DMG Newsletter for July 30th, 2021

UPCOMING DMG-30 Celebration Continues with Live Creative Music at 2 Locations:

August 7th at Oliver Coffee at 2 - 5pm
JOSH SINTON / DANIEL CARTER / SAM NEWSOME
SAMANTHA RIOTT
LAURA COCKS

Saturday August 14th - DMG In-Store:
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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This Week's Dynamic Discs Begin with An Extraordinary Fela-Like Grooce Fest:

MICHAEL VEAL & AQUA IFE with SAM NEWSOME / ROMAN FILIU / EDDIE ALLEN / BEN TYREE / KWAMI COLEMAN / et al - Volume 2 (Nektonic 003; USA) Michael Veal is a professor at NYU & Yale, an author of a great book about Fela Kuti plus a fine bassist, composer & bandleader in his own right. Mr. Veal is also a friend who comes to visit us here at DMG so we can have frank & fascinating discussions on music. On rare occasion, like earlier this week, Mr. Veal left us with a newer CD by his ongoing band, Aqua Ife, whose first disc was released in 2010. This version of Aqua Ife feature some 16 musicians, only a few of whom I already recognize: Sam Newsome, Roman Filiu, Eddie Allen and Ben Tyree (from Burnt Sugar). Right from the gitgo, “I.K.E. (Inter-Afrikan K-Fun Extravaganza)”, we are submerged in one of joyous, Fela-like, sly funky grooves with some superb electric piano by Kwami Coleman and groovy horn section pumping. “Giving Dap Where Dap is Due” has another great groove worth dying for or at least dancing to, a slower, simmering phat, funky groove that will make you smile and feel great to be alive and standing. What makes more interesting is the way that Mr. Veal has expanded the sound that Fela used to get with his band and make it more refined in some ways, more inventive and with some tasty jazz licks inserted by the guitars, electric piano and horns. On “Bonnet Ray Blues”, Mr. Veal arranges the horns to play some hypnotic harmonies, stretching out their lines and adding tasty guitar(s) and el. piano layers underneath. Soprano sax master, Sam Newsome, who used to play in World Music bands a long while ago, is a great choice and sounds wonderful soloing on several of these great tracks. There are two select covers here, the first is Wayne Shorter’s “Super Nova” (taken from an album by that title released in 1969). The original version was more mysterious sounding than funky and Mr. Shorter didn’t really moved in any groove related music until Weather report hit their first funky stride in 1973 or his solo effort “Native dancer” in 1975. I love the way the el. piano, organ and electric guitar all play those sly, interconnected lines throughout this entire piece. It is always great to hear some inspired musicians who I hadn’t heard of before: Lauren Sevian’s bari sax playing especially engaging and featured on “Civilian Rule”. The last piece, “Rue Mami Wata” is another cover and it is also most enchanting: dreamy, laid back with some sublime electric piano. Each of the seven songs here ring true and have that inner festive vibe with all sorts of odd crafty inserts which makes things even more interesting outside of the fact thew groove throughout is one of great spirit. Bring this disc to your next party and get down to it! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

ALEX WARD - Gated (Discus 114CD; UK) On his Discus debut, clarinetist, saxophonist, and guitarist Ward proves he’s nothing less than a one-man wrecking crew. Performing and/or programming all the instruments on Gated himself, Ward shows that restraint ain’t his bag on this long-player; he’s too concerned to literally shake the foundations. Previous outings on a whole slew of labels—Confront, Intakt, Incus, Treader, Emanem, FMR, et al—and with a laundry-list of simpatico enfants terribles like Lol Coxhill, Mark Sanders, Evan Parker, John Coxon, and Simon H. Fell (to whom this album is dedicated) haven’t exactly revealed his softer side, but the rampaging momentum of this disc finds Ward letting his hair down. The two-minute opening “Heat Patch” lights the fuse impossible-mission style, horns charging amidst a fusillade of galloping drums and a bassline that sounds like someone stuffing socks into the studio amplifiers. On the following “The Celebrated Restriction”, Ward makes it clear he’s keen to embracing Yngwie Malmsteen as much as Mahavishnu Orchestra; this over-the-top war machine, outfitted with overdriven guitar distortion and wicked, pealing drums, kicks ass, tensile thrash metal for tense eras, surely not for the squeamish. Across the mortar-blasted landscape that is the eighteen-minute “Hewn”, Ward plays his instruments as if he’s a malfunctioning automaton seeking out new energy sources; spiky, near atonal guitar skronks whip their percussive counterparts into a frenzy, cherry-picking their way through reams of steamroller bass that flatten any structures left standing, an exhaustive display of virtuosity and verve whose every note feels wholly earned. Two other lengthy pieces emphasize Ward’s no slouch in related modes of expressive differential: “Cushioned” is a sun-dappled orchestration of clarinet-cred that tussles within hurricane-force fripperies, while “Maybe It’ll Break the Heat” airbursts through the speakers in a tumultuous fallout of jagged, razor-sharp guitar shrapnel, the cascading pieces literally eruptive Magma stained the color of Crimson. Boffo. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

JAMES MAINWARING - Mycorrhiza (Discus 111CD; UK) Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Mainwaring brings his many skills and interests to bear on this fascinating project, one which transcends categorical trappings to imaginatively engage the senses and the spirit. Through an approach conflating composition and improvisation, Mainwaring and his associates augur what is ostensibly a ‘jazz’-inflected recording that makes ample use of vernaculars broached from classical and chamber-music forms, effortlessly working a mojo one could only describe as fleet and free. While choirs ache with the mournful cries of strings, cellos, viola, and double bass, wrapped in exquisitely-rendered tapestries of granular synth and field recordings that serve as a piquant backdrop for his own sax playing, Mainwaring and his collective weave an overarching narrative that reckons the composer’s world-weary sadness and escalating disenchantment with the destruction of his British homeland and the planet at large. Though organized as thirteen vignettes of definable provenance, the record flows as one magnificent piece, the strings establishing a variety of gestural textures that Mainwaring complements with his sharp, concise horn phrasing and impeccably chosen electronic ornamentation. Of particular note is the graceful, serene “Our Lungs”, where oscillating digital tones make up a thick underbrush of sound upon which course a lyric about vanishing air, mirrored in oxygenated percussive overtones and whitewashed strings. The similarly designed “Statues” bifurcates a technology wrestling with its ancient, hand-plucked folk-story, a contemporary Fairport Convention unsure of its synthesized footing in a digitized, post-classical milieu. “Woken Up By Dogs”, at six-plus minutes the longest track, resonates with a barely-controlled intensity, electronics like estranged insects buzzing about a gathering front of cello, skanking piano, bass, thunderous drums, and sax that resolves itself in illustrious splendor. A rich, rewarding, and thoughtful recording, redolent of our chaotic times, joyously cathartic and all the more vital for it. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

BIANCO BRACKENBURY - Rising Up (Discus 112CD; UK) Talk about your dynamic duos. Drummer/bassist Tony Bianco and violinist/violaist Faith Brackenbury have pooled their talents to come up with one of the best such meetings in recent memory. Recorded in the spring of 2021, these three long pieces go a long way to demonstrating the pair’s collective psyche as they stormed the studio. Bianco’s pedigree is the sturdy backbone that anchors this recording: he’s lent his particular genius to recordings with such sterling colleagues as Paul Dunmall, Elton Dean, and Evan Parker, but his tenure in fusion outfit Machine Mass (alongside Dave Liebman) is what really gives this disc heft. Though relatively new on the scene, Brackenbury’s classically trained and talented as all get-out; it’s obvious there’s a telepathic sensibility these two share, evidenced by the powerful synergy fomented during this collaboration. Point of fact: they didn’t nick their disc Rising Up for just beer ’n’ skittles. During the thirty-one minute trajectory of the title track, the duo presage something of an acoustic mini-Mahavishnu Orchestra, Bianco’s shapeshifting percussive maelstrom (atop overdubbed bass) echoing Billy Cobham’s fire and brimstone, as Brackenbury whips up strokes of tornadic muscle in the finest Jerry Goodman tradition. The level of energy maintained across this expansive landscape is nothing short of breathtaking; Bianco manages to not only rock his kit into submission, he provides the essential blueprint from which Brackenbury spills wild, far-flung tonalities across cartographic oceans. Afterwards, “Gypsy Softbread” walks tentatively across the now-scorched earth, Brackenbury’s viola peeking its head out amongst Bianco’s probing cymbals, scattershot shakers, and weary snares, all to ponder how to navigate the vast emptiness left in their wake. Serenity now? Not exactly. The closing fifteen minutes of “Assassin” hardly lets its guard down. Bianco first teases us with some gently arousing surface noise, but his drumstrikes inevitably pick up a mighty head of steam, the better for Brackenbury to alternately sustain then attack; as she responds to her partner’s percussive downpour, her sharply-etched yet remarkably fluid linearity fairly sets the dance alight. Apparently, it only really does take two to tango. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

