Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can’t shoot them anymore
That long black cloud is coming down
I feel I’m knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Last Sunday, I went to visit my ladyfriend, Edel Q, down in Lakehurst, NJ, near Toms River. Six weeks ago, Edel was visiting a friend of hers in Woodbridge, NJ and was crossing a busy street when she was hit by a woman taxi driver and had her left leg smashed brutally. She is still in much pain and won't be able to walk on that leg for 3 months or more. She is recovering in her house in Lakehurst, way down near the Jersey shore so I have been going to visit her to cheer her up and bring some supplies. It is an hour drive from my apt in Rahway and I've been using a rental car. The car I was using was somewhat sluggish for some reason so I had to drive slower than the rest of the traffic. After getting gas, I was driving north on the NJ Parkway somewhere near Hazelot, when the car slowed down and conked out. I was able to steer it towards the right side median but the back of the car still jutted out into the right hand lane. The car wouldn't start so I thought I could push it further away from the passing traffic. So I got out, put it in neutral and tried to push it forward. Dumb move since I was on an incline and the car slowly rolled backwards into the three lanes of traffic. I looked up and saw 4 or 5 pairs of headlights heading towards me, all going fast. Holy shit, I thought that this was it and I was going to be killed in a crash. I saw my life pass in front of me and I was pretty shaken. Luckily, all of the cars swerved around me while the car went into the center median facing sideways. I was hyperventilating and started to tear up and tried to calm myself down. Soon two state police pulled up to check on me. I explained what happened and they said that I was lucky to be alive. They called a tow truck to come tow me away, put a flare near the car and drove away. I called my car rental/mechanic friend and told him what had happened. He was glad that I had gotten through this and was having his tow truck pick me. While waiting for the Parkway tow truck service, I tried to start the car and it started up. I drove slowly and made my way back to the rental place in Rahway. When I got there at midnight, a Rahway police car showed up and told me that my tail light was out. I told them that this was a rental car and that I hadn't noticed. I told them about my near accident and they left.
When I got home, I was still in shock and shaken. I put on some live Dead, drank a glass of wine and took a couple of hits. But every song seemed to be about life and death. I couldn't fall asleep for a long while as I was tossing and turning and I kept seeing those headlights coming towards me. I finally fell asleep much later. The next thing I remember was that I was standing on a cloud in the sky on a line, with people in front and in back of me. I could see other clouds not too far away. On each cloud, were groups of people in robes standing together, looking peaceful. I stared at one cloud and I saw my mother, my father, my grandparents behind them, my cousin Marty and my Uncle Don, all of whom had passed away. I was happy to see them but I felt a bit confused. When I got to the front of the line, there was a large big bearded man with white hair in a large robe. He reminded me of Santa Clause or Jerry Garcia, someone that I had revered. He looked at me seriously and was standing behind a large book on a pulpit in front of him. He looked at the book, read something and looked me in the eye. He said, "Bruce Lee Gallanter?" I stammered yes. He seemed to be studying me and finally asked, "Do you believe in God?", staring directly at me. I thought about it and I decided to answer him as honestly as I could so I said, "I used to believe in God, but since my father passed away, I had my doubts". I looked up at him to see what he had to say but I saw a flash of light and was dazed. The next thing I knew was that my alarm had gone off. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. I was thinking about my dream as I took a shower. I seem to recall that when I looked at the people on the clouds, they were humming a song. It sounded like a gospel song and it sounded familiar. I kept trying to hear the melody in my mind. While taking the train into NY that morning I finally heard the opening line in my head, "Mama Take This Badge Off of me, I can't use it any more". It was from "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan, one of my favorite Dylan songs. I've been singing it to myself all week and it spooks me. I recall hearing Television play it when I caught them at My Father's Place in Long Island in 1978 and thinking it was an odd song to cover. I've only had my life pass in front of me once before and that was at a Butthole Surfers show in April of 1991. I got knocked to the ground early in the show by a stage-diver and couldn't get up as more bodies kept landing on me. A young man named Dean that I met at the beginning of the concert saw me go down and pulled me up and took me to the side. He saved my life.
