DMG Newsletter for Friday, April 26th, 2019

Plastic People
(Written by Frank Zappa for the Mothers of Invention
second album ‘Absolutely Free’, released May of 1967)

(Ladies and Gentlemen...
The President of the United States!
"Fellow Americans... "He's been sick!--
And I think his wife is gonna bring him some chicken soup)

Plastic people!
Oh, baby, now you're such a drag

(I know it's hard to defend an unpopular policy
Every once in a while-- )

Plastic people!
Oh, baby, now you're such a drag

(There's this guy from the CIA he's creeping around Laurel Canyon...)

A fine little girl, she waits for me
She's as plastic as she can be
She paints her face with plastic goo
And wrecks her hair with some shampoo

Plastic people
Oh, baby, now you're such a drag

(I dunno, sometimes I just get tired of ya honey--
it's...ah..it's your ...hair spray or something like that...)

Plastic people
Oh, baby, now you're such a drag

(I hear the sound of marching feet...
down Sunset Boulevard to Crescent Heights
and there at Pandora's box, we are confronted with
A vast quantity of plastic people...)

Take a day and walk around!
Watch the Nazis run your town!
Then go home and check yourself!
You think we're singing 'bout someone else!
But you're Plastic People
Oh, Baby, now
You're such a drag

Me see a neon moon above
I searched for years, I found no love
I'm sure that love will never be
A product of Plasticity
A product of Plasticity
A product of Plasticity
PLASTIC, PLASTIC PEOPLE--

You are--your foot--your hair
--your nose--your arms--you eat-- suck--you love
--you are--your being is--you're plastic--
blah--blah--blah--blah plastic Peoples

-A prune is not a vegetable
--cabbage is a vegetable; makes it O.K.
--plastic people--plastic People
--you drive--- you live in -- you dream about...
you think only of...you read...you are...
Purple prancing -- Plastic People - everybody”

(the words in parentheses were spoken by Mr. Zappa as a narration of sorts)

Who or what are Plastic People??? Come on Frank, tell us…?!? I bought the album, ‘Absolutely Free’ by the Mothers of Invention a few months after it was released in 1967. I had already acquired ‘Freak-Out!’, their first album thanks to a review in Hit Parade magazine and was completely bewitched by it. I became a Mothers freak and Frank Zappa was my first real hero. Plastic People are folks who are not real, not what they seem so they wear masks or make-up and pretend to be someone else. Be who you are and don’t follow trends. Don’t just do things that make yourself look cool, do what you believe is right. Always question authority and don’t follow the rules set by the knuckleheads in power. All they want is more money, more power, more, more, more… Do not let greed or jealousy be your guide. I have always loved this line: “I’m sure that love will never be, a product of Plasticity”. Thanks Frank. Hello Frank Zappa and Mothers Freaks Worldwide! The United Mutations Fanclub continues in our hearts & minds. - BLG

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The Downtown Music Gallery 28th Anniversary Celebrations begins on May 1st!
Every In-store in May Helps Celebrate the Spirit of Creative Music Performed Live Here for Free!
Here's the schedule:

Sunday April 28th:
6pm: OMAR and EMILIO TAMEZ - Tribute to Paul Motian
7pm: BLAISE SIWULA / LUCIANO TROJA / GIANCARLO MAZZU

Sunday, May 5th:
6pm: STUART POPEJOY / CHRIS PITSIOKOS - Electric Bass & Alto Sax!
7pm: ZACH SWANSON / AYAKO KANDA / DALIUS NAUJO / ROCCO JOHN IACOVONE!
8pm: JESSE DULMAN TRIO: DAVE SEWELSON / LEONID GALAGANOV!

Sunday, May 12th:
6pm: GUILLERMO GREGORIO / SARAH BERNSTEIN / NICK JOZWIAK Guest!

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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Five Fabulous New Discs from the Fine Folks at CONFRONT!

PAUL DUNMALL SUN SHIP QUARTET ALAN SKIDMORE / MARK WASTELL / JULIE KJAER / STALE LIAVIK SOLBERG - John Coltrane 50th Memorial Concert at Cafe Oto (Confront Core 07; UK) A stellar line-up to commemorate the 50th anniversary of John Coltrane’s passing. Showcasing Paul Dunmall’s blistering Coltrane influenced quartet together with special guest, lifelong Coltrane devotee and one of Europe’s foremost saxophonists Alan Skidmore. This concert also marked the premiere performance of the newly formed international trio of Julie Kjær (Denmark), Mark Wastell (England) and Ståle Liavik Solberg (Norway).
John Coltrane was the most influential saxist of his time (9/23/1926-7/17/67), considering he passed away more than fifty years ago, he remains an essential catalyst for searching, experimenting and seeking spirituality, amongst jazz saxists and other musicians worldwide. Trane has influenced hundreds of saxists, we can still hear his sounding many places. Several generations of UK sax players are obviously influenced by him, picking up where he left off and bringing that sound to the present. Alan Skidmore, (born 4/21/42), was one of the first British saxists to tap into that sound (from the late sixties onwards), and has done a few Trane tributes throughout his long career. Considering that Mr. Skidmore’s music career stretches back around fifty years, he is sadly under-recorded, only 10 releases so far. Another longtime Trane acolyte is Paul Dunmall (born 5/6/53), another amazing saxist who also plays several reeds: soprano, saxello & flute, as well as bagpipes. Mr. Dunmall is extremely well recorded with hundreds of releases out, although he has slowed down in recent years with the demise of his own Duns label. Originally I thought that this 2 CD set featured just the Dunmall/Skidmore Trane Quartet but there is much more going on here than that.
The first disc begins with a long trio of Julie Kjaer (trio CD on Clean Feed) on flute and Stale Liavik Solberg (records with Joe McPhee & John Butcher) and Mark Wastell on percussion. Mr. Wastell is widely known as a cellist, although he has often utilized a variety of percussive instruments over the past decade or so. The long opening piece (21 minutes) was improvised by the trio and it does capture that spiritual, spacious sound which Trane often evoked. The next part of Disc 1 features the Paul Dunmall Sun Ship Quartet with Duns & Howard Cottle on tenor saxes, Olie Brice on double bass and Tony Bianco (longtime Dunmall & Dave Liebman collaborator) on drums. Mr. Cottle is a lesser known no less strong saxist who has recorded with Dunmall previously. The quartet plays songs from Trane’s monumental album, “Sun Ship”. The quartet is in fine form, taking their time to build into the frenzy of free/spirit/fire music. The original Coltrane Quartet (1960-1965) featured the instrumentation of sax/piano/bass/drums. Mr. Coltrane eventually added others saxists: Eric Dolphy & Pharaoh Sanders, as well as another drummer, Rashied Ali. McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones finally left, while Trane added other saxists and percussionists for certain sets. Even without the piano, an essential part of the original quartet, this quartet with two and then three saxists goes even further, pushing the energy higher and higher. On the second disc, the Sun Ship Quartet is joined by Alan Skidmore, now with three tenor saxists, the expanded group bringing the energy to boiling point. Drummer, Tony Bianco, pulls off a few great solos sounding little Elvin Jones on swirling mallets. The three sax quintet, sound astonishing on two more songs from “Sun Ship”, burning, erupting, exploding in Nirvana. The final piece is an extraordinary version of Coltrane’s classic “Ascension”, the original version which featured a half dozen extra saxists. It is the crowning way to bring this disc to an incredible conclusion, all three saxists getting a chance to stretch out, with the first up trio added for good measure, several layers of spirits, cosmic currents all rising together. It is one of the first days of Spring today (4/24/19) and the Sun and spiritual music sound perfect together after a long, cold, dismal at times winter. A toast to this mighty fine two CD set, no doubt one of this years best efforts! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18

