DMG Newsletter for October 23rd, 2020

“Codine” by Buffy Sainte-Marie

My belly is a-cravin', I got a shakin' in my head,

I feel like I'm dying, and I wish I was dead.

If I live 'til tomorrow, that'll be a long time,

But I'll real and I'll fall and I'll rise on cod'ine,

And it's real, and it's real, one more time.

Well, when I was a young girl, I learned not to care

Off whiskey, and frolick I often did swear.

My mother and father said, Whiskey's a curse.

But the fate of their baby was many times worse,

And it's real, and it's real, one more time.

Stay away from the cities; stay away from the town,

Stay away from the man pushin' codeine around,

Stay away from the stores where the remedy is fine,

For better your pain than be caught on cod'ine,

And it's real, and it's real, one more time.

You'll forget you're a woman, you'll forget about men,

Try it just once, and you'll try it again.

You'll forget about life, you'll forget about time,

And you'll live off your days as a slave to cod'ine,
And it's real, and it's real, one more time.

But, if I die tomorrow, still one thing I've done,
I've heeded the warning that I got when I was young.

My one satisfaction, it comes when I think

That I'm livin' my life without bendin' to drink,

And it's real, and it's real, one more time.

And my belly is a-cravin'; I got a shakin' in my head,

I feel like I'm dying, and I wish I was dead.

If I live 'til tomorrow, that'll be a long time,

But I'll reel and I'll fall and I'll die on cod'ine,

And it's real, and it's real, one more time.

The first appearance of the above song, “Cod’ine”, was on Buffy Sainte-Marie’s first album, ‘It’s My Way’ from 1964 (on Vanguard Records). Ms. Sainte-Marie is a Canadian-born, Cree Indian folk singer and social activist. This song was adopted by a number of great rock/psych bands in the mid-sixties like Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Charlatans and the Leaves plus later the Barracudas (1981) and Ultra Vivid Scene (1989). The first version of this song that I heard was by the amazing yet little known band called the Wizards from Kansas, that remains my favorite version still some fifty years later. This song discusses the the more harrowing side effects of codeine, a powerful and addictive drug that was popular way back when. There were three very prominent anti-drug songs that were also popular in the 1960’s: “Codine”, “Signed D.C.” by Love and “The Pusher” by Steppenwolf (written by Hoyt Axton). All three songs no doubt inspired some folks not to try or to at least be careful with drugs during this period when many folks were smoking herb (marijuana) pretty much all the time. I began smoking herb in the summer of 1969 and did toke throughout the seventies and eighties. I quit in the mid-nineties, when two musician friends of mine passed away with a couple of months of each other, Thomas Chapin from leukemia and Tom Cora from melanoma. Both were the same age as me when they passed so I decided it was time to get straight & take better care of myself, get more serious about my health and uncloud my mind, reading many books on music & novels. What I discovered when I quit was that music itself has the power to inspire, uplift and engage us without any crutches attached. I find that I get more done when I am straight, listening closely and reading books rather than staring at my god-darn phone, which seems to manipulate just about everyone else. Too much fake news. If you can find it, check out the version of “Codine” by the Wizards from Kansas, it rules! Their cover version of “High Flying Bird” is also outstanding and again, the best of many versions! - Peace to all, Brother Bruce

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THIS WEEK'S GOODIES BEGIN With THIS DYNAMIC DISC!

NATE WOOLEY with SAMARA LUBESKI / C. SPENCER YEH / SUSAN ALCORN / AVA MENDOZA / JULIEN DESPREZ / CHRIS CORSANO / BEN HALL / RYAN SAWYER / YOON SUN CHOI / et al - Seven Story Mountain VI (Pyroclastic Records 11; USA) Seven Storey Mountain was born of two confrontations. The first is between myself as an active user of machines and the trumpet as the passive machine that I use. Anyone who has practiced an instrument understands this friction and frustration but—given my personal history of being misinformed, partially educated, and brought up off beat—my concept of technical mastery has been less than traditional. Over the years, I’ve tried to understand the trumpet by breaking it down, reconstructing it, screaming into it, whispering near it, doing it (and myself) grievous bodily harm and, as heard on this recording, electrocuting it. I’ve done this, not for novelty, but in hopes of finding its humanity: drawing its technique away from the traditional goal of reproducing the singing voice and toward a technique of sighing, shrieking, and mumbling. The second confrontation is more abstract, but similarly embedded in how the song cycle has unfolded. In the same sense of testing the capabilities of the trumpet-as-machine, I wanted to locate the limits of my own self-as-spirit. These terms are difficult. They carry a certain kind of weight and a feeling of the vaguely religious. This kind of language, as well as the title of this work, culled from Thomas Merton’s autobiographical writing, has overlaid a sense of the “sacred” on the series that should have been disavowed by me long ago, but I’ve yet to find terms that fit SSM as naturally and poetically. Religious dogma holds little interest for me. Instead, what I’m drawn to in Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain—and what I mean by self-as-spirit—is a secular practice of self-questioning and evolution. Ralph Waldo Emerson calls it self-reliance. Seven Storey Mountain is not an attempt to reach a spiritual plane. It is an example of how we take part as humans in the cycle of trying, failing, recognizing, evaluating, regrouping, and trying again; an exercise in the transcendent human process of failure.” - Nate Wooley
CD $15

SAM RIVERS TRIO with DAVE HOLLAND / BARRY ALTSCHUL - Archive Project, Volume 3: Ricochet (NoBusiness 128; Lithuania) Featuring Sam Rivers on tenor & soprano saxes, flute & piano, Dave Holland on contrabass & cello and Barry Altschul on drums. Recorded live at Keystone Korner in San Francisco in January of 1978. The first time I caught this trio was in the summer of 1973 at Ornette Coleman’s Artist House loft space in Soho. This was, perhaps, the first free/jazz set I caught in NYC and it was very early in my jazz listening days, having just jumped into jazz in the previous September, taking a course in during my first semester at Glassboro State. It was upwards of 100 degrees out and there was no AC at Ornette’s loft. Hence, we sweated & suffered and were most confused by the music. We also felt that there was something magical going on that we couldn’t fathom yet. I caught the same trio again at Sam’s loft, Studio Rivbea on Bond St. upwards of a dozen times in the mid-seventies, always being blown away by their sets! Listening to this disc now, more than 40 years later, that cosmic, free energy is still swirling within. The pattern for all or most of the Sam Rivers Trio gigs I caught were: approx 15 minutes each for Mr. Rivers to play on all four of his instruments: soprano sax, tenor sax, piano & flute. This is the first disc I am listening today (10/21/20) and you know that I am smiling, sailing and soaring along with this fantastic trio! It doesn’t get much better than this! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

