DMG Newsletter for April 22nd, 2022:

I got to admit that I got the blues something bad: too much stress, too many knuckleheads, too much Fake News and too many responsibilities to deal with. The blues song structure was created by slaves and many unlucky folks around the world who have had to struggle to survive in the so-called Promised Land wherever that may be. The above song was written & recorded by the Mississippi Sheiks in 1930 and reworked by Howlin Wolf in the late fifties. The first version I remember was done by Cream in 1968 for their ‘Wheels of Fire’ album and it was done slow & simmering. It was covered by The Dead in 1967 for the debut album and done much more uptempo and hence, the vibe is completely different. Both versions are great for me but that Cream version really cuts throw and speaks directly to me. Speak of the BLUES…

DMG NEEDS YOUR HELP IN ORDER TO SURVIVE!

DMG, which celebrates its 31st anniversary with a party on May 1st, is currently going through some particularly rough times. Our bills are piling up and we are juggling finances in order to stay afloat. New CD sales are going down but we are selling more items (LP’s, CD’s & cassettes) on Discogs. Some 7,000 subscribers get our free weekly email newsletter but only around 100 order from us with regularity. If you do get this newsletter and enjoy reading the news, reviews, opinions and concert recommendations, then please help us out. Donations of all sizes are eagerly accepted, money, cc’s & paypal are all great but we also appreciate record and CD’s donations which have been increasing over the past few years. Thanks to all who have contributed to our worthy cause. The future of DMG depends on all of us. Our goal is to stick around for as long as I can remain healthy, sane and inspired. Creative Music is the main thing that consistently give me/us inspiration and hope for better days ahead. Thanks to all of our friends everywhere, we still love you all. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

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THE DMG 31st ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Continues with These Fabulous FREE In-Store Performances:

Tuesday, April 26th:
6:30: AYUMI ISHITO / DAMIEN OLSEN / NEBULA THE VELVET QUEEN - Tenor Sax / Guitar / Theremin
7:30: AARON EDGCOMB / PRIYA CARLBERG / DAVID LEON - Percussion Electronics / Voice / Alto Sax

Sunday, May 1st:
DMG 31st ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!
GARY LUCAS / ELLIOTT SHARP / JOEL HARRISON!
Solo Guitars, Book Signings & Jam!
15 guests only

Tuesday, May 3rd:
6:30: FEDERICO BALDUCCI / BRIAN KASTAN / MIKE PRIDE - El Bass / El Guitar / Drums!
7:30: ALIX TUCOU - Bass Trombone Electronics!

Tuesday, May 10th:
6:30: SYMBIOTIQUE: MICHAEL EATON / SETH ANDREW DAVIS / CHERYL PYLE / KYLE QUASS!
7:30: KATE BIRCH / TAL YAHALOM - Violin & Vocals / Guitar!
8:30: KEVIN MURRAY / CHRIS PITSIOKOS!

Proof of vax and masks are still required, thanks.

INDEPENDENT PROMOTERS ALLIANCE Presents:

JOHN BLUM / ROB BROWN / LOU GRASSI!
@ Michiko Studios, Stage 2
149 West 46th Street
Saturday, April 23 7:00
Suggested $20
Proof of vax required by venue
Stage 2 is on 3rd floor
Building is not elevator-equipped

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This week’s New Discs Start off with this Treasure:


TOSHINORI KONDO / HENRY KAISER / GREG GOODMAN / JOHN OSWALD - Renzoku Jump (Metalanguage ML-2022-1; The Beak Doctor 12; USA) Featuring Toshinori Kondo on trumpet, Henry Kaiser on guitar, Greg Goodman on piano and John Oswald on alto sax. The early 1980’s was a truly exciting time for those of us who were witnessing the beginning of the Downtown Scene. When Fred Frith (ex-Henry Cow) moved here in 1979, he started working with John Zorn, Eugene Chadbourne & Tom Cora, musicians I hadn’t heard of before but would soon come to admire and become friends with. With a few years, I discovered dozen of early Downtowners: Wayne Horvitz, Robin Holcomb, Polly Bradfield, Elliott Sharp, Zeena Parkins, Henry Kaiser & members of ROVA (both from the Bay Area) and many more. A number of international players also showed up around this time as well: Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Hans Reichel, the East/West German Quartet and a young trumpeter named Toshinori Kondo. Fred Frith, a longtime hero of mine, put together a series of ensembles like Massacre, Mad World Music & Skeleton Crew and worked with Material & Curlew. Japanese trumpeter, Toshinori Kondo, stood out since he was filled with the crazed creative energy, playing some of the most intense trumpet ever, dancing or contorting his body while playing and was filled with strange surprises. I remember him playing a solo with Mad World Music while wearing a three foot tall dunce cap, eventually taking off the dunce cap, cutting off the top and shoving the dunce cap in the mouth of his trumpet to finish the solo. Too much!
With the passing of Mr. Kondo in October of 2020, Mr. Kaiser has put together a collection of improvisations from a long period: 1978 to 2020. It turns out that Henry Kaiser and Toshinori Kondo’s musical relationship goes back even further than when I first heard both of them playing together in the early 1980’s. This disc is a collection of duos and trios and it is not in chronological order, giving us a chance to hear the these musicians play during different periods of their long music journey. This disc begins with a more recent long duo with Kondo & Kaiser from 2016. Word is that Mr. Kondo had lip problems due to playing so intensely for so many years and ended up playing in his middle register and using electronics to enhance his sound. He has done recordings which feature his electronics (like ’Nerve Tripper’ on DIW from 2002). On the first piece, “The Light in the Shade”, Kondo is playing long, sustained notes with subtle electronics while Kaiser plays some equally skeletal, ghost-like guitar. The effect is most haunting like entering slow moving shimmering dreamworld. Both Kondo and Kaiser create heavenly, somewhat angelic sound which recalls when angels are playing harp in the heavens. Kaiser eventually floats in with a distinctive psych sustain guitar freak-out which is played with some restraint, the blend between both players is just right. There are three relatively short duos with Kaiser and Kondo from 1978 up next. What is interesting is this: although both musicians have evolved over much over 40 years, the way they play, the way they shape the sounds they make are similar in overall sound or effect: concentrating on every note or sound. The first trio piece is from Greg Goodman (keyboard), Kaiser and Kondo and it is live from 1980. It sounds like Mr. Goodman is playing an organ and the sound is most spooky. At times it is hard to tell the guitar from the organ although I do recognize certain signature sounds that Mr. Kaiser made when I first heard him around the same time. Mr. Kondo is already a master of strange and wondrous sounds, bending & twisting his notes in ways which are completely unique. Midway, Mr. Kaiser takes an extraordinary solo here while Mr. Goodman casts off some waves of free/jazz piano weirdness and Kondo interjects his own daredevil note bursts. The second duo features Kaiser, Kondo & John Oswald live in Toronto in 1979. The same trio had a rare album released the previous year in 1978. Both Mr. Oswald on alto sax and Mr. Kondo are trumpets, are already young masters of extended technique sounds, with some strong acoustic/organic interplay going on while Mr. Kaiser also interjects his own unique sounds into the mix. The final duo of Kaiser and Kondo is from 2020, the year that Kondo passed away. Again, we can hear the close language that has evolved between these two elders over the many years. This entire disc is 79 minutes long and an incredible display of international free/improv at its best. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

