DMG Newsletter for August 30th, 2019

“Salt of the Earth” written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richard
Found on Rolling Stones’ ‘Beggar’s Banquet’ album, released December, 1968

Let's drink to the hard working people
Let's drink to the lowly of birth
Raise your glass to the good and the evil
Let's drink to the salt of the earth
Say a prayer for the common foot soldier
Spare a thought for his back breaking work
Say a prayer for his wife and his children
Who burn the fires and who still till the earth
And when I search a faceless crowd
A swirling mass of gray and black and white
They don't look real to me
In fact, they look so strange

Raise your glass to the hard working people
Let's drink to the uncounted heads
Let's think of the wavering millions
Who needs leading, but get gamblers instead
Spare a thought for the stay-at-home voter
His empty eyes gaze at strange beauty shows
And a parade of the gray suited grafters
A choice of cancer or polio
When I look into the faceless crowd
A swirling mass of grays and black and white
They don't look real to me
Or don't they look so strange
Let's drink to the hard working people
Let's think of the lowly of birth
Spare a thought for the rag taggy people
Let's drink to the salt of the earth

Let's drink to the hard working people
Let's drink to the salt of the earth
Let's drink to the two thousand million
Let's think of the humble of birth

Monday is Labor Day,
So Let’s Raise a Toast to the Workers of the World
We try to Smile as They take away our Freedoms and Opportunities
But We will Not Be Denied, We will Not be Ignored
While the Fake Prez Points to Immigrants as our Enemies
We Know Better, We know Know who the Real Enemies Are!
The Nazi’s will Not Replace Us!
The Fascists Will Not Take Over!
We have been Beaten down time after time,
But we will Rise Again!
We are the Tidal Wave of Resistance
And We will Fight for Our Freedom
So you best Watch out, We are the True Freedom Fighters
We Preach Love and Not Hate,
We will Bury the Fascists, It is Our Fate!
On Monday, Turn Off Your Phones
Get Together with your Family, Friends and Neighbors
And Celebrate Live, Love, Freedom, Friendship, Family
And Responsibility to our Fellow Man and Woman Kind
It is the Time for the Healing to Begin

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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, September 1st:
6pm: SAM WEINBERG / WEASEL WALTER / HENRY FRASER - Tenor Sax / Drums / Contrabass
7pm: DARREN JOHNSTON / MICHAEL ATTIAS - Trumpet and Alto Sax

Sunday, September 8th:
6pm: KYLE MOTL / KEIR GoGWILT - Contrabass / Violin
7pm: FEDERICO UGHI / DANIEL CARTER / PATRICK HOLMES / MATTHEW PUTMAN /
HILLIARD GREENE - Drums / Reeds Trumpet / Clarinet / Keyboard / Bass

Sunday, September 22nd:
6pm: REMEMBERING BERN NIX - Two Sets for Bern Nix!
BEYOND GROUP with: CHERYL PYLE / MICHAEL EATON / REGGIE SYLVESTER
7pm: RETROGRADE: MATT LAVELLE / REGGIE SYLVESTER

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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DMG/BLG Recommended Gigs of the Week:

Eric Stern’s House of Improv Series:
This Friday, August 30th at 8pm:

KEN VANDERMARK and MARS WILLIAMS!
Plus STEVE MARQUETTE - Solo Guitarist from Marker!

At 244 Rehearsal Studios is located at 244 West 54th Street
10th Floor, New York, New York 10019

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This Saturday, August 31st at
The Records Shop in Red Hook

8pm: NATE WOOLEY / SAM WEINBERG
8:45pm: CHRIS PITSIOKOS / VIOLETA GARCI
9:30pm: BILL NACE / SANDY EWEN

Located at: show @ the Record Shop
In Red Hook Brooklyn
360 Van Brunt Street

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This Week’s Sonic Treasures Begin with this:

NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA With JOHN GREAVES / ANNIE BARBAZZA - Folly Bololey - Songs from Robert Wyatt’s Rock bottom (Dark Companion DC 012; Italy) “This concert is a beautiful event, for me. These musicians seem to me to have have really grasped what my songs are about; but at the same time, created an entirely fresh way of putting the music together. I feel so honored and so grateful.” - Robert Wyatt, March 2019
“One of the greatest albums of the 1970s, beautifully reimagined and re-written for orchestra. I have listened to Rock Bottom hundreds of times, and thought I was familiar with it: but this brilliant new version opens up new depths, fresh vistas, hidden truths.
An amazing achievement.” - Jonathan Coe, March 2019
“Critically acclaimed as one of the best records ever, Robert Wyatt's 1974 masterpiece “Rock Bottom” has been re-arranged by Craig Fortnam for his amazing North Sea Radio Orchestra. Featuring long time Wyatt's collaborator and Henry Cow founder John Greaves on bass guitar and vocals and the amazing vocalist Annie Barbazza as lead singer, “Songs from Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom” is a hearfelt, fantastic tribute to Robert Wyatt's music.”
CD $20 [LTD Edition of 999/numbered]


THE QUINTET With PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE / EIVIND OPSVIK / CARL MAGNUS NEUMANN / BJORNAR ANDRESEN / KETIL GUTVIK - Events 1998- 1999 (PNL; Norway) Deluxe box-set with 5 CDs in individual printed wallets, two booklets of 28 pages each with interviews, liner notes, and photos. In the late 1990s, three young musicians in the Oslo jazz scene – Paal Nilssen-Love, Ketil Gutvik and Eivind Opsvik – hooked up with two legends – Carl Magnus “Calle” Neumann and Bjørnar Andresen. Neumann and Andresen were extremely important in the development of Norwegian free jazz in the late 1960s and early 70s, playing with Jan Garbarek, Arild Andersen, Svein Finnerud Trio, Terje Rypdal, George Russell and many others. The project was named The Quintet and it was the meeting of two generations, with Neumann and Andresen passing the spirit of the 60s on to three musicians who would make their mark in the 2000s. But putting the historical importance aside, The Quintet was simply a band of five equal musicians who created unique music together. In their short time the group only released one album (now long out of print), so it is with great pleasure that PNL Records at the 20th anniversary of the band can announce the release of “Events 1998-1999” – an extensive 5CD box-set that tells the full story of The Quintet. In addition to the previous album the box-set features four previously unreleased studio and live recordings. The music heard on the five discs shows the full arc of the band, from their first meeting in a studio to one of their last concerts. To give the music more context the box-set also comes with two booklets of interviews (with Arild Andersen and Ketil Gutvik), liner notes (by Chris Monsen and Paal Nilssen-Love) and many photos. This is the most elaborate project PNL Records have undertaken, with a large number of people helping out and sharing their knowledge, so anybody with an interest in the history of Norwegian free jazz is in for a treat.”
5 CD Set $52

MARKER With KEN VANDERMARK / STEVE MARQUETTE / ANDREW CLINKMAN / MACIE STEWART / PHIL SUDDERGERG - New Industries (Audiographic Records 015 / Pleasure of the Text; USA)
2 CD Set $18

The following box set was supposed to be here last week but has been delayed for a week or two so we are still waiting for our copies to arrive, hopefully soon:

MOMENTUM 4 with KEN VANDERMARK / KRIS DAVIS / IKUE MORI / WILLIAM PARKER / HAMID DRAKE / PAUL LYTTON - Consequent Duos 2015>2019 (Audiographica; USA) You can still order this now.
5 CD Set $48 [LTD Edition of 500]


