Tuesday, December 5th:
6:30: PATRICK BRENNAN - Comps & Alto Sax / IVAN BARENBOIM - Contra-Alto Clarinet / CLAIRE de BRUNNER - Bassoon / NICK GIANNI - Bass Clarinet / JOSH SINTON - Bari Sax / YUMA UESAKA - Contrabass Clarinet
7:30: SAMANTHA KOCHIS / KEVIN MURRAY - Flute / Drums
8:30: DAFNA NAPHTALI - Electronics & Voice / KATIE PORTER - Bass Clarinet / RAS MOSHE BURNETT - Tenor Sax
Saturday December 9th: The GauciMusic Series Continues with:
6pm: KEN KOBAYASHI - Drums / NICK LYONS - Alto Sax / AARON QUINN - Guitar
7pm: STEPHEN GAUCI - Tenor Sax / MICHAEL GILBERT - Bass / JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums
8pm: JAMES McKAIN - Tenor Sax / TOM WEEKS - Alto Sax / SHOGO ELLEFSON - Bass / KEVIN SHEA
Tuesday, December 12th:
6:30: KAPPA MAKI - Trumpet & Kitchen Utensils with YONONO BW - Biwa
7:30: STEVE HUBBACK - Solo Percussion Sculptures
8:30: SABRINA SALAMONE - Violin / JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums
9:30: NICK FRASER - Drums / DARIUS JONES - Alto Sax
DMG stands for Downtown Music Gallery and we are 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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NEW THANGS FOR THIS WEEK:
JOHN ZORN // CHAOS MAGICK with JOHN MEDESKI / BRIAN MARSELLA / MATT HOLLENBERG / KENNY GROHOWSKI - Parrhesiastes (Tzadik 9305; USA) Featuring John Medeski on organ, Brian Marsella on piano, Matt Hollenberg on electric guitar and Kenny Grohowski on drums. This fifth CD by the Chaos Magick band is one of Zorn’s greatest recent achievements. Three extended compositions that run the gamut from Funk, Metal, Contemporary Classical, and more blended into a dramatic narrative that is constantly surprising and yet deeply inevitable. Featuring four of the most accomplished performers in Zorn’s inner circle, this is a mind blowing document of Zorn’s kaleidoscopic compositional vision. Astonishing and utterly essential!
CD $16
JOHN ZORN // BARBARA HANNIGAN / MATHIEU AMALRIC / THE DAUGHTER’S OF JERUSALEM -The Song of Songs / Shir Hashirim (Tzadik LTD TZ 5050; USA) This very special CD BOOK presents John Zorn's evocative musical setting of the Biblical love poem The Song of Songs, with singer/conductor Barbara Hannigan and film director/actor Mathieu Amalric narrating. Featuring extensive notes, the full text of Jeremy Fogel's passionate new translation (commissioned expressly for this project), and 35 illustrations by Zorn himself, this limited edition one-of-a-kind CD BOOK is an absolute treasure.
“It was a true labour of love to record this sensual and newly translated text within John’s music, merging and intertwining sound and word with the extraordinary vocal ensemble.” — Barbara Hanningan, 2022
Featuring: Barbara Hannigan and Mathieu Amalric - narration; THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM: Martha Cluver, Lisa Bielawa, Abigail Fischer, Kathryn Mulvehill and Kirsten Sollek - voices. John Zorn - composer.
BOOK CD $77 [Tzadik Limited Edition Series] In stock in a week or so
JOHN BUTCHER / EDDIE PREVOST - High Laver Levitations Vol 1: Unearthed (Matchless MRCD114; UK) ”Long-time collaborators and iconoclastic improvisers, drummer Eddie Prévost and saxophonist John Butcher, met at All Hallows Church, in High Laver, Essex in 2023, using the natural ambience of the space to capture these three improvisations, Prévost playing primarily on a drum kit and both in a more jazz-oriented sax and drum duo, extended by both players' exceptional technique.”
CD $17
Finally in stock:
JOHN BUTCHER - The Very Fabric (Ftarri/Hitorri 964; Japan) “Impeccably recorded inside the Brønshøj Water Tower, in Copenhagen, Denmark, a highly resonant space built 100 years ago, where UK tenor and soprano saxophonist John Butcher continues his investigations into spaces with natural delay and decay, through 11 improvisations of discriminating pacing as he finds incredible beauty in floating and shifting tones and instrument errata; exquisite.”
