DMG Newsletter for Friday, December 27th, 2019 - HAPPY NEW (Y)EARS to ALL!

"Trouble Every Day"
From The Mothers of Invention’s debut album ‘Freak-Out!’
Released in 1966 and written by Frank Zappa

Well I'm about to get sick
From watchin' my TV
Been checkin' out the news
Until my eyeballs fail to see
I mean to say that every day
Is just another rotten mess
And when it's gonna change, my friend
Is anybody's guess

So I'm watchin' and I'm waitin'
Hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin'
Every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay
That trouble comin' every day
No way to delay
That trouble comin' every day

Wednesday I watched the riot...
Seen the cops out on the street
Watched 'em throwin' rocks and stuff
And chokin' in the heat
Listened to reports
About the whisky passin' 'round
Seen the smoke and fire
And the market burnin' down
Watched while everybody
On his street would take a turn
To stomp and smash and bash and crash
And slash and bust and burn

And I'm watchin' and I'm waitin'
Hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin'
Every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay
That trouble comin' every day
No way to delay
That trouble comin' every day

Well, you can cool it,
You can heat it...
'Cause, baby, I don't need it...
Take your TV tube and eat it
'N all that phony stuff on sports
'N all the unconfirmed reports
You know I watched that rotten box
Until my head begin to hurt
From checkin' out the way
The newsman say they get the dirt
Before the guys on channel so-and-so
And further they assert
That any show they'll interrupt
To bring you news if it comes up
They say that if the place blows up
They will be the first to tell,
Because the boys they got downtown
Are workin' hard and doin' swell,
And if anybody gets the news
Before it hits the street,
They say that no one blabs it faster
Their coverage can't be beat
And if another woman driver
Gets machine-gunned from her seat
They'll send some joker with a brownie
And you'll see it all complete

So I'm watchin' and I'm waitin'
Hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin'
Every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay
That trouble comin' every day
No way to delay
That trouble comin' every day

Hey, you know something people?
I'm not black
But there's a whole lots a times
I wish I could say I'm not white

Well, I seen the fires burnin'
And the local people turnin'
On the merchants and the shops
Who used to sell their brooms and mops
And every other household item
Watched the mob just turn and bite 'em
And they say it served 'em right
Because a few of them are white,
And it's the same across the nation
Black and white discrimination
Yellin' "You can't understand me!"
'N all that other jazz they hand me
In the papers and TV and
All that mass stupidity
That seems to grow more every day
Each time you hear some nitwit say
He wants to go and do you in
Because the color of your skin
Just don't appeal to him
(No matter if it's black or white)
Because he's out for blood tonight

So I'm watchin' and I'm waitin'
Hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin'
Every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay
That trouble comin' every day
No way to delay
That trouble comin' every day

You know we got to sit around at home
And watch this thing begin
But I bet there won't be many left
To see it really end
'Cause the fire in the street
Ain't like the fire in the heart
And in the eyes of all these people
Don't you know that this could start
On any street in any town
In any state if any clown
Decides that now's the time to fight
For some ideal he thinks is right
And if a million more agree
There ain't no Great Society
As it applies to you and me
Our country isn't free
And the law refuses to see
If all that you can ever be
Is just a lousy janitor
Unless your uncle owns a store
You know that five in every four
Just won't amount to nothin' more
Gonna watch the rats go across the floor
And make up songs about being poor

Blow your harmonica, son!

“Trouble Every Day” kicks off side 3 from the Mothers’ ‘Freak-Out!’ album. It is a psychedelic blues/rock anthem that helped get The Mothers of Invention signed to Verve/Forecast Records thanks to their early producer, Tom Wilson. ‘Freak-Out!’ is amongst the first albums I ever bought during the Summer of 1967, when I turned 13 and was Bar Mitzvahed. More than fifty years later, those words still ring true as we again governed by rascists, fascists and liars, meant to divide us. Don’t believe the propaganda, seek the truth before we drown in the sh*t. Remember, resistance is NOT futile! - MC BruceLee

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Sunday, December 29th:
6pm: DISSIPATED FACE: STEVE POPKIN / KURT RALSKE / DANIEL CARTER / WILL DAHL!
7pm: SUBURBAN BOHEMIA / MOTHERS JAM: THE MONZ, ELLIOTT SHARP, FRANK MEADOWS, MICHAEL VATCHER & MC BruceLee & Great Grandmothers Soul Chorus- Brother Russell & Len 38!?!

Sunday, January 5th - First DMG Gig of the New Year - Double Header!!
6pm: ELI WALLACE - Synth / ANDREW SMILEY - Guitar / CARLO COSTA - Percussion!
7pm: THOMAS HEBERER / LUKE MARRANTZ / SIMON JERMYN / MICHAEL VATCHER -
Trumpet / Fender Rhodes / Bass / Drums!

Sunday, January 12th:
6pm: JUAN P CARLETTI - Solo Drums!
7pm: ARON NAMEMWIRTH - Guitar / DAVE SEWELSON - Bari Sax / COLIN HINTON - Drums!
8pm: CHRIS PITSIOKOS / JAVIER A V / KEVIN MURRAY - Alto Sax / Guitar / Drums!

Sunday, January 19th:
6pm: RAGNHILD MAY - Solo!
7pm: CECILIA LOPEZ / JOE MOFFETT - Synth and Trumpet!
8pm: MICHAEL EATON / SETH DAVIS / DORIAN WALLACE CHERYL PYLE!

Sunday, January 26th:
6pm: JEREMIAH CYMERMAN - Solo Clarinet!
7pm: SAM NEWSOME - Solo Soprano Sax!
8pm: NICK DUNSTON - Solo ContraBass!

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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DMG Thanks You, Our Extended Family from Around the World!

A most sincere thanks to all who read the weekly DMG Newsletter from the bottom of our hearts. It has been a very difficult year as two of our close friends, poet Steve Dalachinsky and independent promoter, Eric Stern, have both passed away in recent months. DMG is struggling to stay alive, but we are determined to keep promoting the Creative Music that we need inspire us. No thanks to the Evil Empire: Amazon, Spotify, You-Tube, Google, Facebook, Twitter, G-mail, all of those greedy corporations and right-wing religious BS artists. I’m tired of reading the news, tired of singing the blues, tired of those who point their fingers at the Jews. The Nazi’s will not replace us so we must all fight fascism everyday in every way and fight for our Freedom. If you don’t complain, nothing will change!

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For the last DMG Newsletter of 2019, we are not offering anything new. We will be back next week with some new goodies. This is a Big Sale Only Newsletter. Most of these things are items we have too many copies of and we need to make space for some new things. Tzadik CD’s, DVD’s, cassettes, t-shirts and perhaps some records. We’ve priced more than 100 records over the past year, some are on Discogs and many only found in our record bins. Please come and visit us, you will find many unknown surprises if you are patient enough to dig. Attendance at our weekly free music series on Sundays at 6pm has increased over the last few years, so please come on down for those. I often put up several 1 minute exerts from each set at the store on InstaGram. More followers ever week.

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Big DMG BOX-SET SALE:

ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO / ROSCOE MITCHELL NOTE FACTORY / LESTER BOWIE BRASS FANTASY / Et al - And Associated Ensembles (ECM 2630; Germany) This is a 21-CD limited and numbered edition issued as the standard-bearers of Great Black Music prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
21 CD Set $100  [$10 off regular price!)

ART ZOYD - 44 1/2: Live and Unreleased Works (Cuneiform 45-463; USA) 
12 CD’s 2 DVD’s 2 BOOKS 2 Posters - $165 [$10 off regular price] 

ANTHONY BRAXTON With TAYLOR HO BYNUM / JEN SHYU / INGRID LAUBROCK / DAN PECK/ et al - Trillium J (New Braxton House/Firehouse12 906; USA) 
4 CD Box Set Sale $100

ANTHONY BRAXTON With HERB ROBERTSON/MICHAEL ATTIAS/CHRIS SPEED/STEVE SWELL/TOM VARNER/PERRY ROBINSON/NED ROTHENBERG/MARK WHITECAGE /BRANDON EVANS/TED REICHMAN/JOE FONDA et al - Trillium R: Shala Fears For The Poor - Composition No 162 (Opera in Four Acts) [4 CD set & Libretto] (Braxton House 008; USA) 
4 CD Set $30

ANTHONY BRAXTON With TOMAS FUJIWARA/TOM RAINEY - Trio (New Haven) 2013 (New Braxton House NBH 903; USA) 
4 CD Set $43

CASSIBER [HEINER GOEBBELS/ALFRED 23 HARTH/CHRISTOPH ANDERS/CHRIS CUTLER] TOM CORA/FRED FRITH/DAGMAR KRAUSE/GEORGE LEWIS / et al - 30th Anniversary Cassiber Box: Man or Monkey?/Beauty and the Beast/Perfect Worlds/A Face We All Know/Collaborations - The Way It Was - Elvis Has Left The Building: Cassix, Duck And Cover, Ground Zero: Side-Projects/Unreleased Studio & Live/Documentary (ReR CBOX 1; UK) 
6 CD Deluxe Box Set $80 

DUKE ELLINGTON - The Duke / Duke 100 Years (Columbia Legacy 92684; USA)
3 CD Book Box Set $35 USED 

EUROPEAN JAZZ - New Sounds from the Old Continent (Membran 233550; EEC) With Les Double Six, Enrice Rava, Martial Solal, Bernard Pfeiffer, Tubby Hayes, Dizzy Reece, Jazz Couriers, Krystof Komeda…  
10 CD Set $40

FAUST - The Wumme Years: Faust/So Far/Faust Tapes/BBC Sessions /71 Minutes Of... (ReR FB1; UK) 
5 CD Box Set Sale $60

JIMI HENDRIX - West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology (Sony/Experience Hendrix 88697769272; USA)
4 CD DVD Box Set $45

GEORGES IVANOVICH GURDJIEFF/THOMAS DE HARTMANN - Music For The Piano Vol 3: Hymns Prayers And Rituals (Wergo 6625; Germany)
3 CD Set $40

GEORGES IVANOVICH GURDJIEFF/THOMAS DE HARTMANN - Music For The Piano Vol 4: Hymns From A Great Temple and Other Works (Wergo 6643; Germany)
3 CD Set $40

KING CRIMSON [ROBERT FRIPP/JOHN WETTON/BILL BRUFORD/DAVID CROSS] - Starless (DGM 671974; UK) 
Limited Edition 27 CD/DVD/BluRay Box Set Sale $200

KING CRIMSON [ROBERT FRIPP/JOHN WETTON/BILL BRUFORD/DAVID CROSS] IAN McDONALD/MEL COLLINS/EDDIE JOBSON - The Road To Red: Live April to July 1974 2013 Fripp Stereo Mix of Red (DGM/Inner Knot KCCBX 7; UK)
21 CD DVD 2 BLU-RAY DISC BOOK Boxed Set Sale $225

KLAUS SCHULZE & PETE NAMLOOK - Dark Side of the Moog - Vols. 1 - 4 (Made In Germany 1382; Germany)
5 CD Set $45 [Sale - $5 off regular price] 

RICHARD THOMPSON - Walking on a Wire - 1968-2009 (Shout Factory 826663-11087; US)
4 CD Large Box Set $45

FATS WALLER & His RHYTHM - If You Got To Ask You Ain't Got It! - 1926-1943: Fats Sings And Plays Fats/Strictly Instrumental/Plays Tin Pan Alley (RCA/Bluebird 81125; USA)
3 CD BOOK set $35

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ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO / ROSCOE MITCHELL NOTE FACTORY / LESTER BOWIE BRASS FANTASY / Et al - And Associated Ensembles (ECM 2630; Germany)This is a 21-CD limited and numbered edition issued as the standard-bearers of Great Black Music prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Both the Art Ensemble of Chicago and ECM Records were founded in 1969, and there have been many shared experiences. As Roscoe Mitchell says, “It has been amazing to have taken this journey together.” With their first ECM album, the widely-acclaimed Nice Guys, the Art Ensemble’s revolutionary and poly-stylistic “ancient to the future” mix of musics - from the deeply spiritual to the fiercely experimental - was illuminated in new detail in Manfred Eicher’s panoramic production, and the stage set for many adventures to follow. These included the albums Full Force, Urban Bushmen, and The Third Decade with the classic AEC quintet line up of Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Famoudou Don Moye. All of Bowie’s and Mitchell’s subsequent ECM recordings are also gathered together here. Charismatic trumpeter Lester Bowie is heard here with his Brass Fantasy group, with Wadada Leo Smith and with Jack DeJohnette. Multi-reed master and primary AEC conceptualist Roscoe Mitchell appears with his Note Factory band, with the Transatlantic Art Ensemble co-founded with Evan Parker, and with an historic trios project recorded at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Along the way, numerous distinguished creative musicians including: Muhal Richard Abrams, Henry Threadgill, Craig Taborn, Vijay Iyer, Matthew Shipp, Tyshawn Sorey, Fontella Bass, Charlie Haden, Kenny Wheeler, Corey Wilkes, Gerald Cleaver, Phillip Wilson, George Lewis, William Parker, John Abercrombie, Eddie Gomez, and many others, in ECM recordings made between 1978 and 2015. This beautifully-designed box set incorporates a 300-page book reprising all original album covers, liner notes and poetry (by Joseph Jarman), as well as quotes from Art Ensemble members and the press, new texts by Craig Taborn, Vijay Iyer and George Lewis, a preface by Manfred Eicher, and an introduction by Steve Lake. Plus: many photographs (some previously unpublished), archival documents, and more.
21 CD Set $100  [$10 off regular price!)

