DMG Newsletter for September 15th, 2023

I’ve been thinking about the way that certain songs cast their spells upon us, stirring up emotions and evoking feelings which are hard to control or deny. The above song “Hickory Wind” first appears on the Byrd’s ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo” album from 1968. The song was written by Gram Parsons, who was a member of the Byrds for a year or so before leaving to found the Flying Burrito Brothers. Mr. Parson recorded it himself for his second solo album, ‘Grievous Angel’ in 1974. Emmylou Harris, who was once a member of Gram Parson’s band, also recorded it for her ‘Blue Kentucky Girl’ album in 1979. I find this song to be immensely sad whenever I hear the original versions, tears well up, I sing along and wish for better times ahead while dwelling on better parts of my past. I am still amazed when certain songs stir up deep emotions and make us sad or happy or even overwhelmed with emotions. After listening to a version of “Hickory Wind” the other night by the bluegrass band, the Seldom Scene, I sang the song to myself, stretching out many of the words, each stretched note pulling on feelings deep inside and bringing tears to my eyes. I am reminded of the song, “You Win Again” which was a hit for Hank Williams in 1948 and covered many years later by the Dead during their 1972 tour. Jerry Garcia’s vocals on the 1972 versions really bring more meaning to the words, making the song more real or closer to the feelings buried in the words. A toast to the power of music to express feelings that we can’t always tap into by ourselves. - BLG at DMG

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

Rare Sunday Special Event, September 17th:
6:30: DR. EUGENE CHADBOURNE - Solo Set
7:30: DR. CHADBOURNE with MICHAEL FOSTER / STEVE SWELL / FRANK MEADOWS / DAVE MILLER

Tuesday, September 19th: Two amazing guitar duos in one night!
6:30: KILLICK HINDS / SANDY EWEN - Appalachian Trance Metal Guitar / Guitar-on-Lap
7:30: SALLY GATES / MATT HOLLENBECK - Two Guitars
8:30: DEVIN GRAY - Solo Drums

Tuesday, September 26th:
6:30: DAVE MILLER - Drums / PATRICK BRENNAN - Alto Sax / STAN ZENKOFF - Bass Clarinet / JULIE HAYFORD - Guitar
7:30: YOONA KIM - Ajaeng (Korean Bow/Zither) / HENRY LINDENNBAUM - Vibraphone
8:30: GUILLERMO GREGORIO / IVAN BARENBOIM / SARAH BERNSTEIN / KEN FILIANO / JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Clarinet / Contralto Clarinet / Violin / Bass / Drums
9:30: CHRIS COCHRANE / LORI GOLDSTON - Guitar / Cello

Downtown Music Gallery is located at 13 Monroe St, between Catherine & Market Sts. You can take the F train to East Broadway or the M15 bus to Madison & Catherine Sts. We are in a basement space below an art gallery & beauty salon. We are on the east side of Chinatown, not far from East Broadway & the end of the Bowery. Admission for all concerts is free and donations are always welcome. We have concerts here every Tuesday starting at 6:30 plus Steve Gauci curates his own series here on the 2nd or 1st Saturday of each month. You can check out the weekly schedule here: https://www.downtownmusicgallery.com/shows.php. I post 1 minute segments from these sets almost every day on our InstaGram feed, so please check them out and come down to visit when you can. - BLG/DMG

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THE MASADA STUDIO 10 CD BOX SET WILL FINALLY BE RELEASED NEXT MONTH!

Last year, I sent John Zorn an email, reminding him that September of 2023 will be the thirtieth anniversary of the first Masada gig at the Old Knitting Factory, early September of 1993, during the first month of Mr. Zorn’s 40th Birthday Celebration Series. Since all ten of the Masada studio CD’s had gone out of print, it was time to do a nice box set. This much anticipated deluxe box set will be made in a limited edition of 1,000 only sold through the Tzadik website and here at DMG. And yes, it will include some bonus tracks. There is no set date yet but it is due to be here sometime in October along with two new discs on Tzadik. I’ve seen a picture of it and it does look beautiful! - BLG at DMG

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THIS WEEKS TRANSCENDENT DISCS BEING WITH:

STEVE LEHMAN / ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DE JAZ with JONATHAN FINLAYSON / CHRIS DINGMAN/ et al - Ex Machina ( Pi Records 99; USA) You’ve got to admire saxist/composer/professor Steve Lehman as each of his releases deal with complex layers of preparation, composing and the thoughtful selection of musicians or ensembles from varied backgrounds. Over the past decade he organized the Selebeyone ensemble which employed hiphop rhythms/samples along with two vocalists rapping in English and Wolof (an African native language), plus Mr. Lehman put together a fine sax/piano fronted quartet which drew from M-Base like complex cycles. For Mr. Lehman’s new disc, he has worked with IRCAM (French music laboratory founded by Pierre Boulez) and has utilized the Orchestre National de Jazz (ONdJ), a prestigious French avant-jazz ensemble which was collaborated with Robert Wyatt, John Hollenbeck and Olivier Benoit. The Orchestre is augmented by selective electronics (state of the art computer music), which was developed at IRCAM. The music was inspired by Spectral composers Gerard Grisey and Tristan Murail (Lehman’s composition teacher at Columbia U). The music was composed by Mr. Lehman and Frederic Maurin, who also conducts the Orchestre National de Jazz and plays electronics.
Mr. Lehman’s insistent, energized, M-Base-like alto sax is at the center of the first piece, “39”, with the ensemble and electronics all swirling tightly around him, the harmonies keep shifting as the piece unfolds. For, “Los Angeles Imaginary”, pianist Bruno Ruder keeps repeating this bent line at the center while the saxes, trumpets, other horns and electronics play in tight orbits, the rhythm speeding up to a furious, exhilarating pace. Lehman’s “Chimera’ slows down the pace and keeps a memorable repeating line at the center with some inspired interplay between the vibes (Chris Dingman?) and the drummer, Rafael Koerner. I like the way the layers of brass & reeds keep criss-crossing on “Alchimie”, a bit nightmarish yet exciting. One of the many highlights of this disc is the way the electronics are so well integrated into the overall sound and not just for effect. Trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and vibesman Chris Dingman are both featured on “Jeux D’Anches” and they both take great solos. It is the rest of the Orchestre that must jump through some complex hoops to keep playing those tight lines together. Catherine Delaunay’s clarinet is featured on Frederic Maurin’s “Speed-Freeze Part 1”, which has some eerie electronics pulsating throughout. Although all of the soloing here is exciting anf inventive, it is the writing & arranging for the entire Orchestre that is consistently impressive. Another thing which impresses me here is the way each piece sounds like another chapter in any unfolding puzzle which makes sense after you listen to this disc several times and get the overall picture. Another hidden treasure for the 2023 hit list. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

MATTHEW SHIPP - The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala 061; USA) Featuring Matt Shipp on solo piano. After reading the recent book about Matt Shipp by Clifford Allen, which is mainly about the 15 or so albums that the Rogue Art has released of Mr. Shipp’s music, I have a better idea of how Mr. Shipp’s music journey/career has evolved the nearly 40 years since he moved to NYC. Every year so, Mr. Shipp claims he is going to stop recording releases but then several new come out, making his claims hard to take seriously. Mr. Shipp has around a half dozen of his own solo offerings. The title piece is first and it somewhat dark yet majestic sounding. Mr. Shipp’s plying has matured or evolved from some of the more shadowy themes that he used for many years. There is a certain elegant quality here, a way of stretching out notes by holding the piano pedal down and letting the notes resonate for longer. “The” is more stark than most pieces I’ve heard by Mr. Shipp, holding on to certain notes and letting them resonate longer, more spaciously. On each piece, Mr. Shipp finds a kernel or phrase which he develops as the piece unfolds. We need to give some time and patience to let things sink in otherwise we miss out on what is really going on beneath the surface. Even when Shipp goes further out, he always comes back to the initial phrase or theme he begins with, giving us an anchor to hold onto. This disc was recorded at Park West Studios in Brooklyn by Jim Clouse and the production is superb. Another treasure from the soon-to-be-retired (not!) Matthew Shipp. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

