THE X-MAS VERSION OF THE DMG NEWSLETTER IS SHORT & SWEET & BEGINS WITH THIS:
CECIL TAYLOR / TONY OXLEY - “…being astral and all registers - power of two…†/ Live at the Ulrichsberg Festival, May 10th, 2002 (Discus 106; UK) Featuring Cecil Taylor on piano and Tony Oxley on drums. This set was recorded in May of 2002 at the Ulrichsberg Festival in Austria. Since the passing of Cecil Taylor in April of 2018, there have been just a handful of previously unreleased recordings, two solo efforts and three duos with drum master Tony Oxley. This is the third duo with Oxley released this year and it is something else. This duo played their first duo concert in 1988 and it was recorded for the FMP label and it is long out of print. Mr. Oxley and Mr. Taylor did have a trio with William Parker (called the Feel Trio) and did a concert with Bill Dixon (released on the Victo label). Both Cecil Taylor (USA) and Tony Oxley (UK) are longtime masters of their respective instruments and free improvisers of the highest caliber. This is disc is superbly recorded and balanced perfectly. Although the duo start off quietly they are soon revving up, tossing furious lines back and forth. The tempo and intensity increase throughout, erupting like a storm or volcano, higher and higher and… What I like about this is that the duo play tight yet free at the same time, their waves of notes erupting together time and again. Taylor has several lines that he brings in, repeats and transforms, sometimes creating a whiplash effect, the intensity reaching boiling point before it finally calms down to a more contemplative section midway. The second long piece starts off minimal or skeletal and then again erupts after time. This entire set is an extraordinary one, so glad to be able to hear this, another treasure from Cecil Taylor’s and Tony Oxley’s immense legacy. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
TED BROWN & BRAD LINDE with GARY VERSACE / AARON QUINN / DERIC DICKENS - Drifting on a Reed (Bleebop Records #2017; USA) Featuring Ted Brown & Brad Linde on tenor saxes, Aaron Quinn on guitar, Gary Versace on B3 organ and Deric Dickens on drums. Cool school saxist Ted Brown just turned 93 (!) earlier this month. I’ve known of Mr. Brown from his work with Lennie Tristano, Jimmy Raney, Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz. I recall catching him live in a group with Lee Konitz in the late seventies at a jazz club in north Jersey. A much younger saxist, Brad Linde, hails from the CD area and is a teach, multi-bandleader and runs this, the Bleebop Records label. Mr. Linde played here at DMG a few years ago and left us with a handful of CD’s, all different and all well worth checking out. When I contacted Linde earlier this month to restock on a older titles, he said that he had a bunch of newer titles and sent us five newer titles, three with his former teacher Ted Brown.
CD $12
MARTIN ESCALANTE & TETE LEGUIA - Monkey Cop (Sploosh 00016; Mexico) Featuring Martin Escalante on sax violence and Tete Leguia on bass extortion (distortion?). This is the fifth in a series of new LTD edition discs from Mexican sax extremist Martin Escalante. Through the years, I’ve heard most of the great saxists who have pushed the limits of extended techniques, multiphonics and other reed experimentation, and always marveling at those who come up with their own approach. Over the last few years, there has been a number of younger folks pushing the envelope: Chris Pitsiokos, Mette Rasmussen, Erin Rogers and Martin Escalante. Teté Leguia hails from Lima, Peru, plays electric bass and has recorded several previous discs with Martin Escalante, as well as a solo electric bass cassette. I can certainly deal with the extremes in music making and experimentation. On the opener, “King of the Cityâ€, the sax is screaming, blasting and exploding while the bass sounds as if it was recorded under water or submerged in a vat of jelly with bits of howling feedback erupting at the edges. Escalante seems to centering on a singular note/blast and then pushing or bending it, closer to a molten eruption. Aside from the sax, the background consists of some violent, rip-roaring blasts of either bass distortion or over-the-top sampled bells or both, hard to tell. It does take some time to get used to but although Escalante sounds like he is screaming through his sax, he is also bending and twisting those notes beyond recognition. Will this music give you a headache or just put you further over the top? Hard to tell, hard to say but I will say that this duo sounds as if they are trying smash the boundaries between jazz & rock & noise and something even further removed from normal. Are you ready?!?!?! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
STARS OF THE LID - The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid (Kranky 050; USA) "Are there other earthling-conjured soundworks rivaling the majesty of Henry Flynt's minimalist hillbilly fiddle fantasias or the heavens-rending power of Messiaen's works for organ? Undoubtedly, else why bother listening. But the only thing speaking at us right now from these charmed regions are the celestial airs of these Stars of the Lid. Alternately lulling and wielding a potency that wholly escapes 'experimental' musics, SOTL bring big, whomping chunks of sonic firmament with a sustaining, life-affirming sweep. For the most part the latest SOTL missive offers sound sources which refuse to readily reveal themselves. Treated strings, organ or backwards tubular bell runs -- it's simply a sublime chorus of instrument voices, irresistible as the undertow. Also gurgling up in the mix are whimpering pups, shuffling feet, Dictaphone-preserved foreign lecture hall blather, a city bus shouldering to an unsteady stop -- common enough stuff, but rendered here as the sounds of civilization heard distantly, the human receiver filtering everything through a palpable dis-ease that bespeaks a Higher yearning." -- Dean Blackwood
2 CD Set $18
DAPHNE ORAM - Oramics (Paradigm Discs 021; UK) “Daphne Oram is best-known for the design of her Oramics system, and also for co-founding the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1957, but until the release of this material, the only easily-available piece of music by her on CD was the 8-minute long "Four Aspects." There was also a 7" EP from 1962 on HMV, released as part of the Listen, Move and Dance series that was specifically designed to help children dance. Although the short pieces on this record are very basic, it could be argued that this is the first-ever electronic dance record! This is a survey of nearly all the major pieces that she produced since her departure from the BBC in January 1959 until her final tape piece in 1977. During this time, she worked independently in her home studio, and thanks to a grant from the Gulbenkian Foundation in 1962, she was able to pursue her interests. In Britain there were no state-funded studios other than the Radiophonic Workshop, which mainly existed at the behest of the drama studio and was not generally seen as a place to develop personal artistic ideas. There were also no university studios at this time, so it was necessary for British electronic composers to be self-funded. Throughout this period, she devoted her attention to developing her Oramics "drawn sound" system, which consisted of a large machine that enabled drawn patterns to be converted into sound. This system was eventually fully realized in the late '60s and several pieces here incorporate its use. The two and-a-half hours of music on this 2CD set covers the whole range of Oram's post-BBC output. All of the music is electronic with some occasional use of real instruments, especially small percussion and piano frame. There is also some use of musique concrète techniques. The works fall roughly into the following categories: works for TV and cinema advertising, film soundtracks, music for theater productions, installations and exhibitions as well as concert pieces and several studio experiments. There are also a few short pieces that resulted from an experimental music course given by Oram at a high school in Yorkshire in 1967.â€
2 CD Set $24
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SPECIAL DMG HOLIDAY CD BOX SET SALE!
