DMG Newsletter for Friday, May 18th, 2018

There Seems to Be Something in the Air
And I am Not Sure Exactly What It Is
There has Been a Deluge of Live Creative Music
Erupting within The Downtown Underground… from
The Stone, Jazz Gallery, Cornelia Street and Here at DMG!
The end of February was the final week at The Old Stone
and it featured a different line-up of Downtown’s best improvisers for five nights
A perfect way to celebration our favorite performance place before it moves
These musicians are playing as if their lives and our lives are depending on it
Muaic is one of the most essential things in life, food for our mental health

We urge you to go out and experience some live music…let it inspire you
I am leaving for the FIMAV Festival in Victoriaville, Quebec tomorrow
Twenty Projects or Soloists (Diverse Creative Music) in four long days - Can’t wait!
The following week will be the annual Vision Festival at Roulette in Brooklyn this year
It will be another great source of musical/magical inspiration so please attend

New Sounds from These Folks:

Daniel Carter / William Parker / Matthew Shipp William Parker’s AquaSonics Quartet! Two More Gems from Satoko Fujii: Natsuki Tamura / Joe Fonda / Gianni Mimmo..! 5 from Relative Pitch: Tomeka Reid/Kyoko Kitamura/Joe Morris/Taylor Ho Bynum! Kirk Knuffke & Ben Goldberg! Martin Kuchen Trio! Stephanie Richards and Flamingo. Okkyung Lee with John Butcher/JOhn Edwards/Lasse Marhaug..! Oluyemi Thomas! Harvey Mandel Quartet! And much more..!

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Upcoming Sets at Downtown Music Gallery - FREE, every Sunday at 6pm

THE DMG 28TH ANNIVERSARY SERIES OF SONIC CELEBRATIONS Continue with:

Sunday, May 20th: No In-Store - Bruce attending FIMAV Festival!

Sunday, May 27th: No In-store during Vision Festival!

Sunday, June 3rd:
6pm: DAVID AARON / ROB RITCHIE / DAVE GOULD - Soprano Sax / Electric Guitar / Drums
7pm: SAM NEWSOME - Solo Soprano Sax

Monday, June 4th: DMG 28th Anniversary Celebration!
I am working on it - More info soon.

Sunday, June 10th:
6pm: CARLO COSTA / CHRISTIAN MEAAS SVEDSEN / SAM KULIK - Percussion / Bass / Trombone
7pm: JONATHAN MORITZ / SEAN ALI / CARLO COSTA - Sax / Bass/ Drums

Rare, Monday June 11th:
6:30 - CARTOON JUSTICE With G. CALVIN WESTON/MIKA PONTECORVO/KERSTI ABRAMS/ADRIANE PONTECORVO/MARK PINO/ELIJAH PONTECORVO - Drums/Guitar/Alto Sax/Cello/El. Bass/Waterphone!

Sunday, June 17th:
6pm: PRACTITIONER: BEN GOLDBERG and MICHAEL COLEMAN - CD Release Set
7pm: NICOLA HEIN TRIO

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

CD Release Concert for WELF DORR UNIT!

10pm Friday May 18th at Nublu Classic
62 Avenue C in NYC

‘Blood’ record release show featuring Welf Dorr (alto sax) Dave Ross (electric guitar) Demitry Ishenko (bass) and Joe Hertenstein (drums).

"One of the best CDs of the year. Jazz/rock at it’s best!" -BLG

*******

DANIEL CARTER / WILLIAM PARKER / MATTHEW SHIPP - Seraphic Light (Aum Fidelity 106; USA) “‘Seraphic Light’ is an exemplary long-form work of collective creative improvisation, performed by three masters of this high art. It was recorded live in the performance hall of Tufts University (Boston) in April 2017. These three masters each possess a complete & total devotion to the music. On this very rare trio meeting they manifest a meditative resonance, replete with lyrical & poetic exploration, throughout a sublime set.
This concert was the culmination of an event entitled “Art, Race, and Politics in America.” First was a screening of the 1959 documentary film, The Cry of Jazz. The film asserts “jazz is the Negro’s cry of joy and suffering” and “the Negro is [white America’s] conscience...if they have a conscience.” These bold and timely ideas pushed forward the second portion of the program, a discussion / Q&A with Carter, Parker, and Shipp. For 45 free-flowing minutes, these three men spoke truths, told stories, floated ideas, countered assertions, listened to questions, gave advice, told jokes, and laughed together. Having already established an honest and direct bond with the audience, they then seamlessly shifted their discussion to the musical conversation presented here.
While William Parker and Matthew Shipp are each deservedly world-renowned as players–improvisers–composers due to their extensive recording and performance work as leaders, the exceptionally gifted Daniel Carter remains an underground figure on the world stage; even relatively so within New York City where he has been ceaselessly active since the mid 70s. He is a masterful player of deep lyricism and passion; in possession of gorgeous tone across a full range of wind instruments: each of the three principal saxophones, trumpet, flute and clarinet. Seraphic Light showcases him on all of these.”
CD $14


WILLIAM PARKER With JEFF SCHLANGER / ANNE HUMANFELD / LEONID GALAGANOV - Lake of Light: Compositions for AquaSonics (Gotta Let It Out 19; EEC) Featuring William Parker, Jeff Schlanger (MusicWitness artist), Anne Humanfeld and Leonid Galaganov, all on water phones, also known as AquaSonics. The first time I can recall someone playing a waterphone was i the late 1980’s when my old partner Manny Maris and started playing it. We once did a fun duet at Generator. It tuns out that the waerphone was invented by a Richard Waters in the 1960’s. Former Cecil Taylor drummer, Jackson Krall, makes a number of percussion instruments for himself and others which look like modern metal sculptures. Mr. Krall has been making his own version of a waterphone, which is lighter, simpler and less expensive. Bassist & multi-instrumentalist, William Parker, asked Mr. Krall to make several waterphones for an ensemble he was organizing. After a few performances, Mr. Parker recorded this disc of his waterphone quartet. This instrument is known for its therapeutic qualities and Mr. Parker writes in the notes of the healing or organic nature of music. This quartet played here at DMG last Sunday (5/13/18) with two additional acoustic basses added and the music did a cast a spell of benevolence. The water phones they played were enlarged and had some sort of resonator cup on top. You should take a look at what these instruments look like: like a fat vase with thin straight metal sticks shooting up from the sides. They are mostly bowed or plucked and tapped on. The water inside resonates and creates some echo effects.
Listening to this disc, it feels like we are in a cavern or religious place of some sort. The sound is most mesmerizing, Spirits being set free: eerie, wondrous, natural, organic, like the sound of wind or rain or flames, all flickering together in a great yet mysterious harmony. It sounds as if Mother Nature herself is speaking to us, an ancient, ritualistic, vibrating collection of drums, hums and vocal-like spirits. It doesn’t quite sound like anything else so I will have to leave it your imaginations until you pluck down some loot and get a copy for yourself. A very special disc, indeed. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12


