FABULOUS FEBRUARY DISCS from CECIL TAYLOR, TZADIK'S MASADA STRING TRIO & LEO SMITH BOX SET, GUSTAFSSON/VANDERMARK LP ONLY SEXTET, NEW FMR BONANZA, AN UNEARTHED DON CHERRY 60'S CONCERT, FANTOMAS, DOM MINASI, HILMAR JENSSEN, NEWER HAT TITLES ON SALE, & MUCH MORE!



But first, a moment of silence for the passing of one of the greats: "Malachi Favors, a founding member of and bassist for the highly influential avant-garde jazz band the Art Ensemble of Chicago, died Fri., Jan. 30 of pancreatic cancer. There is uncertainty over how old he was. Most jazz reference books list his birth year as 1937 [in either Chicago IL or Lexington MS] , but yesterday's Chicago Tribune quotes his daughter, Malba Favors Allen, as saying he was born in 1927." He will be missed.




CECIL TAYLOR - Incarnation (FMP 123) Live from the Total Music Meeting in 1999 and featuring Mr. Cecil Taylor on piano, Franky Douglas on guitar, Tristan Honsinger on cello and Andrew Cyrille on drums.Ê Word is from our friends up north that this is an amazing set, so we are just as anxious as you other Cecil fan-addicts.Ê Can't tell you anything about the guitarist, but both the crazed Tristan from ICP and longtime Cecil associate Cyrille are always consistently creative and spectacular improvisers.Ê In stock today! CD release for $17


FIVE NEW and HISTORIC RELEASES FROM THE GREAT TZADIK LABEL for FEBRUARY:


JOHN ZORN/MASADA STRING TRIO - 50th Birthday Celebration/Volume 1 (Tzadik 5001) This fantastic new treasure inaugurates an exciting new series documenting the best live shows from John Zorn's historic month of performances in September of 2003 at Tonic in NYC.Ê The Masada String Trio feature Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello and Greg Cohen on bass with John Zorn conducting.Ê This is the long awaited first full length single release from one Zorn's most popular bands and it was certainly an amazing night with this cd truly capturing their immensely captivating spirit.Ê Each time we've caught the Masada String Trio live, they have touched the hearts and souls of those in attendance.Ê Righteously recorded by our old pal Daniel Goldarcena and presented in a lavish new Tzadik digipak.
CD release for $14

WADADA LEO SMITH - Kabell Years 1971- 1979 : Creative Music I/Reflectativity/Song Of Humanity/Ahkreanvention...Plus! [4 CD set] (Tzadik 7610; USA)Ê From 1971-1979 legendary AACM trumpet hero and composer, Leo Smith, released four wonderful records on his own, privately pressed label Kabell, including the original version of Reflectativity [the compositions of which were re-recorded 25 years later -with the just recently passed Malachi Favors replacing Wes Brown - for the single CD Tzadik release -#7060- of the same name]. Under the supervision of the composer, this material, featuring Oliver Lake on saxes & flute, Anthony Davis on pianos & organ, Wes Brown on bass, Pheeroan AkLaff on drums & percussion and Wadada Leo Smith on trumpets, flute and percussion, all four of these immensely rare records have now been collected, remastered and coupled with over two hours of unreleased bonus tracks, which includes the SECOND SET [!] of the influential Reflectativity concert and the legendary Mapenzi solo concert from 1976! Complete with a twenty-eight page booklet featuring session photos and SUPERB tributes from musical associates such as George Lewis, Alvin Singleton, Larry Ochs, Anthony Davis, Bobby Naughton, Henry Kaiser and John Zorn, this is an essential collection from the peak period of one of Creative Music's most important composer/performers. A beautiful job from the fine folks at Tzadik and a fascinating listening experience that will bear endless repeated listenings!
4 CD set for $48

RED POCKET [JEWLIA EISENBERG/MARIKA HUGHES/SCOTT AMENDOLA] - Thick (Tzadik Oracle Series 7710) Second superb Tzadik release from that fabulous & feisty Charming Hostess singer/composer/bassist Jewlia Eisenberg with 2 Foot Yard's cello wonder Marika Hughes also singing and Nels Cline's Singers drum wiz Scott Amendola on percussion and electronics.Ê Both listening to Charming Hostess and Jewlia's 'Trilectic' (Tzadik) releases on cd and in concert have shown us just how immensely talented and strangely charming Jewlia and her friends can be.Ê Her new trio Red Pocket once again an infectious blend of wickedly incisive and hilarious lyrics, funky/rockin'/hip hoppy rhythms with enchanting layers of vocals, harmonies and strings. Jewlia does an amazing job of poking fun at the way women are often portrayed as the weaker gender, she is way too wise for our own good and with more women around like her, this world would certainly be a much better place.Ê Way better than most of what passes for pop music nowadaze.
CD release for $14

ERNESTO MARTINEZ - Mutaciones (Tzadik Composer Series 7096) Mexican new music composer Ernesto Martinez was a friend of American maverick Conlon Nancarrow.Ê Ernesto has been composing remarkably original polyrhythmic music for more than a decade.Ê He is inspired by Balinese Gamelan, the player-tune piano masterworks of Nancarrow and Mexican folk traditions.Ê His trio Micro Ritmia consists of piano, marimba and altered guitars and blends complex hocketing techniques with a striking sense of drama.Ê Longer review next week.
CD release for $14

MIKE PATHOS - People (Tzadik Lunatic Fringe Series 7407) The enigmatic Mike Pathos is a 25 year old producer from Calgary, Canada. Originally classically trained on violin, he performed on television several times before switching to pop music in the mid-nineties. Mike produced this strange gem between 1995 & 2001, before he ended up in a Toronto hospital was pronounced dead on arrival.Ê After demonstrating that he was not dead or insane, he was released and finished his deranged epic 'People' with the help of Alan Fischer, producer for Bjork and Cabaret Voltaire.Ê Mike's eerie altered voice is surrounded by stark sounds and bursts of electronic noise, using his mostly electric violin in a variety of strange ways.Ê Includes a rather warped version of John Lennon's classic "Imagine".Ê A truly disturbing yet fascinating work from a genius or madman who could only find a home on Tzadik's Lunatic Fringe Series.
CD release for $14


FROM ANAGRAM RECORDS IN SWEDEN:

DON CHERRY With OKAY TEMIZ/BENGT NORDSTROM/BERNT ROSENGREN et al [MOVEMENT INCORPORATED] - Movement Incorporated (Anagram 008; Sweden) An impossibly rare find featuring the legendary Don Cherry on trumpet, flute, piano & voice, Bernt Rosengren on tenor sax, oboe, sitar & flute, Maffy Falay on trumpet, Brian Trentham on trombone, Bengt Nordstom on alto sax, Tommy Koverhult on tenor sax, Torbjorn Hultkrantz on bass and Okay Temiz or Leif Wennerstrom on drums. Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden in July of 1967, this treasure was long forgotten and unreleased until now [It predates the two Sonet Swedish recordings made in '68 and '73].Ê It is 76 minute journey that moves through an engagingÊ three-part suite with a long concluding piece. This epic captures that magic spirit that Don Cherry forever embraced, mixing the freer jazz terrain with a variety of exotic, world music influences - from Ayler's influence through Swedish folk songs to Turkish rhythms.Ê Though the world traveling ambassador of possibilities, Don Cherry, was well recorded during his lifetime, we have only seen a dozen or so of his fine works released on cd over the past few years.Ê Special thanks to my partner Manny/Lunch for once again finding another impossible to locate gem such as this.
Limited Ed. Swedish CD for $18

SCHOOL DAYS & THE THING [MATS GUSTAFSSON/KEN VANDERMARK/JEB BISHOP/INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN/PAUL NILSSEN-LOVE/KJELL NORDESON] - The Music Of Norman Howard [ltd. ed. LP ONLY!] (Anagram 001; Sweden) Norman Howard played with the legendary Albert Ayler [WITCHES AND DEVILS] but, so far as we are aware, only released a cassette recording on the Homeboy label called "Burn Baby Burn" as band leader. This recording, which was made in the cellar of the Anagram Records store in Stockholm on November 19th 2001, is presented by Mats Gustafsson and brings together Swedish, Norwegian, and American musicians in equal proportions, combining the talents of the free jazz groups 'The Thing' and 'Schooldays': Mats Gustafsson - alto and tenor sax; Ken Vandermark - clarinet, bass-clarinet, tenor and baritone sax; Jeb Bishop - trombone; Kjell Nordeson - vibraphone; Ingebrigt Haker Flaten - bass; Paal Nilssen-Love - drums
SWEDISH LIMITED EDITION VINYL [200 gram] RELEASE limited to 750 copies!!!
ltd. ed. LP forÊ $28


