malaby - tenor/soprano saxophones
Todd Neufeld - guitar
Eivind Opsvik - bass
10:45pm Aaron Novik - bass clarinet
Ava Mendoza - guitar
Matt Hollenberg - guitar
Jeremiah Cymerman - clarinet
11:30pm Michael Larocca - drums
Matt Gannon - guitar/electronics
Monday November 26th
7pm Lauren Lee - vocals/keys
David Tamura - tenor saxophone
8pm Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums
9pm Kenneth Jimenez Ensemble
Hery Paz - tenor saxophone / bass clarinet
Tom Rainey - drums
9:45pm Hans Tammen - Buchla
Ramon Lopez - drums
Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
10:45pm Chris Stromquist - drums
John Carlson - trumpet
Shawn McGloin - bass
Tim Vaughn - trombone
11:30pm Caleb Veazey Ensemble
Billy McShane - saxophones
Downstairs @ Bushwick Public House
bushwickpublichouse.com/
gaucimusic.com
1288 Myrtle Avenue , Bushwick
(Across the street from M train Central Ave stop)
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ERIC STERN’S HOUSE OF IMPROV Presents:
Friday, November 30th at 8pm:
MARILYN LERNER / KEN FILIANO / LOU GRASSI!
At Michiko Studios, 149 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036
Check out video: www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=597&v=pqetAT0eV6A