DMG Newsletter for April 28th, 2017

DMG Newsletter for April 28th, 2017

April draws to a Close and May is on its Way
Winter into Spring into Summer in just a few Weeks
From Serious Sounds to Music for Fun
Meant to Set Us Free and Inspire us Again & Again
New and Ancient Music from These Fine Folks:

Fred Frith & Hans Koch! Henry Kaiser Solo AntArctic Guitar! Elliott Sharp / Gareth Davos / Ensemble Resonanz! Barry Guy / Jurg Wickihalder / Lucas Niggli! Gunter Baby Sommer /Gianluigi Trovesi / Manfred Schoof! Miroslav Vitous Quintet! Vinny Golia Solo Woodwinds & Percussion! Trevor Watts/Amalgam Rare Trio Reissue!

Michel Portal & WDR Radio Big Band! Bebo Ferra Tribute to King Crimson! PEK Solo! JA Granelli’s Gowanus Reggae & Ska Society! Love Slave Label Sale! Michael Attias CD Sale! More from Lovely Music: Robert Ashley & David Tudor! Steve Lacy Trio Back! LP Section: Faust! Richard Pinhas/Heldon! Edgar Varese/Henry Cowell/John Cage..! Allen Ginsberg! Jowe Head! More and More and..!


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DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY Turns 26 and Celebrates Our Longevity!

This Monday, May 1st will be the 26th Anniversary of Downtown Music Gallery! That’s right, you heard right! We opened our doors on May 1st of 1991 in the East Village at 211 East 5th (between 2nd & 3rd Aves), having no idea how long we would last considering that there were upwards of a hundred record stores in Manhattan alone at that time. Now there are less than a dozen!?! We are in our third location (13 Monroe St in Chinatown), for eight years now, struggling to survive but still providing creative music for serious listeners from around the world with New Sounds: on CDs, records, DVDs, magazines, T-shirts and even a few cassettes. This, our e-mail newsletter goes out to some 5,000 subscribers every week with an occasional sales update as well. We still get visitors from around the world and we are open 7 days a week, from noon til 6pm, later on Sundays when we have our free in-store series. See the schedule below. Thanks to all who have supported us through our long journey!

To help us celebrate our long & winding history, present and future, we are sponsoring a series of celebrations in the next few months. Please come visit us and help us usher in another era of Creative Music! Thanks to all of the musicians who are helping us to celebrate with their music. Here is the current schedule and we are working on even more events to come:

DMG 26TH ANNIVERSARY SERIES OF CELEBRATIONS:

Sunday, June 3rd at Downtown Music Gallery:
6pm: THOMAS HELTON / JAIMIE BRANCH / MICHAEL EVANS!
7pm: MYSTERY GUEST COSMIC JAM!

Monday, June 4th at ZURCHER GALLERY (33 Bleecker St, east of Lafayette)
7pm: RAOUL BJORKENHEIM / JOE FONDA / GERALD CLEAVER New TRIO!

Monday, June 19th at THE STONE:
Bruce’s Birthday Celebration & Concert of Spiritual Jazz!
7pm: UNBROKEN: LOUIE BELOGENIS / SHANIR BLUMENKRANZ / KENNY WOLLESON!
8:30: FRANKLIN KIERMYER QUARTET Featuring:
JOVAN ALEXANDRE - Tenor Sax / DAVIS WHITFIELD - Piano / OTTO GARDNER - Bass!
July, 2017 is the 50th Anniversary of the Passing of John Coltrane - We Embrace his Spirit!

Saturday, July 15th at DMG: Super Rare Solo Performance by:
6pm: HENRY KAISER - Solo Electric Guitar!

Live Long & Prosper - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Dave Miller and Anders Zelinski at DMG

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The FREE DMG Weekly New Music In-Store Series Continues on Sundays with:

Sunday, April 30th:
6pm: NO SIGNAL: AARON NOVIK & JEREMIAH CYMERMAN - Clarinets and AVA MENDOZA & BRANDON SEABROOK - Guitars!
7pm: GUILLERMO GREGORIO / VINCENT CHANCEY / BRANDON LOPEZ - Clarinet / French Horn / ContraBass

Sunday, May 7th:
6pm; BEN STAPP & ELIJAH SHIFFER - Tuba and Sax & Clarinet
7pm: CATHERINE SIKORA & BRIAN CHASE - Tenor Sax and Drums

Sunday, May 14th:
6pm: ALEC HARPER & TYLER GILMORE

DMG is located at 13 Monroe St. (between Catherine & Market Sts) in a basement below a former Buddhist temple & beauty salon. 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 Cosy


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Yet another Amazing List of Great Discs from:

FRED FRITH / HANS KOCH - You are Here (Intakt 286; Switzerland) Fred Frith is a world renowned improvisor, composer and multi-instrumentalist who has positioned himself on the contemporary music scene between rock and jazz, improvisation and composition. Experimental saxophonist and bass clarinetist Hans Koch has a similarly superb reputation. In the past few years Hans has dedicated himself to the quieter side of improvisation.
Both musicians have extended the possibilities of their instruments and stepped into new territories. The pair have known each other since the Nineties. As a guest, Frith took part in the “hardcore chamber music“ of trio Koch-Schütz-Studer.
On the new album “You Are Here” they create intriguing sound worlds and fascinating tone structures purely by improvising. It is the music of two mature masters who have worked all their life to develop their own musical language. The duo allows them to make full use of their artistic capability to the great pleasure of the listener.
CD $18


* HENRY KAISER - Nostalgia for Infinity (Fractal; USA) “I have a great love for the feedback tape delay system that Terry Riley developed and named in the 1960’s: The Time Lag Accumulator. It is an amazingly expressive creative tool, and just one of the myriad of wonders that exploded from The San Francisco Tape Music Center. When Robert Fripp and Brian Eno later co-opted this twin Revox tape recorder technology and approach from Riley in 1973 - Fripp dubbed it Frippertronics - that co-opting kinda spoiled this simple long delay with feedback approach to solo guitar for me as form of public performance. While Fripp created some truly great guitar music with Riley’s methodology, he seemed to build a wall around the possibilities for other guitarists using those Terry Riley techniques, by creating a situation where anyone who employed Riley's methods without tipping their hat to the King Crimson bandleader was scorned. Despite this, I would sometime enjoy privately playing in this manner at home alone - but never in public. My gratitude for opening up that sonic world, goes 100% to Terry Riley. I seem to have been the first guitarist to use studio digital delays for this purpose in the mid-70’s; with the first digital looping on an album with 1978’s recordings of OUTSIDE PLEASURE and ALOHA. Most of my released long-form solos however have been in the completely different square-wave modulated delay approach that I discovered in the 70’s, seemingly independent of anyone else. My albums Everything Forever, A Rainbow for Riley, and Garden of Memory being my favorite releases in that style. Here on Nostalgia for Infinity are long form solos performed without the square wave modulation in the delay, and in more of a Terry Riley modality. Just one guitar live into a TC 2290 digital delay. How did these solos come to be? A friendly practice that I learned from my #1 guitar hero Derek Bailey was to record guitar solos for my friends’ birthdays and give the music to them as single copy CDs. Generally, I would not save this music for myself. Here are 3 solos from 2006 that I recently discovered on an ancient hard drive. I share them with listeners now in 2017, as audio trance wallpaper. Probably they are best listened to while other tasks are being performed. The music was recorded live, soon after re-deployment from McMurdo Station, where I work as a scientific diver beneath the ice of the Ross Sea, in the US Antarctic Program. This particular music was particularly inspired my experiences working out on top of the sea ice, in those Austral Spring days that never end. Antarctic months where the sun never sets. That’s the nostalgic memory my guitar is improvising about here.” - Henry Kaiser
Henry Kaiser has released around two dozen discs of solos, duos, trios and larger units in the past few years. We proudly stock all of these titles and I do my best to review each and every one. Outside of John Zorn, nobody has released that many discs in recent years. This month’s gem is titled, ‘Nostalgia for Infinity - Solo Antarctic Guitar’. It features three long guitar solos, each employing some sort of delay device. Kaiser asks in the above description that we do some other tasks while listening to this music since it is not so demanding. Starting with the nearly half-hour long, “New Harbor Calling”, time is stretched out and there is a sense of calm at the center. The repeating patterns are calm yet hypnotic. If it were sunny out, the clouds rolling by would have some perfect accompaniment here. Even as the patterns repeat, Mr. Kaiser slowly adds or alters notes here and there. This reminds me of the way the tapestry in a well made carpet looks from afar and up close. The closer you get the more you see the slight alterations, it just takes time to notice. “Pilulina Kaiseri” also moves slowly, just drifting by at first. I love the way certain notes ring, glowing or simmering together, quietly floating in the air like somber clouds. Kaiser again slowly adds spice by changing the patterns, adding small flurries here and there. I just saw a flock of birds flying in the distance, which reminded me of the natural way that this music sounds and evolves over time. Eventually, Kaiser adds a Frippish lead solo which is most rewarding and rich in texture. Kind of like the perfect dessert after a tasty meal. Two dozen discs later and Henry Kaiser still finds ways to help us all feel better. Not such an easy task in these difficult times. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

* Henry Kaiser will be performing a rare set of solo guitar here at DMG as part of our ongoing 26th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, July 15th at 6pm!


