Dreamed I saw a man walked upon the sea
Dreamed it once again and saw that he was me
Looking close at me I looked a lot like you
Knowing where to go but not quite what to do
Why why why?
I wish I were stoned out of my mind
Why why why, oh why?
Give me all your love in a smile
And I'll tell you what I'm thinking
Let me see the world through your eyes
And I'll show you where I'm sitting
Once I had a dream, nothing else to do
Sat and played my mind in time with all of you
Got down in the road, crossed my heart and cried
When you told me how you'd love to kill and not to die
Ah yes. Caravan 1970, their second album, ‘If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You’ was released in 1970. Canterbury fan addicts know their history. A band from the town of Canterbury called The Wilde Flowers existed in 1966 and then split into Soft Machine and Caravan, both of whose first albums were released in 1968. Ever since hearing Soft Machine in 1968, thanks to a Mothers of Invention fan from Jr. High School, I’ve been a Soft Machine/Canterbury freak ever since. It is not so easy to explain the magic qualities of Canterbury music but it does involve breaking or blending the barriers between rock, jazz, psych, progressive, modern classical, avant-garde and assorted ethnic musics. It also involves Pataphysical Philosophy and a shrewd sense of humor. When I was at college (1972-1976), my roommates were all Canterbury fans as well as being into Coltrane, Charles Mingus and loads of 60’s & 70’s best rock bands. This Caravan album, whose title is taken from a Bob Dylan lyric, was a fave of my roommates so we played it over and over. Check out the words here, they make some odd sense once you disperse with our usual view of logic. I’ve been going back to some of my old faves recently to help get through what is happening around me/us. Oh for times long gone.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there. If you think that there is nothing to be thankful for, then think deeper. Creative musicians and artists and those of us who still are searching for transcendence through music & other arts, we are all part of the same family, the same sonic, human fabric unites us.
Peace and Love Always, Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG
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THE DMG 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
Tuesday, December 3rd:
6:30: SYLVAIN LEROUX - Fula flutes & reeds / HILL GREENE - Contrabass / DAN KURFIRST - Drums
7:30: AYUMI ISHITO - Tenor Sax / KATE MOHANTY - Alto Sax / DANIEL CARTER - Reeds & Trumpet
8:30: EVAN PALMER - Contrabass / JAMES McKAIN - Sax / MICHAEL LAROCCA - Drums
9:30: AMALIE DAHL - Solo Sax
Tuesday, December 10th:
6:30: HANS KOCH - Clarinet Soprano Sax / FLORIAN STOFFNER - Guitar
7:30: ALIX TUCOU - Solo Bass Trombone
8:30: KENNETH JIMENEZ - ContraBass / HERY PAZ - Tenor Sax / SABRINA SALAMONE - Violin / DREW WESELY - Guitar
Tuesday, December 17th:
6:30: s0nic 0penings: patrick brennan - alto sax / JASON KAO HWANG - Violin / HILLIARD GREENE - Contrabass / MICHAEL TA THOMPSON - Drums
7:30: SHOGO YAMAGISHI - Bass / CAYLIE DAVIS - Trumpet / CHRIS FERRARI - Woodwinds / J.J. MAZZA - Drums
8:30: CHAD FOWLER - Reeds / JIM CLOUSE - Tenor & Soprano Saxes / KEVIN RAY - Bass / PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums
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THIS WEEK’S SONIC TREASURES Begin with:
ELLIOTT SHARP with ANTHONY COLEMAN / NATE WOOLEY / JUDITH INSELL / SHAYNA DULBERGER / DON McKENZIE / TERRY L. GREENE II / HAO JIANG / SARA SALOMON - Hudson River Compositions 1973-74 (zOaR ZCD 175; USA) "The Hudson River Compositions were generated in 1973-74 when I was living in Germantown, NY overlooking the river. Summer evenings were often spent on the back porch watching the myriad fireflies with the expectation that at any second, they would spell out words, cohere into pictures or even form music notation. Walking along the Hudson, I could find secluded places to practice soprano sax and derive inspiration from watching the flow. Sunrise on the river (witnessed from either end of the day) might reveal thousands of birds taking off simultaneously, the air so thick that foreground and background were reversed, a living Escher drawing, the sound symphonic and granulated. Appropriate found images were later superimposed on music manuscripts. These graphics combined with a number of conceptual instruction sets comprised the score. This recording is a collage of overdub sessions, some with synchronized listening, some autonomous, an attempt to manifest the sound I was hearing in my Inner Ear at the time of the conception of these compositions.” - E#, NYC, 2024
