DMG Newsletter for July 22nd, 2022

I was down on a frown when the messenger brought me a letter
I was raised by the praise of a fan who said I upset her
Any girl in the world could have easily known me better
She said, "You're strange, but don't change, and I let her"
In a while, will the smile on my face turn to plaster?
Stick around while the clown who is sick does the trick of disaster
For the race of my head, and my face is moving much faster
Is it strange I should change? I don't know, why don't you ask her?
Is it strange I should change? I don't know, why don't you ask her?
Is it strange I should change? I don't know, why don't you ask her?
Is it strange I should change? I don't know, why don't you ask her?

The summer of 1967 was often referred to as the Summer of Love which I used to believe was true. I was there, 13 at the time and I felt that when the Beatles sang, “All You Need is Love”, I thought that this was indeed the case. I still believe this although I know that it is not as simple as it seems. “Love” was just one aspect of what was going on in the US and around the world back then. The world was filled with the war in Vietnam, civil unrest, racial strife, a large generation gap, drug abuse as well as some more positive things like great music, both popular and creative and other Hopes for Happiness. Although I started buying full length LP’s during that summer, I was still buying hit & obscure singles. Although top 40 radio played the hits over and over and over, there were some incredible singles coming out all the time. Each one (usually under 3 minutes) created its own world or vibe or statement about something which would affect those who listened to these songs. 1967 was also the year that psychedelic music and drugs exploded everywhere. Practically every band wanted to add psychedelic sounds to their songs. I didn’t start smoking herb until 1969 and doing psychedelics until I got to college in 1972, yet I could hear the way these drugs had altered people's perceptions in the music that many of these bands were creating. Buffalo Springfield came together in 1966 and had three singer/songwriters up front: Steve Stills, Neil Young and Richie Furay. The band lasted less than two years, consistently fought amongst their members and still created three great albums. Their second album, ‘Buffalo Springfield, Again’ from 1967, is considered to be their best and it opens with their second great single of the year, “Mr. Soul”. That hypnotic pulsating psych guitar riff by Neil Young is somehow a transmutated version of “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones from two summers earlier. “Satisfaction” is said to have the first fuzztone guitar sound on a popular record and Neil Young also played with his own unique fuzztone sound on “Mr. Soul”. Check out the words above, for me, they capture a fleeting moment of psychedelic surprise. During my tripping daze in the mid-seventies, I found that the psychedelic experience often revealed some of the mysteries of life yet when I came back down to Mother earth, what I thought I had figured out seemed to slip away once again. I haven’t tripped in more than three decades and probably will not in the future, I am too old to deal with an extreme experience like this. Instead, I listen to music, read books & magazines, go to gigs, check out an occasional film, hang out with friends and anyone who wants to both listen to and discuss Creative Music in its many splendid ways. A toast or a toke to the old days.- BLG, the Old Music Freak

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CAN YOU HELP US WITH THIS AC Problem?

The old air conditioner (Energy Star) that we have in the window near our stereo doesn’t seem to be working very well. The fan is blowing but the air is not very cold, oye! I think we just need some freon but I understand that only a licensed pro can deal with this substance. I called 10 different online places earlier today but still can’t find someone to who can help fix this problem. This is a drag for those who work here, the customers who come to visit and the musicians who play here weekly. Plus our de-humidifier also stopped working recently. If you know of someone who can help us with this, please call us at 212-473-0043 or email at downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com. thanks!

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ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com

THE DMG 31st ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:

Tuesday, July 26th:
6:30: NIKOLAJ KLEMENS / JULIAN KIRSHNER - Tenor Sax / Drums
7:30: KENNETH JIMENEZ / HERY PAZ / TOM RAINEY - Contrabass / Saxophone / Drums

Tuesday, August 2nd:
6:30: TIME TROUT with VIV CORRINGHAM / MARCUS CUMMINS / DAVE MANDL / STEVE MOSES
7:30: ISMAEL ALI / WILL GREENE / RAF VERTESSEN - Cello / Tenor Sax / Drums

Rare Sunday Set, August 7th:
6:30: BEN GOLDBERG & WILL BERNARD - Playing selections from Porch Concert Material
7:30: ROBERT DICK & LESZEK “HeFi” WISNIOWSKI - International Flute Duet

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THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER BEGINS with AN ANCIENT, UNRELEASED JOHN ZORN GAME PIECE…

JOHN ZORN with EUGENE CHADBOURNE / DUCK BAKER / RANDY HUTTON / POLLY BRADFIELD - John Zorn’s Olympiad - vol. 2 Fencing 1978 (Tzadik 8390; USA) “Two extremely rare live recordings of the classic Zorn composition Fencing from the early days of the Downtown scene. Featuring two realizations of the piece—one recorded at Zorn’s artist loft The Theatre of Musical Optics with Eugene Chadbourne, Duck Baker, and Randy Hutton on guitars—and the other at Bard College with Chadbourne, Polly Bradfield, and John Zorn, a legendary concert that took place with George Lewis, Anthony Braxton, and Roscoe Mitchell in the audience. The music is astonishing—strange sounds, odd juxtapositions, stark silences, sudden explosions, all held together by a bizarre overarching compositional logic. Featuring a 16-page booklet replete with photos, scores, and extensive notes and remembrances by Zorn, Chadbourne, Baker, and George Lewis, this is a collector’s dream. Vexing and powerful sounds from the 1978 New York Underground!”
CD $16

RECENT RELEASE, SOLD OUT & SOON BACK IN STOCK:

EUGENE CHADBOURNE / JOHN ZORN STEVE BERESFORD / TOSHINORI KONDO - The Beast of 20,000 Fathoms (Chadula; USA) Featuring Eugene Chadbourne on guitar, John Zorn on alto & soprano saxes, clarinet & game calls plus Steve Bereford on piano & whatever and Toshinori Kondo on trumpet. This rare historic disc features pieces from two sets: a duo with Eugene Chadbourne & John Zorn plus a quartet with the duo joined by Steve Beresford and Toshinori Kondo. It looks like it was recorded in December of 1977 but the liner notes are somewhat blurred so it is hard to tell. Parts or all of this was recorded at Studio Henry which was located at 1 Morton St & Bleecker, in the West Village. Studio Henry was the first place that I heard many of the members of the original Downtown Scene beginning in December of 1979. It was quite a funky, low key place with black walls, folding chairs, no stage and a toilet which rarely worked. It was a co-op that was run by musicians as a rehearsal place mostly. Rumor had it that Charlie Parker used to practice there. I caught this duo there in January of 1980 and was confused by what they were doing. Could they actually play or was this some sort of joke? Listening to this music now, it does make sense to me so many years (40 ) later, The duo with Chadbourne and Zorn is up first. At this point, Mr. Zorn was playing mostly dozens of mouthpieces (having taken his saxes or clarinet apart), using bird or game calls and a cup of water to play into. The set begins quietly with subtle, freaky sounds, nimble string manipulation, soft, odd sounds from the reeds/mouthpieces. Patience is required especially for a prog/jazz snob like I was back then. One thing I do notice is that the duo make every note count, taking their time to evolve. On the second piece, the duo really takes off, with a stream of quick unique bent notes, both players have a distinctive way of twisting their notes so that they are playing as one stream. The duo actually do a bebop(?) standard here, “You Got to My Head”, which they twist into all types of odd shapes and it is pretty charming in its own way. The duo do a ballad of sorts on track 5, with Doc Chad balanced between playing the somber melody and rubbing the strings at the same time. What I find most interesting is that Mr.’s Zorn and Chadbourne sound like they’ve created their own language which sounds similar and like they are having an ongoing conversation throughout. Wacky British multi-instrumentalist Steve Beresford and Japanese trumpet madman join the Great Duo on track 8, pushing the freak-out, free-improv further out. Although both Beresford and Kondo come from very different scenes, the quartet work well together, tossing off layers of odd interconnected lines. Doc Chad occasionally tosses off a few weird words via distorted mic, with Kondo consistently playing & bending notes all over, with game calls by Zorn and Beresford switching between piano, tenor horn and toys or objects at his disposal. When the circus comes to town, you should attend before you drown in laughter and tears of joy! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

