Red was the color of his blood flowing thin
Pallid white was the color of his lifeless skin
Blue was the color of the morning sky
He saw looking up from the ground where he died
It was the last thing ever seen by him
Kyrie Eleison
Mama, Mama forget your pies
Have faith they won't get cold
And turn your eyes to the bloodshot sky
Your flag is flying full
At half mast for the matadors
Who turned their backs to please the crowd
And all fell before the bull
Black and white were the figures that recorded him
Black and white was the newsprint he was mentioned in
Black and white was the question that so bothered him
He never asked, he was taught not to ask
But was on his lips as they buried him
Rex tremendae majestatis
Requiem aeternam
Requiem aeternam
Between 1965 & 1967, I listened faithfully to AM radio (top 40) and started collecting 7” singles, 1 or 2 per week. I would listen to these singles over & over on my home stereo and later a small portable turntable. Each single for me was under three minutes of magic. I was fascinated by the lyrics to many of these songs, especially when they dealt with current events, politics and what was going on around us. I started buying 2 rock magazines in 1966, Hit Parade & Song Hits, since I wanted to study the words to these songs even further and ended up reading about the bands I loved. The above song was written and performed by the Association, a southern California pop band known for the vocal harmonies. I remember listening to this song on a greatest hits album that I bought in the 1970’s and found it to be most haunting. It was not a single, although I thought it was at that time. It begins and ends with “requiem aeternam”, which mean “eternal rest” in Latin and it is taken from an ancient Christian prayer. I listened to this song a couple of times last night and have been thinking about the lyrics. Is it about the assassination of President Kennedy in November of 1963? Perhaps. The chorus or ensemble vocals / harmonies on this song are especially effective. Just some food for thought from an old music fan addict (age 69). - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
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THE DMG 32nd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
Tuesday, October 3rd:
6:30: IVAN NAHEM & MARC SLOAN - RITUAL TENSION Returns!
7:30: B V / BRANDON LOPEZ - Trumpet / ContraBass
8:30: STIGMATA DENTATA: JOHANNA MONK - No-input Mixer / VANITA MONK - Voice / SUZANA LAȘCU - Guitar, Synths
Tuesday, October 10th:
6:30: JOYCE MAX NGUYEN / SHOGO ELLEFSON / COSMO LIBERMAN
7:30: JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums / H S - Voice / SANDY EWEN - Guitar / ERIC PLAKS - Keyboard
8:30: HS / CZ / RK German Trio
Saturday October 14th, 2023 - The GauciMusic Series presents:
6pm: DAVID LEON - alto sax / ZOH AMBA - tenor sax / HENRY MERMER - Drums
7pm: STEPHEN GAUCI - tenor sax / MICHAEL GILBERT - Bass / COLIN HINTON - Drums
9pm: JOSH SINTON - Bari Sax, Flute & Bass Clarinet / SAM NEWSOME - Soprano Sax
Tuesday, October 17th:
6:30: GIAN PEREZ - Solo Guitar
7:00: JONATHAN RESIN - Solo Tenor Sax
7:30: DAWOUD KRINGLE - Solo Sitar
8:30: KYN TRIO with HS / NOA FORT / YOON SUN CHOI - New Vocal Trio
Rare Sunday Night Event, October 29th:
6:30: VINNY GOLIA - Reeds / GUILLERMO GREGORIO - Clarinet / TJ BORDEN - Cello / gabby fluke-mogol - Violin
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 (if you don’t do InstaGram, you can still view these 1 minute clips on the DMG homepage, (a recently added feature), so please check them out and come down to visit when you can. - BLG/DMG
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THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASE DISCS BEGIN WITH:
NEVARIS with BILL LASWELL / PETER APFELBAUM / DJ LOGIC / WILL BERNARD / MATT DICKEY / LOCKATRON - Reverberations (MODT Reloaded 00115; USA) Featuring Nevarus percussion, electric piano & Hammond organ, Bill Laswell on bass, EFX & production, Peter Apfelbaum on horns & Busilacchio electric reed organ, Will Bernard & Matt Dickey on guitars, DJ Logic on turntables and Lockatron on drums. Nevaris is a singer/songwriter who released an album in 2011 under the name Loud Apartment. Nevarus was backed by a handful of musicians from Bill Laswell’s then crew: Bernie Worrell, Bob Musso, Garrison Hawk and Kenny Grohowski. I’d never heard that disc but it seems to lead to this new one shares some of the same musicians. I know of most of the musicians here as several of them have been working with Mr. Laswell over the past few years. No doubt you recognize the names Peter Apfelbaum (Heiroglyphics Ensemble) & Will Bernard (TJ Kirk), as both were Bay-area based and are now living here in the NYC area. Also I know of turntablist DJ Logic from his work with Billy Martin, Vernon Reid and Charlie Hunter. I hadn’t heard of Matt Dickey or Lockatron before now.
I’ve had a longtime love of the Groove, especially the dub/reggae groove. In the late 1970’s, I bought a collection of rare & popular reggae albums from a friend who managed some NJ bands that I was into at the time. I am ended up becoming a big reggae fan and checked out Bob Marley & the Wailers, Black Uhuru, Lee Scratch Perry… I took an even deeper dive into the dub groove when I discovered the Adrian Sherwood and the ON-U Sound label. I still collect everything that On-U has released and still get buzzed and listened to the Great Groove. Bassist/producer/Downtown sonic wizard, Bill Laswell, obviously has been heavily very influenced by the same music that I am talking about and he is also a great dub/funk/groove bassist, producer and remix giant. I’ve been playing this disc for the past month since Dave Brunelle (head of M.O.D. Reloaded label) gave me a copy.
