DMG Newsletter for June 29th, 2018

Creative Music Often Cuts through the BS of Everyday Life
The Ritual and Evolving Search for Serious Sounds
Takes Time and Study and Allows us to Dig Deeper and Listen More Closely
True Freedom is an Illusion, Although ‘Free Music’ is a Good Example
Of Democracy in Motion, An Ongoing Dialogue Between Human Beings
A Balancing Act Between Several X-Dreams…

Check Out What is On This Week’s Menu:

John Zorn Voudun Trio: Ches Smith & Ikue Mori plus Three Sets This Weekend! John Coltrane Quartet: The Lost Album! Three from Intakt: Elliott Sharp Carbon: Zenna Parkins & Bobby Previte! Joey Baron & Robyn Schulkowsky! Julius Eastman / Kukuruz Quartet! Fay Victor’s SoundNoiseFunk: Joe Morris & Sam Newsome!

Peggy Lee Tentet Robin Holcomb! Stick Men David Cross! Butch Morris Rarity CD! Current 93! Amsterdam Klezmer Band! Plus Historic discs from Procol Harum! Klaus Schulze! And Big NimbusWest CD Sale! Plus vinyl from Acid Mothers Temple, Motopsycho, Bill Orcut & The Slits Doc DVD and 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, July 1st:
6pm: BEN GOLDBERG and GERALD CLEAVER - Clarinet and Drums
7pm: JOSH SINTON / TODD NEUFELD / GIACOMO MEREGA - Bari Sax & Bass Clarinet / Guitar / Bass

Sunday, July 8th:
6pm: GUILLERMO GREGORIO / NICK JOZWIAK / NICOLAS LETMAN-BURTINOVIC / TODD CAPP
7pm: SARAH BERNSTEIN - Solo violin Performing the Violin Music of ORNETTE COLEMAN

Sunday, July 15th:
6pm: WELF DORR UNIT with DAVE ROSS / DMITRY ISHENKO / JOE HERTENSTEIN
7pm: SCOTT FIELDS / ELLIOTT SHARP - Solo & Duo Guitars

Sunday, July 22nd:
6pm: GUSTAVO OBLIGADO / BRANDON SEABROOK / ANDREW DRURY - Alto Sax / Guitar / Drums
7pm: DREW WESLELY / HERY PAZ / RAF VERTESSEN - Guitar / Tenor Sax / Drums

Sunday, July 29th:
6pm: NATE SCHEIBLE and SARAH HUGHES - Drums and Alto Sax
7pm: STEVE SWELL and MARK SEGGER - Trombone and Drums

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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Three Nights of Rare JOHN ZORN Performances Next Two Weekends:

FRIDAY JUNE 29 7PM NATIONAL SAWDUST*
Women Visionaries

In celebration of National Sawdust’s inaugural Hildegard competition and June performance, John Zorn programs a trifecta of concerts celebrating the essential contributions of Women in the Arts.
This first concert presents three Zorn works inspired by the visionary artists Hildegard von Bingen, Agnes Martin and Hilma Af Klint. Die Traumdeutung was written for the upcoming Hilma Af Klint retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum this fall, and it receives its world premiere here. Also included is one of Zorn’s most beloved and acclaimed works for voice—The Holy Visions, a mystery play in 11 strophes inspired by the life and work of Hildegard von Bingen. To complete the program is the world premiere of a moody and sensual work called Through a Glass Darkly that features Zorn on sax in the context of 3 percussionists on haitian tanbou and mysterious tones on electric piano—from Zorn’s newest CD release ‘In A Convex Mirror’ - just released and listed below…

PROGRAM:
Die Traumdeutung (2017)
David Fulmer, violin
Steve Gosling, piano
The Holy Visions (2012)
Sarah Brailey, voice
Elizabeth Bates, voice
Eliza Bagg, voice
Rachel Calloway, voice
Kirsten Sollek, voice
Through a Glass Darkly (2018) (found on the new Zorn CD called ‘In a Convex Mirror’)
John Zorn, sax
Brian Marsella, keyboards
Kenny Wollesen, haitian tanbou
Ches Smith, haitian tanbou
Cyro Baptista, haitian tanbou
________

FRIDAY JUNE 29 10PM NATIONAL SAWDUST

Essential Cinema—Live Scores to films by Maya Deren, Marie Menken and Raha Raissnia. The work of three incredible 20th century women filmmakers—Maya Deren, Marie Menken, and Raha Raissnia—will be accompanied by live music composed, performed and conducted by John Zorn. The performers are some of the greatest musicians in the downtown scene, and include several musicians featured in his Stone Commissioning Series at National Sawdust. Electronics, strings, piano, drums and percussion will create a one-of-a-kind listening experience that only John Zorn can deliver. Live the magic of watching a film with a John Zorn soundtrack performed live in the same room by a group of master musicians!

FILMS
Maya Deren—Ritual in Transfigured Time (1946)
Ikue Mori, electronics
Erik Friedlander, cello
Kirsten Lamb, bass
Brian Marsella, keyboards
Kenny Wollesen, drums
Ches Smith, vibes, percussion,
John Zorn, conductor
Marie Menken—Go! Go! Go! (1964)
John Zorn, sax
Kirsten Lamb, bass
Kenny Wollesen, drums
Ches Smith, drums
Raha Raissnia—new work (2018)
Ikue Mori and John Zorn, electronics
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SATURDAY JUNE 30 7PM NATIONAL SAWDUST

John Zorn’s COBRA

Ava Mendoza, guitar
Wendy Eisenberg, guitar
Zeena Parkins; keyboards, electric harp
Sylvie Courvoisier, piano
Annie Gosfield, keyboards
Ikue Mori, electronics
Okkyung Lee, cello
Meaghan Burke cello
Kirsten Lamb, bass
Sae Hashimoto; vibes, percussion
Kate Gentile, drums
Mareike Wiening, drums
John Zorn - prompter

* National Sawdust is located at 80 North 6th St. Brooklyn, NY 11249
By subway - 3 blocks from the L train Bedford Ave.
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ZORN AT THE FRICK MUSEUM, NYC * - 6pm - 9:30pm

Friday, JULY 6, 2018 - Free Admission

Anteroom
AMBIENT WORK - ORGAN CD on loop

6:10 - Garden Court
GNOSTIC DUO (15’)
kenny wollesen vibes
carol emanuel harp

6:30 - Library
PASSAGEN (10’)
chris otto violin

7pm - West Gallery (Turner)
CELLO BAGATELLES (15’)
michael nicolas cello
erik friedlander cello

7:30 - Music Room
CLASSIC GUIDE TO STRATEGY (10’)
john zorn alto saxophone

8pm - Grand Staircase (opposite the Vermeer)
ZEITGEHOFT (8’)
chris otto violin
michael nicolas cello

8:30 - Living Hall (Bellini)
NOVE CANTICI PER FRANCESCO D’ASSISI world premiere (20’)
julian lage guitar
gyan riley guitar

The * Frick Museum is located at 1 East 70th St. (bet 5th Ave & Madison)
212-288-0700 / www.frick.org

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Today's Sonic Treasures Begin with This Classic:

* JOHN ZORN With CHES SMITH / IKUE MORI - In a Convex Mirror (Tzadik 8360; USA) “In a Convex Mirror” features Zorn’s unique saxophone playing and keyboard stylings in an extended foray into the nexus of voudun and downtown improvisation. An intense student of Haitian drumming and a regular at ceremonies from NYC to Port-au-Prince Haiti, Ches Smith weaves a hypnotic tapestry of polyrhythms that are constantly in flux. The result is an exciting new context for Zorn the performer. With special guest Ikue Mori creating moody electronic soundscapes, the music is as hypnotic as it is exhilarating. Three pieces of sonic voodoo for the 21st century!”
Incredible! Immensely well recorded, this disc captures those voodoo-like spirits in all their glory. Ever in-demand Downtown drummer, Ches Smith, is a student of Haitian drumming, a regular at ritualistic ceremonies in Haiti and NYC. After spending so much time in recording studios, Mr. Zorn is master producer, a sonic specialist. When the first piece begins, the sound of the (bass?) drum is vast, a layer of ritualistic congas begin on ongoing, hypnotic groove and soon Zorn’s magical alto sax is dancing on top. Ikue Mori, who is one of Mr. Zorn’s oldest collaborators, adds her own mysterious layer of sly samples, sounding like the instruments are all breathing together in and out, in and out… While Mr. Zorn blasts powerfully on top, the drums and sampler (laptop) create a great rhythmic tapestry. Although Mr. Zorn has released some fifty CD’s over the past five years,he has not played on very many of them, except for the last volume of ‘The Classic Guide to Strategy’. It is indeed a great thing to hear him solo at length here, digging deep and pushing the intensity level higher and higher as he erupts. On the second track, “Through a Glass, Darkly”, time is slowed down, with Zorn playing eerie electric piano along with Ches Smith’s haunting conga’s. Mr. Zorn’s sax playing is gorgeous, sounding note like the soulful, tender tenor of the old masters. The slower and more lyrical Mr. Zorn plays, the more the Mr. Smith increases the tempo, softly simmering underneath. For the third and last piece, Mr. Zorn really unleashes furious, sputtering, blasting, all the way. Just incredible and certainly not for the faint-hearted. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

* The second piece on this disc, “Through a Glass, Darkly” will be performed this Friday, June 29th during the first set with Mr. Zorn & three percussionists at National Sawdust (see listing above)


Newly Discovered, Previously Unreleased Studio Session from the JOHN COLTRANE QUARTET is finally being Released. We have a limited number of copies coming in (hopefully) on Friday! The 2 LP version has been delayed. We will get more when these sell out!

