I'm a composer decomposing
I'm on the rockers' roll of fame
My songs, the critics are praising
Yes, they even learned to spell my name
Now that I've expired
My picture's in the Enquirer
Psychics claim to contact me
Now that I have kicked
The Rolling Stone has picked
My albums as the best that be
They all say that I was over-stressed
Since the breakup with my wife
But their payment plan was not the best
My check was in the mail all my life
Since I'm pushing daisies
Lawyers who were lazy are negotiating deals
Now that I've been boxed
They say my music rocks
It's taken on a new appeal
Too bad my genius was discovered
After my coffin was covered
But I'm forever grateful for eternity
Now that my video's on MTV
Ha-ha-ha-ha...
Death always seems so rash
But now I've lots of cash
Now that I'm dead...
I can finally make a living
Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha...
I am Mr. Dead
Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha...
Last week, when I posted the above song at the top of our weekly newsletter, I attributed the composer of this song to Richard Thompson. I was mistaken and several friends/fact-checkers (like Henry Kaiser & Scott Colby) quickly let me know that this song was in fact written by John “Drumbo” French. I profusely apologize for my big boo boo. This song can be found on an album by an unlikely quartet called French, Frith, Kaiser and Thompson and it is titled ‘Invisible Means’ from 1990. This was the second release by the band and it featured John French (a/k/a Drumbo from Capt. Beefheart's Magic Band), Fred Frith (from Henry Cow & Art Bears) and Henry Kaiser (psych guitar hero & Grateful Dead scholar). It is often said that there are many famous or infamous musicians (and other artists) who are better appreciated after they've passed on. Rather sad but true. I still smile when I hear "Now That I Am Dead", It seems like an honest view of the lifelong pursuit of recognition and compensation for whatever we do best.
"When I Was Dead" was written by the great John French. a/k/a longtime drummer for Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band. Mr. French was Beefheart’s longest collaborator, he played on and help create the distinctive sound on several seminal Beefheart classics like ‘Safe as Milk’ (1967), ‘Strictly Personal’ (1968), ‘Trout Mask Replica’ (1969), ‘Lick My Decals Off, Baby' (1970) and 'The Spotlight Kid' (1972). True Beefheart & Magic Band fans know that it is the unique fractured rhythmics that make the Magic Band so magical. Mr. French has three (that I know about) marvelous solo/leader releases in his long career: 'Waiting on the Flame' (1994/Demon), 'O Solo Drumbo' (1998, Avant) and 'City of Refuge' (2008, Proper). I especially love 'O Solo Drumbo', a solo drum masterwork. Mr. French has also some superfine records with Crazy Backwords Alphabet (w/ Kaiser & Andy West from The Dregs) and a later post-Beefheart version of The Magic Band. All of these releases are well worth seeking out. A toast to John Drumbo French for the above song and whatever he chooses to do best: create his own Magic Music. - Peace and Love to All, MC-BruceLee
*********
THE DMG 35th ANNIVERSARY IN-STORE CONCERT SERIES Continues with:
August 4th:
6:30: GUILLERMO GREGORIO - Solo Clarinet with Tapes
7:30: INVISIBLE GUY: BEN GOLDBERG - Clarinet / MICHAEL COLEMAN - Synth
8:30: ANTON PONOMAREV - Alto Sax / ADAM LANE - Bass / PATRICK GOLDEN - Drums
August 11th:
6:30: BEN GOLDBERG - Clarinet
7:30: ALEXANDER WU - Electronics / ROBERT KARPAY - Cello
8:30: MATT HOLLENBERG - Guitar - Bass VI / RON ANDERSON - Guitar - Bass / LARRY KWARTOWITZ - Drums
*********
TISZIJI MUNOZ / RA KALAM BOB MOSES * - Sudden Heart Liberation (Ra Kalam Records 044; USA) Featuring Tisziji Munoz on guitar, Ra Kalam Bob Moses on drums, congas & percussion and Art Edmaiston on saxes (track 10 only). It’s been three years (July of 2023) since we've gotten in a new record from Cosmic/Spirit Jazz Guitar great Tisziji Munoz. Since we last heard from Mr. Munoz, both he and his bandmate Ra Kalam have moved down south: Munoz to Virginia and Ra Kalam to Memphis, Tennessee. This disc was recorded in January of 2023 in Richmond, Virginia. Although Mr. Muñoz has used a number of different drummers on his vast sea of (around 50) recordings, he has worked mostly Ra Kalam Bob Moses and Rashied Ali. His recordings with Ra Kalam date back to the early 1990's and they've recorded dozens of recordings and live gigs ever since. I believe that this is/was their first duo recording to be released.