Two More Great Discs from SATOKO FUJII’S 60th Birthday CD a Month Celebration:

SATOKO FUJII / NATSUKI TAMURA / TAKASHI ITANI - This is It! / 1938 (Libra Records 203-049; Japan) Featuring Stoko Fukii on piano & compositions, Natsuki Tamura on trumpet and Takashi Itani on drums. Ms. Fujii and Mr. Tamura are a longtime married couple as well as a couple who have played together in many formations (duo, trios, quartets, up to several orchestras). Japanese drummer Takashi Itani has been recording with Ms. Fujii & Mr. Tamura in a trio and quartet since 2015. The title track, “1538” is first and it refers to the melting point of iron in Celcius, which is pretty darn hot. Mr. Fujii starts by playing these slow, dark chords, while Mr. Tamura spits out those radiator-like, hissing sounds, the drummer balancing the two waves as they crash upon one another. “Prime Number” sounds freer and has Ms. Fujii working inside the piano, rubbing the strings with some objects while the rest of trio erupt around her. “Climb the Rapids” has an exquisite, chamber trio like structure, superbly written and exquisitely played. The piano sounds most majestic which gives the trumpet a more sound as well. Ms. Fujii mutes the strings at the beginning “Riding on the Clouds”, giving it somewhat bent sound, rather mechanical in tone. soon taking a long, haunting, spacious piano solo with some Don Pullen-like waves. Ms. Fujji does a fine job of balancing freer and written sections into a seamless flow. Mr. Itani takes a long, tale-spinning drums solo in “Swoop”, which is bookended by some shrewd, stop and start structured segments. Ms. Fujii often saves the best for last and here we find a long piece called, “Yozora”. This piece has a cinematic sweep, with a McCoy-like waterfall piano in one section and an extraordinary piano solo midway which involves a wide variety references, from rambunctious to angelic and beyond. Yet another treasure in a long time of productive activities. This is the fifth Fujji release for the is year (her 60th) with seven more to go. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16


SATOKO FUJII / JOE FONDA / GIANNI MIMMO - Triad (Long Song 142; Italy) Featuring Satoko Fujii on piano, Joe Fonda on contrabass & flute and Gianni Mimmo on soprano sax. Both pianist Satoko Fujii and bassist Joe Fonda should be no strangers to most of you serious listeners. On the other hand, Italian soprano saxist Gianni Mimmo, might be a bit more obscure. He shouldn’t be to those in the know since he runs the Amirani label and has played with Lol Coxhill, Daniel Levin and Stefano Pastor. I would imagine this disc to be mostly improvised. This disc begins with hushed flute, somber soprano sax and eerie plucked strings from inside the piano. The sound is calm, yet haunting, I keep thinking that ghosts will soon enter. There is something beautiful going on here, very organic and rather pure at times. Most of this doesn’t really sound improvised since each section sounds like another scene from an ongoing series of stories. Mr. Mimmo has a superb, warm, thoughtful tone on soprano sax. Never bending his notes too far to prove how far out he can go. The music has a dreamy, enchanting quality which I find most uplifting. I reviewed another Fujii trio disc earlier today called, ‘This Is It!’ and Ms. Fujii sounds completely different. She also never goes too far out but is still most often dazzling. This disc is magical/musical improv at its best! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


Five Fabulous Challenging Gems from the Fine Folks at Relative Pitch:

TOMEKA REID / KYOKO KITAMURA / TAYLOR HO BYNUM / JOE MORRIS - Geometry of Caves (Relative Pitch 1068; USA) Featuring Tomeka Reid on cello, Joe Morris on guitar, Kyoko Kitamura on voice and Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, piccolo and bass trumpets. This is an all-star quartet of Downtown’s best players, each bringing a massive resume of previous connections/sessions. Since moving here from Chicago not too long ago, cellist Tomeka Reid has been keeping busy leading a great quartet, a string trio with Mazz Swift & Silvia Bolenesi, a duo with saxist Nick Mazzarella, as well as a handful of strong improv sets. Vocalist Kyoko Kitamura works with Anthony Braxton and has played here at DMG many times (often with Ras Moshe), inserting an infectious positive energy whenever I hear her live. Multi-trumpet wiz, Taylor Ho Bynum, also works with Mr. Braxton, Bill Dixon, the Convergence Quartet and with Mary Halvorson. A recent set with Marty Ehrlich, Angelica Sanchez, Michael Formanek & Pheerain AkLaff, had Mr. Bynum sparring with saxist Marty Ehrlich, the two of the exchanging lines and blowing up a storm! Joe Morris, never ceases to amaze me/us, as he works with dozens of his (former & current) students, taking chances and turning up often in a wide variety of improv situations.
Is that an invented language that Ms. Kitamura is singing in? The exchange between all four members of this quartet moves from fast and furious to slightly more moderate tempo interaction to some more restrained moments. Joe Morris sounds like he is playing most acoustic guitar or an electric with the pick-ups turned way down. There are also some quieter, more contemplative sections, everything seems to fit together no matter where they go. Nobody here dominates, this is a true group effort. What I like the best is that there is a constant shifting dialogue, back and forth, back and forth and several layers of lines weaving themselves tightly around one another. There some great moments when certain players hit the same bent notes at the same time (voice & muted cornet, hard to tell the difference), a magical sounding coincident. There are times when extended vocal sounds tend to get on some folks nerves, yet Mr. Kitamura has a way of making here voice sound natural and free of the harshness of going to far out there. She sounds more like an essential instrumental part of this quartet. There is something most enchanting about this disc and feels like those special spirits which inspire us and often make us smile. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


