Dancin' to the fiddle and saw
He ran down behind the knoll
And slipped on his wooden fishhead
The mouth worked and snapped
All the bees back to the bungalow
Momma was flattening lard
With her red enameled rollin' pin
When the fishhead broke the window
Rubber eye erect and precisely detailed
Airholes from which breath should come
Is now closely fit
With the chatter of the old fart inside
An assortment of observations took place
Momma licked her lips like a cat
Pecked the ground like a rooster
Pivoted like a duck
Her stockings down caught dust and doughballs
She cracked her mouth glaze, caught one eyelash
Rubbed her hands on her gorgeous gingham
Her hands grasped sticky metal intricate latchwork
Open to the room
Smell cold mixed with bologna
Rubber bands crumpled wax paper bonnets
Fat goose legs and special jellies
Ignited by the warmth of the room
The old fart smelled this
Through his important breather holes
Cleverly he dialed from within
From the outside we observed
That the nose of the wooden mask
Where the holes had just been a moment ago
Was now smooth amazingly blended, camouflaged in
With the very intricate rainbow trout replica
The old fart inside was now breathin' freely
From his perfume bottle atomizer air bulb invention
His excited eyes from within the dark interior glazed
Watered in appreciation of his thoughtful preparation
(Uh man, it's so heavy)
Similar to my purchase of the Mothers of Invention debut LP, 'Freak-Out!' in the summer of 1967, listening to Capt. Beefheart's 'Trout Mask Replica' when it was released in 1969 was a difficult listening experience. My best friend, Mitch Eis, won a copy in a dance contest at a Bar Mitzvah (with larger magic marker writing on the cover from the band), played it several times and was bewildered by it, so he soon lent it to me. I recall also being confused by this album but since I was already a big Beefheart fan, as well as a big Mothers/Zappa fan (Frank produced it), I kept playing it until it started to make some sense. At times it sounds like the band a mutant rock band with members in separate rooms or on different worlds. After reading several articles about the album as well as Drumbo's (John French, longtime Beefheart drummer) book, French claims that the band was stuck in a house for a year (without adequate food), just learning how to play this bizarre music. Captain Beefheart's strange singing (an acquired taste) and his lyrics also take time to get used to and figure out. The above song was originally a quirky instrumental, but producer Zappa had the Captain add his own Beat poetry-like lyrics. I recall spending an evening while I was at college, transcribing the lyrics and then making an effort to figure out what every line meant. I recall that we finally figured out what was going on but that I no longer remember what we came up with.
Next weekend, May 29th-31st, I will be attending the 50th anniversary of my college graduation. I attended Glassboro State College from 1972 until 1976 and did an exchange program for the first semester of my senior year at Trent Park College in London, England. After receiving a large gift of money from a wealthy alumni, GSC was renamed Rowan University, the campus has been transformed and modernized. A half century does seem like a long time since graduating but I am looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. My high school years (1969-1972) were not so great due to being a (music) freak, having a large afro, being Jewish and hanging out with other misfits but once I was at college, I was part of an intelligent, open-minded, serious/humorous group of folks who I still think of fondly. I dedicate these words, this song and the ongoing search for enlightenment to my old friends from GSC: John M, Mike D, Edmund O, Mike Rice, Amy Rubin, Jerry, Rich R and Dave B. Hope to see you soon. Peace and Love from Bruce G a/k/a Rockin' Rollo
*********************
THE DMG 35th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT SERIES Continues with:
Saturday, May 23rd: GauciMusic Series Featuring:
6:30: SAM NEWSOME - Soprano Sax / BRITTANY KARLSON - Bass / NICK NEUBERG - Drums
7:30: STEPHEN GAUCI - Tenor Sax - Flute / DAVID SHEA - Drums
8:30: RAS MOSHE - Tenor Sax - Flute / DAVE ROSS - Guitar / DAVE MILLER - Drums
Tuesday, May 26th: Relative Pitch Series:
3 Sets from 6:30 - 8:30 featuring:
1st Set: CHUCK ROTH - Guitar / KATE MOHANTY - Alto Sax
2nd Set: ANNA LUISA DIAZ de COSSIO - Violin / KATE MOHANTY - Alto Sax
3rd Set: CHUCK ROTH / KATE MOHANTY / ANNA LUISA DIAZ de COSSIO
Tuesday, June 2nd:
6:30: SEBASTIANO MATTIAZZI - Guitar / SARA SCHOENBECK - Bassoon / MIRANDA AGNEW - Trumpet / COLIN HINTON - Drums
7:30: JON MADOF - Guitar / NATE RAPPAPORT - Drums
8:30: RICH ROSENTHAL - Guitar / DAVE SEWELSON - Bari Sax / ADAM LANE - Bass / NICK NEUBERG - Drums
Monday, June 8th: Rare Monday Night Solo Guitar Series:
6:30: SANDY EWEN - Solo Guitar
7:30: ELLIOTT SHARP - Octal Guitar - CD release Celebration
********
THIS WEEK'S SONIC GEMS BEGIN WITH A BOOK & THREE RARE LP'S OF COSMIC BRITISH FREE/JAZZ:
KEITH TIPPETT // MARTIN PHILLIPS - The Authorized Biography (Jazz in Britain; UK) Limited edition hardback book with 13 black and white and 31 colour photographs. Only 1,000 copies available worldwide. The book includes a Foreword by renowned British writer Richard Williams and a double CD album of previously unreleased Keith Tippett recordings.
Keith Tippett (1947–2020), a policeman’s son from Bristol, grew up to be one of the most important pianists in the history of jazz music. From humble beginnings as a chorister alongside his father and brothers, Keith became one of Britain’s finest and most innovative pianists, both in jazz and on his forays into more ‘classical’ territory.
Described by none other than Cecil Taylor as “one of the most interesting and original European pianists in jazz and free music”, Keith collaborated with the cream of British, European and South African jazzers on his large scale works such as Septober Energy and Frames: Music for an imaginary film. But he was also equally at home as a solo performer, or in duets with the likes of Stan Tracey, Howard Riley and Louis Moholo-Moholo.
