At the end of the show Mr. Frith said that he was playing the following week at a place called Studio Henry in the west Village at the corner of Morton & Bleecker Sts on a certain date. None of us had heard of this place before and we were a bit confused when we got there and realized what a funky place this was. A black-painted basement space with no stage and just a handful of metal folding chairs. There was no sign outside, just the number “one” which was the address on Morton St. Mr. Frith played with a trio for the first set which we (my friends & myself) liked. The second set was a duo with someone named Eugene Chadbourne. Mr. Chadbourne played a guitar which looked like the strings were about to fall off plus he played balloons, which he rubbed on the strings. I couldn’t figure out why Frith was playing with this dude since he seemed like a clown to me. When I complained to Fred later that night, he said to be patient since Chadbourne was working on a new approach to the guitar. A week or two later, Frith played a duo with another person I hadn’t heard of named John Zorn (December of 1979). Mr. played just sax mouth pieces, bird calls and a cup of water. He didn’t assemble his sax and again I was confused by what he did play. Fred Frith was a member of a British band called Henry Cow, who were in my top 3 favorite progressive bands ever (with the Mothers of Invention & Soft Machine). Henry Cow had broken up that year (1979) and Mr. Frith had moved to NYC. It took me around a year to figure out what exactly Mr. Chadbourne and Mr. Zorn were doing. I met an old couple named Irving & Stephanie Stone who were a bit older than my parents at Studio Henry and they told me that they loved what Zorn & Chadbourne were doing. I also attended a few game pieces which Zorn had composed to get musicians to improvise in new ways. Zorn invited me to check out his bebop quartet at a furniture store in the east village. I was flabbergasted that Mr. Zorn & his quartet played bebop very well, no easy feat. I also realized that Zorn had invented a new vocabulary for the sax through multiphonics, circular breathing and extended techniques. His solo sax sets then were a wonder. Between 1979 and 1981, I met an entire new community of musicians: Tom Cora, Polly Bradfield, Elliott Sharp, Wayne Horvitz, Robin Holcomb, Dave Sewelson, Bill Laswell, Anton Fier, Arto Lindsay and many more. I recorded as many sets as I possibly could and now have a vast library of some 4,000 cassettes or DAT’s.
It’s been 45 years since I first met John Zorn and the other Downtown musicians from that era. I have witnessed an entire scene grow, evolve, thrive and turn into a larger phenomenon which is recognized around the world by serious listeners everywhere. I’ve caught John Zorn play in concert more than 300 times and continue to check him out live as well as listen to each of his hundreds of releases. Since the Tzadik catalogue (Zorn’s record label) has more than 950 releases (CD’s, LP’s & t-shirts) continues to grow, it keeps us here at DMG quite busy since we do the fulfillment for Tzadik. Mr. Zorn has released a new CD of his own music almost every month for nearly a decade, something that no other living composer has done. I/we look forward every month to a new release from Mr. Zorn. Check out the Tzadik website (Tzadik.com) to see what is out or coming out in the near future. John Zorn will turn 71 next Tuesday, September 3rd. Let’s all wish him a very Happy Birthday! We love you John! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG - 8/29/24
A FEW UPCOMING JOHN ZORN SETS:
Friday, October 11, 2024
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF JOHN ZORN’S COBRA
Featuring:
Brian Marsella electric piano, keyboards
Sylvie Courvoisier piano
Ikue Mori electronics
Wendy Eisenberg electric guitar
Mary Halvorson electric guitar
Taylor Levine electric guitar
Simon Hanes electric bass
Henry Fraser acoustic bass
Willie Winant percussion
Kenny Wollesen drums, electric vibes
Ches Smith drums
Kenny Grohowski drums
John Zorn prompter
Saturday, November 2nd at The Stone at 8:30:
IKUE MORI / JOHN ZORN / JIM STALEY / BRIAN MARSELLA / CYRO BAPTISTA!
Sunday, December 15th at the Village Vanguard
For One Matinee Set: NEW MASADA QUARTET!
Featuring: JOHN ZORN / JULIAN LAGE / JORGE ROEDER / KENNY WOLLESEN!!!
