SEARCHING FOR THE ZONE:
Last week, I had the good fortune to hear & see John Zorn’s New Masada Quartet at the Village Vanguard for three of their five night stay (Thursday, Saturday & Sunday). I’ve caught this great quartet a few times earlier at Roulette and at FIMAV (in Quebec) earlier this year and both sets were superb. Catching them at the Vanguard, the oldest & most well-respected jazz club in NYC (dating back to 1935), was something else entirely. Whenever one of John Zorn’s bands have a residency, they rise to the occasion and this is where their true magic occurs and expands. I caught the original Masada Quartet (1st gig in September of 1993), play 17 times when they had a residency at Cafe Mogador in April of 1994 (playing 6 nights a week for four weeks) and I attended all eleven nights at the second Knitting Factory in the early aughts. The New Masada Quartet features Mr. Zorn on alto sax, Julian Lage on electric guitar, Jorge Roeder on contrabass and Kenny Wollesen on drums. This quartet has two discs on Tzadik which do capture their spirit but witnessing their live energy is something else. Over six sets, the New Masada kept rising higher and astonishing all in attendance. There were so many fireworks going on between Mr. Zorn and Mr. Lage, that many were at the edges of their seats and cheering the band onto even greater heights. I am a big fan of jazz guitar and I am still consistently checking out great jazz guitarists, well-known and little known. What makes Masada so great is that Mr. Zorn always chooses his collaborators for their ability to rise above, meet the challenges of the music and soar higher and higher. Mr. Lage is one of the finest jazz guitarists ever and Zorn keeps pushing him higher, playing some incredible intros as well as taking a number of super-human solos. I’ve been friendly with Mr. Zorn since first meeting him in December of 1979. He has remained my favorite saxist, composer and multi-bandleader for many years. For the past decade or so Mr. has been concentrating on composing for several different bands as well as composing some challenging modern classical music. The only band he plays sax with is the New Masada Band, since the original Masada players have moved away. The current band plays many of the songs from the original Masada Songbook, around 210 (1993-1997). Hence, I recognize most of these songs. What’s great is that Zorn has put together a perfect quartet with an immensely resourceful team: Jorge Roeder on bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums. All four members were featured in different songs and all four kept pushing the energy higher. I am still reeling, smiling at thinking about how incredible each set was. If you get the chance, do not miss them live. The New Masada Quartet are playing with Simulacrum at Miller Theatre on October 19th. Plus John Zorn is playing three festivals coming up with a variety of projects: Italy, Cite de la Musique in Paris nov 1-2 and November Music in Den Bosch nov 3-4th.
During the first set on Saturday (9/30/23), Mr. Zorn took this incredible sax solo. He started off slowly, playing a long tone which demanded attention and had the hairs of my neck standing up. That note kept building and bending slightly, getting more intense as it went. Zorn is a master of multiphonics (notes which are difficult to control & hard to describe) and circular breathing (in a stream). He kept adding another layer of sounds as he went. What happens is, his playing entered a zone which altered the reality of the situation and brought the listeners to a different place. I call this place “The Zone” and once you experience it, you will not forget its power. Dave Douglas, trumpeter for the original Masada Quartet, used to wince after Zorn took one of his beyond intense solos, which are difficult to follow. Julian Lage sounds game for whatever or wherever Zorn goes in a solo, even quoting some of Zorn’s more difficult lines as Lage solos next. More than any other band that I’ve heard in recent years, the New Masada Quartet kept entering that zone time and again and all four members contributed to that ascension. Before they hit on Saturday, I gave Mr. Zorn a DMG tote bag which had a couple dozen birthday cards that his fans had sent to DMG throughout December. I also gave each member of the band a DMG t-shirt and tote bag, since I felt they deserved a reward for all of the magic, transcendent music that they created that week. A big toast to the best jazz band in the land! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
***********
THE DMG 32nd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
Tuesday, October 10th:
6:30: JOYCE MAX NGUYEN / SHOGO ELLEFSON / COSMO LIBERMAN
7:30: JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums / H S - Voice / SANDY EWEN - Guitar / ERIC PLAKS - Keyboard