CHAD FOWLER / GEORGE CARTWRIGHT / CHRIS PARKER / KELLEY HURT / LUKE STEWART / STEVE HIRSH / ZA - Miserere (Mahakala Music 062; USA) Featuring Chad Fowler on stritch, bari sax & flutes, George Cartwright alto & tenor sax & electric guitar, Zoh Amba on tenor sax, Chris Parker on piano & vocal, Kelley Hurt on voice, Luke Stewart on bass and Steve Hirsh on drums. Chad Fowler’s Mahakala Music albel has only been around for four years but already has nearly forty releases! The label specializes in Free Spirit Jazz which can be heard in each & every release. Aside from Mr. Fowler himself, the label has around musicians who frequent various sessions: Matt Shipp, Ivo Perelman, Dave Sewelson, George Cartwright, William Parker, Zoh Amba and Steve Hirsh. They also record a number of Free Jazz elders like Borah Berman, Joel Futterman, Joe McPhee and Kidd Jordan. So far, I am impressed by everything they’ve released so far.
All seven members of the septet here have recorded on previous Mahakala discs, in different combinations. Although Mr. Fowler is from Arkansas and Mr. Cartwright from Minneapolis, the other musicians here are NY-based, at least some of the time. There are four long pieces on this disc which includes a tribute to Davey Williams, elder improv guitar hero from Birmingham, AL, who passed away in April of 2019. This session was recorded at Fellowship Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas. The first piece is also the title of this disc and it opens with chanting voices and a rich layer of free saxes over a pumping rhythm team. Kelley Hurt’s haunting voice floats on top while the sextet churns around her with some powerful tenor sax soaring above as well. Soon all three saxes are playing together and creating a wonderful free frenzy which is most inspiring. When the saxes drop out, Chris Parker’s piano takes over and plays a strong solo. Chris Parker, who is married to Kelley Hurt, is a fine free spirited pianist and who under-recorded, just appearing on three previous Mahakala CD’s. The septet covers “Wonderful Words of Life”, which was covered by the legendary Mills Brothers in 1951. Although it starts off like a gospel song, it soon evolves into an intense, sprawling free/jazz torrent. It sounds like Zoh Amba is playing her Ayler-esque tone in the center of the storm here while the other saxes also wail together. The long, free section is immensely spirited, flows organically and has a cosmic undercurrent. For those of you who don’t prefer free/jazz vocals, Ms. Hurt has a warm, ghost-like sound/vibe here, never screaming yet adding her voice to the overall spiritual sound. “Inhaling & Exhaling” is dedicated to Davey Williams and features the words he wrote in a book, spoken by Chris Parker. The words are about the art and practice of improvising, which gives us things to consider while the ensemble improvises around Parker’s voice and continuing afterwords with Ms. Hurt’s laughing voice adding like selective seasoning. Founder/saxist of the great Downtown band, Curlew, plays some spikey el. guitar on this piece, an instrument he has been switching to in the last few years. Davey Williams used to play guitar for Curlew and it sounds like Cartwright was inspired by Davey’s bent-note guitar style. The last piece is called “Ut Queant Laxis” at it was written by Guido Di Arezzo, an Italian Medieval composer. It starts with some haunting bass flute from Mr. Fowler, the vibe is quite subdued and it builds ever so slowly and freely. Mr. Fowler, who is a wonderful reeds wiz himself, sounds particularly strong on bari sax here. Things evolve into a strong, free form, free spirit, celebration, calming down in sections and then escalating back up with those chanting voices in the background. The vibe throughout this entire disc is calm at the center, yet explosive at times as well. Rather like life-itself at times. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

JEFF ARNAL / CURT CLONINGER - Drum Major Instinct (Mahakala Music 034; USA) Featuring Jeff Arnal on percussion and Curt Cloninger on modular synthesizer. I recall checking out Jeff Arnal’s playing when he lived IN NY as well as when he moved to Pennsylvania. He once had his own label (Generate) and has worked with Seth Misterka, Nate Wooley, as well as a couple of discs with Gordon Beeferman. It’s been a few years since I’ve anything from Mr. Arnal. On this disc Mr. Arnal is working with a modular synth player named Curt Cloninger. This disc was recorded in Asheville, NC (where Arnal is now based) on three different dates in 2021. A duo of modular synth and drums is pretty rare nowadays since very few musicians use the ancient technology of a modular synth. I do recall the legendary duo called Silver Apples from the late sixties who were the first duo with this instrumentation.
This disc consists of three long pieces. All three pieces were created during the pandemic lockdown in 2021, at first be trading files and then adding field recordings by both players. Modular synths do not have a keyboard, mostly modules and patches. They have an older sound which recalls their early days, when just art-rock & progressive bands & experimental composers were using synth. Mr. Arnal’s drumming always has a groove going while Cloninger’s synth adds an ongoing electronic stream. “Modulating Bodies” is more dense and intense with some powerful, ritualistic drumming at the center of the electronic storm, the low end electronics are pulsating most hypnotically. The overall sound here is closer to space/rock than anything else. The last piece is actually live at a record store called Citizen Vinyl. The drummer on this piece is stripped down, lean, yet groove-oriented and at the center of the swirling sound(s). Arnal plays an “In a Silent Way”-like sizzling jazz groove on mostly cymbals here while Mr. Cloninger adds his own throbbing synth lines which keep shifting in densities. Unlike some more clinical or academic electronic music, this disc is more musical, engaging and takes us on a great journey. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

