DMG Newsletter for October 15th, 2021

"The Other One" (Bob Weir & Bill Kreutzman - composers)
Spanish lady come to me, she lays on me this rose
It rainbow-spirals 'round and 'round, it trembles and explodes
It left a smoking crater of my mind I like to blow away
But the heat came 'round and busted me for smiling on a cloudy day

Coming, coming, coming around
Coming around, coming around, in a circle
Coming, coming, coming around
Coming around, coming around, in a circle

Escaping through the lily fields, I came across an empty space
It trembled and exploded, left a bus stop in its place
The bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began
There was Cowboy Neal at the wheel of the bus to never ever land

Coming, coming, coming around
Coming around, coming around, in a circle
Coming, coming, coming around
Coming around, coming around, in a circle

As many many of you may know, I’ve been on a Grateful Dead Odyssey for the past year & a half, listening to their concerts in chronological order starting at the (recorded) beginning in 1966. I listen to around an hour’s worth every or every other night and am currently checking out November 6 of 1970. There is a website known as Archive.org where you can listen to around 90% of their entire live catalogue, from 1966 until 1995, when Jerry Garcia passed away. I wasn’t really a Dead fan until 1969 when a local bad sheep sat me down, got me stoned and then we listened closely to their first album, which became & remains my favorite. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to hear them live until 1973 at Watkins Glen (with the Allman’s & The Band) and at the Spectrum in Philly later that year. Although I had become a prog/jazz/Canterbury snob during my college years (1972-1976), there was still a place in my heart for the Dead and Little Feat during that era and afterwards. I sort gave up on the Dead for a while when I went through my No Wave/New Wave/Punk & Noise phase from 1977 & onwards. When I got back into Neil Young during his ‘Rust Never Sleeps’ era, I started buying Dead albums again and realized how much I dug ‘Mars Hotel’, ‘Wake of the Flood’ & ‘Blues for Allah’, all pretty great! When they released ’Terrapin Station’ in 1977, I caught them live in Englishtown and realized that the title track was a progressive epic which I still listen to and admire today. I caught them live often right up until the last tour but was saddened by the demise of Jerry Garcia, their beloved leader in more ways than one. Once again, I had forgotten about them after this but started to get interesting again in the mid-aughts when I became friends with Mike Panico. We ended up going to several Furthur (Dead offshoot band) shows and catching The Dead (reunion) at an Obama rally in Penn in 2008 with the Allman’s opening. After attending several great Furthur shows, I started going back to relisten to all of my Dead albums and realized that I really dug each & every one of their studio efforts except for perhaps a couple of songs on the first side of ’Terrapin Station’. I know that the Dead themselves didn’t often like their own studio efforts but I felt they were still so many great songs on each one.

Since going back to the beginning and listening to the Dead every or every other night, I am fascinated by they way they’ve evolved, adding a new song to their repertoire every few weeks. Every song, whether an original or a cover changes every time they play it, hence each piece is in transition. My favorite songs like ‘Dark Star’, ’Saint Stephen’, ‘Playing in the Band’ and ‘The Other One’ have been done dozens (hundreds?) of times yet they keep evolving. My favorite song used to be ‘Cream Puff War’ from their first album, one of those rare songs in which Jerry Garcia wrote the words & music, but it was only done live a few times. My current fave is “The Other One”, which begins with “Cryptical Envelopment”. Another rarity, Garcia wrote the words & music to “Cryptical” while Bob Weir wrote the words to “The Other One”. This suite, which often includes a drum solo midway and begins & often ends with “Cryptical”, is an epic which features some early history of prankster, Neal Cassidy, who was once a roommate of Bob Weir’s in the early Dead days. There is something triumphant, powerful and inspiring going on here and every time I hear this piece, I soar with the Dead to new heights. I keep asking myself, who had to die and why did they have to die? Are they talking about Jerry or another Christ-like figure? “The Other One” is where the mythical bus (once called ‘Furthur’) pulls up and we can all get on and go for the ride. I can’t wait for the journey to begin again at around 11pm tonight so that I can get on board the bus to never-never land once more. are you along for the ride? - BLG at DMG

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THE PASSING OF ANOTHER DOWNTOWN HERO: DEE POP (March 14, 1956 - October 9, 2021)

Sometime in the early aughts (2000’s) Dee Pop started coming down to DMG (our 1st location on East 5th St) searching for jazz records. He mentioned that he was the drummer in Bush Tetras, a band I liked and had seen play a couple of times in the 1980’s. He also mentioned that he had played in Gun Club, one of my favorite bands from that era, hence we became friends. Dee said that he wanted to start playing more jazz or improvised music gigs and was searching for inspiration and other musicians to play with. He ordered some jazz discs from us and I turned him onto some musicians he hadn’t heard. Dee co-ran Mother’s Messengers which was located on 3rd St between 1st & 2nd Aves, next to Hell’s Angels building. Across the street from Mother’s was the Internet Cafe which was rather small, long & thin. The owner asked Dee if he wanted to book gigs there and Dee said yes. For several years, Dee booked shows there giving an opportunity for a number of Downtown musicians to play in an intimate environment. It became a scene of sorts and Dee became friends with many of those musicians, starting to work with a number of these players. Around 2002, Dee mentioned that his business, Mother’s, was getting tossed out of their place on 3rd St and that if I knew of another location, I should let him know. Oddly enough, we had our rent raised from $1,500 to $2,500 so we decided to leave our first location at 211 East 5th St. and we luckily found a new home on the Bowery, less than 3 blocks away, a perfect location for us. It turned out that we also had a double basement space, half of which we could sublease. I offered it to Dee which made both of us happy to be neighbors. The Internet Cafe had burned down by this point but Dee still liked to book shows so he met with Hilly Kristall (an old friend of his), who ran CBGB’s & CB’s Gallery. Hilly had a basement space underneath the gallery which offered to Dee to run shows. Hence, Dee again ran an ongoing series of gigs every Sunday night for many years, befriending many musicians and turning this into a great Hang for musicians & serious listeners. I was also running gigs at DMG on Sunday night which started at the same time as his, 7pm. So we got together & decided that my shows would start an hour earlier so listeners could attend both venues. Both had a small but dedicated following. I went to many nights at Dee’s series and caught dozens of musicians, many of whom I met & heard for the first time. I have great memories of certain gigs which were magical: Mostly Other People Do the Killing (1st couple of times), Jackalope (with John Abercrombie & Loren Stillman) and many more. Dee also organized his own improvising trio called Radio I-Ching with Andy Haas (an old friend of mine) on alto sax & dijeridoo & Don Fiorino on guitar. That trio used to rehearse in our basement so I often heard them through our floor on Saturdays or Sundays. Radio I-Ching also played at DMG on several occasions and they always knocked me out. A year or so before CBGB’s ended in 2006, Dee Pop’s series came to a close. I do recall one set from their final night, an amazing one-time quartet with Joe McPhee, Susan Alcorn, Audrey Chen & Tatsuya Nakatani. I still get goosebumps when I think about that set!

I stayed in touch with Dee after DMG moved to Monroe St in Chinatown in January of 2010 and Mother’s relocated to a 6th St basement space. I also dug Dee’s drumming in a variety of different situations and gave him opportunity to play at several DMG reunion shows. I also have a great memory of one set he did that I organized when DMG sponsored a month worth of gigs at the Old Stone in December of 2006. It was a quartet with Kazutoki Umezu (alto sax), Jon Madof (guitar), Shanir Blumenkranz (el bass) & Dee Pop (drums). Umezu had asked me to organize a group for him so that is what I came up with and the show was phenomenal! I have a CD-R from it somewhere so I have to find so we can all hear it again. Dee also worked at a couple of music instrument stores and help me/us purchase 2 drum sets, the second of which we bought new on Dee’s recommendation and which we still have now. DEE POP was a truly nice guy, a wonderful drummer and an incredible organizer of gigs! A toast to him and the many gigs he sponsored through the many years! He will be sorely missed. R.I.P Dee bubbie. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG

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THIS WEEK’S DYNAMIC DISCS BEGIN with AN IMPORTANT BOX SET:

IVO PERELMAN with DAVE BURRELL / MARILYN CRISPELL / SYLVIE COURVOISIER / CRAIG TABORN / AGUSTI FERNANDEZ / VIJAY IYER / ANGELICA SANCHEZ / ARUAN ORTIZ / AARON PARKS - Brass & Ivory Tales (Listen! Foundation FSR 11/2021; Poland) This box just showed up yesterday I haven’t had time to listen to much of this impressive looking box. Some say that Brazilian-born, New York-based saxist, Ivo Perelman, is over-recorded. He does have some 50 improv CD’s on the Leo label, all released over the past decade. Many of these discs feature Matt Shipp on piano. I myself have reviewed many of these discs and found that I dug each and every one as long as I had the time to listen and consider them. This is tenor saxist & visual artist, Ivo Perelman’s first large box set and he has decided to challenge him by playing duos with nine amazing pianists, each one is well chosen and different in their own particular ways. I listened to the duo with Marilyn Crispell last night and the duo with Dave Burrell earlier today, both were extraordinary! I hope to listen to the other 7 in the next week. Can’t wait! - BLG / DMG
9 CD Deluxe Box Set $105 [Limited edition of a few hundred]

MILES OKAZAKI / TREVOR DUNN / DAN WEISS - Hive Mind (Tzadik 4036; USA) A power trio of contemporary masters unlike any other! Miles Okazaki, Trevor Dunn and Dan Weiss are among the very best of a new generation of musicians working in the nexus of jazz, rock, noise, composition, improvisation and more. All dedicated students of the esoteric, they come together here as Hive Mind, a collective trio, to perform some of the wildest freewheeling improvisations around. Three compositional minds weaving bizarre soundscapes through telepathic communication and surprising strategies—you have never heard such sounds!”
CD $14

JOHN ZORN with JULIAN LAGE / JORGE ROEDER / KENNY WOLLESEN - New Masada Quartet (Tzadik 8384; USA) - This has been delayed for two weeks & should be here by October 29th.
CD $16 - Delayed for 2 weeks, at least, no reason to pre-order until then

