The big one looked a lot like you
The other one looked just like you too
They wound me round, they ran me through
A score of lies they swore were true
Isn't that what genies always do
Night come sudden, dawn be soon
Bide my time by the dark of the moon
My strange heroes lead me on
But when I get there they'll be gone
Ever since I was a pup
Deal was I'd sing before I'd sup
My silver spoon's this beggar's cup
And when it's empty I fill up
All I have to do is just show up
The prophet said all flesh is grass
He had a soul like old stained glass
A smile as sweet as sasafras
Well that ol' boy can kiss my ass
Who the hell can wait for life to pass
[chorus]
I'm going to Adam's home in a world that we can't see
To sing drunk with the angels, play again for free
The way that is no way is calling you to me
If we don't believe together, we might just cease to be
Way down by the shining gate
The djinn revealed to me my fate
You and I, we've got a date
I'll be there, but you'll be late
Maybe things really comes to those that wait
Those two djinn they couldn't stay
Chased away by dawn's first rays
They called back as they ran away
They told me, "Have a real fine day"
Isn't that what genies always say?
[chorus]
A short while back the door flung wide
We all saw good luck on the other side
The door blew shut but here's the deal
Dreams are lies, it's the dreaming that's real
It's the dreaming that's real
Dreams are lies, it's the dreaming that's real
Dreaming that's real
It's the dreaming that's real
Dreaming that's real
Dreaming that's real
Dreaming that's real
The original Grateful Dead broke up in 1995 when their lead guitarist and "spiritual" leader Jerry Garcia passed away. Although the Dead often had a positive effect on their many listeners (due to their uplifting & often joyous lyrics & celebratory music), they also had a number of losses which cast a sad spell on their long journey and influence. Several of their keyboard players died before their time: Pigpen, Keith Godchaux, Brent Midland and Vince Welnick have all passed on. Over the last few years we've lost Phil Lesh, Donna Godchaux and last week Bob Weir. After the Dead broke up, hundreds of jam bands appeared to take their place, starting a new era of jamming amongst many different types of bands. The most popular of these many bands was/is Phish. I myself am fond of Col. Bruce Hampton & Aquarian Rescue Unit, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Blues Traveler and Umphrey's McGee. There are many more, some I've heard and many that I haven't. Still, I believe that none of them can replace the Dead at their best.
Once the Dead disbanded, the remaining members reformed as The Other Ones, Phil & Friends, Furthur, The Dead and Dead & Company. I've caught and enjoyed most of these bands except for The Other Ones (whose 2 CD set I do own & dig) and Ratdog. Second lead singer, rhythm guitar extraordinare, ever-evolving, ever impressive songwriter and multiple bandleader, Bob Weir, carried the long tradition of the Dead into the next phase, still jamming and still writing great songs until his recent passing. Since Mr. Weir's passing (Jan 10, 2026), I've gone back to listen to his ten or so solo or band (Kingfish, Bobby & the Midnights, duo with Rob Wasserman, Ratdog and the Wolf Bros) recordings. I haven't listened to them all yet, but the ones I check out stood up and were better than I remembered. I caught Furthur (which was the name of the bus the Merry Pranksters drove cross country with Neil Cassidy at the wheel) play around a dozen times between 2010 and 2014. I attended most of these shows with my late pal Mike Panico and still smile thinking about the great times we had at each one. There was one show at Radio City that I recall fondly since we got great seats at face value from a friendly old Deadhead who kept whipping out drinks and joints throughout both sets, keeping Mike & me smiling. One song in particular stood out but I didn't recognize it. It was called "Two Djinn" and it can be found on the one and only Ratdog studio record from 2005. I hadn't heard that record when it did come out but soon acquired a copy and was completely knocked by it. It's weir's second best solo effort after 'Ace'. Find one for yourself. I didn't know what a djinn was so I had to look it up: "in Arabian and Muslim mythology) an intelligent spirit of lower rank than the angels, able to appear in human and animal forms and to possess humans." - wiki. This past week, I've cried many tears for my man Bob Weir. I've read many a tribute from his family, the two surviving members of the original Grateful Dead and many others. All these words truly touched me. Plus I am stuck listening to many gigs in 1974 on ReListen, which is my favorite year of Live Dead gigs that I've heard so far. The above song says that "dreams are lies, but the dreaming is real". Hmmmmm. The majority of lyrics to most Grateful Dead songs deal with Life & Death, Joy & Sorrow, Spirits and Mortals, card games, outlaws & inlaws, Great Women, Great Friends and all sorts of Cosmic Events. The news this week has been particularly bad so I have to reach for that Cosmic Medicine which is found within many of the Dead songs that I still cherish. Don't give in to despair, find something joyous to hold on to and celebrate. The bad days will eventually end and some Sunshine will shine through and give us the warmth that we truly need. - Peace and love from your friend, Bruce Lee Gallanter of DMG
