Lost now on the country miles in his Cadillac
I can tell by the way you smile, he's rolling back
Come wash the nighttime clean
Come grow this scorched ground green
Blow the horn, and tap the tambourine
Close the gap of the dark years in between
You and me, Cassidy
Quick beats in an icy heart, catch-colt draws a coffin cart
There he goes now, here she starts, hear her cry
Flight of the seabirds, scattered like lost words
Wheel to the storm and fly
Fare-thee-well now
Let your life proceed by its own design
Nothing to tell now
Let the words be yours, I'm done with mine
Fare-thee-well now
Let your life proceed by its own design
Nothing to tell now
Let the words be yours, I'm done with mine
Flight of the seabirds, scattered like lost words
Last Saturday night, after an evening of mostly intense free/form music from the GauciMusic Series here at DMG, I was cleaning up the store to go home when one of the musicians that played there that evening asked if I had heard about Bob Weir. I hadn't and when he told of Weir's passing, I was devastated. Most of you know that I've been on a live Grateful Dead journey since the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020. I've long dug the Dead but didn't really know about their magical, transcendent-seeking side. To help get through the pandemic and to deal with the cosmic loneliness that many of us were feeling by being stuck in our homes, I discovered a site called Archive.Org where one could stream some 2,000 live Dead concerts between December of 1965 and August of 1995, when Jerry Garcia died and the band came to an end. I started to listen to around 1 hour of Live Dead in chronological order back then and have continued to do so until now, nearly six years later. I now understand what it is about the Dead that sets them apart from all other sixties rock bands, many of whom I still love.
For a long time, I took Bob Weir's contribution to the Dead for granted. Certainly I did enjoy a number of his own songs but I didn't realize how important he was to the unique magic of the band. In the early days, the Dead had three lead singers, Jerry Garcia, Pigpen and Bob Weir. Each one had a distinct voice and was an important part of what made the Dead singular. Bob Weir was the youngest member of the band, being still a teenager when the band started out. He was a rock & roller and didn't write songs in the early days. Still the balance between Jerry, Pigpen and Bob' songs they sang provided a good balance of songs that drew from rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, jazz, country, psych and free/improv. Considering how prolific Jerry Garcia and his lyricist Robert Hunter were, bassist Phil Lesh and Bob Weir slowly started to write a few songs. Although Bob Weir played rhythm guitar, he often played counterpoint to Jerry's ongoing lead guitar playing and solos. Although you couldn't always hear him since he was buried in the mix, Weir's comping was truly inventive and gave Garcia a rhythmic base to ride upon. The closer I listened to Mr. SWeir, the more I realized how distinctive his playing was/is. Weir also became a master of feedback, something that Dead spent hours doing and which would be an influence on future noise/improv bands like Sonic Youth. After listening to some 360 concerts (up until October of 1974), I listen closer and marvel at Mr. Weir's unique contribution to this great and often underrated band. Bob Weir finally wrote enough songs and his first solo effort, 'Ace' was released in 1972. It was and still is his masterwork, each song is special. John Mori & I listened to it a couple of years back and realized what a perfect record it truly is. Although it started out as a solo effort, the rest of the members of the Dead joined him in the studio and hence, all of the songs became part of their ever-evolving Dead repertoire. Check out songs like "Playing in the Band", "Black Throated Wind" and "Cassidy". I put the lyrics to "Cassidy" at the top and I find that it is a perfect song: lovely, enchanting and breath-taking in its beauty. Plus the words are also special. The last verse especially captures something special which is hard to define yet still plucks at the strings of our hearts. Bob Weir also had a long solo career and recorded a number of his own albums. I like some of Mr. Weir's later songs like "Estimated Prophet", "Weather Report Suite", "Lost Sailor" and "Throwing Stones". Although I didn't pay attention to it when it came out, I do especially like the Ratdog record 'Evening Moods' (from 2000).
