I know, I know you probably scream and cry
That your little world won't let me go
But who in your measly little world
Are you trying to prove that
You're made out of gold and, uh, can't be sold?
So uh, are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Well, I have
Ah, let me prove it to you
Trumpets and violins I can, uh, hear in the distance
I think they're calling our names
Maybe now you can't hear them, but you will, ha ha
If you just take hold of my hand
Oh, but are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Not necessarily stoned, but beautiful
I recall hearing the single, “Purple Haze” on AM radio in the spring of 1967 and thinking that Jimi Hendrix was an alien from outer space, that’s how weird and unique it sounded amongst other AM singles at the time. “Excuse me while I kiss the sky” Jimi sings on this song!?! It was too much for my young teenage mind! This was five years before I did any psychedelics at college and a couple of years before I got stoned for the first time (Labor Day, 1969). I could tell that something strange was going on in the music that I listened to in 1967, buying albums for the first time and discovering bands like the Mothers of Invention, Love, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead and many more. I discovered FM radio in the Spring of 1967 and this opened me to many great bands. I bought a copy of the first Jimi Hendrix Experience album, ‘Are You Experienced?’ that summer and kept playing it over and over since it seemed so alien yet also somehow familiar. Both the American and British versions of this albums (which had some different songs in different order) ended with “Are You Experienced?” This songs spooked me and still does, I guess I was not that experienced yet at the ripe age of 13. I’ve been a longtime Jimi Hendrix fan ever since, his singing, his songs and especially his unique guitar playing all of which blew my mind! The Jimi Hendrix Experience, his mighty trio with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, were a one-of-a-kind band. They only made four studio records before Mr. Hendrix’s untimely death in September of 1970 at the age of 27. I still go back to listen to each of these wonderful albums and ‘Electric Ladyland’ remains my favorite. After more than fifty years, I have a much better idea of how some/many of my favorite records were made but some still spook me to this day. Jimi Hendrix is still one of my favorite sonic pioneers. “Are you experienced?” Well… - MC-BruceLee at DMG
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THE DMG 34th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT CELEBRATION CONTINUES with:
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 Event, March 31st - 3 Fabulous Guitar Duos!
6:30: ELLIOTT SHARP / SCOTT FIELDS - Guitar Duo
7:30: SANDY EWEN / CHUCK ROTH - Guitar Duo
8:30: SALLY GATES / EYAL MAOZ - 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
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THE NEWSLETTER BEGINS with JOHN ZORN’S 6th CHAOS MAGICK BAND Release:
JOHN ZORN // CHAOS MAGICK with MATT HOLLENBERG / BRIAN MARSELLA / JOHN MEDESKI / KENNY GROHOWSKI - Through the Looking Glass (Tzadik 9320; USA) These are challenging compositions. Founded in 2021 as a spinoff of the heavy metal organ trio Simulacrum, they have released no less than five CDS in three years—Chaos Magick, The Ninth Circle, Multiplicities, 444, and Parrhesiastes. Their sixth, Through the Looking Glass, presents three extended works that unfold like a philosophical treatise. Sweet, funky, soulful, imaginative, quirky, and intensely stimulating, this is music that pushes formal musical ideas into fresh new directions. The phrase “Nothing is real—everything is permitted” has never had greater meaning.
CD $16
* NELS CLINE CONSENTRIK QUARTET with INGRID LAUBROCK / CHRIS LIGHTCAP / TOM RAINEY - Concentrik Quartet (Blue Note 602475 602071; USA) Featuring Nels Cline on electric & acoustic guitars, effects & compositions, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor & soprano saxes, Chris Lightcap on contrabass & effects and Tom Rainey on drums. Since becoming an integral member of roots/rock sensation Wilco, guitar great Nels Cline has been taking his time as far as being a leader of several ongoing bands, releasing new records several years apart. His last leader date was December of 2020 for the Nels Cline Singers. Mr. Cline does keep pretty busy as a sideman/collaborator with Jenny Scheinman, Michael Loeonhart, Thollem McDonas and the Go Organic Guitar Orchestra. Nels always picks great musicians to work with and hence, this is a wonderful all-star Downtown quartet. Each member is a multi-bandleader as well as being gifted composers. I’ve caught this quartet twice at LPR, playing two sets each time and blowing me away on each set.
