NEW THINGS from ERIK FRIEDLANDER & ROBERTO DANI, LIBERTY ELLMAN, MICHAEL BLAKE, MAX NAGL, KRIS DAVIS, MICHAEL BATES, ARNOLD DREYBLATT, JONATHAN KANE & MUSHROOM! HISTORIC RECORDINGS from SUN RA & HIS OMNIVERSE JET-SET ARKESTRA (LP ONLY), JOHN CALE BOX on T.O.E., HENRI CHOPIN BOX, CHARLOTTE MOORMAN & NAM JUNE PAIK, B.B. BLUNDER, FEAR ITSELF and THE PSYCHEDELIC MINDS COMP!





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[OUR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS GOT THE BLACK SAINT/SOUL NOTE RESTOCK LIST AHEAD OF YOU READING THIS WEBPAGE. SUBSCRIBE NOW!]

FINALLY! AN IMMENSE RESTOCKING OF VIRTUALLY ALL THE BLACK SAINT/SOUL NOTE RELEASES, OVER 400+ TITLES, INCLUDING THEIR SUB-LABELS RED and IAI, ALL CURRENTLY ON PREMISES AT OUR STORE!
But not for long, they are in great demand!!
CLICK HERE FOR THE LIST

AS YOU SEEN, WE RECENTLY HAD TO RAISE OUR PRICE TO $16 PER CD [and $32 for doubles] FOR THIS FABULOUS ITALIAN LABEL,...

BUT FOR A LIMITED TIME, IF YOU PURCHASE 5 OR MORE THE PRICE WILL BE $15 PER SINGLE DISC, $30 FOR DOUBLE CD SETS

[PLEASE INCLUDE ALTERNATES if you want to be sure of getting your reduced price!
Many of these classics are in great demand and won't last long, even though we have up to 20 copies each in many cases]

"Since their formation in 1975, Black Saint/Soul Note has been probably the most significant label in jazz! As started and run by Giovanni Bonandrini since 1977, and now his son Flavio, the large output by these sister labels has been consistently of the highest quality. Emphasizing highly original and advanced American players, Black Saint and Soul Note (the latter tends to concentrate a little more on hard bop-based players than the generally avant-garde Black Saint) have recorded otherwise unavailable albums from practically all of the who's who of modern jazz, most notably...

DAVID MURRAY, MAX ROACH, ANTHONY BRAXTON, STEVE LACY, RAN BLAKE, PAUL BLEY, MAL WALDRON, MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS, HENRY THREADGILL/AIR, GEORGE ADAMS, DON PULLEN, ROSCOE MITCHELL, DAVE LIEBMAN, WORLD SAXOPHONE QUARTET, BILLY BANG, GEORGE RUSSELL, DAVE DOUGLAS, JOHN LINDBERG, BORAH BERGMAN, SUN RA, MISHA MENGELBERG, BILL DIXON, RAN BLAKE, JIMMY GIUFFRE, OLIVER LAKE, ROVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET, STRING TRIO OF NEW YORK, CECIL TAYLOR GLENN SPEARMAN, ARCHIE SHEPP, and many others.

Although based in Italy, Black Saint and Soul Note have only sporadically been available in the U.S. A perennial poll winner as jazz label of the year, Black Saint/Soul Note has done the jazz world a very valuable service by documenting a great deal of music that would otherwise have been lost!".- Scott Yanow, AMG



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LAST MINUTE SCHEDULE CHANGE FOR THE STONE'S 'DEREK BAILEY' MEMORIAL ...

JUST ANNOUNCED! "YANKEES" FEATURING...

THE TRIO OF GEORGE LEWIS, JOHN ZORN & BILL LASWELL !!!

ARE PERFORMING TOMORROW [Thursday 5/4] NITE AT BOTH 8PM AND 10PM [separate admissions] AS A TRIBUTE TO THE ORIGINAL TRIO
[which had Derek instead of Laswell]

WHERE D'YA THINK WE'RE GONNA BE - RIGHT YOU ARE!!!


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DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY TURNS 15 YEARS THIS MONTH!

HELP US CELEBRATE OUR JOYOUS ANNIVERSARY AT TONIC
on FRIDAY, JUNE 2ND THIS AMAZING TRIPLE-HEADER:

TISZIJI MUNOZ & HIS COSMIC MESSENGERS
JOHN ZORN & MYSTERY GUESTS and
NEW GHOST (PHILLY'S FINEST HARMOLODIC QUARTET)!


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DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY IS SPONSORING ANOTHER INCREDIBLE FIRST AT THE END OF JUNE: THE VERY FIRST NEW YORK PERFORMANCE of CANTERBURY LEGENDS

HATFIELD & THE NORTH!!

FEATURING PHIL MILLER (MATCHING MOLE, NATIONAL HEALTH & IN CAHOOTS) on GUITAR, RICHARD SINCLAIR (CARAVAN & CARAVAN OF DREAMS) on BASS & LEAD VOCALS, PIP PYLE (GONG & NATIONAL HEALTH) on DRUMS and SPECIAL GUEST ALEX MAGUIRE (ELTON DEAN BAND) on KEYBOARDS!

SUNDAY, JUNE 25TH from 8 -10 pm at THE BOWERY POETRY CLUB!


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ERIK FRIEDLANDER/ROBERTO DANI - Schio/Duemilaquattro [Ltd Ed of 200 copies] (CSC; Italy) A fabulous duo effort featuring Erik Friedlander on cello and Roberto Dani on drums. Last night at The Stone, (5/2/06), was the beginning of the Derek Bailey Memorial Month and it featured two incredible duo sets: John Zorn & Christian Marclay and Ikue Mori & Erik Friedlander. The second set with Ikue and Erik was one of those amazing sets that everyone in attendance will not soon forget. There was a perfect balance of Erik's superb melodic playing and strange extended sounds with Ikue's mysterious electronic samples. Erik gave me a copy of his new limited edition duo disc to check out, so here we go:
Italian drummer, Roberto Dani, started out with the prog band Devil Doll, attended Berkelee School in Boston and has worked with dozens of great musicians like Norman Winstone, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Liebman, Louis Sclavis & Michel Godard. He is one more than fifty discs by now and has done solo concerts as well as improv sessions with many of Europe's best players. Downtown cellist extraordinaire, Erik Friedlander, also can be found on dozens of discs, doing solos and group efforts, as well as working with John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Myra Melford and Ellery Eskelin.
This is a well-recorded live effort with both players in perfect balance. Erik often sounds as if he is playing a song, with a taken melody from a familiar folk or ethnic tune. Roberto sounds as if he is just playing with mallets and floor toms on the first the first piece, adding nice shades to Erik's feisty playing. Roberto gets into some great hypnotic grooves throughout, especially that sort of march-like one on "Nord Sud". I love those twisted strings and eerie percussion on "Grattage: Spiral", those swirling sounds are like strange spirits being set free and eventually calming down to an enchanting, more peaceful second half. There are moments of great beauty found on this disc, when Erik reaches for those deeply lyrical sections and Roberto provides just the right percussive accompaniment. There are also sections when both players move into freer terrain and even then they work together as one force. Another excellent endeavor from two very special and most spirited of musicians. - BLG
CD for $12


