We all fall asleep unless the chorus is the hook
Chorus is the hook, chorus is the hook
And the verse is terse and moody
But the drum machine can cook
Drum machine can cook, the drum machine can cook
He who wants to sell a million better have a mill' to spend -
Greenbacks, Euros, Swiss Francs or Yen
You could be a genius but you won't get far
If your face is better by the doorway in a jar
You really need an earring in your navel or your lip
Music, like photography, is art that you can
Clip, clip, cut in the digital domain
The essence of the thing remains the same
We all fall asleep unless the chorus is the hook
Chorus is the hook, chorus is the hook
And the verse is terse and moody
But the drum machine can cook
Drum machine can cook, the drum machine can cook
He who wants to sell a million better have a mill' to spend -
Greenbacks, Euros, Swiss Francs or Yen.
Money makes money in this made-for-T.V. world
Creation by committee stunts the growth of boys and girls
I miss the live musicians like Ringo Starr and Gadd:
Part of a dying race, but their samples can be had
We all fall asleep unless the chorus is the hook
The “hook” is that short bit of ear-candy that you hear once or twice in a pop song and it stays with you seemingly forever. It comes back to you in a dream and/or when you least expect it, you find yourself whistling it to yourself. This is the hook that the above song discusses in the lyrics above. Free Design were a baroque/sunshine pop band from upstate New York that recorded seven albums between 1967 and 1972, mostly for the Project Three label, which specialized in well-produced light pop music. I recall hearing about The Free Design in the late sixties before I had heard the term sunshine pop, which I thought was similar to bubble gum music, most of which I didn’t like or give a chance to listen to. We got a reunion CD by Free Design called ‘Cosmic Peekaboo’ in a collection which I found at the store so I gave it a listen and realized that I really dug this band. Free Design were all members of the Dedrick family, brothers and sisters from Delvin, New York, who moved to the Village in NYC and evolved into a band. Their music sounds lightweight on the first listen as if it was meant for children. Now that I’ve heard all of their albums numerous times, I hear how much hard work and sophisticated playing and arranging went into their unique sound. The band was never very popular, at least not until many years after they broke up and became a cult band of sorts. I still think that their reunion record is their best offering and it is rare for a reunion record to be better that anything else they’ve done. I love the words to “The Hook” since it pokes fun at the way music became too commercial and relied on formulas rather than creativity. After I bought and listened to all of their albums over & over, I discovered that their main song-writer and arranger, Chris Dedrick, made a solo effort called ‘Be Free’ or ‘Wishes’, which was released in 2000. He tried to get numerous labels to fund it and release it but none came to the rescue. So he funded it himself and released it on his own label. It took me several years to find a copy which I now cherish as an unrecognized masterpiece. It sounds like Chris Dedrick was moving towards progressive rock so who knows where he might’ve gone from there. Sadly, Chris Dedrick died of cancer in August of 2010, in Toronto, Canada where he lived for many years after The Free Design split up. I just found out the Dedrick clan ended up in a band called The Star-Scape Singers, an acapella ensemble which included Chris Dedrick, who also wrote for them. Time to find their records. The search continues! - MC-BruceLee at DMG
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THE 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT SERIES AT DMG CONTINUES WITH:
Tuesday, August 27th:
6:30: ANA GONZALEZ GAMBOA - Cello
7:30: AARON POND - Horn / MATTEO McDONNELL - Accordion / WILL TOBER - Contrabass
8:30: JASON HWANG - Solo Violin
Saturday, August 31st - The GauciMusic Series Returns with:
6:30: JEFF MILES - Guitar / KEN FILIANO - Contrabass / JAMES PAUL MADIEN - Drums
7:30: STEPHEN GAUCI - Tenor Sax / ADAM LANE - ContraBass / KEVIN SHEA - Drums
Tuesday, September 3rd:
6:30: CHET DOXAS / OLE MATHISEN - Tenor Sax Duo
7:30: ANDREW DOW / GIACOMO MEREGA - Electric Bass Duo
8:30: AIDAN O’CONNELL - Bass / DAN O’BRIEN - Woodwinds / MIKE LAROCCA - Drums
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THIS WEEK GOODIES BEGIN WITH ANOTHER SOLO ORGAN GEM BY:
JOHN ZORN - The Hermetic Organ Volume 13-Biennale Musica Venezia (Tzadik 9313; USA)
Zorn's first appearance at the world renowned Venice Biennale was a spectacular one. Invited to perform The Hermetic Organ at the famed 17th century Palazzo Pisano, he was surprised to find two small antique organs opposite one another on the small stage of its intimate concert hall. His performance that day was one of the very best Offices of The Hermetic Organ—a wild, acoustic affair that takes full advantage of the rich reeds, flutes, and horns of these two outstanding instruments. Zorn ran back and forth between them, manipulating the stops with remarkable imagination and agility. There are different tones and sonic cross talk here that sound absolutely electronic. A spectacular addition to one of Zorn’s very best CD series, now in its thirteenth volume.
