The 29th Annual Vision Festival takes place next week, June 18th through June 23rd at Roulette in Brooklyn. I have attended every year since it began in 1995 and have sat through and enjoyed each and every set, year after year. This is quite a bit of music considering there are often five sets per night over six nights. The festival is not just a celebration of avant/jazz but much more including other types of Creative Music, Dance, Poetry, Artwork and a Gathering of the Tribes, our Tribe(s). Musically something Transcendent, something Cosmic and or Truly Inspiring happens every night. One of the things I like best is that serious listeners from around the USA and around the world all come together to witness this ever inspiring spectacle of sonic and visual riches. I urge all of you out there who can go to attend this important festival. The tides of time are washing over us and trying to push us further to the right towards fascism and away from Freedom of Expression. Come on down to the Vision Festival to celebrate with your Annual Family of Free Spirits. Patricia Nicholson is the Founder of the Vision Festival and she is Kindred Spirit to all of Us out there who still care about making this planet better. - Brother Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG
Here’s the schedule:
Tuesday, June 18th - Opening Night, Celebrating William Parker’s Lifetime of Achievements:
6:00pm Mantra - Lisa Sokolov – vocals / Art by Lois Eby
6:30pm Roots & Rituals
William Parker – composition, words, doson ngoni
Joe Morris – guitar
Joshua Abrams – gimbre
Mixashawn Rozie -tenor sax
Jackson Krall – Ibo Bells
Juma Sultan & Michael Wimberly – percussion
Hamid Drake & Isaiah Parker – percussion
Art by Lois Eby
7:15pm Trail of Tears excerpt “Vanished Horizon”
Andrea Wolper, Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez – vocals
AnneMarie Sandy – mezzo soprano
Mara Rosenbloom – piano
James Brandon Lewis – tenor sax
Mixashawn Rozie – tenor sax
Isaiah Parker – percussion, keyboard
Hamid Drake – drums
Video by MoonLasso
8:30pm Raining On The Moon
William Parker – composition, lyrics, bass
Rob Brown – alto sax
Steve Swell – trombone
Eri Yamamoto – piano
Hamid Drake – drums
Leena Conquest voice
Art Projections by © JEFF SCHLANGER, musicWitness
9:15 The Ancients
William Parker – composition, bass
Isaiah Collier – tenor sax
William Hooker – drums
Dave Burrell – piano
Miriam Parker – dance
Art by William Parker
10:00pm William Parker & Huey’s Pocket Watch: Art Projections by William Parker
Rob Brown, Aakash Mittal – alto sax
Isaiah barr, Alfredo Colon – tenor
Dave Sewelson – baritone – sax
Steve Swell, Colin Babcock – trombone
Taylor Ho Bynum, Diego Hernandez – trumpet
Colson Jimenez – bass
Hans Young Binter – piano
Juan Pablo Carletti – drums
Vocals: Ellen Christi, Kyoko
Kitamura – voice
Patricia Nicholson – voice, spoken word
Art by William Parker
Wednesday, 6/19/24:
7:00pm Davalois Fearon Dance
Dance: Davalois Fearon, Tess Montoya, Jalisa Wallerson, Julieta Rodriguez-Cruz
Music: Mike McGinnis – clarinet, sax
Adriel Vincent-Brown – drums
Gino Sitson – voice
Lonnie Plaxico – bass
8:00pm James Brandon Lewis / Chad Taylor
James Brandon Lewis – sax
Chad Taylor – drums
9:00pm Matthew Shipp Trio
Michael Bisio – bass
Newman Taylor – drums
Matthew Shipp – pianos
10:00pm Tarbaby
Orrin Evans – piano
Eric Revis – bass
Nasheet Waits – drums
Thursday, 6/20/24:
7:00pm Jen Shyu: Fertile Land, Fertile Body (1st Body Movement)
Jen Shyu – composition, voice, violin, gayageum, Taiwanese moon lute
Layale Chaker – violin, voice
Martha Redbone – vocals
Maeve Gilchrist – Celtic harp
Devon Gates – bass, voice
8:00pm Ingrid Laubrock: Lilith
Ingrid Laubrock – saxophones
David Adewumi – trumpet
Yvonne Rogers – piano
Adam Matlock – accordion
Eva Lawitts – bass
Henry Mermer – drums
9:00pm Darius Jones Quintet
Darius Jones – alto sax
Christopher Hoffman – cello
Liani Matteo – bass
Nick Saia – guitar
Jason Nazary – drums
Laura Sofia Perez – video
10:00pm James Blood Ulmer Black Rock Trio
James Blood Ulmer – composition, guitar, vocals
Mark Peterson – bass
G. Calvin Weston – drums
Friday, 6/21/24:
6:30pm Red Zone
Isaiah Barr – electronics, woodwinds
David Fraizer Jr – drums, percussion
JawnDiegoReyes Isaiah Barr – art projections
7:30pm Miriam Parker Core-Edge Quartet
Miriam Parker – director, sound, movement, video art
Lester St. Louis – cello, elec.
Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez – vocals
No Land – poetry
Art by Miriam Parker
8:30pm Fred Moten – Poet
9:00pm Trio Plex
Cooper-Moore – piano
TA Thompson – drums
Ken Filiano – bass
10:00pm Mendoza / Hoff / Revels
Ava Mendoza – guitar, vocals
Devin Hoff – bass
James Brandon Lewis – tenor sax
Ches Smith – drums
Saturday, 6/22/24:
6:30pm Melanie Dyer’s Incalculable Likelihood (dedicated to Rebecca Elliot)
Melanie Dyer – composition, video & sculpture, viola, art
Taped voice of Mary Elizabeth Burton
Vox: Carla Cook- alto / Kyoko Kitamura – soprano / Jason Walker – baritone
JD Parran – woodwinds
Shanyse Strickland – French horn
Charles Burnham, Gwen Laster – violins
Alex Waterman – cello
Ken Filiano – bass
Alexis Marcelo – piano
Malik Washington – percussion
7:30pm Amina Claudine Myers
Amina Claudine Myers – piano, voice
8:30pm Jason Kao Hwang & Cooper-Moore
Jason Kao Hwang – viola, violin
Cooper-Moore – didley-bow, percussion
9:30pm Oliver Lake – Poet William Parker – bass
Art by Oliver Lake
10:00pm Holding Bridges Falling Down
Patricia Nicholson – music director, dancer, poet, vocals
DJ Marcellus – live sound mix
Ellen Christi – vocals
Devin Brahja Waldman – alto sax
Michael TA Thompson – drums
Guest dancer – Jason Jordan
Art Installation: Amir Bey, Patricia Nicholson
Sunday, 6/23/24:
6:00pm Matana Roberts COIN COIN
Matt Lavelle – trumpet, alto clarinet, voice
Ryan Sawyer – drumset, auxiliary percussion, voice
Cory Smythe – piano and electronics
Mike Pride – drumset, auxiliary percussion
Darius Jones – alto saxophone, voice
Stuart Bogie – Bb clarinet and bass clarinet, voice
Matana Roberts – saxophone, conduction, voice, electronics
7:00pm Worlds in a Life
Thollem McDonas – pianos
ACVilla – live art projections
8:00pm Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few
Isaiah Collier – sax
Nat Reeves – bass
Michael Ode – drums
9:00pm Watershed Continuum
Rob Brown – alto sax
Steve Swell- trombone
Alexis Marcelo- piano
Whit Dickey – drums
Jo Wood Brown – video
10:00pm Marshall Allen & the Arkestra: Celebrates Marshall’s 100th Birthday
Marshall Allen – director reeds, evi
Knoel Scott, Anthony Nelson – baritone
Chris Hemingway – reeds
James Stewart – tenor
Tara Middleton – voice
Hotep – guitar
Michael Ray, Kevin Batchelor, Cecil Brooks – trumpet
Dave Davis, Robert Stringer – trombone
Vincent Chancey – french horn
Tyler Mitchell – bass
Elson Nascimento, Jorge DeSilva – percussion
George Gray – drums
Live Art projections by William Mazza
To purchase tickets go here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/artsforart?
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THE DMG 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
Rare Monday Event, June 17th:
6:30: PMA - Drums / HERY PAZ - Tenor Sax / ALIYA ULTAN - Cello / NICK DUNSTON - Contrabass
7:30: KYLE MOTL - Contrabass / ANQI LIU - Electronics
8:30: PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums / JIM CLOUSE - Tenor & Soprano Sax / MATT HOLLENBERG - Guitar
Tuesday, June 18th - No in-store during the Vision Fest.
* Wednesday June 19th is the 70th birthday of Downtown Music Gallery founder Bruce Lee Gallanter! Anyone who wants to wish him birthday greetings (a hug or a handshake is/are fine), please introduce yourself at the Monday gig at the store or the days I work here (Mon, Tues, Fri & Saturdays, noon til 6) or at the Vision Fest. Always glad to see/hear you all!
Tuesday, June 25th: DMG ELECTRONIC MUSIC MINI-FESTIVAL!
6:30: IPEK EGINLI - Electronics & Voice / JASON NAZARY - Drums & Electronics
7:30: DAFNA NAPHTALI / CHUCK BETTIS - Electronics and Vocals
8:30: JEREMIAH CYMERMAN - Clarinet & Electronics / ZACHARY PAUL - Violin
Tuesday, July 2nd:
6:30: JUDY DUNAWAY - Solo Balloons
7:30: JON MADOF - Guitar / JESSICA LURIE - Sax
8:30: AMOS A - Solo Tenor Acoustic Guitar
9:30: KYOKO KITAMURA - Voice / KEN FILIANO - Bass / JULIUS BOXER-COOPER - Flute / PAIGE DRAISS - Drums & Percussion
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. The GauciMusic Series has been canceled here for the Summer. You can check out the weekly schedule here: https://www.downtownmusicgallery.com/shows.php. I post 1 minute segments from these sets almost every day on our InstaGram feed (if you don’t do InstaGram, you can still view these 1 minute clips on the DMG homepage, a recently added feature), so please check them out and come down to visit when you can. - BLG/DMG
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This Week’s Sonic Treasures Begin with this Important Book/CD:
JOHN CAGE // CAT HOPE / LINDSAY VICKERY - John Cage’s Variations: Actions / Remarks (mode records ISBN 978-7645930343; USA) Authors featured are Leta E. Miller, David P. Miller, Vincent Bonin, Paul van Emmerik, Thomas DeLio, James Pritchett, Cat Hope, Lindsay Vickery, Stuart James and an introduction by Warren Burt. The eight ‘Variations’ compositions by John Cage reflect the most productive years of his compositional life — from Variation I in 1958 to Variation VIII in 1976. They show the evolution of some of the earliest aleatoric, multimedia and spatial approaches to contemporary live music performance.
