DMG Newsletter for July 4th, 2019

“Trouble Every Day”
from The Mothers of Invention’s ‘Freak-Out! album
Released in 1966! Lyrics by Frank Zappa

Well I'm about to get UPSET
From watchin' my TV
Been checkin' out the news
Until my eyeballs fail to see
I mean they say that every day
Is just another rotten mess
And when it's gonna change, my friends
Is anybody's guess (1st verse)

So I'm watchin' and I'm waitin'
Hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin'
Every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay
That trouble comin' every day
No way to delay
That trouble comin' every day (chorus)

Wednesday I watched the riot...
I seen the cops out on the street
Watched 'em throwin' rocks and stuff
And chokin' in the heat
Listened to reports
About the whisky passin' 'round
Seen the smoke & fire
And the market burnin' down
Watched while everybody
On his street would take a turn
To stomp and smash and bash and crash
And slash and bust and burn (2nd verse)

And I'm watchin' and I'm waitin'
Hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin'
Every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay
That trouble comin' every day
No way to delay
That trouble comin' every day (chorus)

Well you can cool it,
You can heat it...
'Cause, baby, I don't need it...
Take your TV tube and eat it
'N all that phony stuff on sports
'N all THOSE unconfirmed reports
You know I watched that rotten box
Until my head began to hurt
From checkin' out the way
The newsmen say they get the dirt
Before the guys on channel so-and-so
And further they assert
That any show they'll interrupt
To bring you news if it comes up
They say that if the place blows up
They'll be the first to tell
Because the boys they got downtown
Are workin' hard and doin' swell,
And if anybody gets the news
Before it hits the street,
They say that no one blabs it faster
Their coverage can't be beat
And if another woman driver
Gets machine-gunned from her seat
They'll send some joker with a brownie
And you'll see it all complete (3rd verse)

So I'm watchin' and I'm waitin'
Hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin'
Every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay
That trouble comin' every day
No way to delay
That trouble comin' every day (chorus)

Hey you know something people
I'm not black
But there's a whole lots a times
I wish I could say I'm not white

Well, I seen the fires burnin'
And the local people turnin'
On the merchants and the shops
Who used to sell their brooms and mops
And every other household item
Watched the mob just turn and bite 'em
And they say it served 'em right
Because a few of them are white,
And it's the same across the nation
Black & white discrimination
They're yellin' "You can't understand me!"
And all the other crap they hand me
In the papers and TV
'N all that mass stupidity
That seems to grow more every day
Each time you hear some nitwit say
He wants to go and do you in
Because the color of your skin
Just don't appeal to him
(No matter if it's black or white)
Because he's out for blood tonight (4th verse)

You know we gotta sit around at home
And watch this thing begin
But I bet there won't be many left
To see it really end
'Cause the fire in the street
Ain't like the fire in my heart
And in the eyes of all these people
Don't you know that this could start
On any street in any town
In any state if any clown
Decides that now's the time to fight
For some ideal he thinks is right
And if a million more agree
There ain't no great society
As it applies to you and me
Our country isn't free
And the law refuses to see
If all that you can ever be
Is just a lousy janitor
Unless your uncle owns a store
You know that five in every four
WON'T amount TO nothin' more
THAN watch the rats go across the floor
And make up songs about being poor
Blow you harmonica son! 95th verse)

I bought the Mothers of Invention’s debut album ‘Freak-Out!’ during the summer of 1967, right after turning 13 and getting Bar Mitzvahed. It completely blew my teenage mind and I have been a Mothers Freak ever since. I listened to this song over & over until I knew all of the words. I recited those words to a 7th grade music appreciation class in middle school and can still recite them verbatim today! This song is a throbbing, psychedelic/blues/rock protest anthem and the words really made me think about America, the place where I grew up and still live. The good & the bad, the lies & the truth, the freedom and the fascism that we have long fought against, which remained buried in a civilized society until recently when the darker parts of society have been unleashed. It is Independent Day today, so we are supposed to celebrate our independence… but from what?!?

I had a dream recently that I became the captain of the International Anti-Fascist League, a peace-keeping army of volunteers. Hundreds of thousands of us: Women, Children, Immigrants, Artists, People of Color, Native-Americans… we are marching to Washington and we will show the deplorables: the Nazis, White-Supremacists, bullies, liars, Clergy Right, Wall Street Scum, anyone whose religion is Greed, all fascists and tough-person posers, who are the Real Freedom Fighters are. You must stand up for what you believe is right! Put away your I-phones and talk to your neighbors, shake their hands and give them a hug. We are in this mess together so reach out… This is how it starts, it is time to heal. Blow your harmonic son! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery - July 4th, 2019


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The Downtown Music Gallery 28th Anniversary Celebrations began on May 1st & Continues!
Every In-store This Summer Helps Celebrate the Spirit of Creative Music Performed Live.

Sunday, July 7th:
6pm: RAF VERTESSEN / ANNA WEBBER / ADAM O’FARRILL - Drums / Reeds / Trumpet

Sunday, July 14th:
6pm: NICK LYONS and Company

Sunday, July 21st:
6pm: LARUM Featuring: CHET DOXAS / MICAH FRANK - Woodwinds / Cassette Deck/Electronics

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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Recommended Gig of the Week:
JOHN ZORN Presents The STONE SERIES at Happy Lucky No. 1:

2 night residencies
Friday, July 5th & Saturday, the 6th - 8:00 PM 9:00 PM

Friday: MATTHEW SHIPP with Ivo Perelman
Saturday: MATTHEW SHIPP with Michael Bisio
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.
$20 ADMISSION

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FREE CADENCE MAGAZINES!

Publisher David Haney has sent us a half dozen copies of CADENCE MAGAZINE/DIGEST to give away. There tons of interviews and reviews of all sorts of jazz recordings. The first six of you who ask will receive your free copy along with your next mail-order. Each Cadence runs more than 250 pages.

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A Dozen Exciting Gems from the Great FMR Label:

PAUL DUNMALL / PERCY PURSGLOVE / HAMID DRAKE / STEVE TROMANS / DAVE KANE - Soultime (FMR 538; UK) Featuring Paul Dunmall on tenor & alto saxes, Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Steve Tromans on piano, Dave Kane on bass and Hamid Drake on drum set & frame drum. Recorded in the Eastside jazz Club in Birmingham, UK in November of 2018. With the demise of his own Duns label, British sax giant, has continued to perform & record for other labels like Slam, FMR and recently an amazing Coltrane tribute 2 CD set (with Alan Skidmore) for the Confront label. For every release, Mr. Dunmall gathers the cream of the UK scene with occasional international travelers added. This fine quintet has an earlier disc out on FMR and it features an eclectic cast, each of whom has worked with Dunmall in varied previous ensembles. Trumpeter Percy Pursglove has worked with Mr. Dunmall on a half dozen earlier projects as well as with Barry Guy and Raymon Lopez. Bassist Dave Kane was (still is?) a member of a great trio with Matthew Bourne, who also backed Dunmall for 1 earlier effort. Everyone’s favorite drummer, Hamid Drake, hails from Chicago with is constantly in demand everywhere. He also has worked with Mr. Dunmall in a handful other earlier sessions.
Starting with the title tune, “Soultime”, an aptly named soulful, jazz song that sounds like it was recorded in the mid-sixties. I can’t recall ever hearing Mr. Dunmall play in this uplifting, soulful style. Everyone in this quintet is into the swell, slamming, funky groove and is sure do feel good. For the most part the rest of this disc is free, free flowing, very tight, focused as one strong spirit. The quintet sounds as if they have been playing for many years although this is not the case. Unlike most discs from Paul Dunmall & Co., someone wrote a number of infectious, catchy themes here. It doesn’t list anyone as the composer here which is odd since all of those themes will bring a smile to the face of any sourpusses. Strangely enough, there are a few more mellower songs that are a delight. “Masked Intruder” starts with a quiet unaccompanied trumpet solo which slowly builds until it turns into a Blue Note-like hard-swinging groove tune with inspired solos from the piano, ascending as it gets freer throughout. The music flows effortlessly throughout, from one piece to the next without ever pausing. Mr. Dunmall’s tone on tenor has never sounded better: warmer, tasty and with slow-burning fire. The irrepressible Hamid Drake is featured on a lone frame drum midway (w/ a bit of chanting), which adds another highlight to this already marvelous set. It is pretty rare for me to call any disc perfect but I must admit that this disc is as good as it gets for modern jazz, everything fits just right. There is no overblowing, no one hogs the spotlight, hence it feels wonderful, soothing, healing, spiritual without being completely free. The question remains, who wrote this music? He or she should be applauded. I will contact my old pal, Mr. Dunmall and find out and let you know. In the meantime, grab this disc and start to do some healing. Peace. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG - 7/3/19
CD $14