ART ZOYD - 44 1/2: Live and Unreleased Works (Cuneiform 45-463; USA) Trying to make France's Art Zoyd fit into a single neat description is an exercise in futility. Sometimes they're fiendish sonic saboteurs bent on destroying listener's preconceptions about the way music works. Sometimes they're musical sorcerers conjuring strange but bewitching moments of lyrical beauty. You could call them the original post-rock band, moving on from the dark, stormy sounds of prog legends like Magma and King Crimson to something that makes even those fearless explorers sound conventional by comparison. You'd be equally accurate in dubbing them avant-classical composers, whose experimental visions are influenced by Stravinsky and Schoenberg. They were members of the notorious Rock In Opposition (RIO) movement alongside the likes of Henry Cow and Univers Zero. They're impressionistic soundtrack composers. They're a band. They're a multimedia collective. Ultimately they're simply Art Zoyd. And it takes a document as massive and monumental as the 12-CD/2-DVD/2-Book set 44 1/2 to even come close to offering a comprehensive picture of what they're all about. Containing hours of live and unreleased material from the vast Art Zoyd archives, 44 1/2 delves into the dense jungle of wildly diverse periods in a story that goes all the way back to the '70s. But it also provides many of the missing links in their long, knotty discography, filling in the gaps between their official releases and weaving together all of Art Zoyd's disparate stylistic strands into a majestic, multicolored, even imposing tapestry.” Box Set (12 CD’s 2 DVD’s 2 BOOKS 2 Posters) 
12 CD’s 2 DVD’s 2 BOOKS 2 Posters - $165 [$10 off regular price]

ANTHONY BRAXTON With TAYLOR HO BYNUM / JEN SHYU / INGRID LAUBROCK / DAN PECK/ et al - Trillium J (New Braxton House/Firehouse12 906; USA) “Trillium J (The Unconfessionables) is Braxton’s latest opera, presented in four acts and four CDs (the included Blue-Ray disc of a concert performance at Roulette in Brooklyn). Braxton is hardly a conventional storyteller, and in fact he outlines 14 manners of breaking the time continuum in the lengthy liner notes here. But one thing that might often be missed in his dense operas, rife with social commentary and cosmic consciousness, is that they are often quite funny. Trillium J wears its charm on its sleeve, with each of the acts rooted firmly in a different variety of genre fiction. Using Southern gothic, children’s fable, murder mystery and courtroom drama settings, Braxton crafts scenes about group dynamics and the conventions of social interaction. In the process, he provides some exceptional scores that should firmly place him alongside Robert Ashley (1930–2014) and Philip Glass as adventurous proponents of the operatic form. While his librettos tend to be written in a sung-speech common to much contemporary opera, there are some striking passages of multiple-voice arrangements. And while the music is through-composed and played by the 37-piece Tri-Centric Orchestra, there are sections that deliver the jazz energy that always seems to underpin his music. The whole work, in fact, is dedicated to Sun Ra.” - Kurt Gottschalk, Downbeat For the past few weeks, I’ve listened to one act of ‘Trillium J’ each evening before hitting the sack. Considering that I’ve listened to so little opera outside of Alban Berg’s two major works, I have been completely entranced by Mr. Braxton’s current opera release. There is so much going on here: 12 singers, several different ensembles, solo instrumentalists, dancers, guards, choir, computer music, etc. It will take a while to fully absorb. Each act involves a different story and setting, both history-based and fictional. Each of the twelve main vocalists are unique and flesh-out a different character in each of the for acts. Now that Mr. Braxton is retired from teaching at Wesleyan, he can concentrate on finishing more version of his Trillium opus, one for each letter of the alphabet. This is just third and each one has so many layers of ideas to consider. A toast to Mr. Anthony Braxton for all of the great work he has left us and future generations to enjoy. Bravo, bravo, bravo!!! - BLG/DMG 
4 CD Box Set Sale $100

ANTHONY BRAXTON With HERB ROBERTSON/MICHAEL ATTIAS/CHRIS SPEED/STEVE SWELL/TOM VARNER/PERRY ROBINSON/NED ROTHENBERG/MARK WHITECAGE/BRANDON EVANS/TED REICHMAN/JOE FONDA et al - Trillium R: Shala Fears For The Poor - Composition No 162 (Opera in Four Acts) [4 CD set & Libretto] (Braxton House 008; USA) So why is this so important? How can a guy like Braxton, who writes constantly, get a high mark on his first outing? Simple -- with the exception of Anthony Davis, who wrote Malcolm X, no one from the jazz side of the fence has attempted such a complete attempt to embrace the world of Western classical music so thoroughly. (Yes, forget Blood on the Fields, it's a jazz oratorio according to its composer.) And it deems that Braxton is the only one who can be counted -- if this opera, the first of 36 by the year 2020 if the composer lives that long and lives up to his word (is there any doubt?), is any example -- to have his work be worthy of comparison to the works of Webern, Berg, and Schoenberg, not to mention Morton Feldman and John Cage. Compared to his jazz work, Composition No. 162 -- An Opera in Four Acts/Shala Fears for the Poor (dedicated to Nelson Mandela) is far from dense compared to his jazz quartet, quintet, and orchestra work. The opera is performed by nine singers and a full symphony orchestra who has among its membership instrumental soloists like clarinetist Chris Speed, flutists Ned Rothenberg and Rob Brown, and violinist Sara Parkins. All of the operas in the Trillium series will have three primary levels spread throughout their acts and scenes: an "apparent story," which is a narrative that can be appreciated more or less for what it seems to say; a set of "philosophical associations" that make the work refer outside itself into the world of ideas; and finally, "the mystical or spiritual fundamental that underlines each setting," in other words, an allegory -- noh or kabuki theater anyone? The narrative in Shala is a long, drawn-out, rhetorical narrative involving the marketing of products and productions to the masses, specifically to the lower classes. These products are everything from food to loans, all of them created to extract a maximum of profit regardless of damage. Certainly there is a preaching to the converted here, with a plot as concerned with the obvious as the face of our culture. But Braxton -- through his use of color, shape, texture, and above all intersecting musical and dramatic dynamics -- cuts through and makes his dialogue enter into the imagination, where the listener extrapolates her or his own experience and places it firmly in the operatic sequence of events. The smarminess of the Board of Directors and the under-sung plaintive wail of Shala are downright moving. The interplay of the strings with the solo voices and horns and percussion creating mysterious shapes underneath, filling out scenarios and sub-plots, is masterful. Yes, it does seem as if there is a bit of the overly dramatic "snidely whiplash" in all of this, but isn't it that cynical anyway? That Braxton can overcome his temptation to preach at all is compelling (remember Schoenberg's similar taste of pulpit-climbing sin in Moses and Aaron?), as is his ability to lay everything at the altar of image (as his musicians paint them in the air next to the singers) in elongated modes of introverted harmonics and striated tonal linguistics. And after all, like all of Braxton's music, this opera, Shala Fears for the Poor, is about language and how it mediates and transcends images. Braxton is trying to transcend the language of the opera while using it for his own purposes. If this is where the future of opera is headed, if this is where it's language will ultimately be decided, then someone please give me a grammar book -- I'm in. ~ Thom Jurek, AMG Michael Rabinowitz bassoon, Lisa Bielawa vocals, Sara Parkins violin, Nioka Workman celli, Joe Fonda bass, Michael Attias sax (alto), Gregor Kitzis violin and Concert Master, Martha Mooke viola, Patti Monson flute and piccolo, Tom Varner french horn, Peter Stewart vocals, Marshall Sealy french horn, Gino Robair percussion, Catherine Bent celli, Cory Wright clarinet, Perry Robinson clarinet, David Bindman sax (tenor), Chris Matthay trumpet, Steve Swell trombone, Chris Speed clarinet, Gwen Laster violin, Gregory Purnhagen vocals, Aaron Stewart sax (baritone), Amy Platt clarinet (Bass), Reggie Nicholson percussion, Brandon Evans clarinet (bass), Heather Paauwe violin, Ralph Farris violin, Chris Jonas sax (soprano), Joe Fiedler trombone, Ned Rothenberg piccolo and flute, Ron Caswell tuba, Mark Whitecage sax (soprano), Ted Reichman accordion, Randy McKean clarinet, Elizabeth Panzer harp, Herb Robertson trumpet, Joseph Celli oboe
4 CD Set $35

ANTHONY BRAXTON With TOMAS FUJIWARA/TOM RAINEY - Trio (New Haven) 2013 (New Braxton House NBH 903; USA) Anthony Braxton's first trio recording with two drummers. The group includes Tomas Fujiwara and Tom Rainey, two of New York's most in-demand drummers. Throughout the course of the four-CD set, the group moves from open improvisation to playing Braxton's Falling River Music to excerpts from Braxton's Ghost Trance Music Secondary Compositions. The group seamlessly incorporates improvisation and composition by using Braxton's music system, which has been in development since the late '60s. This set is a rare glimpse into the first musical meeting of three musicians, which blossoms into a full-fledged compositional statement. Track Listing: 4 Discs Include (one work per disc): Composition No. 364a ( 227, 367f, 367h); Composition No. 364f ( 241, 366e, 367d); Composition No. 366d ( 338, 363f, 365g); Composition No. 366b ( 346, 367b, 367n) "Even if you ignore his purely conceptual triumphs, Braxton has amassed one of the meatiest and most varied bodies of work in experimental music." - Time Out New York
4 CD Set $43

CASSIBER [HEINER GOEBBELS/ALFRED 23 HARTH/CHRISTOPH ANDERS/CHRIS CUTLER] TOM CORA/FRED FRITH/DAGMAR KRAUSE/GEORGE LEWIS / et al - 30th Anniversary Cassiber Box: Man or Monkey?/Beauty and the Beast/Perfect Worlds/A Face We All Know/Collaborations - The Way It Was - Elvis Has Left The Building: Cassix, Duck And Cover, Ground Zero: Side-Projects/Unreleased Studio & Live/Documentary (ReR CBOX 1; UK) "In 1982 Cassiber (phonetically: 'a message smuggled out of prison') crashed like a locomotive into the Deutsche Neue Welle. Founded by Heiner Goebbels, Alfred Harth, Christoph Anders and Chris Cutler, Cassiber managed to fuse materials and attitudes drawn from experimental rock, fringe jazz, punk, pop, plunderphonics, improvisation, close structure and musique concrete with an energetic and complex form of studio (and then concert) composition that was unique in its combination of diverse experimental approaches to form with a risky, emotional and expressive mode of execution. Through a deep connection between instrumentation, form and topicality, their musical evolution tracked and anticipated the political and technological changes of their time. Thus, in the course of their 10 years of intermittent touring and 4 records they evolved significantly through the high stakes energy of the earlier releases into their later, more complex and composed, studio works (by which time they had become a trio: Goebbels, Anders, Cutler) when they also had early access to the first generation of polyphonic samplers. Highly radical, their music opened up song form by abandoning, extending or crashing sideways into it - building structure from a combination of noise, libido, high musicality and - unique for the time - a great deal of cultural debris. This box collects it all (the majority of it out-of-print for some time now) alongside a lot of unreleased material - and full concert DVD. The 4 historic releases have been carefully re-mastered by Bob Drake and there are, in addition two extra CDs, one that collects the Cassix [a union with Stormy Six], Duck And Cover [minus Anders, but with the addition of Fred Frith, Tom Cora, Dagmar Krause, and George Lewis], and Ground Zero projects (also re-mastered) and one of unreleased studio and live material, and a DVD (about 2 hours) of live and studio footage - including a mini documentary made during the recording of A Face We All Know. It comes in the usual sturdy box with a fat booklet of documents, interviews, information, photographs, pictures, itineraries and miscellaneous memorabilia. Limited to an edition of 1000 copies." - Recommended Records
6 CD Deluxe Box Set $80 

DUKE ELLINGTON - The Duke / Duke 100 Years (Columbia Legacy 92684; USA) later reissued as The Columbia Years in vertical format Covers the historical labels Okeh, Columbia, the later Brunswicks (the earlier ones belong to Decca (MCA), Master, et al, corresponding to the years 1927-1940, 1947-1952, and 1956-1962 [but not RCA material from the 40s] I'm pleasantly surprised to see that this "centennial" selection from those parts of Duke's Gesamtwerk that are in the hands of Sony is still available. It covers the historical labels Okeh, Columbia, the later Brunswicks (the earlier ones belong to Decca (MCA), Master and maybe a few I'm forgetting. This corresponds, roughly, to the years 1927-1940, 1947-1952, and 1956-1962. The three discs contain a remarkably fine and representative extract from those periods, in my view. The sound is excellent throughout, a real improvement over previous Sony re-issues. There appears to have been real re-mastering (from 78's and studio masters both), and, though some might describe it as "brittle", the music itself comes through clearly and sharply, with all the parts audible. The engineers have laid off the heavy noise reduction that disfigured some of Sony's earlier re-issues, such as their otherwise praiseworthy CD editions of the Ellington small-group recordings from the Thirties. Sony included an entertaining and moderately informative booklet along with these three CD's, with full discographical information. The drawback to this set, of course, is that it lacks important parts of Ellington's oeuvre, most notably the RCA/Victor masterpiece from the Blanton-Webster era, 1940-42. These sides were re-issued by the Bartlemann megatherium (BMG) in fine sound, for the most part, in their three-CD set "Never No Lament", as an extract from their own massive Centennial Edition. So you needed to buy "N.N.L.", at least, to get the minimal Ellington presence in your collection. That was then, this is now, as they say. WHY the latter-day dinosaur we got from the fusion of Sony and BMG chose to issue the disappointing 2-CD set "Essential Ellington" is beyond me. The sound is inferior, to my ears, with some more noise-reduction thrown over, and there's less to it: less music. People, this is Ellington! This is the package you offer to the world, the best Dead Black Male in your holdings (other than Miles Davis, maybe)? Well, this is carping, perhaps. In any event, "Duke: The Columbia Years", which one would expect to be superannuated, still gets the highest marks.
3 CD Book Box Set $35 USED 

FAUST - The Wumme Years: Faust/So Far/Faust Tapes/BBC Sessions /71 Minutes Of... (ReR FB1; UK) This 5 CD set contains all Faust's early classic albums [except Faust IV, which was originally on the Virgin label], a John Peel session and unreleased early material. The 40 page booklet is stuffed with unpublished photos, stills from super 8 footage of the famous studio at Wumme, and revealing interviews with many of the key players of the Faust story, including Peron, Irmler, Uwe Nettlebeck & Kurt Graupner! Most of the photos have never been published. Discs/albums included are: Faust, So Far, Faust Tapes, 71 Minutes and BBC Sessions (their great 1973 Top Gear performance and a substantial amount of extra material, all of which have never been previously released!).
5 CD Box Set Sale $60

GEORGES IVANOVICH GURDJIEFF/THOMAS DE HARTMANN - Music For The Piano Vol 3: Hymns Prayers And Rituals (Wergo 6625; Germany) Pianists Charles Ketcham - Laurence Rosenthal The documentation on CD of the fascinating co-operation of the two composers Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff and Thomas de Hartmann, which took place mostly in the 1920s, continues as a wonderful 3-CD set. In considering the complete musical works of Gurdjieff/de Hartmann, we find in "Hymns, Prayers, and Rituals" undoubtedly the most profound reflection of Gurdjieff the Master. Although quite varied in form and somewhat in style, these pieces all share the unmistakable mark of the depth of his inner feeling and sensitivity. It is surely this quality which gives Volume III its unique tone.
3 CD Set $40

GEORGES IVANOVICH GURDJIEFF/THOMAS DE HARTMANN - Music For The Piano Vol 4: Hymns From A Great Temple and Other Works (Wergo 6643; Germany) Pianists Charles Ketcham - Laurence Rosenthal It is in the sacred hymns that one finds, remarkably, the most inward and, at the same time, the most nearly objective expression in all of this body of music. Pianist and conductor Charles Ketcham and his colleague, pianist and composer Laurence Rosenthal, are also among the team of editors for the Definitive Edition of Gurdjieff's and de Hartmann's music for the piano.
3 CD Set $40