WHIT DICKEY / WILLIAM PARKER / MATTHEW SHIPP - Village Mothership (Tao Forms 06; USA) Featuring Whit Dickey on drums, William Parker on contrabass and Matt Shipp on piano. These three Downtown Music Elders have been playing together since the late 1980’s, for more than thirty years. Originally they were all members of Matt Shipp’s first recorded quartet with saxist Rob Brown (‘Points’ disc, 1990), which was followed by a Matt Shipp Trio record, ‘Circular Temple’. Soon thereafter, Matt, William & Whit became members of the David S. Ware Quartet, often to be considered one of the great avant/jazz ensembles of the 1990’s. Mr. Dickey left the David S. Ware several years later, with Mr. Shipp and Mr. Parker going on the organize their own bands, with all three would play together in different combinations ever since. Any or all of these three worked with a variety of great musicians Ivo Perelman, Mat Walerian and Mat Maneri.
There is no leader in this trio and the music is free, fully improvised, recorded in a studio in February of 2020. Although this music is “free”, there is quite a bit of fascinating and unpredictable interplay going on here. Over time, certain themes or patterns emerge, any one of three three musicians will start with a phrase which will soon evolve as the other two players join in, push or pull, answer or alter the inner or outer flow. What makes me smile here is when the trio three into a chamber trio coming together with varied harmonies & counterpoint emerging together as one force. The changes in direction and interaction are astonishing at times. Thing calm down for the aptly titled “Nothingness”, which takes it time to emerge from nothingness. Matt Shipp is the one constant here who brings in an occasional theme or line that I’ve heard him play before, but as soon as I recognize it, the trio moves in another direction, keeping both of us (player & listener) on their toes. Whit Dickey’s playing seems has changed in recent times (matured?), once free-flowing and at times busy, his playing seems more calm and cerebral, the organic flow as consistent as ever. William Parker takes a superb, unaccompanied bass solo midway through the title piece, bringing things to a near stop, pin drop silence. When picks up the bow for the next section, in turns into a hair-raising adventure. I’ve found over time that most commercial music (meant to sell in large quantities) is held down by some obvious anchors. This music sounds unbound so that it flows between the barriers of expectations. Hence, it is most uplifting, like a cloud to rest or float on in between dealing with the mass of humanity below. Superb! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

JEFF DAVIS with TONY MALABY / JONATHAN GOLDBERGER / RUSS LOSSING / EIVIND OPSVIK - The Fastness (Fresh Sound New Talent 590; Spain) Featuring Jeff Davis on drums, vibes & compositions, Tony Malaby on tenor & soprano saxes, Jonathan Goldberger on guitar, Russ Lossing on piano, Fender Rhodes & Hammond B3 organ and Eivind Opsvik on double bass. The first time I met drummer Jeff Davis was when he came down to the first DMG in the early 2000’s with his then wife pianist Kris Davis. They introduced themselves to me, saying that the word was that I was a constant promoter of Creative Music and friend to all Creative Musicians. I was honored to hear that and we’ve remained friends ever since. Mr. Davis has produced around a half dozen discs since then, each one different (personnel & concept-wise) and each one a welcome addition to all Creative Music collections. It turns out that Mr. Davis has been working with Malaby, Lossing, Goldberger & Opsvik in previous projects, in different combinations so there is a sense of bonding/friendship at the core here. Last Saturday (10/9/21) Jeff Davis played here at DMG with Steve Gauci & Jonathan Goldberger in duos and a trio, all sets were strong & spirited.
After a short spacious solo vibes intro the quintet break into “Go Away Glasses” which has a mysterious, laid back groove with sly soprano sax, slightly distorted (that swell 70’s tone sounds so fine!) Fender electric piano or organ and eerie el. guitar all swirling around one another. If I didn’t know better, I would think that this disc was recorded in the mid-seventies when the Fender Rhodes was the king of keyboards. Russ Lossing’s Fender Rhodes is again featured on “Obvious Nemesis”, playing one of those ancient dirty-sounding electric piano solos. Tony Malaby, who is now teaching at Berklee (word is), has a strong, probing tone on tenor and is featured on several songs here. Although Mr. Davis is soft spoken and most modest, his playing is most exuberant, pushing the quintet higher with his propulsive drumming. Davis wrote some quirky, challenging unison ensemble lines for the quintet to play on “Bird Monkey”, sounds closer to prog rock/jazz and is a highlight here. “Two Ones” has one of those start/stop/start/stop themes that reminds me of a section of ‘Bitches Brew’. “New Good Brother” is medium tempo jazz/rock at its best with some a superfine solos from Mr. Goldberger’s guitar and Malaby’s tenor. I dig the interplay between the Hammond, guitar and tenor sax on “Mountains, Mountains, Water”, hard charging, intense and tightly bound. The title song closes this disc out with some sublime mallet-work by Mr. Davis, spooky electric piano and sumptuous simmer tenor from Mr/ Malaby. I like the way that this entire disc fits together, rather like an inspired seventies jazz/rock set before synths or commercial constraints took over the airwaves. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

DAVID LEON / STEPHEN GAUCI - Pandemic Duets (Gaucimusic; USA) Featuring David Leon on alto & soprano sax & flute and Stephen Gauci on tenor sax & flute. Over the past few months, I’ve given saxist/promoter Steve Gauci an opportunity to do a monthly residency here at DMG in order to promote his ongoing, ever-growing series of studio & live discs for his own GauciMusic label. Each night Gauci does 2 or 3 sets of duos & trios with different personnel each night. This is a challenge for both Mr. Gauci, his collaborators and those who turn up and stick around. One might think that since Gauci is in every set, that things might be predictable at times but this is not the case as each musician brings something unique each situation or set.
Although I knew that David Leon has been running the Pyroclastic label for Kris Davis, I have only heard him play once at one of our outdoor sets. This duo was recorded at Scholes Street Studio hence the sound is clean & warm. One of the things I like most about Mr. Gauci is his ability to listen closely and match wits with a wide variety of strong improvisers. There is an obvious, ongoing dialogue going on here. Mr. Gauci has worked long & hard on that feisty, dark, intense tone which is often at the center of things here although he varies the more explosive and quieter moments just right. Although it is rare for Mr. Gauci to another reed rather than tenor, he did at this duo’s set last month and on this disc as well, both flutes working tightly together. At times I can hear a few bebop licks tossed around, but mostly the duo seem to work differently from section to section. The quiet down for a segment of soprano (clarinet?) & tenor saxes, bending certain notes and carefully stretching them out. There are several flute duets here which are just some of this discs highlights since both flutists work hard and swirl several lines simultaneously. One thing I did notice is that Mr. Gauci seems to take his time moreso in the studio that live, perhaps its is the expectation of audience members that pushes him to play more intensely live? The balance here is just right between several extremes, quick & slow, intense & quiet or harsh-toned and less. Impressive, diverting and edge-of-your seat exciting throughout! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

HANS TAMMEN / JEREMY CARLSTEDT / STEPHEN GAUCI - Studio Sessions Vol. 11 (GauciMusic; USA)
Electroacoustic improv trio music of a most arresting sort. Hans Tammen is best known for playing his endangered guitar, an axe outfitted with interactive software that opens up an entire range of sonic textural possibilities, and has utilized that intrepid contraption in any number of cooperatives and collaborations. New York City drummer and percussionist Jeremy Carlstedt can be seen kicking up the dust on many a gallery floor with regular cohort and guitarist Tim Motzer in Orion Tango, as well as a lengthy tenure with Chico Hamilton. Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci’s released some fine work on the Relative Pitch label, and has lent his singular tone to recordings and stages shared with the likes of Nels Cline, Cooper Moore, William Parker, Dave Rempis, Nate Wooley, and dozens of others. Across these six untitled tracks, the trio whip up a sometimes acrid, sometimes abrasive, but ruggedly fascinating contemporary fire music that shapeshifts its tones as dynamically and instantly as its moods. Tammen’s weapon of choice herein is the vintage Buchla synthesizer, and he makes the most of its infinite soundspeak, alternating between blobs of psychic energy, ping things, errant squeaks, bassbin throbs, and interstellar morse code. Gauci’s sputtering phrases dance circles around these aberrant noises, the ghosts of Ayler and Shepp shrieking amongst the veritable legion of call-and-response gestures Gauci so thoroughly plunders and dissects. Meanwhile, Carlstedt’s cymbal and snare retorts cement such aural filigree in the moment, keeping an awry semblance of regular pulse, like a heartbeat speckled with arrhythmias, or adding a resonant coloration of metals that percolate with their own stealthy ferocity. Gauci’s sax surely lies at the center of these pieces, but each member finds space to shine; in fact, Tammen’s eerie warblings and Pollock-like splatter lend the whole recording a weirdly spacey vibe not often found in the more rarified confines of the genre. Nice one. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $12

KEVIN SHEA / STEPHEN GAUCI - Pandemic Duets (GauciMusic; USA) Featuring Kevin Shea on drums and Steve Gauci on tenor sax. I’ve gotten the feeling that drummer Kevin Shea has been cursed (not taken seriously enough) by the fact that he played in a couple of bands who are are often pegged for their odd sense of humor rather than their playing abilities. Kevin was/is the drummer for the Mostly Other People Do The Killing (2004-?), an astonishing jazz quartet with two (future) giants in their frontline: Peter Evans & Jon Irabagon plus the great bassist Moppa Elliott. From there Kevin Shea founded Talibam! with keyboard wiz/madman Matt Mottel. Another great but unpredictable band who rarely get the recognition they well deserve. Kevin Shea has also worked worked with other pioneering musicians like Chris Pitsiokos, Mick Barr and most recently with Steve Gauci for three sessions.
Anyone who has listened to Mostly Other People Do the Killing at length, knows that they perhaps the most ambitious/diverse jazz quartets to emerge from the Downtown scene. Hence Kevin Shea has quite a bit of percussive history/ideas to draw from. The duo kicks things off frenzied and furious, with Shea erupting while Mr. Gauci takes his time, building, moderately paced at first. There appears to be a balancing act going on here as both players draw from different aspects of jazz, from the freer to the more charted sounding areas. There are a number of incredible moments here when Gauci & Shea seem to playing the same ferocious, quick spiraling demon dance rhythmic abandon. Matching every quick twist & turn no matter how extreme things get. Even when things settle down a bit, there is still quite a bit of tight, heated dialogue going on. Mr. Shea is often busy and pushing things higher, more intensely, often giving Mr. Gauci an ongoing rhythmic dialogue which keeps him digging deeper, matching wits or licks at every turn. I like when things calm down to a more restrained section with Gauci showing his warm, well-burnished tone even for a couple of moments. The thing about Steve Gauci that I admire the most is the way he finds a common ground with each of his partners and then works hard at exploring the way each one works or plays. Yet another great duo session! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

