DMG Newsletter for October 22nd, 2021

“Halifax”
By the Hampton Grease Band
From ‘Music to Eat’ - 2 LP Set on Columbia (rel in 1971)

Wouldn’t you like to come to Halifax
Air mass is moving eastwardly
Wouldn’t you like to come to Halifax
Air mass is moving eastwardly
The land is fertile and filled with life
We wish you would come there and spend some time
Yes, We wish you would come to Halifax
You like to spend some time there
We wish you would come to Halifax
Come and breathe some of our air
You can worship at the church of their choice, the church of your choice

Colonel Edward Cornwallis
He founded the home of Englishtown
He established a civil government
He brought strength to the English position
He established a civil government

We wish you would come to Halifax
You like to spend some time there
We wish you would come to Halifax
Come and breathe some of our air

We have many refreshments and entertainment…
We have the largest ships and vessels also
Six thousand six hundred thirty eight miles of grated roads
Six thousand six hundred thirty eight miles of grated roads
And alot of gravel too, and alot of gravel too
Every city has an airport and alot of gravel too
The telegraph stations, their owned and operated
By the federal government.
The telegraph systems, their owned and operated
By the federal government.
There are no TV stations,
First radar is to protect
Set up as the engine number two
To maintain the level of the dew…

From the fall of 1969 until it closed in June of 1971, I attended nearly 20 shows at the Fillmore East in NYC. It was located at the corner of 2nd Ave & 4th St, right around the corner from the first location of DMG on East 5th St (1991-2003). It was my favorite rock music performance venue ever and I’ve been to hundreds of others (places & gigs) since. There were usually three bands starting at 8pm (and later at 11pm) and the ticket prices were $5 (orchestra), $4 (mezzanine) & $3 (upper mezz)! Imagine that?!? If you want to see a list of who played there, check this out: https://www.fillmore-east.com/showlist.html. I caught the Flo & Eddie (the Turtles singers) version of The Mothers twice at the Fillmore. If you’ve heard & laughed at those old Mothers LP’s - ‘Live at the Fillmore’ & ‘Just Another Band from L.A.’, then you know what was going on with that great comedy band. Opening for the Mothers in June of 1971 was a group called the Hampton Grease Band from Atlanta, GA. Nope, I had never heard of them either. Their set started off with a pudgy guy in a suit standing stiffly at the mic. The band had two guitars, piano, bass & drums. It looked like someone’s grandmother was sitting in a wheelchair on the side of the stage, knitting for the entire set?!? The singer/frontman was someone named Bruce Hampton (later known as Colonel Bruce Hampton) and he had a strange voice & bizarre on-stage presence. After every song he took another piece of his clothes, acting weirder as the set progressed and by the end he was in his underwear and ran around the stage like a crazy man. I took my young sister and we were both flabberghasted by that set! They began their set with the above song, “Halifax”, so check out those words and you will see what I mean. Rumor has it that when the band was in the studio recording this song, Mr. Hampton found a pamphlet from the chamber of commerce of Halifax (Canada) and read the words from the pamphlet. The song is very long and the middle section has some astonishing double guitar playing by Glenn Phillips & Harold Kelling. The band ended up getting two encores, something nearly impossible for any opening band. Mr. Phillips is still with us & playing, so check him out, he is still an incredible guitarist! I caught him once at CBGB’s in a trio and later at Tonic with Henry Kaiser & Elliott Sharp. Word is that their one & only album, ‘Music to Eat’, is the second worst selling album on Columbia Records. It figures! It remains a personnal favorite to me and many other Weird Music Freaks around the world. Colonel Bruce Hampton went on to have a long solo career and worked in a few other great bands like the Aquarium Rescue Unit (with Jimmy Herring, Oteil Burbridge & Jeff Sipes), the Fiji Mariners & the Code-Talkers. I caught Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit at Wetlands & at the Ritz with the reunited (Dixie) Dregs (yuck!). Both ARU sets were incredible, the best fusion band in the 90’s! Bruce Hampton’s longtime goal was to die on stage still performing and you know what? He did just that on May 1st, 2017, after just finishing a performance. All hats & headbands off to Bruce Hampton, a true American original! - BLG/DMG

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This Saturday, here at DMG,
Another in-store music event:
6:30: BEYOND FLUTE GROUP with:
CHERYL PYLE - C Flute
CLAIRE de BRUNNER - Bassoon
GENE COLEMAN - Bass Flute
MICHAEL EATON - Soprano Sax
HARUNA FUKAZAWA - C Flute

7:30: FLIP CITY with:
DAVID AARON - Sax
DAVE GOULD - Drums
NICK PANOUTSOS - Bass

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

This Week’s Sonic Treasures Begin with This Amazing Trio!

WADADA LEO SMITH / HENRY KAISER / ALEX VARTY - Pacifica Koral Reef (577 Records 5884; USA) Featuring Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet, Henry Kaiser & Alex Varty on guitars. AACM trumpet master/composer/visionary artist, Wadada Leo Smith and Bay Area guitar great Henry Kaiser have been collaborating for several decades, first meeting way back in 1976. They co-founded the Yo Miles! Band, recording a wealth of great music spread across three double disc CD sets. They still get together on occasion plus Mr. Kaiser and Eugene Chadbourne did a guitar duo CD a couple of years ago (2019) covering a piece written by Wadada Leo Smith. This disc was recorded a year earlier in January of 2018, it features a piece called “Pacifica Koral Reef” which is based on an Ankhrasmation score, which was also composed by WL Smith. Mr. Smith's Ankhrasmation system is a combination of visual stimulation, musical notation and social philosophy that prompts intuition, imagination, and cooperation. The guitarist here is Alex Varty, who is based in Vancouver and also know as a music journalist. I was not familiar with the playing of Mr. Varty before now. You can read a long, informative essay by Mr. Varty about this project on the Squidco website: https://www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=31101.
“Pacifica Koral Reef” is 55 minutes long and continuous. From ready the notes by Mr. Varty, we can see that there are several layers of notes, directions (visual cues) and/or ideas which guide this music. It begins with a solemn/sad lament for solo acoustic guitar which recalls Mr. Kaiser’s friend Richard Thompson at he most tender/traditional. I believe this guitar is played by Mr. Varty, who claims to have had his heart broken right before this recording. Eventually Mr. Smith trumpet (from poignant to explosive) and Mr. Kaiser’s distinctive electric guitar (sublime psych sustained swirls) enter and takes us to another atmospheric, oceanic dimension. The cover of this disc, which was painted by Mr. Kaiser’s wife Brandy Gale, looks like a school of fish swimming in the ocean. It fits the music within perfectly. Unlike a number of trumpeters who tend to lose some of their capabilities/endurance/high-end notes, Wadada Leo Smith always sound like he has his full depth and range. He makes every note count here. No easy feat! The way he stretches out certain notes, carefully bending them in different different directions is often astonishing. Henry Kaiser, another (generation) younger master-musician has also been on a roll for the past decade, often releasing a CD nearly every month for the last several years. What always amazes me is how he can continually organize and release so much outstanding must so consistently. There are a handful of unexpected twists and tunes here. Like a great blues segment midway which almost had me in tears. Later on we end up in an oceanic, floating segment with some exquisite softly plucked electric guitar(s) bathed in light reverb. Most sublime, free floating on a calm raft on a tranquil body of water. There is something beautiful, rather transcendent going on here. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13