PAUL DUNMALL / PHILIP GIBBS / BENEDICT TAYLOR / ASHLEY JOHN LONG - Landscapes (FMR 533; UK) Featuring Paul Dunmall on soprano sax & flute, Philip Gibbs on guitar, Benedict Taylor on viola and Ashley John Long on bass. Recorded by Jonathan Scott at the Victoria Rooms in Bristol, UK in September of 2018. Practically every session that British reeds colossus, Paul Dunmall, does has different personnel, drawing from a large community of creative musicians from across the United Kingdom. For this date, Mr. Dunmall works with his longtime compatriot guitar Phil Gibbs, who can be found on dozens of Dunmall dates. The other two musicians are newer to the Dunmall stable: violist Benedict Taylor has also worked with Evan Parker, Keith Tippett & Alex Ward while bassist Ashley John Long has also worked with Keith Tippett and can be found amongst the dozens of new musicians from that recent project known as The Seen (5 CD Set on Confront). This is closer to a chamber quartet than a jazz quartet with Mr. Dunmall playing soprano sax and flute, two instruments he doesn’t play very often. The best thing about this disc is this: it was recorded by Jonathan Scott, a master of recording & mastering who has long worked with Mr. Dunmall. Hence, the sound is superb! Guitarist Philip Gibbs is Dunmall’s most constant collaborator and one of the greatest of all improvising guitarists. Right from the first note, the interaction between Dunmall on soprano & Gibbs on guitar is incredible, lightning flash responses, edge-of-your-seat dialogue. Dunmall rarely works with string players, except for contrabass so it is great to hear the up & coming viola player, Benedict Taylor also tossing off exciting, thought-provoking lines, rubbing the strings and twisting certain notes inside-out. Bassist Ashley John Long occasionally fills in the entire bottom end, playing both bass & rhythmic lines simultaneously. There is a section in the first piece where the soprano & bowed bass shadow each other while the guitar & viola spin quick lines around one another, several orbits all intersecting. When things slow down, we hear more of the subtle nuances different sorts of note-bending experimentation. There are some extraordinary interactions between the guitar and viola, both weaving super quick bent-note lines in a daredevil fashion, almost too much to fathom. This is pretty extraordinary, high-end improv at it best! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


SZILARD MEZEI / STUL A TISZAN INNEN ENSEMBLE with BOGDAN RANKOVIC / IVAN BURKA / ERVIN MALINA / ISTVAN CSIK / et al - Turizmus (FMR 542; UK) Serbian violist, bandleader & composer, Szilard Mezei, is a restless spirit who has more than forty releases in just a dozen years, from solos, duos, & trios to large ensembles efforts. The Tiszan Innen Ensemble is an 11 piece ensemble and features some regulars: Bogdan Rankovic on reeds, Ervin Malina on contrabass & Istvan Csik on drums. The is the second 2 CD set from this ensemble in the past year and it is yet another strong date. As his been his inspiration for a number of previous discs, Mr. Mezei takes Hungarian folk songs and uses them as his thematic material. Being a big fan of the ever-prolific, consistently searching music of Szilard Mezei, I have already played this double disc 3 times at the store over the past few days. It seems hard to believe how much great music is found here and how much of it accessible to those who haven’t heard much more avant-garde or experimental music.
Mr. Mezei lists who composed each theme for the eleven songs. The melodies often sound ancient or traditional. It is Mezei’s arrangements that truly stand out here as he weaves layers of musicians and music lines around one other in an endless captivating swirl. The full ensemble often played the main theme at the beginning of each song and then break into subgroups, some soloing, some doubling or tripling the main lines together. On the opening piece, “At the Early Dawn on Thursday”, the trombone plays the theme in the background while several reeds & the two string players all swirl tightly around one another, the piano & vibes also spinning in another related orbit. Each theme that Mezei has chosen sounds consistently enchanting and these are at the center of every song. On practically every piece, one or two players gets a chance to stretch out and solo, all solos spirited and based on the melodies of the said themes. It seems hard to believe that Szialrd Mezei has so many releases under his belt and remains consistently creative throughout each and every one. This entire 2 CD set clocks in at around 2 hours & 20 minutes and is superb throughout. 5 stars! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18


GLASGOW IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA & MAGGIE NICOLS with GEORGE BURT / GINO ROBAIR / RAYMOND MacDONALD / ADAM LINSON / et al - Energy Being (FMR 519; UK) Featuring Maggie Nicols on vocals, Raymond MacDonald on alto & soprano saxes, Graeme Wilson on tenor & bari saxes, George Burt & Neil Davidson on guitars, and Gino Robair on electronics & percussion. The Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (GIO) have been around for more than a decade and have some ten releases out. Most of their discs have one or more guests, who are often featured soloists and/or directors: Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Marilyn Crispell and George Lewis. British vocalist, Maggie Nicols, has also been an occasional guest/director and here she is also directing. The piece here, “Energy Being” was inspired by a poem by Lindsay Cooper called “A Madman’s Approach to Music”, the British bassist (a man) and not the bassoonist (a woman). The GIO for this date consists of some 24 musicians. Over a decade the GIO has evolved, working hard at playing together so that no matter how large or small their numbers are, they remain consistently connected. This work unfolds slowly and is sparse for a while. One or two instruments enter bit by bit. As the piece evolves, several voices and instruments sail around one another slowly, glowing, humming with soft drones caressing our ears. It often sounds like there is someone directing the large ensemble, all the sounds carefully woven together. There are three vocalists here who are part of the orchestra and never take over or overwhelm anyone else. They deal with fragments of the poem as well as vocal sounds or vocalese. The vocalists occasionally rise above the sea of sounds, spinning out words quickly or slowly, choosing every sound cautiously. A third of the way through, the a bassist brings in an infectious repeating line which last for just a few minutes, a handful of other members joining them, the vibe playful. From time to time, words from the poem that inspired this work, rise above and give us something to consider. What I like most about this is that we need our imaginations in order to fill in the more sparse moments, yet somehow this works fits together surprisingly well, thoughtfully as a whole piece. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


ELECTRO-PHONIC ART TRIO With LAWRENCE CASSERLEY / PHILIPP WACHSMANN / TREVOR TAYLOR - Through the Rings of Saturn (FMR 540; UK) Featuring Larence Casserley on percussion & processing, Philipp Wachsmann on violin and Trevor Taylor on percussion & electronics. Recorded live at Iklectick Art Lab in July of 2017 and in Visconti Studio in April of 2017. Mr. Casserley and Mr. Wachsmann are/were members of Evan Parker’s Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, working with Mr. Parker in a few different situations. Mr. Wachsmann is a diverse, well-respected improviser who can be found on more than a hundred recordings, from LJCO to Company to Iskra 1903 and beyond. The music here was inspired by the rings of Saturn and a short explanation of what makes the rings look like they do helps to illustrate their uniqueness. The trio starts with acoustic violin and marimba, carefully, quietly working together, bits of electronics are slowly, selectively added. The music is often quiet, spacious, carefully crafted… never too far out. Sometimes you have to listen closely and be patient with the stretches silence or space. I had to turn off the kitchen fa in order to hear the more subtle sounds buried underneath. There are some truly magic moments going on here when all three members connect on a more cerebral level. The last long piece, “Atlas”, does a great job of casting a spell on those who are listening closely. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


CIRCUIT ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE With PHILIPP WACHSMANN / TREVOR TAYLOR / JON SEAGROATT / TIM CHATGIGIANNIS / PAUL MEDLEY / MATHEW HUTCHINSON - Cell (FMR 507; UK) Featuring Jon Seagroatt on bass clarinet & soprano sax, Paul Medley on soprano & bass clarinet, Mathew Hutchinson on piano, Tim Chatgigiannis on laptop & electronics, Philipp Wachsmann on violin & electronics and Trevor Taylor on percussion & electronics. The Circuit Electro-Acoustic Ensemble (CE-AE) have six previous releases, Trevor Taylor, being only constant member. Mr.’s Wachsmann, Seagroatt & Chatgigiannis, have all been in previous versions.
This quintet version of Circuit has an intriguing cast & instrumentation: two cats who both play soprano sax & bass clarinet each, veteran outcat violinist & electronics wiz Phil Wachsmann, piano & percussion with 3 of 5 doubling on electronics. Cleanly recorded in a studio in London in September of 2018. The acoustic instruments (violin, piano & percussion) are well-recorded and blend with the subtle electronics just right. If you, like a number of our serious listeners have a problem with electronics which are too dense or alienating, the electronics here are often stripped down, subtle and carefully utilized. Although this music is often quiet, more restrained, it is also hypnotic or dreamy in its own way. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