ALON NECHUSHTAN // MANHATTAN WIND ENSEMBLE / TEL AVIV SOLOIST ORCHESTRA / NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA / M.I.T. FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA / et al- Concerto for Orchestra: Chasms / Omens / Shards / Spells (Composers Concordance Records / Naxos; USA) Israeli-born pianist Alon Nechustan has a half dozen discs out on labels like Tzadik, Enja, Between the Lines & Creative Sources, each one with different personnel and overall sound. Each of Mr. Nechustan’s previous discs come from the avant/jazz stream. This ambitious new two CD set features Nechustan’s classical composing and it is performed by seven different orchestral ensembles, each one from a different place. Every few years, Alon Nechustan comes to visit us here at DMG and leave us with a new CD. I’ve enjoyed all of the previous discs that he’s left but I didn’t quite expect this new one since it is all orchestral music for different ensembles.
I’ve been listening seriously to modern classical since the late 1960’s when Frank Zappa mentioned composers like Stravinsky, Bartok, Varese, Cage & Stockhausen. Thanks to my favorite record store, Princeton Record Exchange, I’ve been able to acquire hundreds of CD’s from the many modern classical composers that I still dig, many for just $1 or $2 bucks. I try to listen to at least one of these discs every or every other night to better appreciate this music. Alon Nechustan’s “Concerto for Orchestra” has ten parts and is performed by seven different large ensembles from varied places like Tel Aviv, the Philippines, M.I.T. and the Manhattan Wind Ensemble. “Secret Sect” opens with some austere, haunting, warm and engaging sea of strings. The sound of those bowed cellos and other low-end strings is especially mesmerizing. I find that this music displays quite a bit of different feelings or vibes. “Ancient Landscapes” has a warm, more restrained sound with suspense-filled low end strings and perhaps brass. Things sound more traditional with music drawn from an earlier era when certain modern composers wrote for Hollywood films, expressive but not too far out. Each of the ten pieces here express a different vibe or sonic scene. I had a variety of images passing through my eyelid movies as each piece unfolds. Even with seven different ensembles involved, the sound throughout this disc is consistent, engaging and thoughtful. Let’s give a hand to Alon Nechushtan, a fine composer in hiw own right. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $16 [Limited Edition of 100 CD’s]

BENJAMIN VERGARA - The Impossibility of a Single Sound (Relative Pitch Records SS018; USA) Featuring Benjamin Vergara on solo trumpet. This is the fifth disc by Chilean trumpeter Benjamin Vergara. Mr. Vergara has two recent duo discs out with Fred Frith (on Tour De Bras) and with Ben Bennett. This is Vergara’s first solo offering and his disc for Relative Pitch. As with most lower case/onkyo/minimalist releases, Mr. Vergara’s trumpet is close mic’d and spaciously recorded. The silence or space between the sounds/notes is carefully balanced. Hushed hissing, the sound of brass tubes being blown upon, every sound is cautiously recorded and played. Mr. Vergara plays long notes later on the first piece, stretching out each note and bending it slightly. The careful note-bending has a way of also bending our feelings or at least the way the notes are shifting somewhere else. It often sounds like Mr. Vergara has something in mind and is drawing from a wealth of experiences yet rarely plays fast or flashy. Mr. Vergara doesn’t seem to be dealing with much extended techniques, it is more about using short, solemn phrases, only stretching out certain notes or sounds to great effect. It soundsa like an occasional melodic line is trying to break through the more raspy, stretched out notes that Vergara is playing. I like this disc since it is a more modest, not too far out solo effort. Tasty and touching in equal doses. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13

PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER / VOIX en RHIZOME - Suite Pour 8 Voix et Contrebasse sur des Textes de Jaumes Privat (Subran; France) Featuring Pascal Niggenkemper on contrabass and compositions, Voix en Rhizome, an eight-piece vocal ensemble. From what I can see in the inside picture, this disc was recorded in ancient Church-like structure in October of 2021. The words/poetry was written by Jaumes Privat, a French songwriter, whose song was recorded by the Savignoni Trio, a French Gypsy jazz group. The lyrics are printed in the enclosed booklet. The vocal group is extraordinary with layers of vocalists each sing different parts, some speaking, others making odd, musical sounds with their voices. It sounds like the vocal parts are written out since there are odd harmonies amongst the several spoken word and wordless vocalists. The vocalists are situated in different places and each one has a unique, distinctive voice. Mr. Niggenkemper is occasionally in the background yet there are moments when he solos or adds punctuation to the varied voices. As far as the volume or balance, Niggenkemper’s bass sounds like a part of the vocal ensembles, just another voice. At one point, it sounds like someone is ripping up paper or plastic which has a different yet interesting texture. On “amar e tornar”, all of the voices are used, chattering together with several layers of strange harmonies and weird sounds. I like the way this is recorded as we can hear where each voice is placed in the mix, some voices are bathed in different amounts of room echo. It sounds like Pascal has a cardboard tube shoved between the strings of his bass, giving it an odd, more percussive sound. On “cant vengut”, there are several layers of vocal harmonies with pulsating bass sounds all throbbing quietly together. The last piece has a nice blend of bowed bass harmonics with a shifting sea of voices, the blend is quite mesmerizing. This is a great disc and completely different from the other 5 discs in Mr. Niggenkemper’s ambitious box set. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10 [Niggenkemper’s 6 CD Set called ‘Bloc’ also includes this disc / limited to 120 & numbered]

ANNEA LOCKWOOD - Glass World (Room40 4204CD; Australia) “A note from Lawrence English: "To attempt to summarize the journey of Annea Lockwood's life, as a composer and performer, is difficult if not impossible. For six decades now, she has carved out a multifarious and fluid existence that has orbited various musical movements and approaches. Hers is a life led by intuition, curiosity and listening, one in which passion is paramount and wonderment abounds. If you were to reflect upon one aspect of her way of being that holds the greatest gravity in her day to day, it is perhaps listening that resonates most vibrantly. It is a practice that she has sought to deepen, with an unwavering dedication across her life, and a it is practice that has sustained her in the absolute. It's here that Glass World comes into focus for it documents some of her first significant studies into sound, object and listening. It is a recording that captures her in a moment of profound fascination with a rather familiar material, glass. This recording celebrates many things, amongst them Lockwood's willingness to allow single sounds to resonate, fully. Across each of the 23 vignettes captured here, Annea Lockwood invites us to lean into the material nature of sound with her. Glass World shimmers with an almost fanatical incandescence. It radiates a vibrational intensity that holds as strongly today as it did upon its original release in 1970 on Tangent Records. I had the privilege to re-master these recordings, under the guidance of Annea, and sitting with them so intensely was nothing but a delight. In tandem with this project, Annea and I have undertaken a long-form in conversation, which is collected in the book which sits alongside this edition. The conversation splays outward from Annea's work on Glass World and it deliberately seeks to visit upon her interests and passions, and through doing so revel a certain perspective that has guided her ways of being, and ways of making. It's an honor to have the opportunity to share this edition with you. I hope you too can catch Annea's resonate curiosity and be as captivated by these sounds as I (and many others) have been."
CD / BOOK $24

