The Byrds and the Airplane
Did fly
Oh, Ravi Shankar's
Music made me cry
The Who exploded
Into fired light (yeah)
Hugh Masekela’s music
Was black as night
The Grateful Dead
Blew everybody's mind
Jimi Hendrix, baby
Believe me
Set the world on fire, yeah!
His majesty
Prince Jones smiled as he
Moved through the crowd
Ten thousand electric guitars
Were groovin' real loud, yeah
If you wanna find the truth in life
Don't pass music by
And you know
I would not lie
No, I would not lie
I would not lie
I would not lie
I would not lie
Monterey
Alright!
Three days of understanding
Of moving with one another
Even the cops grooved with us
Do you believe me?
Yeah!
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey, yeah
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey, yeah
I think that maybe I'm dreamin'!
Early this week someone told me that Eric Burdon, lead singer for the Animals had passed away which made me sad. It turns out that this new was not true, Mr. Burdon is still with us, hooray! I bought around a dozen albums in the early summer of 1967, all of which were greatest hits records (Rolling Stones, Four Tops, Four Seasons, the Hollies and the Animals). I had only been buying singles up until then and I played these albums over and over. I soon realized that I was a Rolling Stones and an Animals fan addict. Both of these bands had something in common: both bands started having hits in 1964 and both bands played their own versions of blues/rock, plus by 1996/1967, both bands went from playing blues & soul covers into writing their own songs, adding a a variety of influences from rock, folk, British dance hall and psychedelic streams. I still play that first Animals greatest hits album and it still sounds great to me. Watching the Animals on TV shows like Ed Sullivan or Hullabaloo still makes me smile! I especially love Eric Burdon’s strong, bluesy voice. From around 1966 onwards, all original members of the Animals left with Burdon being the only original member, adding a new group and calling it Eric Burdon and the Animals. The original Animals hailed from Newcastle in England while the second version relocated to San Francisco around 1967. This was height of the Bay Area/Summer of Love/Psychedelic era and these vibes and times altered the Animals into a different band. The second version of the band recorded five albums between 1967 & 1969, each of which I still enjoy, especially the last one, “‘Love Is’, a double album with Andy Summers (future guitarist for the Police) added to the band. When this version of the Animals broke up, Mr. Burdon discovered in great band from L.A., which he joined and they became Eric Burdon and War. You probably know their big hit, “Spill the Wine”. After that, the original Animals reunited for one album and tour, soon breaking up once again. Eric Burdon has a long and winding solo career ever since and I still love that voice and buy his records. Burdon was friends with Jimi Hendrix, Robert Wyatt, Janis Joplin, hence he’s done many interviews which I always find fascinating to read. You can check them out on-line. I caught Mr. Burdon on tour with Brian Auger in the late 1970’s and he blew me away once more, his voice was in strong, power form. The second version of the Animals played at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival in the summer of 1967, a life-changing experience for many. The above song captures the spirit of that festival and it is great song as well. A toast to Eric Burdon and the Animals and War! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
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THE DMG 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
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 TOGAMI
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!
Tuesday, April 2nd:
6:30: CAMERON CAMPBELL - Keyboard / CONWAY CAMBPBELL, JR. - Bass / KABELO MOKHATLA - Drums
7:30: COPENHAGEN QUARTET: LOUISE DE JENSEN / TOM BLANCARTE
8:30: patrick brennan / KEN FILIANO / JAMES ILGENFRITZ / MICHAEL TA THOMPSON
Tuesday, April 9th:
6:30: BEYOND FLUTE GROUP: CHERYL PYLE
7:30: DEVIN GRAY - Drums / DAVID MIRARCH - Alto Sax / AARON RUBINSTEIN - Guitar
8:30: PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums / MATT HOLLENBERG - Guitar / RICK PARKER - Electronics-Trombone
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 VAST ESP-DISK CD & LP SALE continues through the end of March!
