“Strawberry Fields Forever†by The Beatles
Released as a single in February of 1967
Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding all you see
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out
It doesn't matter much to me
Let me take you down, cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
No one I think is in my tree
I mean it must be high or low
That is you can't you know tune in but it's all right
That is I think it's not too bad
Let me take you down, cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
Always know, sometimes think it's me
But you know, I know when it's a dream
I think a "No," I mean a "Yes"
But it's all wrong
That is, I think I disagree
Let me take you down, cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
Strawberry Fields forever
Strawberry Fields forever
I recall hearing this song for the first time on AM radio, early in 1967. I was walking home from Junior High School and not yet 13 at the time. Every 3 or 4 months, groups like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Supremes & the Beach Boys, would have a new single released. Loving each of those bands & many others in that era, I always waited eagerly for that next song. I remember sitting down on a bench and being completely mystified by that song. It sounded to me like the Beatles were possessed by some strange spirits (marijuana &/or LSD perhaps), it seemed to alter the way I felt about life in a way that I couldn’t quite explain. Starting sometime in the previous year, 1966, pop songs were evolving quickly, becoming more interesting both lyrically, music-wise and production. If you go to Wiki or any of the better books on Beatle songs, you’ll find out that there a number of new experimental techniques employed on the song: backwards sounds, early mellotron, an Indian zither, sound effects. The way it effected me and other listeners is not easy to explain but something we feel deep inside and connect with. Since I was the oldest of three kids, I didn’t have an older brother or sister to help guide me or explain things that my parents didn’t talk about. I did find some of the answers to the inner questions I had in the songs & songwriters who wrote them, especially during that period. Ever since reading Frank Zappa’s description of “freaking-out†on the first Mothers of Invention record, I realized that I was a “freakâ€, someone who often questions the status quo and tried to find the truth behind the American Myth of Freedom. Due to the endless deluge of Fake News & the Propaganda Zombies who believe the lies, I still question and search for the Truth, which often seems like a Buried Treasure that we all should struggle to find for ourselves. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
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MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY HANUKAH! GREAT KWANZA to ALL DMG NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS!
This seems to the one the strangest, scariest and most unpredictable Christmas seasons that I can recall. Due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant of Covid19, a sea of paranoia is washing over everyone that I/we are in touch with, no matter where you live. For the past week or so and into the near future, practically every live concert performance has been canceled or postponed. Many folks are worried and getting tested for Covid in large numbers, myself included. Two close friends of mine tested positive in the past 2 weeks, oye! I tested negatively last Friday and will get tested again soon.
The bottom line is this: I still feel positive about most of Life. We are still getting some nice folks visiting our store plus a handful of old & new friends have donated or sold us a large amount of used CD’s & rare singles. It will take some time to put up some 250 items on Discogs, which is where we are selling the most amount of CD’s, LP’s & cassettes nowadays. Next week is the last week of 2021, the last week of our ongoing 30th Anniversary Celebration. I just want to say thanks everyone of our big family for supporting us for so long. Thanks to Frank, John & Charmaine (DMG staffers), our label friends: Tzadik, Relative Pitch, Pi, Aum Fidelity, ESP, FMR, Discus, Rogue Art, Astral Spirits, Sunnyside, Cuneiform, 577, Pyroclastic, Greenleaf plus distributors: Forced Exposure, Naxos, City Hall, Alliance, MVD, Squidco & Wayside… even magazine like The Wire, NYC Jazz Record, Mojo, Uncut, Downbeat all help to spread the word about Creative Music. No matter how much I worry about the future of our planet, I remain convinced in the Goodwill of Most of Humanity. Creative Music still inspires me: I still love to dance, sing, think and rejoice whenever I get the chance! - MC BruceLee
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Since there are only a few new discs to review this week, I decided to not mention them until next week. Below is a nice list of CD box sets that we have in stock at present for you to consider. Everything below is in stock but we only have 1 or 2 copies of each.
DMG’S CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY CD BOX SET SALE: All order of $100 or more can take 10% off the total!
LOUIS ARMSTRONG with JOHNNY DODDS / LIL HARDIN / BABY DODDS / JOHNNY ST. CYR / HONORE DUTREY / JOE OLIVER / et al - Portrait of An Artist as a Young Man (Columbia/Legacy 57176; USA)