8:30: HS / CZ / RK German Trio
Saturday October 14th, 2023 - The GauciMusic Series presents:
6pm: DAVID LEON - alto sax / ZOH AMBA - tenor sax / HENRY MERMER - Drums
7pm: STEPHEN GAUCI - tenor sax / MICHAEL GILBERT - Bass / COLIN HINTON - Drums
9pm: JOSH SINTON - Bari Sax, Flute & Bass Clarinet / SAM NEWSOME - Soprano Sax
Tuesday, October 17th:
6:30: GIAN PEREZ - Solo Guitar
7:00: JONATHAN RESIN - Solo Tenor Sax
7:30: DAWOUD KRINGLE - Solo Sitar
8:30: KYN TRIO with HS / NOA FORT / YOON SUN CHOI - New Vocal Trio
9:30: FRANCOIS HOULE - Clarinet / MICHAEL BATES - ContraBass
Rare Sunday Night Event, October 29th:
6:30: VINNY GOLIA - Reeds / GUILLERMO GREGORIO - Clarinet / TJ BORDEN - Cello / gabby fluke-mogol - Violin
Downtown Music Gallery is located at 13 Monroe St, between Catherine & Market Sts. You can take the F train to East Broadway or the M15 bus to Madison & Catherine Sts. We are in a basement space below an art gallery & beauty salon. We are on the east side of Chinatown, not far from East Broadway & the end of the Bowery. Admission for all concerts is free and donations are always welcome. We have concerts here every Tuesday starting at 6:30 plus Steve Gauci curates his own series here on the 2nd or 1st Saturday of each month. You can check out the weekly schedule here: https://www.downtownmusicgallery.com/shows.php. I post 1 minute segments from these sets almost every day on our InstaGram feed (if you don’t do InstaGram, you can still view these 1 minute clips on the DMG homepage, (a recently added feature), so please check them out and come down to visit when you can. - BLG/DMG
***********
ROB BROWN QUARTET with STEVE SWELL / CHRIS LIGHTCAP / CHAD TAYLOR - Oblongata (Rogue Art 0131; France) Featuring Rob Brown on alto sax, flute & compositions, Steve Swell on trombone, Chris Lightcap on double bass and Chad Taylor on drums. I once booked a weekly series at the Gas Station (Ave B & 2nd St) for a month in mid-1990’s which featured eight different saxists, with two sets per night. My two favorite alto saxists, Thomas Chapin & John Zorn, both played that month *both were great!) but I remember the first night featured the Rob Brown Trio with William Parker & Whit Dickey. That set completely blew me away and I’ve been a Rob Brown fanatic ever since. Rob Brown seems to be very selective of the gigs he plays, always at the Vision Fest and perhaps once or twice a year in town. Every live set and every disc/release is strong and spirited. Mr. Brown seems to put together one band/project at at time.
This quartet, with Steve Swell, Chris Lightcap and Chad Taylor, played at the Vision Fest and recorded this studio date around the same time in May of 2022. The first piece is called “501 Memo” at it is a medium tempo with the sax & trombone playing lines tightly together while the rhythm team spins a bit faster around them. Both the trombone and alto sax solo, one at a time at that moderate pace, taking their time and concentrating on each note or line. Mr. Brown sounds like he is on the verge of erupting yet keeps his tone tart, making each note count. I like that the theme here is like a ballad which is played by both the sax and the trombone together as one spirit/force. Mr. Swell kicks off “Who Goes There” stretching out his lines thoughtfully with Mr. Brown soon coming in, the two slowly moving in orbits around another another. Bob Brown has an Ornette-like tone here, which sounds like he is playing those soulful lines closer to the blues than anything else. The titles song, “Oblongata” has a rich, gospel-ish melody that had me singing along as soon as it started. Chad Taylor, one of the in-demand drummers in town, plays the groove on a high hat which gives it a festive feel and takes a joyous drum solo in the last section. Instead of being free and furious, this disc sounds better by slowing down the pace and giving the band a chance to lay back and stretch out, adding occasional free eruptions along with the more relaxed sense of calm (maturity?) at the center. On “Stills”, the bass & drums lead the quartet, pumping intensely as the sax and trombone play the theme tightly together. Mr. Brown takes a strong solo, burning it down as he goes with Mr. Swell sound joining him, both players swirling around one another in tight orbits before Swell takes one of legendary wailing solos. I love the way this studio recording is produced, warm and clean yet with sparks flying when need be. This session is more focused than free with some sprawling, sizzling energy flowing throughout. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
ROB BROWN - Oceanic (Rogue Art 132CD; France) Rob Brown first solo alto sax record. Just arrived earlier this week and review next week.