The first thing I noticed here is how well this is recorded and perfectly balanced. Commencing with "This Freedom is Love", the duo sound relaxed and calm at the center. The drums are recorded in stereo so that it sounds like we are sitting in the center of the sound field. "The Goom-Boom Whack" has layers of Ra Kalam playing congas and other hand percussion and it is most hypnotic. Mr. Muñoz enters slowly, his distinct studio, sustain tone playing those slow-burning dream-like lines over Ra Kalam's spinning cushion of percussion, the flow sounds just right, most organic. There is a piece called "Mindless Drumming" but it doesn't sound mindless at al, it sounds like waves crashing upon waves with the listener floating on a raft on the calm, pulsating waves. "Rubber Band Groans" begins with just slowly churning, sustained notes on the guitar, each note humming or as it says groaning. Mr. Muñoz's tone here is dense and deep sounding, making each note count, carefully bending and stretching out note one at a time while Ra Kalam adds layers percussion swirls underneath. Since there is no bassist here, it is Mr. Muñoz's low end notes and Ra Kalam's bass drum and/or congas which provide those bass-like drones below. The way this is recorded, Ra Kalam's percussion has a most melodic, enchanting sound and it is mesmerizing to listen to. On "Ecstatic Pain Waves", it sounds like Muñoz is rubbing his strings to create those dark, haunting tones which are rather mysterious sounding. Instead of those Trane-like cascades of streaming notes, Muñoz lets his tone reach deep into our souls to stir up the cosmic cauldron that we all want to bathe within. Munoz's thick tone has a dark, metal-like resonance on "Blissful Heart Spasms" and it sounds as if he is slowing down the world to look closer at the inner working of us Spirit Beings. Memphis-based saxist Art Edmaiston adds several layers of floating saxes to the final piece, "Hearts & Voices of Heavenly Gratitude", hovering over Moses' thumb piano and haunting, melodic percussion. After so many releases of turbulent Spirit Jazz, this is another calming, dream-like world for Tisziji Muñoz and Ra Kalam Bob Moses to inhabit and create a healing space for us mortals. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
* Ra Kalam Bob Moses will be playing at the Jazz Museum in Harlem, NYC on August 6th, from 2-3 pm. The museum is located at 58 West 129th Street, between 5th Ave and Malcolm X Blvd.
KEITH TIPPETT // MARTIN PHILLIPS - The Authorized Biography (Jazz in Britain 93S; 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.
CD 1 features an unreleased solo piano set from The White Lion in Exeter, UK, from March of 1984. CD 2 features Keith Tippett’s Ark, live from the 100 Club in May of 1976. The personnel features Elton Daen, Larry Stabbins, Brian Smith & Chris Francis on saxes, Mark Charig & Dick Pearce on trumpets, Nick Evans & Dave Amis on trombones, Keith Tippett on piano, Harry Miller on contrabass and Louis Moholo on drums. I’ve listened to both CD’s several times and they are phenomenal.
We just got in the last 10 copies of this book & 2 CD Set which is now sold out. Five copies are already spoken for and 5 are still available as of now - 7/30/2026. Do not delay if you think you want this wonderful treasure. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
BOOK [328 pages, hardcover, LTD Edition of 1,000 & nearly sold out] $40
LAST 5 COPIES OF THIS LP: There is supposed to be a CD version as well, although our distributor for the LP doesn't list it yet
KEITH TIPPETT with ELTON DEAN / MARK CHARIG / NICK EVANS / ALAN JACKSON / GILL LYONS / et al - At The BBC 1969-70 (The 1960's 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
JOSILME with JOE FONDA / SILKE EBERHARD / EMIL GROSS - Hear This (Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 09/2026; Poland) Featuring Silke Eberhard on alto sax, Joe Fonda on contrabass and Emil Gross on drums. Recorded in November of 2024 at Limmitations in Austria. According to the liner notes, Berlin-based saxist Silke Eberhard and New York-based bassist Joe Fonda first met here at DMG a few years back and recorded together with Austrian drummer, Emil Gross, in late 2024. Downtown bass great Joe Fonda certainly needs no introduction. I've been checking out and have been greatly impressed by German saxist Silke Eberhard since around 2007. Ms. Eberhard has recorded with Ulrich Gumpert, Aki Takase, Dave Burrell and the Wayne Horvitz Orchestra. Austrian drummer, Emil Gross, we know from his work with Oliver Lake's Generations Quartet and a fine duo effort with British bassist Paul Rogers.
Both Mr. Fonda and Ms. Eberhard have written pieces for this disc as well as one cover by Oliver Lake. It sounds like Ms. Eberhard is playing flute on the opener, "In the Whitecage", which was most likely inspired by the late saxist, Mark Whitecage, who Mr. Fonda worked with for many years. Although it is not listed in the liner notes, I know that Mr. Fonda also plays flute and the first sounds we hear are flute and alto sax with simmering cymbals. The trio sounds calm and eerie as Fonda switches to his trusty contrabass. The piece is long and flows freely but is deeply connected as well and ends with another solemn flute and sax duo. Ms. Eberhard's "Like" is next and it reminds me of one of those tight. difficult pieces that Anthony Braxton composed for 'New York, Fall 1974'. Although the piece is only 3 & 1/2 minutes long, all three members play their written parts superbly. "Ping Pong" was also written by Ms. Eberhard and it is another challenging yet relaxed piece. Master- bassist, Joe Fonda sounds fine here playing those tight, complex written lines and centering the trio just right. The title track, "Hear This" was written by Mr. Fonda and it is the longest piece here. This piece is astonishing in the way that it keeps switching currents, speeding up, slowing down, sprinting and soaring at times, the trio super tight as things unfold. Mr. Fonda takes a long, impressive bass solo midway, something he always excels at. Ms. Eberhard also takes a long and winding alto sax solo here which is story-like and thoughtfully played. Drummer, Emile Gross also takes a fine solo in the last section of this piece as well. The last piece is a two-parter with the first part, "Rollin'", written by Oliver Lake. "Rollin'" opened up a Lake release called 'Generations Quartet' which included the drummer here. It is another long work which evolves through different sections. Mr. Fonda's bass is at the center here and holding the trio tightly together, playing a most hypnotic churning bass-line over and over in the first section which features yet another inspired bass solo. As ther bass solo unwinds, the sax and drums re-enter and a series of skeletally charted parts with Fonda's bass being in constant motion. Although this disc is recorded live, the sound is superb, warm, clean and perfectly balanced. This is by far one of the best sax-led trio releases I've heard in recent memory. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15
SEAN NOONAN // LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - The Drummer of Tedworth (Neuma Records 245; USA) I've been checking out drummer, composer and multi-bandleader, Sean Noonan, ever since a trio known as The Hub moved to town in the late 1990's. Punk/metal/electric jazz bassist was a member of The Hub. Sean Noonan has recorded nearly 20 releases since 2003, each one blurring the categories from modern classical, progressive, electric and avant jazz with different rock influences. I've caught some of Noonan's different projects like Brewed by Noon and Pavees Dance and I have been knocked out with each of his concerts and varied releases. In more recent times, Mr. Noonan has worked with the Ligeti (String) Quartet and has done a fine tribute to Frank Zappa,
Sean Noonan moved to the UK a few years ago and has been working with British musicians. Although I've dug all of the discs and concerts that Noonan has donea and this is appears to be his most ambitious project yet, composing for and recording with the prestigious London Symphony Orchestra. The story behind 'The Drummer of Tedworth' was inspired by a drumming ghost which was chronicled in a novel called 'Seducismus Triumphatis' which was published in 1661. The title character was known as Olis and Olis was searching for something known as pnoom. The story of Olis and his search is long and filled with many strange characters, twists and turns.