AYUMI ISHITO & THE SPACEMEN - Volume One (577 Records 5872; US) Be sure when it hits the disc drive you turn this mutha up—not because it needs to necessarily be loud, but because at increased volume the ingredients of this zesty bowl of psychedelic space soup zoom in a pristine rush to the top. Saxophonist Ishito has assembled a quintet that rivals the most hallucinogenic interplanetary excursions taken by predecessors Sun Ra, 70s’ era Miles, space truckers Gong, Ash Ra Tempel, Pink Floyd, Taj Mahal Travellers, etc., plus krautrockers from the more obscure end of the spectrum, and sets the controls for the heart of the proverbial multiverse. Things get off to a rousing start on the opener “Looking For Ice”, guitarist Jake Strauss’s oceans of wah-wah going head-to-head with Nebula and the Velvet Queen’s warbling theremin, while drummer Steven Bartishev keeps the devil’s very own time amidst Theo Woodward’s synth squalls and Daevid Allen-esque ecstatic moans, not to mention Ishito’s own sax exultations, which seem to channel numerous warring influences at once. “Hum Infinite” is even better, synthesizers gurgling like noble gases evaporating from a bog, growling guitars and theremin locked in eternal struggle while Bartishev tries in vain to keep the whole thing from reaching critical mass. “Folly to the Fullest” features Ishito in firm control, leading his team across a treacherous terrain of tumbling percussive stormclouds, gutbucket bass, and unidentifiable tactile aural flavors, Woodward’s modular madness in full caustic bloom. The closer, “Constellation Ceiling”, seems to travel across the last five decades of the finest genre space rock, UK 70s fusion, and hybrid psych-prog, bangin’ a Gong ’til the astronauts come home, Ishito gettin’ his (Elton) Dean thang on while his bandmates warp candy-coated rainbows from the curved air. If a single syllable could encapsulate all this it would simply be…wow. You can spin this one forever and hear something different propel itself at you each time. Quickly siding in to 2021’s best-of list, number five with a bullet and climbing. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $12

ANTHONY PIROG - In Side (AGSR Recordings 002; USA) Featuring Anthony Pirog on solo guitars, guitar synth, lap steel & loops. DC guitar hero Anthony Pirog likes to keep us all guessing since each project he is involved with is completely different. Check out his resume: 1st there was that impressive prog duo with his wife Janel Leppin on cello, then that an equally impressive jazz trio with Michael Formanek & Ches Smith, two smashing records with ace saxist James Brandon Lewis (the 2nd, ‘An UnRuly Manifesto’ considered by many to be thee album of the year in 2019), two awesome records with fellow guitarists Henry Kaiser (‘Five Times Surprise’) and Joel Harrison (for the Spellcasters) and the awesome Messthetics (with the rhythm team from Fugazi, HC-DC legends, two great discs).
During the pandemic Mr. Pirog decided to use his extra time to complete a long term project for assorted solo guitars, overdubbed from a variety of semi-abandoned projects. Which brings us to this multi-pronged effort. Each of the sixteen pieces appears to involve a different vibe or approach. “Cloud Forest” and “Dew Drop” both have a lovely, laid-back, dreamy sort of vibe, solemn yet eerie with several shimmering guitars intertwined. Although Mr. Pirog often plays with a restrained, warm tone, he likes to add subtle layers of effects to his guitar(s). There are a couple of select covers, “Strange” (sung by Patsy Cline & written by Mel Tillis) and “Peace” (by Horace Silver). “Song for Ava” was written for Pirog’s niece and it is indeed exquisite. Things heat up midway with Pirog add even more layers and quirky effects. For those of you who like Bill Frisell’s more cerebral aesthetic, this disc is equally sublime yet immensely crafty. The more we get into this disc the more enchanting it gets. And often breathtaking at times. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

CYCLONE TRIO with TIM GREEN / MASSIMO MAGEE / TONY IRVING - The Clear Revolution (577 Records 5857; USA) The Cyclone Trio features Massimo Magee on tenor, alto & sopranino saxes, Tim Green and Tony Irving on drums. I had not heard of (Australian?) saxist Massimo Magee before now, but drummer Tony Irving, we know from his work with both Paul Dunmall and Stefan Jaworzyn (from Skullfower & Ascension). I can’t say that I’ve heard of the other drummer, Tim Green, before now, especially since there are several musicians (from the Bay area & New Orleans) with the same name. Mr. Magee and Mr. Irving did have a duo record out on the same label as this , just a couple of years ago. Although I also hadn’t heard much about Massimo Magee before his previous duo disc, he has some dozen releases out as a leader or collaborator. This disc starts off with an epic-length piece called, “Inside the Circle” which is pretty intensely outside or free. Tenor saxist Magee keeps pushing down the pedal and erupting those molten, screaming lines for the first third of the way before the trio finally sails down to some more restrained free spirits. I like the way the two drummers work together, creating an ongoing buzz or rumble, mostly organic sounding more like one percussive force. Mr. Magee eventually switches to sopranino sax, a difficult instrument to keep in tune and to bend notes further and further out. Magee keeps pushing, bending and twisting those notes and stretching them inside out, the vibe often quite disorienting. For the second piece, “Trinosphile”, things calm down somewhat, the playing more sparse yet still spirited. Mr. Magee sounds like he has taken off his mouthpiece and is playing the sax without it not such an uncommon method. This piece gives the drummers a chance to stretch out and work together, creating a thoughtful web of percussive activity. The final piece, “Cardinal Points” again features some sharp sopranino sax work over the sprawling drummers. I reaaly like Mr. Magee’s playing here as he plays some long, flowing and intense lines with both drummers revving up the power as they go. This is a fine, free-spirited date that works well and reaches for the stars. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

PHILL NIBLOCK - NuDaf (XI Records 145; USA) “A 65-minute electroacoustic composition featuring Dafne Vicente-Sandoval, bassoon. "The aural effect is minimal to the max, but it isn't simplistic. The tones vibrate and glow, the densely packed texture shifting hues like a sonic aurora borealis" --John Rockwell, The New York Times. NuDaf (2020) is the second longest piece in Phill Niblock's repertoire of recorded audio works. NuDaf is a departure from his previous pieces in that he makes extensive use of multiphonics and constructed the work with fewer tracks than usual, creating uniquely transparent and ephemeral textures. The piece is the result of a collaboration between Niblock and the stellar bassoonist Dafne Vicente-Sandoval. Her musicality and breadth of knowledge, extended bassoon performance, and uncanny timing inspired the piece. This is the first of three collaborative projects between XI Records and Akoh Media. Akoh initiated the project, suggesting that Phill confront a longer form that also seemed eminently suitable to Dafne Vicente-Sandoval's interests. Akoh, as is its tradition, presents the work in a limited numbered edition of a one-of-a-kind Petri dish that incorporates Niblock's photos in an exquisite and unique design. From the liner notes by Michael Pisaro-Liu: "... over the course of the long duration of NuDaf we listen to a slow-motion explosion that frees it, creating a spectacular shape, right before our ears."
CD $15

TOM CHIU - The Live One (XI Records 144; USA) XI Records announce the release of Tom Chiu's new double-CD, The Live One, a diverse and thoroughly engrossing album that showcases the multiple facets of Chiu's visions. Chiu is a polymath who is as comfortable with lyricism and the beauty of tonality as he is with process-based works and challenging conventions of composition. Chiu specializes in creating spatial experiences and altered states of mind with his music, with a singular, questing path. On the album opener, "Into The Forest", melancholic themes build and become wrapped in echoes that reverberate like a skipping stone casting ripples in a pond. Dry and delicate melodies emerge that float spatially. The piece is an assemblage of over 60 musical fragments composed by Chiu, which coalesce seamlessly into a homogeneous whole. "BABIP", a solo performance, begins with Chiu's pizzicato which evokes the spirit of gamelan, and builds through increasingly intense gestures, woozy double stops and extended techniques until he starts transforming the sound of his instrument with live effects. The functionally-titled "Duo Improvisation 16741" sees Chiu pairing with sound artist and composer Michael Schumacher. Together, they create a hypnotically jarring sonic whirling dervish. Chiu's live effects invoke undertones of Tuvan throat singing as glissandos layer with insistent bell tones. The insistent piece thrillingly morphs into electronic pulses and sirens, journeying deeply into sonic abstraction. The track "Birave Trifecta" sees Chiu performing with Dan Joseph on hammer dulcimer and Jason Cady on modular synthesizer under the moniker JCC Trio. The trio's piece begins as almost a folk stomp, with echoes of minimalism in its insistence. It builds to euphoric intensity with Chiu's bravura playing, sawing at his instrument with fierce abandon. "RETROCON" is a work performed by FLUX Quartet. The epic piece unfolds like a mini symphony, with the quartet creating a stunningly rich sonic world. The layers of the string quartet swell and undulate like a small boat in the middle of the ocean negotiating the waves of an impending storm, then wail plaintively before returning with clustered hives of notes. A startling and insistent monolithic pulsing then seems to summon dark deities before receding with a delicate beauty. The final piece on the album, "deKonstruct", is an improvisation which quotes from existing materials, colliding Bach and Chiu. Chiu uses a looping pedal to create a bed for his hyper-kinetic performance which mutates through his arsenal of sonic manipulation, to mesmerizing effect. (from the liner notes by JG Thirlwell)
2 CD Set $16

