DMG Newsletter for July 16th, 2021

“Ursonate”
By Kurt Schwitters

Fümms bö wö tää zää Uu,
pögiff,
kwii Ee.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooo,
dll rrrrr beeeee bö
dll rrrrr beeeee bö fümms bö,
rrrrr beeeee bö fümms bö wö,
beeeee bö fümms bö wö tää,
bö fümms bö wö tää zää,
fümms bö wö tää zää Uu:
 
Fümms bö wö tää zää Uu,
pögiff,
Kwii Ee.
 
Dedesnn nn rrrrr,
Ii Ee,
mpiff tillff too,
tillll,
Jüü Kaa?
 
Rinnzekete bee bee nnz krr müü?
ziiuu ennze, ziiuu rinnzkrrmüü,
rakete bee bee,
 
Rrummpff tillff toooo?
 
Ziiuu ennze ziiuu nnzkrrmüü,
Ziiuu ennze ziiuu rinnzkrrmüü
rakete bee bee? rakete bee zee.
 
Fümms bö wö tää zää Uu,
Uu zee tee wee bee fümms.
rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
Beeeee
bö
fö
böwö
fümmsbö
böwörö
fümmsböwö
böwörötää
fümmsböwötää
böwörötääzää
fümmsböwötääzää
böwörötääzääUu
fümmsböwötääzääUu
böwörötääzääUu pö
fümmsböwötääzääUu pö
böwörötääzääUu pögö
fümmsböwötääzääUu pögö
böwörötääzääUu pögiff
fümmsböwötääzääUu pögiff
kwiiEe.

Holy Shitter! That’s the opening line (sort of) to “Ubu Roi”, an absurdist play written by Alfred Jarry and first performed in Paris in December of 1896. “Ubu Roi” is a satirical parody of many of Shakespeare's plays and is often referred to as the beginning of what would become Pataphysics, Dada and Fluxus, art movements renown for poking fun at the seriousness and absurdity of modern life. The above poem/text was written by Kurt Schwitters and first performed in 1925. I was heard Jaap Blonk perform this absurdist delight and thought it is/was one of the best performances of Art used to bend our collective minds into seeing, hearing or feeling an extreme view of life. A different reality that most of can relate to in times like this. Aside from my ongoing odyssey of listening to every Dead concert on-line in chronological order, I also listen to an unheard disc from my vast collection of albums, CD’s, cassettes & DVD’s each & every night, so I can hear/view another world/dimension/voice from somewhere else. This has been a lifelong goal for and it has picked up speed since the pandemic forced us inside & alone for so long plus we’ve gotten a number of donations over the past couple of years: Special thanks to Chris Stern, Jon Morgan, Mark Whitecage, Mario Pavone and many others for helping us out. Here’s a short list of recently heard oddball gems: The Spacious Mind, Ill Wind, Tarantula Ad, Wapassou, JF Murphy, Ne Zhdali (rare LP) and lots more. Cheers to the ongoing search for the weirdest sounds I can find. - MC Bruce Lee, Captain Obscurity, DMG

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

THIS WEEK’S SONIC WONDERS BEGIN an AMAZING JOELLE LEANDRE 3 CD SET:

JOELLE LEANDRE with MATEUSZ RYBICKI / ZBIGNIEW KOZERA / RAFAL MAZUR / ZLATKO KAUCIC - Beauty / Resistance (Not Two MW 1013-2; Poland) Featuring Joelle Leandre on contrabass, Mateusz Rybicki on clarinet, Zbigniew Kozera on contrabass, Rafal Mazur on acoustic bass guitar and Zlatko Kaucic on drums. This 3 CD set was recorded live at the Krakow Jazz Autumn Festival in the Alchemia Club in 2019. CD #1 features a quartet (clarinet, 2 contrabasses & drums), CD #2 features a duo with Ms. Leandre & Mr. Kaucic (contrabass & drums and CD #3 featuring a duo with Leandre & Mazur (contrabass & acoustic bass guitar). There was a fine, yet overlooked CD from a Polish trio called the Sundogs which was released by Listen! Foundation in 2018. Two of those members, Rybicki & Kozera, are also found here. Slovenian drummer, Zlatko Kaucic, seems to be the other elder member of this session as he been playing for more than 30 years, working with: Steve Lacy, Peter Brotzmann, Evan Parker and Barry Guy.
The insightful liner notes here were written by acoustic bass guitarist Rafal Mazur and they discuss the meaning of the CD title, ‘Beauty/Resistance’. The beauty of Creative Music to inspire/embrace spontaneity and freedom and the resistance of uniformity by manipulating the masses. The quartet on CD #1 is something special: loose/tight, focused yet free, intense and gripping. Plus they sound like they’ve been playing together for many years even though this was their first encounter. Drummer, Zlatko Kaucic sounds like he is playing scissors or knitting needles or something similar, rubbing surfaces with fingers or other careful utensils. Although I had heard little from clarinetist, Mateusz Rybicki, before now, he sounds pretty incredible throughout. Both contrabassist are also in fine form here and sound wonderful together, with that nonstop creative spark that only the best improv/freedom can provide. The duo with Ms. Leandre and Mr. Kaucic, contrabass & drums is extraordinary! Both musicians are obvious masters, the balance is just right, the intensity is bristling and the magic of cosmic free/improv is quite inspiring. CD #3 features Ms. Leandre on contrabass and Rafal Mazur on acoustic bass guitar. Over the past several years we’ve been seeing/hearing more & more from Rafal Mazur, who plays the rare acoustic bass guitar. Check out his work with Agusti Fernandez, Keir Neuringer or Guillermo Gregorio, who calls Mazur one of the improvisers that he has ever worked with. His duo with Ms. Leandre is also something special. Although both musicians do play bass, the approach/sound is quite different. There is even more magic going on here that someone might expect. It has a while since we’ve heard something new from bassist extraordinare, Joelle Leandre, hence this disc is as great as it gets so dig in now! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
3 CD Set $30 [all 10 copies we just got in have small corner bends, the sets are sealed]

