I am going to see Soft Machine play at the Iridium on Saturday (10/28/23) and I am very excited to do this. Along with the Mothers of Invention and Henry Cow, Soft Machine were/are in my top three favorite progressive bands of all time. The current band does material from throughout their entire reign (1968-1974) and they do sound like what Soft Machine should sound like, more than a half century later. I am not sure if it is sold out, but you should consider going as it might be their very last tour. - BLG at DMG
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THE DMG 32nd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
Rare Sunday Night Event, October 29th:
6:30: VINNY GOLIA - Reeds / GUILLERMO GREGORIO - Clarinet / TJ BORDEN - Cello / gabby fluke-mogol - Violin
Tuesday, October 31st: Halloween!
6:30: MARCO CAPPELLI / CHRIS COCHRANE / JAMES PAUL NADIEN
Tuesday, November 7th:
6:30: SIMON KANZLER - Electronics / MELVIN BAUER - Drums
7:30: SELENDIS SEBASTIAN ALEXANDER JOHNSON / NATHAN CHAMBERLAIN / JOSHUA MATHEWS - Trombone / Guitar / Drums
8:30: DAVE GROLLMAN / BRENNA REY / JAMES PAUL NADIEN
Tuesday, November 14th:
6:30: CAMILA N - Sax / KENNETH JIMENEZ - Bass / RANDY PETERSON - Drums
7:30: GIAN PEREZ / MICHAEL GILBERT / MARC EDWARDS - Guitar / Contrabass / Drums
8:30: PATRICK GOLDEN GROUP with SALLY GATES / MATT HOLLENBERG / RYAN SIEGEL - Drums / Two Guitars / Alto Sax
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 Treasure Chest of New Releases Begins with the Long Awaited MASADA Complete Studio Box:
JOHN ZORN // MASADA with DAVE DOUGLAS / GREG COHEN / JOEY BARON - with DAVE DOUGLAS / GREG COHEN / JOEY BARON - 30th Anniversary Edition: The Complete Studio Master Takes (Tzadik 0100; USA) Featuring John Zorn on alto sax & compositions; Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on contrabass and Joey Baron on drums. Hard to believe that it’s been thirty goddamn years since the first Masada set at the old Knitting Factory (on Houston) in September of 1993, for John Zorn’s month-long 40th birthday celebration/retrospective. 30 days in a row of John Zorn concerts: last four Naked City nights and the first appearance of the Masada Quartet! This impressive box includes all ten Masada studio CD’s, released 1994 - 1997. “Daled” / CD 4 was originally a 3 song, 30 minute EP, which Zorn fans could get for free if they sent in the OBI’s from the first three discs. Disc 4 now includes several unreleased bonus tracks to make a full length disc. All ten studio discs were released on DIW, a Japanese label and were expensive as import-only CD’s. All ten have been out of print for more than a decade. The original quartet were an amazing ensemble with all four members integral to their unique sound. I’ve listened to the original Masada CDs many times over the past 30 years and I still get goose bumps when I listen. I’ve all seen & heard them live dozens of times during their reign and believed that they were the best avant/jazz/klez/etc band of their time! The original band broke up years ago as Greg Cohen and Joey Baron have moved away from NY and Dave Douglas continues to have a long, ambitious solo career as well as running a label (Greenleaf) and teaching. There have been several different versions of Masada through the years (Electric Masada, Masada String Trio & the Bar Kokhba Chamber Masada), but the original quartet was special. There are over 100 Masada songs found on this 10 CD set plus a wonderful thick booklet. There is a New Masada Quartet (with Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder & Kenny Wollesen) that started last year (2022) and now has two fabulous CD’s. The New Masada actually plays many songs from the original quartet, so it is great to hear these great melodies once again! Like everything that Mr. Zorn releases, the enclosed booklet is a gem with a fine essay by Zorn about the history of Masada and 20 musicians all discussing what is unique about the Masada songbook. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
10 CD Deluxe Box Set with 75 page booklet $190 [Limited Edition of 1,000 worldwide]
ANNA WEBBER / MATT MITCHELL - Capacious Aeration (Tzadik 4043; USA) “Two of new music's most powerful and virtuosic composer-performers get together for a dazzling and thoughtful program of radical compositions and improvisations. Featuring brilliant writing and telepathic improvisational interplay, the music is concise, intense, and endlessly imaginative. An essential view into the Downtown scene's newest generation of musical masters.” I am a big fan of both of these colossal composers and instrumentalists, whatever they do is fine for me. I haven’t heard this disc yet but I know we are in store for more great music. - BLG at DMG
CD $14
ANNA WEBBER with ADAM O’FARRILL / MARIEL ROBERTS / ELIAS STEMSEDER / LESLEY MOK - Shimmer Wince (Intakt CD 407; Switzerland) Featuring Anna Webber on tenor sax, flutes & compositions, Adam O’Farrill on trumpet, Mariel Roberts on cello, Elias Stemeseder on synthesizer and Lesley Mok on drums. Reeds player/composer/multi-bandleader, Anna Webber, keeps surprising me/us with each release and concert date, as she evolves through a variety of challenging situations. Ms. Webber co-leads a big band with Angela Morris, has worked with John Hollenbeck in different projects (check out George, a charming yet odd pop band of sorts), plus collaborating with Dave Douglas, Jacob Garchik and Trevor Dunn. Ms. Webber has assembled a unique quintet of diverse leaders/players: Mr. O’Farrill (for Mary Halvorson & Patricia Brennan), Ms. Roberts (with the Mivos Quartet), Mr. Stemeseder (Jim Black Trio) and Lesley Mok (currently playing in Myra Melford’s Fire & Water Quintet).
“Shiver” opens with several layers of drones from the sax, trumpet, cello, synth and drums. The effect is haunting and most hypnotic. Each member of the quintet is a part of the common drone stream which slowly expands/breathes as it evolves. While Ms. Mok plays a slow, ritualistic groove with mallets on the drums, the sax, trumpet and cello all pulsate together with eerie synth sounds simmering underneath. Mr. Webber and Mr. O’Farrill duet together in circular fragments while the quintet churns its way together as one force. Adam O’Farrill has become one of Downtown's best trumpeters over the past decade and is in fine form here. He is featured on “Wince” and takes a fine solo in the first section before the piece moves into a more cerebral, moderate paced part. What’s interesting about this disc is that it deals more with textures and smart arrangements rather than solos. On “Periodicity 1”, has the horns, cello and percussion all playing these difficult tight spinning lines together, repeating a phrase while Mr. Stemeseder adds synth-like sonic seasoning. Ms. Webber does take an exciting tenor solo on this piece but it is the composition itself that is most challenging. At times Ms. Webber will break things into subgroups: a fine flute & drums duo will have some drones added on “Squirmy”, while Mr. O’Farrill adds some well-placed muted trumpet fragments along with the cello as the piece expands and evolves. The music here is filled unexpected twists and surprising combinations of instruments and shrewd arrangements. This disc is without a doubt a great achievement and another treasure from one of Downtown’s best composer/players. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18
ANGELICA SANCHEZ NONET with MICHAEL ATTIAS / BEN GOLDBERG / CHRIS SPEED / THOMAS HEBERER / KENNY WARREN / OMAR TAMEZ / JOHN HEBERT / SAM OSPOVAT - Nighttime Creatures (Pyroclastic Records 30; USA) Featuring Angelica Sanchez on piano & compositions, Michael Attias on alto sax, Chris Speed on tenor sax & clarinet, Ben Goldberg on contra alto clarinet, Thomas Heberer on quarter-tone trumpet, Kenny Warren on cornet, Omar Tamez on guitar, John Hebert on contrabass and Sam Ospovat on drums. Angelica Sanchez takes her time between each project whether she is the leader or even if she is a collaborator. Her most recent discs as a leader include two trio CD’s (for Sunnyside & Clean Feed) and a couple of fine duos with Marilyn Crispell and Wadada Leo Smith. A decade ago, Clean Feed also released two great discs by the Angelica Sanchez Quintet.