I feel happy to be alive and thanks to all of you fine folks for reading the DMG newsletter. I still get good responses often so this also makes me smile. - Peace and Love Always, Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG
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THE DMG 35th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT SERIES Continues with:
Tuesday, April 7th:
6:30: SKETCHBOOK SERIES # 16: Duo: patrick brennan - Alto Sax / MICHAEL TA THOMPSON - Drums
7:30: PHILLIP DORNBUSCH - Sax / EVAN PALMER - Bass / JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums
8:30: AIDAN O'CONNELL - Contrabass / MATT KNOEGEL - Saxes / MICHAEL LaROCCA - Drums
Tuesday April 14th:
6:30: BEYOND FLUTE GROUP: CHERYL PYLE - C, alto flutes / MICHAEL EATON - soprano sax / GENE COLEMAN - bass flute, piccolo / SYLVAIN LEROUX - C, fula flutes
7:30: GIAN PEREZ - Solo Guitar
8:30: JOSH SINTON / MARTY EHRLICH - Reeds Duo
9:30: KILLICK HINES - Guitar / CHUCK BETTIS - Electronics / JERRY LIM - Guitar
Tuesday, April 21st: Relative Pitch Series: 6:30 - 8:30:
1st Set: CHUCK ROTH - Guitar / REUT REGEV - Trombone
2nd Set: CHUCK ROTH - Guitar / KELSEY MINES - Contrabass
3rd Set: CHUCK ROTH / REUT REGEV / KELSEY MINES
*************
SYLVIE COURVOISIER TRIO with DREW GRESS / KENNY WOLLESEN - Eclats - Live in Europe (Intakt CD 452; Switzerland) Éclats – Live in Europe captures Swiss pianist and composer Sylvie Courvoisier with her long-standing trio featuring bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen. Recorded across several European concerts in February 2025, the album presents the distilled essence of a group built on deep trust, precision and fearless improvisation.
Following her celebrated solo release To Be Other-Wise and the duo album Angel Falls with Wadada Leo Smith, Courvoisier returns to the trio format with music that is detailed, subtle and wide open. The performances move between sharp-edged rhythmic interplay and lyrical abstraction, balancing structural clarity with spontaneous exploration. Virtuosic yet intimate, the trio demonstrates a rare unity of purpose and a joy in collective invention. - Intakt Records
CD $18
MICHAEL FORMANEK with MARY HALVORSON / JOHN O’GALLAGHER / CHET DOXAS / JOAO ALMEIDA / ALEXANDER HAWKINS / TOMAS FUJIWARA - New Digs (Intakt 451; Switzerland) With New Digs, bassist and composer Michael Formanek presents a striking new ensemble bringing together some of the most inventive voices in American and European jazz. Centered around Alexander Hawkins on Hammond B3, the group also features Formanek’s longtime Thumbscrew collaborators Mary Halvorson and Tomas Fujiwara, alongside an adventurous frontline of John O’Gallagher, Chet Doxas and João Almeida.
Recorded in Portugal in August 2025, the album showcases Formanek’s imaginative writing — shifting between tightly structured passages and open, exploratory interplay. The music moves fluidly through contrasting ambiences, often breaking into smaller units that chart their own course while remaining connected to a larger architectural vision. Dynamic, versatile and deeply expressive, New Digs captures Formanek at the height of his creative powers.
CD $18
OLIVER LAKE with MICHAEL GREGORY JACKSON / BAIKIDA CARROLL / FRED HOPKINS / PHILLIP WILSON / JEROME COOPER - Live from Studio Rivbea, 1975 and 1976 [Rivbea Live! Series, Volume 4 (NoBusiness NBCD 183; Lithuania) This disc compiles two different live sets at Sam Rivers' Studio Rivbea loftspace in 1975 and 1976. The first two pieces are from May 15, 1976 and feature Oliver Lake on alto & soprano sax & flute, Michael Gregory Jackson on guitar, Fred Hopkins on contrabass and Phillip Wilson on drums. Oliver Lake composed all 7 pieces from this disc. These pieces were recorded at the Wildflowers Festival, which took place in May of 1976 with 5 sets per night of ground-breaking avant/jazz and I attended each night. "Six Beats Out" opens and is actually sublime with elegant soprano sax, acoustic guitar and bass playing their lines tightly together. Saxist Oliver Lake and guitarist Michael G Jackson, had worked together in several of Mr. Lakes' various bands and worked well together. Lake switches to flute as the quartet takes off for the stratosphere playing more freely yet remaining tightly connected in spirit and flow. Lake switches to alto sax on "A Space Rontoto", the pace is uptempo, freeish and intense, the sax and guitar playing frenzied lines around one another, pushing the vibe into a more heated area. The bass and drums also spinning together furiously.
