DMG Newsletter for Friday, November 23rd, 2018 - Post-Thanksgiving Remembrance

Thanksgiving
It is the Time to Reflect and say Thanks
To the many folks to Inspire, Engage and Make our lives Better
Our Friends, our Families, Folks we meet on the StLeet or in Venues
Artists and Musicians who See or Hear or Consider Things Differently

DMG says Thanks to everyone who donated to the DMG Survival fund! Over the past two months, we have received an amazing amount of support from our longtime & newer customers, friends and family. I am completely touched by these kind words and support! So many folks have told us how much the DMG Newsletter and store means to them. We’ve had more inquisitive customers from everywhere come to visit us here at DMG as well as on-line over the past year or so, which makes live here more interesting. Challenging music and interesting conversations are what DMG so much a great place to work and hang out. We have a couple of new staff members: Frank Meadows and John Mori. Both great fellows and great to work with! Say say hello.

We are still accepting donations if you feel the need to help out. Our goal is make it to our 30th anniversary in two years, but who knows… The last time I posted this donations link it was missing a number so here is the correct one:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=UXIxHETOZXoR5rmGdzoEwZWn33In2nMXF6It9GYgXSTEFt-BWsi2AGC3CUj3qbMuWD88Fm&country.x=US&locale.x=US

THANKS to Everyone who sends their positive vibes! Peace & Love, Bruce Lee Gallanter

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Here comes a short list of Important Releases from:

Anthony Braxton / Taylor Ho Bynum Trio! Harriet Tubman: Brandon Ross / Melvin Gibbs / JT Lewis! Frank Kimbrough / Scott Robinson Qt: Complete Thelonious Monk Songbook! Three from Cuneiform: Alec K. Redfearn & the Eyesores! Far Corner! Forgas Band Phenomena!

Post Muffins: Manna/Mirage! The Gate: Dan Peck / Tom Blancarte / Brian Osborne! Pierre Dorge with Kirk Knuffke! Dustin Carlson Septet! Klaus Schulze and Rapoon! LP’s from Jackson C. Frank and Current 93!

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Upcoming Sets at Downtown Music Gallery - FREE, every Sunday at 6pm

November 25th, No In-store, Bruce in Florida for his Mom’s 90th Birthday & Thanksgiving!

Sunday, December 2nd:
6pm: GUILLERMO GREGORIO & OMAR TAMEZ - Clarinet & Guitar
7pm: GUILLERMO GREGORIO / OMAR TAMEZ / RAYMON LOPEZ - Clarinet / Guitar / Drums

Rare Monday, December 3rd Gathering: Reading and Book Signing!
6:30pm: ELLIOTT SHARP will read from his new book: ‘IrRational Music’

Sunday, December 9th:
6pm: FACKPAMP: ANDERS NILSSON / HAMPUS OHMAN-FROLUND SARAH BERNSTEIN - Guitar/Drums/Violin
7pm: AXIS: JON IRABAGON / JOHN HEGRE / NILS DRONEN - Saxes /
8pm: GIACOMO MEREGA / KENT O’DOHERTY - Bass Guitar / Alto Sax

Sunday, December 16th:
6pm: HUMAN RITES TRIO: JASON KAO HWANG / KEN FILIANO / ANDREW DRURY - Strings/Bass/Drums

DMG is located at 13 Monroe St. (between Catherine & Market Sts) in a basement below a small gallery. Take the F train to East Broadway or the 6 train to  Canal or the B or D to Grand, or the M-15 bus to Madison & Catherine. Come on Down, the Sunday Music Series is Always Free & the Vibes are Always Cosy. You can check the weekly in-store sets through our Instagram feed

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Important New Music Discs begins with this Treasure:

ANTHONY BRAXTON With TAYLOR HO BYNUM / BOB BRESNAN - Eight Improvisations (Trio) 2014 (Tubapede Records; USA) Featuring Anthony Braxton on alto & bari saxes, sopranino & soprano saxes, Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, flugelhorn & bass trumpet and Bob Bresnan on piano. Artwork by Dan Peck. Rejoice! This is the first Anthony Braxton release in a while which hasn’t been released on his own New Braxton House or Firehouse12 labels. Aside from that superb solo sax effort on Victo and the incredible trio with William Parker & Milford Graves on Tzadik. I’ve only listened a couple of tracks on the Tubapede Bandcamp page, which sound mighty fine. Master multi-brass player, Taylor Ho Bynum, has been working with Mr. Braxton for more than a decade, in several ongoing ensembles, including Diamond Curtain Wall. Pianist Bob Bresnan is a new name for me and sounds fine considering that his name dredges up nothing from the Duckduckgo search engine. I look forward to listening and reviewing the entire lengthy two disc set next week after I get back from my short vacation to Florida. - BLG
2 CD Set $20 [LTD Edition of 300]