THREADBARE with JASON STEIN / BEN CRUZ / EMERSON HUNTON - Silver Dollar (NoBusiness 127; Lithuania) Featuring Jason Stein on bass clarinet, Ben Cruz on guitar and Emerson Hunton on drums. Chicago-based bass clarinetist, Jason Stein, leads several of his own bands as well as working with a number of other band or co-leaders: Jason Roebke, Frank Rosaly and Kyle Bruckmann. Each of Mr. Stein’s assorted projects have different personnel and a different approach. Threadbare is Mr. Stein’s new trio with two younger musicians, nether of whom I’ve heard of before now. Both Ben Cruz (guitar) and Emerson Hunton (drums) wrote all of the pieces on this disc, which makes the trio appear to be more democratic. It sounds to me like this trio has been working on their own group sound for a while since they don’t quite sound like any other trio. The opening theme on “And When Circumstances Arise”, has a riff which repeats a few times and the trio take off. The guitar and drums link tightly together, their lines tight & complex, while Mr. Stein erupts on bass clarinet, his lines weaving their way within the repeating patterns. There are tow pieces here called, “Threadbare” which start out skeletal and then build to exciting, intense and intricate conclusions, several layers all inter-connected. Mr. Cruz wrote several song here, which feature a churning, chugging guitar line which capture a slower, almost punkish quality that I find most enchanting. I dig the way that the bass clarinet and guitar are constantly switching roles on “24 Mesh Veils”, playing certain lines tightly together and then swirling around one another with short inspired solo peppered throughout. “Funny Thing Is” has a quick, complex, jumping groove with some extraordinary tight-knit interplay. The title track, “Silver Dollar”, has an almost King Crimson-like fury burning throughout which bristles with powerful, awesome energy! I have a feeling that this disc is going to wind up on the daily/weekly DMG in-store playlist. It is that good and well worth hearing several times. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

JESSICA PAVONE STRING ENSEMBLE - Lost and Found (Astral Spirits 143; USA) Jessica Pavone’s String Ensemble’s holds up to their usual high standard of compositional grace and warm precision on “Lost and Found”, their first for the epoch-defining Astral Spirits label. As on last year’s excellent “Brick and Mortar”, the ensemble is led and written for by Ms. Pavone on violin, and features returning violinists Erica Dicker and Angela Morris, as well as newcomer Abby Swidler on viola (Ms. Swidler has been featured elsewhere on Ms. Pavone’s work, on her works for larger string ensemble). Throughout four concise movements, there are remarkable displays of blend and intonation. Colorful and careful glissandos slide the harmonic motion around in lovely voicings, yet well paced interjections of stabbing crunch tones cut through the density. The microtonal writing is exquisite, and Ms. Pavone has selected a perfect ensemble of deep listeners to decode the specifics dissonances she is getting at. When the motions are more drawn out, as in the title track, it holds up in a canon of spectral harmonic works (Radique, Radelescu et al) but with a light touch and a through compositional grasp on the joy of playing strings in a group possessed by only the most intuitive composer-performers. - Frank Meadows for DMG
CD $14

ADAM CAINE QUARTET with BOB LANZETTI / ADAM LANE / BILLY MINTZ NICK LYONS - Transmissions (NoBusiness 126; Lithuania) Featuring Adam Caine on el. guitar, bass, synth, percussion & compositions, Bob Lanzetti on el. guitar, Adam Lane on acoustic bass & Billy Mintz on drums plus guest Nick Lyons on alto sax. This is the fifth disc from Downtown guitarist Adam Caine, whose first recording came out in 2005. His first record featured songs he had written for that release. Ever since then, Mr. Caine has done a series of 3 improvised discs with his trio and two duos with Robert Dick and Federico Ughi. Mr. Caine decided to do something different for this disc so he organized a two guitar led quartet. I hadn’t heard of the other guitarist here, but I certainly know both rhythm team members: bassist Adam Lane and drummer Billy Mintz, both of whom have dozens of discs as leaders and as sidefolks. It turns out that the other guitarist here, Bob Lanzetti, is a member of popular band Snarky Puppy (Texas based jam band).
Commencing with “Night Driver”, the pace is slow & spacious, the vibe is haunting. Both guitars sound superb together, solemn, quietly nuanced. “Cloud Over” features drummer Billy Mintz simmering & sizzling a floating tempo/vibe with mostly his cymbals. Both Mr. Lanzetti and Mr. Caine take inspired, sly-sounding, splendid solos: each solo - tasty, distinctive, taking their time and bending just the right amount of notes. For “Alien Ritual”, Mr. Caine has the guitars playing this hushed, soft throbbing pulse with dreamy chords and a distant tap dance drum solo in the distance. What I like most about this disc is the relaxed pace, a dream-like feeling which enhances the guitar solos when they step out of the calm and let those subtle sparks fly. “The Core” is closer to a medium paced rocker, with several blistering solos from both guitars. Get down!?!?! Both guitarist get a chance to stretch out and sound particularly intense here. Thing change a bit on “Hell Awaits”, the tempo moving a snail’s pace, the both guitars using restrained yet disturbing amounts of distortion to make things even more warped. “Heavenly Bodies” actually reminds me of something that might’ve been done by the Byrds when David Crosby & Jim McGuinn used to play together. The final song might just be the best on this disc: several layers of interlocking guitars with the lead guitar using the cosmic/psych studio sustain tone that some like the LA band Spirit might’ve used. This is the best 2 guitar quartet disc I’ve heard in recent memory! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

MODERN JAZZ QUINTET KARLSRUHE - Complete Recordings (NoBusiness 129-131; Lithuania) Jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player Herbert Joos was one of the most celebrated musicians in Lithuania’s avant-garde scene. From 1968 to 1973, he was a member of the Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe and Four Men Only, two free jazz bands with intense, heavy-hitting musicianship. Complete Recordings collects the full work of both units, presenting it in a massive three-hour box set. The music is stunning, all stampeding drums, squealing brass, and dark piano chords. Songs like “Lonely Time,” “The Devil Is Green, Blue, Yellow” and “The Sun Is Coming Over” sound especially gripping, each track shifting and changing form as the arrangements unfold. Then there’s “Position 2000,” the title track of the Karlsruhe quintet’s 1970 album. After the song rumbles for a bit, thanks to Rudi Theilmann’s hypnotic drum roll, the horn section arises with an almost regal tone. Then the remaining players chime in, locking into a turbulent groove teetering on the verge of collapse. Like much of the compilation, the scoring never falters: every song is a thrilling high-wire act with unforeseen twists and turns. All that to say this: Complete Recordings is incredible, and I can’t stop playing it.” - Marcus J. Moore, bandcamp
3 CD Set $30 [Limited Edition of 300]