****************
THE DMG 35th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT CELEBRATION CONTINUES with:
Tuesday, January 27th:
6:30: MICHAEL EATON - Soprano Sax / DAN WICKS - Keyboard / EVAN PALMER - Bass / NICK NEUBERG - Drums
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
**********
THIS WEEK'S GREAT GOOGELY MOOGELY DISCS START With Two Treasures from JOHN ZORN & His Cosmic Collaborators:
JOHN ZORN // ROVA SAX QUARTET / WILLIAM WINANT PERCUSSION GROUP - John Zorn’s Olympiad - Vol. 4 Curling (Tzadik 9327; USA) Written in the 1970s, Zorn’s earliest game pieces are legendary (often discussed and workshopped in secret but rarely performed in public) and “Curling” from 1978 is one of the most elusive and hermetic. Focusing exclusively on long tones, it is quite unusual in Zorn’s canon—meditative, minimalist, and hypnotic. Performing here are two ensembles from the Bay Area that have had close ties with Zorn for over forty years and are perfectly suited to execute this challenging and beautiful work. The Rova Sax Quartet and the William Winant Percussion Group are both masters of composition and improvisation and here they take this seductive score to astonishing new heights.
CD $16
JOHN ZORN // KRIS DAVIS QUARTET with MARY HALVORSON / DREW GRESS / KENNY WOLLESEN - The Bagatelles Vol. 5 (Tzadik 5221; USA) From March to May 2015, John Zorn composed 300 new tunes that were eventually collected into a book of music he called “The Bagatelles.” After five years of performances around the world in venues large and small, the choicest ensembles have gone into the studio and the results are some of the most exciting and varied music Zorn has ever presented. Volume 5 features Kris Davis, one of the greatest new voices in piano jazz. Joining her in this dynamic quartet is Mary Halvorson, one of the leaders of contemporary jazz guitar along with the brilliant rhythm section of Drew Gress and Kenny Wollesen. Beautiful arrangements, delicate and thoughtful solos and a stunning lyricism distinguish this fabulous new installment of John Zorn’s “Bagatelles.” This disc can also be found in the second Bagatelles Box Set.
CD $18
MARTY EHLICH / JULIUS HEMPHILL - Circle the Heart (Relative Pitch RPR1247; USA) Featuring Marty Ehrlich on soprano & alto saxes, flute & bass clarinet and Julius Hemphill on alto sax & soprano saxes & flute. Recorded in concert at the Piedmont Center for the Arts, Worchester, MA on January 25, 1982. I recall when the Arista/Freedom label first appeared in the mid-seventies and released the debut efforts from Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, Anthony Braxton, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Albert Ayler and the Human Arts Ensemble. Although I had been listening to avant/jazz by John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler, it was the first time I had heard records by Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake and Anthony Braxton. Along with ECM, the Arista/Freedom label became the favorite label of my friends and myself. The Human Arts Ensemble was a collective from St. Louis and their members included Julius Hemphill, Marty Ehrlich, Abdul Wadud, Joseph Bowie, Luther Thomas, Oliver Lake, James Emery, J.D. Parran and many others. Their two albums on Arista/Freedom are essential listening for Free/Spirit/Jazz freaks like me and you other serious listeners. Julius Hemphill's first two albums for Arista/Freedom, 'Dogon A.D.' and 'Coon Bid'ness' are also essential, seminal records. Once and future collaborators, Julius Hemphill and Marty Ehrlich moved to NYC in the seventies/early 80's assembling different groups and eventually working together in Hemphill's Sax Ensemble. When Mr. Hemphill passed away in 1995, Mr. Ehrlich took over as the leader of Hemphill's Sax group. In 2021, New World Records released a long awaited 7 CD box set of various Julius Hemphill recordings from 1977 through 2007. This massive effort was produced by Marty Ehrlich and it is a treasure chest of lost avant-garde gems. Mr. Ehrlich is currently working on the second volume now.