CD $16
LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO with STEVE WILLIAMSON / SEAN BERGIN / CLAUDE DEPPA / ROBERTO BELLATALLA / THEBE LIPERE - Viva-La-Black (Ogun CD049; UK) Issued on CD for the very first time, this beautiful album was drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo's second as a leader His group, Viva La Black, now included younger members of the South African and Caribbean diaspora, including the Jazz Warrior Steve Williamson. Arguably overlooked on release, the album, newly remastered from the tapes and including two extra bonus tracks, sounds vibrant and fresh and demonstrates Louis' strength as a bandleader in the Art Blakey style. Recorded at Redan Studios, London, 27th January 1988 Louis Moholo-Moholo: drums, vocals Claude Deppa: trumpet, flugelhorn Steve Williamson: tenor and soprano saxophone Sean Bergin: tenor and alto saxophone Roberto Bellatalla: bass Thebe Lipere: percussion, congas, drums.
CD $16
INGRID LAUBROCK / TOM RAINEY - Brink (Intakt CD 425; Switzerland) Featuring Ingrid Laubrock on tenor & soprano saxes and Tom Rainey on drums. This wonderful duo are both musical and life partners who have been working together for many years and playing in each other's different projects. This is their fifth disc as a duo, aside from a long running trio with Mary Halvorson and a newer trio with Brandon Lopez. During the Pandemic, the duo played weekly sets in their apartment which they broadcast on the internet every week for a year or so. You/we can tell that they’ve been playing together for a long while since their bond sounds like it is radiating from within. On the opener, “Flock on Conclusions”, the duo play quietly with Ms. Laubrock’s tenor tone being soft and lush and Mr. Rainey playing with skeletal restraint. There is a set of six short pieces called “Brink”, which are between other songs, bridging the other songs nicely. Mr. Rainey is a master of playing the mallets on his drums and is featured on “Coaxing”, his playing is expansive, hypnotic and somewhat symphonic in scope. It sounds like Ms. Laubrock is squeezing a doll which is making an odd crying sound on “Brink II”, perhaps she is muting her sax and/or bending her reed here, hard to tell but disorienting nonetheless. I like the way this disc was recorded as both instruments are closely mic’d so we can hear each sound clearly. It sounds like we are sitting in between both instruments here, as if we are a part of what is going on. Ms. Laubrock has a lovely, playful, unique tone on soprano sax which is on full display here. It sounds like she is playing directly into the souls of the listener(s) on several songs here, reminding me of the birds who used to park on the fire escape outside my kitchen window and chirp freely from time to time. This is an organic sounding flow going on throughout this entire disc as if it were a suite of connected pieces. Like a fascinating conversation between two old friends, I found this disc to be consistently enchanting throughout. Also included are some lovely liner notes from the great Nels Cline . - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18
LISA CAMERON and SANDY EWEN - See Creatures / Live in Shreveport (H&S Ranch; USA) Featuring Sandy Ewen on guitar & devices and Lisa Cameron on invented percussion & electronics. Recorded live at Minecine in Shreveport, Louisiana in December of 2021. Last night at DMG (8/20/24), Sandy Ewen played a solo guitar-in-lap set here at DMG and it is extraordinary. Ms. Ewen has played here many times since moving to NYC from Texas in the past decade, usually in duos & trios. Her solo sets are relatively rare and this one was something else. Austin-based percussionist/multi-instrumentalist, Lisa Cameron has played with Damon Smith, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten & Ernesto Diaz-Infante as well as with a variety of bands like Sky City, MC Sweet Tea & The Head Band and many others. This duo have two previous cassette-only releases on the Astral Spirits label.