HARRIET TUBMAN With BRANDON ROSS / MELVIN GIBBS / J.T. LEWIS - The Terror End of Beauty (Sunnyside; USA) The runner dashes toward the cliff’s edge, his hang glider’s wings rattling above. He has reached the crest and, before he can think to stop, he is falling. For those few seconds before the wind mercifully sweeps him away, he is in a freefall, in a state of exhilaration, heightened awareness and, perhaps, terror. Yet, he has committed himself and had to push through the fear in order to soar.
The members of Harriet Tubman find this an apt analogy for their musical approach. For over two decades, guitarist Brandon Ross, bassist Melvin Gibbs and drummer JT Lewis have thrown themselves into making music that is sans genre, infective and overpowering. Their years of experience playing alongside and driving many of the improvised music, jazz and rock’s most celebrated ensembles have prepared them to run this gauntlet, The Terror End of Beauty.
The world of progressive and improvised music has lost a number of luminaries over the past few years. The passing of Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor and Ronald Shannon Jackson, among others, has left their heirs to grab the reins of the avant-garde. Harriet Tubman is ready to take the lead in this regard and show the world at large where the music is going. The band lives in the musical space between improvisation and composed music, giving all they have on every performance. Harriet Tubman also continues the legacy of being activists in their music, as can be read quite clearly in tone and title.
As their illustrious predecessors have done, Harriet Tubman approaches their music making without preconceived notions of what it needs to be. It is only music that is necessary to make and, to make it, the band must commit fully to its creation. Harriet Tubman has taken this approach to live performance, bowling over musicians and fans alike, and, up to this point, in the recording studio, having released live performances, whether in concert or through-performed in the studio.
The Terror End of Beauty finds Harriet Tubman utilizing the studio mastery of legendary producer/engineer Scotty Hard to expand and amplify their sound. Hard essentially becomes a fourth member of the ensemble as his musical insight, collaborative approach and technical expertise shape the sound of the new recording. So in essence, The Terror End of Beauty finds the trio modulating their core approach by augmenting their sound in the studio, taking their latent sound and coming up with something completely different.
CD $15


FRANK KIMBROUGH With SCOTT ROBINSON / RUFUS REID / BILLY DRUMMOND - Monk’s Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk (Sunnyside 4032; USA) Frank Kimbrough, Scott Robinson, Rufus Reid and Billy Drummond certainly sound like they know these tunes inside-out, although some must have been less familiar than others. Whilst hearing these tunes back to back certainly brings out their iconic status, it turns out that this recording is more about just playing. It’s respectful, not of the duty to preserve the notes, but of the process. Recorded over two three day sessions, there are no particular angles here, no agendas or concepts. It’s the pleasure of simply playing the tunes, waiting patiently for the moments of inspiration to appear. Frank Kimbrough plays a long game here in allowing that to happen over a long stretch of music with essentially the same line-up.
Monk’s own recorded output seemed to narrow in scope after the extreme compositional radicalism of his early recordings for Blue Note, gnawing endlessly at certain tunes like Epistrophy and Evidence, whilst those like Hornin’ In and Humph never appeared after their premieres. So I always saw Monk’s music splits into two equally tricky areas; hard-baked standards like Round Midnight and Well You Needn’t and the lesser played tunes like Brilliant Corners and Skippy (Like Beethoven, it’s the catchier stuff that made it to hit status). On the one hand, the re-treading of the paths often trod, on the other, finding out just why feet rarely walked this way before.
Steve Lacy was the first musician to learn all of Monk’s music, and reckoned he knew more than Monk himself did. His album, School Days tells you in its title what he was after; a period of deep study at a time when Monk’s music was perhaps less fashionable. Here the approach seems more informal, allowing everyone to simply work their magic on the tunes. In the excellent and exhaustive liner notes, Kimbrough talks of not wanting to “re-invent the wheel”, and some of these tunes are so gnarly and bumpy that getting to the end without losing a few spokes is an art form in itself. Coming On The Hudson is a case in point; its logic defies musical “rules”, seeming to exist simply on the strength of its melodic stubbornness. Monk himself always took it at an awkward stagger, definitely chugging against the current; here, Kimbrough ups the tempo and makes it cut through the water like a speedboat. Conversely, Locomotive is taken at a strikingly slow tempo, the dark shades of the bass clarinet making the whole atmosphere melancholic, the last journey of a steam train destined for the scrap heap. Two of Monk’s solo blues improvisations get some of the most novel treatments here. Blue Hawk has Scott Robinson’s “echo cornet” playing the head like a call and response between open and Harmon-muted horns, and Monk’s Point strips back to piano and drums for a brilliantly free dialogue around which bell-like semitones of the melody are reworked and abstracted, standing like pillars amid the hits and splashes of Drummond’s kit.
Monk talked a lot about the role of the rhythm section, and he’d have loved this one. Bass and drums often get namechecked at the end of reviews but, like a really expensive mattress, you never quite know the value of a good rhythm section until you sit on one for yourself. On Skippy, Reid and Drummond simply burn brightly and allow Robinson and Kimbrough to surf on their waves of swing, to bounce on the bed springs as it were. This is not the only way a rhythm section works though, and a tune like Green Chimneys shows how expertly they can weave in and out Monk’s melodies. Reid’s bass solo is then shadowed with a deep and understated groove from Drummond that blends and propels; in this music, pulse and rhythm are like harmony and counterpoint to Bach, and these guys are masters.
Perhaps the greatest change to Monk’s relatively monochrome approach to instrumentation is the inclusion of Scott Robinson, who alternates between the familiar tones of the tenor saxophone and the trumpet (sounding beautifully un-brassy), but then digs deep into the contrabass sarrusophone and bass saxophone, imbuing melodies with a murky low swampiness. Misterioso has a gut-rumbling humour but nevertheless swings like the clappers. On Let’s Cool One, Robinson’s tenor solo stretches the melody in a way that feels part maths genius and part old-school balladeer, which is an intoxicating mix, but mostly he just soars through Monk, with melodies seeming to effortlessly spring forth at every turn.
Some of Monk’s less song-like tunes offer up interesting opportunities for improvising. The riffy structure of “Oska T” enables the rest of the band to play off the melody instead of the chords, and Kimbrough seems to relish the chance to open things up where elsewhere he’s often remarkably faithful to Monk’s vocabulary, without resorting to fully fledged “licks”. Perhaps this is the key to the success of this recording; everything is somehow familiar, but it has that freshness that only real improvisers can generate. It’s like watching a seasoned comedian tell an old familiar joke, the stories around the punchline getting just as many laughs.”
6 CD set $65


