DMG Newsletter for Friday, May 25th, 2018

Back from the Victo Fest and We had a Big Blast!
As good as some of the older Victo’s from Way in the Past!
Favorites of FIMAV 2018: ROVA! DALAVA! AFRIRAMPO! SAICOBAB & FIRE!

Last Night the VISION FESTIVAL Began with an Important Celebration:
A Tribute to the Great DAVE BURRELL, Lifetime Achievement Award!
Tonight: MARY HALVORSON’s CODE GIRL! ROSCOE MITCHELL TRIO! WHIT DICKEY TRIO 2
And Four Feisty Women with An Axe to Grind: JOELLE LEANDRE / NICOLE MITCHELL /
PATRICIA NICHOLSON / MELANIE DYER! Recommendations:
MATT SHIPP New ENSEMBLE! AFRO HORN! FRODE GJERSTAD Trio STEVE SWELL!
JAIMIE BRANCH’S FLY OR DIE! NEW WORLD PYGMIES and OLIVER LAKE BIG BAND!
The Vision Festival is an Annual Gathering of Artists with a Vision of
Hope! Freedom (on many levels)! Communal Creativity and Self-Determination!
Monday, May 21st - Monday, May 28th at Roulette in Brooklyn -
Come on Down and Hang Out with Our Communal Family of Creative Spirits!

Downtown Music Gallery will close early at 5pm on Sunday, May 27th & Monday, May 28th


Check out the New Sounds from This Weeks’ Music Messengers:

Ivo Perelman & Matt Shipp 3 CD Set! Hikashu & AfriRampo Live 2 CD DVD! Nonoko Yoshida’s Trio Shinkai No Mado! Eugene Chadbourne CD Book! Peter Bruun/Marc Ducret/Kasper Tranberg/Simon Toldam! Three from Andreas Willers: Jan Roder/Axel Dorner/Achim Kaufmann/Urs Leimgruber! New from Sunnyside: Denny Zeitlin Trio! Román Filiú’s Quartetia! Jamie Baum Septet! James Tenney! Three Reissues from SUN RA Arkestra! WIRE! Blurt! Paul Desmond and Even 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 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

Sunday, June 24th:
6pm: TODD CAPP’S MYSTERY TRAIN: KURT RALSKE / EMILIE LESBROS /
AUSTIN COVELL / ANDREW HAAS!
7pm: DCNN: DANIEL CARTER NEWS NETWORK: 
     ELI WALLACE / BEN COHEN / DANIEL CARTER / DAN KURFIRST

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

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IVO PERELMAN / MATTHEW SHIPP - Oneness (Leo 823; UK) "Triple CD deluxe edition represents five days of recordings in the studio. The front cover of this magnificent box depicts the Ouroboros, the serpent or snake eating its own tail. This image exists in many cultures throughout human history where it has come to represent unity, as in the meeting of two minds. Perelman and Shipp went to the studio for five days in a row with the idea to record and then to choose the best takes to make one CD. But when they listened to the playback they could not choose the best pieces. That's why they have decided to release this triple CD with the title 'Oneness'."
3 CD Set $45 (Pre-orders taken now, $3 off before they arrive; in stock early next week)

HIKASHU AFRIRAMPO - Live (Makigami Records MKR 0012; Japan) Hikashu are and remain: Makigani Koichi on vocals, theremin, cornet & Shakuhachi, Mita Freeman on guitar & vocal, Shimizu Kazuto on piano, synth & bass clarinet, Sakaide Masami on bass and Sato Masaharu on drums plus guests: AfriRampo: Oni on guitar & voice and Pika on drums & vocal, Hirasawa on vocals & guitar and Kera on vocals. This music was recorded live Daikanyama in Japan in December of 2016. It may seem hard to believe but Hikashu turns forty this year! Japanese experimental vocalist, Makigami Koichi, has been fronting this band since the beginning and continues to do so today, as well as releasing their CD’s on his own label and running a music fest in Japan every year. Although Hikashu started off as a sort of New Wave band in the late seventies, they have evolved, becoming better and more diverse musicians through their long history and many discs.
What I love about Hikashu is that they are most unpredictable, gifted improvisers who consistently shift through a wide variety of twists and turns, genre-wise. Their central sound is still New Wave-like, yet there is quite a bit of progressive jamming and incredible solos galore. The opening song starts with a familiar humorous melody yet soon takes off with some fantastic solos from their guitarist and Makigami on voice, cornet and theremin. The band speeds up to a frenzied pace and then back down to that infectious silly melody. In between and in the middle of many of these songs are loads of improv and/or solos from all five members of the band. Makigami’s ultra-charming vocals run the gamut from hilarious to serious to bizarre, inspiring all who listen to enjoy the absurd side of life that surrounds us all every day. There are a number of times when Makigami’s voice mutates into his theremin playing, making it impossible to tell the difference. What makes Hikashu so distinctive is the way we hear them blend so many disparate styles or genres: funky bits, tasty Brazilian melodies, electric jazz, both free and swinging, circus goofiness, exotica, too many mention here. For the last few songs on this CD, Hikashu are joined by the equally wacky duo, AfriRampo. AfriRampo were one of the highlights of this year’s Victo Fest (5/17-20/2018), so if haven’t heard them, you really should. They double the humor factor and sound wonderful singing with Makigami and company. Hikashu and especially Makigami are most delightful to watch, immensely charming on many levels. The DVD here captures them in all of the irresistible glory so break out the popcorn and check out this DVD when you need to cheer yourself up. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD DVD Set $30

