DMG Newsletter for March 2nd, 2018

No Poem(s) Today, Nothing New to Say
Except that the Deluge of New & Creative Music Continues
So Check Out This Short List Sonic Treasures from:

Roscoe Mitchell Montreal-Toronto Art Orchestra! Fred Frith & Resident Hardy Fox! Matthew Shipp Quartet: Mat Walerin / Michael Bisio / Whit Dickey! Aruan Ortiz Trio: Brad Jones & Chad Taylor! Christy Doran Trio! Samuel Blaser Quartet with Marc Ducret! Klause Schulz!

Plus Archival Recordings by: Dizzy Gillespie! Nat Adderley! Un Drame Musical Instantane! $10 CD Sale! LP Records from Sun Ra Arkestra! Early Recordings from Iran! Iannis Xenakis! Max Eastley/Steve Beresford/David Toop/Paul Burwell! Massimo Pupillo & Creta! Maya Deren! Heldon! And Even More..!

*****************

THE DMG 27TH ANNIVERSARY SERIES OF SONIC CELEBRATIONS Continue with:

Sunday, March 4th:
6pm: RAF VERTESSEN / KEISUKE MATSUNO / HANS TAMMEN - Drums / Guitar / Buchla Synth!
7pm: JIM DENLEY - Solo Bass Flute (Australian master of extended techniques)

Rare Tuesday, March 6th Performance:
6:30pm: GIANT DWARF: MARTIN PHILADELPHY / JEREMY CARLSTEDT - Guitar / Drums

Sunday, March 11th:
6pm: SEAN ALI and AYAKO KANDA - ContraBass & Voice
7pm: DOGWOOD: NICO SOFFIATO and ZACH SWANSON - Guitar and Double Bass!
8pm: BEN GOLDBERG and TOM RAINEY - Clarinet and Drums!

Sunday, March 18th:
6pm: NICK FRASER and INGRID LAUBROCK - Drums and Tenor &/or Soprano Saxes
7pm: NIKOLY HAEN and CHRIS PITSIOKOS - Guitar & Alto Sax

Sunday, March 25th, 2018:
6pm: ROSS HAMMOND & ANDREW DRURY
7pm: BONNIE KANE and ADAM LANE
8pm: DENNIS REA - Solo Electric Guitar!

Sunday, April 1st, 2018 / April Fool’s Day / Easter Sunday!
6pm: LOUISE D.E. JENSEN Birthday Celebration
7pm: JACK WRIGHT and ZACH DARRUP - Alto Sax and Guitar

DMG is located at 13 Monroe St. (between Catherine & Market Sts) in a basement below a small gallery. Take the F train to East Broadway or the 6 train to Canal or the B or D to Grand, or the M-15 bus to Madison & Catherine. Come on Down, the Sunday Music Series is Always Free & the Vibes are Always Cosy

**********

ROSCOE MITCHELL / MONTREAL-TORONTO ART ORCHESTRA - Ride the Wind (Nessa 40; USA) Acclaimed musician/composer Roscoe Mitchell continues his textural elaborations of the "Conversations" recordings with Craig Taborn and Kikanju Baku. "Ride the Wind" is a collaboration with the Montreal - Toronto Art Orchestra, an extraordinary group of improvising musicians. The ensemble consists of 6 woodwind, piano, vibraphone, tuba, 2 each of trumpet, trombone, viola, string bass and drums. Mitchell joins the orchestra on sopranino saxophone for "They Rode For Them - part 2". The ensemble had 4 days of rehearsal and concerts in Montreal and Toronto before venturing into the recording studio.
CD $16

FRED FRITH & HARDY FOX - A Day Hanging Dead Between Heaven And Earth (Klanggalerie GG 264; EEC) Fred Frith and Hardy Fox met very early in both their careers. Frith released his first solo albums on The Residents' Ralph Records. Many years later, their paths crossed again and they decided to record an album together. A few tunes were created, but the project was shelved for ages until the tracks were rediscovered in 2017 and immediately finished by Frith and former Residents composer Fox. "It began in Big Sur. Fred Frith and I, sitting naked on two small wooden blocks, legs crossed, hands resting on our knees. A small clearing on a rise above the Pacific Ocean, waves pounding a steady beat against the rocks far below. I had arrived at the Zen retreat the previous afternoon and Fred was one of the first people I ran into. I'd met him in more formal situations at Ralph Records, but we had not previously hung out socially. Fred was not big on talking, so we sat in quiet contemplation. But soon I became aware of a humming sound and realized Fred was singing quietly to himself accompanied by the rhythm of the waves. I whispered, "What are you singing?" He apologized and whispered back that he was making up melodies. My Walkman was a constant companion and asked if it were okay to record him. He said I could. We grew close over the next couple of days, and when I returned to San Francisco I transferred the waves, the birds, and the singing to a multi-track tape machine and made a collage. Next time Fred came through town I played it for him and we speculated on developing the recordings for some kind of Residents/Frith project. I thought it quite good, but not enough material for an album. No additional work took place, and the project was largely forgotten until, years later, I began cataloging my collection for the new company I'd started, Hacienda Bridge. There it was. Walter Robotka at Klanggalerie contacted Fred who was curious to hear it again after all this time. Fred was enthusiastic, and couldn't wait to resume work on the long-lost recordings."
CD $18

MATTHEW SHIPP QUARTET - With MAT WALERIAN / MICHAEL BISIO / WHIT DICKEY - Sonic Fiction (ESP-Disk 5018; USA) Downtown master pianist, Matt Shipp, and Polish reeds player, Mat Walerian, have been working together over the past few years and have recorded three previous CD’s for ESP-Disk: a duo and two trios, one with William Parker and one with Hamid Drake. Mr. Walerian, often plays with a good deal of restraint and thoughtful consideration, bringing out a side to Matt Shipp that we don’t often hear. For this session, Mr. Walerian, has chosen to use two of Mr. Shipp’s longtime cohorts, Michael Bisio (from Shipp’s current trio) on contrabass and Whit Dickey (from many older sessions with Shipp, like the David S. Ware Qt) on drums. All of the pieces on this disc have been composed by Mr. Shipp, hanse this is not your usual group improv session. Starting with “First Step”, there is a good deal of dreaminess going on, slow, suspense-filled, delicate, hypnotic, spacious. On “Blues Addition”, Mr. Shipp leaves a few suspended chords hanging in space by themselves. A duo of clarinet and contrabass picks up the thread and continues the same moody vibe, with Walerian coaxing out soft, slightly-bent notes on his clarinet. “The Station” features Mat Walerian on solo clarinet, carefully playing each note as it it were his last, making every note/sound count. On “Easy Flow”, Mr. Shipp plays unaccompanied, taking a phrase and slowly turning it inside out, quietly twisting in subtle knots. On the slyly titled, “The Problem of Jazz”, Bisio’s busy bass burns through the entire piece with occasional eruptions from drums and sax. In some ways, this disc sounds like a suite, with each piece somehow related in mood and/or one of several themes that Mr. Shipp plays ands then mutates in his own unique way. There is much somber reflection going on here, hence it takes a bit of patience to appreciate the more subtle side and development of thematic material. Listening to this disc at home without distraction, it make more sense, like telling an interesting story. It feels just right on the second sunny day after a long, cold winter. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

