THE CELEBRATION OF THE 'OLD KNIT' : A BIG BENEFIT FOR 'THE STONE' AT TOWN HALL!

A COLOSSAL LIST OF GREAT DISCS from HUMAN FEEL, TIM BERNE, EYE CONTACT [MATT LAVELLE/MATT HEYNER/RYAN SAWYER], 4 from MARC EDWARDS' ALPHAPHONICS LABEL, ANDRE DUCHESNE GROUP & JOANE HETU, ADAM ROGERS TRIO, ONNYK/TATSUYA NAKATANI/JUN KAWASAKI,

FOUR from SLAM: THE NUMBER w/ KEITH TIPPETT/GARY CURSON/JOHN EDWARDS /MARK SANDERS, HOWARD RILEY SOLO, D.A.T.A. & ALLESANDRO GARAU/GIANLUCA CORONA/SEBASTIAN DESSANAY,

FOUR from FMR: TWO from FRODE GJERSTAD w/ KEVIN NORTON, FRED LONBERG-HOLM & PAAL NILSSEN LOVE, STEVE HUBBACK//TOM SWINDLE DVD & GREEN ROOM [CHUCK LYALL/DAVID GARRETT],

WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL & BRIAN BLADE, TWO from BLAIS� SIWULA, GARY HASSAY/ PAUL ROGERS & THE REST OF THE KONNEX CATALOGUE,

SOFT MACHINE VOLUMES THIRD, FOUR, FIVE, SIX and SEVEN FINALLY RE-MASTERED w/ SOME BONUS TRACKS! JOHN CAGE 3 CD SET...



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Violinist and composer Leroy Jenkins, a dominant force who blended the lines between jazz and classical music in the 1970s' free jazz movement, died in New York of complications of lung cancer at the age of 74.

In 1964, he joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians [AACM], a co-op of jazz musicians who followed the structural advances of Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane and others who expanded traditional jazz. He took the organization's philosophy to Europe, founding the Creative Construction Company with jazz musicians Anthony Braxton, Steve McCall and Leo Smith.

In the mid-1970s, Jenkins wrote music for classical ensembles, and became the bandleader of the group Sting; and was an equal member in the legendary trio Revolutionary Ensemble with Sirone and Jerome Cooper, whose electrifying reunion performances in recently served to remind that his genius continued to evolve to ever greater heights.

"I had seen Leroy Jenkins play perhaps a dozen times since checking out avant/jazz in the early seventies and was always knocked out be Leroy's distinctive playing. He never sounded like anyone else on violin but himself. I caught The Revolutonary Ensemble a couple of times in the seventies, as well as his band Sting. Always a revelation. I was very glad to check out the reunion of the The Revoltionary Ensemble at Vision Fest a few years back and was even more knocked out seeing them at Joe's Pub, an unlikely place that they transformed into their own dimension. The last time I heard Leroy Jenkins was at the last year's Vision Fest where he did a fine duo with a dancer. I talked to him a couple of times, once when he came into our store. He had a gracious, gentle spirit that I will never forget. Time to go back to all five of those Revolutionary Ensemble albums and listen again to their amazing sounds." - BLG


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"With deep regret, we must announce that Charles Gocher passed away yesterday in Seattle due to a long battle with cancer at the age of 54. He is survived by the two of us who adopted him as a brother 25 years ago and his many friends around the world. He will be missed more than most could ever know. Our thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement during the past three, very difficult years. Many of you were not aware that Charles was ill and that�s because he wanted it that way

We have decided to hold a private memorial in Seattle for close friends only to celebrate his legacy. At a later date, when we can collect our thoughts to properly honor him, we will pay tribute to Charles at a public venue by screening films and displaying some of his drawings and photographs, and possibly perform some of his songs.

As many of you have suspected, Sun City Girls will no longer exist as a performing entity. Nor will any new recording projects be created utilizing the name Sun City Girls. There are many unreleased recordings and videos that will surface when time permits to release them."

---Alan and Richard Bishop


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IAN WALLACE, Drummer Extraordinaire for King Crimson, Bob Dylan, Billy Burnette, and many many others, died last week at the age of 60 from complications due to cancer of the esophagus


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CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN ZORN!

JOHN ZORN is the 2007 recipient of the William Schuman Award

Columbia's MILLER THEATRE hosts concert and award ceremony
Thursday, April 26, 8:00PM

From Dan Kleinman, Acting Dean, Columbia University School of the Arts:"The School of the Arts is pleased to present the William Schuman Award to John Zorn, whose astonishingly diverse and extraordinary body of work has enlightened, startled, and enchanted its listeners. His lasting contribution to the repertoire of today has changed the landscape of composition."
Columbia University's School of the Arts honors composer JOHN ZORN with the WILLIAM SCHUMAN AWARD, a major recognition given periodically over the past twenty-five years. Named for its first recipient William Schuman, the award, in the form of a direct, unrestricted grant of $50,000, is one of the largest to an American composer. In the language of the gift establishing the prize, the purpose of the William Schuman Award is "to recognize the lifetime achievement of an American composer whose works have been widely performed and generally acknowledged to be of lasting significance." It is awarded by the Dean of the School of the Arts at Columbia University. The award was established in 1981 by a bequest from the Schuman family. Previous winners have included Schuman, David Diamond, Gunther Schuller, Milton Babbitt, and Hugo Weisgall, and, most recently in 2001, Steve Reich.
Drawing on his experience in a variety of genres including jazz, rock, hardcore punk, classical, klezmer, film, cartoon, popular, and improvised music, Zorn has created an influential body of work that defies academic categories. A native of New York City, he has been a central figure in the downtown scene since 1975, incorporating a wide range of musicians in various compositional formats. He learned alchemical synthesis from Harry Smith, structural ontology with Richard Foreman, how to make art out of garbage with Jack Smith, cathartic expression at Sluggs, and hermetic intuition from Joseph Cornell. Early inspirations include American innovators Ives, Var�se, Cage, Carter, and Partch; the European tradition of Berg, Stravinsky, Boulez, and Kagel; soundtrack composers Herrmann, Morricone, and Stalling; and avant-garde theatre, film, and art.
Described as "endlessly inventive" by George Steel, the Executive Director of Columbia's Miller Theatre, Zorn was celebrated with one of Miller's signature Composer Portraits this past October. Also this year, the composer won a "genius" grant from the MacArthur Foundation. Miller will host a concert and awards ceremony for the Schuman recognition on Thursday, April 26 (concert details to be announced).


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BIG UPCOMING EVENT AT DMG!

ANTHONY BRAXTON will be SIGNING copies of his new 10 Disc Box Set [9 CDs & 1 DVD] "9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006" at our DMG store on Wednesday March 28th from 5 PM to 6:30 PM. [He'll also be performing a return engagement at Iridium from March 29th-April 1st]

That should be some PARTY!!! Y'all COME BY NOW, hear?

More details later, but we HOPE to be able to take orders for signed copies to be sent out for those of you - around the world - who just can't be here. The box sells for $120 + shipping.

Nothing definite yet...SO PLEASE DON'T SEND ORDERS UNTIL WE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE IT, capeesh?


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AND NOW FOR THE BIG LIST OF NEW ARRIVALS:

HUMAN FEEL - Galore (Skirl 06; USA) Human Feel is Chris Speed on tenor sax & clarinet, Andrew D'Angelo on alto sax & bass clarinet, Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar and Jim Black on drums & electronics. Hooray! This is the long awaited reunion of that great downtown all-star quartet Human Feel. Formerly Seattle based, Human Feel migrated to Boston and then New York, where Chris & Jim worked with Tim Berne in Bloodcount and later formed Pachora. All four members have recorded solo discs, as well as playing with a variety of downtown greats like Paul Motian, Dave Douglas and Matt Wilson.
What makes Human Feel unique is the way their songs work. "After the Fact" has a most memorable opening and closing theme, yet the entire mid-section had two powerful duos colliding together in a free yet tight-knit way. The oft-noisy guitar and drums clash with either both saxes or both clarinets. I marvel at the way these pieces are intricately woven. Since there is no bassist, Kurt often plays the bass parts on his guitar working perfectly with Jim's exuberant drums. "Cat Heaven" is an exquisite piece with enchanting clarinets, elegant guitar and soft percussion. Completely enchanting and quite dream-like. "Improve" has an angular theme like a slowed-down punk song, yet the midsection has one of those dark Pachora-like melodies that swarm all over us like bees seeking honey. One of the highlights here is the epic length, "Fuck the�", which moves spaciously through sparse and suspenseful sections, amongst the varied barbed, charted segments. Word is that Mr. Rosenwinkel is now living in Europe, so we might not be able to check out Human Feel here any time soon. Hence, we can still bathe in the sound this grand studio effort by the reunited Human Feel folks. - BLG
CD $14


NEW ARRIVALS FROM SLAM�

THE NUMBER [GARY CURSON/KEITH TIPPETT/JOHN EDWARDS/MARK SANDERS] - The Making Of Quiet Things (Slam 269; UK) The recording arose from a proposal to Gary Curson by producer Justin Paterson, of the London College of Music, who expressed a desire to work with improvising musicians. The album The Making of Quiet Things by the Number is the realization of the first phase of Justin's concept, namely, the mix down of the ambient recording of the actual real-time performances. The second phase, now in progress, is for Justin to fashion a companion electronic album, by devising completely new compositions derived from samples from the same-recorded material. Justin is currently designing new software specifically to enable this process.
This opportunity for Gary to involve some of the finest improvising musicians with whom he has worked in the past, together with the excellent studio facilities, has given us the original and exciting music heard on this album.
Why is the album entitled The Making Of Quiet Things? "I wanted the music to reflect the quantum level of listening that goes on inside the improvisers' art. I'm personally very pleased with the outcome, and deeply indebted to the production team and the other members of the quartet," replies Gary.
CD $16

HOWARD RILEY - Short Stories (Volume Two) [2 CD-R Set] (Slam 270; UK) Thirty short original piano improvisations by the acknowledged master of the art, Howard Riley, one disc recorded in June of 2004 and the other in August of 2006. In a couple of years, British avant/jazz piano legend, Howard Riley's career will enter its 40th year. Mr. Riley will have more than 40 releases by then of solos, duos (w/ Keith Tippett & Lol Coxhill), trios, as well as working with folks like Elton Dean, Barry Guy and Tony Oxley. What is different about this release is that all but two of the pieces here is under six minutes, which is unusual for a Mr. Riley's more extended works. This does in no way detract from Riley's power, creativity and depth of spirit. Each piece sounds as if he has something to prove. Riley appears to be drawing from a variety of streams, many from the history of jazz. I hear bits of stride and with elements much further out on "Ups and Downs". Sometimes Riley will dissect what sounds like a standard and add little twists and turns like on "With Ease". I hear some deconstructed Monk on "Palmate" and odd two handed excursions where the left hand walks as the right hand swirls in different directions at the same time. Riley even goes into some somber ballad-like territory at times, lush and contemplative. What we have here is thirty short stories and each one a small adventure of its own. - BLG
2 CD-R Set for $24

D.A.T.A. - �Now Processing� (Slam 271; UK) D.A.T.A. consists four young South London musicians who first met in 2005. Through a mutual interest in pushing improvised jazz further, they formed a collective that gave them their own unique voice. The band name D.A.T.A. derives from the first initial of each member. D.A.T.A. consists of Alan Eason on guitar, Andy McFarlane on violin, Tris Harris on piano, synth, bass, alto & soprano sax and Dave Hayley on drums. All of the tracks are first take improvisations recorded in the studio with no overdubs. Nice to hear playful improv that has a more positive vibe for a change. The piano, guitar and violin do a swell job of creating riffs together and building them into magical themes that sweep us away. The subdued vibe often works well as the quartet slowly simmers together, weaving melodic fragments into a rich tapestry of warm spirits. - BLG
CD $16

ALLESANDRO GARAU/GIANLUCA CORONA/SEBASTIAN DESSANAY - Rebis (Slam 513; UK) Featuring Alessandro Garau on drums & all compositions, Gianluca Corona on electric guitar and Sebastian Dessanay on acoustic bass. It is always great to hear some new musicians from points unknown, this time from Italy and on a British label. This is a fine jazz trio playing the drummer's compositions, written over a long period of time. Interesting that the drummer writes pieces that often feature the guitarist and bassist so much, both getting quite a bit of solo space. However it is often the intricate nature of these pieces that make them so interesting. What this trio does best is create atmospheric songs that seem to glide over Alessandro's subtle and spacious drums. - BLG
CD $16

RESTOCK CD FROM K-SPACE WHO'VE GOTTEN SOME WELL DESERVED PRESS IN THE PAST YEAR

K-SPACE [TIM HODGKINSON/KEN HYDER/GENDOS CHAMZYRYN] - Bear Bones (Slam 247; UK) Gendos Chamzyryn: vocals, percussion, amplified doshpulur, piano. Tim Hodgkinson: lap steel guitar, klarnet, electronics, processing, alto saxophone. Ken Hyder: drums, vocals, amplified ektara, sampling, electronics. A unique combination of two cutting-edge British musicians and a Siberian shaman - one of the most astounding performers of the music of Tuva, and master of the Kaargiraa throat-singing style.
CD $16



NEW FROM FMR!

