DMG NEWSLETTER FOR FEBRUARY 10th, 2023

FREE Admission / Suggested Donation is $50 to RAZOM:
https://evergreen.humanitru.com/web/campaigns/razom~support-for-ukraine?tab_2014=id:4723
Please show a receipt of your donation at the door for admission

https://event.newschool.edu/aconcertforukraine212
Presented by John Zorn and The College of Performing Arts at The New School, Richard Kessler, Executive Dean

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(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance
Written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David
Recorded & performed by Gene Pitney in 1962

When Liberty Valance rode to town the womenfolk would hide, they'd hide
When Liberty Valance walked around the men would step aside
'Cause the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood
When it came to shootin' straight and fast---he was mighty good.

From out of the East a stranger came, a law book in his hand, a man
The kind of a man the West would need to tame a troubled land
'Cause the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood
When it came to shootin' straight and fast---he was mighty good.

Many a man would face his gun and many a man would fall
The man who shot Liberty Valance, he shot Liberty Valance
He was the bravest of them all.

The love of a girl can make a man stay on when he should go, stay on
Just tryin' to build a peaceful life where love is free to grow
But the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood
When the final showdown came at last, a law book was no good.

Alone and afraid she prayed that he'd return that fateful night, aww that night
When nothin' she said could keep her man from goin' out to fight
From the moment a girl gets to be full-grown the very first thing she learns
When two men go out to face each other only one retur-r-r-ns

Everyone heard two shots ring out, a shot made Liberty fall
The man who shot Liberty Valance, he shot Liberty Valance
He was the bravest of them all.
The man who shot Liberty Valance, he shot Liberty Valance
He was the bravest of them all

I took a class in music appreciation when I was Junior High School from a teacher named Ms. Good. She would usually play some current pop song (circa 1968) and then talk about what was interesting about it, lyrically and musically. She seemed to favor Dionne Warwick whose songs we listened to often in class, with most of her hits being written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David. I must admit that I also dug those songs: “Do You Know the Way to San Jose”, “Message to Michael” and “Walk on By”. The one assignment she gave us was to pick one song to play in class that we felt was special to us and talk about what made it special. I picked “Trouble Every day” by the Mothers of Invention and even recited the lyrics by heart in our class. Most of the students & teacher were flabbergasted when I recited those protest lyrics. I bought around 100 singles (7” records) in the sixties and always appreciated a great pop song (I still do). I realized that certain songwriters were true craftsman or women, a great pop song is also a work of art. Burt Bacharach was often at the top of my heap and he had many hits which I still dig: “The Look of Love”, “I Say a Little Prayer”, “Alfie”, “What’s New Pussycat” and the song above, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”. Great pop songs are like 3 minute short stories that place you in another place, scene or world, forgetting about anything else except the subject or feeling that the songs provides. Burt Bacharach was a master of the great pop song. Downtown composer/musician/label head, John Zorn, did a great, eclectic tribute to Mr. Bacharach in 1997 for his ‘Great Jewish Music’ series. I must find my copy and listen to it tonight, sing along and dance around a bit. Burt Bacharach passed away yesterday at the age of 94. A toast to one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. - BLG at DMG

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THE DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY 32nd ANNIVERSARY FREE IN-STORE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:

Saturday, February 11th - The GauciMusic Series Continues with:
6pm James Ilgenfritz - bass / Sandy Ewen - guitar / Michael Foster - saxes
7pm Stephen Gauci - tenor sax / Colin Hinton - drums
8pm James Nadien - drums / Brenna Rey - guitar / Cosmo Gallaro - bass

Tuesday, February 14th: Love Songs for Valentines’ Day & Blues Songs for Mother Earth!
6:30 - STEW CUTLER - Solo Guitar
7:30 - GARY LUCAS - Solo Acoustic Guitar

Tuesday, February 21st:
6:30: NICK FRASER / MAT MANERI / BRANDON LOPEZ - Drums / Viola / Contrabass!
7:30: AARON RUBINSTEIN - Solo Guitar!
8:30: ACTIVE FIELD: NANA FUTAGAWA - El Shamisen / EVAN CAPLINGER - Cello / JOE JORDAN - Oboe / IZZY TANASHIAN - synths / ORCHID McRAE - drums!

Tuesday, February 28th:
6:30: TY CITERMAN / JEN BAKER / SHAYNA DUNKELMAN!
7:30: KYLE MOTL - Solo Contrabass!
8:30: HARMOLODICS Trio with JAMES McKAIN / CALEB DUVAL / JAMES PAUL NADIEN!

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THIS WEEK’S GROOVY DISCS BEGIN WITH a GREAT POST-SURF GEM:

ITALIAN SURF ACADEMY with MARCO CAPPELLI / DAMON BANKS / DAVE MILLER - Fake Worlds (41st Parallel Records 003; USA) Featuring Marco Cappelli on guitar, Damon Banks on bass and Dave Miller on drums. Italian-born, NYC-based guitarist Marco Cappelli always has several ongoing projects that he works on whether he is in town (Brooklyn) or back in Italy where he also spends his time. The Italian Surf Academy is a trio that has been around for as a decade, their first disc released in 2012 (on Mode/Avant series). The group covers post-surf, spaghetti-western and exotica, bridging the gap between these varied yet somehow related genres/styles/influences. The original trio featured three Italian musicians and recorded two discs. Since Mr. Cappelli spends so much time here, he also organized a Downtown version of this trio with Damon Banks on bass (from the Go Organic Guitar Orchestra) and Dave Miller (Pet Bottle Ningen, Martin Bisi collaborator & longtime former manager at DMG).
The composers for this disc include: Martin Denny, Ennio Morricone, Link Wray, Will Grosz, Jack Marshall (The ‘Munsters’ TV show theme) & Earl Hagen (“Harlem Nocturne”). This disc opens with “Quiet Village” by Martin Denny, considered to be the progenitor of “exotica” in the 1950’s and later referred to as “space-age bachelor pad music”. What was once thought of to be both corny and futuristic, this music has unique sound with a foot in the past and one in the future. All three members of the trio are integral to that focused group sound. For the final guitar solo/bit, Mr. Cappelli adds some wah-wah/fuzz to give this a more garage/psych sound. Considering that this is merely a guitar/bass/drums trio, there is much more going on the meets the eye (or ear), the bass and drums are the foundation for each song with Cappelli adding assorted guitar parts, altering his tone with varying amounts of reverb and/or effects. On “Ecstasy of Gold” (Morricone), the bass is thick and plays the central lick or theme and even solos along with the guitar midway for some feisty interplay. Link Wray was considered to be one of the first pre-surf, el rock guitar virtuosos, his first singles began in 1956. He allegedly invented effects like distortion (by puncturing a hole in his amp speaker) and wah wah (by laying on the floor with a paddle attached to his foot covering his amp speaker). This trio does a fine job of covering his song “Lilian”, a slower, hypnotic piece, moody and dreamy. Each of these songs have a moodiness which I find most effective for those reflective times, perhaps late at night with a drink in your hand. There are a number of unexpectedly transcendent moments here: like when Marco rubs his strings with a slide on the “Munsters” TV show theme or that cosmic fuzz-tone guitar solo on “Hole in the Wall”. Considering that this is also considered to “space-age bachelor pad music”, there is a certain smooch factor going on as well, so grab your partner for a hug and kiss if you feel moved to do so. Another thing that I dig about this disc is that it evokes a series of cinematic scenes like those found in those spaghetti westerns of yesteryears. This disc was recorded by the great Martin Bisi and mixed/mastered by Elliott Sharp, hence the sound is superb throughout. Unlike most jazz discs that I review, this disc is more about the way the music affects our mood and has little to do with instrumental virtuosity. There is quite a bit of craftiness going on here nonetheless. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