HILMAR JENSSON - ditty blei (Songlines 1547) Featuring Herb Robertson on trumpet, Andrew D'Angelo on alto sax & bass clarinet, Hilmar Jensson on guitars & compositions, Trevor Dunn on acoustic bass and Jim Black on drums.Ê This is Icelandic guitar hero Hilmar's second great release for Songlines and it features his swell all-star quintet, where each member is also a bandleader, busy collaborator and composer as well.Ê Hilmar expands his fine bass-less trio from last year into a quintet and expands his palette as well.Ê "Latta" has that fractured rock groove that Jim Black's cds often include. Both Andrew's bass clarinet & alto sax and Herb's trumpet take swell nervous twisted solos, as the bent guitar, bass and drums dance around them with tight abandon.Ê "larf" begins more freely, but soon gets back to a great rockin' groove with an infectious melody. Hilmar's great fractured guitar solo is orchestrated with Jim's equally fractured drumming - perfectly matched.Ê I dig the way the guitar, alto and trumpet swirl around one another on "mayla mayla", and connect on the chorus.Ê Hilmar takes a great solo made more from just sounds and not really notes, a most modern approach.Ê Hilmar plays some fine acoustic guitar on "correct me if I'm right" which a righteous laid back and sunny melody, some of the loveliest and most soulful playing we'll (ever?) hear from Andrew and Herb.Ê The unstoppable Herb Robertson squeezes out one of those grand, loopy yet explosive muted solos that he is a master of on "abbi".Ê "grinning" is another twisted rocker with some great shimmering guitar and joyous horns that just keep ringing in my head long after the song is over.Ê It feels great when the quintet finally explodes on "gobbles", with short sick solos from the frontline.Ê "everything is temporary" sound again one of those great slow motion rockers from the last Jim Black gem, with another great tortured guitar solo from Hilmar and sly, spirited horn harmonies.Ê Immensely tasty and quietly riveting. This is another Songlines hybrid/multi-channel SA-CD which will play on any cd player.
H-SACD for $17

MYLAB [WAYNE HORVITZ/TUCKER MARTINE]- Mylab (Terminus 0301) Mylab is a new duo featuring [formerly NY] "Downtown" keyboard ace Wayne Horvitz (The President, Naked City, Pigpen & Zony Mash, all no longer) and the incredible Seattle-based producer Tucker Martine on drums & treatments.Ê Tucker has worked with Wayne for many years, and is becoming an in-demand producer in recent years, he did an amazing job on that wonderful record from Jesse Sykes last year, a personal fave.Ê Guests include members of Zony and other Horvitz cohorts like Bill Frisell, Robin Holcomb, Eyvind Kang, Briggan Krauss, Skerik, Doug Weiselman, Danny Barnes and Bobby Previte.Ê Mylab is a rather funky groove band with layers of samples, selective drum machine beats and minimal if any soloing.Ê It is all about the mood and the groove.Ê Even Robin Holcomb's usually precious vocals are bathed in echoes, giving them a more sinister vibe.Ê It's interesting to hear some odd combinations like Wayne's organ and Danny's banjo on "Land Trust Picnic" or Frisell's bluesy guitar on "Varmint" with some eerie banjo and violin hovering above.Ê Tucker is a master of ambience and echo, always adding the right amount of mesmerizing haze to things and even inserting some subtle alien alterations at times.Ê Can't imagine who they are referring on "Phil and Jerry", but it has a delightful world-beat groove with righteous vocals by Aminata Diabate and erupts joyously in the middle.Ê Great music for late night grooving and slow dancing and swaying.
CD for $15

ARTHUR RUSSELL - The World of Arthur Russell (Soul Jazz 83; UK) The late composer/cellist/producer Arthur Russell holds a unique place in the history: the meeting of dance music and contemporary classical . This release focuses on the 'dance music'Ê work ofÊ classic tracks such as 'Go Bang', 'Is It All Over My Face', 'Wax The Van' etc alongside impossible-to-find collectors tracks such as 'In The Light Of The Miracle' and the private-pressing only 'Pop Your Funk'.Ê "In the early 1980's Russell brought the avante-garde to the dance floor with futuristic music that inspired people like Philip Glass, David Byrne, Francois Kervorkian and many more. He blurred the links between Disco, Classical, Jazz and Dub!" - FactÊ "One of the great songwriters of the twentieth century, Arthur Russell was the Sun Ra of Disco!" - Straight No Chaser.Ê Nothing more we can add - it's all true! - MannyLunch and DJ John Hall
CDÊ for $18Ê STOCK

BARRE PHILLIPS/JOELLE LEANDRE/WILLIAM PARKER/TETSU SAITOH - After You Gone (Victo 091) Live at the Victoriaville Festival on May 23rd of 2003.Ê These four outstanding contrabass giants got together to celebrate the life and spirit of another master contrabassist, Peter Kowald, who passed away the previous year.Ê Each of the four had worked with Peter mostly in a duo setting in the past and each has/had come from much different backgrounds, yet each had a bond that united them in their search for the universal creative spirit of world improvised music.Ê I witnessed this wonderful set live and listening to it at the store and at home is a beautiful thing since it so well recorded and it does capture that unique transcendent vibration.Ê All four of these contrabass virtuosos are able to evoke those mesmerizing earthy wood and string sounds that come from years at practice of setting those evocative ghost/spirit sounds free and taking us along with them for journey to altered spaces.Ê I dig those layers of bowed basses that weave and connect the threads of life for those who listen closely.Ê Buzzing, droning, plucking and banging on their strings or bass bodies with hands, bows or other wooden objects, even using their voices, something that Peter always did during his sets with his own Tuvan-like throat singing technique, makes this all the more human for all of us.Ê Another enchanting treasure from our good friends up in Victoriaville in Quebec, Canada.
CD for $15

XAVIER CHARLES/DIANE LaBROSSE/KRISTOFF K. ROLL/MARTIN TETREAULT - self/titled (Victo 090) This was one of the more extraordinary sets up at Victo last year, since it was as visually stimulating as it was sound-wise.Ê This brilliant quintet of electro-acoustic French and French-Canadian improvisers performed on an elevated circular stage in the middle of the largest of three performances spaces up at Victo with ten loudspeakers placed around the room, the audience surrounding the stage and able to walk freely around to view each player more closely.Ê For me, it was just as much fun to watch the wandering audience members as it was to see who was doing what on stage.Ê All five musicians played a variety of gadgets or instruments - just to give you an idea: Martin on dismembered turntables; Diane on sampler; Xavier on clarinet and small objects thrown into a loudspeaker diaphragm; K.K. Roll is actually a duo of Jean-Christophe on toys, sampler & mixing and Carole throwing, rubbing or breaking small objects like grain, paper cups and used cds.Ê There were many sounds that would've been nearly impossible to identify without watching what each player did.Ê It was like being in a laboratory, watching mad scientists create these new sound-forms.Ê At home, while listening to this, I first hear the radiator hissing in the next room.Ê Soon, electronic and acoustic sonic fractures begin bubbling, too dense in places for an Erstwhile endeavor, but just as savory.Ê I hear kids playing, is it outside my door in the hall or coming from the speakers in my kitchen?Ê Who cares?Ê There is an obvious attention to detail, microscopic sounds magnified for us to stare at or listen to carefully.Ê Crackling, whirring, distant dentist drill droning and unnerving us a bit.Ê Slowly the sonic environment starts to get more dense, organically evolving through different scenery. Although, things seem to move slowly at times, this remains an engrossing collection of connected sounds which change often enough to pull us along and submerge us in this delicious sonic soup.
CD for $15

FANTOMAS - Delirium Cordia/Surgical Sound Specimens from the Museum of Skin (Ipecac 4523) Perhaps I shouldn't have had dinner a short while ago, as I gaze upon the mostly black wraparound cover, tinted black cd jewel-case and rather gruesome pix of some person's innards during an operation maybe?Ê The third offering from the Fantomas continues to feature the voices of Mike Patton, Buzz Osborne/lead guitar (from The Melvins), Trevor Dunn/basses (Electric Masada?) and Dave Lombardo/heavy drum wiz (from that Zorn/Frith/Laswell band). Although I never cared for Faith No More (Patton's old band), I must admit to enjoying just about everything that Patton has done since - Mr. Bungle, Fantomas and the numerous improv things he's done with John Zorn like Hemophiliac.Ê I've caught Mr. Bungle (once) and the Fantomas (twice) and was knocked out by their diversity, humor, near progressive tightness & complexity and only occasional heaviness. Each Fantomas record seems to have a theme or underlying thread. Their last was sci-fi movie themes, but what about this new one?Ê 74 minutes, one track and commencing with the cracking static (of a record playing?), scary whispers and weazing, then a religious chorus singing in Latin?Ê With occasional heavy metal flourishes.Ê Like an eerie soundtrack as we move through a haunted house?maybe?Ê A short section for tribal drums is punctuated by some tight slashing guitar, then church bells toll and some mellower metal fragments.Ê This is a story unfolding, moving through different moods/sections.Ê There some long sections when not much happens, yet it remains engrossing as we evolve through chapters.Ê There are no songs to hold onto, so some longtime Patton fans might complain.Ê It takes 22 minutes before any true heaviness finally erupts, so rock-heads beware.Ê This is certainly the best soundtrack (for a movie that doesn't exist yet), that I've heard in a long while.Ê This probably works best here at home, rather than at some rock gig where one has to deal with young screaming knuckleheads.Ê Am I getting too old to stand at concerts for too long, I probably am but occasionally feel the need to rock out a bit.Ê A lot to think about as I too approach my 50th year.
CD for $15