The personnel features E# on clarinets, saxes, mandolin, electric & baritone guitars & electronics, Nate Wooley on trumpet, Terry L. Greene II on trombone, Sara Salomon on violin, Judith Insell on viola, Hao Jiang on cello, Anthony Coleman on piano, Shayna Dulberger on bass and Don McKenzie on drums. Legendary Downtown composer & multi-instrumentalist Elliott Sharp has continued to work with music/compositions from his long past and present by keeping his eye and ear on the future. Mr. Sharp is a true post-modernist and constantly reinvents himself by playing and combining music from a variety of cultures, genres and eras, making it nearly impossible to pigeonhole him in any one box or barrier. Although the music on this disc was composed 50 years ago and recorded in July-October of this year (2024), it would be difficult to tell exactly when or where it is coming from. Sharp has organized a 9 piece ensemble with Downtowners we all should know like Anthony Coleman, Nate Wooley and Don McKenzie. Things begin with “Fireflies” which has a sparse, focused chamber-like small ensemble sound. Mr. Sharp’s distinctive fractured guitar playing is the one of the things that gives this music a Sharp-like quality. The music has a restless, oft intense quality, which comes in bursts of energy. Over time we hear a series of drones, some of which are stretched out as the ensemble expands, contacts and is reassembled in different combinations. The music starts to flow organically on “River”, the somewhat bent harmonies are invigorating like jumping into a cool body of water. It feels as if the music is stretching out time as we submerge. “Hermiola” sounds oddly funky yet is still fractured. The pieces that follow this erupt with throttling intensity and then settle into a series of connected fragments. The music has several layers which are moving at different tempos yet sounds connected to one inner voice or sound. This music reminds me of our lives at present, exciting, confusing, intense and not quite easy to comprehend at times. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
GREGG BELISLE-CHI with SAM DECKER / NOAH GARABEDIAN / JEFF DAVIS - Hum (AGS Recordings; USA) Featuring Gregg Belisle-Chi on guitar & compositions, Sam Decker on tenor sax, Noah Garabedian on contrabass and Jeff Davis on drums. Canadian born guitarist moved to NYC almost a decade ago and recorded an album of Tim Berne’s music, as well as recording two duo efforts with Mr. Berne. For this disc, Mr. Belisle-Chi has organized a fine quartet with former-Chicago saxist Sam Decker, bassist Noah Garabedian (worked with Anna Webber, Kenny Warren & Dayna Stephens) and drum wiz Jeff Davis (one of Downtown’s best). Once someone works with Tim Berne for a while, their rhythmic approach to compositions has been skewered. “Dead Flies” has an odd repeating line which is played tightly by the guitar & sax, keeping the rhythm team on their toes since it keeps changing as it evolves. Mr. Belisle-Chi takes a long, inventive guitar solo, using some subtle sustain to give the quartet a somewhat darker sound. “Beatu” has a dark, somewhat eerie sound, the guitar (which reminds me of Marc Ducret, another Tim Berne collaborator) sets the tone for a more solemn, quietly spooky vibe. “Sun Cut Flat”, has another dark undertow and an impressive, expressive guitar solo, rather like 70’s jazz/rock but slowed down to a less neurotic level. On “Habit”, Belisle-Chi composed a twisted line for the guitar & sax to pay together, with Mr. Decker playing a thoughtful tenor solo midway to balance out the darker undertow vibes. It sounds like Mr. Belisle-Chi has spent a good deal of time composing each piece since there seems to be some interesting and odd arrangements which deal with more thoughtful construction and at a slowed down pace. One of the main highlights is the way the guitar and sax play certain themes tightly together and then have to play around one another in ways that are connected yet not that obviously so. One one gets use to the more laid back pace, they will notice that there is more going on below the surface, providing a series of more cerebral vibes or feelings. There is a mood which seems to emanate here, an uneasy feeling which many of us are also feeling due to the outcome of the current election. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
ANDREAS GROSSI BLEND 3 plus JIM BLACK - Axes (We Insist! Wein29; Italy) Featuring Manuel Caliumi on alto sax & bass clarinet, Michele Bonifati on electric guitar, Adrea Grossi on contra & electric basses, B-flat clarinet, Albanian lahuta & compositions and Jim Black on percussion. I hadn’t heard of Italian bassist, Andreas Grossi before he showed at to attend at DMG the other night (11/26/24). It turns out that Mr. Grossi has already recorded on more than two dozen discs, mostly with Italian musicians whose names I don’t recognize yet. Grossi has recorded with a few elders like Achille Succi, Daniele Cavallanti & Tiziano Tononi for a recent Eric Dolphy tribute disc. The other two Italian members of this quartet, Manuel Caliumi & Michele Bonafati are again names I don’t recognize, although both can be found on a few recent Italian discs. Former Downtown drummer, Jim Black, has been living in Europe for a while now and has been recording with Peter Evans & Natsuki Tamura, as well as running his own band called the Shrimps.