LIBERTY ELLMAN With STEVE LEHMAN/GERALD CLEAVER - Ophiucus Butterfly (Pi 19; USA) Guitarist/composer Liberty Ellman's second Pi recording as a leader, Ophiuchus Butterfly, is an initially striking and ultimately deeply satisfying set chronicling six musicians, ten pieces and one ambitious, personal and utterly mature sensibility. Ellman's guitar ability and style are undeniable here, but this isn't a "guitar" album.
Liberty's third disc features Mr. Ellman on guitar, synth & sampler, Steve Lehman on alto sax, Mark Shim on tenor sax, Jose Davila on tuba, Stephan Crump on acoustic bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. This is the third superb release from guitar great Liberty Ellman, who you should know from his fine work with Henry Threadgill in Zooid. It seems to me that what started out as "M-Base", a concept invented by Steve Coleman, Greg Osby & others, that blended bebop, funk and other threads in modern jazz , nearly two decades back, has spawned newer developments that folks like Steve Lehman, Vijay Iyer and Liberty Ellman continue to re-invent. Liberty is also inspired by the unique instrumentation and sound of Threadgill's Zooid band, who share the same tuba player found on this disc. This music has an intense display of swirling layers of inter-locking lines. Liberty plays acoustic guitar, as well as a hollow-body guitar and has his own sound/approach. What makes this so special is that even when one person solos, the rest of the sextet must play intricate, shifting lines around the soloist. On a piece called "Aestivation", the tempo is slowed to a spacious pace, yet the harmonies are still engaging in their own cautious way. "Snow Lips" glows with haunting sampled electronics, reminding me of some of those mesmerizing backwards passages found on albums like Soft Machine's 'Four'. This entire disc works as a suite, as each piece seems connected by an invisible thread. Both saxists, Lehman and Shim, take a number of dazzling solos, spinning quick lines of notes that keep the adrenalin pumping for the listener. Liberty adds bits of echo here and there that add some mystery to the mix. Demanding music for demanding listeners, yet filled with surprises, subtle and otherwise. - BLG
"While this is quite definitely ensemble music, it's still music that lets the individual players express their personalities in its roiling, shifting structures-Ellman and saxophonists Steve Lehman and Mark Shim passing melodies back and forth, tuba player Jose Davila and bassist Stephan Crump doubling low-end lines or playing complementary but discrete parts, and drummer Gerald Cleaver acting as the fulcrum around which the pieces effervesce.
And everywhere that remarkable marriage of demanding compositional harmony and body-moving rhythm. "What I would hope to capture in some of this music is the emphasis of a really powerful and hypnotic rhythm but this exploratory and informed harmonic and melodic structure on top," says Ellman. "There's an intellectual feed but also a groove happening you could almost dance to. Music," he smiles, "that can bob your head and raise your eyebrow at the same time."
CD $15


[MICHAEL] BLAKE TARTARE - More Like Us (Stunt 6012; Denmark) Featuring Michael on tenor & soprano saxes, clarinets & ghost flute; Soren Kjaergaard on piano & Wurlitzer el. piano; Jonas Westergaard on acoustic bass and Kresten Osgood on drums, plus special guests Jane Scarpantoni on cello, Steven Bernstein slide trumpet & Maria Laurette Friis on vocals. On this, the second CD from Blake Tartare, Michael has invited two of his former Lounge Lizards cohorts, Ms. Scarpantoni and Mr. Bernstein, and even includes a tune from former Lounge Lizards' leader John Lurie. The opening tune is a delightful, poignant song sung sweetly by Ms. Laurette with wordless vocals, Jane's lovely cello and Michael's plaintive clarinet. Michael wrote most of the songs on this fine disc with just a few covers by Coleman Hawkins, The Slickers, Mr. Lurie & two band-members. The songs are often laid back with rich, moody melodies that sizzle and soothe us with their great slow-burning spirit. Our man Steve Bernstein plays some fine slide trumpet on "Happy Old Yoy", as well as some sly guitar by Jeppe Kjellberg. It is Michael's earthy, gritty tone that shines so righteously on each tune. I dig the way Maria's voice is used sparingly, bending her words coyly in an older fashion that jazz singers used way back when. Soren's steamy electric piano is also used wisely, adding touches of subtle sonic spice throughout, but rarely soloing. The marvelous, ubiquitous drummer, Kresten Osgood, contributes consistent flourishes by organically weaving different percussive threads on each piece, often moving in dreamy waves. My favorite piece is called "Africa Used to be Home", since it has that great South African free meets the dreamy earth-like vibe. This spacey vibe continues through "Paddy Pie Face", another wonderfully mesmerizing trek. I love the way this disc go progressively further out as it evolves, taking us along with it as it winds down. It ends with a completely groovy gospelish, reggae song called "Johnny Too Bad"?!? How many great jazz records can you say that about? - BLG
CD $16


KRIS DAVIS - The Slightest Shift (Fresh Sound NT 256; EEC) This is Brooklyn based pianist, Kris Davis' second CD and it features Kris on piano and compositions, Tony Malaby on tenor sax, Eivind Opsvik on acoustic bass and Jeff Davis on drums. I felt that Ms. Davis' debut was pretty great, but I must admit that this one is even better, her writing and her playing have expanded even further. The very first piece, "Bloodwine" is filled with suspense and drama, it feels as if it is about to explode, but holds back and simmers as it builds. It is an auspicious showcase for Tony Malaby, who sounds at his best, his rich and quietly turbulent tone fluttering as Kris' magical piano swerves and shifts like the undercurrent in a wave. What amazes me here is that this quartet moves together so well, slowing down, speeding up, yet always connected on some level. Each piece seems like an exercise in shifting waves, rising, exploding, becoming denser and then shifting back downwards. Both Kris and Tony take incredible solos on "Once", as well as playing their tight, intricate lines together on the intro and the outro. The rhythm team members always sound as if they are reaching for something as they swirl and swim in the currents, maneuvering as the piano and sax sail along with them. When they finally calm down on the exquisite "Jack's Song", it is as if we've come to the calm after the storm. This piece is quite breathtaking in its somber beauty. I like the way "Twice Escaped" has each member come in one at a time, as it is transformed from its minimal beginning, then each member determines its depth and direction as it moves into the title piece, the quartet eventually erupting together once again, tightly shifting together as one. A truly excellent quartet that must me heard to be believed. - BLG
CD $15


MICHAEL BATES' OUTSIDE SOURCES - A Fine Balance (Between the Lines 71211; Germany) Featuring Michael Bates on double bass & compositions, Quinsin Nachoff on tenor & soprano sax & clarinets, Kevin Turcotte on trumpet and Mark Timmermans on drums. This is Canadian-born & downtown based bassist, Michael Bates, second disc and he has played here at DMG on a couple of occasions. The only member of his fine quintet that I am familiar with is saxist Quinsin Nachoff, who had a fine disc out on Songlines from the recent past. Although this begins with a fine, short bass solo, it soon leaps into a quick-paced, fast changing piece that moves through different free and charted sections. Quinsin takes the first solo and is most impressive, a strong, dark tone and fierce execution. The charted sections are difficult and move through some quick twists and turns, with another impressive solo from Turcotte's trumpet. "Entrance" features some simmering tenor sax and muted trumpet droning together over a hypnotic cushion of bass and drums that are floating together. The throbbing bass is at the center of this piece, like a heartbeat slowly pounding within. "Charcoal" features some marvelous clarinet and elegant trumpet playing some odd, yet softer harmonies and counterpoint. Michael does a fine job of creating complex parts for the rest of the quartet as the reedman or trumpeter solos. This music is filled with surprising twists and turns, stops and starts and is in between modern jazz and (third stream) classical, blending both seamlessly. Considering that I was not that familiar with any member of this quartet, except for reviewing one CD by Mr. Nachoff, this is indeed a most auspicious debut on the consistently engaging Between the Lines label. Thoughtfully composed, nicely crafted and very well played. - BLG
CD $16


