LOVE
From Patricia & William Parker & the Staff of ArtsForArts
I must admit that I feel somewhat numb. I am at a loss to figure out how to deal with the results of the Presidential election which took place earlier this week. I feel the same way I felt the last time that Trump was elected, disoriented, confused and worried about our collective future. I do get the feeling that many of the folks who voted for him will end up regretting it, once he pushes us closer to another one of his failed business adventures.
I couldn’t think of a lyric or poem which illustrates how many of us feel. The above poem arrived in my email earlier today and actually made me smile. I truly admire and care about the Inspiration provided by Patricia and William Parker and their music/community organization known as ArtsForArts. Like these two special people, I grew up in the 1960’s and saw something hopeful in the Hippie or Freaks’ version of the American Dream. You cynical folks can poopoo this movement all you want (this is what the woke complaint is all about), but I saw/felt that many seeds were planted during that time: civil rights, women’s rights, Freedom for the common man to pursue what he or she needs in order to have a good life for themselves and their family, free of outside manipulation. My parents taught me to be respectful to all people no matter what they look like, which group they are a part of or what they believe in, to be honest and keep Love in your heart. My parents are no longer here, but I keep them in my thoughts always. I still feel that way deep inside, but it is getting harder to hold on to that Hope with the way the world is at present. Music, musicians, serious listeners, my family & friends continue to be my main source on Inspiration. Those of you who read this newsletter routinely, I consider to be a part of my/our extended family. We will survive! Peace and Love Always, Bruce Lee Gallanter at Downtown Music Gallery
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THE DMG 33rd ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE FREE MUSIC SERIES Continues with:
A RARE Saturday, November 9th event:
3-5pm: BENNETT KELLY Book Release Celebration for his book ‘Sensation Blues’
The GauciMusic Series Continues on Saturday, November 9th with:
6:30: AYUMI ISHITO - Tenor Sax / DANIEL CARTER - Woodwinds / ERIC PLAKS - Keyboard / ZACH SWANSON - Bass / JON PANIKKAR - Drums
7:30: STEPHEN GAUCI - Tenor Sax & Flute / MARC EDWARDS - Drums
Tuesday, November 12th:
6:30: LISA MEZZACAPPA - ContraBass / YUMA UESAKA - Woodwinds / JEFF DAVIS - Drums
7:30: NIKITA MANIN - Clarinet / BRITTANY KARLSON - Bass / TRAVIS BLISS - Sax
8:30: RICH ROSENTHAL GROUP: THOMAS HEBERER - Trumpet / HILL GREENE - Contrabass / COLIN HINTON - Drums
Tuesday, November 19th:
6:30: patrick brennan - alto sax / DAFNA NAPHTALI - electronics-voice / SAM NEWSOME - soprano sax
7:30: AARON RUBINSTEIN - Guitar / DAVID GROLLMAN - Snare / Voice
8:30: KATT HERNANDEZ - Violin
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THIS WEEK'S NEW DISCS BEGIN WITH A TRANSMISSION FROM THE ARKESTRA FROM SATURN:
SUN RA ARKESTRA with MARSHALL ALLEN / KNOEL SCOTT / JAMES STEWART / MICHAEL RAY / VINCENT CHANCEY / CECIL BROOKS / GWEN LASTER / MELANIE DYER / TYLER MITCHELL / DAVE HOTEP / ELSON NASCIMENTO / et al - Lights on a Satellite (InandOut Records IOR CD77158-2; Germany) The Sun Ra Arkestra is perhaps the longest surviving “jazz” orchestra anywhere on the Planet earth, starting in the late 19050’s and still going strong almost six decades later. Although Sun Ra himself passed on in 1993 (and moved back to his homeworld of Saturn) and John Gilmore passed in 1995, original member & alto saxist supreme Marshall Allen has been guiding the Arkestra ever since those passings in the 90’s. I’ve seen the Arkestra in concert many times since 1973 both before Sun Ra passed and numerous times since then. I’ve always enjoyed all of their many concerts and thought they were spectacular at the Vision Festival (June of 2024) earlier this year. With their new studio CD about to drop, there is a cause for celebration, especially considering that Arkestra leader, Marshall Allen turned 100 in May of this year (2024).
For this release, the InAndOut label brought a large version (24 members!) of the Arkestra into the Power Station, a legendary studio in NYC. This version of the Arkestra features both older members (like Marshall Allen, Vincent Chancey, Michael Ray & Knoel Scott) as well as a number of newer members (Melanie Dyer, Gwen Lester & Dave Hotep). Although six out the ten songs were composed by Sun Ra, the other songs were composed by an ex-Arkestra member (Phil Cohran) and big band favorites like “Big John’s Special” and “Holiday for Strings”, both of which were covered by the Arkestra earlier. The opening song is also the title of this disc, “Lights on a Satellite”, a oiece covered many times by the Arkestra. It has a dreamy, multi-layered sound with lush waves of various woodwinds and brass. The full ensemble sound is rich with warm harmonies with two saxists both soloing slowly together: Nasir Dickerson and James Stewart. Both saxists sound so fine playing warm, tasty solos which is/are backed by a hypnotic sea of horns and strings. “Dorothy’s Dance” was written by Phil Cohran, trumpeter & original member of the Arkestra. Although it was recorded by the Arkestra for a record released in 1970, this song has an old school early big band-like groove/sound with a handful of fine solos from Nasir Dickerson (on tenor sax), Knoel Scott (on bari sax) and Carl LeBlanc (guitar). Horace Henderson’s “Big John’s Special” was covered by the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in 1934 and again, has that old time infectious swing, groove. “Images” was written by Mr. Ra and recorded for his great, popular album called ‘Jazz in Silhouette’ (from 1959). The full band arrangements here make this piece a treasure of modern big band writing and the Arkestra plays this piece with exuberant infectiousness. “Friendly Galaxy” was first heard on ‘Secrets of the Sun’ from 1962, and played throughout the 80’s & 90’s. Vocalist Tara Middleton starts things off with some sumptuous space whispers before the Arkestra jumps into the groove. What makes this disc great is the balance between freer and the more fixed (written) streams. At more than 76 minutes, there are quite a bit of cosmic treasures found here. Take your next trip on the Sun Ra Arkestra Express, travel to Other Worlds and beyond! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
PAINKILLER with JOHN ZORN / BILL LASWELL / MICK HARRIS - Samsara (Tzadik 9316; USA) Thirty-three years after their first meeting, Samsara is a spectacular reunion of three of the world's most extreme musical explorers—John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris. Originally formed in 1991, PainKiller is a legendary trio that forged a completely unique language blending jazz, metal, grindcore, ambient, dub, and so much more. Recording again for the first time in over a quarter century, these three master musicians have come up with an intense new musical direction. Mick Harris, performing on his trademark electronics, has created a rich tapestry of beats and sounds that have inspired Laswell and Zorn to some exciting new heights. Samsara presents three old friends exploring some bold new sounds.
