Here comes The blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied
To the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad
They're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady And I look out tonight
From Desolation Row
Cinderella She seems so easy
"It takes one to know one"
She smiles
And puts her hands In her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo
He's moaning
"You Belong to Me I Believe"
And someone says
"You're in the wrong place My friend
You better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortunetelling lady
Has even taken
All her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan
He's dressing
He's getting ready
For the show
He's going
To the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row
Now Ophelia
She's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid
To her death
Is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes
Are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row
Einstein
Disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend
A jealous monk
He looked
So immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off
Sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
Now you
Would not think
To look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing
The electric violin
On Desolation Row
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They're trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge
Of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps
The cards that read
"Have Mercy on His Soul"
They all play
On penny whistles
You can hear them blow
If you lean
Your head out far enough
From Desolation Row
Across the street
They've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready
For the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
A perfect image of a priest
They're spoon feeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him
With self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the Phantom's
Shouting to skinny girls
"Get Outta Here
If You Don't Know
Casanova is just being
Punished for going
To Desolation Row"
Now at midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see
That nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
And everybody's shouting
"Which Side Are You On?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
(About the time the door knob broke)
When you asked how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row
Bob Dylan has long been one of my heroes. He is perhaps the greatest song lyricist and one of the best (and most covered) songwriters of the 20th and 21st centuries. I recall learning the words to "Blowin' in the Wind" to sing at a campfire for summer camp when I was around 9 years old (1963). It was the first song that I remember whose words spoke directly to me and made me realize that a song could change my view of life, my view of equal justice for all. I remember hearing "Like a Rolling Stone" on AM radio and marveling at the snarling attitude in the song, unlike most love songs on the AM top 40. It was Dylan's first greatest hits album that really blew my mind and made me realize that he is one of the best of all American songwriters. Some of his early, longer songs like "Maggie's Farm", "It's Alright, Ma" or the above song, create a fictional, yet real sounding world of their own. The characters sound familiar like the people we meet in different walks of life whose conversations and actions make us consider our(s) and the world's predicament. Mr. Dylan has a way of playing with the myths that we are guided by and turning them into a song that we can sing along to, think about or ignore at our own risk. In the week after Hurricane Sandy hit, I lost power, stayed at home for most of the week, trying to find some way to entertain myself. I read through much of my large Bob Dylan lyric book by candlelight, singing to myself, thinking about the words to his songs and often I would laugh out loud about the absurdity of life and Dylan's thoughtful, mystifying words. My old partner, Manny/Lunch sent me this giant Bob Dylan book called 'Mixing Up the Medicine' for my birthday in June. It was the best present I've gotten in recent memory. Thanks Manny and special thanks to Bob "You can call me Zimmy" Dylan. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
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THE DMG 34th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT CELEBRATION CONTINUES with:
Tuesday, July 1st:
6:30: AMANDA MONACO - Guitar / RAS MOSHE - Tenor Sax-Flute
7:30: HAMIR ATWAL - Drums / CHRIS VAN HOORST - Bass / KYLE NASSER - Tenor Sax
8:30: FLIP CITY: DAVID AARON - Sax / NICK PANOUTSOS - Contrabass / DAVID GOULD - Drums & Toys
9:30: BEN GOLDBERG - Clarinet / MICHAEL COLEMAN - Synth / LUKE BERGMAN - Pedal Steel / MAIR ATWAL - Drums
Tuesday, July 8th:
6:30: NICK NEUBERG - Drums / BRITTANY KARLSON - ContraBass
7:30: CHUCK ROTH / WEBB CRAWFORD - Guitar Duo
8:30: NOA FORT - Voice / MARTY EHRLICH - Alto Sax / SEAN CONLY - Contrabass
Tuesday, July 15th:
6:30: SABRINA SALAMONE - Violin / ROCIO SANCHEZ - Bass / NICK NEUBERG - Drums
7:30: TY CITERMAN - Guitar / JEN BAKER - Trombone / DAFNA NAPHTALI - Electronics
8:30: SYLVAIN LEROUX - Fula Flute - alto sax / HILL GREENE - Contrabass / DAN KURFIRST - Drums
9:30: MARK DATERMAN - Guitar / JAIR-ROHM PARKER WELLS - ContraBass / JOE HURTIN - Drums
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New Things This Week Begin with a Great Big Book on Bob Dylan:
BOB DYLAN // MARK DAVIDSON / PARKER FISHEL / AUSTIN SHORT / et al - Mixing Up the Medicine (Callaway; New York 2023) 610 page book; This is the Big Bob Dylan book, released in 2023 in a hardcover edition with 610 pages! Filled with dozens of must-read articles by many of my & your favorite writers: Sean Wilentz, Greil Marcus, Clinton Heylin, Alex Ross, Greg Tate, Alan Licht, Lee Ranaldo, Richard Hell, Lucy Sante, John Doe, Raymond Foye, Larry Sloman and many more. There are hundreds of great photos of Bob, the places he lived and traveled to. The many photographers include masters like: William Claxton, Barry Feinstein, Daniel Kramer, John Cohen, Elliott Landy, Ebet Roberts… What I really like is that this covers just about everything about Dylan’s long music/personal journey. Loads of reminiscing from old friends and quick acquaintances capturing many special moments along the way. There are a number of crazy collectors (like you & me, most likely) that get a chance to explain their collecting obsessions. And it is in mostly chronological order aside from some pics from different points in his career other than the page they are placed on. This idea shows a certain continuity to Mr. Dylan who has reinvented himself many, many times. I just read a few pages at a time and think about the Dylan episode or song of that moment. Aside from the Dead, I have also been listening to Dylans albums (LP’s & CD’s) in chrono order and savoring certain songs, reading the words in my large Dylan lyric book and thinking about the meaning within each one. It will take a long time to fully appreciate the vast catalogue of songs, lyrics and melodies, from this great 20th/21st century icon. This book helps to set some things straight and give us much to think about. The book was done in cahoots with the Bob Dylan museum which is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A must-have for Bob Dylan fans everywhere. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
Big Hardcover Book - 610 pages / weight = 5 & 1/2 lbs - $60 [LTD Ed, list price: $100]
EUGENE CHADBOURNE & JAIR-ROHM PARKER WELLS - Fed Up with the Bass (Public Eyesore PECD 163; USA) Featuring Eugene Chadbourne on acoustic & electric guitars & effects and Jair-Rohm Parker Wells on acoustic & electric basses, synth & processing with special guest John Sinclair - poetry on one track.. I am always pleased to find out when musicians from different scenes meet up and improvise together, both live and on-line. I've known of and been friendly with early Downtown iconic guitarist since late 1979 when I first heard him in a duo with Fred Frith at Studio Henry. I wasn't sure what to make of him at first but soon realized that he and his then partner John Zorn were inventing new ways to improvise with extended techniques and composing in their own way. I first met & heard bassist Jair-Rohm Parker Wells when he was a member of a NJ band called Machine Gun, a hardcore jazz/rock/noise improv quintet that met while attending Rutgers Jazz College in New Brunswick, NJ.