HORACE TAPSCOTT QUINTET with MICHAEL SESSION / THURMAN GREEN / ROBERTO MIRANDA / FRITZ WISE / DWIGHT TRIBBLE - Legacies for Our Grandchildren / Live in Hollywood, 1995 (Dark Tree DT(RS) 16; France) “Since its founding in 2011, the French record label Dark Tree has been issuing a "Roots Series" documenting previously unreleased performances of the Los Angeles jazz avant-garde from the 1970s through the '90s. Among the best of those releases have been several from Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra led by pianist/composer/conductor Horace Tapscott. Legacies for Our Grandchildren: Live in Hollywood 1995 is one of only two quintet albums led by the pianist. A community activist in South Central LA, Tapscott often worked with a rotation of musicians; some well-established, others local talent. In his larger ensemble recordings, there are frequently unknown players who have gone uncredited. Legacies... includes reed player Michael Session from the larger ensemble, bassist Roberto Miranda of Tapscott's sextet, and trombonist Thurman Green, who worked extensively with Gerald Wilson's Orchestra.
The tighter, more focused quintet format is a setting in which Tapscott and his band can be more individually appreciated. But the theatrical feel of his live work with the Arkestra comes through in "Motherless Child" with a dramatic vocal contribution from Dwight Trible. Tapscott's original "Breakfast at Bongo's" is seventeen-plus minutes of blistering swing with tenor saxophonist Session tearing up the stage. Impressive solos from the leader and drummer Fritz Wise direct the piece back to a full unit closing. Mr. Trible returns on "Close to Freedom," a piece saved from gaudiness by Tapscott's intervention. "The Theme" is an enthusiastically free improvisation dominated by a piano and drums duo. The album closes with "Little Africa," penned by occasional Arkestra pianist Linda Hill and previously recorded by that group, and by Trible.
Tapscott began amassing what would become a large collective in 1961, and from that community, he assembled distinct groups for projects. Because he elected to play within confined geography, he never achieved his deserved level of fame. Tapscott experimented and though it did not always work, it was fire when it did. "Ballad for Deadwood Dick" and "Breakfast at Bongo's" account for more than a half-hour of explosively good jazz. Legacies for Our Grandchildren: Live in Hollywood 1995 was culled from several performances at Catalina Bar & Grill on Sunset Boulevard. Kudos to Dark Tree for giving Tapscott a second life.” - Karl Ackermann, AllAboutJazz.com
CD $16

VINNY GOLIA / BERNARD SANTACRUZ / CRISTIANO CALAGNILE - To Live and Breathe… (Dark Tree 17/New Winds 345; France/USA) Featuring Vinny Golia on soprano sax & piccolo, Bernard Santcruz on contrabass and Cristiano Calcagnile on drums. This set was recorded live in Italy in February of 2017. Multi-reeds wizard, composer, professor, label-head (for Nine Winds), Vinny Golia, likes to keep busy with a variety of different bands and projects. Mr. Golia released a large 12 CD box set last year (2021) for an orchestra which is without a doubt one of the best and most ambitious box sets of Creative Music to be released over the past decade. Aside from inspiring students at UCLA, Mr. Golia has a number of ongoing projects which are released on his own Nine Winds label, as well as on the Astral Spirits, Castor & Pollux and pfMENTUM labels. The French-based Dark Tree label released a superb Golia Quartet date (with John Carter & Bobby Bradford) which was recorded in 1979 but was unreleased until 2018. Golia travels to New York and Europe from time to time to play with other like-minded creative musicians. For this date Golia works with bassist Bernard Santacruz, French bassist who has worked with Frank Lowe, Denis Charles and Charles Tyler. The drummer here is an Italian player who has worked with Alberto Braida and Silvia Bolognesi.
Vinny Golia is a master at many different reeds and collects many of the more obscure ones. He often plays multiple reeds on many of his releases. Here Golia concentrates on just soprano sax and piccolo. The trio is sailing at a moderate pace on the first piece, “An Introduction to Bonsai Basics”, with Golia on soprano sax. I must admit that this is a marvelous trio and they work together well as a focused unit, soaring together as one without breaking a sweat as of yet. Mr. Golia’s sound is somewhere between Trane and Steve Lacy on soprano sax, playing in quick streams, as well as bending certain notes in his own unique way. There is a section where Mr. Golia starts to play some of those Roscoe Mitchell-like multiphonics, another plus for those who dig that type of exploration. Mr. Santacruz plays an impressive bass solo at the start of “Thoughts Within the Vineyard”, which leads into some fine, simmering soprano led waves. Usually when I think of a piccolo, I think of the corny marching bands who use them. Yet when Mr. Golia switches to the piccolo, he continues to impress with a wide variety of sounds, stretching out the boundaries of what we might think could be done with this under-used instrument. Bassist Santacruz, who is an elder amongst European bassist is in fine form here and is at the center of the storm, his fingers coaxing a strong sound on his contrabass. There is a spirit/jazz vibe which runs throughout this disc, no doubt a part of what has become a tradition amongst all discs released on the great Dark Tree label. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

AB BAARS / TERRIE EX / KAJA DRAKSLER - When the Hills Run Across the Fields (Listen! Foundation FSR; Poland) Featuring Ab Baars on tenor sax, clarinet & shakuhachi, Terrie Ex on guitar and Kaja Draksler on piano. This disc/set was recorded live at the Konfrontation Festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria in July of 2018. ICP saxist Ab Baars and The Ex guitarist Terrie Ex have been playing together as a duo for several years, their first disc was released in 2010. Slovenian pianist Kaja Draksler is currently living in Amsterdam and her octet includes Mr. Baars as a member. What is interesting here is that these three musicians come from very different backgrounds yet have learned how to work together so well. Mr. Ex’s fractured guitar playing sounds at odds with the piano at times while Mr. Baars’ tenor sax is pushed further out and sounds just right with Mr. Ex’s occasionally jarring playing. I like the way Ms. Draksler strips things down to mostly skeletal fragments, giving extra space for her cohorts to work with. This disc turned out to be music better than it anticipated and and these players do sound wonderful together. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

