DMG Newsletter for Friday, January 24th, 2020

DMG Newsletter for Friday, January 24th, 2020

“20th Century Man” by The Kinks from the ‘Muswell Hillbillies’ LP

This is the age of machinery,

A mechanical nightmare,

The wonderful world of technology,

Napalm hydrogen bombs biological warfare,
This is the twentieth century,

But too much aggravation

It's the age of insanity,

What has become of the green pleasant fields of Jerusalem.
Ain't got no ambition, I'm just disillusioned

I'm a twentieth century man but I don't wanna be here.

My mama said she can't understand me

She can't see my motivation

Just give me some security,

I'm a paranoid schizoid product of the twentieth century.

You keep all your smart modern writers

Give me William Shakespeare

You keep all your smart modern painters

I'll take Rembrandt, Titian, Da Vinci and Gainsborough,
Girl we gotta get out of here

We gotta find a solution

I'm a twentieth century man but I don't want to die here.
I was born in a welfare state

Ruled by bureaucracy

Controlled by civil servants

And people dressed in grey

Got no privacy got no liberty

Cos the twentieth century people

Took it all away from me.
Don't wanna get myself shot down

By some trigger happy policeman,

Gotta keep a hold on my sanity

I'm a twentieth century man but I don't wanna die here.

My mama says she can't understand me

She can't see my motivation

Ain't got no security,

I'm a twentieth century man but I don't wanna be here.
This is the twentieth century

But too much aggravation

This is the edge of insanity

I'm a twentieth century man but I don't wanna be here

God save the Kinks! That’s what they used to say and I have to agree. Ever since buying ‘Face to Face’, I have been a Kinks Freak! Here are my 5 fave sixties bands: The Mothers of Invention, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks & The Byrds! The Kinks were more consistently great, album-wise, than most of the other sixties outfits. Every album from ‘Face to Face’ (1966) until ‘Misfits’ (1978) is worth owning and listening to over & over. That’s 15 albums including a couple of compilations. The Kinks were one of the first bands to deal with incisive social commentary in their lyrics. Starting with “A Well Respected Man” (1965), their songs often made you consider your place in society, what you wear, your status with your friends, family, partners in love… Their masterpiece is/was ‘Arthur, (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire’ (1969) which still holds up today as a gem, more than fifty years later. We just got in a Used Kinks’ Pye Recordings CD Box Set, which we have been listening to in the store and making us feel better, marveling at the deluge of great albums. The above song is from the ‘Muswell Hillbillies’ album (1971), which we just listened to and realized that the Kinks had mixed US folk/country rock with British dance hall/rock quirkiness in a perfect communion. “Let’s all drink to the death of a Clown”! - BLG/DMG

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A PLEA FROM DMG - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

For the past couple of weeks, the business here at DMG has been incredibly slow, both in-store and online. We know it is cold out there and somewhat depressing due to the ongoing bad news. Even the newsletter hasn’t generated near as much revenue as it usually does. We are surviving but just barely and having a hard time paying our bills and our rent. I consistently hear from DMG’s worldwide family/friends who tell us that they love reading our weekly newsletter which is great and we will continue to try and inspire and promote the creative music we all care about, we all need, for as long as is possible. I have plans to retire anytime soon. If you enjoy getting this newsletter then please show us some support with whatever donations you can afford. I know most of you want us to continue to do what we love to do. We remain busy and mainly in good spirits, putting up even more vinyl & CD’s on Discogs and on display throughout the store. Yes, we do the social media thing with Twitter, InstaGram, Facebook, through e-mail and beyond. I did quick, silly commercial for InstaGram last week which you should check out if you can. We just got in some 200 7” singles and are slowly cleaning & pricing each one. Our bins are filled with all sorts of gems so please come visit us… we love company, we are friendly, informative and thoroughly engaged in what we listen to and love to talk about it. Although Used CD’s sell less than ever, Used albums are still increasing in sales. Hence , we will take donations of vinyl & CD’s as well. Here is our paypal address: ebay@downtownmusicgallery.com. Credit cards, checks & cash are also fine. We LOVE all of you who read this newsletter and who come to visit us both in the flesh and online. Most sincerely, Bruce Lee Gallanter, Frank Meadows, John Mori & Alex Sturges, the current DMG crew

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The Downtown Music Gallery 29th Anniversary Celebrations will begin in 2020 & Will Continue throughout the year! May 1st is our Actual Anniversary! Every In-store throughout the Year Helps Celebrate the Spirit of Creative Music Performed Live.

Sunday, January 26th:
6pm: JEREMIAH CYMERMAN - Solo Clarinet!
7pm: SAM NEWSOME - Solo Soprano Sax!
8pm: NICK DUNSTON - Solo ContraBass!

Sunday, February 2nd:
6pm: JUDI SILVANO and BRUCE ARNOLD - Voice and Electric Guitar!
7pm: T.J.BORDEN / JAMES McKAIN / J GUY LAUGHLIN - Cello / Tenor Sax / Drums!

Sunday, February 9th:
6pm: GUILLERMO GREGORIO - Clarinet / IVAN BARENBOIM - Contralto Clarinet /
NICK JOZWIAK - Cello!
7pm: JESSE DULMAN QUARTET with RAS MOSHE / DAVE SEWELSON / LEONID GALAGANOV!

Sunday, February 16th:
6pm: NICK FRASER / TONY MALABY / BRANDON LOPEZ - Drums / Tenor Sax / ContraBass!
7pm: CHERYL PYLE / ROBERT DICK - Flute Duo!
8pm: ERIN ROGERS - Solo Sax - New CD on Relative Pitch Records!

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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This Week’s Dynamite Treasures Begin with this One:


JOHN ZORN / SIMULACRUM with JOHN MEDESKI / MATT HOLLENBERG / KENNY GROHOWSKI - Beyond Good and Evil (Tzadik 8369; USA) “From 2015–2017, in the midst of an historic creative high, Zorn wrote and recorded no less than six CDs of music for “Simulacrum,” his most powerful and intense 21st century ensemble; the music then became a project for live performance. This concert from July 2019 finds the band at their blazing best, performing compositions from four different “Simulacrum” releases. No one blends metal and jazz quite like Zorn (he’s been doing it since the late 1980s) and these mind-bendingly intense performances will leave you breathless. Beautifully recorded at Firehouse 12 in New Haven and lovingly mixed at Bill Laswell’s Orange Sound by James Dellatacoma this is a hyper powered stop-on-a-dime live performance by three virtuosic musical maniacs.”
CD $16


