Who's saying baby, that don't mean a thing?
'Cause nowadays Clancy can't even sing
And who's all hung up on that happiness thing?
Who's trying to tune all the bells that he rings?
And who's in the corner and down on the floor
With pencil and paper just counting the score?
Who's trying to act like he's just in-between?
The line isn't black if you know that it's green
Don't bother looking, you're too blind to see?
Who's coming on like he wanted to be
Who's saying baby, that don't mean a thing?
'Cause nowadays Clancy can't even sing
And who's coming home on old ninety-five?
Who's got the feeling, yeah, to keep him alive?
Though having it, sharing it ain't quite the same
It ain't a gold nugget, you can't lay a claim
Who's seeing eyes through the crack in the floor?
There it is, baby, don't you worry no more
Who should be sleeping, but's a-writing this song?
Wishing and a-hoping he weren't so damned wrong
Who's saying baby, that don't mean a thing?
'Cause nowadays Clancy can't even sing
Who's saying baby, that don't mean a thing
'Cause nowadays Clancy can't even sing
I started to buy Hit Parade and Song Hits magazines at the local candy/newspaper store (The Lin-Den in Linden, NJ) in the fall of 1966. I had been buying singles since 1965 and was obsessed with pop songs and their lyrics. Before I started to read the newspapers (the Star Ledger & NY York Times) in 5th grade, our AM radio and our black & white TV provided me with the news and pop songs of the day. I bought singles that I played over & over, dancing by myself, singing along and learning the words to whichever song I was obsessed with at the time. Pop music seemed to be an integral part of my life so I listened to it as much as I could and checked out music on TV shows like American Bandstand, Ed Sullivan, Shindig, Where the Action Is and a few others. I started to buy Hit Parade because I was obsessed with lyrics to certain songs which seemed to define different views of life, love, teen rituals and protests. I recall reading about Buffalo Springfield in the fall of 1966 before their first single, "For What It's Worth" was released in December of that year, being one of the first important hits on AM radio in 1967. That song captured an eerie feeling of the protests, unrest and police presence that were brewing at that time. I bought a mono copy of the first Buffalo Springfield album in the summer of 1967 and kept playing it over and over. There were three lead singers in the band: Steve Stills, Neil Young & Richie Furay, two great guitarists (Young & Stills) who were also great songwriters. Word is that members of the band told Neil he had a bad voice so Richie Furay, who wasn't a songwriter, ended up singing lead on several of Neil Young's songs. Neil wasn't happy about this and due to ego problems, Neil and Steve often butted heads. Although both Stills and Young were great songwriters, I have always been more of a Neil Young fan as he has always been a more consistently strong songwriter and I love his voice which is often fragile yet spirited. The above song, "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sings" is clearly one of Neil Young's greatest songs, lyrically and musically. Read those words, they are in a class of their own. This is lyrics as poetry at its very best. Plus the chorus is in waltz time/form. I recently listened to two Buffalo Springfield bootleg CD-R's, one from late 1966 (with great jamming) and a reunion gig from 2010 and both were great! Thanks to my old pal Len for that of hundreds of unofficial recordings he dropped off at DMG last year. You could check out a version of this song and/or the album on YouTube but it would sound better on vinyl or even on CD. More than 5 & 1/2 decades later, Buffalo Springfield still sounds great! The original 5 man line-up only lasted 18 months before Neil started his solo career, Stills founded Crosby, Stills & Nash and Furay started Poco with Jim Messina (who replaced Neil for the third Buffalo Springfield album. - MC-BruceLee at DMG
*******
THE DMG 34th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT CELEBRATION CONTINUES with:
Sunday, June 1st: DMG Anniversary Party & In-Store Celebration!
6:30: SCRT: ANDY HAAS - Sax & Effects / DAVID GROLLMAN - Percussion, Balloon, Vocal / SABRINA SALAMONE - Violin
7:30: RYAN SIEGEL - Solo Alto Sax
8:30: RICHARD BONNET - Guitar
VISION FEST - June 2nd - June 7th - no in-store sets that week
Tuesday, June 10th:
6:30: CHET DOXAS / OLE MATHISON - Sax Duo
7:30: s0nic 0penings: patrick brennan - alto sax / JASON KAO HWANG - Viola / HILLIARD GREENE - Contrabass / MICHAEL TA THOMPSON - Drums
8:30: AYUMI ISHITO / KATE MOHANTY - Reeds Duo
9:30: CRAIG FLANAGAN / NORMANDY SHERWOOD / KEVIN SHEA - Drums
Tuesday, June 17th:
6:30: RICH ROSENTHAL - Guitar / NICK GIANNI - Tenor Sax / ADAM LANE - Contrabass / MARC EDWARDS - Drums
7:30: YONI KRETZMER - Tenor Sax / SHANIR BLUMENKRANZ - ContraBass
8:30: KEN KOBAYASHI - Drumes / ERIN ROGERS - Sax / JEFF MILES - Guitar / MICHAEL GILBERT - Bass
9:30: MICROPLASTIQUE!