CD $16
SIX ESSENTIAL NEW DISCS FROM THE LISTEN! FOUNDATION LABEL:
BARRY GUY BLUE SHROUD BAND with AGUSTI FERNANDEZ / MAYA HOMBURGER / PERCY PURSGLOVE / BEN DWYER / TORBEN SNEKKESTAD / LUCAS NIGGLI / RAMON LOPEZ / SAVINA YANNATOU / et al - all this this here (Listen! Foundation/Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 09/2023; Poland) After the London Jazz Composers Orchestra and the Barry Guy New Orchestra, Mr. Guy organized the Blue Shroud Band, whose first disc was released in 2016. This version of the Blue Shroud Band has 14 members and it is an international cast. The title of this disc, “all this this here” comes from the last poem written by Samuel Beckett, existential poet and longtime inspiration to Barry Guy. Mr. Guy had composed a piece for the Kronos Quartet and then used some of the music for a companion piece which features vocalist Savina Yannatou reciting the words from the Beckett poem. The music for this piece was also inspired by the Baroque music of Henry Purcell. The entire piece is nearly 73 minutes long and it is broken into seven parts. I recognize the names of around half of the musicians here, (Fernandez, Pursglove, Snekkestad, Niggli & Lopez), from different previous associations. The first part of the suite is called, “comment dire”, and it sounds like restless, haunting chamber music with Ms. Yannatou’s voice stretching out Beckett’s words. Master contrabassist Barry Guy probing playing is often at the center of this work with Mr. Pursglove’s trumpet up front and sounding splendid. There are two fine drummers here, Lucas Niggli and Ramon Lopez, they sound great together and serve the music well, never overplaying. There sections where Mr. Guy’s Baroque roots rise above or break through the more free or adventurous sections. I love when the ensemble gets turbulent and intense, bringing on waves to wash over us. Longtime collaborator with Mr. Guy is pianist Agusti Fernandez, who also weaves in his lines as punctuation for the ensemble as the shift and evolve. Ms Yannatou has also worked with Mr. Guy in duo as well as with the Blue Shroud Band. I love her voice since it often warm, haunting, thoughtful and never overwhelms the rest of the ensemble of which she is an integral part. She both reads the words and improvises as well, blurring the lines between the two. Ms. Yannatou’s expressive voice is featured on “Waiting”, the music most hypnotic and quietly intense. “Time Thing 1” has an intense, turbulent, powerful sound and undertow with wave upon wave erupting. The saxes are screaming as the piano-led rhythm team launches off. Torben Snekkestad takes an auspicious soprano sax solo here while the ensemble throbs around him. There is a 20 page booklet enclosed here which goes into depth discussing Barry Guy’s composing and the story behind this work, giving the listener quite a bit to ponder as we listen and reflect. A number of these fine musicians get a chance to stretch out & solo at different points, adding to the other highlights of this monumental work. This work is outstanding on several levels. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
KIRK KNUFFKE / JOE McPHEE QUARTET plus 1 with CHRISTOF KNOCHE / MICHAEL BISIO / JAY ROSEN - Keep The Dream Up (Listen! Foundation/Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 06/2023; Poland) Featuring Joe McPhee on tenor sax & voice, Kirk Knuffke on cornet & voice, Christof Knoche on bass clarinet, Michael Bisio on contrabass and Jay Rosen on drums. Downtown cornetist, Kirk Knuffke, keeps expanding his palette in a variety of challenging situations: as a frontline member of James Brandon Lewis’ Red Lilly Quintet, Ideal Bread (Steve Lacy trib) and collaborating with Todd Sickafoose, Matt Shipp, Frank Kimbrough & ten discs on the Steeplechase label. For this session, Knuffke has chosen sax giant/elder statesman Joe McPhee, German-born reeds wiz Christof Knoche plus the CIMP rhythm team of Michael Bisio and Jay Rosen, who have worked together for many years in assorted projects.
The title track is first and from the first swirl of cornet and contrabass, we know we are in for something special. Although the cornet, is smaller than the trumpet, Mr. Knuffke has a big, warm, enticing sound. The cornet, badd and drums soon start to soar together, revving up the energy like a ray of sunshine comes through the clouds on a dark, dismal day. When Joe McPhee enters on tenor, his sound is larger than life, dark, probing, haunting and rather Trane-like. He is well matched with Mr. Bisio’s spirited, vibrating big bass sound. A perfect opening gambit. “You See the Lights’ starts off with the 3 horns spinning together and some eerie bowed bass. Jay Rosen is a noted master of cymbal-work enters quietly as the horns ascend like ghosts dancing together. The quintet evolve organically through free and more uptempo soaring sections where the horns lock into the same burning spirit, reaching for the heavens as they go. This disc, like a number of sessions that’ve been released over the last few years was recorded, mixed & mastered at Park West Studio in Brooklyn, which is run by sax great Jim Clouse. The sound here is superb: warm, well-balanced and with little or no effects to alter the overall sound. Bassist Michael Bisio is a master of bowed bass and shines throughout creating those dark, spooky tones. The interplay between Knuffke’s cornet and McPhee’s tenor sax is consistently focused, inspired and organic. Christo Knoche’s bass clarinet is also featured on a couple of pieces and also sounds great, growling those deep, lower notes just right. There is an impressive duo section on “Reaching Ever Out” for bass clarinet and plucked bass which is quite impressive as both instruments play in the same range. On the “Use of Clay”, it sounds as if the three horns are vibrating spirits swirling together, calm at times and throttling at other times, yet consistently connected by the throbbing rhythm team which provides a cushion when needed and lays out when not needed. McPhee’s tenor and Knuffke’s cornet are often close in tone and sound like one spirit at times. One of the unexpected highlights here is the vocals of Knuffke and McPhee on the piece called, “Buffaloes” which was written by Carl Sandburg, both men sounds like preachers called out the fates of the disappearing mammals. This entire disc is nearly 79 minutes long and there is not an uninspired note throughout. Amen! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