IVAR GRYDELAND & HENRY KAISER - In The Arctic Dreamtime (Rune Grammofon 2211; Norway) Henry Kaiser is an American guitarist, composer, label founder, photographer and professional diver. He appears on more than 250 albums, including collaborations with the likes of Fred Frith, Richard Thompson, David Lindley, Wadada Leo Smith, Derek Bailey, Jim O'Rourke, and numerous others. In 2017 he initiated and produced the two Sky Music albums (RCD 2194CD/RLP 3194LP, RLP 2195LP), both tributes to Norwegian guitar legend Terje Rypdal. Ivar Grydeland is a Norwegian guitarist and composer, most known from the trio Huntsville (Rune Grammofon, Hubro) and Dans Les Arbres (ECM, Hubro, Sofa). He has recorded and performed with a number of musicians including Nils Petter Molvær, David Sylvian, Tony Oxley, Nels Cline, Thurston Moore, and Paul Lovens. He has released two solo albums on Hubro. The two guitarists first met in an Oslo studio in January 2019. Having admired each other's work for some time, they decided right there and then to record a guitar duet collaboration specifically to create a soundtrack for a classic Norwegian silent film. They spent 30 minutes setting up to record and Kaiser suggested a short test recording to one of the less likely candidates, Roald Amundsen's 1925 documentary Ellsworths flyveekspedition 1925. One hour and fifty-six minutes later, they set down their guitars and shook their heads in wonder. They had played for the entire length of the film without breaks, in the process creating a complete score for the film. The Norwegian explorer was a key figure of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. In 1911, he led the first expedition to the South Pole, and is proven to have been the first to reach the North Pole in 1926. Across the Arctic, traditions of shamanism endure among the Inuit. A vision of the Arctic outside of mundane history, yet common in human polar experience, exists in "time out of time" or "everywhen", during which the land is inhabited by figures of heroic proportions. Amundsen and his colleagues were just such figures. Grydeland and Kaiser seemed to have entered into a kind of Arctic Dreamtime as they conjured this film soundtrack into existence; playing in real time with the film. Their guitar improvisations explore historic events, and invoke those heroic figures of the far north, illuminating both Norwegian history, and shamanic time outside of history, through music.
CD $15


KARL BERGER / JASON KAO HWANG - Conjure (True Sound TS 02; USA) Featuring Karl Berger on vibes & piano and Jason Kao Hwang on violin & viola. Both of these men are longtime veterans, distinguished musicians, composers and ensemble leaders. Mr. Berger founded the Creative Music Studio/School in Woodstock around 50 years ago and it still exists today! Over the last decade, Mr. Berger has been concentrating on the CMS archives, as well as recording more often. Check his solo efforts on Tzadik and duo efforts with Ivo Perelman, Kirk Knuffke and Omar Tamez. Mr. Hwang seems to take his time with releasing discs as a leader, with just one discs every year or two. He has also been collaborating with a diverse cast: Steve Swell, William Hooker and Taylor Ho Bynum.
This duo discs was recorded at Sertso Studios in Woodstock in March of 20914. With four instruments to choose from, each piece features slightly different instrumentation. The sound is superb, warm, clear, exquisite, spacious, carefully crafted. Time slows down as we listen, the duo quietly weaving fragments of melodies or lines, the element of suspense keeps us at the edge of our seats. There seems to be some sort of bond which connects these two musicians, a cautious dialogue is going on, as one starts a sentence, the other finishes it, both breathing together, in a similar organic flow or stream. It sounds as if Mr. Berger is playing occasional lines from some ancient sonata while Mr. Hwang plucks pizzicato notes or bows gracefully, both in sync on the same page together. An excellent offering on all fronts. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


577 Records was founded by drummer, Federico Ughi, who is documenting one particular scene, although he also reaches out musicians from other places like the UK & Italy, since Mr. Ughi in both places before moving to Brooklyn more than a decade ago. 577 has released more than 20 CD’s & albums over the past decade. Three more have just been dropped, two listed further down below:

DANIEL CARTER / PATRICK HOLMES / MATTHEW PUTMAN - Whoadie (577 Records 5825; USA) Featuring Daniel Carter on saxes, clarinet, trumpet & flute, Patrick Holmer on clarinet and Matthew Putman on piano. For as long as I have been observing the Downtown Creative Music Scene (DTCMS), there has been several overlapping groups of creative musicians and ensembles involved. Longtime Downtown dynamo, Daniel Carter, has long been one of the few who thrives to be in as many different scenes/groups/genres as is possible. Mr. Carter is forever searching out kindred musical spirits, no matter of genre or background, turning up at varied improv situations all over town, on any day of the week. Much less visible or busy is clarinetist, Patrick Holmes, who until recently had recorded infrequently, but now can be heard of three previous releases from 577 Records. Pianist Matthew Putman is another fine player who also has turned up on three previous releases from 577.
The sound on this disc is superb, sublime, calm and reflective. Closer to chamber music yet still free. Mr. Carter plays muted trumpet at first, somber and tasty, a good match for piano and clarinet. The often restrained sound is often most haunting and mysterious, with all three players taking their time, carefully weaving dreamlike soundscape. As time goes on, the trio increase in tempo, intensity and spirited dialogue. The central figure here is often Mr. Holmes clarinet, since this is the only interment he plays while Mr. Carter switches slowly between a half dozen instruments, one at a time. The clarinet and piano work well together on a similar wavelength while Mr. Carter provides perfect counterpoint as he moves from each sax to flute, clarinet and trumpet. Once we turn that pulsebeat down a bit, calming our senses, we can hear the magic at the center of this disc. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


MIKE NOCK / RAKALAM BOB MOSES with JORRIT DIJKSTRA / ALLAN CHASE / STAN STRICKLAND / DAMON SMITH / DON PATE / et al - Electric Organic Symphony (Rakalam 019; USA) Featuring Mike Nock and Bob Moses on a series of ancient synthesizers recorded sometimes in the late sixties/early seventies. The duo were probably high on herb or psychedelics but neither remembers for sure which. This was recorded on a cassette and then lost for nearly 50 years. The cassette was later rediscovered and between 2016 & 2018, Rakalam asked eight musicians from the Boston area to add their parts to the original duo and this is the results. The new musicians include: Jorrit Dijkstra, Allan Chase, Edmar Colon & Daniel Bitran on saxes, Keichi Hashimoto on trumpet trombone, shenai & flute, Stan Strickland on bass clarinet, Damon Smith & Yaka Don Pate on basses and Rakalam Bob Moses on drums & percussion. Most of you many of the names from this list like Allan Chase (Prima Materia), Stan Strickland, Damon Smith (for Henry Kaiser & BPA label) and Don Pate (for Tisziji Munoz) and Jorrit Dijkstra (Driff label). Former New Zealander, Mike Nock, was once a member of the legendary early electric jazz quartet, Fourth Way, whose three albums are well loved by out/jazz freaks like us.
I really dig the sound of those ancients synths, they did sound futuristic then and sound somewhat quaint and quirky now. It is difficult to tell that this disc was recorded in separate sessions over 45 years apart. That same cosmic, free-wheeling spirit courses through this music. The synths have a warm, not all that weird and somewhat melodic sound. While Rakalam adds a layer of percussion underneath, the reeds players (usually three per piece) add their layer selectively, rarely letting things get too dense. Over the years, especially since working with Tisziji Munoz, Rakalam has become of my favorite drummers. He is a master drummer, consistently keeping a focused rhythmic dialogue going on with whomever he is playing with. He navigates the rapids here, keeping everyone a part of the cosmic pulse. The various reeds and brass often remind me birds or animals in a the forest, having fascinating dialogue with each other, rarely soloing but but working together as one strong, spirited force of nature. I listened to this entire long disc (76 minutes) several times over the past few months and thinking how well it works throughout. Parts of remind me ‘Bitches Brew’, especially when the bass clarinet pops up to say “hello, how are you all doing?”. This is yet another OUTstanding effort from the great homemade Rakalam Records label. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12