NEW MASADA QUARTET CD Live at Roulette to be released in October of 2024!
PAINKILLER with JOHN ZORN / BILL LASWELL / MICK HARRIS new CD called ’Samsara’ to be released in November of 2024!
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THE 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT SERIES AT DMG CONTINUES WITH:
Saturday, August 31st - The GauciMusic Series Returns with:
6:30: JEFF MILES - Guitar / KEN FILIANO - Contrabass / JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums
7:30: STEPHEN GAUCI - Tenor Sax / ADAM LANE - ContraBass / KEVIN SHEA - Drums
Tuesday, September 3rd: Happy Birthday to John Zorn!
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
Tuesday, September 10th:
6:30: RICH ROSENTHAL - Guitar / JOE FIEDLER - Trombone / DMITRY ISHENKO - Bass / COLIN HINTON - Drums
7:30: JAIR-ROHM WELLS - Bass / BOB MUSSO - El Guitar / TARA TOMS - Vocals & Electronics
8:30: RYAN SIEGEL - Alto Sax - Trumpet / MARC EDWARDS - Drums
Tuesday, September 17th:
6:30: ARON NAMENWIRTH - Guitar / DANIEL CARTER - Reeds & Brass / JOE ROSENBERG - Roland 404
7:30: STAN ZENKOV - bass clarinet-alto sax / NICOLE CONNELLY - trombone / EVAN CRANE and ZACH SWANSON - basses / YUKO TOGAMI - drums
8:30: SYLVAIN LEROUX
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THIS WEEK’S SONIC GEMS BEGIN WITH:
ACHIM KAUFMANN / MICHAEL MOORE - ’22 (Ramboy #40; Netherlands) Featuring Achim Kaufmann on piano and Michael Moore on clarinet & alto sax. This entire 2 CD set was recorded live in Germany on two nights in September of 2022. Of the 13 songs performed, Mr. Kaufmann and Mr. Moore each wrote 4 or 5 with four songs from the Andrew Hill catalogue. Longtime ICP reeds pioneer, Michael Moore put out his first release on the Ramboy label in 1992. This is the 40th release on this label and the last two are both 2 CD sets of duos with Mr. Moore. About ten years ago, Moore released three other duo discs with German pianist Achim Kaufmann. Moore and Kaufmann’s recorded collaborations go back even further with a trio disc out in 2006 (with Dylan Van Der Schyff on Red Toucan). I’ve long dug Mr. Kaufmann’s work with musicians like Frank Gratkowski, Ingrid Laubrock and Gebhard Ullmann.
Disc begins with “La Verne” by Andrew Hill, which was first recorded by Mr. Hill for a called ‘Live at Montreux’ (from 1976). The song is a poignant ballad and the melody is skeletal yet most haunting with some exquisite, warm clarinet by Mr. Moore and an elegant piano solo by Mr. Kaufmann. Kaufmann’s “Factorials” is slower, even more stark and filled with suspense. Moore’s tone on clarinet is buttery, closer to the sound of bass clarinet at times. The vibe is most cerebral, slowed to a breathtaking pace. Andrew Hill’s “The Griots” come from an album called ‘Andrew!!!’, which was recorded in 1964. Mr. Moore switches to alto sax here, the song is somewhat more angular with stretching out some notes carefully on his alto. The relaxed pace of these songs and the lush, warm vibe makes this disc easy to warm to like some fine wine on a cold night during the winter. On Kaufmann’s “Human Poison”, the two musicians toss quick lines back and forth as if answering questions at a brisk pace. ‘Disc B’ also begins with two covers by Andrew Hill. “Ode to Von” comes from Andrew Hill’s album, ’Smoke Stack’ and Mr. Moore is back to his alto sax here. Mr. Moore’s warm tone and playing is most exquisite, reminding me of the way Johnny Hodges would take a solo at a Duke Ellington concert and play a melody that shines like a jewel among the regular players. On “Simon”, things are stripped down with Mr. Moore’s playful clarinet at the center, with Kaufmann’s piano embellishing each of Moore’s lines. The duo slow down and push things further out on “Olijf Olive”, adding some suspense and surprising twists and turns. What I really like about this disc is that although this is a mere duo, the piano and reeds often sound like a full band or orchestra balancing out each other’s sound with rich, thoughtful harmonies and the occasional gem-like solo. This two CD set is a treasure chest of wonderful music. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $18
IVO PERELMAN / CHAD FOWLER / REGGIE WORKMAN / ANDREW CYRILLE - Embracing the Unknown (Mahakala 076; USA) Featuring Ivo Perelman on tenor sax, Chad Fowler on stritch & saxello, Reggie Workman on contrabass & percussion and Andrew Cyrille on drums & percussion. Starting around 1990, there have been more than 150 releases featuring Brazilian-born, NYC-based saxist Ivo Perelman. After a deluge of releases over the past decade, Mr. Perelman is finally slowing down to just a handful a year. For this disc/session, Mr. Perelman has chosen a great rhythm team of well-respected elders who career stretch back more than a half century each plus Mr. Workman and Mr. Cyrille have been playing Trio 3 (with Oliver Lake) since 1997. Chad Fowler runs this, the Mahakala label and plays two rare reeds, saxello and stritch. He is a gifted saxist who always plays just right with whomever he collaborates with.