NEW FREEQUESTRA with SAMO SALAMON / LUIS VICENTE / EMANUELE PARRINI / MARCO COLONNA / ACHILLE SUCCI / FREDRIK LJUNGVIST / MARTIN KUCHEN / SILVIA BOLOGNESI / ALBERTO PINTON / et al - Free Distance Vol. 2: Poems are Opening (Listen! Foundation 617078) Featuring Samo Salamon on guitar (plus directing, mixing & mastering), Achille Succi, Marco Colonna, Albert Cirera, Christoph Irniger, Martin Kuchen & Beppe Scardino on saxes, Luis Vicente, Alberto Mandarini on trumpets, Marcelo dos Reis on guitar, Silvia Bolognesi on bass and Vasco Trilla on drums. Over the last decade, Slovenian guitarist Same Salamon has released more than 10 discs and has sent most of these to yours truly. Mr. Salamon is most ambitious and has worked with many of the greats: Stefano Battaglia, Szilard Mezei, Tony Malaby and Sabir Mateen. For his first disc from 2013, he collaborated with the Slovene Philharmonic String Orchestra. This is Mr. Salamon’s third disc with his own Freequestra, although it is called “Vol. 2”.
This is Salamon’s most ambitious project yet working with some 17 musicians from six countries: Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. I know of most of the names here from a variety of other projects. Due to the Pandemic lockdown, Mr. Salamon had all of his gigs canceled yet still wanted to play with other Creative Musicians. Hence, he contacted these musicians, sent them improvised guitar parts and had them improvise to his parts, also giving them some directions to consider. There seems to be different combinations of players on each piece. Luis Vicente’s muted trumpet, Alberto Pinton’s sax and the guitars of Salamon & Marcelo dos Reis play with cautious, haunting restraint on the first piece. It is both skeletal and spooky. For “went my love riding”, Marco Colonn’s bari sax is at the center, his tone strong, warm, thick with some tongue slapping sounds from Achille Succi or perhaps Martin Kuchen’s alto and bowed bass from Ms. Bolognesi. The sound is superb throughout and Mr. Salamon has done a great job of selecting the best moments from each musician. I listened to Disc 1 last night (7/20/22) and will listen to Disc 2 tonight. As with each release I’ve gotten from Samo Salamon throughout the years, both of these discs are real sonic treasures! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18

SOUNDSCAPES FESTIVAL #3 with MATTHIAS BAUER / LAWRENCE CASSERLEY / FLOROS FLORIDIS / KALE KALIMA / GIANCARLO SCHIAFFINI / HARRI SJOSTROM / SEBASTIANO TRAMONTANA / PHILIPP WACHMANN / WILBERT DeJOODE / DAG MAGNUS NARVSESSEN / et al - Munich - 2021 Schwere Reiter (Listen! Foundation FSR 07; 2022) Featuring Harri Sjostrom - saxes, Floros Floridis - clarinets, Sebastiano Tramontana & Giancarlo Schiaffini - trombones, Kalle Kalima - guitar, Libero Mureddu - piano, Philipp Wachsmann - violin & electronics, Lawrence Casserley - electronics, Veli Kujala - 1/4-tone accordion, Matthias Bauer & Wilbert DeJoode - contrabass, Emilio Gordoa - vibes, Dag Magnus Narvesen & Steve Heather - drums & percussion. This was recorded live at a Two-Day Improvisation Festival in Munich, Germany in October of 2021. The musicians came from nine countries and played in an orchestra as well as in duos, trios, quartets and quintets. I know of most of the names here from a variety of earlier collaborations.
Both discs either begin or end with an orchestra improv. The opening piece for the Tutti Orchestra is most cerebral, free flowing, ever-shifting, throbbing or pulsating organically, exciting, intense, focused, thoughtful… The smaller groups, duos, trios and quartets are especially magical here. I always like when musicians who have never played together, do get the chance and create something unique. I caught Finnish saxist Harri Sjostrom with Cecil Taylor on several occasions and have always loved his playing. Great to hear him here in duo with Veli Kujala, who plays 1/4-tone accordion. Greek clarinetist Floros Floridis is another great musician whose name I haven’t heard from in many years, although I see from Discogs that he still records frequently. His duo with elder trombonist, Giancarlo Schiaffini is another highpoint. Both men play short, bent phrases which often complement each other, one starting a line which the other finishes. Both discs here combined are over 2 & 1/2 hours long. I just listened to disc one (78 minutes) and was on the edge of my seat for its entirety! Will check out Disc 2 later tonight. International Free Improv at its very best! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18

FORENSIC TRIO - Heartless (Discus 137CD; UK) Martin Archer’s new trio, alongside pianist Pat Thomas and percussionist Johnny Hunter, conducts something of an improvisational autopsy on this minimalist scree of ever-tightening tones and buzzing bones. The cover design does a pitch-perfect homage to the Naxos classical label, and makes for a regal display, but the sounds percolating in, out, and through this recording (and your speakers), though circumspect in their abject ‘dryness’, are nothing if not impressionistic in the broadest sense. Archer concentrates on exhuming all the spit and spasticity he can from his sopranino, alto, and baritone saxes, undergirding his fulminating outbursts with just the right touch of glistening digitalia, as heard so piquantly on the opening ten minutes of “Rotten Start”, a title steeped not so much in irony but in the trio’s then performative mood. The album’s lengthy, 25-minute highlight, “Heartless, Heartless / Rotten State”, calls back some of the earlier ’themes’ (née passages) of the album’s previous pieces, featuring odd pregnant pauses that magnify what arises thereafter and the forward motions of the trio. Herein, Archer’s electronic fibrillations court decidedly alien-sounding gestures, fuzzy bits of bleep and noise-whip that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Ilhan Mimaroglu or Tod Dockstader record, while Thomas’s strident piano crunk dances precipitously around Hunter’s fat snare strikes and crafty cymbal brushes. The cadences blossoming across the soundstage are at once awry, off-putting, and arresting; they seek to mirror the chaotic states overtaking our lives and psyches, and in this realm, the trio seem to possess a near-telepathic means to make flesh the rifts and tensions of our crazy spinning place, be it in the abstract or from out of the narrow confines of the studio. And storm it they do. Great stuff, for which your patience is duly rewarded. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14