FREDRIK NORDSTROM / PALLE DANIELSSON / REDRIK RUNDQVIST - Svensk Standard (El Dingo Records 10; Sweden) “When I think of real Swedish jazz with cinnamon buns, fika and a sprinkle of melancholy, then there must be piano. Jan Johansson, Bobo Stenson, Bengt Hallberg, Lars Jansson, Esbjörn Svensson and Jakob Karlzon are among those who just pop up in my blue-yellow brain.
Therefore, it is of course extra bold when saxophonist Fredrik Nordström makes the album Swedish Standard exclusively with bass and drums. The tunes are taken from the great Swedish songbook. There is a built-in guarantee of the good tune - in the same way as Swedish steel - it is durable and does not rust - but does it go without piano?
Georg Riedel's Summer Adjö, which Jan Johansson recorded in 1964, is one of my very big Swedish favorites. It pretty much encapsulates the Swedish jazz feel. Something that Fredrik Nordström manages to take a personal grip on.
The Swedes can do something with the saxophone. Baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin played the trio already in the 50s. It is also his composition The Neighborhood Oron that opens the album. The simple, precise and functional tone with raw edge in Nordström's saxophone is liberatingly credible. He has the Swedish jazz under his skin while also giving a strong personal indication of how music by Jan Johansson and Alice Tegnér can also sound.
The trio's bassist Palle Danielsson is also a kind of Swedish Standard. The precision is, like the Stockholm Metro, to be trusted. Swedish Standard is Swedish jazz of the really good kind - even without piano.” - Niels Overgard, JazzNyt
CD $15


TONY IRVING & MASSIMO MAGEE - Vitriol and The Third Oraculum (577 Records 5835; USA) Featuring Massimo Magee on tenor, alto & sopranino saxes and Tony Irving on drums. This disc was recorded live at two different concerts in the UK in January of 2019. Drummer Federico Ughi grew up in Italy, lived & played music in London for a period of time and moved to Brooklyn where he still resides part-time. He also runs this, the 577 Records label and still has ties with both Italian and English musicians. I had not heard of Italian saxist Massimo Magee before now, but drummer Tony Irving, we know from his work with both Paul Dunmall and Stefan Jaworzyn (from Skullfower & Ascension).
Mr. Magee starts on tenor, whipping up a storm with Mr. Irving strong drumming burning from below. On the next piece, Magee switches to alto sax, starting out slowly and building from there. Both players taking their time, ascending together soaring and sailing through the clouds. Eventually Mr. Magee switched to sopranino, which sounds more like a bent-note double reed, twisting those notes inside out, the intensity level raising higher and higher. There is some tight, spirited dialogue going on here, in the spirit of ‘Interstellar Space’ but perhaps not as over-the-top. The oracular of the title refers to a prayer, which makes sense as this music feels sounds prayer-like. Even the cover of the Christ-like, scarecrow figure seems most appropriate. Both of these players sounds tightly aligned to a similar vibration, the music ascends higher and higher, moving in waves. If you need to by inspired and raised up higher, this is the disc for you! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

TREESEARCH with KEIR GOGWILT / KYLE MOTL - Know More Knowledge (577 Records 5836; USA) Featuring Keir GoGwilt on violin and Kyle Motl on contrabass. This string duo hails from San Diego, CA, which is where this disc was recorded in a studio. Mr. GoGwilt is currently a member of the Mark Dresser Seven while Mr. Motl has worked with drummer Abbey Rader and saxist Peter Kuhn. This duo played here at DMG in September of last year (2019) on the same bill as an ensemble led by Federico Ughi. Mr. Ughi was so impressed with their set that he offered to release a CD by the duo on his own 577 Records label. The songs here are split between four written (3 by Motl, 1 by GoGwilt) and six improvised pieces. John Zorn once made the observation that many folks listen with their eyes rather than their ears. Meaning that they think they will know what something will sound like based on the instrumentation and reputation of the players rather than just listening closely without too much expectation. When this duo played the store, I thought I had an idea what they would sound like but was much surprised by the they were filled with surprises,
“XOR” by Mr. Motl, has some challenging, tightly written passages which keep shifting in direction. Although both of these are string instruments, they are opposite ends of the sound spectrum. The bass is thick, throbbing and dense when bowed while the violin is much thinner tone-wise, yet they sound great since the contrast and connection are so well balanced. On the improvised pieces, the duo push each other further out, dancing around the flame of freedom without getting burnt. Another written piece, “Halberd Hands” reminds me of the more intense moments of a Zorn or Bartok string quartet, abrupt, tight and intense and erupting like a volcano near the end. The title piece is my favorite, it begins with a series of loud plucked harmonies on the bass which throb like a pounding heartbeat. The contrast between the bass and violin is well handled, the brooding vibe somewhat disorienting. Another demanding piece is called, “Swords n’ Celery”, which speeds up and slows down but remains focused, connected throughout. So, if you think you know just what this string duo should or will sound like, take a chance and be surprised. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