ELLIOTT SHARP / GARETH DAVIS / ENSEMBLE RESONANAZ - Oceanus Procellarum (Cavity Search 101; USA) “Oceanus Procellarum takes its name from the vast lunar mare formed by ancient volcanic eruptions that covered the region in a thick layer of magma. The name in translation, Ocean of Storms, gives an indication of the sonic nature of this work: roiling, dark, turbulent. Oceanus Procellarum operates with the vocabulary and syntax developed and explored in such orchestral compositions as On Corlear's Hook, Calling, and SyndaKit and making use of recombinant streams; chaining, looping, and superimposition of musical "molecules"; chaotic structures resolving to vibrant rhythmic patterns; timbral counterpoint; melodies (both micro- and macro-) based on the natural overtone series and acoustic principles of the combining of sounds in a form of "acoustic additive synthesis”. In certain sections, the Ensemble uses "alternate bows" constructed from metal springs or wooden sticks with which to generate their sounds. Conceived as the intersection of two moving fronts, Oceanus Procellarum pits the Ensemble Resonanz against two soloists, in this instance, Gareth Davis and myself.” - E. Sharp
Ensemble Resonanz are a twelve-piece string ensemble, who hail from Hamburg, Germany and are considered to be one the world’s leading chamber ensembles. They specialize in challenging music. For this performance, they are joined by two soloists: Elliott Sharp on electroacoustic guitar and Gareth Davis on bass clarinet. This disc was recorded at the prestigious Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in the UK in November of 2016. Starting with a thick layer of plucked strings, buzzing together in a most Xenakis like way before Mr. Davis’ eerie bass clarinet and Mr. Sharp’s intense bent strings erupt. I especially like Mr. Sharp’s writing for the strings: several layers of drones or currents are moving around one another with cautious scrapes from the guitar and simmering bass clarinet rumbles. It feels as if we are standing on a raft in the middle of the ocean which is calm at times and then there are brief moments of eruptions, knocking us off balance for short bursts. At times it sounds as if we are listing to an organ or an accordion while the dense layers of strings proceed to wheeze, expand and contract together. It is both fascinating and disorienting simultaneously, kind of like surfing on moving waves, absolutely exhilarating! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


VINNY GOLIA - Intercommunications - Music for Woodwinds and Percussion (pfMENTUM 111; USA) Featuring Vinny Golia on: piccolos, flutes, bass clarinet, soprano & sopranino saxes, Tibetan trumpets, gyaling (Tibetan double reed), fujara (Slovakian overtone flute), Maori bird call, singing bowls and gongs. I know of two reeds players who collect and own a large quantity of rare & not-so-rare reeds: Dave Peck from Leap of Faith and Vinny Golia. Although Mr. Golia has dozens of discs out, his solo recordings are pretty rare. Just two that we list in our database. Mr. Golia plays more than a dozen reeds here as well as percussion like gongs & bowls plus a Maori bird call. The first piece, “Rongorongo”, is dedicated to Richard Nunns, a musician from New Zealand, who once worked with Evan Parker and plays Maori musical instruments. Mr. Golia plays a double reed (gyaling?)and gong, giving this piece a ritualistic vibe, soon switching to soprano or sopranino sax. Although Mr. Golia often double tracks, adding other layers of reeds, he keeps things stripped down and often solemn. Unlike Mr. Golia’s more complex, music for different ensembles, he deals with more simple, spiritual sounding, trance-inducing vibe. The tiles of these pieces, “The Taulas of Menorca” or “Nazca Lines”, are named after ancient structures, often with some spiritual significance. I could see or hear how this music could be used for a PBS special on ancient ruins. For one later piece, Golia adds layers of double reeds, groans and drones, like an army of chanting monks. Most effective at stirring up ancient spirits. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


PEK - Solo: Thulsa Doom (Evil Clown 9134; USA) Featuring Dave Peck on bass & sopranino saxes, clarinets, oboe, tarota, tube-o-phones, gong, electronics, ableton mix, dulzaina, melodicas, etc. Considering that Mr. Peck has released upwards of a hundred discs from the ongoing band Leap of Faith* and their many offshoot projects, this appears to be a rare solo effort. It was recorded at two sessions in Evil Clown Headquarters in February and March of this year (2017). Like another reeds pioneer mentioned above in this weeks newsletter, Vinny Golia, Mr. Peck collects and owns a large quantity of rare reed instruments. Hence the use of a dulzaina, a rare Spanish oboe-like double reed. “Scalar Invariant Curvatures” opens with strange, ancient sounding, ritualistic sounds. Mr. Peck bathes his playing with some hypnotic echo or reverb. Hard to believe that we are listening to just one person, since things occasionally sound dense or disorienting. Reverberating gongs or metals, bizarre sounding double-reeds and electronics create another world, a planet where you never know what odd occurrence will take place but it seems somehow familiar. What this reminds me of at times are the Master Musicians of Bukkake, one of the weirdest musical groups from the Pacific north west, still in existence. Most impressive on many levels and occasionally disturbing. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

* Dave Peck’s band Leap of Faith will be playing a rare set here in NYC next week at the Spectrum (121 Ludlow St, 2nd floor) on Friday, April 5th at 9pm!


JÜRG WICKIHALDER / BARRY GUY / LUCAS NIGGLI - Beyond (Intakt 277;Switzerland) “A meeting of three European musicians from different generations each with his own musical background: three sound artists, three virtuosic instrumentalists, three breath-taking improvisers. BEYOND with Jürg Wickihalder, Barry Guy and Lucas Niggl means strong melodies, a deeply affecting and sensuous lyricism, moments of exciting groove and a rare and fascinating textural density.
This trio’s mutual understanding as they interact, which even in complex sections sounds fleet of foot and completely organic, is based upon a common way of working together. For the past couple of years, the Beyond trio has given several concerts. Then, in November 2016, they took themselves off for two days and evenings to Loft Cologne in Germany to record the album. It would be impossible not to notice both their evident desire to play and their joy in working together. For the listener, to hear them heading out from their starting point and into the unforeseen without ever losing their sense of forward motion is a pure pleasure.”
CD $18


GUNTER BABY SOMMER With GIANLUIGI TROVESI / MANFRED SCHOOF / ANONTIO BORGHINI - Le Piccole Cose (Intuition 71321; Germany) “We are called “Günter Baby Sommer’s Quarteto Trionfale“, the 73 year old drummer from Radebeul near Dresden said right before this concert to make sure the band would be announced correctly. “You know, like Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers“.“ The fact that Sommer feels a deep connection to the African-American roots of Jazz also resonates in his nickname, which can be traced back to Louis Armstrong’s drummer “Baby“ Dodds. It is no contradiction, that this “Baby“ belongs to the generation of East German musicians, who, some forty years ago, caused a stir with their mostly improvised music in and around what was then the GDR. As a sound artist in general and a percussionist in particular, as a soloist or an instrumentalist in an ensemble, Sommer is and has always been interested in widening the instrumental range of his drum set and discovering new repertoire. "If you ask the African-American colleagues where they come from, they say, 'Mother Africa.' And where do we come from? This search began with the Zentralquartett with Uli Gumpert, and so we found the medieval songs. For West-German colleagues like Brötzmann and so on, the thought alone was impossible. For us, “free“ stood for freedom in every direction.“
For his concert in the series "European Jazz Legends" at the Theater Gütersloh on October 31, 2016, presented by WDR 3, Jazz in Gütersloh, Intuition and Jazz thing, Günter "Baby" Sommer (almost) reunited a band he first played with at Jazzwerkstatt Peitz in 1979. In order to „counter“ the possibly compromising influence of trumpeter Manfred Schoof from West Germany, the cultural bureaucracy demanded that the band also included Gianluigi Trovesi, bass clarinet and alto saxophone, from Italy and the American double bass player Barre Philips. For a while now, the latter has been aptly replaced by Antonio Borghini, an Italian from Berlin, who previously can be heard in this series in the band of Alexander von Schlippenbach.
CD $16


