When all the cards are down
There's nothing left to see
There's just the pavement left
And broken dreams
In the end there's still that song
Comes crying like the wind
Down every lonely street
That's ever been
Stella Blue
I've stayed in every blue-light cheap hotel
Can't win for trying
Dust off those rusty strings just
One more time
Gonna make em shine
It all rolls into one
And nothing comes for free
There's nothing you can hold
For very long
And when you hear that song
Come crying like the wind
It seems like all this life
Was just a dream
Stella Blue
As many of you might know, I began a journey during the beginning of the Pandemic (in March 0f 2020). After 33 years of working 4-6 days a week at DMG, I felt somewhat lonely and isolated staying at home for (what turned to be) 3 months and needed some inspiration to keep me sane and inspired. I had been a Grateful Dead fan on and off for many years, but my musical diet and thirst for new challenges, often led me in many other directions. I had forgotten about the Dead for a while when I befriended Mike Panico in the aughts and started to get back into them, checking out a dozen-plus concerts by Furthur, their offshoot band, during that time. We also caught a reformed version of The Dead play for an Obama rally in 2008 and was knocked out by that gig. Around the time the Pandemic started, I discovered a website called Archive.org where people upload concerts, information and other things to share with other fans. There was a site which had/has some 2,000 Dead gigs which anyone can stream. The site was set up by a Matt Vernon who I met sitting next to me at The Stone so we became good friends. I’ve continued to listen to an hour of live Dead in chronological order ever since. I now understand what makes the Dead a singular band and how they’ve evolved over time. I truly appreciate their moments of transcendence which occur at almost every concert. I sing along, dance and read the words in my Robert Hunter songbook. Since I gave up listening to Top 40 radio so many years ago, I haven’t had to hear any songs played too many times in a short period. What makes the Dead special is that they play each song differently each night so these songs slowly evolve. I got stuck listening to the entire Europe ’72 tour in April & May of 1972, 22 gigs, 65 CD’s. I listened to it 4 times in row since I found that it is The Dead at their very best, well recorded, with many treasures found in their 3-4 hour nights. I’ve gained a better appreciation for Pigpen, who sang lead, played organ & harmonic and was a blues aficionado. Pigpen truly shines throughout the ’72 Euro tour, even writing & performing new songs, being a great frontman and getting the lonely men in the audience to be nice and introduce themselves to the available women in the audience. Pigpen had a serious drinking problem and left the band after one gig in June of 1972. He passed away a year later in 1973 and his loss was devastating to the other members of the band. The above song, “Stella Blueâ€, appears on their next studio album, ‘Wake of the Flood’ and I find this song to be sad yet resilient. They perform this song for the second time on July 18th of 1972 at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ. I found this version to be stunning and I began to weep as I listened to it the other night. A toast to the power of Music to inspire, engage and help us through these often difficult times. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
****************
FRIENDS OF DMG, WORLDWIDE:
Thanks again to many of you who’ve made donations over the past few weeks to help through our financial problems. We’ve also gotten in number of donations of CD’s, 400 from one person and another 100 from another old friend. Please keep them coming if you can. I/we are working on these CD’s, cleaning, cataloging and placing them in our online Discogs store or on our used list, which can be viewed through our database. Please remember our database list some 100,000 items, going back 20 years to when our website was created around 1997. Only around a 10th of these items are actually in the store so even if it says “available†in our database, that item may no loner be available. We update our database one item at a time it takes a while to adjust to the current reality of what we do have and what can still be gotten or not. Our Discogs store is much more accurate, perhaps 98% of what is listed on Discogs is actually here. If you are searching for a CD, LP, DVD or cassette, check out Discogs site first. Thanks again to all of our friends and subscribers worldwide. We need you in order for us to survive and thrive. - Peace, Bruce at DMG
**********
THE DMG 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
Saturday, March 9th, 2024 - The GauciMusic Series Continues with:
6pm: KAI BURNS - Guitar / JONATHAN PAIK - Keyboard / SHOGO YAMAGISHI - Bass / MAX NGUYEN - Drums
7pm: STEPHEN GAUCI - Reeds / SHOGO YAMAGISHI - Bass / NICK NEUBERG - Drums
8pm: JEFF PEARRING - Alto Sax / PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums
Tuesday, March 12th:
6:30: AYUMI ISHITO - Alto Sax / DYLAN DELGIUDICE - Guitar
7:30: DAVE MILLER - Drums / DEVIN WALDMAN - Alto Sax / RAS MOSHE - Tenor Sax / LUKE STEWART - Bass
8:30: STEVE HIRSH / SALLY GATES / DANIEL CARTER
Tuesday, March 19th: WOMEN IN FREE JAZZ:
A Special Concert for Women's History Month March 2024 - Featuring:
6:30: CHERYL PYLE - flute-percussion / MARY CHERNEY - flute / SARAH BERNSTEIN - violin / ANDREA WOLPER - voice / ROSE TANG - guitar / BRENNA REY - bass
7:30: AYUMO ISHITO - tenor sax / CATHERINE SIKORA - tenor sax / NORA STANLEY - tenor sax / NICOLE DAVIS - trumpet / DAFNA NAPHTALI - voice/synth, JEON LIM YANG - bass / YUKO TPGAMI - percussion
8:30: Musique Libre Femmes Big Band Ensemble - A free jazz improvisation to end the concert with: CHERYL PYLE / MARY CHERNEY / SARAH BERNSTEIN / ANDREW WOLPER / CATHERINE SIKORA / AYUMI ISHITO / NORA STANLEY / NICOLE DAVIS / ROSE TANG / BRENNA RAY / JEONG LIM YANG / YUKO TOGAMIÂ
Tuesday, March 26th:
6:30: THOMAS HELTON - Contrabass / ALIYA ULTAN - Cello / ANDREAS BRADE - Drums!