This book brings together new and existing perspectives, experiences and backgrounds to these remarkable works, explored by leading International Cage scholars and practitioners. The writings are complemented with a CD recording of Decibel’s Complete John Cage Variations Project, an hour long performance program featuring the Variations I – VIII. The works are performed using annotated digital scores created within the ensemble, automating many of the manual processes that resulting in new, accurate versions that align with Cage’s artistic aims. Traditional acoustic instruments and period electronics are featured alongside photocells, Arduino boards, online messaging services and calls, noise bass guitar, shortwave radio and custom DIY circuitry. 251 pages, made in Germany;
The CD features: Variations I for bass clarinet, bass flute & cello, Variations II for alto saxophone, flute, viola, piano & cello, Variations III for drum set & a.m. radio, Variations IV for cello, flute, viola, bass clarinet, and environmental sounds, Variations V for reel to reel tapes & oscillators, Variations VI for electric bass guitar and analog effects, electric cello, and digital effects, Variations VII for mobile phones, tablet computer & laptops and Variations VIII for no input feedback bass clarinet.
BOOK CD $35
JOE HERTENSTEIN with MICHAEL MOORE / GREG COHEN - Live During Lockdown (JazzWerkStatt 220; Germany) Featuring Joe Hertenstein on drums, Michael Moore on alto sax & clarinet and Greg Cohen on contrabass. This set was recorded live at Kesselhaus in Berlin on March 16th of 2021. This gig was also one of only sold out sets during the pandemic lockdown with the audience all masked and spaced apart on the floor. This was also a first time meeting of this particular trio featuring German drummer Joe Hertenstein, Amsterdam-based reeds wiz Michael Moore (from the ICP Orchestra) and Berlin-based master bassists Greg Cohen (from the original Masada Quartet). I recall the feeling of transcendent/release at the first concert I attended (Richard Thompson solo outdoors) during the pandemic after four months of attending no live shows. Both Joe Hertenstein and Michael Moore contributed songs for this set, which also included one cover song by Herbie Nichols. The recording of this set is consistently superb, perfectly balanced. Hertenstein’s “PanicBallad” is first and it is a lush, suspense-filled ballad with some magical clarinet by Michael Moore and ultra-subtle, skeletal rhythm team. After several months with no live music stimulus, we pay attention to every single sound, making this music every more memorable. Although Mr. Moore switches to alto sax midway, we hardly notice as his tone is just as sublime. Michael Moore’s “Providence” is next and was recorded for an album of his called ‘Home Game’ from 1992. This song swings infectiously, the trio in complete sync. Contrabass great Greg Cohen’s playing has stretched from playing Dixieland with Woody Allen to playing the quirky music of Tom Waits to being the brilliant rock-steady central throb for the original Masada Quartet. Mr. Cohen’s playing here is consistently on target whether walking hard, blowing or plucking tightly with Hertenstein’s rhythmic flow. “Ballad for Paul & Poo” is even more stripped down yet most exquisite with Moore’s haunting clarinet in its most pure form. “Pink Umbrella” erupts with the rhythm slowly burning together, the bass taking an incredible solo, speeding up and slowing down organically with the drums taking a fine unaccompanied solo as well. Greg Cohen is featured throughout “Acceptance”, his bass central to the focused sound of this trio. Although California-born reeds wiz, Michael Moore, has been living in Amsterdam for several decades, his consistently inventive and inspired playing remains one of Europe’s best kept secrets. For yours truly, this is a perfect trio on several levels. It doesn’t get any better than this. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
MATTHIAS BAUER / JOE HERTENSTEIN / FRANK PAUL SCHUBERT / CELINE VOCCIA - Unzeit Quartett (Trouble in the East Records 034; Germany) Featuring Frank Paul Schubert on alto & soprano saxes, Celine Voccia on piano, Matthias Bauer on bass and Joe Hertenstein on drums. This session was recorded at Keller4 Studio in Berlin in December of 2022. German saxist, Frank Paul Schubert, can be found on some two dozen discs, working with Gunter Sommer, Alex Von Schlippenbach and Andreas Willers. French pianist, Céline Voccia, I know of only from her duo disc with Silke Eberhard, released last year on Relative Pitch. Bassist Matthias Bauer is the youngest of the three Bauer brothers, his two elder brothers both are/were trombone masters. Badass drummer Joe Hertenstein spends time both here and in Germany and has worked with many other greats: Ivo Perelman, Matt Shipp, Pascal Niggenkemper & Thomas Heberer.
All of the music seems to have been completely improvised although everything sounds consistently connected. Mr. Schubert’s soprano sax and Ms. Voccia’s piano swirls tightly together right from the beginning of “Unzeit” with the rhythm team spinning nicely underneath. The quartet plays as one united force here with both spirited piano and soprano sax solos sailing above. Although this music is often referred to as being “free”, I hear much more connections between all four musicians. What I do hear is a melody or fragment of therein which is played by the sax and/or piano. Once I notice it, the other members of the quartet jump in to play along and enhance the overall structure or mood. There is also some daredevil improv or solos taking place as well throughout. The quartet sounds like an entire organism which works well together as a united quartet. The last piece, “Auzeit” is actually laid-back and reflective, a righteous way to bring this fine disc to a modest conclusion. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
* WELF DORR / ELIAS MEISTER / DMITRY ISHENKO / KENNY WOLLESEN - So Far So Good (Self-Released 95269-30112; USA) Featuring Welf Dorr on alto sax & compositions, Elias Meister on guitar, Dmitry Ishenko on acoustic bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums. I recall when Welf Dorr dropped off his previous quartet disc around 2018, some six years ago. I was completely blown away by the playing of Welf Dorr on sax and guitarist Dave Ross. For this disc, Mr. Dorr has organized another fine quartet with Elias Meister on guitar, Dmitry Ishenko on bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums. Although I hadn’t heard of German-born, NYC-based guitarist Elias Meister before now, he does have three previous albums as a leader going back to 2011. I know of bassist Dmitry Ishenko from the work he has done with John Tchicai, Garrison Fewell and Jeff Platz. Master percussionist, Kenny Wollesen, remains one of Downtown’s most in-demand drummers, from the New Masada Quartet to his work with Sylvie Courvoisier, Sex Mob and Zorn’s Gnostic Trio.