We’ve sold around 100 CD’s and 25 LP’s so far, the first batch will ship by early next week. I’ve been on a marathon at home working my way through a number of classic ESP LP’s and CD’s from Albert Ayler, Paul Bley, Sun Ra Arkestra, Don Cherry, Milford Graves, Allen Lowe, Matt Shipp, Gunter Hampel, New Ghost and others. Most of the CD’s in our sale are $10 & most of the LP’s are $15, as long as you purchase 3 or more. Check out the link here as time is running out: https://www.downtownmusicgallery.com/news_detail.php?newsID=1471
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NEW THANGS FOR THIS WEEK BEGIN WITH:
PHANTOM ORCHARD with IKUE MORI / ZEENA PARKINS - Hit Parade of Tears (Tzadik 4047; USA) Inspired by the short stories of Japanese author Izumi Suzuki, who was married to musician Kaoru Abe and tragically ended her life at the age of 36. Suzuki’s original stories broke open the science fiction genre and in many ways foretold the cyberpunk movement. Ikue and Zeena have created a beautiful and mysterious collection of musical miniatures that reference Suzuki’s sensibilities with remarkable feeling and compassion. A beautiful tribute to a powerful creative woman by two powerful creative women.
CD $14
HORACE TAPSCOTT / PAN-AFRIKAN PEOPLES ARKESTRA - Live at I.U.C.C. 11/25/79 (Nimbus West NS 7908-S; USA) Featuring Horace Tapscott on piano, Linda Hill on piano & vocal, Adele Sebastian on flute & vocal, Sabir Mateen & Dadisi Komolafe on tenor saxes, Juana Nash on trumpet, Louis Spears on cello, Roberto Miranda, David Bryant & Al Hines on basses, Billy Hinton on drums, Mitchito Sanchez & Virgil Figueroa on conga and Juan Gray on voice. The legacy of the late Los Angeles-based pianist/composer/multi-bandleader/teacher/community leader/visionary, Horace Tapscott, continues with two more volumes of The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra live at I.U.C.C. (Immanuel United Church of Christ). The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra had a monthly residency at I.U.C.C. in 1979 and 11 volumes will be released on this, the Nimbus-West label, two every few months. Mr. Tapscott had a great ear for Creative Musicians from the L.A. underground and regular jazz scene. Several of these musicians (Linda Hill, Adele Sebastian, Roberto Miranda & Dadisi Komolafe) ended up making records for the Nimbus West label (run by Tom Albach & Mr. Tapscott). You should also recognize the name of reeds wiz Sabir Mateen who would go on to become an integral part of the Downtown Scene (with Test & for various William Parker projects). Mr. Mateen is currently living in Italy.
The songs here were written by Mr. Tapscott, Roberto Miranda and Sister Somayah "Peaches" Kambui (L.A.-based revolutionary songstress, spiritualist, musician & Black Panther & pro-marijuana activist). Roberto Miranda’s “Horacio” opens the first disc and it has an infectious theme which is played by the flutes, saxes and other horns. Mr. Tapscott takes the first solo on piano and has that infectious, spiritual sounding, McCoy Tyner-like exuberant sound. Next comes a spirited tenor sax solo which could be by my old pal Sabir Mateen. The midsection of this piece has a long section of Latin-like percussion, a great drums solo and pumping bass at the center. Sister Somayah Kambui’s “Nation Rising” is sung by Juan Gray who has a strong, dark, deep voice. The song has strong, passion-filled vibe with a blistering tenor sax solo. This piece is long and it winds its way through different sections, so its rather suite-like. One section has a great cello solo with layers of contrabasses bubbling underneath. Mr. Miranda’s song called “Faith” is next and it is a rather solemn, haunting, laid back work. There is an exquisite piano solo here, soulful, occasionally rambunctious and directly from the heart. That earthy, quietly cosmic community soul-enhancing Spirit runs throughout this entire two CD set so don’t miss out! This set is limited to 500 copies and we’ve only gotten 10 copies. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $26 [Limited Edition of 500 & going fast]