SYLVIE COURVOISIER / MARY HALVORSON - searching for the disappeared hour (Pyroclastic Records PR 17; USA) Featuring Sylvie Courvoisier on piano and Mary Halvorson on guitar. This is the second disc from the two leading lights of the current Downtown Scene and like that first one (released on Relative Pitch), this one is even more astonishing. Since both of these women are daredevil improvisers as well as strong composers, there is quite a bit more than merely intense improvised duets going on here.The pieces are split between both woman as composers, as well as three pieces of shared compositions. The first time I played this disc in the store last week, DMG manager Frank, had no clue who this was as it sounds quite different some most of what we’ve heard from either of these two. “Golden Proportion” opens and sounds more like a chamber piece, majestic, elegant, tasteful and well thought out. There is quite a bit of quirky counterpoint going on here. Although it is calm and restrained, there is a good deal is quick, tight interplay going on with both women swirling their lines in circular orbits. There are those who like to complain about Ms. Halvorson’s use of the that device (envelope filter?) to bend certain notes. I’ve always felt that, this is a part of her signature sound and that she uses it selectively. On “Faceless Smears”, uses this as subtle punctuation for some of her lines, similar to the way Ms. Courvoisier uses the pedal on the piano to stretch out or sustain certain notes. Sylvie’s “Moonbow” sounds like it was written for a scene from a film noir flick (solemn & moody), with some unexpected twists & turns going on midway and some strange frantic interplay near the end. There is some truly astonishing sweeping waves of notes moving in hypnotic waves on “Mind Out of Time”, which ends in a most surprising way. Each of the twelve pieces has something unexpected and astonishing going on here, it seems as if both of these artists have been saving up their sonic gems for this disc. Incredible! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

STEVE COLEMAN and FIVE ELEMENTS with JONATHAN FINLAYSON / KOKAYI / ANTHONY TIDD / SEAN RICKMAN - Live at The Village Vanguard Volume II (MDW NTR)(Pi Records 91; USA) “Live at the Village Vanguard, Volume II (Mdw Ntr) finds alto saxophonist and MacArthur fellow Steve Coleman returning to that celebrated New York venue with his flagship band Five Elements in two sets that fully capture the group’s incendiary live experience. Volume I of this series (Pi 2018) was described by Rolling Stone as “Downright exhilarating… Feels akin to watching the Harlem Globetrotters work their head-spinning magic on the court.” If anything, Volume II – recorded a year later in May 2018 – amps up the energy level even higher. Replacing guitarist Miles Okazaki in the band is the masterful freestyle rapper Kokayi, who brings a freewheeling, rhythmically-acute, almost tent revival aesthetic to the proceedings. Pushed by Coleman to perform as spontaneously as possible, the result is frenetic improvisation that is constantly teetering on edge, yet somehow still retaining form and structure, an effect that is only possible because of the near-telepathic level of communication that the ensemble – Coleman, trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, bassist Anthony Tidd, and drummer Sean Rickman – has honed through hundreds of sets played together over the decades.
Coming immediately after back-to-back weeks-long residencies in Detroit and Chicago followed by a European tour, the Five Elements’ week at the Vanguard finds the group’s cohesion at an all-time high. Featuring Coleman’s characteristically complex interlocking rhythms and turn-on-a-dime changes, the music can only be performed at this level when the performers are completely attuned to each other. For Finlayson, playing at the Vanguard is always a special experience. Playing twelve sets over six nights, “you’ve got all that time and space to make it happen. It starts to feel like a long story rather than just individual sets. Our approach was different every night, which suits us perfectly because we never perform a piece the same way twice, anyway.” He also called that week “as in-sync as the band has ever been.” Kokayi – who first played with Coleman in 1994 – slots into the group seamlessly. Usually, when hip hop is used in a jazz context, the band sets up a comfortable groove for the rapper to float over. That’s far from the case here: Kokayi is fully integrated into the ensemble, improvising as a true third horn while picking up all the hidden cues that foreshadow an upcoming change of direction, and reveling in the rhythmically-complex group interplay. He is also almost certainly the first rapper to appear on stage in the history of the Village Vanguard. Lorraine Gordon – the venue’s long-time proprietor – was well-known for having strong opinions about the music that is played there, so there was some trepidation as to how she might react to the performance. As those familiar with the layout of the room know, musicians coming off the stage after a set must file past Gordon’s table to get back to the green room, and it’s hard not to sneak a peek at her to gauge her reaction to the performance. After the band’s first set of the week, following a raucous ovation from the audience, Gordon, with a big smile on her face, unexpectedly stood up and gave Kokayi a big hug and told him “You’re wonderful.” Unfortunately, that was also probably the final set that she would catch at the club: She passed away a few weeks later at the age of 95, bringing to close a 30 year legacy of presenting great music to the world.
The sets feature a combination of staples of Five Elements’ live sets (“Little Girl I’ll Miss You,” “Pad Thai,” and “9 to 5”) and new works that reflect Coleman’s recent composition practice whereby the melodies and forms are derived spontaneously while he visualizes various motions and shapes, which are then orchestrated for the group. As on Volume I, most of the new compositions are inspired by the shapes and symbolism of the Mdw Ntr, a transliteration of the Kemetic writing system, often referred to as hieroglyphics. The band’s virtuosity is astounding: Tidd’s rock-solid foundation and Rickman’s constantly-varying attack hurtles the music forward with an irresistible groove. Coleman and Finlayson weave a serpentine path, sometimes in complex unison but more often in counterpoint to each other. Their ongoing dialogue is uncanny: They are like the modern-day Bird and Miles, which is apt since this is, at its core, a music that is as much as anything else deeply rooted in Parker’s musical language, albeit of the most futuristic variety. The whole enterprise has the feel of a tornado, with a mysterious kinetic energy that keeps it aswirl.”
2 CD Set $18

