DMG Newsletter for October 9th, 2020: In Far Place, Many Light Years in Space...

“Enlightenment” by Sun Ra

The Sound of Joy is Enlightenment
Space, Fire, Truth is Enlightenment
Space Fire, sometimes it's Music
Strange Mathematics
Rhythmic Equations
The Sound of Thought is Enlightenment
The Magic Light of Tomorrow
Backwards are those of Sadness
Forward and Onward are those of Gladness
Enlightenment is my Tomorrow
It has no planes of sorrow
Hereby, my Invitation
I do invite you be of my Space World
This Song is Sound of Enlightenment
The Fiery Truth of Enlightenment
Vibrations come from the Space World
Is of the Cosmic Starry Dimension
Enlightenment is my Tomorrow
It has no planes of Sorrow
Hereby, our Invitation
We do invite you to be of our Space World

1973 was the first time I caught the Sun Ra Arkestra live at the Five Spot when it was located on St. Marks Place. We were at a front table and the trumpet section (3 pieces) came over during the set and sat at our table, playing into our astonished faces, one trumpeter for each of my friends. It was baptism by fire! I’ve been a Sun Ra fanatic ever since, checking the Arkestra out dozens of times live (they still exist & play live today!) and collecting their 200 recordings, films, books & t-shirts. After experiencing the Sun Ra Arkestra live throughout the seventies, I did believe that Mr. Ra was from the planet Saturn. Each of his concerts would bring us to another world, another place much better than the world we are still living in. His many recordings still inspire myself and Sun Ra fans around the world, which is pretty phenomenal considering that the earliest Arkestra recordings are from the mid-fifties!?! Further below in this newsletter we are offering five rare CD titles, all of which are limited and not so easy to find. Check your collections to make sure you own them all. This newsletter ends with a long list that I compiled earlier this week of some 200 Sun Ra titles: LP’s, CD’s, singles, books & films. Whenever a musician or serious listener compliments me for one of my reviews, this is what I tell them, it is a line I learned from Sun Ra, “Give some credit where credit is due or the same thing will happen to you!” Sun Ra’s intergalactic spaceship is about to take off again so get on down and take a journey to the stars! Who loves you all?!? We do, your friends at DMG!

Sun Ra Chant:
Don’t give me that jive jack
Slip it in your pocket ’til we get back
I’m running out to space, just as fact as I can
And I ain’t got time to shake your hand!
(clap your hands, jump up, turn sideways & start again & again)

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THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER BEGINS WITH THIS ALL-STAR DOWNTOWN QUINTET ITEM:

KRISTO RODZEVSKI with MARY HALVORSON / BILL LASWELL / IKUE MORI / TOMAS FUJIWARA - Hubris (MOD Reloaded 102; USA) HUBRIS is the fourth album from the New York based songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Kristo Rodzevski. The album is a natural continuation from his previous free jazz/pop infused work, but includes a more hard-edged, rock sound. Rodzevski works with his usual troupe of notable musicians from New York’s avant and experimental music scene. His abrasive guitar chords provide an ominous foundation over which vulnerable vocals and deeply personal lyrics are intertwined with the scintillating, architectural electronics of Ikue Mori (DNA, Phantom Orchard), the forward driving drums of Tomas Fujiwara (Thumbscrew, Triple Double), the phantasmagorical sound of Mary Halvorson (Code Girl & much more), and the grounding, iconoclastic bass of Bill Laswell. Richly produced to craft a singular landscape of sound by Laswell, it achieves a blended and layered effect while still allowing the songs space to breathe. Acerbic and provocative, HUBRIS is a sonic mural, a turning, folding chimera with themes of distorted intimacy, unconscious fantasy, mortality, loss, and the realities of the immigrant experience. This is life in its unflinching wholeness - messy, sad, exuberant, and joyous.”
CD $15

DON CHERRY with NANA VASCONCELOS / GIAN PIERO PRAMAGGIORE / MOKI CHERRY - Om Shanti Om (Black Sweat Records 058; Italy) “An amazing document of the life experiment that was the Organic Music Society. This super quality audio, recorded by RAI (the Italian public broadcasting company) in 1976 for television, documents a quartet concert focused on vocals compositions and improvisations. Here, Don Cherry and his family-community's musical belief emerges in its simplicity, with the desire to merge the knowledge and stimuli gained during numerous travels across the World in a single sound experience. Don's pocket-trumpet is melted with the beats of the great Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, the Italian guitar of Gian Piero Pramaggiore, and the tanpura drone of Moki. A pure hippie aesthetic, like in an intimate ceremony, filters a magical encounter between Eastern and Western civilizations, offering different suggestions of sound mysticism: natural acoustics in which individual instruments and voices are part of a wider pan-tribal consciousness. A desert Western landscape marries Asian and Latin atmospheres. Indigenous contributions with berimbau explorations find fossil sounds of rattles and clap-hands invocations. Influences of Indian mantra singing are combined with eternal African voices or with folkish-Latin guitar rhythms, while flute and drums evoke distant dances. In the Organic Music everything becomes an act of devotion and love, an ecstatic dwell in the dimension of a sacred free-rejoice.
CD $19

HORACE TAPSCOTT and The PAN AFRIKAN’S PEOPLES ARKESTRA with ADELE SEBASTIAN / JESSE SHARPS / GARY BIAS / RED CALLENDER / LINDA HILL / et al - Ancestral Echoes: The Covina Sessions, 1976 (Dark Tree 13; France) Previously unissued studio sessions from 1976 with the Arkestra. A major addition to Horace Tapscott's catalog. Horace Tapscott with the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra "Ancestral Echoes - The Covina Sessions, 1976" Featuring: Horace Tapscott - conductor, pianist, Jesse Sharps - soprano saxophone, Gary Bias & Michael Session - alto saxes, Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, James Andrews - tenor sax, Charles Chandler - tenor sax, Amos Delone - baritone sax, Aubrey Hart & Adele Sebastian - flutes, Steven Smith - trumpet, Lester Robertson- trombone, Wendell C. Williams, French horn, Red Callender, tuba, Linda Hill - piano, David Bryant & Marcus McLaurine - basses and Ricky Simmons, Ishmael Balaka & Moises Obligacion - drums & congas and Kamau Daaood - poet. Plus other participants, possibly, 22-25 musicians collectively.
In the post World War II era, dozens of young African Americans in South Central Los Angeles found their way to careers in music. In a community facing challenging social conditions and with little to no outside support, they would become artists, supported by the best that their community and culture had to offer, from neighborhood and family to schools and churches, private teachers, formal and informal spaces and institutions, and more than a few unsung heroes.
The “Eternal Egypt Suite” is 27 & 1/2 minutes long and it covers alot of ground. Large ensemble spiritual jazz to a long section of some chilling solo piano into double themes Sun Ra-esque, an incredible, long & inventive trumpet solo (Steven Smith), smokin’ sax solos! This reminds me of the Brotherhood of Breath, South Africa/British Large Ensemble from the early seventies. I have only heard this one long piece here, hence if you dig cosmic, spiritual jazz then this disc will help you to get enriched! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

The below CD is a reissue of a super-limited edition disc (50 copies?) that we got in several months ago and which sold out within an hour of its appearance in the DMG Newsletter. All 25 of you that previously ordered copies of this gem will now get yours…

JOOKLO TRIO with VIRGINIA GENTA / BRANDON LOPEZ / DAVID VANZEN - It Is What It Is (Relative Pitch 1119; USA) “This release captures what is sure to become a legendary coupling. Genta and her long-time-partner-in-crime David Vanzan plus one Brandon Lopez, all amass under the moniker Jooklo Trio. As you can imagine the meeting plays out like a stellar collision, their sonic masses caught in an accelerating spiral and merged in a blast of power and intensity. Amplification, feedback, and distortion play a big part here, adding oxygen to the fire and making it roar with a white-hot blast furnace of free-jazz-punk energy. Lopez's sledgehammer bass playing is saturated in fuzz, and made all the more crushing by Vanzan's energetic avalanche of percussion. Genta's amplified tenor and sopranino saxophones light up their suffocating murk like rooster tails of sparks flying off the grinding wheel.... Lopez fits right in with the duo, and you can hear him and Genta throttling with the surges of percussion. "Smile of Insanity" might be the harshest piece on the album, with Genta peeling the paint off the walls in an almost unbroken narrative of respiratory aggression. On the fantastically titled "Trash Over Rice" the bass throbs within a web of death metal percussion. The din is punctuated with ecstatic banshee howling. The final track, "Shitty Kid" is manic with an incomprehensible energy given the intensity of the preceding tracks. Genta blows piercing serpentine lines in ceaseless variations, beckoning the cosmos with her purifying fire. Epic.” Nick Metzger - Free Jazz Blog
CD $14

TWO GREAT NEW DISCS From The PLAYSCAPE LABEL:

MICHAEL MUSILLAMI / PETER MADSEN - Pictures (Playscape 090519; USA) Featuring Michael Musillami on guitar and Peter Madsen on piano. Both Michael Musillami and Peter Madsen are longtime leaders of several bands and they have been working together for many years, releasing their first duo record in 2002 (‘Part Pitbull’ on Playscape). Both have also worked the late, great saxist Thomas Chapin. Both of these men are what jazz journalist would call ‘monster musicians’, players with amazing facility, craft and spirit. When this disc showed up here last month, I played it several times, thinking that they’ve done it again, come up with another treasure.
The music on this disc was inspired by Modest Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’, which was inspired by the paintings of the artwork of Viktor Hartmann. This disc consists of a long suite of pieces, ten “Promenades” (based on Mussorsky’s ‘Pictures’ pieces) and nine improvised pieces, each one inspired by various music heroes of the duo: Cecil Taylor, Carla Bley, John Abercrombie, Thelonious Monk, Joe Diorio, Jim Hall, Randy Weston and Dave Brubeck. The ‘Promenades’ are relatively short, not more than 1 & 1/2 minutes. The tribute pieces are longer and consistently compelling. Right from the opening ‘Promenade One’, the sound here is something else, superb, warm, perfectly balanced, an extraordinary duo. This goes right into a tribute to the recently deceased piano giant Cecil Taylor, and like Mr. Taylor, the density of playing and ideas expands exponentially. The last time I heard Mussorgsky work, “Pictures at an Exhibition”, it was when I heard the version by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the great progressive trio from around 1970, fifty years ago. I recall some of the themes that they played here, perhaps not as bombastic. Since both Musillami and Madsen are mature master musicians, they take their time to explore each’s playing and ideas. There is an incredible web of lines flowing here, back and forth, everything seems to be connected on different levels. Although many of these pieces are improvised, they don’t sound like they are, there is such close communion between these two musicians that their combined sound is like one magical force, united at the roots and then becoming a plant or flower, animal, bird or insect. My favorite piece here is the one inspired by Monk. It does sound like Monkish, yet it takes off into other worlds populated by the brethren or children of Mr. Monk. In many ways, this is a perfect disc, it combines all of the ingredients that makes great music so inspiring. Not too marvelous for words but just marvelous enough for us mortals. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

JASON ROBINSON with JOSHUA WHITE / DREW GRESS / CHES SMITH - Harmonic Constituent (Playscape 081119; USA) Ever since checking out a quartet called Cosmologic on record and live at Guelph, I have been a big fan. Cosmologic came together at UC in San Diego and made four great discs but that was a while back between 2000 & 2004. Ever since then, I’ve had my eye & ear on each of the four members: Jason Robinson, Michael Dessen, Scott walton & Nathan Hubbard, all continue to lead other fine units. Their saxist, Jason Robinson, had around a dozen discs out as a leader starting in 1998, each one well worth checking out. Since earlier this year, we’ve gotten in three more promos of other discs that Mr. Robinson is involved with: a duo with Eric Hofbauer, a trio with Bruno Raberg & Bob Weiner and now a quartet, each one showing very different sides to what Mr. Robinson has to offer.
We just got in Mr. Robinson’s new quartet disc and it features: Jason Robinson on tenor & soprano saxes & alto flute, Joshua White on piano, Drew Gress on contrabass and Ches Smith on drumset & glockenspiel. The music on this disc was inspired by the coastline of Mendocino County in northern California, a magical place for Mr. Robinson that has inspired him since he was a child. The title track is first and it is the longest on this disc and a most ambitious effort. The opening theme has a most majestic sound and is followed by some strong, Trane-like, probing tenor sax fronted sound. The pianist here, Joshua White, is also a member of the current Mark Dresser Sextet, so I assume he is also living in the San Diego area where Mr. Dresser has been teaching for many years. Mr. White is also an extraordinary pianist and has that marvelous, model-sounding, McCoy Tyner-like approach. There are four shorter interludes here called, “Phase 1 & 2” and “Shear 1 & 2”, which bridge the more expressive longer pieces in between. “Seventh Wave” has one of the tight, twisted, quirky, quick-changing spirals which are demanding to play. At some 78 minutes, there is way too much great music here to comment on. I will say this, the more I hear and the more closely I listen, the more challenging composing and playing I hear within this large body of work. If you are a serious-music devotee or just a proghead like yours truly, then jump into these deep waters and marvel at what we have here: a masterwork. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

ROBERT ASHLEY with JOAN LA BARBARA / TOM HAMILTON / THOMAS BUCKNER / AMY X NEUBERG / JACQUELINE HUMBERT / et al - Foreign Experiences (Lovely Music 5003; USA) This new release from Lovely Music features Robert Ashley's famous ensemble, the "band" who interpreted his work for 20 years, from 1992 through 2012. They included Sam Ashley, Thomas Buckner, Marghreta Cordero, Tom Hamilton, Jacqueline Humbert, Joan La Barbara, and Amy X Neuburg. This recording was made at the Hebbel Theater, Berlin on May 12, 1995. The opera was also heard live at the Festival d'Avignon, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Musica Strasbourg, and Site Santa Fe. Foreign Experiences is one of the opera tetralogy that Ashley wrote in the early 1990s, following Perfect Lives (LCD 4917CD/LDVD 4917DVD) and Atalanta (Act of God) (LCD 3301CD, LCD 3303CD). He would give it the overall title (also the name of one of the component operas) Now Eleanor's Idea. These four operas would follow the stories of some of the characters who populated Perfect Lives a decade earlier. We met Don last year when Lovely Music released a CD of a new Ashley "band" performing Improvement (Don Leaves Linda) (LCD 5002CD) at the Kitchen, New York. In Foreign Experiences "Don gets a job at a small college in the southwest. Once there, against all expectations, everything goes wrong. He loses his family and friends, he loses his car, he fears that he will lose his mind." He comes to believe that he has been given a mission, to learn about premonitions and he embarks on a journey to find the wise man who will give him priceless information. Linda thinks he plan is foolish; Don thinks he has no choice. But is the opera really "about" Don and Linda? "Opera likes to simplify and enlarge its characters to make them fit grand themes. Mr. Ashley goes in the opposite direction and arrives at the cosmos just as easily. Mundane chitchat about good eating habits or car repair turns to metaphysics, ontology, epistemology, not to mention psychiatry, before we know it." -- Bernard Holland, The New York Times (November 21, 1994) The live recording was made by Tom Hamilton and Cas Boumans, and this release has been edited mixed by Tom Hamilton. A slipcase includes a jewel case with a four-page folder, and a 96-page booklet of the full libretto.”
CD $17

MARKUS REUTER // MANNHEIMER SCHLAGWERK - Sun Trance (MoonJune 104; USA) Composed by Markus Reuter and featuring Mannheimer Schlagwerk, a large percussion ensemble from the University of Performing Arts in Mannheim, Germany with Mr. Rueter as the featured soloist on electric guitar. Each of the five discs from Touch guitarist, Markus Reuter, which have been released in the last few months, has different personnel and a different approach. From a duo to a couple of trios to a solid sextet to this medium-sized electric orchestral unit, Mr. Reuter’s music continues to evolve. Mannheimer Schlagwerk are a ten-piece ensemble with vibes, glockenspiel, shakers plus bass clarinet, electric bass & guitar, synth & drums.
“Sun Trance” starts with slow, somber, drone-like repeating patterns for the vibes and glockenspiels. The piece builds, adding another instrument at a time: bass clarinet, gitar, bass, synth & percussion. This piece unfolds in a way that it is more about the vibe it creates and builds to a modest conclusion. In some ways, it reminds me of “Tubular Bells”, not as grandiose but still as enchanting. I love the way the vibes players and glockenspiel players create a somber, dream-like drone together while the synth simmers underneath. There is a later section here that sounds like Robert Fripp in his Fripp & Eno-like tone days playing along with a calm, majestic chamber percussion orchestra which I really love. It appears that each of the five recent discs by Markus Reuter have something special going on. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

MORE GREAT DISCS From MARCHER ARCHER’S DISCUS LABEL:

