plus we are meeting a couple of other friends who we share dinner with each night. The founder of the fest Michel Levassuer has stepped down so there will be a new curator this year. There will be 18 sets over four days and much of the music will be quite challenging which is fine for us committed music freaks. While I’m away, DMG employees John Mori and James Paul Nadien will be tending the store. The same hours as usual, noon til 6 pm (closed on Sundays), although we will be closed this Saturday. This Friday, May 17th will be James Paul Nadien’s birthday, so please wish him a Happy Birthday if you can.
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Kick Out the Jams
By The MC5
From Their First Album, Released in 1969
Well, I feel pretty good
And I guess that I could get crazy now, baby
'Cause we all got in tune
When the dressing room got hazy now, baby
I know how you want it, child
Hot, sweet and tight
The girls can't stand it
When you're doing it right
When they're up on the stand
And then they kick out the jams, yes
Kick out the jams, I like to kick 'em out
Yes, I'm startin' to sweat
You know my shirt's all wet
What a feelin' and the sound that abounds
And resounds and rebounds off the ceiling
You gotta have it, baby
You can't do without
When you get the feelin'
You've got the sounds above
Put that mic in my hand
And let me kick out the jams
Yes, kick out the jams, got to kick 'em out
So you got to give it up,
You know you can't get enough,
Miss McKenzie
'Cause it gets in your brain,
It drives you insane
With the frenzy,
The wigglin' guitars, girl,
The crash of the drums
Makes you wanna keep-a-rockin' 'til morning comes
If you wanna feed my rocket
Till the morning comes
Let me be who I am
And let me kick out the jams
Yes kick out the jams
I done kick 'em out
Dedicated to Brother Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson, see the obit below
TWO RECENT OBITS:
Brother Wayne Kramer, former guitar god for the MC5, left us in February. The MC5 (a/k/a Motor City 5) hailed from Detroit and were one of the most intense, radical and extreme of the late sixties bands. Their first album, ‘Kick Out the Jams’ blasted them off in 1969 and was a brutal assault on the senses. Live, in-your-face and way over the top, plus they covered Sun Ra’s “Starshipâ€, the first rock band to cover a Sun Ra song from what I understand. Their other great guitarist was Fred “Sonic†Smith, who later married Patti Smith and was another incredible guitarist! The MC5 were managed by activist/jazz scholar John Sinclair and Sinclair and the band were plagued by bad luck, personal demons, etc and rarely got the recognition they well deserved. Sinclair ended up in jail, busted for just 2 joints and later championed by John Lennon!?! I’ve been a big fan ever since hear their three MC5 albums and attending a couple of their reunion shows many years later. I caught the Wayne Kramer Trio at some club in Hillside, NJ during the New Wave years (1979 or so) and he blew me away with his fierce playing and songs. I also caught Mr. Kramer with Was (Not Was), an amazing, hilarious funk/psych/revue band at the Mudd Club in the early eighties. I recall fondly in the early aughts when there was a protest across the street from the second Knitting Factory, when it was purchased by a techno label and which ended up tossing out 100’s of Knit Works CD’s instead of getting back to the artists. There was large inflatable rat hovering over and Wayne Kramer showed up to sing song which was pro-Union and possibly written by Bruce Springsteen. Truly a golden moment. Anytime I heard Wayne Kramer on record or live, he gave his all and knocked me/us out. Check out those MC5 albums and any of Kramer’s dozen plus solo offerings. We Love you Brother Wayne! You will remain in our hearts!