EUGENE CHADBOURNE - Live @ Grady’s Records - Vol. 1-3 (Weird Cry Records 060-062; USA) I though that I had heard enough of Dr. Chadbourne after I reviewed some six of his recent Chadula discs (Chatterbox Series Vol. 1-6) and an Emanem ancient guitar trio CD from the late seventies. Dr. Chad is always filled with surprises so this week he sent us a new LP from a French label and this 3 CD box set Weird Cry Records label. All three discs were recorded in the late winter of 2015, all were recorded at Grady’s Record Refuge in Ventura, California. Doc Chadbourne switches between electric guitar and banjo and covers a wide range of original songs and cover tunes. The first song on disc one is about a number of Eugene’s heroes who have passed away: Wes Craven, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Derek Bailey, John Coltrane… Dr. Chad draws from a vast chest of diverse covers: “The Last Word in Lonesome is Me”, “Dang Me”, “The Red Telephone” (by Love) and “Standing on the Verge of Getting it On” (Funkadelic, I know you knew that one). The funny thing about Eugene is the way he switches between various styles or genres sometimes with the same song: country, folk, rock, psych, jazz, bluegrass… Mr. Chadbourne also pulls out a handful of his old original songs: “Psychedelic Basement”, as well as those cool stream-of-consciousness ditties that only Doc Chad could pull off. Country versions of an old rap song?!? Bluegrass versions of on old funk song?!? Yes, they all all there and much more.
There are many surprises here that will keep you smiling for days to come. You know that you need some of this unique Doctor Chadbourne Feelgood Spirit in your hands right now, so… do it! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
3 CD Box Set Poster - $25 [Limited Edition]

FOUR MORE DEMANDING SONIC TREASURE FROM The RELATIVE PITCH LABEL:

LEAP OF FAITH with PEK / GLYNIS LOMON - Principles of an Open Future (Relative Pitch RPR 1112; USA) Featuring PEK on clarinets, alto, tenor & bass saxes, contrabassoon, sheng, game calls, percussion & aquasonic and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic and voice. Considering that Boston-area-based Leap of Faith (various versions from duo to orchestra & several offshoot projects) have more than a 100 discs out on their own Evil Clown label, you might think that I had heard (and reviewed) enough of their vast catalogue, I still look forward to those boxes of 5 new titles every few months. Glynis Lomon and Dave Peck are two core members of Leap of Faith having worked together on all of the Leap of Faith releases. Kevin Reilly, cofounder of the Relative Pitch label caught Leap of Faith at a couple of New York locations (at DMG & at Cisco Bradley’s place) and decided to offer LoF a chance to record for RP. The core of Leap of Faith has changed over the years somewhat and band is most often a quartet or larger. Duo versions are pretty rare so that is what this is. Things begin with the mysterious sound of an acquasonic (or bowed waterphone) and then joined by percussion and what sounds like a melodica. This disc is well recorded and well-balanced. Ms. Lomon is in truly fine form here, bowing intense bent-note, free-music while PEK slowly worked his way through some 14 instruments, one at a time. At times Ms. Lomon lets loose with her wacky vocal antics with PEK occasionally joined her. Although duo do get weird at times (w/ occasional odd voices), everything flows organically, nothing is forced. What is wonderful about this is how well these two work together, creating a stimulating dialogue as they go. The main thing I dig about this disc is this: it doesn’t quite sound like other Leap of Faith discs on the Evil Clown label, it sounds warmer and somehow friendlier, never too weird but still immensely creative and exploratory. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

KEIR NEURINGER / SHAYNA DULBERGER / JULIUS MASRI - Dromedaries II (Relative Pitch RPR 1099; USA) Dromedaries II presents four improvisations moving between 10 and 13 minutes, recorded in October 2018. Opening improvisation ‘Both’ starts from a theme played by the bassist and repeated over. Drummer Masri joins by playing maniacal shifting patterns and on top Neuringer plays extended lines that quickly become increasingly intense. In the second part, the drummer is in the forefront with sequences of repeated patterns that gradually change in interaction with the bass. Near the end the sax returns once more, staying in the background. ‘Rifts’ starts with a rhythmic pattern by drums and bass. Neuringer joins with his penetrating and slightly dissonant sound. He has his very own distinct and conjuring tone. Drumming by Masri is impressive. He plays his patterns in a non-jazz way influenced by ethnic music, that invites Neuringer to play his inspired lines. ‘Ether’ starts with a very free and energetic dialogue of drums and bass. After the sax joins it develops into very jumpy improvisation. Very wild. In contrast, the closing improvisation ‘Thereafter’ is a more modest one. It is built again on ethnic-inspired percussive patterns that propel the improvisation forward. A strong statement by a trio searching and finding its own voice. Dolf Mulder - Vital Weekly
CD $14

SAMARA LUBELSKI - Partial Infinite Sequence (Relative Pitch RPR 1102; USA) “The sound of the violin is a product of tension and release; the hair of the bow pulls back the violin’s string over and over again and, when the tension gets too great, it releases. The resulting vibration disturbs the air around it which travels in waves, exciting our ear drums and becoming sound. This confrontation of energy with air—the alternation of potential and kinetic energy—occurs over and over again in microcosm: catching, holding, tensing, and releasing. As listeners, however, we only perceive glorious sound.
If there’s an efficient way of summing up Samara Lubelski, it’s these two words: glorious and sound. But, in a deeper sense, her music also amplifies the micro-process of the sounding process of the violin: the specific joys of tension, release, and every possible gradation between the two. The tension contained in each sound on Partial Infinite Sequence is not disturbing or stressed. That kind of sound is satisfying but too easy. Instead, it feels like that split second after you trip on the sidewalk. Your body could go in any direction, and every outcome is possible. Your pulse quickens. If you were able to freeze that moment in time and live in it the elation of the unknown would be overwhelming. - Nate Wooley
CD $14

HERMIONE JOHNSON - Tremble (Relative Pitch 1116; USA) “Auckland-based Hermione Johnson’s Tremble evokes the sound of a large Indonesian gamelan orchestra via the insertion of small chopstick-shaped rods at diverse angles, establishing different timbral zones, contrapozed in imbricated, polyphonic textures. On “See My Permanent Face” she sets chime and gong tones against a cyclic pattern suggestive of a carillon of bells, later adding a fast moving harp sound and low muted strings. Many pieces employ like sounds, though their various layers and juxtapositions are unique to each setting. On “Chuck” it sounds as if she’s actually plucking the strings, miming a qin or koto; on “Waving from the Shore” she could be strumming a steel resonator guitar with an egg whisk; on the epic-length title track she blends all these elements over the course of a sweeping yet cohesive narrative. - Tom Greenland NYCJR
CD $14

THREE NEWER DISCS From JG THIRWELL:

I have long been fascinated by the music & artwork of JG Thirwell/Foetus/too many other guises to name. Mr. Thirwell moved to NYC in the mid-1980’s and has continued to work/create a wide variety of Creative Music in many different styles or genres. I recall when music fans were too quick to pigeonhole him in the eighties when he was known as Foetus and his music dealt with many dark, industrial-sounding themes/ideas. Considering the Thirwell is a restless sonic explorer/manipulator and that he has released more than 25 full length works since 1981, he continues to confound those who listen to his music and think they know what to expect: the unexpected or perhaps, the imponderable. All three of the below discs are completely different and each is well worth exploring. - BLG/DMG