Since it is the holiday and gift giving season, we decided to list a few dozen CD box sets that we currently have in stock. We only have 1 or 2 copies of each. Most box sets on the Enlightenment label are still available except for the Albert Ayler and Sun Ra boxes which are now gone. We are currently waiting on what might be our very last box from the Black Saint/Soul Note collection series. Listed below is what is still here. Every else except for the Anthony Braxton and Thomas Chapin boxes, we have just 1 left. Please remember that mail is especially slow this month and we keep hearing complaints from customers locally and around the world. We do try to process all orders of in-stock discs within a week or so although the large Tzadik CD/LP/Book/DVD sale is taking up much of our time.
10% off for Orders of more than $100!
DEREK BAILEY / HAN BENNINK / EVAN PARKER - Topographie Parisienne - Dunois, April 3rd, 1981 (Fou Records 34/35/36/37; France) Featuring Derek Bailey on guitar, Evan Parker on tenor & soprano saxes and Han Bennink on drums & other instruments. This particular trio of European free/improv giants recorded just one studio album in June of 1970 which was called ’Topography of the Lungs’. It was released on the Incus label soon thereafter, a label co-founded by Derek Bailey, Evan Parker and another financial friend. The musical relationship between Mr. Bailey & Mr. Parker eventually soured and ‘Topography of the Lungs’ went out of print. It wasn’t until 2005 when Mr. Bailey passed away that Mr. Parker was reissued that gem oh his own label, Psi. These three musicians did collaborate with each other only on a few large group recordings: Manfred Schoof (‘European Echoes’), Misha Mengelberg (‘Groupcomposing’ - now on CvsD) and Globe Unity (1970). Eleven years after this trio recorded ’Topography of the Lungs’, they played at the Theatre Dunois in France for a long evening on April 3rd of 1981. This impressive 4 CD Set captures that night with two set long trios, five duos and two solos from Evan Parker. Jean-Marc Foussat’s recording is superb, al the music is well-captured, warm, clean and well-balanced. It is wonderful to hear this trio in all of their splendor. Besides drums, Mr. Bennink sounds like he is playing scissors and assorted odd objects. The first trio set works its way through trio and duo sections, from quiet sections to more explosive chatter. Much of the duo segments with Mr. Parker on soprano and Mr. Bennink on drums are just incredible. There is way too much great music here to comment on here and I have two more discs to get through. Thanks to Mr. Foussat and the Fou Records label for great opportunity to hear they trio, duos and solos at length. Truly an historic moment! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
4 CD Set $38 [last copies / now out-of-print]
COUNT BASIE with THAD JONES/FRANK FOSTER/FRANK WESS/MARSHALL ROYAL/FREDDIE GREENE/- The Classic Roulette Collection 1958-1959 (Enlightenment 9159; EEC) Albums included are: ’The Atomic Mr. Basie’, ‘Basie/Eckstine Incorporated’, ’Sing Along with Basie’, ‘Count Basie Swings, Tony Bennett Sings’, ‘Chairman of the Boards’…
4 CD Set $18
BEAT GENERATION [V.A. With JACK KEROUAC et al] - The Complete Jack Kerouac - Poetry For the Beat Generation/Blues And Haikus/Readings By Jack Kerouac On The Beat Generation Beat Generation Jazz Diggin' The New Breed: Interviews (Chrome Dreams / Enlightenment 9012; EEC)
5 CD Set $22
BIOTA - The Biota Box (ReR Megacorp Biota Box 1; UK) This 6 CD boxset includes 5 studio albums: Funnel To a Thread, Half a True Day, Invisible Map, Object Holder & Gyromancy) plus a bonus CD of unreleased material. The music on the bonus disc is an all new program built from the group archives and is dedicated to Charles O'Meara. The box includes a booklet of artwork as well as biographical notes on both Mnemonists and Biota, written by the engineers. This release coincides with Biota's 11th release on ReR - Fragment of Balance. Biota is a unique project, defying genre with, like all such cult artists, a small but extremely dedicated public that, over the last 15 years has grown continuously as new listeners discover them. Founded in Colorado in the late 1970s, Biota's first recordings were released under the name of the Mnemonist Orchestra who, between 1980 and 1984, released five albums on its own label, before linking up with ReR.
5 CD Set $65
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)(Braxton House 008; USA)
4 CD Set $25
ANTHONY BRAXTON with TAYLOR HO BYNUM / AARON SIEGEL / GENEVIEVE FOCCROULLE - 4 Compositions (Ulrichsberg) 2005 - Phonomanie VIII (Leo Records 468-471; UK) Check out review here: https://downtownmusicgallery.com/search.php?id=2015_12_26_17_42_28
4 CD Set $60 [last copy]
EARLE BROWN CONTEMPORARY SOUND SERIES [V.C./V.A. With JOHN CAGE/CHRISTIAN WOLFF/GEORGE CRUMB/ISANG YUN/GERARDO GANDINI/CESAR BOLANOS et al] - Vol 6: Cage & Wolff//New Music For Violin And Piano//New Music From South America For Chamber Orchestra (Wergo 6943; EEC)
3 CD Set $50 [last copy]
KENNY BURRELL With JIMMY RANEY/HANK MOBLEY/DONALD BYRD/ART FARMER/MAL WALDRON/ TOMMY FLANAGAN/PAUL CHAMBERS/KENNY CLARKE/ - Complete Albums Collection 1956-1957 [4 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9091 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18
JOE CASTRO with GORGE HANDY / PAUL BLEY SOLO & TRIO / RAY ELLIS / NEAL HEFTI ORCHESTRAS / BOB COOPER ENSEMBLE / PAUL CHAMBERS / PHILLY JOE JONES / LAWRENCE MARABLE / LEROY VINNEGAR / NAT & CANNONBALL ADDERLEY / TEDDY EDWARDS / BILLY HIGGINS / PAUL MOTIAN / et al - Passion Flower for Doris Duke (Sunnyside 1391; USA)
6 CD Set $45
THOMAS CHAPIN TRIO With MARIO PAVONE/MICHAEL SARIN or STEVE JOHNS / JOHN ZORN / MARK FELDMAN / BORIS RASKIN / VERNON FRAZIER / et al - Alive: Third Force/Anima/Insomnia/Menagerie Dreams/Haywire/Sky Piece/Night Bird Song/Live! On Tour: UC Davis 1992 (Knit Works 248; USA)
8 CD Set $40 [Special Holiday sale price]
THOMAS CHAPIN QUARTETS With PETER MADSEN/KIYOTO FUJIWARA or SCOTT COLLEY/REGGIE NICHOLSON or MATT WILSON - Never Let Me Go: Quartets '95 & '96 (Playscape 111095; USA)
3 CD Set $16 [Special Holiday Price]
ORNETTE COLEMAN With DON CHERRY / CHARLIE HADEN / ED BLACKWELL / BILLY HIGGINS / WALTER NORRIS / SHELLY MANNE / RED MITCHELL / FREDDIE HUBBARD / ERIC DOLPHY / et al - Complete Albums Collection: 1958-1962 (Enlightenment 9104; EEC)
4 CD Set $18
JOHN COLTRANE With MILT JACKSON / DUKE ELLINGTON / THELONIOUS MONK / RED GARLAND / PAUL QUINCHETTE / KENNY BURRELL / JOHNNY HARTMAN / et al - The Classic Collaborations 1957-1963 [4 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9137 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18