JONATHAN KANE - I Looked At the Sun [CD-EP] (Table of Elements 803; USA) "Jonathan Kane's rollicking, majestic and critically-acclaimed debut February set you up with his lustrous, deep-grooved sound; now comes the bare-knuckled knock-out punch. On the opening track, 'BQE,' Kane compliments his signature wall of guitars with the high-lonesome serenade of pedal steel, then puts that pedal to the metal and barrels through the psychedelic badlands of Mississippi Fred McDowell's classic 'I Looked at the Sun.' Add the Dixie-fried strut of ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons to Glenn Branca's guitar armies and you're still only halfway to Kane's mind-blowing reinvention of both minimalism and the blues - it's a blistering day's drive from anything you've heard before."
CD-EP $11


MAX NAGL - Rain/Bow - Arc / Apres la Pluie (Rude Noises 14; EEC) "Rain" features Austrian saxist Max Nagl on clarinet, melodica, sampler, harmonium & guimbarde while "Bow" features a tentet with 4 strings, trumpet, two reeds, marimba, bass and drums. As Max Nagl closes in on his 30th release, he continues to amaze us with his unquenchable thirst for another challenge. This is his second disc with his tentet this year, the first was on Hatology and called 'Quartier Du Faison'. 'Rain/Bow' was composed for a circus. The first half is called "Rain" and it features mostly Max on a handful of instruments, but not his main ax, the alto sax. Instead, we find subtle layers of overdubbed parts, rather soundtrack-like and quite enchanting. Lovely drones, tinkling percussion and the occasional sampled sounds of surprise. Snippets of static, clicks, taps and wind-up toys, sound effects, blips and beeps. Filled with suspense with each sounds seem routed for some gesture. The second half is "Bow" and it features mainly fun-filled modern-day circus music. Cheerful, endearing and a bit goofy in spots with various European folk melodies and other delightful excerpts of sublime songs. There is a quaint and sometimes elegant quality to much of this music that I find most endearing. When I played this gem in the store, a number of folks asked what it was and proceeded to buy a copy. Now it is your turn to enjoy the fine circus music of Mr. Max Nagl and his crew. - BLG
CD $12 (Special limited-time price!)


SERGE BAGHDASSARIANS/BORIS BALTSCHUN - 13:46/11:04/25:09 (Charhizma 032; EEC) [limited time price break] Featuring Serge Baghdassarians on guitar & mixing desk, Boris Baltschun on sampler.
CD $10


BEN FACE with ROBERT MUSSO - Ben Face (self released; USA) It began at an early age, when Ben's father, then an executive at RCA records, fueled Ben's passion for music and electic tastes. His father would bring home samples from the office, including many different classical and rock records. Among these LP's, there was a 2 record set called "David Live." Ben recalls, "I remember looking at the album cover and thinking to myself this guy looks weird! After staring at this record for several weeks in my box of records, I finally got the courage to listen. I was immediately hooked. I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew in my heart that this was genius. "Peaking my interest and love for music at an early age, and to this day, Mr Bowie is my number one influence. That same year, I started taking piano lessons and writing songs as a youth. I taught myself guitar, bass and drums." Ben Face is a new political songwriter, whose roots are found in the music of David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, Neil Young and Pink Floyd, among others. "Ben Face ", the debut CD, was composed and recorded in a one-year period. Ben has performed his songs in both East and West Village clubs, where he has already garnered a devoted audience. He is mentioned in "Urban Folk," Issue 3, an Anti-Folk Festival fanzine, which covers the acoustic scene in New York City. Ben says, "I've always believed that music is a great illuminator and educator to the public." Featured on the CD are "We're All Dissenters of the War," a powerful anti-war song. "Silence" and "Do a Thing" were written in direct response to the current erosion of one's civil rights. "When I was writing these songs,the theme of totalitarianism kept running through my head and the absurdity of the current state of the Government." The album is produced by Robert Musso, who also contributes synth parts.
CD $10


MUSHROOM - Really Don't Mind If You Sit This One Out (4ZERO 01; UK) [ltd ed of 1000 copies] This collection of previously unreleased vintage live recordings is titled "Really don't mind if you sit this one out" - and drawn from Mushroom's first year and half of their career, from June 1997 to November 1998. Although the band later expanded into different line-ups, including horn players, multi-percussionists and jazz/groove music - this disc really focuses on the psych-space-rock roots of Mushroom and who better to describe those early days of Mushroom - than Steve Wynn, the founder of the legendary psychedelic guitar band, the Dream Syndicate:
"Los Angeles is my place of birth. New York is my adopted home. But, San Francisco is the city I visit when I want to return to the beatnik roots I never had. Dreams of Ferlinghetti, Lenny Bruce and Miles Davis spin around my head as I stomp thru North Beach, crawl thru the Lower Haight, flying on some wild combination of bourbon, sleeplessness and the freaky sounds and sights that beckon from every bar.
The summer of 1997 was no exception as I emerged from a self-imposed haze into a dark dingy bar called the Make Out Room somewhere in the Mission district. Local hipsters were scattered about like some kind of barometer of a cool yard sale. There was some members of American Music Club in one corner, members of Pavement in another. I think I even spotted Jorma Kaukonen of the Airplane quietly digging the scene..... I knew I was in the right place at the right time.
Before too long I was ignoring the hip surroundings, the attending royalty, the trippy lights and focused on the music. Musical references were being tossed so quickly, one minute it was Miles Davis' 'Agharta', the next minute Faust, the next minute 1970's King Crimson, one after another, until the influences didn't matter. I turned off my mind, relaxed and floated downstream (to paraphrase some other hipster) and then my mind split open (to quote another).
The band announced that the next number would be 'The Reeperbahn' and before I could rev up the memory machine, of nights spent in Hamburg over the years, my rational mind was put on a cosmic back burner as the band played what seemed like a 10-hour piece (I later learned it was only 52-minutes - the version on this album is a mere 18 minutes, I'm afraid). They followed that with several other songs including - 'Kyle Loves a Funny Bunny' - and then after 3 hours and 38 minutes, the band had finished their set."
CD $14





BRUCE LEE GALLANTER & MICHAEL ANTON PARKER REVIEW A FEW...