Sandy Ewen has long had a unique approach to playing guitar, placing it on her lap playing it with a variety of utensils & toys. There are some suspense-filled drones going on here which sound like a tuba or trombone but could be something else. Subtle and not-so-subtle feedback, sustained guitar buzzing, scraped strings, rubbed surfaces, etc. Things evolve slowly here. It often sounds like or feels like we have been submerged under water as the slow, solemn drone-like sounds sail around us. The sounds/music here remind me of a soundtrack to a slow-moving European film or video which moves through a landscape outdoor scenes from a wooded area, similar to what is on the cover of this disc, a busy nature scene of flowers, leaves and water from a pond or lake somewhere near where some of live in suburban or rural areas. We are the “see creatures” in the title of this disc, searching for something to see or hear in the usual fog that can surround us in our day-to-day encounter with other humans and nature itself. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
PAUL DUNMALL / FAITH BRACKENBURY / OLIE BRICE / TONY BIANCO - Prema (FMR CD681-1023; UK) Featuring Paul Dunmall on tenor sax, Faith Brackenbury on violin, Olie Brice on contrabass and Tony Bianco on drums. This disc was recorded live at the Eastside Jazz Club in Birmingham, UK in March of 2023. American/UK drummer, Tony Bianco, has been working with British sax colossus Paul Dunmall in duos, trios & quartets for more than two decades with more than two dozen discs in their stable. There is a mighty fine quartet called Sentient Beings which features, Dunmall, Bianco and Britshavant/jazz string sorceress Faith Brackenbury with another bass player, Sentient Beings has two great recent discs out. Ever-busy British bassist Olie Bruce has worked with many heavy hitters like Mark Wastell, Alex Ward, John Russell and Neil Metcalfe.
This disc contains an entire 37 minute set and is well recorded, sounding as if we were sitting right in-front of the quartet. Faith Brackenbury is one the best improvising string players I’ve heard in a while and starts things off playing freely and intensely. She sounds somewhat like Michael White when he was in the Fourth way or with Pharoah Sanders, her organic tone and playing is often pretty astonishing. The rest of the quartet soon comes in with Mr. Dunmall’s blustery tone interwoven with the rest of the quartet quite well. Bassist Olie Brice and drummer Tony Bianco are a superfine rhythm team. Mr. Bianco’s mallet playing is powerful and at the center of this whirlwind quartet, well matched with Mr. Brice’s throbbing bass. Mr. Bianco plays a short drum solo midway which sounds fine linking one section to the next just right. There is strong, spirited interplay going here with violin and tenor sax having a heated dialog, the excitement building as the set evolves. In the last section here, things slow down a bit so the vibe becomes more solemn or prayer-like. Things settle down for a wonderful conclusion with strong work from all four musicians. This is free/jazz improv at its very best! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
JANEL and ANTHONY - New Moon in The Evil Age (Cuneiform Rune 527/528; USA) Hugely influential and appearing nearly everywhere within Washington D.C.'s contemporary music scene as bandleaders and contributing artistic voices, cellist and vocalist Janel Leppin and guitarist Anthony Pirog have long been creative partners as well as life partners.
Their Cuneiform Records debut Where is Home (2012) is considered a crucial modern recording from the region. Following that release, the two have crafted a double-LP opus which crosses genres and mirrors their exploratory and dialogic working methods. New Moon in the Evil Age is their long-awaited follow up to Where is Home and will have immediate appeal to fans of beyond jazz, modern composition and improvisation, indie rock, and of D.C musical culture.
Janel and Anthony make it clear in conversation that New Moon in the Evil Age is a harbinger of things to come as well as the distillation of a twenty year journey of life and work. This recording is only their third as a duo and this fact is somewhat surprising given the fact that they often pair up on each other’s various recorded and live projects. They have both been exceptionally active over the past decade since the release of Where Is Home, but even so, as Pirog notes, “Janel & Anthony has always been a priority for us. We’ve been chipping away at this new record whenever we could, despite life intervening! We're looking forward to having the opportunity now to prioritize our duo music, because we’ve done so much in between our records in terms of performances and planning.”
The 19 tracks of New Moon In The Evil Age, like the years it took to record it, flash by rather quickly, which is a testament to their vision and working process. Though organizing an opus takes time, a number of the pieces were written in short order, as the duo has a language and methodology so finely tuned that compositions can materialize with little provocation. Pirog observes, “We don’t even have to speak; we’re bringing certain ideas we’ve developed over twenty years of working and being together, which makes it so easy, because, really, we just sit down and music comes out.”