ARUAN ORTIZ TRIO With BRAD JONES / CHAD TAYLOR - Live in Zurich (Intakt 301; Switzerland) “When Aruán Ortiz appeared with his new trio at Zürich’s unerhört!-festival on 26 November 2016, the sense of anticipation was palpable; how would the music from the well-received studio album Hidden Voices feel in a live context. The trio were at the end of their first European tour, and on a roll. Immediately after the concert Ortiz was already enthusing about the interaction and musical dialogue. “Mulling it over” – like the aging process of wine; carrying one or two pieces around with you for years, till the final versions emerge. In Ortiz’ case this applies to compositions such as “Fractal Sketches” and “Analytical Symmetry”, which were first heard on the studio album Hidden Voices, here in a new line-up, with Brad Jones on bass and Chad Taylor on drums, after an intensive two-week tour. That close relationship between the musicians and the song grows tremendously the more you play it, and it develops a musical trust within the band. When all goes well, the sound and energy are in tune with the compositional idea. On this live album we can hear just how well it went on 26 November 2016 at the unerhört!-festival in Zürich.”
CD $18

CHRISTY DORAN TRIO - Undercurrent (Intuition 71326; Germany) “Featuring Christy Doran - electric guitar, Lukas Mantel - electric bass and Franco Fontanarrosa - drums. Christy Doran is a great guitarist who has been around and bubbling under the radar on so many European releases for so long that he's too easily taken for granted. He's an excellent player with a wide pallet of sounds that he pulls out of his instrument and he is one of those players who manages to be simultaneously 'in and out'! This features his band "Sound Fountain", a great electric power trio. Recommended!”
CD $16

* SAMUEL BLASER QUARTET With MARC DUCRET - Boundless (Hatology 706; Switzerland) Featuring: Samuel Blaser on trombone, Marc Ducret on guitar and Peter Brunn on drums. "Parsed into four discrete pieces, the Taktlos performance is a fluid exercise in revolving roles from the jump. Ducret trades in jagged punctuations, mercurial arpeggios and swollen drone bursts on Stoppage, the first and longest. Blaser reacts as balm, his lubricious lines drawing a direct invisible lineage back suave and soothing bop purveyers. A reversal and it’s Blaser with low brass growls as Brunn colors the corners and edges keeping a rhythmic presence which bolsters and ornaments without drawing attention away from the colloquy of his colleagues. A drum solo filled with fluid, frothing beats works as both palate cleanser and reset into an ambling blues. Later, a froggy brass ostinato serves a similar purpose signaling first clean picking from Ducret and then feral, sharp-fanged blasts of distortion."
CD $18

* The SAMUEL BLASER TRIO (with MARC DUCRET & PETER BRUUN) will be playing at Roulette on Monday, June 18th, 2018

The ANTHONY BRAXTON SEXTET - Charlie Parker Tribute 11 CD Set on New Braxton House will remain on sale for one more week!

ANTHONY BRAXTON SEXTET With PAUL SMOKER / ARI BROWN / MISHA MENGELBERG / JOE FONDA / HAN BENNINK or PHEEROAN AkLAFF - Sextet (Parker) 1993 (New Braxton House 907; USA) “Is the music of Anthony Braxton impenetrable? Frankly yes, and absolutely not. There are entire wings of his musical house, for instance his Trillium R operas, Echo Echo Mirror House, and Ghost Trance Music, that listeners find untraversable. Some folks cannot reconcile one approach with another or choose to listen solely to one Braxton musical system, such as his work with computer audio programs, or his free improvisational work. With the sheer volume of Braxton's recorded output, a listener's passion for just one musical system is a just and noble endeavor. said, his many projects are not mutually exclusive, and the key to unlocking the sometimes mysterious music of Braxton is his work in the jazz tradition. These 11 CDs, all music associated with Charlie Parker, were recorded in Cologne, Amsterdam, Zürich, and Antwerp during a brief tour in 1993. The music was originally released as a two-CD Anthony Braxton's Charlie Parker Project 1993 (Hat Art, 1995) and remastered by Hatology in 2004. The original release featured Braxton on alto and soprano saxophones and contrabass clarinet with his sextet of drummer Pheeroan AkLaff, saxophonist Ari Brown, trumpeter Paul Smoker, and pianist Misha Mengelberg. The second disc swapped Pheeroan AkLAff for drummer Han Bennink.
All the original music (15 tracks) are here, some expanded from their edited form, plus 53 others on these 11 discs. We also hear Braxton performing on flute and at the piano, an instrument he favored in the mid-1990s. Yes, 11 hours, 17 minutes is quite a lot of music, and who needs six versions of "Klactoveedsedstene"? Charlie Parker fans for one, plus Braxton devotees, especially those that revere his "in the tradition" covers. This collection gives us samplings of many aspects of the great man's approach to music.
Charting a course through Braxton is like walking the Dharma path, albeit a secular one. It is said that those that approach enlightenment expand their awareness of a single moment into hundreds, maybe thousands of moments. Like Charlie Parker's perception of harmonic structures and chord progressions that exploded the simple swing music his peers were making, Braxton's music expands those singular moments of Parker into thousands of moments.
Before we get all woo-woo cosmic here, let's just say there is something for everyone in this box set. He pulls out his contrabass clarinet on "Sippin' At Bells" and "Scrapple From The Apple" just as he did with "Ornithology" back in 1974 for the What's New In The Tradition (SteepleChase) recordings. With both compositions the ensemble pares down the sound to parse out the minute characteristics of the music. Not a fan of the deliberate approach? Braxton's scorching take on Dizzy Gillespie's "Bebop" certainly would have outgunned the young lions of the early 1990s. Where another musician might have mimicked, Braxton maintains his self while speaking the language of bebop. Ari Brown's saxophone plays the straight man in this duo, but a straight man like Dean Martin to Jerry Lewis with perfect timing and beautiful tone. We can't fail to note Paul Smoker's trumpet here, rich with growls, high wire gymnastics and a thorough knowledge of bebop.
The seven takes of "Klactoveedsedstene" give the best examples of Braxton's Parker-plus approach. He allows each version to deconstruct and follow its own improvised path. The most entertaining might be the take with Han Bennink aboard. The drummer replaced AkLaff for just one date, and his natural chemistry with fellow Dutch swing pianist Misha Mengelberg is quite evident. His freewheeling pillage of the pulse opens the sextet into wordless song and it coaxes Mengelberg's pugnaciousness. Like Braxton is to Parker, the pianist is to Thelonious Monk. We understand Monk is where he begins, before flowering into a language all his own.
Braxton himself plays piano on five tracks. Again, this aspect of his music is itself a métier championed by some and dismissed by others. His raw percussive attack brings to mind another saxophonist, Charles Gayle. Both horn men distinguish themselves by their idiosyncratic style.
If you are a timid listener, start with the more straightforward approaches like the sextet's take of "An Oscar For Treadwell" and then venture into the multi-faceted 34-minute "Parker Melodies" that plays like a stream of consciousness. The music is an Anthony Braxton dream of Charlie Parker. Braxton's music might be best described as a life choice, by the nature of it's magnitude. New listeners will find this set a great entry point to the indulgent rabbit hole experience that is Anthony Braxton.” - Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz
11 CD Set $150 [If you pre-order for the first 2 weeks, (until 3/8/18), you can take $5 off and get this box-set for $145)


UN DRAME MUSICAL INSTANTANE [JEAN-JACQUES BIRGE / BERNARD VITET / FRANCIS GORGE] - A Travail Egal Salaire Egal (Klanggalerie GG 244; EEC) A Travail Egal Salaire Egal was Un Drame Musical Instantane's third album, originally released in 1982 on the group's own GRRR label. Since its creation in 1976, featuring Jean-Jacques Birgé, Bernard Vitet and Francis Gorgé, the group has decided to promote collective musical creation, co-signing their albums, which they consider as artworks in themselves, or their live shows which they try to renew every time they play. Un Drame borrowed their sources from rock (synthesizer player Birgé and guitarist Gorgé, both authors of the album, Défense de); jazz (trumpeter Vitet who founded the first free jazz band in France, together with François Tusques, as well as Michel Portal who played with many American and European jazzmen); classical modern music; as well as movies or world news; they were the first in France to give a new impetus to live music on silent films. Birgé and Gorgé also recorded a duo album that was mentioned on the infamous Nurse With Wound list, Défense De. On À Travail Égal Salaire Égal, you will hear their wild mix of styles, a very original, unclassifiable, inventive music, which drifts from jazz to electronic music and contemporary music. Remastered in 2016 and with a lot of bonus material.
CD $18