FRESH DUST TRIO with SAMO SALAMON / MARINA DZUKLJEV / JAKA BERGER - Hilarious Experts (FMR 543; UK) The Fresh Dust Trio features Samo Salamon on acoustic guitars, Marina Dzukljev on piano & preparations and Jaka Berger on drums & objects. I recently got three promo CD’s in the mail from Slovenian guitarist, Samo Salamon, and was blown away by all three, which is interesting since each one was completely different: punk/jazz, acoustic free improv too and an 11 piece orchestra. I have had my eye on Mr. Salamon since the turn of the millennium, he is immensely prolific with around 30 releases as a leader or sideman. He has worked with a diverse cast of collaborators: Tony Malaby, Tim Berne, Tom Rainey, Julian Arguelles & Achille Succi.
I am not quite familiar with pianist Marina Dzukljev from this trio but drummer Jaka Berger has worked with Mr. Salamon on a few previous records. Mr. Berger composed three of the four pieces here. The first piece, “Hilarious Experts”, has a great, twisted repeating line, which is played tightly by all three members of the trio and then slowly unravels as it goes, from a sparse midsection which slowly increases in tempo, spiraling freely. The web of sounds gets thicker as all three players spin freely, the intensity increasing. Mr. Berger kicks off “Liu” with a great drum groove with the acoustic guitar & piano soon joining him, all weaving tightly around one another, their lines being stretched out as the go. As the piece gets freer, each player experiments with their instruments: playing inside the piano with objects, rubbing or plucking the strings of the guitars with other objects and utilizing assorted percussive stuff. Ms. Dzukljev is featured on “Coal Trains” and is in fine form, switching between different layers of lines, both on the keyboard and inside the piano. As this piece gets more dense, we start to ascend higher and higher, helping us escape everyday nightmares. Mr. Salamon eventually breaks through the whirlwind and takes a truly inspired, powerful guitar solo! Yes! The last piece is a collective improv called, “Down the Rabbit Hole”. It is long and works it way through different sections, showing how well this trio comes together and thinks like one collective force. Extraordinary! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


TREVOR TAYLOR / JOSH ISON / DAN BANKS / JOSE CANHA - Luminos (FMR 534; UK) Featuring Josh Ison on tenor sax, Dan Banks on piano, Jose Canha on double bass and Trevor Taylor on drums & percussion. Percussionist Trevor Taylor also runs this, the FMR label and does a fine job of documenting the ever-evolving UK & European creative music scenes. FMR now has over 450 releases, releasing a couple of dozen discs per year of both known and little known musicians. I hadn’t heard of three of the four musicians here although bassist Jose Canha, did appear on at least one earlier FMR release and saxist Josh Ison did a trio gig once with Henry Grimes & Gerald Cleaver and has a record out on the F-ire Reecords label. There are four long pieces on this disc all called starting with the word “Luminos”. The quartet takes off right from the first note, soaring freely and tightly together. Considering that 3 of the 4 musicians are not well known, the music is still strong and spirited. This sounds like a studio date and the sound is splendid, warm and clean. I would imagine that in a blindfold test most serious would believe that this gem is being played by name musicians. All of these build from more modest beginnings and then escalate into more intense flights of fancy. Tenorman, Josh Ison, has a wonderful, warm, tasty, well-worn tone , making him seem much older than he may be. This is a monster quartet, superb on several levels. Give them chance, you will be most surprised. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


PHILIPP WACHSMANN / DAVID LEAHY - Translated Space (FMR 539; Beads Records 14; UK) Featuring Philipp Wachsmann on violin and David Leahy on double bass. Violinist Philipp Wachsmann is a longtime member of the British creative music scene and can be found on more than 100 recordings working with Evan Parker, LJCO and Iskra 1903. Bassist David Leahy, is someone with whom I am not very familiar with although he is a member of the London Improvisers Orchestra. Mr. Wachsmann often plays electronics as well, but here just concentrates on his acoustic violin. This sounds like an improvised studio date, with both instruments well recorded. Both players take their time, concentrating on each sound, carefully bending and twisting their notes together. One must listen closely at times since a good deal of subtle, nuances are going on. Things get more intense as the duo push each other further out. There are moments when both strings are being bent together coming close to each other and making odd, twisted harmonies. This is a spirited acoustic date of high-end impric at its best. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


JOAO LENCASTRE With ALBERT CIRERA / RODRIGO PINHEIRO / PEDRO BRANCO / JOAO HASSELBERG - Parallel Realities (FMR 535; UK) Featuring Joao Lencastre on drums, Albert Cirera on tenor & soprano saxes, Rodrigo Pinheiro on piano, Pedro Branco on guitar and Joao Hasselberg on double bass & electronics. Portugese drummer, Joao Lencastre, can be heard on more than a half dozen discs from the Clean Feed & FMR labels and has worked with Downtowners like Jacob Sacks, Dave Binney & Tony Malaby. This quartet features four musicians originally from Portugal, although they are currently located in Amsterdam or Copenhagen. Portuguese pianist Rodrigo Pinheiro is a name you should recognize since he is a member of the RED Trio and can be found on more than 20 releases so far. This disc was recorded at Timbuktu Studio and has superb sound. Starting with “Departure”, the quintet sound marvelous, slowly, sweeping sound with the tenor sax, piano, electronics and drums all swirling together. All the instruments are bathed in subtle reverb, the balance just right, not intrusive. The electronics are used liberally, just some sonic seasoning to make things even more cerebral. On “Turbulent Journey”, the guitarist plays through several devices, adding hypnotic sustain around the edges. The piano & soprano sax, interweave and take off, soaring together into the stratosphere. The resulting sound is powerful, uplifting and intense. Things eventually calm down for “The Maze”, where saxist Cirera, deals with the subtle side of sax sounds, extended techniques used quietly yet most effectively. This disc is strong, spirited and consistently engaging. It is not totally free and no one is screaming or going too far out. Another win for the fine folks at FMR! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


UDO SCHINDLER / GUNNAR GEISSE / ANTON KAUN - Munchen Neus Gau (FMR 536; UK) Featuring Udo Schindler on reeds, brass & analogue synth, Gunnar Geisse on laptop guitar & other instruments and Anton Kaun on electronics & zeug. German reeds player Udo Schindler can be heard on more than a dozen discs over the past decade with Jaap Blonk, Frank Paul Schubert & Marco Von Orelli. Laptop player, Gunnar Geisse is a member of the ICI Ensemble, who have worked with Peter Brotzmann, Phil Minton and William Parker. I hadn’t heard of electronics player Anton Kaun before this disc, the word “zeug” refers to the equipment used by a musician. As far as I can tell, all three members of this trio play or double on synth or laptop of some sort. Hence we hear layers of electronics sounds with occasional reeds or brass (a tenor sax & tuba are shown). Mr. Schindler utilizes some extended techniques on his reeds & brass instruments, bending & twisting sounds which work well with odd electronic effluvia. Often it is hard to tell who is doing which sound. The electronic here are occasional dense yet never overwhelming. The guitar sounds like it is used more for noisier sounds. The combination of sounds is pretty potent, intense and sprawling. Most effective on several levels. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


UDO SCHINDLER / GUNNAR GEISSE / ANTON KAUN - Munchen Neus Super Gau (FMR 541; UK) Featuring Udo Schindler on reeds, brass & analogue synth, Gunnar Geisse on laptop guitar & other instruments and Anton Kaun on electronics & zeug. German reeds player Udo Schindler can be heard on more than a dozen discs over the past decade with Jaap Blonk, Frank Paul Schubert & Marco Von Orelli. Laptop player, Gunnar Geisse is a member of the ICI Ensemble, who have worked with Peter Brotzmann, Phil Minton and William Parker. I hadn’t heard of electronics player Anton Kaun before this disc, the word “zeug” refers to the equipment used by a musician. I reviewed another disc from this trio earlier today and am checking out the second one now. The mix of brass (tuba), reeds (tenor sax), laptop guitar, synth and electronics is pretty intense, focused, stimulating and it is often hard to tell who is doing what aside from any tell-tale reeds or brass sounds. This is a live recording from October of 2017, recorded in Munich, Germany). On the back of this disc it reads: please play loud so that it what I am doing now and it most impressive, throttling, on the verge of exploding. Perhaps it is fireworks outside as well. Most impressive. nonetheless! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