Three New Ones from the Great Progressive Label, Cuneiform:

ALEC K. REDFEARN / THE EYESORES - The Opposite (Cuneiform 444; USA) Eleven chimes usher listeners into the world of The Opposite, the 8th album by the hypnotically eclectic Alec K. Redfearn and The Eyesores. Eight songs later, another set of eleven chimes release us from the music’s hold. In between lies a collection of songs that are part ritual and part rock; both esoteric and alluring.
For the last two decades, the Providence, RI-based Redfearn has crafted a compelling, uncategorizable sound that is wholly his own but has tendrils that reach into a stunning variety of influences both musical and otherwise. The music is centered upon Redfearn’s arcane rock sensibilities, beguiling vocals and serpentine accordion lines, which lace the music with tinges of everything from Krautrock to minimalism, alternate-universe folk tunes to psychedelic prog. Thematically, his hallucinatory lyrics hint at mind-expanding concepts from his voracious reading and adventurous experiences, with seductive insinuations.
The Opposite is the Eyesores’ long-awaited follow-up to their wonderful 2012 release Sister Death. Where that album reached toward the epic with a roster of special guests and larger instrumentation, The Opposite pares things down to the core band, with an accompanying intimacy and intensity. The sparse instrumentation is extended with the use of pedals and amplification that blend with the acoustic instruments to offer a unique, alien palette from which to draw. A stream-of-consciousness approach gives the album’s lyrics a feeling of dreamlike imagery and elusive associations.
As has been the case for their last few releases, the album was recorded by Seth Manchester at Machines With Magnets. For the first time Alec worked with noted mastering engineer Udi Koomran at The Pergola. Both engineers helped to insure that the final release is sonically great.
The personal and the universal, the poetic and the prosaic, esoteric explorations and the humorous insanities of daily life – all come together in the hypnotic and pulse-pounding songs of Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores. With The Opposite, the band has created a collection of music that is at once their most accessible and mind-expanding to date, the sort of mystery that rewards not solving but getting lost within.
CD $15


