DMG Newsletter for Friday, March 6th, 2020

“Brooklyn” by Bo Grumpus

Come Along with me
To a place I’d like to be
I’m telling you now, I don’t know how
A town could be better you see
There’s a cute little girl there
Bound to return there
Even right now tell you when
B-R-OO-K-L-Y-N, Let me say it again
B-R-OO-K-L-Y-N,
And that spells happiness and then some

Walk along the street
See the pavement beneath your feet
Fresh at dawn, putting you on
There some fine, fine people to meet
My baby’s waiting, Not hesitating
Even right now, tell you when
B-R-OO-K-L-Y-N, Let me say it again
B-R-OO-K-L-Y-N,
And that spells happiness and then some

There are some places I haven’t been
But there are so very few
Compare the rest and the’re the best
Just to be on Flatbush Avenue

Just before I go
There’s a thing you ought to know
It sure is sweet, hard to beat
Just can’t wait to go
No there’s no reason in staying
No use in delayin’
People right now tell you when…
B-R-OO-K-L-Y-N, Let me say it again
B-R-OO-K-L-Y-N,
And that spells happiness and then some

I’ve lived in New Jersey most of my life and still live there now. My father, Stanley, grew up in Brooklyn as a kid and then moved to Newark to go to high school. I have always been fascinated by Brooklyn, having visited a few relatives and friends there in the sixties & seventies. I started going to gigs there in the mid-seventies, starting with Brooklyn Academy of Music. Since the turn of the millennium, I have been attending more concerts there at places like Roulette, I-Beam, Shapeshifter & the Spectrum. Plus I know more folks living there than ever before, as well as in Queens.

The above song, “Brooklyn” was written and recorded by a Boston band called Bo Grumpus. Their name comes from an obscure mythological figure. This song appears on their first album, ‘Before the War’, which was released in 1968 on Atco Records. That album was produced & arranged by the late Felix Pappalardi, who had been working with Cream from their second record onwards. Mr. Pappalardi also plays on the album and contributes a song. Bo Grumpus recorded a second album under another name, Jolliver Arkansaw, in 1969, which included Leslie West as their guest. West & Pappalardi went on to form Mountain that same year which included the song, “Travelin’ in the Dark”, the song he had contributed to the first Bo Grumpus record. I used to hear the song, “Brooklyn” on FM radio when I was a kid. It is a silly song with a jug band sort of sound. I still find it charming and used to sing it to myself while strolling down Flatbush Avenue. I recently pulled out a CD copy of the Bo Grumpus record and have been playing it in the store over & over. It is much better than I’d remembered. It is a most infectious collection of pop, rock, psych, jug band joy. Between 1967 & 1972, I used to listen to FM radio as much as possible and read many rock magazines just to discover more bands, some popular and many obscure. I have long become an expert in obscure or little known bands. I continue to search for any rock, jazz, ethnic, bands, musicians & composers, that I didn’t hear during their existence. Here’s a list of 10 obscure sixties bands that I still cherish:

1.The Wizards from Kansas
2.HP Lovecraft
3.Ultimate Spinach
4.Earth Opera
5.Travel Agency
6.United States of America
7.Mandrake Memorial
8.Serpent Power
9.The Collectors
10.Sopwith Camel

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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, March 8th:
6pm: IMPLICIT ARCHES: KURT GOTTSCHALK - Guitar / MIGUEL FRASCONI - analog synth /
WILL GLASS - Drums
7pm: DARREN JOHNSTON - Trumpet / PETER HESS - Woodwinds /
ADAM DOTSON - Flugel-Bone!
8pm: TOMCHESS - Oud / ZACH SWANSON - ContraBass!

Sunday, March 15th:
6pm: TONED: TOM WEEKS - Sax / NATHAN CORDER - Electronics / LEO SUAREZ - Drums!
7pm: UNI: VINICIUS CAJADO - Acoustic Bass / KENJI HERBERT - Electric Guitar!

Tues, March 17th St. Patrick’s Day! Stone Cold Sober Celebration with:
6pm: JESSE DULMAN ALL-STARS: WILLIAM PARKER / DAVE SEWELSON / COOPER-MOORE!

Sunday, March 22nd:
6pm: DANIEL CARTER / KURT RALSKE / LELE DAI / FRANK MEADOWS / TODD CAPP!
7pm: BIG PICTURE: MATT LAVELLE / EVAN CRANE / LEONID GALAGANOV!
8pm: PRACTITIONER: BEN GOLDBERG - Clarinet / MICHAEL COLEMAN - Keyboards!

Sunday, March 29th:
6pm: JESSICA ACKERLEY - Solo Electric Guitar!
7pm: FRANCISCO MORA CATLETT / SAM NEWSOME / BOB STEWART!
8pm: MARK HANSLIP / FEDERICO REUBEN - From the UK!

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. For the next month we have four triple bills in a row! More & more creative musicians want to play here at DMG and we are honored to have them. If you can, please do come down to capture the spirit of creative music live!

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THREE NEW DISCS FROM JOE MORRIS & PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE IN STOCK NEXT WEEK!

JOE MORRIS with DAN O’BRIEN / ELINOR SPEIRS / BRAD BARRETT - Paradoxical (Instantiation; USA) Featuring: Joe Morris on guitar, Dan O’Brien on clarinet & bass clarinet, Elinor Speirs on violin and Brad Barrett on bass. Paradoxical is one part of my multi-part musical work Instantiation; each part is unique, composed with specific notated and operational components. Due to the way the parts are configured it is impossible to perform any of them the same way twice.
Paradoxical mixes disparate materials - some are composed and some are improvised, some are melodic and an emotional color or narrative flow and some are the opposite. There is attention to the value and control of expression, sustain, pitch, sounds, duration, pulse, density, interaction and form as well as to the disregard for a particular employment of any of these properties. Three versions of the pieces are here, sequenced in the order in which we performed them in the studio.
My goal with Instantiation is to create unique and rewarding experiences for listeners by synthesizing the meta-properties of Free music in new and creative ways. I rely on the attention to the material and the individual and collective artistry of the ensemble of players to realize a unique result with each performance."- Joe Morris, June 2019 credits
CD $15

[PAAL NILSSON-LOVE] LARGE UNIT FENDIKA - Ethiobraz (PNL; EEC) ““Ethiobraz” documents the meeting of Paal Nilssen-Love’s Large Unit big band and Ethiopian dance/music ensemble Fendika at Molde Jazz Festival in 2018. Joining them as a special guest was guitarist Terrie Ex, a key component in getting making the meeting happen with his long involvement with the Ethiopian music scene. And, Paal Nilssen-Loves’s first travel to Ethiopia was with The Ex in December 2009. This changed his life. Paal’s first travel to Brazil was in June 2013. This also changed his life. Large Unit was established during fall of 2013. During numerous trips to both Ethiopia and Brazil, Paal established many contacts to schools, clubs, presenters, musicians and dancers in these two countries. The music he created for Large Unit was heavily informed by these trips and meetings, and fusing these influences together with the Scandinavian free music sensibility became an important factor in the Large Unit sound.
When Large Unit turned five, it was time to bring all these sources together and celebrate more than just the five years of the band, but also the collaborations with musicians and dancers in both Ethiopia and Brazil. Therefor Ethiobraz. 22 musicians and dancers together on stage. It could be argued that this is the most accessible recording in the Large Unit catalogue, and there is no doubt that this is the first one you can dance to all the way through.”
CD $15