SCOT RAY QUARTET with BILL BARRETT / STEUART LIEBIG / ALEX CLINE - Scot Ray Quartet (Long Song Records 155; Italy) Featuring Scot Ray on lap steel guitar & compositions, Bill Barrett on chromatic harmonica, Steuart Liebig on fretted & fretless basses and Alex Cline on drums & percussion. Although he started out on trombone, Scot Ray, has been playing a variety of odd stringed instruments for quite a while as well. Mr. Ray and Mr. Barrett once had a duo known as Gutpuppet, which had the unique instrumentation of acoustic slide guitar and chromatic harmonica. Mr. Ray has an excellent solo offering out which features him on assorted odd guitar-like instruments as well as a superb duo effort with Jim McAuley on acoustic guitars. No doubt you about the dynamic L.A. rhythm team here: Steuart Liebig and Alex Cline, both of whom have worked with Vinny Golia, Gregg Bendian and Ross Hammond.
Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a handful of ensembles which are fronted by or feature lap steel, so it is not as uncommon as it used to be. Chromatic harmonica, unlike blues harp, is also relatively rare in jazz and also seems to becoming slowly more popular. Once it was mainly Stevie Wonder who was well known for playing. “Feel the Key Turn” features some unique twisted lines from Mr. Rays lap steel, which sounds a bit like Dave Tronzo’s slide guitar playing. I rely dig the laid back, almost bluesy vibe here. Mr Ray is most impressive, takes one inspired solo after the other here. Although Mr. Liebig is more widely known as master electric bassist, his job here is to play those quirky, quietly complex songs giving the lap steel and chromatic harp their chance to stretch out and solo at length. Each piece here creates a thoughtful mood, which is rather soundtrack-like. The overall vibe here is one of a haunting, desert-like feel, complete with slow moving tumbleweeds drifting across the prairie. I like that this is overall a modest effort, engaging yet still with subtle drama. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


ESTAMOS TRIO with THOLLEM McDONAS / CARMINA ESCOBAR / MILO TAMEZ - Dire Warning (Relative Pitch 1101; USA) The Estamos Trio features Thollem McDonas on synth,clay pot & voice, Carmina Escobar on voice, toys & guitarron and Milo Tamez on homemade percussion, branches & electronics. This is the second disc from the Estamos Trio on the Relative Pitch label. Earlier, former west coast keyboard wiz, Thollem McDonas, had a larger version of this ensemble which included both creative musicians from the U.S. and from Mexico. The trio version features tow Mexican musicians, vocalist, Carmina Escobar, and percussionist, Milo Tamez. I know of Milo Tamez since he has played here at DMG with his brother Omar Tamez plus Milo once left us with his own wonderful solo percussion CD which was recorded outdoors. As a pianist, Mr. McDonas, remains one of the finest out/jazz cats to be reckoned with. McDonas played here uptown at Jazz Habitat last month in a duo with Ms. Escobar and a quartet with Nels Cline, William Parker and Michael Wimberley.
This disc was recorded in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the Casa Tomada Biennial. The titles of the six pieces mostly about, “Global Climate Genocide”. The music is strong, spirited and captures a dark, yet riveting interweaving of electronic and acoustic sounds. The balance between the acoustic and electronic instruments is well considered. Odd voice(s) and acoustic percussion vs. swirling electronic sounds, all working closely together. Instead of merely creating weird sounds on the synth, Thollem, uses his synth selectively to capture a more thoughtful evocative soundscape. Although the voices of Carmina and Thollem are used, they sound like just another sound to evoke different spirits. Kind of like a soundtrack to a not too weird film. I was recently listening to album by Ilhan Mimaroglu, Turkish electronic music composer who worked as an engineer for Atlantic Records in the early sixties and ran the great Finnadar label in the seventies. Some of the sounds that McDonas uses here sound similar to what Mimaroglu was doing some 50 years ago on analogue synthesizers. All three members work well together here blending their sounds into a cohesive force, there is no leader just a solid group sound. What is the dire warning of the title of this disc? Perhaps it is the balance of man or woman or nature vs the machines of technology or war?!? Hmmmmm. So much to consider. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


Two More Great Discs from FMR Records:

BOOTLEG UNIT with JAKA BERGER / COLIN PETIT / JURE BORSIC - Honey, Did You Break All My Jazz Cassettes? (FMR 559; UK) The Bootleg Unit features Jaka Berger on prepared drums, Colin Petit on tape recorder & electronics and Jure Borsic on saxes & clarinet. This disc was recorded at Radio Student Studio in Ljubljana in Slovenia. The great FMR label has a long history of discovering little known creative musicians from around the world. I can’t really tell you anything about any of the three musicians in this trio, although the title of this disc and song titles show that they do have a sense of humor. The music is subtle, soft sax squeaks, quiet electronic fragments and tasteful minimal percussion. Slowly, the volume, tempo and intensity increases. I like the production here since everything is well balanced and superbly focused. This music is not about solos, it is mainly a group effort. Everyone is listening closely and responding as one connected voice. What I fell most interesting is this: although the title of this disc is pretty funny, tongue firmly in the cheek, the music is no joke. It is immensely well conceived and fascinating to listen to. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

NICOLAS FIELD & ALBERT CIRERA - Live at Dragon (FMR 557; UK) Featuring Nicolas Field on drums & percussion and Albert Cirera on tenor & soprano saxes. Spanish saxist Albert Cirera played here at DMG a few years back and has worked with Agusti Fernandez, Joao Lencastre and Zlatko Kaucic. English/Swiss drummer Nicolas Field has worked with sax great Akira Sakata, a trio with Mr. Cirera & Rafal Mazur (on Not Two) and another trio with Tetuzi Akiyama & Gregor Vidic (on Astral Spirits) whose new CD was reviewed here last week (1/17/20).
This disc/set was recorded live at the Klub Dragon in Poznan, Poland in June of 2018. The recording here is splendid, close mic’d and well balanced. Like the liner notes says, this is free jazz at its best. Mr. Cirera is forever bending and twisting his notes on the sax. It is difficult at times to even tell which instrument he is playing. Is he using a piece of metal as a mute? Hard to tell. Mr. Cirera soon works his way up to some Trane-like spirals while Fields switches to strong, mallet work on his toms, eventually ending up on brushes. When Cirera switches to soprano sax, the duo take off even further, soaring higher together. Things get even more intense as the sets evolves with occasional erupts and then backs down to areas of partial calm. There is a strong balance going on here are both musicians work well together, tight, united as one force, taking a roller coaster ride together.
CD $14


TWO MORE DISCS FROM THE MIGHT EVIL CLOWN EMPIRE:

LEAP OF FAITH with PEK / GLYNIS LOMON / KAT DOBBINS / BOB MOORES / YURI ZBITNOV - Cosmic Distance Ladder (Evil Clown 9224; USA) Featuring PEK on saxes, clarinets, english horn, flute, sheng & assorted percussion; Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice, Kat Dobbins on trombone, bells & bowls; Bob Moores on trumpets, crotales & balafon and Yuri Zbitnov on drums & assorted percussion. The three core members are here: PEK, Glynis Lomon & Yuri Zbitnov. Word is that Mr. Zbitnov will soon retiring from Leap of Faith & the offshoots. There are tow newer members here: Bob Moores who has been on several (20?) recent LoF discs and Kat Dobbins, who has just joined the fold. In the beginning, we hear minimal percussion (gongs & cymbals), trombone & trumpet, floating together. This session was recorded at Evil Clown Headquarters and as with all discs on Evil Clown, the sound here is clean and warm, superbly balanced. Pek lays back here and allows the trombone, trumpet cello and drums to build and take off, slowly adding his reed instruments, one at a time or percussion, after a while. Things build slowly with one or two instruments erupting at a time, each musician carefully add to the ongoing flow. PEK moves to melodica midway, quietly interacting with just trumpet and cymbals or gongs. Both horn players here work well together, swirling their lines around one another, creating thoughtful harmonies and quirky counterpoint with the cello, reeds and percussion. This disc is around 64 minutes, a bit shorter than most discs on Evil Clown. It is consistently strong and inspired throughout. And it never goes too far out, great CD to start if you are just entering the world of Leap of Faith. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DNG
CD $10