JIMI HENDRIX - West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology (Sony/Experience Hendrix 88697769272; USA) 2010 five disc (four CDs DVD) box set that tracks Jimi's incredible journey from R&B sideman to international acclaim This collection presents the most sought after of Jimi's pre-Experience recordings as a sideman for such Rhythm & Blues stars as The Isley Brothers, Don Covay, Little Richard and others. The remaining three CDs feature previously unreleased and commercially unavailable studio recordings from every chapter of his career, live recordings with the Experience and Band Of Gypsys spanning 1967 through 1970. The studio recordings include never before released [or even bootlegged!] alternate versions of classics plus a previously unreleased version of 'Everlasting First', Jimi's 1970 celebrated collaboration with Arthur Lee & Love, an unheard 1967 studio session with Traffic's Dave Mason as well as an expanded presentation of Jimi's legendary session with jazz organist Larry Young. DVD features Jimi's life story in words, pictures, music and footage. West Coast Seattle Boy is an amazing chronological, career-spanning collection of Hendrix material, but it's far from a greatest-hits or career overview and is probably not intended for the casual Hendrix fan. It's more of an examination of Jimi's musical and artistic growth as a professional musician following his discharge from the Army. Disc one is a fantastic compilation of Jimi's appearances on record as a sideman with the likes of the Isley Brothers, Don Covay, and Little Richard. While the tunes are great, the actual Jimi quotient is pretty low. The Isley Brothers give him a couple hot breaks during his two stints with them and Jimi plays tremolo guitar on their lengthy ballad "Have You Ever Been Disappointed" and Little Richard's "I Don't Know What You Got But It's Got Me." Jimi does manage to peek through on a couple cuts, though. Rosa Lee Brooks' great "Utee" has a hot little solo and you can hear ideas that would later be reworked into "Little Wing" on the Icemen's "(My Girl) She's a Fox." The vast majority of these tracks are difficult to impossible to find, so it's great to have them all in one place. Disc two starts with some fascinating alternate mixes or takes of several tunes from Are You Experienced? in perfect sound. But these aren't actually "lost mixes" that Chas Chandler had stashed away all these years; they're recent remixes by Eddie Kramer (the original engineer for most Hendrix recordings) using the original multi-track recordings for the first time. Remember, Are You Experienced? was recorded on a four-track and there were multiple bounces down to two tracks to make room for overdubs. Using the original multi-tracks results in a clarity to the instruments we've never heard before. The take of "Are You Experienced?" is just the original instrumental basic track (and structure for the song), but we get to hear the backwards guitar solo from the LP version played as it was originally before being flipped around on the tape. "May This Be Love" has a double-tracked lead vocal on this version, and the guitars are mixed differently. "Can You See Me" is actually a Chandler mix: an unused mono mix. "Little One," "Mr. Bad Luck," and "Cat Talking to Me" have been available in collector's circles for many years, although the sound here is definitely an improvement. "Castles Made of Sand" is just Jimi and Mitch Mitchell doing a slightly uptempo and more aggressive instrumental take. Then starts a really interesting run of self-recorded demos that Jimi made in hotel rooms and apartments. His old friend Paul Caruso helps with harmonica and vocals on a cover of the Band's "Tears of Rage" as well as his emerging new composition "Hear My Train a Comin'." The rest are just Jimi and are pretty interesting not just to see where an elaborate studio creation like "1983" began but also to hear Jimi really singing without the self-consciousness that could sometimes affect him. In fact, this particular version of "Angel" is one of Jimi's sweetest vocal performances. "1983" and "Angel" had been previously available as part of Voodoo Child: The Illustrated Legend of Jimi Hendrix (a graphic novel with CD), but these others are surfacing for the first time. "Calling Devil's Children" is another that's been floating around for a while, but "New Rising Sun" might be the jewel of the set. Briefly released in heavily edited form on the ill-conceived and atrocious Voodoo Soup compilation, it's a really cool studio collaboration between Jimi and Eddie Kramer that's like a cross between "And the Gods Made Love" from Electric Ladyland and "Little Wing." Disc three starts with a handful of studio outtakes where Jimi starts incorporating some other players and instruments. "Hear My Freedom" probably isn't much more than a studio jam with Buddy Miles and (probably) Lee Michaels on organ joining the Experience, but it's a hot one. Percussionist Rocky Dzidzornu joins on a couple tracks, "Messenger" has some cool uncredited piano (possibly Eddie), while Traffic's Chris Wood plays sax on their take of "Hound Dog" ("Hound Dog Blues"). The L.A. Forum tracks have been released before but this is the first official release of the unedited jam with Larry Young. It appeared in edited form (about half as long) on the Nine to the Universe album, but serious collectors have heard this unedited take. This is another set highlight as it shows Jimi really stretching out and improvising with a jazz master, even though it's just a loose jam. "Mastermind" is actually a Larry Lee tune that sounds much better in this studio version than it did when they tried it at Woodstock. "Message to Love" is basically the Crash Landing version, but this is a mix that Jimi did with Eddie Kramer without the edits and overdubs that plagued Crash Landing. Collectors have also heard the entirety of the legendary Fillmore East shows with Band of Gypsys, but here we get the first official release of three of Jimi's early hits from the second New Year's Eve 1969 show (including a lengthy and blistering "Stone Free"). "Burning Desire" was part of the Loose Ends compilation and an edited version of the goof-off track "Peter Gunn/Catastrophe" was on War Heroes, but "Lonely Avenue" makes its first appearance on this set. Much like "Message to Love," the version of "In from the Storm" here is a mix that Jimi did with Eddie that has much more prominent backing vocals than the Cry of Love/First Rays version. "Freedom" is another Cry of Love/First Rays tune, but this is a different, longer instrumental take. "All God's Children" is another high-quality studio instrumental with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles, while this "Red House" came from the well-known 1970 Berkeley shows. Disc four closes with a couple other set highlights. "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" was a live-in-the-studio track that was included on both Rainbow Bridge and First Rays, but that tune actually flowed right out of an unreleased instrumental called "Bolero" in the original studio take. This is a restoration of that original medley. The CD ends with another apartment demo: an unreleased track called "Suddenly November Morning." It's interesting because while it sounds like a finished composition, at the end it turns into "Drifting." "Drifting" was ultimately revisited and released on The Cry of Love and First Rays, but "Suddenly November Morning" was not realized further. As the liner notes point out, it's a sad reminder of the lost potential resulting from Jimi's untimely death. The DVD is also excellent. It's 90 minutes of Jimi in Jimi's own words along with some great performance footage. What isn't Jimi's voice on tape is from Jimi's own words from letters and journals, voiced by Bootsy Collins. Actually, William Collins is probably more appropriate since there isn't a trace of Bootsy's persona present. In fact, Mr. Collins did an excellent job of getting inside Jimi's words, and his speaking voice even has a similar soft-spoken quality. In addition to footage of Jimi, there are lots of photos, letters, and handwritten lyrics on display. The box packaging also has dozens of great photographs. West Coast Seattle Boy is an in-depth examination of Jimi Hendrix for those that want to dig deeper than his album tracks and is quite a boon, even to longtime collectors. - Sean Westergaard, AMG
4 CD DVD Box Set $45

KING CRIMSON [ROBERT FRIPP/JOHN WETTON/BILL BRUFORD/DAVID CROSS] - Starless (DGM 671974; UK)Few bands of the era offered as much variety in material from night to night. King Crimson's propensity for improvisation & fondness for playing its newest material often unreleased on record at the time of the concerts is legendary. Fewer bands still, whether by accident or design, recorded so many of their live shows. Starless offers an in depth overview of one of the era's most significant bands in its most celebrated live line-up. Autumn 1973: As King Crimson's second lengthy US tour of that year was coming to a close, a short series of UK concerts for the end of October, followed by a more extensive European tour in November was already planned. Three of these concerts Glasgow, Zurich & Amsterdam were recorded as full multi-track recordings, with material from the Amsterdam show being used as core material for the January 1974 recording of Starless & Bible Black. From mid-March to the start of April, the band was on the road in Europe again, promoting the album with their final European concerts of the decade, prior to undertaking a further US tour. A number of these concerts were recorded on stereo reel to reel machines, fed directly from the signal as sent to the PA system on the night of the performance. These soundboards are often referred to as "The Blue Tapes", named after the outer color of the original tape boxes & are especially valued for both the quality of recording and performance. This boxed set presents eighteen CDs of live concert performances, seven of them mixed from the 1973 multitrack tapes and a further eleven presenting the complete run of "The Blue Tapes" for the first time. CDs of the ORTF Paris TV performance & the 2011 stereo mix of Starless & Bible Black also feature. Two DVDA discs & two BluRay discs contain concert & studio recordings in stereo, quadraphonic & full 5.1 surround sound all presented in high-resolution audio. Here's the list of discs included: - 19 CDs of live performance material. - 7 CDs taken from multi-track tape including 4 CDs of material from the Glasgow & Zurich shows, freshly assembled & mastered in Hi-Res from the original Great Deceiver mixes by David Singleton at DGM Soundworld in 2014, the Amsterdam show The Nightwatch mixed by Steven Wilson & a previously unheard preparatory of material from the same show prepared by George Chkiantz (engineer of all live KC shows of the era & the Red album). -11 CDs drawn from high quality stereo reel to reel soundboard tapes. 8 making their first appearance on CD with the remaining three re-mastered or drawn from new tape sources. - 1 CD presenting the performance from the ORTF Paris TV broadcast - CD 20 features the 2011 stereo mix of Starless & Bible Black by Steven Wilson & Robert Fripp - DVD-A 1 features the Starless & Bible Black album in 5.1 Surround, with new & original stereo album mixes in High Resolution Stereo plus bonus audio material. - DVD-A 2 features material from Mainz (mixed by David Singleton), Amsterdam (mixed by Steven Wilson) & a later show from Pittsburgh (mixed by George Chkiantz) in quadraphonic audio & High-Resolution Stereo. -Both DVD-A discs are region 0 playable in all areas & compatible with all DVD players & DVD Rom players. Great blurb from Manny/Lunch below: "OK, you can expect me to bang the drum for a KC box set once again - But have I been wrong in the past? This fills in yet a third of several different live periods from the Fripp/Wetton/Bruford/Cross core group: The Larks' Tongues box collected all known live recordings of the initial pre-LTIA lineup as a quintet with free-thinker Jamie Muir, which placed heavy emphasis on improvisation [hell, much of the LTIA album's repertoire was being birthed onstage in front of the very ears of those audiences!], and the Road To Red box last year did a clean sweep of the last two months of archived shows leading to the last gig ever - also a cornucopia of amazement and powerful musical exploration! Now we have the fall '73 European tour, from which Fripp hoped to record enough pristine material - in concert - to be released as a studio album, with the audience stripped out, He did succeed, mostly - 3/4s of Starless And Bible Black IS actually live in concert, but there is nothing to indicate, or directly state such, on the album or it's credit text! (shades of Zappa manipulation!) Ask any dyed-in-the-wool Crimso fan what are the favorite boots from the F/W/B/C era, and tough call though it is, most of the list will be shows from this European fall '73 tour. The spooky stuff they were doing here is perhaps the ONLY music you will hear from the 70s - off a 'rock stage' - that would presage the outsider experimentation of the 'Downtown' music Eighties. Have I convinced you that you need this, KC fan or not?" WATCHA WAITIN' FO'?" - MannyLunch
Limited Edition 27 CD/DVD/BluRay Box Set Sale $200

KING CRIMSON [ROBERT FRIPP/JOHN WETTON/BILL BRUFORD/DAVID CROSS] IAN McDONALD/MEL COLLINS/EDDIE JOBSON - The Road To Red: Live April to July 1974 2013 Fripp Stereo Mix of Red (DGM/Inner Knot KCCBX 7; UK)Between April and July 1974 King Crimson embarked on a tour of Canada and America which has come to be recognised as one of the most powerful series of concerts performed not just by Fripp, Cross, Wetton and Bruford but by any band of the era. The band, who had been rarely off the road - except to record studio albums - chose to perform a selection of recent material from the then newly released Starless And Bible Black, older fan favourites, newly written/then unrecorded material & nightly improvisations at a level described by many eye-witnesses and observers as 'the most intense' gigs they'd ever attended. A single live LP 'USA' was issued in 1975 (comprised of material taken from the Asbury Park, NJ show (with the exception of "...Schizoid Man" which was from the Providence, RI show that same week), a year after the band split but failed to convey the full extent of how ferocious a beast King Crimson was in full-flight. No other band blended powerful rock with an ability to turn in epic improvisations of immense subtlety or strength. Many of the shows on this final tour had been recorded, either professionally to multi-track tape, or on the band's stereo cassette feed from the mixing desk. These remained unheard until 1992 when selected highlights were released in 1992 on the 4 CD boxed set, The Great Deceiver. Now The Road To Red offers a comprehensive overview of this final tour and at last does justice to a group who were operating at the very height of their powers. Every soundboard quality recording known to exist is presented with audio fully restored, all released on CD for the first time. There are also five complete concerts, drawn from multi-track recordings, alongside the restored audio bootleg of the band's final show (New York's Central Park on July 1st of which Robert Fripp notes this was the first gig gig "since the 1969 Crimson where the bottom of my spine registered 'out of this world' to the same degree"), and a new stereo mix of 'Red' by Robert Fripp and Steven Wilson undertaken in 2012. A total of 16 concerts are featured across 20 discs, with the studio Red as the 21st CD. The set also features: A DVD containing a high resolution stereo presentation of USA (in all mixes) and the new stereo mix of Red 2 Blu-Ray discs containing the five full length multi-track concert recordings (newly transferred at the highest resolution available from the original analogue Dolby SR source mix-down tapes & presented in 24/192 DTS-HD master sound), new & original stereo versions of Red and the existing 5.1 multi-channel mixes of the album presented in 24/96 DTS-HD also feature on Blu-Ray. With a fully illustrated album sized booklet featuring previously unseen photos & a wealth of newly written material postcards, replicas of hand-written set lists, album prints of the USA & Red covers & other memorabilia, this is an essential release for King Crimson fans The Tale of the Tapes: The sixteen concert recordings in this box fall into three basic types: one bootleg (an unofficial audience recording), ten board mixes (recordings of the sound sent to the PA system on the night) and five professional recordings (all by George Chkiantz from a mobile recording studio outside the venue). These last five concerts are presented in both conventional CD resolution and in Blu-Ray high resolution 192 khz. All have their merits and each has good claim to be the most "realistic". The professional multi-track recordings offer the best audio quality. They were originally mixed in 1991 at the time of The Great Deceiver (although only selected parts were included in that box set). At the time, the various mixes were recorded both onto analogue half inch tape and into a Sadie computer system, one of the first digital editors, running on Windows 3.0. As Fripp wrote in his original liner notes: "Digital equipment remains in its infancy and computers crash - not if but when. Both formats have advantages - a properly balanced Ampex with Dolby SR is maybe unbeatable for a sweet, true sound. But with the amount of compiling on this project, let's hear it for digital assembly!" Given the huge advances in digital equipment since the early 1990s, I proposed in a rash unguarded moment that for this project we (or rather I) should return to the "properly balanced Ampex with Dolby SR" and recompile these mixes in super high resolution. I had somehow chosen to forget that the practice at the time, pre-automation, was to mix each section of each song three or four times and to then select and compile the best. And that Robert Fripp's acute interest in the stereo architecture of pieces meant that he would continuously reposition players. So we were faced with roughly two hundred separate mixes to be auditioned and recompiled, often trying to join segments with violently differing tonal qualities and musicians seemingly leaping around the stage. It became the work of months, not the days I had foolishly imagined. I make no claim that the high resolution versions on the Blu-Ray are "better" than the original versions presented on the CDs. They are different, wider in their stereo image and brighter with extended high end (which, despite the trends of mastering engineers over many decades, is not necessarily better). The editing particularly in matters such as the audience links is however undoubtedly more faithful to the exact flow of the original concerts. The ten "board mixes" presented different challenges. These were recorded each night by Peter Walmsley, the sound engineer, and faithfully capture the sound sent to the PA system. They are inevitably heavily biased towards the voice and drums, as the other instruments were already amplified onstage. DGM has become an unwilling world leader in the dark arts of audio necromancy, rescuing the semblance of a listenable concert from such unprepossessing starting points (not a life-skill any of us wanted or expected). In this instance, Peter Walmsley added an additional challenge through his habit of pausing the cassette machine between songs - frequently forgetting to switch it back on until just after the downbeat of the next piece. Where audience links existed, we have kept them, where they were missing, we have recreated them to maintain continuity. The music is, however, with the exception of those odd errant downbeats, exactly as it was played. In just one instance (the Talking Drum on the 7th June) we have completed the performance by inserting a section from the night before. As such fabrication is a mortal sin to lovers of authenticity, we have PQ'd the inserted section, so that purists can take the bumpy road and bypass it. The recording of the final concert from Central Park on July 1st is of unknown provenance. It seems too well-balanced to be the usual illicit cassette player smuggled into the venue, and yet the presence of chatter during one of the pieces shows that neither is it a properly mixed recording. Possibly it is a bootleg recorded on a pair of microphones over the stage. The audience links jump around (as does one section of Fracture), but in its way, it is possibly the closest to the actual sound of a venue. It is significant in that it captures the last live performance of this line-up. Concert recordings are frequently incomplete (lovers of The Great Deceiver box set will recall The Law of Maximum Distress Parts 1&2, where a section was missing from the middle of the improvisation). In the unusual case of Fort Worth on 6th June, we had two recordings of the same night, one being a board recording and the other an audience bootleg, and we were able to accurately complete the performance by flying in the missing opening and closing sections from that alternative source. Sadly, that is not often possible. Where songs are obviously incomplete and either leap in half way through, or cut off before the end, they have been marked with an asterisk, so that it is clear this is not a CD error, but a failure of some poor tape operator or his machine at the time.
21 CD DVD 2 BLU-RAY DISC BOOK Boxed Set Sale $225