JUHANI AALTONEN TRIO - Illusion of a Ballad (TUM Records 013; Finland) Featuring Juhani Aaltonen on tenor sax, Ulf Krokfors on acoustic bass and Tom Nekjudow on drums. Legendary Finnish tenor saxist, Juhanni Aaltonen's career begn some 45 years ago in 1961. He has worked with Edward Vesala, the progressive band Tasavallan Presidentti and was a member of ECM all-star bassist, Arild Andersen great quartet. Juhani recorded with a trio of two American giants, Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille plus an orchestra on TUM just a couple of years ago. This disc is his second for his current trio of two younger fellows, both in their forties. 'Illusion of a Ballad' does in fact feature all ballads or standards from George Gershwin, Ornette Coleman, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and other well-known gems. Juhani has a rich, warm, well-honed tone that is something of great beauty and elegant spirit. His versions of Ornette's "Broken Shadows" and "Lonely Woman" are especially well done. The bassist and drummer often ply quite minimally, stripping it down to the barest of essential so that Juhani's haunting tone really shines through. Superb versions of "Stella by Starlight" (uptempo and uplifting), "Come Sunday" (making each note saunter with grace and care), "Nature Boy" (ditto) and "Lush Life" (again quite lovely and haunting). Too bad that those clowns at WBGO, which features straight ahead jazz 24/7, are hip enough to appreciate and play this sublime treasure of well selected standards. We might just sell more than a handful of copies. - BLG
CD $18


POLWECHSEL - Archives of the North (Hatology 633; Switzerland) 11 years after their influential debut recording on Random Acoustics comes the 5th public document of this ensemble centered around Michael Moser and Werner Dafeldecker's efforts to untangle the products and processes of improvisation. This quintet edition of Polwechsel is the first without Burkhard Stangl, but the addition of pace-setting idiophonists Martin Brandlmayr and Burkhard Beins is the most radical revision. John Butcher's unparalleled extended saxophone vocabulary continues to be the ensemble's most compelling adaptation of the timbral legacy that improvisational methodology has nurtured and I admire him for his willingness to contribute to a mostly non-improvised project like Polwechsel. As in the work by Beins/Denzler/Durrant (Trio Sowari), the conventional identities of saxophone, drum, and cymbal are rarely recognizable. Likewise for Dafeldecker's contrabass (he doesn't use guitar or computer for these works), which is miraculously subtle. This album is a momentous masterpiece and quite a step beyond earlier Polwechsel and most other work by these folks I've heard. Beins and Brandlmayr vastly multiply the timbral complexity of the ensemble sound, narrowing the gap between fundamental frequencies and overtones through diffusely pitched sounds like bowed cymbal and other frictional textures.
As much as I enjoy them, the first two Polwechsel albums and parts of the third (excepting "Government") were compromised by an arid and dull feeling owing to the internal conflict of narrowly pitch-centric sound sources (cello, acoustic guitar, contrabass) trying to deal with pitch-independent structures like extended stasis, discrete shifts in vertical density, etc. Alongside the spectral expansion achieved by this quintet, Moser's continued evolution as a computer manipulator (in addition to his cello playing) is equally responsible for the erasure of boundaries between individual instrumental identities and the construction of monolithic sound shapes brimming with disembodied slow-moving patterns like the ridges on sculptural surfaces that appear flat from a distance. For the sake of broadly describing the music, it might be useful to know that it's fairly slow, quiet, careful, and mostly based around continuous textural blends that retain a distinctly "acoustic" feeling. I'm often reminded of the very calm passages of Dumitrescu. To my ears they are one of the few medium-sized-or-larger ensembles with the intense focus and refinment of timbre to create a ritualistic experience of tension and immersion approaching the benchmarks established by BSC ("Good") and Trockeneis ("5025 AD"), though it's worth noting that this music never loses its cool or climbs arches into primal release. Its combination of sustained tranquility and infinite nuance make it a breathtaking work that demands the attention of anyone following the development of music in the current era. - Michael Anton Parker
CD for $20


CHOIR BOYS WITH STRINGS [JEFF KAISER/ANDREW PASK/STEUART LIEBIG/G.E. STINSON] (pfMENTUM 037; USA) This is quite far from what most folks would expect from a quartet of trumpet, clarinet, bass guitar, and electric guitar, but it won't be a surprise to anyone familiar with Kaiser and Pask's previous duo work under the Choir Boys moniker. This is an electronic processing blowout, all four players largely masking the conventional sounds of their instrument with outer space swooshes and asteroid streaks. Kaiser (trumpet, quarter-tone trumpet, flugelhorn, electronics) and Pask (clarinet, bass clarinet, alto sax, bass penny whistle, electronics) are damn fine players, so my favorite parts come when the organic feeling of their horns finds a balance with the electronics. The playing is thoughtful, varied, and controlled, but it's a far cry from the kind of restrained improv that's common these days. These cats let loose with a rambunctious and gleeful spirit that reminds me of Sun Ra going into his most cosmic zone. Liebig and Stinson are hardcore veterans of the kind of multi-layered textural guitar extensions they focus on here, to the point where I'd strongly recommend this disc to fans of the general space/ambient genre who might have a hankering for some serious turbulence as they drift away. - Michael Anton Parker
CD for $12


ELLEN BURR - Duos (pfMENTUM 034; USA) Ellen Burr splits her time between alto flute and C flute in this program of duos with bassoon, clarinet, drumkit, and contrabass guitar bookended by two 7-minute solos. For my tastes, flute is sadly underrepresented in creative improvised music and so this disc is a welcome gem with an appealing variety of instrumental colors. Ever since hearing the mind-blowing work by the A.D.D Trio (Arguelles/Dick/Doran) I've been convinced that flute and drumkit is one of the best possible combinations, each instrument not only enjoying its own space in the mix (as with any wind/drumkit duo), but also offering an inherently spacious feeling of airy, uncluttered gestures that rely on sound shading more than brawn. So I'm pleased to report that the centerpiece of the disc is a delicious 16-minute duo with drumkitter Jeanette Kangas that capitalizes on precisely these virtues. The wind duos are full of balanced intertwining and contrapuntal lines that find Andrew Pask gliding through beautiful full-bodied clarinet tones and Sara Schoenbeck's bassoon ranging from swirling melody to some fiery blowouts. pfMENTUM heavyweight Steuart Liebig's piece is anomalous here with its heavily processed, electronic sounds in an otherwise all-acoustic program. Reliably ingenious and unpredictable, Liebig's mastery of his uncommon electric contrabass guitar surfaces here as he conjures a round, warm koto-like plucked sound that creates a hypnotic rhythmic layer for Burr to weave rich textures across. Altogether an impressive disc of playful, conversational, graceful, active, virtuosic partial improv in a traditional vein (focus on melody, pulse and conventional instrumental technique) that finds Burr occasionally evoking the unhinged spirit of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. - Michael Anton Parker
CD for $12


THE ALAN LECHUSZA/CHRISTOPHER ADLER DUO - Mineralia (pfMentum 032; USA) Featuring Alan Lechusza on clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano & baritone saxes & ryuteki and Christopher Adler on piano. This is the second disc by this San Diego-based duo and I can't say that I've heard of these folks before this disc. Each piece is named after a mineral, I believe, and each peace features Alan on different reeds with Christopher on piano, throughout. This duo has been playing together for six years and it sounds like it. The first piece erupts with burning clarinet and well-matched piano, swirling intensely together. The duo starts slowly on "Skarn", yet soon take off quickly for the freer regions, moving furiously together. I dig when they slow down to more hypnotic sections with the pianist holding down the pedal as they float off on a distant drone. This is a formable and a well-matched duo that has found a pathway to connect so well with each and with us as well. - BLG
CD for $12


SCOTT FRASER/BRUCE FRIEDMAN - Landscape with Figure (pfMentum 031; USA) This duo disc features Scott Fraser on electric guitar & reverb springs and Bruce Friedman on trumpet. This is the fifth duo CD from the folks at this fine L.A. based label, so this format is a favorite of theirs. Again, I know very little about these fellows except that Scott is a member of the Bifurcators, another duo with Philip Perkins, who have 2 discs on Artifact. On "As Visible Wind", we find a lonely guitar drone and soft trumpet floating together. Scott seems to be processing his electric guitar with strange effects, it is difficult to tell exactly what he is doing. Rubbing his strings with pieces of metal and/or sampling certain strange, snippets. Eerie drones, long tones with hushed trumpet reveries. Everything moves slowly, the mournful trumpet softly plays sad songs as the guitar creates ominous or somber background textures. Sometimes Scott sounds as if he is playing an organ, sometimes he sounds as if he is playing quaint jazzy guitar, often it is impossible to tell just what he is doing. "Plumeria" sounds like Fred Frith in a jazzy mood and Bill Dixon interpreting a song by Loren Connors, so slow and so sad. Fraser often reminds me of Oren Ambarchi, the Australian guitarist who plays a note or two and then spends the rest of his set or piece twiddling knobs and slowly shaping that one note. This might be the first attempt at lower-case improv from the West Coast contingent. - BLG
CD for $12