EXULTATION with FRANKLIN KIERMYER / JOVAN ALEXANDRE / DAVIS WHITFIELD / OTTO GARDNER - Scatter the Atoms That Remain (Dot Time Records 9085; USA) Featuring Franklin Kiermyer on drums & compositions, Jovan Alexandre on tenor & soprano sax, Davis Whitfield on piano and Otto Gardner on contrabass plus Michael Cuscuna - coproducer & liner notes. Montreal-born drummer, Franklin Kiermyer, was already on a long music & spiritual journey when we met at our first store in the early 1990’s. When he first showed up, he played me a couple of cassettes of his music and asked if I knew of a label that might be interested in releasing them. I gave him a list of labels and soon the Konnex label (from Germany) said yes and released both of his 1st two records. After both were released & received great reviews, he approached the Evidence label (out of Philly) who actually gave him a nice recording budget so he organized an impressive quartet with Pharoah Sanders, John Esposito & Drew Gress. This quartet had the same instrumentation and sound of the amazing John Coltrane’s classic quartet, no small feat! It was called ’Solomon’s Daughter’ (from 1994) and it received universally rave reviews. For his next disc for Evidence he replaced Pharoah with Sam Rivers & two other great saxists. It was called, ‘Kairos’ (from 1996). Since then Mr. Kiermyer has had a series of quartets with similar instrumentation but with evolving personnel. He has released three discs on his own label: ’Sanctification’ (2000), ‘Further’ (2014) and ‘Closer to the Sun’ (2016). Since the last one, Mr. Kiermyer has kept a quartet together with Lawrence Clark on tenor, Davis Whitfield on piano and Otto Gardner on bass. After several years living in Norway, Mr. Kiermyer came to visit us earlier this week and left us with his new disc and a reissue of ’Solomon’s Daughter’ with three bonus tracks.
As has been the case for a while, Mr. Kiermyer’s new quartet features musicians that I had not heard of until recently. Even with these under-recognized musicians, that powerful Coltrane Quartet sound remains intact! “Transformation” is first and that powerful, Spirit Jazz/Fire Music sound is already pumping! Kiermyer’s Elvin Jones-like swirling drumming is stirring up a storm right from the gitgo, with powerful, passionate tenor sax, wave upon wave McCoyish piano and that ever-pumping bass. Mr. Alexandre switches to soprano sax on “Vishvarupa”, the sound is still sprawling, intense and riveting. Pianist Davis Whitfield gets to stretch out on “Between Two Suns” and sounds strong & inspired, the interplay between the piano, tenor & drums is extraordinary! Besides all the fire going on here, Mr. Kiermyer is a gifted composer and has written a couple of lovely ballads. “Processional” is most solemn and enchanting with a most majestic, orchestral-sounding piano solo. Mr. Kiermyer’s masterful, propulsive, tail-spinning drumming is often at center of each piece, providing a powerful storm-force, pushing the quartet higher and higher throughout. The production by Mr. Kiermyer and Blue Note/Mosaic mainman, Michael Cusuna is also just right. If you searching for some spiritual/fire music, then by golly, you have found it! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

FRANKLIN KIERMYER with PHAROAH SANDERS / JOHN ESPOSITO / DREW GRESS - Solomon’s Daughter (Dot Time Records 7103; USA) Featuring Franklin Kiermyer on drums & compositions, Pharoah Sanders on tenor sax, John Esposito on piano and Drew Gress on bass. “Drummer Franklin Kiermyer may not be a well-known name, but his Evidence CD is a real gem. Tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, a powerful screamer who added a lot of fire and intensity to John Coltrane's 1966 quintet, had during the 1980s become much mellower and more melodic both in concert and on record, but this extremely powerful set restored one's faith in his uniqueness. Sanders is heard at the peak of his powers, playing miraculous solos full of screams, shrieks, overtone manipulation, and pure emotion. Kiermyer (who wrote all six of the compositions) has the power of an Elvin Jones or a Rashied Ali without really copying their styles; his explosive playing fits in very well with Sanders. Pianist John Esposito and bassist Drew Gress cannot help being overshadowed by the dominant duo, but they play quite well and make their contributions felt during the quieter pieces, such as "Peace on Earth" and "Birds of the Niles," during which Sanders is quite lyrical and tender. But it is the lengthy blowouts on "If I Die Before I Wake" and "Three Jewels" that really make this set very memorable. The phrase "blowing up a storm" does not even begin to describe the ferocious music.” - Scott Yanow, AllMusicGuide
CD $15

FRANKLIN KIERMYER With LAWRENCE CLARK / DAVIS WHITFIELD / OTTO GARDNER - Closer to the Sun (Mobility 11016; USA) Featuring Lawrence Clark on tenor sax, Davis Whitfield on piano, Otto Gardner on bass and Franklin Kiermyer on drums & direction. For more than twenty years, master drummer & bandleader, Franklin Kiermyer has led a series of quartets, each one inspired by and with the same instrumentation as the classic John Coltrane Quartet. This is the fifth quartet disc since 1994 and the tenor players have included Pharoah Sanders, Sam Rivers, Michael Stuart and Azar Lawrence. An impressive list of tenor sax greats! Mr. Kiermyer’s new disc is another fine quartet with Lawrence Clark in the tenor chair. I know Mr. Clark from several strong discs from the Rashied Ali Quintet, as well as turning up with trumpeter Josh Evans, who works with Oliver Lake and has a couple of fine discs out of his own. I hadn’t heard of the pianist or bassist here, although they sound equally impressive. The first thing I noticed when this disc opened with, “Greetings to Pharaoh”, is how well it is recorded, the sound so splendid and spiritual sounding. The classic Coltrane Quartet’s song started short and slowly go longer and longer throughout their live sets. None of the 13 songs here are very long, yet the intensity remains the same: close to boiling point. Legendary drummer Elvin Jones was an integral part of the Coltrane Quartet, his playing immensely powerful and completely unique. Mr. Kiermyer seems to be one of the few drummers who plays with similar power and creative spirit, yet he doesn’t really copy Jones, as much pick up where Mr. Jones left off. I found every song on this disc to me uplifting, inspiring and often with those modal-like melodies that stay with us long after the disc is over. Pianist, Davis Whitfield sounds especially superb on “Grace”, playing those magical, McCoyish waves. Much of the music here has a calm, peaceful center, like floating in a dreamworld where the usual anxiety of life has faded away. Eventually, the quartet erupts on “Emancipation Proclamation”, the power and the fury reaching higher and higher. Although none of the 13 songs are longer than eight minutes, the quartet still reach for that inner fire, burning no matter how long or short… By the way, Mr. Kiermyer currently lives in Oslo, Norway (after spending many years in the Woodstock area), so I see him perhaps once in a year or two or three. Hence, when we run out of both new discs it might be while to get them back, so… order quick! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