PULVERIZE THE SOUND With PETER EVANS / TIM DAHL / MIKE PRIDE - Sequel (Mim 181; USA) This is the second disc from Pulverize the Sound who feature Peter Evans on trumpet, Tim Dahl on electric bass and Mike Pride on drums & percussion. There seems to be a growing wave of newer bands who are influenced by No Wave/Punk/Electric Jazz/Prog-Metal, whose music is often brutal, intense and in-your-face! Pulverize the Sound were probably first and whose first disc was released in 2015. Since then we’ve seen & heard bands like Chris Pitsiokos’s CP Unit, Many Arms (w/ Nick Millevoi), Unnatural Ways (w/ Ava Mendoza) and more recently Bloor (led by Sam Weinberg). Master blaster drummer, Weasel Walter, is at the heart of this movement as well, combining those sub-genres (jazz/metal/punk) and turning them into a solid force to be reckoned with.
Which brings us back to this amazing, brutal power trio. All three members of Pulverize the Sound come from impressive, varied back-grounds. Not-so-young trumpeter, Peter Evans’ solo efforts, live & on records, are known for pushing the envelope further out in the world of sonic trumpet explorations. You can hear electric bassist Tim Dahl with both metal & punk bands (Child Abuse & CP Unit) and drummer, Mike Pride, with Locksmith Isidore, From Bacteria to Boys to MDC. Each member of the trio contributed two songs and we can tell that each one was well thought out. Who else would call an opening song “Tom Petty is Dead”?!? It sounds like a hurricane erupting, with centrifugal forces waves spinning tightly around one another. What is the howling sound at the center? Peter Evans’ trumpet most likely, backed by Dahl’s throbbing fuzz bass and Mr. Pride’s pounding mallet-work. On Mr. Pride’s “Athena”, the trio lay back to play some solemn, prayer like theme and then slowly build to a frenzy and then back down to some more introspective free/written contrasts. The fuzz-bass throbs at the center of “Appropriating Suffering”, which starts out at a moderate pace and then spins into a high-speed bout. “Convent of the Sacred Beast” evolves through some tight, well-written stop & start sections, which the trio plays with seeming ease. Mr. Evans like to create challenges for himself and his bandmates, hence “m-D” has more of that tight, stop & start, time-shifting madness going on, kind of like an obstacle course for the mind. Absolutely riveting at times! Some of the written sections remind me Anthony Braxton’s music from ’New York 1975’, no easy feat. Pulverize the Sound remain of the best newer bands from the Downtown Continuum, this disc is most impressive and many levels. Now that Peter Evans has moved to Europe, we won’t be seeing him live as often, so do indeed check this disc out, it rules!!! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


REGGIE NICHOLSON - Mettle / Solo (Abstract Recordings; USA) Featuring Reggie Nicholson on solo percussion. Longtime Downtown drummer, Reggie Nicholson, has played with just about everyone: Muhal Richard Abrams, Thomas Chapin, Roy Campbell, Myra Melford and Henry Threadgill. Mr. Nicholson has also led a few of his own bands, self-releasing four of his own dates as a leader. This is Nicholson’s second solo percussion disc and it is even better than I imagined. On each of the thirteen pieces, Mr. Nicholson plays a different piece of percussion or combination of different percussion instruments. Starting with the first piece, “Solo”, each piece has different theme or vibe. Listening closely to the first piece I notice that the three drums that Reggie is using have both a melodic and rhythmic quality at the same time. The sound of the percussion is both warm and clear with nothing to alter their purity of sound. Mr. Nicholson loves to let certain notes just drift and float in the air, hence the music breathes, glows, hums. Things move slowly as each sound unfolds carefully. The silence or space between the notes is as important as the sounds themselves. The center is calm yet there is a minimum of turbulence below the surface. If we slow down a bit, we will hear what is going on that is inside of us as well as in the spaces between the sounds. We often want more than what we have so why not wait and let things happen as they may without too many expectations. Then the buried gems will be revealed. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15


New from SLAM:

DANIEL CARTER / JULIAN PRIESTER / DAVID HANEY / ADAM LANE / REGGIE SYLVESTER - Live Constructions Volume 2 (Slam 597; UK) Featuring Daniel Carter on tenor sax & trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, David Haney on piano, Adam Lane on double bass and Reggie Sylvester on drums. This disc was recorded live for WKCR radio at Columbia University in August & October of 2018. Pacific Northwest-based pianist keeps busy running Cadence Magazine (since 2012) and recording sessions with varying personnel for the Cadence, CIMP and Slam record labels. He has put together an interesting bi-coastal line-up here featuring he & Julian Priester, both from Portland, Oregon, and three longtime members of the Downtown Scene. Mr. Haney has been recording with Julian Priester (From Sun Ra to Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi Band & beyond) and Adam Lane on several previous sessions.
This long discs is mostly an improvised session aside from a short quote from an old song by Herbie Nichols. The opening piece begins with an infectious galloping groove which goes on for a short while eventually settling down to somber calm with Mr. Haney plucking the strings inside the piano while Mr. Carter sends out quiet smoke signals on his sax. Although Daniel Carter usually plays many reeds at each session (alto & tenor sax, soprano, flute plus trumpet), he is only listed on tenor here. I do hear hime plying soprano on the first couple of pieces. It sounds as if the quartet (without Mr. Priester) is moving in slow motion, sleeping walking ornate least dreaming together. Later the quintet starts to hit their stride as the pace picks up. “Construction Number 9” begins with a soft, unaccompanied solo trombone, slowly building through stark sections, spacious and hypnotic. Sometimes, I wish there were more going on but when I do calm down I realize that this is thoughtful, chamber-like music that is nuanced just right. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

GEORGE HASLAM / NIKOLAS SKORDAS - Lethe-Ahoh (Slam 333; UK) Featuring George Haslam on alto sax, taragato & zither and Nikolas Skordas on soprano sax, taragato, flutes & bagpipe plus Sophia Koroxenou on voice & bells (3 tracks). This is the second disc from Greek reeds player Nikolas Skordas to be released on the Slam label after another duo with Alex Maguire. This disc was recorded in at Shellac studio in Thessaloniki, Greece in December of 2018. Both Mr. Haslam and Mr. Skordas play a taragoto, an easter European, larger than a regular clarinet-like instrument. UK saxist & Slam label head, George Haslam, keeps busy playing with selective musicians from the UK, South America, Italy and now Greece, creating an international bond with creative musicians from around the world.
Although, most of the instruments here are reeds, this disc begins with a zither which adds an aura of mystery, with added specs of of soft hand percussion. I actually own and play an old dusty zither, which sounds like someone playing inside of the piano while Mr. Skordas plays some eerie wooden flute. The overall sound is filled with spaciousness and suspense, the sound of the zither and taragato sounds perfect together like ancient partners from related cultures. By the second piece, Mr. Skordas switches to soprano sax while Mr. Haslam plays alto. There is something truly lovely going on here as both reeds work so well together, swirling around one another like graceful birds in flight, sailing on the wind, being held aloft by the tides underneath. The overall vibe here is mostly mesmerizing, an enchanting dreamworld that is exotic and enticing. This is a true blend of different cultures, so well integrated into a delicious stew. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12


STEVE COHN / GEORGE HASLAM / STEVE KERSHAW - Ancient & Modern (Slam 332; UK) Featuring Steve Cohn on piano, harmonica, shakuhachi & shofar, George Haslam on bari & alto saxes & taragato and Steve Kershaw on double bass. Although Steve Cohn has been a New York area based pianist & shakuhachi player for several decades, I’ve rarely see him playing live in NYC. He does appear on record more often, working with Fred Hopkins, Jason Hwang & Frank Lowe, amongst others. Mr. Cohn has two new discs on the UK-based Slam label, both trios with different personnel. For this disc Mr. Cohn is collaborating with Slam-label head George Haslam (sax & taragato) and double bassist Steve Kershaw. I only know of bassist Steve Kershaw from the dozen other discs he has done with George Haslam in the past. Elder British reeds master, George Haslam, can be heard on some 50 releases, mostly on the Slam label and with musicians from the UK, Italy, South America & Greece). What’s interesting about this disc is that if features 3 standards (Monk, Mingus & Simon & Garfunkel) and four by Mr. Cohn or Cohn/Kershaw plus two trio improvs. This set was recorded live at the All Saints Church in Courtenay, England in July of 2018. The pieces range from solo piano, to three duos and 5 trios.
The disc begins with a sublime duo of taragato & acoustic bass playing “Scarborough Fair”, covered by Simon & Garfunkel in the mid sixties. Considering that this was recorded in a church, it does have a rather spiritual sound, reminding me of Coltrane doing “My Favorite Things” for an Atlantic album released in 1961. Mr. Cohn plays soulful, gospel-ish solo piano on “Orwell’s Blues”. the goes right into a piano & bass duo, called “Walking in a English Garden” and which is also bluesy with a righteous walking bass line. Another highlight is a swaggering version of “Blue Monk” for a baritone sax, piano & bass trio. Another great cover for the trio is Charles Mingus’ “Nostalgia in Times Square”, lush and laid back. On “Baritone Happiness”, Mr. Haslam takes a long, tasty, soulful bari sax solo, which tells an ongoing story as it goes.
CD $12