THOMAS HEBERER / JOE FONDA / JOE HERTENSTEIN - Remedy II (Listen! Foundation/Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 12/2023; Poland) Featuring Thomas Heberer on trumpet, Joe Fonda on contrabass and Joe Hertenstein on drums. This is the second disc from this mighty fine trio. I must admit that I really do love these cats as we are friends and the trio did play at DMG around the time that this disc was recorded in April of 2022. All three members each contributed 2 or 3 songs each. Things begin with Mr. Heberer’s “One for Mark”, perhaps dedicated to the late Mark Whitecage who was a member of the Nu Band, which now includes Mr. Fonda and Mr. Heberer both. The trio erupt intensely right from the getgo. It sounds like a circular storm which keeps on churning throughout. German drummer, Joe Hertenstein, lives in NY at times and is in fine form here. The trio break into a funky groove in the last section of this piece. Hertenstein’s “The Variant” has an infectious groove/theme which is well-played by a bass & drums, especially that rubbery bass line. Mr. Heberer has a unique way of bending notes on trumpet which he explores at the beginning of Mr. Fonda’s “Seamless” piece. The piece keeps shifting tempos and structures, a challenge for the trio no doubt. Fonda’s “My Song” has a prayer-like sense of calm at the center with bass and trumpet playing their long lines together while the cymbals sizzle. Mr. Fonda soulful, singular bass is featured here and it is quite poignant, with Heberer tastefully caressing each note that he plays. What I like most about this trio is that they have their own sound. Each piece is different and explores different themes, melodies and/or strategies. A consistent treasure chest of songs throughout. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
STEVE SWELL / MARK TOKAR / KLAUS KUGEL - For the People of the Open Heart (Listen! Foundation/Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 08/2023; Poland) Featuring Steve Swell on trombone & flute, Mark Tokar on double bass and Klaus Kugel on drums. Steve Swell is an old friend of mine (a Jersey lad like myself born in the hospital & year as me), as well as being one of the greatest trombone players alive. I’ve caught him live dozens of times over the past 30 years in a dozen plus different contexts. Recently Steve asked if he couple play more often at the store, since he is itching to play. Recently he played solo, in duo with James Paul Nadien and in a quintet with Eugene Chadbourne that I organized. Mr. Swell loves to go on the road and has worked with a great cast: Peter Brotzmann, Joe McPhee, Mars Williams and many others. The rhythm team here: bassist Mark Tokar (from the Ukraine) and Klaus Kugel (from Germany), have worked together with a variety of collaborators: Ken Vandermark, Sabir Mateen and Mikolaj Trzaska. Mr. Swell and Mr. Kugel have also worked together in several situations led by Swell.
The trio blasts open on “Let It Grow”, powerful, tight and explosive. The trio seem to have a natural bond and work together extremely well. Steve Swell often blows so hard, it seems as if his head will explode. The rhythm are able to match his fire and ever-inventive playing no matter where he goes. At times, things slow down as the trio stretches out, dealing with suspense and weaving their notes/ sounds carefully together. Mr. Kugel takes a fine mallets-on-drums solo when “Clarion Encounter” begins. When Mr. Swell comes in he takes an extraordinary solo with just the drums at first, the energy going from simmering to sizzling as the bass enters and the trio erupts once more. Mr. Swell has been experimenting with his playing moreso in recent times, tapping on his trombone, rubbing it with a mute or other objects. He does some of this on “Tone Detective” as the rest of the trio slow bent their notes/sounds around or with his playing. The one piece that Mr. Swell composed himself is called “Child’s Play” and it starts off spaciously and builds to an intense conclusion. The trio keep pushing each other higher on each piece, all three integral to the tight, focused and free sound. This session is profound, throttling at times and powerful yet with sections of calm, space organically placed or paced. Too much is just enough. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
KARL EVANGELISTA / ALEXANDER HAWKINS / TATSU AOKI / MICHAEL ZERANG - What Else Is There? (Listen! Foundation/Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 08/2023; Poland) Featuring Karl Evangelista on guitar, Alexander Hawkins on piano, Tatsu Aoki on bass and Michael Zerang on drums. This is the third disc by west coast guitarist, Karl Evangelista, and again he taps into the Spirit World vibe. Mr. Evangelista has a knack for choosing elder musicians who bring with them their monumental creative spirit: having Brits Alexander Hawkins, Trevor Watts (SME & Amalgam) and Louis Moholo (South African expat) on his first disc and utilizing Andrew Cyrille and Francis Wong on his second disc. For this session, Mr. Evangelista chose pianist Alexander Hawkins (from Decoy, Convergence Qt & others) again along with a fine Chicago-based rhythm team: Tatsu Aoki (worked with Fred Anderson, Hamid Drake & Jeff Chan) and Michael Zerang (for Ken Vandermark, Brotzmann’s Chicago Tentet & Joe McPhee). This is a great line-up!