THE SEEN With JOHN BUTCHER / DAVID TOOP / MARK WASTELL / OLIE BRICE / DOMINIC LASH / PHIL DURRANT / BERTAND DENZLER / CHRIS BURN / et al - Archive: Volumes VI-X - 2014 to 2016 (Confront CCS 87; UK) Since the turn of the century, the London Underground Creative Music Scene, has continued to grow and expand with several dozen musicians, groupings (i.e. the London Improvisers Orchestra), workshops (led by Eddie Prevost) and labels (FMR, Slam, Another Timbre, Matchless & Emanem) all involved in documentation. Cellist/multi-instrumentalist, Mark Wastell started to Confront label which also continues present and record new and older musicians, releasing more than hundred discs so far. Mr. Wastell has been organizing larger formations of musicians, collectively known as THE SEEN, for over 10 years. Using predominantly improvised material with occasional instructions or themes distributed to individual musicians just prior to performance. No formation has ever been repeated, THE SEEN never stays static. Each disc contains an entire concert given by THE SEEN spanning the years 2014 to 2016.
I have been working my way through the five discs of this fine set and have checked two so far and more to listen to tonight. I recognize many but not all of the names here, all from varied backgrounds. I recognize some of the more established musicians like John Butcher, David Toop, Chris Burn and Bertand Denzler, but I was glad to see the participation of Olie Brice, Dominic Lash and Dimitra Lazaridou-Chatzigoga, musicians I’ve met and appreciate their hard work. These discs are well recorded, often close mic’d and balanced so that we can here all of the participants. I am unsure of how much of this was directed or freely improvised but, the sound is often focused, careful and unfolds organically. There are a series of drones on Volume VI: harmonium, melodeon (diatonic button accordion), strings, shruti box or electronics? Hard to tell but fascinating as well. Each of the five sets was recorded at three locations in London: Cafe Oto, Hundred Years Gallery or Limehouse Town Hall. Expanding and contracting, notes/sounds being stretched out in different ways, several layers moving together and around one another. Is that a siren in the distance, electronics or something else?!? There are some 5 hours of serious listening to to check out here so take the time to experience each disc. Limited to 100 copies only and we have five only. All of the aluminum outside cases are slightly banged up due to their long journey from across the great pond. The music is well worth it, either way. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
5 CD Set $48 [LTD Edition of 100 copies/numbered]

ARILD ANDERSEN / CLIVE BELL / MARK WASTELL - Tales of Hackney (Confront Core 05; UK) “This genre defying trio release their debut offering, Tales Of Hackney. Quick to capture the energy and undeniable empathy of their celebrated live performances at Cafe OTO on 24 September 2017, the troika reconvened the following day for an intense 10-hour east London studio session. The beguiling, often meditative results see Andersen deploy his usual sensitivity of touch and evocative tone, as he works in empathetic tandem with Wastell's refined percussive textures and Bell's Asian woodwind armoury.” - Jazzwise
CD $14

ALEX WARD / MIKE GENNARO - Running Time (Confront CCS 93; UK) Last month (March of 2019), British clarinetist & guitarist, Alex Ward, toured with the legendary (This is Not) This Heat, playing at the Big Ears Fest and at Le Pousson Rouge in NYC. The LPR gig was phenomenal, one of the most intense sets I’ve heard this year. The following Sunday, Mr. Ward played here at DMG in a trio with Ami Yamazaki on vocals and Josh Sinton on bass clarinet. That set was also superb, you can catch a snippet of it through DMG’s Instagram feed. Mr. Ward left us with three new discs of his which we will get in the near future. Since then, Confront has released another new disc with Alex Ward on clarinet & guitar and Mike Gennaro on drums. I didn’t quite recall the name of Mike Gennaro, but it turns out that he is Canadian, was once in a duo known as Wrist Error and who recorded with Mats Gustafsson for the long defunct Spool label 20 years ago. This disc was recorded when this duo went on tour in Germany (November of 2017) and is taken from five concerts along the way. I really dig this duo: there is a feeling positive energy, a flow of ideas which feels organic like a breeze or the current in a stream. It begins with clarinet and drums, freely spinning, swirling, casting an infectious spell. Mr. Ward plays guitar on the second piece, the uplifting, free-flowing, swirl & interplay continues… This disc is some 70 minutes long and it completely captivating throughout its long length. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

BENOIT DELBECQ / MANDHIRA DE SARAM - Spinneret (Confront Core 06; UK) Mandhira and Benoît met three years ago in Paris and soon discovered that they loved playing together. They recorded Spinneret a year later, over a day of quiet and meditative composing, at curious distance from the animated playing they are both usually drawn to in their own projects. With a natural flair for exploring the possibilities of their instruments, they weave together a delicate tapestry of sound and texture, which hangs as though stretched and suspended in the air. Spinneret evokes something of a folk-tale, as these two internationally acclaimed players tell of a unique sonic landscape: vast, subtle, and timeless.
CD $14


KEIR NEURINGER / MATTHEW WRIGHT - Speak Cities (Extra Normal Records 005; UK) Featuring Keir Neuringer on alto sax and Matthew Wright on turntable & computer. Philly-based saxist, Keir Neuringer, have come a long way in a short amount of time. Starting with an outstanding debut of solo sax(circular breathing for an hour!?!), he has a couple of strong duo efforts with Rafal Mazur (acoustic bass guitar)and Karin Hellqvist (on ForTune), Mr. Neuringer has collaborated with William Parker and currently is a member of the much talked about & controversial Irreversible Entanglements with Camae Ayewa (Moor Mother), Aquiles Navarro, Luke Stewart & Tcheser Holmes. I caught Mr. Neuringer earlier this week in a trio with Simone Weisenfels on piano and Lou Grassi on drums. Another great set featuring the under-recognized pianist, thanks to promoter Eric Stern. Matthew Wright hails from the UK and has a duo CD out with grand master saxist Evan Parker called ‘Trance Map’.
Although Mr. Neuringer is listed as playing alto sax, it sounds as if he is playing soprano, his pinched tone slightly bent and swirling, with fragmented samples surrounding him. Neuringer is concentrating, his circular lines intense, throbbing, his tones twisted into a variety of shapes. Neuringer’s sax mutates as it explores different sonic terrain, certain notes are related and then bent inside out. Mr. Wright does a fine job of also spinning a web of sounds, carefully twisting the kaleidoscopic stream, accentuating certain sounds and then bending them into fragments. The mandala-like cover of buildings carefully layered, over and over, seems most appropriate for the music found within, especially with a title like ’Speak Cities’. The duo have created their own sonic city which is just as complex as any city that we live in and have to deal with throughout our existence. There is so much going on here that it takes some times to fully absorb it all. Extraordinary on several levels at once. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


RICARDO GALLO QUARTETO - En Transito (LadisTritofonica 039; Columbia) Featuring Ricardo Gallo on piano & compositions, Juan Manuel Toro on contrabass and Juan David Castano on percussion and Jorge Sepulveda on drums. For the past decade, Colombia-born, NY-based pianist, Ricardo Gallo, has left us with a half dozen discs as a leader for Distritofonica and Clean Feed labels. Aside from his two discs on Clean Feed (one with Peter Evans as the leader), Mr, Gallo has led the same quartet for at least five years. Gallo just left with his fifth disc of this group, which can be found in the DMG database. Although the instrumentation is listed as piano, bass, percussion & drums, the opening track sounds like several folks playing flutes. Soon the bass, percussion and piano enter, the quartet spinning a web of fleeting sounds, with Mr. Gallo sparkling a steady stream of notes, somewhere between Sylvie Courvoisier and Kris Davis in approach. On the title track, Mr. Gallo, keeps one a couple of lines moving, the drummer playing one groove while the percussionistic plays around that line. Mr. Gallo has a unique way of repeating a line and then slowly adding some contrapuntal cross lines. It is both playful and charming simultaneously, imaginative in its own subtle way. On “Diaspora Interna”, the percussion player plays a glockenspiel which adds child-like vibe, the piece is stripped down to its bare essentials, still having a lovely, somber spin. The centrifugal force of “Mikrotrafiko” pushed the level intensity up higher, the repeated line is broken up as it escalates higher, the tempo increasing until it ends rather unexpectedly. this disc ends with an alternate version of “Tetralidad”, which a hypnotic repeating line which is accentuated with an undercurrent of odd rhythms from the percussion player. There is something magical going on here that I can’t quite explain but remains hidden just below the surface. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

