We, we, we
Are, are, are
Harbourers of, of, of the free, free, free
Thought, thought, they tried to cut our legs off
We fly behind the eyes, memorize
Outside, inside, outside, inside, outside, inside, outside, inside
Ooh, ooh
Watch out
Some people will tear your heart right out
Sell you and think nothing of it
It happens all the time, all around the world
Every city, every town, every girl
Roll with the people who let you love life
Without any damn situations
Walk your talk, watch your step
Don't forget, don't forget, don't forget, don't forget
Don't forget, don't forget, don't forget, don't forget
Ooh, ooh
Memories so broken
All you have is frozen
You wonder why the world slips away
Burning grey
Automatic rollin', automatic patrolling'
Automatic time, automatic time, automatic time, automatic time
I wish I had the time, I wish I had the time
Had the time, I had the time, I had the time of my life
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ah
Everything feels broken
Crippling or token
You wonder why the world slips away
Burning grey
Telematic people
But the water's lethal
Automatic nine, automatic nine, automatic time
I wish I had the time, I wish I had the time
I wish I had a nine, I wish I had the time
I had the time of my life
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ah
Automatic nine, automatic nine, automatic nine
Automatic nine, automatic nine, automatic nine
Automatic nine, automatic nine, automatic nine
Nine, nine, nine, nine
Trust me, just for a moment
Believe me, the future lives inside us
Don't forget to fight, don't forget to fight
Don't forget, don't forget, don't forget
Trust me, just for a moment
Believe me, the future lives inside you
Don't forget to fight, don't forget to fight
Don't forget, don't forget, don't forget to…
JAIMIE BRANCH / FLY OR DIE with LESTER ST. LOUIS / JASON AJEMIAN / CHAD TAYLOR - Fly or Die, Fly or Die, Fly or Die ((World War))(International Anthem 0066; USA) Fly or Die features jaimie branch on trumpet, voice, keyboard, percussion & happy apple, Lester St. Louis on cello, flute, marimba, keyboard & voice, Jason Ajemian on double bass, electric bass, marimba & voice and Chad Taylor on drums, mbira, timpani & marimba. Recorded at Bernis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, NE in April of 2022. Jaimie Branch was the real thing! Ever since moving to NYC from Chicago, I/we could tell that she had her own unique feisty, inventive, outspoken Spirit. This is the fourth disc from Ms. branch’s main band, Fly or Die, and each of the previous ones were provocative jewels. The liner notes include an illuminating story about the tour and 5 day residency the jaimie and the quartet did at the Bernis Center in Omaha, where this disc was rehearsed and recorded live.
Ms. branch composed all but one of the songs here with the help of the band in arranging and performed a song called “The Mountain”, which was originally written & recorded by the hardcore punk/psych band The Meat Puppets. “Aurora Rising” opens this disc with majestic keyboards (organ?) and timpani, soon the rest of the band comes in, an infectious vibe is pulsating at the center. It sounds like a latin dance groove with some superb, lyrical trumpet and hypnotic cello interweaving organically. It flows right into “Borealis Dancing” which has another charming groove and an old school muted trumpet solo which is bound to make us all smile. Ms. branch’s trumpet reaches right into our hearts and plucks the strings of life. “Burning Grey” is an uptempo, funky, groove song with heartfelt rap-like vocals by Mr. branch and more of her righteous trumpet over Chad Taylor’s incredible slamming beat. There is so much joyousness of spirit here that I felt as if I were transported to a better place while listening and jumping around my kitchen (where I do most of my listening). The Meat Puppets started out as hardcore/punk/noise band from Arizona around 1982. They soon transformed themselves in a desert/psych rock band with some heavy Neil Young & Crazy Horse-like influence. Fly or Die cover their song “Coming Down” from a later album and do a stripped down yet charming version with tasty vocals upfront. “Baba Louie” featured another infectious, latinesque groove with churning marimba & drums at the center. “Bolinko Bass” featuring a strong cello-led line by Mr. St. Louis with a spirited chorus of trumpet & trombone (by Nick Broste) on top. “Take Over The World” is a powerful, memorable chant-led rocker with a heavy rocking beat and a churning undertow of ghost-like voices and electronic sounds. The final piece is called “World War ((Reprise))” and it is a solemn, haunting, touching closing prayer-like song. Like everything I’ve heard from jaimie branch do in concert and on record, this disc is a sonic treasure on several levels. Most sadly, Ms. branch passed away (in August of 2022) only 4 months after this disc was recorded. She will not be forgotten since she touched so many of us loyal listeners. A special toast to jaimie branch, one of best of them all. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15 / LP copies in stock in a week or so
CHES SMITH with ANNA WEBBER / OSCAR NORIEGA / JAMES BRANDON LEWIS / NATE WOOLEY / JENNIFER CHOI / KYLE ARMBRUST / MICHAEL NICOLAS / SHAHZAD ISMAILY / SHARA LUNON - Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic Records PR 31; USA) Featuring Shara Lunon on voice, lyrics (for 2 songs) & processing, Anna Weber on flute, Oscar Noreiga on clarinets, James Brandon Lewis on tenor sax, Nate Wooley on trumpet, Jennifer Choi on violin, Kyle Armbrust on viola, Michael Nicolas on cello, Shahzad Ismaily on bass and Ches Smith on electronics, drums, assorted percussion, composing & arranging. In the liner notes here by Ches Smith, he discusses the varied influences and ideas which made this disc work. From Steve Reich-like minimal repeating lines to hip-hop beats, samples vocals to drum machines & acoustic percussion, Mr. Smith covers a great deal of ingredients/ideas to make this disc unique/special. I am familiar with all of the musicians here except for vocalist Shara Lunon who comes from Gainesville & works with MSNRA & Jovian Junction Orchestra and violist Kyle Armbrust, who is a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble.
Things begin with “Minimalism”, which has a strange repeating grooves which made some samples, strings, horns, percussion and lead vocals. This piece is a minimalist piece yet it doesn’t quite sound like any other piece by the more famous minimalist composers like Reich, Philip Glass or Terry Riley. For “Remote Convivial”, Ches chops up the beat(s) and uses JB Lewis’ feisty tenor along with some twisted synth-like samples & strings. Although the different beats are at the center of most of these songs, it is the way Mr. Smith adds odd harmonies to the beats that makes this a unique brew. For any of you who have a problem with singing on your records, the vocals here never dominate, they are used the same way all of the instruments are used, as part of a well-integrated ensemble sound. What does stand out is the way Ches uses different beats to establish the central theme or groove on each piece. “The Most F*cked” is a twisted collection of varied beats which have been altered yet still fit together like clockwork. “Winter Spring” features some fascinating words about the way winter and nature affect how we view life. “Disco Inferred” does have a disco beat/sample at the center yet Ches piles up several layers of beats, samples, strings and horns with great solos from Nate Wooley and Oscar Noriega. Mr. Smith creates a feeling of disorientation on ”Unyielding Daydream Welding”, like when you are not so sure if you are dreaming or is this what is actually going on in your life. The final piece is called, “Exit Shivers” and it stretches out time with some suspense-filled space and some dark bursts of flute, strange vocal sounds and some spirited yet twisted ensemble passages. What I like most about this disc is that it has created its is own world or place. You will be transformed by listening to it and will end up in another fine place. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
IRREVERSIBLE ENTANGLEMENTS with MOOR MOTHER / KEIR NEURINGER / AQUILES NAVARRO / LUKE STEWART / TCHESER HOLMES - Protect Your Light (Impulse! Records 3814202.2; USA) Featuring vocalist/poet Camae Ayewa, saxophonist Keir Neuringer, bassist Luke Stewart, trumpeter Aquiles Navarro and drummer Tcheser Holmes. This year has seen no shortage of motivational music exhorting people to dance, protest or reconnect after shared trauma. But few fillips have been as instantly convincing as Open the Gates, the track heralding Irreversible Entanglements’ album of the same name.