Over nearly six years of some serious G Dead listening, I now appreciate that Bob Weir was one of the architects of the Grateful Dead's important legacy. My favorite Dead song is called "The Other One", which Bob Weir wrote and sung for 'Anthem of the Sun' (1968). Originally Jerry Garcia wrote the first part which is called "Cryptical Envelopment". That opening part was dropped by the band at the end of 1971. Why? I don't think Jerry wanted to sing the chorus, "You know he had to die" anymore, perhaps he didn't want it to appear on his gravestone. The song itself is like a journey on horseback through the desert and it deals with some early history about the Dead, when Neil Cassidy was roommates with Weir at the old Dead house in San Francisco. On my way home from the store the night that I heard about his passing, I was thinking about how much I have come to regard Bob Weir as a long lost friend who inspired me and many of us for so long. He was the true Cosmic Cowboy and he sang those country songs like "Mama Tried" and "Me and My Uncle" just right, night after night. I listened to a medley from 2/23/74 which includes: "He's Gone > Truckin' > Drums > The Other One > Eyes of the World", live from Winterland. It blew my mind and I've listened to it several times this week. I played it for Daniel Carter and Iyumi Ishito the other night and they too were blown away. They knew that the magic was happening then and there. Check out the app: "Relisten" if you want to stream any of the 2,000 Dead gigs available since it is easy to use. Let's give a big toast and a big toke to Bob Weir, the last of the frontline members of the original Grateful Dead to survive. Fare thee well my own old friend, fare thee well. - from Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
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THE DMG 35th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT CELEBRATION CONTINUES with:
Monday, January 19th: Relative Pitch Series: 6:30 - 8:30
Set 1: CHUCK ROTH - Guitar / FRANCESCA H - Sax
Set 2: CHUCK ROTH - Guitar / KELSEY MINES - Contrabass
Set 3: CHUCK ROTH / FRANCESCA H / KELSEY MINES
Tuesday, January 20th:
6:30: DAN KURFIRST - Drums / DANIEL CARTER - Reeds & Trumpet / STELOIS MIHAS - Guitar / ADAM LANE - Bass
7:30: HENRY SUTTER - Drums / WILL CURRY - Saxophone / MATEI PREDESCU - Piano
8:30: AIDAN O'CONNELL - Bass / MATT KNOEGEL - Sax
Tuesday, January 27th:
6:30: MICHAEL EATON - Soprano Sax / DAN WICKS - Keyboard(s)
7:30: DAVID AARON - Tenor Sax / ZACH SWANSON - Bass / DAVE MILLER - Drums
8:30: PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums / SANA NAGANO - Violin / MATT HOLLENBERG - Guitar / LIM YANG - Bass
9:30: TASHI DORJI - Solo Guitar
Rare Monday Night, February 2nd, 2026:
6:30: transparency kestra (mini): reverse stagger: patrick brennan - alto sax - compositions / ELI ASHER - trumpet / CHERYL PYLE - Flute / CLAIRE de BRUNNER - bassoon / FUNG CHERN HWEI - violin / WESTBROOK JOHNSON - trombone / JOSH SINTON - baritone sax / KEVIN ANTHANIEL HYLTON - shakere / MICHAEL TA THOMPSON - brushes
Tuesday, February 3rd:
6:30: STEVE SWELL - Solo Trombone
7:15: SARA SCHOENBECK - Solo Bassoon
8:00: ELIHU S. CONANT-HAQUE - Solo Tuba
8:45: SPIRIT BRASS TRIO with STEVE, SARA & ELIHU
******
SPECIAL EVENT: Film about DEREK BAILEY Premiere:
The Colloquium for Unpopular Culture presents
DEREK BAILEY - NEW SIGHTS, OLD SOUNDS - Directed by Ian Greaves, 2025
North American premiere, followed by video conversation with director
WHEN: Sunday 25 January 2026, 2:30pm
WHERE: Immersion Room, 7th Floor, NYU Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South
Free, open to the public, non-NYU guests must RSVP: ss162@nyu.edu
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THIS WEEK'S SONIC TREASURES BEGIN WITH:
ELLIOTT SHARP / RAINER JANCIS - Uhhuu (U-Duur 2025; zOaR; USA) Featuring Elliott Sharp on electric, baritone & 12-string guitars & drum programming and Rainer Jancis on electric, fretless & 7 string guitars, drums & electronics plus guests Rob Heath on drums and Tuulikki Bartosik on accordion (one track each). Estonian guitarist Rainer Jancis has played in several bands and is currently living here in NYC. Mr. Jancis left us with a solo electric guitar record last year. He has a unique double neck guitar which he designed himself and plays on his latest solo effort (LP only).