ARMY OF BRIARS with JULIE & TIM COLE / MARTIN ARCHER / KEITH JAFRATE / PAUL TAYLOR / PETER SELLS / MARTIN PYNE / et al - Made from a Broken Star (Discus Music 135CD; UK) Army of Briars features Julie Cole, Tim Cole (plus guitar & cello) & Keith Jafrate (main lyricist) on vocals, Martin Archer on woodwinds, keyboards & electronics, Paul Taylor on grand piano, Peter Sells on bass guitar, Martin Pyne on drums & vibes plus Natalie Purton & Liz Hanks on strings. Tim and Julie Cole have a duo effort out on Discus from 2014. This is the second disc from Army of Briars, who started out as a trio with Julie & Tim Cole and Discus mainman Martin Archer. Their first disc was released in 2006, one of the earlier Discs discs and one that I haven’t heard as of yet. I wasn’t too familiar with the other musicians on this disc but I did some research: pianist Paul Taylor worked with Brian Ferry & is a psy-trance DJ, Martin Pyne worked with Stan Sulzmann & has solo & duo discs out. Both string players, Natalie Purton (violin & viola) and Liz Hanks (cello) are on more than a dozen records each, most of which are from a number of British musicians with whom I am not familiar. The Discus label has a way of finding lesser known UK musicians, from varied backgrounds and putting them in a good studio, to be treated seriously.
Considering that I don’t get a chance to hear very many new records with singers, I do appreciate the change of pace. With Ms. Cole singing lead and Mr. Jafrate writing most of the lyrics, there is an older, quaint, folk rock sound here that I find most enchanting. Ms. Cole has a lovely, charming voice, which is subtly surrounded by strings, woodwinds, piano and sympathetic rhythm team. “Arbor Low” begins with a chorus of warm, sublime vocals and is soon joined by the strings and Mr. Archer’s fine clarinet. Tim Cole sings lead on “The Green Man” and he also has a most charming forlorn voice which is delightfully backed by Mr. Archer’s quaint reeds (soprano sax?). The title song, “Made from a Broken Star”, is most exquisite and is arranged by Mr. Archer who seems to be playing a mellotron or something similar (sampled reeds?). I must admit that I am a big and longtime fan of this sort of elegant, softly majestic folk/pop. If you are a fan of Speed the Plough or Dead Can Dance or Steeleye Span, then this disc should make you feel better. It is soothing and softly mesmerizing. It is too bad that more folks won’t get a chance to hear this gem, it could make them feel better, calmer perhaps. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

MICHAEL and PETER FORMANEK - Dyads (Out of Your Head Records 008; USA) Featuring Michael Formanek on contrabass and Peter Formanek on tenor sax & clarinet. Last night (7/19/22), Michael Formanek’s Drome Trio (with Chet Doxas & Vinny Sperrazza) played here at DMG and were superb. Longtime Downtown bassist, Michael Formanek, has long been a favorite of mine, I recall hearing him in the late 1980’s/early 90’s with Greg Osby, Tim Berne, Mark Feldman, Marty Ehrlich and others. Mr. Formanek taught at college in Baltimore for some 16 years and is now living in NJ. I dig whatever he does from his two superfine solo bass records to duos with Tim Berne to the incredible Thumbscrew (with Mary Halvorson & Tomas Fujiwara). I believe his finest move was an extraordinary large ensemble disc on ECM from 2016. It is a masterwork. When Mr. Formanek did his week at The Stone several months ago, I went a couple of nights. I caught one night with a quartet with both Tim Berne and his son Peter Formanek on saxes and was most impressed once more. I hadn’t seen/heard his son play before and thought he sounded mighty fine.
This duo disc was released last year (2021) and both Formanek’s composed pieces: Peter (2), Michael (4) and there are 7 duo improvs. Michael Formanek’s haunting bowed bass kicks off ”Two, Not One” with Peter’s austere tenor matching Michael’s deep, dark wooden tone. I dig the way these two swing slowly together in perfect balance. Michael’s bass playing is forceful, rhythmic and he holds down the entire rhythm pulse just right. For “wandering, Searching, Digging, Uncovering”, Peter switches to clarinet which gives the duo a Jimmy Guiffre chamber jazz-like vibe. This disc is especially well recorded, giving both the contrabass and tenor sax or clarinet warm, thoughtful, a large presence or sound. If you think that having a bass/reeds duo would limit creativity or diversity somewhat, you’d be very wrong here. Each piece seems to explore a different strategy, sound or combination of ideas. I find this disc to be completely enchanting and consistently creative throughout the 72 minute entirety. Michael Formanek remains one of the best contrabassists around, his sound and playing here is superb. His son Peter sounds mature, well-seasoned with a strong tone well-beyond his youthful age. Bravo to both men. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

MICHAEL FORMANEK with TIM BERNE / MARK FELDMAN / WAYNE KRANTZ / JEFF HIRSCHFIELD - Extended Animation (enja ENJ-7041-2; Germany) Featuring Michael Formanek on bass & compositions, Tim Berne on alto & bari saxes, Mark Feldman on violin, Wayne Krantz on guitar and Jeff Hirschfield on drums. This was/is Mr. Formanek’s second record as a leader and it was released in 1992. We just relistened to it yesterday (7/19/22) when Mr. Formanek’s Drome Trio played here at DMG. It still sound fresh and adventurous some 30 years later.
CD Sale $10 [these are sealed copies, a few of these may have the wrong music on there (German rock band), so let us know if this is the case for you & we will send you a correct one]

STEPHEN GAUCI - Solo Improvisations (GauciMusic 04531; USA) Featuring Steve Gauci on solo tenor sax, recorded at Scholes Street Studio in September of 2020. Over the past year, Steve Gauci has been curating a monthly night of three sets here at DMG on Saturdays. Mr. Gauci had been also curating a weekly free music series with 5 sets per night at the Bushwick Public House in Brooklyn for more than five years and that series has recently ended. I had always dug Mr. Gauci’s playing in the past but really got a chance to hear him play with other local improvisers here time after time. I like the way he changes his approach somewhat for each musician he plays with. I can’t recall Mr. Gauci ever playing or recording a solo sax effort, so perhaps this is the first one. I know that Mr. Gauci spent many years studying with the Jazz Elders and perfecting his tone and playing. Now he spends time twisting his tone and stretching out as much as he can. Gauci often starts a piece with his Old School ancient tenor tone before he starts to bend those notes and play a series of fractured notes and occasional screams or bent-note blasts. On track 3, Gauci plays what sounds like a line from an old standard and then twists its inside out. On the next piece Gauci keeps shifting between different registers, bending many notes from the higher end of his sound while also interworking some of the low-end blasts or phrases simultaneously. What’s interesting about this disc is that it gives Mr. Gauci a chance to really explore his different approaches with no one else to push or lead him in another direction. No matter where Mr. Gauci goes, how far out or inside, he sounds consistently focused. There is quite a bit of marvelous playing going on here. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13