LAUREL HALO - Atlas (Awe 001CD; USA) “Currently based in Los Angeles, Laurel Halo has spent over a decade stepping into different towns and cities for a moment or more, to the point where everywhere almost became nowhere. Atlas, the debut release on her new imprint Awe, is an attempt to put that feeling to music. Using both electronic and acoustic instrumentation, Halo has created a potent set of sensual ambient jazz collages, comprised of orchestral clouds, shades of modal harmony, hidden sonic details, and detuned, hallucinatory textures. The music functions as a series of maps, for places real and imaginary, and for expressing the unsaid. The process of writing Atlas began back in 2020 when she reacquainted herself with the piano. She relished the piano's physical feedback, as well as its capacity to express emotion and lightness. And when the legendary Ina-GRM Studios in Paris invited her to take up a residency the following year in 2021, she spared no time to dub, stretch and manipulate some of the simple piano sketches she'd recorded over the prior months; these subtle piano recordings and electronic manipulations would go on to become the heart of Atlas. In the remainder of 2021 and 2022, with time spent between Berlin and London, Halo recorded additional guitar, violin and vibraphone, as well as acoustic instrumentation from friends and collaborators including saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, cellist Lucy Railton, and vocalist Coby Sey. All of these sounds were shaped, melted, and re-composed into the arrangements, their acoustic origins rendered uncanny. In short, Atlas is road trip music for the subconscious. With repeated listens, it is a record that can leave a deep sensorial impression on the listener, akin to walking at dusk in a dark forest. Its humor and sharp focus would dispel any notions of sentimentality. Completely distinct from the rest of Halo's catalog, Atlas is an album that thrives in the quietest places, rejecting bombast and embracing awe. Fitting that it's the debut release on her new recording label, whose slogan parallels the mood and atmosphere of the album: Awe is something you feel when confronted with forces beyond your control: nature, the cosmos, chaos human error, hallucinations.”
CD $17

LP SECTION:

ALBERT AYLER with DONALD AYLER / BEAVER HARRIS / MICHAEL SAMSON / WILL FOLWELL / et al - Europe 1966 (ORG Music 2126LP; EEC) "Europe 1966 is a box set consisting of live performances from free jazz visionary Albert Ayler. Each of the four LP's highlights some of the most magnificent moments on this European tour, showcasing Ayler and his bandmates at the height of their powers. The release includes performances from Berlin, Lörrach, Stockholm, and Paris, all of which occurred within a two-week span. Ayler's masterful band on this tour included his brother Donald on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on double bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. These performances have been remastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. The package also includes a 12x24" fold-out insert, featuring liner notes from John Litweller and photos from the tour. Each LP pressed on audiophile-grade black vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany."
4 LP Box Set $120

ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO - The Spiritual (ORG Music 2121LP; EEC) "The Spiritual, a free jazz album recorded by the Art Ensemble of Chicago in 1974, finds the group of stellar musicians at their creative peak. With various types of percussion, though the absence of a traditional drummer, the ensemble is able to create vivid, freeing compositions without the confines of conventional structure. The quartet, consisting of Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, and Malachi Favors, explore the depths of avant-garde jazz through a means that has yet to be touched on in a comparable capacity. The Spiritual will now be widely available on 180gram black vinyl. Mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. Pressed at Pallas Group in Germany."
LP $28

MARION BROWN with MAARTEN ALTENA / HAN BENNINK - Porto Novo (ORG Music 2149; EEC) Altoist Marion Brown is perhaps best known for performances on albums by his contemporaries, such as Coltrane's Ascension, but Brown stands on his own as one of the most creative and important forces to come out of the 1960s avant-garde jazz movement. Porto Novo is widely regarded as one of Brown's best recordings, captured during a 1967 session in Holland at the peak of his creative powers, accompanied by bassist Maarten van Regteben Altena and drummer Han Bennink. Previously out of print for decades, the recording has now been remastered for a long-overdue reissue on audiophile-grade vinyl, originally released exclusively for Record Store Day 2020, now widely available."
LP $28

PHIL RANELIN with HIDEAKI TOKUNAGA / IAN MARTIN / MICHAEL ALVIDREZ / CARLOS NINO / ANDRE BEASLEY - Infinite Expressions (ORG Music 2233LP; EEC) Renowned trombonist and co-founder of Detroit's famed TRIBE Records Phil Ranelin is back with his first album in a decade. A master trombonist of the J.J. Johnson tradition, Ranelin's career has spanned over five decades with ten records as a solo artist, four as a Freddie Hubbard sideman, session recordings for Motown, and work with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Telefon Tel Aviv. At 82 years old, Ranelin proves that he still has much to offer with Infinite Expressions, a work that showcases his unique style both as a player and composer. Includes digital download."
LP $25