7:30: JEREMIAH CYMERMAN - Solo Clarinet!
8:30: SAMANTHA KOCHIS - Flute / KEVIN MURRAY - Drums!
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
***********
THE JAMIE BAUM SEPTET with JONATHAN FINLAYSON / SAM SADIGURSKY / CHRIS KOMER / BRAD SHEPIK / LUIS PERDOMO / RICKY RODRIGUEZ / JEFF HIRSCHFIELD / THEO BLECKMANN / SARA SERPA / et al - What Times Are These (Sunnyside SSC 1722; USA)Featuring Jamie Baum on flutes, spoken word & compositions, Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet & spoken word, Sam Sadigursky on alto sax & clarinets, Chris Komer on French horn, Brad Shepik on guitar & singing bowls, Luis Perdomo on piano & Fender Rhodes, Ricky Rodriguez on basses and Jeff Hirschfield on drums plus guests vocalists Theo Bleckmann, Kokayi, Sara Serpa and Aubrey Johnson. I’ve been a big fan of flautist/composer Jamie Baum since hearing her first disc in early 1990’s. I’ve collected all of her half-dozen plus discs ever since and always look forward to each and every release she’s done. Ms. Baum’s composing has evolved over time and each of her discs provide a good deal of food for thought. The Jamie Baum Septet has been around since 2004 and this is their 5th disc.
Ms. Baum was on tour when the Pandemic began in March of 2020 and the tour came to quick end. Like everyone else, Ms. Baum was stuck inside with no idea how long things would last. Stuck in her apartment and feeling isolated, Ms. Baum discovered a Bill Moyers’ website which posted “A Poet a Dayâ€. She found some solace and inspiration in the poems in this segment and decided to compose music to go along with each poem. This disc is the culmination of this project. Ms. Baum utilizes the talents of several vocalists: Theo Bleckmann, Sara Serpa (from Mycale), Kokayi (from Steve Coleman’s band), Aubrey Johnson, Jonathan Finlayson and Ms Baum herself. Aside from the vocalists, Ms. Baum also features percussionist Keita Ogawa on the opening and closing pieces. The opening piece is called “In the Light of Dayâ€, starts with a Julius Eastman-like repeating piano line and which soon evolves into an enchanting, majestic sound of brass and reeds all moving in warm waves together. Each of the nine poems are printed in the enclosed booklet. I can see why Ms. Baum chose each of these poems as each one gives us something to savor in out minds as far as observations on life go. On “To be of Useâ€, Ms. Baum speaks the words at the beginning, afterwards the music continues and sounds like a continuation of what the words were illustrating. Ms. Baum’s music is a blend of modern jazz and chamber music. Elder Downtown guitar great, Brad Shepik (from Pachora & Tiny Bell Trio), takes a thoughtful solo here with the rest of the septet playing Ms. Baum’s tranquil, hypnotic music. “An Old Story†starts off with some exquisite fretless electric bass from Ricky Rodriguez. Jonathan Finlayson (longtime Steve Coleman collaborator) does the first spoken word bit and is joined by jazz vocalist Aubrey Johnson, who has a lovely voice. I love the way that the spoken word (by Finlayson) and sung voices (by Ms. Johnson) work together here. Mr. Shepik plays some funky, wah wah guitar here digging into that great groove. Theo Bleckmann has long been one of my favorite New York-based vocalists. Bleckmann is featured on “In Those Years†(written by Adrienne Rich), his voice most enchanting, magical and melodious yet quirky. I’ve caught vocalist Sara Serpa on several occasions with Mycale as well as on her own and I do like her voice. Ms. Serpa is featured on “What Kinds of Times Are These†(also by Adrienne Rich) and does a fine job of expressing the elliptical nature of the poem, her voice bittersweet and haunting. I dig the vocal calisthenics that Kokayi has done with Steve Coleman. He also sounds great here on “Sorrow Song†which has an infectious, M-Base-like uptempo bass line which doubled up by the flute and features another impressive guitar solo. Ms. Serpa also sings/speaks “My Grandmother in the Starsâ€, the words dealing with elusive memories that we might share. I love the way everything unfolds here, each piece takes it time and includes words which match certain sentiments or observations. It is that inner voice that guides us all so listen up for some interesting advice or thoughts. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
MATTHEW SHIPP TRIO with MICHAEL BISIO / NEWMAN TAYLOR BAKER - New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk 5085; USA) Featuring Matthew Shipp on piano, Michael Bisio on contrabass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums. This version of the Matt Shipp Trio has been around around a decade and this is their seventh disc, aside from collaborating with flutist Nicole Mitchell for a disc on Rogue Art. This disc was recorded at Park West Studios and recorded by Jim Clouse. The sound is superb, warm and balanced just right. “Primal Poem†opens and is slow and spacious, exquisitely played and paced, with a most hypnotic line repeated several times throughout. Mr. Shipp slowly expands his style/playing by adding and repeating certain lines, bassist Bisio keeping the bass throb at the center, pumping and then laying out, time and again. There is a slight dark undertow going on here. “The Function†starts off with a walking bass line which runs throughout with Shipp adding dark chords at times, with some unpredictable counterpoint going on as well. As these disc unfolds, Mr. Shipp keeps adding another angular line, pushing the intensity high and higher. There is a restrained yet cerebral vibe which runs through this disc. The trio realy erupt nicely on the last piece, “Coherent Systemâ€. This piece is longer (11 plus minutes) than the other pieces and keeps shifting through different sections, getting a bit dense at times, even erupting intensely before it calms down again. This piece is a tour-de-force and shows how powerful this trio can be. This is one the best piano trio offerings I’ve heard in a while. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
