DMG Newsletter for Friday, December 7th, 2018

Happy Hanukah!
It is the Holiday Season
So Try to Spend Some Time with Someone(s) you Care About
Remember, we only live Once
So enjoy what you have while you are still Here
Stop running and slow down to see who we can connect with
A Toast to the Music and Musicians who continue to Inspire Us All!

A Short but Sweet List of Exciting Gems from:

John Zorn’s ‘Book of Beriah’ Box Set & Zorn’s Insurrection Quartet: Julian Lage / Matt Hollenberg / Trevor Dunn / Kenny Grohowski! Wadada Leo Smith’s Rosa Parks! Elliott Sharp’s IrRational Music - Book! 577 Records: Daniel Carter/Patrick Holmes..!

Tim Brady Orchestra! Aine O’Dwyer / Graham Lambkin! Michael Foster/Katherine Young/Michael Zerang! Two Great El Guitar Duos: Sandy Ewen / Chase Gardner! Nick Didkovsky / Tom Marsan! Archival Discs from Richard Pinhas! Third Ear Band! The Fall and Much More..!

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Blank Forms and Artists Space present:

ANNETTE PEACOCK!!!

Legendary Composer/Keyboardist/Singer/Synthesizer Pioneer

Friday, December 7th, 2018, 8:00pm

First Unitarian Congregational Society
119 Pierrepont St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Annette Peacock very rarely plays live so Do Not miss this essential Rare Live performance! There is a rumor that Ms. Peacock once played an in-store set at the original Downtown Music Gallery location on East 5th Street in the mid-nineties. It is not a rumor and it is indeed true and was hosted by Manny Maris and yours truly…

One pair of FREE tickets will be given away the first DMG newsletter subscriber to responds to this e-mail.

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

Sunday, December 9th:
6pm: FACKPAMP: ANDERS NILSSON / HAMPUS OHMAN-FROLUND SARAH BERNSTEIN -
Guitar / Drums / Violin
7pm: AXIS: JON IRABAGON / JOHN HEGRE / NILS DRONEN - Saxes / Guitar / Etc.
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

Sunday, January 6th:
6pm: JORGE NUNO / ARON NAMENWIRTH / REGGIE SYLVESTER - Two Guitars & Drums

Sunday, January 13th:
6pm: DISSIPATED FACE 2019:
STEVE X DREAM / KURT RALSKE / DANIEL CARTER / WILL DAHL / BILL MILKOWSKI
In memory or our guitarist Michael Lublin who passed in 2018

Sunday, January 20th:
6pm: MATANA ROBERTS and DARIUS JONES - Alto Sax Duets!
7pm: RaaDie: LORENZ RABB - Trumpet & Electronics / CHRISTOF DIENZ - Zither & Electronics

Sunday, January 27th:
6pm: MATTEO LIBERATORE / JON IRABAGON / TOM RAINEY - Guitar / Saxes / 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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Finally! The JOHN ZORN ‘Book of Beriah’ 11 CD Deluxe Box Sets Arrive Tomorrow!!!

JOHN ZORN // SECRET CHIEFS 3 / GNOSTIC TRIO / CLERIC / SPIKE ORCHESTRA / KLEZMERSON / BANQUET OF THE SPIRITS / JULIAN LAGE-GYAN RILEY / SHANIR BUMENKRANZ’S ABRAXAS / SOFIA REI / ZION 80 / CRAIG TABORN & VADIM NESELOVSKYI - Masada Book 3: The Book of Beriah (Tzadik; USA) The Book of Beriah is the final 92 compositions that complete the 25-year Masada legacy in a beautiful limited edition box set of 11 CDs! This much anticipated Masada box set if finally available and will we here soon. We have 15 copies only just in time for the holiday season and that is all we will get. All of the individual CD’s will be released by Tzadik next year, one per month. First come, first serve so don’t delay!
11 CD Deluxe Box Set $175 [plus shipping*][In stock tomorrow- 12/07/18]

* In the US, we will be shipping these box sets priority mail with insurance. If you choose to have insurance, someone will have to sign for these at your shipping address. If you do not want insurance, please let us know when you order. We will be provide tracking info either way.


JOHN ZORN // JULIAN LAGE / MATT HOLLENBERG / TREVOR DUNN / KENNY GROHOWSKI - Salem, 1692 (Tzadik 8361; USA) The second studio CD by Zorn’s incendiary new instrumental quartet Insurrection presents a remarkable suite evoking the tragic reign of terror in the Early American settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony commonly known as The Salem Witch Trials. The music is both intense and hauntingly beautiful, touching upon aspects of Possession, Magic, Witchcraft, Hysteria, Tragedy and Transformation. Tighter than ever, this dynamic instrumental quartet performs brilliantly in this spellbinding followup to their eponymous first release. Featuring some of the most insane guitar fireworks ever, Salem 1692 is no less than a musical reign of terror. TZADIK ARCHIVAL SERIES
CD $16


WADADA LEO SMITH // DIAMOND VOICES / RED KORAL / BLUE TRUMPET QT / et al - Rosa Parks: Pure Love - An Oratorio of Seven Songs (TUM 057; Finland) Wadada Leo Smith´s latest album features "Rosa Parks: Pure Love. An Oratorio of Seven Songs”, another extended composition by Smith inspired by the civil rights movement in the United States. This new major work is composed for the iconic civil rights hero Rosa Parks (1913-2005) and performed by three vocalists, a double-quartet and a drummer with electronics. Featuring: Wadada Leo Smith - composer, trumpet, Diamond Voices, Red Koral Quartet, Blue Trumpet Quartet, Janus Duo. Texts by Wadada Leo Smith, except text for "No Fear" by Rosa Parks
CD $18


ELLIOTT SHARP - IrRational Music (Terra Nova; MIT Press) This book covers longtime Downtown guitarist/reeds player/composer/multi-bandleader/labelhead, Elliott Sharp’s 50 year journey through evolving music horizons. From 1979 onwards, when Mr. Sharp arrived here from update New York, through the eighties, there was an explosion of musical creativity going on. The original cast grew quickly: Mr. Sharp, John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, Tom Cora, Eugene Chadbourne, Robin Holcomb, Bobby Previte, Phillip Johnston, Polly Bradfield, Fred Frith… During this period number of seminal Downtown bands were born: Massacre, Material, Golden Palominos, Curlew, Microscopic Septet… I was fortunate to have witnessed much of this ever-changing scene, befriending many of these players and recording hundreds of concerts.
Mr. Sharp formed ISM and then Carbon, two extremely intense guitar fronted units during this period and there is a current version of Carbon still running, nearly four decades later with a newly released CD from last year! Mr. Sharp is a restless composer and creative musician. I knew little about his background, so this book does a fine job of exploring and explaining Mr. Sharp’s early and continuing story. Mr. Sharp has upwards of 150 recordings as a leader, composer or collaborator. As the quintessential Downtown composer and musician, Elliott Sharp, does a great job of capturing and explaining his long musical/artistic journey which has evolved on many different levels for some fifty years. A consistently fascinating read for those care about the creative music scene in NYC for the past nearly four decades. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
Book $25 [240 pages]