YONG YANDSEN / CHRISTIAN MEAAS SVENDSEN / PAAL NILSSON-LOVE - Hungary Ghosts (PNL; EEC) Featuring Yong Yandsen on tenor sax, Christian Meass Svendsen on bass Paal Nilssen-Love on drums. “There are some benefits for being a globetrotter musician. There are not a lot of places on this plant that legendary Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love has not played in, leaving aside for now Antarctica and the Northern Pole. In his countless tours Nilssen-Love finds new comrades and new free jazz scenes as the one in Malaysia, where he met experimental-free jazz-noise sax player Yong Yandsen, one of the co-founders of the local EMACM (Experimental Musicians & Artists Co-operative Malaysia). The ever resourceful Nilssen-Love organized an extensive Southeast Asia tour with Yandsen and his colleague from his Large Unit, bass player Christian Meaas Svendsen, during the fall of 2018.
“Hungry Ghosts” is the debut, live recording of this trio, captured at Livefact, Kuala Lumpur on October 2018. And as you can see by the cover art, designed by Meaas Svendsen and released by his own label Nakama, this trio is heading straight forward to meaty bones (maybe inspired by Peter Brötzmann’s classic trio album, «The Nearer the Bone, the Sweeter the Meat» (FMP, 1979), with bass player Harry Miller and drummer Louis Mohlo). Nilssen-Love adds that this trio is playing free-improvised music “in the somewhat European tradition” and, indeed, the first impression of Yandsen tone on the tenor sax is how well-versed he is indebted to the work of Brötzmann, Mats Gustafsson or Ken Vandermark.
The first part of the dense 39-minutes, title-piece marks that the, strong-minded, muscular three gentlemen are ready to shake our globe with their intense, emotional love cries while searching for anything that can satisfy their cravings. Yandesen immediately jumps to higher stratospheres, ready to fight, head on with all kinds of ghosts, totally possessed in his own in his own sax attacks. The explosive rhythm section of Meaas Svendsen, playing playing with 2-3 bows, cheek, voice, hands and feet, and Nilssen-Love clashes and pushes Yandsen further into dark, deep space. But later on the trio explores a totally different dynamics that suggests another way to fulfill its hunger. Meaas Svendsen and Nilssen-Love sketch together a looser rhythmic basis for a more contemplative, quieter and abstract interplay, where Yandsen can demonstrate his personal, surprisingly lyrical and gentle voice. This kind of interplay leads the trio to explore layers upon layers of inventive and rhythmic games that cement the profound, intuitive understanding of Nilssen-Love and Meaas Svendsen and the organic manner of integrating Yandsen’s playful bird calls. This trio refuses to follow common free jazz dynamics and strategies and avoids an obvious cathartic eruption. The second piece, «Still Hungry», builds its burning tension and power carefully, contrasting Nilssen-Love’s ceremonial drumming and Yandsen’s sax howls and shouts, fully prepared to exorcise all the hungry ghosts from the performance space.” - Eyal Hareuveni / SaltPeanuts.eu
CD $15


JOOKLO TRIO with VIRGINIA GENTA / BRANDON LOPEZ / DAVID VANZAN - It is What It Is (Troglo Sound; Italy) Featuring Virginia Genta on ampleified tenor & sopranino saxes, Brandon Lopez on electric bass and David Vanzan on drums & percussion. Relative Pitch Records co-founder, Kevin Reilly, and myself have an ongoing dialogue about which obscure musicians we have discovered, often turning each other on the these important (to us!) improvisers from around the world. Italian saxist Virginia Genta is on the top of this heap, having been a part of the Jooklo Duo & Trio with drummer David Vanzan, as well as recording a fine duo with NYC drummer Andrew Barker. Out of the half dozen releases which feature Ms. Genta, the only one still available is an LP called ‘Det Kritiske Punkt’ on Feeding Tube. Local bass master, Brandon Lopez, left us with just 5 copies of this rare CD. It is an blast of free music at it most intense with Brandon on electric bass, rarity for him. It you wink too long, you will miss the opportunity to get this gem. - BLG
CD $25 [super-limited edition of 50]


THREE NEW DISCS FROM THE FINE FOLKS AT ERSTWHILE and ELSEWHERE:

DEAN ROBERTS - Not Fire (Erst Pop 003; USA) Back in the 1990’s, when DMG was located on East 5th St in Lower East Side, I became friends with New Zealand-born guitarist Dean Roberts, who worked at DMG for a year or so. Mr. Roberts was a gifted and unique guitarist, whose handful of records I’ve grown to admire more through the years. He recorded under the name of White Winged Moth, as a solo artist as well as collaborating with Loren Connors, Radu Malfatti, Tim Barnes and Werner Dafeldecker, certainly an odd bunch although all have been associated with the Erstwhile label at one time or another. I eventually lost touch with Mr. Roberts when he moved to Italy, returning to New Zealand in 2008, and then going to school in New Zealand to get a masters in Sonic Arts and then to teaching. In 2014, Mr. Roberts relocated to Berlin to teach at the University of St. Marks & St. John. This new disc is his first in many years and it has been released by his old friends at Erstwhile under their old Erst Pop series. For this disc Mr. Roberts plays vocals, guitar, piano, bass, percussion & lap-steel. His backing band is called The Black Moths and it includes Chris Abrahams (from The Necks), as well as half dozen musicians with whom I am not familiar plus help from Tim Barnes, Bris Hauf & Ekkehard Ehlers. The music on ‘Not Fire’ is laid back, spooky, dreamy, moving cautiously in slow motion. Dean’s voice sounds world-weary, yet somehow most enchanting like an old ghost from our distant past still reaching out to sing/speak to that ancient voice within each of us. Although Mr. Roberts plays his guitar with a noisy tone, he plays with much restraint, bending and twisting notes inside out but keeping the angst down to a low volume. I’ve heard a few pieces from this disc and hope to review it in its entirity by next week’s newsletter. Copies are being dropped off later today at the store, can’t wait to hear more…! - BLG/DMG
CD $15

MELAINE DALIBERT // ANASTASSIS PHILIPAKOPOULOS - Piano Works (Elsewhere 10; USA) This album is the tenth released by the Elsewhere label since its launch in the spring of 2018. It is the third of those ten to feature the French composer and pianist Melaine Dalibert. Whereas on the previous two albums, Dalibert played his own compositions, here he performs piano compositions by the Greek composer Anastassis Philippakopoulos who has been a member of the Wandelweiser composers collective since 2003 and had his first Edition Wandelweiser album Solo Pieces issued in 2005.
Where Dalibert's own compositions have often included clusters of notes and made use of the piano's sustain pedal, Philippakopoulos' piano pieces lean more towards single notes which are allowed to resound and fade away before another is played. Philippakopoulos' own sleeve notes to Solo Pieces consisted of nine couplets which may have expressed his thoughts on composing but also described some of his work. The first couplet was: "music that allows sounds to sound: to die away, completely, into silence"—which could be a quote from the Wandelweiser manifesto, if such a thing existed; it certainly describes the music here perfectly.
The Philippakopoulos compositions here date from 2005 to 2018 and, at the time of recording, in July 2019, represented his most recent works for solo piano. They are all comparatively short, with running times between two-and-a-quarter and three-and-a-half minutes, all twelve together lasting thirty-five minutes. Remarkably, it is reported that Philippakopoulos can take up to a year to compose one such short piece, as each note represents a decision, one which is weighed and evaluated.
The album hannesson.boon.philippakopoulos (Editions Wandelweiser, 2019) included recordings of the four most recent Philippakopoulos piano pieces, from 2016 to 2018, performed by fellow Wandelweiser member Dante Boon (who is rumoured to have an Elsewhere release of his own on the way). Comparisons of Boon's performances to Dalibert's make fascinating listening; while there are differences—Boon often lets notes resound longer, so his versions tend to be longer than Dalibert's, for instance—both players are first rate.
Taken altogether, the music on this album makes a great advertisement for economy; there is not a wasted note throughout nor an incorrect decision by either Philippakopoulos or Dalibert. It is music which can be listened to again and again ad infinitum without losing its power to enthral and fascinate. Another stunner from Elsewhere.” - John Eyles, AllAboutJazz
CD $15

THE GIVING SHAPES with ELISA THORN / ROBYN JACOB -Earth Leaps Up (Elsewhere 11; USA) "Earth Leaps Up is a work of surpassing elegance, quiet confidence, and generosity of spirit (making The Giving Shapes’ name most apt). Its surface delicacy conceals deep reserves of emotional intelligence and inner strength. As Darwin put it, “from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” (Spencer Cawein Pate - The Light of Lost Words)
"Like the angelic voices of Elisa and Robyn - often divided into offset vocal harmonies - the two classical instruments refer to each other as if they actually were the horizontal or vertical translation of the other: the ample natural resonances allowed to their minimalist patterns, sometimes mindful of the "Electric Counterpoint" by Steve Reich ("Dousing"), they create the illusion of a floating cloud of sounds in which the specular melodies playfully chase one another in a perpetual circular motion.
The intoxicating sweetness of certain Japanese inflections ("Upstream", "Shadow's Hue") is only a fleeting latitudinal grip for a music that resides outside of any geographical or temporal coordinate, woven with the most loving care in a completely pacified mental space, preserved in the luminous quiet of those spring afternoons that the artistic expression has always aspired to eternalize in its romanticized splendor." - Michele Palozzo - Esoteros
CD $15