Guitarist, composer, author, multi-bandleader & multi-instrumentalist, Elliott Sharp, did a book reading and signing here at DMG earlier this week (1/12/2026) and played in a fine duo with bassist Joe Fonda, whose book we were also celebrating. Mr. Sharp has a wide variety of projects that he is always drawing from, from solos to orchestra, from free through structured and from rock, blues, Downtown, avant, jazz through electronic and modern classical streams. Mr. Sharp has been recording and playing in duos with fellow guitarists like Nels Cline, Scott Fields and Joe Morris. This disc consists of four long pieces. "Bug Reports" is first and features two guitars playing with select effects, tapping, scraping, sustain, distortion and what sounds like twisted electronics. It is hard to tell that many of these sounds are coming from guitars due to the varied effects that both guitarists employ. Either or both musicians here add some drums and/or sampled drums at times. The drums or samples are used carefully, providing different beats or grooves, fading in and out while the guitars play layers of somewhat brutal noisy sounds on top. Sharp's oft furious signature tapping-on-the strings increases the noise and tension levels to new heights throughout. Each piece goes further out as the two guitarists play and alter their tones as they go. The last piece, "Crash Mob", features some scary slide guitar(s), which erupts with a series of power chords which are both riveting and hypnotic. Some of this music is brutal and not for the faint-hearted. It does have a way of pushing both the listeners and musicians beyond their limits of expectations and experimentation and into another strange world. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
Back in stock:
ELLIOTT SHARP - Feedback (Wesleyan University Press 978-08195-0205; USA) Feedback is a wide-ranging meditation on music, sound, artificial intelligence, consciousness, contemporary culture and politics, and the life of the touring musician. Author Elliott Sharp is considered one of the central figures in NYC's Downtown Scene and is a composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, visual artist, and educator. Starting from a background in the sciences, Sharp found his passion for music as a teen, and it has never abated. His philosophy is informed not just by music and its creation but by continuing studies in physics and genetics and a visceral interest in our modern world and its joys and horrors. In Feedback, Sharp engages in speculative thought about how consciousness might have arisen and what the future holds for humanity with the advent of an Artificial Intelligence that is certainly artificial but might not exactly be intelligent. The "Improviser's Mind" is discussed in the context of post-quantum physics, probability, socio-acoustics, and Butoh dance. Sharp loves to digress into unpredictable areas but ties it all together in an overarching narrative that is both personal and conceptual.
BOOK $30 [soft cover, 250 pages]
JOHN ZORN - Hermetic Cartography (The Drawing Center 158; USA) When John Zorn texted me about his 3 month exhibition at The Drawing Center earlier this year (2025), I was most surprised since I had no clue that Mr. Zorn has been creating his own visual artwork since the early days as young composer, in the mid-1970's. I met Mr. Zorn in December of 1979 at Studio Henry in the west Village playing in a duo with my hero Fred Frith. I wasn't so sure what to make of Zorn then since he just played just sax mouthpieces, bird calls and a cup of water. It took me about a year to figure out what Zorn was doing and that he was an incredible, completely unique saxist, a singular composer, creating his own unique world, perspective or vision. Little did I (or anyone else) know that Mr. Zorn was also creating his own visual art-world to accompany or illustrate his own unique creative spirit. I've been to the Zorn exhibition at The Drawing Center twice and I am astonished at what Zorn has accomplished. The exhibition and this book capture the more than 100 drawings, writings, flyers, album cover artwork and many notes about Zorn's irrepressible ability to illustrate his many ideas about art and life and the way they are connected. Besides the 100 plus drawings, there are quite a bit of fascinating texts about Zorn and his work from friends and collaborators: Richard Foreman (film director), Ella Troyiano (dancer), Arnold I. Davidson, Laura Hoptman, Olivia Shao and Jay Sanders (curator at Artist Space Gallery). I found the text to be particularly fascinating and a great way to understand some of Mr. Zorn's unique perspective and treasure chest of fascinating artwork. Once a month during the exhibition, Mr. Zorn performed his music in the same room that his artwork is/was on display. This was a perfect match of artistic sensibilities in different forms, the right occasion to hear his varied music's in an environment created to show his other view of his and our shared worlds. The March concert featured the New Masada Quartet, the April concert featured a performance of Zorn's most popular game piece, 'Cobra' and the May performance featured the JACK Quartet performing a couple of Zorn's string quartets. This essential Zorn book is limited and will not be reprinted. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
BOOK $45 [The last 20 copies have just arrived]
ERNEST DAWKINS NEW HORIZONS REDUX with SENYA ROGERS KAUFMAN / FRANK HARRISON III / ETHAN PHILION / DARIUS SAVAGE / ELIE WIJAYA / ISAIAH SPENCER - 45 Years of Great Black Music (Live the Spirit Residency; USA) Featuring Ernest Dawkins on alto & soprano sxes & compositions, Jamal Demien on trumpet, Senya Rogers Kaufman on guitar, Elie Wijaya on piano, Ethan Philion & Darius Savage on basses and Frank Morrison & Isaiah Spencer on drums. Chicago saxist, composer and bandleader, Ernest Dawkins, has long worked in a number of seminal avant/jazz ensembles like the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, the Shadow Vignettes and the New Horizon Ensemble. The New Horizons Ensemble has been around since 1992 and have a dozen recordings under their belt. Original members like Jeff Parker, Steve Berry, Yosef Ben Israel & Avreeayl Ra, have long since moved on to other bands & places. The overall sound and instrumentation has remained intact. Since their last record in 2017, Mr. Dawkins has been collaborating with a handful of mostly younger Chicago musicians, giving them an opportunity to work with a widely respected elder like himself and Corey Wilkes and Vijay Iyer.