UN DRAME MUSICAL INSTANTANE [JEAN-JACQUES BIRGE / BERNARD VITET / FRANCIS GORGE] - Rideau! (Klanggalerie 221; Germany) Rideau! was Un Drame Musical Instantane's second album, originally released in 1980 on the group's own GRRR label. Since its creation in 1976, featuring Jean-Jacques Birge, Bernard Vitet and Francis Gorge, the group has decided to promote collective musical creation, co-signing their albums, which they consider as artworks in themselves, or their live shows which they try to renew every time they play. Un Drame borrowed their sources from rock (synthesizer player Birge and guitarist Gorge, both authors of the album, Defense de); jazz (trumpeter Vitet who founded the first free jazz band in France, together with Francois Tusques, as well as Michel Portal who played with many American and European jazzmen); classical modern music; as well as movies or world news; they were the first in France to give a new impetus to live music on silent films. Birge and Gorge also recorded a duo album that was mentioned on the infamous Nurse With Wound list, Defense De. On Rideau, you will hear their wild mix of styles, a very original, unclassifiable, inventive music, which drifts from jazz to electronic music and contemporary music. Remastered in 2016 and with a lot of bonus tracks, amongst them the track that appeared on United Dairies' compilation album "In Fractured Silence" for the first time in its full length!
CD $18

KLAUS SCHULZE - Le Moulin De Daudet (Made in Germany 1582; Germany) "The trademark of epic poet Klaus Schulze is still distinctive even in the 21 short and very short pieces... Ready for an Oscar. Le Moulin De Daudet was a commission fort the French-Arabian director Samy Pavel. Klaus invited director and producer to visit him in his studio. For one week they cooked, ate, drank good wines and Klaus played the soundtrack direct to the rough cut of the movie. Another pearl from the huge Schulze cosmos."
CD $21

NAT ADDERLEY - The Classic Albums Collection: 1955-1962 (Enlightment 9140; EEC) Nat began the 1960s with one of most acclaimed albums, Work Song (Riverside, 1960). Adderley himself was praised for the lyricism of his playing, while his famous title track would go on to become a pop classic too. Cannonball returned to the fold on That's Right! (Riverside, 1960), an album which saw Nat's cornet curiously fronting the "Big Sax Section". Naturally! (Jazzland, 1961) found Adderley leading a different quartet on each side of the record. In The Bag (Jazzland, 1962) once again featured Cannonball and Sam Jones alongside tenor saxophonist Nat Perrilliat, Ellis Marsalis on piano and James N. Black on drums. For the remainder of his life, Nat Adderley maintained a busy schedule of recording sessions and live performances, often alongside his brother. He appeared on more than 100 albums overall, and in 1975 Nat and Cannonball composed the musical 'Shout Up A Morning', based on the story of folk hero John Henry. After the sudden death of Cannonball Adderley later that year, Nat's career was put on hiatus, but he returned to playing in 1976, and thereafter toured internationally with various groups. Nat Adderley died on 2nd January 2000; he left behind an extraordinary musical legacy, albeit one that has rarely achieved the recognition it deserves. This four CD collection brings together eight original Nat Adderley albums from the great musician's golden years. Showcasing perfectly Nat's innovative and versatile style, this lovingly remastered set serves as a timely reminder of this jazz legend's finest work.
4 CD Set $18

DIZZY GILLESPIE - The Classic Verve Collection (Enlightenment 939; EEC) Dizzy Gillespie spent the early 1950s recording for labels such as Savoy, Norgran, Clef and Debut, before signing to Verve Records in 1956. His first release with Verve was 1956's Dizzy In Greece, recorded shortly after the conclusion of Gillespie's State Department-sponsored world tour. In December 1957, Diz recorded with pioneering saxophonists Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins. The interplay between the participants resulted in some of the greatest moments recorded by any of them; the resultant album, Duets, came out in 1958. Sonny Side Up from 1959 again featured the same three musicians performing together. Dizzy Gillespie's next release on Verve was Have Trumpet, Will Excite! (1959). In a similar vein, An Electrifying Evening With The Dizzy Gillespie Quintet (1961), was recorded live at the Museum Of Modern Art in New York City. Gillespie saw out 1961 with Perceptions, his final album for Verve; he left the label the following year. The record featured a single composition and arrangement by trombonist J.J. Johnson, which blended jazz overtones with elements of classical music, while simultaneously allowing room for Gillespie's trademark solos. The ensemble was conducted by Gunther Schuller. Following his departure from Verve, Diz recorded for a number of other labels, including Pablo, Phillips, Impulse! and Atlantic, but with none of whom did he ever again reach the artistic heights he had achieved with Verve. This four disc collection, containing over five hours of music in total, features eight of the finest LPs Gillespie recorded for Verve Records during this pivotal period of his career. Showcasing scores of famous names and some of the best playing to grace jazz records of the era, this set will delight Gillespie fans universally, while also acting as a fine starting place for those new to this legendary musician's work.
4 CD Set $18

$10 CD Sale - Overstock, Understock, Too Much Stock, take 5 or more from this list and get $1 off of each title

PHAROAH SANDERS / HAMID DRAKE / ADAM RUDOLPH - Spirits (Meta 004; USA) This in-concert recording (locale unidentified) is a continual performance that acts as a suite in three basic parts, with Sanders on tenor sax, wood flutes, and percussion, helped by multipercussionists Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph. The music is as the title suggests: spiritual, multi-ethnic, mostly serene, and quite improvisationally derived. It's a beautiful statement from Sanders, very similar to the music Yusef Lateef has played (with Rudolph and Eternal Wind) and different than his more major-label efforts. "Sunrise," running over 19 minutes, begins the hour-long program. Soft drone tones set up tenor meditations, slight percussive inserts, mbira and driftwood wordless vocals, and soulful chanting, then move back to tenor musings with bells, and visceral, gutteral chants. "Morning in Soweto" and "The Thousand Petaled Lotus" segue together with hand drum and tenor groove in a manner reminiscent of Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't" nestled in the Sudan! The next movement of the suite is in five parts. A demure gong, animal growls, and moans from "I & Thou" easily move into free and repeated wood flute phrases and insistent hand percussion as a driving force on "Uma Lake." "Molimo" is a separate entity, as counterpointed wood flutes hoot like owls with sexual overtones and rattling percussion. Fans of Sanders will be easily able to connect this music with his past glories, but it could be a portent of bigger things, and bigger ensembles, to come. Recommended. - Michael G. Nastos
CD $10

SAM RIVERS/ADAM RUDOLPH/HARRIS EISENSTADT - Vista (Meta 009; USA) Featuring Sam on tenor & soprano saxes & flute, Adam on hand drums & percussion and Harris on drumset. Nothing can stop the mighty Sam Rivers! It's been forty years since Sam Rivers blew up a storm while touring with the phenomenal Miles Davis Quintet. He soon recorded two classic albums for Blue Note, two more with Tony Williams, ran the Studio Rivbea on Bond St. during mid-to-late seventies and recorded a number of classic avant jazz gems with his trios (Dave Holland & Barry Altschul at first) and various big bands. He moved to Jersey in the eighties and then to Florida in the nineties, where he still resides, is a professor and has yet another great trio and a couple of big bands. Mr. Rivers also does a few outside projects like his ongoing work with Alex Von Schlippenbach and Tony Hymas. Here Sam works with two fine LA based percussionists - Adam Rudolph who works often with Yusef Lateef and my friend Harris Eisenstadt who we know from his fine cds on CIMP. 'Vista' shows that Sam Rivers remains undaunted, filled with energy and ideas, an incredible match for any of his collaborators and here he has two strong percussive wizards. "Susurration" begins our journey with some magnificent flute and swirling percussion. Even with no bassist present, Adam and Harris still keep that low-end spirit humming with bass drums, conga and other deep skinned rhythms. Sam plays a different instrument on each piece and both percussionists have that ancient-to-modern vibe which keeps Mr. Rivers on his toes, balancing perfectly between worlds.
CD $10