RICARDO GALLO / ALEJANDRO FLOREZ - Algo Mas Melodico (Festina Lente Discos 027; Columbia) Featuring Alejandro Florez on tiple & bandola and Ricardo Gallo on piano. Colombia-born pianist & composer, Ricardo Gallo, currently lives in Queens and comes to visit DMG every few years and leave us with a new disc or two. Besides his ongoing Colombian quartet (DG Quarteto), Mr. Gallo also has a couple of discs on Clean Feed with several Downtowners like Peter Evans (the leader on an early live effort). This is Mr. Gallo’s second disc with string wiz, Alejandro Florez, who plays tiple (Colombian 12-string classical guitar) and bandola (pear-shaped, doubled strings, mandolin-like). Mr. Florez is also a member of Tibagu, whose disc I reviewed many years ago (in November of 2012).
This disc was recorded at NYU and at a studio in Bogota, Columbia. It is an all acoustic affair and has superb sound. All of the songs were written by Mr. Gallo or Mr. Florez aside from one cover by Andrew Hill. “Emisarios” (by Florez) opens and has some strong interlocking counterpoint and interesting interaction. “Nefertiti” was written by Andrew Hill and was the title of one his more obscure albums. It is not one of Mr. Hill’s more gnarly or difficult songs and here sounds most solemn, lovely, actually touching with a most haunting solo from Mr. Florez. The sound of the piano and double-stringed tiple or bandola is like the blend of a piano and a harpsichord, with one string resonating thicker and the other string plucked more delicately (sounding thinner). While listening to Gallo’s “Hermetismo”, I was thinking about being in an ancient fairy tale, the music was most majestic, more like chamber music but with jazz-like flourishes in the solos. The duo speed up the interplay for “Algo max Melodico”, which has that Zorn-like fractured lines being played tightly together and apart as well. You can tell that a good deal of time went into composing and then playing this music since there is quite a bit surprising twists and turns, as well as structures that are not what they seem but have something buried beneath the surface which take time to figure out. Listening to this disc at length is like discovering another world which is buried underneath what we usually see as the ground. Time to dig in… - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

KIKE MENDOZA - Tinnitus (Matik-Matik 006; Columbia) Featuring Kike Mendoza on guitar & compositions, Santiago Botero on electric bass, Camilo Bartelsman on electric bass, (string) Quarteto Q-Arte. The last time we heard from Kike Mendoza was when I reviewed an earlier disc way back in November of 2012, when we got a half dozen discs from some new acquaintances in Columbia, South America. “Tinnitus is the hearing of sound when no external sound is present.” - Wiki. The opening track features layers of soft, fractured electric guitar with eerie strings underneath. The trio soon starts to rock out in an intense, post-punk, spiky guitar-led way. Although some of the passages sound spastic, they lead to tight, well-written almost prog-like sections. The string quartet is often used as a fourth member of the trio, although certain strings break through the arranged parts to add colors or shades. Some of these songs are suite-like with intense post-punk fury which dissolve into haunting, quieter string sections. It seems to work since the vibe or mood is similar. Something we rarely hear is bent-note electric guitar with string (quartet) accompaniment but this is what makes this disc so interesting, unexpected and unique in part. The Minutemen jamming with the Kronos String Quartet, perhaps?!? Sometimes the trio erupts with the string quartet tightly wound in. This disc is the DMG great surprise of the week! It is not for the faint hearted if you don’t appreciate that post=punk skronk or squall. Yeah! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

MAURIZIO BRUNOD - African Scream (Caligola Records 2248; Italy) Featuring Maurizio Brunod on electric & arch top guitars, sampling & loops. A couple of years ago, an Italian guitarist known as Maurizio Brunod left with three of his previous discs, several duos and a trio disc. Although I knew little previously about Mr. Brunod, he did once play with a band called Enten Eller Quartet, collaborating with Tim Berne. Mr. Brunod recently came back to visit and left us with this, a solo guitars CD. This disc begins with a piece called, “Ayleristic”, written by the late Boston-based guitarist Garrison Fewell who once had a duo disc out with Mr. Brunod. This piece is lovely, sad, poignant, with a heart-felt , Frippish sustained guitar solo. The one standard here is “I Remember Clifford” by Benny Golson, which is laid back, rather solemn with another tasty soft distortion solo. Brunod layers several guitars, with varying amount of sustain and loops, creating a hypnotic blend. “Waltz per Dany” is actually a waltz and it is most charming, somewhere in between Jim Hall and Bill Frisell as far as its lusciousness. Each song features a well selected looped guitar line with a great solo placed on top, the sustained tone of the solos often have a magical, quietly psychedelic tone. On “Tiresia”, Brunod inverts the formal by have the main theme played with that sly fuzz tone and then looping some background swirls as a cushion, a neat trick that works well. Each of the nine songs here stand out as a complete, well thought out idea with all parts balanced just right. Mr. Brunod recently played a set at Spectrum in Brooklyn which I sadly missed. I won’t make that mistake next time and you should grab this disc before they disappear again. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16


Two More from SUNNYSIDE:

TOBIAS MEINHART With KURT ROSENWINKEL / et al - Berlin People (Sunnyside 1541; USA) “The dream of many international jazz musicians is to experience the jazz life of New York City. Saxophonist Tobias Meinhart had the same dream and made a move to the City from his native Germany a decade ago. Having lived in New York for ten years, he came to the realization that a young man from Bavaria can never be from Harlem and that his German roots are central to his musical identity. For his new album Berlin People, Meinhart wanted to bridge the musical cultures of New York City and Germany by recording with a band of his German peers and an American jazz guitarist who has made Berlin his home, the great Kurt Rosenwinkel. Though Meinhart had made his home in New York, he regularly returned to Europe and frequently stayed in Berlin during the summers, where he would reconvene with his musician friends. It was his long time friend, bassist Tom Berkmann, who put Meinhart in touch with Rosenwinkel, a musician that the saxophonist had long admired and hoped to perform with. Kurt Rosenwinkel has been regarded as a firebrand on the guitar and a much-copied stylist. His vocal-like sound has become a touchstone for every guitarist coming up after him. He had relocated to Berlin, at nearly the same time that Meinhart moved to New York, to head the jazz department at the Jazz Institute of Berlin. Rosenwinkel has made Berlin his home base. Meinhart’s music had been in transition over the past few years. His last couple of recordings found him leading quintets with a trumpet as the second melodic voice. His recent compositions lent themselves to the guitar. So Meinhart was overjoyed when Rosenwinkel accepted his invitation to record and tour with Meinhart’s Berlin based band. Meinhart then set out to write a number of pieces with the guitarist’s sound in mind over the next two months. …” - more from www.sunnysiderecords.com/release_detail.php?releaseID=962
CD $15

LOGAN STROSAHL SPEC OPS With HENRY FRASER / ALLAN MEDNARD - Sure (Sunnyside 1543; USA) “Saxophonist and composer Logan Strosahl has increasingly been involved in the myriad worlds of formal composition. His study of pre-1700’s and contemporary composition has led his music far from his musical roots in jazz music. That isn’t to say that jazz had been usurped; on the contrary, Strosahl’s new recording, Sure, by his new ensemble, Spec Ops, is a vital reflection of his continued engagement with the tradition and future of that music. // Having grown up as somewhat of a saxophone prodigy in the Pacific Northwest, Strosahl has a deep connection to jazz and feels that no matter how far his musical interests have ranged, jazz will always be “home”. He doesn’t view jazz as a dogmatic music, though…to him as to many others, it has always been the music of improvisation, interaction, energy, intellect, and the blues; an omnivorous music at once “high” and “low,” in-your-gut and in-your-head. These ideas ground the music of Spec Ops”
CD $15