Martin Phillips’ beautifully crafted biography delivers the full story of a man for whom the music was everything. A consummate craftsman of his art whose output varied from delicate string quartets (Linückea) to the monumental majesty of the 50 piece Centipede, a feat achieved in his early twenties that most would have hesitated to attempt at any point in their career.
BOOK 2 CD Set $33 [328 pages; LTD Edition of 1,000 / supposed to arrive shortly]
KEITH TIPPETT with ELTON DEAN / MARK CHARIG / NICK EVANS / ALAN JACKSON / GILL LYONS / et al - At The BBC 1969-70 (The 1960's Records Randb 184LP; UK) RSD 2026 indie exclusive. Keith Tippett was just twenty-one when his group recorded the first of these sets for BBC's Jazz Workshop on May 21st 1969, three months before the recording of his first album, You Are Here -- I Am There. Featured on side one is the three-part "Portishead Suite," which presents three stylistically different musical portraits of three generations of the Somerset town. The first is comparatively gentle and flowing but the second portrait is more insistent, its 5/4 tempo bringing to mind themes heard on early King Crimson albums. The third portrait has something of the Caribbean in its playful rhythms. "Hail Conquering Hero" can be heard on side two, and is described by Tippett as "a jazz study of war." None of these compositions have ever appeared officially in any form. Also included on side two are two tracks from Tippett's August 1970 session for BBC Top Gear that was advertised as by Keith Tippett & Heavy Friends.
LP $36
JOHN SURMAN with MIKE OSBORNE / HARRY MILLER / ALAN JACKSON / STERLING BETANCOURT / RUSS HENDERSON / et al - At The BBC 1967-68 (The 1960's Records Randb 185LP; UK) RSD 2026 indie exclusive. These two very different sessions involving John Surman and Mike Osborne have much in common. They both share a wonderful sense of liberation, of the joy of making music together and of finding collectively new ways of making jazz happen. And even more importantly, they speak volumes about the eclecticism and openness of British jazz in those years of the mid- to late-sixties and about the creative ambitions of John Surman. In the current absence in the market of his first LP, this is an essential purchase for Surman fans. Notes by Duncan Heining with suggestions from John Surman. These sessions have never previously appeared officially in any form.
LP $36
GRAHAM BOND / JACK BRUCE / GINGER BAKER / RONNIE SCOTT / DICK MORRISSEY QUARTET / CHARLES KYNARD / JOHNNY BURCH OCTET / GENE AMMONS / MICHAEL GARRICK / et al - Soho Scene '63 Vol 2: Jazz Goes Mod (The 1960's Records Randb 188LP; UK) Official RSD 2026 UK Release. Compare the best of British jazz circa 1963 with American sounds from labels such as Prestige, Tangerine and World Pacific. This album captures the period when rhythm and blues was emerging as the dominant club sound, forcing Soho jazz clubs to change their music policy in order to survive. On the British side, you've got Ronnie Scott's arrangement of "Last Minute Bossa Nova"; "Bang!," taken from Dick Morrissey Quartet's first session for the BBC's World Service, recorded around the time of the release of their first album Have You Heard? The version here is the second take. "Early In The Morning" is a Ginger Baker/Jack Bruce arrangement of the traditional work song realized as a repeated blues riff, and is the first ever recording that is recognizably British Blues. Graham Bond features on alto sax along with Bruce and Baker together as members of the Johnny Burch Octet heard playing live at a BBC staff party from March 1963. Side Two features Jazz Stateside, such as West Coast guitarist Johnny Hartsman, Gene Ammons veering into proto jazz-funk on "Jungle Soul," aka "Ca' Purange," plus a couple of top notch Hammond workouts from Terrell Prude and Charles Kynard.
LP $36
MUJICIAN with KEITH TIPPETT / PAUL DUNMALL / PAUL ROGERS / TONY LEVIN - In Concerts (Jazz in Britain 80-S; UK) Featuring Keith Tippett on piano, Paul Dunmall on tenor sax, Paul Rogers on contrabass and Paul Levin on drums. Over three hours of in concert performances from Mujician - the improvising quartet of Paul Dunmall, Keith Tippett, Paul Rogers and Tony Levin. The triple CD comes in an 8-panel digifile with a 20 page booklet with notes from Paul Dunmall and illustrated with material from Mujician's archives. Ever since hearing British piano giant Keith Tippett play that ridiculously cool piano solo on the King Crimson song "Catfood" (from 'In the Wake of Posiedon", 1970), I have been completely enchanted by anything that Mr. Tippett has done on record and in concert. I bought a copy of the second Keith Tippett Group album, 'Dedicated to You But You Weren't Listening' (released also in 1970) while I was attending college in London on an exchange program in the fall of 1975. To me that record is a masterwork of free/spirit jazz and it still sounds just as amazing today, more than a half century later. I feel fortunate to have caught Mr. Tippett play live in London during me 1975 trip, once in a quartet with Elton Dean and another quartet with Trevor Watts & John Stevens. I kept searching for and acquiring each Mr. Tippett's large catalogue of gems, from solo efforts on FMP, an incredible duo effort with his wife Julie Tippetts, his trio Ovary Lodge, assorted trios, quartets and large ensembles like Centipede, the Dedication Orchestra and his own Tapestry. Sadly for his American fans, Mr. Tippett has played in the USA once, at the original Knitting Factory in the mid 1990's in duet with Andy Sheppard. Thanks to Victo Festival founder Michel Levasseur, I've caught Mr. Tippett play solo, in the Mujician Quartet as well as in his own Tapestry Orchestra in Quebec. Thanks to mike old friend Mike Panico, I also caught Mr. Tippett play two incredible solo sets at Cafe Oto a decade or so ago. Starting in the early 1990's, Mr. Tippett organized a colossal quartet with Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano saxes, Paul Rogers on contrabass and Tony Levin on drums. I caught them at the Victo Fest and have savored each of their 8 releases, most of which are all out of print. Aside from their one & only large ensemble disc, all of the quartet Mujician discs are completely improvised and absolutely brilliant! Thanks to our good friends at Jazz in Britain, we now have a three CD, live in concert(s), all unreleased box set!