The album has a pretty clear division point, given that the first ten tracks are instrumental while the remaining nine are vocal and electronics-heavy. Rather than interpolating and ping-ponging sensibilities from song to song, the arc from soaring string interplay to synth-driven layered avant-pop is clear. Leppin remarks that, “This album is organic to us. We’ve never wanted to align to any particular genre and we try and avoid limitations in our music."
Another factor in their unity of thought and of their sound heard here is emphasized through their long working relationship with The Brink recording studio and its engineer Mike Reina, of which Leppin observes, “The Brink is a huge part of Janel and Anthony records. We think of The Brink as a musical home and a place of freedom. We like to explore sonic textures in the studio and Mike will go to the ends of the earth for tone. We had fun making it, but it’s also an intimate record for us.”
2 CD Set $21
JOHN ESPOSITO and A BOOK OF FIVE RINGS with ROSI HERTLEIN / STACY DILLARD / GREG GLASSMAN / MITCH KESSLER / EMMA ALABASTER / HILLIARD GREENE / PETER O’BRIAN - Vulcan (Sunjump SJCD 0022; USA) Featuring A Book of Five Rings features Rosi Hertlein on violin & voice, Greg Glassman on trumpet, Stacy Dillard on tenor & soprano saxes, Mitch Kessler on flute & bass clarinet, John Esposito Roland keyboard, loops, drums & compositions, Emma Alabaster on bass & voice, Hilliard Greene on bass, Peter O’Brian on drums and Laura Steele on video. I recognize some of the musicians here like Rosi Hertlein (from her work with Joe McPhee & Pauline Oliveros) and Hill Greene (too many sessions to name). The other musicians have been working with Mr. Esposito for a number of sessions/recordings.
The music here was inspired by a book called ‘A Book of Five Rings’ by Musashi Miyamoto, a master swordsman and philosopher. Mr. Esposito provided both written parts with improvised sections which accompanied Laura Steele’s videos. The music was played live on two nights at the Second Ward Gallery in Hudson, NY in October of 2013. Each of the two discs captures a performance of this piece, one per night, a Friday and a Saturday set. The Friday set/CD begins with a piece called “Void”. Right from the beginning, the music has an ethereal quality, free-ish and floating yet still focused and somehow tight. The second piece is obviously written and centered by Hill Greene’s probing bass with thoughtful piano and horns playing their rich harmonies together and Ms. Hertein’s violin soloing on delightfully top. Greg Glassman takes an inspired trumpet solo here, which is followed by a fine solo from Stacy Dillard on tenor sax. It is the writing for and playing by the entire ensemble that stands out here consistently. “Ley Lines” features two ghost-like female voices singing spookily together.
The Saturday Night CD sounds both similar and different from the Friday Night CD. Since the music is only partially written and is reacting to the video that was being viewed, we can hear the way things evolve over time. Once again it is the thoughtful ensemble writing that stands out throughout. No doubt that the music here worked well with the videos yet listening to its own is also a good thing. Whether listening to the ensemble writing/playing or the shorter improvises sections, the music here is consistently fascinating and engaging. Another gem from John Esposito and his great Sunjump label all-stars - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $16
SUN RA & HIS ASTRO INFINITY ARKESTRA - Strange Strings (Expanded Edition)(Cosmic Myth Records CMR 008CD; USA) "Fans of Sun Ra's Space Bop and genre-bending jazz were in for a shock with Strange Strings. Even in the eclectic and sometimes baffling Sun Ra catalog, Strange Strings is an outlier. It's primitive, it's sophisticated, but it's not a gradient of either. It's brutal, yet highly sensitive. Is it music, or just noise? Or noise as music? John Cage could not be reached for comment. For this album, Sun Ra collected an arsenal of exotic string instruments and handed them out to his Arkestra on the precept that 'strings could touch people in a special way.' That the Arkestrans didn't know how to play or tune these instruments was not beside the point -- it was the point. Ra framed it 'a study in ignorance.' The result was primitive, yet sophisticated; brutal, yet highly sensitive. In his essay for this expanded edition of the 1967 Saturn LP, musician-curator David Toop calls Strange Strings 'saturated in mystery.' The original 1967 Saturn LP version of Strange Strings was monophonic, contained three tracks, and suffered distortion in the mastering (perhaps due to the high-decibel studio performance and excessive reverb). Yet some sessions were captured in stereo. A dozen strange-string works have been located, five of which are included on this remastered edition. (The others have been released on other labels; see discography inside gatefold.) No track titles appeared on the original Saturn LP verso, but the three works issued were later identified as 'World's Approaching,' the LP title track, and an inversion of the title, 'Strings Strange.' A belatedly discovered tape box listed the third recording as 'Strange Strange,' a title which has been used in this edition."