Nels Cline is a device guitarist whose playing and music draws from a variety of genres, hence this disc encompasses several different streams. Starting with “The Returning Angel”, as Mr. Clines strums softly, Ms. Laubrock’s haunting tenor, Mr. Lightcap’s hypnotic bowed bass & Mr. Rainey’s eerie, skeletal drumming all play together in suspense-filled sweeps. Nel’s strumming reminds me of the dark, ethereal undertow that John McLaughlin did with Mahavishnu Orchestra. The pace picks up as the band glides into “The 23” which features an inspired sax solo from Ms. Laubrock. “Surplus” has a strong, somewhat gnarly repeating riff which the guitar-led trio keeps going as the tenor and guitar play their own spirited solos. Tom Rainey, the favorite drummer of many, is a master of using the mallets on his drums and does a splendid job of spinning on his drums for ”Allende”, the quartet simmers softly throughout this solemn, haunting work. “House of Steam” is a righteous medium tempo piece with the sax and guitar playing their tight (written) lines around one another in a circular fashion/groove. “Inner Wall” features some powerful, turbulent drumming by Mr. Rainey, pushing the rest of the quartet into those dark waves together. By the time we get to “Satomi”, the storm/force has gotten more intense. Ms. Laubrock switches to soprano sax here and sounds equally wonderful. As this piece slows down, it becomes more cerebral and dreamy. While Ms. Laubrock solos on “The Bag”, the rest of the quartet plays some challenging interlocking riffs that Mr. Cline wrote for the band to execute. The quartet erupt intensely on “Question Mark (The Spot)”, all members swirling tightly together. I like the way Nels balances the twelve pieces here from quieter to more explosive, often in a most organic way as each piece seems to flow into the next one. This marvelous quartet generally plays in NYC once a year so don’t miss them when they do. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16 / 2 LP Set $46
* The NELS CLINE CONSENTRIK QUARTET will be playing at LPR (Le Poisson Rouge) on April 14th at 7pm, don’t miss them!
EUGENE CHADBOURNE - You Are Not Welcome (Chadula; USA) Featuring Eugene Chadbourne on 6 & 12 string acoustic, electric & prepared guitars. During and after the pandemic Eugene Chadbourne worked on a series of CD-R’s, which were compiled into several series, both solos and group efforts, three of which we just got in (3/19/2025). ‘You Are Not Welcome’, is a solo guitar(s) collection which includes several covers of Roscoe Mitchell, 2 by Olivier Messiaen and a JOhn Coltrane cover. Not sure where or when any of these songs were recorded although there is one piece recorded by Henry Kaiser in 1978, the early days of the Downtown Scene. Things begin with a lovely, poignant version of Duke’s “In a Sentimental Mood” with Mr. Chadbourne on quiet acoustic guitar, the vibe keeps drifting. This is followed by “Colonel Ghadafi’s Dinner Party”, played on an electric guitar and with some strange effects, mostly free and completely out-to-lunch. Doc Chad switches between free form freak out sections with his distinctive distortion pedal added to scary effect. “Kneejerk Reaction” is also mostly free, balanced between quieter and more frenetic sections. It sounds like Doc Chad is banging on or rubbing the strings with an object or utensil of some sort. Mr. Chadbourne plays an early Art Ensemble of Chicago cover called, “People in Sorrow”, which was recorded in 1978. The original version of this piece is a 40 minute album length work from 1969. Doc Chad plays it on an acoustic guitar and although it sounds free, it does evolve organically over time, very quiet at times and explosive at other times. For “I Have No Cadavers Today”, Chad speeds up into a more frenetic, free form excursion in which he keeps shifting dynamics due to using a fuzzbox and other odd effects. Doc Chad likes to take a song like “CC Rider”, change the title and play his own version, taking the melody and twisting it into something else. Chadbourne also plays two pieces by modern classical composer Olivier Messiaen. Chad takes a short piece called “La Parole Toute-Puissante” and stretches it out, his version quite subtle yet still adventurous. He pushes things further out and noisier on “The Narrow Mind of the Hendrix Estate”, rubbing the strings and body of the guitar intensely at times and later going into a complete freak-out section. Jimi Hendrix was a popular rock guitarist for his short life and someone who also experimented with his own guitar playing