NAPOLEON MURPHY BROCK and ENSEMBLE MUSIKFABRIK // FRANK ZAPPA - Bad Doberman & Elsewhere (Yatak Music YR022; Germany) Featuring Napoleon Murphy Block on vocals, flute and tenor sax plus Ensemble MusikFabrik, a 19 piece new music ensemble from Germany. Napoleon Murphy Brock was the last lead vocalist for the Mothers and is featured on their album ‘Roxy & Elsewhere’, which was released in 1974. New music ensemble, MusikFabrik, began performing the music of iconoclastic composer Frank Zappa (and his hero Edgar Varese) in 2006, adding more of Zappa’s music as the ensemble evolved, touring in Europe on several occasions. MusikFabrik were invited to play at the 2018 version of the Zappanale Festival, which is a yearly festival that features the music of Frank Zappa, featuring all sorts of bands from around the world. For this performance, Napoleon Murphy Brock who sang lead and played sax for the Mothers in 1973 & 1974 was invited to join the ensemble. The songs are taken from several Mothers/Zappa albums like ‘Roxy & Elsewhere’, ‘One Size Fits All’, ‘Zoot Alures’ and ’Studio Tan’. The cover artwork was done by Cal Schenkel, longtime Mothers of Invention collaborator who did many of the covers the Mothers of Invention albums. Dirk Rothbrust is the music director here, played drums and is a featured soloist on some of the songs.
Starting with “Village of the Sunâ€, one of the rare, lovely (and funky) songs that Zappa wrote for ‘Roxy & Elsewhere’. I like the way the arrangements have been fleshed out with some strong, thoughtful writing. Most Zappa freaks (like your truly) will tell you that part of Zappa’s genius is the way he draws from so many different types of music and the way he writes fascinating compositions and arrangements to utilize the talents of the dedicated musicians to enjoy the challenge of playing these songs. “Echidna’s Arf’ is a complex instrumental piece which was once covered by George Duke (Zappa band member during this period). Ensemble MusikFabrik do a great job playing this difficult work. I always felt that Napoleon was the perfect singer for the Mothers, a great, soulful voice, a fine saxist and able to become an integral part of hilarious antics that Mr. Zappa created every time the Mothers performed. “The Black Page†was a challenging work that Zappa composed for his then drummer, Terry Bozzio. This piece was titled “The Black Page†since the music written out on music paper had so many notes, that the paper was closer to black than white. It is no easy feat to play this piece and MusikFabrik do an incredible job. Another thing which makes this disc so savory is that it also captures Mr. Zappa’s ridiculous sense of humor. As an original Mothers of Invention/Frank Zappa fan addict myself, listening to this disc brings a smile to my face and warms the cockles of heart and the challenging music section of my brain. If you dig challenging music some well-needed humor added as well, then you should grab this disc. This is an antidote to the depressing political circus that is unfolding around us as we go to press. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18
HINNA with FRODE GJERSTAD / DAG MAGNUS NARVESEN - Gausel (Circtot 02-2023; Norway) Featuring Frode Gjerstad on alto sax, B-flat clarinet & alto flute and Dag Magnus Narvesen on drums & percussion. Norwegian reeds wizard, Frode Gjerstad, has been around long enough to be considered an elder Euro Free Jazz sax giant who has worked with many important players: John Stevens, Johnny Dyani, Peter Brotzmann, William Parker, Derek Bailey, Borah Bergman and many others. Norwegian drummer Dag Magnus Narvesen has been recording for less than decade and has already worked with Alex Von Schlippenbach, the Bauer Brothers, Aki Takase and Marilyn Crispell. This is the second duo disc with Mr. Gjerstad and Mr. Narvesen. This disc was recorded in Hinna in Norway in August of 2021. This is a formidable duo that sounds like they’ve been playing together for a long while. The playing is focused and in constant motion. Towards the end on the first piece, the duo quiet down to a more relaxed dialogue. Things calm down for most of “Jatten Skole†with Gjerstad stretching out, bending each note carefully and with Narvesen on more playful sounding drums. When Mr. Gerstad switches to clarinet, he continues to bend and twist his notes showing a much side to what most clarinetists do. Dag Narvesen is a fine drummer/percussionist and is often very musical in his approach, often keeping things centered and not too far out. He is great for balancing Mr. Gjerstad’s more outside playing. This disc has a more organic, often low key vibe which makes it easier to get into. Another modest gem from the ever-wonderful Frode Gjerstad and Dag Magnus Narvesen. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
ISABELLE DUTHOIT and FRANZ HAUTZINGER - Dans Le Morvan (Relative Pitch RPR 1182; USA) Featuring Isabelle Duthoit on clarinet & voice and Franz Hautzinger on 1/4-tone trumpet. French clarinetist & vocalist, Isabelle Duthoit, is consistently experimenting and working with a number of other noted sonic explorers like Jacques Demierre, Roger Turner, Georg Graewe & Axel Dorner. Austrian microtonal trumpeter, Franz Hautzinger, also challenges himself by working with Derek Bailey, Keith Rowe, Xavier Charles, Birgit Uhler & many others. Although Ms. Duthoit and Mr. Hautzinger worked together earlier in a a quartet, this is their second disc as a duo. Many of the other musicians who play with these sonic explorers are part of the lower case/minimalist scene or school hence there is a great deal of attention to detail and more subtle sounds. Ms. Duthoit is an extraordinary experimental vocalist who uses her voice like an instrument, pushing the barriers of what most singers do. Mr. Hautzinger also is a longtime pioneer on his rare 1/4 tone trumpet. Both the voice and the trumpet are closely mic’d so that it is hard to tell who is doing which sound. Static, tapping noises, breathy wind-like sounds, voice or trumpet? voice and trumpet? Hmmmm. Hard to tell. There are some strange sounds that can only be recognized if you’ve heard the experimenting by these two or other trumpeters like Axel Dorner or Birgit Uhler or …? Ms. Duthoit adds a human quality to the duo since we do recognize some of her odd vocal sounds. I find the variety of sounds here to be consistently fascinating and completely unpredictable. Sometimes Mr. Hautzinger is making sounds through his trumpet while Ms. Duthoit makes different hissing or other bent vocal sounds, this works together quite well since both work in a similar sonic terrain. I listened to this entire long (62 minute) discs all the way through and it had me at the edge of my seat throughout. Consistently astonishing and engaging. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
