And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.
At the beginning of last week's DMG newsletter, I told a true story about my recent near death experience on the NJ Parkway and the disturbing dream I had that night, thinking that I was in Heaven and being judged by you know who. A couple of dozen DMG newsletter subscribers wrote back letting me know how much they were affected by my story and letting me know how much my writing and views mean to them. I was genuinely touched by this and felt a good deal of Love and Support from my/our friends out there. I heard from a number of old friends who I hadn't heard from in a while which made me feel better about Life. We are all living in treacherous, disturbing times, no doubt. The thing to remember is that we are not alone. We are all part of the same Human Family and we have to learn how to get along and get rid of the bad things that some folks seem to thrive on. One old customer/friend sent me the above poem so I've read it several times. It is or at least feels like Springtime this week and the Sun, cool breeze and longer daylight all make me feel better. I still love working here at DMG since I meet nice folks, serious listeners and Creative Musicians every day. Plus I work with nice folks who share in my/our passion for the music that inspires us all. Spring doesn't seem to last very long anymore since it usually becomes summer too quickly. I still feel good to be alive and I want to sincerely thank all of you kind folks for your ongoing support. Time to play "Get Together" by the Youngbloods, a sixties sorta anthem that always makes me smile. - Peace and Love Always, Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
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THE DMG 35th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT SERIES Continues with:
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
Saturday, April 18th: GauciMusic Series:
6:30: JAMES McKAIN - Baritone Sax / MARC EDWARDS - Drums
7:30: STEPHEN GAUCI - Tenor Sax-Flute / ADAM LANE - Bass / JAMES PAUL NADIEN - Drums
8:30: SANA NAGANO - 6 String Electric Violin / MATT HOLLENBERG - Guitar / RAF VERTESSEN - Drums
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
Tuesday, April 28th:
6:30: GABRIEL ZUCKER - Synth / TRAE CRUDUP - Drums
7:30: SARA SCHOENBECK - Bassoon / KEN FILIANO - Contrabass / ELLEN BURR - Flutes
8:30: DAVE MILLER - drums / RAS MOSHE - Tenor Sax & Flute / ROBERT BOSTON - keyboard
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SPRING IS HERE! Check New Discs from:
HARRIET TUBMAN with BRANDON ROSS / MELVIN GIBBS / JT LEWIS & GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW - Electric Field of Love (Pi Recordings 111; USA) Featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow on vocals & keyboards, Brandon Ross on electric guitar, banjo & soprano guitar, Melvin Gibbs on electric bass and JT Lewis on drums. Harriet Tubman has been around since 1998 and this is their sixth release. Guitarist Brandon Ross and drummer JT Lewis were both members of Henry Threadgill’s Make a Move (1997-2001) during the time when this trio first formed. Brandon Ross and Melvin Gibbs were both members of the Black Rock Coaltion and worked together in Cold Sweat and on a rare solo effort by Brandon Ross from 2008.
Initially, most journalists referred to Harriet Tubman as a power trio (like Cream & the Jimi Hendrix Experience), although their music is much more diverse than one might imagine. Vocalist Georgie Anne Muldrow has been recording albums since 2006 with around 18 records so far. “Flowers” opens with Brandon Ross’s guitar bathed in dense echo reverberations with the rhythm team throbs below. Melvin Gibbs sounds like he using various effects on “Isom Dart Was”, he bass sounds spongy and funky. Ms. Muldrow’s voice is also treated with effects and sounds different (often otherworldly) on each track. “When You Rise” is fueled by a hypnotic bass groove with Ms. Muldrow’s warm, sensuous voice gliding in top. Mr. Ross adds sly layers of great space-rock guitar to the brew. Much of the music here reminds me of Gong or perhaps Mother Gong with Ms. Muldrow doing the space vocal thing, her voice bathed in mesmerizing effects, similar to the sounds coming from Ross’s treated guitar. Melvin Gibbs’ bass holds down the central groove here with the voice and guitar weaving their way around him. Brandon Ross often makes his guitar almost speak with the effects that he uses. He and Georgia are a good mtch and it is hard to tell them apart at times. Always great to travel the spaceways with some tasty, somewhat funky space-rock. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
BEN ALLISON / STEVE CARDENAS / TED NASH - Triological (Sunnyside Communications SSC 1811; USA) Featuring Ben Allison on bass, Steve Cardenas on guitar and Ted Nash on sax & clarinet. This trio has been together for a decade and have released four previous albums, performing the music of Jim Hall, Carla Bley, Herbie Nichols & Leonard Bernstein. The trio was originally inspired by the instrumentation of the Jimmy Giuffre Trio from the late 1950’s and for this, their 5th disc, they’ve decided to compose their own music to challenge themselves, with each member contributing their own works. “See Forever” opens and it is a lovely, laid back and haunting piece with sublime tenor sax and guitar. Since there is no drummer here, it is Ben Allison’s superb contrabass which holds the trio together, with bass as the entire rhythm team. Mr. Cardenas’ song “Puddle Jumper” is another laid back, dreamy sort of song with a quaint melody that stays with us after the song has ended. Ted