Doralee, there's gravel in your bath tub.
Fish swam free before their ocean went.
Once loved a man whose heart was big and open.
He said he could see the beauty in a song.
Doralee, there are flies among the dead now.
Fish swam free, looking for their ocean moon.
Once loved a man whose heart was big and open.
He said he could see the beauty in a song.
************
A Little Bit of Rain
Written & first performed by Fred Neil
From his album ‘Bleecker & MacDougal’, rel in 1965
If I should leave you
Try to remember the good times
Warm days filled with sunshine
And just a little bit of rain
And just a little bit of rain
And if you look back
Try to forget the bad times
Lonely blue and sad times
And just a little bit of rain
And just a little bit of rain
And if I look back
I'll remember all the good times
Warm days filled with sunshine
And just a little bit of rain
And just a little bit of rain
We just got the third release from the great L.A. jam/psych/folk/rock band The Third Mind which is listed and reviewed below. After two great studio efforts (in 2019 & 2023), the band now has a live effort which is already my favorite record of the year! The second song on this gem is called “Doralee” which was written by Third Mind lead singer Jesse Sykes for her debut album, which was released in 2002. I played this album practically every night before I left the store for a year since it helped me to unwind. Check out the above words since they seem to capture a fleeting feeling about our collective inner spirits which are inside all of us. Third Mind also covers two songs from folk/rock guru Fred Neil, “The Dolphins” and “A Little Bit of Rain” on each of their albums. Both Ms. Sykes and Mr. Neil have ancient sounding world-weary voices which have a way of reaching out to many of us worried about the present and future. I still play each of the four Jesse Sykes albums from time to time to help inspire me to keep going, keeping searching for transcendence. I’ve played the new Third Mind Live CD every day of night this past week, drowning in the joys and sorrows of everyday life at present. A toast to Jesse Sykes, Dave Alvin and the other members of Third Mind from their biggest fan - Me, MC-Bruce Lee at DMG
**********
THE DMG 34th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT CELEBRATION CONTINUES with:
Tuesday, March 18th:
6:30: AARON RUBINSTEIN - Guitar / MIKE LaROCCA - Drums
7:30: AARON POND’S INVERSE and OBSERVE: MATTIEE McDONNELL - Accordion / JAMES ILGENFRITZ - Contrabass / MAX GLAZIER - Percussion / AARON POND - Horn-Melodica-Voice
8:30: TY CITERMAN - Guitar / JAMES ILGENFRITZ - Bass / AAKASH MITTAL - Sax
Tuesday, March 25th:
6:30: JOSH SINTON - Baritone Sax / RAS MOSHE - Tenor Sax - Flute
7:30: PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums / RICK PARKER - Trombone-Electronics / MATT HOLLENBERG - Guitar!
8:30: KEVIN MURRAY / VINCE MATTOOS / NICK NEUBERG — Percussion Trio
9:30: BEN GOLDBERG - Clarinet / MICHAEL COLEMAN - Keyboards / HAMIR ATWAL - Drums
Rare Monday Night In-Store, March 31st:
6:30: ELLIOTT SHARP / SCOTT FIELDS - Guitar Duo
7:30: SANDY EWEN / CHUCK ROTH - Guitar Duo
Tuesday, April 1st:
6:30: patrick brennan - Alto Sax / KEVIN NATHANIEL HYLTON - Mbira / ON KA’A DAVIS and SHU ODUMURA - Guitars / CLAIRE de BRUNNER - Bassoon / PAUL AUSTERLITZ - Contrabass Clarinet
7:30: EVAN PALMER - Contrabass / SAM CHILDS - Tenor Sax / JOHN DALTON - Drums
8:30: MARIJA KOVACEVIC - Music for Broken Violins
***********
THIS WEEK’S PLATTER CHATTERS BEGIN WITH ONE DEAR TO MY HEART:
THE THIRD MIND - Live Mind (Yep Rock Records YEP 3100; USA) The Third Mind features Jesse Sykes on vocals & acoustic guitar, Dave Alvin & Mark Karan on guitars, Victor Krummancher on bass and Michael Jerome on drums plus guests Willie Aron on keyboards & Jack Rudy on harmonica. I discovered Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter’s first album, ‘Reckless Burning’ when it was released in 2002 and played it every night before I left the old store. Something about that album touched me deeply so I had to keep playing it over and over. Ms. Sykes and her partner lead guitarist Phil Wandscher had blended folk, rock, country, psych and made four albums between 2002 and 2011, each adding more rocking until they erupted big-time with ‘Marble Son’n released in 2011. At that point, Ms. Sykes, Mr. Wandscher and the band broke up with no more records forthcoming. I kept tabs on Jesse although she left music behind, worked on some videos and seemed to have faded away from life in the spotlight. I was devastated but still kept listening the four older titles. In 2019, Dave Alvin (once co-leader of the Blasters & his own bands) got together with two members of Camper Van Beethoven (Victor Krummenacher & David Immergluck) and decided to start a psych/jam/band. They jammed in the studio by playing a long version of the Butterfield Blues Band’s early blues/rock/psych/jam classic “East West” (1966), which is considered to be the first psych/jazz/blues jam of its time. The band they put together was called The Third Mind and included drummer Michael Jerome (from the Richard Thompson Band) and guest bluesharp player Jack Rudy (from Dave Alvin’s bands). They also asked Jesse Sykes to join so she came out of retirement and is now a full time member of the band. Lucky me, lucky us! The band was/is called The Third Mind and their first album was released in 2019 on Yep Rock Records. I had heard Dave Alvin play lead guitar in the Blasters (80’s & 90’s), as well as his own band but when he started the Third Mind, his playing rose to jamband/psych/rock/improv heaven in Third Mind. Third Mind do mainly covers, from Alice Coltrane to Fred Neil (check out their version of “The Dolphins”), “Sally Go Round the Roses” (hit single from 1964 & later covered by the Great Society, Grace Slick’s first band), “Morning Dew” (written by a folkie named Bonnie Dobson, covered by the Grateful Dead throughout their entire lifetime), “In My Own Dream” (Butterfield BB) and “Groovin’ is Easy” (by the Electric Flag). The second Third Mind (‘II’) album was released in 2023 and I’ve played both of their great records over and over and over at the store, selling more copies on CD and LP than any other store on the planet! Which brings us to their new one…