*******
NEW THINGS BEGIN THIS WEEK WITH:
JEM3 with JT LEWIS / ELLIOTT SHARP / MARCO CAPPELLI - Apices (Klanggalerie GG495; Germany) Featuring Elliott Sharp on Strandberg Boden 8-string guitar, guitarbass, bass clarinet & electronics, Marco Cappelli on classical & electric guitars & electronics and JT Lewis on drums & percussion. I mainly know of Brooklyn-based drummer JT Lewis from his longtime Downtown connections: Henry Threadgill’s Make a Move, Harriett Tubman & Kip Hanrahan, it turns out that Mr. Lewis has also worked with/for dozens of pop/rock/soul artists like Marianne Faithful, Lou Reed and Material. I hadn’t heard anything new from him except for his work with Harriet Tubman, who record infrequently but still exists. Multi-guitar great, composer & multi-bandleader, Elliott Sharp, remains immensely prolific and leaves us with a new disc around once or twice a month. Classical-trained Italian-born, NY-based guitarist Marco Cappelli also keeps pretty busy working on different projects, the most popular of which is his trio, the Italian Surf Academy.
Since each of these three musicians draw from a wide variety of influences or genres, each piece seems to a different hybrid or blend. "Prolegomania" features some spooky, hypnotic blues/rock/psych guitar from blues/rock lynchpin Elliott Sharp. Mr. Lewis provides a great, laid back, slamming groove while E# solos, bending certain notes as he reaches for some transcendent licks. "Freak Went See" has Mr. Cappelli playing some twisted licks on his electric guitar while Mr. Shaps wails on his bass clarinet and JT plays freely while still breaking into and out of the groove, time and again. Both Mr. Sharp and Mr. Cappelli use a variety of devices to alter the sound of their guitars and use electronics as well, hence it hard to tell who is playing which sound except for when E# switches to his bass clarinet. On "Hypnogogo", Sharp seems to be looping his bass clarinet over Lewis' great funky groove with some pulsating effects and/or electronics also added as sonic spice. On "Not a Dream", an acoustic guitar is strummed in a way that makes it sound somewhat like a sitar, adding an eastern vibe to the ever-changing sonic environment. There are two different electric guitars employed on "Circularity", once with a wah wah & some fuzz and the other with some quick finger-tapping on the fretboard. On "Azhdarchids" E# plays some fine spiraling bass clarinet while Cappelli also adds some swirling sustained guitar lines over JT's rim-hitting groove. This is like snake-charming music from another place. Each of the 14 pieces here creates a different vibe plus nothing goes too far out, making this a fine gem of a disc, 51 plus minutes and great throughout! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
JOE MORRIS / ELLIOTT SHARP - Realism (ESP-Disk 5084; USA) Featuring Joe Morris and Elliott Sharp on various guitars, effects and electronics. This session was organized by current ESP mainman, Steve Holtje and it turned out even better than anyone could've imagined. Both guitarists are also multi-instrumentalists who started out playing rock/blues-rock guitar in the 1970's before they started to organize bands and record in the 1980's. Although they are gifted guitarists & improvisers, their music careers have evolved in different ways. Mr. Morris started recording with a power trio of sorts (Racket Club) and soon began collaborating with Jim Hobbs, Rob Brown, Joe & Mat Maneri, Whit Dickey, Matt Shipp, always searching for and finding other like-minded improvisers. Mr. Morris has been teaching up in Boston for around two decades and often works with current and former students of his. Elliott Sharp has had several bands starting around 1978: ISM, Carbon, Terraplane (blues/rock) and was a member of The President. Mr. Sharp is a diverse and prolific composer, working in a variety of genres, excels at recording and producing his own as well as other folk music.