Andreas Grossi’s Blend 3 were initially an Italian modern jazz trio with no drummer and a disc released in 2019. Since that disc was released, Mr. Grossi decided to challenge himself by adding former Downtown drummer Jim Black to the trio and composing new music for his new quartet. The first piece here is called “Axes” and it is a four part suite. Each part of the suite deals with exploring rhythm, timbre and counterpoint. “Game” has several rhythmic lines which overlap and are connected with the guitar led trio playing one line while the sax intersperses a series of fractured lines. The second part has a series of bent drones in several layers, the overall vibe is somewhat disorienting, yet hypnotic as well. Part 3 has the quartet playing in circular lines which has an M-Base-like groove. In the liner notes, it says that the piece “Dark Room” was conceived as a protest against fascism and was inspired by the composer Olivier Messiaen. This piece is solemn and dream-like with some exquisite clarinet. Although this piece is sparse in nature, it does evoke a contemplative vibe. “Bad Axes” has an odd looping line which slowly morphs into something else. The piece includes a short, distinctive, expressive drum solo from Jim Black, who has his own rhythmic style. Mr. Black’s solo continues into the next piece & last piece, “Pedinte/Bad Axes (Reprise)”. The bowed bass and skeletal guitar play some eerie harmonies here, with Black adding some fractured rhythmics of his own. This is my second listen to this disc and what I noticed is this: there is more going on here on a subtle level than one might think. This piece ends with another M-Base like groove, which leaves us with a good taste of things to come from these Creative Music Spirits. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD Sale $16 [5 copies only, otherwise $22 when we order from our distributor]
SIX AMAZING NEWER DISCS FROM the LTD ED BRITISH PROGRESSIVE JAZZ LABEL:
ELTON DEAN QUARTET with KEITH TIPPETT / HARRY MILLER / LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO - Seven for Lee Variations (British Progressive Jazz BJP 021CD; UK) Featuring Elton Dean on alto sax & saxello, Keith Tippett on piano, Harry Miller on contrabass and Louis Moholo-Moholo on drums. Recorded live in February of 1979 at Teatro Cristallo in Milan, Italy. This is the second unreleased quartet date led by Elton Dean to come out on the great British Progressive Jazz label, the first one was in 2022. This is a truly amazing all-star cast: Elton Dean (from Soft Machine 1970-1972), Keith Tippett (KT Group, Centipede & Ovary Lodge), Harry Miller (Brotherhood of Breath & ever in-demand South African bassist) and Louis Moholo-Moholo (founding father of the Blue Notes, Brotherhood of Breath & Dedication Orchestra). There are two long pieces on this disc. The first piece is called, “Oasis (Version 2)” and it begins with cosmic bowed bass, searing saxello, titanic waves of piano and Moholo’s rambunctious drumming. There is a vast, swirling vibe going on here, powerful and intense like the brutal waves in a hurricane. Elton Dean and Keith Tippett have been playing together for a decade at this point with Mr. Tippett’s first album being released in 1969, plus Tippett was also a member of Elton Dean’s Ninesense, whose two albums from 1976 & 1977 still sound incredible today so many years later. Harry Miller and Louis Moholo were also the rhythm team in Ninesense so this quartet is an offshoot of Ninesense (3 live recordings as well). The quartet bristles with intensity and inventiveness throughout. The second piece is called “Seven for Lee Variations” and Mr. Dean begins on saxello, sailing and soaring with the rest of the quartet all moving in the rapids together. Harry Miller takes an incredible bass solo as the piano and drums match his frenzied playing tightly. Things actually calm down for a stretch midway until Tippett starts to solo in his own distinctive way telegraphing have secret code which keeps expanding and reaching for the next level. The quartet break into a new theme with Elton Dean playing his alto sax, his own completely his own. Both the piano and bass play the melody together with Dean sailing over the top. This long piece has several sections which flow into one another. This is a mighty quartet and sadly the only remaining member is drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo. Essential for all Canterbury, UK prog and out/jazz/rock at its best. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