JOHN COLTRANE with McCOY TYNER / JIMMY GARRISON / ELVIN JONES - Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album (Impulse!/Verve 28227; USA) Standard version incorporates seven tracks, two of which are completely unheard original compositions. 2018 archive release. Unknown until 2004 and unheard until now, these recordings by the John Coltrane Quartet are, as Sonny Rollins says in the liner notes, like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid. Featuring the Classic Quartet - John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones - and recorded at the end of a two-week run at Birdland, the music on this album represents one of the most influential groups in music history both performing in a musical style it had perfected and reaching in new, exploratory directions that were to affect the trajectory of jazz from that point forward.
CD $15

JOHN COLTRANE with McCOY TYNER / JIMMY GARRISON / ELVIN JONES - Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album (Impulse!/Verve 28228; USA) Two CD edition. Deluxe version including seven bonus alternate takes of some of the tracks from the standard edition. 2018 archive release. Unknown until 2004 and unheard until now, these recordings by the John Coltrane Quartet are, as Sonny Rollins says in the liner notes, like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid. Featuring the Classic Quartet - John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones - and recorded at the end of a two-week run at Birdland, the music on this album represents one of the most influential groups in music history both performing in a musical style it had perfected and reaching in new, exploratory directions that were to affect the trajectory of jazz from that point forward.
2 CD Set $22

JOHN COLTRANE with McCOY TYNER / JIMMY GARRISON / ELVIN JONES - Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album (Impulse!/Verve 28316; USA) Vinyl LP pressing. Standard version incorporates seven tracks, two of which are completely unheard original compositions. 2018 archive release. Unknown until 2004 and unheard until now, these recordings by the John Coltrane Quartet are, as Sonny Rollins says in the liner notes, like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid. Featuring the Classic Quartet - John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones - and recorded at the end of a two-week run at Birdland, the music on this album represents one of the most influential groups in music history both performing in a musical style it had perfected and reaching in new, exploratory directions that were to affect the trajectory of jazz from that point forward.
LP $30


Three New Discs from Intakt:

ELLIOTT SHARP CARBON With ZEENA PARKINS / BOBBY PREVITE - Transmigration at the Solar Max (Intakt 311; Switzerland) “Elliott Sharp continues to publish exceptional projects with his Carbon ensembles. After the Carbon Quintet "Void Coordinates" and the three CD box "The Age of Carbon" with legendary recordings of the 80s, a new Carbon album is now being released “en”titled: ‘Transmigration at the Solar Max’.
"Already teeming, activity on the sun increases further culminating with the peak, an elevated state in which sunspots and flares proliferate with profound effects throughout the solar system: fever dreams, ecstatic dances, restless movements both of populations and thought, soul transfers.
On this occasion forces coalesced in the Austrian Tirol with drummer Bobby Previte and electric harpist Zeena Parkins joining Carbon for the manifestation of Transmigration At The Solar Max. Part cosmic turbulence and part roiling soundscape, Transmigration At The Solar Max travels through successively hyper-charged zones, the musicians building their activities on and against shifting electro-acoustic drones and matrices of rhythm, unisons splitting and refracting." by Elliott Sharp, NYC, 2018
CD $18

JOEY BARON / ROBYN SCHULKOWSKY - Now You Hear Me (Intakt 307; Switzerland) “Robyn Schulkowsky, New Music's high priestess of percussion, and Joey Baron, one of the liveliest and most creative drummers in New York's Downtown scene, come from very different avant-garde traditions. Yet in meshing their talents when they play, categories blur – or rather dissolve. What they bring with them is a kind of oceanic experience.
Joey Baron is at home in contemporary jazz. He is one of John Zorn's favorite drummers and can often be heard alongside Bill Frisell; he played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Jim Hall and Carmen McRae; and has also spanned the Atlantic in his recent work with Jakob Bro as well as made a CD in duet with Irène Schweizer on Intakt Records. Robyn Schulkowsky moved from the USA to Europe, where she collaborated on and brought to life the works of New Music's greats. There is hardly a high-ranking avant-garde composer missing from the list: she has worked with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Iannis Xenakis, Luciano Berio, Christian Wolff. From the very beginning she was a sound innovator. Now You Hear Me. Invocative, making the presence of a condition felt, appropriating and relinquishing – everyday reality and ritual. Now.”
from the liner notes by Bert Noglik
CD $18

JULIUS EASTMAN // KUKURUZ QUARTET - Piano Interpretations (Intakt 306; Switzerland) The Kukuruz Quartet was first seen and heard making their contribution to a production at the Zurich Schauspielhaus. Kukuruz was engaged with notated classical music, advanced new music, with jazz and improvisation. 2014 Kukuruz started their involvement with Julius Eastman and his musical works. In 2017, their performance at documenta 14 in the Megaro Mousikis concert hall in Athens earned a standing ovation. They performed works by Julius Eastman: 'Evil Nigger', 'Gay Guerrilla', 'Buddha' and 'Fugue No. 7'. The recording of these compositions followed in November 2017 on four Steinway D pianos in the main hall of the historic Radiostudio Zürich.
Composer, trombonist and scholar George E. Lewis, who knew Eastman personally and played with him, writes in the liner notes: "This brilliant recording by the Kukuruz Quartet constitutes an important new contribution to the growing corpus of performances of music by the composer, pianist, and singer Julius Eastman (1940-1990), who came to prominence in the experimental music scene of the 1970s and 1980s ... On this recording, the Kukuruz Quartet renders Eastman's spirit of adventure audible and sensuous, exemplifying a new, creolized formation of contemporary classical music that is able to embrace a multicultural, multi-ethnic usable past and thinkable future that can affirm our common humanity in the pursuit of new music."
CD $18


FAY VICTOR'S SOUNDNOISEFUNK With JOE MORRIS / SAM NEWSOME / REGGIE NICHOLSON - Wet Robots (ESP-Disk 5025; USA) “’Wet Robots’ is Fay Victor's first album as a leader released on an American label other than her own Greene Street Music, but she is already a star on the New York avant-jazz scene. From Bradley Bambarger's liner notes: "Few vocalists have the sheer boldness -- the outright fearlessness -- of Fay Victor as an improviser. The New York native has long been a creative force on the avant-jazz scene, as a singer, bandleader, composer, arranger, and teacher. She has worked on both sides of the Atlantic with the likes of Misha Mengelberg, Roswell Rudd, and Anthony Braxton, along with recording several distinctive albums as a leader. Reviewing her recent disc Absinthe & Vermouth (2013), NPR declared evocatively that Fay's original songs sound 'as if Joni Mitchell wrote lyrics for a lost Betty Carter prog-rock album -- and it totally works.' Fay has also recorded edgy blues in a duo with guitarist Anders Nilsson, and she is an inspired re-animator of vintage instrumentals as vocal material, in the spirit of Carmen McRae in Monk ; to this end, Fay has performed with her In Praise of Ornette group and with her house-rocking Herbie Nichols Sung band. Now we have on record Fay's SoundNoiseFUNK quartet, featuring Joe Morris, Sam Newsome, and Reggie Nicholson -- each an exceptional maker of music in the moment. Although Fay enjoyed a rapport with each of these players in various combinations, this foursome had never played together as a unit before the single summer day last year when Wet Robots was captured in a Brooklyn studio. If jazz is the sound of surprise, this album startles -- a sonic funhouse of left turns. The band floats in its own space, untethered by a bass. Morris's guitar moves like a snake. Newhouse keens, taps, sighs on the straight horn. Nicholson makes his percussion set-up a skittering, rattling thing. Then there is Fay - her voice primal and wild, as attuned to unfettered expression as Albert Ayler's tenor."
CD $12

PEGGY LEE With BRAD TURNER / JOHN PATON / JON BENTLEY / COLE SCHMIDT ROBIN HOLCOMB - Echo Painting (Songlines 1626; Canada) In 2015 Coastal Jazz and Blues Society in Vancouver, BC commissioned Peggy Lee to compose a suite of music for a new 10-piece ensemble. The intent was to create an ensemble including some of the most active and interesting improvisers on the Vancouver scene, both veterans and younger players, all highly accomplished artists and leaders of their own projects. Echo Painting was premiered at the 2016 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. With many colors to draw upon, the music is multi-layered, texturally varied and melodically rich. From driving rhythmic vamps to incendiary improvisation to achingly beautiful melodic compositions, Peggy Lee takes anything she touches to a deeper and more artful level creating "music that combines the timeless and the otherworldly in equal measure" (Georgia Straight). The band is: Peggy (cello), Brad Turner (trumpet & flugelhorn), Jon Bentley (soprano & tenor sax), John Paton (tenor sax), Roderick Murray (trombone), Meredith Bates (violin), Cole Schmidt (electric & acoustic guitar), Bradshaw Pack (pedal steel), James Meger (electric & acoustic bass) and Dylan van der Schyff (drums & percussion).
CD $15