CD $16 [This is supposed to be here next week, the release date is 11/15/24; it might be late so that orders from this week for more than 1 title will go out without it]
TRANCE MAP with EVAN PARKER / MATTHEW WRIGHT - Horizons Held Close (Relative Pitch RPR 1212; USA) Trans Map features Evan Parker on soprano sax & co-compositions and Matthew Wright on turntable. live processing, sound design & co-compositions. Pioneering British saxist, Evan Parker, has been working with turntablist/electronics/improviser Matthew Wright since 2011, in duo, trios and a larger transatlantic ensemble, whose recent disc was released last month (September of 2024). Mr. Parker and Mr. Wright refer to themselves as Trance Map and this is their second duo offering since they started in 2011. According to the notes, this duo has evolved quite a bit over the past 13 years and as I listen, I can hear how this is indeed the case. There are two long pieces here which clock in at 48 & 1/2 minutes. Things begin with soft, static-like sound, which is carefully being stretched. Mr. Parker also starts out quietly on his soprano, just playing sonic fragments which are also carefully being manipulated (acoustically). Mr. Parker has a distinctive way of playing soprano, spinning out lines, circular breathing, his lines slowly shifting. The high end resonating static sounds similar to the patterns and sounds that Parker is making at the same time. Mr. Parker has a unique way of playing several lines simultaneously. It is hard to tell which of Parker’s lines are acoustically generated and which are being electronically manipulated. Mr. Wright adds another low-end line, a cushion/drone which emerges for a short while and then submerges. One must listen closely and concentrate in order to hear all that is going on here. It sounds like Mr. Wright is sampling metallic percussion at times. Both of these men take their time to play their line or lines and then cautiously manipulate that sound/voice/line. There is a picture inside the CD which shows these two serious fellows working in a studio (Arco Barco) together with with Mr. Wright in headphones checking out his computer screen while Mr. Parker is sitting across from him, playing his soprano and concentrating deeply. This pic captures what is now going through my mind’s eye as I listen closely. This is a real duo situation in which both sonic magicians/musicians are integral to the overall sound, the balance between the voices, fluid and focused. There is another balancing act going on as well, it is inside each of us, as well processing what is going on in the world around us while we hold on to the fantastic journey that this disc provides. Consistently marvelous! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
ZEENA PARKINS with WILLIAM WINANT / JOAN LA BARBARA / TONY BUCK / MAGDA MAYAS / MATTHEW OSTROWSKI / et al - Past Turned Space In 5 Parts (2021-2024)(Relative Pitch RPR 1167; USA) Harpist/multi-instrumentalist/experimental composer works hard on every project that she chooses to do and hence, it takes time to fully absorb each of her releases. On this this new disc, Ms. Parkins works with two different ensembles, each one with different personnel, recorded in different places at different times. The first piece is called, ‘past turned space in 5 parts’ and it was recorded at Mills College between 2021 and 2024. The personnel is Zeena on ebows on piano & field recordings, William Winant vibes, crotales & harmonica, Brett Carson on piano & organ and Joan La Barbara on voice. I know of percussionist William Winant from his work with John Zorn and Sonic Youth. He was also a professor at Mills College just like Ms. Parkins was. I hadn’t heard of keyboardist Brett Carson (student from Mills, perhaps?), but we also should know about legendary experimental vocalist Joan La Barbara. The opening piece is called, “grey patterned box”, and it features stark, modern chamber like piano, sustained drone notes from the vibes and/or ebow on the inside of the piano and selective percussion. Although the music here is not nearly as minimal as lower case or Wandelweiser improvisers/composers, the abstract yet focused effect is similar in sound and vibe. I’ve been listening to modern chamber music for many years from dozens (hundreds?) of composers. The music here sounds like the interesting modern chamber groups that I continue to check out. The piano and vibes work well together and are in a similar range so it is hard to tell them apart at times. Ms. Parkins selectively inserts occasional samples of voices and other sounds, everything here sounds like it is part of an overall piece, which unfolds carefully.
The second suite is called ‘dam against the spring tide’ and it features Zeena on acoustic harp, Laurent Bruttin on clarinets, Magda Mayas on piano, clavinet & objects, Matthew Ostrowski on electronics & processing, Tony Buck on drums & percussion, Christian Kesten on voice and Sebastian Roux on electronic processing. Aside from Ms. Parkins, the only names that I recognize are Magda Mayas, Tony Buck (from the Necks) and Matt Ostowski (longtime Downtown sonic explorer). It turns out that clarinetist Laurent Bruttin has worked with Zeena’s cousin, Andrea Parkins, with both musicians currently living in Berlin. Ms. Parkins has long experimented on acoustic and electric harps. Hence, here we hear her plucking and rubbing her strings in odd ways. The way Ms. Parkins plays her acoustic harp, gives it ethereal, magical (angelic?) qualities. Both Ms. Parkins and Magda Mayas sound like they are manipulating the strings of their instruments with utensils of some sort. The overall sound is both mysterious and disorienting at times. Mr. Kesten speaks quietly in German as the sounds around him float by and resonate. What I like most about this disc is that every sound is carefully placed on a sonic painting. The music evokes some serious thought about what music really is or isn’t. This is music for thought. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
* BENNETT KELLY - Sensation Blues - A Rock and Roll Novel (Self-published; USA) Set in the contemporary Mississippi Delta, SENSATION BLUES introduces precocious practitioner McKinley Robinson in pursuit of his “It.” With beloved older brother Paul off to play college football across the country, McKinley pours himself into his blues passions, hustling from the juke joints of Clarksdale’s Delta Avenue to the neon marquees of Beale Street, Memphis. Under the auspices of their hell-raising uncle Ira, McKinley cavorts with blues legends and courts unavoidable trouble with would-be authority figures on his clear-eyed leap over the cliff of self-discovery.