HORACE TAPSCOTT / PAN-AFRIKAN PEOPLE ARKESTRA - Live at I.U.C.C. - 4/27/80 (Nimbus West NS 7911c; USA) The personnel for this version of the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (PAPA) is: Horace Tapsott & Linda Hill on pianos, Adele Sebastian & Kafi Roberts on flutes, Sabir Mateen & Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq on tenor saxes, Ufahamu Uweize on alto sax, Herbert Callies on alto clarinet, Fundi Legohn on trumpets & French horn, Roberto Miranda, David Bryant & Alan Hines on basses and Billy Hinton on drums plus Juan Gray, Rev. Edgar Edwards, Ms. Hill & Ms. Sebastian also on voices. This is the fourth 2 CD set from a monthly series that pianist/composer/multi bandleader, Horace Tapscott organized and which show off than the many aspects of Mr. Tapscott’s writing, arrangements and piano work. Unlike the other recent Tapscott discs that I’ve reviewed in recent months, Disc One is comprised of six shorter track rather the three longs track per CD. The opening song, “These Are Soulful Days” was written by the great but under-appreciated jazz composer Cal Massey, who once worked with John Coltrane. Flutist Kafi Roberts take the first (infectious) solo here and it followed by Mr. Uweise on alto sax (burnin’!) and a fine bass solo as well. “People Like Us’ was written by PAPA’s bassist Alan Hines with vocals by Juan Gray. It features another strong flute solo which sails above the other superbly arranged horns. Tapscott’s piece “Dee Bee’s Dance” is named after PAPA bassist David Bryant, who takes a strong bowed bass solo here and features an inventive boppin’ piano solo from Mr. Tapscott. One of rare covers here is Charles Mingus’ “Reincarnation of a Lovebird” (from ‘The Clown’, released in 1957). This is a challenging piece in which the soloist (tenor sax at first) leads the band through a number of quickly changing currents. Mr. Tapscott composed “Raisha’s New Dance” for his granddaughter and it begins with a most expressive two-handed unaccompanied piano solo. Disc One ends with “Inspiration of Silence”, which featuring some soaring sax (from Sabir Mateen?), great flute and another rich bass solo. In the liner notes by the poet Mark Weber, he mentions which sense of community that Tapscott had in all of his ensembles. I can hear something special running through this music which holds it all together. With each of these LTD edition Horace Tapscott PAPA discs, the vision of Mr. Tapscott becomes clearer. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $26 [Limited Edition of 500]
GORDON GRDINA’S THE MARROW with HANK ROBERTS / MARK HELIAS / HAMIN HONARI / FATHIEH HONARI - The Marrow with Fathieh Honari (ABG Records 8; Vancouver; Canada) Featuring Gordon Grdina on oud, Hank Roberts on cello, Mark Helias on contrabass, Hamin Honari on percussion and Fathieh Honari on vocals. This is the third disc by Gordon Grdina’s band The Marrow, which has been around for 5 years and has had mostly the same personnel. Their second disc had violinist Josh Zubot as a member while this disc has vocalist Fathieh Honari as a member. No doubt you recognize the names of Downtown master musicians Hank Roberts and Mark Helias, while percussionist Hamin Honari was once a member of Sangha, a quartet with Gordin Grdina which had an album out in 2005. I didn’t know of vocalist Fathieh Honari before now although her voice is featured on most of this disc but I admit that I was knocked out by her vocals.
Gordon Grdina is a gifted guitarist with strong skills playing different types of modern jazz on the guitar. He is equally gifted on the oud, having his own sound/voice which embraces jazz, ethnic and other streams. Mr. Grdina’s oud playing is at the center of each of these pieces. Grdina’s “Not of Them” opens this disc with a flourish of Persian-like music or influences. Hank Robert’s nimble cello and Ms. Honari’s warm, sly voice are both featured on this piece. The words to this song were written by Rumi, an influential 13th century poet, scholar and mystic from Persia. The rhythm team of contrabassist Mark Helias and hand percussionist (frame drummer) Hamin Honari is what holds down the infectious groove throughout this disc. The second song is called “Raqib” and it was composed by Hossein Samadi. I love the way Ms. Honari stretches her voice and uses it like an instrument, bending and caressing each note in a most enchanting way. While Ms. Honari’s voice pleads, she is joined by a background chorus of tender male voices from the members of the quintet who seem to be answering her somehow. I love the way that Grdina doubles up the melody on “Raqs e Parvaneh” with the oud and cello playing the theme tightly together. Every time that Mr. Grdina solos, his oud is telling a story which is easy to follow as it plunges into a depth of feelings or tribal currents that flow through us all. On “Break the Branch” Ms. Honari’s voice sounds as if she is channeling thousands of years