I got to admit that I love this disc, it has the best, slyest, most infectious groove running through every song. “Dub Sol” starts things off with a deep, hypnotic bass line and a fine layer of simmering horns. Great dub records often feature some heavy echo or reverb (dub effects) on the rhythm team and other instruments. Bill Laswell’s bass-line is thick, throbbing and consistently mesmerizing. It makes me want to slow dance and nod my head to the deep groove. Although there is only one horn player here, Peter Apfelbaum, he sounds like a horn section adding several saxes and brass instruments, turning them into a great chorus. Both Nevaris and Apfelbaum also play several keyboards, a Farfisa and a rare Busilacchio electric reed organ are utilized. Whomever arranged/wrote the horn parts knew how to make them sound special, ever enchanting. All of the musicians here well-used add to somethings to ongoing series of cosmic grooves. The only soloing here is done by Mr. Apfelbaum in short phat bursts, mostly on tenor sax. There are number of highlights here: a the sly use of the turntable as a rhythmic device, a quirky vocal sample added like sonic spice and several percussion parts sizzling throughout. This is the type of disc that we usually play at the store on Fridays to help build moral and get that festive atmosphere going. Thanks to Bill Laswell and his crew for the great dub fest groove of the year! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
ANGELIKA NIESCIER / TOMEKA REID / SAVANNAH HARRIS - Beyond Dragons (Intakt Records 412; Switzerland) Featuring Angelica Niescer on alto sax & compositions, Tomeka Reid on cello and Savannah Harris on drums. This session was recorded at Kingsize Sound in Chicago in March of this year (2023). I’ve had my eye & ear on Polish-born, German-based saxist Angelika Niescier, since her solo efforts started popping up around 2000. She’s made 15 discs so far and often works with American musicians like Tyshawn Sorey, Denman Maroney and Jonathan Finlayson. There is different personnel on each of her previous discs so we know she is always challenging herself and pushing the boundaries. For this disc she has organized a formidable trio with cellist Tomeka Reid and drummer Savannah Harris. Ms. Reid is the most well-regarded of the current batch of great cellists, check out her duos with Joe McPhee, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Biliana Voutchkova or Artifacts (with Nicole Mitchell & Mike Reed). I caught drummer Savannah Harris playing in an amazing quartet with Peter Evans last year, the quartet and her playing both blew me away, it was one of the tightest and most intense sets of recent memory.
Ms. Niescier’s tone on alto sax is biting, incisive and on target, somewhat Eric Dolphy-like. The trio takes off out of the gate and is burning from the gitgo. Since there is no bassist here, Ms. Reid’s is plucking out those notes forcefully, the cello/drums rhythm teaming erupting tightly together as Ms. Niescier soars on top. Slowly, the trio calms down while the rhythm team still burns at a lower flame. Ms. Reid takes the next solo and lets those fireworks fly. The interplay between the alto sax & cello leaves us consistently on the edge of our seats with the drums also keeping that rhythm flow churning. On “Oscillating Madness”, sly, subtle bits of reverb are added to Mr. Reid’s feisty, inventive cello, the trio keep things interesting by interweaving several lines with some fresh restraint and slow burning the inner flame. One the best things about this session is the way Ms. Niescier’s writing keeps the trio so focused on playing their interlocking parts as one force of nature. At times there are two or more lines connected simultaneously with some shrewd bursts of occurring over more moderate lines. On “Morphoizm”, the sax and cello engage in some duo fireworks, exchanging lines furiously at times while the drums keep pace, holding the trio together. Another things that stands out here is that Ms. Niescer’s tone on sax and Ms. Reid’s sound on cello are extremely well-matched, they often play their lines together tightly and complete each other’s lines with seeming ease. This is one incredible trio and certainly one of this year’s best Creative Music releases. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18
IDRIS ACKAMOOR / THE PYRAMIDS - Afro Futurist Dreams (Strut 312CD; UK) Saxist/composer Idris Ackamoor was a member of Cecil Taylor’s Black Music Ensemble, while he attended Antioch College in the eraly 1970’s. He founded a band called The Pyramids while at Antioch, the band toured and lived in Africa for a period of time eventually moving to San Francisco. The Pyramids self-released three albums in the mid-seventies in limited quantities and broke up in 1977. Those rare records ended up giving the band legendary status and were eventually reissued on CD and LP. I bought a double version of their music in the 1990’s and have been a fan ever since. Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramid reformed in the aughts and the Strut label has released four superfine albums since 2016, all on the Strut label. Their fourth reunion effort is called ‘Afro Futuristic Dreams’ and it was just released (in September of 2023). There is singing on this record and the words were inspired by two science fiction authors: Octavia Butler and Samuel R. Delaney, hence the title of the CD. The music is a seamless blend of Spirit Jazz, soul, funk, ethnic space music with that cosmic groove at the center. The title track, “Afro Futuristic Dreams” has an infectious soul/space groove/funk groove which laid back and immensely haunting. The echo device or reverb gives the music a sort of reggae/dub quality. The is cerebral party music with a heart-warming vibe flowing throughout. Mr. Ackamoor’s tenor and alto saxes & flute and Bobby Cobb’s electric guitar swirl around one another, which inspired solos from each plus a righteous chorus of space/ethnic soul singers. The ensemble playing by all of the members of this great group is consistently enchanting. There isn’t vocals on every song yet there is something wonderful taking place here, an almost religious fervor which I find most uplifting. Often the words here are just a chorus (soulful male & female harmonies) which is repeated over and over, building up so that we can consider the themes that are chanted: “Truth to Power, It’s time, the day, the minute, the hour”. The more I listen to this record, the more it gets to me, the better I feel. There is something hopeful and inspiring going on here. If you feeling blue, burnt out on the bad vibes which keep knocking us back to fraught past which should be over with, the you need some spiritual medicine which this album provides in the deep, reverent ways. It makes sense to me that Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids hail from San Francisco, the age old center of Peace, Love and Celebration. Truth and Soul is still where it’s at, a half century later! - MC BruceLee at DMG
CD $15 / 2 LP Set $25