JEFF LEDERER with MARY LAROSE / HANK ROBERTS / MARTY EHRLICH / PATRICIA BRENNAN / MICHAEL FORMANEK / MATT WILSON - Schoenberg on the Beach (little music CD 111; USA) Featuring Mary LaRose on voice, Jeff Lederer on clarinet & flute, Marty Ehrlich on bass clarinet (1 track), Hank Roberts on cello, Patricia Brennan on vibes & electronics, Michael Formanek on contrabass and Matt Wilson on drums. Brooklyn-based saxist and composer, Jeff Lederer, grew up in L.A. and attended Palisades High School, which was walking distance from the beach. When Mr. Lederer was attending Palisades High, his math teacher was Lawrence Schoenberg, son of twelve-tone composer Arnold Schoenberg. While studying the music of Arnold Schoenberg, Lederer discovered his early vocal pieces, which were much different from the later 12-tone music that Schoenberg is mostly known for. It turned out that Mr. Schoenberg enjoyed going to the beach and some of his songs were based on seaside themes. The words to the songs that Schoenberg wrote came from the poetry of German & French expressionists like Goethe, Rilke and Nietzche.
For this project, Mr. Lederer organized a fine Downtown all-star septet with his wife Mary LaRose singing the words. Since I am not a musician or composer, the term 12-tone music and/or microtonal music mean very little to me. However, I have listened to and enjoyed quite a bit of this music, often having to adjust to those awkward (for me) harmonies. I wasn’t so sure how much I would enjoy this disc but the more I listen, the more this music fascinates me. Mr. Lederer has decided to add some odd samples taken from Coney Island, another beach inspires Mr. Lederer. The title piece, “On The Beach†starts off with those electronic/beach samples. Instead of sounding like an opera, Lederer adapts the music and gives it a unique jazz/rock-like sound. Ms. LaRose has a quirky yet somehow charming voice, which fits well with Hank Roberts’ focused cello playing. Most of the songs here have a a sad yet tasty quality. Patricia Brennan is perhaps the most in-demand vibist to hit the Downtown Scene in a while and she is featured here on several of these songs. Downtown reeds wiz, Marty Ehrlich, takes an impressive bass clarinet solo on “The Pale Flowers of Moonlight†plus he co-produced this disc along with Mr. Lederer. Instead of piano, the vibes often provide a cushion of chords which help hold these pieces together, as well as using some electronics to add another layer of sustained tones due to some electronic manipulations. Much of the music here has a cerebral with Ms. LaRose’s used most modestly, no screaming or extended vocal sounds used. I don’t think that Arnold Schoenberg had any idea that someone would take these early songs and play them in a much different non-classical way. I am impressed with the unique arrangements and unusual playing by some of Downtown’s best musicians. A worthy challenge for them and us. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
JEFF LEDERER // THE MORNINGSIDE TONE COLLECTIVE - Balls of Simplicity - Notated Works 1979-2021 (little music CD 112; USA) The Morningside Tone Collective features Leo Sussman on flute, Emmaile Tello on clarinet, Francesca Abusamra on violin, Jordan Bartow on cello, Weiwei Zhai on piano and special guest Jamie Saft on piano for one piece. There are five compositions here all written during 1979 - 2021. Although saxist Jeff Lederer is mostly known for his jazz-like work (for Matt Wilson, his partner Mary LaRose & others), Mr. Lederer often surprises us by coming up with challenges for himself and his varied projects. I hadn’t heard of any of Mr. Lederer’s modern classical pieces until now. “Bodies of Water for Flute, Cello and Piano†is first and was inspired by a body of fresh water that Mr. Lederer walked near daily during the Pandemic. This piece is for a trio of flute, cello and piano. It is subdued at times yet still most expressive. “Vision Songs for Flute, Clarinet, Violin and Cello†is a a gripping piece in three movements. Each movement is based on a theme inspired by Shakers for a project that Mr Lederer organized called Shakers n’ Bakers. “The Shakers (the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing) are a religious sect that began as an off-shoot of Protestantism in England in the mid-1700s.†- Wiki. Mr. Lederer mentions that his treatment of this theme is Aaron Copland-like and I can hear rural American vibe. There is something quaint sounding going on here, a modest, never extreme warm and haunting sound. The second movement is called “Bells of Simplicity†and was inspired by minimalist/Shaker composer Morton Feldman. This piece has that austere, stripped down, ultra-careful note-placement sound of Mr. Feldman’s. The third movement is called “Dismission of Great I†and I found it to be most moving, thoughful and enchanting in a most modest way. “Persistence of Memory for Two Clarinets†is performed by Mr. Lederer and Emmaile Tello. The piece is dedicated to Mr. Lederer’s father, who had Alzheimer’s Disease and had passed away. The piece was written to evoke the Kaddish prayer, which a prayer for the deceased. The writing and playing here is extraordinary, haunting and deeply emotive. The final piece is called “Piano Piece†and it performed here by Jamie Saft, keyboardist extraordinare and longtime John Zorn collaborator. The melody is based on an old English folk song which was performed by Pentangle. Again, Mr. Lederer reaches deep into his/our hearts with this music. I’ve listened to quite a bit of modern chamber music through the many years and find most of to be a challenge to listen to. I didn’t have that problem here since I felt that this music was more direct and wasn’t trying to be so far out. The music seems to resonate with our communal humanity. A pleasant surprise from pen, heart and soul of Jeff Lederer. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
FOUR MORE JEWELS FROM THE FINE FOLKS AT CLEAN FEED:
JIM BAKER / STEVE HUNT / JAKOB HEINEMAN - Horizon Scanners (Clean Feed 664; Portugal) Running the gamut between daring twelve-tone interplay, nuanced lyricism and extra-terrestrial synth manipulation, Horizon Scanners announces the arrival of a captivating new Chicagoan piano trio, one steeped in the Windy City’s illustrious jazz history, but determined to write its own distinctive chapter.
