Wave that flag, wave it wide and high
Summertime done, come and gone, my, oh, my
I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am
Been hiding out in a rock and roll band
Shake the hand that shook the hand
Of P.T. Barnum and Charlie Chan
Shine your shoes, light your fuse
Can you use them old U.S. Blues?
I'll drink your health, share your wealth
Run your life, steal your wife
Wave that flag, wave it wide and high
Summertime done, come and gone, my, oh, my
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Back to back chicken shack
Son of a gun, better change your act
We're all confused, what's to lose?
You can call this song the United States Blues
Wave that flag, wave it wide and high
Summertime done, come and gone, my, oh, my
My my my my, oh, my, oh, my, oh, my
Summertime done, come and gone, my, oh, my
This song always puts me in a good mood! Makes me want to dance and sing and act silly! It is also one of the first songs to appear in the Grateful Dead film, starting during the animation. It first appeared on 'From the Mars Hotel' which was released in 1974 and it opens Side 1. I must admit that I really love this album and it is near perfect for me. After listening to all 42 concerts from 1974 for the 5th time in a row, I've grown fonder of songs like "Scarlett Begonias", "Loose Lucy" and "Ship of Fools". Each one evolves and gets better over the entire year, depending on the mood of the band and the vibe of the crowd. When this song was first released in 1974, we were two years away from America's 200th anniversary. This Saturday is July 4th, 2026 and it is 250th anniversary of the USA. Is it a time to celebrate? Yes and no. There are things about this country that I still love and admire and there are things make me angry and frustrated with our current administration. Either way, I remain hopeful inside.
Here's another verse from Robert Hunter that still makes me smile from "Scarlett Begonias":
Well, I ain't often right
But I've never been wrong
It seldom turns out the way
It does in the song
Once in a while
You get shown the light
In the strangest of places
If you look at it right
Peace and Love conquers Division and Hate, Bruce Lee Gallanter at DMG
**********
THE DMG 35th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT SERIES Continues with:
July 7th:
6:30: STAN ZENKOV - Bass Clarinet - Sax / YOONA KIM - Ajaeng / JENNIFER GERSTEN - Violin
7:30: ANTHONY BRAXTON GHOST RANCE MUSIC Performed by: DYLAN DelGIUDICE - Guitar-Alto Sax / ELIJAH SHIFFER and TONY ORZANO - Alto Sax-Clarinet / FRANCESCA H - Soprano Sax / FRANK LAO- Vibes / ANDREW DOW - Bass / MOHAMMED KUBBARA - Percussion
8:30: KEN KOBAYASHI - Drums / LEE ODOM - Sax / JEFF MILES - Guitar / EVAN PALMER - Bass
July 14th:
6:30: NIKITA MANIN - Solo Clarinet
7:30: MATT KNOEGEL - Tenor & Soprano Sax / JON ELBAZ - Keyboard / AIDAN O'CONNELL - Bass / MICHAEL LaROCCA - Drums
8:30: JOHN DALTON - Drums / SAM CHILDS - Saxes / KRIS GRUDA - Guitar / EVAN PALMER - Bass
*********
JAMES BRANDON LEWIS QUARTET with ARUAN ORTIZ / BRAD JONES / CHAD TAYLOR - Omni (Intakt Records CD 457; Switzerland) James Brandon Lewis is on a remarkable run. Deface the Currency (Impulse!, 2026), his second collaborative album with the Messthetics, placed him at the cutting edge of the fiery fusion of punk and jazz. While that record proved he could invoke the power and fury of 60s Detroit band MC5's rock-and-roll testimonial Are You Ready to TESTIFY! (Sanctuary Records, 2007), on Omni, he is invoking a different kind of testimonial, one grounded in his upbringing as the son of a minister. Lewis and his long-running quartet, pianist Aruán Ortiz, bassist Brad Jones, and drummer Chad Taylor expand on Lewis' "Molecular Systematic Music" and construct a sonic temple where they deliver a twelve-tone gospel from the pulpit.
Lewis has carefully structured the album around the three omnis of God. "Omnipotent" opens the album, much as the choir would open the service. This beautiful, minute-long solo piece reminds the congregation to take comfort in the fact that God is all-powerful while also preparing them for the message to come.
"The Sermon" starts quietly, with Ortiz, Jones, and Taylor starting things off before Lewis and his saxophone take the pulpit. However, as the message progresses, it begins to pick up energy, using a similar timing and cadence to that of a minister. Like the prophet Jeremiah, on "Fire in My Bones," Lewis has an uncontrollable fire burning inside him; he must let it out, or else be consumed by the pain it causes when he keeps it in. On this particular song, the band's skillful, almost telepathic interplay conveys this feeling perfectly.