STICK MEN DAVID CROSS - Midori (MoonJune; USA) “It was a short-lived but perfect pairing. Stick Men is an inventive rock trio, progressive in the truest sense of the word, including current King Crimson members Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto and rounded out by the always-mercurial Markus Reuter. David Cross had served as Crimson's violinist in their early '70s jazzy-avant-proto-metal phase (though his tenure in the band never overlapped with the others'). When scheduling allowed them to come together for four Japan shows in April 2015, it proved to make just the right crossover material—the kind that brings out the best in everyone and produces a result greater than the sum of its parts. For fans of any or all of the names involved, hearing their two Tokyo performances is a dream come true.
Stick Men can already crank out a whole lot of noise for just three guys; the Chapman Stick lets Levin combine a rock-solid low end with fuzz-toned melody lines, while Reuter's synth guitar paints atmospheric swirls of color and Mastelotto expands the drummer's role with all manner of samples and electronics in real time. Cross's supple electric violin then gives the palette another range of shades entirely, whether he's jotting staccato notes or weaving fleet smooth-as-silk melody lines. The combination produces a mesmerizing web of sonics that constantly shifts and flows as they play off and respond to each other.
It makes for an exciting and adventurous set, capable of both slow gorgeous ambience and high- voltage thunder fierce enough to peel the varnish off your speaker cabinet. These are players who know the value of dynamics, never stop listening to each other, and understand that leaving space is as important as filling it. The quartet is willing to let the music unwind at its own pace; each set starts with an extended layered soundscape from Reuter before the others join in to gradually feel out how things are going to go. There's no need to rush to get to the loud moments, which only makes them more powerful once they arrive.
Fittingly the early set has a higher proportion of the more tentative explorations, while the late show is their time to flatten the room. Almost every written piece is a scorcher—"Sartori in Tangier" almost flies off the rails underneath Cross's fiery Arabian snake-charmer solo—but through the course of Midori, it's in the improvisations that this group shines brightest. The off-the-cuff musical dialogues can offer cloudy abstractions or sinuous rhythmic grooves according to the mood of the moment. Particularly noteworthy is each set's "Shades of Starless," which builds the Crimson song's iconic theme into a slow melodic sound sculpture before they ramp up to the roaring finale.” - Geno Thakcara, AAJ - limited edition of 2500 copies.
2 CD Set $18

Lost Treasure Just found:

LAWRENCE 'BUTCH' MORRIS With STEPHAN WITTWER / JIM O'ROURKE / HANS KOCH/MARTIN SCHUTZ / FREDY STUDER/GUNTER MULLER et al - TIT for TAT/Conduction #70 (For 4 Ears 927; Switzerland) Another excellent conduction & excursion of a 15 member Swiss ensemble, live in Zurich, Sept. '96. The unit includes a number of the Swiss' finest players-Stephan Wittwer & guest Jim O'Rourke on guitars, Hans Koch on clarinets & saxes, Martin Schutz on electric cello, both Fredy Studer and Gunter Muller on drums, plus the cheesy electronics of VoiceCrack and turntablist-Buster B. Like most of Butch's finest conductions, this one unfolds ever so slowly, soft fluffy clouds float into other clouds acoustic & electronic scenery. Disembodied spirits cautiously erupt into the stew of everyday life. Butch continually challenges this & all his ensembles, always weaving of intricate tapestry of seamless musical events. This fine ensemble is outstanding in its execution of Butch's unique vision, swirling and casting a cosmic spell. Brilliant!!- BLG Lawrence D. Butch Morris, conductor; B. Buster, turntables; Pete Ehrnrooth, clarinets, saxophones; Andy Guhl, cracked everyday electronics; Hans Koch, clarinets, saxophones; Edgar Laubscher, electric viola; Norbert Moslang, cracked everyday electronics; Daniel Mouthon, voice; Gunter Muller , drums, electronics; Jim O'Rourke, acoustic guitar; Dorothea Schurch, voice; Martin Schutz , electric 5-string cello; Marie Schwab, acoustic violin; Nicolas Sordet, electronics; Fredy Studer, drums; Stephan Wittwer, electric guitar.
CD $25 [Out of print, last 3 copies just found)

HARDY FOX - Nachtzug (Klanggallerie 276; Austria) "Hardy Fox used to be composer for The Residents for over four decades. He later released solo albums under the name Charles Bobuck before finally switching to his real name in 2017. After Heart, Nachtzug is his second solo album. In the beginning, this release was intended to become a TOOK release - simply releasing Fox's sketches for The Residents' Ghost Of Hope album. But this idea soon turned out to be not challenging enough, so Hardy started using his original sketches as the basis of an entirely new recording. In the end, The Night Train became such an exciting album that we trashed the TOOK idea and made it a Klang release. It's too precious to be a limited edition, too good to be heard only by a few. The inspiration came from a real train journey, says Fox, towards the end of his time with The Residents: 'It was nothing special. I needed to be in Zürich for a show and caught the last train leaving Vienna. Eight hours of rolling down the shiny tracks. Plenty of time to think. Too much time to think. Nachtzug, the night train, understands beginnings. Nachtzug, the night train, comprehends ends.'"
CD $19

CURRENT 93 - The Stars On Their Horsies (The Spheres 021; UK) The Stars On Their Horsies is not the new Current 93 album, just a lateral peek into her sidereal creek. This 39-minute CD contains only one track. Textually based around two nightmares David Tibet had recently, of which he recorded accounts of as soon as he woke from them in the middle of the night road, The Stars On Their Horsies may be seen as a sideshow peek, or perhaps a gas station carnival, and a slide into October's new Current 93 album.
CD $15

JEAN-LUC FAFCHAMPS - H1KhH2WM (Du Seuil), a Five-letter Sufi Word (Sub Rosa 445; Belgium) The third chapter in the Sufi Word's series. Jean-Luc Fafchamps on the release: "The Sufi Letters is a vast project of 28 compositions (for the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet) undertaken in 2000 and still ongoing. I am drawing inspiration from the symbolic charts found in Sufi mysticism. Each Letter is a sonic meditation on the frontiers of conscience and the paradoxes of time. Today's word, 'Du seuil' ('From the threshold'), is the third word to be released by Sub Rosa. It is a journey of sort through grief: stages of conscience, journey through hell, nocturnal anxieties, meditation, resilience. Do not worry too much though, for isn't it from the distance of death that one can shine the best light on life. Isn't all grief also a threshold?" H1KhH2WM (Du Seuil), a Five-letter Sufi Word features Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles, Centre Henri Pousseur; conducted by Jean-Paul Dessy. Includes 20-page booklet.
Jean-Luc Fafchamps is a pianist and composer. He studied at the Conservatoire in Mons and at Louvain University. A member of the Ictus Ensemble, he has taken part in many concert performances in large ensembles or chamber groups (performances of works by Lindberg, Reich, Aperghis, Mernier, Leroux, Harada, Francesconi, etc.) and in mixed performances, particularly accompanying dance -- multiple performances with Rosas (Anne-Teresa de Keersmaeker -- and theater -- several creations with Aperghis. He has made recordings for Sub Rosa -- with the Bureau des Pianistes and as a soloist -- of works by Bowles, Liszt, Feldman, Dallapiccola, Duchamp, Scelsi, and Berio and has contributed to numerous recordings with the Ictus Ensemble and has accompanied many singers.
CD $15

AMSTERDAM KLEZMER BAND & SONDORGO - Szikra (Vetnas 2990893; Netherlands) Pinnacles of klezmer and Balkan scenes merge to form single super band; Szikra is a magical collaboration between the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and the Hungarian band, Söndörgő. When playing live the bands merge into a grooving, uplifting supergroup with a totally unique sound. The first concerts were electrifying. Klezmer and Balkan fans are already looking forward to the upcoming tour. "Both bands create and play music with an open mind," says AKB bassist Jasper de Beer. "We're inspired by everything that has common ground with klezmer, Balkan, and gypsy music. Söndörgő has a similar approach, and neither band is limited by tradition. So we have a unique sound." The acquaintance with the Hungarian band was purely a coincidence, Jasper says. "On a summer's day in 2015 I stumbled upon a performance in the Haarlemmerhout. I had never heard of Söndörgő. I had no idea what to expect." It soon dawned on him that he was witnessing something special. "The musicians play on tamburas, Serbian string instruments. They mix tambura with clarinet, kaval, sax, trumpet, accordion, davul, darbuka and occasional singing together. Unbelievable. The band is super tight and they are consummate instrumentalists. You can see and hear that they've been playing together for a long time. They've developed their own style, just like the AKB." The Amsterdam Klezmer Band, which has always been in for new musical adventures, had the idea to work together with Söndörgő. In early 2017 they contacted the Hungarian band, who responded enthusiastically. April 2017 they met in the Netherlands, and got on very well, both musically and personally. Their first musical explorations burst with energy and had an intriguing new sound. Szikra (Hungarian for "spark") was born. Five months later Söndörgő returned to the Netherlands, both bands having prepared new pieces of music. After intensive rehearsals they recorded the studio album Szikra. "It sounds like these two bands have played together for years," says Benjamin of Söndörgő. "When we're together the bands integrate effortlessly, with a unique style and sound," adds Jasper. "The musical chemistry is driving everyone in the band to new creative heights."
CD $17