DANIEL CARTER / PATRICK HOLMES / MATTHEW PUTMAN / HILL GREENE / FEDERICO UGHI - Telepathic Liquida (577 Records 5807) Personnel: Daniel Carter: alto, tenor and soprano saxophones, trumpet; Patrick Holmes: clarinet; Matthew Putman: piano; Hilliard Greene: bass; Federico Ughi: drums. New York-based improvising stalwart Daniel Carter (reeds, trumpet) and other regional artists perform on this 37-minute improv fest, marked by alternating flows and shifting cadences. The album title translates into a 'telepathic understanding,' which of course, is always a positive component for free-spirited dialogues and fruitful artistic ingenuity.
Classically trained pianist Matthew Putman is a noted scientist specializing in nanotechnology, and gets the job done here as he comps, mimics and enjoys fertile dialogues with his cohorts. Ultimately, the musicians navigate through alterable missions, developed with passion, polytonal layers and expand-contract type exchanges. One pleasantry in particular is that the quintet doesn't hang out in one place for too long. For example, on "Shine-a-Town" drummer Federico Ughi launches the proceedings with a tribal motif on his toms, followed by Carter's fuming tenor sax lines and counterbalanced by Putnam, as the soloists go round robin amid mutable flows, projecting sorrow, repentance and exuberance. Moreover, they raise the pitch with a sense of urgency via Patrick Holmes' howling clarinet phrasings atop Ughi's tumultuous drumming and Putnam's hammering block chords.
The third and final track, "Throne" features the frontline's three-way dialogues, somewhat akin to connecting pieces of a puzzle, leading to the rhythm section's simmering undertows and Ughi's Latin beats. Here, the band ventures from pulsating mid-tempo improvisational flurries to the wide open world of free bop, contrasted with moody advances and the drummer's swaying rock grooves, along with quiet interludes and emotive soloing. No doubt, the artists' strong-willed solidarity, perceptive interactions and clear-sighted focus spawn a lot of goodness throughout these multifaceted implementations.” - Glenn Astarita, AllAboutJazzItaly
CD $14 [Also available on LP for $20]


TIM BRADY - Music for Large Ensemble (Starkland 230; USA) This release presents the premiere recordings of two major works from electric guitarist Tim Brady. The 26-minute "Désir: concerto for electric guitar and large chamber ensemble" is Brady’s third such work, which he describes as “a marriage of the power and personality of the electric guitar with the subtlety and flexibility of top-flight classical performers.” The 38-minute "Eight Songs about: Symphony #7" focuses on the Leningrad premier of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 on August 9th, 1942, in the middle of a 900-day siege, under the most horrific conditions of war, death, and privation. The singers portray various characters connected to this performance and Leningrad, including: Josef Stalin; Nina Varzar, wife of Shostakovich; a German soldier in the trenches; a prostitute; performers in the orchestra; and conductor Karl Eliasberg. Allan Kozinn writes, “As a composer, Brady is entirely of his time, which is to say, eclectically rooted in the full range of modern styles, from neo-Romanticism to experimentalism and Minimalism, to say nothing of the great art-rock tradition that informs some of his guitar lines.”
CD $15


AINE O’DWYER / GRAHAM LAMBKIN - Green Ways (Erstwhile 088; USA) "Green Ways documents a collection of live recordings, drawn from in situ performances given in Doon, Dungarvan, Plaistow, Shoreditch, Singö and Stratford across 2018. It celebrates the filíocht of rural and urban acoustic environments with a playful economy of means, and offers a special salute to the rich heritage of Carnahalla."
There has been an ongoing trend throughout the entire history of the Erstwhile label, and that is that the majority of releases feature mostly duos, with an occasional solo (by Keith Rowe) and a few trios or somewhat larger units. Why duos? Good question. I get the feeling that (1) solo efforts take a good deal of time & preparation while duos often enhance and help focus successful collaborations. Graham Lambkin is sonic manipulator, who often works with field recordings. Most of his releases feature duos with Keith Rowe, Jason Lescalleet and Michael Pisaro. Ms. Aine O’Dwyer plays mostly harp and occasionally church organ and was a member of United Bible Studies, who once worked with lutist Jozef Van Wissem. This sounds like it would be a fascinating combination. I will review this 2 disc set next week. - BLG
2 CD set $22


MICHAEL FOSTER / KATHERINE YOUNG / MICHAEL ZERANG - Bind the Hand(s) That Feed (Relative Pitch 1077; USA) Featuring Michael Foster on tenor & soprano saxes, Katherine Young on bassoon & electronics and Michael Zerang on drums & percussion. This disc was recorded live at Elastic in Chicago in March of this year (2018). This is an unique of three musicians from different scenes or backgrounds. Downtown saxist Michael Foster has pushing the limits by working with a number of varied improvisers over the past few years: Leila Boudreuil, Michael Evans, David Grollman and Matteo Liberatore. Bassoonist Katherine Young loves to experiment and manipulate the sound of her double reed, working with Anthony Braxton, James Falzone, Jessica Pavone and Mike Pride. Longtime Chicago percussion wizard, Michael Zernag has worked with many greats: Peter Brotzmann, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark and Mikolaj Trzaska.
I’ve heard several discs that Katherine Young plays on and doe to the way she manipulates her bassoon, it is often impossible to tell what she is playing. This session is a fully improvised one, the sound is consistently clear and well-balanced. Both reed instruments are closely mic’d as are the drums or assorted percussion by Mr. Zerang. I recognize some of Mr. Foster’s distinctive mouthpiece only sounds although it takes some work to hear where Ms. Young is in the mix. Mr. Zerang’s carefully rubbed or bowed percussion works well with bent reed fragments provided by the other two players. Much of this is on the quiet side, filled with suspense and nuance. Like many of the discs from the Relative Pitch label, this one also captures spirited improvisations are their best. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


SANDY EWEN / CHASE GARDNER - Transfusion (Marginal Frequency B; USA) Featuring Sandy Ewen on guitar & objects and Chase Gardner on guitar & divided pick-up. Since moving here a year or so ago from Houston, Texas, enigmatic electric guitarist, Sandy Ewen, has become an important part of the ever-evolving Downtown network. After recording with Damon Smith, Henry Kaiser & Weasel Walter, Ms. Ewen keeps busy collaborating with saxists Steve Gauci, Sam Newsome and Sam Weinberg. For this disc, Ms. Ewen works with another Texas-based guitarist named Chase Gardner, a new name for yours truly.
Until Ms Ewen played here at DMG, I hadn’t caught her live to see what she actually does. She plays with her guitar on her lap and uses different objects to coax sounds. You can see a few moments on our Instagram feed. Although this is a guitar duo, it is difficult at times to figure out what is actually going on. The sounds of rubbed or manipulated strings are consistently fascinating. Without knowing who was playing here, One might guess Fred Frith and Derek Bailey, since it does have a number of the sounds that those two master improvisers work with. The overall sound is most mysterious and is often filled with suspense. There are selective amounts of hums, drones and fractured sounds, some stretched out, others compressed to just manipulated. For those of you who want to know about the future of electric guitar improv with extended techniques, this is a classic example of what we can expect. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