Nash’s “Burnt Toast & Avocado” was inspired by Ornette Coleman’s music which Mr. Nash had arranged for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. With Mr. Nash on clarinet, the trio do a fine job of illustrating Ornette’s influence with subtle, shifting tempos. “Fellas with Umbrellas” was inspired by a song from Steve Swallow as well as film composer Michel Legrand’s “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”. All three members of the trio take inspired, exquisite solos here, the theme is most memorable. Mr. Cardenas uses some eerie tremelo on Allison’s song “Milton” to great effect, the guitar solo is superb, somewhere between the sound of Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot (in the Dreamers). What I like most about this release is how relaxed it is and inventive at the same time. There is more going on here than what we hear on top at times, it takes some time to notice these things. A most sublime gem. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
PAULINE OLIVEROS / MIYA MASAOKA / ISSUI MINEGISHI - Two Days In Dreamland (Important Records IMPREC 519CD; USA) These stunning recordings combine the great strengths of Pauline Oliveros on her Roland V-Accordion, Issui Minegishi, Ichigenkin master and great-great granddaughter of the founder of the Seikyodo Ichigenkin tradition and Miya Masaoka on her 21 string Japanese Koto. Together, these masterful improvisors create a beautiful and fascinating world of instrumental communication. This trio of legendary artists establish a sonic zone so compelling that you'll never want to leave. This double CD preserves the original session edits chronologically in order to preserve the emotional flow of the recordings. Disc one presents the first day of sessions and disc two presents the second day. Hence the title, Two Days In Dreamland. Recorded at Dreamland Studios in Hurley, New York. Mastered by Tom Eaton at Sounds & Substance. Pauline Oliveros, composer and accordionist, was a central figure in the development of post-war experimental and electronic music. She was a founder of the San Francisco Tape Music Center along with Ramon Sender and Morton Subotnick and she also served as its director. Minegishi Issui is the great-great-granddaughter of Tokuhiro Taimu, founder of the Seikyodo Ichigenkin tradition. She received her earliest training from her great-grandmother, Matsuzaki Issui, who was the third hereditary head of Seikyodo and who was also designated by the Japanese government as official guardian of the Ichigenkin tradition, as one of the country's Intangible Cultural Treasures. Miya Masaoka is an American sonic artist, composer and performer. Her work explores bodily perception of vibration, movement and time, while foregrounding complex timbre relationships. She has created a body of work that encompasses scores for orchestras and ensembles, sculpture works instigating new modes of listening, interactive media. Among her awards are the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright, the American Academy Rome Prize, the Doris Duke Artist Award and the United States Artist Award.
2 CD Set $16
TRIPLE POINT with JONAS BRAASCH / PAULINE OLIVEROS / DOUG VAN NORT - Empac Sessions (Important Records IMPREC 518CD; USA) Triple Point, featuring Pauline Oliveros, Doug Van Nort, and Jonas Braasch, was an improvising trio with a core instrumentation of soprano saxophone, greis/electronics, and V-accordion. The name refers to the point of equilibrium on a phase plot, which acts as a metaphor for the group's improvisational dialogue. Triple Point's musical interaction was centered around an interplay between acoustics, physically-modeled acoustics (v-accordion), and electronics. Van Nort captured the sound of the other players on-the-fly, either transforming them in the moment to create blended textures or new sonic gestures or holding them for return in the near future. Oliveros changes between timbres and "bends" the intended factory sound models through her idiosyncratic use of the virtual instrument, while Braasch explores extended techniques, including long circular-breathing tones and multiphonics. This mode of interaction has resulted in situations where acoustic/electronic sources are indistinguishable without very careful listening, while other times, this becomes wildly apparent. This continual, fluid morphing is a product of Deep Listening and listening in the moment. The tracks were recorded by Jonas Braasch during a week-long residency at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), Troy, NY, August 2012. Mastered by Tom Eaton at Sounds & Substance.
CD $15
DANIEL CARTER / STEVE HIRSH - Convocation (Mahakala Music Maha 092; USA) Featuring Daniel Carter on alto, tenor & soprano saxes, flute, trumpet & piano and Steve Hirsh on drums. Of the many Downtown musicians that I’ve been checking out since the late 1970’s, reeds and trumpet player Daniel Carter seems to play more often and with more musicians than anyone else on this scene. Aside from his early collaborations with William Parker and the legendary TEST quartet, Mr. Carter has continually played with hundreds of creative musicians from varied genres, ages and geographies.I just counted 20 performances here at DMG since the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020 and he continues to play here at least once a month. New York born, Minnesota-based drummer Steve Hirsh has become the house drummer for the Mahakala label with 11 discs since 2021. This disc was recorded at Park West Studios in Brooklyn in September of 2023., a great studio where most of the Mahakala CD’s have been recorded.