RICHARD THOMPSON - Walking on a Wire - 1968-2009 (Shout Factory 826663-11087; US) Career-spanning four CD box set from the British Folk Rock legend spanning the years 1969-2009. The songs chosen for this selection of his work were carefully assembled and aim to provide a real sense of Richard Thompson, as well as to celebrate the diversity of his music - Rock 'n' Roll with Folk, Jazz, Rockabilly and the odd waltz thrown in - the scope of his songwriting, and the sheer virtuosity of his playing. Produced by Richard Thompson, Walking On A Wire impressively includes 71 tracks from albums released by 15 different labels, and includes a 60 page booklet with new notes by Patrick Humphries
4 CD Large Box Set $45 USED

FATS WALLER & His RHYTHM - If You Got To Ask You Ain't Got It! - 1926-1943: Fats Sings And Plays Fats/Strictly Instrumental/Plays Tin Pan Alley (RCA/Bluebird 81125; USA) During his 21-year recording career, Thomas "Fats" Waller waxed so many hundreds of songs that only a dedicated few have heard them all even once, let alone often enough to understand the true nature of his legacy. While longtime collectors can attest to the awesome breadth and depth of Waller's massive discography, your average citizen needs and deserves a chance to investigate on a more modest level, which is what compilations are supposed to be for. Most Fats Waller samplers concentrate upon his highly developed sense of humor and his vital importance in the development of swing music; the best of them also highlight his pianistic prowess and -- if you're lucky -- his pioneering role as the first person to play jazz on the organ. Producer Orrin Keepnews has achieved what should be regarded as a major accomplishment in Waller studies both intensive and casual: an intelligently compiled three-CD set with superbly insightful liner notes by Dan Morgenstern, including a detailed biography, informative commentary on each of the 66 tracks, and more than 40 previously unpublished photographs from the Fats Waller archives. The conceptual framework of this compilation will help listeners to understand and feel the essence of Waller's music more clearly perhaps than ever before. Disc one presents Waller's interpretations of songs he wrote himself. Disc two, packed with (one) organ and (ten) piano solos as well as small-group and big-band swing, purports to be "strictly instrumental," even if Waller prefaces "Serenade for a Wealthy Widow" with a plea for "currency" and makes cheeky references to conspicuous consumption all throughout "Lounging at the Waldorf." Disc three, touching upon the best-known aspects of this artist's public persona, is entitled Fats Waller Sings and Plays Around with Tin Pan Alley. Given the sheer number of extant recordings that fit into that category, the producer made extraordinarily fine choices. Keepnews admits: "I inevitably have not included all of your Waller favorites. As a matter of fact, I haven't even had room to include all of mine!" It is clear that both Morgenstern and Keepnews drew upon entire lifetimes spent developing sincere love and respect for this great artist. "If You Got to Ask, You Ain't Got It!" gets its title from Waller's famous response to the question "What is swing?" -- listen through all three discs and you'll most certainly get it for real. 
3 CD BOOK set $35 

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25 TZADIK SALE CD’S - Downtowners & Related Avant-Gardists:

1 - 3 CD’s are $13 each

4 CD’s are $12.50 each

The Tzadik label recently moved into a new warehouse space so we only order from them once a week if we have enough to order. Hence, it could be a week or two before we get your other to you. Please be patient. There are blurbs at the end of this list so that it is easier to cut & paste from the 1st part. thanks, Bruce at DMG

STEVEN BERNSTEIN With THE SAM RIVERS TRIO - Diaspora Blues (Tzadik 7164; USA)
CD Sale $13

STEVEN BERNSTEIN With PETER APFELBAUM/MICHAEL BLAKE/BRIGGAN KRAUSS/PAUL SHAPIRO/BRIAN MITCHELL/TONY SCHERR/E J & ROBERT RODRIGUEZ - Diaspora Soul (Tzadik 7137; USA)
CD Sale $13

MARTY EHRLICH'S DARK WOODS ENSEMBLE With ERIK FRIEDLANDER/MARK HELIAS MARC RIBOT - Sojourn (Tzadik 7136; USA)
CD Sale $13

MARTY EHRLICH With HANKUS NETSKY/JEROME HARRIS/MARCUS ROJAS - Fables (Tzadik 8155; USA)
CD Sale $13

ERIK FRIEDLANDER'S CHIMERA With CHRIS SPEED/ANDREW D'ANGELO/DREW GRESS - The Watchman (Tzadik 7107; USA)
CD Sale $13

ERIK FRIEDLANDER With BRYCE DESSNER/TREVOR DUNN/JOYCE HAMMANN/SATOSHI TAKEISHI - Grains of Paradise (Tzadik 7154; USA)
CD Sale $13

WAYNE HORVITZ With DOUG WIESELMAN/BILL FRISELL/JULIAN PRIESTER/EYVIND KANG/TIMOTHY YOUNG/KEITH LOWE/FRED CHALENOR - Film Music 1998-2001: The Circus [sndtck] (Tzadik 7514; USA)
CD Sale $13

WAYNE HORVITZ With EYVIND KANG/KOEHNE QUARTET - Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur (Tzadik 8021; USA)
CD Sale $13

EYVIND KANG With ED PIAS/JESSICA LURIE/TUCKER MARTINE et al - Theater of Mineral NADEs (Tzadik 7032; USA)
CD Sale $13

EYVIND KANG With BILL FRISELL/JESSICA LURIE/TIMOTHY YOUNG/TUCKER MARTINE/LESLI DALABA / et al - The Story of Iceland (Tzadik 7059; USA)
CD Sale $13

GUY KLUCEVSEK BANTAM ORCHESTRA With SARA PARKINS/ANDREA PARKINS/ACHIM TANG - Stolen Memories (Tzadik 7018; USA)
CD Sale $13

GUY KLUCEVSEK With NURIT TILLES/THEO BLECKMANN / et al - Song of Remembrance (Tzadik 8040; USA)
CD Sale $13

MARC RIBOT With DAVE DOUGLAS/ROY NATHANSON/GREG COHEN/JOHN ZORN/IKUE MORI - Shoe String Symphonettes - Soundtracks I (Tzadik 7504; USA)
CD Sale $13

MARC RIBOT/SHREK With ROGER KLEIER/J D FOSTER/SEBASTIAN STEINBERG/DOUGIE BOWNE/CHRISTINE BARD - Yo! I Killed Your God (Tzadik 7143; USA)
CD Sale $13

NED ROTHENBERG & MIVOS QUARTET - Quintet For Clarinet And Strings (Tzadik 8073; USA)
CD Sale $13

NED ROTHENBERG - The Lumina Recordings - Solo Works 1980-1985: Trespass/Portal/Trials Of The Argo (Tzadik 7615; USA)
2 CD Set $18

JAMIE SAFT With BEN GOLDBERG/LARRY GRENADIER/CRAIG SANTIAGO - Borscht Belt Studies (Tzadik 8164; USA)
CD Sale $13

JAMIE SAFT TRIO With GREG COHEN/BEN PEROWSKY MIKE PATTON/ANTONY//BOB DYLAN - Trouble: Saft Trio Plays Bob Dylan (Tzadik 8111; USA)
CD Sale $13

JENNY SCHEINMAN With ADAM LEVY/RUSS JOHNSON/GREG COHEN/TREVOR DUNN/KENNY WOLLESEN - The Rabbi's Lover (Tzadik 7165; USA)
CD Sale $13

JENNY SCHEINMAN With RUSS JOHNSON/MYRA MELFORD/TREVOR DUNN/KENNY WOLLESEN - Shalagaster (Tzadik 7709; USA)
CD Sale $13

ELLIOTT SHARP - Suspension of Disbelief (Tzadik 7512; USA)
CD Sale $13

ELLIOTT SHARP - Figure Ground (Tzadik 7505; USA)
CD Sale $13

WADADA LEO SMITH With ANTHONY DAVIS / MALACHI FAVORS - Reflectativity (Tzadik 7060; USA)
CD Sale $13

WADADA LEO SMITH'S GOLDEN QUARTET With ANTHONY DAVIS/MALACHI FAVORS/JACK DeJOHNETTE - Golden Quartet (Tzadik 7604; USA)
CD Sale $13

WADADA LEO SMITH - Red Sulphur Sky (Tzadik 7070; USA)
CD Sale $13

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TZADIK HOLIDAY SALE CD’S with Blurbs:

STEVEN BERNSTEIN With THE SAM RIVERS TRIO - Diaspora Blues (Tzadik 7164; USA) Steven Bernstein, one of the energy centers of the downtown scene here joins legendary reedman Sam Rivers and his trio for an inspiring program of cantorial melodies associated with the great chazzan Moshe Koussevitzky, perhaps the greatest cantor of all time. Moving ballads, hypnotic grooves and free jazz to soothe your soul and stimulate your libido from the man who brought you Diaspora Soul, one of the most popular CDs in the Tzadik catalog. Steven Bernstein: trumpet, slid trumpet with the Sam Rivers Trio Sam Rivers: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone & flute, Doug Mathews: acoustic bass & bass clarinet Anthony Cole: drums & tenor saxophone.
CD Sale $13