TURBULENCE with PEK / MIKE CAGLIANONE / YURI ZBITNOV - Son of Cosmocentric (Evil Clown 9228; USA) Featuring PEK on clarinets, saxes, English horn, flute, game calls, sheng, accordion & assorted percussion; Mike Caglianone on saxes, sheng, game calls & percussion and Yuri Zbitnov on drums, gongs, Malletkat/Moog, metal & chant. Word is that Leap of Faith core member, Yuri Zbitnov, will finally be retiring from the Evil Clown Empire of a half dozen or so Leap of faith & offshoot bands. Sad, but true as his drumming has always been a central rhythmic glue to holding these projects together. This current batch of six discs which arrived earlier this week (1/21/20), might just be his last batch. Turbulence is one of these ongoing LoF bands which is/are led by founder PEK, with Mr. Zbitnov as a key member. This is a trio version, which is smaller than most units and it includes a newer member, Mike Caglianone on saxes & percussion. This makes it easier to figure out who is playing which instrument at times. Commencing with mysterious, suspense-filled space, gongs, rubbed cymbals, a disembodied vocal-like sound floating in the distance and a variety of creepy vibes ascending. This music reminds me of the Art Ensemble of Chicago as it moves through different passages. One or two saxes take the central role while Mr. Zbitnov’s ever engaging drumming helps us the navigate the rapids of the cosmic river between different states of mind. Everything here moves in waves from calm to eruptive. Yuri is in particularly great shape here and take a few short amazing solos throughout this 70 minute endeavor. There is a section where Yuri get into a marching groove which also has some odd but effective spoken word vocals. “Underground race, we are the Power!” is what they might be chanting, but it is hard to tell. It doesn’t last very long but does work. How do the Leap of Faith and Turbulence crews continue to release so much great music…?!? Listen closely and find out. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10


Two Splendid New Discs from DAVID LEE MYERS, Formerly Known as ARCANE DEVICE:

DAVID LEE MYERS - Prototype of the Veil (Pulsewidth PW 009; USA) David Lee Myers has long been a master of thought-provoking, uniquely designed electronic music, whether operating as his namesake or under his well-known alias Arcane Device. Prototype of the Veil reveals some of his best work yet, a deeply resonant foray into the world of bleep and bloop, full of more percolating ideas in a single track than some artists can forge across entire careers. When Myers chooses to lift the titular covers, he offers a peek into a psyche that rearranges classic, almost ‘academic’ 20th century electronica (the kind propagated by the likes of Pauline Oliveros, Morton Subotnick, Tod Dockstader, et al) and melds it with sensibilities of early 90s pioneers like Autechre. The breathtaking results warp rhythms, alter the very nature of synthetic sound, and bend your ears in most peculiar ways. This is a man who knows his instruments intimately, and carves out singular sonic showstoppers with enormous facility and imagination. Even better: transport the old-school BBC Radiophonic Workshop elves into the new millennium and you'll get a feel for the glorious silicon symphonies Myers hath wrought. Brilliant. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $10

DAVID LEE MYERS Ourobouros (Pulsewidth PW 01; USA) The word “ourobouros” is defined as "a circular symbol depicting a snake swallowing its tail, or an emblem of wholeness or infinity.” As a longtime examiner and reconstructionist of sound, mostly through the use of self-made feedback machines, Myers’s studiously created modules have often felt like small, enclosed aural ecosystems, particularly the recordings he fostered as Arcane Device. His like-minded collaborators, especially Tod Dockstader and Asmus Tietchens, also trade on how to best mine and revel in all manners of sonic minutiae. Curiously, Ourobouros isn't an exercise in simplistic looping or digital repetition. If anything, Myers ingeniously manages to make the seemingly incorporeal most organic, tremulous, and lifelike, doing a great deal with what appears to be very little, yet the process eventually births wholly vivid, tactile soundworlds. The opening nine minutes of “Entomo1” suggests nothing less than the budding, kaleidoscopic flora inhabiting some remote alien topography, while “Calyx” shows in microscopic detail the very fauna bristling through such colorful underbrush. Electronic music’s long and storied history has had its share of pioneers across the decades, some lauded with far too undeserved hoopla while others toil in the trenches regardless, evolving and crafting their art with endless tenacity and limitless imaginative depth. With a career now spanning multiple decades, Myers has paid his dues and rightfully earned his stripes; as innovative as his early Arcane Device work was, it’s high time he's acknowledged as one of those aforementioned pioneers. The proof’s in the (sonic) pudding, and man does it taste good. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $10


This Deluxe 4 CD Box Set was listed last September (of 2019) and promptly sold out. We are finally getting these back next week so whomever ordered it and didn’t get a copy will get theirs now. We have a half dozen only so let us know ASAP if you want a copy:

MERZBOW - Metalvelodrome (Urashima 010; Italy)”Urashima present a reissue of Merzbow's Metalvelodrome, originally released in 1993. Merzbow stands as the most important artist in noise music. The moniker of Japanese artist Masami Akita was born in Tokyo in 1979. Inspired by Dadaism and surrealism, Akita took the name for his project from German artist Kurt Schwitters's pre-war architectural assemblage "The Cathedral of Erotic Misery" or "Merzbau". Just as Schwitters attacked the entrenched artistic traditions of his time with his revolutionary avant-garde collages, so too would Akita challenge the contemporary concept of what is called music. Merzbow would draw further influence from the futurist movement. Not only would he embrace the futurists' love of technology and the machine civilization, he would push their fondness for noise to the very boundaries of the extreme. Working in his home, he quickly gained notoriety as a purveyor of a musical genre composed solely of pure, unadulterated noise. By the '90s, Merzbow had a significant underground reputation for creating harsh and power electronics album. Metalvelodrome was released in 1993 by the fabulous Japanese label Alchemy in a four-CD box. The tracks fall right in-between the atmosphere of Merzbow's early '90s work and his more hyper-aggressive mid-90s power electronics work and it's a charming mix, presenting the listener with some of the best elements from each phase of his evolution. Along with Noisembryo (1994), Venereology (1994), and Pulse Demon (1996) represent the top of the immense artist's production. All tracks performed using cheap electronics and junk, no use for synthesizer and midi sampler. Remastered and revised without the two tracks live and with four bonus tracks at Munemihouse in 2019 by Masami Akita. This reissue comes in a silver wooden box with laser engraving of original artwork cover on front (and inside) and Urashima logo on back. Each single CD inside wooden box comes in cardboard wallet with new artwork by Masami Akita; includes foldable and individually numbered certificate; edition of 500.”
4 CD Set $50