During the pandemic (in 2020), while most of us had to stay indoors, Mr. Chadbourne started an online series called 'The Book of Heads', named after a set of solo guitar pieces that John Zorn had written for Mr. Chadbourne in the early Downtown days (late 70's thru the early 1980's). Chadbourne sent out via email one solo guitar piece each day to anyone who subscribed to his series. Chadbourne asked his subscribers to use any of his solos to work with in whatever way they chose. A number of musicians did play along with Doc Chad's solo but none did this at length like Mr. Parker Wells, who recorded and sent back some 32 duos, all of which are collected here on 2 CD set. Many of these pieces are named after whatever musicians or other ideas (films) that inspired Doc Chad at the time: Karl Berger, Beethoven, Joe McPhee, Joseph Spence, Andrea Centazzo and Thelonious Monk. One of the things that I've long dug about Doc Chadbourne, is that he is/was influenced by all sorts of music: jazz, rock, classical, country, bluegrass, folk, soundtrack, progressive, punk & comedy music. Since both Chad and Parker Well use a variety of effects, it is hard to tell who is doing what at times outside of the more obvious guitar and bass sounds. "!3th Party at Horror Beach" features slow moving acoustic guitar with waves of eerie electronic sounds and/or samples. The music has a rather cinematic quality, perfect for a sci-fi soundtrack. I often recognize certain lines that Doc Chad is playing as Parker Wells adds odd spooky effects. Most of the pieces here are continuous, flowing from one theme or stream to the next. Parker Wells does a great job of keeping his playing & ideas flowing just as Chad also keeps changing his style, acoustic or electric guitar, effects or not. Is that the bass line from "My Girl" on "Birthday Card for Joe McPhee"? No Matter since it soon changes into something else with PW's bowing, shadowing Chad's changes in direction and solo(s). Although all or most of the pieces flow here piece to piece, Jair-Rohm often changes his playing or reacts to Chad's guitar differently on each piece. There is an ongoing dialogue going on here which is always evolving on each piece. The first disc is 74 minutes long so it took some time to adjust to the way things unfold. I felt like I was in a film where the soundtrack kept slowly changing in each scene. Most impressive as long as your patient. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $14
GHOST TRAIN ORCHESTRA / KRONOS QUARTET with RUFUS WAINWRIGHT / PETRA HADEN / JARVIS CROCKER / KAREN MANTLER / JOAN (AS POLICEWOMAN) WASSER / AOIFE O'DONAVON / et al - Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog (Cantaloupe CA 21192; USA) On "Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog," Ghost Train Orchestra teams up with the trailblazing Kronos Quartet to celebrate and reimagine the music of Louis Hardin, aka Moondog, the ground-breaking composer and poet who lived on the streets of New York City in the 50s and 60s, and influenced the minimalists Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Terry Riley. A blind composer who moved from Kansas to New York City and built his own instruments and mythology, Moondog's story and music continue to be an inspiration to many.
Along with guests Sam Amidon, Jarvis Cocker, Petra Haden, Karen Mantler, Marissa Nadler, Aoife O'Donovan, Rufus Wainwright and Joan Wasser, the two groups explore Moondog's sense of whimsy, wonder and adventure through a cross-section of songs and instrumentals for large ensemble, string ensemble, percussion and voice.
The personnel of the Ghost Train Orchestra changes from record to record, hence the personnel here includes Downtown greats: Colin Stetson, Andy Laster & Matt Bauder on reeds, Brandon Seabrook on guitar, Sara Schoenbeck on bassoon, Chris Lightcap on bass and Rob Garcia on drums.