This release features Sean Noonan on drums, composition, vocals & production with the London Symphony Orchestra. Disc 1 is called Part 1: "Pnoom" and the main character, Olis, is in search of something called "Pnoom", which is some sort of holy phenomena. Olis/Noonan is the narrator here and he has a youthful, charming voice. Noonan's drumming is modest at first and works well with the orchestra. The music has a warm, more moderate quality, Rather Americana-like Aaron Copland. The second piece is called "The Pterodactyls Have Landed" and it has a quaint, innocent quality, reminding me somewhat of "Peter and The Wolf". "The Arachnids Go So Wild" has a more dramatic vibes, with arachnids referring to several species of spiders. Although I can understand most of the words here, we still have to listen closely to hear all of what's going on. The sound of Mr.Noonan's voice is rather child-like and often charming. Noonan often speaks calmly and quietly, never yelling or screaming. The music here is rather nice, never extreme, always tasteful. The original storey is one of poltergeist, with dark spirits that haunt the protagonists' family. The music and spoken word vocals here are not quite so dark. I am not so sure how much of the story that I can hear or appreciate. The music and voice do work wonders as they weave an odd story without any excess theatrics. Most enchanting in a modest way overall. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD Set $16
QUENTIN TOLIMIERI - Monochromes II (elsewhere 044-3; USA) Featuring Quentin Tolimiieri on piano and compositions. This is the second 3 CD set that the elsewhere label has released. CD 1 begins with what sounds like clanking washing machines, perhaps it is the constant throbbing chord that Tolmierie keeps playing over and over and over. As he repeats the chord, he is holding down a pedal which makes the repeating resonate and throb. The throb seems to expand over time, getting more dense and intense as it repeats. The overall vibe is rather harrowing since it feels as if we are drowning in an aura swamp which keeps getting more dense and overwhelming. Is this minimalism or perhaps maximalism? Each CD is broken into four parts of varying lengths. On "Monochrome 17b", tempo has increased as the throbbing chord continues to expand and overwhelm us. There is a wave or a series of waves which are washing over us throughout each part. The sound wave is blurred as it expands, the repeating chord continues as it keeps going. There seems to be ghosts or spirits inside of the blurred waves. Like a long period of circular breathing on a sax, the constant throb is relentless and not so easy to deal with. "Monochromes 18a" features another intense, unrelenting tapping chord on the piano with an occasional single note being dropped in from time to time. What I find interesting here is that each piece evokes a different pattern which we must get use to since it keeps repeating over and over and over. The effect that is produced is slightly different on each piece, and at times we feel somewhat numbed or overwhelmed. Each of the three discs consists of four versions of "Monochromes", and the effect they have on us is often unsettling. Like Anthony Braxton's 'Ghost Trance Music' phrase, it takes patience to listen to this music. This music will most likely drive some folks crazy but for myself, the patience is rewarding since each piece reveals its own sonic soundscape. An impressive excursion if you can deal with it. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
3 CD Set $25
ABDULLAH IBRAHIM - 3 (Gearbox GB 1591CD; UK) Taken from Abdullah Ibrahim's summer 2023 sold-out headline date at London's Barbican Centre, 3 follows suit and is spread across two performances -- the first is recorded without an audience ahead of the concert straight to analogue on a 1" Scully tape machine, which had previously been used by Elvis at the famous Memphis-based Sun Studios. The second recording is taken from the evening's performance itself with Ibrahim performing in a unique trio which includes Cleave Guyton (flute, piccolo, saxophone) who has performed alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, and Joe Henderson, as well as lauded bassist and cellist Noah Jackson, both of which are members of EKAYA and featured on Ibrahim's Top 3 Billboard Jazz album The Balance.