MATANA ROBERTS - Always (Relative Pitch 1036; USA) Featuring Matana Roberts on solo alto sax. This superb disc was recorded in a darkened studio in Brooklyn and is one of tastiest gems of the year. Ms. Roberts closed her eyes and dug deep within to provide us with some sublime, heartfelt sonic medicine. This disc consists of two long "Untitled" pieces, both about 20 minutes. Ms. Roberts' tone is especially warm, each phrase thoughtfully constructed with jus a hint of real room reverb. The weight of the world seems to weigh on all of us, especially artists who then transform their feelings into something that reflects our plight. For me, this music is like a candle burning which can't be easily extinguished. In the center of the flame is hope for a better day. Ms. Roberts sounds like she is working with fragments of prayer-like melodies at times. Ms. Roberts does a beautiful job of telling a story here with her lone sax, creating characters and scenery as well. "Always" is one of today's most enchanting jewels. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

AB BAARS / IG HENNEMAN / INGRID LAUBROCK / TOM RAINEY - Perch Hen Brock & Rain - Live @ The Jazz Happening Tampere (Relative Pitch 1051; USA) Featuring Ab Baars on tenor sax, clarinet & shakuhachi, Ig Henneman on viola, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor & soprano saxes and Tom Rainey on drums. Last year we received a great disc from the quartet: Luc Ex/Ingrid Laubrock/Ab Baars/Hamid Drake called ‘Assemblee’. Around the same time another quartet emerged featuring two couples: Ig Henneman & Ab Baars (Netherlands-based) and Ingrid Laubrock & Tom Rainey (NY-based). Ms. Hennenman plays viola, composes and runs the Wig label while Mr. Baars is a longtime member of the ICP Orchestra & leads several of his own bands. Ms. Laubrock is the current rising star saxist of the Downtown Scene, also leads several bands and is a truly fine ever-evolving composer. I caught Ms. Laubrock three nights in a row last week (early July, 2016) in the solo, duo & trio settings and was knocked by each performance. Mr. Rainey reigns as one of the finest & most distinctive drums in NY, his trio (with Ingrid & Mary Halvorson) is just incredible! This disc was recorded at the Tampere Jazz Happening (festival) in Finland in November of 2014 and the sound is superb. Since both couples have worked together in duos and larger settings for so long, we can hear the way they converse in a most engaging way, exchanging ideas, lines flowing back and forth throughout. There are sections when both Ms. Laubrock and Mr. Baars play some multiphonic high note interaction which is quite breathtaking. Ms. Laubrock has been playing more soprano sax in recent years and her playing is getting better & better. The interaction between her soprano sax and Ms. Henneman’s viola is especially riveting. There are a number of great viola players currently around (like Jessica Pavone & Charlotte Hug), however Ig Henneman remains one of the best. She is in especially fine form here, weaving her lines amongst the two spirited reeds and organic, distinctive drumming of Mr. Rainey. This is a most extraordinary quartet, one of the finest improvising units of the year. We can only hope that this fine quartet will find their way here in the near future. In the meantime, check this dynamite disc! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $10

EUGENE CHADBOURNE / JOE MORRIS / MARK DRESSER / SUSIE IBARRA - Pain Pen (Avant 044; Japan) This is both avant-jazz guitar explorers Eugene & Joe's debuts as co- leaders for Zorn's (Avant) label - both guitarists had played their first duo together at Eugene's guitar fest at Tonic last summer and this all-star quartet got together in the studio for this cd also for their first time. Actually, Dr. Chad has been playing more banjo in recent years, an interesting choice since I can't recall anyone else playing free-jazz banjo. When Eugene does play electric guitar on this endeavor, both he and Joe do a fine job on swirling layers of lines & notes into a dense web of activity - moving through slower sections of cascading waves into thick sections of quick, spiraling mountains of notes. The Mark & Susie rhythm team is also a first, but makes perfect sense, since they both love to explore extended sounds - with Mark bowing & rubbing the strings into submission and Susie's gongs & cymbals providing a fresh response. On the second piece - all hell breaks loose - Eugene sounds like he is harshly rubbing the guitar strings with some metal object and even utilizing occasional feedback, while Joe also spins off a mass of quick & frenzied notes, the entire quartet takes off for the stratosphere! There are also a number of duo & trio sections which emerge from denser sections. Sometimes Joe will lead the rhythm team through a somber jazz oasis and Eugene sometimes takes detours through blues and bluegrass areas. At times, it sounds as if there are two different duos playing at the same time, one must work hard at hearing the connections, which seem to run underneath the dense din. This makes for an extremely challenging listening experience, which I rewarded when it often comes together in a focused storm. - BLG
CD $10

THE COSMOSAMATICS [SONNY SIMMONS/MICHAEL MARCUS/WILLIAM PARKER/JAY ROSEN] - The Cosmosamatics (Boxholder 022; USA)The Cosmosamatics are a most appropriately titled all-star avant jazz quartet who came together for this first effort and feature sixties free-jazz legend - Sonny Simmons on alto sax & English horn, local reeds giant Michael Marcus on straight tenor & alto saxes, the ubiquitous contra-bass hero - William Parker and the ever-inventive drummer Jay Rosen (who plays for Joe McPhee & Ivo Perelman). Their special guests include James Carter on bass sax, Karen Borca on bassoon & Samir Chatterjee on tabla. Both saxists are leaders and have over a half dozen releases each - bass great, composer and multi-band leader William Parker has even more titles under his own name. Sonny & Michael have played together on a few occasions, but the rhythm section had never previously worked together- but it certainly doesn't sound like that. On Marcus' "Quasar"- Michael's tenor and Sonny's alto swirl their strong, dark and deep-toned saxes together in a mass of magic colors, cosmic harmonies for both horns! William's dense bass and Jay's ever-dancing drums also push both saxes into a spiritual space of volcanic eruptions. The rhythm team solos together at first in a seamless bond and both play strong solos. Sonny's "Mingus Mangus" also has rich sax harmonies (with the addition of James Carter) which reminds me of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's "The Inflated Tear". James Carter, who often has a habit of showing-off, plays ferocious bass sax here, not an easy sax to blast on, but he sounds fabulous! On Sonny's "Beyond the Inner East" he plays his great double reed English horn backed by some tabla, and even begins a hip-hop segment before the tune fades out. The final piece is "New Line Groove" and all hell breaks loose as Jay explodes on his drums and all three saxes erupt once more in an cosmic mass of phenomenal proportions - whoa, watch out as the heavens part and we are transported to cosmic worlds of tomorrow! This is an immensely powerful offering which will heal the sick and provide a much needed salve for this troubled world in which we live! - BLG
CD $10