DOM MINASI'S DDT + 2 - Time Will Tell (CDM Records 1003) This is avant/jazz guitar wonder Dom Minasi's third self-produced disc in a row and features his new quartet with Tomas Ulrich on cello, Ken Filiano on contrabass (from Dom's trio) and John Bollinger on drums with Dom's wife Carol singing nicely on the final cut, Monk's "Round Midnight."Ê Dom wrote all but two tunes here, with Wayne Shorter's "Witch Hunt" opening.Ê Tomas' cello takes the first long solo on the Shorter classic and turns the tune inside out, Dom also a hypnotic solo with a stream of notes flashing furiously yet quietly.Ê Dom's "DMP" has a fragile, melancholy theme with the quartet playing gently, with lovely solo from Tomas and Dom once again.Ê What's interesting is that although Dom tends to write songs with hummable melodies his and Tomas' solos continue to sail further and further out.Ê "My Soul Cries Out" has a dreamy, minimal and floating vibe, as each notes is stretched softly out gliding on the breeze with elegant solos from the guitar, cello and bass.Ê "Be Op Be Op Be Ah" has a dark, intense opening theme that inspires both the guitar, cello and bass to take some more angular, forceful and magical solos.Ê "Round Midnight" is also with restraint, Carol's vocal soft and soothing. Although, this does have a most laid back vibe, the solos reach deep and take off for the heavens.Ê Dom's great quartet will play a cd release set here on Sunday February 29th at 7pm, come on down and bathe in their wonderful sounds, songs and solos.
CD for $14

GONG - OK Friends/2001 Tour (GAS 017) Nearly 35 years ago, former Soft Machine guitarist Daevid Allen had a vision while doing psychedelics and chancing upon natives of Atlantis, the lost continent while living in Majorca.Ê The planet and band called Gong was soon born, a story and (pothead pixie) philosophy was created and evolved through a four part trilogy.Ê When the trilogy ended with 'You' in 1974, so did the band.Ê Our restless space and world traveler, would both re-unite the band and teach new versions of Gong bands the story, so that our cosmic journeys could continue on special occasions.Ê New York Gong, whose members also were a part of early Material, first played here in November of 1978 and toured a bit with changing personnel.Ê After a decade of solo projects and collaborations, Daevid put together a Gong reunion for their 25th anniversary in the mid-nineties and toured the US four times since then with a revolving cast of characters, some original and some new members.Ê This compilation is from live recordings from Gong's 2001 European tour in which they played nearly sixty gigs in less than three months, pretty amazing considering both front people Daevid and Gilli Smyth are well into their sixties!?!Ê The band consisted of Daevid on guitar & vocal, Gilli - space whisper/vocal, Didier Malherbe & Theo Travis on saxes, Graham Clark on violin, Gwyo De Pix on keyboards, Mike Howlett on bass and Chris Taylor on drums. Instead of getting re-workings of those old songs from the trilogy once more, we find a nice collection of excerpts with hypnotic grooves and spacey solos.Ê This version of Gong is both well seasoned and tight and plays with passion and grace.Ê Although there is no other guitarist to lean on, Daevid still great playing his distinctive glissando and bent-rock guitar.Ê Didier plays some mystical double reed called a doudouk and both Gilli and Daevid sing in their exotic tongues to titillate us even further.Ê A truly impressive souvenir from the last truly great space/rock/prog band that refuses to die.
CD for $16

THE LOREN STILLMAN QUARTET - Gin Bon (Fresh Sound NT 163) Featuring Loren on alto sax, Russ Lossing on piano, Scott Lee on bass, Jeff Hirschfield on drums and special guest John Abercrombie on guitar. This is one of those jazz dates where I know of everyone in the group but the leader.Ê Loren Stillman had a trio cd out last year called the Jackalopes with John Abercrombie on guitar, I recall that they played at CB's Lounge a couple of times.Ê I know Russ Lossing from his cd on Omnitone, Scott Lee from work he did with Joe Lovano and Hirschfield from a couple of different situations.Ê Starting with "Psalm No. 3", we begin with a solemn, dreamy ballad-like piece with exquisite laid back alto sax, piano and mallets.Ê "Son of Snake" is a sly piece that weaves long snake-like piano lines around the intricate, haunting sax that sails more quickly as it progresses. Abercrombie's distinctive simmering guitar tone and playing is featured on "The "I" Specialist", which is like an intro for the title tune.Ê Loren's breathtaking Paul Desmond-like tone and smooth sailing sax stands out on "Gin Bon", setting the pace for an equally hypnotic piano solo.Ê In the middle of this long piece, the quartet plus Abercrombie leap into high-gear and take-off with quicker and more complex charts to deal with, effortlessly executed with finesse. On the second half of this release, there a couple of exciting and difficult pieces which push the quartet through some serious changes. The three "Psalm" tracks are well placed, restrained and lovely.Ê The writing and playing on the rest of this is consistently strong and very well done.Ê Most impressive on all counts.
CD release for $14

RON HORTON - Subtextures (Fresh Sound NT 175) Featuring Ron on trumpet & flugelhorn, Frank Kimbrough on piano, Ben Allison on bass and Matt Wilson on drums.Ê Although local trumpet hero, Ron Horton, has lived in NY for the past twenty years, we've been noticing his name more and more in recent years.Ê Ron is a member of the Jazz Composers Collective, the Herbie Nichols Projects and both of Andrew Hill's current bands, his debut release on Omnitone, 'Genius Envy' was reviewed by your truly and was a real gem.Ê All members of Ron's quartet are also affiliated with the Jazz Composers Collective, as well as being leaders and composers on their own.Ê Andrew Hill's "Cantarnos" is a strong opening piece with a difficult opening theme that shows off Ron's amazing playing, navigating some strong currents as they move in waves around him with Frank's Monkian piano providing those strong waves.Ê "Malaby", no doubt named after Tony Malaby, local tenor sax great, starts with another difficult theme, but soon breaks down to just rhythm bass and drums deconstructing it, as Ron plays some fine wah-wah muted trumpet, before Frank takes a great impressionistic solo and then that crazed opening theme burst forth once more.Ê Ron's charming flugelhorn tone is featured on "Ruminations", an exquisitely dreamy piece, with Frank's equally enchanting piano playing.Ê The title piece, "Subtextures" is aptly titled as it has a few different lines moving at the same time, the rhythmic scheme keeping swirling as Ron and Frank both take superb majestic solos, the bass and drums also demonstrating their wondrous skills.Ê It should come as a surprise to find Ron's quartet covering Messiaen's "O Sacrum Convivium", but they do breath some life into this precious work, with more sublime flugelhorn floating.Ê Frank's "Rumors" has Ron stretching out his notes graciously as the rhythm team swings playfully around him, Ron's gentle fire sailing superbly on the wind.Ê "Mutability" has one of those rambunctious constantly shifting themes, that keeps the quartet on their toes throughout. Bravo!Ê An endlessly inventive and wonderful disc from the great Ron Horton & co.
CD release for $14

PSI - black american flag (Evolving Ear no number) Local trio PSI features Jaime Fennelly on electronics, Chris Forsythe on guitar and Fritz Welch on drums & percussion.Ê Jaime used to play acoustic bass and had a fine duo with Andrew D'Angelo that once played at the old DMG.Ê Chris seems to keep busy playing in many different situations, a duo and quintet with Ernesto Diaz-Infante, WOO Revelator and a great duo with guitarist Mary Halverson that played here last Sunday. The second or third self-produced cd by PSI is another strong, focused effort live effort recorded at WKCR and at the I/O Festival in Brooklyn from last year.Ê Eerie, well sculpted electronics, feedback and minimal guitar noise and occasional percussion are always blended nicely in the focused mix.Ê Chris rarely plays any normal el. guitar sounds, more selective scrapes and twisted note fragments.Ê At times I am reminded of AMM, when things quiet down a bit, but then they rise to more noisy eruptions from time to time. Perhaps we will get PSI to play here at DMG in the not too distant future, in the meantime you can check out their new offering.
Slim-case CD release for $10

ERNESTO DIAZ-INFANTE & CHRIS FORSYTH - [as is stated?before known] (Evolving Ear 07) This east coast/west coast guitar duo has been playing together for the past few years in duo and larger group situations.Ê Although Ernesto has a number of solo piano efforts out, here he is playing only acoustic guitar, while Chris plays electric guitar.Ê Considering that this is a guitar duo, it is often difficult to tell.Ê The bowing of strings and feedback noises open the proceedings, before some quiet, acoustic strumming floats in. Ernesto's acoustic guitar has a folky, drony qualityÊ while Chris adds bits of el. guitar noise punctuation from time to time.Ê Sounds like Ernesto is both tapping on the strings and even sticking thing between them, giving things a gentle, yet alien quality.Ê Much of this is quite minimal, with a great deal of space in between the notes.Ê There are also moments of dark and suspenseful pauses, as some of them low notes hang in the air for a while.Ê As with most minimal music, patience is required, but is rewarded if you can take the time.
Slim-case CD release for $10