HISTORIC RECORDINGS, REISSUES and RESTOCKS:

SUN RA & HIS OMNIVERSE JET-SET ARKESTRA - Beyond the Purple Star Zone {a/k/a Immortal Being} [Limited LP only edition] (Art Yard 005; UK) "Beyond The Purple Star Zone is one of two Saturn LPs recorded during a week's residency by Sun Ra at the Detroit Jazz Center in the last week of 1980. Just about everything that the Arkestra played that week was captured on tape -- ending with a marathon series of three concerts on New Year's Eve 1980, when the music extended over nearly eight hours, and included over ninety identifiable compositions. There was scarcely any duplication of compositions throughout this marathon night, even though each concert was played before a different audience, the auditorium cleared between sets. The title track, 'Beyond The Purple Star Zone,' is extracted from the second of these three New Year's Eve concerts. In essence, it's a French horn trio, involving Sun Ra, Vincent Chancey and a percussionist. As well as featuring on this LP as the title track, it was used again by Sun Ra when in 1982 he issued another Saturn LP, Oblique Parallax, to release more material from these December 1980 concerts.
On this second outing, 'Beyond The Purple Star Zone' was spliced together with music played on 30 December to form the piece known as 'Journey Stars Beyond.' 'Rocket Number Nine' also comes from the second of the three New Year's Eve concerts, and is a feature for Ra and the Arkestra's vocal dexterity, and in a quintessential Sun Ra touch melds other compositions in with this tune. There's a Sun Ra poem embedded -- 'The Space Age Is Here To Stay,' as well as fragments of a Gospel piece. There's also an early appearance of another Sun Ra composition, 'Face The Music,' which crops up occasionally in 1970s and 1980s concerts, before coming into its own around 1990, when, with a full instrumental arrangement, it was featured frequently. Considering the dozens of hours of surviving concert tape from this Detroit residency, it's significant that none of the recordings yet auditioned contain the material used on this album for 'Immortal Being,' 'Romance on a Satellite' or 'Planetary Search.' It is possible -- but uncertain -- that these are performances from this residency, the sonics are very close to those of the first two pieces from this album. At least one Detroit concert (plus one workshop) remain to be researched. However, the presence of an electric bass player and electric guitarist on 'Romance on a Satellite' suggests that these pieces may have a different origin. All are fine pieces, for the moment they keep their mysteries." -- Chris Trent
LP $25


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RESTOCKS ON THE VERY-HARD-TO-GET ITALIAN 'ANGELICA' LABEL [AN OUTGROWTH OF THE ANGELICA FESTIVAL]...

ANGELICA [V.A. With FRED FRITH/LARS HOLLMER/LINDSAY COOPER et al] - Angelica '92 (Angelica 03; Italy) P.A.P.A. Quartet / Popolui Dalpane Ensemble / Looping Home Orchestra / Lindsay Cooper / Stefano Scodanibbie / Gianni Gebbia / Grupo Ocarisitico Budriese / Fred Frith / Lars Hollmer / Cooper/Frith/Gebbia/Hollmer / Que d'la Gueule / Fred Frith Workshop
CD $20

ANGELICA [V.A. With PETER KOWALD/BUTCH MORRIS/TOM CORA/HANS REICHEL/HAN BENNINK et al] - Angelica '93 (Angelica 04; Italy) Angelica Festival in Bologna, May 27 & June 4 1992. Featuring Riciclo delle Quinte w/ Walter Wierbos / All Daxophone Band / Peter Kowald / Butch Morris / Diesner/Kowald/Morris/Wierbos / Steve Beresford / Han Bennink/ Hans Reichel / Tom Cora / Bennink/Beresford / Bennink/Beresford/Cora, Diesner/Jauniaux, Kowald/Mori/Wierbos, Eva Kant, Cooper/Frith, Gebbia & Lars Hollmer
CD $20

ANGELICA [V.A. With JOHN ZORN/FRED FRITH/GUY KLUCEVSEK/BOB OSTERTAG et al] - Angelica '94 (Angelica 06; Italy) 1994 Angelica Festival in Bologna, May 24 & 29, 1994. Featuring Bob Ostertag/John Zorn / Phil Minton/John Zorn / Fred Frith/John Zorn / Fred Frith/John Oswald / Fred Frith/Bob Ostertag / North American Experience / Quartetto P.A.P.A. / Le Terre Silenziose / Rohan de Saram/Stefano Scodanibbio / Band is Woman / Rohan de Saram / Guy Klucevsek / John Oswald / Ain't Nothin' but a Polka Band / Dresser/Frith/Hemingway/Minton/Oswald/Ostertag/Zorn / Banda Roncati
CD $20

ANGELICA [V.A. With JON ROSE/OTOMO YOSHIHIDE/STEVE BERESFORD / LOL COXHILL/CHRIS CUTLER] - Angelica '95 (Angelica 07; Italy) Bologna from May 2 & 7, 1995. Featuring Heiner Goebbels / Jon Rose/Otomo Yoshihide / Maarten Altena Ensemble / Steve Beresford/Jon Raskin/Otomo Yoshihide / Phil Minton/Veryan Weston / Steve Adams/Pat Thomas / Rova / Specchio Ensemble / Oban Sax Quartet / N.O.R.M.A. + Chris Cutler + Phil Minton / Mike Cooper/Lol Coxhill/Chris Cutler
CD $20

ANGELICA [V.A. With MISHA MENGELBERG/TRISTAN HONSINGER/SEAN BERGIN] - Angelica '96 (Angelica 11; Italy) Angelica Festival from Bologna, May 7 & 11, 1996; Featuring Henneman String Quartet / Guus Janssent Septet / Misha Mengelberg / Pallinckx / Michel Walsvisz / Janssen/Glerum/Janssen / Michel Walsvisz / Carlo Actis Dato / Tristan Honsinger / Sean Bergin/Alan 'Gunga' Purves
CD $20

ANGELICA [V.A. With MIKE PATTON/IKUE MORI/CHRIS CUTLER/DAGMAR KRAUSE et al] - Angelica '97 (Angelica 13; Italy) 'Ground Zero' (Otomo Yoshihide), Chris Cutler's 'P53', Stock Hausen and Walkman, Bob Ostertag, Ikue Mori, Dianne Labrosse, Martin Tetreault, Tenko, Dagmar Krauze and Marie Goyette, Zygmunt Krauze (with Orchestra del Teatro Communale di Bologna), Mike Patton, Uchihashi Kazuhisa and the Italian Trio Magneto. Plus cameo appearances from John Oswald and Rene Lussier.
CD $20