The vinyl and CD packages include an essay by biographer Robert Scotto, Moondog's song lyrics, extensive in-studio photographs by Dan Efram, and an interview with Kronos Quartet founder David Harrington and Ghost Train Orchestra founder Brian Carpenter, mediated by music historian Irwin Chusid. Dedicated to the memory of Hal Willner
CD $18 [In stock next week]
2 LP Set $45 [Includes impressive 18 page 12"x12" booklet]
JOHN LUTHER ADAMS // SOUTH DAKOTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - an atlas of deep time (Cantaloupe CA21199; USA) Pulitzer-winning composer, John Luther Adams, often looks to the history of Mother Earth as inspiration for his music. This piece "the piece taps into an ancient resonance that seems to hover imposingly, but benevolently, over our own existence — itself a blip in geological time. You can sit for a long time with the history of man like a stone in your hand,” said the late author Barry Lopez, a lifelong friend to Adams. These words serve as the written invocation to a work that beautifully captures the sense of majesty, mystery and vulnerability that we, and the natural world, hold within us." - Cantaloupe, bandcamp
This piece is scored for a large orchestra (nearly 80 musicians!?!), with six instrumental choirs surrounding the listener, with six simultaneous layers of tempos. The sound of this large orchestra is vast, sounding larger than (my/our) lives. Several swirling layers are moving around one another in waves. The sound shimmers, simmers, drones, expanding and contracting and feels like we are standing inside of a whirlwind, the gravity is barely holding us to the ground as the music allows us to float above the earth. The percussion and the rest of the orchestra are in balance like the earth versus the spirits floating above. Although it is way too hot out there today (6/25/25, nearly 100 degrees), I opened the shades to my kitchen window for the sun to come in and watch the skies, looking up to the heavens since this music seems to be about all of our lives within and above us. The music seems like or feels like it has a presence of its own, like it is breathing and expanding as it evolves. The drums or timpani's have a ritualistic sound which speeds up at times. The music here unfolds slowly and pulsates similar to the way our blood pulses through our veins. About half way through, the clouds open up and a ray of sunshine brightens up the sky or window to the world. What I truly like about this piece and most of John Luther Adams other works is that while listening, they give us a chance to view a larger picture of life from above and stop dwelling on our own troubled lives. Thanks John. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
WHEELHOUSE with DAVE REMPIS / JASON ADASIEWICZ / NATE McBRIDE - House and Home (Aerophonic AR046; USA) Featuring Dave Rempis on soprano, alto, tenor & baritone saxes, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes and Mate McBride on bass. Recorded in June of 2024 at Constellation in Chicago (June 1st) and at The Sugar Maple in Milwaukie, WI (June 2nd). Wheelhouse are just one of the several different bands that Dave Rempis leads and this is their third release. Jason Adasiewicz has become one of the best and most adventurous vibes players around over the past decade, working with Peter Brotzmann, Ken Vandermark, Nicole Mitchell, Rob Mazurek and lots of other Chicago-based greats. Check out Mr. Adasiewicz's recent solo tribute to Roscoe Mitchell as one of the best discs of 2023. Former Boston-based bassist Nate McBride has worked with Ken Vandermark in several different bands (Spaceways, Powerhouse, FME & Tripleplay), as well as in a few of Mr. Adasiewicz's other groups.
"Stash" begins with just the vibes resonating, softly pulsating before Rempis' glowing baritone sax enters slowly, a couple of notes at a time, slowly simmering together with some occasional bowed or plucked bass humming underneath. Since there is no drummer here, the trio take their time, slow down and use space and suspense carefully. Mr. Rempis has a warm, intense, rather lyrical tone on his bari sax. The trio's intensity and pace pick up as the piece evolves. I really like the subdued sound that the trio play here, rather solemn, skeletal yet still effective with the bari slowly building, the overall sound calm yet haunting. "Gingerbread" shows a more playful side to the trio, with Adasiewicz tapping on the vibes with a thin piece of metal instead of mallets, using his vibes more like a percussion instrument with the usual melodic figures. Rempis keeps spinning out lines with McBride pumping tightly along. "Saltbox" is more like a ballad, a moderate tempo which increases as the alto (?) sax spins lines faster and faster. "Rising Sun" is the longest piece here and on it Rempis plays his soprano sax. He takes a long solo with the vibes and bass following him as the solo unfolds through a series of episodes with the bass soloing later on as well. "Arrest" begins with an eerie bowed bass over a repeating vibes figure with Rempis on smoldering tenor sax. His tone is sly, rather lyrical and directly from the heart. Rather than the usual bluster of free/jazz intensity, this disc is not like anything else we've heard from Mr. Rempis. It shows his much more soulful, thoughtful and at times more melodic, restrained side. Oh so tasty. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
LUISA MUHR with EMILY SUZANNE SHAPIRO / ADRIANA CAMACHO - Teuflin / She-Devil (Boomslang Records; USA) Featuring Luisa Muhr on composition, concept & voice, Emily Suzanne Shapiro on bass clarinet and Adriana Camacho on bass & effects. I don't know much about Austrian-born, NYC-based vocalist & composer Luisa Muhr other than she played here at DMG last summer (2024) and I caught her singing with one of William Parker's bands at The Stone more recently. I also hadn't hear of Canadian-born, UK-based bass clarinetist Emily Shapiro or Mexican bassist Adriana Camacho. 'Teuflin / She Devil' is a structured improvisation based on a 12-page graphic score conceived by Luisa Muhr. Ms. Muhr incorporates texts from Goethe's classic 'Faust'. The piece itself is one long 30 minute work. Slow moving bowed contrabass, subtle bass clarinet swirls and Ms. Muhr's warm, enticing voice, both singing and speaking are nicely interwoven. Muhr speaks & sings in Austrian/German, with an English translation printed on a poster which came with my CD copy. The voice, (mostly) bowed bass and bass clarinet are quite similar in sound, tone and register and sound great together. The (English) words often deal with the darkness and the light, evil versus good, magic versus science... It is the combination of the voice, bass and bass clarinet that make this work so well together as a stream. The words give us something to consider in biblical terms. Most impressive on several levels and not too long to overstay its welcome. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
LAO DAN - To Hit a Pressure Point (Relative Pitch RPR SS045; USA) Featuring Lao Dan on tenor sax, suona and effects. Lao Dan hails from northeastern China and plays both sax and Chinese bamboo flute, serving as the principal flutist for the Chinese Youth Orchestra while at college. Since his college days (in 2007), Leo Dan has been experimenting by playing extended technique sax and suona (Chinese double reed instrument). Mr. Dan has recorded with saxists Rick Countryman & Colin Webster and with legendary drummer Sabu Toyozumi. Lao Dan played a trio set here with Joe Fonda and JP Nadien and I was much impressed.