4 CD Set USED $25
EARL BROWN / JOHN CAGE / CHRISTIAN WOLFF / GEORGE CRUMB / CHARLES WUORINEN / ISANG YUN / et al - Vol 6: Cage & Wolff//New Music For Violin And Piano//New Music From South America For Chamber Orchestra (Wergo 6943; Germany)
3 CD Set $45 [last sealed copy]
JOE CASTRO With CHICO HAMILTON / BUDDY COLLETTE / STAN GETZ / TEDDY EDWARDS / LUCKY THOMPSON / ZOOT SIMS / OSCAR PETTIFORD / TEDDY WILSON / et al - Lush Life - A Musical Journey (Sunnyside 1391-2; USA)
6 CD Set $60
ORNETTE COLEMAN With DON CHERRY / CHARLIE HADEN / BILLY HIGGINS / ED BLACKWELL / ERIC DOLPHY / FREDDIE HUBBARD / et al - Beauty is a Rare Thing / The Complete Atlantic Recordings (Rhino/Atlantic JG 71410; USA)
6 CD Set Large Booklet USED $50
JOHN COLTRANE with McCOY TYNER / JIMMY GARRISON / ART DAVIS / ELVIN JONES / ROY HAYNES - The Classic Quartet - Complete Impulse Studio Recordings (Impulse! IMPD8 280; USA)
8 CD Set $50 [7 previously unreleased tracks / 100 page book]
MILES DAVIS & JOHN COLTRANE with CANNONBALL ADDERLEY / RED GARLAND / BILL EVANS / WYNTON KELLY / PAUL CHAMBERS /JIMMY COBB / PHILLY JOE JONES - Vol 1: Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955 - 1961: Round About Midnite / Milestones / At Newport 1958 / Jazz At The Plaza / Kind Of Blue /..Plus (Columbia; Legacy C6K 90922; USA)
6 CD Set USED $50 [Long Box Version]
MILES DAVIS & JOHN COLTRANE with CANNONBALL ADDERLEY / RED GARLAND / BILL EVANS / WYNTON KELLY / PAUL CHAMBERS /JIMMY COBB / PHILLY JOE JONES - Vol 1: Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955 - 1961: Round About Midnite / Milestones / At Newport 1958 / Jazz At The Plaza / Kind Of Blue /..Plus (Columbia; Legacy C6K 65833; USA)
6 CD Set $50 [Smaller box version]
MILES DAVIS / GIL EVANS WITH JOHN COLTRANE / RED GARLAND / PAUL CHAMBERS / PHILLY JOE JONES / et al - Vol 2: Miles Davis & Gil Evans - The Complete Sessions: Miles Ahead / Porgy And Bess / Sketches Of Spain / Quiet Nights / plus… (Columbia Legacy 67397; USA)
6 CD Set USED $45
MILES DAVIS with GEORGE COLEMAN or SAM RIVERS or WAYNE SHORTER / VICTOR FELDMAN or HERBIE HANCOCK / RON CARTER / FRANK BUTLER or TONY WILLIAMS - Vol 3: Seven Steps - The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis 1963-1964: Seven Steps To Heaven/In Europe Complete Live At Antibes Festival 1963/My Funny Valentine-Four And More Complete Live At Philharmonic Hall 1964/Complete Live In Tokyo 1964 (Columbia Legacy 90840; USA)
7 CD SET USED $90
MILES DAVIS QUINTET with WAYNE SHORTER / HERBIE HANCOCK / RON CARTER / TONY WILLIAMS / GEORGE BENSON - Vol 4: The Miles Davis Quintet 1965-68: The Complete Sessions: ESP / Miles Smiles / Sorcerer / Nefertiti / Miles In The Sky/Filles De Kilimanjaro/Water Babies/PLUS (Columbia Legacy 67398; USA)
6 CD SET USED $50
MILES DAVIS With JOHN McLAUGHLIN / WAYNE SHORTER / BENNIE MAUPIN / CHICK COREA / LARRY YOUNG / DAVE HOLLAND / JACK DeJOHNETTE / LENNY WHITE et al - VOL 6: The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (Columbia Legacy 65570; USA)
4 CD Set $35
MILES DAVIS With JOHN McLAUGHLIN / SONNY SHARROCK / WAYNE SHORTER / STEVE GROSSMAN / HERBIE HANCOCK / CHICK COREA /KEITH JARRETT / DAVE HOLLAND / MICHAEL HENDERSON / JACK DeJOHNETTE / BILLY COBHAM / et al - Vol. 7: The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (Columbia Legacy 86359; USA)
5 CD Set $65
DAVE DOUGLAS SEXTET With GREG TARDY / JOSHUA REDMAN / URI CAINE / LINDA OH / CLARENCE PENN / AOIFE O'DONOVAN // or QUINTET With JON IRABAGON / MATT MITCHELL / LINDA OH / RUDY ROYSTON - DD/50 - 50th Birthday Recordings: Be Still/Time Travel/Pathways/DD 50 DVD (Greenleaf 1030; USA)
3 CD / 1 DVD Box Set $35
HENRY COW with FRED FRITH / TIM HODGKINSON / GEOFF LEIGH / LINDSAY COOPER / JOHN GREAVES / CHRIS CUTLER - The Road - 40th Anniversary Box #1 - The Road Vols 1-5: Beginnings / 1974-5 / Hamburg / Trondheim (ReR; UK)
5 CD SET / BOOK $50
HENRY COW with FRED FRITH / TIM HODGKINSON / CHRIS CUTLER / GEORGIE BORN or JOHN GREAVES / LINDSAY COOPER / DAGMAR KRAUSE / et al] - The Road - Volumes 6-10 (ReR)
5 CD SET / BOOK $50
ANDREW HILL With CLIFFORD JORDAN / RUFUS REID / BEN RILEY / ALAN SILVA / FREDDIE WAITS - The Complete ReMastered Black Saint / Soul Note Recordings (CAM Jazz BXS 1039; Italy)
4 CD Set $36
LEE KONITZ With HAROLD DANKO / JIMMY KNEPPER / KENNY WERNER / RED RODNEY / MARC JOHNSON / ADAM NUSSBAUM / et al - The Complete ReMastered Black Saint/Soul Note Recordings (CAM Jazz BXS 1011; Italy)
5 CD Set $40
STEVE LACY With ROSWELL RUDD / HAN BENNINK / MISHA MENGELBERG / GEORGE LEWIS / BOBBY FEW / BEAVER HARRIS / et al-Â The Complete ReMastered Black Saint / Soul Note Recordings: Trickles / Revenue / Troubles / Regeneration / Change Of The Season / Dutch Masters / The Condor / The Cry (2 Sets)/Vespers (CAM Jazz BXS 1033; Italy)
9 CD Set $50
GEORGE LEWIS With DOUGLAS EWART / ROSCOE MITCHELL / LEROY JENKINS / MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS / ABDUL WADUD / ANTHONY DAVIS / RICHARD TEITELBAUM / STEVE LACY / MISHA MENGELBERG / HAN BENNINK / ERNST REIJSEGER / ARJEN GORTER-Â The Complete ReMastered Black Saint/Soul Note Recordings: Shadowgraph, 5 (Sextet)/Jila-Save! Mon - The Imaginary Suite/Homage To Charles Parker/Change Of Season: The Music Of Herbie Nichols/Dutch Masters (CAM Jazz BXS 1022; Italy)
5 CD SET $40
MERZBOW - Metalvelodrome (Urashima 010; Japan)
