Short but Exciting Week of Great Discs from:

Mary Havlorson Trio! Taylor Ho Bynum 6tet! Brotzmann/Lonberg-Holm! Joe Morris Bass Qt! Carl Testa! Christian Wolff! Barnacled! Quinsin Naschoff! John Hadfield! Les Stance A Sophie DVD!

LittleBrother restocks of Tim Berne, Nels Cline! Charlie Parker 4CD unreleased! Rashu Aten! Cyrille Verdeaux's Clearlight albums remastered! Rare Blues on Yazoo!

.....And a catalog-wide sale for the great PI label!



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DMG RECOMMENDED CALENDAR OF NYC EVENTS for October 24th, 2008 & Beyond


THE Downtown Music Gallery Free Music Series continues with...


Sunday, November 9th at 6pm: JUDITH INSELL & JOE FONDA - Superb Viola & Contrabass duo!
Celebrating the release of their new duo CD!


Sunday, November 16th at 6pm: RADIO I-CHING - New York's finest Avant/rock/world Trio!


Sunday, November 23rd at 6pm: JAMES ILGENFRITZ & JAY ROZEN - Acoustic bass & tuba duo!


TWO DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY BENEFITS PLANNED FOR DECEMBER!

Wednesday December 17th at 10pm at Bowery Poetry Club!

The other one will take place at Roulette on Saturday, December 20th!

Stay tuned...


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and now, GREAT stuff from:


MARY HALVORSON TRIO With JOHN HEBERT/CHES SMITH - Dragon's Head (Firehouse12 04-01-007; USA) Dragon's Head is acclaimed Brooklyn-based guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson's debut recording as a bandleader. Recorded at Firehouse 12's state of the art studio in New Haven, it features ten new original compositions written specifically for her working trio with bassist John Hebert and drummer Ches Smith. She has previously composed music for recordings with her chamber music duo with violist Jessica Pavone and the avant-rock duo, People, with drummer Kevin Shea, but this is her first release alone at the helm of her own ensemble.
"I have always gravitated towards the guitar/bass/drum trio format," writes Ms. Halvorson in the liner notes. "I have wanted to write for this instrumentation for years, but this project is the first time I have actually attempted it. This trio is also a great excuse to work with two of my favorite musicians; I wrote all of these songs with Ches and John's playing in mind. I also took it as an opportunity to experiment with different compositional forms, as well as varying harmonic, melodic and rhythmic components."
The New York Times' Ben Ratliff writes, "It took only a few seconds to see the good sense in the band: no matter how abstruse the music can get, it rested on a strong, simple principle of balance and contrast." Guitar Player's Elliott Sharp adds, "While the group uses acoustic bass and clearly lies within the 'jazz' camp, it sounds like no other...dissonant arpeggios melding into pounding odd-meter repetitive grooves, spidery textures becoming cracked melodies, and jazzy vamps fragmenting into vicious free-form interactions, with Halvorson wrenching blistering lines and rude sounds from her guitar." CD $14


New on Hat!

TAYLOR HO BYNUM SEXTET With JESSICA PAVONE/MARY HALVORSON et al - Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths (hat ology 675; Switzerland) with Matt Baudet reeds; Jessica Pavone viola; Mary Halvorson guitar; Evan O'Reilly guitar; Tomas Fujiwara drums Here's a group of musicians who are making a commitment to the long haul. They are creating music for the third millennium that is savvy enough to draw on the forking paths of the tradition while finding room for their own individual voices. Get Bynum started on this group and he responds with his usual enthusiastic eloquence. "Whatever balance I am able to strike between tradition and individuality I really owe to the nurturing community of musicians I came up under." This set is a tribute to that journey. - Michael Rosenstein
CD $20

JOE MORRIS BASS QUARTET With TAYLOR HO BYNUM/ALLAN CHASE/LUTHER GRAY - High Definition (hat ology 670; Switzerland) Listen to the music of Joe Morris and one is immediately struck by a few things. First, there is his sense of rhythmic and melodic articulation; a sense of phrasing brimming with potent energy and focused resolve. Then there is an uncanny ability to balance freedom and groove. Finally, there is his ability to pull it all together in structures that bring out particularly inspired playing by his collaborators.. With this release, Morris and crew cement their status as musicians from a generation who have fully absorbed a polyglot view of the jazz tradition. They have the commitment, experience, and the innate understanding to seamlessly pull from both inside and outside, from swing to freedom. But they also have the dedication and creativity to make it their own. It is how they pull together all these disparate threads into a unified vocabulary indelibly stamped with their own sensibilities and personalities that makes this such a riveting statement. - Michael Rosenstein
CD $20

CHRISTIAN WOLFF//STEFFEN SCHLEIERMACHER - Early Piano Pieces (hat [now] 141; Switzerland) For Prepared Piano (1951) was my first experiment with John Cage's invention (putting various objects into the piano strings to produce percussive or non-specifically pitched sounds) and a continuation of interest in percussion as such. I had been a friend of John's, after a brief time as a student, for about a year. But I'd known about the prepared piano earlier from scores in Henry Cowell's New Music Publications.. - Christian Wolff
CD $20

TRANSATLANTIC SWING [JOHN SNIJDERS] - Works For Piano: Emmerik, Fox, Francesconi, Rinjvos & Rolle (hat [now] 149; Switzerland) Transatlantic Swing is a CD of music rich in elusive connections. Some of the music is "transatlantic" because it's music by Europeans influenced by the Americas, some because it's music by an American played by a European. In someway all the music "swings", but no two pieces swing in the same way. There's also a network of friendships between the composers represented here, although together they don't represent any one tendency in contemporary musical aesthetics. And there's a network of shared preoccupations in the music here - the balance between process and fantasy in musical form, the dynamics of sound and silence, the reconfiguration of popular music - but not all these preoccupations occur in every piece. - Christopher Fox
CD $20


PETER BROTZMANN/FRED LONBERG-HOLM - The Brain Of The Dog In Section (Atavistic 186; USA) Peaked-out duo recordings from one of the founders of the form and his ever adventurous, cello-torque-ing protege. Recorded live in November 2007 at Chicago's famed Hideout destination, Peter Brotzmann and Fred Lonberg-Holm combine for the first time ever in this penultimately intimate configuration. Although 'The Brain Of The Dog' was recorded in an ultra-industrial urban warehouse district, the resulting music is uber-organic, almost onomatopoeic at points. Certainly, fans of 'Schwarzwaldfahrt', Brotzmann and Han Bennink's now classic free-jazz camping trip deep into Germany's Black Forest, are strongly urged to check into this seminal blast!
[BLG review to come, but why wait?]
CD $16


ZELPHABET [V.A.] - Vol. 'E': Elliott Sharp/Ed Osborn/Emil Beaulieau/Evil Moisture (Zelphabet E; USA) This LA-based label has an interesting concept: They are in the process of releasing 26 CD's, one for each letter of the alphabet and each disc contains one piece each by 4 different artists whose first name or band name begins with the same letter. The only info on each disc is the artist's name & title of their track and the website address of each. E. Sharp's piece is called "Ground Return" and is for solo "slab", an instrument that Elliott invented many years back. The slab is a guitar-neck-like instrument that you play by tapping on with thin sticks. The piece has a somber, slow tapping near-meditative quality. When Elliott taps on the low end of the slab, it rumbles like a dinosaur moving slowly through the woods. The overall affect is minimalist and hypnotic with layers of notes in slow moving streams. At just under 20 minutes, it is at just the right length.
Ed Osborn creates sound art pieces that take many forms including installation, sculpture, radio, video, performance and public projects. His piece here is called "Outfield Derivation" and sounds like subtle electronic music created by tapping on various objects and slowly manipulating the sounds. I found the sounds or music to be consistently clean, well-thought-out and often fascinating. Emil Beaulieau is the stage name of Ron Lessard, a noise musician who mostly records for his own label, RRRecords and frequently performs with a custom-made four-armed turntable. Emil's piece, "The Letter E" is a noisy work for fast-paced metal percussion and quick spinning electronic sounds. Evil Moisture is a project by Andy Bolus and is considered to be experimental death metal. "Blood Picnic" is a piece of harsh, swirling electronic sounds and feedback-like shrapnel. EM's hyper-speed static is pretty intense and over-the-top yet I find it to be still engaging and unrelenting in a perverse sort of way. Whoever put together this compilation has done a great job of finding four "noise" artists whose work is diverse but fits together as a whole just right. - BLG
CD $10

ELLIOTT SHARP'S TERRAPLANE - Do The Don't...Plus! (Intuition 3425; Germany) Jewel case edition w/ booklet AND FIVE EXTRA TRACKS not previously available on the ltd. Zoar or Gaff versions.
While previous Terraplane ablums were devoted to expanding the blues tradition in new ways, Do the Don't succeeds in integrating the traditional and extended approaches in a remarkably organic way. There's no doubt that these are deep blues tunes that are fully imbued with everything that would mean to even a casual blues listener; it's a feeling you can't deny. On the other hand, there are sounds on this album that have probably never been heard on a blues album before, and the band pulls it all off without a hitch. Sam Furnace, mostly on baritone sax, sounds fantastic here, in what were among his final recording sessions. As a rhythm section, Dave Hofstra and Sim Cain are right in the pocket, and while Cain comes on like Drumbo on "Oil Blues," he also knows when to lay behind the beat for a real blues feel. Eric Mingus and Dean Bowman are both excellent vocalists, and along with Sharp, supply bluesy lyrics that never rely on standard blues cliches. Of course, the real star is Sharp's guitar playing. He's got a range of the nastiest guitar tones imaginable, and his guitar cries, screams, and growls with abandon. His solos are reckless and dizzying at times, but never lose the feeling of the blues, which is quite an accomplishment considering some folks will be scratching their heads trying to figure out how he's doing what he's doing. There are also some tasty production details in the mix: the swirl of tremolo guitars in the background of "Lost Souls" and "Stop That Thing," the judiciously used triggers in Cain's hybrid kit on "Life in a Crackerbox," and the programmed rhythm of "In the Drift." "Lost Souls" is also notable for its work-song like chorus and wailing lap steel from Sharp. In fact, just about every track has a jaw dropping guitar solo, whether it's electric, acoustic, or lap steel. Do the Don't is modern, contemporary electric blues that never forgets the grit and grease of the men who pioneered it, and that totally eschews the sheen and safe blues licks of so many contemporary blues albums. This is the real deal, played by men who really understand what real blues is all about. Maybe that's why a blues guitar god like Hubert Sumlin has been sitting in with these guys for years, and not with blues posers like Jonny Lang or Keb' Mo'. Highly Recommended.
Musicians: electric guitar (3,5,9): Hubert Sumlin; electric and acoustic basses: David Hofstra; alto and baritone saxophones: Sam Furnace ; drums: Sim Cain; vocals (2,5,7): Eric Mingus; vocals (2,3,7): Dean Bowman; electric guitars, lapsteel, 12-string acoustic, baritone guitar, tenor sax, bits and bytes: E#
CD $17