SHALABI EFFECT - Pink Abyss (Alien 8 - 42) Shalabi Effect refer their latest effort, Pink Abyss, as their 'pop record' -- an apt description in comparison to their two previous releases. While Pink Abyss retains elements of those efforts, there is decidedly more emphasis placed on melody on this release, with more use of vocals and more prominence given to the guitar. Without a doubt, it is Shalabi Effect's most rocking effort thus far, featuring impeccable musicianship and a brilliant and powerful recording quality that will blow away the band's loyal following. Some highlights on Pink Abyss include 'Bright Guilty World' (track 2), which features beautifully seductive vocal work of Elizabeth Anka Vajagic who will be releasing a long-awaited solo record on Constellation early next year.Ê This piece moves along gently at a slow patter, with an unusual combination of cracked electronics, guitar and jazz-styled percussion giving it a very cinematic feel. The somber chanting on 'I Believe in Love' (track 5) lends a deep eeriness to the piece, also bearing a certain resemblance to the outsider folk that is booming in the United States of late. Another absolute gem is the Ÿber-poppy 'Blue Sunshine' (track 4), featuring a beautiful guest appearance from Charles Spearin of Broken Social Scene and Do Make Say Think on trumpet. This track recalls the over-the-top sensibility that seems to have informed many seventies TV show theme songs or the hits of Burt Bacharach.Ê The closing piece, 'The Kinder Surprise,' has a very gentle, ambient feel and could blend in on a release from the Boards of Canada or Mogwai.
CD release for $14

FARIDA & THE IRAQI MAQAM ENSEMBLE - Beautiful Music from Baghdad (Long Distance 470103) The art of Iraqi maqam reached its ultimate refinement during the golden age of the Abbasid dynasty in Baghdad, a key city on the borders of the Arab, Turkish arid Persian worlds. Used by classical and popular musicians, it was not only favored by the local aristocracy in their music rooms but also used at religious celebrations and Sufi ceremonies.Ê Unusually, it is sung here by a woman, Farida, accompanied by the Iraqi Maqam Ensemble - playing santur, a hammer dulcimer, and the four-stringed djoza, the ensemble's virtuosity and musicality add an indefinable waft of the Orient to the singers warm voice.
CD release for $17


TWO FASCINATING DVDs...

INTERFACE - Recording Field [DVD] (Deep Listening 027) Featuring Pauline Oliveros on accordion and Expanded Instrument System (EIS), Curtis Bahn on sensor bass, Tomie Hahn on interactive dance system & shakuhachi and Dan Trueman on sensor violin and bowed sensor/speaker array.Ê Recording Field, H features several firsts: the first recording bringing together Pauline Oliveros and interface; the first video documentation of interface and their unusual instruments; the first video documentation of the sonic character pieces Streams and Pikapika; the first duo connecting shakuhachi and the bowed-sensor-speaker-array; finally, the first DVD released by Deep Listening Publications.Ê The odd-numbered tracks are electronic improvisations, created spontaneously with custom-made instruments. The even-numbered tracks feature Tomie Hahn as two radically contrasting sonic characters; in 'Streams' each gesture of the dreamlike apparition recalls bodies of water, technology, a flow of information, transmission, and liquid states; as Pikapika, Tomie embodies a spunky character influenced by anime, Japanese dance, and bunraku.Ê Region-free NTSC format, length: 66:55.
DVD only release for $18

BILL MORRISON - Decasia: The State of Decay [DVD] (Plexifilm 012) Bill Morrison's "Decasia: The State of Decay is moving avant-garde visual symphony, which sets decaying archival film footage to an original symphonic score by Bang On A Can co-founder Michael Gordon. Created by award-winning avant-garde director Bill Morrison, Decasia was edited entirely from found film footage left in archives that had decayed over time.Ê The severe emulsion deterioration reveals the film stock in its basic chemical form and the images are stripped to their most primitive emotional state.Ê The film was shaped to Michael Gordon's moving symphony performed by the 55-piece basel sinfonietta. The soundtrack is decaying itself: Gordon took the orchestra to musical extremes by detuning the instruments and using prepared pianos to further emphasize the powerful hallucinatory visual experience. Decasia finds its inspiration in such sources as Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisquatsi (1982), Peter Delpeut's Lyrical Nitrate (1991) as well as the work of experimental filmmakers Peggy Ahwesh and Bradley Eros.Ê Specs: NTSC all regions, 67 minutes, b & w, 35mm, 93 min.
DVD release for $20


FROM TUM:

JUHANI AALTONEN TRIO w/ The AVANTI CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - Strings Revisited (TUM Records 003) Featuring Finnish jazz legend Juhani Aaltonen on tenor sax, Reggie Workman on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums, with all compositions, arranging and conducting by Henrik Otto Donner.Ê Juhani and Henrik have been working together since the mid-sixties, collaborating a variety of bands/projects ever since. Juhani, who turns 70 next year, has a strong, warm and enchanting tone on his tenor.Ê Beginning with "Evolution Vamp" Henrik's serious strings surround Juhani's radiant sax thoughtfully, at times creating eerie waves around the skeletal trio sketches.Ê The music has a solemn, melancholy quality with Juhani often playing with restrained fire and the rhythm team also relaxed, exquisitely paced and tastefully played.Ê The strings create dark undercurrents on "Trains & Boats & Planes" (not a Bacharach cover), as the trio wanders like ghosts through the lonely landscape, the trio and chamber group getting more agitated as they erupt to an intense conclusion.Ê The chamber group here are perfectly matched with the trio's suspenseful drifting and darkly enchanting musings.Ê Extremely moody music for late night cognac sipping.
Finnish CD for $16

ANOTHER 2 SUPERB DISCS from the GREAT FINNISH TUMÊ LABEL JUST RESTOCKED:

JUHANI AALTONEN TRIO - Mother Tongue (TUM Records 002) Featuring Juhani on tenor sax & flute, Ulf Krokfors on contrabass and Tom Nekljudow on drums.Ê According to our pal, Raoul Bjorkenheim (Scandinavian guitar hero, now a local), Juhani Aaltonen is alegendary Finnish saxist who once worked with ECM all-star drummer Edward Vesala.Ê Juhani's long career stretches back over forty years and he is the favored soloist of many Finnish jazz composers.Ê Both rhythm team members are also seasoned veterans of many projects and both have worked with Vesala and Bjorkenheim as well.Ê Opening with the exquisite "Lullaby" in which Juhani's tone is as velvety and luscious as I've heard, all three players calmly floating on air, drifting elegantly.Ê This was recorded live and has superb, sublime sound.Ê Juhani has a rich, dark and haunting tone, with some of those mesmerizing Trane-like note-bending cascades, but rarely does any extended screaming.Ê In a blindfold test, even Stanley Grouch would be hard pressed to tell that Juhani is a European musician.Ê Both Ulf and Tom also play their bass and drums with strong conviction and resourceful spirits.Ê All three play with a calm, yet powerful sense of restraint which breathes with a nice spaciousness and slowly builds to a grand storm-force.Ê Juhani plays some haunting and radiant flute on "Reflections" with Ulf's superb double bass humming sublimely underneath and taking a passionate, lovely solo.Ê The trio do a fine job of covering the sixties standard, "Nature Boy", certain to touch the hearts of all who listen.Ê In some ways, this reminds me of the time when Jan Garbarek's (early) ECM records were consistently great, certainly not like today.Ê This even has some of that wonderful ECM depth of sound.
Finnish import CD release for $16

SUHKAN UHKA - Suhka (TUM 001) All three members of Juhani Aaltonen's trio met in this engaging twelve piece Finnish ensemble called Suhkan Uhka.Ê Directed by arco bassist Antii Hytti and featuring three reed players, two horns, two keyboards, two bassists, a guitarist and a vocalist.Ê Formed in June of 2000, this is their debut release for the new TUM label.Ê "Kukunor" was composed for a film of the same name and is a thoroughly haunting work with tasty el. guitar swirls from Pekka Nylund and dreamy flute and delightful muted horns.Ê "The Great River" features a lilting melody and some lovely tenor sax from Jone Takamaki, sublime trumpet from Verneri Pohjola and majestic piano from Seppo Kantonen.Ê Juhani's gorgeous, melancholy flute is featured on the tragic tune "Solveig's Song".Ê "Passage" sounds like a theme for a bullfight in Italy, while "Sunset" features Juhani's laid back and warm toned tenor sax playing this ever-so-sad theme. "Catch-Up" is somewhat freer and more adventurous with some great spiraling soprano sax and piano spinning together and ascending into the skies.Ê The title track is a tribute to Edward Vesala and is an eerie landscape filled with many floating spirits - flutes, dreamy horns, floating percussion, piano sprinkles, guitar swirls, distant howling saxes, ghostly voices, prepare us to travel to another world of wonders.
Finnish import CD release for $16