Things begin quietly with Daniel Carter on muted trumpet and Steve Hirsh on hushed mallet-work. This piece slowly evolves as the tempo and intensity increases. Mr. Carter picks one instrument at a time to work with, picking up his tenor sax next. Mr. Carter sounds relaxed as these pieces unfold, taking his time as things unfold. The second piece is called “Butterfly’s Shadow” and starts with a solemn
soprano sax intro. Although the music is free, it is evolved organically. Mr. Carter has a warm, haunting sound on soprano sax, Carter switches to alto sax on this piece, his tone more like Lee Konitz. He again moves to the piano, playing with much restraint. One of the things that I like most about Mr. Hirsh is that his playing has a laid back, rather melodic sound, as if he were singing a song with his drums. The title track is last and it sounds like Hirsh is playing a melodic fragment when the piece begins. Mr. Carter plays some solemn flute here backed by sparse percussion. This piece is a splendid way of calming down our inner fire with something more restrained and even lovely. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
EIVIND OPSVIK - Emotional Switches (Loyal Label LLCD 024; USA) Featuring Eivind OPsvik on contrabass, drums, percussion, Wurlitzer electric piano, clavinet, Farfisa & Hammond organs, synths, electric & acoustic guitars, Oberheim drum machine, field recordings, vocals, software and computer. This is a solo effort by Downtown bassist Eivind OPsvik, playing an assortment of instruments. It was released in 2021 but not listed here at DMG until now. The title of the first piece translates to "the sun is cracking like a waterfall". The sound is layered with a variety of humming drones or samples from different keyboards and perhaps treated vocals. Quite hypnotic. "Multiply" features a quaint repeating bass line with layers of guitars, keyboards and Eivind's charming voice. It sounds like laid back psych which could be from anytime in the past half century. The title track, "Emotional Switches" reminds me of ENO when he did his four great vocal records in the mid-seventies. Plaintive, charming vocals, a buried droning rather funky bassline with layers of infectious keyboards and guitars. A sort of cousin to "I'll Come Running to Tie Your Shoes". Although I do recognize the sound of Mr. Opsvik's voice, he alters it slightly on each song. Each piece is centered on a looped line/groove. On top, Opsvik adds various keyboards, guitars and percussion samples. Eivind Opsvik appears to be a wizard in the studio as he alters or treats each instrument in careful ways. The results are consistently wondrous and often mesmerizing. Somewhere between Eno and Jim O'Rourke sonic wizardry is the new emperor of sonic sorcery: Eivind Opsvik. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
ARKADY GOTESMAN with NED ROTHENBERG / MARTIN KUCHEN / VLADIMIR VOLKOV / LIUDAS MOCKUNAS / MARK SANDERS / CHARLES GAYLE / NATE WOOLEY / et al - Music for an Imaginary Ballet (NoBusiness NBCD 179; Lithuania) Featuring Arkady Gotesman on drums & percussion with Martin Kuchen on reeds, Ned Rothenberg on reeds & flute and Vladimir Volkov on contrabass. Ukrainian-born, Lithuanian-based percussionist, Arkady Gotesman, is know for his unique percussion set-up and distinguished playing. He has collaborated with all the major musicians in and around Lithuania: Petrs Vysniauskas, Slava Ganelin, Vladimir Tarasov, Liudas Mockunas and many others. This disc was recorded between 2000 and 2025 in various locations and with a dozen different musicians. The disc begins with a short studio solo piece on stained glass percussion. The second piece is a duo with Lithuanian saxist Liudas Mockunas, who has worked with Marc Ducret, Barry Guy and has played at DMG on occasion. This duo is most enchanting, warm and well-recorded with Mockunas playing in an early (1960's) Coltrane-like tone. Track 3 is a duo with British drum great Mark Sanders (with Evan Parker & Paul Dunmall). While Mr. Sanders plays his drumset, Gotesman is playing sparse hand percussion. Track 4 features the Ganelin Trio Priority a/k/a Trio Alliance with Slava Ganelin on piano & synth, Petras Vysniauskas on reeds & Gotesman on percussion. This trio has made a half dozen discs between 2005 & 2025. They do have their own sound with Vysniauskas on soprano sax and Ganelin on piano & occasional synth. This is quirky improv with a sly sense of humor. I can't say that I had heard of pianist Tomas Kutavicus before now, his duo with Gotesman is inspired, intense and filled with a number of eruptions. Gotesman rises to the occasion here, the flow going back and forth in a most organic way. The duo with the late Charles Gayle is a nice surprise since so little of Gayle's playing has been released since his passing in September of 2023. Gotesman plays with swirling malletwork providing a rich percussive tapestry for Gayle to play upon. The duo with Nate Wooley is more restrained but no less compelling. Mr. Wooley is a master of various experimental trumpet playing and keeps changing his approach throughout this great piece. My favorite piece is a trio session with Ned Rothenberg on reeds and Vladimir Volkov on contrabass. It was recorded in February of 2008, around the time that Mr. Rothenberg performed in a duo with bassist Vladimir Volkov. This piece is more episodic and organic, flowing just right going down a river of rapids. Although this disc covers 25 years of recordings, it is Arkady Gotesman's inventive playing that holds this disc together. A must-have for freedom freaks like you and me. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16
LUCIANO BIONDINI / MICHEL GODARD / LUCS NIGGLI - fables of time (Intakt Records CD 449; Switzerland) Featuring Luciano Biondini on accordion, Michel Godard on tuba, serpent & electric bass and Lucas Niggli on drums & percussion. Thanks to pioneers like Guy Klucevsek, Maria Kalaniemi, Amy Denio and Bratko Bibic, the accordion has come a long way to becoming a diverse, creative instrument that was often taken for granted in the 1960's and before. Italian accordionist, Luciano Biondini, has recorded some two dozen discs since 2000 and worked with oudist Rabih Abou-Khalil along with Michel Godard. This is the third disc from this particular trio with Michel Godard on tuba & serpent (a bass wind instrument with a snake-like wooden body covered in leather, utilizing a cup-shaped mouthpiece similar to a trombone). Swiss drummer, Lucas Niggli, has recorded on more than two dozen discs from (mostly) the Intakt label.