“Embracing the Unknown” begins quietly with sa tark sound of the tapping of a bell. I’ve caught Reggie Workman play live many times over the years and recognize that his approach to music always has a spiritual side. Workman likes to play an assortment of small percussion and other ethnic utensils. The quartet take their time as if they are getting to know one another and trading lines or exchanging ideas in an organic conversation. There is a section where both saxes sound as if they are talking to another, I can actually hear a dialogue going on. Mr. Perelman is often working tightly with the rhythm team while Mr. Fowler interweaves his lines in and around the ongoing trio/quartet. The temperature starts to rise to boiling point as the quartet starts soaring together. The title of the pieces here mostly deal with soul searching or reflection, which makes sense since these pieces often sound like the quartet is searching for a common spirit/vibe. Mr. Workman plays bowed bass at the beginning of “Soul Searching”, his sound reaching for something within. Ivo Perelman is a master improviser and he works hard on every session, thinking deeply to connect on the spirit level with whomever he is playing with. Both sax players here work extremely well together, swirling their lines together, sailing and reaching for the skies. One of the reasons that this disc sounds so good is that it was recorded by Jim Clouse at Park West Studios. Aside from being a marvelous saxist himself, Mr. Clouse is a master producer/recorder of Free/Jazz at its best. There is too much stellar music here to describe here so let’s just say that if you dig the more spiritual side of Free/Jazz, then this disc will be some manna for you. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
THE VINNY GOLIA QUINTET with KRIS TINER / CATHLENE PINEDA / MILLER WREN / CLINT DODSON - Almasty (Ninewinds CD 0349; USA) Featuring Vinny Golia on B-flat & bass clarinets, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor & bari saxes, Kris Tiner on trumpet & flugelhorn, Cathlene Pineda on piano, Miller Wren on bass and Clint Dodson on drums. After releasing a massive (12 CD) boxset in 2021, multi-reeds master, composer & professor has slowed down a bit as far as new releases go. Vinny Golia has been teaching at Cal Arts for many years and often works with former and current students of his. The only musician here I know about is trumpeter Kris Tiner who was a member of Tin/Bag (with Mike Baggetta) and the Empty Page Quartet, both of whom have discs out that I recall enjoying. If I’m not mistaken bassist Miller Wren once played here at DMG plus Mr. Wren and drummer Clint Dodson have recorded with Mr. Golia on a previous disc. Pianist Cathlene Pineda has also worked with Mr. Golia on a previous disc from 2017 and she has three discs out on the Orenda label since then.