FAR CORNER - Risk (Cuneiform 449; USA) “On the 15th anniversary of their founding, we are very pleased, after a very long wait, to be working again with the wonderful, American, chamber-rock ensemble Far Corner for the third time with the release of their long-awaited third album Risk.
Composed in a contemporary classical style, Far Corner’s music combines influences from 20th century composers such as Stravinsky, Ives and Bartok with ambitious progressive rock bands such as ELP, Aranis, Univers Zero, Present, Henry Cow and more.
Performed by highly skilled, trained and experienced musicians who subvert their egos to let the compositions be the stars, and played with the energy and power of rock, Far Corner’s music is stunningly original, refreshingly accessible and highly entertaining.
Founded in 2003, a year later Cuneiform released the band’s self titled debut recording. In 2007, the group released their second album, Endangered, which added more improvisation to the group’s mix, while also keeping the flag flying for thorough composed works as well.
After Endangered, Far Corner continued to perform live, preparing and presenting new music and planning for a third album. But before much could be accomplished, Craig and William were presented with exciting career opportunities which required Craig to move out of state and William to move out of country. Rather than make Far Corner – always a ‘real, live band’ – into a ‘file-sharing project’, it was decided that Dan would continue to compose for the group and to send all members the scores for their feedback and for them to rehearse to, but that the recording would wait for the opportunity for all four musicians to be in the same room together, playing live as an ensemble in the studio. Hence the long delay between release number two and three.
Despite the delay and the geographic difficulties, Risk is the group’s most ambitiously composed work so far and rigorous composition is one of the main modus operandi of the group! I would not hesitate to call it their best!
CD $15


FORGAS BAND PHENOMENA - L’Oreille Électrique [The Electric Ear](Cuneiform 447; USA) For over 40 years, Parisian composer and drummer Patrick Forgas has been working and creating a distinctive take on progressive jazz/rock, and he has been leading Forgas Band Phenomena for over 20 years. We are really happy and pleased to once again be working with this eclectic, electric fusion / progressive rock band on their sixth release and fourth for Cuneiform.
The ensemble’s many long time fans certainly know what to expect, as the group’s base of ‘Canterbury sound’ stylings in a orchestrally arranged setting with jazz solos continues here, stronger and with even more maturity than ever.
Helping to contribute to the great confidence in the performances is the fact that the majority of the band has been stable and rehearsing for over a decade, with only two changes made in the last few years. In 2013, new guitarist Pierre Schmidt made his debut with FBP in a 20-minute live in the studio segment filmed for the Romantic Warriors 3 - Canterbury Tales documentary. Work on new material was halted when Forgas suffered a health setback (vestibular neuritis) which inspired the album’s title.
Another personnel change occurred in 2015 when the band’s long-standing bassist Kengo Mochizuki had to return to his native Japan. Thankfully, an ideal replacement came in the shape of Gérard Prévost, a legend on the French progressive and fusion scene through his work with the likes of Zao, David Rose and Rahmann alongside appearances on albums by Heldon, Jean-Philippe Goude and Forgas’s own 1977 album Cocktail! Rehearsals then resumed until the new line-up was finally ready to enter the studio in late 2017.
CD $15

MANNA / MIRAGE - Rest of the World (NH 05; USA) “When The Muffins broke up, I decided to start a band of rotating musicians that could express the old AmeriCanterbury sound that I thought The Muffins had been slipping away from for some time. Manna/Mirage is that collective that I hope is doing just that. The first album, “Blue Dogs”, consisted of half of the compositions (my pieces) that I removed from what was another Muffins album in progress. This second Manna/Mirage album, “Rest of the World”, is an album all on its own, not culled from another project, and a continuation of that AmeriCanterbury sound that I so love.
The musicians, engineers, and artists that make up the Manna/Mirage “collective” (including Gonzalo Fuentes / Guerilla Graphics, Eric Kearns, and Mike Potter at Orion Studios), are all part of a unique and close national and international Independent Music Community on Facebook. Many of us have never met in person, but we feel like a very close knit “family”. I didn’t consciously set out to do this, but by the time I was almost finished with the album, I realized that I had most of that community on the album!
Half of The Muffins are here (Billy Swann and me), all of DIRATZ (Carla Diratz, Bret Hart, and me), and all of Moon Men (Jerry King, William Jungwirth, Bret, and me) as well as Guy Segers from Univers Zero, Dereck Higgins, Mark Stanley, Sean Rickman, Forrest Fang, and Greg Segal.
Three of the pieces on this album, “Catawampus”, “Zed He Said”, and “That Awful Sky”, were originally slated to be recorded as Muffins tunes before the band dissolved. “Zed He Said” is a tribute to Robert Wyatt. “Mini Hugh” is for Hugh Hopper and Soft Machine. All of it is the best AmeriCanterbury we can offer.
300 copies were produced. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. Hope you like what we did here.”- Dave Newhouse
CD $15