FRODE GJERSTAD/EIVIN ONE PEDERSEN/KEVIN NORTON TRIO - The Walk (FMR 206; UK) Featuring Frode Gjerstad on clarinets, Eivin One Pedersen on accordion and Kevin Norton on vibes. Norwegian reeds legend, Frode Gjerstad, never seems to rest and rarely ceases to surprise us with his diverse array of musical cohorts and varied projects and/or genres. With over fifty recordings in over thirty years, he has worked with an immense who's who international improvisers: John Stevens, Johnny Dyani, Peter Brotzmann, William Parker, Derek Bailey, Bobby Bradford, Lol Coxhill, Nick Stephens and a punk band called Ultralyd.
For this disc, Frode has again done something quite different: he plays clarinets only instead of his usual alto sax, plus he has downtown percussion wiz Kevin Norton playing vibes only and a fine accordionist (Eiven Pedersen) to complete the trio. As Froe has done a great deal of intense free/jazz in the past, this is much more restrained and often filled with magical drones and stretched-out notes. All three instruments, clarinet, accordion and vibes, seem to vibrate together in a similar tonal territory, occasionally eerie and often dream-like. Kevin Norton wrote to me that this was one of his favorite sessions and listening to it I can see clearly why. It is a most transcendent disc, the spirits are rejoicing as they caress our ears, hearts and souls. - BLG
CD $16

FRODE GJERSTAD/FRED LONBERG-HOLM/AMIT SEN/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE - The Cello Quartet (FMR 212; UK) Featuring Frode Gjerstad on alto sax & clarinet, Fred Lonberg-Holm & Amit Sen on cellos and Paal Nilssen Love on drums. Norwegian reeds wiz, Frode Gjerstad, consistently challenges himself by organizing a new group (solo, duo, trio, quartet, etc.) for each of his fifty discs. Here he has put together a fine quartet with two great cellists, Fred Lonberg-Holm from the Vandermark 5 and someone named Amit Sen. His drummer of choice here and on a few of Frode's previous discs is the amazing Paal Nilssen Love from the Scorch Trio and The Thing. Both cellists work especially well together weaving their warped strings in all sorts of inventive ways. They create a thick cosmic buzzing as Frode's clarinet wails, squeaks and soars on top and Paal's distinctive percussion swirls below. As each cellist plays on one side of the stereo spectrum, we can concentrate on who is doing what. Both cellists get a chance to solo at length as well as providing a variety of textures and sounds to the spinning percussion and concentrated clarinet or alto sax. There are also different duos that emerge and explore different terrain throughout. This disc was recorded live at The Caf� Sting in Stavanger and the sound is just right, so well-balanced. Those cellos add the cosmic rush of excited strings that made those Albert Ayler discs so special. - BLG
CD $16

GREEN ROOM [CHICK LYALL/DAVID GARRETT] - Tin Man (FMR 201; UK) Green Room features Chick Lyall on acoustic piano, computer, flutes & multi-timbral modules and David Garrett on percussion, prepared piano, prepared dulcimer, thumb piano & sampling. Just how FMR continues to come up with so many fascinating little known British musicians is something that only Trevor Taylor can understand and that we can barely comprehend. All we can say is that old Soft Machine line, "We did it again!" Green Room are another case in point. 'Tin Man' opens with the sample/line "We are on a mission from God", which is taken from the Blues Brothers movie. Ridiculous but true and actually rather apt. Green Room blend layers of sublime samples in a most breathtaking way. This is all about textures, sonic scenery and evocative sounds. Various layers of electronic samples, prepared piano, minimal percussion and other mysterious sounds float together and move in waves that submerge us in a dream-like state. I would imagine that this is perfect music to listen to with headphones, being a bit stoned and floating nicely down a warm stream and into a blissful place. A welcome journey for the weary amongst us. - BLG
CD $16

STEVE HUBBACK//TOM SWINDLE, dir. - Forged From Dreams: The Sonorous Sculpture, Music And Life Of Steve Hubback [DVD] (FMR DVD 01; UK) This is an extraordinary film that documents the long journey of Welsh percussionist and instrument-maker, Steve Lubback. As Mr. Lubback is interviewed by Mark Currie, Steve describe his long journey around the world, from Wales to Norway to Iceland to Denmark to Korea to England and back to Wales again, his playing with musicians from around the world, as well as his unique way of designing and making cymbals and other percussion instruments evolves along the way. There is a great deal of fascinating live footage of Steve's playing and odd instruments in a variety of contexts. From solo performances to work with his European group Metal Moves. Steve's incredible instruments are as fascinating to watch as they are to listen to. - BLG
DVD $20


TIM BERNE'S SCIENCE FRICTION With MARC DUCRET/CRAIG TABORN /TOM RAINEY - Mind Over Friction: Science Friction + Live - The Sublime And� [3 CD set] (Screwgun 70018; USA) Disc One : [originally released as a single CD on Screwgun in 2002] NY alto and baritone sax giant, distinctive composer, multi-bandleader (Bloodcount, Paraphrase, Caos Totale, Hard Cell) and Screwgun label-head utilized his fabulous Big Satan trio (called Even Bigger Satan here) featuring Marc Ducret on guitar, Tom Rainey on drums, Tim on saxes, and, with newest addition Craig Taborn on electric keyboards, the quartet version is renamed Science Friction. TOO AMAZING for words!
Disc Two & Three 'Live - The Sublime And.. ' [originally released on Thirsty Ear]: Recorded live in Switzerland in April of 2003 for Swiss radio. Tim Berne's all-star quartet are one of the most exciting electric avant-jazz bands to emerge from the downtown scene in the past decade. Their long pieces evolve and mutate through thorny, circular pathways that pull us into their mesmerizing grip. Each of the six mostly long pieces here feature Tim's spinning alto sax and Tom's magical flowing drums at the center of the cyclone of continuously mesmerizing waves which swirl together and around each other always connected by an inner thread. Craig's layers of electric piano through devices and alien samples are on one side of the stage as Marc's electric guitar also spirals intricate patterns and selective spice on the other side of the stage. 'The Shell Game' begins with hushed sax and nimble, ghost-like guitar that slowly ascend together as Craig's cautious keyboard and Tom's sublime mallets slowly swirl as one hypnotic force. Eventually the tempo speeds up and the quartet take off tightly together, with Marc Ducret erupting one of those incredible fusion/noise/prog guitar solos as Rainey kicks things into high gear!! 'Mrs. Subliminal' has a more laid back, hypnotic groove which seems not too far removed from one of old Soft Machine riffs from the 'Third' or 'Fourth' album era. In the center section they drift into some free-floating terrain, but later get back to that hypnotic groove once more! - BLG
3 CD set for $27 (In stock soon)


EYE CONTACT [MATT LAVELLE/MATT HEYNER/RYAN SAWYER] - War Rug (KMBjazz 06; USA) Featuring Matt Lavelle on trumpet & bass clarinet, Matt Heyner on bass and Ryan Sawyer on drums. Matt Lavelle is one the hippest cats I know and a defender of "free jazz". He argues with them jazz-snob knuckleheads that blow a lot of hot air and patronize close-minded critics like Stanley Grouch and listen to fake/jazz stations like WBGO and CD-101. I admire Matt Lavelle, because he practices what he preaches by living the life and playing the music he hears inside. Eye Contact is a particularly strong trio with Test & No Neck bassist Matt Heyner and mysterious drummer, Ryan Sawyer, who can be found on that great quartet date with Louie Belogenis & Tony Malaby. "Slave Graves" is pretty spooky with ritualistic percussion and ghost-like voices. This music has an earthy, organic quality, building from sparse space to burning focused freedom. Each piece evokes a different spirit or mood, many are filled with suspense and cosmic sounds that take us with them on a journey to the stars. What I dig about this is the way they have captured that fleeting moment in between different states of mind and body, when certain sounds and not just the notes free you from the routine of regular life that holds us all down. - BLG
CD $12


SPIDER TRIO [WALLY SHOUP/JEFFERY TAYLOR/DAVE ABRAMSON] - Live @ Rendezvous/Jewelbox Trio - 8/12/06(self released; USA) The Spider Trio features Wally Shoup on alto sax, Jeffery Taylor on guitar and Dave Abramson on drums. Seattle-based sax legend, Wally Shoup, is the real thing, as each and every disc he is one shows. He has recorded with fire demons Thurston Moore, Nels Cline, Paul Flaherty, Chris Corsano & Reuben Radding. He also has a bunch of trios that are based in Seattle, but little known anywhere else. This trio is one such gem of heavy free/improv intensity. Wally sounds great, digging deep and spewing out his powerful alto sax blasts. Yet, he is only one part of this great trio. Both guitarist, Jeffery Taylor and drummer Dave Abramson, explore the freer regions and add a perfect balance. As Dave the drummer keeps a constant dialogue with both Jeff and Wally, the guitarist listens closely and reacts right, answering and bending his notes in a similar style to the way the Wally also twists his notes inside out. This is no mere scream fest either, this is more balanced and the trio moves in waves together, occasionally coming down for a soft landing, before launching again for the skies. Pretty impressive considering that I hadn't heard of Jeffery Taylor or Dave Abramson before this. Jeffery occasionally brings to mind Jimi Hendrix in some of his sounds, yet doesn't really play anything like Jimi. I dig that this trio seems to fall between jazz and rock, into the netherworld of free/improv that succeeds without being held down by anyone's usual expectations. - BLG
CD $12


ONNYK/TATSUYA NAKATANI/JUN KAWASAKI - In a Trice... (Bishop 016; Japan) Featuring legendary Japanese out/jazz saxist, Onnyk on soprano, baritone & adapted alto sax & flux slute, Jun Kawasaki on contrabass and Tatsuya Nakatani on percussion. Recorded at the Knuttelhaus in Tokyo in March of 2006. Onnyk once recorded a trio disc with Fred Frith & John Zorn at a gallery space some 25 years ago on a disc titled "Ars Longa Dens", which we used to carry many moons ago. We haven't heard from him since he sent us copies to sell, but it is good to hear that he is still playing strongly many years later. "In a Trice�" is a superbly recorded trio date by this supreme acoustic trio. "Erg" opens with slow moving, suspenseful, spacious sounds. Both Onnyk's sax and Tasuya's eerie percussion sound very similar, stretching their notes carefully as Jun bows hushed bass fragments. Tatsuya Nakatani has emerged as one of the finest and certainly most unique of all local percussionists is once again in fine form, coaxing cosmic sounds from his highly individual set-up. As Onnyk switches between soprano and bari saxes, splaying splinters of notes in an occasionally Zorn-like way, Tatsuya provides a perfect partner, moving around his drums with rubbing cymbals and sticks in his own way. While contrabassist, Jun Kawasaki, usually remains more subdued he also provides the right amount of bowed and plucked bass drones and haunted sounds. This disc has a strong balance of both hushed and quietly explosive moments. - BLG
CD for $20 (Limited edition & we only have five to spare)


CARLOS GIFFONI/LASSE MARHAUG - Lesbian Brunch (Archive 29; USA) Power electronic fun recorded at Lasse's studio in 2006 that teams up No Fun Noise Fest mastermind Carlos and Norwegian noise vet Lasse. Single pressing of 500 copies features mirror image graphic design work from Lasse dropped in this center-fold sleeve.
CD $14 (Limited edition of a few hundred)


ANDRE DUCHESNE - Cordes A Danser...Suite Saguenayenne (Ambiances Magnetiques 155; Canada) Guitarist & composer Andre is a major talent who we don't hear from frequently enough. He was the co-founder of Conventum and the leader of the great 4 Guitarists of the Apolcalypse. This album is scored for guitar/bass/drums 'power trio', plus string quartet, and it has his usual blend of rhythmically interesting and melodically inventive work! Highly recommended! "Andr� Duchesne's Cordes � danser is an impressionistic rock suite of 12 instrumental pictures inspired by the landscapes among which he spent his childhood, in the industrial atmosphere of the Saguenay. One could see the relationship between quartet and trio as the reunion of a triangle and a square. One moves forward like an arrow or a ship, while the other develops and builds. Composition and improvisation. Dragged by three horses, the buggy rolls on through landscapes of bauxite lakes, factory chimneys and energy powers. You look at the sky and think it's gonna rain cats and dogs."
CD $14