QUINSIN NACHOFF HORIZONS ENSEMBLE With JOHN TAYLOR/ERNST REIJSEGER et al - Horizons Ensemble (self released; Canada) Featuring Quinsin Nachoff on tenor & soprano saxes, John Taylor on piano, Ernst Reijseger on cello, Nathalie Bonin & Parmela Attariwala on violins. Formerly Toronto-based saxist, Quinsin Nachoff, now lives here and has just released his second splendid disc as a leader. His first fine disc featured him with Mark Helias, Jim Black and a string quartet and was on Songlines. Quinsin can also be heard on both discs from bassist Michael Bates, another Canadian now living here. For Quinsin's second date he has put together another extraordinary group with British pianist John Taylor, whose career stretches back more than forty years and Dutch cellist, Ernst Reijseger who used to play with the ICP Orchestra, Clusone Trio and now has some half dozen discs on W&W. "Bogardus Place" opens with sublime soprano sax backed by elegant piano and strings. On "Desert Landscape" the strings are rich in sound and evoke a handful of ghost-like images, the piano and soprano are both exquisite, austere and have a lovely auburn hue. I dig the way the strings and sax blend and enhance each other's sound while the piano plays swirling lines around them superbly. Although this is a quintet, their sound is like a well-integrated string quartet as each member is a part of their luscious tapestry. What truly stands out is Quinsin's composing, he has a knack for placing his sax within the fabric of the strings and piano in a way that makes the quintet one whole(some) endeavor. This disc reminds me of some of the better ECM dates I've heard in recent years without the unnecessary fiord-like reverb that is too often over-used. "A River Remembers Rain," sounds like parts of it are played backwards or that sections are fragmented, yet it seems to be connected on a more subliminal level. "Cartoon-Scape" starts with some intense free interplay but soon hits it charted stride with more challenging interplay. I love the way the strings start a line which is soon answered by the piano or sax, the musical/magical idea or flow remains continuous. "Glacial Lake" is an appropriately titled piece which is stark and most haunting. Quinsin's tone on tenor is warm and lush and even touching at times. John Taylor is also most lyrical here, playing so few notes, yet letting each note ring true. The final piece is called "African Skies" and it is a strong final work. Solos by Quinsin on tenor and Ernst on cello are particularly inspired and John Taylor keeps a keeps a stimulating conversation going on throughout on piano. The strings here are woven just right with tenor and piano playing tag and the quintet being balanced perfectly. The Horizons Ensemble is one of the more serious sounding and successful units to emerge from the underground fully (in)formed. - BLG
CD $15


JOHN HADFIELD - The Eye Of Gordon ('Palindrome 76'; USA) Featuring John Hadfield on drums, percussion & most of the composing, Kyle Sanna on guitar & some co-composing, Christopher Hoffman on cello, Jacqueline Kerrod on harp, Skye Steele on violin and Josh Dekaney, Mathias Kunzli & Shane Shanahan on percussion. I hadn't really heard much about local percussion wiz, John Hadfield, but it turns out that he does get around. He has played with a diverse cast of characters from the Bang on a Can All-Stars to Ben Monder, Erik Friedlander & Brad Shepik and currently teaches at NYU. The only other musician on this disc that I was previously familiar with is Mathias Kunzli who plays in Rashanim and has worked with John Zorn. I found this disc in my promo box this week while I was away and was pleasantly surprised. I can't think of any other ensembles that feature a line-up like this one: four percussionists, guitar, harp, violin & cello. Commencing with "Peliatan" which consists of subtle layers of hand percussion with the rubbed strings of a harp and some minimal acoustic guitar. This piece sounds like an exotic percussion ensemble that draws from various cultures. "Skeletons" is a stripped down work with lush marimba, delicate percussion, a berimbau and perhaps steel drums. It reminds me of Uakti (South American percussion unit that makes their own instruments) and it evokes quaint ghost-like spirits. "Icelandic" is a dark, slightly twisted piece with some scary yet sparse electric guitar, powerful drums and a brooding vibe. "Missouri" reminds me of early Bill Frisell when he would layer his guitar and create mesmerizing soundscapes. Kyle plays some righteous electric slide guitar which paints those wide open spaces just right. "No E" again features some powerful drums and slightly mutated electric guitar and is perfectly balanced duo piece. I dig the way John utilizes frame drums and tympanis throughout and especially on the title track, where the layers of percussion are most mesmerizing. Guitarist, Kyle Sanna, is also consistently strong, inserting the odd notes and strange sounds in just the right places. Much of this music has a soundtrack-like sound and evokes a good deal of scenery and illustrates stories found within. What makes this special is that Mr. Hadfield knows how to use percussion in a more organic way that rarely deals with any sort of (logical or overused) beats, yet the music remains consistently fascinating throughout. - BLG
CD $12


CARL TESTA - Uncertainty (Uncertainty 01; USA) Featuring Carl Testa on compositions, acoustic bass, bass clarinet & electronics, James Antonucci on clarinet & tenor sax, Gergely Kiss on clarinet and Bill Carbone on percussion. Carl Testa studied with and plays in Anthony Braxton's amazing 12+1-tet. What I find most interesting is that there are now a number of young musicians who have worked Mr. Braxton over the past decade and who now compose and play their own music which is influenced by Braxton yet remains unique to its own vision. Listening closely to this fine, engaging disc, you can hear some of those Braxtonian ideas which have matured into new systems and strategies. 'Uncertainly' starts with "Push" which has a quirky ghost-trance like theme played on clarinets with jazz/classical drums swirling around the fractured reed lines. I dig the odd harmonies that Carl has written for the clarinets and tenor sax, which are closer to modern classic music than to anything jazz-like. "Uncertainty (Trio)" features bent clarinet harmonies over eerie bowed percussion which is both calm and agitated at he same time. Some of this music is nearly impossible to describe since it doesn't quite sound like anything else I've encountered before. On "Pull", there is an electronics or sampled percussion sound that is completely alien to anything I've heard. Perhaps it is that Supercollider computer program that Braxton has used in his Diamond Curtain Wall Trio, but who knows for certain. It sounds as if a machine is trying to breathe and having a difficult time doing it. "Impetus" actually sounds like a smoking modern jazz quartet piece with strong tenor sax over a burning rhythm team. Carl's acoustic bass is what makes it even better and James' tenor sax is near explosive in a Trane-like way. This sounds like a completely different quartet than earlier on this disc. Carl Testa's composing remains most engaging and unique throughout this disc. I get the feeling that it will take some time to comprehend all of the many facets that he has developed since each of the ten pieces deals with different ideas, strategies and structures. - BLG
CD $10


BILL CARROTHERS With GARY PEACOCK/BILL STEWART - Home Row (Pirouet 3035; Germany) Featuring Bill Carrothers on piano, Gary Peacock on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. Incredibly cohesive trio play, improvisation with an earthy, bluesy vehemence. A contemplative jazz piano trio masterpiece, with a pensive lyricism searching for the peace within. There is a like-minded aesthetic that underlies the music's gripping sensuality and sense of the unusual. Carrothers' deep sense of lyricism and the special nuances in the slower pieces are an essential part of this recording.
CD $16


New from ESP Disk!

BARNACLED [FRANK DIFFICULT/MICHAEL JEFFRIES/ALEC K REDFEARN et al] - Charles (ESP Disk 4049; USA) Charles, Barnacled's new full-length, and first outing for ESP-Disk', is a rollicking, propulsive offering featuring the band in some of its most intricate formations. This deftly arranged record follows Barnacled as it tightens itself into high corners, only to purposely fall down, find new ground, and pick itself back up again. This work is highly playful, even at its most intense - and it does get intense, with saxophone battles surging over electronics and highly distorted accordion fire offerings. Then all of a sudden the sound drops out, save for a plaintive lone bassoon call, or static from a short-wave radio that sounds soothing by comparison. Intertwining rhythms and melody lines then revolve around a pulse that creates a new frame of reference while also complicating it. This music invites deep listening, and rewards the curious. Often it is simply mesmerizing - essentially what adventurous minds have come to expect from the legendary ESP-Disk' oeuvre.
Featured Artists: Frank Difficult: electronics/keyboard; Michael Jeffries: bass/baritone saxophone/modified Speak & Spell; Jason McGill: alto saxophone/percussion/shortwave radio; Matt McLaren: drums/percussion; Alec K. Redfearn: accordion; Ann Schattle: horn in F; Erica Schattle: bassoon
CD $12

CHARLIE PARKER - Bird In Time: 1940-1947 [4 CD set] (ESP Disk 4050; USA) Charlie Parker 'Bird in Time: 1940-1947' is a unique four disc set produced by Bebop Jazz Historian Michael D. Anderson. This set chronicles the early developmental stages of the career of the artist from 1940 to the fall of 1947. This includes his performances in the Jay McShann band, his work as a sideman, collaborations with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, as well as his leadership of various groups.
In addition to select recordings, the four disc set includes unique interviews by Mr. Anderson with artists who performed with Charlie Parker, or "Bird" as they knew him, describing in detail their experiences with him during this period of time. These interviews provide, for the first time, a glimpse into the creative process that was engaged in making these song tracks. This is a "must have" for serious Charlie Parker music collectors.
Featured Artists: Charlie Parker, Jay McShann, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Billy Eckstine, Erroll Garner, Hazel Scott, Rubberlegs Williams, Cootie Williams, Teddy Edwards, Milt Jackson, Roy Porter, Howard McGhee, Earl Coleman, Barry Ulanov
4 CD set for $60

YXIMALLOO [NAOFUMI ISHIMARU] - Unpop (ESP Disk 4047; USA) "Here ESP-Disk returns to the insanity side of releases. Beats, found sounds, quirky electronics and seemingly unfinished tracks plus artwork by Jad Fair; what more could you ask for? Listening to this music, I sit wandering if I am asleep or awake! "Unpop" is the soundtrack to my lucid dream and I don't want to wake up, I easily allow myself to get lost in it. Yximalloo is the solo adventure by the musical madman Naofumi Ishimaru. who has created this captivating world all by his lonesome. He has a bunch of self-released titles that document the musical footprints he has made over the years and, to my knowledge, this is his 9th release. Yet what makes this future primitive document such a landmark recording is that it is the first one that Yximalloo has recorded in almost decade plus this is a first for a label not of his own! Yximalloo is one of those artists that you will probably read about 10 years after he leaves this planet and wish you owned all his recordings. Don't wait for that to happen! Time is of the essence. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!" -Chuck Bettis/dmg
CD $12


DNA [ARTO LINDSAY/IKUE MORI/TIM WRIGHT/ROBIN CRUTCHFIELD] - DNA on DNA ..Plus! (No More Records 12; USA) Previously released on CD by No More Records, now issued on a limited edition 2LP featuring FIVE newly-discovered songs exclusive to this LP: "Pompeii," "Shrinking Thing," "Drinking Water," plus two encores from DNA's final performance at CBGB's!!!
Surviving two line ups over a brief four years; this highly influential, strikingly original and extremely under recorded band left a huge void in it's wake. Formed in 1978, Brazilian raised singer/guitarist Arto Lindsay hastily assembled an international trio of non-musicians. Robin Crutchfield played keyboard and Japanese-born Ikue Mori played drums.
DNA played their first gig within weeks and recorded their first 7" shortly afterwards [tracks 1 & 2].
The ear of Brian Eno was quickly caught, recording them for the infamous 'No New York' [tracks 3-6] compilation alongside James Chance, Mars, and Teenage Jesus & The Jerks. Before No New York was released, Robin left the band after a total tenure of nine months. Bassist Tim Wright had just left Pere Ubu, relocated to NY and quickly joined DNA. With a new face, a new instrument and a new sound, DNA recorded their classic nine minute EP 'A Taste Of DNA' [tracks 7-12].
DNA toured the States and Europe bringing their explosive live show to a wider audience. DNA only released 12 songs during it's lifetime, and another 3 shortly afterwards [from 5 songs recorded for the Squats Theatre production of the Obie winning play 'Mr.Dead And Ms. Free' including the previously unreleased 'Police Chase' and 'Young Teenagers Talk Sex'; tracks 14-18] on the European compilation "Fruit Of The Original Sin'. Their impact was far and wide reaching. Many musicians have sited DNA as a main influence including Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and the band Blonde Redhead, who appropriated their name from a DNA song title. This CD compiles all of DNA's studio and many choice live recordings. The unreleased studio track 'Grapefruit,' is heard here for the first time as well as live versions of the unreleased songs 'Nearing' and 'Surrender.'Of particular interest are the original lineup's 'early versions' of 'Detached,' '5:30' and 'Low' (which is closely related to 'A New Low.') Exclusive liner notes from Byron Coley, Jason Gross and Glenn O'Brien pack the 16 page booklet alongside many unseen photos and flyers.
2 LP set for $20