MARTIN ESCALANTE WEASEL WALTER - ‘Lacerate’ (UgExplode; USA) "Lacerate" is a studio recording of a first-time meeting between saxophonist Martin Escalante and drummer Weasel Walter, two players who adamantly test the extremes of their instruments' capabilities and carve out razor sharp displays of form and focus from the resulting frenzy. Martin Escalante's reed playing obliterates conventional technique completely in terrifying displays of pure animalism and breakneck momentum. His sound is a one-man riot of simultaneous split tones, growls, multi-phonics, shrieks, breath and noise. His vitriol is relentless and his approach is a next step in violent woodwind modernism after the sonic innovations initiated by people like Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders, Arthur Doyle, John Oswald, Kaoru Abe and Frank Lowe. Where most of these forbearers returned to some semblance of conventional melody after their extreme moments, Escalante stays permanently in the void, ravaging traditional notions of musicality with determined calculation. The wild and angular multidirectional percussion approach of Weasel Walter is well-documented through decades of recordings in endless settings, but interfacing with the imposing roar of Martin Escalante's attack set a new challenge. It would have been too predictable to merely counter the cascades of saxophonic aggression with some predictable static/dense "free jazz" bluster (but don't worry, there's one lengthy bout of pure density concluding the album, for good measure). Instead, the drumming seeks to clarify the structures, often fragmenting space and creating tension through shocking silence as well as offering blistering incremental overload.
CD $13


THE GATE with DAN PECK / TOM BLANCARTE / BRIAN OSBORNE - Island Virus (Tubapede; USA) Featuring Dan Peck on tuba & effects, Tom Blancarte on contrabass and Brian Osborne on percussion. “Right out of the gate, the first track of this album is titled “Black Bird of Death Spewing Death Puke,” to give you an idea of what you’re in for. This is deep, apocalyptic tuba rumbling, backed mostly by double bass and drums. Having been a high school marching band tuba player, I’ve a deep fondness for the instrument, and Dan Peck, who leads the The Gate and blows the horn, uses it to create skull-vibrating and sinister tones. With the double bass and more uptempo drumming, the album draws more on free jazz than doom metal, but it cannot help but be thunderously deep. While many doom jazz albums can tend towards the ethereal and haunting, Island Virus is grounded and sinister. Perfect for any game where unlucky investigators wander foggy seaside towns and face down horrid fish people.” - Antagonist Relations
CD $15 [Includes large 12”x12” folded poster]


PIERRE DORGE With KIRK KNUFFKE / STEPHEN RILEY / CONRAD HERWIG / JAY ANDERSON / ADAM NUSSBAUM - Soundscapes (Steeplechase 31846; Denmark) Featuring Pierre Dorge on guitar & compositions, Kirk Knuffke on cornet, Stephen Riley on tenor sax, Conrad Herwig on trombone, Jay Anderson on bass and Adam Nussbaum on drums. “Guitarist Pierre Dørge has recorded relatively few small group recordings in his 30-year career, often preferring to record his music for the celebrated “New Jungle Orchestra.” For this 2018 SteepleChase release, however, Dørge presents his original music within the confines of a sextet. Besides Dørge, the group features cornetist Kirk Knuffke, tenor saxophonist Stephen Riley, trombonist Conrad Herwig, bassist Jay Anderson, and drummer Adam Nussbaum.
Despite the smaller setting, Dørge’s unique compositional voice is easily recognizable, often recalling the music he has recorded with New Jungle Orchestra, but on a slightly smaller scale. The influence of Charles Mingus looms large in the foreground, with Dørge painting playful, brightly colored “soundscapes” (the fitting title of the album) that often blur the line between composition and improvisation. The title of the album’s opening track even references Mingus. The three horn players add to the color and textural shading of the compositions with their own extraordinarily unique tones. Knuffke’s bright and tightly controlled cornet sound will be immediately identifiable to those who are even moderately familiar with his work, as is the soulfully anachronistic whispered tone of Riley. Herwig of course commands an unparalleled tonal and timbral range that rounds out the horn line nicely. Dørge’s guitar functions sometimes as a fourth horn, adding further polyphonic depth to the group, and other times as harmonic shading for the soloists, but always with a particularly distinctive tone.
What makes Dørge’s compositions successful is their interactive nature. The knotty polyphony of the horns often gives way to individual solos, but the rest of the group hardly sits out during the solos. Dørge challenges the horn players with highly interactive, often co-operative, comping, but the horns always seem to have a background figure or accent to add behind the solos. Anderson and Nussbaum (a common bass/drums team on the SteepleChase label) anchor the group and help give them direction, but they also seem especially sympathetic to the spontaneous nature of the music and help give each “solo” a distinctive feel and character.
Standout tracks include the aforementioned “Mingus’ Birthday Party,” whose glaring dissonance and bright swing do indeed conjure images of the legendary bassist. “Enigmatic Twilight” sounds suspiciously like a contrafact of “Chelsea Bridge” but serves as a nice feature for Riley. His gentle, romantic tone combine with the rather abstracted nature of his harmonic palette (not to mention that of the rest of the band) for a sense of pleasing incongruity. “Afrikaa Mbizo Dyani,” a tribute to South African bassist Johnny Dyani, fits the pattern of lilting, song-like pieces that Dørge typically likes to include at least one of on his records.
Overall it’s a very successful venture outside of Dørge’s setting, and fine proof that (like Mingus) he has a distinctive compositional voice that shines in a wide variety of settings. The uniquely interactive nature of the compositions also contributes to their success, as does the tasteful playing of the entire sextet. If there is a major flaw in the album, it is with the recording/mixing of the music; Riley is high up in the mix (probably a necessity, given the nature of his tone and style), however Herwig sounds like he is playing at the other end of a hallway from the rest of the group. Perhaps this was an intentional choice to give the music a more ambient, “soundscape-y” sound, but I feel the music could have benefited from greater clarity. Still, the album is a collection of well-crafted pieces that are exciting and unpredictable, as well as deep and rewarding, and merit several listens.” - DestinationsUnknownJazz
CD $18