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REISSUES, RESTOCKS and HISTORIC RECORDINGS of NOTE for 2/6/04:

RAOUL BJORKENHEIM/KRAKATAU - Ritual (Cuneiform) This is a reissue of the Finnish lp-only first release by this great rock/avant/fusion guitarist and his band and it includes two bonus tracks.Ê The record features a unique blend of heavy guitar work combined with dual, wailing Coleman and Ayler-influenced saxes and a rhythm section of bass/electric bass and two drummers.ÊÊ The music is quite original, but has certain musical ties to the harmolodic school ala The Decoding Society and Prime Time.Ê ECM released their 3rd and 4th albums and since that time Raoul has performed with a number of great players in a number of different playing situations.Ê His current band, The Scorch Trio, have been blowing minds in Europe over the past few years as have his current NY duo with Lukas Ligeti.Ê But this is where it all began, and it began in a great way here! "...one of the best albums heard in a few months."-Musician.Ê Available soon!
CD reissue release for $13

HERB ROBERTSON - Certified (W&W/JMT 919 048) Featuring Herb on trumpets, valve trombone, cornet & wacky vocals, Mack Goldsbury on tenor & soprano saxes, Dave Taylor on bass trombone, Ed Schuller on bass and Phil Haynes on drums.Ê Another outstanding early effort from that crazed trumpet hero - Herb Robertson.Ê Nearly 74 minutes long and all great stuff!
CD reissue release for $15

MARC DUCRET - News from the Front (W&W/JMT 919 046) This was French guitar great Marc Ducret's debut disc for JMT, before he joined Tim Berne's Bloodcount.Ê Featuring Ducret on 6 & 12 & fretless guitars, Herb Robertson on trumpets, Yves Robert on trombone and Francois Verly on percussion & drum sampler.Ê Another early gem from one of favorite guitarists.
CD reissue release for $15

DMZ - DMZ (Sepia-Tone 12; USA) In 1975 five Bostonians with a shared obsession for '60s rock'n'roll and the Detroit sounds of The Stooges and the MC5 deemed the current musical landscape so bleak that they had to form their own band, with the sole objective of 'fusing the sound of the Chocolate Watchband and The Stooges,' according to their outspoken frontman, and notoriously obsessive record collector Jeff 'Mono Man' Conolly. DMZ developed a strong local following in Boston and, in New York, became fast friends with The Ramones (with whom they would eventually share many bills). The band released an EP on Bomp! in early '77 and soon caught the eye of Sire Records, who snapped them up for the label's growing roster of 'new wave' bands (which included the Ramones, Dead Boys, Richard Hell, The Saints, and Radio Birdman, to name a few). Flo & Eddie were chosen to produce the group's debut full length; the two former members of The Turtles turned out to be an appropriate production team for DMZ's smoldering batch of originals along side very well chosen covers by The Sonics, The Wailers and The Troggs. The album's release was greeted with a deafening silence when it came out in 1978. Their long-haired appearance in the current 'new wave' climate and the lack of a single live show outside of the East Coast did not help. They split up shortly thereafter, and Mono Man started The Lyres, who relied even more heavily on a retro '60s sound than DMZ!
Re-issued on CD for $13

CHROMATIC PERSUADERS [MARK FELDMAN/NEAL KIRKWOOD/LINDSEY HORNER/TOM RAINEY] - Chromatic Persuaders (Konnex 5063; Germany)Ê Superb quartet, with the legendary violinist Feldman, whose compositions are mainly supplied by Kirkwood, though there is also a cover of Scott Lafaro's "Gloria's Step"
CDÊ for $18


AND, AN IMPORTANT RARITY WE FOUND!...:

ELLIOTT SHARP - Sferics (Atonal 3022; Germany)Ê "Dedicated to Sonny Sharrock, late lamented pioneer of new guitar techniques, "Sferics" presents Elliott Sharp (E#) on solo fretless guitar, spring bow, and e-bow. From the drone-like timbral explorations of "Source Taproot" and "Clarify" to the high-speed minimalism of "Teak," this is impressive - but not at all "easy" listening"-Dan Warburton. Elliott is proud of this recording - it's a shame that it's out of print. We just have a handful..
OOP CD FORÊ $20


*******


THREE HOT VOICEPRINT TITLES RESTOCKED!...:

HARRY BECKETT QUINTET - Flare Up (Jazzprint 124; UK) Line-up: Harry Beckett - trumpet, flugelhorn, John Surman - baritone and soprano saxes, Mike Osborne - alto sax, Alan Skidmore - tenor and soprano saxes, Frank Ricotti - vibes and conga, John Taylor - piano, Chris Lawrence - bass guitar and John Webb - drums.Ê FIRST TIME BEING REISSUED ON ANY FORMAT SINCE 1970!!!Ê Featuring Brotherhood of Breath trumpet and flugelhorn hero Harry Beckett, John Surman on bari & soprano saxes, Mike Osborne on alto sax, Alan Skidmore on tenor sax, John Taylor on el. piano, Chris Lawrence on bass, Frank Ricotti on vibes and John Webb on drums! Barbados born trumpet hero Beckett's first album as a leader, 'Flare Up' was released in 1970 and remains one of unrecognized classics of British modern jazz.ÊÊÊÊ It starts burning right from the first tune, "Go West" and swings at a super quick pace. Frank Ricotti pulls off an incredible vibes solos on "The Other Side", as does Mike Osborne on alto sax. This is quite an extraordinary treasure from an under-recognized wonder who went on to record just a handful of discs under his own name and still plays release great material today.
CD for $16

POLYSOFT With HUGH HOPPER & ELTON DEAN - Tribute To Soft Machine: Live at Le Triton 2002 (Le Triton 3506; EEC) Hugh gave us a copy of this in August and we've been waiting with baited [sic] breath to get this in from France! The basic quartet [Collectif Polysons] of Francois Merville drums, Serge Adams trumpet and flugelhorn, Jean-Remy Guedon on tenor sax and flute, and Pierre-Olivier Govin on baritone sax and saxello (!) is joined by Hugh on his trademark fuzz bass, Elton on alto and saxello, and Emmanuel Bex on Hammond organ! This recreates in effect the short lived horn heavy septet of the time of Soft Machine Third, but this is not a pale imitation - it's a fire-breathing dragon! Forget the bad-taste-in-your-mouth of scores of relive the past [badly] tribute albums - these are fresh and cookin' full-length versions of such classics as Facelift, As If, Slightly All The Time, Backwards, Chloe And The Pirates, Kings And Queens, Dedicated To You But....Ê Highly Recommended!
CDÊ for $16

ELTON DEAN/ALAN SKIDMORE QUARTET - El Skid (Voiceprint) While they last, a reduced price on this very deserving reissue of this semi-obscure, 'free-blowing free-bop with heads' quartet, co-led by Elton Dean & Alan Skidmore, alto & tenor saxes, respectively with Chris Laurence on double bass and the Softs' John Marshall on drums. Originally released in 1977, jazz/free jazz fans will have their socks knocked off by this!Ê I was fortunate to catch them at the 100 Club in London in December of 1975 with Lol Coxhill/Gerry Fitzgerald and Evan Parker/Paul Lytton opening, it was a night I will never forget!
SPECIAL LIMITED TIME LOWERED PRICE
CD FOR $14


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14 MORE HAT-OLOGY-NOW-NOIR TITLES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO OURÊ '7 for the price of 6' SALE!
[to see all 81 Hat -ology/now/noir titles on the '7 for 6' list, and all the older Out-of-Print Hat Art titles that we are selling remaining stocks of for the incredible price of $12 (used to be $20) go to:
HAT [ Ology/Now/Art ] Label SALE


ANTHONY BRAXTON With GEORGE LEWIS/DAVE HOLLAND/BARRY ALTSCHUL - Quartet (Dortmund) 1976 (Hat ology 557; Switzerland)Ê "It was at the first Dortmund Jazz Festival in Germany on October 31, 1976 that this group hit a magic peak." ... The Braxton / Lewis / Holland / Altschul line-up lasted for barely six months. They played their first concert together in Boston in May 1976 and their last in Berlin on November 4. ... For me, the special attraction of the Dortmund concert is its air of celebration. There's a palpable sense of fun to this music, attributable in part (I suspect) to the presence of George Lewis, who had just replaced trumpeter Kenny Wheeler in the quartet. The empathy between the two Chicagoans fairly fizzes from the speakers: Lewis romps through these tunes with a snorting, rumbustious glee that elicits a brilliantly bravura and playful response from Braxton. Graham Lock
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

CORNELIUS CARDEW - Treatise [2 CD set] (Hat [now] 122; Switzerland) Music with a spine. A score with backbone. Vertebrae: a composite line around which the body's extremities congregate. Spinal column: the concrete concept on which the slipped (compact?) disc is founded. Or, if not absolutely ossified into the bony hardness of subphylum Vertebrata's prime organizing architecture, perhaps Cardew's Treatise is equipped with the mutable structuring agent of the phylum Chordata: the notochord. What is Treatise? Well, it's a noto chord ... John Corbett
CDÊ $18.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