Steve Hunt (drums and percussion) and Jim Baker (piano and ARP 2600 synth) were both formative players in what would become the talent incubator of Chicago’s vibrant free-jazz and improvised-music circuit; Hunt notably serving as an original member of the legendary Hal Russell NRG Ensemble, Baker doing time with the house band at Fred Anderson’s renowned Velvet Lounge club. More recently, the pair have performed alongside, among others, Mars Williams, Junius Paul, Dave Rempis, Charles Rumback and Rafael Toral. Joining Hunt and Baker on Horizon Scanners is the livewire Jakob Heinemann (double-bass), a newcomer to the scene whose list of collaborators is already inked with vaunted names such as Roscoe Mitchell, Tomeka Reid and Tim Daisy.
Centred around Baker’s dexterous harmonic variations and buoyed by the textural rhythmic guile of Hunt and Heinemann, Horizon Scanners captures a cross-generational trio combining their considerable talents on an astonishingly fertile collection awash with questing vision and bustling creativity. As the album evolves from its intricately figurative, tenderly inquisitive beginnings, the trio seek out a succession of angular, deeply exploratory soundscapes, virtuosic displays of technical refinement further atomised and reconfigured in ebullient Signac-like particles via the reality-warping distortions of Baker’s ARP 2600.
As Ken Vandermark writes in his liner notes: “Though it might be easy to call this group a classic ‘piano trio; due to its instrumentation, the music documented on Horizon Scanners is part of a specific history which has its roots in Bill Evans’ approach to non-hierarchical improvisation created by his band with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian. This music is combinative, not foreground vs. background. And that is something consistent about Chicago music when it is at its best: multiple voices and perspectives encapsulated equally, whether on the scene as a whole, or within a singular band like this trio.â€
Upholding their home city’s well-honed reputation for sonic exploration, this exceptional trio steers for pyretic waters bubbling with vitality, invention and wonder, seeking out the limits of possibility while negotiating a myriad dazzling ways to get there.
CD $15
GIUSEPPE DORONZO / ANY MOOR / FRANK ROSALY - Futuro Ancestrale (Clean Feed 661; Portugal) “Temporal and spatial tyrannies, cultural conventions and deep-rooted idioms, all dissolve in a beguiling trans-dimensional flux during the four post-Gurdjieffian spirituals to be found on Futuro Ancestrale, an album documenting the exhilaratingly ambitious first encounter of three master musical mages operating at the apex of their creativity. Recorded during their debut performance at Amsterdam’s Bimhuis in June 2022, it finds baritone saxophonist, and bandleader, Giuseppe  Doronzo, guitarist Andy Moor and drummer Frank Rosaly summoning-up a succession of gateways between epochs and topographies, the trio infiltrating diverse ancient cultures, charging traditional Ethiopian, Lesotho and Persian music with snarly punkish brio and granular post-rock textures, employing unorthodox approaches to modern instruments and contemporary takes to those from a bygone age.
Moor’s electrified barbwire jags, grousing thrum and spidery pitch-warped contortions are instantly recognizable from his singular contributions to outfits such as Dog Faced Hermans, The Ex and Lean Left, as well as boundary-pushing collaborations with, among others, Thurston Moore, Anne-James Chaton and John Butcher. On ‘Neptune’ he inaugurates a festering static hum prickling with mounting tension, festooning Rosaly’s incessant crystalline chimes and coruscating snare-skin scrapes in bristling electro-shock, signaling in otherworldly semaphore as Doronzo’s sax howls like a banshee’s hexing curse.
Momentarily casting aside his fire-breathing horn for ney-anbÄn bagpipes during ‘Magma’, Doronzo huffs up a peevish insectoid swarm, exorcising the ghosts of South Iranian custom in an ebbtide of ersatz synth-buzz, as Rosaly’s flaying floor-tom hustle and scattergun rim-shot ordinance combine with Moor’s grouchy discordance, the trio merging microtonal and mediative in a surreal series of Raymond Roussel-style wasteland seances.