JG THIRWELL & SIMON STEENSLAND with MORGAN AGREN / SIMON HANES / JOANNA MATTREY / CHRIS McINTYRE / et al - Oscillospira (Ipecac 221; USA) Where does one begin with JG Thirlwell? Those of you of a certain vintage, with long memories (and comprehensive record collections to boot) no doubt recall the labyrinthine pathways Thirlwell has traversed for decades via his many-splintered Foetus offspring (Discogs alone lists over 30 such permutations). An extraordinarily talented, multi-faceted, and original composer, he’s long progressed past his industrial rock roots, embracing soundtrack work, neo-classical bromides, rank experimentalism, and pseudo-artsy genre-bending—this is a man under whose feet the grass surely does not grow. Steensland’s career is no less eclectic or varied: a true iconoclast and musical eccentric, he’s worked with such stalwart progressive bands and artists as Thinking Plague, Gavin Bryars, Sten Sandell, and a gaggle of others, in addition to composing for well over a hundred live theater productions in his native Sweden. Together, these two make a genuinely bracing noise rife with imagistic heft and glorious consequence. The track titles themselves—“Catholic Deceit”, “Crystal Night”, “Redbug”—suggest expansive cinematic landscapes for the mind that take in colorfully limned geographies teetering on the aural brink. Both “Heron” and “Night Shift” suggest Orson Welles-sized epics as scored by Bartok via King Crimson and Magma, string symphonies excoriated by raging guitars and barrages of drums (brutally executed by Morgan Agren) that slice ’n’ dice their way through the cacophonic underbrush. “Papal Stain” reveals the duo’s twin concerns in steely microcosm, ten minutes of Frippian red metal that suggests holy conflict brewing between a symphony’s regal splendor and something like Univers Zero’s full frontal attacks. Magnificent in all respects, and despite Thirlwell and Steensland's obvious lineage in these areas, a surprising outing of meticulously drafted sound and fury, signifying truly something. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $15

JG THIRWELL // TONY OURSLER’S Imponderable [OST](Ectopic Ents 038; Earth) “JG Thirlwell has created the original musical score for Tony Oursler’s feature-length film/installation Imponderable, which will be screened as an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York from June 18 2016 until January 8 2017. The CD is packaged in deluxe digipack with silver foil lettering with a 48 page color booklet containing stills from the film and images from Oursler’s archive of supernatural and occult phenomena.
Tony Oursler’s Imponderable (2015–16) offers an alternative depiction of modernism that reveals the intersection of technological advancements and occult phenomena over the last two centuries. Presented in a “5-D” cinematic environment utilizing a contemporary form of Pepper’s ghost—a 19th-century phantasmagoric device—and a range of sensory effects, Imponderable is an immersive feature-length film inspired by Oursler’s own archive of ephemera relating to stage magic, spirit photography, pseudoscience, telekinesis, and other manifestations of the paranormal.
Tony Oursler is a multimedia and installation artist whose art covers a range of mediums working with video, sculpture, installation, performance and painting. He and Thirlwell have collaborated n several other projects in the past, including Sound Digressions in Seven Colors (2006).” - release notes from Thirwell/Foetus website
I just finished reading both the lengthy liner notes about artist/provocateur Tony Ousler and other on-line info and found him to be most fascinating on many levels. I don’t think I could condense enough of that info here but I am intrigued enough to want to check out the film about him, “Imponderable”. I have included above the notes about the movie/soundtrack from Mr. Thirwell’s website above. This soundtrack CD seems to be the most ambitious project that Mr. Thirwell has taken on. Thirwell composed & performed most of the music here with a couple of songs from Tony Ousler, one piece by Beethoven and a few guest vocalists added. The enclosed booklet consists of 25 pages of strange pictures taken from the film. The music is often filled with suspense, mysterious, eerie, dream-like sounds/images floating around us. I know from talking to Mr. Thirwell, that he works with collecting, selecting and manipulating sonic samples every day, having a vast treasure chest of sonic gems. Each piece here involves different sounds/samples. From Krautrock-like synth sounds to older classical inserts, ghost-like images/sounds popping up here and there. Mr. Oursler’s voice wanders at a couple of points and sounds like a ghost haunting us from another place. Today (10/21/20) it is foggy & overcast outside, it fits this music perfectly. Thirwell has worked hard and has long mastered the art of carefully crafting his music, to create a variety on images in our minds eye. This is a like a journey into someone imagination or museum of the mind. Excellent! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

XORDOX with JG THIRWELL with SARAH LIPSTATE - Neospection (Editions Mega/Emego 240; EEC) “Editions Mego present the first release of a brand new project from JG Thirlwell. Recorded at Self Immolation studios in Brooklyn. This is Xordox. Xordox orbits a universe inhabited by darkness, wit, mystery adventure, and experimentation. The cinematic quality that exudes from Thirlwell's bent being presents itself in Neospection; Unlike Thirlwell's other works, this is predominantly a synthesizer record, including recording sessions from his residency at the legendary EMS studios in Stockholm, employing Buchla and Serge synthesizers. Sarah Lipstate (aka Noveller) plays her super-processed soundscape guitar on three of the tracks on the album, and additional mixing took place at Lazer Sound studios with Al Carlson (who works extensively with Oneohtrix Point Never). Xordox. Diamond circulating swells; Sequenced stealth sci-fi; Malleable membrane matters; Wild fabric electronic; Heart eaten beat; Fruits of fear and exhilaration. Neospection is neon noir. Neospection is ere 4 yor. Xordox arrives as unexpected and remote as any alien encounter but security lies in the cosmic drama and dark shadows that seep throughout Thirlwell's soul. In this, 2017 the listener once again enters the mind and world of one man who refuses to play along with anyone's game but the idiosyncratic one of his own devising.”
CD $15


JASON CANDLER / JESSE DULMAN - The Mighty Alpacas (Guarsh 02; USA) Featuring Jason Candler on alto & baritone saxes & effects and Jesse Dulman on tuba. I’ve known both of these seasoned Downtowner for many years now: Jason Candler from his work with Gary Lucas and the Hungry March Band and Jesse Dulman from his early solo sets on the subway platforms to a trio with Kalaparusha to his recent quartet, whose album was recorded here at DMG a few summers ago. Mr. Dulman also has a duo CD out with Blaise Siwula and has become a good friend over the last few years. Mr. Candler is also a fine recording engineer and recorded & mixed this CD. “Tortoise Sunrise” finds Mr. Dulman slowly stretching out those suspense-filled notes on his tuba while Mr. Candler adds some lush, solemn harmonies on top with his trusty alto sax. Thanks to Mr. Candler’s thoughtful recording abilities, the way this is recorded is superb, warm and often charming. On “New Galaxy”, selective us of subtle reverb adds depth the sound of the tuba while the alto floats dreamily on top. The sound of Candler’s sax changes on each piece, even sounding like keyboard at times while he stretchs out or sustains certain notes or tones. When Candler switches to bari sax on “Mahler’s Revenge”, both the bari & tuba are in a close timbral area, casting similar shadows on the shrinking light of dusk as the sun goes down. At times it is hard to tell that Mr. Candler is even playing sax, his tone keeps changing. On “Strolling with the Ducks”, he stretches out certain notes, reaching for the for those high note way up there, then bending them carefully while Mr. Dulman reach for those depths like a soft cushion on which to place your tuchus or land your plane, depending on where you are ending up. On “Horseshoes & Hand Grendades”, Mr. Dulman gets to erupt with a wonderfully intense tuba solo which is followed by another inspired bari solo from Candler. There is something most enchanting about this disc, it sounds much bigger than just a duo. Jason & Jesse evoke quite a bit of different characters, dancing images and other modestly charming efluvia. Let’s hope we can get them to play back at DMG before the world comes to an end. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