LOREN MAZZACANE CONNORS & JIM O'ROURKE - In Bern (Hat Noir 803; Switzerland)Ê In fact, the art of O'Rourke and MazzaCane Connors lies in letting one feel the immobility within movement, and in instilling movement right at the heart of immobility. ... This music, figurative and non-figurative, almost oriental in its sparseness yet eternally rooted in the American landscape, invites the following thoughtÕ€”if John Cage had ever composed any country music, it would certainly have been very similar ... Thierry Jousse
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

DAVE DOUGLAS' TINY BELL TRIO With BRAD SCHOEPPACH/JIM BLACK - Constellations (Hat ology 542; Switzerland)Ê Constellations is a new set of songs written and arranged for the trio. It was recorded in mid tour, and so has a different, perhaps more live, character ... Many thanks go to Brad and Jim for their dedication and commitment to the music. They are two of the finest listeners around, and in our three years as a trio, we've developed split-second reaction times and true fluidity between roles of soloist and accompanist. The main thing is that we've integrated our own sound into the many materials presented.Ê Dave Douglas
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

ELLERY ESKELIN/ANDREA PARKINS/JIM BLACK - The Secret Museum (Hat ology 552; Switzerland)Ê The Secret Museum refers to both the individual and collective experiences that all of us carry around in our daily lives. We are each a secret museum of experiences and remembrances of events gone by, places that have since changed, people that are no longer with us. Music can be an excellent medium by which to express these lost times and places and bring us to new places as well. It's been very rewarding to present the strange and sometimes conflicting elements of my musical psyche to listeners around the world, opening the door to my own secret museum of the past, present and future -Ê Ellery Eskelin
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

MORTON FELDMAN/RADIO SINFONIE ORCHESTER FRANKFURT - Atlantis (Hat [now] 116; Switzerland)Ê As we relate to music in an on-going condition of becoming, and not (like painting) a state of being, we're able to experience these works much as Morton Feldman did, as they happen, with an equal sense of wonder and delight.Ê Art Lange
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

RICHARD GROSSMAN TRIO With KEN FILIANO/ALEX CLINE - Even Your Ears (Hat ology 515; Switzerland)Ê Richard Grossman, who passed away in 1992, was a pianist who believed in the primacy of the immediate, the spontaneous. He saw creating music as "an existential situation," felt the urgency of improvising without preconceived conditions as a challenge "to make something, some kind of art, out of it."Ê Art Lange
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

STEVE LACY THREE With DENNIS CHARLES/RONNIE BOYKINS - N.Y. Capers & Quirks (Hat ology 532; Switzerland)Ê We could consider this reissue of a 1979 Steve Lacy Trio concert recording along any of several (conceptual or contextual) lines, from analytical to historicalÕ€”for example, by simply pointing out that this concert was a reunion between Lacy and drummer Dennis Charles (they worked together in Cecil Taylor's quartet circa 1956Õ€”57 and recorded as members of Gil Evans' orchestra in 1959. Charles was the drummer in the legendary early '60s Lacy/Rudd band that concentrated solely on Monk tunes, heard on School Days, hatology 578 ... Art Lange
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

MAT MANERI TRIO With MATTHEW SHIPP/RANDY PETERSON - So What? (Hat ology 529; Switzerland)Ê This latest example of Mat Maneri's music, like its superb predecessor Acceptance, gives cause to celebrate the young violinist as one of today's most commanding improvisers regardless of instrument or musical genre. The program here, a blend of originals and Miles Davis compositions performed by a trio of uncommon shape and talents, conveys the lucidity and spontaneity that are coming to define Maneri's music. What emerges is both skillfully organized and intruigingly provocative.Ê Bob Blumenthal
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

POLWECHSEL [WERNER DAFELDEDECKER/JOHN BUTCHER/MICHAEL MOSER/BURKHARD STANGL] - Polwechsel 2 (Hat [now] 119; Switzerland)Ê ... a shot / of loud yellow ringed with red / just a shape in empty space echoes / edges neither real no time opaque / as sin every pause a place electronic / hum heard as blur of blue-grey eyes / evaporates a dream soft as long / dry as hard smooth as friction solid / as mist recognize how sound becomes / everything only momentarily ...Ê Art Lange
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

MATTHEW SHIPP STRING TRIO With MAT MANERI/WILLIAM PARKER - Expansion, Power, Release (Hat ology 558; Switzerland)Ê Matthew Shipp's roots are firmly planted in a jazz aesthetic, but like other musical geniuses of decades past, his driving vision never stands still, propelling him to break open new frontiers. If the pianist's compositions or performances do not fit established categories, or appear tinged with ragged complexities, they merely reflect his personality, which combines an abstract intellectualism with a healthy, engaging view of life. Shipp knows there are incorporeal qualities that infuse his being, and his music expresses his grasp of truths and complexities not often realized. That the striking performance found on this disk captures this essence is a noteworthy achievement.Ê Steven Loewy
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

TAKU SUGIMOTO - Opposite (Hat Noir 802; Switzerland)Ê Almost all the music on Opposite sounds like an attempt to reproduce on CD the kind of preternatural calm which descends on visitors to the Zen temples and public gardens which are hidden away down the back streets and side alleys of Japan's teeming urban centres. ... Sugimoto is an improvisor with an acute sense of timing and note placement, and the performances are suspended in a riveting tensionÕ€”but the overarching mood is one of intoxicating tranquillity.Ê Tony Herrington
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

JAMES TENNEY/MARK SABAT/STEPHEN CLARKE - Music For Violin And Piano (Hat [now] 120; Switzerland)Ê Shape, balance, reference, distance, equilibrium, symmetry, contrast, form. These are the particulars of a creative approach that reconstructs its own relationship to the traditional values of classicism, one which brings a mathematical conscience to free will, explores the transformation from conception to perception, and celebrates the dialectical tension that results. This is James Tenney's music. Art Lange
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.

PER HENRIK WALLIN & SVEN-AKE JOHANSSON// & PETER JANSON/LEIF WENNERSTROM - Proklamation I/Farewell to Sweden [2 CD set] (Hat ology 563; Switzerland)Ê (Duo with Sven-ö…ke Johansson & Bonus CD Trio Live at Bimhuis Amsterdam)ÊÊÊ You wonder why no dictionaries mention Wallin, Per Henrik, one of the great jazz pianists of our time and one of SwedenÕ€™s most renowned improvisors. After hearing these recordings, I'm confident you will agree that Mr. Wallin, Per Henrik, deserves a major entry in any jazz dictionary.Õ€” Peter Niklas Wilson This release includes an additional bonus CD. The price is for one CD only!
CDÊ $12.00ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ 7 for 6 SALE.


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OMIGOSH! A PACKAGE ACTUALLY ARRIVED FROM OUT OF THE BLUE OF TREVOR TAYLOR'SÊ 'FMR' LABEL [and sister imprint SOUNDWORLD BOOKS] WITH PLENTY OF NEW GOODIESÊ ..AND RESTOCKS OF SOME OLDER TITLES, THAT MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN CLAMORING ABOUT FOR MONTHS!

First, the NEW ONES that we've never mentioned before as we've only had 1 or 2 copies previously, if that!


**AMALGAM [TREVOR WATTS et al] - Samanna (FMR 125; UK) Trevor Watts (alto sax and percussion), Dave Cole (guitar), Colin McKenzie (bass guitar), Pete Cowling (bass guitar), Liam Genockey (drums) Continuing FMRs collaboration with Trevor Watts, releasing, for the first time on CD, the British saxophonist, back catalogue.Ê Intense studio date from January of 1977 with el. guitar and two electric bassists! Somewhat (Ornette's) Primetime-like swirling, interlocking parts, and complex rhythmics as the sax, guitar and basses solo together at length.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

PETER BROTZMANN/PEETER UUSKYLA/PETER FRIIS NIELSENÊ - Flying Feathers (FMR 91; UK) Peter Brotzmann, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, tarogato; Peeter Uuskyla, drums; Peter Friis Nielsen, electric bass. Recorded Autumn 2001 at Bohus Sound Recording, Kungalv, Sweden. Peter's Brotzmann, Uusklya, Fris Nieklsen are Flying Feathers, and they do in this fabulous new studio recording! If your a fan of Brotzmanns 'no prisoner' approach you will love this record! A tour de force that nevertheless succeeds because of the empathy between the players who have worked together over many years. Peter Brotzmann is a colossus amongst saxophonists with an unmistakeable sound and style and we unashamedly recommend this new CD as a magnificent example of where this direction of 'Free Jazz' has reached, warm, passionate and moving!
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

ROGER DEAN'S LYSIS LIVES - Resounding In The Mirror [2 CD set] (FMR 73; UK) A 2CD set of 3 session recordings by Roger Dean's Lysis: Lives, AustraLysis Electroband "Resounding" and the unreleased LYSIS Plus with Kenny Wheeler for some 46 minutes.Ê The personnel include Roger Dean on pianos & computer, Kenny Wheeler & John Wallace on trumpets, Sandy Evans on saxes, Greg White on computer, Chris Laurence on bass and Ashley Brown on percussion.Ê These '70s recordings fall into a category somewhere between ambient, modern classical and minimalist jazz and I can't recommend them highly enough! - Mannylunch
2 CD set forÊ $25.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