HELDON - Third (It's Always Rock 'N' Roll)(Bureau B 282; Germany) Bureau B present a reissue of Heldon's third album Third (It's Always Rock 'N' Roll), originally released on Disjuncta in 1975. Third album from the French space-rock electro combo masterminded by Richard Pinhas. Heldon's darkest work lays another stone in their sonic mosaic: synths, drones, fuzz, and trippy improvisations. There's something wicked happening on Heldon's third album It's Always Rock And Roll. Richard Pinhas's essential attack of searing guitar and space-bound synthesizer didn't change radically after the first two Heldon albums, 1974's Electronique Guerilla (BB 280CD/LP) and 1975's Allez-Teia (BB 281CD/LP). But there's dark energy coursing through this double album, a chilly aura that makes even the quietest pieces shiver with tension. "At this time, I tried to turn Heldon into a darker band," Pinhas admits. "But dark is not negative to me." The darkness of It's Always Rock And Roll is more about exploring what's hidden and overturning convention -- about diving beneath bright surfaces to find something more mysterious. If It's Always Rock And Roll stands up in Heldon's catalog, perhaps it's due to expansion -- both in the sense of big ideas and lengthy durations. Most tracks last over seven minutes, and two are side-covering epics. "I think the length of a track is part of the creation of the track," says Pinhas. "There are imperatives. You can do something very complex with a lot of events in four minutes, and then some other things need to be done very slowly. You have to do the length that it demands." "We recorded this after having met with Philip K. Dick in California for two days," recalls Pinhas. "It was such an event for a 23-year old; he was to me one of the last real prophets. We talked about Jung, we talked about a lot of things. Maybe this encounter gave birth to all of Heldon Third." So the sci-fi master spawned a dark audio creation to rival his own work. Like the Heldon albums that precede it, It's Always Rock And Roll is undoubtedly Pinhas' baby. But its depth-probing sounds earned it a godfather, too. 2018 remaster by Willem Makkee.
2 CD Set $22

HELDON - Agneta Nilsson (Heldon IV)(Bureau B 283; Germany) Bureau B present a reissue of Heldon's fourth album Agneta Nilsson, originally released on Urus Records in 1976. Agneta Nilsson opens with a mind-paralyzing track that proves stillness can have a pulse. "Perspective I" spends ten minutes poring through tectonic layers of heavy sound, piling everything so thick that the song becomes like quicksand for your brain. It's one of the most daunting works in the Heldon catalog, made all the more impressive by how simple it is. It's just sounds put together and turned up. It's the vital alchemy of Richard Pinhas's wizardry, deployed with maximum force. As on other early Heldon albums, the rest of Agneta Nilsson is diverse in a nearly contrarian way. Each track refuses to mimic its predecessor in a way that feels rebellious, like a child running away from home. This is true despite the fact that three of the four pieces are actually chapters of "Perspective", partners in a thematic whole. "Each one is a different point of view on the same field," explains Pinhas. "Different parts, different arrangements, but with a full concept in place." It's not easy to divine that concept in these pieces, but their sibling nature has a subconscious effect. The album-closing "Perspective IV" is one of Pinhas's most unabashedly proto-prog guitar-hero epics, boosted by a technical upgrade. "This was the first album where I had enough money to rent one or two days in a real studio to do the drumming," says Pinhas. "After that we had real budgets for studio time. That all changed with and after Agneta Nilsson -- that was a good turn." Pinhas parlayed Heldon's change of direction into three more adventurous albums in the '70s, and simultaneously spurred himself toward a solo career that continues to prod and probe the sonic universe today, over 40 years since he began. It would be wrong to say this album was the big bang of this singular career; the seeds of were planted years before, and every work Pinhas has been involved with sprouts more sounds and ideas that can grow into their own branches. But Agneta Nilsson is one of the most convincing pieces of evidence that Pinhas is incapable of sitting still.
CD $17

PROCOL HARUM - Grand Hotel: 2 Disc Expanded Edition (Esoteric Antenna 22632; UK) Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of an expanded 2 disc edition of the acclaimed Procol Harum album "Grand Hotel". Released in March 1973 the album was the first to feature a line-up of Gary Brooker (piano, vocals), Alan Cartwright (bass), Chris Copping (organ), Mick Grabham (guitars) and B.J. Wilson (drums) and was remarkable for its musical diversity and was hailed as "A masterpiece of musical perfection and lyricism" by the NME weekly music paper. From the sumptuously orchestrated title track, to compositions such as 'For Liquorice John', 'Fires (Which Burnt Brightly)', 'Bringing Home The Bacon', 'Toujours L'Amour' and 'Robert's Box' - "Grand Hotel" defied classification but remains one of Procol Harum's best loved and most admired works. This expanded two disc edition includes five bonus tracks, (three previously unreleased), taken from the early recording sessions, along with a DVD (NTSC / Region Free) featuring a previously unreleased performance filmed for RTBF television in Belgium from November 1973. The release also features a replica of the book included with the original LP of "Grand Hotel" and a further lavishly illustrated booklet featuring material from Gary Brooker's personal archive and an essay by Procol Harum authority Roland Clare featuring comments from Gary Brooker.
2 CD/DVD Set $24

PROCOL HARUM - Exotic Birds and Fruit: 3cd Digipak Edition (Esoteric Antenna 32633; UK) Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of an expanded 3CD edition of the acclaimed Procol Harum album "Exotic Birds And Fruit". Released in April 1974, the album was the product of a series of recording sessions beset by power cuts, the result of industrial strife during the winter of 1973. Despite having to work around these difficult conditions, "Exotic Birds and Fruit" would prove to be another fine collection of material written by Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid, featuring such classic tracks as 'Nothing But The Truth', 'As Strong As Samson', 'Beyond The Pale', 'Butterfly Boys' and 'The Idol'. The album would reveal the line-up of Gary Brooker, Alan Cartwright, Chris Copping, Mick Grabham and B.J. Wilson to be in fine, inspired form. This new expanded three CD edition of "Exotic Birds And Fruit" includes the original album (with two bonus tracks), along with two additional discs featuring the band's entire performance for BBC Radio One's In Concert show from March 1974 and a previously unreleased 65 minute live set recorded at January Sound Studios in Dallas on July 5th 1974 for KZEW FM.
3 CD Set $30

KLAUS SCHULZE - Das Wagner Desaster (Made in Germany 1612; German) "Re-Release of the impressing Klaus Schulze album Das Wagner Desaster - Klaus Schulze talks about Das Wagner Desaster: 'The title of this album, The Wagner Desaster, has its origin in a concert that was given on the occasion of a Nietzsche conference in Rome. Those who know a lot about music history and philosophy know that Friedrich Nietzsche at some point turned again Richard Wagner and gave him a roasting. This was because Wagner had once told him to stop composing music as he wasn't capable of doing it! Nietzsche took this so personally that he was finished with Wagner. For Wagner, who had actually respected Nietzsche, this was very much a real disaster!' This double-CD contains two different mixes of concert recordings from Rome and Paris in 1994. The 'Wild Mixes' are done by Andrè Zenou, who also designed the cover. The Soft-Mixes were by Klaus himself. As bonus track we added the encore from the 1991 Schulze concert in Sevilla."
2 CD Set $22


BRIAN’S IMAGINARY JUKEBOX - Discreet Ruminations and Oblique 45s (Righteous Psalm 2391; UK) "Featuring a disc of suitably inspirational wonky pop music alongside a disc of vintage ambient musings to cater for each and every oblique occurrence. Disc one includes the original versions of Eno covered classics 'Fever' and 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' along with inspirational sound purveyors as diverse as Little Richard, Gene Chandler, Sun Ra and Moondog along with a gaggle of uplifting spiritual classics. While disc two traces the roots of ambient music from Ornette Coleman and Miles Davis through Daphne Oram and Raymond Scott to Harry Partch and Marcel Duchamp. Which begs the question: 'Why take two jukeboxes into the shower - when you can have it all on one?' Remastered from the original sound sources with sleevenotes by MOJO magazine's Dave Henderson."
2 CD Set $18