3 CD Set $35 [4 left & sold out at the label]
AMM with EDDIE PREVOST / KEITH ROWE / JOHN TILBURY - Phlegm (Matchless Recordings MRCD 119; UK) Featuring Eddie Prevost on percussion, Keith Rowe on electronics and John Tilbury on piano. AMM started out around 1966 and still exists today, some sixty years later. Along with Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Music Improvisation Company, AMM were at the forefront of experimental/avant-jazz/new music in England when this music was first performed. The original group included Eddie Prevost on percussion, Keith Rowe on guitar, Cornelius Cardew on piano & electronics and Lou Gare on tenor sax. Both founding members, Eddie Prevost and Keith Rowe were members for a long times with pianist John Tilbury also joining their ranks in the early 1980's. A trio version of AMM with Prevost, Rowe and Tilbury was together the longest of any version. Eddie Prevost and Keith Rowe had a falling out in the early aughts with Rowe leaving and AMM being reduced to a duo with Prevost and Tilbury, occasionally with other guest musicians added (like John Butcher or Christian Wolff).
In 2015, Keith Rowe decided to rejoin AMM for a performance at The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and this is the recording of that performance. Due to health issues, Mr. Rowe no longer plays guitar so he is listed here on electronics only. According to the liner notes by Prevost, the title of the CD "Phlegm" refers to an audience member who made loud (phlegmatic?) sounds during the concert, begging the question: were they intentional or not? Like a number of the AMM concerts and CD's that I've heard, the overall careful sound unfolds slowly in a most organic way. The music is spacious and cleanly recorded, hence the sounds and silence are particularly well-balanced. It sounds as if Mr. Prevost is bowing his cymbals creating ghost-like drones while Mr. Tilbury plays sparse notes on the piano, letting certain notes resonate until they fade away. Mr. Rowe also adds subtle, often quiet yet eerie electronics from time to time. Considering that John Tilbury has long performed the music of Morton Feldman and other more minimal composers and that AMM have long played improvised music which is influenced by a variety of modern classical composers, the AMM sound is distinctive and singular. There is a section where Mr. Prevost bowed metals erupt into a more intense waters which evokes sounds from deep in the ocean or from other worlds which is most transformative. I once organized a concert for AMM in NYC in the mid 1990's which was released as part of their 'Laminal' 3 CD Set. I am a longtime fan of AMM and this disc is a great example of their unique sonic magic. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD Sale $16
MARTA WARELIS with BEN LaMAR GAY / AB BAARS / KAREN NG / INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN / FRANK ROSALY - Still Life with Lemons (Relative Pitch RPR1258; USA) Featuring Marta Warelis on piano, synth & compositions, Ben LaMar Gay on trumpet & electronics, Ab Baars on tenor sax & clarinet, Karen NG on clarinet & alto sax, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on contrabass and Frank Rosaly on drums, Still Life with Lemons began as a ‘Reflex’ commission from the Amsterdam venue Bimhuis. This album is a live recording of that special first performance. Powerful musical characters meet on stage in a spirit of exploration, friendship, and openness, through the energetic and interplay-driven world of Marta Warelis’ compositions, where each musician’s distinct approach shines collectively. They explore the multilayered and the multiphonic, with a special interest in beat frequencies. This collection offers a fascinating and joyous deep dive into Warelis’ ever-expanding musical language.
I caught Polish pianist Marta Warelis, earlier the week at the FIMAV Fest with Sakina Abdou (on saxes) and Toma Gouband (on odd percussion) and was knocked out by this extraordinary trio. I reviewed and dug a solo piano CD from Ms. Warelis for 2022. Ms. Warelis is currently living in Amsterdam and this disc features ICP founding member Ab Baars. Each member of the sextet comes from a different, musical background. You most likely know most or all of them from different projects. Ms. Warelis composed all but one piece which is an Albanian traditional song. "Birds" begins with a stark, quick piano note eruption, the other instruments slowly entering the fold. The sextet soon breaks into a song with subtle, odd vocals (synth?) sounds as punctuation. The trumpet and saxes swirl tightly together while Ms. Warelis adds some piano flourishes throughout. "There to the Bridge" is a traditional Albanian song and it features the solemn trumpet of Mr. Lamar Gay over a sparse, stark space. "Alternative Endings" has a quirky start and stop structure, with the piano, bass and drums playing circular figures while trumpet & saxes add their own bent-note blasts. Both saxes get their chance to add their own short, twisted solo bits here. Frank Rosaly, longtime collaborator with Dave Rempis gets a chance to stretch out and takes a long, expressive drum solo. "Intermittent Web of Sorts" features a series of sustained/drone notes from the horns (?) over a spacious background. "The Sky Blushes Sunset" features two solemn clarinets working together, quietly playing their ghost-like sounds around one another. The last piece, "Ashes to Sea", also begins quietly with sparse sounds. This piece gets more dense and busy over time with the horns playing their swirling, tight lines together while Ms. Warelis plays her own fluttering lines underneath as a fluttering cushion of support. The horns sound especially heroic here, as if they are announcing a welcoming wave which washed over all of the listeners. This disc is unlike most more improvised sessions that we find on the Relative Pitch label. It is more focused and has some stunning charted sections. Most impressive! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
* JAMES WENGROW CRYPSIS TRIO with JAMES PAUL NADIEN / MATHIAS HOJGAARD JENSEN - Emissary (Endectomorph Music EMM 046; USA) Featuring James Wengrow on guitar, Mathias Hojgaard Jensen on bass and James Paul Nadien on drums. Since we moved to this location in January of 2010, we've continued to have our ongoing weekly Tuesday night 3 band live instores nights and have had hundreds of musicians throughout that period. I've noticed that there are dozens of guitarists, sax players and drummers who have graced our door with new musicians arriving every week or month. We've had dozens of fine guitarists play here and James Wengrow is one. Wengrow has played here three times over the past few years, His trio here features James Paul Nadien on drums, a former DMG manager and of of the best, most diverse and most in-demand of the many drummers who've played here. I hadn't heard of bassist Mathias Hojgaard Jensen before now although he does have a quartet CD out on the Fresh Sound New Talent label from 2024. This disc was recorded at Second Take Studio in March of 2025.