Mr. Evangelista wrote or co-wrote all of the pieces here. “The Jalopy” opens with a sort of hard-bop, somewhat funky theme. Alexander Hawkins takes the first solo and it has a joyous vibe, which is soon followed by an inspired, intense guitar solo Mr. Evangelista. The rhythm team is in fine form, playing a buoyant bounce, speeding up and slowing down organically. “Breathe” opens with a stark, bent-note guitar intro, with Evangelista using some distortion in his own distinctive way. On “Breathe” the spirited flame of Free Jazz burns at the center with Evangelista taking a long, spooky, intense guitar solo. Mr. Hawkins creates waves on the piano, whipping up storm front for this impressive quartet. Things quiet down for “Red Eye”, which has a more cerebral, free-floating vibe which gives things a dreamy undertow. I really dig Evangelista’s opening guitar solo on “Ai Too”, his tone has an older, jazz/rock tone that I haven’t heard in a long while but which I still dig. The consistently strong, intricate, inspired interplay between the guitar and piano and great rhythm team make this an immensely crafty and exciting session. On three pieces, it is Mr. Evangelista’s unique written themes which make this session even more compelling. Modern jazz guitar fanatics take note, although Karl Evangelista is still pretty young, he sounds like an old soul who has been at it for many years. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
FRANCOIS CARRIER ENSEMBLE with MAT MANERI / TOMASZ STANKO / GARY PEACOCK / MICHEL LAMBERT - Openness (Listen! Foundation/Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 10/2023; Poland) “Tomasz Stanko flew from Krakow to Montréal and arrived the night before the first concert and he stayed at the Polish Consulate in one of their guest rooms. Mat flew from New York and Gary drove his car from upstate New York and both arrived in the afternoon of the first concert, right on time for sound check. Tomasz, Michel and I were already in the theater when they arrived. Not long after Tomasz had his trumpet ready for the sound check, the eager young assistant technician abruptly went by and tangled into Tomasz's clip-on microphone and in a fraction of a second, I saw his trumpet launch from one side of the stage to the other, hitting the wall. I was in complete shock. The moment triggered such a powerful response. I thought his trumpet was completely destroyed and we wouldn’t be able to perform. However, Tomasz picked up his trumpet, and it was perfectly fine. This experience made me realize that in any given moment, our emotions are powerful and can move from one intensity to another in a split second.” - Bandcamp blurb
3 CD Set $30
REMEMBRANCE QUINTET with DANIEL CARTER / CHRIS WILLIAMS / JAMAL MOORE / LUKE STEWART / TSCHESER HOLMES - Do You Remember? (Sonboy Records 004CD; USA) “Washington, DC-based Masters-Messengers Daniel Carter, Chris Williams, Jamal Moore, Luke Stewart, and Tcheser Holmes dig deep into humanity's ancestral stream, modulating their musical and life experiences into something new yet old and futuristic at the same time. If the listener comes with open ears and hearts, they will be richly rewarded. The Remembrance Quintet provides an answer to those critics-cynics who predict the death of creative-experimental music. Long live creative and experimental music. Long live the creators of this music, for they are the lighthouse in the darkness. Featuring: Daniel Carter (reeds); Jamal Moore (reeds, percussion); Chris Williams (trumpet); Luke Stewart (double bass); Tcheser Holmes (drums, percussion). Associated with artists like Irreversible Entanglements, Mofaya!, Matthew Shipp Quartet, etc. RIYL -- Art Ensemble of Chicago, Moor Mother, Daniel Carter, Matana Roberts.”
CD $15
RICK COUNTRYMAN / CHRISTIAN BUCHER / TETSURO HORI - The Movement Radical (Chap-Chap Records 025; Japan)
CD $10
KOMA SAXO with SOFIA JERNBERG / MIKKO INNANEN / JONAS KULHAMMAR / KIT DOWNES / LUCY RAILTON / MARIA REICH / CHRISTIAN LILLINGER - Koma West (We Jazz WJCD 041CD; Finland) "Petter Eldh's explosive ensemble Koma Saxo continues their adventures with a new album Koma West, out on We Jazz Records. The album sees Koma Saxo expand on their previous sound with the addition of vocalist Sofia Jernberg and a strong cast of featured artists, including cellist Lucy Railton, violinist Maria Reich, pianist Kit Downes and accordionist Kiki Eldh. The hard-hitting key quintet remains, including Eldh on bass and assorted instruments, Christian Lillinger on drums, plus saxophonists Otis Sandsjö (of Y-OTIS), Jonas Kullhammar, and Mikko Innanen bringing the SAXO to the KOMA operation. At 14 tracks, Koma West is a full menu of monumental compositional ideas that could spawn entire albums. Eldh relies on continuous movement while presenting another all killer no filler program taking Koma Saxo on a sonic outing not quite like anything that had previously appeared under the band's name. That being said, there's very much the Petter Eldh touch here, one which might be hard to pinpoint and verbalize, but nevertheless a recognizable style of composing, producing and arranging. Thematically, the album is rooted in the West Coast of Sweden, where Eldh grew up. There's a thread of Swedish folk song tradition that has been part of the Koma Saxo DNA from the get-go."