of human compassion and folly. The sadness in her voice is ancient in its overall sound. I am a longtime fan of cellist Hank Roberts, everything I’ve heard from him live or on disc is just incredible. This disc is much different from anything I’ve heard from in the past, although he does fit perfectly in this unit. The last piece, “Qalandar”, features more of those enchanting back and forth vocals from Ms. Honari and the chorus of background voices. I recall seeing/hearing Hamin Honari play the frame drum with Mr. Grdina’s band at the Victo Fest two years ago (in 2023). He took an astonishing solo in which he was tossing his frame drum up in the air, catching it, never missing a beat and wowing the crowd both visually and musically. As soon as this disc was done, I put it straight on again as it made me feel better, completely uplifting on several levels. A true treasure from Gordon Grdina and his great group. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
GORDON GRDINA / CHRISTIAN LILLINGER - Duo Work (AttaBoyGirl Records ABG-7; Vancouver; Canada) Featuring Gordon Grdina on guitar & midi-guitar and Christian Lillinger on drums & percussion. I caught Vancouver-based guitarist Gordon Grdina and Berlin-based drummer, Christian Lillinger playing together in a double ensemble at the Victo Fest in 2023. Watching & hearing Mr. Lillinger play live at Victo as well as at the store, I realized how much I dug Mr. Lillinger’s playing, his style is distinctive both musically and visually. The twelve pieces here were either composed by Mr. Grdina or are improvised duos. Starting with “Song One”, the duo are tight and the piece is well written. Grdina is playing a midi-guitar which is triggering other non-guitar like sounds (like a synth). The music is challenging to play and sounds more like rambunctious prog/jazz/rock. Mr. Grdina seems to alter the sound of his guitar on each piece, hence the music is in between categories. On “Dissolution”, Grdina’s guitar has a tortured yet focused sound not unlike the way Frank Zappa uses his guitar to play different characters in his expansive sonic landscape. When Grdina speeds up, Lillinger matches his frenzied pace, sounding again like something that Zappa would also do to surprise his fans. Although 3/4 of these pieces are improvised, the way Grdina alters his tone changes on each piece, triggering a variety of sounds, never knowing where we will end up. There is a restless, crazed, fun-filled energy which runs throughout this entire disc. The centering device on this disc is Mr. Lillinger’s often explosive drumming, pushing the duo into nearly exhaustive bouts. Mr. Grdina is on a roll, having released nearly 20 discs in the past few years. Grdina is a gifted picker on both guitar and oud, he continues to surprise me/us by working his way through a variety of styles, genres, both completely improvised or composed and even drawing from ethnic traditions at times. He is real Renaissance Man on several levels. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
MARC BARON / MARK VERNON - post-chance (erstwhile 097; USA) “The initial idea was that this collaboration should reflect a dialogue between two artists who have not yet met and that it should express something about the gulf between them, both literally and metaphorically. In the exchange of materials and ideas something is inevitably lost along the way – whether it be misunderstandings due to interpretation, language, slippage of meaning or simply things going astray. From the outset we decided to make a feature out of what might be lost in this interchange due to physical distance and the passage of time, and to devise a process that would make this evident.” - Marc Vernon
Marc Baron is based in France and works with field recordings, does electronics (tape recorders & analog devices) and plays alto sax. Mark Vernon is based in Glasgow, Scotland and composes works for the radio, does sound collages and soundscape pieces. Mr. Baron and Mr. Vernon collaborated for these discs, sending files (on audio tapes) through the mail as well as putting a magnet in the box which will erase bits of the tape to make the audio more random. As with all releases on the erstwhile label, the music or sounds are carefully recorded and manipulated often subtly. The initial source of the sounds is/are often somewhat mysterious. A closely mic’d sax, a series of drones, the tapping of bells or other small pieces of metal, hard to tell exactly yet the outcome remains fascinating if you’ve