This intense energy perfectly sets the stage for the next critical part of the liturgy. "Testify" is the sound of the congregation sharing a communal experience, bonding with one another as they stand to speak their unique experiences with the divine aloud. The concept of bonding plays a crucial role in Lewis' "Molecular Systematic Music." Within this musical framework, Lewis believes that musicians can break down music into tones, or "atoms." By bonding these tones into different musical molecules, you begin to form the unique DNA strand of the music being created, just as the individual members (atoms) of the congregation bond together to create the DNA of their own church. Similarly, the quartet can continuously reshape the music by combining the molecules in different ways, giving them the freedom to create something different each time they play.
Immediately following is the second omni, "Omniscient." The all-knowing God is in the church, listening to the testimonials, and the track is fittingly beautiful and serene. It acts as a salve on the fiery hot burn of our sins, a cooling grace for both the weight of our burdens and the heat of the holy fire.
"Line Upon Line" also has a dual meaning in the context of Lewis' molecular system. The band builds the song line by line, one molecule at a time, one line at a time, until the song is complete. In the church, a minister builds the sermon line by line, word by word, as it builds towards its message; this mirrors the way God reveals his truth, one line at a time, slowly, so that we can understand the truth. On this track, Taylor's drumming is less about keeping time and more like a kinetic jackhammer, pounding away as the track is constructed around him. Lewis' sax is urgent; his fiery overblowing raises the stakes and more than matches Taylor's intensity as they build their church, their sermon, their song, their message, one line at a time, until completion.
As the notes of "Spirit of the Living God" hit, the congregation stands and sings to close out the service as they file out of the pews; the third omni, "Omnipresent," begins, a fitting reminder that God is everywhere as they exit the church. In actuality, the physical church is just a building; the real church is the congregation, who carry the message forward. The message is not just in them; it is everywhere. On Omni, the music does not merely carry a message; it is the message.
While Omni is a spiritual jazz album, it is not a free jazz fire-breathing manifesto. Lewis' twelve-tone gospel is deeply reflective and beautiful. When it does burn, it does so with a purpose; it is controlled, passionate, but never fire and brimstone. The quartet deftly navigates between both extremes, with a skillful mastery born from their shared years of playing together. Molecular Systematic Music provides them with a framework, a map, a blueprint. Yet it is within this structure that they find the absolute freedom to create, to bind their notes into an infinite number of sonic combinations. - Kevin Poindexter, AllAboutJazz
CD $18
OM with URS LEIMGRUBER / CHRISTY DORAN / BOBBY BURI / GERRY HEMINGWAY / TONY BUCK - Sudpol (Intakt Records CD 455; Switzerland) Featuring Urs Leimgruber on soprano sax, Christy Doran on electric guitar & devices, Bobby Burri on contrabass & devices, Gerry Hemingway & Tony Buck on drums & percussion. OM are/were a Swiss jazz/rock quartet who began in 1975 and featured Christy Doran on guitar, Urs Leimgruber on reeds, Bobby Burri on bass and Fredy Studer on drums. I discovered them soon after when they recorded four great jazz/rock/fusion records for the Japo (ECM offshoot) label. The original quartet broke up around 1980 and each member had a separate solo career. Guitarist Christy Doran remains one of my favorite European guitarist and nhas had a long career in a variety of great bands. Drummer, Fredy Studer formed a great trio with Hans Koch and Martin Schutz, as well as playing with numerous Euro bands. OM got back together in 2010 and have recorded four great records for Intakt. Mr. Studer passed away in 2022 and has been replaced with two fine drummers for this disc: Gerry Hemingway (American drummer now living & teaching in Switzerland) and Tony Buck (drummer for the Necks, an Australian trio & Buck now lives in Berlin).
I've only listened to this disc once so far last night and I was again blown away by this wonderful, inventive, spirited and diverse quintet. I will complete my review next week when i have more time. - BLG at DMG
CD $18
RAN BLAKE - Voices (Tzadik TZ 4062; USA) Tzadik is proud to present a new solo piano CD by the legendary pianist and edu-cator Ran Blake. Now in his 90s, Ran has been associated with New England Conservatory since 1967 and is one of Americas greatest cultural treasures. Here he performs an eclectic program of jazz, folk, gospel, film noir, and Christmas Music in his inimitable deconstructuralist style. Produced by Rans longtime friend and colleague Hankus Netsky, Voices is a seductive and dreamy exploration of piano music at its most profound and one of Rans greatest achievements.