2 CD Set $22
HENRI POUSSEUR - Paysages Planetaires (Alga Marghen NMN 051CD; Italy) Last copies, reduced price. In 2000, Henri Pousseur was asked by Philippe Samyn, a Brussels-based architect who liked to work in collaboration with other artforms, to lend his support to the plan for the construction of a business complex by one of the most important building enterprises in the country. There were four low buildings arranged like different parts of a medieval castle-village, grouped around a kind of large open central court. Leaning on the suggested image, Pousseur immediately suggested that the first spinal-column be composed of an electronic carillon, sounding in variations every hour, thus marking the hours between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Henri Poussuer imagined then a connection between Nivelles-time (a city 40 km south of Brussels, where this large project would be situated) and the time of the entire planet and the more or less metaphoric sonic and musical realities attached to it. He made on the one hand the 16 hours of a theoretically complete day of work (from the cleaning service up to the last research in the office) correspond to the 24 hours of a complete terrestrial revolution. He then divided the globe into eight large north/south "slices," themselves divided into three perpendicular "rings": north, center, south, with the understanding that only inhabited lands were taken into consideration. To each of the 8 "great hours" of the total duration, Pousseur associated three regions, one of each ring (north/central/south) set out as far apart as possible on the terrestrial globe. Over a background of a fairly continuous variety of noises which are perpetually evolving: sea, fire, city, swamp, industry, forest, etc., there are ethno-musical samples from one region or from several regions involved, more or less worked over by all sorts of numerical methods which vary their capacity to be recognized as quasi-traditional music. This work once finished (realized in the studio of the composer's son Denis), Pousseur made a synthesis on three discs by superimposing the landscapes (a bit in the manner of the previous Etudes paraboliques) in 16 Paysages Planetaires. The titles of the landscapes express by their contraction the simultaneous or alternate presence of several regions; for example, "Alaskamazonie" is self-explanatory. Something like "Gamelan Celtibere" is a sort of play on something between the West Coast of Europe with the Indonesian archipelago and even the northern part of Australia. Continuing like this you could find it amusing to reconstruct the circumplanetary movement of the work. Michel Butor wrote the luminous prose-verse alternating poetic structure which accompanies these landscapes. His text is included in the 60-page documentation booklet, also featuring two long essays by Henri Pousseur: "Paysages Planetaires" and "Atmospheric and Cultural Sources for Each of the Landscapes." Finally, with this work, Henri Pousseur makes an homage to all the singers and instrumentalists, sound engineers, ethnic musicologists and editors who have either produced, or gathered and transmitted, all the marvelous musical invention which inspired and nourished the work and which, with the sounds of the world, of nature, of society and of industry, are supposed to represent a kind of formal summing-up of life's multiplicity. All the images, obtained through extensive digital treatments, were conceived and manipulated by Henri Poussuer. Housed in a heavy cardboard slipcase with 3CDs and a 60-page booklet.
3 CD Set $32
CLUSTER - Zuckerzeit (Bureau B 447CD; Germany) Released in 1974, Zuckerzeit marks a clear turning point in Cluster's work, introducing shorter formats and a more defined rhythmic framework. The increased use of drum machines and structured sequencing sets it apart from the duo's earlier, more diffuse recordings, while maintaining a focus on texture and tone. Developed in close proximity to Michael Rother and under increasingly independent production conditions, the album establishes a more direct and accessible approach without simplifying its underlying ideas. This standard edition makes the album available again on CD and vinyl following the previous limited anniversary release. A key recording in Cluster's catalogue, capturing a pivotal moment of transition and refinement. In 1974, Cluster entered the sugar era. Many things have changed for band members Moebius and Roedelius since Cluster II: They had moved from boisterous Berlin to this calm rural village, they had founded the band Harmonia, had set up their own studio and had bought new equipment. As a result of this and many other things, new impulses were noticeably spurring the evolution of their music. The album Zuckerzeit ("sugar era") launched a revolution for Cluster. Strictly speaking, Zuckerzeit is not really an album by Cluster. More precisely, the LP contains two mini solo albums by Moebius and Roedelius. Those who were familiar with the stylistic peculiarities of the two musicians could easily relate the solo pieces to either one of them. As Roedelius and Moebius had not yet released any solo works by the time, it was actually not possible to draw up any comparisons yet. Zuckerzeit is light and cheerful, freed from the Germanic gravity and the mystic incense fumes that were so fashionable at the time. Cluster managed to keep both feet on the ground without becoming plain or even sterile. The friendliness of the music is clearly due to the two personalities of Roedelius and Moebius; its down-to-earth character possibly comes from Michael Rother, the album's co-producer. When comparing Zuckerzeit to the works of other electronic combos produced at the same time, it is first of all the shortness of the tracks that seems most striking. The fact that Cluster worked in such a calm and collected way, that they concentrated on their musical ideas instead of losing themselves in long-windedness -- all this taken together gave way to the creation of electronic miniatures that sounded as extraordinary in the 1970s as they still do today.
CD $17
DWIGHT TRIBLE with KAMASI WASHINGTON / G.E. STINSON / et al - Ancient Future (Gearbox GB 1584CD; UK) Originally released in 2023. Dwight Trible presents Ancient Future. Featuring special guests Kamasi Washington, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Greg Paul, Megashia Jackson, G. E. Stinson, Andrew Gouché, John Beasley, and Rene Fisher. On Ancient Future, Trible collaborates once again with Kamasi Washington (saxophone), as well as lauded LA multi-instrumentalist Georgia Anne Muldrow (vocals), who is signed to Brianfeeder and has previously worked with the likes of Madlib, Denzel Curry, Mos Def, Blood Orange, and Brittany Howard. Elsewhere, the record also features double Grammy winning pianist, John Beasley; Kamaal Williams touring drummer Greg Paul; gospel bassist Andrew Gouché; percussionist and backing vocalist Megashia Jackson; LA guitarist G. E. Stinson; and percussionist Rene Fisher. A key figurehead in the LA jazz scene, Dwight Trible is a legend in waiting. With an incredible career spanning decades, he has played a pivotal role in creating as much jazz history through his work and inspiration in the new wave of US jazz, as he should be noted for in his undoubtable vocal and songwriting talent. He is the vocalist for the Pharoah Sanders Quartet and has collaborated with a huge variety of artists. Trible has also been on the forefront of the US jazz resurgence, working as executive director of the hugely crucial arts space The World Stage -- a vital component to Leimert Park, which has been the epicenter of African-American art and culture in Los Angeles since the late 1960s. Ancient Future is another step out from behind the curtain for Dwight Trible, and one that continues to celebrate the local community, the artists who have come up through The World Stage. These are all things that may seem external to Trible on first look, but they are in-fact elements that largely what make him who he is, and with this album, there is no better time to get to know him.