and use of feedback. I like Chadbourne’s version of John Coltrane’s song, “Lonnie’s Lament”, playing the melody quietly and with much restraint, building it up slowly, capturing its melodic essence nicely on some laid back electric guitar. The title piece, “You Are Not Welcome” takes off from where the Trane piece ended and is played on some stripped down electric guitar. This piece changes direction a few times, capturing both jazz and rock elements, balancing between both points of reference. Although I don’t know when most of these were recorded during Eugene Chadbourne’a nearly 50 year music journey/career, his playing sounds contacted as a pioneering Downtown music who has been influenced by a wide variety of genres and approaches to playing the guitar is his own distinctive way. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD-R $13
EUGENE CHADBOURNE - More Hits from Free Jazz Alibi (Chadula; USA) Featuring Eugene Chadbourne on solo guitar. During and right after the pandemic, Downtown guitar master Eugene Chadbourne, stayed at home and went through boxes of old tapes, checking out music that he had recorded as well as playing and recording solo pieces at home, having given up on touring for a few years. Since then, Doc Chad has released a handful of discs from his solo and group archives. We just got in three of these discs this week. All of these pieces were recorded in 2024 but one and about half of them are dedicated to other musicians, film stars and friends like James Newton, Joe McPhee, Karl Berger and Senator Eugene Wright.
The first piece is called “44th Geode for James Newton”. James Newton was (still is) a great loft jazz vibes player that I caught several times in the 1970’s. Mr. Chadbourne plays quiet, spacey acoustic guitar, with what sounds like a bird chirping over & over in the distance. I like the way Eugene plays here, extremely careful and soft. On “AIC5”, Doc Chad plays mostly odd sounds, scratching his strings, playing one note or sound at a time. Mr. Chad rubs the body of his acoustic guitar frantically on “It was a Vista” for an entire section, altering the sound as he goes. Chadbourne plays what sounds like an ancient bluesy melody on “A Banished Key Signature”, which has the guitarist tapping his foot as accompaniment in the second half. Chad switches to an electric guitar for a piece called “Anouk Aimee”, the great French film star who was featured in two Fellini films, ‘La Dolce Vida’ and ‘8 1/2’ and who passed away last year (the summer of 2024). Chad plays what sounds like a solemn folk/rock ballad here which is sad yet touching. It is one of the best things I’ve heard from the good doc in recent memory and made me want to weep. Chad also plays some tasty electric on “Nausea’s Cracked Arm”, striking each odd chord one at a time, each one evoking a different vibe. Karl Berger played vibes and piano, a European avant-jazz musicians who moved to NYC in the mid-sixties and founded the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock in 1973. A number of early Downtown musicians (like Tom Cora, Kramer & Doc Chad) went to school and met up with other future Downtown players. The piece that is dedicated to Mr. Berger is another stark, intense piece for electric guitar. Mr. Chadbourne plays differently on each piece showing off his diverse, exploratory way of playing guitar. At times very quiet yet still a long and fascinating listen for solo experimental guitar fans worldwide. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD-R $13
ITALIAN SURF ACADEMY with MARCO CAPPELLI / DAMON BANKS / DAVE MILLER - Ennio Morricone is Dissolving (41st Parallel Records 0007; Brooklyn, USA) Featuring Marco Cappelli on guitar, Damon Banks on electric bass, Dave Miller on drums and Denver Butson on spoken voice & poetry. This is the fourth release from Marco Cappelli’s Italian Surf Academy, a guitar-led trio, who started with three Italian musicians and now has an American/Downtown- based rhythm team. The trio began as a tribute to surf music, the music of film composer Ennio Morricone and 50’s exotica composer Martin Denny. For this disc, the Downtown trio continue to cover the music of Ennio Morricone, as well as composing their music in a similar-sounding vein with a guest spoken word artist named Denver Butson. I can’t say that I had heard of the vocalist before now although I have heard bassist Damon Banks with the Go Organic Orchestra and drummer Dave Miller used to be the manager here at DMG and always brings a great group here to DMG for our ongoing in-store series.