Opening with "Zulu Alchemy", which has an infectious modal-like groove and superb, sly soprano from Mr. Dawkins. There are a number of inspired solos here from Elio Wijaya on piano, Jamal Damien on trumpet and Senya Rogers Kaufman on guitar. Chicago vocalist, Dee Alexander, is featured on "Little Sketch" and sounds wonderful expressing her deep, striking voice. This is a freer piece and it sounds like a spiritual flight. "Johnson Trane" closes this disc and is played at a whiplash tempo with powerful solos by the piano, trumpet, guitar and soprano sax. On several levels this is a perfect jazz disc, everything works in the playing, composing and recording. Hopefully it will set the attention it rightly deserves. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN - REX (Out of Your Head Records; USA) Featuring Christopher Hoffman on solo acoustic and electric cellos. The title of this disc comes from the name of a painter known as Rex Brasher, whose former home is now occupied by Downtown cellist Christopher Hoffman. Over the past decade I've come to admire the cello playing of Christopher Hoffman. You should know his name from his work with Henry Threadgill, Jeremiah Cymerman and Anna Webber. This is Mr. Hoffman's fourth disc as a leader but it is his first solo cello offering. Solo cello offerings are still relatively rare and offhand I can only think of Abdul Wadud, Erik Friedlander and Lori Goldston. "Snow Owls" has Mr. Hoffman bowing this one line over and over while he adds another layer/solo on top (with overdubs). For "Buffalo Mountain", the cello is plucked like a fretless el bass, rather rubbery in tone with several layers of bowed parts building together in the second half. Mr. Hoffman adds different amounts of effects on each piece giving his cello a different presence or sound and then adding another layer or two as counterpoint. Hoffman often plays both the bass part and a lead part on each piece. He even adds some distortion on "Sabotaur", which gives the cello a darker, more disorienting sound. It sounds like Mr. Hoffman has worked hard on all of the 13 pieces here by layering several lines together, each one enhancing the other part of each piece. The music here is much closer to a cello duo than a solo. Every piece evokes a different vibe, song or place within our imaginations. A true gem of a work. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
$14
THE LAST POETS & TONY ALLEN - Africanism (Special Edition)(Africa Seven ASVN 073CD; USA) CD version. "Experience the profound legacy of The Last Poets with their new release, Africanism. Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan revisit and re-energize some of their seminal works such as 'When The Revolution Comes,' 'Gash Man' and 'Niggers Are Scared of Revolution,' infusing them with fresh and potent new soundscapes. Joining the Poets are the late, great Tony Allen (Fela Kuti) -- laying the album's foundations with legendary Afrobeat rhythms -- Egypt 80 guitarist and bassist Akinola Adio Oyebola and Kunle Justice, jazz keyboardist Kaidi Tatham (dubbed as 'The UK's Herbie Hancock') and saxophonist Courtney Pine. Africanism is the result of vibrant live sessions in Brooklyn and London, recorded and mixed by producer Prince Fatty. The album bridges spoken-word poetry with a bold fusion of Afrobeat and contemporary jazz, where live instruments amplify the Poets' raw and unflinching verses." There are two cover songs here, one of which is "Beatrice", written by Sam Rivers for the 'Fuschia Swing Song' album (from 1965). This is a ballad of sorts and Mr. Dawkins plays a haunting sax solo, ever so warm and soulful which is followed by an equally tasty trumpet solo. "Mingus Piece" is an uptempo piece with interlocking parts and another sprawling alto solo from Dawkins. The cover is the standard, "Misty", written and made famous by Erroll Garner. On "Misty", it is Mr. Dawkins' touching, heart-warming tone on alto that truly shines through. On "Blues for the Black Cowboys", the interplay between Dawkins' sax and the trumpet is tight and exciting with a feisty piano solo as well. "Enclosed Melody" is another ballad and Dawkins' poignant alto sax is most sublime. "N Z (Blues in Z)" is an explosive endeavor with played furiously and at a blinding tempo and then moves into a sparse spacious section.
CD $19 [pre-order / In stock soon]
THE LAST POETS Featuring JAMAALADEEN TACUMA with RICHARD TUCKER / YOICHI UZEKI / KHARY ABDUL / WOLFGANG PUSCHNIG / TIM MOTZER / et al - Transcending Toxic Times (Jamaal Productions / Ropeadope; USA) 50 years ago Abiodun Oyewole was in the middle of it: vocally challenging both the oppressors and the oppressed. Looking for truth to be spoken at any cost, mourning the loss of Malcolm and Martin among many others named and unnamed in THE struggle of the time. A struggle that is more relevant today than it ever was as African Americans continue to press the nation for truth and equality. Dun met Umar Bin Hassan at a Black Arts event in Ohio, and Umar made the trip to New York to join the group. Baba Donn Babatunde showed up later, adding percussion to the poetry. The history is strong, much has been written and is easily found. But the spirit of these men in their common creative interaction is the real story. 50 years of perseverance, of bearing witness to the most atrocious of crimes, 50 years of personal challenges and yet still and adherence to the higher principles of love, or respect, and of kindness to your fellow human. Enter Jamaaladeen Tacuma. It takes someone who understands the essence of The Last Poets better than the poets themselves. A man who knows the history from the inside, but has a foot in the music world as well. Tacuma’s bass playing is refined, yet just as swinging as if it were not. But it is his role as producer here that elevates this album above all others. A knowledge of what people want to hear, an understanding of what the message is and how it MUST be delivered, and the skill and friends to blend the two. This is not poetry set to music, nor is it music made for poets. This is a seamless transfiguration of the groove, the words, and the essential human elements that live between the notes and the words. Transcending Toxic Times is a broad work of human emotion: Anger, scorn, frustration, challenge, beauty, sorrow, love, and joy are all present. The spoken word is rhythmic, melodic at times. The baselines and the groove are irresistible, and the message is unavoidable. On that winter day we witnessed the realization of four great artists: that their individual and collective contributions had transcended each of them and ALL of them. That they were in the presence of something definitive and transcendent.