JOANE HETU - Nouvelle Musique D'Hiver (AM 162; Canada) The last release of Joane H�tu, "Nouvelle Musique D'hiver", which you may want to listen to while watching a bonfire, is a real audio documentary about winter in Quebec and is constructed in four sections: Joyeux temps (Happy Times), �tre dans le vent ("Standing in the Wind), La marmotte (The Groundhog) and Calcium sloche Calcium Slush). Featured here are the musicians of the Ensemble Super Musique: Jean Derome on flutes, objects & samples, Catherine Dostaler on piano & synth, Joane H�tu on alto sax, voice & direction, Diane Labrosse on accordion & sampler, Lori Freedman on clarinets, Martin T�treault on turntables, Gilles Derome on narration and Pierre Tanguay on drums.
It gets mighty cold in the long winters of Quebec and I should know, as my fianc� lives year-round in Victoriaville, where the temperature drops to 20 below. Joane Hetu runs the grand Ambiances Magnetique label, which has some 160 discs out. This label is the most formidable and engaging one in Canada and continues to challenge us all with numerous great discs, perhaps a dozen per year. Joane takes her time and works hard on each of her own discs, so that each one is special, unique in it own way. 'Nouvelle Musique D'Hiver' is another fascinating work that unfolds slowly in winds its way through four long sections. Each section describes a part of the winter with words narrated in French, but with the English translation included in the liner notes. The difficulties and occasional happy moments of winter are described in "Happy Times". It is the actual sounds that do the best in evoking the realties of winter with stark flutes, sax sonics, vocal snippets, layers of samples, piano bits and clarinet swirls. The closest thing I can compare to this is The Residents' 'Eskimo' album, another bleak yet astonishing disc of alien wonders. Joane does a splendid job of directing this group, as each sound seems filled with meaning' like a great soundtrack to a marvelous movie for our minds. - BLG
CD $14



MARC EDWARDS' 'ALPHAPHONICS' LABEL/FIRST TIME STOCKED:

MARC EDWARDS QUARTET With RAS MOSHE - Ion Storm (AlphaPhonics 6761; USA)
CD $12

MARC EDWARDS SEXTET With BLAISE SIWULA/TOR SNYDER - 12 Votes (AlphaPhonics 6860; USA)
CD $12

MARC EDWARDS QUARTET With ROB BROWN/MATTHEW SHIPP/FRED HOPKINS - Black Queen (AlphaPhonics 02; USA)
CD $14

MARC EDWARDS QUARTET With ROB BROWN/HILLIARD GREENE/CARA SILVERNAIL - Time & Space Vol 1 (AlphaPhonics 02; USA)
CD $14



NICK RUSSO + 11 - RO (Self-released; USA) Featuring Nick Russo on guitars, banjo & songs, Mark Turner & Bryan Murray on tenor saxes, Greg Glassman on trumpet, Art Hirahara on piano & Fender Rhodes, Nathan Peck & Matt Clohesy on basses, Samir Cahatterjee on tabla and David Pleasant, Ari Hoenig & Willard Dyson on drums. I only know of Nick Russo from a gig he played here at DMG with bassist Michael Bates. I know of a few of his cohorts here like Mark Turner, Samir Chatterjee (from Ned Rothenberg's Sync) and Dave Pleasant (who used to play with Charles Gayle). Although "Triggered" starts off as pretty straight ahead, it soon begins to switch between fast and slow sections. The quick sections are taken at a dizzying tempo that is great to behold. "Moy Zaichick" is a fascinating piece that is consistently in motion and changing, always shifting tempos with strong solos from Mark Turner on tenor and Nick on guitar. It is the great rhythm team of Art Hirahara on electric piano, Nick Peck on bass and Willard Dyson on drums that truly sound inspired throughout this difficult piece. Nick plays some righteously lovely guitar on the Brazilian-like piece, "Dinda", which has an elegant melody that is difficult to forget once you hear it. Samir Chatterjee's tablas are featured at the center of "Mitzvah", as well as Miles Griffith's inventive scat vocals. Nick takes another great solo here, another gem to behold. "Little Hands" is an odd trio of banjo, hand percussion and voice and has a strong Indian vibe with a hypnotic drone within. "Please Come Home" closes with an enchanting free sort of vibe, that builds into a mysterious floating groove. It is the perfect to bring this fine disc to great conclusion. - BLG
CD $15



JOHN CAGE - Vol. 2: Atlas Eclipticalis with Winter Music [3 CD set] (Mode 3-6; USA) Originally released as a 4-LP set on Mode in 1986, finally reissued on CD for the first time. Featured compositions: "Atlas Eclipticalis' (1961, for chamber ensemble); "Winter Music" (1957, for 3 pianos); "Atlas Eclipitcalis" (1961, for orchestra); "Winter Music" (1957, for 20 pianos). "The long awaited reissue of Mode's second LP set, remastered with bonus tracks. Cage's relationship with the Cornish Institute in Seattle dates back to the 1930s, when he taught there and performed as accompanist for many dance pieces. Cornish was also the scene of several of his musical discoveries and innovations. Cage's celebrated return to the Cornish Institute in 1983 led to these recordings of his conducting 'Atlas Eclipticalis' performed simultaneously with 'Winter Music' - a rare opportunity to hear Cage perform his own works. Two complete 80-minute long performances are presented here, captured live in concert. New 96khz/24-bit mastering made from the original analog tapes. The original liner notes by John Cage and the New Performance Group's Matthew Kocmieroski are supplemented with new essays on 'Atlas Eclipticalis' by Cage's long-time colleague and publisher Don Gillespie, and on 'Winter Music' by Stephen Drury."
CD $44


LUCIANO BERIO - Differences/Sequenze III e VII/Due Pezzi/Chamber Music (Lilith 121; Russia) "Collection of works (1951-1969) by Italian avant-garde composer and sound pioneer Luciano Berio. Featuring performances by mezzo soprano (and muse of such composers as Stravinsky, Bussotti and Henze) Cathy Berberian and leading oboe virtuoso Heinz Hollinger, as well as one of the first attempts to combine live instrumentation with pre-recorded sound."
CD $18


*********


NEW....RECENT - AND SOME RARE - RELEASES ON KONNEX

THE NEW�

GARY HASSAY/ PAUL ROGERS - To Be Free (Konnex 5178; Germany) Featuring Gary Hassay [U.S.] on alto sax and the legendary Paul Rogers [U.K.] on upright bass. I only know of Gary Hassay from a couple of fine discs on Drimala, which are now out-of-print. Review next week
CD $18

BLAISE SIWULA/DOM MINASI/NOBU STOWE/RAY SAGE - New York Moments (Konnex 5179; Germany) Following the recording session on September 4th 2005 which produced the Konnex Records release "BLAISE SIWULA, NOBU STOWE & RAY SAGE - Brooklyn Moments" (KCD 5177), Blaise, Ray and I decided to keep the trio as a regular-working unit. Mostly due to the distance between NYC (Blaise & Ray) and Baltimore (myself), we had to wait awhile to perform together again. The chance came when we had a gig at Kavehaz in the Chelsea district of Manhattan almost four months after. For this gig, we were joined by two guest musicians: the Ornette Coleman's Prime Time guitarist, Bern Nix, and the up-and-coming viola player, Robyn Siwula.
The Kavehaz gig indicated the potential of having additional players to the basic trio. So when Ray proposed to finance another recording session, I quickly suggested adding the fourth member ...the master guitarist Dom Minasi, specifically. Dom and Blaise have been collaborating on and off since mid 90's. So I knew that they would work beautifully together. I expected Dom's angular phrasing and passionate guitar style would match perfectly with Ray's powerful drumming. My task was to retain structural cohesiveness and melodic spontaneity of total-improvisation within a lager framework of abstract free-improvisation from the three master improvisers. - October 2006, Nobu Stowe
CD $18

BLAISE SIWULA/NOBU STOWE/RAY SAGE - Brooklyn Moments (Konnex 5177; Germany) I first met Blaise Siwula back in January 2005, when I played at ABC NoRio (located in Lower East Side of Manhattan) with the superlative bassist Vytis Nivinskas from Lithuania. Since 1998, Blaise has been hosting C.O.M.A., a weekly creative music series there. I had just moved to Baltimore from Chicago and was looking for like-minded collaborators in the East Coast, especially in NY, with whom I could expand my musical horizon. So I asked Blaise to introduce me to musicians who would like to perform with me. Blaise kindly replied that he himself would like to do so. By that time, mostly inspired by Keith Jarrett's solo works, I had been practicing 'total-improvisation' for several years: total-improvisation is a genre of fully improvised music which requires the performer not only to experiment with 'sound textures' but also to spontaneously create 'songs' (melodies with tonal harmonies). Because of the natural melodic tendency, my improvisation works have been mostly within the 'inside' domain. But knowing Blaise' superb ability to go 'out,' I thought it would be a tremendous experience to collaborate with him. Blaise and I planned to have a 'pilot' gig at C.O.M.A.. Irequested to have a drummer for this gig and Blaise suggested Ray Sage.
CD $18

ERNST BIER/MATTHIAS BATZEL/KARL SCHOLZ With SONNY FORTUNE - Live at A-Trane (Konnex 5174; Germany) Surprise. The unexpected. Perhaps these are the most common elements between the performer and listener at a jazz concert. The week of July 12-16 , 2005 at Berlin's renowned jazz club A-Trane was certainly filled with this, from everyone's perspective.
The opportunity to play with jazz-legend Sonny Fortune was a more-than-welcome surprise organized by Ernst Bier and Konnex records chief Manfred Schiek. Sonny's recorded history, with Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, and Kenny Barron for example, added enough weight to the gig, plus the added anticipation that this would be one of his rare live recordings---always a risky proposition. Also, Sonny had not worked with an organ trio for decades. How would Sonny react to us? What would we play? Would we take the role as sidemen or play like a band?
As we met for the first time on a hot summer afternoon at the club for a rehearsal and sound check, Sonny's authority was clear and very welcome. Plain spoken direction and a good dose of laughter set the tone. We would play Sonny's compositions, which have the magical quality of sounding deceptively familiar and refreshing, but as I can attest, difficult to play. Tricky stuff. We would add in a few choice standards to get the ball rolling for each set. After starting the first tune, it was clear. Sonny wanted all of us to play, and he certainly gave us the space to do so. The unexpected? Sonny collected all of the music after the rehearsal and handed us the tunes he wanted play on the bandstand. New material every night, never played by us before.
The five performances that week contain the highest concentration and energy needed to play such challenging music. The highlights? Sonny's truly original flute playing, as heard on Delilah, hypnotized both the audience and band. Playing the Coltrane tribute Hanging Out with J.C., with Batzel's blazing organ work and Ernst's relentless drive, not to mention Sonny's masterful solo, lives up to the title. The grooving Latin of Sunshower pulsates with the joy we were all having. The swinging was rampant, at times on the verge of the uncontrollable. Sonny's tight and forceful alto sound; Batzel's swift and deft lines and Hammond-bass; Ernst's enrgy and groove; the freedom I, myself, felt playing over such harmonically interesting tunes---proof that the unexpected can be a good, good thing.
The final surprise? Upon hearing the recordings months later, it was very clear. This is a band. Though I was there, on the stage playing guitar; the unexpected moments and tight sound bring me joy and satisfaction. The heat, sweat, energy, concentration, smiles, and surprise were captured forever.
Hold on tight. Listen deep. Take it all in. You might not expect what happens next. - Karl Schloz
CD $18

�THE RECENT...

SOKO STEIDLE [OLIVER STEIDLE/RUDI MAHALL/HENRIK WALSDORFF /JOHANNES FINK] - Reinkommen und alles raushole (Konnex 5169; Germany) Rudi Mahall (bcl) Henrik Walsdorff (as) Johannes Fink (b) Oliver Steidle (dr)
CD $18

JOHANNES REPKA With RUDI MAHALL/CHRISTOPHER DELL/DEJAN TERZIC - Metanoia (Konnex 5161; Germany) Johannes Repka (g) Rudi Mahall (b-cl) Christopher Dell (vib) Dejan Terzic (dr)
CD $18

SOM SUM SAM [WERNER KLAUSNITZER/JACAM MANRICKS/THOMAS MORGAN/TYSHAWN SOREY] - Beauty Under Construction (Konnex 5162; Germany) Werner Klausnitzer (p, keyboard, comp., voc) Jacam Manricks (as) , Thomas Morgan (b) Tyshawn Sorey (drums)
CD $18

URSEL SCHLICHT/REUBEN RADDING - Einstein's Dreams (Konnex 5165; Germany) Check out Bruce's review at the DMG website
CD $18

PAUL RUTHERFORD/TORSTEN MULLER/HARRIS EISENSTADT - The Zone (Konnex 5176; Germany) Featuring Paul Rutherford on trombone, Torsten Muller on contrabass and Harris Eisenstadt on drums. Check out Bruce's review on DMG's website
CD $18

BRUNO ANGELINI/JOE FONDA/RAYMON LOPEZ - Silent Cascade (Konnex 5170; Germany) Featuring local contrabass great Joe Fonda, Spanish drummer Ramon Lopez and French pianist Bruno Angelini. What is amazing is that all three of these men are from different cultures and backgrounds, yet they work together as one unified trio that has played together for a long, long while. - BLG
CD $16 [While our initial copies last; then $18]

INVITATION [DANIEL CARTER/TY CUMBIE/TARA FLANDREAU /CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN/ADAM LANE] - The King's Waltz (Konnex 5182; Germany) "Featuring Daniel Carter on trumpet, saxes, flute & clarinet, Ty Cumbie on electric & acoustic guitars, Tara Flandreau on viola, Christopher Hoffman on cello and Adam Lane on bass. "Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream" together as The King's Waltz dances softly on your grave." - BLG
CD $16 [While our initial copies last; then $18]