MARTIN PHILADELPHY / THOMAS NYX - Woina (Edition Nachtvogel 003; Austria) Featuring Martin Philadelphy on electric guitar, samples, loops & toys and Thomas Nyx - poetry & text. This is the first compact disc/book to deal with the war in the Ukraine, which started in February of 2022 and is still raging on a year & a half later. I’ve known of Austrian guitarist since 2000 and have long admired his large catalogue (two dozen) of releases. Mr. Philadelphy has several working bands and always chooses a variety of kindrid creative spirits: Kresten Osgood, Jamie Saft & Wolfgang Mitterer. I don’t know much about poet Thomas Nyx (Scherhammer), although he has worked with Philadelphy on two previous discs. This release is encased in a small 30 hard cover page book and it is sturdy and carefully designed. The title of this disc is “Woina” which is Russian for war. All of the words were written by Thomas Nyx and are a reflection of his feelings about this unjust, ongoing war. Mr. Nyx says that he doesn’t want to demonize the common Russian people or the Russian culture. He does want to talk about what is really going on in the Ukraine war. The words to these poems/texts are written in Austrian, Russian and English. “Woina” opens this disc with haunting, floating drones or samples, softly resonating. It sounds like Philadelphy is playing organ with some Frippertronic guitar starting to erupt. These songs are mostly instrumental so we can read the words while we listen. Philadelphy plays some elegant guitar on “Serhij Aus Irpin”, a playful melody above a cushion of dark undercurrents. The words discuss Igor from Siberia (a Russian soldier), whose mother prays for his safe return. The words often discuss different aspects of the war, the rain, attacks and counter-attacks with restrained yet disorienting music hovering underneath. Mr. Philadelphy often has several layers of guitars and samples moving around one another, creating an ongoing drama about life in wartime. Sometimes a piece will begin but is soon cut short by a rifle fire. “Eine Sibirische Mutter” features a lulling waves of eerie guitars, each one using different amounts of distortion to alter its sound. On “The Man of God in Moscow”, there is chanting voices like one would hear in a Church, more layers of quietly disturbing guitars float in waves around us. Mr. Nyx does a good job of evoking images and feelings but using minimal words to give us time to consider what he is saying or describing. All of the music here is enchanting and rather soundtrack-like. The film exists only inside the minds/imaginations of the listeners. There are no actual vocals on this disc, just strong music which evokes a series of images and thoughts. Most impressive on many levels plus the packaging is also first rate. Thanks to Martin Philadelpgy and Thomas Nyx for this gem. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD / Book $20 [Deluxe packing, limited edition]
ANTHONY DAVIS / KYLE MOTL / KJELL NORDESON - Vertical Motion (Astral Spirits 227; USA) Featuring Anthony Davis on piano, Kyle Motl on contrabass and Kjell Nordeson on drums. Just in, review next week.
LP $22 [Limited Edition LP only release]
RAY RUSSELL with GARY WINDO / TONY ROBERTS / HARRY BECKETT / PETER LEMER / DARYL RUNSWICK / ALAN RUSHTON - Live at the I.C.A./Retrospective (Mokai M04; USA) "The English free jazz improvisation scene of the late 60s and early 70s was an incestuous breeding ground. Robert Fripp was producing albums by Keith Tippet, Brian Eno was using Derek Bailey and Evan Parker on albums of odd Russian electronic music on Island, and labels like EMI and RCA were actually taking a stab at selling this music to a large market. Amidst all this was Ray Russell, a popular session guitarist, also playing in John Barry's group, also reputed to be the first guitarist in England to have a pedal setup, and also the man responsible for the guitar freak-out on the Dr. No soundtrack album. CBS and RCA started releasing records of his free jazz groups. They started innocently enough, but eventually Russell started to break free. At a time when hollow body guitars and a clean sound were the norm, he had his Fender guitar in one hand and a fuzz box in the other. For a period in the early 70s he made records of unknown hybrid-bastardization of the rock sound and free jazz energy. He was Caspar Brotzmann when Caspar's dad was still writing blueprints for the continental Europe free jazz sound. Then he moved on, as people do, and the records became impossible to get. His efforts dropped off the face of the free map. The sound is recognizably jazz -- rhythm section, horn, playing heads; group improvisation. But even after all these years it's still a shock when Russell comes up to bat. His lines are not so much melodic variation, or even Coltrane-like walls of sound. Instead it is what, 20 years later, was termed 'skree'; sharp, angular bursts, like a Pollock painting mounted with guitar pickups, the sound of explosions. Like contemporaries Sonny Sharrock and Terje Rypdal, Russell makes it sound as if the guitar is not enough, as if he's reaching for something wilder, something that can't be contained within the 6 string cage."
2 CD Set $22
TWO NEW ONES & RESTOCKS ON OGUN and CADILLAC Compact Discs: An Intro…
The Blue Notes were a South African avant/jazz band who blended bebop, free jazz, Kwela or traditional South African melodies into their own unique sound. Their leader or founder was pianist Chris McGregor, who was white, while the other members (Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, Mongezi Feza on cornet, Johnny Dyani on bass & Louis Moholo on drums) were black. This was during the height of the Apartheid period in South Africa so their lives were constantly threatened for playing together in public. The Blue Notes were invited to play at the Antibes Jazz Festival in south France in 1964 and decided to not go back to their homeland. They soon got an opportunity to play at a jazz club in Zurich, Switzerland, thanks to Dollar Brand, who had a year-long residency there and wanted to tour. They were then invited to play at the premiere jazz club in London, Ronnie Scott’s, and were much revered by many of British jazz musicians of that era. They decided to stay in England and became an integral part of British Progressive / Free Jazz Scene, hooking up with members of Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Company and many others. The band went through some tough times yet collaborated with a number of British jazz greats. There were befriended by producer/manager Joe Boyd, who documented some of their sessions and gave them a chance to record with Nick Drake and other musicians/bands that he was producing. I am a Blue Notes fanatic, each of their five releases below is special to me and worth exploring. Between 1965 & 1970, Chris McGregor recorded solo, trio, septet and group efforts with members of the Blues Notes and other Brits. Each one of those is great, although some are now out-of-print. Bassist Johnny Dyani eventually quit the Blue Notes and moved to Copenhagen, recording several records for Steeplechase, as well as a number of other fine sessions. His place was taken by bassist Harry Miller, also originally from South Africa and living in London. Chris McGregor organized a big band around 1970 called the Brotherhood of Breath which included members of the Blue Notes plus the cream of UK avant/jazz scene: John Surman, Gary Windo, Harry Beckett, etc. For me and many others, the Brotherhood were the ultimate avant/jazz big band, each of their half dozen records are essential listening for serious collectors. Harry Miller started the Ogun Records label in 1973 with his wife, Hazel Miller. Mr. Miller passed away in 1983 in road accident and Hazel took it over and is still involved today. Ogun Records shared an office with another great British jazz label called Cadillac. Cadillac and Ogun are now run by a younger man who does distribution for both. I happen to love everything that I’ve heard on both labels. Although some of both of their back-catalogues had gone out of print, both labels have reissued numerous titles over the past few years. We just got in two newer titles as well as 25 back catalogue titles, all of which are listed below. You might want to do some of your our research since each of these discs are gems and well worth checking out. - BLG at DMG
TWO NEW DISCS from TWO GREAT BRITISH RELATED LABELS: CADILLAC and OGUN!