* KIRK KNUFFKE / BEN GOLDBERG - Uncompahgre (Relative Pitch 1064; USA) Featuring Kirk Knuffke on cornet and Ben Goldberg on clarinet. East (NYC) meets West (Bay area)? Over the past few years, both of these musicians have been very prolific: With ongoing and one-off projects, many disc and live sets. Singular cornetist, Kirk Knuffke, has recorded several great duos: Jesse Stacken, Michael Bisio and Karl Berger, as well as trios (Mary Halvorson & Matt Wilson, Jamie Saft & Hamid Drake). Not to forget his own quartets, Ideal Bread and a great quartet with Bisio, Art Bailey & Michael Wimberley. Bay area clarinet hero, Ben Goldberg, is a restless traveler and music explorer. With more than thirty recordings over the past two decades, Mr. Ben Goldberg, keeps sending us new projects/CD’s with varying personnel several times a year. Mr. Goldberg has done a few great duo discs with Myra Melford, Kenny Wolleson & Michael Coleman (aka Practioner), but he excels in the trio situation. Last year (2017) Mr. Goldberg asked to do a residency here at DMG for our free weekly in-store series. And he did five Sundays in the fall-to-winter with a number of heavy hitters: Nels Cline, Ingrid Laubrock & Tom Rainey, Tony Malaby & Billy Mintz. All great sets I am proud to say. Mr. Goldberg will be doing this again this Summer here on June 17, July 1st & August 12th.
This duo was recorded in a studio in Brooklyn in June of 2014. Cornet and clarinet duos are relatively rare (Duology with Ted Daniel & Michael Marcus is one). This duo seems to drawing on the long history of jazz and free/improv. They start out most modestly, with a calm sense of restraint, laid back, yet most inventive without pushing too hard yet. Both of these musicians have studied and are inspired by Steve Lacy, Mr. Kuffke with the quartet Ideal Bread (who play exclusively Lacy’s music) and Mr. Goldberg once took a lesson from Mr. Lacy, his most recent CD is a duo called Practioner, which was inspired by one particular Lacy album. Hence, I do hear the playful/serious essence of Mr. Lacy throughout this disc. I love the way these two invent structures, sometimes bending their lines around one another, tossing ideas back and forth in effortless abandon. They often sounds like they are challenging each other, try this or try that, question and answer, occasionally ending up on the same note or phrase. One of the things that makes this duo so special is that this disc is thoughtfully produced, warm and clean, completely acoustic. This seems like a modest effort yet somehow it captures the magic of superb, perfectly balanced duo. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

* Ben Goldberg & Kirk Knuffke will play a duo set here at DMG on Sunday, August 12th at 6pm!


TAKAKAI TRIO With MARTIN KUCHEN / ANDERS LINDSJO / RAYMOND STRID - Happi (Relative Pitch 1070; USA) The Takakai Trio feature Martin Kuchen on soprano & sopranino saxes, Anders Lindsjo on guitar and Raymond Strid on drums. It would be enough for most musicians to be the leader of the an amazing Scandinavain Spiritual Jazz band like Angles (5 discs on Clean Feed) or even to be the leader of the great Swedish quartet Exploding Customer (early aughts), but saxist Martin Kuchen thrives by placing himself in new situations at every opportunity. Mr. Kuchen has recorded with a diverse cast: Keith Rowe, Ingar Zach, Steve Beresford and recently with the highly praised band the Heat Death. Mr. Kuchen is also a member of the Trespass Trio (4 CD’s on Clean Feed) with Swedish drummer Raymond Strid, Mr. Strid is another restless spirit who works with the Fire! Orchestra, Gush and the Barry Guy New Orchestra. Swedish guitarist, Anders Lindsjo, is much less well known, although I have reviewed a couple of bands that he has played with: Bomb and Halster (an electric guitar trio), both on the Konvoj label. Mr. Kuchen has played mainly alto sax in bands like Exploding Customers and Angles, but here he plays mostly soprano & sopranino saxes. Right from the start, this trio is playing intense yet focused furiously paced improv. The music is often busy with bits of UK style insect music. Things settle down to a more laid back section on “Exhilarated”, with some sparse and fragmented sections. It takes a bit of concentration to hear the way things connect here. There are some intense eruptions going on, furious and free yet somehow always tightly woven. Mr. Kuchen pushes hard, bending and twisting those notes on his soprano, leaving us to wonder how far he will go. Guitarist, Anders Lindsjo, consistently twists his notes in a similar way while Mr. Strid plays with that Paul Lovens-like animated blur of activity. Got to spend some more time with this to dig deeper into what it is that makes them unique. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


STEPHANIE RICHARDS with J.A. DEANE - Fullmoon (Relative Pitch 1066; USA) Featuring Stephanie Richards on trumpet & percussion and J.A. “Dino” Deane on sampler. Over the past year or so, I noticed the name Stephanie Richards on several recordings with both Taylor Ho Bynum and Henry Treadgill’s large ensembles, as well as an impressive duo disc with Andrew Drury. I hadn’t seen the name J.A. Deane, a trombone & electronics player, in may years, but I do recall a number of records & concerts with Butch Morris, Jon Hassell and Bill Horvitz (all from the mid eighties). Since then Dino has been running a label called Zerx and living in New Mexico.
For this disc, Ms. Richards plays mostly solo trumpet with Hr. Deane sampling and manipulating her playing. While Ms. Richards solos on top, adds several layers of somewhat mutated trumpet sounds a spins a web about the central soloist. It sounds like Ms. Richard is playing her trumpet into a snare drums which is triggered by her sputtering notes. The trumpet seems to recorded at a distance and uses a selective amount of subtle echo or sustain. This gives it a most haunting, hypnotic sound. Much of this is very stripped down and reminds me of the sound that whales (or elephants?) make, rather sad or solemn. Since this disc unfolds slowly, we must adjust to the laid back pace. On Robert Wyatt’s classic album ‘Rockbottom’, Mongezi Feza’a trumpet is echoplexed and multiplied until it becomes massive in sound. There are sections here where the trumpet is sampled and then stacked with several layers of echoes. The entire disc goes from slightly disorienting to mesmerizing and some time acclimate ourselves to the ride in a submarine if the depths of audio ocean. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