For Ms. Sanchez’s new project she has organized an all-star nonet with a number of Downtown’s best musicians. Ms. Sanchez composed all but two of the songs here taking six years to compose and arrange each one. The two cover songs are Duke Ellington’s rarely covered, “Lady of the Lavendar Mist” and Chilean composer Armando Carvajal’s “Tristeza”. This disc is pretty long, 79 minutes so it will take some time to fully absorb. Starting with “Nighttime Creatures”, Ben Goldberg takes the first solo on contra-alto clarinet, a rarely heard instrument which is difficult to play. The three reeds players here, Attias, Speed & Goldberg, play freely but with dreamy restraint, adding the two trumpets to the exquisite arrangements. Mexican guitarist and occasional shamen, Omar Tamez, has worked with Ms. Sanchez in different settings in the past decade. Mr. Tamez has a way of interweaving his skeletal guitar lines without ever playing too many notes. What really stands out throughout this disc is the strong, well-thought-out composing and arranging by Ms. Sanchez. Longtime Downtown saxist, Chris Speed (now living in L.A.), has mellowed out tone-wise over the past few years and his playing here fits perfectly: dreamy and lush, rather Stan Getz-like at times. Often when one person solos, the rest of the band will play together, spinning a web of lines underneath. Since many of the solos are laid back, this gives the piano and guitar a chance to play elegant harmonies around the solos. Duke Ellington’s “Lady of the Lavender Mist” is an exquisite, haunting ballad with some sublime piano, Johnny Hodges-like tender sax and dreamy playing from the rest of the band. On a few pieces, the nonet goes further out and is freer, yet they always seem to be graceful and never very chaotic. What Angelica Sanchez has done is create music which is both adventurous and laid back at the same time. Another well placed treasure from the cream of the Downtown Scene. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
FRED FRITH // ENSEMBLE MUSIQUES NOUVELLES - Something About This Landscape for Ensemble (Sub Rosa 536; Belgium) “From his early days with Henry Cow, Fred Frith was seen as a brilliant instrumentalist and improviser, but what has been overlooked is what a first-rate composer he is. This recording offers both aspects. His most complex orchestral composition and two selected improvisations with the Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles. Fred Frith, as an infusion of energy and inspiration. "Something about this Landscape was commissioned by Ars Musica in 2018. I composed the piece during a residency at Lou Harrison's straw-bale house in the desert at Joshua Tree, California. It's an inspiring place for a number of reasons -- the silence, the light, the life, the history. The extraordinary diversity of birds during the migration season. Both other pieces are improvisations. The first one is the one we did during the concert (in public), the other one, very different, is the one we did during the dress rehearsal (on the day of the concert)." - Fred Frith Musiques Nouvelles is one of the two most successful and diversified contemporary music ensembles in this country with Ictus. With, under the influence of Jean-Paul Dessy, a deeply spiritual and mutual listening aspect. This meeting with the legendary Fred Frith will remain as an important step.”
CD $16 [We listed this disc in May of this year but it was pre-sold out at the time, this is the first time we’ve actually gotten copies in stock five months later!]
MARK HOWELL / CHRIS COCHRANE / NICK DIDKOVSKY - Seagull Brain (Punos Music; USA) Featuring Mark Howell, Chris Cochrane and Nick Didkovsky on electric guitars. All three of these pickers are/were members of the Downtown Scene starting in the 1980’s and have mostly worked in separate situations. The eldest is Chris Cochrane who has worked in early Zorn projects, with Curlew, Third Person and founded No Safety with Zeena Parkins. Mark Howell played in Zero Pop, Timber, with Judy Dunaway and with Curlew. Nick Didkovsky founded Dr. Nerve, one of NYC’s best progressive bands and is also a gifted composer and currently has a metal band with his son called Vomit Fist. Both Mr. Howell and Mr. Didkovsky were both members of the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet (with 2 discs from 1989 & 1991). Dickovsky and Howell also released a duo effort in January of 2022.
“Grab a Tea” opens and it is rather dark with three guitars all being strummed together, getting more dense and then winding down to a more moderate tempo with short solo bits emerging together and apart. The three guitars keep shifting around one another, buzzing or humming and then quieting down. The title track, “Seagull Brain”, has a great rocking riff at the center when it begins and then starts to add other bent note guitar parts. A second heavier riff is added midway and churning continues until it breaks into separate riffs. There are a few shorter pieces which sound like more restrained interludes in between the more dense & intense pieces. “The Certainty of the Uncertainty Principle Or…” features several thick chords being played together and drifting into more sparse space. On “Glacial Riptide”, the three guitars drift or float around one another with some slide guitar and bass like throbs interwoven, an overall dream-like quality takes over. I recently caught experimental guitarist Fred Frith play for four night at The Stone, two nights on guitar and two night on handmade instruments. Mr. Frith has always played the guitar in unorthodox ways, laying it down on a table or in his lap and coaxing odd sounds. Both Didkovsky and Howell were members of Frith’s guitar quartet around 1990 while Mr. Cochrane has also pushed the boundaries playing his electric guitar in odd ways. Hence, all three guitarists play their guitars in their own unique ways. On “Infestation”, the guitars are played quietly and spaciously creating some solemn, mysterious sounds, sometimes letting a bent-note or a chord hang in the air or playing two or three twisted chords at the same time. I notice that it is often not a melody or phrase that stands out but a sharper collection of fragments which makes things here seem so important. For all of those adventurous guitar freaks out there, these notes/sounds are for you! - Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG
CD $12
WILL BERNARD & BETH CUSTER - SKY (Dreck to Disk Records 005; USA) Featuring Will Bernard on guitars and Beth Custer on clarinets & voice. Former Bay area guitarist has been working on this project for many years. There is a picture of the Mr. Bernard and Ms. Custer inside the disc which looks like it was taken when both musicians were much younger (30 years ago?). Mr. Bernard grew up in the Bay area and went to high school with Steve Bernstein and Peter Apfelbaum, each of whom now lives in New York. I’ve long admired the playing of Beth Custer, who has worked with the Club Foot Orchestra, Clarinet Thing, Trance Mission, Daevid Allen’s University of Errors and with Chris Cutler & Fred Frith.