JOY with JAMES DVORAK / FRANK ROBERTS / CHRIS FRANCIS / ERNEST MOTHLE / KEITH BAILEY - Joy (Cadillac Records SGCCD 022CD; UK) Joy is Jim Dvorak on trumpet, Chris Francis on alto sax, Frank Roberts on piano, Ernest Mothle on bass and Keith Bailey on drums. This session was recorded at the Chalk Farm Studio in March of 1976 and released on LP the same year. It has been out of print for many years and just reissued with four bonus tracks on CD. Each member of this fine quintet comes from varied backgrounds: Dvorak (with Keith Tippet & Elton Dean), Roberts (for Isotope & Isipingo), Francis (K. Tippett & the Amazing Band), Mothle (from South Africa, with Jabula & Moire Music) and Bailey (Oblivion Express & Graham Bond). I can hear why this band is called Joy as they this is feeling I get as soon as this disc begins. “Martini Sweet” has that joyous, uplifting blend of the Blue Note quintet sound with a South African groove. “Koko-v-Dank” also has that early seventies Blue Note sound with some inspired solos from the trumpet, piano and acoustic bass. “Do You Know the Way” has another effervescent moderate tempo groove with the drums shifting between uptempo parts and slower parts. Mr. Dvorak takes a long, slow-burning which is breathtaking to listen to. Each song here is a gem, enchanting, dreamy and often lovely. Frontman Jim Dvorak is an under-recognized giant on trumpet, each of his solos here are especially memorable. What surprises me the most is that Joy only made one record and it is close to perfection, inventive without being too far out. Alto saxist Chris Francis has a fine, bittersweet tone and often sounds like a soulmate for trumpet man Jim Dvorak. Mr. Francis is a master of quiet fire, burning with screaming. Pianist Frank Roberts, who I once caught with fusion greats, Isotope, sounds like he has been listening to Chris McGregor, his playing has a righteous, soulful vibe running through it. “Jak’s Travels” is a burning, uptempo piece with a furious solo from Dvorak’s trumpet. Frank Roberts sounds wonderful on “Forbidden Flight”, his piano most elegant and tasteful. Although I would say that this record doesn’t sound very commercial, the music would still be radio friendly no matter when it is being played. ‘Joy’ is certainly joyful and inventive at the same time. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
THE JAZZ DOCTORS with BILLY BANG / FRANK LOWE / RAFAEL GARRETT / WILBER MORRIS / DENIS CHARLES / THURMAN BARKER - Intensive Care: Prescriptions Filled (Cadillac Records SGCCD 020CD; UK) "The Jazz Doctors or the Billy Bang Quartet toured Europe in the early 80s. Featuring spiritual jazz pioneer saxophonist Frank Lowe and Vietnam vet turned free jazz violinist Billy Bang, the group recorded in 1983 and 1984 in London. With legendary rhythm section Rafael Garrett and Dennis Charles, they recorded an album for Cadillac that fast became a sought-after classic. The '84 session, with the different but equally astonishing rhythm of Wilber Morris and Thurman Barker, never appeared. Studio problems led to half the album being rendered unusable. Here for the very first time is the music that remained, including a unique and astonishing suite composed by Billy Bang. Newly remastered from the original tapes at Gearbox studio and including a previously unreleased session, and all on CD for the first time, with new sleeve notes and images by acclaimed author/photographer Val Wilmer."
CD $16
BACK IN STOCK, 25 MORE OGUN & CADILLAC RECORDS ESSENTIAL TITLES:
BLUE NOTES with CHRIS McGREGOR / LOUIS MOHOLO / DUDU PUKWANA / JOHNNY DYANI / MONGEZI FEZA / NICK MOYAKE - Legacy: Live in South Afrika 1964 (Ogun 024; UK)
CD $16
BLUE NOTES with CHRIS McGREGOR / LOUIS MOHOLO / DUDU PUKWANA / JOHNNY DYANI - Blue Notes For Mongezi (1976) [2 CD Set] (Ogun 025 / 026; UK)
2 CD Set $20
BLUE NOTES with CHRIS McGREGOR / DUDU PUKWANA / JOHNNY DYANI / LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO - In Concert (Ogun OGCD 027; UK) Recorded live at the 100 Club, London in April of 1977, after the passing of Mongezi Feza in December of 1975.
CD $16
BLUE NOTES with CHRIS McGREGOR / DUDU PUKWANA / JOHNNY DYANI / LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO - Before The Wind Changes: Live in Waregem 1979 (Ogun 037; UK)
CD $16
BLUE NOTES with CHRIS McGREGOR / LOUIS MOHOLO / DUDU PUKWANA - Blue Notes For Johnny (1986)(Ogun 532; UK)
CD $16
MARC CHARIG With KEITH TIPPETT / ANN WINTER - Pipedream (Ogun 033; UK)
CD $16
LOL COXHILL - On Ogun: The Joy Of Paranoia/Diverse (Ogun 008; UK)
CD $16
JOHNNY DYANI with OKAY TEMIZ / MONGEZI FEZA WITCHDOCTOR'S SON With DUDU PUKWANA / et al - Rejoice Together (Cadillac Records 12/13; UK)
2 CD Set $20
EDQ with ELTON DEAN With KEITH TIPPETT - They All Be On This Road [with bonus tracks] (Ogun 048; UK)
CD $16
ELTON DEAN QUINTET with With HARRY BECKETT / PAUL RUTHERFORD / MARCIO MATTOS / LIAM GENOCKEY - Welcomet: Live In Brazil 1986 (Ogun 046; UK)
CD $16
JOHNNY DYANI with OKAY TEMIZ / MONGEZI FEZA WITCHDOCTOR'S SON With DUDU PUKWANA / et al - Rejoice Together (Cadillac 12/13 ,UK)
2 CD Set $20
ALEXANDER HAWKINS & LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO - Keep Your Heart Straight (Ogun 039; UK)
CD $16
FRANCINE LUCE With KEITH TIPPETT / LOUIS MOHOLO / EVAN PARKER / PAUL RUTHERFORD / PAUL ROGERS / CLAUDE DEPPA - Bo kay la vi-a (Ogun 012; UK)
CD $16
CHRIS McGREGOR - In His Good Time: Expanded Edition (Ogun 038 ,UK) - Solo piano.