INCLUSION PRINCIPLE - Third Opening (Discus 49; UK) Unsure what defines an inclusion principle but damn if it doesn’t cause my head to spin 'round. This dazzling two-disc set might well make strong men weak in the knees, reconstruct entire tonal vocabularies wholecloth, and, frankly, merit the necessity of an additional set of virgin ears, such are the mind-boggling surfeit of intermixtures on display. Herve Perez and Martin Archer conduct much in the way of sonic sorcery hereabouts, bridging warm worlds and otherwise, inaugurating yet another blush of asymmetric Discus electronica to melt the linings of even the most discerning cochlea. Wielding a baker’s dozen of acoustic, electric, and digital accoutrements and further undergirded by the nimble fingers of percussionist Peter Fairclough, the three resemble a small, mobile, intelligent coterie of gremlins left to run amok in the studio, brandishing a fistful of moxie, armed to the teeth. But this isn’t mere studio lollygagging, hapless muso derangement, or improvisation by happy accident; there’s a definitive method to these chaps’ madness, a commitment to brazen experimentalism that yields a sense they’re all having one helluva time making such brave noise. Transcending even the Afro-futurisms of Jon Hassell, Third Opening builds on the concepts of ancient future, retrofitting indigenous fixtures within the amoeba-like wonderworlds of contemporary sound design. But cybernetics aside, this stuff is firmly hands-on; digits aren’t only sweeping across trackpads and touchscreens but also massaging cymbals, mallets, brass valves, assorted natural ephemera. “Calling from Afar” trembles across a hallucinogenic Pekingnese gamelan as performed on the Nostromo. The martial art declarations and backmasked hornswoggle of “Sixty Watt Midnight” ride roughshod over a laptop-rinsed klingklang whose brontosaurus rhythms skulk drunkenly about the meridian. And the epic twenty-three minutes of “Not Looking for Another Now” peel back the membrane covering Hassell's ersatz techno-jungle to reveal verdant environments teeming with chattering life, Perez and Archer’s tintinnabulations augmented by Peter Fairclough’s random acoustics, catapulting the trio's speculative fictions well beyond the id. These are recordings virtually mandating Pauline Oliveros’s dictum of deep listening, the kind of work whose enigmatic pleasures fracture time and bend space. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
2 CD Set $15

THE RESIDENTS - Cube-E Box: The History Of American Music In 3 E-Z Pieces (Cryptic Corporation Nrtbox 015; USA) "In the late 1980s The Residents embarked on what many fans still consider their greatest live project. Cube-E: The History Of American Music In 3 E-Z Pieces spanned almost four years and proposed to do nothing less than its title suggested, telling the story of American popular music, from its birth around the campfires of a non-existent Old West to its death at the hands of Elvis and the British Invasion, all in three easy pieces. Performed on TV and on stage around the world between 1987 and 1990, the show saw The Residents fully embrace their loves of elaborate and imaginative staging, the latest in music technology and, of course, The King -- Elvis Aaron Presley. It goes without saying that there was barely a dry seat in the house, and alongside live recordings and contemporaneous studio material this pREServed set includes the previously unreleased demos for the entire King & Eye album, which saw the group tackle twenty-something (you can count 'em!) of Mr. Swivel Hips' hottest hits. Spread across an inescapably unwieldy 7CDs at the group's insistence, Cube-E pREServed is the final word in Americana cool. Or so it says here! Remastered, expanded, and pREServed for future generations, this is the latest in a series of archival Residents reissues that will continue throughout 2020 and beyond. Look out for 'Freak Show' and 'Gingerbread Man' sets, coming to a record store near you!"
7 CD Box Set $50

FENNESZ - Plus Forty Seven Degrees 56' (Touch 040; UK) “…37" Minus Sixteen Degrees 51'08". Warehouse find, last ever copies... Originally released by Touch in 1999, this is Christian Fennesz's second full-length solo album after the highly-acclaimed Hotel Paral.lel (Mego, 1997). Fittingly, " 47° 56' 37" -16° 51' 08" takes its title from the coordinates of Fennesz's backyard garden, the site of the open-air studio where these tracks were created. Initial copies came in an oversized gatefold card sleeve, with booklet insert; the second edition was in standard jewel case format. This third edition is in digipak format with unaltered audio. The album has been out-of-print for two years and was Fennesz's first solo album for Touch, preceding his breakthrough Endless Summer (Mego, 2001). Anticipating his next album, The Black Sea (Touch, 2008), on 40º..., Fennesz uses guitar and computer to create shimmering, swirling electronic sound of enormous range and complex musicality. His lush and luminous compositions are anything but sterile computer experiments. They resemble sensitive, telescopic recordings of rainforest insect life or natural atmospheric occurrences, an inherent naturalism permeating each piece.”
CD $17 [lost treasure, last copies, out-of-print]

ATAVISTIC ONGOING REISSUE CD SALE - Week #7

PETER BROTZMANN / FRED LONBERG-HOLM - The Brain Of The Dog In Section (Atavistic 186; USA) "Peaked-out duo recordings from one of the founders of the form and his ever adventurous, cello-torque-ing protege. Recorded live in November 2007 at Chicago's famed Hideout destination, Peter Brotzmann and Fred Lonberg-Holm combine for the first time ever in this penultimately intimate configuration. Although 'The Brain Of The Dog' was recorded in an ultra-industrial urban warehouse district, the resulting music is uber-organic, almost onomatopoeic at points. Certainly, fans of 'Schwarzwaldfahrt', Brotzmann and Han Bennink's now classic free-jazz camping trip deep into Germany's Black Forest, are strongly urged to check into this seminal blast!
CD $15 [last 5 copies]