The 17 pieces are all relatively short. Things begin with a piece called “If You Ask Ennio Morricone” which features the somewhat raspy voice of Denver Butson, describing Ennio Morricone who seems to be fading away from view. The pieces here flow into one another and are suite-like. Mr. Cappelli plays charmingly with that quiet reverb surf tone. The Ennio Morricone who is described here, is like a character in a movie with a recurring theme. As someone who has long loved the sound of a twangy guitar of surf music, I love the tone of Cappelli’s guitar and the songs that the trio plays throughout. I recognize a few of the more popular themes here like “A Fist Full of Dollars” which gets a fine, slightly psych treatment here. There is an overall cinematic quality to this disc since it is suite-like and each section captures a different but related scene. Mr. Cappelli uses an ebow on “The Sundown”, a device that I’ve always dug, thanks to the Feelies, the Bongos and Fred Frith. This disc is just under 30 minutes, yet still feels complete like a soundtrack for a shorter than usual film. A modest gem from a fine Downtown trio that are just about to go on tour in Europe. Check them out if you get a chance to hear them live or cue up some fine Italian wine and give this disc a listen, the film in your mind is about to begin. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
ERHARD HIRT / HANS TAMMEN / NICK DIDKOVSKY - Extended Guitar Trio - Munster 02 Okt 24 (Acheulian Handaxe AHA 2501; USA) Featuring Erhard Hirt, Hans Tammen and Nick Didkovsky on electric guitars and effects. Recorded in October of 2024 at Pumpenhaus at the KLANGZEIT Festival in Munster, Germany. Guitar duos and guitar quartets have become more common over time but guitar trios not so much. I know German guitarist Erhard Hirt from his work with Axel Dorner, Phil Minton, John Butcher and the King Ubu Orchestra. Mr. Hirt played here at DMG in the summer of 2024 in a quartet with Joe Fonda. German-born, NY-based guitarist Hans Tammen, I’ve known for more than 20 years, hearing him collaborate with Ursel Schlict, Denman Maroney, Dom Minasi and his own Third Eye Orchestra. Downtown guitarist I’ve been friends with since the mid-1980’s, hearing him play with Dr. Nerve, Fred Frith Guitar Qt plus numerous solos, duos and trios of note. Mr. Didkovsky is also well regarded as a modern classical composer and has an intense metal duo/trio called Vomit Fist.