ANDREW CYRILLE - Music Delivery / Percussion (Intakt CD 385; Switzerland) Featuring Andrew Cyrille on solo drums & percussion. “Andrew Cyrille’s longtime companion Oliver Lake praises the master of African-American rhythms in his poem The Real Cyrille – “making the real magic … the real rhythms … the real sounds … expanding his African/Haitian roots … surfing the drums for masterful lyrical snippets … a master of color … painting coloring riffing always stretchin’ searchin’ lookin’ for that next sound color sound!” Lake’s words astutely describe the artistry of Andrew Cyrille and the music that he makes on this record. Unlike his solo albums from the 70’s and 80’s, he has broadened his approach on this remarkable solo statement. Cyrille asserts, “I wanted to have a variety of percussion instruments in the compositions. So I was thinking of melodies that could be played with tambourines, bells, cymbals, crotales, gongs, and mallets.”
I’ve long admired the drumming of master percussionist Andrew Cyrille, having caught him with Cecil Taylor, Trio 3, Muhal Richard Abrams, John Carter and Bobby Bradford. I first heard him with Cecil Taylor around 1974 and have caught him dozens of times since. Solo drum records were extremely rare when Mr. Cyrille’s first album (‘What About?’ on BYG) was released in 1969, more than fifty years ago now. 60 albums later, Mr. Cyrille is back to where he started with a rare solo drums/percussion disc. Although Mr. Cyrille plays his trap drum set & cymbals here, he uses drum sticks, knitting needles, assorted objects and his hands. Mr. Cyrille describes what he was trying to achieve on each piece in the liner notes. Each piece does seem to evoke an assortment of vibes or scenes or short stories. Although most folks usually think of drums in terms of mostly their rhythmic make-up, there are other things going on here: melody, space, nuance, dialogue, the actual sound of each drum or cymbal and the way each note or sound effects the way we hear what is going on. On “La lbkey”, Mr. Cyrille reaches back to an early session (1961) he did for Monk bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, who also played oud and was influenced by middle-eastern music. Cyrille plays in the difficult 7/4 time and overdubs hand drum phrases over the pulse. I remember when drum solos were popular with rock bands in the 1960’s and when folks started to get tired of them in the 1970’s. There has always been a number of drummers or percussionists who are special and transcend listener's expectations. Mr. Cyrille is a master of getting diverse sounds and feelings from his approach to playing. This is not just a solo drums or percussion record, there is much more going on here that most would think. Superb! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18

LUCAS NIGGLI / MATTHIAS LOIBNER - Still Storm (Intakt 386; Switzerland) Hurdy-gurdy meets percussion. Matthias Loibner, the undisputed innovator of this strikingly exotic, medieval instrument and Lucas Niggli, who has been at the forefront of European Jazz for many years team up. Touching and intoxicating, fed by a huge repertoire between classical music, electronics, tradition and imagination, these two exceptional artists paint sounds into the now. In every colour, every note of their vibrant playing, a silent storm lurks, waiting to break loose in rhythmic cascades and avalanches of sound. “The result is an aural experience that is sometimes pondering, sometimes conversational, allowing the listening ear to float away; purely by means of the music. The album, laid out in comparatively short pieces, is made up of acoustic mind games. Haikus, or even more so, Japanese Tankas, evoke the moment. A form of poetry without rhyme, confidently created collectively out of the moment through improvisation, and with an indispensable reference to the present,” writes Johannes Rühl in the liner notes.”
Featuring Matthias Loibner on hurdy-gurdy & electronics and Lucas Niggli on drums & percussion. Aside from hearing the song, “Hurdy Gurdy Man” by Donavon for his hit single in 1968, I didn’t really know what a hurdy gurdy was until Stevie Wishart played one in my store in the mid-nineties. The hurdy-gurdy is a Renaissance instrument, a portable barrel organ with a crank to turn a resin wheel which spins against certain strings which are pushed down with the fingers to evoke sounds. Aside from Ms. Wishart, the only other musician that I’ve seen playing a hurdy-gurdy is Haino Keiji, in which he plays it in his own way (adding aluminum foil to the strings). Matthias Loibner is an Austrian hurdy-gurdy player who has ten records out which include the music of Vivaldi and Franz Schubert. For this disc Mr. Loibner works with Swiss drummer/percussionist, Lucas Niggli. I do know Mr. Niggli’s work through his collaborations with Barry Guy, Elliot Sharp, Charlotte Hug and Xu Fengxia. I urge you to check out the sound of a hurdy-gurdy since it doesn’t quite sound like anything else.
This disc begins with “Weinende Gietscher”. The hurdy-gurdy sounds like a trumpet of sorts, yet it also sounds like it is being bowed somehow. The overall sound is quietly dreamy and drone-like. For “Singing No Song”, it sounds like the strings on the hurdy-gurdy are being plucked while the drums are being skeletally with mallets. This music is most enchanting, melodic in part and with some lovely circular themes at times. Mr. Niggli often plays hand percussion which always adds some subtle shades to whatever Mr. Loibner is playing. Today (2/7/23) is the first warm, sunny and cool day in a while. The music here is also soothing and works perfectly with the vibe/feel of fresh air after some incredibly cold days last week. This disc is a gem. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18

JOANNA MATTREY / STEVEN LONG - Strider (Dear Life Records 2023; USA) Featuring Joanna Mattrey on Stroh violin & field recordings and Steven Long on organ, synth, barometer & short-wave radio. Over the past decade, we've seen more and more female musicians moving to town and diversifying the ever-evolving Downtown Scene. Joanna Mattrey is one of the best of these creative musicians, whether performing solo (2 discs on Relative Pitch), in a duo with gabby fluke-mogul or playing in the ensembles of Jessica Pavone, Anna Webber and Caroline Davis. I don’t know much about organist Steven Long although he does appear on an earlier disc by Ms. Mattrey. For this disc, Ms. Mattrey plays a rather obscure instrument known as the Stroh violin, which has a metal resonator attached to its body. Although it was first premiered in 1899, I’ve seen/heard very few string players actually play on one. On the opening piece, “Ep”, we hear an odd percussive sample with the Stroh sailing on top. Since the violin is being amplified by an attached horn, it sounds like an ancient instrument from way back when. The overall sound is quite eerie and rather other-worldly. Mr. Long does a fine job of creating different drones on each piece, whether using an organ, a synth or a shot-wave radio. Mattrey’s violin actually sounds like an old organ, like a Farfisa from the 1960’s while Long does a fine job of creating assorted hypnotic drones which work just right with Mattrey’s own sustained notes. If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t have a clue as to which instruments are being used here since none of the sounds are quite like what we might expect. Overall, this entire disc is most successful at capturing a sort of floating, haunting vibe. The piece “Host” reminds me of that quietly cosmic toy keyboard that Robert Wyatt used on his ‘Rockbottom’ album. This disc is consistently mesmerizing. Another modest treasure from the Dear Life label which is co-run by former DMG manager Frank Meadows. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

MAX NAGL - Moktober (Rude Noises 35; Austria) As far as I can tell, Max Nagl is playing organ, percussion, soprano & alto saxes and assorted sounds or samples on this disc. I’ve been friendly with Austrian saxist Max Nagl since the time he was living in New York and playing in a quartet called Big Four in the late 1990’s/early 2000’s. After having discs released on Extraplatte, Leo Lab & Hatology, Mr. Nagl started his own Rude Noises label which has just released its 35th disc. I know that Nagl is a multi-instrumentalist,and the liner notes mention he playing organ (orgel?) and drums, playing all of the sounds I believe. “How’s it Going” opens with layers of atmospheric organ and percussion. Mr. Nagl seems to looping certain sounds hence we hear pulsating keyboards and simmering percussion. This pulsating music is most hypnotic and sounds like it was recorded before we had synthesizers. Each of the 13 pieces create a different mood or vibe. “Schactulle” has a solemn, soft pulse with subtle new wave-ish organ on top and a groovy bass (guitar?) line in the center. One of the things I like most about this disc is that it is mostly laid-back and consistently enchanting. Sometimes the drums sound rudimentary like a child playing yet they are kept to a minimum as each instrument is utilized with restraint and care. A couple of songs have an ancient drum machine groove with a cool, somewhat funky bass line and either electric sax or guitar with devices. There is something quite charming about this disc, none of it goes too far out and it remains quietly enchanting throughout. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

MAX JOHNSON // LAUREN CAULEY / CARRIE FREY / MARIA HADGE / LUCY HATEM / FIFI ZHANG - When the Streets Were Quiet (New Focus 354; USA) During the Pandemic, Downtown bassist Max Johnson finally found the time to work on a half dozen different projects that we has considering doing. A few months ago, Mr. Johnson left us with four new discs, each one with different personnel, each one a different concept and each one a gem. Mr. Johnson has also been working on his modern classical compositions and this is his first release of his classical music. The personnel for this disc is Lauren Cauley on violin, Carrie Frey on viola, Maria Hadge on cello, Lucy Hatem on clarinet and Fifi Zhang on piano with Max Johnson conducting. There are four pieces here composed between 2017 and 2021. Each piece is dedicated to a different artist, composer or author or… “Minerva” opens and is dedicated to a composer named Jason Eckhardt. There is a theme which unfolds in which the piano leads with the three strings (violin, viola & cello) all accentuating some of the lines that piano plays until it drops out and the clarinet takes over. This piece is intense and focused, no matter which instrument(s) plays the main part, the other three are integral to the spiraling sounds. “Nine O’Clock When the Streets Were Quiet” sounds like a line from an old TV commercial. While the clarinet solos slowly on top playing a haunting solo, the three strings drone together like a wheezing harmonium. This piece is dedicated to the existential author Franz Kafka. This makes sense since the music had a dark undertow, similar to the way an existential play makes us feel uneasy about life. Even the liner notes about this piece by thew composer have a somewhat disorienting message. There are several droning notes all moving in waves around one another, usually with one of the strings wavering on top trying to balance itself from falling into the quicksand below the surface. “String Trio” does feature the string trio and is dedicated to someone named Angel Spadaro. Without the piano or clarinet as an anchor or partner, the strings are more stark and solemn at times. The strings seem to be bending themselves around one another as they drift from one episode to the next. There is a restless, tentative vibe going on here. A series of themes or melodic fragments are assembled and then slowly evolve into something else. The final piece is called “Echoes of a Memory” for clarinet, piano and viola. It is the most stark and solemn piece here, a reminder of what it feels like to be inside and away from most of humanity. The overall vibe on this disc seems to me like the universal sense of loneliness which many of us felt throughout the Great Pandemic when we were all stuck inside. Since this piece moves slowly and has more space, each note or phrase hangs in the air to be savored for a bit. It is certainly not as stark as Morton Feldman (thank the lawd), but it has a similar fragile quality at times, like feathers falling through space to land on the ground. The rustling of leaves in the wind, a theme which draws us in as we look out the window and view the world from our perch/view. Max Johnson put quite a bit of thought and subtle invention in this music. All we need now is for someone else to give it a few listens. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