ELLERY ESKELIN/SYLVIE COURVOISIER - Every So Often (Prime Source 4010; USA)Featuring Ellery Eskelin on tenor sax and Sylvie Courvoisier on piano. Although this extraordinary duo has not play in New York very often, they have done a bit of touring, playing in Vancouver, the Oregon Festival of Music, Baltimore, the Earshot & Penofin Jazz Fests, Baltimore, Hell's Kitchen Fest and of course, The Stone. Both Ellery and Sylvie remain amongst downtown's finest musicians and composers with a variety of projects and bands that they work with. The also have a trio disc with Vincent Courtois being released on CAM in Italy which we still await. I expected great things from this duo and I was completely knocked out by the results. There is some immense concentration going on here, a dialogue that goes back and forth and combines/blends ideas. On "Moderato Cantabile" the duo play a series of magical cascades, waves of notes building, caressing and slowly ascending, finally fading into silence. A superb beginning. Sylvie is quite a musical sorceress, she makes every note count. Whether she is playing inside the piano or on the keyboard, nothing is ever superfluous. On "A Distant Place" Sylvie seems to playing a few different inter-connected lines simultaneously while Ellery shifts between the lines providing a focal point of entry into ever-changing logic that holds this piece together. I love how on the title piece, the duo strip things down to a more skeletal approach so that each sound shimmers in the space between the notes. This duo exchange is a treasure chest of successfully contained ideas that just keeps getting better each time that I listen to it. I hope to see them live someday, but this disc still blows my mind in the meantime. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $10

DIZZY GILLESPIE/SONNY STITT/MAX ROACH/HANK JONES or JOHN LEWIS/PERCY HEATH - The Bop Session: 1975 (Gazell 1005; USA)This album matches together trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt (on alto and tenor) with an all-star rhythm section (John Lewis or Hank Jones on piano, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Max Roach) for six classic bop standards. Gillespie was near the end of his prime but is still in stellar form while Stitt typically eats the material (songs such as "Confirmation," "Groovin' High" and "All the Things You Are") with no difficulty. Bop fans should enjoy this date! "This Should have been titled THEE BOP SESSION, with the most formidable Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt blowing EVER, over and out, aided and abetted by Hank Jones/John Lewis, Max Roach and Percy Heath, all of them titans at the top of their game." - Keith McCarthy
CD $10

USTAD ALI AKBAR KHAN & PANDIT SWAPAN CHAUDHURI With JAMES POMERANTZ/BRUCE HAMM - Passing On The Tradition (Ammmp 9008; USA)Passing On The Tradition is an electrifying concert performance (5/26/95 in San Francisco) by India's master sarode player Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. As if defying his seventy-four years, his concerts are an undeniably exciting event. Mr. Khan has spent his life Passing on the Tradition he learned from his father/guru, Achharya Baba Allauddin Khan, who is/was one of India's foremost musicians of this century. Master tablaist Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri's rich and textured accompaniment, along with Pomerantz and Hamm on tanpuras, make for a performance one will not soon forget!
CD $10

SAMO SALAMON BASSLESS TRIOS With TIM BERNE/TOM RAINEY (U.S) or ACHILLE SUCCI/ROBERTO DANI (ITALY)- Duality (Samo; EEC) This disc features two trios with guitarist Salamon: with Tim Berne alto sax and Tom Rainey drums [4 tracks, 30 minutes]; and with Achille Succi alto sax or bass clarinet, and Roberto Dani drums [7 tracks, 45 minutes]! After a couple of fine discs on Fresh Sound New Talent with an all-star Downtown cast, Italian guitarist returns with a new disc featuring two different bassless trios, one American and one Italian. Both are great and the personnel well-selected. The European Trio features two other fine Italian musicians: reedsman Achille Succi, who has worked with Andrea Centazzo and numerous bands on the El Gallo Rojo label as well as drummer Roberto Dani has worked with Erik Friedlander, Stefano Battaglia and Umberto Petrin. Mr. Salamon wrote all of the pieces on this disc, having done a fine job of getting the best from both trios. The US Trio features Tim Berne on alto sax and Tom Rainey on drums, two musicians who have worked together for more than twenty years although they haven't recorded together in recent years. You wouldn't know this from listening since the US Trio sounds so tight and focused. Samo sounds like a a strong fusion era guitarists playing long, quick lines during his solo while slowing down for Mr. Berne to take his equally impressive solo at a more simmering, thoughtful pace. For "Flying Potatoes", Mr. Salamon wrote a series of spirited broken lines that the sax and guitar must connect as they speed up and slow down, remaining tightly intertwined. Mr. Salamon sounds a bit like Marc Ducret at times although he rarely plays fractured lines, mostly smoother, more linear with an occasional lightning speed. The Italian Trio is also impressive, diverse and often more restrained. I caught Mr. Succi a few times earlier this year at The Stone with Andrea Centazzo and was knocked by his playing each time. He has a strong, bittersweet tone here and plays lots of long, spiraling lines. The Euro Trio often sounds more relaxed and not filled with that nervous New York energy of the US Trio. Since Mr. Succi is a somewhat more lyrical player than Mr. Berne, he brings out another sense to match Mr. Salamon's more melodic side. Both trios are equally strong and compliment each other's sound. A most impressive disc from a new hard-to-find Italian label that we hope to hear more from in the not-too-distant future. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $10

DAVE VAN RONK With HARRY ALLEN/JOHN PIZZARELLI/KEITH INGRAM/EARL MAY/CHRISTINE INGRAM - Hummin' To Myself: Sings An American Songbook (Gazell 2004; USA) Featuring Dave Van Ronk on vocals, John Pizzarelli on guitar, Harry Allen on tenor sax, Keith Ingram on piano & arrangements, Earl May on bass and Christine Lavin on backup vocals. Dave Van Ronk's long career stretches back to fifties and has encompassed jazz, blues, folk and even rock songs. He was the godfather of downtown folk scene of the early sixties and one of the first people to befriend and help out Dylan when he first moved to NY. Van Ronk was never a prolific songwriter himself but was well known for covering a wide range of songs from different genres. For this record, which came out in 1990, Mr. Van Ronk covered mostly older jazz standards, using a fine jazz quintet to back him. This is one of the most relaxed and rather charming discs that I've heard from Van Ronk. Some of the more well-known covers include "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Making Whoopie" and "It Ain't Necessarily So". Sublime is a word I thought I would never use to describe a disc by Dave Van Ronk but this is the case here. - BLG
CD $10

LP Only/Mostly Section:

SUN RA & HIS ASTRO-IHNFINITY ARKESTRA - Sun Embassy (Roaratorio 045; USA) Roaratorio's survey of the unheard Sun Ra continues with Sun Embassy. Consisting of recordings from Sun Studios (aka Ra's house in Philadelphia) from 1968-1969, the album features nine tracks: six compositions which have never been heard before in any form, plus fresh coats of paint on such 1950s classics as "Sunology" and "Ancient Aiethiopia", and an early rendition of "Why Go To The Moon". Essential listening for Sun Ra devotees. Includes download coupon.
LP (only) $24