LEAP OF FAITH with PEK / GLYNIS LOMON / JIM WARSHAUER / BOB MOORES / ERIC DAHLMAN / DUANE REED / ERIC ZINMAN - First Principles (Evil Clown 9214; USA) This disc was recorded at Third Life Studios in Somerville, MA on May 11 of 2019. This is a septet version of Leap of Faith and it features PEK on clarinets, bamboo soprano & alto, tenor & bass saxes, taragato, flute, melodica & assorted percussion, Glynis Lomon on cello, acquasonic & voice, Jim Warshauer on alto & tenor saxes & flutes, Bob Moores & Eric Dahlman on trumpets, Duane Reed on bari horn & bass trombone and Eric Zinman piano. This might be the only Leap of Faith recording without their usual drummer, Yuri Zbitnov. This version of LoF does include Bob Moores, who can be found on nearly 20 previous disc from LoF & their offshoot bands and Boston-area free/jazz master-pianist, Eric Zinman, who has worked with Linda Sharrock & Francois Tusques. What makes this band unique is the instrumentation of 2 reeds, 2 trumpets, bass trombone, piano, cello & percussion. The first section consists of more restrained percussion, cello, flute and low end horns. Things actually sound playful, sparse yet uplifting in the first section eventually drifting freely… the horns and cello weaving their way around one another. Without the drums, things are more sparse, yet still somehow magical, floating through space. The septet is often sparse with the cello & percussion interweaving layers underneath. Eventually different subgroups emerge: amazing interaction between both trumpets, trombone, saxes & cello. Yet another OUTstanding from the super prolific Leap of Faith crowd. - Bruce Lee Gallanter
CD $12


LEAP OF FAITH with PEK / GLYNIS LOMON / YURI ZBITNOV - Nucleosynthesis (Evil Clown 9212; USA) This is the core/trio version of Leap of Faith and it features PEK on clarinets, alto, tenor & bass saxes, taragato, contrabassoon, bass trombone, flute, sheng, percussion…, Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic, voice & percussion and Yuri Zbitnov on drums & percussion. The three core member of LoF can be found on most of their 100 releases. With the larger ensembles it is often hard to tell who is doing what at times, here, we can hear each member clearly, all three taking their time, slowing down to a simmer with hypnotic, ancient, spiritual jazz like moments. PEK plays a long, haunting bass sax solo, bending and twisting each note carefully. For those of you want to check out the vast ocean of Leap of Faith recordings, this is a perfect place to begin, since we can hear the three core members perfectly as they evolve, take an occasional solo and work well together as one focussed force of nature, organic and inspiring. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12


KEVIN MURRAY / KAZUTO SATO / TOM WEEKS - Hard Boiled (Wolfsblood 08; USA) Featuring Kevin Murray on drums, Kazuto Sato on bass and Tom Weeks on saxes. Recorded in Mt. View, CA in July of 2019 (last month!) Young drummer Kevin Murray led a great trio set here last Sunday (8/25/19) with William Parker on bass & Aaron Rubinstein on el. guitar. (Check it out on our Instagram feed) Kevin’s drumming was impressive, he left us with this, another trio with some names I don’t know. Right from the opening salvo, we know something strong, spirited and intense is going on. This is powerful, free-jazz at its best, erupting for anyone who appreciates this sort of brain-blasting frenzy. I do hear saxist Weeks tossing in bits of Ornette’s “Dancing in Your Head” theme here and there, a fave melody for many and quoted by many alto players worldwide. Hard to believe that I hadn’t heard of these three musicians before now. For the secong track, “Kowloon Walled City”, the trio slow down while Mr. Weeks switches to baritone sax, concentrating and bending each note carefully, free-jazz in slow motion and especially well crafted. The trio soar again on the third long piece, “Hard Boiled”, which starts slowly and builds to another great frenzy. I had this disc on then other day at the store when one of free-jazz experts was listening. I wouldn’t tell him who is what so he kept guessing: An old ESP session, BYG? Charles Tyler, Sonny Simmons, etc…?!? Not bad company to be in. Another treasure only found at DMG. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $8


JOANS MUNK & NICKLAS SORENSEN - Always Already Here (El Paraiso Records 054; Denmark) “Jonas Munk and Nicklas Sørensen team up for a genre-defying record that explores American minimalism, psychedelia, and electronic music -- both vintage and contemporary. On a foundation of interlocking guitar and synthesizer patterns, the duo constructs lengthy pieces that are experimental yet welcoming in nature, precisely executed yet with room for soaring improvisation. Always Already Here pays homage to the masters of classical minimalism (Steve Reich, Terry Riley) and the pioneers of electronic music and kosmische (Brian Eno, Manuel Göttsching), still it doesn't sound derivative or retrospective. The type of hypnotic bliss Munk and Sørensen strive for is distinctly timeless. Always Already Here came to life during a handful of intense sessions in Munk's studio in Odense, Denmark. However, from a larger perspective the record seems to be a culmination of several years of collaborating. From 2010-2014, Munk recorded and produced three full-length albums for Sørensen's band Papir, and in the period 2015-2017 the two collaborated on Sørensen's two solo efforts Solo and "Solo 2". During the same period they have occasionally performed live as a duo, playing semi-improvised shows based around guitars and synthesizers. These live shows have assuredly influenced their collaborative work with an explorative, animated quality ? which is especially apparent on the album's free flowing, zen-orientated B-side. Always Already Here ties together several musical threads: academic pattern-music, psychedelia, avant-garde sound exploration as well as a highly melodic sensibility. It's a multi-layered, colorful album that demands full sonic immersion.”
CD $15


SIROM - A Universe that Roasts Blossoms for a Horse (Tak: Till / Glitterbeat 079; Germany) “Slovenian "imaginary folk" instrumental trio return with a kaleidoscopic third album. Handmade and global instrumentation meets fearless sound exploration. There's a sequence in Memoryscapes, a lovely French-made short film, in which Sirom set about fashioning music from a pile of pots, pans, saucepan lids and empty cans of supermarket lager on the kitchen table. The three members of the band -- Ana Kravanja, Samo Kutin, and Iztok Koren, in any order you like for this is a collective endeavor -- are gently fending off any question that attempts to reduce their music to type. "Imaginary folk" is Samo's preferred description, but the word "preferred" is doing some heavy lifting here. The band are more than happy to bust two myths that seem to have grown up in the last couple of years. First, this is not Slovenian traditional (or traditional Slovenian) music. It might be produced from and by each of the three landscapes in which the band were raised -- the Karst, the hills of Tolmin, the eastern plains of Prekmurje -- but unpicking what came from where is an impossible endeavor. That leads you to the second misconception: that Sirom are an improvisational band. For sure, improvisation is an indispensable part of the initial songwriting process; but it's an expression of their collective manner of working rather than any musical statement per se. Keen-eared listeners will hear a continuation of the last song on Clay Snapper (GB 051CD, LP) in the first song of the new record: a nod, perhaps, to the fact that they began work on the new record immediately after the last. But whatever has gone into the music, from the band's home landscapes to their previous and in some cases still current musical projects (classical, hardcore, flatlands post-rock), Sirom sound like no one else. The world of the new record -- A Universe that Roasts Blossoms for a Horse -- is indeed subtly different to that of the last: the viola still teases and tugs at the percussion and the banjo still periodically tries to break free and set up on its own, but there's a glimpse of electricity in "A Pulse Expels Its Brothers and Sisters", courtesy of Samo's homemade tampura brač, more vocals, albeit as unsettling as ever, and a new sense of spaces being pried open.”
CD $16