FRANZ HAUTZINGER / MAZEN KERBAJ - Abu Tarek (Creative Sources 025; Portugal) Featuring Franz Hautzinger and Mazen Kerbaj on trumpets. This disc was recorded in August of 2003 in a studio in Lebanon and released in 2004 with no overdubbing or editing. In the first decade of the 21st century, a type of music known as lower case, minimal, onkyo or reductionist became somewhat popular, with different scenes in NY, Boston, Austria, Berlin and Tokyo all coalescing at the same time. Hence musicians from the different scenes started working together with a common goal of using space and sounds most carefully. Trumpeters Franz Hautzinger (from Austria) and Mazen Kerbaj (born in Beirut & moved to Berlin) were both parts of this minimalist umbrella/wave. This disc, which was released in 2004, was a part of that scene/era. For “sahel al bekaa”, we hear the sound of wind or breath slowly simmering together, a trumpet sound in each ear (I am listening on headphones). Someone appears to be tapping on the trumpet mouthpiece for a bit as the wind sounds slowly fluctuate, expanding, contracting, speeding up and slowing down. One of the trumpeters plays a sad, solemn, sort of lullaby on “hermel” while the other plays soft percussive lip-tapping sounds on his trumpet. Since there is no overdubbing or editing going on, all of the sounds no matter how odd are acoustic and often closely mic’d. There are a number of sounds which are difficult to tell what exactly is going on yet they remain consistently fascinating. I hear many different sounds here like: radiators hissing, a speed boat soaring by, thick drones, flatulent sounds, underwater gurgles… I remember hearing quite a bit of music like this in NY and at the Victo Fest during this period. Nearly 20 years later, I don’t think there is much of this thing today except for those Wandelweiser composers. An impressive change of pace for the maximalist sounds that I often review and hear played at the store for our in-store series. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $17

RITUAL TENSION with IVAN NAHEM / MARC SLOAN / MICHAEL SHOCKLEY - It’s Just the Apocalypse, It’s Not the End (Arguably Records RI-524; USA) Featuring Ivan Nayhem on vocals, Marc Sloan on bass guitar, guitars, feedback & cowbell and Michael Shockley on drums. During the mid-to-late 1980’s, NYC was filled with loads of bands fronted by one or two (or even three) guitarists, each of whom pushing the limits of what could be done on guitar(s). Consider these bands: Massacre, DNA, Sonic Youth, Swans, Band of Susans, Carbon, Shockabilly, Live Skull, Scornflakes and Ritual Tension. One of my faves was a quartet called Ritual Tension, fronted by singer Ivan Nayhem, with his bro Andrew on guitar, Marc Sloan (also in Carbon) on el bass and Michael Shockley on drums. Ritual Tension recorded three albums from 1986 through 1989, before they broke up. I caught them live several times and was knocked out by each set. It’s been 30plus years since that last record was released. Marc Sloan has kept busy ever since, working on a variety of projects and released 4 discs of his own in the past couple of years. The band reformed recently without their guitarist (Andrew Nayhem) and released a new trio disc in 2020. There is a guest violinist/guitarist named Emilio Zef China on 2 tracks. Marc Sloan has always had the thick, pounding, distinctive sound on his electric bass, hence his sound is often at the center of these songs. The music/songs here are strong, throbbing post-punk rock, powerful, tight, probing and in-your-face! The band do a fine, brooding version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression:”. Oddly enough Ritual Tension even do their own version of a hip-hop song which is pretty cool which includes some dark yet righteous lyrics. Ivan Nayhem’s voice is still strong, intense and like a narrator of nightmarish dreamscapes. I remember how much I dug Mr. Nahem’s singing and somewhat disturbing stage presence way back when. He still sounds like he is describing our urban nightmare, brought on by Right Wing Propaganda and Fear. Have things not changed that much in three decades?!? In some ways we are still plagued by numerous worldwide fascists. Perhaps it is even worse today. “Somebody buy me a drink” he squalls on “I Can’t Find the Party”. I can relate. This is primal energy, post-apocalyptic rap/rock whatness. The other cover here is “Shakin’ Street’, an early single by MC5!?! It is slowed down and brooding and most effective. Rock it slow, sly, sexy and fun. Ritual Tension truly rise to occasion for the last song, “Her Big Night Out”. It reminds me a bit of the original Stooges, just more funky. Hardcore punk music often inspired me due to its protest lyrics and powerful, rockin’ tribal sound. A similar powerful vibe flows through this music as well. Are you ready to get down?!?! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

ELIANE RADIGUE - 11 Dec 80 (Important Records Imprec 498CD; USA) “’11 Dec 80’ is a two-CD set containing Eliane Radigue's live performance of Chry-Ptus (1971), her first work for modular synthesizer and the world premiere of parts one and three of Triptych (1978). Triptych part 2 is also performed. Upon hearing these performances for the first time in many years, Radigue declared them to be the best versions she'd ever heard. Radigue's sublime renderings of these major pieces are full of illusory stasis, slow change, and dense, slow-motion drone that has characterized her pioneering electronic work. These pieces move like a river with currents shifting beneath the surface. While you can't quite distinguish the individual components you get a clear feeling of motion and change.”
2 CD Set $19

FRANCOIS JANNEAU - Une Bien Curieuse Planete (Souffle Continu Records 076CD; France) “First ever reissue. Paris, 1965. Pianist François Tusques laid the foundation stone of French-style free jazz with his first, soberly titled, album Free Jazz. Also in the team were several future key names of the French scene, (Michel Portal, Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin, Charles Saudrais, and François Jeanneau) all of whom honed their skills at the beginning of the decade in Jef Gilson's groups, although he was none too fond of the turbulent new face of jazz at the time. Ten years later, Jef Gilson had obviously changed his tune, as the label Palm that he had created in 1973 was now the launch pad for what would become the cream of French and international avant-garde jazz. This would notably be the case for François Jeanneau and Une Bien Curieuse Planète. His first album as leader (after briefly erring into pop with Triangle) was recorded in 1975, a few months after Watch Devil Go (FFL 071CD/LP) by his old friend Jacques Thollot, and with more or less the same casting: Jeanneau on sax of course, Jenny-Clark on bass and percussions, Lubat replacing Thollot on drums, and Michel Grailler (plucked out of Magma) was called in as a reinforcement for his completely "out of space" synthesizer sounds. Thus began a strange trip to a very strange planet, at the border of experimental jazz and swinging avant-garde. From 1960 to nowadays, from Georges Arvanitas to Laetitia Shériff, from Manu Dibango to "Mama" Béa Tékielski, everyone has wanted to play with François Jeanneau at some point. There is a good reason for this. The saxophonist is a formidable improviser, but also a solid composer, as he demonstrates on this record with, for example, the monumental "Droit d'Asile", the spooky "Theme For An Unknown Island" or the Coltranesque "Mr J.C. For Ever". Over half a century later, the planet seems far more familiar to us. And François Jeanneau is always on the front line for a guided tour. Carefully remastered and restored by Gilles Laujol. Graphic design by Stefan Thanneur. Licensed from Palm / Geneviève Quievreux.
CD $15