PATTO - Live 1971-1973 / And That’s Jazz (Beyond Before 0783399-277429; Planet Earth) Personnel: Mike Patto - lead vocals & electric piano, Ollie Halsall - lead guitar, vibes & el. piano, Clive Griffiths or Bernie Holland on el. bass and (Admiral) John Halsey on drums plus guest Dave Brooks on sax. Perhaps the greatest of all British obscure rock bands was/is PATTO! I lucked into buying their first album when it was released in 1970 mostly due to the bizarre cover and that it became a cut-out pretty quickly. The quartet sounded like a early jazz/rock supergroup with the powerful, soulful high-octane voice of Mike Patto, their guitarist, Ollie Halsall, was in a league of his own: he played faster, more fluently and with a way of playing his lightning like lines in a completely astonishing & distinctive way plus a dynamic rock/jazz/prog rhythm team: Clive Griffiths (bass) and John Halsey (drums). That first self-titled album was superbly produced by Muff Winwood (Steve’s brother & fellow member of the Spencer Davis Group). There was nothing quite like that record in 1970, a couple of years before “fusion” exploded. When fusion guitar fans come visit us at DMG and ask about something they might not’ve heard, I play “Money Bag” from that record which has Mr. Halsall’s taking his most breath-taking, beyond believe 10 minute guitar solo… they completely flip-out! That album worked on several levels, it could rock out, Patto’s strong, soulful voice and honest lyrics about the end of the dream. Patto had more cred than most but rarely got the recognition outside of a few freaks like Nels Cline & myself & some of you. Patto went on to make more fabulous & often ignored albums: ‘Hold Your Fire’ [1971], ‘Roll’Em Smoke’Em Put Another Line Out’ [1972] and later posthumous release called, ‘Monkey’s Bum’ [1995]. Plus three more CD’s of unreleased stuff well worth exploring and now this…
Recently a label called Beyond Before released a CD/DVD by the UK Kaleidoscope & Fairfield Parlour, spirited Brit folk/rock/psych well-worth checking out plus a (similar double formatting) Patto CD/DVD taken from three different gigs in 1971 & 1973. The DVD is relatively short at less than 20 minutes with just 4 songs, still worth checking out since so few folks got to see this band play live. Considering that the footage is pretty old (40 years last January!), it still captures a unique, quirky prog/rock/jazz band in their glory. It’s certainly a wonder to see the legendary Ollie Halsall playing a white SG (the same one that Holsworth ended up with?!?), and left-handed no less plus a nifty vibes solo also. Sadly, the version of (their cosmic guitar feature) “Money Bag” comes in after what was probably another astonishing solo from Ollie. Lead singer, Mike Patto, is an oddly charismatic powerful singer who looks a bit crazy as he sings and shakes or twists his limbs in his unique way. The live CD from 2 years later in January of 1973 is something else entirely. This disc has eleven tracks and is almost an hour long. Most of the songs come from the first four studio albums and the band is in fine form. The sound here is good but not great. No matter since Ollie always sounds great as does the band. Patto blend R&B / prog / funk / jazz / rock - and sound great no matter what they are doing. After listening to their four monumental studio discs, it is great to hear them play some of that material live and often burnin’ it down. Word is that there is an old picture of Ollie Halsall & me, hanging out backstage at a Kevin Ayers concert at Trax in the early 80’s. I once showed it to Nels and it made him smile. You too will be able to see it on the DMG Blogsite, once it is finished. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD/DVD Set $22

MALAGASY / JEF GILSON - Malagasy (Souffle Continuo 066; France) "Paris, May 13th 1968. There was a general strike. One last plane left the runway, strewn with flaming oil drums. On board were three jazz musicians wondering whether they would be able to return home one day. But for the time being they really want to make it to Madagascar where concerts and workshops with young local musicians were waiting for them. Pianist and bandleader Jef Gilson was accompanied by his bassist Gilbert 'Bibi' Rovère (Martial Solal Trio) and the young drummer Lionel Magal (Crium Delirium). Gilson, who already had a reputation for finding new talent (it was thanks to him that, amongst others Jean-Louis Chautemps, Henri Texier, Jean-Luc Ponty or Michel Portal first became known) was literally blown away by the standard of the young Malagasy musicians, all capable of imitating their American idols by ear. Their names were known only to jazz fans on the island; Serge, Allain and Georges Rahoerson, Arnaud Razafy, Roland de Comarmond, Joel Rakotomamonjy, Alain Razafinohatra, Samuel Ramiara... Gilson then had a vision: he wanted to encourage them to play jazz which was truly Malagasy and which would find its' soul in the island's culture and traditional instruments (Sodina flute, valiha, various percussion instruments...) He would go back to the big island three times, in March (with cellist Jean-Charles Capon), in October 1969 (alone), then in February 1970 (as a trio with guitarist Raymond Boni and drummer Bertrand Gauthier). The two trips in 1969 would lead to the sessions, recorded on a simple ReVox with two Neuman microphones, which would make up the essential part of this mythical album entitled Malagasy, and first issued in 1972 on the Lumen label, and then reissued, as early as 1973, on Palm, Jef Gilson's own label. Apart from the last track, recorded in Paris in 1971 with Malagasy instruments brought back from trips by the trio which would play on the avant-garde Le Massacre du Printemps (Futura), all the other compositions on the album are by Jef Gilson, Jean-Charles Capon and the young saxophonist Serge Rahoerson. There is also a cover of a song issued just a few months earlier and that the Malagasy musicians had only heard through bits and pieces played by Gilson on piano: the song is 'The Creator Has A Masterplan' by Pharoah Sanders, and it is one of the most wild and mystical versions you will ever hear. In May 1972, Madagascar itself would be the theater of youth revolt. And the composition 'Avaradoha' by Serge Rahoerson would be the anthem of the revolution on the streets." --Jérôme "Kalcha" Simoneau First standalone reissue. Licensed from Palm / Geneviève Quievreux. Remastered.
CD $15

JEF GILSON - Malagasy At Newport-Paris (Souffle Continuo 068; France) "In May 1972, the wave of anger and the thirst for freedom that had swept the world in 1968 arrived in Madagascar. The Malagasy youth took the opportunity to exile in search of a brighter future. Several of them, all jazz musicians and often poly-intrumentalists, came to Paris with their Afro hair and bellbottoms. Their names were Sylvin Marc, his cousin Ange 'Zizi' Japhet, Del Rabenja, Gérard Rakotoarivony and Frank Raholison. By chance, they crossed paths with pianist and bandleader Jef Gilson, who they had already met as kids during a series of concert and workshops in Tananarive four years earlier. Gilson was far from an unknown on the French jazz scene. He had played with Boris Vian and André Hodeir at the end of the forties, he was one of the first French composers to move away from the New-Orleans style to try his hand at bebop, had launched numerous young stars (Ponty, Texier, Portal...), was a polemical critic for Jazz Hot, had opened for Coltrane at Antibes/Juan Les Pins, and was part of the Double Six... But it was tough to make a living playing personal compositions and Jef, who didn't have enough money to return to the island and continue mining the seam of Malagasy jazz, saw an opportunity to relaunch Malagasy. He had his recording studio in the Les Halles area, at the Foyer Montorgueil, where he was teaching jazz to a choir. He set to work with the new Malagasy group, working on a repertoire and reviving some of his compositions from the '50s/'60s and also included more recent tunes. The group Malagasy 73 gigged a lot. One of their concerts was recorded on the 14 March in a club, 'Le Newport', in rue Grégoire de Tours, Saint Germain des Prés, not far from the 'Kiosque d'Orphée' where Gilson worked at the beginning of the '60s when he brought bebop and avant-garde jazz to the attention of a generation of musicians with his records imported from USA. This meeting between two generations and two cultures created a new mix between jazz, traditional music and electric funk. Jef Gilson had reinvented himself yet again, and it wouldn't be the last time." --Jérôme "Kalcha" Simonneau First ever standalone reissue, remastered. Licensed from Palm/Geneviève Quievreux.
CD $15

SYLVIN MARC / DEL RABENJA - Madagascar Now (Souffle Continuo 067; France) "While he was working on the repertoire for the new version of his group Malagasy, with young Malagasy musicians he had met in Paris in 1972 (and who can be heard on the album Malagasy At Newport-Paris), Jef Gilson realized that two of his new discoveries, in addition to being established poly-instrumentalists (who both had sharpened their skills in the legendary seja-jazz band from La Réunion, Le Club Rythmique), were also skilled composers. They were capable of reinventing jazz and traditional Malagasy music, adding influences from the new generation inspired by pop, rock and funk into the mix. He offered them the chance to share the two sides of an album recorded on his own label, Palm, alongside their compatriots. Ange 'Zizi' Japhet, Gérard Rakotoarivony and Frank Raholison, this is how Del Rabenja and Sylvin Marc came to record this Madagascar Now / Maintenant 'Zao. The first side really showcases the valiha (a small Malagasy harp) of Del Rabenja who uses the occasion to pay homage to the sadly missed Rakotozafy, often called the Django Reinhardt of the instrument. His three compositions are full of spirituality and invite an almost trance-like state. But Rabenja is equally a very good tenor saxophonist and organist on the other tracks. The other side displays the full range of talents of the multi-instrumentalist and composer Sylvin Marc, who moves from bass to drums, from vocals to percussion and offers four compositions ranging from free jazz to cosmic groove. At the same period the five men could also be found amongst the cast list of the mythical albums, Funny Funky Rib Crib by Byard Lancaster and Soul Of Africa by Hal Singer and Jef Gilson. Later, Sylvin Marc would play bass for Nina Simone on her album Fodder On My Wings in 1982, then join the team of violinist Didier Lockwood, while Del Rabenja would be part of Manu Dibango's and Eddy Louiss' orchestras for a long time and would even be at the front of the top 50 at the end of the '80s with David Koven. He would also be the special guest of the Palm Unit trio (Fred Escoffier, Lionel Martin, Philippe 'Pipon' Garcia) on their first album, an homage to the oeuvre of Jef Gilson, in 2018." --Jérôme "Kalcha" Simonneau First ever standalone reissue; remastered. Licensed from Palm/Geneviève Quievreux.
CD $15