JAIMIE BRANCH FLY OR DIE with LESTER ST. LOUIS / JASON AJEMIAN / CHAD TAYLOR - Fly or Die Live (International Anthem 0041; USA) Featuring Jaimie Branch on trumpet, vocals & vibraslap, Lester St. Louis on cello, vocals & cymbal, Jason Ajemian on bass, vocals & egg shaker and Chad Taylor on drums & mbira. Since moving here from Chicago several years ago, I’ve had my eye & ear on Jaimie Branch, an immensely talented trumpeter, bandleader, composer and a dynamo in concert with an honest, no-bullsh*t stage presence. Ms. Branch has played here at DMG on several occasions, twice in a phenomenal trio Thomas Helton on bass and Michael Evans (recently deceased) on drums. Their set earlier last summer was one of the best in-store that I can recall!
This is the third disc from Ms. Branch’s main band, Fly or Die, and holy shit, they just keep getting better! This 2 CD set was recorded live at Moods in Zurich, Switzerland, in January of 2020, just before than pandemic hit. Ms. Branch has organized a colossal quartet in which each member gets to shine throughout. Keep your eye on cellist Lester St. Louis, a relative newcomer in NYC who keeps popping up in a variety of situations and showing off his (low-key) process on cello. Both members of the rhythm team, Jason Ajemian & Chad Taylor, are originally from Chicago, like Jaimie, but seem to bounce between both cities. Over the past few years, Chad Taylor has been playing the mbira (thumb piano) more & more, adding its unique sound to several bands. Disc 1 begins with Taylor’s mbira playing a most hypnotic repeating groove, a perfect intro. Soon Ms. Branch’s exquisite muted trumpet floats in and turns things into a lush dreamscape. This soon flows into “prayer for amerikkka pt. 1 & 2”, an honest account of the bad things occurring on our troubled planet. It is a slow sort of blues, perfect to get your head a’nodding and includes some tender, pissed-off vocals by Jaimie & the rest of band. Ms. Branch plays some ultra feisty trumpet, taking an incredible solo which distills all the urgent, bad & fake news that we all feel & have to deal with each & every day, back then and still now (10/21). Ms. Branch righteous indignation and intense spirit burns at the center of all of the connected (suite-like) songs here. One of the several wonderful things about this disc is the great call & response that Ms. Branch & the rest of the quartet deal with. It makes you want to join in and shout along with them. In some ways, this is like a prayer/meeting/service at a lively church with a jumping, pumping audience, at least vibe-wise, this is how it makes me feel. This entire 2 disc set captures a long, festive spiritual service and works on many levels. It is not just another jazz gig, but something more spiritually demanding. I urge you to get this disc, put in in your player and get up, stand up and get down to these feisty grooves, words, solos and cosmic wonder. Please! Thanks. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $16
2 LP Set $21

ROSA BARBA and CHAD TAYLOR - In Perpetual Now of Instantaneous Visibility (CvsD 083; USA) Featuring Rosa Barba on cello with a celluloid bow & film projector and Chad Taylor on drums & mbira (thumb piano). Rosa Barba is an experimental filmmaker, artist and musician while Chad Taylor is an in-demand drummer/percussionist who works with Jaimie Branch, Marc Ribot, James Brandon Lewis and the Chicago Underground. I have yet checked out the films of Rosa Barba but I am quite intrigued by the music and graphics from this disc. Things begin quietly with just minimal drums and space. I have always dug the sound of a thumb piano and have checked out a good deal of it over the past decade or so (from Konono No.1 to Francis Bebey). Mr. Taylor’s mbira playing is something else, often enchanting. It just popped up this disc just as I caught a whif of herbal smoke from my downstairs neighbor. A perfect match. Mr. Taylor is a groove specialist and when he switches to his drumset here, that cosmic groove continues. I don’t hear or notice Ms. Barba’s playing on the the first long title piece, but hear her on part 2. What we do hear is a cello being played by a celluloid bow, which is eerie, disorienting and engaging, when it can be heard along with Taylor’s subtle rustling and occasional grooves. There is quite a bit of suspense going on here, a distant drone or odd resonating frequencies which slowly shift as the evolve. It makes sense to me that Ms. Barba is a filmmake since the music here does have a rather cinematic vibe throughout its more than 70 minute length. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

ANGEL BAT DAWID & THA BROTHERHOOD - “LIVE” (Intergalactic Mantra 0037; USA) Angel Bat Dawid has been receiving broad and well deserved critical acclaim as an acolyte for excellence in contemporary spiritual jazz from Chicago, demonstrating the benefits and possibilities of deeper human connection through music, explicitly emphasizing the healing power of Great Black Music. 2019’s “The Oracle” was something of a hit for stalwart label International Anthem, and DMG staff were lucky enough to intersect with Angel during her visit to NYC this summer for a concert presented by Blank Forms in Brooklyn's Herbert Von King Park. On that sweltering summers day, in that precious window between mass vaccination and the delta variant, Angel presented an urgent impetus to be careful about the lessons learned from the pandemic, instructing visions for new realities with urgent optimism unmarred by escapism. The next day she visited DMG and left a lasting impression on us with her deeply engaged kindness and thoughtful conversation. She is the real deal, firmly within the tradition of black American mysticism a’la Sun Ra, Nina Simone, Lonnie Holley etc., her performativity, its mission and her life force ebb and flow directly from her lived experience. “Live”, presents live recordings from several appearances at SAE Institute Chicago, Berliner Festpiele and JazzFest Berlin, and feature Dawid’s gripping, declarative and deeply political in full force. Tha Brotherhood, a tightly bonded and resonant crew of players, add weight and resonance perfectly in line with their bandleader, and much like the best Sun Ra live records, remain completely engaged in holding a palpably transcendent space. The liner notes detail an incident with festival organizers that lend audible meaning and anger to the proceedings, but Dawid’s goal of reconciliation and transcendence (i.e. Justice) is clear throughout. The selections here present one of the more uplifting and committed performers of her generation in full force, clairvoyantly channeling the chaos that the world was on the verge of experiencing, and providing us a lens through which to both view and heal the suffering of our body politic. Dawid preaches and sings in the same breath, managing to create an environment of collaborative education and dialogue on a deeply relatable and necessary level, all while reaching beyond the stratosphere. - Frank Meadows for DMG
CD $15