MERZBOW - Animal Liberation - Until Every Cage Is Empty (Cold Spring Records 314; UK) “Cold Spring Records presents the new studio album from Merzbow. As a life-long campaigner of animal rights, Masami Akita has delivered a brutal assault on those that cage and murder animals. Animal Liberation - Until Every Cage Is Empty is five tracks (49 minutes) of total noise assault that only the King of Japanese Noise can provide. "There is a theory that Covid-19 broke out from the poor conditioned wet markets where live animals are sold. If there were no poultry farms, there would be no mass destruction of chickens due to the spread of bird flu. Human beings' cruelty to animals, animal abuse and species discrimination are all adding up to a disaster for mankind and the whole planet. The pandemic is an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between animals and humans. Veganism is the future for humanity" --Masami Akita, 2021. The artwork is a reflection of the animal rights and anarcho-punk movements of the '80s. Proceeds from this release will benefit animal rights charities. Presented in a matt-laminate digipak.”
CD $17

MORE GEMS from The GREAT HUNGARIAN NEW MUSIC LABEL - BMC RECORDS:

DEJAN TERZIC / CHRISTIAN WEIDNER / RONNY GRAUPE / JOZEF DUMOULIN - Melanoia (BMC 267; Hungary) Dejan Terzic, one of the few truly European musicians, started Melanoia in 2012 and earned the German Grammy, Echo- Award with Melanoia's debut album as Best German Drummer in 2014. On the present album Terzic relies on the rapport of 7-string guitarist Ronny Graupe and alto saxophonist Christian Weidner. He also joins forces for the first time with totally wired keyboard wizard Jozef Dumoulin as trailblazer in the sonic wilderness. The entanglement of melancholy and paranoia, of dream and observing your own dreaming, becoming aware of yourself and being yourself, the shifting, crossfading states of mind between dream, daydream and waking state became a leading inspiration and thematic basis of Dejan Terzic's creative work in music. For Dejan Terzic a central key to deal with this existential experience in artful reflection and expression, is rhythm: rhythm to keep things together in dynamic, unifying ways when things start to drift, cross-fade or fall apart, when parts collide or entangled opposites threaten to suck each other's energies. Rhythm canalizes collisions' energies to rise from the ashes. Terzic developed this artful game as a distinct, passionate musical expression of reality. For Terzic reality has many competing and complementing layers, perspectives, faces, passages, wavelengths and sound prints. Musically he gives it shape and expression by turning the inside out and also by way of transcendental collision, all hold together and transported by his incisive odd meter rhythms, a strong, liberating force bringing forth concise and captivating leitmotifs. You can expect the unexpected throughout the whole album. It is however anchored in known sensations and experiences and based on a confining dramaturgy of moods, of transitions and resurrection, which keeps up tension and provides significance.”
CD $16

DANIEL ERDMANN’S VELVET REVOLUTION with THEO CECCALDI - A Short Moment Of Zero G (BMC Records 239; Hungary) “What comes to light here is something that goes to make up the driving force of jazz: the yearning to communicate. Daniel Erdmann, active as a member and co-leader of many bands, had the sound of this trio in his ear, and looked for and finally found the musicians who would allow the inner sound to become a reality. Here is a band that totally bears his stamp, that of the tenor saxophonist and composer. At the same time, in the ensemble playing there is lots of leeway for the participants. Music of this kind is about freedom, about the freedom to improvise in relation to the composition, freedom of feeling, thinking, and desire. What initially makes you sit up and take notice and draws you in, is the gesture, the closeness to speech, the narrative and rhapsodical manner. Daniel Erdmann's pieces are compact, sometimes even complex, and within their forms the participants can roam freely. Daniel Erdmann is a self-confessed melodist. And this is often much harder than hiding yourself behind a material exegesis, because the ideas and the statements have to be strong. In this skein of voices with violin, viola and vibraphone, he weaves together a trio that makes it possible for the parts to share rhythmic or harmonic aspects, to cross over or develop one another. French violinist Théo Ceccaldi contributes something from the grand French string tradition, as well as jazz references and something very contemporary: he can wallow in melody, but also provide abstract, percussive action. The luminous sound of Jim Hart's vibraphone reinforces the chamber music like magic of the trio. Jim Hart brings with him that rhythmic competence that here enables him to dispense with drums, brilliantly. Daniel Erdmann's Velvet Revolution is free from intent, the desire to illustrate, although it does contain a number of allusions. The music draws from the confrontation with reality and bubbles from the imagination. It has something poetic and something anecdotal; something picturesque and something abstract.”
CD $16

GRENCSO’S OPEN COLLECTIVE with RUDI MHALL - Marginal Music (BMC 222; Hungary) The quartet lineup of the Open Collective of Grencsó, torch-bearer of the Hungarian avant-garde is reinforced by German bass clarinetist Rudi Mahall, supplying a dynamic and ironic extra layer of melodies while a second double bass player is added to enrich the dynamism of the sound. The compositions show elements of blues, Bartók and standards, embedded in the rich context of free improvisation.
The works are much more than marginal; more mystical and quite magical, actually. They're skillfully conceived and executed; attractive and showing a remarkable degree of contemporaneity, indicated by superb blowing of the reeds and woodwinds, by way of ornamentation and even fingering and dynamics. Every one of the pieces from the very short movements to the longer ones, sound brilliant and inspiing. Brilliant in terms of instincts, modern virtuosity, whether it's a question of attack, articulation and dynamic variation. — Raul da Gama, jazzdagama.com”
CD $16

ARCHIVAL, HISTORIC RECORDINGS and REISSUES:

BUDDY DeFRANCO with ART TATUM / CLARK TERRY / HERB ELLIS / BARNEY KESSEL / KENNY DREW / HARRY “SWEETS” EDISON / MILT HINTON / RAY BROWN / BUDDY RICH / ART BLAKEY / MAX ROACH / LOUIS BELLSON / et al - The Bebop Years - 1949-1956 (Acrobat ADDCD 3429; UK) Featuring Buddy DeFranco on clarinet, Clark Terry & Harry “Sweets” Edison on trumpets, Barney Kessel & Herb Ellis on guitars, Art Tatum & Kenny Drew on pianos, Ray Brown, Curly Russell & Milt Hinton on basses and Art Blakey, Max Roach & Buddy Rich on drums. Over the past decade, I’ve been on a journey to hear as many great clarinetists of the 20th century as possible, listening to each one and trying to figure out what is unique about each one. I’ve come up with a long list of 100 names with brief info on when & where they were born and when they passed away, if they are no longer with us. The current faves are Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, John Carter & Laslo Dudas. Although the clarinet was prominent in Dixieland and swing bands in the early jazz days, there were very few clarinetists who were beboppers. The top of the heap from that era (1945-1955) was Buddy DeFranco. I have a handful of great discs from Buddy BeFranco, which are from the late fifties and early 1960’s, all of which I like.
This 2 CD set captures Mr. DeFranco’s earlier bebop years and stretches from 1949 to 1956. The first disc starts with the Buddy DeFranco Sextet with Teddy Charles on vibes, Jimmy Raney on guitar and Max Roach on drums. I dig all three of those musicians although the solo by DeFranco is really superb. You must hear the song “Extrovert”, one of the quickest and most challenging of bebop gems, another fantastic solo from Mr. DeFranco. Around 1950, Count Basie broke up his big band and organized an octet & sextet. There are very few records by these groups, just 1 album as far as I can tell. Mr. DeFranco was a member of the octet and there are four tracks from this great band. These songs are not really bebop tunes but they are bluesy, well-arranged and interesting nonetheless. Mr. DeFranco had his own orchestra in 1951. His orchestra’s covers the standard, “Body and Soul”, which features another fine solo by Mr. DeFranco. There are quite a bit of DeFranco’s smaller groups like his quartet here with Jimmy Raney & Kenny Drew. These pieces are strong and spirited bebop and sound wonderful. Most impressive overall. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $16