P16.D4 - Kuhe In 1/2 Trauer (Sonoris 022CD; France) “Reissue, originally released in 1984. P16.D4 was a German electronic noise music collective, active primarily from 1980 to 1988. P16.D4 embraced tape cut-ups, musique concrète, endless recycling, and transformation of previously published material, and many long-distance collaborations with like-minded artists such as DDAA, Vortex Campaign, Nurse With Wound, and Merzbow. Their active participation in the international industrial tape scene yielded collaborative output such as their release Distruct, where bands such as Nurse with Wound, Nocturnal Emissions, Die Tödliche Doris, and The Haters provided the source material. The longest-term collaboration was with the installation and conceptual artist Achim Wollscheid, who used P16.D4 sounds as the basis for LPs he recorded under the name SBOTHI. Ralf Wehowsky, the only constant member of the group, later released solo material under the alias RLW. Members of P16.D4 were also involved with Selektion, a collective of people involved with sound as well as the visual arts. Selektion published LPs, CDs, books, visual art and design. The collective worked in a strongly improvised, spontaneous and anti-professional way, using acoustic and electronic instruments, using existing sound fragments, duplicating and alienating them, using repetition, distortion, changes in speed and playing direction. For this they used not only sounds of other artists but also their own material from earlier productions. Late works of the collective are associated with musique concrete….
"This music is staggeringly original and innovative, and while it's possible to locate it in a chain of circumstance that links it to 'industrial' music, P16.D4 indulged in none of the empty cliches associated with the genre, worked incredibly hard, and seem to have been aiming at a form of sound art that was much more profound, varied, subversive, and potentially dangerous. Kühe In 1/2 Trauer's accompanying credits indicate their radical approach to making music: lots of improvisation, lots of live electronics, extensive use of tape-loops, some conventional instrumentation, and much that isn't -- like the milk churn on 'Paris, Morgue' or the use of baking tray and washing machine elsewhere. Even when guitars, drums or keyboards are used, they're played very weirdly. It's not even made clear who was doing what; the main credit is 'Concept,' which I assume means that one of the three devised the framework in which the noise would operate itself, and while RLW gets the lion's share of these credits, a lot of the cuts are evenly divided among the team and I have no doubt that the group operated in a very democratic or libertarian manner. None of this prepares you for the insane and troubling sounds that reach your ears, composed with scant regard for conventional logic and following an exciting, absurdist path, especially in the matter of tape edits and juxtapositions of recordings." -Ed Pinsent, The Sound Projector
CD $17

P16.D4 - Distruct (Sonoris 023CD; France) “Reissue, originally released in 1984. P16.D4 was a German electronic noise music collective, active primarily from 1980 to 1988. P16.D4 embraced tape cut-ups, musique concrète, endless recycling, and transformation of previously published material, and many long-distance collaborations with like-minded artists such as DDAA, Vortex Campaign, Nurse With Wound, and Merzbow. Their active participation in the international industrial tape scene yielded collaborative output such as their release Distruct, where bands such as Nurse with Wound, Nocturnal Emissions, Die Tödliche Doris, and The Haters provided the source material. The longest-term collaboration was with the installation and conceptual artist Achim Wollscheid, who used P16.D4 sounds as the basis for LPs he recorded under the name SBOTHI. Ralf Wehowsky, the only constant member of the group, later released solo material under the alias RLW. Members of P16.D4 were also involved with Selektion, a collective of people involved with sound as well as the visual arts. Selektion published LPs, CDs, books, visual art and design. The collective worked in a strongly improvised, spontaneous and anti-professional way, using acoustic and electronic instruments, using existing sound fragments, duplicating and alienating them, using repetition, distortion, changes in speed and playing direction. For this they used not only sounds of other artists but also their own material from earlier productions. Late works of the collective are associated with musique concrete.
"On this, their second LP, P16.D4 solicited tapes from several artists from Europe, England, the U.S., Canada, and Japan, and mixed that with their own material. Though in the current digital age collaborations from artists thousands of miles apart is quite normal, this was a quite radical approach back in 1982, when work on this LP began -- an interesting concept that actually works quite well, since these artists, which include Bladder Flask, DDAA, the Haters, Merzbow, Nocturnal Emissions, Nurse With Wound, and several others -- work in a similar free-ranging experimentalism as P16.D4, and their particular elements, usually just vocals or one instrument or noise implement, blend well without diluting P16.D4's own peculiar brand of avant-garde post-industrialism, but merely give it another facet. One of the best tracks, 'Aufmarsch, Heimlich,' consists of a choir submitted anonymously from Eastern Europe phasing in and out of static while a skronky alto sax bleats away. Most of the pieces exist somewhere just beyond the borders of free jazz, industrial, and even classical avant-garde, full of jarring noises and strange transitions and with a heavy overlay of electronics. What started out as an experiment yielded one of P16.D4's best albums." - Rolf Semprebon/AllMusic
CD $17

STELLAR LEGIONS - Stellar Legions (Sbdan Ultra 028; Belgium) “Stellar Legions is four experienced space cadets from the Antwerp interstellar legion, led by Captain Andrew Claes (STUFF., BRZZVLL, Internal Sun). With a sound rooted in jazz, improv, hip-hop, dub, and electronic music, brace yourself for an intergalactic trip through colorful musical worlds and allow yourself to be carried away to indefinable, otherworldly but always hospitable beacons. Alongside Claes, the delegates on duty are all heroes from the Allied star: Bram Weijters (Raymond Van Het Groenewoud, Crazy Men), Klaas De Somer (Tourist Lemc, Selah Sue), and Fre Madou (ex-DAAU, Namid). With them, come stories and artifacts from the multidimensional cosmos to our beloved mother planet Earth and they passionately present their first omnibus Stellar Legions via the groove-obsessed Sdban Ultra label. The album consists of eight tracks recorded in the studio and live, resulting in one big cosmic experience that exhilarates down to every last arrangement. From Claes's twisted sax on the semi-electronic ecstatic dream world that is an "An Arp in Tunisia" to the jazzy snatches of "Wessel" where De Somer's hurried drum patterns and Weijters's frenzied keyboard solos catch light, Stellar Legions unites the adventure and improvisation of jazz with contemporary sounds. At the core of the Stellar Legions sound is a rhythm section Sly & Robbie would have approved of: loose and sticky, grinding and unwinding: De Somer's drums fizz with expectation while the relentless bass strokes from Madou provide the beating pulse. It's fresh, it's raw and it keeps us listening, grooving and wanting more. Elsewhere, "Odyssey" is a cataclysmic mix of feverish sounds and melodies that take you to an extra-terrestrial place, while the live recording of "Alcyone", basks in a spatial mix of futuristic grooves and ethereal soundscapes before album closer "Covix", results in a spacious and wonderfully atmospheric affair. Electronics wizard Andrew Claes has recorded music in a wide range of styles ranging from free jazz outfit Chaos of the Haunted Spire (duo with Teun Verbruggen) to techno icon Marco Bailey and new wave hero, Marcel Vanthilt. In addition, he has collaborated with Zach Danziger, Zap Mama, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Hermes Ensemble, Mauro Pawlowski, Josse De Pauw, and many others and released music with the electro-jazz collective AAN/EOP and his solo project, Internal Sun. Claes is also a teacher of "Live Electronics" at the Conservatory of Antwerp and a doctorate in the arts, where he is currently investigating the possibilities of an electro-acoustic saxophone. He also regularly gives workshops on the Belgian synthesizer microcontroller platform, Axoloti.”
CD $15

STONEWALL NOISE ORCHESTRA - Constants In An Ever Changing Universe (Heavy Psych Sounds 248CD; Italy) New reissue of the Stonewall Noise Orchestra legendary album Constants In An Ever Changing Universe. It was quite chaotic putting this album together. It was recorded in five different locations. Rehearsal rooms, a living room, a super professional studio, high and low really. It was quite a challenge for Robert Ekholm to do the mixing. Some personal challenges at the time resulted in John Hermansen doing the vocals. In the middle of this chaos was the music, the constant in an ever-changing universe. Recorded by Robert Ekholm at Chaos Recordings.”
CD $16

FAIRPORT CONVENTION - And The Band Played On (Mooncrest 118; UK) 'And The Band Played On' sees this remarkable troupe deliver a definitive, headlining set from their concert at the Marlowe Theatre Canterbury in February 2003. This set captures everything this band has meant and contributed towards - traditional melodies, soaring vocal harmonies, musicianship to quiver the soul - all delivered in perfect fashion. No less can be expected from a band that has achieved so much and has had the longevity of legends.
Included are favourites such as 'Meet on the Ledg', 'Walk Awhil' and the 'Theme From Mash' all delivered by the key membership of the band's history that includes Dave Pegg, Simon Nicol , Ric Sanders, Chris Leslie, Gerry Conway and Andy Gutteridge. From the many recordings, both studio and live, that the band have released, 'And The Band Plays On' is the conclusive, live recording that beautifully highlights everything Fairport Convention are and what they have achieved from their fruitful career.
2 CD Set $18


ENLIGHTENMENT CLASSIC & AVANT-JAZZ CD COMPILATIONS, Current List:

The Enlightenment label series has continued to release several dozen 4, 5 & 6 CD sets, mostly from a variety of jazz greats from the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. I collect all of these since it is a great way to get the many wonderful jazz album that were released throughout the 1950’s. There were more than 100 titles available until recently with another 1 or two per month. Recently about a third of them have gone out of print. There are inexpensive and usually have two albums per disc. Plus they’ve learned to fit 80 plus minutes on each disc, something that seemed impossible a few years ago. Hence, jazz completists and newbies both should grab these before they disappear for good. - BLG at DMG

BETTY CARTER with RAY CHARLES / JIMMY POWELL / RAY BRYANT / GIGI GRYCE / SAHIB SHIHAB / SAM JONES / SPECS WRIGHT / - The Classic Recordings (Enlightenment 9195; EEC)
3 CD Set $16

KENNY CLARKE with ERNIE WILKINS / CECIL PAYNE / DEREK HUMBLE / SAHIB SHIHAB / ZOOT SIMS / RONNIE SCOTT / IDREES SULIEMAN / BENNY BAILEY / FRANCY BOLAND / JIMMY DEUCHAR / EDDIE BERT /HANK JONES / WENDELL MARSHALL / et al - The Complete Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9212; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

AL COHN with BILL PERKINS / RICHIE KAMUCA / ZOOT SIMS / PEANUTS HUCKO/ ROMEO PENQUE / PHIL BODNER / GENE QUILL / SERGE CHALOFF / NICK TRAVIS / JOE WILDER / BARRY GALBRAITH / HANK JONES / FREDDIE GREENE /OSIE JOHNSON / DON LAMOND / et al - The Classic 1950’s Sessions [4 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9199 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18

ORNETTE COLEMAN With DON CHERRY / CHARLIE HADEN / ED BLACKWELL / BILLY HIGGINS / WALTER NORRIS / SHELLY MANNE / RED MITCHELL / FREDDIE HUBBARD / ERIC DOLPHY / et al - Complete Albums Collection: 1958-1962 (Enlightenment 9104; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

JOHN COLTRANE with ERIC DOLPHY / McCOY TYNER / TOMMY FLANAGAN / REGGIE WORKMAN / JIMMY GARRISON / ELVIN JONES - The Classic Albums (Enlightenment 9200; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

MILES DAVIS With JOHN COLTRANE / CANNONBALL ADDERLEY / LEE KONITZ / WYNTON KELLY / et al - The Classic Collaborations 1953-1963 (Enlightenment 9144; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

ERIC DOLPHY With BOOKER LITTLE/JAKI BYARD/MAL WALDRON/FREDDIE HUBBARD/ROY HAYNES/ et al - Twelve Classic Albums [6 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9027 ,USA)
6 CD Set $22.00

DUKE ELLINGTON With JOHNNY HODGES / CHARLES MINGUS / MAX ROACH / HARRY “SWEETS” EDISON /MAHALIA JACKSON / LOUIE ARMSTRONG / BARNEY BIGARD / et al - His Classic Collaborations 1956-1963 (Enlightenment 9131; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

DIZZY GILLESPIE With SONNY STITT / SONNY ROLLINS / BILLY MITCHELL / AL GREY / MARY LOU WILLIAMS / et al - The Classic Verve Collection (Enlightenment 9139 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18

CHICO HAMILTON with BUDDY COLLETTE/JIM HALL/FRED KATZ/ERIC DOLPHY/PAUL HORN/HOWARD ROBERTS et al - The Complete Recordings 1953-1958 [5CD Set] (Enlightenment 9057 ,USA)
5 CD Set $20

CHICO HAMILTON with ERIC DOLPHY/GABOR SZABO/CHARLES LLOYD/GEORGE BOHANNON/JOHN PISANO/ALBERT STINSON/ et al - The Complete Recordings 1959-1962 (Enlightenment 9058; EEC)
5 CD Set $20

SLIDE HAMPTON with GEORGE COLEMAN / YUSEF LATEEF / JAY CAMERON / BOOKER LITTLE / FREDDIE HUBBARD / HOBART DOTSON / RICHARD WILLIAMS / HORACE PARLAN / EDDIE KHAN / PETE LaROCA / CHARLIE PERSIP / MAX ROACH / et al - The Classic Albums - 1959-1963 (Enlightenment 9216 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18

ROY HAYNES With RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK / PHINEAS NEWBORN / BOOKER ERVIN / FRANK STROZIER / RONNIE MATTHEWS / et al - The Classic Albums Collection: 1954-1964 (Enlightenment 9142 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18

FREDDIE HUBBARD with HANK MOBLEY / WAYNE SHORTER / JIMMY HEATH / TINA BROOKS JAMES SPAULDING / JULIAN PRIESTER / McCOY TYNER / SAM JONES / PAUL CHAMBERS / REGGIE WORKMAN / ELVIN JONES / PHILLY JOE JONES / CLIFFORD JARVIS / et al - The Essential Blue Note Collection (Enlightenment 9205 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18

THAD JONES With CHARLES MINGUS / FRANK WESS BILLY MITCHELL / HANK JONES / TOMMY FLANAGAN / BARRY HARRIS / KENNY CLARKE / MAX ROACH / ELVIN JONES / et al - Complete Albums Collection: 1954-1959 (Enlightenment 9134; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

CLIFFORD JORDAN with JOHN GILMORE / SONNY RED / LEE MORGAN / ART FARMER / KENNY DORHAM / CURTIS FULLER / JOHN JENKINS / HORACE SILVER / BOBBY TIMMONS / SONNY CLARK / RAY BRYANT CEDAR WALTON / PAUL CHAMBERS / CURLY RUSSELL / WILBUR WARE / ART DAVIS / et al - Complete Album Collection 1957-1962 (Enlightenment 9175; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

LEE KONITZ with BILLY BAUER / JIMMY GIUFFRE / HAL McKUSICK / WARNE MARSH / TED BROWN / SAL MOSCA / HENRY GRIMES / PETER IND / GENE ORLOFF / DAVE BAILEY/ SHADOW WILSON - The Verve Albums Collection
(Enlightenment 9172 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18

YUSEF LATEEF / WILBUR HARDEN / RICHARD WILLIAMS / HUGH LAWSON / ERNIE FARROW / HERMAN WRIGHT / BARRY HARRIS / BEN TUCKER / REGGIE WORKMAN / FRANK GANT / OLIVER JACKSON / LEX HUMPHIES / ELVIN JONES / JAMES BLACK / et al - The Prestige & Impulse Collection (Enlightenment 9214; EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

BOOKER LITTLE with ERIC DOLPHY / GEORGE COLEMAN / JULIAN PRIESTER / WYNTON KELLY / TOMMY FLANAGAN / DON FRIEDMAN / SCOTT LaFARO / REGGIE WORKMAN ART DAVIS / RON CARTER / ROY HAYNES / PETE LaROCA / MAX ROACH - The Complete Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9204 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

SHELLY MANNE With BILL SMITH / CHARLIE MARIANO / RUSS FREEMAN / JACK MONTROSE / ANDRE PREVIN / LEROY VINNEGAR / et al - The Classic Albums Collection: 1955-1962 (Enlightenment 9129 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

CHARLES MINGUS with ERIC DOLPHY / BOOKER ERVIN / CHARLES McPHERSON / CLIFFORD JORDAN / JACK NIMITZ / JOHN HANDY / BUDDY COLLETTE / TED CURSON / LONNIE HILLYER / JIMMY KNEPPER / JAKI BYARD / PAUL BLEY /
TOMMY FLANAGAN / DANNIE RICHMOND - The Rare Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9173 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

THELONIOUS MONK With SONNY ROLLINS / GERRY MULLIGAN ERNIE HENRY / JULIUS WATKINS / ART BLAKEY / MAX ROACH / et al - Complete Albums Collection: 1954-1957 (Enlightenment 9048 ,EEC)
5 CD Set $20

CHARLIE PARKER with JORDAN / CURLEY RUSSELL / TOMMY POTTER / MAX ROACH / BUDDY RICH - His Finest Recordings (Enlightenment 9193,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

BUD POWELL With PAUL CHAMBERS/ART TAYLOR/CURTIS FULLER/SAM JONES/PHILLY JOE JONES/ et al - - The Classic Recordings: 1957-1959 (Enlightenment 9097 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

MAX ROACH with HANK MOBLEY / GIGI GRYCE / PHIL WOODS / WILLIE DENNIS / BOOKER LITTLE / JULIAN PRIESTER / WALTER DAVIS, JR. / IDREES SULIEMAN / ABBEY LINCOLN / et al - The Collaborations [4 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9198 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