GLENN BRANCA - Symphony Nos. 8 & 10: The Mysteries (Atavistic 12; USA) Stunning, heavy requiem for ten electric guitars acclaimed by village voice, N.Y. Times, A/P, Chi. Tribune & many more; two symphonies on CD! Some classic Branca, now back in print. Originally recorded and released in 1994. Minimal and massive, for fans of Sonic Youth, Black Lips, etc. "Subtitled "The Mystery" and "The Mystery Pt. 2," these two symphonies concern themselves with the two big questions: Life and Death. They are both scored for eight guitars, two basses, keyboard, drums, vocal and two conductors. Symphony No. 8 has two movements: "The Passion" and "Spiritual Anarchy" that both build upon sustained tones that create a counterpoint by means of delays in scale and other patterns and micro tunings. There are also two movements in Symphony No. 10: "The Final Problem" and "The Horror." These are built in a similar manner to the techniques in No. 8 but the tuning and scales employed are different, creating another sensation yet still as intense and continuous in rhythm as No. 8." - "Blue" Gene Tyranny, All Music Guide
CD $15

GLENN BRANCA - Symphony No. 13: (Hallucination City) For 100 Guitars (Atavistic 12; USA) Glenn Branca's work as a composer spans music for experimental rock bands, large ensemble instrumentals for electric guitars, 16 symphonies, chamber ensemble pieces, an opera, a ballet, choral works and music for film, dance, theater &installation art. Now considered by many to be one of the most influential living composers (both in the fields of alternative and experimental rock, as well as contemporary classical music), Branca's work has inspired and influenced two generations of composers and musicians, major rock stars, Academy Award winners, and Pulitzer prize composers. His animated style of conducting has recently begun to change perceptions about the role of the conductor in serious music performance. Branca is the inventor of The Harmonics Guitar and a theory of music based on the Harmonic Series as well as various tuning systems. He has designed and/or built many of the instruments used in a number of his pieces. He is also a founder of The No Wave Movement that started in downtown NYC during the late 70's that has now become, after many decades, an international movement in the underground music scene. His works for orchestra have been performed by 14 orchestras worldwide, notably: The London Sinfonietta conducted by Paul Daniel, The Orchestra Of St. Lukes conducted by David Alan Miller and The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson. Hundreds of extensive articles and interviews about Glenn's work have been published in major publications, books and music dictionaries worldwide. He has worked with some of the most important artists of our time: Twyla Tharp, David Bowie, Peter Greenaway, Eiko and Koma, Eric Bogosian, Robert Longo, Laura Dean, Dan Graham, The Wooster Group, The Joffrey Ballet, The Alvin Ailey Company, Sonic Youth, The Kronos String Quartet, The Bang On A Can All-Stars, Crash Ensemble and many others.
CD $15

FRED LONBERG-HOLM TRIO With JASON ROEBKE/FRANK ROSALY - Other Valentines (Atavistic 165; USA) The FLH Trio is Fred Longberg-Holm on cello, Jason Roebke on bass and Frank Rosaly on drums. They return with their second album for Atavistic: a beautifully conceived, bittersweet follow-up volume-and companion piece to their first effort, 'A Valentine For Fred Katz'. Just three originals and the rest covers from an odd assortment of songwriters: Sun Ra, Syd Barrett, Gil Scott-Heron, Catpower, Wilco and Fred Katz. Sun Ra's "east of uz" opens and has a cool, slightly bent melody and strong cello solo from Fred. I don't Catpower's "fool", but it does have a rather sad, yet charming melody. "Arnold Layne" is from the very first Pink Floyd album and might seem like an odd choice, yet Fred turns the song inside-out by bowing the strings and bending the melody as he twists it into a new shape. Fred's own "almost mid-day" is a touching ballad, sad and lovely. Gil Scott-Heron's "Winter in America" might also seem like a strange choice, but again Fred shows that melody is a most enchanting one and plays it in a touching, solemn way. Each piece here has thoughtful, charming melody and does a fine job of touching out hearts. Bassist Jason Roebke takes a sublime solo on his own tune "I got nothing". The trio brings things to a righteous conclusion on Fred Katz's "to my buddy, buddy", another long, melancholy piece that is both is delicately sad and beautiful. - BLG
CD $15

BOXHEAD ENSEMBLE with MICHAEL KRASSNER / FRED LONBERG-HOLM / GLENN KOTCHE /et al - Quartets {soundtracks](Atavistic ALP 136; USA) America's only possible answer to God Speed You Black Emperor has delivered their fourth proper album and a billowing cloud of phantom sensations it is, indeed. On this voyage, the Ensemble consists of leader Michael Krassner (Lofty Pillars), Jessica Billey (SMOG), Michael Colligan (Pillow), Ryan Hembrey (Edith Frost, ex-Pinetop Seven), Glenn Kotche (Wilco, Jim O'Rourke, Loose Fur), Fred Lonberg-Holm (Terminal 4, Brotzmann Tentet), and Scott Tuma. An ethereal, drifting work in the spirit of the wonderful 'Dutch Harbor' soundtrack, 'The Last Place to Go' and 'Two Brothers', 'Quartets' also features music from the Ensemble's contributions to the HBO Film "The Smashing Machine". Superb, sublime and quite haunting, once again.”
CD $15

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LP SECTION:

EUGENE CHADBOURNE - Live at Grand Guignol (Ouch! Records V001/12; Earth) Featuring Eugene Chadbourne on banjo & 5-string banjo. This record album was recorded at the Grand Guignol Bookstore in Lyon, France in April of 2010. Over the past month (October of 2020), I’ve reviewed six new Chadula (Dr. Chad’s label), all from the same series called the Chatterbox Project (all 70 minutes long!) plus an historic disc (on Enamem) of an ancient guitar trio w/ Duck Baker, Randy Hutton & Doc Chadbourne. That’s quite a bit of Mr. Chadbourne’s quirky, jazz/rock/folk/country/punk/avant/Downtown all purpose weirdness and unique creativity. So Doc Chad e-mails me and say he got more new stuff, do I want to get some to sell? Hell yes! Unlike the early Downtown days (70’s & 80’s) when LP’s was still supreme & cassettes also a good choice, most Chadbourne releases have been on CD or CD-R. Recent vinyl has been relatively rare but a few European label have released some Doc Chad vinyl. This album comes from France and was recorded in April of 2010 at a bookstore in Lyon and was unreleased until now.
The piece is called “Water Song”, it reminds me of a talking blues with some freer things going on. Eugene is playing banjo in a sort of raga-like style, the words seems to be a tell of strange political observations. “The Johnsons” is next it is is about the Johnson Boys and their shame about looking at some pretty girls. The banjo is sped up and Doc is flailing on it. The frenetic pace is not odd for a bluegrass song, yet the words come from somewhere else completely. A strange combination that only someone like Chadbourne could make work. “The Drift” mentions San Luis Obispo in CA for some strange reason. The song has a furious, crazed pace with some frenetic banjo playing and words that I am still trying to figure out. It seems that Mr. Chadbourne has developed a unique style of cyclone-paced banjo kinda of like a race or a rabbit hunt, getting quicker with ongoing odd vocal flourishes. The banjo can also be a droning instrument like a tambura in Indian ragas. Doc Chad word’s seem to flow freely yet rhyme righteous at times. Hip hop influenced, perhaps?!?! “Pissing the world away” he repeats throughout this long piece. This album ends appropriately enough a song which has become a Chadbourne standard called, “The Old Piano”. Loads of great images cast throughout this long piece. The pace is slower and Chad places an long, inspired banjo solo. After hearing this piece several times throughout the years many times, I’ve come to love this song. It is actually touching, utterly charming in its own way. A perfect way to bring this album to a mighty fine close. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $15