“It’s energy time!” declares the Philadelphia-based poet and activist Moor Mother – AKA Camae Ayewa – as Luke Stewart’s sprung bass line plays off against a skitter of percussion from drummer Tcheser Holmes. Ayewa issues a command: “Open the gates!” The chorusing of Aquiles Navarro’s trumpet and Keir Neuringer’s saxophone send the track into ecstatic orbit, alive with political fury and spiritual possibility.
Irreversible Entanglements formed in 2015, after a Musicians Against Police Brutality concert. Their aim was to unite the words of Moor Mother with an unorthodox, improvised take on free jazz as a “vehicle for Black liberation”. Although this ensemble boast conservatoire rigour, their revolutionary, Afrofuturist music is imbued with punk spirit, a love of ambient spaciousness and electronics.
Open the Gates – it’s a double album – was recorded in a day and builds on the outfit’s two previous bouts of boundary-vaulting sonic activism, their 2017 eponymous debut and 2020’s Who Sent You?. Key, too, is Moor Mother’s interest in quantum physics and its intersection with the trauma of the African diaspora, an affinity noted by Cern, which this year bestowed her organization Black Quantum Futurism its Collide residency award. - Kitty Empire, The Guardian, UK
CD $16
THE EASTER QUARTET with SIMONE WEISSENFELS / KEN FILIANO / LOU GRASSI / TODD CAPP - Light End (Not Two MW 1037; Poland) The eastern Quartet features Simone Weissenfels on piano, Ken Filiano on bass & effects and Lou Grassi & Todd Capp on drums & percussion. Every time I think that I’ve heard all of the great pianists who work in avant jazz or other Free Music, another name pops up to blow my mind. I can’t tell you much about German pianist Simone Weissenfels, although I know she is based in Leipzig and played locally at I-Beam once not that long ago. The other members of the quartet, you should know their names quite well as each one has a vast resume of releases and concerts. Bassist Ken Filiano was once based in the L.A. area but has been living here for a long while and working with many of Downtown’s best: Jason Hwang, Taylor Ho Bynum and (west-coaster) Vinny Golia. Lou Grassi is the go-to drummer for many of the Free/Jazz legends like: Mark Whitecage, Perry Robinson and the Nu Band. Todd Capp goes back even further, starting off with the Loft Scene of the late 1970’s, disappearing for a bit then returning to improvise with many younger musicians since the turn of the millenium. This disc was recorded live at Scholes Street studios in Brooklyn in October of 2022. Although there are two drummers here, this disc begins slowly and quietly. The quartet play with the utmost restraint, there are several layers of dialogue going on here. It is hard to tell that there are 2 drummers here since both play with some restraint. Things keep building and ascending freely improvising together, the quartet spinning their lines tightly around one another. After a while I started to hear both drummers although it is hard to tell at times. It sounds like Ms. Weissenfels is muting the strings at times while Mr. Filiano bows intensely, both drummers swirling round one another in waves. Things wind down to a more minimal, sparse section near the last part of the first long piece, eventually calming down to a solemn conclusion. “Tight Cluster” begins even more sparsely with some deep suspense surrounding each sound. Mr. Filiano’s nimble, elastic bass, plays each note or line most carefully with equally spacious piano, one or two note fragments at a time. The drummers wait and take their time to enter, also slowly adding select percussives here and there, all making every note of sound count. This piece keeps building, the intensity and tempo increasing slowly to boiling point. All four members of the quartet ascend tightly together to a grand conclusion. All members are integral to the collective, group sound. The music does a fine job of casting a magical/mysterious spell. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
FOCUS ON BRITISH PROGRESSIVE JAZZ:
Starting around 1967, the British rock scene expanded and ascended with many rock bands experimenting, pushing the boundaries by adding jazz, classical, ethnic, psychedelic and avant-garde ideas to their music. Aside from popular bands like the Beatles, the Stones and the Who, newer bands like Traffic, Incredible String Band, Fairport Convention & Procol Harum, bands & musicians kept evolving and progressing musically and thematically. For me, the British progressive scene started with Soft Machine and Caravan in 1968 and erupted in 1969 with King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Manfred Mann Chapter Three, early Yes & Genesis and many more lesser known groups. Thanks to the Mothers of Invention (from L.A.), Miles Davis and former members of Miles’ bands (like Tony Williams Lifetime), the British Jazz/Rock scene exploded in 1970: Ian Carr’s Nucleus, IF, Soft Machine’s ‘Third’, John Surman’s ‘The Trio’ and the Keith Tippett Group’s ‘Dedicated to You But You Weren’t Listening’, were are released that year and for many of my friends and myself, this was our favorite music of that era. More than a half century later, this era remains the fave period of many of prog/jazz/rock heads. I became a Canterbury fanatic, starting with Soft Machine, Caravan, Gong & their many offshoots in the early 1970’s. The whimsical sense of humor of Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen, added some well-needed humor to the ever-evolving prog/jazz/rock scene. I caught a number of these bands live: If, Soft Machine, Gong, National Health mostly in the US but spent 4 months in London (Sept ’75 - Jan ’76), checking out these bands plus Nucleus playing the music of Neil Ardley, Michael Garrick Sextet, Mike Osborne Trio, Lol Coxhill & Gerry Fitzgerald, Evan Parker & Paul Lytton and El Skid (with Elton Dean, Alan Skidmore & Louis Moholo) and many more. I also interviewed 7 members of Soft Machine, Dave Stewart, Steve Hillage, Keith Tippett & Lol Coxhill, while I was on that exchange program, taking courses at Trent Park College. I also bought a book called ‘Music Outside’ by Ian Carr (leader of Nucleus) which became a bible of sorts, turning me on to assorted British jazz composers and musicians. Since then, I’ve studied the music of many of these important although often overlooked UK composers/players. Here’s my short list: Neil Ardley, Mike Westbrook, Michael Garrick, Graham Collier, Mike Gibbs, Ian Carr, Stan Tracey & Django Bates. There are dozens (hundreds?) of UK jazz musicians who I’ve come to appreciate as well over the long stretch.
