This week marks the thirteenth year that our store moved to Chinatown, the longest period of time in one location since we opened in May of 1991. We turn 33 years old on May 1st of this year and I/we are working on some nice celebrations to accompany our ongoing resource/business/oasis.
Thanks to everyone who reads the newsletter and continues to support us, we Love you all since we are still part of a Collective Family, the DMG Collective Family. In order to survive we need to acquire more collections of vinyl/records. If you have a collection that you are thinking of selling or know someone who is, please contact us here: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@dmg.com. I am currently working on my best of/recommendation lists of 2023 which we will send out through email and post on our website. Going to see/hear my fave guitarist, Mary Halvorson, at The Stone tonight and I am psyched. We should have her new disc in a couple of weeks by the street date. I am often guided/inspired by the words of Sun Ra: “Give some credit where credit is due or the same thing will happen to you!” - Bruce Lee Gallanter at Downtown Music Gallery
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“Grizzly Bear”
The Youngbloods
From their first self-titled album, released in 1967
When I woke up this morning,
She was gone, solid gone,
Oh yes when I woke up this morning,
She was gone, she was gone.
I used to love to watch her dance the grizzly bear,
I guess she's gone to Frisco to dance it there,
Because when I woke up this morning,
She was gone, she was gone.
She did not even tell me the reason why
She was gone (vo-do-dee-yo)
She did not even tell me
Why she was gone;
I used to love to watch her dance the grizzly bear,
I guess she's gone to Frisco, to dance it there,
Because when I woke up this morning,
She was gone, solid gone.
Earlier this week, DMG’s John Mori and myself listened to a Best Of CD by the Youngbloods. The disc sounded great and made us smile. I bought a mono copy of the first Youngbloods album when it was released in 1967 after reading a review of it in Hit Parade magazine. The Youngbloods had an FM hit that year called, “Get Together”, which evoked the Peace and Love ethos that the hippies at that time were constantly talking about. The other song on that album that was played on the radio was the opening track, ‘Grizzly Bear’.
“The Grizzly Bear is an early 20th-century dance style. It started in San Francisco, along with the Bunny Hug and Texas Tommy and was also done on the Staten Island ferry boats in the 1900s. It has been said that dancers John Jarrott and Louise Gruenning introduced this dance as well as the Turkey Trot at Ray Jones Café in Chicago, Illinois around 1909. The Grizzly Bear was first introduced to Broadway audiences in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1910 by Fanny Brice.” - Wiki
The song itself has a jubilant, festive vibe which was often referred to as “good time music’. Bands like the Lovin’ Spoonful, Sopwith Camel, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and the New Vaudeville Band were known for playing this type of music. While some folks thing of certain Good Time Music as being too corny, I find that we could all use some humor or silliness in life instead of taking things too seriously at times. If you get a chance, check out the first Youngbloods album, it still sounds great to me. - MCBruceLee
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THE DMG 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
Tuesday, January 9th:
6:30: s0nic 0penings: PATRICK BRENNAN - Alto sax & Compositions / HILLIARD GREENE - Contrabass / Jason Kao Hwang - Violin / Michael TA Thompson - DRUMS
7:30: KnCurrent: PATRICK BRENNAN - Alto sax / ON KA’A DAVIS - Guitar / JASON KAO HWANG - Electric Violin / COOPER-MORRE - Diddely Bow
8:30: STAN ZENKOV - Bass Clarinet / DANIEL CARTER - Reeds & Brass / ZACH SWANSON - Bass / DAVE MILLER - Drums
9:30: LORIN BENEDICT - Solo Vocal Set
Saturday January 13th, 2024: GauciMusic Series Continues:
6pm: ADAM CAINE / CHRISTIAN CALE - Two Guitars
7pm: STEPHEN GAUCI - Tenor Sax / JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums
8pm: GIAN PEREZ - Guitar / CAROLINE MORTON - Bass / MARC EDWARDS - Drums
Tuesday, January 16th:
6:30: DAFNA NAPHTALI - Electronics & Voice / GWEN LASTER - Violin / RAS MOSHE BURNETT - Sax
7:30: KENNY WARREN - Trumpet / NATHANIEL MORGAN - Sax / ARYEH KABRINSKI - Bass / CARLO COSTA - Percussion!
8:30: LAURIE AMAT- Electronics & Voice / FEDERICO BALDUCCI - Guitar / JONATHAN FRANCO - Electronics
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024:
6:30: SYLVAIN LEROUX - Fula Flute
7:30: TOADAL PACKAGE: COSMO GALLARO - Guitar / BRENNA REY - Bass / JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums
8:30: ANTONIN FAJT / KYLE MOTL / CARLO COSTA
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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THIS WEEK’S DMG CREATIVE MUSIC DISCS BEGIN WITH SOME ESSENTIAL AVANT/JAZZ REISSUES:
FINAL COPIES OF THE BLACK SAINT / SOUL NOTE BOX SETS:
As far as I can tell, this will be the last time we offer these essential avant/jazz box sets. The last order we did took 8 months to get to us!?! All CD’s on the Black Saint & Soul Note labels are long out of print. Watch out for those Amazon listed CD-R’s. We have around 3 or 4 of each except for the last copies of a couple of the titles.
MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS with GEORGE LEWIS / DOUGLAS EWART / ANTHONY BRAXTON / LEROY JENKINS / ROSCOE MITCHELL / ABDUL WADUD / HENRY THREADGILL / JACK WALRATH / STEVE McCALL/ et al - The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note - Volume 2 (Black Saint/Soul Note BXS 1041)
9 CD Set $60
RAN BLAKE With RICKY FORD / DAVID FABRIS / HOUSTON PERSON / JAKI BYARD / TIZIANO TONONI / et al - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (Black Saint/Soul Note BXS 1034; Italy) Albums included: ‘Duke Dreams "The Legacy Of Strayhorn-Ellington”, ‘Improvisations’ (with Jaki Byard), ’Suffield Gothic’, ‘Epistrophy’, ‘Unmarked Van (A Tribute To Sarah Vaughan)’ and ‘Indian Winter’.
5 CD Set $50
STEVE LACY With ROSWELL RUDD / HAN BENNINK / MISHA MENGELBERG / GEORGE LEWIS / BOBBY FEW / BEAVER HARRIS / et al - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: Trickles / Revenue / Troubles /Regeneration / Change Of The Season / Dutch Masters / The Condor / The Cry (2 Sets) / Vespers (Black Saint/Soul Note BXS 1033; Italy)
10 CD Set $60
OLIVER LAKE With BAIKIDA CARROLL / MICHAEL G JACKSON / CHARLES EUBANKS / GERI ALLEN / BORAH BERGMAN / REGGIE WORKMAN / FRED HOPKINS / PHEEROAN AkLAFF / ANDREW CYRILLE / et al - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: Holding Together / Prophet / Clevont Fitzhubert / Expandable Language / Edge-Ing / Dedicated To Dolphy / A New Organization (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1028; Italy)
7 CD Set $55.00
JIMMY LYONS With ANDREW CYRILLE/WILLIAM PARKER/JEANNE LEE/RAPHE MALIK/ENRICO RAVA / et al - Complete Black Saint-Soul Note Recordings: Wee Sneezawee / Give It Up / Burnt Offering / Nuba / Something in Return (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1028; Italy)
5 CD Set $55 [last sealed copy]
ROSCOE MITCHELL With HUGH RAGIN / MATT SHIPP / WILLIAM PARKER / SPENCER BAREFIELD / JODIE CHRISTIAN / MALACHI FAVORS / STEVE McCALL / MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS / et al - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1036; Italy)
9 CD Set $60
MAX ROACH With CECIL TAYLOR / M'BOOM / ANTHONY BRAXTON / ODEAN POPE / CECIL BRIDGEWATER / JOE CHAMBERS / WARREN SMITH / et al - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1038; Italy) Albums included here are: ‘Birth and Rebirth’, ‘Historic Concerts of Max Roach and Cecil Taylor’, ’Survivors’, ‘Collage’, ‘Survivors’ and ‘Bright Moments’.
6 CD Set $55
MAL WALDRON with STEVE LACY / ANTHONY BRAXTON / CHICO FREEMAN / ENRICO RAVA / DAVID FRIESEN / LEONARD JONES / BUELL NEIDLINGER / BILL OSBORNE / JUDY SILVANO / et al - The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note. Volume 2: Up and Down / Update / Sometimes I’m Blue / Sempre Amore / Dedication / Our Colline’s a Treasure / I’ll Be Around / Six Monk Compositions / Communique - (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1038; Italy)
11 CD Set $65
KENNY WHEELER With JOHN TAYLOR / STAN SULZMANN / DAVE HOLLAND / STEFANO BATTAGLIA / JOE LaBARBARA / BILLY ELGART / EUROPEAN MUSIC ORCHESTRA / et al - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (BlackSaint/Cam BXS 1037; Italy) The albums here include: ‘Welcome’, ‘Tales’, ‘All the More’ and more.