Yesterday I heard about the passing of alto sax great DAVID SANBORN. I caught the Butterfield Blues Band in the summer of 1969 at South Mountain Arena in East Orange, NJ. David Sanborn played alto sax in their horn section and their drummer was Philip Wilson (who played with the Art Ensemble of Chicago). I caught Sanborn again several years later in the Gil Evans Orchestra at the Public Theatre and I recall being knocked out by a few of his solos. Mr. Sanborn became an acclaimed session musician players on hundreds of records throughout the 70’s and 1980’s, taking a classic solo on David Bowie’s “Young Americans†album, as well as with tons of other successful pop or rock bands. Although Sanborn made alot of money playing pop or fusion jazz, he would turn up on more avant-garde sessions from time to time. He played in a Julius Hemphill Big Band, playing along side of Tim Berne, whose album ‘Diminutive Mysteries’ Sanborn appeared on. I met and spoke with Mr. Sanborn when he played in John Zorn’s ’Spy vs Spy’ band live at the old Knitting Factory, standing alongside again of Tim Berne and John Zorn. He was a gracious person when we spoke, soft spoken and honest. Sanborn soon recorded an album called, ‘Another Hand’, produced by his friend Hal Wilner and filled mostly with other Downtown musicians and a little known gem. Search that disc out, it was pretty great and unlike anything else Sanborn had done. In the late 1980’s Mr. Sanborn hosted a TV show known as Night Music for two years. Hal Wilner was the music director and that show was unlike any other music show on television. Guests included: John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, Sonic Youth, John Cale, Pharoah Sanders, Al Green, Leonard Cohen (with Sonny Rollins in tow) and many other unlikely surprises. Wilner put together musicians from varied backgrounds so the show was filled with surprises every week. I recall seeing the Residents sing back-up for Conway Twitty and Mr. Sanborn sat in the Indigo Girls at the end of the show, turning his hat backwards, running across the stage to sit in with Sonic Youth playing “I Wanna Be Your Dogâ€! They don’t make shows like this anymore. A nod, a wink and a toast to the great David Sanborn! - BLG at DMG
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THE DMG 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
Tuesday, May 21st - BLG up at Victo Fest; JP Nadien Hosts:
6:30: DAVID GROLLMAN / ANNA ABONDOLO - Performance Art / Bass
7:30: DON MALFON - Solo Sax
8:30: SABRINA SALAMONE / LYLE RIVERA - Violin / GuitarÂ
9:30: JAMES PAUL NADIEN / RON STABINSKY - Drums / KeyboardsÂ
Tuesday, May 28th:
6:30: SYLVAIN LEROUX - Fula Flute
7:30: “Abacoa†: HERY PAZ - Tenor sax / KENNETH JIMENEZ - Bass / WILLY RODRIGUEZ - Drums!
8:30: SCOTT FIELDS - Guitar / JAMES ILGENFRITZ - Contrabass
Tuesday, June 4th, 2024:
6:30: SALLY GATES - Guitar / LESLEY MOK - Drums
7:30: KYLE MOTL - Contrabass / ROCIO DIAZ de COSSIO - Cello / FERNANDO SOLARES - Saxes
8:30: ERIC DUANE PLAKS’ COLTRANE MEDITATIONS PROJECT
9:30: INVISIBLE GUY: BEN GOLDBERG - Clarinet / MICHAEL COLEMAN - Keyboard / HAMIR ATWAL - 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
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These have finally just arrived:
JOHN ZORN with JULIAN LAGE / JORGE ROEDER / KENNY WOLLESEN - New Masada Quartet (Tzadik LP6013; USA) The long awaited first recording by John Zorn’s newest and most exciting ensemble, the New Masada Quartet. Performing eight classic compositions from the Masada songbooks, NMQ is a tight unit of like-minded virtuosi and one of the best groups Zorn has ever had. Bristling hot guitar master Julian Lage, bass wizard Jorge Roeder and 30-year Zorn veteran Kenny Wollesen perform with a crackling live energy that brings the Masada music to life like never before! Led by Zorn’s versatile sax and stop and start conducting, the music is filled with burning solos, telepathic group interaction, heartfelt lyricism and hypnotic grooves. Beautifully recorded at Bill Laswell’s studio in New Jersey this is an absolute masterpiece. Essential! I’ve seen this quartet around a half dozen times and they are the best band in the Land! They will be playing at Roulette on May Friday, May 24th! Do not miss them! - BLG/DMG
LP - [Limited Edition of 200, autographed by John Zorn] $75
We are trying to get the unsigned copies as well which should sell for around $50 each
In stock soon:
JOHN ZORN / JESSE HARRIS // PETRA HADEN / BRIAN MARSELLA / JORGE ROEDER / CHES SMITH - Love Songs Live (Tzadik 9308; USA) Petra Haden shines in Love Songs Live—an exciting concert version of the new musical from the songwriting team of John Zorn and Jesse Harris. Presented at National Sawdust in September 2023 as part of the Zorn@70 NYC concert series, the music is beautiful, lyrical, with heartwarming lyrics about a love lost and found. Accompanied by the soulful trio of Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, and Ches Smith, this is a dynamic concert performance that pushes musical theatre forward with a creative downtown edge. Touching upon the languages of the 20th century’s most creative musical songsmiths—Sondheim, Weill, Bacharach and the Tin Pan Alley tradition—Love Songs Live is an absolute delight!