We ordered a half dozen copies of this disc when it was released at the beginning of November (of 2023) but it sold out before we got our copies. It has finally showed up now some 4 weeks later. Sorry about the delay. - BLG at DMG
CD $14
MARJOLAIN CHARBIN / EDDIE PREVOST - The Cry of a Dove Announcing Rain (Two Afternoon Concerts at Cafe OTO)(Matchless MAT-MRCD113; UK) “Two unfolding, extended sets from a 2022 concert at Cafe OTO by AMM legendary percussionist Eddie Prévost and French pianist based in London, Marjolain Charbin, the pianist playing inside and out her of instrument augmented by objects, Prévost creating sonic environments through cymbal bowing and scraping, as the duo evolve into high motion and withdraw into suspenseful beauty.”
CD $17
BEN GOLDBERG / MIKE McGINNIS - Both Hands Both (Open Stream Music 95269-25829; USA) Featuring Ben Goldberg and Mike McGinnis on B-flat clarinets. Over the past two nights we’ve had both of these master clarinetists play here at DMG in different groupings. On Monday (11/27/23) we had Ben Goldberg with bassist Rob Adkins & drummer Tom Rainey and on Tuesday (11/28/23) we have Mike McGinnis with guitarist Will Bernard. Both sets were superb and as a longtime clarinet fan-addict I was happy with Mr. McGinnis gave us copies of this great clarinet duo disc.
This disc was recorded in February of 2017 but not released until now (11/23). “Phrases 1” opens with both clarinets playing a long drone line together. The duo take their time, often playing just one note of phrase at a time while the add clarinetist adds their own counterline(s). Most of the 26 pieces here are short and focused. Both clarinetists have similar tones, warm and dry, cautious and playful. Often one clarinet will begin with a short line which is then matched by the other clarinet playing a tight harmony, weaving their way with a series of thoughtful woven lines. By track 16, both clarinets pick up the tempo a bit and swirl their lines tightly around one another, tossing off certain phrases and expanding the sound of the duo into more complex orbits. The space between each track is short so that this sounds like a suite of connected pieces. The short space does give a bit of time to savor each piece which get more animated and agitated as this disc unfolds. What is so great here is that both of these clarinetists are masters at what they do and often push their partner to come up with some fascinating interplay. If you are a big clarinet fan like yours truly, then grab this limited disc before it disappears into the New Music Void. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10
KENNY WESSEL / MARC MOMMAAS / JAY ANDERSON - In the Briar Patch (Nonotes Records 0103; USA) Featuring Kenny Wessel on electric guitar, Marc Mommaas on tenor sax and Jay Anderson on double bass. For more than thirty years, I’ve heard jazz guitarist Kenny Wessel play with a number of fine bands: Ornette Coleman’s 2nd Prime Time, as well as several Adam Rudolph projects and the current version of the Nu Band. Mr. Wessel has started to release his own music over the past few years and on each disc, the personnel and approach are different. For this trio Mr. Wessel has picked two fine partners, Dutch saxist (currently living in NY) Marc Mommaas and bassist Jay Anderson. I’ve heard several of Mommaas’ discs on the Sunnyside label and each one is fine. Bassist Jay Anderson has also kept busy working with Red Rodney, Dave Liebman and Mark Soskin, amongst others.
This session was recorded in December of 2022 and the songs were written by Mr. Wessel or Mr. Mommaas. Kenny Wessel’s “Bird Bath” is first and it sounds like a cool school laid back bopper, both warm and cerebral sounding. Both Wessel’s guitar and Mommaas’ tenor have a lush, dreamy sound on “Your Song Toujours” and both the tenor and guitar takes lovely solos. “Hopping Pickle” (by Mommaas) has an older sound and a most familiar melody, a rather jubilant vibe persists throughout. All of the songs here have that older somewhat more mainstream sound, yet they are still adventurous in more subtle ways. This trio often reminds me of the Jimmy Giuffre Trio with Jim Hall on guitar and a bassist (from the late fifties). Wessel’s song, “Lines in the Sand”, has the sax and guitar shadowing each other while the bass holds things down. The tenor sax & guitar start to play their lines in tight, quick orbits before they slow down to a quiet conclusion. One of the things which makes this music so magical is the way whenever Mommaas solos on tenor, Wessel plays a series of lush chords underneath, creating a dreamy vibe overall. I love the way the title track swings effortlessly in a most relaxed way, with the sax and guitar softly exchanging lines and completing each other’s sentences. In my earlier jazz-loving days, I might’ve thought that this music was too mellow for me but I find now that there is something enchanting about this music, it is still rich in nuance, tone and with inventive solos that do not rely on fireworks. A kiss or hug is better than a wack upside your head. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10
MICHAEL BISIO / TIMOTHY HILL - Inside Voice / Outside Voice (Origin Records 82872; USA) Featuring Michael Bisio on contrabass and Timothy Hill on voice & guitar. This disc came in the mail last month and I was intrigued since Michael Bisio is one the best contrabassists of the ongoing Downtown Scene. No doubt that you should know his work with Matt Shipp, Joe McPhee and Kirk Knuffke. Guitarist and vocalist Timothy Hill is someone I don’t know much about Timothy Hill although he has recorded with Pauline Oliveros and Iva Bittova. Mr. Hill also has a solo record out from 1998 that I’ve never seen.