Archival Records, Restocks and Reissues:

WAYNE SHORTER with JAMES SPAULDING / LEE MORGAN / FREDDIE HUBBARD / CURTIS FULLER / McCOY TYNER / HERBIE HANCOCK / REGGIE WORKMAN / RON CARTER / CECIL McBEE / ELVIN JONES / TONY WILLIAMS / JOE CHAMBERS - 5 Original Albums (Blue Note 06025-4711099; USA) Featuring albums: ‘Night Dreamer’(1964), ‘The Soothsayer’(1965), ‘Etcetera’(1965), ‘Adam’s Apple’ (1966) and ’Schizophrenia’(1967). Second batch of Wayne Shorter’s super-fine solo recordings from from 1964 until 1967. An essential collection.
5 CD Set $24


PENTANGLE with JOHN RENBOURN / BERT JANSCH / JACQUI McSHEE / DANNY THOMPSON / TERRY COX - Finale - An Evening With Pentangle (Topic 824; UK) Featuring Jacqui McShee on vocals, Bert Jansch on guitar, banjo & vocals, John Renbourn on guitar, sitar & vocals, Danny Thompson on double bass and Terry Cox on drums. This marvelous 2 CD set was recorded live at Royal Festival Hall in London for the 40th anniversary of ’Sweet Child’, a double LP which released in 1968. Pentangle were one of the original British supergroups, whose music combined the best elements from folk, jazz, ethnic, blues and rock. The original quintet recorded six albums between 1968 and 1972, all are essential gems, which I return to from time to time and still which leave me breathless. Both guitarists were masters on their instruments and each had long solo careers both before and after Pentangle’s reign. Sadly, both guitarists have since passed away: Bert Jansch in October of 2011 and John Renbourn in March of 2015.
This two CD set was recorded on a UK tour July of 2008. The music is superbly recorded and remains timeless. It was a perfect blend in 1968 and sounds even better now. All of the musicians have matured so that there is a richness and depth which is undeniable. All three singers have warm, distinctive voices, which blend with great modest harmonies.
2 CD Set $20


SCOTT MORGAN'S POWERTRANE WITH DENIZ TEK & RON ASHETON - Ann Arbour Revival Meeting (Grown Up Wrong 003; Australia) "Living up to its title, Ann Arbor Revival Meeting is a cross-generational project from 2002 that brings to life Ann Arbor and Detroit's rock legacy through a combination of some of its key protagonists. Scott Morgan, who leads the band at the core of the record, Powertrane, goes back to mid '60s days, to The Rationals, who ruled the local teen scene alongside the likes of Bob Seger and The Last Heard. In the '70s, he fronted the seminal Sonic's Rendezvous Band, alongside Fred 'Sonic' Smith of the MC5 and Scott Asheton of The Stooges. Deniz Tek, guest for the entire show, is an Ann Arbor native who spent most of the '70s in Sydney and led the mighty Radio Birdman. Ron Asheton, the special guest who appears playing guitar on the handful of Stooges tunes here is the man who played on them originally, the great and sadly now late guitar innovator who was at the core of The Stooges' huge influence across of the '70s and beyond. Representing the younger generation are Powertrane's rhythm section Andrew 'Box' Taylor on bass, who instigated the band's shows with Tek and Asheton, and Andy Frost, a great drummer who sadly passed away in 2010, had been mentored by Scott Asheton. Additionally, local identities Robert Gillespie and Hiawatha Bailey are present. Robert Gillespie is Powertrane's regular lead guitarist, a long time sideman for original R&B belter Mitch Rider and a former member of Rob Tyner's new MC5 in the late '70s. Hiawatha, who sings a couple of the Stooges covers, was a Stooges roadie back in the day and later front man of local punk-rockers The Cult Heroes in the late '70s and '80s. Originally released on CD only by Real O-Mind Records in 2002, this is one of the great live albums."
CD $21


REGGIE YOUNG with various: BILL BLACK COMBO / SOLOMON BURKE / JOE TEX / KING CURTIS / JACKI DeSHANNON / ELVIS PRESLEY / BOXTOPS / DOBIE GRAY / LITTLE MILTON / WAYLON JENNINGS / et al - Session Guitar Star (Ace Records 7093323; UK) During his six-decade career as a session man, predominantly in Memphis and Nashville, Reggie Young's unique guitar work has embellished 45s and albums by just about every major artist who cut tracks in those two hotbeds of recording activity. There were plenty of lower profile names, too, who made great records without necessarily over-working the chart compilers. To Reggie it didn't matter; he always did his best to provide what he felt was right for the song, very often just some personalized licks and fills here and there, but he would cut loose on a scorching solo if he thought it added to the overall performance. This CD contains a healthy mixture of both, and much in between. Our overview shows Reggie Young completely at home in all the various genres that have provided top class material for so many Ace LPs and CDs for the best part of forty years. It has R&B and blues, rock'n'roll, instrumentals, rockabilly, soul and pop, as well as a veritable helping of left-field country to reflect the amount of time Reggie plied his trade in Nashville. A-sides, B-sides and album tracks have been carefully selected to sit comfortably together while simultaneously illustrating the development of Reggie Young's armory of guitar stylings from the 1950s and into the present century. Reggie Young's guitar work has been heard on many Ace compilations over the years, and none more so than our still available CD "Memphis Boys: The Story Of American Studios" (CDCHD 1330) released in 2012. We have therefore avoided any duplication of tracks here, even though several of the same artists are featured. Hence you will find some equally tasty alternatives to the likes of Dusty Springfield's 'Son Of A Preacher Man', King Curtis' 'Memphis Soul Stew' and Joe Tex's 'Skinny Legs And All'. In May 2017 Ace released Reggie Young's first and, so far, only solo album "Forever Young" (CDCHD 1500) which sufficiently raised his profile in the US for his people to lobby for a Lifetime Achievement Award nomination on Reggie's behalf with regard to the forthcoming Grammys. It is hoped our new compilation will go some way in assisting their efforts, and should they be successful, at least with the nomination, Ace may well reap the reward of a relative boost in sales.
CD $14


JAMES BLOOD ULMER With GEORGE ADAMS / CECIL McBEE / DOUG HAMMOND - Revealing (In & Out Records 7007; Germany) “This unique album is James Blood Ulmer's first recording under his own name [and a forerunner of the Ulmer/Adams collaborative Phalanx group]. Made in 1977 before Ulmer recorded 'Body Meta' and 'Tales Of Captain Black' with Ornette Coleman, the album was first released by IN OUT Records in 1990. It is a collection of spirited, extrovert jazz, tremendously enhanced by the invigorating saxophone work of George Adams, the virtuoso bass playing of Cecil McBee and the superbly supportive drumming of Doug Hammond. More than a mere collector's item, Revealing possesses such rare qualities as to place it among the milestones sessions of jazz, standing shoulder to shoulder with Blood's best albums! "Prime Bood that needs to be heard! All THUMBS UP!”” - MannyLunch
CD $16