This new disc consists of a live concert with Marty Ehrlich and Julius Hemphill on various reeds and it was recorded in 1982. All of the pieces but the encore were composed by Mr. Ehrlich, the encore by Hemphill. "Tribute" opens with both saxists navigating similar blues territory, slowly bending their notes around one another. It sounds like Ehrlich on soprano and Hemphill on alto and they work together especially well and often sound connected as their sounds interweave. This piece has a calm center and evolves slowly, carefully. I like the way these two seem to shadow each other. "Pliant Plaint" was the title track from an Ehrlich record from 1988 so this is an earlier version of this piece. Ehrlich and Hemphill play their (partially) written lines tightly together while still bending certain notes elastically. As this piece evolves, the reeds players increase the tempo and play more freely. No matter how free they get, they keep landing in similar places. The title character in "Willie Whipporwill Heads Back Home" is a mythic figure according to the intro to the piece. In the middle of this piece, the duo break into what sounds like a somewhat funky groove/melody which makes me smile and feel better. The title track, "Circle the Heart" features bass clarinet and flute playing what sounds like moderate tempo chamber music with a contrapuntal groove. Rather solemn and somewhat prayer-like and then building back up with a series of effective bent notes and circular lines quietly unfolding. "The All Told Alto Blues" features both Ehrlich and Hemphill on alto saxes and it is feisty blues with both saxists playing with some olden style swagger. The encore piece, "Border Town" was written by Mr. Hemphill and it is a lovely ballad of sorts with some poignant soprano sax and haunting bass clarinet. This disc is not one of those free/jazz sax freak-out sessions but something much more focused and calmly executed. A pure delight. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
JOHN BUTCHER - Away, I Was (Relative Pitch RPR 1250; USA) Featuring John Butcher on tenor and soprano saxes and feedback, recorded at 7 different locations between 2008 and 2025. British experimental saxist, John Butcher, has been recording since the early 1980's, working with important groups like Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Chris Burn Ensemble, Polwechsel and many others. Aside from performing in various duos, Butcher has led a number of his own units as well as playing solo in all sorts of situations. Although Mr. Butcher seems to favor duos and trios (with more than 150 recordings), he has recorded around 10 solo sax efforts over his forty plus year music career. What makes this disc unique is that 7 of the 8 pieces were recorded in different places, in different situations, sometimes acoustic or amplified or using feedback as well as his saxes.
Things begin with some solo tenor sax recorded in concert in 2024. The first thing I noticed is that the sound of Butcher's tenor is unique. Starting at the lower end of the sonic spectrum, Butcher bends and twists his notes in an odd yet distinctive way. Butcher is careful as he bends certain notes, making sounds which are hard to tell exactly what instrument he is playing. He keeps stretching out certain notes or sounds, repeating certain patterns while altering his tone from section to section. In one section, Butcher calms down and plays more quietly, his tone warmer than usual, still bending certain notes as he goes. The second piece features feedbacking tenor & soprano sax. The feedback is subtle as are the hushed notes tapping on the pads of the sax. This track is short and sounds completely different from the first track. Track 3 features a solo soprano recorded in Oslo in 2025. Butcher plays quietly using some breath-like squeaks and whistling sounds. The music here is more playful and somewhat birdlike. Butcher circular breathes long spiraling lines similar to what we hear from Evan Parker at times. Track 4 is for solo tenor and was recorded in 2008, the earliest piece here. Butcher's tone goes from warm & tender to more to solemn and even calm, showing us a very different approach than usual. Track 5 is for amplified and acoustic soprano. The amplified soprano has a haunting, wind-like sound with some whistling sounds in the distance. This is an audience recording and it has the sound of being inside a large space. Track 6 features solo tenor recorded in London in 2920. Again Butcher slows the pace down so that we can hear the slow nuance of his tenor, carefully bending each note so that they resonate or hum with our consciousness. "Two Tenors & Two Sopranos" is the shortest piece here, and it sounds like a flock of crazed birds, chirping and squeaking together. Most effective. On each piece, John Butcher appears to show a different side or approach so that his sound is ever-evolving yet has a steady center or central sound. Each piece fits nicely with each other as this disc unfolds. Although the sax is often considered to be a "jazz" instrument, from the mid-seventies (or loft jazz days), many saxists have expanded it's palette beyond those identifiable jazz licks and into other more unpredictable/experimental areas. This is a prime example of experimentation without trying to push things too far out. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
NICOLAS COLLINS / BIRGIT ULHER - Spark Gap (Relative Pitch RPR 1245; USA) Featuring Nicolas Collins on trumpet and Birgit Ulher on trumpet, radio, speaker & objects. I remember catching Nicolas Collins for the first time at Roulette in the early to mid 1980's playing a trombone with added effects boxes mounted on the trombone itself. The only other musician that I could recall doing anything similar was J.A, Deane, who also played his trombone through assorted effects. I heard Mr. Collins play live on several occasions in the eighties and was being mystified by his use of an odd looking electronic trombone. I bought several of his records from the 80's and 90's when he worked with Robert Poss (from the Band of Susans) and Peter Cusack. I lost touch of his whereabouts when he moved to the Netherlands in the early 1990's. In the mid 1990's I became aware of German trumpeter Birgit Uhler and heard her recordings with Gino Robair, Damon Smith and Mazen Kerbaj. Aside from recording dozens of records for Creative Sources, Balance Point Acoustics and Another Timbre, Ms. Uhler has recorded two previous releases with other experimental trumpeters Leonel Kaplan and Franz Hautzinger for the Relative Pitch label. This is her third double trumpet disc.