CATACLYSMIC COMMENTARY With BEN COHEN / ELI WALLACE / DAVE MILLER - Audience Participation (Eschatology Records 003; USA) Cataclysmic Commentary is Ben Cohen on tenor sax, Eli Wallace on piano and Dave Miller on drums. A few months ago, I reviewed a couple of discs from keyboardist & composer Eli Wallace. Both of these discs, ’Sound Etiquette’ and ’Slideshow Junky’, were great, showing the promise of former West Coaster, Eli Wallace. At that point Mr. Wallace was working at DMG along with drummer Dave Miller, who had been the manager here for the past few years. You should recognize the name Dave Miller from the variety of sessions he has done in recent years: Pet Bottle Ningen, Satoko Fujii and Blaise Siwula. Saxist Ben Cohen has worked with Kirk Knuffke, Derek Dickens and Daniel Carter. This disc erupts quickly with an intense burst of activity before settling down to a more contemplative freer refrain. Although this music sounds free, there is something going on here, beneath the surface that holds it together. Mr. Wallace always seems to have some tricks or ideas up his sleeve to frame certain segments with unexpected twists or turns. There is some interesting communications going on here, an interweaving of several lines, very focused as if this trio has been rehearsing for a long time and figuring out how to connect on different levels or wavelengths. What makes this trio magical is this: the sax or piano will often state a theme or repeat a pattern, which is slowly altered as it is repeated with the other members of the trio connecting and enhancing certain common notes or phrases. Each time I listen to this disc, I hear more exciting interaction going on both below and above the surface. Pianist & composer Eli Wallace is someone to watch and is going in leaps and bounds! A couple of other new discs from him will be delivered soon so stay tuned to this dial. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD  $14


NICK DIDKOVSKY / TOM MARSAN - CHORD (Punos Music; USA) CHORD features both Nick Didkovsky and Tom Marsan on electric guitars. Guitar great & composer, Nick Didkovsky, has been an integral part of the ever-evolving Downtown Network for some three decades. Besides being the leader & founder of Dr. Nerve, NYC’s longest running progressive/rock/jazz unit, Mr. Didkovsky is a formidable composer and collaborator. Every time I think I know what Didkovsky will release next, he surprises me again & again. Check out his dark/metal power trio Vomit Fist for just one side of his vast repertoire. I don’t recognize the name Tom Marsan, Nick’s collaborator here, but it turns out that Marsan is a ember of two bands: Delta Garage & Superjail. ‘CHORD’ features a duo of two electric guitars. Both guitars are bathed in varying levels of distortion, locked together in a brooding, hypnotic pattern on the opening piece, “Loc. 10”. As the central pattern repeats, the varying layers of distortion or sustain are slowly manipulated, the sound gets more dense into it finally fades out. Brutal! “Extinction Event” is the one long piece here (nearly 14 minutes) and it begins slowly with somber, throbbing, suspense-filled sounds, recalling the way sound might occur at the bottom of the ocean in thick-liquid, slow motion, the resonating waves getting more dense as they evolve. What I notice most about this music is this: when you repeat a phrase over and over, it is the way you manipulate or alter the phrase that makes it more interesting. “Not Home” has a disorienting yet triumphant phrase at the center, rather like a mechanical heartbeat, not quite soothing but still somewhat hypnotic. Mr. Didkovsky, who was once a member of the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet, knows how to use guitars in a chamber-like way, selectively altering the sound of the guitar(s) to bring out different qualities which effect us in a variety of ways. His vast palette of guitar sounds is enhanced with each release. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10


MILO TAMEZ - Oxyoquet: Open Work Composed Improvisation for Extended Prepared Drum Set Electronics (Amirani 048; Italy) Milo Tamez is a drummer/percussionist from Mexico and is the brother of guitarist Omar Tamez, who plays here at DMG regularly and often with Angelica Sanchez. I didn’t know much about Milo Tamez except for a couple of discs he has done with his brother in the past. The liner notes for this disc are quite extensive, hence a great deal of thought had gone into the music and presentation. The title of this disc, ‘Oxyoquet’, is a water volcano from Mexico, which once erupted and created a unique magical environment/landscape. The descendants of the Mayan people were inspired by the Tzotzil sacred mountain and this is where the journey begins… This is a suite in 12 parts for drum set and environmental sounds recorded in a the Cerro de Huitepec Natural Reservoir. The environmental sounds are especially well-recorded, the overall sound is incredible, organic, a superb blend of the ancient and the modern. When you read the liner notes here, you realize how much has gone into the production and realization of this disc. Even just listening to the results, does a great job of taking the listener on a mesmerizing journey. The drums & percussion and the organic sounds work extremely well together, at times to is difficult to tell the difference between the two sounds since they flow so well together. For those of you who dig those two solo drums CD’s by Milford Graves on the Tzadik label, the music here is similar in its spiritual sound or vibe. Although it is pretty cold outside here today in Rahway (12/06/18), this disc radiates sunshine and warmth. You can’t beat that! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12


BOW GAMELAN ENSEMBLE - Great Noises That Fill The Air (Cold Spring Records 264; UK) Cold Spring Records presents a reissue of Bow Gamelan Ensemble's Great Noises That Fill The Air, originally released in 1988. Since 1983, Bow Gamelan Ensemble have inspired generations of artists with their radical practices and explosive performances. Charged with their individual virtuosity in performance art, avant-garde music and kinetic sculpture, their sound installations and performances are immersed in an orchestra of instruments made from scrap metal, electric motors, river barges and domestic objects including glass sheets, light bulbs and fireworks. Great Noises That Fill The Air is a dissonance between 'noise' and 'meaningful utterance' that will astonish the ears and ravish the imagination with unearthly magic. Features guest spots from: Z'EV, Nicola Kate Heys, Thames Steam Launch Co, and Eel Pie Marine. Mastered by Denis Blackham (Skye Mastering). First time CD issue.
CD $15


A NEW LIFE, VOL. 2 - Independent and Regional Jazz in Great Britain 1968-1988 (Jazzman Records 101; UK) Jazzman Records deliver A New Life, Vol. II: Independent and Regional Jazz in Great Britain 1968-1988, continuing their series of under-heard jazz from the UK. It's been three years since Jazzman's A New Life (JMAN 075CD/LP, 2015) alerted jazz heads to the existence of an unknown world of British jazz private pressings and indie obscurities. Back for a second round, compilers Francis Gooding and Duncan Brooker have dug deep into the archives to assemble another ground-breaking collection of Brit jazz anomalies and outliers from the 1970s and 1980s. A New Life, Vol. II picks up the story where A New Life left off, searching out overlooked jazz gems from across the length and breadth of the British Isles. When the major labels and the record industry left jazz out in the cold, musicians and jazz enthusiasts took the initiative. Indie labels made space for established artists and experimental outsiders alike, while local groups and youth bands turned to private pressings to document their music and build their own scenes. From London blues renegade Billy Jenkins's spiritual tribute to Pharoah Sanders and the swinging vocal artistry of Belfast-born Gerry McClelland, to the thunderous big band sound of Leicester's Music Explosion and the modal drama of the Don Rendell Five, A New Life, Vol. II reveals another fascinating layer of forgotten Brit jazz history. Fully researched and presented with in depth liner notes, Jazzman Records again brings you the unheard, unorthodox and under-rated sound of the British jazz underground! Also features: Frank Evans, Hotpoints, Inner Ear, RedBrass, Big Sun, Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra, Robert Shaw & the Dick Hawdon Quintet, Big Baffle, and Pat Crumly Sextet. CD with liners and photos.
CD $15