ALVIN CURRAN - Toto Angelica: A Work Made From Selected Samples Of The Recorded History Of Angelica 1991-2001 (Angelica 20; Italy) This work was made from selected samples of the recorded history of the Angelica Festival from 1991 2001. The first two 25 minute tracks were recorded live at the Angelica Festival Internazionale di Musica in Bologna, Italy in May of 2001. Alvin Curran performed on keyboard and samplers, but his computer crashed thirty minutes into the set. He and Massimo Simonini have both remixed and reworked this piece. Curran uses numerous samples taken from previous Angelica festivals. Snippets of John Zorn, Fred Frith, Tom Cora, Jon Rose, Tristan Honsinger, Gianni Gebbia, as well as vocalist like Shelley Hirsch, Phil Minton, Catherine Jauniaux, Maggie Nichols and Mike Patton are utilized, manipulated and reworked. Curran also sampled a variety of animals as well. I sounds as if we are listening to different radio stations broadcasting different concerts, as well as sounds from a zoo. I recognize a few of the voices, as well as Zorn's distinctive sax squeals. I dig the way the sounds are often bent into odd shapes, panned around the stereo spectrum and become a sonic salad of fascinating sounds. The eight shorter pieces that follow are mostly Simonini remixes Curran's studio recordings with the help of Domenico Sciajno. These pieces are interesting since Curran focuses on less samples and can work with them more carefully. There are a good dell more electronic and keyboard based sounds involved with very selective snips of other odd samples. A consistently engaging blend of exotic and electronic sounds. - BLG
CD $15

FRED FRITH With IKUE MORI/ZEENA PARKINS et al - Stone, Brick, Glass, Wood, Wire [2 CD set] (Angelica 14; Italy) An utterly fascinating work in which some forty plus international musicians interpret 25 pictures that Fred has chosen and are included in the enclosed booklet. It was performed and recorded at five concerts from '92 through '95, including the Victoriaville concert which I attended. The main trio is Fred, Ikue Mori and Zeena Parkins, while the other musicians include Han Bennink, Chris Cutler, Lesli Dalaba, Jean Derome, Rene Lussier, Myra Melford, Guy Klucevsek, Hans Koch and Jean-Marc Montera. Fred discusses his long history of inspiration in considering the use of graphic scores, from John Cage, Terry Riley, Cornelius Cardew, Stockhausen and Butch Morris - who this release is dedicated to. Each picture is of the materials mentioned in the title and has a different set of directions described underneath each pic in the booklet. Although each piece is improvised, the pictures and directions bring each one into a more focused result. The pieces, like the pictures are often broken down into sections, so that the players know where to come in or drop out and which part of a certain picture they must interpret. Some pieces are conducted, some not, often a soloist will play throughout, while the others follow open-ended directions. A timekeeper is utilized at times so that repetition can work properly. Many of these pieces sound (partially) written out, since the directions and/or conductions often give structure the shape of each piece. At points, this work reminds me of the way in which John Zorn's game pieces often work/sound so successfully - Fred has been a part of the earlier game pieces in the past. Elements of mystery, humor, suspense and surprise seem to fuel this entire two hour endeavor. An excellent and challenging work for all. - BLG
2 CD set for $32

TRISTAN HONSINGER THIS THAT AND THE OTHER With SEAN BERGIN/TOBIAS DELIUS/AUGUSTO FORTI/JOE WILLIAMSON/ALAN PURVES - Sketches Of Probability (Angelica 09; Italy) Featuring Sean Bergin on alto sax & flute, Tobias Delius on tenor sax, Augusto Forti on clarinet, Tristan Honsinger on cello & voice, Joe Williamson on contrabass, Alan Purves on drums plus Peggy Larson & Rick Parets on voices. Tristan has played cello in the ICP Orchestra for a couple of decades and can occasionally be heard with Cecil Taylor. He and all (most?) of the members of this ensemble are based in Holland and record for a number of those different Bimhuis labels. Witnessing Tristan live is always a fabulous experience, as he is one of the nuttiest and most strangely charming of all those wackos in the ICP Orchestra. His solo efforts are also a rarity with just two in print, an old quintet date on FMP and a more recent solo effort on ICP. This nine piece ensemble is certainly his most ambitious project yet. There is a hilarious "Television" suite which moves through different sections with silly child-like vocals which describe assorted TV programs or skits. There also some great written parts, which give the ensemble some intricate navigating to do. A completely charming endeavor with some much desired humor to brighten up our day(s). Featuring Katie Duck, dance, voice; Rick Parets, actor, voice; Peggy Larson, voice; Sean Bergin, alto saxophone, flute, voice; Tobias Delius, tenor saxophone, voice; Augusto Forti, clarinet, voice; Tristan Honsinger, cello, voice; Joe Williamson, bass; Alan 'Gunga' Purves, percussion, voice.
CD $20

PHIL MINTON/VERYAN WESTON - ...Past (Angelica 18; Italy) This is the third part of a trilogy that this unique voice and piano duo has worked on, since their first record on ITM in 1987. Phil and Veryan are also part of a fine quartet called Four Walls, once known as Tom Cora's The Roof. They cover a wide array of songs from diverse sources, as well as some original material. On '....past', they delve into the past and work with texts from Shakespeare, St. Augustine, e.e. cummings, Ho Chi Minh and Wiliam Blake, as well as songs by Schumann, Monteverdi and Hank Williams. Starting with a strange collage created by producer Massimo Simonini, sampled scratchy records are woven well with the distant voice and piano. On the ridiculously cool "Romantic Artist", Phil chants "Art & Labour" over and over as Veryan croons "Out of pre-existent materials not their own". A few of these tunes show a more serious side to Phil's usually wacky singing, perhaps we shouldn't write him off as a nut case so fast. Veryan also does some of singing as well and has a more plaintive voice, on "A Dream", Veryan sings quaintly enough while Phil adds his choking and twisted vocal sounds as accompaniment. Both Phil and Veryan do a great job of turning each song/piece into a unique story, evoking odd characters from different historical and geographical backgrounds. "Gemini II" sounds like two old codgers squealing and squirming with constipation. Veryan is a perfect match for Phil, as he knows many piano styles and approaches each piece with craft and clarity. When the two sing together it is also a great match of wit and audacity. You gotta love their version of Hank William's "I Guess I'll Never Get Out of this World Alive", which sounds more like Louie Armstrong. An (un?) expected delight. - BLG
CD $15 (In stock soon)

TERRY RILEY & STEFANO SCODANIBBIO - Lazy Afternoon Among The Crocodiles (Angelica 08; Italy) a beautiful keyboard & bass duet recording!
CD $20


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JOHN CALE - New York in the 1960's [3 CD Box Set] (Table of Elements 87; USA) Wooden box reissue of the 3 Cale CDs previously issued by Table of the Elements: Sun Blindness Music, Dream Interpretation & Stainless Gamelan. 2 "bonus" tracks from previous Jack Smith CDs on TOE. Recorded 1965-69, with Tony Conrad, Terry Jennings, Angus MacLise, Sterling Morrison & Jack Smith. Impressive wood packaging that emulates the earlier LP edition; this is now the only way to get this music, as all previous individual CDs are o/p. "John Cale's great credit, both inside and outside the Velvet Underground, was to have found the inoculation dosage that would addict the music industry to SOUND without alienating one world from the other. But outside the 'official' VU there was also an uncut version of the virus, incubated behind the slum walls of the 1960s Lower East Side, and maintained live in the liquid nitrogen of these insolently recorded reel-to-reel audiotapes, recorded and produced by John Cale and now available in the massive Table of the Elements 3 CD boxed set, New York in the 1960s."
3 CD set $50