Although this is a trumpet duo, both trumpeters have very different approaches. Birgit Uhler uses metal sheets, radios, milk frothers & everyday objects to alter her trumpet sound while Nicolas Collins programmed a computer system to imitate hacked circuits which are wired to a speaker inside of his instrument. This session was recorded at a studio in Berlin in September of 2024. The trumpets are closely mic'd with an assortment of trumpet-like sounds and a variety of electronic glitches and other odd unpredictable sounds. Whether playing acoustically or using electronics, the sounds are focused and blend both sounds into an oft quiet yet fascinating brew. Some of the electronic sounds are subtle and sound like some of the sounds we hear on our phones or computers. Patience and close listening is required here as the sounds unfold slowly and carefully. Patience and introspection for subtle sounds is required to help appreciate this disc. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
ISIDORA EDWARDS / BILIANA VOUTCHKOVA / ZOSHA WARPEHA - A Far Within (Relative Pitch RPR 1253; USA) Featuring Isidora Edwards on cello, Biliana Voutchkova on violin and Zosha Warpeha on hardanger d'amore (a rare Norwegian fiddle). This session was recorded at a Bard College studio in September of 2025. The Relative Pitch label continues to promote under-recognized musicians, many of whom most of us wouldn't have heard of without their releases on RPR. I hadn't heard of cellist Isodora Edwards or string player Zosha Warpeha until Relative Pitch released earlier records by both of these musicians. I am familiar with Bulgarian violinist, Biliana Voutchkova, from her work with Michael Thieke, Tomeka Reid and Susana Santos Silva with some two dozen releases on the Relative Pitch and Another Timbre labels.
This session was recorded by composer Sarah Hennies. Ms. Hennries is a fine, prolific composer whose music often deals in a variety of subtleties and conceptual ideas. When this piece begins, it sounds as though this string trio is playing at a distance, the strings bathed in eerie spaciousness. Each of the string players are using long, drone-like notes or sounds and slowly pulsating together. The results are similar to a hurdy-gurdy which is wheezing similar to the way we breeze, slowly in and out, in and out... On the second piece, "Seconds and After", there is a series of higher notes which are spinning around one another, with what sounds like harmonics matching (or evoking) certain notes below. I often get the feeling that it is not just the sounds we hear at the center but the way each note of sound is captured and placed within the audio spectrum. The music seems to breeze on its own, with a constant hum or drone occurring at the center. The music here is most organic, slowly pulsating with an inner life-force, hypnotic, magnetic, stirring, floating, cerebral, restless yet somehow calming.