Both Mr. Godard and Mr. Biondini have composed songs for this disc plus a few covers of songs by Carla Bley, Steve Swallow and Radiohead. Things begin with Michel Godard's "I cercartori dell'invisible" which features ethereal accordion with solemn tuba soloing on top. Biondini takes a sad, lovely solo in the last section of this piece with sublime, haunting el bass accompaniment. Biondini's "Tempi Passati" has an ancient, French-sounding theme played by the accordion with the tuba playing the basslines. One thing that I notice here is that the accordion and tuba or serpent play in a similar range and work well together. "Bella madre d'amor" recalls ancient folk or traditional music with a sad melody that sounds somehow familiar. I admit that I am a big Radiohead fan. This trio covers their song "Knives Out" from the 'Amnesiac' album (released in 2001). This version does rock out a bit with crafty drumming from Mr. Niggli and a long, inspired solo from Biondini. On the title track, "Fables of Time", the trio plays more freely with eerie accordion, rambunctious tuba and drumming as well. If we wind the clock back a few hundred years, we find the music of Italian classical composer Claudio Monteverdi (5/1567-11/1643). The trio cover a song of his called "Vi ricorda, o boschi ombrosi", arranged by Mr. Godard. The song has a charming, ancient-sounding melody, sublimely played by the accordion and tuba. The trio also cover Carla Bley's "Lawns" from her 'Sextet' record (from 1987). I dig the long, well-written melody and solo for the accordion. The great drumming of Lucas Niggli is featured here and he drives the tune with his own spirited spark. The last piece is by bassist/composer Steve Swallow, Carla Bley's last longtime partner. This song has a rich, haunting melody which seems perfect for the last song on a full length disc. There is a heartwarming vibe which flows through this disc and leaves me/us with a sense of calm and a sense of loss. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $18
MARTIN ESCALANTE / TETE LEGUIA / CHARLIE MUMMA - The Molten Salt (Wash and Wear Records 02; USA) Featuring Martin Escalante on alto sax, Tete Leguia on electric bass and Charlie Mumma on drums. Martin Escalante is an extremist experimental sax player originally from Mexico and currently living in Los Angeles. Peruvian electric bassist is also known for his brutal, intense free/improv style. Escalante and Leguia have a previous trio disc out with Weasel Walter on drums. American drummer Charlie Mumma plays in several metal, grindcore and punk bands as well as with Amon Duul III. Considering that Mr. Escalante is an extremist, he is known for removing the curved top of the sax and putting the mouthpiece right into the main sax tubing or not using a mouthpiece at all. Hence, it is hard to tell exactly what is going on here. The is a brutal, over-the-top and a way intense trio offering. There are ways to play the sax which deal with multiphonics (notes higher or lower than what most saxists deal with) or bent-note eruptions. The trio sound as if they are on the verge of blasting apart into many pieces. The music or sound onslaught is often in the red, closer to overload extremes. The music here is tight and focused and sounds like a violent storm erupting. At times, it slows down a bit with Escalante varying his note-bending blasting in odd ways. Is that feedback from the bass or is it sax notes being twisted into brutal shapes? Both or neither?!? Hard to tell yet still effective. What the music here reminds me of the most is the way our shared ongoing bad news warps our reality with things that are hard to fathom from our so-called civilized society. I admit that I haven't listened to much extreme metal, hardcore punk or noise music in a long while. I can still relate to this music as it does capture something which most of us sensitive beings go through each day, watching our future crumble before us. Do you hear me? Are you listening or are you still sleeping?!?! Your move. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
MARTIN ESCALANTE - Playing Harsh Noise on the Saxophone Since 2012 (Wash and Wear Records 003; USA) Featuring Martin Escalante on solo sax with no editing, no overdubs and no effects pedal. Mexican-born, L.A.-based saxist, Martin Escalante, is bing honest with us with his title: ‘Playing Harsh Noise on the Saxophone Since 2012’. He once played a duo set here at DMG with keyboardist Matt Mottel from Talabam. I recall the Escalante took off his sax mouthpiece for a long portion of the set and blew harsh sounds through his sax, as well as taking off the curved top attached to his sax and putting his mouthpiece directly into his sax. The sounds on this disc are pretty extreme, brutal, bent-note eruptions and not so easy to deal with unless you are used to this often scary sound. Similar in a way to the sounds of sax extremist Tamio, is pushing the imaginary pedal to the metal. Although the overall sound is rather brutal and extreme, Escalante has worked at exploring as unique vocabulary. It took me a while to adjust to his playing but once I did I heard more going on than I thought. Not for the faint-hearted but for those who enjoy a musician pushing the envelope to its furthest point. Is this too much to deal with for some, many of us? Perhaps. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
CHRIS D / POISON FANG SOCIETY - Courtroom Wedding (In The Red ITR 414: USA) "Courtroom Wedding, the feral new album by singer-songwriter-punk rock legend Chris D.'s new unit Poison Fang Society, succeeds In the Red Records' release of two expansive albums by the bandleader's Divine Horsemen, Hot Rise of an Ice Cream Phoenix (2021) and Bitter End to a Sweet Night (2022). The taut, economical eight-song set grew out of several songs penned in the immediate wake of the COVID pandemic lockdown and originally envisioned as material for a third Divine Horsemen record. But logistical problems involving the band's co-lead singer Julie Christensen's ability to record in Los Angeles led to the formulation of a new solo configuration rooted in the past. Poison Fang Society guitarist Larry Schemel, most recently of Death Valley Girls, and Tucson-bred drummer Johnny Ray are both veterans of the eight-piece lineup heard on the Flesh Eaters' 1999 album Ashes of Time. They are joined by bassist-keyboardist-guitarist Sharif Dumani, who also engineered the collection and co-produced with Chris D. The songs Chris brought to the studio reflect a shift in style: 'I was really trying to write some more traditional kinds of songs, but not make them sound really anonymous. On the last couple of albums, the Divine Horsemen albums, there was a lot more cut-up stuff. I still did some cut-up in the lyrics with this record, but not as much. The lyrics to 'Cellars to Weep' were very influenced by songs like Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' or 'Highway 61 Revisited,' even though song doesn't sound like that. I wanted to keep that kind of surrealist humor that Bob Dylan has -- those nonsense phrases that add meaning when they're all put together.' With tracks inspired by subjects as diverse at the gun-toting MAGA couple who pointed their weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters ('Goddamn Thieving Shame') to the sleazy come-on cover lines of '50s pulp paperbacks ('Sex Kitten'), Courtroom Wedding flexes a lean, potent sound that recalls the knife-edge attack of the Don Kirk-era Flesh Eaters and the heavyweight vibe of Chris' second solo album (as Stone by Stone), 1989's I Pass for Human. Like this punk grand master's finest work, it displays an electric, tormented immediacy."