"I set out to write a blues novel to honor the blues and the mythological figures that excited me as a kid,” said Bennett Kelly. “The music and simply the names of performers like Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf and others always thrilled me as an inspiring combination of wisdom and coolness.
"Sensation Blues is like Catcher in the Rye but steeped in blues music, and set in the birthplace of the blues, contemporary Clarksdale, Mississippi. My protagonist McKinley is a well-meaning blues punk that finds himself bumping up against authority a little too much for his liking, while picking up trickster passions from his favorite bluesmen Muddy Waters, Son House, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, the Chicago-Chess Records cohort, and others, and from his uncle's music instruction along the way.
“"A lot of early blues hagiography is baked in. In addition to blues histories, other inspirational source materials for this project were the lives of Paul Robeson and The Beatles." - Bennett Kelly
Ever since hearing the Rolling Stones, the Animals and Butterfield Blues Band in the mid-sixties, I’ve been a big fan of blues/rock. I started to buy blues records in the late sixties when members of the blues/rock bands I dug covered and mentioned their admiration for the elder blues greats like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker. Since then, I’ve listened to hundreds of blues records, gone to many concerts and read many books about the lives of the blues men and women that I’ve long loved. This is a great novel which captures the essence of the way I hear the blues in many parts of everyday life. Check it out!
Book $20 [260 pages]
* BENNETT KELLY will be doing an in-store session this Saturday from 3 to 5pm here at DMG. He will be reading from his book, selling & signing copies while MC-BruceLee will be playing some blues on the stereo here at the store. We might be serving some wine as well, spodee-odey.
SHAWNECI ICECOLD / VERNON REID / MATTHEW GARRISON / GRANT CALVIN WESTON - Future Prime (Underground45 Records UG471; USA) Featuring Vernon Reid on guitar, Shawneci Icecold on vintage synths, Matthew Garrison on bass and Grant Calvin Weston on drums. I hadn’t heard of keyboardist Shawneci Icecold before three discs arrived in the mail at DMG a few weeks ago. Mostly because the Mr. Icecold has been working in the Hip Hop field and has released a dozen singles since 2020. Icecold hails from Rhode Island and graduated Berklee College in Boston. He released a trio effort in 2021 with Downtowners Daniel Carter and Brandon Lopez. Each of Mr. Icecold’s three newer discs is/are quite different, personnel-wise and genre-wise. This disc features three legendary figures of electric jazz, Vernon Reid (Living Colour, Spectrum Road & Decoding Society) on guitar, Matthew Garrison (son of Jimmy Garrison from the famed Coltrane QT & currently with the Jack DeJohnette Trio), Grant Calvin Weston (Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time & Lounge Lizards) on drums and Shawneci Icecold on vintage synthesizers.
Considering that I started out listening to jazz around 1972 by first listening & witnessing electric jazz/rock or fusion, I’ve heard all of the legends of this music (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Soft Machine & many more), I am pretty familiar with what some still refer to as “fusion”. For myself and a number of other selective listeners, there is and will aways be spirited jazz/rock/fusion which is free of the cliches that made popular fusion so bad or predictable in the mid-seventies.
This disc is a prime example of electric jazz/rock at its best. Oddly enough, this disc begins with “A Night in Tunisia”, the great bebop standard written by Dizzy Gillespie (in the 1940’s). Bebop, like free/jazz and fusion, was initially written off by jazz purists in the past. This disc often sounds like it was recorded during the heydays of fusion during the early 1970’s. Icecold plays those vintage synths which give this session that ancient yet still fresh sound. Vernon Reid, Matt Garrison and G Calvin Weston are obvious masters of this sound/style and in fine form here. The old problem with fusion was that it became a chops fest where some of the popular players had a tendency to show off their chops by playing faster and funkier rather than putting some soul or grit into the music. The playing here is always in service to the music itself. Solos are often intense, spirited and kept short. “Zawinul” is most likely named after Joe Zawinul, the co-leader of Weather Report, one of the more popular & influential fusion bands of the seventies. Icecold takes an extraordinary soulful synth solo here with Mr. Garrison’s fretless (?) electric bass swirling quickly underneath, followed by an incredible guitar solo from Vernon Reid. I dig the way Icecold’s ancient synths keep shifting through different colors by adding a variety of effects or switching through different synths. This quartet is super tight, consistently fluid and often sound like they are about to explode. I haven’t heard Vernon Reid play in this style in a long while and I admit that I was knocked out time and again. I recently caught bassist Matt Garrison sitting in with Tisziji Munoz at Shapeshifter and thought what a wonderful bassist he is as I had only heard him live on a couple of occasions. He also sounds amazing here as well. Mr. Garrison and Icecold spin a strong web together, swirling tightly around one another on “Cosmos Redshift 7”, which reminds me of the early days of jazz/rock which often sounded closer to the more mythic sounds of prog/rock at its best. When Mr. Reid comes back in, it sounds like wizards and demons at play. Although this disc sounds like it was created in the mid-seventies, the music also sounds timeless since it is not attached to more commercial restraints. Even at 33 minutes, it is just long enough to blow some minds for those who can appreciate what is truly going on here. Bravo! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14 [In-stock next week]
CLAUS BOESSER-FERRARI featuring FRED FRITH / MARC RIBOT - How We Become Americans (Acoustic Music Records 319 1422-2; Germany) Featuring Claus Boesser-Ferrari on 6 & 12 string acoustic guitars, electric 12-string & resonator guitars, Fred Frith on electric guitar and Marc Ribot on electric & acoustic guitars. A few years back, a German guitarist named Claus Boesser-Ferrari stopped by the store, introduced himself and left us with a couple of great discs. Considering that Mr. Boesser-Ferrari has some 20 discs out by, I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of him before his first visit. Even more surprising is that his two guests on that disc were/are guitarists Fred Frith and Marc Ribot. No doubt you know who they are as both are great guitarists with large, lengthy resumes, plus both were integral members of two popular Downtown bands led by John Zorn: Naked City (with Frith on bass) and Electric Masada (with Ribot). We made contact again more recently and Mr. Boesser-Ferrari ended up playing a wonderful solo acoustic guitar (with effects) set here at DMG last night (11/5/24). This time around, I got Mr. Boesser-Ferrari to leave us with sale copies of four of his discs.