GABRIEL ZUCKER & THE DELEGATION with ANNA WEBBER / JOANNA MATTREY / MARIEL ROBERTS / KATE GENTILE / MATTEO LIBERATORE / et al - Leftover Beats from the Edge of Time (ESP-Disk 5069; USA) The latest release from polymath and musical maximalist Gabriel Zucker is a sprawling and ambitious achievement that defies categorization, featuring complex mixed-meter jazz, virtuosic chamber music, electronic soundscapes, and indie art rock -- performed with emotion and urgency by Zucker's virtuoso large ensemble The Delegation. Written primarily between 2015 and 2018, during several stints Zucker spent living and performing in England and throughout Europe, the record reckons with time, and with the competing impulses of a backwards-looking nostalgia and a forwards-looking futurist belief in progress. Leftover Beats is built on a dialog between two different ensembles: Several movements are performed by a chamber ensemble, while the rest feature a larger ensemble of horns, rhythm section, and voices more firmly rooted in jazz. The work is split into four sections of three movements each. Past is manic and alive, culminating in contrapuntal chamber-music romanticism. Autumn 2016 focuses mainly on November; the night of the election is grotesquely illustrated. Present feels subdued and chastened in its aftermath. Future is a dreamscape of synthesizer and sound collage nightmares punctuated by a Mahler-esque climax in "Requiem III", before we close on Zucker's solo piano in "How to Know, Forever", drifting off into the sands of time.
2 CD Set $17

ROBERT ASHLEY - eL/Aficionado (2021)(Lovely Music 5004; USA) “Robert Ashley's eL/Aficionado is a group of scenes from the life of an "agent". The scenes are a kind of "debriefing" to a jury of Interrogators, in which the Interrogators (chorus) challenge the Agent (soloist) in various forms of musical dialogue. The mood of the opera owes much to our fascination with espionage and with the character of those people who lead double lives. The opera was performed many times between 1987 and 1993, and Lovely Music released a recording of the opera in 1994 (LCD 1004CD). This new studio recording features the cast of the 2021 production (October 21-23 at Roulette, Brooklyn), with mezzo soprano, Kayleigh Butcher, taking over the role formerly inhabited by baritone Thomas Buckner. Recorded at Robert Ashley's studio in July 2021. Orchestration by Robert Ashley and Tom Hamilton. Recorded and mixed by Tom Hamilton. Produced by Tom Hamilton and Mimi Johnson. Personnel/Credits: Music and Libretto by Robert Ashley; Kayleigh Butcher - The Agent; Brian McCorkle - Interrogator No. 1; Bonnie Lander - Interrogator No. 2; Paul Pinto - Interrogator No. 3.
"As labyrinthine as a Robbe-Grillet novel, as pithy as a Pinter play, eL/Aficionado comprises a series of debriefing sessions between a secret agent and his three interrogators. For 70 minutes the work sustains an atmosphere of uneasy calm brilliantly: misty, microtonal electronics provide a sometimes barely audible backdrop to the vocal parts. But don't confuse this with ambient; Ashley's music requires your full attention to appreciate the subtle timbres of his unique sound world... This is another riveting work by one of the world's leading composers of experimental opera." --Chris Blackford, The Wire (1995)
CD $14

CHRISTIAN WOLFF / QUATUOR BOZZINI - 3 String Quartets (New World Records 80830-2; USA) Starting with his music of the 1960s and early 1970s, with works such as For 1, 2 or 3 People (1964), the Prose Collection (1968–71), and Changing the System (1974), Christian Wolff (b. 1934) quietly re-invented chamber music. He created music in which the activities of the performers— timing, cueing, assembling and selecting materials—were foregrounded. Although to some extent these activities were always a part of classical music, Wolff opened them up for creative decision-making by the musicians themselves.
Charles Ives began to develop a different conception with (among other works) his String Quartet No. 2 (1913). It portrays four individuals who come together to have a discussion that turns into an argument (presumably over politics) and then its transcendental resolution in the mountains. With Ives and then others from the American Experimental Tradition (including John Cage), chamber music starts to become a place where differences are unleashed.
Given his exploration of the ontology of people making music together, the string quartet, laden as it is with the tradition of unity, might not at first seem to be an obvious fit to Wolff’s sensibilities. But his quartet music stems as much from Ives and Cage as from the European art music tradition. The four characters of Ives become four people playing music. In one piece he simply calls them “2 violinists, violist and cellist.” Sometimes they are asked to coordinate like a traditional quartet. But at other times (often in the same piece), they are pushed to the point of dissolution. Here we find a music that allows for the spontaneous expression of four musicians who are bound together by something more than the rule of the bar line. These are all world-premiere recordings.”
CD $15

4 GREAT DISCS from The IMPRESSIVE, AMBITIOUS & CHALLENGING NORWEGIAN LABEL MOTVIND label:

Around three months ago, we received a nice box of promo CD’s from a Norwegian label called Motvind. I hadn’t heard of the label before plus they sent us 2 copies of eight different titles. I did recognize of few of the musicians like: saxist Signe Emmeluth (who has a solo CD out on Relative Pitch), Kresten Osgood (great Danish drummer & good friend) and two of my favorite British improvisers: John Butcher and Veryan Weston. It turned out that there were a number of musicians who were on several of these discs, each of whom are well worth checking out: Hans P. Kjorstad (violin), Andreas Hoem Roysum (guitar) and Marthe Lee (tenor sax, flute, piano…). It took a month or so to listen to all eight discs but I must admit that each one is impressive. Both Darren Bergstein & myself will be reviewing all eight, four this week and four for next week’s newsletter. - BLG

JOHN BUTCHER / VERYAN WESTON / OYVIND STORESUND / DAG ERIK KNEDAL ANDERSEN - Mapless quiet (Motvind 6CD; Norway) Featuring John Butcher on tenor & soprano saxes, Veryan weston on piano & prepared piano, Oyvind Storesund on contrabass and Dag Erik Knedal Andersen. This disc was recorded live at Bergen Kjott in Norway in September of 2018. No doubt that I’ve listened to the amazing saxist John Butcher on many occasions both live & moreso on many discs. The same thing for pianist Veryan Weston, who I’ve heard play solo, in duos with Phil Minton, Lol Coxhill, Jon Rose & Trevor Watts as well as in the marvelous quartet 4 Walls (with Minton, Luc Ex & Michael Vatcher). It turns out that bassist Oyvind Storesund has worked Frode Gjerstad, while the drummer (Dag Erik Knedal Andersen), can be heard on four mostly obscure discs on the Clean Feed label, one of which, The Heat Death 3 CD set, I recall thinking was pretty impressive.
“Mapless quiet” is a long piece of almost 50 minutes. It begins quietly, calmly with silence and suspense. John Butcher’s bird-like lower case tenor sax softly squeaking with the rest of the quartet (piano/contrass/drums) float together in a dreamlike way. Veryan Weston sounds like he is playing further away in furious Tippett-like interweavings. This works perfectly with Mr. Butcher’s stunning Evan Parker-esque controlled note bending fractures. Mr. Weston moves over to prepared piano in the next section, sounding like a bent note gamelan orchestra of sorts. Butcher and Weston’s playing expands, gets more dense, increasing the volume and tension a bit, everyone levitating for a segment. Then back down to near silence and calm. Drummer Dag Erik K Andersen plays quite minimally at times, but can go with the flow as well, navigating the rapids, no matter how far out it goes. There is a long, quiet, dreamy, slow moving section that feels just right for quiet reflection. Consistently fascinating throughout! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

SPACEMUSIC ENSEMBLE with SIGNE EMMELUTH / KARL BJORA / ANJA LAUVDAL / ANDREAS WINTHER / HEIDA KARINE JOHANNESDOTTIR - Is Okay Okay is Certified (Motvind 3CD; Norway) The Spacemusic Ensemble features Signe Emmeluth on compositions, text, alto sax & no input mixer, Karl Bjora on guitar & no input mixer, Anja Lauvdal on piano & synth, Heida Karine Johannesdottir on tuba & effects, Andreas Winther on drums & synth and Rohey Taalah on vocals. When we first got the box of eight promos from the Motvind label, the first disc I played was this one by the SpaceMusic Ensemble. The only member I recognized was saxist Signe Emmeluth who has a most impressive solo sax CD out on Relative Pitch. Ms. Emmeluth is also a member of another Motvind group, the Andreas Roysum Ensemble.
What first attracted me to this disc was the cover art which featured some microscopic (looking) sea entities floating in a sea of blackness. When I think about a space music ensemble, I am reminded of those early Krautrock, electronic music units like Tangerine Dream or Ash Ra Temple. Things do begin here with some quiet, spacious electronics (synths or no-input mixing boards?), which is soon joined by some quaint charted sax, vocal & piano lines. Although this music is stripped down, it is thoughtfully composed and somewhat progressive sounding. What’s interesting is that the occasional texts are written, spoken & sung in English and printed in the booklet. Ms. Rohey Taalah has a soft charming voice whether singing or reading but is only utilized on occasion. This disc is pretty long and goes through a variety of sections: a long, explosive, free piano solo section, several segments for written vocalese spurts, nifty, tightly navigated prog-like bits with quirky sax and synth/electronics all intertwining in tight, focused ways. Several times, I had to check out what disc I was listening to, as there are quite a bit of surprising twists and turns through this epic length work. Along with Rune Grammofon and Hubro, the Motvind label seems to establishing itself as the most diverse, creative and hard to pigeonhole label coming from Norway. The SpaceMusic Ensemble is both modest and impressive in a variety of ways so give this disc a chance if you are open-minded enough for some odd surprises. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

ANDREAS RØYSUM ENSEMBLE - Andreas Røysum Ensemble (Motvind MOT7CD; Norway) The vein of history running through Norwegian jazz is rich and deep, well-steeped in both its indigenous musical heritage and the imaginatively reconstituted phraseology ‘appropriated’ from the British and US modes of expression. ‘Course, folks like Jan Garbarek, Nils Petter Molvaer, Christian Wallumrod, Arild Andersen, Eivind Aarset, and a gaggle of others have bent genre to their own will, utilizing progressive-minded approaches to composition and improvisation that posits a most unique world view. Clarinetist Røysum upholds such artistically lucrative traditions on this fascinating outing for the consistently excellent Motvind label. Comprised of a first-class coterie of new and upcoming players, the Ensemble nimbly sweep through a staggering variety of frump and circumstance, bisecting mood, upsetting categorial apple-carts, and championing a strain of post-modernist jazz that shakes with triumphant life and vibrancy. This debut works its relatively short (37 minute) duration to the max; not a minute’s wasted or compromised. Though the instrumentation is decidedly horn-centric, differing flavors are splattered onto your listening palette thanks to violin, cello, and tabla, which provides a deft atmospheric touch throughout that splendidly lifts the Ensemble’s work heavenward. Opening track “Novas Dans” resolutely swings, its big-band gesticulations inhabiting not only post-Ellingtonian and Mingusian worlds of splendor but making just as significant callbacks to Keith Tippett’s Centipede and some of Mike Westbrook’s more flamboyant stage rushes. That the track halfway in collapses into a unbridled, elastic soundscape of dueling bass and awry improvisatory horn-dance demonstrates the Ensemble’s total command of, and no small measure of ingenuity forged from, their respective instruments. Successive pieces erect a 21st-century form of chamber music that demands deep listening; the collective further maximize their native land’s fabled folkwise vocabularies to dramatic effect, evoking the pastoral climbs of great, winding fjords and lush, verdant hilltops. Vividly realized, cinematically etched, and alive with ecstatic energy, here’s hoping this one’ll be the first of many from this intrepid lot. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $15