�AND SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BACK-CATALOG [MANY OF THE BELOW ARE OUT-OF-PRINT, SO ONLY A FEW COPIES REMAIN]

SCHINDERKARREN MIT BUFFET [GERD DUDEK/JIRI STIVIN/PAUL EBER/ALI HAURAND] - Jazz And Lyrik (Konnex 5108; Germany)
CD $18

GERD DUDEK/ROB VAN DER BROECK/ALI HAURAND - Pulque (Konnex 5055; Germany)
CD $18

GERD DUDEK/ROB VAN DER BROECK/ALI HAURAND/TONY LEVIN - Crossing Level (Konnex 5077; Germany)
CD $18

ALI HAURAND/GERD DUDEK With ALAN SKIDMORE/CHARLIE MARIANO/TONY LEVIN et al - Ballads (Konnex 5145; Germany) Charlie Mariano (sax) Gerd Dudek (sax) Jiri Stivin (fl) Alan Skidmore (ts) Rob van den Broeck (p) Ali Haurand (b) Daniel Humair (dr) Tony Levin (dr)
CD $18

EUROPEAN JAZZ ENSEMBLE [GERD DUDEK/ALAN SKIDMORE/CONNIE BAUER/JOACHIM KUHN/TONY LEVIN et al] - European Jazz Ensemble: 25th Anniversary Tour (Konnex 5100; Germany) Allan Botschinsky (tp,fl) Paolo Fresu (tp,fl) Jarmo Hoogendijk (tp) Stan Sulzmann (ts,ss,fl) Gerd Dudek (ts,ss) Charly Mariano (as) Jiri Stivin (as,cl,fl) Alan Skidmore (ts) Conny Bauer (tb) Rob van den Broeck (p) Joachim Kuhn (p) Adelhard Roidinger (b) Ali Haurand (b) Daniel Humair (dr) Tony Levin (dr)
CD $18

EUROPEAN TRUMPET SUMMIT [ENRICO RAVA/ROB VON DER BROECK/TONY LEVIN et al] - European Trumpet Summit (Konnex 5064; Germany) Enrico Rava, Thomas Heberer, Jarmo Hoogendijk, Allan Botschinsky (tp) Rob von den Broeck (p) Ali Haurand (b) Tony Levin (dr)
CD $18

EUROPEAN JAZZ ENSEMBLE [GERD DUDEK/CHARLIE MARIANO/JOACHIM KUHN/DANIEL HUMAIR/MANFRED SCHOOF/TONY LEVIN et al] - European Jazz Ensemble: 20th Anniversary Tour (Konnex 5078; Germany)
CD $18

TYRONE HENDERSON & DAVID BINDMAN With WADADA LEO SMITH/JOE FONDA/ROYAL HARTIGAN - Strawman Dance (Konnex 5060; Germany) 1st of two albums by poet Henderson
CD $18

TYRONE HENDERSON With LEO WADADA SMITH/FRED HOPKINS et al - Not So Unusual Blues (Konnex 5090; Germany) Tyrone Henderson: vocals; Marvin Sewell: guitar; David Bindman Reeds; Leo Wadada Smith: trumpet; Fred Hopkins: Bass; Mike Sarin: Drums etc.
CD $18

ERNST BIER/MACK GOLDSBURY QUARTET With HERB ROBERTSON - A-Live at A-Trane (Konnex 5113; Germany)
CD $18

THOMAS BORGMANN/WILBER MORRIS/DENIS CHARLES - Boom Swing (Konnex 5082; Germany)
CD $18

BORAH BERGMAN/THOMAS BORGMANN/PETER BROTZMANN - Blue Zoo (Konnex 5074; Germany)
CD $18

PETER BROTZMANN/NICKY SKOPELITIS/SHOJI HANO - Organized Chaos (Konnex 5103; Germany)
CD $18

PETER BROTZMANN/ACHIM JAROSCHEK - Subtle Twister (Konnex 5093; Germany) reed/piano duets!
CD $18

PETER BROTZMANN/DIETER MANDERSCHEID/FRANK SAMBA - Danquah Circle (Konnex 5127; Germany)
CD $18

SANTI DEBRIANO With ARTHUR BLYTHE & BILLY HART - 3-Ology (Konnex 5047; Germany)
CD $18

DUBBEL DUO [PETER KOWALD/ANDRE GOUDBEEK/PETER JACQUEMYN/JEFFREY MORGAN] - Dubbel Duo (Konnex 5111; Germany) Featuring Peter Kowald & Peter Jacquemyn on contrabasses and Andre Goudbeek & Jeffrey Morgan on reeds. A series of duos and quartets pieces recorded in Brussels in November of 2000.
CD $18

ENVIRON DAYS [LESTER BOWIE/MARION BROWN/ARTHUR BLYTHE/MARK WHITECAGE/CHARLES TYLER/PERRY ROBINSON et al] - Environ Days (Konnex 5024; Germany)
CD $18

FAB [JOE FONDA/BARRY ALTSCHUL/BILLY BANG] - Live At The Ironworks, Vancouver (Konnex 5158; Germany) This is the second disc by this FAB-ulous veteran trio, the first was on CIMP.
CD $18

JOE FONDA/JOE McPHEE/CLIFF WHITE/BEN KARETNICK - Heat Suite (Konnex 5122; Germany) Featuring Joe McPhee on reeds & trumpet, Cliff White on bari, alto & tenor saxes, Joe Fonda on bass and Ben Karetnick on drums. This is a live set from Amherst, Mass. in August of 2002.
CD $18

SONNY FORTUNE With MULGREW MILLER/SANTI DEBRIANO/BILLY HART - It Ain't What It Was (Konnex 5033; Germany)
CD $18

JOEL FUTTERMAN/KIDD JORDAN QUARTET - New Orleans Rising (Konnex 5076; Germany) EDWARD "KIDD" JORDAN tenor sax, JOEL FUTTERMAN piano, ELTON HERON e-bass, ALVIN FIELDER drums
CD $18

DENNIS GONZALEZ With ANDREW CYRILLE/NELS CLINE/ALEX CLINE - Earth And The Heart (Konnex 5028; Germany)
CD $18

DICK GRIFFIN With SAM RIVERS/CLIFFORD JORDAN/CECIL McBEE - The Eighth Wonder & More (Konnex 5059; Germany) SAM RIVERS sax, RON BURTON piano, WARREN SMITH vibes, CECIL McBEE bass, FREDDY WAITS drums, DICK GRIFFIN trombone, plus CLIFFORD JORDAN sax
CD $18

DICK GRIFFIN With GARY BARTZ/CLIFFORD JORDAN/STANLEY COWELL - A Dream For Rahsaan (Konnex 5062; Germany) GARY BARTZ sax, STANLEY COWELL piano, CECIL McBEE bass, BILLY HART/IDRIS MUHAMMAD drums, plus CLIFFORD JORDAN sax
CD $18

CARL LUDWIG HUBSCH'S LONGRUN DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNIVERSE With MATTHIAS SCHUBERT/WOLTER WEIRBOS - Is This Our Music? (Konnex 5163; Germany) Featuring Carl Ludwig Hubsch on tuba, Matthias Schubert on tenor sax and Wolter Weirbos on trombone.
CD $18

ACHIM JAROSCHEK/GUNTER 'BABY' SOMMER - Wokonda (Konnex 5109; Germany) An extraordinary piano and drums live set from the Magdeburger Jazz Sommer Festival in June of 2001.
CD $18

THEO JORGENSMANN WERKSCHAU ENSEMBLE With ALBRECHT MAURER /ACHIM KRAMER - Aesthetic Direction (Konnex 5054; Germany) The chamber jazz/new music ensemble of composer/clarinetist Theo Jorgensmann, which existed in 1993, was a powerhouse of improvisation and compositional execution. ~ Thom Jurek, AMG
CD $18

ACHIM KAUFMANN/FRANK GRATKOWSKI/WILBERT DE JOODE - Kwast (Konnex 5129; Germany) Featuring Achim Kaufmann on piano, Frank Gratkowski on clarinet, alto sax & contrabass clarinet and Wilbert de Joode on contrabass.
CD $18

FRANKLIN KIERMYER With DAVE DOUGLAS/JOHN STUBBLEFIELD/DREW GRESS et al - In the House of My Fathers (Konnex 5052; Germany) Percussionist /composer Kiermyer title piece is derived from the invocation sung before reading from the Torah. Contains an early version of "Kairos". Featuring Dave Douglas, John Stubblefield, John Esposito, Anthony Cox, Drew Gress, Chris Gecker, Tom Chess and members of the Manhattan Brass Quintet.
CD $18

FRANKLIN KIERMYER & JERICHO With PETER MADSEN/TONY SCHERR - Break Down The Walls (Konnex 5044; Germany) This early recording features a brass quartet of Chris Gekker-trumpet; John Rojak-trombone; Russ Rizner-horn; Dave Braynard-tuba; with Peter Madsen on piano and Tony Scherr on bass.
CD $18

NEAL KIRKWOOD'S CHROMATIC PERSUADERS With MARK FELDMAN /LINDSEY HORNER/TOM RAINEY - Chromatic Persuaders (Konnex 5063; Germany) Superb quartet with the legendary violinist Feldman, whose compositions are mainly supplied by Kirkwood, though there is also a cover of Scott Lafaro's "Gloria's Step" [This is the same recording as issued on the Timescraper label]
CD $18

KALLE LAAR & TAKASHI KAZAMAKI With SAMM BENNETT & KAZUTOKI UMEZU - Moving (Konnex 5073; Germany)
CD $18

PAUL LYTTON/JEFFREY MORGAN - Terra Icognita (Konnex 5128; Germany) Paul Lytton percussion and electronics; Jeffrey Morgan alto and tenor saxophones
CD $18

CHARLIE MARIANO/ALI HAURAND/DANIEL HUMAIR - Frontier Traffic (Konnex 5110; Germany)
CD $18

SIMON NABATOV/NILS WOGRAM - As We Don't Know It (Konnex 5092; Germany)
CD $18

NU BAND [MARK WHITECAGE/ROY CAMPBELL/JOE FONDA/LOU GRASSI] - NU Band Live (Konnex 5141; Germany) This is the second superb disc from the Nu Band, a downtown all-star quartet featuring Mark Whitecage on alto & soprano sax & clarinet, Roy Campbell on trumpet, flugel & flute, Joe Fonda on contrabass and Lou Grassi on drums.
CD $18

PERRY ROBINSON/ED SCHULLER/ERNST BIER - Children's Song (Konnex 5149; Germany) Featuring Perry Robinson on clarinet, Ed Schuller on bass and Ernst Beir on drums. Considering clarinet master Perry Robinson's career stretches back some forty years, he is certainly under-recorded as a leader. As a sideman, he is on dozen(s) of recordings by Gunter Hampel, Lou Grassi and William Parker. I savor each and every live set I've seen/heard from him, most recently with William Parker, Gunter Hampel and Jeremy Steig. - BLG
CD $18

ED SARATH/DAVE LIEBMAN/MICK GOODRICK/HARVIE SWARTZ/MARVIN 'SMITTY' SMITH - Last Day In May (Konnex 5042; Germany) ED SARATH flugelhorn, DAVE LIEBMAN soprano sax, MICK GOODRICK guitar, HARVIE SWARTZ bass & MARVIN "SMITTY" SMITH drums
CD $18

SEDA [HOLGER MANTEY/CHRISTOPHER DELL/BURHAN OCAL] - Oriental Bird (Konnex 5042; Germany) Holger Mantey (p) Christopher Dell (vib) Burhan Ocal (perc,saz,chent)
CD $18

TOMASZ STANKO/SIGI FINKEL/ED SCHULLER/BILLY ELGART - Caoma (Konnex 5053; Germany)
CD $18

JOHN STEVENS AWAY - Mutual Benefit (Konnex 5061; Germany) The late John Stevens, previously the leader and only constant member of the legendary Spontaneous Music Ensemble (aka SME) was, along with Tony Oxley, the most formidable, adventurous and inspirational of all British avant-jazz drummers. This long (71 plus minutes) CD is from the 3 versions of his Away ensemble from 1977, 1978 & 1980 which recorded 4 LPs.
JON CORBETT trumpet, ROBERT CALVERT saxes, NIGEL MOYSE, TIM STONE & DAVID COLE guitars, RON HERMAN & NICK STEPHENS bass
CD $18

JOHN STEVENS WORKS: SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE - S.M.E. Big Band & Quintet (Konnex 5045; Germany) Two outstanding sessions led by the late drummer and influential British bandleader John Stevens, founder of the ever-evolving free-music pioneers Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME), whose early ranks included Derek Bailey ,Evan Parker, and, for most of the line-ups, Trevor Watts.This SME Big Band set was recorded live in May of 1971 and is a massive 21 piece ensemble which includes many of the UK's best players - Trevor Watts, Ian Carr, Kenny Wheeler, 4 saxes (Karl Jenkins & Ray Warleigh), five vocalists (Julie Tippetts & Maggie Nichols), two pianos, two bassist and four drummers (John Marshall & Laurie Allen). The Quintet features Kenny Wheeler on trumpets, Trevor Watts & Ray Warleigh on alto saxes, Jeff Clyne on bass and Stevens on drums. This is a reissue of a long out of print album called 'Chemistry' on Trevor Watts' German 'Vinyl' label, a studio date from November of 1975.
CD $18