CD $14
CISCO BRADLEY - I Hear Freedom - The Great Migration, Free Jazz and Black Power (Columbia University Press; USA) This is Brooklyn-based author & professor, Cisco Bradley's third book since 2021. His first book was called 'Universal Tonality' and it was the life and music of Downtown Icon William Parker. His second book was titled 'The Williamsburg Avant-Garde', which explores a local scene which few seemed to know about. Mr. Bradley's new book is about the history of Creative Musicians from the Ohio Valley. When Mr. Bradley first began writing his book about William Parker, he met with Mr. Parker and they spoke at length. Mr. Parker played Bradley a piece by Albert Ayler and a field holler from the 1940's and asked Bradley to compare to two recordings. There were similarity in those sounds so Bradley decided to figure how and why Mr. Ayler developed the distinctive sound that he invented for himself. This book is thick and comprehensive. Mr. Bradley takes him time to show the Great Migration of Black Americans from the south to the north and how they developed their own music and styles. I've only read the first 25 pages since I've was attending the Vision Fest this week and I just received a half dozen other music books from friends of mine on other musicians: Alice Coltrane, Richard Thompson, Gentle Giant and the Grateful Dead's 'Wall of Sound' saga. Mr. Bradley has done a great deal of research in order to bring this story to life and explain the history of the migration with the fruits of his labors being the type of music that many of us savor. Here's a list of the varied creative musicians who you can read about: Faruq Z. Bey, Frank Wright, Bobby Few, Charles Moore, Donald Ayler, Spencer Barefield, Phil Ranelin, Marcus Belgrave and many others. I just finished reading a newer book about Alice Coltrane (who was also raised ion Detroit) and I remain fascinated by reading books about different Creative Music scenes from around the world. Cisco Bradley is currently working on a book about Charles Gayle which should also be a great read. Bravo to Cisco Bradley for his hard work and strong, inspired writing. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
BOOK [485 pages, soft cover / signed by Cisco Bradley] $32
JOEL FUTTERMAN / WILLIAM PARKER - Transcendent Universe (Burning Ambulance BAM 115; USA) Featuring Joel Futterman on piano and William Parker on contrabass. Recorded at Master Sound Studio in Virginia Beach, VA in August of 2025. There are only a handful of Free/Jazz pianists who can give the late Cecil Taylor a run for his money in terms of intensity and creativity. Former Chicago-born, now Virginia Beach-based pianist, Joel Futterman, is near the top of the heap. Mr. Futterman has been recording since 1979 and has some 40 plus releases from numerous solo to collaborations with Jimmy Lyons, Kidd Jordan and Alvin Fielder. Downtown bass master, William Parker, has recorded with Mr. Futterman often in the past with some 1/2 dozen previous releases. I just caught bassist & multi-instrumentalist, William Parker, play in numerous sets at the Vision Fest 30 (June 22nd-28th, 2026) last week, adding his unique touch/sound to each set. This disc begins intensely with an eruption of frenetic bowed bass and explosive free piano. Mr. Parker keeps weaving between pumping hard and bowing powerful on his contrabass while Futterman also varies between over-the-top and below the surface waves. This is a 61 plus minute, one track work which unfolds organically and flows from section to section seamlessly. Futterman also balances the flow between lightning flash cascades and peddle down resonance expanding underneath. The duo slow down about 12 minutes in and play what sounds like a ballad in part with some dark, turbulent currents running below. There is quite a bit of daredevil interplay going on here, astonishingly quick back and force exchanges which will leave you at the edge of your seat. At around 22 minutes, the duo again slow down for what sounds like another haunting ballad for a segment. The balance between the two extremes often sounds like this is an organic exchange or dialogue. This is an extraordinary duo that will stand the test of time. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
AVA MENDOZA with HAMID DRAKE - Alive Alone, Alive Together (Burning Ambulance BAM 116; USA) Featuring Ava Mendoza on guitar & vocals and Hamid Drake on drums & voice (1 track). This solo/duo effort was recorded live at four different gigs in Antwerp, Belgium, Firenze, Italy, Madison, WI and Chicago, Il. Since moving here a decade ago, former Bat Area-based guitarist, Ava Mendoza, has kept busy in a variety of different projects, working in bands with Sir Richard Bishop, William Hooker, Jon Irabagon and the Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet. One those projects is an incredible power trio with William Parker & Hamid Drake, a/k/a Mayan Space Station. Chicago-based drummer & percussionist, Hamid Drake, has become a favorite of many of us avant/Spirit/jazz fans. Mr. Drake plays on four of the eight pieces here. In 2024, Orcutt's Palilalia Records label released a solo guitar and vocal album, a rarity for Mendoza until recently. Ms. Mendoza started to tour as a soloist around that time and this disc was recorded at four concerts over the past few years.