Third Mind’s ‘Live Mind’ third album was released this week so we just got on CD and LP copies. I’ve played a half dozen times so far and I am gobsmacked! Since their last album David Immergluck has left and the band is joined by guitarist Mark Karan. Mr. Karan is a wise choice since he was a member of The Other Ones, the first Dead offshoot band after Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995, plus Karan was a member of Bob Weir’s Ratdog and Live Dead ’69. This new release contains live recordings from three gigs in February and March of 2024 in L.A., Ventura and in Dallas, Texas. The disc begins with an Eastern-sounding psych/drone which soon fades into “Sally Go Round the Roses” sung by my/our old sweetheart Jesse Sykes. “The saddest thing in the whole wide world is to see your baby with another girl” she sings and you better believe it. David Alvin has become a monster guitarist and his playing throughout this record is astonishing, powerful, filled with passion, the true jammin’ spirit, very 60’s sounding! Mark Karan plays the next guitar solo, which is more restrained but just as compelling and inventive. Michael Jerome takes a short drum solo here which keeps the flow just right, similar to what Bill Kreutzman used to do in the Dead, never overplaying, serving the songs and jams righteously. The band also quotes the melody to “Wade in the Water”, another jamming classic. This is followed by “Doralee” which comes from the first Jesse Sykes album (from 2002), an ancient, ever-so-sad song that I thought I would never hear again live. Immensely stirring and bringing a tear to my eye to hear it again after so many years. Covering “Groovin’ is Easy” from the first & best album by the Electric Flag (led by ex-Butterfield guitar god Mike Bloomfield) is another wise choice. This song was written by Ron Polte, Bay area singer/songwriter who was close with Nick Gravenites, both of whom wrote songs for Quicksilver Messenger Service (another 60’s Bay Area psych/jam legend). Instead of playing it straight, Third Mind blows it up to epic proportions, wide-screen, live technicolor! “Morning Dew” is the opening track on the second side of the first Dead album (from 1967) and the Dead played it throughout their 30 year journey (1965-1995). The lyrics relate a fictional conversation in a post-nuclear holocaust world. I’ve always found this song to be absolutely transcendent and here it is again pushed to the limits, then brought down to a calm (post-apocalyptic) near conclusion and back up to grand majestic heights with Ms. Sykes singing the last bit in her most haunting voice. It does not end there, it glides right into “East West”, the ultimate jam/psych/blues/jazz gem. The original version had long guitar solos by Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop plus a great blues-harp solo from Paul Butterfield. Here, the Third Mind play it at a more relaxed pace, slowly building the intensity throughout with spirited solos from both guitarists Dave Alvin and Mark Karan. Hard to believe that this song first appeared on record nearly 60 years ago(!!!) and still sound relevant today! After listening to live Dead gigs for nearly five years (since the beginning of the pandemic), I can see numerous similarities to the way the Dead jammed, segwaying a number of songs/jams in an endless cosmic flow. “East West” is a perfect, churning rock epic, something I haven’t heard much in recent years from any contemporary rock band (except for perhaps Dream Syndicate & Solar Motel & their friends). “East West” also glides down and fades right into “A Little Bit of Rain”. This song was written & sung by Fred Neil, elder/folk/rock/psych guru, beloved by the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Tim Buckley & many others. Check out Fred Neil’s great, deep, blues voice and songs, he was the real thing! Jesse sings this song with an ancient world-weary voice which will leave you/us gasping for air as we submerge in an ocean of sadness, crying the blues for Mother Earth. This song also fades into….. “Dark Star”, the Dead’s epic psych/free improv jam which occasionally expanded past 40 minutes. The Third Mind plays that righteous riff heavier than usual, pounding it out over and over, setting our sights for the heart of the sun. I thought the band might continue to be set free like the Dead often did, that would be too much of a great thing. I truly hope the Third Mind make their way out here this year, I want to check them out live so I can be knocked out by positive rather than our negative vibes. We still have copies of the two earlier Third Mind discs on CD and on LP’s. All are well worth the cost of admission!- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16 / 2 LP Set $36
CHES SMITH - The Self (Tzadik 4054; USA) One of the most versatile and in-demand percussionists in the Downtown scene, Ches has worked with everyone from Marc Ribot, Tim Berne, and Dave Holland to Secret Chiefs 3, Terry Riley, and John Zorn. He has released over a dozen CDs under his own name in duo, trio, quartet, and large group contexts—and for his first CD for Tzadik he has recorded his first solo project. Performing on drums, percussion, vibraphone, glockenspiel, gongs, and more, Ches presents eighteen short pieces exploring his mastery of rhythm, form, and texture. A beautiful program of solo percussion by a Downtown master, this is Ches at his most intimate and explorative.