YUMA UESAKA and MARILYN CRISPELL - Streams (Not Two MW 1010-2; Poland) Featuring Yuma Uesaka on sax, clarinets & compositions and Marilyn Crispell on piano. Avant piano fanatics have long loved Marilyn Crispell as one of the best of all avant jazz pianists. Whether playing with Anthony Braxton (for nearly a decade), Barry Guy & LJCO or Tisziji Munoz or playing her own solo, duos & trio concerts/discs, Ms. Crispell is committed to pushing the boundaries of acoustic piano explorations. Ms. Crispell has also championed newer musicians throughout her long career, I recall her having Yuko Fujiyama open for her at the Old Knit perhaps 30 years ago. I wasn’t very familiar with reeds player Yuma Uesaka before now although he did play on a disc for Colin Hinton that I reviewed a few years back. It turns out that Mr. Uesaka is both a gifted composer as well as reeds wiz. The opening piece is called “Meditation” and it sounds like a calming, prayer-like song with long, soft, mysterious tones. On “Iterations I”, it sounds as if Mr. Uesaka has two sax parts on top of Ms. Crispell’s complex written (mostly) piano playing. This piece sounds more like contemporary chamber music with some difficult crisscrossing lines that Ms. Crispell plays with ernest delight. “Streams” features some sublime, tasty clarinet over Ms. Crispell’s exquisite, lovely piano. As the piece evolves the alto sax and piano take off and spin their tight lines around one another which is a highlight since both players appear to be having a blast. Inside the CD are five printed poems by Rushi Vyas, one for each song here. The songs and the poems are both stripped down and work together quite well. The thing I like most about this disc is that the music is often stunning, melodic in part and rarely goes to far out, yet it still reaches some great depths inside without the outer turmoil of much New Music. On “Torrent”, the duo neared push things out but nopt too much. On the final track, “Ma/Space”, a musician named Chatori Shimizu plays sho, a Japanese wind instrument with 17 slender bamboo pipes attached together. The piece itself is graceful, skeletal and filled with suspense. Seems like a great way to bring this ancient/modern gem to a subtle, yet righteous conclusion. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

BARRY ALTSCHUL’S 3DOM FACTOR with JON IRABAGON / JOE FONDA - Long Tall Sunshine (Not Two MW 1012; Poland) “The fourth release by Barry Altschul's 3Dom Factor, Long Tall Sunshine, evokes (in a weird way) the lyrics to "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles:
"When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again."
We're not talking the Charles Manson thrill kill angle of Helter Skelter, more like his very organized mayhem. Altschul together with saxophonist Jon Irabagon and bassist Joe Fonda maintain a structured, almost methodical maelstrom in their music that straddles the line between composed and free jazz.
Given these three artists, that helter skelter is not surprising. Altschul's history with freedom included stints in the 1960s with Paul Bley, before Circle with Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton and Dave Holland, and also with the Sam Rivers Trio and Quintet. He also maintained the long standing FAB trio with Joe Fonda and Billy Bang (1947-2011). Fonda's creative output can be heard in The Fonda/Stevens Group, Gebhard Ullmann's quartet Conference Call and his work with pianist Satoko Fujii. A generation younger than his partners, Jon Irabagon is the Swiss army knife of reedists. After winning the 2008 Thelonious Monk Competition, he was best known as a member of the upstart Mostly Other People Do The Killing ensemble before venturing out on a solo career and member of Dave Douglas' Quintet. Irabagon's association with Altschul began with the earth-shaking tenor/drums duo Foxy (Hot Cup Records, 2010) and has grown into this solid trio.
Irabagon applies his best mixture of the DNA of Sonny Rollins and Pharoah Sanders on the opening two tracks, "Long Tall Sunshine," and on "The 3Dom Factor" the trio engineers a hard bop collision with free jazz. With Fonda's hand on the pulse, the guardrails, as illusory as they seem, are maintained. This allows both Irabagon and Altschul to radiate energy. That control of a seemingly uncontrollable freedom is what makes this trio special. "Be Out S'Cool" flinches like a cross between an Ornette Coleman and Thelonious Monk composition with Irabagon switching between tenor and soprillo saxophones. Fonda's solo here and on the finale "Martin's Stew" are woody and chest-gripping performances. The latter composition opens with Altschul's solo, one that is a most organized helter skelter. Another reason that you will get to the bottom and go back to the top for another ride.” - Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz
CD $16

WANDERING THE SOUND QUINTET with SATOKO FUJII / GUILLERMO GREGORIO / NATSUKI TAMURA / RAFAL MAZUR / RAMON LOPEZ - What Is…? (Not Two MW 1017; Poland) Featuring Satoko Fujii on piano, Guillermo Gregorio on clarinet, Natsuki Tamura on trumpet, Rafal Mazur on acoustic bass guitar and Ramon Lopez on drums. This set was recorded live at the Krakow Jazz Autumn Festival in the Alchemia Club in 2019 in Poland. The ever prolific couple Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura made it to Poland the Krakow Jazz Autumn Jazz Fest and organized a quintet Guillermo Gregorio (currently living in NYC) and Rafal Mazur & Ramon Lopez, who have worked together previously on a few earlier CD’s. Clarinetist Guillermo Gregorio also worked with Mr. Mazur, Ms. Fujii & Mr. Tamura on a previous 4 CD set for the Listen! Foundation label. Although this was completely improvised, there is something special going on here. The opening track is pretty long at 44 minutes and it erupts intensely right from the gitgo, the intense interplay most riveting! Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura have been playing together for many years on dozens of records & concerts. Mr. Gregorio, whose has been living in NY for several years is also a gifted improviser and works well with the entire quintet. While listening to this disc, I kept thinking how amazing it is, how incredible well these five musicians work together. This might just be the best improv record I’ve heard in a long while. That’s how extraordinary it is. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