TRIO SHINKAI NO MADO [NONOKO YOSHIDA / NORIKO TOGASHI / HAJIME TOTANI] - Blind Cinema (Nonoya 002; Japan) Trio Shinkai features Nonoko Yoshida on alto sax, Noriko Togashi on piano and Hajime Totani on fretless bass. It was a great pleasure to watch Japanese saxist Nonoko Yoshida grow and evolve when she moved here in the late aughts. Although her band Pet Bottle Ningen have two great discs on Tzadik, it is was Ms. Yoshida’s solo sax CD, ‘Lotus’, that really showed how she far she had grown as a Downtown saxist extraordinaire. Many of us were dismayed when she moved back to Japan a few years ago. We can now rejoice since, since Ms. Yoshida has a new trio disc out with two fine musicians, neither of whom I recognize previously. The pianist wrote all but two songs on this disc with one each by the other two musicians. “Ruten” opens and has a splendid, galloping groove and some poignant, tasty sax from Ms. Yoshida. It turns out that Ms. Togashi is a gifted composer, the song has a jubilant, charming quality. Nonoko takes a long solo which starts off melodically and goes further out as it unwinds, ending with some of those zigzagging Zorn-like licks that Ms. Yoshida excels in. What’s interesting is this, Ms. Yoshida’s song, “Sora Wo Shiru”, begins most melodically, fitting perfectly with the rest of the songs on this disc. However, Nonoko’s takes an amazing solo midway which erupts with intensity before it settles into a more relaxed conclusion. Fretless bassist, Mr. Totani, also fits this trio perfectly, playing his parts just right, making this trio tight and united as one force. There is something most enchanting about this entire disc. The writing and playing are both mostly stunning. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

Back in stock:

NONOKO YOSHIDA - Lotus (Nonoya 001; Japan) Featuring Nonoko Toshida on solo alto sax. Ms. Yoshida had been growing in leaps and bounds since moving here nearly a decade ago. On every disc she is on, her playing keeps getting stronger and more focused. Starting with Super Seaweed Sex Scandal, two great discs by Pet Bottle Ningen on Tzadik and last year's under-recognized gem: PAK with Ron Anderson and Tatsuya Yoshida (no relation), and now this, her first solo effort. Nonoko played here at DMG recently both in duo and a solo, both super fine. We could tell that she has been working on solo performances since her playing was so focused. "Lotus" is Nonoko's first solo offering and holy sh*t, it is amazing! It is a mixture of studio and live recordings, a strong blend. Starting with "Take the F Train", Nonoko explodes with several layers of tight, intense overdubbed lines. Incredible! You can tell that Ms. Yoshida put a great deal of time into this disc as the pieces are well-worked out. On "Desert Island", there are several layers of saxes, harmonized in a most charming way with a superb, poignant solo emerging on top. I dig the way Nonoko takes certain phases and repeats them, slowly twisting and turning the melodies inside-out in a most compelling way. Some of Ms. Yoshida's melodies have a sort of folky or traditional sound, although I am note so sure what tradition that is. "Taka 14" actually sounds like the World Sax Quartet jamming with John Zorn on top, no easy feat I assure you. Solo sax discs are not as rare as they used to be although making one that is as successful and diverse as this one is an impressive one. Ms. Yoshida has studied with Ned Rothenberg and is obviously influenced of some of the extended techniques of John Zorn. Some of her solos takes these sounds/ideas and twist them into her own shapes and forms. Some solo sax efforts are too extreme for certain listeners but this one is very well-balanced and more diverse than one might imagine. A modest masterwork from one of Downtown's best new voices on sax! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

EUGENE CHADBOURNE - Live in Monteggiori (Association Musica Monteggiori AMM; Italy) Featuring Eugene Chadbourne on guitars, banjo & vocals and recorded live in Monteggiori, Italy in October of 2017. Doc Chadbourne is in fine form here doing a strong set of originals and select covers. Covers include “Alone Again Or” by Love, “And So Will You, My Love” by Willie Nelson, “Bold as Love” by Jimi Hendrix, “Keep on Pushing” by the Impressions and “If I Needed You” by Townes Van Zandt. What binds these songs is Dr. Chadbourne’s skewered yet hopeful view of society: a sense of passion, justice and perhaps that one must look the devil in the eye (or ear) to see life as it is. There is a song here which seems to be called, “The God of War”, disturbing but most effective, it sounds vaguely familiar. The sound on this disc is superb and the editing seamless, picking a number of excellent performances to show how Doc Chadbourne at his best. Dr. Chadbourne has been touring a great deal over the past few years mostly as a soloist. This disc and book feature a rich selection of songs and solid performances. Great on all counts! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
10” x 10” - 14 page Book CD $16 [LTD Edition of 100; numbered)

* PETER BRUUN’S ALL TOO HUMAN With MARC DUCRET / KASPER TRANBERG / SIMON TOLDAM - Vernacular Avant-Garde (Ayler 155; EEC) Copenhagen drummer Peter Bruun leads a band with guitarist Marc Ducret, trumpeter Kasper Tranberg and synth player Simon Toldam, and upbeat electric free jazz album of powerful intent and compelling compositions performing melodic and insightful compositions, the band well acquainted from work on Ducret's own albums and with Samuel Blaser; Highly recommended.
CD $17

* MARC DUCRET / SAMUEL BLASER / PETER BRUUN will be playing at Roulette on Monday, June 18th at 8pm


Spotlight on ANDRES WILLERS: German guitarist Andreas Willers is one of those gifted guitarists who has worked with musicians like Paul Bley, Louis Sclavis, Gebhard Ullmann & Enrico Rava, yet has often remained beneath the radar of recognition. Considering that Mr. Willers has a dozen discs out as a leader on ten different labels (Leo, Enja & FMP), it is unfortunate that he isn't more well known. Mr. Willers just sent us three newer CD’s, each one strong and different and not well distributed in the US.