5 CD Set $50
TERTON with LOUIE BELOGENIS / TREVOR DUNN / RYAN SAWYER - Outer, Inner, Secret (Tzadik 4044; USA) Terton features Louie Belogenis on tenor & soprano saxes, Trevor Dunn on contrabass and Ryan Sawyer on drums. Downtown saxist, Louie Belogenis is one John Zorn’s oldest friends. Louie picked up the tenor sax in 1978 with guidance from his pal Zorn and took lessons from the legendary Warne Marsh. Mr. Belogenis’ playing has grown and matured over more than 40 years and his close friendship with Mr. Zorn has remained. Mr. Belogenis takes his time in between recordings, having only 10 records as a leader or co-leader during the past 45 years. In 2002, Belogenis made a quartet date with Tony Malaby, Trevor Dunn and Ryan Sawyer. Two decades later, Belogenis has reconvened the same rhythm team for this, his first record in several years. From what I recall, Louie is a Buddhist, the band band name Terton (Tibetan word) refers to “uncovering and revealing esoteric spiritual teachings currently unknown and unpracticed.” The trio here were well selected to find the buried treasures within the music itself. All of the pieces here were improvised in real time with no edits. Both bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Ryan Sawyer are master musicians who have worked in a variety of settings and genres. Belogenis sounds is oft powerful, searching and digging deep inside as he blows. He switches to soprano sax on “Unconditioned”, his playing, burning and bending the notes filled with that slow-burning fire. All of the pieces here sound organic and flow together in steam. If you, like me, are a fan of the spiritual tenor sax playing of John Coltrane or Albert Ayler, then you too will love this disc. All three musicians are in fine form here, playing as if their lives depended on it. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
MIA DYBERG TRIO - Timestretch (Clean Feed 645; Portugal) Featuring Mia Dyberg on alto sax, Asger Thomsen on double bass and Simon Forchhammer on drums. I recall seeing/hearing Danish alto saxist Mia Dyberg play with William Parker’s workshop band at the Jyderup Festival (north of Copenhagen) in 2015 and thinking that she already had a strong, unique sound. You can Ms. Dyberg performing on some two dozen releases since then, some as a leader and many self-released. This is the third release by her trio, each one has a different drummer but the same bassist. I don’t know much about the other members of this trio although both appear on a handful of previous releases with other Danish creative musicians. Ms. Dyberg wrote most of the pieces here except for one by the bassist and a couple of trio improvs. Asget Thomsen’s “Mullet” is first and it a fascinating one with a number of challenging twists and turns, thoughtfully written out and well-executed. The title track is next and it is also well conceived. The bassist is often upfront leading the trio playing a forceful repeating line which soon slows down to a more relaxed tempo. Bassist Thomsen takes a strong solo in the last section of this piece, showing off his creativity and prowess. What I find most interesting here is that these pieces each have their logic and move in unexpected ways. The bass & drums often sound like they are playing tight, written out parts which keep shifting while Ms. Dyberg varies between playing tightly with them and then adding quirky flourishes. In the second half of this disc, Dyberg plays 5 solo sax pieces, dedicated to philosopher, Hannah Arendt, Voldsomt Ritardando and dedicated to Mia’s mother and sisters. Each of the solo pieces is short, focused and like an interlude between the trio pieces. I like the way all of the pieces here fit together into a large jigsaw puzzle. This is is not just another free/jazz trio exploration but something much more solidly organized. Most impressive on several levels. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
RECENT RELEASES FROM THE FINE FOLKS AT SUNNYSIDE RECORDS:
HAYES GREENFIELD / DEAN JOHNSON - Lover to You (Sunnyside 1718; USA) Featuring Hayes Greenfield on alto sax and Dean Johnson on contrabass. I’ve known saxist Hayes Greenfield for some four decades, first meeting him when he accompanied Al Aronowitz (friend of Bob Dylan & the Beatles) for a poetry/prose date. Mr. Greenfield lived down the block from our first store at 211 East 5th St., so I used to hear him practicing daily at his window facing the street. Hayes has recorded around a half dozen records since 1987, including a rare trio date with Rashied Ali and Don Pate. I’ve dug everything I’ve heard from Mr. Greenfield whether playing outside or inside, including music for children and using loops & effects. New York bassist Dean Johnson has worked with Gerry Mulligan, Dave Ballou and Kendra Shank.