BRANDON SEABROOK / SIMON NABATOV - Voluptuaries (Leo Records 894; UK) Featuring Brandon Seabrook on guitar and Simon Nabatov on piano. Over the past few years, Downtown guitarist, Brandon Seabrook, has been stepping into the spotlight and wowing more & more guitar freaks and other serious music fans. Next week (7/23/21) we will be getting in his new power trio CD on Rare Noise with Mike Watt and Mike Pride, which is no doubt going to blow some minds! What I find most fascinating about Mr. Seabrook is the way he keeps challenging himself by working with a diverse array of creative cohorts: Matt Mitchell & Kate Gentile, the Flying Lutenbachers, Tomas Fujiwara and many others. I’ve had the good fortune to hear Russian pianist Simon Nabatov numerous times playing solos, duos, trios and with his different groups both live and on record. Each time, his playing knocked me out, no matter who he is with or even alone. I had a feeling that this particular duo would again fry some minds since each musicians like to push the envelope as far as it goes.
Mr. Seabrook did play in a quintet session for Mr. Nabatov previously so that is where they must’ve made a connection. Right from the opening salvo, there is something special going on. Although Mr. Seabrook does use the occasional device on his guitar, it is more about the speed and lightning flash of notes he plays that makes hime unique. Mr. Nabatov also appears to be using some objects inside the piano as well as muting certain notes with his hands or other utensils. It is not all fireworks here as the duo often slow down for some wonderful slower more lyrical moments as well. On “Fresnel Lenses”, Seabrook uses a volume pedal or his pinky to play these sublime lines in a delicate fashion while Nabatov plays some exquisite chords, kinda like a lament, peaceful and soothing. Often both Seabrook and Nabatov go for it, exchanging lines furiously which can be both fascinating or exhausting, depending on your inner pulse. This disc show both of these musicians at their best and is one of the best duo exchanges I’ve heard in recent times. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $17

PAGO LIBRE SEXTET with JOHN WOLF BRENNAN / ARKADY SHILKLOPER / TSCHO THEISSING / PATRICE HERAL / et al - platzDADA!! (Leo Records 877; UK) The sextet version of Pago Libre features John Wolf Brennan on piano, voice, etc, Arkady Shilkloper on flugelhorn & alphorn, Tscho Theissing on violin & voice, Agnes Heginger - voice, Georg Breinschid on bass and Patrice Heral on drums. Pago Libre are a long evolving project/band founded by Irish/Swiss pianist John Wolf Brennan that have been recording since 1990 with nearly a dozen discs in their 30 year reign. The personnel has changed over time with John Wolf Brennan the only founding member. Since 2014 both Arkady Shilkloper (from Russia) and Tscho Theissing (Austrian) have been members. To celebrate their 30 years, Pago Libre have expanded to a sextet for this disc. What I like most about Pago Libre is that each of their discs has a concept or theme in mind. This disc is a tribute to the “Dada” art movement, inspired by the work of Kurt Schwitters, Hans Arp and Daniil Charms.
I have long been fascinated by art movements like Dada, Fluxus & Pataphysics which deflate extreme seriousness and increase humor by making fun of ourselves and everyone else and shine a light on the way life really is: consistently ridiculous. When this disc arrived in the mail last week, it made me smile since considering the essence of Dada. Each of the nine pieces here has a theme based on some aspect of Dada and its influence. Starting with “Breakfast at Vladimir Ilyich”, with Vladimir being the original name of Lenin, Russian revolutionary and the founding head of the Soviet government. The piece begins with a (fictional) phone conversation with Lenin with several lines of voices all speaking at once. Soon a quirky, uptempo bass line starts repeating with the voices all chanting “PlatzDada” together, sort of like a crazed (Kurt Weill-ish) musical. All of the members of the sextet use their speaking/singing voices with texts provided by Dadaists: Kurt Schwitters, Hans Arp and Daniil Charms. It turns out that the words used are a mixture of Russian, Swiss, German, English, French & Austrian. The main vocalist here is Ms. Agnes Heginger, who has a wonderful, expressive, diverse and quirky voice. There is something most enchanting, silly yet effective going on here. If you, like myself, recognize how absurd life is really is most of the time, especially in the past year, then you/we will find this disc to be a great soundtrack for our current situation. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $17

MICHAEL BISIO / STEPHEN GAUCI - Pandemic Duets (GauciMusic 45121-04258; USA) Featuring Michael Bisio on contrabass and Stephen Gauci on tenor sax. This session was recorded at Scholes Street Studios in August of 2020. This duo played here at DMG last Saturday (7/10/21), as part of the new GauciMusic Series and were phenomenal! Both musicians here are master improvers with long, diverse resumes. Mr. Bisio has worked with Matt Shipp, Ivo Perelman and Kirk Knuffke on numbers discs and encounters while Mr. Gauci has kept busy with Cooper-Moore, Sandy Ewen, Adam Lane and Joe Morris. Both Mr. Bisio and Mr. Gauci have worked together in several previous projects, mostly trios & quarters, but this is their first duo disc. Hence their bond seems obvious and their abilities seem equal. Mr. Gauci has studied with a number of the more well-known straight ahead saxists and has long worked on his tone and playing. You can hear this in his playing as he works his way through a variety of terrain and styles. Mr. Bisio is also a master contrabassist and is in fine form here as well as the duo last Saturday. These players are especially well-matched, their playing tight, intense, free flowing and always connected. Mr. Gauci takes his time, baring down and stretches out those warm, tender notes with the occasional before speeding up to some more extreme Trane-like lines. One of the things the really knocked me out last Saturday was the incredible, unstoppable playing of Mr. Bisio. Considering there is no drummer here, Bisio plays like an entire rhythm team, providing a pulse at times, spinning a web, blurring rhythmic, melodic and fractured lines in a nonstop fashion which will take your breath away at times. This duo is especially well-recorded and superbly balanced, from the exhilarating to the sublime, like a roller coaster ride which ends up in a tranquil pond. There is a section where Mr. Bisio plucks the strings below the bridge, creating a hypnotic pattern which has a most seductive sound. It doesn’t get any better than this. Mr. Gauci is supposed to put his set here from the store on his YouTube page sometime soon. Check it out if you can and purchase this disc for some Magic Creative Music. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