ICEPICK with NATE WOOLEY / INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN / CHRIS CORSANO - Hellraiser (Astral Spirits 103; USA) Featuring Nate Wooley on trumpet, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass and Chris Corsano on drums. Of all of the different Downtown trumpet players, Nate Wooley seems to be the most diverse, running several bands (Seven Story Mountain & Battle Pieces), as well as collaborating with a wealth of different players (Ken Vandermark, Harris Eisenstadt & Ivo Perelman). Mr. Wooley has worked Scandinavian bassist, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, on a couple of previous discs for the Clean Feed label. Singular master percussionist, Chris Corsano is also a member of Wooley’s Seven Story Mountain (whose new disc is at the top of this newsletter - 10/22/20), as well as in projects by Dave Rempis (From Wolves to Whales) and Sylvie Courvoisier.
This album was recorded live at Fulton Street Collective in Chicago in February of 2018. From the gitgo, the trio erupts together spinning out cascades of notes freely yet connected by a central force. The trio soars together, frantic yet focused, tightly matching each others playing whether furious or slowing down to a calm, spacious section. Master bassist, Haker Flaten, formerly of the now defunkt trio, The Thing, takes a long inspired solo on the long opening track with Mr. Wooley slowly coming in towards the end of the solo portion, Mr. Corsano joining them for an extraordinary conclusion. Side tow begins with a strong drums & contrabass section, with Mr. Wooley gliding in the distance. The trio hit their stride here, all three members integral to that massive, organic storm, over-the-top at times and them submerged into some more spacious currents.
LP $17

LUKE STEWART with EDWARD WILKERSON, JR. / KEN VANDERMARK / AVREEAYL RA - Exposure Quintet (Astral Spirits 142; USA) "Back in 2018, I was invited by Dave Rempis to participate in the Exposure Series at Elastic Arts in Chicago. The Series was for me a shining example of artist-lead organizing of different yet connected communities around the Music. From my standpoint, it is yet another in the continuum of such actions, specifically in Chicago, and has been a major inspiration for my work as an artist and for the material on this recording.
The ensemble was assembled by Mr. Rempis, and was the first time the group had ever played together. The experience was immensely moving and was a major event in my own musical development, having the chance to lead a collective ensemble of true pillars in Creative Music.
Later that year, I was invited back to Chicago by Ken Vandermark for the Option Series at Experimental Sound Studio. It was then when I was able to schedule a recording and subsequent concert with the group, revisiting the material conceived by the ensemble earlier that year. As for the actual composition, I wanted to showcase the collectivism of the sounds produced in that first meeting. With that in mind I listened back to the first recording and transcribed different movements, motifs, and themes, plus added a few original composition ideas. We then recorded these collective compositions, first in a private recording session, second in front of an audience at Elastic Arts, where the Quintet first met.
What is presented here on this double album is a collection of both sessions. I want to convey again the collectivity of the Quintet. The concept of being a (C)omposer is a result of centuries of musical hierarchy, regarded and celebrated as the ultimate form of a musical artist. The example set out by the journeys of many in Improvised Music, including the gentlemen on this recording, allows for exploration of "composition" in true collective non-hierarchical form. There are no single series of notes, timbres, and dynamics conceived previously by an individual that was then imposed. Rather the Music was allowed to be presented with equal representation from each individual. The "Composer" here, is merely the organizer of the spirit energy of the ensemble. This is the nature of the beautiful offering that This Music provides." - Luke Stewart
2 LP Set $24

SUNNY MURRAY'S UNTOUCHABLE FACTOR with OLIVER LAKE / FRANK FOSTER / MONNETTE SUDLER / HAMIET BLUIETT / ARTHUR BLYTHE / DON PULLEN / CECIL McBEE / FRED HOPKINS / et al - Applecores (Philly Jazz 1004; USA) 2020 Featuring Frank Foster (soprano sax), Oliver Lake (alto sax), Jimmy Vass (alto sax), Youseff Yancy (trumpet, flugelhorn, theremin, various electro-acoustical sound manipulating devices), Don Pullen (piano), Monnette Sudler (guitar), Cecil McBee (bass), Hamiet Bluiett (baritone sax), Arthur Blythe (alto sax), Fred Hopkins (bass), Abdul Zahir Batin (flutes, whistles, percussion) and Sonny Brown (drums). Exact repro, originally released in 1978.
LP $16

DON CHERRY TRIO - Live In Paris, March 1979 (Alternative Fox 049; UK) Superb performance by Don Cherry Trio recorded in Paris, March 1967, and broadcast on French radio station ORTF.
LP $19

RAVI SHANKAR & KUMAR BOSE - Live At Berwaldhallen, Stockholm 1989 (Alternative Fox 050; UK) One high quality live recording from a legendary set. Ravi Shankar and Kumar Bose performing at the Berwaldhallen in Stockholm, recorded for the Swedish national television.
LP $19

TATSUHISA YAMAMOTO - Ashioto (Black Truffle 068; Australia) “Black Truffle announce Ashioto, the first international solo release from Japanese drummer-percussionist-composer Tatsuhisa Yamamoto. Active for over a decade, Yamamoto has performed and recorded extensively with artists such as Jim O'Rourke, Eiko Ishibashi, and Akira Sakata, as well as participating in innumerable improvised and ad hoc groups. Ashioto presents two wide-ranging pieces that combine Yamamoto's percussion work with piano, field recordings, electronics, and contributions from guest musicians Daisuke Fujiwara and Eiko Ishibashi. Beginning with a passage of chiming metal percussion, the first side slowly builds into a rolling, open groove reminiscent of Yamamoto's work on Eiko Ishibashi's acclaimed Drag City LP, The Dreams My Bones Dream (2018). Spacious piano and synth notes, along with Ishibashi's spare melodic figures on processed flute, hover above this propulsive rhythmic foundation, the whole effect adding up to a more abstract take on the area explored on Rainer Brüninghaus's ECM classic Freigeweht (1981). The LP's second side opens up a cavernous space filled with ominous electronics and shimmering metallic percussion, which organically transitions into a passage of rumbling piano chords and mysterious concrète sound. Later in the piece, Daisuke Fujiawara's saxophone enters, playing melancholic melodic fragments that are looped and layered, creating a seasick swaying effect familiar to listeners of James Tenney's works with tape delay systems. Beginning as delicate bass drum pulses, Yamamoto's accompanying percussion eventually builds the piece into a raging torrent of free-improv splatter, processed sax and fizzing electronics. Though grounded in instrumental performance, Ashioto is very much a studio construction, making inventive use of electro-acoustic principles in its editing and mixing. Together with its sister Ashiato -- a different take on the same "script" released simultaneously on Japanese label Newhere -- Ashioto demonstrates to an international audience for the first time the true breadth and ambition of Yamamoto's work. Mastered by Jim O'Rourke. Cover photos by Kuniyoshi Taikou. Design by Lasse Marhaug.
LP $30