Things begin with “A Little Game” with Mr. Golia on sopranino sax and the rest of the quintet playing in a quirky Braxton-like way. Both Mr. Golia and Kris Tiner on trumpet are fluttering together in flurries of notes which spin in tight orbits together. The tempo speeds up as Mr. Golia takes an astonishing solo soaring above the quintet. Ms. Pineda follows him also playing an impressive, intense, short two-handed piano solo. “Requiem, a Visit to the Fairy Room” begins with the soprano sax and trumpet playing a drone note together which starts to shift in tone. This piece is more sparse with a solemn, enchanting piano solo midway. I like the way the soprano and trumpet play together creating some riveting yet thoughtful harmonies. Although much of these pieces sound free, Mr. Golia gives direction to the proceedings with some memorable written themes. The pieces that are more sparse, give us some time to consider the way they evolve. The last piece, “Master of the Horizontal Ellipsis, Tied to Steel”, again has some odd, shrewd harmonies for the bass clarinet fronted quintet. After listening to this disc a few times, I started to realize that there are some interesting structural or strategic elements going on which I didn’t notice at first since they are buried below the surface. Time to listen again since I want to get to know this music better before I file it away among the deluge of releases that I own and have heard just once or twice. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
MATT LAVELLE & THE 12 HOUSES with LEE ODOM / CHARLES WATERS / RAS MOSHE / CLAIRE DALY / CHERYL PYLE / MARY CHERNEY / STEPHANIE GRIFFIN / CLAIRE DE BRUNNER / CHRIS FORBES / HILLIARD GREENE / JEREMY CARLSTEDT / et al - The Crop Circles Suite - Part One (Mahakala 073; USA) The 12 Houses is an ensemble organized by former Downtowner Matt Lavelle which features two soloists (Lavelle on clarinets & pocket trumpet & Jack DeSalvo on guitar, banjo & oud) plus four quartets: reeds quartet with Lee odom, Charles Waters, Ras Moshe & Claire Daley; brass quartet with Matt Lamblaiase, Nicole Davis, Art Baron & Ben Stapp, Air/Fall quartet with Mary Cherney & Cheryl Pyle on flutes, Claire DeBrunner on bassoon & Stephanie Griffin on viola and Water/Winter quartet: Chris Forbes on piano, Hill Greene on contrabass, Jose Luis Abreu on percussion and Jeremy Carlstedt on drums. I’ve been friends with Mr. Lavelle for many years and was a bit sad when he got married and moved to Philly several years back. I know that he has found some happiness through his marriage and other music pursuits so I am glad for him. Mr. Lavelle has been working on this project for many years so there is quite a bit to absorb here. Mr. Lavelle organized the 12 Houses ensemble which now has two studio efforts. The Crop Circles Suite is based on astrology and this disc captures parts one through six. Mr. Lavelle wrote the lengthy liner notes here which explain the way the piece works and has evolved. I’ve read through the liner notes several times just to get a better understanding of what is going on here. It will take some to figure this out. “Crop Circle Suite Part One” is long and begins with several layers of flutes swirling around another with skeletal piano punctuation. Mr. Lavelle has written out and/or directed parts for each of his quartets to play together. The quartet with the rhythm team comes in and out, swinging nicely and getting into some infectious grooves. Although the music sounds like some sort of Latin jazz, the large ensemble is also pushing things further out as it evolves. Some pieces start off one way, swinging graciously with short spurts of solos or duos which erupt in sections and then fade back into the larger mass. Even when certain sections get a bit chaotic or free, they sound as if they are part of the overall flow. The gifted and often under-recognized guitarist, Jack DeSalvo, plays a fine, thoughtful longish interlude in this piece midway and shows off his prowess. There is also a wonderful orchestral section in the last section of “Part One” which features layers of expanding brass, reeds and percussion. Overall, this disc is filled with quite a bit of mesmerizing music. It will take some time to understand the way it was composed and executed since it seems obvious that Matt Levelle has been working on this concept/work for several years by now. Most impressive, one of the best discs in recent memory! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