CD $16
HUGO RACE FATALISTS - I Made It All Up For You (Gusstaff Records Gram 2601CD; Poland)
I Made It All Up For You is the new record by Hugo Race Fatalists, their sixth studio album. In his 40-year career, Hugo Race has lived a thousand lives and played the role of songwriter, producer, musician, performer, head of a record label (Helixed). His music went from folk to lounge, from "trance industrial blues" to psychedelia, from world music to electronics. Starting from post-punk Melbourne in the 1980s, he took fascinating paths that led him from Africa to Turkey, from Berlin to Romagna. Hugo Race returns after highly successful collaborative albums with Michelangelo Russo, The Church frontman Steve Kilbey, and Gianni Maraccolo with I Made It All Up For You, an epic album with his Italian band Fatalists -- existential songwriting framed by the band's signature fusion of roots music, electronica, Italian soundtracks and desert rock. CD comes in digipak sleeve and includes 12-page booklet (with lyrics). LP is 180g black in black polylined innersleeve and includes download code stickered on the innersleeve. Comes in matt-laminated 350g cover with insert inside.
CD $17
MOTORPSYCHO - The Gaia II Space Corps (NFGS 126; Norway) The Gaia ll Space Corps is an album of tunes that don't quite sound like heavy metal or hard rock, but clearly is reaching for some of the same qualities. It is post-psychedelic, pre-metal music, and is probably as close to making a true blue "classic hard rock" album Motorpsycho ever will come. The Gaia ll Space Corps is a short, concise, catchy and exciting album, continuing where Motorpsycho's Stanley and The Comeback left off. The instrumentation is mostly guitars, guitars and some more guitars, but there is quite a bit of singing in there too, and even an occasional keyboard sound or two as well. Also available on yellow color vinyl (NFGSLP 126LP).
CD $19 / LP $34
JULIAN JOSEPH - Voyage of the Faithful (Rivetation Records RIV 001; UK0 This is Julian Joseph's first studio album with his beloved trio of Mark Hodgson and Mark Mondesir on bass and drums since 1996. Over the last 30 years much of Julian's focus has been on performing new music on the live stage, but now he brings his hallmark sparkle, originality, and the wonderful pulsating swing he is so famous for to this set of original compositions and prized standards from the jazz canon. His Caribbean inter-pretation of the Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol staple, "Caravan," and his extended, emotive reading of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" express both his love for jazz and his desire to always push himself, his band, and the expectations of the listener. The trio is also joined by the great Irish singer Ken Papenfus, who treats listeners to his irresistible vocals on "Meditation Point." On "Voyage of the Faithful" Julian Joseph shines a light on his own uniqueness and onto his new audiences and the many that have missed him. Julian has made ground-breaking advances for jazz in the UK. He was the first Black British jazz musician to host a series at London's Wigmore Hall, and the first to headline a late-night concert at the BBC Proms with his All Star Big Band. His work has been recognized by many major cultural organizations, including the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, which awarded him a Gold Badge in 2010. In 2019 he was awarded an OBE for his contribution to music. Credits include appearances on albums by Courtney Pine, Branford Marsalis, Adam F and Working Week.
CD $17
RESTOCKED:
ROCKET ENGINE with JONATHAN GOLDBERGER / BEN GERSTEIN / KRIS DAVIS / ERIC BIONDO / AARON JENNINGS / EIVIND OPSVIK / JEFF DAVIS - What is ThisThat Stands for Me? (Loyal Label LLCD002; USA) [Tribute to Black Sabbath} If you couldn't guess from the quote that names this cd, this is a Black Sabbath tribute by a group called Rocket Engine. An octet of musicians who dabble both in the jazz and rock worlds doing there best to stretch out the legendary Sabbath tunes. Being a big Black Sabbath fan, perhaps the only metal head in the store since Emperor Mike, I was pretty apprehensive about listening to this disc. When I put in on to actually let my ears give it a chance, I found some pleasant surprises. Mike Pride opens up the title track doing vocals & drums, he does a pretty good job at breathing new life into Ozzy's lyrics and is most likely drumming as he is singing. His baritone coming across a bit like Mike Patton or Captain Beefheart. Eric Biondo picks up on vocals on "Paranoid" and sounds like Ozzy on 45rpm. Personally I am a bit too distracted by vocals I don't dig, this one is a bit too indy rock sounding for me but wait, there is more to come, at least they take it out. "Lord Of This World" has vocals by Pride again, which I got to say is a the better vocalist. Wish he sang more on this disc, he brings an urgency into the songs. Biondo does his falsetto on "Never Say Goodbye" which transforms this ballad into sounding like some MTV schlock, do yourself a favor an skip all tracks Biondo sings on. "Sweet Leaf", the stoners anthem, contains that Biondo falsetto again, skip unless you want to harsh your mellow. "What Is This That Stands Before Me" blends Metal with Exotica. A huge leap into this fresh territory and this crew of musicians are brave for taking the plunge. Fans of Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs, or Kayo Dot may dig this. - Chuck Bettis / DMG
CD $13
JACOB SACKS / EIVIND OPSVIK / MAT MANERI / PAUL MOTIAN - Two Miles A Day (Loyal Music 01; USA) Featuring Jacob Sacks on piano, Mat Maneri on viola & violin, Eivind Opsvik on bass and Paul Motian on drums. Jacob Sacks moved to NYC in 1995 and has collaborated with Dan Weiss, Yoon Sun Choi and Jacon Garchik. Norwegian-born bassist, Eivind Opsvik, moved here in 1988 and has worked with David Binney, Kris Davis, Tony Malaby & Ben Gerstein, as well having five discs as a leader or co-leader on Fresh Sound, Jazzaway and Rune Grammofon labels. Daredevil string wiz and elder statesman drum-master, Mat Maneri and Paul Motian certainly need no introduction.