AARON RUBINSTEIN / MIKE LAROCCA - Studio Sessions (GauciMusic; USA) Featuring Aaron Rubinstein on guitar and Mike Larocca on drums. Since becoming a volunteer at The Stone more than a decade ago, I’ve become friends with many other Stone volunteers over time. We are/were all committed to keeping The Stone open and running smoothly for the many musicians who play there and the many listeners who attend the concerts. I met guitarist Aaron Rubinstein at The New Stone several years ago and we’ve been friends ever since. Aaron has has played here at DMG on several occasions including last Saturday (7/10/21) in a duo with Mike Larocca on drums in celebration for this, a new disc on the GauciMusic label. This disc was recorded in a studio exactly 2 years ago today on July 14th of 2019. Although both Mr. Rubinstein and Mr. Larocca are still pretty young (20’s?), they sound pretty well seasoned as far as serious improvisers go. It sounds like Rubinstein is using minimal effects on his guitar, his tone mostly warm and unadorned. The music here starts out quietly, freely but with some subtle restraint. Rubbed strings, rubbed drum or cymbal surfaces, restless yet focused and quietly intense at times. It sounds as if the duo are playing toys or bowing/scraping metals or strings in a most playful, charming way. At times, ‘Free Music’ or ‘Free Jazz’ can be a bit intimidating when it gets too intense or loud. But not here, the quieter, more playful quality makes this much more enchanting. Eventually the duo do turn up the flame a bit higher, the intensity and free spirit erupting somewhat more. Considering how young these players are, they still sound strong, spirited and focused, mature beyond their years. The sound here is also splendid, warm, clean and still quietly intense. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

MICHEL DONEDA / FREDERIC BLONDY / TETSU SAITOH - Spring Road 16 (Relative Pitch 1121; USA) “French soprano saxophonist Michel Doneda is recognized as a leading avant-garde, experimental, and free jazz improviser. He has been performing with legendary Japanese bassist Tetsu Saitoh for 30 years. On this recording they are joined by French pianist Frédéric Blondy. Sadly, this was to be their final document, a recording from Radio France before Tetsu's premature death. This recording is an incandescent dance that united Tetsu Saitoh, Michel Doneda and Frédéric Blondy on the stage of the France Musique studio. It is a moment of music that brings together three fellow bodies, three sensibilities, three histories, and also three musical instruments taken as a whole, their multiple points of passage, their most intimate and savage correspondences. Michel Doneda provides some of the ferocious moments on this record. Whether blowing on his soprano or his sopranino, his technique is recognizable articulate blowing that doesn't overpower the rest of the trio, but enhances its colors.”
CD $13

ROBBIE AVENAIM / CHRIS ABRAHAMS / JIM DENLEY - Weft (Relative Pitch 1126; USA) Featuring Robbie Avenaim on prepared typewriter, Chris Abrahams on synthesizer and Jim Denley on bass flute. This is quite an odd trio of three musicians from Australia who haven’t worked together very much before this disc was recorded in a studio in Sydney in July of 2017. No doubt you recognize Chris Abrahams, who plays piano & other keyboards with the legendary/popular trio The Necks. Us hipsters should also know of extended technique reeds wiz, Jim Denley, from his work with Mural, Chris Burn and (many moons ago) Machines for Making Sense. Mr. Denley is an old friend of mine and has played at DMG on solo bass flute just a couple of years ago. I doubt that many of you know percussionist Robbie Avenaim, who was once in a punk/noise band called Phlegm (30 years ago) and who continues to play with former Phlegm member Oren Ambarchi from time to time. I am not so sure that I’ve heard some play prepared typewriter before now although I did once hear John Cage play a typewriter & a cactus at a performance of his music. So this is a strange trio as far as the instrumentation goes: prepared typewriter, synth and bass flute. Only the Relative Pitch label would release a disc like this. This session was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal and Bidjigal people in Eora Nation on the Sydney coast. This features one 45 minute piece called “Weft”. Weft are (in weaving) the crosswise threads on a loom over and under which other threads (the warp) are passed to make cloth. All food for thought.
If I didn’t know the instrumentation ahead of time, it would be difficult to tell exactly what is being played here outside of the bass flute and the typewriter which sounds like itself at certain times. The sound of a typewriter often reminds me ancient newspaper offices like scenes from “Citizen Kane”. That sound along with the static like sounds from the synth recall the time when folks used to sit around their radios listening to the news, stories and music. Hence this music transports us somewhere else in time and/or space. Is that a bell or are we submerged in a submarine with the sonar sound surrounding us? It pays to have a healthy imagination while listening to this since it will take you on a journey. The deep sounds of the flute here are humanizing, like a living spirit (audible ghost) reaching out from the static/percussion undertow. The percussion/static sound restless while the wind (flute spirit) has a more calming sound which slows us all down to a dream-like pulse. This music does have a most organic, ritualistic flow/vibe. It sounds like the typewriter is trying to tell us something but we have to put in our own words. I would say this: this music makes me want to join in and jam along on anything I have around to play on, sing along to or dance to. A ping pong tournament? A portal to another world or dimension?!? Several spirits all breathing and working/playing together. Someone might ask if this was in any way like The Necks? Hmmmm. Same careful control and cosmic, restraint magic. Otherwise very different. Another long lost gem from the Relative Pitch Catalogue of Buried Treasure(s). - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $13