RICHARD PINHAS - Chronolyse (Bureau B 291; Germany) Bureau B presents a reissue of Richard Pinhas's Chronolyse, originally released in 1978. Pinhas is one of the most important French electronic space-rock musicians. Following five albums with Heldon, his band, he released solo records from 1977 on. His transition to solo material gave the guitarist and synthesist an opportunity to work on material that was a little lighter and less constrained. Chronolyse was his second solo album. Following the previous year's Rhizosphere (BB 279CD/LP, 2018), 1978's Chronolyse was actually the first to be completed having been recorded two years prior. On four of its five tracks, Rhizosphere presents just the 25-year-old Pinhas and his synth alone together, a melding of man and machine that gradually becomes an expansive, outward-bound journey. Pinhas's simple approach spawned a galaxy of diverse sounds and ideas. Each track on Rhizosphere inhabits its own mini-universe sonically and emotionally. The range of moods traversed is stunning. Dedicated "to all S.F. freaks", Chronolyse takes its name from a work by the science fiction writer Michel Jeury. The individual track titles, as any sci-fi fan will clock, are inspired by the classic Frank Herbert novel Dune (1965). This led some listeners to assume that Chronolyse was some kind of scrupulous concept album based around Herbert's invented universe of interstellar feudal houses and giant sandworms. That's not quite accurate. While Pinhas remains a proud sci-fi freak, he's quick to distance the album's titles from the music contained therein. "I always name the titles of the tracks and albums when everything is finished," he says. "So there is no relationship between them and what is inside." The younger Pinhas had been inspired by guitar heroes such as Hendrix and Clapton. It was King Crimson's Robert Fripp who had prime impact on Heldon's mix of spiraling space-rock guitar and analog electronics. Indeed, Pinhas once said the three most important figures in the history of modern music were Richard Wagner, Béla Bartók, and Robert Fripp. At the time of Chronolyse's gestation, Pinhas had been listening to a lot of classical music. Bach, Scarlatti, and Wagner were key. So, too were the new wave of American minimalist composers, Philip Glass in particular. The final record of Heldon's 1974 to 1979 run of LPs would appear the year after Chronolyse; thereafter Pinhas would concentrate on projects under his own name. This vital release bridges the gap between these two phases of Pinhas' remarkable career.
CD $17

RICHARD PINHAS - East West (Bureau B 292; Germany) Bureau B presents a reissue of Richard Pinhas's East West, originally issued in 1980. The fourth solo album by French spacerock mastermind Pinhas, East West was his first and only album to be released by a major label (CBS). Some say it is his most commercial but Pinhas doesn't see it that way. "Signing to CBS was a blessing. It gave me the tools for better production. At that time, some big companies were better and more honest than the so-called underground labels. Besides, I don't see any virtue in remaining underground. You try to do what's best for the music at each moment in your life. Always." reflects Pinhas. Even so, East West contained some surprises for those who were used to Heldon's extended jams or the sparse and moody atmosphere of Iceland (1979). East West's average track length is four minutes, indicating greater accessibility. It also has a David Bowie cover, although Pinhas naturally chose one of his more avant-garde moments, the foreboding "Sense Of Doubt" from Heroes. (1977). Despite having "gone solo", Pinhas remained a serial collaborator. The intense and frantic opener, "Houston 69: The Crash Landing (Part 1)", features his old Heldon colleagues Didier Batard, François Auger, and Patrick Gauthier. The robotic vocals were supplied by writer Norman Spinrad from whose novel, The Iron Dream (1972), Heldon had lifted their name. East West's synth-centric tracks resemble siblings to the groundbreaking work of Kraftwerk. Others, like the dreamy "XXXXX: La Ville Sans Nom" or longest track, "Paris: Beautiful May", showed Pinhas hadn't lost enthusiasm for fusing the revolutionary sound of the synthesizer with his impressive talents as a meditative and expressive guitarist. Certain songs evoke Brian Eno or Tangerine Dream but hold their own distinct flavor, anticipating much later ambient practitioners such as Mountains or Emeralds. Besides the relatively succinct running times, it's "New York: West Side" that takes most responsibility for East West having been categorized as Pinhas' "most commercial" work, another view which its maker defies. "I don't know why people say it's the most structured or commercial," he reflects. "I wanted to do this album in the way I did it. In terms of commerciality, I don't work with those kinds of concepts." East West hardly represents Pinhas' shift from abstract composer to pop artist but offers a sublime showcase for the diversity of Pinhas' powers, all delivered in handy bite-sized chunks.
CD $17

THIRD EAR BAND - Third Ear Band (Esoteric Recordings 32653; UK) “Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the expanded and re-mastered release of the self- titled 1970 album by Third Ear Band."
3 CD Set $30

THE FALL - 58 Golden Greats (Cherry Red CRCDBOX 064; UK) "The expanded 3-CD follow up to the iconic now out of print 50,000 Fall Fans Can't be Wrong compilation, now features songs right up to the groups last album. Compiled and annotated by long time Fall aficionado Daryl Easlea from across all the labels the band has appeared on. The booklet designed by long time Fall designer Becky Stewart contains a track by track overview. Mastered by Andy Pearce from the best sources available. Formed in Manchester in 1976, Fall were a seminal English post-punk group. The group existed in some form from that point on, built around its founder and only constant member, the late, great Mark E. Smith. Initially associated with the punk movement of the late 1970s, the group's music underwent stylistic changes over the years, but was always characterized by an abrasive guitar-driven sound and frequent use of repetition, underpinned by Smith's distinctive vocals and often cryptic lyrics. This compilation is ideal for anyone wanting to discover the weird and wonderful world of the Fall. 'They are always different; they are always the same.'"
3 CD Set $33

BABY GRANDMOTHERS - Merkurius (Subliminal Sounds 129; Sweden) Merkurius is the mind-melting new surprise album from Baby Grandmothers, the originators of Swedish psychedelia. The band launches into drones, avant-garde dirges, and fevered hard-rockin' wig-outs heavily overblown with jams rocketing into surreal spheres, all with an urgency of the now. Baby Grandmothers are bona fide psychedelic originators. The three-piece band consisting of Kenny Håkansson, Bengt Linnarson, and Pelle Ekman originally formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1967. Established after the dissolution of the R&B band, The T-Boones, the Baby Grandmothers group enjoyed a cult following as the house band at the legendary psychedelic music club Filips. Here, they became one of Sweden's original key psychedelic bands, together with Pärson Sound and Hansson & Karlsson. In 1968, the Baby Grandmothers were chosen as the support for the Swedish leg of the Jimi Hendrix Experience European tour. After releasing their first, and only, single (now one of the highest-priced records from the Swedish '60s psychedelic/progressive rock canon), the band expanded to a four-piece and gradually morphed into the Mecki Mark Men. This formation came to release two albums (one of them on prestigious US label Limelight) and became the first Swedish rock band to do a major US tour. After recording their last album in the Chess studio in Chicago, the band split up, but the original power-trio continued on with a new musical vision: to merge acid rock with Swedish folk music; Kebnekajse was born. They became one of the most popular of all Swedish psychedelic/progressive bands of the 1970s and had a huge influence on young Swedish musicians, and are still active and very popular today. Baby Grandmothers are now back at their power-trio roots, still consisting of the original band members led by the legendary Swedish psychedelic guitarist Håkansson. After 50 years in the service of psychedelic music, this new album finds the Baby Grandmothers at their peak and as timeless as ever.
CD $15

REVEREND CHARLIE JACKSON - God's Got It: The Legendary Booker and Jackson Singles (2018 Edition)(Casequarter 101RE; USA) "The CaseQuarter label launched with this auspicious collection of '70s vintage gospel singles in 2003, while Reverend Charlie Jackson was still here with us. Jackson sadly passed in 2006, and the CD has been out of print for too long now. This re-mastered and re-sequenced 2018 edition of the highly acclaimed collection features new, exceptionally high-resolution vinyl transfers and includes an additional since-discovered Booker single (both sides!) Ever since Reverend Charlie Jackson's Booker singles were discovered by gospel collectors in the early 1970s and began to trickle out to a wider audience, Charlie Jackson's primal, funky guitar riffs have astounded listeners. Raw and unadorned and at other times spare and lyrical, his Booker and Jackson label recordings are infused with sanctified energy and singing. Further to his own singles here are records by Brother Ike Gordon, Sister Frances Jackson, Caravan No. 2 of Zachary, and Laura Davis, which feature Reverend Jackson as accompanist. Until this album's initial 2003 release, these records had never been collected together and had never been issued on CD. Following its original highly acclaimed release, Rev. Jackson's songs were covered by The Black Crowes, Old Crow Medicine Show and Hank Williams Jr. This updated 20-song set also includes a 16-page booklet with rare photos, discography, and extensive liner notes covering Reverend Jackson's life and career."
CD $15