CD $19
DIE ANARCHISTISCHE ABENDUNTERHALTUNG - #1 (Sub Rosa 550CD; Belgium) “In 1995 the self-titled full-length debut of Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung (DAAU) was released. The band consisted of four young, "classically derailed" musicians who played their own compositions exclusively with their with acoustic instruments such as violin, cello, clarinet and accordion. Their work contained influences from Roma music, Eastern European folk, klezmer and jazz, and was performed with energy and true punk spirit. DAAU was part of the fertile Antwerp scene, which also produced dEUS, Zita Swoon, and Kiss My Jazz, and soon signed an international record deal with Sony Classical. The group's influential first record, which has been out of print for a while, is now finally being released again and is available on vinyl for the very first time.”
CD $17
WE JAZZ MAGAZINE - We Jazz Issue 07 Spring 2023: Universal Beings (We Jazz Mag 007; Finland)
“The seventh issue of We Jazz Magazine, Universal Beings for Makaya McCraven. All articles presented in English. Stories include Makaya McCraven by Ayana Contreras, Sonny Rollins by Ashley Kahn, Peter Evans by Andrey Henkin, Amina Claudine Myers by Seymour Wright, Adolphe Sax by Harry Eddy, Ronald Snijders by Mike Bindraban, introducing new columnist Mats Gustafsson, Puristamo Helsinki by Mathias Foster, reviews, plus more. 128 pages 174 x 240 mm in size and printed on 140g Edixion paper with laminated 300g Invercote covers.”
Magazine $28
LP SECTION:
HENRY COW - Stockholm & Goteborg (ReR Vinyl VCH12; Italy) “Originally released on CD as part of the 40th anniversary Henry Cow Box and reissued here for the first time on vinyl, these high-quality Swedish Radio live recording, made in 1977, include previously unreleased material including Tim Hodgkinson's "Erk Gah," a long, epic, large scale composition considered as one of Cow peaks, a breathtaking rendition of Phil Ochs' "No More Songs" -- in fact the only real song ever played by Henry Cow -- and Fred Frith's "The March," plus the legendary "Ottawa Song" and other untitled free improvised pieces. Over an hour of outstanding experimental rock music performed by the Henry Cow original lineup: Dagmar Krause (vocals), Fred Frith (guitar, violin, xylophone), Lindsay Cooper (bassoon, flute), Tim Hodgkinson (organ, sax), John Greaves (or Georgie Born) (bass, cello), and Chris Cutler (drums). Henry Cow's natural habitat was the stage and the real-time pressure of public performance, because it was there that the music could live, breathe and evolve. All music taken from the original radio tapes and re-mastered by Bob Drake. The album contains printed inner sleeves with full notes by Frith, Cutler and Hodgkinson, and photos.”
2 LP Set $42
MASAYUKI TAKAYANAGI NEW DIRECTION UNIT - Mass Hysterism in Another Situation (Black Editions 020LP; Earth) “Black Editions presents Mass Hysterism in Another Situation remastered and cut to double 45RPM 12" vinyl. Mass Hysterism in Another Situation captures Masayuki Takayanagi's New Direction Unit in its final incarnation, at an apex in its development; it also finds Takayanagi, one of Japan's great iconoclastic artists, at a moment of crucial artistic transformation. Recorded in August 1983 as part of his "Another Situation" concert series, the album features one of the last performances of Takayanagi's revolutionary and perhaps most famously violent piece, "Mass Projection." By this date, New Direction's line up had been distilled to a compact, searingly hot trio of Takayanagi joined on electric guitar by Akira Iijima and Hiroshi Yamazaki on drums/percussion. Over the course of 40 minutes, the group sustains an uninterrupted, highly charged attack propelled with unrelenting energy. The music is rife with noise and dissonance intruding from both sides; a vortex of sound and fury that begins to slip from even the expansive bounds of free jazz into something almost purely electronic. The trio would perform only four more times, completing the "Another Situation" series with its 24th edition in November 1984. Eleven months later Takayanagi would debut an entirely new modality, one he called "Action Direct." It completely transformed his approach to guitar and sound in general by embracing an entirely abstract, solo noise music projected through massive, complex sound systems of his own design. Mass Hysterism is perhaps the most powerful link in this part of Takayanagi's history -- a perfect realization and farewell to one of his greatest forms en route to territories even further afield and radical. Pressed to high quality vinyl at RTI. Housed in a heavy tip-on gatefold jacket with Pantone spot colors, spot ink pigment foil on gloss film laminate finish as well as printed inner sleeves. Featuring photographs by Tatsuo Minami and newly translated notes by Takayanagi scholar Yoshiyuki Kitazato. Deluxe double LP gatefold.”
2 LP Set $36
ARCHIE SHEPP QUINTET with DAVE BURRELL / DONALD GARRETT / ZUSAAN FASTEAU / MUHAMMAD ALI - Live In Europe (WHP 1473LP; Italy) “This is Archie Shepp caught live at two important European festivals in 1973. At the head of some sort of one-off line up featuring Dave Burrell on piano, Donald Garret on bass along with her partner Zusaan Fasteau on percussion, flute and vocals, and last but not least Muhammad Ali (Rashid's brother) on drums. Shepp, heard on tenor and soprano saxes and piano, delivers a full program of hot renditions of mostly standards by the likes of Ellington, Monk, and Davis, plus a couple of pieces written by his regular partners of the time, Cal Massey and Grachan Moncur.”