FLAMINGO With CHRIS HEENAN / ADAM PULTZ MELBYE / CHRISTIAN WINDFELD ROY CARROLL - LOUD (Relative Pitch 1069; USA) Personnel: Chris Heenan on contrabass clarinet, Adam Pultz Melbye on contrabass, Christian Windfeld on snare drums plus Roy Carroll on amplification & feedback. The name Chris Heenan sounded vaguely familiar, so I checked the DMG database and found the Mr. Heenan has worked with a diverse cast: Tobias Delius, Anne LeBaron and Adam Rudolph’s Go Organic Orchestra. Danish bassist Adam Pultz Melbye once left us with a solo bass record and has recorded with Peter Brotzmann and Rotozaza (with Rudi Mahall & Nicola Hein). Roy Carroll is Irish, plays computer and has a duo CD out with Sainko Namchylak. This session was recorded in Berlin and is nearly 73 minutes long, just one long work. “Flamingo” unwinds with layers of moderate tempo rolling drones. The low end growl comes from the contrabass clarinet, while the bowed bass wheezes in and out, in and out… The drummer is spinning a web of activity, speeding up and slowing down while keeping the flow constant. The disc gives each member of the quartet a chance to stretch out while Mr. Carroll adds a central electronic drone shifting it ever so slightly. There is a long subdued snare solo (plated with thin sticks) which almost sounds like a toy, the constant flow continues. The overall vibe is somewhat ritualistic, rather cosmic in the way that it stretches out time if you let it flow.
CD $14


OKKYUNG LEE With JOHN BUTCHER / JOHN EDWARDS / LASSE MARHAUG / CHES SMITH / SONG-HEE KWON / JAE-HYO CHANG - Cheol-Kkot-Sae (Steel.Flower.Bird) (Tzadik 4023; USA) "Okkyung Lee’s newest project has her delving deep into her Korean roots to create an amazing long-form piece combining electronics, improvisation, composed melodies and noise with Korean traditional music. The piece unfolds like a ritual, making these disparate and unusual pairings seem totally organic and natural. Performed by an all-star international ensemble of musicians from Korea, Norway, Britain and the United States, this is one of the most compelling fusions of Korean traditional and contemporary music ever created. Shamanistic, primal and astonishing music unlike anything you have ever heard before!"
CD $14


OLUYEMI THOMAS - Live in Detroit (Self-produced; USA) Solo offering featuring West Coast mystery man Oluyemi Thomas on bass clarinet, flute, soprano & C-melody saxes, violin, gong, cymbals, suona (Chinese double reed) and other percussion. Bay Area-based reeds wiz, Oluyemi Thomas, has been a longtime proponent of the free/jazz spirit/music underground, a teacher and somehow below the radar of the the mainstream Jazz Press. Thanks to our friends at the Vision Festival (coming next week), we’ve had a chance to hear Mr. Thomas and his wife Ijeoma (experimental vocalist) around a half dozen times through the years. Recordings from Mr. Thomas are relatively rare, but do show show up every few years. As far as I can tell this is Oluyemi Thomas’ first solo disc and it was recorded both in Detroit (live) and in Oakland, CA, where Mr. Thomas resides. On the first long piece, “Detroit Undercurrent Power”, Mr. Thomas sounds like he is playing his C-melody sax or bass clarinet, bending and twisting certain notes inside out. Oluyemi is reaching deep here, stretching between his distinctive bent-note, invented language with bluesy detours. It is hard to tell which instrument he is playing at times, as he moves from near-vocal-like cries to intense soul-baring expression. Mr. Thomas plays several instruments here, one at a time. No matter which one: bass clarinet, flute (wood or recorder, perhaps), violin and various percussion instruments, he creates a thoughtful, ritualistic vibe. At times the sound is low key or restrained but the endlessly creative playing remains consistently transcendent. The cover art was painted by MusicWitness Jeff Schlanger, and it befits the music held inside perfectly. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12


HARVEY MANDEL - Live at Broadway Studios (Rockbeat 3366; EEC) Featuring Harvey Mandel on electric guitar, Dave Scott on keyboards, Joe Devito on electric bass and John Ulen on drums. Recorded before an enthusiastic audience at Broadway Studios in San Francisco, on June 21, 2001. The performance includes three of his best known songs, "Christo Redentor", "Wade in the Water" and "The Snake" and the sound quality is pretty incredible. Much like his British counterpart, Jeff Beck, Harvey Mandel is a legendary guitarist, with a distinctive sustained tone, well-respected by other guitarists and those of us who appreciate makes him special or unique. Check out his resume: Barry Goldberg Blues Band, Canned Heat (late sixties & reunion in the aughts), Pure Food & Drug Act (with Sugarcane Harris), a dozen or so solo/bandleader records over his 50 year career and the Chicago Blues All-Stars. His records are occasionally spotty, some great and some not so..
This is the one we’ve been waiting for. Mr. Mandel has put together an impressive electric quartet from the Bay Area. The only other name I recognize here is keyboardist Dave Scott who once co-led a disc with Tony Malaby. This disc was recorded live in a studio San Francisco in June of 2001, in front of an audience. This is an all instrumental quartet, their sound blends rock/funk/blues/jazz into a a slamming, greasy, groovy, immensely cool quartet. Bassist Joe Devito takes the first solo and is incredible at slapping that bass, quickly and articulately. But it is that phenomenal solo from Mr. Mandel that is what makes us guitar freaks smile. The band is super tight, somewhat funky and all four members integral to their strong sound. Mr. Mandel covers of his older gems like, “Christo Redentor”, “The Snake” and “Wade in the Water”. 78 minutes long and consistently astounding! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14