CD $16
CHRIS McGREGOR'S BROTHERHOOD OF BREATH With DUDU PUKWANA/ MONGEZI FEZA / EVAN PARKER / GARY WINDO / HARRY BECKETT / MARC CHARIG / NICK EVANS / RADU MALFATTI /HARRY MILLER / LOUIS MOHOLO - Live at Willisau (Ogun 001; UK)
CD $16
LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO / DUDU PUKWANA / JOHNNY DYANI with REV. FRANK WRIGHT- Spiritual Knowledge (Ogun 035; UK)
CD $16
LOUIS MOHOLO'S VIVA-LA-BLACK With CLAUDE DEPPA / SEAN BERGIN / TOBIAS DELIUS / JASON YARDE / PULE PHETO / ROBERTO BELLATALLA / THEBE LIPERE - Freedom tour: Live In South Afrika 1993 (Ogun 006; UK)
CD $16
LOUIS MOHOLO'S BRA LOUIS-BRA TEBS/ & OCTET With KEITH TIPPETT / EVAN PARKER / HARRY MILLER / KENNY WHEELER / JOHNNY DYANI / NICK EVANS / RADU MALFATTI - Bra-Louis-Bra Tebs/Spirits Rejoice (Ogun 017/018; UK)
2 CD Set $20
LOUIS MOHOLO / EVAN PARKER / PULE PHETO / GIBO PHETO / BARRY GUY QUINTET - Bush Fire (Ogun 009; UK)
CD $16
LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO / STAN TRACEY - Khumbula (Remember) (Ogun 016; UK)
CD $16
JOHN STEVENS / EVAN PARKER - Corner To Corner / The Longest Night Volumes 1 & 2 (Ogun 022/023; UK)
2 CD Set $20
KEITH TIPPETT'S ARK With STAN TRACEY / ELTON DEAN / TREVOR WATTS / BRIAN SMITH / LARRY STABBINS / MARC CHARIG / HENRY LOWTHER / PETER KOWALD / HARRY MILLER / LOUIS MOHOLO / FRANK PERRY / et al - Frames (Music for an imaginary film)(Ogun 010/011; UK)
2 CD Set $20
KEITH TIPPETT / JULIE TIPPETTS With LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO'S VIVA-LA-BLACK & CANTO GENERAL - Viva La Black Live At Ruvo (Ogun 020; UK)
CD $16
KEITH TIPPETT SEPTET With LARRY STABBINS / PAUL ROGERS / MARK CHARIG / ELTON DEAN / NICK EVANS / LOUIS MOHOLO - A Loose Kite in a Gentle Wind Floating with Only My Will for an Anchor (Ogun 030; UK)
CD $16
KEITH TIPPETT OCTET With PAUL DUNMALL / JULIE TIPPETTS / PETE FAIRCLOUGH / et al - From Granite to Wind (Ogun 036; UK)
CD $16
MIKE WESTBROOK CONCERT BAND with JOHN SURMAN / MIKE OSBORNE/ BERNIE LIVING / GEORGE KHAN / PAUL RUTHERFORD / MALCOLM GRIFFITHS / DAVE HOLDSWORTH / HARRY MILLER / ALAN JACKSON - Last Night at The Old Place (Cadillac Records 016; UK)
CD $16
Some Ogun & Cadillac Titles with Blurbs/Reviews:
BLUE NOTES with CHRIS McGREGOR / LOUIS MOHOLO / DUDU PUKWANA / JOHNNY DYANI / MONGEZI FEZA / NICK MOYAKE - Legacy: Live in South Afrika 1964 (Ogun 024; UK) This historic recording is a testament, one of the final homeland performances of the Blue Notes, the legendary group from apartheid-riddled South Africa whose members expatriated to Europe shortly after this summer 1964 concert in Durbin. As documented in Maxine McGregor's biography Chris McGregor & the Brotherhood of Breath (Bamberger Books), the full-blown Blue Notes sextet was the preeminent modern jazz band from Pretoria, who would revolutionize the Continental jazz scene with their mix of hard bop, highlife, Xhosa bush tribal, and kwela musics into one of the more joyful sounds the world has ever known. The Blue Notes of 1964 were an aggressive hard bop unit, with drummer Louis Moholo's punchy Elvin Jones-like drumming and the contrasting sounds of pocket trumpeter Mongezi Feza, alto saxophonist Dudu Pukwana, and tenor saxophonist Nick Moyake churning and burning brightly on the horizon of their future conquests. The recording is produced thin, not to field recording status, but the piano playing of Chris McGregor is quite buried in the mix. The pace is quickly established on "Now," a cool bluesy swing number featuring the sultry tenor of Moyake and occasional brief double-time rhythm step-ups from Moholo. "Coming Home" is quite similar to a Lee Morgan-Wayne Shorter tandem sonically, and melodically close to Clifford Brown's "Joyspring," while the easy-swinging "Vortex Special" is a cousin of the Miles Davis evergreen "So What." At their most raw and raucous, "Two for Sandi" is an unabashed hard bopper and "Dorkay House" (credited to Pukwana but actually composed by Kippie Moeketsi) is even more unbridled, free, and loose, informed by the pungent, pronounced alto of the fearless Pukwana. Feza is a delight to listen to as a logical extension of Don Cherry, while bassist Johnny Dyani supports his bandmates with a witty repartee this side of Charlie Haden. The Blue Notes would head for the Antibes Jazz Festival, then to Paris and London prior to the death of Feza and the departure of Moyake. Then McGregor would form his multinational Brotherhood of Breath big band. After that, the music universe would never be the same, and the Blue Notes paved the way as a prelude to a revolution of Afro-jazz that still very much lives. - Michael G. Nastos, AllMusicGuide
CD $16