2 LP Set $36
THE JOHN BERBERIAN ENSEMBLE - Music Of The Middle East (Life Goes On Records 035; Italy) “Best known for his proficiency on the oud, John Berberian has been releasing music since the early-1960s. While attending New York's Columbia University, Berberian made his professional musical debut playing the oud in support of violinist Reuben Sarkisian. While completing an MBA from Harvard, Berberian managed to find the time to become a staple on the Manhattan nightclub scene. In 1964 he was signed to Bob Shad's New York-based Mainstream Records, where he recorded a pair of Middle Eastern-themed instrumental collections. Those were followed by a pair of albums for George Goldner's Roulette and Jerry Schoenbaum's Verve Forecast. Music Of The Middle East was originally released in 1966 on Roulette and showcased all of the composer brilliancy. The group he formed to perform the traditional music of Turkey, Armenia, Greece, Arabia and North Africa, succeeded in creating a vividly exotic blend of rhythms, melodies and improvisations into an early global beat. Still a breathtaking experience.”
LP $24
KRIS GRUDA - Plays For You (Palilalia 077LP; USA) "It's tempting to view guitarist Kris Gruda, a North Carolina resident, as part of a lineage of demented Southern avant-pickers stretching back to Chadbourne, and while that's not false, it's unnecessarily reductive. Gruda is but one particle in a contemporary wave of traveling minstrels plying the interstates and unnumbered highways of the Deep South, navigating between pickup gigs in urban centers from Asheville to Baton Rouge to Jacksonville to Amarillo, dipping into the free jazz songbook and a bottomless bag of capital-I-improv tropes to play for audiences of 0-50 intrepid listeners (most of them musicians themselves) .... Whether or not Gruda is one of these compulsive road-trippers is beside the point, because... Gruda clearly spends a lot of his time in his car. Kris Gruda Plays for You was recorded entirely behind the wheel under lockdown in 2020-2021, mostly during shift breaks at the kombucha factory. Each track is a separate Instagram post, downloaded and spliced together into two unbanded sides (a la Beefheart's Strictly Personal), and as such, represents an audio verite tour of a musical vision that, amoeba-like, engulfs two worlds separated by a windshield -- the spinning car wash brushes, the passing cop cars, the preacher on the radio. The cover (Gruda in a hairnet, oozing Waylon's outlaw bit and clutching a stickered acoustic) supplies a little bit of the IG multimedia appeal missing from the audio, but the sound ("without which none of this is possible," states Gruda) supplies an expansive narrative by itself.... The politics of Plays For You are Guthrie-direct, speak to individual action, and seek to inspire us to reach beyond our silos and attempt to reconstruct a virtual solidarity we could once access via a physical commons. But I suspect what will resonate most with listeners are the plaintive cries voiced by a canny (and virtuosically played) selection of classics by Coltrane, Kirk, Coleman, and Cherry, tiny scraps that remind us of a once-encompassing musical spirituality that spurred a half-dozen would-be revolutions (and which may someday do so again). Ultimately, the enthusiasm (and massive doses of sheer weirdness) Gruda exudes in Kris Gruda Plays for You lights up a big, friendly highway into the heart of a deeply idiosyncratic and charismatic vision that's a gas to listen to even stripped of its social media spectacle -- so put down your phone and just listen." --Tom Carter, 2023
LP $19
********
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
***********
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / FRED FRITH / OCT 4–7
PLEASE NOTE THAT ADMISSION WILL BE TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AND THIRTY DOLLARS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY!
10/4 Wednesday
8:30 pm duos and trios: Fred Frith (electric guitar) gabby fluke mogul (violin) Nava Dunkelman (percussion) TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS
10/5 Thursday
8:30 pm - Normal - Fred Frith (home-made instruments) Sudhu Tewari (home-made instruments) Cenk Ergün (electronics) - TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS
10/6 Friday
8:30 pm - duos and trios - Fred Frith (home-made instruments, percussion) Ikue Mori (electronics) Nate Wooley (trumpet) - THIRTY DOLLARS
10/7 Saturday
8:30 pm - Truth Suite (compositions for electric guitar and harp)
Fred Frith (electric guitar) Zeena Parkins (harp) THIRTY DOLLARS
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / THERESA WONG / OCT 11–14
10/11 Wednesday
8:30 pm: QUARTET - Nava Dunkelman (percussion, voice) Fred Frith (electric guitar, voice) Carla Kihlstedt (violin, voice) Theresa Wong (cello, voice)
10/12 Thursday
8:30 pm: DUO - Theresa Wong (cello, voice) Sean Meehan (percussion)
10/13 Friday
8:30 pm - DUO - Theresa Wong (cello, voice) Joan La Barbara (voice)
10/14 Saturday
8:30 pm - TRIO—Improvised Music in Just Intonation - Chris Brown (keyboard & electronics) Zeena Parkins (harps & electronics) Theresa Wong (electric guitar, cello, voice)
THE STONE is located in
The New School at the Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th Street - near 6th ave
LIVE MUSIC
wed-sat
music at 8:30pm
ADMISSION
$20 per set
unless otherwise noted
cash only payment
******
JOHN ZORN @ 70 - Year Long Celebration Continues with:
JOHN ZORN @ 70 - 3 Concerts at Miller Theatre at Columbia University:
Composer Portraits: John Zorn at 70
Thursday, October 19, 2023, 8PM
New Masada / Simulacrum
New Masada Quartet: John Zorn / Julian Lage / Jorge Roeder / Kenny Wolleson
Simulacrum: John Medeski / Matt Hollenberg / Kenny Grohowski
Composer Portraits: John Zorn at 70
Thursday, November 16, 2023, 8PM
Barbara Hannigan - Piano John Zorn - Composer
John Zorn Star Catcher (2022)
John Zorn Split the Lark (2021)
John Zorn Liber Loagaeth (2021)
John Zorn Ab Eo, Quod (2021)
John Zorn Pandora’s Box (2013)
*******
10/14
The Mike Pride-curated Body Without Organs series:
33 Chords & the Truth (duo of Rose Tang and Steve Holtje)
Kate Gentile & Shinya Lin
Jonathan Moritz's Secret Tempo Trio with Shayna Dulberger and Mike Pride
3 - 5 p.m.