LUCIANO PAGLIARINI with JEROME BOURDELLON / YOUSEFF YANCY / DANIEL BERTUCCI / et al - 'Vu Feier an Eisen' (Usine 1001; France) The collective personnel here features: Luciano Pagliarini on alto sax & compositions, Jerome Bourdellon on flutes & bass clarinet, Yussef Yancy on trumpet & theremin plus another dozen musicians. Last year I was introduced to Italian-born, Luxembourg-based saxist, Luciano Pagliarini, at the Zurcher Gallery. Mr. Pagliarini left of with a couple of his discs and we stayed in touch. Mr. Pagliarini left us with a disc by the New York 3 with Joe Fonda & Lou Grassi, which I reviewed and sold. He also left us with an older disc of his called, ‘vu Feier an Eisen’ from 1997, which is a soundtrack for a film which was made in Luxemberg. For these sessions, Pagliarini gathered together 16 mostly French musicians, only a few of which I know previously: Jerome Bourdellan (worked with Joelle Leandre & Joe McPhee) and Youssef Yancy (worked with Sunny Murray & Muhal Richard Abrams. Bassist here, Gautier Laurent, was in a Tzadik Klez band called Zakarya.
From what I can tell, the original film that inspired this music, ‘vu Feier an Eisen’ was created in 1921. Mr. Pagliarini organized this 16-piece ensemble to play along with the film in 1997, the score partially written, partially improvised. This disc is around 72 minutes long with some 25 pieces. The music starts with dainty French pop/folk on accordion, violin & xylophone and soon turns int some Sousa-like marching music. Each piece evokes a different (visual) vibe, often giving each member of the ensemble an interlude featuring themselves at the center. When a semi-operatic male vocalist is heard, it seems to come from a sampled recording, which includes some background strings surrounding it. Mr. Pagliarini plays some lovely alto sax at times, often backed by sublime sampled strings. Although there are 16 members to this ensemble, Pagliarini mostly features one musicians who is backed a chorus of sympathetic horns or (sampled) strings or keyboards. On occasion, a section will break into a feisty groove like the somewhat funky “Tonton Blues” section. Even without being able to view the film, the music here still evokes quite a bit of fascinating images or scenes. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15


JAMES TENNEY / JUAN PARRA CANCINO / JOHAN SEBASTIAN BACH // ENSEMBLE MODELO62 - Multiple Paths (Orpheus 62; Belgium) The personnel here features Jean Parra Cancino on live electronics with Modelo62 who include Gemma T. Munoz on flute, Enric Sans I Morera on clarinet, Justin Christensen on trumpet, Teodora Stepancic on piano & computer, Santiago Lascurain on guitar, Rebecca Huber on violin, Jan Willem Troost on cello, Vasilis Stefanopoulos on double bas and Ezequiel Manalled on computer & conducting. Last Sunday (3/1/1/20), we had a unique trio here at DMG which featured Chilean guitarist) Juan Parra Cancino on guitar (currently living in Amsterdam), British trumpeter Jonathan Impett (once worked with Paul Dunmall) and Philly saxist Keir Neuringer (currently a member of Irreversible Entanglements). I knew very little about either Mr. Cancino or Mr. Impett before they played here. Mr. Cancino obtained a PhD in the Arts at the Orpheus Institute in Ghent, Belgium, which is where the Modelo62 Ensemble is based. For this 2 disc CD/DVD set, Mr. Cancino explores the music of three very different composers: Johan Sebastian Bach, James Tenney and Mr. Cancino himself (in an homage to Luigi Nono), feeding their music into a computer to alter them and show a different aspect of the pieces. The way each of these pieces were set up acoustically with electronics or a computer to enhance or alter the music is explained and illustrated in the liner booklet, with notes written by Mr. Cancino and Sandeep Bhagwati. Each of the three pieces gets three different mixes: a stereo version, a binaural version and a 5.1 Surround version on the DVD.
Mr. Cancino’s piece, “Multiple Paths 8” is the homage to Italian composer Luigi Nono. The diagram for this piece shows the conductor in the center of the room with the audience around him and the ensemble members around in a circle, on stage, in the balcony and on either side of the room. The music is a fascinating blend of strange sounds, acoustic and electric blended together, difficult to tell which is which. When we listen to the binaural version, we can hear the way the overall sound is different due to where the sounds are placed in the environment. Although the Bach piece, “Ricercare a 6”, sounds more normal, the placement of the sounds also is subtly altered in the mixes. The James Tenney piece, “Critical Band” and it is “for chamber music ensemble involves slow micro-intervallic tuning expansions within the range (band) of a major second above and below a central pitch (a=440Hz), exploring the perceptual borders of what we consider "consonance." The sound shimmers and shifts in slow moving waves, expanding and contracting as it evolves. The consistently shifting waves keeps us off-balance as they go, the vibe breathing in and out, the blend acoustic & electronic simultaneously. While listening closely, I get the feeling that we (the listeners) are all plugged into the central current, the waves shifting ever so slowly, the volume also increasing bit by bit. Once more the different mixes place you in slightly different environments so concentration is required to hear the difference. Each piece a different time and space, so it does take some time to appreciate the different ways we fit in each environment. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD DVD $16

JUAN PARRA CANCINO // HERMES ENSEMBLE - Explosive Compressions (Orpheus Institute ME 21; Belgium) Chilean-born, Belgium based guitarist/composer, Juan Parra Cancino, played here at DMG last Sunday with UK trumpeter Jonathan Implett and Philly saxist Keir Neuringer. In 2014, Italian theatre music group Muta Imago collaborated with the Belgian Hermes Ensemble and asked Mr. Cancino to join them to perform a version of Bruno Maderna’s “Hyperion” work. “Hyperion” is a work which is not completely fixed or written out, new ways of playing it change with every performance. In the 15-page, 12” x 12” booklet, six writers discuss various aspects of this piece at length. Aside from the members of the Hermes Ensemble, there are three soloists or main players: Karin de Fleyt on flute, Valerie Vervoort & Hanne Roos as sopranos and Mr. Cancino - arrangements & live electronics. A great deal of work has gone into the high quality vinyl, marvelous cover art and recording, the results are consistent first class. The flute is at the center of the sound with subtle strings and electronics surrounding it. The flute and electronics are often close texturally here, unified as one sound. There are two lock grooves at the end of each side, soft whirring drone in the distance. Side Two features an “Aria” for soprano voice, flute and electronics. The combination of sounds is often mesmerizing, intense at times and well-balanced. The results are carefully crafted, spacious, the voice fragile yet somehow compelling.
LP Only $25

JONATHAN IMPETT & ENSEMBLE LA TRICOTEA - Breathless (Attaca 2017149; EEC) When Bruce first put this CD on in the store, my ears perked up as the opening chord dissolved and launched into the opening bars of the “Viderunt Omnes” of Perotinus Magnus, one of my all time favorite pieces of music. The original piece was originally composed between 1198-1999 AD as a setting of a typical gradual for Catholic Mass (some speculate for the 1198 Feast of the Circumcision) while Perotinus was a resident composer at the cathedral. It is an early and likely first major example of organum gradupulum, or four voice polyphony in Western sacred music, and represented a radical shift for its time towards the language of harmonic sequence that would ultimately set the stage for the baroque period and the giant legacy of Bach. Ensemble La Tricotea’s playful instrumentation (baroque recorder, alto and soprano saxophone, bassoon and percussion) lends itself well to the timeless horizontality of these harmonic lines, which open and close this disc. In between the repertoire spans other major choral figures from the Renaissance and early Baroque including Guillaume de Machaut, Francisco Guerrero and Johannes Ciconia, as well as original commissions by Jonathan Impett. The thesis that makes this record work is not a new one, but one that bears repeating, that late medieval music, and modern composition stand to have much more in common with each other than much of the music that spans their interim. Their arrangement of these ancient pieces for reed instruments paired across centuries is timbrally convincing and impressive. Impett’s compositions are departures from fragments of specific parts of the medieval pieces, and he seems to have put serious thought into accessing and sharing the guts of experimentalism with these early pieces. The contrasts between the new and old pieces are ultimately quite jarring, but if you are on board with the line of thought, then they are very well placed on the disc to prevent the situation from becoming overwhelmingly academic. Found it highly enjoyable and scratching of a certain nerdy itch in my ongoing search for fresh takes on classical music! - Frank Meadows, DMG
CD $14