got the patience to deal with this. Since I’ve listened to quite a bit of electronic and experimental music, I do recognize some of these sounds. I’ve always enjoyed sound collages when they are well done, starting with Frank Zappa’s work on “We’re Only in it For the Money” and The Beatles, “Revolution Number Nine”. The sounds here are often more stripped down or skeletal, just a few sounds at a time which are then altered. Muted voices, rubbed mics or surfaces, sounds submerged in water, breathing through a tube, hums, whirls, droning sounds… What I do notice is this: these sounds/music have a way of transforming the environment I/we are in when we listen. As we focus on these sounds, they become part of our local space. Each sound has an effect on us whether we know it or not. When we do listen closely, we hear things that we sometimes miss when our attention is somewhere else. Although I wasn’t quite familiar with either Marc Baron or Mark Vernon, this disc is a fine example of what the erstwhile label does best. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
REMEMBRANCE QUINTET with DANIEL CARTER / CHRIS WILLIAMS / JAMAL MOORE / LUKE STEWART / TSHESCER HOLMES - Do You Remember? (Sonyboy 004; USA) Featuring Daniel Carter on reeds, Jamal Moore on reeds & percussion, Chris Williams on trumpet, Luke Stewart double bass and Tchescer Holmes on drums. Last night (3/12/24) the first set of our weekly in-store series started with a marvelous quartet: Daniel Carter on reeds & trumpet, Devin Waldman on alto sax, Luke Stewart on el. bass and Dave Miller on drums. Considering that Free Jazz has been around for more than 60 years (since around 1960), it has continued to evolve in wave after wave over time. Beginning around 1973, I started checking out many concerts of this music as well as Free Music during the eighties when the Downtown Scene was growing quickly and more musicians were moving to town. Daniel Carter was in an early wave of Free Music players starting in the late 70’s. Aside from Daniel Carter, the other members of the Remembrance Quintet hail from Washington, DC. I’ve caught Chris Williams on a few occasions playing at the DMG series in doors & outdoors as well as at a few Arts for Arts shows. I don’t know much about saxist Jamal Moore although he is on a few discs so far, one with Archie Shepp. The rhythm team of Luke Stewart and Tscherer Holmes have been working together for years. Since moving to NYC, bassist Luke Stewart has kept very busy working with James Brandon Lewis, Heroes Are Gang Leaders and Irreversible Entanglements, as well as leading a few of his own projects.
The first piece is the title piece called “Do You Remember?” and it features the spoken word voices of all of the members of the quintet asking about what they remember. The second piece is called “Recollections” and it is a good example of organic Free Jazz, sprawling, slow burning, with the three horns or reeds all swirling tightly around one another as the rhythm section simmers underneath. Luke Stewart is one the best and most in-demand bassists to move to New York over the past decade. Mr. Stewart sounds consistently engaged and inventive throughout this disc, revving the temperature upwards, notes buzzing like a cushion of bees. I like the way this disc was recorded. Warm, clean, focused and consistently on target. What’s interesting is that this music is not completely “Free”. It goes with the flow while different members establish a groove with the direction slowly changing from one section to the next. Many folks think that “Free Jazz” is all screaming saxes and horns, but this is not the case here. There is a relaxed, calming vibe at the center of most of this disc. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
LUKE STEWART’S SILT TRIO with BRIAN SETTLES / CHAD TAYLOR - The Bottom (Cuneiform Rune 487; USA) Featuring Luke Stewart on bass, Brian Settles on tenor sax and Chad Taylor on drums & mbira. Formerly based in Washington, DC, bassist Luke Stewart has kept immensely busy since moving to NYC. Mr. Stewart can be heard in more than two dozen discs over the past few years playing with a variety of great bands/projects like James Brandon Lewis, Heroes Are Gang Leaders, William Hooker and Irreversible Entanglements. Also from DC is saxist Brian Settles, who has worked with Tomas Fujiwara, Tom Abbs and Jeremy Carlstedt. Chad Taylor remains one of the best and busiest drummers in the Downtown Scene, working with Jaimie Branch, Marc Ribot, JB Lewis and Rob Brown.