CD $14
SYLVIE COURVOISIER / MARY HALVORSON - Bone Bells (Pyroclastic Records PR40; USA) Featuring Sylvie Courvoisier on piano & compositions and Mary Halvorson on guitar & compositions. Both of these women are at the top of their game as players and as composers. Both keep busy leading different bands or projects, playing their own music as well as the music of John Zorn. This is the third recording and they keep getting better with each release. This is not just another Downtown improv session since both women have composed all of the pieces on this disc. The first piece was composed by Ms. Halvorson and it is the title track, “Bone Bells”. It is a stark, suspense-filled song, slow, dreamy, elegant and filled with exquisite subtly, expanding to a majestic grace in the last section. Ms. Courvoisier’s “Esmeralda” is a series of miniature fragments, with sweeping harp-like piano and Halvorson’s distinctive guitar erupting in bent-note flourishes, with waves crashing over weaves. Courvoisier plays muted piano on “Folded Secrets” with the guitar doubling the lines that she is playing. “Nags Head Valse” has a circus-like opening theme and keeps shifting directions afterwards. Both Ms. Courvoisier and Ms. Halvorson are sonic pioneers as far as the way they play and manipulate their instruments, with Sylvie muting certain strings inside the piano and Mary using those odd effects. Over time, both have found a way to combine their approaches so that they work together, tossing off unique lines which make each other sound even better as one force. “Beclouded” is an astonishing display of crisscrossing lines or flourishes which erupt at times and then settle into a more focused conclusion. There are a number of surprising twists, turns and unexpected weird detours going on here. All of the eight pieces here are winners and fascinating on several levels. We can tell that these women worked hard on this project as it flows together as incredible ongoing work of Art. Most extraordinary! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
SOPHIE AGNEL / JOHN BUTCHER - Rare (Victo CD 138; Quebec, Canada) Featuring Sophie Agnel on piano and John Butcher on soprano & tenor saxes. Recorded live at the FIMAV (a/k/a Victo Fest) in May of 2024. I’ve been attending the Victo Fest since 1987 and look forward to going there every year that it is taking place. The original founder of FIMAV, Michel Levasseur, stepped down after the festival of 2023 due to personal reasons and former Ontario-based musician & composer Scott Thomson took Michael’s place. 2024 was Mr. Thomson’s first year and this set took place under his watch. I recall this set quite well since I remembered how powerful and intense it was. I’ve been enjoying the playing of Paris-based pianist Sophie Agnel for more than two decades, checking out records she’s made with Sunny Murray, Phil Minton, John Edwards & Steve Nobel. British saxist John Butcher remains one of my favorite improvisers and I collect as many of his 150 releases as I can find. I especially like his many solo discs as well as his work with John Stevens, Chris Burn and members of AMM.
This concert took place at Le Carre 150 on a large stage with great sight lines and an impressive piano. All Victo concerts are known for great sound, great visuals and immense care in presentation. This comes from an online review of this concert: “Mr. Butcher's playing is/was always very focused on each and every sound that he makes. From tiny bird-like chirping sounds to more intense and over the top sax sounds, his playing is consistently on-target. These two musicians work together very well, exchanging ideas, creating a fascinating ongoing dialogue. The main thing I noticed about Ms. Agnel's playing is that she has a unique way of playing the piano, striking the inner strings with such force and rarely playing any long lines on the keyboard. This music has little or nothing to do with any sort of jazz standards or recognizable melodies. It still evokes waves of fleeting spirits and sounds like it is on the edge of erupting into some more volcanic activity. This is one the best and most intense improv sets of this fest!” This is/was one of the best and most intense duo sets that I’ve ever seen and heard! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
JEONG LIM YANG with MAT MANERI / JACOB SACKS / RANDY PETERSON - Synchronicity (Sunnyside SSC 1743; USA) Featuring Mat Maneri on viola, Jacob Sacks on piano, Jeong Lim Yang on contrabass & compositions (all but 1) and Randy Peterson on drums. Recorded at Brooklyn Bridge Studio in January of 2023. Due to the weekly in-store concerts that we have here at DMG, I’ve checked out hundreds of musicians, both local and musicians from around the world. South Korean bassist, Jeong Lim Yang, has played here at DMG on several occasions, including earlier this week with Musique Libre Femmes. I recently found out that Ms. Yang has a couple of previous releases, one on Fresh Sound with Michael Attias & Adam Kolker (from 2017) and a bass duo with Trevor Dunn (2021). Ms. Yang chose a fine quartet of elders to work with here: Mat Maneri and Randy Peterson, who have been playing together since they were in high school (in the 1980’s) plus ace pianist Jacob Sacks, who has become a more in-demand pianist since moving here and playing with Paul Motian, Eivind Opsvik, Michael Formanek & many others.