DUSTIN CARLSON with NATHANIEL MORGAN / ERIC TRUDEL / DANNY GOUKER / MATT MITCHELL / ADAM HOPKINS / KATIE GENTILE - Air Ceremony (Out of Your Head Records 002; USA) Featuring Dustin Carlson on guitar & compositions, Nathaniel Morgan on alto sax, Eric Trudel on bari sax, Danny Gouker on trumpet, Matt Mitchell on Prophet 6 synth, Adam Hopkins on bass and Kate Gentile on drums. After disappearing from the DMG radar for a few years (Five Dollar Ferrari - 2014), guitarist Dustin Carlson returns with two new discs, a duo and this, an impressive seven piece ensemble. You should recognize a few of the names here like: Matt Mitchell (ubiquitous), Kate Gentile, Eric Trubel (recent disc by Gabriel Zucker on ESP) and Adam Hopkins (spirited recent date as a leader on the same label as here). “Sun Squelch” opens with the horns & guitar playing this odd repeating riff. The first sax solo (bari?), is all bent notes blasting and fits just right. Mr. Carlson does a fine job of layering several ongoing rhythmic lines simultaneously with certain notes interlocked. Matt Mitchell’s synth also adds a dark, mysterious shade when it pops up above the waves. There are a few unexpected sections of sparse space, often at the beginning and end of a few pieces. Things slow down for “For Your Safety and Convenience”, which is somewhat disorienting. There are two dark guitar lines moving around one another while the three horn howl together in rolling waves. The opening unaccompanied guitar solo on “Watherson” recall Love’s ‘Forever Changes’, I kept waiting for Arthur Lee’s unique voice & enigmatic lyrics to come in. “Daytime Ritual” has so many interlocking parts that it is closer to math or prog rock, yet the guitar solo hovers between punk & noise fragmentation in part. There are some strange sounds which almost sound like disembodied voices which could be rubbed strings or even synth but it is hard to tell. The last piece, “Hands that Feed” has a rather majestic sound theme when it starts, midway we get an excellent trumpet solo from Danny Gouker, the one musician here I know th least. So far, in the past month (November of 2018), we have seen/heard two discs from the Out of Your Head label. The other is by the bassist here, Adam Hopkins. Both of these discs are amongst the most promising and inventive discs I’ve heard from under-recognized member of the current Downtown network. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10


RAPOON - Little Rocketman And The Planet That Moved (Klanggalerie 281; Austria) "All-new album by Robin Storey aka Rapoon. Founded in 1992 after Storey left Zoviet France, Rapoon soon became an outstanding ethno-dark ambient project that has gained a cult following all over the world. More than 50 albums have been released over those 25 years, some more beat-driven, others more playful and with ambient sounds and ethnic influences. Rapoon has never stopped evolving - think of Cultural Forgeries, an album full of unplugged acoustic music. Or Downgliding, full of compositions on the piano. Little Rocket Man was inspired by the political situation in 2018 and is classic Rapoon. Heavy beats meet drone soundscapes, long evolving tracks make up this new album."
CD $18


KLAUS SCHULZE - Cocooning (Made in Germany 1892; Germany) 'Re-release of the sought-after Klaus Schulze album 'Cocooning', previously released as part of the strictly limited and long exhausted 5CD Boxset Contemporary Works II (2002). Track 'Easy Listening' is well-defined by the relaxed loops of Tom Dams and the filigree guitar play of Michael 'Mickes' Luecker. The mysterious sounding 'And She Is Kind And Gently' don't need any rhythm -- a dialogue between Klaus and Tobias Becker, whose oboe and English horn is pleasing the ear on almost all Cocooning tracks. The third track 'I Just Have To Sing My Hymns' brings back further well known companions of Klaus Schulze: singer Julia Messenger and Thomas Kagermann on violin, flute and vocals. The last five songs are a song connected cycle of 'It Still Is Now', 'Blowin' Thru The High Grass', 'Many Dreams Have Faded In', 'Many Fears Have Vanished' and 'As Years Went By'. A worthily and impressive continuance of 'Easy Listening' full of atmosphere. The title Cocooning is program and coats the listener into soft sounds and relaxed rhythms - real 'easy listening' without getting fiddling or even boring. Another pearl from the huge Schulze Cosmos."
CD $22