All of the 16 pieces were composed by either Bernard or Custer, aside from one traditional song. A guitar and clarinet duo is indeed a rare combination yet this duo sounds like they have been playing together for a long while. “Bear in Shamanic Transformation” is a lovely, tender, spacious delight, elegantly paced and played. These pieces have a dreamy, hypnotic quality which I find most charming. Bernard sounds like he is playing (baroque-ish) acoustic guitar on “Fence” with Ms. Custer’s tasty clarinet playing subtle harmonies. “Glistening Spirit” has an older, more poignant sound with Ms. Custer’s lush voice, singing in a melancholy fashion (overdubbed with tasty harmonies) while Bernard plays some haunting, skeletal slide guitar. Most of these songs have a solemn, touching sound/vibe which is refreshing from all of the rambunctious free music that I usually review here. Bernard’s “Luv Jones” speeds up the tempo a bit, making it a bit more challenging to play the written lines in the first half and then calming down for a more sleepy conclusion. There is something lovely and somewhat sad going on throughout this superb disc. It is a bit overcast and cold out today as I look out my kitchen window. This disc accompanies that view perfectly. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
ZOH AMBA / CHRIS CORSANO / BILL ORCUTT - The Flower School Palilia PAL 076CD; USA) “Since exploding on the improvised music scene a couple of years ago Tennessee native Zoh Amba has found herself engaging with an ever-widening group of collaborators as she tours across the US and Europe. She's forged some enduring partnerships, working regularly with drummer Chris Corsano, bassist Thomas Morgan, and pianist Micah Thomas, among others, but one of the deep pleasures of improvised music is when a first-time meeting produces sparks. Indeed, that's certainly the case with The Flower School, which bottles some serious lightning. In March of 2023, Amba and Corsano had finished up a duo tour of the west coast with an explosive performance in San Francisco. The next day the duo entered the studio with guitarist Bill Orcutt -- a trusted collaborator of the drummer stretching back a decade. It was the first time Orcutt and Amba had ever played together, but it sure doesn't seem that way. Although Amba has often recorded a bunch of tune-oriented albums for Tzadik, she's a free improviser at heart, and this trio arguably provides the most effective, elastic context for her playing yet. Yet what's most astonishing about The Flower School is how it elevates and transforms the playing of all three participants. It appears that there was more than enough trust in the room to allow each player to push-and-pull. Anyone who pays attention already knows that Orcutt and Corsano are mercurial figures, perpetually adapting, adjusting, and challenging one another. Inviting a third person to the party could threaten a slowly cultivated balance, but in this case the addition only heightened various dichotomies: soft vs. loud, bruising vs. tender, furious vs. lyric. Much has been made of Amba's debt to the free jazz of 1960's, particularly the way her vibrato-drenched tone dips into a valley of sacred music, but here she carves out a space that's entirely hers. On tracks like "The Morning Light Has Flooded My Eyes" and "What Emptiness Do You Gaze Upon!" she reveals a meticulously sharpened gift for motific improvisation, taking a single phrase and chiseling away it until she's discovered every possible permutation, all the while driven by the feverish energy and empathy of her cohorts. This group also displays Orcutt's masterful support skills, as he often takes a single chord or two, letting them float in mutate in the background or splintering them into patient, reserved arpeggios that ripple alongside Corsano's circular sculptures and the saxophonist's edgy blowing. Two of the album's five tracks are duets between Orcutt and Amba. The collection is bisected by "Sweet One," a delicate lattice formed by Orcutt's tremulous electric guitar arpeggios and Amba's spike acoustic pointillism that basks in its own leisurely beauty for a couple of restorative minutes, while the album closer "Moon Showed But No You" is a searingly beautiful ballad where the guitarist unspools clusters of notes somewhere between vintage Loren Mazzacane Connor and a distorted kalimba, while Amba puts an upwardly arcing melodic line through its paces, finding new wrinkles at every turn.”
CD $16 [In stock in a week or so]
ALON NECHUSHTAN with ROY CAMPBELL / DANIEL CARTER / SABIR MATEEN / WILLIAM PARKER / FEDERICO UGHI - For Those Who Cross the Seas (ESP-Disk 4084CD; USA) “Look at those players Alon Nechushtan brought together for this gig! The late, great Roy Campbell; reed masters Daniel Carter and Sabir Mateen; mayor of the NYC avant-jazz scene William Parker; versatile drummer Federico Ughi. Then listen: they all live up to their reputations. And then there's Nechushtan himself, born in Tel Aviv and long a thriving presence in New York as both composer and improviser. This concert happened at a time of considerable ferment on the NYC scene, with established virtuosi meeting the next generation -- often, as was the case this night, in Brooklyn and specifically Williamsburg venues, of which Zebulon was one of the greatest supporters of the improvisation scene documented so well in Cisco Bradley's recent book The Williamsburg Avant-Garde: Experimental Music and Sound on the Brooklyn Waterfront.”
2 CD Set $16
JIM CAMPILONGO / STEVE CARDENAS - New Year (Sunnyside SSC 1703; USA) Featuring Jim Campilongo and Steve Cardenas on electric & acoustic guitars. I’ve been a fan of guitarist Steve Cardenas ever since hearing him with Joey Baron’s Killer Joey band at Tonic in the early aughts. I’ve also heard Mr. Cardenas plays with Paul Motian and Ben Allison, as well as having a handful of his discs out on Sunnyside. I caught Jim Campilongo plays with Bill Frisell and Nels Cline, both sitting in with Campilongo’s own trio. Mr. Campilongo has also worked with Norah Jones and had a great trio with Stephan Crump and Tony Mason, their hard-to-fine discs were produced by the late Anton Fier.