BLOOR = SAM WEINBERG / ANDREW SMILEY / JASON NAZARY - Drolleries (Astral Spirits; USA) Bloor features Sam Weinberg on tenor & alto saxes, Andrew Smiley on electric guitar and Jason Nazary on drums. Sometimes new musicians just sneak up on ya. Tenor saxist, Sam Weinberg, has played here at DMG on a half dozen times in the past with Chris Welcome, Sandy Ewen and Chris Pitsiokos. Hi solo tenor set here at DMG last Sunday (6/30/19), was even better than expected, showing Mr. Weinberg to be growing in leaps & bounds. Mr. Weinberg just left us with a trio CD, under the name Bloor, which features two more NY talents: Andrew Smiley on guitar and Jason Nazary on drums. Both Mr. Smiley & Mr. Nazary were part of a quartet called Little Women with Darius Jones as a member. There seems to be some of that Beefheartian-like fractured lines and No Wave-ishness going on here. Similar is some ways to Chris Pitsiokos’ CD Unit, the barbered wire rhythms and spiky guitar lines were more popular back in the late seventies with No Wave bands like DNA and the Contortions. “Mollycoddled” features more of those intense, tight bent-note sax & guitar lines played together. Mr. Weinberg sounds well-versed in multiphonics, split note weirdness which works well with Mr. Smiley’s equally fractured lines. At times, it sounds as if the trio has hit breaking point when they all erupt tightly together. “Defacer” has one of those somehow infectious, fractured note lines played through while the sax & guitar play in tight bent orbits closely together. What I dig about this is this: it is not really jazz or rock, it is a hybrid that takes some time to get used to but sounds great once you forget about the categories or expectations. Jazz snobs beware. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10


DOM MINASI - Remembering Cecil (Unseen Rain 9912; USA) Featuring Dom Minasi on solo electric guitar. Cecil Taylor was a giant amongst the hundreds of great jazz, new music and free/music musicians around the world. Since his passing a little over a year ago (April 5, 2018), there have been a number of memorial/tribute concerts and recordings. The Tzadik recording, ‘Winged Serpents’, which featured six Downtown pianists and a long memorial concert for Mr. Taylor at Roulette earlier this year, showed how much Mr. Taylor’s influence cast a long shadow on many members of the Downtown Scene. Avant-jazz guitarist Dom Minasi started out his career as a more straight jazz guitarist and has grown more further out as time has gone on. Although Mr. Minasi has recorded a half dozen duo releases, this appears to be his first solo offering. After a dozen or so recordings made from 2005 thru 2015, Mr. Minasi has slowed down to very few more recent recordings. This disc features four improvisations, all between 7 & 15 minutes each. Mr. Minasi uses no devices or effects to alter the tone of his guitar, hence his sound is rather warm, round, thoughtful, well-articulated. Cecil Taylor was one of the first free/jazz pianists, his music career started in the mid-fifties. His playing could be very dense and he was (one of the) first to use clusters of notes. Commencing with “Improv 1”, Minasi is also dealing with long lines of frenetic notes and striking chord clusters. Speeding up and slowing down, balancing between quieter and more frenzied moments. Mr. Minasi is consistently shifting between single notes flourishes and dense chords. I remember it took some time for me to figure out what exactly Cecil Taylor was doing when I first heard his recordings in 1972. Hence, it takes some effort to hear the many different ideas, lines of notes and twisted chords that Mr. Minasi is playing. On “Improv 2”, Mr. Minasi strips things down to a more skeletal pace and then builds them back up, making it easier to absorb what is going on. The resulting music remains clear, it makes sense since it seems in doesn’t get too dense or too free, always connected to an inner logic or perhaps where the heart & the mind are connected. Here & there, Mr. Minasi seems to quoting fragments of (standard) melodies, but soon soars past them into more treacherous waters. If totally free improv is too much for you, this disc is a great place to start since it is consistently rooted in the flow of humanity, person to person. There are also moments of gentleness and beauty found within so spend some time there and you will be greatly rewarded. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


THE NEW YORK 3: LUCIANO PAGLIARINI / JOE FONDA / LOU GRASSI - The Halloween Session (Total Music Productions TMP 0002-2019; France/USA) Featuring Luciano Pagliarini on alto sax, Joe Fonda on contrabass & flute and Lou Grassi on drums. One of the best things about working at DMG, is meeting a constant influx of new musicians and serious listeners. I am often honored when musicians I am not familiar with, make their way to DMG, engage me/us in conversations and leave us with some of releases. I recently met Italian alto saxist, Luciano Pagliarini, most-likely middle-aged and with a long career behind him. It turns out that Mr. Pagliarini has worked with a nice cast of European & American players: Michel Pilz, Ekkehard Jost, Jerome Bourdellon and Youseff Yancy. Mr. Pagliarini has been coming to NYC over the past few years, become friends with Gwenolee from the Zurcher Gallery, where he has played last month (June 20, 2019). For this disc, Mr. Pagliarini has chosen an well-seasoned Downtown rhythm team: Joe Fonda on bass and Lou Grassi on drums. Both Mr. Fonda & Mr. Grassi are longtime members of the NuBand, who’ve been around since 2000. This is studio date, recorded at Tedesco Studio in Paramus, NJ in November of 2018. All but one of the pieces was written by Mr. Pagliarini or Mr. Fonda, aside from a few collective improvisations. “Take One” takes off from the start and is free, furious and focused. Bassist Joe Fonda, takes off from the first note, a wonderful whirlwind at the bass. The fourth piece starts with just flute, alto sax & hand percussion, it is somber, spacious, sublime. The sounds mostly freely improvised and the trio is in fine, spirited form. Soaring together without any screaming or going all the way to completely free terrain. Pagliarini plays just one standard here, “Autumn in New York”, unaccompanied and superbly handled, somber and haunting. This disc ends with a tribute to Anthony Braxton, another free flight into the inspired nether word of focused freedom. A perfect way to bring this mighty fine disc to a strong close. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12


JEREMY UDDEN With NICOLAS MOREAUX / JOHN BETSCH - Three in Paris (Sunnyside 1545; USA) “The past few years have found saxophonist/composer Jeremy Udden stepping away from his more fleshed out ensemble projects to focus on music with a more stripped down, direct approach. This led him to working up solo concerts, which, in turn led him back to one of his main influences, the great saxophonist and musical conceptualist Steve Lacy.
The loose and instinctive playing of Lacy has long been a draw for Udden. Udden even studied with the master improviser when Lacy was teaching at the New England Conservatory. After Lacy passed in 2004, Udden performed at a memorial concert that was held in New York City, along with a number of Lacy’s friends and collaborators, including the drummer John Betsch.
Over the past few years, Udden also began a collaboration with Paris based bassist Nicolas Moreaux, with whom he recorded Belleville Project, which was released in 2015. The two continued to interact and consider new projects. As it turns out, the American born Betsch called Paris home for decades and Moreaux had been performing with him on occasion. The idea of incorporating Betsch into a trio project began to coalesce and would eventually culminate in their new recording, Three In Paris.
Betsch has long been a favorite in the world of avant-garde jazz, being the engine behind ensembles led by musicians as diverse as Abdullah Ibrahim, Benny Golson, Dewey Redman, Archie Shepp, Mal Waldron and Henry Threadgill. The drummer had a two-decade affiliation with Lacy, being featured on many of Lacy’s fascinating albums. This led to a deep understanding of the saxophonist’s unique approach to improvisation.
After reconnecting with Udden, Betsch was thrilled to take part in the new project. When Udden flew to Paris with his wife and young daughter in August 2018, he brought thirty pieces to rehearse, including originals and compositions by Steve Lacy. Though aware of the potential emotional and artistic weight of performing material by Lacy with Betsch, Udden’s apprehension proved to be unfounded as Betsch was humble and incredibly supportive. Their single rehearsal was spent finding which tunes worked best and which direction they should take them.
The recording begins with an open take on Don Cherry’s tribute to the Jamaican saxophonist, Roland Alphonso. Regularly played in sessions when Udden was younger, “Roland Alphonso” keeps an offbeat ska rhythm while Betsch sculpts the performance under Udden’s sax. The obscure Moross and Latouche standard “Lazy Afternoon” is a hypnotic, mainly modal piece allowing the players to take their time, filling the space or leaving it open. Udden plays Lacy’s lyrical “Who Needs It?” in a duet with Betsch, the pretty tune leading to a free improvisation.
Udden’s “Hope” has a buoyant melody played breezily over a tempo free rubato, while Ellington’s “Azure” (a regular in the book of Lacy and Mal Waldron) is a bright and groovingly Sun Ra-esque, a throwback to the kinds of pieces Udden played while in the Either/Orchestra. Lacy’s dirge-like “Prayer” channels its composer as the piece seems to play itself, the sax and bass fitting together beautifully while Betsch shapes the piece to perfection.
Udden and Betsch are in and out of time on Lacy’s playful “The Crust,” while Lacy’s “Bone” is wildly spontaneous, the swing even eliciting Betsch’s impromptu vocals at the end. The wistful “Folk Song 2” is one of Udden’s simple, singable songs that seems to provide space to let the moment sit. The program concludes with the freely improvised “One for Us,” a palette cleanser that showcases the wonderful interplay the group was able to develop over two days of playing.
The influence of Steve Lacy’s monumental works has been instrumental in Jeremy Udden’s musical development. It was a fantastic coincidence that as he began to explore a more unadorned method of music making that Udden was able to reconnect with Lacy alum John Betsch through Nicolas Moreaux, which led to the creation of their unassuming yet poignant recording, Three In Paris.”
CD $15