THE KEITH TIPPETT GROUP with ELTON DEAN / MARC CHARIG / NICK EVANS / JEFF CLYNE / ROY BABBINGTON / TREVOR TOMKINS / BRYAN SPRING - How Long This Time? (British Progressive Jazz BJP 007STC; UK) This disc consists of two live in the studio sessions from January & April of 1970. The personnel features Keith Tippett on piano, Elton Dean on alto sax & saxello, Marc Charig on cornet, Nick Evans on trombone, Jeff Clyne or Roy Babbington on basses and Trevor Tomkins or Bryan Spring on drums. 1970 was for me & many others, the best year for British Progressive Jazz due to the releases of Soft Machine’s ‘Third’, The Trio (John Surman, Barre Phillips & Stu Martin) 2 LP set on Vogue, the Keith Tippett Group’s ‘Dedicated to You But You Weren’t Listening’ plus King Crimson’s ‘In the Wake of Poseidon’, Caravan’s ‘If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You’ and Manfred Chapter Three’s ‘Part 2’. My favorite is the Keith Tippett Group record, which I bought when I was going to school in London for one semester in 1975 & 1976. This music was released on LP and on CD a few years back, both limited editions and both sold out quickly. This disc contains songs from the first (‘You Are Here, I am There’, 1969) and second Keith Tippett Group albums. The versions here were recorded live in a studio for radio broadcasts and never released officially until 2022. All of the pieces here are extraordinary, the best of British Progressive Jazz! Do not miss the chance to acquire and hear this music since the CD will most likely sell out again. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
GRAHAM COLLIER MUSIC with HARRY BECKETT / ALAN WAKEMAN / ART THEMEN / BOB SYDOR / DEREK WADSWORTH / GEOFF CASTLE / JOHN WEBB / JOHN CARBERRY - Smoke-Blackened Walls & Curlews (British Progressive Jazz BJP 020STC; UK) Featuring Alan Wakeman, Bob Sydor & Art Themen on saxes, Harry Beckett on trumpet & flugelhorn, Geoff castle on piano, Graham Collier on contrabass & compositions, John Webb on drums and John Carberry - narration on two tracks. Recorded in London in August of 1970 & July of 1971. I still feel fortunate to have become friends with British bassist & composer Graham Collier while he was alive. In the late 1970’s, my roommate at the time, Mike Rice, had a job as a gopher for a publishing company while I was working for the Record Hunter, a large record store at 42nd & 5th Aves. Mike told that a British jazz composer named Graham Collier was coming to NY, to sign some papers since he was using the words from Malcolm Lowery’s novel ‘Under the Volcano’ for an album that Collier was working on called, ‘Day of the Dead’. The publisher asked that Mike & myself take Mr. Collier out for dinner on their tab. We were only too pleased to do this and it turned out that Mr. Collier was a charming guy. Mr. Collier had his own label and asked if could deliver five of his albums to certain NYC jazz journalists (like Chris Albertson). I ended up with a copy of each of these LP’s and became a big Graham Collier fan ever since. In the mid-1990’s I ended up reviewing a bunch of Graham Colliers releases when they were reissued. I got a phone call from Mr. Collier, who I hadn’t heard from in more than a decade, thanking me for my astute reviews. Mr. Collier made around 20 albums during his lifetime, each one a gem and many with cream of the British modern jazz scene. Two labels have reissued most of his earlier catalogue, Disconforme & BGO, although all of those reissues are long out of print. Collier’s final work, ‘Relook: A Memorial 75th Birthday Celebration” was released in 2012, a year after he passed away. Last year, ‘Down Another Road @ Stockholm Jazz Days '69’ was released and now comes this, another fine unreleased gem, from 1970.