Both guitarists contribute songs on this disc, as well as covering songs by Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Ray Noble and a traditional song. The picture inside the disc shows both guitarists playing telecasters. Duke Ellington’s rarely covered “Fleurette Africaine” opens this disc and it is most sublime, hushed, elegant, warm, graceful and spacious. A sort of late-night lullaby. Ray Noble’s “Cherokee” is a bebop standard which is slowed down here and played in a most laid back, dreamy way. Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do” is a most poignant song that I recall being sung by a famous Russian folk/pop singer in an episode of Northern Exposure. The version here is most exquisite and tugs tenderly at your heart. Mr. Campilongo’s “Miss Venezuela” sounds like an old school standard with a melody that sounds rather familiar. The combination of acoustic and electric guitar here is most enchanting. Ellington’s ancient standard, “Caravan” has been covered many times and was even made fun of in a song by the Mothers of Invention, where a drunk in the audience makes a request for it with a drum solo. This duo’s version slows it down and makes it more reflective and makes the melody more haunting. “Because You Like Trombone” has some lush, dreamy chords making it a solemn sort of lament. Although the duo are playing a few jazz standards, this disc sounds like it has more in common with Bill Frisell’s Americana-like music. The music here sounds like it comes from the distant past and retains an old-fashioned charm and elegance generally not found in most other more angst ridden types of music. This is a breath of fresh, warm/cool air which is much needed. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
RICK COUNTRYMAN / CHRISTIAN BUCHER / TETSURO HORI - The Movement Radical (Chap-Chap Records CPCD-025; Japan) Featuring Christian Bucer on drums, Rick Countryman on alto sax and Tetsuro Hori on drums. Recorded at the Big Apple in Kobe, Japan in July of 2023, just a few months ago. Some say that “Free/Jazz is dead” and perhaps for them, this might be true. But those of us with open ears, hearts and minds know that Freely Improvised music is an ongoing language that reinvents itself and thrives in the right situations. There appears to be an infinite variety of improvisers from all over the world, many of whom are little known to the outer world except for a handful of friends. My job, my goal is to go looking for these pools of resistance, no matter where they may be. Hence, I keep finding an assortment of gems, some within reach (at the store or The Stone or elsewhere) and some find their way here through snail mail or the internet. Although it has been going on for as long as someone notices, I keep discovering new scenes in unexpected places. Alto saxist Rick Countryman hails from the Pacific northwest but has been living in the Philippines for a while. Over the past four years, Mr. Countryman has had two dozen discs released on labels: FMR, NoBusiness and Chap-Chap with a handful of other strong players from Japan, the Philippines and other places. Swiss drummer Christian Bucher has been working with Mr. Countryman for the past couple of years with bassist Tetsuro Hori on one previous disc.
“Between the Three” is first and is spinning quickly right from the opening. Tight, loose, free, intense, strong interplay, erupting in organic bursts, the sax and drums are especially tightly wound up together as one sonic soaring force… The bassist is at the center of the storm balancing the extreme velocity. When the sax lays out, the bass & drums work closer as a singular stream. Things are more laid back during the last section of this piece when they strip it down and build it back up for the conclusion, the bowed bass creating a furious undertow. The second piece is called “Fluctuations” and this piece does fluctuate between sparse and more agitated sections. “Glass Matrix” has the trio stripping it back down from spacious to rambunctious in a short period, again building to another focused frenzy. On “First Bird”, the trio slows down to a more skeletal, cerebral sort of space. The bass and drums almost sound like they are playing a waltz with the bass picking up the pace at times. The way things flow together is what makes this disc so easy to be seduced by since we all are seeking to be part of the natural stream of Positive Creative Energy. As the tempo increases, the intensity also grows, the trio soar together like a flock of birds on the breeze in their own tight formation. What is interesting here is that this sounds like it was recorded live in a medium sized room, we can hear the room as well as the instruments with everything vibrating together. Lightning in a bottle, a ball of energy held in our hands. Two dozen discs later and these folks still sound strong and inspired! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
ECLECTIC MAYBE BAND with JULIE TIPPETTS / MARTIN ARCHER / DAVE NEWHOUSE / CECILE BROCHE / FORREST FANG / THIERRY ZABOITZEFF / PIERRE VERVLOESEM / MICHEL DEVILLE / GUY SEGERS / DIRK WACHELAER / et al - Bars Without Measures (Discus Records 159; UK) Featuring Guy Segers on bass & compositions, Dirk Descheemaeker on bass clarinet, Martin Archer on reeds, Michel Delville on guitar, Julie Tippetts on vocals, Thierry Zaboitzeff on cello, Dirk Wachtelaer on drums plus another 20 musicians from different backgrounds. This is the fourth disc by oddly named Eclectic Maybe Band, an ongoing project led by Guy Segers. I recognize around a dozen of the players here from their varied backgrounds: Segers, Descheemaeker & Vervloesem from Univers Zero, Newhouse from the Muffins, Zaboitzeff from Art Zoyd and Deville from Machine Mass & Doubt. Half of the pieces were written by Guy Segers, the other half are collective improvisations. Many of the tracks were created over the internet with the trading of files. Some of the tracks were recorded in different studios in Europe as well as in the USA. Mr. Segers mentions in the liner notes that he was glad to not have to deal with people's expectations due to whatever genre a certain genre was placed in.
“Casanova” opens with a spirited clarinet solo by Joe Higham, a bari solo by Mark Bogaert and a fine rambling guitar solo by Angel Ontalva, sailing over a sly, slightly funky groove. “Senseless Ostensibly” also has a cool, funky groove and the soulful voice of Dani Klein. The vocals by Julie Tippetts and Sibel Dinger are most enchanting as is/are the songs that Segers wrote for them. On “A Move to Unchange the Place”, Segers takes layers of horns and arranges them with quirky harmonies, while giving some solo space to Martin Archer on saxello. The four pieces of collective improvisations sound like they were taken from longer jams and then trimmed into more focused interludes, moving or evolving in unexpected ways. I like the Segers takes musicians from different places and puts them together virtually. On “Are You Out of Your Mind?”, Segers has Sean Rickman (from the Steve Coleman Band) playing those difficult prog percussion parts with Muffins saxist Dave Newhouse, an oboe player & a flutist playing their own Zappa-like tight, swirling lines together. “Isolation” is a chamber-like piece with Forrest Fang (electronic musician), Cecile Broche (recent solo offering on FMR) and Thierry Zaboitzeff (from Art Zoyd) playing the string parts, what sounds like a mellotron (by Segers himself) and a solemn bassoon solo. The last piece, “Temporal Trace of Erich Zann’s Presence” has the legendary Julie Tippett adding her mysterious vocals in layers while several waves of horns and strings swirl around her. Guy Segers has done a fine job of putting this disc/session together into a thoughtful connected work. Got to give this several listens to hear how it hangs together just right. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
FJALL with MARTIN ARCHER / JAN TODD / FRAN COMYN / RICHARD JACKSON - From the Rough Hill (Discus Records 164; UK) Fjall features Martin Archer on flutes, clarinets, recorders, harmonicas, soprano sax, percussion & electronics, Jan Todd on baritone psaltery, electric & cross-strung harps, waterphone, tagelharpa, flute, cello, electronics & field recordings, Fran Comyn on frame drums, cymbals, bells, bowls & hand percussion and Richard Jackson drums & percussion. For more than three decades, saxist/keyboardist/composer Martin Archer runs the Discus label which is now at 164 discs. Mr. Archer is a member of several ongoing bands/projects like Orchestra of the Upper Atmosphere, several projects with Julie Tippetts and the Eclectic Maybe Band. Each project shows a different side to what Mr. Archer can do with his ever-widening cast of most U.K musicians. Multi-instrumentalist, Jan Todd, is also a member of the Orchestra of the Upper Atmosphere, while both rhythm team members are new names for me.