CD $17
THE DURUTTI COLUMN - Renascent (London Records LMS 1725758; France) Renascent marks the long-awaited return of legendary Manchester outfit The Durutti Column, their first new studio album in over fifteen years, produced by Keir Stewart. Around the guitar work of Vini Reilly, the album plays between sonic atmospherics and structure: warm ambient washes, piano, beats and guest vocal turns by a new generation (Caoilfhionn Rose on "Agonistes" and Lucas Elliot on CD bonus track "All they See is Fire"). Both contemporary and otherworldly, and with a swathe of new champions citing the band as an influence (Blood Orange, Harry Styles, The Avalanches, Mark William Lewis), Renascent is a timely and vital rebirth for The Durutti Column. Artwork by long-time collaborators 8vo. This CD features an exclusive additional bonus track "All They See is Fire." Also available on 1LP yellow standard edition (LMS 1725759) and 1LP coke bottle green deluxe edition (LMS 1725760) with exclusive alternative artwork, gatefold sleeve and large format 12-page booklet.
CD $17
THE DURUTTI COLUMN - Vini Reilly (2026 Reissue)(London Records LMS 1725876; France) The Durutti Column's Vini Reilly album is available again to everyone. Produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur, The Cranberries, New Order). Many new champions cite the band as an influence (Blood Orange, Harry Styles, The Avalanches, Mark William Lewis). Includes booklet.
CD $13
LP SECTION:
JOHN TCHICAI Featuring DON CHERRY & SAHIB SHIHAB - Beautiful United Harmony Happening / The Education Of An Amphibian (Formalibera 1FFJT176; Italy) Alga Marghen/Formalibera present the first of a series of released documenting the work of Danish composer and multi-instrumentalist John Tchicai. This new LP features two previously unpublished recordings, "Beautiful United Harmony Happening" with Don Cherry and "Education Of An Amphibian" with Sahib Shihab. Tchicai returned to his native Denmark in July 1966 after spending a remarkable four years in New York City. In that short span, he helped redefine and expand the relationship between soloing, collective improvisation, and composition in small free jazz ensembles such as the New York Art Quartet, the New York Contemporary Five, and on albums such as New York Eye and Ear Control with Albert Ayler and John Coltrane's Ascension. It certainly counts as one of the most fertile periods in any artist's career. Yet when he returned to Europe, Tchicai turned his attention primarily (although not exclusively) to large ensemble music. The breakthroughs made in New York were not lost, but transferred to a large group context, opening up further avenues of exploration. "The Education of an Amphibian" by the John Tchicai Octet represents a first try at "Komponist Udøver Ensemble," or "Composing Improvisers Orchestra," an approach that further blurred boundaries between improvisation and composition. Recorded in October 1966, the piece presents Tchicai as composer and guiding presence; an organizer of sounds; and an explorer of a widening musical vocabulary drawn from contemporary classical and African influences. "Beautiful United Harmony Happening" is something different -- an opportunity to embrace new modes of interdisciplinary performance. From the beginning of his return to Denmark, Tchicai sought out not only musicians, but artists in all artforms and began to organize happenings. Although rarely noted, ideas linked to Fluxus, performance art, and happenings were a large influence of Tchicai's thinking at this time. All these related movements sought to blur or erase boundaries between media and set up juxtapositions between styles and artforms that disrupted received ideas of "high" and "low" art. Participation by non-artists introduced elements that challenged ideas about virtuosity and legitimate expression. Random elements were embraced, and non-Western music and concepts were welcome. This performance, heard here in an excerpt from the full two-hour performance, is very much in this vein. It is one of the last performances involving members of Cadentia Nova Danica, but they are only one component (and hardly the focus) of an ensemble that included a five-member chorus of disciples of the Swami Narayanananda (Tchicai lived at the yogi's ashram and had organized the choir himself), the Diane Black Dance Theatre, and trumpeter Don Cherry. Includes insert.
