DMG Newsletter for Friday, July the 20th, 2018

More Guitars in the Monitor, More Guitars in the Mix! More & More Guitars..!
A Deluge of Great Plectrum Specialists has Ascended Upon Us Once Again!
In the last Couple of Months, There has been a swarm of Great Guitarists
Playing here at DMG, at The Stone, I-Beam, Jazz Gallery, the Fricke Museum and more…
Nels Cline, Bill Frisell, Mary Halvorson, Elliott Sharp, Scott Fields, Joe Morris,
Nicola Hein, On K’A Davis, Gyan Riley, Julian Lage, Nick Millevoi, Matt Hollenberg,
Anders Nilsson, Raoul Bjorkenheim, Ross Hammond, Nico Soffiato & Dennis Rea..!

This Week’s Newsletter Focuses on Several Guitarists:

Mary Halvorson & Bill Frisell! Gyan Riley - Solo & Duo with Timba Harris! Xander Naylor! Plus Two Books by Keith Rowe and On K’A Davis! Ben Bennett / Michael Foster / Jacob Wick! Kyle Gann! Tapes from Sarah Bernstein & Kid Millions and Michael Foster & Ben Bennett!

LP’s from Carl Stone, Prince Far I and Jean Cohen-Solal! Plus Archival Discs by Van Der Graaf Generator, Don Cherry, Roy Haynes, Phil Woods, Two from Sonny Rollins, Mose Allison, Gene Clark, Ry Cooder & David Lindley and Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson!

Plus Eight New CD’s from the Mighty Clean Feed Label Due in Stock Very Soon!

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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 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

Sunday, August 5th:
6pm: JESSE DULMAN QUARTET: RAS MOSHE / DAVE SEWELSON / LEONID GALAGANOV
7pm: MATTEO LIBERATORE / MICHAEL FOSTER / JOANNA MATTREY - Guitar / Sax / Viola!

Sunday August 12th:
6pm: BEN GOLDBERG and KIRK KNUFFKE
7pm: JUANMA TRUJILLO / HERY PAZ / DAYEON SECK - Guitar / Sax / Drums

Sunday, August 19th
6pm: ROBERT DICK and LESZEK “HEFI” WISNIOSKI - International Flute Duo
7pm: ALEX LOUDOUDIS and RAS MOSHE - Drums and Tenor Sax

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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Starting Off With This Wonderful Duo Guitar Gem:

* MARY HALVORSON With BILL FRISELL - The Maid With The Flaxen Hair—A Tribute To Johnny Smith (Tzadik 4024; USA) Mary Halvorson is one of the most acclaimed guitarists of her generation—a virtuoso improviser, distinctive composer, arranger and a deep student of the jazz guitar. Here she joins forces with living legend Bill Frisell to pay tribute to Johnny Smith, a guitarist who has been a huge influence on them both. Performing nine ballads associated with Smith and his classic composition “Walk Don’t Run”, this is an essential CD of soulful guitar duets by two of the most beloved and original guitarists in modern jazz. A beautiful CD of ballads like you have never heard them before!
CD $14

* MARY HALVORSON is currently touring with Thumbscrew (with Michael Formanek & Tomas Fujiwara). Thumbscrew is playing at the Village Vanguard this week - July 17th - 22nd

* BILL FRISELL will be playing a residency at The Stone from August 21st - 25th, all duos with drummers!


GYAN RILEY - Sprig (National Sawdust Tracks 020; USA) Featuring Gyan Riley on guitar & ukelele. Over the past few years, guitarist Gyan Riley’s profile has continued to rise. Originally I’ve heard Gyan’s longtime duo with his father, composer Terry Riley. More recently there have been several strong collaborations with: Iva Bittova & Evan Ziporyn, the Secret Chiefs III, duos with Timba Harris and with fellow guitar daredevil Julian Lage. The duo with Mr. Lage has played at several John Zorn fests, doing Masada songs & Bagatelles and they have a splendid disc out on Tzadik called ‘Midsummer Moons’. Gyan recorded a strong solo guitar offering on Tzadik a few years back (2015),
’Sprig’ is his new one and Mr. Riley composed and performed all of the pieces here. The title piece is first and it has that older Renaissance guitar like sound, superbly recorded and performed. “Flutterbug” does have that quick, fluttering sound with Mr. Riley playing his guitar like an acoustic harp. Mr. Riley is a virtuoso, playing many a quick lick in-between his quiet, calm sections, graceful and most enchanting. A few of these songs are are lovely, exquisitely played, Mr. Riley has a wonderful touch, most elegant, a refreshing sense of calm which feels great during our more turbulent times. A few of these songs have a solemn, ultra-subtle sense of suspense, making time slow down to a quaint, softer side. I like the way Mr. Riley keeps a couple of different lines moving around one another on “Time is Only a Number”, whistling the melody on top of the elegant flourishes underneath, which start out slowly and build to a strong, thoughtful conclusion. On “Lookout Hill, Riley plays those extraordinary Leo Kottke-like lines, cascading in waves, something I haven’t heard in quite a long time, astonishing, daredevil activity but played most modestly. I don’t think I’ve heard a better solo acoustic guitar record since Ralph Towner or Duck Baker last released discs. This is a must guitar fan-addicts worldwide. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

DUO PROBOSCI: TIMBA HARRIS / GYAN RILEY - Nethermead (Self-produced; USA) Duo Probosci in Timba Harris on violin and Gyan Riley on guitar & bass plus David Cossin on percussion. String wiz, Timba Harris, was once the leader if an eclectic west coast band called, Estradasphere, eventually becoming a member of the Secret Chiefs 3. Mr. Harris was also a member of the Gyan Riley Trio (CD in 2014) and this is the second disc by this duo (the 1st in 2014). Timba Harris also has a fine disc out on Tzadik. What these twi musicians have in common is that all the projects that each had worked with are diverse. The first song, “Time is Only a Number” also appears on a recent solo guitar disc by Mr. Riley. This version is much longer and equally exquisite, quite lovely, laid back and haunting. The piece builds to a strong, righteous conclusion with some strong, tight interplay between both musicians. Mr. Riley composed the first four songs and they show him to be a gifted, probing composer. Mr. Harris is also a fine violinist who is well utilized throughout. The balance between these two players is perfect as they play these challenging pieces with effortless grace and passion. “Hiccup” reminds me of an old, bluesy song that might’ve been included in ‘Porgy & Bess’. I love the way the stripped down marching groove on the snare adds just the right amount of finality. Considering that much of the music I listen to includes electric instruments, this duo is completely acoustic, balanced just right. The music itself is a unique blend, in between categories like classical or jazz or even ethnic, embracing a certain timeless quality. Music for adult fairy tales? The songs by Timba Harris are more stripped down yet still evocative, elegant, often sublime, perhaps even more fairytale like. The title of this disc, ’Nethermead’, reminds me of another land, an ancient place where old folks gather to celebrate a simpler, friendlier life. In the land of ’Nethermead’, we are all subjects of a civil society where culture, diversity and creativity are all we need to get by… Quite a wonderful disc, well worth escaping to if need be. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $15

BEN BENNETT / MICHAEL FOSTER / JACOB WICK - Glove Issues (Palliative Records; USA) Featuring Ben Bennett on percussion, Michael Foster on saxes and Jacob Wick on trumpet. This was recorded at the Issue Project Room (in Brooklyn) and at the Glove. The Downtown Underground continually reshuffles the deck to make opportunities for an ever-growing cast of local and traveling musicians to work together. Saxist Michael Foster is currently a member of several local ensembles, two fine quartets with Steve Swell, Weasel Walter, Ben Gerstein & Sean Ali. Less visible is percussionist Ben Bennett who has worked with sax legend Jack Wright on several CD’s. Even less visible is trumpeter Jacob Wick, a favorite of mine who used to live here but has since disappeared from most folks notice.
The first track, “First Issue”, is spacious and carefully recorded with each instrument closely mic’d. There are sounds that are mysterious and hard to identify, perhaps bowed cymbals or oddly manipulated percussion. The results are not us stark as the lower case improv of a few years back but are similar in their selective, minimalist, sense of suspense. Halfway through the first piece, the percussionist increases the density while both horns play their cautious, radiator hissing-like sounds. There is a a good deal of silence or space going on here, making each sound all the more important and prominent. In some ways this is similar to modern chamber music since each sound is so selective, carefully placed on the large canvass of silence. There are some occasional outbursts of activity that stand out…. Mr. Wick takes off on along, spiraling flight with Mr. Foster also sailing around him, the lines sporadic yet somehow always connected. Both horns seem to be using a piece of metal as a mute which works well together, again making to hard to tell who is who. It doesn’t matter when the results are as strong and creative as this session is. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $14