For this session both Jan Todd and Fran Comyn have provided field recordings, while the music was recorded in a studio as well as live. None of the dozen pieces are named. Things begin with the soft sounds of percussion, flutes, psaltery (a zither), harp and a variety of subtle percussive sounds. The music sounds ritualistic and sounds like it was captured in the forest or jungle. There are some surprising combinations of sounds: melodica, suspense-filled percussion and space, rumbling, wind sounds, all flowing organically with backwards recordings, and other undefinable sounds which evoke the spirits around us which we can see but which we can hear or feel if we know what to look or listen for. If I didn’t know who the musicians were on this disc, I would’ve had a hard time trying to figure out their identities since this sounds like other sessions where an ensemble creates an environment which we become a part of as we listen. Strong inspired free improv can achieve this magical casting it's spell over the audience vibe when it works. This is the case here. In the last section it keeps building and gets very intense eventually taking us away to the other side of life… the Spirit World. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
MADISON GREENSTONE - Resonance Studies in Ecstatic Consciousness (Relative Pitch Records SS020; USA) Featuring Madison Greenstone on B-flat clarinet, recorded live in the studio on August 29th & 30th of 2022. Madison Greenstone plays clarinet in the TAK and The [Switch Ensemble]s, two local new music ensembles with impressive resumes. Solo clarinet records are still relatively rare, I can think of only a handful through the years by Vinny Golia (2001), Chris Speed (2021) and Jeremiah Cymerman (2012). All three of those are quite different in sound and the same can be said for Ms. Greenstone’s debut disc. “Ecstatic Consciousness I” opens and sounds like there are two clarinets being played at once. Overdubbed perhaps or just note-bending multiphonics? Greenstone keeps stretching out one note so that is becomes a stream which keeps shifting as it goes. On “aeolian harp i” she/they stretches out a note even further. It is hard to tell exactly what is going on as our ears have to adjust to the certain nuances of those bent notes which sound like they are about to break or erupt. Each piece is both similar in overall sound yet the stretching of the notes or sounds is carefully done and changes the way we hear it. There are certain multiphonic or bent notes which make us wince, feeling that something is wrong or is being broken or stretched beyond what we are used to. Once our ears adjust, we start to notice the difference of the texture or tone as it slowly changes. There are drone notes/sounds made by other instruments which have similar effects, although the sound of Greene’s clarinet is distinctive after a while. On “aspects beyond thought ii” the stretched note shifts between two different tones, one rounder and one buzzing. As each piece evolves, Greene slowly adds either another line or bends her stream even further. After a while, I notice that the effect that each piece has is different, as different nuances of the stream are carefully altered. The feeling overall is an uneasy one since we are being subjected to sounds we are not used to. This music is quite challenging and not for the normal listener. Strangely enough, much of our current lives are filled with a certain uneasiness due to the troubling things we hear on the news everyday. Is this the soundtrack for our lives right now? It is for some of us. - Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG
CD $13
GENE COLEMAN // HEMMI STRING QUARTET / CumTempora ENSEMBLE / TOSHIMARU NAKAMURA / OTOMO YOSHIHIDE / SACHIKO M / TRANSONIC ORCHESTRA / et al - Exploratorium (False Walls 12; UK) Gene Coleman is an American composer and clarinetist who has worked with John Wolf Brennan, Otomo Yoshihide, Uchihashi Kazuhisa and Franz Hautzinger. Mr. Coleman’s previous records (mostly on Leo) have been mostly improvised outings. This one, however is features five of Coleman’s compositions for different ensembles. The liner notes here by Gene Coleman are fascinating and deal with two things: Neuro Music (which involves the study of aesthetic behavior) and Transcultural Music (the integration of music from different cultures and traditions). Each of the five pieces here explore different ideas and different musicians or ensembles.
“Ritorno” is played by the Hemmi (String) Quartet. The material used is taken from music by Monteverdi and Haydn and text from Ulysses by James Joyce. The string quartet employs Geometrical Bowing techniques, new ways of bowing which are described in the liner notes. Listening to the music, I hear different layers or combinations on strings being played in odd ways. The music varies from sparse to agitated to silent, yet it sounds like a story or several scenes are being employed. “The Dreamlives Trilogy” is a suite in three parts with each part using one or two voices. “Kokhlos I” features the bass-baritone voice of Nicholas Isherwood with electronics by Adam Vidiksis and text by Lance Olsen taken from his novel, ‘Dreamlives of Debris’. The voice is often deep and sounds operatic while stretching out different notes or words. The electronics are warmer and not very alien sounding the way much electronic music can be. The electronics are often subtle, sparse and haunting and enhance the voice quite well. “Kokhlos IV” is for two voices, ensemble & electronics. The ensemble consists of two mostly high pitched female voices, a trio of flute, bass clarinet & piano plus mostly restrained electronics (by Adam Vidiksis). Again, the overall vibe is like a perplexing dream. “Vidrone” is for voice, shamisen (a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument) and electronics. The shamizen adds an ancient quality to this piece, while the voice (also by the shamizen player) adds punctuation acoustic shamisen and eerie electronics. The final piece, “Across Time (Transonic Symphony #1)”, is for the Transonic Orchestra which was organized by Mr. Coleman and includes Otomo Yoshihide and Sachiko M. It is subtitled “A Neuro Music Composition in 3 Movements”. This piece works well at integrating a variety of Japanese traditional instruments western jazz instruments and guitars. The overall effect is quietly hypnotic and kaliedoscopic. The liner notes explain some of the ideas that Gene Coleman worked out to explore. The music here is extraordinary throughout. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
ASTRID with CYRIL SECQ / YVAN ROS / VANINA ANDREANI / GUILLAUME WICKEL - Always Digging the Same Hole (False Walls 13; UK) Astrid is Cyril Secq on guitars, piano, Juno, harmonium & metallophone (glockenspiel-like instrument), Vanina Andeani on violin & piano, Guillaume Wickel on clarinets & percussion and Yvan Ros on drums, percussion, harmonium & metallalophone. The False Walls label appears to be very selective about each and every release, often favoring electronics, modern classic compositions and unpredictable improvised music. Astrid are/were a French based duo with Cyril Secq and Yvan Ros, starting in the late 1990’s. This disc appears to be only their third disc, considering they’ve been around for 25 years. “Talking People” opens and is already enchanting with lush bass clarinet, piano, harmonium and skeletal drums. There is a lush, repeating riff/groove here which reminds me a bit of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells”. “Remembering Through Narrative” has a lush, haunting repeating line which is played slowly by the guitar, piano, harmonium and other drone-like instruments. The sound is solemn and filled with subtle suspense. I can almost hear some monks chanting on top. The music here sounds a bit like Dead can Dance without the vocals. “At The End” features a somber layer of quick picked acoustic guitar, some eerie clarinet waves, skeletal piano and delicate percussion. This piece reminds me of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, who were discovered and produced by Eno in the late 1970’s. “Not All is Visible” features some hypnotic electric guitar with a hint of dreamy reverb. “Sky Morning” closes this disc and has a lovely, sad, solemn vibe/sound, where are those chanting monks or angels when you need them, besides standing at Heaven’s gates? - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
THE RESIDENTS - Sam's Enchanted Evening (Klanggalerie 449CD; Austria) "The Residents are an American art collective best known for their over 60 studio albums that were recorded over a period of over forty years. They also created some outstanding multimedia works, mainly three CD ROM projects and ten DVDs. Working as an anonymous collective, their identities were kept secret until in 2017 Hardy Fox revealed himself as their primary composer. Hardy died in October 2018, but the group continues to record and perform. Sam's Enchanted Evening is a theatrical performance by Randy Rose, lead singer of The Residents. It was performed between October 2011 and March 2012 in Berkeley, California and New York City. Rose's only companion on stage was long-time Residents collaborator Joshua Raoul Brody on piano. A one-man cabaret performance consisting largely of re-interpreted renditions of popular songs from the mid-to-late 20th century, interpreted by Rose in the guise of 'Sam the Stranger,' it was the first Residents-related performance piece to be credited to an individual member of the group."