PAUL DUNMALL QUINTET with STEVEN SAUNDERS / RICHARD FOOTE / JAMES OWSTON / JIM BASHFORD - Yes Tomorrow (Discus Music 134; UK) Featuring Paul Dunmall on tenor & alto saxes, Steven Saunders on guitar, Richard Foote on trombone, James Owston on bass and Jim Bashford on drums. With the closing down of the DUNS and Slam labels, British sax colossus, Paul Dunmall, has had fewer releases coming out since it mostly the FMR label which is currently releasing his discs. I have no doubt that Mr. Dunmall continues to play live and record as often as is possible, but for his die-hard fans, like you & me, we now has some time to absorb each release. This is Mr. Dunmall’s first disc as a leader for Discus, he did appear on a late disc from Keith Tippett called ‘The Monk Watches the Eagle’, which was released on Discus last year (2021). This same quintet has a sextet release (with Percy Pursglove added) out on FMR, also from last year. Both Mr. Saunders and Mr. Foote are newer names for us Dunmall fans, while Mr. Owston and Mr. Bashford can be found on a half dozen previous FMR CD’s either together or apart.
If you look at the inside photo, you will see that Mr. Dunmall is surrounded by younger, fresh-faced music musicians, possibly half his age. Dunmall has long supported and befriended many musicians but well-known and not so, always providing them with a challenge. This disc opens with “Micromys Minutus” which features a written theme which is played by the sax, guitar & trombone frontline. While Mr. Dunmall takes his first solo on tenor, there is some extraordinary interplay between the guitar, trombone and rhythm team. Since Mr. Dunmall doesn’t play with guitarists or trombonists all that often, it is a joy to hear the strong players trading ideas and lines. Another change for Dunmall over the last few years is writing out themes for his different groups instead of doing all improv dates like much of his past gigs & records. For this as well a few of his other recent discs, it is Dunmall’s themematic material that makes this music special. “Cosmic Communion” begins with a superb bass intro by Mr. Owston and then moves into warm, well-written spiritual jazz theme played by the trombone and sax with an inspired el. guitar solo by Mr. Saunders, which unfolds slowly and tells a thoughtful story. Drummer Jim Bashford, who has played on a dozen Dunmall discs previously get a chance to slo at length on “Drum” which shows his mallet-playing prowess and inventiveness which leads into another strong hypnotic theme/song. Unlike many of Dunmall usual free-jazz blow-outs, this disc is much more thoughtful and dynamic with some more laid back episodes in between the other more intense solos. Now that I’ve heard this disc several times, I can say that it is one of the best dates of the month or year so far. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14 [Paul Dunmall & Steven Saunders are also members of another quartet who have a YouTube video which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CpvCjR8tvs]

STEPHAN CRUMP - Rocket Love (Papillon Sounds PS 20822; USA) Featuring Stephan Crumb on solo contrabass. Mr. Crump is one of the most in-demand bassists in the Downtown Network and has played for Kris Davis, Joel Harrison, Vijay Iyers, as well as leading a number of his own projects like the Rosetta Trio, Secret Keeper and Rhombal. Mr. Crump started a series of solo pieces for his on-line community/followers which began before the pandemic and was he got to work on moreso once we were all locked indoors during the Pandemic Days. Seven of the eleven pieces were composed by Mr. Crump with a few select covers by Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk, Rogers & Hart and Stevie Wonder.
There are those who do not appreciate solo bass recordings or even bass solos. Michael Formanek even called his first solo bass offering, “Am I Bothering You..?”. I am not one of those naysayers especially since a number of my favorite bassists (William Parker, Joelle Leandre & Peter Kowald), have all released strong, spirited solo bass records. This disc opens with “Lament (Part 1)”, which is filled with some hypnotic, low-end bowed drones, which sound like they are overdubbed and orchestral sounding. Billy Strayhorn’s rarely heard, “Isfahan” is an interesting choice. The moderate swing at the center feels good and reminds us of the what is referred to as the essence of jazz. Mr. Crump takes Monk’s “Pannonica” and twists it with some interesting knocking on the fretboard of the bass in a Monkish rhythmic way in between playing the theme and letting certain notes hang in the air. One of things that I enjoy about this disc is that Mr. Crump makes every note, sound or nuance count, there is no overplaying of technique for its own sake. I dig Crump’s own song, “Groove for Stacey Adams”, which does have a joyous melody ringing at the center. For the standard, “It Never Entered My Mind”, Crump again starts things off with some odd yet compelling sounds made by knocking on the bass before he launches into that ancient melody. Considering the Stevie Wonder was/is one of the great pop composers of the 20th century, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that Crump decided to cover, “Rocket Love” (from ‘Hotter Than July’ from 1980). This version also rings true as Crump plays that lovely melody directly from the heart. When I spoke with Stphan Crump about this disc, he said to forget that this is a solo bass effort and he is right about that since smoe folks like to pre-judge such things. This disc is warm, engaging and thoughtfully played & organized. One of this week’s most modest gems. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

MERZBOW & ARCANE DEVICE - Merzbow & Arcane Device (Important Records 511; USA) “Japan's leading noise luminary Merzbow meets American electro-feedback artist Arcane Device as they mix and manipulate each other's work. The results are droning, bubbling sonic textures that are as serene as they are extreme pushing the boundaries and meeting in the middle. Both artists contribute long-form manipulations that inspire contemplation as much as highly caffeinated charges of sonic skullduggery. Sonic textures take center stage on Merzbow & Arcane Device.
David Lee Myers aka Arcane Device has been building electronics and creating feedback based electronic music since the late '70s. He has collaborated with Tod Dockstader, Kim Cascone, Asmus Tietchens, among others.
Masami Akita's legendary Merzbow project has established him as an international electronic phenomenon.”
CD $15