The last five pieces here come from July of 1975, also at Studio Rivbea and feature Mr. Lake on alto, tenor & soprano saxes & flute, Michael G Jackson on guitar, Fred Hopkins on bass, Jerome Cooper on drums and guest trumpeter Baikida Carroll on one track. On "Re-Cre-Ate", Lake's writing sounds skeletal with the sax playing partially written segments while the rest of the quartet erupts around him, filling in the space with bursts of energy. During the Loft Jazz Period (mid-seventies to early 1980's), I noticed a number of musicians writing pieces that would unfold in unexpected ways with bursts of tightly played (and/or written) music which made sense once you stepped back and looked at the overall picture or sound. The one longer piece here, "Rue Roger" starts off with guest trumpet Baikida Carroll. Carroll and Lake play well together, bending their notes together tightly. Revolutionary Ensemble drummer Jerome Cooper is an interesting choice since he loves to turn the rhythms inside-out, adding some unexpected twists. While both Lake on soprano and Carroll on trumpet soar around on another, Jackson's frenzied Sharrock-like guitar and Fred Hopkins bass pumps hard with a storm-like force and Cooper's mighty drums roar. Mr. Lake takes an inspiring solo (alto) sax solo on "Rite-Ing", taking his time to bend each note carefully in his own distinctive way. Jerome Cooper kicks off "Trailway Shake" with a quirky, sparse percussion solo before Michael Gregory Jackson's acoustic guitar also enters. This piece unfolds freely, organically and episodically, with short bits of frenzied yet focused activity. The liner notes here were written by Oliver lake and he does a good job of describing the Loft Jazz Scene, Studio Rivbea and his own place in that scene. This is a most impressive display of Creative Music in NYC in the mid-1970's. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
BOBBY NAUGHTON TRIO with JOE FONDA / RANDY KAYE - Housatonic Rumble - Live at Charlie’s Tap (NoBusiness NBCD 182; Lithuania) Featuring Bobby Naughton on vibes, Joe Fonda on contrabass and Randy Kaye on drums. I've known of New England vibist Bobby Naughton since the late 1970's when I found a couple of his rare albums from his own Otic label. Although he is based in Hartford, CT, he rarely makes it to New York to perform. I did hear him once with Wadada Leo Smith at an earlier Vision Fest if memory serves. Besides Wadada, Mr. Naughton has collaborated with Perry Robinson, James Emery and Jerome Harris. Local bass great Joe Fonda, who is also from Connecticut, has recorded with Mr. Naughton on several occasions. The late Randy Kaye is another fine drummer who has worked with Naughton, Jimmy Giuffre and Anthony Ortega.
Mr. Naughton composed all but two of the pieces here with one cover by Carla Bley and one by Anthony Braxton. The dozen pieces on this disc were recorded at two dates in September and October of 1985. "Bounce" opens this disc and the title seems apropo since it does bounce nicely. The piece has a Braxtonian tight stop & start-like groove/structure. Each piece seems to have a complex structure which shifts several times rhythmically. Bassist Joe Fonda is featured on "Shepaug Strut", providing a central groove while also nailing the changes which keep the trio shifting parts and taking a short feisty solo midway. Each piece is different in structure and strategy and keeps the trio on their toes as they work their way through the challenging twists and turns. "Calves" is an exhausting piece which speeds up to a furious pace at times and has Mr. Fonda accelerates the pulse to a daredevil extreme at times. "Naughtagram" is the title of an album by Naughton from 1979. Mr. Fonda holds this piece together with his ever-shifting basslines while vibes and drums both spin tightly around him. For the title track, Naughton plays a solemn chord both ascending and descending slowly while the drums solo in spurts. The trio cover an early Carla Bley song named "Vashkar" which was recorded by Paul Bley sevaral times as well the original Tony Williams Lifetime. Like a number of Ms. Bley's best songs, this one has an odd structure which swings hard in one section and has Naughton taking a long inspired solo with Mr. Fonda following him as he sings along to his solo. Anthony Braxton's "Composition 23J" is an early work from the mid-1970's. This piece has a few different lines moving together at the same time, slows down to a near standstill midway and has a number of unexpected changes in direction. This ∂disc and thoughtfully composed and performed. So glad to add this to my collection of rare discs from the great Bobby Naughton. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
LAO DAN / VASCO TRILLA - New Species (NoBusiness NBCD 181; Lithuania) Featuring Lao Dan on tenor sax, dizi (Chinese flute) and homemade flute and Vasco Trilla on drums & percussion. Recorded live at Old Heaven Books in Shenzen City in October of 2024. Lao Dan is a legendary Chinese saxist and flutist and was classically trained in Shenyang Conservatory. Instead of pursuing his classical training, Lao Dan has become a noted experimental improviser on several ethnic reed instruments: suona, duduk and bamboo flute. He has recorded with saxists Rick Countryman, Colin Webster & Paul Flaherty as well as with legendary Japanese drummer Sabu Toyozumi. In 2025, Lao Dan played a trio set here at DMG with Joe Fonda & James Paul Nadien, as well as having a great solo sax disc out on the Relative Pitch label. Spanish drummer, Vasco Trilla, can be heard on more than 80 releases 2013 and has worked with Susana Santos Silva, Szilard Mezei and Mars Williams.