"Sun Gun" opens as a strong duo with Hamid Drake. Ms. Mendoza strums hard, creating powerful chords with Mr. Drake fleshing out a storm-like undertow, both musicians liked tightly together with Mendoza using a flanging device to give her guitar a thicker sound. "Cypress Crossing" is an impressive solo piece for Mendoza's churning playing with a slight metallic edge. I love the sound of Mendoza's shimmering chords which are dark, dream-like and rather hypnotic. On "Dust from the Mines", Mendoza uses her voice with spoken words and it most effective to hear, her guitar playing even more triumphant sounding than usual, her strumming unleashing a storm of powerful chords with Mr. Drake pushing her higher and higher. On "Irene, Goodnight", it sounds like Mendoza is blending both folk and rock influences into a unique blend, several chords from different dimensions all shimmering in a cosmic haze. The duos with Hamid Drake and Ava Mendoza are especially enchanting, the balance of subtly and power chords is most impressive. On several levels, this is one this years' best records. So deep, so moving and filled with invention. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
LEONOR FALCON / BARBARA TOGANDER - PL (Profound Whatever; Spain) Featuring Leonor Falcon on viola & effects and Barbara Togander on turntables & voice. Downtown violist, Leonor Falcon, moved to Spain a few years back with her partner guitarist Juanma Trujillo. Ms. Falcon played here at DMG on a few occasion and has some fine previous discs with the Sarah Bernstein Veer Quartet, Chama (a trio with Trujillo & Arturo Garcia) and Peach & Tomato (a duo with violinist Sana Nagano). I don't know much about the creative music scene in Barcelona, Spain, where Ms. Falcon now lives and this is where she must've met Barbara Togander. Ms. Togander has a few of her own discs with Camila Nebbia and the MBM Trio. After a surge of great turntablists (like Christian Marclay, Otomo & Martin Tetreault) in the 1980's and 1990's, I don't recall hearing very many turntable players in recent times (aside from Val Jeanty). The viola here sounds closely mic'd, along with the elastic, expanding sounds of the turntable improvisations. For each piece, Ms. Falcon adds a variety of effects & loops to Ms. Togano's odd turntable sounds. At times it is hard to tell what exactly is happening since we don't know which sounds were created by the turntable. I can certainly hear those definitive string sounds but there are a variety of other sounds which are more difficult to figure out source-wise. Although it list Ms. Togander on voice, I don't hear much of her voice just occasional weird vocal sounds. Overall, I did find this disc to be captivating no matter not knowing at times who is doing what. Impressive and rather alien sounding ! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
EZEKIAL JAIME / LUCIANA BASS / FEDERICO ISASTI - Vi La Pampa Arder (Relative Pitch Records 1271; USA) Featuring Ezekial Jaime on electric bass, Luciana Bass on guitar and Federico Isasti on drums. This trio is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Guitarist Luciana Bass has a spirited & inventive solo guitar effort out on Relative Pitch from last year. Although I hadn't heard of drummer Federico Isasti before now, he can be found on 11 releases starting in 2012. The music on this disc has a fractured, tight, post-punk, noisy sort of sound. Rather Massacre-like at times. Mr. Bass does a great job of twisting, bending and scraping his strings while the bass and drums match his eruptive, intense and sprawling playing. Parts of this remind me of the Minutemen, a tight yet ferocious hard-core punk trio from southern California with great records on the SST label. Although the playing is often brutal and over the top, the trio is also ultra-tight and often sounds like a powerful united force. It often sounds like the rhythm team is a creating their own interlocking yet spastic sounding grooves while the guitar adds a layer of fractured, noisy shrapnel. The last great post-punk trio that I can recall digging was/are called Trigger (great disc on Tzadik). This is a particularly strong and spirited effort from a righteous Argentinian noise/power trio!- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
OCHIBO NO AME with MAKOTO KAWASHIMA / LOUIS INAGE / NAOTO MIYAOKA - Studio Recording (Relative Pitch RPR 1251; USA) Featuring Makoto Kawashima on alto sax, Louis Inage on bass and Naoto Yamagishi on drums & percussion. This session was recorded at GOK Sound Studio in April of 2025. Although I hadn't heard of any of the members of this trio before now, saxist Makoto Kwawshima can be found on some 20 recordings going back to 2015, including a duo with Otomo Yoshihide from 2012. Drummer Naoto Yamagishi can also be found on some 20 records going back to 2014, including collaborations with Udo Schindler & Ko Ishikawa.