4 CD Set $50 [Ouf-of-print & very rare!]
MATT MITCHELL / KATE GENTILE with BEN GERSTEIN / JON IRABAGON / MATT NELSON / MAT MANERI / AVA MENDOZA / BRANDON SEABROOK / KIM CASS / DAVY LAZAR - Snark Horse (Pi Records 90)
6 CD Set $42
NAKED CITY with JOHN ZORN/BILL FRISELL / WAYNE HORVITZ / FRED FRITH / JOEY BARON / YAMATSUKA EYE / et al] - The Complete Studio Recordings (1988-1993) [5 CD Book set]: Naked City / Heretic / Grand Guignol / Radio / Absinthe /Leng Tch'e / Torture Garden (Tzadik; USA)
5 CD Set $150 [Outer storage case is cracked and frayed along two spines but it is still intact; discs are all super clean. "This box is now out-of-print & may or may not be back in the forseeable future." - Tzadik Fulfillment Team]
MATT MITCHELL / KATE GENTILE with BEN GERSTEIN / JON IRABAGON / MATT NELSON / MAT MANERI / AVA MENDOZA / BRANDON SEABROOK / KIM CASS / DAVY LAZAR - Snark Horse (Pi Records 90)
6 CD Set $45
BILL MONROE and HIS BLUEGRASS BOYS with LESTER FLATT / EARL SCRUGGS / CHARLIE MONROE / et al - All The Classic Releases 1936-1949 (JSP Records 7712; UK)
4 CD Set $30
DAVID MURRAY With HENRY THREADGILL / 'BUTCH' MORRIS / BOBBY BRADFORD / GEORGE E LEWIS / CRAIG S HARRIS / OLU DARA / WILBER MORRIS / STEVE McCALL / et al - Octets: Octets: Ming/Home/Murray's Steps/New Life/Hope Scope (Black Saint/ Soul Note/CAM BXS 1010; Italy)
5 CD Set $40
NOT TWO with PETER BROTZMANN / MATS GUSTAFSSON / BARRY GUY / MAYA HOMBERGER / JOELLE LEANDRE / AGUSTI FERNANDEZ / PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE / KEN VANDERMARK / STEVE SWELL / et al - but Twenty (Not Two MW 1000-2; Poland)
5 CD Box Set in Wooden Box / Limited Edition $65
ART PEPPER with GEORGE CABLES / GEOREG MRAZ / ELVIN JONES - The Complete Village Vanguard Sessions (Contemporary Records 9CCD-4417-2; USA)
9 CD Set $70
SUN RA - Art Yard in a Box (Sun Ra ReR Box; UK) Includes: Disco 3000, Sleeping Beauty, On Jupiter, Wake Up Angels (2CD), Oblique Parallax, Horizon, Nidhamu, Dark Myth Equation Visitation and The Antique Blacks - all beautifully packaged in three-fold digipacks. U.S. Edition limited to just 250 copies.
7 CD Set $80
JERRY LEE LEWIS / HOWLIN’ WOLF / JOHNNY CASH / CARL PERKINS / ROY ORBISON / et al - The Sun Records Story (Charly CD Sunbox 6; UK)
4 CD Set $35
DIZZY REECE With TUBBY HAYES / PHIL SEAMEN / HARRY SOUTH / TONY CROMBIE / VICTOR FELDMAN / DONALD BYRD / HANK MOBLEY / WYNTON KELLY / WALTER BISHOP, JR. / CECIL PAYNE / HANK JONES / PAUL CHAMBERS / et al - The Complete Recordings 1954-62 (Acrobat 7502; UK)
5 CD Set $30
WADADA LEO SMITH with MILFORD GRAVES / BILL LASWELL - Sacred Ceremonies (TUM Box 003; Finland)
3 CD CD $55
WADADA LEO SMITH - Trumpet (TUM Box 002; Finland)
3 CD Set $55
ALEX VON SCHLIPPENBACH With DIE ENTTAUSCHUNG: AXEL DORNER / RUDI MAHALL / JAN RODER / ULI JENNESSEN] // THELONIOUS MONK/ MONK’S CASINO - The Complete Works of Thelonious Monk Intakt 100; Switzerland)
3 CD USED Set $40
FATS WALLER & His RHYTHM - If You’ve Got to Ask, You Ain’t Got It! (RCA/Legacy 82876-81125-2; USA)
3 CD Long Box Set $40
EBERHARD WEBER COLOURS With CHARLIE MARIANO / RAINER BRUNINGHAUS / JOHN MARSHALL - Colours: Yellow Fields/Silent Feet/Little Movements (ECM 2133-35; Germany)
3 CD Set USED $30
WORLD SAX QUARTET with JULIUS HEMPHILL / OLIVER ALKE / DAVID MURRAY / HAMIET BLUIETT -Â The Complete ReMastered Black Saint/Soul Note Recordings (CAM Jazz BXS 1015; Italy)
6 CD Set $36
CD BOX SET SALE LIST WITH REVIEWS:
EARL BROWN / JOHN CAGE / CHRISTIAN WOLFF / GEORGE CRUMB / CHARLES WUORINEN / ISANG YUN / et al - Vol 6: Cage & Wolff//New Music For Violin And Piano//New Music From South America For Chamber Orchestra (Wergo 6943; Germany) FEATURING: john cage: cartridge music / christian wolff: duo for violinist and pianist / summer for string quartet / duet II for horn and piano david tudor, piano / kenji kobayashi and matthew raimondi, violin / walter trampler, viola / david soyer, cello / howard hillyer, horn cd 2 new music for violin and piano george crumb: four nocturnes for violin & piano / isang yun: gasa / charles wuorinen: the long and the short / john cage: six melodies for violin and keyboard paul zukofsky, violin / gilbert kalish, piano cd 3 new music from south america for chamber orchestra gerardo gandini: soria moria / cesar bolanos: divertimento III / marlos nobre: tropicale / oscar bazan: sonogramas / manuel enriquez: diptico I / alcides lanza: penetrations II the new sound composers-performers group / conductor: alcides lanza.