CD $14 / LP $35
JOEL FUTTERMAN / WILLIAM PARKER - Why (Soul City; USA) Featuring Joel Futterman on piano and William Parker on contrabass. Never underestimate the playing of master pianist Joel Futterman, he rises to the occasion on each & every gig or disc. Formerly Chicago-based pianist Joel Futterman has long worked with the giants of Free/Jazz like Kidd Jordan, Jimmy Lyons, Alvin Fielder and Hamid Drake. The level of intensity that his playing always rises to is consistently astonishing. Mr. Futterman has been working with Downtown contrabass master William Parker over many years in different groups. This is their first disc as a duo. This disc was recorded by Jim Clouse (from Park West studios) in 2020, hence the sound is strong, well-balanced and bristling with creative energy. What I like most about this disc is that it is a real duo effort. It sounds like Mr. Futterman is rubbing something inside the piano on the long piece, “Part 4”, while Mr. bows his bass, the combination is extraordinary. It sounds like the piano is weeping while Parker bows, the notes bending into each other as the reverberate. What is amazing is how well these two giants play together and that they have a unique combined sound. There is a section where Futterman speeds up, sending out a cascade of frenzied notes which are well-balanced by Parker’s feverish plucked bass, both players are throbbing together in wave upon wave. The inner pulse (of the bass mostly) keeps speeding up and slowing down organically. It sounds like Futterman is shaking or bending the notes as he plays, something which I used to think was a device mainly used by Harold Mabern, who I used to check out often when he was collaborating or just hanging out with vocalist Joe Lee Wilson. For me, this 21 minute piece is a tour-de-force and as good as it gets. And there are still 3 more pieces left to savor. A most incredible disc on several levels simultaneously. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
JOEL FUTTERMAN / MICHAEL WIMBERLEY - Innerpause (JDF 15; USA) Featuring Joel Futterman on piano and Michael Wimberley on drums & percussion. Michael Wimberley is a master musician/drummer who has worked with a number of other giants: Charles Gayle, Oluyemi Thomas, Louie Belogenis, Ivo Perelman and Kali Z Fasteau. I recall first hearing/seeing Mr. Wimberley's playing in the Charles Gayle Trio in the mid-1990’s and realizing what a great drummer he was and still is. This disc was recorded in November of 2023 at Master Sound Studio. Joel Futterman is also a master musician pianist, one of the greats who consistently pushes the barriers outside of usual expectations. There are only tow long pieces on this disc, one 25 and the other one 35 minutes long. “Innerpause Part 1” starts off quietly, sparsely, quite different from what I usually hear from the often rambunctious Mr. Futterman. It sounds as if the duo are getting to know one another, taking their time to build and explore the way they play. This is a fine, righteous, well-balanced duo with no one leading or pushing too hard. It is more like a conversation or a combination of kindred spirits speaking the same language together, a language that only serious listeners can appreciate. Things build to an intense eruption, volatile and bristling with the energy flowing back and forth as the waves increase in power and centrifugal force. Much of the music here reminds me of a symphonic effort where some strong forces are working tightly together and pushing each other higher and higher. Mr. Wimberley takes a long drum solo towards the end of this piece which keeps the flow going and is a gem of its own. It sounds to me like these two giants were meant to work/play together since the music has a common bond which holds it together. Extraordinary, yes indeed! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
TWO GREAT BOOKS JUST RECENTLY RELEASED:
WILLIAM PARKER - Voices in the First Person - Part 2: Art and Language of Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson, Alan Glover, Steve Swell and Christopher Collins (Centering 1031; USA) I’ve read all four of William Parker ‘Conversations’ books (on Rogue Art) and realized how important they to understanding the true nature of Creative New Music through the musicians who’ve dedicated their lives to being an integral part of ever-evolving scene/struggle. Whether I know about each musician interviewed or not, I’ve read the interviews anyway since I am fascinated by the lives, works and opinions of those who choose to create their own sonic worlds. This is the second volume of ‘Voices in the First Person’, a series of interviews with four musicians/composers who William Parker has chosen to talk to at length. I only know one of these musicians well (my friend, Steve Swell) and