MOSHE MIZRAHI, dir.//ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO [LESTER BOWIE/ROSCOE MITCHELL/JOSEPH JARMAN/MALACHI FAVORS/DON MOYE] + FONTELLA BASS - Les Stances a Sophie [DVD] (Soul Jazz 191; UK) Soul Jazz Records are releasing for the first time-ever a long lost cult classic of French New Wave cinema on DVD. Les Stances a Sophie has been out of circulation for over 30 years and this is its first release ever outside of France. Filmed in Paris in 1970, this fully-subtitled film features killer music, groovy clothes and post-1968 revolutionary ideals. This super-rare film is now perhaps best known for its soundtrack from the legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago (who also feature in the film). To coincide with this DVD, Soul Jazz are also re-issuing the Art Ensemble of Chicago's Les Stances a Sophie on CD as well as a one-off super-luxury US- heavy card gatefold limited edition LP edition (strictly limited to 1000 copies). The album (and DVD) features the epic 'Theme de Yoyo,' the Art Ensemble of Chicago's finest ever moment featuring the soaring vocals of Fontella Bass and the super-heavy funk drums of then current newcomer to the Art Ensemble Don Moye. The Art Ensemble of Chicago were living in Europe in 1970 when the film was made along with a host of other US jazz emigres such as Archie Shepp, Ornette Coleman and more. The DVD also features an hour long interview with Art Ensemble member Joseph Jarman where he talks about the making of the film as well as the history of The Art Ensemble, The AACM in Chicago and more." PLEASE NOTE: Only available in European PAL format, region free.
DVD $24

ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO [LESTER BOWIE/ROSCOE MITCHELL/JOSEPH JARMAN/MALACHI FAVORS/DON MOYE] + FONTELLA BASS - Les Stances a Sophie [sndtck] (Soul Jazz 191; UK) The long lost album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago, one of the most important and radical jazz groups to come out of the USA. Les Stances A Sophie was recorded in Paris in 1970 as the soundtrack album to director Moshe Mizrahi's 1971 film and features the regular Art Ensemble members (Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, and Malachi Favors) alongside the newly recruited drummer Don Moye and Fontella Bass on vocals and piano. Fontella Bass (who was married to Lester Bowie) had a successful career as a soul singer ('Rescue Me' was her biggest hit in the 1960s). The addition of these two performers perhaps explains in some way the uniqueness of this recording, especially 'Theme De Yoyo'. Vocals (and lyrics) alongside a constant drum and bass beat were new elements to the recorded music of the Art Ensemble at this time and this recording would appear to contradict the AEC's ambition for their music to be heard and played simply as sound -- with the freedom from accepted forms (blues, jazz, etc.) that were used to describe music.
CD $19
also Ltd Ed LP for $24


RASHU ATEN - Sacred Healing Gongs (RE; USA) Featuring Rashu Aten on gongs with JD Parran on flute for one track. This was recorded live and in the studio at five locations (Nashville, Staten Island & Jamaica) from March of 2002 to June of 2005. Rashu Aten is a healer who plays various gongs. According to the liner notes, "gong music heals on all levels because it harmonizes the body, improves mental functions, sharpens perceptions and the memory, calms the nerves and expands the consciousness". Each of the seven pieces involves the resonating vibration of gongs. On "Thi-Chi" we hear two basic sounds, when the gong is struck and the shimmering sound as it fades slowly away. The lower tone reminds me of chanting monks droning their voices together. There is a deep, cosmic throb (a sort of ringing) that vibrates slowly through the air, which I find most soothing. For "Soul's Peace" the shimmering gong evokes ghost-like spirits floating around us. What you don't realize is that the way the gongs sound and resonate sound somewhat different each piece. The effect did help me to calm down and reflect, thinking about finding some peace in the often turbulent world and difficult environment. Sublime music for meditation and reflection. - BLG
CD $15

And this is back in stock..

RASHU ATEN - Gong Spirit (RE 3922; USA) Mr. Davis is a medium and clairvoyant and his gongs are utilized for their ability to heal. Each of the five pieces here appear to unleash a different force or vibration. "Awakening Truth" glows and shimmers with a hypnotic repeating wave, pure and cosmic vibrations emanate from the center. On "Enlightenment", the low-end pulse sounds like the chanting of the word "Om" and brings us into a trance-like state. "See" radiates with another shimmering haze/vibration, we drift between a state of consciousness and a dream-world. There is some fascinating liner notes found inside the cd booklet which discuss the healing properties of certain vibrations which come from different instruments. "Transformation" is aptly titled since it does a mysterious job of transforming those who listen closely to it. The same way that incense changes our environment by adding an elusive spice to our senses, the cosmic drone of these gongs also adds an elusive vibration which changes the feeling of our immediate environment. "Life's Journey" is a long, slow moving epic that also takes us to another place, flowing between different states which evolve organically. 'Gong Spirit' is one of the most mesmerizing releases I've experienced, are you ready for the ride? -BLG
CD $15


ELEH//PAULINE OLIVEROS - The Beauty Of The Steel Skeleton//Drifting Depths (Important 206; USA) "Important Records is quite pleased to be presenting this split release consisting of two new drone works from Pauline Oliveros and Eleh. Oliveros, an early American minimalist who has pioneered the technique of 'deep listening,' has created a new work exclusively for this release. 'Drifting Depths' is a new improvised piece made on a harmonica being processed through Pauline's Expanded Instrument System. Eleh's side, also exclusive to this vinyl only release, is super slow melodic drone full of stillness, tension and relief. Vinyl only, handmade and handassembled, letterpressed jackets. Limited edition. A central figure in post-war electronic art music, Oliveros is one of the original members of the San Francisco Tape Music Center (along with Morton Subotnick, Ramon Sender, Terry Riley, and Anthony Martin), which was the resource on the U.S. West Coast for electronic music during the 1960s. The Center later moved to Mills College, where she was its first director, and is now called the Center for Contemporary Music. Oliveros often improvises with the Expanded Instrument System, an electronic signal processing system she designed, in her performances and recording. Eleh was formed to specifically to pay tribute to early experimental minimalist pioneers especially La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Eliane Radigue, Pauline Oliveros and Charlemagne Palestine. Using an enormous vintage modular analog synthesizer, a battery of glowing HP tube test oscillators and occasionally guitar/piano, Eleh creates highly minimal and deeply spiritual pure analog drone music with emphasis on the physical ultra-low end. Incorporating tones as low as .05 hz (well below the range of human hearing) Eleh is as much of a physical experience as it is an audio one. This engaging record was created as a tool for meditation and to be heard/felt correctly the listener must be sitting with ears at speaker height at least 7 feet away from the speakers. Volume reveals detail."
LP $20

ELEH - Floating Frequencies/Intuitive Synthesis III (Important 207; USA) "Deluxe pressing of 500 copies packaged in letterpressed covers designed by Important and printed by 23rd Parallel. Mastered by James Plotkin. Hand numbered/hand assembled. Eleh's Intuitive Synthesis/Floating Frequencies III is the third release in their Intuitive Synthesis series (Volume 2 was released over a year ago) and it is being released simultaneously with an Eleh/Pauline Oliveros split release. Both are limited edition and LP only. Meticulously minimal analog drone. Eleh was formed specifically to pay tribute to early experimental minimalist pioneers especially La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Eliane Radigue, Pauline Oliveros and Charlemagne Palestine. Using an enormous vintage modular analog synthesizer, a battery of glowing HP tube test oscillators and occasionally guitar/piano, Eleh creates highly minimal and deeply spiritual pure analog drone music with emphasis on the physical ultra-low end. Incorporating tones as low as .05 hz (well below the range of human hearing) Eleh is as much of a physical experience as it is an audio one. This engaging record was created as a tool for meditation and to be heard/felt correctly the listener must be sitting with ears at speaker height at least 7 feet away from the speakers. Volume reveals detail."
LP $20


Back in stock - indie rarities from LittleBrother!

TIM BERNE & MICHAEL FORMANEK - Ornery People (Littlebrother 13 ; USA) Saxophone and bass free-jazz duo action from two of the best improvisers around. Berne has been making records for close to 20 years with the likes of Zorn, Motian, Frisell, Dara, and many others. Formanek plays bass in Berne's Bloodcount group and has several records as leader himself. Though they've played together for years, this is the first recording of Berne and Formanek as a duo, and it's all that any of us could have hoped it would be. "After an astonishing eight cds of material from Tim's current all-powerful qt.-BLOODCOUNT, which includes both of this duos' members, there is an immense telepathic connection of spirits between Tim's saxes & Michael's acoustic bass. A totally balanced duo that pushes & pulls all the right curves in their lifeline like evolution. They open with two long uncharacteristically lyrical duos, Tim's alto tone is especially splendid, while Michael provides a lovely cushion of arco bass passion, hence the rejoicing of spirits. Tim also burns down the pathway to salvation on baritone sax, as well. The ghost of Tim's teacher/inspiration-Julius Hemphill seems to occasionally sail through the proceedings, providing depth. Despite the fact that this release looks just like a Screwgun cd and even includes a corndog recipe inside, it is in fact on the Frisco based Little Brother label. Another winner from the Tim Berne empire!! " - BLG
CD $12

NELS CLINE & THURSTON MOORE - Pillow Wand (Littlebrother 11; USA) After many years of planning, Nels and Thurston's much-talked-about "dream guitars" project is finally here, the first studio collaboration between two of the most innovative guitarists working today. Most pieces feature quiet layered strumming and build slowly to their resolution. Recorded the same day they played live at Rhino Records (the results of which make up the 'In-Store' CD on the Father Yod label), Pillow Wand is the first studio collaboration between two of the most innovative guitarists around. Most pieces feature quiet layered strumming and build slowly to their resolution. Packaged in a fold-over jacket with inner sleeve (like a mini gatefold record). 67 minutes. Recorded 12/30/96 at New Zone Studio by Wayne Peet
CD $12

NELS CLINE TRIO - Chest (Littlebrother 06 ; USA) Epic record that spans the emotions from menacing to tender to furiously aggro to other worldly. The first NCT record on little brother, Chest, is an epic record that spans the emotions from menacing to tender to furiously aggro to other worldly. The majority of the album was recorded almost three years before it was released, as Nels thought it too extreme for his label at the time, Enja. An absolute classic.
Recorded 6/93 at Sage & Sound by Geoff Sykes (except Beardism/Call Crouch and Power Ballad for Woodward A recorded 7/11/95 at New Zone Studio by Wayne Peet). Nels Cline: guitar; Bob Mair: bass; Michael Preussner: drums CD $12

NELS CLINE TRIO - Chest [2 LP set] (Littlebrother 06 ; USA) The first NCT record on little brother, Chest, is an epic record that spans the emotions from menacing to tender to furiously aggro to other worldly. The majority of the album was recorded almost three years before it was released, as Nels thought it too extreme for his label at the time, Enja. An absolute classic.
Recorded 6/93 at Sage & Sound by Geoff Sykes (except Beardism/Call Crouch and Power Ballad for Woodward A recorded 7/11/95 at New Zone Studio by Wayne Peet). Nels Cline: guitar; Bob Mair: bass; Michael Preussner: drums
2xLP is limited to 1000 copies and has a bonus track not on the CD.
LP $15

NELS CLINE TRIO - Sad (Littlebrother 12 ; USA) Here it is at last, the long-awaited follow-up to Chest. Sad is the fourth Nels Cline Trio album, and perhaps the most diverse yet. The disc begins with a three-minute-long guitar drone, followed by a drum solo, then a quiet improv, and a blistering coda. And that's just the first track. "Fluff w/ Fork" and "Little Shaver" are the noisiest the Trio have ever been, while "Texas Telephone Pal" and "Thought Cloud" are perhaps the most abstract. Sad also features two of Nels' best and most fully realized compositions yet, "Arrows" and "Crest in Black". Five long compositions and five short tracks. Alternately beautiful, noisy, abstract and ferocious.
"Fourth amazing release from this his mind blowing el. guitar power trio from El Lay. This is a trio of extremes that goes from howling, fuzz drenched, dense & eerie sections/tunes to quiet, nimble, stunning west coast folk/rock/psych melodies. Incredibly tight, constantly shifting textures & tones, a perfect balance of ideas from jazz to rock to noise. Nels has an especially distinctive guitar sound, that often reminds me of human/monsters screaming in pain. His playing in Greg Bendian's Interzone & duos with Thurston Moore show two very different sides to this guitar hero, this trio shows both." - BLG
Recorded 4/9 & 7/97 at New Zone Studio. Nels Cline: guitar, voice; Bob Mair: bass, guitar; Michael Preussner: drums, organ. Noriko Peet: voice (track 3)
CD $12


CLEARLIGHT [CYRILLE VERDEAUX et al] - Clearlight Box: Claerlight Symphony/Forever Blowing Bubbles/Delired Chameleon Family/Les Contes Du Singe Fou/Visions [5 CD ltd ed Box Set] (Captain Trip 632-36; Japan) Strictly-limited special outer box set containing these five classic titles (CT 632-636CD): Clearlight- Clearlight Symphony; Clearlight- Forever Blowing Bubbles; Clearlight- Les Contes du Singe Fou; Delired Cameleon Family- Delired Cameleon Family; Clearlight- Visions. Each reissue with elaborate miniature paper sleeve of the original LP.
CD $140

..or purchase them all for LESS [!?!?] individually, but without the outer box..