HUGO FATTORUSO - Hugo Fattoruso Y Barrio Opa (Far Out Recordings Faro 2014; UK) Far Out Recordings venture further out to Uruguay to record a new album with fusion legend Hugo Fattoruso. After a twenty-year search for the man behind the cult '70s jazz-funk group Opa, Far Out Recordings present Barrio Opa: a new work from Fattoruso and his team of world-class musicians, including the sensational Candombe drumming of the renowned Silva brothers. Recorded at Sondor Studios, Montevideo, the album is the natural development of the original Opa sound, fusing Afro-Uruguayan rhythms, jazz harmony, and heavy funk attitude, under Hugo's unique musical vision. Hugo Fattoruso went from playing in his family band at street festivals around Uruguay, to fronting Los Shakers: South America's answer to the Beatles. At the end of the '60s Fattoruso was looking to broaden his musical horizons, and in 1969 he moved to New York where he formed Opa and went on to rub shoulders with the likes of Ron Carter and Creed Taylor. Fusing Candombe (traditional rhythm of Uruguay) with rock, jazz, funk, and other Latin American rhythms, Opa created a distinctive Afro-Uruguayan voice within the global jazz vernacular, influencing a generation of musicians throughout the seventies and beyond. During the '80s Fattoruso moved to Brazil, where he continued to work and record with Brazilian artists including Milton Nascimento, with whom he composed the World Music Grammy winning Nascimento album in 1997. Fattoruso also collaborated extensively with Airto Moreia. Recorded at Sondor Studios in Montevideo's iconic Barrio Sur district, the album features some of the world class musicians at the forefront of today's Uruguayan jazz scene, including Hugo's son Francisco Fattoruso on bass, Tato Bolognini on drums, Albana Barrocas on percussion, and Nicolás Ibarburu on electric guitar. The album also features the Candombe drumming of the legendary Silva brothers, Mathías, Guillermo Diaz, and Wellington, who give the album its Afro-Uruguayan identity. In Hugo's own words "this is the sound of Opa today." The stripped back yet equally rip-roaring trio piece "Botijas" is led by Hugo's virtuosic piano playing and hypnotic wordless vocals, and backed by an inventive, heavy grooving fusion of Latin rhythms from Tato Bolognini on drums. The shining moments for the Silva brothers' Tambor playing are "Candombelek" -- a beautifully moody Afro-Uruguyan groove with characterful Rhodes and vocal harmonies -- and "Candombe Alto", a carnivalesque track, awash with soaring synth lead, wah-wah guitar, and pulsating keys.
CD $15

COLOMBIA! - The Golden Age of Discos Fuentes The Powerhouse of Columbian Music 1960-76 (Soundway 008; UK) Soundway Records presents the tropical sound of Colombia. From the salsas and descargas of Cali, Medellin and Bogota to the Afro sounds and raw cumbias of Cartagena and Barranquilla, this is the sound of Colombian dancehalls and clubs in the '60s and '70s, when the legendary Discos Fuentes record label led the way. The sounds emanating from the barrios and beaches of Colombia are a unique mixture of Latin sounds and Afro rhythms, drawing influences from the New York and Puerto Rican Latin scenes, the highlife and rumba of West Africa and the calypso of the Caribbean, as well as the tropical rhythms of the Colombian cumbia, gaita, fandango and porro. Driving percussion, swinging horns, hot pianos and jumping bass lines -- this music was made for dancing.
CD $15

SIR VICTOR UWAIFO - Guitar Boy Superstar 1970-76 (Soundway 012; UK) Guitar-Boy Superstar is the first survey of the long career of the legendary Nigerian musician, artist and poet Victor Uwaifo, one of Nigeria's greatest stars -- a long-overdue release that puts Victor Uwaifo next to other Nigerian greats better known in the West. Victor Uwaifo's mission to spread and preserve the cultural heritage of ancient Benin (Modern day Edo State, Nigeria) has seen him work as a commissioner for cultural affairs in his native Edo State, a University lecturer, acclaimed bronze sculptor and poet as well as a highly successful musician. He has been awarded Nigeria's highest cultural tribute -- the order of the Niger, and continues to teach and work today with an energy that has not abated for nearly fifty years. Cutting his musical teeth with Victor Olaiya ("the evil genius of highlife") in the early '60s, he went on to form his own band The Melody Maestros, producing Nigeria's biggest-ever selling record with Joromi in 1965, for which he was awarded Africa's first gold disc. He has continued to produce some of the most popular and engaging music in Nigeria ever since. This album focuses on his early 1970s musical output. Uwaifo invented a unique style of highlife music that he called ekassa -- based on ancient rhythms and fused with modern highlife instrumentation and just a dash of rock and soul.
CD $17

FAMILY ATLANTICA - Family Atlantica (Soundway 042; UK) Recorded over the span of four years in London and Venezuela, Cuban rumba, Venezuelan tambor and tonada, Ghanaian highlife, Ethiopian blues and calypso have been soaked and infused with psychedelia and spiritual jazz. Family Atlantica release their eponymous debut album through Soundway Records. At the heart of Family Atlantica are three people from three different continents: London-born Jack Yglesias, producer, multi-instrumentalist and a veteran of The Heliocentrics, his wife Luzmira Zerpa, traditional Venezuelan musician, poet and singer with a magical voice acclaimed by Manu Chao and half Nigerian-half Ghanaian percussionist Kwame "Natural Power" Crentsil. Recorded while living in an abandoned vicarage in East London, the record contains three different generations of Luzmira's family as well as a cast of musicians from the wider Family Atlantic family. One of the guests on the album, legendary Ethiopian-jazz maestro Mulatu Astatke, adds a classic touch on piano to "Escape to the Palenque," soloing in his unmistakable flowing Ethiopian 6/8 style. Also featured on the record are Senegalese Nuru Kane and Afro-Cuban group Yoruba Andabo. Much of the record was recorded by the Heliocentrics' Malcolm Catto in their East London studio. In 2008, Luzmira traveled to the Sahara Desert in the south of Algeria to participate in the Fi-sahara Festival. While there, she performed with Manu Chao, who introduced her to the audience as the most beautiful voice to arrive to the desert.
CD $15

DAVID EUGENE EDWARDS & ALEXANDER HACKE - Risha (Glitterhouse GR 940; Germany) Glitterhouse present the first collaboration album from David Eugene Edwards and Alexander Hacke entitled Risha. The two have had a connection since the early days of 16 Horsepower and collaborated on the reunion album American Twilight by Australian indie rock outfit Crime & The City Solution (2013). Finally, they found the time to record this astonishing piece of an album. Hacke on their relationship: "David and I have been admirers of each others work for some time. We first got to play together for The Glasshouse, a movie project initiated by my wife Danielle de Picciotto and during the brief resurrection of Crime & The City Solution all three of us were involved with. Shortly after I worked on Wovenhand's Laughing Stalk album as a mixing engineer (2012). We became close friends during these very diverse collaborations and started talking about creating music together, which would combine electronics with ethnical instruments and overdriven guitars with oriental rhythms and scales." Over the last two decades, Edwards's prolific work in both bands, 16 Hosepower and Wovenhand has influenced and inspired a generation of musicians. Alexander Hacke is primarily known as a longtime member of German industrial music group Einstürzende Neubauten and one of Germany's most influential experimental artists. For Risha, David Eugene Edwards recorded all vocals, guitars, and string instruments; Alexander Hacke played keyboards, bass, drums, and electronics. Together they created an astonishing and hypnotical soundscape and atmosphere on their first full-length album. Risha cannot be described in traditional terms. This sound is a sweeping tapestry of Americana, neo-folk, industrial, ambient, electronic, and Arabic music. Risha -- which means "Feather" in Arabic -- contains ten parts: Beginning with the mystic "Tryptyc" which is followed by the furious beat of "All In The Palm". Hacke and Edwards keep the pace with "The Tell" and its driving industrial rhythm and break it down completely with the fourth track, "Helios". "Kiowa 5" is shaped by fascinating drum patterns and the shamanic vocals of David Eugene Edwards. "Lily" is the song that is inspired most by early Wovenhand, followed by the dark and hypnotic "Parish Chief" with its almost Suicide-like vintage drumbeat, the drone excursion "Akhal", before the memorable "Teach Us To Pray" and the final and epic "Breathtaker". Each one a piece of the puzzle; made to be listened in its entirety.
CD $17

C.3.3. (TEST DEPT.) - Ballad of Reading Gaol - The Cacophonietta (Cold Spring 255; UK) C.3.3. is a personal project from Paul Jamrozy, co-founder of original industrial agitators Test Dept. The work is inspired by the real life experience of Her Majesty's Prison Reading. Tracing the history of the location through to the present current political and social situation, evoking the harsh realities of Victorian and modern-day Britain. Reminiscent of the finest mid-era Test Dept., such as Gododdin (1989) or Pax Britannica (1991), with heavy percussion, strings, and strident vocals. The title C.3.3. is drawn from the cell number where the literary figure Oscar Wilde was incarcerated in Reading Gaol under gross indecency charges. C.3.3. was the pseudonym used for the publication "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", a poem based on the execution of a fellow inmate. This sonic rendition draws upon the writings of Wilde's poem and the horrors of prison life for a condemned man, as a metaphor for the universal predicament of all humankind. Originally released on CD-R in 2011. Remastered with two bonus tracks, featuring Test Dept.; Six-panel digipak.
CD $16

*******
Nimbus West Sale:

Originally based in L.A., the NimbusWest label was & is run by producer Tom Albach. About half of the fifty releases feature legendary pianist/composer/multi-bandleader, Horace Tapscott, now deceased. The other half of these releases feature great but lesser known L/A. based musicians, many of whom studied or worked with Mr. Tapscott. NimbusWest specializes in Spiritual Jazz, and I dig everything they have released. Everything below is well worth checking out whether you've heard of these folks or not. Dig in soon as some of these will sell out…