3 CD Set $45 [last sealed copy]
JOE CASTRO With CHICO HAMILTON/BUDDY COLLETTE/STAN GETZ/TEDDY EDWARDS/LUCKY THOMPSON/ZOOT SIMS/OSCAR PETTIFORD/TEDDY WILSON/ et al - Lush Life - A Musical Journey (Sunnyside 1391-2; USA) The legacy of pianist Joe Castro was passed down in hours of invaluable recordings of interviews and his music, including jam sessions with some of the leading musicians of his generation and long lost, never released recordings from Clover. Sunnyside Records has collaborated with the Castro estate to have the musical recordings mastered and compiled for release on the new boxset Lush Life - A Musical Journey. The recordings provide an intriguing view of Castro's eclectic musical world and that of the musicians he befriended along the way. Listeners will hear the tremendous contributions of legendary musicians, like Stan Getz, Chico Hamilton, Teddy Edwards, Zoot Sims, Oscar Pettiford, Lucky Thompson, Leroy Vinnegar, Paul Motian and Billy Higgins. There are recordings of casual jam sessions that were held at either of Doris Duke's residences, Falcon Lair in Beverly Hills, California or Duke Farms in New Jersey. There are also studio sessions from small groups and large ensembles led by Castro and Teddy Edwards that were initially recorded for release on Clover. Pianist, bandleader and composer Joseph Armand Castro led an extraordinary life. He was a son of first generation Mexican-Americans, born in an Arizona mining town, who happened to be raised in surroundings where jazz music became his greatest inspiration, the highly trafficked Bay Area of California. As a teenager, Castro was able to learn the rudiments of the genre from attending many concerts, jamming regularly, and constant practice. Against the odds, Castro was able to co-lead a successful combo - 3 Bees and a Queen - that played a mixture of jazz and popular tunes. It was on the group's first tour of Hawaii that Castro met and subsequently fell in love with the richest woman in the world, Doris Duke. Castro and Duke's romantic relationship had its ups and downs, but it provided many opportunities that the pianist wouldn't have been able to gain on his own, though there were some disadvantages, like Castro being constantly underrated, envied and thought to have everything and, therefore, in need of nothing. Castro was able to travel the world, lived in wonderful homes that were furnished with performance spaces where he and his musician friends would jam and record and, finally, Duke financed a recording label put under Castro's control, Clover Records. The project was taken on under the lead of Castro himself from his Nevada home. After he passed in 2009, researcher Daniel Richard and Castro's son James worked closely together to find photos, gather reminiscences and mix the audio material, mostly left on analog tape. Further in depth research by Richard at Duke Libraries at Duke University and regular trips to New York and Nevada have uncovered a remarkable treasure trove of unique and unheard material, most presented here for the first time. This box set is Sunnyside's initial release of material from Joe Castro;s discography. Included are six discs of diverse musical settings from different periods in Castro's life. There will be subsequent releases with more gems from his catalog to look forward to. There is also an interactive website that contains a full biography and discography, expertly researched by Daniel Richard and James Castro and developed by Charles and Daniel Richard. 6 CD Set $65 * Over the past month, I have been slowly listening to each of six discs from this colossal set of lost treasures. As a longtime fan of West Coast Jazz, I found this collection to provide a number of keys to the puzzle of this scene which occasionally doesn't get the recognition it deserves from the New York-centric jazz writers. I recently listened to an entire Chico Hamilton 4 CD box set (Complete 1953-58) and released how important/influential Mr. Hamilton was to the West Coast secne, playing his own version of chamber jazz before many others. Mr. Hamilton is featured on the first disc here with Buddy Collette and some other west coasters who I know little about. There is so much fascinating music here that it will take me or anyone else a long while to fully absorb. Special thanks to Sunnyside Records for putting out this gem and especially to Bret Sjerven, a former DMG employee, who did a splendid job on the informative liner notes. - BLG / DMG
6 CD Set $60
ORNETTE COLEMAN With DON CHERRY / CHARLIE HADEN / BILLY HIGGINS / ED BLACKWELL / ERIC DOLPHY / FREDDIE HUBBARD / et al - Beauty is a Rare Thing / The Complete Atlantic Recordings (Rhino/Atlantic JG 71410; USA) While it's true this set has been given the highest rating AMG awards, it comes with a qualifier: the rating is for the music and the package, not necessarily the presentation. Presentation is a compiler's nightmare in the case of artists like John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, who recorded often and at different times and had most of their recordings issued from the wealth of material available at the time a record was needed rather than culling an album from a particular session. Why is this a problem? It's twofold: First is that listeners got acquainted with recordings such as The Shape of Jazz to Come, This Is Our Music, Change of the Century, Twins, or any of the other four records Ornette Coleman released on Atlantic during that period. The other is one of economics; for those collectors who believe in the integrity of the original albums, they need to own both those recordings and this set, since the box features one album that was only issued in Japan as well as six unreleased tunes and the three Coleman compositions that appeared on Gunther Schuller's Jazz Abstractions record. Politically what's interesting about this box is that though the folks at Rhino and Atlantic essentially created a completely different document here, putting Coleman's music in a very different context than the way in which it was originally presented, his royalty rate was unchanged -- he refused to do any publicity for this set when it was issued as a result. As for the plus side of