Lao Dan certainly has his own sound and takes his time on each piece to explore and carefully manipulate each note. There is an ongoing balancing act going on here as Mr Dan plays a note or sound and then answers it with a line of bent notes which circle or frame the previous single note or sound. Mr. Lao speeds up his lines, spewing out several layers of circular lines before winding down. On "Klippe" plays a series of circular patterns, softly at first, varying each line yet still repeating certain parts. He soon switches to the suona, a double-reed Chinese musette-like instrument. The sound is brittle yet intense and not easy to listen to. This piece is challenging yet somehow it is also worth listening to as it makes one cringe and pay attention simultaneously. Mr. Dan also uses vocal sounds as punctuation in between his quick moving lines, even screaming a bit to keep things balanced between the extremes. For the final piece, "Fire Swamp", Lao Dan adds some odd effects to his sax so that we hear his sax playing surrounded by swirling electronics which enhance the weirdness even more. Completely OUT-standing! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
JOZEF VAN WISSEM & JIM JARMUSCH - The Day The Angels Cried (Icunabulum 041CD; Netherlands) Acclaimed director and musician Jim Jarmusch and experimental lute player and composer Jozef Van Wissem met nearly 20 years ago, forming a close bond after they ran into each other on the streets of New York City. In 2011, they began performing and producing records together. This release is the follow up to American Landscapes entitled The Day The Angels Cried. The duo weaves an intricate lute and guitar string tapestry of droning, minimal free-folk compositions destined to captivate listeners with their dark hypnosis. This time vocals and electronics are added as well. Van Wissem's work comes from a tradition of avant-garde minimalism and lends itself well to the director's stark cinematic works. Jarmusch has played guitar in bands on and off since the late '70s. Van Wissem's compositional style involves hypnotic circular musical phrases that allow for a lot of contemplative space between the notes. Their first live performance was in Issue Project Room in Brooklyn in October 2011, where they appeared together for a Van Wissem curated concert program called "New Music for Early Instruments." The idea for their first album, Concerning the Entrance Into Eternity (Important Records) developed from their live performance. Jarmusch has said that he considers these songs as Van Wissem's compositions, and sees himself as someone filling in the background to Jozef 's foreground, like the "scenic" on a film shoot, the one who paints the backdrops. "The sound of the lute is as bright as the sun, a beautiful red color and my stuff sounds sort of like the moon, more like blue, like mercury." According to Van Wissem: "We started with layers of instrumental parts. Jim recorded an otherworldly Passerelle bridge guitar part to which we added vocals. This became the title track 'The Day The Angels Cried.' The lyrics for this song came to me during a vision I had in a dream. It was much like a vision Swedenborg writes about. In it he converses with angels. In my vision the angel looked down from the heavens upon the earth engulfed in flames. Recent events in Los Angeles and other parts of the world, have led me to believe that this dream was a premonition.'"
CD $17
JOZEF VAN WISSEM - Un Prince: Original Soundtrack Recording (Incunabulum 039CD; Netherlands) "Composer and lute player Jozef Van Wissem has created, in my opinion, the most beautiful film music of the year for Un Prince. Suites of princely pieces allow the film to be transported into a fantastic dimension where power and magic unfold." - Chaosreign
"Un Prince features a striking soundtrack -- part Baroque courtly dance, part Doors-like instrumental by Dutch lutenist Jozef van Wissem" --Variety/ Screen Daily
"The Dutch composer illustrates the initiatory story of the film (a young man discovers gardening and unusual sexual practices) and the scenes of a pictorial nature, in fixed shots, with captivating notes of the order of the procession, with a certain devoutness, like a ceremony." - Cinezik
CD $17
SPIRITUAL JAZZ 18 with KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA / KAREL VELEBNY / ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI / ANATOLU VAPIROV / et al - Behind The Iron Curtain - Sounds Beyond Barriers Pts 1 & 2 (Jazzman Records Jman 148CD; UK) One of the most politically charged terms of the 20th century, the Iron Curtain was a metaphor for political and cultural division. In a post-war telegram Winston Churchill referred to the fault line that ran through Europe between East and West as "an Iron Curtain is drawn down upon their front. We do not know what is going on behind." In this two-part album, as far as jazz is concerned, Jazzman will showcase, describe and celebrate exactly what was "going on behind." Music is the power supreme, with the ability to transcend all barriers, be they physical, political or metaphorical. The liner notes illustrate the complex and contradictory history of Soviet jazz, and the tracks chosen cover the key period of the early 1960s to the 1980s. It was during these dark years of the Cold War that the Soviet Union and its satellite states produced a number of outstanding artists playing in a variety of styles. The impact of modernism, from hard bop and Latin to modal and cool jazz, had found its way through cracks in the curtain. The deeply-felt ancestral strains of traditional European folk music were combined with the exciting new and progressive sounds of the West, and a radical, intoxicating brew was created that no amount of guns, tanks or polonium tea could overcome. Jazzman chronicles the triumph of jazz at a time of extreme geopolitical conflict. What went on behind the Iron Curtain in these countries was once mysterious and unknown to the West, but the perseverance of their artists provided sound and light amid the secretive, dark days of the communist-capitalist standoff. There was no end of life-affirming spiritual jazz behind the Iron Curtain. Featuring Collage, Manfred Ludwig-Sextett, Krzysztof Komeda, Polish Jazz Quartet, Vagif Mustafa-Zade, Quartet Jazz Focus-65, Theo Schumman Combo, Vaclav Zahradnik, Karel Velebny, Sevil, Focus '65, Golstain-Nosov Quintet, YU All Stars 1977, Dan Mindrila, Leningrad Jazz Ensemble, Sh Jazz Quintet, Josef Blaha Trio, Csaba Deseo Ensemble, Manfred Ludwig-Sextett, Anatoly Vapirov, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, Tomsits Quartet, Nicolai Gromin Quartet, Valery Kolesnikov, Vyacheslav Novikov, Vladimir Molotkov, Alexander Christidis, Tone Jansa, and S HQ.