STEVEN BERNSTEIN With PETER APFELBAUM/MICHAEL BLAKE/BRIGGAN KRAUSS/PAUL SHAPIRO/BRIAN MITCHELL/TONY SCHERR/E J & ROBERT RODRIGUEZ - Diaspora Soul (Tzadik 7137; USA) "Steve is an immensely diverse trumpeter & slide trumpeter for(ever) the Lounge Lizards, Spanish Fly and the ever-cool Sex Mob. This, his first solo release, is a part of Tzadik's radical Jewish culture series and shows off his unique diversity of spirits. Like Zorn recently mentioned doing, Bernstein researched at length, going on a journey to discover the links between New Orleans marching bands and r&b, Afro-Cuban influences and Texas blues with various Jewish tributaries. Bernstein's groovy band includes saxists Michael Blake (another Lounge Lizard), Briggan Krauss, Peter Apfelbaum & Paul Shapiro, Brain Mitchell on wurlitzer el. piano & organ, the ubiquitous Tony Scherr on bass and percussionists E.J. & Robert J. Rodriguez (from Los Cubanos). Like all the music I've heard Steve pull off, this music feels just right - a slow burn Latin groove with Jewish soul. Although all but one of the tracks here are traditional hebrew tunes, it is how Steve arranges these pieces, that makes them work in their unique way. On "L'Chaim," Brian Mitchell's el. piano has that sort- of psychedelic sound that can also be found on 'Ethiopiques - Four', while on "Roumania, Roumania" his organ sets the world on fire with its haunting tone. Get down! Bernstein's trumpet is ever soulful, on target and a constant joy with a New Orleans-like swagger. It gotta make you smile or jack you dead! In many ways this cd is a perfect companion for Marc Ribot's Los Cubanos cd. It's party time, bubbies!" - BLG
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MARTY EHRLICH'S DARK WOODS ENSEMBLE With ERIK FRIEDLANDER/MARK HELIAS MARC RIBOT - Sojourn (Tzadik 7136; USA) "Marty is one of the most well rounded of all the downtown reed players and hence, one of the busiest. From the legendary Human Arts Ensemble in '73, through gigs with Anthony Braxton and (still with) Muhal Richards Abrams. He plays a variety of saxes, flutes and clarinets, and is a fine player, composer, reader and leads a number of superb ensembles. His Dark Woods Ensemble features classical instrumentation with Erik Friedlander on cello, Mark Helias on contrabass, Marty on clarinet & soprano sax only and here special guest Marc Ribot on guitar. This is the DWE's fourth great release. 'Sojourn' explores Marty's Jewish roots, he composed all but two of these pieces. The covers include a somber & beautiful version of Bob Dylan's "Blind Willie McTell" and the traditional Hebrew song "The Modzitzer Nigun." All of these pieces shows this quartet to be exploring luscious, haunting melodies, with warm, resonant results. Ribot plays with nimble and soulful taste, especially on the Dylan tune. The trio selections are a perfect combination of dark wooden spirits - clarinet, cello and acoustic bass cover the same range of timbres with delightful results. Each member of this wonderful ensemble seem to be reaching into their hearts and souls to come up with this work of ancient and modern beauty." - BLG
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MARTY EHRLICH With HANKUS NETSKY/JEROME HARRIS/MARCUS ROJAS - Fables (Tzadik 8155; USA) Marty Ehrlich is one of jazz's most acclaimed contemporary multi-instrumentalists. Hankus Netsky is a renown Jewish klezmer musician and scholar, and founder of the Klezmer Conservatory Band. Friends for decades, these two master musicians join forces for the first time in a fabulous program of original music that meets in the nexus of Jazz and the Jewish tradition. Exciting, touching and soulful, Fables is a real tour de force. One of jazz's greatest voices on the saxophone and one of the world's greatest experts on Jewish Music in a unique and exciting duo project! Featuring: Marty Ehrlich: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Flute, Alto Sax, Soprano Sax Marcus Rojas: Tuba Jerome Harris: Acoustic Bass Guitar Hankus Netsky: Piano, Accordion
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ERIK FRIEDLANDER'S CHIMERA With CHRIS SPEED/ANDREW D'ANGELO/DREW GRESS - The Watchman (Tzadik 7107; USA) Active for over a decade, New York cellist Erik Friedlander is finally receiving due recognition, not just as a musician, but as a composer of note. These works display his unique take on Radical Jewish Culture - sweeping melodic lines (reminiscent of cantorial singing) in instrumental arrangements that are both adventurous and traditional. Friedlander's first album, Chimera, was released on Avant in 1995. He has performed and recorded with Framework, Joe Lovano, Myra Melford, Dave Douglas, Fred Hersch, Guy Klucevsek, Scott Johnson and Marty Ehrlich, among many others. Chimera: Erik Friedlander: cello Chris Speed: clarinet Andrew D'Angelo: bass clarinet Drew Gress: bass .
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ERIK FRIEDLANDER With BRYCE DESSNER/TREVOR DUNN/JOYCE HAMMANN/SATOSHI TAKEISHI - Grains of Paradise (Tzadik 7154; USA) "Masada String Trio cellist and new music composer extraordinaire - Erik Friedlander - continually evolves and astonishes with each and every project he offers. On 'Grains of Paradise', he expands the sound of his three violinists - Joyce Hammann, Karen Milne & Peter Rovit into masses of strings with numerous over-dubs. His rhythm players include Bryce Dessner on guitar, Trevor Dunn on bass and Satoshi Takeishi on ethnic percussion, who has worked with Erik in his previous ensemble. This cd is part of Tzadik's Radical Jewish Culture series, so it captures those middle-eastern spirits in an enchanting way. Erik's warm and enticing cello sails beautifully above the soothing string and rhythm section on "Zahtar", the melody is quite memorable and intoxicating. The lone cello is so haunting and lovely at the beginning of "Na'Na" as the other strings pluck, swirl and embellish delicately, the subtle percussion also adding minimal, magical spice. The dream-like wonder of "Shamir" also features Erik's lyrical and sad melody and playing at the center with more swirling strings and percussive punctuation adding waves of somber tapestry. "Tapuz" has that instantly recognizable Masada-like melody, which is played pizzicato like many of the Masada String Trio's best works. Both Erik and Trevor take fine and succinct solos here. "Rashad" has another touching, melancholy melody which drifts by like a series of quaint dream sequences. Satoshi's exotic percussion is featured on "Aley Dafna" which weaves perfectly around more of Erik's cello and the other strings pluckings and more yearning swirls. Both Bryce's guitar and Erik's cello play the elegant tune of "Batzal" with passion and grace, the strings shimmer and hover in haunted clouds, as Erik takes another outstanding solo. Bryce's eloquent acoustic guitar opens "Tziporen" setting the stage for more lyrical, subdued and enchanting cello - at first plucked and gently stirring and then bowed, gradually building as the rhythm team provides a supple cushion. The title track - "Grains of Paradise" has eerie, trance-like strings and mysterious scraped and tapped cymbals - with a distant hypnotic repeating plucked cello line at the center. " - BLG
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WAYNE HORVITZ With DOUG WIESELMAN/BILL FRISELL/JULIAN PRIESTER/EYVIND KANG/TIMOTHY YOUNG/KEITH LOWE/FRED CHALENOR - Film Music 1998-2001: The Circus [sndtck] (Tzadik 7514; USA) Mastermind of Zony Mash, The President and veteran of countless projects with Bobby Previte and Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz has been making music since the mid-1970s. Delightfully varied and endlessly listenable, this compilation of soundtracks for television and film showcases his incredible versatility as producer, performer, composer and arranger. Over seventy minutes of sound cues touching upon jazz, funk, folk, ambient, world music and classical, are meticulously crafted into a variety of highly personal hybrids in Wayne's inimitable style. Featuring longtime collaborators Bill Frisell and Doug Wieselman, and Eyvind Kang and DJ Logic, as well as some of the greatest musicians on the Seattle scene, including Julian Priester, Skerik, Timothy Young, Fred Chalenor, Keith Lowe, Michael Bisio, Reggie Watts, Andre Otraskin, Hans Teuber, Brian Kent, Craig Flory, Jen Charowhas, Andy Roth, Davis Martin, and Ed Pias. The Circus is an instant classic by one of the most consistently creative musicians out of the downtown scene.
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WAYNE HORVITZ With EYVIND KANG/KOEHNE QUARTET - Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur (Tzadik 8021; USA) "Performed by the Koehne String Quartet with guest soloist Eyvind Kang on viola and Wayne Horvitz doing some electronic processing. This disc features three different sections of "Mountain Languages", which was originally composed for the premiere of a Harold Pinter play by the same name in 1989. This music is quite rich, lush, haunting, lyrical and seductive, it is like a entering a dream-world filled with cerebral wonders. There is certain amount of eeriness that radiates below the surface of warmth and gentle beauty. The title piece features Eyvind Kang as the soloist with Wayne doing some processing. As the string quartet glides back and forth in translucent waves, Eyvind's modified viola weaves around the edges like a distant electric porpoise riding the waves of the ocean. Most often gorgeous and often enchanting, some of the most elegant music I've heard recently. The liner notes mention Wayne's recent oratorio "Joe Hill, 16 Actions for Chamber Orchestra", which was premiered in New England not long ago and has garned some heavy praise. Until Wayne gets the funding to have that work recorded and released, we should thank Tzadik for the good fortune of putting out another of Wayne Horvitz's treasures." - BLG
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EYVIND KANG With ED PIAS/JESSICA LURIE/TUCKER MARTINE et al - Theater of Mineral NADEs (Tzadik 7032; USA) "Outstanding & completely different than anything Eyvind has done before. No distortion or noisy violin here!?! From incredibly lovely acoustic medieval music & vocals, to enchanting world music excursions, to cosmic dub weirdness. Could this be the same dude who put out an over the top distorto el. violin power trio (Dying Ground) just last month? Instrumentation includes crumhorn, recorders, harmonium, tabla, oboe... This could easily pass for Euro folk psychedelic coolness from the 70's! One of the nicest surprises of the year." - BLG
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EYVIND KANG With BILL FRISELL/JESSICA LURIE/TIMOTHY YOUNG/TUCKER MARTINE/LESLI DALABA / et al - The Story of Iceland (Tzadik 7059; USA)"Violinist Eyvind Kang is the master of surprise, with each release and each gig much different from whatever we've come to expect. Earlier this year he presented a new mostly acoustic quartet with Myra Melford on harmonium & Charles Burham also on violin. He has recorded with weird bands like the Sun City Girls & Secret Chiefs in recent years, after playing highly melodic & mellow fiddle for Bill Frisell. He has an intense power trio with Kato Hideki on el. bass & Calvin Weston on drums called Dying Ground (cd on Avant) - who played at Tonic the other night with added members Trey Spruance (Mr. Bungle) & Tim Young (Zony Mash) on guitars, Billy Martin added on drums & Briggan Krauss sitting in on sax! A rather mesmerizing, psychedelic jamfest which concluded with a joyous cover of Neil Young's "When You Dance". So no one knows what's next for Eyvind! 'The Story of Iceland' is Eyvand's third cd for Tzadik and includes a large cast of known characters like Frisell, Leslie Dalaba, Jessica Lurie (BTMSQ) and Tim Young & Keith Lowe (from Zony Mash) and unknown players as well. Eyvind also doubles on tuba, euphonium erhu, oud, guitar, bass, viola & vocals. The title track is a five part suite which lasts 30 minutes and is a sort of somber, hypnotic world music blend slightly twisted acoustic beauty which sounds like & was recorded outdoors. "10:10" is a rather quaint psychedelic gem with processed vocals from another (circus-like) dimension that will probably played often on stations like WFMU and rightly so. 'The Story of Iceland' commences with a charming gamelan solo called "Ayanamsha" which helps us find inner peace. Welcome to the wacky world of Eyvind Kang once more." - BLG
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GUY KLUCEVSEK BANTAM ORCHESTRA With SARA PARKINS/ANDREA PARKINS/ACHIM TANG - Stolen Memories (Tzadik 7018; USA) World-renowned accordionist Guy Klucevsek has played with the Kronos Quartet, Laurie Anderson, Bill Frisell, Anthony Braxton, John Zorn and Robin Holcomb, and is also a highly original composer in his own right. These stirring compositions are inspired by (among other things) John Cage, African melodies, sacrificial chickens and Fresh Kills, the world's largest landfill. Klucevsek has seven previous albums on Review, CRI, JMR, XI, Eva and Rec Rec and has been featured at Lincoln Center, the Berlin Jazz Festival and on the television show, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. The Bantam Orchestra - Guy Klucevsek: accordion, piano, melodica; Sara Parkins: violin; Margaret Parkins: cello, voice; Achim Tang: bass TZADIK COMPOSER SERIES
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GUY KLUCEVSEK With NURIT TILLES/THEO BLECKMANN / et al - Song of Remembrance (Tzadik 8040; USA) Composer/accordionist Guy Klucevsek is one of the few musicians alive who is as comfortable working with Laurie Anderson, John Zorn or Bang on a Can as he is at Lincoln Center, in a Broadway pit or at Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. His second CD for Tzadik presents four beautiful new works and includes a brilliant dance score for two pianos, an intimate solo for accordion and a charming chamber piece for voice and ensemble. TZADIK COMPOSER SERIES Personnel: Guy Klucevsek: Accordion, Compositions Theo Bleckmann: Voice Steve Elson: Clarinet Joyce Hamman: Violin Blair McMillen: Piano Edmund Niemann: Piano Dora Ohrenstein: Voice Nurit Tilles: Piano
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NED ROTHENBERG - The Lumina Recordings - Solo Works 1980-1985: Trespass/Portal/Trials Of The Argo (Tzadik 7615; USA) "When I first met Ned Rothenberg, around 1979, he was playing solo alto sax as well as with a fine trio called Fall Mountain with Bob Ostertag and Jim Katzin. There were very few folks playing solo sax gigs at this point. I can only recall of handful of players brave enough to it before then, Braxton, Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill, Steve Lacy and Roscoe Mitchell. Both Ned and John Zorn played a number of solo sax performances in small settings like Studio Henry and both had come up with something quite new in their distinctive approaches. Ned Rothenberg has continued to develop his solo sax, clarinets and shakuhachi performances ever since, he is still a pioneer and released another solo sax double disc just a few years back. Another great thing about this disc is the thick booklet where Ned provides illuminating notes about his own musical journey, the results of which were the three albums he released on Lumina that make up most of this two disc set. "Trials of the Argo" bursts open with a splash of frenzied sounds, electronic? acoustic? Ned weaves layers of sax sounds, tapping on the keys, buzzing, breathing, drones, bird-like chirping, bending notes here and there, eventually breaking down to one lone alto voice, before the layers come back and build again. Hard to believe that all of these sounds come from an alto sax and other over-dubbed woodwinds, but this indeed the case. The selective layers and overall sound is a wonderful, mesmerizing maze. "Continuo After the Inuit" was partially inspired by the Inuit music of the Eskimos, but was often misunderstood by journalists and promoters alike. "Continuo" is just one alto sax, yet Ned varies the textures and approach slowly throughout, focusing on a few ideas at a time, twisting the lines of notes slowly inside-out. The circular repeating theme recalls certain bagpipe music I've heard. Quite a marvelous and captivating work. "Portal" is for solo bass clarinet and it involves the slowed down process of circular breathing with long, stretched out drones, tapping on the keys and using the mouth to bend the notes ever so slightly. "Polysemy" is for a duo of Ned on alto sax and drums and Gerry Hemingway on tenor steel drum. Ned dancing, shimmering, repeating lines are matched by by his own percussion and Gerry's steel drum. The layers of lines shift together, creating a most hypnotic wave of connected lines. The second disc contains 11 shorter works for solo sax, bass calrinet, soprano double ocarina, plus a alto sax duo with John Zorn. Each piece features a different approach, a balance of textures and various rhythm lines. Each is one is fascinating in its own ways. I remember "Kakeai" for two alto saxes from a performance at the old Knit and thought it was great to hear Ned and Zorn play a duo, certainly a rarity. Two masters of solo sax with completely different approaches finding some common ground and pushing each other into some new territories. A most winning combinations of extremes. All three of these Lumina albums are long out of print, although we might have a few copies in the bins somewhere. Thanks to Zorn and Tzadik for preserving some important music for us and future generations of curious listeners." - BLG
2 CD Set $18