such a collection, there is a certain satisfaction at hearing complete sessions in context. That cannot be argued -- what is at stake is at what price to the original recorded presentations. Enough complaining. As for the music, as mentioned, the original eight albums Coleman recorded for Atlantic are here, in one form or another, in their entirety: Shape of Jazz to Come, Change of the Century, The Art of the Improvisers, Twins, This Is Our Music, Free Jazz, Ornette, and Ornette On Tenor, plus the Japanese-only album To Whom Keeps a Record, all recordings dating from 1959 to 1961. Given that there is a total of six completely unreleased compositions as well as alternate takes and masters and the ultra-rare Japanese album, this is a formidable mountain of material recorded with not only the classic quartet of Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins, but also the large double quartet who produced the two-sided improvisation that is Free Jazz with personalities as diverse as Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard, and Scott LaFaro, as well as Coleman, Cherry, Haden, and Ed Blackwell, who had replaced Higgins on the music for To Whom Keeps a Record and This Is Our Music -- though Higgins does play on Free Jazz. The progression of the recording sessions musically is one of dynamics, color, and, with the addition of Blackwell, firepower. As the listener moves from the first session that would become most of The Shape of Jazz to Come, listeners can hear how the interplay between Cherry and Coleman works lyrically not so much as a system, but as system of the creation of melody from dead fragments of harmony, thereby creating a harmonic sensibility that cares not for changes and chord progressions, but for the progression of music itself in the context of a quartet. From the sharp edges on "Focus on Sanity," through "Peace" and "Congeniality," through "Lonely Woman," Coleman's approach to harmony was one of disparate yet wholly compatible elements. This is the story as the sessions unfold, one kind of lyricism evolving into itself more fully and completely with time. On Change of the Century, Twins, and This Is Our Music, Coleman shifts his emphasis slightly, adding depth and dimension and the creation of melody that comes out of the blues as direct and simply stated as possible. By the time LaFaro enters the picture on Free Jazz and Art of the Improvisers, melody has multiplied and divided itself into essence, and essence becomes an exponential force in the creation of a new musical syntax. The recordings from 1960 and 1961, along with the unreleased masters and alternates, all show Coleman fully in possession of his muse. The trek of musicians through the band -- like Jimmy Garrison and Eric Dolphy, as well as people like Jim Hall and Bill Evans where Coleman appeared in Gunther Schuller's experiments -- all reveal that from The Shape of Jazz to Come through On Tenor, Coleman was trying to put across the fully developed picture of his musical theory of the time. And unlike most, he completely succeeded. Even on the unreleased compositions, such as the flyaway storm of "Revolving Doors" or "PROOF Readers" or the slippery blues of "The Tribes of New York," Coleman took the open-door approach and let everything in -- he didn't necessarily let it all out. The package itself is, as are all Rhino boxes, handsome and original; there are three double-CD sleeves that all slip into a half box, which slips, reversed, into the whole box. There is a 68-page booklet with a ton of photographs, complete session notes, and liners by Coleman (disappointingly brief, but he was pissed off at the label), a fantastic essay by the late Robert Palmer, recollections by all the musicians, and quotes from Coleman from interviews given through the decades. The sound is wonderful and the mastering job superb. In all -- aside from the breach of pop culture's own historical context, which is at least an alternate reality -- this is, along with John Coltrane's Atlantic set and the Miles and Coltrane box, one of the most essential jazz CD purchases! - Scott Yanow, AMG
6 CD Set Large Booklet USED $50
JOHN COLTRANE with McCOY TYNER / JIMMY GARRISON / ART DAVIS / ELVIN JONES / ROY HAYNES - The Classic Quartet - Complete Impulse Studio Recordings (Impulse! IMPD8 280; USA) Comes encircled by a metal band! Here it is: eight CDs worth of John Coltrane's classic quartet, comprised of bassist Jimmy Garrison, pianist McCoy Tyner, and drummer Elvin Jones, recorded between December of 1961 and September of 1965 when the artist followed his restless vision and expanded the band before assembling an entirely new one before his death. What transpired over the course of the eight albums and supplementary material used elsewhere is nothing short of a complete transfiguration of one band into another one, from a band that followed the leader into places unknown to one that inspired him and pushed him further. All of this transpired in the span of only three years. The group that the saxophonist had assembled for Coltrane in 1962, a band that had been together a little while and had performed together at the Village Vanguard (the tracks that include the quartet without Eric Dolphy from Impressions are here, and, in fact, the first pieces on the set are from those session dates chronologically) in a variety of settings, is almost nothing like the band that made Kulu Se Mama in 1965. For a change, the oft-employed yet irritating chronological method of compiling a box makes sense here. McCoy Tyner's piano style, that rich open-ended modal chromaticism he developed was at work on "The Inchworm," astonishingly enough the first work recorded in the 1962 studio dates. "Out of This World" was one of the last from that session that would produce the album Coltrane. The blues element that would disappear from later records -- at least consciously -- was the driving force behind ballads like "Soul Eyes" and "After the Rain." But it isn't until the latter end of 1963 that we hear the band beginning to gel into the unit that would make A Love Supreme and create the tracks that would be assembled into First Meditations for Quartet. There are the two alternate