DAS RAD with MARTIN ARCHER / NICK ROBINSON / STEVE DINSDALE - Adios Al Futuro (Discus 94; UK) Let’s open simply with: wow. Rarely am I rendered speechless by a recording, but when those moments occur, it's pure heavenly euphoria. This, the second Das Rad joint, isn’t your father’s prog-fueled space truckin’ by any stretch of the imagination. Hell, to just blithely brandish the trio’s music with the dusty sobriquet ‘prog’ does it an extraordinary injustice; it’s necessary to fully ingest this steadfastedly progressive music, one that encompasses the many shadings and layers summoned in that phrase. “Fusion” works here too, in as much as the trio effortlessly, cleverly, and brilliantly foment works that walk in the footsteps of the pioneering legends of the 70s while making their own profound mark. It’s high time the world caught up with the three chaps who comprise Das Rad: Discus labelhead, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Martin Archer, drummer/percussionist Steve Dinsdale, and guitarist Nick Robinson (all three double up on electronics as well). This is a group who know their musical history and drinks deep of that musical history but chooses not to maximize or exploit the very clichés of that musical history. What percolates throughout is triumphant, strident in the extreme, even caustic at moments, but possessed of singular invention and determination, its influences mere residue, echoes, callback. As syrupy strains of mellotron peek out from the opening minutes of “Inside Reverse”, Archer’s sax effects a splatterfest of fallout settling upon the synthetic, radioactive terrain; when Robinson’s guitars and Dinsdale's probing cymbals arrive they cut across the acrid electronic tones with scythe-like ferocity. Ghosts of the past rear their ectoplasmic heads while the music proceeds apace: Archer refracts glimmers of Mel Collins navigating the most scintillating King Crimson sides; Dinsdale channels synth and sequencer miasmas rescued from Dreams Tangerine in color and drumbeats timed to psychedelic prayers inside Ash Ra Tempels; Robinson works a mojo of Fripp/Pinhas intensity, with shout-outs to McLaughlin, Gottsching, even Makoto Kawabata. Electronics don’t act as mere coloration, either; they’re integral to shaping and expanding the huge canvas on which the trio operates, despite the intense torture all three players visit upon their respective acoustics. It all makes for a head-spinning, confrontational, galvanizing experience, made all the more apparent once you glance inside the gatefold sleeve at the illustrations of the world’s notorious Un-fab Four of Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, and Donald Trump. Basically, Das Rad ain’t foolin’ around: takin’ no priz’nas on their Kubrickian trip, a far-out space odyssey energized by post-millennial tensions, and, politics aside, this is a record for the times, the endtimes, and the ages. Ears be blown here, folks. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

HERVE PEREZ / ALEX HEGYESI - Garden of Secrets (Discus 97/NT003; UK) If there is a fundamental observation that can be made about any Discus release, it’s that every one is difficult if not impossible to pigeonhole, and that is why the label remains one of the most important of its kind today. Reeds player, sound designer, and multi-instrumentalist Hervé Perez, along with label-head Martin Archer, enjoys the same eclectic, uncategorizable standing within the label’s remit, a player adept at reapplying ‘jazz’-inflected stylings within broader contexts of laptop and electronic sound design. Perez is paired on this consistently fascinating and always surprising recording alongside the acutely simpatico Alex Hegyesi, a skilled strings player and percussionist armed with a virtual arsenal of such objects (including dulcimer, gulsa, bavarian zither, harp, and psaltery, plus chimes, shaman drum, rosewood claves and the like) which the duo deflect off one another in ways you would least expect. The meeting of cultures that abounds throughout is unplaceable, to say the least; Perez and Hegyesi essentially ignite a hybridization courting “world” and “jazz” musics without fully engaging the stark definitions of either genre, simultaneously nursing an experimentalist touch that renders the entire affair slightly askew. All sixteen tracks are remarkable in their brevity, the duo exhibiting a well-honed sense of editorial skill that renders each piece’s ideas abundant with flair and imagination. “Like Milk and Water” is one of the few tracks (along with the opening “Abandoning of Sorrow”) that features fairly energetic percussion; it’s a two-plus minute workout of Persian dervish, contemporary British saxophone endeavor, and trippy forward thrust, underpinned by Perez’s subtle though effective electronic reverberations. Surely one of the highlights is the over nine-minute ceremonial discourse that is “Shaman’s Dream”, a cornucopia of percussive delights populated by objects flecked, tickled, vibrated, and massaged, suggesting multi-colored worlds at once recognizable and alien, charming and sinister, beckoning and forbidding. All these rich mindstates vividly demonstrate that Garden of Secrets ticks all the right boxes; experimental and accessible, beautifully tasteful to the ear, and eminently listenable. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

MPH with ALEX MAGUIRE / MARTIN PYNE / MARK HEWINS - Taxonomies (Discus 87; UK) Taxonomy is defined as "the branch of science concerned with classification, especially of organisms”. It’s not readily apparent why the trio of Alex Maguire, Martin Pyne, and Mark Hewins chose the plural of that word as their album title, since the music blossoming out of the speakers does its very best to defy easy categorization, classification, or otherwise. Perhaps a better way of looking at this recording is that its creators sculpt it from basic genre materials but then allow those materials to mutate, née reshape, themselves into wholly new sonic organisms. Couldn’t imagine three better performers suited for the task. Maguire attacks piano and Hammond organ with a joie de vivre not unlike fellow keystroker Chris Abrahams; both players warp and wrap their hands around their instruments with a facility that defies imagination, human sequencers that raise repetition and endurance to a fine art. The vibraphone’s rich history isn’t lost on percussionist Pyne, whose objects become transmogrified by electronics as well as whirlwind handstruck force, but he wrestles his chimes away from the legacies wrought by Mssrs. Burton, Jackson, or Dickerson; on this kaleidoscopic soundstage, his contributions lunge instead of lounge, well in evidence during the diverse and episodic “False Jasmine”. Hewins remains one of the great unsung guitar reinventors in modern music, inverting/subverting the guitar outside contexts little contemplated post-Rowe and post-Holdsworth. His style can sound instantly accessible one minute (check out the piquant yet steely chords writhing about “Psychedelic Frogfish”) then descend into veritable abyssal depths of quark strangeness and charm the next (as on the polyglot phrasings of “Purple Loosestrife”). Despite the complexities of their individual component parts, Taxonomies is truly a group effort, all three musicians inhabiting realms usually plumbed by cosmonauts of a Sun Ra stripe. And on these ten quirky, endlessly fascinating explorations of rhythm and noise, genres dissolve into the ether, forever traveling the spaceways.  - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

CHRIS MELOCHE / MARTIN ARCHER / GINO ROBAIR / LYNN HODNETT - The Sincerity Of Light (Discus 68; UK) Dynamite, nigh-on indescribable soundscapes by the eclectic quartet of Chris Meloche, Martin Archer, Gino Robair, and Lynn Hodnett. Meloche’s tenure on the Canadian electronica fringe goes way back to the mid 80s; he subsequently released full-length works of minimal environmental experiments on Pete Namlook’s late lamented Fax label and California’s Silent imprint, distinguishing himself further through his tenure in the Outward Sound Ensemble. Martin Archer’s talent for aligning himself with musicians of an equally diverse caliber borders on the uncanny; whether solo, as a group member, or in any of a dozen additional configurations, the Discus founder and director has eked out his own singular niche amongst new music subsets. Gino Robair’s surely no stranger to regular DMG consumers; his keen presence has been felt in more groups, configurations, and collectives than one could quickly compile, scattered across numerous labels like Emanem, Meniscus, 482 Music, Creative Sources, and his own long-established Rastascan imprint. Lynn Hodnett’s ephemeral vocal tinctures lend an organic feel to the often-enigmatic goings-on, her inflections another prickly grain in the sands of this unique machinery. Musically, the quartet inhabit a space that aligns with many an experimentally-minded outfit; sonic will o’the wisps such as Nurse With Wound and Noise-Maker’s Fifes are solid reference points, as the four weave improvisatory spells around the listener and each other, though their utilization of horns and Robair’s physical if wayward peripheral objects serve to ground the group’s myriad aural collages. It’s all pretty thought-provoking stuff, nevertheless: crawling-eye tronix, insectile percussive nesting, stray woodwind warble. eerie eventides, and a gathering of additionally mysterious awry sonics all make for a recording unbridled in its freedom of expression. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

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THE SUN RA SECTION:

“I’ll Wait for You” by Sun Ra
From ’Strange Celestial Road’

In some far off place
Many light years in space
I'll wait for you
I'll wait for you

Where human feet have never trod
Where human eyes have never seen
I'll build a world of abstract dreams
And wait for you
I'll wait for you

In tomorrow's realm
We'll take the helm of a new ship
Like the lash of a whip
We'll start on the way
And safely journey
To a new shore

FIVE FABULOUS, COSMOLOGIC, HELIOCENTRIC, INTER-GALACTIC, SPACE-AGE Compact Discs from The Late Ambassador to SATURN: MR. SUN RA & His ARKESTRA!