LP Section:

DANIEL CARTER / PATRICK HOLMES / MATTHEW PUTMAN / HILL GREENE / FEDERICO UGHI - Telepathic Liquida (577 Records 5807) Personnel: Daniel Carter: alto, tenor and soprano saxophones, trumpet; Patrick Holmes: clarinet; Matthew Putman: piano; Hilliard Greene: bass; Federico Ughi: drums. New York-based improvising stalwart Daniel Carter (reeds, trumpet) and other regional artists perform on this 37-minute improv fest, marked by alternating flows and shifting cadences. The album title translates into a 'telepathic understanding,' which of course, is always a positive component for free-spirited dialogues and fruitful artistic ingenuity.
Classically trained pianist Matthew Putman is a noted scientist specializing in nanotechnology, and gets the job done here as he comps, mimics and enjoys fertile dialogues with his cohorts. Ultimately, the musicians navigate through alterable missions, developed with passion, polytonal layers and expand-contract type exchanges. One pleasantry in particular is that the quintet doesn't hang out in one place for too long. For example, on "Shine-a-Town" drummer Federico Ughi launches the proceedings with a tribal motif on his toms, followed by Carter's fuming tenor sax lines and counterbalanced by Putnam, as the soloists go round robin amid mutable flows, projecting sorrow, repentance and exuberance. Moreover, they raise the pitch with a sense of urgency via Patrick Holmes' howling clarinet phrasings atop Ughi's tumultuous drumming and Putnam's hammering block chords.
The third and final track, "Throne" features the frontline's three-way dialogues, somewhat akin to connecting pieces of a puzzle, leading to the rhythm section's simmering undertows and Ughi's Latin beats. Here, the band ventures from pulsating mid-tempo improvisational flurries to the wide open world of free bop, contrasted with moody advances and the drummer's swaying rock grooves, along with quiet interludes and emotive soloing. No doubt, the artists' strong-willed solidarity, perceptive interactions and clear-sighted focus spawn a lot of goodness throughout these multifaceted implementations.” - Glenn Astarita, AllAboutJazzItaly
LP $20 [LTD Edition of 300]

DANIEL CARTER / PATRICK HOLMES / MATTHEW PUTNAM / HILL GREENE / FEDERICO UGHI - Telepathic Alliance (577 Records 5802; USA) Personnel: Daniel Carter: alto, tenor and soprano saxes, flute & trumpet; Patrick Holmes: clarinet; Matthew Putman: piano; Hilliard Greene: bass; Federico Ughi: drums. Clarinetist Patrick Holmes has played here at DMG on several occasions, yet remains below the Downtown radar screen for some strange reason. The music here is more cerebral, free and flowing and focused. There is something exquisite going on here, occasionally sublime but always uplifting. When one has been playing Free Music for as long as some of these fellows, there is no need to scream so much, listening and communicating in a spirited dialogue. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $20

PAUL FLAHERTY / GENE MOORE / GENE JANAS / FEDERICO UGHI - Morfina (577 Records 5801) Featuring Paul Flaherty on alto & tenor saxes, Gene Moore on guitar, Gene Janas on electric bass and Federico Ughi on drums. Strong, spirited free music, powerful, intense… Gene Moore is the older brother to Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and the two bros played here once at DMG a few years back. Free jazz sax legend, Paul Flaherty, sports a long white beard and kinda looks like Father Time. His many records with drummers Chris Corsano and Randall Colbourne are sought after by free/music freaks worldwide. Former Pacific Northwest-based bassist Gene Janas, can be found on only a few recordings yet remains another mysterious, well-respected player. Italian-born drummer, Federico Ughi, now lives in Brooklyn and runs this, the 577 Records label. Mr. Ughi has long been at the center of the sprawling Free Music scene based in Brooklyn. - BLG
LP $20

DANIEL CARTER / DEMIAN RICHARDSON / MATTHEW PUTNAM / DAVE MOSS / FEDERICO UGHI - The Gowanus Recordings (577 5780) Featuring Demian Richardson: trumpet; Daniel Carter: tenor sax, flute, clarinet, trumpet; Matthew Putman: piano; David Moss: bass and Federico Ughi: drums. This is (currently) Brooklyn-based drum wiz Federico Ughi's 11th disc for his own '577 Records' label, which has included a solo, duos, various trios, but this is only the second quintet release. Outside of Federico's ongoing work with Daniel Carter, I am not familiar with the other members of this ensemble. Like everything else on the '577 records' label, this is an improvised session and a strong one indeed. "Entangled" opens with a sublime, spacious dream-like vibe that washes over us like cool water on a breezy day, the muted trumpet and flute are especially elegant. I dig the way this piece builds in slow motion as the free spirits ascend higher and higher without ever screaming. Pianist Matthew Putnam wrote the liner notes which discuss ideas found within or inspired by each piece, helping us to make more sense of what we are hearing. What I like most abut this is that although it sounds free much of the time, there is an almost subliminal thread which holds things together. The quintet seems to thinking together, the communication of ideas flowing through each of the members simultaneously so it sounds as if they are one life force flowing. Although there are the occasional inspired solos, this is more about the tight swirl of notes spinning intricately. Each piece (from 6 to 13 minutes) feels like just the right length, organically flowing and coming to an end when the spirits finally settle down to an appropriate conclusion. They say that this is the stuff that dreams are made of... well it certainly feels that way. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
LP $20

DANIEL CARTER  & FEDERICO UGHI - Extra Room (577 Records 5785) Featuring Daniel Carter on alto, tenor & soprano saxes, flute, trumpet & piano and Federico Ughi on drums. Although these two great improvisers have worked together on around a dozen previous sessions, this is their duo effort in a studio. Whenever longtime Downtown musician, plays here (and any where else I imagine), he takes his time to set up all of his half dozen instruments and then play them one at a time depending on who is playing with. Mr. Carter remains the most democratic of musicians, refusing to be a group leader so that all members of whatever group have their say and lead or direct in their own way. Although, Mr. Carter is associated with the Downtown Free Scene, he is never predictable with whom he chooses to play with and what direction any session will take. Starting out quietly and building, there is a somber, spacious vibe when this disc begins. It is good to hear Mr. Carter playing piano, something he rarely gets to do and sounds fine playing freely and controlled exuberance. When he switches to tenor, he erupts fiercely. Mr. Ughi is a marvelous drummer and a perfect foil for Carter. The balance and energy exchange is always as one force. There is a lovely section for flute and drums played with the hands which is most enchanting. This followed by another sublime duo for muted trumpet and brushes. Federico is especially fine on mallets, often elegant and uplifting. This entire disc is one long spirited dialogue between two old friends, righteous, good-natured and always ringing true. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $20