Mr. Greenfield wrote four of the seven songs here plus we find a few select standards. The first thing I noticed on this disc is Mr. Greenfield’s warm, tasty tone on alto. This disc begins with an original by Hays called “The Music Never Dies”. Since there is no drummer here, it is Dean Johnson’s solid, supportive bass holding things down and establishing a fine groove, even his short solo later on in the soft is a delight. Mr. Greenfield’s tone is especially soulful here, thoughtful and uplifting. I’ve heard numerous versions of Thelonious Monk’s classic “Ask Me Now” and this version is one of the best. Hayes plays the theme coyly and playfully, twisting each note just right and taking an especially effervescent solo. On Hayes’ “My Eileen”, Greenfield’s tone is warm and lush, sounding more like a suave old school tenor. Mmmmmmmmm, so tasty! “Secret Love” is another well-worn cover/standard written by Sammy Cahn and covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Ruth Brown to Doris Day. It sounds like the duo is having fun playing the luscious melody. I remember the first time I heard Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz”. It was on a Eric Dolphy album I bought in 1973 (one of my first jazz records), which was released in 1963. Greenfield slows it down and still captures that subtle swashbuckling vibe. “I Can’t Make You Love Like I Wish I Could” is an original that sounds like a standard with a lovely melody that you will not soon forget. Lover to You” is the last track and it is a delightful, heart-warming ballad of sorts. I don’t often listen to very much more mainstream jazz, on rare occasion. This disc does a fine job and showing us the tender yet passionate and inventive side of jazz in its many splendered ways. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
LOREN STILLMAN with DREW GRESS / MARK FERBER - Time and Again (Sunnyside SSC 1711; USA) Featuring Loren Stillman on tenor sax & compositions, Drew Gress on contrabass and Mark Ferber on drums. The first time I heard Loren Stillman live was at CB’s Dungeon in the aughts in a trio called Jackalope with John Abercrombie on guitar and Bob Meyer on drums. Mr. Stillman was playing alto sax, John Abercrombie (one of my fave guitarists of all) was slumming (playing at CBGB’s) and the trio blew me away. Ever since I’ve checked out Loren Stillman on a dozen plus discs with numerous Downtowners: Scott DuBois, Paul Motian, Russ Lossing and Eivind Opsvik. I hadn’t heard anything new from Mr. Stillman in several years and I heard that he had moved out of town. - BLG
“Quirky and underrated, American saxophonist Loren Stillman is recognized for his embrace of sober tones and selection of impish notes while crafting phrases that are rich in ambiguity. His Sunnyside debut, Time and Again, showcases eight original compositions that take on distinctive shapes through the adept interpretations of his new trio mates—bassist Drew Gress and drummer Mark Ferber. The tunes are demanding, but the trio's experience allows them to navigate potential pitfalls, resulting in an intriguing and compelling sound.
“Backyard”, an engaging, groovy, and open post-bop vehicle, serves as fertile ground for exploring Stillman's non-obvious lines. The piece incorporates a smart bass vamp in its final segment, complemented by crisp drum chops. “Unsung” packs genuine emotion, addressing the not-heard-enough music of heroes such as Paul Motian, Warne Marsh, and Lee Konitz. It features a well-spoken bass statement. The title track, “Time and Again”, begins with controlled tom-tom rambles and valuable cymbal complementation. The rubato style enhances the heartfelt playing, and the music is unleashed with forlorn, breathing and revolving around a beautiful melody.
In "The Mask”, Stillman passionately explores a folk-inspired direction, reminiscent of Jan Garbarek. This elegantly crafted piece features coruscating snare radiance, firmly placed bass lines, and sinuous melodic contours. "Fearless Dreamer", previously recorded in a bass-less quartet format, is admirably structured, swinging with a defiant posture and showcasing saxophone eruptions crafted from a language of impressive spontaneity.
These overarching sonic architectures earn a special meaning with “Foist”, a modal-inflected blues piece that gradually turns up the heat, celebrating a cadenced, odd-metered groove. Gress and Ferber construct a trancelike rhythmic undertow that harmoniously supports the bandleader's expressive speech.
Even in moments of unfolded abstraction, the trio's unique sounds articulate perfectly. Each track stands on its own, revealing more distinctive characteristics with each subsequent listen.” - JazzTrail.net
CD $14
ALAN FERBER NONET with JON GORDON / JOHN ELLIS / CHRIS CHEEK / NIR FELDER / MARK FERBER / et al - Up High, Down Low (Sunnyside 1694; USA) Over the past two decades, Ferber has become one of New York’s most sought after player-composers. He regularly collaborates on projects for forward-thinking bandleaders such as John Hollenbeck, Miguel Zenon, Darcy James Argue, Dafnis Prieto, and Toshiko Akiyoshi, as well as artists working outside of jazz including indie rock bands San Fermin, The National, Sufjan Stevens, and Bang a Can's Asphalt Orchestra. As a mentor, Ferber co-directs the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, a well-regarded incubator for jazz composers in NYC, and teaches composition and arranging at Montclair State University and NYU. As a trombonist, Ferber topped the 2022 Downbeat Rising Star Critics’ Poll.
The pandemic’s arrival in 2020 led Ferber and his family to move to St. Louis, Missouri near his wife’s family, where they would end up staying for close to two years before returning. The collection of music on this new album was crafted there with his longtime nonet colleagues in mind. For Ferber, the best prescription for dealing with the social deprivation of the pandemic was to think about these close colleagues, to imagine their sounds and musical personalities, and create new music for them. Careful consideration of every interlocking line of counterpoint proved therapeutic, and Ferber crafted these scores as vehicles for his collaborators to express themselves soulfully within and around the written lines, allowing for a satisfying balance of ensemble cohesion and improvisatory freedom.