Futuro Ancestrale is full of delightfully confounding riddles and pregnant with unanswerable mysteries, owing much to the rule-breaking experiments of Argentine author, Julio Cortázar, and particularly his celebrated 1963 novel, Hopscotch (which lends its name to one of this album’s more pugnacious tracks). Like that book, this phenomenal trio’s music invites multiple meanings and interpretations, yielding a courageous stream-of-consciousness approach to storytelling brokering pathways to trance-like states. But whereas Cortazár deliberately deals in the expendable and surplus, everything on Futuro Ancestrale feels indispensable, not a moment wasted, nor a single tone or timbre superfluous.
CD $15
JONAS CAMBIEN’S MACA CONU with SIGNE EMMELUTH / INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN / ANDREAS WILDHAGEN / GURO KVALE - Maca Conu (Clean Feed 660CD; Portugal) Maca Conu is the dazzling new band led by Belgian-born, Oslo-residing pianist, composer and improviser Jonas Cambien, an outfit whose eponymous new release clamours like an exploding kunstkammer of curiosities, where runaway orchestrinas and impish automata cavort and gambol in gloriously frisky frissons. With its origins in a commission for the 2021 edition of Norway’s Motvind festival, the album also heralds the recorded debut of a starry Scandinavian ensemble, featuring Cambien’s long-time associate, drummer Andreas Wildhagen, low-end powerhouse, double-bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flatan and Danish rising-star saxophonist Signe Emmeluth.
Joining forces on Maca Conu, this mighty quartet draw upon combined experiences performing alongside notables including Bugge Wesseltoft, Mats Gustafsson, Tony Buck and Paal Nilssen-Love, while also developing fecund alliances forged in such units as Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra, Jonas Cambien Trio and Emmeluth’s Amoeba, to decipher their bandleader’s combustible glossary, spiking it with feverish chicanery and oodles of candid charm, communicating in hive-mind mode across uncharted cross-sections straddling contemporary composition and free-improvisation.
Skittishly animated cuts such as ‘A Terrible Misunderstanding’, ‘Blue Eyed Pleco’ and ‘The Lesser Evil’ whistle, puff and pulse in a simulacra of bizarre semi-organic machinery, rendering bonus layers of esoteric, abstract mystery with every listen. ‘One Low Now High’ encloses a warbling cameo by guest trombonist Guro Kvåle in the swirling psychedelics of Cambien’s haunting organ whirl, creeping out like a Wurlitzer-raving spook from Herk Harvey’s Carnival of Souls, while ‘Question the Answer’ finds the core foursome plotting another signature paradox, as meditative, all-enveloping drone stealthily evolves into frenzied arcade machine ruckus.
Maca Conu works like a grand hall of mirrors, distorting the surface of initial contact, altering deeply ingrained assumptions and conventions, continually altering appearances so that nothing is as it first appears. It is a magnificent, yet lasting, illusion.
CD $15
JOANA SA’ - A Body as Listening (Clean Feed 664CD; Portugal) Part of a broader, fragmentary project composed by several autonomous but complementary outputs such as the (expanded) book ‘a body as listening - resonant cartography of music (im)materialities’ (Sistema Solar / Teatro Praga), the virtual installation www.abodyaslistening.com, the solo performance ‘a body as listening’ and the lecture-performance ‘Are you there? - resonant cartography of music (im)materialities’, this is composer-pianist Joana Sá’s first solo record since ‘Elogio da Desordem / In praise of disorder’ (2013), as well as the concluding opus of a trilogy that began with ‘through this looking glass’ (2010).
In the meantime, she has been playing a key role in shaping the distinctive sound-world of a small, remarkable group of classically-trained Portuguese creative musicians – beautifully documented in ‘Almost a Song’ (2013), ‘Di Lontan’ (2015) or ‘Turbamulta’ (2018) – which also includes, among others, her long-time collaborators LuÃs José Martins and Eduardo Raon. And 2020 saw the release of ‘Ways of notseeing’, her mesmerizing duo record with Greek composer-singer Savina Yannatou.
 Now back to the solo format, she presents a work of rare expressive power, one which shatters several dichotomies entrenched in our modern ways of thinking: composition versus performance, classical music versus other genres, composition versus improvisation, reason versus passion, mind versus body, and so on.
 Like most of the great Western classical composers before the relatively recent advent of the composer/performer dichotomy, Joana is, first and foremost, a composer-performer, but she is so in a radical sense: her performances, either the ephemerous live ones or those that end up being preserved on record are her (publicly accessible) oeuvre. Her music eschews any form of notation, but this is not to say that it does not involve a great deal of prior thought and planning: at least some of it lives in her, exquisitely crafted but in a state of flux, as opposed to something that gets crystallized in a score. (One is bound to wonder whether, say, Beethoven would have at all written down his sonatas had there been recordings in his day.) On the other hand, despite this considerable predetermined dimension, spontaneous composition is central to it as well, making each performance unlike any other. And the fact that, while one would hardly call it ‘jazz’, it is being released by a label commonly associated with that term, suggests that perhaps our currently accepted ways of sorting musical genres are ultimately idle and arbitrary.