JOHN STEVENS/EVAN PARKER/BARRY GUY/PAUL RUTHERFORD //SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE - 4, 4, 4//Surfaces (Konnex 5049; Germany) Great quartet studio recording from '79! Also included on this CD is a trio SME [John Stevens/Nigel Coombes/Roger Smith] 20' recording "Surfaces" from 1992!
CD $18

JOHN STEVENS DANCE ORCHESTRA With LOL COXHILL/ELTON DEAN /PAUL ROGERS/TREVOR WATTS/JOHN MARTYN/ROBERT CALVERT et al - A Luta Continua (Konnex 5056; Germany)
CD $18

DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH With JOHN STEVENS - Bird In Wildnes (Konnex 5065; Germany) Great duet studio recording from Jan 7th 1993!
CD $18



NEW FROM FUTURA & MARGE:

SIEGFRIED KESSLER TRIO With BARRE PHILLIPS/STEVE McCALL - Live At Gill's Club (Futura GER 10; France) piano/bass/drums trio
CD $18

JAMES SPAULDING QUARTET - Down With It (Futura/Marge 37; France) With P. Christophe, R. Dever, M. Benhammou
CD $18



CARLOS BECHEGAS' 'FORWARD' LABEL:

CARLOS BECHEGAS/BARRY GUY - Open Textures (Forward 6; EEC) Carlos Bechegas is an amazing flutist who runs this, the Forward label, which has released five fine duo and trio discs already with Carlos playing with Alex Von Schlippenbach, Derek Bailey, Andre Goudbeek and Peter Jacquemyn.
CD $18

CARLOS BECHEGAS/REUBEN RADDING - Open Between (Forward 7; EEC)
CD $18



ADAM ROGERS With SCOTT COLLEY/BILL STEWART - Time & The Infinite (Criss Cross 1286; EEC)
CD $16


WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL & BRIAN BLADE - Friendly Travelers (Material 17;Germany)
CD $16


MICHAEL RABINOWITZ BASSOON IN THE WILD QUARTET With JOE FONDA - Ocean Eyes (Schreiber 5741; USA) Michael Rabinowitz - leader, bassoon; Diana Herold - vibes; Joe Fonda - double bass; Grisha Alexiev - drums. I haven't heard this but I know of the amazing Michael Rabinowitz from that old Mosaic Sextet CD with Dave Douglas & Mark Feldman. Considered to be the greatest jazz bassoonist and the only cat who play bebop on a bassoon.
CD $16



TOM DJLL'S 'SOUND ON RICE' LABEL:

TOM DJLL - Bellerophone (Soul On Rice 02; USA) Djlls first solo release scatters traditional trumpet technique to the four winds in a series of blood-and-guts compositions and improvisations and one standard for those who prefer their brass monophony shredded. Djll inhabits the places where instability and complexity erupt out of huge pressurized bodies blown through a tiny, fleshy aperture. This is what you might call overextended technique.
CD $15

TOM DJLL - Smudge (Soul On Rice 03; USA) On this companion to Bellerophone, Djlls trumpet work is processed into unrecognizability in a suite of densely-packed electronic movements. SMUDGE locates its sonic origins inside raw trumpet sounds and/or the interaction between trumpet and analog synthesis. This music concerns itself with transgression in a context of investigating a continuity of sound and sound which erupts out of itself in blastocysts of mutation. SMUDGE recognizes no boundary between what is analog and what is digital, what is "natural" and what is "synthetic".
CD $15

TOM DJLL With FRED LONBERG-HOLM/JACK WRIGHT et al - Mutootator (Soul On Rice 01; USA) Twenty duos by Djll and a revolving cast of improvisers: William Winant, Tom Nunn, Jack Wright, Myles Boisen, Ron Anderson, Thomas Scandura, Doug Carroll, Hillary Double-D, Ed Herrmann, Fred Lonberg-Holm.
CD $15

JACK WRIGHT/TOM DJLL/BHOB RAINEY/TIM FEENEY - Road Signs (Soul On Rice 04; USA) The unofficial follow-up to Jack Wright's acclaimed "Signs of Life", Road Signs continues the astonishing sonic spelunkings of that CDs trio of Wright, Rainey and Djll, with two outstanding wind-horn improvisations recorded live in Boston. An open window adds to the Boston trio's ongoing dynamic usurpations of taxi-horns, groaning garbage trucks, and siren whoops in the night. In June 2005, Jack and Djll hit the road, taking in such scenic stopovers as Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Rochester, where a brain-busting trio with percussionist Tim Feeney performed as part of the first Counter Fit Festival. This long, ratchety excursion into skin-metal ripsnort unloads a truckful of sound bonbons for the improvisation-listener's strange pleasure. Just as the musicians end their discursion, a faraway dog helpfully ushers in the darkening silence with a few well-placed woofs.
CD $15



COURTESY OF VOLCANO THE BEAR, WE CAN OFFER YOU THEIR LATEST POLISH-ONLY RELEASE - AS WELL AS BACK-CATALOG, INCLUDING LAST COPIES OF THEIR RARE 2nd ALBUM ON THE UNITED DAIRIES LABEL!!!

VOLCANO THE BEAR - Egg And Two Books (Vivo 2006026; EEC) Can't sit still and continue to add further additions to their fast growing library of works. Recorded at Eggstock in Leicester in June of last year, "Egg and Two Books" is a live document that perfectly translates the most bizarre aspects of the band from live on stage to your CD player. Currently composed of Aaron Moore on drums, trumpet and vocals, saxophonist/guitarist/vocalist Nick Mott, electronics master Clarence Manuelo and Daniel Padden on keyboards, guitar, clarinet and vocals, the quartet continue their mission to add a greater depth into the world of dada. Describing their music is like trying to paint a picture for a person who has been blind all their life. You can mention the shades of green, but what the hell does a colour look like anyhow? You can talk about moments of sounds that appear to be composed but what does composition have to do with a live Volcano The Bear performance? I can mention an odd, twisted keyboard on "Amidst the Noise and Twings" that churn themselves against a grain of percussion that keeps pace with the electronically induced whirl, which is then massaged by weirdly obtuse vocals, but would any of this make any sense? Can words do this quartet any justice or will they work against them? Can you hurt a group by groping their music and mining words that come out of a rock, when the rock is stubborn and won't crack? Suffice it to say, the live recording provides enough tribal moments - mysterious drools of awe on saxophones and skewed guitar analogies - along with vocalizations from outer space to keep the most starved of alien listeners completely satiated. May the force of the Bear be with you! - Tom Sekowski
CD $15

VOLCANO THE BEAR - Catonapotato (Digitalis 014; USA) "Volcano the Bear was formed in 1995 with the constant idea of being a group with uncompromising and boundless ideas, and they've always tried to aim for a live environment where they can do whatever they please. This results in a live show that, beyond grandiose sonic qualities, blends the very essence of key words such as surreal, shifting moods, myriad of instruments, humor, beauty and to a certain degree, even self-indulgence. That said, these sonic transgressors are not for everyone. If you're a fan of free-form improvisations, free jazz, weird drones, pagan folk, whimsical acoustic pieces, disjointed percussive riffs, crackling electronics and actually own more than one record by either the Sun City Girls, This Heat, Faust, Residents, The Shadow Ring or Captain Beefheart, then you owe it to yourself to check out these cats."
CD $14

VOLCANO THE BEAR - Classic Erasmus Fusion [2 CD Set] (Beta-Lactam 92; UK) "VTB have crafted a strange geometry in their musique concrete between celestial duck honks and what sounds like a flood in the living room, there are more than a few occasions of heads cocked at the speaker in mundus caninus. Of course, this bodes well for humans, too. Augmented by all the dog-friendly moments is a double album of sprawling musical invention. Record one births gently into a lo-fi-adelic Comus-like saline that even might even win over the Devendra crowd, if the Devendra crowd had ingested just a little too much mushroom tea on that day and left their ironic trucker hats at the door. Song becomes fever dream and then pitches into a barren place of low estate and low chanting whose residents might well be eskimos. With typical minimalist pageantry, VTB mutate from piece to piece, punctuating along the way with surprise sounds that the aforementioned dogs love so well; the kinds of quirks that make Nurse With Wound and P16.D4 records such fun
listens." CD $16

VOLCANO THE BEAR - The One Burned Ma (Misra 06; USA) A collection of four-track recordings from between 1996 and 2000, released by Misra records on CD in 2000.
CD $14

VOLCANO THE BEAR - Five Hundred Boy Piano (United Dairies 500; UK) "...The second full length by this Leicester-UK quartet for the United Dairies label. The appeal of this group to someone like Steven Stapleton [Nurse With Wound] has never been up for question; they work the perfect combination of music (sprawling edited improvs that flow from faucets Faust through folk) and non-music (creaking clacking found sounds, reverb-coated glossolalia). The six tracks herein cover a disparate sonic turf... the epic of the cd, The Tallest People In The World alone works austere oscillating resonance patterns fully before flowing into full-on Camberwell Now territories (maritime themes, low Haywardesque nasal monotones in octave unison), then into a version of Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict played back at its recorded speed (-gallic ranting, +pagan chant). bravo. clearly showing an innate knack for pushing the limits of 4-track-hacksmanship into something truly zombie, far out there in it. Surreal..." Hrvatski
CD $20 (Out of print, but we have it!)



NEW ON PHENOMENA

OSSO EXOTICO [DAVID MARANHA]/VERRES ENHARMONIQUES [EMMANUEL HOLTERBACH & SOPHIE DURAND] - Folk Cycles (Phonomena 030; USA) "2003/4 recordings between David Maranha (Osso Exotico) and Verres Enharmoniques (Emmanuel Holterbach and Sophie Durand). Performed on Enharmonique Glasses and Amistar Resophonic Guitar. 'Our collaboration work started with David's obsession with Moebius strip, inside surface becoming outside, circular paradoxes. It slowly became a composition process, made out of concentric time cycles. Playing the music was like throwing stones on a quiet water surface, playing circles within circles, within circles, etc. What we were strongly sharing was this fascination for acoustic phenomena, beatings, harmonics. This is an important part of our work on enharmonic glasses, and, as usual, what Osso Exotico did with classical and exotic instruments still sounds amazing to us. In some of these pieces, one could hear things like electronic treatments, but in fact there are none. If we compare certain aspects of what we call sometimes avant-garde to extra-occidental musical traditions, nothing sounds that strange or provocative. Moreover it seems like this interest for continuous sounds form, harmonics contemplation, glissandi, non-chromatic tunings, non-chronometric rhythms is like a common poetic basis for the whole humanity, and appears in different kinds of shapes in so many musical traditions all over this globe. Western minds are obsessed with logic, rationality, measure, control, but more and more all this sounds like death, and seems to lead us to disasters. While composing this music we never tried to control the sounds, we just chose our favorites and gave them a frame for us to be able to play and listen to them carefully. It was a surprise when the music that appeared then was almost like songs, and from the drones were emerging unexpected melodies. Maybe we were playing, without knowing it, a secret, real, folklore of our strange time.'" --Emmanuel Holterbach
CD $14

and restocked

AKI ONDA - Ancient & Modern/Cassette Memories Vol.1 (Phonomena 020; USA) "Aki Onda, known to many as a leading figure in the electronic/improvised music scene in Japan for over a decade, has brought to us an album devoted entirely to his tape music compositions. His obsessive habit of cassette taping his surroundings has evolved into a project entitled 'Cassette Memories', where he dissect, rearrange and manipulate the tapes, investigating the emotional properties of everyday sound scapes. Ancient & Modern which captured the fragility, sensuality and madness of daily life, undoubtedly marks Aki Onda's departure into a new phase of musical explorations." Aki is a young tape wizard who once worked with Eye in Audio Sports and moved to the US last year. He has been working with electronic and improvised music and obsessively collecting and manipulating tapes for more than a decade. He already has some half dozen fascinating releases out, many of which we carry and just gave us a couple of new ones. 'Ancient & Modern' is the first volume of his Cassette Memories series and it features selections from his large collection of cassettes, which he has dissected, rearranged and manipulated. Recorded in New York and Hanover, each piece seems to evoke a different place, a different blend of spirits, voices, sounds which swirl around in our heads. Often these pieces have layers of entangled sounds which are dense and filled with information. Some sounds are recognizable, like an ice cream truck chime and some are alien, yet somehow familiar. Each piece here tells a story or at least paints a picture on our eyelid screens.
CD $14