Graham Collier has had different sized ensembles to play his music throughout his time in England, and then did several workshops with different college ensembles when he left the UK. Mr. Collier organized a sextet for these two sessions with a couple of guest horn players on two pieces. A number of the more popular jazz musicians chose to work with Collier on many of his albums, due to the challenge of playing his rich, complex music. No doubt you recognize some of the names here: Harry Beckett, Art Themen and Geoff Castle (who went on to work in Nucleus). The music for this release was commissioned by the British Arts council to illustrate the Yorkshire countryside, as well as the industrial cities of West Riding. There is also a narrator who reads from poems by Ted Hughes, J.B. Priestley and Edward Carpenter. This disc begins with “The Good Companion” in which the narrator describes the great outdoors of a certain location in England. The music is thoughtful, chamber/jazz, lush, rich in details and with wonderful, warm playing from the entire unit. The words often describe the way the land has changed due to industrialization and what man has lost in the process. It is Collier’s composing and arranging that truly stands out here, giving his horn players a series of circular vignettes to play with strong harmonies which unite the flow and stir emotions in the listeners. For those of you who are concerned about the use of the narrator, his part is kept minimally while each spoken describes something which is well orchestrated by the rest of the instrumentation. On “Old Established Bradford Mill Owners”, the narration speeds up and can barely he has heard, yet the neurotic sensation of being rushed through life seems to be at the center of the music here. The final piece has no narration and is of epic length (26 minutes) and it is a tour-de-force. It starts with three free saxes, trombone & trumpet, a great intro, quite intense yet completely focused, servicing for what comes next. I love the way Mr. Collier balances the freer subsections with the compelling written parts. There a number of superb solos here: Harry Beckett and one of the tenor players. The writing, arranging and playing is consistently fascinating. Listening to this disc is like discovering a long lost treasure from more than a half century ago. Outstanding all the way around. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
ARTCHIPEL ORCHESTRA with JONATHAN COE / GIUSEPPI GALLUCCI / ANDREA CICERI / ALBERTO ZAPPALA/ et al - Suspended Moment (British Progressive Jazz BJP 195 STC; UK) The Artchipel Orchestra hail from Italy and are led by Ferdinando Farao. They’ve been around since 2012 and have six discs out so far. What makes them special is this: they are big Canterbury fans (like yours truly & numerous DMG customers) and have recorded tributes to Phil Miller (guitarist from Hatfield & the North, National Health & in Cahoots), Soft Machine and Lindsay Cooper (late bassoonist for Henry Cow & with guest drummer Chris Cutler). The Artchipel Orchestra is an 18 piece ensemble whose soul embraces the spirit of the Canterbury Scene. For this, the orchestra is joined by a friend and fan named Jonathan Coe on keyboards with Mr. Coe composing all of the music. After hearing the Artchipel Orchestra’s tributes to Phil Miller and Soft Machine, I was eager to hear this new one.
This music here has that whimsical quality that we love in most Canterbury music. There is also three female vocalists, something that was featured on Hatfield & the North albums (known as the Northettes). Jonathan Coe, who is also known as a novelist, plays electric piano on “Suspended Moment”, his playing laid back and quite lovely, giving this piece a Hatfield-like sound. The arrangements are also splendid, quirky and filled with all sorts of odd twists, turns and unique instrumentation. Although there are few solos here, the music still has that enchanting (Canterbury) magic. “Erbalunga” starts with flute & a melodica before the rest of the orchestra enters. The music here is stripped down and includes a sea swirling horn, spirited flute and trombone solos. What made Canterbury music special was that while fusion and/or prog became more commercial in the mid-seventies, Canterbury music often featured lots of buried melodies and charming detours. This music is also filled with similar, unexpectedly enchanting sections. I was recently listening to “Golf Girl” by Caravan (from ‘In the Land of Grey & Pink’) and I realized how much much I loved the trombone solo, which has a most joyous, infectious quality. There are quite a bit of similar enchanting moments found throughout this charming disc. Since most of the original Canterbury musicians have passed away or retired from music (like Robert Wyatt & Mike Ratledge), those of us who have long treasured this music are missing what we used to love and perhaps take for granted. This disc is like a long treasure so don’t miss out. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