ARNOLD DREYBLATT AND THE ORCHESTRA OF EXCITED STRINGS - Live at Federal Hall National Memorial (Table of Elements 54; USA) "Arnold Dreyblatt is one of the most engaging of the second generation of New York minimalists. During a three-decade career he has developed a distinctive - and delightfully accessible - approach to composition and performance. Employing modified and invented instruments and a unique tuning system, his music is a vigorously rhythmic and richly textured romp through the natural overtone series. This live CD celebrates the 25th anniversary of Dreyblatt's historic concert at Federal Hall in New York (where George Washington was inaugurated as President). Utilizing the natural resonances of the structure's spectacular dome, Dreyblatt and his Orchestra of Excited Strings present seven outstanding pieces from the Nodal Excitation series for just-intoned double basses, piano, hurdy gurdy and pipe organ, emphasizing dynamics and sonorities to stunning acoustical effect."
CD $16

HENRI CHOPIN - Revue OU [4 CD set & Book] (Alga Marghen 045; Italy) "Alga Marghen proudly presents a new edition of the already historical Chopin's Revue OU. All the original contents (4CDs + book + complete inserts) have also been included here, but presented now in a more modern and flexible way. The first press heavy boxset had been substituted with a lighter and colour slipcase while many important details and info about the contents of this anthology (missing in the original layout) are presented on a new colour obi." Incredible that this has been reissued again, at a slightly cheaper cost even! Miraculously over-the-top presentation of Henri Chopin's famous sound-poetry "magazine", issued on 4CDs (or 6 LPs - a few copies of the original LP reissue box still available). "Since the end of the fifties, Henri Chopin, an explorer in the new recorded sound poetry field, has never ceased, through hid own work as well as through his publishing activities (Revue OU, a magazine with record from 1963 to 1974) to defend the electronic exploration of the voice and the body. Many manifestos and theoretical texts, as well as original photos, have been published in a 76 page book. Also included are 30 fold-out black and white OU inserts reproducing the original scores of the audio works featured on the 4 CDs (by Chopin, Heidsieck, de Vree, Davies, Cobbing, Bekaert) as well as graphic works by John Cage, Tom Phillips, Arrigo Lora-Totino, Michel Seuphor, Ben Vautier, Stefan Themerson, Richard Orton, Pierre Albert-Birot."
Ltd Ed 4 CD set for $100

CHARLOTTE MOORMAN/NAM JUNE PAIK - TV Cello [2 LP set; Ltd Ed of 200 copies] (Alga Marghen 019; Italy) "A documentation of Charlotte Moorman activities as a performer is generally available only on the iconographic level in various catalogues which documents the crucial intersection with the work of Nam June Paik or the association with events connected to the Fluxus movement. One of Charlotte Moorman's more substantial merits is having consciously reversed the traditional role of the virtuoso performer on her own instrument, uncovering by this overturning one of the most authentic keys for comprehending the aesthetics of experimental music. It was properly the natural spontaneity in this attitude to fascinate Paik and to have decreed her indispensable capacity as a performer, thus giving rise to the reasons animating their fecund and symbiotic collaboration. Cello Anthology is a collection of documents (sonic and photographic) as well as original texts and testimonies, made available for the first time in a unitary form by Alga Marghen."
CD $45

B.B. BLUNDER [BLOSSOM TOES: BRIAN GODDING/KEVIN WESTLAKE/BRAIN BELSHAW With JULIE DRISCOLL [TIPPETTS]/MICK TAYLOR/KEITH TIPPETT/NICK EVANS/MARC CHARIG] - Worker's Playtime (Long Hair 046; EEC) "Often regarded as Blossom Toes 3rd LP, this is the most underrated album of the early '70s (1971). So, it was not really a surprise, that the first re-release of the album on vinyl (on Decal) in 1989 was credited to Blossom Toes '70. Brian Godding, Brian Belshaw and Kevin Westlake showed again their great talent to create songs beside the mainstream but always melodious and with clever lyrics. Great guitar work by Brian Godding and impressive vocals dominate the music. A lot of guest musicians supported the band, among others: Keith Tippett [credited as "choir"] and Julie Driscoll, as well as Marc Charig, Nick Evans, Kevin Westlake, Mick Taylor, Brian Auger, Barry Jenkins (Animals), and Graham Smith. Released for the first time on CD, the album was digitally re-mastered and appears in a brilliant sound. It also comes with a comprehensive booklet including full band story, lyrics and photos never seen before, plus two bonus tracks."
CD $20

FEAR ITSELF - Fear Itself (World In Sound 1031; Germany) "The album was originally released in 1969 on Dot-Records but didn't receive too much attention -- maybe it appeared as a 'too' freaked out heavy version of Jefferson Airplane or Big Brother & the Holding Co. The group started back in Atlanta Georgia in 1967 as a quartet with two guitars and played true psychedelic sound, recorded at the Record Plant in NYC, and moved to Woodstock (NY). The 10 album tracks contain two arrangements of traditional tunes all others are originals reflecting true electric heavy blues with a strong Hendrix feel, dueling guitar work and an outstanding female voice/vocals/screams...lots of intense stereo effects. This release is issued with stunning sound quality from the masters and includes a nice booklet with pictures and biographical background. For all '60s collectors who are not familiar with this masterpiece -- it's a must -- there are not many groups that were able to present the freewheelin' live on stage feeling on their studio album!"
What this borrowed blurb, doesn't tell is that this band featured the legendary Ellen McIlwaine on lead/slide guitar and vocals. Ellen went on the record a few amazing blues/folk solo albums in the early seventies and was friends with Jack Bruce, who appeared on one of these long lost gems. I am pleased to see this great, obscure rock/blues/psych gem back in print. - BLG
CD $19

PSYCHEDELIC MINDS - Vol. 1: Heavy Underground 1967-71 (World In Sound 1032; Germany) "The international bands on this selection represent impressively the boiling point of the short living worldwide psychedelic rock movement between 1967-71 -- the years when garage punk evolved into heavy psychedelic rock with its wider soundscapes and complex improvisations. Volume 1 contains a dozen 45-rpm songs by lost psychedelic messengers (eight US bands and from Germany, Peru, France each one). The groups included are: Blackrock, Sound Machine, Yesterday's Obsession, Mastermind, Sangre Mexicana, Bhagavad Gita, Protein Bros, Purple Canteen, Los Nuevos Shains, Blow Mind and the A & B-side of legendary Dirty Filthy Mud. About half of the songs are previously unreissued and appear in stunning sound quality and 12p. poster-booklet. Certainly a piece of wax for Dr. Leary's students: 'Turn on, Tune in, Listen again!' To be continued..."
CD $19

INCREDIBLE STRING BAND - The Circle Is Unbroken - Live and Studio 1967-1972: Chelsea Sessions/The First Girl I Loved [2 CD Set] (Castle 6236; USA) Essentially, this two-disc compilation pairs the Incredible String Band's previously issued Chelsea Sessions 1967 (with one bonus track -- a medley), with a live set from Canada in 1972. Therefore, it's not material recorded between the years, as the title would suggest, so much as from those years. (It should be said, for the sake of accountability, that perhaps "God Dog" may date later than the other cuts; no one seems to know.) The 1967 material is wonderful, coming as it does from the sessions that resulted in the band's second album 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion. Six tracks made the LP. Many of these tunes feature Robin Williamson debuting his material solo, accompanied only by his guitar. The sound on the first disc is great throughout. The second disc here is from a Canadian gig in 1972 that featured Mike Heron and Williamson with four (then) new-ish members, including the band's equipment manager on drums and their soundman on bass. It was previously issued on CD as The First Girl I Loved in 1998 on Mooncrest. There is some debate here as well about the material being taken from various shows instead of a single concert. The original issue contained at least one cut, "Ithkos," that was from 1974. That song has been replaced by other bonus tracks from the same gig, or series of gigs: "Oh Did I Love a Dream," and "The Hag with the Money." The sound on this set is a bit more marginal, but the material and performances are lively and savvy. ~ Thom Jurek, AMG
2 CD set for $18


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DMG RECOMMENDED NYC GIGS FOR MAY 5th & BEYOND:




DMG's Free Weekly In-Store Music Series Continues Every Sunday at 6pm:

This Sunday May 7th at 6pm:
MATT LAVELLE/KEN FILIANO/ANDREA WOLPER!
Trumpet & bass clarinet/contrabass/vocals!