JOHN COLTRANE with SONNY ROLLINS / COLEMAN HAWKINS / AL COHN / HANK MOBLEY / FRANK WESS / PAIL QUINCHETTE - Trane Meets the Tenors (Acrobat 7128; UK) During 1956 and 1957 the new star tenor with the controversial Miles Davis Quintet, John Coltrane, racked up an impressive number of sideman appearances on sessions recorded at the legendary Van Gelder studios in New Jersey, taking his place in the rotating stock-company of players favoured by the Prestige and Blue Note labels. Released under various leaders' names, and often derided by critics as mere "blowing sessions", the albums resulting from these dates included several in which Coltrane went toe-to-toe with other tenor saxophonists, some older and better established - including on one memorable occasion none other than the father of jazz tenor himself, Coleman Hawkins - to those occupying roughly the same "rising star" turf as himself. Stylistically these recordings varied greatly, enabling Coltrane - the uber-modernist - to share a mic with players with very different musical aspirations, including the Lester Young-inspired Paul Quinichette, Count Basie-regular Frank Wess, Belgian jazz-migrant Bobby Jaspar and the alchemic ex-Woody Herman pairing of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. Closer to his home, he also appeared alongside three musicians who were equal contenders for the Hard Bop tenor crown - Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley and Sonny Rollins - famously meeting the latter on the magical one-off Tenor Madness, the ultimate heavyweight saxophone showdown. This new Acrobat release is the first to concentrate exclusively on these tenor sax-centred sessions, and alongside Coltrane and his saxophone-playing colleagues, the roll-call of jazz notables to be heard also includes trumpeters Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan and Idrees Sulieman, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianists Red Garland, Elmo Hope and Mal Waldron and drummers Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Art Taylor and Ed Thigpen.
4 CD Set $25
BILL DIXON With TONY OXLEY/ALAN SILVA/BARRY GUY/WILLIAM PARKER/PETER KOWALD/MARIO PAVONE/MARCO ENEIDI/FREDDIE WAITS/LAURENCE COOK/JOHN BUCKINGHAM - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: In Italy Vol 1 & 2/November 1981/Thoughts/Son Of Sisyphus/Vade Mecum I & II/Papyrus Vol 1 & 2 [9 CD Set] (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1009 ,Italy)
6 CD Set $45
JULIUS EASTMAN - Unjust Malaise (New World 80638; USA) Members of Creative Associates; Jodi Beder, Sarah Carter, Barry Gold, Julie Green, Christine Gummere, Maureen Hynes, Chase Morrison, Abby Newton, Larry Rawdon, David Sabee, cellos; Frank Ferko, Janet Kattas, Patricia Martin, pianos; Julius Eastman, piano, voice, conductor This three-disc set marks the first appearance on disc of the music of the African-American composer Julius Eastman (1940 -1990), who died fourteen years ago under unexplained circumstances and whose musical legacy was thought lost. This comprehensive and definitive document, which comprises almost all of Eastman's signature works, will undoubtedly be a revelation for those who have thus far been unable to hear his work. In his book American Music in the Twentieth Century, composer/author Kyle Gann briefly sums up Eastman's work and its importance: Born in New York, he graduated from the Curtis Institute in composition and was discovered by Lukas Foss, who conducted his music, including Stay On It (1973), one of the first works to introduce pop tonal progressions and free improvisation in an art context Applying minimalism's additive process to the building of sections, he developed a composing technique he called "organic music," a cumulatively overlapping process in which each section of a work contains, simultaneously, all the sections which preceded it. The pieces he wrote in this style often had intentionally provocative titles intended to reinterpret the minorities Eastman belonged to in a positive light: for example, Evil Nigger, Crazy Nigger, and Gay Guerrilla (all circa 1980). These three pieces, all scored for multiple pianos, build up immense emotive power through the incessant repetition of rhythmic figures. Eastman was an energizing underground figure, one whose forms are clear, whose methods were powerful and persuasive, and whose thinking was supremely musical. His works show different routes minimalism might have taken, and perhaps some of those will now be followed up. This set of discs is a bold beginning to restoring to history the works of one of the most important members of the first post-minimalist generation.
3 CD Set $42
DUKE ELLINGTON - The Duke: The Columbia Years 1927-1962 [aka The Essential Collection] (Columbia/Legacy 92684)
3 CD Book $35 [USED]
GIL EVANS With STEVE LACY/LEE KONITZ/JOHN CARISI/CANNONBALL ADDERLEY/JOHNNY COLES/PAUL CHAMBERS/CURTIS FULLER/ELVIN JONES/ et al - Classic Albums 1956-1963 (Enlightenment 9113; EEC)
4 CD Set $18
JIMMY GIUFFRE with JIM HALL / BUDDY COLLETTE / AL COHN / SHORTY ROGERS / ART FARMER / JOE WILDER / WENDELL MARSHALL / JIMMY ROWLES / RALPH PENA / STAN LEVEY / SHELLY MANNE / et al - The Atlantic and Verve Collection [4 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9191 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18
TUBBY HAYES - The Complete Tempo Recordings 1955-59 (Acrobat 6002; UK) Tubby Hayes may well have died close to forty years ago, but he remains a towering figure in the annals of British modern jazz. Newly discovered recordings still create something of a stir, whilst repackaging of his existing catalogue continues apace. However, until now, there has been one glaringly obvious oversight among the reissues; a complete and comprehensive coverage of the early sessions made by this legendary figure for Tempo records. This 6-CD set puts that situation right, bringing together every recording made with the A&R guidance of Tempo's Tony Hall during a hectic four year period which saw his technique evolve as he recorded these 86 tracks with hand-picked groups comprising the best British modern jazz musicians of the time. It includes the recordings with the original ground-breaking Tubby Hayes Orchestra, and, of course, the startling performances of the Jazz Couriers, maybe the best British modern jazz combo of the all, along with Ronnie Scott. In addition, there are the experimental solo recordings, as he overdubbed all the instruments, and the London Jazz Quartet material, originally conceived as film and TV background music. It's a fascinating medium, also, through which to follow the development of the mercurial technique of an artist who was young enough to approach bebop free of the background that most of his fellow musicians had been obliged to live through during the dance band era. Already a huge talent when this set begins, his style and ability were constantly evolving through the Tempo era. It includes a 6000-word booklet by noted jazz writer and musician Simon Spillett, who also compiled the anthology. It is a must for every Tubby Hayes fan and indeed all aficionados of British modern jazz
6 CD Set $30
DR. SAMUEL J HOFFMAN // LES BAXTER, cond.- Theremin - Three Classic Albums: Music Out Of The Moon/Perfume Set To Music/Music For Peace Of Mind (Basta 9093; EEC) "Three out-of-print and long-sought albums featuring the ethereal sound of the Theremin are being reissued by Basta in a boxed set. Music Out of the Moon, Peace of Mind, and Perfume Set to Music have been digitally cleaned and have never sounded more beautiful. The music, by famed composer Harry Revel, is performed on Moon and Perfume by Exotica icon Les Baxter, and on Peace of Mind by bandleader Billy May. On all three albums, the eerie-sounding Theremin is played by the legendary Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman, wizard of the instrument. Liner notes were penned by Albert Glinsky, currently finishing a Theremin history book, Out of Thin Air (University of Illinois Press). The CD booklet includes many rare photographs, and each disc is packaged in the original sleeve artwork." Very elegant package; cheapskate alert: these are short albums, total playing time for the 3 CD set is about 54 minutes.