Things begin with the title track, “So Far So Good”, which has a sly groove. Like the previous disc by Mr. Dorr’s quartet, Dorr’s music and choice of guitarist are on target. Mr. Meister takes the first solo on guitar and does an incredible job, stirring up the winds of change with powerful currents. For “Keep On Keepin’ On”, Dorr has written a most memorable funky riff which has a Monk-like slightly bent groove. Mr. Meister takes a colossal, over the top solo here which reminds me of John Etheridge from the current Soft machine band, one of the best current jazz/rock guitarists around. “Eternity” is a solemn, ballad-like piece with an haunting melody played exquisitely by the sax and guitar, which includes tasty soulful solos from the sax and guitar. On “Impatience”, guitarist Meister takes a scary, intense solo which is drenched in effects without going overboard. My man Kenny Wollesen also takes a wonderful short drum solo near the end as well. On “Red Lebanese” ( a type of hashish I believe), the music sounds like a middle-eastern dervish groove, sly, like snake-charming music. “Painful Long Goodbye” has a fine laid back melody which reminds me of a scene from a film where we are waiting for a certain desired character to show up to make things better. Jazz purists often claim that jazz/rock or fusion (as it used to be called) is dead or no longer valid. Us open-minded listeners know that this is bullsh*t. This disc shows that jazz/rock can still be exciting, inventive and current. If you dig the current version of Soft Machine or the Spirit Jazz of Tisziji Munoz, then you should really love this disc! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
* The Welf Dorr Quartet will play a CD release set next week on June 20th at 10pm at Nublu (151 Ave C) on the lower east side. This disc rules do not miss this set! - BLG
NATSUKI TAMURA / JIM BLACK - NatJim (Libra Records 102-074; Japan) Featuring Natsuki Tamura on trumpet, voice & whatever and Jim Black on drums. Recorded in Bern, Switzerland in November of 2023. Unlike his partner, pianist Satoko Fujii, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura records and releases discs infrequently. Aside from his dozens of discs with Ms. Fuji, Natsuki has released a handful of solo trumpet discs. The last non-duo effort that Mr. Tamura did was some 20 years ago with two drummers: Jim Black and Aaron Alexander, one for each duo session. Former Downtown drummer, Jim Black, has been living in Berlin for several years now and playing with a number of European musicians. The liner notes on this disc were written by Satoko Fujii, Natsuki’s longtime musical & married partner. The notes are long and most informative. They discuss Naksuki’s long musical career which has been through quite a bit of unexpected twists and turns. Hence, he seems to be up for anything improvisation-wise.
Right from the opening salvo, I know that here is something special going on here. Both of these two musicians are instantly resourceful, matching each other’s lines or moves perfectly. Jim Black is a master of surprises, switching between grooves and freer twists on a dime. According to the liner notes, Natsuki has played many different types of music throughout his long life, playing vocal-like sound one moment, adding some old-fashion wah-wah sounds, playing part of a ballad, then playing freely with Mr. Black also moving from one rhythmic idea to the next one. The thing I notice the most is this: both of these players start off or change direction midway, always proving a direction for whatever comes next. No one is in charge and no ever steps on any else’s toes. There are also great sections of strong question and response which makes for some edge-of-your-seat dialogue. There is an organic playfulness going on here which I find infectious plus some hilarious vocalizations by Natsuki about midway. Sometimes duo records can be a bit indulgent but this is not the case here. This is a marvelous duo on several levels. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
SAMUEL REINHARD // HARUNA HIGASHIDA / PAUL JACOB FOSSUM - for piano and sho (elsewhere 032; USA) Composed by New York–based Swiss composer Samuel Reinhard and performed by Haruna Higashida on shō and Paul Jacob Fossum on piano. "I've long been interested in exploring the elongation of the piano's decay. The shō's clean harmonics offered an enticing texture to incorporate into my experiments with slow-moving piano works." — Samuel Reinhard. The shō is a Japanese free reed musical instrument (similar to a sheng) which consists of 17 slender bamboo pipes, each of which is fitted in its base with a metal free reed. I’ve only heard the shō on a few occasions, utilized by composers like Otomo Yoshihide, John Cage, Toru Takemitsu and Toshio Hosokawa. The elsewhere label is run by Yuko Zama who is the partner of Jon Abbey, founder of the erstwhile label. Both labels are known for highly focused aesthetic, both musically and visually (cover art) speaking. Whereas for erstwhile, the instrumentation can be utilized by a variety of acoustic, electric and non-regular instruments, elsewhere seems to have embraced a more acoustic side of subtle sonic exploration, often at the choice of the composers involved.