In the past few years two labels have come out: British Progressive Jazz (BPJ) and Jazz in Britain (JiB) and both have done a fine job of releasing/documenting the progressive/avant jazz/rock scene with numerous wonderful CD’s and LP’s. Last year we got in some great discs from BPJ: Graham Collier, Elton Dean/Keith Tippett Quartet, John Mayer, Kenny Wheeler, Don Rendell and Mike Osborne. All of those are essential if you do appreciate this scene and progressive/avant jazz in general. More recently I discovered the JazzInBritain label which has released a great many gems in the past few years. We just did our first large order with them and it was a big one: 2 single CD’s, 4 double CD’s, a 3 CD set and 3 LP’s and a book/discography of the music of Ian Carr. Now that I’ve heard all of these, I am most impressed as all of these are just incredible. Both the releases on BPJ and JiB are all limited edition so please don’t wait too long to order these items. Also the liner notes on each of these items are lengthy and informative. Everything below is currently in stock and we will try to get more when we sell out. - BLG at DMG
MIKE WESTBROOK with GARY BOYLE / GEORGE KHAN / BUTCH POTTER / ALAN JACKSON - Live 1972 (Cadillac SGCCD 001; UK) Mike Westbrook Live 1972 captures a fleeting snapshot of the transitional group Westbrook assembled in between hisMetropolis era big band and the jazz rock venture Solid Gold Cadillac featuring Phil Minton's irrepressible vocals. This quintet lasted only a few weeks but the line-up boasted Gary Boyle, guitarist of the legendary band Isotope. Also, George Khan on tenor saxophone and drummer Alan Jackson, both stalwarts of Westbrook's previous ensembles were present along with newcomer Roger 'Butch' Potter on bass guitar, who passed away in 2003.
The music looked both back and forward to Westbrook's later band. So for example, selections from Metropolis were performed in a relatively skeletal form but nonetheless effectively so. This is the first British reissue on CD since the only other previous CD version was released in Japan. The original vinyl was released on John Jack's Cadillac label because RCA, to whom Westbrook was signed at the time, were not interested in releasing it. It's a slice of British jazz history that has thankfully been preserved and makes for exciting listening particularly as this release now includes two previously unreleased tracks.
"Travellin'" is an adapted and highly addictive version of "Home" which first appeared on Westbrook's Marching Song, here George Khan's electric saxophone bravely substituting for an entire big band. The first two thirds of "Compassion" comprises a collective improvisation, the final third resolving into a more cohesive, exploratory entity, dominated by Khan's tenor. The outro is a brief flute foray, where a brief melody from "Marching Song" is heard. This Hux reissue now temporarily diverges from the original, as the two previously unissued tracks are included at this juncture. "Marching Song" is initially dominated by Khan's amplified sax and then Boyle's guitar, rich with fleetingly fast runs. The second track new to this album is "Spaces," beginning with Jackson's drum solo and leading into a florid foray with a boppy head and an extended guitar solo from Boyle.
The record's original order ensues with the 12 minute "Down On The Farm" which eventually turns into a heavy wig-out structured over three chords and a satisfying rock ending. "Pleasure City" is actually an extended and electrifyingly version of "Metropolis VIII," with Gary Boyle at his wah-wah rockiest (he even quotes from "Satisfaction"). It also appeared with this new title on the eponymously titled Solid Gold Cadillac. The final number is "Metropolis IX" formerly entitled "Hyde Park Song" on the original release and this sticks fairly faithfully to its previous version with Khan and Jackson here on alto, substituting for the original instrumentation on Metropolis where Harry Beckett had provided an unforgettable emotionally-charged solo over Westbrook's piano.
This long unavailable slice of British jazz history offers an insight into the imaginative and innovating workings of one of the UK's most significant protagonists, and evinces a unique charm of its own with solid gold replay value. - Roger Farbey, AllAboutJazz.com
CD $16
KARL JENKINS with IAN CARR / RAY WARLEIGH / ALAN SKIDMORE / CHRIS SPEDDING / ROY BABBINGTON / FRANK RICOTTI / JOHN MARSHALL - Penumbra II (JazzinBritain -41 S-CD; UK) Featuring Karl Jenkins piano & composition, Ian Carr on flugelhorn, Brian Smith on soprano sax, Ray Warleigh on alto sax, Alan Skidmore on tenor sax, Chris Spedding on guitar, Dave MacRae on oiano & electric piano, Roy Babbington on contrabass & bass guitar, Frank Ricotti on percussion and John Marshall on drums. Recorded in London in August of 1971. Karl Jenkins has long been an important part of the British Progressive Jazz scene, both as a multi-instrumentalist (various keyboards, soprano & bari saxes, oboe & recorder) and as a composer of note. Mr. Jenkins first worked with Graham Collier & Ian Carr, before becoming a founding member of Nucleus in 1970. After composing for and playing with Nucleus he joined Soft Machine in 1973 and became their main composer on Soft Machine ’Six’ through their demise in 1981. “Penumbra II” is a long lost radio session from August of 1971 when Jenkins was still in Nucleus. Mr. Jenkins did make any solo or leader dates until after Soft Machine broke up around 1981. His composing for Nucleus and Soft Machine provided them was some strong, spirited adventurous music.
This disc is a rare opportunity to hear Mr. Jenkins’ music played by a stellar ensemble with several heavy hitters from Nucleus and the rest of the British Creative Jazz/Rock Music Scene. “Penumbra II” in is three movements and run just under 30 minutes. Mr. Jenkins doesn’t play on this disc so perhaps he is just conducting. Like Graham Collier or Michael Gibbs, Mr. Jenkins’ writing is mature, thoughtful and beyond categories. The “First Movement” features some breath-taking arranging for the four horns. “Second Movement” is a righteous, spacious, sly piece and features some superb guitar (nice subtle wah-wah) from Chris Spedding. Mr. Spedding was a member of Battered Ornaments and Nucleus before this and was one of the first and best jazz/rock guitarists to emerge from this scene. He sounds just incredible here, even without playing too many notes, making each note count. There is a soprano sax by Brian Smith on the piece which is phenomenal. The throbbing bass-led groove that pulsated throughout this piece is most hypnotic. Both Dave MacRae’s electric piano, Spedding’s wicked electric guitar and Brian Smith’s sly soprano sax are in fine form here making this disc a classic of its period although it wasn’t released until more than fifty years later. An incredible offering from the fine folks at JazzInBritain. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
TREVOR WATTS ORIGINAL DRUM ORCHESTRA with PETER KNIGHT / ERNEST MOTHLE / NANA TSIBOE / KOFI ADU / LIAM GENOCKEY - The Arts is in The Rhythm Volume 2 (JazzInBritain JIB-46-S-CD; UK) Featuring Trevor Watts on alto & soprano saxes, Peter Knight on violin, Ernest Mothle on bass, Nana Tsiboe on percussion, mbira, didgeridoo & voice, Kofi Adu on African percussion and Liam Genockey on drums. In December of last year (2023), I had the opportunity to hear British saxist Trevor Watts in a duo with conga drummer Jamie Harris at the Jazz Gallery for two sets and both were superb! Considering that Mr. Watts turns 85 next month, his playing is still as powerful as it ever was. Mr. Watts started off with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in the mid-sixties, formed Amalgam in the 1970’s and then organized various versions of the Moire Percussion Orchestra or Group in the 1980’s. Trevor Watts has recorded more than 40 releases in more than a half century and I must admit that I’ve enjoyed every one!