THE HANGING STARS - A New Kind Of Sky (Crimson Crow 008; UK) London-based folk-psych-country band The Hanging Stars return with their eclectic third studio album, A New Kind Of Sky. Carrying on their exploration of transatlantic psychedelic folk and cosmic country, the new album blends twelve-string, harmony-laden lullabies with soft rock anthems to create a gilded box of bucolic folk-rock. As well as the band's signature wistful pastoral escapism, there are lyrical concerns about the recent past; the systematic division of people, values, facts and humanity in The West in general -- and the UK in particular. The band weave the same thread they have always woven but this time with a more unified vision, creating a kaleidoscopic poncho for these times. The Hanging Stars comprise songwriter, singer and guitarist Richard Olson, Sam Ferman on bass, Paulie Cobra on drums, Patrick Ralla on guitars, keys and vocals, and renowned pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte. Returning guest Collin Hegna from Brian Jonestown Massacre plays an instrument called a Marxophone on "Choir of Criers". They also welcome Sean Read of The Rockingbirds and Dexy's Midnight Runners, who adds horns to "Three Rolling Hills" and "I Was A Stone". The bulk of the recording was done live in the studio at Echozoo in Eastbourne with Dave Lynch. For the first time, the band decided to dive straight in to the recording studio following their German tour in 2018. Having lived in each other's pockets and played their new songs every night, the band were as tight and primed as they could possibly be. There ensued a few, very long days of recording, capturing the essence of the band in their element. The songwriting process was even more collaborative for this album, enhanced by Harvey-White's arrangements and Cobra's harmonies. The biggest difference is that Ferman sings lead on the first single "'(I've Seen) The Summer in Her Eyes", a song about lost love and self-doubt channeled through two-and-a-half minutes of garage pastoralism. The Hanging Stars' debut album Over The Silvery Lake (CRO 003CD, 2016) received plaudits from broadsheets such as The Times and The Guardian. Their second album Songs For Somewhere Else (CRO 005CD, 2017) received critical acclaim from the likes of Uncut and Shindig.
CD $15


JONAS MUNK - Minimum Resistance (Azure Vista Records 009; Denmark) “Minimum Resistance is Jonas Munk's most abstract and minimalist album to date, ten ambient pieces based on guitars -- often processed into soft, slow billows of sound. There's a rare aesthetic clarity in these pieces, allowing each sonic component to breathe and resonate. Here Munk works with a restrained sonic palette and it's an album which demands patience from the listener. Yet, in its bold simplicity, it carries enough emotional weight to be deeply rewarding. It's an immersive album, an invitation for the listener to sink deep into a series of mesmerizing, but peculiarly undefined, moods. Minimum Resistance celebrates slowness, reclusiveness and simplicity. There's hardly anything ground-breaking about this kind of music, but rarely does it flow as naturally and effortless as on this set. It's clear this is the work of someone who has been refining his craft over the course of two decades. Besides producing his own music, Jonas Munk also works as a recording and mastering engineer, and has slowly but surely established his own sonic signature. It's the kind of work where subtle gradual changes and minuscule textural details has a tremendous impact on the listener.”
CD $15


HISTORIC & ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS, RESTOCK & REISSUED ITEMS:

ALBERT AYLER with NORMAN HOWARD / DON CHERRY / JOHN TCHICAI / ROSWELL RUDD / CALL COBBS / HENRY GRIMES / GARY PEACOCK / SONNY MURRAY / et al - The Early Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9178; EEC) The American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer, Albert Ayler, was a pioneer during the free-jazz-era of the early 1960s, however, some critics argue that while Ayler's style is undeniably original and unorthodox, it does not adhere to the generally accepted understanding of free jazz. In fact, Ayler's style is difficult to categorize, and it evoked incredibly strong and disparate reactions from critics and fans alike. His innovations however, have inspired many subsequent jazz musicians. During Albert Ayler's tragically short career however, he managed to produce some of the most ingenious, pioneering and creative music that the jazz world had yet witnessed, and while his work is as far from 'easy listening' as it is possible to get, in an age when an over-abundance of such is dropping off the trees, the challenge of listening to an Albert Ayler record can be more rewarding than ever before. This boxed-set contains eight of the great man's earliest recordings, all made in the first half of the 1960's, which provide a unique opportunity for the beginner, the inquisitive, or those already well versed, to experience some of the finest music from the avant-jazz and free-jazz eras. Albums included: ’Something Different’, My Name is Albert Ayler’, ’Spirits’, ;Swing Low Sweet Spiritual’, ‘Prophecy’, ‘Spiritual Unity’ and ’New York Eye & Ear Control’.
4 CD Set $18

CURTIS FULLER with HANK MOBLEY / ART FARMER / RED GARLAND / HAMPTON HAWES / BOBBY TIMMONS / SAHIB SHIHAB / BENNY GOLSON / DAVID AMRAM / SONNY CLARK TOMMY FLANAGAN / ADDISON FARMER / PAUL CHAMBERS / LOUIS HAYES / ART TAYLOR - Eight Classic Albums (Enlightenment 9179; EEC) Known best as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, American jazz trombonist Curtis Fuller also contributed to many classic jazz recordings, but, crucially, was a fine bandleader in his own right whose late 1950s and early 1960s output remains his best work. This four CD set features music from the era during which Curtis Fuller was at his musical prime, and when he released the strongest records of his career as leader or co-leader. Featuring eight such records in perfect re-mastered sound, this collection is an ideal starting place for newcomers to the great man's music and a fine reminder of his talent and creativity for everyone else. Albums include: ‘With Red Garland’, ‘And Hampton Hawes with French Horns’, ‘The Opener’, ‘Bone & Bari’, ‘Volume 3’, ‘Blues-Ette’,
4 CD Set $18


PENTANGLE with JOHN RENBOURN / BERT JANSCH / JACQUI McSHEE / DANNY THOMPSON / TERRY COX JOHN McLAUGHLIN / TONY ROBERTS - Live On Air 1967-1969 (London Calling 5007; UK) London Calling presents Pentangle's Live On Air 1967-1969, including performances from the Danny Thompson Trio with John McLaughlin. The high profile names of John Renbourn and Bert Jansch remain coveted enough to warrant excitement at any retrospective release, but combined with Danny Thompson and Jacqui McShee, this is a delightful insight into one of Britain's finest folk-rock bands to emerge in the late '60s. Pentangle's legacy lies in an abundance of fragile, acoustic wonder spanning six albums with Transatlantic and Reprise Records from 1968 to 1972. Among studio, television and festival appearances, Pentangle visited venues such as the Playhouse Theatre and Paris Theatre for the BBC. These pristine sessions reveal a valuable insight into the creative mindset directing the band in their heyday. Prominently featured here are the only known recordings of Danny Thompson with John McLaughlin and Tony Roberts from 1967, music that would provide a vital bridge to the formation of Pentangle. Digitally remastered, includes a Brian Matthew interview with Jacqui McShee from 1970 and a full color booklet with liner notes and rare images.
2 CD Set $22 [In Stock Next week]


TOMMY McCOOK & FRIENDS - Horns Man Dub (Jamaican 071; UK) “Tommy McCook was not only a founding member of the legendary Jamaican ska group The Skatalites, but also a brilliant musical arranger. His informed understanding of jazz, R&B, and in fact, most music styles would always add another layer to any song put his way. This made him the go-to guy for most of the Jamaican producers, who would use his arrangement skills to pepper up their latest tunes. Tommy McCook, (b 1927, Havana, Cuba) came to Jamaica with his mother from Cuba aged 11 and entered renowned Alpha Boys School for underprivileged children, a school that placed great emphasis on musical tuition. At 14, such was his talent he has left to join Eric Deans Orchestra and took on stints with other bands led by Don Hinchman and Roy Coburn. All the bands played in the swing and Jazz style of the times. He relocated to the Bahamas in 1954 where he further developed his jazz technique and, upon his return to Jamaica in 1962, began working Coxsone Dodd's Studio One and became involved in the development of ska. His knowledge of jazz, R&B and Jamaican musical forms helped set the tone for the group of musicians he was working with and would name the Skatalites. The group, consisting of Don Drummond (trombone), Roland Alphonso (tenor saxophone), Jackie Mitoo (piano), Lloyd Brevett (bass), Lloyd Knibbs (drums), alongside Tommy himself on tenor saxophone. The group would back all the major ska vocalists of the day and would also go on to cut a catalog of instrumental music. The Skatalites split up in 1965 and Tommy McCook moved over to work with Duke Reid's Treasure Isle Studios where he formed The Supersonics. A set of musicians under his guidance that consisted of Lynn Tait and Ernest Ranglin (guitar), Neville Hinds and Winston Wright (organ), Gladstone "Gladdy" Anderson (piano), Hugh Malcolm and Arkland "Drumbago" Parks (drums), Clifton "Jackie" Jackson (bass), and Tommy and Hernon Marquis (saxophone). The more laidback sounds from 1966-1968 would be given the name rocksteady of which, again, McCook was at the forefront. Top producers like Bunny Lee would use the musicianship of Tommy McCook and his arrangement skills to enhance this new sound. Jamaican Recordings have compiled a great selection of rhythms that feature McCook blowing over tracks stripped of their vocals and replaced with some fantastic lead lines played by Tommy and some of his fellow horn players.
CD $14