3 CD Set $28
WILLIAM HOOKER With DAVID S. WARE/DAVID MURRAY/JEMEEL MOONDOC/ROY CAMPBELL, JR., BOOKER T WILLIAMS/ALAN BRAUFMAN/LEWSI BARNES/RICHARD KEENE/ et al - Light - The Early Years 1975-1989 (NoBusiness 82-85; Lithuania)
4 CD Set $45 [last copy]
LEE KONITZ with BILLY BAUER / JIMMY GIUFFRE / HAL McKUSICK / WARNE MARSH / TED BROWN / SAL MOSCA / HENRY GRIMES / PETER IND / GENE ORLOFF / DAVE BAILEY/ SHADOW WILSON - The Verve Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9172; EEC)
4 CD Set $18
OLIVER LAKE With BAIKIDA CARROLL / MICHAEL G JACKSON / CHARLES EUBANKS / GERI ALLEN /BORAH BERGMAN / REGGIE WORKMAN / FRED HOPKINS / PHEEROAN AkLAFF / ANDREW CYRILLE / et al - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: Holding Together/Prophet/Clevont Fitzhubert/Expandable Language/Edge-Ing/Dedicated To Dolphy/A New Organization (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1026; Italy)
7 CD Set $35
JOELLE LEANDRE / BERNARD SANTACRUZ / THEO CECCALDI / GASPAR CLAUS - Strings Garden (Listen! Foundation FSR 10; 2018) This 3-CD set is a collection of duos between double bassist Joëlle Léandre, an enthusiastic gardener, and other members of the string family. The recitals ascend through the registers and bear horticultural titles. She plays with Bernard Santacruz (double bass) on ‘Trees’, Gaspar Claus (cello) on ‘Leaves’ – performances from Paris and its environs in 2016 – and Théo Ceccaldi (viola and violin) on ‘Flowers’, from Warsaw in 2017. The duo is her favoured format, although she considers it the most demanding: like a mirror but also a duel, a place in which conversation finds its best balance and where the subtlest and richest relationships exist, yet always on hot coals. As with any drama, without conflict or variance, echo and opposition, there is no interest. For Léandre, live performance also matters, “The public is touched by this fragility, this energy, these bodies giving themselves to each other, this force.†The complex array of such risks and responses is heard right across these three encounters, criss-crossing the ambiguous line between divergence and shared expression, with each partnership inhabiting its own particular domain. All the performances are unamplified so that we hear the full range of natural timbres and overtones the instruments deliver. The elegant cover design, typical of Fundacja Słuchaj! releases, merges the ƒ-hole of a string instrument with the stem of a budding plant, placed beside the names of the four musicians each above a string, four being the number on their respective fiddles of which there are four in kind. String instruments are made from trees and analogies with cultivation and the natural world – its abundant diversity, cycles of growth and decay, organic structures, etc. – are fruitful ways of considering the medium and processes of free improvisation, but it’s doubtful such thoughts were directly in the minds of the musicians while playing, and the improvisations on each date probably weren’t inspired by trees, leaves, then flowers. These are retrospective associations in respect of music which is essentially about itself, though potentially redolent of so much more as only something as abstract as music can be. Perhaps improvisation, when contemplated through the prism of nature, allows us to ruminate on things deep-rooted and eternal, free of artifice, like in a Zen Buddhist temple garden where the latent meanings of natural elements are disengaged and become reflections of ourselves. As Léandre has said, sometimes the music is stronger than the music.†- Colin Green, FreeJazBlog.Org
3 CD Set $40
JOHN LEWIS With JIM HALL/BARRY GALBRAITH/BARNET WILEN/SACHA DISTEL/BILL PERKINS/CHICO HAMILTON/PERCY HEALTH/CONNIE KAY/KENNY CLARKE/ et al - Classic Albums Collection: 1957-1962 (Enlightenment 9100; EEC)
4 CD Set $18
CHARLES MINGUS with ERIC DOLPHY / BOOKER ERVIN / CHARLES McPHERSON / CLIFFORD JORDAN / JACK NIMITZ / JOHN HANDY / BUDDY COLLETTE / TED CURSON / LONNIE HILLYER / JIMMY KNEPPER / JAKI BYARD / PAUL BLEY / TOMMY FLANAGAN / DANNIE RICHMOND - The Rare Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9173; EEC)
4 CD Set $18
CHARLES MINGUS with ERIC DOLPHY / CLIFFORD JORDAN / JOHNNY COLES / JACK WALRATH / GEORGE ADAMS / DON PULLEN / JAKI BYARD / DANNIE RICHMOND - @ Bremen 1964 & 1975 (Sunnyside 1570; USA) “The Charles Mingus’ Sextet from 1964 were one of his greatest groups and toured Europe several times that year. I have more than a dozen recordings from that and a few previous tours and treasure every one. Unreleased legit recordings from that era are relatively rare and this one is the cream of the crop. The personnel was: Eric Dolphy on alto sax, flute & bass clarinet, Clifford Jordan on tenor sax, Johnny Coles on trumpet, Jaki Byrad on piano, Mingus on contrabass and Dannie Richmond on drums. The first disc contains two long tracks, “Hope So, Eric†(also called “So Long, Ericâ€) and “Fables of Faubusâ€. These two great pieces are suite-like, with several connected sections. Each member of the sextet gets a chance to solo and stretch out. When Clifford Jordan starts his long sax solo on the lengthy opener, the band is playing at a slow, moderate pace which finally speeds up later while the solo tells a long story, the rest of the sextet moving in tight waves (faster/slower/faster/slower) around him until Mingus himself takes a long & feisty bass solo with some strong interplay from longtime Mingus drummer Dannie Richmond. Another classic Mingus fave is “Fables of Faubus†which refers to the racist Arkansas governor, who sent in the national guard to prevent racial integration at a high school in Little Rock in 1957. Each and every solo by the late, great Eric Dolphy is a marvel of invention and fire. The sextet do a great job of covering Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Ladyâ€, Ellington being one of Mingus’ heroes. The sextet really show their prowess and craft on the three long pieces, “Parkerianaâ€, “Meditations on Integration†and “Fables…â€, with many more inspired solos and ensemble interplay. The third & fourth discs from a decade later, with a George Adams (tenor sax), Jack Walrath (trumpet) and Don Pullen (piano) frontline and the same two rhythm team mates, show this quintet to be equally marvelous and inventive. I caught this same quintet at the Village Vanguard around a half dozen times in the early to mid seventies and thought they were amongst the greatest jazz groups ever. This quintet also plays “Fables of Faubus†as well as the bebop standard, “Cherokeeâ€. And, this quintet is in equally amazing form here as well. This four CD set is something else entirely, a treasure chest of Mingus' consistently Creative Music! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
4 CD Set $30
ROSCOE MITCHELL With HUGH RAGIN / MATT SHIPP / WILLIAM PARKER / SPENCER BAREFIELD / JODIE CHRISTIAN / MALACHI FAVORS / STEVE McCALL / MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS / et al - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1036 ,Italy)
9 CD Set $45
OLIVER NELSON With ERIC DOLPHY / KENNY DORHAM / RICHARD WILLIAMS / GEORGE BARROW / BILL EVANS / RAY BRYANT / LEM WINCHESTER / ART TAYLOR / ROY HAYNES - The Complete Prestige Collection (Enlightenment 9119; EEC)
4 CD Set $18
PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE LARGE UNIT With LASSE MARHAUG / JON RUNE STROM / KLAUS ELLERHUSEN HOLM /MATS ALEKLINT / et al - Erta Ale (PNL 25; EEC) This is Norwegian drum master Paal Nilssen-Love's 11-piece ensemble, the personnel includes Lasse Marhaug on turntable & electronics and Jon Rune Strom on bass. The instrumentation features three brass (cornet, trombone & tuba), two saxists, el. guitar, two basses and two drummers. The music was recorded both in a studio as well as live at various locations (Trondheim, Moers & Oslo). Mr. Nilssen-Love, a veteran of many ensembles, large & small (Brotzmann's Chicago Tentet, Frode Gjerstad Big Band, the Thing, etc.), wrote and directed all of the music here. I am not sure how much is actually written but this music is still focused or directed at the very least, often with a solo or two at a time rising from the tight chaos of this ferocious freer terrain. There are a handful of pieces which are done two or three times throughout giving a certain thematic connection. There are number of inspired solos (often unaccompanied) that really stand out here like Klaus Ellerhusen Holm on bari sax and Mats Aleklint on trombone. This fine unit is much tighter than you might imagine and they sound consistently inspired and engaged throughout. This triple disc set is chock full of great music (more than 2 & 1/2 hours) so grab before we sell out of the dozen copies we got. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
3 CD Set $30 [last 2 copies]
CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE - The Golden Mean (Shiin 02; France) ‘The Golden Mean' is performed on two Bösendorfer imperial pianos. Chapelle de la Sorbonne, Paris, November 2, 1979, festival d'automne. Recorded by Radio France for a broadcast by Daniel Caux for France Culture (Atelier de Création Radiophonique). Very luxurious object (which explains The price !) : each CD is hand-made, one by one, and each box is fully covered by The velvet material! " “‘Part 1’ begins on middle C each piano every so slowly sounding this tone first one piano then the other so slowly then gradually gradually a little stronger a little faster but ever so gradually all the overtones ringing and singing amazing how just two repeated middle c's can have so many ever changing rich little cascading voices behind them then the middle c# is also added little by little creating the interval of a minor second between with beating and beating and overtones beating and beating then the middle d is introduced smoother less sharp and dissonant the major second rich and reinforcing one with the other and their overtones less strident than before a collaborative resonant interval a sing-song then the d# is introduced creating a minor third some say melancholy is the ringing of the minor third soon the middle e the major third arrives brighter more triumphant and jolts and battles with our minor third each pulls its sonic punches minor major minor major and finally major holds on and minor retreats and soon our old major second comes to greet major third and they dance the majors dance such a vibrant and victorious sound but soon the middle f arrives and gradually the majors give up their dancing to let the middle f and the interval of the perfect fourth clang in it's perfection and resolution but this perfection will not last and the devil arrives the f# brings the dreaded tritone the devil's interval is here and all balance and harmony are in confusion it clangs its famous dies irae and ends the first section.†- Charlemagne Palestine
CD $40
WILLIAM PARKER With CHARLES GAYLE/KATHLEEN SUPOVE/JIM PUGLIESE/ERI YAMAMOTO/COOPER-MOORE/HAMID DRAKE et al - For Those Who Are, Still (AUM Fidelity 92/93/94; USA) Earlier this year, I was fortunate to have witnessed William Parker's "Yes I Dream of Freedom", a free jazz celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King at Roulette. The piece involved several ensembles, singers, narrators, dancers and guests, around 30 in all. This was the weekend right before Martin Luther King's birthday/holiday and it was one of the finest celebrations/epics I have witnessed in a long while. Each disc of this massive three disc set features a different ensemble and was recorded in different places. Disc One includes "For Fannie Lou Hamer" for the Kitchen House Blend Band. The great vocalist Ms. Leena Conquest is featured on both of these pieces and has worked with Mr. Parker on several occasions in the past, always to great effect. The Kitchen House Blend band features 11 musicians: including Todd Reynolds on violin, JD Parran & Sam Furnace on woodwinds, Kathleen Supove on piano & JT Lewis on drums. Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights activist who was involved in Mississippi's Freedom Summer. Read about this woman and you will be inspired by her efforts to make our country a better place. The music and words, both by Mr. Parker, capture Ms. Hamer and the times (mid-sixties) incredibly well. Ms. Conquest's stunning gospelish voice stands out. Outstanding! "Vermeer" features a quartet: Leena Conquest on vocals, Darryl Foster on saxes, Eri Yamamoto on piano and William Parker on bass & hocchiku (Japanese bamboo flute). "Vermeer" was also recorded at the Kitchen, a couple of days later. Although it features a quartet (trio & vocalist), the performance is no less impressive. Both Mr. Foster & Ms. Yamimoto have also worked with Mr. Parker on previous sessions. The second disc features "Red Giraffe with Dreadlocks", another epic work, recorded in Paris in 2012. The ensemble includes two very different singers: Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay (an Indian vocalist, also using a shruti or drone box) and Mola Sylla (Senegalese singer who works with Ernst Reijseger, who plays m'bira or thumb piano) plus Bill Cole, Rob Brown, Klaas Hekman (bass sax & flute), Cooper-Moore, Mr Parker and Hamid Drake. The two singers who come from much different places sound superb together and enhance each other's presence. An incredible blend of creative spirits, work music/improv at its best. The various double-reeds by Mr. Cole add a strong, mysterious, rather eastern-sounding vibe. Plus the longtime rhythm team of Cooper-Moore, William Parker & Hamid Drake is as great as it gets. Add some inspired solos from Rob Brown plus Mr. Hekman on bass sax and we have another gem from Mr. Parker's grand collection. The third disc is called "Ceremonies for Those Who are Still". This one features a trio: Charles Gayle (saxes & piano), William Parker (bass, boson ngoni & bamboo flutes) & Mike Reed (drums) plus the National Forum of Music Symphony Orchestra and Choir. This set was recorded for Polskie Radio at the Jazztopad Festival in Wroclaw, Poland. Again, Mr. Parker's vast abilities are on display here. The piece is dedicated to a Russian bassist named Rustam Abdullaev, a good friend and ever-positive inspiration to William, who died under mysterious circumstances. This is the first time I've heard the orchestral music of Mr. Parker and I am quite impressed. You can tell that Mr. Parker put a great deal of work into this since this piece unfolds in strong and unpredictable ways. The trio is featured on a handful of these pieces and rises above the symphonic waves below selectively. The chorus sings few words, mainly choral sounds until the encore piece, another effective poem by Mr. Parker, called "Trees With Wings". Each of the three discs here are over 70 minutes long, hence there is a good deal to absorb. Take your time to savor this impressive epic. It is grand effort on many levels! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
3 CD Set $24
IVO PERELMAN / MATTHEW SHIPP - Oneness (Leo Records 823; UK) "Triple CD deluxe edition represents five days of recordings in the studio. The front cover of this magnificent box depicts the Ouroboros, the serpent or snake eating its own tail. This image exists in many cultures throughout human history where it has come to represent unity, as in the meeting of two minds. Perelman and Shipp went to the studio for five days in a row with the idea to record and then to choose the best takes to make one CD. But when they listened to the playback they could not choose the best pieces. That's why they have decided to release this triple CD with the title 'Oneness'."