Next Sunday, May 14th at:
6 pm - JOHN DeLUCIA sax & NIR FELDER guitar!
7 pm - JEAN-LUC GUIONNET solo sax [from Hubbub] !


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Tonic is located at 107 Norfolk Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets in Manhattan's Lower East Side, around the corner from Delancey F train stop
Here's some recommended gig(s) for the upcoming weeks-

Fri May 5th-
Midnite: THE HANUMAN SEXTET - With Andy Haas (shofar, raita (Moroccan oboe), sax, electronics), Don Fiorino (banjo, lotar (Moroccan lute), lap steel guitar), Mia Theodoratus (electric harp), Matt Heyner (bass), David Gould (drums) and Dee Pop (percussion). "The unique instrumentation combined with the musicians' backgrounds in classical, experimental, jazz, blues and rock immediately points to something special, but what really makes this group combust is its fearless spirit and open-minded ears."--All About Jazz

Tues May 9th-
8pm - PAUL SHAPIRO'S MIDNIGHT MINYAN! With Paul Shapiro (saxophone), Steven Bernstein (slide trumpet), Peter Apfelbaum (saxophone / piano / percussion), Booker King (bass), Brian Mitchell (keyboard) & Tony Lewis (drums). CD Release Show for It's in the Twilight (Tzadik). Paul brilliantly greets the Sabbath bride, capturing the joyous feeling of a Friday night Shabbat service with his all-star band of downtown luminaries. Down home Jazz and Rhythm and Blues meet Jewish Music in this dynamic meeting of the secular and the spiritual.
10pm - JESSICA LURIE ENSEMBLE! With Todd Sickafoose (bass), Jessica Lurie (accordion / flute / saxophone / voice), Erik Deutsch (keyboard), Allison Miller (drums) & Brandon Seabrook

Sat May 13th-
7pm - A Mother's Day Concert: Lois Vierk plus Gisburg plus Miya Masaoka plus Mari Kimura plus Kitty Brazelton plus Daphna Naphtali!

Tues May 16th-
8pm - JOHN HOLLENBECK'S CLAUDIA QUINTET! - An amazing double bill!
10pm - MANDARIN MOVIE with Alan Licht (guitar), Rob Mazurek (cornet), Jason Ajemian (bass) & Frank Rosaly (drums).


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Dee Pop presents: FREESTYLE JAZZ
Every Thursday @ Jimmy's 43 Restaurant
43 East 7th Street - NYC - 212-982-3006
WWW.FREESTYLEJAZZ.COM

May 4 8pm & 10pm
Michael Attias, Tony Malaby, John Hebert, Gerald Cleaver

May 11
8pm David Aaron's Short Memory: David Aaron, Rob Ritchie, Matt Wigton, Greg Ritchie
10pm Gene Ess Quartet


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MAY, 2006 AT THE STONE IS A MEMORIAL TO DEREK BAILEY

Derek Bailey loved New York City. He loved playing here and he loved being here. It was his hope to come back to New York to both curate and play at The Stone for the month of May. Alas, it was not to be. Drawing largely from his original list, Karen Brookman has helped realize his vision. Many of the players are traveling great distances to participate in this month long tribute to one of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century-a man who helped change the world through improvisation. We all miss him. - from The Stone's website


5/5 Friday
8 pm - William Parker (bass)
10 pm - Shaking Ray Levi Society: Dennis Palmer (voice, synthesizer) & Bob Stagner (drums)

5/6 Saturday
8 pm - Cyro Baptista (percussion) & Billy Martin (percussion)
10 pm - Cyro Baptista (perc) & Billy Martin (perc) and special guests

5/7 Sunday
8 and 10 pm - John Zorn Improv Party to Support The Stone
John Zorn (alto sax) Shanir Blumenkranz (bass) Cyro Baptista (percussion) Ikue Mori (electronics) Anton Fier (drums) Tim Barnes (percussion) Erik Friedlander (cello) and special guests - A Stone benefit-TWENTY DOLLARS

5/9 Tuesday
8 pm - Julian Kytasty (bandura)
10 pm - Jennifer Choi (violin) Shelley Burgon (harp)

5/10 Wednesday
8 pm - Thurston Moore - Solo (guitar)
10 pm - Thurston Moore (guitar) and special guests

5/11 Thursday
8 pm - Lisle Ellis's Audible Means: Pamela Z (voice) Rudresh Mahanthappa (saxophone) Kathy Supove (piano) Guillermo E Brown (drums, electronics) Lisle Ellis (bass and circuitry)
10 pm - J.D.Parran (flute, clarinet, percussion) Mary Halvorson (guitar) Stephen Haynes (trumpet)

5/12 Friday
8 pm - George Lewis (electronics, trombone)
10 pm - Joe Morris (guitar) Michael Evans (percussion, electronics) Daniel Levin (cello) Daniel Blacksberg (trombone) Michael Winograd (clarinet, alto sax) Joe Moffett (trumpet) Jeff Kimmel (bass clarinet) Dana Jessen (bassoon) Adam Dotson (euphonium)

5/13 Saturday
8 pm - Wadada Leo Smith Solo Trumpet
10 pm - Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet) and special guests

5/14 Sunday
8 pm - Eugene Chadbourne (guitar) & John Zorn (alto sax)
10 pm - Eugene Chadbourne (guitar)


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GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!!!...

The Tzadik Label New Music Series
Presents "New Voices from Japan"
Curated by John Zorn and featuring

HAINO KEIJI, MAKIGAMI KOICHI, YAMATAKA EYE, MIKE PATTON, JIM O'ROURKE, IKUE MORI & JOHN ZORN

Friday & Saturday, May 12th & 13th, at 7:30pm
at The Japan Society - 333 East 47th St. in NY, NY
Box Office: 212-715-1258 (M-F, 10am - 4:45pm)
Website: www.japansociety.org


John Zorn Curates New Vocal Music From Japan in NYC


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Saturday, May 6th, 'O6: Henry Grimes workshop, "Known to the Unknown: Secrets of Improvisation," 1:30-5:30 p.m. (minus lunch break), $60

ALSO, the Henry Grimes Trio featuring Andrew Lamb & Newman Taylor Baker in concert at 8 p.m., $12
School for Improvisational Music at the Gowanus Arts Building
295 Douglass St. betw. 3rd & 4th Ave's, Brooklyn, 212-631-5882
(Voicemail), www.schoolforimprov.org/live, www.schoolforimprov.org/live (click on "calendar"); tickets at the door or online.
By subway, take the R to Union St., A/ C/ G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, or 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ B/ Q to Atlantic Ave.


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