JASON KAO HWANG - Soliloquies - Unaccompanied Pizzicato Violin Improvisations (Tone Science TS 05; USA) Featuring Jason Kao Hwang on solo violin. Going back more than three decades, improvising violinist Jason Hwang has been leading bands and collaborating with the elders like Billy Bang, William Parker and Joseph Daley. I’ve been a longtime fan of Mr. Hwang’s ever since having heard him playing in the late loft jazz days/early Downtown Scene. Each of Mr. Hwang's varied projects/bands is quite different and hence each of his more than a dozen discs are well worth hearing. Recently Mr. Hwang asked if he could play here at DMG for a solo set to celebrate the release of this solo offering, his first violin effort. What’s interesting is that Mr. Hwang is playing exclusively pizzicato violin which means that it is al lplucked notes and not bowed, a unique way to play the violin and go beyond certain limitations of this method. Mr. Hwang seems to be taking his time here, concentrating on one theme at a time, sometimes plucking individual strings or playing chords. Hwang slows down on “Where the River Runs Both Ways”, playing what sounds like a fragment of an old familiar melody. It takes some time to adjust to just hearing the plucked strings here. There is a sense of calm exploration going on here that I do like. Check out the short segment on Mr. Hwang’s solo set here at DMG when I place it on the DMG InstaGram account in the next few days. - Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG
CD $14
JOEL FUTTERMAN - Forever (Mahakala 078; USA) Featuring Joel Futterman on solo piano, recorded at Master Sound Studio in Virginia Beach, VA in December of 2022. Joel Futterman has recorded quite a bit of recordings since his first solo effort in 1979, some 85 plus discs by my own count, a third of which are solo efforts. Some folks might complain that he has too many records out but not me as I’ve enjoyed every one that’s I’ve heard plus I’ve caught Mr. Futterman in concert on more than a dozen occasions. “Master pianist Joel Futterman's latest solo effort. Futterman’s spontaneous creation has reached a foundational level of mastery, achieved a focus that encompasses both moments in time and their pathways to infinity.” - bandcamp
CD $14
STEVE LACY with WYNTON KELLY / MAL WALDRON / CARLA BLEY / CHARLES DAVIS / DON CHERRY / MICHAEL MANTLER / BUELL NEIDLINGER / KENT CARTER / JOHNNY DYANI / JOHN ORE / DENNIS CHARLES / ELVIN JONES / ROY HAYNES / BILLY HIGGINS / ALDO ROMANO / LOUIS MOHOLO / et al - The Classic Albums (Enlightenment 9235; EEC) This 4CD collection collates 8 of the finest albums revered soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy recorded as either leader or co-leader. A pioneer and originator of experimental jazz, Lacy is widely credited as bringing the soprano sax back into the mainstay after a period of neglect. This new set serves to highlight the great man's importance, acting as an ideal starting point for those unacquainted or a welcome reminder to those already versed. The albums included here are: ’Soprano Sax’ (1958), ‘Reflections’ (1959), ‘The Straight Horn Of Steve Lacy’ (1962), ‘Evidence’ (1962), ‘Disposability’ (1966), Carla Bley / Michael Mantler / Steve Lacy - ‘Jazz Realities’ (1966), ’Sortie’ (1966) and ‘The Forest and The Zoo’ (1967, ESP). We played three of the four discs here at DMG on Monday & Tuesday of this week, which considering that each disc is around 80 minutes long, is around 4 hours long. This colossal 4 CD set encompasses Steve Lacy’s early career, from 1958 until 1967 and I was blown away by each of these albums. An essential collection from one of the guiding lights of progressive jazz. - BLG
4 CD Set $18
CADENCE MAGAZINE - The Independent Journal of Creative Improvised Music (Cadence Media Volume 49, 1A; USA) Cadence magazine is now a quarterly digest with four issues bound together like a large (315 page) paperback. Featuring lengthy interviews with Conny Bauer, Andrea Centazzo, Kevin Reilly (cofounder of Relative Pitch Records), Veryan Weston on Trevor Watts, Trevor Watts himself (48 pages), Gene Paul, Deidre Murray, John Yao & Oscar Treadwell. There are dozens of concert reviews, album & CD reviews (new & reissued items), tributes to recently departed musicians like Carla Bley, Dom Minasi, Keiko Jones (wife of Elvin Jones) and more. There are a number of photo essays, many by Ken Weiss. Mr. Weiss is a doctor from Philly who is also a fine jazz journalist, photographer and does some of the best & longest (exhaustive & important) interviews that I’ve read. He reviewed the recent Vision Fest in this issue plus a large number of concert reviews mostly in Philly. Cadence Magazine is now published & edited by David Haney. Mr. Haney was nice enough to send us 15 copies of the latest Cadence Magazine/Book. We are giving them away to the first 15 DMG customers who order anything from us this week. This digest is thick (315 pages) and it is filled with loads of fascinating articles, reviews and photos.