First Street Green,
33 East First St, Manhattan
outdoors, free
*******
John Cage's Japan at Japan Society
An Original Performance Series
Celebrating the Composer's Relationship with Japanese Culture
October 21 at 8:30 pm
John Cage's Ryoanji
with Tomomi Adachi, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE),
Hitomi Nakamura (hichiriki), and Maki Ota (voice)
November 16 at 7:30 pm
Tomomi Adachi's Noh-opera / Noh-tation: Decoding John Cage's Unrealized Project
with Gelsey Bell (voice), Wakako Matsuda (noh), and ICE
Thursday, December 7 at 7:30 pm
Cage Shock: An Homage to his First Japan Visit
with Tania Caroline Chen, Victoria Shen, Tomomi Adachi, and ICE
All Programs Commissioned and presented by Japan Society
Tickets On Sale to the General Public August 17 at JapanSociety.org
They called it the "Cage Shock." In 1962, the iconoclastic American composer John Cage toured Japan for a legendary series of concerts that served to draw attention to the rhymes between his works and the sounds of avant-garde and classical Japanese music. The tour cemented Cage as a pivotal figure in the East but the impact of that trip reverberated both directions. Cage had found truth and validation for his creative philosophy in Japan and returned to his experiences abroad as a wellspring of inspiration for the rest of his life.
******
Anti-Social Music & Eli Wallace Present:
Friday, October 6th, 8pm, $15
Mise-En Place
341 Calyer St, Brooklyn, NY 11222
1) Laubrock/Rainey duo
Ingrid Laubrock, soprano and tenor saxophones
Tom Rainey, drums
2) Hypersurface
Drew Wesely, guitar/objects
Lester St. Louis, cello
Carlo Costa, drums
3) Eli Wallace quintet
Michael Foster, saxophones
Steve Swell, trombone
Victor Vieira-Branco, vibes
Michael TA Thompson, drums
Eli Wallace, piano/objects
*******
NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj8-LKNXKuE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy9PwsO5umk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQ7nvA68pA
********
CHRIS CUTLER
Formerly of HENRY COW, THE ART BEARS, NEWS FOR BABEL & RECOMMENDED RECORDS (ReR) has been creating an ongoing series of podcasts called the Probes series. I am often fascinated at listening to each of these as Mr. Cutler does an incredible job of showing a deep history of Creative Music in the 20th century & beyond. I usually listen to these on the train to NYC that I take to get to work each day. The most recent Probes (#36) was released a few weeks ago, here is the links:
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-36
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-362-auxiliaries
*********
gaucimusic presents:
Improvised Music @ the Main Drag
Wednesday November 1st, 2023
7:00pm: Kaelen Ghandhi - sax / Michael Larocca - drums / TJ Borden - cello
8:00pm: Todd Neufeld - guitar / Samuel Ber - drums / Barbara Kasomenakis - visual artist
9:00pm: Stephen Gauci - tenor sax / Adam Lane - bass / Colin Hinton - drums
10 pm: Hery Paz - tenor sax / Kenneth Jimenez - bass / Willy Rodriguez - drums
11 pm: Nick Gianni - Sax / On-ka Davis- guitar / Rich Rosenthal - Guitar / Hill Greene - Bass / Reggie Sylvester - Drums
**$15 GENERAL ADMISSION**
**$10 STUDENTS (w/ID)**
***PARTICIPATING MUSICIANS (PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE MAIN DRAG PERFORMERS) ATTEND FOR FREE***
(yes, the best things in life are indeed free).
November 1, 2023
@ The Main Drag
50 South 1st Street
Between Kent ave and Wythe Ave
(718) 388-6365
gaucimusic.com
***********
ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com
******************