* XANDER NAYLOR - Arc (Little Volcanoes Music; USA) Featuring Xander Naylor on electric guitar and electronics. There are way too many great guitarists in NY for anyone sane enough to keep complete track of, but I keep on trying. Xander Naylor played a fine solo set (on electic guitar) here at DMG last summer and left us with a cassette. Mr. Naylor has worked in a couple of trios like Pink Brown and with Ben Syversen & Jeremy Gustin. Most likely you haven’t heard of any of those folks before now although both trios received rave reviews in older DMG newsletters. This disc begins with “Pinball”, which sounds sped up and had Mr. Naylor tapping on the strings furiously yet calmly. Kinda of Crimson-like in sound from the ‘Discipline’ era, with two different lines criss-crossing each other in a tight knit fashion. Those tapping licks are even faster on “Bad for Glass” and punctuated by a bell, super-human speed and dexterity?!? Just incredible! On each piece, Mr. Naylor taps out different lines, accentuating certain notes like to change the internal flow. Naylor slows down the pace on, “Observing Silence”, playing some slightly bent phrases in his won odd way. Naylor also samples some strange vocal phrases as well, creating his own twisted view by layering several lines of sounds on top of one another. “Ratchet” actually sounds like a series of gears being ground together, tight and interlocking and somewhat intense. Is that a guitar being used? Very strange yet most effective!?! Considering that there is just a guitar, sequencer and electronics involved, the sound of this disc is consistently fascinating throughout. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
CD $12

* Xander Nayloe will be playing a duo set with Rick Parker here at DMG on Sunday, August 26th, 2018


KEITH ROWE / BRIAN OLEWNICK- The Room Extended (Powerhouse Books; USA) “In London, in the fall of 1965, a group of four musicians dissatisfied with the constrictions they had encountered in the British jazz scene, came together with a highly thought-out agenda to revolutionize the way music was created, rejecting rules firmly in place then (and still today) among even the most forward-looking of musicians: no repertoire, no solos, no regular rhythms, no melodies, no fear of silence, 100% improvised. Keith Rowe was one of the founding members. They called themselves AMM and soon added the composer Cornelius Cardew, an associate of John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen, who was seeking to escape what he thought were equivalent strictures in the avant-garde classical world. As a quintet, AMM created music unlike anything else being done at the time and, being immersed in the London scene of the mid-60s in which musical boundaries were amorphous, found themselves on the one hand sharing bills with nascent bands like Pink Floyd, The Who and Cream while on the other working with and alongside Yoko Ono and Christian Wolff.
Rowe, a guitarist trained as a painter, adapted to his guitar the lessons he’d learned in the visual arts, placing it flat on a table or the ground as Jackson Pollock had done with his canvases, using it as a sound source to be approached with all manner of implements, opening up a vast new territory of exploration, one which would be enormously influential in rock, contemporary classical, and the field of free improvisation.
Over 12 years in the making and via exhaustive research and exclusive interviews Brian Olewnick has traced Rowe’s life from childhood through the present, with focuses on London’s mid-60s experimental music scene, the political unrest of the late 60s, the radical politics of the early 70s, the ongoing saga of AMM through the 90s and the accompanying advance of creative music over that time period, centered around Rowe’s participation in those events and his major contributions to the contemporary avant-garde environment. Through the many ups and downs of AMM and beyond, Rowe has become an éminence grise to generations of musicians and is still today continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of sound.” 500 pages
BOOK $28

ON [K A' DAVIS] - Exerciricle- Keys to Museo-Ontology (On Mu Music Press; USA) 100 page mysterious book of poetry, philosophy, pictures and mystical phenomena from Sun Ra-influenced guitarist and composer. I’ve known guitarist/composer On K A’ Davis since the early 2000’s and remember digging all three of his different discs, especially the one on Tzadik. Considering how diverse and creative all three discs were, it makes sense that he is also a philosopher. This book is filled with hundreds of singular sentences or single thoughts/observations. There are often ten lines per page, each one an idea worth considering. Often many of the lines on the same page are related, some ideas are repeated but in slightly different ways. The observations are meant to help understand the wonders of the creative process. On asks that we spent time with the book, considering the ideas and then coming back time and again. Throughout the day today, I have been reading excerpts and thinking about the many observations that On presents here. It often gives me a different perspective of how or why music works it s wonders on us. Who knew this spacey dude would be a great closet philosopher. Well worth dipping into time and again. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
Book $16 (6 copies all signed)

KYLE GANN - Custer and Sitting Bull (New World 80801; USA) Featuring Kyle Gann, voice & electronics, sampling keyboard; Kenneth Patchen, voice; Martha Herr, voice. This recording features three works by Kyle Gann (b. 1955)—Custer and Sitting Bull, Scenario, and So Many Little Dyings, from the decade 1994 to 2004. Those familiar with Gann’s music will recognize a commitment to just intonation (alternate tunings), paired with a deployment of unexpected meters, often set to frequently shifting tempos. But here we also encounter another side of Gann, a composer preoccupied with texts, the inherent rhythms found within the spoken word, and the dramatic potential of these texts (including poems, interviews, stories, speeches, and even one psychic transmission).
A musical reflection on the historic encounter between Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and the Lakota leader Sitting Bull, Custer and Sitting Bull (1995–99), presented here in an updated version, is an example of a “pocket opera,” a kind of one-person opera that blossomed in the unfunded spaces of Downtown Manhattan. From 1999 to 2007 Gann performed it live himself, narrating the drama using various historical texts set to a MIDI keyboard accompaniment tuned to just intonation (ranging from 20 to 31-note-to-the-octave scales). While it takes the form of reimagined American history, Custer is perhaps most centrally about the value of sustained, repeated listening. Indeed, Gann’s use of just intonation not only rewards but arguably requires many hearings to access certain subtleties.
The title of So Many Little Dyings (1994) is taken from the Kenneth Patchen poem “And What with the Blunders” (from First Will & Testament, 1939). The entire work originates from the pitch and rhythm of Patchen’s spoken voice, which Gann sampled and transcribed from a recorded recitation of the poem. Listening to it, however, one might not perceive this borrowing immediately, as the work begins with the sound of a microtonal toy piano imitating the rhythms and contours of Patchen’s voice. Very slowly, over the course of the 7-minute work, the piano’s melody is taken over by a recording of Patchen’s sampled voice.
Scenario, for soprano and virtual orchestra, was written between 2003–2004 but wasn’t performed live until 2012. The text is taken from a 1932 S. J. Perelman story of the same name, which consists of a non-stop, breathless collage of filmic clichés. On the page, Perelman’s text continues for pages without paragraph break and includes dialogue excerpts, Hollywood rumors, and behind-the-scenes film directions. In Gann’s setting of it––what he calls “a surrealist collage opera, the musical analogue of an animated cartoon, for theatrical soprano and virtual orchestra”––each collaged portion is set in a corresponding style and character, so the soprano must alternate rapidly between each affect and singing style throughout the 17-minute work.
CD $15