takes of "Alabama," and the soprano solo that is positively danced around by the rhythm section on "Dear Old Stockholm." There is also the great schism in Coltrane, much that took place between the June 1964 session that produced "Crescent" (and its first version is on disc eight, which is full of supplementary and unreleased material) and the following December when A Love Supreme was recorded. Here is the hinges in the whole box, the questions that need to be resolved than that this box only begs more than answers: what happened to that tight conscripted modalism Coltrane had been working on in his official releases prior to that time period as many of them hold clues but never give away the entire picture. What the box does in its voluminous way is set the record straight that there was no retrenchment in pursuant releases to A Love Supreme. There were softer moments on record, but the material in the can was far more adventurous recorded at about the same time, such as the "Suite" or "Transition" or "Dusk Dawn." Disc eight is also a treat in that it contains seven "works in progress" from all periods in the quartet's history. It begins with the aforementioned version of "Crescent," which is appreciably different than the master take in Tyner's solo particularly. There's also an incomplete though steaming initial take of "Bessie's Blues." Perhaps the most beautiful thing on the final disc is the alternate take of part II of A Love Supreme's "Resolution," with its elongated obligato by Coltrane and Tyner's gorgeous tenths playing ostinato during the saxophone solo. There's an alternate of "Feelin' Good" that's no big deal, followed by breakdowns and alternate takes of both "Dear Lord" and "Living Space," both of which reveal the harmonic development of a scale as it becomes the architectural model for the rest of the composition and improvisation. There can be no arguing the value of the originally released recordings; whether they were issued during Coltrane's lifetime or after his death, they tell a story that millions of listeners formed their impressions by, true or false, and created a legacy that lives on. But there is also something to be said for setting the record straight, and the chronological approach that this set takes in no way desecrates the integrity of the original albums themselves -- unlike the Ornette Coleman box. Simply put, it is indispensable to those who need a deeper understanding of Coltrane's music and the development of his most influential period. The sound quality is fully remastered to 20-bit technology, and the package is unwieldy but beautiful and sturdy [a metal box!]. It's a must!- Thom Jurek, AMG {Since the release of this set, a few more studio takes were found and added to the Deluxe versions of the "Coltrane" and "Ballads" CDs]
8 CD Set $50 [7 previously unreleased tracks / 100 page book]
DAVE DOUGLAS SEXTET With GREG TARDY / JOSHUA REDMAN / URI CAINE / LINDA OH / CLARENCE PENN / AOIFE O'DONOVAN // or QUINTET With JON IRABAGON / MATT MITCHELL / LINDA OH / RUDY ROYSTON - DD/50: Be Still/Time Travel/Pathways/DD 50 DVD - 50th Birthday Recordings (Greenleaf 1030; USA) The sextet album Pathways, and the DVD, are previously unreleased and only come in this box set. A beautiful and rugged 2-pc box with a foil-wrapped DD|50 logo holds three Dave Douglas CDs: "Be Still" "Time Travel" and "Pathways." In addition to these critically acclaimed albums, the set is rounded out with a DVD containing previously unreleased in-studio performances and art videos shot by Christoph Green. Also included is a download card granting access to four bonus alternate takes and unreleased tracks. Dave Douglas Quintet: Be Still and Time Travel Sessions - Dave Douglas, trumpet; Jon Irabagon, tenor saxophone; Matt Mitchell, piano; Linda Oh, bass; Rudy Royston, drums; Aoife O'Donovan, vocals on Be Still sessions. Dave Douglas Sextet: Pathways Sessions - Dave Douglas, trumpet; Greg Tardy, clarinet & tenor saxophone; Joshua Roseman, trombone; Uri Caine, piano; Linda Oh, bass; Clarence Penn, drums; Aoife O'Donovan, vocals
3 CD / 1 DVD Box Set $35
MERZBOW - Metalvelodrome (Urashima 010; Japan) “Urashima present a reissue of Merzbow's Metalvelodrome, originally released in 1993. Merzbow stands as the most important artist in noise music. The moniker of Japanese artist Masami Akita was born in Tokyo in 1979. Inspired by Dadaism and surrealism, Akita took the name for his project from German artist Kurt Schwitters's pre-war architectural assemblage "The Cathedral of Erotic Misery" or "Merzbau". Just as Schwitters attacked the entrenched artistic traditions of his time with his revolutionary avant-garde collages, so too would Akita challenge the contemporary concept of what is called music. Merzbow would draw further influence from the futurist movement. Not only would he embrace the futurists' love of technology and the machine civilization, he would push their fondness for noise to the very boundaries of the extreme. Working in his home, he quickly gained notoriety as a purveyor of a musical genre composed solely of pure, unadulterated noise. By the '90s, Merzbow had a significant underground reputation for creating harsh and power electronics album. Metalvelodrome was released in 1993 by the fabulous Japanese label Alchemy in a four-CD box. The tracks fall right in-between the atmosphere of Merzbow's early '90s work and his more hyper-aggressive mid-90s power electronics work and it's a charming mix, presenting the listener with some of the best elements from each phase of his evolution. Along with Noisembryo (1994), Venereology (1994), and Pulse Demon (1996) represent the top of the immense artist's production. All tracks performed using cheap electronics and junk, no use for synthesizer and midi sampler. Remastered and revised without the two tracks live and with four bonus tracks at Munemihouse in 2019 by Masami Akita. This reissue comes in a silver wooden box with laser engraving of original artwork cover on front (and inside) and Urashima logo on back. Each single CD inside wooden box comes in cardboard wallet with new artwork by Masami Akita; includes foldable and individually numbered certificate; edition of 500."