ANDREAS WILLERS / JAN RODER / CHRISTIAN MARIEN - Derek Plays Eric (JazzWerkStatt 168; Germany) Featuring Andreas Willers on electric & acoustic guitar, Jan Roder on acoustic & electric bass and Christian Marien on drums. You should certainly recognize the name of bassist Jan Roder since he has worked with important musicians like Alex Von Schlippenbach, Ulrich Gumpert and Die Enttauschung (with Axel Dorner & Rudi Mahall). I know of drummer Christian Marien only from his work with Silke Eberhard. About half of the songs on this disc are (an eclectic mix of) covers which include a couple by Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin, Gentle Giant, Freddie King, Charles Mingus and Duke Ellington. Commencing with a little ditty called, “Steampunk 69”, a great, noisy, power trio sort of thing with a marvelous yet sick jazz/rock guitar solo by Mr. Willers. Half of the songs are also two-parters, with the trio morphing from one song to the next. No easy feat as they seamlessly blend disparate themes or genres. Willers plays some sly old school blues/rock slide on “Roost’r”. We soon find the trio playing Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “Dance of there Maya” which turns into a blues and then directly into Gentle Giant’s song, “Valedictory”. Duke Ellington’s “I Ain’t Got Nothing But the Blues’ is one in the style of Derek Bailey but with some Fleetwood Mac-like vocals?!? I certainly didn’t expect a cover of Cream’s c;asdic “Politician”, in which Willers takes a powerful yet tortured live Cream-like guitar solo. What holds this together is Mr. Willers’ distinctive and varied approach to his playing, which includes several devastating solos. Things end with a long ambient guitar piece which is haunting seems to go in forever. Strange yet everything fits together somehow. One of the quirkiness records I’ve heard in a long while. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $16

AXEL DORNER / ANDREAS WILLERS / ACHIM KAUFMANN - AAA. Live (Creative Sources 255; Portugal) Featuring Axel Dorner on trumpet, Andreas Willers on acoustic guitar & electronics and Achim Kaufmann on piano. This disc was recorded live in Munich in October of 2012. German trumpeter Axel Dörner is one of the most diverse of all European creative musicians, having worked with Globe Unity Orchestra, Vandermark’s Territory Band, Otomo Yoshihide and the Erstwhile/Lower Case collective. In recent years pianist Achim Kaufmann has been involved in several great duos with Michael Moore, Thomas Heberer and Gebhard Ullmann. It makes perfect sense that this trio would work well together, crossing several musical borders. This disc/set consists of three solos from each member plus full trio set. The CD reverses the order and puts the trio set first. It is long (36 minutes) and the trio take their time to explore their sounds together. There is a good deal of suspense and spaciousness, but not nearly as sparse as Lower Case Improv usually is/was. Mr. Kaufmann seems to be playing inside the piano at times, perhaps rubbing & plucking the strings with a small object as Mr. Dorner plays those hushed radiator-like sounds, bending certain notes cautiously. On the inside picture, Mr. Willers is playing his acoustic guitar laid on his lap. Mr. Willers seems to balancing two extremes: Derek Bailey-like fractured notes with some occasional blues or rock licks on his acoustic guitar. Mr. Dorner is often at the center and concentrating on each note, carefully manipulating each one. Willers and Kaufmann often provide a cushion of of rubbed or plucked strings, sometimes dense but more often sparse. The solo pieces are also interesting since we get a chance to hear each member of the trio show what he can do with their respective instruments. The solo by Andreas Willers has a great deal more going on then what he does with the trio. As he plays the guitar, he selectively adds some mysterious ambiance with his electronics. Both the solo piano and solo trumpet are also consistently fascinating as both men take their time to explore a variety of timbre and texture, coming up with strong results. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

ANDREAS WILLERS / URS LEIMGRUBER - Pale White Shout (JazzWerkStatt 170; Germany) “Guitarist Andreas Willers (Germany) and saxophonist Urs Leimgruber (Switzerland) are among Europe's most prominent improvisers and free-thinkers. On this outing their experimental metrics are quite rangy and focused, offering the antithesis to a madcap free-form blowing session. The duo alternates between controlled thematic buildups and subdued encounters with polytonal dialogues along with certain parts that elicit notions of exotic birds communicating in a tropical rain forest. Add some bizarre tirades and coiled flurries —abetted by Willers' wily electric guitar effects and distortion techniques—the musicians' merge a divide and conquer modus operandi with humor and playful exchanges.
"Face to Face III" is the lengthiest track, clocking in at 10 ½ minutes. Here, the duo opens with a simple conversation, gravitated by Willers' grunge-like single note lines, spanning the upper and lower registers. Along with some death metal style drones and Leimgruber's vibrato-tinted lines, they ascend towards a doomsday-framed outlook, cycling through a mesmeric and climactic free jazz exposition. But they gradually temper the flows amid a horde of crisscrossing motifs that summon a variety of contrasting ideas and emotive aspects, amped by the saxophonist's meticulously crafted, and rather mercurial tenor sax statements. Nonetheless, the artists generate a whole lot of depth via multihued textural components and vastly interesting concepts that often lead to explosive cadenzas and a myriad of fascinating subplots.” - Glenn Astarita, AllAboutJazz
CD $16