DONN SHINN - Temples With Prophets (Sunbeam 1093; UK)”Sunbeam Records present the first official reissue of Don Shinn's Temples With Prophets, originally released in 1969. Having made several classic 45 with The Soul Agents (whose singer was briefly Rod Stewart), Don Shinn taped his remarkable debut album in London's Lansdowne Studios in December 1967. Featuring his explosive organ (a clear influence on the young Keith Emerson) and outstanding guitar from Paul Hodgeson, it's one of the first progressive albums ever recorded. Includes a 12-page booklet with detailed background notes and rare images. Includes two jaw-dropping bonus tracks from 1966. ”Don Shinn got a fantastic sound from the L-100... He and Jimi Hendrix were controlling influences over the way I developed..." - Keith Emerson
CD $17

DONN SHINN - Departures (Sunbeam Records 1094; UK) “Sunbeam Records present the first official reissue of Don Shinn's second and final album, Departures, originally released in 1969. Departures was made in London's Lansdowne Studios only a few months after his classic debut. Featuring a more jazzy and experimental side to his remarkable organ playing (a clear influence on the young Keith Emerson) and a band including jazz legend Stan Tracey, it's presented here fifty years after its first release. Includes a 12-page booklet with detailed background notes and rare images. Includes three newly recorded bonus tracks that make it clear that the maestro has lost none of his touch.”
CD $17


Back in stock: * MATANA ROBERTS has been working on the Coin Coin concept for many years now with four volumes under her belt, each one very different from the others. We have had difficulty keeping all four in stock at the same time due to some distribution problems. We now have three and they are listed below. All four volumes are great so don’t hesitate to grab one or all! Ms. Roberts will be performing a new version of Coin Coin here at DMG on Sunday, July 5th at 6pm. This is a performance that you do not want to miss! - BLG

MATANA ROBERTS ENSEMBLE With SHOKO NAGAI/THOMSON KNEELAND/TOMAS FIJIWARA et al - Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile (Constellation 098; Canada) Ms. Roberts' 'Coin Coin' project has continued to evolve for the past few years with different versions or chapters for each performance. I've caught both solo and several group versions, the best of which was at the Victo Fest in 2012, perhaps the best set that year. The previous CD version of 'Coin Coin; featured some sixteen Canadian musicians, many of whom played at Victoriaville. 'Coin Coin Chapter Two' features a smaller cast of mostly Downtown musicians (with diverse backgrounds): Matana Roberts on alto sax, conduction & vocals, Jason Palmer on trumpet, Shoko Nagai on piano, Thomson Kneeland on double bass, Tomas Fujiwara on drums and Jeremiah Abiah on tenor vocals plus all members on back-up vocals. As Matana continues to explore her family's history in particular as well as different aspects of the civil rights movement, 'Coin Coin' continues to expand in a a variety of ways. Although many of the songs are based on the melodies of traditional American folk songs, Ms. Roberts has found a way to weave these melodies into her own superb tapestry and make it her own. There is a feeling of turbulence that runs through much of this disc which I find most gripping, evoking many of the feelings and memories that I recall from living through those equally turbulent times, from the 1960's and onwards. Each member of the sextet does a fine job of playing this music with some especially inspired interplay between each member. For those who don't appreciate (operatic) vocals, Mr. Abiah's voice is used selectively and is an integral part of the sextet. The entire CD is one continuous work which moves through a number of related segments or songs. Ms. Roberts also uses her own voice to speak at points which adds a certain warm, familiar touch, her words describing occasional memories of related events. Considering that every member of this group comes from a much different background, Ms. Roberts' vision brings everyone together into a united front or congregation. Although there are few if any solo here, Ms. Roberts' alto sax and Mr. Palmer's trumpet sound like a perfect match of spirits. There is a most cinematic quality to this music, but without relying on visuals found in films, we must use our own imaginations to see the way things unfold in our own minds. This in an inner, more personal movie. Congratulations to Matana Roberts for finding a way to touch and inspire those who will take the time to listen closely to her humble masterwork. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

MATANA ROBERTS - Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee (Constellation 110; Canada) Most artists end up looking cautious and blinkered when put next to Matana Roberts and her utterly epic 12-album project Coin Coin, which has now reached its third chapter. She's jokingly described it as "my Ring Cycle", and it's just as weighty. It's an exploration of black history, femininity and American identity, reaching back into the horrors - and moments of glorious emancipation - of the antebellum era and the civil rights struggle. In Chapter One: Gens de Couleur Libres, she used a jazz orchestra, contracting to a smaller ensemble for Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile. In chapter three, subtitled river run thee, Roberts strikes out solo, threading her saxophone, improvised song and spoken word through multiple layers of field recordings, in a gorgeously dense journey to the past. - The Guardian
CD $16

MATANA ROBERTS with HANNAH MARCUS / SAM SHALABI / NICOLAS CALOIA / RYAN SAWYER - COIN COIN Chapter Four: Memphis (Constellation 145; Canada) “Matana Roberts returns with the fourth chapter of her extraordinary Coin Coin series - a project that has deservedly garnered the highest praise and widespread critical acclaim for it's fierce aesthetic originality and unflinching narrative power. The first three Coin Coin albums, issued from 2011-2015, charted diverse pathways of modern/avant composition - Roberts calls it "panoramic sound quilting" - and ranged sequentially from large band to sextet to solo, unified by Roberts' archival and often deeply personal research into legacies of the American slave trade and ancestries of American identity/experience. Roberts also emphasizes non-male subjects and thematizes these other-gendered stories with a range of vocal and verbal techniques: singspeak, submerged glossolalic recitation, guttural cathartic howl, operatic voice, gentle lullaby, group chant, and the recuperation of various American folk traditions and spirituals, whether surfacing in fragmentary fashion or as unabridged set-pieces. The root of this vocality comes from her dedication to the legacy of her main chosen instrument, the alto saxophone. On Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis, Roberts convened a new band, with New Yorkers Hannah Marcus (guitars, fiddle, accordion) and percussionist Ryan Sawyer (Thurston Moore, Nate Wooley, Cass McCombs) joined by Montréal bassist Nicolas Caloia (Ratchet Orchestra) and Montréal-Cairo composer/improviser Sam Shalabi (Land Of Kush, Dwarfs Of East Agouza) on guitar and oud, along with prolific trombonist Steve Swell and vibraphonist Ryan White as special guests. Memphis unspools as a continuous work of 21st century liberation music, oscillating between meditative incantatory explorations, raucous melodic themes, and unbridled free-improv suites, quoting archly and ecstatically from various folk traditions along the way. Led by Roberts' conduction and unique graphic score practice, her consummate saxophone and clarinet playing, and punctuated by her singing and speaking various texts generated from her own historical research and diaristic writings, Coin Coin Chapter Four is a glorious and spellbinding new installment in this projected twelve-part Gesamtkunstwerk. Says Roberts: "As an arts adventurer dealing w/ the medium of sound and it's many contradictions I am most interested in endurance, perseverance, migration, liberation, libation, improvisation and the many layers of cognitive dissonance therein as it relates to my birth country's history. I speak memory, I sing an American survival through horn, song, sadness, a sometimes gladness. I stand on the backs of many people, from so many different walks of life and difference, that never had a chance to express themselves as expressively as I have been given the privilege. In these sonic renderings, I celebrate the me, I celebrate the we, in all that it is now, and all that is yet to come or will be... Thanks for listening."
CD $16


DMG OVERSTOCKED ITEMS:

DENMAN MARONEY - Double Zero: Hyperpiano (Porter Records 4063; USA) Featuring Denman Maroney on hyperpiano. Last month (in November of 2011) when Jeff Gauthier from the Cryptogramophone label was curating at The Store, I caught the great duo of Vinny Golia & Denman Marony play two sets on two different nights. Vinny played assorted reeds while Denman was playing inside the piano with selected objects. In between sets I had the opportunity to discuss at length with Mr. Maroney the development of his technique for working inside the piano with specific objects (mainly metals) that he has used for many years starting with a recording he made with the Negative Band of two Stochausen pieces while attending Cal Arts in the early seventies. I now have a better idea of how certain sounds are made with his unique 'hyperpiano' techniques. Maroney has recorded a number of duos (Mark Dresser, Mat Maneri, Earl Howard & Ned Rothenberg), but has also done solo recordings. This is the 2nd of his hyperpiano-titled recordings [the first was released on Monsey]. Although the basic sound of prepared piano is recognizable, Denman focuses in on certain ideas and then expands and explorers certain textures and sounds. The first piece sounds like ping pong balls being bounced on the strings or clock gears winding down slowly. Sometimes Denman will play bent melodies on the keyboard while rubbing the strings inside with certain metal objects. The overall sound is like a fractured fairy tale. Mr. Maroney explores a different themes or ideas on each piece, often nuance by nuance. In between eruptions of varying dissonant sounds, certain melodies or fragments of are strategically employed. All in all, Denman works like a scientist or a jeweler with precise attention to detail unearthing exotic gems a few at a time. Although it sounds as if he is exploring alien terrain, it still makes sense and reveals fascinating worlds within worlds. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD Sale $10


LP ONLY SECTION:

THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA FEAT. BACHIR ATTAR - Apocalypse Across The Sky (Zehra 002; Germany) “Zehra present a reissue of Apocalypse Across The Sky by The Master Musicians of Jajouka featuring Bachir Attar, originally released in 1992. Available on vinyl for the very first time. Produced by Bill Laswell, remastered for vinyl by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin. No matter if you consider the Master Musicians of Jajouka a "4,000 year-old rock n' roll band" (William S. Burroughs) or even "6,000 years old" (Ornette Coleman) -- without doubt, the music of the ensemble in all its incarnations over the centuries is deeply rooted in Sufi mysticism, paganism, and the cult of the goat-god Boujeloud. According to a myth, many centuries ago Boujeloud appeared to a shepherd called Attar, an ancestor of today's ensemble leader Bachir Attar, and till today every year at the end of Ramadan a fire in honor of the goat-god is ignited. This pagan root aside, the music performed in several hour long rituals on traditional instruments like tebel and tariyya (drums), ghaita (a woodwind instrument), lira (flute), and gimbri (stringed instrument) reveals hypnotic, trance-inducing qualities and is considered to have magical and healing properties. In the 1950s, Brion Gysin along with Paul Bowles were among the first westerners to witness such a ceremony, and it was Gysin who invited the Master Musicians of Jajouka to play in his restaurant in Tangier, and who later (in 1967) brought Brian Jones to the small village of Jajouka where the Rolling Stones guitarist recorded the ensemble for what became the first "world music album" and that raised interest in the Master Musicians of Jajouka in the western world. Since those days, a wide number of creative minds like William S. Burroughs, Ornette Coleman, Marc Ribot, Flea, Talvin Singh, or the Rolling Stones have worked with the Master Musicians of Jajouka who are now performing regularly outside Morocco. In 1991, iconic producer Bill Laswell also embarked on a trip to the small village of just 800 inhabitants in the Rif mountains to record the group for his Axiom label -- Apocalypse Across The Sky is, unlike other Laswell projects that bring together different cultures and genres, a pure document of the ensemble, raw and unpolished but exquisitely recorded, and ranks among the essential recordings according to the world music magazine Songlines. 180 gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve; includes download code.
2 LP Set $32

OCEAN ROAR 1000 DRUMS with TODD CAPP / BRYAN EUBANKS / ANDREW LAFKAS CATHERINE LAMB - Oceans Roar 1000 Drums (Sacred Realism 009; USA) Oceans Roar… consists of Todd Capp on drums & cymbals, Bryan Eubanks on soprano sax & electronics, Andrew Lafkas on double bass plus Catherine Lamb on secondary Rainbow synth. Drummer Todd Capp was a member of the Loft Jazz Underground in NYC of the late 1970’s. He recorded an album in 1978 under the name The Improvising Orchestra and seemed to have disappeared for for a couple of decades. In the late nineties he re-emerged and recorded with Daniel Carter, Jon Madof, Dave Ross, Steve Gauci and others. Over the past decade, Mr. Capp has been exploring some new sonic terrain with electronic & musicians not usually associated with the free/jazz scene: Bryan Eubanks, Kurt Ralske, Andrew Lafkas and New Music composer Catherine Lamb (recent discs on New World & Another Timbre). This is the second disc by this unit: Ocean Roar 1000 Drums with Ms. Lamb as a guest.
This album contains two long works, one around 15 and the other around 20 minutes. The music was recorded at Maple Studio by Mr. Ralske and has careful, well-balanced sound. The electronics are eerie, quietly resonating along with soft spinning cymbals, dreams drums, minimal bass sounds, laid back hums and drones. The music sounds as if it is floating in space, suspended from time or place. The soprano sax sounds as if it is drifting in the distance like a foghorn on a ship from far away. Certain sounds are spooky and hard to tell who is playing which instrument. Often mesmerizing. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $20

STEPHEN O'MALLEY - Auflosung der Zeit (Editions Mego 278; Austria) "Produced within the context of 'The Guidebook of Church Burners' publication release, this performance was recorded at visual arts institution LE BAL in Paris, May 4th 2018. Published by Païen in a limited edition, the book explores and transforms into an abstract narration the multiple facets of black metal iconography and history. Emerging from a dialogue between sound and image, the otherworldly piece created for that evening by Stephen O'Malley is a result of this collaboration." --Emilie Lauriola Cover photo by Elodie Lesourd, Charleroi 2017. Mix and mastered by Stephan Mathieu, Schwebung November 2019. Vinyl cut at Schnittstelle, Berlin December 2019.
LP $24

FLEETWOOD MAC - Gothenburg 1969 (London Calling LC2LPC 5052; UK) Fleetwood Mac, live from the Cue Club, Gothenburg, Sweden on November 2nd, 1969. Fleetwood Mac were one of Britain's biggest bands by late 1968. Their classic Then Play On album was released that September, and yielded the massive hit "Oh Well". Despite this success, they continued to gig relentlessly. This superb performance at the Cue Club, Gothenburg on November 2nd, 1969, broadcast on Sveriges Radio, Sweden, during a short Scandinavian tour, captures them at their peak on a variety of material spanning their career to date. The entire broadcast is presented here, digitally remastered, with background notes and images. First time on vinyl; three-sided, olive green vinyl; includes background liners and rare images; hand-numbered.
2 LP Set $38

RYAN POWER - Mind the Neighbors (Feeding Tube Records 519; USA) "Music doesn't have to be self-expression, but for Ryan Power that's the only way it can be. Every note, melody, turn of phrase, and point of view in Power's carefully-crafted songs is intravenously infused with his particular way of moving through the world. It's a curious, probing, never-satisfied mode; he's always searching for the perfect combination of chords, the most precise arrangement of words, the most complete capturing of a mood. As one song on his eighth album Mind the Neighbors puts it, his songs are 'dreams on the run' -- part of an exhilarating chase for elusive ideals. That chase leads to some wonderfully weird discoveries. On the wind-blown 'The Slime', sweetened tones inspire surreal visions: 'your feet are burning on thoughts of coal / slowly seeping through the walls of your soul.' Whitetail deer and tectonic shifts get equal footing in the breezy sway-rock of 'Spirit Animal', which takes place during 'pot therapy at brain camp'. And in the deliberate, meditative 'Breathe Deep John', a robot turns into a human but feels like a mirage: 'Everybody wants to see the monster,' Power hums. 'So everyone's out getting wrecked.' Those kinds of inimitable reflections put Power's personality all over the music on Mind the Neighbors. But these tunes are not without precedent: his own obsessions with Brazilian music -- particularly Bossa nova -- as well as jazz (a form in which he's trained) and folk all flutter through his songs, and you can hear some remnants of '60s French pop careening around as well. But Power's been at this for almost 20 years, and any echoes you might hear in Mind the Neighbors are merely intriguing footnotes to the autobiography his music continues to write with precision and, yeah, power. You don't want to miss this chapter." -- Marc Masters, 2020
LP $24