The band here, Trevor Watts’ Original Drum Orchestra has had several different names with alternating personnel, from one to four percussionists as well as a bassist and trap drummer. You might recognize two od the musicians here, violinist Peter Knight and drummer Liam Genocky, since both were members of Steeleye Span many years back. You might also recognize the name of South African bassist Ernest Mothle, who used to work with the Brotherhood of Breath and Jabula. African percussionist, Nana Tsiboe has also worked with Fela Kuti, Ali Farke Toure & Oumou Sangare. There are some 7 songs on this lengthy 2 CD set and all of them are long (between 11 & 40 minutes)! I caught the Moire Music Orchestra at the Victo Fest in the early 1990's and was blown away by them. What I remember is that each of their songs had an infectious African groove with layers of interlocking percussion & 1 drummer & 4 conga players) plus Trevor Watts endlessly inventive and passionate also soloing, soaring on top. This is similar to what we hear on this 2 CD set. The drums and African percussion are locked together in layers of interwoven patterns while Mr. Watts solos on top on alto & soprano saxes with Peter Knight violin also matching and playing tightly around with Watts' sly sax. Each of the seven pieces build and hits their stride, allowing anyone who is seriously listening to be blown away and taken along for the ride! - Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG
2 CD Set $20
RAY RUSSELL SEXTET featuring HARRY BECKETT with TONY ROBERTS / NICK EVANS / DARYL RUNSWICK / ALAN RUSHTON - Forget To Remember Live Vol. 2, 1970 (JazzInBritain JIB-22-M-CD; UK) Featuring Ray Russell on guitar, Harry Beckett on trumpet & flugelhorn, Tony Roberts on saxes, Nick Evans on trombone, Daryl Runswick on bass and Alan Rushton on drums. Recorded live at Aeolian Hall in London on January 2nd of 1970. British jazz guitarist Ray Russell started our around 1968 and recorded a half dozen great avant/jazz albums by 1973. Mr. Russell started off with a quartet (with an early Dave Holland, before he moved to NY) and organized a sextet. Starting off with “Forget to Remember”, the sextet is playing this fine “Take Five” like groove with inspired solos from Harry Beckett on trumpet and a long, superfine inside/outside guitar solo from Mr. Russell, which blends a variety of blues and free licks together in a seamless fashion. “Triple Goddess” is an explosive, freer piece with the frontline of guitar, tenor sax, trombone and flugelhorn all ascending together. Barbados born, London based trumpet wiz, is in fine form throughout this great disc, both playing several inspired solos as well as doing some inventive interaction with the rest of the sextet. Tenor saxist Tony Roberts is another fine player who rarely get some recognition. Aside from working with Ian Carr & Kenny Wheeler, he was a member of two band led by John Renbourn. Robert’s solo on “Triple Goddess” is over-the top and way intense. This pieces ends with a mighty fine drum solo by Alan Rushton, yet another under-recognized drum wizard. “Rites and Rituals” was the name of Mr. Russell’s third album as a leader from 1971, the personnel the same as on this disc. The writing here is quirky, odd and unlike anything from that time. Mr. Russell adds some twisted chords and frantic single notes, inventing his own sound, quite striking for January of 1970. Most of the pieces are generally long so that each player gets his chance to stretch out. Mr. Russell also joined Nucleus right after this, replacing Chris Spedding, but can only be heard on a a rare live Nucleus date. It is interesting to consider that this session was recorded at the very beginning of 1970 with no one else playing free/jazz guitar in this fashion except for perhaps Sonny Sharrock, who was still working with Herbie Mann. This is an OUTstanding date on several levels so do check it out before it sells out. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $17
THE TUBBY HAYES QUARTET with MIKE PYNE / RON MATHEWSON / TONY LEVIN - Free Flight (JazzInBritain JIB-05-M-CD; UK) Featuring Tubby Hayes on tenor sax & flute, Mike Pyne on piano, Ron Mathewson on bass and Tony Levin on drums. Recorded live at Ronnie Scott’s in London on October 17th & 18th of 1972. During the 1950’s three tenor saxists emerged from the British Jazz Scene and all three were great: Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Scott and Don Rendell. Tubby Hayes was the first British jazz musician to win some popularity in the US. Starting with the Jazz Couriers (with Ronnie Scott & Tubby upfront) in 1958, Mr. Hayes has some two dozen albums from the late fifties until is passing in June of 1973. Aside from being an incredible tenor saxist, Mr. Hayes also played piano, vibes & flute. Mr. Hayes had a quartet, a quintet and a big band throughout his career. Mr. Hayes didn’t like to fly so he took a cruise to NYC and recorded at an album (with Horace Parlan, Eddie Costa & Clark Terry) which was released in 1962. When the Duke Ellington Orchestra came to London a couple of years later, Paul Gonsalves was couldn’t make the trip so Duke asked Tubby Hayes to sit in, a rare opportunity for a white, British saxist. Ellington was so pleased with Hayes’ playing that he asked him to join the band. Mr. Hayes declined the invite saying that a hated to fly.
The quartet here features Hayes on tenor sax & flute, Mike Pyne on piano, Ron Mathewson on bass and Tony Levin on drums. This is a great quartet with Mike Pyne (brother to trombonist Chris Pyne & member of SME), Ron Mathewson (in demand bassist who worked with Joe Harriott, Ian Carr & Ray Russell) and Tony Levin (future drummer for Keith Tippett’s Mujician) on drums. This lengthy 2 CD set features eight songs, half standards and half by Mr. Hayes himself. Things begin with “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” which includes a long, deep pocket tenor sax and piano solos. This live date is from October of 1972, less than a year before Tubby Hayes’s untimely passing in June of 1973. The quartet do a great version of “Trane’s Blues”, written by John Coltrane, and playing the blues as if they meant it. The quartet cover Miles Davis’ “Someday My Prince Will Come”, the title track from a classic Miles LP from 1961. This is a ballad and it is played most exquisitely with long. lush solos from the piano and tenor sax. Three of the four songs on Disc 2 were written by Tubby Hayes and things begin with “Trenton Place”, a ballad with some superb flute from My. Hayes and tasty piano from Mr. Pyne. Another original is called, “Lady Celia”, named after the heart specialist who operated on My. Hayes earlier. It is an uptempo kicker with some feisty Trane-like runs on the tenor sax and intense McCoy Tynerish piano. “I Thought About You” is an ancient ballad that’s been covered by Johnny Hartman and Shirley Horn. Mr. Hayes' tone on tenor is buttery and poignant with a lovely, luscious tenor solo. Although Mr. Hayes passed away several months later, he and the quartet are in fine shape here. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $20
THE DON RENDELL / IAN CARR QUINTET with MICHAEL GARRICK / DAVE GREEN / TREVOR TOMKINS - Warm Up - The Complete Live at The Highwayman 1965 (JazzInBritain JIB-44-M-CD; UK) A distinctly British species of modern jazz emerged between about the mid-1960s and mid-70s. It was captured in sound mainly by BBC radio and occasionally on commercial records. Mostly, though, it was played in front of audiences at licensed premises of one sort or another. This double album, wonderfully clear and complete, is a rare live recording of one such session at the Highwayman, Camberley, Surrey, in November 1965. It’s the Rendell-Carr Quintet all right, but it sounds, or rather feels, different from the same band on its studio records – looser and more at ease. You can hear the odd chuckle and cry of encouragement, phrases that don’t quite come off but are cleverly twisted into something that does.