This begins begins with Chad Taylor’s “Reminisce” which starts with an mbira of thumb piano playing a hypnotic repeating riff with bass countering the ritualistic rhythm. Mr. Settles plays some superb, solemn, heartwarming sax on this piece, warm, simmering, sublime. Mr. Stewart acoustic bass is the central figure on “Roots”, playing that wonderful groove with Mr. Taylor’s drumming also also stirring up our inner dance groove vibes. “Angles” is a long improvised piece which starts with Mr. Stewart’s inspired arco bass and Taylor’s haunting percussion. Although mostly improvised, there is that Spirit Jazz Vibe running throughout this piece and this disc. Luke Stewart played here at DMG earlier this week in a quartet (with Ras Moshe, Devin Waldman & Dave Miller). Stewart played electric bass that night and the quartet were fantastic. Not only is Luke Stewart a great bassist, hey brings a certain Free Form Magic to everything he does. This disc is filled that Cosmic Vibe so grab a copy for yourself and put a smile on your face! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
BACK IN STOCK AFTER A YEAR Or TWO: 2 MILFORD GRAVES CD’s on Tzadik, 1 on ESP-Disk & the Great Graves Book:
MILFORD GRAVES - Grand Unification (Tzadik 7030; USA) Featuring Milford Graves on solo percussion. Professor, herbalist, healer, Milford Graves is first and foremost one of the world's great geniuses of the drum. Rarely heard live, even more rarely found in the studio, a new recording by Milford Graves is a special event. Long overdue, this is the CD that free jazz fans and every drummer in the world has been waiting for: his music for solo drums. Intense, shooting off in all directions at once and yet always firmly rooted in the tradition, Tzadik is proud to release this important and historic solo recording by one of the world's legendary drum masters. - TZADIK COMPOSER SERIES
CD $14
MILFORD GRAVES Stories (Tzadik 7062; USA) A drummer of unparalleled power and creativity, Milford Graves is a living legend. This second volume in a continuing series documenting the solo music of one of the world's most incredible musicians was performed on a special percussion setup allowing unprecedented simultaneity. Playing with his hands, feet, elbows and head Professor Milford Graves takes us to another world with his driving rhythms, intense energy, impassioned vocals. Absolutely riveting. Milford Graves: drums and percussion. TZADIK COMPOSER SERIES
"Legendary jazz drummer of unparalleled power and creativity, head professor of healing percussion & philosophy and major force behind the thirty year reunion of the still amazing New York Art Quartet - Milford Graves returns once again with his second solo offering for the Tzadik label. Since his first solo percussion cd on Tzadik, Milford has come out of concert retirement to do a handful of concerts - including three duo sets with John Zorn, a duo with Misha Mengelberg and an insane quartet with Kidd Jordan, Charles Gayle and William Parker. It is truly a wonderful thing to see and hear him perform live! 'Stories' is another riveting knock-out in which Milford plays his extended kit with loads of extra drums and percussion instruments, as well as his distinctive and expansive vocals. Balaphon (African xylophone) and vocals bewitch and amuse us nicely on the opening piece "Optical Inversions" - Milford has a child-like innocence of wonder in his voice which is infectious and makes me wanna giggle. He often recalls an African villager or a wailing rabbi with his intoxicating vocal excursions. His playing has often has layers of swirling patterns, which constantly build and shift and caress the spirits with uplifting power. He has collected percussion from around the world, and blends cultures into one big cauldron of spicy stew. There is something quite cosmic, engaging, compelling and beautiful about the way in all fits together and uplifts our spirits simultaneously. Some of these are gentle, but still magical in a more subtle way. On the 32 minute epic - "Evolving Pathways" - Milford takes us on a long and varied journey through his history of percussion with a slowly evolving and building of the inner and outer spirits, telling snippets of stories, observations, with certain vocals often used as another percussion instrument. Take a trip with Milford Graves on this fabulous release." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
MILFORD GRAVES / JOHN ZORN DUO- Vol. 2: Zorn 50th Birthday Celebration (Tzadik 5002; USA) Another one of the most talked about sets of the month was this historic meeting between two of music's most powerful and controversial iconoclasts. Drum master Graves and reedman Zorn have played yearly since 1999 for very special occasions, their musical connection and spiritual bond having gotten stronger and stronger. This set, played before a packed house of screaming enthusiasts, was without doubt their best and most outrageous performance to date. Intensity, fireworks and incredible mutual respect made this one of the highlights of the month. 50TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION SERIES
CD $14
MILFORD GRAVES With SUNNY MORGAN - Percussion Ensemble (ESP Disk 1015; USA) This is drum legend Milford Graves' first solo album originally released in 1965 and recorded with percussionist Sunny Morgan as a duo. Milford Graves has been one of the main drummers in the free-form mode scene and known for skillful inclusion of Asian and African rhythmic ingredients into his solos. He worked with the New York Art Quartet, Giuseppi Logan, Albert Ayler, Arthur Doyle, Don Pullen, Andrew Cyrille, Joe Rigby, Hugh Glover and many more. Great liner notes, photos and re-mastered from the original tapes.