JAMES TENNEY - Changes: 64 Studies for 6 Harps (New World Records 80810; USA) "Changes: 64 Studies for 6 Harps (1985) is a large-scale work that combines and connects many of James Tenney's (1934-2006) most important theoretical and musical ideas, including gestalt segregation principles and complex intonation systems. Composed with the aid of a mainframe computer at York University, the piece also marks a return to computer-aided, algorithmic composition after a long hiatus. It was one of the first pieces Tenney composed with a computer after he left New York City in the late 1960s to teach at the California Institute of the Arts. After Changes, the majority of Tenney's works involved computer software and formal, algorithmic processes. Tenney was both a prolific composer and theorist but rarely wrote in detail about his own pieces even though his music consistently implemented his theoretical ideas. One exception is his article, 'About Changes,' originally published in the journal Perspectives of New Music. 'About Changes' is a detailed and exhaustive theoretical companion to and description of the piece that carefully documents his compositional procedures, many of which are highly technical and/or mathematical. At the beginning of the article, Tenney writes, 'My intentions in this work were both exploratory and didactic. That is, I wanted to investigate the new harmonic resources that have become available through the concept of 'harmonic space' much more thoroughly than I had in any earlier work. At the same time I wanted to explore these harmonic resources within a formal context that would clearly demonstrate certain theoretical ideas and compositional methods already developed in my computer music of the early 1960s, including the use of stochastic (or constrained-random) processes applied to several holarchical perceptual levels, both monophonically and polyphonically. The references to the I Ching, or Book of Changes, in the titles of the individual studies derive from correlations that were made partly for poetic/philosophical reasons but also -- and perhaps more importantly -- as a means of ensuring that all possible combination of parametric states would be included in the work as a whole. I must confess that I frequently thought of the twenty-four preludes and fugues of J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier as a kind of model for what I wanted to do with the work, although it seems highly unlikely that these studies themselves will ever betray that fact to the listener."
2 CD Set $28

ROBERT PALMER - Piano Music (New World Records 80809; USA) "Robert Palmer (1915-2010) produced more than ninety symphonic, choral, chamber, and solo works throughout his career, earning a reputation in the mid-twentieth century as one of the country's leading, most daring, and -- at the same time -- appealing modernists. Palmer's unique musical language combined a deeply emotional impulse with complex counterpoint and rhythmic structures, drawing comparisons to Hindemith, Bartók, Lou Harrison, even Brahms. Aaron Copland famously included Palmer on his 1948 list of seven composers whom he considered 'the best we have to offer among the new generation,' a list that included Lukas Foss, Leonard Bernstein, and John Cage. This recording, the first devoted solely to the work of this enigmatic and still-unsung hero of American composition, comprises the bulk of his landmark piano works. (All but three are premiere recordings.) A long-overdue and important addition to the canon of recorded modern American music, it serves as a timely portrait of one of the most fascinating figures of a lost generation of mid-century American composers, introducing contemporary listeners to music that sounds as audacious, rousing and emotionally raw today as it did half-a-century ago. Several important pianists have recognized Palmer's music for its haunting beauty and unique rhythmic tide, including John Kirkpatrick, William Kapell, Claudio Arrau, and Yvar Mikhashoff. Palmer's music, full of pathos and joy, illuminates for a whole new generation of musicians and listeners the possibilities of tonal writing. He is part of the chain of events that brought us to our contemporary environment of tonal freedom, and it's time to make amends and include him in that timeline. This album is a start." Performed by Adam Tendler.
CD $15

JULIUS EASTMAN / APARTMENT HOUSE - Femenine (Another Timbre 137; UK) A live recording of Julius Eastman's 1974 work "Femenine" performed by Apartment House led by cellist Anton Lukoszevieze, with Simon Limbrick on vibraphone, Kerry Yong on piano, Mark Knoop on keyboard, Mira Benjamin on violin, and Gavin Morrison and Emma Williams on flute, an ecstatic and intricate work using a repeating figure contrasted with both asynchronous and complementing backgrounds.
CD $15

ANGHARAD DAVIES / RIE NAKAJIMA / ALICE PURTON - Dethick (Another Timbre 136; UK) “Three free improvising women--Angharad Davies, Rie Nakajima, and Alice Purton--met in the church in the tiny hamlet of Dethick, near Matlock, Derbyshire, over the course of two days developing the ten pieces of this album using an impressive set of stringed and percussive instruments, objects, and mysterious sources to create these fascinating sonic evocations.”
CD $15

Ten (!) New Releases from NEOS -

JOHN CAGE / BRIAN FERNEYHOUGH / JAMES WOOD - Two Men Meet, Each Presuming The Other To Be From A Distant Planet / Ryoanji / La Chute d'Icare (Neos 11825; Germany) Contemporary music is a central component of conservatory training today and is practiced at the University of the Arts Bern at the highest level, as this recording attests. When they were written (between 1983 and 1995), these three pieces would have been neither technically nor logistically possible to play at a music conservatory. Each work poses its own challenges. In "Ryoanji" by John Cage it is the unusual structure, which is based partially on chance and requires the interpreters to go beyond merely executing the notation. In his "Two men meet, each presuming the other to be from a distant planet", James Wood employs electronics in a way that exhausted the capabilities of the equipment in the 1980s such that it is necessary to perform the work using these "historical" electronic devices to get the proper sound today. In terms of its instrumental technique, Brian Ferneyhough's "La Chute d'Icare" is music of an almost absurd difficulty.
CD $16

VINKO GLOBOKAR / MARTIN JAGGI / SASCHA JANKO DRAGICEVIC / MARKO NIKODIJEV - 25 Years of Collegium Novum Zurich (Neos 11829; Germany) Since its founding in 1993, Collegium Novum Zürich has advanced to become one of the leading international ensembles for contemporary music. Just in time for their 25th anniversary, NEOS is releasing an exclusive collection of live recordings that represent the ensemble's programmatic identity. When selecting these works, preference was given to world premieres and first performances. Works by Vinko Globokar, Martin Jaggi, Sascha Janko Dragićević, and Marko Nikodijevic.
CD $16

STEFAN SCHULZKI - Chamber Music (Neos 11812; Germany) Stefan Schulzki is known for his especially creative implementation of live electronics. While this can be heard on Chamber Music, the program offers a much more comprehensive overview of Schulzki's work. The recording features chamber works with various instrumentations, from a simple piano song (a new setting of Goethe's "Erlkönig") to a piano concerto with chamber ensemble and electronics written in 2018, from the bitterly ironic Politisches Lied 2011 to the lyrically expressive theater music Die Zeit und das Zimmer (Botho Strauss). All of the recordings were studio productions except for the piano concerto, which is a live recording of the première.
CD $16

ATAC SEZER - Simultaneity (Neos 11814; Germany) Ataç Sezer draws inspiration for his compositions from highly varied sources: the 24 different tonal systems of Turkish makam music, for which he has developed new forms of notation, and also from microtonality and electronic music. He likes to experiment with new playing techniques and loves combining Western and Eastern instruments. Ataç Sezer studied piano and musicology as well as the ney, the traditional flute of Ottoman court music. On Simultaneity, a portrait CD which offers an exclusive selection of chamber, ensemble and orchestral works, it becomes clear how present the influences of two musical traditions are in Sezer's work.
CD $16