Three New Treasures from the Great Sunnyside Label, In stock next week:

DENNY ZEITLIN TRIO With BUSTER WILLIAMS & MATT WILSON - Wishing on the Moon - Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York City (Sunnyside 1514; USA) “Denny Zeitlin is known as a musician of great taste and vast breadth of interests. It should come as no surprise that most of the great pianist’s collaborators have been equally eclectic and brilliant in their musical pursuits. In the long list of tremendous accomplices, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson have cemented themselves as two of Zeitlin’s most dynamic and moving. 
The trio has entered their 18th year as a working combo and, though they are all busy in many endeavors, their unique chemistry makes every performance a not to be missed event.”
CD $15

ROMAN FILIU With RALPH ALESSI / DAYNA STEPHENS / DAVID VIRELLES / MATT BREWER MARIA GRAND - Quartetia (Sunnyside 1504; USA) Six buildings in close proximity with families living one on top of another within a constant melee of sound, including music of all sorts. This is the public housing of Santiago de Cuba, known locally as cuartería. These apartments and their confederation of people and sounds serve as the inspiration to saxophonist and composer Román Filiú’s new musical suite and subsequent recording, Quarteria.
Growing up in the far eastern province of Cuba, Filiú was aware of music all around him. His father was a music theory teacher who encouraged his son to explore classical music scores. Filiú’s own musical studies began with classical piano before he focused on the saxophone. While visiting his friends who lived in the local cuartería, the budding musician was exposed to a wide variety of sounds of Cuban extraction, including liturgical music for Bembé, conga oriental, tumba francesa, classical, jazz, and popular music, the cuartería was Filiú’s own musical Tower of Babel.
Trumpeter Ralph Alessi has been a frequent collaborator with Filiú in Dafnis Prieto’s band, the two having originally met while the trumpeter traveled with Steve Coleman to Havana. Dayna Stephens’ s sonorous tenor saxophone is a perfect foil for Filiú’s alto. Also from Santiago de Cuba, pianist David Virelles has been a long time collaborator and is responsible here for widening the ensemble’s panoramic sound. Bassist Matt Brewer was a must for his steady rhythm and expert time, while drummer Craig Weinrib is equally adept in support and widely steeped in rhythmic traditions from all over the world. Tenor saxophonist Maria Grand is also featured on a couple pieces.
CD $15

JAMIE BAUM SEPTET With BRAD SHEPIK / AMIR ELSAFFAR / JOHN ESCREET / SAM SADIGURSKY / et al - Bridges (Sunnyside 1502; USA) “Hailed by Downbeat for her “remarkable artistic facility” and by The New York Times for her “remarkable balance of fluidity and restless creativity,” New York-based flutist/composer and 2014 Guggenheim Fellow Jamie Baum is proud to announce the release of her sixth CD as a leader, Bridges, featuring The Jamie Baum Septet . The highly anticipated follow-up to her 2013 recording In This Life, Bridges offers yet another recording of incredible depth, beauty, spirituality, undiluted zeal and is the culmination of Baum’s search for common links between some of the world’s great religious music traditions. While conducting research for her Guggenheim Fellowship Award, Baum explains, “I found there to be very deep connections going back centuries, between certain types of Jewish music (my earliest musical influences) and Muslim/Arabic and Hindu/South Asian music.” Exploring these musical connections, and composing new music inspired by her findings, became the focus of Bridges.”
We received the promo for this disc last month and I have been digging it ever since. Besides being a fine flutist and bandleader, Jamie Baum, is a gifted composer whose every release shows a great deal of work, dedication and complexity. I will do my own review next week. - BLG/DMG
CD $15

JUANMA TRUJILLO - El Vecino (Falcon Gumba; Argentina) Featuring Juanma Trujillo on guitar & compositions, Brandon Sherman on trumpet, Emilio Terranova on bass and Matt Honor on drums. Last year, a violinist named Leonor Falcon, originally from Argentina and currently living in NYC, dropped off her CD and played a fine set here at DMG soon thereafter. The guitarist o her disc was one Juanma Trujillo. Mr. Trujillo recently dropped off his own quartet disc to check out. Outside of Mr. Trujillo, I am not familiar with the other members of this quartet. The opening song, “Demosthenes” is a somber, dreamy ballad for hushed trumpet and guitar, exquisitely performed. “Calipso?” sounds like a cerebral calypso of sorts with John Abercrombie-like dreamy guitar and a quick, nimble interaction from the trumpet and slow-burning rhythm team. It’s refreshing to hear a discs from musicians who are not playing completely free and dealing with restrained and melodic sense of aesthetics. At times the trumpeter hangs back in the distance playing quietly while Mr. Trujillo plays elegantly up front. The tempo and intensity pick up on “Satin Dots”, which takes off into a soaring, galloping groove. The guitar and bass double up the main line with tight, tasty finesse. On “Chester Arthur”, Mr. Trujillo hits those sneaky blues/rock/slide guitar licks which recall Harvey Mandel while the Mr. Sherman inserts a furious trumpet solo back by those fat chords. It takes some patience and reflection to enjoy the haunting, simmering beauty of what is going on here. The final song, “Pedalboard”, have the guitar and trumpet playing their long written lines superbly together. Trujillo is using some subtle distortion in which he expands the sustain wider and wider as the piece evolves, adding some slide fragments near the end. This disc shows that Juanma Trujillo is well on his way to becoming another one of the those Downtown guitar greats who are deserving of wider recognition. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