SABIR MATEEN / MATT LAVELLE / STEVE SWELL / MATT HEYNER / MICHAEL T.A. THOMPSON - Prophecies Come to Pass (577 Records 5777) "Featuring Sabir Mateen on saxes, flute & clarinet, Matt Lavelle on trumpets, flugel & cornet, Steve Swell on trombone, Matt Heyner on contrabass and Michael T.A. Thompson on drums. Here's a fine new disc from Federico Ughi's great 577 label featuring a great local all-star quintet. Rather than just another free/jazz session, we find our local heroes getting into a great groove-fest with inspired solos from all five members. "Sekasso Blues" is an earthy, bluesy intro with Sabir's feisty tenor sax, Lavelle's spirited muted trumpet (cornet?) and Steve Swell's burning trombone. While each horn player takes a great solo, the another horn punctuates with short, quick, tight blasts underneath. "The Beauty Within" begins freely with just the bass and drums, slowly the the horns come in swirling around one another." - BLG The debut release from this well respected group acknowledges and expands on the rich legacy of New York City's jazz heritage. It was recorded live at Zebulon, then edited by Mateen and Steve Swell and mastered under Mateen's direction. The CD is a breathtaking combination of the raw energy fueled sound of a live performance and top quality mastered sound. The musicians that comprise The Shapes, Textures and Sound Ensemble are among the most renowned free jazz players in the world. They include, Sabir Mateen and Matthew Heyner, both famous for playing guerilla subway concerts with the band TEST; Steve Swell and Matt Lavelle of William Parker's Little Huey Creative Orchestra; and Michael T.A. Thompson who has worked extensively with trumpet player Roy Campbell Jr. The cohesive depth of this group of master musicians allows each of the players' solos to shine throughout the disc. On the first track "Sekasso Blues" the three horns take the music to new levels of intensity and depth with blazing lines. On "Prophecies Come to Pass," the track from which the album derives its name, the ensemble creates such a full sound that it resembles more of a symphonic orchestra than a jazz quintet. Prophecies Come to Pass is dedicated to the spirit of Raphe Malik, the renowned trumpet player who played with the band at one time. -
LP $20

DANIEL CARTER  / WILLIAM PARKER / FEDERICO UGHI - The Dream (577 Records 5776) The idea for this very special recording started with Fayen's reoccurring dream of Daniel playing the piano. Fayen, a friend and admirer of Daniel's music, realized that there was no released CD of Daniel playing the piano and she offered to help produce one. Daniel and Federico had talked in the past about involving William in one of their projects and decided to invite him to play on this recording. The recording session with these three musicians resulted in so much wonderful material that at least two separate volumes will eventually be released. William Parker said of the recording after first listening to it that, "it could be an epic." This release is particularly notable, not only for the fact that it is the first CD of Daniel Carter playing piano, but also because Daniel has been more involved in the editing and production process than ever before.Daniel plays saxophones, trumpet, flute, clarinet and piano. William plays bass, tuba and shakuhachi. Federico plays drums.The dream is now reality
LP $20

LISTENING GROUP - (577 Records 5805) Featuring Daniel Carter on saxes & trumpet, Claire de Brunner on bassoon, Patrick Holmes on clarinet, Nick Lyons on alto sax, Jeff Snyder on electronics, Stelios Mihas on guitar, Jonah Rosenberg on piano, Zach Swanson on bass and Federico Ughi on drums. There is an ever-growing underground of creative musicians here in the Downtown Scene which has been going on long before I started attending gig in NY in 1970. The flow of musicians moving into and out of the NYC area continues and it is up the serious listener to notice, listen and attend shows. One of the true originators/instigators of the Downtown network is Daniel Carter, who has worked with hundreds of improvisers over nearly four decades. Mr. Carter is a master improviser who seeks out new musicians from anywhere to work with, no matter their background. The Listening Group is just one of several ensembles that Daniel Carter works with currently. You should recognize a few of these names from the DMG weekly free music series: Patrick Holmes, Claire de Brunner & Nick Lyons. A couple of these names are unfamiliar to me: Mr.s’ Mihas and Rosenberg. This album was recorded at the Forward Festival in Brooklyn in December of 2016. Although the there nine musicians on this session, the sound is more spacious, balanced and well-crafted. There is a dreamy, drifting quality during the first long piece here. In the liner notes, Mr. Carter mentions the word “listening” in the group’s name refers to what they do… hence they create their own magical audio environment without stepping on each other’s toes. The sound of this ensemble is somewhere between modern chamber music and free/space, ethereal, often sublime and special in its own way. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $20

"DONNY" STURGE ANTHONY McKENZIE With ELLIOTT SHARP / VERNON REID / BILL LASWELL - Silenced II - Views from the Auction Block (577 Records 5808; USA) Featuring Donny McKenzie on drums with Elliott Sharp or Vernon Reid on guitar and Bill Laswell on bass. I had not heard of drummer Donny McKenzie, until Elliott Sharp had him in a power trio at a DMG anniversary celebration a couple years back. It turned that Mr. McKenzie had worked with Vernon Reid (in his band Masque), Marc Ribot and Roswell Rudd. The second volume of ’Silenced’, the first volume featured Nels Cline & Vernon Reid on guitar and Melvin Gibbs on bass. ’Silenced II’ features a short solo drum piece and three duets with Mr. Sharp, Mr. Reid and Mr. Laswell. This LP was recorded at Bill Laswell’s Orange Music Studio by James Dellacoma and the sound is superb! Opening with a duo with Downtown guitarist Elliott Sharp, whose unique guitar tone and approach soar along with Mr. McKenzie throttling drums, as one powerful force. Mr. Sharp has a distinctive way of bending notes, playing a series of fractured lines like lightning bolts erupting one after the other. McKenzie keeps the rocking groove steady while alternating tempos while Sharp erupts his jagged lines. “Natasha McKenna” is a duo with bass great Bill Laswell. Mr. Laswell is in fine form playing a slamming funk/dub groove, his unique bass sound, due to the selective devices he often uses, most hypnotic, dense (like soup) and dreamy. Laswell starts out slowly and the tempo increases throughout until he ends with a haunting bass solo. Side two opens with a fine, modest drum solo, sparse with subtle groove at the center. The drum solo sounds like an intro for the long duo with Vernon Reid which follows. This duo starts off quietly and slowly builds throughout its 15 minute length. This piece sounds like a long story as it unfolds. What I find interesting about this piece is this: while Mr. Reid mostly plays swirling, ambient sounds, it is McKenzie’s drums that are at the center, telling their own story and leading the way through different scenes, the groove slowly evolving/changing as it goes. Mr. Reid also alters his tone slowly throughout ending with a Fripp-like sound near the end. Considering that this album features Donny McKenzie, a drummer as the leader, Mr. McKenzie never overplays or solos at length, he strong playing is at the center without hogging the spotlight. Nice move. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $20 [LP only, LTD Edition of 300]