The duo here do several cover songs by John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, as well as a three of jazz standards and a couple of originals. Trane’s “Wise One” (from the ‘Crescent’ LP) opens and it has a prayer-like vibe. Mr. Bisio’s bass is at the center with Mr. Hill’s humming, chanting, overtone singing wordless voice softly pulsating above the bass plus some minimal acoustic guitar fragments adding near the end of this piece. The duo cover “My One and Only Love” and do a lovely, tender, laid back version of this popular standard with a superb bass solo from Mr. Bisio. “Transfigure” is an original instrumental and it features some haunting contrabass. Bisio has a wonderful warm and enchanting sound on bass so this is what we hear above everything on this disc. Bisio’s bowing is another enchanting part of the duo’s sound. There is a song written by Henry Grimes called “For Django” on which features some of Mr. Hill’s haunting overtone singing, another delightful part of this magically disc. This CD closes with another standard, “For All We Know”, which features Mr. Hill’s somber, solemn vocal at its most tender. I like that this entire disc is most subdued as if it was a soundtrack for a religious ritual or ceremony. Timothy Hill’s voice reminds me of Tim Hardin at times, one of the finest 60’s folk singers who worked with several jazz musicians as his backing. A true gem. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
DAVID LEE MYERS - Strange Attractors (Pulsewidth / Cronica 203-2023; USA) Electronic music composer and creator, David Lee Myers has released more than two dozen discs in the past four years on the Pulsewidth and Cronica labels. Mr. Myers used to record under the name of Arcana Device (he still does on occasion) and used to utilize his own self-made feedback machine. This disc is nearly 70 minutes long and contains four long tracks. “Equalibility of Powers” begins with a pulsating low-end drone which throbs or simmers calmly. Soon another pulse enters and we hear several layers drones, each one unique and vibrating in different ways. Next, what sounds like an organ comes in, adding another layer, the organ has a somewhat Miles-like sound circa 1973 when Miles did play some organ on stage. While there is an inner pulse/line that flows throughout, Myers keeps adding fragments of other lines in different (panned) places and at different pulsating tempos. As this piece unfolds, Myers slowly manipulates each layer of sounds, stretching certain tones or frequencies, dropping in occasional electronic or drone-like effects. “Iniquities” stars again with a simple drone which soon slowly mutates and pulse getting more intense, that organ sound getting more disorienting, the different pulsations are slightly bent or shaped in different ways. The pulsations sound hypnotic, calming down our inner pulse, putting us into more of dream state. “With Perfect Clarity” seems like an odd title for a piece where the throbbing get more pronounced, the polarities shifting in wave upon wave. The last piece, “Yet Another Shore” has an eerie yet more positive flow/pulse/drone. There are several layers of samples all resonating together: guitar-like, organ, mellotron, backwards tapes with Myers carefully adding a layer or instrument or sound one or two at a time. Some of the lower-end sounds are more like a rumbling bass being recorded under water. What I light about this disc is that each track provides a different soundtrack to whatever we are doing at the time and that soundtrack evokes a variety electronic spirits who dwell within each of us. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
DAVID LEE MYERS - conscious repetition of unconscious forms (Pulsewidth 027; USA) In the liner notes, David lee Myers quotes Luigi Russolo on an article about “The Art of Noises”, which discusses the way noise is around us all of the time by shaping the noise, we can deal with the way it does effect us. Mr. Myers used to use a self-made feedback machine to create his music in the 1980 & 1990’s. He now creates electronic music by other means and still does a fine job evoking a variety of odd spirits/sounds/music. This disc consists of 19 shorter tracks with very little space in between one, so the music is rather continuous. On each track, Myers takes a sound or phrase and then repeats and alters it as he goes. The sounds that Myers creates are more like ancient analog electronics which are manipulated subtly. Unlike the other DL Myers disc that I reviewed today (11/30/23)’Strange Attractors’, the pieces here are all short and each one evokes a different vibe or image. The pieces here are more subtle or stripped down hence easier to savor without getting too weird or difficult like other more dense electronic music. On Track 6, it sounds like Myers is using the sound of a train taking off before things slow down for some more eerie electronic swirls. What I notice after a while is that each piece or group of sounds evoke a different internal place. I like this disc since the vibe keeps changing on each piece and it sounds like we are moving through different sonic environments or scenes. While electronic music can be difficult to process or understand, I find that this is not the case here. There is a calm, thoughtful quality that runs through each of these pieces. If you have a problem processing or enjoying some of the more dense electronic sounds, I would advise you give this disc a listen. Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
JURG FREY // APARTMENT HOUSE - String Trio (Another Timbre AT 217; UK) ’String Trio’ is presented here in its “final” form by Apartment House’s Mira Benjamin (violin), Bridget Carey (viola), and ensemble director Anton Lukoszevieze (cello), the latter of whom recently performed Jack Sheen’s ‘Solo for Cello’ on Trilogy Tapes. The piece was originally commissioned by the Concertgebouw Brugge and premiered by Goeyvaerts Trio as part of the 2019 SLOW Festival, but the composer felt “that it hadn’t yet arrived at its final destination” and returned it to the drawing board, reapplying his un-systematic composition process to result this new iteration, by one of the UK’s most esteemed and prolific performers of new composition, following their 2022 articulation of Frey’s ‘Borderland Memories’.