JAMES TENNEY // SCORDATURA ENSEMBLE - Harmonium (New World Records 80803; USA) "Asked whether he would describe his music as 'Sound for the sake of sound,' James Tenney (1934?2006) replied, 'It's sound for the sake of perceptual insight -- some kind of perceptual revelation.' This release aptly demonstrates Tenney's deep exploratory fascination with the nature and potentialities of aural perception. His attraction to these topics was simultaneously intellectual and sensuous, and its musical products at once invite both sustained reflection and the most immediate of corporeal responses. A number of his works feature pitch collections that progressively approach or diverge from the structure of the harmonic series, or that gradually move between its 'harmonically complex' or 'dissonant' upper reaches and its 'harmonically simple' or 'consonant' lower regions. A paradigmatic example is provided by Harmonium #1 (1976). For 12 String (rising) (1971) represents an arrangement for strings of Tenney's classic electroacoustic composition For Ann (rising) (1969), which predated his interest in harmony. It nonetheless shares with much of his subsequent music a ruthless simplification of form and structure that eschews narrative drama in order to highlight the subjective processes and perceptions of the listener. The first movement of Two Koans and a Canon (1982) is entitled "First Koan (a gentler Beast)" and constitutes a variation upon Tenney's earlier Beast (1971) for solo double bass. It is a study in acoustical beating, an alluring rhythmic pulsation audible between tones whose pitches are sufficiently close to each other. The "Second Koan" in turn recalls Tenney's Koan (1971) for solo violin. It exhibits another of his radically reduced formal designs: a steady cross-string tremolo that gradually migrates upwards in register across the strings of the instrument. The brief final "Canon" is the most structurally complex of the movements. Alone of the three it employs a live tape-delay system. From 1975?84, Tenney produced a number of other compositions calling for the use of a tape-delay system in live performance, which he once referred to as 'the poor man's orchestra' for its ability to produce lush textures from few instruments. The most texturally sophisticated of these pieces is Voice(s) (1984), which requires the use of four separate tape machines. The final track, Blues for Annie (1975), offers a glimpse into the breadth of Tenney's personal musical interests. His appreciation for the blues is expressed forthrightly in a literal transcription and arrangement of Jaybird Coleman's 1927 recording of 'No More Good Water 'Cause the Pond is Dry.' "
CD $15

Last Copies of this Out-of-print Treasure from EVAN PARKER:

EVAN PARKER SANT'ANNA ARRESI QUINTET [PETER EVANS/ALEXANDER HAWKINS/JOHN EDWARDS/HAMID DRAKE] - Filu 'e Ferru (Punta Giata; Italy) Rare Live Evan Parker Quintet just found! Featuring Evan Parker on tenor sax, Peter Evans on trumpet and piccolo trumpet, Alexander Hawkins on piano, John Edwards on double bass & Hamid Drake on percussion. Recorded Live January 2nd, 2015 ar Sant'Anna Arresi Jazz Festival in Sardegna, Italy. This rare recording was provided direcly from Evan Parker and is available exclusively at DMG.
CD $25 [5 copies left!]


GUIDED BY VOICES - Space Gun (Guided By Voices Inc. 081; USA) "In 2018, Guided By Voices will release precisely one new album, Space Gun. Once you hear it, you will know why. With a renowned work ethic and a daily pot of coffee, Robert Pollard continues to outclass younger generations of come-and-go rock bands. After 20 years, 100 albums, 2000 songs, Pollard still can't really explain (or doesn't want to explain) his secret: 'The songs just come to me.' In 2017, the new GBV line-up (veterans Doug Gillard and Kevin March and newcomers Mark Shue and Bobby Bare Jr) blew audiences away and toured behind the ambitious and sprawling multi-vocalist double album August By Cake, followed just months later by the concise punchy and catchy How Do You Spell Heaven. Pollard has acknowledged that this line-up's adroit talents pushes him to more daring and dizzying heights. The band will be touring throughout 2018. And now, here it comes: Space Gun, the fullest realization yet of Pollard's song talents, with the band firing on all cylinders. There's humor and whimsical childlike musings, cinematic grace and elegance, heavy duty propulsion, dark futuristic undercurrents, twists and turns and kinetic magic. This is a band that turns on a dime, rips it up, psyches it out and can radically shape-shift to realize a three-act rock opera in two minutes and 48 seconds. Robert Pollard is a lyrical master; not a word out of place, every line bristling with surprise, telling a story that's both irresistible and impossible. Invention and imagination remain the undiminished life-forces of a Guided By Voices record and this one absolutely crackles with this energy: this band is on fire."
CD $17

A HAWK AND A HACKSAW - Forest Bathing (LM Duplication 019; USA) "Forest Bathing, or Shinrin-oku, is a term that means 'taking in the forest atmosphere.' It was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. 'Taking in the forest atmosphere' became the inspiration for A Hawk and A Hacksaw's newest album. Their forest bath of choice is the Valle De Oro National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. This new album features ten original compositions by Heather Trost and Jeremy Barnes. The opening track 'Alexandria' features Barnes on the Persian Santur, an ancient hammer struck dulcimer, and Trost's string and woodwind melodies. The composition evokes the long trader's route between what is now Bulgaria and the wealthy cities of Istanbul and Alexandria. The band has always had a bird's eye view of this part the world -- looking for the connections between places and even eras: a belief in the power of music to reach across borders and unite. The band is based on the idea of collecting music and inspiration through travel. They are not of a place, but their music evokes places along a route. This is not urban music. It's rural: songs of the woods and roads where there are no sidewalks or street lamps to light your way. While the bulk of the music heard on this record is played by Barnes and Trost, they do have some incredible guest performances, namely the clarinet virtouso Cüneyt Sepetçi, from Istanbul, Hungarian cimbalom master Unger Balász, and closer to home, Chicago trumpeter Sam Johnson, Deerhoof's John Dieterich and Noah Martinez, of the band Lone Piñon."
CD $12 or LP $17