UROS ROJKO/IRIS TER SCHIPHORST/LUKA JUHART - Works for Clarinet and Accordion (Neos 11816; Germany) The Slovenian clarinetist Uros Rojko and his compatriot, accordionist Luka Juhart, are performing composers -- as well as composing performers. They are both quite determined to leave this issue undetermined. They have known each other for many years, and, over time, a deep friendship has grown, which is documented on this CD. Their ensemble playing has a natural ease, but also a great intensity. They know and enjoy not only their own works, but those of the other. The program on this CD is supplemented with miniatures by Iris ter Schiphorst that currently belong to the standard repertoire for this special instrumentation. Personnel: Uros Rojko - clarinet; Luka Juhart - accordion.
CD $16

WOLFGANG JAKOBI - Live at Megeve Festival Savoy Truffle (Neos 11818; Germany) The music of Wolfgang Jacobi is worth (re)discovering. Born in 1894 on the island of Rügen in Germany, he pursued university studies and worked in Berlin until his music was banned by the Nazis. Following a brief exile in Italy he resettled in Munich in 1935 where he played a significant role in the public music scene of the post-war era. Jacobi had a pronounced affinity for instruments considered unusual at the time such as the harpsichord, saxophone, and especially the accordion, his use of which is pioneering in contemporary music. In 2018, the Megève Festival Savoy Truffle dedicated a series of performances to Jacobi's music using prominent musicians. These performances, which include a world premiere recording of Jacobi's string quartet by the Arditti Quartet, are now being released on NEOS to commemorate his 125th birthday.
CD $16

HANS EUGEN FRISCHKNECHT - Music for Special Organs (Neos 11902; Germany) The organs that Hans Eugen Frischknecht plays on this CD are extraordinary, one-of-a-kind instruments. He wrote his compositions precisely for these instruments, turning each one's characteristic sound and capabilities into a main feature of each piece. Among these "special organs" are two quartertone organs, one is tuned in meantone temperament with split sharps and two prototypes from the INOV-ORGAN-UM research project. On these latter organs it is possible to adjust the air pressure, even after pressing the keys, to cause variations in the loudness and even pitch of the notes. Hans Eugen Frischknecht has traveled to many countries as an organist, often performing his own works. He studied with Boris Blacher and Michael Schneider, and later also with Olivier Messiaen in Paris.”
CD $16

MAJA MIJATOVIC - To Catch a Running Poet: New Works for the Harpsichord (Neos 11906; Germany) In recent years, Maja Mijatović has tirelessly commissioned new compositions for her instrument, the harpsichord. This album contains the works of eight composers who not only come from different generations, but also strongly contrasting cultural backgrounds. This has resulted in a collection of pieces that demonstrate the great potential for discovery that the harpsichord still has to offer to new music. Features works by: Margareta Ferek-Petrić, Rafael Nassif, Christian Diendorfer, Sylvie Lacroix, Peter Jakober, Tamara Friebel, Manuela Kerer, and Hannes Dufek.
CD $16

LAURIE ALTMAN - Quiet Stone: Music of Laurie Altman (Neos 11970; Germany) With his new CD, Quiet Stone, Laurie Altman abducts the listener into a musical world that is completely different to that of his previous three NEOS recordings. In a certain sense, his background as a jazz pianist shines through; Instead of large, fully composed works he offers miniatures with some improvised passages. The recordings are strongly characterized by the presence of a 13-string guitar belonging to Laurie Altman's stage partner of many years, Anders Miolin. Performers includes: Andreas Kühnrich - cello; Laurie Altman - piano; Nedyalko Petkov - clarinet; Anders Miolin - 13-string guitar; Isabel Pfefferkorn - mezzo-soprano; Matthias Mueller - clarinet.
CD $16

ERIC THIELEMANS & BILLY HART - Talking About The Weather (Sub Rosa 476; Belgium) Talking About The Weather: Teacher and student. Past and present. Two drummers. Two men. Two fathers. Friends. A conversation. A dialogue of the drums. Following up on a drum/percussion duo Eric Thielemans and Billy Hart did in the Summer of 2016 at the Jazz Middelheim festival, these two drummers decided to dedicate time to continue and deepen their versatile dialogues on and around the drums. The meeting and recording of Talking About The Weather took place on January 7-9, 2018 at "Figure 8 Recording"; a beautiful, small recording studio in Brooklyn (NY). In three days' time both drummers circled around the situation of the studio and the conversational aspect of their personal relationship and musicianship. They did this in a way that shows how their musicianship informs and gives structure to a shared experience. As both men after a few sessions acknowledged: "We do talk as we play". Mr. Thielemans and Mr. Hart's story started in the Summer of 1992 when Eric Thielemans joined a masterclass with Billy Hart, organized by the Haleweyn Stiching Summer Jazz Workshop at Dworp in Belgium. This was the start of a deep human connection, friendship and mutual respect for each other's music and musicianship. 25 years in between, a gap, filled with many explorations, life experience and musical endeavors. Time to talk drum shop and drum the talk! Single-LP in 7.5 mm spine sleeve with a 50-page book. 180 gram vinyl. 50-page book, bound with pictures by Monica Jane Frisell and transcriptions of the talks.
Billy Hart: William "Billy" Hart (born November 29, 1940 in Washington, D.C.) is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history. Early on Hart performed in Washington, D.C. with soul artists such as Otis Redding and Sam & Dave, and then later with Buck Hill and Shirley Horn. Hart moved to New York in 1968, where he recorded with McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Zawinul, and played with Eddie Harris, Pharoah Sanders, and Marian McPartland.
Eric Thielemans: Belgian drummer, Thielemans is one of the most idiosyncratic figures in Belgian music, someone who not only demonstrates that special musicians always seek out (and find) their own place, but above all that they always remain students of the art of questioning and listening.
LP BOOK $44


HUGO RACE FATALISTS - Taken By The Dream (Glitterhouse 991; Germany) Following Hugo Race's recent excursions into world electronica -- Dirtmusic's Bu Bir Ruya (GB 055CD/LP, 2018) and Gemini 4 -- meets 21st century blues -- John Lee Hooker's World Today (2017) -- the former Bad Seed is back with a new album of modern folk songs. Hugo Race Fatalists' Taken By The Dream is a cinematic tapestry of complex emotional states illuminated by mercurial moments of dazzling light and grace. Recorded in Sicily in collaboration with Diego Sapignoli and Francesco Giampaoli from one of Italy's most popular and influential instrumental bands, Sacri Cuori, studio guests include Chris Brokaw (Lemonheads, Come, Codeine), Bryan Colechin (The True Spirit), violinist Vicki Brown (Calexico), New Zealand pop songstress Lisa Crawley, Giovanni Ferrario (Scisma, Micevice), and cameo appearances from Race's long-time musical partner Michelangelo Russo. Following Hugo's 2010 solo album, Fatalists, a unique mix of alt-country and electronica recorded in Italy with Sacri Cuori, the band took on the name of Fatalists and toured extensively in Italy, consolidating their unique sound on 2012's We Never Had Control. A five-track EP Orphans followed in 2014, along with tours in greater Europe and Australia. In 2016 Hugo Race Fatalists' released 24 Hours to Nowhere to international critical acclaim: "24 Hours from Nowhereis darker than the darkest Walkabouts song, it's a scorched earth vision... The songs sound magnificent, the instruments like blocks of grey tones, beautifully picked out, with plenty of room between them... Overall this is a dark Gothic piece that skillfully calls on Lee Hazelwood and Ennio Morricone to create a suite of songs that is beautifully constructed and breathlessly cinematic." --David Cowling, Americana UK "In Australia, Hugo Race is present not only with his music which speaks for itself, but also with a book he has recently published, Road Series, an autobiographical road novel. In it, he processes his travel experiences of the past 30 years -- a mixture of Bruce Chatwin and Jack Kerouac. But despite the unexpected literary success, Hugo Race continues to make music. He needs songwriting as the air we breathe, he says." --Carsten Beyer, Deutschlandradio Kultur.
CD $17