JUDITH HAMANN - Music for Cello and Humming (Blank Forms 018; USA) “Nomadic Australian cellist and composer Judith Hamann presents two collections of her sonic inquiries into shaking and humming. Her CD, Music for Cello and Humming, features two pieces for cello and humming written specifically for Hamann by composers Sarah Hennies and Anthony Pateras alongside Hamann's own "Humming Suite" and "Study for Cello and Humming." Having arisen intuitively from Hamann's investigations into shaking, just intonation, psychoacoustic phenomena, and the voice in relation to the femme presenting body in performance, humming here also references dislocation, or ventriloquism. Although teetering on the edge of audibility, the intimate and vulnerable closed-mouth sounding enters into subtle interference with her cello, drifting into acoustical beating and bringing instability to otherwise more formal grid structures. The capacity for rupture of this volatile fragility reaches its apotheosis on Hennies' "Loss," a piece that deliberately instructs Hamann to hum beyond the limits of her voice range. Going against the grain of chamber music orthodoxy, the guaranteed failure set in motion by this instruction yields a generative sound of effort reminiscent of Xenakis's storied desire for an instrumentalist to play with the sorrow of knowing they can't do everything. With an arc suggestive of sudden life change, "Loss" casts queer epistemology onto composition, positioning failure, undoing, unbecoming, and transforming as alternative ways of knowing or being. Hennies's signature composite merging of individual components here brings oral sounds that include breathing and coughing together with humming, cello, and sine waves. Like Glenn Gould's 1982 Goldberg Variations or Pauline Oliveros's Accordion and Voice, this timbral meeting of bodily utterances with consummate musicianship imbues Hamann's humming work with a breakable, human strand, here as humbling as it is uncomfortable. Music for Cello and Humming is accompanied by an essay on both recordings by Nora Fulton. It's presented alongside the LP set, Shaking Studies (BF 017LP). Judith Hamann undertook her doctoral studies with renowned cellist Charles Curtis, with whom she is currently engaged in a discourse-based project, "Materialities of Realisation." She has additionally demonstrated a superlative capacity for improvisation and engagement with sonic arts through work with artists Dennis Cooper, Éliane Radigue, Áine O'Dwyer, Ilan Volkov, Toshimaru Nakamura, La Monte Young, and Marian Zazeela, Golden Fur, Jessika Kenney, Anna Homler, Yvette Janine Jackson, and Lori Goldston, among others. Her recorded appearances include Tashi Wada's Duets, Graham Lambkin's Community, Alvin Lucier's Illuminated By The Moon, and Gossamers, with Rosalind Hall. Edition of 500.
LP $16

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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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EXCITING LIVESTREAM CONCERT Worth Checking out:

October 23 - 2:00 PM EDT / 20h Paris CET
Simon Moullier livestream release show from Paris at Sunset/Sunside club

Ticketing link: https://www.sunset-sunside.com/2020/10/artiste/2812/7192/
Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/2T03E0Zxn

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This comes from my pal Marc Andren:

THE IICSI NEWSLETTER, ImprovNotes: iicsi@uoguelph.ca

Wow...a great issue! Click on links to Evan Parker....an interview with Randy Weston. Click on the symposium with Geri Allen...an all-day, virtual deal! 11-5-20 from 9:30 to 5:30pm....people presenting including Vijay Iyer, George Lewis, Nicole Mitchell and many others! On many aspects of Geri's life....I still miss her!

Plus here is a doc on Jaco Pastorius in 2 parts:

https://www.1handclapping.online/post/jaco-pastorius-a-documentary

https://soundcloud.com/alan-writes/punk-jazz-the-life-of-jaco-pastorius2

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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://heroesaregangleaders.wordpress.com/2020/10/12/gianthology-john-pietaro/

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THIS IS FROM GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPVCuBh_Fb8
https://www.youtube.com/c/CuneiformRecords/videos

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:

ARTS FOR ART HEALING SOUL FESTIVAL FOR STREAMING:

Available to Watch Now for Vision Festival: Healing Soul On Demand

Wadada Leo Smith performs classic Thelonious Monk compositions, along with his own compositions inspired by Monk and his personal history, in this special live performance for Vision Festival: Healing Soul recorded at Firehouse 12. Followed by a dialogue between Wadada Leo Smith and Patricia Nicholson.

Over the next two weeks, we will make all Vision Festival: Healing Soul performances available on demand. Catch the performances you missed, or relive your favorite moments from the original livestream.

See/Hear: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/healingsoul?utm_source=Audience&utm_campaign=9d3ae37858-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_26_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3be2db18a2-9d3ae37858-85161517

See the release schedule below to know when each video will become available. 

Wadada Leo Smith performs Solo: Reflections and Meditations on Monk on trumpet and piano; Followed by a dialogue between Wadada Leo Smith and Patricia Nicholson

Premieres on Friday, October 23
Healing Force
Patricia Nicholson / Ellen Christi / Andrea Wolper / Amirtha Kidambi / Jean Carla Rodea / Ava Mendoza / Val Jeanty

Afro-Algonquin Trio
Lee Mixashawn Rozie / Rick Rozie / Royal Hartigan

Oliver Lake Organ Quartet
Oliver Lake / Freddie Hendrix / Jared Gold / Chris Beck

Premieres on Saturday, October 24
Lewis / Lopez / Marcelo / Waits
James Brandon Lewis / Brandon Lopez / Alexis Marcelo / Nasheet Waits

Fay Victor's Mutations for Justice
Fay Victor / Mazz Swift / Chris Williams / Luke Stewart / Jason Nazary

Amina Claudine Myers Trio
Amina Claudine Myers / Jerome Harris / Reggie Nicholson

Premieres on Friday, October 30
Andrew Cyrille Quartet
Bill Frisell / David Virelles / Ben Street / Andrew Cyrille

Tyehimba Jess

Gerald Cleaver's Black Host
Gerald Cleaver / Darius Jones / Brandon Seabrook / Cooper-Moore / Brandon Lopez

Premieres on Saturday, October 31
David Murray Trio with Luke Stewart / Ronnie Burrage

LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs

In Order to Survive Quintet
William Parker / Rob Brown / James Brandon Lewis / Matthew Shipp / Gerald Cleaver

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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-29
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-28
https://ingrid-laubrock.bandcamp.com/track/stir-crazy-episode-27
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

https://garylucas.com/www/dracula/dracula.shtml

https://www.nporadio2.nl/soulenjazz/podcasts/co-live

https://podcast.npo.nl/feed/co-live.xml

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This One from FLUTIST Extraordinare BOB DOWNES:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h0CO8Ck5kQ