This disc, ‘How We Become Americans’ was released in 2009. It features Fred Frith on 11 tracks, Marc Ribot on five tracks and 3 solo pieces. This disc was released on a German label called Acoustic Music Records and features mainly guitarists like Duck Baker, Baden Powell & Peter Finger, all of whom are primarily acoustic guitarists. All of the 19 pieces here are relatively short (under 4 minutes). The opening piece is a solo by Mr. Boesser-Ferrari, playing a song from the soundtrack of a film called “Winnetou”. Boesser-Ferrari plays an acoustic guitar while using some eerie effects to make things more mysterious. Boesser-Ferrari often strips things down to just his acoustic guitar with some slight reverb, often reminding me of Ry Cooder. On “Old-Surehand-Melodie” (another soundtrack song), Boesser-Ferrari plays some exquisite, sly slide guitar along with Mr. Ribot’s equally eerie, unadorned acoustic guitar. On “King Henry”, Fred Frith adds his own unique effects-laden guitar on “Headless Kohlhaas”, Boesser-Ferrari erupts, strumming furiously, adding some reverb to his distinctive sound. What’s interesting about this disc is that each piece has a different mood like a scene from a movie. The pieces sound like they are unfolding in some sort of orderBoth Frith and Ribot a few short yet inspired solos throughout. Many of the songs were written by Mr. Boesser-Ferrari, although several come from film or musical composers like Hans Eisler & Kurt Weill plus several from the film ‘Winnetou’. Overall, this disc is a feast for our more filmic inner movies which we create in our minds. Most impressive. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
CLAUS BOESSER-FERRARI / EUGENE CHADBOURNE - Nowhere Men (Fixcel Records 260174 280172; Germany) Featuring Eugene Chadbourne on 5-string banjo & electric Westminster guitar and Claus Boesser-Ferrari on 6, 8 & 12 string acoustic guitars, baritone, resonator & electric guitars. A few years ago, an older German guitarist named Claus Boesser-Ferrari stopped by the store and left us with a few of his titles. His guests on these discs were Fred Frith and Marc Ribot, two Downtown legends plus an inventive Jimi Hendrix tribute CD. Mr. Boesser-Ferrari contacted me again recently and played an extraordinary solo acoustic guitar set here at DMG earlier this week (11/5/24). He left us with a few other titles including this one…
Mr. Boesser-Ferrari and another early Downtown legend, Eugene Chadbourne, met at a private concert in September of 2018, immediately hit it off and recorded a session two days later. This disc comes from that first duo session and they cover some jazz or Native American standards (by Charles Mingus & Jim Pepper), film & pop music ditties (Henry Mancini & the Beatles), as well as several duo improvs. This disc starts with “Moon River”, a rather corny song from my youth. This is a spacey version with Boesser-Ferrari adding some eerie reverb to his guitar and Mr. Chadbourne playing some stark, eerie banjo. This piece erupts at one point with an intense psych(edelic) explosion. The improvised duos are something else and show how well this duo plays together since both players seem to be quite adventurous, absorbing a variety of styles and genres, playing freely yet focused simultaneously. The duo cover the Beatles’ “Nowhere Man”, although it is hard to tell since there is quite a bit of reverb/echo going while Doc Chad plays around the melody of his banjo. On “If Art Could Talk”, the duo speed up to a free, frenzied episode helps to balance some of the more restrained sections. All the songs/pieces here flow organically from one piece to the next like a suite. It takes some work to hear which songs the duo are covering since they add some dense echo at times so we must listen through a cloud of haze at times. “Witchi-Tai-To” is an old Native American song that was actually a hit single for Everything is Everything in the late sixties. It is a great song that is hard to forget once you hear it. This version is a psych/folk version with wah wah guitar and tremelo bathed acoustic guitar. The duo also covers “Rain” by the Beatles, one of their first psych singles (B-side) and an early example of backwards guitar. Although it is hard to hear the melody from this song, the hypnotic vibe is most effective. Although both of these guitarists had just met for the first time a couple of days before this session, their diverse and inventive playing works extremely well, like some long lost brothers on a psychedelic, free-trip through modern times of the last half-century. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
CHARLES TOLLIVER MUSIC INC with JOHN HICKS / CLINT HOUSTON / CLIFF BARBARO - Live at Captain’s Cabin (Reel to Real RTRCD014; Cellar Live; NYC; USA) Newly discovered 1973 live recording of Charles Tolliver / Music Inc. Double CD with extensive booklet with rare photos, essays and interviews. Mr. Tolliver was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1942 and moved with his family to New York City when he was 10. During his childhood, his grandmother gave him his first horn, a cornet he had coveted. Tolliver was attending Howard University in the early 1960s as a pharmacy major, when he decided to pursue music as a career and return home to New York City. He came to prominence in 1964, playing and recording on Jackie McLean's Blue Note albums. In 1971, Tolliver and Stanley Cowell founded Strata-East Records, and Tolliver released many albums and collaborations on Strata-East.