The title track, “Synchronicity” is first and it is something else. Jacob Sacks’ piano keeps playing this quick line over and over, slowly altering it as he goes. Master violist Mat Maneri plays more slowly and interlocking his lines with his old partner, Randy Peterson, one of best and most distinctive percussionists anywhere. Ms. Lang writes these odd, hypnotic, somewhat dreamy themes which are superbly played by the rest of the quartet. The bass and drums seem to flutter together, flowing and sputtering at the same time and are consistently connected. When Ms. Lang takes a short solo near the end of “Ordinary Waltz”, the rest of the quartet spins underneath in tight patterns. Since Mr. Maneri likes to weave his way around the the quirky themes that Ms. Yang has written, the bass and/or piano often take the lead in establishing a central focus. Mr. Maneri has a unique way of rising above whatever is going on below, adding lines which increase the tension when you least expect them to. “Salad for Lunch” is the one song which was written by Mr. Sacks and it has a rather Monkish melody and features an inspired solo from Mat Maneri and cool Monk-like & beyond solo from Mr. Sacks. On “Weeping Dream”, time is slowed down and stretched out with Ms. Lang’s bass taking a lovely, sad, heart-warm solo. “Stimmung”, which means “mood” in German, is a moody, cerebral piece with Maneri’s viola taking a long solo which is tightly interwoven with the rest of the quartet who move together as they are all swimming in the same current. The last piece is called “Body Nor Soul” and it is based on the ancient standard “Body and Soul” and is again slowed down and stretched out with Maneri playing a righteous solo which melts around the original melody. The original lush and lyrical spirit is still there with Maneri stretches his notes out in a way that keeps our expectations at a distance. When this disc came to the end, it was as if I were a lonely ghost drifting through a spacious mist. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14 [In stock early next week]
THE AVIARY ENSEMBLE / BoRBS- Motivic Consciousness (WFR 010; Philadelphia, PA, USA) Featuring Aaron Pond* - french horn, voice, flutes, melodica & percussion, Jessica Brown - horn, P-Bone, voice, flutes & percussion, Gabe Preston - flute, bass clarinet & clarinet, Max Englemen - guitar, gong, melodica and Manuel J. Perez III- alto sax, Jsax, Jhorn and double barrel indigenous drone flute. Performed live at Headlong Dance Studios in November of 2023. Ever since attending college in south Jersey (1972-1976), I 've been fascinated with Philadelphia, where I used to go record shopping and attend occasional gigs at the Tower Theatre, the Spectrum, Main Point and the Painted Bride. I’ve also been long searching Philly bands, the more obscure, the better: Elizabeth, Good God, Mandrake Memorial, Woody’s Truck Stop, Iltar, Olduvai, the Visitors, Embers, Make a Rising, Sounds of Liberation, Catalyst and the Sun Ra Arkestra are just some of my Philly faves.
Several months ago, I caught a solo performance from Philly french horn player, Aaron Pond which I really dug. Since then Mr. Pond has played at the store with his own ensemble and with patrick brennan’s brass ensemble. Mr. Pond left us with copies of his new release from his Aviary Ensemble, a Philly-based quintet whose members I wasn’t familiar with. After a short spoken word into, the quintet launches off with their own spirited free yet focused sound. The music sounds conducted or directed at times with freer fragments flowing in and out. There are several layers moving around one another of flute, horn, el guitar, vocal and melodica, often dense with certain instruments launching off into intense freer terrain. It sounds like this ensemble has been playing together for a while since the playing is often quick, intense and thoughtfully organized. If you listen closely, you start to hear duos or trios revolving around one another in connected orbits. Although this entire disc is only 24 minutes long, I found the entire piece to be consistently fascinating. The Free Philly Spirit continues to thrive! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10 [This disc comes with an insert which will delivered next week]
* AARON POND will be playing here at DMG next week 3/18/25 with another Philly ensemble
GENE AMMONS with SONNY STITT / LOU DONALDSON / JACKIE McLEAN / PEPPER ADAMS / ART FARMER / IDREES SULIEMAN / MATTHEW GEE / KENNY BURRELL / MAL WALDRON / TOMMY POTTER / FREDDIE REDD / JUNIOR MANCE / ART TAYLOR - The Classic Early Albums 1955-1960 (Enlightenment 9222; EEC) This 4CD Set includes eight of Gene Ammons' most esteemed and celebrated albums, originally released between 1955 and 1960. All coming from the great man's 1950s output when he worked with many of the finest jazz musicians around, the collection illustrates perfectly how he helped develop the sound of the tenor saxophone to higher levels of expressiveness. Ammons, together with Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, helped integrate their developments with the emerging "vernacular" of the bebop movement, and the chromaticism and rhythmic variety of Charlie Parker is evident in his playing. This compilation forms an ideal starting place for beginners to this maverick musician's work and talents, but works equally well for those already well versed, as a perfect reminder of just how extraordinary an artist Gene Ammons was. Albums included are: ‘All Star Sessions’, ‘Funky’, ‘Blue Gene’, ’Soulful Saxophone’, ’The Big Sound.
4 CD Set $18
LESTER YOUNG with DICKY WELLS / OSCAR PETERSON / KENNY DREW / BILL COLEMAN / BUCK CLAYTON / JESSE DRAKE / BARNEY KESSEL / EDDIE DURHAM / FREDDIE GREENE / NAT ‘KING COLE’ / RAY BROWN / BUDDY RICH / JO JONES - More Classic Albums (Enlightenment 9241; EEC) Lester Willis Young, born August 27, 1909, known professionally as Lester Young, remains among the most influential saxophone players of all time; indeed Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Gerry Mulligan, Paul Quinichette, Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon and Warne Marsh were all informed by and drew heavily on Young's sound. This collection, featuring almost five hours of music across four discs, collates some of the earlier sessions but equally some of the finest music Lester Young ever recorded. Although marred by health issues, Lester Young's playing as the bebop genre developed remained as spectacular as ever it was, and this is well documented throughout this new collection. Albums featured are: ‘Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio’, ‘The Lester Young / Buddy Rich Trio’, ‘Lester Young with the Kansas City Five’, “Pres is Blue’ and more.