Lao Dan starts off alone on tenor sax and plays lyrically at first, taking his time before Vasco Trilla comes in playing some restrained drums. As this disc unfolds both musicians get down to the business of playing freely and intensely. On "New Species 2", Mr. Dan is playing an odd sounding reed, bending his notes inside-out. When he switches back to tenor sax, it is hard to tell what exactly he is playing since he is twisting each note and playing those high-toned multiphonics. Vasco Trilla enters later in this piece by himself, playing in a focus, free and creative way. Trilla is playing assorted pieces of metal as well as doing drum rolls and creating drone-like notes on his floor toms. On "Tea Horse Road" Lao Dan switches to flute, playing ritualistic sounds solemn and haunting while Trilla creates eerie drones with his playing of metal objects. For "Old Heaven Books" Trilla sounds like he is blowing into a tube while Dan plays his tenor in a more laid back way. I dig the muted sounds that Trilla is making here while Dan plays somber sax. The piece keeps evolving as the duo speed up and play more freely and intensely, this is free/jazz at its best! The last piece is called, "Nobodies Are Going to Sleep" and again it is hard to tell what Mr. Trilla is playing while Mr. Dan plays his quiet flute. The duo keeps building with one of these men creating some odd vocal sounds at times as well. This piece is more laid back and ends with some hushed cymbals humming quietly. A perfect way to bring this set to a fine close. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
JUHANI AALTONEN and RAOUL BJORKENHEIM - Nostalgia (Eclipse Music 2026260; EEC) Juhani Aaltonen is a living finnish jazz legend, a true icon of the spirit of free improvisation, whose soulful playing spans six decades. Known mainly for his tenor sax, "Junnu" focuses on flutes in this duo and creates a lyrical music world with Raoul who contributes 6- and 12-string colours on his double-neck electric guitar. Their ESP-like communication allows them to create new pieces on the fly, which they intersperse with original compositions. Both Junnu and Raoul spent years collaborating with another Finnish icon, Edward Vesala, whose music stands out for its unfettered originality, and they are both prominent in the Vesala discography.
CD $16
Norwegian bassist Eivind Opsvik has been based in NY since around 2000. He has led a Downtown All-star ensemble called Overseas since 2002, with six releases under their belt. Opsvik also runs the Loyal Label for his various projects and the label is up to 30 releases in April of 2026. Mr. Opsvik recently came to visit us and left us with a half dozen newer and older releases. Each of his releases are listed below:
EIVIND OPSVIK / ELIAS STEMESEDER / WILL GRAEFE - The Setting (Loyal Label LLCD30; USA) Featuring Elias Stemetronics and Eivind Opsvik on electric bass, drum samples & compositions. Aside from Opsvik's all-star Downtown ensemble, Overseas, (6 releases, 2002-2020), Opsvik has assorted projects (solo & ensembles) that he continues to work on. After releasing a fine, solo, multi-instrumental disc in 2020, Opsvik organized this new trio with Elias Stemeseder and Will Graefe. Austrian keyboard wiz, Elias Stemeseder moved to NY during the last decade and has worked with a number of Downtown greats" Anna Webber, Jim Black and several sessions with Christian Lillinger. Brooklyn-based guitarist, Will Graefe, has a couple of solo efforts and has worked with Petra Haden, Jesse Harris and Star Rover (his duo with Jeremy Gusten).
Although Eivind Opsvik has played contrabass in several avant/jazz ensembles, his other projects fall in-between the cracks of categorization. "Corner Song" features a somber, repeating bass line with skeletal punctuation from the piano or synth, guitar and drum samples. The music has a refreshing child-like quality and reminds of Young Marble Giants or Penguin Cafe Orchestra. "By The Light of the Moon" has a quietly majestic quality and sounds like it could be used for a fairytale-like animation, the melody is played gracefully by the acoustic guitar. Guitarist Will Graefe uses a Leslie (spinning speaker cabinet usually used with Hammond organs), adding a most charming quality to the music here. Opsvik's lovely electric bass is often at the circle of each piece with various keyboards and guitar adding their own exquisite lines and/or harmonies. "Sivilisasjon i Rommer" is an eerie, ambient piece which casts a nice solemn spell. The music here often has a cinematic quality as if it were made to accompany a good film. I can't really compare it to any other disc that a Downtown composer has done except for perhaps, a recent disc by Brandon Seabrook ('Hellbent Daydream', 2026), which also falls between established categories. A true gem! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14 / LP $25
VINNIE SPERRAZZA APOCRYPHAL with LOREN STILLMAN / BRANDON SEABROOK / EIVIND OPSVIK - Sunday (Loyal Label LLCD025; USA) Featuring Loren Stillman on tenor & soprano saxes, Brandon Seabrook on guitar, banjo & mandolin, Eivind Opsvik on bass and Vinnie Sperrazzan on drums & compositions. There are a large number of local creative musicians and composers whose performing and recording continually evolve and improve no matter how much normal recognition they get in the press or on radio. Considering that Brooklyn-based drummer Vinnie Sperrazza can be found on more than two dozen discs over the past two decades, I rarely see reviews of the many great records that he has done. Unknown to me, Mr. Sperrazza has an ongoing series of piano trio discs out on the Fresh Sound New Jazz label, each one performing the music of a different jazz composer: John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Benny Golson. No doubt you know of saxist Loren Stillman and guitarists/banjo player Brandon Seabrook, both of whom have several discs as leaders as well as being busy and in-demand collaborators. This is the second disc from this particular quartet, whose first date was released in 2017.