MIROSLAV VITOUS With GARY CAMPBELL / ROBERTO BONISOLO / AYDIN ESEN / ROBERTO GATTO - Ziljabu Nights (Intuition 71320; Germany) “This live album celebrates the 8th edition of the German record label's European Jazz Legends series, culminating in a book to be published in 2018. And each album is finalized with an interview track. So, it would make sense that eminent Czech bassist and co-founder of Weather Report, Miroslav Vitous would be included in the progression of this series. Other than drummer Roberto Gatto, the quintet comprises the same personnel who appeared on the successful Music of Weather Report (ECM, 2016), featuring the dual drumming attack of free/ progressive jazz stalwarts, Nasheet Waits and Gerald Cleaver. Thus, Vitous injects similarities of vintage Weather Report amid these supple and blossoming theme-constructions, tinged with keyboardist Aydin Esen's use of synths, electric piano voicings and textural treatments
Vitous' craftsmanship and insight that helped develop the early Weather Report sound is subliminally transferred into this band's chemistry along with elevated dreamscapes, shrewd use of space, and a few trippy jazz fusion-type intervals. Many of these works are sketched with ascending narratives, elongated melodies and tantalizing passages, countered by the saxophonists' flirtatious phrasings or brazen call and response encounters. Meanwhile, Vitous' signature style is in full throttle, partly due to his melding of slippery, wah-wah lines that spawn an added dimension to the group's distinct inner-workings and signature sound.
"Ziljabe" is spiced with Esen's haunting Moog notes, leading to the band's slanted detours and full-blown aerial assaults. But Vitous shapes late bassist Scott LaFaro (Bill Evans) "Gloria's Step Variations" into a subtle, mood-evoking solo vehicle. And the quintet has some fun by reinventing the familiar theme of "Stella By Starlight" on "Stella By Starlight Variations," marked by Esen's crisply executed Fender Rhodes work and the leader's dense, arco patterns. Other movements are highlighted by weaving sax parts, alterations of pitch, lightly grooving bop motifs and a whole lot of feisty improvisational segments along with some quieter moments.
The musicians project a multidimensional musical environment that jubilantly endures repeated listens. There are many intricacies and shadings throughout the program, finalized by a probing and lighthearted interview with the leader who discusses his early work with flutist Herbie Mann; several humorous anecdotes, and insight into his musical beginnings.” - Glenn Astarita,
CD $16


MICHEL PORTAL / WDR RADIO BIG BAND RICHIE BEIRACH - Radar - Live at Theatre Gutersloh (Intuition 71319; Germany) ”Just because I play Brahms, does not mean that I forget about Charlie Parker“, Michel Portal said during his interview for the portrait series European Jazz Legends for Jazz thing in Paris in the winter of 2015. A proud Eurojazzer (New York Times) and “a solitaire of experimental Jazz“ (Die Zeit), Michel Portal is certainly and comfortably at home in many musical worlds. The multi-instrumentalist from Bayonne, who had turned eighty just a few days before the interview, masters various clarinets and saxophones as well as the bandoneon, and is also recognized as a composer. His wit and wisdom, and the youthful energy and curiosity he brings to his astonishing improvisations are only some of the reasons Portal has enjoyed such a fruitful and enduring career. Having helped to kick start the Free Jazz movement in France in the Sixties, he went on to form “New Phonic Art“ to encourage collective improvisation and instant composing. After a rewarding collaboration with John Surman in 1970, Portal founded the long-lived Michel Portal Unit the following year, in order to encourage American and European musicians to play together in a freely improvised setting. Portal began composing music for soundtracks in the mid-1970s and later recorded an album of some of his favorite movie melodies called “Musiques de Cinémas“. During the following decades Portal increased his international reputation with various bands, concerts and recordings, often playing with Pierre Favre, Dave Liebman, Martial Solal, Mino Cinelu and Jack DeJohnette, but also with musicians from Minneapolis, MN. Michel Portal“s extended improvisations with the American pianist Richie Beirach were recorded for this CD on March 5th 2016 during a concert in the Theater Gütersloh and mark the first time these musicians ever played together - together with the recordings with the WDR Big band they are further proof of the universality of the musical language called Jazz and the fascinating and infectious vitality of improvisation. “I love to play in front of an audience“, Portal said. “It is like a metamorphosis. I feel bad, if I haven´t played live for two weeks. But after a concert it is as if I´ve just taken a ton of aspirin.“
CD $16


TREVOR WATTS AMALGAM With COLIN McKENZIE / LIAM GENOCKEY - Closer to You (Hi4Head 019; UK) Featuring Trevor Watts on alto & soprano sax, Colin McKenzie on bass guitar and Liam Genockey on drums. This was originally released by Ogun Records in 1979 on LP and has never been reissued until now. Of the dozen or so releases by Trevor Watts’ Amalgam band, most have been quartets with guitars or piano added to Watts’ lone sax. Electric bassist Colin McKenzie and drummer Liam Genockey, are the favored rhythm team on most Amalgam discs and went on the play in the next Watts project, the Moire Music or String Ensemble. Since Mr. Watts is the main soloists here, he is fine form throughout this wonderful disc, playing both lyrically and rhythmically complex. Amalgam remain one of the finest of all British progressive jazz bands in the seventies and this disc is one of their best. A much needed reissue, do not delay, get your copy today! Trevor Watts also has a rather bittersweet tone on alto with a sense of urgency that he pushes the trio higher and higher. The second side of the album features a side-long work, “Dear Roland”, written for the recently departed Rahsaan Roland Kirk. It is a nearly 20 minute work and a tour-de-force for the trio. Starting out quietly and building from there. Watts selectively plays two saxes at the beginning, something that Rahsaan was well known for doing. I love the way that Watts bends the notes together in a most haunting, poignant way, similar to the effect at the beginning of his song, “Inflated Tear”. The rhythm team plays with much suspense here, letting the drama build slowly over time. the vibe solemn, prayer-like in the first section. As a longtime Trevor Watts fan-addict, it is most important to get every release that he has been involved with, every release a gem in its own way. The jigsaw puzzle on monumental releases is nearly complete, aside from whatever Mr. Watts puts out in the future as his playing is strong and worthy of attention. Dig in folks and get your reward as a serious listener. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


BEBO FERRA / PAOLINO DALLA PORTA / FABRIZIO SFERRA GIANLUCA PETRELLA - Frames Of Crimson (Via Veneto Jazz 114; Italy) King Crimson is the most protean group of all contemporary music. For fifty years, Robert Fripp's mind has been churning out amazing ideas, inventing new sounds, revolutionizing stage ensembles, and gathering drummers. His compositions climb wild lyrical peaks to then dive into powerful bouts of metallic dissonances, ebbing into a magmatic sound wave which is in continuous evolution. It was only natural that a band, sooner or later, would rearrange these songs into jazz. It had to be a curious, courageous and somewhat reckless band, skilled in experimenting with sounds and styles. The trio of Bebo Ferra, Fabrizio Sferra, and Paolino Dalla Porta, with special guest Gianluca Petrella, has all these qualities (and many more) and has drilled into Fripp's acclaimed and intricate works, delving into the soul of each one and embarking on unexplored soundscapes. They have gone off the beaten track, in the footsteps of a pioneer, becoming forerunners themselves in bringing Fripp's music elsewhere. "Abandon all certainty, ye who enter here." Personnel: Bebo Ferra - guitar; Paolino Dalla Porta - doublebass; Fabrizio Sferra - drums; Gianluca Petrella - trombone.
CD $18


ROSCOE MITCHELL With YUGANAUT [STEPHEN RUSH/TOM ABBS/GEOFF MANN] - Four Ways (Nessa 38; USA) Featuring Roscoe Mitchell on flute, soprano & alto saxes, Stephen Rush on synth, Fender Rhodes, euphonium, ocarina, etc., Tom Abbs on contrabass, cello, tuba & didgeridoo and Geoff Mann on drums, cornet & banjo. I try not to miss any performances from Art Ensemble head & saxist Roscoe Mitchell, since every performance of his worthy of serious listening. Last night (4/25/17) I did miss the Roscoe Mitchell/Muhal Richard Abrams/George Lewis trio with the SEM Ensemble uptown at the Bohemian National Hall.
This disc is something else again. Mr. Mitchell has been collaborating keyboardist/professor Stephen Rush for 25 years, doing a few rare live gigs and recording a CD by Mr. Rush called, “Hymn for Roscoe” (hard to find). Mr. Rush is also a member of a trio called Yuganaut, which includes Downtowners: bassist Tom Abbs, who co-founded the Northern Spy label and drummer Geoff Mann (son of Herbie). This rhythm team have worked with Steve Swell, Ursel Schlicht and Ori Kaplan with discs on CIMP. Both Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Rush wrote (card) pieces for this recording and the quartet also play several group improvisations. Commencing with “Double Helix”, a slightly bent, middle-eastern sounding piece for soprano sax, melodica and scampering rhythm team. Mitchell’s soprano sax is slippery, bending and twisting each note is his own unique way. The improvisations are often cautious, stripped down but still edge-of-your-seat like in their focus to detail. I am not sure exactly how Roscoe’s card pieces work but they are most intriguing to listen to. Sparse, focused and sounding more like modern chamber music where every sounds is well-placed. It takes patience and a sense of calm to better appreciate this music, as it develops slowly, rather organically, never rushed or very dense. I dig music that is in between established categories and impossible to predict. This is what we find here. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16