Three Essential Reissues from Seminal UK Punk/Post Band WIRE:

WIRE - Pink Flag (Pink Flag PF 011SE; UK) "These are the definitive re-releases. Each album is presented as an 80-page hardback book -- the size of a 7-inch, but obviously much thicker. After a special introduction by Jon Savage, Graham Duff provides insight into each track. These texts include recording details, brand-new interviews with band members, and lyrics. The original album is presented on its own CD, accompanied by discs that feature relevant extra tracks: singles; B-sides; demos; and many previously unreleased songs. All audio has been painstakingly remastered (or, in some cases, mastered for the first time). This stunning set of presentations also includes a range of images from the archive of Annette Green. Wire's official photographer during this period, Green also shot the covers for Pink Flag and Chairs Missing. Promotional and informal imagery -- in colour and black and white -- is featured throughout the books. Most of the photographs have not been seen for 40 years -- and many have never been published anywhere before. Please note: although the three original albums remain available through digital stores and streaming services, the extra tracks from the special editions will not be released digitally. Usually contextualized against a backdrop of two years of the growing cultural importance of punk rock -- Wire's debut Pink Flag, released in December 1977 on EMI's progressive label Harvest was in fact was something 'other.' To the keen cultural commentator, the timing and label of its release will register two essential facts about it. Firstly, too late (a year after the Pistol's debut release) to be part of UK punk's first flush and secondly that the band were signaling something beyond punk by their choice of label. Further investigation would re- veal twenty-one tracks, some of them clocking in at well under a minute and covering a range of tempi well beyond the buzzsaw rockabilly that had become, even by the second half of 1977, punk's staple."
2 CD Set BOOK $45

WIRE - Chairs Missing (Pink Flag PF 012SE; UK) "Presented as an 80-page hardback book -- the size of a 7-inch, but obviously much thicker. If Pink Flag proposed an almost cut and paste approach to deconstructing rock history, Chairs Missing proposed something more radical, a definite futurism with much less influence from its antecedents. Chairs Missing was at once more stark and more lush than its predecessor and has exerted its own influence on the course of cultural history, having laid down one of the earliest (if not the earliest) blueprints for the genuinely post-punk aesthetic."
3 CD Set Book $45

WIRE - 154 (Pink Flag PF 013-SE; UK) "Presented as an 80-page hardback book -- the size of a 7-inch, but obviously much thicker. 1979's 154 represented the final tableau in Wire's Harvest released '70s tripych and was the first Wire album to be released to a universal set of 5 star reviews from the British Rock Weeklies thus it represented the point when the British 'pop culture establishment' publicly recognised Wire's primacy. '154 makes 95 percent of the competition look feeble' wrote Nick Kent in the NME; 'Wire are achieving a lot of things other -- and more recognised -- names have been striving for' wrote Chris Westwood in Record Mirror (a paper that had slagged off Pink Flag); 'The album is a musical Tour de Force' wrote Jon Savage in Melody Maker. Many said it was the album that Bowie & Eno had failed to make with Lodger (as hinted in the RM review), it was on John Lennon's playlist. Without a doubt, even if record sales did not bear it out, Wire had 'arrived.'"
3 CD Set Book $45

BLURT - Poppycock (Klanggalerie 267; Germany) “Blurt was founded in Stroud, UK, in 1979 as part of the post-punk movement by poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton along with Milton's brother Jake, formerly of psychedelic group Quintessence, on drums and Peter Creese on guitar. After three albums Creese left the band to be replaced by Herman Martin on synthesizers who, after a year of constant touring left the band, and was replaced by Steve Eagles, former member of Satan's Rats, The Photos and Bang Bang Machine. Shortly thereafter Jake Milton left to be replaced by Nic Murcott, who was subsequently replaced by Paul Wigens. Most of Blurt's compositions feature simple, repetitive, minimalistic guitar and/or saxophone phrases, but they can also explore more abstract musical territories, often serving as an atmospheric backdrop for Ted Milton's existentialist poetry. The music has been described as Dada-Avantgarde-Jazz or Paranoid Jazz-Mutant Funk. Practically impossible to pigeonhole. Poppycock was released on the band's own Toeblock label in 1986 and features song classics such as Man To Fly and Down In The Argentine. The album was remastered for CD by Martin Bowes of Attrition.”
CD $18