STEVE ROACH / JEFFREY FAYMAN with ROBERT FRIPP and MOMODOU KAH - Trance Spirits (Projekt Records 395CD; USA) "Projekt's remastered edition of 2002's Trance Spirits returns to a hypnotic world of primal, passionate percussion inter woven with a tapestry of sonic atmospheres and electronic hybrid grooves. These seven tracks pierce time with the heartbeat pulse of the electronic soul welded to organic drums of skin and wood, a rush of ecstatic spirit-catching rhythms elevating a meditative trance state. Orchestrating a thunderous album of sound, Steve Roach's expansive array of synthetic sound worlds, hybrid groove percussion, and textural guitar-based atmospheres overlays the timbre-rich beauty of Middle Eastern and West African-influenced drumming. Pounding, pulsating percussion from drummers Jeffrey Fayman and Momodou Kah were recorded as a real-time continuum with long-form grooves performed live in the studio. Entranced by their own propulsive spirals, the grooves evolve over the course of the tracks -- it's a complex juggernaut. Later, in the Timeroom, Roach and Fayman shaped those initial recordings with Roach sculpting an overlay of electronics performed in the moment. Augmented on three tracks with subtle guitar tonalities from King Crimson's Robert Fripp, the 74 minutes of music unleash primal forces with an intense undercurrent of rich, transporting rhythms anchoring the body to the energies of the earth and sky. Sonic Curiosity: Expect dense trance music here: expansive regions of atmospheric drones punctuated by tribal percussion and astral tonalities. Sonic clouds roil and ooze with haunting moods that envelop the audience, lifting them from the earth and elevating them into realms that exist only in the mind. Out-of-print on CD for almost a decade, Trance Spirits' throbbing, insistent mysterious rite employs ancient and modern musical devices to traverse layers of consciousness, reaching an ecstatic state of full body engagement trance illumination. CD in 6-panel Digipak."
CD $17

JOHN CAGE - Radio Music (Performed By Faust/Band Of Pain)(Dirter Promotions 079CD; UK) “Jean-Hervé Zappi, and Steve Pittis recorded their interpretations of Radio Music independently in 2007 and 2010. They all felt it important to keep to the score as much as possible, given the obvious ambiguities of having to adapt it from John Cage's original 1956 score. These recordings were released as a 10" vinyl EP and sold out instantly, so here they are on CD format with some extras. During "lockdown", it was obviously impossible to get together and perform, so an "ensemble" version culled from takes has been mixed and is included here. Also included is a version of "4'33"" recorded live at the amphitheater in Pompeii. This is a bonus track, as it's obviously not part of the Radio Music sessions. For this reason, it is presented on the sleeve as a "penalty track" in anticipation of the inevitable criticism it will encourage.”
CD $15

INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN - Exit Knarr (Odin Records 9579CD; Norway) One of Norway's most influential bassists the last 30 years, Ingebrigt HÃ¥ker Flaten celebrates 50 years on Earth, releasing his most personal album so far. You can imagine the journey of Ingebrigt HÃ¥ker Flaten, bass player and composer, as an odyssey in a Viking ship of classic "knar" construction, with its long range, high speed, and strong seaworthiness in a storm. His story can also be told purely in music, as he does in the commissioned work (Exit) Knarr. The piece is divided into six destinations along the route -- a tribute to the people, music and places that have shaped him. (Exit) Knarr was commissioned by Vossajazz and the premiere was set to March 2020, but of course the pandemic has postponed the premiere twice. On the third try it is finally going to happen, Sunday September 26th. Not only is there going to be a concert, this will also be the first time the commissioned work by Vossajazz is recorded before the premiere.
The award-winning Norwegian bassist, improviser, composer, and bandleader Ingebrigt Håker Flaten has been at the forefront of modern creative music both in his native country Norway and internationally since the early 1990s. Perhaps best known as a founding member of the Scandinavian super group Atomic, Håker Flaten has merged post-free jazz explorations and experimentation with skillful use of attributes from many other idioms in countless collaborations, bands and projects.”
CD $16