Since both of these musicians play different guitars and use a variety of effects on each piece, the results are much more diverse and unpredictable than one might imagine. There are six pieces here and each one is very different. "Shapes Mentioned" starts off with acoustic guitar(s) which are altered with effects. I can hear E# (?) using an ebow to coax those sustained sounds while someone taps furiously on acoustic strings. The sound of the guitars is often manipulated with a variety of effects. E# has a unique way of muting and tapping on certain strings, hence this is one of the ways I recognize his sound. Mr. Morris also has a distinctive way of rubbing certain strings with a pic, a utensil or his fingers. Other than that, nothing is predictable here, hence many surprising twists and/or bends are found within each piece. I love the way the textures and picking keeps changing throughout "Neither Odd nor Even", the vibe moves through dream-like into some disorienting detours. "Light Asking" is filled with odd sounds (electronics or effects) which is difficult to recognize yet they are still fascinating to hear and consider. Since many of us have grown up listening to (mostly) electric guitars, we know the regular vocabulary of riffs, music or sounds. There is something else going on here. Most of the guitars here do not sound like the way we usually hear them. Both guitarists have created a new sonic environment with both recognizable and completely altered sounds. This is New Music for the present and future. Listen closely and you will be transformed. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
LARRY OCHS / JOE MORRIS / CHARLES DOWNS - Every Day > All the Way (ESP-Disk 5106; USA) Featuring Larry Ochs on tenor & sopranino saxes, Joe Morris on contrabass and Charles Downs on drums. This is a first time meeting between three gifted improvisers from different areas or backgrounds. Although Bay Area saxist is a longtime member of the legendary sax quartet ROVA, he has also had a long career as a group-leader playing in a variety of duos and trios (Jones Jones, What We Live & others). While ROVA has slowed down as far as new releases go, Mr. Ochs has become more prolific over the past decade. Although Joe Morris is well known as a great improvising guitarist, he has also been playing contrabass and quite a few records over the last few years. Charles Downs used to be known as Rashied Bakr, and has worked with Other Dimensions in Music as well as with Joe McPhee, Jemeel Moondoc and the Flow Trio (with Louie Belogenis and Mr. Morris.
This disc was recorded by Jim Clouse at his Park West Studios, hence the sound is great. The trio begin quietly at first with tenor, bass and drums, swirling freely together. The same rhythm team also backed tenor saxist Louie Belogenis in the Flow Trio for a couple of releases. Hence, the bass and drums always sound connected together providing a rhythmic web under Mr. Ochs rip roaring tenor sax. On the third piece, the trio slow down so that we can hear the strong low-end rumbling of Morris' rubbery contrabass and Down's sprawling drums as Ochs continues to build higher until he is burning it down once more. Joe Morris takes a strong, inventive bass solo here as well. All three of these musicians sound like a veteran at playing free/jazz. The bowed bass and sopranino are tightly wound together on the fourth piece, the trio play slower yet still simmer nicely. Each piece here unfolds organically with the trio playing, listening and reacting together as one storm/force. I dig when the trio lays back at times, having a tight conversation with ideas/sounds flowing back and forth. Although this music is considered to be free, I hear much more going on here as all of the musicians have been doing this sort of free/improv for many years and sound like it. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
HENRY KAISER / KURT NEWMAN - After (Fractal Music 2025-01; USA) Featuring Henry Kaiser and Kurt Newman on guitars. West coast guitar hero, Henry Kaiser, you no doubt know about as we listed and reviewed most of his 150 plus records starting in 1977 with his first solo album ('Ice Death' on Parachute). I met Mr. Kaiser in NYC in the early 1980's and I've been a good friend and big fan ever since. Guitarist Kurt Newson I don't know very well although we was involved in one of Mr. Kaiser's tribute to John Stevens discs ('Sextessence' from 2006), as well as recording in a trio with Sandy Ewen.
For this guitar duo offering, both guitarists first listened to a number of their favorite song by popular bands like The Who, Left Banke, The Band, Quicksilver messenger Service, Moby Grape and even Van Halen. Each piece here is a reaction to the song that the duo are/were listening at the time of the recording. I do recognize most of these songs from the distant past of rock, b&b & blues history. The disc begins with a tribute to "Circles" by The Who, an early song from 1966. The duo take the main riff, play it with a similar (rhythmic) throb/groove and add several other layers on several different acoustic and electric guitars. You might not recognize it, but the duo play their trib to ZZ Top's "A Fool for Your Stocking". Again, the duo take the main riff play it a few times before they move into a more spacious version, adding several bluesy acoustic and electric guitar parts. "Red Rockin' Chair" is an old bluegrass song that was covered by Doc & Merle Watson. The duo take the quick central riff, slow it down and add a series of deft muted notes. "Pretty Ballerina" was the second sixties baroque pop band the Left Banke. It is a lovely, sad, exquisite and here is stripped down to a touching elegance with Kaiser's dreamy guitar at the center. Ever so solemn and haunting. The duo don't play the actual central riff (melody) until the last part, building into the direction throughout the entire piece. After listening to "Stage Fright" by the Band, the duo play a near frenetic, sped up eruption of guitars. Lee Dorsey is a New Orleans's based R&B singer whose 1971 hit, "Tears, Tears and More Tears" is reinterpreted here. It has a great repeating riff that will