BACK IN STOCK:

JACOB GARCHIK with JACOB SACKS / DAN WEISS - Abstracts (Yestereve Records 01; USA) Featuring Jacob Garchik on trombone, Jacob Sacks on piano and Dan Weiss on drums. I caught trombonist Jacob Garchik in a fine quartet up at the Guelph Fest a couple of years ago, as well as with John Hollenbeck's Big Band very recently. This is an interesting trio with no bassist used or needed. The music has a thoughtful, spacious quality, in which each note counts. It reminds me somewhat of Jimmy Guiffre's wonderful trio with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow. Each piece is called "abstract #'s 1-8", and each employs a different strategy, idea or structure. Dan Weiss has become one of the most in-demand local drummers in the last few years and here, we can see why. On "abstract #2", he shifts the rhythm, moving through different styles throughout, creating one dialogue with the pianist as Garchik also inserts another set of ideas. There are pieces that start out one way, say charted and tight-knit, yet they move through sections where the layers of connections are not so apparent, but end up tight towards the final section. I love music that keeps one guessing where it will end up or how exactly it works and this music if a fine example of this. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG - 8/04/2015
CD $14


THE LAST (Perhaps) OF THE BLACK SAINT / SOUL NOTE / CAM JAZZ BOX SETS:

ED BLACKWELL With DEWEY REDMAN / CHARLIE HADEN / DON CHERRY / KARL BERGER /REGGIE WORKMAN / DAVID MURRAY / et al - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: Wall-Bridges/Old And New Dreams/A Tribute To Blackwell/Transit/In Willisau/Morning Song/From Bad To Badder (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1030; Italy)
7 CD Set $45

GIORGIO GASLINI With ANTHONY BRAXTON / GIANNI BEDORI / GIANLUIGI TROVESI / FABIO MORGERA / CLAUDION ALLIFRANCHINI / MAURIZIO CALDURA / EDDIE GOMEZ / et al - Complete Dischi Della Quercia Recordings: Murales/New Orleans Suite/Free Actions/Graffiti/Sharing/Live At The Public Theater NYC/Ecstasy/Four Pieces/Indian Suite/Monodrama/Skies Of China (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1016; Italy)
11 CD Set $55

STEVE LACY With ROSWELL RUDD / HAN BENNINK / MISHA MENGELBERG / GEORGE LEWIS / BOBBY FEW / BEAVER HARRIS / et al - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: Trickles/Revenue/Troubles/Regeneration/Change Of The Season/Dutch Masters/The Condor/The Cry (2 Sets)/Vespers (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1033; Italy)
9 CD Set $45

OLIVER LAKE With BAIKIDA CARROLL / MICHAEL G JACKSON / CHARLES EUBANKS / GERI ALLEN / BORAH BERGMAN / REGGIE WORKMAN / FRED HOPKINS / PHEEROAN AkLAFF / ANDREW CYRILLE / et al - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: Holding Together / Prophet / Clevont Fitzhubert / Expandable Language / Edge-Ing / Dedicated To Dolphy / A New Organization (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1026; Italy)
7 CD Set $45

JIMMY LYONS With ANDREW CYRILLE / WILLIAM PARKER / JEANNE LEE / RAPHE MALIK /ENRICO RAVA / et al - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: Wee Sneezawee / Give It Up / Burnt Offering / Nuba / Something in Return (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1028; Italy)
5 CD Set $45

ROSCOE MITCHELL With HUGH RAGIN / MATT SHIPP / WILLIAM PARKER / SPENCER BAREFIELD / JODIE CHRISTIAN / MALACHI FAVORS / STEVE McCALL / MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS / et al - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1036; Italy)
9 CD Set $45

MAL WALDRON with STEVE LACY / ANTHONY BRAXTON / CHICO FREEMAN / ENRICO RAVA / DAVID FRIESEN / LEONARD JONES / BUELL NEIDLINER / BILL OSBORNE / JUDY SILVANO / et al - The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note. Volume 2: Up and Down / Update / Sometimes I’m Blue / Sempre Amore / Dedication / Our Colline’s a Treasure / I’ll Be Around / Six Monk Compositions / Communique / Riding a Zephyr / Remembering Mal (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1043; Italy)
11 CD Set $55


ALAN LICHT // LOU REED / MILFORD GRAVES / RHYS CHATHAM / TONY CONRAD / SUICIDE / TOM VERLAINE / IRA KAPLAN / GEORGIA HUBLEY / et al - Common Tones: Selected Interviews with Artists and Musicians 1995-2020 (Blank Forms 9781953691019; USA) "Conversations with the avant-garde's leading lights--from Suicide to Anohni -- by experimental music's go-to interviewer, guitarist and sound artist Alan Licht. For the past 30 years, Alan Licht has been a performer, programmer and chronicler of New York's art and music scenes. His dry wit, deep erudition and unique perspective -- informed by decades of experience as a touring and recording guitarist in the worlds of experimental music and underground rock -- have distinguished him as the go-to writer for profiles of adventurous artists across genres. A precocious scholar and improvisor, by the time he graduated from Vassar College in 1990 Licht had already authored important articles on minimalist composers La Monte Young, Tony Conrad and Charlemagne Palestine, and recorded with luminaries such as Rashied Ali and Thurston Moore. In 1999 he became a regular contributor to the British experimental music magazine the Wire while continuing to publish in a wide array of periodicals, ranging from the artworld glossies to underground fanzines. Common Tones gathers a selection of never-before-published interviews, many conducted during the writing of Licht's groundbreaking profiles, alongside extended versions of his celebrated conversations with artists, previously untranscribed public exchanges and new dialogues held on the occasion of this collection. Even Lou Reed, a notoriously difficult interviewee, was impressed. Interviews by Alan Licht with Vito Acconci, ANOHNI, Cory Arcangel, Matthew Barney, Glenn Branca, Rhys Chatham, Tony Conrad, the Dream Syndicate's Karl Precoda, Richard Foreman, Henry Flynt, Milford Graves, Adris Hoyos, Ken Jacobs, Jutta Koether, Christian Marclay, Phill Niblock, Alessandra Novaga, Tony Oursler, Lou Reed, Kelly Reichardt, The Sea and Cake, Suicide, Michael Snow, Greg Tate, Tom Verlaine, Rudy Wurlitzer and Yo La Tengo's Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan. Introduction by Jay Sanders.
BOOK $22