2 CD Set $24
PASCAL COMELADE & THE LIMINANAS - Boom Boom (Because Music 5612754; France) “Boom Boom is the follow up of 2015's Traité de guitarres triolectiques à l'usage des portugaises ensablées. Pascal Comelade and Lionel & Marie Liminana aka The Liminanas wrote and performed another album together. 12 new songs, written by Pascal Comelade & Lionel Liminana. Featuring solo guitarists long-time friends of Pascal Comelade: Ivan Telefunken (from Bel Canto Orquestra, also playing live with The Liminanas), Xarim Aresté, and Lalo Lopez.”
CD $16 / LP $32
NDOX ELECTRIQUE - Tedd ak Mame Coumba Lamba ak Mame Coumba Mbang (Bongo Joe Records BJR 089; Switzerland) Ndox Electrique results from the collaboration between François R. Cambuzat, Gianna Greco (also known for their work with Ifriqiyya Electrique), and the n'doëp community in Senegal. The project originated from the duo's quest to trace the origins of North African rituals, which led them to the Lebu community in Cap-Vert, an isolated region at Africa's westernmost point. The album seamlessly blends the duo's electronically-infused avant-rock with the intense, ritualistic vocal chants and rhythmic percussion of the n'doëp community. It serves as a captivating bridge between these two musical worlds, capturing the essence of this cross-cultural collaboration. The text also highlights the challenges of merging Western rock and experimental influences with the sensibilities of their Senegalese collaborators, ultimately resulting in a unique and powerful musical experience. Ndox Electrique transcends cultural boundaries, immersing listeners in the enchanting sounds and mystical narratives of Western Africa.”
CD $17
IMPETUS GROUP - Density Dots (Klanggalerie GG450CD; Austria) "Impetus Group is Dirk Serries' big band formation. The band name naturally refers to the Latin meaning: urgency, driving force, but even more spiritually to the moving language and strength of each musician in the ensemble to realize this free improvisational music. Impetus group is also a tribute to the improvisation scene of the sixties and seventies, more specifically the London scene led by guitarist Derek Bailey with his Company group. The album title describes exactly what the music brings to the listener. Intense pointillism in sound -- moving rapidly or introspectively from one theme to another, musicians challenging themselves and each other. London based saxophonist Colin Webster is known for working from extreme sonic palettes -- from minimal to maximal, constantly pushing boundaries. Equipped with a razor-sharp, punk spirit, and ferocious technique, Webster has established himself as a unique voice on the European avant-garde scene, regularly collaborating with many of the key figures in improvised and experimental music. Dirk Serries is hardly your average improvising musician. He is a master of texture, a skill which he's been able to forge and refine for more than 30 years (as vidnaObmana, Fear Falls Burning, Microphonics). Martina Verhoeven has been working on the development of her own abstract photographic style for more than 15 years now. Now she's fully dedicated to the piano, establishing herself as a unique and fierceful performer on the keys. Teun Verbruggen first picked up the drums by the age of eight. His search for a personal touch and wanting to explore all possibilities of playing drums, his lack of boundaries and trying to find fresh sounds in collective improvisation made him work with countless bands and musicians. Tom Jackson is a proficient clarinetist active in modern classical music and free improvisation."
CD $19
PHILIP SANDERSON - Underneath The Underneath: A Vienna Souvenir (Klanggalerie GG 455CD; Austria) "Philip Sanderson first started releasing music as part of Storm Bugs in the late 1970s as captured on the A Safe Substitute CD. He also set up his own Snatch Tapes cassette label releasing music by David Jackman and Alien Brains amongst others. Reviews in The Wire magazine of the instrumental tracks described them as being akin to 'a boiling vat of electronic music that occasionally sounds like the work of a mad scientist,' whilst the songs have a 'flavor of what Kevin Ayers might cook up if he were alive and forced to work with the Residents.' Philip has also released music under the names of Claire Thomas & Susan Vezey, Ice Yacht, Maids Of The Marsh, and Vote Police. In summer 2023, Philip played one of his very rare concerts at the Klang 30 festival in Vienna, Austria. This album presents the music played at the gig, plus music that was influenced by or created in Vienna during his stay."
$19
MiND GAMeS with ANGELIKA NIESCIER / DENMAN MARONEY / JAMES ILGENFRITZ / ANDREW DRURY - Epherema Obscura (Clean Feed 432; Portugal) Released in 2017. Mind Games features Swiss saxist Angelika Niescier with three of Downtown’s best: Denman Maroney on hyper-piano, James Ilgenfritz on contrabass and Andrew Drury on drums. Last year (2016), Intakt released the debut disc from saxist/composer Angelika Niescier, someone I hadn’t heard of previously aside from an obscure Denman Maroney Quartet disc on the OutNow label. Ms. Niescierâs debut on Intakt featured an impressive quintet with three Downtowners and was one of last year’s under-recognized treasures. Once again, Ms. Niescier has organized a quartet of Downtowners: Denman Maroney, James Ilgenfritz and Andrew Drury. Everyone in the quartet contributed 1 or 2 pieces plus we get a few group improvs. Since all of the members have different backgrounds or styles, this makes for a diverse and demanding disc. Mr. Ilgenfritz’s “Harkinishâ” has that tight Braxtonian opening theme with intricate lines for sax and piano to work their way through with the rhythm section also providing a maze to maneuver through. Mr. Maroney’s “Selonicâ” has a charming, slightly twisted Monkish melody that is infectious in its positive vibes. Ms. Niescier plays a wonderful Lee Konitz-like solo on this song, another delightful highlight. The quartet does a fine job of pushing each other and shaping their improvs on the freer pieces with different interactions going on different levels. Ms. Niescier’s warm tone and quick flurries show her to be somewhere in between cool and freer scenes or schools. It will take some time to absorb all of the great playing and ideas found within this disc so please give it a serious listen. Another jewel from the vast Clean Feed treasure chest. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD Sale $10
WADADA LEO SMITH TUM CD SALE:
WADADA LEO SMITH With HENRY KAISER / MICHAEL GREGORY JACKSON / BRANDON ROSS / LAMAR SMITH / BILL LASWELL / ADAM RUDOLPH / PHEEROAN AKLAFF / et al - Najwa (TUM 49; Finland)
CD $18
WADADA LEO SMITH - Solo - Reflections And Meditations On Monk (TUM 53; Finland)
CD $18
WADADA LEO SMITH / JACK DeJOHNETTE / VIJAY IYER - A Love Sonnet for Billie Holiday (TUM 60; Finland)
CD $18
WADADA LEO SMITH With HENRY THREADGILL / JOHN LINDBERG / JACK DEJOHNETTE - The Great Lakes Suite (TUM 041; Finland)
2 CD Set $24
WADADA LEO SMITH with MILFORD GRAVES / BILL LASWELL - Sacred Ceremonies (TUM Box 003; Finland)
3 CD Set $58
WADADA LEO SMITH - Trumpet (TUM Box 002; Finland)
3 CD Set $58
WADADA LEO SMITH’S GREAT LAKE QUARTET with HENRY THREADGILL / JACK DeJOHNETTE / JONATHAN HAFFNER / JOHN LINDBERG - The Chicago Symphonies (TUM Box 1004; Finland)