JOHN STEVENS SEVEN / JOHN SURMAN SEXTET / TONY COE, KENNY WHEELER & CO. / GRAHAM COLLIER MUSIC / DON RENDELL/BARBARA THOMPSON / JOHNNY DANKWORTH BIG BAND / PAT SMYTHE QUARTET / BRIAN MILLER BAND - This is British Progressive Jazz (British Progressive Jazz BJP 025 STC; UK) Holy sh*t! This is just incredible! Although most music compilations do not sell very well, this one is essential! I’ve been a longtime Anglophile, ever since the Beatles, the Stones and the Animals started having hits and tour here in 1964. The British Invasion, all sorts of British rock & folk rock, UK psych, British blues rock, prog rock, jazz/rock, Canterbury, hundreds of bands, songwriters, arrangers and producedrs, both well known and sadly little known. Starting with Soft Machine, Nucleus and If, I became a fan of tons of British/UK avant or progressive jazz. I’ve done quite a bit of searching to discover the wealth of Creative Music that England has produced. Musicians like Tubby Hayes, Joe Harriott, Don Rendell & Ronnie Scott, bands like Company, Spontaneous Music Ensemble and composers: Graham Collier, Mike Gibbs, Mike Westbrook, Michael Garrick and Neil Ardley, these are my heroes. Each of the nine tracks here are from the late 1960’s and 1970’s, none have been available until now. The incredible British Progressive Jazz label has done a wonderful job of compiling these gems. This disc clocks in at around 73 minutes and it is awe-inspiring from the beginning until the end. This is essential listening progressive listeners everywhere! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
DEMOLISHED MEN with ANTHONY GAYLARD / DOM WALDOOK / MARO REED / MATT BRIEN / ROB NEWTON / MATT PARKER - In a Violent Way (British Progressive Jazz BJP 001 STC; UK) Featuring Anthony Gaylard on tenor sax, Dom Waldock on keyboards, Andy Cannell & Maro Reed on guitars, Matt Brien on bass, Rob Newton on percussion and Matt Parker on drums, composing & producing. There seems to be quite a number of British jazz groups and musicians who have been garnering recognition and praise over the past decade. Aside from legendary out/jazz elders like Graham Collier, Elton Dean & Pat Smythe, there is an ever-evolving scene of Creative Musicians from the UK emerging. I hadn’t heard of any of the musicians of Demolished Men previously although a couple of them had worked in a group called the Stone Foundation. “World on a Wire” kicks things off with a cool, sly electric jazz/rock sound. The music here creates a series of moods, each one feels good to hear. “A Day in the Afterlife” has a sort of bossa nova-like groove and lovely, laid back melody/vibe. “Alpha 60” has another memorable melodic theme yet features an excellent, expressive drums solo midway and then back to that great groove/vibe. Is this music somewhat cheesy, not really but it is rather catchy at times. I get the feeling that live, Demolished Men would be pushing these songs into more expressive areas with some fine solos to pepper things spice-wise. If this music was a bit darker, I would probably like it even more than I do. It seems as if this band were aiming at getting some radio play and they would go down well on WBGO-FM, the 24 hour jazz station in this area. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
FRANCESCO SERRA - Personal (I Dischi Di Angelica 057; Italy) Francesco Serra (Cagliari, 1980) is a self-taught guitarist living and working in Bologna. His research focuses on identifying performance practices aimed at extending the timbre qualities of the guitar and emphasizing the evocative potential of sound. Throughout his musical journey, particularly in the three albums released between 2008 and 2019 under his solo project Trees of Mint (Micro Meadow, Trees of Mint, and NW, released by Here I Stay and Trovarobato Parade), he has progressively deconstructed the song form through sound experimentation, making the physical phenomenon of sound and its interactions with the performance space the focus of his exploration. His previous album, Guest Room (i dischi di angelica, 2022), born of a residency project promoted by AngelicA/Centro di Ricerca Musicale, was actually structured as a form of dialogue between the signals generated by the minimal electro acoustic setup prepared by the musician (electric guitar, two amplifiers, three snare drums, and loop machine) and the physical and emotional responses of the unique sound architecture of Teatro San Leonardo (a former three-nave church) that hosted him for a month during the pandemic. Personal, his new release for the Angelica label, continues the musician's "reductionist" and abstract approach with an even greater essential rigor. Here the initial setup is acoustic: a sound flow beginning with sparse, exploratory phrases of acoustic guitar that, after a temporary completeness found in movement three, starts falling apart in the encounter with the resonances of a drum snare in movement four, eventually dissolving into a completely different "soundscape" (Sardinia, Serra's birthplace): a long field recording of distant night echoes, on which the guitar returns only at the end, now extended in the drone of the e-bow.