GOWANUS REGGAE and SKA SOCIETY [With JA GRANELLI/OHAD TALMOR/NATE SHAW/BRAD SHEPIK/MICHAEL BALKE/ et al] - Play Catch a Fire / GRASS on Fire (Self-Produced/Love Slave; USA) GRASS features JA Granelli on bass & Nate Shaw on keyboards (both arrangements/production) plus Ohad Talmor, Paul Carlon & Michael Blake on saxes, Mark Miller on trombone, Nick Balaban - keyboards, David Barnes on harmonica, David Bailis & Brad Shepik (1 track) on guitar and Randy Meissner on drums. Legendary jazz drummer Jerry Granelli did a residency at The Stone a couple of months ago and I attended several nights. It was the first time I’ve seen Jerry’s son, Jay in years so it was great to reconnect. A new version of Jay’s longtime unit Mr. Lucky played here last Sunday (4/23/17) and did a splendid set of Soft Machine like songs. The trio featured keyboard wiz, Nate Shaw, and drummer Owen Howard, both of whom I know not well but do have have on a few obscure releases. We have long stocked all the discs from Jay Granelli’s Love Slave label, but is have been a long while since we had anything new from Jay. Until now.
Jay Granelli had/has a residency at a bar in Gowanus, Brooklyn and organized a band (GRASS) to play instrumental versions of Bob Marley’s ‘Catch a Wave’ album. This is a relatively novel idea although I do recall Charlie Hunter covering Marley’s ‘Natty Dread’ album. This music is often about groove and vibe, stripping things down to their essence without overplaying. There are ten musicians in this band yet the sound remains tight, just right. Instead of vocals, what we get is a chorus of horns: three saxes and trombone. There are a number of highlights here: the layered keyboards (organ & clavinet) of Nate Shaw and Nick Balaban, tasty harmonica by David Barnes and occasional solos from Mark Miller on trombone and Paul Carlon on soprano sax. At the center of this entire band is the fat, infectious electric bass of J. Granelli. Even without the sun poking through the grey clouds today, this music has a way of making us feel warm, nodding our heads or shaking our bodies slowly to the groove. Guitarists David Bailis and Brad Shepik also add a few sly, sumptuous solos here and there. Superb sonic seasoning throughout! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10


JA Granelli’s Love Slave Label sale! All CDs reduced to $10 each and all worthwhile!

RALPH ALESSI And MODULAR THEATRE With HANK ROBERTS / PETER EPSTEIN / SHANE ENDSLEY / et al - Hissy Fit (Love Slave 102)
CD $10

EZ POUR SPOUT [JA GRANELLI / JAMIE SAFT / BRIGGAN KRAUSS / CURTIS HASSELBRING / JOHN METTAM] - Don't Shave The Feeling (Love Slave 104 ,USA)
CD $10

JA GRANELLI & MR. LUCKY With DAVID TRONZO / JAMIE SAFT / KENNY WOLLESEN - el oh el ay (Love Slave 107)
CD $10

JA GRANELLI & MR. LUCKY With DAVID TRONZO/JAMIE SAFT/DIEGO VOGLINO - Gigantic (Love Slave 108)
CD $10

JA GRANELLI & MR. LUCKY With BRAD SHEPIK / NATE SHAW / MICHAEL SARIN - Homing (Love Slave 109)
CD $10

JERRY GRANELLI / JAMIE SAFT - The Only Juan (Love Slave 105)
CD $10

Here’s a few of the above Love Slave titles with reviews:

RALPH ALESSI And MODULAR THEATRE With HANK ROBERTS / PETER EPSTEIN / SHANE ENDSLEY / et al - Hissy Fit (Love Slave 102; USA) w/ Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Peter Epstein on saxes, Hank Roberts on cello, Shane Endsley on drums & trumpet and Carl Walker on voice. Although many of us know of great cellist Hank Roberts, saxist Peter Epstein also seems to be becoming more of a known quantity (his trio w/ Dave Tronzo is reviewed above), Ralph Alessi is a name that I am also just becoming familiar with. I just noticed his name on the new Sam Rivers Big Band cd also reviewed up top. This cd is taken from a performance at the Bop Shop in Rochester, NY and from a session at Ralph's house the next day. Since there is no bassist, the drums & cello often provide the bottom end groove. The overall vibe of this cd is one of somber improv, with an understated beat - the trumpet, sax & cello mingle, slowly letting the sparks fly. Their occasional vocalist is also known as "Kokayi" and is the hip-hop type, telling tales of the drudgery of life on line. A few of these pieces take quite a while to build, when they finally do, the trumpet & sax weave hypnotic, circular lines together. "Ice Man" is a nice, short, melancholy cello solo piece. On "Litost" the horns & cello also slowly hover together without the drums, perhaps that's their drummer Shane Endsley on the other trumpet. On Epstein's piece "Ornette's Advice", the energy finally begins to erupt with the drummer pushing harder to kick the horns & cello in high gear. The well needed excitement is a bit too late for a cd that takes too long to get there. This release is mostly good for late night listening. - BLG
CD $10

J A GRANELLI & MR. LUCKY With DAVID TRONZO / JAMIE SAFT / KENNY WOLLESEN - el oh el ay (Love Slave 107; USA)A collection of songs blending simple and beautiful compositions with some of New York's most original players. This music is about subtle feel and joyous music making. "Four Stars" - Down Beat "One of the Ten Best of 2001" - Allaboutjazz.com "I could listen to this stuff all night long" - M. Vail, Keyboard Magazine "They slink, they plink, they crawl on their bellies like snakes. Even better this new foursome of Granelli, Tronzo, Saft, and Wollesen scratches it's pop itch by coordinating smarts and cheese into fun-prov ala Sex Mob. Their "Lola" isn't the one with the c-o-l-a cola, it's the one that gets whatever she wants. There's a good chance that tonight's audience will get same." - Jim Macnie, Village Voice "The deceptively simple (or perhaps simply deceptive) compositions, largely Granelli originals, have a palpably wry off-center noir wit. The way "Lane", for example, goes off on an unexpected detour suggests that Granelli's wellspring of inspiration could just as easily be The Band, or The Flying Burrito Brothers, as it could be Miles or Mahavishnu. Granelli's conspirators on "el oh el ay" include some of the most distinctive musical voices to be found in NYC - or anywhere. I am loath to categorize Mr. Lucky's music. Suffice it to say that it occupies a region bounded by Ayler, Larry Young, and ECM on one side, the Meters and Elmore James on another, Tom Verlaine on yet another, and also Hank Williams, Sr. on another (to name just a few). Or maybe it's jazz-rock all over again. Only, back in 1973, jazz-rock meant something totally different than it does today, and J. Granelli's latest release is further evidence for the continued fecundity of this oft-disparaged musical pairing. "el oh el ay" is replete with the sort of cinematic grit and quirky Americana that only a Morricone or a Zappa could pull off three decades ago. It's perhaps more commonplace today, but no less rewarding to experience." - David Wayne, AllAboutJazz
CD $10

J A GRANELLI & MR. LUCKY With DAVID TRONZO/JAMIE SAFT/DIEGO VOGLINO - Gigantic (Love Slave 108; USA) Second fabulous release featuring Dave Tronzo on slide guitar, Jamie Saft on organ & mellotron, J.A. Granelli on basses and Diego Voglino on drums. Had this on in the store a couple of weeks ago to check it out and everyone flipped, begging to get their hands on a copy. Gotta remember to stop teasing folks and playing cds ahead of street date. The thing, is nobody plays geetar like Dave Tronzo and since moving to NY in the early nineties and appearing first on (Wayne Horvitz') The President's 'Bring Yr Camera', he has only appeared on a handful of records since. 'Gigantic' is a greasy, blues drenched, jazz/rock swamp delight. Dave's great gritty slide guitar and Jamie's fatback organ pump hard over funky, shuffle-boil, slow-burning rhythm team throughout. Tronzo whips out his wah-wah (an ancient device) pedal on "Happy Pt. 1" and really gets down to business. The title track is a dreamy, laid back piece with some fine bowed (acoustic) bass and haunting fuzz-tone solo from Tronzo?!? Granelli wrote all but two of the ditties on this fine disc, the covers include a touching version of the Bee Gees' "If I Can't Have You" with lovely vocals by Vanessa Saft and a swell take, laid back of the standard "Pipe Dreams". Pretty righteous and eternity cool, always a blast to hear Dave Tronzo doing his thang once again. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

J A GRANELLI & MR. LUCKY With BRAD SHEPIK / NATE SHAW / MICHAEL SARIN - Homing (Love Slave 109; USA)Featuring Brad Shepik on guitars, Nate Shaw on organ & Rhodes electric piano, Gerald Menke on steel guitar, J. A. Granelli on electric & piccolo basses & compositions and Mike Sarin on drums. This is the third installment by Jay Granelli's band Mr. Lucky, which used to include Dave Tronzo and Jamie Saft and Jay is the only original member. What is odd is that although (slide guitar god) Dave Tronzo has been replaced by another of downtown's best guitarists, Brad Shepik, the sound of the band has not changed that much. It is Jay's concept or vision that gives this band its own sound. Mr Lucky is much closer in sound to a roots rock band than an electric jazz band. The opening tune, "Fortunate Son", features some scorching, yet laid back lead guitar by Mr. Shepik. The repeating central riff is immensely haunting and hypnotic with Nate Shaw's organ adding just the right amount of sly spice. Gerald Menke's steel guitar adds sad and lonely lines to "Lazy Eye", a slow, drifting and eerie piece that sounds it is taking place in a desert. The closest thing that I can compare this to is a CD by Jesse Sykes, a forlorn singer/songwriter from Seattle that I love dearly. On "Hope for Junior", the ghosts are floating by as the organ swirls and the guitars swell like giant teardrops. I wish I had something strong to drink to wash away my tears, my fears and the blues of everyday life brought on by George Jr. and his clan of evil clowns. Perhaps I've found something to listen to every night to soothe myself before I fade to snoozeland. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

JERRY GRANELLI / JAMIE SAFT - The Only Juan (Love Slave 105; USA) Jamie Saft - piano, organ, percussion, voice Jerry Granelli - drums, percussion, voice. A meeting of musicians who were somehow made for each other, although they are years apart in age. Recorded live directly to analog, Saft and Granelli let you hear every nuance of sound as they lead you along a disturbing yet enlightening journey. This recording will take you places that you did not know existed. "...Granelli and Saft bring a unique perspective to live interaction and sound production." - David Adler, All Music Guide
CD $10


Michael Attias Sale:

Last month the ever-prolific Clean Feed label, released a dozen new discs at once! My favorite one of the batch, the one I’ve played time & again is by Downtown saxist Michael Attias - called ’Nerve Dance’, one of this year’s best! Mr. Attias just came to visit and left us with four other previous CDs on the Clean Feed label. All are currently on sale for the next week so grab one or two and make your self happy!