SUN RA with JOHN GILMORE / MARSHALL ALLEN / DANNY DAVIS / PAT PATRICK / DANNY RAY THOMPSON / CHARLES STEPHENS / AKH TAL EBAH / KWAME HADI / ELOE OMOE / RONNIE BOYKINS/ TOMMY HUNTER / ATAKATUNE / ODUN / CHIEA - Astro Black (Modern Harmonic 080; USA) In the mid-seventies when I first started collecting Sun Ra albums, I bought each of more than a dozen albums on the Impulse! and ESP labels, since there were so many cut-out copies around at $1.99 each!?! I savored each and every one of those albums and still do. Most of the Impulse! albums were reissues of the rare Saturn albums which were self-produced and released in short runs, mostly sold at Sun Ra concerts. There were only two Impulse titles that were not reissues and newly made in a better studio for the label. Those two titles were ‘Astro Black’ and ’Space is the Place’ (not the soundtrack version). Both of those albums were favorites of mine as well as many other Sun Ra fans that I talked with. When the Evidence label reissued some 20 Sun Ra albums on CD, these two were not reissued for some reason. ’Space is the Place’ was finally reissued many years later and finally ‘Astro Black’ was released just 2 years ago in 2018. Rejoice Fellow Earthlings!
‘Astro Black’ captured what I love most about the Sun Ra Arkestra, it puts you on the spaceship bound for Saturn and takes you on a long cosmic journey. Acoustic bassist, Ronnie Boykins, sets up the ongoing, repeating groove here while Mr. Ra adds sly, eerie synth all over. While Mr. Boykins bows up a storm down below, the synth and various horns erupt above. Scary stuff! On the side-long piece, “The Cosmo-Fire”, the Arkestra’s legendary sax / horn section really gets a chance to stretch out. Both John Gilmore, who is said to have invented the multiphonic sax sounds that also inspired John Coltrane in the late fifties and Marshall Allen who also helped to develop those mindblowing sax sounds, truly shine here! Marshall Allen, who is currently 96 years young, still leads the Sun Ra Arkestra ands still plays alto sax unlike any other humans on this planet. Hail to the Almighty Sun Ra Arkestra! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

SUN RA and His INTERGALACTIC RESEARCH ARKESTRA - Planets of Life or Death - Amiens ’73 (Strut 123; Germany) Sun Ra and his Arkestra had just completed a residency at the legendary Gibus in Paris in October before traveling to Amiens for a visceral Sunday afternoon concert. "Sun Ra's use of the Arkestra as his instrument in an onslaught of sound, colour and movement stimulated and even shocked the senses and the shakras of audience participants onto a higher plane of spirit consciousness," explains the Arkestra's Knoel Scott. The session kicks off with the theatrical overture, 'Enlightenment' as Sun Ra and vocalist June Tyson invite the audience to "be of our space world." Ra then moves into a rare instrumental version of 'Love In Outer Space,' transforming the perennial Arkestra classic into a raw, ritualistic experience. That follows with the glistening 'Lights On A Satellite' led by the spiritual tenor sax of John Gilmore. Closing track, the epic, chaotic, anxious 'Discipline 27-II / What Planet Is This' features Sun Ra and June Tyson take a thinly veiled psychedelic swipe at life on earth: "If this is a planet of life, why do people die here?"
‘Planets Of Life Or Death’ follows 2014's landmark compilation presented by Marshall Allen, ‘In the Orbit Of Ra’. Recorded October 21st, 1973 at the Maison de la Culture in Amiens, France. Featuring Sun Ra - electric & Mini-Moog, Akt Tal Ebah & Kwame Hadi on trumpets, Marshall Allen, Danny Davis, John Gilmore, Danny Ray Thompson, James Jacson & Eloe Omoe on reeds, Brother Ahh on French horn, Also Wright on cello, Ronnie Boykin on bass, Thomas Hunter, Roger Aralamon Hazoume, Shahib Odun, Math Samba on drums & percussion plus June Tyson & Ruth Wright - Space Ethnic vocals.
This performance features a large 21 piece Arkestra with musicians, singers and dancers. The alluring central sound of this ensemble is a jubilant, space-gospel, churning chorus of heartwarming singers. The Arkestra is playing before a large crowd and they are up for the challenge. The vibe is electric and enchanting. Mr. Ra is playing one of them funky electric keyboards, the groove is beyond funky, making us all want to get up and dance. “Love in Outer Space” has a greasy, superhip groove that would make Fela smile. Besides Ra’s funky keys, there are layers of equally funky, interlocking percussion from many of the Arkestra members. While the sea of percussion erupts, some incredible solos takes place: fire-breathing trumpet solo that only a Sun Ra Ark member could pull off. For “Lights on a Satellite”, Mr. Ra creates a oddly compelling mass of twisted yet slyly arranged multi-horn harmonies. One of my favorite Sun Ra songs is “Discipline 27” and on this disc we get a side long (17 minute) version. Beginning with another of those long brain-frying Sun Ra synth freak-outs (police sirens!?!) until eventually other players join in. The second part of this piece is called, “What Planet is This?” and it has some disturbing singing, chanting of “If this is a planet of Life, why are the people dying?” Hmmmm. Something to think about. This is one of the best, most memorable live Sun Ra Arkestra treasures. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

SUN RA with JOHN GILMORE / MARSHALL ALLEN / DANNY DAVIS / KWAME HADI / ELOE OMOE / CLIFFORD JARVIS / ATAKATUNE / et al - Crystal Spears (Modern Harmonic MHCD-082; USA) Another unreleased studio effort recorded in September of 1973 for Impulse but never issued. When Sun Ra signed with the Impulse! label in the early seventies, the label released a dozen or so rare Saturn reissues (which were poorly distributed & in small quantities) plus eight albums worth of new material. Only two were released at the time before the new exects (at the ABC) pulled the plug of the series. ‘Crystal Spears’ was one of those unreleased dates until 2018, more than forty years later. Listening to it now all I can say is “wow!” The title track, “Crystal Spears” starts off with some mind-blowing solo synth, which is soon joined by ritualistic percussion and a double reed (oboe?) of some sort. On “The Eternal Sphyx”, Mr. Ra weaves his organ with a hypnotic waves of horns. “The Embassy of the Living God” features several layers of intense, mutant, bent-note reeds, one of the more distinctive sounds that the Sun Ra Arkestra often embraces. The highlight here is the side-long work, “Sunrise in the Western Sky”, which is more the 20 minutes long. Sun Ra’s eerie electric keyboard simmering underneath various reeds, which erupt one at a time (usually), twisting their notes inside-out carefully. Different horn players, like John Gilmore on tenor, gets his chance to stretch out and take a long distinctive, inspired solo. Along with my personal fave from this same time, ‘Astro Black’, ‘Crystal Spears’ is another cosmic gem from Saturnian prophets. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

SUN RA with JUNE TYSON / JOHN GILMORE / MARSHALL ALLEN / DANNY RAY THOMPSON / JAMES JACSON / TYRONE HILL / WALTER MILLER / VINCENT CHANCEY / HAYES BURNETT / AKATUNE / SAMARAI CELESTIAL - Celestial Love (Modern Harmonic 218; USA) This is an unreleased studio session recorded in September of 1982. This is a more subdued, cerebral session Sun Ra on organ, electric & acoustic piano and some simmering solos from various horn players. June Tyson sings on a few standards like “Sometimes I’m Happy” and “Smile” and sounds mighty fine. What makes this date so good is the way Sun Ra arranges these songs, his harmonies for the horns most endearing. “Interstellarism” has several layers of swirling horn with short enticing solos weaving their way through. In particularly fine form is tenor sax giant, John Gilmore, with that dark, probing, Trane-like tone. There are a couple of standards here, two by Duke Ellington, “Sophisticated Lady”, which has a lovely trumpet solo by Walter Miller and “Drop Me Off in Harlem”, which has an ancient, swinging big band sound which sounds like a great blast from the deep past. One of the things I like most about this disc is the uplifting, sort-of normal somewhat straight ahead jazz sound. On “Nameless One #3” Sun Ra plays an electric keyboard (rocksichord?) with an odd sound underneath the rising and falling layers of horns. If you want to smile, get a copy of this disc, put it on and remember, the world is still waiting for the Sun (Ra) to shine. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

SUN RA and His ARKESTRA - At Inter-Media Arts, April, 1991 (Modern Harmonic 023; USA) Recorded at Inter-Media Arts Center in Huntington, Long Island on April 20, 1991. Featuring Sun Ra - keyboards & synth, John Gilmore - tenor sax & clarinet, Marshall Allen - alto sax & flute, Knoel Scott - alto sax, James Jacson - bassoon & flute, June Tyson - vocals & violin, Charles Davis - bari sax, Michael Ray, Ahmed Abdullah, Fred Adams & Chris Capers - trumpets, Tyrone Hill - trombone, Jothan Collins - bass and Buster Smith, Dos Santos Nascimento & Cliff Barbaro - drums.
This double disc set comes from a late period Sun Ra Arkestra concert, in April of 1991. Mr. Ra retired from performing live in 1992 and passed away in May of 1993, returning to his home-world, Saturn, where he still resides. After a quick intro, the Arkestra starts off with the standard sounding, “Springtime Again”, which features the splendid vocals of June Tyson with the Space Ethic voices. The opening tenor solo is as heartwarming entre as are the flow of flutes underneath and Mr. Ra’s exquisite piano. This set and disc is superbly recorded. One of the defining sounds here is/are the ongoing layers of drums and percussion that flow rhythmically throughout. A number of my favorite Sun Ra standards are here: “Love in Outer Space”, “Space is the Place” and “We Travel the Spaceways”. What makes this disc and many of the Sun Ra Arkestra concerts so special is the way the band combines so many jazz styles and eras into one amorphous large ensemble, swinging tight & hard on one track and then taking off into free/jazz and the outer regions of outer space in the next track. This 2 disc set is one of the finest of all Sun Ra Arkestra live releases. You can take off with them for parts unknown, the next stop is Jupiter! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18