3 CD Set $42
DIZZY REECE With TUBBY HAYES/PHIL SEAMEN/HARRY SOUTH/TONY CROMBIE /VICTOR FELDMAN/DONALD BYRD/HANK MOBLEY/WYNTON KELLY/WALTER BISHOP, JR./CECIL PAYNE/HANK JONES/PAUL CHAMBERS/ et al - The Complete Recordings 1954-62 (Acrobat 7502; UK) Dizzy Reece was that rare beast in the 1950s - a London-based jazz musician who gained an international reputation. The trumpet player counted Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Art Blakey among his many American admirers and through the tireless promulgation of A&R man Tony Hall eventually landed a record contract with the prestigious Blue Note label. In 1959, after carving a controversial reputation on the London scene, he abandoned the UK for New York City, the very heart of the modern jazz scene. Featuring the contents of no less than six original LPs, various EP releases and tracks released on multi-artist compilations, this 5-CD set tells the whole story, including every recording Reece made under his own name between 1954 and 1962, on both sides of the Atlantic, together with performances made in collaboration with the great multi-instrumentalist Victor Feldman and as a member of the New Jazz Group. The leader's distinctive playing and composing - mixing early elements of exotic world music and pure Hard Bop - are complemented by a whole phalanx of modern jazz talent including saxophonists Hank Mobley, Joe Farrell, Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott, fellow trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Wynton Kelly and the legendary drummers Art Taylor and Phil Seamen. This release also features a comprehensive booklet essay by noted jazz saxophonist and writer Simon Spillett.
5 CD Set $25
MAX ROACH With CECIL TAYLOR / M'BOOM / ANTHONY BRAXTON / ODEAN POPE / CECIL BRIDGEWATER /JOE CHAMBERS / WARREN SMITH / et al - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1038 ,Italy)
6 CD Set $35
PHAROAH SANDERS QUINTET & PHAROAH SANDERS With DON CHERRY QUINTET or PAUL BLEY QUARTET or SUN RA ARKESTRA And HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA - In The Beginning: 1963-1964, including Live At Judson Hall December 30 & 31 1964 (ESP Disk 4054; USA)
4 CD Set $40
ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH With DIE ENTTAUSCHUNG [AXEL DORNER/RUDI MAHALL/JAN RODER/ULI JENNESSEN]// THELONIOUS MONK - Monk’s Casino: Complete Works of Thelonious Monk (Intakt 100; Switzerland)
3 CD Set $40 [USED]
KLAUS SCHULZE & PETE NAMLOOK - The Dark Side of the Moog Vol. 1-4 (Made In Germany 1382) "Complex re-release of the most remarkable and worldwide sought after series The Dark Side Of The Moog by German electronic pioneers Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook (aka Peter Kuhlmann) in three slip lid boxsets, each with 5 CDs, incl. bonus material and new linernotes. The first box contains Vol. 1 to Vol. 4 and the Best Of-Album The Evolution Of The Dark Side Of The Moog. Their relationship between Klaus and Pete and the exchange of ideas was unorthodox from the beginning of their co-operation, in that they rarely met personally. The most remarkable contacts they had were outside of their studios, for instance their concert of April 1999 at the Jazz Festival in Hamburg , which was released as an edited version on Dark Side Of The Moog, Vol.8 (will be released in the second Boxset) - the interplay and chemistry between them is clearly evident, and it becomes even clearer on the un-edited version of the concert (which will be released as bonus CS on the third boxset). The influence Namlook had on Klaus's music in the middle of the nineties should not be taken lightly, because although Klaus dearly loved those early-analogue elements from his own music, they had become, to an extent, lost. It was Pete who fortified him to go back to the analogue charm of his early albums and it was Pete who supported him in the modification of his analogue instruments, leading finally to the epoch-making Schulze album from 1996 - Are You Sequenced? And so a legendary series of recordings was born. Dark Side Of The Moog grew more or less unplanned to a sprawling, stately-sized series of eleven volumes recorded between 1994 and 2008, only ending with the early, tragic death of Pete on November 8th 2012."
5 CD Set $35
CECIL TAYLOR With JOHN COLTRANE/STEVE LACY/TED CURSON/ARCHIE SHEPP/ROSWELL RUDD/JIMMY LYONS/SUNNY MURRAY/ et al - The Complete Collection: 1956 - 1962 [5 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9018 ,USA)
5 CD Set $20
KEITH TIPPETT with JULIE TIPPETTS / PAUL DUNMALL / HOWARD RILEY / KREUTZER STRING QUARTET - 1947 - 2020 (FMR 587; UK) Featuring Keith Tippett on piano, Julie Tippetts on voice, thumb-piano & percussion, Paul Dunmall on reeds, Howard Riley on piano and the Kreutzer String Quartet. When British pianist Keith Tippett passed away on June 14th of this year due to the Covid crisis, we lost one of the greatest pianists of the 20th & 21st centuries. Ever since hearing Mr. Tippett on King Crimson’s “Catfood†from ‘In the Wake of Poseidon†in 1970 and on his own seminal opus, ‘Dedicated to You but You Weren’t Listening’ (also 1970), I knew that Mr. Tippett was a monster musician, in a class of his own. There are many of us who think that Keith Tippett was the best at what he does and collect every single discs that graces his name. I am honored to have seen & heard him live on several occasions: London in 1975, NYC (at the Old Knit) in the early nineties, the Victoriaville Festival on three occasions (solo, Mujician Qt & Tapestry Orchestra) and at Cafe Oto in London in more recent times. This newly released 4 CD set features four of Mr. Tippetts CD’s from the FMR label, all wonderful: two discs of the Dartington Trio (with Keith & Julie Tippetts & Paul Dunmall), a colossal piano duo with Howard Riley and an immensely rare meeting with the Kreutzer String Quartet. All four CD’s are either out of print or down to the last few copies.