ENSEMBLE NIST-NAH - Elders (Black Truffle 086; Australia) “Elders is the debut release from Ensemble Nist-Nah, a nine-piece percussion group led by Nantes-based Australian drummer and percussionist Will Guthrie. The diverse group of French musicians that make up Ensemble Nist-Nah -- whose collective experience encompasses traditional Gamelan performance, contemporary composition, noise, jazz, and everything in between -- perform on drum kits, traditional and junk percussion, and a complete set of Javanese Gamelan instruments. Though building on the foundations of Guthrie's solo work with Gamelan instruments (Nist-Nah, BT057) and primarily performing his compositions, Ensemble Nist-Nah is a collective endeavor, propelled by a breathtaking enthusiasm that has seen the ensemble manage to rehearse, perform, and even tour Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic. From the first seconds of opening track "Geni / Tirta", it becomes immediately obvious that this is no dry academic exercise or exotic indulgence. Rapid arpeggiated figures are propelled by manically busy kit drumming while slow-motion melodic lines float above. After a series of abrupt tempo changes and fragmented unison passages that crossbreed the rhythmic intensity of the Balinese Kecak with the joyride of an Ornette Coleman head, the music slows to a monumental groove, equal parts Javanese court music and Dark Magus. Another sequence of thrilling divagations leads us to the unexpected guest appearance of acclaimed vocalist Jessica Kenney, who elaborates a haunting Javanese Bedhaya across a spacious backdrop of massive gong hits, shimmering cymbals, rustling bells, and gritty textures. The remaining pieces that make up Elders explore a dizzying variety of approaches, from the shifting rapid-fire muted textures of "Overtime" to the ghostly bowed tones and ominous swells of the title piece (developed from a track on Guthrie's solo Nist-Nah release), which gradually builds into waves of shuddering low resonance and asynchronous percussive clicks like a haunted clock mechanism. On the aptly titled "Rollin", virtuosic twin drum kits criss-cross errant metallophone patterns in propulsive polyrhythms, while "Planeker" manages to achieve a bizarrely effective fusion of Harry Partch and Autechre. Arriving bedecked in beautiful monochrome images of gongs drawn by ensemble member Charles Dubois, Elders is a feast for the ears: music that burrows deep into timbral and rhythmic possibility while possessing an intoxicating physicality and reveling in the joy of collective performance.”
CD $17


HISTORIC & ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS:

JOHN MAYALL with JON MARK / JOHNNY ALMOND / STEVE THOMPSON - Live at the Marquee 1969 (Indigo CD007; EEC) Original Film Soundtrack taken from the movie "The Turning Point" produced and directed by Peter Gibson and Alex Hooper in 1969. Recorded at The Marquee Club, London, June 30, 1969. John Mayall - Vocals, Harmonica, Slide Guitar, Guitar [6-String], Tambourine Jon Mark - Acoustic Guitar Johnny Almond - Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute. Steve Thompson - Bass Extensive Liner Notes - Chris Welch.
Thanks to a nice customer of our who sent us a box of 50 or so John Mayall CD’s a couple of years ago, I’ve gained a big appreciation of British blues elder, John Mayall. Most folks who know of Mr. Mayall, know him as great talent scout for mostly UK’s blues players: Eric Clapton, Peter Green, John McVie, Mick Taylor and many other started out with Mayall’s band the Bluesbreakers. I had been listening to most of Mayall’s early catalogue way before that customer sent us practically everything he had done. There are two records from 1969 & 1970, ’Turning Point’ and ‘Empty Rooms’, where Mayall’s line-up featured a quartet (acoustic guitar, saxes & flutes, el. bass & Mayall on harmonica, vocals & guitar) with no drummer. Both of these LP’s were hits on FM radio and both are/were great. This disc comes from the same era and it also a great disc. Acoustic guitar great, Jon Mark, soon went on the form the band Mark-Almond with saxist Johnny Almond & ex-Mingus drummer Dannie Richmond and then formed the band Sweet Thursday, a marvelous, under-appreciated roots rock band that made just one classic LP. - BLG/DMG
CD $15