CURTIS CLARK QUINTET With JOHN TCHICAI / ERNST REIJSEGER / ERNST GLERUM / LOUIS MOHOLO - Letters to South Africa (NimbusWest 501; USA) Featuring John Tchicai on sax, Ernst Reijseger on cello, Curtis Clark on piano, Ernst Gerum on bass and Louis Moholo on drums. Excellent release of this one-time quintet with American pianist Curtis Clark, the living in Amsterdam, visiting Danish/American sax wiz John Tchicai (from New York Art Quartet), two members of the ICP Orchestra: Ernst Reijseger and Ernst Glerum and South Africa ex-pat drummer, Louis Moholo (Blue Notes & Brotherhood of Breath), the living in the UK. A perfect blend of American, Dutch and South African free spirits. BLG/DMG
CD $18 [last 3 copies]

CURTIS CLARK With SEAN BERGIN/LOUIS MOHOLO/TRISTAN HONSINGER et al - Dreams Deferred (NimbusWest 3813; USA) This little gem features two different line-ups, each with Blue Notes/Brotherhood of Breath's drum wizard, Louis Moholo. The trio consists of Curtis Clark on piano, Wayne Dockery on bass and Moholo on drums. They do five tunes by Thelonius Monk, recorded at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam from 1993. The septet is also from 1993, but is a studio recording and features the same trio plus a fine ICP all-star cast with Sean Bergin & Tobias Delius on saxes, Felicity Provan on trumpet and Tristan Honsinger on cello. Curtis Clark is a great American jazz pianist who has lived in Amsterdam for quite a while and recorded with a number of the better Dutch players there. He can be heard on records with David Murray, Charles Tyler and Richard Davis. The trio does a fine job of covering Monk's "Light Blue", "Worry Later/San Francisco Holiday", "Well You Needn't", "Monk's Mood" and "Misterioso". The trio often approaches these tunes with a certain surreal restraint, sometimes slowing them down to a dream-like ambiance. Bassist Dockery is featured in a few sections and adds a lovely melodic undertow, the entire trio has this haunting elegance. The septet do all originals by Mr. Clark, except for one cover of "All the Things You Are". Clark's writing pretty adventurous and this marvelous septet rise to the challenge. "Two Shadows in the Mist" is an apt title as the horns plays these swirling parts tightly together as the trio scurry around them, layers of interconnected parts emerging and submerging. "Scratched" is much straighter and swings deliciously with some inspired (Archie Shepp-like) solos from the saxes. "Sean" is a great blues song that might've been done by the Jazz Messengers back in their heyday with both saxes playing together and soloing superbly. Yeah! "Diaphane" is an enchanting, solemn piece and features some lovely bowed bass from Dockery. Curtis Clark plays superbly throughout, he is most gifted pianist. When Sean Bergin takes a marvelous soprano solo on "Nelson", Clark dances around him sublimely as Moholo also weaves intricately around both. Two very different sessions, both well recorded, which do fit together in an inexplicable sort of way. - BLG
CD $12

CREATIVE ARTS ENSEMBLE With GARY BIAS / GEORGE BOHANNON / HENRY FRANKLIN / SUNSHIP THEUS - One Step Out (Nimbus West 913; USA) Featuring Kaeef Ruzadun on piano & compositions, Shaleethia B.J. Crowley on vocals, Wilbert "Jiggs" Helmsley on tenor sax, Gary Bias on alto & soprano saxes, Jeff Clayton on bari sax, Dadesi Komolafe on flute, George Bohannon on trombone, Al White on trumpet, Henry Franklin on bass and Sunship Theus on drums. Like another Nimbus artist, pianist Kaeef Ruzadun also encouraged and inspired by Horace Tapscott. And like the great pianist & bandleaders, Horace Tapscott and Sun Ra, Kaeef's great ten piece band embraces the history of jazz. The title piece is a powerful work which features the enchanting vocals of Shaleethia Crowley, the great McCoy-like piano of Kaeef and the tight, rambunctious playing of this superb little big band. The only players I am familiar with here are the rhythm team of Henry Franklin on bass and Woody "Sunship" Theus, who once played with in John McLaughlin's Electric Dreams band. The rhythm section play excitingly throughout and Kaeef's writing for the six horns is also a thing of great beauty and passion. Solos are kept relatively short, but no less engaging, especially George Bohannon's trombone, Jeff Clayton's bari sax and Jiggs Helmsley on tenor sax. Mr. Ruzadun's short snippets of lyrics and overall vibe is that of spiritual concerns and it all feels just right. In a blindfold test one might have pegged this for a long lost McCoy Tyner large group session from the early 70's, it is just as good! - BLG/DMG
CD $12

DANIELE D'AGARO With TRISTAN HONSINGER / ERNST GLERUM - Lingua Franca (Nimbus NS 507C; USA) Featuring Daniele D’Agaro on clarinet & compositions, Tristan Honsinger on cello compositions and Ernst Glerum on bass. Italian clarinetist Daniele D’Agaro lived in West Berlin before moving to Amsterdam in 1984. Originally from Vermont, cellist Tristan Honsinger moved to Europe in 1974 and soon became a member of the ICP Orchestra. Dutch bassist, Ernst Glerum, is also a longtime member of ICP, as well as the Amsterdam String Trio. This disc was recorded in June of 1989. One of the first things I noticed about this trio n=how well these three instruments work together: clarinet, Cello & contrabass. The pieces were mostly written Mr. D’Agaro or Mr. Honsinger. Although this sounds like chamber trio of sorts, they do swing in their own quirky way. On their first medley of three pieces, “Qualche Volta” the clarinet plays serious, dark lines while both strings swirl underneath, eventually the trio breaks into a traditional polka. The one cover is by future ICP saxist Tobias Delius, called “Zachila”. Mr. D’Agaro’s clarinet goes from playful to more laid-back, often matching wits with the cello or bass or both playing tightly together. This is a truly fine trio that covers a great deal of ground. Mr. D’Agaro later made records for the Hatology, El Gallo Rojo and (more recently) the Not Two label. An auspicious beginning!?! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

BILLIE HARRIS with HORACE TAPSCOTT / SABIR MATEEN / ROBERTO MIRANDA / DAVID BRYANT / EVERETT BROWN et al - I Want Some Water (Nimbus West 510; USA) “I was happy to find this rare recording by the fine saxophonist Billie Harris. He comes across as vividly on CD as he did during his memorable live performances at Venice's legendary Azz Izz performance space. A couple of the tracks open with a vocal statement of the theme before launching into muscular & majestic explorations of solid original compositions. Harris is backed by a sympathetic cast of supporting musicians, notably prominently featured pianist Horace Tapscott. All-around, a burning session of spirited and spiritual post-Coltrane jazz led by an artist dedicated to his vision.” - Northeast, customer review
CD $12

NATE MORGAN With JESSE SHARPS / DANNY CORTEZ / JOEL ECTOR / FRITZ WISE - Retribution, Reparation (Nimbus West 3479; USA) “LA Keyboardist Nate Morgan’s second album ‘Retribution Reparartion’ from 1984 is another of the finest from the Nimbus label. The freeflowing groove of ‘U.G.M.A.A.GER’ is a standout. The spiritual jazz groover ‘Retribution Reparation’ is another great track. There’s a good cover of Herbie’s ‘One Finger Snap’ and ‘Mass Madness’ touches into Free jazz but still retains its structure.” - SoulBrother.com
CD $12

NATE MORGAN - Journey Into Nigritia (NimbusWest 3257; USA) Featuring Nate Morgan piano & compositions, Dadisa Komolafe on alto sax, Jeff Littleton double bass and Fritz Wise drums. Nate Morgan is an extremely gifted pianist and composer who studied and worked with Horace Tapscott, but seems to be even more inspired by McCoy Tyner. This splendid disc is very much like a McCoy Tyner release from the late 60's or early 70's. Nate does a fine job of keeping those dark and dancing chords coming from his left hand as he spins the ivories with the power and passion of his right hand. Considering I am unfamiliar with all four members of this fine quartet, each one plays strongly throughout. Nate plays with that transcendent harp-like grace on "Morning Prayer", which is an awesome solo piano effort. Nate's composing is also quite beautiful and there seems to be a spiritual vibe running through all of his tunes. The title piece moves back and forth between two different difficult sections, each in a different tempo and is certainly an extraordinary work, the quartet blending their playing into one solid unit. I was this CD for Matt Shipp and he was also most impressed as well.
CD $12