CD $16 [To be released in May of 2024, currently on order & hopefully in stock soon]
BACK IN STOCK / BACK IN PRINT:
JOHN ZORN // MARY HALVORSON QUARTET / ERIK FRIEDLANDER and MICHAEL NICOLAS / TRIGGER / IKUE MORI - Bagatelles - Box One - Volumes 1 - 4 (Tzadik 5210; USA) Vol 1 features the Mary Halvorson Quartet with Miles Okazaki & Mary Halvorson on guitars, Drew Gress on contrabass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums, Vol 2 features Erik Friedlander & Michael Nicolas on cellos, Vol 3 features Trigger with Will Greene on guitar, Simon Hanes on el bass & Aaron Edgcomb on drums and Vol 4 features Ikue Mori on solo laptop electronics.
4 CD Deluxe Box Set $80
NEW FROM INTAKT:
BORDERLANDS TRIO with KRIS DAVIS / STEPHAN CRUMP / ERIC McPHERSON - Rewilder (Intakt 416; Switzerland) With Kris Davis, Stephan Crump and Eric McPherson, the Borderlands Trio unites three great personalities who have grown together to form a trio full of the magic of their own sound and fine grooves. Brooklyn bassist Stephan Crump initiated the band and has kept it together for seven years. The two previous CD releases were praised by jazz critics. The band knows no rush. Developments build up cautiously, moods change slowly and intensify. This music takes its time to explore the subtle nuances of a patient and generous musical dialog. Rewilder, their new double album, is further proof that the classical piano trio in the hands of Stephan Crump, Kris Davis and Eric McPherson holds a world of vast possibilities, revealing the adventures of improvisation, the bliss of free play.
2 CD Set $28
DAVID MURRAY QUARTET with MARTA SANCHEZ / LUKE STEWART / RUSSELL CARTER - Francesca (Intakt 422; Switzerland) Featuring David Murray on tenor sax & bass clarinet, Marta Sanchez on piano, Luke Stewart on contrabass and Russell Carter on drums. Tenor saxophonist David Murray, the giant of modern jazz, fuses all the great things that black music has produced: Gospel sounds, free jazz, Afro-Caribbean, blues, soul as well as the beautiful standards of classic jazz. Murray's colorful tone, unsurpassed intonation, sense of swing, melancholy tones, improvisational power and ingenuity make him one of the most important voices in music today. His new quartet, which mainly plays his own compositions, gives the three young musicians plenty of space. "Jazz legend David Murray is back with the next generation of geniuses", writes the Washington Post about the new quartet. And Derek Schilling writes in the liner notes to the fantastic album Francesca: "David Murray’s compositional signature today lies in blending distinct styles whose encounter makes for the sound of surprise. The specific choice of these styles (and corresponding meters or textures) matters, for sure. More crucial still is the way Murray makes the transition from one to another seem natural, necessary even. If you can move with ease from funk to Latin rhythms, from waltz time to four-on-the-floor, from R&B to free and back again, it’s because music knows no boundaries. When it’s being played right, it reaches beyond itself even as it affirms the continuity of tradition. The sound of surprise results when musicians forge, in the moment, that unity-in-diversity. The real deal." A masterpiece!