K. LEIMER - Mitteltoner72 (Palace of Lights 005-2021; USA) "Mitteltöner72 -- K. Leimer's homage to the German Kosmische period -- is an expanded, remixed and newly mastered edition of the Origin Peoples LP released in 2018. '72 includes all the music produced but not originally released for the LP." "Leimer's love of kosmische is evident from the start, as 'Dunne Luft' condenses the earmarks of that sound into its four minutes. There's the solar flares of guitar that arise early on in the track, fuzzy and luminous, serving less as a lead instrument and more as a sonic texture. It sounds like a sly homage to the arcing six-string stylings of Neu! and Harmonia member Michael Rother, but rather than simply pay tribute, Leimer lets pinging synths bustle underneath and processes and loops live drums to keep the track's momentum going. The flickering rhythms bring to mind the blurry highways evoked on Autobahn while the ghostly melodies of the piece bear the evocative beauty of Popol Vuh. Rather than serve as mere pastiche, Mitteltöner encapsulates Leimer's unique talents: drawing on a vintage sound now over forty years old and entering into middle age, while also finding a way to push it forward." - Pitchfork
CD $16

DMG BOOK Department:

SAL MAIDA, MITCHELL COHEN & FRIENDS - The White Label Promo Preservation Society: 100 Flop Albums You Ought To Know (Hozac Records 012BK; USA) "Forward by David Fricke (Rolling Stone Magazine). HoZac Books is proud to present The White Label Promo Preservation Society: 100 Flop Albums You Ought to Know, written and compiled by Sal Maida and Mitchell Cohen, who have recruited for their 'society' a gang of esteemed music obsessives: musicians, label executives, and journalists who chose favorite albums from the 1960s and 1970s to rave about and expound upon. The only criterion was that the albums never made the top 100 on Billboard's LP Top 200 (although in a few cases, they did quite well on the R&B or country chart). The selection ranges from east coast vocal-group harmony to punk and metal, from superstars like The Who and the Beach Boys to virtual unknowns. As Sal and Mitchell write in the book's introduction, 'These are the albums you might not read about, except here. No one needs to tell you why Pet Sounds, Revolver or Blonde On Blonde are essential parts of any decent record collection, or guide you towards classics -- or even somewhat lesser efforts -- by the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry or the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Or which Pink Floyd album is indispensable (hint: the debut; you can stop right there). Although we have strong opinions about pantheon artists like Led Zeppelin and Marvin Gaye, and are happy to share those views with anyone in earshot, that isn't what this book is about. We aren't here to challenge or endorse rock orthodoxy. Neither is the mission to, once again, assert the brilliance of Skip Spence's Oar, of such artists as Nick Drake, Big Star, and the Velvet Underground, whose influence, despite the lack of any commercial success in their time, has been thoroughly -- one might even say exhaustively -- documented elsewhere.' To tell help this story, Sal and Mitchell called on an impressive team of guest essayists: Lenny Kaye, Russ Titelman, Amy Rigby, Brian Koppelman, Dennis Diken, Bebe Buell, Jim Farber, Susan Whitall, Steve Shelley, Phil King, Ira Robbins, Billy Altman, Marshall Crenshaw, Peter Holsapple, Wreckless Eric, Peter Keepnews, Miriam Linna, Joe McEwen, and a cast of dozens. Sal Maida has played bass guitar with Roxy Music and Sparks, was a member of the snappy NYC power-pop band Milk 'n' Cookies, and has chronicled his exploits as fan and musician in the HoZac book Four Strings, Phony Proof, and 300 45s. There is not much about rock music in the '60s and '70s that he doesn't know, and it was quite an ordeal getting him to hone his list of underrated, underselling albums down to manageable length for these purposes. Mitchell Cohen has been writing about music and movies since the early '70s (CREEM, Film Comment, High Fidelity, Musician, Phonograph Record...), was a major-label A&R guy for around a quarter-century, and is the co-author of Matt Pinfield's memoir All These Things That I've Done, as well as the author of an upcoming book on Arista Records for RPM/BMG Books."
BOOK $30

LP Section:

CHRIS PITSIOKOS with JASON NAZARY / RICK EYE - Carny Cant (Eleatic Records ELEA 005; USA) Featuring Chris Pitsiokos on alto & bari saxes, harmonica and electric bass, Rick Eye on electric guitar and Jason Nazary on drums. Few could argue with the fact that Chris Pitsiokos is on the best, most adventurous and most singular alto saxists to emerge from the vast Downtown Scene in the past decade. Aside from releasing the occasional * oft stunning solo sax effort, Mr. Pitsiokos improvises with a variety of Downtowners, Europeans and Japanese musicians. He also leads several bands like the highly regarded CP Unit with several discs of their own and appearances in Europe & elsewhere. Mr. Pitsiokos just dropped this one: ‘Carny Cant’, his first solo/trio LP only effort with help from Rick Eye on guitar and Jason Nazary on drums. Although I can’t say that I had heard of Mr. Eye before now, I do recognize drummer Jason Nazary from his work with Jaimie Branch, Darius Jones and the CP Unit.
“Invocation” opens and features layers of Pitsiokos’ intense alto sax multiphonics with a circular, repeating bari sax line as support. For “Journal: The Burden of Solidarity”, Chris does some spoken word, looped sax squeaks & squawks and a repeating (sampled) bass line. Scary, yet most effective. “Go Head Rick” has a dark, thick el bass & harmonica pulse going on throughout. Rather disturbing yet somehow also compelling. There is a powerful low-end throb going on through this piece which sounds like a timpani with layers of disturbing distorted guitar fragments. Side B begins with “Lapsarian”, which features several layers of sax, percussion & guitar, all sampled and twisted inside out. There is one written part (for bari sax) at the center which holds this together while the swirling samples & sounds spin together. Since Mr. Pitsiokos is a master of those Zorn-like (via multiphonics & circular breathing) sax fragments, he keeps shifting the currents by spinning several lines simultaneously. The second “Journal: The Burden of Memory” is a solemn piece for spoken word, a slinky, funky bassline, amoebic drums and other strange sounds, giving us a break to contemplate life and the weird sounds we need for the soundtracks of our current predicament. Oddly enough, this LP ends with a sort of somber ballad with Chris using his voice to calm us all down. This is a very personal record in which Chris Pitsiokos shows us another side of his usually intense splatter & sputter of solo sax or post-harmolodic electric quartet. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $18

MOODY ALIEN - Nations of I (Thirsty Leaves Music 028; Greece) Featuring Moody Alien on processed vibes, marimba & glockenspiel, improvisation/composition & production, Vasilis Bacharidis - voice, Markus Reincke on bass recorder & amplified objects and Jeremy Young on sine & triangle waves & radio transmissions. It has been several years since we’ve heard from Greek experimental composer & label-head, Moody Alien. Earlier this week, Jeremy Young, a Downtown local and friend of Moody’s dropped off two new records. I can’t say that I know much about Vasilis Bacharidis or Markus Reincke, although it appears they are members of some Greek indie bands: Afrika, My Excuse and Kid Galax. Starting with “Subjectivity Rules v.3”, it sounds like Moody is concentrating on capturing fragments of lines on vibes or marimba and then carefully manipulating them. Aside from those Phil Glass/Steve Reich-like repeating lines, there are a few select drones sailing along as well. The drones come from a variety of sources: bass recorder, sine waves and voice, although it is hard to tell exactly what is being used. Since Moody Alien claims to be a non or untrained musician, that hasn’t kept him back from exploring textures and timbres which are never chops (technique) related. MA will take a simple marimba or vibes line, repeat it and add select sonic effluvia to add some depth to the proceedings. His selective, sly use of manipulating short fragments keeps things fascinating nonetheless. This album was carefully pressed on warm, quiet, high-quality vinyl so that we can concentrate on the sounds themselves. Modest yet most compelling. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $18 [Limited Edition of 250]

JEREMY YOUNG - Amaro (Thirsty Leaves Music 027; Greece) Featuring Jeremy Young on oscillators, tapes, radio signal & amplified objects, Vito Ricci on bicycle wheel instrument, Pauline Kim Harris on violins, Dolphin Midwives on harps, et al. Jeremy Young is a Montreal-based composer/improviser who works with concrete, electronic and tape music. Although I wasn’t familiar with him before now, this appears to be his 7th full length release, starting around 2012. I only know of a couple of the musicians here: Vito Ricci (obscure NY-based musician who used to work with Steve Dalachinsky) and Pauline Kim Harris, who is a member of String Noise, an avant-punk violin duo. Commencing with “Trafic”, we are entering an odd alien world or sonic environment. It sounds like Mr. Young is selectively using a singular fragment: camera or film projector sounds, scissors, soft feedback or static and then carefully manipulating those sounds. Each piece seems to capture a slightly different mood or vibe: somber, eerie, calm, quietly disorienting and quaintly hypnotic. We can tell that Mr. Young has spent much time on this album since every sound fits within a certain aura, vibe or environmental place. When I put this record on (7/29/21), there was some sunlight outside my window but as the album played, the sun went behind the clouds and it grew darker as if it were going to rain. This music fit both the outside and inside mood/vibe just right. I’ve been listening to quite a bit of rare/obscure psych, prog & experimental music from the Eric Stern Collection over the past month or so. This album recalls some kraut/space-rock stuff that I’ve been enjoying, the same attention to detail and perfect for the stoners or dreamers in each of us. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $18

THE NECKS with CHRIS ABRAHAMS / LLOYD SWANTON / TONY BUCK - Mindset (ReR VN 10; UK) “Long-awaited reissue of The Necks' 2011 masterpiece, Mindset. Always different, here the Necks resolutely layer polyrhythmic material to form seething blocks of sound -- in two long pieces, one more stripped back to the live trio, the other featuring multiple strata of swirling Hammond’s, noise-guitar, and electronics. Their 16th release still resonates on its own.”
LP $26

DMG CD SUMMER SALE (Same list with reviews further below) - Mostly all sealed copies:

DAVE BURRELL - The Jelly Roll Joys (Gazell 4003; USA)
CD Sale $10

DAVE BURRELL & DAVID MURRAY - brother to brother (Gazell 4006; USA)
CD Sale $10

ALBERTO CAVENATI - Lo Spazio Al Margini (Unit 4394; Switzerland)
CD Sale $10

PAUL DUNMALL / ANGELICA SANCHEZ / MARK SANDERS - A Songbirds Temple (FMR 572; UK)
CD Sale $10

PAUL DUNMALL QUINTET with PERCY PURSGLOVE / STEVE TROMANS / DAVE KANE / HAMID DRAKE - The Dreamtime Suite (FMR 428; UK)
CD Sale $10

LAST EXIT with SONNY SHARROCK / PETER BROTZMANN / BILL LASWELL / RONALD SHANNON JACKSON - Headfirst in the Flames (DMG-ARC 0701)
CD Sale $6

SEKWYN LISSACK with MONGEZI FEZA / MIKE OSBORNE / KENNETH TERROADE / HARRY MILLER / EARL FREEMAN - Friendship Next of Kin (DMG-ARC 702; USA)
CD Sale $6

ROBERT MUSSO with BOOTSY COLLINS / BILL LASWELL / THOMAS CHAPIN / AIYIB DIENG / et al - Active Resonance (MuWorks 1008; USA
CD Sale $10

ROB REDDY ’S SLEEPING DOGS with CHARLES BURNHAM / JOHN CARLSON / GUILLERMO BROWN - Seeing the Light of My Own Candle (Knit Works 291; USA)
CD Sale $10

PHAROAH SANDERS / HAMID DRAKE / ADAM RUDOLPH - Spirits (Meta 004; USA)
CD Sale $10

THE STONE QUARTET with JOELLE LEANDRE / MARILYN CRISPELL / ROY CAMPBELL / MAT MANERI - DMG @ The Stone (DMG-ARC 721; USA)
CD Sale $6

PIRI THOMAS with KIP HANRAHAN / MILTON CARDONA / BILLY BANG / FERNANDO SANDERS / et al - Every Child is a Born Poet (American Clave 1032; USA)
CD Sale $10

DAVE VAN RONK - Going Back to Brooklyn (Gazell 2006; USA)
CD Sale $10

DAVID WATSON with MICHAEL ATTIAS / ANDY HAAS / TONY BUCK / et al - Skirl (Avant 077; Japan)
CD Sale $10

MARK WHITCAGE & LIQUID TIME with DAVE DOUGLAS / MICHAEL JEFRY STEVENS / JOE FONDA / et al - self/titled (Acoustics 406; USA)
CD Sale $10

TONY WILSON 6TET - Pearls before Swine (Drip Audio 251; Canada)
CD Sale $10

Summer CD SALE with reviews or blurbs added:

DAVE BURRELL - The Jelly Roll Joys (Gazell 4003; USA) "One of the great under-recognized pianists in jazz, Dave Burrell was an integral member of several important bands, including those led by Archie Shepp and David Murray. He has always been at home with the entire history of the music, from ragtime to free improvisation. Here, playing solo, he pays homage to the seminal composer Jelly Roll Morton in a recital that includes a couple of Burrell's own pieces, a few by Coltrane and Parker, as well as several of Morton's lesser-known works. His selection of rags is very perceptive, including a couple of utterly gorgeous compositions containing what their author referred to as "the Spanish tinge," a rarely discussed influence on early jazz. Even on the two Coltrane pieces, "Giant Steps" and "Moment's Notice," he manages to subtly infuse them with raglike aspects and rhythms while miraculously maintaining their boppish integrity. Burrell's own songs are no less delightful and go far in buttressing his reputation as an imaginative composer as well as a rich and deeply melodic pianist. The Jelly Roll Joys is highly recommended both as a wonderful recital and as one of the most rewarding albums by a musician deserving far greater renown." - Brian Olewnick, AMG
CD $10

DAVE BURRELL & DAVID MURRAY - brother to brother (Gazell 4006; USA) This duet set by pianist Dave Burrell and David Murray (heard on tenor and bass clarinet) is mostly quite relaxed, surprisingly melodic in spots, and explorative but in subtle ways. Burrell's style both looks backward toward stride (and on "New Orleans Blues" to Jelly Roll Morton) and toward the future in its freedom. Murray is mostly fairly mellow, avoiding the extreme upper register much of the time and focusing on his warm tone. There is a fair amount of variety in tempos even while the mutually respectful mood prevails. An excellent effort! - Scott Yanow
CD $10

ALBERTO CAVENATI with RALPH ALESSI / GUIDO BOMBARIERI / MATTERO LORITO / VITTORIO MARINONI - Lo Spazio Al Margini (Unit 4394; Switzerland) Featuring Alberto Cavenati on electric & acoustic guitars & electronics, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Guido Bombardieri on alto sax & clarinets, Matteo Lorito on double bass and Vittorio Marinoni on drums. It turns that Italian guitarist, Alberto Cavenati, currently lives in East Berlin and is involved with the Trouble in the East label. This disc, perhaps his only one as a leader, was released in 2013 and features mostly Italian musicians, most of whom I previously know little about. The drummer, Vittorio Martinoni, did work with the great pianist Giorgio Gaslini. The guest here is Downtown trumpeter Ralph Alessi, who has kept a high profile in recent years working with Tim Berne, Tomas Fujiwara’s Triple Double, Tom Rainey Obbligato plus a couple of great discs on ECM. Mr. Cavenati wrote all but two pieces here. The opening is Aa somber duo for trumpet and quietly fractured acoustic guitar, the vibe is uneasy. The muted mood continues with some superb, sublime soloing from Mr. Alessi while Mr. Cavenati plays in soft, spastic flourishes underneath. Cavenati does a great job of leading the tight, complex rhythm team while the trumpet or reeds (clarinets or alto sax) swirl tightly together up front. Cavenati’s guitar keeps shifting rhythmically, dynamically, adding tasty spice with different yet minimal effects. Both horns take separate strong solos or even solo together at times. Mr. Cavenati plays acoustic on several songs, often strumming moody melodies underneath the waves created by the horn players above. One of the things that makes this music special is that it is often stripped down & spacious without anyone ever playing too many notes. While the rhythm team plays skeletally underneath, both horns take their time to play quirky, inventive solos at a low volume. There are a number of unexpected surprises here, like when the guitar plays those spiky, jazz/rock lines in the middle of “Margen” or the M-Base-like way that the quintet often has two lines or themes moving together at the same time, connected by a central rhythmic scheme. According to Mr. Cavenati, this quintet no longer exists which is unfortunate but they did leave this superb disc which we can dig into time and again. Six copies left (9/12/18) as I write it up. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

PAUL DUNMALL / ANGELICA SANCHEZ / MARK SANDERS - A Songbirds Temple (FMR 572; UK) Featuring Paul Dunmall on tenor sax & alto flute, Angelica Sanchez on piano and Mark Sanders on drums. Ever since UK sax giant started coming to NYC around 2005, he has hooked with a number of Downtown’s best improvisers: Tony Malaby, Ray Anderson, Ellery Eskelin, Kevin Norton, Matt Welch, Henry Grimes, Gerry Hemingway… All of those from sets at The Old Stone, at DMG and the Vision Fest. Over the past decade, Mr. Dunmall has also been collaborating with many visiting musicians to the UK like: Matt Shipp, Hamid Drake, John O’Gallagher and Jon Irabagon. This is the first time that Dunmall has recorded with Downtown pianist Angelica Sanchez, picking one of his most trustworthy and creative drummers, Mark Sanders. This is a studio session, recorded in Birmingham, UK in November of 2019. There is an obvious simpatico vibe going on here right from the start. All three players are listening and working superbly together. Mr. Dunmall is swirling those Trane-like spins in a somber, spiritual way while Ms. Sanchez finds her way providing a cosmic cushion which is well-matched by Mr. Sanders ever-flowing lines. Even when the trio slows down to a solemn, dreamish section, they remain in a simmering, ghost-like trance, sublime and peaceful. And then building up to another free/jazz frenzy. Ms. Sanchez is is particularly fine form, playing those long, intense two handed lines, the intensity of the trio increasing as this piece unfolds. Considering that this was the first time that this trio had played together, they sound like old friends uniting their powers in order to soar into the stratosphere. It you need some righteous free/jazz in order to help make it through these difficult days, that brothers & sisters, this is your special magic/medicine. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

PAUL DUNMALL QUINTET with PERCY PURSGLOVE / STEVE TROMANS / DAVE KANE / HAMID DRAKE - The Dreamtime Suite (FMR 428; UK) Featuring Paul Dunmall on tenor & alto saxes & bagpipes, Percy Pursglove on trumpet & bagpipes, Steve Tromans on piano, Dave Kane on acoustic bass and Hamid Drake on drums. This disc was recorded live at Lantern Room in Bristol, UK in October of 2016. With the Duns Limited label now gone, Paul Dunmall, has been taking his time to organize one session at a time with different personnel. Three members of this fine quintet have worked with Mr. Dunmall on several previous discs* trumpeter Pursglove (on Dunmall’s recent Brass Project), bassist Dave Kane (from the Matthew Bourne Trio & several Dunmall CDs) and of course the great Hamid Drake on drums who also has worked with Mr. Dunmall on a couple of previous discs. The only new name here for me is pianist Steve Tromans who has worked with John Mayer (co-leader of Indo-Jazz Fusions with Joe Harriott).
This disc starts oft with what sounds like an older, hard swinging theme. Both Mr. Dunmall’s tenor and Pursglove’s trumpet are in fine form, burning together backed by a rambunctious rhythm team. The secret weapon here is the mighty Hamid Drake who provides a powerful rhythmic undertow, organic and swigging hard simultaneously. Pianist Steve Tromans locks in with Hamid and bassist Kane, revving the quintet up as they ride in waves towards the horizon. The interplay between the sax, trumpet and piano is extraordinary, tight and robust and on the verge of flying apart but never losing the inner pulse which holds this all together. All members of the quintet get a chance to stretch out and direct or navigate the flow. There are a few solos from pianist Steve Tromans which are pretty amazing, showing that he is a strong force to be reckoned with. Trumpeter Percy Pursglove, who has worked with Dunmall on a handful of previous discs is also a great choice since he is able to keep up with sax colossus Dunmall, when he starts blasting out those Trane-like lines (sheets of sound) on tenor. Another highlight here is midway which features a frame drum and (two?) bagpipes duo or trio. It doesn’t last very long but the bagpipes do have a spiritual drone which fits just right. Nearly a hour long and a constant joy of discovery!- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