CADENCE Magazine - Free for the first 15 DMG customers that ask for a copy - Free
HEIKO MAILE JULIAN DEMARRE - Neostalgia (Bureau B BB467CD; Germany) Heiko Maile and Julian Demarre, both pop musicians and film composers, have been collaborating since the mid-'90s album classic Meanwhile by Camouflage. While Heiko continued pursuing the perfect pop song, they both landed their first feature film score gigs. In recent years while working together on several films, they felt they should create something for themselves -- a love letter to '70s and '80s electronic music. With some esoteric 1970s keyboards from Japan designed for the sound of tomorrow they have now recorded an album for all the days after tomorrow. The result is the genre-bending album Neostalgia, a unique blend of various electronic styles and 1970s Krautrock with pieces featuring intros/outros, flutes, flanger guitars and vocoders, and tracks pushing the six-minute mark.
CD $17
SUPERPOSITION - II (We Jazz WJCD 072CD; Finland) Finnish quartet Superposition returns with their second album, II, on We Jazz Records, led by drummer Olavi Louhivuori, Superposition features Linda Fredriksson and Adele Sauros on saxes and Mikael Saastamoinen on bass. Having won the EMMA prize for the Finnish jazz album of the year with their debut, Superposition takes leaps forward with their remarkably strong new album, taking the quartet's acoustic free jazz-based sound towards a more melodic, flowing direction. Superposition, a sought-after live combo, is first and foremost a solid group that understands the power of developing their music together. Each of the four members bring in compositions for album number two, and they all write in a way that serves the band's overall sound. Olavi Louhivuori, the band's de facto leader, has composed four of the nine tracks, but there is no hierarchy here and the Superposition sound is certainly a shared one. Introspective, moody passages ebb and flow naturally with the fire spirit of the band that snaps, crackles and pops with the best of them. Think of acoustic freedom jazz lineage set in motion by the likes of Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, and many more. Already the starting three tracks show you the many shades of the unified band, from the sneaking intensity of the first single "Clouding" via the subdued tension of "Clashes" into the all-out gallop of "Huia." There's something both intimate and anthemic in the sound of Superposition. The band's music has a strong narrative, making II a true aural "page-turner."
CD $17
LP SECTION:
ORNETTE COLEMAN TRIO with DAVID IZENZON / CHARLES MOFFETT - The Scandinavian Broadcast: Live At Tivoli Koncertsalen Copenhagen November 30, 1965 - FM Broadcast (Survival Research 093LP; Australia) Improvisational sax giant Ornette Coleman was one of the principal founders of free jazz. Recorded in Copenhagen on 30 November 1965, Live at the Tivoli finds an unfettered Coleman blowing fiery peaks as drummer Charles Moffett and bassist David Izenzon provide an unobtrusive backing, Moffett locking into the groove on "Lonely Woman" and Izenzon offering a meandering melody on "Clergyman's Dream." Moffett's fine solo shows what he's made of on "Sadness," and on "Falling Stars," Coleman wreaks havoc on violin before blowing blue shades on the trumpet. Another excellent Ornette Coleman listening experience!
LP $22
JEANNE LEE AND RAN BLAKE - The Newest Sound Around (Destination Moon DMOO 075LP; Italy) While studying at Bard College, a liberal arts facility in upstate New York, pianist Ran Blake and singer Jeanne Lee began working together as a duo, their astounding debut The Newest Sound Around edging into Third Stream territory. Unjustly overlooked at its time of issue in 1962, the album has loping hazy jazz odes like "Laura," solo ventures for Blake such as "Church On Russell Street," and one-off takes of "Summertime," "Evil Blues," and "Blue Monk." Variety is the spice of life on this intriguing yet everything is delivered in the duo's own tenor, yielding an intriguing slice of early '60s mood jazz, ripe for rediscovery.