GREGG BELISLE-CHI - KOI - Performing the Music of Tim Berne (Relative Pitch 1134; USA) “After hearing Matt Mitchell’s astonishing essay of Tim Berne compositions for solo piano, I suppose I should’ve been ready for a solo guitar recording of Berne pieces. After all, many superb guitarists have played Tim’s music with him – David Torn, Marc Ducret and Bill Frisell among them – but nothing could’ve prepared me for this jaw-dropping solo acoustic-guitar recording of 11 Berne pieces by Gregg Belisle-Chi, a player completely new to me. Masterful and visionary, this has instantly become one of my favorite solo guitar documents.” — NELS CLINE
“For anyone familiar with Tim Berne’s music, this is a fascinating opportunity to check it out from a different angle, to look at it through another lens – a window opens to the beauty. For those not familiar his music, this is a wonderful way to enter into it... I’ve known Tim for 40 years. His music is like no other. And not once has Tim strayed from the path – he’s uncompromising. I met Gregg Belisle-Chi a number of years ago, back when we were both living in Seattle. What struck me upon first hearing him – aside from the fact that he played his ass off – was his lack of affectation. There was no mimicry. Instead, there was transparency – letting the music speak. That’s what’s happening with Koi. I’ve tried to play some of this music – and there are some serious notes to get past. Gregg does it, and the music speaks. And on acoustic guitar! Naked, no hiding. Gregg and Tim together have raised the bar. This music knocks me out.” — BILL FRISELL
CD $13

MARTIN ARCHER / CHARLOTTE KEEFFE / MARTIN PYNE - Hi Res Heart (Discus 108 CD; UK) This one’s a horn-player’s cornucopia of celebratory delights. Recorded during the Covid lockdown from August 2020 to March 2021, the three participants herein managed to twist isolationism’s self-defeating tendencies on its head, resulting in a gleeful slice of artfully bent nu-bop that is nothing but an effervescent delight. According to the inside liners, each member would initiate an idea for four individual pieces (the album contains twelve tracks), recording their own parts then sending those around for the other players to arrange and record in kind. Despite this seemingly ‘ramshackle’ working ethos (though born out of necessity), even the most discerning ear could swear Mssrs. Archer, Keeffe, and Pyne were simultaneously cohabiting the same studio space, such is the seamless nature of these buoyant tracks. To wit, Archer, as usual, is in fine form; when his foghorn sonorities interlock with Keeffe’s silken flugelhorn on the lengthy “Song for Bobby Naughton”, augmented by Pyne’s crystalline vibes and poised traps, the ghosts of everyone from the titular performer to Bobby Hutcherson and Walt Dickerson are resurrected in a breathless seance of ravishing Blue Notes. But there’s a streak of rebellion coursing through the veins of this music, strands of freer British improv that play across a wider canvas upon which the trio operate. “Jean” reveals these notions in splendid fashion, it’s marching band rhythms as much a part of the AACM historical record as such homegrown units as the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and even John Surman’s early flights of fancy. But what is most telling about this trio’s music is the love of life emanating from its members instruments, a reaction to the circumstances surrounding the album’s creation that somehow feels both introspective and joyful, even though there are many moments when Archer’s intense squalls erupt in a pristine gush, emboldened by his occasionally painterly electronics and Pyne’s strident pulsations. Cherish these sounds, for their creators indeed make them sing. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

KEITH TIPPETT with JULIE TIPPETTS / PAUL DUNMALL / CHRIS BISCOE / KEVIN FIGES / BEN WAGHORN and THE APOLLO SAXOPHONE QUARTET - The Monk Watches the Eagle (Discus 102 CD; UK) The late, great Keith Tippett was one of modern music’s true iconoclasts, a keyboardist whose reach flexed well beyond his jazz roots to embrace contemporary composition, the avant-garde, free-playing in all its enthusiastic glory, and pretty much everything in between. When Tippett guested on band X’s recording, it instantly rubberstamped the group’s cred and rep. Those among you who are the man’s admirers (this writer among them) will never forget their reaction to Tippett’s performance on King Crimson’s evil slice of prog pop, “Cat Food”. His contributions to that whimsical bit of British aural eccentricity catapulted an already nifty little tune into the prog pantheon; it surely did this listener’s ears in. Many enthusiasts of the man’s work went on to discover his now-legendary back catalog, either recorded under his own name, with his various hydra-headed collectives, or with the likes of Ovary Lodge, Centipede, Mujician, Low Flying Aircraft, etc., etc. Tippett’s mercurial abilities always held him in good stead—he seemed to innately understand how his contributions would inform a given recording, how he would best interact with his fellow bandmates, and that near-telepathic sense of structure and malleability has resulted in music that has confounded, perplexed, exhilarated, and delighted our ears for decades. Discus label runner Martin Archer has continued to honor Tippett’s work over the past few years, and now with this unique, spellbinding recording, he cements it in perpetuity. The average Tippett aficionado might at first be taken aback by the lack of the man’s trademark piano; instead, Tippett and his wife and partner-in-sound Julie act as both composers and conductors, leading the BBC singers and their instrumental accompanists (Paul Dunmall, Julie, plus additional soloists and the Apollo Saxophone Quartet) across a rapturous forty-one minute hymnal ‘opera’. Yes, you read that correctly. Performed at Norwich Cathedral in 2004, the influence of the performance space no doubt plays a critical role, but it is Julie Tippetts’s textual recitation that lifts this music heavenward. Once wholly engulfed by the spiritual intensity of the ever-arcing choirs, it is nigh on impossible to do anything but utterly submit your very soul to the music’s powerful, monastic pull. Comparisons leap to mind—the Gyuto Monks, John Adams, Arvo Pärt, the Hilliard Ensemble—but the Tippetts and their cohorts seem to be calling forth something far more mysterious and enlightening. Though mostly a vocal-based recording, as the instrumentalists make their presence known, their contributions are strikingly integrated into the performance’s schema: when Dunmall’s sax arrives, it rings out like a lighthouse beacon, illuminating the music’s twilit airs in a warm, comforting gauze. For optimal enjoyment, it’s suggested you dim the lights and allow for no interruptions once ‘play’ is chosen, the better to completely imbibe in this work’s many-colored splendor. As for Tippett and this latest entry into his impeccable recorded library, well, the man’s sui generis in all respects, his musical legacy a literal institution. If you’re not already a card-carrying member, now’s the time. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