2 CD Set $15 [Price lowered]
THREE GREAT LIMITED EDITION CD’S FROM JOACHIM BADENHORST’S KLEIN LABEL: This label has no US distribution and we are proud to list these rare titles:
JOACHIM BADENHORST / ALISTAIR PAYNE / IVADOV CLAERHOUT / SIMON JERMYN / HAYO BOEREMA / TSUBUSA HORI / RUTGER ZUYDERWELT - Youran (Klein Recordings; Belgium) Personnel: Joachim Badenhorst: clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor sax, voice & compositions, Alistair Payne: trumpet, Nabou Claerhout: trombone, Tsubasa Hori: taiko, bells & koto, Simon Jermyn: electric guitar, electric bass, Rutger Zuydervelt: electronics and Hayo Boerema: church organ. "Youran, meaning cradle in Japanese, reflects on the uncertainties of the present moment as we persist in the vibration of possibilities." Youran is also the name of this seven piece ensemble, aside from Mr. Badenhorst, the only member of this ensemble I was previously familiar with is Simon Jermyn, who has played here at DMG on a handful of occasions. Youran played two three hour concerts in 2023 and 2024, at two different places in Rotterdam, a factory and then a church. All of the performances were recorded and then edited by Badenhorst and mixed by Roel Snellebrand and Rutger Zuydervelt.
Things begin with "Amorphous Membranes" and this is a lovely, sad chamber piece for the reeds and horns. Solemn, haunting and prayer-like. "Pulverized Light" has the horns resonating slowly, eerily with all the sounds reverberating as if in a large room and drifting in a ghost-like way. "Live Up to the Weight" is also sparse with several layers of voices all drifting together and with somber reverberating horns floating in. "Mineral Rhythm" begins with exquisite harp-like koto while the horns join in playing those lush harmonies. Although many of these pieces are stripped down, they evoke a certain quality of laid back elegance. So quaint is the word I would use for this. On "How to Hold" there are a couple of layers of ghost-like voices creating odd yet warm harmonies. For "Sea Lily" the clarinet and trombone create hypnotic circular lines together, most delightful. Subtle chamber music at it's best with slight reverberations pulsating quietly together. Most of the music here has a calm center and feels like it has a way to help heal the rough edges of everyday life. This disc is consistently enchanting. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
MIKKEL PLOUG / SISSEL VERA PETTERSEN / JOACHIM BADENHORST - Lento (Klein Recordings 14; Belgium) Featuring Mikkel Ploug on electric guitar, Sissel Vera Pettersen on vocals & electronics and Joachim Badenhorst on clarinet & bass clarinet. This is the fourth disc from this trio which is also known as Equilibrium. Norwegian vocalist Sissel Vera Pettersen can be found on around a dozen records working with Marilyn Mazur, the Trondheim Orchestra and modern classical vocalist Randi Pontoppidan (a friend of mine). Danish guitarist Mikkel Plough can also be found on around a dozen discs with Mark Turner & Jeppe Skovbakke, as well as producing a few solo guitar efforts. Belgian clarinetist and saxist, Joachim Badenhorst remains one of the best young reeds players in Europe and I love each of his diverse two dozen discs on different labels, especially noteworthy is the Carate Urio Orchestra.