Three of the quintet – saxophonist Don Rendell, trumpeter Ian Carr and pianist Michael Garrick – were composers, and in later years the band concentrated on their work, but a few standards, such as Autumn Leaves or Miles Davis’s No Blues, went down well in this environment. A great band, not least because of the brilliant rhythm section of drummer Trevor Tomkins and bassist Dave Green, now the only surviving member. - Dave Gelly, The Guardian.com
2 CD Set $20
TREVOR TOMKINS’ SEXTANT with JIMMY HASTINGS / BRIAN SMITH / CHRIS PYNE / PHIL LEE / JOHN HORLER / PAUL BRIDGE - For Future Reference (JazzInBritain JIB-37-S-CD; UK) Sextant features Jimmy Hastings on soprano & tenor saxes, Brian Smith on soprano & tenor saxes & flute, Chris Pyne on trombone & valve trombone, Phil Lee on guitar, John Horler on piano & electric piano, Paul Bridge on bass and Trevor Tomkins on drums. The music on this 2 CD set comes from four sessions in May of 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983. I’ve known of the great drumming of Trevor Tomkins from his playing with the Don Rendell/Ian Carr band, Quarternity, Nucleus and bands led by Mike Westbrook, Michael Garrick and Art Themen. Until this set was released, I had no idea that he led his own band called Sextant. There ara number of heavy hitters here: Jimmy Hastings (of Caravan), Brian Smith (for Graham Collier & Nucleus), Phil Lee (in Gilgamesh with Tomkins) and Chris Pyne (SME, Kenny Wheeler & Mike Gibbs).
What’s interesting is that each half of both discs were recorded in May four year in a row: 1980, 1981, 1982 & 1983. Each session has 3 or 4 songs and all but two of the songs were written either by members of these bands or by other British composers. Several of the musicians here like Chris Pyne, Phil Lee and Jimmy Hastings are not very well known and only appear on records on rare occasions. Gifted guitarist Phil Lee, who used to play with Gilgamesh (National Health offshoot), Quarternity & Graham Collier Septet, has never recorded a solo project, yet here he contributed six out of 15 songs. Although this music was recorded in the early 1980’s, the sound is right out of 60’s Blue Note. The 30 page enclosed booklet is filled with stories about Trevor Tomkins and the other members of these bands as well as a number of fine photos. All of the 15 songs are well chosen and the playing is consistently inspired, inventive and engaging. There is no free playing here or anything too far out yet both of these discs are superb on several levels. Considering that none of the members of the four sextets here are very well known, all of the music remains consistently crafty. A true gem! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $20
SPLINTERS with TUBBY HAYES / TREVOR WATTS / KENNY WHEELER / STAN TRACEY / JEFF CLYNE / PHIL SEAMEN / JOHN STEVENS - Inclusivity (JazzInBritain JIB-26-S-CDB; UK) Archive label Jazz In Britain comes up with another winner. Inclusivity is a 3 x CD collection of the complete performances of Splinters, an all-star 1972 septet comprising three hard boppers, two radical experimentalists and two in-betweeners. They were tenor saxophonist and flautist Tubby Hayes, alto saxophonist Trevor Watts, trumpeter and flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler, pianist Stan Tracey, bassist Jeff Clyne and drummers Phil Seamen and John Stevens. The band assembled for just two London gigs five months apart. It made no studio recordings.
The discs are housed in a 12" x 12" hardcover pack with a bound-in 34 page book, which is split more or less equally between contemporary photos of the musicians by the late Jak Kilby and an essay by specialist historian Simon Spillett.
The British jazz scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s was beset by external and internal threats. Externally, the overwhelming rise of rock culture meant there were fewer gigging opportunities for jazz musicians, as clubs and concert halls followed the money. Internally, the scene was becoming increasingly divided, partly in response to the rock explosion and partly due to the passionate partisanships different jazz styles engendered. On a positive note, however, sections of the jazz community were fighting back against rock's economic onslaught through co-operative endeavours and pressure groups. There was also a newfound willingness among some musicians to bury their aesthetic differences, in recognition that there was more that united them than divided them. Splinters grew out of this belief.
All this is chronicled by Spillett in his extended essay. This draws on contemporary reviews and interviews, the memories and observations of musicians who were active in the early 1970s, and, crucially, the thoughts of the sole surviving member of Splinters, Trevor Watts. It is Watts, too, who we have to thank for the audio—two sets he recorded at the 100 Club on May 22 and a one-set performance at the Grass Roots on September 12. Sound quality is, aside from an occasional glitch, really good.
Splinters' style was "time no changes," an approach that was familiar to some members but less so to others. There were no rehearsals—the 100 Club performance was advertised as a "Jam Session" and the group only adopted the name Splinters shortly before the Grass Roots gig for publicity purposes—and no pre-composed material, let alone arrangements. The seven musicians simply got up on stage and, tentatively at first, started playing.
What we hear is not a cacophonous collective freak-out, but, for most of the time and at its best, a series of individual showcases (titled "Phases" after the event) featuring the individual frontline players over coursing motor rhythms from the two drummers. As a purely musical experience you probably had to be there, though with musicians of this calibre there is enough to engage one's interest five decades on. But what was most important about Splinters was the intention behind its formation, and Jazz In Britain is to be thanked for bringing this chunk of history into the public domain. - Chris May, AllAboutJazz.com
Deluxe 3 CD Set Hard Cardboard Cover $30
JOE HARRIOTT QUINTET with LES CONDON / PAT SMYTHE / COLERIDGE GOODE / PHIL SEAMEN - Formation: Live ’61 (JazzInBritain JIB-27-M-EP; UK) Joe Harriott has become a legend. His searing alto playing, his impatience with the conventional did not make his life easy. Harriott’s sound was unique, as it was a mixture of Charlie Parker and Earl Bostic with a freedom to soar at will. His struggle for complete acceptance meant a certain amount of compromise in the way that he presented his work to audiences. He frequently played one hour of more conventional material and one hour of avantgarde pieces. The context of 1961 meant that challenging jazz was greeted with either hostility or incomprehension.
‘Coda’ has an unusual rhythm. Les Condon skips through the theme. Condon, not always first choice in the Quintet, enjoys the chance to improvise freely and all the time he is underpinned by the drums of Phil Seaman. Pat Smythe, vastly underrated, solos with sensitivity and panache. Smythe’s solos are always unusual: he seemed to take every solo opportunity to create afresh.
There is an early live recording where Harriott tutors the audience about what the group were going to play. He made pieces sound more threatening than they were. ‘Calypso Sketches’ has more than Caribbean echoes. Harriott has an edgy solo touching just this side of wildness. It is difficult with a theme like this not to reference Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins. Harriott, however felt more rooted and the abrasive piercing sound cuts through with an educated positivity. Seamen revels in the opportunity to display his Caribbean skills.
‘Compound’ was introduced on the ‘Abstract’ album where Seamen had assistance from Frank Holder on bongos. Here Seamen has the space to himself and shows why in the fifties and sixties he had such a high reputation. ‘Shepherd’s Serenade’ has a strong bop, New York, sensibility. Les Condon seems thoroughly happy with the theme and consequently this is his best solo on the disc. As usual, Pat Smythe finds inspiration which he transmutes into an intricate and wholly individual statement. The central solo is Harriott’s which has all the virtues that we have come to associate with him: seething, elemental, rhythmically daring, Coleridge Goode who anchored so many of Harriott’s compositions is very fine and solid without being too adventurous.