4 CD Set $18
KRAUTROCK ERUPTION with ROEDELIUS / ASMUS TIETCHENS / CONRAD SCHNITZLER / ENO MOEBIUS ROEDELIUS / KLUSTER / et al - An Introduction To German Electronic Music 1970-1980 (Bureau B 478CD; Germany) A selected Krautrock discography. Krautrock, what is it anyway? A genre, a derogative term, a song by Faust, or: a welcome (and recurring) opportunity to talk about all of this. The music associated with the term in question has eagerly been canonized. From the enthusiastic and idiosyncratic ramblings of Julian Cope's "Krautrocksampler" to encyclopedic approaches like Alan and Stephen Freeman's "Crack in the Cosmic Egg", there are plenty of books to read and lists to discuss: Who's in, who isn't? The quarrels and disputes surrounding the terms "Krautrock" and "Kosmische Musik" are a testament to their enduring relevance and fascination. The book Krautrock Eruption by Wolfgang Seidel addresses some of those questions. In this book, you will find an annotated discography of fifty albums. Out of these fifty, Bureau B are presenting an even narrower selection of tracks from twelve albums on this compilation. Lists and compilation track listings inevitably see tracks missing and being left out. The list is meant to inspire repeated or further listening, to spark discussions and -- potentially -- to provoke new lists, perhaps your own! It's all part of the fun. Music is made for enjoyment in the first and for friendly debate in the second place, after all. Featuring Conrad Schnitzler, Eno Moebius Roedelius, Harald Grosskopf, Cluster, Moebius & Plank, Roedelius, Pyrolator, Riechmann, Kluster, Günter Schickert, and Asmus Tietchens.
CD $18
YOKO ONO / THE GREAT LEARNING ORCHESTRA - Selected Recordings From Grapefruit (Karl Records 100CD; Germany) For the first time a full album with recordings based on Yoko Ono's 1964 collection of texts, event scores and drawings Grapefruit, a foundational cornerstone of what became known as conceptual art, and enveloping the orbits of Fluxus and experimental music. Performed by The Great Learning Orchestra which has during the 25 years of its existence worked with Gavin Bryars, Terry Riley, Pauline Oliveros, J.G. Thirlwell, Arnold Dreyblatt, and more. Originally self-published in 1964 in a limited edition of 500 copies under Yoko Ono's own imprint, Wunternaum Press, and later reprinted in expanded editions, the collection of over 230 texts, event scores and drawings that comprise Grapefruit has long been considered a foundational text in what became known as Conceptual Art, and envelops the orbit of Fluxus and experimental music. Though comparisons to John Cage may seem obvious, Ono's first attempts at textual composition actually pre-date her first encounter with the American composer by around a decade and have evolved free from Cage's influence. Another factor that sets these scores apart from associated forms of verbal notation from the same period is Ono's ambivalence towards the necessity, or even possibility, of their physical realization -- instead the idea being that the realization should take place in the mind of the reader. Hardly any performances have been recorded and released on disc -- so, 60 years after Grapefruit first appeared, Selected Recordings From Grapefruit is the very first full album of pieces selected from the many sections of the book. The sonic realizations presented here are of a number of different kinds, encompassing studio-based ensemble performances, but also location, environmental and field recordings (and at times combinations of these), as the scores themselves dictate, and for the most part recorded live and acoustically, such that the performances, actions, situations and environments that you hear are real. The accompanying 20-page booklet with rare performance photos and some original typewritten scores from Ono's personal archive also includes the text instructions for each piece - thus allowing the listener to make a connection between the imaginative engagement and creative activity executed by the performing members of The Great Learning Orchestra and the resulting recording. With 20 tracks and approximately 85 minutes duration, Selected Recordings From Grapefruit finally brings to ear some of the most important and influential 20th century avantgarde art.
2 CD Set $24 / 2 LP Set $38
PHILIP JECK - rpm (Touch Tone 086CD; UK) With rpm, Touch wanted to join some of the dots of Philip Jeck's life and involve many other collaborators, early and more recent. Fennesz was a friend and kindred spirit on the same label. Claire M Singer formed a new chemistry and partnership and although their plans must now take a different form, Mary found some sketches Philip had laid out using Claire's organ recordings, for further development. Faith Coloccia and Philip had already released "Stardust" on Touch in 2021. Their live performance together at 2220arts archives, Los Angeles in March 2022 celebrating Touch's 40th anniversary had to be shelved. And in September of that year Iklectik hosted a memorable tribute night with live work from Chris Watson, Liverpool Improvisation Collective, Claire M Singer, and others -- most of all a dedicated audience who knew and felt that this was a future event and not the end of the story. A work in progress at the time of Philip's death, Oxmardyke, a project with Chris Watson, saw the light of day as Touch Tone 83 in early 2023 -- working on recordings Chris had sent, Philip with laptop perched on hospital bed, almost to the end. There were other artists who wanted to actively contribute further, whether in performance or contributing to this album: Jana Winderen had already sent Philip her recordings of pilot whales and the track you hear was finished in March 2022. Cris Cheek was in Slant with Philip and Sianed Jones, who also sadly passed away that same year -- their work together predates Philip's with Touch. Philip owed much in his early years of composing and playing to his collaboration with dancers, theatre and film makers -- in particular, a ten-year working and performing partnership with Laurie Booth, Yip Yip Mix, and the 20th Century, which toured widely during the 1980s and early '90s. An early audio-visual work, Vinyl Requiem (1993) was created with visual artist Lol Sargent, using 180 record players, nine slide projectors and two 16mm projectors producing a live performance on a huge scale. Vinyl Requiem wasn't exactly about the end of vinyl, but the dawn of something else regarding sound recording and music. It was never a final statement but a testament to the work to come. Also featuring Gavin Bryars, Rosy Parlane, Cris Cheek, Faith Coloccia, David Sylvian & Hildur Guðnadóttir, Jah Wobble & Deep Space, Drums Off Chaos, Chandra Shukla, and Jana Winderen.