The title of this disc, "Ochibo No Ame" translates to this: "a shower of fallen ears of grain". The music starts slowly and skeletally with eerie alto sax and rumbling electric bass, no drums yet. The music unfolds slowly and takes its time to evolve. The saxist often plays short spark-like phrases, intense and focused, making each note or sound count. The music often moves in slow motion with saxist Kawashima stretching out many of his notes for as long as he can, twisting them carefully as he goes. Most of the bass playing here is often subdued and somewhat spooky, occasionally speeding up and then slowing down. The saxist erupts very brutally at times reminding me of Kaoru Abe or John Zorn, nboth of whom can be rather brutal. I couldn't hear or just didn't notice that there were any drums on this disc since it sounds more like a duo than a trio. I've often found certain Japanese musicians or bands to be rather harsh or extreme in what they do like Fushisusha or the Abe & Takayanagi Duo. The music on this disc seems to come from a long tradition of Japanese extremists. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $13
OREN AMBARCHI - Hubris (10th Anniversary Remaster)(Black Truffle 141CD; Australia) Newly remastered version of Oren Ambarchi's long out-of-print classic Hubris, originally released on Editions Mego in 2016. Expertly remastered by audio wizard Joe Talia who worked with the original mixes, highlighting the myriad details of the audio with forensic precision, previously unheard up until now. From the 2016 press release: Hubris continues the exploration of relentless, driving rhythms heard on Ambarchi's Sagittarian Domain (2012) and Quixotism (2014). Where those records looked to Krautrock and techno for their starting points, the sidelong opening track here begins from the perhaps unlikely inspirations of disco and new wave, drawing particularly from Ambarchi's love of Wang Chung's soundtrack to William Friedkin's To Live and Die in L.A. Leaving behind the song-forms of these reference points, Ambarchi weaves a sustained and pulsating web of layered palm-muted guitars from which individual voices rise up and recede, eventually setting the stage for some lush guitar synth from Jim O'Rourke. Arnold Dreyblatt collaborator Konrad Sprenger contributes overtone-rich motorized guitar, pushing the piece into a satisfying intersection of shimmering minimalism and rhythmic drive that smoothly builds up until the entrance of Mark Fell's electronic percussion in its final section. After a short second part, in which Ambarchi, O'Rourke and crys cole pay tribute to the skewed harmonic sense of Albert Marcoeur with a track built from layered guitar figures and abstracted speech, the long final piece pushes the concept of the first side into darker and denser areas. Joined by electronics from Ricardo Villalobos and the twin drums of Will Guthrie and Joe Talia, the layered guitars of the first piece are transformed into a raw and tumbling fusion-funk groove that calls to mind early Weather Report or even the first Golden Palominos LP. As this stellar rhythm section rides a single repeated chord change into oblivion, a series of spectacular events emerge in the foreground: first, aleatoric synthesizer burbles from Keith Fullerton Whitman, then slashing skronk guitar from Arto Lindsay, until finally Ambarchi's own fuzzed-out harmonics take center stage as the piece builds to an ecstatic frenzy. Few artists could hope to include such an incredible variety of collaborators on one record and still hope for it to have a unique identity, but Ambarchi manages to do just that, crafting three pieces that emerge directly out of his previous work while also pushing ahead into new dimensions.
CD $17
JOSH BERMAN TRIO with JASON ROEBKE / CHRIS CORSANO - Everybody Else's Life, Too (Corbett Vs. Dempsey CVSD 128CD; USA) Were you to tap the lifeblood of Chicago music, you would find Josh Berman flowing liberally through its veins. Active on the scene for more than a quarter century, the cornetist, bandleader, and composer has helped retain the unique flavor of the city's soundscape, with particular attention to the music of its jazz past -- groups like the Austin High Gang and the Oliver-Armstrong lineage and Freddie Keppard, as well as more recent figures from Lester Bowie to Wadada Leo Smith. But Berman is more inter-stylistic synthesist than moldy fig, a fact nowhere better demonstrated than in his powerhouse trio. On Everybody Else's Life, Too, the group's second record, Berman has found the perfect percussionist for his compact-yet-expansive compositions. Chris Corsano, who plays in a staggering array of contexts from voluble free jazz to timbral sonic experiments, is in turn ideally complemented by Jason Roebke's bass playing, which is equally adept in all areas melodic, swingful, and textural alike. A sharp studio recording captures the rapport and playfulness, as well as the adventure, inherent in the threesome's dynamic interaction.
CD $15
THELONIOUS MONK with CHARLIE ROUSE / JOHN ORE / FRANKIE DUNLOP - Monk (Gearbox GB 1541CD; UK) Originally released in 2018. Hot on the heels of Impulse's unearthed Coltrane number one hit album comes another beauty from Jazz's "Holy Trinity." This is a previously unreleased, precious lost treasure from Monk's most critically acclaimed line-up; Charlie Rouse on saxophone, John Ore on double bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums. The music was recorded live in Copenhagen in 1963 at the peak of Monk's career. A year later he was to feature on the cover of TIME magazine, one of only for four jazz artists ever to do so. The performance, a mixture of Monk originals and interpretations of standards, showcases Monk at his prime: full of avant-garde flair and wit, but always with a swinging feel that explains his title as the "High Priest of Bebop." The original tapes, saved from a skip and blessed with the approval of the Monk estate, have been faithfully restored, mastered and cut using Gearbox's legendary all-analogue process.