The overall concepts are daring, it is now over sixty years since this recording was made. At first Harriott was discussed as the UK Ornette. It was not a fair comparison. Ornette had an unswerving dedication to music as he saw it. Harriott had a much wider view: his free jazz was played at the same time that he played with Chris Barber, Sonny Boy Williamson, Laurie Johnson, George Chisholm. - Reviewed by Jack Kenny, JazzViews.Net
LP $20 [45 RPM]
MIKE GIBBS with HARRY BECKETT / HENRY LOWTHER / MALCOLM GRIFFITHS / TONY ROBERTS / STAN SULZMANN / JIM PHILIP / DICK HART / CHRIS SPEDDING / MYKE PYNE / ROY BABBINGTON / FRANK RICOTTI / JOHN MARSHALL / CLIVE THACKER - Revisiting Tanglewood 63: The Early Tapes (JazzInBritain JIB-24-S-LP; UK) Michael Gibbs is one of the great jazz composers of our time, and has been for the past half-century and more. To prove it, just listen to these seven tracks, recorded in 1970. Born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Gibbs studied in the US and came to London in the late 1960s, landing in the middle of a jazz scene boiling over with youthful creativity. The music here comes from two BBC broadcasts by a handpicked band. The programmes were recorded six months apart and there’s a noticeable difference between them, revealing dynamic changes in the young composer’s approach in this short time.
The first set includes the wonderfully melodic and catchy Tanglewood 63 and June the 15th 1967, featuring Mick Pyne (piano), Chris Spedding (guitar) and Frank Ricotti (vibraphone), three leading young players of the day. Both pieces are lifted by irresistibly light and springy rock rhythms. From the second session come Five For England and Fanfare, heavier and more dissonant, with the emphasis on the lower brass instruments, and the remarkable Canticle, 12 minutes of total abstraction, first performed at Canterbury Cathedral and utterly mesmerizing in its strangeness.” - Dave Gelly, The Guardian.com
LP $30
IAN CARR DOUBLE QUINTET with HAROLD BECKETT / TONY ROBERTS / BRIAN SMITH / KARL JENKINS / CHRIS SPEDDING / RON MATTHEWSON / JEFF CLYNE / CHRIS KARAN / KEITH WINTER / JOHN MARSHALL - Solar Session (JazzInBritain JIB-25-S-EP; UK) One of the first European jazz bandleaders to embrace synthesizers, bass guitars and other electric instruments, trumpeter, composer and author Ian Carr forged a singularly British style of jazz-rock with his band Nucleus, which he formed in 1969 and with which he recorded a dozen albums through the 1970s. Carr had previously paid extensive dues in acoustic jazz, most notably as co-leader with saxophonist Don Rendell of the highly regarded, culturally inclusive Rendell-Carr Quintet from 1964 to 1969.
Carr was a great admirer of Miles Davis and was the author of the authoritative Miles: A Critical Biography (Quartet, 1982). But he did not allow his admiration for Davis to shape Nucleus, which developed in parallel to rather than in the slipstream of Davis' electric bands. Carr's trajectory had deeper roots in the ideas of pianist and composer Neil Ardley, out of whose 1969 ensemble Nucleus' original lineup emerged. Like Ardley, Carr broke rules and defied genres, and Nucleus drew on progressive rock, contemporary classical and electronica in addition to jazz. In his 1973 survey of British jazz, Music Outside: Contemporary Jazz in Britain (Latimer New Dimensions), Carr famously declared: "To hell with dogma!"
Solar Session is another valuable recovery from the vaults by the estimable not-for-profit label Jazz In Britain. It comprises a 26:44 suite which was recorded live in the studio on October 26 1970 and broadcast the following night on BBC radio. Two months later, the same "double quintet" (with the addition of trumpeter and flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler) went on to record an extended and restructured version of the material, which was released as Nucleus' third album, Solar Plexus (Vertigo, 1971). A work-in-progress, the music on Solar Session provides an insight into the development of the suite, which, on the 8:41 closing track, "Snakehips' Dream," shows its closest, yet still glancing, intersection with Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1969), which had been released eight months earlier. - Chris May, AllAboutJazz.com
10” LP $20
IAN CARR // ROGER FARBEY - Elastic Dream - The Music of Ian Carr - An Annotated Discography (JazzInBritain 78196 320659; UK) This is a 208 page soft cover book with a CD tucked inside. Trumpeter & flugelhornist, Ian Carr was one of the most influential British jazz musicians, from the sixties onwards. He first co-led a band with an older saxist called Don Rendell, which made around 10 records from 1965 through 1970. Mr. Carr also collaborated with Neil Ardley, Michael Garrick, Michael Gibbs and others. In 1970, Mr. Carr organized Nucleus, one of the first and best jazz/rock bands to emerge from the Progressive British Jazz Scene. Nucleus went to create some 20 albums, all of which I dig as well as several live discs including an essential ‘Live at The BBC’ 13 CD box set. Mr. Carr was also an author of the first great book about the British Jazz scene in the sixties and 1970’s, called “Music Outside’, as well as several other books, one about Miles Davis. This fine book covers all of Ian Carr’s records with a couple of paragraphs for each one. The enclosed CD features 9 rare tracks by Ian Carr in a variety of settings.
Book / CD $18
JON HASSELL with MICHAEL BROOK / J.A. DEANE / BRIAN ENO / JEAN-PHILIPPE RYKIEL - The Surgeon Of The Nightsky Restores Dead Things By The Power Of Sound (Intuition INT 30042CD; Germany) "Original 1991 CD release. In a tried and tested association with Brian Eno (as producer), Jon Hassell's first completely live-recorded album was released at that time. The individual pieces, which were recorded in Paris, Vancouver, Hamburg and Brussels, reflect the special atmosphere that made every (rare) Hassell concert something extraordinary. The extremely delicate preparation and post-processing of the live material in the studio mix also makes it clear to the listener what subtle means Jon Hassell used to captivate his audience. In interaction with the audience, Hassell opens a window to the understanding of a music whose pulse and mood can be heard and perceived simultaneously in New York, Rangoon, Maracaibo, Paris, Palembang or Cologne. This album is an absolute work of sound-art."
CD $16
SORRY FOR LAUGHING with MARTYN BATES / EDWARD KA-SPEL / JANET FEDER / PATRICK Q WRIGHT / GORDON H. WHITLOW - Sun Comes (Klanggalerie GG 456; Austria) Featuring Gordon H. Whitlow (from Biota) on organs, accordion, pianos, autoharp & production, Martyn Bates (Eyeless in Gaza) & Edward Ka-Spel (Legendary Pink Dots) on vocals & lyrics, Patrick Q. Wright (Officer!) on violins and Janet Feder (guitar goddess with an early duo disc with Fred Frith) on prepared guitar with several guests: Nigel Whitlow on trumpet & brass, Steve Tyler on hurdy-gurdy, Katy Marchant on bagpipes, Tom Katsimpalis on spoken word and Larry Wilson on drums. Recorded in the UK, USA and in Italy. The music here reminds me of later period Japan, precious, spacious strings, keyboards and occasional, solemn vocals. This is their fourth release. The disc begins with "Sun Comes Suite", a six part suite. The vocals and lyrics feature Martyn Bates. Varied keyboards and strings float together in a stream with some unexpected chamber ensemble detours and occasional ghost-like vocals. “Struggle then Redemption” has a most disorienting vibe with shimmering organ, (what sounds like) mellotron and warped strings.