DON RENDELL-IAN CARR QUINTET With MICHAEL GARRICK - The Complete Lansdowne Recordings, 1965-1969 (Jazzman Records 106; UK) Jazzman Records presents the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet's The Complete Lansdowne Recordings, 1965-1969. After an epic licensing odyssey that's taken Jazzman almost 20 years, the label is finally able to announce the five-LP box set release of the first-ever official re-issue of all five of the iconic Lansdowne recording sessions by legendary UK jazz combo, the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet. The five albums (Shades Of Blues (1965), Dusk Fire (1966), Phase III (1968), Change Is (1969), and Live (1969)) have reached almost mythical status in the collector's world. Regarded as holy grail artifacts for even the seasoned aficionado, the collective second hand market value comes to an astonishing £6000. Many have tried -- and failed -- to reissue these albums by legitimate means, the main problem being that Universal Music, the largest record company in the world, didn't know the whereabouts of the original documentation in amongst the tens of thousands of other files in their archives. Understandably, locating the necessary paperwork pertaining to some obscure jazz albums from the 1960s wasn't and never will be top priority for such an organization. However, two decades since our initial approach, we have managed to succeed. The complete Don Rendell & Ian Carr Lansdowne recording sessions have now undergone a full and unprecedented box set reissue. We located and acquired the original analog master tapes from the Universal vaults and created masters at Abbey Road Studios to produce audiophile quality 180 gram pressings replete with replica artwork: shape, design, and even paper stock. No stone has been left unturned to deliver this absolute labor of love to the highest possible standard! The enclosed booklet contains never-before-seen photographs, interviews with the remaining living band members and liner notes from BBC Radio 3 presenter and award-winning jazz writer Alyn Shipton. The band played together for seven years and during this fruitful time they made a plethora of deeply melodic, post-bop British jazz compositions that later on took influences from Indo and more spiritually guided jazz. Produced by the influential Denis Preston and recorded at his Lansdowne Studios in London, the band was primarily made up of saxophonist Rendell, trumpeter/composer Carr, and pianist/composer Michael Garrick. This is UK jazz at its absolute finest, and the quality of our box set pays testament to that. Five LP box set housing LPs in original replica flipback color sleeves, with poly-lined printed inners and 180 gram vinyl. Includes color booklet with original liner notes and unpublished photographs. Numbered edition of 1000.
5 LP Set $120


LUC FERRARI - L’Escalier Des Aveugles (Mana 006; UK) "L'Escalier des Aveugles, or 'The Stairway of the Blind', was commissioned in November 1990 by Spanish National Radio (Radio Nacional de España). Asked for a piece to premiere as part of the European Day of Music, Luc Ferrari returned with a radiophonic concept that organised his anecdotal music into montage form, sequencing short, elusive narratives in a successive way. The completed composition is formed of thirteen chapters containing a mixture of environmental and synthesised sound, commentary, chatter, and encounters with people and places. Each focuses on a small event within this playbook, and Ferrari notes that each 'in addition to being a realistic photograph, will be the subject of a 'setting to music': fragments of voice and atmosphere will be sampled and will produce musical matter or a 'song'.' The sonic language of Madrid forms the setting to which Ferrari lays out the persistent theme of the piece, that of the composer being guided throughout the city by a young woman. Using a game-like structure (liners for this edition include Ferrari's 'Regles de Jeu', or 'Rules of the Game' which act as a script or score to the piece) the motivation is posed: imagine that one day you are told 'I know a place in Madrid that sounds amazing (or bizarre)', to which you reply 'Let's go to it together.' The recordings toy with the relationships between guide and tourist, translator, director and actress, and masculine and feminine that emerge as Ferrari and the actresses follow this action, documenting the shared experience and connections they make as they visit these places. Six actresses guide Ferrari (and the listener) through locations simultaneously ordinary and sonically rich: the metro; the El Corte Inglés department store where we hear the gossip from changing rooms set against music emanating from the PA; vagabonds declaiming their political stance in the Conde de Barajas plaza; interactions buying apples in a market; the reverberant and spacious halls of the Prado Museum where one actress gives a moving description of her favourite painting - Goya's The 3rd of May 1808. Ferrari replies in French to their comments in Spanish, and there are several self-referential plots, devices, and word games that flirt with the poetics and rhythm of language and sound. A recital of Lorca's poem 'La Casada Infiel' in 'Hommage À Lorca' in amongst the location recordings feels striking, and the call and response of 'La Nouvelle de L'Escalier', where one of the actresses descends the staircase of the blind - a long stone stairway in Madrid proposed to Ferrari as an interesting location to visit during the trip by producer José Iges. She replies to Ferrari's vocal enunciation of the place (and title) in French - 'L'Escalier des Aveugles' - with the place-name in Spanish: La Escalera de los Ciegos. Using this repeated title and image of the staircase of the blind as a symbolic place, a line is drawn to a situational landscape experienced and diffused through snapshots and allusion rather than holistically overviewed, sound conjuring pictures within the imagination. In the sensorial qualities of Ferrari's treatment of emotion and language -- fortified with electro-acoustic motifs and musical properties -- the piece accelerates towards a render that is truthful, beautiful, yet also surreal; somewhere between theatre and reality, a gonzo cinema of the ear. Vinyl cut at D&M from original DAT master tape. Includes a 12-page accordion-style booklet with documents from Luc Ferrari's archive."
LP $32


ROBBIE BASHO - Venus In Cancer (Traffic 74008; USA) "Though frequently overshadowed by his contemporary and Takoma Records labelmate John Fahey, the compositions and performances of Daniel R. Robinson Jr., best known by the stage name Robbie Basho, were integral in the development of the American primitive guitar style. Along with Fahey, and songwriter/composers such as Max Ochs, Leo Kottke, and others, Basho helped bring to the masses the distinct form of guitar finger-picking, which blended folk and country-blues with neo-classical composition techniques. Unlike his contemporaries, Basho went a step further by incorporating unorthodox open tunings on his 12-string guitar, as well as elements of Indian classical music, inspired by the sarod-playing of his mentor Ali Akbar Khan. Unfortunately Robbie Basho passed on in relative obscurity at the early age of 45 due to a fatal stroke, so he was never able to witness the extent of his influence. Nonetheless his legacy lives on in the works of American primitive guitar revivalists like James Blackshaw and Glenn Jones, as well as indie folk units like Currituck County or Six Organs of Admittance. All of Basho's signature stylistic elements are on full display on his 1969 album Venus In Cancer, which added onto his dextrous, steel-string finger-picking, additional cues from raga, flamenco, Appalachian folk, and even foresaw the arrival of new age music. A mystical and astrologically-inspired collection of guitar improvisation, one which clocks in at nearly 50 minutes, and a perfect representation of Basho's visionary American folk brilliance."
LP $25

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

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - THURSTON MOORE - DEC 4–8

12/7 Friday
8:30 pm - Thurston Moore (guitar) Tom Surgal (percussion) & William Winant (percussion)

12/8 Saturday
8:30 pm - Thurston Moore (guitar), John Zorn (sax), William Winant (percussion) and Tom Surgal (percussion)

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - IKUE MORI - DEC 11–15

12/11 Tuesday
8:30 pm - Ikue Mori (electronics) Nate Wooley (trumpet) Mary Halvorson

12/12 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Highsmith Duo - Ikue Mori (electronics) Craig Taborn (piano)

12/13 Thursday
8:30 pm - Mahobin Quartet - Lotte Anker (sax) Satoko Fujii (piano) Kappamaki (trumpet) Ikue Mori (electronics)

12/14 Friday
8:30 pm - Mephista - Ikue Mori (electronics) Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) Susie Ibarra (drums)

12/15 Saturday
8:30 pm - Ikue Mori (electronics) John Zorn (sax) Jim Staley (trombone) Brian Marsella (keyboards)

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
29 Cornelia St - 212-989-9319
In the heart of the West Greenwich Village, NYC

Friday Dec 07
8:35PM MICHAEL BLANCO QUARTET - John Ellis, tenor sax; Mike Moreno, guitar; Michael Blanco, bass; Clarence Penn, drums

Sunday Dec 09
6:00PM IMPETUS TRIO - Maria Tegzes, vocals; Geoffrey Burleson, piano, keyboards; Dave “Knife” Fabris, guitars