IJI - iji (Feeding Tube Records 512; USA) iji (pronounced "ee-hee") is songwriter Zach Burba's tenured, pop coalition. Bred in Phoenix and fully flowered in Seattle, iji has been touring the American underground for 14 years, releasing a countless number of beloved LPs and tapes and pressing pause only for Zach to join the roving swarms of friends like Mega Bog, Dear Nora, and Clyde Peterson, whose Torrey Pines film (2016) featured a live touring soundtrack by Zach and others. iji, their self-titled 11th release, is a crucial wander through a gummi jungle that thrums with living things. When it came time to record, iji live band alums Jake Jones (drums), Will Murdoch (bass), Evan Easthope (guitar), Tyler Martin (synths), Erin Birgy (vocals), and Jade Tcimpidis (vocals) lined up to help alongside a large number of friends, guests, and new collaborators including Zach's dad, David Burba (who plays harmonica on the opening track). Zach also recruited collaborators, James Krivchenia (Big Thief) and Erin Birgy (Mega Bog) to engineer and co-produce respectively, with eternal heroes like Arthur Russell, Laura Nyro, Peter Ivers, and Squeeze swimming in the clouds above. Although iji consistently slips from genre assignment, it has been an earnest pop experiment since its inception. The dancing procession of iji albums have reliably been about goofing, dreaming, love, and adventures through both inner- and outer-space, with lyrics and arrangements that sparkle with good-natured self-awareness. The theme of movement -- necessary, joyful, and dizzying -- zigs through the record, most notably with the minty-blue "Faster", and duet "In Motion", featuring vocals from fellow road dog Greta Kline (Franky Cosmos). Present, too, are the loss and loneliness that come with endless flux, whether it's in feeling alone-together in the social anxiety warble "Party's Turn", missing old kinship of absent pals ("Where Are You?"), accepting bewilderment at your own reflection ("I Don't Ever Wanna Go Back", "Lizard", "Much Oblige"), or even in singing a requiem for a favorite tape whose warped reels can't light the brain like they used to ("The Ultimate in Relaxation"). Other songs are stories told in harmony with these ideas; an artist's performative self wriggles out of being truly known in "Something to Say", we stop to gawk at the dude within ("Chewing"), and thumbs twirl in the sunny one-room cottage of "Salmon Ladder". The album's synaesthetic palette, pocked and splashed with noises, is a direct nod to iji's relationship with visual art. One of Zach's paintings appears on the cover and is, quite literally, a still-life of the music. Includes lyric sheet and download code; edition of 500.
LP $24

CARL OESTERHELT - Eleven Pieces for Synthesizer (Umor Rex 121; Mexico) “Umor Rex presents Eleven Pieces for Synthesizer, a collection of synth instrumentals by German composer Carl Oesterhelt. Oesterhelt has been recording a mixture of straddling kosmische and classical traditions for years on his own reel tape machine, overdubbing stacks of analog gear to create a compelling body of work that brings fresh emotional depth and rhythmic experimentation to the syntax of the modern synthesizer. Born in Munich in 1968, Carl Oesterhelt has worked in a variety of fields throughout a long and impressive career. His discography includes tenures with Neue Deutsche Welle legends FSK, intellectual disco outfit Merricks, and German legends The Notwist. His solo work has travelled even further and wider, taking in contemporary classical and chamber music, music for exhibitions and radio plays, not to mention notable collaborations with saxophonist Johannes Enders and legendary founding member of Faust, Hans Joachim Irmler. Oesterhelt augments his own analog arsenal with synthesizers borrowed from musician friends, resulting in almost fifteen different synthesizers -- some in fruitful states of disrepair -- which feature on the album. Opener "La Chapelle de Francis Lai" pays tribute to the French film composer with a synthesized church organ procession, disintegrating kraut-funk-noir which emerges on "Poro Secret Society". Then, eerie sound effects mash with minimal techno rhythms on "Makonde Pattern", and -- most surprisingly -- Oesterhelt turns his keys into a sub-Saharan drum ceremony on "Trinidad Pattern". The sheer range of Eleven Pieces for Synthesizer is an impressive achievement unto itself. Yet it is Oesterhelt's instincts as a composer which make these (largely improvised) recordings so compelling. Tensions build and emotions stir throughout each piece with a proficiency perfected through his work for the stage. Musically associates, and directly connected to a heritage of German electronics, Eleven Pieces for Synthesizer touches upon similar ground to the likes of Musik von Harmonia (1974) in its pulsations, Klaus Schulze's sonically adventurous Cyborg (1973), and Tangerine Dream at their earliest and most primitive. The hypnotic ritualism of early African field recordings, or the spiritual regality of European organ music also convey key reference points in the formulation of this collection. Oesterhe's compositions here have taken the musically primitive and the emotionally raw, and woven them into a rich synthetic sound world all of his own.”
LP $25

SOL OOSEL - En allegeance a l'inconnaissable - Une etude en choregraphie pour le flux d'energie (Umor Rex 122; Mexico) Sol Oosel presents an album with a complex mixture of tones and structures, striking a close relation between a sort of devotional music and a trancelike state. Beyond his own specific exploration of the possibilities of electronic modular synthesis, Sol Oosel searches for hacks in different states of consciousness by way of sound. En allégeance à l'inconnaissable - Une étude en chorégraphie pour le flux d'énergie is meant as a musical aid for visualizing the ability to dance with and manipulate attainable flows of energy. Largely produced using modular synthesizers and the Roland SH-09, Sol Oosel stretches beyond the fields of ambient music, adding a special sense of drama to this psychoactive journey. Each song is built around solid structures and infused with a mystical atmosphere. Harmonically, this album is close to Hans-Joachim Roedelius' early works; it is emotionally positive, informed by pop nuances that are rarely found in this type of ambient music. Sol Oosel also owes to the works of Klaus Schulze; however, while Schulze was concerned with space and made music of the unknown but conceivable cosmos in his mind, Sol Oosel is more interested in Earth and the force that weighs us down in this complex physical reality. His music speculates on the relationships between inner and outer worlds. En allégeance à l'inconnaissable... is a soundscape and a choreographic exercise for relaxation, intentionally disrupted by "Here (Au Bord De L'Univers)", a deconstructive piece covered in multiple layers of repetition, progressive beats, and kosmische pulsation which detours from the flow. In a way, it represents the bridge between all these cosmic and earthly energies. This is Sol Oosel's debut on Umor Rex. He previously self-released the album Janus, and was member of several bands and projects before focusing in Sol Oosel. He lives in the rural village of Tepoztlán, México, where he works as an artist, performer, sculptor, sonic landscaper, and dancer.
LP $25

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TZADIK CD SALE - MARCH, 2020:

The immense Tzadik label passed the number of 800 in releases last year! Most titles are still in print with just handful in between pressings. DMG still does the fulfillment for the label so whenever you order Tzadik discs through their website, it comes directly to us. There are 25 titles listed below, all single CD’s and hopefully still in stock at the warehouse. The warehouse recently moved so it takes a bit more time to get the titles back in stock. If you want to read any descriptions of these titles, you can see them on the DMG or Tzadik websites.