CD $18
HASTINGS OF MALAWI - Live In Vienna (Klanggalerie GG 461CD; Austria) "Originally, Hastings of Malawi were Heman Pathak, David Hodes, and John Grieve. They recorded the album in one night in 1981 with no plan and no idea of what they were doing. They played drums, clarinet, synthesizer and piano but also made use of things that they found lying around the studio -- old records, cookery books, telephone directories and a telephone. The recordings were played down the phone to randomly dialed numbers and the reactions added to the recording. All three had been involved in the recording of the first Nurse with Wound album Chance Meeting On A Dissecting Table Of A Sewing Machine And An Umbrella and had contributed metal scrapings, piano, effects, clarinet and guitar during the session. The band split up after the first album but reformed 35 years later with a string of new albums. In June 2023, Hastings Of Malawi were invited to play the Klang 30 festival in Vienna, Austria. This was only the second time the band graced a stage, 38 years after the first performance. This outstanding rare opportunity was recorded and is now presented on CD."
CD $18
MORE VINYL:
JOHN ZORN // SOFIA REI / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE MAILLARD / CLERIC / SPIKE ORCHESTRA / JULIAN LAGE / GYAN RILEY / ABRAXAS / KLEZMERSON / GNOSTIC TRIO / ZION80 / BANQUET OF THE SPIRITS / SECRET CHIEFS 3 - Masada Book 3 - The Book Beri'ah (Tzadik TZ 6005; USA) This 10-track vinyl compendium contains highlights from the 92-track Book Beriah collection, one track from ten of the individual albums of John Zorn - The Book Beri'ah. Released in July of 2018.
LP $35 [Limited Edition - not sure how many are left but we should have some in a week or two]
SONNY SHARROCK / STEVE MARCUS / MIROSLAV VITOUS / DANIEL HUMAIR - Green Line (Endless Happiness 70007LP; Russia) Though only ever released in Japan and in sore need of reissue (affordability not being among the virtues of an original copy), Green Line sits easily alongside the most progressive jazz albums of the early '70s, many of which featured the work of the quartet's alumni -- namely Sharrock's uncredited appearance on "Yesternow" for Miles Davis' A Tribute to Jack Johnson, Vitous' early fusion-defining tenure with Weather Report, and Marcus' collaboration with Japanese jazz-rock outfit Jiro Inagaki and Soul Media. And so, Green Line was ultimately the beginning and end of its own trajectory, but damn, what a glorious path it blazed.
LP $28
JAMES BLOOD ULMER with MARK PETERSON / AUBREY DALE - Inandout (In and Out Records IOR 771001LP; Earth) "James Blood Ulmer turns back the wheel of time with his Album Inandout. Just a few chords and he is back where everything began. In Detroit, where the gruff guitarist had his first gigs in the bands of organists Hank Marr and Big John Patton. In Minton's Playhouse, New York, with all of those big names, such as Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Rashied Ali, Paul Bley, Larry Young, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Arthur Blythe, David Murray, Julius Hemphill, Pharaoh Sanders, John Zorn, Vernon Reid, and Bill Laswell, who were leading him through the improvising wilderness. And with his shining hero, Ornette Coleman, who encouraged 'Blood' to transpose the special harmonies he created to the fingerboard of the guitar. Ulmer, at age 67, takes stock while at the same time is looking forward. 'In & Out' is the title of a composition by the legendary tenor saxophone player, Joe Henderson, and is also the name of the record company for which 'Blood' recorded this masterpiece. Says James, 'Joe gave me a job and helped me to become known. I am very grateful to him. He was my friend.' And it was for this reason that Ulmer dedicated 'Song For Joe' to Henderson. In addition, there are nine other tunes, created by his trio, which features Mark Peterson on bass and Aubrey Dayle on drums. 'Blood' likes to shake people awake. Not with commercial superficiality, which was never his message. He prefers the suspenseful depth. 'Those who are full of satisfaction should no longer listen, but for those who still yearn for the truth, I will deliver it.' The truth for Ulmer lies deep in his music. This is a musician who, from the very beginning, has been an exception to the rule. James 'Blood' Ulmer has never been driven into the mainstream, but, on principle, always swam against the stream. Blues, time and again, Blues. The only truly free music."
2 LP Set $42
MULATU ASTATKE / ESKATON / KUKUMBAS / MELODIYA JAZZ ENSEMBLE / et al - Psych Funk 101 (1968-1975)(World Psychedelic Funk Classics 101LP; Earth) Gatefold 2LP version. "Funky fuzzy psychedelic tracks from '60s and '70s Nigeria, Iran, Turkey, Russia, South Korean and other exotic countries. Psych Funk 101 introduces students to the global phenomenon of psychedelic funk music, and covers the 'golden years' of the movement, from approximately 1967 until 1980." Artists include: Husnu Ozkartal Orkestrasi, Kukumbas, Mulatu Astatke feat. Belaynesh Wubante And Assegedetch Asfaw, Kim Sun, Petalouda, Mehr Pooya, Staff Carpenborg And The Electric Corona, The Group, Armando Sciascia, Wadih Essafi, Omar Khorshid, Metin H. Alatli, George Garanian With The Melodiya Jazz Ensemble and Eskaton.
2 LP Set $36
LLOYD MILLER - Oriental Jazz (Now-Again 5183LP; USA) "Born in 1938, and raised in Glendale, California, Lloyd Miller has had one of the most unusual careers in all of jazz. By age 12 he had declared an intent to make his living as a jazz musician, and by high school he had already begun to experiment, shunning swing music's mechanical perfection, and chafing at his parents' desire for him to nurture his talents with formal training. This tumultous relationship with his parents would eventually lead to a stint in a psychatric hospital, before reuniting with them in moving to Iran, his father having accepted a job working for the Shah. Stops in Hong Kong, Japan and Pakistan on the way to Iran deepened Miller's connection to other cultures he'd first felt while listening to old world music compilations. He felt a definite calm and peace, an immense respect from everyone towards everyone else, and immersed himself in other cultures and languages immediately. Miller spent a year in Iran with his family, picking up Farsi after a few short months, and steadily gaining more and more of an appreciation for how deep the roots of Persian art run. However, still committed to his decision forge a career in jazz, Lloyd left Tehran in 1958 to head to Europe to see if he could make a living from jazz music. Miller kicked around the continent, first in Germany, then in Switzerland, Sweden and Brussels. He collaborated and performed alongside 60s jazz legend Jef Gilson, and experimented with exotic instrumentation before returning to America to resume his studies at Brigham Young University in Utah. In the years following his stint with Gilson, Miller had become more and more disillusioned with both modern music and modern society, which had ashewed jazz for rock music, which he detested. In Miller's conception, for a music to have value it had to have a deep connection to a tradition, specifically connecting jazz to African lore. To Miller, something like 'Tuareg African music is blues, just with no chord changes.' Oriental Jazz was recorded, compiled and self-released in 1968 while Miller was studying at Brigham Young. The record, originally pressed in a quantity of 300 copies, sought to combine a cool, modal style with the exotic arrays of instruments and styles that Miller had picked up during his travels. Miller included songs he'd cut with Gilson in his Parisian studio years before, and a solo piano piece that he recorded in one of the school's practice rooms. Despite Lloyd's professed aversion to modernity, there nevertheless is something strikingly new sounding about this music, which fits together in startling juxtapositions. Traces of Bill Evans, Stan Getz and Jimmy Giuffre rub shoulders with Persian santur, Arab oud and Turkish saz music. Copies of Oriental Jazz languished in Miller's home for years after numerous failed bids for record contracts, before finally ending up in the hands of record collectors decades later. After its release however, he would find a second life after returning to Iran, doing field recordings, and eventually hosting a weekly television show that programmed both American jazz and the best traditional Persian musicians he could find. It was not to last however, as he abruptly abandoned the country to return to the US in the late 1970s, predicting the arrival of the Islamic Revolution."