BLUE NOTES with CHRIS McGREGOR / LOUIS MOHOLO / DUDU PUKWANA / JOHNNY DYANI - Blue Notes For Mongezi (1976) [2 CD Set] (Ogun 025 / 026; UK) Dudu Pukwana (alto sax, whistle, percussion, vocals), Chris McGregor (piano, percussion), Johnny Dyani (bass, bell, lead vocals "and most of the words"), Louis Moholo (drums, percussion, vocals). This, however, is one of the greatest of all records, and one of the hardest to listen to, for it comprises four sides of an improvised lament for the fifth Blue Note, Mongezi Feza - following his memorial service, the surviving band members immediately went into the studio, picked up their instruments, switched on the tape and just started playing. It is one of the rawest and most honest expressions of grief and bereavement ever articulated in musical form. Feza was just 30 when he died in December 1975 of double pneumonia, neglected and unattended to in a distant corner of a ward of a hospital in southwest London, where he had been admitted following a violent nervous breakdown in the back of a taxi. His lifespan was almost exactly that of Steve Biko, and many people still feel that he died in a not entirely dissimilar fashion. So the four musicians pluck, pound and blow their grief. Side one in particular is near unbearable in its emotional candour; Dyani throwing out monstrous basslines, chanting Mongezi's name, improvising reminiscences and expressing uncensored emotions, Dudu's alto sounding on the point of collapse - when Dyani takes a Hadenesque bass solo near the end of side one I would challenge anyone's eyes to still be dry. And yet, in the gruelling arena of this music, hope does eventually reassert itself, so much so that Dudu briefly visits the tune of "Yellow Rose Of Texas" halfway through side three, and by the end of side four we have reached the "acknowledgement" stage of this musical Kobler-Ross cycle, and the work ends with a simple, major key kwela melody to confirm that life, somehow, will continue. - Marcello Carlin
2 CD Set $20
BLUE NOTES with CHRIS McGREGOR / DUDU PUKWANA / JOHNNY DYANI / LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO - In Concert (Ogun OGCD 027; UK) Recorded live at the 100 Club, London in April of 1977, after the passing of Mongezi Feza in December of 1975. Dudu Pukwana (alto sax, whistle, percussion, vocals), Chris McGregor (piano, percussion), Johnny Dyani (bass, bell, lead vocals "and most of the words"), Louis Moholo (drums, percussion, vocals). This set finds the surviving quartet on demon form at the 100 Club, gleefully soaring between different tunes and explosive interplay. Worth comparing with 1968's Very Urgent [a MUST to hear!] to note the progressive deformalization of the group's musical model over the intervening decade. - Marcello Carlin
CD $16
BLUE NOTES with CHRIS McGREGOR / DUDU PUKWANA / JOHNNY DYANI / LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO - Before The Wind Changes: Live in Waregem 1979 (Ogun 037; UK) Ogun kicked off its 2012 release schedule with the second recording from the Blue Notes' 1979 tour of Belgium and Holland, taken from tour organiser Rob Sotemann's tape archive. Whereas the critically acclaimed first volume from this archive, Spiritual Knowledge And Grace (OGCD 035), featured an impromptu collaboration between Blue Notes members Louis Moholo-Moholo, Dudu Pukwana & Johnny Dyani and American tenor sax powerhouse Frank Wright, Before The Wind Changes focuses on the established quartet line-up with Chris McGregor at the piano and features an incendiary performance from Waregem
CD $16
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ALVIN LUCIER // AUSTRALIAN ART ORCHESTRA / AUSTIN BUCKETT - Swing Bridge Sizzles (Mode Records 312; USA) “Swing Bridge” was commissioned by this record’s ensemble, the Australian Art Orchestra, for the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ. The score requires that specific pipes be removed from the organ and run into three specially constructed offset chests, each accommodating two pipes (six pitches total). These pipes are manipulated by three or more performers, known as ‘pipe wavers.’
This music explores the phenomenon of the organ making its operation performative and visceral. We hear the way the energy produced by the organ ‘sounds’ the space in which the music was performed and recorded, and, for those who witnessed the performance, we experienced the physicality of air moving through pipes as the wavers shifted the tuning of each pipe microtonally with their hands. This is conceptual work of the highest order but it is also sensual, beautiful, and engrossing, with the textures of the ensemble woven into the pulsations produced by the organ and the resonances of the room.
The organ and pipe wavers are accompanied by the ensemble who create long tones microtonally associated to the organ. For “Sizzles” the composer writes: “Drums of various sizes are randomly placed throughout the performance space. Fine materials such as lentils, chickpeas, and candy hearts are sprinkled on the drumheads. As low organ tones are sounded, the skins of the drums vibrate sympathetically, causing the drums to sound and the material to move. Each drum is individually amplified with a contact or air microphone and a separate amplifier.”
CD $15
HORATIU RADULESCU // SAM DUNSCOMBE / REBECCA LANE - Plasmatic Music Vol. 1 (Mode Records 339; USA) This release marks Volume 4 in Mode’s Radulescu Edition. The three works on this disc explore different aspects of Radulescu’s theory of Sound Plasma as it evolved over the course of the 1970s, from Radulescu’s early to middle periods.
“Capricorn’s Nostalgic Crickets” (1972) presents a simple pulse of spectrally dense sound events, described in the composer’s own words as a “PULSE-TIDE of MUSIC and SILENCE.” The seven clarinetists should transcend their instrumental selves, coming together to evoke the sounds of the natural world — the timbres of electronic music, the magical and phonetic aspects of language, even other instruments. This is to be done in the most fluid way possible, never dwelling on any one interaction but rather creating a sense of a whole universe of sounds constantly evolving and decaying.