All of the pieces on this disc but one were composed by Jacob or Eivind. Jacob's "Ha!" opens with a dark, swirling line that is somewhat off-kilter. Eivind's "As We Know It" glows with a hazy melancholy air, as Jacob plays those exquisite slow moving chords, Mat plays dreamy dark clouds on his floating four strings. The quartet swings quickly yet quietly on "Playing With Blocks", flying high and wide tightly together. The title piece is the only completely improvised piece and it is eerie, slow-paced and spacious. Most of these pieces sound both loose and well-connected at the same time, like they are on the verge of spinning apart, yet there is a subliminal spirit holding things together. Paul Motian has a unique way of turning the pulse inside out seamlessly while giving direction to the piece at hand. Jacob's "Funny Shoes" reminds me of the way Monk's songs have unexpected twists and turns and are somewhat lopsided, yet completely cool. This is an odd yet strangely enchanting disc that takes some time to figure out since some of its charm is buried beneath the surface. - BLG
CD $16
SEABROOK POWER PLANT with BRANDON SEABROOK / TOM BLANCARTE / JARED SEABROOK - Seabrook Power Plant (Loyal Label LLCD 006; USA) Featuring Brandon Seabrook on guitar & banjo, Tom Blancarte on bass and Jared Seabrook on drums. I know of string bender Brandon Seabrook from a duo he had with tuba wiz Jesse Dulman, as well as a band called Beat Circus who have two discs out on Cuneiform & Innova. Contrabassist Tom Blancarte is half of the fab duo with Pete Evans and seems to turn up all over the place in recent days. He will be playing a bass duet here with Adam Linson on July 5th. This trio is something else again, often crazed, intense and over-the-top! On "Peter Dennis" the banjo erupts furiously with the bass and drums burning underneath. I dig the way that this power trio is led by a crazed and talented banjo player who seems to be bowing his banjo. They don't quite sound like anyone else and make a great deal on unexpected twists and turns. What's interesting about this is that it doesn't quite sound like any other guitar trio that I've heard. The structures and guitar sounds are filled with surprises as if Brandon is somehow re-inventing the trio. It is not so easy to describe since it doesn't sound like anyone else. It is most often tight and quick-changing tempo-wise. A most unexpected delight in more ways than one. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $13
SEABROOK POWER PLANT with BRANDON SEABROOK / TOM BLANCARTE / JARED SEABROOK - Seabrook Power Plant II (Loyal Label LLCD 009; USA) Featuring Brandon Seabrook on guitar & banjo, Tom Blancarte on bass and Jared Seabrook on drums; plus Judith Berkson voice on one cut. Brandon has had a most eclectic career playing with an array of musicians like Peter Evans, Jessica Lurie, Frank London, Beat Circus & Jesse Dulman. What any of these musicians have in common remains to be seen & heard. The last time I heard from Brandon Seabrook's crazed power trio, their first disc was one of the most bizarre & over-the-top discs of the year! Right from the gitgo, the first piece, "Lamborghini Helicopter" sounds like Dr. Chadbourne on speed. It is certainly the fastest and most ridiculous banjo playing I've heard. And then we get the wacky voice of ECM recording artist Judith Berkson to add even more unexpected delights to this absurd but totally cool song. "Black Sheep Squadron" sounds like a hardcore jazz/punk song that blends the speed of AOD with the intricate fusion lines of Zappa-meets-Mahavishnu Orchestra on a circus stage. Jeez!?! Brandon has done an amazing job of unleashing the hyperspeed dexterity of jazz & punk influences and adding some humor by way of unexpected twists & turns. There is a bowed section on "I'm Too Good for You" that is mind-blowing except I can't tell what is being bowed - the banjo, the bass?!? Although this disc is only 37 minutes long, it seems as if it is complete since the music is so exhilarating and filled with loads of surprises. If any band could open for Dr. Chadbourne, these guys would be perfect. Exponentially ridiculous! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $13
ELLIOTT CARDINAUX - American Thicket (Loyal Label 019; USA) Pianist and poet Elliot Cardinaux floats into this set of music and poetry quietly and when the first track ’Thicket’ ends on the phrase "There never were any Indians in Columbus’ America" you know something is happening, even if you don’t know exactly what it is. Though it took me a while to get to this album, when I finally dove in, I soon found myself enjoying the unexpected moments when surreal snippets like "I’ve ruined all my life but I’ve got nothing to show for it – teach me how to ask a question, any question" jumped out at me. Yes, I thought, as I trudged to the train on my daily commute, what are the questions that I do not know how to ask? The ambiguity allows meaning to form from a multitude of angles.