CD $18
MARTA SANCHEZ TRIO with CHRIS TORDINI / SAVNNAH HARRIS - Perpetual Void (Intak 421; Switzerland) Featuring Marta Sanchez on piano & compositions, Chris Tordini on contrabass and Savannah Harris on drums. The New York-based pianist and composer Marta Sanchez is on her way to the top of the international jazz world. With Perpetual Void, she presents her first trio album on Intakt Records. Sanchez, currently a member of the David Murray Quartet, pens captivating compositions for this impressive trio, where all three personalities shine. Savannah Harris and Chris Tordini are in top form, both as eloquent soloists and as ensemble partners, as they negotiate the polyphonic and cross-rhythmic currents and dynamic contrasts that inform Sanchez’s writing. As Lauren du Graf writes in the liner notes, the trio setting allows “Sanchez’s voice to cut through with cinematic clarity, with ample room for her to interact with her rhythm section, which she does with both freedom and sensitivity.†And she adds: “Perpetual Void is a testament to Sanchez’s singular greatness, establishing her pianistic voice more vividly than ever.†This album is sure to stand as one of the most compelling piano trio recordings of this year.
CD $18
ALEXANDER HAWKINS / SOFIA JERNBERG - Musho (Intakt 420; Switzerland) Sofia Jernberg and Alexander Hawkins are among the most multifaceted and expressive musical personalities with a surprising radius of action. Swedish singer Sofia Jernberg explores the boundaries of vocal technique in a variety of creative contexts, ranging from Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire to Mats Gustafsson’s Fire! Orchestra. Alexander Hawkins is often described as unrivaled in modern creative music and is considered one of its most innovative and imaginative pianists and composers. In the duo, traditional songs from Ethiopia, Armenia, Sweden and elsewhere become the starting point for the development of an exciting and very personal sound world. David Toop writes in the liner notes: “Where is home, where is return for the scattered? Soft and crystalline, a music of edges, silence and tangential shoots, Musho dwells in these questions, invites the listener to consider displacement, migration, identity, responsibility, bloody history, the seepage of culture and community, but more than that, invites listening.†Musho is predictably a fantastic work of contemporary music.
CD $18
JOE McPHEE / KEN VANDERMARK - Musings of a Bahamian Son: Poems and Other Words (Corbett Vs. Dempsey 109CD; USA) Joe McPhee is one of the great multi-instrumentalists of contemporary improvised music. His instrumental battery has included saxophones, clarinets, valve trombone, pocket trumpet, sound-on-sound tape recorder, and space organ, but another arrow in his quiver is text. McPhee has been writing poems since the 1970s. He occasionally introduces one into performance, as an introduction or afterword to music, and in recent years he's been known to do full-on readings, text only, featuring his inimitable sense of dramatic timing intoned in his rich voice. The poems range from the observational to the political to the surreal. They're composed in rhyme or according to an internal rhythm, sometimes utterly prosaic, sometimes fantastic and flamboyant. A few of them capture the immediacy of improvised music more acutely than any critical writing on the subject, his half-century immersion in the craft of free music having given him a bottomless cup to draw on and his sensitivity to the nuances of language providing a host of palpable metaphors and metonyms, similes and strophes. The poems are marvels on the page, but they really take flight in McPhee's mouth. In 2021, during a flurry of pandemic-inspired poetic activity, he traveled to Chicago expressly to record a program of his poems. For the studio date, he invited saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Vandermark to play duets as interludes between groupings of the poems. Then Vandermark, engineer Alex Inglizian, and the CvsD team sat breathless in the Experimental Sound Studio control room as McPhee proceeded to perform his poetry nonstop and without repetition for nearly two hours. The result is Musings of a Bahamian Son, the first full-length release dedicated to McPhee's writing, with 27 poems interspersed with nine musical interludes and a postlude.