SEAN KHAN With HERMETO PASCOAL / et al - Palmares Fantasy Feat. Hermeto Pascoal (Far Out Recordings 203; UK) For his third album for Far Out Recordings, London-based multi-instrumentalist and one of Europe's finest saxophonists Sean Khan ventures to Rio de Janeiro to collaborate with iconic Brazilian polymath Hermeto Pascoal. Taking its title from the escaped slave settlement "Palmares" in the Northeast of Brazil during the 1600s, Palmares Fantasy is Khan's utopian jazz message for the world, and it features Azymuth drummer Ivan "Mamao" Conti, bassist Paulo Russo, guitarist Jim Mullen, and guest vocals from Brazilian chanteuse Sabrina Malheiros, and Cinematic Orchestra frontwoman Heidi Vogel. Like Hermeto Pascoal, Sean Khan is a self-taught musician. Never able to afford his original dream of studying at Berklee and having been turned away from Guildhall School of Music for being "too raw", he became disillusioned with what he saw as the exclusivity, elitism, and dangerous institutionalization of the jazz world. Yet Sean's love for music and the drive to create never faltered. Hermeto Pascoal, the man Miles Davis once dubbed "the most impressive musician in the world", is a similarly independent artist. by the 17th century settlement of Palmares in Brazil's Alagoas region, which was free from the Portuguese crown's murderous exploitation of South America for a century, Khan notes his fascination with the fact that while made up mostly of escaped African slaves, many deserter conquistadors also joined the settlement. Hearing the deep-grooving title track with this history in mind, the listener is transported to a futuristic musical eden, with Mamao's insatiable 10/8 rhythm back-boning Hermeto's wild improvised vocals, Rhodes, and whistles, while Sean's harmonically brilliant sax and flute add more layers of moody, characterful expression. "Moment of Collapse" is Sean's poetic study on the uncertainties of modern day western civilization, delicately presented by the gorgeous vocals of Heidi Vogel and drenched in lugubrious strings and Alice Coltrane-esque harp. The two covers on the album are of Hermeto's own "Montreux" (on which Hermeto plays solos on a teapot and a pint of water), and an uplifting soulful jazz-funk take on Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges MPB classic "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser" featuring the vocals of pioneering nu-bossa voice Sabrina Malheiros. The recording sessions for the album were part of an intensive and hugely productive eight-week excursion to South America for Far Out Recordings boss Joe Davis in the summer of 2016.
CD $15


WARSAW’S JEWISH MERMAID - Syrena Recordings From The Orvomaa Archive - 1909 - (RENAIR 130/UK) In conjunction with the Music Archive Finland, Renair Records announce another disc in their series exploring the history of Jewish recorded music. Until its destruction during the War, Warsaw, together with Berlin, was at the cultural and intellectual intersection of East and Western Europe. Known as the Paris of the East, its musical, literary, artistic, and theatrical flourishing was in no small part due to its extraordinary ethnic and cultural diversity. Most traces of this period vanished in the devastation of the 1940s but thanks to the survival of some precious recordings made in this period you can hear echoes of that rich culture. The Syrena (Mermaid) label covered all aspects of musical activity in Poland between 1909 and the end of the 1930s. All human life is on this CD. You will hear people arguing, soldiering, going bankrupt, and praying. They also dance to Klezmer bands, meet the devil, fail to have sex, complain about modern girls, and of course, eat. The package is completed by a richly illustrated and informative 28-page booklet. Features Kenig, Norski, Feld, Sirota, Belf, Brajtman, Kupfer, Feinstein, Oppenheim, Fenigstein, Sibiriyakov, Anon, Kusewicki, Roitman, Kaniewska And Brajtman, Feinstein and Lindenfeld, Fenigstein, Lerman, and Neroslawska.
CD $17


MORTON FELDMAN - Turfan Fragments (Dog with a Bone 004; USA) Originally released in 2001 by the Dog W/A Bone label, this release features these 2 long pieces: For Samuel Beckett and The Turfan Fragments. Performed by: The Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble, with Petr Kotik, conductor. For Samuel Beckett and The Turfan Fragments are Morton Feldman's only chamber orchestra compositions. Both were commissions: The Turfan Fragments by the Swiss-Italian Radio Orchestra in 1980, For Samuel Beckett by the Schönberg Ensemble, Amsterdam, in 1987. Both titles are descriptive and suggest how Feldman arrived at a particular concept for each piece. The Turfan Fragments is a succession of short sections, which could indeed be described as fragments. The title relates the composition to manuscripts from Turfan (the southwest region of present-day China), which are in the collection of the Preussischer Kulturbesitz in Berlin. These calligraphic remnants, going back to the 9th century, were brought to Germany before World War I and Feldman must have seen them while living in Berlin in 1971. In contrast, For Samuel Beckett is based on a single idea of several chord progressions unfolding continuously for almost an hour. In 1977, Beckett wrote a text for Feldman, to be used as the libretto for his opera Neither. Feldman's description of Beckett's writing most eloquently suggests what was on his mind when composing For Samuel Beckett: "here's something peculiar about it [Beckett's text]. I can't catch it. Finally I see that every line is really the same thought said in another way. And yet the continuity acts as if something else is happening. Nothing else is happening. What you're doing, in an almost Proustian way, is getting deeper and deeper saturated into the thought." Includes an 8-page booklet with liner notes from Petr Kotik and an extract from Morton Feldman from Give My Regards To Eighth Street (Exact Change). The Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble; Petr Kotik, conductor.
CD $15


Seven More Challenging Music Discs from the Neos Label:

PHIL MINTON & ICI ENSEMBLE - Say Yes. Till No. (Neos 41701; Germany) What Phil Minton is able to create with nothing but his voice -- those, as Bert Noglik puts it, "simply unbelievable and uncanny sounds for which nothing comparable exists, far and wide" -- seems to lie beyond what it is possible. He is the indisputable vocal giant of the jazz avant-garde. He meets a collective of kindred spirits with the ICI Ensemble. Comprising some of the most enthusiastically experimental instrumentalists and sonic artists of the German improvisation scene, this ensemble has been creating a unique sonic cosmos for almost 20 years that has already inspired numerous international composers and improvisators to collaborate with them. Phil Minton and the musicians of the ICI Ensemble spin here a refined chamber musical texture and seem to whisper words of the late Beckett: "Say Yes." -- until someone else relativizes: "Till No". And then nothing is any longer as it was before. Personnel: Phil Minton - voice; David Jäger and Markus Heinze - saxophones; Christofer Varner - trombone; Martin Wolfrum - piano; Gunnar Geisse - laptop guitar; Georg Janker - double bass, electronics; Sunk Pöschl - drums.
CD $15

MORITZ EGGERT - Musica Viva 30 (Neos 11730; Germany) What musical means and forms can be used today when composing orchestral music? Composer Moritz Eggert poses this question in the two works of this release, which are live recordings of the world premiere performances. "Muzak" for voice and orchestra was composed in memory of David Bowie, who died in 2016. A modified version of the word "music", Muzak refers to the background music commonly played on elevators, department stores, and hotels. In "Muzak" Eggert seeks to include the entire sound world of his own time in a single composition. "Muzak" is therefore a distillation of all kinds of music, from pop music to classical repertoire, and addresses the question of whether boundaries between genres are still viable and make any sense. In "Number Nine VII: Masse" Eggert takes up the aesthetic challenge of composing a work for orchestra where all musicians play continuously without a break. Moritz Eggert - voice; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks with David Robertson as conductor for "Muzak" and Peter Rundel as conductor for "Number Nine VII: Masse".
CD $15

GUNNAR GEISSE - The Wannsee Recordings (Neos 11720; Germnay) In The Wannsee Recordings, Gunnar Geisse expresses his fascination with accepting the fleetingness of the current moment and his perception of its changing nature. On the other hand, he is also attracted to the possibility of expressing and reflecting upon the complexity of human existence through art. Geisse developed an instrument he calls a "laptop guitar", a computer-enhanced extension of his former main instrument (the electric guitar) which allows him to take analog playing to the digital level. He uses the possibility of software-based real-time conversion of audio into MIDI data to control virtual instruments and samplers. It does not matter which type of audio signal is used as a source: Input signals can be from electric guitar, speech, or noises; even "translation" of music into other music is possible in this way. Today, Gunnar Geisse uses the computer both as an instrument for improvisation and as a production tool in creating well over 20 radio plays, in commissioned works for musica viva, the Munich Opera Festival, the Munich Biennale and the Donaueschinger Musiktage. Geisse used real-time manipulation of choral singing and orchestra in Gregor Hübner's "De Profundis". In addition to his work as an electric guitarist with among others the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of the SWR. and the Broadway Musical Company New York, his love for improvised and experimental music has resulted in collaboration with Peter Brötzmann, Vinko Globokar, Phil Minton, David Moss, Olga Neuwirth, Mike Svoboda, Michael Wertmüller, and many others.
2 CD Set $30

ISAO NAKAMURA // MAURICIO KAGEL / IANNIS XENAKIS / TOSHOP HOSOKAWA /t et el - Works for Solo Percussion (Neos 10819; Germany) On this CD, Isao Nakamura presents a selection of works for solo percussion which -- despite some very demanding technical passages -- do not focus primarily on technical brilliance but on clear, focused artistic ideas, as well as, in some cases, extra-musical concepts. The main focus here is on drums. As the only instruments tuned to a specific pitch, in this CD the timpani features in two movements of Elliott Carter's "Eight Pieces for Four Timpani" and in Peter Eötvös's "Thunder". The latter is an experimental solo work for one-pedal timpani. Nicolaus A. Huber uses only a single snare drum in "dasselbe ist nicht dasselbe" ("the same is not the same"). A nearly endless range of sounds is elicited from the timpani by alternating playing techniques. Several works on this CD were dedicated to Isao Nakamura. Also features compositions by Mauricio Kagel, Younghi Pagh-Paan, Iannis Xenakis, and Toshio Hosokawa.
CD $15

RUPERT HUBER - Ruh-I-Gulab Mein Venedig (Neos 11606; Germany) rūḥ-i-gulāb (The soul of the rose) is based on two 13th-century Oriental texts: the Rose Poem of Ğalāl-ad-Din Rūmī (translated by Friedrich Rückert) and excerpts from the Poem of the Mantle by Sharaf al-Din al-Būsīrī. A cross-cultural work of art emerges from the composition. Opening up to Oriental and Far Eastern culture is a central concern of the conductor and composer Rupert Huber. This includes turning away from the strict conceptualization of a work -- that is, away from traditionally "fixed" notation -- to encouraging individual performers to assume responsibility and listen closely to and respond to each other. He consistently follows this approach in the Rose Ausländer setting, "Mein Venedig" ("My Venice"). Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks & Madīḥ Ensemble: Doris Huber - bowl, bells; Rupert Huber - conductor.
Rupert Huber was principal conductor of, among others, the WDR Choir and directed the SWR Vokalenemble Stuttgart as well as regularly conducting well-known choirs, orchestras and ensembles. His works are performed at festivals such as Ruhrtriennale, Salzburg Festival, Wien Modern, or Eclat Stuttgart, often in cooperation with ARD broadcasters.
CD $15