Just as important, though, is the music. The line-up speaks volumes: violist Mat Maneri, bassist Thomas Morgan, and percussionist Flin van Hemmen help Cardinaux in creating an abstract yet supportive environment for his words. The music is thick and buzzing on ‘Thicket’, it is 10 minutes of fractured rumbling that reaches a ruminative peak towards the end, which finds Morgan and Van Hemmen digging deep into the pulse and Maneri adding an effective shimmer to Cardinaux’s introspective playing.
Cardinaux has a flat effect to his voice. On ‘Questions (to the Thought)’, in a highly effective, near monotone, he recites the aforementioned words about life, before Morgan’s walking bass line forms a musical spine around which tendrils reach out from the viola wrap around. The pianist lays down crisp tonal clusters and arpeggiated lines, and as Maneri starts digging in, van Hemmen responds, and they start building to an apex that only lightens up at the end with a series of drum rolls and a final decisive pluck from Morgan.
The tracks, some instrumental, some with short surreal verses interspersed, and at least one with a delightful parable ('Angel'), flow quietly from one to the other, often reaching muted climaxes that help round flesh-out Cardinaux's intriguing imagery." - Paul Acquaro, FreeJazzBlog.Org
CD $13
RJ MILLER - Ronald's Rhythm (Loyal Label LLCD012; USA) Long a fixture on the New York City jazz and experimental scene RJ Miller launches his haunting solo debut with the multi-toned, trippy “Sunny Cove,” which was inspired by the beautiful location where it was composed in Blue Hill, Maine. The third track begins and is colored throughout with chiming bells; it takes the listener on a mysterious, seafaring journey guided by an “Underwater Traveler.” While the title of “Lights On” may seem to belie its overall gray mood of subtle meandering hypnotic tones, the concept refers to the way the tune—one of the first Miller penned for the album—turned on the creative lights in his mind. The haunting nine minute closing track “3:05 AM” incorporates subtle drum touches to underscore its subtle mood swings; its title comes from the time of the morning RJ wrote the part that became the foundation for the track.
“I have always loved jazz and electronic music and I happened to have a cool sounding keyboard at my house so I started writing these songs based around keyboards and drums." After spending a good while crafting the tunes and sound in his mind the album was recorded in four days at Pete Rende’s studio in Brooklyn. It was recorded and mixed all in the analog domain to tape.
"The result is an album of exquisite tranquility that brings a tiny heat, like an ember that burns brightly with no end.... Just a beautiful album… one that envelops the listener slowly, with the unhurried grace of a rising sun slowly blanketing the land with light and warmth." - Bird is the Worm
CD $13
LP SECTION:
SONIC YOUTH - J'accuse Ted Hughes (Sonic Youth Records SYR 007LP; USA) "The seventh in the series of Sonic Youth's SYR documents unearths even more fruit from the fields of Sonic improvisational/compositional love. On the heels of a lengthy investigation into their relationship to 20th Century classical music, the band took advantage of their millennial crossroads in 2000 via the adventurous, then-newfound All Tomorrow's Parties festival in the UK, on invitation from Mogwai. Besides it being historical as their last show as a foursome until 2006, it stands as a wholly unique set that not only delved into instrumental previews of the forthcoming NYC Ghosts And Flowers, but also featured an opening 20-minute group interpretation of a solo composition Thurston had performed at NYC's late/beloved venue The Cooler. With Thurston and Lee both sporting electric 12-strings, and Kim on her Eterna, the piece was set-listed as 'New Drone,' and took a right turn from the initial instrumental plan with Kim's added intonings that reflected on Sylvia Plath's relationship to her husband, hence retitled J'Accuse Ted Hughes. It's a sublimely spaced-out bit of one-chord introspection, though perhaps not what the festival punters were looking for at that moment. Certainly not the irked Melody Maker scribe who headlined his review 'Goodbye 20th Century/Goodbye Talent,' a screencap of which appears on the sleeve of this 2008 release. Sparks infamously declared 'Talent Is An Asset,' and one of SY's great ones was to give their deep listener faction something new and unheard to chew on. Initially live streamed in not-so-great quality, the SYR 7 mix ably accents the thunderous, phased crescendos that ebb and flow here." Brian Turner (April 2025)
LP $26
CHRISTOPHER HOBBS / JOHN ADAMS / GAVIN BRYARS - Ensemble Pieces (Superior Viaduct SV 207LP; USA) "Between 1975 and 1978, Brian Eno's Obscure imprint produced ten LPs to document the work of virtually unknown composers at the time. These records continue to inspire both practitioners and fans of experimental, ambient and modern classical music. Ensemble Pieces, Obscure No. 2, is the second LP to feature composer Gavin Bryars -- the first being his magnum opus The Sinking of the Titanic. Bryars would play a big role in finding projects for Obscure and helping to realize them in the studio with Eno. Christopher Hobbs was an early member of Cornelius Cardew's Scratch Orchestra and performed with anarchic free improv titans AMM. Ensemble Pieces presents two Hobbs compositions, his debut recordings. On 'Aran,' the composer is accompanied by Bryars and John White -- utilizing various percussion, reed organs and toy piano to construct an otherworldly gamelan music, while the Scottish bagpipe-inspired 'McCrimmon Will Never Return,' featuring Hobbs and Bryars on reed organs, evokes the slow-motion minimalism of Eliane Radigue or Folke Rabe. John Adams' masterpiece 'American Standard' premiered in 1973 at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art where these recordings were made. While this neo-Romantic three-part suite explores distinctly American musical forms (march, hymn and jazz ballad), Adams threads in found-sound tape elements from AM talk radio, which suggests a mottled landscape of Robert Ashley, The Residents or Negativland. The album's closing piece, Bryars' '1, 2, 1-2-3-4,' features Hobbs, Cardew, Derek Bailey, Eno and Roxy Music's Adam McKay. Each musician performed while listening on headphones to identical pre-recorded music, though factors such as tape-speed and battery life of the individual Walkmans provided tantalizing variables that affected pitch and duration. Despite this process-oriented approach, '1, 2, 1-2-3-4' is exquisitely sublime -- at times predicting the gauzy, haunted music of The Caretaker."