PETER "SLEAZY" CHRISTOPHERSON - The Art Of Mirrors: Homage to Derek Jarman (Soleilmoon 196; USA) "'Would you be able to stand in for me in Paris, for a tribute to Derek? - Of course! Besides, I think Gen is participating there with Thee Majesty. - Yes, absolutely. They're going to do a new performance of In The Shadow Of The Sun. - Different from the one we did as TG?! - Exactly. And I was going to create a new piece myself, different from the one Derek had commissioned me to write for The Art Of Mirrors. But something came up at the last minute and it would be a shame to miss this opportunity to pay tribute to him, which is why I'm calling you now. I assume that Derek would have been very pleased that one of us did it. - Alright, but what's the deadline? - You've got one month to get ready!' This is more or less how Simon Fisher Turner and Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson made plans one morning in July 2004 -- on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Derek Jarman's death -- in order to mount one of the greatest tributes the Étrange Festival has ever presented. Beyond his talents as a film maker, painter and botanist, Derek Jarman was an artist who seized in the best way the very essence of mutations unleashed by a whole generation, at the dawn of the 70's. As a privileged observer of the incredible deflagration brought about by the punk movement, the industrial music and gay liberation, he leaves behind him a fascinating and deeply moving work, in which the members of Throbbing Gristle, among others, took part. Unreleased before, this new work composed for several short movies is finally released. The ultimate gift from such a talented composer, and of whom there is still so much more to discover."
CD $14

New from Enlightenment in Stock Soon:

ROY HAYNES With RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK / PHINEAS NEWBORN / BOOKER ERVIN / FRANK STROZIER / RONNIE MATTHEWS / et al - The Classic Albums Collection: 1954-1964 (Enlightenment 9142; EEC) “Across a career now spanning eight decades, Roy Haynes has earned a reputation as one of the finest ever jazz drummers. A master of improvisation, Haynes is renowned for his highly expressive style and quick-fire snare technique, which earned him the nickname "Snap Crackle". His adaptability to style, and skillful arrangement, led to him playing in just about every sub-genre of jazz, including swing, bop, jazz fusion and avant-garde, and his name has appeared on the records of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Sarah Vaughan, Stan Getz, Bud Powell, Oliver Nelson, McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea, among many others. His finest albums however appeared in the early part of his recording career, often when fronting his own groups. This collection brings together nine of Roy Haynes' finest works from the early part of his career, including each of his releases as bandleader up to 1964. Collated over four discs, remastered to the highest possible quality from the original recordings, this set pays homage to one of the finest jazz drummers to have ever performed, and provides a magnificent opportunity to own these rare and masterful recordings in a single volume.”
4 CD Set $18

PHIL WOODS With JON EARDLEY / GENE QUILL / KENNY DORHAM / RAY COPELAND / et al - The Classic Albums Collection 1954-1961 (Enlightenment 9138; EEC) “Phil Woods stood out among saxophonists of his era, most notably because of his unique approach and refusal to follow the most popular forms. Woods signed with Prestige in 1954, releasing his first album, Pot Pie, with trumpeter Jon Eardley the same year, backed by a band of George Syran on piano along with long-standing bass and drums duo Teddy Kotick and Nick Stabulas. Woods developed a fondness for dual saxophone-fronted band arrangements. This style was evident on a string of albums he recorded with fellow saxophonist Gene Quill, including Pairing Off (Prestige, 1956) - which also showcased again the playing of Byrd, Flanagan, Watkins and Jones alongside trumpeter Kenny Dorham - and Phil And Quill (RCA-Victor, 1957), featuring pianist Dave McKenna, Buddy Jones on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums. Woods then began to branch out musically, leaving Prestige in 1957 to record freelance, releasing Sugan (Status, 1957) with pianist Red Garland and trumpeter Ray Copeland alongside Kotick and Stabulas. In 1958 he made the more serene and contemplative Warm Woods (Epic, 1958), backed by Stabulas, bassist Sonny Dallas and drummer Bob Corwin. In 1961, Woods recorded the Rights Of Swing album for Candid Records, a five-part, big band composition. This four CD collection, comprising over five hours of music in all, compiles eight original Phil Woods albums made between 1954 and 1961, all of which have been superbly remastered. Paying tribute to this, perhaps on occasion underrated, jazz maestro, who courageously stepped out of the shadow of his forebears to create a sound and style that was truly his own, this box set will provide both a perfect introduction to the music of Phil Woods, and a welcome reminder of this fine musician's extraordinary work.”
4 CD Set $18

SONNY ROLLINS with DONALD BYRD / WYNTON KELLY / SONNY CLARK / HAMPTON HAWES / RAY BROWN / OSCAR PETTIFORD / SHELLY MANNE / MAX ROACH / ROY HAYNES / PHILLY JOE JONES / et al - The Complete Blue Note, Riverside & Contemporary Collection (Enlightenment 9101; EEC) “A masterclass in jazz saxophone and improvisation; the five hours of music contained here includes many of the defining moments of the bebop era and, in completion, serves as both a welcome reminder and a superb starting point for exploration into this majestic musician's catalogue.” Albums included: ‘Way Out West’, ‘Freedom Suite’, ‘Vol 1’,’Vol 2’, ’Newk’s Time’, ’Night at the Vanguard’, ‘The Sound of Sonny’ and ‘Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders’.
4 CD set $18

SONNY ROLLINS With THELONIOUS MONK / JOHN COLTRANE / MODERN JAZZ QUARTET / CLIFFORD BROWN / PAUL CHAMBERS / MAX ROACH / PHILLY JOE JONES et al - The Prestige Years (Enlightenment 9030; EEC) Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins, born September 7, 1930, remains one of the most influential and important American Jazz musicians of all time and is widely recognized as the finest tenor sax player in Jazz's long history. Although now well into his 80s, Rollins continues to perform and release new recordings. Rollins was born in New York City, to parents who were themselves born in the U S Virgin Islands. Rollins received his first saxophone at age 13, initially attracted to the jump and R&B sounds of performers like Louis Jordan, but soon he became drawn into the mainstream tenor sax tradition. Rollins began to make a name for himself in 1949 as he recorded with Johnson and Bud Powell what would later be called "hard bop", with Davis in 1951, with the Modern Jazz Quartet and with Monk in 1953, but the breakthrough arrived in 1954 when he recorded his famous compositions "Oleo", "Airegin" and "Doxy" with a quintet led by Miles Davis. Rollins was invited later in 1955 to join the Clifford Brown-Max Roach quintet. After Brown's death in 1956, Rollins continued to play with Roach and released his own albums on Prestige Records, Blue Note, Riverside, and the Los Angeles label Contemporary. His widely acclaimed album Saxophone Colossus was recorded on June 22, 1956, and included his best-known composition "St. Thomas". In 1956 he also recorded Tenor Madness, using Davis' group. The title track is the only recording of Rollins with John Coltrane, who was also in the group at this time. It was this musical titan's recordings made with Prestige 1953-1956 which established Sony Rollins as one amongst the finest Jazz players to grace the genre. This 5 CD set contains all 10 LPs Sonny Rollins made for Prestige Records, in their entirety, beginning with his collaboration with Thelonious Monk and The Modern Jazz Quartet, and moving through his classic works as leader of some of the finest Jazz combos ever to record together.
5 CD Set $20

MOSE ALLISON - Complete Recordings: 1957-1962 (Enlightenment 9036; EEC) “Born just outside Tippo, Mississippi on his grandfather's farm (known as The Island 'because Tippo Bayou encircles it'), Mose Allison was already taking piano lessons by the age of five. In 1956 he moved to New York City and launched his jazz career, performing with artists such as Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, and Phil Woods. His debut album, 'Back Country Suite', was issued on the Prestige label in 1957. The album featured the song 'Young Man Blues' which later became a staple of The Who's live set. Allison's second record, 'Local Color' also on Prestige, contained his first recording of 'Parchman Farm', the song for which Mose Allison still remains best known. Although Allison had adapted the song from an original blues by Bukka White in 1938, he largely changed the original arrangement and added new lyrics, it is the Mose Allison version that numerous subsequent artists have covered. Mose formed his own trio in 1958 with Addison Farmer on bass and Nick Stabulas on drums and it was this line up that recorded 'Young Man Mose', Allison's third album. For the follow up, 'Creek Bank' Stabulas was replaced by Ronnie Free who would stay for three albums. By 1959's 'Autumn Song' Allison was becoming better known for his vocal skills than his piano playing, although he also continued to compose enthusiastically and many of his Prestige albums were made up of a mix of self composed cuts and his self arranged versions of pop, blues and jazz standards as well as covers of then contemporary writers like Ray Charles. This 5 CD compilation includes all Mose Allison's albums released between his 1957 debut and his first two Atlantic albums (both 1962). Containing eleven full albums in all, this period is considered that in which Mose Allison made his finest and most exciting music.”
5 CD Set $20


VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR With PETER HAMMILL / HUGH BANTON / GUY EVANS - Merlin Atmos: Live Performances 2013 (Esoteric 144; UK) In June 2013, Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evans took to the road in Europe to present a series of live concerts that featured a set list that excited devotees of Van Der Graaf Generator like no other for many years. The band had decided the time was right to present their epic classic piece "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" in its entirety on stage for the first time, along with Peter Hammill's equally epic "Flight". As the centerpieces of the band's live set, a series of wonderful concerts took place, drawing on the classic material from the band's past, as well as their more recent albums such as "A Grounding in Numbers". Fortunately, some of these shows were recorded for posterity and have now been gathered together to form "Merlin Atmos". Arguably the finest live album in the history of the band, "Merlin Atmos" confirms Van Der Graaf Generator as a continuing musical force and explains the loyalty and respect they continue to receive from devotees the world over. "Merlin Atmos" is a stunning musical statement from a stunningly innovative band.
CD $18

GENE CLARK - The Complete Ebbet's Field Broadcast (Sonic Boom 0310; EEC) Gene Clark's luck was rarely of the 'good' variety during his post-Byrds career, and though his 1974 album No Other would come to be seen as a neglected masterpiece years after its release, by early 1975 it was considered an expensive flop that put Clark on the bad side of David Geffen. At the time Clark was doing club dates as and when he could find them, to help make ends meet and keep his name somewhat in the public eye. On February 19, 1975, Clark played in Denver, CO at the legendary Ebbet's Field club at 1020 15th street, where local FM station KFML broadcast the event, as they did with many of Ebbets' shows. Backed by Roger White on guitar and Duke Bardwell on bass and acoustic 6 string, (billed as Gene Clark & Silverado) the harmonies are superb and White's lead guitar offers a fine counterpart to Clark's strong and emotive vocals. Although the trio performed two cuts from No Other - 'Silver Raven' and the title track, both as majestic stripped down arrangements - it would appear that Gene was not too bothered about supporting or promoting his new release. The gig features a number of obscurities and 'oldies' ; 'Home Run King' and 'Daylight Line' never made it onto a studio album, two numbers reached back to his Byrds days ('Here Without You' and 'Set You Free This Time') and a pair of archive cover versions ('Long Black Veil' originally by Lefty Frizell, and Lead Belly's 'In the Pines') all rubbed shoulders with no fewer than 3 old Dillard & Clark numbers ('Kansas City Southern', 'She Darked the Sun' & 'Train Leaves Here This Morning'). The charming and somewhat delicious 'For a Spanish Guitar', originally on Clark's 1971 record and allegedly hailed by Bob Dylan as one of the greatest songs ever written, completes what sounds to have been one remarkable evening in a small Denver club some 40 years ago.
CD $15

RY COODER & DAVID LINDLEY - Two Long Riders (Good Shippe Funk 027; EEC) When Ry Cooder and David Lindley played the Montreux Jazz Festival together in 1990, the set performed was an eclectic mix of cuts from Cooder's back catalogue. Included was a selection of numbers from the great film soundtrack composer's work in that medium ('Across The Borderline',' The Long Riders', 'Paris, Texas' etc.), alongside many favorites from his classic 1970s roster ('Crazy 'Bout An Automobile',' Jesus On The Mainline', 'Mercury Blues' etc.). The majestic interplay of the two acoustic guitars provided for an enticing set running at a generous 82 minutes, which was broadcast across FM radio in both Europe and the USA. With perfect sound quality, this show is now available in its entirety here for the first time on this CD.
CD $15

Back in stock:

VINNY GOLIA LARGE ENSEMBLE - Overview: 1996 - 2006 (Nine Winds DVD 0300; USA) This is extraordinary undertaking and a most ambitious effort. Besides being one of the West Coast's best reeds wizards and multi-bandleaders, Vinny Golia has been running the great Nine Winds label for some two decades plus. This single-sized DVD boxset actually contains 2 CDs and 2 DVDs featuring three great performances of Vinny's ever-evolving large ensemble from 1996, 2000 and 2006. The large ensembles range from some 22 to 45 musicians which includes woodwinds, brass & string sections as well as an African drum section. It has taken me a couple of months to work my way through all of this material but I am glad I have. Some of the more familiar musicians include Rob Blakeslee, Ken Filiano, Alex Cline, Jeff Gauthier, Peggy Lee, John Fumo, Michael Vlatkovich and Steve Adams. I've been a fan of large ensembles for many years (from Grand Wazoo & Centipede to Duke Ellington & Count Basie), working my way through hundred of records to get a better idea of how and why they work. The first disc features the large ensemble live in Portland, Oregon from 1996. When it begins, it sounds like film music from some adventure at sea, filled with a series of dramatic shifts. Serious and fascinating. The numerous soloists are listed in the liner notes and two conductors are involved for this massive 22-piece ensemble. Different sections or pieces feature assorted soloists including inspired solos from Rob Blakeslee on flugelhorn, Vinny on bass sax, Peggy Lee on cello and Michael Vlatkovich on trombone. The music is often in between established categories like modern jazz and contemporary classical. There is a section for a brass ensemble that is superbly arranged and majestic sounding as well as a Zappa-like percussion section. At some 70 minutes in length, there is too much to describe here. I have listened to this disc several times and it still sounds great. The second disc features an even larger ensemble (30 pieces) with a string section added. This one is live in L.A. (where Vinny& most of these musicians resides) from 2000. Although some/much of this music more outside or avant, it is Mr. Golia's exceptional writing and arranging that shines through and holds everything together. Again, several strong soloists get a chance to stretch out: Bruce Fowler on trombone, Ed Harkins on trumpet and Paul Sherman on English horn. In between some of the written material are a handful of free yet focused "Transition" sections. A number of the soloists are backed by well-placed written parts, adding some cohesion to whichever direction the soloist goes. This set is an hour long and completely creative throughout. The two DVDs were filmed in 2006, on the same night, one set per DVD. This is the largest version of the ensemble so far with some 45 members including more strings and an African drum section. Watching the DVDs, we get a better idea of what this massive ensemble looks like. How well Mr. Golia succeeds at organizing, writing, arranging, playing and conducting is worth contemplating. Both sets are an hour plus long and outstanding throughout. At more than four hours long for the entire set, I suggest you listen and view this over several nights. Until then, I suggest you grab this massive treasure before we sell out. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
2 CD 2 DVD Set $40

DON CHERRY With PHAROAH SANDERS/HENRY GRIMES/ED BLACKWELL - Where Is Brooklyn? (Blue Note 11435; USA) Featuring: Pharoah Sanders, Henry Grimes & Eds Blackwell. 'Where Is Brooklyn' was Don Cherry's final album for Blue Note, and it returned to the quartet format of Complete Communion, this time featuring Pharoah Sanders on tenor sax along with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Ed Blackwell. Here, Cherry abandons his concept of recording all the album's compositions as side-long medleys; rather, each is treated separately, with spaces in between the tracks. There wasn't a need to integrate the compositions by periodically returning to their themes, so perhaps that's why Cherry doesn't really focus as much on bringing out his compositions this time around. Where Is Brooklyn is much more about energy and thoughtful group interaction than memorable themes, and so there's just a little something missing in comparison to Cherry's prior albums, even though they did also emphasize the qualities on display here. Nonetheless, it's still a fine record for what it does concentrate on; Sanders is in typically passionate form, and the rest of the ensemble members have already honed their interplay to a pretty sharp edge. It's worth hearing, even if it isn't as essential as Complete Communion or Symphony for Improvisers. ~ Steve Huey, AMG
CD $15