CLEARLIGHT [CYRILLE VERDEAUX et al] - Clearlight Symphony (Captain Trip 632; Japan) 1973. "The first album of Clearlight,1975. The original LP was released on Virgin Records. Featuring: Cyrille Verdeaux, Christian Boule, Martin Isaacs, Tim Blake (Gong), Steve Hillage (Gong), Didier Malherbe (Gong), Gilbert Artman (Lard Free, Urban Sax). Reissue with elaborate miniature paper sleeve of the original LP. 2008 digital remaster version, limited 1,000 copies!".
The Clearlight symphony is the first example of Cyrille Verdeaux as a composer. Between 1971 and 1973, Richard Branson signed Clearlight, along with Tangerine Dream, Gong , Klaus Schulze, etc. as the first wave of bands on the newly formed Virgin records, hot on the heels of Mike Oldfield's worldwide success with Tubular Bells. Led by the classically trained master keyboardist, Cyrille Verdeaux chose to work with additional artists to flesh out his musical visions including guitarist Christian Boule and Gilbert Artman on drums. The sound is rich, full and colorful, truly symphonic, with psychedelic guitar flare-ups. Recorded in 1973, it continues to sound timeless with its melodic blend of classical, rock and free jazz. Guitarist Steve Hillage, Saxophonist Didier Malherbe and Synthesist Tim Blake were borrowed from Gong to produce a classic progressive symphonic work present on the first side of the LP, clocking at over 20 minutes. The resulting album proved popular with both European and American progressive music fans with its mixture of Symphonic keyboard orchestrations, courtesy of Mellotron, Arp 2600, Piano and Organ, as well as Hillage's Lead Guitar, Malherbe's sax flourishes and Blake's forward sounding analog synthesizers. One interesting note, on the original LP the second movement was placed on side one and the first movement on side two. Clearlight Symphony is an essential recording for fans of progressive music.
CD $23

CLEARLIGHT [CYRILLE VERDEAUX et al] - Forever Blowing Bubbles (Captain Trip 633; Japan) 1975. The original LP was released on Virgin Records. Guest musicians: David Cross (King Crimson), Christian Boule, Gilbert Artman (Lard Free, Urban Sax), etc. Including BONUS remixes in 2000 and unreleased tracks from 1980/81 as bonus. Reissue with elaborate miniature paper sleeve of the original LP. 2008 digital remaster version, limited 1,000 copies!"
This album followed the heady success of Symphony by charting into new territory. Forever Blowing Bubbles is also based on Composer/keyboardist Cyrille Verdeaux's piano and synthesizers but incorporates a more cohesive group sound featuring bassist/vocalist/composer Joel Dugrenot (ex-Zao), violinist David Cross (King Crimson) & guitarist/flutist Jean Claude d'Agostini (Magic Circus). Shorter songs with more variety are featured with pronounced synthesizer textures and a strong symphonic/psychedelic ambiance. Long a favorite of certain Clearlight fans, Bubbles was remastered to provide the best sound quality possible.
In addition to the original tracks, this CD also boasts the presence of four bonus tracks remixed in 2000 from the original 16 track master tape. "Sweet Absinthe" was recorded for the original sessions but left off of the LP. Featuring the triple tracked guitar artistry of Christian Boule along with Verdeaux's inventive keyboards, tuned percussion and outer space French rap, this track transports the listener straight into the next level. The song "Without Words" was remixed to bring out the symphonic qualities of the keyboards, in particular the multiple layers of Mellotron that were obscured on the original mix. "Flute Aquatique" is a remix of "Jungle Bubbles" but with the flute and percussion taking center stage creating a piece that would be at place at a world music festival. The CD ends with an alternate mix of "Sweet Absinthe" for those who prefer their Clearlight straight, no chaser.
CD $23

DELIRED CAMELEON FAMILY [CLEARLIGHT: CYRILLE VERDEAUX et al] - Delired Cameleon Family: Visa De Censure No X [sndtck] (Captain Trip 635; Japan) "The original LP was released as a soundtrack on EMI in 1975. Improvisation studio recording with LSD and hashish. Recording members: Cyrille Verdeaux, Tim Blake (Gong), Gilbert Artman (Lard Free, Urban Sax)...etc. Reissue with elaborate miniature paper sleeve of the original LP. 2008 digital remaster version, limited 1,000 copies!"
Recorded by a crew of French progressive musicians including Clearlight members as the soundtrack to the 1974 Pierre Clementi film Visa de Censure n* X, this album demonstrates the inspired genius that can occur when you combine talented musicians with a 'psychedelized' mind and the freedom of six crazy days in a recording studio off the clock. This is music that demands to be listened to with an open mind and a strong visual imagination, as the listener is transported to the next dimension. Featuring Cyrille Verdeaux, Joel Durgenot, Gilbert Artman, Francois Jeanneau, Joe Padovani, Yvan Coaquette, Ariel Kalma, Valerie Lagrange,Tim Blake and other space travelers, the music is alternately hallucinatory, soothing and 'nightmare' provoking. Featuring a cover with a chameleon eating pot leaves the overall concept can only be described as subversive surrealism. Great effort was taken during mastering this first CD version to produce the highest sound quality for tripping the light fantastique.
CD $23

CLEARLIGHT [CYRILLE VERDEAUX et al] - Les Conte De Singe Fou (Captain Trip 634; Japan) 1976. "The third album from 1976. Featuring: Cyrille Verdeaux, Francis Mandin, Tim Blake (Gong). Reissue with elaborate miniature paper sleeve of the original LP (gate-fold sleeve). The CD sleeve is hand-made due to special format. 2008 digital remaster version, limited 1,000 copies!"
This grand thematic and initiate piece features the Piano and synthesizers of Cyrille Verdeaux, the virtuosity of violinist Didier Lockwood and British vocalist Ian Bellamy's soulful voice. The result produced an ambitious and eternal tale about humanity's spiritual quest for higher perfection in the universe and the struggle to achieve this illumination in a world that crushes such noble ambition. Detailing the challenges, questions and dangers of such a quest provided a work that spans over forty minutes in the same tradition as Yes' "Close to the Edge", Genesis' " Suppers Ready" and Nektar's "Remember the Future", all contemporaries of Clearlight. Now available for the first time in CD format, this eternally young music will satisfy old fans and impress new converts to the Clearlight musical illumination.
CD $26

CLEARLIGHT [CYRILLE VERDEAUX et al] - Clearlight Visions (Captain Trip 636; Japan) 1978. "The fourth Clearlight album, 1978. The original LP was released on Polydor. Guest musicians: Dider Lockwood (Magma), Christian Boule, etc. Including bonus tracks from 1980 and 1983. Reissue with elaborate miniature paper sleeve (full color and gold print) of the original LP. 2008 digital remaster version, limited 1,000 copies!"
Following the recording sessions of Les Contes du Singe Fou, Cyrille Verdeaux was convinced of the need to strike out on his own as an independent producer. This realization occurred after he watched the concept album released to relatively small sales because of insufficient marketing and promotion. Expanding on the modal jazz and classical themes of his earlier work, he was eager to incorporate his new discoveries of Northern Indian raga music and yoga studies. Freed from the conditions being made by the mercantile record companies, Cyrille Verdeaux reinvented his progressive orchestra with his musician friends to record new Clearlight music. Returning from Les Contes du Singe Fou was renowned jazz violinist Didier Lockwood. Gong saxophonist "Bloomdido" Didier Malherbe and guitarist Christian Boule participated throughout the sessions. The LP was recorded in France and was mixed and mastered to Cyrille's exacting standards and a live band was assembled to play the music live, with the group touring with Gong in 1979. The cover, expertly painted by Brazilian painter Sergio Macedo also incorporated Verdeaux fascination with Kundalini Yoga and features a transparent female yogini hovering above the a crystal city of the future, with energy emanating from her Chakras, a yogic system of spiritual anatomy.
The music itself is a combination of composed music with improvised solos. The musician's interplay borders on telepathic and strains of Classical, Jazz-rock and Indian music fuse seamlessly into a timeless quilt. This CD release includes the entire 1978 album along with bonus tracks recorded by Verdeaux and friends with the songs back in the original LP order. After the 1979 tour with Gong, Verdeaux disbanded Clearlight and embarked onto a solo career with the album Messenger of the Son
CD $23


BARBECUE BOB - Chocolate To The Bone (Yazoo 2005; USA) "Barbecue Bob of Atlanta was a great singer and powerful twelve-string bottleneck guitarist in the 1920s. His inventive and varied arrangements are compelling rhythms made him a musical standout. His percussive attack was totally unlike any of his peers and added a new dimension to Georgia blues."
CD $16

COUNTRY BLUES BOTTLENECK GUITAR CLASSICS [V.A.] - 1926-1937 (Yazoo 1026; USA) "Bottleneck blues came from every region of the South; from Memphis (Memphis Minnie) to Texas (Black Ace) to Mississippi (Robert Johnson) to Georgia (Barbecue Bob), startling and imaginative creations were produced by a wealth of top-drawer bluesmen. Powerful, driving performances that utilize both clear single-note and barred chords will delight any listener." 1991 release of essential bottleneck classics from Barbecue Bob, Weaver & Beasley, Ruth Willis, Bukka White, Shreveport Home Wreckers, Robert Johnson, Black Ace, Jim & Bob (The Genial Hawaiians), Irene Scruggs, Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie, Oscar Woods, Bo Weavil Jackson, King Solomon Hill, and Ramblin' Thomas.
CD $16

REV. GARY DAVIS - The Complete Early Recordings Of Reverend Gary Davis (Yazoo 2011; USA) "Reverend Gary Davis was one of the greatest guitar players of the 20th century, regardless of genre. His range of styles and repertoire encompassed the spectrum of black music from the early part of the century. His faultless and complex picking techniques gave his 'holy blues' an inimitable richness, complemented by his impassioned religious singing."
CD $16

MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT - 1928 Sessions (Yazoo 1065; USA) "With his warm, gentle vocals and rhythmic guitar lines, Mississippi John Hurt's recordings represent a fascinating counterpoint to what is expected of Mississippi blues. His repertoire is a mixture of narrative ballads, traditional songs and blues."
CD $16

SKIP JAMES - The Complete Early Recordings Of Skip James: 1930 (Yazoo 2009; USA) "Certainly the most haunting and eerie sounding of all bluesmen, Skip James had a rare ability to draw upon his inner self for musical expression and an unmatched facility as an arranger to create a truly unique body of work. His playing on guitar and piano is unparalleled for rhythmic unpredictability and emotional effect."
CD $16

WASHINGTON PHILLIPS - The Key To The Kingdom (Yazoo 2073; USA) Compiled from extremely rare 78s originally recorded between 1927-1929, remastered in 2005. "Washington Phillips is one of the most intriguing and delightful figures in American music history. His style is completely unique, both in his warm, plaintive singing and his use of zither for accompaniment. His treatments of early religious material is poignant and expressive and his zither playing backup is absolutely captivating. His complete output of 16 selections is presented here with brand new remastering that heightens all the irresistible characteristics of his performances. Included also are 4 bonus tracks of similarly touching early religious music by Mamie and A.C. Forehand."
CD $16


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Newsletter readers only...

SALE! on PI records for the month of November ['til the 31st]

A label that only started at the advent of the third milennia [2001], yet has assembled a startling roster of fantastic creative releases - you can be sure this will be looked back on as one of the legendary outputs - just see below for who they've championed!