CD $15
MOFAYA! with JOHN DIKEMAN / JAIMIE BRANCH / LUKE STEWART / ALEKSANDAR SKORIC - Like One Long Dream (Trost 208CD; Austria) Featuring John Dikeman on tenor sax, Jaimie Branch on trumpet, Luke Stewart on bass and Aleksandar Skorić on drums. This disc was recorded in November of 2019 at the Roze Tanker in Amsterdam. American-born, Belgium-based saxist John Dikeman, played here at DMG last Saturday (5/11/24) in a trio with Brandon Lopez on bass and Kevin Murray on drums. It was wonderful hear my old pal, John Dikeman, who rarely comes to town and the set was pretty amazing. Mr. Dikeman lived in Amsterdam for many years, working most with Dutch musicians and is currently living in Belgium. For this set, Dikeman chose the later, great Jaimie Branch, an incredible trumpeter who passed away sadly in August of 2022, due to unfortunate circumstances. Both Jaimie Branch and bassist Luke Stewart played together in James Brandon Lewis’ Unruly Manifesto project. Serbian drummer, Aleksandar Skorić, has recorded with Mr. Dikeman on four previous discs.
Right from the opening salvo, Mr. Dikeman’s tenor and Ms. Branch’s trumpet are soaring freely together and reaching for the stars. The rhythm team is also tight, in sync and pushing both horns higher and higher. Ms. Branch takes the first solo and she is on fire, burning so brightly and intensely. The quartet slowly calms down to a fine, simmering, slow-burning free flow. Even when things calm down a bit, the interplay is still compelling as all four members stretch together. I really dig the organic energy that flows throughout this disc. The second piece starts off with solo contrabass, apping on the strings with the bow, rustling, bowed bits and slowly building with solemn sax and percussion providing a cushion underneath. There is a deep dialogue going on here between all four members of the mighty quartet, an exchange of ideas and feelings, sometimes torrential, sometimes laid back. When things do explode, there are moments of release, like a firecracker or a rocket taking off. The title of this disc, ‘Like One Long Dream’, makes sense since this does feel like we are all living or at least spending time in this dream-world. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18
CECILIA LOPEZ / BRANDON LOPEZ - Citizenship (FDR75; USA) Featuring Cecelia Lopez on synthesizer & electronics and Brandon Lopez on contrabass. This disc was recorded at GSI Studio in New York in August of 2020. Brandon Lopez remains one the best and most in-demand contrabassists to emerge from the Downtown Scene in the past decade. Check his playing with Whit Dickey, E# & Henry Kaiser, Fred Moten & Gerald Cleaver or his solo and trio efforts. Electronics musician, Cecilia Lopez, is on several recordings with Joe Moffett, Forbes Graham and Ingrid Laubrock, as well as a couple with her partner Brandon Lopez. Brandon played in a trio here the other night with saxist John Dikeman and drummer Kevin Shea, their set was phenomenal, especially Lopez’s master bass work.