SONNY ROLLINS with DONALD BYRD / WYNTON KELLY / SONNY CLARK / HAMPTON HAWES / RAY BROWN / OSCAR PETTIFORD / SHELLY MANNE / MAX ROACH / ROY HAYNES / PHILLY JOE JONES / et al - The Complete Blue Note, Riverside & Contemporary Collection [4 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9101 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

BUD SHANK with BOB COOPER / CLAUDE WILLIAMSON / DON PRELL / CHUCK FLORES / et al - Eight Classic Albums (Enlightenment 9215 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

ARCHIE SHEPP with JOHN TCHICAI / ALAN SHORTER / BILL DIXON / ROSWELL RUDD / BOBBY HUTCHERSON /REGGIE WORKMAN / DON MOORE / CHARLES MOFFETT / JOE CHAMBERS /RASHIED ALI / JC MOSES / et al - The Early Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9165; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

JOHNNY SMITH with STAN GETZ / BOB PANECOAST / GEORGE ROUMANIS / JOHNNY RAE / JERRY SEGAL / Et Al - The Classic Roost Collection (Enlightenment 9194 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

SUN RA - The Early Albums Collection 1957-1963 [4 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9145 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $20

McCOY TYNER w/ CLARK TERRY / CHARLIE MARIANO / JIMMY GARRISON / ART DAVIS / HENRY GRIMES / STEVE DAVIS / BOB CRANSHAW / ROY HAYNES / ELVIN JONES / et al - The Impulse Albums Collections (Enlightenment 9160; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

FRANK WESS with ERNIE WILKINS / JEROME RICHARDSON / FRANK FOSTER / JOE NEWMAN / HANK JONES / KENNY BURRELL / BENNY POWELL / EDDIE JONES / KENNY CLARKE - The Savoy & Prestige Collection (Enlightenment 9169 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

RANDY WESTON with CECIL PAYNE / SAM GILL / AHMED ABDUL-MALIK / ART BLAKEY / WILBERT HOGAN / AL DREARES / WILLIE JONES - The Complete Recorded Works Between 1955 & 1957 (Enlightenment 9076; EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

FRANK WESS with ERNIE WILKINS / JEROME RICHARDSON / FRANK FOSTER / JOE NEWMAN / HANK JONES / KENNY BURRELL / BENNY POWELL / EDDIE JONES / KENNY CLARKE - The Savoy & Prestige Collection (Enlightenment 9169; EEC)
4 CD Set $18

RANDY WESTON with JOHNNY GRIFFIN / COLEMAN HAWKINS / GIGI GRYCE / SAHIB SHIHAB / IDREES SULIEMAN / RAY COPELAND / JOHN NEVES / GEORGE DUVIVIER / GT HOGAN / ROY HAYNES / CHARLIE PERSIP - The Complete Recorded Works Between 1958 & 1960 (Enlightenment 9077; EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

PHIL WOODS With JON EARDLEY / GENE QUILL / KENNY DORHAM / RAY COPELAND / et al - The Classic Albums Collection 1954-1961 (Enlightenment 9138 ,EEC)
4 CD Set $18.00

ENLIGHTENMENT SERIES with REVIEWS OR BLURBS ADDED:

BETTY CARTER with RAY CHARLES / JIMMY POWELL / RAY BRYANT / GIGI GRYCE / SAHIB SHIHAB / SAM JONES / SPECS WRIGHT / - The Classic Recordings (Enlightenment 9195; EEC) Born Lillie Mae Jones on May 19, 1929, the woman who became Betty Carter was an American jazz singer known best for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative interpretation of lyrics and melodies. Vocalist Carmen McRae once remarked: "There's really only one jazz singer--only one: Betty Carter." This triple disc collection features seven of Betty Carter's original albums from the earliest part of her solo-recording career, made between 1956 and 1964. Representing Carter's finest work of all, the collection is the perfect choice for both those new to this stunning vocalist and performer's greatest music, and for those ready versed in her sublime and timeless sounds. Albums included are: Meet Betty Carter and Ray Bryant’, ‘Out There with Betty Carter’, ‘The Modern Sound of Betty Carter’, ‘Round Midnight’, ‘Ray Charles and Betty Carter’, ‘Inside Betty Carter’…
3 CD Set $16

MILES DAVIS With JOHN COLTRANE / CANNONBALL ADDERLEY / LEE KONITZ / WYNTON KELLY / et al - The Classic Collaborations 1953-1963 (Enlightenment 9144; EEC) "Probably the most important figure in 20th century jazz, Miles Davis' legacy has left a permanent impact on music of all kinds. His work paved the way for a number of major developments in the idiom, from cool jazz and hard bop to jazz fusion and experimentations with pop and hip hop. Unsurprisingly, Davis' worked alongside some of the other most legendary jazz performers ever, of whom he was not only consummate in spotting the talents of early on, but who he would also combine perfectly to form the most dynamic backing bands to accompany him. Although almost exclusively a sole bandleader, Davis would on occasion work more closely with certain musicians, and of these collaborative works many still rank among his finest projects. Following a stand-out performance at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival, at which Miles fronted a band including Thelonious Monk, Percy Heath, Connie Kay, Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan, he began a long term relationship with Columbia Records, and so began a staggering number of recording sessions and live dates across the next two years. Physically and mentally exhausted by 1957, Davis would have retired by age 30 had it not been for the intervention of Columbia producer George Avakian, who encouraged him to take a new direction and work with bigger ensembles than before. Davis then enlisted the help of old friend Gil Evans as arranger, sparking a partnership that would stretch across the next five years. Their first album together, Miles Ahead (Columbia, 1957), saw Davis play flugelhorn while fronting a group of 19 musicians, which included Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Art Taylor and Lee Konitz. The album was among the most acclaimed recordings to ever utilize "Third Wave" - the blending of jazz, classical and world music in a continuous flow - and was hailed as a masterpiece by critics. This collection brings together nine albums from the early part of Miles Davis' lengthy career and highlights the great man's impact on the jazz genre."
4 CD Set $18

DUKE ELLINGTON With JOHNNY HODGES / CHARLES MINGUS / MAX ROACH / HARRY “SWEETS” EDISON /MAHALIA JACKSON / LOUIE ARMSTRONG / BARNEY BIGARD / et al - His Classic Collaborations 1956-1963 (Enlightenment 9131; EEC) “Among the most legendary figures in all of jazz, pianist, arranger and bandleader Duke Ellington informed and guided the entire genre across some 60 years. With his unparalleled eloquence, charisma and inventiveness, he has been credited as instrumentally raising the status of jazz to high art while concurrently broadening its appeal. One of jazz history's most prolific composers, having penned over 1000 pieces during his lifetime, the Duke was renowned too for nurturing the talents of many future jazz greats within his orchestras. To this end he rarely rested, even in his later years, a period during which he recorded some of his finest work, often in collaboration with other esteemed musicians. Duke Ellington kept up a consistent recording and performing schedule for the rest of his life, playing his final concert two months before his death on 24th May 1974 at the age of 75. He left behind a catalogue that has yet to be equalled, from which the selections featured on this four disc set have been drawn. Featuring eight original, remastered albums which the Duke made alongside an esteemed roll call of collaborators during the latter part of his career, this collection illustrates well why this master musician and performer continues to be held in such esteem.”
4 CD Set $18

ARCHIE SHEPP with JOHN TCHICAI / ALAN SHORTER / BILL DIXON / ROSWELL RUDD / BOBBY HUTCHERSON /REGGIE WORKMAN / DON MOORE / CHARLES MOFFETT / JOE CHAMBERS /RASHIED ALI / JC MOSES / et al - The Early Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9165; EEC) "A defining voice in the 'free jazz' movement, Archie Shepp's vivid musical improvisation and his unrelenting political views that emerged concurrently in the early 1960s maintained his position among the pioneers of the avant-garde form. His blistering tenor solos became a vessel for the anger felt in the Afro-American community, and as he disregarded traditional conventions within the genre. His mixing of African culture with free form composition and arrangement were both pivotal to the development of jazz in the early 1960s and an antidote to the emerging saccharine-sweet vocal forms taking precedence in the US Charts at the time. This 4CD box set chronicles the early years of Archie Shepp's musical career, as an originator, a pioneer and a major contributor to the early 1960s free-form movement. Featuring eight original albums, together totaling over 5 hours playing time, all re-mastered in superb audio quality, this set serves as an ideal introduction to this oft-under-appreciated musical genius, and is a welcome reminder of the great man's inspired vision and extraordinary sound.”
4 CD Set $18