Wed Dec 12th:
8:01PM ELSA NILSON QUARTET - Elsa Nilson, flute; Jeff McLaughlin, guitar; Alex Miner, bass; Cody Rahn, drums

Thursday Dec 13
8:01PM AARON BURNETT SEXTET - Aaron Burnett, tenor sax, comp.; Immanuel Wilkins, alto sax; Corey Wilcox, trombone; Carlos Homs , piano; Nick Jozwiak, bass; Dan Nadeau, drums

Friday Dec 14
8:35PM ANDREW RATHBUN QUINTET, CD RELEASE: CHARACTER STUDY - Andrew Rathbun, saxophones; Tim Hagans, trumpet; Gary Versace, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Bill Stewart, drums

Saturday Dec 15
6:00PM AN EVENING OF SONG, POETRY, AND MUSIC - Barry Wallenstein, poetry; Alan Rosenthal, piano; Ken Filiano, bass; Robert Silverman, trumpet; Jeremy Carlstedt, drums; Vincent Chancey, french horn; Kaori Yamada, hand drum; and Jeffery Cyphers Wright, guest poet
8:35PM ANDREW RATHBUN QUINTET, CD RELEASE: CHARACTER STUDY - Andrew Rathbun, saxes; Tim Hagans, trumpet; Gary Versace, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Bill Stewart, drums

Sunday Dec 16
6:00PM CONCEPT LAB VOLUME IV - Seth Boustead, piano; Talia Dicker, cello; Irene Fitzgerald-Cherry , violin; Miles Massicotte, piano; Gene Pritsker, electric guitar; Roger Tréfousse, piano
8:01PM HELIO ALVES QUARTET - Helio Alves, piano; Vic Juris, guitar; Edward Perez, bass; Matt Wilson, drums

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FreeJazz Residency at Weeksville

December 7-8
Weeksville Heritage Center 
158 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213

Arts for Art presents two nights of FreeJazz in partnership with the Weeksville Heritage Center to amplify the history of spirited liberating jazz in central Brooklyn.  

December 7
7:30pm Patricia Spears Jones - poetry / Luke Stewart - bass
8:00pm Irreversible Quartet: Keir Neuringer - alto sax / Aquiles Navarro - trumpet / Tcheser Holmes - drums / Luke Stewart - bass

December 8
7:30pm Tracie Morris - poetry / William Parker - bass
8:00pm In Order to Survive: William Parker - bass / Cooper-Moore - keyboard / Rob Brown - sax with guest Gerald Cleaver - drums

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I-Beam Presents:

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2018 - 8:30 PM 11:00 PM
CHRIS COCHRANE'S COLLAPSIBLE SHOULDER
Chris Cochrane - Guitar
Kato Hideki - Bass
Kevin Bud Jones
Brian Chase - Drums

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2018 - 8:00 PM 10:00 PM
DERIC DICKENS PRESENTS
Set 1
Erica Dicker, violin
Eli Wallace, piano
Deric Dickens, drums
Set 2
Phillip Greenlief, tenor saxophone
Angelica Sanchez, piano
Michael Vatcher, drums

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2018 - 8:30 PM 10:30 PM
LENA BLOCH'S FEATHERY
Lena Bloch - Saxophone
Russ Lossing - Piano
Cameron Brown - Bass
Billy Mintz - Drums

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2018 - 8:00 PM 10:00 PM
KAZUKI YAMANAKA QUARTET
Kazuki Yamanaka (alto saxophone)
Russ Lossing (piano)
Cameron Brown (bass)
Gerald Cleaver (drums)
   
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 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) @ Nublu, NYC
Peter Apfelbaum (keys, sax) Brandon Seabrook (gt)
Bill Laswell (b), Mark Guiliana (ds)

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

Monday December 10th
7pm David Meier - drums
John McCowen - contrabass clarinet
Dave Scanlon - guitar
Frank Meadows - bass
8pm Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums
9pm Nick Sanders - keyboard
Hery Paz - saxophones
Raf Vertessen - drums
9:45pm Brad Faberman - guitar
Dave Sewelson - baritone saxophone
10:45pm Daniel Blake - saxophones
Josh Sinton - saxophones
Phillip White - electronics
Special Guest - guitar
11:30pm  Hans Tammen - Buchla
Dafna Naphtali - vocals/electronics
Joe Hertenstein - drums

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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URGENT MUSIC UNIT

Free show at the Rotunda on the campus of
The University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia on Wednesday 12/5 at 8:00pm.

Bob Musso- Guitar
Elliott Levin - Sax, Flute, Poetry
Mark Hennen- Keyboards
Jackson Krall- Percussion

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The Jazz Gallery Presents:

Saturday, December 8th:
BORDERLANDS TRIO
Borderlands TrioStephan Crump – acoustic bass
Kris Davis – piano
Eric McPherson – drums
sets at 7.30pm 9.30pm

Tues Dec 11th:
Harish Raghavan – bass
Joel Ross – vibraphone
Immanuel Wilkins – saxophone
Micah Thomas – piano
sets at 7.30pm 9.30pm

Tues Dec 11th:
ERIC REVIS GROUP FEATURING JULIUS RODRIGUEZ
AT THE NATIONAL JAZZ MUSEUM IN HARLEM
THE JAZZ GALLERY MENTORING SERIES VOL.5, ED.3
Eric Revis – bass
Julius Rodriguez – piano
Andrew D’Angelo – saxophone
Nasheet Waits – drums

The Jazz Gallery is Located at:
1160 Broadway, 5th fl
between 27th 28th streets
New York, NY 10001 USA

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DECEMBER SHOWS for Eli Wallace - Keyboard Wiz & Composer:

Monday 12/3 Arete Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
7pm: Tania Chen, piano and objects 
8:30pm: Ali/Costa/Wallace
Eli Wallace, piano
Sean Ali, bass
Carlo Costa, percussion

Sunday 12/16 Outskirts Piano Series II, Brooklyn NY (I’m curating this one)
7pm: Sam Yulsman, solo piano
8pm: Mara Rosenbloom, solo piano

Friday 12/21 Vamp, Oakland CA
8pm: Rob Pumpelly - Drums
Rent Romus - Saxophones
Eli Wallace - Piano
9pm: Ero Guro
Tom Weeks - Alto Saxophone and Compositions
Mike Srouji - Bass
Robbie Pruett - Drums
Patrick Talesfore, Jr. - Drums 

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19th at 8pm
THE HOUSE OF IMPROV PRESENTS:

LOTTE ANKER - Alto Sax
CRAIG TABORN - Piano
GERALD CLEAVER - Drums

at The Kirov Room
244 Rehearsal Studios
244 West 54th St - 10th Floor, New York, NY 10019
Admission $20

CHECK OUT A PRIOR PERFORMANCE AT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcSZpu6BBuA

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William Hooker in 2019

“360 Degrees of Straight Liftoff” w/
Bob Holman, William Parker, Raymond Nat Turner, William Hooker.
Bowery Poetry Club - 308 Bowery, NYC.,
Sunday, January 13, 2019 3 PM $10.00 Admission.
Info and tickets – 347-898-7223.

William Hooker event
Live Music / Silent Film - * Solo drums -“Symbol of the Unconquered” – Oscar Michaeux (1920) a Silent film….

*“QuartetMOON” – w/ Jon Irabagon, Mara Rosenbloom, Adam Lane, William Hooker – New music in the free jazz tradition…..
Shapeshifter Lab – 18 Whitwell Place , Brooklyn , NY. -
Wednesday 23rd, 2019 7 pm. General admission $8-$15.00
tickets and information - 646-820-9452