stick in your head once you hear it. The duo play that riff with uplifting glee, slowly pushing it further out throughout their version. "Omaha" by Moby Grape comes from their first and best debut album from 1967. Mr. Kaiser actually played on a cover version by the Golden Palominos from 1985. Kaiser actually uses some of the same distinctive effects he used the first time with both guitars adding layers of psych parts. I was a bit surprised to hear the duo doing Van Halen's hit "Jump", a band that I've never cared for. I do like the way the guitars expand and contract in odd ways throughout this version. Buffy Saint Marie's classic anti-drug song "Codine" was more famously covered by sixties Bay Area's Quicksilver Messenger Service. The duo speed up the riff/groove to a furious tempo before slowing back down. "See Emily Play" was a wonderful early Pink Floyd psych epic single, a favorite of mine and many other psych freaks. The duo slow it down and expand the psych effects on both guitars adding subtle wah wah and other effects. They do capture that mesmerizing kaleidoscopic sound that Pink Floyd had at the time. "Down Where the Drunkards Roll" comes from a great Richard & Linda Thompson album called 'I Want to See teh Bright Lights Tonight" (from 1974). The song is rather sad and poignant like most Richard Thompson songs and the duo capture that ancient mournful spirit just right, using some most effective slide guitar(s) parts. Bles great Albert Collins' "Cold, Cold Feeling" piles up the distortion for one of the guitars while the other guitar stings them bent notes which speak directly to our hearts. Most folks think of the original Fleetwood Mac as just another of the great white British blues/rock bands but they were much more progressive and unpredictable. Then played several strong not just the blues pieces, the most popular one was "Green Manalishi", a sort of psych, rave-up. Again, the duo grab the opening riff and then expand upon it. adding layers of interconnected guitar parts. Had I not known that these duos were inspired by ancient songs of my/our youth, I would still think that this is solid double guitar effort all of the way through. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
* DAVID GROLLMAN / ANDY HAAS / SABRINA SALAMONE - SCRT (Resonant Music 020; USA) SCRT features David Grollman on snare drum, objects, balloon & voice, Andy Haas on sax and Sabrina Salamone on violin. If you've attended numerous sets here at DMG or even checked out our daily InstaGram posts, then you should know of legendary Downtowner David Grollman. Mr. Grollman has played here at DMG on a number of occasions in solos, duos & trios and generally surprises those in attendance with his oft too honest repartee of spoken word exhortations. Many find his performances humorous while others feel uncomfortable with his observations. We are old friends and I dig the way he taps into deep feelings of his that we all share but usually don't articulate. Grollman is also a gifted improvising musician who coaxes fascinating sounds from his snare, other percussion, balloon(s) and voice. I've also known saxist Andy Haas since the mid-to-late 1980's and have seen him evolve, playing alto or soprano saxes, sometimes with devices, as well as a handful of exotic/ethnic instruments. Hr. Haas has also played at DMG numerous times in different bands like Radio I-Ching, Holy Ghost Spermic Brotherhood and many other solo, duo & trio projects. Violinist Sabrina Salome has played here at DMG several times over the last few years with James Paul Nadien, Kenneth Jimenez and Hery Paz.
This is a studio session which was recorded earlier this year (2025), all of the music was improvised in the studio. The first piece is called "Table 31" and I noticed that Mr. Haas and Ms. Salamone are playing brittle, high-end notes together with Mr. Grollman rubbing a cymbal on his snare drum. The trio have a unique, strange, focused sound with all three bending their notes or sounds around one another in a circular fashion. Both Ms. Salamone and Mr. Haas do a good job of bending and stretching out their in similar ways so it is hard to tell them apart at times. On "Sinister", Grollman waits to enter until after violin and sax duo together for a while. When Grollman does come in, he adds odd shades or shapes, all three players buzzing together. The picture inside the CD of the trio shows Mr. Haas playing a curved soprano sax which he sounds like he is playing on this disc. Grollman plays freely on his snare on "The Word Knows You" while Haas bends those high-end notes and Salamone intersperses her own somewhat bent lines. Grollman is featured doing his spoken word thing on "Methane ATM". Grollman's observations often remind us of questions we have but don't often mention in conversation. He asked at one point, "What is your secret?" Hmmmm, we all do have secrets but do we want to answer that question out loud?!? Probably not. On "Love's Point of View", Grollman asks "Are You Jewish?". If you've spent much time in certain parts of Manhattan or Brooklyn, some Hasidic Jews will come up to Jewish looking men on the street and ask this question. If you say yes, they will try to get you to pray with them, put on Tefillin and chant together. This has happened to me a number of times over the years and it still makes me uncomfortable to have to deal with the guilt that those folks are trying to force me into praying against my wishes. There is a section where things get more intense as the sax, violin and balloon all expand together, notes fractured yet still as one stream. Since around 1979, I've been checking out what has been referred to as Downtown Free-Form Improv. The music here reminds me of this long tradition of creating our own world by improving together in a tight ongoing conversation. More than four decades later, this type of music/exploration continues on record and in our weekly music series. Long live that Downtown Spirit! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
* The Grollman / Haas / Salamone Trio will be playing here at DMG this Sunday at 6:30 for our annual DMG 34 anniversary celebration concert!