ERNST HELMUTH FLAMMER // ENSEMBLE AVENTURE - Works for Ensemble I (Neos 11706; Germany) After CDs featuring orchestral works, organ pieces and string quartets b Ernst Helmuth Flammer, NEOS is now releasing a CD of chamber music. On this disc, the composer investigates the phenomenon of time frequently and intensively, and sheds light on various aspects of it from both a musical as well as a philosophical perspective. Composed in 1988, "Zeitflucht" ("Time-Flight"), for example, explores the difference between the subjectively perceived and actually measurable passage of time, while in "Dahingegangen" ("Passed Away") from 1992 the transition into the hereafter, in other words beyond time and beyond real existence, is explored. The CD concludes with what Flammer calls a "closing piece for a chamber music ensemble", "All Ding will haben ein End" ("All Things Come to an End") (scored for a Pierrot ensemble) -- the composer wishes its rondo form to be understood as a symbol of the existential process of "becoming and passing away".
CD $15

ALBERTO POSADAS - Poetics of the Gaze (Neos 1171; Germany) A major interest of the Spanish composer Alberto Posada is exploring the relationship between music, nature and mathematics. He also focuses on the connection between music and other forms of art. This portrait CD, Poetics of the Gaze, comprehensively documents the influence of fine art on his compositions. Alberto Posadas was born in Valladolid, Spain in 1967. He is regularly a composer-in-residence at IRCAM, has held scholarships from the Free State of Bavaria (Villa Concordia, Bamberg) and the Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin, and was awarded the National Music Prize by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. His music is played at many festivals, including the Donaueschinger Musiktage, Eclat (Stuttgart), Ars Musica (Brussels), Ultima (Oslo), Klang-spuren Schwaz (Tyrol), Ultraschall (Berlin), Musica Strasbourg, and the Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik. Klangforum Wien featuring Nacho de Paz as conductor.
CD $15


Lost & Found - last copies of these:

KATO HIDEKI With ZEENA PARKINS / JOHN ZORN / MASAHIKO KONO / DOUGIE BOWNE / et al - Hope & Despair (Extreme 036; Australia) The original inspiration behind "Hope & Despair" by KATO HIDEKI was black & white photography. KATO explains this: "Physically photos don't have time in terms of actual movement. But I feel good pictures have a sense of time, even though they don't move like films. While you are looking at the pictures, they have their own lives. I believe this is the beauty of photography." The title came from a quote by the photographer Robert Frank, who said, "Black and white is the vision of hope and despair." Further inspiration came from the concept of time in music from the Eastern cultures. KATO chose to utilize the form of Japanese Noh theater for "Hope & Despair". Noh has a particular structure consisting of Jo (introduction), Ha (break) and Kyu (fast). In the beginning, the action moves very slowly. It is said, "one step is a thousand miles." Then comes a sudden movement, completely out of context with the introduction. Next, all of the action occurs very quickly, and finally, the piece ends abruptly. KATO explains how this came to be a part of "Hope & Despair" : "I have been influenced by this culture, and so I abstractly imported this concept into my music. Indeed it is demanding for an audience to pay such close attention, to watch what is happening during every single second of the performance. But when you do so, you can actually feel the expansion of time. The more attention you pay, the greater the impression." "Hope & Despair" was also inspired by the involvement of many talented musicians from New York and Japan: Kono Masahiko (trombone), Zeena Parkins (harp), Douglas Bowne (drums), Ogimi Gen (percussion), Tanaka Michiaki (percussion), Tada Makio (sampler), Terasaki Keitaro (piano), and New York luminary John Zorn (piano).
CD $16


MOONBOW With KRESTEN OSGOOD / TOMO JACOBSON / et al - When the Sleeping Fish Turn Red and The Skies Start to Sing in C Major… (Ilk 264; EEC) Featuring Danielle Dahl & Maciej Kadziela on alto saxes, Mads Egetoft on tenor sax, Lucas Leidinger piano, Anton Jansson on guitar, Tomo Jacobson on bass & compositions and Kresten Osgood on drums. Last year, in June of 2015, I had the golden opportunity to attend a great music workshop festival in Denmark. There were some fifty-plus mostly younger musicians involved in weeks worth of workshops and concerts plus eight group leaders (like William Parker, Alan Silva & Bennie Maupin). I gave a lecture about the history of the Downtown scene and became friends with a number of these fine, up & coming musicians. The Jyderup Festival was cofounded by Danish drummer Kresten Osgood who appears on this new disc along a few of the attendees from that fest: Tomo Jacobson (bassist & main composer here), Danielle Dahl and Mads Egetoft. Moonbow is a septet with three saxes, guitar, piano, bass & drums. Mr. Jacobson obviously spent time writing and arranging these pieces to keep this ensemble on their toes and focused. The first solo from pianist Lucas Leidinger, is most impressive, with equal amounts of inside and outside currents. The mighty Kresten Osgood takes an extraordinary unaccompanied drum solo which is a perfect bridge for want comes before and after in the long and winding piece. The final solo is a strong, effects-laden epic with some majestic horn parts underneath. All three saxes kick off, «And the Skies« and slurring their tones and swerving around the theme in a slightly drunken-sounding way. I especially dig the way Tomo writes for the saxes, often as one harmonies force with strong interaction from the guitar and piano as well. What I find most surprising is that certain solos embrace a more modest, thoughtful aesthetic without going to far out, hence a more laid-back vibe occurs when you least expect and then they expand into more adventurous territory. I get the feeling that is going to take several listening sessions before I figure out where all those buried treasures are lurking. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
LP $15


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

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - JOHN KING - MAY 15 – 18

5/18 Friday
8:30 pm - Micro-Operas, “ping” and “WHAT IS THE WORD” (texts by Samuel Beckett) and “A-R-S” (text by Thomas Aquinas) Joan La Barbara and Gelsey Bell (voices) John King (viola, live electronics)

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - JOE MORRIS - MAY 22–25

5/22 Tuesday
8:30 pm - Joe Morris (guitar) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums)

5/23 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Joe Morris (guitar) Tomeka Reid (cello) Kyoko Kitamura (voice) Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet, brass)