All PI CDs [regularly $15], NOW $13 for a limited time only - and the Art Ensemble double CD is $18 instead of $20

In-store customers must mention the newsletter to get this discount


MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS - Vision Towards Essence (Pi 23; USA) This spectacular disc features AACM founder, Muhal Richard Abrams, performing a rare solo performance at the Guelph Jazz Festival on September 11th of 1998. Muhal Richard Abrams founded the influential Association for the Advancement of Creative Music in Chicago more than forty years ago and continues lead this important organization today here in NYC. Muhal runs a few different ensembles, large and small and has recorded a couple dozen discs with duos (Roscoe Mitchell, Leroy Jenkins, Amina Claudine Myers, Malachi Favors & Marty Ehrlich), trios and varying sized ensembles and orchestras. Solo piano recordings and concerts are quite rare for Mr. Abrams.
'Vision Towards Essence' captures an hour-long solo piano performance in three parts. Muhal played on a Yamaha grand piano and the set was superbly recorded. "Part 1" begins sparsely with a few notes suspended in space, building in pensive power, selecting each note like a scientist searching for the answer to a mysterious question or problem. Muhal explores the dark regions of the low end of the piano, as the notes bristle with tension and suspense. It is fascinating to hear Muhal evolve a few different lines at the same time, like hearing waves crashing over once another in a harp-like motion. In "Part 2", Muhal continues to develop the different waves of notes, rolling up and down the piano keys, keeping a few dialogues going in simultaneously, balancing delicate suspense with occasionally startling eruptions. You can tell that this is a master at work, since we are often at the edge of our seats waiting for what surprises he comes up with next and the way this entire set is connected thematically. This entire disc is an outstanding work that will take a while to absorb all that is going on. I look forward to listening to it again and again. - BLG
CD $13

MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS/GEORGE E LEWIS/ROSCOE MITCHELL - Streaming (Pi 22; USA) Any new recording by Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell would be a notable occasion, but a recording by all three together is a genuine historical moment. All three are members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Muhal Richard Abrams (piano and percussion), a founder of the AACM, is a hugely influential musician who has been responsible for vastly expanding the boundaries of jazz. Roscoe Mitchell (saxophones and percussion) is well known as the founder of one of jazz's most recognized groups: The Art Ensemble of Chicago. George Lewis (trombone and laptop) is a MacArthur genius grant recipient who is influential in his use of computer electronics. The three have worked together in the past, recording on each other's albums such as Lewis' Shadowgraph (Black Saint, 1977), Mitchell's Nonaah (Nessa, 1978) and Abrams' Spihumonesty (Black Saint, 1980). The trio most recently played together at the 2003 Venice Biennale and that concert provided at least part of the impetus for the three to collaborate again as a trio.
CD $13

ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO [ROSCOE MITCHELL/JOSEPH JARMAN/DON MOYE/COREY WILKES/JARIBU SHAHID] - Non-Cognitive Aspects Of The City: Live At Iridium [2 CD set] (Pi 20; USA) This is the debut disc from the new Art Ensemble of Chicago and it features their current line-up: Roscoe Mitchell on sopranino, soprano alto & tenor saxes, flutes & percussion, Joseph Jarman on sopranino, alto & tenor saxes, flutes, percussion & vocal, Corey Wilkes on trumpets, flugelhorn & percussion, Jaribu Shahid on acoustic & electric basses and Don Moye on drums & percussion.
It's been nearly forty years since the legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago gathered their forces and arrived on the world stage. Their theme, "Great Black Music/Ancient to the Future" continues to show that they have long embraced the great history of Black Music(s). In the past decade, the Art Ensemble has lost two original members, Lester Bowie & Malachi favors, yet their creative flame continues. This marvelous double disc captures the current version of the Art Ensemble in full flight and sounding wonderful throughout this long and diverse double disc set. "Song for My Sister" is the title track from a Roscoe Mitchell disc from a few years back and it is features some fine laid back solos from Roscoe and Joseph. There are three group improvs and each provides mystery and suspense with different combinations of instruments. I dig the swirling soprano & sopranino saxes, melodica, bass and percussion on "The Morning Mist", completely cerebral. The AEC show that even playing "free", there are always levels of interaction going on that make these segments so magical. Mr. Shahid plays a super-quick bass-line on "Song for Charles" while the horns plays slow, sumptuous harmonies on the opening and closing theme. The furious rhythm team pushes the irrepressible Roscoe to launch into a sax solo that quite astonishing in intensity and spirit, leaving that feisty young whippersnapper, Corey Wilkes, to take an incredible solo as well. On another of their improv segments, "On the Mountain" the quintet are in constant flux, swirling through different genres, free and funky, as the horns play with, in and around one another, rarely stopping to catch their breath. What really amazes me and anyone else who listens is that nearly forty years after their birth, they continue to soar and explore their own world and provide the magic we each need to have faith in the future. - BLG
CD $18

ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO [ROSCOE MITCHELL/JOSEPH JARMAN/MALACHI FAVORS/DON MOYE] - Sirius Calling (Pi 11; USA) Featuring Roscoe Mitchell on saxes, flutes & percussion cage, Joseph Jarman on flutes, saxes, clarinet & percussion, Malachi Favors Maghostut on bass & percussion and Famoudou Don Moye on drums & percussion. This is the final studio recording with Art Ensemble bass giant Malachi Favors before his unfortunate passing on January 31st of this year. Malachi titled this mysterious work after Sirius, the brightest star in the sky whose first ascent, the ancient Egyptians believed symbolized renewal and reincarnation. The music has that ancient to modern, Art Ensemble cosmic magic, free-floating and focused and ever spirited. All the pieces except for one are less than 6 1/2 minutes, giving the fourteen tracks an often calm center and well-contained brevity. Both Roscoe and Joseph seem to favor those high-pitched sopranino & soprano saxes and clarinets, sometimes playful, sometimes more serious and somber like modern classical music. I dig the way the background textures change throughout "He Took a Cab to Neptune", as different players take short solos. The AEC continue to embrace the long history of jazz and swing subtly on "Till Autumn" in a most enchanting way. What they do best is that spacious, hypnotic percussion dream-world with ghost-like spirits floating through the mix. Malachi Favors' superb acoustic bass always at the center, inspiring his fellow travelers to reach for new heights. He will be sorely missed by many of us Art Ensemble freaks, yet his immense inspiration and influence will continue to grow.
The name Sirius Calling was chosen by Malachi. He identified with the star Sirius and, perhaps aware of the fragile state of his health, sensed that this might be the last time that he would be in the studio with his friends. This recording marks the end of a chapter in the group's history. They will rebound; they have already regrouped, and are moving on. We only regret it happened again so soon.
CD $13

ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO [ROSCOE MITCHELL/JOSEPH JARMAN/MALACHI FAVORS/DON MOYE] - The Meeting (Pi 7; USA) late 2002, Pi Recordings inquired into the possibility of recording the AEOC as a quartet once again with Joseph Jarman back in the fold. With some quartet shows booked in Europe on the horizon, the moment seemed right to bring the remaining members back together. The band gathered in Madison, WI so that Roscoe's percussion cage could be brought into the studio. The resulting sessions spanned some 8 days spread out between from late February to early April of 2003.
All of the band members wrote pieces for The Meeting. From Joseph's praises on "Hail We Now Sing Joy" to Roscoe's acerbic sense of wit on "Tech Ritter and the Megabytes" to Malachi's beautifully constructed "It's the Sign of the Times" the album shows a matured and developed group positioning themselves to move forward. With age and experience each member is writing at a new level and pursuing new musical goals. Gone are the cover renditions of pop songs. In their place are seven pieces that touch on tranquility and praise, controlled spontaneous composition, and organic grace.
The Meeting is a new place for the Art Ensemble. Slowed by the death of a founder and friend, the remaining members have come together to record one of their most personal albums ever, and as Roscoe frequently says, "The music is at such a high place now, people should hear it. People are writing at a higher level than they ever have before." The Art Ensemble of Chicago has responded to this statement and validated it, having recorded one of their best albums yet.
CD $13

LIBERTY ELLMAN With GREG OSBY/MARK SHIM et al - Tactiles (Pi 8; USA) Featuring Liberty on guitar, Mark Shim on tenor sax, Greg Osby on alto sax, Stephan Crump on acoustic bass and Eric Harland on drums. Liberty is one of the most promising guitarists to emerge from this scene in the past decade and can be heard playing his distinctive acoustic guitar in Threadgill's Zooid band. This is his second date as a leader and it is another great disc. Like Threadgill, Liberty writes tunes that defy easy categorization. "Excavation" opens with a restrained yet gnarly, harmelodic sort of riff that keeps the rhythm team on their toes as both Liberty and Mark take short, feisty solos. Liberty does a great job of writing challenging circular themes which keep the guitar and sax spinning in circles, interconnected with the tightly wound bass and drums. Both the guitar and sax take nifty solos which move in fragments, using space just right and always make perfect sense. Liberty has a rich, elegant tone which hovers between an acoustic and an electric jazz tone. There is also a clarity or purity here that makes these tunes sound effortless, although no doubt this is not the case. Many of these pieces do have a rather M-Base-like structure, especially when Greg Osby joins in on three of them. Even the excellent rhythm team appear to have that tight, spinning harmelodic web under their impressive control. A couple of the tunes are actually laid back and ballad-like and show exquisite taste with both the guitar and sax showing their delicate toned gifts. Another grand treasure from those fine folks at Pi Recordings.
CD $13