MIMAN - Ulme (Motvind MOT1CD; Norway) The initial salvo from this trio of prime Norwegian improvisers is nothing short of miraculous, a thing of abject beauty. Featuring Hans Kjorstad on violin, Andreas Røysum on guitar and clarinet, and Egil Kalman performing on double bass and modular synth, it is as if the trio managed to condense a thousand years of indigenous Norwegian musics into a frothy confection laced with far-flung Eastern European modalities, snaky electroacoustic patterning, and the kind of icy, stark, yet compelling ‘jazz’ made flesh by fellow countrymen Ola Kvernberg, Jan Garbarek, Mathias Eick, Ståle Storløkken...in other words, they share a kindred spirit with colleagues who embrace richly-defined traditions while seeking to subvert them as well. “Omkring Ilden” makes such gestures towards a new, fanciful Norwegian sensibility, as Røysum’s guitars trickle amongst Kjorstad’s aching violin refrains like so much river water etching its way through shorelines cast in ancient runes. “Skärvor” finds the two string-players pivoting sharply but carefully amongst the scuttling, irising drones of Kalman’s marvelously-tinctured synth drones, the trio essentially creating wholly unrecognizable genres on the dime, vanquishing any demarcation points that once separated ‘classical’ and ‘chamber’ music from whatever context contemporary improvisational technique wishes to mark as its territory. “Walden” again features Røysum’s wonderfully fluid and expressionistic guitar playing, perched atop Kalman’s supple bass while Kjorstad’s violin trades in some remarkably potent melancholia. That improv could conjure such a variety of moods, that it could be elegiac and expertly rendered without sounding academic, proves Miman not only a group to watch, they’re a wonder to behold. Magic. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $15

LP Section:

MUSIQUE CONCRETE with IANNIS XENAKIS / LUC FERRARI / PIERRE SCHAEFFER / MICHEL PHILIPPOT / HENRI SAUGUET - Musique Concrete (Cacophonic 017; UK) Reissue of 1960 BAM label release. Musique Concrete represents an important milestone in the development and progression of the genre of the same name. It marks a crossroad for the genre and its originator, Pierre Schaeffer and another of the genre's most important protagonists, Pierre Henry. In 1942, Schaeffer and Jacques Copeau founded the Studio d'Essai (renamed Club d'Essai in 1946) as part of Radiodiffusion Française studios in order to experiment with radiophonic techniques. In 1948, Schaeffer occupied his time with the manner in which sound recordings "revealed what was hidden in the act of basic acoustic listening". This resulted in a series of studies known as Cinq études de bruits (Five Studies of Noises) (1948). With word of his theories and experiments spreading, Schaeffer's studies grew in size and he would need assistance. Pierre Henry was an obvious choice and sound engineer, Jacques Poullin, completed the sonic powerhouse. The group was renamed the Groupe de Musique Concrete. In 1951, RTF gave the trio access to one of the earliest purpose-build electroacoustic studios, furnishing it with state of the art equipment such as a morphophone and a phonogene, both designed by Poullin. The studio attracted composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Edgard Varèse and in that same year Schaeffer and Henry produced and premiered the first opera concrète, "Orphèe 51". Pierre Henry began pursuing projects closer to his own heart, working with experimental filmmakers and choreographers like Maurice Béjart. In 1957, following a particularly prolonged absence on RTF duties, Schaeffer returned unhappy with the direction the group had taken and tabled an idea to revitalize both their approach as well as personnel. As a result, Henry and several other key members soon left. Schaeffer lay the foundations in 1958 for a new collective called Groupe de Recherches Musicales recruiting new members Iannis Xenakis, Henri Sauguet, Luc Ferrari and Michel Philippot as well as ushering in a new steady stream of musicians eager to study, including a young Jean Michel Jarre. Featuring the full versions of these seminal early works (abridged versions of which had previously appeared across two 7" singles on Disques BAM) the recordings presented here are the first fruits of this new alliance and served to lay the bedrock for the future of the Groupe de Recherches Musicales which would later count the likes of Ivo Malec, Philippe Carson, Romuald Vandelle, Edgardo Canton and François Bayle.
LP $25

KEITH JARRETT - Live at Sendai Jazz Festival, Denryoku Hall, Japan, 20.10.1986 (Alternative Fox 013; UK) The gifted American pianist Keith Jarrett is one of the jazz world's greatest musicians. (Says who…? - BLG) Born in suburban Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1948 with a mixed European cultural heritage, Jarrett was a child prodigy that played piano at the age of two, appeared on television, aged five, and gave his first classical recital, aged seven. After studying at the prestigious Berkelee College of Music, he moved to New York in 1964 to perform at the Village Vanguard and then joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Drummer Jack DeJohnette subsequently brought him into the Charles Lloyd Quartet, resulting in European tours, and when that group disbanded in 1968, Jarrett began fronting his own trio with bassist Charlie Hayden and drummer Paul Motian, and also began longstanding collaboration with Miles Davis, helping to shape noteworthy releases such as Live/Evil. From 1983, Jarrett's trio featured DeJohnette and former Albert Ayler collaborator Gary Peacock on bass, that version of the trio being the musicians featured on this beautiful concert staged at the Sendai Jazz Festival in 1986. Along with a sensitive rendition of showtune and Miles anthem "Stella By Starlite", highlights include a driving cut of Paul Desmond's "Late Lament" and a moving take of "I Remember Clifford", Art Blakey's memorial to trumpeter Clifford Brown.”
LP $17

MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA - Live at Paris Theatre for the BBC London, 25 August 1972 (Radio Loop Loop 053; Italy) “Mahavishnu Orchestra's classic line-up recorded live for the BBC in August 1972. Personnel: John McLaughlin - electric guitar; Jerry Goodman - violin; Jan Hammer - keyboards; Rick Laird - bass; Billy Cobham - drums.”
LP $20

CREATION REBEL / NEW AGE STEPPERS - Threat to Creation (Lantern Rec. 044; Italy) “Originally released on Cherry Red in 1981, Threat To Creation spotted the collaboration between two mystical entities: Creation Rebel and New Age Steppers. Forerunners of the British dub scene the two bands shared several members, a who's who of the On U-Sound school and key figures of the Bristol and London scene. Adrian Sherwood is -- obviously -- the man behind the desk a craftsman on its own, a character with no borders and one of the most sought-after producer of the time. The supergroup is run by post-punk stalwarts Bruce Smith (The Pop Group) on drums and Keith Levene (PIL) on guitar. Ari Up of The Slits sits on piano and organ, while masters Crucial Tony is both on bass and guitars. Members of African Head Charge -- bass player George Oban, Eskimo Fox, and Style Scott on drums -- are welcomed addition to the line-up. Threat To Creation is still recognizable as an album ahead of its time, a futuristic blend filling the gap between the Jamaican heritage, the so-called (post) industrial revolution and the studio witchery of the whitey man.”
LP $30

JOSEPH ALLRED - Branches & Leaves (Feeding Tube Records 573; USA) "Don't hold me to it, but by my count this the sixth LP we have done with the splendid Brighton-based musician named Joseph Allred. Initially known as a master of stringed instruments, Joseph has continuously expanded his musical arsenal. When asked about basics regarding Branches & Leaves, he wrote, 'I played harmonium, piano, guitars, glockenspiel, banjo, tambourine, bass drum, and clarinet on this album and did all the vocals myself. I'm glad I got to collaborate with some friends and would like to have done so more, but the pandemic made that impossible. Recorded at the end of 2019 and in the first few months of 2020 in Overton County, Tennessee and Boston.' The ten songs on Branches & Leaves are originals, apart from two traditional tunes, 'When the World's on Fire,' and 'Can't Feel at Home,' which Allred first heard performed by the Carter Family. And while it if difficult to attach too specific a tag to this wonderfully varied LP, words like 'Southern,' 'gnostic,' 'rural' and 'haunted' keep floating into my head. Not always at the same time, but enough to think I might use them to point in the material's general direction. The mix of harmonium and Allred's vocal delivery gives some of songs the sonic qualities of a spiritual, even if the lyrics are not similarly disposed. Joseph's work is always very personal and idiosyncratic, so I am hesitant to make too many statements about it. Other than to say the way he weaves all these threads into the textures of American Primitive guitar music is amazing to hear. Branches & Leaves may be one of the more plain-spoken albums in Joseph Allred's canon, but like all his music, the songs have many layers of sound and meaning that will unfold themselves for your pleasure for a long while to come. Beautiful stuff." --Byron Coley, 2021
LP $24

NUDITY - Nudity Is God's Creation (Feeding Tube Records/Cardinal Fuzz 642; USA) Cardinal Fuzz and Feeding Tube Records bring to you for your listening pleasure Nudity Is God's Creation. A retrospective release of recordings dating from 2005 to 2010 of orgasmic interstellar mayhem. Reissued and for the first time available domestically in the USA In 2004, a commune named Nudity, formed by four travelers from the astral plane, appeared in Olympia, Washington. The founding members were Dave Harvey (guitar) and Jon Quitty Quittner (bass, though Josh Haynes of the mighty guitar fuzz scorchers Feral Ohms plays bass on the majority of the tracks featured here), both of whom were former guitarists of Tight Bros From Way Back When and Eryn Ross (drums) from Growling. A couple of self-distributed CDrs and a 12" on Discourage were a visual akin to colored liquid sloshing around on a transparency machine and were a pure drip feed for psych/kraut and Jap rock fiends around the world as Julian Cope and Terrascope raved about them. Alas for whatever reason no full-length LP arrived from the original line-up -- something that at last has been rectified as now all these tracks have been brought together (along with some unreleased gems and a couple of live bonus download tracks). The sonic ear candy contained within the four sides of vinyl presented here go from Detroit fuzz blazing face melters to acid trippin' head swirling raga's via The Flower Travelin' Band and Hawkwind. Nudity were the masters and for those that missed out the first time this double album was released -- don't make the same mistake a second time. Terrascope gushed about Nudity: "This is seriously fucking good; one of those quite literally extra-ordinary LPs that come along every once in a while which you just know instinctively are going to be dug out and played, sniffed and caressed for years."
2 LP Set $30