James Wengrow composed six of the eight pieces with two covers by John McLaughlin and Thelonious Monk. Things begin with "Jacket Barter", with a deep, bowed bass intro. The sound is similar to 70's jazz/rock before the term fusion was invented and musicians would still blend both genres in strong forms. Wengrow starts to speed up his strumming throughout the piece and launches into those burning, high speed series of notes, similar to the way McLaughlin plays on his debut album, 'Extrapolation' (from 1968). The speed and fury increases on "Aflame Inside in Public", with some super tight back-up and Wengrow letting those Holdsworth-like notes soar. Speaking of McLaughlin's 'Extrapolation' album, this trio covers one of the songs here called "This is for Us to Share". Wengrow adds some eerie reverb to his guitar here, giving it an older sound before electric jazz guitarists were using numerous effects which hid or changed the sound of a jazz guitar. Each piece is thoughtfully composed and obviously challenging to play. Bassist Jensen and drummer Nadien are both in fine form here, playing these difficult pieces with impressive results due to so many hairpin turns and changes. Aside from some solid, tight and dynamic playing, it is Wengrow's composing which also stands out. He does a fine job of setting up themes or lines, repeating them as the tempos increase or decrease while adding those reverberating chords before taking off on a series of spectacular solos. The trio also covers Monk's "Let's Call This". The song is stretched out and slowed down to a more cerebral pace, the vibe is quite dreamy. "Deadline Junky" features an inspired drum solo from Nadien, playing solidly throughout as the song goes through a series of twists and turns with Wengrow's impressive chords and Jensen's haunting bowed bass. Wengrow plays a high speed on this piece, recalling Tisziji Munoz' high speed solos. The last piece is called "Emissary", the name given to the religious figure, Benjamin Sisko in DS9. I love those dark, haunting chords that Mr. Wengrow plays here. This piece has a calm yet eerie vibe which feels just right as the final piece. Considering that I know so little about James Wengrow or Mathias H Jensen, this is still an extremely impressive debut disc. Don't let this go unnoticed. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14
* James Wengrow will be playing here at DMG on July 28th at 8:30, don't miss it!
* KAELEN GHANDHI / MICHAEL LAROCCA / JONATHAN MILBERGER - Live at Volume Two (F.I.M. 008; USA) Featuring Kaelen Ghandhi on tenor & soprano saxes, Jonathan Milberger on alto sax and Michael LaRocca on drums & percussion. Recorded at Never Ending Books in New Haven, CT in August of 2024. Thanks to former DMG manager and drum wiz, James Paul Nadien, I've gotten to know a bunch of strong improvisers from Connecticut, a number of whom have played here at DMG on several occasions. Members of this trio and the F.I.M. label are or were based in CT. Both saxist Kaelen Ghandhi and drummer Michael LaRocca have played here on several occasions.
"The Fault" begins with soprano and alto saxes playing together with the drums quietly, slowly building as they go. The saxes sound great together, playing with restraint at first as does drummer LaRocca. The recording here is clean, clear and well-balanced. Towards the end of the first piece, the trio calms down to a solemn final section. On "Sage", the pace and turbulence is turned up to a strong slow-burning free/from focused force. Drummer, Mike LaRocca, is at the center of the storm here and reminds us why he is at the top of his game, one of the best and most creative free improvisers on the scene. Similar to his friend, JP Nadien, Mr. LaRocca is a master of smaller, more intricate sounds on percussion set-up plus he balances both saxists just right, keeping the flowing going throughout. "Madame Knight" starts off very softly with both saxes interweaving slowly while LaRocca adds some hushed small percussion underneath. As the piece unfolds, the tension increases slowly, cautiously with LaRocca's subtle mallet-work as support. The interplay between Ghandhi's soprano sax and Milberger's alto is tight, focused and exuberant here. The thing I like most about this disc is that there is very little of that screaming sax/free-jazz onslaught that often goes on for too long. This is a more balanced affair with much more restrained sections which are equally inventive and easier to swallow. Slow-burn free/improv at its creative, diverse best! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10
* Kaelen Ghandhi will also be playing here at DMG on July 28th of 2026 with James Wengrow
RICHARD BLIWAS with DANIEL CARTER - Insomnia (Rising Rose Records 2026; USA) Featuring Richard Bliwas on piano, synth & drums with Daniel Carter on saxes & trumpet. In the nearly 35 years that DMG has existed, I've gotten to know dozens of local/Downtown musicians. Some who've moved on to fame & fortune and many who continue to release their own sonic gems no matter who is still listening. Local pianist Richard Bliwas put out 8 discs on his own Rising Rose label from 2008 to 2014. He's collaborated with saxist Michael Blake, guitarist Dave Tronzo and drummer Bruce Ditmas in the past. I hadn't heard from Bliwas since 2014 and wondered what happened to him, having dug his previous discs. He showed up earlier this week with two new CD's on his label, a duo and a solo offering.