CD $17 / LP $34
FIRST TIME LISTINGS FOR RED RECORDS GEMS:
JOHNNY M. DYANI with CLIFFORD JARVIS - African Bass (Red Records 123339-2; Italy) I could play jazz, but, first of all, I play black music. We have a message. Louis Armstrong had it, Ellington had it, and Gillespie has it. It can be political, sociological, economic, it can be about the good times or the bad ones. It is our way of communicating. You don’t have to read big books about a country or a population to know what they want. Listen to the music and you will know what they have to say." - Johnny Dyani
"This gem from the late 1970s finds the ever-vital South African double-bassist and pianist, vocalist and composer Johnny Mbizo Dyani (1945-1986) in the company of the equally arresting American drummer, Clifford Jarvis (1941-1999).
The suite-like range of traditional and (chiefly) Dyani material is both political and poetic, folk-turned and fiercely exploratory. It affords plenty of space for Dyani’s superb pizzicato and arco work: hear, e.g., the opening African Anthem (Zulu) with its mesmeric blend of urgent yet measured ostinato pizzicato precision with a strummed and plucked potency, plus crying vocal and dance-inflected figures. And relish, later in the programme, Dyani’s Cherry-like rolling and driving piano and further (at times, plenty humorous) vocalising. Jarvis, who could count Coleman Hawkins, Sam Rivers, Freddie Hubbard and Sun Ra among his associates, contributes many a tasty crisply driven flurry of cross accents, as well as some engaging and energising vocalising.
It’s sometimes forgotten what a force Dyani was in the development of contemporary jazz in Britain, Europe and Scandinavia. A while ago I reviewed for JJ Gerhard Kubik’s Jazz Transatlantic, a two-volume survey of African jazz. Admirable as that work was, I was a touch astonished that Dyani rated not a single mention. Neither did his compatriot, the electrifying drummer Louis Moholo." - Michael Tucker, JazzJournal
CD $17 / LP $30
PAUL BLEY with MARK LEVINSON / BARRY ALTSCHUL - Ramblin' (Red Records 123117-2; Italy) It is not surprising to note that some of the formal elements in the piano trio approach developed in this record can be traced to Jarrett's projects today. Paul Bley’s was therefore a long journey in search of an original, aesthetically innovative, always very personal style. In him, one should not look for superficial emotions as his music is substance, rationality of construction, and solidity of concept in a context of extreme formal freedom. Sometimes lyrical, other times harsh and cryptic, often rarefied and minimal, Bley’s sound is always unique and immediately recognizable. In this respect, the Canadian is an atypical pianist always poised between intimacy and abstraction, between tradition and experimentation. When Bley arrived in Italy with his trio to record Ramblin’ he was now a complete musician who had been exploring the expressive possibilities of the trio for years with some of the best representatives of the avant-garde. In Rome with Bley and Altschul was the bassist Mark Levinson “a rhythm section with a wide range of talents”, as Bley later defined it. Ramblin’ is one of Bley’s most important albums and from a certain point of view represents, on a compositional and musical level, a condensation of the artistic and life experiences of the Montreal pianist.
CD $17
DEXTER GORDON with REIN DE GRAAF / HENK HAVERHOEK / ERIC INEKE - Fried Bananas (Gearbox 1535CD; UK) Previously unreleased from the original radio broadcast tapes. Recorded on November 3, 1972 for VPRO at Heemskerk Societeit Progress, The Netherlands. The great tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon moved to Europe in 1962. Ten years later he was living in Copenhagen when he went on the road with a Dutch rhythm section consisting of pianist Rein de Graaf, double bassist Henk Haverhoek and drummer Eric Ineke. This was quite unusual, as Dexter mostly toured as a solo artist working with local musicians in each town. By the time their performance at the Societiet Progress in Heemskerk was recorded for broadcast by VPRO, the quartet had been playing together regularly for two months. Dexter and his "Dutch band" had developed a deep rapport and understanding that's clearly evident on the three extended tracks on this record. These are two of his signature compositions, "The Panther" and "Fried Bananas," plus the iconic Coleman Hawkins classic "Body and Soul." With sleeve notes by Dexter's wife Maxine Gordon that include reminiscences and insights from drummer Eric Ineke and pianist Rein de Graaf, Fried Bananas is an important new addition to the recorded legacy of Dexter Gordon's fourteen years in Europe.