577 Records:

DAVE TUCKER / THURSTON MOORE / PAT THOMAS / MARK SANDERS - Educated Guess Vol. 1 (577 Records 300084; USA) The "guess" was guitarist and electronics artist Dave Tucker's educated guess that these four musicians--himself, pianist/keyboardist Pat Thomas, guitarist Thurston Moore and drummer/percussionist Mark Sanders--would create something extraordinary if he brought them together for a concert at London's Cafe OTO, this boundary-pushing album the indisputably successful result.
CD $12

GRANT CALVIN WESTON / LUCAS BRODE - Fkying Kites (577 Records 5791; USA) Performing on drums, trumpet, guitar, bass, moog bass, and keyboards, Philadelphia born and West Coast drummer/multi-instrumentalist Grant Calvin Weston, a member of Ornette Coleman's Prime Time Band, presents an album or fierce drumming and powerful electronic sources balanced with beautifully paced sonic environments, 16 tracks of diverse and gripping music.
CD $12

AYUMI ISHITO - The Spacemen Vol. 1 (577 Records 5872; USA) Somewhere between Acid Mothers, 70s Miles or Sun Ra's Arkestra, NY-based Japanese saxophonist Ayumi Ishito's first Spacemen volume with Theo Woodward on synth & vocals, Nebula and the Velvet Queen on theremin, Jake Strauss on guitar & bass and Steven Bartishev on drums, lives up to it's cosmic moniker through exploratory improv blurring jazz, electronica and psych.
CD $12

CYCLONE TRIO with TIM GREEN / MASSIMO MAGEE / TONY IRVING - The Clear Revolution (577 Records 5857; USA) An exciting album of free jazz from the Australia/London-based Cyclone Trio, their name apt in the feverish interaction between saxophonist Massimo Magee and dual drummers Tony Irving and Tim Green on the opening work, the album patterned like a storm that slows introspectively for a quiet eye, then drums up a final gale force that dissipates to a sort of calm; brilliant.
 CD $12

JERKAGRAM / MARTIN ESCALANTE - Parkour (577 Records 5844; USA) ter a concert in Los Angeles with Martin Escalante on the same bill, the twin brothers, guitarist Derek Gaines and drummer Brent Gaines, asked the extreme saxophonist to join them in the creation of a new, cathartic form of improvisation, filled with angst and dramatic release, ending with an extended journey in sound and squawk; a gripping album of gritty improv.
CD $12

ARCANE DEVICE - Nodes (PW011; USA) Most of David Lee Myers' recording career has operated under the Arcane Device nom de disque, a particularly distinctive catalog of carefully sculpted and executed sounds mostly utilizing his continually evolving ‘feedback system’ that has since been augmented by various modular synth modules, digital paraphernalia, and heaven knows whatever else. Nodes finds Myers nimbly dancing between a virtual galaxy of heretofore unheard, uncharted tone clusters, where notions of ‘beat’ or rhythm are tossed to the four winds, where pulse becomes an elastic element writ awry and bent massive, and the very notions of what constitutes electronic music becomes an exercise in pure, unalloyed, experimental form. “Murmuration” is a case in point, a whispery array of analogical filigree offset by metallic shimmers of whispery affect, an elegiac glimpse into the heart of the machine that reveals silicon diodes molded not in hard plastic but in more viscous, slippery chemicals. Throughout the six minute pitterpatter of “The Theory of Inflation”, strange distant echoes dart about the close distance with a faintly industrial edge that recall some of Cabaret Voltaire’s late 70s sturm und klang. “Sixth Finger” (referencing the classic Outer Limits episode, perhaps) does indeed conjure memories of both obscure 60s/70s academic escapades and wayward INA-GRM test-tube experiments, subverting its robotic vocal gesticulations and wavering synth tones while conjuring somewhat disturbing moodstates, suggesting perverse phenomena not of this earth. “Modes and Degrees” is another parallel Richard H. Kirk comp, post-industrial autopsies in unjust intonation and tumbling faux-piano blocks, subtly brutal but clean. Further along, “Polyatone” throws these base reliefs out the window, channelling Terry Riley and Harry Partch as it vistaglides through echo chambers awash in cracked, hellish chakras. Truth be told, submerging oneself in Myers’s idiosyncratic, unique sensoria is a wondrous thing; the man's an expert at deranging your senses until left-brain input surrenders wholesale to right brain output. Digital tension dementia, in the best sense. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $12