4 CD Set $72
WADADA LEO SMITH with JACK DeJOHNETTE / PHEEROAN AKLAFF / ANDREW CYRILLE / HAN BENNINK - The Emerald Duets (TUM Box 006; Finland)
5 CD Set $95
WADADA LEO SMITH // REDKORAL QUARTET - String Quartets Nos. 1 - 12 (TUM Box 005; Finland)
7 CD Set $125
Here’s some of the above Wadada Leo Smith CD’s on TUM with reviews added:
WADADA LEO SMITH With HENRY THREADGILL / JOHN LINDBERG / JACK DEJOHNETTE - The Great Lakes Suite (TUM 041; Finland) The Great Lakes Suites introduces us to composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith's latest small ensemble: the Great Lakes Quartet. A true super group in creative music, it includes two legends in their own right, saxophonist/flutist Henry Threadgill and drummer Jack DeJohnette, with both of whom Smith first played in Chicago in the late 1960s during the early days of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). The quartet is completed by another master on his own instrument, bassist John Lindberg, who was born in Detroit, another city on the Great Lakes. For the Great Lakes Suites, Smith composed an extended new work for each of the five lakes that traditionally are considered to comprise the Great Lakes, and also added a sixth composition, "Lake St. Clair," which is dedicated not only to that smaller lake in the same region wishing to be considered a Great Lake, but also to saxophonist Oliver Lake, undoubtedly another Great Lake. Featuring Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet & compositions, Henry Threadgill alto sax & flutes, John Lindberg on double bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The Great Lakes Suites introduces us to composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith's latest small ensemble: the Great Lakes Quartet. A true super group in creative music, it includes two legends in their own right, saxophonist/flutist Henry Threadgill and drummer Jack DeJohnette, with both of whom Smith first played in Chicago in the late 1960s during the early days of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). The quartet is completed by another master on his own instrument, bassist John Lindberg, who was born in Detroit, another city on the Great Lakes. For the Great Lakes Suites, Smith composed an extended new work for each of the five lakes that traditionally are considered to comprise the Great Lakes, and also added a sixth composition, "Lake St. Clair," which is dedicated not only to that smaller lake in the same region wishing to be considered a Great Lake, but also to saxophonist Oliver Lake, undoubtedly another Great Lake. For this phenomenal two CD set, Wadada Leo Smith wrote quite a bit of music for a new all-star quartet. Both the great bassist John Lindberg and master drummer Jack DeJohnette have worked with Mr. Smith in his amazing Golden Quartet, which has changed personnel throughout the years except for Lindberg who continues to work with Wadada in several units. Henry Threadgill has remained an important bandleader and composer throughout his long career as well as a formidable instrumentalist. He rarely does projects as a sideman (on occasion for Bill Laswell) or collaborator so this disc is a welcome surprise. As I listen to this disc for the second time, I realize what an incredible quartet Wadada has organized. Each of the six lakes get long pieces which range from 10 to 22 minutes. What consistently knocks me out about Mr. Smith is that no matter what, Wadada always sounds inspired and at the top of his game on his trusty trumpet! From those fragile and blues licks to those intense blasts, he never ceases to amaze us with his playing. All four members of this colossal quartet are in fine form here. There are a number of duo sections here that are particularly strong: a great drums & trumpet workout on "Lake Ontario" which then morphs into a fine quartet with strong flute and bass interplay. Although Mr. Smith and Mr. Threadgill have rarely (ever?) played together, they sound like a perfect match, whether playing Wadada's theme are playing tightly around one another. There is way too much great music here to describe (more than 90 minutes) so I will leave you with this: the TUM label also does a wonderful job with packaging, liner notes and presentation. Superb throughout! CD of the year?!?! So far, without a doubt! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $24
WADADA LEO SMITH - Trumpet (TUM Box 002; Finland) ˜Trumpet’ was recorded over one beautiful summer week in July 2016 at St. Mary´s Church in the town of Pohja, on the Southern Coast of Finland. It features fourteen new compositions by Wadada Leo Smith, including four extended multi-part works. As a whole, Trumpet represents a totally unique journey into the possibilities of the trumpet as a solo instrument and the immersive, almost meditative power of Smith´s extended solo performance. Everything that is released on the TUM label is of the highest quality. Just the sound of Wadada Leo Smith's lone trumpet in an ancient church in Finland is absolutely breath-taking. No effects whatsoever. Wadada is ultra careful with every note and sound, stretching certain notes in striking ways. Wadada sounds like a master as he paints... each and every note/strike of paint measured and placed so that we recognize the unified piece as it exists in front us hanging in the air. I keep hearing other things inside those long stretched notes/sounds: a distant foghorn from a ship somewhere, a majestic pure intense blast, a broken bugle, static from an old TV set... - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
3 CD Set $58
WADADA LEO SMITH with MILFORD GRAVES / BILL LASWELL - Sacred Ceremonies (TUM Box 003; Finland) ˜Sacred Ceremonies™ brings together three distinct and highly influential movements in contemporary creative music, convening in a once-in-a-lifetime meeting of wholly singular minds. Wadada Leo Smith was a member of the first generation of composers and musicians to come out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in Chicago in the 1960s whereas Milford Graves was an important proponent of the "new music" or "free jazz" movement in New York City during the same decade. Bill Laswell in turn was an integral part of the Downtown scene in New York City in the 1970s. From those early days, they have each long since forged a totally unique personal approach to making music and have now together created a collection of music that transcends any easily definable influences
3 CD Set $58