There are two pieces on this disc: “for piano and shō, parts I and II”. “Part I” begins with a few piano notes being struck one at a time with a long decay in between each note. Slowly the shō enters, creating a distant drone of a buzzing double reed. The subtle buzzing of the shō shifts slightly in tone, expanding and contracting carefully. Slowly more notes are added by the piano, each note is fragile, cautious and focused. The balance between the shō and the piano is a modest yet most organic sounding one. The resonance of each piano note struck gives each sound a chance to breathe and be considered while the shō’s sound is consistently vibrating, buzzing in our ears and resonating in our minds. The inner flow and pulse is like a distant or buried heartbeat that we all can feel pulsating within but not always hear. With quiet music like this, it is the sound of the fan in my kitchen window (where I write reviews) that is often louder than the notes on this disc. No matter, since I’ve learned how to listen closely. I find this music to be rather calm at the center with the pulse of life pumping softly underneath. “Part II” is a bit more uptempo in between the slower, dreamier sections. The inner pulse quickens and the overall vibe is somewhat infectious in positive vibes. There are five repeating notes which make up a familiar theme, a theme which evokes a familiar melody that we share but can’t remember where it came from. The peaceful vibe within this music helps to calm the inner beast of our daily stressful activities. What more could we want?!? - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
SPACE with LISA ULLEN / ELSA BERGMAN / ANNA LUND - Embrace the Space (Relative Pitch RPR 1171; USA) Featuring Lisa Ullen on piano, Elsa Bergman on double bass and Anna Lund on drums. I’ve had my eye & ear on Swedish/Korean pianist Lisa Ullen since hearing her first release on Nuscope from 2011. Ms. Ullen has recorded more than a dozen discs since then collaborating with Sten Sandell, Angharad Davies and Torsten Muller. Swedish bassist Elsa Bergman I know less well although she has recorded with Susana Santos Silva and Camilia Nebbia. Swedish drummer, Anna Lund, is a new name for me. It turns out that all three of these women are in a sextet called Anna Hogberg Attack and this is their second trio disc for the Relative Pitch label. This disc was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden in January of 2023.
Opening gambit here is that constant throb which is often at the center of Spirit Jazz and other ritualistic trance music(s). Soon enough the trio is breaking free, swirling tightly around one another, the magic has begun. On “The Immeasurable”, the trio plays more slowly, freely and hazy, like in a dream. The trio plays in skeletal waves and remain tethered together by threadlike undercurrent. ‘All at Once” features some strong mallet work from Ms. Lund, the trio moves in tight, powerful waves like a less forbidding hurricane. The trio keeps getting more intense throughout this piece, swirling in larger circles and ending with an inventive drums solo section later on. Ms. Bergman’s bass kicks off “Bleach”, the trio again swirling together in strong waves. This piece is long and episodic with Ms. Ullen playing the muted keys at the high end of the piano while hitting those thick, bottom of the ocean chords at the lower end of the piano. The waters deepen on “Rage”, which was Thomas Chapin’s nickname when he played in Machine Gun. Ms. Lund’s drums are on full display here, pushing the turbulence into high gear at times. The final piece, “Blood and Money” is the freest and most intense with some morse code-like piano, massive and sprawling. A most impressive piano trio that works consistent wonders. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
MARIA BERTEL - Monophonic (Relative Pitch Records RPR SS030; USA) Maria Bertel is a Danish trombone player who has appeared on more than a dozen discs including working with the Fire! Orchestra and the Jooklo Danish Group (with Virginia Genta). Thanks to Danish drummer Kresten Osgood and labels like Ilk, Stunt & Barefoot, a number of newer Danish musicians have gotten a chance to record over the past decade plus. I hadn’t heard much about trombonist Maria Bertel until this disc was given/sent by the fine folks at Relative Pitch Records. The first thing I noticed is that the trombone is closely mic’d and sounds like a large, droning whale, the sounds recorded deep in the ocean like we are submerged in a submarine. The sounds here are at the extreme low-end and rather disorienting. “Rotundity” sounds like someone is grunting through their instrument, there is a constant throb pounding on us from down below. Some of the sounds here are distorted from being close mic’s and turning up the volume with some occasional screaming through the trombone. A number of these sounds are so alien or usual that it is hard to tell that someone is playing a trombone. Like a large number of discs on the Relative Pitch label, this one creates its own sonic world which will draw you in and not let go until the disc is over. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
STEVE BERESFORD / FARADENA AFIFI / PAUL KHIMASIA MORGAN - Bee Reiki (Discus 173CD; UK) Featuring Steve Beresford on piano, toys & electronics, Fardena Afifi on viola, violin & voice and Paul Khimasia Morgan on acoustic guitar body & electronics. I’ve long admired UK musical character Steve Beresford for his embrace of Creative Music across a variety of genres/styles/formulas as well as his sly and unpredictable sense of humor. Anyone who can move between the Slits, the Melody Four, the Flying Lizards, London Improvisers Orchestra, Alterations and inspired improv with Derek Bailey, Evan Parker and Han Bennink, is truly fine with me. I don’t recognize the names of the other two UK musicians here, although Paul Khimasia Morgan is on some 20 releases with few musicians that I’ve heard of outside of The Seen (large avant ensemble of UK musicians with seven discs on the Confront label).