MICHAEL ATTIAS QUARTET With ARUAN ORTIZ / JOHN HEBERT / NASHEET WAITS - Nerve Dance (Clean Feed 411)
CD $14

MICHAEL ATTIAS / JOHN HEBERT / SATOSHI TAKEISHI - Renku in Coimbra (Clean Feed 162; Portugal)
CD $14

MICHAEL ATTIAS / TONY MALABY / RUSS LOSSING / JOHN HEBERT / SATOSHI TAKEISHI - Twines of Colesion (Clean Feed 188; Portugal)
CD $14

MICHAEL ATTIAS With RALPH ALESSI / MATT MITCHELL / SEAN CONLY / TOM RAINEY - Spun Tree (Clean Feed 261; Portugal)
CD $14

RENKU [MICHAEL ATTIAS/JOHN HEBERT/SATOSHI TAKEISHI] - Live in Greenwich Village (Clean Feed 354; Portugal)
CD $14


Two more Reissues from the Lovely Music Label:

ROBERT ASHLEY - Yellow Man With Heart With Wings (Lovely Music 1003; USA) 1990 CD issue of Robert Ashley's 1978 piece for voice and electronics. A two-part composition with narration (part one in Spanish and part two in heavily altered English) commissioned by public radio station KUNM in Albuquerque, this music has a plain, serene beauty. Part one is a narration by Guillermo Grenier in dreamy, flatly inflected Spanish, backed by a four-note synthesizer track, and punctuated by mysterious, heavily processed vocalizations. Ashley throws in extensive sound washes and other electronic figures which flutter in and out of the mix. The text, "Ideas from The Church," will later shows up in the 1994 opera, Foreign Experiences. It is included in the liner notes. In part two, the four-note synthesizer line returns, this time backing an ethereal, sustained chord, and the vocals sound "like a distant rendering of the earth's electromagnetic halo." Personnel: Robert Ashley - English voice and all instruments; "Blue" Gene Tyranny - clavinet; Guillermo Grenier - Spanish voice.
CD $13

DAVID TUDOR - Three Works For Live Electronics (Lovely Music 1601; USA)
Originally released on Lovely Music as Pulsers / Untitled in 1984. This re-release includes an additional piece from David Tudor, Phonemes. Pulsers explores the world of rhythms created electronically by analog, rather than digital, circuitry. With analog circuitry, the time-base common to the rhythms can be varied in many different ways by a performer, and can eventually become unstable. Untitled is a part of a series of works composed in the 1970s that were developed through experiments in generating electronic sound without the use of oscillators, tone generators, or recorded natural sound materials. Composed in 1972, it was designed for simultaneous performance with John Cage's vocalization of his Mesostics Re Merce Cunningham. The work was revived in 1982, and performed with improvised vocals by Takehisa Kosugi. Phonemes was commissioned by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company for Cunningham's dance Channels/Inserts (1981), a work made both as a "filmdance" and for the stage. Phonemes employs two discrete processes which provide input source material for an array of sound modifying electronics, thus creating a multitude of outputs. David Tudor, electronics, with Takehisa Kosugi, electronic violin and vocals; produced and recorded by David Tudor, Nicolas Collins, and John D.S. Adams. 1996 release.
CD $13


Back in Stock:

STEVE LACY TRIO With JEAN JACQUES AVENEL / JOHN BETSCH - The Rent (Cavity Search 44; USA) When this trio played at the Knit a few months back, it was one of the best sets I have witnessed this year, an amazing trio at the height of their power. This double cd also captures two marvelous sets from their previous 25 city US tour in November of '97 at the Old Church in Portland Oregon. Lacy claims all (his) music is about or dedicated to something or someone. The title piece is dedicated to his close friend French jazz critic Laurent Goddet, whose suicide in the late 80's ripped the fabric of the French music scene. Other pieces are dedicated to inspirations like Dexter Gordon, Kid Ory, Joseph Haydn, Stevie Wonder and Lester Young. This trio has been together as an entity since '95 when Lacy stripped down his twenty year sextet, and consists of Jean-Jacques Avenel on acoustic bass and former NYC loft scene drummer John Betsch. A more perfect trio I can't imagine, it sounds as if they have been playing together forever! Opening with an obligatory Monk tune, a Lacy specialty since the 50's, the trio seems to play Monk's unique & quirky rhythms with such ease. Lacy composed the rest of the pieces here, which also have their own nutty charm, the skeletal trio often packs each piece with deep lyrical vibes, but never too many notes. The title cut balances perfectly both its lighter and darker sections, playful and serious simultaneously, a balance we all strive for in life. On "Prayer" Lacy stretches the soft, sad notes out, like balm on a psychic sore, while the arco bass and mallads weave somber support. It is often Steve Lacy's endearing and transcendent sound of his soprano sax that stirs them magic emotions in great ways, plus the mutual support this superb rhythm team that makes things flow so beautifully throughout. The warm and rich recording make this pure magic - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
2 CD Set $20


Back in Stock Again! We’ve listed these two disc twice in the past year since: they are not so easy to acquire coming from Mexico. Plus sadly, Marco Eneidi passed away right after he contacted me and shipped the first batch to us. If you are a Free/Jazz Freak like me and many of my friends/DMG customers, these are essential! No need to buy them twice…

MARCO ENEIDI / ITZAM CANO / GABRIEL LAUBER - Cosmic Brujo Mutafuka (Dimensional 002; Mexico) Featuring Marco Eneidi on alto sax, Itzam Cano on contrabass and Gabriel Lauber on drums. During the eighties and nineties, saxist Marco Eneidi was an important part of the Downtown free/jazz scene, blowing up a storm of intensity with Bill Dixon, William Parker and Peter Brotzmann, as well as having nearly a dozen of his own discs out as a leader. More recently Mr. Eneidi spent a decade in Vienna, Austria but has now moved to Mexico. He just sent us two new discs featuring his Mexican trio and considering I hadn’t heard of either member of his rhythm team, I am most impressed. The opening piece is called, “Fire Within” and this is indeed an appropriate title, intense, fire-breathing, free/jazz at its best! The free/jazz spirit is a universal language which transcends established geographical borders. After the explosive first piece, the trio calms down to a fine, more cerebral excursion with some impressive and thoughtful contrabass and strong mallet-work. This trio sounds like they have been working together for a long while as they are consistently tight and erupt together with several lines or currents moving together as one dynamic force. Both the bassist and drummer get their chance to stretch out and dig deep, showing the many sides of creative freedom. My next door next-door neighbor came by when I was playing this disc and asked what this insanity was? I said it is free/jazz from Mexico and smiled. No wall will keep these spirits from reaching us and blowing some minds, time and again! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

COSMIC BRUJO MUTAFUKA [MARCO ENEIDI / ITZAM CANO / GABRIEL LAUBER] - Rhapsody of the Oppressed (Dimensional 003; Mexico) Featuring Marco Eneidi on alto sax, Itzam Cano on contrabass and Gabriel Lauber on drums. This disc was recorded two years later than the previous disc from this cosmic Mexican free/jazz trio. Former Downtown saxist Marco Eneidi, lived in Austria for a decade and now lives in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The trio have evolved further: stronger, tighter, more intense and like one great spirit force! All but two of the pieces here are short, but no less engaging. In a blindfold test, an experienced Downtown jazz free/jazz expert might just guess that the rhythm team was William Parker and Hamid Drake, this is how strong & spirited this trio sounds. The trio now have a group name, Cosmic Brujo Mutafuka, which sounds appropriate since they sound like a perfectly well-matched trio with no leader, all integral to that group sound. There are those who preach that free jazz is dead or at least old, dusty and no longer worthy of serious study. I disagree. Free music, from around the world, is constantly reinventing itself. No, not all of it is great, but there is no denying the transformative and creative spirits which exist when one jumps in and goes along for the great ride. This is what is found here in great abundance! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG


LP Section:

FAUST - Fresh Air (Bureau B 254; Germany) LP version. Includes CD. Faust's new album Fresh Air differs in several respects from its predecessor, Just Us (BB 182CD/LP, 2014). The recordings were made at Jean-Hervé Péron's rehearsal studio in Schiphorst in northern Germany, hypnotic pieces with the kind of noisemaking the band is known for. For the new album, Péron and Werner "Zappi" Diermaier were looking for communication with musician friends and the audience. The tracks were recorded in changing ensembles at changing locations in the USA (during a tour in 2016). In these community recordings, with friendly support from Péron's database of field recordings, a strongly shaded noise music emerged which extends its feelers to the remotest corners of the here and now. Droning, swinging, lusting for freedom, here and there holding out quite stoically as machine-room blues. On board are the freely fabulous Barbara Manning in a live lecture, Jürgen Engler (Die Krupps) in overdub, and Ysanne Spevack as a wonderful wave-maker on the viola. The seven and a half minute title track begins with the poem by a French school friend of Péron (translated and recited in Polish) and ends in an industrial sound inferno. The singer cries for "Fresh Air" as if it is being taken away from him. Jean-Hervé Péron offers a political reading: "Can you breathe calmly here, or are we being poisoned?" "Engajouez Vous!" Péron presents this franco-Faustian artificial word to the audience and rewrites the Marseillaise for the here and now in the track "Chlorophyl". And finally, Zappi has his mini-dada performance with "Schnobs" and "Bia": a small dialect-based text piece, which starts with chlorophyl, goes over the meadow past the cow and lands with the farmer who drinks a beer and schnapps and suddenly sees two cows. The story of the band can tell that tale nicely. As Krautrockers, Faust had a worldwide career. On their first three albums in the early 1970s, they inhabited the vast field from improvisation to bricolage to rock'n'roll with the ease of rogues and the determination of declared sonic renegades. One can still feel the breathing of this music in current Faust pieces, in the stone-age thudding of "Fish", which Faust anticipated in 1972 on "Mamie Is Blue". "We let the music play through us," says Jean-Hervé Péron. Jean-Hervé Péron has a little tip for us: Listen to the fish.
LP CD $24


RICHARD PINHAS/HELDON/SCHIZO/T.H.X.- Single Collection 1972-1980 (Bam Balam Records 050; France) Double album compilation of the first singles (1972-1980) of Richard Pinhas and his legendary bands: the mythical Heldon, Schizo, and T.H.X.. And, as a bonus, an excellent long, hypnotic, instrumental version of "Marie Zorn" (1999), previously unpublished.
2 LP Set $27


JURRIAAN ANDRIESSEN - The Awakening Dream (Bureau B 247; Germany) LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Jurriaan Andriessen's The Awakening Dream, originally released in 1977. Jurriaan Andriessen (1925-1996) was a Dutch composer. Although he was actually at home in classical music, he recorded three synthesizer albums in the late 1970s, the first of which, The Awakening Dream, is an outstanding excursion into experimental ambient and minimal music. Andriessen himself, 52 years of age at the time, called it a "trance symphony". The music - perhaps surprisingly for a contemporary classical composer - is less in the tradition of his peers such as Pierre Boulez or Karlheinz Stockhausen and more in tune with the electronic sounds of the '70s emanating from Berlin, Düsseldorf, or Forst, the likes of Cluster, early Kraftwerk, and Tangerine Dream, in places echoing Conrad Schnitzler. Andriessen was familiar with the work of these artists, but was probably more influenced by minimalist composers like Philip Glass or synthesizer pioneer Walter Carlos whom he admired. The entire album is played on a Minimoog Model D, a Fender Rhodes piano, a Hohner Clavinet, and a Philicorda organ. It was recorded sound on sound, before the 8-track machine entered the studio, using two Revox A77 tape recorders. Andriessen studied in Paris with Olivier Messiaen and in the USA with Serge Koussevitsky and Aaron Copland. Back in Holland he worked for radio, television and theatre. His compositions for state ceremonies such as the coronation of Queen Beatrix and the annual "Opening of Parliament" won him acclaim and he also wrote the music for the Oscar winning film The Assault (1986). Andriessen started to experiment with synthesizers on new compositions in the early 1970s. In 1973, he wrote music for Georg Büchner's play Leonce And Lena and performed it on the ARP 2500 synthesizer. Andriessen was more interested in the challenge of creating new, previously unheard sounds than he was in imitating existing instruments. He strived to invent a novel, unique musical universe. Later he worked mainly with a Minimoog Model D, experimenting and recording in the Dream Studio, the home studio he built with his sons Gijs and Nils in The Hague. As a composer, Jurriaan was always ahead of his time. He loved research and enjoyed using uncommon or newly invented instruments in his compositions, often in unconventional formations. His last work, Jeux Des Vents, appeared in 1996. He died later the same year in The Hague.
LP $23


EDGAR VARESE / HENRY COWELL / OTTO LUENING / VLADIMIR USSACHEVSKY / JOHN CAGE / HENRY JACOBS / et al - Sounds of New Music (Modern Silence OI 023; Malta) "The compositions on Side I of this record represent attempts at new means of musical expression. Some utilize conventional musical instruments and sounds in startlingly new ways, giving an impression of an actual 'new' sound being created; some use instruments new to music (electrical, mechanical and natural) adding to the composers' palette of timbres and tonalities. . . . SIDE II of this record is meant as a tool for those using new sounds and techniques in composing. There are basic sounds (some of which are hard to come by) and basic sound patterns, together with examples of how these sounds and patterns may be utilized." --original liner notes by Eugene Bruck
Sounds of New Music is a legendary collection of 18 compositions from the 1920s to the mid-1950s; composers include Edgard Varèse, Henry Cowell, Vladimir Ussachevsky, Otto Luening, Julius Meytuss, Alexander Mossolov, Halim El-Dabh, and John Cage, whose "Dance" is performed on a transformed Steinway piano that gives the music an almost primitive quality. Side B (The Experiments) includes works by Ussachevsky, Henry Jacobs, and Roger Marin & Frederic Ramsey, Jr. Originally released by Folkways Records in 1957.
LP $25


ALLEN GINSBERG - Allen Ginsberg Reads Howl and Other Poems (Modern Silence 024; Malta) "This is arguably the best-known recording to feature any beat-era poet. . . . Although 'Howl' is the centerpiece, the peripheral works -- especially the mantra-like 'Footnote to Howl' and 'Howl' (Part One)' -- are given empowering presentations that magnify the greatness that's inextricably inherent in both art and artist. Indeed, the genesis of Allen Ginsberg's brilliance as both poet and performer has rarely been equalled. The modern listener remains entranced by his vaudevillian sense of provocation as it couples with an unspoken, yet palpable obsession of a postmodern amphetamine-fuelled Shakespeare" --Lindsay Planer, AllMusic. Transparent red vinyl replica of the original LP, released by Fantasy Records in 1959.
LP $25


JOWE HEAD - Cabinet Of Curios (Munster Records 370; Spain) Cabinet Of Curios is the first ever career-spanning compilation of the solo work of Jowe Head, an essential name in the birth and development of the UK's underground scene. From 1981 debut album Pincer Movement up to 2014 recordings by Jowe Head and The Demi-Monde, plus previously unreleased tracks, these 20 cuts present Head's wonderful mixture of off-kilter pop and avant-garde weirdness, like a noise party attended by Joe Meek, Burt Bacharach and Sun Ra. "If one looks at the galaxy of stars that can be attributed as source material for today's musical DIY/lo-fi generation, Jowe Head shines as a true iconoclast. His 1973 addition to the avant-garage godfathers Swell Maps added an impressionistic edge to their psychedelic punk pastiche that drew of Max Ernst as ably as Can. Later on in The Television Personalities and his Househunters and Palookas projects, not to mention a sprawling solo discography, Jowe's persona injected color and livelihood into an often-too-cool-for-school post-punk scene around Britain while still delivering transportative sounds and open-to-the-listener interpretations. This compendium is in itself a galaxy of sounds that will never fail to deliver." - Brian Turner, WFMU Music Director
2 LP Set $32


ALESSANDRO CORTINI & MASAMI AKITA [a/k/a MERZBOW] - Alessandro Cortini & Masami Akita (Important 431; USA) Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails) and Japanese noise legend Masami Akita (Merzbow) share a mutual love for the EMS Synthi, a British synthesizer from the early '70s notorious for its patch matrix, portability, and distinct tone. Astonishingly, these two disparate artists meld into a single sound as they flex the analog circuitry of the EMS Synthi in new ways; giving this classic synth a modern workout and proving that, in capable hands, a 40-year-old analog synthesizer is a tool for the ages. Metallic shimmer print on heavy duty jackets; 180 gram vinyl.
2 LP Set $36