DON CHERRY With FRANK LOWE / CHARLIE HADEN / HAKIM JAMI / BILLY HIGGINS et al - Brown Rice (A&M 397 001; USA) Euro "Jazz Heritage" series reissue. Super-classic recording from '76 with Billy Higgins, Charlie Haden, Frank Lowe, Hakim Jamil [aka Hakim Jami], and Ricky Cherry and Moki. CD reissue of this 1975 album from jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, originally titled Don Cherry. Certainly one of his best releases during the '70s, Brown Rice is an album that takes the tripped-out spacey jazz sound he was working on, and adds some nice electric moments, with occasional slight touches of funkiness. It has a cool vibe and a tightness that only adds more to his great playing. "If Eternal Rhythm was Don Cherry's world fusion masterpiece of the '60s, then Brown Rice is its equivalent for the '70s. But where Eternal Rhythm set global influences in a free jazz framework, Brown Rice's core sound is substantially different, wedding Indian, African, and Arabic music to Miles Davis' electrified jazz-rock innovations. And although purists will likely react here the same way they did to post-Bitches Brew Davis, Brown Rice is a stunning success by any other standard. By turns hypnotic and exhilarating, the record sounds utterly otherworldly: the polyrhythmic grooves are deep and driving, the soloing spiritual and free, and the plentiful recording effects trippy and mysterious. The various ethnic influences lift the album's already mystical atmosphere to a whole new plane, plus Cherry adds mostly non-English vocals on three of the four tracks, whispering cryptic incantations that make the pieces resemble rituals of some alien shaman. The title cut has since become an acid jazz/rare-groove classic, filtering Charlie Haden's acoustic bass through a wah-wah pedal and melding it with psychedelic electric piano riffs, electric bongos, wordless female vocals, short snippets of tenor saxophonist Frank Lowe's free jazz screeching, and, of course, Cherry's whispers and trumpet. Closer "Degi-Degi" works a similarly mind-bending mixture, but the middle two pieces ("Malkauns" and "Chenrezig") are lengthy explorations where Cherry's languid trumpet solos echo off into infinity. Of all his world fusion efforts, Brown Rice is the most accessible entry point into Cherry's borderless ideal, jelling into a personal, unique, and seamless vision that's at once primitive and futuristic in the best possible senses of both words. While Cherry would record a great deal of fine work in the years to come, he would never quite reach this level of wild invention again." - Steven Huey
CD $15


LP Section:

CARL STONE - Electronic Music from the Eighties and Nineties (Unseen Worlds; USA) “Following the widely acclaimed 3LP collection, "Electronic Music from the Seventies and Eighties", the 2xLP "Electronic Music from the Eighties and Nineties" presents the soothing, hallucinatory side of Carl Stone’s slow-evolving, time-bending composition.  While we can’t always identify the source, we can hear that his sounds come from somewhere, and that there is a “correct” or “complete” version of them in theory; and so we can hear when they are being changed.  What drives Stone’s music is the flow that he draws out of those differences: the way an Indonesian gamelan morphs into a chorus built from one female vocalist over the course of “Mae Yao”’s twenty-three minutes, the surprise emergence of a Mozart chorus out of the synths and skip-glitches of “Sonali,” or the slow, ambient evolution of “Banteay Srey”. “Woo Lae Oak,” issued in a single side edit for the first time, is an exception. Its samples – a tremolo string and a bottle being blown across the top like a flute -  are simple in the extreme. Yet the Stone hallmark is clearly present, he locates the inherent emotional properties of the sounds – the tingling anticipation of the string and the calm nobility of the wind – and takes them into unexpected expressive territory.”
2 LP Set $25

EIKO ISHIBASHI & DARIN GRAY - Ichida (Black Truffle 039; Australia) Black Truffle present the release of Ichida, the first release from the duo of two important, yet often underappreciated musicians, Eiko Ishibashi and Darin Gray. Ishibashi is a singer-songwriter, keyboardist, drummer, and multi-instrumentalist, known in Japan both for her own elaborately conceptual solo albums and for her frequent collaborations with figures such as Jim O'Rourke, Merzbow, and Phew. Darin Gray is a bassist and multi-instrumentalist known for a multitude of collaborations (with O'Rourke and Loren Connors, among many others), for On Fillmore, his cinematic post-exotica project with Glenn Kotche, and as one half of Chikamorachi with Chris Corsano, one of the finest free-jazz rhythm sections around. Presenting the entirely of a live set performed at Tokyo's Super Deluxe in March 2013, the set begins as a duet for Ishibashi's flute and Gray's upright bass. Calmly melodic yet harmonically inventive, with shades of "spiritual jazz", the pair's acoustic ruminations are gradually joined by Ishibashi's lush electronics, which randomly flicker between chords in a manner recalling the classic work of David Behrman. As the electronics build into a gloomy fog of slowly cycling loops, Gray lays his bass aside and turns to making strangely mournful interjections on a mouthpiece. Eventually Ishibashi moves to the piano, enveloping the audience in rippling pools of sustained, octave-doubled melody, provided by Gray's bass with a fluid and dynamic foundation. For much of the second side, both Ishibashi and Gray turn to electronics, ultimately arriving in a bizarre space of melancholic arpeggios and random sputter and sizzle, oddly reminiscent of '70s outsider prog acts like Wapassou. An uneasy coda of rich piano chords ends the set. Captured in warm room ambience and beautifully mixed by Jim O'Rourke, Ichida is a rare combination of improvisational acumen and emotional directness, both adventurous and immediately accessible. Cover pics by Jim O'Rourke. Design by Stephen O'Malley. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin.
LP $25

PRINCE FAR I - Voice Of Thunder (Get On Down 57008LP; USA) "Prince Far I aka the Voice Of Thunder got his start in the burgeoning Jamaican music industry as a sound system DJ (for Sir Mike The Musical Dragon), working security at Joe Gibbs' studio and in a similar roll at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One. As fate would have it, King Stitt, the regular DJ at Studio One, failed to turn up to voice a track and the up and comer convinced Coxsone to give him a try on the mic. The resulting cut launched the career of one of Reggae's most famous toasters -- though he liked to describe his style as a chanter rather than the more popular term toaster. First releasing records using the moniker King Cry Cry, the same name he'd used working Sir Mike's sound system, he soon changed his name to Prince Far I at the suggestion of producer Enos McLeod. On Voice Of Thunder, Prince Far I is supported by an extremely sparse yet heavy instrumental backing which perfectly complements his growling voice. As is often the case with Prince Far I, much of the material is essentially Bible verse, 'Ten Commandments' being a perfect example. The Voice Of Thunder full length also includes a tribute to the very recently deceased Bob Marley, and he even takes time to take UK skinheads to task for wearing polyester (forbidden to a real Rastafarian). Long out of print on vinyl, this 1981 masterpiece from Prince Far I is back in effect thanks to Get On Down."
LP $22

JEAN COHEN-SOLAL - Captain Tarthopom (Souffle Continu Records 045; France) Souffle Continu Records present the first ever reissue of Jean Cohen-Solal's Captain Tarthopom, originally released in 1973. "Nothing can stop a flutist. We can do whatever we want, whatever we feel. My flute, is a mirror of myself. I express feelings more easily with the flute than with language." This is what Jean Cohen-Solal said on the cover of his first album released in 1972, Flûtes Libres (FFL 044LP), renowned for its adventurous overdubbing of alto, piccolo, and bass flutes, in treble or in C and ocarina. Mentioned on the famous Nurse With Wound list, the path followed by Jean Cohen-Solal included many exciting adventures in the 1970s, from his participation in the cult animation series Les Shadoks where his voice can be heard alongside the actor Claude Piéplu, to his proximity to the GRM where he worked alongside Bernard Parmegiani, François Bayle, Luc Ferrari, Guy Reibel, and Béatrice Ferreyra, or his involvement in progressive music with Captain Tarthopom, an album very much in the same style as that featured in Europe on the Vertigo label, but in an instrumental form, and even more audacious, without turning its back on the same classical influences as everyone else. It is impossible to pin a label on Jean Cohen-Solal, he is the equal of his Anglo-Saxon counterparts Bob Downes, Harold McNair, Jon Field (Jade Warrior), and Jeremy Steig, just to mention the most creative of the bunch. His affinity with strings, already heard in his work with Serge Franklin (author of the ineffable Free Sitar) on Flûtes Libres, is perfectly echoed here by the work of Jean-Claude Deblais, himself author of one of the little-known summits of sound illustration and French underground music: Le Miroir Du Fantastique (1977). Licensed from Jean Cohen-Solal. Includes eight-page booklet. Clear vinyl; Obi strip; Edition of 700.
LP $25