HERMETO PASCOAL E GRUPO - Planetario Da Gavea (Far Out Recordings FARO 229CD; UK) “On a balmy Brazilian night in February, 1981, a crowd gathered in Rio de Janeiro's Gávea neighbourhood under the iconic dome of the city's Planetário (Planetarium). Alongside musicians like Helio Delmiro and Milton Nascimento (who were in the audience that night), they were there to see the great "Bruxo" (sorcerer) Hermeto Pascoal live in concert, with his new band formation which would become known simply as "O Grupo" (The Group). On the Planetário Da Gávea recordings, Hermeto is cast as the "sorcerer" or the "cosmic emissary", exhibiting an intuitive sense of harmony and melody beyond that of our own world. "Tudo e Som" (All is Sound). It's an understanding of the universe as being in a state of constant movement, forever vibrating at the quantum level, like the string of a guitar, or a saxophone's reed. The series of concerts at the Planetário marked the birth of "O Grupo" which would last with the same line-up (apart from Zé Eduardo Nazário) for the next eleven years. Every member of O Grupo was a phenomenal musician in their own right. It was one of saxophonist/flautist Carlos Malta's first gigs with the group, and the concert unusually featured two drummers, Zé Eduardo Nazário and Marcio Bahia. Nazário, from São Paulo, had played with Hermeto during the mid-70s. Acclaimed keyboard player Jovino Santos Neto was on keyboards, piano and organ, and the great Itiberê Zwarg, played bass. Rounding the group off was the percussionist Pernambuco. During this period (up until the early '90s) the group would rehearse for hours on end, virtually seven days a week, with a total dedication to music and Hermeto's musical vision. Most of the compositions performed that night at the Planetário had never been recorded before, and many are unique to this album. The show also features the first recorded performances of "Era Pra Ser e Não Foi" and "Ilza na Feijoada" (inspired by Hermetos' wife Ilza's famed black bean and meat stew), which Hermeto later recorded on his 1984 studio album Lagoa Da Canoa Município De Arapiraca. Dubbed by Miles Davis as "one of the most important musicians on the planet", a Hermeto Pascoal live show was (and still is) an experience like no other. Across the recording of the Planetário concert, wild improvisation meets groovy, virtuosic vamping on progressive, extended psychedelic jams. The tracks are generally built around a beautiful, transcendent melody; instantly recognizable as being Hermeto's, and for the most part, the musicians then solo over extended two chord vamps. There's a plethora of powerfully delivered rhythms, wild solos and the performances are punctuated by Hermeto's unpredictable, at times comical sonic antics.
2 CD Set $20

CURVED AIR - Live 1971 (London Calling 5096; UK) “Curved Air live on Sounds of the Seventies March 1971, and Bilzen Jazz Festival in Vlaams, Belgium, August, 1971. Fronted by the charismatic Sonja Kristina and driven by Darryl Way's innovative violin, Curved Air burst onto the British music scene in the autumn of 1970, seemingly out of nowhere. Championed by John Peel, their exciting and innovative brand of progressive rock captivated audiences and made them live favorites. This superb release finds them at the peak of their powers on two incredible radio broadcast performances, live from the UK and Belgium. Four-panel digipack; includes 12-page booklet with background notes and images; professionally re-mastered for superb fidelity.”
CD $18

PEPPER ADAMS with the TOMMY BANKS TRIO - Live at Room at the Top (Reel to Real Recordings 008; USA) "The eighth historical release from archival imprint Real to Reel Records is an unreleased concert recording from baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams with the Tommy Banks Trio. Adams is best known for his work with John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Lee Morgan, Donald Byrd and countless other jazz legends. The 100-minute performance was recorded on September 25th, 1972 at the University of Alberta. This is the first release from a rich tape archive from Marc Vasey in Edmonton, Alberta. The set is transferred from the original analogue tapes. The deluxe edition double CD Includes an extensive 15 page booklet with rare photos; essays by Gary Carner, producer Cory Weeds; plus interviews with baritone saxophonists Frank Basile and Gary Smulyan as well as original music producer Marc Vasey."
2 CD Set $25

DEMON FUZZ - Afreaka!: Expanded Edition (Esoteric 2111; UK) Originally released in 1970, "Afreaka!" was the sole album by DEMON FUZZ, an AFRO ROCK band who made their mark by signing to Pye Records Progressive imprint DAWN. A melding of rock, jazz and African influences, the album was a funky masterpiece. Recently re-evaluated and sampled by many DJs of a new generation, this Esoteric Recordings reissue has been remastered from the original analogue master tapes and includes all three tracks from their 1970 maxi-single ('I Put A Spell On You', 'Message to Mankind' and 'Fuzz Oriental Blues') as bonus tracks.
CD $18