PAUL PANHUYSEN - Partitas for Long Strings (XI Records 122; USA) 1998 release. Voted one of the top 50 records of 1999 by the writers and critics of The Wire, Partitas for Long Strings is the first album in 12 years to document Paul Panhuysen's work with long string installations. Included with the CD is a 32-page booklet which details the history of Paul Panhuysen's work with installations through pictures and text. "Since 1982 Panhuysen has created over 200 such installations, playing the strings with his fingers, connecting them to pianos, letting them vibrate in the wind, always changing, always finding new sounds, and doing so with a particularly good sense of how the strings should look, and how they should relate to the architecture around them" --Tom Johnson. "Two aspects were of central interest to him: different tunings and density of sound. He made an installation in the large space of Het Apollohuis, stretching four strings lengthwise and attaching them to the wooden wall on the far end, which served as a resonator. He did not use automatons or electric amplification. He played the strings by brushing them, walking back and forth at an even pace. His aim was to make his playing as continuous and even as possible. For each partita he recorded his playing four times, superimposing these recordings over each other and listening to the earlier recordings over headphones whilst playing. The total sound of each partita is produced by sixteen strings. The three partitas differ in the systems according to which the strings are tuned. These tunings can be regarded as the score for each piece. In 'Partita I' all strings are tuned to the same pitch. In 'Partita II' and 'III' each string is tuned differently, and after each take they were tuned to new pitches... The result is a considerable difference in overall texture between the three pieces." - René van Peer
CD $15

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. Featuring: the Staple Singers, Famous Ward Singers, Marion Williams, James Cleveland & the Southern California Community Choir, the Gospelaires, Highway Q.C.’s, Swan Silvertones, et al.
3 CD Set $25

BACK IN STOCK:

CECIL TAYLOR ENSEMBLE with JOACHIM GIES / HARALD KIMMIG / ALEXANDER FRANGENHEIM / PEETER UUSKYLA / et al - Live at Junges Theatre Gottingen Sept. 15th, 1990 (Listen! Foundation FSR 10/2021; Poland) When the late master-pianist/composer/multi-bandleader/Genius grant recipient Cecil Taylor came to Berlin in 1988 to do a masterclass and a series of concerts, it was a big thing for the avant-garde: the bringing together Cecil Taylor’s galvanic music/vision with his European brethren. So important was this collaboration that the prestigious FMP label released a large, expensive box set [‘In Berlin ’88], with 11 CD’s of live recordings: an orchestra, a series of duos with European drummers and some small group sets plus a thick, handsome 12” x 12” booklet which included Mr. Taylor’s discography up to that point. All of the 11 CD’s were also released separately and all of them have been long out-of-print. The Cecil Taylor Workshop Ensemble made two impressive discs for FMP: ‘Legba Crossing’ and ‘Melancholy’. Two years after the Berlin Meeting, Cecil Taylor came back to Berlin and met with one of the members of the Workshop Ensemble, Ove Volquartz, who got a sponsorship for Mr. Taylor to do another weeks worth of rehearsals and a concert in Gottingen. A number of the same musicians played in both of Taylor’s workshop ensembles: Alexander Frangenheim (bass), Harald Kimmig (violin), Joachim Gies (alto & soprano saxes), Ove Volquartz (various reeds) and Peeter Uuskyla (drums).
It turns out that the concert in Gottingen was recorded and these are the results, which is nearly 2 hours & 20 minutes of music. All of the five pieces here are unnamed, just Set One, Parts 1 & 2, Set Two Parts 1 & 2 & an encore. CD1 begins with layers of spooky voices, balafon (African marimba) and percussion. This long (44 minute) piece builds slowly, organically with members of the 13 piece ensemble adding their sounds bit by bit. I've attended more than a dozen of Cecil Taylor’s Workshop concerts at the Knitting Factory so I do have an idea of how Mr. Taylor provides fragments of written notes and then conducts sections and/or individual players. I can hear Taylor’s distinctive piano rumbling at the center as the storm builds, the currents around him growing in bigger torrents. Although this music sounds completely free on top, there is much more going on down below where the currents or waves are focused into a central force. The explosive rhythm team of three basses, three percussionists & Cecil has an awesome, intense, churning sound. Even when things quiet down, we can hear a good deal of focused interaction. There is a section here where many of the members of the ensemble clap their hands together in waves with some call & response vocal weirdness as well. It does take some work or patience to get used to the way things unfold and are connected on different levels. Once you get on that bucking bronco, you must hold on for dear life. Infinitely extraordinary!!! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $20 [Limited Edition & we have 20 copies, this is set is nearly sold out so…]

RAINFOREST SPIRITUAL ENSLAVEMENT - Flying Fish Ambience (Hospital Productions 670; USA) First copies on limited/USA-exclusive splatter vinyl! The Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement environs conceived by Dominick Fernow and Philippe Hallais complement "artificial spaces" and "synthetic nature" through the decay of "digital rain storms" and "falling comet bass drops". Flying Fish Ambience is the duo's first studio album together after a series of tours, and builds the RSE sound into a deep hypnotic synthetic topography and guided meditation into perpetual stress. The follow-up to the acclaimed Ambient Black Magic (HOS 498CD/LP, 2017), Flying Fish Ambience is a treatise in anti-exotica -- a purpose-built artificial ambient wilderness rooted in wobbling sub-bass, watered wastefully with glossy digital FX. Meticulously assembled over a series of trips, tours and sessions in various cities (Berlin, Paris, New York), Flying Fish Ambience crystallizes the expansive perpetual motion of salt vessels and water basins repopulating with ecological imbalance, this evolution -- as an expression of the live blue entity. Words from RSE: "flying fish ambience flies again / dies again / and splashes through the dark blue waters again and again / to the deep water blue / to the crumbling sandbanks / and to the crumbling monuments / and to a world of unknown deeps / and washed out sands / sun rippling ocean blue / across skeletons of those left behind and skeletons of the mind's green eye! / blue herb ambient returns! / you are the journey's end!" "Rains Coming Down" features Pacific Blue.”
2 LP Set $33

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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.