CHARLES CURTIS // ELIANE RADIGUE / TERRY JENNINGS / MORTON FELDMAN / ANTON WEBERN / OLIVIER MESSIAEN / et al - Performances and Recordings 1998-2018 (Saltern SLT 005; USA) “Saltern presents its fifth release, Performances & Recordings 1998-2018, the first comprehensive collection of recordings surveying the career of renowned, American cellist Charles Curtis. Selected by Curtis and Tashi Wada from recordings spanning the past two decades, the collection offers a broad, inclusive view of Curtis's activities across the diverse worlds of music he inhabits, containing rare, unreleased recordings, and never-before-released music by Terry Jennings, Richard Maxfield, Éliane Radigue, Alison Knowles, and Curtis. The wide-ranging scope of this release speaks not to a musical restlessness, but to a genuine spirit of inquiry, as these areas of activity for Curtis have existed concurrently in dialogue, not simply in succession, for decades. Over two hours of music by composers and artists with whom Curtis is closely associated including Éliane Radigue, Guillaume de Machaut, Tobias Hume, Silvestro di Ganassi, Terry Jennings, Morton Feldman, Anton Webern, Olivier Messiaen, Alison Knowles, Richard Maxfield, and Curtis himself. Mastered by Stephan Mathieu with liner notes by La Monte Young, Spencer Gerhardt, and Tashi Wada. Custom packaging and screen printing by Alan Sherry; Edition of 500.
3 CD Set $25


CHARLES AMIRKHANIAN - Loudspeakers (New World Records 80817; USA) Charles Amirkhanian (b. 1945) can be regarded as a central figure in American music, and on several fronts. As a composer, he’s been pervasively innovative in two genres: text-sound pieces, in which he can draw engaging rhythmic processes from wacky word assemblages such as “rainbow chug bandit” and “church car rubber baby buggy bumper”; and natural-sound electronic pieces which go far beyond the usual confines of musique concrète to create long, poetic sound narratives poised between collage and sonic landscape.
Amirkhanian’s text-sound pieces often begin with a quasi-minimalist basis in repetition, but their processes are playful and even humorous rather than strict. His electronic landscapes (including all the ones here) occasionally include repetitive elements, but are more poetic, intuitive in their form and often impressionistic in their effect. Several of his earlier commercial recordings have showcased the text-sound pieces; the present two-disc set is a welcome compendium of his sound landscapes. We might characterize the whole as three tone poems preceded by a set of ten etudes.
The set of ten pieces, Pianola (Pas de mains) (1997–2000)—the subtitle is French for “no hands”—stems from Amirkhanian’s long fascination with the player piano, or pianola—the self-playing piano, and is a whimsical set of essays based on the sound and techniques of the player piano.
The remaining three works [Im Frühling (1989–90), Son of Metropolis San Francisco (1997), Loudspeakers (for Morton Feldman) (1988–90)] might be characterized as extended love poems, so affectionately do they portray their respective subjects: spring, San Francisco, and the composer Morton Feldman. These pieces were composed using the Synclavier, an electronic sampling keyboard first developed at Dartmouth in the late 1970s, for which
Amirkhanian has written many of the most ambitious works.
What links all these pieces is a creative ambiguity of genre, a delight in shifting back and forth between elements whose sources can be recognized and those whose can’t. The pacing, at least in the latter three works, is leisurely, and somewhere between ambient and symphonic: One can listen to them as atmosphere, yet a sense of overall dramatic shaping is not absent. Though we listen to them through loudspeakers, it seems problematic to pigeonhole Amirkhanian as an “electronic” composer. The music, restful and noisy at once, is too playful for that, and too natural—and elicits a listening mode that brings no other composer to mind.
2 CD set $28


LUIGI ARCHETTI / BO WIGET - Weltformat (Die Schachtel 015; Italy) “Ending the decade of silence which followed more than ten years of remarkable, critically-acclaimed activity by the partnership of veteran experimentalists, Luigi Archetti and Bo Wiget, the duo returns with what may be their most ambitious effort to date, Weltformat, issued by Die Schachtel. Switzerland-based Luigi Archetti and Bo Wiget began collaborating in 1998, the fruits of which initially emerged as the critically heralded, three-part Low Tide Digitals series, released by Rune Grammofon between 2001 and 2009. Weltformat, like its predecessors, builds on decades of solo and collaborative efforts by its creators - Archetti with famed Krautrock pioneers, Guru Guru, among many others, and Wiget with Werner Lüdi, Taku Sugimoto, Tetuzi Akiyama, and others. Sculpted from the intricate tonal interventions and responses of Archetti on guitar, mandolin, and electronics, and Wiget on cello, electronics, and vocals, across the album the duo constructs a remarkably diverse landscape in sound, folding touchstones of modern classical, free improvisation, minimalism, harsh noise, and ambient music, into a seamless, singular expanse. Clusters of tone and dissonance merge, collide, and abrade against drones, textures, and pulsing electronics, each element a representative voice of its creator, caught in an imagistic conversation beyond words, which feels as immediate and intuitive, as it does perfectly balanced and thoughtful. Weltformat, encountering Archetti and Wiget just past the 20 year mark of their collaborative partnership, bears the fruit of rigorous experiments in sound - an immersive, effortless form of sonic realism, built from the optimism and hope which lays at the root of the avant-garde. As beautiful, inviting, immersive, and slow moving, as it is challenging, destabilizing, and thought provoking.”
CD $18