CD $13
LUKE STEWART / AYMERIC AVICE / CHAD TAYLOR - Deep in the Earth, High in the Sky (Rogue Art 0147; France) They all three speak the same musical language, a language that comes from afar, developed and shaped over the years by hundreds of jazz musicians. Each of them approached music in a fundamentally different way. Aymeric Avice, originally from Normandy, grew up looking at the sea in a family where music was ever-present; he naturally got involved too and was introduced to jazz by his sister, a double bass player; he then committed himself entirely to music. Luke Stewart was born in Mississippi, a southern state whose history is marked by racism; he studied music and jazz there before moving north to Washington DC and then New York. Chad Taylor, born in Arizona into a family of musicians, moved at pre-teen age to Chicago, where he took up the drums after trying his hand at the guitar; it was there that he began his rich and brilliant career alongside some of the most important musicians of Chicago. Despite these differences in approach to music, it is obvious that they all three speak the same musical language, no matter how or where they learned it. A language that comes from afar, developed, shaped, and modified over the years by hundreds of jazz musicians. A language that they themselves, through the originality and creativity of the music they are playing, also contribute to enriching. While each of them, individually, was already part of this community of musicians who are shaping jazz, they are now part of it as a trio. "Deep in the Earth, High in the Sky" opens and closes delicately with two tracks on which Luke Stewart and Chad Taylor have swapped their double bass and drums for the mbira. While perfectly integrated into the whole, these two pieces allow to gently enter this rich, brilliant, abundant musical universe and to emerge from it serenely, musically enriched. Listen without moderation. These three were meant to meet. Just the beginning of a long journey, hopefully. On the third piece, "The Weather of Then", there is a low-end throb which was created by tapping on a cello (or bass) string. This piece is more disorienting as if someone is messing with our shared reality. The title piece is last and deals with a good deal of extended technique sounds, tapping on the strings with the bow, a sea of floating sounds, rubbing the surface of the instrument and a series of drones. The effect is most haunting as if we are listening a several ghosts dancing slowly together and singing in their own tongues. The effect is somewhat unnerving, like trying to stand up straight on a raft which is slowly riding on a series of waves. The current is slow shifting as we navigate the tides. When this disc ends, I felt as if I were just taking a trip on a boat or gliding down a river. A short vacation from my regular life's pursuits. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
MICHAEL GARRICK with HENRY LOWTHER / ART THEMEN / TONY COE / ALAN WAKEMAN / DAVE GREEN / JEFF CLYNE / TREVOR TOMKINS / JOHN MARSHALL / NORMA WINSTONE - Late Autumn Sunshine (My Only Desire 008CD; UK) These unreleased 1970s sessions from legendary pianist/composer Michael Garrick, see him lead two groups of top Brit jazzers, who perform eight original compositions by Garrick that display his flair for combining emotive writing with modal jazz grooves The album is made up of two sessions recorded for BBC Radio 2 at Maida Vale Studios, from 1973 and 1978 that feature vocalist Norma Winstone, trumpeter Henry Lowther, saxophonists Art Themen, Tony Coe and Alan Wakeman, trombonist David Horler, bassists Dave Green and Jeff Clyne, and drummers Trevor Tomkins and John Marshall. The material, all composed by Garrick, includes some favourites from the classic LPs 'Troppo' and 'October Woman'. He wouldn't record the tracks "River Running" and "Galilee" until decades later, so this is the first time these '70s arrangements have been released. Whereas "Robin's Rest" and the title track are exclusive to this album - providing a fascinating insight into this uniquely talented artist. Garrick was at the forefront of British jazz from the mid-1960s until his death in 2011 aged 78. He was a key member of The Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet, composing the jazz gems "Dusk Fire and "Black Marigolds" and released a series of seminal 1960s and 1970s LPs including 'Cold Mountain', 'The Heart is a Lotus' and 'Black Marigolds'. Remastered by Caspar Sutton-Jones @ Gearbox Records, 'Late Autumn Sunshine' is available as a 2LP set housed in a gatefold sleeve (a limited edition of 600 copies) and 'mini-LP' gatefold CD, with sleeve notes by Daniel Spicer (Jazzwise, The Wire). 'Late Autumn Sunshine' celebrates Michael Garrick's memory and should introduce him to many new fans.