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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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IN GARDENS - ART AS HOPE
9/16 & 9/17 - Admission is Free
At First Street Green - 33 East 1st St 

September 16th 
2pm - Alfredo Colon Trio
Alfredo Colon - saxophone / Kevin Eichenberger - bass / Eliza Salem - drums
3pm - Mottel / Holmes
Matt Mottel - keyboard, electronics / Tcheser Holmes - drums
4pm - Steve Swell Trio
Steve Swell - trombone / Dave Sewelson - sax / Michael TA Thompson - drums

September 17th
2pm - Stewart/Kochis/Saia/Herzog - Luke Stewart - bass / Samantha Kochis - flute / Nick Saia - guitar / Asher Herzog - drums
3pm - Fred Moten - poet
4pm - Muhr/Chay/Crudup
Luisa Muhr - vocals / Sita Chay - violin / Trae Crudup - drums

InGardens, Arts for Art's FREE outdoor concert series continues this weekend! Join us for an amazing afternoon of performances hosted in collaboration with Children's Magical Garden.

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THE STONE RESIDENCIES / ANNA WEBBER / SEPT 20–23

9/20 Wednesday
8:30 pm: Septet: Clockwise: Anna Webber (tenor sax, flute, bass flute) Jeremy Viner (tenor sax, clarinet) Jacob Garchik (trombone) Christopher Hoffman (cello) Matt Mitchell (piano) Chris Tordini (bass) Ches Smith (drums)

9/21 Thursday
8:30 pm: Simple Trio: Anna Webber (tenor sax, flute) Matt Mitchell (piano) John Hollenbeck (drums)

9/22 Friday
8:30 pm: Quartet: Anna Webber (woodwinds) Doyeon Kim (gayageum) Luke Stewart (bass) Kate Gentile (drums)

9/23 Saturday
8:30 pm: Shimmer Wince: Anna Webber (tenor sax, flute, bass flute) Adam O'Farrill (trumpet) Mariel Roberts (cello) Elias Stemeseder (synthesizer) Lesley Mok (drums)

THE STONE is located in
The New School at the Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th Street - near 6th ave

LIVE MUSIC
wed-sat
music at 8:30pm

ADMISSION
$20 per set
unless otherwise noted
cash only payment

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FourOneOne / SHIFT

Sep 16, 2023
Bahauddin Dagar
2220 Arts Archives
Presented by Black Editions
2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Shift is located at
411 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11249
contact@411kent.org
Web: https://www.411kent.org

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JOHN ZORN @ 70 - Year Long Celebration:

JOHN ZORN / JESSE HARRIS - Love Songs
Live at National Sawdust
September 16th & 17th 2023
6:30pm doors / 7:30 pm
JOHN ZORN - Composer / JESSE HARRIS - Lyricist
Featuring: PETRA HADEN - Vocals
BRIAN MARSELLA - Piano
JORGE RODER - Contrabass
CHES SMITH - Drums

Love Songs tells the story of a young woman, her friends, their relationships both past and ongoing, and struggles with identity and trauma. This world-premiere concert performance features the remarkable voice of Petra Haden, accompanied by Brian Marsella on piano, Jorge Roeder on bass, and Ches Smith on drums. Blending influences from Burt Bacharach, Stephen Sondheim, Kurt Weill, and the Tin Pan Alley/Brill Building tradition, this is a lyrical and dramatic tribute to contemporary song that will appeal to young and old alike.

National Sawdust
80 North 6th St
Brooklyn, NY 11249
646 - 779 - 8455
info@nationalsawdust.org

Recently added:
JOHN ZORN @ 70 - 3 Concerts at Miller Theatre at Columbia University:

Composer Portraits: John Zorn’s Music for Strings
Thursday, September 21, 2023, 8PM
John Zorn: Sigil Magick: A Curious and Detailed Exposition of Sigils, Signs, and Hieroglyphs Peculiar to the Occult Orders, Hermetic Brotherhoods, and Dark Mystery Schools of the Late Middle Ages for string quintet (2020)
John Zorn: The Gas Heart a mini opera for 2 celli and 2 percussionists (2020)
John Zorn: Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics That Will Be Able to Present Itself as a Science for string sextet (2020)