2 CD Set $20
JEAN-BAPTISTE FAVORY - I Was Thinking (Feeding Tube Records FTR 792CD; USA) "What a pleasure it is to hear this new album from France's Jean-Baptiste Favory, long-distance associate of Los Lichis, presenter of France's longest running avant garde radio show (Epsilonia), and a goddamn great musician. I Was Thinking is the solo third album we've done with J-B (preceded by Things Under (FTR 333LP, 2017) and Ciels (FTR 703CD, 2023)), and we think it's the most varied and fascinating one yet. Using guitars, keyboards and electronics, Favory explores the edges between avant-rock, experimental composition and free form madness, in all their dark glory. The tracks here rarely follow merely one or another of these threads. They tend to careen wildly through all of them in sequence or even simultaneously. For example, the title track opens with a crackling field recording of frogs peeping in vernal pools, accompanied by guitar playing whose lines are as abstract as they are genteel. Slowly everything gets swamped in surface noise, stuttering electronic waves and pulses until the whole scene fades out in smoke. But (today anyway) my faves tracks are an odd couple. 'The Seasick Sailor' is a primarily electronic composition, which starts with what sounds like a cold wind blowing straight up Popeye's ass, forcing him into a position that allows Bluto to give him an Indian Ropeburn. None of this is explicit, of course, but how else could we interpret such sounds? On a completely different note, 'Under Things' begins with J-B playing acoustic guitar in a yearn-drenched neo-folk style. Eventually swirling layers of organ drone start to cover everything and the track draws to a sweetly shuddering close. And these are but two of the ten tracks, none of which makes much effort to ape that which came before. I Was Thinking offers listeners a goddamn smorgasbord of sounds, as brilliantly arcane as any you are likely to find this year, or any year. We suggest you play it often and with gusto." --Byron Coley
CD $17
MORE TITLES FROM THE ONGOING ILK MUSIC CD SALE:
KLOKKEBLOMST with ANDERS BANKE / PETER DANSTRUP / ANDERS PROVIS - [Sic!] (Ilk Music 253CD; Denmark) Featuring: Anders Banke on sax, Peter Danstrup on acoustic bass guitar and Anders Provis on percussion. [sic!] is the three musician’s contribution to contemporary improvised jazz, harboring the core values of community, interplay and fantasy. The band has worked with three kinds of improvisation: live in the studio, double improvisation, where you improvise on top of a previous improvisation and finally a more advanced use of recording techniques, where the musicians simultaneously , without hearing one another, improvise on top of a foregoing improvised recording. Erasing the earlier recording and only hearing the second impro leaves you with a unique, unforeseeable, yet coherent musical statement.
One of the band’s trademarks has been the long titles that metrically corresponded to the opening phrases of the theme. This time the titles are condensed, one-syllable words, all rhyming with [sic!]. Even though the music is created on the spot the band has kept its unique and recognizable sound, where outstanding musicianship merges to a unity that is rarely heard.
CD Sale $10
LOVEDALE with JESPER LOVDAL / JACOB ANDERSKOV / JONAS WESTERGAARD / ANDERS MOGENSEN - Green Sounds (Ilk Music 187CD) Spearheaded by Danish reeds player Jesper Løvdal, with pianist Jacob Anderskov, who plays both acoustic piano and Würlitzer electric piano, drummer Anders Mogensens and German trombone player Nils Wogram, who, having performed as an additional member with the band for over two years, recently took his place as a full member in replacement of bass player Jonas Westergaard. Formed in the early 2000s, Lovedale released their first self-titled on Ilk Music in 2004. Their second, Grill Music, published two years later, earned them Jazz Release of the Year at the 2007 Danish Music Awards, and was followed by a third album, Coziness Kills in 2009.
In the past, Lovedale have regularly alternated between composed and improvised pieces, but with Green Sounds, they opt for an entirely improvised approach. In practice, it means that their sound has become much freer and more fluid. Melodies are not quite as prominent or as clearly defined as they were on previous records. Instead, the quartet demonstrate a much more dynamic approach to their music as they take it in turn to set the agenda.
On Trains And Bones And Planes for instance, Nils Wogram shows just how much of a natural fit with the band he is as he slowly builds a somewhat hectic and playful groove, soon picked up by Mogensens, and continues to flesh it out as the drums become more substantial. The two drive the piece on their own for over half of it before Lovdal comes in, echoing Wogram’s animated contribution with an equally feverish offering.
Although Anderskov stays out of the way on this album opener, and remains fairly discreet on On Track, Off Time, which follows, his presence is felt much more on the dissonant Beneath The Blues or on the sumptuous and introspective Landscape, where he balances Lovdal’s breathy performance with a delicate muted piano. It is however in the second half of the record that his contribution really becomes potent, first on the splendid Suite Green where he lines up a beautifully crystalline melody, then on Mefludica, Wogram Avenue or Green Exit, where he opts for much stranger, harsher, tonalities, often choosing resolutely coarse electric textures to counterbalance the softer sounds brought in by Lovdal or Wogram.
Although he still relies primarily on sax, Lovdal adds flute and clarinet to his panoply of instrument to give some of the pieces here a broader sonic palette. Equally, Wogram adds a new dimension to the quartet, especially on Trains And Bones And Planes or Wogram Avenue, on which he takes charge, once again with Mogensens for a while, then with the rest of the formation eventually building a pretty dense soundscape. On Mefludica, he swaps trombone for melodic, but opts for a similarly hectic approach to that adopted on Trains And Bones And Planes, answered by Lovdal on flute and Anderskov on saturated electric piano.
Having opted for a different approach to their preview records, Lovedale have, with Green Sounds, completely reinvented their sound, giving it much more space to develop and flourish. The result is an album which never ceases to challenge and entertain in equal measures. It also reveals a much more playful and progressive to the band which should work equally well live.