ELI WALLACE / BETH McDONALD - Solo / Duo (Echatology 010; USA) Featuring Eli Wallace on piano and Beth McDonald on tuba. This music was recorded live at Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago in July of 2019. Formerly based in California and now based here, I’ve caught Eli Wallace play acoustic piano and electric keyboards on several occasions, mostly recently last Saturday (10/16/21) in a trio with Jessica Ackerley on guitar and Frank Meadows on contrabass, here at DMG & a great set! I don’t recognize the tuba player here, Beth McDonald, who it seems is based in Chicago (working with the Vandermark crowd) where this set was recorded. This disc is split in two parts, one for solo piano and the other for a piano/tuba duo. From the beginning of the piano solo, Mr. Wallace is playing inside, rubbing the strings quickly with one hand, banging on the strings inside the piano and tapping on the keyboard, all at the same time. The music is quite intense and keeps shifting between the different aspects of playing inside & on the keyboard, blurring all lines between these techniques & sounds. The music often sounds like it is on the verge of erupting like a volcano. It often sounds like there are two musicians playing at the same time since Mr. Wallace juggles severals lines so seamlessly together. The duo with tuba player Beth McDonald starts off very quietly with breath-like sounds and soft rubbed strings inside the piano. These quiet, mysterious sounds take a long time to grow and evolve. Both plays carefully stretch out their notes or sounds into eerie drones or sustained lines. The music is quite minimal, sprinkled sounds here and there. I didn’t even noticed that it had ended until I waited for 5 minutes to see if it did end. The duo section takes some time to get used to so it I have to listen again when I am not distracted by deadlines. The solo piano piece is one of the best I’ve heard ever! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

Four MORE GREAT DISCS From The MOTVIND LABEL IN NORWAY:

SIGNE EMMELUTH / KRESTEN OSGOOD - Vandtarnet (Motvind 9CD; Norway) Featuring Signe Emmeluth on alto sax and Kresten Osgood on drums, piano & objects. In January of this year (2021), I reviewed a solo sax CD by a young Danish saxist named Signe Emmeluth. The CD was released on the ever-challenging Relative Pitch label, who do a great job of finding musicians who have developed their own voice and continue to experiment with their music. I thought that disc was/is great and it turned out that Ms. Emmeluth was also in a quartet with Mats Gustafsson, Ole Morton & Kresten Osgood. Mr. Osgood also hails from Denmark and is perhaps the most ambitious and kind-hearted musicians that I know. Besides being a great drummer, Mr. Osgood’s goal has been to play with every master jazz musician that he can, playing in dozens of bands at jazz festivals and running a yearly workshop/festival in an old school just north of Copenhagen, open to all types of musicians to learn from assorted masters. Like many of the folks who read the DMG newsletter, Mr. Osgood has big ears, listening to quite a bit varied music from all over.
In the enclosed liner notes, Mr. Osgood talks about the multidimensionality of rhythm, something that I also understand and believe to by true. There is a consistently ongoing dialogue going on which keeps changing as it goes. In each section, Osgood’s drums evoke a different vibe or place or inner scene. Ms. Emmeluth also keeps moving, shifting her sound and approach. At one point sounding like a wounded animal (crying out with slightly bent vocalese-like notes) which is soon brought to life. Both musicians sound restless and keep changing their approach and tones or sounds. I can hear Ms. Emmeluth playing just the mouthpiece at one point, carefully bending her notes with her hands while Osgood does a fine job of matching her wherever she goes and laying out at times as well. Osgood also plays some fine free/out jazz piano in the second piece, plucking strings inside the piano one one point while with the sax finally jumping back into the ongoing stream of ideas. This set was recorded live at KoncertKirchen in Copenhagen in July of 2020, the sound is warm and balanced right. At one point, Osgood speeds up and pounds out some powerful, riveting rhythms while Emmeluth slows a bit, making each phrase or line count. Osgood is a longtime student/explorer/teacher of the history of jazz (drumming), hence I hear parts of that history in his ever-evolving playing. Ms. Emmeluth works her way through some Dolphy//Braxton/Zorn-like jagged edge notes on the third piece while Osgood provides a variety of dancing, grooving & ever-changing rhythmics. Signe even does that thing where a saxist uses her or his leg (or arm?) to muffle certain notes to good effect right before this disc concludes. This is a particularly strong, spirited and endlessly-inventive duo! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

MARTHE LEA BAND - Asura (Motvind MOT12CD; Norway) An infectiously joyous record that wholly exults in its playfulness, freedom, and majesty. What one might consider Motvind’s ‘house band’, Marthe Lea herself features on a variety of instruments including saxes, flutes, guitar, myriad percussion and otherwise, while also encompassing the entirety of the trio Miman (Andreas Røysum, Egil Kalman, and Hans Kjorstad) as well as Hans Hulbokmo (drums, percussion, voice). One is instantly reminded of various acts to be found on the exemplary Hubro label, which also features many Norwegian jazz/improv/experimental artists hosting a wide swathe of music that is naggingly tough to pin down. Asura is no exception. From the sprightly jig of “Kedi” to “Jysla Jysla”, which could be folk music by way of Mars, this is a quintet bursting at the seams with ideas and energy. Some of this material has a big band flavor that could almost be a lost Arkestra side; “Sakina” surely qualifies, its coterie of massed horns, sliding bass/drums near-funk, and wild abandon recalling everyone from the late Mr. Ra in a Sunny mood and Ornette Coleman’s buoyant brass blow-outs to early Soft Machine. The collective’s sense of the absurd tends to emerge from out of nowhere, seemingly just when (or after) things are cookin’: “Elgens Hverdag” is all but a traditional Norwegian rag were it not for the deceptively regal, Ralph Towner-esque guitars that usher the track in, until Hulbokmo’s cymbals gently shimmer and the rest of the band strike a similarly reflective pose; holiday for hillside strings, as the bonfire dies out and the full moon brightly crests. “Sneaky Sneaky” then does you in, sporting the kind of melody that manages to both soothe and chill, an amber wave of metals, cooing horns, lonesome violins, and atmospherics lush enough to dream in, before the band segues into a square-dance jaunt that’ll have you tapping your toe ’til the cows come home. Perfectly wonderful. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $15

MIMAN with ANDREAS ROYSUM / HAND KJORSTAD / EGIL KALMAN - Stora Mängder Rymdgrus (Motvind MOT2CD; Norway) Enigmatic trio Miman build upon the foundations of their captivating debut to deliver another slice of ear-confounding electroacoustic improvisation sure to delight and bewilder in equal measure. Antecedents abound, surely; the ever-present contours of ’squeaky’ improv, long-perpetrated within the UK’s 70s and 80s schools, and continuing on through the likes of Incus, FMR, and sundry other labels, demonstrate that such musics defy trends, geographical boundaries, and/or stylistic denominators. What unites Miman with their forebears and contemporaries is the sheer force of will from which these sounds originate, and their compulsion to resist categorization in the service of something far more interesting, vital, and long-lasting. The opener “Kometen Kommer” raises the bar high, as Andreas Røysum’s clarinet (his favored instrument here, forsaking the guitar he utilized on the earlier record) goes head-to-head with Egil Kalman’s stripped-to-the-bone bass strangulations and Hans Kjorstad’s eviscerated violin phrasing, both of which make the air surrounding them taste more astringent by the minute. This is simply a place-setter for what is to come, for out of the pitch, glitch, curdles, and creases arises a sentient drone of electronic intensity that fairly overshadows the blanching acoustics birthed before it. Kalman realizes these sounds on a modular synth that seems to lumber about like a drunken dinosaur more than a rigid, polycarbonate object; his inflections reflect the mien of folks like Thomas Lehn but exude a great deal more power thanks to a tonal palette that prefers fierce, churning ecosystems rather than indeterminate drizzles. The trio then proceed to take these ideas even further out, Kalman’s symphony of whistles and insectile chirps blending with Røysum's clarinet to form a single alien entity. This stuff’s truly out there, and that’s saying something when considering where EAI has travelled these last few decades; it’s been a long, strange trip, and Miman’s here to assure you that the journey is, thankfully, far from over. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $15