another one (Jalulu-Kalvert Nelson) just from his work with William Parker. I read through much of this book over the past week and was completely fascinated by the stories that each of these musicians have told. William Parker was wise enough to include the poetry, artwork and ideas about the composing and playing of each of these artists. Since William Parker is a real master musician, composer, teacher, bandleader, author and decent human being, he has a way of getting other kindred spirits to talk at length about their long journeys to get where they are today. This book, like all things that William Parker works on is a blessing to us folks who are guided by Creative Music and they way it inspires us to be better beings. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
BOOK $25
JOEL HARRISON with NELS CLINE / BILL FRISELL / HENRY KAISER / ADAM LEVY / ELLIOTT SHARP - A Journey Through American Guitar Music in 33 Tracks (CymbalPress; USA) This week, guitarist & author Joel Harrison is running a summer camp for guitarists in upstate New York, for students or novices to meet, talk and hang other some of their guitar heroes. This is an annual event and Mr. Harrison is also producing a show coming up with some of these guitarists at Le Poisson Rouge (this Saturday, August 24th at 7pm). Mr. Harrison and a half dozen of his guitar-playing comrades choose 33 other guitarists and discuss a song by each of them and what is special about each of the guitarists and songs. It is a great list of guitarists, their songs and their playing. Each chapter is relatively short (around 4-8 pages) and each one is thoughtfully written, no matter who is writing. This book is not just about the guitarists, it is also about the way a musician creates a song or solo and the way it affects us, the listeners who complete the cycle. I’ve read through this book on the train going to and from NYC on my way to and from the store each day. I’ve learned quite a bit about certain guitarists, their music and the way they touch those who do listen. Here’s a list of the guitarists discussed in this book: Arthur Rhames, Pat Martino, Danny Gatton, Roscoe Holcomb, Emily Remler, Allan Holdsworth, Blind Willie Johnson, Mick Goodrick, Jimmy Wyble, Roy Buchanan, Snoozer Quinn, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, David Lindley, “Thumbs” Carllile, Prince, Jerry Garcia, John Abercrombie, Sonic Youth, Ritchis Blackmore, Ralph Towner, Cornell Dupree, Joni Mitchell & Larry Carlton, Willie King, Jim Hall, Hubert Sumlin, Lenny Breau & Chet Atkins, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Elliot Ingber, Vic Juris, Derek Trucks, Dennis Budimir and Curtis Mayfield. A wonderful read from my/our good friend, Joel Harrison. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
BOOK $25
NIKLAS FITE & GUNTER CHRISTMANN - insisting (Corbett vs Dempsey CvsD 111CD; USA) Two brilliant improvisers, two distinct generations, one close-listening encounter. Swedish guitarist (and, elsewhere, banjo player) Niklas Fite brings a flinty intimacy to his playing, a dry punch that reminds us that the guitar is a percussion instrument. One of the great figures in European improvised music, based in Hannover, Germany, Günter Christmann gained notoriety as a trombonist starting in the very early 1970s, but he was equally engaged in playing double bass and cello and has in recent years devoted himself mainly to the latter. On insisting, Christmann plays cello exclusively. Together, on eight tracks, the two players delve deeply into their collective sound spectrum, exploring timbre and timing, dynamics and dissonance. Like the different iterations of Christmann's variable ensemble Vario (one of which CvsD has documented on the CD Vario 34-3), this is music with intensity and integrity, hardcore improvised music, action-packed minute gestures concentrated within a sweeping overall field of sound and energy. Recorded over two days in 2019.
A statement from Niklas Fite: "the breath is of essential importance in great music. music that never gives that moment of exhalation -- of relief -- suffocates the listener. on the other hand: music that only exhales will also suffocate the listener. the inhalation -- the buildup of energy -- and the exhalation -- the release -- is the game we want to play. and perhaps more importantly: the correct timing of these, which can never be calculated or analyzed, but only felt. a third, and very important aspect of breath in music is the holding of the breath. to freeze in suspense, in anticipation of what will come, and in reflection of that which has been. these are sensations that can be felt in great music, but the truth of the music is far more complex than what I so far have described, and probably more complex than anyone can describe."