When restrictions lifted enough to gather, he reached out to local players in the St. Louis area to workshop the music. As luck would have it, Ferber discovered that the great saxophonist Chris Cheek was also residing in St. Louis, leading to a major change for Ferber’s instrumentation—the replacement of the bass clarinet with the baritone saxophone. With help from the local St. Louis bassist, Bob Deboo, the band began performing semi-regularly at a venue called The Dark Room. These gigs provided a litmus test for not only the music’s playability, but for how these new sounds connected with live audiences in the area. His interactions and invaluable feedback from these experiences have evolved into continuing performance engagements in the Midwest.
CD $14
MIKKO INNANEN / CEDRIC PIEOMALLI / STEFAN PASBORG plus LORI FREEDMAN - This Is It (Clean Feed 649; Portugal) “When a Finn, a Dane, and a Frenchman take on the organ trio genre expect it to be funky and supercool. And This is It is just that. This new group pivots around Cedric Piromalli's Hammond organ in ways you might expect if you are a fan of the Blue Note 1960s sounds of Big John Patton and Larry Young. Then again This is It also flirts with a combination of go-go boots, prog rock, and some future shock.
Those familiar with the Danish drummer Stefan Pasborg know he likes his jazz served with a side dish of rock and an avant-garde chaser. Together with the Finnish saxophonist Mikko Innanen, the two have collaborated with Wadada Leo Smith in the band Delirium and on Pasborg's Odessa 5 and Free Moby Dick (ILK Music, 2012). Add Piromalli to that mix and the party ignites.
Switching between baritone, alto, and soprano saxophones, Innanen changes the expression of the trio. His baritone opens "Mocking Bird" with a lament before the organ pushes a spirited groove elation. This change of directions is heard throughout. The prog rock heavy blues of "Manic Zigaman" is contrasted by the Latin tinge of "Søhesten" with Innanen's soprano saxophones hopping amongst Pasborg's cow bell and cymbals. They can also weave a spiritual thread with "Pharoah Favelassa," or burn a noirish path that burns a blue hot flame on "Sudden Happiness." The trio delivers a fragment of future shock with "Autonomus XXVII A: Gneisenaustraße," with twisting soprano notes and nibbling organ bites that hint of a complex labyrinth, before ending with the groovy go-go boots of the Austin Powers-inspired composition "Riding with Cafarelli." It makes you want to blurt out "yeah baby!" - Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz.com
CD $15
BURNER HERZOG & THE 10,000 THINGS - Random Person (Take A Turn Records; USA) Burner Herzog & The 10,000 Things have delivered a stunner of indie/avant pop tunage for 2024 and beyond. "Random Person" is an unpredictable, wonderfully produced yet hook laden recording that will appeal to listeners who enjoy classic/timeless pop song structure alluding to the past yet firing toward the future. Produced by the legendary Martin Bisi at his BC studio confines, the array of instrumentation which includes trombone, pedal steel, bandelero, etc. decorate what is a strong ROCK BOTTOM without overwhelming the proceedings, artfully balancing both the chamber and the amplifier. Upon repeated listenings, the tracks begin to unfold and to my ears, recall the best of O'Rourke and David Berman's most countryfied Drag City output, Crazy Horse, and at times a hint of Guided By Voices here and there. Wonderfully realized and highly recommended. - John J. Mori, DMG
CD-R $10.
LEE 'SCRATCH'PERRY - Heaven (Burning Sounds 840CD; UK) "This is Lee 'Scratch' Perry's final studio album recorded shortly before his passing in October 2021. Lee was one of 'the major cultural figures' of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. His contribution to the furtherance of Jamaican music as producer, arranger, writer and artist is beyond compare. He played a pivotal role in, and was the inspiration behind, many of the key movements in the development of reggae throughout the sixties and seventies."
CD $17
MICHAL URBANIAK GROUP with URZULA DUDZIAK / ADAM MAKOVICZ - Sound Pieces (Moosicus M1223CD; Germany) "Multi-instrumentalist Michal Urbaniak (violin, saxophone, lyricon). was born in Warsaw in 1943 but grew up in Lodz, of which he is an ambassador and honorary citizen. In 1962 he traveled to the United States for the first time, performing at various jazz festivals with Andrzej Trzaskowski's quintet The Wreckers in Washington DC, Newport, New Orleans and New York. He received rave reviews, including in the New York Times. From 1969, he led the Michal Urbaniak Group, which consisted primarily of Polish jazz artists, namely Adam Makovicz (electric piano), Paweł Jarcębski (bass), Czesław Bartkowski (drums) and his wife Urszula Dudziak (vocals). The present Radio Bremen concert was recorded with this line-up as well. After that, he and his wife moved back to the United States, where he performed in numerous clubs and concert halls (f.e. Carnegie Hall, Beacon Theatre) with jazz stars such as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Billy Cobham. In 1985, he participated in a recording session with Miles Davis for the album Tutu! He was a co-founder of the so-called UrbJazz fusion jazz in New York. As the first creator of fusion music, he introduced rock, rap and hip-hop into jazz by forming the band Urbanator in 1989 and the UrbSymphony Project in 1995. In the 2000s, he wrote music for 25 American movies, among others, and also appeared as an actor. To date, the exceptional Polish artist has released over 60 albums. Two original albums from Michal Urbaniak's early days and a unique live recording from Radio Bremen, where he presented the tracks from the two albums Paratyphus B and Inactin before they were released on vinyl a couple of months later."