LP $30
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ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE, Around the world.
If you have a link for some music that you are working on and want to share it with the folks who read the DMG Newsletter, please send the link to DMG at DMG@Downtownmusicgallery.com
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THE STONE RESIDENCIES / SYLVIE COURVOSIER / JAN 24–27
1/24 Wednesday
8:30 pm - duo/trio/quartet - Ikue Mori (electronics) Ned Rothenberg (reeds) Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) Erik Friedlander (cello)
1/25 Thursday
8:30 pm - SOLO - Sylvie Courvoisier (piano, composition)
1/26 Friday
8:30 pm - Sylvie Courvoisier TRIO with Drew Gress and Kenny Wollesen
Sylvie Courvoisier (piano, composition) Drew Gress (bass) Kenny Wollesen (drums)
1/27 Saturday
8:30 pm - DUO with Wadada Leo Smith
Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet) Sylvie Courvoisier (piano)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES - BRANDON LOPEZ - JAN 31–FEB 3
1/31 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Groupchat - James McKain (sax) TJ Borden (cello) Joey Sullivan (drums) Brandon Lopez (bass)
2/1 Thursday
8:30 pm - Bilongo - Marina Kifferstein (violin) Camille Dietrich (cello) Cecilia Lopez (synth) Brandon Lopez (bass) and a percussionist
2/2 Friday
8:30 pm - New Trio - Chuck Roth (guitar) Buz Donald (drums) Brandon Lopez (bass)
2/3 Saturday
8:30 pm - DUO or TRIO - Fred Moten (spoken word) Brandon Lopez (bass) and possibly Craig Taborn (piano)
THE STONE is located in
The New School at the Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th Street - near 6th ave
LIVE MUSIC
wed-sat
music at 8:30pm
ADMISSION
$20 per set
unless otherwise noted
cash only payment
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THIS COMES FROM DAVID GROLLMAN
Performance Artist and Long Time Friend & Supporter of DMG:
Tiny Slices at Wee Space
The last Sunday of the month.
Starting this Sunday, January 28th
6pm to 8pm
Vegan potluck
East Village
Performing on the 28th will be:
Anna Abondolo
Rute Ventura
HSFB aka Max Hamel
Text 212-353-1721 for the address or DM weespacetapes or webbkaycrawford on Instagram
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gaucimusic presents:
Improvised Music @ the Main Drag
Wednesday January 31st, 2024
7:00pm Ken Kobayashi - drums
Jonathan Reisin - tenor/soprano saxophone
Jeff Miles - guitar
Charley Sabatino - bass
8:00pm Yoni Kretzmer & Juan Pablo Carletti's BIGGISH
9:00pm Stephen Gauci - t. saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums
10:00pm Anders Nilsson - guitar
Nick Lyons - alto saxophone
Ken Filiano - bass
11:00pm Takuma Kanaiwa - bass
Paul r Harding - poetry
Daniel Carter - woodwinds
Jonathan Wilson - 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).
@ The Main Drag
50 South 1st Street
Between Kent ave and Wythe Ave
(718) 388-6365
gaucimusic.com
*****
January 29 thru February 4, 2024
THE OUT MUSIC FESTIVAL
At THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY, NYC
Arts for Art proudly presents the OUT MUSIC FESTIVAL - The Future is Pissed! The world is divided against itself. The earth is in jeopardy. These diverse artists are doing their best with too little support. Their voices have been marginalized. As people of conscience and as creative people, we come together to support each other as we live, create, and work for a world with peace, compassion, justice, and the arts.
As an added attraction, the festival's first night will feature a selection of fiery historic Out Music recordings, presented in partnership with Crossing Tones, an organization which rescues and shares recordings from the music's past. The opening night will feature never heard recordings that underscore the deep roots of music.
Here’s the link: https://www.artsforart.org/out-festival.html
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William Hooker - “ Music and Poetry"
At The Bowery Poetry Club, NYC
Wednesday, 7 February 2024 at 8:00 PM
featuring
Bob Holman,John Pietaro, David Soldier, Yuko Otomo, Kevin Ramsey, Patrick Brennan,
Jair Rohm Wells, Dave Sewelson, Paul Geluso, Ras Moshe and Laura Feathers
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery, Village, NYC
bowerypoetry.com
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MOPPA ELLIOTT TOUR DATES
Tues, Feb. 20 – Rhizome, 6950 Maple St. NW, Washington, DC
7 p.m. Tickets $25.
Mostly Other People Do The Killing (MOPDtK) celebrates the release of Disasters Vol. 2 on Hot Cup Records. The album is a follow-up to their acclaimed 2021 release, Disasters Vol. 1.
https://www.rhizomedc.org/new-events/2024/2/20/mostly-other-people-do-the-killing-sarah-marie-hughes-and-derrick-michaels
Wed, Feb. 21 – Fire Museum, Philadelphia, PA
7:30 p.m. Tickets $10-$20 sliding scale.
Fire Museum Presents MOPDtK and Advancing on a Wild Pitch celebrating their new albums Disasters Vol. 2 and Jonesville. Performance takes place at Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Atonement, 1542 East Montgomery Avenue
Thur, Feb. 22 –– The Cutting Room, 44 East 32nd Street, NYC
7 p.m. Tickets: $20
Hot Cup Records presents an Album Release Evening featuring three bands.
Mostly Other People Do the Killing celebrating "Disasters Vol. 1"
Advancing on a Wild Pitch celebrating "Disasters Vol. 2"
Acceleration Due to Gravity celebrating "Jonesville: Music by and for Sam Jones" https://wl.seetickets.us/event/mostly-other-people-do-the-killing/582194?afflky=TheCuttingRoom
Fri, Feb. 23 – The Bop Shop, 1460 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY
8 p.m. Tickets: $20 MOPDtK
https://bopshop.com/events/mostly-other-people-do-the-killing-1
Sat, Feb. 24 – Jazz at the Coop, The Cooperage, 1030 Main St., Honesdale, PA
7 p.m. Tickets: $15 MOPDtK and Advancing on a Wild Pitch.
https://allevents.in/honesdale/jazz-night-at-the-coop/200025940871819
Bands & Personnel
MOPDtK: Moppa Elliott, bass; Ron Stabinsky, keyboards; Kevin Shea, drums.
Advancing on a Wild Pitch: Sam Kulik, trombone; Charles Evans, bari sax; Danny Fox, piano; Moppa Elliott, bass; Christian Coleman, drums.
Acceleration Due to Gravity: Bobby Spellman, trumpet; Dave Taylor, trombone; Matt Nelson, alto saxophone; Stacy Dillard, tenor saxophone; Kyle Saulnier, baritone saxophone; Ava Mendoza, guitar; George Burton, piano; Moppa Elliott, bass; Mike Pride, drums.
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Article by GARY LUCAS:
This is an honest explanation/understanding of what is currently going on in Israel, please read and think about before you come to any quick conclusions.
“JEWS DO COUNT”
at CultureCatch.com
https://culturecatch.com/node/4237
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnWxohqx4tY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj8-LKNXKuE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy9PwsO5umk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQ7nvA68pA
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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
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ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com
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