PHILLIP GREENLIEF / JON RASKIN plus SHOKO HIKAGE / KANOKO NISHI - 2 2 (EM 66; USA) Featuring Phillip Greenlief on soprano, alto & tenor saxes, Jon Raskin on alto & baritone saxes and Shoko Hikage & Kanoko Nishi on kotos. Last month, we had a great sax duo here at DMG for our weekly series featuring former bay area-based saxist Phillip Greenlief and Downtown all-star alto saxist Tim Berne. The set was phenomenal since both of these musicians are elders who have been evolving their own ways of playing over their long music careers/journeys.
For this disc Mr. Greenlief hooks up with longtime ROVA sax quartet saxist Jon Raskin. plus two koto players. I do know of Mr. Hikage from his work with other Bay area players like Philip Gelb and Jonathan Segal. Kanoko Nishi has worked with Kyle Bruckmann and Tom Djll.
The koto, is a Japanese plucked zither instrument that is about 6 ft long and made from paulownia wood. I've heard a few koto players like Miya Masaoka, Kazu Sawai and Bret Larner. Two saxes and two kotos is certainly a unique grouping. Starting with "Night Town", both saxes are dealing in odd multiphonics, breathlike sounds with koto strings also being rubbed eerily. Both saxists work well together with the kotos providing layered counterpoint. Mr. Greenlief kicks off "Terrestrial" on tenor sax by erupting intensely, the quartet calming down somewhat in the next section. There are sections where the quartet becomes more dense, both saxes spiraling around one another, the kotos also buzzing together. This disc sounds like it was recorded live in the studio with no close mic'ing. Although the overall sound is good, I do think that nuances of the sax and the kotos do get lost in the haze at times. Either way, the sound of the saxes and kotos do work well together since each one has its own range, which blends well. This disc is a part of the 2 2 series which features Greenlief and Raskin playing another two instruments in similar groups. I've gotten around a half dozen discs from Phillip Greenlief recently, none of which we've listed before. I will review the rest in the next few weeks. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
BERNARD PARMEGIANI - Lac Noir - La Serpente 1992 (Sub Rosa 464CD; Belgium) Unreleased material composed by Bernard Parmegiani in 1992. Lac Noir - La Serpente is part of Emmanuel Raquin-Lorenzi's Lac Noir, a composite work inspired by a serpentine female creature or "snake-woman" that he saw in Transylvania in 1976, with a total of 33 pieces using various media, 24 by himself and 9 by other artists. All the materials used in Lac Noir were gathered on the land of the snake-woman between 1990 and 1992. The first coordinated broadcast ran from June to October 2019, like a theatrical display of media.
"At the end of May 1992, in Provence, in his Summer studio not far from the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, Bernard Parmegiani played the first musical moments he had worked on from the sounds he and Christian Zanési had collected in Negreni in October 1990. A few days after this listening session, on 4th June, I wrote him a letter. I didn't mean to take control of what was to become the ninth movement of his composition, but to share with him some of the resonances I had heard in what he had composed, which mingled with my dreams and memories of the Transylvanian snake-woman, and outlined possible concordances with the other pieces underway for Lac Noir. In the midst of the garish chaos of the fair and its spectacular stunts, there could spread out -- still, silent eye of the cyclone -- the long waters of a lake. Calm waters. Patches cool but sensitive as skin. Between the waters there flows and ripples, there shows up and dives again a snake-woman born of the still waters. A sweet, good serpent whose song -- strange and melodious, sensual, yet already tinged, as if bitten by the black depths, with bitterness; that of prescience, shading it with melancholy -- is her very undulation, the rings of which appear, together or in turn, the way translucent veins overlap, slither over one another in a moving braid of metamorphoses." (Extracts from notes by E. Raquin-Lorenzi)
CD $17
PHILIP GLASS - Dedalus Ensemble Performing Philip Glass: Music with Changing Parts (Sub Rosa 561CD; Belgium) Founding work of minimalism, Music with Changing Parts is a piece with free instrumentation. The musicians choose which part to play among the eight staves of the score. At each indicated cue, the musicians can change part, which produces an abrupt change of instrumentation. While the music is based on a melodic material limited to a few notes that are repeated in patterns that expand or contract, the changes in orchestration refresh the listening experience by producing sonic contrasts. These techniques at work in Music with Changing Parts, written in 1970, will lead Philip Glass to renew his language and move from the monochromatic works that precede it to more dramatic works such as music in 12 parts and especially the opera Einstein on the Beach. When Philip Glass began rehearsing the piece, he was surprised to hear long notes when everything was written in eighth notes. After making sure that none of the musicians were playing held notes, he realized that the fact that the same notes were played by all the instruments in the ensemble produced, through a psycho-acoustic effect, a harmonic substrate of resonant frequencies. He then decided to add to the score the possibility of playing long notes to reinforce this effect. "For this recording, we chose to record first the eighth notes, then the long notes in re-recording. This utopian version, with each musician playing short and long notes at the same time (!), illustrates the minimalist aesthetic that plays with our perception and allows us to reconcile opposites and cultivate the apparent paradox of a music that moves forward without Moving and changes constantly while remaining the same." - Dedalus Ensemble