CD $15
AMY RIGBY - Hang In There With Me (Tapete Records TR 579CD; Germany) US singer-songwriter legend Amy Rigby presents her new album Hang In There With Me through Tapete Records. Eleven up-to-the minute songs written by Amy and recorded by Wreckless Eric at the couples' home in upstate NY, Hang In There With Me is a bracing look at life inside the vortex of the last few years. Rigby's distinctive voice bluntly traverses love, loss and DIY projects gone wrong over guitars cranked or shimmering, indelible bass lines, a raft of synthesizers, keyboards, beat boxes and the occasional drummer allowed into Amy and Eric’s rustic mid-century echo chamber. Like some people turn to the moon and stars for inspiration, Amy Rigby looks to creative heroes like Bob Dylan and Mike Leigh. She finds poetry in haircuts, live chat boxes; bartending and bookselling. Her music is the sound of everyday people getting by, just like the country artists she loved and learned to write songs from. The recording of Hang In There With Me was bookended by Amy performing in the round alongside Nashville compadre David Olney when he died onstage in January 2020, and the demise of Amy's dad. Along with Eric's near-fatal heart attack, it could have all made for heavy going in the studio, but Amy says: "There was nothing to hide in the few years when no one could see each other. And with my dad losing his mind and passing away, there's not much left to prove anymore. Watching key figures in our lives die just makes it clear that getting older is a gift and brings a new kind of freedom. Writing songs, making records and touring has been my life and I'm lucky I have the energy and will to keep at it. I still just want to share stories and rock out on guitar. The world is such a mess she says. Writing songs and working in the studio is a small way to make order out of the chaos. It keeps on giving me hope. Hang In There With Me looks at the impossibility of life and living it anyway, with abandon." Amy Rigby has established herself one of Americas enduring underground/cult/indie artists, combining the insight and humor of country and folk songwriting with classic rock craftsmanship and punk DIY spirit. She formed pre-Americana country band Last Roundup (Rounder) and Richard Hells' favorite girl group the Shams (Matador) in downtown NYC before launching a solo career with '90s classic album Diary Of A Mod Housewife.
CD $18
KLAUS SCHULZE - Ballett 3 & 4 (MIG 1880CD; Germany) Klaus Schulze talks about Ballett: "Apart from Ballett 1 & 2 the Contemporary Works boxset also contained Ballett 3 and Ballett 4. All four pieces were originally intended to be one composition in honor to my mother who had been a ballet dancer and had died in 1998. I never assumed that the ballet would be performed with dancing. Then I would have to cut down to about 15 or 20 minutes and would probably have to throw away all my favorite parts, which would be quite difficult! The music could have had another title but since it was the first production I did after the death of my mother, I called it Ballett and just numbered the four parts. Ballett 3 once again features traditional instrumentalists such as Thomas Kagermann (violin, flute), Wolfgang Tiepold (cello), and Tobias Becker (oboe). Obviously, I could have played Tobi's oboe or Tiepold's cello with a sampler but it's really something different when those instruments are played live as there is a wonderful interaction with my electronics. Then, you not only have the instruments but also the musicians' ego. If I play a cello sample then I'll do it the way I play keyboards. However, a cellist or oboist plays the 'real' instrument with all the subtleties that come with playing, which a sample can never reproduce. The pure sound of an instrument is not the crucial thing here however. It's the musician's personality that is important as it determines the character of the music."
2 CD Set $22
LEE SCRATCH PERRY & YOUTH - Spaceship To Mars (Cadiz Music CYCDZCD 002CD; UK) "Legendary Reggae visionary Lee Perry's last recorded studio album. Written with, recorded, and produced by Killing Joke's/The Orb's Martin 'Youth' Glover. Without a doubt Lee 'Scratch' Perry is an orphic channeler, a super hero, a Black Ark Magician. He bedazzles and discombobulates, cackling at his own riddles, speaking from another realm. This album epitomizes the spirit of Lee 'Scratch' Perry and how it lives through those who are obsessives of this mystery of a man. He is said to have made something in the region of 2000 albums. This one is one he started with Youth in the third dimension -- and oversaw to completion from an unquantifiable one. Each artist featured (Carroll Thompson, Blue Pearl, Zoe Devlin, Radical Dance Faction, Boy George, Hollie Cook, and more) is as fervent about Scratch and his works as the next. The psychic rapport is evident. Youth calls it 'voodoo magic meets raiders of the lost ark.' It sums up the cosmic coming together of an album that's been a good seven years in the making. 2CD, three-panel digipack with booklet."