In the liner notes, Mr. Sperrazza claims that this suite of songs "depicts the innerlife of an imagined person on an ordinary Sunday". This disc starts off quietly with just sparse, warm-toned tenor sax, haunting bowed bass and eerie guitar drones. Mr. Sperrazza takes a long, slow, thoughtful drum solo on "First Weather" which unfolds like a story. "Caffeine Dream" has a refreshing, laid back groove with lush tenor sax and a series of dreamy guitar chords. Mr. Stillman's solo is a stunner here, a bit funky, warm and from the heart. Mr. Seabrook switches to banjo on "If Only" but plays sort of jazz licks underneath Mr. Stillman's laid back yet greasy tenor sax. "PM Drift" has Stillman switch to soprano and Seabrook back on guitar, The bass and drums actually play the structure of the piece while sax and guitar add colors to the overall picture. Although "Sundowning (Culture is Cosmetic)" rocks out quietly, groove-wise, it gives Mr. Seabrook a chance to play an odd in-between categories solo, something he does best. To name a song after "Harvey Pekar" seemed like an odd choice since Mr. Pekar was a noted cartoonist, jazz historian/journalist with a cranky demeanor. I was friendly with Mr. Pekar for a time when he was researching doing a cartoon sequence about John Zorn, so we had several long conversations. The song has a slow, solemn, drifting groove with fragile banjo, lovely, tear-jerking tenor sax, all exposing a warm soul within. It is hard to tell that the leader here is a drummer, since there is only one short drum solo and no drum-led songs. Each song does create a thoughtful mood which often feels just right to dwell within. In a blindfold test, someone might think that the bassist was the leader here, since the bass is the only steady presence here. The music here reminds me of sitting down at sunset and watching the sun set slowly over the horizon, perhaps sipping some wine as the day turns to night. A most exquisite jewel to behold. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
FLOROS FLORIDIS / MATTHIAS BAUER / JOE HERTENSTEIN - temporal driftness (Evil Rabbit Records 38; Netherlands) Featuring Floros Floridis on clarinet, bass clarinet & alto sax, Matthias Bauer on contrabass and Joe Hertenstein on drums. Floros Floridis is a Greek reeds wizard who has around 40 releases beginning around 1979. He has recorded with Marc Charig, Peter Kowald, Gunter 'Baby' Sommer, Nicky Skopelitis and Okay Temiz, as well as many Greek musicians. Matthias Bauer is the younger brother of trombone legends Connie and Johannes Bauer. Although Matthias has recorded some 20 discs with great musicians like Bill Dixon, Andrea Centazzo and Harri Sjostrom, he took off from the improv scene for a decade to play New Music (written, modern classical). Joe Hertenstein is one of the best drummers to emerge from the scene in Berlin, comes to NY often and has worked with Alex Von Schlippenbach, HNH and Remedy. Hertenstein played here last Tuesday (3/31/26) in a trio with Stephen Gauci and Adam Lane and it was a colossal set.
This disc was recorded in Berlin in February of 2023. It begins with Mr. Floridis on bass clarinet, deep, deft, probing contrabass and strong mallet-work from Mr. Hertenstein. The music here is well recorded, close mic'd, warm and hypnotic. The sound of the bass clarinet or alto sax, contrabass and mallet-work drumming is similar in texture and tone so the trio sounds like one solid force or stream. One thing that I noticed as I walked around my kitchen to listen to this disc in different places is that there is a rhythmic center/stream that runs through this music which holds its own spirit, a marvel to behold. Bassist Bauer steps up on "drift 4", bowing powerfully, bending his notes carefully as he goes while Hertenstein plays minimal yet effective percussion. All three members of this trio are integral to that united, cosmic group sound. Amen. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16 [Limited edition & we have 5]
orchiddBB with JEN SAPIRO / VIVEK MENON / MARIO FONTES / ORCHID McRAE - water the teeth (permanent press001; USA) orchiddBB features Jen Sapiro on voice, Vivek Menon on violin, Mario Fontes on electric bass and Orchid McRae on percussion & compositions. Over the past decade there's been more than a dozen younger drummers who've played here at DMG, each one impressing me in different ways. Here's my short list of distinctive percussion wizards: James Paul Nadien, Mike LaRocca, Nick Neuberg, Lesley Mok, Patrick Golden and Willy Rodriguez. Orchid McRae has also played here at DMG on several occasions and has also impressed me each time. I hadn't heard of vocalist Jan Sapiro before now (she's worked with Marc Edwards) although violinist Vivek Menon has played here with Orchid on a couple of occasions previously. Bassist Mario Fontes has played with Marc Edwards & Slipstream Travel on a couple of previous in-stores.