3 CD Set $27
IAN BRENNAN - Parchman Prison Prayer: Some Mississippi Sunday Morning (Glitterbeat GB 143CD; Germany) Haunting in situ recordings from Parchman Farm maximum security prison in Mississippi. Grammy-winning producer Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Ustad Saami, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Zomba Prison Project) recorded the prison's Sunday gospel service and the results are unforgettable. The performances range from solo acapella to a floor-shaking electric band. The repertoire includes both traditional and newly penned spirituals. Some Mississippi Sunday Morning is an unfiltered and deeply resonant journey into a musical world rarely seen or heard. The notorious Parchman Prison has a rich musical history with Son House, Bukka White, Mose Allison, and Elvis Presley's father Vernon Presley having been former residents. Mississippi's oldest penitentiary, Parchman was founded in 1901 and has one of the highest prisoner mortality rates in the nation as well as experiencing ongoing riots. Due to restrictions on video and photos, the only artifact from this meeting are the sounds -- making the voices all the more ethereal and ghostly. One man's voice was so deep, it sounded like the Mississippi River singing -- as if Barry White were a soprano. Another freestyled a rap about the shame he feels for having caused pain to his mother and others due to his actions. Another was a 73-year-old, former "rock and roll" singer who'd survived prison, become a chaplain, and found God. A veil of sadness seemed to shroud. The singers' voices softened and textured by the inescapable regret that their environment confronts them with. Most songs were covers of Gospel standards, but delivered so imbued with subtext that they were transformed almost unrecognizably from the source material. One of the beauties of the experience was that it was a successful integration of white and black inmates, whose services are often held separately due to racial tensions. As the men beamed, hugged and hi-fived one another in celebration, Chaplain Sidney beamed, "The making of this record has brought much needed encouragement and hope to the men here at Parchman." These were voices unchained, if only for those few hours. Expressing a vocal breadth of freedom otherwise denied and restrained. Recorded 100% live without overdubs at Parchman maximum security prison's Sunday morning service.
CD $17
KARL IVAR REFSETH TRIO - Unfolding (Traumton Records 4717CD; Germany) With his unmistakable, personal sound, Karl Ivar Refseth delights fans of jazz and neo-classical, minimal and groove music -- whether as a soloist, bandleader or sideman with The Notwist, Gisbert zu Knyphausen, Tied & Tickled Trio, among others. The albums released to date by his trio with Christian Weidner (alto saxophone) and Matthias Pichler (double bass), most recently Devotion in February 2022, have received the highest acclaim from audiences and the media. Karl Ivar Refseth loves melodies, and this is no different on the new album than on previous releases. They give his pieces their special "vibe" and subliminally refer to his pop collaborations. After all, the classically and jazz-trained percussionist, born in Lillehammer in 1977, has been providing the indie rock pioneers The Notwist with rhythmic and sonic impulses since 2009, giving Gisbert zu Knyphausen's clever songs additional depth and creating panoramas between techno and nuanced radio-play music with Acid Pauli alias Martin Gretschmann.
CD $20
GAVIN BRYARS / BRIAN ENO / DAVID TOOP / MAX EASTLEY / CHRISTOPHER HOBBS / JOHN CAGE / JAN STEELE / MICHAEL NYMAN / PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA / JOHN WHITE / HAROLD BUDD - The Complete Obscure Records Collection 1975-1978 (Dialogo 926Box; Italy) 10 LP box set version. Includes hand-numbered certificate, 10 LPs in faithful replicas of the original covers and polylined inner sleeves, an 80-page LP-sized book in English, all housed in a custom lavish linen box; edition of 1000. Over the last few years, the Italian imprint, Dialogo, has showed a remarkable dedication to the history of experimental music via reissues of seminal artefacts from the Cramps catalog, and important albums by Piero Umiliani, Ennio Morricone, Bruno Nicolai, Enrico Rava, and others. This initiative now takes on a towering scale with the first ever box set gathering the entire ten album collection of Brian Eno's Obscure Records, originally issued between 1975 and 1978. A truly groundbreaking body of recordings - many of which have remained out of print and difficult to find for decades - it contains some of the most important, influential, and enduring music to emerge during the second half of the 20th Century, which collectively reconfigured the terms of minimalism and laid the groundwork for the emerging movement of ambient music over its short, three-year run. Each box set contains all of Obscure's albums, completely remastered by Andrea Marutti and housed in faithful mini-replicas of their original covers and liner notes, as well as a 130-page booklet, this historic collection marks the first time such a seminal series has received a complete repress. This is certainly one of the year's most interesting, essential, and widely anticipated releases, stunningly produced with the complete involvement of all the artists or their estates. When viewed collectively, the Obscure catalog reveals a remarkable, and previously unexplored counterpoint -- bridging the United Kingdom and the American West Coast -- to the dominant threads of minimal and experimental music, centered in New York that had long dominated the public consciousness. This historic collection marks the first time the seminal Obscure catalog has received a complete repress; simply a dream come true. Featuring Gavin Bryars, Christopher Hobbs, John Adams, Brian Eno, David Toop, Max Eastley, Jan Steele, John Cage, Michael Nyman, The Penguin Café Orchestra, John White, Tom Phillips, Gavin Bryars, Fred Orton, and Harold Budd.”