4 CD Set $33
McCOY TYNER w/ CLARK TERRY / CHARLIE MARIANO / JIMMY GARRISON / ART DAVIS / HENRY GRIMES / STEVE DAVIS / BOB CRANSHAW / ROY HAYNES / ELVIN JONES / et al - The Impulse Albums Collections (Enlightenment 9160; EEC)
4 CD Set $18
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)
3 CD Book Set $40
FRANK WESS with ERNIE WILKINS / JEROME RICHARDSON / FRANK FOSTER / JOE NEWMAN / HANK JONES / KENNY BURRELL / BENNY POWELL / EDDIE JONES / KENNY CLARKE - The Savoy & Prestige Collection [4 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9169 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18
KENNY WHEELER With JOHN TAYLOR / STAN SULZMANN / DAVE HOLLAND / STEFANO BATTAGLIA / JOE LaBARBARA /BILLY ELGART/EUROPEAN MUSIC ORCHESTRA/ et al - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1037; Italy)
5 CD Set $40
PHIL WOODS With JON EARDLEY / GENE QUILL / KENNY DORHAM / RAY COPELAND / et al - The Classic Albums Collection 1954-1961 (Enlightenment 9138 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18
NATE WOOLEY - The Complete Syllables Music (Pleasure of the Text Records 1307) This is from Nate Wooley: “In 2011, I started an experiment.... The idea was to create compositional frameworks that would force me to sidestep ideas of virtuosity or the traditional sound of the trumpet. I wanted to set myself up to "fail" and see what I could learn from the sound of that failure. The result was three epic solo pieces that used the mechanics of the International Phonetic Alphabet to produced untenable embouchure "machines" that would break down as the muscles fell prey to the increasingly long duration of each gesture. ‘[8] Syllables’ and ‘[9] Syllables’ were the first experiments in these pieces and were released on Peira and Mnoad Records respectively. They almost immediately sold out and have been out of print for years and I'm so happy to have them available here again on disc.†Last night (4/11/17), I caught what was one of the most memorable sets at The Stone in recent memory. It featured solos and duos from Jeremiah Cymerman on clarinet and Nate Wooley on trumpet. Quite extraordinary! Nate Wooley is the current Renaissance man of the trumpet here in NYC, as a composer, conceptualizer and ever-evolving instrumentalist. Besides leading several of his own projects like Seven Story Mountain and Battles Pieces, Mr. Wooley has been collaborating with an impressive array of musicians: Evan Parker, Ken Vandermark, Steve Swell and Harris Eisenstadt. The central part of what makes Mr. Wooley unique is the way his own solo playing has evolved over the years. This modest 4 CD box set captures the many splendors of Wooley’s ongoing explorations. Considering that the first two discs here are rare reissues, you can read reviews of these on-line if you wish. Disc three, “For Kenneth Gaburob Part One†is an all acoustic tour-de-force. This performance was recorded at the Priem Experimental Performing Arts Center in Troy, NY. After witnessing Mr. Wooley play a ten minute trumpet solo last night, I saw and heard how much more is going on than one might imagine. There are so many variables, both physically and conceptually involved, that it takes time to absorb the many sonic events taking place. This disc is some 76 minutes long so Wooley takes his time to explore several themes. There is an impressive booklet enclosed where Mr. Wooley explains his ideas and methodology which helps us get a better idea of what is going on here. The actual sounds/music itself is something else, a marvel of invention which is always shifting in textures, timbres, sounds and silences. I dig the way Wooley stretches out certain notes or sounds, bending them carefully, the effect they have always in flux. Some of this sounds like trains or foghorns in the distance or a radiator hissing nearby. There is so much more going on though, so I keep listening… The final disc, ‘For Kenneth Gaburo Part Two (Electro-Acoustic)’ is again the culmination of years of working with manipulating sounds with electronics of different sorts, including the use of tapes. It seems hard to believe that there is only a trumpet at the center of all of these explorations, but this is only the starting point for things to come. It sounds like Wooley has taken certain segments, taped and then altered them, seamlessly blending several layers of sounds. Much of this piece is more sparse with numerous sections of silence in between assorted floating phantoms. There are elements which sound like the tapping of cymbals or wooden objects or organ-like drones, all well-selected and placed. This piece is most successful since it sounds it was planned, directed or written out in advance, somewhere between chamber and symphonic with selective electronic sounds sewn into the fascinating tapestry. This last long disc is the perfect conclusion for our four CD odyssey through Nate Wooley’s kaleidoscopic vision. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
4 CD Set $28
ZNR with HECTOR ZAZOU / JOSEPH RACAILLE / PATRICK POETELLA - The ZNR Archive Box (ReR ZNR Box 1; UK) Both original ZNR releases Barricades III and Traite de Mechanique Populaire plus two extra CDs covering all the extra released and a great deal of unreleased material from the band's short career. With a definitive book of memories, histories, reflections, photographs, documents, interviews and other memorabilia from the group's brief but extraordinary career and contemporary commentaries by alumni Joseph Racaille and Patrick Portella. Although the band had a very short life and hardly ever performed live, its three main protagonists all went on to rewarding and unusual careers: HECTOR ZAZOU His groundbreaking 1983 album Noir et is widely recognized as one of the earliest and most impressive experiments in fusing African and electronic music. Worked with, amongst others Björk, Suzanne Vega, John Cale, Värttina, Jane Siberry, and Siouxsie Sioux. JOSEPH RACAILLE Now writes for theatre, dance, television and film - and is an arranger for inc. Kate St John (95-97) Arthur H (90-97) Dick Annegarn (97-2008) Bashung (97-99) &c., as well as being a member of a number of performing groups. He composed music for the Olympic ceremonies, and has written operas, orchestral works, compositions for choir and songs for various groups and singers. PATRICK PORTELLA associate composer with the G.M.E.M. prolific in theatre, the Plastic Arts, sound design and installation work. Both original ZNR releases ‘Barricades III’ and ‘Traite de Mechanique Populaire’ plus two extra CDs covering all the extra released and a great deal of unreleased material from the band's short career. With a definitive book of memories, histories, reflections, photographs, documents, interviews and other memorabilia from the group's brief but extraordinary career and contemporary commentaries by alumni Joseph Racaille and Patrick Portella. Although the band had a very short life and hardly ever performed live, its three main protagonists all went on to rewarding and unusual careers: HECTOR ZAZOU: His groundbreaking 1983 album Noir et is widely recognized as one of the earliest and most impressive experiments in fusing African and electronic music. Worked with, amongst others Björk, Suzanne Vega, John Cale, Värttina, Jane Siberry, and Siouxsie Sioux. JOSEPH RACAILLE - now writes for theatre, dance, television and film - and is an arranger for inc. Kate St John (95-97) Arthur H (90-97) Dick Annegarn (97-2008) Bashung (97-99) &c., as well as being a member of a number of performing groups. He composed music for the Olympic ceremonies, and has written operas, orchestral works, compositions for choir and songs for various groups and singers. PATRICK PORTELLA is an associate composer with the G.M.E.M. prolific in theatre, the Plastic Arts, sound design and installation work. I recall digging both albums by ZNR when they were released in the late seventies. Outside of several interesting solo efforts from Hector Zazou in the 1980’s, I haven’t heard this music since it was released some forty years ago. As I listen to this music now, I find it to most charming, I can hear the influence of Erik Satie in there as well. There is something most enchanting going on here, stripped down, lovely, elegant, uplifting… I look forward to checking out the bonus discs and large booklet. - BLG/DMG
4 CD Set $45
JOHN ZORN With BILL FRISELL/ELLIOTT SHARP/WAYNE HORVITZ/ZEENA PARKINS/ARTO LINDSAY/CHRISTIAN MARCLAY/BOBBY PREVITE/GUY KLUCEVSEK et al - Cobra: Studio (1986) & Live (1985) Deluxe Expanded Edition (Hat Art 6041/42; Switzerland)
2 CD Set $35 [USED]
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ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE, Around the world.