JOHNNY SMITH with STAN GETZ / BOB PANECOAST / GEORGE ROUMANIS / JOHNNY RAE / JERRY SEGAL / Et Al - The Classic Roost Collection (Enlightenment 9194 ,EEC) The Classic Roost Album Collection (Enlightenment 9194; EEC) Johnny Henry Smith II, born June 25th 1922, became one of America's most revered cool jazz guitarist. This 4CD set features eight of Johnny Smith's most potent, dynamic and rewarding albums on which he served as band-leader, recorded for the Roost label between 1955 and 1960. Containing all of this most underrated Jazz master's finest compositions and performances, the collection will work equally well for those new to Smith's music and those who merely require a delightful reminder of his most extraordinary work and most unusual talent. Johnny Smith was one of the finest jazz guitarists of his era and was under-recorded, preferring to raise a family rather than seeking too much fame & fortune. A must-have for all you jazz guitar freaks! - BLG
4 CD Set $18.00

SUN RA - The Early Albums Collection 1957-1963 [4 CD Set] (Enlightenment 9145 ,EEC) “A true maverick in every sense of the word, Sun Ra remains one of the most influential, innovative and controversial figures in jazz. An exceptional composer, pianist and bandleader, Ra and his amorphous "Arkestra" embraced a vast array of styles from the entire jazz spectrum, from swing to bebop, free jazz to fusion and avant-garde to space music, while often adopting extravagant personas and costumes, and giving performances that pioneered the Afro-futurism movement. Never a great commercial success, Sun Ra boasts one of the largest discographies of any recording artist, having released over 100 LPs and numerous compositions. Of notable interest is the early part of Sun Ra's career, when his experimental nature was first developing. Sun Ra's career would remain as eclectic and exciting as ever it was throughout the rest of his life, as he continued to push boundaries and influence countless musicians within the world of jazz and beyond. He passed away on 30th May 1993 at the age of 79, but after death, his legacy lived on, as the Arkestra continued to operate in his honor, playing the great man's compositions to this very day. This collection brings together seven full albums, and many early singles, featuring more than five hours of music from the early part of his career as bandleader. Documenting the development of his music from 1955 to 1963, this set goes some way to unraveling the depths of this master musician and wholly unique individual's music.” These albums are all essential and include: ’Sound of Joy’, ’Super-sonic Jazz’, ‘Interstellar Low Ways’, ‘Jazz in Silhouette’, ‘The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra’, ‘When the Sun Comes Comes Out’ plus singles 1955-1963. We got this promo is last month and we have been listing to it over and over. If you don’t own any or very much Sun Ra, this is a great place to start. A number of these records are currently out of print on any format, my favorite LP from this period is called ‘Jazz in Silhouette’. - BLG @ DMG
4 CD Set $20

McCOY TYNER w/ CLARK TERRY / CHARLIE MARIANO / JIMMY GARRISON / ART DAVIS / HENRY GRIMES / STEVE DAVIS / BOB CRANSHAW / ROY HAYNES / ELVIN JONES / et al - The Impulse Albums Collections (Enlightenment 9160; EEC) “Born in Philadelphia on 11th December 1938, as a youth McCoy Tyner was encouraged to study piano by his mother and began lessons at age 13. Within two years music had become the focal point in his life and Tyner was playing on his neighbour's instrument, but his family soon invested in one of his own for the budding musician, following which he began hosting jam sessions at home. Among his friends were a number of other young musos who would go on to make their mark in the field of jazz, including Lee Morgan, Archie Shepp, Bobby Timmons, Reggie Workman, and most notably, fellow pianist Bud Powell and his brother Richie. McCoy later said, "Bud and Richie Powell moved into my neighbourhood. Bud was a major influence on me during my early teens. He was very dynamic." Tyner later attended the West Philadelphia Music School and the Granoff School Of Music. Also included as part of this collection, is a rare, previously unreleased recording of a jam session undertaken by members of John Coltrane's group in Munich in 1961, led by Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet and McCoy Tyner on piano. This unique and rarely heard recording also featured Reggie Workman on bass, Mel Lewis on drums, and Coltrane himself contributed trumpet to one number. This complete 4 CD collection, containing almost five hours of music, showcases all of Tyner's work with Impulse! as a bandleader, bringing together as it does McCoy Tyner's finest early releases, during a period that the great man went from being a breakaway from John Coltrane's group, to a fully-fledged international and wildly respected jazz band-leader in his own right. This boxed set will thus serve as both welcome reminder of this sublime musician's best ever work, or as a starting point for those not yet flying the flag.”
4 CD Set $18

RANDY WESTON with CECIL PAYNE / SAM GILL / AHMED ABDUL-MALIK / ART BLAKEY / WILBERT HOGAN / AL DREARES / WILLIE JONES - The Complete Recorded Works Between 1955 & 1957 (Enlightenment 9076; EEC)This compilation of six complete albums provides a perfect introduction to one of the most enduring talents in jazz. Collated across three discs in a faithfully remastered format, the musical skill and dexterity demonstrated at the beginning of a long and decorated career is awe-inspiring, and serves as an ideal starting point for those new to Randy Weston and a welcome reminder for the rest of us. Albums included are: ‘ Cole Porter In A Modern Mood’, “With These Hands’, ‘Get Happy With…’, ‘Jazz A La Bohemia’ and ’The Modern Art of Jazz’.
4 CD Set $18.00

RANDY WESTON with JOHNNY GRIFFIN / COLEMAN HAWKINS / GIGI GRYCE / SAHIB SHIHAB / IDREES SULIEMAN / RAY COPELAND / JOHN NEVES / GEORGE DUVIVIER / GT HOGAN / ROY HAYNES / CHARLIE PERSIP - The Complete Recorded Works Between 1958 & 1960 (Enlightenment 9077; EEC) Weston would mark the turn of the 1950s with what would be two of his finest and most acclaimed works. First came the late 1950s masterpiece Little Niles, the title track of which was named after one of Weston's sons and would become one of his best known tunes, having already featured on a number of his live records. Then followed the groundbreaking Uhuru Afrika, an ambitious combination of jazz and African rhythms with a 24-piece band; this would also mark his first album with trombonist, arranger and long-time collaborator Melba Liston. Outrageously, Uhuru Afrika would be banned in South Africa in 1964, an "honour" shared with the likes of Max Roach's We Insist! and Lena Horne's Here's Lena Now!. Weston would become increasingly interested in African music as his career developed, travelling there with a U.S. cultural delegation in 1967 and settling permanently in Morocco at the end of the tour. He would run the African Rhythms Club in Tangier until 1972, the same year he produced his most commercially successful album Blue Moses, on which he played exclusively electric keyboard. Over the following decades, Weston maintained a constant flow of new material, including the double album The Spirits of Our Ancestors, a collaboration with Melba Liston which also witnessed appearances from Dizzy Gillespie, Pharaoh Saunders and many local Moroccan musicians. Having now dedicated more than six decades to jazz, Randy Weston remains active to this day, touring worldwide and recording new music. His most recent album, The Roots of the Blues, was released in 2013, and he received the JJA Jazz Awards "Lifetime Achievement in Jazz" prize in 2015, just one of a staggering list of accolades that includes a personal honour from King Mohammed VI of Morocco in 2011 for his services towards the local musical heritage. Albums included are: ’New Faces at Newport’, ‘Little Niles’, ‘Live at the Five Spot’ and ‘Uhuru Afrika”.
4 CD Set $18.00

PHIL WOODS With JON EARDLEY / GENE QUILL / KENNY DORHAM / RAY COPELAND / et al - The Classic Albums Collection 1954-1961 (Enlightenment 9138; EEC) “Phil Woods stood out among saxophonists of his era, most notably because of his unique approach and refusal to follow the most popular forms. Woods signed with Prestige in 1954, releasing his first album, Pot Pie, with trumpeter Jon Eardley the same year, backed by a band of George Syran on piano along with long-standing bass and drums duo Teddy Kotick and Nick Stabulas. Woods developed a fondness for dual saxophone-fronted band arrangements. This style was evident on a string of albums he recorded with fellow saxophonist Gene Quill, including Pairing Off (Prestige, 1956) - which also showcased again the playing of Byrd, Flanagan, Watkins and Jones alongside trumpeter Kenny Dorham - and Phil And Quill (RCA-Victor, 1957), featuring pianist Dave McKenna, Buddy Jones on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums. Woods then began to branch out musically, leaving Prestige in 1957 to record freelance, releasing Sugan (Status, 1957) with pianist Red Garland and trumpeter Ray Copeland alongside Kotick and Stabulas. In 1958 he made the more serene and contemplative Warm Woods (Epic, 1958), backed by Stabulas, bassist Sonny Dallas and drummer Bob Corwin. In 1961, Woods recorded the Rights Of Swing album for Candid Records, a five-part, big band composition. This four CD collection, comprising over five hours of music in all, compiles eight original Phil Woods albums made between 1954 and 1961, all of which have been superbly remastered. Paying tribute to this, perhaps on occasion underrated, jazz maestro, who courageously stepped out of the shadow of his forebears to create a sound and style that was truly his own, this box set will provide both a perfect introduction to the music of Phil Woods, and a welcome reminder of this fine musician's extraordinary work.”
4 CD Set $18