5/24 Thursday
7:00 pm - BRIAN MARSELLA, CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE AND ANWAR MARSHALL PLAY THE MUSIC OF THE LEGENDARY HASAAN - Brian Marsella (piano) Christian McBride (bass) Anwar Marshall (drums)
8:30 pm - Joe Morris (guitar) Ben Stapp (tuba)

5/25 Friday
8:30 pm - Joe Morris (guitar) Peter Evans (trumpet) Mat Maneri (viola)

THE (NEW) STONE is located in The New School’s Glass Box Theatre
55 West 13th street - near 6th ave
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


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

Friday May 18
8:35PM NOAH PREMINGER & ROB GARCIA, CD RELEASE: CHOPIN PROJECT - Noah Preminger, tenor sax; Nate Radley, guitar; Kim Cass, bass; Rob Garcia, drums

Saturday May 19
6:00PM CATS OUT OF THE BAG - T Xiques, bass; Mark Dziuba, guitar; Megan Gould, violin; Eric Wood, songs, vocals and guitar
8:35PM JEFF DAVIS DRAGON FATHER TRIO - Ben Monder, guitar; Eivind Opsvik, bass; Jeff Davis, drums, comp.

Sunday May 20
6:00PM AN EVENING OF SONG, POETRY, AND MUSIC - Barry Wallenstein, poetry; Alan Rosenthal, piano; Ken Filiano, bass; Robert Silverman, trumpet; Jeremy Carlstedt, drums; Christopher Greggs, guest poet - An Evening of Song, Poetry, and Music image
8:01PM MICHEL REIS TRIO - Michel Reis, piano; Aidan O'Donnell, bass; Colin Stranahan

Monday May 21st:
8:30PM CHLOE PERRIER & FRIENDS - Chloe Perrier, vocals; Sharik Hassan, piano; Rodrigo Recabarren, drums

Tues, May 21st:
8:01PM JONATHAN SARAGA TRIO - Jonathan Saraga, trumpet; Rick Rosato, bass; Johnathan Blake, drums; Anthony Wonsey, piano

Wednesday May 23
8:00PM ROD MACDONALD & MARK DANN - Rod MacDonald, guitar, harmonica, and vocals; Mark Dann, bass

Thursday May 24
8:00PM ANDREW VAN TASSEL QUARTET - Andrew Van Tassel, alto, soprano sax; Julian Shore, piano; Edward Perez, bass; Jimmy Macbride, drums
9:30PM JULIAN SHORE QUARTET - Julian Shore, piano; Michael Mayo, voice; Edward Perez, bass; Jimmy Macbride, drums

Friday May 25
6:00PM DAVE JUAREZ'S "STORIES" - Dave Juarez, guitar, compositions; Max Zooi, sax; Albert Marques, piano; Marty Isenberg, bass; Eric Reeves, drums

Sat Nay 26th:
8:35PM GILAD HEKSELMAN TRIO - Gilad Hekselman, guitar; Immanuel Wilkins, alto sax; Obed Calvaire, drums

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Wednesday May 23
A.E. Randolph Presents:
@ Balboa Restaurant
1655 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn

$10 suggested donation
7:30pm doors

8:00pm: Adam Hopkins' Bells Wires:
Adam Hopkins - bass, compositions
Joanna Mattrey - viola
Christopher Hoffman - cello
Tom Rainey - drums

9:15pm: Cataclysmic Commentary (ALBUM RELEASE)
Ben Cohen - reeds
Eli Wallace - piano
Dave Miller - drums

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I-Beam Presents:

Saturday, May 19th 8:00 PM
DOUBLE FEATURE!
8:00pm -Mara Rosenbloom – piano
Sean Conly – bass
Emilie Lesbros – voice
9:30pm - Sean Conly Trio
Sean Conly – bass & composition
Michael Attias – Alto Saxophone
Tomas Fujiwara – drums
Tea & Cookies included

Friday, May 25th 8:00 PM
Hank Roberts Sextet Stunt Chicken
8:00 pm - Hank Roberts Sextet
Hank Roberts – Cello
Brian Drye – Trombone
Mike McGinnis – Clarinet
Dana Lyn – Violin
Vinnie Sperrazza – Drums
Jacob Sacks – Piano
9:30 pm - Stunt Chicken
playing music from the golden age of Sesame Street
Joe Fiedler – Trombone
Jeff Lederer/Tenor and Soprano Saxophones
Sean Conly/Electric Bass
Michael Sarin/Drums

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.

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SHAPESHIFTER - May, 2018:

May 18
7pm: Laszlo Gardony - Solo Piano
8:15p - MSFS Records 10-Year Anniversary Event
MSFS Records’ 10-Years to the Future w/ Sub-Verse, Elliott, Loop 2.4.3
Artists: Sub-Verse
István B’Racz - piano, synthesizers, samplers
Tom Burnett - electric piano, synthesizers, samplers, voice
Thomas Kozumplik - acoustic and electric percussion
original music by the performers
Rachael Elliott
solo bassoon with István B’Racz, piano
works by Padma Newsome and David Lang
Loop 2.4.3
percussion, electronics, piano

May 18:
10pm: Ryan Slatko

May 20
9pm: Bright Dog Red
Joe Pignato, drums and concepts
Anthony Berman, bass
Palemen, electronics
Cully, MC
Mike LaBombard, sax
Jarritt Sheel, trumpet

May 21
6:30PM - BREAKING THE ICE
ICE HS Jazz Band
7:15PM - Songwriting class


Hi, we're Downtown Music Gallery and in addition to the retailing and mail-order of an amazing assortment of jazz, improv, and progressive rock/pop obscurities, we also do all the mail-order for the Tzadik and Avant labels!!! ______________________________ Monday through Sunday Noon to 6pm at Downtown Music Gallery 13 Monroe Street (between Catherine and Market Streets in Manhattan's Chinatown) "F" to East Broadway stop Tel: 212 473-0043 Visit our website to see what we our collected offerings are https://www.downtownmusicgallery.com We advise against it, but to unsubscribe from this list please go to https://www.simplelists.com/confirm.php?u=CuMY9tax7I8LWMmaItgxqMGFX6uARRFX