4 CD Set $50 [Limited Edition of 500; now out-of-print]
MATT MITCHELL / KATE GENTILE with BEN GERSTEIN / JON IRABAGON / MATT NELSON / MAT MANERI / AVA MENDOZA / BRANDON SEABROOK / KIM CASS / DAVY LAZAR - Snark Horse (Pi Records 90) Personnel: Kate Gentile - compositions, drums & percussion, Matt Mitchell - compositions, piano & various synths, Jon Irabagon & matt Nelson - multiple reeds, Ben Gerstein - trombone, Davy Lazar - trumpets, Mat Maneri - viola, Ava Mendoza & Brandon Seabrook - guitars & banjo and Kim Cass - bass. There are a number of Downtown-based couples that work well together and help with each other’s projects: Ingrid Laubrock & Tom Rainey, Mary Halvorson & Tomas Fujiwara and more recently Kate Gentile & Matt Mitchell. Both Ms. Gentile and Mr. Mitchell have their own recorded bands/projects and both are well-regarded collaborators. Over the past few years Gentile and Mitchell organized a new co-led collective known as Snark Horse, an impressive 10 piece ensemble with a number of Downtown’s best musicians. No doubt you recognize most of the names here, although trumpeter Davy Lazar is mostly unfamiliar to me outside of an appearance on a Jacob Garchik CD from last year (2020) and a CD on Leo under the name of Naked Dance! I was initially surprised when our pals from Pi Records dropped off this box set last week considering that it contains some six discs, containing some 5 & 1/2 hours of music! There are a number of pieces on these discs which are solo electronic works, performed by Matt Mitchell based on music by Ms. Gentile or Mr. Mitchell. ‘Echo Emporium’ (disc 1) opens with one of these short electronic pieces which sets the scene with some sly, mysterious sounds. The second piece is a composite work, “compartments†by Mitchell and “’s partial†which are connected. Both Ms. Gentile and Mr. Mitchell excels at writing complex pieces which appear to have several tight lines or layers moving around one another in thoughtful patterns. At first a guitar, sax & trombone play their lines together while the synth and/or piano play difficult written passages along with the rhythm team. Is this the future of progressive music?!? It would certainly seem so. Each piece has a different number of participants. “hem(atoadaso)da†is a quartet featuring some amazing, intricate playing from Mitchell’s piano and Mr. Lazar’s trumpet. “a pouting grimace†was found on an earlier disc by Mr. Mitchell and here gets a septet version with some inspired, rambunctious playing from Maneri’s (skewered microtonal) viola and Seabrook’s bent-note guitar. One of the main things I dig about this music/set is the way one (or 2) player(s) will solo while the rest of the ensemble plays those quirky written passages underneath. One must divide their attention to actually hear all of the things that are going on simultaneously. So far, I’ve listened to the first three discs in their entirety and will most likely check out disc 4 & 5 later today (6/7/21). Each disc so far has been filled with all sorts of fascinating & challenging music. The Downtown Scene, which has recently passed its 40th year, has always evolved, adding different challenges as it goes with new musicians moving the NYC area and older musicians eventually moving on or elsewhere. What has always intrigued me is the way some of the older musicians (like Mat Maneri) have evolved and reinvented themselves over time, while younger players also evolve utilizing the talents of their peers and elders. This is a most ambitious project and the more I listen, the more I hear a variety of challenging music or ideas which are in a state of flux. There is much more going on hear than any one listen will provide so you need to take some time with each of the six discs since all are well worth exploring. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
6 CD Set $45
BILL MONROE and HIS BLUEGRASS BOYS with LESTER FLATT / EARL SCRUGGS / CHARLIE MONROE / et al - All The Classic Releases 1936-1949 (JSP Records 7712; UK) “Born in 1911 on a Kentucky farm, Bill Monroe was the youngest of eight. The three youngest brothers formed a trio, Birch on fiddle, Charlie on guitar and Bill on mandolin. Bill made quick progress. He quit school aged 11. By 14 he was a full time heavy wagon driver. And he was getting experience in local dance bands. In 1927, Birch and Charlie left for Detroit to find work. They made extra cash by playing for fellow southerners. In 1929 they got Bill a job with their company. In 1932, the brothers joined the WLS Barn Dance as dancers. They revealed their musical skills and were soon radio regulars. In 1933, Charlie was offered a spot on the Texas Crystals radio show, broadcast from Shenandoah, Iowa. Bill went too. Despite its success, Texas Crystals axed the show in 1936. The Monroes moved to Crazy Crystals. A hectic round of radio and dances ensued. They were signed to Victor's Bluebird label. The ten sides recorded at their first session were probably part of their radio set - nearly all were 'one-take' cuts. Of the ten sides, What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul was a huge hit. Regular recording dates became part of the schedule. Monroe product was released every four weeks. But in 1937 Bill and Charlie, mutually hostile in spite of their success, split. Bill gained a slot on a small radio station in North Carolina. The band he created - the Bluegrass Boys - generated a buzz on radio and at dances. Finally Bluebird signed him. The records he made justified their confidence. The wartime recording ban didn't hinder Bill's fame - he made regular Opry appearances - and in 1945 he was back in the studio. The 1946 and 1947 line-ups, with Flatt & Scruggs in the band, are exceptional. In the 1960s, after a slip in popularity, the folk revival helped him re-establish his leading status. During his life he celebrated 50 years on the Grand Ole Opry, performed at the White House and worked almost to the last. He died in 1996.
4 CD Set $30
DIZZY REECE With TUBBY HAYES / PHIL SEAMEN / HARRY SOUTH / TONY CROMBIE / VICTOR FELDMAN / DONALD BYRD / HANK MOBLEY / WYNTON KELLY / WALTER BISHOP, JR. / CECIL PAYNE / HANK JONES / PAUL CHAMBERS / et al - The Complete Recordings 1954-62 (Acrobat 7502; UK) "Dizzy Reece was that rare beast in the 1950s - a London-based jazz musician who gained an international reputation. The trumpet player counted Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Art Blakey among his many American admirers and through the tireless promulgation of A&R man Tony Hall eventually landed a record contract with the prestigious Blue Note label. In 1959, after carving a controversial reputation on the London scene, he abandoned the UK for New York City, the very heart of the modern jazz scene. Featuring the contents of no less than six original LPs, various EP releases and tracks released on multi-artist compilations, this 5-CD set tells the whole story, including every recording Reece made under his own name between 1954 and 1962, on both sides of the Atlantic, together with performances made in collaboration with the great multi-instrumentalist Victor Feldman and as a member of the New Jazz Group. The leader's distinctive playing and composing - mixing early elements of exotic world music and pure Hard Bop - are complemented by a whole phalanx of modern jazz talent including saxophonists Hank Mobley, Joe Farrell, Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott, fellow trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Wynton Kelly and the legendary drummers Art Taylor and Phil Seamen. This release also features a comprehensive booklet essay by noted jazz saxophonist and writer Simon Spillett.â€