NED ROTHENBERG & MIVOS QUARTET - Quintet For Clarinet And Strings (Tzadik 8073; USA) A major new work by this imaginative musical mastermind! Born in 1956 in Boston and now residing in Brooklyn, Rothenberg has studied at Oberlin Conservatory and Berklee School of Music. Since 1979 his remarkable reed playing and compelling compositional strategem have played a central role in New York's fertile downtown scene. This CD blends his brilliant classical writing with the polyphonic and microtonal woodwind techniques of his acclaimed solo music. A master of multiphonics, circular breathing and overtone control, Ned here uses his horn in both its standard melodic role and as rhythmic and harmonic engines to create rich new tapestries of sound in combination with the strings. Personnel: Ned Rothenberg: Clarinet Mivos Quartet Olivia De Prato: Violin Isabel Castellvi: Cello Victor Lowrie: Viola Joshua Modney: Violin
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MARC RIBOT With DAVE DOUGLAS/ROY NATHANSON/GREG COHEN/JOHN ZORN/IKUE MORI - Shoe String Symphonettes - Soundtracks I (Tzadik 7504; USA) A guitarist of frightening technique, accomplished in practically any style, Marc Ribot has recorded numerous solo projects as well as working with artists including Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, the Lounge Lizards Brother Jack McDuff, John Zorn and Chuck Berry. From brilliant surf guitar to perverse improvisation to Cuban rhythms, this eclectic compilation of his cinematic music displays the full range of his talents and the sick depths of his mind. Shoe String Symphonettes, listened as an album without the visuals, suggests a twisted and vivid narrative drama. Marc Ribot: guitar, sampler, trumpet, banjo, alto horn With Dave Douglas Greg Cohen John Zorn Ikue Mori Jim Staley Bill Ware Curtis Fowlkes Roy Nathanson Anthony Coleman Jim Nolet E.J. Rodriguez Cyro Baptista and others.
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MARC RIBOT/SHREK With ROGER KLEIER/J D FOSTER/SEBASTIAN STEINBERG/DOUGIE BOWNE/CHRISTINE BARD - Yo! I Killed Your God (Tzadik 7143; USA) "Considering how much I have grown to love just about anything guitarist supreme Marc Ribot does, Shrek was often one project which seemed pretty much hit or miss. Some gigs were great, some gigs sucked, and even their studio effort on Avant didn't seem to capture their occasional unique brutal brilliance. Maybe we were wrong, this live release seems to prove how how powerful they could really be!! It is a quite long & ramblin' journey through five live gigs and one studio track from '92 & '94 only, covering the beginning & end of this quirky unit. Shrek was a odd double post-punk/rock band with either two guitars (J.D. Foster or Roger Kleier) and/or two drummers (Dougie Bowne, Jim Pugliese and/or Christine Bard). Although this is mostly a live recording, the sound is powerful and in your face, thanx to Zorn & Ribot. Shrek here is tight & twisted, fractured el. guitar & off-kilter rhythms that seem to come from Beefheart-like bravura! Ribot even sings his righteous & sarcastic lyrics in a striking deadpan, perfect for this gnarly ensemble. Shrek covers Hendrix's "Wind Cries Mary" in a completely fragmented way, sick yet effective, with Marc singing through a telephone-like mic. They also a funny job of obliterating the jazz standard "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" with lounge-like rhythm provided by garbage can lids. It is a good idea to include a somber rendition of "Requiem for What's His Name", title tune from the out-of-print & impossible to find second Rootless Cosmopolitans release, as it breaks up the frenzied guitars. Other covers include a psycho version of Howlin Wolf's "Somebody in my House" and even a Los Cubanos like tune by Felipe Valdes, pointing the way of things to come. Albert Ayler's bro Donald's "Change has Come" get a post/punk/noise avant/jazz treatment which makes complete sense considering it's source. Even the funky studio closing tune fits just right. An unexpected delight from a master of surprise" - BLG
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JAMIE SAFT With BEN GOLDBERG/LARRY GRENADIER/CRAIG SANTIAGO - Borscht Belt Studies (Tzadik 8164; USA)Keyboard virtuoso, dub-master supreme, heavy metal guitarist, soundtrack composer, versatile arranger, master butcher and zonked madman, Jamie Saft has been responsible for some of the wildest and most soulful sounds heard on the Tzadik Jewish series. After his startling heavy metal CD Black Shabbis, he returns to the keyboard for a moody and heartfelt tribute celebrating the rich creative legacy of the Borscht Belt! Featuring six remarkable duets with the masterful clarinetist Ben Goldberg, four hypnotic solo pieces and a reggae track with his newest band the New Zion Trio this is moody, wild, and lyrical music that takes Jewish music one step further into the 21st century. Personnel: Ben Goldberg: Clarinet Jamie Saft: Piano, Fender Rhodes Larry Grenadier: Acoustic Bass Craig Santiago: Drums
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JAMIE SAFT TRIO With GREG COHEN/BEN PEROWSKY MIKE PATTON/ANTONY//BOB DYLAN - Trouble: Saft Trio Plays Bob Dylan (Tzadik 8111; USA) Jamie Saft and his dynamic trio presents a sparkling interpretation of the work of Bob Dylan. A lifelong Dylan enthusiast, Saft is the perfect man to take on this challenging project and his choice of compositions, spanning over four decades of activity, is as creative as the arrangements themselves. Featuring several guest vocalists including Mike Patton and Antony, this is a deep and meaningful tribute to one of the world's greatest living songwriters, a Jew whose influence resounds in the work of several generations of pop musicians. Personnel: Greg Cohen: Contrabass Ben Perowsky: Drums Jamie Saft: Piano, Hammond Organ Special Guests Antony: Vocals Mike Patton: Vocals
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JENNY SCHEINMAN With ADAM LEVY/RUSS JOHNSON/GREG COHEN/TREVOR DUNN/KENNY WOLLESEN - The Rabbi's Lover (Tzadik 7165; USA) An impressive new recording by one of the most sought-after new violinists in the downtown scene. Born in California, Jenny moved to New York in 1998. Most recently heard in a variety of contexts with Bill Frisell, Jenny has also graced projects by Myra Melford, Vinicius Cantuaria and Nels Cline. Here she leads a dynamic quintet of violin, trumpet, guitar, bass and drum creating a seductive and personal take on Radical Jewish Culture. From traditional tunes to creative originals, The Rabbi's Lover is both heartfelt and intense, lyrical and driving, a CD you will return to time and time again. Jenny Scheinman: violin Russ Johnson: trumpet Adam Levy: guitar Greg Cohen: bass Trevor Dunn: bass Kenny Wolleson: drums.
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JENNY SCHEINMAN With RUSS JOHNSON/MYRA MELFORD/TREVOR DUNN/KENNY WOLLESEN - Shalagaster (Tzadik 7709; USA) Jenny Scheinman, a frequent collaborator of guitarist Bill Frisell, is one of the most sought-after violinists on the scene today. Her second CD for Tzadik, created especially for the Oracles series, features her brilliant quartet augmented by the beautiful keyboards of Myra Melford. Eleven dynamic new compositions, masterfully conceived, make up this heartfelt program of modern folk jazz. TZADIK ORACLES SERIES Personnel: Trevor Dunn: Bass Russ Johnson: Trumpet Myra Melford: Piano, Harmonium Jenny Scheinman: Violin Kenny Wollesen: Drums
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ELLIOTT SHARP - Suspension of Disbelief (Tzadik 7512; USA) "This is diverse downtown guitarist-composer-producer Elliott Sharp's film music works for five different flicks directed by Janene Higgins, Robert Abrams, Nicole Hewitt and Jane Gang. It is one of Elliott's rare solo projects in which he plays everything - electric and acoustic guitars, 8-string guitarbass, fretless bass, saxes, clarinets, adapted zither, computer and analogue synth. The first track is "Coil of Tickling Towers" and the bottom end bubbles with deep bass squiggles - my speakers are shaking while bluesy acoustic guitar provides one layer as a psychedelic sustained electric guitar howls on top. "The Never Was Has Beens" has a funky/dubby bass groove, an off kilter rhythm machine and waves of echoed el. guitar fragments in the first section. Brain-melting altered orchestral strings and tenor sax provide the ambiance of the second section, while a cosmic cloud of synth and blues drenched slide acoustic guitar mesmerize us on the third section. Feisty tenor sax squawks with bizarre synth surrounding on the fourth section and dark sequenced rhythms throb beneath more tortured psych guitars on the fifth section. Busy, buzzin' fretless bass and sax burn on the next section and haunting harmonic tapping acoustic guitar with eastern echoes ends the final part. "Blue Film" is a smoky, late night jazz tune with a (sampled) acoustic bass groove, finger snapping high hat and tasty saxes snarling like elegant serpents. More mysterious is "Mark's at Danny's" with subtle layers of fractured guitars and saxes squirming. "His Holy Prepuce" is the final track and it is fueled by slow, somber, undulating rhythms which speed up to hyper tension in the center part and then slow back down to suspenseful glowing synth - moving in slow waves of evolving rhythm and even ending up with hyper-active drum n' bass later on. The title of this release seems most appropriate as we are suspended in a vat of mysterious substances or broken funhouse mirrors." - BLG
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ELLIOTT SHARP - Figure Ground (Tzadik 7505; USA) From a renowned and respected musician with dozens of recordings, Figure Ground is Elliott Sharp's most eclectic album to date. Using guitars, saxophones, computers, analog synthesizers and the kitchen sink, Sharp performs powerful scores for four films including Daddy & The Muscle Academy (a documentary on the life of pioneering gay fetish cartoonist Tom Of Finland) and The Salt Mines (a documentary about transvestite prostitute junkies living in salt warehouses in New York City). Sharp's music is as varied and eccentric as the films he writes for. Elliott Sharp: all instruments.
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WADADA LEO SMITH With ANTHONY DAVIS / MALACHI FAVORS - Reflectativity (Tzadik 7060; USA) Reflectativity, first released on Leo Smith's own label in the early 1970s is one of the most important extended compositions blending improvisation and composition, and one of Leo Smith's masterpieces. This exciting new version features the brilliant pianist/composer Anthony Davis (who performed on the original recording) and longtime friend and colleague Malachi Favors, the legendary monster bass player from the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Coupled with several new compositions, this CD brings together the past and present of creative music's most continually fascinating composer/performers. Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet, flugel horn; Anthony Davis: piano; Malachi Favors Magoustous: bass. TZADIK COMPOSER SERIES "This is the second in a series of three recordings that Leo Smith has done for the Tzadik label which feature longtime cohorts - Anthony Davis - the wonderful, yet currently under-recorded piano great, Malachi Magoustous Favors monster contrabassist for the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Wadada Leo Smith's ever-provocative trumpet & flugel-horn! The title piece was first recorded in the early 70's for Leo's own label and has long been out-of-print. "Reflectativity" was and remains a masterwork which blends improvisation and composition into an important stream of well-connected ideas. A superb recording in which each musician is in perfect balance with the trio, each playing both powerfully in certain sections and also with quiet grace in other parts. Anthony does a fine job of playing inside the piano while Leo's muted smears reflect back a similar terrain. Malachi is also a master of suspense and propulsion, keeping the trio well grounded one moment and propelling the pulse the next. On "Fisherman T Wmukl-D" the trio often play together in solo/duo/solo which seem to shadow each other's paths - sometimes plotted, at times free, yet ever-building in quiet intensity with large amounts of well-placed silence in between. The last piece is "Hanabishi" and it erupts quickly, Leo and Anthony spiraling notes towards the heavens, cascading to a busy intersection, which becomes sparse once again and then picks up speed rising to a solid conclusion. It would be great to see/hear this remarkable trio play live - we can only hope for miracles. " - BLG
CD Sale $13

WADADA LEO SMITH'S GOLDEN QUARTET With ANTHONY DAVIS/MALACHI FAVORS/JACK DeJOHNETTE - Golden Quartet (Tzadik 7604; USA) "Featuring Anthony Davis on piano, Malachi Favors on contrabass, Jack DeJohnette on drums and Leo Smith on trumpet and flugelhorn. This has been Leo Smith's all-star dream project for quite a while and it is an outstanding offering. Each musician is an important player/composer/leader in their own right and each has developed their direction, yet this quartet brings out their best playing in recent memory. Although there is no doubt that all four of these heroes are extraordinary musicians, for me their recent paths/releases have been a bit disappointing. Leo took a long journey through Rastafarian directions and has been doing more modern classical composing on his two previous Tzadik cds. Leo's astounding playing on he & Henry Kaiser's 'Yo Miles' project (a recent gig at the Fillmore is said to have completely blown minds!), as well as his playing on two recent What We Live cds, shows that Leo is still a trumpet force to be reckoned with! I can't recall any recordings from Anthony Davis in quite a while and DeJohnette's last few ECM cds have left me cold. Yet on 'Golden Quartet', watch out for the sparks! This release contains five long works with two over fifteen minutes in length, so the quartet gets a chance to really stretch out. From the very first opening salvo of "DeJohnette", you can tell that these musicians mean business with flurries of free activity until a head or theme emerges and then a spacious passage rife with suspense - each player is listening closely and responding as one solid magical (golden?) quartet. This is joyous music, filled with intense energy and is consistently inventive! The theme re-emerges and is almost a gospelish/funky one, bringing us back to earth for a nice landing. "Harumi" is actually a somber, bluesy beauty with Jack playing graceful mallets and Leo's trumpet both stark and endearing. "Celestial Sky & All the Magic" is dedicated to the recently departed spirit of trumpet god Lester Bowie who was in the Art Ensemble of Chicago with bassist Malachi Favors. Lester was an incredible musician whose playing knew no boundaries of genre or style. This piece does a fine job of capturing his explosive fury, purity of tone and even some of those close-miked smear s that Lester delighted in using, as well as a marching section. Things wind down to a more austere ballad-like gem on "The Healer's Voyage on the Sacred River", soft spirits rustling in the breeze of a lazy spring day. The intensity erupts once more on the closing piece "America's Third Century Spiritual Awakening" which sounds likeone of those fabulous Miles' Quintet treasures for the mid-sixties, where each musician pushes the other up the heavens for the ultimate release! Four strong winds are blowing up a storm! " - BLG
CD Sale $13

WADADA LEO SMITH - Red Sulphur Sky (Tzadik 7070; USA) "This Leo Smith's fifth fine release for Tzadik and it is also his first solo trumpet effort in thirty years. In the late sixties the AACM pushed its members to play and record solo performances and musicians like Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell and Muhal Richard Abrams paved the way for what has become a more common challenge. Leo Smith was and is still a member of the highly influential AACM and here he returns to that old challenge once again of a solo trumpet and flugelhorn endeavor. The title track opens with Leo's trumpet selectively showing his range of colors, shapes, blasts, lyrical phrases, smears, tempos - quick, slow and moderately paced, fast spins and spirals - each note well-placed in space. "Evening Glow a Shining Outward" is dedicated to Tzadik label-head John Zorn and it is a more restrained and somber affair - pure and reflective, stark and lovely. On "The Medicine Wheel" Leo takes four Native-American symbols-directions-colors and then illustrates them in each of its four parts. "Buffalo" has an enchanting inner theme which Leo states and then approaches it from different angles - an elegy for the long extinct creature which used to provide food, clothing and shelter for Indians in our past - perhaps? "Eagle" has a pure, lyrical and lonely beauty at its center which shines like the sun through clouds of gray. "Mouse" is even more touching, each note is warm and well balanced and transcends graciously. "Purity and Poverty" is the last long piece and it is also split into four parts. The first part is playful and constantly flies higher spiraling more quickly as it ascends. The second part features the naked, spacious, muted trumpet with an eloquent, bluesy touch which is balanced with answers from the non-muted trumpet - so fine. Leo starts spinning both trumpet parts more furiously on the third section, but still lets things calm down toward the end. The last section slowly lands from the flights of fancy in the previous sections, as Leo lets each note hover one at a time like feathers drifting through the air." - BLG
CD Sale $13

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DVD Sale: Overstock, Understock, Sideways, Down: 20 Gems for the New Year: 2020!