CD $17
MARK SPRINGER / NEIL TENNANT / SACCONI STRING QUARTET - Sleep of Reason (Sub Rosa SR 563CD; Belgium) A unique artistic partnership. This project represents a distinct and carefully considered artistic endeavor. Developed by Mark Springer (Rip, Rig and Panic) and Neil Tennant (The Pet Shop Boys), it combines a suite for piano, quartet, and quintet with vocals, accompanied by lyrics offering thoughtful introspection. The collaboration explores the intersection of divergent creative approaches-one characterized by radical expression, the other by meticulous craftsmanship. The result is a work that invites reflection and demonstrates the potential of disciplined artistic dialogue. Neil Tennant: "I bought a book of Goya's print series Los Caprichos which had inspired Mark's music and saw that the artworks were a satirical, cruel, nightmarish portrayal of the politics, corruption and culture of his era, exploring his dreams -- or nightmares -- while exposing the double standards of the ruling establishment. The lyrics I wrote for Sleep of Reason, in response to Los Caprichos, are intended to be sardonic and dreamlike, looking back to Goya's nightmares but then reflecting on my experiences in 21st Century popular culture and media in which I have located the 'monsters' Goya saw in his dreams. It often feels like we're living in an era dominated by monsters with their grotesque egos hollering through social media, unfiltered and untruthful, leaving a trail of wreckage behind them. Maybe it's always felt like that."
2 CD Set $22
BILLY MARTIN SECTION:
JOHN LURIE NATIONAL ORCHESTRA With CALVIN WESTON / BILLY MARTIN - The Invention of Animals (Amulet 37; USA) Featuring John Lurie on alto & soprano saxes and Calvin Weston & Billy Martin on drums. This is the second release from the John Lurie National Orchestra and it was first released on LP only in 2014. The third and last version of the Lounge Lizards (1991-1998) featured two great drummers, Calvin Weston and Billy Martin, who worked quite well together considering that both came from different backgrounds. They worked together so well within the ranks of the Lounge Lizards that John Lurie (leader of the LL) put together a separate band with both drums and himself called the National Orchestra. Their first record was released in 1993, the second one in 2014 by which time the trio had broken up and Mr. Lurie had retired from his music career. This disc is actually a compilation of 7 pieces, some of which were recorded for the 'Fishing With John' TV series, plus a studio and two live recordings from 1993 and 1994. The music here is superb, mysterious-sounding, mesmerizing and much more diverse than one would expect from one sax and two drummers. Both drummers consistently supply wonderful, warm, enticing grooves while Mr. Lurie sails quietly on top, the vibe is consistently simmering. "Men with Sticks" comes from the first album by the JLNO and has a lush, hypnotic groove which is bound to make us (you & me) feel better. "I Came to Visit Here for a While" has a subtle thumb piano riff repeating throughout while Mr. Lurie plays his solemn soprano sax on top. I recall when the Lounge Lizards first appeared on the scene (around 1981), that some folks didn't take them seriously, since their image seemed as important as their music and they were called fake jazz. To me, that was always bullsh*t. I always thought that every version of the Lounge Lizards were great, each of their ten albums and each gig I caught were great!. I recently relistened to their first, self-titled albums, which I hadn't heard in many years and it does stand up as one the best Downtown efforts of the year it came out. Both John Lurie National Orchestra discs are also wonderful and often overlooked. Both are also out of print. We just got a half dozen copies of their 2nd CD in so don't wait too long to get a copy as they will most likely sell out sometime soon. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
CREATIVE MUSIC STUDIO with ED BLACKWELL / CHARLES BRACKEEN / FREDRIC RZEWSKI / URSULA OPPENS / LEROY JENKINS /JAMES EMERY / OLU DARA / OLIVER LAKE / ROSCOE MITCHELL / FODAY SUSO / NANA VASCONCELOS / et al - Archive Selections Vol 1: Small Groups/Orchestral/World Music (Innova 805; USA) The rejuvenated Creative Music Foundation has just released the first compilation CD set comprised of music from the CMS Archive Project, nearly 500 concerts that took place at Woodstock's legendary Creative Music Studio between 1973 and 1984. The sets feature full-length liner notes on the recordings, the history of CMS and its Archive Project as well as rare photos from the CMS Archive, all available on-line as a PDF. Additionally, CMF's Oral History Project has conducted interviews with some of the artists, including Olu Dara and Oliver Lake, and has published transcripts here. "These recordings present a cross-section of the cross-pollination that occurred regularly at CMS," said CMF co-founder and artistic director, Karl Berger. "We divided them up neatly for these CDs, but it was far from divided or neat at CMS! These gems show that energy." The recordings are part of the CMS Archive Project. Its three main goals are: 1) to restore, preserve and digitize the tapes for posterity; 2) to return the re-mastered versions to the musicians who made them, free of charge; and 3) to share the music with fans, musicians and scholars around the world by producing this series of 3-CD sets. The Creative Music Foundation has partnered with Columbia University's Library to preserve the CMS Archive for posterity. CMS is giving Columbia the full archive of recorded tapes, along with memorabilia and photographs from CMS. CMS co-founder Karl Berger and audio engineer (and former CMS participant) Ted Orr are going through each tape, digitizing and re-mastering them, a time consuming process that's as much