Due to the fact that all three guitarists use an assortment of pedals or devices, some/many of the sounds they make are not completely guitar-like, closer to electronic sounds. Things begin quietly on “Futuristic Aletopelta”, subtle sounds slowly being coaxed from each guitar. Having attended 100’s of modern guitar sets over the long stretch, I do recognize certain guitar sounds: the rubbing and tapping on of strings, usage of an ebow or a sustain pedal and other pedals which alter the sound of a plucked note which is then manipulated in a variety of ways. Experimental electric guitar playing has come a long way since the late sixties, starting with Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Sharrock and Derek Bailey, each one experimenting in different ways. I find this disc to be consistently captivating whether I recognize what is being done or not. Each of these three guitarists play carefully, concentrating on the way their playing shifts as it is manipulated or not. Although this is a live recording, the sound is superbly/warmly captured here. Whether you dig the sounds of experimental electric guitars or even mostly electronic sounds, this trio is a winner for the entire length. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
FRANCESCA REMIGI / KILLICK HINDS - Empowered Kind (Habitable Records HR009; USA) Featuring Killick Hinds on stringed instruments, electronics & bells and Francesca Remigi on acoustic & electronics drums & percussion & symbiote. Although Killick refers to his music/playing as Appalachian Trance Metal, I am unsure that this actually explains his unique sound/approach. Killick has released nearly 20 records since 2003, yet I had only heard a few of these when he recorded with Henry Kaiser and the Shaking Ray Levis. Killick has worked with a number of other gifted players like Susan Alcorn & Camila Nebbia. Killick played here at DMG on three occasions in guitar duos with Sandy Ewen, Heiki Ruoangas and recently (3/4/25) with Harvey Valdes. Killick plays a unique electric string instrument which I believe he designed himself. I know very little about Ms. Remigi although she is in a couple of Italian bands known as Archipélagos and Gogoducks.
Things commence with “Out of Innocuous Message”, which is a busy, intense guitar and drums duo. The duo sound well-matched, erupting tightly together, building up and then slowing down. Although this music is free, it flows tightly together with Killick strumming furiously at times and Ms. Remigi also spinning out percussive waves. Since Killick has an odd custom or homemade guitar and Ms. Regimi plays electronic percussion, it is hard to tell at times who is doing what. On every piece, Killick alters the sound of his guitar-like stringed thing. When I was watching the duo with Killick & Harvey Valdes at the store a few weeks ago, it was hard to tell who was playing which sound unless I was watching closely. Hence, many of the sounds here are fascinating and somewhat mysterious. Killick sounds like he is bowing his stringed thing on “Limb Knowledge Gist”, solemn, eerie and rather hypnotic. At times, there are sounds which are impossible to describe or figure out how they are being created and still everything fits together as one connected work. Although this is a duo, each piece paints a picture, sets a scene and sounds complete. Most impressive on several fronts. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
TOSHIYA TSUNODA / TAKU UNAMI - Wovenland 3 (erstwhile 100-3; USA) This is third disc from Wovenland, a duo with Toshiya Tsunoda and Taku Unami and according to the liner notes, this will be their last get together as a duo. The duo never play live and spend their time in the studio, focusing on acoustic experiments. The erstwhile label was founded by Jon Abbey and has been around since the late 1990’s. The label has more than 135 releases, each of which captures an ongoing aesthetic of capturing the sound(s) or surprise. Unlike most jazz recordings, ertwhile rarely lists the instrumentation on any of their recordings. This keeps the serious listener from basing their expectations on which instruments or sonic manipulation is involved. Just take the time to listen and consider, being patient is of the utmost importance.