CD $16
MIKE WESTBROOK ORCHESTRA with LINDSAY COOPER / BRIAN GODDING / ALAN WAKEMAN / CHRIS BISCOE / FIACHRA TRENCH / GUY BARKER / MALCOLM GRIFFITHS / et al - The Cortege Live At The BBC 1980 (Cadillac 023024; UK) A large-scale work incorporating settings of European poetry - The Cortege is a composition for voices and jazz orchestra with music by Mike Westbrook With texts from Federico Garcia Lorca, Arthur Rimbaud, Hermann Hesse, William Blake, Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, Pennti Saarikoski, and European Folk Songs selected and edited by Kate Westbrook - and is sung by vocalists Phil Minton, Kate Westbrook with a 16 - piece orchestra originally commissioned by Bracknell Festival 1979. This BBC recording which predated the studio release on Original Records is now being issued for the first time, newly remastered from the original recording by long term collaborator Fiachra Trench (who as an arranger and composer has worked with many famous names) and Brian Masterson at at Soundscape, Dublin. Performed at concerts and festivals around Europe and at the BBC Studio, London, 25th October 1980 for broadcast on Jazz in Britain, BBC Radio 3, 5th & 12th January 1981 this recording is being issued for the first time. The band includes many well known British jazz musicians and many who have played throughout Mike Westbrook's long career at the pinnacle of British jazz from the 1960s to the present day. Featured musicians include: Guy Barker, Dick Pearce (trumpets, flugelhorns), Malcolm Griffiths (trombone), Chris Hunter (alto and soprano saxes, flute), Alan Wakeman (tenor and soprano saxes, flute), Lindsay Cooper (oboe, bassoon, soprano and sopranino saxes, and Brian Godding (guitar great from Blossom Toes, BB Blunder & Mirage).
2 CD Set $25
CHRISTOPH GALLIO'S STONE IS A ROSE IS A STONE IS A STONE with SONIA LOANNE / VITO CADONAU / FLO HUFSCHMID // GERTRUDE STEIN - Yet Dish (Hat ezz-thetics 121; Switzerland) Inspired by Gertrude Stein's experimental poem Yet Dish, Swiss saxophonist Christoph Gallio leads an ensemble with vocalist Sonia Loenne, bassist Vito Cadonau, and percussionist Flo Hufschmid in a nuanced exploration of language and sound, transforming Stein's rhythmic abstractions into vivid musical dialogues where wit, structure, and spontaneity intertwine with poetic precision.
CD $18
MAGGIE NICOLS / ROBERT MITCHELL / ALYA AL SULTANI - Immersion (Discus 205CD; UK) Featuring Maggie Nicols & Alya Al Sultani on vocals and Robert Mitchell on piano & voice. Legendary Scottish vocalist, dancer and free/form performer, Maggie Nicols, has been at the forefront of the UK avant/jazz scene for more than a half century. She has collaborated with other giants of the British progressive/avant/jazz scene like Julie & Keith Tippett (in Centipede & Tapestry), John Stevens (in SME), Joelle Leandre, Lindsay Cooper and Irene Schweizer. She was even on the cover of The Wire magazine in the past year or so, an honor which rarely includes the older of the Creative Music world. Although British pianist Robert Mitchell has some nine discs as a leader as well and playing with a half-dozen other projects, I don't recall hearing his name before now. Although I hadn't heard of vocalist Alya Al Sultani before now, she does appear on a rare compilation called 'Noise a' Noise'.
All of the words or lyrics on this disc come from the poetry by Robert Mitchell. This disc has a warm, somber quality, While Mr. Martin's piano is only on a few of these pieces. Most of the piece features the quaint vocals by Ms. Nicols and Ms. Al Sultani. While one voice reads, the other voice shifts between singing and reading. A number of these pieces begin with the piano setting the pace while one voice sings the words and the other voice speaks the words, both quietly. The spoken words often sound like observations of life while the singing voice expresses something else. There is a good balance between both voices, both are most calm and sing or speak calmly, the piano plays minimal phrases or fragments. Sometimes both voices sing while expressing similar or related ideas or themes. At times, I had to listen closely to hear what exactly the words were saying or expressing. Their meaning kept floating inside and outside my conscious attention. It didn't really matter at times since I was listening to just the sound of the word with occasional piano punctuation. There is something charming going on here although I did have to concentrate to hear the entire recording. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
THE SOFT PINK TRUTH - Can Such Delightful Times Go On Forever? (Thrill Jockey 644CD; USA) "The Soft Pink Truth (Drew Daniel also of Matmos) grafts chamber music and electronic music into a beguiling new hybrid pop album that evokes mid-20th century film soundtracks with nods to minimalism. Can Such Delightful Times Go On Forever? features artwork by Robert Beatty (Tame Impala, The Weeknd). The new album features a host of special guests: Bill Orcutt offers one of his most delicate performances committed to record. Other guests include strings arranger Ulas Kurugullu, harpists Neleta Ortiz and Cecilia Cuccolin, pianists Koye Berry and M.C. Schmidt, the Ebu String Quartet, as well as woodwinds played by Brandon Wilkins and Evelyn Frances and Zach Rowden of celebrated noise duo Tongue Depressor provides grinding double bass drones. Wedding emotional expression with canny references to the inherited history of recorded music, the chimes, organ and pizzicato strings on 'Phrygian Ganymede' recall Bernard Herrmann's scores for classic Alfred Hitchcock films, while galloping marimbas lend a sense of screwball comedy on 'L'Esprit de L'Escalier.' Can Such Delightful Times Go On Forever? is a singular album that speaks to the prowess of Drew Daniel as a composer and producer, deftly interlacing pop structure and classical timbre while interlacing subtle electronic sound design with gorgeous acoustics. Across the album Daniel embraces a spirit of drama and romanticism that blurs the boundaries between unconscious desire and everyday reality. The Soft Pink Truth has created a sound world of lavish fantasy that acts as a balm and counterpoint to the communal pains of modern life."