a labor of love as it is technical. The digitized, re-mastered recordings will be available at the Columbia University Library for scholars or others who want to enjoy and learn from them. "The Creative Music Studio was an oasis of cross-cultural, non-genre-bound New Music making, understanding and creation. A good friend of mine from my days right after college (1976-1980), named Howie Brown, attended CMS when Gary Windo was teaching there and is still absorbing the many things he learned some 25 years later. Many early Downtown musicians met there before becoming an integral part of the ever-evolving Downtown scene which flourished throughout the eighties and nineties. Many important musicians and composers (Anthony Braxton, Don Cherry, Marilyn Crispell, Jack DeJohnette, etc.) taught there in their trans-formative years, inspiring many students and future collaborators. I attended a handful of concerts there in the late seventies and was elated to have been there. Each of the three discs captures a different type of ensemble: Disc one features: the Ed Blackwell/Charles Brackeen duo, David Izenzon/Karl Berger/Ingrid Sertso trio, Frederic Rzewski/Ursula Oppens duo and the Leroy Jenkins/James Emery duo. There is a fine blend of improvised and written material (Izenzon, Berger & Emery) here. What is great is to hear both Charles Brackeen and David Izenzon, both of whom are free/jazz legends who were mostly under-recorded. Both Mr. Blackwell and Mr. Izenzon recorded with Ornette Coleman, who was also one of founding members of CMS. The duo with Brackeen & Blackwell is quite magical and a perfect intro to this extraordinary triple disc set. Great duos and trios are like stimulating conversations between creative friends and that is what each of these pieces sound like. The duo of Rzewski and Oppens plays an intriguing piece by Karl Berger who is a gifted composer and musician (piano & vibes), as well as a teacher. The three CMS orchestra pieces by Olu Dara, Oliver Lake and Roscoe Mitchell are something else entirely. Olu Dara, who later went on to make a couple of fine roots/blues/rock discs, plays harmonica here as well as cornet and does a righteous bluesy song which feels just right. Oliver Lake uses longtime collaborators Michael Gregory and James Harvey on his dates and takes a few inspired solos himself. I know that a great deal of musicians who went on to become more influential studied there are most likely a number of heavy folks involved but little of the personnel is listed for the orchestra pieces. One of the numerous highlights is hearing one of those rare, thorny Roscoe Mitchell compositions which closes out this disc. The third disc features World Music musicians like Nana Vasconcelos, Foday Musa Suso, Ismet Siral, Adam Rudolph and Hamid Drake. A number of fine international musicians like Cyro Baptista and Ayib Dieng started at CMS before moving on to playing important future sessions. Again, the magic of these cross-cultural improvisations is what made these sessions so special. Hence, we get some strong, spirited ethnic improv and songs making this a particularly enriching final disc. This triple disc set is just the beginning of what looks to be a much larger series of important sessions. I can't wait to hear more of what comes next." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
3 CD Set $30
LP SECTION:
SALAMAT ALI KHAN - Metamusik Festival Berlin '74 (Black Truffle BT 129LP; Australia) Carrying on from recent archival releases from masters of Indian classical tradition such as Kamalesh Maitra and the Dagar Brothers, Black Truffle presents a previously unheard recording of a concert by Pakistani vocalist Salamat Ali Khan. Born to a musician family in Hoshiarpur in the northwestern state of Punjab, Khan moved with his family to Lahore in Pakistan after the 1947 partition of India, becoming a child musical prodigy. Khan was a master of the kyhal form of Hindustani classical vocal music, a style integrating influences from Middle Eastern musical traditions that gives the singer a great deal of improvisational freedom. Travelling widely across the globe from the 1960s until his death in 2001, Khan approached ragas performed in the kyhal style as expressive forums for risk-taking improvisation, enlivened by ceaseless ornamental invention. This remarkable recording was captured by Michael Hönig (of krautrock legends Agitation Free) in concert at Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie as part of the MetaMusik festival in 1974. Khan, who is also heard accompanying himself on a specially tuned alpine zither (in place of the traditional swarmandal, an Indian style of zither), is joined by Shaukat Hussein Khan on tabla and Hussein Bux Khan on harmonium. The lack of a familiar underlying tanpura drone gives this performance a weightless, floating quality, with all three of the musicians playing masterfully with the interaction between silence and the pulse propelling each section of the raag. Virtuoso tabla interjections at first barely state the tempo, and the interplay between musicians is so spacious that we hear scraps of audience noise and the squeak of the harmonium's mechanism in between the notes. Gradually picking up rhythmic definition and melodic complexity, after around fifteen minutes the music builds dramatically, with Khan letting out emotive yelps and swooping scalar shapes ranging across his full vocal range. Accompanied by stunning black and white concert photographs, the LP also contains a moving and entertaining recollection from acclaimed German musicologist Peter Pannke, looking back on his experience assisting Khan and his musicians in Berlin at the Metamusik festival (including a mouth-watering description of a feast cooked by the maestro himself). As Pannke describes in his account of attending the concert, the beauty and spiritual intensity of this music leaves the listener speechless.