2 CD Set $17
EMAHOY TSEGE MARIAM GEBRU - Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru played by Maya Dunietz & String Ensemble, Live in Paris (Latency Recordings LTNC 029CD; France) Latency presents the first-ever arrangements of iconic Ethiopian composer Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru's music for piano and strings, honoring her desire to broaden the interpretation of her work beyond the piano. Led by pianist, composer, and Emahoy's close friend Maya Dunietz, a nine-piece string ensemble performed her compositions during two tribute concerts at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, in April 2024. This album celebrates the centenary of Emahoy's birth and commemorates the first anniversary of her passing. The album marks the culmination of a journey that began nearly two decades ago, in 2005. While browsing a London record store, pianist and composer Maya Dunietz and conductor Ilan Volkov discovered a CD by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, released as part of the acclaimed Éthiopiques series. Intrigued, they sought out the esteemed musician, eventually locating her in a small monastery in Jerusalem. Their initial meeting blossomed into a deep, lengthy conversation. Emahoy recounted her life in the monastery and the challenges of making music in that setting. They delved into her music, discussing it in great detail. When they asked Emahoy about notation, she invited them to read her notebook, which contained compositions written that very morning. Maya and Ilan played some on the piano. At that moment, Emahoy began to trust them. Before leaving, Maya wrote her phone number in Emahoy's notebook and invited her to call if she ever wanted or needed anything. A few years later, the call came: Emahoy invited Maya to the monastery, handing her a couple of wrinkled old Air Ethiopia plastic bags filled with hundreds of her composition manuscripts. She asked Maya to help create a book of her piano compositions, making them accessible to people around the world. Faced with such a monumental undertaking, Maya partnered with the Jerusalem Season of Culture to embark on this ambitious project. This collaboration resulted in the publication of a book of sheet music and a collection of essays in 2013, as well as numerous concerts performed worldwide. These concerts, along with Maya's work on Emahoy's music, grew from a deep bond of love and mutual respect between the two women. For Maya, this tremendous compliment became the catalyst for all the string arrangements she would create for Emahoy's beautiful music -- arrangements now collected in this album after years of collaboration and discussions between Maya and the record label Latency.
CD $17
LP SECTION:
EVAN PARKER/JEAN-MARC FOUSSAT - Insolence (Nashazphone NP 054LP; Egypt) A meeting of great minds recorded live at the Improtech Festival in Uzeste in summer 2023. Two avant-garde and improvisation titans offer a new chapter in the infinite quest for freedom and absolute beauty. "Innocence" and "Insouciance" are sharp and stinging live improvisations by longtime comrades, Parker and Foussat. Elegant, subtle and complex, these pieces immediately rise to the status of eternal documents by these giants. "WIRElessfor Anthony Wood" is a solo tenor piece by Parker recorded during The Actual Festival at the London ICA in August 1981 and named in homage to the late Anthony Wood, founder of both The Wire Magazine and The Actual Festival. It is followed and echoed by "SLAUGHTreturn," a contemporaneous assembly piece by Foussat from the original Abattage solo VCS3session in late 1980.
LP $30
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THE HAT EZZ-THETICS AVANT/JAZZ REISSUE CD SIZZLING SUMMER SALE: In-Stock in 1-2 weeks:
ALBERT AYLER / JOHN TCHICAI / ROSWELL RUDD / GARY PEACOCK / SUNNY MURRAY - New York Eye And Ear Control, Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1118; Switzerland) After moving to NYC in the early 60s, filmmaker Michael Snow was introduced the music of saxophonist Albert Ayler's Trio with bassist Gary Peacock & drummer Sunny Murray, inviting them and trumpeter Don Cherry, trombonist Rudd and altoist John Tchicai to record these three brilliant freely improvised tracks, parts of which would be used in his art film "New York Eye and Ear Control".