ALEISTER CROWLEY - All Words are Sacred (Batrachian Recordings 001CD; UK) BATRACHIAN RECORDINGS (UK) “A collection of spoken recordings made by Aleister Crowley, captured on wax cylinders between 1910 and 1914 and later transferred to 78RPM discs. Reissue of some of the only known recordings from the infamous occultist, mystic, magician, poet, novelist, sexual deviant, and all-around misfit, Aleister Crowley. The tracks include Crowley's recitation of the first two Enochian Keys, original poetry, incantations, and songs. Intonations of black magic rituals as well as ruminations on topics from the sinking of The Titanic to American independence that will thrill collectors of the odd and mystical. An absolutely essential piece of occult history, Newly remastered; six-panel ecopak with specially-created artwork.”
CD $15

LP SECTION:

MOTHER OF INVENTION / FRANK ZAPPA - Live In Europe 1967-1970 (Rox Vox RV6CLP 001BOX; UK) “Rox Vox presents five classic live performances by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention across Europe from 1967 to 1970. Live from Sweden, Netherlands, United Kingdom and France. When Freak Out! landed on the shores of Europe, Frank Zappa and the Mothers had found their second home. Freak Out! enjoyed far greater success in Europe than America initially and when he announced European tour dates, it became a rallying call to his devout followers of the continental counterculture. From his first Scandinavian venture in the Konserthuset in Stockholm, Sweden with extended and exclusive renditions from Freak Out! to his second European tour with performances from Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the Theatre De L'Olympia in Paris and a session for the BBC in London, England, Zappa's creativity, diversity, innovation, and subversive style was parallel with the complex and compelling nature of his work. His return to Holland in 1970 with a changed Mothers line-up brings portions of his then latest album Chunga's Revenge to a delighted audience and a rapturous reception. Captured through TV and radio broadcasts on his first ever European tours with a wealth of material from both Zappa and the Mothers respective catalogs and more. Includes the entire Sveriges radio, VPRO, BBC-TV and Radio France Broadcasts. Professionally remastered; includes 12-page full-color, large-format booklet with background liners and archive photos. 180 gram orange vinyl; printed inner sleeves.
6 LP Set $100

MERZBOW - Hybrid Noisebloom (Urashima 158LP; Italy) “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. Working in his home, he quickly gained notoriety as a purveyor of a musical genre composed solely of pure, unadulterated noise. Embracing technology and the machine, first in an absolutely analog way and then welcoming digital innovation, Merzbow broke boundaries and pushed toward new territories of the extreme. Hybrid Noisebloom, originally issued by Vinyl Communications on CD in 1997, is the latest in this trilling bread crumb trail. It is also the first time that this seminal document from Merzbow's '90s period has ever appeared on vinyl. Composed and performed on EMS and Moog Synthesizers, Theremin, metal devices, noise electronics, and voice, all recorded at extreme volumes, Hybrid Noisebloom's five tracks present a fascinating sonic assault, heavily driven by the presence of electronic sounds, played against the sparse interjections of Akita's heavily processed vocals, that push toward new territories of the extreme, while subtly nodding toward historical gestures from the early years of the avant-garde. "Plasma Birds" investigates timbral relationships, the fragmentation of melody, and abrasive, provocative noise -- shifting from the sparse, airy, and restrained, to dance clusters of interplay and back again. "Minotaurus" finds a strange middle ground between the intuitive logics of their instruments; synth and electronics taking on decidedly percussive approaches, while metal device's fractured polyrhythms and beats often veer toward the presence of a notable tonality. "Mouse Of Superconcetion", formed by screeches and from swinging and chugging to stepped back and sparse combinations of rhythm and tone, moves from the lingering sensibilities of straight-ahead synth to radically out hard blow fire. Launching from a total wall of sound, "Neuro Electric Butterfly" takes the listening on an endlessly surprising journey through its devices' inner world, shifting between airy open passages that feature endless combinations of one or more effects, to furious moments of sonorous lashings where the sound falls in together in brilliant dialogical periods of conversant texture and psychedelic intervention. "The Imaginary Coversation Of Blue" embeds bristling fragments, percolating tones, and poignant dissonances within a sweeping field of echoes rumbles and drones. First vinyl release; edition of 299.
2 LP Set $45