LITTO NEBBIA - Melopea (Melopea Discos 099; Spain) Melopea Discos present a reissue of Litto Nebbia's Melopea, originally released in 1974. Melopea is one of most praised works by Litto Nebbia -- the title of this album, years later, would become the name of his record label and production company. It is an elegant opus in songwriting, and perhaps one of his most song-orientated creations. A subtle pop and prog overtones paint an aura full of identity, and originality. The highlight is the presence of the venerated orchestral conductor, guitarist, and composer Rodolfo Alchourron. He was a master in fusing the tango with jazz and rock and piloted the amazing band Sanata Y Clarificación. Also worth mentioning, there are lyrics of the renowned poet Mirta Delfipo. "La Lección Del Viajero" is a beautiful folk song in a Dylanesque vein. "Gloria Y Guitarra" and "Augurio Del Silencioso" have peculiar Brazilian overtones. "Los Lunes De La Humanidad" (intersected by shivering tango nuances), "Apelación De Otoño" (a very moving interpretation), and the closing track simply called "Final" ("Ending", what a chic finale) are enriched by a flowering orchestration. Enjoy, then, a remastered and restored sui generis pop adventure. Having over 100 albums under his belt, including soundtracks, full productions and collaborations, Félix Francisco Nebbia, as known as Litto Nebbia was born in Rosario, Santa Fé province, Argentina, in 1948. Aside of being a cult name and an artistic institution per se, he can easily display a legendary status as his name appears in over 1200 songs. As early as 1963, he was already playing guitar, and playing lo-key gigs. With his best friend Ciro Fogliatta he formed the first Argentinian rock band in 1966, Los Gatos. He established Melopea, his own company, a pioneer enterprise for discovering and recording upcoming talents as well as being a record label. He has collaborated with well-regarded musicians as Cacho Tejera, Victor Biglione, Zé Renato, Domingo Cura, and Lito Vitale. Welcome to the legendary world of Litto Nebbia!
LP $28

A Couple of Cassette Selections:

KID MILLIONS / SARAH BERNSTEIN - Tense Life (577 Records 5798; USA) Featuring Kid Millions on drums and Sarah Bernstein on violin, voice & processing. Many serious listeners often peg or tag musicians due to whatever was the most popular ensemble that that musician played with. Although drum wiz Kid Millions (John Colpitts) started out with the rock band Oneida, he is a restless improviser who has worked with sax blaster Jim Sauter from Borbetomagus. as well as doing solo drum sets and leading a 20-piece percussion ensemble. Sarah Bernstein is also an ambitious Downtown player who works with several units. She recently played a solo violin set (here at DMG), performing the string music of Ornette Coleman and then was joined by Guillermo Gregorio on clarinet, Nick Jozwiak on cello and Nico Letman-Burtinovic on bass.
“Ill of the Dead” blasts open with intense, over-the-top violin (electric?) and pounding drums. It sounds as if Ms. Bernstein is playing several pedals like distortion which is close to overload. The overall sound is powerful, even brutal. Hard to tell that she is playing a violin since it sounds more like a shrieking electric guitar at times. Ms. Bernstein also uses her voice with some effects to add some scary moments to this boiling brew. Mr. Millions is a great choice since his playing is equally explosive, throttling at times. This duo remind me of that ‘Interstellar Space’ like intensity, just a duo building and burning together. Things slow down for the next piece, called “Slice”. Ms Bernstein lets it out, digging deep with her voice here, at times sounding like Yoko Ono when she was experimenting in the studio with John Lennon. This entire tape is a tour-de-force, sometimes extreme but always focused, volcanic like a molten lava flow. Break out that old cassette deck and ride on the tidal waves within. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
Cassette $10 [LTD Edition of 150; numbered]

* MICHAEL FOSTER & BEN BENNETT - In It (Astral Spirits 051; Monofonus 148; USA) Featuring Ben Bennett on drums & percussion and Michael Foster on tenor & sopranino saxes & aerophones. Yesterday (7/18/18), I reviewed a trio CD with Michael Foster, Jacob Wick (trumpet) and Ben Bennett. This is an extraordinary trio that deserves much wider recognition. Saxist Michael Foster has come into his own as a gifted improviser over the past few years, working with two recent quartets (with Steve Swell, Weasel Walter, Ben Gerstein & Sean Ali). Percussionist Ben Bennett is less visible but has worked with sax master Jack Wright on several sessions. The track titles here are mostly ridiculous yet apt: “A Pantleg, Dip My Ghosties in It”. The music however is definitely serious and carefully recorded, closed mic’d and well-balanced. The duo seem to move from free/jazz bouts to a more spacious, minimal or lowercase-like sections. This is the first cassette (only) release that I’ve reviewed in a long while. The sound is better than most CD’s that I’ve reviewed, warmer and easier to listen to and no digital fatigue to deal with. I did have to turn up the volume a bit but it does sound righteous. Mr. Foster sounds especially fine on sopranino sax, sputtering his lines in focused fractures. More strong medicine from the fine folks at the Astral Spirits label! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
Cassette $10

* MICHAEL FOSTER will be playing here at DMG on Sunday, August 5 at 7pm with Matteo Liberatore on guitar & Joanna Mattrey on viola.

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Eight New CD’s are Due in Stock on Clean Feed This Monday.

On occasion, our shipments from overseas are held up in customs. No idea why or for how long. These are currently in transit and supposed to be here soon. Pre-orders can be taken now!

DAVE BALLOU and BEEPHONK With ANTHONY PIROG / ADAM HOPKINS / MIKE KUHL - The Windup (Clean Feed 489; Portugal) “The title of this debut album from the band BeepHonk refers to the place where it all started in 2011: the Windup Space, in Baltimore. There, bassist Adam Hopkins organized weekly concerts through the Out Of Your Head Collective, which presented performances of improvisers in one time only combinations. Most never performed as a band again, but one remained active to this day, albeit in intervals due to the filled agendas of their members. Continuing thereafter as BeepHonk, Hopkins, guitarist Anthony Pirog (The Messthetics) and drummer Mike Kuhl assembled themselves around the trumpeter and composer Dave Ballou (Solo Trumpet, Clean Feed 2015), known for his appearances in both mainstream and creative jazz. They attempted a studio album, only to discover that the improvisations so central to the project were simultaneously more loose and focused in front of an audience. As a result, in 2017 they returned to The Windup Space to record its namesake album live. This is the happy result a magnificent document of the virtues of collective interplay and creative score reading. There are some recognizable factors, like the way a simple line introduced by Ballou organizes everything, reminiscent of SteveLacy, and Pirog's use of delays and loops. The rest is very much their own thing, generally with short tunes beginning, developing and ending in a very natural way, without a single gram of fat.”
CD $15

CELANO / BADENHORST / BAGGIANI - Lili & Marleen (Clean Feed 476; Portugal) Guillermo Celano and Marcos Baggiani are outstanding personalities in the Amsterdam creative jazz and free improvised music scene, where they co-lead the project C.B.G (acronym for Celano/Baggiani Group). In 2013 and specially for the Composition Assignment of the North Sea Jazz Festival, they came forth with a new line up of this band, one of the musicians being the Belgium clarinetist Joachim Badenhorst, mentor of the Carate Urio Orchestra and part of bands like Mógil, Tony Malaby’s novela and Baloni. This trio is a derivation of that partnership, committed to open new musical spaces in a more intimate context, reimagining the boundaries between composition and improvisation and between conventional harmony and abstract sound explorations. “Lili & Marleen” is a marvellous accomplishment of this non-exclusivist approach; melody, groove and textural / timbral work co- existing
without preconceptions of any sort. The Argentinean roots of both Baggiani and Celano can be sensed here and there; an amalgam of postmodern creative music with traces of nuevo tango and chacarera. This is the kind of mix that someone like Badenhorst would appreciate, always searching for the maximum aesthetic elasticity and for cross current audiences.
CD $15