This disc was recorded in a studio in London in November of 2022. Things begin quietly with hushed vocals, subtle electronics and a whirring sound. Ms. Faradena sounds like a kid singing quietly to herself with subtle free spacious sounds floating around, clapping, a soft drone (of an organ?), an occasional violin being strummed, a toy organ… a solemn, playful yet sad vibe permeates. There is a light, child-like, wondrous sound here. Ms. Afifi sounds a bit like Mat Maneri at times playing those bent notes quietly. The third piece features bird (samples?), amplified percussion (?), skeletal plucked piano strings and other uneasy found sounds. On “Limbs Stretch…”, it is hard to tell what is going on outside of some occasional acoustic string tugging and some found sounds. At times things are sparse and you wonder what’s going on and then things switch gears and we end in subtle yet cosmic space. Unpredictable, oft weird yet still charming. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
DENSELAND with DAVID MOSS / HANNO LEICHTMANN / HANNES STROBL - Code & Melody (Arbitrary 020CD; Denmark) Just because Denseland take inspiration from the past, doesn't mean they're stuck in it. On their first album since 2017, their second for Arbitrary, the Berlin-based trio instead ventures slowly but steadily into unknown territory. Hanno Leichtmann and Hannes Strobl's dub-infused, bass-heavy rhythmic minimalism in combination with lyricist David Moss's sonorous yet deadpan delivery opens up a space that feels both claustrophobic and infinitely wide. Like previous Denseland albums, Code & Melody picks up on the sparse side of dub-enamoured post-punk, no wave, post-rock, adventurous electronic and improvised acoustic music and blends this with a vocal performance marked by a Lou Reedian cool, a confrontationalism à la Lydia Lunch and, occasionally, an experimentalism akin to Scott Walker. The result is as unique and ambiguous as the record's title: Musical formal rigor enters into a dialogue with poetic reflections on the beautiful mess that is the human experience. The record's starting point were multiple improvisational sessions between Leichtmann and Strobl. Strobl used his electric bass and electric double bass, whose characteristic sounds "were expanded through the use of special playing techniques in combination with live electronics," as he explains. After adding overdubs to some of the recordings as well as guest contributions on three pieces by Katharina Bévand on modular synthesizer, the resulting tracks served as the perfect backdrop for Moss's performance. The sounds that accompany them on Codes & Melody complement that seamlessly: This is both physical and cerebral music, rigid and flexible, obsessed with the dialectic of repetition and difference -- with moving forward.
CD $16
ROBERT CARL // MATTHEW RUSSO / MATT SARGENT / ROBERT BLACK & LARGE FURNITURE / CRANE PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE / et al - Infinity Avenue (Neuma 185; USA) Each of the six pieces on this ambitious two CD set features different personnel and challenges. “Updraft” (from 2009) is for ten trombones all played by Matthew Russo. The trombones drift together in a sea of somber drones. “Splectar” (2023) is for electric guitar (played by Matt Sargent) and Max processing. Mr. Sargent plays one odd chord at a time with some subtle, slight bent sorta processing. Each strum puts us in a different place, some higher up, some lower down. Things build into a series of strums which are bathed in reverb, shimmering in layers as if we are sailing on a slow river downstream. “Night Garden” (2013-14) was written for and is performed by five contrabassists. The piece is somewhat austere yet eerie with basses being bowed. What’s odd is that it is hard to tell that these are basses since what we hear is a series of drifting drones. “Infinity Avenue” is for a laptop and improvising ensemble. Composer Robert Carl conducts, plays laptop & shakuhachi. The five piece ensemble includes Zach Rowden on bass, a name I recognize from the local scene. The quintet includes two electric guitars and the sound is most haunting. Since the drones slowly shift, it feels as if we are balancing while standing on a raft which is drifting on a body of water. It sounds like the composer has created another sonic world or environment which when we listen, alters the way we feel. Most impressive on many levels. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18
BROWN ACID - The Eighteenth Trip / Various Artists (Ridingeasy Records Ezrdr 183CD; USA) "If one survived trips one through seventeen with one tiny speck of psychedelic sunshine intact, Brown Acid: The Eighteenth Trip will be the coming of age nightmare. Vintage underground '70s hard rock, coming at one from bizarre angles, local scene wasteland America when everybody was out for themselves and the drugs went bleak. The guitars kill, the attitude is twisted, even the sex is headed down the wrong road. Real people, no compromise, pure and potent. Get stoked, take The Eighteenth Trip and know that the artists will get paid for this soul pulverizing! Here's just some of the tracks included: Back Jack out of St. Louis, Missouri in 1974 launch the trip with 'Bridge Waters Dynamite.' It's an invocation to rock flashing on Mark Farner whooping up a Grand Funk crowd, then getting to the point quickly with berserk guitar assaults. Heavy riff with power chord stalks beneath as one takes their advice; get loose and blow up the past. Smokin' Buku Band dropped Riding Easy's jaw with the audacious track 'Hot Love,' coming on like some fractured fever dream burlesque of Led Zep, moves out of Hollywood in 1980. Swooping elongated vocals above, a total Zep chord move at the end of each verse. Writer/producer Steve Shauger aka Shag Stevens gets a brilliantly messed up sound quality here, the ideal polar opposite of slick. The extended guitar break is an epitome of serendipitously crude virtuosity, simply outrageous! Nothing better than an angry two chord guitar attack with cowbell to set the stage for this rant about getting 'Ripped Off' by love. Taken from their rare 1977 LP on Dynamite Records, Chicago Triangle was Marvey Esparza, Dave Guereca, Jose 'Tarr' Perez, and Robert Aguilera. They unleash such strong brain-scrubbing wah wah frenzy in the guitar break here that it seems to perversely mock its own intensity! Brown Acid: The Eighteenth Trip comes at one from all kinds of uncanny angles."