LAST EXIT with SONNY SHARROCK / PETER BROTZMANN / BILL LASWELL / RONALD SHANNON JACKSON - Headfirst in the Flames (DMG-ARC 0701; USA) Our SECOND Release on Downtown Music Gallery's newly formed DMG ARC label is considered by many fans to be the best of the six releases [certainly the best of the five live ones] by the improv super-group Last Exit, and the least widely distributed. Originally released as a limited edition on Muworks, this item commands high prices ranging to $50-$75 from collector's shops and auction websites including eBay. Ronald Shannon Jackson Is on drums, occasionally adding creepy blues vocals worthy of a serial killer. Sonny Sharrock play nasty blues lines when he Isn't beating his guitar to a pulp, while German sax madman Peter Brotzmann veers between similar extremes with his squealing and honking. Laswell was the perfect bassist for this unit, his dirty, hard-driving lines retaining a feeling of downright meanness throughout. (Please, someone lay "My Balls/Your Chin" and "Pig Cheese" on a Najee fan!) An over-the-top live recording of frighteningly talented musicians improvising as a unit, this album is what you REALLY want to scrape out your cerebral cortex! "Never let it be said that Last Exit didn't take advantage of recording their live shows or playing in front of adoring Europeans. With cover art and song titles courtesy of the late avant-garde British poet Kenneth Patchen, Headfirst kicks off with the brain fry of "Lizard Eyes" only to launch into a Sharrock improv called "Don't Be a Cry Baby, Whatever You Do." Brotzmann blows wild and free here, and his squeal and blurt provides a great counterpoint to the rumble of the rhythms and the pummeling sonic overload of Sharrock's guitar. Another piece of blurt that will make your head spin." - John Dougan "The downtown 80s experimental collective Last Exit well knew that a freedom using potential chaos needs an ingrained order to become art. Although sax,guitar and even bass so often leave rigid forms the instruments lose their usual definitions both bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Shannon Jackson never lose the root spine that gives axe howler Sonny Sharrock and saxist Peter Brotzman just enough of a shifting foundation to remain both focused and restless. Names cease to be important when musicians strike such an intelligent balance. By releasing these live cuts knowledgeable NYC store Downtown Music Gallery proves true liberty creates humility." - James Hopkins "One of my favorite recordings of all time, PERIOD!
CD Sale $6

SELWYN LISSACK with MONGEZI FEZA / MIKE OSBORNE / KENNETH TERROADE / HARRY MILLER / EARL FREEMAN - Friendship Next of Kin (DMG-ARC 702; USA) The Second Release on Downtown Music Gallery's newly formed DMG ARC label is considered by many fans to be one of the rarest late '60s Euro/Brit avant jazz recordings Originally released on the BYG associated 'Goody' label in France [in fact the only one of seven Goody releases that was an original release, and not a questionable reissue], the LP has commanded high prices ranging to $100 to $300 from collector's shops and auction websites including eBay. "To most historians of the "new music", creative improvisation took a somewhat different turn in Europe during the late '60s than it did in the United States, concentrating less on African roots (understandably) and building on both European folk forms and innovations in academic art music and other time arts. Yet in England there was a greater confluence of African musical forms and influence, which is crucial in distinguishing vanguard British improvisation from its brethren in other parts of Europe. Chris McGregor, a white classically-trained pianist from Cape Town, brought the Blue Notes with him to Germany in 1966, finally settling in London. This was the ensemble that, ostensibly "led" by a white South African (though clearly drawing more from kwela and township music as well as jazz), introduced drummer Louis Moholo, bassist Johnny Dyani, trumpeter Mongezi Feza and reedmen Dudu Pukwana and Ronnie Beer to the European jazz community. In addition to the South African scene, expatriate improvisers from Jamaica (reedmen Joe Harriott and Ken Terroade) and Barbados (trumpeter Harry Beckett) were also at the forefront of London's new music community. Drummer Selwyn Lissack, though often not mentioned in the same breath as the above, is nevertheless an interesting piece of the British-South African puzzle. Born and raised in Cape Town, Lissack emigrated to England in 1967 (independently of the Blue Notes) on his way to New York - visa problems kept him in Europe until the end of 1969. Lissack was active on the Cape Town scene in the early 60s, despite anti-integration laws that often broke up musical associations (he's white), but the pull of more fruitful work opportunities elsewhere was undeniable. Upon joining the London community, the young drummer began organizing sessions in his apartment with John McLaughlin, Mike Osborne and other luminaries of the scene, while also studying with Philly Joe Jones (at the time living in Kensington). Lissack's style merges the tidal waves of Elvin and Sunny Murray with the fleetness and occasional bombast of Roy Haynes and Philly Joe, and is more rooted in bop than Louis Moholo. The result of two years of weekly rehearsals with the British and South African avant-garde, Facets of the Universe, released in a limited edition by the BYG subsidiary Goody in 1969, features Lissack in a sextet with Feza, Osborne (alto and clarinet), Terroade (tenor and flute), South African expat bassist Harry Miller and American bassist and multi-instrumentalist Earl Freeman, a stalwart on many BYG-Actuel recordings, heard here also on piano, flute and reciting his poetry. Produced by Aynsley Dunbar vocalist Victor Brox, Facets of the Universe consists of two sidelong pieces: Terroade's Love Rejoice, retitled Friendship Next of Kin for this LP; and a lengthy collective improvisation inspired by Freeman's poetry entitled Facets of the Universe (though confusingly the poem also includes the line Friendship Next of Kin). Yet this music has little in common with strains of British or South African jazz of the time; rather, the approach is somewhere between Sunny's Swing Unit, the Art Ensemble (of Chicago) and fiercer Brotherhood of Breath dates.
For this reissue on New York avant record store Downtown Music Gallery's own ARC label, Friendship Next of Kin is presented in two versions: an edited version which includes a drum solo excised from the original take (replayed here), and the album version without the solo. With masters apparently long-gone, the original vinyl in all its French-pressed glory was used, and it is a credit to the engineer that the muddy mix has been brought up to clear, crisp levels that do well in separating the musicians and the music. Friendship (under its alternate title) appeared in somewhat more frantic form on Terroade's BYG session (Love Rejoice, Actuel 22, recorded a few months prior to this date), with reedmen Ronnie Beer and Evan Chandley (Cohelmec Ensemble), pianist Francois Tusques, drummer Claude Delcloo, and Freeman and Beb Guerin on basses. The tune is a weighty, churchy dirge much like those penned by Sunny Murray and Frank Wright that the leader directs into a fast tempo to gird a brittle, smeared Feza contribution, the composer's paint-peeling tenor pyrotechnics (under which Freeman switches to piano), followed by a collective lead-in to Osborne's thoughtfully searing contribution (of the three horn players only Osborne maintains the tempo and character of the original theme, however distorted the notes get) and, finally, Lissack's restored drum solo, a dense thematic exposition recalling his opening salvo on trumpeter Ric Colbeck's Aphrodite. After a brief collective improvisation, the joyous processional through the back streets of Cape Town and Kingston returns to close the piece. Facets of the Universe is something altogether different from the post-Ayler material on side one, and echoes Ra and the AACM in its wide-open spaces, with Freeman reading a highly disparate imagist poem over a stew of tympani, finger cymbals, organ, marimba (courtesy Brian Gascoigne), piccolo and clarinet that recalls Joseph Jarman's reading on Song For or David Moore's with Muhal Richard Abrams and Anthony Braxton on Levels and Degrees of Light. Following this otherworldly declamation, Feza, Terroade and Osborne take off into a maelstrom of brass and reed smears over surging bass and percussion, an ecstatic tidal wave of activity brought on by the tension of words and poetic ideation. Such a setting necessarily focuses the attention on Freeman, who went on to lead the Sound Craft Orchestra in the early 1980s, which featured leading lights of the New York underground, and recorded a hideously rare LP with clarinetist Henry Warner and percussionist Phillip Spigner, The Freestyle Band. His poetry and arpeggiated piano on Facets of the Universe add to the mystery of the uniform of aviator goggles and union work suit. Facets closes just as sparsely as it began, with the last gasps of tenor and pocket trumpet encircled by castanets, celeste, wooden flute (Freeman again) and gongs as it comes full circle. In a way, this is not surprising, as the session was taped on the night of a lunar eclipse. The record sank upon its release, even by BYG offshoot standards. Goody was a bootleg label that released unauthorized versions of records on Delmark, Metronome and Clifford Thornton's Third World imprint, and Selwyn Lissack's one and only LP as a leader was the closest thing to a "legitimate" release in the series. Unfortunately, Claude Delcloo butchered both the English liner notes and the track listing, leaving some to wonder who the poet was on side two, which along with poor mastering and shoddy pressing and even the omission of a major solo by the leader (!) resulted in nothing less than a shameless mishandling of one of the heaviest slabs of improvised music of the late 60s. Lissack made one more startling appearance as a sideman with Osborne and bassist Jean-Francois Jenny-Clarke on trumpeter Ric Colbeck's lone LP for Fontana (The Sun is Coming Up, 1970) before finally heading to New York to become involved with holographic sculpture and design (he taught and assisted Salvador Dali in holographics), still practicing music but concentrating his research on three-dimensional forms. Despite its inconsistencies at the hands of its label, Facets of the Universe is truly a fascinating document of the Pan-African avant-garde captured at a place where European, African, American and West Indian roots merged to create two universal improvisations. What more could one have asked of a single opportunity to record as a leader?" - Clifford Allen, Paris Transatlantic "Recorded September 1969: London, England. The career of white South African Selwyn Lissack is a mysterious one. It is unclear when he left, but he was in England in the late '60's. He played in a group with Lol Coxhill; recorded Facets, his only album as a leader; and played on The Sun is Coming Up by Ric Colbeck (whatever happened to him?). He then gave up music and is now a well known sculptor, working mainly on holographic sculpture. This album has a stellar lineup, including alto flamethrower Mike Osborne and fellow South African Harry Miller. It also borrows two participants and the side-long track format of Kenneth Terroade's Love Rejoice (BYG/Actuel, 1969). Free Jazz is best categorized geographically. Groups like the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Iskra 1903 cast the mold that will forever be equated with improvisational music from the UK-sparse, understated and often quite tedious. However, this is definitely NOT what Facets of the Univers or its players are about. Players like the always-intense Mike Osborne, like Harry Miller, who could and did play just about everything with everybody, like Kenneth Terroade, who participated in the American expatriate free jazz scene in Paris that was well documented on the BYG Actuel series. The approach to extemporization is in fact closer to the Actuel model than one might expect. The brief march-like melody of the title track is merely a jumping off point for various solos, both unaccompanied, and in tandem with others. Lissack plays with an appealing sense of urgency, each line always rolling out towards the next phrase, keeping the music mobile. The piece ebbs and flows as three horns simultaneously ascend to frenzied peaks, then descend into near silence. The second piece "Friendship Next Of Kin" is more influenced by contemporary classical music in its sparseness. It does not disappoint in energy as the intensity rises steadily for the second half. It is perhaps only marred by some bizarre spoken word that is unfortunately common to this kind of music. The liner notes [did not originally] identify the piano player or speaker but it can be safely assumed that it is Earl Freeman." - Andrey Henkin, AMG
CD Sale $6