LET NO ONE JUDGE YOU - Early Recordings from Iran, 1906-1933 (Honest Jon’s Records 069; UK) Ravishingly beautiful, achingly precious songs and instrumentals, ranging from two performances by the Royal Court Orchestra in 1906 -- with futuristic, overlapping trumpets and exquisite clarinet improvisation -- through to a hauntingly soulful Hāfez setting by Moluk Zarrābi of Kāshān, from 1933. There are eight selections from more than 300 recordings made in 1909 above the Gramophone Company offices in City Road, London EC1, by the Persian Concert Party. Unrest at home had compelled the group to travel in order to record, paying its way with shows in Baku, Constantinople, Vienna, and Paris. Its music is a striking, experimental combination of European and Iranian elements, impressionistic and exotic, with chimes, castanets and rattles. There is an arrangement of traditional Persian music for pipe-organ; and rueful, imploring, besotted love-songs. "I am crazy with envy of the dress asleep in your arms and the oils rubbed into your skin." A setting of Rāheb's poetry by Moluk Zarrābi is drawn from 136 titles recorded at 1925 sessions in Tehran, when Iranian women were for the first time concertedly accepted as serious professional musicians, without the connotation of prostitution. Such was the social stigma borne by musicians, especially female, several of our singers hid their identities behind partial or assumed names. "Parvāneh," for example, "Butterfly" -- represented by her interpretations of Sa'di and Hāfez, with self-accompaniment on setar, a three-stringed lute ("seh," three; "tar," string), Iranian ancestor of the Indian sitar: "I am the slave of love..." And Helen, with some boozy Hāfez wisdom: "Keep your cards close to your chest. Kiss nothing except the lips of your beloved and the rim of a cup of wine. Let no one judge you." Moluk Zarrābi -- together with Qamar-ol-Moluk Vaziri -- featured on more than half the 1925 recordings. On her return to the studio the following year, she was accompanied on tar by Mortezā Ney-Dāvud, amongst the country's most acclaimed musicians and composers of all time, from the Jewish community of Tehran. It sounds like another stupendously gifted Iranian Jewish musician -- Yahyā Zarpamjeh -- accompanying Akhtar. Alongside one of these duets, two of Ney-Dāvud's solo recordings from the same sessions are instrumental highlights of this epic set, besides a series of staggering improvisations by Abd-ol-Hoseyn Shahnāzi, sublime ney and kamancheh playing by Mehdi Navā'i and the Armenian Hayk, and an anonymous tar solo from the South Caucasus, captured in Tiflis in 1912, red-raw and rocking. The music was restored from 78s at Abbey Road Studios in London.
4 LP Box Set $60

IANNIS XENAKIS - Persepolis (Karl Records 044-LP; Germany) After La Légende d'Eer in 2016 (KR 024LP), the Perihel series presents one of the milestones of electroacoustic music: Iannis Xenakis's mind-blowing, 54-minutes oeuvre Persepolis. Persepolis is the longest electroacoustic composition by Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) who ranks among the most influential 20th century avant-garde composers. Commissioned by the Persian Shah, the piece was part of a multimedia performance -- Xenakis's so-called "polytopes" -- which premiered in 1971 in Shiraz-Persepolis (Iran) as a performance including light-tracks, laser beams, groups of children walking around with torches, and 59 loudspeakers to project the music in an open-air situation. Xenakis had realized Persepolis on 8-track analog tape in the Studio Acusti in Paris and released a stereo reduction on vinyl in the famous Philips series "Prospective 21e Siècle" in 1972, adding the new subtitle "We bear the light of the earth", his most hymnal title ever. Out of print for decades now, the LP became -- especially the Japanese edition from 1974 -- one of the most expensive collector's item of electroacoustic music. There were some later CD versions with different durations -- too long due to a wrong sample rate, others shortened by three minutes due to other reasons. The Perihel series now presents a new version: mixed from the original master 8-track tapes by longtime zeitkratzer sound engineer Martin Wurmnest and mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin -- the same experts who had already taken care of the 2016 Karlrecords release of La Légende d'Eer, another milestone composition among the works of the Greek-French avant-garde composer. Previous releases in the Perihel series, curated by Reinhold Friedl: Guy Reibel's Douze Inventions en Six Modes de Jeu (KR 028LP, 2015); Iannis Xenakis's La Légende d'Eer (KR 024LP, 2016), John Cage's Complete Song Books (KR 029LP, 2016). 180 gram vinyl; Includes insert and download code.
LP $21

MAX EASTLEY / STEVE BERESFORD / PAUL BURWELL / DAVID TOOP - Whirled Music (Black Truffle 034; Australia) Presenting a reissue of a landmark UK release, Max Eastley, Steve Beresford, Paul Burwell, and David Toop's Whirled Music, originally released on Quartz in 1980. Remastered and cut at 45RPM by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering Berlin. Includes a 24-page booklet with archival materials and notes from David Toop, alongside contemporary reviews, flyers, notes on the instruments and performance documentation; Gatefold sleeve.
"[Whirled Music is] one of the key documents of the inventive and energetic scene around the London Musicians Collective in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Originally released on Toop's own Quartz label in 1980, the LP features a remarkable series of performances made entirely with whirled and swung instruments and objects. Part of the second generations of British free improvising musicians, the prolific scene centered around the performers heard here chafed at the limitations present within the music and ideology of improvising legends such as Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Tony Oxley, and John Stevens. Where the first generations of British free improvisers often demonstrated a rigorous commitment to non-idiomatic free improvisation and instrumental virtuosity, musicians like Beresford reconnected with the dada antics of figures like Han Bennink and surrendered to joyful musical promiscuity, gleefully disrupting expectations around 'serious' improvised music through quotations (of anything from Beethoven to reggae) and deliberate amateurism. . . . Beginning in 1979, Whirled Music was the title given to a series of performances in which a variety of instruments and objects, both home-made and store bought, traditional and invented, would be whirled to produce sound. In addition to variations on traditional instruments such as the bullroarer, Whirled Music also made use of whirled whistles, hand drums, radios, and microphones. Due to the danger this represented for both performers and audiences, the performers wore protective masks and were separated from the audience by a net. . . . Presented in glorious cassette-recorded room fidelity, the LP's first side features a single extended live performance in which percussive chattering, resonant gong-like tones, mysterious wind tones, and swells of delirious noise join together to create a sonic landscape as reminiscent of an environmental recording (wind in the trees, the squawking of birds) as of an ethnographic recording of the music of an unknown civilization. Although purely acoustic, the music has an unstable, dispersed quality reminiscent of the pioneering live electronics of the Sonic Art Union or even early Voice Crack. The LP's second side presents a series of shorter excerpts, including some beautifully sparse outdoor recordings where the sounds of the whirled instruments blend indistinguishably into the backdrop of environmental sounds." - Francis Plagne
LP $30

CRETA With MASSIMO PUPILLO / LUCIANO LAMANNA / ROBERTO ZANISI - Creta (Karl Records 053; Germany) Creta is the new project by Massimo Pupillo (Zu, Laniakea), electronic artist Luciano Lamanna, and string instrument virtuoso Roberto Zanisi. As a trio they explore an adventurous sonic territory between Coil in their ambient moments, dark bass pulses, and bucolic-Mediterranean string sounds. Creta is a new trio of artists coming from very different backgrounds: Roberto Zanisi is a finger picking guitar player and a virtuoso on strings of all kinds, including "exotic" instruments like the Turkish cümbüs, the Greek bouzouki, or the Albanian cifteli. Since 2003 he has been active in many contexts: he worked with Giovanni Venosta producing sound tracks for Silvio Soldini's movies, took part as soloist musician in Steward Copeland's tour "La Notte della Taranta (Night of Tarantula)", played with the American musician Amy Denio, and performed with Sainkho Namtchylak. Luciano Lamanna's main characteristics are experimentation, analog synths, vinyl, and a big love for techno. In 2015, the resident DJ at Ex Dogana, Roma and member of the Italian artist collective LSWHR launched the modular synthesizer project Balance (with Davide Ricci), and in 2017 he released the album Divus with Zu member Luca T. Mai, to name a few of Lamanna's many releases on labels like Earache, Boring Machines, Scuderia, and others. And, last but not least, there is Massimo Pupillo, highly acclaimed bass maniac with Zu, Laniakea, and in countless other constellations (amongst others Peter and Caspar Brötzmann, FM Einheit, Chris Corsano). As Creta, they create outlandish sonic pieces that blend sci-fi ambient atmospheres with dark bass pulses and bucolic-Mediterranean string instruments -- a unique and yet coherent mix of elements that adds consequently to the oeuvres of the three artists. 180 gram vinyl; Includes insert and download code.
LP $21