"Like that clubber throwing dancefloor etiquette out of the window, The Soft Pink Truth create thrills in their quest for something deeper." - The Quietus; "[Daniel] excoriates populism by making protest a deeply sensual act" - Uncut
CD $15
RED MITCHELL with BOB BROOKMEYER / ZOOT SIMS / JOE MAINI / JAMES CLAY / CONTE CANDOLI / HAMPTON HAWES / ANDRE PREVIN / CLAUDE WILLIAMSON / FRANK STRAZZERI / JIM HALL / BARNEY KESSEL / JOHN WILLIAMS / JIMMY BOND / STAN LEVEY / BILLY HIGGINS / SHELLY MANNE / FRANK BUTLER - The Classic Albums (Enlightenment 9251; EEC) Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 - November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet, born in New York City. This collection collates the very finest music that Red Mitchell ever released, from the late-50s to the mid-60s, and it therefore acts as the best compilation of the great man ever released, and serves as both a fine starting point for those new to his work, and a superb reminder for the rest of us. Albums included are: 'Happy Minors' (1955), 'Red Mitchell' (1956), 'Presenting Red Mitchell' (1957), 'Modern Jazz Performances Of Songs From Gigi' (1958), 'Four!' (1959), 'Good Friday Blues: The Modest Jazz Trio' (1960), 'Rejoice! (1961), ' The Light Fantastic, A Tribute To Fred Astaire' (1962) and 'Bob Brookmeyer Featuring John Williams & Red Mitchell' (1963).
4 CD Set $18
MULUKEN MELLESSE - Ethiopiques 31 (Buda Musique 860411; France) Muluken Mèllèssè leaves posterity with a clear idea of the level of sophistication and mastery that modern Ethiopian music had reached before it was crushed under the military-Stalinist boot of the Derg. Betraying the singer's extreme youth (he was not yet 18 at the time), his angelic voice fooled more than one listener into thinking they were hearing a female singer.
It was Muluken who inaugurated the Ethiopiques series more than twenty years ago with Hédètch alu, the B-side of his first single (AE 440, released by Amha Eshèté in February 1972). Betraying the singer's extreme youth (he was not yet 18 at the time), his angelic voice fooled more than one listener into thinking they were hearing a female singer. He was not yet 22 when he released his last vinyl record on Kaifa Records (KF 39LP) in 1976, one of the last released in Ethiopia before the cassette became the dominant medium for music distribution.
Ethiopia, 1976. For a year now, cassettes have been inexorably crushing the vinyl record market. Muluken Mellesse's 33 rpm album [Muluqèn Mèllèssè / Muluqän Mälläsä], KF 39, produced that year by Ali Abdella Kaifa - Ali Tango! - on his Kaifa Records label, is historic in more ways than one. It is one of the last vinyl records released in Ethiopia, but more than that it is the absolute masterpiece of Ethiopian Groove - and its swansong. It leaves posterity with a clear idea of the level of sophistication and mastery that modern Ethiopian music had reached before it was crushed under the military-Stalinist boot of the Derg - the word that stands for the bloody revolution that had been underway since 1974.