CD Sale $10
EGGS LAID BY TIGERS with JONAS WESTERGAARD / MARTIN DAHL / PETER BRUUN - Performs Music from Under the Miles Off Moon & This Red Eyed Earth (Ilk Music 706274 007329; Denmark) Featuring Jonas Westergaard on bass, philcorda (early organ developed by Dutch composers in the 1960’s), Moog & vocal, Martin Ulits Dahl on electric guitar & vocal and Peter Bruun on drums, acoustic fingerpicking & vocal. Eggs Laid BY Tigers is an odd Danish trio who have taken the poetry of famous Irish poet Dylan Thomas and put it to music. I know of the work of Jonas Westergaard from collaborations with Michael Blake, Jakob Bro and Petter Wettre. Drummer Peter Bruun has worked with Samuel Blaser, Django Bates and Marc Ducret.
It seems odd to hears the poetry of Dylan Thomas put to music but this is what we have here. The music has a sort of charming British pop/rock sound, the vocals remind me of Gary Brooker, the main singer from Procol Harum. The instrumentation is mostly guitar, organ, drums with lead & harmony vocals. I myself am a longtime fan of the poetry of Dylan Thomas, which often takes time and determination to figure out. Hearing it sung seems odd since it sounds more normal and easier to figure out somehow. Aside from the warm, oddly charming sound of the vocals here, it is the equally quirky, rather enchanting music that rings true to me. I must admit that this disc is an unexpected delight. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD Sale $10
DANE TS HAWK 3 With TS HOEG / NILS BOSSE DAVIDSEN / KRESTEN OSGOOD - 3 Of A Kind (Ilk Music 169; Denmark) Featuring TS Hoeg on alto sax, Nils Bosse Davidsen on bass and Kresten Osgood on drums. Danish saxist TS Hoeg is in his late sixties and has worked with a dozen or so bands, jazz/rock, no wave avant/jazz bands alike. Danish bassist Nils Davidsen is around a decade young but has played in more than 30 different bands in both the jazz and rock scenes. Danish drummer Kresten Osgood is one of the best and certainly the most ambitious drummers to emerge from the Danish scene and has played with many avant/jaz legends: Sam Rivers, Paul Bley, Oliver Lake and Yusef Lateef.
Most of the songs here were composed by Mr. Hoeg with a few select covers: 1 by Thelonius Monk and two by Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn. “birdbasket hipster” opens and sounds like it was written by Ornette Coleman or perhaps Anthony Braxton. The melody zigzags and the trio have to shift through the changes quickly, which they seem to do with ease. Monk’s “Ask Me Now” is next and is played slower than usual, simmering nicely. Mr. Hoeg is obviously an older jazz player since he draws from different periods of jazz history. Mr. Hoeg’s own “The Whining Babylonians” starts out one way and keeps on changing in sections with a number of surprising twists & turns. Billy Strayhorn’s “Isfahan” is stripped down so that sad/lovely melody shines through unadorned. It sounds like Mr. Hoeg spent alot of time composing each piece so that the rhythm team had to work with a different structure or strategy for each of the 12 pieces. At first I thought that a sax/bass/drums trio would be limited in what they could do but each piece shows another way of how strong and creative this trio actually is with crafty melodies and unique structures. Duke Ellington’s “Blue Pepper” comes from his ‘Far East Suite’ album and blends blues lines with middle-eastern vibe. The trio does a fine job of bringing this rare piece to life. The last piece is a trio improv and they do a fine job of stretching out and playing freely, the vibe is eerie and suspense-filled. Another gem from the fine folks at Ilk Music.
CD Sale $10
LP SECTION:
PINK FLOYD - Between The Hopeful And The Damned: Live At The Old Refectory 1969 (Dear Boss Jack 071LP; Italy) Pink Floyd Live at the Old Refectory 1969 captures the band in a transitional phase, blending their early psychedelic roots with the progressive sounds that defined their future. This rare performance showcases experimental improvisations and tracks that reflect their evolving musical identity.
LP $24
ALI FARKA TOURE - Ali Toure Farka (Survival Research 094LP; Australia) One of the best-known African musicians of all time, the renowned Malian singer and guitarist Ali Farka Toure was one of the pioneers of African desert blues. Born to a noble caste, he was forbidden to play music but wound up representing Mali in the early 1960s on an international contest held in Bulgaria, where he bought his first guitar and was exposed to the music of John Lee Hooker, which became a big influence. This self-titled classic was recorded for Radio Mali in 1977 and captures Toure at his magnificent best, with just his guitar for accompaniment, and an unusual violin on both "Yer Mali Wolo" and "Remobe."
LP $22
KAMALESH MAITRA - Raag Kirwani on Tabla Tarang (Black Truffle BT 126LP; Australia) Carrying on a string of stunning archival releases from major figures of Indian classical tradition (including releases from members of the Dagar family and Amelia Cuni), Black Truffle presents an unheard recording from tabla master Kamalesh Maitra (1924-2005). For over fifty years, Maitra devoted himself to the rare tabla tarang, a set of between ten and sixteen hand drums tuned to the notes of the raga to be performed. While the tabla tarang has its origins in the late 19th century, Maitra was the first to recognize its potential as a solo concert instrument, using the set of tuned drums to perform full-length raags. Seated behind a semi-circular array of drums, Maitra produced stunning waves of melodic improvisation enlivened with the rhythmic invention of a master percussionist. Across his career, Maitra performed in ensembles led by Ravi Shankar, collaborated with George Harrison, and led his own East-West fusion group, the Ragatala Ensemble. However, it is in the solo setting that his remarkable artistry and the otherworldly timbral qualities of the tabla tarang are most strikingly on display. Recorded during the same 1985 Berlin sessions that produced Maitra's self-released solo LP Tabla Tarang: Ragas on Drums, on Raag Kirwani on Tabla Tarang listeners are treated to Maitra stretching out for over forty minutes on the late-night Raag Kirwani, accompanied by Laura Patchen on tabla and Mila Morgenstern and Marina Kitsos on tanpura. The performance begins with the traditional free-floating exposition section, where Maitra's spacious melodic improvisation at times almost resembles a plucked string instrument (like the sarod, which Maitra also played). For the listener unaccustomed to the tabla tarang, the sound of these microtonally inflected melodic patterns played on drums has a magic quality. As Maitra begins to imply the rhythmic cycles more strongly, Patchen joins on tabla, beginning half an hour of rhythmic-melodic exploration, where virtuosity sits side by side with delicacy and meditative attention. Accompanied by beautiful archival images and extensive liner notes from Laura Patchen, for many listeners Raag Kirwani on Tabla Tarang will be the perfect introduction to the magical world of Kamalesh Maitra, released to coincide with the hundredth anniversary of the master musician's birth.