The first thing I notice on the opening piece is haunting sound of Brandon’s bowed contrabass: thick, intense, sprawling with subtle electronics emanating underneath. Brandon’s bass has a powerful, larger-than-life sound and is well matched by layers drone-like electronics which can hum or erupt at times. While Brandon concentrates on one or two bent lines being bowed and stretched, Cecilia often adds strange sonic seasoning selectively matching the way Brandon’s playing is being stretched out further and further. I like that much of the electronic sounds here are not too extreme although things do get adventurous at times. There are sections where the bowed bass and electronics are moving together with similar textures or timbres. I like most about this is that it sounds like these two musicians have been working together for while as their sounds work together so well and thoughtfully integrated. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
LA MONTE YOUNG / MARIAN ZAZEELA with JON HASSELL / GARRETT LIST - Dream House 78'17 (Superior Viaduct SV 199CD; USA) "Originally released in 1974 on Shandar, Dream House 78'17" is the second full-length album by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela. This first-time US edition reproduces the original gatefold sleeve with beautiful calligraphy by Zazeela and liner notes by Young and French musicologist Daniel Caux. Side one was recorded at a private concert (on the date and time indicated by the title) and features Young and Zazeela's voices against a sine wave drone with Jon Hassell on trumpet and Garrett List on trombone. This work is a section of the longer composition Map of 49's 'Dream the Two Systems of Eleven Sets of Galactic Intervals Ornamental Lightyears Tracery' (begun in 1966 as a sub-section of The Tortoise, His Dreams and Journeys, which was begun in 1964 with Young's group The Theatre of Eternal Music). The piece evolves with the oscillator changing pitch and dictating an ornate pattern over the course of the performance. Side two is an example of one of the sets of frequencies sustained in the Dream House, the composite sound environments conceived by Young and Zazeela. The composer suggests listening while seated -- to experience how the sound interacts with the room and other perceptions of its arrangement -- as well as while walking. As Young states, 'The frequency ratios are monitored continuously as lissajous patterns on the oscilloscopes and, in spite of the great stability of the oscillators, the phase relationships of the sine waves gradually drift which causes their amplitudes to add and subtract algebraically. Not only does the sound become a bit louder and softer, but at very loud levels, one actually begins to have a sensation that parts of the body are somehow locked in sync with the sine waves and slowly drifting with them in space and time.'"
CD $19 / LP $36
GASTR DEL SOL with DAVID GRUBBS / JIM O’ROURKE / JEB BISHOP / GENE COLEMAN / THYMME JONES / GUNTER MULLER / BOB WESTON / JOHN McINTYRE / et al - We Have Dozens of Titles (Drag City 836CD; USA) "Like a bolt echoing back from the blue, We Have Dozens of Titles restrikes the iron of Gastr del Sol, plunging the listener back into the maelstrom of their all-too-brief passage of 1993-1998 via an assembly of previously uncollected studio recordings and beautifully captured unreleased live material. Gastr del Sol's music was of the transformative variety -- or was it transfiguration they were up to? Or transmigration? Flux was key, to be sure. David Grubbs formed Gastr from the final lineup of Bastro; on Gastr del Sol's debut, The Serpentine Similar, Grubbs, Bundy K. Brown and John McEntire downshifted from a thrashing electric outfit into a droning, acoustic-based one. Following this, the lineup shifted again, decisively -- Brown and McEntire departed to focus on the project to be known as Tortoise, and Jim O'Rourke arrived, pairing with Grubbs to make a sequence of unpredictable leaps across genre and practical approach alike, over three LPs and a pair of EPs. We Have Dozens of Titles contains nearly an hour of previously unreleased live recordings, alongside another near-hour of studio recordings culled from previously uncollected singles, EPs, and compilations. As much as Gastr del Sol's albums showcase a group eminently at home in the studio, they were inclined to thoroughly reinvent their compositions in performance. While reviewing live tapes for this compilation, the studio versions of most things felt more and more definitive, with the exception of the live takes included here, which essay startling new qualities in pieces that have been in the public ear for several decades. The majority of these live performances come from a miraculous find in the CBC archive -- a broadcast-quality recording of Jim and David from the 1997 Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville. The extended company of players on these numbers includes Jeb Bishop, Bundy K. Brown, Steve Butters, Gene Coleman, Thymme Jones, Terri Kapsalis, John McEntire, Günter Müller, Bob Weston, and Sue Wolf. We Have Dozens of Titles revisits the slow-burning incendiaries of Gastr del Sol, finding, once again and after so much time elapsed, another, further set of reinventions."