LP $26
LOREN CONNORS / ELLIOTT SHARP / MICHAEL VALLERA - When the Moon is New (Feeding Tube Records FTR 827; USA) Featuring Loren Connors, Elliott Sharp and Michael Vallera on guitars. Recorded live at P.I.T. (Property is Theft) in Brooklyn Halloween of 2025. I've known of guitarist Loren (Mazzacane) Connors since the late 1980's when he first played at Manny's old store, Lunch For Yor Ears. I've caught Loren Connors live on many occasions with his wife Suzanne Laguille, as well as with Alan Licht, Jim O'Rourke and many others. I've known and been friends with guitarist/composer/multi-bandleader/multi-instrumentalist Elliott Sharp since the early 1980's. He remains one of quintessential Downtown figures with a vast catalogue of releases. I hadn't heard of Michael Vallera, who is an electronic musician from Chicago with a dozen discs under his own name. He appears to be playing electric in the photo on the back of the cover. Mr. Connors started off playing first acoustic and then electric blues in solos and duos and has developed his own sonic world. The first piece, "Pathway to Dawn" features Mr. Connors' cerebral, ghost-like sustained drone drifting with haunting results, slowly fading in and out of our collective reach. A second spectral, ghost-like sound (Vallera's I assume) hovers in as well. The overall sound is stark, hypnotic and somewhat scary as if we are listening to an ancient ritual taking place with ghosts floating around us. Both guitarists are using effects to alter the sound of their guitars causing us to be spooked by what we hear and/or feel. The second piece is called "Ostraca" and it is a trio effort. The trio is much more intense and scary, several layers all simmering together. Each layer has different effects added to it is hard to tell who is doing what yet the overall sound is most mesmerizing. Side 2 starts with an Elliott Sharp solo guitar. Mr. Sharp has a unique way of tapping on the strings of his guitar which he does here (faster, slower), muting certain strings with his fingers or hands. If I didn't know better, it would be hard to tell what instrument was being played but I've heard & seen Mr. Sharp play many years. Sharp plays with eerie restraint and uses space most effectively. Sharp also uses an ebow to coax hypnotic sounds from his strings. Although Mr. Sharp's piece is longer, the vibe of the first side continues, perhaps even further out, especially the way he rubs the strings. The final trio piece is a great way to close this album, all three guitars quietly mutating together.
LP $25
MARS with SUMNER CRANE / CONNIE BURG / MARC CUNNINGHAM / NANCY ARLEN - Live At the Village Gate: August 26, 1977 New York City (Hozac Records HRZ 237LP; USA) "A common misconception about Mars is that their music was meant to be dark and nihilistic. That's not totally wrong: When their guitars sawed noise, rhythms lurched heavy and words came in howls, listening could be a harrowing experience, as suffocating as any of their apocalyptic No Wave counterparts. But the quartet's work was also energetic, joyful and buoyantly melodic. After all, they started by jamming on tunes by the Velvet Underground, pretty much the ur-band when it comes to sounding both dark and bright. As much as Mars stretched and remade that model into new wiry shapes, the spark of brightness sustained. It's easy to hear when listening to this set recorded in the summer of 1977 at a series of shows put on by the late Terry Ork at the Village Gate, a renowned jazz club in Greenwich Village. All eight songs have an urgent bounce, which is clearest in the caffeinated energy of the vocals, usually delivered in the pungent wail of either Sumner Crane or Connie Burg. Mark Cunningham's rubbery bass and the chopping guitars of Crane and Burg shoot flares as if they were running a fireworks display. Add Nancy Arlen's nonstop drumming -- roughly echoing Mo Tucker if she had extra limbs and Live at the Village Gate becomes a dizzying rush of tunes that zooms by in a taut 24 minutes. Though Mars hadn't even recorded at this point, they were already what Burg called 'like a machine in a way -- a really out of control machine.' Most of these songs were honed when the band was called China, a name they changed a few months before this gig after discovering other, potentially litigious groups bearing that moniker. In fact these songs were so far along that when Mars did start recording, only '3E' would survive, none of the other seven would ever see the dank light of a studio." - Marc Masters
LP $22
ANDREW SCHMIDT - Peter Jefferies - The Other Side of Reason (Hozac Records HRZ 025BK; USA) 320 pages, softcover. "Hozac Books presents another foundational brick in the pantheon of New Zealand underground music with Peter Jefferies - The Other Side of Reason, a career-spanning biography by music historian Andrew Schmidt of Audioculture.nz. Covering Jefferies' earliest musical projects during the first wave punk heyday such as Dull Emma and Pink Noise on into Nocturnal Projections, This Kind of Punishment, Plagal Grind, Cyclops, and much more in striking detail, the author leaves no stone unturned and weaves Jefferies life story into a gripping saga of innovation, isolation, and redemption. Alongside is the story of the evolving Flying Nun imprint as well as the creation of Xpressway which served to fill a sorely needed gap in handling and distributing more of the marginal New Zealand lo-fi recordings to the masses. The Other Side of Reason truly shows the endless power of creative perseverance and the intensities that come therein when dealing with that immovable thrust in the core of your being and how to channel that into something that lasts for the ages. For ten long years between 2002 and 2012, Peter Jefferies, the New Zealand indie composer and musician didn't answer the phone or his email, when old and new fans and friends called. He didn't want to know about the brilliant run of solo albums and live shows that sparked a major cult following in the United States. Then step by step, note by note, year by year, Jefferies emerged from his Taranaki abode on the edge of home city, New Plymouth, to see nearly every major work he'd meticulously assembled in the post-punk and alternative rock era between 1980 and 2002 in New Zealand and the US reissued and universally praised. The cultural footprint from his busy and fiercely creative years with Nocturnal Projections, This Kind of Punishment, Xpressway Records, Plagal Grind, Cyclops, Two Foot Flame and solo was that deep. Returning sporadically to the live stage in New Zealand, new music soon flowed, adding to one of the small South Pacific nation's most potent collections of words and sound. Written with Peter's cooperation, Peter Jefferies - The Other Side of Reason reveals the stark beauty, brutal honesty and endearing humanity of his best work, as music historian, Andrew Schmidt, traces the Stratford-born musician's life through New Zealand's punk and post-punk hot spots in Auckland, New Plymouth, and Dunedin in the 1980s and early 1990s, and then, when the world came calling, Chicago, Vancouver, and Austin, Texas, with tours through Europe and Australia from the mid to late 1990s into the new millennium."