Commencing with the opening track from CD 1, “river speaks to neighbors”, we hear distant thunder, birds, the wind and other organic sounds. The constant soft drone of my kitchen window fan whirrs in the background and fits just right with the other sounds coming from my speakers. Normally I might not notice these sounds if they were occurring in my immediate environment but listening to this disc puts a frame around these sounds so now I notice every sound that occurs. The bird that keeps cawing sounds like a seagull and makes me think that I am near a beach, perhaps somewhere near the Jersey shore. On the second track we hear underwater sounds, as well as some sounds which are hard to describe and which have been manipulated, perhaps. Each piece has a different basic sound or source. Over time, I start to notice the textures and timbres of each sound. Outdoors sounding, rubbed surfaces of different objects or materials, cloth, plastic, metal, one or two things or sounds at a time. “bamboo broom singing” has several voices swirling together with flute-like sounds and something being rubbed. “expanded screaming girl” sounds like someone playing an organ with layers of slowly expanding/droning notes, sliding up and down. The drones sound like a series of sirens which recall a feeling of warning us about something which is about to occur. Each of the three CD’s here capture a different set of sonic scenes or vibes, from soothing to somewhat disturbing and many things in between. Are you patient enough to deal with three discs of this? Do you have the time to let things unfold and consider each sound? These are questions that only each of us con decide by ourselves. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
3 CD Set $28
ROBIN GUTHRIE - Astoria (Soleil Apres Miniut SM 2402CD; France) Following Robin Guthrie's EP Atlas, comes the release of its much-anticipated companion Astoria. Astoria delivers another four powerful and captivating instrumentals recorded in 2024, taking further inspiration from his post-pandemic travels and produced in his studio in Bretagne. "My EP Astoria picks up where my release, Atlas, had set off towards, a conclusion of a journey, like an arrival at a far-off destination. I enjoy the continuity, and the EP format allows me to express these ideas in an episodic form." Guthrie, whose production style and signature guitar sounds are said to have shaped multiple genres was the co-founder and producer of Cocteau Twins. For over forty years he has produced and remixed countless artists, recorded instrumental albums, movie soundtracks and collaborated with many outstanding people. Written and performed and produced by Robin Guthrie.
CD $16
JIM GHEDI - Wasteland (Basin Rock 022CD; UK) Third album from Sheffield folk artist blending traditional songs and original compositions to remarkable effect. On his new album Wasteland, Jim Ghedi has created something huge. Intense, brooding, bold, at times apocalyptic, and remarkably vast. A profoundly bold sonic statement that is some of the most rich, far-reaching and ambitious work that Ghedi has created to date -- pushing the boundaries of what folk music can be. Recorded over two years at Tesla Studios in Sheffield, with David Glover engineering and producing, it also features a wide cast of musicians such as David Grubb (fiddle), Daniel Bridgwood-Hill (fiddle), Neal Heppleston (bass), Joe Danks (drums), Dean Honer from I Monster (synths), Cormac MacDiarmada from Lankum (vocals), Ruth Clinton from Landless (vocals), and Amelia Baker from Cinder Well (vocals). Wasteland is a record that is unafraid to plunge into the darkness of the modern world and embrace the weirder, edgier and more unnerving moments that come from doing so. It is an album that captures all the enormity of life from the micro to the macro, zooming in on the personal as well reflecting on broader societal issues. As with previous albums, such as 2018's A Hymn for Ancient Land and 2021's In the Furrows of Common Place, Ghedi uses traditional folk songs as a means to explore contemporary issues via modern and experimentally-leaning music. Lead single "Wasteland" is a stunning piece of work that while rooted in an environment being corrupted and broken. The decision to incorporate more fuller sounds, such as electric guitar and huge drums, results in a notable shift and evolution in tone for Ghedi. What Ghedi has done in creating his masterpiece is construct a remarkable space where deeply intimate and personal feelings coexist with reflections on environment, place and society, while also interweaving historical context via traditional songs. Wasteland is as much of a world to explore and exist in as much as it is an album, with Ghedi carving out his distinctly unique sonic language and voice to explore that singular environment.