WADADA LEO SMITH’S GREAT LAKE QUARTET with HENRY THREADGILL / JACK DeJOHNETTE / JONATHAN HAFFNER / JOHN LINDBERG - The Chicago Symphonies (TUM Box 1004; Finland) This is the second release of Wadada Leo Smith’s Great Lakes Quartet, the first was a 2 CD set which was released by TUM in 2014. This marvelous box set is an even more ambitious 4 CD set with a thick booklet filled with illuminating liner notes, pictures and an impressive discography of all of Wadada’s previous releases. The personnel for the Great Lakes Quartet of Wadada, Henry Threadgill, John Lindberg & Jack DeJohnette remains, although saxist named Jonathon Haffner is added on the last disc. You should certainly recognize the names of all the members of the Great Lakes Quartet, although I know less about Mr. Haffner who has a duo record out with Kenny Wollesen on Tzadik and has worked with Butch Morris and the Nublu Orchestra. There are four symphonies here, one per disc, each one named after a gem: “Goldâ”, ˜Diamondâ”,˜Pearl” and “Sapphire”. Each symphony has 4 or 5 movements and each movement is dedicated to or inspired by mostly Chicago (AACM) or New Orleans musicians of note: the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Sun Ra, Phil Cohran and many others. This most ambitious undertaking was inspired by a number of important musicians & composers, most of whom grew up in & around Chicago and other places in the midwest. The liner mention that these musicians were influenced and evolved during a particularly difficult period of time which dealt with civil rights, freedom of expression and other outside forces which made life difficult to Creative Musicians to survive and thrive. The Great Lakes Quartet are an impressive force to be reckoned with, all four are great musicians, composers and bandleaders on their own. Their combined lineage/experiences/vision is focus here and the music is consistently engaging through the entire four CD set. I’ve only heard the first two discs so far since the promo copy only arrived earlier this week but already I realize how much incredible music is found here. Could this be the Great Creative Music box-set of the year?!?!? No doubt about that! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
4 CD Set $72
LP Section:
WILLIAM HOOKER with RAS MOSHE / CHARLES BURNHAM / ON KA DAVIS / HILLIARD GREENE / LUKE STEWART - Flesh and Bones (ORG Music 2285LP; USA) "Flesh and Bones is the latest release from drummer, composer, and poet William Hooker. The album marks his third full length effort for Org Music, following Big Moon (2021) and Symphonie of Flowers (2019). Hooker has also referred to the new work as his 'Black Lives Suite,' a multi-disciplinary event which uses music and poetry to address the social issues of the times. Recorded at NYU Steinhart Studios, the recording features fellow New York based players Ras Moshe, Charles Burnham, On Davis, Hilliard Greene, and Luke Stewart. After more than 70 releases as a leader and nearly five decades into his career, William Hooker has solidified his reputation as one of the most unique composers and drummers of his generation, and he continues to explore new territory. Flesh and Bones was mastered by Dave Gardner, and features liner notes from Hooker himself."
LP $24
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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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Article by GARY LUCAS:
This is an honest explanation/understanding of what is currently going on in Israel, please read and think about before you come to any quick conclusions.
“JEWS DO COUNT”
at CultureCatch.com
https://culturecatch.com/node/4237
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THE STONE RESIDENCIES / ERIK FRIEDLANDER / OCT 25–28
10/25 Wednesday
8:30 pm Erik Friedlander's The Throw
Erik Friedlander (cello) Mark Helias (bass) Ches Smith (drums)
10/26 Thursday
8:30 pm - Floating City
Erik Friedlander (cello) Mark Helias (bass) Sara Serpa (voice)
10/27 Friday
8:30 pm
Haywire - Erik Friedlander (cello) Wendy Eisenberg (guitar)
10/28 Saturday
8:30 pm - Electric Snowfall
Erk Friedlander (cello) Ikue Mori (laptop) Kevin Norton (vibes)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / MATT MITCHELL / NOV 1–4
11/1 Wednesday
8:30 pm - QUARTET - Brandon Seabrook (guitar) Matt Mitchell (piano, synths, compositions) Kim Cass (bass) Kate Gentile (drums)
11/2 Thursday
8:30 pm - QUARTET - Yuhan Su (vibraphone) Miles Okazaki (guitar) Matt Mitchell (piano, compositions) Kate Gentile (drums)
11/3 Friday
8:30 pm - SEPTET - Matt Mitchell (piano, compositions) Brian Krock (oboe, English horn) Laura Cocks (flutes) Madison Greenstone (clarinets) Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon) Erica Dicker (violin) Joanna Mattrey (viola)
Mariel Roberts - cello
11/4 Saturday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Matt Mitchell (piano, compositions) Chris Tordini (bass) Dan Weiss (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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Arts for Arts Presents:
JOIN US for the Pianos & Poets Festival - a showcase of great creative improvising pianists performing on AFA's magnificent Steinway B Grand, and featuring poets who expand our minds and hearts with their words. In partnership with The Clemente, in the Flamboyan Theater: 107 Suffolk St., NYC
Admission
SINGLE DAY: In-person - $25 / Livestream - $7
THREE DAY PASS: In-person - $60 / Livestream - $20
Thursday, November 9th, 2023
7PM: Angelica Sanchez - piano solo
8PM: Miriam Parker - movement & sound installation / No Land - poetry / Melanie Dyer - viola
9PM: Cooper-Moore -piano solo
Friday, November 10th, 2023
7PM: David Virelles - piano solo
8PM: Tracie Morris - poetry
9PM: Dave Burrell - piano solo
Saturday, November 11th, 2023
7PM: Mara Rosenbloom - piano solo
8PM: Randall Horton - poetry
8:30PM: Anne Waldman - poetry, featuring duo with Matthew Shipp
9PM: Matthew Shipp - piano solo
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JOHN ZORN @ 70 - Year Long Celebration Continues with:
JOHN ZORN @ 70 - 3 Concerts at Miller Theatre at Columbia University:
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
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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SATURDAY NOV 18
HU VIBRATIONAL PRESENTS
TIMELESS LP RELEASE CONCERT
mutli-kulti-trance-groove-meditational-dance music
Adam Rudolph - percussion, electronics, cajon, kalimba
Alexis Marcelo - electric keyboards
Damon Banks - electric bass
Harris Eisenstadt - bata, shekere
Neel Murgai - electric sitar, overtone singing and electronics
Tim Kieper - percussion, dusu n’goni
Tripp Dudley - cajon, dumbek, frame drums, percussion
@ Public Records
233 Butler St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
doors 7pm / one set 8pm
*****
NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj8-LKNXKuE
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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gaucimusic presents:
Improvised Music @ the Main Drag
Wednesday November 1st, 2023
7:00pm: Kaelen Ghandhi - sax / Michael Larocca - drums / TJ Borden - cello
8:00pm: Todd Neufeld - guitar / Samuel Ber - drums / Barbara Kasomenakis - visual artist
9:00pm: Stephen Gauci - tenor sax / Adam Lane - bass / Colin Hinton - drums
10 pm: Hery Paz - tenor sax / Kenneth Jimenez - bass / Willy Rodriguez - drums
11 pm: Nick Gianni - Sax / On-ka Davis- guitar / Rich Rosenthal - Guitar / Hill Greene - Bass / Reggie Sylvester - Drums
**$15 GENERAL ADMISSION**
**$10 STUDENTS (w/ID)**
***PARTICIPATING MUSICIANS (PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE MAIN DRAG PERFORMERS) ATTEND FOR FREE***
(yes, the best things in life are indeed free).
November 1, 2023
@ The Main Drag
50 South 1st Street
Between Kent ave and Wythe Ave
(718) 388-6365
gaucimusic.com
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ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com
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