2 CD Set $25
SPRUNG AUS DEN WOLKEN - 1981 - West-Berlin (Bureau B 457CD; Germany) The Berlin project Sprung Aus Den Wolken was part of the "Geniale Dilletanten" movement in the early 1980s, along with Einsturzende Neubauten and Mechanik Destruktiw Komandoh. The band first released an EP on ZickZack in 1981, followed by further releases on the band's own record label Faux Pas in 1982 and 1983, then on the French outlet Les Disques Du Soleil Et De L'Acier until 1991. The track "Pas Attendre" was part of the soundtrack of Wim Wender's movie Der Himmel Uber Berlin and thus became an underground hit. Bureau B is thrilled to now re-release the debut EP under the title 1981 West Berlin, including additional songs from the band's early days, which have been carefully remastered from the original cassettes.
CD $18 / LP $30
VARIOUS ARTISTS: KROKODIL / EPSILON / MESSAGE / J.C. HEAVY / DSCHINN / MIDNIGHT CIRCUS / THE SHATTERS / et al - 70's Prog Rock: Rare Singles (Bellaphon Records 9622920CD; Germany) 70's Prog Rock: Rare Singles is an exclusive compilation of progressive rock songs that were released exclusively as singles by Bellaphon in the early seventies and have only occasionally appeared as bonus tracks on the albums of the respective bands since then. The majority of the songs come from the catalogue of the Krautrock label Bacillus records, but tracks from Admiral records and Bellaphon records are also included. In addition to a large number of Krautrock bands such as Message, Krokodil, Midnight Circus, Dschinn, and Orange Peel, progressive musicians from England (J.C. Heavy) and the United States (Lee Reed) are also represented. The executive producer for most of the songs was Bacillus mastermind Peter Hauke, who, according to legend, coined the term Krautrock like no other. Also featuring Epsilon, Tiger B. Smith, The Shatters, and Maternal Joy.
CD $17
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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
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / IMMANUEL WILKINS / AUG 21-24
8/21 Wednesday
8:30 pm QUINTET - Immanuel Wilkins (saxophone) Lauren Cauley (violin) gabby fluke-mogul (violin) Jessica Pavone (viola) Lester St Louis (cello)
8/22 Thursday
8:30 pm - QUARTET - Immanuel Wilkins (saxophone) Nia Drummond (voice) Cooper-Moore (piano) Eric McPherson (drums)
8/23 Friday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Immanuel Wilkins (saxophone) Keyanna Hutchinson (guitar) Jeff Tain Watts (drums)
8/24 Saturday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Immanuel Wilkins (sax) Laraaji (piano, zither, voice) Burniss Earl Travis (bass)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / JENNIFER CHOI / AUG 28-31
8/28 Wednesday
8:30 pm - The Partita Project - Jennifer Choi (violin) - Bach Partita No. 2 in D Minor; Missy Mazzoli Dissolve, O My Heart; John Zorn Partita
8/29 Thursday
8:30 pm - Either/Or and Special Guests - Jennifer Choi (violin) Richard Carrick (extended piano) John Popham (cello) Bahar Badieitabar (oud) Rafael Herida (drums) - Improvisations
8/30 Friday
8:30 pm - A Modern Sound Bath - Jennifer Choi (violin) James Moore (electric guitar) Kathleen Supove (piano) - Improvisations / Zorn Hockey / A. Vrebalov Sound Shapes…
SATURDAY AUGUST 31 - CLOSED
STONE EVENTS HAVE BEEN CANCELED
THE NEW SCHOOL CAMPUS WILL BE CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY
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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This comes from a friend and STEVE LACY Italian fan, Mauro Stocco:
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 currently features contributions by Alvin Curran, Roberto Ottaviano, Gianni Mimmo, Zlatko Kaučič, Andrea Centazzo, Tino Tracanna, Vincent Lainè, Jason Weiss, and others will follow over time.
After having dedicated many years to collecting records, books and magazines about Steve, having met him several times and organized gigs for him in solo, trio, sextet and with Musica Elettronica Viva, I decided it was the time to create a simple, but heartfelt, tribute.
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, sculpture, cinema, poetry, Living Theatre, philosophy, Tao, codifying the role of the modern soprano saxophone.
Anyone who feels they have a contribution to make to the site can contact the e-mail address listed.
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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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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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