5 CD Set $30
ALEX VON SCHLIPPENBACH With DIE ENTTAUSCHUNG: AXEL DORNER / RUDI MAHALL / JAN RODER / ULI JENNESSEN] // THELONIOUS MONK / MONK’S CASINO - The Complete Works of Thelonious Monk Intakt 100; Switzerland)Featuring Alex Von Schlippenbach on piano, Axel Dorner on trumpet, Rudi Mahall on bass clarinet, Jan Roder on bass and Uli Jennessen on drums. Wow! This looks like it could be one of year's best sets, since Alex is one of our favorite pianists and it will be intriguing to hear lower case, minimalist trumpet hero Axel Dorner playing Monk tunes plus Rudi Mahall is another gifted reeds hero who has done great things with Aki Takase. Turns out that DIE ENTTAUSCHUNG, a quartet including all of these folks without Schlippenbach, had a Monk disc out on Grob and a double LP years before that also of Monk tunes, that we must've overlooked in the past. This outstanding effort contains 75 Monk tunes, some in medleys and some by themselves. It is the entire Monk songbook and was once performed in an entire evening, for some 3 & 1/2 hours. None are done for very long, but all are done with that inventive spirit. Some surprises are in store when Alex and Axel switch instruments, as well as when Alex' s wife Aki Takase is added on toy piano. There are some marvelous solo sections for piano, trumpet, as well some great duos (piano & bass). Alex, Axel and Rudi all provide arrangements, everyone contributes to the way many of these songs are stretched into new shapes. An incredibly impressive endeavor from five strong musicians, so why not take a few hours off to emerge in the entirety of Monk's treasure chest of gems. - BLG
3 CD Set $40
WADADA LEO SMITH with MILFORD GRAVES / BILL LASWELL - Sacred Ceremonies (TUM Box 003; Finland) “‘Sacred Ceremonies’ brings together three distinct and highly influential movements in contemporary creative music, convening in a once-in-a-lifetime meeting of wholly singular minds. Wadada Leo Smith was a member of the first generation of composers and musicians to come out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in Chicago in the 1960s whereas Milford Graves was an important proponent of the "new music" or "free jazz" movement in New York City during the same decade. Bill Laswell in turn was an integral part of the Downtown scene in New York City in the 1970s. From those early days, they have each long since forged a totally unique personal approach to making music and have now together created a collection of music that transcends any easily definable influences.â€
3 CD CD $55
WADADA LEO SMITH - Trumpet (TUM Box 002; Finland) “‘Trumpet’ was recorded over one beautiful summer week in July 2016 at St. Mary´s Church in the town of Pohja, on the Southern Coast of Finland. It features fourteen new compositions by Wadada Leo Smith, including four extended multi-part works. As a whole, Trumpet represents a totally unique journey into the possibilities of the trumpet as a solo instrument and the immersive, almost meditative power of Smith´s extended solo performance.â€
Everything that is released on the TUM label is of the highest quality. Just the sound of Wadada Leo Smith's lone trumpet in an ancient church in Finland is absolutely breath-taking. No effects whatsoever. Wadada is ultra careful with every note and sound, stretching certain notes in striking ways. Wadada sounds like a master as he paints... each and every note/strike of paint measured and placed so that we recognize the unified piece as it exists in front us hanging in the air. I keep hearing other things inside those long stretched notes/sounds: a distant foghorn from a ship somewhere, a majestic pure intense blast, a broken bugle, static from an old TV set... BLG/DMG
3 CD Set $55
SUN RA - Art Yard in a Box (Sun Ra ReR Box; UK) Nine classic Saturn releases on seven CDs. All great, quite different from one another, & all featuring lots of electric keyboards & Moog from the boss. Includes: Disco 3000, Sleeping Beauty, On Jupiter, Wake Up Angels (2CD), Oblique Parallax, Horizon, Nidhamu, Dark Myth Equation Visitation and The Antique Blacks - all beautifully packaged in three-fold digipacks. U.S. Edition limited to just 250 copies.
7 CD SET $80
EBERHARD WEBER COLOURS With CHARLIE MARIANO / RAINER BRUNINGHAUS / JOHN MARSHALL - Colours: Yellow Fields / Silent Feet / Little Movements (ECM 2133-35; Germany) Featuring: Eberhard Weber bass; Charlie Mariano soprano saxophone, shenai, nagaswaram; Rainer Bruninghaus keyboards; Jon Christensen drums. This three CD box brings together music recorded for ECM by Eberhard Weber's band Colours: the albums Yellow Fields (1975), Silent Feet (1977) and Little Movements (1980). Throughout the six years of its existence, Colours was one of the most popular ensembles on the European jazz touring circuit - although Weber has always stressed the group's conceptual distance from a jazz mainstream. Many idiomatic elements were combined in Colours' stylistic mix. The group's sound-world consciously extended the palette proposed by The Colours of Chloe, Weber's prize-winning ECM disc of 1974. As the innovative German bassist explains in the liner notes, there were various aspects to the [Chloe] session, from the reflective European or chamber music side of the writing, to some jazz-rock and a kind of pictorial play with minimalism. Eventually, all these aspects would be developed in Colours.
3 CD Set USED $30
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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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The Independent Promoters Alliance Presents:
The NuBand @ Michiko Featuring:
THOMAS HEBERER / KENNY WESSEL / JOE FONDA / LOU GRASSI!
Friday, January 21 at 7 pm $20 (suggested donation)
Machiko - 149 West 46th Street (Manhattan), Stage 2
Proof of vaccination and ID are required by the venue.
$20 (suggested donation)
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SOUP & SOUND AROUND BROOKLYN:
1/13 CHRISTINE CORREA (video) sings Max Roach protest songs
1/23 special Soup & Sound & Sauna! Double bill featuring JR RHODES THE FOREST (percussion ensemble) and soup and (yes) a SAUNA at Orchard Hill Farm in East Alstead, New Hampshire
4/15 JULIAN PRIESTER
Soup & Sound Around Brooklyn 2021, is a program of Continuum Culture & Arts, Inc.,
And non-profit 501(C)(3) organization. www.continuumculture.org
Mailing address:
Soup & Sound
292 Lefferts Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11225-4115
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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-312-auxiliaries
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Guitarist and DMG-pal HENRY KAISER has a monthly Video Solo Series on Cuneiform’s Youtube page:
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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This clip just arrived in my email from British Sax Colossus PAUL DUNMALL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CpvCjR8tvs (YouTube)