MINYO CRUSADERS - Echoes of Japan (Mais Um 036; UK) Minyo Crusaders rework historic Japanese folk songs (min'yō) with Latin, African, Caribbean, and Asian rhythms for their debut album Echoes of Japan. Releases from Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, and Midori Takada have re-ignited global interest in Japanese music and Echoes of Japan marks the arrival of a big band like no other. "For Japanese people, min'yō is both the closest, and most distant, folk music," explains band-leader Katsumi Tanaka: "We may not feel it in our daily, urban lives, yet the melodies, the style of singing and the rhythm of the taiko drums are engrained in our DNA." Initially indifferent to min'yō, a tragic event in recent Japanese history set Tanaka on his current path: "Following the Tohoku earthquake of 2011, I reflected on my life, work and identity. A fan of world music, I began searching for Japanese roots music I could identify with. Discovering mid-late 20th century acts Hibari Misora, Chiemi Eri and the Tokyo Cuban Boys, I was captivated by their eccentric arrangements and how they mixed min'yō with Latin and jazz." Originally sung by fishermen ("Kushimoto Bushi"; "Mamurogawa Ondo"), coal miners ("Tanko Bushi") and sumo wrestlers ("Sumo Jinku"), these songs deal with topics such as the returning spirits of ancestors ("Hohai Bushi"), Japan's smallest bird ("Toichin Bushi"), and a bride's love for her husband's pockmarked face ("Otemoyan"). Minyo Crusaders are one of the most hyped acts on the Tokyo music scene that went national in 2018 through festivals such as Fuji Rock. The band features veterans of the Tokyo roots music scene such as bassist DADDY U (Ska Flames), keyboardist Moe (Kidlat), sax player Koichiro Osawa (Matt Sounds, J.J. Session), Yamauchi Stephan (J.J. Session), percussionist Mutsumi Kobayashi (Banda de la Mumbia), conga player Irochi (Cubatumb), and vocalist Meg (DJ collective Tokyo Sabroso). For fans of: Haruomi Hosono, Soundway Records, Analog Africa, Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. CD version comes in gatefold digipack; includes poster with Japanese lyrics and English translations. Check it out at: forcedexposure.com/m3u/MAIS036CD_01_01.mp3/MAIS036CD_01_01.m3u
CD $15

Historic & Archival Records, Restock & Reissues:

ARCHIE SHEPP With BILL DIXON / JOHN TCHICAI / DON CHERRY / J.C. MOSES / ALAN SHORTER / ROSWELL RUDD / REGGIE WORKMAN / BEAVER HARRIS / et al - The Early Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9165; EEC) A defining voice in the 'free jazz' movement, Archie Shepp's vivid musical improvisation and his unrelenting political views that emerged concurrently in the early 1960s maintained his position among the pioneers of the avant-garde form. His blistering tenor solos became a vessel for the anger felt in the Afro-American community, and as he disregarded traditional conventions within the genre. His mixing of African culture with free form composition and arrangement were both pivotal to the development of jazz in the early 1960s and an antidote to the emerging saccharine-sweet vocal forms taking precedence in the US Charts at the time. This 4CD box set chronicles the early years of Archie Shepp's musical career, as an originator, a pioneer and a major contributor to the early 1960s free-form movement. Featuring eight original albums, together totaling over 5 hours playing time, all re-mastered in superb audio quality, this set serves as an ideal introduction to this oft-under-appreciated musical genius, and is a welcome reminder of the great man's inspired vision and extraordinary sound.
4 CD Set $18

KEVIN COYNE With ZOOT MONEY - Live at Rockpalast 1979 (MIG 90932; Germany) Kevin Coyne on this Rockpalast recording from WDR studio L, Köln from January 4 1979 finds him at the top of his game, performing to a captive audience midway through a sold out German tour and gives a splendid flavour of his idiosyncratic but particularly individual style with eighteen cuts like the venomous Right On Your Side, the acoustic punk-style approach of Amsterdam or the righteous anger of Having A Party.
Only three songs in, Coyne is sweating profusely yet giving it absolutely everything dressed in decidedly untrendy bib and brace combo. Coyne appears fresh, particularly coherent and confident in his ability to deliver his biting sarcasm; his witty self-deprecation is superbly captured as he stares into a hand mirror and declares "Kevin you look beautiful". He dons a grey top hat for the electro and frenetic semi-atheistic Saviour and his open-tuning rhythmic delivery only adds to the compassion of the anti-racist Uggy's Song. Dedicating the acoustic punk blues of "Brothers Of Mine" to Johnny Rotten, 'A great man' he proclaims only adds to his legend as a punk influence and a willing outsider.
Joined by UK musical heavyweight and admirer Zoot Money from Dynamite Daze gives an indication of just how well Coyne, despite his outsider persona, was loved and respected in his native land. His art school past and his German environs perhaps make a song like Are We Dreaming evoke memories of the theatrical approach of Brecht, and he further expands the atmosphere donning a plastic mask for Burning Head while his own artwork in the shape of the beautiful grotesque grinning bizarre backdrop head looks on approvingly.
This recording finds Coyne at his very best and absolutely in his element.
2 CD DVD $25

THE JAMES BROWN BAND - Sho Is Funky Down Here (Now-Again 5181; USA) "Sho is Funky Down Here and The Grodeck Whipperjenny are a pair of albums that are the result of an unlikely but highly productive musical relationship between James Brown, a superstar at the creative and commercial peaks of his long career, and David Matthews, a then young arranger-musician whose limited professional experience had little or nothing to do with the funk and soul of his collaborator. James Brown's psychedelic album, created by his then-bandleader David Matthews, and issued at the same time as Matthews' classic The Grodeck Whipperjenny. Underground, fuzzy, rambling psych-funk. The genesis of Brown's 'Talking Loud And Saying Nothing,' a 1990s hip hop sample staple, informing A Tribe Called Quest, Large Professor, Brand Nubian and others. Both albums were lacquered directly from the original master tapes at Capitol Studios. This is the first official reissue of both of these rare titles. Each album contains an extensive booklet with full annotation, liner notes by Brown historian Alan Leeds and never-before-published photos."
CD $17

THE GRODECK WHIPPERJENNY - The Grodeck Whipperjenny (Now-Again 5182; USA) "Sho is Funky Down Here and The Grodeck Whipperjenny are a pair of albums that are the result of an unlikely but highly productive musical relationship between James Brown, a superstar at the creative and commercial peaks of his long career, and David Matthews, a then young arranger-musician whose limited professional experience had little or nothing to do with the funk and soul of his collaborator. James Brown's psychedelic album, created by his then-bandleader David Matthews, and issued at the same time as Matthews' classic The Grodeck Whipperjenny. Underground, fuzzy, rambling psych-funk. The genesis of Brown's 'Talking Loud And Saying Nothing,' a 1990s hip hop sample staple, informing A Tribe Called Quest, Large Professor, Brand Nubian and others. Both albums were lacquered directly from the original master tapes at Capitol Studios. This is the first official reissue of both of these rare titles. Each album contains an extensive booklet with full annotation, liner notes by Brown historian Alan Leeds and never-before-published photos."
CD $17

LP Section:

MATS GUSTAFSSON & CHRISTIAN MARCLAY - Link (Smalltown Supersound/Actions for Free Jazz 199; UK) Featuring Christian Marclay: turntables and Mats Gustafsson: live electronics & slide, tenor and baritone saxes. Recorded and mixed April 2006 by Christoffer Roth and Olof Madsen at Studio Dubois, Stockholm. Mastered by Martin Siewert . "Smalltown Superjazzz was a free-jazz subsidiary label to Smalltown Supersound from 2005-2012. The label has been dormant since 2012, due to the fact that Smalltown founder Joakim Haugland 'didn`t feel the label any longer'. So in 2012 Haugland put the label to rest. Phase two. AFJ-Series represents a new start. Built on the foundation and heritage of the Superjazzz label. AFJ-Series is short for Actions for free jazz. This was the slogan for Smalltown Superjazzz and was borrowed at the time from Don Cherry & Krystzof Penderecki's The New Eternal Rhythm Orchestra track 'Actions For Free Jazz Orchestra' from the 1971 album Actions. AFJ-Series will be a series and a subsidiary label within the Smalltown Supersound label. The inspiration for the label is BYG Actuel, Incus, Freedom and ESP-Disk. All releases will be vinyl only, no CDs (some will be available digitally). The vinyl will be limited to 500 copies and no repress. The series' design will be by Smalltown designer Kim Hiorthøy. The albums will be executive produced by Haugland and Lasse Marhaug."
LP $24