CD $12
MILFORD GRAVES - Milford Graves: A Mind-Body Deal (Inventory Press 9781941753378; USA) "Milford Graves has been a revelatory force in music since the mid-1960s, liberating the drummer from the role of 'timekeeper' to instrumental improviser and giving rise to the Free Jazz movement, with groundbreaking performances alongside Lou Reed, Min Tanaka, and John Zorn. But musical practice cannot contain the energies of his creativity and intellect. Milford Graves' kaleidoscopic genius led him to develop an unprecedented body of interests -- from medicine to botany, stem cell regeneration to martial arts. A Mind-Body Deal is an attempt to open the doors of his habitat and spark curiosity in our own minds, so we too may learn to weave our mind-bodies with the rhythms of the world around us. A Mind-Body Deal gathers the intricate, multifaceted work of Milford Graves, exploring the practices and predilections of this extraordinary 'jazz mind.' Fully illustrated, this catalogue includes documentation from the eponymous show at ICA Philadelphia, exhibiting a collection of Graves' hand-painted album covers and posters, idiosyncratic drum sets, recording ephemera, multimedia sculptures, photographs, and costumes, with elements from his home and scientific studies."
BOOK $40 [256 pages - back in stock soon]
CHRISTOPHER TRAPANI / LARRY POLANSKY - American Lament (Sub Rosa SR 538; Belgium) With "Folksong Distortions," Tom Pauwels and Liesa Van der Aa create a journey of lament through the soul of times gone by. Their radical renditions of works by Larry Polansky and Christopher Trapanido do not distort the more upbeat rhythm and tradition of folk songs, but rather reveal and highlight the essence of hard lives, imposed choices -- choices that were illusions in the first place -- and the difficult times and conditions they have always depicted. Christopher Trapani arranged two classics from the U.S. South, reimagining folk songs with microtones, improvisation, and electronic effects. The work, developed in collaboration with Tom Pauwels and Liesa Van der Aa, was originally made and featured on ICTUS' American Lament program. The duo was given considerable room for improvisation and interpretation in the process. The first song, "Wayfaring Stranger," is a well-known folk/gospel melody in A minor. The lyrics contrast an aimless journey through a harsh, hostile world, with the Christian promise of heaven as a "home" and reunion with lost loved ones. The second song, "Freight Train," was written by Elizabeth Cotten, a left-handed guitarist who held her guitar upside down, resulting in a very recognizable strumming style. "Sweet Betsy from Pike" and "Eskimo Lullaby" are taken from Larry Polansky's 2005 Songs and Toads, a five-section piece that consists of three settings of American folk songs and two computer-composed pieces. The work was originally written for guitar, more specifically for the national steel guitar, refreted in a specific intonation designed by Lou Harrison. Each piece explores a different guitar tuning. A significant intervention to the original work is made to accommodate Liesa Van der Aa's violin with effect pedals, opening to an epic re-reading of the work as conceived by the American composer Larry Polansky. What this set-up enables is a melancholy, slow-paced approach that quite radically opposes the more upbeat and joyful nature of the folk songs.
CD $17
SPECTRA EX MACHINA - A Sound Anthology of Occult Phenomena, 1920-2017 Vol.1 (Sub Rosa 461CD; Belgium) The anthology Spectra Ex Machina brings together rare documents pertaining to so-called occult phenomena, most of them taken from little-known archives. In the course of three volumes, this series traces an audio history of parapsychology through the exploration of spiritualism and haunted houses (Vol. 1); musician mediums (Vol. 2); experiences of extrasensory perceptions (clairvoyance, psychokinesis, etc.) and electronic voice phenomena (Vol. 3). The documents gathered here are, by their extravagance and far-fetched aspects, more than the mere objects of belief one would be tempted to reduce them to. They are vestiges of aberrant phenomena, fossils of an unknown civilization buried in the depths of the unconscious that are revived, in a way, when audiences listen to them. They can be understood as "works," in the full artistic sense of the word, and constitute a kind of "cabinet of sound curiosities" that is worthy of aesthetic interest. Sometimes imbued with a disconcerting dramatic intensity, these documents bear the features of an authentic time machine, placing the listener in the position of a witness of the time immersed in the dim darkness of the experimental hall. And it is at that precise moment that the aesthetic power of these archives takes precedence over their probative value. Their somewhat old-fashioned charm, maintained by the surface noise of magnetic tapes and old wax disks, gets stronger with each listen. Comes with 32-page booklet.