SUN RA - The Early Albums Collection 1957-1963 (Enlightenment 9145; EEC) “A true maverick in every sense of the word, Sun Ra remains one of the most influential, innovative and controversial figures in jazz. An exceptional composer, pianist and bandleader, Ra and his amorphous "Arkestra" embraced a vast array of styles from the entire jazz spectrum, from swing to bebop, free jazz to fusion and avant-garde to space music, while often adopting extravagant personas and costumes, and giving performances that pioneered the Afro-futurism movement. Never a great commercial success, Sun Ra boasts one of the largest discographies of any recording artist, having released over 100 LPs and numerous compositions. Of notable interest is the early part of Sun Ra's career, when his experimental nature was first developing. Sun Ra's career would remain as eclectic and exciting as ever it was throughout the rest of his life, as he continued to push boundaries and influence countless musicians within the world of jazz and beyond. He passed away on 30th May 1993 at the age of 79, but after death, his legacy lived on, as the Arkestra continued to operate in his honor, playing the great man's compositions to this very day. This collection brings together seven full albums, and many early singles, featuring more than five hours of music from the early part of his career as bandleader. Documenting the development of his music from 1955 to 1963, this set goes some way to unraveling the depths of this master musician and wholly unique individual's music.”
These albums are all essential and include: ’Sound of Joy’, ’Super-sonic Jazz’, ‘Interstellar Low Ways’, ‘Jazz in Silhouette’, ‘The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra’, ‘When the Sun Comes Comes Out’ plus singles 1955-1963. We got this promo is last month and we have been listing to it over and over. If you don’t own any or very much Sun Ra, this is a great place to start. A number of these records are currently out of print on any format, my favorite from this period is ‘Jazz in Silhouette’. - BLG/DMG
4 CD Set $18

PAUL DESMOND - The Complete Albums Collection: 1953-1963 (Enlightenment 9146; EEC) Best known as a member of Dave Brubeck's legendary quartet and the man who wrote the biggest-selling jazz single ever, 'Take Five', Paul Desmond's importance as a jazz performer cannot be underestimated. A master of the alto saxophone as well as a consummate composer and musician, Desmond was a pivotal figure on the West Coast "cool jazz" scene. His time with Brubeck produced some of the most critically-acclaimed recordings in history, in particular the magnificent Time Out (Columbia, 1959). However, Desmond was also an accomplished bandleader in his own right, with the material released during the early part of his career remaining among his finest work. Paul Desmond remained active throughout the rest of his career, producing a multitude of albums and performing live with Dave Brubeck, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Jim Hall, Ed Bickert and The Modern Jazz Quartet among others. Sadly, his career was cut short, following a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer in the mid '70s. He gave his final performance in New York in February 1977, and passed away on 30th May that year at the age of 52. This collection brings together the entirety of Paul Desmond's output as leader or co-leader between 1953 and 1963, a catalogue totaling more than five hours of music, presented here across four discs. Collating nine original albums, this set serves as the perfect introduction to this master musician and composer, as well as providing a welcome reminder to those already versed in the great man's work.
4 CD Set $18

LP Section:

GUIGOU CHENEVIER AND SOPHIE JAUSSERAND - A l'Abri Des Micro-Climats (Megaphone/Knock ‘Em Dead 035; USA) Megaphone and Knock Em' Dead present a reissue of Guigou Chenevier and Sophie Jausserand's A l'Abri Des Micro-Climats, originally released on RecRec Music in 1984. Guigou Chenevier was the drummer of Etron Fou Leloublan, a band that was barely like any other. To describe them in words could only take a mind so far to the reality of what they were like -- Eccentric, absurd, whimsical, and distinct are words that come to mind. Every member was a big part of their distinction. Guigou played extremely driven, tight rhythms that cut through previous human rhythmic logic, even though progressive rock was exploring new rhythms for years beforehand. A year before Etron Fou Leloublan's last record, Face Aux Elements Dechaines (1985), Guigou released his second solo album, A l'Abri Des Micro-Climats, or in English, "In the Shelter of Microclimates". A l'Abri Des Micro-Climats is a concept-album based on a series of non-conventional "songs", composed by Guigou Chenevier and his wife Sophie Jausserand. Sophie wrote a big part of the lyrics of this album, sings on some songs (also as a duo with Guigou in "La Maladie des Fourmis"), and she also realized all the sleeve design of the album with the whale. Sophie and Guigou also used two poems by Sophie's father for this project on "Vive l'Anarchie" and "Ecartelage". They also invited some musician friends to add some parts on this record: Guy Sapin on guitar (Guigou played many years together with Guy with different groups like Encore Plus Grande, Octavo, or Barbarie Légère, amongst others), Dominique Grimaud on synths (of Video Aventures; Dominique participated to Guigou's theater and music project Le Diapason du Père Ubu in 1990-93), and Christiane Cohade on bass (of French groups Les I and the female quartet Virgule IV). A lost treasure that will surely captivate and intrigue listeners, now brought back to life. Edition of 300.
LP $30

ELEKTRO HAFIZ / MLDVA & CINAR TIMUR / GRUP SES / OZAN ATA CANANI / et al - Saz Power (Ironhand 003; Germany) "Saz Power features a special sound: the saz, acoustic and electric. This lute instrument is the most commonly used folk instrument in Turkey. It is connected both to Ottoman classical music -- the centuries-old tradition of the wandering bards of Aşıks -- and to the psychedelic Anatolian rock of the 1970s. Through archaeological excavations of mounds in Anatolia, the saz can be traced back to an age before the Common Era. And yet the saz is an international as well as a specifically Turkish instrument. It has gained a wider popularity due to its unique sound and its unique history, especially with the renewed interest in Anatolian rock music that has been growing for a decade now, and the new wave of psychedelic music worldwide. This global appeal is reflected on the album by the choice of artists: one half is played by musicians from Turkey, the other by players from Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, and Israel. The concept for this album was conceived by musician Demir Kerem Atay (aka Elektro Hafız) and developed by the two label directors Cem Şeftalicioğlu and Ercan Demirel. It was to showcase different models of the saz (acoustic, electric) and saz-related instruments (like the buzuq and cümbüş), but also different styles, different ways to play the saz through different countries, to offer a full spectrum of the music that can be produced with it. This concept was immediately embraced by all the musicians asked to participate in the album. Here they could show their love for the instrument -- and indeed they all did so. The arrangements combine the traditional or the electric saz with the diverse sounds and vibrations of psychedelic guitars, basses, organs, synths, drums, and percussion. The tunes are based on different styles of Anatolian folk music or are contemporary compositions written by the artists. As a result, the music belongs partly to a new generation of Turkish folk music and Anatolian rock -- always updating the living tradition of these styles -- and partly to a fresh blend of Anatolian rock with other styles like electronic music or the soundtrack to a psychedelic Western." - Holger Lund
Features MLDVA & Çınar Timur, Kaan Boşnak, Elektro Hafız, Yasak Helva, Baba Zula, Boogie Balagan, Cem Yıldız, Hudna, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek, Ozan Ata Canani, Grup Ses, and Duble Salih.
LP $26