LP $30
JOHN WHITE / GAVIN BRYARS - Machine Music (Superior Viaduct SV 208LP; USA) "Between 1975 and 1978, Brian Eno's Obscure imprint produced ten LPs to document the work of virtually unknown composers at the time. These records continue to inspire both practitioners and fans of experimental, ambient and modern classical music. Machine Music, Obscure No. 8 and the third title to feature Gavin Bryars, showcases 'systems music' pioneer John White. Largely known for his compositions for tuba and piano, White was a stylistically omnivorous artist who felt at home in his position as musical director at the Western Theatre Ballet as well as playing alongside Cornelius Cardew and Bryars in the radical Scratch Orchestra. Performed by the composer, Christopher Hobbs, Michael Nyman, and Bryars, the album's first side is comprised of four White pieces. Short, repetitive themes -- for brass, woodwinds, strings, piano and jaw harp -- share common ground with the minimalist work of Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Splendid timbral variations reveal a trance-inducing listening experience. 'Drinking And Hooting Machine,' the side's eerie finale, features the sound of five musicians (including Eno himself) blowing into empty milk bottles -- a reminder that serious avant-garde music can sometimes be puckish and strange. Side two consists of Bryars' 'The Squirrel And The Ricketty Racketty Bridge,' a mesmeric piece that finds Derek Bailey, Fred Firth, Bryars and Eno each striking a pair of tabletop guitars. Fans of Michael O'Shea and Eno's own protege Laraaji will find much to love here. Machine Music serves as an ideal entry point to the kind of compelling art music that would become Obscure's stock and trade."
LP $30
TOM PHILLIPS / GAVIN BRYARS / FRED ORTON - Irma (Superior Viaduct SV 209LP; USA) "Between 1975 and 1978, Brian Eno's Obscure imprint produced ten LPs to document the work of virtually unknown composers at the time. These records continue to inspire both practitioners and fans of experimental, ambient and modern classical music. Irma -- Obscure No. 9, the label's penultimate release -- might be considered an outlier in its catalogue, given that the album is presented (nominally) as an 'opera,' complete with libretto by art historian Fred Orton. Yet when one considers that Eno included within the label's small discography the works of Harold Budd, Michael Nyman, John Cage, and Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Irma begins to feel less conspicuous. Conceived by visual artist Tom Phillips -- whose painting graces the cover of 'Another Green World' -- Irma is constructed from phrases from Phillips' book A Humument, itself a postmodern up-cycling of a Victorian novel that Phillips had found in a second-hand shop. These textual fragments were the basis for a graphical score, and Gavin Bryars was tasked with orchestrating the work. Each time the piece is performed, as Bryars states in the liner notes, 'Irma needs to be re-composed rather than realized.' While on the surface this may seem to be one of the more accessible Obscure titles, Irma resonates as complex as anything in the label's daring and original roster, utilizing clusters of cycling notes and Cageian strategies of indeterminacy to make a record that is profoundly and unexpectedly beautiful. The overall effect is a grand tour through several centuries of symphonic music -- from Joseph Haydn to Morton Feldman."
LP $30
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ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE, Around the world.
If you have a link for some music that you are working on and want to share it with the folks who read the DMG Newsletter, please send the link to DMG at BLGallanter@gmail.com
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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 RESIDENCIES / BILLY MARTIN / APR 15-18
4/15 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Intangible Actions: Ikue Mori (electronics) Billy Martin (percussion, electronics)
4/16 Thursday
8:30 pm - Martin and Medeski: John Medeski (keyboards, piano) Billy Martin (drums, percussion)
4/17 Friday
8:30 pm - Bamboo Orchestra: Billy Martin leading a bamboo ensemble
4/18 Saturday
8:30 pm - Intangible Actions: Melissa Almaguer (percussion, tap) Billy Martin (percussion, electronics, voice
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
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The Hell’s Kitchen Cultural Center (HKCC) to Host
The Ninth Iteration of the Rhythm in the Kitchen Festival
At Main Drag Music in Brooklyn on April 16th and 17th 2026
Thursday, April 16
6:00pm - Marc Edwards' Slipstream Time Travel
6:45pm - Sam Newsome, Brittney Karlson, Nick Neuberg
7:30pm - Selendis Sebastian Alexander Johnson Group
8:15pm - Ximena Bedoya, Trae Crudup
9:00pm - Sam Day Harmet Soundpainting Collective
Friday, April 17
6:00pm - Ayumi Ishito, Daniel Carter, Yuko Togami
6:45pm - John King, Jess Tsang, Jennifer Gersten
7:30pm - Sadnoise
8:15pm - On Ka'a Davis' 3D Veve
9:00pm - Hans Tammen's Third Eye Festival All Star Band
The Main Drag Music, located at
50 S 1st Street in Brooklyn