NOW AVAILABLE From OUR FRIENDS at PI RECORDS:

HENRY TREADGILL ZOOID with LIBERTY ELLMAN / JOSE DAVILA / CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN / ELLIOT HUMBERTO KAVEE - Poof (Pi Recordings 92; USA) Poof is composer, saxophonist and flutist and newly-minted NEA Jazz Master Henry Threadgill’s latest work with his band, Zooid, his primary musical laboratory for the last two decades. Their last release together, In for a Penny, In for a Pound, was the winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Music, whose committee called it “a highly original work in which notated music and improvisation mesh in a sonic tapestry that seems the very expression of modern American life.” His 2018 releases – large group efforts Dirt… And More Dirt and Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus – were also critically-lauded, with Dirt voted the No. 2 release of the year in the NPR Jazz Critics Poll, who called it “densely packed elemental material; a respite from commercial and manufactured surroundings and a bed of organic possibilities.” With Poof, Threadgill has returned to the symbiotic band, Zooid, the longest-running group of his half-century long career. Added together, its four members – Liberty Ellman on guitar, Christopher Hoffman on cello, Jose Davila on tuba, and Elliot Humberto Kavee on drums, along with the leader on alto sax and flutes – have been playing with him for a total of over 75 years. These are the musicians of his inner-circle, who have dedicated countless hours to mastering the maestro’s inimitable music – or at least to the extent that mastery can be achieved in music that is constantly changing and being pushed to the teetering edge. Like In for a Penny, In for a Pound, the composition on the album are described by Threadgill as sonatas or concerti: “Come and Go” for saxophone and cello; “Poof” for saxophone and guitar; “Beneath the Bottom” for trombone; “Happenstance” for flute and drums; and “Now and Then” for tuba and guitar. By this point, the group’s reliance on the serial intervallic system that was the basis of the group’s unique sound is more felt than prescribed or, as Threadgill describes it, “stripped down to the bones,” relying on the musicians to fill in the rest of the corpus. All the other hallmarks of this music are here: unpredictable forms, percolating rhythms, the interwoven melodic strains; there’s really nothing else remotely like it. The best part of it all is that Zooid is the one platform where one still gets to hear Threadgill really play. His keening saxophone wail retains that unmistakable gutbucket blues feel, with no small measure of church thrown in to the mix. As Pi Recordings celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2021, we can’t help but reflect on this journey that started with our simultaneous release in 2001 of two albums from Threadgill: Everybodys Mouth’s A Book with Make a Move, and Up Popped the Two Lips with the then newly-formed Zooid. It has been a privilege to work with and get to know this amazing man, and it continues to astonish how hard he continues to push forward, even at the age of 77. During the pandemic, he photographed street scenes around his neighborhood in the East Village that show the exodus of people and businesses from New York City, which he plans to publish along with his writing in a book entitled “Migration and the Return of the Cheap Suit.” His next major project will be the multimedia experience “One” and “The Other One,” which will be performed over two nights in May, 2022 at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, NY. It will feature 12 musicians performing his new composition “In Valence,” along with sampled heartbeats from four of them that Threadgill will maneuver in real-time, inspired by the work that Milford Graves – who passed away earlier this year – did in this field; his reading and improvising on text while electronically manipulating vocal samples; his films “Plain as Plain in Plain Sight” and “Plain as Plain but Different;” and custom-made masks. It all sounds somewhat preposterous, but we know from our long experience with him that many of his projects sound far-fetched when he first describes them, but they eventually turn out to be glorious works that are nothing like what anyone might imagine them to be. It’s also a clear extension to the AACM impulse to break boundaries and be artists in a holistic way, not just in music, a characteristic shared by so many of that organization’s titans." - Pi Recordings
LP $17

TYSHAWN SOREY TRIO - Verisimilitude (Pi Records 70; USA) Featuring Tyshawn Sorey on drums, percussion and composition, Cory Smythe on piano, toy piano & electronics and Chris Tordini on bass. Master drummer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Tyshawn Sorey has come a long way in a short amount of time. Each of his previous five discs as a leader has shown him to be an ever-evolving composer, too diverse to pin to any one style, idea or school. Plus Mr. Sorey is an ever in-demand drummer who has numerous collaborations going on simultaneously: Roscoe Mitchell, John Zorn and Steve Coleman, to name a few. ‘Versimilitude’ refers to the appearance of being true, not the truth itself but what we think is or might be the truth. Considering the proliferation of “fake news” (or untruths), this is something many of us are often bombarded with. “Cascade in Slow Motion” is filled with suspense and subtle tension. “Obsidian” sounds like planets revolving and resonating mysteriously. Sorey plays mallets masterfully on his toms, the piano sounds like it is being played at the bottom of the ocean (similar to Hugh Hopper’s “1983” on Soft Machine ’Six’. “Contemplating Tranquility”, the final piece, is sparse, spacious and filled with suspense-filled silence. I know that Mr. Sorey is a fan of New York School minimalist composer Morton Feldman and this piece deals with the same sense of austere, cautious, tranquility. It seems as if we have entered a calm, dreamworld, where time (or perhaps anxiety) has slowed down to a delicate crawl. Like a number of Downtown’s best musicians and composers, Tyshawn Sorey continues to refine his vision/palette with each release worthy of thoughtful scrutiny. I hear many more ideas and connections with each listen. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 LP Set $26

MARC RIBOT - Silent Movies (Soundtracks)(Pi Recordings 34; USA) Silent Movies, the new release from guitar great Marc Ribot, finds him taking another surprising step in a career filled with unexpected turns. One might expect a program of solo guitar music from Ribot to be filled with bracing atonality or studies in texture. Instead, Silent Movies is filled with performances of gorgeous contemplation that linger on the mind long after they are over. The album reflects Ribot's fascination with movies and contains pieces intended to function as music for films: some are adaptations of music he has actually written for films, others for classic silent movies that he scored for his personal amusement, still others for films of his own imagination. His goal is to explore, as he says "the strange area between language and spatiality that exists partly in between music and visual image, and partly as a common property of both." Performed in complete takes, with only minimal atmospheric overdubs, Silent Movies was partly inspired by his experience preparing for a live accompaniment of the Charlie Chaplin film The Kid at Merkin Concert Hall in January 2010 as part of the New York Guitar Festival. Some tracks were composed for El General, Natalia Almada's documentary film about Plutarco Elias Calles who ruled Mexico with an iron hand from 1924 to1935 and still others for the unreleased movie Drunk Boat. All of the compositions were written by Ribot except Sous le Ciel de Paris, the title song from the classic French movie by Julien Duvivier that was made a hit by Edith Piaf among many others. Whatever the inspiration, Silent Movies is replete with beautiful melodies and quietly wistful playing of a sort seldom heard from Ribot. The album is almost a polar opposite of his last release Party Intellectuals (Pi 27) with his band Ceramic Dog, a rock power trio going for it in an all-out sonic assault, and nothing like his last solo recital Exercises in Futility, a study in extended technique for the guitar. Given the luxury of three days in the studio, Ribot delivers a program filled with gentle, haunting songs that evoke the feel of a different time. As he says in the CD's liner notes, the recording project "did indeed have the feeling of having walked backwards into the beautiful frame of a silent movie." "Featuring Marc Robot on solo guitars (and vibes on one track) plus Keefus Ciancia on soundscape ambiance (5 tracks). This is film music composed for movie scores, some used and some not, as well as for movies played only inside the mind of Marc Ribot. This is an extraordinary disc, perhaps the best solo offering that Mr. Ribot has ever done. Some of these pieces were composed for silent films like Charlie Chaplin's ancient gem "The Kid". Each piece evokes a vibe or mood or scene and feels like a complete chapter. Marc plays mostly acoustic and some electric guitars and makes every note count. "Delancey Waltz" is in fact a somber, waltz played with grace and a certain poignancy that would make me weep if I wasn't filled with so much frustration and quiet rage. Mr. Ciancia adds just the right of sonic dust to place a few of these pieces in a living, breathing environment, giving them a subdued yet dark ambiance. That e-bow on "Natalia in E-flat Major" adds an eerie jolt at the beginning but soon fades into a more soothing, somber refrain. If anyone can play the blues it is Marc Ribot who does a splendid job on "Fat Man Blues" playing two great interlocking guitar parts in a laid back boogie groove. All that is missing is John Lee Hooker's gravely voice. Get down! "Bateau" is Mr. Ribot at his best: a stunning, haunting, beautiful, sad and tasty treasure that will stand the test of time. I am not exactly sure why it is now that Marc Ribot has finally hit his stride and delivered what might just be thee disc of the year - this disc is certainly a most worthy contender! I just got t'play it again today & tomorrow & the day after that…” - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
LP $17

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TISZIJI MUNOZ SALE - Part III (the same listings are included further down below with reviews added)

TISZIJI MUNOZ & MARILYN CRISPELL with YAKA DON PATE / RA-KALAM BOB MOSES / BHAV TONY FALCO - The Paradox Of Independence (Anami Music 049; USA) Recorded live at The Falcon - July 4, 2014 / rel on CD in 2015
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM-SOBO JOHN MEDESKI / RA-KALAM BOB MOSES / DAVID FINCK - Songs Of Soundlessness (Anami Music 050; USA) Rel on CD in March, 2015
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ with GREG MURPHY / YAKA DON PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO - Spirit First and Last - Dedicated to Rashied Ali (Anami Music 052; USA) rec at Tonic March 5, 2004 / rel on CD in 2015
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ with PAUL SHAFFER / DON PATE / TONY FALCO / ADAM BENHAM - The Paradox of Friendship (Anami Music 053; USA) rec at The Falcon, NY September 6th, 2014
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM-SOBO JOHN MEDESKI / DON PATE / TONY FALCO / RA-KALAM BOB MOSES - The Paradox Of Perfection (Anami 055; USA) Rel on CD in 2015
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ / PAUL SHAFFER / LEW SOLOFF / DON PATE / TONY FALCO / RAKALM BOB MOSES - The Paradox of Completion (Anami Music 057; USA) rec October 18, 2013 at the Falcone, 2 CD Set rel in 2015
2 CD Set $18