This session was recorded in Trondheim, Norway and mixed & mastered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Half of the pieces were composed by Mikkel Plough and the rest are trio improvs. It has been 10 years since the last record by this trio although it is hard to tell since they play so well together. "Lav Sol" opens a couple of layers of echoed vocals and reverbed guitars. Mr. Badenhorst soon adds his own pulsating clarinet parts, the trio throbbing quietly together. The cosmic throb feels just right and it feels as if we are being transported on a train to a better, more peaceful place. "Winter Lullaby" was written by Mr. Plough and it is an exquisite, lovely work with heavenly, touching vocals by Ms. Pettersen. Mr. Badenhorst does a fine job of matching Ms. Pettersen's voice and Mr. Plough's guitar with subtle yet enchanting harmonies. On "Hinterland", it sounds like there is a haunting, suspense-filled sample which accompanies Pettersen's magical, dreamy voice. Plough's song "Mosaic" is closer to folk/rock than jazz with some angelic vocals, exquisite harp-like guitar and subtle clarinet harmony. For the composed pieces, the trio gets into some sublime grooves. At times, the vocals and clarinets interweave in most enchanting ways. Another great thing about this disc is that the vocals, guitar, clarinet and electronics are all used carefully and with much restraint. This makes this disc immensely charming. Helping all who listen to calm down into a warm inviting, quaint landscape. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
JOACHIM BADENHORST’S SEVEN YEARS KID - Geen grenzen (Klein Recordings 15; Belgium) Featuring Joachim Badenhorst on clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor & soprano saxes, piano, keyboards & voice, Lennart Heyndels on electric bass & modular synth, Jan De Vroede on electric guitar & piano and Erik Heesterman on vocals (for 1 track). "This album is my ode to no limits, to no borders, between countries or beliefs, to not being afraid of high mountains or deep valleys, to not limiting our fantasy and creativity, to letting go of boundaries and learning to be free.
I started sketching and recording most of the songs during the covid pandemic, one in particular, “Lang geleden”, reflects that period. When I finally came around to wrap up the album in 2023, all the lock downs were long gone, seeming like a distant memory, ever grateful for every moment of togetherness." - Joachim Badenhorst.
What I've long admired by Belgian reeds wiz and composer, Joachim Badenhorst, is how much planning and work is put into each of his varied projects. This disc was inspired by some early hip hop that Mr. Badenhorst dug as a child, Things begin with "Zero Years Kid" which has an infectious funky, sampled groove. Badenhorst layers several rhythmic lines, keeping the groove going on throughout. There are also several layers of vocal parts, On "Welcome to My Boat", Badenhorst plays a series of circular repeating lines on his regular clarinet.Mr. Bsdenhorst warm young voice is often featured and he has a joyous child-like voice is consistently charming. There are mostly different programmed drum patterns/samples on each piece and they are all well selected and capture several infectious grooves. There is something precious going on here, warm and inviting, sort of like fun hip hop for kids and youthful adults. Since I listen to so little hip hop nowadays, I can't compare this to anything else currently. Still, I found this disc to be immensely charming and even fun-filled at times. It takes a pioneering musician like Joachim Badenhorst to make music that goes beyond the categories that we usually abide by and think we like or not. Forget about the pigeonhole that you might place this disc in, there is something more enchanting, inventive and thought-provoking going on here. Do not let this unrecognized treasure slip through your fingers. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
SAM CHILDS / EVAN PALMER - Sam Childs and Evan Palmer (Self-produced 55491 35341; USA) Featuring Sam Childs on tenor & soprano saxes and Evan Palmer on contrabass. Recorded at Seizures Palace in Brooklyn in September of 2025. Downtown bassist Evan Palmer has played here at DMG around a dozen times over the past year or so, each time with different personnel. Saxist Sam Childs played in a trio with Evan Palmer here at DMG in April of 2025 and left us with a trio CD which I gave a good review to. This disc is a sax and bass duo and it is well recorded, warm and clean. "Rabid" begins quietly and sparsely as if these two are just warming up. These two are a great match and seem to anticipate each other's moves. I am quite impressed with Mr. Palmer's playing since he is in constant motion. Mr. Palmer erupts on "Drowned", constantly shifting between faster and slower passages while Mr. Childs takes his time on soprano sax, playing odd sounds with much restraint. Mr. Palmer is tapping on the strings with his bow on this piece with both musicians playing odd, smaller sounds before they take off again. Palmer takes a long, inventive bowed bass solo on this piece. I like that this session isn't completely over-the-top free/jazz but more thoughtful and well-paced. On a piece called "Slaughter" the duo are closely aligned, matching each other's lines in a quick call & response, erupting intensely at times and calming down at other times. This piece is quite long and winding and it unfolds organically. It sounds like these two musicians have been working together for a long while since they often sound as one force moving tightly together and having a strong dialogue. Most impressive. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
SUMRRA - REVOLUTI8N (Clermont Music CLE 080CD; USA) Sumrrá asks: "Can we free ourselves from prejudice, cultural and personal. How can we liberate ourselves from the bias and self-sabotage that we got from our ancestors, our environment, our society and our cultural background." REVOLUTI8N explores seven themes in the band's eighth album. Sumrrá express their thoughts through music and tone poems. They seek to trigger an inner Revoluti8n, to spark it. They are shooting an arrow towards the direction they believe the world collectively must look today. After 25 years and hundreds of concerts around the world, Sumrrá continues to look into the future. Pianist Manuel Gutierrez, double bassist Xacobe Martínez Antelo, and drummer L.A.R. Legido perform with a maturity and freshness of ideas that has made their devoted fan base continue to grow. Smart, dynamic and emotional music from Galiza, Spain. Having already released seven albums, REVOLUTI8N, is their eighth. Also available on yellow/black splatter color vinyl (CLE 080LP).