THE HARRY SMITH B-SIDES - s/t (Dust-to-Digital 051; USA) “The Harry Smith B-Sides box set contains the flip side of every 78-rpm record that Harry Smith included on the Anthology of American Folk Music. In 1952, Folkways Records published the legendary six-LP series entitled the Anthology of American Folk Music, compiled by eccentric record collector, filmmaker, artist, and anthropologist Harry Smith. Many historians cite Smith's reissue, with its recordings of country, blues, and gospel music from the 1920s and '30s, and its booklet containing idiosyncratic liner notes, esoteric artwork, and handmade design as a major impetus for the folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s. 68 years later, The Harry Smith B-Sides offers both a resonant listening experience and the closing of a collector's circle. Sequenced in the identical order that Smith created, this new box set offers the flip-side of each record selected by Smith for the original Anthology of American Folk Music. Newly-remastered audio under license from Gennett Records, Paramount Records, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group. This box set represents a mirror image of the Anthology of American Folk Music's tracklist. However, the producers have omitted the following tracks due to lyrics containing racist language: track 5 on disc 1, track 4 on disc 2, and track 16 on disc 4. Cigar box, full-color 144-page book featuring original artwork by Harry Smith and four CDs; 84 newly-remastered tracks on four CDs with a full-color 144-page book featuring archival images, original artwork by Harry Smith, and essays by John Cohen, Lance Ledbetter, and Eli Smith. Transcriptions and annotations for each track by more than 80 artists, writers, and musicians that have been inspired by Harry Smith's work including Daniel Bachman, Devendra Banhart, Sarah Bryan, Rosanne Cash, Dom Flemons, Steve Gunn, Will Oldham, Amanda Petrusich, Steve Roden, Art Rosenbaum, Nathan Salsburg, and Peter Stampfel.
4 CD Set Book $75

A STRANGER I MAY BE - Savoy Gospel 1954-1986 (Honest Jon’s Records 079; UK) “An extensive, sumptuous survey of surely the mightiest Gospel label of them all. Sixty-one gems of stomping, rollicking, desolate, ravishing gospel music, intermingling with soul, blues, doo-wop, jazz, R&B, disco, and boogie. Covering 1954-1966, the first disc is infused and incandescent with the hurting, surging indignation of the Civil Rights movement. Twenty-four heart-stopping scorchers by giants like the Staple Singers and Jimmy Scott, alongside less celebrated names like The Harmonizing Five of Burlington, North Carolina, and teen-group the North Philadelphia Juniors, culminating triumphantly with slamming, sanctified versions of "Hit The Road Jack" and "Wade In The Water". The second disc presents sublime crossings of gospel with the soul, funk, and jazz of the Black Power era. Twenty rapturous cuts dot dazzlingly between Muscle Shoals soul, screwed breakbeat, Mizells-style fusion, disco and proto-house. Triumphant re-workings of Sly Stone, Donny Hathaway, and Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunters" will have listeners throwing their pew cushions into the air. The third disc selects fierce funk, rapturous soul and transcendent disco and boogie, loaded with roaring choirs, rocking horns and popping bass guitars, super-charged with celebration and affirmativeness, from the years leading up to Savoy's acquisition by Malaco. Drawn from nigh-impossible-to-find 78s, sevens, twelves and LPs, hardly any of these recordings -- perhaps none -- have been reissued since their first release. The third disc opens with a stupendous onslaught by Edith Moreno which only appeared as a tiny handful of blank-label promos. Presented as a sixty-page mini-book, perfect-bound, with CDs suspended in card sleeves; beautifully designed, with stunning, rare photographs and original Savoy artwork. Sound restoration and mastering were done at Abbey Road. Co-curated by Greg Belson, compiler of Divine Disco; with deep, extensive notes by Robert Marovich, author of A City Called Heaven: Chicago and the Birth of Gospel Music (University of Illinois), and host of the award-winning radio show, Gospel Memories.”
3 CD Set $25

THE FORME TO THE FYNISMENT FOLDES FUL SELDEN - s/t (Cold Spring CSR 252; UK) Cold Spring Records bring their dark folk series full circle on Lammas (1st August), 13 years after the release of John Barleycorn Reborn: Dark Britannica (CSR 150CD). A constant theme throughout these releases has been the cyclical nature of time and the seasons, and the relationship of mankind to the natural environment, with recurrent references to John Barleycorn, personification of the harvest. "In my beginning is my end... Old fires to ashes, and ashes to the earth Which is already flesh, fur and faeces, Bone of man and beast, cornstalk and leaf... In my end is my beginning" (TS Eliot, East Coker). 32 tracks from the cream of current dark British folk music. Of special note, Peter Ulrich (Dead Can Dance) created an exclusive track especially for this collection: "Lammas Dance". Features Winterfylleth, Sol-De-Muerte, Finglebone, Tim Lane, Soldat, The Familiars, The Sound Of Antler, Beau, Perkelt, A Tiding Of Magpies, C J Mann & Becky Sharp, Thornland, Larynx And Claw, My Silent Wake,Peleser, Robert Pitcher, Peter Ulrich, Sedaynelore, Wolcensmen, Brocc, Venereum Arvum, Sixpenny Wayke, Alex Monk, The Psychogeographical Commission, Silver Of World Union, Sand Snowman, Moonswift, Tim Lane & Hayley Evenett, Sunshine Coding, Coma Wall, Jo Beth Young, Nathaniel Mann, and Ignis Astrifer.
2 CD Set $20

ATAVISTIC REISSUE LIST - Week 5:

VANDERMARK 5 with KEN VANDERMARK / DAVE REMPIS / JEB BISHOP / KENT KESSLER / TIM MULVENNA - Acoustic Machine (Atavistic ALP 128; USA) The Tesla coil that the Vandermark 5 has become seems beyond built to last; the creative whole constantly outweighs the sum of the parts in this quintet. At their best, each player knows their strengths & respective place, and manages to put aside ego for the advancement the group's collective goals. Each album in the V5's discography has been captivating, tuneful, muscular & focused; but Acoustic Machine, their annual installment for 2001, is likely their most distilled effort yet. Bishop, Kessler, Mulvenna, Rempis and Vandermark continue to grow as a quintet and as individuals, by somehow simultaneously honing and widening their purview.
CD $15

SOUND IN ACTION TRIO with KEN VANDERMARK / ROBERT BARRY / TIM DAISY - Gate (Atavistic ALP 160; USA) Robert Barry (Legendary Core Member Of Sun Ra's Arkestra Circa 1950S/60S), Ken Vandermark (V5/ Spaceways Inc. / B61/ (((Powerhouse Sound))), And Tim Daisy (V5/ Rempis Percussion Trio/ Triage) Dig Deep And Find The Spirit Willing- And No Resistance While Conjuring Their Second Studio Effort As Sia.
Superb Homages And Collages To And By Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Dotson/Ra, Ed Blackwell- And Herbie Nichols' Sublime "House Party Starting" Complete & Compliment Five Sia Originals On Gate... So Dig The Double-Drum Vs. Reed Groove Now.”
CD $15

MANI NEUMEIER with OREN AMBARCHI - Smoking the Contracts (Atavistic ALP 198; USA) Drummer legend Mani Neumeier meets up with guitar extraordinaire Oren Ambarchi and others. "Smoking the Contracts" consists of two extended tracks recorded live in Melbourne in 2007 and 2009. One a duet between Mani and Oren and the other a quartet where the two are joined by Brandan Walls (guitar) and Edmondo Ammendola (bass). Only musicians of this caliber could conjure up a performance as powerful and interwoven as these recordings.
CD $15