There are, of course, several other artists today whose creative process is not unlike Joana’s, at least at the level of generality of the above description. But when it comes to the actual results of such process, she is utterly unique. She has the chops of a classical pianist and the energy of a rocker, and yet, seemingly paradoxically, can be a uniquely self-effacing performer, as if dissolving into sound somehow. She employs electronics and manipulated fragments of recordings as extended techniques themselves, opening up the functions of the piano – is it still a piano at all? – way beyond what is commonly heard, even among other adventurous explorers. That is, this is not merely a case of (subtly prepared) piano plus electronics, etc., but of a single, sui generis instrument, which allows for either extreme delicacy and sparseness or massive – at times even threatening – waves of sound. Through it, Joana creates a highly colourful work, as focused as it is intense, characterized by both stark contrasts and gradual shifts (another paradox?), providing a deep, immersive and profoundly moving listening experience. - João Esteves da Silva
CD $15
MAX NAGL - Moos (Rude Noises 37; Austria) This is a solo project by Max Nagl and he plays saxes, clarinet, melodica, piano, guitars, harmonium, kalimba, mouth harp (harmonica), samples… Austrian saxist & composer, Max Nagl, has been running his own Rude Noises label for many years and releasing a couple of discs every year of his different projects. Of the 37 releases on this label, Mr. Nagl has released around a dozen solo discs. “deckel†is up first and seems to a collection of quirky samples: keyboard drones, freeish percussion and a slightly disorienting vibe. “labofan†recalls the repeating keyboard work of Philip Glass or Steve Reich with some Penguin Cafe Orch-like playful charm. On “Hohmerâ€, Nagl plays harmonica and samples some eerie, forlorn sounds. On “limbaâ€, it sounds as if some of the sounds are melting as we listen to them. “falante†is a poignant ballad for skeletal sax and piano, rather sad yet also touching a chord deep in our souls. Mr. Nagl often bathes his reeds, harmonium, harmonica, etc. with subtle sustain or echoes, making the music often hypnotic and otherworldly. “speg†sounds like a new wave/punk band that is slowly falling apart, playing a dark riff over and over with some howling guitar added. There is something quite charming going on here, cheesy yet sincere melodies which sound child-like at times. The element of fun flows throughout this disc and this is something we all can use if we spend too much time listening to more serious/challenging music(s). - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10
CHANGES TO BLIND with PHIL ZAMPINO / LEVI ERIK / 910 NOISE MEMBERS - Volume Eight - Before Birth to Expiration (Self-produced; USA) Featuring Phil Zampino on compositions & improvisations, acoustic & synthetic instruments, field recordings & sample and Levi Erik on field recordings & voice plus guests - the 910 Noise Members. Phil Zampino is an old friend of mine that I’ve known three decades. You also might know of Phil since he founded and still runs Squidco Music. The title here says “Volume Eight†so perhaps there are more titles from Changes to Blind than I can recall. I know that Phil has been doing this sort of stuff for many years but only releases something new on rare occasion. “Balloon Breath†is first and it is a series of breath-like sounds & samples with some electronics added. The blend of keyboard drones, eerie ghost-like voices or samples is quite hypnotic. “Do Oxygen Masks Matter?†features some strong spoken words and layers of electronics and/or samples. Some of the voices sounds like the voice of authority here with the electronics getting more dense as the piece unfolds. There is some looping going on here which selectively used but not overdone. One of the things I like about this is that it is rarely too dense or hard to deal with. Ideas and sounds are often used one or two at a time before things evolve into something else. There is a good deal of attention to detail here as each sound or group of sounds is carefully manipulated. Those of you who appreciate electronic music or the selective sampling of odd sounds should take note as this is an impressive array of sonic exploration done with taste and craft. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10
SIMON FISHER TURNER - Symphony of a Great City: Backing Track (Soleilmoon Recordings SOL 201CD; USA) "Compact disc in digipak packaging. Limited edition of 250 copies. Simon Fisher Turner is an English musician and difficult cat to pill. His acting career began with numerous appearances in British television productions when he was in his teens. He's not actually very happy with those years now, but hey, what can you do! By the time he was in his 20s he was pursuing twin acting and musical paths, appearing in television and film rolls while performing in a variety of bands. In his 30s he abandoned acting completely while continuing to explore new forms of musical expression, which with the passing of time became ever more inventive and adventurous. To this day he stands with both feet in film and music, simultaneously scoring films, documentaries and composing site specific soundtracks and producing music all over the world. An outsider."
CD $16
SIMON FISHER TURNER - New Modern Music For Political Documentaries (Soleilmoon Recordings SOL 202CD; USA) "Compact disc in digipak packaging. Limited edition of 250 copies. Simon Fisher Turner is an English musician and difficult cat to pill. His acting career began with numerous appearances in British television productions when he was in his teens. He's not actually very happy with those years now, but hey, what can you do! By the time he was in his 20s he was pursuing twin acting and musical paths, appearing in television and film rolls while performing in a variety of bands. In his 30s he abandoned acting completely while continuing to explore new forms of musical expression, which with the passing of time became ever more inventive and adventurous. To this day he stands with both feet in film and music, simultaneously scoring films, documentaries and composing site specific soundtracks and producing music all over the world. An outsider."
CD $16
LP SECTION:
MORTON FELDMAN - Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello (God Records Godrec 071LP; Austria) Morton Feldman's last composition, Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, was completed in 1987; although its instrumentation largely corresponds to that of Piano and String Quartet, with one instead of two violins, it differs in almost every other respect from the composition written only two years earlier, for here, in contrast to Piano and String Quartet, Feldman makes every effort to integrate the piano into the string section, and the basic formal components of the composition are no longer staves, as they were in Piano and String Quartet. Double LP with 4th side etched.