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM SOBO JOHN MEDESKI with YAKA DON PATE / SADHU BHAV TONY FALCO - Creating Silence - Live at The Stone, NYC (Anami Music 059; USA) rel on CD in 2021
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM SOBO JOHN MEDESKI JOHN BENITEZ / GEORGE KOLLER / DON PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO - When Coltrane Calls! - Session 1: Fierce Compassion (Anami Music 063; USA) rec August 27, 2015 / rel on CD in 2016
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ with PAUL SHAFFER GEORGE KOLLER / DON ‘YAKA’ PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO - When Coltrane Calls! - Session 2: Liberation First! (Anami Music 064; USA) rec August 27th, 2015 / rel on CD in 2016
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM SOBO JOHN MEDESKI GEORGE KOLLER / DON PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO - When Coltrane Calls! - Session 3: Living Immortality (Anami Music 065; USA) rec Aug 28 & October 27, 2015 / rel on CD in 2015
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ with DON ‘YAKA’ PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY SADHU BHAV FALCO - Tathagata Guitar: Whispers of Peace (Anami Music AM067; USA) rec June 21, 2011 / rel on CD in 2016
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ featuring DAVE LIEBMAN / JOHN MEDESKI / DON PATE / DAVID FINCK / RAKALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO / ADAM BENHAM - Atoms of Supersoul (Anami Music 070; USA) rel in 2017
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ With DAVE LIEBMAN / JOHN MEDESKI / DON PATE / DAVID FINCK / RAKALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO / ADAM BENHAM - Scream of Ensoundment (Anami Music 071; USA) rel on CD in 2017
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ CD SALE - Part 3 with reviews:

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM-SOBO JOHN MEDESKI / RA-KALAM BOB MOSES / DAVID FINCK - Songs Of Soundlessness (Anami Music 050; USA) Rel on CD in March, 2015; “Songs of Soundlessness is the 50th disc that the great Anami label has released…each disc has had different personnel and each disc has been wonderful in its own way…One of my favorite Muñoz songs is called "God-Fire" and it is done here in a most majestic, powerful way, the torrents of energy unleashed and building to a grand conclusion with Muñoz whipping up one of those incredible guitar solos that reaches for the stars." —Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ with GREG MURPHY / YAKA DON PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO - Spirit First and Last - Dedicated to Rashied Ali (Anami Music 052; USA) rec at Tonic March 5, 2004 / rel on CD in 2015 - Featuring Tisziji Munoz on guitar & compositions, Greg Murphy on piano, Yaka Don pate on bass and Ra-Kalam Bob Moses & Sadhu-Bhav Tony Falco on drums. Spiritual guitar master Tisziji Munoz has been on a roll recently, releasing a half dozen discs in the past six months. This disc was recorded live at Tonic (now gone, R.I.P.) in NYC in March of 2004 and was organized by yours truly. Since being introduced to Mr. Munoz by Henry Kaiser around 1998, I have done my best to help Tisziji get the recognition he has long deserved as well as getting him the occasional gig in NYC. Like just about every disc that Anami releases, the sound here is exquisitely recorded. The opening track, "The Path of the First Guitar Patriarch", drifts in from another (spirit-filled) world. Tisziji plays slowly at first, allowing the spirits build in tension and in tempo as he goes. Both drummers sound especially swell working together, spinning a fine, multi-layered web of rhythmic ingenuity. On each piece, Munoz and band increase the tempo and intensity more and more, the guitar reaching for the stars or other worlds. The only problem with this disc is that at times the piano gets lost in the mix. It is great to hear Greg Murphy take a swell solo on "Have You Got Any Energy Left?". Mr. Murphy is a fine pianist who once worked with Rashied Ali in the band Prima Materia. If you want to be taken away on a cosmic journey, this is the way to get out there..! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ with PAUL SHAFFER / DON PATE / TONY FALCO / ADAM BENHAM - The Paradox of Friendship (Anami Music 053; USA) rec at The Falcon, NY September 6th, 2014; "Featuring Tisziji Munoz on electric guitar, Paul Shaffer on piano & synth, Yaka Don Pate on acoustic bass and Sadhu-Bhav Tony Falco & Vija-Mu Adam Benham on drums. This set was recorded live at the Falcon in Marlboro, NY in September of 2014. Cosmic Free/Spirit Guitar god, Tisziji Munoz, rarely plays live so that each gig will be something special. As a longtime supporter and friend for two decades, I’ve gotten Mr. Munoz a few gigs at the Knitting Factory, Tonic and The Stone. Former David Letterman keyboard wiz, Paul Shaffer, has also gotten Munoz a handful of gigs as well including a great one at Dizzy’s and at The Underground, both of which were captured on CD. Over the past decade, young drummer Tony Falco, former student of Bob Moses (I believe), has also helped Munoz to get an occasional gig at the Falcon in Marlboro, NY, which is run by Falco’s family, hence several Munoz sets have been recorded there. Many of Munoz CD’s are part of a series, this series is called “The Paradox of…” Independence, Perfection, Completion and Friendship. I’m not sure what the connection is between the different parts of this series, although of Munoz’ music does have a certain spiritual/free-jazz sound. This disc opens with “Chim Chim Cheree” which was also covered by John Coltrane (in 1965) and was featured in the ‘Mary Poppins’ movie from 1964 and written by the Sherman Brothers. ‘Mary Poppins’ was an extremely popular children’s film and the song itself has a most charming melody. Mr. Munoz’ bittersweet tone and playing are perfect for this song as is the piano playing by the often under-appreciated Paul Shaffer. The original pianist on the Coltrane album where this song first appeared was the great McCoy Tyner. Hence Mr. Shaffer does play in a most McCoy-like way. Longtime Munoz contrabassist Don Pate takes the first of several (unaccompanied) solos here and also sounds great! Munoz himself also takes the first of several mind-blowing guitar solos spinning out those furious lines as the quintet ascends higher and higher. The next four songs are Munoz originals, two of which he has played several times. Each of these original songs are something special have some dark, moving melodies which Munoz has long excelled at. Although Munoz’s main drummer, Rakalam Bob Moses. is not on this date, the other two drummers do a fine job of spinning their rhythms in a Moses-like way. “Motherhood” is an old Munoz song which I’ve hear several times. It has a charming, ballad-like melody that truly comes from the heart. Although it starts calmly, it soon breaks into another series of cosmic, furious-paced streams. My Favorite piece here is called, “Impermanence (NYC)” which has another poignant melody, it is slow and simmering at first before it escalates into another series of cosmic cascades which keep building higher and higher. The final piece is an song made famous by John Coltrane, “My Favorite Things”, which is also most uplifting. For those of you who want to check out Munoz and his band live, I am working on a big gig for the early Spring of 2022 at Artist Space in Tribeca. Until then, why not get prepared by picking up this or some other Munoz CD’s listed in this or last week’s newsletter. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM-SOBO JOHN MEDESKI / DON PATE / TONY FALCO / RA-KALAM BOB MOSES - The Paradox Of Perfection (Anami 055; USA) Rel on CD in 2015; Featuring Tisziji Munoz on electric guitar & compositions, Lam Sobo John Medseski on piano, Don Pate on acoustic bass and Tony Falco & Ra Kalam Bob Moses on drums. Recorded live at the Falcon in Marlboro, NY in October of 2014. The great pianist John Medeski is now an important part of Tisziji Munoz' current ensemble after a half dozen previous releases, most in the last few years. Medeski's superb piano is what kicks off this wonderful, free-flowing CD. The bond between the piano and guitar is something special with an equally cosmic bass/two drummer rhythm team flowing, supporting and ascending together around the two central spirits. Although Munoz takes the opening solo on "God-Fire", Mr. Medeski follows with a perfect extension of that solos, both/all spirits completely connected as one. Even the two drummers are completely integrated into that seamless blend of free flowing spirits. Hard to tell who is who, especially since Ra Kalam remains of the true drum masters of all. I love the way the first piece ends with sense of calm and peace as if we have all been through a great battle and are finally free. That sense of calm extends through "Motherhood" which in most enchanting. The battle or intensity of spirits erupts once more on "Crazy Heart Wisdom", another of those transcendent storm gathering pieces where Munoz' cosmic guitar erupts and reaches higher and higher. What I see in my mind as I hear this is someone riding a serpent and wrestling with it as they ride it through assorted trials and tribulations. The balance here between the extremes (calm and explosive) are especially well done and take us away for strong journeys or stories you will never forget once you hear them. How Tisizji Munoz and his cosmic crew unleash so much powerful music is something no one can truly fathom, but it is a joy to behold nonetheless. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ / PAUL SHAFFER / LEW SOLOFF / DON PATE / TONY FALCO / RAKALM BOB MOSES - The Paradox of Completion (Anami Music 057; USA) rec October 18, 2013 at the Falcone, 2 CD Set rel in 2015; Featuring Tisziji Munoz on guitar, Lew Soloff on trumpet, Paul Shaffer on piano & synth, Don Pate on acoustic bass and Rakalam Bob Moses & Tony Falco on drums. This music was recorded live at the Falcon in Marlboro, NY in October of 2013. Ever since trumpeter Lou Soloff play on the first album from Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968, I have been a fan of his. Mr. Soloff was a master musician who worked with many giants: Duke Ellington, Carla Bley, Gil Evans, George Russell and many more. Longtime friend and collaborator to Tisziji Munoz, Paul Shaffer, was close friends with Mr. Soloff and brought the two together for this rare live date. The results are just incredible as this special sextet stretch out over almost two hours, perhaps two sets of cosmic music. The group performs mostly the original music of Mr. Munoz, except for first epic-length song, an incredible version of “My Favorite Things”. This classic song, made famous by John Coltrane in the early 1960’s, is given a slowed down, dream-like treatment. Munoz takes a long and winding solo that keeps building, increasing in tempo and intensity throughout. Mr. Soloff also plays a fine solo, once again building as the great rhythm team (piano, bass & two drummers) swell around him in waves. Eventually, both Munoz and Soloff spin webs around one another in the last section of the song, with some superb and occasionally sublime interaction involved. Munoz chose a half dozen of his best songs for this night, each one gets a rousing, inspired version. A number of these songs are anthem-like and Mr. Soloff is in amazing form, exchanging lines with Munoz, revving higher as they ascend toward the stars and beyond. One of favorite songs by Munoz is called “Visiting This Planet”, which gets an especially explosive performance here. The exchange of lines between the guitar and trumpet is just mind-blowing! If music is indeed the healing force of the universe, then what we have here is some healing sounds for our currently troubled times. So jump in and ride the waves higher and higher! This is just what the good doctor ordered! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM SOBO JOHN MEDESKI with YAKA DON PATE / SADHU BHAV TONY FALCO - Creating Silence - Live at The Stone, NYC (Anami Music 059; USA) rel on CD in 2021; Featuring Tisziji Munoz on guitar & compositions, Lam Sobo John Medeski on piano, Yaka Don Pate on contrabass and Sadhu Bhav Tony Falco on drums. This set was recorded live at The Old Stone in February of 2014 during a week curated by John Medeski, widely known for his organ playing with Medeski, Martin & Wood. I was in attendance at this gig and remember it well considering that I’ve attended & volunteered at hundreds of sets at the Old and New Stone’s. The reason I recall it is that there are only a few gigs where the vibe of cosmic transcendence is in the air and those in attendance know that something special is going on. For every release & performance, Mr. Munoz uses personnel aside from longtime bassist Don Pate. Often Munoz will have a special guest sit in like saxists (Pharoah Sanders or Dave Liebman), or a second keyboard player (Paul Shaffer or Bernie Senensky), a second bassist (John Lockwood or David Finck) or a second drummer (Rakalam Bob Moses or Rashied Ali). Since this gig was curated by John Medeski, we get a stripped down quartet with no extra guests. Hence the band sounds focused on their own version of Cosmic Music plus we can hear each member extreme well. Although John Medeski is better known as a great organist, it turns out that he is equally impressive on piano. This disc begins with some sterling, lush piano by Medeski, slowly building. Soon Munoz comes in with the rest of the quartet, together they start sailing together, sparkling, harp-like flourishes spinning around one another, the piano & guitar interweaving their breathtaking cosmic lines, building, building, ascending higher and higher. Munoz takes his time, unleashing those circular lines one stream at a time. When Medeski starts to solo midway, he continues with the same quick, spinning, circular lines, again pushing the energy higher as they quartet soars together. Master bassist, Don Pate, and young drummer, Tony Falco, are perfect foils for Munoz & Medeski, providing a cosmic cushion underneath. The final solo by Tisziji is most enchanting, poignant actually and ends with a sublime, lyrical outro from Medeski’s tinkling ivories. One of the things that Munoz rarely gets credit for is the songs/melodies he composes to play. “Motherhood” has one of those touching melodies that will soothe your heart & soul if you listen closely and let it sweep you away. When Munoz slows down, you start to hear his dynamic, heartwarming lyricism on display. He caresses those notes, the same way we caress someone we truly love. Hugging them closely, both beings as one spirit/force. When the tempo picks up, this is where the transcendence takes over. Munoz’s long solo reaches for the stars and beyond, all of us levitating at the same time. “On The Edge” is a laid back ballad and features a lovely intro by Medeski, as well as some endearing playing from Munoz, who again, takes his time as he ascends with those restrained lightning-like licks. Today (8/12/21), the temperature is supposed to reach 99 degrees and it is brutally hot outside. I just have a small fan in my kitchen/listening & writing space. That alarming heat outdoors is well-matched by the heat/energy of this disc. Listen to the way Munoz zeroes in on those special singular notes, letting certain notes ring out and then unleashing the torrents, streams of notes in a most Trane-like way. If any music can inspire us, uplift us and/or send us higher into the heavens or whatever else is up there above us, this is THAT Music. That’s all there is to say. Peace. - Brother Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM SOBO JOHN MEDESKI JOHN BENITEZ / GEORGE KOLLER / DON PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO - When Coltrane Calls! - Session 1: Fierce Compassion (Anami Music 063; USA) rec August 27, 2015 / rel on CD in 2016; Featuring Tisziji Munoz on guitar, John Medeski on piano, John Benitez, George Koller and Don Pate on basses and Ra Kalam Bob Moses & Tony Falco on drums. Cosmic guitar great, Tisziji Munoz has long been inspired by the music and playing of legendary saxist John Coltrane. For this disc, half of the songs were written by Mr. Coltrane, the others inspired by Trane. Over the past decade, Munoz has been collaborating with keyboard wiz John Medeski (a/k/a Lam Sobo), this being their 10th recording together. Munoz has also been expanding his band which now includes three bassists and two drummers. John Coltrane’s influence on Munoz is multi-layered: his melodies, the streams of notes he played on sax and his spirituality. Commencing with Trane’s “Wise One”, we are off into the celestial regions. Medeski takes a long solo, majestic and building to rich conclusion before Munoz also takes over caressing the same sweeping melody. “Lonnie’s Lament” gets a most enchanting, reading with Munoz’ distinctive bent tone breathing the grit of life into this wonderful melody. The stream of notes that Tisziji unleashes building and expanding with Medeski’s piano also providing waves of endearment. Both drummers get their chance to stretch out and weave a fine web rhythmic waves underneath. With each piece, Munoz appears to increase the energy and central spirit, reaching higher and higher as they go. On the second half of this disc, Munoz’ own melodies extend a similar spiritual vibe with a number of inspired solos from both the guitar and piano. Do you need some relief form the daily woes, this music does have that healing power so get a dose of the magical medicine. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ with PAUL SHAFFER GEORGE KOLLER / DON ‘YAKA’ PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO - When Coltrane Calls! - Session 2: Liberation First! (Anami Music 064; USA) rec August 27th, 2015 / rel on CD in 2016; Featuring Tisziji Munoz on guitar & compositions, Paul Shaffer on piano, Don Pate & George Koller on acoustic basses and Rakalam Bob Moses & Tony Falco on drums. Longtime David Letterman Show keyboard wiz/sidekick, Paul Shaffer, has been friends with spiritual/guitarist Tisziji Munoz since they met in Toronto in the early seventies. Mr. Shaffer has also helped/promoted Munoz on many occasions culminating in concerts at the Underground and Dizzy’s. Being a well-known TV personality, Mr. Shaffer rarely gets the recognition he deserves as a gifted keyboard player. Each of the half dozen discs on which Mr. Shaffer has worked with Munoz, show how to be an important part of Munoz’ magical/spiritual sound. This is the second session that Mr. Munoz has dedicated to the godfather of spiritual jazz, John Coltrane. For the last few years, Munoz has expanded his band by doubling his rhythm team: two bassists and two drummers and rather than cluttering their sound, they sound like one united spirit. “The Heart’s Way” starts out slowly and builds, ascending throughout. Mr. Shaffer takes a strong solo, waves upon waves, until Munoz finally comes back, the intensity increasing as the soar together. My favorite piece is the oddly titled, “Dead Guitar Player Completely on Fire!”, another one of those memorable simmering modal melodies that Munoz excels in composing. Mr. Munoz slows down the tempo midway so we get a chance to appreciate each note before the energy increases into those stratospheric, lightning-like licks. Munoz always concludes with something uplifting, pushing his sextet higher and higher. “Playing the Planet and Saving Humanity” is the grand conclusion, once again, building and then sailing heaven-wards. This music does obviously come from the heart and fires up our souls once again. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ / LAM SOBO JOHN MEDESKI GEORGE KOLLER / DON PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO - When Coltrane Calls! - Session 3: Living Immortality (Anami Music 065; USA) Rec Aug 28 & October 27, 2015 / rel on CD in 2015; "It has been a great honor to play with these musicians and a very special honor to perform with them in the spirit of John Coltrane. It is a true musical gift to play music this way, with these individuals, with this freedom, with this much spirit and joy." — Tisziji 
“Besides his more intense freer music, Coltrane was superb at playing ballads. A few of the songs that Muñoz wrote here are sublime ballads which balance nicely with the more fire-music sections or solos here. Muñoz himself is an extraordinary soloist, taking his time on each piece to reach for the stars as the tempo of the solos increase on each piece, faster and higher… For the three Coltrane covers, Muñoz slims the band down to one rhythm section, but the (cosmic) effect is the same, consistently spiritually uplifting. The versions of “Alabama,” “Expression” and “Dearly Beloved” are most enchanting, starting with reverent grace before getting to that heart-fire, grand conclusion. Dig in for another buried treasure from the great Anami vaults.” — Bruce Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ with DON ‘YAKA’ PATE / RA KALAM BOB MOSES / TONY SADHU BHAV FALCO - Tathagata Guitar: Whispers of Peace (Anami Music AM067; USA) rec June 21, 2011 / rel on CD in 2016; Featuring Tisziji Munoz on guitar & compositions, Don Pate on acoustic bass and Tony Falco & RaKalam Bob Moses on drums. Guitar god & spirit-man, Tisziji Munoz has released nearly a dozen discs (CDs & DVDs) in the past couple of years, often with a revolving cast of players. Most of these discs features keyboard players: John Medeski, Paul Shaffer or Marilyn Crispell. On rare occasion, Mr. Munoz will play with just a bass and drum(mer)s, like he does here. Contrabass great, Don Pate, has played on most of Munoz’ 50 or so discs going back many years while master drummer (RaKalam) Bob Moses can be found on nearly half of that amount. More recently Munoz has added another fine young drummer named Tony Falco. This is a studio effort and was recorded in June of 2011, but not released until now. “Thus” opens at a medium tempo and builds slowly. Tisziji’s soars slowly on top, making every note count. In the center is Don Pate’s monster bass, holding things together, providing the bottom/glue. The two drummers are on either side, spinning webs of rhythm together, stirring up a cosmic cushion. Rather than speeding up and casting off those lightning speed lines, Munoz takes his time to get to that breakneck speed. Finally getting there but balancing the speed with occasional slower cascades. The two drummers work very well together both organically spinning the lines faster/slower/faster/slower as one connected spirit. Munoz long solo erupt,build and tell lengthy stories. Only calming down at the end for a soft landing. On the second piece, Munoz moves into a somewhat different terrain with some odd dancing figures which seem out of the ordinary, slowing down to a more calm section, giving things a chance to breathe and slowly build again without any lightning licks this time around. The third and last piece is also played at a medium tempo and reminds me of the melody from the Allman Brothers “Mountain Jam”. It seems as if Munoz has slowed down his lightning licks to a more moderate tempo so we see and hear those lines more clearly. The trio take their time and slowly increase the tempo as the piece evolves. Eventually Mr. Munoz gets into that frenzied dancing fractured note flurry without speeding up to his usual blur. Munoz bittersweet, somewhat jagged tone approaches some almost tender moments here which brightens those more bent-note, over-the-top passage. A surprising change of pace for guitar master, Tisziji Munoz. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ featuring DAVE LIEBMAN / JOHN MEDESKI / DON PATE / DAVID FINCK / RAKALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO / ADAM BENHAM - Atoms of Supersoul (Anami Music 070; USA) rel in 2017; Studio recording featuring Tisziji Munoz on electric & acoustic guitars & compositions, Dave Liebman on soprano & tenor saxes & flute, Don Pate & David Finck on basses abd Rakalam Bob Moses, Tony Falco & Adam Benham on drums. Some forty-plus discs later, guitar guru Tiziji Munoz is still going strong and releasing great discs like manna from… This is the fifth time that legendary saxist Dave Liebman has recorded with Munoz, going all the way back to the beginning of the first release on the Anami label, ‘Visiting This Planet’ (early 1980’s). Both Munoz and Liebman have been long inspired by the music, spirit and sax playing of John Coltrane, which is most likely why the have continued to work together throughout many years. Another common bond is drummer Rakalam Bob Moses who has been a friend and collaborator with with Mr. Liebman for more than fifty years. Mr. Moses and Mr. Munoz have also been working together for many years as well, recording together (and playing live) on some two dozen discs. The last few years, Munoz has expanded his ensemble to include two bassists and two or three drummers, making it a double band of sorts. Another ongoing Munoz collaborator is keyboard wiz John Medeski who has been on some ten discs with Tiziji over the last decade. What makes this disc different for other recent Munoz discs is that it begins with a sublime, laid back version of “Leaving This Planet”, a lovely ballad that Munoz has performed on numerous occasions. There is no guitar on this version but Mr. Liebman does play some lovely soprano sax. It is not until the third song, “Don’t Turn Back”, that Munoz’s signature guitar turns up. Munoz begins slowly, concentrating on certain notes, bending them one at a time, making each one count before he increases the tempo/stream, the intensity building as it evolves. When Munoz finally picks up the speed of his cascading lines, we have been able to ease our way into his often lightning-like licks. On the aptly titled, “We will Meet Again in Spirit”, Munoz adds a second guitar part, so that both guitars cascade around one another without getting in each others way. Even with a piano, two bassists, two or three drummers, the rhythm team is unified as one cosmic force joined together. When Liebman’s tenor finally enters, both guitars and sax also join together in a spiritual dance, the vibration levitating all who listen out of their seats. If there is anyone out there who still hasn’t yet the amazing Tisziji Munoz, this disc is a great place to start since Munoz can often be a bit too much for the fainted-hearted listeners. Today (1/25/17) it is sunny out for a change and this disc does a great job of providing some healing medicine for the dark forces that have descended on many of us. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