CD $22
ANTONIO DELLA MARINA - Sanje (I Dischi Di Angelica 058; Italy) Antonio Della Marina is an electronic music artist and composer who has been working for over twenty years almost exclusively with sine waves, focusing his research on the exploration of the physical properties of sound and on tuning systems derived from the laws of natural harmonics. Active in a liminal space between music and visual arts, his compositions are conceived as actual sound sculptures, for which he uses mathematical abstractions and self-built generators. For several years he has been collaborating with Alessandra Zucchi, an architect and multimedia artist who predominantly works on the physical and psychological perception of space. Drawing inspiration both from La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela's Dream House, as much as from visual artists and designers such as James Turrell, Dan Flavin, Verner Panton, and other visionaries, Della Marina and Zucchi favor the creation of spaces where the audience can enter to listen and experience a journey through sound in an all-embracing environment. Their work has been showcased in galleries and at international festivals (Electro Media Works in Athens, Logos Foundation in Gand, Experimental Intermedia in New York, etc.) and from 2011 they manage Spazioersetti in Udine, Italy, a gallery/workshop permanently hosting one of their sound and light installations. Given the hybrid and expansive nature of his production, recording media have rarely been explored by Della Marina, who in fact had only one album published under his own name so far: Fades, released by i dischi di angelica in 2006, two years after his eponymous concert hosted by AngelicA Festival. This new CD Sanje also originates from a multimedia performance: "nella notte, al cinema: The Dream" was a midnight concert for sounds and video projections by Alessandra Zucchi, which took place in July 2021 at Stazione di Topolò/Postaja Topolove, a small festival which ran for a few years in a tiny village of 20 inhabitants on the Italian-Slovenian border of Benecija.
CD $22
LP SECTION:
MILES DAVIS QUINTET with GEORGE COLEMAN / HERBIE HANCOCK / RON CARTER / TONY WILLIAMS - Live At The 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival (Destination Moon DMOO 081LP; Italy) Clear color vinyl. Recorded September 20, 1963, at the Monterey Jazz Festival, this set featured Miles Davis's new quintet, with George Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams. This group, minus Coleman and with the addition of Wayne Shorter, would soon go on to make some of the most highly regarded jazz LPs of all time. This smoking set features a wonderful rendition of "So What," among others. Essential live jazz classic.
LP $22
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - The Velvet Underground ("The Closet Mix”)(VUAS SE 4617X-LP; POLAND) "The album was produced by the band themselves, and issued in two different stereo mixes. The more widely distributed mix is the one done by MGM/Verve staff engineer Val Valentin. The other mix was done by Lou Reed, boosting his vocals and guitar solos, while reducing the level of other instruments. This version was dubbed the 'Closet Mix' by Sterling Morrison, because it sounded to him as if it had been recorded in a closet. The most dramatic difference is that the two versions use entirely different performances of 'Some Kinda Love', both taken from the same recording sessions."
LP $30
THE STOOGES - Keep Me Safe, Keep Me Sane: Rare Tracks 1972 (Orange Vinyl)(Dear Boss Jack 044CV-LP; Italy) Limited restock; orange color vinyl version. The Stooges were a no brakes act who careered inexorably towards annihilation. They finally hit the wall in 1974, after the most horrible blow out imaginable at the Michigan Palace, where Iggy practically begged to be crucified by an angry mob.
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 is closed this week
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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ROULETTE has been and remains the best place to experience experimental music and arts since 1978. I’ve attended concerts at Roulette since it began in Tribeca and I still go as often as I can. Founder Jim Staley stepped down earlier this year and a new music director named Matt Mehlan has taken his place. Here is the most of the September calendar below, it looks most impressive…
Wednesday, December 4, 2024. 8:00 pm
Wadada Leo Smith and Amina Claudine Myers: Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens; Two legends perform a reflective, meditative, and sonic odyssey concerning nature.
Friday, December 6, 2024. 8:00 pm
Fred Frith Solo
New, solo work for the guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser's 75th birthday celebration.
Saturday, December 7, 2024. 8:00 pm
Normal Give or Take with Fred Frith, Sudhu Tewari and Lotte Anker
Part two of the guitarist's 75th birthday celebration: a trio with long-time collaborators and friends from very different worlds.
Roulette is located at:
509 Atlantic Avenue (Corner of Third Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Telephone: (917) 267-0363
Web: https://roulette.org
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6p_Q2Dwxc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWJ20KEHAdQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuKk7GFtGls
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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 (#37) was released earlier this year, here are the links:
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-37
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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