2 LP Set $44
ISAIAH COLLIER with JIMETTA ROSE / COREY WILKES / MICHAEL DAMANI / JULIAN DAVIS REID / JAMES RUSSELL SIMS / MICAH COLLIER - Parallel Universe (Night Dreamer 020LP; UK) Multi-instrumentalist and composer Isaiah Collier connects with the divine ancestors on a transcendent Direct-To-Disc session, Parallel Universe. A saxophonist by trade whose multi-instrumental talents and compositional prowess have stretched the limits of the form, Parallel Universe represents a new chapter in Collier's musical journey. Having already performed with a diverse range of musicians such as Chance The Rapper, Waddada Leo Smith, Chicago jazz royalty Angel Bat Dawid, and his own band The Chosen Few, Collier's latest work as a bandleader explores the shared musical heritage of the African diaspora with a sense of grace and assurance that belies his years. Embracing the risk and vulnerability that comes with the live process, Collier and his band tapped into the frequencies of improvisation that fired up so many of the most timeless jazz recordings. Name-checking Sun Ra, Ras G, J Dilla, Fela Kuti, Miles Davis, Gil ScottHeron, Whitney Huston, Aaliyah, and Frankie Knuckles, the opening track of Parallel Universe imagines a genreless musical lineage that resonates with the polyphony of stories his band bring to the table, from Chicago and beyond. Featuring gospel soul singer Jimetta Rose, AACM, and former Art Ensemble of Chicago trumpet player Corey Wilkes, blues-rooted guitarist Michael Damani, regular collaborators Julian Davis Reid, James Russell Sims and Micah Collier, the eight-track album bristles with a sense of love and understanding between players at the top of their game. With vocals sung in Yoruba -- inspired by a gift from legendary saxophonist Kenny Garrett -- "Village Song" soars between rhythms and references, from Afro-Cuban syncopation to the deep triplet swing of mid-'60s Coltrane. Laying the foundations for the album as a whole, the result is truly exhilarating.
2 LP Set $35
JESSICA EKOMANE / LAUREL HALO - Manifolds/Octavia (Portraits GRM 009LP; Austria) Entirely computer-generated, Jessica Ekomane's "Manifolds" is a work that explores the multiple possibilities of polyphonic writing, extending it to the "multiphonic" universe where sources and timbres diffract themselves in the listening space. The different voices of the composition no longer follow the traditional parallel trajectories of musical dialogue, but find themselves propelled as if into a particle accelerator, a "collider" freed from all formal rhetoric to reach a state of liberation of energies that is truly confounding. It is then that, in the multi-layered universe of sonic electrons, as if against its own will, a "chant" of overwhelming humanity is revealed. Laurel Halo's "Octavia," a piece for piano and electronics, explores the relationship between melodic motifs and textures in a singular way, intermittent moments of melody, harmony and sound materials connecting and disconnecting, to indicate a series of nets or webs, swaying in and out of one another. These sonic nets gently float, spin and merge, and the effect is one of gently floating over an abyss. The work is inspired by the "spiderweb city" of the same name in Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities: "Below there is nothing for hundreds of feet: a few clouds glide past; further down you can glimpse the chasm's bed. Suspended over the abyss, the life of Octavia's inhabitants is less uncertain than in other cities. They know the net will last only so long."
LP $26
********
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
*******
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / BRIAN MARSELLA March 6th-9th:
3/6 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Marsella/Hashimoto - Brian Marsella (piano) Sae Hashimoto (vibraphone)
3/7 Thursday
8:30 pm - Trio - Brian Marsella (piano, synths) Peter Evans (trumpet) Nasheet Waits (drums)
3/8 Friday
8:30 pm - Marsella, Medeski, Martin and Baptista - Brian Marsella (piano, Rhodes, keys) John Medeski (organ, keys) Billy Martin (drums, percussion) Cyro Baptista (percussion)
3/9 Saturday
8:30 pm - Solo - Brian Marsella (piano, celeste)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / NICOLE MITCHELL / MAR 20-23
3/20 Wednesday
8:30 pm - QUARTET: Nicole Mitchell (flute) Pheeroan akLaff (drums) Teddy Rankin-Parker (cello) Melanie Dyer (viola)
3/21 Thursday
8:30 pm - QUARTET: Nicole Mitchell (flute) Anais Maviel (voice) Samuel Boateng (piano) Tamara Das (spoken word)
3/22 Friday
8:30 pm - TRIO: Nicole Mitchell (flute) Luke Stewart (bass) Tcheser Holmes (drums)
3/23 Saturday
8 pm - DUO: Nicole Mitchell (flute) Cooper Moore (various instruments)
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
**********
Monday, March 4 at Sisters in Brooklyn:
ISAIAH COLLIER & THE CHOSEN FEW!
7pm doors. Full dinner menu available.
Seating is first-come, first-served. Music starts at 8pm.
Sisters is located at
900 Fulton Street Brooklyn, NY 11238
Isaiah Collier is a Chicago/Brooklyn based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, curator and educator. His style draws from master saxophonists such as John Coltrane, Roscoe Mitchell, and Wayne Shorter. Cosmic Transitions – his most recent album with The Chosen Few – received 5 stars from Downbeat magazine. He is a former fellow of the Dave Brubeck Institute, and one of the last musicians to work with the late Rudy Van Gelder.
Plus special guest SHARA LUNON - solo
******
Saturday, March 9th
UPTOWN RECORD FAIR
12 - 5 pm - Free admission
LP’s, CD’s, Tapes & DJ’s
At Recirculation
876 Riverside Drive
Uptown Westside, NY, NY, 10032
********
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 COUNTâ€
at CultureCatch.com
https://culturecatch.com/node/4237
******
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
*******
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-37
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-36
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-362-auxiliaries
***********
ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com
******************