10 LP Deluxe Box Set $450
SUN RA with JOHN GILMORE / MARSHALL ALLEN / JUNE TYSON / et al - Live in Roma 1980 (Holidays Records 136LP; Italy) Born Herman Poole Blount in Alabama during 1914, Sun Ra first emerged on the Chicago jazz scene during the late 1940s. One of the great avant-garde composers of his generation -- leading the way on piano, organ, and (eventually) synthesizer -- beginning in the mid-1950s and lasting until his death in 1993, led the Arkestra, a band through which a near countless number of important artists passed and collaborated with, and many remained for the duration of their careers, notably Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, and June Tyson. Known for their wild costumes and theatrics, Ra's eccentric image and claims that he was from Saturn was deeply political, imagining an alternate social order, history, and future for African Americans that rests as a pioneering force in the Afro-Futurist movement. Recorded live at Teatro Giulio Cesare on March 28, 1980, comprising an astounding 27 compositions, including the highly celebrated "Astro Black," "Mr. Mystery," "Romance of Two Planets," "Space Is the Place," "We Travel the Spaceways," and "Calling Planet Earth," over six vinyl sides. High among the greatest live gigs by the Arkestra captured on tape, carefully mastered by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio, Live in Rome 1980 is a near perfect snapshot of the band's versatility and range, including many of their most notably and famous songs, as well as striking renditions of the Horace Henderson penned Benny Goodman number "Big John's Special," Fletcher Henderson's "Yeah Man!," and "Limehouse Blues," displaying Ra's willingness to address and rework the entire, diverse history of jazz in a single go. Heard in its totality, perhaps what makes Live in Rome 1980 most striking is the way in which the concert plays out. Roughly the first half encounters the band locked in some of the most out-there, free jazz fire that can be imagined, weaving a startling sense of interplay and furious energy into a brilliant tapestry of writhing sonority, the likes of which were only really achieved by this band. The second half, with only moments of exception that return to the furious energy of the first, is a very different affair, easy toward the vocal standards, led by June Tyson's vocals and the joyous collective chanting of the band, for which they have become so widely celebrated, threading the sounds of off-kilter big band swing with heavy grooves and imagines of outer space.
3 LP Box Set $95
SAVAGE REPUBLIC - Live In Wroclaw January 7, 2023 (Gusstaff Records Gram 2315LP; Poland) Hailing from the Los Angeles underground of the 1980s, Savage Republic forged an astonishing reputation for themselves as art-punk and industrial pioneers with their legendary performances. Their brand of ritualistically tribal exhibitions blurred the boundaries of post-punk and industrial music. Their music incorporates minimalist bass rumbles, exotic and/or militaristic drumming, Arabic melodies, alternate tunings, primal chants and even a bit of surf guitar. In 2021 Savage Republic released the album Meteora on Gusstaff Records and during the tour promoting this album in January 2023, the band also played a concert in Wroclaw, Poland. It became not only a document of this route, but also a kind of summary of their entire history. The album is released in CD format (the entire concert), as a black LP (over half of the concert) and as a limited red vinyl with an eight-inch vinyl record (lathe-cut) added with a few remaining songs from the concert. Both LP versions were pressed on thick 200g vinyl. Vinyl versions include download codes with the entire concert.
LP $30
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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 - MARY HALVORSON - JAN 3–6
1/4 Thursday
8:30 pm - DUO - Immanuel Wilkins (sax) Mary Halvorson (guitar)
1/5 Friday
8:30 pm - DUO - Joe Morris (guitar) Mary Halvorson (guitar)
1/6 Saturday
8:30 pm - Sterno - Brett Deschenes (trumpet) Dan St. Clair (piano) Nat Baldwin (bass) Mary Halvorson (guitar) - Our first performance since 2002!