MAYA DEREN - Voices Of Haiti (Fantome Phonographique OME 1001; Italy) Fantome Phonographique present a reissue of Maya Deren's Voices Of Haiti, originally released as a 10" record in 1954. Maya Deren (1917-1961) was a Russian-American filmmaker and one of the most important voices in avant-garde cinema of the mid-20th century. She was a muse and inspiration to such up-and-coming avant-garde filmmakers as Curtis Harrington, Stan Brakhage, and Kenneth Anger, who emulated her independent, entrepreneurial spirit. Throughout the 1940s and '50s, Deren attacked Hollywood for its artistic, political and economic monopoly over American cinema. She stated, "I make my pictures for what Hollywood spends on lipstick." When Maya Deren decided, between the end of the '40s and the beginning of the '50s, to make an ethnographic film in Haiti, she was criticized for abandoning the avant-garde film world where she had made her place, but she was ready to expand to a new level as an artist. Deren not only filmed, recorded, and photographed many hours of voodoo ritual, but also participated in the ceremonies. It was in working on this film that Deren recorded the Haitian musicians found on these sides originally released in the very early days of Elektra records. Voices Of Haiti, a beautiful artifact of percussion and chant heavy ritual music, is one of the earliest and best Western ethnographic documents of voodoo culture in Haiti. It is unmissable both for its historical value and for the beauty and spiritual power of the music it contains. Original cover art for the album was created by the Japanese composer and performer Teiji Ito, husband of Maya Deren. Remastered; repressed here as a 12". Edition of 500.
LP $25

HELDON - Electronique Guerilla (Heldon I)(Bureau B 280; Germany) Bureau B present a reissue of Heldon's debut album Electronique Guerilla, originally released on Disjuncta in 1974. In 1973, 22-year old Richard Pinhas was well on his way to becoming a full-time philosopher. He had almost finished his PhD and begun teaching at the University of Paris. But he also had a hobby: writing music and recording it himself. When he submitted a few tracks to British label E.G. (home of King Crimson and Roxy Music), the imprint was interested, but Pinhas was frustrated to find out he'd have to wait a year for them to release anything. So Pinhas put out his first album on his own label, Disjuncta. He called the project Heldon (from a location in Norman Spinrad's 1972 sci-fi novel The Iron Dream). It might have been the first self-released rock record in France. "Or at least the first one that worked," says Pinhas. "It was like a musical and political event in France. Musical because there were few artists using synthesizers here, or even in the world. And political because we tried to say that the big companies make everything bad and their records are too expensive." Most of Electronique Guerilla was made by Pinhas alone, but "Ouais, Marchais, Mieux Qu'en 68" featured five collaborators, including one of his mentors, Gilles Deleuze. Over winding guitars and pointed percussion, the French philosopher reads lyrics taken from Friedrich Nietzsche's "The Voyager and His Shadow" (1880). Despite being self-released -- with Pinhas himself delivering some stock directly to record stores -- Electronique Guerilla quickly sold over 19,000 copies. That convinced Pinhas he should make and release more music by himself -- but he would have little time for philosophy. "I had to make a decision, because at that point in France, you couldn't do two jobs," he remembers. "So I made this very bad choice to be a rock 'n' roll musician." It's a choice he's stuck to for four decades, and the fiery Electronique Guerilla provided a potent spark.
LP $22

HELDON - Allez-Teia (Heldon II)(Bureai B 281; Germany) Bureau B present a reissue of Heldon's second album Allez-Teia, originally released on Disjuncta in 1975. Before making his own music in the early '70s, Richard Pinhas was a King Crimson fan. The British group has buzzed in Pinhas's mind for decades, but their greatest impact came early. When he first saw them play, Pinhas was struck by music played during intermission. "When I saw (King Crimson guitarist) Robert Fripp and Brian Eno perform in Paris later, I realized that the intermission music was their work," Pinhas said. "I didn't know that when I first heard it, but I was very impressed by it. It was the most important influence on Heldon." That influence is clear on Allez- Teia, originally released in 1975 on Pinhas's own Disjuncta label. "In The Wake Of King Fripp" is a soaring mix of string-like electronics and smeared guitar, a reference both to the guitarist and King Crimson's second album In The Wake Of Poseidon (1970). The meditative "Omar Diop Blondin", in which free tones float above a repetitive guitar figure, is dedicated to Fripp and Eno. A strong influence also comes from The Soft Machine's Robert Wyatt, who was slated to record some tracks with Pinhas for Allez-Teia until the expense of his travel from London to Paris proved prohibitive. Yet Allez-Teia -- the title a nod to the ancient Greek term for philosophical truth, "aletheia" -- is hardly a tribute album. The pieces Pinhas crafts with partner Georges Grunblatt -- guitar, Mellotron, ARP synths -- are beatific on the surface but infused with undercurrents of tension. Over four decades after he made Allez-Teia, Pinhas's admiration for King Crimson remains profound. He actually met Fripp in 1974, and the two still stay in touch. "We have a great friendship; he has been very helpful," says Pinhas. "Fripp has always been my Hendrix." Some artists might balk at admitting such strong influence over their own work, but for Pinhas it's all about respect. "In the academic world in France, you list your sources," says Pinhas, who received a PhD in philosophy before launching his music career. "So I thought it was good to say, 'Yes, we are influenced by this, and we are proud of it, and people have to know it.' The work of King Crimson at that time was very important. It's not a secret." 2018 remaster by Willem Makkee.
LP $22

USTAD ABDUL WAHID KHAN - Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan (Fantome Phonographique 1002; Italy) Presenting a reissue of Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan's self-titled release, originally released on Columbia in 1966. Even though the original recordings are crackly and in low fidelity (but also deeply charming) it seemed necessary to repress this record for its immense historiographic value. These recordings are made available here with new mastering, in as clear fidelity as possible. Fans of Indian classical music will no doubt know the name Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan. He founded the Kirana gharana musical family with his cousin Abdul Karim Khan in late 19th century, which was one of the most prolific and revered gharanas in Hindustani classical music. In addition, serious American minimalist scholars and fans have also been heard echoing his name, linked to that of Pandit Prân Nath, his student for over twenty years. It was Abdul Wahid Khan who pushed his pupil Prân Nath into exporting the techniques of their music school, which brought Prân Nath to the US where he drastically influenced most of the then-emerging avant-garde New York scene. Terry Riley, La Monte Young, Rhys Chatham, Jon Hassell, Yoshi Wada, Marian Zazeela, Henry Flynt, Charlemagne Palestine, and more were Prân Nath's students and in some cases close collaborators. It is therefore clear how important it is to gain deeper understanding of the music of Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan. A celebrated singer and sarangi player, Khan forbade recording of any of his performances to avoid imitation by other singers. Only these three pieces survived, recorded in secret for a radio broadcast in 1947, just two years before the singer's death. A truly stunning document that is essential to understanding the modern era of Hindustani classical music, whose influential reach is immeasurable. Edition of 500.
LP $25