In the 1970’s, when I was first getting into jazz, I was dazzled by a handful of trumpeters, most of whom emerged around the same time and consistently knocked me out: Marvin “Hannibal” Peterson, Woody Shaw, Michael Ray, Lester Bowie and Charles Tolliver were all blowing me/us away with their intense, passion-filled, ever-inventive playing. Charles Tolliver headed a group called Music Incorporated often with pianist Stanley Cowell and each of their records were incredible! Mr. Cowell and Mr. Tolliver ran their own Strata East label which released several great discs from Music inc. It took a while for those Music Inc records to be reissued on CD but it was well worth the wait. - BLG at DMG
‘Live at Captain's Cabin’ is a newly discovered gem from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada that finds Music Inc in absolutely fine form at a club called the Captain's Cabin. Playing mostly original music from Tolliver the band lets loose in the live setting. In his words "The players I had, John Hicks, Clint Houston and Cliff Barbaro. I just let them go do their thing and I didn't rein them in so we could have some pretty wild renditions of things, which if I were to do it now with a different rhythm section, it would sound different. It would be different. But I think that 50 something years ago, we were just expressing the exuberance of playing together and being on the road and the songs that I composed at that time, a few of them I still play, are completely different." This recording is an incredible document from an amazing band that was continually pushing boundaries.
2 CD Set $24
THE JAZZMEN with JOE MCPHEE / REGGIE MARKS / MIKE KULL / TYRONE CRABB / CHARLIE BENJAMIN - Nineteen Sixty-Six (CvsD 116CD; USA) Until now, the earliest recordings anyone has heard by Joe McPhee come from the period around his 1968 debut album, Underground Railroad. McPhee had just started playing tenor saxophone at that point. A couple of years earlier, the bassist featured on all of McPhee's early recordings, Tyrone Crabb, led a band of his own, the Jazzmen, in which McPhee was featured on his first instrument: trumpet. Indeed, McPhee was a trumpet legacy -- his father was a trumpeter. In the mid-'60s, Joe was a serious young player with deep knowledge and an expansive ear. Performing around Poughkeepsie and across the Hudson Valley, the Jazzmen were one of the very first ensembles recorded by Craig Johnson, who would go on to form the CjR label expressly to release McPhee's music. The fledgling audio engineer was clearly learning the ropes when he documented this incredible 1966 performance, but despite a few excusable acoustic blemishes, it's a beautiful window into McPhee's trumpet playing, suggesting that, had he stuck to that instrument alone, he might well have been considered a major figure on the horn (of course, he is such a figure on the pocket trumpet); the opening track, a version of "One Mint Julep" as arranged by Freddie Hubbard (on his Blue Note record Open Sesame) shows McPhee's lithe stylings to good effect. McPhee's musical cosmology was much bigger than a single axe, however, as is evident on the sprawling second track, which, over the course of half-an-hour proceeds from an excoriating yowl to a version of Miles Davis's "Milestones" taken at a sweltering tempo. A portent of the free jazz to follow and a marker of McPhee's foundations in hard bop and soul jazz, 1966 features the entire reel-to-reel tape long thought lost, simply labeled: "Joe McPhee, 1966, trumpet." Featuring Joe McPhee (trumpet, recorder), Harry Hall (tenor saxophone, recorder), Reggie Marks (tenor saxophone, recorder), Mike Kull (piano), Tyrone Crabb (bass, bandleader), and Charlie Benjamin (drums).
CD $15
GINGER BAKER’S NUTTERS with BILLY JENKINS / IAN TRIMMER / KEITH HALE / RIKI LEGAIR - Live at the Marquee 1981 (Made in Germany 03252; Germany) Ginger Baker was a member of Hawkwind for a short time in 1980, but left the band already after the album "Levitation". However, Ginger Baker's manager Roy Ward had already planned a tour of Italy for March 1981, albeit for Hawkwind. But that didn't stop Ginger from putting together a band to play the concerts himself. He wanted to present a fait accompli to the promoters. The new band was called "Ginger Baker Nutters" and included Keith Hale (keyboards, vocals) from Hawkwind, his old friend Riki Legair (bass), as well as Ian Trimmer (sax/vocals) and Billy Jenkins (guitar/vocals), who had previously recorded two great albums with Burlesque on Arista and were touring as an idiosyncratic comedy jazz fusion duo. The band immediately began working on new songs that were difficult to categorize, a mixture of jazz, blues and rock with lyrics that were typically British humor à la Monty Python.
Mr. Baker decided to continue working with the band. He liked the young musicians. They were fresh, full of ideas and enjoyed jamming. He believed in the success of his new band, especially since the audience was totally enthusiastic at every performance. After a successful tour of Italy, the Nutters worked on new songs and played two shows at the legendary Marquee Club in London on May 18 and 19, 1981, which were recorded by Ian Trimmer's friend Andy Shuttleworth and his camera crew.
The original U-Matic tapes, long lost, resurfaced in the fall of 2023 and have since undergone extensive restoration. Now, for the first time, this concert by this great band, which Ginger described in an interview as his most innovative band since "Airforce," is available on CD, DVD and digitally.
2 CD/DVD Set $24
UNE DRAME MUSICAL INSTANTANTE - TckaK (Klang GG477; Germany) Previously unreleased album by French avant-garde group UDMI - their last recordings featuring founding member Bernard Vitet. Un Drame Musical Instantané were founded in 1976, featuring Jean-Jacques Birgé, Bernard Vitet and Francis Gorgé. Their aim was to promote collective musical creation, co-signing their albums, which they consider as artworks in themselves, or their live shows which they tried to renew every time they played. Their sound was created with many influences: They borrowed their sources from rock (synthesizer player Birgé and guitarist Gorgé, both authors of the album, Défense de); jazz (trumpeter Vitet who founded the first free jazz band in France, together with François Tusques, as well as Michel Portal who played with many American and European jazzmen); classical modern music; as well as movies or world news; they were the first in France to give a new impetus to live music on silent movies. After having improvised freely for many years, they led a fifteen piece orchestra from 1981 to 1986, and from 1989 onwards they produced multimedia shows (live video remix on a giant screen, fireworks, choreographies). Still their music was the most important technique, they called their recordings "blind cinema". The Drame used to mix acoustic and electronic instruments in real time as well as original instruments built by Vitet (a reed trumpet, a multiphonic French horn, a variable tension double-bass, a giant balafon with frying pans and flower pots keyboard, a fire organ, plexiglas flutes, etc.). After Francis Gorgé left the band in 1992, Birgé and Vitet went on recording and producing with other musicians close to the "family" such as percussionist, Gérard Siracusa, or multi-instrumentalist, Hélène Sage. Un Drame Musical Instantané always remained independent (they always owned their own recording studio and record label GRRR) and stopped its activities in 2008, with 2022 seeing the return of the group with a new album. Tchak! presents the group's last recordings with Bernard Vitet.