EMMANUELLE PARRENIN - Maison Rose (Souffle Continu 024; France) Late addition. Souffle Continu Records present a reissue of Emmanuelle Parrenin's Maison Rose, originally released in 1977. An album such as this obviously owes a lot to the atmosphere in which it was recorded. It took place in Fromentel, Normandy, in a farm converted into a studio by the producer Jacques Denjean, known for his work with Dionne Warwick or Françoise Hardy, as well as having been a member of the Double Six. It was also in Fromentel that Denjean would record two fantastic albums with Albert Marcoeur. When Emmanuelle Parrenin followed in his footsteps a year later, she was in good company: the sound engineer at the studio was her partner. Five years before, Bruno Menny, the sound engineer partner, recorded his first and only album, but what an album: in electroacoustic terms we can hear things which make him appear as the spiritual son of his mentor Xenakis. What makes Maison Rose unique is exactly this fusion between the two conceptions of Emmanuelle Parrenin and Bruno Menny, creating a perfect marriage of tradition and experimentation. The tradition comes from the songs collected by Emmanuelle Parrenin in rural areas, in a similar vein to the work carried out by Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins. The experimentation is in the sound captured by Bruno Menny, who both arranged and recorded the album. This is not to forget those who came with their guitar (Denis Gasser), or their lyrics (Jean-Claude Vannier). Humble and non-demonstrative singing, with melodies are reminiscent of songs to calm a child's nightmares, side-by-side with a pronounced rhythmic intensity at certain points, such as on "Topaze" where the drums in particular evoke the motorik of Faust. A real haven of peace, Maison Rose is enchanting with its aura of mystery and spirituality, with soft, gentle songs which seem both ancestral and futurist. Originally published by Ballon Noir in 1977, this album follows on from other folk marvels such as Le Galant Noyé (1975) from the pre-Mélusine period. If comparisons had to be risked, Vashti Bunyan, Linda Perhacs, Joanna Newsom, Collie Ryan, Shirley Collins, Trees Community, Sourdeline, and Véronique Chalot would come to mind. High definition remastered audio from the original master tapes. Licensed from Emmanuelle Parrenin. Includes four-page booklet on 200gsm art paper, including liner notes by Archie Patterson and Maxime Delcourt. Gatefold LP; Obi strip; Pink vinyl; Edition of 700.
LP $26

EMMANUELLE PARRENIN - Perelandra Souffle Continu 025; France) It was some line up, even for the most open-minded: Emmanuelle Parrenin and her musicians, in 1981, opened for the Clash in Paris, at the Zénith! Unsurprisingly, the crowd roared the name of the English band as soon as the French musicians appeared on stage. Didier Malherbe responded with a saxophone improvisation with all the others joining in behind. If we believe the musician improvising, rather than following the cult playlist of 1977's Maison Rose (FFL 024LP), was what saved them. Created from previously unpublished recordings from 1978, 1981, and 1982, Pérélandra is a wonderful array of the experiments so unique to Emmanuelle Parrenin. Rather than being improvised, like the legendary show at the Zénith, these experimental tracks have a more composed instrumental form and were conceived for choreographers: mainly Pérélandra, staged with dancers from Carolyn Carlson's troupe, but also Nomade, some of the sonic environment of which can be discovered here in (superb) bits and pieces found on cassettes. In total, just under a dozen tracks are presented, including contributions on bandoneon from the Argentinian Juan José Mosalini, electric piano from the ex-Double Six Jacques Denjean, or elsewhere great electroacoustic work from the wonderful and ever-faithful Bruno Menny. All of this steeped in a sonic mix typical of the most way-out acid-folk freak-outs of the 1970s. Didier Malherbe (who just before was still playing in Gong with Daevid Allen) is on three tracks, his heady graceful agility instantly identifiable, adding to a magical and spiritual universe created with spinet dulcimer, flute, hurdy-gurdy, and other-worldly vocals (amongst other ingredients). Though very difficult to label, Pérélandra could evoke a meeting between Trees Community, Heron and Robin Williamson with Ellen Fullman, Meredith Monk and Ligeti. The whole thing is steeped in an atmosphere as intense as the ecstatic hymns of Hildegard von Bingen. Licensed from Emmanuelle Parrenin. Includes four-page booklet on 200gsm art paper, including liner notes by Emmanuelle Parrenin and Archie Patterson. Obi strip; Green Vinyl; Edition of 700.
LP $22


GUITARS OF THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE - Folk and Pop Music from Myanmar (Burma) Vol 2 (Sublime Frequencies SF 024; USA) Limited double LP vinyl gatefold edition of the long out-of-print CD from 2005 compiled by Alan Bishop. Never before presented or heard outside a minority of the Burmese community, this unbelievable collection of raw garage rock, psychedelia, folk, blues, and country music is a product of Shan and Pa'o musicians hailing from Myanmar's largest province of Shan State - an area larger than the entire state of New York expanding across sub-tropic tablelands with an average elevation of 3000 feet, perfect for the cultivation of poppies for which it is very well known (in fact and fiction) as the center of the "Golden Triangle". Discover the music of Lashio Thein Aung (AKA "Jimmy Jack" and the "Burmese Texan"), Khun Paw Yann (a "Black Shan" Pa'o rocker), and Saing Saing Maw - the original Shan legend who wrote and sang garage psych rock songs, backed by a tight unit of organ, bass, drums, and perhaps the most stinging electric guitar in Burmese history. There is little reliable information about these mysterious pioneers and many Burmese have never heard any of these tracks. The tracks on this double LP set are from the 1970s and 1980s and are almost impossible to find in any form or quality. They were transferred directly from old cassette tapes and a few cuts have dropouts (some of them quite severe). Most of the master tapes are thought to have been lost or destroyed many years ago so these recordings may be the only link to a phenomenal and forgotten era of Southeast Asian music history and therefore essential for anyone interested in folk, rock and pop styles from lesser-known regions of the globe. Also features: Khun Kan Chwain, Khun Kaung Kay Maung, Nan Phin Sar, and Khun Hla Maung Law.
2 LP Set $28


VISIONS CONGO - Mulago Sound Studio (Discrepant CREP 040; UK) Visions Congo is yet another moniker from Discrepant's head honcho, Gonçalo F Cardoso, taking Africa as a starting point to evoke the memories and re-imagined experiences of his six-month stay there in 2015. Most of the recordings and compositions were done in the great lakes of the African regions of Uganda, Congo (DRC), Tanzania, and the island of Zanzibar. Mulago Sound Studio is a series of surreal and augmented field recordings that try to brace the listener with fresh alien authenticity before toying, very pointedly, with antiquated constructs by mixing avant-garde dustbin synth music with concrete field recordings and humorous, tongue-in-cheek intersections -- never to be taken too seriously. Equipped with a brand new art collage by US artist Evan Crankshaw. Mastered and cut at Dubplates & Mastering by Rashad Becker.
LP $22


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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for April & May of 2017

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - CHUCK BETTIS - APR 25 – 30

4/28 Friday
8:30 pm - Barr/Bettis/Rapport/Vogl - Mick Barr (guitar) Chuck Bettis (electronics) Evan Rapport (sax) Franke Vogl (prepared bass); Ecstatic spontaneous compositions by the collective. Featuring members of Krallice, Meta-matics and Companion Trio.

4/29 Saturday
8:30 pm - Matmos & Chuck Bettis - Drew Daniel, Chuck Bettis (electronics) M.C. Schmidt (piano, objects, electronics); The sound of surprise.

4/30 Sunday
8:30 pm - Mephista with Chuck Bettis - Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) Susie Ibarra (drums) Ikue Mori, Chuck Bettis (electronics); Calculated chaos on a razor.

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - DAN WEISS - MAY 2-7

5/2 Tuesday
8:30 pm - Dan Weiss Trio with Jacob Sacks and Eivind Opsvik
Dan Weiss (drums) Jacob Sacks (piano) Eivind Opsvik (bass)

5/3 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Dan Weiss (drums) & Miles Okazaki (bass)

5/4 Thursday
830 pm - Samir Chatterjee—Dan Weiss Tabla duet
Samir Chatterjee (tabla) Dan Weiss (tabla)

5/5 Friday
8:30 pm - Dan Weiss Large Group - Dan Weiss (drums) Tom Rainey (drums) Chris Tordini (bass) Mark Helias (bass) Jacob Sacks (piano) David Binney (sax) Rudresh Mahanthappa (sax) Tim Berne (sax) Ellery Eskelin (sax) Ohad Talmor (sax) Anna Webber (sax) Adam O Farrill (trumpet) Ben Gerstein (trombone) Jacob Garchik (trombone) Jon Irabagon (sax)

5/6 Saturday
8:30 pm - Dan Weiss—Matt Mitchell "Fourth Floor"
Dan Weiss (drums) Matt Mitchell (piano)

5/7 Sunday
8:30 pm - Dan Weiss Sextet- Dan Weiss (drums) Mike Formanek (bass) Trevor Dunn (bass) Tyshawn Sorey (drums) Craig Taborn (piano) Matt Mitchell (piano)

All Sets 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. There is no phone.
There is no food or beverage served or allowed
just a serious listening environment.
The Stone is booked purely on a curatorial basis