Starting with "DOD3.22-imminent", Ms. Sapiro's enticing voice is featured as the rest of the quartet starts out freely but soon breaks into a great groove. Instead of the usual free/improv session, McRae keeps things focused. "winter-lantern" is tight, challenging and sounds closer to prog rock with some over-the-top operatic vocals and short screams. It works! On "could.../DOD3.22: appropriate measures", Ms. Sapiro's voice is double-tracked, one slightly nasal spoken word and one layer of long notes & bursts floating on top. Art-rock? Prog? Or some unnamable blend? Hard to say. Violinist Vivek Menon is featured and plays an extraordinary solo, the rhythm team locked into a great groove below. Although I can't hear all of the spoken words by Sapiro, this piece works like a focused radio play. Another (male) voice enters and just laughs for a bit. A long, thoughtful electric bass solo is at the heart of "glisten!", with solemn violin and dreamy vocals added as well. This song erupts into a short prog epic just for a bit before it comes to an end. "endless sea, the deep" has more crazed vocals from Sapiro but calms into a sparse, quiet section, with some lyrical, blues violin in a later section. "i shouldn't" opens with a burst of virtuosic violin but soon features 2 people laughing together and is followed by a sparse, eerie section of drones (vocal & violin). What I find most interesting about this disc is that it is filled with surprises, is in between any categories and fits together as one work. Completely quirky, completely cool! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
KIKE MENDOZA - Los Bienheridos (Mute Discos MT001; Columbia) Featuring Kike Mendoza on guitars, Juan Ignacio Arbaiza on tenor sax & flute, Juan Manuel Toro on contrabass, Santiago Botero on electric bass, Jorge Sepulveda & Mauricio Ramirez both on drums and Edson Velandiaz on voice (1 track). This is the third disc we've gotten from Columbian guitarist Keke Mendoza. The first one I reviewed was in 2014 and the second one in 2019, so each disc is 5-7 years apart. There is some sort of creative music scene going on in Columbia. as several of these musicians have appeared on the earlier discs. Things begin quietly with lovely, hushed wooden flute, soft, eerie guitar and laid back drumming. A breathtaking and mellow opening. The second song features a fine, infectious, sort of Latin jazz groove with superb flute and quick yet tasty understated guitar. Wooden flutist, Juan Ignacio Arbaiza, is featured on the third piece and plays a lovely solo over a lush, laid back groove. After reading my reviews of the two previous discs from Mr. Mendoza, I see that his earlier discs were more intense, free/improv and more extreme. Track 5 is the one song with sung vocals, which are minimal. The song is mellow, skeletal with both drummers spinning softly underneath. "Mal Aire" has the guitar and sax playing in solemn, haunting harmony, the guitar and bass solo together with skeletal, dreamy interplay. Although this music is often solemn, dream-like and laid back, it does cast a spell which is calming yet also a bit spooky. It sounds like guitarist Kike Mendoza is holding back at times, yet he is able to add occasional solos underneath the above breathy currents or waves. Sailing off into Dreamland now... - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
ZIV TAUBENFELD / HELENA ESPVALL / JOAO SOUSA - You, Full of Sources and Night (NoBusiness NBCD 180; Lithuania) "I sat down to listen to this album with no expectations beyond the fact that every NoBusiness album I have ever listened to has been of the highest quality. I didn’t know any of the musicians, but I was attracted to the album because of the bass clarinet played by Ziv Taubenfeld. I have been hooked on the peculiar, deep sound of the bass clarinet since the first time I heard Eric Dolphy playing it. I hit PLAY and almost immediately had one of those flashes where you realize you’re listening to something genuinely new and unique and wonderful. I think everyone who listens to free jazz is looking for such moments.
The album begins with the track 'Oluyemi' where cellist Helena Espvall plucks a simple repetitive pattern over which Taubenfeld improvises. I think of the title track of Julius Hemphill’s Dogon A.D., where Abdul Wadud’s cello plays a similar role. But this band has something different in mind. Espvall is restless in her playing and she varies further and further from her starting point. I realize she’s also steadily increasing the speed and intensity of her plucking. Taubenfeld matches her and João Sousa follows suit on drums. The song briefly feels like a contest. The track reaches an intense crescendo and then I realize that Espvall has begun bowing as Taubenfeld falls away and Sousa just plays a light, simple accompaniment. Her bowing is plaintive, as if she’s missing her accompanists or sad over the state of the world. After reading my reviews of the two previous discs from Mr. Mendoza,
On 'In the Ether, In a Light', Sousa’s drumming propels the track forward. He’s especially good on this track. Espvall switches between bowing and plucking and always seems to be giving the right reply to what Taubenfeld is playing, as if they’re having the most intense conversation. I can’t get over how good Espvall is on this whole album.
'Come Back Evaporated Chess' is another standout. Sousa plays some fairly straight-ahead up-tempo percussion with Espvall bowing rhythmically but introducing slight variations in response to Sousa. Taubenfeld peeks in and then lurches in with some Dolphyesque lines. He’s excellent on this track and the next 'They Are Fragments of the Sun'. Over the course of the album, he demonstrates the full range of sound of the instrument.
'Of the Angel In You, Oh Tigers and Lions' starts off as a lovely, peaceful ballad, with Espvall’s cello sounding mournful and Sousa gently responding, with Taubenfeld’s bass clarinet floating above them both. The intensity of the piece increases as each musician digs into what the others are playing. It’s another tremendous track.