CD $18
FLUXUS and NEOFLUXUS with LA MONTE YOUNG / PHILIP CORNER / GEORGE MACIUNAS / TOSHI ICHIYANGI / JOHN CAGE / YOKO ONO / NAM JUN PAIK / et al - Keep Together (Part II)(Sub Rosa SR 549CD; Belgium) In April 2023, the first part of the Fluxus edition called Stolen Symphony was released. Now, in 2024, there is the second part, called Keep Together. At the center of this edition was a broken piano, acquired by the Opening Performance Orchestra for the purpose of making live and studio recordings. During this time other new works for this broken piano were written by diverse Fluxus and non-Fluxus composers. In the spring of 2022, the Opening Performance Orchestra and the broken piano participated in an event hosted by Mieko Shiomi. This was a new version of her early work Spatial Poem, documentation of which was presented at the 2022 Aichi Triennale in Tokyo. At present, the broken piano lies in the open air in Prague and is subject to gradual decay. This edition contains new and old pieces, live and studio recordings, finished pieces and scores to be performed, solos and pieces for ensemble, using classical and special instruments from 33 Fluxus artists, which have been played by ten soloists and four ensembles. There are new essays and articles from 15 writers on the theme Fluxus, as well as original photos and other documentation in the booklets. The Belgian label Sub Rosa provided technical support and a good place for the grand-scale release. The audio restoration and mastering were done by Gabriel Séverin at Laboratoire central, Brussels, and Kakaxa, 3bees, Prague. Archivio Conz in Berlin provided access to their extensive archives and Edizioni Conz provided co-production. Ursula and René Block made possible the realization of John Cage's historical composition "Mozart Mix" from the Edition Block archive. The photographic material comes from Marie Knízáková and Milan Knízák's private archive, the German photographer Wolfgang Träger, Archivio Conz's Fluxus archive, the private archives from diverse Fluxus artists and Opening Performance Orchestra's digital archive. Milan Knízák, Henning Christiansen, La Monte Young, Philip Corner, Bengt af Klintberg, George Maciunas, Takako Saito, Toshi Ichiyanagi, John Cage, Geoffrey Hendricks, Nam June Paik, Sara Miyamoto, Ken Friedman, Yoko Ono, Josef Anton Riedl, Giancarlo Cardini, Ay-O, and George Brecht.
2 CD Set $30 / 2 LP Set $36
MICHAEL RANTA - Transits Volume 1 (Important Imprec 535CD; USA) American percussionist and composer Michael Ranta is a legendary figure who has worked with some of the most significant names of 20th century music but despite this and impressive body of work of his own, he has remained an obscure figure. Important Records presents Transits Volume 1 the first in a series of releases by composer/percussionist Sarah Hennies documenting never-before-heard chamber works mostly composed in the 1970s while Ranta was living in Taiwan. Mastered by Tom Eaton at Sounds & Substance. Based overseas since the late '60s, Ranta is known primarily as a percussionist who worked closely with Harry Partch, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Helmut Lachenmann, Toru Takemitsu, and Jean-Claude Éloy but is also an accomplished artist himself with a vast body of work spanning improvisation, electronic music, and composition. The works in the Transits series comprise a dozen works of scored compositions for solo and chamber ensembles almost all of which are completely unknown with no known performances or recordings since their original premieres. Volume 1 includes "Mharuva," a 30-minute marathon tour-de-force for solo marimba, "Seven Pieces for Three Percussionists," and the 40-minute "Continuum II," a stunning display of virtuosity for two bass clarinets, percussion, and electronics. Transits, Volume 1 features performances by Sarah Hennies, NYC clarinetists Madison Greenstone and Katie Porter, and the Bard College Conservatory Percussion Ensemble.
2 CD Set $16
ORCHID SPANGIAFORA - Eel Asp Flaps Feet (Feeding Tube FTR 780CD; USA) "Fifty years after I first encountered the music of Orchid Spangiafora, it is a pleasure to be listening to new work by this most bonny of modern sound manipulators. Like Flee Pasts Ape Elf (FTR 096LP), which we originally reissued in expanded form in 2013, Eel Asp Flays Feet (the title of which is an anagram of the earlier set) is an assemblage of immaculate invention. It manages to produce a unique splotch of confusing analog surrealism in an increasingly digital world, and Robert Carey (aka Orchid himself) deigned to provide these notes on creating the music: 'This album is a combination of some new material and ideas and some older stuff that had not found its way into a tangible (non-online) form.' 'Syllabus,' 'Dyad,' and 'Retroscope' were an attempt to return to an older style of electronic music. I put these on bandcamp, but they did not attract much attention. In mid-2021 David Greenberger provided me with the voice recordings he had made for the 'Everybody's Home' project he did with Tyson Rogers. He asked if there was something I could do with them. I put together 'Holding Pattern' and 'In A Fog.' These two pieces might be considered the 'dub version' of 'Everybody's Home.' I put them on bandcamp as 'Nobody's Home.' The rest were originally made up of typical Orchid snippets. When I first took an electronic music course in 1972 one of the things that struck me about tape loops was how readily they produced interesting rhythms. Since then I got more into selecting them for the rhythm, but rather than repeating I tried to convey it in a single shot followed by slightly modified versions. In a number of these pieces I tried returning to actually repeating phrases enough to hear the natural rhythm of each loop. The mechanical sounds combined with vocal loops in, for example, 'Interlude One,' probably were influenced by the collaboration with Seymour Glass on Cous Cous Bizarre. The rapid streams of syllables in the 'Ur Sonata' came from playing around with an audio batch processing program. I used it to cut up regular loops into very short bits and string them together. Then, as with most electronic or 'tape' music, the real work consisted of removing the parts that didn't belong. The title comes from Kurt Schwitters because I felt the piece shared some of the same motivation or aesthetic, although the implementation is not at all alike.' Well, those are the component parts, but to truly grasp the whole, you must hold your brain tight and jump right in. There is just nothing like an Orchid Spangiafora album. Tell your friends." - Byron Coley, 2024
CD $15
LP SECTION:
ANDREW BARKER / WILLIAM PARKER / JON IRABAGON - Bakunawa (Out of Your Head Records 030; USA) Featuring Jon Irabagon on tenor & sopranino saxes, William Parker on contrabass, B-flat pocket tuba & gralla and Andrew Barker on drums & percussion. I recall when the Gold Sparkle Band moved here from down south in the mid-1990’s and quickly became an important part of the evolving Downtown avant/jazz scene. There are two main members were Charles Waters on sax & clarinet and Andrew Barker on drums. Both of these players would soon become members of William Parker’s Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra. Both Waters and Barker would go on to do a variety of their own projects. Drum wiz, Andrew Barker, recorded discs with Matt Shipp, Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter and Paul Dunmall. The other two members of this trio are also important members of the Downtown Scene and run several different bands, both keep busy in a variety of different projects.