For 'Insomnia', Bliwas collaborated with the ubiquitous reeds & brass wiz Daniel Carter who seems to do more improv sessions (both live and on record) than anyone else on the Downtown Scene. Mr. Bliwas doesn't quite sound like anyone else and he sounds like he isn't quite a jazz pianist, yet remains consistently inventive. Starting with "Insomnia", Mr. Bliwas plays a series of chords or lines while Mr. Carter played some laid back muted trumpet. Mr. Carter uses a small amount of reverb to add a spaciousness to his subtle, dreamy trumpet. Both Bliwas and Carter play in a similar tonal area. Although Bliwas is a mostly melodic player, he changes his approach on each piece, coaxing Mr. Carter to follow him. Bliwas adds some flowing cymbals and snare at times. He often finds small themes that he explores adding synth colors at times with Carter matching the piano wherever it goes. Carter switches to tenor sax, weaving his own warm, dreamy lines, shadowing Bliwas wherever he goes. Bliwas synth playing is minimal yet adds some warm, tender colors to whichever instrument that DC is playing at the time. Both musicians seem to play at the same pace, often a moderate tempo with occasional changes in direction that sound most organic. In some ways, Bliwas sounds like he is playing piano in a saloon or for a silent film, with Carter adding rich, harmonious and occasionally haunting lines. Over the past few years, Daniel Carter sounds as if he is laying back and rarely doing the Free/Jazz bluster he used to do so often (when playing in Test or with William Parker). Mr. Bliwas is a perfect match for DC and they sound consistently in tune with one another. This is a most enchanting duo that rarely goes too far out. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12
AMANDA IRARRAZABAL - Imprimiendo (Relative Pitch RPR 1266; USA) Featuring Amanda Irarrázabal on contrabass with manipulations. "This album is a mix of sounds from paper printers, recorded at two printing houses in Santiago, Chile, in March 2025, and improvisations played with these sounds at the Disonaureo studio in Santiago, Chile, in July 2025." - liner notes. As with many of the more than 200 discs or downloads that the Relative Pitch label has released, this disc features sounds/music from an obscure (to me) Chilean composer named Amanda Irarrázabal. It turns out that Ms. Irarrázabal has a dozen releases so far, working with Eli Wallace, Benjamin Vergara and gabby fluke-mogol. Considering that I've never visited a printing press, I wasn't sure what to expect. We first hear Ms. Irarrázabal's contrabass, bowed, scraped and plucked carefully. Slowly, Irarrázabal adds harmonics, quickly bowed sections, ongoing improvised sections. Eventually we hear the whirring of the printing press in the background. The playing of the contrabass erupts on the last piece, from frenzied to calm to moderately paced. The last piece is the best or most formidable one and a great way to bring this unique disc to a close. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
JIM O'ROURKE - To Magnetize Money and Catch a Roving Eye (Sonoris SNS 016CD; France) A four-hour work, recorded at Jim O'Rourke's studio, Steamroom, between 2017 and 2018. Detailed and delicate electronic layers, processed instruments, and ambiguous field recordings come together in a slow-moving, fascinating kaleidoscope with multiple reflections and wrong turns, always in a constant state of flux. The finely crafted art of subterfuge. The four-CD set To Magnetize Money and Catch a Roving Eye is a hypnotic, multi-faceted, labyrinthine piece which flows as slowly as a river while speeding back through memory. Composer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist Jim O'Rourke was born in Chicago in 1969. He is a veritable chameleon working at the frontiers of very diverse musical genres.
4 CD Box Set $40
MERZBOW - TripleAkuma (Room40 EDRM 436CD; Australia) A note from Lawrence English: "TripleAkuma is the third in a series of essential live documents from Merzbow. The stage and the studio are not the same place, and Merzbow has an acute understanding of this juxtaposition. Whilst the sheer density of the music might be maintained across both spheres, the live experience of Merzbow is truly something that exists as profoundly physical and moreover, overtly performative. Merzbow's live methodologies draw not just from a saturation of frequency at all levels, but a recognition of how frequency can be used to affect the body. Working at the extremes of both low and high sonic energies, he creates a situation within which the fullness of the body can be tested; the aural body, that of our ears (and importantly our mind's ear), and the physical one (after all, the body itself is an ear). TripleAkuma, recorded in his hometown of Tokyo, captures a particularly fierce and free performance. There's a morphic and lava-like quality to the sounds he creates here and the very room itself bares into the recording, adding a certain excessive intensity to the way the sounds carry in space, and time. There is no one exposure that could capture the true force and presence of Merzbow live, but each capture, like this one, deepens our understanding of his truly unique and provocative sonic universe."
CD $18
NEXUS with DANIELE CAVALLANTI / PINO MINAFRA / TIZIANO TONONI / LUCA BONVINI / PAOLINO DALLA PORTA - Open Mouth Blues (RED Records 123169-2; Italy) The name Nexus was chosen by Daniele Cavallanti, whose tenor saxophone is accompanied by trumpet, trombone, double bass and drums. The Nexus version of this instrumental ensemble features Pino Minafra on trumpet, Luca Bonvini on trombone, Paolino Dalla Porta on double bass and Tiziano Tononi on drums (and percussion). Among those who are immediately the two main poles of the group, Cavallanti, of course, and Tononi, the harmony - despite their differences (or rather, perhaps precisely because of these, given their shared idea of making music, far from any stale clichés) - is almost instantaneous. Curiously, both started out on the drums, but then one, at the age of fourteen, switched to the saxophone, while the other, more attracted to the world of rock at least throughout his high school years, did not move on, embracing instead an increasingly generous range of percussion instruments, especially those of ethnic origin, primarily African.
The work is as vital as ever, full of strong, affirmative moods and colours, with all the jazz that we could define as post-Mingusian, but not without emblematic archaic reminiscences. The crackling colours of marching bands, certain "fat" mutes by Minafra reminiscent of Ellington's jungle style, Bonvini's generous trombone, reminiscent of Roswell Rudd and Kid Ory.
Between coordinates reminiscent of Ornette Coleman and Ayler, the four original tracks from the first edition released in 1983 are complemented by an unreleased track from the same session, Clown's Crown, almost nine minutes by Cavallanti, who opens it on the tenor saxophone, positioning himself at the almost perfect (equidistant) confluence between Ayler and Shepp, reaffirming how deeply a certain lesson belongs to the DNA of the group.