OBSCURE WEIRDNESS FOR SERIOUS CD COLLECTORS:

SONOLOGYST - Interdimensional (Cold Spring Records 305CD; UK) “The new Sonologyst album, Interdimensional, explores the paraphysical dimension of cosmic music. It completes the dilation process of his sound, which began with the albums Silencers (CSR 253CD, 2018) and Ancient Death Cults And Beliefs (CSR 270CD, 2020), forming an ideal trilogy inspired by what is beyond the boundaries of science. Interdimensional is inspired by the scientist Michio Kaku who theorized what could be the remote future of the human species, beyond matter, the stars, and known dimensions. A future that could lead you to the victory over the end of everything, beyond the foreseen and inevitable death of the universe known to us. Also, a cosmic record in terms of sound, Interdimensional is pervaded by a sense of stasis reminiscent of Thomas Köner's isolationist electronics, but still characterized by the use of electrified instruments, analog synthesizers, and recordings of resonant metal objects. Unlike the previous records, however, the typical dark experimental/post-industrial sound of Sonologyst is filtered through hazy warping reverberations, and infinite delays, which musically depict the intergalactic journey of a civilization in search of a possible future beyond death.”
CD $17

THIRDORGAN - Loch Ness Monster (Hospital Productions 734CD; USA) “New album from Japan's most extreme noise artist -- Thirdorgan. Owner of Alienation Cult label returns to a mysterious and wonderful theme that will be familiar to Thirdorgan fanatics, collectors, and admirers -- of Loch Ness. No one knows if Nessie exists or does not exist. No one knows what Nessie really is, mysterious and wonderful. Anyone who has visited Loch Ness multiple times must answer surely... Nessie exists, that's the answer... Do you believe Loch Ness Monster?”
CD $16

TENHORNEDBEAST - The Lamp Of No Light (Hymns For The Yorkshire Doom Stone)(Cold Spring Records 312CD; UK) “For his first release since 2017's Death Has No Companion (CSR 227CD), Christopher Walton (ex-Endvra), a thirty-year veteran of industrial music, has dragged TenHornedBeast back to its pounding doom-ambient roots and recorded his darkest album yet, as a sonic veneration of a medieval sculpture depicting the torment of the damned in hell. In the crypt of York Minster, built directly on the site of the Roman citadel, is the Doom Stone. A relic from the 12th century the stone, carved in deep relief, illustrated for a medieval audience the horrors that awaited sinners in hell. Figures depicting luxury and avarice are licked by flames, leering demons hold a tortured soul in a furnace and the mouths of hell gape, their nostrils licked by toads. Here beneath one of the jewels of western Christendom is a talisman so shocking, so contrary to the modern mind that the very faith that created it has abandoned it. The five suitably monolithic pieces on The Lamp Of No Light (Hymns For The Yorkshire Doom Stone) form a journey, starting with the first mortal death and ending with the second eternal death of the soul. Walton has used the darkest textures and heaviest drones as way-markers on this journey, as hymns to exalt the scenes shown on the stone. "TenHornedBeast is a vehicle for the sinister current that is woven through life. If Christ is the Light of the World and hymns are sung to him in the Minster then my hymns should be heard in the crypt, where the Doom Stone radiates its No-Light. Without darkness, the light is meaningless." Six-panel digipak with photography by the artist.”
CD $17

DON BRADSHAW-LEATHER - Distance Between Us (Distance 101CD; UK) “Reissue of the cult 1972 album. During the long, dark hangover of the "Summer of Love", the classically-trained Essex prodigy approached CBS Records with demo recordings. A forward-thinking A&R executive must have seen a potential revenue stream in Don Bradshaw-Leather's avant-classical noise. The artist was given an advance to record an album. He used the funds to create a large studio in Sussex with many instruments including an actual church organ. Here, on his own, without the use of any electronic sequencing, he recorded Distance Between Us using multitrack tape, layering each part of the composition. Upon hearing the product of their financial investment -- four side-long tracks of blurry organ drones, frantic piano tinkling, and ritualistic percussion -- CBS got cold feet. The album was self-released on Bradshaw-Leather's own Distance imprint; a vanity label established for the sole purpose of releasing the album. The sleeve art is full of mysteries, from the misspelling of "Bradshaw" ("Bradsham"), to the coal-blackened visage of the bohemian madman on the cover (DBL himself?), to the rear photo collage depicting the same madman accosting a nude woman. The music isn't any less mysterious; shapeless symphonies of smeared-out Mellotron, tribal drums, and wordless vocals. Don Bradshaw-Leather passed away in the '90s. Presented in a matt-laminate gatefold digisleeve.”
2 CD Set $20

ALTIN GUN - On (Les Disques Bongo Joe 025; Switzerland) Altın Gün offer an exciting mix of Turkish folk, psychedelia, funk, and rock. After performing in Istanbul with Jacco Gardner, bassist Jasper Verhulst became fascinated by the Turkish sound of the '70s. At that time, artists like Selda, Barış Manço, and Erkin Koray combined traditional music with western rock influences. Along with bandmates Ben Rider (guitar) and Nic Mauskovic (drums), Verhulst searched for Turkish musicians to revive this sound. They found Merve Dasdemir (vocals) and Erdinc Yildiz Ecevit (vocals, saz, keys) through Facebook. Jungle by Nigaht's energetic percussionist Gino Groeneveld joined the group and the band was complete. Altın Gün play songs from the aforementioned artists from the '70s and their lesser-known contemporaries and also make their own arrangements of Turkish traditionals. This way, different worlds meet and form a refreshing danceable sound.”
CD $17

DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP SIMSEK - Kar Yagar (Les Disques Bongo Joe 028CD; Switzerland) ”Two years after the success of Nem Kaldı (2017), outernational psych-pop sensation Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek deliver their debut album, Kar Yağar. Over the course of its 12 tracks, the powerful sound of the Bağlama (Turkish lute) and Derya Yıldırım's stunning vocals, builds and unravels stories together with the guitars, organs, drums, flute, and bass. Kar Yağar (which translates as "Snow Falls") has the dynamics of an epic journey through the Anatolian highlands; where deep-rooted folk effortlessly switches to sparkly improvisation or dance-y pop tracks. The album was self-produced at their studio in the French Alps, and the band's tour de force resides in their ability to develop their personal sound and approach whilst keeping their heart tuned to Derya Yıldırım's Anatolian roots. Original songs and instrumentals -- all composed and arranged by the band -- are scattered throughout the album. Notably "Seni Hala", a tear-drawing ballad with stripped-down acoustic arrangement and haunting choir... And Graham Mushnik's dreamy instrumental "Çocuklar", in which the band chose to feature a poem by one of Turkey's most renowned 20th century poet Nâzım Hikmet Ran whose title translates as "give the world to our children". The poem is meaningfully read by Derya's father Mustafa Yıldırım. The LP also contains a string of Turkish folk songs, that the band entirely re-arranged whilst preserving their original spirit and soul. In "Ey Şahin Bakışlım" Grup Şimşek pay tribute to the Alevi culture, a minority community in Turkey for which music -- and particularly the Bağlama instrument -- has a sacred value. A powerful and majestic version of Mahzuni Şerif's "Dom Dom Kurşunu" -- one of Grup Şimşek fans' favorites at live shows -- is also featured.”
CD $17