TISZIJI MUNOZ With DAVE LIEBMAN / JOHN MEDESKI / DON PATE / DAVID FINCK / RAKALAM BOB MOSES / TONY FALCO / ADAM BENHAM - Scream of Ensoundment (Anami Music 071; USA) rel on CD in 2017; Featuring Tisziji Munoz on guitar & compositions, Dave Liebman on soprano & tenor saxes, John Medeski on piano, Don Pate & David Finck on bases and Rakalam Bob Moses, Tony Falco & Adam Benham on drums & percussion. Legendary NY saxist Dave Liebman was an integral part of bands led by Elvin Jones and Miles Davis (late sixties/early seventies), besides leading a number of his own bands ever since. Both guitarist Tisziji Munoz and Mr. Liebman are heavily influenced by the music of John Coltrane and have played together on a number of occasions/recordings. This is the second recent collaboration with Munoz and Liebman but this is the one where they go all the way, reaching for new heights on each song. Mr. Liebman kicks this disc open on soprano for “No Self, No Thought, No Mind” which features a rambunctious piano solo from the great John Medeski. The double rhythm team here is one of the things that makes this unit special, there is a constant swirling of spirits or undercurrents on which the sax, guitar and piano are well supported and often pushed higher. Some songs start out quietly like, “Goodbye Dear Sweet Mother” with poignant sax, piano and guitar playing the melody before they ascend into the heavens. I love the way this ensemble simmers with the constant flow in energy moving in waves connecting the spirits below and above the ocean of sounds. If you need some healing music in these troubling times, this is the music for you! The more I listen deeply, the better I feel. Each piece has a solemn, prayer-like vibe at the center of the storm. Even when the big waves are crashing, the heart/fire keeps on pumping life, energy and inspiration needed by all of those still living, breathing and listening closely. I am currently working of getting Tisziji Munoz and his band a gig in town this summer to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passing of John Coltrane. So stay tuned… - Bruce Lee Gallanter, BMG
CD $10

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

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.

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

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

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

Guitarist and DMG-pal HENRY KAISER has a monthly Video Solo Series on Cuneiform’s Youtube page:

Here’s HENRY KAISER’s Halloween show:

A Halloween EXTRAVAGANZA with a cavalcade of luminary guests: Buckethead, Jim Clark, Scott Colby, Sandy Ewen, Ed DeGenaro, Danielle DeGruttola, Brandy Gale, Vanessa Gould, Marco Minnemann, ChrIs Muir, Wayne Peet, Prairie PrInce, Jill Sobule, The Big Kitty, Trip Wamsley, and Vince Welnick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yeOIVqGLKY

https://www.youtube.com/c/CuneiformRecords/videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGc9OI16hcE

**********

gaucimusic presents:

Live at Scholes Street Studio
Saturday October 16th, 2021

Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Matt Mitchell - piano
Eivind Opsvik - bass
Billy Mintz - drums
8pm & 9:30pm sets
Live recording/Live audience!
$15 at the door
**vaccination & masks required inside venue**

@ Scholes Street Studio
375 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn
718-964-8763

***********

UPCOMING AT ROULETTE In Brooklyn, NYC:

Wednesday, October 13. 8pm EDT
Steph Richards’ Supersense and Sounds for Butch & Dino

Saturday, October 16, 2021. 8:00 pm
Relevant Tones Tenth Anniversary Festival: Necessary MonstersNecessary Monsters is a collaboration between composer/musician Carla Kihlstedt and poet Rafael Osés. It is a contemporary song cycle based on Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings — a collection of fantastical creatures culled from literary and mythological traditions around the world.
With an all-star 10-piece band as your guide, Necessary Monsters takes you on a psychological safari to visit with some of these chimeras living in the fertile landscape of our collective mind, each one a manifestation of our complicated humanness.
This show celebrates the long-awaited release of the Necessary Monsters limited edition book/album.

THE BAND: Carla Kihlstedt: violin/voice
Eddy Kwon: viola/voice
Emily Hope Price: cello/voice
Melissa Weikart: piano/voice
Marié Abe: accordion
Cole Kamen-Green: trumpet
Wendy Eisenberg: guitars
Grace Ward: bass/electric bass
Clara Warnaar: drums/percussion
Rafael Osés: narrator
Speakers: Carla Kihlstedt, Stephen Asma

Thursday, October 21st - 23rd at 8:00 pm
Robert Ashley: eL/Aficionado

Tuesday, October 26, 2021. 8:00 pm
Ches Smith and We All Break:
“Path of Seven Colors” Record Release Show
Musicians:
Sirene Dantor Rene — vocals
Lalin St Juste — vocals
Tossie Long — vocals
Miguel Zenón — alto saxophone
Matt Mitchell — piano
Nick Dunston — bass
Daniel Brevil — tanbou, vocals
Markus Schwartz — tanbou, vocals
Fanfan Jean Guy Rene — tanbou, vocals
Ches Smith — drums, vocals

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

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.

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

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

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

Guitarist and DMG-pal HENRY KAISER has a monthly Video Solo Series on Cuneiform’s Youtube page:

Here’s HENRY KAISER’s Halloween show:

A Halloween EXTRAVAGANZA with a cavalcade of luminary guests: Buckethead, Jim Clark, Scott Colby, Sandy Ewen, Ed DeGenaro, Danielle DeGruttola, Brandy Gale, Vanessa Gould, Marco Minnemann, ChrIs Muir, Wayne Peet, Prairie PrInce, Jill Sobule, The Big Kitty, Trip Wamsley, and Vince Welnick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yeOIVqGLKY

https://www.youtube.com/c/CuneiformRecords/videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGc9OI16hcE

**********

gaucimusic presents:

Live at Scholes Street Studio
Saturday October 16th, 2021

Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Matt Mitchell - piano
Eivind Opsvik - bass
Billy Mintz - drums
8pm & 9:30pm sets
Live recording/Live audience!
$15 at the door
**vaccination & masks required inside venue**

@ Scholes Street Studio
375 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn
718-964-8763

***********

UPCOMING AT ROULETTE In Brooklyn, NYC:

Wednesday, October 13. 8pm EDT
Steph Richards’ Supersense and Sounds for Butch & Dino

Saturday, October 16, 2021. 8:00 pm
Relevant Tones Tenth Anniversary Festival: Necessary MonstersNecessary Monsters is a collaboration between composer/musician Carla Kihlstedt and poet Rafael Osés. It is a contemporary song cycle based on Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings — a collection of fantastical creatures culled from literary and mythological traditions around the world.
With an all-star 10-piece band as your guide, Necessary Monsters takes you on a psychological safari to visit with some of these chimeras living in the fertile landscape of our collective mind, each one a manifestation of our complicated humanness.
This show celebrates the long-awaited release of the Necessary Monsters limited edition book/album.

THE BAND: Carla Kihlstedt: violin/voice
Eddy Kwon: viola/voice
Emily Hope Price: cello/voice
Melissa Weikart: piano/voice
Marié Abe: accordion
Cole Kamen-Green: trumpet
Wendy Eisenberg: guitars
Grace Ward: bass/electric bass
Clara Warnaar: drums/percussion
Rafael Osés: narrator
Speakers: Carla Kihlstedt, Stephen Asma

Thursday, October 21st - 23rd at 8:00 pm
Robert Ashley: eL/Aficionado

Tuesday, October 26, 2021. 8:00 pm
Ches Smith and We All Break:
“Path of Seven Colors” Record Release Show
Musicians:
Sirene Dantor Rene — vocals
Lalin St Juste — vocals
Tossie Long — vocals
Miguel Zenón — alto saxophone
Matt Mitchell — piano
Nick Dunston — bass
Daniel Brevil — tanbou, vocals
Markus Schwartz — tanbou, vocals
Fanfan Jean Guy Rene — tanbou, vocals
Ches Smith — drums, vocals