I could go on, but instead I’ll say a bit about the musicians. I discovered that I did in fact know Ziv Taubenfeld as he plays on a very good album I own, Albert Beger’s Cosmic Waves. Currently based in Lisbon, he has a great many projects on the go. He’s in a band called Kuhn Fu, dedicated to the work of Christian Kuhn (bonus points for the name). He leads a large band called Full Sun which is a collection of great musicians, including Michael Moore, Luis Vicente, Olie Bryce and Marta Warelis. He’s collaborated with Han Bennink, Ab Baars, Hamid Drake, Ada Rave, and many more.
Helena Espvall has been involved in a wide number of projects. Her bandcamp page has many solo pieces I’m slowly wading through and very much enjoying. She has produced a duo album with Masaki Batoh of the Japanese experimental rock group, Ghost. She has also been involved in, to quote Wikipedia, “Philadelphia's flourishing psychedelic and weird-folk circles”.
João Sousa is part of the exciting Portuguese free improvisation scene. Especially check out his duo with saxophonist José Lencastre, Free Speech and several albums with Pedro Branco. This is an album to treasure, and another great release from NoBusiness." - Richard Bute, FreeJazzBlog.org
CD $16
ARKADY GOTESMAN - Music for an Imaginary Ballet (NoBusiness NBCD 179; Lithuania) "Arkady Gotesman (b. 1959) is one of the unsung heroes of European free jazz and free music, and clearly one of the most distinctive percussionists and improvisers in Lithuania. He was born in Ukraine (and his name is often spelt as Arkadijus Gotesmanas). From an early age, he decided that music would be not only his vocation but also his way of telling stories—personal, cultural, and universal. His professional career of more than 35 years encompasses contemporary music, local interdisciplinary theatre, dance, film, and poetry productions, klezmer music, collaborations with local heroes like Vyacheslav Ganelin, Vladimir Tarasov, Liudas Mockūnas, and Petras Vyšniauskas, as well as recorded albums with innovative improvisers such as Charles Gayle, Martin Küchen, Nate Wooley, and Barry Guy.
Music for an Imaginary Ballet (Muzika neegzistuojančiam baletui, which can also be translated as Music for Non-Existent Ballet) celebrates Gotesman’s creative legacy. It is based on his chamber solo percussion performance that reflects his entire creative path. The album is structured as a twelve-movement suite, or a musical diary that visits many collaborative, free improvised meetings, collecting pieces from 2000 to 2025, all recorded live around Lithuania.
The album begins and closes with short, evocative solo percussion pieces, “Stiklo Gabaliukai) (glass pieces), dedicated to the surrealist painter Marc Chagall. The powerful duet with Mockūnas, “It’s coming”, highlights Gutesman's qualities as a fearless, imaginative improviser who transforms every musical meeting into a singular, adventurous, and unpredictable journey, making it a boundless playground where he could explore rhythm, silence, sound, and texture with unlimited freedom. The pieces with Trio Alliance (Ganelin on piano and synth, and Vyšniauskas on reeds), and the one with quartet Emiritus (Vyšniauskas on reeds and piano, Vytautas Labutis on reeds and piano, and double bass player Eugenijus Kanevičus) stress Gutesman's precise textual touches, and the clever way he introduces a light groove. The duet with pianist Tomas Kutavičus explores both improvisers’ nuanced, rhythmic language.
The duet with Gayle (with whom Gotesman recorded the trio album Our Souls: Live In Vilnius, NoBusiness, 2009, with double bass player Dominic Duval) dives into spiritual, fiery free jazz. The duets with Nate Wooley (with whom Gotesman recorded Nox, NoBusiness, 2020, with Mockūnas and double bass master Barry Guy) and the one with Martin Küchen (with whom Gotesman recorded Live At Vilnius Jazz Festival, NoBusiness, 2016, with double bass player Mark Tokar) suggest two colourful but completely different stories - the first one is introspective and poetic, while the latter is restless and intense, but both are beautifully articulated by these resourceful improvisers-storytellers. The trio with Ned Rothenberg and double bass player Vladimir Volkov features Gotesman as a modern shaman conducting an uplifting rhythmic ritual." - Eyal Hareuveni, FreeJazzBlog.Org
CD $16
CARL STONE ASUNA - Imu Plastos (Room40 4253CD; Australia) This is the first recording album by Carl Stone and ASUNA (Asuna Arashi). Spring 2024. Carl Stone and Asuna performed together for the first time at an international experimental music festival held in Kanazawa city, where Asuna lives. Carl Stone is a pioneering composer of computer sampled music. and ASUNA is known for its "100 Keyboards" performance, played in this duo with over 100 toy instruments, samplers, and synthesizers. Carl samples and processes the sound of Asuna's various toys in real time. Asuna then incorporates the sounds into her own sampler and sends again the signal to Carl. The two transformed the sounds on the live show, music born of a mysterious cultural parade of toys was stirred up by the electronic sounds, melting one into the other. Then went on to record in the studio, Tokyo. ASUNA then edited the song based on ideas that were in the opposite direction to the way the two performed on the recording. "Sampling" comes from the ancient Latin "exemplum," which means the act of juxtaposing something taken from measurement or observation, and it is self-evident that a sample is made because of an object. However, as music is an art of time, the editing was done in such a way that the relationship between the sample and the object is reversed. In other words, Carl's sample and the editing of the target sound made of electronic sounds are placed before ASUNA's sound, and the original sound is placed after it (except "Casual Resonant"). This album is a composition of improvisations in which ASUNA sliced Carl Stone's sampling idea from the opposite direction when editing the samples. Mirroring the process of how that album was compiled, each song title on the album is made up of anagrams of "Carl Stone" and "Asuna." This is because the process of the duo felt like an anagram, as if Carl Stone reconstructed Asuna sound and Asuna further re-edited it from the upside down.