THOR G. WETTERHUS - Stålslått (Motvind MOT11CD; Norway) In reviewing and advocating for this record, I would like to skip any preamble and say I find this music deeply refreshing and essential for serious listeners of creative music. The excellent Norwegian label Motvind has here provided not only highest quality documentation of an idiosyncratic virtuoso, but a fascinating document for contemporary scholars, folk heads as well as lovers of minimalism and absolute sound. A farmer hailing from Numedal in Eastern Norway, Thov G. Wetterhus is a master of the mouth harp (known by many as the “jews harp”) and performs fiddle tunes, primarily originated for the sake of dances and gatherings, from the repertoires of several cultural pockets throughout rural Norway. The liner notes describe the variety and vigor of this music with the correct terminology to which I am now happily introduced: “Gangarar (walking dances) and Springarar (running dances) come close together, earnest themes are repeated and varied, fix bravura numbers sticks out here and there. Fast tunes, slow tunes, sometimes light and springy (Bjølleslåtten), sometimes as a horror scenario in the darkest shadow valley (Rammeslåtten og Bestelanden). The drive is enormous, so hard is it that one almost falls off the chair.” Rarely have I found a sound palette so instantly energizing and life affirming. These performances, while immaculate in detail and control, were recorded in one take in just under an hour in Thov’s living room, and are comprised of just mouth harp and stomping. The primary melodic material is carried by overtones that Wetterhus controls with the shape of his mouth, (much like in Tuvan throat singing), and with direct structural similarity to bagpipe music (large sound with a drone overtone counterpoint), celtic reels and American bluegrass. In researching for this, I came across another nickname for the mouth harp, “the iron fiddle”, a fitting description for the way Wetterhus uses this instrument. Crystalline overtones with aching and expressive vibrato careen around a bedrock of a stomp pulse, often evoking the effect of a “talk box” or vocoder. If you should choose to enrich your collection with this piece, I would definitely advise indulging in high volume listening, the sound here is immersive and simply rocks. - Frank Meadows for DMG
CD $15

NANDOR NEVAI with MATT NELSON / PETER EVANS / RON STABINSKY / TIM DAHL - “Classified Maths” (Self-Produced; USA) Featuring Nandor Nevai on tenor trombone & throat, compositions & conduction, Matt Nelson on tenor sax, Peter Evans on trumpet, Ron Stabinsky on bass trombone and Tim Dahl on bass viol. I used to think that I has heard almost everything after listening to 1,000’s of recordings and attending thousands of concerts over the past 50 years of serious listening, but certain things still surprise every week as I work my way through dozens of promos and a deluge of records, CD’s, cassettes & DVD’s at home every day. Those unexpected delights just keep coming my/our way. Nandor Nevai is quite a mystery. I have/heard just a few of his 20 or so releases… his amazing/bizarre music for player piano (‘The Wooden Machine Music’) and a couple of duos with math/metal/prog/whatever guitarist Mick Barr. Nandor or Nondor is hard to peg down since he does different things on different discs: percussion or drums, vocals, guitar, etc. and blurring genres like electronic, classical, noise, industrial and noise.
For this disc Nevai has invited Peter Evans & Ron Stabinsky (on trombone not his usual played piano) from Mostly Other People Do the Killing, Tim Dahl from the CP Unit, Ava Mendoza’s Unnatural Ways and Matt Nelson from his work with Battle Trance, Talibam! & the Flying Luttenbachers. “Quintet 1 for Bass Viol, Tenor Saxophone & Brass”, actually sounds like a thoughtful modern chamber work, thoughtfully composed & well-played. The sax and two trombones often play in short, tight bursts with calm double bass accompaniment. Mr. Nevai also uses his odd wordless vocals to harmonize with the other reed & brass. Sometimes things go off the deep end into some intense weirdness yet everything is tight and thoughtfully executed. There are a number of unexpected twists & turns here like all the members cursing at one point. Since there is no drummer here, it is up to bassist Tim Dahl to hold things together at times providing the throb, pulse and free lines at the center of whatever is going on, as well as laying out at times to let the brass & reed do its own thing. The music here often has a visceral, non-academic quality as if its organically avant-garde and not based on tricks or theory. It sounds both serious and not-so-serious simultaneously with occasional screams or guffaws as some sort of punctuation. I like the fact that I had no idea where this would go or develop. Another little known oddball and strange delight. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

Back in Stock:

NONDOR NEVAI / MASLAK [KENNY MILLIONS] / WEASEL WALTER - No Mor Musik (UgExplode 41; USA) “This bizarre display of punk/jazz surrealism is masterminded by mythic madman NONDOR NEVAI on drums and vocals, featuring WEASEL WALTER on bass and legendary journeyman KENNY MILLIONS (aka KESHAVAN MASIAK) on guitar and reeds. The music is some sort of unholy fusion between extreme metal, bludgeoning noise rock, free jazz, black humor and true stream-of-consciousness improvisation. Barely describable and puzzling, over 50 minutes of studio recordings this band sets out to terrorize the brains and body of the listener, driving us all into as state of musical schizophrenia. Limited to 300 copies.”
CD $14

NONDOR NEVAI - The Wooden Machine Music: 2001 (UgExplode 05; USA) When I read Weasel Walter's description of Nondor Nevai's music for player piano, I was definitely intrigued. "Like Conlon Nancarrow on crack" or so the description goes. Hmmm. Turns out that Mr. Nevai is a member of To Live and Shave in LA, the Restaurants, and his own trio _ (pronounced "underscore"). The music itself is quite wonderful and not as difficult as Nancarrow's. It has a sort of breathtaking mechanical beauty. The notes cascade, shimmer and spin in focused waves. Even when things speed up to faster than humans can play levels, there is always a solid clarity of ideas. I like the way Nondor balances different fragments or sections, sometimes one rhythmic phrase will be repeated and slowly altered, sped up, slowed down and turned inside out as another section collides with it. Why a player piano? Most likely, since certain sections would be impossible for any human to play. Also, it gives the composer free reign to explore any different of difficult change of genre or structure. Track 4 is different in that it is slower and more contemplative with moments of haunting solemnity. The final piece is longer and more classical sounding with some stark and somber sections. There is still a mechanical quality to this, since the player piano doesn't change the way it strikes the keys of the piano. This makes the music itself more important to hear than the way it is performed. It does sound as if there is no improvisation involved, yet the music remains both fascinating and somewhat detached from human nature's physical ability. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