LIBERTY ELLMAN With STEVE LEHMAN/GERALD CLEAVER et al - Ophiucus Butterfly (Pi 19; USA) Guitarist/composer Liberty Ellman's second Pi recording as a leader, Ophiuchus Butterfly, is an initially striking and ultimately deeply satisfying set chronicling six musicians, ten pieces and one ambitious, personal and utterly mature sensibility. Ellman's guitar ability and style are undeniable here, but this isn't a "guitar" album. Liberty's third disc features Mr. Ellman on guitar, synth & sampler, Steve Lehman on alto sax, Mark Shim on tenor sax, Jose Davila on tuba, Stephan Crump on acoustic bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. This is the third superb release from guitar great Liberty Ellman, who you should know from his fine work with Henry Threadgill in Zooid. It seems to me that what started out as "M-Base", a concept invented by Steve Coleman, Greg Osby & others, that blended bebop, funk and other threads in modern jazz , nearly two decades back, has spawned newer developments that folks like Steve Lehman, Vijay Iyer and Liberty Ellman continue to re-invent. Liberty is also inspired by the unique instrumentation and sound of Threadgill's Zooid band, who share the same tuba player found on this disc. This music has an intense display of swirling layers of inter-locking lines. Liberty plays acoustic guitar, as well as a hollow-body guitar and has his own sound/approach. What makes this so special is that even when one person solos, the rest of the sextet must play intricate, shifting lines around the soloist. On a piece called "Aestivation", the tempo is slowed to a spacious pace, yet the harmonies are still engaging in their own cautious way. "Snow Lips" glows with haunting sampled electronics, reminding me of some of those mesmerizing backwards passages found on albums like Soft Machine's 'Four'. This entire disc works as a suite, as each piece seems connected by an invisible thread. Both saxists, Lehman and Shim, take a number of dazzling solos, spinning quick lines of notes that keep the adrenalin pumping for the listener. Liberty adds bits of echo here and there that add some mystery to the mix. Demanding music for demanding listeners, yet filled with surprises, subtle and otherwise. - BLG
"While this is quite definitely ensemble music, it's still music that lets the individual players express their personalities in its roiling, shifting structures-Ellman and saxophonists Steve Lehman and Mark Shim passing melodies back and forth, tuba player Jose Davila and bassist Stephan Crump doubling low-end lines or playing complementary but discrete parts, and drummer Gerald Cleaver acting as the fulcrum around which the pieces effervesce.
And everywhere that remarkable marriage of demanding compositional harmony and body-moving rhythm. "What I would hope to capture in some of this music is the emphasis of a really powerful and hypnotic rhythm but this exploratory and informed harmonic and melodic structure on top," says Ellman. "There's an intellectual feed but also a groove happening you could almost dance to. Music," he smiles, "that can bob your head and raise your eyebrow at the same time."
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AMIR ELSAFFAR With RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA/NASHEET WAITS et al - Two Rivers (Pi 24; USA) Featuring Amir ElSaffar on trumpet, santoor & vocals, Rudresh Mahathappa on alto sax, Zafer Tawil on violin, oud & dumbek, Tareq Abboushi on buzuq & frame drum, Carlo DeRosa on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. Another one of the highlights of the recent new trumpet fest (FONT 2007) was the appearance of Iraqi trumpeter, Amir ElSaffar with Frank London's Mystical Trumpet project at Synagogue here in NYC. Amir's new debut disc features the "Two Rivers Suite", which "invokes the Tigris and Euphates (Rivers), whose floods were the forces of creation and destruction in the world's first cities." This music is "meant to recall Iraq's history, both glorious and tragic".
Amir has put together a fabulous mixed sextet with exotic instrumentation like the santoor (hammered dulcimer), oud, buzuq (long-necked fretted lute) and dumbek, as well as two of downtown's best young musicians: Rudresh Mahathappa and Nasheet Waits. Commencing with the sublime sounds of the santoor, violin, alto sax, rhythm team and Amir's haunting voice. The vibe is dream-like and hypnotic, midway they get into a great, slow, sly groove with some superb eastern sounding solos from the violin and trumpet. I dig the way the drums and bass move in shifting currents on "Hemayoun", underneath the horns and oud. Rudresh takes an inspired solo with the oud or buzuq flowing notes around him in a magical blend. Amir continues in the same vibe/flow with his dynamic solo that comes next. The swell frontline of oud, trumpet and alto sax plays that great laid back groove on "Shatt al-Arab", which features a sly solo from the oud. Amir's solo on "Flood" is long, flowing and buzzes like a bee around a precious flower. Rudresh picks up thread and continues soaring with Nasheet's incredible drums weaving powerfully to inspire him further. When both horn join together near the end, it is a joyous moment. The percussion and buzuq begin "Khoah Reng" with an odd (17/8) rhythm, while soon the trumpet and sax start to trade lines in a slow-burning yet exciting way. There are two intro pieces here which flow nicely into the longer pieces that follow and set the vibe of things to come. The one thread that seems to run through this disc is a blues drenched one: it is a sound and feeling that is universal to all of us that have suffered in some way. It is both humbling and triumphant and it embodies this music quite well. - BLG
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FIELDWORK [VIJAY IYER/AARON STEWART/ELLIOT HUMBERTO KAVEE] - Your Life Flashes (Pi 5; USA) This excellent all-star trio features current NY jazz piano wiz Vijay Iyer (from Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory, Burnt Sugar & leader of an amazing quartet), Aaron Stewart plays impressive tenor sax (for Muhal Richard Abrams) and Elliot Kavee has played dynamic drums for numerous sessions (Joseph Jarman & Henry Threadgill) since moving here from the bay area a few years back. Considering there is no bass player present, the trio do a fine job writing and playing intense and fully fleshed out pieces that push all three members of this solid trio. Vijay is the main composer, writing all but two of the ten tunes, with Aaron writing the other two, but all three must shape these pieces. Right from the opening, "In Medias Res", Vijay has written a difficult, quick moving piece with tight, intricate, overlapping lines that all three members play with gusto. "Accumulated Gestures" also has the trio connecting on a couple of levels, as one persons solos, the other two must always play the underlying current, which always shifts, tempo-wise and dynamically. Even when they appear to have a freer episode, it snaps back to the chart on a dime. All three all well matched, playing as one dynamo. The currents are always shifting between quick, tight sections and more organic moving waves. Vijay often does a marvelous job of having his right dance around Aaron burning tenor while his left hand pounds out the rhythmic scheme with Elliot's powerful drums, sometimes those roles are switched. This is a exciting endeavor throughout and another winner from the that label of gems - Pi Recordings
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FIELDWORK [VIJAY IYER/STEVE LEHMAN/ELLIOT HUMBERTO KAVEE] - Simulated Progress (Pi 16; USA) Hailed as one of today's truly original and groundbreaking ensembles by publications as diverse as The Wire, Mojo, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Village Voice, Fieldwork sets forth a dynamic, high-impact group sound that's unlike anything you've ever heard. Simulated Progress, the band's second release, brings together three of creative music's most exciting young composer-performers - Vijay Iyer on piano, Steve Lehman on alto & sopranino saxophones, and Elliot Humberto Kavee on drums & percussion - who use the collaborative organizational model of a rock band to advance a unique vision of 21st century music.
Simulated Progress significantly ups the ante from the band's 2002 debut Your Life Flashes, in no small part due to the additional compositional contributions of Kavee and new saxophonist Steve Lehman alongside those of Iyer, and the sonic expertise of noted hip-hop & rock producer Scott Harding (aka Scotty Hard). From the understated resolve of "Infogee Dub" to the visceral power of "Gaudi" and the stealth navigation of "Trips", it becomes clear that this ensemble is on to something new, challenging, and immensely satisfying: a coherent, organic music that is miraculously ordered in some places, deceptively chaotic in others, and always masterfully arranged for this rare instrumentation.
Fieldwork offers an electrifying new model for improvised music, in which collective engagement with pre-composed rhythmic and formal materials takes priority over the traditional model of individual solos. The band employs an intensive rehearsal regimen that allows them to internalize these technically demanding musical materials, while at the same time collectively developing and refining a group aesthetic. To that end, each exhilarating track on Simulated Progress showcases the band's spontaneous arrangements and transformations of highly specialized compositional source materials. Their music is informed by underground hip-hop, electronica, contemporary classical music, polyrhythmic ideas from African and South Asian music, and the American jazz tradition - but it avoids sounding like any of these musics; it just keeps sounding like Fieldwork. The discerning Fieldwork fan may notice some personnel changes in the group. In late 2003, altoist Steve Lehman took on the demanding role previously occupied by tenor saxophonist Aaron Stewart, and he co-developed the material for Simulated Progress with Iyer & Kavee throughout 2004. In a more recent shift, since January of 2005, the drum chair has been occupied by percussionist-composer Tyshawn Sorey. Amidst these transitions, Fieldwork's startlingly well-defined group identity and band sound have continued to expand and mature.
It is easy to note that Fieldwork has benefited from each member's extended collaborations with musical luminaries such as Henry Threadgill, Dead Prez, Steve Coleman, Roscoe Mitchell, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Anthony Braxton. However, far from a simple model of hybridization and re-appropriation, the music on Simulated Progress reflects Fieldwork's much more ambitious goal of musical transformation and innovation through an engagement with diverse musical communities and an extended and ongoing collective inquiry.
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FIELDWORK [VIJAY IYER/STEVE LEHMAN/TYSHAWN SOREY] - Door (Pi 26; USA) A trio of bandleaders: Vijay Iyer on piano & compositions, Steve Lehman on alto sax & compositions and Tyshawn Sorey on drums & compositions. This is the third release from Fieldwork and they continue to evolve. Although Tyshawn Sorey, their ace drummer, is the youngest member of the all-star trio, he wrote five of their ten pieces. Since Tyshawn's debut 2 CD set came out last year on Firehouse 12, folks have been talking about what an incredibly gifted musician and composer he is. His debut disc ranges all the way from Morton Feldman-like sparseness to advanced trombone explorations and more. Each of these three leaders keep busy in wide variety of bands and projects, so each man brings quite a bit to the table.
The last couple of times that I caught Fieldwork play live, they sound like they've changed a bit. Slowed down and are trying out some new strategies. "Of" opens with a tense, slowed down, brooding intro that builds in tempo as it escalates and finally hits its intense hyperactive M-Base-like stride. This is the Fieldwork groove: the alto sax and drums swirling tightly together while Vijay inserts two different piano lines, one slow and one much quicker. All three players revolve around one another in inter-connected, well-balanced orbits until they all come together and the right note at the same time. Piece over, next piece. If this sounds mathematic or cold, it is not. This is just one way of looking at things. The way the lines intersect is different each time and that which is accentuated it often shifting into another section. At times, there is a mechanical quality, yet the piano brings a human touch, by adding some elegance and occasional reflective melodies. The variations in structure provide a constant challenge as each player must fit within the revolving spheres and provide an integrated solo at times. There is a balancing act going on here as all three musicians must shift together while sailing around one another. There is a grace under pressure than recalls ballet or certain sports that demand a focused balance of various physical tribulations. When things finally slow down on "Bend," I get the feeling that this is only a momentary pause in the activities that again build up to another more intense conclusion. Still the drama of what is taking place is a well-planned oasis within the storm. "Cycle 1" is even slower, more stark and delicate. Each note is stretched out cautiously, the way it unfolds is calming and organic. "Pivot Point" is just incredible as it erupts a t a furious tempo, yet slows down in certain sections and then erupts at an astonishing pace once again. As Fieldwork mature and evolve they find new ways to challenge themselves and us as well. - BLG
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VIJAY IYER & MIKE LADD - in what language? (Pi 9; USA) Featuring Mike Ladd on voices, electronics & lyrics; Vijay on piano, keyboards & compositions; Latasha Diggs, Allison Easter Ajay Naidu on voices; Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet; Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto sax; Dana Leong on cello, trombone & flugelhorn; Liberty Ellman on guitar; Stephan Crump on bass and Trevor Holder on drums. "In What Language?" refers to the unjust ordeal of a (pre-9/11) detained and incarcerated Iranian filmmaker at JFK airport in NY and a commentary on the plight of travelers worldwide ever since. An enclosed booklet contains of all the words involved, giving us a great deal to consider. "The Color of My Circumference I" is a moody, reflective piece with a hypnotic repeating piano phrase, Mike's words set the scene and provide questions to ponder. Are we just a catalogue of memories, a series of possessions or just some computer code of information? A drum n' bass groove speeds up our pulse as the words and observations flow more quickly. A bunch of different sly funk grooves hit one after the other and make us feel good, but (airport) makes us uneasy, nervous and fearful. I am reminded of Steve Reich's "Different Trains" with a continuous moving vibe at the center, like a train ride. The four voices take turn describing our journey and making observations about our trip. The music is filled with a continuous, yet evolving set of infectious grooves that seduce us as the words fill us with frustration, resignation and anger at authority figures, those who tell us what to do. Occasionally the mood lightens up a bit and the words/voices become more reflective, the music almost soothing. All in all, this is a provocative treasure chest of highly focused thoughts and sounds, giving us an example of what a successful modern day opera could be. If the word "opera" bothers you, forget that I mentioned it and dig this anyway.
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JUNCTURE [V.A. With VIJAY IYER/VERNON REID/DJ SPOOKY et al] - Music And Stories (Pi 12; USA) Juncture is a large-scale collaborative project made up of original stories, drawings, paintings, photos and music by over fifty of the finest artists of our generation. The book, with accompanying visuals, was recently published by Soft Skull press. The CD features new works by some of today's most recognized names in music; DJ Spooky, High Priest (formerly of the Anti-Pop Consortium), Vernon Reid, Mike Ladd, and Vijay Iyer among others. The music in many cases is meant as an accompaniment to the stories and in some instances is purely inspired by the writing. This is the first time, in recent memory, where a group of artists this established has come together to work under a common banner; Juncture.
The CD is a cross between electronic music (DJ Spooky, Mike Ladd), jazz (Vijay Iyer, Jay Collins) hip-hop (High Priest, The Real Live Show), and experimental (Vernon Reid, Lorenzo Pace). The tracks are, in many cases, a departure from the established sound for many of the artists. High Priest's track is an instrumental excursion across the subways of New York City. Fans hoping to hear Vernon Reid on guitar will be pleasantly surprised to find him working solely with electronics. Mike Ladd leaves his microphone alone creating an aural world of sound. Other tracks find the artists moving forward in a more recognizable way, such as DJ Spooky and Vijay IyeRrs respective tracks.
In world where the arts are becoming increasingly more generic, the combination of artists that form Juncture, bring a breath of fresh air. The CD and book paint a broad and dynamic view of the arts today. On its own, the CD delivers a fresh perspective of the music scene coming out of NYC. Years from now the Juncture project will stand as an early testament to the fertility of the arts in America at the turn of the century. The name Sirius Calling was chosen by Malachi. He identified with the star Sirius and, perhaps aware ofthe fragile state of his health, sensed that this might be the last time that he would be in the studio with his friends. This recording marks the end of a chapter in the group's history. They will rebound; they have already regrouped, and are moving on. We only regret it happened again so soon.
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STEVE LEHMAN With DREW GRESS/TYSHAWN SOREY et al - On Meaning (PI 25; USA) Widely regarded as one of today's bracingly original young composers, Steve Lehman's critically acclaimed quintet, combines groove-oriented musical content with highly contrapuntal, asymmetrical, and non-repetitive structural devices. Imagining his music in this way, Lehman creates elaborate formal works that remain rooted in the physicality of live performance and the visceral nature of urban rhythm.
Each of On Meaning's eight compositions addresses the challenge of creating fresh environments for modern improvisers and advances a unique and meticulously crafted vision of compositional form, harmony, rhythm, and orchestration. "Analog Moment" and "Curse Fraction" focus on the nature of background/foreground binaries, while "On Meaning" and "Haiku d'Etat Transcription" use changing speeds and metric modulations (both temporary and permanent) to challenge the members of Lehman's quintet to draw from their individual resources in new ways. Other compositions, such as "Great Plains of Algiers", draws from Lehman's study of spectral harmony under Tristan Murail at Columbia University, while Open Music layers irrational rhythms and microtonal backgrounds in creating a richly imagined setting for Tyshawn Sorey's featured drum solo. Throughout On Meaning, Lehman's cutting-edge compositional voice is brought to life by his remarkable quintet, featuring performer / improvisers who represent the absolute state-of-the-art on their respective instruments: Drew Gress on bass, Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Tyshawn Sorey on drums, and Chris Dingman on vibraphone. Lehman's own performance, on alto saxophone, bristles with the unique combination of explosiveness and precision that has been his trademark since he burst onto New York's creative music scene in 2004. Much like the abstract and darkly compelling compositions of On Meaning, Lehman's work as a saxophonist - combining a highly advanced harmonic language, microtonal playing, extended techniques, and a deeply rooted rhythmic sense - positions him, at 28, as one of the most significant voices to emerge in creative music in recent memory.
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STEVE LEHMAN With VIJAY IYER/MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO/TYSHAWN SOREY/ERIC McPHERSON - Demian As Posthuman (Pi 17; USA) Featuring Steve Lehman on alto & sopranino saxes & sequencing, Vijay Iyer on piano, Tyshawn Sorey & Eric McPherson on drums, Meshell Ndegeocello on bass and Jahi Lake on turntable & electronics. Fifth fabulous disc from local alto sax great Steve Lehman and again he has reinvented his sound/approach. 'Demian as Posthuman' features a series of solos, numerous duos with the rambunctious drummer Tyshawn Sorey and three extraordinary quintet pieces with Vijay Iyer (both he & Steve are in Fieldwork), Jahi Lake (son of Oliver), pop/jazz/funk bass great Meshell Ndegeocello (!?!) and another fine new drummer, Eric McPherson. Co-produced by Scotty Hard.
The opening piece, "Vapors", is for the quintet, and it is a great M-Base-like piece, with Ms. Ndegegocello's assertive bass at the center of this dense construction. Even on many of the duos with Steve and Tyshawn, Mr. Lehman has set up some great drum n' bass grooves to work with on his sequencer, as the alto sax and drums dance around the beat. On both of the two solo pieces, Steve samples, manipulates and layers his sax into a weird, new blend. He loves to mess with the drum samples, turning them inside-out on occasion as Tyshawn adds snippets of acoustic drums beats or fragments. Steve does a magical job of layering his sax and playing hypnotic harmonies with himself. Sometimes Steve will take one line, slow it down and then turn it sideways as he plays around with it. This entire work is suite-like with the three quintet pieces strategically placed at the beginning middle and the end, each signals a new theme to be explored and manipulated. M-Base once proved that there was a connection between funk and bop structures. Steve Lehman shows here that there is still some fresh explorations to be made in a similar realm. - BLG
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RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA With KADRI GOPALNATH & THE DAKSHINA ENSEMBLE - Kinsmen (Pi 28; USA) Kinsmen is a groundbreaking project by alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa that melds jazz with South Indian music into a single organic whole. Mahanthappa, recently named a Top 10 alto saxophonist in the 2008 DownBeat Critic's Poll, is one of the most innovative young musicians in jazz today. Kinsmen is his collaboration with Kadri Gopalnath, a living legend of Indian music known as The Emperor of the Saxophone, a true innovator in bringing the saxophone to Indian classical music. The music on Kinsmen, featuring their co-led Dakshina Ensemble, is exemplar of successful multicultural, transnational collaboration. Utilizing his extensive knowledge of both jazz and the traditional melodic and rhythmic concepts of Indian music, Mahanthappa has masterfully provided a framework that has brought out the best in all the musicians, resulting in spectacular interaction and virtuosic displays from Gopalnath, A. Kanyakumari on violin and Rez Abassi on guitar. The band also features Poovalur Sriji on Mridangam (South Indian barrel drum), Carlo de Rosa on acoustic bass and Royal Hartigan on drums.
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RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA With VIJAY IYER et al - Codebook (Pi 21; USA) Once again the outside world has provided a launching point and a system of order to draw from for Rudresh. The music on Codebook stems from ideas and concepts related to cryptography. The varied systems provided the groundwork for Rudresh to approach the DNA of the compositions from fresh and previously unexplored angles. A standard could be transformed into an entirely fresh piece, a melody conceived by encoding words or phrases, and cyclic rhythms reorganized by way of a cipher. All of this is to say that another structure of order has been applied to music, but has been done so with such care and thought that the result sounds in no way formulated. As with all of Rudresh's music, the final product is quite surprising and intuitive. You can hear it in a track like Play It Again Sam, dedicated to Samuel Morse, where Rudresh opens and closes playing what could easily be Morse code. D (Dee-Dee) moves with a hint of a hard bop swing reoriented for a new audience. These pieces are just some examples of how the music never comes off sounding rigid or pastiche but instead as examples of a composer's hand deftly working within a system and creating something entirely organic.
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RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA With VIJAY IYER et al - Mother Tongue (Pi 14; USA) This is Mr. Mahanthappa's third great release and it features Rudresh on alto sax, longtime collaborator and piano wiz Vijay Iyer, Francois Moutin on acoustic bass and Elliot Humberto Kavee on drums. Like his constant colleague, Vijay, Rudresh also has a concept behind each of his fine releases. 'Mother Tongue' deals with the misconception that there is only one language, religion or culture in India, where Rudresh's ancestors are from. This vast nation (actually) encompasses a diverse population that can be culturally delineated by (various) religions, languages, musics, foods and more. Thus each piece on this CD musically conveys a different language or culture. Opening with "The Preserver", the quartet leap forward with a powerful and invigorating work that burns at a fast, nervous tempo. While Vijay brings to tempo back down to earth for a majestic solo, Rudresh erupts, pushing the quartet higher as he soars through his solo, with an inspired rhythm team tightly navigated the rapids down below. "English" has a cool, funky sorta groove, yet there a couple of different intersecting layers of lines at work, nothing is as simple as it might seem. "Kannada" is a lovely, rather mysterious ballad with each member of the quartet subtly playing around the structure, yet coming together on the theme. Rudresh often composes tunes that appear to have various lines moving apart and together at the same time, splitting the quartet into inter-connected sections, his own take on harmelodics, perhaps? Rudresh's distinctive pinched tone and unique way of bending his notes on his alto sax playing, also make him stand out as a new musician with his own discernable voice. Rudresh has also selected kindred spirits who do an outstanding job of dealing the complex layers of activity involved. I don't need to tell you much more about the ever-astounding Vijay Iyer, since I've consistently mentioned that he is the main new pianist to watch from the vast downtown scene. I must admit that drummer supreme, Elliot Kavee, has surprised many with his dynamic work with Henry Threadgill, Joseph Jarman and Fieldwork, he just keeps getting better and better. Francois Moutin is another fine contrabassist, whose playing I don't know nearly as well, but he also plays superbly throughout. Intense music for intense times. - BLG
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ROSCOE MITCHELL & THE NOTE FACTORY With CRAIG TABORN/VIJAY IYER et al - Song for My Sister (Pi 3; USA) Roscoe Mitchell is his own hard act to follow. A cofounder of the seminal Chicago organization the AACM, he is also the founder of the most important American jazz band of the 1970s, the Art Ensemble of Chicago. When the AECO was faltering in the 90s with the departure of Joseph Jarman and the death of Lester Bowie, he began issuing powerful work with a new nonet, the Note Factory. An uneven live group with a fluid membership, the Note Factory has been consistently strong on record, especially the 1999 ECM title 'Nine to Get Ready'. The group adeptly navigates Mitchell's jazzy songs, percussive outings and circular breath barrages. The massive back line (for this release, Vijay Iyer and Craig Taiborn on pianos, Leon Dorsey and Jaribu Shahid on basses and Gerald Cleaver and Vincent Davis on drums) create a stong foundation without muddying up the mix. Mitchell's and Corey Wilkes' horns are augmented on some tracks by added clarinet, bassoon and strings for pieces reminiscent of Mitchell's chamber works. The whole isn't as dynamic a group as the Art Ensemble, but it doesn't need to be. Instead, the ensemble is a knowing showcase for Mitchell's remarkable compositions (although Mitchell's devotion to guitarist Spencer Barefield remains a mystery). The Art Ensemble, now down to a power trio, have a new disc slated for the fall. In the meantime, Song for My Sister shows that Mitchell remains a force of nature.
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ODYSSEY [JAMES BLOOD ULMER/CHARLES BURNHAM/WARREN BENBOW] - Back In Time (Pi 18; USA) Odyssey features Blood on guitar & vocals, Charles Burnham on violin and Warren Benbow on drums. This is grand return of Blood's fantastic Odyssey trio, who once had a fine studio debut on Columbia and later live reunion disc on Knit Works, both sadly out-of-print. Although, as a solo artist, Blood's records are rather inconsistent, from amazing to mediocre, his band projects (Music Rev Ensemble, Phalanx & Odyssey) are consistently strong. Both previous Odyssey discs were great, this one just might be their best yet. Righteously recorded by Bob Musso, this has that great earthy, down home sound. Each piece has that great blues/funk groove. Mr. Burham's electric violin always speaks the truth, a perfect match for Blood's sensuous electric guitar. Burnham uses that wah-wah pedal to make his violin sing and speak the gospel. Although there is no bassist here, there is none needed as the trio are so well integrated into one unified sound. Blood only sings on a few songs here and each one is superb and selectively chosen. What is great is that this trio sounds like no other, their sound is completely unique. Although there a few spirited solos here and there, it is more the way the trio groove together and that makes this so special. It is rare when a band blurs the lines between dance music and sit-down listening music, but this great trio does it best and that has got to make you smile. - BLG
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REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE [LEROY JENKINS/SIRONE [NORRIS JONES]/JEROME COOPER] - And Now... (Pi 13; USA) Will wonders never cease!?! "and now" is the incredible new studio offering from one of guiding lights of the sixties avant-jazz legends, The Revolutionary Ensemble. Their distinguished personnel was and still is Leroy Jenkins on violin, Sirone on acoustic bass and Jerome Cooper on multi-dimensional drums, percussion and other assorted oddities. The Revolutionary Ensemble recorded 5 rare records in the late sixties/early seventies, only one of which is in print on CD, 'The Psyche' on Mutable. After some twenty years, they returned for a triumphant reunion set at this year's Vision fest in May and are now back to stay. What's fascinating about this music is that although it is mainly improvised, a great deal of rehearsal and skeletal charts give this music its magical focus. It blends many extreme elements: fragile, gnarly, outside, inside, intense and sublime into a unified group sound. The overall sound and production is also marvelous, balanced just right. It is quite rare for an avant-jazz unit from over two decades ago, to get back together and sound as if they never left, but this is indeed the case here. Their nearly 21 minute epic, "911-544" has Jerome playing some strange keyboard, piano and double reed, while Leroy bends notes on a harmonica, as well as some mysterious doubling bowing both strings. This piece is completely mind-blowing and reminds me of the way Sun Ra often prepares us for space travel with his omni-dimensional sounds.
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MARC RIBOT'S CERAMIC DOG With SHAHZAD ISMAILY/CHES SMITH - Party Intellectuals (Pi 27; USA) Marc Ribot is tough to put your finger on. He's a left-hander playing guitar right-handed who's turned his natural avant-garde tendencies into a prolific career as a collaborator; to say his music as a solo artist and bandleader is unpredictable is an understatement. He's done everything from straightforward rock to no wave to his own spin on Latin music in between outside gigs, where he's helped re-invent Tom Waits and worked with John Zorn, Elvis Costello, Alison Kraus, Foetus, Wilson Pickett, and Allen Ginsberg, among many others.
This latest album (roughly his 19th) finds him in a power trio setting with bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Ches Smith, with a sound somewhere between his freakiest no wave outbursts and his most direct rock output, with a bit more emphasis on the former. Ribot pokes a bit of fun at his own scattershot output on his website, specifying that Ceramic Dog is "not a project; a real band." There are traces of funk and ambient music running through the record, and it opens with the most sickly distorted and bastardized cover of the Doors' "Break on Through" imaginable-- the original's riff has been forcefully molded into a warped funk-punk groove.
It's all done with a certain rambunctious humor that makes it seem pretty natural that the noisescape of "Digital Handshake" could sit just two songs from "Todo el Mundo Es Kitsch", a song that lives up to its name with wry spoken vocals and a Latin lounge beat. While "Kitsch" is charming, though, "Handshake" spends five minutes noodling with harsh noise before finally going somewhere, too late to make a difference. Ribot has shown in the past that the line between pushing the envelope and outsmarting yourself can be ambiguous at best, and this track is an example of him crossing that line. Ribot's past dips into Latin rock hybrids are traceable on certain songs, such as standout "For Malena", a song with a stripped-back cumbia feel that replaces the usual hand drums with simple clicking and keeps the rhythm reserved. The verses are separated by a cool horn arrangement that sounds vaguely Balkan, and the track come off as similar in tone and construction to some of his best work with Tom Waits. It's amazing the way the band just plows through anything he can cook up for it. "Malena" is immediately followed by the ripping Spanish-language dance track "Pinch", a punk disco number that leaves lots of room for a hellishly bent guitar solo.
I think the best term to describe the record as a whole is "schizophonic." Every time you think the band has settled on psychedelic disco or blistering avant-noise, they throw another curve at you. "When We Were Young and We Were Freaks" is a barely-there spoken word/ambient/noise piece that reminds me of something Lee Ranaldo might have done on his own in the mid-1990s-- it's compelling in its decrepitude and just about the polar opposite of "Todo El Mundo Es Kitsch". The risk of experimentation is failure, and there are parts of this album that just don't work-- see "Digital Handshake" and the listless free rock mess of the first half of "Midost". As much as its variety sometimes translates to inconsistency, though, Party Intellectuals is a generally interesting listen and could even work as a nice introduction to Ribot's work as a leader for the way it runs so much of his gamut. - Joe Tangari, Pitchfork Media
CD $13