Small LP Section:

JACKSON C. FRANK - Jackson C. Frank (Antarctica Starts Here 101; USA) "Jackson C. Frank's eponymous album is the embodiment of folk legend. Issued in late 1965 on the UK Columbia label, it was for many years more famous for its producer (Paul Simon) and the musicians who would go on to cover its songs (Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, Sandy Denny) than for the hauntingly beautiful music contained inside. Frank's backstory certainly adds to the legacy: born in Buffalo, New York, he used the settlement from a childhood accident to sail to London where he quickly became a fixture of the bustling folk scene. Performing a mix of blues standards and originals, he met fellow ex-pat Paul Simon who would put up the money to record Frank's only LP. For such a sparsely recorded work, Jackson C. Frank covers a lot of ground. From the rugged, world-weary opener 'Blues Run The Game' to the stunning melancholy of 'Milk And Honey,' Frank's nimble acoustic guitar and passionate howls are all that is needed to power such authentic songwriting. Captured in a single-day session, these ten tracks are stark, gritty and seemingly out-of-place with time. There may be no '60s folk record that is simultaneously as rare and influential as Jackson C. Frank's self-titled debut."
LP $26


CURRENT 93 - Soft Black Stars (Spheres 023; UK) The Spheres announce the double-LP reissue of Current 93's classic Soft Black Stars. Originally released in 1998 in a vinyl edition of just 2000 copies, and on CD, this is the first official vinyl reissue. Remastered by The Bricoleur, this album contains all the released versions of the album's final track, "Chewing On Shadows" -- the original album track, as well as the two different versions used on the expanded CD release of 2004. Comes in a full-color sleeve, reproducing the original paintings by David Tibet, and a two-sided full-color insert.
2 LP Set $32

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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for November of 2018:

CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING / HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

THE (NEW) STONE is located in The New School’s Glass Box Theatre 
55 West 13th street - near 6th ave
All Sets at The New Stone start at 8:30pm Tickets: $20
There are no refreshments or merchandise at The Stone.
Only music. All ages are welcome. Cash Only at the door.
A serious listening environment.
The Stone is booked purely on a curatorial basis

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The CORNELIA STREET CAFE - 212-989-9319
29 Cornelia St in the heart of the West Greenwich Village, NYC

Friday Nov 23
6:00PM JOE PINO & THE KEEP IT MOVIN’ QUARTET - Joe Pino, trumpet/flugelhorn; Santiago Leibson, piano; Emiliano Lasansky, bass; Andrew Kushnir, drums
8:35PM HUSH POINT - John McNeil, trumpet; Jeremy Udden, saxophone; Aryeh Kobrinsky, bass;
Saturday Nov 24
6:00PM ALBERT MARQUES QUARTET - Albert Marques, piano; Pablo Menares, double bass; Raphael Pannier, drums; Victor Pablo, percussion
8:35PM HUSH POINT - John McNeil, trumpet; Jeremy Udden, sax; Aryeh Kobrinsky, bass;

Sunday Nov 25
6:00PM FLUTE AND GUITA - Roberta Michel, flute; Kenji Haba, guitar
8:00PM MATT PANAYIDES: FIELD THEORY NYC - Matt Panayides, guitar, comp.; Matt Vashlishan, ewi; Robert Sabin, bass; Mark Ferber, drums
9:30PM BURAK BEDIKYAN 4TET - Burak Bedikyan, piano; Jed Levy, saxophone; Peter Brendler, bass; Tim Horner, drums

Mon Nov 26th:
8:30PM JOCELYN MEDINA TRIO - Jocelyn Medina, voice, composition; Pete McCann, guitar; Matt Pavolka, bass

Tues Nov 27th:
8:01PM GORDON GRDINA - Gordon Grdina, guitar, oud; Mark Feldman, violin; Hank Roberts, cello;

Wednesday Nov 28
8:00PM MARÍA GRAND TRIO - María Grand, tenor sax; Kanoa Mendenhall, bass; Savannah Harris, drums
9:30PM DAYNA STEPHENS TRIO - Dayna Stephens, bass; Chris Fishman, piano; Savannah Harris, drums