CD Sale $12
ALBERT AYLER QUARTETS with DON CHERRY / NORMAN HOWARD / HENRY GRIMES / EARLE HENDERSON / GARY PEACOCK / SUNNY MURRAY - Spirits To Ghosts Revisited (remastered)(Hat Ezz-Thetics 1101) Three variations of quartet settings from iconoclastic free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler, remastering and combining two Debut Records albums, "Spirits" from 1964 with Norman Howard (trumpet), Sunny Murray (drums), and alternating bass between Henry Grimes & Earle Henderson; and 1965's "Ghosts" on Debut Records with Don Cherry (trumpet), Gary Peacock (bass), and Sunny Murray.
CD Sale $12
ALBERT AYLER QUINTET 66 with DONALD AYLER / MICHAEL SAMSON WILLIAM FOLWELL / BEAVER HARRIS - Berlin, Lorrach, Paris & Stockholm. Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1117-2) Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler's 1966 quintet brought a unique orchestration to his music, heard in these live performances in Berlin, Lörrach, Paris & Stockholm in November of 1966, four concerts presented chronologically as performed with the exemplary playing of brother Donald Ayler on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums.
2 CD Set $13
ALBERT AYLER with DONALD AYLER / MICHAEL SAMSON / HENRY GRIMES / ALAN SILVA / CALL COBBS /BEAVER HARRIS / MILFORD GRAVES - Live Greenwich Village To Love Cry, Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1118; Switzerland) Bringing together two contrasting Impulse! albums from Aylers late 60's output: the exemplary free jazz release Live Greenwich Village in two sessions with core Ayler associates, brother Donald, Michael Sampson, Henry Grimes, Beaver Harris, &c.; then Ayler's challenging attempt to reach a more popular following in Love Cry, with Milford Graves taking the drummers chair.
CD Sale $12
MARION BROWN with GRACHAN MONCUR III / GUNTER HAMPEL / AMBROSE JACKSON / DAVE BURRELL / STANLEY COWELL / SIRONE / BUSCHI NIEBERGALL / BEAVER HARRIS / BOBBY KAPP - Three For Shepp to Gesprachsfetzen Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1170; Switzerland) Remastering and restoring Marion Brown's 1967 Impulse! album with Grachan Moncure III, Dave Burrel, Stanley Cowell, Sirone, Beaver Harris & Bobby Capp, and his 1968 album on the Calig label with Gunter Hampel, Steve McCall, Ambrosa Jackson & Buschi Niedergall; two albums of essential "New Thing" work through fascinating composed forms by Brown, plus Archie Shepps' "Delicado"; essential.
CD Sale $12
MARION BROWN with ALAN SHORTER / BENNIE MAUPIN / GRACHAN MONCUR III / DAVE BURRELL / REGGIE JOHNSON / RONNIE BOYKINS / RASHIED ALI / BEAVER HARRIS - Capricorn Moon To Juba Lee (remastered) (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1102; Switzerland) Merging and remastering two essential albums from free jazz saxophonist Marion Brown: his 1966 ESP album "Marion Brown Quartet" with trumpeter Alan Shorter, bassist Reggie Johnson and percussionist Rahied Ali; and his 1967 Fontana album "Juba-Lee" in a septet with Reggie Johnson, drummer Beaver Harris, pianist Dave Burrell, trombonist Grachan Moncur III & saxophonist Bennie Maupin.
CD Sale $12
JOHN CAGE // CALATO - Variations Four6 (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1024; Switzerland) Calato, the quartet of Javier Areal Vélez, Jorge Espinal, Agustín Genoud and Pablo Verón based in Buenos Aires, formed in 2010 as an improvisation and experimental composition group exploring music notation and graphic scores in convergence with free improvisation, performing on prepared electric guitars, drums, sampler and amplified voice, here taking on two works by John Cage: Variations I-III, and Four6.
CD Sale $12
ORNETTE COLEMAN with DON CHERRY / FREDDIE HUBBARD / SCOTT LAFARO / CHARLIE HADEN / ED BLACKWELL / BILLY HIGGINS - Free Jazz To Ornette! Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1024; Switzerland) Exploring further the concepts of free jazz, saxophonist Ornette Coleman's back-to-back 1961 & 62 albums find the composer and innovator in a ground-breaking double quartet that includes Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry & Freddie Hubbard, Scott LaFaro & Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgns & Ed Blackwell; then with quintet with Scott LaFaro temporarily taking Charlie Haden's chair.
CD Sale $12
JOHN COLTRANE with McCOY TYNER / JIMMY GARRISON / ELVIN JONES - My Favorite Things Graz 1962 (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1024; Switzerland) The 2nd volume from tenor & soprano saxophonist John Coltrane 1962 tour of Europe and Scandinavia, heard here in late November at Stefaniensaal, Graz with his quartet of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones, the band playing classic numbers under the influence of Coltrane's expanding drive to transform his music toward greater freedom.
CD Sale $12
JOHN COLTRANE with McCOY TYNER / JIMMY GARRISON ROY HAYNES or ELVIN JONES - Newport, New York, Alabama, 1963, Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1114; Switzerland) Two quartets performing two live concerts from 1963 led by John Coltrane on tenor & soprano saxophones, the first at the Newport Jazz Festival with McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on double bass and Roy Haynes on drums, the second at Birdland with Elvin Jones on the drums, plus 2 studio recordings with that quartet at Van Gelder Studio in the same year.