NIMBUS COLLECTIVE [NATE MORGAN/JESSE SHARPS/RICKEY KELLY/DANNY CORTEZ/JOEL ECTOR/DEREK ROBERTS] - Live In Lotusland (NimbusWest 4257; USA) Featuring Nate Morgan on piano, Jesse Sharps on reeds, Danny Cortez on trumpet, Rickey Kelly on vibes, Joel Ector on bass and Derek Roberts on drums. This 2 disc set was recorded in Santa Barbara in July of 1987. Since the passing of the great pianist/composer/bandleader Horace Tapscott, the Nimbus West label has continued to document the underground L.A. jazz scene that Mr. Tapscott was once at the center of. A number of great musicians who once collaborated with Tapscott, like Jesse Sharps & Nate Morgan, have recorded discs as leaders on Nimbus West. The short liner notes state that "trying to play serious music in an area as shallow & fad-driven as Los Angeles, were too much for this band to deal with..." so they didn't last too long. No doubt. This disc is proof that this collective's music was strong, spirited, original and had a great deal to offer. I can't say that I've heard of any of the rhythm section players but all six members of the collective are excellent musicians nonetheless. Nate Morgan's "Retribution, Reparation" is first and it has one of those McCoy Tyner-like 70's ensemble vibes with spirited piano and Trane-ish tenor sax sailing on top. The entire sextet is in great form with impressive solos from trumpeter Danny Cortez, vibist Rickey Kelly and pianist Nate Morgan. How musicians as incredible as this escaped notice, I will never understand. The sextet is ultra-tight and swings furiously throughout. Bassist John Ector's "Big Spliff" has a most memorable theme that had me smiling all the way through. The long & inspired soprano solo by Jesse Sharps and that great piano interplay & solo makes this piece even more special. The only cover on this double disc is Monk's "Well You Needn't" and it too is done exuberantly. There are over 100 minutes of outstanding music on this wonderful two disc set. Another buried treasure to add to you collection of great gifts from the gods. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
2 CD Set $14

ERNST REIJSEGER / ALAN 'GUNGA' PURVES - TA (NimbusWest 503; USA) Ernst Reijseger plays cello and was once a member of the ICP Orchestra, Clusone Trio and Arcado & Amsterdam String Trio. Alan ‘Gunga’ Purves is a great Dutch drummer who has worked with the Schismatics, Palinckx, Tristan Honsinger and Paul Dunmall. An extraordinary duo!
CD $12

ADELE SEBASTIAN With ROBERTO MIRANADA / DAA’OUD WOODS / BILLY HIGGINS / et al - Desert Fairy Princess (Nimbus West 6237; Japan) “Beautiful album from flutist /vocalist Adele Sebestian. ‘Desert Fairy Princess’ is a musical journey expressing the roots of Afro Americans. The multi paced haunting title track is pure magic, ‘Belize’ ,’I felt Spring’ and the great version of McCoy Tyner’s ‘Man From Tanganyika express Joyfulness , Purity and feature great musicianship. Really uplifting jazz album.” - SoulBrother.com
CD $12

JESSE SHARPS QUINTET & P.A.P.A. [PAN AFRIKAN PEOPLES ORCHESTRA] - Sharps And Flats (NimbusWest 3702; USA) Jesse's quintet features Nate Morgan on piano, Jesse Sharps on reeds, Steve Smith on trumpet, Joel Ector on bass and Carl Burnett on drums. The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra was led by legendary LA pianist, bandleader and teacher, Horace Tapscott and here they are a nine piece band with Sabir Mateen, Billie Harris and Jesse Sharps on saxes and Horace on piano. The quintet session was done in a studio in 1985 and Tapscott is a guest on two pieces. The Arkestra piece is 16 1/2 minutes long and was recorded live at Immanuel United Church in 1979. Like many of the (non-Tapscott led) Nimbus releases, the modal spirit of McCoy Tyner is at the center of this music. Pianist Nate Morgan, who also has a CD out on Nimbus, has an enchanting McCoy-like touch. Jesse plays some exquisite soprano sax in the Trane-like mode, just more laid back and lovely. Tapscott's "Carnival" has an island groove with Jesse playing some festive flute and Horace getting a steel drum-like sound on piano. The final long, live work is called McKowsky's First Fifth" and features some fine piano from Tapscott throughout the entire piece, a superb flute solo from Adele Sebastian and a strong bass solo from Alan Hines. This nifty little jewel, is a must for the Horace Tapscott completist, as well as anyone who digs those great McCoy like spiritual sides from the seventies. - BLG/DMG
CD $12

LP Section:

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. - Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part One (Important Records 463; USA) Part One of Halleluja Mystic Garden contains two long sides of blissed-out, super tight Acid Mothers Temple jams that somehow stretch into the future while staying strongly rooted in the group's celebrated psychedelic history. Hallelujah! Another essential AMT classic including vocals from Cotton Casino! Recorded at Acid Mothers Temple, June 2016 to March 2017. Produced and mixed by Kawabata Makoto. Part Two will be released later in 2018 on Important Records. Personnel: Cotton Casino - voice, astral mama; Kawabata Makoto - guitar, fretless bass, bouzouki, organ, rhythm machine, electronics, tapes, speed guru; Higashi Hiroshi - synthesizer, noodle king; Mitsuko-Tabata : guitar, guitar-synthesizer, voice, kisses & hugs; Satoshima Nani - drums, another dimension; S/T "Wolf" - bass, tapes, space & time. Packaged in a heavy duty single pocket sleeve with silver metallic inks. First pressing comes in an edition of 500.
LP $27

MOTORPSYCHO - Roadwork Vol. 5: The Fantastic Expedition of Jarmyr, Ryan, Saether & Lo (Rune Grammofon 302; Norway) Brand new recordings from Motorpsycho's 2017 European tour. New drummer Tomas Järmyr had only been in the band for three months when The Tower was recorded in March 2017, and it was a re-energized band that spent the following summer learning how to play selections from the vast back catalog and getting ready for the tour ahead. Kristoffer Lo (guitar, keyboards, vocals) was added to the lineup for greater flexibility. This volume follows in the tradition of the others, by focusing on the improvisational and experimental side of the band, taking bigger collective chances than ever before, re-imagining songs, stretching them, turning them inside out, and taking them places they've never been before. Triple-LP; Comes on 180 gram vinyl; Includes two CDs.
3-LP 2-CD $48

BILL ORCUTT - Why Does Everybody Love Free Music But Nobody Loves Free People? (Palilalia Pal 055; UK) Very last copies of a tour-only double-LP reissue of Orcutt's 2012 tape, in an edition of 250. "Hideous and satisfying cassette... an incredibly fucked up live tape with horrible sonics, bellicose audience interaction, long stretches of silence, and even a guest spot by the cops. In short, almost everything you could want from a live document." --Byron Coley, 2017
2 LP Set $24

BILL ORCUTT - My Friends When I'm Not There (Palilalia 054; USA) Very last copies of a tour-only LP reissue of Orcutt's 2014 tape, in an edition of 250. "My Friends is ... a lovely contemplative performance, full of hope and sadness. It was recorded on Christmas Day in the stairwell of an elementary school in Miami. And it sounds just like that. It's not all relaxed, but the whole has a deeper weirdness for its surface placidity." --Byron Coley, 2017
LP $18

SHUTARO NOGUCHI - Love Super Terranean (Feeding Tube Records 381; USA) "Debut album by a wonderful Louisville-based guitarist/vocalist we happened upon at the 2017 Cropped Out Festival. Mr. Noguchi had recorded with Jim Marlowe on the Equipment Pointed Ankh cassette Sophomore Lounge put out (2016), but who could fucking remember that? Not us, so we were bowled over by the powerfully loud free-psych guitar set Shutaro's band played in the afternoon. FTR Boss Ted inquired of him as to whether he might have some recordings that were along the same lines. He said he did, and here they are. The tracks are partially like what his live set made us expect, but they go a lot of other dang places besides. Here the four long tracks rub against each other like adjacent bands on a PSF psych comp. The lengthiness of the song formatting allows a lot of textural motion in all directions, and the six musicians take full advantage of available latitude. The overall effect is strange and proggy, with Dane Waters' vocal overlays giving the proceedings a shiny surface they might not otherwise maintain. But the sound is wonderfully hybridized. At times its merger of prog, pop, fusionism and complexity make me think of a collision between the Glenn Phillips Band and Todd Rundgren's Utopia with Terje Rypdal sittin' in. I know I'm making it sound like a crazy quilt, and I suppose if sort of is, but only in the sense that it avoids the monochromaticism of so much contemporary music. Shutaro does not grab a single schtick and just shake it until his arm is tired. He mixes up of ballads and thunder (sometimes in a single song) in a way that strikes me as somehow very Japanese. But mostly it just strikes me about the head. In the most pleasant of ways. Take off your helmet and give it a try. You'll never know what hit you." --Byron Coley, 2018 Edition of 250.
LP $20

DOWN UNDER NUGGETS VOL. 1 - Original Australian Artyfacts 1965-1967 (Festiva 001; Australia) Originally released in 2012 and long out-of-print, Down Under Nuggets is a highly exciting treasure trove of frantic garage hits. There's no filler in this two fuzz-drenched volumes, just gem after gem of wild, untamed '60s rock n' roll from the land of Oz. 29 tracks total -- 15 on Volume I and 14 on Volume 2 (FESTIVA 002LP) -- of manic, loud, and in-your-face teenage angst from luminaries such as The Missing Links, The Black Diamonds, The Purple Hearts, The Loved Ones, The Lost Souls, The Throb, The Wild Cherries, and many more. You even get early and surprisingly raw stompers from the likes of better known bands as The Easybeats or The Bee Gees. Absolutely essential for any '60s garage rock fan with a pinch on blood on his veins. Vol. I features The Masters Apprentices, The Elois, The Black Diamonds, The Atlantics, The Purple Hearts, The Missing Links, The Creatures, The Lost Souls, The Moods, Derek's Accent, The Bee Gees, Barrington Davis, The D-Coys, The In-Sect, and Steve & The Board.
LP $25