The title track is first, “Bakunawa” (which is a mythological dragon), it starts out quietly and builds freely from there. All three members of this trio are integral to the group sound with Parker and Barker both spinning furiously together while tenor saxist Jon Irabagon blows up a storm on top. Jon Irabagon often switches between tenor, alto & sopranino saxes and always sounds inspired and inventive no matter what sax he is playing. William Parker switches to his small tuba on the second piece with Irabagon switching between sopranino & tenor saxes. This piece is more restrained with all three still connected. Side 2 begins with “Flew Anew”, with Mr. Parker strumming his bass slowly as Mr. Irabagon plays his tenor in a more solemn, warm tone. Although still relatively young, Irabagon has a well-weathered tone of someone much older, his tone somewhere between Trane and Sonny Rollins. On “For Goya”, Irabagon switches back to his sopranino sax while the trio calms down to a more restrained conclusion with Mr. Barker on sublime mallets. Mr. Parker is playing a double reed (a gralla?) while Irabagon plays sopranino, both sound great together. The sound, the vibe reminds me of Master Musicians of Jajouka or some other sort of Trance Music. This album has a Spirit Music vibe that I find to be most enchanting. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $22
STEVE SWELL / GEBHARD ULLMANN / HILLIARD GREENE / BARRY ALTSCHUL - We’re Playing in Here? (NoBusiness NBLP 149; Lithuania) Featuring Steve Swell on trombone, Gebhard Ullmann on tenor sax & bass clarinet, Hill Greene on contrabass and Barry Altshul on drums. Earlier this week (11/5/24), we had a superb trio with Daniel Carter on reeds & trumpet, Steve Swell on trombone and Steve Hirsh on drums. It was the fourth set that night and it was a pleasant surprise. While Daniel Carter often laid back and played with much restraint, Steve Swell explored a wide variety of approaches on his trusty trombone. Longtime Downtown trombonist, Steve Swell, has been working with German reeds player Gebhard Ullmann for many years in several projects. It turns out that this quartet, which includes the legendary free/jazz drummer Barry Altschul has three previous releases on the JazzWerkStatt and CIMP labels.
As soon as I put this LP on, I could tell that the quartet had been playing together for a while. Mr. Swell wrote all but one song here. Things begin with “Planet Hopping on a Thursday Afternoon”. Mr. Swell composed this piece and it has an infectious melody and groove. Mr. Altschul swings his tush off as the quartet plays with a jubilant quality. Both Mr. Ullmann and Mr. Swell each take great solos here. On “La Mariposa”, Mr. Swell has written a quirky theme for the quartet to play with Mr. Ullmann switching to bass clarinet. Ullmann has a playful, Dolphy-esque tone here which is a welcome sound for us old Eric Dolphy freaks. This piece is episodic with a few different sections which evolve including a spirited bass solo plus a few unexpected twists and turns. Side 2 starts off with “Sketch #4”, which begins with an inventive solo from Mr. Swell, often in a tight dialogue with the bass and drums, before Ullmann joins them on bass clarinet. On the title track, the quartet strips things down for a more thoughtful, restrained piece. I like this piece builds with some spirited interplay between all four members, all moving in waves together. Mr. Ullmann wrote the last piece, “Kleine Figuren #1”, which has a quirky, oddly rhythmic theme and fractured interplay between the trombone, bass clarinet and drums. This is a great album, warm, thoughtful, well recorded and filled with many fascinating songs and/or interaction. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $25
HARRY BERTOIA - Mechanization 1 & 2 (Sonambient FW 1040LP; USA) On this new LP, Harry Bertoia shows why he may have been the first industrial musician. Bertoia often referred to his sound sculptures as a "collaboration with industry" and on this new LP Bertoia is intentionally creating heavy, rhythmic music he described as "mechanized," "mechanical," and "factory like." This first edition is packaged in a full color sleeve with metallic inks. Mastered by Tom Eaton at Sounds & Substance. Recorded in 1971, percussion and repetition emulate the pounding rhythms of machinery on this unique pair of conceptual Bertoia compositions. Bertoia utilizes innovative performance techniques to create new sounds unheard in his ouevre. Even in the busy factory of Bertoia's mind, distant stillness rises up as Bertoia exhibits the massive amount of control he possesses over his many looming sculptures. Mechanization is just one of the many sonic directions Bertoia took while composing and recording between the late 1950s and his death in 1978. He documented all of his ideas and directions in notes accompanying the hundreds of tapes discovered in his barn. This first edition of 500 is printed using metallic inks. Bertoia's recordings are as much a celebration of sustained tones, intervallic relationships, healing vibrations, deep listening and shimmering harmonics as Indian Classical music, singing bowls, The Well Tuned Piano or Benjamin Franklin's glass armonica. Through these rich harmonics and pulsing pure tone, Bertoia was able to more clearly articulate his inner spirit than he could with sculpture alone -- a point he made himself many times in interviews. Bertoia was an obsessive composer and relentless experimenter, often working late into the night and accumulating hundreds of tapes of his best performances; his brother Oreste, too, would explore and record the sculptures' sounds during his annual visits to his brother's home in rural Pennsylvania. Learning by experimentation was common for Bertoia and he mastered the art of tape recording, turning the Sonambient barn into a sound studio with four overhead microphones hanging from the rafters in a square formation. He would experiment with overdubbing by performing along to previous recordings, sometimes backwards, constantly improving his methods while also honing his performance skills. The story of Sonambient barn collection will slowly be told through the release of recordings from the archive as well as installations and performances built from Bertoia's own recordings, lectures and a book.