CD Sale $12
JOHN COLTRANE with ERIC DOLPHY / McCOY TYNER / REGGIE WORKMAN / JIMMY GARRISON / ELVIN JONES - Chasin The Trane, Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1020; Switzerland) The 4-night engagement at the Village Vanguard in November 1961 with sidemen Eric Dolphy, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman, Jimmy Garrison & Elvin Jones resulted in saxophonist John Coltrane's 1962 "Live at the Village Vanguard" album, his evolving freedom surprisingly divisive and even decried as "anti-jazz", here reissued and remastered with a bonus version of "Spiritual".
CD Sale $12
BILL EVANS TRIO with SCOTT LaFARO / PAUL MOTIAN - At The Village Vanguard 1961, Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1159; Switzerland) Reissuing and remastering two seminal albums on the Riverside label from pianist and composer Bill Evan's trio with double bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian — Sunday At The Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby — yielding jazz standards and helping define the modern jazz trio through impressive technical underpinnings and lyrical sophistication.
CD Sale $12
DIZZY GILLESPIE & CHARLIE PARKER with DON BYAS / AL HAIG / JOHN LEWIS / BUD POWELL / AL McKIBBON / CURLEY RUSSELL / TOMMY POTTER / MAX ROACH / JOE HUNT- Live, Revisited - Town Hall 1945, Carnegie Hall 1947, Birdland 1951 (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1156; Switzerland) Three essential concerts remastered, from the legacy of be-bop trailblazers, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, with Don Byas, Al Haig piano, Curley Russell, Max Roach & Sidney Catlett at Town Hall 1945; with John Lewis, Al McKibbon & Joe Harris at Carnegie Hall 1947; and with Bud Powell, Tommy Potter & Roy Haynes at Birdland 1951.
CD Sale $12
JIMMY GIUFFRE / PAUL BLEY / STEVE SWALLOW - Free Fall Clarinet 1962, Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1119; Switzerland) Reissuing clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre's 1963 Columbia album Free Fall, presenting trio performances with bassist Steve Swallow and pianist Paul Bley recorded after their 1961 European tour, along with duos between Giuffre and Swallow and several solo tracks from the clarinetist himself, propelling himself and his band into his sophisticated, risk-taking chamber jazz compositions.
CD Sale $12
ANDREW HILL with ERIC DOLPHY / JOE HENDERSON / JOHN GILMORE / KENNY DORHAM / FREDDIE HUBBARD / RICHARD DAVIS / CECIL McBEE / TONY WILLIAMS / JOE CHAMBERS - Point Of Departure To Compulsion!!!!! (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1139; Switzerland) Remastering pianist Andrew Hill's distinct and exemplary albums issued on Blue Note Records in 1965 & 1967: Point of Departure, illustrating Hill's complex and exciting compositions in a front line with Eric Dolphy, Joe Henderson, Kenny Dorham and Tony Williams & Richard Davis; and the percussively rich Compulsion with John Gilmore, Freddie Hubbard, Cecil McBee, & Joe Chambers.
CD Sale $12
FRANZ KOGLMANN SEPTET with JOHN CLARK / DANIELE D'AGARO / PETER HERBERT/ et al - Fruits Of Solitude (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1005; Switzerland) With a superb septet of improvisers also versed in contemporary music, trumpeter Franz Koglmann presents sophisticated compositions that interject the concept of "solitude" in the three-part title track, alongside Koglmann compositions and Jimmy Giuffre's "Finger Snapper", using striking orchestration of trumpet, sax, clarinet, bassoon, oboe, french horn, cello and double bass.
CD Sale $12
CHARLES MINGUS with ERIC DOLPHY / BOOKER ERVIN / JOE FARRILL / YUSEF LATEEF / JOHN LaPORTA / BILL BARON / TED CURSON / CLARK TERRY / HOBART DOTSON / JIMMY KNEPPER / EDDIE BERT / PAUL BLEY / ROLAND HANNA / et al - Presents Charles Mingus To Pre Bird, Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1169; Switzerland) Three sides of Charles Mingus in this remastered reissue set: the 1961 Candid album Mingus Presents Mingus with the classic quartet of Eric Dolphy, Ted Curson and Dannie Richmond; then the Mercury release Pre-Bird from the same year, in ensembles performing the music of or influenced by Duke Ellington, along with the ambitious and brilliant through-composed work, "Half Mast Inhibition".
CD Sale $12
NEW YORK CONTEMPORARY FIVE with ARCHIE SHEPP / JOHN TCHICAI / DON CHERRY / DON MOORE / J.C. MOSES - Consequences Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1105; Switzerland) Though short-lived, the New York Contemporary Five brought together NY free players Don Moore on bass, J.C. Moses on drums, Archie Shepp on tenor saxophone, and Don Cherry on trumpet with Danish alto saxophonist John Tchicai, in a remastered edition of their 1966 album "Consequences", expanded with Shepp's revisiting of the material in a sextet with Sunny Murray and Ted Curson.
CD Sale $12
CHARLIE PARKER with DON BYAS / MILES DAVIS / DIZZY GILLESPIE / KENNY DORHAM / RED RODNEY / AL HAIG / CURLEY RUSSELL / TOMMY POTTER / KENNY CLARKE / MAX ROACH / ROY HAYNES- Bebop Live (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1113-2; Switzerland) Remarkably remastered recordings of Charlie Parker's quintets from 1945-49, performing live at Carnegie Hall, Royal Roost, & Town Hall with configurations of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Dorham, Red Rodney, Don Byas, Al Haig, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Kenny Clarke, Tommy Potter & Curley Russell, allowing us to re-live the consistent brilliance of the leader and his sidemen.