DOWN UNDER NUGGETS VOL. 2 - Original Australian Artyfacts 1965-1967 (Festiva 002; Australia) Originally released in 2012 and long out-of-print, Down Under Nuggets is a highly exciting treasure trove of frantic garage hits. There's no filler in this two fuzz-drenched volumes, just gem after gem of wild, untamed '60s rock n' roll from the land of Oz. 29 tracks total -- 15 on Volume I (FESTIVA 001LP) and 14 on Volume 2 -- of manic, loud, and in-your-face teenage angst from luminaries such as The Missing Links, The Black Diamonds, The Purple Hearts, The Loved Ones, The Lost Souls, The Throb, The Wild Cherries, and many more. You even get early and surprisingly raw stompers from the likes of better known bands as The Easybeats or the Bee Gees and the legendary full-length version of The Sunsets' classic "The Hot Generation". Absolutely essential for any '60s garage rock fan with a pinch on blood on his veins. Vol. 2 features Toni McCann, Peter & The Silhouettes, The 5, Bobby & Laurie, MPD Ltd, The Cherokees, The Loved Ones, Phil Jones & The Unknown Blues, The Throb, The Blue Beats, The Easybeats, Bobby James Syndicate, The Wild Cherries, and The Sunsets.
LP $25

THE SLITS - Here To Be Heard: The Story Of The Slits (Cadiz Music 166; UK)
"Here To Be Heard'The Story of The Slits' is a film about the world's first all girl punk band who formed in London in 1976, contemporaries of The Clash & The Sex Pistols, they are the pioneering godmothers of the musical movement known as 'Punky Reggae'. The film tells the story of the band and the lives of the women involved, from the band's inception in 1976 to the bands end in 2010 coinciding at the death of lead vocalist Ari Up. When Ari passed away she was working with Slits tour manager and friend Jennifer Shagawat on a film about the band. After Ari passed and the film was still not completed Jennifer contacted her long time friend Bill over at Molasses Manifesto to come on and help finish the project. Film includes Viv Albertine (Slits Guitarist), Ari Up (Slits Vocalist), Palmolive (Slits Founder/First Drummer), Tessa Pollitt (Slits Bass Player), Bruce Smith (Slits Second/PIL Drummer), Hollie Cook (Slits Vocalist/Keyboards/Percussion), Vivien Goldman (NYU's Punk Professor), Don Letts (Former Slits Manager/Punk Documentarian), Dennis Bovell (Producer of The Slits album Cut), Paul Cook (Sex Pistols Drummer), Gina Birch (Raincoats Bass Player), Adrien Sherwood (Producer/Long time friend and collaborator of the band) and many more! Film includes previously unseen footage of the band, as well as photographs, & newspaper clippings." NTSC format, region free.
DVD $21

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Bruce Lee Gallanter’s Recommended Gig List for June & July of 2018:

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - WILLIAM PARKER - JUNE 26–30

6/29 Friday
8:30 pm - “Music For Cosmic Octet”—“Eventual” (for Sunny Murray)’ with Steve Swell (trombone) Jaime Branch (trumpet) Rob Brown (alto sax) Darius Jones (alto sax) James Brandon Lewis (tenor sax) Cooper Moore (piano) William Parker (bass), illiam Hooker drums

6/30 Saturday
8:30 pm - “A Word is A Sound”—A Remembrance of David Budbill - Berne Groden (shakuhachi) Leonid Galaganov (shakuhachi) William Parker (shakuhachi) Lisa Sokolov (voice) Kyoko Kitiamura (voice) Andrea Wolper (voice) Amirtha Kidambi (voice) Morley Kamen (voice); A choral piece for five voices and three shakuhachis. All words by David Budbill. Music by William Parker.

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - EYAL MAOZ - JULY 5–7

7/5 Thursday
8:30 pm - Ju-Ping Song – World Premiere Solo Piano Compositions & Eyal Maoz - Guitar Solo - Ju-Ping Song (piano) Eyal Maoz (guitar)

7/6 Friday
8:30 pm
Hypercolor - Lukas Ligeti (drums) James Ilgenfritz (bass) Eyal Maoz (guitar)

7/7 Saturday
8:30 pm - Wild Type - Chris Stromquist (drums) Alvaro Benavides (bass) Eyal Maoz (guitar)

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

Mon July 2nd:
8:30PM AMRAM & CO - David Amram, piano, french horn, flutes, composition & surprises; Kevin Twigg, drums ; Rene Hart, bass; Elliot Peper, bongos

Tues July 3rd:
8:00PM MAMIKO WATANABE TRIO - Mamiko Watanabe, piano; Santi Debriano, bass; Francisco Mela, drums
9:30PM GORDON GRDINA - Gordon Grdina, guitar, oud; Oscar Noriega, saxophone; Russ Lossing, piano; Satoshi Takeishi, percussion

Wednesday Jul 04
8:01PM DAN LOOMIS AND REVOLUTIONS -Jeff Miles, guitar; Rob Mosher, clarinet; Dan Loomis, bass; Ronen Itzik, drums Dan Loomis ical ensemble.

Thursday Jul 05
8:00PM YOAV ESHED QUINTET - Itai Kriss, flute; Yoav Eshed, guitar; Sean Wayland, keyboard; Ben Tiberio , bass; Ari Hoenig, drums

Friday - Jul 06
6:00PM NICK BRUST QUINTET FEATURING KATYA - Katya Dreyer-Oren, vocals; Nick Brust, sax; Alex Clough, piano; Myles Sloniker, bass; Jay Sawyer, drums
Nick Brust Quintet featuring Katya image
8:35PM JASON YEAGER, RANDAL DESPOMMIER QUARTET -Randal Despommier , alto sax; Jason Yeager, piano; Danny Weller, bass; Jay Sawyer, drums

Saturday Jul 07
6:00PM ARCOIRIS SANDOVAL FIRST VOYAGE: CD RELEASE - ArcoIris Sandoval, piano; Marty Kenney, bass; Allan Mednard, drums
8:35PM YOTAM SILBERSTEIN QUARTET - Yotam Silberstein, guitar; Glenn Zaleski, piano; Noam Wiesenberg, bass; Daniel Dor, drums

Sunday Jul 08
6:00PM NEW AIRES TANGO
Malena Dayen, vocals; David Rosenmeyer, piano New Aires Tango image

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I-Beam Presents:

Saturday, June 30th 8:30 PM
Emi Makabe/Thomas Morgan Duo
Emi Makabe- Vocal, Shamisen, piano
Thomas Morgan- Double Bass

Friday, July 20th 8:30 PM
Luca Soul Trio
Elias Stemeseder – piano
Billy Mintz – drums
Luca Soul – bass & compositions

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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ROULETTE Special Events:

ROULETTE is at 509 Atlantic Ave
509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
SUBWAY lines: 2, 3, 4, 5, D, M, N, R, B & Q and the LIRR arrive at Atlantic Avenue-Barclay’s Center; G train to Fulton Street. A, C, Trains to Hoyt-Schermehorn

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Downstairs @ Bushwick Public House

Monday July 2nd

7pm Noa Fort - vocals
Kenneth Jimenez - bass
Satoshi Takeishi - drums
8pm Stephen Gauci - woodwinds
Daniel Carter - woodwinds
Sandy Ewen - guitar/electronics
Christian Cail - guitar/electronics
Kevin Shea - drums
9pm Todd Capp, drums
Nick Lyons, alto saxophone
Lorenzo Sanguedolce, tenor saxophone
Adam Caine, guitar
9:45pm Brad Faberman - guitar
Daniel Carter - woodwinds
Ras Moshe - tenor saxophone/flute
Dave Miller - drums
10:45pm Luke Schwartz - guitar
David Leon - alto saxophone
Kenneth Jimenez - bass
Dayeon Seok - drums
11:30pm Bob Hoffnar - pedalsteel
Janie Cowan - bass

1288 Myrtle Avenue , Bushwick
(Across the street from M train Central Ave stop)
bushwickpublichouse.com

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TUESDAY, July 10 at 8 pm

TROMBONE INSURGENCY:
JOE MCPHEE
DICK GRIFFIN
STEVE SWELL

At Zurcher Gallery - 33 Bleecker St (just east of Lafayette)
Phone: 212-777-0790 / www.galeriezurcher.com

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Sunday, July 17 at
Scholes Street Studio 8 & 10 PM

THE DOUBLE TRIO
Jeff Pearring & Nick Lyons, alto sax
Ken Filiano & Francois Grillot, bass
Billy Mintz & Todd Capp, drums

Scholes Street Studio is at 375 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn.11206 718-964-8763;
L to Lorimer Street, G to Broadway, j,Z,M to Lorimer Street