MARC RIBOT'S SPIRITUAL UNITY With ROY CAMPBELL Jr/HENRY GRIMES/CHAD TAYLOR - Spiritual Unity (Pi 15; USA) Featuring Marc Ribot on guitar & production, Roy Campbell on trumpets, Henry Grimes on double bass and Chad Taylor on drums. This is an extraordinarily spirited tribute to the mighty Albert Ayler, the great grand-master saxist of free jazz who died mysteriously some 35 years ago and whose influence and body of recorded work continues to grow each year. In the past year alone, we've seen the incredible 'Holy Ghost' 10 CD set, the previously unreleased 'Live on the Riviera' plus reissues of 'Spiritual Unity' and 'Vibrations' (a/k/a 'Ghost'). Word is that the newly reconstituted ESP is trying to put out another box-set of all the Freedom material. Spirits rejoice!
Local guitar hero, Marc Ribot (Electric Masada & Los Cubanos), is a longtime fan of Ayler's and has performed Albert's songs throughout the years. On 'Spiritual Unity', Ribot has put together a marvelous downtown all-star quartet, each member from much different backgrounds, yet united in their vision to bring this spirit music back to life. The long-lost legendary bassist, Henry Grimes, who disappeared from the scene for some thirty years, played with Albert Ayler on a few his Ayler's seminal recordings & concerts. Obviously, Mr. Grimes, who is playing better than ever is the perfect choice for this perfect quartet. Multi-trumpet ace, Roy Campbell, is everywhere and playing creatively in too many bands/situations to mention here. Former Chicago-based drummer, Chad Taylor also keeps immensely busy in numerous bands since moving here in a few years back.
The quartet cover five of Ayler's special songs, each is done with that cosmic spirit that Ayler's music so often embodied. "Invocation" is a most appropriate opening tune, the spirits swirling around one another in a flurry of intense inter-action. It is a marvel to hear Marc (guitar) and Roy (trumpet) dancing and darting with that hypnotic melody, as Henry (bass) and Chad (drums) weave some intricate rhythmic/melodic tapestry underneath. "Spirits' again takes off for the stratosphere quickly, burning and buzzing with powerful soaring activity. Ribot goes for it and takes one of those killer solos that hasn't been captured on record as often as we (his fan-addicts) would like. Both Mr. Grimes on bowed bass and Roy on (pocket?) trumpet also take colossal solos, both separately and together. "The Truth is Marching In" is one of those slower, yet mesmerizing pieces that Ayler did so well. It is an odd sort-of march that flows in sections, organically changing tempos as it speeds up and slows down again. Marc and Roy again solo together in a dazzling display of righteous communion, with Henry bowing in his unique, frenzied way as Chad spins his percussive storm in waves below. "Saints" is a spacious, freer piece that is quite dream-like in the way that it floats between worlds of wakefulness and sleep. Albert Ayler's classic "Bells" was recorded live at Tonic and it is an amazing side-long epic, with another insane march-like section and an outstanding solos from Marc (strangle those notes!), Roy and Henry. Truly, a colossal effort from all participants involved. Do not miss them when they play again! - BLG
CD $13