ROBERT MUSSO with BOOTSY COLLINS / BILL LASWELL / THOMAS CHAPIN / AIYIB DIENG / et al - Active Resonance (MuWorks 1008; USA) Featuring guitar great Bob Musso w/ Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins, Jonas Hellborg, Thomas Chapin, Aiyb Dieng. From avant-rock to bizarre funk/jazz! "Guitarist, composer, and master mixing engineer Robert Musso has issued another chapter in his evolving space-dub jam session recordings. This one features many of the usual suspects -- Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Aiyb Deng, Bootsy Collins, and some others, such as the late Thomas Chapin, Jonas Hellborg, and Tanar Catalpinar. The assemblage offers a new listen to Musso's integrational conception of opposites attracting under the influence of rhythm. Here, the post-modal jazz of John Coltrane is heard as it meets the dawn of 1990s funk-dub world-fusion on "A Dream Supreme," and the shifting sands of global cowboy-ism as it voices its desolation on "Alliance." On "All Funked Up," Afro-funk meets the J.B.'s with Bootsy on grunting cheerleader vocals. And so it goes, with the only cohesive glue in the cracks being Musso's disciplined direction, excellent guitar playing, and his indomitable sense of groove no matter what the genre stipulations -- check "Tanar!" with its muezzin wailing over a wall of deep space dub. Or the Eastern-tinged modalism of "Home Growing," where it meets the terrain of euphoric jazz and rock. Recommended." - Thom Jurek, AMG
CD $10

ROB REDDY ’S SLEEPING DOGS with CHARLES BURNHAM / JOHN CARLSON / GUILLERMO BROWN - Seeing the Light of My Own Candle (Knit Works 291; USA) Rob Reddy's Sleeping Dogs is a different group than Rob Reddy's Honor System -- bassist Dominic Richards is the only common member -- so those shades of Ronald Shannon Jackson & the Decoding Society aren't as strong on this CD. The all-acoustic quintet features high-pitched lead instruments -- alto/soprano sax, violin, and trumpet -- over a rhythm section with Charles Burnham's plucked violin or mandolin strums generally filling the middle ground. The abstract opener, "Street Angel House Devil," finds Reddy's tart, knotty sax lines somersaulting out of the supporting riffs and an almost-parade beat bouncing from drummer Guillermo Brown. "Victim" is more freewheeling, with a Spanish tinge in the main melody from Burnham's mandolin and later John Carlson's trumpet. The harmonic blend gets more yearning on the recurring motif to "My Own Candle" when Burnham switches to bow after a Richards' bass solo. "Child" features a strong bass-trumpet duet -- Carlson sometimes employs growls and a fat, tart, low tone to complement a general stylistic debt to Don Cherry. "RJOC" gets into a dirge-like, funeral-parade groove behind Brown's active but unobtrusive drums that strongly recall Henry Threadgill's sextet phase, with boozy lines and gospel inflections in Reddy's alto solo. Burnham's mandolin strums generate an old-timey banjo feel, and he takes a nice plucked solo with vaguely Eastern-flavored backing harmonies by Reddy and Carlson on the closing "Prayer III." The old Ornette Coleman principle of leaving the middle wide open rules here, but Sleeping Dogs fill up the open spaces with savvy and without overplaying. Rob Reddy shows he's an intriguing composer and very democratic bandleader in a different context on Seeing by the Light of My Own Candle, an excellent disc that also has the presence of Charles Burnham, a far-too-rare occurrence, to recommend it. - Don Snowden, AMG
CD Sale $10

PHAROAH SANDERS / HAMID DRAKE / ADAM RUDOLPH - Spirits (Meta 004; USA) Long out-of-print recording [for some unknown reason Pharoah Sanders is said to be unenthusiastic about this recording - which is a mystery as it's one of the best things he's done in a very long while!] This in-concert recording (locale unidentified) is a continual performance that acts as a suite in three basic parts, with Sanders on tenor sax, wood flutes, and percussion, helped by multipercussionists Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph. The music is as the title suggests: spiritual, multi-ethnic, mostly serene, and quite improvisationally derived. It's a beautiful statement from Sanders, very similar to the music Yusef Lateef has played (with Rudolph and Eternal Wind) and different than his more major-label efforts. "Sunrise," running over 19 minutes, begins the hour-long program. Soft drone tones set up tenor meditations, slight percussive inserts, mbira and driftwood wordless vocals, and soulful chanting, then move back to tenor musings with bells, and visceral, gutteral chants. "Morning in Soweto" and "The Thousand Petaled Lotus" segue together with hand drum and tenor groove in a manner reminiscent of Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't" nestled in the Sudan! The next movement of the suite is in five parts. A demure gong, animal growls, and moans from "I & Thou" easily move into free and repeated wood flute phrases and insistent hand percussion as a driving force on "Uma Lake." "Molimo" is a separate entity, as counterpointed wood flutes hoot like owls with sexual overtones and rattling percussion. Fans of Sanders will be easily able to connect this music with his past glories, but it could be a portent of bigger things, and bigger ensembles, to come. Recommended. - Michael G. Nastos
CD $10

THE STONE QUARTET with JOELLE LEANDRE / MARILYN CRISPELL / ROY CAMPBELL / MAT MANERI - DMG @ The Stone (DMG-ARC 721; USA) Our THIRD Release on Downtown Music Gallery's newly formed DMG ARC label is the first in our series of CDs recorded at the DMG New Music Magic Mystery Festival at The Stone in December 2006. The second set that night was originally supposed to be Joelle Leandre performing duos with Marilyn Crispell, Mat Maneri and Roy Campbell, but turned out to be a superb quartet with Joelle directing. This was a first time performance by this unique drummerless lineup and it was a phenomenal set! There were sections of duos and trios that Joelle helped instigate, yet you couldn't predict the many magical moments that arose from this group. Superbly recorded by John Rosenberg and wonderfully remixed & mastered by Jean Marc Foussat, the sound is incredible. I still get goosebumps as I listen to this disc, since it does capture that dynamic improv magic so well. I recall that both sets that night were excellent, the first was a strong duo of Joelle with percussionist Kevin Norton (released on Leo) and the second is this fabulous quartet. Listening now to the second set, whether you were there or not, you get the feeling that something very special was taking place. There is an aura of suspense and mystery that runs through the entire set/disc. You can hear all four musicians listening closely and having an ongoing dialogue. This quartet features Joelle Leandre on contrabass, Marilyn Crispell on piano, Roy Campbell, Jr. on trumpets & flute and Mat Maneri on viola & violin. Highest recommendation from your good friends at Downtown Music Gallery! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $6