Book $36 [320 pages; softcover]
MORE BURIED TREASURES FOUND AT HMS DMG:
THE NU BAND with MARK WHITECAGE / THOMAS HEBERER / JOE FONDA / LOU GRASSI - In Memory of Mark Whitecage / The Nu Band Live at the Bopshop (Not Two MW 1019-2; Poland) Featuring Mark Whitecage on alto sax, clarinet & Dine' flute, Thomas Heberer on quarter-tone trumpet, Joe Fonda on contrabass & flute and Lou Grassi on drums & percussion. The Nu Band have been around since the turn of the century and continue as one of the greatest of all Downtown bands. The personnel remained the same for many years: Roy Campbell, Mark Whitecage, Joe Fonda & Lou Grassi. Sadly, the great trumpeter Roy Campbell passed away in January of 2014 and was eventually replaced by ICP trumpeter Thomas Heberer. Sadder still was the loss of their saxist Mark Whitecage in March of 2021, earlier this year. In January of next year (1/21/22), the latest version of the Nu Band with Kenny Wessel added on guitar will play a rare NY date. This disc features the final live performance with the Mark Whitecage on the frontline standing next to Thomas Heberer on quarter-tone trumpet and backed by Joe Fonda on bass and Lou Grassi on drums. This live date was recorded at the BopShop in Rochester, NY, the same place where the first Nu Band disc was recorded in 2001, 20 years ago this year! Each member of the quartet contributed 1 or 2 songs to this date. Mr. Whitecage's "Prayer for the Water Protectors" starts off with some lush Dine' (Native American) flute, a didjeradoo-like trumpet drone, bowed bass and simmering cymbals. Next up is "Five O'Clock Follies" which has a sly, bebopish theme, pumping bass and a sublime, skeletal groove by Mr. Grassi. One of the things that I've dug the most about saxist Mark Whitecage is his ability to soar, tapping into the cosmic spirit which runs through all the great jazz saxist from the bebop days on through the freer days a decade or so later. Whitecage sails through this piece like a crazed bird navigating the harsh winds of a great storm. Mr. Heberer's "One for Roy" begins freely and with restraint, the trumpet and alto sax play tightly and inventively together here. On "The Closer You Are, The Further It Gets", Heberer has written some quirky lines for the quartet to play through, each one evolving from one section to the next. The ever-inventive master-bassist Joe Fonda is on fire throughout this piece, spinning out quick, tight lines with Mr. Grassi's great mallet-work. The last section of this piece has Mr. Whitecage really digging deeply and erupting intensely, the piece ends with a well-written two horn dazzling display. There is also some extraordinary free interplay between the clarinet and trumpet on "Christophe and Ornette", the entire quartet burning tightly together, exchanging lines in a great, tipsyish swagger. Joe Fonda's "Minor Madness" features Mr. Fonda's marvelous bass at the center of the piece, with a nonstop inventive flow of ideas. I dig the poignant harmonies on "Dark Dawn in Aurora", written by Lou Grassi and a perfect way to bring this mighty fine disc to great close. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD Sake $12
OLIVER LAKE / FLUX QUARTET with TOM CHIU / CONRAD HARRIS / MAX MANDEL / FELIX FAN - Right Up On (Passin' Thru 41236; USA) Featuring Oliver Lake on alto sax & compositions and the Flux (String) Quartet: Tom Chiu & Conrad Harris on violins, Max Mandel on viola and Felix Fan on cello. Oliver Lake has been collaborating with the Flux Quartet since 2002 and composing for string quartets for even longer. Although Mr. Lake and the Flux Quartet have been working together for 15 years, this is their first recording together. Mr. Lake keeps busy leading several bands: an organ quartet, a big band and Trio 3 (with Reggie Workman & Andrew Cyrille). This disc shows quite another side to what we've heard from Mr. Lake so far. Lake plays on four of the eight pieces here with everything composed by him. On the opener, "Hey Now Hey", Mr. Lake's sax sounds like a member of the string quartet whenever he is playing. Lake's tart, bluesy, distinctive tone comes through the bent, shifting strings, tightly wound together. One of the things I like most about this is that it never gets too dense or difficult. The music seems to breathe and takes it time to unwind. The final and most ambitious piece is called "Einstein 100", written for the 100th anniversary of Einstein's presentation of the "Theory of Relativity'. This piece sounds very focused, with a number of intense unaccompanied solos, ensemble sections and unmarked improvisations. The solos often have striking eruptions by the rest of the group with bursts of coughing and other extra-curricular material. This piece ends with what sounds like a repeating melodic fragment which sounds somehow familiar and leaves us wanting for more. This disc is a departure for Oliver Lake and one that will take time to further explore. I can actually hear Mr. Lake's distinctive voice/sound at the center of these pieces like a golden thread running through a complex tapestry. No small feat, I assure you. - Bruce Lee Gallanter
CD Sale $12