AVISHAI COHEN With ELCHIN SHIRINOV / NOAM DAVID and BJORN SAMUELSSON / ANDERS HAGBERG - Arvoles (RazDaz / Sunnyside 4619; USA) “Very few journeys have been as adventurous and unpredictable as the musical path Avishai Cohen has been walking for the last twenty plus years. Ever since the highly acclaimed Israeli bassist/composer became a band leader his recordings have shown a constant evolution. Avishai’s previous outing ‘1970’ became his most commercially successful so far, and introduced him to a pop audience that for the most part wasn’t even aware of his vast catalogue and work.
The obvious thing, then, would be to just do it all over again. But Avishai doesn’t like to go where he’s already been. So ‘Arvoles’ (‘Trees’ in the ancient Ladino-language) is very different in tone and feel. ‘’This time I wanted to focus on something else. I see ‘Arvoles’ as new music, it’s a reflection of my world over the last couple of years. Let’s just say the new work shows another part of my personality. If you listen to both records back to back, you’d get a pretty good idea of who I am as a man, a husband and a father.”
It’s a collection of original instrumental compositions, and one traditional song written over the last couple of years without the intention of ever being compiled on the same record. Still, they all fit together like a hand in a glove. ‘Arvoles’ recorded with drummer Noam David (Israel) and pianist Elchin Shirinov (Azerbaijan) are both magnificent musicians and composers in their own right. They both join Avishai on the road for extensive worldwide touring that runs deep into 2020.
“The idea with this recording was to say more with less” explains Avishai “But it takes experience to get there.” The music’s been clearly identified with his own unique and defining DNA, although he only found out, once the recording was complete. “It’s impossible to escape from myself, even if I would want to.” And so his dynamic influences remain. “
There are traces of classical music and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. There’s bebop and hard bop, swing and hiphop. But with every new album his own personality shines through more emphatically. ‘The jazz visionary of global proportions’ – a quote from Down Beat Magazine - feels more at home in his own skin these days. “I think I’ve learned to get to the point quicker, in music, but also in life. Most of these compositions seem to deal with looking back. There’s even horns in there, Björn Samuelsson (trombone) and Anders Hagberg (flute) which I hadn’t included in my writing for some time.
You could say I’m going back to basics, but with the maturity and vision that the last couple of decades have brought me. Nostalgia at its best is the strongest, most romantic, sincere, bitter-sweet feeling. And I agree it’s all over the record, with compositions like ‘Childhood’, ‘New York ‘90’s and ‘Nostalgia’. I had the happiest of childhoods, and I’m very proud I could include one of my mother’s paintings on the front cover of the album. She’s an artist in her own right, and it just made things come a full circle. I’m very proud to be working with her in this kind of way.”
And so once again Avishai Cohen is able to present us with a masterful chapter, full of spirit, joy, and the pure pleasure of playing and listening together. It’s a different record to the sixteen that came previously and it’s uncertain where his next step will bring us. But one thing’s for sure: it won’t be where he’s been before…”
CD $15


Three More New Releases from the Newly Revived HAT EZZ-THETICS Series, In stock next week:


DANIEL STUDER with HARALD KIMMIG / FRANTZ LORIOT / ALFRED ZIMMERLIN / PHILIP ZOUBEK - Extended for Strings & Piano (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1007; Switzerland) “A live album at Kunstraum Walcheturm from Swiss double bassist Daniel Studer's quintet of strings and piano, with Harald Kimmig on violin, Frantz Loriot on viola, Alfred Zimmerlin on violoncello, and Philip Zoubek on piano, performing an inventive set of Studer compositions extending string improvisation to extremes through unorthodox structures and techniques.”
CD $17

HILDEGARD KLEEB / ROLAND DAHINDEN / ALEXANDRE BABEL - Lines (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1004; Switzerland) “The long-running duo since 1987 of spouses, pianist Hildegard Kleeb and trombonist Roland Dahinden, are joined by Swiss-born/ Berlin-based percussionist & vibraphonist Alexandre Babel for an album of interweaving and contrasting instrumental lines, blurring the boundaries between contemporary music and improvisation through exceptional mastery and dialogue.”
CD $17

ALEX HENDRIKSEN / FABIAN GISLER - The Song is You (Hat Ezz-Thetics 1003; Switzerland) Drawing on material from Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk, Michel Legrand, Harry Warren, and Victor Young, the lyrical duo of saxophonist Alex Hendriksen (Swiss Jazz Orchestra) and double bassist Fabian Gisler (Jurg Wickihalder European Quartet) cite the art form of storytelling as central to their music as they reflect thoughtfully on the American Songbook.”
CD $17


OREN AMBARCHI - Simian Angel (Editions Mego 264; Austria) After a trilogy of spectacular explorations of relentlessly driving rhythms - Sagittarian Domain (EMEGO 144CD/LP, 2012), Quixotism (EMEGO 202CD/LP, 2014), and Hubris (EMEGO 227CD/LP, 2016) - Simian Angel finds Oren Ambarchi renewing his focus on his singular approach to the electric guitar, returning in part to the spacious canvases of classic releases like Grapes From The Estate (BT 036LP/TO 061CD) while also following his muse down previously unexplored byways. Reflecting Ambarchi's profound love of Brazilian music, Simian Angel features the remarkable percussive talents of Cyro Baptista, a key part of the Downtown scene who has collaborated with everyone from John Zorn and Derek Bailey to Robert Palmer and Herbie Hancock. Like the music of Nana Vasconcelos and Airto Moreira, Simian Angel places Baptista's dexterous and rhythmically nuanced handling of traditional Brazilian percussion instruments into an unexpected musical context. On the first side, "Palm Sugar Candy", Baptista's spare and halting rhythms wind their way through a landscape of gliding electronic tones, gently rising up and momentarily subsiding until the piece's final minutes leave Ambarchi's guitar unaccompanied. While the rich, swirling harmonics of Ambarchi's guitar performance are familiar to listeners from his previous recordings, the subtly wavering, synthetic guitar tone you hear is quite new, coming across at times like an abstracted, splayed-out take on the '80s guitar synth work of Pat Metheny or Bill Frisell. Equally new is the harmonic complexity of Ambarchi's playing, which leaves behind the minimalist simplicity of much of his previous work for a constantly-shifting play between lush consonance and uneasy dissonance. Beginning with a beautiful passage of unaccompanied percussion dominated by the berimbau, the side-long title piece carries on the first side's exploration of subtle, non-linear dynamic arcs, taking the form of a gently episodic suite, in which distinctive moments, like a lyrical passage of guitar-triggered piano, unexpectedly arise from intervals of drifting tones like dream images suddenly cohering. In the piece's second half, the piano tones become increasingly more clipped and synthetic, scattering themselves into aleatoric melodies that call to mind an imaginary collaboration between Albert Marcoeur and David Behrman, grounded all the while by the pulse of Baptista's percussion. Subtle yet complex, fleeting yet emotionally affecting, Simian Angel is an essential chapter in Ambarchi's restlessly exploratory oeuvre. Personnel: Oren Ambarchi - guitars & whatnot; Cyro Baptista - percussion & voice.
CD $15


ELEPHANT9 - Psychedelic Backfire I (Rune Grammofon 2206; Norway) Elephant9 was already established as a vital live favorite on the Norwegian scene -- due to a number of energetic and enthusiastically received concerts -- before their highly-acclaimed debut album Dodovoodoo was released in May 2008 (RCD 2075CD). 11 years later, and after another four studio albums, it was about time to properly document this live force in the form of not only one album, but two double albums. Indeed, the very limited, vinyl-only Live at the BBC album was released in 2011 (RLP 2118LP), but this time the band booked a four-day residency at the intimate Kampen Bistro in Oslo and invited old friend Reine Fiske -- a vital presence on previous albums Atlantis (RCD 2134CD/RLP 3134LP, 2012) and Silver Mountain (RCD 2174CD/RLP 3174LP, 2016) -- along for two of the evenings. Everything was recorded in front of enthusiastic crowds and later mixed by Christian Engfelt, another trusted collaborator. It's a rough warts-and-all mix, with no overdubs, repairs or edits. Tracks are picked from all their albums, often given lengthy workouts with room for improvisation. The trio is extremely tight and telepathic, with Ståle as the obvious soloist, but it's worth to mention the drummer for a change, Torstein being a powerhouse that truly shines on these recordings.
CD $15