JON APPLETON - Syntonic Menagerie 2 (Phonomena 010; USA) First release on this new NY-based label; CDs are packaged in beautiful Japanese-style mini-LP gatefold sleeves. One of the most impressive experimental/electronic label debuts in quite a while... "Jon Appleton is one of contemporary music's most unique characters. His stunningly original electro-acoustic music is full of ingenious dramatic effects and wicked sense of humour. The compositions on this album were recorded in some of the world's most legendary electronic music studios, capturing startling images of his travels around the globe between the years 1965 to 1987. Woven together with his remarkable skills at tape manipulation, synthesis and arrangement of traditional instruments, here is an album that speaks to all generations of new music lovers."
CD $14


CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS - Communal Rust (Constellation 13; UK) "Christmas Decorations' second full-length Communal Rust should please fans who have been following the lineage of processed-guitar heroes and anti-heroes (Fennesz, Ambarchi, et al). But where those icons are making forays into drone and noise, Christmas Decorations are taking the other fork in the road, back towards the melancholic, crisp strum of post-punk and indie, and back towards an atomized, crumpled, improvised sound design. Communal Rust documents essential 'anti-guitar guitar music.' The songs revolve around a dichotomy between guitar-pedal-and-computer induced fragmentation, on one hand, and the intricate, melodic guitar motifs referenced to classic post-punk and forgotten lo-fi indie music. Pull away the layers of glitches, snippets, trills, and echoes and you might discover a core guitar disposition that recalls the contemplative, steely tone of early Factory, 4AD, or New Zealand music. That's not to say that the duo is boxed in by reference points; moreso, these influences are exerting the most gravitational pull on the band's temptations to commit all-out, fractional sonic disintegration. This tension between new and old, rough and smooth, or chaos versus control, puts the band squarely in the ComLib sensibility of sublimely balancing problem and accessibility in music. Following on the band's debut release, the criminally underappreciated Model 91, Communal Rust marks a key point in the band's development and is a crucial addition to any collection of experimental music."
CD $15

DO MAKE SAY THINK - You, You're A History In Rust (Constellation 045; Canada) "Since Constellation issued their self-released debut record in 1998, Do Make Say Think have made one critically acclaimed album after another. They are one of the most consistently inventive instrumental rock bands of the past past decade, and one of the most realized. DMST members themselves have recorded, mixed, and mastered all the band's work, thus developing a highly original and finely detailed approach to audio production. You, You're A History In Rust is the fifth record by Do Make Say Think and a brilliant extension of the band's sonic narrative. Constellation is thrilled to release this fifth album by one of their most creative, thoughtful, challenging and accessible groups."
CD $15


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NEW SOFT MACHINE REMASTERS WITH WELL-REVISED PACKAGING!

SOFT MACHINE [MIKE RATLEDGE/ROBERT WYATT/HUGH HOPPER/ELTON DEAN/LYN DOBSON/NICK EVANS/MARC CHARIG] - Third � + BBC at the Royal Albert Hall [2 CD set] (Sony/BMG; EEC) [new 2007 remaster with new packaging/notes by Mark Powell + plus a 40 minute Bonus Disc of the BBC Radio Three live session from the Promenade Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, August 13th 1970.]
Considered by many to be their finest moment in their almost decade long ever-evolving journey as the ultimate Canterbury band and jazz/rock/experimental pioneers - this was a massive two album set with four side-long epics. The Softs trio of Mike Ratledge (fuzz organ & electric piano), Hugh Hopper (el. fuzz bass) and Robert Wyatt (drums and final vocals for SM) added Elton Dean (alto sax & saxello) to their line-up plus other horns players from the Keith Tippett Group. Like their other [originally] double LP release, Six, this is half studio and half live. Terry Riley's tape-loop experiments are utilized to the fullest here and 31 years later, this still continues to blow minds.
CD $16

SOFT MACHINE [MIKE RATLEDGE/ROBERT WYATT/HUGH HOPPER/ELTON DEAN] - Fourth (Sony/BMG; EEC) [new 2007 remaster with new packaging & notes by Mark Powell] Last one w/Wyatt; quartet with Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, Mike Ratledge, and guests Alan Skidmore, Jimmy Hastings!
The Soft Machine's collective skill is hyper-complex and refined, as they are extremely literate in all fields of musical study. Fourth is the band's free purging of all of that knowledge, woven into noisy, smoky structures of sound. Their arcane rhythms have a stop-and-go mentality of their own that sounds incredibly fresh even though it is sonically steeped in soft and warm tones. Obviously there is a lot of skillful playing going on, as the mix of free jazz, straight-ahead jazz, and Gong-like psychedelia coalesces into a skronky plateau. Robert Wyatt's drumming is impeccable -- so perfect that it at times becomes an unnoticeable map upon which the band takes their instinctive direction. Mike Ratledge's keys are warm throughout, maintaining an earthy quality that keeps its eye on the space between the ground and the heavens that the Soft Machine attempt to inhabit. Elton Dean's saxophone work screams out the most inventive cadence, and since it's hardly rhythmic, it takes front and center, spitting out a crazy language. Certainly the band is the preface to a good portion of Chicago's post-rock output, as they undoubtedly give a nod to Miles Davis' Bitches' Brew experiments, which were going on in the U.S. at the same time. - Ken Taylor, AMG
CD $15

SOFT MACHINE [MIKE RATLEDGE/HUGH HOPPER/ELTON DEAN/PHIL HOWARD/JOHN MARSHALL] - Fifth (Sony/BMG; EEC) [new 2007 remaster with new packaging/notes by Mark Powell + Includes One Previously Unavailable Bonus Track, which is an Alternate Take of 'All White'.]
As the Soft Machine moved further away from rock on Third and Fourth, drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt's dissatisfaction with the band's direction grew and, by the time sessions started for Fifth in late 1971, he had left permanently to form Matching Mole. While the instrumental Fourth had forayed deep into jazz-rock territory, Fifth found the Soft Machine working almost completely in the jazz idiom. At the time of Wyatt's departure, keyboardist Mike Ratledge commented that the band's co-founder had "never enjoyed or accepted working in complex time signatures." However, Wyatt's replacement -- Phil Howard -- didn't prove to be the kind of timekeeper Ratledge and bassist Hugh Hopper had in mind and his free jazz orientation led to his dismissal during the recording of the album. Howard's propulsive rhythms nevertheless make a vital contribution to memorable Ratledge compositions like "All White" and "Drop" as they gather momentum and coalesce into driving grooves. "All White" is focused largely on Elton Dean's sax performance while "Drop" ultimately showcases the intense busy fuzz of Ratledge's organ. In places on Fifth, there does seem to be an element of tension between the more structured approach of Ratledge and Hopper and the free-form inclinations of Dean. The looser style of Dean's squalling sax playing is foregrounded particularly on "As If" -- another Ratledge piece. A certain constituency among Soft Machine fans tends to concentrate on the band's earlier releases and to consider everything from Fourth onward less compelling. That attitude has something to do with not being especially interested in jazz, so it's not entirely fair to dismiss this album without qualifying such a judgment. Anyone expecting to hear a rock album or a jazz-rock album will probably be disappointed with Fifth. This is essentially a jazz record, more concerned with texture and interplay than with song-based structures. - Wilson Neat of AMG
CD $15

SOFT MACHINE [MIKE RATLEDGE/HUGH HOPPER/JOHN MARSHALL/KARL JENKINS] - Six (Sony/BMG; EEC) [new 2007 remaster with new packaging & notes by Mark Powell].
2 LPs (1 live, 1 studio) on 1 disc; MIke Ratledge on fuzz organ & synth, Karl Jenkins on bari sax, oboe & keyboards, Hugh Hopper on electric bass and John Marshall on drums. The Soft Machine were many things to many people, but to most, the real Soft Machine ceased to exist when founder Robert Wyatt left to work on his conspicuously titled Matching Mole project. This departure is generally credited to the Soft Machine's creative advance away from prog rock and toward jazz-fusion. Three years and three records after Wyatt's departure, this creative motion was in full sail, and the release of Six cemented the band in their distant station beyond the gravity of anything that resembled rock and its spacious, cutting-edge sonics and more symmetrical rhythms. The jazz era that began on Fourth and continued through the '70s mutates slightly on Six, from the free improvisational structures used frequently on prior releases into a somewhat more constrained fusion design. This is due largely to new member Karl Jenkins, who like Wyatt's replacement John Marshall was formerly of Nucleus; Jenkins makes a mighty impact on the Soft Machine's sound with his sax playing and songwriting, and later took creative control over the group, bringing in several guitarists to solidify a fusion sound. Half live and half studio album, Six will never interest classic-era stalwarts, but Jenkins and drummer John Marshall lead old-timers Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper through some nifty fusion exercises that fans of the genre (and obscure '70s music of every kind) might find very enjoyable. - Vincent Jeffries, AMG.
For me, they were still brilliant and by far, the best avant/jazz/rock band in England at this time. Karl Jenkins, once an integral member of Nucleus, brought a great deal to Soft Machine, when Ratledge felt little inspiration to compose for the band. Like their other [originally] double LP release, Third, this is half studio and half live. The live set is phenomenal, with some incredible solos from Jenkins on oboe and bari sax and Marshall's drumming is simple astonishing. The studio album is much different, but equally amazing. Four long mesmerizing pieces, coming out of the Terry Riley school of repeating patterns, closer to the Softs's experiments on 'Third'. Hugh Hopper's '1983' is one of the most disturbing pieces of the Softs' grand history. - BLG
CD $15

SOFT MACHINE [MIKE RATLEDGE/JOHN MARSHALL/KARL JENKINS/ROY BABBINGTON] - Seven (Sony/BMG; EEC) [new 2007 remaster with new packaging/notes by Mark Powell]
This one features Mike Ratledge on organ, synth & electric piano, Karl Jenkins on oboe, bari & soprano saxes, recorder & electric piano, Roy Babbington on electric & acoustic basses and John Marshall on drums & percussion. Longtime Softs electric bassist Hugh Hopper finally departs after joining the band in 1969 on 'Volume Two'. He is replaced by an equally excellent bassist named Roy Babbington, who was the Softs' guest second (acoustic) bassist on 'Four'. Karl Jenkins takes over as the main composer, as well as playing second keyboards and providing superb solos on oboe, both saxes and a marvelous recorder solo. Their music is a fine blend of near-fusion jazz/rock and hypnotic, spaced-out, cerebral dreamy sequences. Ratledge's signature fuzz-organ playing is still featured in spots, yet it is mostly laidback and still quite enchanting. Side One ends with an incredibly cosmic, layered percussion & cymbals solo that reverberates with a most haunting ambiance. Recorded July '73 and released in 1974.
CD $15


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MORE ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS, REISSUES and RESTOCKED DISCS:

LASWELL TITLES ON 'SUB ROSA' REISSUED!

BILL LASWELL - City Of Light (Sub Rosa 114; Belgium) Originally released in 1997 on Sub Rosa, now reissued. American bassist Bill Laswell (Praxis, Massacre, etc.) is the founder of "collision music" -- a collaborative concept that brings together musicians from divergent instrumentations and backgrounds. City of Light is about Banaras, a city older than history, tradition, way beyond legends. It is Shiva's land, founded at the dawn of creation. It is India's oldest and most fabled city. The Hindus call it Kashi, the luminous... The City of Light. This release features a truly stunning and contemplative merging of Eastern and Western sounds: from tabla to ambient drone and field recordings, in collaboration with some of the best experimental minds. Featuring Lori Carson, Coil, Trilok Gurtu, Tetsu Inoue, Hakim Bey. Recorded in Banaras, India, and mixed at Greenpoint Studio in Brooklyn. India meets New York in the industrial darkness
CD $15


BILL LASWELL - Hashisheen: The End Of Law (Sub Rosa 154; Belgium) Originally released in 1999 by Sub Rosa, now reissued. Hashishisheen -- The End of Law is one of Bill Laswell's best-known masterpieces of ambient spoken-word. The works of William S. Burroughs and collaborator Brion Gysin are the main inspiration and key to the initiation of The Hashisheen project. Through immense exposure to their innovative experimentation, Bill Laswell developed a strong interest in North Africa, Arab culture, Islam, the Tangier scene, the Master Musicians of Jajouka, Paul Bowles, ritual magick, drugs and travel; and discovered their obsession with the wild heretical actions of the Persian-Hassan-i-Sabbah, who claimed to be the incarnation of God on earth -- Hassan, son of Sabbah. Featuring the music of Bill Laswell, W.S. Burroughs, Iggy Pop, Techno Animal, Patti Smith, Lizzy Mercier-Descloux, Genesis P-Orridge, Jah Wobble, Paul Schutze, Anne Clark, Hakim Bey, Nicky Scopelitis, Peter Wilson, Nicole Blackman, Ira Cohen, Helios Creed, Anton Fier, Sussan Deyhim and Percy Howard III.
CD $15


BILL LASWELL - Lo. Def Pressure: India Vs Drum'n'Bass (Sub Rosa 150; Belgium) Originally released in 2000 on Sub Rosa, now reissued. Another India project Bill Laswell classic featuring esteemed collaborative musicians. Lo. Def Pressure is a no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners invitation to cyber-ethnic anthems, devoted to jungle beats and other hard-kicking fusions from New York to New Delhi, Kingston to London. This is a virtual trip through space and time: fasten your seat belt. Artists include: Bill Laswell (bass, keyboard, beats, sounds); Kadri Sriram, Arif Singh & Hassan Akber Ali (additional music, elements and sounds); Zakir Hussain & Badal Roy (tabla matrix, rhythm elements).
CD $15