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / DAVID MIRARCHI / JAN 10–13
1/10 Wednesday
8:30 pm PAPER ATTIC: David Mirarchi (alto sax, bass clarinet) Maya Keren (piano) Emmanuel Michael (guitar) Mathias Højgaard Jensen (bass) Eliza Salem (drums)
1/11 Thursday
8:30 pm: QUINTET - David Mirarchi (alto sax, flute) Yvonne Rogers (piano) Gian Perez (guitar, banjo) Kevin Eichenberger (bass) Angus Mason (drums)
1/12 Friday
8:30 pm - SEPTET - David Mirarchi (alto, soprano saxes) Davy Lazar (trumpet, electronics) Vittorio Mura (tenor sax) Yuma Uesaka (tenor sax, contrabass clarinet) Elias Stemeseder (piano, synths) Keenan Ruffin (guitar) Jon Starks (drums, sensory percussion)
1/13 Saturday
8:30 pm - TRIO - David Mirarchi (alto sax) Gregg Belisle-Chi (guitar) Addie Vogt (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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gaucimusic presents:
Improvised Music @ the Main Drag
Wednesday January 10th, 2024
7:00pm Gian Perez - guitar
Tete Leguia - bass
Nick Neuburg - drums
8:00pm Michael Larocca - drums
Luke Rovinsky - guitar
Caleb Duval - bass
9:00pm Stephen Gauci - t. saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums
10:00pm Michael Eaton - saxophones
Max Kutner - guitar
Adam Minkoff - bass
Nick Anderson - drums
11:00pm Welf Dorr - alto saxophone
Sandy Ewen - guitar
Lim Yang - bass
Kevin Shea - drums
Wednesday January 17th, 2024
7:00pm Ryan Honaker - violin
Alex Syner - guitar
Finn Fine - guitar
Greg Albert - upright bass
8:00pm The Main Drag Conduction Orchestra
*Curated by Colin Hinton* *Conduction by Yuma Uesaka*
9:00pm Stephen Gauci - t. saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Colin Hinton - drums
10:00pm Titus Abbot - bass clarinet
Harris Eisenstadt - drums
Sean Conly - bass
11:00pm Jonathan Haffner - alto saxophone
Yvonne Rogers- keys
Kevin Eichenberger - bass
Matt Bent - Drums
Wednesday January 24th, 2024
7:00pm Willis Edmundson - drums
Andre Sacalxot - saxophone
Charlie Lincoln - bass
8:00pm Bonnie Kane - saxophone/flute/electronics
John Loggia - drums
Shayna Dulberger - bass
9:00pm Stephen Gauci - t. saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Colin Hinton - drums
10:00pm Santiago Leibson - keys
Noa Fort - voice
Kenny Warren - trumpet
Carlo Costa - drums
11:00pm Ryan Siegel ensemble
Wednesday January 31st, 2024
7:00pm Ken Kobayashi - drums
Jonathan Reisin - tenor/soprano saxophone
Jeff Miles - guitar
Charley Sabatino - bass
8:00pm Yoni Kretzmer & Juan Pablo Carletti's BIGGISH
9:00pm Stephen Gauci - t. saxophone
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums
10:00pm Anders Nilsson - guitar
Nick Lyons - alto saxophone
Ken Filiano - bass
11:00pm Takuma Kanaiwa - bass
Paul r Harding - poetry
Daniel Carter - woodwinds
Jonathan Wilson - 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).
@ The Main Drag
50 South 1st Street
Between Kent ave and Wythe Ave
(718) 388-6365
gaucimusic.com
*****
January 29 thru February 4, 2024
THE OUT MUSIC FESTIVAL
At THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY, NYC
Arts for Art proudly presents the OUT MUSIC FESTIVAL - The Future is Pissed! The world is divided against itself. The earth is in jeopardy. These diverse artists are doing their best with too little support. Their voices have been marginalized. As people of conscience and as creative people, we come together to support each other as we live, create, and work for a world with peace, compassion, justice, and the arts.
As an added attraction, the festival's first night will feature a selection of fiery historic Out Music recordings, presented in partnership with Crossing Tones, an organization which rescues and shares recordings from the music's past. The opening night will feature never heard recordings that underscore the deep roots of music.
Here’s the link: https://www.artsforart.org/out-festival.html
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William Hooker - “ Music and Poetry"
At The Bowery Poetry Club, NYC
Wednesday, 7 February 2024 at 8:00 PM
featuring
Bob Holman,John Pietaro, David Soldier, Yuko Otomo, Kevin Ramsey, Patrick Brennan, Jair Rohm Wells, Dave Sewelson, Paul Geluso, Ras Moshe and Laura Feathers
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery, Village, NYC
bowerypoetry.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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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnWxohqx4tY
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