FRODE GJERSTAD/PETER BROTZMANN - Soria Boria (FMR 126; UK) Frode Gjerstad (saxophones), Peter Brotzmann (saxophones).Ê Another wonderful duo recording from saxophonist Gjerstad, this time with legendary German saxophonist Peter Brotzmann.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

FRODE GJERSTAD TRIOÊ - St. Louis (FMR 122; UK) Featuring Frode Gjerstad (alto sax), Flyvind Storesund (bass) and Scorch Trio's Paul Nilssen-Love (drums).ÊÊ Recorded in St. Louis, this is the first recording for FMR that features Gjerstad in a non duo setting.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

INTUITIVE ART ENSEMBLE - Now (FMR 121; UK) Featuring Paul Dunmall (saxophones and invented instruments), Phillip Gibbs (guitar), Andrew Ball (piano), Neil Metcalfe (flute), Hilary Jeffreys (trombone), Trevor Taylor (percussion, sound sculptures).ÊÊÊÊ 1st release from a new and fantastic collection of the UK's most profilic improvisors mines a delicate and sparse melodic improvisation.Ê Truly 'intuitive' playing!Ê Same personnel as Dunmall's recent 'Newsagents' cd on Duns with Trevor Taylor added on subtle percussion and sound sculptures.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

HILLARY JEFFERY - Solotrombone & Electronics (FMR 129; UK)Ê Solo outing for one of Europe's leading trombonists, a member of numerous world class ensembles of both improvised and conventional music (including the 'Now' the new release by the incredible Intuitive Art Ensemble' available now on FMR), whom many on this North American continent are seemingly unaware of.Â? The CD rightly demonstrates Jeffreys superb improvising technique and wonderful electronic sound composition using techniques he worked on at Ircam France's prestigious centre for electro-acoustic music, many of which involve live manipulation of his sounds through highly sophisticated computer alogrythms. This is a recording to make you sit up and take notice! Trombone, elctronic effects, and ongoing trombone treatments interlock into a sonic tapestry unlike any other you've experienced.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

EVAN PARKER/PHILIPP WACHSMANN/HUGH DAVIES/EDDIE PREVOST - Parker/Wachsmann/Davies/Prevost (FMR 123: UK) What do you get when you combine Music Improv Company's electronicist Davies, AMM's percussionist Prevost, stellar soprano sax improvisor Parker, and and violinist/electronicist Wachsmann? A delicate, thoughtful and elegant foray into delicate minimalist improvisation.Ê Each member of the quartet gets a long solo track and the quartet also performs a spectacular 21 minute group improv.Ê An on-track follow-up to last years amazing [and yet somewhat ignored] Evan Parker 'The Needles' album on the Leo Label.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

HOWARD RILEY/MARIO CASTRONARI/TONY MARSH - Wishing on the moon (FMR 14; UK)Ê Howard Riley, piano; Mario Castronari, bass; Tony Marsh, drums.ÊÊÊÊ Recorded at The Premises, London on 24 May 1993.Ê Another brilliant trio effort from UK piano giant Howard Riley with Paul Dunmall cohort Tony Marsh on drums.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

VANISHING PICTURES [DIRK WACHTELAER/PAUL LYTTON/JIM DENLEY/STEVE WISHART/PIET VERBIST et al] - Lit As From Within (FMR 113; UK) Following on from Vanishing Pictures' self titled debut group CD, Dirk Wachtelaer's improvised electronic infected percussion ensemble returns with 'Lit As From Within, with Lytton on electronics, Wachtelaer on electronics and drums, Wishart on electronics and hurdy-gurdy, Verbist on doublebass, Denley on bass flute and sax, as well as gusets Pierre Bastien on 'violin machine' and Javanese rebab, Steve Hubback on metal percussion, Dj Grazzhoppa on turntables et al. Another great entry into the contemporary FMR area of modern classical/minimalist free jazz releases, all sampled and reworked in Dirk's own original, mesmerising way. CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK


A NEW SOUNDWORLD BOOK:

STEVE DAY on ORNETTE COLEMAN - Ornette Coleman: Music Always (Soundworld; UK)Ê In this fascinating study of Ornette Coleman, Steve Day focuses his writing skills on one individual, the legendary alto saxophone player whose name is synonymous with the birth and development of "Free Jazz". Ornette Coleman changed the whole rationale behind jazz music. Leonard Bernstein called him a genius, Dizzy Gillespie once asked if he was serious. No player before or since has managed to split critical opinion so decisively.Ê What cannot be denied is that Ornette Coleman changed forever the way all people, musicians and listeners alike, approach the "Art of the Improviser". Steve Day is clear about his position in the argument. He takes our ears on a journey of discovery, from the first Ornette Coleman recordings in 1958 through to the Prime Time present (and maybe even beyond!).Anyone who is seriously interested in the development of a jazz aesthetic should read this book. 'Ornette Coleman: Music Always' is a personal appreciation of a revolutionary and enduring jazz icon. Barry McRae, comparing Steve Day's writing to that of the great jazz critic Whitney Balliett, commented that, "At his best, Whitney Balliett wrote in a manner that allowed the reader to hear the music. Day continues in that tradition.Ê He combines insightful analysis with a descriptive flair that includes himself as well as the world around him.Ê The important point is that Day is a real writer". 260 pgs; A Recommended Read!
BOOKÊ $30.00ÊÊÊ STOCK


[And for those of you who've asked, the Tipppet/Watts 'Warm Spirits', the Amalgam 3CD 'Wipe Out Box', and the Tippett/Dunmall/Tippett 'Dartington Trio' have still not actually been pressed - this from a phone call with Trev last week]


AND THE RESTOCKED FMR BACKCATALOGUE THAT WE'VE BEEN OUT OF FOR A WHILE:
[recommendation: Don't Wait! you can already see what the situation is with FMR; Hell, we placed this order 6 months ago and had given up hope!]


JOHN WICKES - Innovations In British Jazz Vol 1: 1960-1980 [Book and CD]Ê (Soundworld; UK)Ê published 1998. Don't be fooled into thinking this is an isolationist work. This a fantastic in-depth finely detailed work - appx 300 pages of small type - along with repros of many classic and rare independent Brit/Euro jazz album covers, AND it touches upon all musicians internationally (the European free contingent as well as avant rock collaborations and US/South African and other players) who touched upon the amazing array of talent from the British Isles in those creative decades! (Vol. 2 1980-2000 is finally at the proofreading/typesetting stage and given FMR's spotty schedule, might be out byÊ Xmas '04 - we hope! ) You'll be carrying this around, it's truly not puttable-down!Ê A book of this size is a bargain at $35 bucks by itself, but it comesÊ with a bonus CD too! The only caveat is the cost of shipping, which exceeds our general stated guidelines - it's HEAVY! You Get to pick from any of the FMR [single CD] titlesÊ marked with a ' * * ' before the Artist in today's FMR list to be the included CD with this book![Include an alternate selection just in case we're out of your first choice] If you don't pick, we'll pick for you and there will be no exchanges.
BOOK & CDÊ $35.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

**AMALGAM [TREVOR WATTS et al] - Another Time (FMR 116; UK) Trevor Watts (alto & soprano saxophones), Steve Hayton (guitar), Pete Cowling (bass guitar), Liam Genockey (drums).ÊÊÊ First time outing on CD for this classic Amalgam recording originally released on Berlin's Vinyl Records in 1976. Trevor Watts heads a highly experienced line up which includes Steve Hayton on guitar, the bass guitar of Pete Cowling and the confident drumming of Liam Genockey and features six mostly Watts composed original quartet pieces.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

**AMALGAM [TREVOR WATTS/JOHN STEVENS/JEFF CLYNE/BARRY GUY] - Prayer for Piece (FMR 96; UK) Outstanding early studio session from May of 1969 from an all-star SME offshoot trio featuring Trevor Watts on alto sax, John Stevens on drums, Jeff Clyne and Barry Guy (title piece only) on contrabasses. This is an aptly titled work - immensely spiritual, free flowing and sublimely cosmic. Trevor Watts has said of the title track, 'The mood of Prayer for Peace' is a very strong part of my musical personality The theme came to me during an improvisation. Afterwards I rememberedit because the feeling was so beautiful for me I wanted to recreate it, and give the feeling of peace and beauty to others'.The FMR label is becoming more difficult to get and keep in stock, so grab this soon if it tickles your fancy
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

**AMALGAM [TREVOR WATTS/JOHN STEVENS/KEITH TIPPETT/KENT CARTER/LINDSAY COOPER/TERRI QUAYE]Ê - Innovation (FMR 119; UK) Finally one of the gems of my vinyl collection has been resurrected on CD! An historic meeting between giants Stevens (Spontaneous Music Ensemble),ÊÊÊ Watts (SME and Moire Music) and Tippett (Ovary Lodge at the time),Ê with four tunes written by John, and one by Trevor which makesÊ especially good use of the two bassists of Kent and Lindsay (not HC's Lindsey Cooper). Recorded in late '74 and released on the Tangent [UK] label, this has been an expensive collector's item should you even [rarely] spot it on eBay, GEMM and other sites.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