MY CAT IS AN ALIEN ENORE ZAFFIRI - Through The Magnifying Glass Of Tomorrow (Atavistic ALP 189; USA) “Clandestine Auteurs The Opalio Brothers (Aka My Cat Is An Alien) Have Deftly Sprinkled Our Solar System With Their Beautifully Fragile, Arcane Soundscape/Tracks Via Their Own Opax Label, As Well As Multimedia Collaborations With Vanguards Such As Sonic Youth, Christian Marclay, Keiji Haino, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Text Of Light, Jim O'Rourke, Mats Gustafsson, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Christina Carter Of Charalambides, Jackie-O Motherfucker & Black Magic Disco- And Even Have Been Commissioned To Design A T-Shirt For The Wire.
Atavistic Is Most Definitely Thrilled To Have The Pleasure Of Releasing Through The Magnifying Glass Of Tomorrow, A Freshly-Minted Collaboration With One Of The Pioneers Of Radical Italian Electronic Music, Enore Zaffiri.
Mr. Zaffiri, Composer And Founder Of The Legendary Smet (Studio Di Musica Elettronica Di Torino) In 1964, Is 80 Years Old And Has Been A "Reclused" Artist For Decades. After Meeting Maurizio And Roberto, He Decided To Set Up A Collaborative Project With Them. Their Recordings From The Western Alps Of Bella Italia, Through The Magnifying Glass, A Cd Dvd Release Running Over Two Hours, Is The Haunting Result From The Gathering Of These Fellow Musical Cosmonauts.”
CD $15

MARS - 78 (Atavistic ALP 48; USA) As is our ongoing mission at Atavistic, we're absolutely thrilled beyond repair to bring you music that sounds as FRESH & EXCITING now as it did 40s year ago: a reissue of the work of seminal NO NEW YORKERS, Mars! Shamelessly artistic and equally as talented, Mars made their name and staked their claim on the late 70s NYC circuit by playing spectacular dives such as MAX'S, IRVING PLAZA & CBGB's. Deemed "A language on the threshold of comprehensibility", and loathed by many back in the day due to their absurdly ahead-of-their-time brilliance, we hereby bear witness & offer these legendary testimonies: "Sounds Like tortured children singing in seven different tongues"-LYDIA LUNCH.; “Now THAT'S entertainment" - RICHARD HELL. "Primitive Art of the highest order" -JIMMY JOHNSON. "Mars' obvious antecedents are The VELVET UNDERGROUND" -SOHO WEEKLY NEWS, 1978. They remain, for us, the eternal standard for skull-drilling, mixed doubles guitar rock...
CD $15

************

SUN RA RELEASES:
Albums, Compact Discs, 7” Singles, Films & Books in Alphabetical by Title