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

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - JOE MORRIS - MAY 22–25

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

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - MARTY EHRLICH - MAY 29–JUNE 2

5/29 Tuesday
8:30 pm - IN DUO - Marty Ehrlich (woodwinds) Wadada Leo Smith (trumpets)

THE STONE COMMISSIONS
WEDNESDAY MAY 30: ANNIE GOSFIELD - In collaboration with National Sawdust The Stone presents a series of World Premieres the last Wednesday of every month through 2018. TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS
7pm at National Sawdust in Williamsburg: ANNIE GOSFIELD - For details check https://nationalsawdust.org/event/jazz-stone-commissioning-series/

5/30 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Marty Ehrlich Trio Exaltation—CD RELEASE PERFORMANCE! John Hebert (bass) Nasheet Waits (drums) Marty Ehrlich (reeds); Celebrating their Clean Feed release.

THE STONE AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS CAFE!
THURSDAY MAY 31: SOFIA REI - ONE SET AT 8PM—ADMISSION FREE! - The Stone is proud to present music at Russ and Daughters Cafe at 127 Orchard Street the last Thursday of every month! Drop by for smoked fish, pickles & great music!

5/31 Thursday - Marty Ehrlich BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!
8:30 pm - Marty Ehrlich’s Philosophy of a Groove Quartet - James Weidman (piano) Jerome Harris (electric bass) Christopher Beck (drums) Marty Ehrlich (reeds)

6/1 Friday
8:30 pm - Marty Ehrlich Shards - Angelica Sanchez (piano) John Lindberg (bass) Kate Gentile (drums) Marty Ehrlich (reeds)

6/2 Saturday
8:30 pm - Marty Ehrlich Welcome Quartet - Ron Horton (trumpet) Michael Bates (bass) Gerald Cleaver (drums) Marty Ehrlich (reeds)

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

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

Sun, May 27th:
8:01PM NEW BRAZILIAN PERSPECTIVES: Q MORROW QUARTET - Q Morrow, guitar, comp.; Evan Francis, flute, alto sax; Sam Bevan, bass; Raj Jayaweera, drums

Monday May 28
8:30PM NEW YORK NIGHTINGALES MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE - Lena Dabrusin; Jen Delac; Jennifer Mergele, vocals; Yoonmi Choi, piano; Leo Smith, bass

Tuesday May 29
6:00PM UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL VOICE STUDIO: CONCERT - David Rosenmeyer, piano; Tim Norton, bass; Jeff Davis, drums
8:00PM THE BUSH-TET - Stan Killian, tenor sax; Chris McCarthy, piano; Will Slater, bass; Tiago Michelin, drums
9:30PM PETER KRONREIF'S WAYFARERS - Andrew Gould, alto sax; Lucas Pino, tenor sax; Addison Frei, piano; Martin Nevin, bass; Peter Kronreif, drums

Wednesday May 30
8:01PM TOM CHANG QUARTET - Tom Chang, guitar, comp.; Quinsin Nachoff, tenor sax; Sam Bevan, bass; Kenny Grohowski, drums

Thurs, May 31st:
6:00PM ALBERT MARQUES / ROY NATHANSON QUINTET - Albert Marques, piano; Roy Nathanson, alto saxophone; Linton Smith, trumpet; Eva Lawitts, double bass; Zack O'Farrill, drums
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; Matt Aronoff, bass; Jesse Simpson, drums

Friday Jun 01
8:35PM FRANCISCO MELA & THE CRASH TRIO “FE” - Ingrid Laubrock, tenor sax; Henry Paz, tenor sax; Michael Attias, alto sax; Thomas Morgan, bass;

Saturday June 02
8:35PM MIKE MORENO QUARTET
Mike Moreno, guitar; Nitai Hershkovitz, piano; Matt Brewer, bass; Jonathan Barber, drums Mike Moreno Quartet image
Guitarist Mike Moreno will be bringing in his acoustic quartet for a night of both original music and arrangements of jazz standards from his latest album 3 For 3 on Criss Cross Records.

Sunday
Jun 03
8:01PM MICHAEL BLANCO QUARTET - John Ellis, tenor sax; Mike Moreno, guitar; Michael Blanco, bass; Clarence Penn, drums


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I-Beam Presents:

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

Saturday, May 26th 8:30 PM
Otto Hauser
Details TBA

Friday, June 1st 8:30 PM
Ed Neumeister Quartet
Ed Neumeister – Trombone
Marc Copland – piano
Drew Gress – bass
Tom Rainey – drums

Saturday, June 2nd 8:30 PM
Ty Citerman / Judith Berkson
Judith Berkson (voice and keyboards)
Ty Citerman (voice, guitar and electronics)

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.