BEN WOODS - Dispeller (Shrimper 209CD; USA) "On Dispeller, Ben Woods's beguiling new album, his intimate experiments in rock paint a vivid portrait. Here, the New Zealand artist leans comfortably into intuition and abstraction. Expansive arrangements are anchored by heavy-lidded prose, while carrying the air of the portside shack it was made in. Dispeller was recorded throughout a year in Woods's hometown, Lyttelton, with Ben Edwards (Aldous Harding, Marlon Williams, Julia Jacklin) at the helm of the mixing console and co-producing. Utterings, footsteps, and the rattles of the room linger beneath the album's dense instrumentation, alluding to the familiar space the songs were captured in. Here, Woods's songs breathe and flourish into their own worlds. 'I found my voice in trying to make atonality croon,' he says. 'With Dispeller it was less about harmony -- the blend was capturing the songs very honestly in the room, and still making each of them to transport you somewhere different.' Even beside Woods's acclaimed debut, PUT (2019), which saw him sharing stages with Aldous Harding, No Age, Julia Jacklin and Steve Gunn, Dispeller enchants. The songs here are stronger, the instrumentation stranger. With chopped and screwed vocal contributions from underground hero Alastair Galbraith, 'Speaking Belt' snaps and pulses with the sordid clatter of a lost Xpressway single. Charlotte Forrester from Womb (Flying Nun) adds their diaphanous voice to 'The Strip And Punishing Type'. On fragile duet 'Wearing Divine', Lucy Hunter (Opposite Sex / Wet Specimen) threatens to steal the limelight, before a full hive of Marlon Williams's honeyed vibrato comes spluttering out of what sounds like a rusted can. Woods's melodies bring to mind Scott Walker's dramatic tunefulness, while his voice holds something of Gordon Gano's waver, pushed through New Zealand vowel mangling. Dispeller's arrangements hit at the subtle, reactive instrumentation of late-era Fugazi, the glowing murk of Grouper, the Antipodean-gothic drudge of Tall Dwarfs, and the mechanical outer crust of Sparklehorse. However, while Woods experiments with the disparate and the disharmonious, it is the open heart which elevates Dispeller. His voice holds the physical and spiritual middle; flirting with, but never succumbing to the splendor and turmoil which surround it."
CD $13

SARNADAS - The Hum (Favela Discos 057CD; Portugal) “The Hum is the debut opus of Sarnadas, a Portuguese transdisciplinary artist working sound, image, space and everything in between. The four hour-plus long album, set to be released in two parts, is a direct consequence of his work with the disruptive artistic collective Favela Discos. By suspending some protocols but, most importantly, by suspending time itself in a seamless never-ending loop of layered melodies, Sarnadas allows himself to focus on developing new possibilities with the manipulation of the context created, rather than relying on the false necessity of constant output. Over the 15 pieces of deeply moving, bright, but calming music, Sarnadas waives off rigid musical structures to loop, overdub, and erect layers of synth phrases which relate to each other in the enclosed environment of The Hum. The Porto-based musician prompts his search for melodic opulence in the seemingly still soundscape of organic repetitiveness, where the encounter plays as big of a role as controlled randomness and the mismatch of melodies, sounds and textures. Sarnadas's approach to music writing allows details to be generated, rather than forced into music, creating a state of conscious lethargy where dreaming plays an active role on the outcome of sound. Recorded live throughout two days, the two-part album is reflective of Sarnadas's need to suspend time and figure out a new pathos by allowing himself to work endlessly on the single output of choice: a three-oscillator homemade synth constructed by his long-time collaborator Inês Castanheira (Well). This simple instrument, paired with a mixer and pedalboard paraphernalia, freed him to work loops, textures, brightness and chance into a compelling design of organic and mutating spaces. Die-cut cover with two printed inner sleeves and sealed outer plastic sleeve.”
2 CD Set $17

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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 is from DAVE MILLER:

Friday July 22nd @ 8pm:
Record Shop Redhook - 360 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn
First: Ezra Feinberg (guitar)
Second: Zachary Cale (guitar)
Third:  ASCEND!  (Robert Boston/Daniel Carter/Tom Kotik/Dave Miller)

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Friday July 22nd, 10:30pm
Flip City featuring:
David Aaron - soprano & tenor saxophone
Dave Gould - drums & toys
Nick Panoutsos - bass

"Umbrage" album release
At Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 3), 185 Orchard St., NYC
Tickets $10, two drink minimum
https://www.seetickets.us/event/Flip-City/492585 
(reservations recommended)
www.rockwoodmusichall.com

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Sunday, July 31st at 7pm

Nate Wooley/Lester St Louis/Ryan Sawyer Trio (trumpet/cello/drums)
Cecilia Lopez & Joe Moffett duo (electronics/trumpet)
Chuck Bettis solo - (electronics/throat)

at Union Pool
484 Union Ave.
Brklyn 11211
admission: $17

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THERE IS A RECENT INTERVIEW with FRED FRITH by Rick Rees that is found here: https://rickrees.substack.com/p/fred-frith-interview . Rick Rees has been working on a website/blog/book/whatever about the great producer/manager/instigator/raconteur Georgio Gomelsky. Gomelsky is someone I’ve long admired and Rees is doing a good job of documenting/interviewing numerous Gomelsky associates. The Fred Frith interview is great and if you are a Frith fan, you should want to know about a number of upcoming projects, tours, etc. This interview showed up in my email during the last hour of my birthday last Sunday and it made me smile. Fred Frith & myself are old friends and he is someone whose music and attitude I really admire. - BLG

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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=Ne82zmzvOm4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T430EzDqtP8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDGv_5p0dvQ

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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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gaucimusic presents:

Sunday August 28th
Live at Scholes Street Studio
Live recording/Live audience!

8pm Rick Parker - trombone
Michael Attias - alto saxophone
Simon Jermyn - guitar
Kate Gentile - drums
9pm Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Shinya Lin - piano
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums
10pm Tony Malaby - saxophones
Caleb Duval - bass
James Paul Nadien - drums

Live recording/Live audience!
$20 at the door (entire evening), cash/venmo
August 28, 2022
@ Scholes Street Studio
375 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn
718-964-8763
gaucimusic.com

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ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com

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