LP $22
CEDAR WALTON / RON CARTER / JACK DEJOHNETTE - Cedar Walton / Ron Carter / Jack Dejohnette (Music on Vinyl MOV 3824LP; Netherlands) "Cedar Walton was one of the most influential hard bop pianists and became well known as the pianist with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette both gained fame early in their careers for their associations with two different Miles Davis groups. This jazz album from 1984 was the only recording that these three jazz legends did together and was created on December 22-23 in 1983. The album is also known as The All American Trio. Cedar Walton / Ron Carter / Jack DeJohnette contains newly written liner-notes by jazz journalist/historian Scott Yanow."
LP $36
ROLAND KAYN - The Ortho-Project (Frozen Reeds 025-039; Finland) Returning to the unreleased oeuvre of the master of cybernetic sound Roland Kayn, Frozen Reeds hereby unveils a new high watermark for longform electroacoustic composition, unfolding across 15 CDs in a luxurious gold-stamped boxed set. With Jim O'Rourke applying his signature restorative touch to the audio, and Robert Beatty taking his cryptic cybernetics-inspired artwork several steps beyond the label's previous Kayn box, The Ortho-Project (2007) finally sees a fitting release. In 1970, Roland Kayn began a decades-long period of research, development and creation at the Instituut voor Sonologie in Utrecht. In the mid to late '90s, Kayn retired, relocated to the Dutch countryside, and began to realize new electronic works at Reiger Recording Studio -- his modest home facility. "I finally came to the conclusion," he would later point out, "that I no longer needed studios to construct my own electronic music." The working methods Kayn arrived at individually -- without the room-filling synthesizers, mixing desks and signal-processing equipment of Sonology at his disposal -- saw him turning his own career into a cybernetic process. From the hours of recorded sound amassed in prior decades, he began processing and assembling a mountainous quantity of new music. His works of this period are focused on reabsorbing and recontextualizing his life's work to produce yet another series of utterly alien landscapes. From his retirement until his death in 2011, Kayn was wildly prolific, leaving an archive of dozens of finished electronic pieces. Earlier source material is often resculpted using the technology Kayn had available to hand, while other techniques such as sampling radio broadcasts or the plunderphonic quotation of others' works occasionally intercede. No notes accompany any of this music -- no word of explanation or expression of intent. Only the works and their titles remain, the latter often simply deepening the mystery. Their durations range from around 20 minutes to almost 18 hours. The Ortho-Project, presented here in its entirety, is among the longest. At this scale, Kayn's music is perhaps at its most immersive; the listener senses they are being invited to envelope themselves in a rich environment of diverse timbral physicality rather than a programmatic work. This is simply electronic music as you have never experienced it before. "The mystery, the grace, the boundless invention -- Kayn's machine music is a vast catalogue of very human wonder." --The Guardian
15 CD Box Set $132
THE FLYING LUTTENBACHERS - Losing The War Inside Our Heads (God Records 072LP; Austria) Losing The War Inside Our Heads is the 17th official album by The Flying Luttenbachers. It is a desolate, bracing collection of music showcasing five varied new tracks of intense, composed modernism. The previous release Terror Iridescence (GODREC 069LP, 2022) was an abstract horrorscape of alienated dissonance marking founding member Weasel Walter's transition back to the original base of operations, Chicago. Following four albums with New York based personnel since reviving the Flying Luttenbachers in 2017 after a decade long hiatus, Losing The War is a transitional work like 2003's epic Systems Emerge From Complete Disorder, one of the most complex and ambitious chapters in the entire saga. Largely conceived and executed by Walter solo as a stopgap between phases, the dark, rigorous constructions here are tightly sculpted and scripted examples of the "brutal prog" aesthetic the group pioneered in the early 2000s. From the cathartic, asymmetrical riffing of "The Solution is the Problem," the quasi brutal death metal-influenced jigsaw puzzle "Id Vomit," to the endless corridor of minimalistic, epic doom, "Crawling 1000 Meters Across A Cold Stone Floor Towards The Forbidden," the mood is suffocatingly malevolent and oppressive, crammed full of bizarre twists, coruscating guitar abrasion, and relentless structural momentum.