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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DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY 30 & STEPHEN GAUCI-MUSIC
Present a Once a Month Series Here at DMG - 13 Monroe St. in Chinatown, NYC

Saturday July 10th

6:30pm: Michael Larocca - drums/Aaron Rubinstein - guitar
CD RELEASE PERFORMANCE for "Aaron Rubinstein / Michael Larocca, Studio Sessions Vol. 8"
8pm: Michael Bisio - bass/Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
CD RELEASE PERFORMANCE for "Michael Bisio / Stephen Gauci, Pandemic Duets"

Saturday August 14th

6:30pm: Adam Lane - bass / Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
CD RELEASE PERFORMANCE for "Adam Lane / Stephen Gauci, Pandemic Duets"
8pm: Stephen Gauci - tenor sax / Adam Lane - bass / Joe Morris - drums
IN CELEBRATION OF OUR RELEASE "Morris/Gauci/Lane, Studio Sessions Vol. 3

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Roulette Radio

Ridgewood Radio: The Korean Curve
Tune in: Wednesday, June 16 5–7pm EDT on WFMU.org and archived for future listening.
David Weinstein's Ridgewood Radio program on WFMU.org's Drummer stream this week: The Korean Curve, ancient instruments and techniques had a big impact on the downtown music scene. A radio sampler from Roulette concerts by CK Noyes and Sang-Won Park (1985), Steve Beresford with Okkyung Lee and Peter Evans (2008), Tori Ensemble with Ned Rothenberg, Nate Wooley, Ikue Mori (2011), and some reference materials.

Roulette Physical Address:
509 Atlantic Ave,
Brooklyn, NY 11217

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This one is from CHRIS CUTLER, original member of Henry Cow, Art Bears, News from Babel, respected author and founder of Recommended Records. This is Chris’ wonderful podcast and I urge you all to give it a listen…

https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-30

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Guitarist and DMG-pal HENRY KAISER had a Weekly Video Solo Series on Cuneiform’s Youtube page for the past year:

https://www.youtube.com/c/CuneiformRecords/videos
he recently changed it to a monthly solo series - here is the new July show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3ouWlSXPzc

past favorites of HK’s from the past year’s weekly shows are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2kVX6ig-E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afG82qVOEmg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SAncJamgw0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP-nPk5IeL4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyijtFN02xw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FY7bgJaxPs


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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 & improvisations on each episode.
Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/gary.lucas.5836/
https://garylucas.com/www/streams/streams.shtml

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Bushwick Improvised Music Series
downstairs @ The Bushwick Public House
1288 Myrtle Avenue (across the street from Central Ave M train)
https://www.bushwickpublichouse.com/
$15 at the door gets you in all night (5 sets of music)

Monday August 2nd
7pm Ayumi Ishito's "Open Question"
w/ Ayumi Ishito - tenor saxophone
Daniel Carter - woodwinds
Eric Plaks - keyboard
Zach Swanson - bass
Jon Panikkar - drums
8pm Ben Stapp ensemble
9pm Bushwick Series House Band
w/ Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Colin Hinton - drums
10pm Eli Wallace - synthesizer
Lester St. Louis - cello
Drew Wesely -guitar
11pm Pete Swanson - bass
Sana Nagano - violin/electronics
Kenji Herbert - guitar

Monday August 9th
7pm Patrick Golden - drums
Daniel Carter - woodwinds
Jim Clouse - bass
8pm Daniel Carter - woodwinds
Aron Namenwirth - guitar
Charely Sabatino - bass
Eric Plaks - keyboard
Colin Hinton- drums
Stephen Gauci - woodwinds
9pm Bushwick Series House Band
w/ Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Colin Hinton - drums
10pm Adam Caine - guitar
Bob Lanzetti - guitar
Roberta Piket - keyboard
Adam Lane - bass
Billy Mintz - drums
11pm Henry Mermer - drums
Henry Fraser - bass

Monday August 16th
7pm Jared Radichel - bass
James Mckain - tenor saxophone
Leo Suarez - drums
Joey Sullivan - drums
8pm Santiago Leibson - piano
Ken Filiano - bass
Juan Pablo Carletti - drums
9pm Bushwick Series House Band
w/ Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Colin Hinton - drums
10pm Igor Lumpert ensemble
11pm Joey Sullivan - drums
Kevin Eichenberger - bass
Cosmo Gallaro - guitar

Monday August 23rd
7pm James Paul Nadien - drums,
Cosmo Gallaro - guitar/bass
Brendan Rey - bass/synth
8pm Alex Weiss - saxophones
Dan Blake - saxophones
Dmitry Ishenko - bass
Yana Davydova - guitar
Vijay Anderson - drums
9pm Bushwick Series House Band
w/ Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Colin Hinton - drums
10pm George McMullen - trombone
Ken Filiano - bass
Billy Mintz - drums
11pm Kaelen Ghandhi ensemble

Monday August 30th
7pm Juan Pablo Carletti's "Biggish"
Juan Pablo Carletti - drums
Yoni Kretzmer - tenor saxophone
Christof Knocke - clarinets
Rick Parker - trombone
Kenneth Jimenez - bass
8pm Nebula the Velvet Queen -theremin
Maria Nazarova - bass
Ayumi Ishito - saxophone
Damien Olsen - keyboard
9pm Bushwick Series House Band
w/ Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Sandy Ewen - guitar
Adam Lane - bass
Colin Hinton - drums
10pm Cheryl Pyle -c flute /alto flute Michael Eaton -soprano sax
Roberta Piket -piano
Billy Mintz -drums,
Judi Silvano - vocals
11pm Aaron Quinn - guitar
Alex Koi - vocals/electronics
David Leon - woodwinds
Lesley Mok: Drums

Gaucimusic Presents:
Live at Scholes Street Studio, Friday August 27th
Brandon Lopez - bass
Ingrid Laubrock - tenor/soprano saxophones
Tom Rainey - drums

Two sets at 8 & 9:30pm
$15 at the door
Live audience/Live recording!
Scholes Street Studio
375 Lorimer St, Brooklyn, NY 11206 (718) 964-8763