CD $16
McCOY TYNER with BOBBY HUTCHERSON / AVERY SHARPE / AARON SCOTT - The Seeker (RED Records 123357; Italy) "The Seeker captures a previously unreleased live performance from the 1993 Umbria Jazz Festival, bringing together two towering figures of modern jazz -- pianist McCoy Tyner and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson -- in a rare and electrifying collaboration. Backed by Tyner's formidable trio featuring bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Aaron Scott, the set documents a powerful evening in Perugia where decades of shared musical language converge into a performance of remarkable intensity, nuance, and interplay. The program blends original compositions by both Tyner and Hutcherson with classic standards, offering a dynamic balance between structure and spontaneous exploration. McCoy Tyner, best known for his transformative work with the John Coltrane Quartet in the 1960s, brought a percussive, harmonically rich piano style that reshaped modern jazz, while Bobby Hutcherson emerged as one of the most innovative vibraphonists of his generation, bridging post-bop and avant-garde traditions through his work with Blue Note and beyond. Though they rarely recorded together as co-leaders, their musical paths intersected over decades, sharing common ground in the evolving language of modern jazz. Their rapport is evident throughout this performance, with Tyner's commanding, modal-driven approach complementing Hutcherson's shimmering, melodic phrasing. The recording preserves both artists at a mature stage of their careers, still performing with vigor and creative vitality. Tracks like 'The Seeker,"' 'Reflections,' and 'Blues Stride' showcase the quartet's ability to move seamlessly between lyrical passages and driving rhythmic momentum, supported by the deeply responsive rhythm section. The Seeker stands as both a historical document and a compelling listening experience, offering a rare opportunity to hear two jazz masters in dialogue within a live setting that captures the immediacy and spirit of the era."
CD $16
McCOY TYNER with CHARLIE MARIANO / FRANK STROZIER / JOHN GILMORE / CLARK TERRY / JIMMY GARRISON / REGGIE WORKMAN / ART DAVIS / HENRY GRIMES / ELVIN JONES / ALBERT HEATH / et al - The Impulse Albums Collection (Enlightenment 9160; EEC) Born in Philadelphia on 11th December 1938, as a youth McCoy Tyner was encouraged to study piano by his mother and began lessons at age 13. Within two years music had become the focal point in his life and Tyner was playing on his neighbor's instrument, but his family soon invested in one of his own for the budding musician, following which he began hosting jam sessions at home. Among his friends were a number of other young musos who would go on to make their mark in the field of jazz, including Lee Morgan, Archie Shepp, Bobby Timmons, Reggie Workman, and most notably, fellow pianist Bud Powell and his brother Richie. McCoy later said, "Bud and Richie Powell moved into my neighborhood. Bud was a major influence on me during my early teens. He was very dynamic." Tyner later attended the West Philadelphia Music School and the Granoff School Of Music. Also included as part of this collection, is a rare, previously unreleased recording of a jam session undertaken by members of John Coltrane's group in Munich in 1961, led by Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet and McCoy Tyner on piano. This unique and rarely heard recording also featured Reggie Workman on bass, Mel Lewis on drums, and Coltrane himself contributed trumpet to one number. This complete 4 CD collection, containing almost five hours of music, showcases all of Tyner's work with Impulse! as a bandleader, bringing together as it does McCoy Tyner's finest early releases, during a period that the great man went from being a breakaway from John Coltrane's group, to a fully-fledged international and wildly respected jazz band-leader in his own right. This boxed set will thus serve as a welcome reminder of this sublime musician's best ever work, or as a starting point for those not yet flying the flag.
4 CD Set $16
MARISA ANDERSON - The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music (Thrill Jockey 654CD; USA) This CD comes with a 12-page color booklet with detailed track information, and extensive liner notes from Anderson. "Marisa Anderson's music transcends borders. The topography of her work interrogates the intersections of artistry and expression with form and tradition. A singular guitarist and voracious musical collaborator, Anderson crafts pieces bursting with equal parts reverence and curiosity, contouring familiar shapes into work that is wholly her own. Anderson has spent decades mining the veins of the complicated, interconnected American folk traditions she was steeped in from a young age, stretching beyond those traditions and incorporating the vocabulary and techniques of vernacular folk music from around the world into her work. Eschewing replication or revival, Anderson's music lives in conversation with tradition. The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music is drawn from nearly one thousand songs culled from the private record collection of the late Harry Smith. For this record, Anderson works on music from places that the United States has been in conflict with since 1970: Southeast Asia, the USSR and the Arabic and Islamic regions of the world. In Volume 1 Anderson presents her own deeply personal iterations of nine songs from the Anthology. Composed, transcribed and arranged through a process of trial and error, deep listening and research, Anderson charts a musical course from Afghanistan to Vietnam via Yemen, Cambodia and Turkmenistan. Interpretations of compositions from Pakistani qawwali and Syrian taqsim are played with Anderson's deft and practiced hands. Each piece on the album stands as a dialogue between Anderson and the original source recordings, refracted through the prism of her unique musical lens. Anderson's contribution to this dialogue ultimately invites the listener to join her in asking: 'Who are the people we've been told in our lifetimes are 'unamerican?'' What have we lost or been denied access to in the fallout from that label?" "[A] musician working out emotions physically, instinctively, with her fingers on the strings." - The New York Times
CD $16
MAGIC TUBER STRINGBAND - Heavy Water (Thrill Jockey 657CD; USA) "Magic Tuber Stringband act in communion with the natural world around them. Highly skilled players and writers, the trio are leaders within the burgeoning avant-folk world. Growing up in Appalachia studying the folk traditions of the region in tandem scientific and observational work in nature, their music appears to weave in and out of the fabric of the landscape. The ensemble continues to stretch the parameters of acoustic instrumental expression with masterful flourishes of dense, textural arrangements, subtle minimalist gestures and deft improvisation. Heavy Water addresses the impact of nuclear production on the environment and the communities within, a musical evocation of destruction and resilience, an embrace of dissonance and tension within moments of transcendence. The inspiration for Heavy Water is rooted in fiddler Courtney Werner's work as an ecologist in rural South Carolina. Werner explains: 'The town of Ellenton, South Carolina was the largest of the towns displaced in 1952 by the U.S. federal government to build the Savannah River Plant, which produced radioactive materials for U.S. nuclear weapons during the Cold War. The former site of Ellenton was dedicated to the extraction of 'heavy water,' whereas other areas of the plant focused on manufacturing weapons-grade plutonium and tritium within nuclear reactors. Heavy water is chemically altered to be denser than normal water and is incredibly expensive and time-consuming to synthesize, requiring 52 gallons of river water to produce one fluid ounce. Its denser properties made it valuable for use within the nuclear reactors on the site.' The pieces of Heavy Water address the loss of community and untold ecological fallout of invasive, irreversible actions. A verdant countryside often mythologized in American vernacular as a respite or refuge in reality is forever tainted, a dynamic whose emotional impact is captured in the compositions."