ELEPHANT9 With REINE FISKE - Psychedelic Backfire II (Rune Grammofon 2207; Norway) Reine Fiske has on several occasions proved a perfect guest for the Elephant9 trio, both on record and on stage. Never one to fight for attention, with Elephant9 he's a true equal given the opportunity to express himself both as a soloist as well as a rhythm guitarist, his interaction with Ståle Storløkken's keyboards creating some magic sequences. Ståle is a founder member of Supersilent since 1997, and has for many years been Terje Rypdal's trusted right hand. Nikolai Hængsle is most known from Bigband and Band of Gold. Torstein Lofthus was a member of Shining for several years and has played with a large number of jazz, pop, and rock artists. Reine Fiske is a founder member of Dungen and Träden, the continuation of the legendary Swedish group Träd, Gräs Och Stenar.
CD $15


MARTIN REV - Clouds of Glory (Bureau B 316; Germany) Bureau B present a reissue of Martin Rev's Clouds of Glory, originally released in 1985. Martin Rev is best known as one half of the seminal duo Suicide (with Alan Vega). Listening to his solo albums, it becomes clear that Rev was responsible for the group's music. Clouds of Glory, his second solo effort, was released on the French label New Rose in 1985. Suicide mirrored the reductive and radical traits of the contemporaneous punk scene that was in the process of emerging, but their electronic, minimalist form of language was so unique, so innovative, that they would become a major influence on the likes of Daft Punk, Air, and Aphex Twin. Alongside his work with Suicide, Martin Rev continued as a solo artist, releasing his eponymous debut album in 1980 on New York's Infidelity label. Rev's early solo excursions can be traced back to the original ideas which can be found -- in modified form -- in Suicide songs: as instrumental versions which have been texturally enriched, like a familiar figure which has nevertheless taken on a completely new existence. Five years later, in 1985, Martin Rev released his sophomore solo LP on the Parisian label New Rose Records, although the recordings on Clouds of Glory actually dated back to the earlier part of the decade, following on from the Suicide sessions for the duo's second album. Martin Rev remembers: "Clouds of Glory was produced from visual and musical sketches I had in mind which then coincided with an invitation by Marty Thau, previously Suicide's manager, to take advantage of studio time he had accumulated from other projects. The essence of my ideas was then realized in the studio. Clouds was started in 1981 and completed in 1984 when additional studio time was made possible to complete it, based on the offer by New Rose Records." In spite of Clouds of Glory having been recorded with the same equipment as the Alan Vega/Martin Rev Suicide album (1980), it occupies a completely different space, evoking the solemnity of religious music through its underlying meditative tone. "I look now upon the album as part of a personal journey into the frontier of music; a process which is never ending in its revealing of possibilities to satisfy my musical aspirations."
CD $17


NORMIL HAWAIIANS - What's Going On (Upset the Rhythm 121; UK) Upset The Rhythm present a reissue of Normil Hawaiians' What's Going On?, originally released in 1984. To Normil Hawaiians, getting out of lockstep with Thatcherism seemed imperative. Adding to an overriding sense of anxiety, close friend and band associate Martin Pawson took his life in July 1983. Following More Wealth Than Money, released on Illuminated Records in 1982, there was an impetus to make good on hard won achievements. Rehearsal and writing sessions resumed in the early months of 1983 at Intergalactic Arts Studios. IGA was a ramshackle, semi-residential rehearsal space. Illuminated Records had been sending artists to Foel Studios in Powys, Wales for years, and it had become a kind of refuge for the Hawaiians. Studio owner/manager Dave Anderson (Hawkwind/Amon Düül II) was welcoming, unruffled, and accommodating when around a dozen band members, friends, and family emerged from the "mini-peace convoy" of vehicles into the hazy, pastoral care of the warm, Welsh countryside. Whereas More Wealth Than Money had evolved in the recording studio, What's Going On began to develop as a more pre-meditated, albeit piecemeal work. "Quiet Village" and the unreleased "Outpost" had already been finished at Foel in February 1983. Recording Engineer Brian Snelling recalls how the Hawaiians approach to making the album was unconventional and spontaneous, reveling in chance and openness. Rehearsal tapes from IGA were played along to, and improvisations allowed to develop, with further layers of sound accreting (as can be heard on "Big Lies"). "Free Tibet" was created by the band playing together exploratively with Snelling waiting to hit "Record" until he heard that something interesting was coalescing. He recalls the sessions being initially unorthodox, but eventually settling into a friendly, productive, and very familial affair. Mixed tapes were then taken by Dave Andersen and Guy Smith to Charly Records' editing studio in London. Here they spliced the recordings into an irregular yet coherent, flowing work. Final masters were then EQ'd and cut by Graeme Durham at the newly opened Exchange Mastering Studios in Camden. And then nothing happened. Unbeknownst to the band, Illuminated Records were getting into deep financial problems. The label gave the band 250 copies, but the record shops wouldn't touch them -- the company had been blacklisted. This intricate, challenging and engaging work had been failed by poor circumstance. CD version includes seven bonus tracks; comes in gatefold wallet with booklet; edition of 500.
CD $15


OUMAR KONATE - I Love You Inna (Clermont Music 025; USA) Oumar Konate's brilliant new studio album, I Love You Inna, was recorded in Bamako Mali during the Spring of 2018. A superstar in Mali, Oumar can be found every weekend playing in nightclubs, concert halls, and on festival stages across that country. He can shred like no other on electric guitar and at the same time make you cry. I Love You Inna, his fifth album, features on bass long-time collaborator Dramane Toure, former lead guitarist for the late great Khaira Arby, and on percussion power-house drummer Makan Camara. Oumar invited other friends into the sessions to add their unique perspective to the project. Sometimes jubilant, sometimes angry, Oumar reflects the mood of young people in Mali today. His songs range from love songs to dance anthems to ballads. This is new music is from an award-winning singer/songwriter whom audiences from all over his country adore.
CD $14


ISRAEL QUELLET - Instrumental (Sub Rosa 465; Belgium) Swiss electro-acoustic artist Israel Quellet's fifth opus. A new mysterious work around the church organ this time. Complex and mysterious, secular and modern -- another challenging listen. Israel Quellet was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, 1972. He worked in the psychiatric field for several years. At 16, he discovers on his own some different soundworlds, such as Miles Davis's electric era, Sun Ra, dub, German cosmic music, Magma, Zappa, and many more. In 1997, he stepped into the action and, following the advice of a sound engineer friend, he bought microphones, a digital mixing board, and studio monitors. Basically, he turned part of his basement into a soundsmith-ing studio. That is when he started to create, out of his immediate surroundings, sound works that have little to do with what is "normally" being done. Appreciated by composer Jorge E. Campos, Quellet is supported by the Centre Pierre Schaeffer in Paris. In 2003, he contacted Sub Rosa; three years later, he releases his first CD. Comes in a digipack.
CD $15


SORRY FOR LAUGHING with GORDON H. WHITLOW - Sorry For Laughing (Klanggallerie GG 289; Austria) "The Sorry For Laughing album was released in 1986 on cassette only. It is a project by Gordon H. Whitlow who is also a member of legendary US avantgarde collective Biota, formerly Mnemonists. Whitlow composed and recorded the album all by himself. The accompanying artwork for the original cassette release was made by several members of Mnemonists, the visual department of Biota. Sorry For Laughing has a different sound though. It is more varied, there are elements of post punk as well as elements of contemporary classical music. Somehow though you can hear Biota in there as well. Les Disques du Crepuscule is in the air. After all, the idea was to make a Christmas album. Whitlow says that when he lived in Colorado and worked in a bakery a homeless drifter used to come to the shop and buy the same stuff every day. With Christmas approaching, he interviewed the guy and got his Biota mates involved. Piano parts were recorded at a wealthy house-sit in Denver, others at Mulberry Street Studio, home of Biota's Bill Sharp who also co-produced the album. Gordon Whitlow says about it: 'This is a solo musical project recorded in the winter of 1985-86 and self-released on cassette in a very small edition in 1986; this was followed by a modest limited-edition cassette release on the ADN label in Italy in 1989. It has never been released to the public on any medium other than cassette. The compositions stem from my beginning days with the avant-garde recording ensemble Biota, shortly after completion of the Bellowing Room LP. The recordings feature a handful of Biota players contributing to compositions that fall outside the group's activities. It is a collection of instrumentals whose moods and atmosphere are founded on largely repetitive melodic passages accompanied by 'found' atonal elements. It is intended to be minimalistic with sparse arrangement (and on one track, some distant vocalization), aiming for a sense of nostalgia, isolation/loneliness, and childlike muse."
CD $19


Cassette Section:

THE ESP CASSETTE BOX-SET: ALBERT AYLER / MARION BROWN QUARTET / SONNY SIMMONS / SUN RA / RONNIE BOYKINS - Spirits Rejoice / Marion Brown Quartet / Staying on the Watch / The Will Come, Is Now / Concert for the Comet Kohoutek (ESP-Disk; Japan) A true collector’s item. This 5 cassette mini-box-set comes in a lovely, psychedelic ESP-logo hard cardboard box (3” x 3” x 5”). This contains 5 cassettes of seminal early ESP titles.
5 Cassette Box-Set $50 [LTD Edition of 25]


LP Section:

WILLIAM HOOKER with DAVID MURRAY / DAVID S. WARE / HASAAN SAWKINS / MARK MILLER / et al - ... Is Eternal Life (Superior Viaduct 166; USA) "Drummer, composer and poet William Hooker has been a tireless force in free improvised music for over 40 years. He emerged from New York's loft jazz scene in the mid-70s, part of a generation of artists fueled by the social, political and cultural frustrations of their era. This second wave of American free jazz would push relentlessly into new territories -- collaborating in a variety of non-traditional settings, establishing their own labels, venues, etc. -- all in an effort at creative self-determination. While William Hooker's output extends past 70 albums as leader, it all began with the double LP ... Is Eternal Life. Recorded in 1975-1976 and released privately on the artist's own Reality Unit Concepts imprint, ... Is Eternal Life is nothing short of visionary. Filled with tension, intricacy and raw fury, these extended compositions feature the playing of David Murray, Mark Miller, David S. Ware, Hasaan Dawkins and Les Goodson."
2 LP Set $30


SONNY SHARROCK With LINDA SHARROCK / BEB GUERIN / JACQUES THOLLOT - Monkey-Pockie-Boo (BYG Records Actuel 37; USA) Repressed. 37th volume in the BYG Actuel series; gatefold sleeve, 180 gram vinyl. The quintessentail Actuel album and your basic cornerstone of Free Music 101. "An album recorded in Paris (on June 22nd, 1969) with his wife Linda plus Beb Guerin (bass) and Jacques Thollot (drums). Sonny Sharrock was one of the top avant-garde guitarists and his playing was intense and ferocious. He mixed together Jimi Hendrix and Pharoah Sanders." "Sharrock was the first guitarist to really embrace fire music. He wanted his playing to mirror the emotional scream of the tenor saxophone." --Thurston Moore and Byron Coley.
LP $16


OREN AMBARCHI, MARK FELL, WILL GUTHRIE & SAM SHALABI - Oglon Day (33 33-002; UK) Oglon Day is the debut release from the quartet of Oren Ambarchi, Mark Fell, Will Guthrie, and Sam Shalabi. Though Ambarchi had previously worked on separate occasions with Fell and Guthrie, the two days the four musicians spent together in a London studio producing this LP was their first meeting as a quartet, preceding an acclaimed performance at the 2016 Masāfāt Festival. The four musicians have created an effortless blend of their seemingly disparate approaches, carving out a musical space that gives equal weight to Ambarchi's physically affecting guitar explorations, Fell's stuttering electronic pulse, Guthrie's virtuosic drumming, and Shalabi's psychedelic oud improvisations. Oglon Day is an inspired meeting of the acoustic and the electronic, the composed and the improvised, the human and the machine, the austere and the joyous. Quite unlike anything else in the four musicians' respective back catalogs, it also offers a surprisingly accessible point of entry for any listener so lucky as to be unfamiliar with their work.
LP $29


LUC PESTANG & PIERRE HENRY - Saint-Exupery (Fantome Phonographique OME 1020; Italy) Fantôme Phonographique present a reissue of Luc Pestang and Pierre Henry's Saint-Exupéry, originally released as a 10" in 1959. During his long and illustrious career, the French composer and musique concrète pioneer Pierre Henry created a large amount of incidental music to accompany literary texts, both on record and for the stage, from Jules Verne to Victor Hugo, from Lautréamont to Antonin Artaud. This incredibly rare LP from 1959 is a radio play about the life of French pilot and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, based on the 1956 book by Luc Estang on the subject. The interpreters are a small theater troupe including French actor Paul Meurisse (1912-1979), famous for popular films and as a member of national theater company, La Comédie Française. Underlying key scenes, Pierre Henry's contribution to the play consists of electronic and musique concrète sounds, adding a contemporary dimension to the text. A beautiful piece from one of the mid-20th century's truly brilliant sonic explorers.
LP $24


PIERRE BASTIEN - Tinkle Twang 'n Tootle (Marionette 010; Canada) "Pierre Bastien orchestrates his meccano marionettes on Tinkle Twang 'n Tootle to form the charming imaginative ensemble that he's been known for since the late '80s. Equal parts composer, inventor, mechanic, and performer -- Bastien translates his imagination into instruments and compositions that defy any musical categories. Whether it's preparing instruments like playing a trumpet underwater or through a kazoo, using belt-driven motors and mechanical components to perform cumbersome yet surprisingly musical operations on traditional instruments and household items, or using a fan to hit the strings of a kundi harp with flowing paper -- Bastien's love for tone, rhythm, noise and harmony is poetically reflected across his quite extensive oeuvre. Playful and melancholic, the sound sculptures that Bastien invents and plays with are partly inspired by the work of Raymond Roussel, a visionary French author who at the turn of the 20th century wrote a unique form of literature which inspired and guided artists from the surrealist and pataphysical movement and was declared by Michel Foucault as one of structuralism's founding fathers. On that note, the influence of literature and syntax on Bastien's work cuts all the way through to the palindromes he uses for his track titles - which, much like his machines, infinitely loop. True to its adorable title, Tinkle Twang 'n Tootle is a music box of unfolding whimsical structures, half broken rhythms, detuned harmonies, and fantastical sound collages that evoke a childlike sense of wonder and an urge to explore the spaces in between the sounds."
LP $23


MANUEL GOTTSCHING - Dream & Desire (MG.Art 405; Germany) MG.ART presents a reissue of Manuel Gottsching's Dream & Desire, originally released in 1977. For 2019, this is a newly remastered and carefully re-edited version of the legendary 1977 studio recording for RIAS Berlin. "The 1970s. The Vietnam War is slowly coming to an end; the RAF thrives and prospers; the first Achtundsechziger ('68 protestors) are actually planning to march through the institutions; rock and roll is getting heavier; and hardly noticed by the mainstream public, some West-Berlin musicians develop a world of sound, which later eventually became labelled as "Electronic Music". These compositions of slowly evolving soundscapes relating to the Minimal Music concept created a meditative mood. This was new; this was the Berliner Schule (Berlin school). Manuel was living right on the Ku-Damm (Kurfürstendamm), right in the city center, but in the rear building, shielded from the noise. Manu didn't have a sequencer. Everything that sounded like a sequencer was his highly focused guitar work. The slowly changing tone sequences for example; this was a physical accomplishment in itself. The musicians from Berlin, who worked in the same genre, were either friends, periodically played in Manuel's Ash Ra Tempel, or built up their own careers. The scene was small, but equipped with illustrious celebrities: Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Harald Grosskopf, and Agitation Free. Manuel was able to start his international career pretty quickly, focusing on England, France and Japan. For the German middle-of-the-road-consciousness, these countries were as exotic as the winds on Jupiter, especially Japan, where Göttsching still enjoys superstar status. The RIAS studio had an old Farfisa compact organ that Manuel played and of which I was especially proud; it can be heard prominently here. Originally, the two tracks had been conceived for my one-hour radio feature at RIAS Berlin in summer 1977. Then, although being broadcast only once in Berlin and Belgium, they soon became cult amongst listeners, who taped, multiplied and distributed the tracks throughout Manuel's fan base. The revival of Dream & Desire is not nostalgia but an indication that the present will only be appreciated after acknowledging the past. The bonus track "Despair" was not part of the original radio-feature, but was composed and recorded around the same time in 1977, and fits perfectly in style and sound. Manuel's music has been with me for now almost 50 years. Dream & Desire is beautiful -- what more can I say." --Olaf Leitner, March 2019
CD $17


C JOYNES & THE FURLONG BRAY - The Borametz Tree (Feeding Tube Records 443; USA) "Feeding Tube is pleased to be able to offer the first domestic release, helmed by the superb British guitarist, Chris Joynes. For this album, Joynes has assembled a polyglot ensemble comprised of folks from Dead Rat Orchestra (a splendidly bizarre experimental völk outfit), guitarist Nick Jonah Davids (with whom Joynes recently did a split LP of solo electric guitar improvs) and Cam Deas, who records both as a sound artist and as an acoustic guitarist. The music they have created for The Bormatez Tree (itself a semi-mythical tree found largely in travellers' tales of the 1500s) is a difficult to describe hybrid of approaches and techniques, drawn from the vast collective imagination of the group. From swirls of North African string design, accompanied by dream-time percussion, to banjo/fiddle duets redolent of documentaries about the American Civil War, to flowing free form jams where everyone piles on psychedelic licks. The all-instrumental unit sound ranges all over the place, but after sinking in its warm tomes for a while, I am most put in mind of some of the guitar-led UK post-units of the '70s (Fairport, Trees, Pentangle, et al) playing loose and free at some nameless pub at the edge of peat bog, just letting things go in whatever direction the winds blew them. It's not all like that, of course. But in the main, the scent of Scotch, smoke and adventure is hard to ignore." --Byron Coley, 2019 Edition of 500.
LP $24