CD $17
RAY MANTILLA SPACE STATION with BOBBY WATSON / DICK OATTS / EDDY MARTINEZ / RUBEN RODRIGUEZ / STEVE BERRIOS - Dark Powers (Red Records 123221-2; Italy) Two Red Records darlings, Ray Mantilla and Bobby Watson, reunite to re-frame how much the blending of jazz and Latin music that originated as exotic entertainment in the Swing years but only seriously developed from the 1950s onward can be very stimulating. The obstinate piano phrases of the "salsa" genre, to take one example, are equivalent to the riff as a vehicle for enthralling improvisations. Needless to say, the encounter between Mantilla's Space Station and the American saxophonist is strongly aromatic and lively, while being miles away from banal entertainment. The general attitude held by the musicians is one of great rigor. The forerunner of this solar-powered music, it is worth remembering, remains Horace Silver; and it cannot fail to cheer us that the furrow he traced so many years ago still bears exciting fruit today: such as this "Dark Powers."
CD $17
GIANLUIGI TROVESI with PAOLO DAMIANI / ETTORE FIORAVANTI - Dances (Red Records 123181-2; Italy) For the polysaxophonist, the exploration of the cultured and popular Mediterranean musical area continues, with rare consistency, research that has arrived there at a stage of sedimentation the starting point of new and continuous enrichments. Great is the research on unusual tempos even for the most current jazz: broken tempos, continually changing, very intricate rhythmic designs that nevertheless develop in a great linearity and effectiveness of execution. This rhythmic richness, this light and rapid movement of music on cyclically repeating paths, is characteristic of the character of dance, of its folk rituality. Trovesi, too, like so many jazzmen of today, uses a language of synthesis, where the constants of his style now make up a single body: the feverish post-boppish ignitions, the Dolphian legacy. multi-instrumentalism, research on sound, and all the ethnic openings of creative music. European.
CD $17
VINYL SECTION:
COOPER-MOORE - The Reverend Eddie Bones (Gearbox GB 1536EP; UK) The Reverend Eddie Bones is the esteemed American composer, pianist and instrument builder Cooper-Moore's collaboration with the songwriter and artist Ed Pettersen. This release is the second in a series of totally valve mastered recordings featuring Gearbox's vintage Decca valve mixer in association with their Haeco Scully lathe with Westrex RA1700 series amps, Westrex 3DIIA cutting head, and Telefunken U73B tube limiter.
7" Single $16
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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 is NOW LOCATED AT THE NEW SCHOOL, Here is upcoming schedule:
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / GREG COHEN / JULY 1-3
7/1 Wednesday
8:30 pm: DUO - Anthony Wilson (guitar) Greg Cohen (bass)
7/2 Thursday
8:30 pm: DUO - Julian Lage (guitar) Greg Cohen (bass)
7/3 Friday
8:30 pm: DUO - Smokey Hormel (guitar) Greg Cohen (bass)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / EYVIND KANG / JULY 8-11
7/8 Wednesday: 8:30 pm - Riparian - Eyvind Kang (viola d'amore)
7/9 Thursday
8:30 pm - Bageshri - Eyvind Kang (viola d'amore, viola) Mir Naqibul Islam (tabla)
7/10 Friday
8:30 pm: Gringsing - Kier GoGwilt (violin) Josh Henderson (violin) Carrie Frey (viola) Eyvind Kang (viola) Irene Han (cello)
7/11 Saturday
8:30 pm: DUO - Eyvind Kang (viola d'amore, viola) Utsav Lal (piano)
THE STONE is located in
The New School at the Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th Street - near 6th ave
For more info: https://thestonenyc.com/calendar.php?month=1
LIVE MUSIC
wed-sat - music at 8:30pm
ADMISSION - $20 per set
unless otherwise noted
cash only payment
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BROOKLYN FREE SPIRIT FESTIVAL - July 11th & 12th, 2026
July 11th & 12th at IBEAM BROOKLYN
168 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
$20 Admission / day | cash or Venmo
Daily Admission includes access to all daytime and evening events!
Light food and drinks provided (free) to facilitate conversation.
Saturday, July 11
5:00pm KYOKO KITAMURA & RACHEL BERNSEN WORKSHOP
Sound-Movement Improvisation Practice: Enhancing Multi-Sensory Awareness
Open to all, including musicians, dancers, interdisciplinary practitioners, educators, anyone interested in exploring communication through shared perception. Just bring your body and breath. Acoustic instruments welcome but not required.