BUCKETHEAD & DELI CREEPS//JAS OBRECHT, dir. - Young Buckethead Vol 2 (Avabella 02; USA)
DVD Sale $8

SYLVIE COURVOISIER ABATON TRIO With MARK FELDMAN/ANJA LECHNER//ANAIS PROSAIC, dir. - Abaton Live (La Huit; France)
DVD-R Sale $10

MILES DAVIS - The Cool Sound of Jazz (EFor Films; UK) Exemplary television program with the Miles Davis Quintet featuring John Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, and including the Gil Evans Orchestra.
DVD Sale $10

DUKE ELLINGTON - London Concert 1964 (Impro-Jazz; EEC)
DVD Sale $10

ANDY EMLER / CLAUDE TCHAMITCHIAN / ERIC ECHAMPARD TRIO MARC DUCRET - Andy Emler: On Air (In Circum Girum 906; France) [PAL format only]
DVD Sale $8

BRIAN ENO // DUNCAN WARD & GABRIELLA CARDAZZON, dirs. - Imaginary Landscapes: Brian Eno (Movie Gold; EEC)
DVD-R $10

BRIAN ENO / HAROLD BUDD // ALBERT FALZON - Director - The Khumbe Mela - Same As It Ever Was: Filmed In India And Throughout The Waterways Of Kashmir (Movie Gold; Earth)
DVD-R $12

ELLERY ESKELIN / ANDREA PARKINS / JIM BLACK - On The Road With... (Prime Source 3010; USA)
DVD Sale $5

EDDIE GALE - Trumpet & Water: Up Close And Personal (Creative View 200501; USA)
DVD Sale $8

STEVE LACY//PETER BULL, director - Master Of The Soprano Sax [aka Lift The Bandstand](Efor 2869051; Earth)
DVD Sale $10

GARY LUCAS // PAUL WEGNER & CARL BOESE - Directors - The Golem (Private Release; Earth)
DVD-R Sale $10

MACHINE GUN [ROBERT MUSSO / THOMAS CHAPIN / JOHN RICHEY / JAIR-ROHM PARKER WELLS / BIL BRYANT] - Live From The Webo Art Space - September 22nd 1991 (MuWorks DR 01; USA)
DVD Sale $10

METHOD OF DEFIANCE [BILL LASWELL / BERNIE WORRELL / TOSHINORI KONDO / GUY LICATA / DR. ISRAEL / DJ KRUSH / GARRISON 'HAWKMAN' HAWK] // DAVID SAUVAGE, director - Soundcheck Featuring Method Of Defiance (DS; USA)
DVD Sale $10

MOTHERS OF INVENTION - Pixel Dust (Movie Gold; Earth) 66-68 broadcasts, including a short B&W promo film for The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet [1966]; the rest is in color, including 2 songs from the Bitter End [NYC 1967], a segment of the Colour Me Pop show [BBC 1968] and a 40 minute instrumental medley from Beat Club [German TV 1968].
DVD-R Sale $12

TISZIJI MUNOZ With PHAROAH SANDERS/RAVI COLTRANE/RASHIED ALI/PAUL SHAFFER/DON PATE - Paul Shaffer Presents: A Conversation with Tisziji Munoz Video from Divine Radiance Live! - Village Underground, June 10 2003 (Anami 030; USA)
DVD Sale $10

WILLIAM PARKER / SPIRITWORLD with OLUYEMI THOMAS /JOE McPHEE / LISA SOKOLOV // JEFF SCHLANGER// ROBERT O'HAIRE, dir. - Spiritworld Live At The Cue Art Foundation//Jeff Schlanger musicWitness: Genesis & Testimony (Witnissimo; USA)
DVD Sale $10

JON ROSE - Rosin (2004-2010): 60th Anniversary Collection (ReR JR8-11; UK)
3 CD Book Quicktime Data Disc [LTD Edition] - Sale $35

SOFT MACHINE with MIKE RATLEDGE / KEVIN AYERS / ROBERT WYATT / ELTON DEAN / ALAN HOLDSWORTH / KARL JENKINS / ROY BABBINGTON / JOHN MARSHALL - The Soft Machine Factor: A Pataphysical Introduction To.. (Movie Gold; Earth) Compilation with clips from 1967, 1970, 1974, 1985, etc
DVD-R Sale $10

SOFT MACHINE LEGACY [HUGH HOPPER / ELTON DEAN / JOHN ETHERIDGE / JOHN MARSHALL: SOFT WORKS] - Live At The New Morning: The Paris Concert December 12 2005 (InAkustik; Earth)
DVD Sale $12

FRANK ZAPPA - Video from Hell (Movie Gold; Earth) Sort of a compilation of selections from Zappa's other movies (some of which are out-of-print). In addition to that, Frank also gives a few exclusives, including some concert footage, the "You Are What You Is" video, and Frank's court testimony against a Maryland censorship bill. Frank's commentary throughout the tape is hilarious, like the 'president from hell' (Reagan).
DVD-R $10

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Holiday Sale DVD’s with Blurbs:

BUCKETHEAD & DELI CREEPS//JAS OBRECHT, dir. - Young Buckethead Vol 2 (Avabella 02; USA) Vol. 2 features two complete Deli Creeps concerts in San Francisco, unrehearsed backstage footage, and a very rare interview in a park. Deli Creeps at the I-Beam, 9/1/90 Deli Creeps backstage, 9/1/90 Deli Creeps at the Kennel Club 4/3/91 Buckethead in the Park 12/29/90 Featuring the Deli Creeps: Buckethead, Maximum Bob, Pinch Face, Saucy Patches (9/1/90 show), Tony Black (4.3/91 show)
DVD Sale $8

SYLVIE COURVOISIER ABATON TRIO With MARK FELDMAN/ANJA LECHNER//ANAIS PROSAIC, dir. - Abaton Live (La Huit; France) Trio Courvoisier features Sylvie Courvoisier on piano, Mark Feldman on violin and Anja Lechner on cello, plus two dancers: Marielle Girard and Cyril Davy. This was recorded live at Festival Banlieues Bleues in 2004. Swiss-born piano sorceress and composer, Sylvie Courvoisier, had a new disc on ECM released that same year called 'Abaton' featuring her husband, Mark Feldman, and cellist Erik Friedlander. For this performance, Erik was replaced by German cellist Anja Lechner. Ms. Lechner can be heard performing the music of Greek composer Vassilis Tsaboropoulos on an ECM CD. The director, Anais Prosaic, took the live footage of the trio and added the film of two marvelous dancers with graphic animation added as well. The music blends the ultra-subtle, quiet and spacious sections with occasional eruptions. Instead of the dazzling fireworks of the Masada Recital Duo (Sylvie & Mark), we more exquisite and delicate sections. The dancers enter on the second piece and do a wonderful job of illustrating the more explosive and fast pace of this piece. This piece has some of that nervous energy and tight, complex structure, so it is more demanding for the dancers. When it slows down to a more romantic interlude, the dancers embrace and dance more closely. The third piece is more minimal and filled with suspense. The dancers are surrounded by odd animation flourishes. Sylvie plays inside the piano and always coaxes her own distinctive sounds from those piano strings. The subtle graphics give the dances a slight alien quality whish fits the music just right. Thanks to Sylvie's superb composing, both string players play some incredible, brittle harmonies and difficult extended sounds. Mark Feldman gets to play one of those astonishing solos on the third piece, one that is hard to believe. The music and dances work quite well together, adding just the right amount of visuals to enhance these outstanding performances by all. - BLG - 42 minutes
DVD-R $10

DUKE ELLINGTON - London Concert 1964 (Impro-Jazz; EEC)[complete program on each side of the disc: one side NTSC all region, other side PAL all region!] For the first time ever on DVD! Includes only version of "Harlem Suite" on film and an Ellington piano solo! Among the numerous filmed performances by the Ellington band, this phenomenal London concert stands out for many reasons. The first one is that it contains the only complete performance of Duke's Harlem Suite on film. Written in 1950, this extended piece was first intended to be premiered by Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The premiere, however, was postponed indefinitely for various reasons and never actually took place. Other highlights include Ellington's solo piano version of his composition "Little African Flower", as well as a moving reading by Johnny Hodges' of "Isfahan" (from the "Far East Suite") and the "Banquet Theme", taken from Ellington's Shakespeare suite "Timon of Athens". This last piece had premiered the preceding year in Strattford, Ontario. Among the personnel, special mention is due to Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson, who occupied a seat in Duke's band for a while. Although he doesn't play, composer, arranger and Ellington's right hand Billy Strayhorn attended the concert, and can be seen in the audience with English trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton.
DVD Sale $10

ANDY EMLER / CLAUDE TCHAMITCHIAN / ERIC ECHAMPARD TRIO MARC DUCRET - Andy Emler: On Air (In Circum Girum 906; France) Featuring Andy Emler on piano, composer & conductor, Claude Tchamitchian on double bass, Eric Echampard on drums plus Marc Ducret guest guitarist,Mederic Collignon on flugel & cornet, Laurent Dehors on reeds & bagpipe, Thomas de Pourquery & Philippe Sellam on saxes, Francois Thuillier on tuba and Francois Verly on percussion. The only members of this trio & octet with whom I was previously familiar are the great Marc Ducret (longtime Tim Berne collaborator & bandleader), Eric Echampard who is the drummer in Ducret's trio and bassist Claude Tchamitchian, who recently played up at the Victo Fest with Joe McPhee & Daunil Lazro. Mr. Emler also has a previous CD out on this same label with the same trio. This fine DVD features three pieces by Andy's trio and 6 pieces by his MegaOctet. The trio is first and it is extremely well-recorded and well-captured visually. While Andy plays most majestically, Claude's bass in central to the trio, a perfect foil. This is powerful, dramatic music, as great as any modern piano trio that we've heard in recent times. Andy reminds me of Tete Montilou with the way he plays in waves that wash over us warmly and magically. The sound is pristine, perhaps ECM-like in tonal quality. This is one magnificent trio with all three members an integral part of that powerful group sound. It is almost too good to be true when guitar great, Marc Ducret, is introduced on the third piece where some funky space-age pants. Marc starts with one of his amazing and completely unique solo guitar episodes, rubbing and banging on the strings in his own distinctive way. Slowly each member enters and show the magic of free form improv at its best and most daring. The MegaOctet feature a superb horn section with strong compositions from Mr. Emler and fine solos from the different horns and vibes player. Although I hadn't heard of any of the other musicians, besides the trio & Ducret, this is quite a stellar crew. It is always great to hear some extraordinary new musicians, especially since it is unlikely we will get a chance to hear and see this fine band over here anytime soon. Although this is PAL-formatted DVD, I had no problem playing it in my computer. Even if you don't have a multi-region DVD player, you can easily do this by following Chuck Bettis' simple instructions. - BLG
DVD Sale $8 [PAL format only]

BRIAN ENO // DUNCAN WARD & GABRIELLA CARDAZZON, dirs. - Imaginary Landscapes: Brian Eno (Movie Gold; EEC) Profiles the innovative musician Brian Eno. Originally a member of the band Roxy Music, Eno turned his visionary sights on the art world. Using his talents to create electronically generated music video art, Eno produced works that have been featured in art museums throughout the world.
DVD-R Sale $10

ELLERY ESKELIN / ANDREA PARKINS / JIM BLACK - On The Road With... (Prime Source 3010; USA) Double sided DVD with NTSC and PAL formats - playable anywhere!] On a last-minute whim while packing to go on the road, Ellery Eskelin decided to bring along his camcorder and a bagful of blank tapes. After three weeks on tour he came back with 25 hours of video from all across the European continent, including live performances, interviews, local color and a generous helping of road schtick. In the ensuing months Ellery put in countless late nights editing this bounty down to a one hour program. Now you can join Ellery Eskelin, Andrea Parkins and Jim Black on their 2003 European tour with this homespun and engaging video tour diary. Travel with them in taxis, trains and vans and sit on stage with them as the band performs for audiences from Paris to Poland. Get an insiders' view of life on the road, complete with flashes of brilliance, boredom and silliness tempered with a general lack of sleep yet fueled by adrenaline and a love of performing. The backbone of the program is a series of solo concerts done by Eskelin, Parkins & Black at the Festival Les 100 Ciels in Nancy, France, which are interspersed throughout the video. Also included are band performances from Germany, Poland and the U.K. as well as Paris appearances with guest vocalist Jessica Constable. Don't miss this look behind the scenes of one of today's most celebrated jazz/improv ensembles, now in its tenth year!
DVD Sale $5

EDDIE GALE - Trumpet & Water: Up Close And Personal (Creative View 200501; USA)This is an endearing half-hour movie featuring the legendary trumpeter Eddie Gale. It takes place in San Jose, California, Mr. Gale's West Coast home, a place very special to Eddie's history and art. A place where the mayor awarded Eddie the distinction of being the resident "Ambassador of Jazz" in 1974. Eddie plays a muted and un-muted pocket trumpet next to a river and it sound swell. Excerpts from Eddie Gale's Now Band stunning performance at the Vision X Festival from June of this year is used on the soundtrack as we are driving down the coast-line highway. There shots of Eddie walking down to the beach with the sound of the waves as the soundtrack. He plays "When the Saints Come Marching In" as well as other tasty snippets and tunes on the beach as the sun sets. There is something quite enchanting about watching Eddie play his haunting ballad directly to the sun. A touching solo version of "Remembering John (Coltrane)" is followed by a number of different solo trumpet excerpts, each unique in showing an idea or feeling. When Eddie does an exercise with two sticks, it looks as if he conducting the ocean's waves. Unlike Eddie's performance at the Vision Fest with his band, which was super tight and exhilarating, this is much looser, yet still quite gripping at times. He sounds as if he trying to tame the ocean's fury and does quite an admirable job. It ends with a beautiful, meditative lullaby on transcendent muted trumpet as he drives back from the shore. The Eddie Gale Now Band performance from Vision X will also be coming out in the near future, in the meantime you can still dig this little treasure. - BLG
DVD Sale $8

STEVE LACY // PETER BULL, director - Master Of The Soprano Sax [aka Lift The Bandstand](Efor 2869051; Earth) [complete program on each side of the disc: one side NTSC all region, other side PAL all region!] Total Time: 102 mins 1985 documentary featuring Steve Potts, Jean-Jacques Avanel, Bobby Few, Oliver Johnson, et al AS a subject for a jazz documentary, Steve Lacy makes things easy. He is both an important musician - the first soprano saxophonist in modern jazz - and an articulate one. In the 50 minute film, ''Steve Lacy: Lift the Bandstand,'' the film maker Peter Bull lets him tell his own story, illustrating it with remarkable archival footage and live performances from a 1983 Public Theater concert by Mr. Lacy's sextet. Mr. Lacy spent his apprenticeship at the extremes of jazz, old and new. He took up the soprano saxophone after hearing the New Orleans jazz musician Sidney Bechet - the film includes a Bechet performance - and worked with such traditional-jazz patriarchs as Pee Wee Russell and Pops Foster. His next affiliation was with the pianist Cecil Taylor, whose roiling music, Mr. Lacy says, had him ''swimming furiously in the avant-garde ocean.'' There's a clip of Mr. Lacy's next mentor, the arranger Gil Evans, and of his most important influence, the composer-pianist Thelonious Monk; there's also footage of John Coltrane, who, Mr. Lacy contends, took up the soprano saxophone after hearing him. He also explains why, after starving in New York in the early 1960's, he moved to Europe to continue his career. The old footage shows what Mr. Lacy learned, and what an individualist he turned out to be. On the soprano saxophone, which he compares to a ''high, shrill infant,'' he doesn't sound like Bechet or Coltrane; his compositions take the angularities of Thelonious Monk through even more twists and turns. Playing solo, Mr. Lacy seems to choose each note with a chess master's care; leading his sextet, he meshes his phrasing with the voice of Irene Aebi, then rides the band's rhythms with skirling, high-speed extrapolations. The film includes both a solo excerpt from ''Gay Paree-Bop'' and a full-length sextet version, with Mr. Lacy transformed from introvert to extrovert. Other tunes performed include "Evidence"and "Prospectus" - Jon Pareles, New York Times Indispensable for anyone interested in Steve Lacy.
DVD Sale $10

GARY LUCAS // PAUL WEGNER & CARL BOESE - Directors - The Golem (Private Release; Earth) [Revised 2008 edition with the original film's tinting restored!] This is the classic 1920 silent film about the supernatural being from Jewish mythology; with a new soundtrack recorded solo by Gary Lucas in live performance at The World Financial Center [whilst the film was being screened] that was simultaneously broadcast on John Schafer's "New Sounds" program. Highly recommended!
DVD-R Sale $10