If you have a link, for some music that you are working on and want to share it with the folks who read the DMG Newsletter, please send the link to DMG at DMG@Downtownmusicgallery.com. Many of us are going stir crazy staying at home so if you want to inspire us and help us get through these difficult times, please show us what you got. I listed some these last week but have also a few more.
MORE THINGS TO DO WHILE YOU ARE WAITING AROUND FOR THE WORLD TO END OR GET BETTER: STILL STIR CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!
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THIS IS FROM MY GOOD FRIEND JESSICA HALLOCK,
This is from Jessica Hallock, please do check it out, there is so much to explore here and I know some of you are bored and need some inspiration/distraction:
Livestreams are obviously no replacement for live shows, but they're all the community we have right now––so experimental music calendar NYC-Noise.com now provides links to livestreams (with artist / curator donation info); a roundup of local musicians' releases; COVID-19-related resources, including links to grants, petitions, & a local venue donation list; & an Instagram account (@NYC_Noise) promoting artists and releases. Please let me know about your livestreams &/or new records at www.nyc-noise.com/submit.
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“Violin Vigil for Elijah McClain†- featuring CHARLIE BURNHAM & FRED CASH
THIS COMES from PETE SEWARD,
One of my oldest & dearest friends whom I met at the Knitting Factory in the late 1980’s. Artist, t-shirt designer occasional promoter in Lake Placid, NY
This past summer we (Pete & his wife Karen) actually hosted a live music event, a Violin Vigil for Elijah McClain, featuring Charlie Burnham & Fred Cash, and also Charlie leading a Community String-along. This event was personally meaningful for me, as I had been wanting to present and feature Charlie as a singer and leader. He chose to bring electric bass player Fred Cash. It was also a collaboration with my wife Karen Davidson's Memorial Field for Black Lives, a project of John Brown Lives! at the John Brown Farm and gravesite in Lake Placid, NY. This event happened on the anniversary of McClain's death.
https://youtu.be/tBOVPNtCtKg
The sequence of the video:
* Community String-along "Let my People Go"
* Jeri Zempel - Eulogy for Elijah, his last words
* Charlie Burnham & Fred Cash "Love is in Need of Love Today" (S.Wonder)
* Community String-along "Will Will Overcome"
* Charlie Burnham & Fred Cash "In America" (C.Burnham)
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THIS ONE COMES from PAUL DUNMALL, British Saxophone Colossus!!!
Dear All
I haven't done any gigs since March but I have a done a couple of recordings so if your interested there's a video of one below which goes on line 7.45pm November 26th it was organised by TDE promotions/Fizzle may you all stay well. - Paul
Here's the link: https://youtu.be/GjbY7tTeH7k
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THIS COMES FROM JOURNALIST & AUTHOR OF THE ESP BOOK, JASON WEISS:
The French saxophonist Etienne Brunet (studied with Lacy a bit in the ‘70s, & in fact it’s thanks to him that Saravah put out Lacy’s Scratching the Seventies, which he edited; later played with various people like Jacques Oger, Jac Berrocal, Fred Van Hove). So, if maybe you’re inclined this time to list it in your newsletter, Etienne has just posted a duo set, “Wifi Long Distance Call†(39 min.), Etienne on bass clarinet, with percussionist Shyamal Maitra, mostly on tabla.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V118WUm3gg&feature=youtu.be
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THIS COMES from KEVIN REILLY AT RELATIVE PITCH RECORDS:
MATTHEW WRIGHT // EVAN PARKER / MARK NAUSEEF / TOMA GOUBAND - Matthew Wright’s Locked Hybrids (Relative Pitch; USA) “I’m sending a head's up for tomorrow's release of Matthew Wright's Locked Hybrids. It's the first digital-only release for the label. It was assembled in Wright's studio during the lockdown and made entirely from samples of Evan Parker, Toma Gouband and Mark Nauseef collected during a 2018 recording at Arco Barco in Ramsgate, UK. Using a mixture of software editing and Wright's own brand of improvised mixing with turntables and laptops, the resultant music is a blend of experimental hip hop, sonic art, improvisation and digital composition. The release will coincide with a new Locked Hybrids commission for hcmf// that will stream from the festival website (https://hcmf.co.uk/) on the weekend of 20th-22nd November. Excerpts from the RP release will also feature on the UKs BBC Radio 3 New Music Show during that weekend.
Download Only Release at https://relativepitchrecords.bandcamp.com/album/locked-hybrids
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THIS IS FROM GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfsXOy3EmzM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seKMeS0WuZ0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhCkfjtl59k
once in a while they are historical old thangs from my video archive and I will be doing more collaborations with other improvisors. I plan to keep this up until there are live gigs again so there will likely be a lot more of these best, Henry
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From ARTS FOR ART:
Upcoming Live Stream Salon
December 17, 8pm
Parran / Ross / Smith
JD Parran - contra-alto clarinet
Dave Ross - guitar
Warren Smith - percussion
https://www.artsforart.org/onlinesalon.html
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From INGRID LAUBROCK & TOM RAINEY:
Every Week for the entirety of this pandemic/lockdown INGRID LAUBROCK & TOM RAINEY have been posting a new duo offering. I have listened to every one of these as they were sent out and am much impressed by the way this duo continues to evolve and work their way through many ideas. You can check out each one here:
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-39
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-38
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-37
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-36
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-35
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-34
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-33
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-32
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-31
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-30
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My good friend & guitar master GARY LUCAS is playing half hour sets at his apartment in the West village every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday at 3pm EST on Facebook. Different songs on each episode. Here is the link: https://www.facebook
https://garylucas.com/www/dracula/dracula.shtml
https://www.nporadio2.nl/soulenjazz/podcasts/co-live
https://podcast.npo.nl/feed/co-live.xml