IMMERSION WITH TARWATER, LAETITIA SADIER, ULRICH SCHNAUSS, SCANNER - Nanocluster Vol 1 (Swim 056CD; UK) “Nanocluster Vol 1 is an album with some serious pedigree. It sees Immersion (aka Malka Spigel and Colin Newman of influential groups Minimal Compact and Wire, respectively) collaborating with some of the finest left field artists of our era: Tarwater, Laetitia Sadier, Ulrich Schnauss, and Scanner. The project was born out of a Brighton based club night, also called Nanocluster, run by Spigel and Newman alongside writer, broadcaster and DJ Graham Duff, and promoter Andy Rossiter. The club features a range of influential and cutting-edge music acts. But the unique aspect of the evenings is that each show climaxes with a one-off collaboration between Immersion and the headliners.
Immersion and Tarwater: The German duo of Ronald Lippok and Bernd Jestram have created an impressive body of work. The opening instrumental "Ripples" is a gentle breathe of optimism, all purring tones and sun dazzled synths. Meanwhile, "Mrs. Wood" is a dubby psychedelic shuffle, Lippok's vocal cool and assured over a fat bass line and sky bound eastern melodics.
Immersion and Laetitia Sadier: An original and distinctive presence in contemporary music, Sadier made her name with the inimitable Stereolab, but she's also created several impressive solo works. The instrumental "Unclustered" sees Sadier's spidery guitar weaving through Immersion's lush web of synths drones. The following "Uncensored" has a subtle melodic tug with a classic Spigel guitar line underpinning Sadier's sweet yet worldly wise vocal. "Riding the Wave" is another feel good song, swapping between Newman's plaintive vocal, and Spigel's vocal and Sadier's backing vocals.
Immersion & Ulrich Schnauss: A highly respected solo artist, as well as being a member of Tangerine Dream, Schnauss' skill with electronics is legendary. The opening "Remember Those Days On The Road" skips along on a rimshot rhythm with Spigel's honeyed vocal telling a tale of life on tour. "Skylarks" opens with a lattice of arpeggios before a gently nagging guitar enters and everything takes a turn for the sublime. "So Much Green" is constantly spiraling urban-kosmisch, with Spigel's plangent bass anchoring the celestial sounds.
Immersion & Scanner: Scanner -- aka Robin Rimbaud -- is one of the most prolific and diverse artists currently working in contemporary music. "Cataliz" is the album's moodiest moment. With its serpentine synth drones it sounds like the soundtrack to a mysterious thriller. The rich pulsing "Metrosphere" recalls Immersion's early work whilst adding another layer of grainy uncertainty. The closing "The Mundane and the Profound" is a gentle and touching end to a unique collection of songs.”
CD $16

VAUDOU GAME - Noussin (Hot Casa 071CD; France) “African, funky, sarcastic, bewitching, green, ecstatic: these words collide to describe Vaudou Game and all of them are true. Noussin is the fourth album of the French Afro funk band. Forced into lockdown, like much of the planet, Peter Solo and his Vaudou Game had no choice but to retreat into the studio. A reunion to once again invoke the spiritual forces of the Voodoo Deities. A reunion that was Initially imagined for an EP -- yet these spiritual forces behind that imagination yearned for something more, and as we all know, these forces are impossible to push away once they have decided to stay. Under the strain enforced by the current socioeconomic climate, as much as by the environmental peril that faces us all today -- they diverted the course of the groove towards daring new vibrations. Without extinguishing or diminishing its highly communicative power, they released Vaudou Game from its origins of pure Afro funk to gradually engage into compositions which crystallized themselves into tones resembling more rock than funk. On this fourth album, with an entirely revisited line-up, Peter Solo separates for the first time in his career from his brassy guard, leaving saxophone, trumpet and trombone outside to invite an arsenal of keyboards to define, with him, this new voodoo sound. A sound, as usual, built on vintage and precise analogical material -- grime even on the white side of the tape, a blunt instrument used to blanket anything that strived to shine too much in the mix. Graced with tapered guitars stringing out rhythmic bumps or withdrawing a few beats to indulge in infectious solos, this album is boisterously alive with vintage '70s funk, infused with a few digressions into other ethers of the funk timeline, nicking different sounds and frequencies to render the black and white keys of an inspired keyboard to reach new euphoric levels of melodic acidity. Tearing off the enigmatic mask to reveal his true face: on a few titles, Peter Solo ventures outside of his sacred voodoo range to reconnect with his London years, these titles feature small nods to the time he spent in "The Smoke" where the incantations of British music culture were written within him. "Noussin". Which means "Stay strong" in Mina, a dialect spoken in the south-west of Togo. "Noussin". A message of hope as much as a call to come together to weather the turmoil and to come out better on the other side. Don't let them grind you down - Noussin.
CD $15


AFTER THREE WEEKS IN TRANSIT ON A SLOW BOAT FROM CHINA (Chicago, actually) OUR BIG BOX FROM CorbettVsDempsey Has Finally arrived. Here is what has just showed up:

CECIL TAYLOR / SUNNY MURRAY - Corona (CvsD 077CD; USA) A grand reunion of sorts in Berlin on the first day of November, 1996. Under the auspices of Free Music Production, Cecil Taylor, the great pianist and one of the premier musical minds of the 20th century, joined forces with his early comrade, drummer Sunny Murray, for a set of improvised duets. Murray was part of Taylor's important groups starting in 1959, including the trio with alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, with which Taylor toured Europe in 1962 and 1963, recording the seminal Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come and Live at the Café Montmartre. On the latter tour, Murray met Albert Ayler when the saxophonist joined Taylor's group for some concerts; they would go on to record one of the greatest free jazz records in history, Ayler's Spiritual Unity (ESP-DISK 1002CD/LP). Thirty-six years later, they were back together and better than ever. Never to do things a straightforward manner, Taylor began the concert by inviting eight members of his band to kick things off with an intonation choir, the master himself leading the sound poetry incantation. Taylor and Murray then moved into a 48-minute exchange of energies, peaks and valleys of expressive intensity rolling along, the two veteran improvisors slipping back into sync as if the decades had simply vanished. This extraordinary music has never been publicly released on CD. Gorgeously recorded, with action photos by Dagmar Gebers and a cover painting by Jacqueline Humphries, the music is released under license from FMP. And yes, the title was all Taylor's, as if he knew his music would be released during a virus of the same name.:
CD $15