CD $15 / LP $25
LP SECTION:
EVAN PARKER / ANDREA CENTAZZO - Bullfighting On Ice! Live In Padova 1977 (Ictus RE009LP; Italy) Live in Padova 1977, unreleased. This album is a historical document in several respects: echo of a creative season in its early, vigorous blossoming. It serves as a testament to the initial opening of the emerging Italian free music scene to Northern European experiences, which had already been in communication for years. The collaboration between Evan Parker and Andrea Centazzo had begun a few months before this concert held in Padova on December 12, 1977. In July, Parker came to Italy, specifically to Tuscany, for a series of concerts, including a duo performance with Derek Bailey in Pisa. Then he joined Centazzo, who had organized a seminar with him (likely the first of its kind in Italy) in San Marcello Pistoiese. At that time, Centazzo lived and worked in the countryside between Pistoia and Montecatini. On that occasion, Centazzo recalls recording studio material, which, along with material collected during the concert in San Marcello, became the album Duets 71977 (2016). Shortly after, the duo temporarily expanded into a trio with Alvin Curran, who recorded Real Time (ICTUSRE 010LP). By then, the Centro d'Arte had existed for more than thirty years as an association connected to the University, presenting seasons with a very open and research-oriented profile. In 1973, the Centro d'Arte started an autonomous jazz series, favoring contemporary and avant-garde artists such as the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sam Rivers, Anthony Braxton, and musicians from the emerging European free jazz scene. The Centazzo/Parker duo was indeed one of the most experimental episodes presented by the Centro d'Arte in those years. The musical material heard on this album does not correspond to the entire concert but is a selection that emphasizes some particularly intense long sequences. It is worth remembering that about twenty minutes into the actual concert, some voices from the audience began to howl and even mock what they were listening to. Parker expressed his irritation through the music, but also with words in which he ironically described himself as a gladiator in the arena. In this portion of the concert, which is not included in the album, spoiled as it is by annoying distortions, you can hear him addressing the audience: "Bring back bullfighting, Bring back bullfighting... whoa... Bullfighting on ice!" and later shouting, "Bring on the lions!" In 2000, Stefano Bassanese converted the tape into a digital file (44100 Hz/16 bit) in his home studio. This forms the basis of the current restoration process, conducted at Outside Inside Studio by Matt Bordin, who is also responsible for editing and mastering.
LP $31
ALVIN CURRAN / ANDREA CENTAZZO / EVAN PARKER - Real Time (Ictus RE 010LP; Italy) 'Real Time' is an extraordinary example of interaction between musicians coming from different worlds of new music. "I had the chance to perform with those two great musicians on other occasions: in duo with Alvin Curran and in duo, trio and sextet with Evan Parker. Alvin came from the American school, full of minimalist references, melodic structures and open to all kinds of contamination. Evan had left jazz to accomplish his own instrumental language, aiming at total improvisation. The idea of getting them to put together a trio that would perform several concerts and recording was one of the most exciting moments of my career. Our three languages found a common ground of expression where different musical backgrounds came together and created a unique blend for that period of time." --Andrea Centazzo Andrea Centazzo: percussion, percussion synthesizer; Alvin Curran: synthesizer, piano, trumpet; Evan Parker: soprano & tenor saxophones. Recorded live in concert Rome, Italy December 13, 1977. Engineer: Nicola Bernardini. Remastered from the original tapes by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio.
LP $31
ALVIN CURRAN / ANDREA CENTAZZO / EVAN PARKER - Real Time Two (Ictus RE 011LP; Italy) It was a magical evening. Not only did the trio burst with a creative energy that was homogeneous and interactive, but the acoustics, usually inadequate, of the half-empty sports pavilion with a capacity of 10,000 people, gave the music an ethereal transparency and crystalline purity that the recording captured in all its singular beauty." --Andrea Centazzo Andrea Centazzo: percussion, percussion synthesizer; Alvin Curran: synthesizer, piano, trumpet; Evan Parker: soprano & tenor saxophones. Recorded live at Teatro Comunale, Pistoia, Italy December 14, 1977 by Carla Lugli. Remastered from the original tapes by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio.