This first recording of the newly finished work sensitively brings to light its calm architecture of genteel melancholy, typically paced with Frey’s singular temporality and sympathetic to his working methods. From the stark, long opening cello notes to the explicit romantic heartache of its closing minutes, the 47’ work is defined by a contemplative pensiveness familiar to Frey’s work and starkly apparent here. It’s not so much mournful as wracked with a sense of despondence, with a continuity of tonal atmosphere that follows the composer’s deliberate line of thought, with little left to chance as the process of refinement saw him clarify questions that arose from its initial performances. Strong, controlled feelings articulated with intense, disciplined passion.” - Boomkat.com
CD $15
HENRY COWELL // LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI - Leopold Stokowski Conducts Henry Cowell, Roger Goeb and Ben Weber (Citadel/BSX Records 88123; EEC) “Buysoundtrax Records, in association with Citadel Records presents Leopold Stokowski Conducts Henry Cowell, Roger Goeb, Ben Weber. The album features Henry Cowell's "Persian Set" “Symphony No. 3” by Roger Goeb and Ben Weber's Symphony on the “Poems of William Blake”. Featuring performances by Baritone Warren Galjour.”
CD $12
EDENA GARDENS - Dens (El Paraiso Records EPR 075CD; Denmark) “Dens concludes a trilogy of albums, aptly spelling out the last third of the group's name. And true to form, the band turns inwards rather than outwards, drawing on deep shades of ambient, slowcore, and the ghost of Mark Hollis. While maintaining their psychedelic edge, the trio weaves the lines between genres in a way that's becoming a signature of its own. Never in a hurry, but always moving somewhere. Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt and Martin Rude's bass and baritone guitar lay out a robust yet fleeting foundation. Papir's Nicklas Sørensen's glistening guitar lines never felt more-free and explorative. While The Durutti Column tribute "Vini's Lament" is drenched in nostalgia, a cut like "Morgensol" (Morning Sun in Danish) explodes in Popol Vuh-esque gloomy euphoria. Engineered by Jonas Munk and produced by Jakob Skøtt, the album culls hours of free improvisation into a coherent size. Seamless edits and studio wizardry enhance the feeling of an almost narrative nature as the album progresses. Invoking anything from a crackling campfire, rattling bones, and the singing of sand dunes. The culmination lies in the 14-minute track "Sienita." A fully formed blistering improvisation, abandoning any studio trickery, besides a singly dubbed organ, rising and falling like the tide.”
CD $16
HISTORIC RECORDINGS, RESTOCKS & REISSUES:
ALBERT AYLER with MILFORD GRAVES / CECIL TAYLOR / JIMMY LYONS / SUNNY MURRAY - More Lost Performances, Revisited (Hat ezz-thetics 1160; Switzerland) “Remastering previously unavailable and vital performances from three configurations of saxophonist Albert Ayler's bands, including their 1967 Newport Festival concert with Milford Graves, their performance at John Coltrane's 1967 Funeral at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in NYC, and an incredible 1962 concert with Cecil Taylor's group with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray in Copenhagen.”
CD $17
BILL EVANS with JIM HALL / GARY PEACOCK / CHUCK ISRAELS / LARRY BUNKER - Duos With Jim Hall & Trios '64 & '65, Revisited (Hat ezz-thetics 2-1164; Switzerland) “Three configurations of sophisticated duos & trios from four remastered albums recorded between 1962 and 1966 by pianist Bill Evans: first in duos with guitarist Jim Hall (Undercurrent); then with his trio of bassist Gary Peacock & Paul Motian (Trio 64); then with bassist Chuck Israels & drummer Larry Bunker (Trio 65); and last full circle to 1966, again with Jim Hall (Intermodulation).”