LP $34
FIELDS - Fields (Cosmic Rock COSMR 034LP; Italy) The summer of soul collides with the acid rock revolution in this 1969 opus originally licensed by MCA sub label UNI (roster of talented artists such as Strawberry Alarm Clock, Hugh Masekela and Fever Tree). The sole album by US power trio Fields is a majestic blues rock effort, arranged by cultish producer Gene Page (Blacula soundtrack, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, the Whispers, Gladys Knight, etc.). The short-lived Los Angeles band was clearly influenced by the likes of Cream and Vanilla Fudge and featured backing vocals from Motown/Northern Soul heroine Brenda Holloway, a clear sign of their eccentric vision.
LP $25
THE MOON - Without Earth (Cosmic Rock COSMR 035LP; Italy) Dive deep into the realms of psychedelic soul with the one and only The Moon! Born in the summer of love, the band debuted in 1968 with this first album Without Earth. Surrounded by a clear Magical Mystery Tour feel, the group covers two songs off Colours (another obscure American group) debut album. "Brother Lou's Love Colony" in particular has little sitar flourishes fulfilling the idea of a serious homage to the Liverpool four. The remaining ten tracks are all originals with the solid hard rock groove "Got To Be On My Way," a tune notable for its liquid distorted guitar.
LP $25
DEEP FEELING - Deep Feeling ()Wiseraven 009LP; Italy) One of the British progressive era's most intriguing but overlooked groups, Deep Feeling were an obscure short-lived band from Kent. Their one and only album from 1971 contained six tracks that showcased their dazzling harmonies and superior musicianship. Highly collectable amongst UK progressive rock aficionados, the record has been finally officially re-issued.
LP $30
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ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE, Around the world.
If you have a link for some music that you are working on and want to share it with the folks who read the DMG Newsletter, please send the link to DMG at DMG@Downtownmusicgallery.com
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THE STONE RESIDENCIES / BEN GOLDBERG / MAY 28–31
5/28 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Trio - Hilliard Greene (bass) Kenny Wollesen (drums) Ben Goldberg (clarinet)
5/29 Thursday
8:30 pm - Trouble Trouble - Myra Melford (piano) Danny Lubin-Laden (trombone) Ben Goldberg (clarinet)
5/30 Friday
8:30 pm - Stumble Upon - Angelica Sanchez (piano) Carmen Quill (bass) Brian Chase (drums) Ben Goldberg (clarinet)
5/31 Saturday
8:30 pm - Quintet - Michael Coleman (synthesizers) Luke Bergman (pedal steel guitar) Kenny Wollesen (electric vibraphone) Hamir Atwal (drums) Ben Goldberg (clarinet)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES - A SPECIAL WEEK OF IMPROVISATION AT THE STONE - JUNE 4–7
Four concerts in the style of the original Stone Improv Nights featuring several luminaries from the Downtown Scene, a few young lions, and some extra special surprise guests. Expect the unexpected!
6/4 Wednesday
8:30 pm - IMPROV NIGHT 1 - Ikue Mori (electronics) John Zorn (sax) Simon Hanes (bass) Kenny Wollesen (drums) Jim Staley (trombone) and special guests
6/5 Thursday
8:30 pm - IMPROV NIGHT 2 - Ned Rothenberg (saxophone, clarinet, shakuhachi) Tim Dahl (bass) Ches Smith (drums) and special guests
6/6 Friday
8:30 pm - IMPROV NIGHT 3 - Erik Friedlander (cello) and special guests
6/7 Saturday
8:30 pm - IMPROV NIGHT 4 - Cyro Baptista (percussion) Billy Martin (drums, percussion) Yuka Honda (keyboards, electronics) and special guests
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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ESP-Disk’ Concert Series:
June 13 (Friday) at 8 p.m.
Joe Morris & Elliott Sharp -
Release concert for their mind-boggling guitar duo album Realism, due in late May on ESP.
At Loove Annex, 238 North 12th Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
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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=rgcxTkoIgQI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAWxt3EJSPw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvoYygehqE
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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