Composer Portraits: John Zorn at 70
Thursday, October 19, 2023, 8PM
New Masada / Simulacrum
New Masada Quartet: John Zorn / Julian Lage / Jorge Roeder / Kenny Wolleson
Simulacrum: John Medeski / Matt Hollenberg / Kenny Grohowski

Composer Portraits: John Zorn at 70
Thursday, November 16, 2023, 8PM
Barbara Hannigan - Piano John Zorn - Composer
John Zorn Star Catcher (2022)
John Zorn Split the Lark (2021)
John Zorn Liber Loagaeth (2021)
John Zorn Ab Eo, Quod (2021)
John Zorn Pandora’s Box (2013)

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Monday, Sept. 18 at 8:30pm

Guillermo Gregorio, clarinet
Paula Shocron, piano (& cello, maybe)
Sarah Bernstein, violin
Ivan Barenboim, bass-clarinet

Michiko Studios, at their new location
15 W 39th St, 7th floor, NY, NY

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John Cage's Japan at Japan Society
An Original Performance Series
Celebrating the Composer's Relationship with Japanese Culture

September 28 and September 29 at 7:30 pm
Paul Lazar's Cage Shuffle
Directed by Annie-B Parson

October 21 at 8:30 pm
John Cage's Ryoanji
with Tomomi Adachi, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE),
Hitomi Nakamura (hichiriki), and Maki Ota (voice)

November 16 at 7:30 pm
Tomomi Adachi's Noh-opera / Noh-tation: Decoding John Cage's Unrealized Project
with Gelsey Bell (voice), Wakako Matsuda (noh), and ICE

Thursday, December 7 at 7:30 pm
Cage Shock: An Homage to his First Japan Visit
with Tania Caroline Chen, Victoria Shen, Tomomi Adachi, and ICE

All Programs Commissioned and presented by Japan Society
Tickets On Sale to the General Public August 17 at JapanSociety.org
They called it the "Cage Shock." In 1962, the iconoclastic American composer John Cage toured Japan for a legendary series of concerts that served to draw attention to the rhymes between his works and the sounds of avant-garde and classical Japanese music. The tour cemented Cage as a pivotal figure in the East but the impact of that trip reverberated both directions. Cage had found truth and validation for his creative philosophy in Japan and returned to his experiences abroad as a wellspring of inspiration for the rest of his life.

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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy9PwsO5umk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQ7nvA68pA

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CHRIS CUTLER

Formerly of HENRY COW, THE ART BEARS, NEWS FOR BABEL & RECOMMENDED RECORDS (ReR) has been creating an ongoing series of podcasts called the Probes series. I am often fascinated at listening to each of these as Mr. Cutler does an incredible job of showing a deep history of Creative Music in the 20th century & beyond. I usually listen to these on the train to NYC that I take to get to work each day. The most recent Probes (#36) was released a few weeks ago, here is the links:
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-36
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-362-auxiliaries

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THIS ONE COME FROM VOCALIST EXTRAORDINAIRE KYOKO KITAMURA:

‘Introduction to Syntactical Ghost Trance Music’
All music and scores by Anthony Braxton
Film written, edited and narrated by Kyko Kitamura [Link below]

After not having traveled much since the pandemic, this summer, through a combination of work and play, I was in Japan and Canada, and just got back from giving a workshop in Atlanta, GA.
In between, I dusted off my rusty broadcast journalist chops and edited the mini-documentary Introduction to Syntactical Ghost Trance Music on Anthony Braxton and his Syntactical Ghost Trance Music (SGTM). It premiered earlier this month at the "ANTHONY BRAXTON: 50 YEARS OF CREATIVE MUSIC" international conference in Darmstadt, Germany, and is now available in its entirety for free viewing on Tri-Centric's Vimeo channel (https://vimeo.com/858217550/77592d946f?share=copy).
Most of the material has never been seen before by the public, including rare rehearsal, recording and interview footage. The astounding vocalists of the Tri-Centric Vocal Ensemble navigate the gorgeously complex material, pushing limits and exploring new territory. It's a story not only of the music, but a glimpse of a living composer and the artistic community. I cannot express enough my gratitude to everyone who was involved. 
Notes on the making of the video is on my website blog. The full audio recording, which I co-produced, is available at Tri-Centric's New Braxton House Records. Some SGTM scores are available at their Print Music store. - Best, Kyoko Kitamura

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

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