“Small Infinities’ Togetherness” (1972) is the shimmering articulation of a single sound spectrum (that of a low ‘D’) that shifts between harmonicity and inharmonicity, spectral narrowness and spectral width. The version presented on this CD features two archival recordings of Radulescu playing organ (the original tape from Fountains of My Sky) and synthesiser (initially intended as a backing track for a duo version with Fernando Grillo). These are augmented with two sound groups recorded in the period between 2018–21, one of electronics (analogue and digital synthesis together with tape manipulation) and one of acoustic instruments (a set of Radulescu’s original Romanian folk wooden flutes, and a specially tuned sound icon).
In “Opus 42: Inner Time / Outer Time” (1980-83), paired compositions presented together here for the first time, a spectrum of odd number harmonics is deconstructed and rebuilt by overlaid flutes and clarinets, the instruments’ natural variations of pitch causing the total sonic mass to seethe and boil.
“Opus 42” began life in 1980 as Outer Time for 23 flutes, and from this original score a second piece, The Inner Time for solo clarinet, was then generated. These two versions are identical except for the pitches, which are inverted in the clarinet version. The two “origin scores” use a unique spectral notation developed by Radulescu in the late 1970s. Realising these origin scores using overdubbed flutes and clarinets, rather than electronically generated tones, injects a degree of instability and unpredictability from fluctuations in wind instruments’ sound and is a natural (and unavoidable) part of instrumental technique. When presented as part of a large mass of sound, these micro-movements can have unexpectedly large consequences — the instrumental sounds will still fuse together to create the sense of a single sonic entity, but with an inner dynamism that gives an extra sense of temporality, growth, and evolution within a sound that would otherwise be read as purely static.”
CD $15
LOU HARRISON / BILLY MARTIN / LARRY POLANSKY / ROLAND DAHENDEN / PETAR KLANAC - 6 Pieces for Gamelan Slendro (Mode Records 330; USA) For this recording project, the fearless French musical collective ensemble 0 (pronounced “zero”) began a new kind of collaboration with the Swiss percussion ensemble Eklekto and Gamelan Oksitan — this last the traditional Javanese ensemble of gongs and metallophones based in France. Their transcultural bridge has foundations that go back to Claude Debussy’s fascination with the radiant tones of gamelan music that he heard at the 1889 Paris Exposition.
Yet neither Debussy nor many other sympathetic composers who followed actually composed for those instruments. They faced challenges of different tuning systems, intricacies of unfamiliar instruments, the weight of another classical tradition, but perhaps no obstacle greater than the cultural gulf of that colonial era. It was not until the 1970s that non-Indonesian composers began to bridge that divide, none more committed than the American composer Lou Harrison.
One of his very first gamelan compositions, Bubaran Robert, is named for the Javanese form that has one gong stroke every eight beats and for Robert Brown, the ethnomusicologist who brought to California the Javanese gamelan for which Harrison first composed. Harrison was fascinated by traditional gamelan’s exquisite balance of melody and counterpoint (the melodic lines weave a complex fabric around the core melody unconcerned with the insistencies of European harmony).
Like the other works on this recording, it uses the Javanese slendro tuning system, a scale in which the octave is divided into five roughly even steps, therefore placing the pitches “in the cracks” between those of the piano’s keys.
Larry Polansky was a friend and student of Lou Harrison at Mills College in the 1980s. His series of Four Voice Canons are variations on relatively simple procedures, in this case permutations of sequences of gamelan tones gradually layered in different tempos, eventually coalescing into a dazzling sound environment.
Billy Martin is an American jazz drummer, best known as a member of jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood. His multicultural background in percussion and improvisation can be found in his Heartstrings. Gamelan ostinatos underpin pensive monologues and dialogues between a cello and suling (the bird-like Javanese bamboo flute) in these fragrant miniatures.
Petar Klanac’s Spe Salvi, is based on a Gregorian chant. It’s contemplation of hope in the face of mortality floats timelessly over the sound worlds of singing cello, gamelan, and other percussion, their alternation controlled by the structure of the original chant.
Swiss composer Roland Dahinden brings the traditions of chance operations of John Cage and the experimental jazz of Anthony Braxton to a work of sound potentials, creating a sonic Zen garden. The diversity of approaches represented on this collection provides a glimpse towards a vibrant future, a future that Lou Harrison helped create.”
CD $15
KLAUS SCHULZE & LISA GERRARD - Big In Europe Vol. 2: Amsterdam (Made in Germany 1062CD; Germany) "While other musicians mostly vary their repertoire with nuances, every Klaus Schulze performance is hard to predict. His former bandmate Edgar Froese (Tangerine Dream) once needed a nice image when describing his way of improvising on stage with electronic instruments, saying 'This is like a parachute jump where one cannot be sure if the parachute will even open.' This was particularly true during the time of the unpredictable, analog synthesizers -- but Klaus kept this same work method throughout the years without making any changes. And with this he is one of the few musicians who saved this art of improvising, all during the transition from the analog to the digital era. This is also true according to Schulze's principle, 'It is important that I do not have a clue when I should be going onstage.' What appears to be a paradox or what smells like absolute randomness is quite the opposite; it is a reference to all factors of this deciding moment along with a full release as well as an arrival. The definite highest point however would be the Amsterdam concert. It may also be that it was the tour's third concert after Warsaw and Berlin and all those involved had perfectly played one after another. But this does not explain the magic and the breathtaking dramaturgy of the entire performance. The non-verbal and deeply emotional interaction between Klaus Schulze and Lisa Gerrard was seldom so homogenous, real union as it was here!"