Various Artists in Paris: SUNNY MURRAY / ARCHIE SHEPP / SONNY SHARROCK / SUN RA & HIS SOLAR-MYTH ARKESTRA / DAVE BURRELL / ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO / DON CHERRY / MUSICA ELETTRONICA VIVA / GONG - JazzActuel (Charly 707; UK) Subtitled "A collection of avant garde/free jazz/psychedelia from the BYG Actuel catalog of 1969-1971." Selection edited by Thurston Moore & Byron Coley. Features one track each from: Sunny Murray, Archie Shepp, Steve Lacy, Daevid Allen [1st Gong], Sonny Sharrock, Grachan Moncur III, Clifford Thornton, Jacques Coursil, Dave Burrell, Sun Ra, Arthur Jones, Burton Greene Ensemble, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Andrew Cyrille, Paul Bley, Frank Wright, Acting Trio, Dewey Redman, Don Cherry, Anthony Braxton, Jimmy Lyons, Claude Delcloo/A. Jones, Musica Elettronica Viva, Kenneth Terroade, Gong, Alan Silva & the Celestrial Communication Orchestra. All tracks from the crucial series of original BYG albums; with 36 page booklet of in-depth annotation of photographs and great essay by Thurston Moore [Sonic Youth]. Well done all around!!!
Unless you own the entire BYG catalogue (around 51 albums), al of which is well worth hearing if you savor the avant-garde, this in-expensive three CD set contains 1 track from each recording artist on BYG. If you don’t already own some of these records, this is the place to start to have your mind blown.
3 CD Set $21


THE MONKS - Hamburg Recordings 1967 (Third Man Records 374; USA) "The Monks - a strange, rare group with a story that sounds like a drunk friend's generous hyperbole. A group of American G.I.s stationed in Germany on the precipice of Western cultural revolution starts playing music loosely connected to the rock n' roll craze, contrastingly incorporating a critical and often offensive avant-garde edge. Nothing was off limits -- screeching vocals, dark aesthetics, staccato-strummed banjo, sardonic lyricism, critiques of the Vietnam War and full monk costuming down to the tonsure. When viewed on the whole, it seems like an art school student's senior thesis on what the craze means and its future possibilities. Due in large part to original Polydor vinyl collectability and years in the word-of-mouth hype machine, their legend and cult status has steadily blossomed since their last shows in 1967. Fast forward to 2017, the crew at Third Man, already huge fans, are presented with an honest-to-God treasure trove of original Monks photos, newspaper clippings, business cards, letterhead, contracts, postcards and, yes, analog tapes, containing trailblazing, wild compositions completely unheard by public ears. 'I'm Watching You' would have been recorded on February 28th, 1967 at the same sessions that would produce the Monks' final single 'Love Can Tame the Wild' b/w 'He Went Down to the Sea'. The remaining four songs were recorded after hours in the Top Ten Club later that year, just prior to the break-up of the band. These songs have been unreleased for 50 years and are quite possibly the last music left to be heard by this legendary band."
CD $12 / LP $14


VARIOUS ARTISTS - Why The Mountains Are Black: Primeval Greek Village Music: 1907-1960 (Third Man Records 334; USA)"Third Man Records is proud to present a truly rare musical oddity -- a two disc collection of primal and unhinged Greek village music that at times sounds more like free jazz or doom folk, feral and trance-like as it is. After years of research, fieldwork and collecting, Christopher King -- Grammy-winning producer, sound-engineer, curator and writer -- has gathered together from his private 78 rpm archive the most mind expanding and libido inducing song and dance music from the rural hinterlands of mainland Greece and its islands. Recorded between 1907 and 1960, this collection contains the first and the last -- the alpha and the omega - of Greek demotika -- or folk music. And it is not what you would expect. Remastered from the original 78 rpm discs, this set contains 28 previously unissued recordings made in the cramped, primitive studios of Athens, Greece, New York, NY, and Chicago, IL. Crazed Macedonian bagpipes, keening violins, shiver-inducing zournas and shepherd-pipes are found throughout the two discs. Cover artwork is by legendary underground artist R. Crumb and designed by Grammy winning Susan Archie. A beautifully thought-provoking if not radical essay on this music by King accompanies the lavish package. Not simply for historians or collectors of long-gone sounds, this compilation is intended to push the limits of what we have come to expect of music, its purpose and indeed its origin. You will experience a profound musical transformation immediately upon listening."
2 CD Set $22


KITSOS HARISIADIS - Lament In Deep Style 1929-1931 (Third Man Records 479; USA) "Another spellbinding compilation exploring the depths of overlooked Greek folk music from the curatorial genius Christopher King. Highlighting the virtually unknown work of the heartbreakingly haunted hypnotic clarinetist Kitsos Harisiadis. From 1929 through 1931, Harisiadis recorded instrumentals that have endured in the Epirotic repertoire well into the twenty-first century. Kitsos plays all fourteen pieces as if he were a Greek-Shaolin monk conversing with a grasshopper at his feet. Through King's painstakingly thorough research and immersive story-telling, the listener is able to fully absorb the otherworldly aura that radiates throughout the release. Painstakingly remastered directly from ungodly rare original 78 rpm discs and coupled with artwork by R. Crumb and design by Grammy Award-winner Susan Archie, the entire package is delightful in every sense."
CD $16

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Back in Stock, The following Discs haven’t been listed in several months and we have have sold out of each one. Hence, make sure you haven’t already gotten these from us in the past:

MANFRED MANN CHAPTER THREE with MIKE HUGG / BERNIE LIVING / CRAIG COLLINGE CLIVE STEVENS / HARRY BECKETT / NICK EVANS / et al - Volume One (Creature Music MMC 01; UK) Originally a jazz keyboard player from South Africa, Manfred Mann moved to England in the early 1960’s. He formed jazz/blues band called the Mann Hugg Blues Brothers in 1962. They morphed into a R&B, pop band called Manfred Mann and started having hits in 1966. Mike Hugg was their first singer, followed by Paul Jones (with hits like “Do Wah Ditty Ditty” & “Pretty Flamingo”). Jack Bruce even joined for a bit and was followed by Mike D’Abo (hit: “The Mighty Quinn”). The second version of Manfred Mann (a/k/a Chapter Two) broke up in 1969 and Mr. Mann decided to do something he had long wanted to do, put together a more jazz-oriented rock band, first called Emanon and then Manfred Mann Chapter Three. The first album by Manfred Mann Chapter Three was released in later 1969 and their debut gig was in October, the same month the first King Crimson album was released. Chapter III featured Manfred Mann on organ, Mike Hugg on piano & vocals, Bernie Living on alto sax, Steve York on electric bass & acoustic guitar and Craig Collinge on drums plus a five man horn section including Clive Stevens, Nick Evans & Harold Beckett! Listening to this album now, fifty years later, it still sounds, fresh, unique, inventive and an unlikely combination of voodoo lyrics, odd, quirky yet somehow charming singing, burning, immensely inventive sax solos from Bernie Living, a tight, intense, fire-breathing horn section and even more. What I find most interesting is that there is no lead guitar here, just an acoustic on a few tracks. Electric bassist, Steve York (formerly of East of Eden) is often at the center of this band, his bass sounds magnificent, powerful, glowing. Whenever I play this album for anyone who has never heard it, the reaction is always the same: “Holy sh*t! This is amazing! How come I’ve never heard of these guys?” I still get goosebumps when I listen to this record. All 11 of the songs written by Mr. Mann or Mr. Hugg, together & apart. There is one song which was a minor hit for the Yardbirds earlier called “Mister You’re a Better Man Than I”. Starting with “Traveling Lady”, which has one of the dark, hypnotic bass lines, great, unique, slightly twisted voice. The horn section is magnificent and the mind-blowing sax solo just too much! It has that unbelievable Gary Windo-like immense sound and wail. Who is that guy and what happened to him? I recall that he did play with Mike Westbrook. Mike Hugg has one of those unique, somewhat pinched voices, British voices that I find completely charming. Under-rated electric bassist, Steve York, takes an extraordinary solo on “Snakeskin Garter”. There are a couple of wonderful instrumental songs written by Manfred Mann which place the band amongst the best of the British prog/rock/jazz bands of this period. One is called, “Konekuf” and it has yet another incredible, heavy blasting sax solo from Bernie Living! “Sometimes” sounds like it was written for the previous version of Manfred Mann, yet it is still an exquisite blend of summer folky psych with unique arrangements. “Devil Woman” has that early (Gris-gris) Dr. John-like voodoo/psych sound with equally devilish vocals from Hugg, a great chorus of soulful women swirling with the layers of horns. No horn band I can think of has a sound quite like this one. There are some eleven songs here and each one if great! They don’t make them like this any longer! We just got a handful of copies so… - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18