ALESSANDRO BOSETTI - Plane/Talea 31-34 (Holidays Records 120; Italy) “For a few years, Alessandro Bosetti has been collecting voices that become part of the Plane/Talea archive. The creation of the archive stems from dozens of individual meetings and recording sessions, in which each voice is detached from its owner or originator and anonymized. With each new iteration and performance, Bosetti plays the archive as if it were an instrument. He searches for hidden details and correspondences through exploration, immersion and contemplation. Each re-activation of the archive results in a dense and swarming polyphony made up of thousands of short utterances -- shorter than any word bearing a meaning -- recombined and interwoven into complex textures. The particularity of the grain of Plane/Talea lies in the autonomous and darting life that each of these fragments lives in a teeming community of voices. Such polyphonies are rich in microtonal detail emerging from the incessant juxtaposition of vocal objets trouvés. Harmonic relationships are sometimes rough and chaotic, other times surprisingly just. The voices are never treated electronically but only recombined and musical tension is provided by the particular grain, inflection, energy of each one of them in counterpoint to the others and to a frugally used instrumentation (harpsichord, Ondes Martenot, Cristal Baschet, grand piano, analog synth, Hammond organ). Implicit reference goes to ancient, modern and postmodern forms of vocal polyphony. Plane/Talea 31-34 -- the continuation of the homonymous 2016 LP (HOL 096LP) -- is a work of sampling that projects an imaginary community and a disembodied choir. The four arching and extensive tracks were created between 2017 and 2018 and bear the trace of two specific moments: August nights in a country house in Vicobarone, in the hills of Piacenza (31-32) and a week-long residency at the "Studio Venezia", an environment created by French artist Xavier Veilhan in the French pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale (33-34). Edition of 300.”
2 LP Set $38

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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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May 2022 Concerts at Zürcher Gallery, NY
SAVE THE DATES
 
Friday, May 13th, at 8:00 PM
Talujon
Ian Antonio, Caitlin Cawley, Tom Kolor, and Matt Ward
Performing the music of Jürg Frey:
Metall Stein (2003) (U.S. Premiere)
Toucher l'air (percussion quartett) (2019) (U.S. Premiere)

Sunday, May 15th, at 7:30 PM
Lalo Rodriguez Antiquity Quintet
Album Release Concert

Thursday, May 19th, at 8:00 PM
Susan Alcorn and Catherine Sikora
LIVE Performance
  
Kresten Osgood, Thomas Buckner,
Robert Dick, and Thomas Morgan

Admission is $20. 
Tickets can be purchased at the door. CASH ONLY.
All proceeds go to the artists.
*Masks are required in the gallery*
Zurcher Gallery
33 Bleecker St (Between Lafayette & The Bowery)
New York, NY 10012-2432

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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-322-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=YDGv_5p0dvQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBncHowndMo
1990 video from WETLANDS in here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfs5OuBfNxs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yeOIVqGLKY

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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 10:30pm Tues, Thurs and Sat 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)

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THIS COMES FROM OUR FRIEND, WEST COAST VIOLIN GODDESS JENNY SCHEINMAN:

House Of Faern @ Dresher Ensemble Studio, Oakland, CA - April 24, 4pm - These musicians saved my soul during the shutdown. We played jazz into nature and now come bearing the fruit. Beth Schenck (alto saxophone), Matt Wrobel (guitar), John Wood (piano) and Todd Sickafoose (bass).

'FOCUS' with The Eureka Symphony @ The Arkley Center, Eureka, CA - May 20 & 21, 8pm
My symphonic debut! ‘Focus’ is a seven part fairy tale for string orchestra and improvising soloist, written by Eddie Sauter, and made famous by Stan Getz in the early 1960s. 

'Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait' mini west-coast tour! June 1 @ Stanford University, 7:30pm
June 3 @ Pepperdine University, 8pm -‘ Kannapolis' is the movie live music show that I have been touring for the last 7 years. It is about community, resilience, and human connection. It seems to only grow more relevant as the years go by - a miracle piece! Footage shot by Mr Waters in Piedmont during the latter half of the Great Depression, re-edited and directed by feature film maker Finn Taylor, commissioned by Aaron Greenwald for Duke Performances, and performed by yours truly with Robbie Fulks (guitar/vocals) and Robbie Gjersoe (guitar/vocals). 

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This comes from Hungarian Clarinetist Extrordinaire, LAJOS DUDAS:
https://mediaklikk.hu/radio-lejatszo-bartok/?date=2022-04-13_23-00-00&enddate=2022-04-13_23-55-00&ch=mr3