2 CD/DVD $26
MAGGOT BRAIN - Maggot Brain #14 (Sep/Oct/Nov 2023)(Maggot Brain; USA) "Cover boy Harry Smith shines thanks to a cheeky, never-before published photo by Allen Ginsberg. We celebrate the life and work of the self-described 'ethnopharmacologist' just in time for the release of John Szwed's illuminating biography and Smith's first one-person art exhibition, at the Whitney, with three killer, well-illustrated features (on his Anthology of American Folk Music, an interview by Marc Masters with Szwed, and a terrific dive into Smith's relationship with fellow visual artist and filmmaker Jordan Belson by Raymond Foye). Also featuring: Andy Beta on the reissue of a forgotten Lou Reed record; excerpts from two revelatory works -- Andy Zax's Extinctophonics, and Christina Ward's Holy Food; Kathy Lindenmayer witnesses a show by Boygenius; an archival interview with fabric arts pioneer and Bauhaus OG, Anni Albers; Michelle Dove visits Cincinnati to write about what made Jenny Mae's work so special; an illustrated Advance Base tour diary by Owen Ashworth; Tamara Palmer considers the oddball career arc of Orbital; Andy Beta goes deep on Tetsu Inoue; Nate Lippens goes off on Rene Ricard and other obsessions; Michelle Dove on Cat Power's sense of humor; the triumphant return of the Unstapled column, with reproductions of a contemporary basketball fanzine. Illustrations throughout by Marly Beyer. Columns by Lucy Sante, Mimi Lipson, Dwight Pavlovic, and editor Mike McGonigal. Tributes to Sixto Rodriguez, Esp Summer, and Pee-Wee Herman."
Magazine $14
BOLINUS BRANDARIS - Flamenco from the Bay of Cadiz / Various Artists (Dust-to-Digital DTD 058CD; USA) Bolinus Brandaris takes the listener to the Bay of Cadiz, which is often referred to as "cuna del cante" ("cradle of song"). This southernmost part of mainland Spain is considered the birthplace and heartland of flamenco, where many song styles originated then radiated out through the rest of Andalusia. Expertly recorded with modern technology in informal and natural environments, this is flamenco culture as it is being lived today. Generally speaking, modern flamenco recordings have often missed the mark for two reasons: either they were live recordings in which the recorded sound was a by-product of a staged concert event, or they were studio recordings that leaned heavily on studio techniques to make the music sound contemporary (i.e. isolation booths, added effects, multi-tracking). Bolinus Brandaris gives flamenco's fundamental elements -- voice and guitar -- their overdue spotlight. By excluding the often-overemphasized component of flamenco dance, this release provides context which will enrich any flamenco experience. Featuring Trini de la Isla, Juani de la Isla, Jesus Castilla, Ana Polanco, Victor Rosa, Pedrín de la Isla , Jesus Guerrero, and El Niño del Parque. Comes with a 96-page, 9.25" x 6.25" x 5" hardcover book printed on artbook-quality paper with 46 color photos.”
CD/Book $32
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ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE, Around the world.
If you have a link for some music that you are working on and want to share it with the folks who read the DMG Newsletter, please send the link to DMG at DMG@Downtownmusicgallery.com
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THE STONE RESIDENCIES / DAN WEISS / SEPT 27–30
9/28 Thursday
8:30 pm - QUARTET: Peter Evans (trumpet) Patricia Brennan (vibes) Miles Okazaki (guitar) Dan Weiss (drums)
9/29 Friday
8:30 pm - TRIO: Jacob Sacks (piano) Thomas Morgan (bass) Dan Weiss (drums)
9/30 Saturday
8:30 pm: TRIO: Miguel Zenon (sax) Matt Mitchell (piano) Dan Weiss (drums)
October 2023 at the Stone
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / FRED FRITH / OCT 4–7
PLEASE NOTE THAT ADMISSION WILL BE TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AND THIRTY DOLLARS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY!
10/4 Wednesday
8:30 pm duos and trios: Fred Frith (electric guitar) gabby fluke mogul (violin) Nava Dunkelman (percussion) TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS
10/5 Thursday
8:30 pm - Normal - Fred Frith (home-made instruments) Sudhu Tewari (home-made instruments) Cenk Ergün (electronics) - TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS
10/6 Friday
8:30 pm - duos and trios - Fred Frith (home-made instruments, percussion) Ikue Mori (electronics) Nate Wooley (trumpet) - THIRTY DOLLARS
10/7 Saturday
8:30 pm - Truth Suite (compositions for electric guitar and harp)
Fred Frith (electric guitar) Zeena Parkins (harp) THIRTY DOLLARS
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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JOHN ZORN @ 70 - Year Long Celebration Continues with:
THE NEW MASADA QUARTET will Play Six Night at The Village Vanguard
From Tuesday, September 26th to Sunday, October 1st!
FEATURING:
JOHN ZORN - Alto Sax & Compositions from the Vast Masada Songbook (650 songs)
JULIAN LAGE - Electric Guitar
JORGE ROEDER - Contrabass
KENNY WOLLESEN - Drums
The Village Vanguard is located at 178 7th Ave South in NYC
Tickets: https://villagevanguard.squadup.com/2022.html
I’ve seen this quartet around a half dozen times and they are consistently amazing! Their set at the FIMAV/Victo Fest in Quebec (in May of this year) was triumphant and closed the fest in a most wonderful way! Word is that their set from San Francisco recently as even better. They will be playing at the Vanguard (oldest & most well respected jazz club in NYC) for six nights with two sets per night. Whenever Mr. Zorn does a residency with one of his working bands, that band gets better and better..! All four members of this band are integral to their magical, cosmic power/allure but it the interplay (fireworks!) between Mr. Zorn and Mr. Lage that is so astonishing! Don’t miss this opportunity to check them out, they the best current modern jazz band of this era! - BLG at DMG!
JOHN ZORN @ 70 - 3 Concerts at Miller Theatre at Columbia University:
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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John Cage's Japan at Japan Society
An Original Performance Series
Celebrating the Composer's Relationship with Japanese Culture
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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Anti-Social Music & Eli Wallace Present:
Friday, October 6th, 8pm, $15
Mise-En Place
341 Calyer St, Brooklyn, NY 11222
1) Laubrock/Rainey duo
Ingrid Laubrock, soprano and tenor saxophones
Tom Rainey, drums
2) Hypersurface
Drew Wesely, guitar/objects
Lester St. Louis, cello
Carlo Costa, drums
3) Eli Wallace quintet
Michael Foster, saxophones
Steve Swell, trombone
Victor Vieira-Branco, vibes
Michael TA Thompson, drums
Eli Wallace, piano/objects
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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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