DWARFS OF EAST AGOUZA / CHRIS CORSANO & BILL ORCUTT - Electric Smog (Unrock 014; Germany) Electric Smog, the next installment in Unrock's ongoing Saraswati series, will be the most rebellious and wildest to date. Again an intercontinental output, this is a dangerous, electric brew filled with exotic aroma from Cairo's sound guerilla, Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls), Maurice Louca (Karkhana), and Sam Shalabi (Land of Kush, Karkhana). The always-changing face of Dwarfs Of East Agouza shows them in a feverish mode with an adrenalin rush; massive eruptions fight a genuine flow. Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt manage to sound like a tonal cyclone consisting of 156 musicians, blowing heads and minds away. Out of the blue they suddenly manage to change mode and develop mild, calm, and elegant/fragile melodies. Interplay between early Baker and Clapton in Cream's looser frequencies seems sometimes just a stone's throw away. Electric Smog is meant to be a twin release to Sir Richard Bishop and David Oliphant/Karkhana with Nadah El Shazly's Carte Blanche (UNROCK 013LP, 2019).
LP $26

BILL LASWELL - City of Light (Sub Rosa 114; Belgium) First time ever on vinyl, re-released in our Sub Rosa Blackcore series. City of Light is the sixth solo album by American composer Bill Laswell, released on July 29, 1997. While it may appear an anachronism in his catalog, fans of Bill Laswell will find City of Light an extension of ideas he has explored throughout his career. His strong interest in Eastern music and religion resulted in this 1997 collaboration with Janet Rienstra. Part sacred, spoken word, part meditative soundscape, City of Light takes as its inspiration the holy region of Banaras, India. Said to belong to Shiva, Banaras also contains the Ganges river: a place sought by Hindus for their cremation. Surrounding the texts is some of the most compelling music this genre has produced, featuring Trilok Gurtu on tablas, Coil (Peter Christopherson and John Balance) on electronics, Tetsu Inoue on sound collages, and Lori Carson on vocals. City of Light was recorded in Banaras, India, and mixed in Greenpoint, New York. It is about Banaras, a city older than history, tradition, and legends. It is Shiva's land, founded at the dawn of creation, and it is India's oldest and most fabled city. The Hindus call it Kashi, the luminous, the City of Light. Features a historical introduction by Hakim Bay. "Indian" green vinyl; Edition of 500.
LP $16

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. - Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part Two (Important Records Imprec 474; USA) Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part Two contains a new deep-pocket groove disco version of fan favorite "Pink Lady Lemonade". Side two is a slick kosmiche-electro-disco number that unfurls over a period of 20 minutes and is periodically punctuated by Makoto Kawabata's unruly soloing. Recorded at Acid Mothers Temple, June 2016-March 2017; produced and mixed by Kawabata Makoto. Personnel: Cotton Casino - voice, astral mama; Kawabata Makoto - guitar, fretless bass, bouzouki, organ, rhythm machine, electronics, tapes, speed guru; Higashi Hiroshi - synthesizer, noodle king; Mitsuko☆Tabata - guitar, guitar-synthesizer, voice, kisses and hugs; Satoshima Nani -drums, another dimension; S/T "Wolf" - bass, tapes, space and time.
LP $27

MARTIN BARTLETT - Anecdotal Electronics: Live Experiments & Other Recordings (Arc Light Editions ALE 009; UK) Martin Bartlett was an inspiring and original thinker, composer, writer, performer, and organizer. His preoccupation with building aleatoric elements into electronic music distinguishes his work. He devised elegant and open interactions for instrumental performers and computer-controlled synthesizers which included building his own electronic devices and extensive work on the Buchla 400. He worked with or studied under Pauline Oliveros, John Cage, and David Tudor, and collaborated extensively with Don Buchla, and some of their live performances are included on the LP Anecdotal Electronics. He also studied Carnatic vocal music with V. Lakshminarayana Iyer in Madras, South Asian music with Pandit Pran Nath, and gamelan with K.R.T. Wasitidipuro. He founded the Vancouver Community Gamelan in 1986. His performances were often collaborative -- for the Western Front's second anniversary in 1975, he devised the four-channel piece "One Piece for Everyone", where he prepared and cooked a cauliflower curry on a table connected to a self-built synthesizer, while reading from texts on food. When the curry was cooked, the piece ended, and everyone was fed. Bartlett was a prolific writer, and he expresses himself in fresh, lucid, and wonderfully descriptive prose, offering clear thinking on social aspects of electronic music performance; on the barriers between the performer and the "black box" and on possibilities for organic systems in electronic music. He also wrote the incandescent manifesto-like piece "Electronic Recalcitrant" (which forms the cover artwork for Anecdotal Electronics), in which he hoped that electronic music would be imbued with "organic codes of growth and metamorphosis" so that he could "pluck elegant and fleshy electronic sound fish from the frothy algorithmic sea of possibilities". It is unclear why Bartlett's work remains unknown. Perhaps it is because it remained largely inside the academy. Perhaps his commitment to live performance and community activity means it was more transient than the work of others. Perhaps his openness about his sexuality played a part in his music not receiving much recognition -- one can only speculate. But correspondence in his archive shows that rejection from labels was a source of great personal discontent, leading to Bartlett working with the Western Front to release his final opus "Pythagoras' Ghost" shortly before his death. Bartlett died young, of AIDS-related causes, in 1993, but his music is characterized by an irresistible and unselfconscious charm that renders his sound unique.
Arc Light Editions releases an LP "sketchbook" of live recordings, experiments, and spoken word titled Anecdotal Electronics, and a CD of Bartlett's longer electroacoustic and orchestral works, titled Ankle On (ALE 010CD). Compiled and edited by Luke Fowler with Jennifer Lucy Allan. Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi. "Three Songs" features Dan Shiedt Doug Collinge.
LP $24

JAMES PLOTKIN - The Joy of Disease: Demos & Remixes (B.F.E. Records 045; Spain) Progression and creativity are keywords regarding James Plotkin's oeuvre. Beginning with the relentless, ever evolving and hallucinating music of O.L.D., through his many solo records and collaborations, to the surreal heavy-weight sound of Khanate, he's always been bound to be personal. Proof of quality are these instrumental demos of his landmark album of experimental music The Joy Of Disease. The Joy Of Disease: Demos & Remixes showcases the initial recordings in preparation for the cult-favorite album, released in 1995 on John Zorn's Japanese Avant label. These early home-recorded instrumental versions are supplemented by unreleased remixes from Plotkin and co-producer Mick Harris of Napalm Death/Scorn fame. The remixes were done during the original album sessions at Mick Harris' Black Box studio in the Custard Factory in Birmingham, UK. This is the first time these demo recordings have been heard by anyone other than Plotkin since their inception. "... somewhere full of stabbing psychedelic guitar loops and a slow, steady swarm of almost goth-like dirge beats that was quieter than something of the Wax Trax! or Boredoms ilk, but also subtler and simpler, with an avant-garde touch of Bruce Gilbert-styled feedback minimal electronica." --All Music
LP CD $33