2 CD Sale Set $13
ARCHIE SHEPP with JEANNE LEE / ROSCOE MITCHELL / CHICAGO BEAU / JULIO FINN / DAVE BURRELL / MALACHI FAVORS / SUNNY MURRAY / ART TAYLOR - Blase And Yasmina Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1115; Switzerland) Revisiting two of Archie Shepp's 1969 recordings released on the BYG label as Blasé, and title track to Yasmina, three tracks featuring the vocals of Jeanne Lee, with four band configurations including Dave Burrell, Malachi Favors, Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Sunny Murray, Philly Joe Jones, &c., beautifully remastered to bring to light Shepp's pan-stylistic impulses.
CD Sale $12
CECIL TAYLOR with JIMMY LYONS / KEN McINTYRE / EDDIE GALE / ARCHIE SHEPP / TED CURSON / ROSWELL RUDD / HENRY GRIMES / ALAN SILVA / ANDREW CYRILLE / SUNNY MURRAY - Mixed To Unit: Structures Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1110; Switzerland) Bringing together two essential and impeccably remastered 1960's Cecil Taylor albums — Cecil Taylor Unit Structures and Cecil Taylor Unit Mixed — presenting both traditional influences and Taylor's unique approaches to modern jazz, featuring two septets with musicians including Jimmy Lyons, Henry Grimes, Archies Shepp, Ted Curson, Andrew Cyrille, Roswell Rudd, Sunny Murray.
CD Sale $12
MIKE TAYLOR with DAVE TOMLIN / ERIC CLAPTON / JACK BRUCE / TONY REEVES/ JON HISEMAN / GINGER BAKER - Trio, Quartet & Composer, Revisited (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1110; Switzerland) Found dead in the Thames River in 1969, pianist & composer Mike Taylor left a legacy of two solid & lyrical jazz albums, of which the complete Trio album and one track from Pendulum are remastered; but he was also a songwriter for the Eric Clapton/Ginger Baker/Jack Bruce band Cream, of which three Taylor compositions with lyrics and vocals by Baker are included.
CD Sale $12
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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 / HARRIS EISENSTADT / JUNE 25–28
6/25 Wednesday
8:30 pm - DUO - Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet) Harris Eisenstadt (drums)
6/26 Thursday
8:30 pm - DUO - Melvis Santa (piano, voice) Harris Eisenstadt (drums)
6/27 Friday
8 pm - TRIO - Adam Rudolph (percussion) James Brandon Lewis (sax) Harris Eisenstadt (drums)
NOTE AN EARLIER START TIME! EIGHT PM
6/28 Saturday
8:30 pm - DUOS - Henry Threadgill (woodwinds) Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon) Harris Eisenstadt (drums)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES 0 ON KA'A DAVIS - JULY 2-3-5
The Stone is proud to present a rare appearance by mystical figure On Ka’a Davis who blends the psychedelia of Sun Ra, Miles Davis, and Jimi Hendrix with the ever-growing counterculture of Downtown New York. Performing on guitar, synth keyboard, programmed sounds, and percussion On is joined by his most recent cohorts for three nights of adventurous musical mayhem!
7/2 Wednesday
8:30 pm - ON KA'A DAVIS - On Ka'a Davis (guitars, synth keyboard, voice, percussion) Ali Ali (trumpet, eps percussion) Donald Sturge McKenzie II (drumset) Luke Stewart (bass)
7/3 Thursday
8:30 pm - ON KA'A DAVIS - On Ka'a Davis (guitars, synth keyboard, voice, percussion) James Nadien (drums) Theo Woodward (electronica, voice) Ras Moshe (horns)
7/5 Saturday
8:30 pm - ON KA'A DAVIS
- On Ka'a Davis (guitars, synth keyboard, voice, percussion) Ali Ali (trumpet, eps percussion) Donald Sturge McKenzie II (drumset) Diallo House (bass)
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 NOTE COMES FROM MY GOOD BUDDY JOEL HARRISON, Gifted Guitarist and Organizer. His yearly concerts at LPR have been a highlight for myself and other Guitar Freaks…
Dear Guitar Enthusiasts … There's a lot going:
—MIDWESTERNERS: please take note of the below dates. I'm lucky to be playing with two of the greatest B-3 organ players alive, and fantastic drummers as well. https://joelharrison.com/shows/
—On March 14 AGS (Alternative Guitar Summit) recordings will release ANUPAM SHOBHAKAR'S LIQUID REALITY, a tour de force on double neck guitar that fuses Indian music, jazz, and rock. If you like John McLaughlin this is for you. Preorder here: https://agsrecordings.bandcamp.com/
—We have uploaded some GREAT NEW PODCASTS to the AGS youtube channel with Ben Monder, Redd Volkaert, and more to come. Please check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/@alternativeguitarsummit
—For a couple of years I have been working on a major piece entitled "Burn Pit." The orchestration is jazz big band and a 16 person chorus. The subject matter is the deadly toxic burnpits from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that killed or sickened hundreds of thousands of military personnel. To fulfill my obligation to the NY State Council on the Arts and the Governors Office of NY, from whom I received a generous composition grant, I have posted a video discussing and playing excerpts from this work here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulyk1Pgrym8
Don't forget to sign up for our summer camp! Kevin Eubanks, Vernon Reid, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Scofield...come on! https://www.alternativeguitarsummitcamp.com/ - Joel Harrison
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgcxTkoIgQI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAWxt3EJSPw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvoYygehqE
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From 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