"While it's easy to peg their influences, the band's lively performances and ear for rich sonorities affirm that Weird America is in good hands." - The Wire
CD $16
OUTER WORLDS JAZZ ENSEMBLE - The Karman Line (Ata Records 045CD; UK) Fresh off the back of the successes of Work Money Death, The Flying Hats, and The Library Archives: Volume 4, ATA Records presents The Karman Line by Outer Worlds Jazz Ensemble. When musicians are on tour conversations naturally turn to music. Whilst exploring the jazz kissas and record stores of Tokyo, woodwind maestro Chip Whickham and ATA mastermind and bassist Neil Innes discussed their shared influences of Yusef Lateef, David Axelrod, and Alice Coltrane. The seeds for a new project were sown and soon seven tracks of deep, spiritual, groove driven jazz were laid down and on tape. The moods of the album are varied yet share a sense of reverence and exploration. On "Karmen Cantala" and "All Is," Chip's flute floats and soars, propelled by dreamlike harp and waves of impressionistic piano. "Low Orbit" takes things in a funkier direction, with Steve Parry's horn arrangements (including the unusual instrumentation of bassoon, French horn and tuba) channeling 1970s Quincy Jones and the loping swagger of Archie Shepp's "Mama Too Tight." "The Celestial Matari" and "Molecules" recall the flowing, cosmic sounds of Joe Henderson and Alice Coltrane's masterpiece The Elements, and "Earthly Elements" gets earthy indeed. Driven by a heavy, dance-floor bass line and an array of percussion, Chips flute gets huskier, dirtier and more insistent, drawing deep from Yusef Lateef's Psychicemotus and Roland Kirk's Blacknuss.
CD $17
STEVE ROACH & SERENA GABRIEL - Entering Elysium (Projekt Records PRO 436CD; USA) "Entering Elysium, the third collaborative release from ambient pioneer Steve Roach and multi-instrumentalist Serena Gabriel, blends deep synth textures with acoustic and archaic instruments to create a living, breathing sonic paradise. The album unfolds as a doorway into a visionary, liminal realm of tranquility and inspiration where flute, lyre, harmonium, and voice convene within vast atmospheric currents. Warm, contemplative, and deeply evocative, the music reveals a hidden garden of sound, an intimate sanctuary of beauty, hope, and timeless presence. The expansive states of wonder and reflection invite the listener into a transportive experience both grounded and ethereal. Steve Roach brings his signature mastery of emotive immersive atmospheres that feel at once cosmic and deeply resonant. Serena Gabriel brings a rich palette of organic instruments and voice rooted in archaic traditions and intuitive expression. Together they weave electronic and acoustic realms into a seamless dialogue, gracefully bridging the ancient and modern. Their shared sensibility for nuance, space, and emotional resonance gives Entering Elysium its alluring essence -- a soulful merging of texture, melody, breath, and dream."
CD $18
RUSSELL HASWELL - Let It Go (Editions Mego 326CD; Austria) It has been twenty-five years since the seismic events of 2001 -- when twin towers collapsed under terrorist attack and Coventry's sonic insurgent Russell Haswell launched his inaugural salvo on the original Mego label with Live Salvage 1997-2000. The intervening era has delivered unrelenting turbulence: protracted wars, institutional corruption, a global pandemic, the resurgence of fascist currents, rampant media distortion, and omnipresent surveillance. For Haswell, a lifelong admirer of 1970s and 1980s dystopian cinema, the verdict is unequivocal: "Science Fiction is now!" In the face of this darkening reality, Let It Go arrives as both acknowledgment and antidote. This new full length on Editions Mego extends an olive branch through defiant sonic diversity -- an unpredictable mosaic that embraces everything from propulsive rhythms to radical abstraction and enveloping ambience. True to Haswell's core practice, the material draws from the same tactile, free-improvised electroacoustic framework that powers his live sets: immediate, powerful and unscripted. The album weaves reverent echoes of 1990s Detroit techno's hypnotic pulse and the abrasive, metallic edge of the Birmingham sound into fractured generative territories. Haswell returns to his computer-generated origins while integrating his recent modular-synthesis experiments. During a residency at the Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts (BEK) in Norway, he harnessed the latest GRM Tools suite to conjure the volatile, "rapidly fluctuating pitched sounds" that characterized Iannis Xenakis' late electronic works -- resulting in pieces such as "Fall 3" and "Fall 2," where instability becomes a form of vitality. The tracks "Exit Downwards" and "The Anxieties Of Our Time," whilst reflecting the currents of the release, also offer surprisingly melodic patterns over jagged rhythms. The wryly titled "Thu 25 Dec 2025," (recorded in Glasgow after a solitary post-Christmas-lunch walk home) is a vast drone which evolves according to the random walk model -- known more evocatively as the drunken walk -- each sonic step veering unpredictably, mirroring the disoriented lens of contemporary existence. Let It Go is liberation. Amid the cacophony of crumbling certainties, Haswell deploys a full arsenal of resistance: kinetic drive, disorienting rupture, quiet refuge, raw aggression, and tentative hope. In an age where dystopia has shifted from fiction to lived fact, this music asserts that possibility endures.