LP $30
TOMOYUKI TRIO - Shitsuren (Feeding Tube/Cardinal Fuzz FTR 770LP; USA) Cardinal Fuzz and Feeding Tube Records present the second LP from Tomoyuki Trio (Tomoyuki Aoki, Mike Vest, and Dave Sneddon) following their debut LP Mars on the esteemed Riot Season Record Label. Tomoyuki Aoki is the founding member and lead guitarist of the legendary Tokyo Psych Monsters Up-Tight. Of all the Japanese psych-rock groups that emerged in the late nineties and early noughties, Up-Tight are the most reverent, the most directly plugged into the source, from their name (Velvet Underground) with knowing referential song titles like "Sweet Sister" to their extended heavy, dark black clad acid fried one chord psych melters -- bands like Fushitsusha, White Heaven, Kousokuya, Shizuka, and the grandaddies of 'em all, the deservedly-legendary, Les Rallizes Denudes. Shitsuren if anything has got an even heavier, dronier edge than the last one. Super fuzzed guitars, sad ballads, grinding distorto epics and numbed, narcotic rhythms. This is one to play at maximum volume so that you can soak up its molten magik, as over two sides of Shitsuren's grueling guitar hypnotics you uncover the darker side of the ensembles personality to find them digging deep to drag the audience with them into the shadows of stoner psyche. If you can picture Okhami No Jikan, Asahito Nanjo, Musica Transonic, and Toho Sara then you're close to the outrageous levels of psychedelic excess captured here, a riotous concoction of ferociously brooding, locked down heavy bearing intensity of fierce/brutal speaker battering in the red levels.
LP $30
BHAJAN BHOY - Peace Frequencies/Healing Frequencies (The WFMU WGXC Sessions 2023)(Feeding Tube/Cardinal Fuzz FTR 775; USA) Ever wondered what music would sound like if it was ripped from the space directly preceding sleep? The tracks within this album are your gateway to discovery. These recordings, which were laid down especially for the USA radio stations WFMU and WGXC, will melt your speakers and your mind. Released on the ever-excellent Feeding Tube Records (USA) and Cardinal Fuzz (UK). Bhajan Bhoy (aka Ajay Saggar) symbolizes boundless creative freedom in all the music he has produced to date. This LP is no exception to that rule -- in fact, this album showcases an even wider spectrum of sounds and ideas than could ever be imagined. From heavy lysergic guitar excursions, to dub inflected guitar pedal pop, to nu-age minimalism, to electronic experimentalism -- all the terms and descriptions in the world don't do justice to the originality that lies within. When USA radio station WFMU asked Ajay to contribute tracks to a session for the show 'Feelings' (co-hosted by Michele and Creamo Coyl), he turned in five tracks that received tremendous feedback from around the world on the station's live chatline when broadcast. In addition, a session for WGXC further showcased the songwriting talent of Ajay. The ensuing three-week tour of the USA cemented Bhajan Bhoy's status as one of the most innovative musicians around. This LP marks another giant leap forward in Bhajan Bhoy's musical development. He's brimming with ideas and the imagination runs wild. This music is for the listeners who want to follow a path of discovery and be mesmerized and blown away by what they hear. Be sure to be one of the listening party. Written, recorded, mixed by Ajay Saggar at Soundation Studio in the summer of 2023. Mastered by Helmut Erler. Sleeve design by Jake Blanchard.
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
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 RESIDENCIES / TREY SPRUANCE / SEPT 4-7
9/4 Wednesday
8:30 pm: ELECTROMAGNETIC AZOTH "The Seventh Side of the Cube"
Trey Spruance (guitar, concrète process)
9/5 Thursday
8:30 pm: NT FAN "Early studies in macro structural gravitational resonance"
Ches Smith (coordinated impact events: drums etc)
Trey Spruance (coordinated waveshaping events) plus special guests
9/6 Friday
8:30 pm: UR "Panama Pacific" - Ches Smith, (drums) Matt Hollenberg (guitar) Shahzad Ismaily (bass) Trey Spruance (guitar)
Debut of an entire surf repertoire.
9/7 Saturday
8:30 pm - KODAK QUARTET plays Spruance - Edgar Donati (violin) Martin Noh (violin) Daniel Spink (viola) Blake Kitayama (cello); Works for string quartet, some with radical electroacoustic accompaniment
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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