2 CD Set $18
BOB BROOKMEYER with JIMMY RANEY / JIM HALL / THAD JONES / ERNIE ROYAL / CURTIS FULLER / FRANK REHAK / GENE QUILL / STAN GETZ / AL COHN / DANNY BANKS / BILL EVANS / HANK JONES / WYNTON KELLY / HERBIE HANCOCK / BILL CROW / PERCY HEATH / CONNIE KAY / TEDDY KOTICK / PAUL CHAMBERS / GARY McFARLAND / GARY BURTON / OSIE JOHNSON/ PAUL MOTIAN / CHARLIE PERSIP / MEL LEWIS / et al - The Classic Albums (Enlightenment 9225; EEC) This four CD set comprises eight original, re-mastered Bob Brookmeyer albums originally released between 1958 and 1964, this pivotal jazz-man's glory years as an esteemed musician. Featuring too a virtual who's who of Brookmeyer's contemporaries from the era, this collection serves ideally well as the perfect starting place for those new to the great man's music, and as the ultimate go-to set for those already familiar. The albums included here are: ’Street Swingers’, ‘The Ivory Hunters’, ‘Jazz Is a Kick’, ‘Portrait of An Artist’, ‘The Dual Role Of Bob Brookmeyer’, ‘ Trombone Jazz Samba / Bossa Nova’ and Bob Brookmeyer And Friends’. “With Perfect Clarity” pulsates even more intensely and it is a bit scary like music for a weird science fiction film.
4 CD Set $18
MALACHI THOMPSON and AFRICA BRASS / CLIFFORD JORDAN / HAMPTON HAWES TRIO / BROTHER JACK McDUFF / SONNY FORTUNE / Et Al - Spiritual Jazz 15: A Tribute to 'Trane (Jazzman Records 138CD; UK) “Many artists achieve greatness but very few produce work that is so moving it's considered sacred. Whether you choose to call them hymns, psalms or spirituals, their songs are a healing force for troubled times. Jazzman's Spiritual Jazz series would not exist without the inspiration and leadership of the spiritual messiah that is John Coltrane. It can therefore only be right and proper that a whole album is dedicated to his legacy and lasting influence. Spiritual Jazz 15: A Tribute to 'Trane shines a spotlight on the reverence in which the saxophonist is held in so many ways. On one hand this selection displays cover versions of his songs performed by the musicians he inspired; disciples to Coltrane the messiah, who chose to give praise to the one who laid a foundation for them. The listener will also encounter original music written in honour of Coltrane that underlines the endless presence he has had among artists from different backgrounds and eras. The preacher may have ascended to a higher plane, but his congregation is still right down here on the ground. Ten songs to lift the spirits of everyone, everywhere. Gatefold LP with pics, liner notes and download code. Also includes 16-page booklet. Featuring Norman Connors, Clifford Jordan, Sonny Fortune, The Darwin Strickland Trio, Gilles Torrent Jazztet, Carsten Meinert, Malachi Thompson and Africa Brass, Hampton Hawes Trio, Carmelo Garcia, Brother Jack McDuff.”
CD $16
MARTIN REV - The Sum of Our Wounds (Cassette Recordings 1973-85)(Bureau B 439CD; Germany) "[Martin] Rev initially explored free jazz and similarly free forms of musical expression before discovering the magnetic attraction of electronic production and instrumentation, enabling him to create music in a wholly independent and autonomous environment. Using the most rudimentary equipment, he grafted the roots of rock n' roll into the process of combining effects and devices to generate electrified sounds, the likes of which had never been heard before. This music would map out the way forward not only for Suicide, but also for a fascinating solo career. Martin Rev's predilection for experimentation knew no bounds. At home, he played around with rough ideas, trying out all manner of variations and colorations. These tape recordings provide a captivating insight into his modus operandi, often representing the early stages of what would later become Suicide tracks or cuts on Rev's solo albums. Spanning the period 1973 to 1985, the recordings on The Sum of Our Wounds are much more than a collection of demos and outtakes. One has the sense of listening to a rounded album of familiar compositions, now portrayed in a completely new light. The brittle fragility of these cassette pieces reveals a deep-lying sensitivity, like a collection of wounds..." --Daniel Jahn, June 2023
CD $17
HOLGER HILLER - Ein Bundel Faulnis in der Grube (Bureau B 441CD; Germany) “With Ein Bündel Fäulnis in der Grube, Holger Hiller presented his solo debut having left Palais Schaumburg. Originally released in 1983 on the Düsseldorf scene label Ata Tak, an international release followed in 1984 via Cherry Red Records. Combining electronic sequencer sounds and sampling fragments with unconventional lyrics its multidisciplinary approach locates it somewhere between the pop and avant-garde. Bureau B is now making the work accessible again on its 40th anniversary.