Veteran artist-educators Rachel Bernsen and Kyoko Kitamura will take the group through accessible movement explorations integrating sound and movement, drawing on their extensive interdisciplinary work together, as well as their rich experience working with artists such as Anthony Braxton, Yvonne Rainer, Matthew Barney, and Audra Wolowiec. The workshop uses Bernsen’s Toward the Unknown framework and Kitamura’s extensive research into structured improvisation, resulting in a unique three-dimensional, embodied improvisatory performance practice which fosters a deep awareness of multi-sensory perception. This workshop will lead the participants through the process, culminating in a short, participatory performance piece.
7:30pm Selendis S.A. Johnson / Hans Young-Binter / Josh Matthews
Selendis S.A. Johnson vibraphone/ Hans Young-Binter piano/ Josh Matthews drums
8:30pm Janice Lowe’s Museoetry
Janice Lowe piano, voice, composition/ Olithea Anglin voice & electronics / Yohann Potico bass guitar/ Melissa Almaguer tap dance percussion
Janice Lowe Museoetry
Edmonia/WildFire, A SoundVerse Cycle
Poems by Tyehimba Jess, Janice Lowe, Composer
Edmonia Lewis was a Reconstruction-era Afro-Mississaugan sculptor who willed herself to Rome to practice her craft. This song cycle and improvisation are inspired by the sculptor’s dialogue with earth-hewn materials, their textural beauty and the complexity of shaping freedom from a hostile political landscape.
Sunday, July 12
3:00pm ZEENA PARKINS WORKSHOP
Filling the Hearspace: Never to Sound Again the Same
Experience multi-valent modes of listening through improvisation and expanded musical entanglements: following energetic pathways, tuning our engagements, collective knowing, collaboration and generosity (Open to musical improvisers with some previous experience)
5:00pm Listening Session & In-Person Interview: COOPER-MOORE
90-minutes of immersion into the iconic composer, pianist, instrument builder, storyteller Cooper-Moore’s multi-decade body of work, including rarely heard recordings from Cooper-Moore’s personal archive, and an in-person conversation moderated by pianist/composer/improviser Mara Rosenbloom
7:30pm Zeena Parkins / Nate Wooley / Ryan Sawyer
Zeena Parkins Electric Harp Objects / Nate Wooley Trumpet Objects/ Ryan Sawyer Drums
8:30pm Interstellar Duo
Jamal R. Moore Woodwinds, Electronics, Percussion / Warren Crudup III Drums
Produced by the Siren Xypher Collective with support from Alan Feller & Creative Music Studio
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THIS COMES FROM MY GOOD FRIENDS AT THE BURNT SUGAR ARKESTRA:
Saturday, July 18th
J. Dilla’s Donuts reimagined by Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber
with Special Detroit Guests Jessica CARE Moore, DONAVAN GLOVER,
Monica “mbtheLightLIGHT” Blaire, Jon Dixon & Duminie Desporres.
Concert of Colors 2026
Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA)
North Lawn Stage
5200 Woodward Avenue
Detroit Michigan 48202
6:30PM
All Ages
Free to the People
Presented in loving acknowledgement of Ismael “Ish” Ahmed & Margaret King-Ahmed
Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber (J Dilla Donuts Re-Imagined Edition) Featuring: Jessica CARE Moore - mc/spoken word / LaFrae Sci - trap drums/electronic drums/conduction / Miss Olithea - vocals / electronics / Monica “mBtheLIGHT” Blaire - vocals/electronics / Bruce Mack - vocals/synthesizer/conduction / DONAVAN GLOVER - turntables/electronics / JS Williams - trumpet / V. Jeffrey Smith - soprano & tenor sax/electronics / Duminie Deporres - electric guitar / Jonathan Dixon - keyboards/electronics / Leon Gruenbaum - keyboards/samchillian/talk box / Jared Michael Nickerson - electric bubble bass
Thursday, July 30th / Friday, July 31st / Saturday, August 1st
Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber “Caramelizes” The Summer of LoveConcert of Joe Henderson Lab
SF Jazz Center
201 Franklin Street
San Francisco CA 94102
415-788-7353
All Ages
Two Shows @ Night @ 7PM & 8:30PM - $39.00
Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber / sfjazz.org
Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber (SF Jazz Summer of Love Edition) - Featuring: Shelley Nicole - vocals/conduction / Bruce Mack - vocals/synthesizer/conduction / Miss Olithea - vocals/electronics / JS Williams - trumpet / V. Jeffrey Smith - soprano & tenor sax/electronics / Ben Tyree - electric guitar / Leon Gruenbaum - keyboards/samchillian/talk box / LaFrae Sci - trap drums/electronic drums/conduction / Jared Michael Nickerson - electric bubble bass
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