CD $18
JOE HENDERSON with KENNY DURHAM / LEE MORGAN / MIKE LAWRENCE / CURTIS FULLER / McCOY TYNER / ANDREW HILL / CEDAR WALTON / KENNY BARRON / HERBIE HANCOCK / DON FRIEDMAN / BOBBY HUTCHERSON / RICHARD DAVIS / RON CARTER / BUTCH WARREN / EDDIE KAHN / BOB CRANSHAW / PETE LaROCA / ELVIN JONES / JACK DeJOHNETTE / LOUIS HAYES - The Classic 1960s Albums (Enlightenment 9254; EEC) Joe Henderson was a visionary jazz saxophonist and whose powerful tone and fearless improvisation helped shape modern post-bop. His work bridged hard bop and avant-garde jazz, influencing generations of musicians with its intellect, soul, and restless creativity. Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note, Milestone, Contemporary Records and Verve, enjoying a a lengthy musical career spanning more than four decades. This collection brings together the very finest albums on which Joe Henderson performed as a leader, released throughout the 1960s. A superb starting point for listeners new to Joe's sound, and a welcome reminder for everyone else. Albums included are ‘Page One’, ‘Our Thing’, ‘In n’ Out’, ‘Inner Urge’, ‘Mode for Joe’, ‘The Kicker’, ‘Tetragon’ and ‘Power to the People’.
Ever since buying several early Joe Henderson records on Blue Note, I've been a big fan. All 8 albums here are fantastic and essential listening for progressive jazz fans. I own almost all of Joe Henderson's 35 leader records and I've herad one that I didn't think was great! - BLG at DMG
4 CD Set $18
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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 / TOMEKA REID / APR 1-4
4/1 Wednesday
8:30 pm - The Hemphill Stringtet with Ursula Oppens - Curtis Stewart (violin) Sam Bardfeld (violin) Stephanie Griffin (viola) Tomeka Reid (cello) Ursula Oppens (piano)
4/2 Thursday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Tomeka Reid (cello) James Brandon Lewis (sax) Pheeroan Aklaff (drums)
4/3 Friday
8:30 pm - TRIO: Tomeka Reid (cello) Ikue Mori (electronics) Nava Dunkelman (percussion)
4/4 Saturday
8:30 pm - TRIO - Tomeka Reid (cello) Yvonne Rogers (piano) Lesley Mok (drums)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / SELENDIS / APR 8-11
4/8 Wednesday
8:30 pm - QUINTET - Selendis (vibraphone, trombone) Nick Saia (guitar) Christoph Götzen (guitar) Darja Goldberg (accordion) Orchid McRae (drum set)
4/9 Thursday
8:30 pm DUO/CONCERTO FOR KWAMI: Selendis (conductor) Kwami Winfield (electronics, cornet) Tomin, James Worsey, Will Evans (trumpets) Caleb Smith (trombone, flute) Abe Mamet (french horn) Francesca H, Francisco de la Garza, Titan Choi, Aaron Mead (saxophones) Christoph Götzen (guitar) Darja Goldberg (accordion) Kaizan Connor (upright bass)
4/10 Friday
8:30 pm - PALENQUE MONASTERY: Selendis (vibraphone, trombone) Will Evans (trumpet) Alfredo Colón (alto saxophone) Nathan Nakadegawa-Lee (tenor saxophone, clarinet) Caleb Smith (trombone, piano) Anna Abondolo (upright bass) Joshua Mathews (drum set)
4/11 Saturday
8:30 pm - SSAJ BIG BAND: Will Evans, Kal Ferretti, Miranda Agnew, Caylie Davis, James Worsey (trumpets) Caleb Smith, Andre Perlman, Calvin Ryerse, Arjan Singh Dogra (trombones) Josh Boucicaut, Nathan Nakadegawa-Lee, Chris Ferrari, John Masso (woodwinds) Henry Plotnick (piano) Caroline Morton (upright bass) McCabe Teems (drum set) Selendis (vibraphone, conductor)
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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BEYOND FLUTE DUO Featuring:
ROBERT DICK and CHERYL PYLE
Thursday, April 9th at 6pm
At The Tompkins Square Library
331 East 10th Street, NY, NY