2 CD Set $28
JEFF McLEOD - Not Good Enough (The Subversive Workshop; USA) Jeff McLeod is a multi-instrumentalist from Alabama who has worked with Killick, Tatsuya Nakatani and has several oddly named projects like Zepublic, Saragashum and The Rudy Banes Shutdown. This promo just showed up in the mail and Mr. McLeod played all of sounds/music on this disc. According to his website he plays: features piles of guitar, analog synths, dobro, mandolin, acoustic percussion, oddball sequencing methods and vocals. The title track is first, “Not Good Enough†and it sounds like McLeod has layers several guitars, which are playing together in tight, mysterious patterns. Manipulated guitar parts or keyboards and percussion are soon added with some distant chanted vocals. The music is closer to old progressive music than anything else and reminds me somewhat of the the Master Musicians of Bukkake. McLeod slowly adds other instruments or samples of. It sound like McLeod has spent quite a bit of time adding connected layers of parts, several manipulated guitars, rather orchestral in the way they sound. He also utilizes he voice effectively, not singing words but still expressive howls and other occasional vocal sounds. The music here falls between psych, prog and space rock without any being too obvious or predictable. On “Takingâ€, McLeod actually sings some strange words with his odd yet compelling voice. I love the way the background vocals, multiple guitars and synths all work together in a rather kaleidoscopic way. On “Quaalude Eggsâ€, McLeod gently strums an electric guitar with subtle reverb, adding another layer as he accentuates certain notes, plucking in a harp-like fashion, the overall effect is most mesmerizing. On the final piece, “Old Ideas (Modified)â€, there is a quirky, somewhat funky drum machine groove with more layers of eerie guitars playing these interlocking patterns. Some of the guitar parts are rather warped or bent out of shape. This piece reminds me a bit of the Residents and they way they take something recognizable and twist into an unexpected shape. It that a bowed guitar or guitars bend with effects? Does it matter? Not so much. The overall effect and music here is most fascinating and impossible to pin down to any one bag, genre or style. Time to check more of what Jeff McLeod has done and there seems to quite a bit found here: https://subversiveworkshop.wordpress.com/ - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10
LP SECTION:
GENE CLARK - The Lost Studio Sessions 1964-1982 (Tan Vinyl)(Liberation Hall 5111LP; USA) Last copies. RSD 2024 indie exclusive. Official RSD UK Release. "Double LP on translucent tan vinyl. Beyond his achievements as a founding member of the Byrds, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Gene Clark was truly one of the most prolific singer/songwriters of the rock era. This album introduces previously unreleased studio sessions from Clark's pre-Byrds days in 1964 with studio recordings from 1967-70 plus the Nyteflyght sessions from 1982."
2 LP Set $50
THE DICKS - Kill from the Heart (Superior Viaduct SV197LP; USA) "Dicks' debut LP has been acknowledged as a foundational statement in punk ever since its initial 1983 release. Following their first single, 1980's Dicks Hate The Police, and a live split with fellow Austinites the Big Boys, Kill From The Heart does not disappoint. Originally released on SST, the album stands apart from the mass of generic thrash-hardcore contemporaries -- fueled by the manic, but controlled power of singer Gary Floyd along with the original lineup of guitarist Glen Taylor, bassist Buxf Parrot and drummer Pat Deason. Dicks were operating at an absolute peak at this point, alternating damaged workouts that suggest Flipper or No Trend on one end and highly charged tracks in the vein of Minutemen or Tales of Terror on the other. Straight out of the gate on 'Anti Klan,' the band trades blues-grounded guitar with squealing feedback and intensely political lyrics. The raw emotional sincerity of Floyd, who was openly gay in Reagan-era Texas, provides unmistakable urgency to songs such as 'No Nazi's Friend,' 'Rich Daddy' and the title track, which remains one of the stone-cold classic punk anthems. Forty years on, Kill From The Heart continues to smolder -- an arresting testament to the possibilities embodied in creative rage. It is no surprise that Dicks have been covered by Mudhoney, Jesus Lizard and more. Superior Viaduct is honored to present this truly essential reissue. Comes with original tracklist, insert and download card." Of the many hard-core punk bands that I caught live in the 1980’s, the Dicks rank amongst the best. Lead singer Gary Floyd (the Buttholes named a song after him) was both hilarious and brutally honest. One of my favorite hardcore LP’s ever! - BLG at DMG
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 / SAM KULIK / MAY 15-18
SAM AND DAVE WEEK AT THE STONE!!
Free admission all week for anyone named Sam or Dave.