CD $16
BACK IN STOCK:
DAN KURFIRST with DANIEL CARTER / ALEXIS MARCELO / DAMON BANKS / ROSHNI SAMLAL - Arkinetics (Neuma 163; USA) This fully engrossing recording comes courtesy of local NY percussionist Kurfirst, who has traveled through the canals of the downtown NYC scene but only now graced us with this lovely debut CD. It turns out it’s been worth the wait, both for Kurfirst to further refine and develop his considerable chops as a player and composer, and also so his vivid ideas could finally emerge wholly formed, agile and energetic as these rhythmic exercises are. He’s tapped in to a rich vein of multi-ethnic and nomadic musics across Arkinetics (a blending of kinetics with architecture), commanding a fluid groove and beautifully languid pace that reincarnates the ghosts of Jon Hassell, Miles Davis, Airto, early Return to Forever, and Trilok Gurtu all in one fell swoop. The opening “Peace In” ushers in a positively lush soundscape wherein Alexis Marcelo’s featherbed Rhodes provides a ravishing underpinning to Kurfirst’s quasi hip-hop beats and sets the stage for the album’s subsequent unfolding. Thus, “Birth Beats 2” erupts in a tablastorm of barely restrained fury, as keyboards ebb below the surface like slow-moving lava and Daniel Carter’s trumpet cuts silky contours of sound that have Miles to go before they sleep. This might all seem to indicate that Kurfirst is content to simply be but one component in his quintet. On the contrary, it is his rhythmic phrasing and inventive performances that push his colleague’s vamps forward, making for a delectable hunk of velvety fusion that brings the finer archetypes of vintage 70s precursors roaring back into being with a pristine, devastatingly compelling rush. I mean, “Ghost Killers”? That one piece is a damn near-perfect six-minutes of chocolate Rhodes chords, honking trumpet, and spinning webs of percussion make for a piece de resistance that, if you revere the aforementioned 70s forebears with the same enthusiasm as I, will leave you fairly breathless. Whoa is me. - Darren Bergstein, DMG
CD $14
SUN RA & HIS ARKESTRA - Featuring Pharaoh Sanders and Black Harold (Color Vinyl) (Superior Viaduct SV 143-C-LP; USA) "To understand the significance of the word 'featuring' on Featuring Pharoah Sanders And Black Harold, consider how infrequently Sun Ra used it and the exact way it had been used. The October Revolution in Jazz, organized by Bill Dixon in the West Village in 1964, presented a vivid cross section of approaches to the new music, including a sextet led by Ra. For the October Revolution's continuation, titled Four Days in December, held at nearby Judson Hall on the last days of 1964, the Arkestra performance presented Pharoah Sanders as well as a flautist (who was and remained obscure thereafter) named Harold Murray, nicknamed Black Harold. It wasn't until long after Sanders had achieved worldwide acclaim with John Coltrane that Ra and manager Alton Abraham decided to issue the music they'd recorded at Judson Hall. After its first release in plain or hand-decorated covers in 1976, Featuring Pharoah Sanders And Black Harold remained an exceptionally rare item in the El Saturn discography, known to a few lucky collectors. Now on limited green vinyl."
LP $30
ACID MOTHERS REYNOLS - Vol. 3 (VHF 160LP; USA) "Volume 3 of a set of collaborations between the prolific Argentine polymaths Reynols and the inescapable Acid Mothers Temple. Recorded in Buenos Aries on AMT's 2017 South American Tour, the music has identifiable sonic elements from both groups but ends up sounding like neither, with a surprising weightlessness that keeps things jammy and psychedelic until the final track's blustering rock. Taking up most of side one, 'Kicking Air Bricks' has a loose Gong/'70s Euro-classic vibe, with Satoshima Nani getting to swing on the drums in a way that isn't always part of AMT's steamroller, while the rest of the gang layers in abstract piano, percussion, glissando guitar, etc. 'Multiverse Turtle Reflex' closes the side with a thick drone coda. Side two starts with Miguel Tomasin's gentle vocal and organ accompaniment on 'Smelling Oneiric Asado' before the group gradually gathers momentum with Wolf's thick bass anchoring layers of clean and loose guitar interplay. 'Lemurian Tsunami Inside A Hat' is a 13-minute heavy rock epic, with the Reynols' guitars going head to head with Makota Kawabata's easily recognized interjections, ramping up into a riffy crescendo."
LP $24
GARTH ERASMUS - Threnody for the KhoiSan (TAL 031LP; Germany) Garth Erasmus is an artist and musician based in Cape Town, South Africa. Threnody for the KhoiSan is his first album under his own name. Since 1985 his artistic interests have broadened to include music-making, designing and making his own instruments based on indigenous KhoiSan knowledge. From 1999 to 2012 he was a member of the South African First Nation activist group Khoi Khonnexion. In the past couple of years Garth Erasmus has also been a pivotal part of various international performance pieces and exhibition projects which brought him regularly to Europe. Most of these activities were developed and performed in collaboration with the Hamburg based band Kante and his band Khoi Khonnexion. His works in music are predominantly characterized by a restless quest for alternative forms of expression and materials including self-build instruments, field recordings or various electronic music devices. In this context the music on Threnody for the KhoiSan takes on a primal and metaphorical meaning. Rather than a formal, physical initiation, this process is more spiritually inclined, yet it is a spirituality which is consistently put into action. All instruments which appear on Threnody for the KhoiSan are products of a process of discovery starting from square one. All this is based and founded on the beauty of simplicity and minimalism as symbolized by the single string Khoisan musical bow and arrow as a trance musical instrument. In this sense it soon became manifest for Garth Erasmus to combine the bow instruments with various electronic instruments. Besides developing his own unique language in music, he also shared an expressed interested in experimental sound aesthetics, avantgarde composition and free jazz. However, his non-academic approach towards sound and music was always fueled by the desire for a reconnection to the land and to the indigenous knowledge of the KhoiSan, whose struggle for First Nation status continues.