"In 1983, during the completion of this album, some ideas and views of the future changed for me. While everyone's mind was still haunted by the admonishingly gloomy vision of George Orwell's 1984, the release of the motion picture Blade Runner had a lasting effect. It depicted a world that can no longer be saved: Acid rain is pouring down derelict buildings and humanity has to confront fugitive cyborgs as a result of artificial intelligence gone wrong. The future however was not quite so clear-cut as those pictures: dystopian imaginings were also being layered with mosaic pieces of a pop history that saw itself as a source of hope, a supposed counterculture. Could this promise be fulfilled or was it simply a 'productive misunderstanding?' With the onset of digitalization, the new musical tools -- first and foremost the techniques of 'sampling' and computerized sequencing -- were enthusiastically met by me and many others, a generation of William Burroughs readers whose sensibility had been nurtured by 'cut-up' and 'automatic writing.' And so everything flowed together on this album: the esoteric heritage of various hippie and alternative movements and their expressions in 'pop,' the underlying currents of 'Modernism' and the influences of European 'neue musik.' The resulting musical pieces on the album celebrate this moment in its simultaneity, its confusion and its new confidence." - Holger Hiller
CD $17
SUPERSEMPFFT - Metaluna (Bureau B 438CD; Germany) “The avant-garde Kraut ensemble Supersempfft laid the foundation for their techno-tropical pop music in 1979 with their debut album Roboterwerke. In 1981, they followed up with the album Metaluna, which is now being honored through a re-release on Bureau B. The group, consisting of Dieter Kolb, Franz Knüttel, and Franz Aumüller, fused global influences, experimental sonic landscapes, and surreal lyrics into a unique sonic cosmos. Metaluna stands out with its meandering sequences, unconventional rhythms, and psychedelic songwriting that remains groundbreaking even decades later. After their first album, Kolb and Aumüller's love of reggae and dub took them on a transatlantic trip to Trinidad and Tobago under the false assumption that all the islands stepped to the Jamaican style. Any momentary disappointment was soon dispelled by the liveliness and optimism of calypso and soca, and a life affirming experience at carnival left them awestruck and inspired. Back home, they began work on Metaluna, a wild combination of roving sequences, tropical rhythms, squashed brass and yearning vocals which sprints, skanks and soars through ten triumphant tracks. Amid the metallic beats and interplanetary idents lurk sublime melodies and soulful motifs, psychedelic songwriting reminiscent of Barrett, Beefheart, or Brian Wilson at their best. In their dubbier moments, Supersempfft sound like Lee Perry jamming on an alien console, with wild panning and delirious FX suggesting a sound clash on a distant planet. Meanwhile the arcade exuberance, vocoder gospel and space age ballads predate the sweltering synth-pop of The Knife, Hot Chip, and Ariel Pink by a full two decades, setting a bar that their successors still fail to meet. Innovative, experimental yet still heavy on the hooks, Metaluna is both a jubilant expression of its creators' tastes and a masterclass in mercurial pop -- a success of self-expression which proves once again that the best bands play for themselves.”
CD $18
TODD RUNDGREN - At the BBC 1972-1982 (Esoteric Antenna 42469; UK) “Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the first ever official release of TODD RUNDGREN AT THE BBC. This four-disc collection comprises three CDs and a DVD (NTSC / Region Free) featuring all of the surviving radio and television broadcasts in the BBC archive transmitted on radio and television in the UK between 1972 and 1982. The set features on CD Todd's solo 1972 BBC Radio One "In Concert" performance, recorded soon after the release of his seminal album "Something Anything", the classic 1975 performance by Todd Rundgren and Utopia at Hammersmith Odeon, London, (including a previously unreleased track 'Something's Coming') - on the first ever UK concert tour of Todd Rundgren and Utopia, a 1977 performance at the Oxford Polytechnic by Todd Rundgren and Utopia (promoting the "Ra") album, and a DVD featuring three different performances for the classic "Old Grey Whistle Test" series; the 1975 Todd Rundgren and Utopia session, a film of Todd Rundgren & Utopia at the Bearsville Picnic in 1977 (performing 'Singring and the Glass Guitar') and the entire recordings made for a 1982 solo Todd Rundgren Whistle Test special (including two songs not featured on the original TV broadcast). This set is sure to delight the legions of Todd Rundgren fans and is a superb document of Todd's continuing development as both a solo artist and with his band Utopia between 1972 and 1982.”