JASON KAO HWANG with KEN FILIANO / ANDREW DRURY - Human Rites Trio (True Sound Recordings TS 03; USA) Featuring Jason Kao Hwang on violin, viola & compositions, Ken Filiano on contrabass and Andrew Drury on drums. It seems that Downtown string wizard, Jason Kao Hwang takes his time in between releases in which he is the leader, having around a half dozen discs under his own name in the past several decades. This is aside from his work with Anthony Braxton, William Hooker, Butch Morris and Joe Daley. Mr. Hwang has been using the rhythm team for several of his discs as a leader (around 15 years), bassist Ken Filiano and drummer, Andrew Drury. This disc begins with "Words Asleep Spoken Awake, Parts 1 & 2". The trio jumps into a great groove right from the opening tag, repeating that festive line over & over with Mr. Hwang soon taking an inspired and intense solo. I can tell that this trio has been together for a long while as they soar tightly together and consistently maintain a jubilant, festive spirit. On the second part of the opening piece, the tempo increases to boiling point and it sounds as if the trio is about to fly apart, jeez, too much! Midway through this piece there is an incredible bowed bass solo from Mr. Filiano, one of Downtown finest and most in demand contrabass masters. Things slow down for the next piece, "Conscious Concave Concrete", which is more stripped down and has Mr. Hwang playing most of the song on just plucked strings in a rather bluesy swagger. There is an epic piece here called, "Battle for the Indelible Truth", is consistently explosive and moves in short tight bursts with some brilliant violin which is on the verge of going too far at times but keeps coming back, eventually mellowing out in the second half for a more calm conclusion. The last piece, "Defiance" bristles with a more restrained sort of defiant vibe, as if it is trying to both push us and hold back whatever is bottled up at the same time. One can fill in what they want as far as how they feel about the skeletal way that things unfold here. This disc was completed during Covid-19 pandemic and is dedicated to the doctors, nurses and other frontline workers who are doing their best to save lives. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD Sale $10
THE SCIENCE GROUP with CHRIS CUTLER / BOB DRAKE / STEPHEN TICKMAYER - Spoors (ReR Science 2; USA) Featuring legendary percussionist Chris Cutler, classical composer Steven Tickmayer and ex-Hail & Thinking Plague member Bob Drake on bass. This is the second splendid progressive feast from The Science Group. It deals with extremes and implosive compositional forms. Using song cycles as the musical schematic, 'Spoors' delves into the ambiguities of chaos theory, the mysteries of black holes and galaxy formation. The Science Group offers a richly textured primer on the exigencies of science and the fundamental laws of physics.
CD Sale $8
JACK O' THE CLOCK With DAMON WAITKUS / JASON HOOPES / JORDAN GLENN DARREN JOHNSTON / CORY WRIGHT / et al - Repetitions of the Old City (JOTC 06; USA) "Jack of the Clock just seem to go from strength to strength, one of the most original and compelling groups I know playing some amazing compositions that seem to tread effortlessly between Van Dyke Parks and folk music from an as yet unidentified culture, while making all the things you've always thought of as difficult sound as effortless and natural as breathing." - Fred Frith "[The] compositions and the ensemble playing is beautiful, confident and perhaps even a bit heavier than what we're used to [with the band's earlier work]. Fantastic balance of songs and moods, and no shortage of raw soul and emotional power. How can I describe these guys? Maybe what would happen if you threw "Heavy Horses' era Tull and Roy Harper into a blender with a dash of Henry Cow and a pinch of "English Settlement' era XTC. In other words - You don't want to miss this!" - Ian Beabout, Deep Cuts This is the sixth disc from the amazing, Bay Area phenomenon, Jack O' the Clock! I've only listened to this once so far as it just came in on my birthday (6/19) and haven't had time to further explore it yet. Can't wait to play this several times this week as I am a big fan. Except for Thinking Plague, there are no other US bands currently existing who are influenced by the Henry Cow/Art Bears/Canterbury axis, that I know of. Grab this now! - BLG/DMG
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 RESIDENCIES / LUKE STEWART / JULY 29-AUG 1
7/29 Wednesday
8:30 pm: SOLO - Luke Stewart (bass)
7/30 Thursday
8:30 pm: Blacks' Myths - Luke Stewart (electric bass guitar, electronics) Warren Crudup (drums)
7/31 Friday
8:30 pm: SILT TRIO - Luke Stewart (bass) Brian Settles (tenor sax) Chad Taylor (drums)
8/1 Saturday
8:30 pm: SILT TRIO PLUS ONE - Luke Stewart (bass) Brian Settles (tenor sax) Chad Taylor (drums) Daniel Carter (sax)
THE STONE RESIDENCIES / MATANA ROBERTS / AUG 5-8
Matana Roberts presents the premiere of "Cinder Sessions"
Wildcard configurations of six fabulous musicians
8/5 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Cinder Sessions I: Matana Roberts (sax) Chris Ryan Williams (trumpet) Lester St. Louis (cello) Adi Meyerson (bass) Ryan Sawyer (drums) plus a special guest
8/6 Thursday
8:30 pm - Cinder Sessions II: Matana Roberts (sax) Chris Ryan Williams (trumpet) Lester St. Louis (cello) Adi Meyerson (bass) Ryan Sawyer (drums) plus a special guest
8/7 Friday
8:30 pm - Cinder Sessions III: Matana Roberts (sax) Chris Ryan Williams (trumpet) Lester St. Louis (cello) Adi Meyerson (bass) Ryan Sawyer (drums) plus a special guest
8/8 Saturday
8:30 pm - Cinder Sessions IV: Matana Roberts (sax) Chris Ryan Williams (trumpet) Lester St. Louis (cello) Adi Meyerson (bass) Ryan Sawyer (drums) plus a special guest
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
**************
THIS COMES FROM OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT THE BURNT SUGAR ARKESTRA:
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
********
ZURCHER GALLERY Presentation:
Thursday, September 24th at 8:30 PM
Density 2036: part xi Album Release
Terry Riley’s The Holy Liftoff (2024)
Realization by Samuel Clay Birmaher
Performed by Claire Chase (flutes) and JACK Quartet
At the Zürcher Gallery
33 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012