WADADA LEO SMITH & ANTHONY BRAXTON - Organic Resonance (Pi 6; USA) This historic meeting was recorded live at Tonic [first set] on April 5th of 2003 and was the first time that these two AACM giants have played together in many moons, their earliest recordings go back some 35 years! Neither of these two visionary composers and master musicians play here very often, so this was a much anticipated event and an important concert not to be missed by adventurous music fans from the New England area, hence playing to packed and enthusiastic crowd. This grand release consists of four long pieces, two works composed by each musician. This is a perfectly balanced recording, so that each musician gets to shine and blend his sound into a seamless thread. Mr. Smith's "Tawaf (Cycles 1-7)" is first and deals with cautiously placed notes and the select space between them. Both players deal with minute textures and fascinating variations, both reaching deep into their well of ideas and focused flurries of inspired activity. Mr. Braxton is especially intense, erupting frenzied flashes of lightning licks as Leo balances things with long tones, slightly bent in places. Mr. Braxton's "Compostion No. 314" also seems to deal with intricate layers of connected ideas, textures and odd harmonies. Sections of exquisitely placed note fragments and somber, drifting spirits appear and disappear. On "Composition No. 315", both musicians play closer to the mic and the activity becomes even more furious, as they push each other (and us) further and more intensely. Braxton is at his most explosive at times as Wadada paints his notes with the craft of one has infinite patience. There is a section in the second half where both musicians bend their notes into many strange shapes, showing their highly distinctive and personal vocabulary to be a most unique language. Finally, it all comes together on Leo's "A Celestial Bow, Stone Rivers and Silver Stars Overlayed in Red", which has some haunting muted horn from Leo and also balances silence with breathtaking results. Both musicians bend their notes together in a subliminally spirited connection. The cover painting is by Ornette Coleman and seems an appropriate one with its rich abstraction of dark pastels which reveal the challenging treasure within.
CD $13

WADADA LEO SMITH & ANTHONY BRAXTON - Saturn, Conjunct The Grand Canyon In A Sweet Embrace (Pi 10; USA) Saturn, Conjunct the Grand Canyon in a Sweet Embrace is the second release, in the two part series, of a live duo performance of Wadada and Braxton. It was recorded April 5th, 2003 at Tonic in NYC.
Wadada and Braxton's relationship dates back to their stay in Paris in the late 60s and their subsequent return to the states and New York City. The later beginning a new and incredibly fertile period of music in NYC, spurned on by the new Chicago transplants made up mostly of AACM members. This, along with Organic Resonance, is the first recording dedicated entirely to Wadada and Braxton's duo music. Consisting of 3 pieces, one each by Wadada and Braxton, and then one penned by the two of them together, this might be the only opportunity that one has to hear this startling music. Wadada's music is filled with the space and use of color and texture that makes it immediately recognizable. Energetic yet graceful, it combines elements of music from many different cultures. Blues gets mixed with modern music in such a way that the result is as much an improvisation on the form and sounds as it is an improvisation of many different musical/cultural elements mixing together.
Braxton's music here is a marked departure from his recent endeavors in Ghost Trance music. Braxton's tone, raspy at times, is set off against Wadada. Waves of sound, often a single note bent and fleshed out, converge and mix in a dance of volume, shade and contour. With both players listening intensely to one another the character of "Composition 316" begins to make itself apparent slowly. The culmination is a pulling at the seams of the music, as Wadada and Braxton contrast and compare their interpretation and execution of the piece.
Unlike much music out there, Wadada and Braxton's music is truly individual and systematic. Their respective approaches are the result of a lifetime of study and the formation and execution of ideas all pointing towards the documentation and realization of new horizons in music. The information and music contained in this CD will fuel a generation of musicians in the vocabulary of duo music for the time to come.
CD $13

WADADA LEO SMITH'S GOLDEN QUARTET With ANTHONY DAVIS/MALACHI FAVORS/JACK DeJOHNETTE - The Year of the Elephant (Pi 4; USA) Trumpeter and composer Smith has been an unsung pioneer on the improvising music scene since the late '60s, recording chaste, challenging music on his own Kabell and other hard-to-find labels (a beautiful '78 album for ECM being the exception). This all-star band, though, should draw some much-deserved attention. The music pivots upon the supple bass work of Malachi Favors Maghostut (a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago), with Jack DeJohnette (drummer alongside everyone from Miles Davis to Keith Jarrett) adding gauze-like cymbal play and fluid rhythmic commentary. On his own, pianist Anthony Davis has composed multicultural ensemble works and operas; here, he shadows Smith's alternately spiraling, sighing trumpet with reverberant electric keyboard chords (on the Miles-inspired groove of "Al-Madinah"), delicate acoustic piano filigree (the rhapsodic "Piru") and quick, chromatic curves ("Kangaroo's Hollow"). Golden indeed; the band's ethereal textures and incisive lyricism sound like no one else's.
CD $13

HENRY THREADGILL & MAKIN' A MOVE - Everybody's Mouth A Book (Pi 1; USA) The first release since 1997's Where's Your Cup, Everybodys Mouth's a Book was recorded in February of 2001 with Bill Laswell at the helm along with Henry. With the addition of Bryan Carrott and Dafnis Prieto, Henry Threadgill and Make A Move have come out with a new sound to compliment Henry's new compositions and methodology of composing and improvising. Make A Move is a very specific band for a very specific music, and the results from this session are the beginning of what may one day be seen as a revolution in music as important as any that has happened this century. Henry's electric band has grown immensely since their last studio effort. Everbodys Mouth's a Book documents what those who have been at Henry's shows already know; he is one of the great composers of this time, and the release of a new Threadgill album is the planting of a sign post in the road of creative music.
CD $13

HENRY THREADGILL'S ZOOID - Up Popped the Two Lips (Pi 2; USA) Zooid is Henry's first all acoustic band since The Sextet, and his first band since X-75 which has focused so heavily on strings. A "zooid" is an organic cell capable of independent movement or several cells forming a colony. As always with Henry the name fits the band perfectly, and Zooid can move as a group, and then a moment later become the stage for any player's voice to sound independently. The method of composition and improvisation is different from Everbodys Mouth's a Book, but Up Popped the Two Lips springs from the same period of creative gestation. Zooid is a new band for Henry and that freshness helps to make Up Popped the Two Lips one of Henry's most infectious albums yet. Under Henry's hand the band blurs the line between folk, jazz, classical and creative music. Who knows what Zooid will be next, but here is its first form.
CD $13


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