METHOD OF DEFIANCE [BILL LASWELL/BERNIE WORRELL/TOSHINORI KONDO/GUY LICATA/DR ISRAEL/DJ KRUSH/GARRISON 'HAWKMAN' HAWK]//DAVID SAUVAGE, director - Soundcheck Featuring Method Of Defiance (DS; USA) "I can't even define the genre. Seven musicians from different worlds coming together to see what happens. All under the tagline: refuse compliance. MOD's open-minded and fearless backer, Giacomo Bruzzo (RareNoise Records), hired me to make an art film about them. That's what he said: ART FILM. Soundcheck is what I came up with. (Special thanks to dr. Israel and Seth Cohen, for producing this with us.) The band wasn't sure about me in the beginning, so I didn't have great access. I also didn't want to make a concert film. So I started shooting their soundchecks, basically their rehearsals, where they test levels, throw out riffs and explore. Then, channeling the band's energy, I took visual artists from different genres, gave them footage from the soundcheck and pieced it all together into something that speaks, in its own language, to the music. It's 23 minutes long, and it's a trip. - David Sauvage, director
DVD Sale $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ With PHAROAH SANDERS/RAVI COLTRANE/RASHIED ALI/PAUL SHAFFER/DON PATE - Paul Shaffer Presents: A Conversation with Tisziji Munoz Video from Divine Radiance Live! - Village Underground, June 10 2003 (Anami 030; USA)The first twenty minutes of this DVD is a interview/discussion between Tisziji Munoz and Paul Shaffer. They talk about when they first met in 1969 and how Paul learned from Tisziji, first learning Munoz' music and then letting go. The ever spiritual Munoz talks about learning through the native elders who give visions and guide us from the outer worlds or solar system and eventually landing on the planet earth when we are born. Paul asks Tisziji how the band prepared for this gig, but Tisziji says that there was no rehearsal, he knew how to choose the right musicians. The concert footage is well captured and everyone in the band is in great form. Everyone gets a chance to solo and each solo is something else. The sextet is completely transcendent, lifting the audience out of their seats and into another dimension. Since this was filmed, the great Rashied Ali has passed away and the Village Underground has closed or turned into just another village dive. This disc is about 48 minutes long and it features a cosmic event, a meeting of six spirits coming together to help us travel to other worlds. You can tell that something special was going on that night. To hear the complete live set, check out the 'Divine Radiance Live' CD! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
DVD Sale $10

JON ROSE - Rosin (2004-2010): 60th Anniversary Collection (ReR JR8-11; UK) Collective personnel includes Jon Rose (infinite stringed things), Clayton Thomas (bass), Anthony Pateras (piano), Robin Fox (sampling), Chris Abrahams (piano), Amanda Stewart (poetry) and dozens of others. Australian violinist, sonic pioneer and composer, Jon Rose, comes from a long line of 20th century artists, from Dada through Fluxus, who poke fun at the seriousness of modern music or art while making us question "what is music?" Mr. Rose does not just play the violin, having long manipulated a wide variety of stringed instruments as well as non-instruments like fences, bicycles and saws. Over three CDs, Mr. Rose explores and presents a wide variety of mostly Australian artists: street & folk musicians, a department store pianist, an Aboriginal ladies choir, chainsaw & bowed saw orchestras, too many other oddities to name here. Throughout more than fifty tracks (nearly three hours), Mr. Rose presents a wealth of strange and wonderful sounds: music, voices, some unadorned and others messed with. The datadisc is not a DVD but can be played on your computer's Quicktime video program. Since a great deal of what Mr. Rose does is visual, this disc shows many of the unique instruments and hybrids like the 19 string cello, a barbed wire fence, the bowed saw orchestra, the burning violin, a violin record player and the viocycle. Watching Mr. Rose be apprehended by a security guard for playing solo violin in front of the Sydney Opera House, is pretty amusing in itself. There a few short essays included in the booklet by Bob Ostertag, David Harrington from the Kronos Quartet, Richard Barrett and Dr. Kersten Glandien, about Jon Rose and each of them is illuminating. As I make my way through the third CD, I am amazed by the sheer sonic explorations and many surprises found within. Treat yourself to this splendid feast! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
3 CD Book Quicktime Data Disc [LTD Edition] - Sale $35

SOFT MACHINE - The Soft Machine Factor: A Pataphysical Introduction To.. (Movie Gold; Earth) Dutch TV 1967 - 9 minutes B&W; Beat Club Radio Bremen January 1970 - 11 minutes color; Montreux Jazz Festival with Alan Holdsworth 1974 -16 minutes color; Robert Wyatt on Old Grey Whistle Test 1985 doing "Born Again Cretin" and "Shipbuilding" - color; and the Virgin promo video for Robert Wyatt and The Swapo Singers doing "The Winds Of Change".
DVD-R Sale $10

SOFT MACHINE LEGACY [HUGH HOPPER / ELTON DEAN / JOHN ETHERIDGE / JOHN MARSHALL: SOFT WORKS] - Live At The New Morning: The Paris Concert December 12 2005 (InAkustik; Earth) This performance was recorded on December 12th 2005 at the "New Morning" club in Paris, one of the most important European Jazz clubs. Forty years later, The Soft Machine Legacy musicians have not forsaken their dreams. Immune to the leveling pressures of show biz, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall, John Etheridge and Elton Dean - who died shortly after this last reunion at the New Morning - still mesmerized their fans. Four cameras captured the spectacular performance professionally on digital tape and sound engineers ensured perfect stereo sound in Dolby Digital 5.1. Bonus material includes "In conversation with Soft Machine Legacy"
DVD Sale $12

WILLIAM PARKER / SPIRITWORLD with OLUYEMI THOMAS /JOE McPHEE / LISA SOKOLOV // JEFF SCHLANGER// ROBERT O'HAIRE, dir. - Spiritworld Live At The Cue Art Foundation//Jeff Schlanger musicWitness: Genesis & Testimony (Witnissimo; USA) Two wonderful films - a 75 minute concert by Spiritworld AND a 30 minute documentary on painter/sculptor Jeff Schlanger - and directed by Robert O'Haire! SPIRITWORLD: If you don't know West Coast mystery man, Oluyemi Thomas, well, you really should. Oluyemi plays bass clarinet, C-melody sax, flutes & musette and is one the most spirited horn players to emerge from the Bay Area scene. He has a wonderful duo/trio/quartet with his wife and extended vocalist Ijeoma called Positive Knowledge. This superb DVD captures a special 75 minute performance - within an installation of paintings and sculptures by Jeff Schlanger - with bassist & ethnic multi-instrumentalist, William Parker, multi-reedsman & trumpeter, Joe McPhee on soprano sax, the great out/jazz singer Lisa Sokolov and Mr. Thomas. MUSICWITNESS - GENESIS & TESTIMONY: Artist Jeff Schlanger is known throughout the jazz world - and if he's not known to you, look at the CDs in your collection - his incredible live-performance paintings have graced the covers of so many albums: Julius Hemphill Trio: " Live at the New Music Cafe"; Kidd Jordan - Joel Futterman-Alvin Fielder Trio: Live at the Tampere Jazz Happening 2000; Bill Cole Untempered Ensemble - "Seasoning the Greens"; Bobby Few Solo: "Continental Jazz Express"; Kidd Jordan-Alan Silva-William Parker: "Emancipation Suite #1"; Julius Hemphill & Warren Smith : "Chile New York"; William Parker Solo: "Lifting the Sanctions"; Dominic Duval String Ensemble: Live In Concert; William Parker Quartet: "Compassion"; Charles Gayle: "More Live"; Marty Ehrlich & Anthony Cox: "Falling Man"; William Parker Solo: "Testimony"; Billy Bang Sextet: "Live at Carlos 1"; William Parker Sextet: "In Order To Survive"; Borah Bergman & Hamid Drake: "The Stone House"; Borah Bergman & Evan Parker: "The Fire Tale"; Julius Hemphill Sextet: "Five Chord Stud"; Muhal Richard Abrams & Roscoe Mitchell: "Duets & Solos"; Charles Gayle: "Consecration"; Julius Hemphill Sextet: "Fat man & The Hard Blues"; World Saxophone Quartet: "Live at Brooklyn Academy of Music"...to name just a few! WHEW!
DVD Sale $10

FRANK ZAPPA/THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION - Pixel Dust (Movie Gold; Earth) 66-68 broadcasts, including a short B&W promo film for The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet [1966]; the rest is in color, including 2 songs from the Bitter End [NYC 1967], a segment of the Colour Me Pop show [BBC 1968], and a 40 minute instrumental medley from Beat Club [German TV 1968].
DVD-R Sale $12

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SUPER-RARE HOLIDAY CASSETTE SALE!?!?!

AXIOM AMBIENT [BILL LASWELL With THE ORB/TERRE THAEMLITZ/TETSU INOUE] - Lost In The Translation [2 Cassettes] (Axiom 524 053 ,USA)
2 Cassette Set $12

AXIOM COLLECTION II [V.A./BILL LASWELL PRODUCTIONS] - Manifestation (Axiom 514 453 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

GINGER BAKER With JAH WOBBLE/JONAS HELLBORG/BILL LASWELL/NICKY SKOPELITIS/BERNIE WORRELL et al - Middle Passage (Axiom 846 753 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

HAKIM BEY With BILL LASWELL/BUCKETHEAD/NICKY SKOPELITIS/WU MAN - T.A.Z. (Temporary Autonomous Zone) (Axiom 524 014 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

THOMAS CHAPIN With RONNIE MATHEWS/RAY DRUMMOND/JOHN BETSCH ARA DINKJIAN/SAM TURNER - Radius (MuWorks 1005 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

GNAWA MUSIC OF MARRAKESH - Night Spirit Masters (Axiom 524 047 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

JONAS HELLBORG With TONY WILLIAMS & SOLDIER STRING QUARTET [DAVID SOLDIER/LAURA SEATON/RON LAWRENCE/MARY WOOTEN] - The Word (Axiom 848 374 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

RONALD SHANNON JACKSON & THE DECODING SOCIETY With JEF LEE JOHNSON/STEVE SALAS/JACK DeSALVO et al - Red Warrior (Axiom 510 149 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

MANIFESTATION [V/A feat. MATERIAL/PRAXIS/BAHIA BLACK/MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA/HENRY THREADGILL et al] - Axiom Collection II (Axiom 514 453 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

LUNAR BEAR ENSEMBLE [LUNAR [JOHN RICHEY]/SLUGGO/TOM DIELLO/MARTIN ATKINS et al] - Lunar Bear Ensemble [aka Dark Pastures] (MuWorks 1006 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

MACHINE GUN [ROBERT MUSSO/THOMAS CHAPIN/JOHN RICHEY/JAIR-ROHM PARKER WELLS/BIL BRYANT] SONNY SHARROCK/KARL BERGER - Machine Gun (Muworks 1001 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

ROBERT MUSSO With BILL LASWELL/THOMAS CHAPIN/AIYB DIENG/JONAS HELLBORG/BERNIE WORRELL/BOOTSY COLLINS - Active Resonance (MuWorks 1008 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

ROBERT MUSSO - Absolute Music (MuWorks 1002 ,USA)
CASSETTE 5.00 CDSALE

SHANKAR With CAROLINE/ZAKIR HUSSAIN/PETER GABRIEL et al - Soul Searcher (Axiom 846 755 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

HENRY THREADGILL & VERY VERY CIRCUS With BRANDON ROSS/MARK TAYLOR/MASUJAA/MARCUS ROJAS/EDWIN RODRIGUEZ/GENE LAKE LEROY JENKINS/SIMON SHAHEEN/JASON KAO HWANG et al - Too Much Sugar For A Dime (Axiom 514 258 ,USA)
Cassette Sale $8

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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for December of 2019:

THE NEW STONE
Is Located at the New School’s Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th street - just east of 6th ave

THE STONE Will be closed from December 19th through the New Year!

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - JAMES MOORE - JAN 2–4

1/2 Thursday
8:30 pm - New Works for Drums, Strings, Bellows & Voices - Brian Chase, Shayna Dunkelman, Ches Smith (drums) Nathan Koci (accordion) James Moore, Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Cleek Schrey (banjos, fiddles)

1/3 Friday
8:30 pm - Forever House - Meaghan Burke (voice, cello) James Moore (guitar) James Ilgenfritz (bass) Peter Wise (drums)

1/4 Saturday
8:30 pm - Dither - James Moore, Taylor Levine, Josh Lopes, Gyan Riley (electric guitars); New works by JG Thirlwell, Paula Matthusen, Brendon Randall-Myers & James Moore

THE (NEW) STONE is located in The New School’s Glass Box Theatre  
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

The Stone Series at HappyLucky No. 1:
Friday, December 27, 2019 at 8:00 PM
JIM BLACK with Michael Formanek and Peter Formanek
Jim Black (drums)
Michael Formanek (bass)
Peter Formanek (tenor sax)

Saturday, December 28, 2019 - 8:00 PM
JIM BLACK with Mazz Swift & Sylvie Courvoisier
Jim Black (drums, laptop)
Mazz Swift (violin, voice)
Sylvie Courvoisier (piano)

HappyLucky No. 1 is located at
734 Nostrand Ave, near Sterling
easy access from the A/C/2/3/4 trains

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The Weekly Bushwick Improvised Music Series
is taking a break for the next few weeks and continue in January:

Monday January 6th, 2020
7pm Matt Bent – drums
Rowan Wolf – saxophone
Will Evans – trumpet
Kevin Eichenberger – bass

8pm Stephen Gauci – tenor saxophone
Adam Lane – bass
Kevin Shea – drums

9pm Noa Fort – vocals
Aryeh Kobrinski – bass
Sarah Bernstein – violin/electronics

9:45pm Jason Hwang – violin
Anders Nilsson – guitar
Michael T.A. Thompson – drums

10:45pm Colin Avery Hinton – drums
Tony Malaby – saxophones
Eivind Opsvik – bass
Todd Neufeld – guitar

11:30pm special secret guest
Kevin Shea – drums
Matt Mottel – keys

Downstairs @ Bushwick Public House
https://bushwickpublichouse.com/ gaucimusic.com
1288 Myrtle Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn
(Across the street from M train Central Ave stop)

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Shapeshifter Presents:
Jan 8
ShapeShifter Plus Presents: Take Off Collective Residency

7pm & 8:15pm
Ole Mathisen (sax),
Matthew Garrison (bass)
Marko Djordjevic (drums)

Jan 12 at 8pm:
New Zealand Jazz comes to New York; New Zealand’s premier big band lead by jazz-big band, trombone legend RODGER FOX. For the band’s performance at the ShapeShifter Lab the band will perform a completely New Zealand composed program. The Rodger Fox big band has won 6 Tui awards for the best New Zealand jazz recording.

Jan 13
7 & 8pm: Sebastian Rios Julliard All Stars Double bill; The New Jazz Underground: Anthony Hervey, Trumpet. Zoe Obadia, Sax. Sebastian Rios, Bass. Kyle Benford, Drums.

Jan 15
7 & 8:15pm: TOC
ShapeShifter Plus Presents: Take Off Collective Residency
Ole Mathisen (sax),
Matthew Garrison (bass)
Marko Djordjevic (drums)

Shapeshifter is located at
18 Whitwell Place, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Take the R train stop to Union