LP $32
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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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JOHN ZORN - Hermetic Cartography at the Drawing Center- Feb 7th - May 11th, 2025:
John Zorn’s ‘Hermetic Cartography’ will be accompanied by a series of musical performances curated by Mr. Zorn that will be performed in the exhibition. Performances will be held from 7:30 - 9pm on the first Saturday of each month (March - May, 2025) and will be free and open to the public. The Drawing Center is located at 35 Wooster Street, in Soho in Manhattan, NYC. Website: https://drawingcenter.org
Known predominantly as a groundbreaking figure in New York’s avant-garde and experimental music scenes, John Zorn has long been celebrated for his radical innovations in music. However, his abstract drawings—a private language of symbols and notations—have remained a closely guarded secret. Offering profound insight into Zorn’s creative mind, Hermetic Cartography reveals a new dimension of his artistic practice by showcasing works on paper that span seven decades of his visionary engagement with mark-making, improvisation, and the esoteric.
The exhibition includes a diverse array of Zorn’s visual artworks, graphic scores, dense philosophical notations, abstract poetry and artist books, and not only highlights Zorn’s radical approach to marks on paper but also his unique Theatre of Musical Optics and other experimental projects. By exploring these visual elements, the exhibition provides a new perspective on how Zorn's abstract works intersect with and inform his musical compositions.
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THE STONE RESIDENCIES / THEO BLECKMAN / MARCH 19-22
3/19 Wednesday
8:30 pm: DUO 1 - Theo Bleckmann (voc/EFX) Mike King (piano)
3/20 Thursday
8:30 pm: DUO 2 - Theo Bleckmann (voc/EFX) Ben Monder (guitar)
3/21 Friday
8:30 pm: TRIO 1 - Theo Bleckmann (voc/EFX) Timo Vollbrecht (sax) Luke Marantz (keyboards)
3/22 Saturday
8:30 pm: TRIO 2 - Theo Bleckmann (voc/EFX) with Endless Field: Jesse Lewis (guitar) Ike Sturm (bass)
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 of mine Will Glass:
CONCERTS AT RECIRCULATION:
Thursday, March 13, 7pm
Uptown Out
Eleven O'Five - Melanie Dyer (viola), Claire de Brunner (bassoon), Virg Dzurinko (piano)
Will Glass (drums), Mary Cherney (flute), Matt Lambiase (trumpet, cornet)
Saturday, March 22, 4pm
Lexiglass LP Launch
Alexis Marcelo (piano), Will Glass (drums)
Thursday, April 10, 7pm
Uptown Out
Carol Liebowitz (piano), Nick Lyons (alto sax) Stephanie Griffin (viola), Mary Cherney (flute), Claire de Brunner (bassoon), Will Glass (drums)
Thursday, May 8, 7pm
Uptown Out
Charles Waters (clarinet, compositions) Claire de Brunner (bassoon), Will Glass (drums), Mary Cherney (flute), Matt Lambiase (trumpet, cornet), guests
All events:
Recirculation, a project of Word Up
876 Riverside Dr
NY NY 10032
$5-10 suggested donation
https://www.wordupbooks.com/recirculation
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THIS NOTE COMES FROM MY GOOD BUDDY JOEL HARRISON, Gifted Guitarist and Organizer. His yearly concerts at LPR have been a highlight for myself and other Guitar Freaks…
Dear Guitar Enthusiasts … There's a lot going:
—MIDWESTERNERS: please take note of the below dates. I'm lucky to be playing with two of the greatest B-3 organ players alive, and fantastic drummers as well. https://joelharrison.com/shows/
—On March 14 AGS (Alternative Guitar Summit) recordings releases ANUPAM SHOBHAKAR'S LIQUID REALITY, a tour de force on double neck guitar that fuses Indian music, jazz, and rock. If you like John McLaughlin this is for you. Preorder here: https://agsrecordings.bandcamp.com/
—We have uploaded some GREAT NEW PODCASTS to the AGS youtube channel with Ben Monder, Redd Volkaert, and more to come. Please check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/@alternativeguitarsummit
—For a couple of years I have been working on a major piece entitled "Burn Pit." The orchestration is jazz big band and a 16 person chorus. The subject matter is the deadly toxic burnpits from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that killed or sickened hundreds of thousands of military personnel. To fulfill my obligation to the NY State Council on the Arts and the Governors Office of NY, from whom I received a generous composition grant, I have posted a video discussing and playing excerpts from this work here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulyk1Pgrym8
Don't forget to sign up for our summer camp! Kevin Eubanks, Vernon Reid, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Scofield...come on! https://www.alternativeguitarsummitcamp.com/ - Joel Harrison
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAWxt3EJSPw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvoYygehqE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6p_Q2Dwxc
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From 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