LP SECTION:

MILES DAVIS with JOHN SCOFIELD / ROBERT IRVING / DARRYL JONES / MINU CINELU / AL FOSTER - Decoy (Get On Down 51472LP; Earth) "This record is self-produced by Miles himself! Without longtime production collaborator Teo Macero, Miles chases new directions with this 1984 recording. Miles allowed keyboardist Robert Irving and guitar legend John Scofield to write most of the material on the LP. The record is dripping with some of the new sounds of synths which makes this a very unique entry in the Miles catalog. Decoy features John Scofield on guitar, Robert Irving on synths and programming, Darryl Jones on bass, Al Foster on drums, Mino Cinelu on percussion, Bill Evans on sax, and guest appearances from Branford Marsalis. Pressed on crystal clear vinyl housed in a gatefold jacket with Japanese stylized insert and deluxe obi strip. Remastered from the original analog tapes."
LP $17

PITA/FRIEDL - Pita/Friedl (KarlRecords 099LP; Germany) “Electronic music legend and head of Editions Mego, Peter Rehberg, teams up with zeitkratzer mastermind Reinhold Friedl. Three side-long pieces melting electronic/contemporary avant-garde. When Peter "Pita" Rehberg and Reinhold Friedl first met each other, they did not like each other "at all," as Friedl emphasizes with a hearty laugh. The two would however eventually bond over the years thanks to a mutual respect for each other's music. In the summer of 2021, they entered the studio together for the first time. Their joint album for Berlin's Karlrecords is a faithful document "no editing, no overdubs" of their improvisations during two recording sessions shortly before Rehberg's sudden and untimely passing on July 22nd of that year. The three pieces see Rehberg working with electronics and Friedl with his inside piano, proving that they had indeed managed to find a common ground -- up to a point where it at times becomes hard to tell who plays what on this record. Friedl ran into Rehberg in Zbigniew Karkowski's tiny Tokyo apartment in 1999 while organizing the first edition of the Off-ICMC that was set to take place in the following year. "I came uninvited and slept a night at Zbigeniew's before Peter arrived and I had to move out," remembers Friedl, who ended up inviting the Mego founder to perform at the Off-ICMC even though he found it hard to relate to his music. "We had very different backgrounds: he came from industrial and I had roots in classical music and improv, a high-brow prick!" After having met several times at different concerts without ever really speaking to each other in the following years, a concert in Vienna in the late 2010s marked a turning point in their relationship (or lack thereof). Playing their sets back-to-back and loving every second of what the other was doing, the two finally clicked on musical level. The two would go on to become good friends, meeting regularly to discuss music and everything else while both were living in Vienna just a few minutes away from each other. Eventually they entered the studio twice for sessions that were completely improvised with no prior preparation. "Caciara," "Chiasso," and "Clamore" -- named retrospectively after three Italian words for "noise" -- capture the spontaneity of two artists who had always been outliers in their respective fields finding a common ground in sprawling dynamics and sonic intensity as well as enabling each other to expand their individual sound palettes. These recordings -- carefully mixed by Dirk Dresselhaus, but otherwise virtually untouched -- perfectly encapsulate the energy unleashed by two free spirits coming together over a shared love for pushing the envelope of improvised noise music. 180 gram vinyl; includes download postcard.”
2 LP Set $35

BADEN POWELL - Apresentando Baden Powell E Seu Violao (Honey Pie Records 067LP; Italy) Reissue, originally released in 1960. Recorded in Rio de Janeiro in 1959 and originally released on Phillips in 1960, this was Baden Powel's debut album. Baden Powel has been one of the most celebrated figures in Brazilian music. A technically proficient guitarist and highly sophisticated composer who managed to integrate classical techniques with both popular and jazz harmonies. Backed here by Monteiro De Souza's orchestra, Powell displays fascinating renditions of tunes from the American songbook such as "Stella By Starlight", "My Funny Valentine", and "All The Things You Are," plus a variety of samba and choro numbers.”
LP $25

MAGIC TUBER STRINGBAND - Tarantism (Feeding Tube Records 647LP; USA) "The fourth release by this Durham NC-based duo is also their second on Feeding Tube. We did their excellent When Sorrows Encompass Me 'Round cassette in 2021 (FTR 378CS), and are delighted to be able to do this new one on 45 RPM vinyl. The players, as always are Courtney Werner on cello and fiddle, with Evan Morgan playing guitars, banjo, pump organ, and shruti box. Tarantism came together in the depths of the Plague in the spring and summer of 2020 while the pair was living on a mountainside near Hayesville NC. As with their other recordings, the musical textures they play with have traditional Appalachian resonances, but their compositional approach often cuts against any orthodox grain. Courtney writes about the strange juxtaposition of the death throes going on in the world then, as contrasted with the bursting blooms of nature surrounding them in their rural retreat. And you can hear that on the album, as harsher globs of sound merge into softer edged drones that twist into Magic Tuber's more trad folk instrumentals. As with many good things, it's a journey. A totally wonderful record whether you suffer from Tarantism or not." - Byron Coley, 2022
LP $24

MISS NELSON & BRUCE HAACK - Dance Sing And Listen Again! (Honey Pie Records 066LP; Italy) “Reissue. Canadian composer Bruce Haack one of the true pioneers in the field of electronic and children's music. Originally released in 1962, Dance, Sing & Listen was Haack's debut album. Following instructions from children dance teacher Esther Nelson the album comes as a hyper-eclectic work based on a great variety of sound material. A hybrid soup of medieval, country, classical, and pop styles including tons of electronic effects, guitars, banjos, and other acoustic string instruments and bongos! This is open-minded music for children at its best.”
LP $25

MOGGI AKA PIERO UMILIANI - Tra Scienza e Fantascienza (Musica Per Immagini 013LP; Italy) “Reissue, originally released in 1980. Timeless atmospheres, hypnotic sonorities, minimal arrangements. And a composer gifted with a never-ending passion for music, experimenter in his genetic code, innovator by vocation, at ease with various instruments in order to forge avant-garde themes. Piero Umiliani was already forward in building completely new sounds in the late seventies. Tra Scienza e Fantascienza finds his alter ego Moggi experimenting with alternative grooves, electronic music, jazz tunes, and soundtrack motifs. One of the most interesting music libraries in the Italian composer's discography, reissued with a new remastering by Musica Per Immagini, is in full harmony with its title.
Notes and images of a dystopian future according to Piero Umiliani: "Science fiction has opened up our eyes to a variety of scenarios, possible or impossible, sometimes with a happy ending, sometimes apocalyptic, at times familiarly near, more often disarmingly far away, and always capable of inspiring our imagination. For the histrionic artist it took, perhaps, less of a cosmic leap to create this masterpiece. Centered on the cover, a strange creature with only one eye, its hands on a beaker containing a mysterious red liquid. To its right, a symbolic circle is imprinted on a sandy surface, and three bizarre constructions, similar to the volumetric flasks found in a laboratory, of differing heights and shapes. There is a strange blue planet in the distance."
LP $45

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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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Loren Connors: A Coming to Shore
January 28–March 25, 2023
Opening 4–7 PM January 28
11am–6pm, Thursday–Saturday
Blank Forms
468 Grand Ave #1D
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Loren Connors /Chris Cochrane Duo (8pm) and
Gabby Fluke-Mogul/Stephen Haynes/James Ilgenfritz - Trio (9pm)
Friday, February 10, 2023
8:00 PM 10:00 PM
Ibeam Brooklyn 168 7th Street Brooklyn, NY, 11215 United States (map)

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FROM DAVE MILLER, A fine drummer & longtime DMG Manager:

OdoruGen
(The Dancing String)
Marco Cappelli- guitars
Rubin Kodheli - cello
Dave Miller - percussion

Live at Troost!
Monday Feb 6, 2023
No cover
1011 Manhattan Ave (Greenpoint)
Brooklyn, NY 11222
8-10pm
G train to Greenpoint Ave. exit north and walk one block.

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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… the new one just popped up today, 7/27/22:

https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-342-auxiliaries
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-332-auxiliaries

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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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AMAZING SERIES OF PODCASTS PUT TOGETHER BY THE GREAT GUITARIST SAMO SALAMON:
The wonderful Slovenian guitarist/composer Samo Salamon has an incredible podcast on Youtube entitled "DR. JAZZ". He has interviewed many of the leading lights of contemporary improvisation including Bill Frisell, Hal Galper, Herb Robertson, Ben Monder, Bob Moses etc. and his conversations are deep and enlightening. Highly recommended for all curious listeners across the worlds of creative music. Here is the link: https://www.bing.com/video

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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=D9tzhS77-_k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pm-BC98IoY
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ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com

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