A Joyful Noise (Winstar; USA) - DVD
Angels And Demons At Play - (Impulse! LP / Evidence 22066 - CD)
A Night In East Berlin: My Brothers The Wind And Sun N.9 - CD
A Quiet Place In The Universe - CD
Art Forms Of Dimensions Tomorrow - LP / (Evidence 22036; USA) - CD
A Song For The Sun (El Ra 99021; USA) - CD
A Space Odyssey: From Birmingham To The Big Apple - The Quest Begins - 3 CD Set
Astro Black (Impulse! - LP / Modern Harmonic 080 - CD)
Atlantis - LP (Impulse LP / Evidence CD)
A Tonal View of Times Tomorrow (Saturn) - LP
At The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto: March, September, November 1978 (Transparency 310) - Ltd ED 10 CD Box Set]
At Inter-Media Arts, April, 1991 (Modern Harmonic 023; USA) - 2 CD Set
At The Village Vanguard 11/91 (Rounder / Jazz Door 12125) CD
Babylon Live (In And Out 77122) - CD
Bad And Beautiful - LP / (Evidence 22038; USA) - CD
Batman And Robin: The Sensational Guitars Of Dan & Dale - LP
Black Myth/Out In Space: The Complete 1970 Concerts from Donauschingen and Berlin (MPS; Germany) - 2 CD Set
Blue Delight (A&M; USA) - LP
Blue York
Calling Planet Earth (Black Lion; UK) CD
Celestial Love (Modern Harmonic 218; USA) - CD
Club Lingerie, Hollywood 1985 (Transparency 237; USA) - 2 CD Set
College Tour Vol 1: The Complete Nothing Is... St. Lawrence University, May 18 1966 (ESP-Disk 4060) - 2 CD Set
Complete Detroit Jazz Center Residency: December 26 1980 - January 1 1981 (Transparency 307)- 28 CDR Box Set
Concert for the Comet Kohoutek - (ESP 3033; USA) - LP & CD
Continuation: Complete Expanded Edition (CvsD 09; USA) - 2 CD Set
Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy - LP / (Evidence 22036; USA) - CD
Cosmo Earth Fantasy: Sub Underground Series Vol 1 and 2 - CD
Cosmos - LP, CD
Cosmo Sun Connection (ReR SR1; UK) - CD
Crystal Spears (Modern Harmonic MHCD-082; USA) - CD
Dance Of The Living Image: The Lost Reel Collection Vol 4 (Transparency 304; USA) - 2 CD Set
Destination Unknown (Enja 7071l Germany) - CD
Detroit Jazz Center 1980: Beyond the Purple Star Zone (Art Yard 005; UK) - LP
Discipline 27-II
Disco 3000 - LP
Disco 3000: The Complete Milan Concert 1978 - Expanded Edition (Art Yard CD01; UK) - 2 CD Set
East & West Berlin: In Concert Vol 2 - DVD
Egypt Strut (Lilith/Vinyl Lovers 901059; Earth) - LP
Fate In A Pleasant Mood - (Impulse! LP/ Evidence 22068 - CD)
Featuring Pharoah Sanders And Black Harold: Complete New Years Eve 1964 Live At Judson Hall, NYC (ESP-Disk 4054; USA) - CD
Friendly Galaxy - CD
God is More Than Love Can Ever Be - CD & LP
Greatest Hits: Easy Listening For Intergalactic Travel (Evidence 22219; USA) - CD
Great Lost Sun Ra Albums: Cymbals/Crystal Spears (Evidence 22217; USA) - 2 CD Set
Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra - Vol. One
Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra - Vol. Two
Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra - Vol. Three
Helsinki 1971 (Transparency 314; USA) 2 CD DVD Set
Holiday For Soul Dance - LP / (Evidence 22011; USA) - CD
Horizon: Live at Balon Theatre, Egypt 12/17/71 (Art Yard CD08; UK) - CD
Hours After - CD
I Am Strange/I Am An Instrument (Norton EP 153; USA) - 7” single
Intergalactic Research: The Lost Reel Collection Vol 2 (Transparency 302; USA) - CD
Interplanetary Melodies: Doo Wop From Saturn And Beyond Vol 1 (Norton 352) - LP & CD
Interstellar Low Ways - LP
I Roam The Cosmos
It Is Forbidden: Live At The Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival 1974 (Total Energy 3029; USA) LP & CD
It's After the End of the World
Janus [aka The Invisible Shield aka Satellites are Outerspace aka A Tonal View of Times Tomorrow]
Jazz In Silhouette - (Impulse!; USA) - LP /(Evidence 22012; USA) - CD
Jazz Session: France January 8 1972 - DVD
Lanquidity - (Evidence 22220; USA) - CD
Life Is Splendid: Live At The Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival 1972
Live At Montreux, 1976 - 2 LP Set, 2 CD Set
Live At Pit-Inn Tokyo: Cosmo Omnibus Imagiable Illusion
Live At Praxis 1984 - 2 LP set
Live At The Electric Circus 1968/Newport 1969 (Transparency 308; USA) - 2 CD Set
Live At The Hackney Empire - 2 CD Set
Live At The Palomino November 1988: In Concert Vol 1 - DVD
Live At The Paradox, 2008 (In And Out 77098) CD
Live At The Red Garter: July 1970 - CD
Live At Slugs' Saloon, June & August 1972 (Transparency 313; USA) - 6 CD Set
Live at the Storyville, NYC - 24 October 1977
Live at Nickelsdorf 1984 - 3 CD set
Live From Soundscape Sun Ra Talks On "The Possibility Of Altered Destiny"
Live in Cleveland, 1975 (Leo GY 029; UK) - CD
Live In Europe - Montreux & Lugano: In Concert Vol 3 - DVD
Live In London 1970: Queen Elizabeth Hall November 9th - 2 CD Set
Live In Oakland: In Concert Vol 6 (Transparency 175; USA) - DVD
Live In Paris at The Gibus 1973 (Comet/Universe 79) - CD
Live In Rome: March 28, 1980 (Transparency 315; USA) - 2 CD Set
Live in ULM, 1992
Lone Star Roadhouse & African Street: In Concert Vol 5 (Transparency 174; USA) - DVD
Love In Outer Space: Live In Utrecht 1983
Mayan Temples - 2 LP Set
Media Dreams [aka Saturn Research] - LP
Medicine For A Nightmare: The Singles (Doxy 821) - LP
Meets SALAH RAGAB in EGYPT plus THE CAIRO JAZZ BAND and THE CAIRO FREE JAZZ ENSEMBLE - CD
Milan, Zurich, West Berlin, Paris: October 27, 1983 - November 1, 1983 - (Transparency 311; USA) 5 CD Set
Monorails & Satellites: Works for Solo Piano LP / (Evidence 22013; USA) CD
Monorails & Satellites: Works for Solo Piano Vols. 1, 2, 3 (Cosmic Myth Records CMR 004; USA) - 3 LP Set
Music for the 21st Century: Live At The Uncool Festival, Poschiavo, Switzerland 2003 (El Ra 50322; Earth) - CD
Music From Tomorrow's World: Chicago 1960 - (Atavistic UMS/ALP 237; USA) - CD
Myron's Ballroom, Los Angeles 1981 (Transparency 236; USA) - 3 CD Set
My Brother the Wind
My Brother The Wind Vol II - LP / (Evidence 22040 - CD)
New Steps - LP
Nidhamu Dark Myth Equation Visitation: Live in Cairo, Egypt 12/12,16,17/71 (Art Yard CD09; UK) - CD
Nothing Is... - LP
Nuclear War - CD
Nuits De La Fondation Maeght - Vol. 2
Of Abstract Dreams (Strut/Art Yard; UK) - CD
Of Mythic Worlds (Philly Jazz; USA) - LP
On Jupiter (Art Yard CD04 ; UK) - CD
Other Planes Of There (Evidence 22037; USA) - CD
Other Strange Worlds - LP
Other Voices, Other Blues - (Horo 23/24 HDP; Italy) - 2 LP Set
Outer Space Employment Agency: Live At The Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival 1973
Outer Spaceways Incorporated [A/K/A Pictures Of Infinity]
Out There A Minute - CD
Piano Recital: Teatro La Fenice In Venice
Planets of Life or Death: Amiens '73 - ((Strut 123; Germany) - CD
Pleiades - 2 CD Set
Points on a Space Age (MVD Visual 4774; USA) - DVD
Purple Night (A&M 5324; USA) - LP
Reflections In Blue - LP
Rocket Ship Rock - (Norton 354; USA) - LP & CD
Saturn Singles Vol. 1: 1954-1958
Second Star To The Right (Salute to Walt Disney)
Secrets Of The Sun (UMS/Atavistic 266; USA) - CD
Shadows Took Shape: The Lost Reel Collection Vol 3 (Transparency 303; USA) - 2 CD Set
Sign Of The Myth
Sleeping Beauty - LP
Solo Piano Vol 1. - LP
Solo Piano Recital: Teatro La Fenice Venicia - (Leo GY 021; UK) CD
Some Blues But Not The Kind That's Blue (UMS/Atavistic 265; USA) - CD
Somewhere Else (Rounder 3036; USA) - LP
Sound Of Joy - LP
Sound Sun Pleasure - LP
Space Aura: Buffalo U May 1966
Space Is The Place
Space Is The Place - Soundtrack for (Impulse!/) LP, CD & DVD
Space Probe - CD
Spaceship Lullaby (UMS/Atavistic 243; USA) - CD
Springtime In Chicago (Leo GY 026/027; UK) - 2 CD set
Standards (Black Lion/DA; UK/Germany) - CD
Stardust from tomorrow - 2 CD Set
Stars That Shine Darkly Vol 1: Hiroshima/Stars That Shine Darkly Pt 1 (Art Yard 007; UK) - LP
St Louis Blues: Solo Piano Vol 2
Strange Celestial Road - LP & CD
Strange Strings - LP / (UMS/Atavistic 263; USA) - CD
Strange Worlds In My Mind - LP
Sun Ra Research Vol 2: Interview Excerpts (Sun Ra Research 02; USA) CD
Sunrise In Different Dimensions - (Hat Art / Hatology; Switzerland) LP & CD
Sun Song - (Delmark DD 411; USA) - LP
Sun Sound Pleasure
Super-Sonic Jazz LP - Impulse! / (Evidence 22015; USA) - CD
Talks On "The Possibility Of Altered Destiny" At Soundscape - CD
The Antique Blacks - (Art Yard CD10; UK) - CD
The Creator Of The Universe: The Lost Reel Collection Vol 1 (Transparency 301; USA) - 2 CD Set
The Cry Of Jazz (UMS/Atavistic DJ-865-2289; USA) - DVD
The Cymbals / Symbols Sessions: New York City 1973
The Early Albums Collection 1957-1963 (Enlightenment 9145; UK) - 4 CD Set
The Eternal Myth Revealed: Part One 1914-1959 [14 CD BOOK Box Set]
The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra [aka We Are In The Future]
The Intergalactic Thing - 2 LP set
The Lost Arkestra Series Vol 1 & 2 - 10” EP’s
The Magic City (Impulse! AS-9239; USA) - LP
The Mystery Of Being - Voice Studio Rome 2,7,8,13 January 1978: New Steps/Other Voices - 3 LP Set
The Night Of The Purple Moon - LP
The Nubians Of Plutonia
The Other Side Of The Sun (Comet/Universe 17;) - LP & CD
The Outer Darkness - LP
The Paris Tapes: Live at the Le Theatre Du Chatelet 1971 - CD
The Road To Destiny - Live At The Gibus October 18 1973: The Lost Reel Collection Vol 6 (Transparency 306)CD
The Second Stop Is Jupiter: Doo Wop From Saturn And Beyond Vol 2 (Norton 353; USA) - LP & CD
The Shadows Cast By Tomorrow (Jazzman 073; UK) 3-7” Singles Box Set
The Singles: 1954-1982 (Evidence 22164; USA) - 2 CD Set
The Solar-Myth Approach - Vol. 1
The Solar-Myth Approach - Volume 1 & 2 (CvsD 071; USA) - 2 CD Set
The Soul Vibrations Of Man - LP
The Sub-Dwellers - LP
The Universe Sent Me: The Lost Reel Collection Vol 5 (Transparency 305; USA) - CD
The World Is Not My Home - 3-7” singles box
3rd September 1988 Chicago - CD
Thunder of the Gods (Modern Harmonic 21) - CD
Toward The Stars: Pioneering in 1955-56 (Cherry Red/FiveFour 19; UK) - CD
United World In Outer Space (Lilith/Vinyl Lovers 900588; Earth) - LP
Unity - 2 CD Set
Universe In Blue - LP
Untitled Recordings (Transparency 309; USA) - CD
Visits Planet Earth
Vol 1: Nuits De La Fondation Maeght (Comet/Universe 80) - LP & CD
Vol 2: Nuits De La Fondation Maeght (Comet/Universe 81) - LP & CD
Vol 1: The Mike Huckaby Reel-To-Reel Edits - 12” EP
Wake Up Angels - Live At The Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival 1972-1973-1974 - 2 CD Set
We Travel The Spaceways (Evidence 22038; USA) - CD
What Planet Is This? - 2 CD set
When Angels Speak Of Love (Evidence 22216; USA) - CD / (Cosmic Myth Records 005; USA) - CD
When Sun Comes Out - LP
WPFW Radio Jazz Festival: In Concert Vol 4

This long list of some 200 items is not complete but it is pretty comprehensive based on the DMG database. I am in the process of finishing it up as far as I can, I still have a few more crates and shelves to go through. It took me a couple of hours earlier this week and will eventually end up on the DMG Blogspace, which still in the developmental stage. Remember the Planet Earth is doomed so Space is Indeed the Place! - Sun Ra Fan-Addict Supreme, Bruce Lee Gallanter

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ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE, Around the world.

If you have a link, for some music that you are working on and want to share it with the folks who read the DMG Newsletter, please send the link to DMG at DMG@Downtownmusicgallery.com. Many of us are going stir crazy staying at home so if you want to inspire us and help us get through these difficult times, please show us what you got. I listed some these last week but have also a few more.

MORE THINGS TO DO WHILE YOU ARE WAITING AROUND FOR THE WORLD TO END OR GET BETTER:
STILL STIR CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!
 
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THIS IS FROM MY GOOD FRIEND JESSICA HALLOCK,

This is from Jessica Hallock, please do check it out, there is so much to explore here and I know some of you are bored and need some inspiration/distraction:

Livestreams are obviously no replacement for live shows, but they're all the community we have right now––so experimental music calendar NYC-Noise.com now provides links to livestreams (with artist / curator donation info); a roundup of local musicians' releases; COVID-19-related resources, including links to grants, petitions, & a local venue donation list; & an Instagram account (@NYC_Noise) promoting artists and releases. Please let me know about your livestreams &/or new records at www.nyc-noise.com/submit.

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SPECIAL EDITION VISION FESTIVAL - October 8th - October 12th, 2020

DAY 1: Thursday, October 8 - Streaming from Firehouse 12
7:00pm EDT - Wadada Leo Smith Solo
8:00pm - Jazz Response to Humanity in Crisis - Panel Discussion featuring William Parker, Amirtha Kidambi, Fay Victor, Arturo O'Farrill, Lee Mixashawn Rozie, and JD Allen. Moderated by Patricia Parker.