This sale will run until the end of this month, March of 2020. Please mention that you are ordering from the March-2020-Tzadik-CD-Sale so that you get your discount. Here’s the deal:

1 or 2 titles = $14 each (regular in-store price)

3 to 5 CD’s = $13 each

6 more CD’s = $12.50 each

DEREK BAILEY - Ballads (Tzadik 7607; USA)
CD $14

DEREK BAILEY - Pieces for Guitar (Tzadik 7080; USA)
CD $14

DEREK BAILEY - Carpal Tunnel (Tzadik 7612; USA)
CD $14

DEREK BAILEY / JAMAALADEEN TACUMA / CALVIN WESTON - Mirakle (Tzadik 7603; USA)
CD $14

DEREK BAILEY & THE RUINS [TATSUYA YOSHIDA/MASUDA RYUCIHI] - Saisoro (Tzadik 7205; USA)
CD $14

DEREK BAILEY - Standards (Tzadik 7620; USA)
CD $14

MARK FELDMAN - Music For Violin Alone (Tzadik 7006; USA)
CD $14

MARK FELDMAN / URI CAINE / GREG COHEN / JOEY BARON - Secrets (Tzadik 8130; USA)
CD $14

MARK FELDMAN / SYLVIE COURVOISIER - Oblivia (Tzadik 7633; USA)
CD $14

FRED FRITH With CARLA KIHLSTEDT / WU FEI / GINO ROBAIR / et al - Eye To Ear III [soundtracks] (Tzadik 7521; USA)
CD $14

FRED FRITH//ROVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET [BRUCE ACKLEY/STEVE ADAMS/LARRY OCHS/JON RASKIN] - Freedom in Fragments (Tzadik 7076; USA)
CD $14

FRED FRITH// PAOLO ANGELI / CLAUDIO LANTERI / FILOMENA FORLEONICOLA ZONCA / et al - Pacifica (Tzadik 7034; USA)
CD $14

FRED FRITH With BORIS DENKER/MICHAELA DIETL/TILMAN MULLER/CHRISTIAN KAYA/WILLY WEBSTER - Eye To Ear [soundtracks] (Tzadik 7503;USA)
CD $14

FRED FRITH - Clearing: Solo Guitar (Tzadik 7605; USA)
CD $14

FRED FRITH With GAIL BRAND/WU FEI/HEATHER HEISE/ANNE HEGE - Eye To Ear II [soundtracks] (Tzadik 7517; USA)
CD $14

FRED FRITH & EVELYN GLENNIE - The Sugar Factory (Tzadik 7623; USA)
CD $14

FRED FRITH// STEPHEN DRURY / JOAN JEANRENAUD / WILLIAM WINANT / et al - Back To Life (Tzadik 8045; USA)
CD $14

FRED FRITH - To Sail, To Sail: Solo Acoustic Guitar (Tzadik 7625; USA)
CD $14

MASSACRE [FRED FRITH / BILL LASWELL / CHARLES HAYWARD] - Love Me Tender: Live 1999 & 2008 (Tzadik 7642; USA)
CD $14

MASSACRE [FRED FRITH / BILL LASWELL / CHARLES HAYWARD] - Funny Valentine (Tzadik 7601; USA)
CD $14

MASSACRE [FRED FRITH / BILL LASWELL / CHARLES HAYWARD] - Meltdown (Festival 2001) (Tzadik 7606; USA)
CD $14

MASSACRE [FRED FRITH / BILL LASWELL / CHARLES HAYWARD] - Lonely Heart: Live In Paris & Denmark 2003 (Tzadik 7619; USA)
CD $14

TONY OXLEY With DEREK BAILEY - The Advocate (Tzadik 7618; USA)
CD $14

EVAN PARKER - Time Lapse (Tzadik 8026; USA)
CD $14

EVAN PARKER With JOHN RUSSELL / JOHN EDWARDS / ALEKS KOLKOWSKI - House Full Of Floors (Tzadik 7632; USA)
CD $14

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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for March, 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 - MILES OKAZAKI - MAR 3–7

3/6 Friday
8:30 pm - QUARTET - Miles Okazaki (guitar) Steve Cardenas (guitar) Kate Gentile (drums) Jerome Harris (bass)

3/7 Saturday
8:30 pm - Trickster - Miles Okazaki (guitar) Matt Mitchell (piano) Anthony Tidd (bass) Sean Rickman

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - LISA BIELAWA - MAR 10–14

3/10 Tuesday
8:30 pm - BLUEPRINTS I - Lisa Bielawa (voice) Gregory Purnhagan (voice)
This concert will have an opportunity for attendees to join in the performance. If you play an instrument, bring it!

3/11 Wednesday
8:30 pm - BLUEPRINTS II - Lisa Bielawa (voice) Jennifer Koh (violin) Molly Morkoski (piano)

3/12 Thursday
8:30 pm - BLUEPRINTS III - Lisa Bielawa (voice) Alex Sopp (flute) Mike Atkinson (horn) Molly Morkoski (piano)

3/13 Friday
8:30 pm - BLUEPRINTS IV - Lisa Bielawa (voice) Rebecca Fischer (violin) Oriana Hawley (viola, voice) Ilaria Hawley (flute) Anthony Hawley (found percussion)

3/14 Saturday
8:30 pm - BLUEPRINTS V—Lisa Bielawa with the Parhelion Trio - Lisa Bielawa (voice) Andrea Christie (piano) Sarah Carrier (flute) Ashleé Miller (clarinet)

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, March 6, 2020 - 8:00 PM 9:00 PM
DAVID LOPATO with Ruth Danon, Michael Bisio and Harvey Sorgen
“WORD HAS IT” a new collaborative piece with Poet RUTH DANON featuring:
RUTH DANON - spoken voice
DAVID LOPATO - piano, keyboards, percussion
MICHAEL BISIO - string bass
HARVEY SORGEN - drums

Saturday, March 7, 2020 - 8:00 PM 9:00 PM
THE DAVID LOPATO QUARTET
DAVID LOPATO - piano
JEREMY VINER - saxophones, clarinet
RATZO HARRIS - string bass
RUDY ROYSTON - 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 March 9th

7pm Aron Namenwirth – guitar
Daniel Carter – woodwinds
Zach Swanson – bass
Joe Hertenstein – guitar

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

9pm Aaron Edgecomb – drums
Lisa Hoppe – bass
Gaya Feldheim Schorr – voice
Santiago Leibson – keys

9:45pm Anders Nilsson – guitar/electronics
Jonathan Goldberger – guitar/electronics
Sam Ospovat – drums

10:45pm Jessie Cox – drums
Kyle Motl – bass
Roman Filiu – alto saxophone

11:30pm Alex Weiss – saxophone
Aaron Novik – clarinets
Yana Davydova – guitar
Dmitry Ishenko – bass
Joe Hertenstein – drums

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

​************

I-Beam Presents:

TIM BERNE'S SNAKE OIL - RECORD RELEASE SHOW!
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2020 - 8:00 PM 10:00 PM
Tim Berne - Saxophone
Oscar Noriega - Clarinets
Ches Smith - Drums
Matt Mitchell - Piano
Harry Covert - 6-string electric bass

FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2020 - 8:30 PM 9:30 PM
MARIUS DUBOULE QUINTET
Jacob Sacks - piano
Michaël Attias - alto sax
Billy Mintz - drums
Jeong Lim Yang - bass
Marius Duboule - guitar

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 - 8:00 PM 9:00 PM
CHOI / SACKS DUO
Yooni Choi - Voice
Jacob Sacks - Piano

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MARTY EHRLICH Upcoming CONCERT:

Tuesday, March 3, 8PM one set
for altos
Oscar Noriega, Ned Rothenberg,
Andy Laster , Marty Ehrlich - Alto Saxes
Seeds Brooklyn Performance Space ($15 donation )
617 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn | seedsbrooklyn .org

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WILLIAM HOOKER - "TOUCH: Soul and Service"
Sunday, March 15, 2020. 8:00 pm...doors -7 pm.
At Roulette in Brooklyn, NY

The Company -
Charlie Burnham – violin
Sarah Manning – alto sax
Germaul Barnes – dancer
David Soldier - violin
Mark Hennen – piano
On Ka'a Davis - guitar
Hans Tammen – synth
Phill Niblock – film
William Hooker – drums/direction

Roulette is located at
509 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Box office and telephone:(917) 267-0363

**********

NATE WOOLEY / LAUL PYTTON BRANDON LOPEZ / COREY SMYTHE!
Thursday, March 19th at 8pm (doors at 7:30)
At Michiko Studio 2
149 W 46th St floor 3, New York, NY 10036

Set 1 - Duo - NATE WOOLEY and LAUL PYTTON
Set 2 - Quartet - NATE WOOLEY / LAUL PYTTON / BRANDON LOPEZ / COREY SMYTHE

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CELEBRATING WOMEN COMPOSERS!

Friday, March 20, 2020 - 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Amanda Monaco's Deathblow
Amanda Monaco, composer/guitarist
Michael Attias, alto saxophone
Sean Conly, bass
Jeff Davis, drums

Cheryl Pyle's
Musique Libre Femmes
Cheryl Pyle,
composer/C & alto flute
Claire de Brunner, bassoon
Roberta Piket, piano

Stephanie Griffin's Ensemble
Stephanie Griffin, composer/violist
Gordon Beeferman, piano
Hilliard Greene, bass
Jake Charkey, cello
Lee Odom, clarinet

Three short sets, Q & A after concert
Metro Baptist Church
410 West 40th Street
(between 9th & 10th Ave.), NYC