MÁRIO COSTA With MARC DUCRET / BENOIT DELBECQ - Oxy Patina (Clean Feed 492; Portugal) In just a few years, Portuguese drummer Mário Costa became a serious case of success in the international jazz scene. We noticed him first playing in two key records to understand the rich reality of creative jazz in Portugal, “Nebulosa” and “Partícula”, as a member of the band lead by Hugo Carvalhais. In the second of these albums, the soprano saxophone was played by Émile Parisien, an usual Carvalhais partner on stage. Shortly after, Parisien invited Costa to play the drumkit in his new super-group with the veterans Joachim Kuhn and Michel Portal fronting a line-up with Manu Codja, Vincent Peirani and Simon Tailleu. «Now he belongs to the top modern drummers in jazz”, Kuhn states about the wide projection resulting from the excellent work he’s developing with such great company. “Oxy Patina” is another step in that path, presenting himself also as a composer, and again with top French players, Marc Ducret and Benoît Delbecq. Both are meticulous researchers of the capacities of their respective instruments and both have strong personal languages. Mário Costa couldn’t be more ambitious in the choice of partners, but he brilliantly achieves all his intentions. With them he managed to forge a solid and intriguing collective sound. If he managed to put our expectations high, the outcome is even higher.
CD $15

LFU: LISBON FREEDOM UNIT With RODRIGO AMADO / LUIS LOPES / RODRIGO PINHEIRO / et al - Praise of Our Folly (Clean Feed 480; Portugal) Featuring: Luís Lopes - electric guitar, Rodrigo Amado - tenor sax (left), Bruno Parrinha - soprano sax & clarinet (center), Pedro Sousa - tenor sax (right), Rodrigo Pinheiro - piano & rhodes, Ricardo Jacinto - cello, Hernâni Faustino - double bass, Pedro Lopes - turntables & electronics and Gabriel Ferrandini - drums & percussion. The first avant-garde-ists of the 20th century began a special internalization of aspects coming from the creativity of children, of the then-called “savages” and of the demented, and that interest explains much of the Western artistic evolution until today. The improvising co-operative Lisbon Freedom Unit assume that legacy in its musical practice and in the title of this record, refering it to the classic “In Praise of Folly”, written by the Renascentist scholar Desiderius Erasmus. Without a leader, this ensemble of nine reunites some of the most distinguished musicians of the Lisbon free jazz and free music circles. Mixed here are the members of Red Trio (Rodrigo Pinheiro, Hernâni Faustino and Gabriel Ferrandini), of Garden (José Bruno Parrinha, Ricardo Jacinto, Luís Lopes) and of the duo Eitr (Pedro Sousa and Pedro Lopes), and also 2/3 of the Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio (Amado, Ferrandini) and 2/4 of the Luís Lopes Humanization 4tet (Lopes and Amado). Having all of them in the same band it seems is in itself crazy, but the only chaos you’ll hear is totally organized: if nobody follows a sacrament it’s because only folly can bring us close to God, as Erasmus used to say.
CD $15

MIA DYBERG TRIO - Ticket! (Clean Feed 487; Portugal) Personnel: Mia Dyberg -alto saxophone, Asger Thomsen - double bass and Dag Magnus Narvesen - drums. You may label the music recorded in “Ticket!” as free jazz, but nothing here conforms with what you usually hear with that identity. Why? Because alto saxophonist Mia Dyberg, double bassist Asger Thomsen and drummer Dag Magnus Narvesen transpose to music the processes used by William S. Burroughs in his poetry, and not only the cut-up techniques of that Beat Generation icon: there’s much of the playfulness, the pulse and the «silver smoke of dreams» which define Burroughs’ writing. The music is energetic and full of groove, sometimes melodic, others with a hint of the bluesy AACM influence, the group improvisations never hiding the individual contributions of these three Scandinavian musicians. Dyberg is a danish saxophonist, improviser and composer based in Berlin and one of the new exciting voices on the European jazz scene, crossing sound experimentation and the characteristic Swedish melancholy in collaborations with improvisers like Herb Robertson, Clayton Thomas, Tristan Honsinger and Axel Dörner. Thomsen is a constant presence in the Copenhagen scene, be it alternative rock, creative jazz or avant-garde music and Narvesen is becoming a percussionist of first choice for many improvising European and American luminaries. Together, they’re either explosive and impressionistic, wild and lyrical.
CD $15

DYSTIL With BRYAN QU / QUINCY MAYES / MARK BALLYK - Dystil (Clean Feed 486; Portugal) Personnel: Bryan Qu - alto sax & objects, Quincy Mayes - piano & objects and Mark Ballyk - percussion, voice & objects. The melting pot we call New York is very much alive, and one proof is this band coming from a new generation of musicians living in the Big Apple. New and with a militant attitude, committed to build what Bryan Qu, Quincy Mayes and Mark Ballyk point as a «progressive future». Following a DIY philosophy, with complete control of the composition, performance, recording and production process of their music, the trio Dystil propose their debut CD as an «imaginary film», with the purpose to turn their dreams into realities. The three musicians never played together before this work, and when they decided to do it the proceedings were radical: they lived together for three months to achieve their musical goals. There was only one rule: to synthesize the different approaches without compromise. You may not yet know any of them, but they are globally active and building platforms in New York, China, Canada, and Europe. The road is open.
CD $15

SCHNELL With PIERRE BOREL / ANTONIO BORGHINI / CHRISTIAN LILLINGER - Live at Soweiso (Clean Feed 488; Portugal) Personnel: Pierre Borel - sax, Antonio Borghini - bass and Christian Lillinger - drums. The trio Schnell uses the bebop tradition as the starting point (the «archetype» or the «memory basket», as they put it) to investigate speed, stasis and trance. It’s not simply a mechanical process, giving more velocity to the lines played by Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker, the same way a 33 rpm record would sound if put to 78 rpm, but to transform the bebop language by pushing the musicians to their limits and forcing them to develop new collective and personal strategies. Pierre Borel, Antonio Borghini and Christian Lillinger, all of them living in Berlin but the first coming from France and the second from Italy, noticed that the improvisational side of bebop stopped to be the core of this jazz tendency when this one became repertoire music the purpose is now to reestablish that dimension, playing it «on its verge, at
high speed, where body memory, intuition and the unconscious are essentials». From their respective backgrounds nothing supposed the emergence of this concept: Borel comes from a dedication to abstract free improvisation with the likes of Axel Dorner, Tetuzi Akiyama and Christoph Kurzmann; Borghini was involved in projects lead by Anthony Braxton, David Murray and, even more far, Mike Patton; and Lillinger found in groups like Grund Amok Amor and Grünen the contexts to give some of the energy of rock to creative jazz. You may get dizzy, but truth is that accelerated bebop is still bebop.
CD $15

CARLOS BICA & AZUL Featuring FRANK MÖBUS / JIM BLACK - Azul in Ljubljana (Clean Feed 495’ Portugal) Personnel: Carlos Bica - Double Bass, Frank Möbus - Guitar and Jim Black - Drums
And Percussion. If you say Azul, you have to say Carlos Bica as well, hardly anyone in jazz is connected to a single band like the Portuguese with this unique trio featuring Frank Möbus on guitar and Jim Black on drums. Azul has been working together for more than 20 years and is considered one of the most significant and fertile trios of this moment. "Azul in Ljubljana“, is their 7th album and the very first one ever live recorded. As a composer, double bassist Carlos Bica is a cultivator of the song format, but if as such he knows the virtues of studio production and engineering, in order to perfect a composition at a detail level, he’s also very much conscious that, in jazz, the best for a song is to be played live and to grow from the confines of what is written through improvisation. Hence the importance of this new album of his band Azul, with Frank Möbus and Jim Black, recorded in the magnificent 2015 concert they gave at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival. All the studio recordings by this trio are great, but here the music breathes more widely, go more deep and have more expressive effect, because a jazz song depends more from the “here and now” of a performance than a pop or a folk song, even when there’s aspects of both in the music. They’re self evident, as it is the rock factor in some of the tracks, and also the lyrical quality coming directly from the classical tradition: Azul is the sum of all this in a beautiful, mysterious, dramatic and sometimes intense way, giving a human, fragile, contradictory soul to the electric jazz of the 21st century.
CD $15