DAY 2: Friday, October 9 - Streaming from the Clemente
5:00pm EDT - The Healing Force
6:00pm - Afro-Algonquin Trio
7:00pm - Oliver Lake Organ Quartet

DAY 3: Saturday, October 10 - Streaming from the Clemente
4:00pm EDT - Hamid Drake's Open Space
5:00pm - Fay Victor's Mutations for Justice
6:00pm - Amina Claudine Myers Trio

DAY 3: Saturday, October 10 - Streaming from the Clemente
4:00pm EDT - Hamid Drake's Open Space
5:00pm - Fay Victor's Mutations for Justice
6:00pm - Amina Claudine Myers Trio

DAY 4: Sunday, October 11 - Streaming from the Clemente
4:00pm EDT - Andrew Cyrille Quartet
5:30pm - Tyehimba Jess
6:00pm - Gerald Cleaver's Black Host

DAY 5: Monday, October 12 - Streaming from the Clemente
4:00pm EDT - David Murray Trio
5:30pm - LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs
6:00pm - William Parker's In Order to Survive Quintet

Please reach out to us at info@artsforart.org

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MATTHEW SHIPP: The Piano Equation
Saturday, October 17, 2020. 8:00 pm
https://roulette.org/event/matthew-shipp-the-piano-equation

Continuing to hone a singular cosmic musical language, Matthew Shipp began celebrating his landmark 60th year on earth with the creation of a new solo piano recording—The Piano Equation—which is also the inaugural release on the brand new Tao Forms label, released on May 1, 2020. The ongoing celebration of this momentous year continues with his solo performance on this evening at Roulette.

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MARIO PAVONE & HIS DIALECT TRIO LIVE ON-LINE!

Litchfield Jazz Fest Presents
Mario Pavone & his Dialect Trio -
Live Streamed from Telefunken Soundstage
Date-Time: October 23 @ 7:30pm
Location: Virtual
Web: www.litchfieldjazzfest.com
 
Bassist/composer Mario Pavone turns 80 on November 11th.  Like the postman undaunted by rain, sleet, snow or hail, nothing, not even a pandemic, will keep us from marking this major milestone in the life of a musician who deserves all the accolades we can bestow on him. Litchfield Jazz will host this tribute with Mario himself and his Dialect Trio doing the honors on October 23 from the Telefunken Soundstage. The performance, at 7:30, will be live streamed and free to the public, accessible through the Litchfield Jazz Festival website.
  Mario Pavone fell in love with the bass in college studying engineering, a skill he’d never practice as his fate was sealed in 1961 when he heard John Coltrane play at the Vanguard. When Coltrane died, this fledgling engineer put down his slide rule, walked out of his office, and went to Coltrane’s funeral. And he has never looked back.
  For 60 years, Pavone has been part of many pivotal milestones in avant garde jazz with other great innovators.  In the 70s he played with the likes of Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton, Bill Dixon, Paul Bley, Dewey Redman, Carla Bley and others. By the mid 80s he was part of the “downtown scene” centered around the Knitting Factory in New York.  It was there he met the brilliant alto saxophonist who became Lionel Hampton’s arranger and music director at 21, Thomas Chapin. The meeting led to the formation of a trio that recorded and toured worldwide for six years until leukemia claimed Chapin’s life at 40. Litchfield Jazz had the honor of presenting Chapin with Pavone on the first Litchfield Jazz Festival in 1996 and then Pavone with Chapin’s band the very next year. In ‘96 some of the audience looked a bit bewildered.  In ‘97 they got a standing ovation!
  After Chapin’s passing Pavone launched a touring and recording career with many younger players including Tony Malaby, Steven Bernstein, Gerald Cleaver, Peter Madsen, Michael Sarin and recently with the two stellar musicians who complete his Dialect Trio. Tyshawn Sorey, a multi-instrumentalist, on drums in Dialect Trio, is a 2017 MacArthur Fellow as respected for his classical chamber and opera compositions as he is for his work with the bands of Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran and John Zorn. Pianist Matt Mitchell, a Pew Fellow and Doris Duke Impact Awardee, has collaborated with, among others, Dave Douglas, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Donny McCaslin and Lee Konitz.
  Mario Pavone is a recipient of a Chamber Music America/Doris Duke New Works Grant and a Connecticut Commission on the Arts Distinguished Artists award. To date he’s made more than 30 recordings as a leader. A Renaissance man, he is an avid gardener and cook (lately obsessed with soups) and a photographer whose work has graced the covers of dozens of albums.
  Pavone’s dedication to cutting edge music, its performance and composition has never faltered, and he never tires of showing us all—if we are willing to take a deep dive and really listen—he will take us along on a ride we’ll long remember.

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This is from Thomas Sayers Ellis of HEROES ARE GANG LEADERS:

https://vimeo.com/462062455?fbclid=IwAR2lb1mWuD-7MyZ31wDmw14qtaCZW4_EgSFy2G_Yj3W2cZoqUPxtXp14o_0

Set 1
solos, duos, trios, quartet and quintets
shot in Black & White

Set 2
Full Band Performance

Check out this review of their latest release:

https://downtownmusicgallery.com/search.php?id=2020_05_20_02_41_45

HEROES ARE GANG LEADERS with THOMAS SAYERS ELLIS / JAMES BRANDON LEWIS / LUKE STEWART / WARREN “TRAE” CRUDUP III / MELANIE DYER / DEVIN BRAHJA WALDMAN / et al WILLIAM PARKER / ANNE WALDMAN - Artificial Happiness Button (Ropeadope 81526; USA) - 5th amazing disc!

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THIS IS FROM GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SAncJamgw0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf54D0YdLtA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN9Dc4qA-6A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVF63Md51-A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VNQwGWWrc8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyijtFN02xw

once in a while they are historical old thangs from my video archive and I will be doing more collaborations with other improvisors. I plan to keep this up until there are live gigs again so there will likely be a lot more of these best, Henry

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ARTS FOR ARTS Presents:

FREEJAZZ WORKS IN A TIME OF CRISIS

https://www.artsforart.org/onlinesalon.html

Because of You
We surpassed our $50,000 Goal
Your Donation Made the Difference
What an amazing community! Your continuing support in the face of all of the challenges that are facing us is really impressive. Together, we raised over $60,000, including over $30,000 in small donations.

We continue to post weekly Artist Diaries (https://www.artsforart.org/artistdiaries.html) and special archival footage on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/ArtsforArt?sub_confirmation=1&utm_source=Audience&utm_campaign=987d803b9c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_08_18_04_51&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3be2db18a2-987d803b9c-85161517. So there will be plenty of amazing music and art to see and inspire.

On September 7th and September 12th, Arts for Art will present Live Outdoor Events at La Plaza in The Clemente. They will be carefully presented, socially distanced, inspiring FreeJazz performances. Look forward to more information coming soon.

Wishing You Strength and Justice with Compassion.

Patricia Nicholson Parker
Founder, Arts for Arts


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From INGRID LAUBROCK & TOM RAINEY:

Every Week for the entirety of this pandemic/lockdown INGRID LAUBROCK & TOM RAINEY have been posting a new duo offering. I have listened to every one of these as they were sent out and am much impressed by the way this duo continues to evolve and work their way through many ideas. You can check out each one here:

https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-26-for-my-dad
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-25
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-24
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-23-steve-lacy
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-22
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-21
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-20

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ROULETTE AT HOME:

https://roulette.org/rtv/?utm_source=Roulette Master List&utm_campaign=c19eeaa4fd- Dr. Chadbourne! EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_15_09_07_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c36db137d7-andc19eeaa4fd-302668229#!/grs/0/id/92

https://roulette.org/event/joel-ross/?utm_source=Roulette Master List&utm_campaign=c19eeaa4fd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_15_09_07_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c36db137d7-c19eeaa4fd-302668229

https://roulette.org/event/nels-cline-from-cage-to-cunningham/?utm_source=Roulette Master List&utm_campaign=c19eeaa4fd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_15_09_07_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c36db137d7-c19eeaa4fd-302668229

Playlist: Excerpts from the Black Avant-Garde - Tracks by Tomeka Reid, Reggie Workman, Diedre Murray, Anthony Davis, Amiri Baraka, Henry Threadgill, William Parker, Matana Roberts from the Roulette concert archive. - https://soundcloud.com/roulette_intermedium/sets/blackavantgarde?utm_source=Roulette Master List&utm_campaign=34384bb216-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_15_09_07_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c36db137d7-34384bb216-302668229

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My good friend & guitar master GARY LUCAS is playing half hour sets at his apartment in the West village every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday at 3pm EST on Facebook. Different songs on each episode. Here is the link: https://www.facebook

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