MANFRED MANN CHAPTER THREE - Volume Two (Creature Music MMC 02; UK) I bought this album as an import cut-out in the early 1970’s, mostly because I dug earlier versions of Manfred Mann and I thought that the cover was totally cool. It has remained an underground favorite of mine ever since. It was released as an import LP only in 1970 and now that I’ve heard & absorbed all or most of the progressive, jazz and rock music released that same year, it makes more sense as to where it fits in British progressive history. Important/influential/seminal albums of 1970 include; Soft Machine - ‘Third’, Nucleus’ first 2 albums, Miles Davis’ ‘Bitches Brew’, King Crimson’s ‘In the Wake of Poseidon’… Like the first album by Manfred Mann Chapter Three, all of the songs were written by Manfred Mann or Mike Hugg, together and apart. And like the first album, it is Mike Hugg’s singing & songwriting that are at the center of most of these pieces with strong arrangements for the horns from both songwriters. Every song features immensely haunting vocals, voodoo-like lyrics, powerful, majestic horn section arranging & playing. And once again there is no lead guitar, a rarity for any progressive rock/jazz band. Instead, we get the phenomenal electric bass playing of Steve York at the center of every song. There are a number of extraordinary solos here as well: Bernie Living on alto sax, Clive Stevens on soprano or tenor sax and Harry Beckett on trumpet. This disc remains the crown jewel of early UK progressive music. Some of the songs written & sung by Mike Hugg are on the more charming, mellow side, but whenever those horns come in the temperature rises considerably. This album ends with a side-long piece called, “Virginia”, which shows how well the band did with stretching out and adding elements from a variety of progressive streams. Great progressive music is timeless, hence this still sound fresh, creative and surprisingly undated today, nearly 50 years later. A must! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18

Three Lost Gems from Clarinet Wizard Jeremiah Cymerman:

JEREMIAH CYMERMAN - Decay of an Angel (5049 Records; USA) This is a solo project featuring Jeremiah Cymerman on clarinet, electronics and percussion. Over the course of some dozen discs, Downtown clarinetist & sonic manipulator, Jeremiah Cymerman, has been experimenting and expanding his palette of sounds in both the solo and small group settings. I always look forward to each and every release since he works hard on each disc. Although he has collaborated with heavy cats like Evan Parker, Peter Evans and Nate Wooley, it is his solo projects in which he goes furthest into experimentation. What seems most apparent here is the way in which this session was recorded. Mr. Cymerman loves to close mic his clarinet, carefully capturing and cautiously manipulating the sound. Refined slivers of electronics are often used as tasteful sonic seasoning. The blend between the warm, organic sound of the naked clarinet with different layers of electronics and manipulations is what makes this so seamless and ultimately fascinating. One of the things that Mr. Cymerman does especially well is placing the clarinet and electronics sounds in different places within the stereo spectrum. A pair of headsets or a nice stereo system is required to hear the richness of the sounds and the way they move in space. A number of odd images were evoked while listening to this disc: a distant foghorn or ship sailing on the ocean’s horizon, ghost-like spirits floating in a sea of dreams. The balance between the calm center and the selective fragments of uneasiness is what makes this so compelling. It is like that state between wakefulness and dreams in which we can almost touch the images hovering in our mind’s eye. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14 [LTD Edition of 200/numbered]

JEREMIAH CYMERMAN / EVAN PARKER / NATE WOOLEY - World of Objects (5049 Records; USA) Featuring Jeremiah Cymerman on clarinet & effects, Evan Parker on tenor & soprano saxes and Nate Wooley on trumpet. Recorded live in concert in the fall of 2013, "World of Objects" is an intense and confounding document of 21st century improvised music. Featuring Evan Parker, a singular musician whose approach to music and the saxophone has influenced several generations of improvisers, in trio with trumpet great Nate Wooley and clarinetist Jeremiah Cymerman, "World of Objects" is both a concert document and an intricate journey through the digital post-production of Jeremiah Cymerman. Over the course of three improvisations and fifty minutes of music, Parker, Wooley & Cymerman push themselves to new levels of instrumental prowess and spontaneous compositional thinking that 5049 is proud beyond words to present. This trio will be playing at The Stone (9/11, 10pm set) in a few weeks during Evan Parker's week-long residency. Be there or be square, you challenging music freak you! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

JEREMIAH CYMERMAN WITH MARR BAUDER / PETER EVANS / NATE WOOLEY - Sky Burial (5049 Records 002; USA) Jeremiah Cymerman clarinet, electronics; Peter Evans trumpets; Matt Bauder clarinet, sax, electronics; Nate Wooley trumpet, amplifier. 'Sky Burial' is the first recording of composer Jeremiah Cymerman's Amplified Quartet featuring trumpeters Nate Wooley & Peter Evans and saxophonist Matt Bauder. Recorded during a three day residency at Brooklyn's Roulette in the summer of 2012 the album is the second release on Cymerman's label 5049 Records and stands as a major new contribution to traditions of electroacoustic music and free improvisation. Over the course of five tracks and 55 minutes the quartet pushes the boundaries of their instruments to soaring new heights of virtuosity and insanity, all of which is intensified by the hyper cut-up techniques of Cymerman's trademark post-production and editing. As individuals Cymerman, Wooley, Bauder and Evans having been taking their instrumental language to the farthest reaches of creativity and 'Sky Burial' is a powerful new document that has to be heard to be believed. "Mr. Cymerman has two fine discs out on Tzadik, one a solo clarinet with manipulations and the other a group with Peter Evans & Nate Wooley. On that solo disc, Mr. Cymerman spent a good deal of time manipulating his playing so that it sounded like something else entirely. The same goes for this disc which is mostly two clarinets and two trumpets. It is often hard to tell who is playing, and sometimes even what! Instead of looking at ultra-small objects in a microscope, certain sounds have been magnified and carefully shaped. There are a few layers of drones which are stretched out and woven with clarinet and mouthpiece-like sounds. Mr. Cymerman, who was formerly a manager at The Stone and can be found playing at John Zorn's monthly improv sessions, sounds like he has learned Mr. Zorn's carefully crafted studio manipulation and work. This music is extremely focused and evolves in a most organic and logical way. Both Peter Evans and Nate Wooley are known as two of the most distinctive and diverse trumpeters from the Downtown scene. Here they seem to limit themselves to just certain textural areas, making each sound count. During much lowercase improv, trumpet players often work with breath-like, steam or radiator sounds. For this disc, Jeremiah carefully weaves several layers of breath-like, bent-note and electronic sounds into a mesmerizing blend that works immensely well throughout the duration of this disc. Even when you think you know what to expect there are still a number of surprising sounds or changes in direction that occur at odd moments. We know that Mr. Cymerman has been known to send out silly messages via Twitter. This music is quite serious, one of the more demanding and rewarding disc I've heard this year. So dig in." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $14


LP Section:

THOMAS BORGMANN / WILBER MORRIS / REGGIE NICHOLSON - Nasty & Sweet (NoBusiness 57/58; Lithuania) “From the first few notes, it's apparent that something special is happening on Nasty & Sweet. Perhaps it's the way bassist Wilber Morris and drummer Reggie Nicholson sound so assured in their placement of the merest splashes of color. Completely unafraid to take their time, creating a powerful tension which isn't released even when German reedman Thomas Borgmann joins with his breathily majestic tenor saxophone smears. There is a story here.
Borgmann's trio with the monster US rhythm team of Morris and drummer Denis Charles was one of the great unsung working bands of the 1990s, releasing a series of marvelous performances, such as Boom Swing (Konnex, 1998) and Stalker Songs (CIMP, 1998) with saxophone titan Peter Brötzmann. When Charles passed away in 1998, the remaining pair made the decision to carry on, recruiting AACM stalwart Nicholson to fill the drum chair. With just one obscure vinyl disc and a single studio album to their name—the well-regarded You See What We're Sayin' (CIMP, 1999)—the resultant BMN trio similarly flew below the critical radar. So this two-LP set, documenting two live dates from St. Ingbert in Germany in 1998 and Tampere in Finland in 1999 doubles their discography at a stroke.
Honed to perfection through touring, the group ethos is one of equality and fleet responsiveness, turning on a dime from Berlin blues to ear shredding harmonics and roiling tattoos. Deep listening characterizes their interaction. Borgmann takes an unfettered lyrical approach, though he spices his poignant sweetness with pitch bending microtonal distortion and impassioned overblowing. Morris makes an art out of sculpting sounds from his amplified acoustic bass, strumming, bowing and tapping to extract a range of percussive textures in effective variance to his customary melodic counterpoint, while Nicholson drives the engine room sensitively, combining timbral smarts and fierce precision.
Spread over two sides, the 52-minute title track stands as a masterpiece of organically evolving group interplay, full of passion and warmth. By way of contrast, "We Went That Away" convinces as an up-tempo burner, while on "Wilber's Mood" the German's snake charmer sopranino embarks on a roller coaster ride. As much a mood as a tune, the band revisits "Nasty & Sweet" for the final cut, where an elegiac air pervades proceedings before the intensity builds incrementally, though regrettably the track fades out. Sadly Morris, brother of the recently deceased cornetist and exponent of conduction Laurence Butch Morris, died in 2002 signaling the end of the BMN Trio, making this unexpected resurrection all the more worth celebrating.” - John Sharpe, AllAboutJazz.com
2 LP Set on LTD Sale $25

HARRIET TUBMAN with BRANDON ROSS / MELVIN GIBBS / J.T. LEWIS - The Terror End of Beauty (Sunnyside CD/Early Future Records 002; USA) "The runner dashes toward the cliff’s edge, his hang glider’s wings rattling above. He has reached the crest and, before he can think to stop, he is falling. For those few seconds before the wind mercifully sweeps him away, he is in a freefall, in a state of exhilaration, heightened awareness and, perhaps, terror. Yet, he has committed himself and had to push through the fear in order to soar. The members of Harriet Tubman find this an apt analogy for their musical approach. For over two decades, guitarist Brandon Ross, bassist Melvin Gibbs and drummer JT Lewis have thrown themselves into making music that is sans genre, infective and overpowering. Their years of experience playing alongside and driving many of the improvised music, jazz and rock’s most celebrated ensembles have prepared them to run this gauntlet, The Terror End of Beauty. The world of progressive and improvised music has lost a number of luminaries over the past few years. The passing of Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor and Ronald Shannon Jackson, among others, has left their heirs to grab the reins of the avant-garde. Harriet Tubman is ready to take the lead in this regard and show the world at large where the music is going. The band lives in the musical space between improvisation and composed music, giving all they have on every performance. Harriet Tubman also continues the legacy of being activists in their music, as can be read quite clearly in tone and title. As their illustrious predecessors have done, Harriet Tubman approaches their music making without preconceived notions of what it needs to be. It is only music that is necessary to make and, to make it, the band must commit fully to its creation. Harriet Tubman has taken this approach to live performance, bowling over musicians and fans alike, and, up to this point, in the recording studio, having released live performances, whether in concert or through-performed in the studio. The Terror End of Beauty finds Harriet Tubman utilizing the studio mastery of legendary producer/engineer Scotty Hard to expand and amplify their sound. Hard essentially becomes a fourth member of the ensemble as his musical insight, collaborative approach and technical expertise shape the sound of the new recording. So in essence, The Terror End of Beauty finds the trio modulating their core approach by augmenting their sound in the studio, taking their latent sound and coming up with something completely different.”
LP $20 / CD $15

KEIJI HAINO/JIM O'ROURKE/OREN AMBARCHI - In the past only geniuses were capable of staging the perfect crime (also known as a revolution) Today anybody can accomplish their aims... (Black Truffle 050; Australia) “Full title: In the past only geniuses were capable of staging the perfect crime (also known as a revolution) Today anybody can accomplish their aims with the push of the button. For its 50th release, Black Truffle presents the ninth album from one of the label's core ensembles, the power trio of Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke, and Oren Ambarchi. Drawn from a November 2015 performance at Tokyo's now-defunct SuperDeluxe, the record's opening piece drops us immediately into the maelstrom, abruptly cutting into an extended episode of Ambarchi's pummeling drums, O'Rourke's fuzzed-out six-string bass, and Haino's roaring guitar and electronics. Eventually settling into a hypnotic bass and drum groove over which Haino unleashes some almost Ray Russell-eque skittering atonal screech, these opening 13 minutes act as a potent reminder of the trio's power. Alongside showcasing the steady development of a unique language for the guitar-bass-drums power trio, the group's succession of releases over the last decade has demonstrated a constant experimentation with new instruments, which continues here with O'Rourke use of Hammond organ (played at the same time as his roaming, sometimes knotty basslines). On the album's second piece, the organ plays a key role, furnishing a harmonically rich shimmer over O'Rourke's angular six-string bass chords, Haino's distant, chirping electronics and Ambarchi's crisp cymbal work; arriving somewhere halfway between Albert Marcoeur and Terje Rypdal, this piece is undoubtedly a highlight in the trio's catalog so far. The second and third sides are slow-burning, multi-part epics that range from spacious reflection to furious tumult. Where the trio's previous double-LP set -- This Dazzling, Genuine "Difference" Now Where Shall It Go? (BT 030LP, 2017) -- was primarily instrumental in focus, here you find Haino's voice taking the spotlight on the expansive third side, intoning, wailing. and exhorting in Japanese and English over a backdrop that moves from hushed bass and organ atmospherics to rolling toms and cymbal crashes before arriving at an ecstatic finale of searing guitar, tumbling drums and reverb-saturated bass. The fourth side returns to the hypnotic grooves of the opening piece, fixing on a relentless riff and riding it into oblivion under Haino's roaming psychedelic soloing and jagged chordal slashes. Cover image by Traianos Pakioufakis; Live action pics by Ujin Matsuo. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering. LP design by Lasse Marhaug; gatefold sleeve.”
2 LP Set $30

LOUIS MOHOLO OCTET with EVAN PARKER / RADY MALFATTI / NICK EVANS / KENNY WHEELER / KEITH TIPPETT, JOHNNY DYANI. - Spirits Rejoice! (Oto Rokure 004; UK) Otoroku present the first vinyl reissue of Louis Moholo Octet's Spirits Rejoice!, originally released in 1978 on Ogun Recordings. One of the most legendary free jazz records ever produced, Spirits Rejoice! is a high achievement in the movement of the era as it soars beyond oppression with a raucous and spiritually uplifting surge of movement and melody. Featuring Harry Miller, Johnny Dyani, Keith Tippett, Evan Parker, Nick Evans, Radu Malfatti, and Kenny Wheeler, this is former Blue Note artist Louis Moholo's first album under his own name and is a classic example of the cross-pollination between South African and British players. Mongezi Feza's 'You Ain't Gonna Know Me 'Cos You Think You Know Me" alone is enough to make your life a better place. Made with permission and in association with Ogun Recordings. Features an exact reproduction of the original artwork and liner notes, along with new liner notes from Matthew Wright. Remastered by Giuseppe IIelasi. High gloss sleeve; edition of 1000.
From Matthew Wright's new liner notes: "The South African melodies, now so familiar, were wholeheartedly taken on board by the individual musicians, their unity of purpose mirroring the belief in the strength of the collective. Stunning solos, often close to the edge, feature throughout -- Evan Parker and Keith Tippett on 'Shine Wherever You Are'; the contrasting trombone styles of Nick Evans and Radu Malfatti on 'You Ain't Gonna Know Me...'; the octet sounding like a full big band; and behind them, the relentlessly rhythmic urgency of the piano, bass and drums. Add to this Kenny Wheeler's moving and all-encompassing trumpet on the elegiac 'Amaxesha Osizi' and the joyous flamboyancy of 'Wedding Hymn' with Parker's relatively straight-ahead tenor and Tippett's dextrous piano solo over a bed of riffing horns, (fast) walking bass lines and a supreme sense of swing. Louis' early hero, Big Sid Catlett, would have loved it!"
LP $25