AKIKO YANO - Gohan Ga Dekitayo (WeWantSounds 032; UK) Wewantsounds present a 40th anniversary reissue of Akiko Yano's Gohan Ga Dekitayo, originally released in 1980. This superb double-album was recorded with Yellow Magic Orchestra at a time when she was part of the group's touring line-up between 1979 and 1980. The album is pure Akiko Yano featuring her superb singing and piano playing, enhanced by touches of YMO's synth-pop sound (check her cult version of YMO's classic, "Tong-Poo"). First album release outside of Japan. When Gohan Ga Dekitayo came out in 1980, Akiko Yano had been touring with Yellow Magic Orchestra for more than a year. She'd play keyboards alongside the three founding members -- Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yukihiro Takahashi -- plus guitarist Kenji Omura and synth wizard programmer Hideki Matsutake (as part of the 1980 North American tour, she'd also feature in the group's cult TV appearance on Soul Train for a memorable rendition of "Tighten Up") and they are all present on Gohan Ga Dekitayo. The double-LP, whose title could be translated by "Dinner Is Ready", was co-produced with Ryuichi Sakamoto and recorded at two legendary studios: Tokyo's Alfa Studio "A" and Los Angeles's Sound City. It was Akiko's first shift towards a fuller synth sound following four studio albums mixing pop and jazz funk, including her landmark debut from 1976, Japanese Girl (WWSCD 017CD/WWSLP 017LP). A shift that would continue with the release of Tadaima in 1981 (WWSCD 016CD/WWSLP 016LP), also featuring the YMO musicians. The fourteen tracks on Gohan Ga Dekitayo find Akiko in top form mixing her singer-songwriter's sensitivity with the electro-pop sound of YMO. It's interesting to note though that it is very much an Akiko Yano album even if the group is present on the album (interestingly they do also play analog instruments on the album). Akiko is clearly the one in charge with a string of beautiful compositions and the rendition of one of the group's classics, "Tong Poo" which she reinvents as a slower, less metronomic-paced song adding her own lyrics. Other highlights on the album include "Dogs Awaiting...", a hypnotic composition featuring fascinating electro arrangements or "Coloured Water" sung in English by Akiko accompanying herself on Fender Rhodes with subtle percussion by Tatsuo Hayashi and electronics by Ryuichi Sakamoto. There are many more great moments on this superb album which announces the further experiments of Tadaima. Remastered audio by Mitsuo Koike.
CD $17

Various Artists: BILLIE HOLIDAY / ELLA FITZGERALD / MILES DAVIS / NINA SIMONE / LOUIE ARMSTRONG / GRANT GREEN / OSCAR PETERSON / et al - The Jazzy Side Of Porgy & Bess (Delta 10017; Germany) “Porgy & Bess is the opera by the US-American composer George Gershwin, and tells the story of Porgy, a disabled black street-beggar living in the slums of Charleston. It deals with his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and Sportin' Life, her drug dealer. Porgy & Bess was first performed in Boston on September 30, 1935. It was adapted as a film in 1959. Some of the songs in the opera, such as "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So", became popular and frequently recorded songs. The Jazzy Side Of Porgy & Bess presents crucial recordings by the biggest names and finest artists in jazz like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Miles Davis & Gil Evans, Oscar Peterson, Louis Armstrong, André Previn, Sammy Davis Jr., Bill Potts, Grant Green, and more in an over 72 minutes adventure not to be missed!”
CD $12


LP SECTION:

LUC FERRARI - Dialogue Ordinaire Avec le Machine / Sexolidad (Elica 5214; Italy) “An LP comprised of two stunning works composed by Luc Ferrari during the early 1980s, "Dialogue Ordinaire Avec la Machine" and "Sexolidad", released by the long standing Italian experimental imprint, Elica. Wild and wonderful, this one is absolutely essential for any fan of electronic avant-garde. Needing little introduction, Luc Ferrari is one the great figures in 20th century avant-garde and experimental music. Ferrari was a pioneer, who, for roughly half a century, continuously revolutionized the field of electronic and electroacoustic creative process. Leaving such a sprawling body of work in his wake, much remained unreleased at the time of his death in 2005. Labels and fans have been scrambling to catch up over the years since. Part of their long-standing dedication to Ferrari, dating back to the 1990s, Elica's latest LP, Dialogue Ordinaire Avec la Machine / Sexolidad, takes great strides toward illuminating the composer's remarkable range of diverse approaches to sound. Composed between 1982 and 1984, the first piece showcases Ferrari's interest in tape collage work and sampling, whereas the second piece is one of his less than traditional compositions for a traditional ensemble. "Dialogue Ordinaire Avec la Machine" describes the not so chance meeting between the artists (Ferrari helped by Yannick Gornet) and the mysteriously working machine (a sampler), between the curiosity, amusement, surprise, ineptitude and excitement of the musicians and the machine with its appeal, complexity, stubbornness and synthetic eruptions. A rollercoaster through exploration, seduction, observations, misunderstandings, purrs, moans, gurgles, whooshes, loops and mechanical rhythms from which Ferrari builds his own synthesized folklore, ending with one of the most unusual episodes in the composer's production, the rather graphically explicit and apocalyptic "Love Song With the Machine" (which, to make an unlikely comparison with younger artists, one could imagine the music of the New York duo Suicide mixed by Nurse With Wound's Steven Stapleton). "Sexolidad" is one of Ferrari's most seductive instrumental pieces, representing a journey over the body, in which tonalities and their mix create "a particular harmonic climate [...]" The curious concept and its musical composition result in an extremely enjoyable piece which is continuously intriguing, evocative, dauntless, persuasive and highly satisfying, exquisitely performed here by the Ives Ensemble. Includes 30x30cm four-page booklet with bilingual (French-English) versions of the integrated text from "Sexolidad" and the lyrics to "Love Song with the Machine". Gatefold cover; edition of 300.
LP $28

PAULINE OLIVEROS, STUART DEMPSTER, PANAIOTIS - Deep Listening (Important Records 473; USA) “To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Deep Listening, Important Records offer a definitive double-LP combining the classic, complete original 1989 release with selected tracks from the Deep Listening Band's 1991 album, The Ready Made Boomerang. Recorded in a cistern, this double-LP reverberates with brilliant sonic clarity and masterfully improvised performances combining live electronics, vocals, trombone. and accordion. Deep Listening is a classic in the fields of improvisation, minimalism, ambient/drone, and modern classical. Listen with attentiveness, listen while lying down, listen with headphones -- as recording engineer Al Swanson entices the listener to become a virtual performer in selecting the many different ways to perceive these phenomenal tracks. Whatever you do, listen deeply. Packaged in a gatefold sleeve with original and updated recollections from the performers, the engineer, and a mesostic from John Cage, to whom these recordings are inextricably linked.”
2 LP Set $38

JOHN CARTER OCTET with BOBBY BRADFORD / JAMES NEWTON / CHARLES OWENS / RED CALLENDER / ROBERTO MIRANDA / et al - Dauwhe (Black Saint 057; Italy) “Black Saint present a reissue of John Carter Octet's Dauwhe, originally released in 1982. Dawhe is the first chapter in John Carter's Roots and Folklore saga. A five-part epic journey through the African American heritage conceived by the great clarinetist-composer and performed by a stellar line-up featuring Carter himself, Bobby Bradford (cornet), James Newton (flute), Charles Owens (soprano sax, oboe, clarinet), Red Callender (tuba), Roberto Miranda (bass), William Jeffrey (drums), and Luis Peralta (percussion). This is a highly integrated form of jazz, based on the processing of different musical forms and related topics. From the ancient African mythology through the Blues experience towards the open land of creative jazz. A strong musical and cultural statement from one of the greatest west coast modern jazz composers. "Highly recommended for open-eared listeners" --Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.
LP $22