4 CD Clamshell Box Set $55
LP SECTION:
DEREK BAILEY & PAUL MOTIAN - Duo in Concert (Frozen Reeds 024LP; Finland) “Frozen Reeds presents the only recorded duo playing of two legendary musical figures. Derek Bailey and Paul Motian -- two longstanding pioneers of distinct strains of improvised music -- came together for a brief period of collaboration in the early 1990s. Tapes of their two known live performances (one at Groningen's JazzMarathon festival in the Netherlands, the other a year later at New Music Cafe, NYC) were recently unearthed in the Incus archives, and their contents will surprise and delight fans of both supremely idiosyncratic musicians. The Groningen concert (1990) is released on vinyl, while the New York date (1991) is included with the digital download, which is included free of charge for all purchasers. A conversation between Bill Frisell and Henry Kaiser on Bailey, Motian, their intertwined backgrounds, and the significance of these recordings is included as sleeve-note insert. Each player bringing decades of crucial experience to their encounters -- with histories taking in vast swathes of the development of jazz and free improvisation -- these fleeting shared moments provide some of the most riveting playing in the career of either. There is precious little recorded evidence of Motian as a free improviser, but his mastery is beyond any doubt in these recordings. From knife-edge precision to textural haze, Motian's palette is astounding, but perhaps even more impressive is his confidence in the non-idiomatic conversation itself. Pushing far beyond the established vocabulary of free percussion, his playing allows a measured degree of repetition to take form, giving rise to almost song-like structures. In turn, Bailey allows some of his most unashamedly melodic passages to unfold without a mote of his trademark contrariness or antagonism. Patterns that would be acerbically disrupted elsewhere are allowed to settle, with variations of note and timbre introduced more gradually than is typical of his playing. When forceful changes in dynamics or tone do arrive, they do so in such close tandem with Motian's rhythmic and textural transitions as to beggar belief. The guitarist's duos with percussionists (Jamie Muir, Han Bennink, John Stevens) arguably provide some of the highlights of his discography. Duo in Concert represents a strong addition to the list. An elegant sense of construction pervades the sets, as the duo ably fulfil the promise of free improvisation: carving out hugely compelling, expertly balanced, and thrillingly paced music as if from thin air.”
LP $33 [In stock next week, pre-orders accepted now]
MAX NAGL TRIO with CLEMENS WENGER / HERBERT PIRKER - Fauteuil (JazzWerkStatt Records 02/23; Germany) Featuring Max Nagl on alto sax, Clemens Wenger on upright piano and Herbert Pirker on treated drums. I am a longtime fan of Vienna-based saxist & composer max Nagl, first meeting him when he was based in NYC in the late nineties/early aughts. Mr. Nagl has been running his own Rude Noises label every since 2005 (with more than 30 titles) yet records occasionally for other labels. His two partners here, Clemens Wenger and Herbert Pirker have been collaborating with Nagl for a decade and this trio has (at least) three other discs before this one. “Van Doner” opens with Mr. Nagl playing an infectious circular line while the trio plays their tight bop-like lines together. On “Hendl Hoch” keep starting and then stopping, playing that memorable line over and over with Nagl floating on top, the trio speeding up and slowing down midway. Instead of bassist, pianist Wenger often plays the bass lines at the low-end of the piano. The music here often has a playful sorta cartoon-like quality, which has a subtle, infectious quality. Although I am not sure what they mean by “treated” drums, it sounds like the drummer is using bongos and other odd percussion instead of a regular drum kit. The trio often has a playful, skeletal quality that I find refreshing. Mr. Nagl himself has a lovely, warm tone on all of the pieces here. On “Rehling”, the trio expand their sound, the piano and drums play in spurts while the sax gallops on top. The last piece, “PS122”, (named after a performance place that Nagl performed at while he was living here), is also more stripped down yet still is rich in exquisite harmonies. I like that this music is only available on vinyl since it sounds best this way. The music is warm yet haunting and subtly inventive. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $15 [All of the copies we’ve got have some bent corners, although the vinyl itself is fine]
EASTERN REBELLION with CEDAR WALTON, GEORGE COLEMAN, SAM JONES, BILLY HIGGINS - Eastern Rebellion 2 (Music on Vinyl MOV 3586Col-LP; Netherlands) "Eastern Rebellion 2 was the follow-up to the first Eastern Rebellion album which came out in 1976. This 1977 release is another classic set by Cedar Walton on piano, Bob Berg on tenor-sax, Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. All four compositions are written by Cedar Walton and range from straight to hard bop jazz. Eastern Rebellion 2 is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on white colored vinyl."