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The CORNELIA STREET CAFE - 212-989-9319
29 Cornelia St in the heart of the West Greenwich Village, NYC

Friday Apr 28
6:00PM THE CRIMSON RAGDOLLS - Zoe Christianson, clarinet, accordion; Ali Dineen, piano, accordion, washboard; Megg Farrell, tenor banjo, ukulele; Joanna Sternberg, upright bass
9 & 10:30pm - Tomas Fujiwara, drums, comp.; Adam Hopkins, bass; Mary Halvorson, guitar; Brian Settles, tenor sax; Jonathan Finlayson, trumpet

Saturday Apr 29
6:00PM ALBERT MARQUES TRIO FEAT. ARI HOENIG - Albert Marques, piano; Marcos Varela, double bass; Ari Hoenig, drums
9:00PM & 10:30PM SEBASTIAN NOELLE QUINTET - Sebastian Noelle, guitar

Sunday Apr 30
6:00PM KEITH LANE'S SPRING SUN - Keith Lane, vocals, electric guitar, piano; Melody Fader, piano; Mitch Corber, videographer
8:30PM YUHAN SU QUINTET - Yuhan Su, vibraphone; Matt Holman, trumpet; Alex LoRe, alto sax; Allan Mednard, drums
10:00PM KING VULTURE - Russ Lossing, piano, comp.; Adam Kolker, tenor, sopranino sax, bass clarinet; Matt Pavolka, bass; Dayeon Seok, drums

Monday, May 1st:
8:30PM UNREQUITED - Amanda Ferguson, vocals; Joshua Richman, piano; Dylan Shamat, bass; Will Terrill, drums

Tuesday Apr 25
8:30PM CHRISTINE LAVIN, JULIE GOLD, DANIEL CAINER

Wednesday Apr 26
6:00PM SOUL SISTER REVUE - Cynthia Manick, curator; Ed Toney, host
LeRonn P. Brooks; Janel Cloyd; Yadira De La Riva; Noel Quiñones; Purvi Shah
8:00PM MAREIKE WIENING QUINTET - Mareike Wiening; Rich Perry; Alex Goodman, guitar; Glenn Zaleski, piano; Johannes Felscher, bass
9:30PM TOBIAS MEINHART QUINTET, NATURAL PERCEPTION - Tobias Meinhart, tenor sax, ewi; Charles Altura, guitar; Yago Vazquez, piano; Orlando LeFleming, bass; Jesse Simpson, drums

Thursday Apr 27
8:01PM TOM CHANG QUARTET - Tom Chang, guitar, comp.; Quinsin Nachoff, tenor sax; Matt Aronoff, bass; Kenny Grohowski, drums

Friday Apr 28
6:00PM THE CRIMSON RAGDOLLS - Zoe Christianson, clarinet, accordion; Ali Dineen, piano, accordion, washboard; Megg Farrell, tenor banjo, ukulele; Joanna Sternberg, upright bass
9:00PM & 10:30PM TOMAS FUJIWARA & THE HOOK UP - Tomas Fujiwara, drums, comp.; Adam Hopkins, bass; Mary Halvorson, guitar; Brian Settles, tenor sax; Jonathan Finlayson, trumpet

Saturday Apr 29
6:00PM ALBERT MARQUES TRIO FEAT. ARI HOENIG - Albert Marques, piano; Marcos Varela, double bass; Ari Hoenig, drums
9:00PM & 10:30PM SEBASTIAN NOELLE QUINTET - Sebastian Noelle, guitar; Chris Cheek, tenor sax; Dave Ambrosio, bass; Jeff Hirshfield, drums

Sunday Apr 30
6:00PM KEITH LANE'S SPRING SUN - Keith Lane, vocals, electric guitar, piano; Melody Fader, piano; Mitch Corber, videographer
8:30PM YUHAN SU QUINTET - Yuhan Su, vibraphone; Matt Holman, trumpet; Alex LoRe, alto sax; Allan Mednard, drums
10:00PM KING VULTURE - Russ Lossing, piano, comp.; Adam Kolker, tenor, sopranino sax, bass clarinet; Matt Pavolka, bass; Dayeon Seok, drums


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Shapeshifter April, 2017:

APR 30
7pm: Movement and Location
Ben Russell, violin/voice
Brandon Ridenour, trumpet/piano
Yoonah Kim, clarinet
Hamilton Berry, cello
Kris Saebo, bass
8:15p - Robert Bennett

May 1 - MATT NELSON "CRIMINALS" POPEJOY/SEABROOK/SHEA
7pm - Matt Nelson "Criminals"
Matt Nelson tenor sax
Jamie Branch trumpet
Brandon Lopez acoustic bass
Sam Opsovat drums
8:15pm: Popejoy/Seabrook/Shea
Stuart Popejoy electric bass
Brandon Seabrook guitar
Kevin Shea drums

May 3-
7pm - Peyton Pleninger's Biotonic
Peyton Pleninger - sax
Alex Levine - guitar
Louis de Mieulle - bass
Chris Carroll - drums
8:15pm - Kinsmen & Strangers
Jon Crompton - Alto Saxophone
James Wengrow - Guitar
Mike Alfieri - Drums

May 4
7p - PITCH PLOT 4
James Cammack: Bass
Christian Pabst - Piano
Jeroen Pek - Flute
Onno Witte - Vocal and drums
8:15p Marko Djordjevic & Sveti
9:30p Justin Mullens Octet
Marko Djordjevic & Sveti
Julian Pollack - piano, keys
Petar Krstajic - bass
Marko Djordjevic - drums and compositions

May 5
7pm: Eva Cortes
Jon Cowherd:Piano
Luques Curtis: Bass
Doug Beavers:Trombon
Marvin Sewell: Guitar
Roby Ameen: Drums
Eva Cortes: Vocals
8:15p - Josh Roberts and Cameron Macintosh - Josh Roberts Band (Josh Roberts drums, Ryan Slatko piano, Stefan Haerle saxophone, André Carvalho bass)
9:30: Cameron Macintosh Band

Shapeshifter is located at
18 Whitwell Place in Brooklyn, NY
R train to Union stop


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I-Beam Presents:

Friday - April 28th 8:30 PM
Vinnie Sperrazza – Solo Drums

Friday, May 5th 8:00 PM 8pm
8pm: Pearring Sound
Jeff Pearring – alto sax
Patrick Holmes – clarinet
Tim Vaughn – trombone
Ken Filiano – bass
Michael Wimberly – drums
9pm - Liebowitz / Lane / Drury
Carol Liebowitz – piano
Adam Lane – bass
Andrew Drury – drums

Saturday, May 6th 8:30 PM
Franz Hautzinger and Isabelle Duthoit
8:30 Franz Hautzinger and Isabelle Duthoit
9:30 Franz Hautzinger and Isabelle Duthoit with
Leila Bordreuil and Brandon Lopez

I-Beam is located at 168 7th Street in Brooklyn, NY 11215 - Directions: SUBWAY: Take the F or R trains to 4th Ave & 9th Street. Walk down 4th ave to 7th street. Make a left on 7th and walk past 3rd ave. We are located on the ground floor, the grey doors to the right of the stairs of #168.

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GREENWICH HOUSE SOUND IT OUT SERIES:

Sound It Out series @ Greenwich House – Concerts, January-June 2017

Saturday, May 6, 8:00 p.m. – New chamber jazz!
Harris Eisenstadt’s Recent Developments - Harris Eisenstadt, drums/compositions; Nate Wooley, trumpet; Hank Roberts, cello; Anna Webber, flute; Brandon Seabrook, banjo

Saturday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. – Double album release show!
André Matos David Ambrose/Russ Meissner Sextet
André Matos, guitar solo
David Ambrose, double-bass; Russ Meissner, drums; Loren Stillman, alto saxophone; Matt Renzi, tenor saxophone; Nate Radley, guitar; Leonard Thompson, piano

Greenwich House Music School:
46 Barrow Street, just west of 7th Avenue South in
New York City’s West Village;
www.greenwichhouse.org / 212-242-4770

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TRIBUTE TO THOMAS CHAPIN!

Saturday, May 6th at 7:30 at Brooklyn Jazz Wide Open

Join us for a rare evening of live Thomas Chapin music as performed by musician-colleagues of Thomas, playing his original compositions: Trio, Trio plus Brass, Quartet/Quintet selections, Brazilian tunes and more! It will be 2 1/2 hours of music, plus intermission, and also this is Thomas' 60th year birthday-anniversary. A great year to lift him!

Featuring performances of Thomas’s music by: Mike Sarin, Dave Ballou, Ned Rothenberg, Marty Ehrlich, Arun Luthra, Peter McEachern, Saul Rubin, Armen Donelian, Jerome Harris, Arthur Kell, Steve Johns, Joe Cardello, Michel Gentile, Daniel Kelly and Rob Garcia. All proceeds will go to Akasha, a nonprofit organization furthering music education and the musical legacy of Thomas Chapin.

This concert will take place at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music's Concert Hall, 58 Seventh Ave (at Lincoln Pl.) in Park Slope, Brooklyn