JACOB KIRKEGAARD - Phonurgia Metallis (Important Records 462; USA) The sound art of Jacob Kirkegaard explores ways to reflect on immediate complex, unnoticed or unapproachable aspects of the human condition or civilization. His works have treated themes such as radioactivity in Chernobyl and Fukushima, melting ice in the Arctic, border walls in Palestine, and tones -- otoacoustic emissions -- generated from the actual human ear. Currently, Jacob Kirkegaard works on two projects, one is on the sound of global waste and waste management. The other on sound environments related to the immediate human post mortem. With his peculiar alchemist approach and extensive research, complex phenomena and current conditions are portrayed through composition, installation, video. and photography. Rather than providing answers, his portrayals create spaces for reflection. Kirkegaard has presented his works at galleries, museums, biennales and concert spaces throughout the world. Edition of 300.
"One of contemporary sound art's most subtle, intriguing figures. More artistically minded than field recordings, more naturally hewn than noise tapes, Kirkegaard amplifies hidden worlds into evocative drifts." --Rolling Stone, December 2015
LP $16


ELKHORN - Sun Cycle / Elk Jam (Feeding Tube 425ABCD; USA) "Two mind-bending slabs of acoustic and electric guitars, wandering into corners of acid-logic only accessible to bravest explorers. Elkhorn is a duo -- Jesse Sheppard and Drew Gardner -- from NYC. Their earlier records (Elkhorn on Beyond Is Beyond, The Black River on Debacle) would have blown us away, even if we didn't know Jesse from his work as a film-maker (he directed the Glenn Jones/Jack Rose doc, The Things That We Used to Do) and organizer (he put together the 1,000 Incarnations of the Rose festival). Elkhorn's music, which we had suspected might be in a fairly traditional American Primitive vein, was anything but. And these two LPs (released individually, but recorded more or less simultaneously) explore a whole warren of new style caverns. Sun Cycle was recorded at Jason Meagher's Black Dirt Studio and is closer to their pure duo sound (although guitarist Willie Lane and percussionist Ryan Jewell are along for the ride). There are elements of the American Primitive thread present, but these touch mostly on the outer reaches of the form, like Gene Estibou & Jean-Claude Pickens' Intensifications, or the crazy distentions of MV and PG Six. Layers of pluck and soar and light percussion mix at the upper edge of the cosmic barrier, and Sun Cycle is, to our ears, Elkhorn's most adventurous and fully realized album yet. On Elk Jam (FTR 425CD-LP), Willie Lane and Ryan Jewell function more as members of a psychedelic folk-rock quartet, and the troupe takes things even deeper in a Bay Area-styled trip zone. Recalling the classic ruminations of Mountain Bus, the full four man Elkhorn is exactly what the doctor prescribed for a generation of sack-butts who imagine John Mayer's pudgy phallus-riffs have shit to do with transcendental psych exploration. Elkhorn are the true sonic dealio. Instrumental music doesn't get much better than this. As Capt. Beefheart once said, 'If you got ears/You gotta listen!' We couldn't agree more." --Byron Coley, 2019 Edition of 500; gatefold sleeve.
2 LP Set $35


MOZZALEUM - Dark Ride (Feeding Tube 444; USA) "The debut album by Western Mass trio, Mozzaleum, is an unholy union of hot cheese pie, cool Italian prog, and wanton horror movie lust. One gets the feeling this's the sort of band that Roky Erickson dreams about after a few mugs of cocoa and a slasher flick watch-a-thon. The three tracks on the first side all take their names from actual films (none related to the films' music as far as I can tell), the five on the flip carry on in a more thematic manner. But the music on side two -- keys, samples, effects, and Pinto's amplified bowed-saw -- are more in line with the band's extremely visual live shows. With two lauded visual artists in the group ('Condread' Capistran and 'Terrorica' Pinto) that's to be expected. 'A Damned' Parker is the third member, and a 'recording virgin' (as in Pinto). Capistran is a seasoned vet of such units as Sunburned, Tarp, Galacto Fidelity Unit and so on. There is also a 'ghost' fourth member in 'Germz' Pisani (aka Red Favorite), whose post production touches give Dark Ride the bizarre quality it maintains throughout, Mozzaleum's visual presence is so fucking strange it's easy to get hung up on when seeing them play. But on record, you get to appreciate their sheer sonic attack, and it's just amazing. Cinematic in all the cheesiest ways imaginable, the collage of elements manages to transcend any kind of ironic zone you might suspect it would inhabit, existing as a full throated and truly original roar. I can't wait until some smart film directors hear this shit, start having personal visions of carnage and enlist this troupe to do some actual soundtrack work. Get ahead of the curve. Shoot a movie in your own brain today. Call it Dark Ride." --Byron Coley, 2019 Pressed on cloudy orange/clear vinyl; edition of 200.
LP $25


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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for June 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 - PAULINE KIM - JULY 9–13

7/9 Tuesday
8:30 pm - LEMMA—Music by John Zorn - Pauline Kim Harris, Christopher Otto (violins) Ches Smith (drums): Passagen for Solo Violin / Apophthegms for Two Violins / Ceremonial Magic for Violin and Drums

7/10 Wednesday
8:30 pm - ORIGINALS—Music by Pauline Kim Harris - Pauline Kim Harris (violin, piano) Lauren Cauley (violin) Annaliese Kowert (violin) Andrew Yee (cello) John-Paul Norpoth (bass) Thomas Buckner (baritone) Melanie Genin (harp) The Bang Group (percussion) every.thing collective (vocals) Jesse Stiles and David Behrman (electronics)

7/11 Thursday
8:30 pm - Music by Pauline Kim Harris / Spencer Topel - Pauline Kim Harris (violin) Spencer Topel (electronics); Pre-release event for August 2019 Solo Album Debut on Sono Luminus—SHäˈkôn [WORLD PREMIERE] DEO [WORLD PREMIERE]

7/12 Friday
8:30 pm - RESPONSES to the Bach Chaconne—Music by Pauline Kim Harris, Missy Mazzoli, Elizabeth Hoffman, Yoon-Ji Lee, Annie Gosfield and John King; Pauline Kim Harris (violin); Pauline Kim Harris A Spiral Is A Line (2019) WORLD PREMIERE Missy Mazzoli Dissolve, O My Heart (2010) Elizabeth Hoffman morsels (2018) US PREMIERE Yoon-Ji Lee Shakonn (2014) Annie Gosfield Long Waves and Random Pulses (2012) John King C-H-A-C-O-N-N-E (2013)

7/13 Saturday
8:30 pm - DRUMS x VIOLIN x PERCUSSION—New music by Pauline Kim Harris, Jessie Cox and James Ilgenfritz; Pauline Kim Harris (violin) Jessie Cox (drums) Billy Martin (percussion) Brian Chase (drums) Alex Cohen (double kick bass drum) Ricardo Romaneiro (drum machine)

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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Bushwick Improvised Music Series Continues:

Monday July 8th

7pm Jessie Cox - drums
Ras Moshe Burnett - tenor sax/flute
Eriq Robinson - bass/electronics
Brian Krock - saxophone

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

9pm Lior Milliger - tenor saxophone
Hilliard Greene - bass
Joe Hertenstein - drums

9:45pm Kazuki Yamanaka - tenor saxophone
Todd Neufeld - guitar
Billy Mintz - drums

10:45pm Jonathan Milberger - tenor saxophone
Finn Carroll - bass
Kevin Murray - drums

11:30pm Danny Stagnitta - tenor saxophone
Sue Kim - keyboard
Thomas Milovac - bass
Rishav Acharya - 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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I-BEAM Presents:

FRIDAY, JULY 5, 2019 - 8:00 PM 10:00 PM
BILLY MINTZ BAND
Adam Kolker - Sax
Richard Perry - Sax
Noah Bless - Trombone
Roberta Piket - Piano
Hilliard Greene - Bass
Billy Mintz - Drums

SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 2019 - 8:30 PM 10:30 PM
ARTEMIS SEXTET
Art Lande - Piano
Will Bernard - Guitar
Bruce Williamson - Woodwinds
Brian Drye - Trombone
Mike McGinnis - Woodwinds
Matt Wilson - Drums

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