CD $18
ROBERT HENKE - Signal to Noise - Volume II (Imbalance Computer Music ICM 011CD; Germany) "The drones on this album were created using a Yamaha SY77 FM synthesizer from 1989. I have a special relationship with this machine -- it was the first 'big' synth I ever bought, and it has contributed to almost everything I've recorded over the past 30 years . . . The SY77 features six FM operators with multi-stage looping envelopes. I've always enjoyed crafting steady drones with it -- sounds that slowly evolve into something new over time. The output of the SY77 is routed through a Dynacord DRP 20 reverb and recorded into a DAW. For each piece, I recorded four tracks: one with a very low note, one with a medium-low note, one with a high note, and one where I played freely, following my intuition. The results were then edited and lightly processed to reduce excessive noise in certain sections. I also occasionally added reverb and pitch shifting, using my own custom algorithms. Signal to Noise - Volume II picks up where my 2004 album Signal to Noise left off, revisiting the same techniques and instrument twenty-two years later." --Robert Henke Cover photo taken by Robert Henke on February 1, 2004, at Joshua Tree National Park, CA, USA.
CD $17
BACK IN STOCK:
FRED FRITH / EVAN PARKER - Hello, I Must Be Going (Victo 128; Quebec, Canada) Featuring Fred Frith on guitar and Evan Parker on soprano & tenor saxes and recorded live in concert at FIMAV 2014 (Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville). Although Fred Frith and Evan Parker are both British and come from around the same scene/generation of Europe's finest free improvisers, this set was only their third duo performance. Both of these men are master improvisers and this disc/set captures them at their best. Here is an excerpt from my review of the concert, "Evan played mostly soprano sax and Fred often had his guitar on his lap with a table filled with objects: an e-bow, chopsticks, an ashtray, paintbrush, etc. Each of these men have their own vocabulary of sounds so they took their time to work their way through a variety of sounds and textures. It helps to actually see what Mr. Frith is actually doing since he has so many odd/unique ways to play his guitar. At one point, Fred repeatedly tapped on his strings, using his fingers and/or a chopstick shoved between the strings on the neck. The effect was most hypnotic with Evan also playing circular lines, both men weaving their strands together. As Fred would alter his approach to his guitar being held in his hands or on his lap. Evan, who is one of the masters of circular breathing, would also alter his sound to bring the two closer together into a similar exploratory zone. As the set progressed, the exchange got quicker and closer as if they were finishing each other's sentences. This was one of those magical sets where everything works just right, the blend of ideas seamless." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15 [We listed this disc during a Victo sale a couple of months ago & sold out quickly so we just got another batch]
J.A. DEANE - Nomad (Victo CD 035; Quebec, Canada) Trombonist & electronic sampler Deane has worked in a variety of musics, but may be best known for the six years spent with Jon Hassell during one of Hassell's best periods. These works for dance show a lot of influence of Hassell, & this is a great trance/semi-spacey release.
CD Sale $10
***************
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
*******
THE STONE is NOW LOCATED AT THE NEW SCHOOL, Here is upcoming schedule:
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / DAVID BUCHBINDER / MAY 20-22
5/20 Wednesday
8:30 pm - QUINTET: David Buchbinder (trumpet) Yoshie Fruchter (guitar, oud) Basya Schechter (voice, guitar) Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (bass) Shai Wetzer (drums)
5/21 Thursday
8:30 pm- Semitic Brass: David Buchbinder (trumpet, cornet, alto horn, piano) Mark Rubin (banjo, bass, tuba) Dan Blacksberg (trombone) Ilya Shneyveys (accordion, piano)
5/22 Friday
8:30 pm - New Orleans Dreams: David Buchbinder (trumpet) Victor Campbell (piano, keyboards) Barry Stephenson (bass) Charles Goold (drums)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / SARA SERPA / MAY 27-30
5/27 Wednesday
8:30 pm - QUARTET WITH STRING QUARTET: Sara Serpa (voice) Sarah Elizabeth Charles (voice) Aubrey Johnson (voice) Qasim Naqvi (modular synth) and the Bergamot String Quartet
5/28 Thursday
8:30 pm - TRIO: Sara Serpa (voice) Ikue Mori (electronics) Erik Friedlander (cello)
5/29 Friday
8:30 pm- QUARTET: Sara Serpa (voice) Andre Matos (guitar) Craig Taborn (piano)
5/30 Saturday
8:30 pm - DUO: Sara Serpa (voice) Matt Mitchell (piano)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / CYRO BAPTISTA / JUNE 3-6
6/3 Wednesday
8:30pm - TRIO: Cyro Baptista (percussion) Kaoru Watanabe (flute, percussion) Tim Keiper (drums, percussion)
6/4 Thursday
8:30 pm - ENSEMBLE: Cyro Baptista (percussion) Shunzo Ono (trumpet) Quintin Zoto (guitar) and friends
6/5 Friday
8:30 pm - SOLO: Cyro Baptista (percussion, voice)
6/6 Saturday
8:30 pm - SEXTET: Cyro Baptista (percussion) Felipe Hostins (accordion) Zé Luis Oliveira (woodwinds) Scott Kettner (drums) Jason Fratticelli (bass) Junior Karegato (percussion)
THE STONE is located in
The New School at the Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th Street - near 6th ave
For more info: https://thestonenyc.com/calendar.php?month=1
LIVE MUSIC
wed-sat - music at 8:30pm
ADMISSION - $20 per set
unless otherwise noted
cash only payment
********