5/15 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Sam and Dave 1 - Sam Kulik (bass trombone) David First (guitar, harmonica, electronics)
5/16 Thursday
8:30 pm - Sam and Dave 2 - Sam Kulik (bass trombone) David Watson (bagpipes)
5/17 Friday
8:30 pm - Sam and Dave 3 - Sam Kulik (trombone, guitar) David Greenberger (voice) Sam Sowyrda (percussion) David Nagler (piano, guitar)
5/18 Saturday
8:30 pm - Sam and Dave 4 — Air Crickets: the music of David Berman: Sam Kulik (guitar, voice) Dave Scanlon (guitar) David Grollman (percussion, objects); Playing and celebrating songs written by David Berman for the Silver Jews
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
*******
Stephan Crump's Slow Water
Wednesday, May 15, 7:30pm
At the Jazz Gallery
Featuring:
Patricia Brennan -vibraphone
Mat Maneri -viola
Erica Dicker -violin
Jacob Garchik -trombone
Kenny Warren -trumpet
Stephan Crump -acoustic bass
Here’s an excerpt from my review of Mr. Crump’s recent CD:
“Since this music is never very loud or over-the-top, Mr. Crump works harder on the more subtle side of his writing for strings and brass. Crump often blends the sound of the strings, brass, bass and vibes into a soft, dreamy mesmerizing island of inner calm. Due to the distraction the daily online news, I had to lay back and calm down to be able to appreciate the lovely glow which exudes throughout. I can feel the flow of water like the blood that runs through our veins here, something special is pulsating inside, we just have to listen more closely to hear it. I really dig this disc since it helped me to feel better about my day, our day. A ray of sunshine is radiating from the dark clouds above us all.†- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
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UPCOMING CONCERTS:
3rd Sunday Jazz - Beyond Flute Group
Sunday May 19, 2024 -music at 4pm
6BC Botanical Garden 624 east 6th street NY, NY
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Celebrating Women Composers
Cheryl Pyle Musique Libre Femmes
Amanda Monaco Deathblow
Stephanie Griffin and Friends
Curated by Abby London ♫♪♫•*¨
At Michiko Studios /studio 3
Friday May 31st, 2024 7:00pm -$20 cash
15 W 39th St, 7th Floor , New York, NY 10018
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Eric Dolphy: Freedom of Sounds Festival
June 1st and 2nd at The New School
John L. Tishman Auditorium
Saturday, June 1st - 6pm to 10:15:
DIANNE McINTYRE (Dance) / PHEEROAN AKLAFF / THE NEW SCHOOL DOLPHY ENSEMBLE
MATTHEW SHIPP & ROB BROWN
PATRICIA BRENNAN
DON BYRON BASS CLARINET QUARTET with JD PARRAN / BOB DEBELIS / TODD MARCUS
REGGIE WORKMAN / JEN SHYU / JASON KAO HWANG / AYANA WORKMAN
THE DOLPHY TRIO with NICOLE MITCHELL / DARIUS JONES / JD PARRAN
Sunday, June 2nd - 3pm to 8:30
Listen Session: DR. JAMES NEWTON & PETER BODGE
Symposium: REGGIE WORKMAN / NICOLE MITCHELL / DR. JAMES NEWTON
TOM CHIU STRING QUARTET
EUGENE CHADBOURNE
JAMES BRANDON LEWIS with KIRK KNUFFKE / CHRIS LIGHTCAP / CHAD TAYLOR
NICOLE MITCHELL & CRAIG TABORN
GERI ALLEN’S Celebration Suite for Eric Dolphy - Featuring:
ANGELIKA SANCHEZ / JAMES BRANDON LEWIS / JALEEL SHAW / TK BLUE / AMIR ELSAFFAR / PATRICIA BRENNAN / CHAD TAYLOR / JAY RODRIGUEZ / KALIA VANDEVER / DEVON GATES
Contact & tickets: https://seedartists.org/
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZHZMLAsL9g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnWxohqx4tY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj8-LKNXKuE
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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 fanatic 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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