SALES DE BANO - Geometria del Vinculo (Buh Records 110; Peru) Featuring Carlos Quebrada on bass & compositions, Mariano Cepeda on electric guitar, Agustin Zuanigh on trumpet, Camilo Angeles on flutes, Andres Marino on piano & electronics and Federico Isati on drums. This is the third release that we have gotten in from Sales de Bano (”bath salts”), an Argentinian sextet led by Carlos Quebrada. Mr. Quebrada comes to visit once or so a year and always leaves us with a CD or LP to check out. The first two releases were CD’s and they had a unique progressive sound. “ASU” opens and has an odd, yet herky jerky sound with spiraling trumpet & flutes tightly riding on top great, spastic groove ensemble below. The music is superbly recorded and is most impressive as it shifts through different sections. Both the flute and trumpet are in motion, playing around one another and tightly together. It is actually the writing and arrangements that are most intriguing as things continue to evolve from one section to the next. Guitarist Cepeda is also exceptional as he inserts lots of twists solos here and there but at a more restrained volume. I love the way the ensemble is often split into different contrapuntal sections with the horns play their parts on top while the guitar & piano the interlocking parts underneath. What I dig most about this is that is most modest, quietly engaging with subtle layers of moving lines connected in the right places without any grandstanding whatsoever. Since the Cuneiform has slowed down considerably release-wise, I haven’t had to the chance to listen to much contemporary progressive music. Nice to know that there is still some surprising progressive bands out there still making fascinating music like this . Certainly, Sales de Banos are DMG’s fave band of the month. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $16

JUJU - Live At The East 1973 (Now-Again 5178; USA) "Now-Again Records presents limited edition deluxe reissues of the lauded black fire catalog in 2020. First up in the series, this previously unreleased live session recorded at the legendary Brooklyn venue The East in 1973. Magical, mystical, Afrocentric, progressive -- words that could be used to describe any number of musical compositions by Sun Ra or his cosmic brothers and sisters, from John to Alice Coltrane, early '70s projects on record labels like Detroit's Tribe or Houston's Lightin' or the interests of one Washington, DC native named Jimmy Gray that centered under one, perfect moniker: Black Fire. Gray spent nearly three decades pushing boundaries as a Black American promoter, distributor and, finally, record label owner. Together with Juju's leader James 'Plunky Nkabinde' Branch, Gray oversaw sixteen releases on Black Fire Records between 1975 and 1996. These are the definitive reissues of five of the label's key titles; all were lacquered -- most directly from master tape -- by legendary Los Angeles mastering engineer Bernie Grundman. With this set, Juju and Black Fire's story burns forth into its fifth decade, its message not tempered, its sound pure. It's cycle, once again, complete. Each release is packaged in a thick, tip-on sleeve and includes a deluxe booklet with extensive notes on the album, the Black Fire collective, and the musical and cultural revolution they created. Limited edition, one time pressing."
LP $28

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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for January, 2020

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 - JEN SHYU - JAN 21-25

1/24 Friday
8:30 pm
TRIO - Jen Shyu (vocals) Simon Barker (percussion) Leo Genovese (piano)

1/25 Saturday
8:30 pm
TRIO - Simon Barker (percussion) Jen Shyu (vocals, biwa, gayageum, moon lute) Ben Monder (guitar)

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - KRIS DAVIS' 40th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION! - JAN 28–FEB 1

1/28 Tuesday
8:30 pm - Kris Davis Trio
Kris Davis (piano) Tony Malaby (saxophone) Simon Barker (drums)

1/29 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Borderlands Trio
Kris Davis (piano) Stephan Crump (bass) Ches Smith (drums)

1/30 Thursday
8:30 pm - Kris Davis Quartet - Kris Davis (piano) Tom Rainey (drums) Michael Formanek (bass) Milena Casado Fauquet (trumpet)

1/31 Friday
8:30 pm - Kris Davis Trio
Kris Davis (piano) Charlie Lincoln (bass) Tom Rainey (drums)

2/1 Saturday
8:30 pm - Kris Davis (piano) & Ingrid Laubrock (sax)

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:
Friday, January 24, 2020 - 8:00 PM 9:00 PM
WENDY EISENBERG with Joanna Mattrey and Anna Webber
Wendy Eisenberg, guitar
Joanna Mattrey, viola
Anna Webber, saxophones

Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 8:00 PM 9:00 PM
WENDY EISENBERG with Jessica Pavone, Nick Dunston and Neil Young
Wendy Eisenberg, guitar
Jessica Pavone, viola
Nick Dunston, bass
Neil Young, drums

HappyLucky No. 1 is located at
734 Nostrand Ave, near Sterling
easy access from the A/C/2/3/4 trains

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The Weekly Bushwick Improvised Music Series:

Monday January 27th
7pm Nicole Zaray Meter - vocals
Faye Kilburn - theramin
Mohamed Kubbara - drums

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

9pm Tony Malaby - saxophones
Richard Bonnet - guitar
Mel Bauer - drums

9:45pm Juan Pablo Carletti's "Biggish Ensemble" w/
Juan Pablo Carletti - drums
Jake Henry - trumpet
Kenny Warren - trumpet
Yoni Kretzmer - tenor saxophone
Christoff Knoche - bass clarinet
Rick Parker - trombone
Kenneth Jimenez - bass

10:45pm Jeff Davis - drums
Tony Malaby - saxophones
Eivind Opsvik - bass
Simon Jermyn - guitar

11:30pm Vinnie Sperrazza - drums
Noa Fort - vocals
Simon Jermyn - guitar

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

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Shapeshifter Presents:

Jan 29
ShapeShifter Plus Presents: Take Off Collective Residency
7pm - 8:15pm
Ole Mathisen (sax),
Matthew Garrison (bass)
Marko Djordjevic (drums)
www.take-off-collective.com

Shapeshifter is located at
18 Whitwell Place, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Take the R train stop to Union

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​Saturday, January 25 at 7 p.m.
Megumi Yonezawa / Masa Kamaguchi / Ken Kobayashi
Rockwood 3, 185 Orchard St., LES

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I-Beam Presents:

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2020 - 8:00 PM 9:30 PM
WILLIAM HOOKER: THE SYMPHONIE EXCERPTS #3
Marc Edwards - Drums
Mara Rosenbloom - piano
Stephen Gauci - Tenor Saxophone
Adam Lane - Bass
Theodore Woodward - electronics
Matt Chilton - Woodwinds
Devin Waldman - Alto Saxophone
William Hooker - Drums/Direction

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 - 8:00 PM 9:30 PM
TOMAS FUJIWARA SOLO ARCTURUS
Tomas Fujiwara Solo
Pieces for acoustic drum set
Arcturus
Ben Stowers - Tenor Saxophone / Bass Clarinet
Lucas Saur - Cello
Odin Scherer - Guitar
Nick Augusta - Piano
Finn Carroll - Bass
Henry Mermer - Drums