Thursday Nov 29
6:00PM KAREN TENNISON QUINTET - Karen Tennison, vocals; Chris McCarthy, piano; Daan Kleijn, guitar; Richard Mikel, bass; Ronen Itzik, drums
8:01PM IGOR LUMPERT QUARTET - Igor Lumpert, tenor sax, comp.; Russ Losing, piano; Drew Gress, bass; Eric McPherson, drums

Friday Nov 30
6:00PM THREE POETS: FASANO, MONTILLA, CERPA: Fasano, Montilla, Cerpa image

Saturday Dec 01
8:35PM JOE MORRIS TRIO - Joe Morris - guitar; Dezron Douglas - bass; Gerald Cleaver,

Sunday Dec 02
6:00PM ENTERTAINING SCIENCE: POLYPHONIC MINDS: NEUROSCIENCE AND CUBIST JAZZ - Peter Pesic, author; Denman Maroney, piano; Ratzo Harris, bass; Bob Meyer, drums; Lisa Karrer, vocalist; 8:30PM DJANGO FEST: ANOUMAN - Peter Sparacino, saxophones; Koran Agan, guitar; Josh Kaye, guitar; Eduardo Belo, bass

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I-Beam Presents:

BROOKLYN MUSIC FOR TWO PIANOS CONCERT SERIES.1
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2018
8:30 PM 10:30 PM
Shoko Nagai, piano & electronics
Eva Novoa, piano & Chinese gongs

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018
ZACK FOLEY TRIO SHRAGGE/CHESS QUARTET
8:30 PM 10:30 PM
8:30pm - Zack Foley trio
Zack Foley - vocals
Devin Gray - drums
Greg Chudzik - dass
9:30pm - Shragge/Chess quartet
Aaron Shragge - dragon mouth trumpet/shakuhachi/fx
Tom Chess - oud/ney
Michael Gam - Bass, sarod, sarangi, kanjira
Deric Dickens - Drums

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2018
MARA ROSENBLOOM PRESENTS FLYWAYS
8:00 PM 9:30 PM
Anais Maviel - Voice & Surdo Drum
Adam Lane - Bass
Mara Rosenbloom - Piano & Composition
   
I-Beam is located at  168 7th Street in Brooklyn, NY 11215 - Directions: SUBWAY:  Take the F or R trains to 4th Ave & 9th Street.  Walk down 4th ave to 7th street.  Make a left on 7th and walk past 3rd ave.  We are located on the ground floor, the grey doors to the right of the stairs of #168.

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Sound It Out Series @ Greenwich House — Concerts, September-December 2018
COMING ATTRACTIONS — 7th Season!

Thursday Nov 29, 7:30pm — Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Trio the duo of Anders Nilsson & Aaron Dugan - Double-bill — Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Trio: Nick Millevoi, electric guitar; Johnny DeBlase, bass guitar; Kevin Shea, drums the duo of Anders Nilsson, guitar & Aaron Dugan, guitar

Saturday Dec 1, 8pm — Devin Gray’s Dirigo Rataplan - Devin Gray, drums; Dave Ballou, trumpet; Ellery Eskelin, tenor sax; Michael Formanek, double-bass

Thursday Dec 6, 7:30pm — “The Afro-Cubism of Aruán Ortiz, from Avant-Jazz to Contemporary Chamber Music” - Aruán Ortiz, piano/composer

At the Greenwich House Music School: 46 Barrow Street, just west of 7th Avenue South in New York City’s West Village; www.greenwichhouse.org, 212-242-4770.

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Bill Laswell concerts

Dec. 14, 2018 (fri)
Peter Apfelbaum (keys, sax) Brandon Seabrook (gt)
Bill Laswell (b), Mark Guiliana (ds) @ Nublu, NYC

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The Bushwick Improvised Music Series
Continues on November 12th @ Bushwick Public House!

Monday November 26th

7pm Lauren Lee - vocals/keys
David Tamura - tenor saxophone

8pm Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums

9pm Kenneth Jimenez Ensemble
Hery Paz - tenor saxophone / bass clarinet
Tom Rainey - drums

9:45pm Hans Tammen - Buchla
Ramon Lopez - drums
Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone

10:45pm Chris Stromquist - drums
John Carlson - trumpet
Shawn McGloin - bass
Tim Vaughn - trombone

11:30pm Caleb Veazey Ensemble
Billy McShane - saxophones

Downstairs @ Bushwick Public House
bushwickpublichouse.com/
gaucimusic.com
1288 Myrtle Avenue, Bushwick
(Across the street from M train Central Ave stop)

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ERIC STERN’S HOUSE OF IMPROV Presents:

Friday, November 30th at 8pm:

MARILYN LERNER / KEN FILIANO / LOU GRASSI!

At Michiko Studios, 149 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

Check out video: www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=597&v=pqetAT0eV6A