TOM PREHN QUARTET - Centrifuga & Sohlverv (CvsD 079CD; USA) Danish pianist Tom Prehn was one of the first Europeans to deeply explore free music. With his quartet featuring Fritz Krogh on tenor saxophone, Poul Ehlers on bass, and Finn Slumstrup on drums, Prehn recorded Axiom in October, 1963, for Sonet, though it went unreleased until 2015 because the band felt that their music had moved beyond it already. To hear the music they were talking about, one could only turn to two privately-made reel-to-reel tapes, Centrifuga and Sohlverv, recorded in August, 1964, and January, 1965, respectively. Both sessions took place under casual circumstances at Prehn's summer cottage outside Aarhus, but the music was dead serious -- some of the most adventurous improvising yet made by a group on the continent. These tapes have been the stuff of legend. Only a couple copies of them exist, and they're spoken of in hushed tones by folks in the know, most of whom have never heard what they sound like. The earlier recording, which consists of a single magnificent 44-minute track, is one of the group's free jazz pinnacles, with Slumstrup featured as a soloist, playing in top form, with the band building structures around his propulsive and sensitive kit-work. On Sohlverv, which translates as "solstice," the band enters completely unknown terrain, working through a series of four sections with solos featured by each bandmember. Here Krogh reveals his incredible force as an idea generator. As Mats Gustafsson says in his liner notes: "Close-miked percussive sax-pad treatments that swing like mad and give the music a VERY radical profile and color. I have NEVER heard anything like it." This reissue is the product of a long process, working Prehn and with the generous and patient Center for Swedish Folk Music and Jazz Research. Mastered directly from the original reels, with notes by Gustafsson and facsimile reproductions of both tape covers. Never reissued in any form until now. Seriously, as the old adage goes, this is music that needs to be heard to be believed. “
CD $15

RUDIGER CARL / JOEL GRIP / SVEN-AKE JOHANSSON - In Early November (CvsD 078; USA) “Two historical heavyweights of European free music, clarinetist Rüdiger Carl and drummer Sven-Åke Johansson, join forces with younger bassist Joel Grip for a night of incredible trios. Recorded a few months before the pandemic clampdown, in November of 2019, at Berlin's Au Topsi Pohl, the music is exploratory and swinging, with Carl's viscous clarinet and a brilliant rhythm team steeped in time-based feel but loose and sometimes ambling. Johansson was part of the first Peter Brötzmann Trio to commit music to wax, on For Adolphe Sax (BRÖ/FMP, 1967), and he was on the legendary Brötzmann Octet date Machine Gun (BRÖ/FMP, 1968); the drummer's 1972 solo outing Schlingerland kicked off the SAJ sub-label of FMP, so named for Johansson's initials, and he has made a slew of great records for his own label, also called SÅJ. Playing tenor saxophone, Carl led a fiery group called Rüdiger Carl Inc., which recorded the classic King Alcohol (FMP, 1972); he was part of legendary groups with pianist Irene Schweizer, also playing clarinet and accordion, and has recorded with many of the leading improvisors in Europe. Johansson and Carl have recorded together numerous times, including Fünfunddreissigvierzig (FMP, 1986) and Djungelmusik met Sång (Hapna, 2000). This sparkling live set features three longer pieces, beautifully recorded, with a cover photo by Johansson and liner notes by Peter Margasak. Personnel: Rüdiger Carl - clarinet; Joel Grip - double bass; Sven-Åke Johansson - drums.
CD $15

DMG BOOK DEPARTMENT:

PETER BROTZMANN - Along the Way (CorbettvsDempsey; USA) The U.S. release of Brötzmann's new book, Along The Way, chronicling the last decade of his artwork. This beautiful 228-page hardback featuring full color reproductions was produced by CvsD, Trost Records, and Brötzmann himself, and includes essays by Peter Brötzmann, Thomas Milroth, John Corbett, Markus Müller, Sotiris Kontos, Stephen O'Malley, Heather Leigh, and Karl Lippegaus. Available in a limited edition while supplies last. Visually stunning and most impressive on different levels.
BOOK $40

JOHN CORBETT - Pick Up the Pieces Excursions in Seventies Music (CorbettVsDempsey; USA) “Unless you lived through the 1970s, it seems impossible to understand it at all. Drug delirium, groovy fashion, religious cults, mega corporations, glitzy glam, hard rock, global unrest—from our 2018 perspective, the seventies are often remembered as a bizarre blur of bohemianism and disco. With Pick Up the Pieces, John Corbett transports us back in time to this thrillingly tumultuous era through a playful exploration of its music. Song by song, album by album, he draws our imaginations back into one of the wildest decades in history.
Rock. Disco. Pop. Soul. Jazz. Folk. Funk. The music scene of the 1970s was as varied as it was exhilarating, but the decade’s diversity of sound has never been captured in one book before now. Pick Up the Pieces gives a panoramic view of the era’s music and culture through seventy-eight essays that allow readers to dip in and out of the decade at random or immerse themselves completely in Corbett’s chronological journey.
An inviting mix of skilled music criticism and cultural observation, Pick Up the Pieces is also a coming-of-age story, tracking the author’s absorption in music as he grows from age seven to seventeen. Along with entertaining personal observations and stories, Corbett includes little-known insights into musicians from Pink Floyd, Joni Mitchell, James Brown, and Fleetwood Mac to the Residents, Devo, Gal Costa, and Julius Hemphill.
A master DJ on the page, Corbett takes us through the curated playlist that is Pick Up the Pieces with captivating melody of language and powerful enthusiasm for the era. This funny, energetic book will have readers longing nostalgically for a decade long past.”
BOOK $26

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ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE, Around the world.

If you have a link for some music that you are working on and want to share it with the folks who read the DMG Newsletter, please send the link to DMG at DMG@Downtownmusicgallery.com.

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This one is from CHRIS CUTLER, original member of Henry Cow, Art Bears, News from Babel, respected author and founder of Recommended Records. This is Chris’ wonderful podcast and I urge you all to give it a listen… https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-30

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Guitarist and DMG-pal HENRY KAISER 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

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My good friend & guitar master GARY LUCAS is playing half hour sets at his apartment in the West village every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday at 3pm EST on Facebook. Different songs & improvisations on each episode.
Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/gary.lucas.5836/
https://garylucas.com/www/streams/streams.shtml

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UPCOMING AT ROULETTE In Brooklyn, NYC:

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