PAUL DUNMALL/TONY BIANCO/JOHN EDWARDS/JOHN ADAMS - Out Of The Cage (FMR 107; UK) Paul Dunmall, saxophones; Tony Bianco, drums; John Edwards, bass; John Adams, guitar. Recorded on 17 February 2000 at the Steam Room Studios, London. Paul Dunmall's third outing on FMR combines his pairing with Tony Bianco (on the recent IYOU CD), EastWestNorthSouthÍs excellent guitarist John Adams and drafting in regular bassist John Edwards. This is another lesson in free flowing improvisation, through three blistering tracks. "We can jump on board with them, vicariously partake of the encyclopaedic sweep their wealth and depth of knowledge brings to the genre, and its capacity to touch hidden layers within us". John Wickes
SPECIAL LIMITED TIME LOWERED PRICE
CD FOR $14

PAUL DUNMALL - solo bagpipes (Shawbaccandised) (FMR 118; UK) Our good friend and sax god for (Keith Tippett's) Mujician, Paul Dunmall is certainly a rare gem among other British musical giants. On this his 3rd solo bagpipe album [first two are on his private CDR label Duns], he plays Gaida, Northumberland and border bagpipes which are quite haunting as the shimmering drone slowly moves in wavesÊ that wash over us in a sea of gently unnerving bliss.
SPECIAL LIMITED TIME LOWERED PRICE
CD FOR $14

**MIKE OSBORNE - Outback (FMR 07; UK) Super quintet featuring Mike Osborne, alto sax; Harry Beckett, trumpet; Louis Moholo, drums; Harry Miller, bass; Chris McGregor, piano!Ê [Probably] recorded 1970.
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

**HOWARD RILEY With BARRY GUY/TONY OXLEY - Flight (FMR 26; UK) Howard Riley, piano; Barry Guy, bass; Tony Oxley, drums and amplified percussion.ÊÊÊ Recorded in London on 20 March 1971.Ê One of the great trio classic of the '70s -considering how well this formation's work has held up, of the last three decades!
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

**JOHN SURMAN - Westering Home (FMR 16; UK) John Surman has finally become recognised as an international jazz superstar. Many of his earlier releases however have not been available on CD. We are proud to release the Peter Eden produced 'Westering Home' (originally released on the Turtle imprint). From a period when he began experimenting with multitracking and electronics this was his first solo record to be released (a format that John has continued to pursue through his association with ECM). This is a fine example of an artist who has grown into a major voice in contemporary music.John Surman - saxophone, clarinet; John Taylor - pianoÊÊÊ ; Chris Laurence - double-bass;ÊÊÊÊ John Marshall - drums
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

TREVOR WATTS' MOIRE MUSIC - With One Voice (FMR 108; UK)Ê British alto sax master, Trevor Watts, played with the legendary Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME) in the sixties and then formed Amalgam in 1976, both highly influential UK avant/jazz projects with evolving personnel. Trevor formed the highly original Moire Music ensemble in the eighties, which blends modern jazz with African drummers/spirits and has some half dozen releases by now on ECM and FMR. 'With One Voice' was recorded live in the UK in September of 1988 and this cd is a reissue. Moire Music is an octet with two saxes (Simon Picard & Trevor), three keyboard players (including Veryan Weston and Ms. Liane Carroll doubling on vocals), bass guitar, two African percussionist and a traps drummer. The groove slowly evolves with layers of keyboards and voice swirling together making y'all want to 'get up and get down' dancing! -and this, a great jazz album!
CDÊ $16.00ÊÊÊ STOCK

HUGH DAVIES - Sounds Heard: A Potpourri of Environmental Projects and Documentation, Projects with Children, Simple Musical Instruments, Sound Installations Verbal Scores, and Historical Perspectives [BOOK & CD] (Soundworld; UK)Ê Not only a collection ofÊ writings intended for people who are interested or involved inÊ contemporary music, especially those performers - including childrenÊÊÊ - who lack a formal musical training. It also charts a wideÊÊÊ cross-section of the activities of an intriguing musical personality.ÊÊÊ During Hugh Davies' nearly 40 year career (including charterÊ membership in Music Improvisation Company with Derek Bailey, EvanÊÊÊ Parker, and Jamie Muir) he has been called "the world's leadingÊÊÊ electromusicologist" and "one of the most interesting instrumentÊ inventors of recent decades".This book focuses on many of Davies'ÊÊÊ insights about working as an artist, a musician, a composer, aÊ performer, an instrument inventor, an educator and a researcher. ManyÊ of the different areas of experimental music since the 1960s areÊ touched on, including electronic music, live electronics, invented instruments, sound sculpture, sound installations and free improvisation, in all of which he was one of the British pioneers. The CD includes otherwise unreleased solo performances and recordings; no conventional instruments were used on the entire album, with the exception of one short piece in which the existing music has been manipulated with tape techniques.ÊÊÊ Book & CD
BOOKÊ $30.00ÊÊÊ STOCK


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


DMG RECOMMENDED CALENDER OF GIGS FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY, 2004:


Friday Feb 6th-

MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS TRIO & SEPTET at Alice Tully Hall/Lincoln Center - 65th & Broadway at 8pm - the Trio features Mark Feldman & Tani Tabbal & the septet includes Aaron Stewart, Eddie Allen, Brad Jones, Warren Smith & Reggie Nicholson - Muhal is the founder of the AACM & a brilliant pianist, composer & visionary bandleader!!


Saturday Feb 7th-

Cellist Daniel Levin at 5C [Avenue C at 5th Street] from 7pm-9pm, 203-980-9968

JOE MORRIS/KEN VANDERMARK/MARK DRESSER/GERRY HEMINGWAY at Tonic 8 pm! This all-star quartet should be pretty great!

REGGIE WORKMAN ENSEMBLEÊ "ASHANTI'S MESSAGE" with Jason Marshall, John Beaty, Kyoko Kitamura, Kevin Jones-percussion, Will Calhoun, Yayoi Ikawa, and Nichole Guiland. Playing original music by Reggie Workman,Ê John and Alice Coltrane & Eric Dolphy JAZZ GALLERY, 290 Hudson St. (Corner of Spring), (212) 242 1063

ParadoxÊ Trio: Matt Darria, Rufus Cappadocia, Brad Shepik, Seido Salifoski Midnight at TONIC, 107 Norfolk St. (btw Delancey and Rivington)


Sun Feb 8th-

DOUBLE-HEADER FREEBIE AT DMG!!!
ERNEST ANDERSON & GREG KRAMER GUITAR DUO here at DMG at 7pm for free
PAOLO ANGELI Legendary experimental solo guitarist from Italy here at DMG at 8pm for free!!!

SUNDAY FREE-STYLE SERIES at CB's Lounge313 Bowery $10 for the entire evening which starts at
7pm - AMANDA MONACO 4
8pm - theMP3: Mike Pride, Mary Halvorson, Trevor Dunn
9pm - THE BEN GERSTEIN COLLECTIVE:Ê Ben Gerstein - trombone, Jacob Garchik - computer, Dave Binney - sampler, Jacob Sacks - keyboard,Trevor Dunn - bass, Thomas Morgan - bass,Danny Weiss - drums
10pm - tba

Matthew Hannafin solo percussion with special guest Sarah Adams, dance C.O.M.A. @ ABC No-Rio, 156 Rivington St, at 8:00 pm


Mon Feb 9th-

MARI KIMURA extended violin virtuoso performs Conlon Nancarrow, Tania Leon & others at Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W. Fourth St.) at NYU at 8pm for free!!Ê Mari has worked w/ Henry Kaiser, Robert Dick, Jim O'Rourke and is a phenomenal musician!!


Tue Feb 10th

ANAT FORT with Gary Wang and Roland Schneider at Cornelia street Cafe


Thurs Feb 12th-

TIM BERNE/RALPH ALESSI/CRAIG TABORN/DREWÊ GRESS/TOM RAINEY at Tonic at 8pm!!

MARK DRESSER/NED ROTHENBERG/DENMAN MARONEY/MICHAEL SARIN at Tonic at 10pm! - two extraordinary all-star line-ups not to be missed!!


Fri Feb 13th-

ROSWELL RUDD'S MaliCool w/ MAMADOU DIABATE, Nora York, Barry Altschul, Lassana Diabate (balafon), Henry Schroy (bass), Ivan Rubenstein-Gillis (guitar) and Fode Bangoura (djembe) at St. Ann's Warehouse in DUMBO - 38 Water St. at 8pm!


Sun Feb 15TH

MONSTER QUARTET GIG AT DMG FOR FREE!!!
Stephen Gauci, Daniel Carter, Terrence Murren, Federico Ughi quartet at 7PM