LP $30
FRANZ XAVER KROETZ / EVA MATTES / SEBASTIAN BEZZEL / NORBERT STOSS / ANDREAS LEUPOLD / RUDIGER CARL / CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS - Radio Play (CvsDLP 011LP; USA) Corbett vs. Dempsey and Studio Williams announce that Radio Play is available on long play vinyl for the first time. The double-disk set contains two adaptations of Inklusive. Inklusive is a play written by Bavarian playwright Franz Xaver Kroetz. It is part of a trilogy of radio plays from 1971 titled Trilogie Münchener Lebens. The play was first broadcast as a radio play in former West Germany on Südwestfunk in 1972. A second version was broadcast in former East Germany on Rundfunk der DDR in 1974. The West and East German broadcasts are the basis for two radio play adaptations by artist Christopher Williams. Both adaptations will be recorded in German using the same technology used to produce the original broadcasts of 1972 and 1974. Eva Mattes (O.k., The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant) is an actress born in Tegernsee. Sebastian Bezzel (Tatort, Eberhoferkrimis) is an actor from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Norbert Stöß (Abschnitt 40) is an actor born in Dresden. Andreas Leupold (The Human Centipede) is an actor from East Berlin. Rüdiger Carl is a free jazz artist born in Goldap, East Prussia. Mo Stern is a sound engineer, visual artist, DJ and music producer born in Hamburg. Franz Xaver Kroetz is a playwright, actor, and director from Munich. Christopher Williams is a Los Angeles-born artist and professor of photography who lives and works in Cologne. Maximilian Klemens Sänger is an artist and filmmaker based in Düsseldorf. Packaged in cardboard sleeve with paper insert. Produced and directed by Christopher Williams; executive production by: John Corbett & Jim Dempsey. Edition of 500.
2 LP Set $44
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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 / RAVEN CHACON / NOV 6-9
11/6 Wednesday
8:30 pm - GUITAR TRIO
Sky Hopinka (guitar) Andrew Yong Hoon Lee (guitar) Raven Chacon (guitar)
11/7 Thursday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Marisa Demarco (voice, electronics ) Lea Bertucci (clarinet, electronics) Raven Chacon (electronics)
11/8 Friday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Marshall Trammell (drums) Laura Ortman (violin) Raven Chacon (electronics)
11/9 Saturday
8:30 pm - Various Instrumental TRIO - Che Chen (various instruments) C. Spencer Yeh (various instruments) Raven Chacon (various instruments)
THE STONE STUDENT CONCERTS
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 12 AT 8:30 PM
Admission is FREE - The second in a special series of concerts featuring students out of the New School College of Performing Arts. There will be five concerts this season—one Tuesday a month in October, November; February, March, and April. All concerts are at 8:30 and will be curated by the students themselves.
11/12 Tuesday
8:30 pm - Chenxi Pan Group - Chenxi Pan (voice) Nathan Nakadegawa-Lee (tenor sax/clarinet) Trigger Su (piano) George Grydkovets (guitar) Nicolas Bond (bass) Anders Julsgaard (drums)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / ZEENA PARKINS / NOV 13-16
11/13 Wednesday
8:30 pm - TRIO improvisation - Zeena Parkins (acoustic harp, objects) Nate Wooley (trumpet) Ikue Mori (electronics)
11/14 Thursday
8:30 pm - DUO: LACE MVT II ACTION CARDS
Zeena Parkins (electric harp) Brian Chase (drums)
11/15 Friday
8:30 pm - TRIO improvisation - Zeena Parkins (electric harp) Brandon Lopez (bass) Cecilia Lopez (analog electronics)
11/16 Saturday
8:30 pm - Truth Suite written for Zeena Parkins by Fred Frith and improvisations; Zeena Parkins (acoustic harp) Fred Frith (electric guitar)
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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ROULETTE has been and remains the best place to experience experimental music and arts since 1978. I’ve attended concerts at Roulette since it began in Tribeca and I still go as often as I can. Founder Jim Staley stepped down earlier this year and a new music director named Matt Mehlan has taken his place. Here is the most of the September calendar below, it looks most impressive…
Tuesday, November 5, 2024. 8:00 pm
Bill Nace and Haley Fohr
A special collaboration between experimental musician/composers Bill Nace of Body/Head and Haley Fohr of Circuit des Yeux.
Wednesday, November 6, 2024. 8:00 pm
Guy Klucevsek and Volker Goetze: Little Big Top Quartet
Formed in 2022 to accompany Little Amal Walks to Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island, the quartet celebrates their new album.
Thursday, November 7, 2024. 8:00 pm
Interpretations: Marty Ehrlich / Ingrid Laubrock
The 35th Interpretations Series opens with a double bill from woodwind/multi-instrumentalist Marty Ehrlich and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock.
Sussan Deyhim: Whispers From the Underworld (In Memory of Richard Horowitz)
Roulette is located at:
509 Atlantic Avenue (Corner of Third Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Telephone: (917) 267-0363
Web: https://roulette.org
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6p_Q2Dwxc
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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