MARS - Mars Archives Volume Three: N.N. End (Feeding Tube Records 377; USA) "Barring some miraculous discovery (never out of the question!), Mars Archives Volume Three: N.N. End is the final LP in our series of LPs documenting the music of New York's most amazing combo of the No Wave era, Mars. From their more-quotidian beginnings as China, whose sound was influenced by the Velvets and Television, Mars mutated and grew in a variety of nearly unchartable directions. N.N. End documents the latter, immaculate stages of the band's destruction of song forms once and for all. The A-side captures a live show at Max's Kansas City in July 1978. They were still playing some of the songs from the No NY compilation, which had not yet been released. Their sound had moved on since the recording session, however, and you can hear the songs dissolving structurally as they move along. Pretty amazing. The B-side is from a rehearsal tape recording while they prepped for their final show (at Max's in December 1978.) At this point, Mars was shredding the cocoon that had held their music. Then shredding the music itself. Vocals, guitars, rhythms all come apart in clumps, taking on lives of their own. Beyond good and evil, Mars stood alone. And then they were gone. Hope you've followed their contrail." - Byron Coley
LP $20

VILLAGE OF SPACES - Shaped by Place (Feeding Tube Records 421; USA) "Brilliant new album from Village of Spaces, a combo once described as, 'Dan and his raggle taggle band of hippies' by Michael Hurley, a guy who knows about such things. The Dan in question is Dan Beckman-Moon who, along with his partner Amy Moon Offermann-Sims, is the central core of this constantly evolving, psychedelically-inclined, folk juggernaut. V.O.S. has had many name variations and members in the 17 years since Dan and Amy formed this more perfect union, but all of their recordings are possessed by a singular sense of rurality and otherness. They've been based everywhere from Santa Cruz to New Orleans to Belfast (Maine), and this album was recorded in expectedly nomadic fashion. Using various players and rooms from their network of collusionists, Shaped by Place offers a smoother ride than some of its predecessors. The two covers they do of songs by Gordon Bok (the legendary Maine folksinger/woodworker who was Dan's mentor when he was coming up) have a very sweet traditional swing. On 'Shoreline Birds,' the way Dan's voice interacts with the pedal steel puts me in mind of Mike Nesmith's classic collabs with Red Rhodes (like 'The Great Ennui' off Nevada Fighter (1971)). Other parts move like some unreleased Raccoon label album, with the same mix of straight and weird that whole crew managed to conjure up so effortlessly. Players on Shaped include members of Big Blood, Amps for Christ, Dire Wolves, and all manner of stylistic drifters. Sorta like what Hurley said, but better. A true feast of the mind, ears and soul. Dig in now or be forever hungry for something you can't quite put your finger on. Mystery is rarely served up so neat." - Byron Coley, 2019 Edition of 300.
LP $22

WAYNE ROGERS - The Air Below (Twisted Village 1968; USA) Wayne Rogers (b. 1965) formed Crystalized Movements in September of 1979, Magic Hour in May of 1993, and Major Stars in January of 1996. He's also recorded eight solo albums 1992-2007. 11 years later in 2018, he recorded his ninth, titled The Air Below, beginning in October of 2018 in a shed in his backyard. File under: downer rock, psychedelia (of a sort), private press, Eastern Massachusetts, albums recorded in a backyard shed.
LP $17

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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for February of 2019:

THE NEW STONE

Is Located at the New School’s Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th street - just east of 6th ave

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - OKKYUNG LEE - APR 23–27

4/26 Friday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Sara Serpa (voice) Ches Smith (vibes) Okkyung Lee (cello)

4/27 Saturday
8:30 pm - QUARTET - Ches Smith (drums) Ganavya Doraiswamy (voice) Brandon Lopez (bass) Okkyung Lee (cello)

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - SATOKO FUJII - APRIL 30–MAY 4

4/30 Tuesday
8:30 pm - Satoko Fujii Orchestra NYC - Oscar Noriega, Briggan Krauss (alto sax) Ellery Eskelin, Tony Malaby (tenor sax) Andy Laster (baritone sax) Dave Ballou, Herb Robertson, Kappa Maki (trumpet) Joe Fiedler, Curtis Hasselbring (trombone) Nels Cline (guitar) Stomu Takeishi (bass) Ches Smith (drums)

5/1 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Satoko Fujii and Joe Fonda
Satoko Fujii (piano) Joe Fonda (bass)

5/2 Thursday
8:30 pm - Kappa Maki, Satoko Fujii, Ikue Mori and Chris Corsano
Kappa Maki (trumpet) Satoko Fujii (piano) Ikue Mori (electronics) Chris Corsano (drums)

5/3 Friday
8:30 pm - Satoko Fujii, Devin Gray and Chris Tordini
Satoko Fujii (piano) Devin Gray (drums) Chris Tordini (bass)

5/4 Saturday
8:30 pm - Kira Kira - Kappa Maki (trumpet) Al Martin (fender rhodes piano) Satoko Fujii (piano) Andrew Drury (drums)

THE (NEW) STONE is located in The New School’s Glass Box Theatre  
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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JOHN ZORN Presents The STONE SERIES at Happy Lucky No. 1:

Friday, April 26, 2019 - 8:00 PM 9:00 PM
JON IRABAGON with Scott Robinson and Patricia Brennan

Saturday, April 27th - 8:00 PM 9:00 PM:
JON IRABAGON "I Don’t Hear Nothin’ by the Blues"
with Mick Barr, Ava Mendoza and Mike Pride

Happy Lucky No. 1: 734 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11216
646 623 0414 / www.happyluckyno1.com
by subway: Take 2, 4, or 5 trains to Franklin ; Take 3 train to Nostrand Ave.
Take A or C to Nostrand Ave.

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Bushwick Improvised Music Series Continues:

Monday April 29th
7pm Amir Segall - piano
Omri Kochavi - guitar

8pm Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Sandy Ewen - guitar/electronics
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums

9pm Lisanne Tremblay -violin/electronics
Shawn Lovato - bass
Colin Avery Hinton - drums

9:45pm Alejandro Flórez - guitar
Sarah Bernstein - violin/electronics
James Ilgenfritz - bass
Andrew Drury - drums

10:45pm Jessie Cox - drums
Sam Yulsman - keyboard
Roman Filiu - alto saxophone

11:30pm Stelios Mihas - guitar
Ayako Kanda - vocals
Zach Swanson - bass
Michael Sutton - drums

Downstairs @ Bushwick Public House
https://bushwickpublichouse.com/ gaucimusic.com
1288 Myrtle Avenue , Bushwick
(Across the street from M train Central Ave stop)
$10 suggested donation

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Shapeshifter April, 2019:

Apr 28
7pm: Berta Moreno Afro-Jazz Soul Project
Berta Moreno- Tenor Sax/compositions
Manuel Valera- Piano
Maksim Perepelica- Bass
Raphael Pannier- Drums
8:15pm:Arctic Circle
John Melendez/piano
Annie Nikunen/flute 
Danny Stagnitta/alto sax 
Kelly Oja/bass
Rishav Archaya/drums

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I-BEAM Presents:

FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2019 - 8:00 PM 10:00 PM
LIEBOWITZ / FILIANO / WIMBERLY
SIMONE WEISSENFELS / KEIR NEURINGER / LISA BELLA DONNA

8:00 PM
Carol Liebowitz - piano
Ken Filiano - bass
Michael Wimberly - drums

9:00 PM
Simone Weissenfels - piano
Keir Neuringer - saxophone
Lisa Bella Donna - drums

SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2019
OMAR TAMEZ & MILO TAMEZ CROSSPATH
8:00PM - Omar Tamez & Milo Tamez : The Music of Paul Motian
Omar Tamez - Guitar
Milo Tamez - Drums
9:00PM - Tamez / Tamez / Rosenbloom : Crosspath
Omar Tamez - Guitar
Milo Tamez - Drums
Mara Rosenbloom - Piano

IBEAM in BROOKLYN, NYC
168 7TH STREET
BROOKLYN, NY, 11215