AFTERMATHEMATICS INSTRUMENTAL [BILL LASWELL/GRANDMIXER DXT] - Rhythm And Recurrence (Sub Rosa 216; Belgium) Featuring Grandmaster DXT, Skiz (a/k/a Spectre from Word Sound) and Sly Dunbar. This new opus from Bill Laswell for Sub Rosa is exploring the veins of hip-hop and dub in some peculiar manner. Going urban with some old-school hip-hop ingredients, then dubbing and scratching, Laswell is paying tribute to the past of those musical styles and adapting the vibes to the present and future. Bass and kicks, straight and efficient, are the skeleton; turntablism, floating keyboards chords, abstract sounds are giving flesh' n 'blood to this organic machine. 'AfterMathematics' is at the same times urban and tribal, like being in an hidden cavern in the heart of NY, doing some shamanic rituals in a crowded big avenue in order to transform it in a gigantic dancefloor. 10 tracks to fly high, or get the echo, the resonance of a big city's pulse, and yet facing some ghosts from the past, like traveling in a time machine. Anything is possible going back to the prehistoric age or seeing the future. Enter the ritual.
CD $15


HELDON [RICHARD PINHAS] - Live Electronik Guerilla: Paris 1975-1976 (Captain Trip 550; Japan) "Live 1976 + 1975. Previously unreleased material. Special miniature LP paper sleeve. Limited 1000 copies. Japan release only!" 1) 1984 Apres Cosmic C'etait, 2) Distribution Derrioration Live, 3) Heldon Is Back, 4) Lady From The North, 5) Klossowski's Circlus Vitiosus, 6) Death Of Omar Diop Blondin, 7) Track Of Cocaine. Track 1 & 2: Patrick Gauthier: Mini-Moog, Moog Bass; Francois Auger: Drums; Richard Pinhas: Guitars, Moog; Recorded May-June 1976 At Le Palace Paris. Track 3 To 7: Richard Pinhas: Guitar, Mellotron, Aks & Arp 2600 Synthesizer; Alain Renaud: Guitar & Analog Keyboards. CD $24


HELDON [RICHARD PINHAS] - Well and Alive In France: Live in Nancy 1979 [2 CD set] (Captain Trip 550; Japan) "Live at Nancy, France 1979 two CD set. Previously unreleased material. Special miniature LP gate-fold paper sleeve. Limited 1000 copies. Japan release only!" Disc 1: 1) Virgin Marie Overdrive, 2) Heldon UFO War Machine, 3) Schizosphere/Mekanosphere/Rhiszosphere, 4) Red Line Target. Disc 2: 1)The Large Interface Session, 2)Mellotronic Dune Dance. Richard Pinhas: Guitars, Synthesizers, Sequencer And Mellotron; Pierrot Roussel: Bass Guitar And Mellotron; Francois Auger: Drums And Percussion. Recorded 19th March 1979 Nancy France.
2 CD set for $30


HARMONIA [MICHAEL ROTHER/DIETER MOEBIUS/HANS JOACHIM ROEDELIUS] - Deluxe (Lilith 123; Russia) Kluster was a trio of Moebius, Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler in the late '60s-early '70s and made two albums. Schnitzler left for a solo career, and the remaining duo changed the name to Cluster. In the hiatus between the 2nd and 3rd Neu albums, Michael Rother joined Moebius and Roedelius in '74 under the name Harmonia for two in the late '60s-early '70s and made two phenomenal albums of the must-have variety for those interested in early german rock/electronic work! Deluxe is the second of the two.
CD $18

HARMONIA [MICHAEL ROTHER/DIETER MOEBIUS/HANS JOACHIM ROEDELIUS] - Musik Von Harmonia (Lilith 119; Russia) Kluster was a trio of Moebius, Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler in the late '60s-early '70s and made two albums. Schnitzler left for a solo career, and the remaining duo changed the name to Cluster. In the hiatus between the 2nd and 3rd Neu albums, Michael Rother joined Moebius and Roedelius in '74 under the name Harmonia for two in the late '60s-early '70s and made two phenomenal albums of the must-have variety for those interested in early german rock/electronic work! This is the first of the two
"Once called 'the world's most important rock group' by Brian Eno, legendary minimalist avant-garde band Harmonia was formed in the early '70s by Michael Rother of Neu! and Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius of Cluster. Although this supergroup produced only two studio albums - 1974's Musik von Harmonia and 1975's De luxe - they were very influential and perfectly embodied the Krautrock ideal. While leaning slightly towards Cluster's ambient sound, they were also entirely their own entity - a jet engine running clean and precise but also spouting asphyxiating aural exhaust."
CD $18

BLACK MERDA - Black Merda (Lilith 111; Russia) Hailing from late-'60s Detroit, Black Merda (pronounced "Murder") were both aesthetically and musically way ahead of their time. When most black groups (including Parliament/ Funkadelic) were still sporting suits, singing about love and using a horn section, Black Merda had already become a tight guitar-heavy freak-funk four piece. By weaving guitar rock and psychedelia into soul and R&B they were the gods of the underground 'black rock' movement which fell somewhere between Jimi Hendrix and Parliament and MC5
CD $18

EMMIT RHODES - The American Dream (Lilith 112; Russia) "Although his brief flirtation with stardom quickly evaporated, his music is still considered 'essential listening' by '70s rock aficionados and pop fans, particularly his critically-acclaimed self-titled magnum opus, which climbed to the top of the charts in the U.S., and American Dream. Often called 'Paul McCartney's musical twin,' his influence can definitely be felt here, particularly on songs like 'Mother Earth' and 'Holly Park.'"
CD $18

STEVIE WONDER - Down To Earth (Lilith 122; Russia) "Originally released in 1966 (when Stevie was only 16) as the follow up album to Stevie's second number one hit 'Uptight.' By the release of this album Stevie's artistic direction had shifted decidedly away from the 'Little Stevie' era, and he can be heard laying the groundwork for the more mature sound that would soon become his trademark. Featuring his version of Bob Dylan's 'Blowin ln The Wind' (which hit #1 on the R&B charts) and Ron Miller's 'A Place In The Sun' in 1966. (#3 on US R&B)."
CD $18


MIKE HERON - The Glen Row Tapes [2 CD set] (Quadrant 04; EEC) "In 1977, Mike Heron, formerly of The Incredible String Band and Heron, was still living in the Glen Row Scottish cottage, which had been the Incredible String Band's home and musical headquarter. He recorded a lot of songs between 1977 and 1978, using the home studio located in Glen Row with help from Frank Usher on guitar - who had also played with Mike on Heron - and Jon Bavin, the session engineer, on bass and keyboards along with a variety of local drummers. This double CD set contains the complete recordings from these sessions - known for years between ISB fans as the 'Glen Row Tapes.' These tracks are the fruits of a period when Mike Heron was free from the constraints of having to write songs to fit in with a particular band's repertoire, and so able to explore and experiment with a variety of genres and approaches. The sheer range of material and styles are reminiscent of Dylan's Basement Tapes. Long unavailable, the songs have been lovingly remastered by Quadrant Records from the best available CD, cassette and vinyl sources and provide a unique insight into the Heron creative process. A couple of songs date back to ISB days ' - 'Sold On Your Love,' which was released on a rare 7" single and a re-working of Liquid Acrobat's 'Red Hair' - and there's also 'Lost In Space,' which was from the Heron live set. 27 tracks in total, including a song recorded in 2006 specially for this release though probably written around the same time as the other material. It features a 36-page booklet with detailed liner notes and pictures, and comes in nice slipcase."
CD $32


JEFF SIMMONS - The Original Soundtrack From Naked Angels (Fall Out 2036; UK) Originally released on Frank Zappa's legendary Straight label in 1969 as the soundtrack to Naked Angels, an obscure B-movie biker flick, this hard-rocking collection was the first release from future Zappa sideman Jeff Simmons, making its CD debut here. Largely instrumental, it showcases his superb guitar skills to memorable effect, and will delight collectors of rare soundtracks, biker rock fans and Zappa completists alike. Funk rock on hyperdrive with organ squeals and most of all, a big guitar at the forefront. "I haven't heard this yet, but I am excited. Jeff Simmons's long lost classic album, "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" is one of those buried treasures that only a handful of Mothers freaks own and know about. It was once released on CD, but is long out-of-print." - BLG
CD $16

JAMESON - Color Him In (Fall Out 2026; UK) Produced by legendary vocal arranger Curt Boettcher, this dreamy collection of psychedelic pop is the second album by famed Hollywood hipster Bobby Jameson (his first, the classic Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest, had been credited to Chris Lucey), and appeared in the summer of 1967. A perfect snapshot of its time, it makes its long-awaited CD debut here, complete with a bonus track and explanatory liner notes, and is an essential purchase for all fans of sunshine pop and light psychedelia.
CD $16

MOLOCH - Moloch (Fall Out 2031; UK) Produced by Don Nix (widely credited as a key architect of the "Memphis Sound"), this hard-hitting collection of bluesy acid rock first appeared on Stax subsidiary Enterprise in 1970. Featuring the outstanding guitar playing of the late Lee Baker (later to play with Alex Chilton) and the original version of "Going Down" (covered by Freddie King, Jeff Beck, JJ Cale and others), the album makes its CD debut here, complete with two rare bonus tracks, and is an essential purchase for all fans of blues-influenced rock and roll.
CD $16

STONE CIRCUS - Stone Circus (Fall Out 2032; UK) This superb blend of psych-pop and experimental acid rock originally appeared on the legendary Mainstream label in 1969. Recorded by a bunch of Canadian musicians who had just moved to New York City, it received no airplay or promotional support and was soon deleted, but has gone on to become one of the most sought-after major label LPs of the period. Enjoyable from start to finish, it's a treat for all fans of melodic psychedelia.
CD $16


D.R. HOOKER - The Truth (Subliminal Sounds 15; EEC) "Finally a CD reissue of one of the rarest US psych LPs. The Truth, recorded in Connecticut in 1972, might very well be the ultimate North American acid rock album ever. No hype here, just incredible talented music. Everything is absolute perfection, the wailing fuzz guitar, the psychy arrangements, his awesome voice, layers of instruments and well-crafted songs. One of those LPs that keeps revealing new depths even when you've played it a hundred times. True psychedelia. This reissue is officially licensed from the artist."
CD $15

PARSON SOUND - Parson Sound [2 CD set] (Subliminal Sounds TIL 02; EEC) A spectacular archival package of primitive drone and minimalist rock/trance from the Swedish underground, believe the hype as follows; this is going to be one of the most memorable CD audio documents of the year 2001... "After years of research we're proud to present the nucleus of the Swedish 1960's-70s underground psych rock scene: the legendary Parson Sound. This 2-CD set presents the most remarkable Swedish underground band, known in a later incarnation and continuation as International Harvester and Trad, Gras och Stenar (Trees, Grass and Stones), and features A 2xCD with an informative booklet in English and lots of photos."
CD $30


PSYCHEDELIC PHINLAND [V.A.] - Finnish Hippie & Underground Music 1967-1974 [2 CD set] (Love 651; EEC) Amazing collection of underground Finnish music, presented in definitive fashion by the original Love Records label. Great booklet of English notes and photos, Love Records does it again! From the liner notes: "CD1 opens with some topical commentaries on drugs and the hippie lifestyle, as well as with early Finnish psych-rock, followed by more agitatory and provocatory stuff like Suomen Talvisofta who hilariously combined anarchist ideas with psychedelic imagery. After the heyday of he Underground movement, the more mystic legacy of hippiedome was preserved by the esoteric balladry of Pekka Streng, Hector and others. CD2 presents more experimental Underground, avant-garde and alternative music, most of it for the fist time on CD or previously not issued. Love Records and the small Eteenpain! (Forward), Finland's counterpart to ESP Records, were the main labels for the kind of music heard on both CDs."
CD $25




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DMG RECOMMENDED GIG LIST FOR MARCH 2ND, 2007 & BEYOND -




THE DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC GIG LIST CONTINUES WITH:

This Sunday, March 4th -
6pm - CLIFTON HYDE/JOE EXELEY/KEVIN GARCIA!
7pm - KURT HEYL & ANDREW DRURY!

Next Sunday, March 11th -
6pm - JASON STEIN & MIKE PRIDE -
Chicago clarinetists meets NY percussionist!
7pm - SUSAN ALCORN - Solo Pedal Steel!
Texas-based steel guitar master makes a rare NY date!


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THE STONE is located at the NW corner of Avenue C & 2nd St.