LP $31
COLOSSEUM with JAMES LITHERLAND / DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH / DAVE GREENSLADE / TONY REEVES / JON HISEMAN - Valentyne Suite (Color Vinyl)(Music on Vinyl MOV 1758 Col-LP; Netherlands) "Colosseum were an English jazz rock band, mixing blues, rock and jazz-based improvisation. Colin Larkin (Encyclopedia of Popular Music) wrote that ''the commercial acceptance of jazz rock in the UK'' was mainly due to the band. The band were formed in early 1968 by drummer Jon Hiseman with tenor sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith, who met each other when they both played in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Valentyne Suite takes the band out of their bluesy comfort zone into something closer to prog rock. The album is generally seen as their best album and still extremely enjoyable. Valentyne Suite is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on white & pink marbled colored vinyl."
LP $40
JESSICA WILLIAMS - Blue Abstraction: Prepared Piano Project 1985-1987 (Pre-Echo Press 025LP; USA) Blue Abstraction compiles a selection of Jessica Williams' lost prepared piano recordings. These recordings document the beginning of a vital, solitary phase in her career: a period of intense sonic experimentation that began with physically altering a 6'4" grand piano -- creating a new instrument, and from there, creating a new music. The results are breathtaking; from melancholic soundscapes with Satie-esque lyricism to forcefully controlled cacophony, always grounded by the distinct emotional voicing of her melodic lines. Jessica Williams (1948-2022) was a pioneering trans jazz pianist and composer from Baltimore, where she studied at the Peabody Conservatory. Among countless other greats, she gigged with Philly Joe Jones, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Tony Williams, Charlie Rouse, Jackie McLean, Roy Haynes, Charlie Haden, and Bobby Hutcherson, and recorded with Eddie Henderson, Eddie Harris, Leroy Vinnegar, Victor Lewis, and Ray Drummond. She received accolades from piano greats McCoy Tyner and Dave Brubeck. Williams could play anything and knew the standards deeply -- expanding from there through her composing and arranging. In 1985, with a head full of Thelonious Monk's dissonant harmonies, Williams began her prepared piano project. She altered the piano by placing vibrating and/or muting elements on top of and between the strings at varying distances across the harp -- some sounding like bells or gongs (screws, bolts), others like percussion instruments (clothespins, hairpins, washers, erasers). The effect radically expanded the instrument's possibilities, sometimes making it sound metallic or ghostly, other times muted, tactile, almost broken. The resulting beauty and listenability of these works are a testament to Williams' vision and mastery. The recordings on Blue Abstraction came out of three years of experimentation. She recorded at her own Quanta Studios and at Moon Studios (both in Sacramento), and two live performances at Noe Valley Ministry in San Francisco, on January 11 and May 10, 1986, as part of the Noe Valley Music Series. For Williams, these recordings were a personal transformation through the musical process. Though known for her recordings and live performances -- especially of Monk tunes -- Williams made some of her most forward-thinking music privately. The music on this record disappeared for almost four decades.
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 BLGallanter@gmail.com
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THE STONE RESIDENCIES / CHES SMITH - JAN 14-17
A VERY SPECIAL EVENT—TWO WEEKS WITH THE CHES SMITH QUARTET! THEY WILL PLAY DIFFERENT MUSIC EVERY NIGHT SO GET HERE EARLY!
1/13 Tuesday
8:30 pm - THE STONE STUDENT CONCERTS—Orange Road Quartet - Miguel Calleja (violin) Madeline Hocking (violin) Nicky Moore (viola) Jordan Bartow (cello)
ADMISSION IS FREE
1/14 Wednesday
8:30 pm - CHES SMITH QUARTET - Mary Halvorson (guitar) Liberty Ellman (guitar) Nick Dunston (bass) Ches Smith (drums)
1/15 Thursday
8:30 pm - CHES SMITH QUARTET
Mary Halvorson (guitar) Liberty Ellman (guitar) Nick Dunston (bass) Ches Smith (drums)
1/16 Friday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Darius Jones (saxophone) Craig Taborn (piano) Ches Smith (drums)
1/17 Saturday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Shara Lunon (vocals, processing) Craig Taborn (piano, electronics) Ches Smith (drums, electronics)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / MARTA SANCHEZ / JAN 21-24
1/21 Wednesday
8;30 pm - TRIO - Bill Frisell (guitar) Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone) Marta Sanchez (piano)
1/22 Thursday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Joel Ross (vibraphone) Marta Sanchez (piano) Kayvon Gordon (drums)
1/23 Friday
8:30 pm - DUO - Blank Forms (electronics) Marta Sanchez (piano)
1/24 Saturday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Sara Serpa (voice, keyboards) Miriam Elhajli (voice) Marta Sanchez (piano)
THE STONE is located in
The New School at the Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th Street - near 6th ave
For more info: https://thestonenyc.com/calendar.php?month=1
LIVE MUSIC
wed-sat - music at 8:30pm
ADMISSION - $20 per set
unless otherwise noted
cash only payment
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KGp0VH4yQo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWn5MRUOTAc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ste9pdLiz_0
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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