LP $35
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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 / THOMAS MORGAN / JUNE 12-15
6/12 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Bass-Drums Duo - Thomas Morgan (bass) Johnathan Blake (drums)
6/13 Thursday
8:30 pm - Bass Duo - Thomas Morgan (bass) Larry Grenadier (bass)
6/14 Friday
8:30 pm - Piano-Bass Duo - Thomas Morgan (bass) Jacob Sacks (piano)
6/15 Saturday
8:30 pm - Trio - Thomas Morgan (bass) Craig Taborn (piano) Immanuel Wilkins (sax)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES - STEVE COLEMAN - JUNE 19-22
6/19 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Steve Coleman and Five Elements - Steve Coleman (sax) Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet) Matt Mitchell (piano) Anthony Tidd (bass) Sean Rickman (drums)
6/20 Thursday
8:30 pm - Steve Coleman and Five Elements - Steve Coleman (sax) Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet) Matt Mitchell (piano) Anthony Tidd (bass) Sean Rickman (drums)
6/21 Friday
8:30 pm - Steve Coleman and Five Elements - Steve Coleman (sax) Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet) Matt Mitchell (piano) Anthony Tidd (bass) Sean Rickman (drums)
6/22 Saturday
8:30 pm - Steve Coleman and Five Elements - Steve Coleman (sax) Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet) Matt Mitchell (piano) Anthony Tidd (bass) Sean Rickman (drums)
THE STONE is located in
The New School at the Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th Street - near 6th ave
LIVE MUSIC
wed-sat - music at 8:30pm
ADMISSION - $20 per set
unless otherwise noted
cash only payment
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IBEAM in BROOKLYN Presents:
Thursday, June 20, 2024 - 8:00 PM 10:30 PM
8pm - Adam Lane Quartet
Ray Anderson, Trombone
Kirk Knuffke, cornet
Adam Lane, bass
Billy Mintz, drums
9pm: Anthony Coleman Trio - 9 pm
Anthony Coleman, Piano
Adam Lane, bass
Patrick Golden, drums
I-Beam is located at 168 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11215
info@ibeambrooklyn.com
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ZURCHER GALLERY Concerts:
Wednesday, June 26th at 8:00 pm
Mari Okubo - East West Harmolodic Opera Groove
With
Alexis Marcelo — keyboard, synthesizer
Richie Harrison - drums
Kenny Wessel — electric guitar
Al MacDowell— electric bass
Performing songs (music and lyrics) were written especially for Mari by ORNETTE COLEMAN
Admission is $20.
Tickets can be purchased at the door. CASH ONLY.
All proceeds go to the artists.
Saturday, June 29th at 8:00 pm
Terry Jenoure Trio with Terry Jenoure, Joe Fonda, Reggie Nicholson
Andrew Drury Tentet: Jason Kao Hwang (violin), Stephanie Griffin (viola), Christopher Hoffman (cello), Thomas Heberet (corner), Frank Lacy (trombone), Briggan Krauss (alto sax), JD Parran (bass flute), Alexis Marcelo (keyboard), Ken Filiano (bass), Andrew Drury (drums)
Admission is $20.
Tickets can be purchased at the door. CASH ONLY.
All proceeds go to the artists.
At Zürcher Gallery
33 Bleecker st,
New York, NY 10012
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This comes from a friend and STEVE LACY enthusiast, Mauro Stocco:
https://www.stevelacymemorialscrapbook.org is a recent tribute portal dedicated to Steve Lacy, the great soprano sax genius who passed away twenty years ago, on June 4th, 2004. The website features contributions by Alvin Curran, Roberto Ottaviano, Gianni Mimmo, Zlatko Kaučič, Vincent Lainè and Jason Weiss, which will be followed by many others over time.
The project originates from an idea of an Italian enthusiast and organizer, Mauro Stocco, who dedicated many years to collecting records, books and magazines about the great Saxophonist, whom he had the opportunity to meet several times, also organizing concerts for him in solo, trio, sextet and with Musica Elettronica Viva.
Steve Lacy was a genius of our time, a sort of Leonardo Da Vinci, capable of interacting with Dixieland, Monk, Ellington, free, Indian music, MEV, Giuseppe Chiari, dance, painting, cinema, poetry, Living Theatre, philosophy, Tao, codifying the role of the modern soprano saxophone.
Many little tributes are coming up, including the concert with Josh Sinton and Bart Maris which will take place on June 22nd at the Afkikker in Gent, Belgium (www.afkikker.be), organized by Rita De Vuyst, a tireless promoter for many years of initiatives dedicated to the memory of Steve Lacy.
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWJ20KEHAdQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuKk7GFtGls
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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 (#37) was released earlier this year, here are 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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