March 2007 is curated by Matthew Shipp

3/2 Friday
8 and 10 pm - Bern Nix (guitar) Francois Grillot (bass) Jackson Krall (drums)

3/3 Saturday
8 pm - Matthew Shipp (piano) Joe Morris (bass) Whit Dickey (drums)
10 pm - Guillermo E. Brown's Cut Up Quintet w/ Guillermo E. Brown (drums, laptop) Will Johnson (samples) Cochemea Gastelum (reeds, electronics) Shoko Nagai (piano, keyboards) Keith Witty (bass)

3/4 Sunday - Mike Bisio Birthday Bash
8 pm - Mike Bisio (bass) Stephen Gauci (sax) Avram Fefer (sax) Jay Rosen
10 pm - Mike Bisio (bass) William Parker (bass)

3/6 Tuesday
8 pm - Steve Dalachinsky (poetry) Yuko Otomo (poetry) Stephanie Stone (piano)
10 pm - Amiri Baraka (poetry)

3/7 Wednesday
8 pm - Spring Sept - Amy Ouzoonian (poetry) Valmonte Sprout, The Mangina with Jonathan Ames and other special guests
10 pm - Yuko Fujiyama Quartet w/ Yuko Fujiyama (piano) Thomas Ulrich (cello) Esther Noh (violin) Reggie Nicholson (drums)

3/8 Thursday
8 pm - Denman Maroney Solo Piano
10 pm - TEST w/ Sabir Mateen (reeds) Daniel Carter (reeds) Matt Heyner (bass) Tom Bruno (drums)

3/9 Friday
8pm - KALI. Z. FASTEAU Mile Stone Birthday Bash: Flow Ensemble
Kali. Z (soprano sax, nai flute, piano, voice, mizmar, sanza) Matt LaVelle (bass clarinet, trumpet) Michael Wimberly (drums) Guests TBA
10 pm - KALI. Z. Fasteau MileStone Birthday Bash: Deep Sahara
Abdoulaye Alhassane (guitar, voice from Niger) Kali. Z (soprano sax, piano, nai) Tara Thierry (bass from New Orleans) JoJo Kuo (drums from Cameroon)
www.KALIMUSE.com

3/10 Saturday
8 pm - Joe Morris Bass Trio
Peter Cancuree (tenor sax) Joe Morris (bass) Jason Nazary (drums)
10 pm - Joe Morris Trio
Joe Morris (guitar) Daniel Levin (cello) Michael Evans (drums)


3/11 Sunday
8 pm - David S. Ware Solo Sax - 20 dollars
10 pm - Matthew Shipp (piano) & Guillermo E. Brown (laptop)


Performances take place at 8 & 10 pm from Tuesday - Sunday nights,
This month, Monday poetry performances have also been added at 8 & 10pm
There are no advance tickets, first come, first served, there is no phone
There is no food or beverage served, just a serious listening environment
Admission for each set is $10, unless otherwise indicated
Check out the website for The Stone at thestonenyc.com


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Dee Pop presents:
THE Freestyle MUSIC SERIES
"All types of creative music"
Every Sunday @ Jimmy's Restaurant
43 East 7th Street * NYC * 212-982-3006

MARCH 4
7pm Bob Feldman's Triplicity Plus with Matt Lavelle, Ken Filiano, Tony Romano
9pm Tyshawn Sorey Quartet

MARCH 11
7pm Catherine Sikora Duo
8pm SONIC LIBERATION FRONT

MARCH 18
7pm Radio I-Ching
9pm AMIR ELSAFFAR Group with Rudresh Mahanthappa, Zaafer Tawil, Tareq Abboushi, Carlo DeRosa, drums

MARCH 25
7pm Nimbni: Jean Carla Rodea, Ryan Macstaller, Todd Neufeld, John Myers, Gerald Cleaver
9pm - Nate Wooley, Taylor Ho Bynum, Ken Filiano, Tomas Fujiwara

www.freestylejazz.com / deepop@earthlink.net


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TONIC is located at 107 Norfolk Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets

Here are some highlights from this week's calendar:

Tues March 6th-
8pm - MATANA ROBERTS' COIN COIN w/ Mary Halvorson (guitar), Matana Roberts (alto sax), Jessica Pavone (bass / viola), Tyshawn Sorey (drums), Daniel Levin (cello) & Keith Witty (bass). With projections by Daniel Givens. Matana presents Gens de Couleur Libre--Chapter 1 of her in progress blood narrative that pays homage to her Cane River Louisianan roots.
10pm - STEPHEN SWELL'S NATION OF WE w/ Jackson Krall (drums), Steve Swell (trombone), Jason Hwang (violin), Matthew Heyner (bass), Chris Forsyth, Rob Brown (alto sax), Tomas Ulrich (cello), Sabir Mateen (alto sax / tenor sax / flute / piano), Lewis Barnes (trumpet), Ras Moshe (reeds), Matt Lavelle (trumpet / bass clarinet) & Todd Nicholson (bass).

Wed March 7th-
8pm - MAKIGAMI KOICHI, JOHN ZORN & IKUE MORI PLUS HIKASHU FEATURING MAKIGAMI KOICHI! Makigami Koichi was best known as the vocalist for Hikashu, one of Japan's longest-running underground groups. As a result of Hikashu's evolution from an electronic pop band into one encompassing world music, improv and noise, Koichi began collaborating with John Zorn, who produced the all-star Koichi solo record Koroshi No Blues. In addition, the singer performed with Derek Bailey and Yamatsuka Eye, and was the organizer of Zorn's monthly, Tokyo-based improvisational forum Cobra.-- AMG
Hikashu featuring Makigami Koichi: Makigami Koichi is one of Japan's most popular underground performers. From techno (before the Yellow Magic Orchestra) to noise/sampler improvisation (before Ground Zero) to jazz, folk and beyond, Hikashu has been anticipating trends and charting new paths in Japanese music for decades.

Fri March 9th-
8pm - FREE FORM FUNKAFIED FILTH: CALVIN WESTON, VERNON REID & JAMAALADEEN TACUMA!

Please visit http://www.tonicnyc.com for details and schedule updates.


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MARCH 2007 SCHEDULE AT
ROULETTE - 20 Greene St (between Canal and Grand St)
8:30 PM / TICKETS/RSVP: 212.219.8242

contact: press@roulette.org http://www.roulette.org/

Roulette is pleased to announce that we have been selected for WNYC's March Salute The Arts *STAR* Initiative! Listen for mentions on 93.9 FM and AM 820; look for them on http://www.wnyc.org/events

ROULETTE IS THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE OUR MOVE INTO OUR NEW HOME: 20 GREENE STREET in SOHO. With this new space, Roulette will be expanding activities to include over 100 concerts, sound installations, longer runs of music theater and other large productions such as the Avant Jazz Still Moving festival and the annual "Festival of Mixology"
For our expanded events calendar go to: http://www.roulette.org/

MARCH 2007 EVENTS
3/9: Aki Onda, Alan Licht & Michael Snow
3/10: Morton Subotnick
3/11: Shelley Hirsch with Zoe Beloff-- Benefit for Roulette
3/15: Chiara Giovando / Jessica Rylan (aka Can't)
3/16: John King with Jenny Lin, Cornelius Dufallo, Okkyung Lee & Kato Hideki
3/17: Jim Staley with Zeena Parkins & guests
3/18: Natalie Rose LeBrecht (aka Greenpot Bluepot)
3/22: Kevin Davis / Andrew Raffo Dewar
3/23: Briggan Krauss
3/24: Kevin Norton
3/29: James Rouvelle / Blithe Riley
3/30: Lynn Book / Katharina Klement
3/31: Elliott Sharp


EXPERIMENTAL INTERMEDIA
The Thirty-third Anniversary of EI performances at 224 Centre Street loft, and, not least, The Seventeenth Annual Festival with no fancy name, Part Two (or B) Phill Niblock, curator

MARCH 2007

JASON KAHN AND JON MUELLER MONDAY 12
Kahn uses percussion and analogue synthesizer, Mueller uses percussion and cassettes; both blur the realm of merely using percussion instruments as devices to be struck; as on their recent recording, "Supershells," they take the frequencies and textures of their instruments, and integrate them into one seemless mix; "Percussion is often subsumed within the densely swelling layers of electronic and manipulated sound...to a remarkable degree with the unstable, bottom-heavy, rather threatening electronic sounds which are characteristic of this impressive set." - Brian Marley, The Wire http://jasonkahn.net and www.jonmueller.net

KATHERINE LIBEROVSKAYA - SCREEN COMPS. 3 - TUESDAY 13
This third edition of Screen Compositions is as usual a collection of intersections of moving image with sonic art; a program of screen works representing dynamic two-way collaborations between video/ film artists and sound/ music artists specifically intended for single-channel projection with no live or performance component; featuring collaborations by: Benton-C Bainbridge / Bobby Previte; Betsey Biggs / Evidence (Scott Smallwood and Stephan Moore); Cedrick Eymenier / Fennesz; Margarida Garcia / Manuel Mota; Kurt Ralske / Micheal Schumacher; Jennifer Reeves / Anthony Burr; Paul Ryan / Annea Lockwood; Shimpei Takeda / Michael Vernusky; Bas Van Koolwijk / Gert-Yan Prins; Ines Wickmann / Ingrid Drese

JOHANNES SISTERMANNS WEDNESDAY 14
electroacoustics - mutli-channel - visual - performance - verbal images - AxIOm /thinking is form/Space leads to sound / cling wrap thinks visible / sonic surroundings / thinking is face/sonic atmosphere / stretched / where to go? See/listen at http://www.sistermanns.eu

LARRY AUSTIN THURSDAY 15
The composer presents six recent pieces: four with performers-plus-octrophonic computer music and two as solo tapes; the program features the world premiere of a new work composed for flutist Jacqueline Martelle, "Les Flutes de Pan: Hommage a Debussy" (2005-6), as well as two works receiving their New York premieres: "Tableaux: Convolutions on a Theme" (2003-4), composed for saxophonist Stephen Duke and "Adagio: Convolutions on a Theme by Mozart" (2004-5), composed for clarinetist F. Gerard Errante; Bass clarinetist Michael Lowenstern will perform Austin's "Threnos" (2001-2), for real and virtual bass clarinets, dedicated to the victims of Sept. 11, 2001; the two solo computer music tapes are his "Williams [re]Mix[ed]" (1997-2000) and "art is self-alteration is Cage is..." (1982, rev., 1993)
http:www.music.unt.edu/cemi/larry_austin/index.htm

MICHAEL FAHRES FRIDAY 16
"Cetacea" is the Latin term for the group of marine mammals which includes whales; Fahres examines the relationship between the rhythmic structures of the clicking noises of dolphins and the polyrhythms of Senegal, as played by Doudou NiDiaye Rose, the master of the sabar drum and his ensemble; this composition consists of a recording of the ultrasound tones made by dolphins in the Duisburg Dolphinarium and subsequently transformed into audible frequencies; the concert is the tape version in 5.1 surround - following the concert, there will be a film which documents Cetacea; Supported by the Gaudeamus Contemporary Music Center, the Netherlands http:// home.wanadoo.nl/michael.fahres/


Gerhardt Muller-Goldboom Saturday 17
The premiere of , a Japanese inspired piece for one stringed intrument; the Berlin composer plays the doublebass in this piece and also presents three electronic pieces realized in the Freiburg studio (Germany), in part combined with the doublebass; this program will present a facette of the composer's work reflecting different arts outside the musical terrain; violinist Tom Chiu will play another version of and will join the composer in an improvisation Supported by the Senatskanzlei Berlin - Kulturelle Angelegenheiten;
www.mueller-goldboom.de

Bolsa Ernesto de Sousa , a memorial fellowship named for the Portuguese Intermedia Artist, sponsored by the Luso-Americana Foundation and the Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, in Lisbon, coordinated by Isabel Alves, presents an intermedia performance:

Luis Miguel Girao Thursday 22
Is a transdisciplinary artist and researcher in the application of technology as a tool for artistic expression; this, the outcome of his residence at EI, is a performance for a body in space interacting with an audiovisual sensory system; recently developed movement based control interfaces and new ideas about audiovisual expression form the core of his presentation

hans w koch and Bettina Wenzel Sunday 25
he researches hardware-specific aspects of different powerbook-models, looking for instrumental qualities in uniformed machines; She influences video with extended vocal techniques, creating a play between reality and illusion, turning walls into waves
www.hans-w-koch.net and http://www.mynetcologne.de/~nc-wenzelbe2/

Robin Hayward Monday 26
Acoustic tuba solos; the Berlin-based tuba player presents a song book of noise; the instrument is treated as a labyrinth of tuning in which air may be trapped and redirected, producing sounds reminiscent both of industrial noise and analogue electronics; www.robinhayward.de

Adachi Tomomi Thursday 29
Performer, composer, sound poet and visual artist from Tokyo, known for his versatile style; he will present solo improvisations with voice, self-made instruments (electronic/amplified objects) and an original sensor system named "infrared sensor shirt," also introduces some works of Japanese sound poet; his performance is characterized by a sense of humor and a singular intensity with visual pleasure; this will be his first solo performance in the US; http://www.adachitomomi.com/

Our programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, the Aaron Copland Fund For Music, the Phaedrus Foundation and The Amphion Foundation 224 Centre Street at Grand, Third Floor, N Y 10013 212 431 5127, 431 6430, www.experimentalintermedia.org and www.XIrecords.org


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