SUN RA - The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra Vol. 1 (ESP-Disk 1014; USA) 180-gram black vinyl. The astonishing sessions that went light years beyond "free jazz" improvisation to create a music of deeply felt, explosive and gentle gesture made from sound itself without reference to previous notions of melody or harmony are now reissued on 180 gram vinyl with Sun Ra's original, self-created cover art. Recorded by Richard Alderson on April 20, 1965, this set of tunes finds Sun Ra breaking ground by using synthesizers and having the Arkestra musicians double on percussion. Remastered.
LP $18

SUN RA - The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra Vol. 2 (ESP-Disk 1017; USA) 180-gram black vinyl. Volume two of Sun Ra's classic Heliocentric recordings from the 1960s. The astonishing sessions that went light years beyond "free jazz" improvisation to create a music of deeply-felt, explosive and gentle gesture made from sound itself without reference to previous notions of melody or harmony are now reissued on 180 gram vinyl with Sun Ra's original, self-created cover art. Recorded by Richard Alderson on April 20, 1965, this set of tunes finds Sun Ra breaking ground by using synthesizers and having the Arkestra musicians double on percussion. More explorations of outer space by the spokesman for the space age. Manufactured in the U.S. by the original label. Digitally re-mastered.
LP $18

WEEPING BONG BAND - II (Feeding Tube Records 448; USA) "Following up on their eponymous debut LP, this Western Mass quintet has released a live album that expands their musical palette, while retaining the essential magic of their sound. Bill Meyer described Weeping Bong Band's music as a collision between Popol Vuh's Florian Fricke and Hash Jar Tempo (itself a collab between Bardo Pond and Roy Montgomery), and the same mix of drifty Germanic midnights and Bay Area Ballroom sizzle is present on Weeping Bong's sophomore slab. Recorded at the 1794 Meeting House in New Salem, MA -- the site of many finely smoked concert events -- all five key members are on hand (which is not always the case). Beverley Ketch, PG Six, Anthony Pasquarosa, Clark Griffin, and Wednesday Knudsen are all present and up to their necks in the sonic swirl. A big new factor here is the piano, played in a style that makes me think of Grace Slick's keyboard work on Blows Against the Empire (1970). This is appropriate given that Weeping Bong Band is a similar sort of multi-band-sourced collaboration as that classic 1970 Paul Kantner side. And since the same folks played on both Kantner's Empire and Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name (1971), is it a coincidence that one track on this album is called 'Remembering My Name'? You be the judge. Amidst the clouds of quiet presence, strings are plucked or bent, pulses emerge from the darkness, and your brain flows like butter. Just turn out the lights and do it. You will be so happy you did." --Byron Coley, 2019 Edition of 500.
LP $19

TAXIDERMISTS - Tax (Feeding Tube Records; USA) "Tax is the second vinyl from Taxidermists; the great Western Mass pop/punk duo comprised of guitarist/vocalist Cooper Handy and drummer Salvadore McNamara. Their first album, Honesty Box (2015) was a super interesting blend of screwed-up Sonic Youth/Pavement textures and straight-up power-pop. It had weirdly addictive properties and ended up getting a good number of spins. So, when a new album was ready, Ted Lee jumped on it like a badger attacking a kangaroo rat. And we're glad he did. Tax leans a little bit more in the pop direction than its predecessor, but it still has plenty of odd touches that keep it from being anything like a readymade confection. Some of this is surely due to the difficulty of going soft when you have an electric band with a duo line-up. Most better-known groups choosing such an arrangement are in the experimental or noise "bag," but there have also been examples of bands doing more overt "rock" action in this guise, ranging from the obscure (Smashchords) to the massive (White Stripes). But what the Taxidermists are doing is rather different; while they still show a certain raggedy edge, the bulk of the material on Tax seems like a reimagining of music by heavy British bands of the '60s. Elements of the Kinks, the Who, and the Shadows all pops up in unexpected ways, collaged and submerged in the Taxidermists' own medicated goo. In short, it sounds like a record Wes Anderson might have commissioned if he decided to do a soundtrack from scratch. What could be better for a summer spin? Not much!" --Byron Coley, 2019 Edition of 250, 45 RPM.
LP $19

ANN ARBOR BLUES FESTIVAL 1969 - Deluxe Edition (Third Man Records 239-40; USA) "Ann Arbor Blues Festival 1969: Deluxe Edition features two single-color (one blue, one red) printed jackets with complementary colored vinyl, a 58-page perfect bound book with transparent vellum inserts and a short recollection from festival organizer John Fishel, die-cut reproductions of his original festival booking notes, a full-size reproduction of Jim Fishel's festival program on newsprint paper that includes nearly every artists' signature, a reproduction of the original festival tickets on various colored papers and a reprint of the original festival poster on silver metallic paper. The package will also include 13 reproductions of original news articles and ads on newsprint paper housed in a hand-stamped envelope. All of this will be packaged in a telescoping box printed on the same silver metallic paper as the poster reproduction with poster art on the cover."
4 LP Deluxe Box Set $175

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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for August & September 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 at The New School will be closed from August 25th until September 3rd

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

The Stone Series at HappyLucky No.1 - Curated by John Zorn

KENNY WOLLESEN - Friday & Saturday, August 30th & 31st at 8pm!

HappyLuckyNo.1 is located at
734 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11216
Phone: 646 623 0414
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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THE JAZZ GALLERY Presents:

Thursday, September 5th:
ANNA WEBBER SEPTET
Anna Webber – tenor saxophone, flute
Jeremy Viner – tenor saxophone, clarinet
Jacob Garchik – trombone
Christopher Hoffman – cello
Matt Mitchell – piano
Chris Tordini – bass
Kate Gentile – drums
Sets at 7:30pm & 9:30 pm

Monday, September 9th:
FONT FESTIVAL OF THE NEW TRUMPET
Opening Band
Samantha Boshnack’s Seismic Belt
Samantha Boshnack –trumpet/flugelhorn
Chris Credit -tenor/baritone saxophone
Jessica Pavone -violin/viola
Sarah Bernstein -violin
Kai Ono -piano
Marlon Martinez -upright bass
Jacob Shandling -drums

John Raymond’s Real Feels
John Raymond -trumpet/flugelhorn
Matthew Stevens -guitar
Julian Shore –piano/synthesizer
Chris Morrissey -bass
Jason Burger -drums
sets at 7.30pm 9.30pm

The Jazz Gallery is located at:
1160 Broadway, 5th fl
between 27th 28th streets
New York, NY 10001
info@jazzgallery.org

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Bushwick Improvised Music Series Continues:

Monday September 30th

7pm Alec Goldfarb - guitar
Yuma Uesaka - Tenor Sax, Clarinets
Caitlin Cawley - Percussion
Joanna Mattrey - Viola

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

9pm Marco Cappelli - guitar
Matteo Liberatore - guitar
Ken Filiano - bass
Carlo Costa - drums

9:45pm Daniel Carter - woodwinds
Stelios Mihas - guitar
Kenneth Jimenez - bass
Matteo Liberatore - guitar
Aquiles Navarro - trumpet
Matt Mottel - keyboard
Kevin Shea - drums
Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone

10:45pm Daniel Rorke - tenor saxophone
Simon Jermyn - bass guitar
Jeff Davis - drums

11:30pm Matt Bent ensemble

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