CD $16
LP DEPARTMENT:
BYARD LANCASTER with CLINT JACKSON III / JEAN-FRANCOIS CATOIRE / KENO SPELLER / JONATHAN DICKINSON - Mother Africa (Souffle Continu Records FFL 095LP; France) At the beginning of the 1960s, at the Berklee College of Music, Byard Lancaster met some feisty friends: Sonny Sharrock, Dave Burrell and Ted Daniel. It is easy to see why he rapidly became involved in free jazz. Once he was settled in New York, he appeared with the Sunny Murray Quintet, recorded under the leadership of the drum crazy colleague of Albert Ayler. In 1968, the saxophonist and flutist recorded his first album under his own name: It's Not Up To Us. The following year he came to Paris in the wake of Sunny Murray. He would come back to France in 1971 (again with Murray) and in 1973 (without Murray for a change). This is when he met Jef Gilson, the pianist and producer who encouraged him to record under his own name again. On Palm Records (Gilson's label), he would release four albums: Us, Mother Africa, Exactement, and Funny Funky Rib Crib.Lancaster recorded Mother Africa along with Clint Jackson III, a trumpeter, and partner of Khan Jamal and Noah Howard on other recordings. On march 8th, 1974, Lancaster and Jackson headed up a group composed of Jean-François Catoire (electric and double bass), Keno Speller (percussion) and Jonathan Dickinson (drums). Together, they created an immediate impression. This is the first ever stand-alone vinyl reissue of Mother Africa. Carefully remastered and restored by Gilles Laujol. Graphic design by Stefan Thanneur. Includes four-page booklet with rare and unpublished photos. 425GSM Frovi Brown Board Heavyweight 180 gr. LP. Officially Licensed from Palm/Geneviève Quievreux.
LP $32
BYARD LANCASTER - Us (Souffler Continu Recordfs FFL 094LP; France) At the beginning of the 1960s, at the Berklee College of Music, Byard Lancaster met some feisty friends: Sonny Sharrock, Dave Burrell and Ted Daniel. It is easy to see why he rapidly became involved in free jazz. Once he was settled in New York, he appeared with the Sunny Murray Quintet, recorded under the leadership of the drum crazy colleague of Albert Ayler. In 1968, the saxophonist and flutist recorded his first album under his own name: It's Not Up To Us. The following year he came to Paris in the wake of Sunny Murray. He would come back to France in 1971 (again with Murray) and in 1973 (without Murray for a change). This is when he met Jef Gilson, the pianist and producer who encouraged him to record under his own name again. On Palm Records (Gilson's label), he would release four albums: Us, Mother Africa, Exactement, and Funny Funky Rib Crib. Us, the first of the four records, was recorded on November 24th, 1973 with Sylvin Marcon electric bass and the evergreen Steve McCallon on drums. On the album, the trio works from the John Coltrane model; free jazz shook up by the timely contributions of the bassist, followed by a mesmerizing atmospheric music. Then, Lancaster delivers a sinuous solo path, which is a reminder of his unique tone. On the album's companion single, the trio launches into great black music of a different genre which would lead the clairvoyant François Tusques to claim that Byard Lancaster is an "authentic representative of soul/free jazz." This is the first ever stand-alone vinyl reissue of Us. Carefully remastered and restored by Gilles Laujol. Graphic design by Stefan Thanneur. Includes four-page booklet with rare and unpublished photos 425GSM Frovi Brown Board Heavyweight 180 gr. LP with bonus 7". Officially Licensed from Palm/Geneviève Quievreux.
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 / 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 RESIDENCIES / KALIA VANDEVER / JAN 28-31
1/28 Wednesday
8:30 pm - QUARTET - Kalia Vandever (trombone) Zekkereya El-magharbel (trombone) Micah Thomas (piano) Kweku Sumbry (drums)
1/29 Thursday
8:30 pm - tilt - Kalia Vandever (trombone, voice) Isabel Crespo Pardo (voice) Carmen Quill (bass, voice)
1/30 Friday
8:30 pm - QUARTET - Kalia Vandever (trombone) Mary Halvorson (guitar) Nick Dunston (bass) Lesley Mok (drums)
1/31 Saturday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Kalia Vandever (trombone) Charles Overton (harp) Mikel Patrick Avery (drums, percussion)
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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THE RECIRCULATION SERIES CONTINUES:
Thursday, February 12, 7pm
Uptown Out Presents
Implicit Arches -
Miguel Frasconi (electronics), Kurt Gottschalk (guitar)
Will Glass (drums) w/ Claire de Brunner (bassoon) guests
Recirculation
876 Riverside Dr @ 160th St, NY, NY
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NEW VIDEOS from GUITAR MASTER HENRY KAISER:
New one as of 1/19/2026:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyjcwHu5_1E
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:
This is a new one as of 1/19/2026:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simian-podcasts/id1754730297
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-37
https://rwm.macba.cat/en/research/probes-36