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

THE STONE RESIDENCIES - MATT HOLLENBERG - JULY 17–21

7/20 Friday
8:30 pm - Cleric performs Retrocausal [Matt Hollenberg (guitar) Daniel Ephraim Kennedy (bass) Larry Kwartowitz (drums) Nick Shellenberger (keys, vocals)

7/21 Saturday
8:30 pm - Cleric performs John Zorn's Book Beri'ah - Matt Hollenberg (guitar) Daniel Ephraim Kennedy (bass) Larry Kwartowitz (drums) Nick Shellenberger (keys, vocals)

THE STONE RESIDENCIES / ANNIE GOSFIELD / JULY 24–28 - Annie Gosfield presents a varied week of freewheeling improvisation and composed pieces that draws on her music for jammed radios, broken pianos and air raid sirens. Featuring new work and revisiting some rarely played pieces, this week at the Stone is an overview of Gosfield's musical life in NY

7/24 Tuesday
8:30 pm - Piano vs. Electronics Showdown, Composed and Improvised; Stephen Gosling (piano) Trio: Ikue Mori (electronics) Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) Annie Gosfield (sampling keyboard)

THE STONE COMMISSIONS / WEDNESDAY JULY 25: LAURA ORTMAN - $25
In collaboration with National Sawdust The Stone presents a series of World Premieres the last Wednesday of every month through 2018.
7pm at National Sawdust in Williamsburg. For details check https://nationalsawdust.org/event/jazz-stone-commissioning-series/

7/25 Wednesday
8:30 pm - Double Double Trouble - Yuka Honda and Annie Gosfield (keyboards) Nels Cline, Roger Kleier (guitars); Double Double Trouble from two keyboard & guitar couples who have wanted to play together for years.

THE STONE AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS CAFE!
THURSDAY JULY 26: TIM SPARKS
ONE SET AT 8PM—ADMISSION FREE

7/26 Thursday
8:30 pm - Radio Noise vs. String Noise and they mingle in the ether
String Noise (Pauline Kim Harris, Conrad Harris, violins) Annie Gosfield (electronics) Roger Kleier (guitar)

7/27 Friday
8:30 pm - Rubble, Migration, and a Truck Siphoning Water: Composition and Improvisation - Annie Gosfield (sampler) Brian Chase (drums) Roger Kleier (guitar) Felix Fan (cello)

7/28 Saturday
8:30 pm - 21st Century Dance Crazes - Billy Martin (drums) Steven Bernstein (slide trumpet) Briggan Krauss (sax) Brian Drye (trombone) Roger Kleier (guitar) Annie Gosfield (sampler)

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 Jul 20
6:00PM AYA ISHIDA: "DAY BY DAY" - Aya Ishida, vocals, composition; Berta Moreno, tenor sax; Ray Gallon, piano; Aidan O'Donnell, bass; Francisco Mela, drums
8:35PM TOM CHANG QUARTET - Tom Chang, guitar, comp.; Quinsin Nachoff, tenor sax; Matt Clohesy, bass; Alex Ritz, drums

Saturday Jul 21
8:35PM MARIO PAVONE, VERTICAL QUINTET - Mario Pavone, bass, comp.; Dave Ballou, trumpet; Tony Malaby, tenor sax; Peter McEachern, trombone; Gerald Cleaver, drums

Sunday Jul 22
8:00PM PHILIPPE LEMM TRIO - Philippe Lemm, drums; Angelo Di Loreto, piano; Jeff Koch,
9:30PM OPEN TABS - Santiago Leibson, piano; Eli Asher, trumpet; Yuma Uesaka, tenor sax; Shawn Lovato, bass; Mareike Wiening, drums

Mon, July 23rd:
8:30PM DM SALSBERG WITH GEORGIA WEBER AND OMER ASHANO - DM Salsberg, guitar, piano, lead vocals; Georgia Weber, double bass, backing vocals; Omer Ashano, violin, backing vocals

Tuesday Jul 24
8:00PM REBECCA NICOLE CHUBAY QUINTET - Rebecca Nicole Chubay, voice, guitar; Sam Javitch, piano; Yoav Eshed, guitar; Lauren Seay, bass; Kazuhiro Odagiri, drums
9:30PM ROBOT MOMMY - Nicki Adams, keyboard; Patrick Adams, trumpet; Eric Burns, guitar; Doug Berns, bass; Peter Manheim, drums

Wednesday Jul 25
6:00PM CÉSAR HAAS QUARTET - César Haas, guitar; Diego Ferreira, tenor saxophone; Anthony Bianco, bass; Michael Yaw , drums
8:35PM JON IRABAGON QUARTET - Jon Irabagon, tenor sax; Brian Marsella, trumpet; Chris Lightcap, bass; Dan Weiss, drums

Thursday Jul 26
8:01PM LUIS PERDOMO QUARTET - Luis Perdomo, piano; Juan Diego Villalobos, vibraphone; tba, bass; Daniel Prim, drums

Friday Jul 27
8:01PM KYLE NASSER QUINTET - Kyle Nasser, tenor, soprano sax; Rich Perry, tenor sax; Glenn Zaleski, guitar; Pablo Menares, bass

Saturday Jul 28
8:35PM TONY MALABY QUARTET - Tony Malaby, tenor sax; Ben Monder, piano; Tim Dahl, bass; Ches Smith, drums

Sunday Jul 29
6:00PM OLLI HIRVONEN NEW HELSINKI - Olli Hirvonen, guitar; Luke Marantz, piano; Marty Kenney, bass; Nathan Ellman-Bell, drums
8:00PM LIOR MILLIGER QUARTET - Lior Milliger, tenor sax; Santiago Leibson, piano, Rodrigo Recabarren, drums

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I-Beam Presents:

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

Saturday, July 21st 8:00 PM
Eva Novoa Kenneth Jiménez Trio
8:00 Eva Novoa
piano solo & Chinese gongs
9:00 Kenneth Jiménez Trio
Kenneth Jiménez, bass
Santiago Leibson, piano
Juan Pablo Carletti, drums

Friday, August 17th 8:30 PM
The Out Louds
Tomas Fujiwara – Drums
Ben Goldberg – Clarinet
Mary Halvorson – Guitar

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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The Bushwick Improvised Music Series
Continues on July 16th @ Bushwick Public House!

Monday July 23rd
7pm Gustavo Obligado - alto saxophone
Andrew Drury - drums

8pm Stephen Gauci - tenor saxophone
Sandy Ewen - guitar/electronics
Adam Lane - bass
Kevin Shea - drums

9pm Briggan Krauss - guitar
J. Granelli - bass
Mike Sarin - drums

9:45pm Mike Pride - drums
Mick Barr - guitar
Chuck Bettis - electronics/throat
Johnny Deblase - bass

10:45pm Marc Edwards - drums
Ernest Anderson III - guitar
Takuma Kanaiwa - guitar
Colin Sanderson - guitar
David Tamura - tenor saxophone
Ayumi Ishito - tenor saxophone

11:30pm  Aaron Edgcomb - drums
Chris Williams - trumpet/efx
Ben Finley - bass
Keisuke Matsuno - guitar

Downstairs @ Bushwick Public House
1288 Myrtle Avenue , Bushwick
(Across the street from M train Central Ave stop)
bushwickpublichouse.com/ gaucimusic.com

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Saturday, July 21st at 3pm:

SUNWATCHERS

SUSAN ALCORN

EAMON FOGARTY & the BLUE VALUES

at Trans-Pecos - 9-15 Wyckoff Ave in Queens, NY

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Wed. July 25th at 7:30pm
GARY LUCAS with FEIFEI YANG & JASON CANDLER
"The Edge of Heaven Live:
From Shanghai to New York"
At The Loft at City Winery at 155 Varick Street in NYC