CD $20
SPECTRA EX MACHINA - A Sound Anthology of Occult Phenomena 1920-2017 Vol. 2 (Sub Rosa 462CD; Belgium) The anthology Spectra Ex Machina brings together rare documents pertaining to so-called occult phenomena, most of them taken from little-known archives. In the course of three volumes, this series traces an audio history of parapsychology through the exploration of spiritualism and haunted houses (Vol. 1); musician mediums (Vol. 2); experiences of extrasensory perceptions (clairvoyance, psychokinesis, etc.) and electronic voice phenomena (Vol. 3). The link between music, sound and the paranormal is manifested in many different ways. Gerard van der Leeuw, the Dutch historian and philosopher, wrote "Music represents the great struggle of reaching the wholly other, which it can never express." Furthermore, "The effect of music on the emotions is so mysterious as to seem magical. There is no logical explanation why a particular combination of musical notes, whether in the form of a tune or of a simple chord, can affect the heart. Nothing in nature has perhaps so persistently resisted explanation," as said Derek Parker, the British journalist. Since music is arguably the most intangible of the arts and since the paranormal, in all its manifestations, continues to intrigue people, the placing of these two subjects together seems obvious. This second volume of musical and audio anomalies continues and expands upon the works initially reproduced in the latter. Rosemary Brown makes a welcome re-appearance, especially with a performance of Grübelei via Liszt, as well as the Caruso-inspired tenor Leo May making a repeat performance. Few people realize that both Anton LaVey and Aleister Crowley were quite fine musicians and Alex Sanders was also interested in music. The background music of Wagner's Tannhäuser used by the latter combines both pagan and Christian elements. So close your eyes and let the magic of sound take over! Also featuring David Behr, Jack Webber, Robert, Rita Goold, Leslie Flint, Leo, Carmen Rogers, Uri Geller, Jean-Louis Victor, Joe Meek, Howard Menger, Barbara The Gray Witch, and Rev. Patrick J. Berkery, Ph. D.
CD $20
MILAN KNIZAK & PHAERENTZ & OPENING PEFORMANCE ORCHESTRA - It's Not Quite That Inventive (Sixty Years with Broken Music)(Sub Rosa SR 554; Belgium) The album, featuring Milan Knizak, Petr Ferenc (aka Phaerentz) and Opening Performance Orchestra, includes Knizak's 1973 private recording Broken Music, released as a multiple of forty copies by Armin Hundertmark in 1983 on Edition Hundertmark, and a live version of Broken Rebroken, performed in January 2020 at the Museum of Czech Music in Prague. The album comes with a comprehensive 24-page booklet that includes an interview with Milan Knizak on the topic of Broken Music, an extended essay by Petr Ferenc that originally appeared in Czech Music Quarterly, visual documentation from the archives of Maria Knizakova and Opening Performance Orchestra, as well as Anna Bastyrova photographic documentation from the 2020 performance of Broken Rebroken. The cover of the album consists of photographs of Milan Knizak's now-defunct 1963 assemblage. Mastering was done by Stephan Mathieu and Gabriel Séverin, who also made the audio restoration of the archival recording Broken Music.
2 CD Set $20
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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 / 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
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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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IF YOU ARE A CANTERBURY/ROCK IN OPPOSITION FAN OF Bands like SOFT MACHINE, HENRY COW, MAGMA, etc…
Then you should check out the writing & interviewing by Rick Rees, who has a mailing list/website dedicated to Giorgio Gomelsky. Every month, Mr. Rees (who call himself a non-writer, no so says I), sends out an interview with different musicians that Mr. Gomelsky was involved with throughout his long music career. This month’s installment featuring a long interview with Chris Cutler and Maggie Thomas, who did album cover artwork for Virgin Records. The interview with Chris Cutler is long, fascinating and exhausting! Being a Henry Cow, Soft Machine & other Canterbury bands/musicians myself, I learned quite from these interviews! You can subscribe here: rickrees@substack.com
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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-37
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-36
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-362-auxiliaries
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ATTENTION TO ALL DMG CUSTOMERS: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: downtownmusicgalleryofficial@gmail.com
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