LP $38
BILL NACE / EMILY ROBB - Bill Nace / Emily Robb Split (Open Mouth OM 080LP; USA) "Before hitting the road together in 2022, Bill Nace and Emily Robb recorded a tour split -- a cassette, limited run of 50 -- only to be found at their merch table. Now on vinyl, the split captures a moment bursting with verdant, crisp anticipation. Both artists were then on the heels of significant artistic leaps. Robb was wrapping up the promotional cycle of her first full-length solo record, 2021's How To Moonwalk, and Nace had recently shifted his focus from prepared guitar to the taishogoto, a Japanese instrument rarely heard in the west. When Nace plays his taisho live, listeners generally respond in a couple of different ways. Some become slightly hypnotized by the constant motion required to maintain the instrument's frantic, electric flicker. Others, on the edge of their seats, whoop loudly, almost involuntarily, to release the mounting tension. As a performer, Nace says the experience is a bit like being watched while jogging in place. Where the guitar easily allows space, this particular model of taishogoto has no sustain. 'I have to keep playing it to keep making sound,' Nace says. 'I have to get whipped up into this state.' This presents new limitations, and Nace expands to the edges. Here it shudders and sparks, spiking and scribbling like an EKG. It emanates white light, white heat. Robb luminates in a balmier way, like sunshine through leaves. Her guitar arcs and billows. Fripp-y tones and textures establish a structure inside which it feels good to get lost. Robb describes her improvisational playing here as somewhat meditative. 'There's a constant running through it,' she says. It's like 'hearing a story of a person's mind and emotions as they let music flow through.' Nace notes that coincidentally, the two sides -- both recorded by Robb at her Suddenly Studio in Philadelphia -- mirror one another in structure: 'There's a stripped-down element that both things have. It's almost more about cutting things away than adding.' Having frequently worked together in the studio over the last few years, Robb says they've each developed an understanding of the other's processes. 'We often discuss quite a lot but conversely, sometimes we don't have to say anything.'" - Margaret Welsh, Queens, NY 2023
LP $26
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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 / WAYNE HORVITZ / NOV 29–DEC 2
11/29 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Side Pocket - Music for Sextet - Ivan Arteaga (alto sax) Ray Larsen (trumpet) Greg Sinibaldi (baritone sax, bass clarinet) Carmen Rothwell (bass) Wayne Horvitz (piano) Mike Gebhart (drums)
11/30 Thursday
8:30 pm - Duos and Trios - Matt Mitchell (piano, electronics) Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon) Wayne Horvitz (amplified piano, electronics)
2/1 Friday
8: 30 pm - New Music for Electronics and Mixed Ensemble
Marty Ehrlich (bass clarinet) Briggan Krauss (alto sax, guitar) Ray Larsen (trumpet) Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon) Doug Wieselman (clarinet) Marika Hughes (cello) Kenny Wollesen (vibraphone, percussion) Wayne Horvitz (amplified piano, electronics) Jeong Lim Yang (bass) Mike Gebhart (drums)
12/2 Saturday
8:30 pm - Solos and Duets
Robin Holcomb (piano. voice) Wayne Horvitz (piano)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / CAROLINE DAVIS / DEC 6–9
12/6 Wednesday
8:30 pm - DUO - Caroline Davis (alto saxophone, voice, synthesizer) Wendy Eisenberg (guitar, voice)
12/7 Thursday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Caroline Davis (alto saxophone) Craig Taborn (piano, keyboard) Val Jeanty (turntables, percussion)
12/8 Friday
8:30 pm - QUARTET - Caroline Davis (alto saxophone) Matt Mitchell (piano) Rashaan Carter (bass) Terri Lyne Carrington (drums)
12/9 Saturday
8:30 pm - Caroline Davis' Alula - Caroline Davis (alto saxophone) Qasim Naqvi (modular synth) Chris Tordini (bass) Jason Nazary (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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MEMORIAL CONCERT FOR DOM MINASI
Wednesday, December 6th at 6:30
At St. Peter’s Church in Manhattan
Dom Minasi: Moroccan Copper (1975)
Opening, Welcome & Acknowledgements / Carol Mennie
Music contributions by Hans Tammen, Ken Filiano, Jay Rosen, Tor Snyder, Steve Swell, Dominic Duval Jr, Jackson Krall, Harvey Valdes, Ras Moshe, Cheryl Pyle, Hilliard Greene.
Tribute: John Pietaro Local 802
Music contributions by Dom Minasi Jr., Tomas Ulrich, Eyal Maoz, Susan Alcorn, Ken Filiano.
Tribute/Poem: Nora McCarthy & Jorge Sylvester
Music contributions by Eyal Maoz, Blaise Siwula, Tomas Ulrich, Jay Rosen.
Tribute / Carol Mennie: Dom's Children Music / Mama It's Cold Out Here
Music contributions by Nora McCarthy & Manna for Thought, Dom Minasi Guitar
Quartet, Carol Mennie, Martin Fuller.
Tribute: Tony Minasi
Music contributions by Jack deSalvo, Susan Alcorn, Dominic Duval Jr, Jackson Krall, Tor Snyder, Briggan Krauss, Jorge Sylvester, Blaise Siwula, Steve Swell, Ras Moshe, Cheryl Pyle, Hilliard Greene
Carol Mennie / Dom Minasi: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Memorial for Dom Minasi
Wednesday, December 6th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm (doors open at 6pm)
St. Peter's Church, 619 Lexington Avenue, NYC, NY 10012
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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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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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ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com
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