PIRI THOMAS with KIP HANRAHAN / MILTON CARDONA / BILLY BANG / FERNANDO SANDERS / et al - Every Child is a Born Poet (American Clave 1032; USA) Poet/writer/activist Piri Thomas is considered one of the preeminent figures of Nuyorican literary culture, as well as a forefather/precursor to the rap MCs & poetry slammers of a more recent vintage. Most well known for his 1967 autobiography Down These Mean Streets, he was recently the subject of a fantastic Jonathan Robinson documentary also entitled "Every Child is Born a Poet." This record is in essence an original score to that film and an excellent stand-alone album in its own right, with Thomas reciting his poetry and prose over (mostly) new arrangements by Kip Hanrahan and his always-incredible usual stable of players - Milton Cardona, Andy Gonzalez, Jerry Gonzalez, Robby Ameen, Alfredo Triff, Billy Bang, JT Lewis, Fernando Saunders, Chocolate Armenteros providing the core - with results that come off gritty yet optimistic, the flipside to the Last Poets' streetcorner nihilist nickel. As with any American Clave project, performances and production are top-notch, as is the writing. Any of you Clave fans who've hesitated thusfar (*ahem Graham Taylor*) should get off their bottoms and do the right thing. Highest Recommendation!! - Mikey IQ Jones.
CD $10

DAVE VAN RONK - Going Back to Brooklyn (Gazell 2006; USA) "The role of singer/songwriter has never much appealed to me," writes Dave Van Ronk in the liner notes to this album, and it may seem like an odd remark for a performer who had a lot to do with promoting the careers of such singer/songwriters as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. But what Van Ronk means is that he has never been much interested in taking on the role of singer/songwriter for himself. Although he is usually mentioned in sentences that include the names of Dylan, Mitchell, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, and other Greenwich Village folksingers of the 1960s, Van Ronk is primarily an interpretive singer with a repertoire of traditional folk-blues songs along with covers of the songs of his peers. Still, he has penned the odd song on occasion, and Going Back to Brooklyn is the first album he's made that is devoted entirely to his own compositions. (As it turned out, he would never make another one.) As might be expected, he did not sit down and pen a whole new batch of material; many of these songs are ones he wrote years and even decades previously, and some of them he has recorded before. (For example, "Zen Koans Gonna Rise Again" first appeared on No Dirty Names in 1966, and "Last Call" was on Songs for Aging Children in 1973.) And in several cases, these are not so much full-fledged songs as little novelty ditties (the a cappella "Tantric Mantra" and "The Whores of San Pedro" clock in at little over half a minute each, and the similarly unaccompanied antiwar harangue "Luang Prabang" runs 1:36) or guitar instrumentals ("Antelope Rag," "Left Bank Blues"). These are the kinds of pieces an itinerant musician might come up with while waiting for a gig to start, and Van Ronk indicates that that's just what happened in some cases. Even when he writes a well-developed original, he basically adapts one of his favorite folk-blues fingerpicking patterns to accompany a lyric idea, the most outlandish of which must be "Garden State Stomp," which is nothing more or less than a recitation of unusual town names in New Jersey. To the extent that his original lyrics are personally revealing, they speak of drinking and folksinging, sometimes in a touching way, notably "Gaslight Rag," a tribute to a Greenwich Village bar and its folksinging patrons, and "Last Call." Van Ronk uses his raspy, expressive voice, which contrasts with the sweetness of his guitar playing, to get across harsh, bitter feelings in such songs as the self-lacerating "Losers" and "Luang Prabang," but only at the end, in the heartbreaking "Another Time and Place," to expose love and regret. Going Back to Brooklyn is unique among Dave Van Ronk albums for the portrait it provides of the artist, even if on the surface it sounds like many of this other records. - William Ruhlmann
CD $10

DAVID WATSON with MICHAEL ATTIAS / ANDY HAAS / TONY BUCK / et al - Skirl (Avant 077; Japan) A swirling free polyphony of bagpipes over thunderous grooves, with funky phasing lines flowing into Coltrane jazz, microtonal drones and lush orchestral percussion. A regular on the downtown New York scene for the past ten years, native New Zealander David Watson pushes the boundaries of the classic "pipe and drums" format in an exciting CD of compositions and improvisation from the collective hallucination. Features a stellar constellation of drummers including Cyro Baptista's rapturous percussion orchestra "Beat the Donkey." David Watson (bagpipes), Julie Brown (bagpipes), Doug Safranek (bagpipes), Jim Pugliese (vibes, per), Christine Bard (ds, per), Tony Buck (ds, bellafon, Roto toms), Cyro Baptista (jaw harp, berimbau, quica) & Beat the Donkey (per), Marjorie Fitts (harp), Michael Attias (as), Andy Haas (didjeridu). "You might recall bagpiper & guitarist - David Watson from the two self-produced cds he has out over the past few years reviewed here & featuring the likes of Ikue Mori, Kato Hideki and members of Machines For Making Sense from Australia. 'Skirl' features three bagpipe players, percussionists Jim Pugliese & Christine Bard (EasSidePercussion), Tony Buck (Peril) and Cyro Baptista w/ Beat the Donkey, plus the alto sax of Michael Attias, the didjeridu of Andy Haas (Avant cd) and the harp of Marjorie Fitts. Odd instrumentation, but not for an Avant release. While bagpipes are mostly associated with Scottish men in kilts, there have been a few players & composers who have done something different with this ancient folk instrument - jazz musician Rufus Harley in the sixties, new music composer Yoshi Wada, and even British free-jazz sax great Paul Dunmall played one at the Keith Tippett Mujicain set at Victo this year. There was even an unexpectedly cool bagpipe fest at the old Knit with a compilation cd to follow. It seems as if (former New Zealander) David Watson has been working with bagpipes longer than almost anyone else. Beginning with a swirling array of layered bagpipes and percussion, creating a mesmerizing haze of drones. The percussion throughout this release is often rich in textures, mystery and drama, while the bagpipes also drone a rather hypnotic haze throughout. Two cuts feature the dense Brazilian carnival percussion ensemble Beat the Donkey with two bagpipes at the center of the storm - an amazing combination of sounds. A haunting treasure of cosmic drones" - BLG
CD $10

MARK WHITCAGE & LIQUID TIME with DAVE DOUGLAS / MICHAEL JEFRY STEVENS / JOE FONDA / et al - self/titled (Acoustics 406; USA) The late and consistently great Mark Whitecage’s debut disc as a leader plus an early date with Dave Douglas.
CD $10

TONY WILSON 6TET with MASA ANZAI/J P CARTER/JESSE ZUBOT/RUSSELL SHOLBERG/SKYE BROOKS - Pearls before Swine (Drip Audio 251; Canada) Featuring Tony Wilson on guitar, Masa Anzai on sax, JP Carter on trumpet, Jesse Zubot on violin, Russell Sholberg on bass and Skye Brooks on drums. I only know two members of this superb sextet, Tony Wilson & Jesse Zubot (who runs the Drip Audio label), but I must admit this is one the best discs I've heard from last year (2007). Tony wrote most of the tunes here except for a few select covers by the Beatles, Thelonius Monk and Tom Cora (from his days in Curlew). "Ee-Gypt-Me" is ethnic jazz/surf/rock at its best with a most infectious groove. Tony's righteous guitar solos powerfully as the horns and violin swirl magnificently around him! Whoa, watch out! "Squirk" has a most memorable melody that is played magically by the violin, wah-wah guitar and sly distant horns. I dig how it balances between a laid-back section and a more explosive section, yet remains tightly structured with some free spice added along the way. "Boo-Dat" has another great groove/melody yet it changes and moves through some surprising areas. "Innocent Objections" features a sad and lovely trumpet and violin lullaby that is most touching. "I Am the Walrus" is one of the best and weirdest of all Beatle songs and here gets a most impressive rendition with some explosive free noise added through the entire mid-section. I dig the way Tony sets things up: some tunes will start with spacious free section and still end up with some fine melodic, haunting charts. Tony leaves no stone (or genre) overlooked, check out "For Fela Kuti #2," which takes some of Fela's great funkiness and turns it inside out with some more complex jazz/rock influences. Even Monk's "Horn'in In" gets a rather silly (noise/rock) reading but still adds some unexpected twists to this unique standard. Tony's writing and playing is filled with a number of strange surprises, you never know where one piece will end up. The biggest surprise for me and Manny is the cover of Curlew's "Jim," a swell piece from one of downtown best ever bands. This is another one of those great discs that I keep playing in the store and folks keep on buying it, not even knowing who Tony Wilson is yet. Dig in! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG - 10/30/2014
CD $10

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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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ROBERT MUSSO INTERVIEW on MAKEWEIRDMUSIC.COM This Friday:

Robert Musso Interview on the Confronting Creativity show hosted by Andre’ Cholmondeley.

When: July 30, 2021 6:00pm

LINK TO SHOW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmrhFVrZAec&ab_channel=MakeWeirdMusic

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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 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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This Sunday, July 25 at 5PM.

Featuring:
Adrianne Munden Dixon (violin)
Alex Romania (dance)
Gary Lindorff (poetry)
Sam Wenc/Ben Bennett (pedal steel/percussion)
Sandy Ewen/Fred Lonberg-Holm (prepared guitar/cello)
Zoots Houston/Derek Baron (clarinet/objects)

Address is 4150 NY-23, Hudson, New York.
$20 donation, all money to performers.
It would be so wonderful to see all your beautiful faces there.

From Ben Bennett: "The show is at the yellow house on Cherry Ridge Farm, 4150 NY-23, Hudson, NY 12534. If you are coming from the east side of the Hudson river, it is the very last turn before the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. After you turn into the farm, it is the first house you'll see - the yellow one. Go left at the fork just before the house and park by the red barn. Parking is limited, so carpooling is strongly encouraged. If the parking area by the barn is full, please go out of the farm and park in the lot next to the roundabout at the intersection of 9G and NY-23. There is a sidewalk between there and the farm."

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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