JEAN-LUC GUIONNET & DAICHI YOSHIKAWA - Intervivos (Empty Editions 002; China) Empty Editions
present Jean-Luc Guionnet and Daichi Yoshikawa's collaborative debut, Intervivos. Recorded during a week-long residency at Hong Kong's Empty Gallery, Intervivos (Latin for "between the living"), refers to the vital and unexpected acoustic synergy that developed between Guionnet's extended alto saxophone techniques and Yoshikawa's feedback systems during these sessions. Although Guionnet and Yoshikawa both come from prolific backgrounds in free jazz and electroacoustic improvisation -- Guionnet plays in The Ames Room with Will Guthrie and Clayton Thomas and Yoshikawa studied with AMM's Eddie Prevost -- Intervivos sees them developing an approach to improvising which seeks to escape the increasingly narrow stylistic confines of these musical provinces. The album is characterized by a brutal foregrounding of process and material lacking from the experimental music of so many of their contemporaries. Rather than seeking refinement or resolution through existing structures, Guionnet and Yoshikawa prioritize a sort of collaborative musical searching in which the aural entanglement, layering and folding of their scorched intonations creates an emergent musical form -- a non-linear music which sounds both ancient and futuristic. Coruscating alto saxophone riffs appear suddenly, before disintegrating amidst slabs of feedback and flurries of metallic percussion. Other times, Yoshikawa and Guionnet conjure shifting clouds of sustained tones from the timbral meshing of their instruments -- yielding a sound somewhere between the dense textures of Iancu Dumitrescu and the floating harmonics of Gagaku. Far from improvisation as we know it, this album instead gestures towards a speculative "electronic" music created through the ritualistic misuse of acoustic instruments. Intervivos is a fierce, undecorated triumph in the ruinous expression of instruments -- exalted in both its turbulence, and in its extreme testing of improvisational reality. Put summarily by Seymour Wright in the album's liner notes: "You don't need me to tell you how it sounds, or how to listen [...] this record begins when you play it." Features artwork by Jean-Luc Guionnet. Liner notes by saxophonist Seymour Wright. Mastered by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering. Comes in a letterpress on Foldkraft paper sleeve. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
LP $32

********* *********

Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for February of 2018:

THE STONE AT THE NEW SCHOOL—55 WEST 13TH STREET

JONATHAN FINLAYSON Will Be at The New Stone from 3/1 to 3/3:

3/2 Friday
830 pm - SICILIAN DEFENSE - Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet) Miles Okazaki (guitar) Matt Mitchell (piano) John Hebert (bass) Craig Weinrib (drums)

3/3 Saturday
830 pm - Jonathan Finlayson Sextet - Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet) Steve Lehman (alto saxophone) Brian Settles (tenor saxophone, flute) Matt Mitchell (piano) John Hebert (bass) Craig Weinrib (drums)

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - JOHN SCHOTT - MAR 6–10

3/6 Tuesday
830 pm - John Schott (guitar) and Matt Wright (live electronics)

3/7 Wednesday
830 pm - The Actual Trio - John Schott (guitar) Dan Seamans (bass) John Hanes (drums)

3/8 Thursday
830 pm - The Actual Septet - Andrew D’Angelo, Jessica Jones, Claire Daily (saxophones) John Schott, Will Bernard (guitars) Dan Seamans (bass) John Hanes (drums)

3/9 Friday
830 pm - What Comes Before
Ben Goldberg (clarinet) John Schott (guitar) Michael Sarin (drums)

3/10 Saturday
830 pm - Cosmic Diaspora - Jake Marmer (poetry) Anthony Coleman (piano) John Schott (guitar) Aaron Alexander (drums)

SUNDAY MARCH 11 AT 3PM AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD
JOHN ZORN IMPROV MATINEE—A STONE BENEFIT at the Village Vanguard on
At 3PM: John Zorn (sax) Jim Staley (trombone) Marc Ribot (guitar) Mary Halvorson (guitar) Ikue Mori (electronics) Christian McBride (bass) Kenny Wollesen (drums) Ches Smith (drums)

All Sets at The New Stone start at 8:30pm Tickets: $20
There are no refreshments or merchandise at The Stone.
Only music. All ages are welcome.
Cash Only at the door. There is no phone.
There is no food or beverage served or allowed
just a serious listening environment.
The Stone is booked purely on a curatorial basis

*********
The CORNELIA STREET CAFE - 212-989-9319
29 Cornelia St in the heart of the West Greenwich Village, NYC

Friday Mar 02
8:35PM STREAMS TRIO W/BILLY DREWES - Billy Drewes, sax; Yago Vazquez, piano; Scott Lee, bass; Jeff Hirschfield, drums

Saturday Mar 03
8:35PM LAGE LUND QUARTET - Lage Lund, guitar; Micah Thomas, piano; Matt Penman, bass; Obed Calvaire, drums

Sunday Mar 04
8:00PM DJANGO AT CORNELIA STREET, CHARLIE ROMAN - guitar; Rocky Chiu, guitar; Ellie Goodman, violin; Abe Pollack, bass
9:30PM DJANGO AT CORNELIA STREET, JOSH DUNN - guitar; Gabe Terracciano, violin; Ian Hutchison, bass

Mon March 05:
8:30PM DAVID AMRAM - David Amram, piano, french horn, flutes; Rene Hart, bass; Kevin Twigg, drums; Elliot Peper, bongos

Tues, March 06:
8:00PM VOXECSTATIC: GABRIELLE STRAVELLI "DREAM AGO" - Gabrielle Stravelli, voice; Joshua Richman, piano; Pat O'Leary, bass
9:30PM VOXECSTATIC: VANISHA GOULD GROUP - Vanisha Gould, voice; Ludovica Burtone, violin; Leandro Pellegrino, guitar; Dan Pappalardo, bass

Wednesday Mar 07
8:00PM JEREMY POWELL QUARTET - Jeremy Powell, tenor sax; Nitzan Gavrieli, piano; Ricky Rodriguez, bass; Allan Mednard, drums
9:30PM TOBIAS MEINHART QUARTET - Tobias Meinhart, tenor sax; Yago Vasquez, piano; Harish Raghavan, bass; Jesse Simpson, drums

Thursday Mar 08
8:00PM EMI MAKABE TRIO - Emi Makabe, voice, shamisen, comp.; Vitor Gonçalves, piano, accordion; Thomas Morgan, bass
9:30PM THOMAS MORGAN & MARGIT NEJLIMA - Thomas Morgan & Margit Nejlima, bass

Friday Mar 09
8:35PM BEN MONDER, TONY MALABY, TOM RAINEY TRIO - Tony Malaby, tenor sax; Ben Monder, guitar; Tom Rainey, drums

Saturday Mar 10
8:30PM COURTNEY HARTMAN - Courtney Hartman, guitar, voice
10:00PM CELIA WOODSMITH - Celia Woodsmith, voice; Johnny Duke, guitar; Justin Goldner, bass; John Hadfield, percussion

Sunday Mar 11
8:00PM KLAZZ-MA-TAZZ - Benjamin Sutin, violin; Elijah Shiffer, alto sax; Alec Goldfarb, guitar; Robbie Lee, piano; Mat Muntz, bass;Tim Rachbach, drums9:30PM ASTRID KULJANIC QUARTET - Astrid Kuljanic, voice; Alex Perry, piano; Mat Muntz, bass; Zack O'Farrill , drums

**********

I-Beam Presents:

Friday, March 9th 8:30 PM
Jason Mears Presents:
8:30 - Quentin Tolimieri – solo piano
9:30 - Jason Mears- saxophones
Matteo Liberatore- guitar
Quentin Tolimieri- electric piano
Carlo Costa- drums

Saturday, March 10th 8:00 PM
Aaron Shragge Ben Monder / A Circle Has No Beginning
Aaron Shragge – dragon mouth trumpet/shakuhachi/composition
Ben Monder – guitar
9pm - A Circle Has No Beginning
Sameer Gupta – drums/tabla
Pawan Benjamin – tenor sax
Arun Ramamurthy – violin
Rashaan Carter – Bass

Friday, March 23rd 8:30 PM
The Astral Pines Henry Raker
Shawn Russell – Electric Guitar
Keegan Arnold – Bass
Liam Stride – Drums
Kellen Radulski – Organ
Ryan Gleason – Vocals
Henry Raker – Tenor Saxophone

I-Beam is located at 168 7th Street in Brooklyn, NY 11215 - Directions: SUBWAY: Take the F or R trains to 4th Ave & 9th Street. Walk down 4th ave to 7th street. Make a left on 7th and walk past 3rd ave. We are located on the ground floor, the grey doors to the right of the stairs of #168.