CD $17 / LP $32
REVERSE IMAGE - Towards the Nocturnal Sun (Fourth Dimension FD 155CD; UK) Towards the Nocturnal Sun is the second album from Malaysian artist Siew Y'ng-Yin's Reverse Image. Earlier in 2024 she also had her debut album by her noise project Fallen Sun released by Fourth Dimension. Unlike Fallen Sun's proclivity for melding uncompromising and often abrasive sounds together with occasional rhythmic undercurrents, Reverse Image's approach to soundmaking is defined by measured crystalline shimmer, iridescent patterns formed on a Martian sunset, indiscernible clangs, gentle tones weaving in and out of each other, warm textural glaze, vast swathes of dilated hum, and undulating bridges that sometimes hint at the intensity of Yin's other project. Ranging from compositions that furrow a moody ambience to others that could either sit easily alongside contemporary academic music or soundtrack a thoughtful (or thought-provoking) film, the nine pieces presented on this album shine a light onto an artist possessed of a deep understanding of her craft and the many wonderful avenues it can explore. Overtly, the material forming this album takes everything on the 2023 debut, The Silence That Does Not Exist, to an even greater height where promises are fulfilled yet continue to suggest many more.
CD $16
LP SECTION:
JOE McPHEE - I'm Just Say'n (Smalltown Supersound STSLJN 441LP; Norway) As a common ligature to the OG free jazz scene of '60s NYC, with formative binds to its European offshoots and the experimental avant garde, Joe McPhee is a true force of nature who has represented jazz at its freest over a remarkable lifetime. In duo with Swedish free jazz and noise standard bearer Mats Gustafson, he upends expectations with an astonishingly vivid and upfront example of his enduring contribution to freely improvised music. In 11 parts he variously reflects on everything from the neon sleaze and scuzz of NYC to contemporary US politicians and laugh out loud imitations of his previous sparring partners such as Peter Brötzmann, with a head-slapping immediacy that leaves you reeling, spellbound. McPhee's flow of rare, organic cadence, ranging from urgent to contemplative and dreamlike, is blessed with a unique turn-of-phrase that surely mirrors his decades of instrumental work. Gustafsson, meanwhile, dexterously takes up the mantle with a multi-instrumental spectrum of sounds, leaving McPhee unbound and able to float and sting on the mic. There's obvious wisdom in his perceptively penetrative observations, as derived from a rich cultural life well spent, but also a playful naivety and levity in his ability to veer from almost melodic speech to explosive aggression and a knowing, bathetic wit. It's perhaps hard to believe that McPhee only started incorporating and performing spoken word in his work in the past ten years, a half century since his declaration of "What Time Is It?" announced his arrival on a legendary debut Nation Time (1971), ushering in one of free jazz's most singular characters in the process. Oscillating between discordant reflections on life as a touring musician, set to Gustafsson's skronk and culminating in a snort-worthy imitation of Peter Brötzmann's gruff German accent, on "Short Pieces" or the glowering growl and noise exhortations of "Guitar," he evokes a more sweetly consonant calm in "When I Grow Up" and eerie threat of "The Dreams Book," and viscerality of "Disco Death," where Gustafson's tonal versatility comes into hugely mutable play, whilst McPhee's extraordinary, unaffected voice is a constant. It's perhaps McPhee's balance of cool measuredness and wellspring of barbed energies that allows listeners, at least, to get the most out of this one; not stifling with mannered or manicured enunciation that can trigger certain icks; keeping close to the nature of spoken word in a way that avoids cliche and becomes inherently critical of it within his purposeful, non-hesitant clarity and unflinching approach.
LP $40
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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 RESIDENCIES / KATE GENTILE / MARCH 26-29
3/26 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Find Letter X - Jeremy Viner (woodwinds) Matt Mitchell (piano) Kim Cass (bass) Kate Gentile (drums, compositions)
3/27 Thursday
8:30 pm - Gloatmeal feat. Doyeon Kim - Doyeon Kim (gayageum) Matt Mitchell (piano) Kate Gentile (drums, compositions)
3/28 Friday
8:30 pm - Special Interest - Andrew Smiley (guitar) Matt Mitchell (synths/microfreak) Chris Lightcap (electric bass) Kate Gentile (drums)
3/29 Saturday
8:30 pm - The Screaming Age - Dan Lippel (quartertone guitar) Andrew Smiley (quartertone guitar) Greg Chudzik (fretless bass) Kate Gentile (drums, compositions)
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:
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