Talk about off da hook..!

Henry Kaiser/Damon Smith/Weasel Walter go up in FLAMES! Cline/Poole/McCauley Acoustic Guitar Trio! Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone! Corey Wilkes' Abstrakt Pulse! Charles Tolliver Big Band! Zu! Rob Mazurek Qnt! Hanuman Sextet!

Brotzmann/Hano! Joe Mcphee 2CD set! Secret Chiefs 3 DVD! Kazutoki Umezu! Tom Hamilton/Bruce Eisenbeil! Gratkowski's Zeitkratzer 3CD Box! Charlie Kohlhase! Garth Knox! Arthur Russell's Sleeping Bag sides!




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Our 2nd Free Instore show!

Sunday, March 29th at 7pm:

FRANK GRATKOWSKI & THOMAS HEBERER!
Frank on alto sax & clarinets and Thomas on trumpet!
Two European Horn Giants in a rare, intimate, duo setting!
WOW!

The first show last Monday, Tim Berne & Herb Robertson, was a smash revelry for the near 100 people who packed our intimate new space. So, Git outta da house and come on down!


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LIMITED ENGAGEMENT FOR THIS FOREMAN-ZORN THEATRICAL EVENT!

Richard Foreman is one of the most important theatre directors in the world, and has been a personal hero of John Zorn's for over 30 years. This theatre/music piece is the historic first-time collaboration for two masters of the bizarre (both MacArthur geniuses) who individually have challenged, enlightened and entertained adventurous audiences for decades.

ASTRONOME: A NIGHT AT THE OPERA is a work dominated by ecstatic groans, grunts and babbling, and explores the initiation of a group of people into a world where ambiguous behavior alone leads to freedom--perhaps under the tutelage of the necessary "false messiah." This is one of those events that can only happen downtown - culminating from a chance meeting in the street - independent of any special grants, funding, institution or administration.

Based on ASTRONOME, the intense second CD of a series featuring Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn and Joey Baron, Richard Foreman's staging of it is absolutely stunning!

Please make a special effort to see this once in a lifetime event, opening FEBRUARY 5th and RUNNING FOR ONLY TWO MONTHS through APRIL 5th at the ONOTOLOGICAL-HYSTERIC THEATRE
@ St Marks Church in the East Village, 131 East 10th St on Second Ave!


to purchase tickets, go to:

https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/633735


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HENRY KAISER/DAMON SMITH/WEASEL WALTER - Plane Crash (UgExplode 30; USA) Featuring Henry Kaiser on electric & acoustic guitars, Damon Smith on acoustic & electric basses and Weasel Walter on drums. Guitar legend Henry Kaiser gives his most intense performance in decades on this no-holds-barred studio session featuring the Bay Area's number one ass-kicking rhythm section. The record vacillates between nuclear-warlike Masayuki Takayanagi/Sonny Sharrock/Keiji Haino blasts of dissonant guitar pyrotechnics and viciously quiet all-acoustic tracks which will please fans of the SME/Derek Bailey/Company aesthetics. There are no licks here - just 100% abstract experimental improvisation for those who need their music to be fast, muscular, challenging, articulate and otherwordly. "Word from our good pal Weasel Walter is that this is the heaviest guitar freak-out disc that Henry Kaiser (and his current trio) has ever done. Sounds amazing to me and you should be as excited as we are." - BLG
CD $15



ACOUSTIC GUITAR TRIO [ROD POOLE/NELS CLINE/JIM McAULEY] - Acoustic Guitar Trio (Long Song 112; Italy) Recorded at Downtown Playhouse, Los Angeles, July 26th, 2003. Rod Poole (acoustic guitar, bowed guitar). Nels Cline (acoustic guitars). Jim McAuley (acoustic guitars). When I received the info on this fine disc, it included these words from Nels Cline which I felt were most appropriate.
"Sometime in the late 1990's, I finally heard Rod Poole play solo acoustic guitar. I think it was at The Smell, an all-ages oasis for underground music in downtown Los Angeles. He was playing his just-intonated Martin guitar, fighting the very resonant leakage from the jukebox in the Latino tranny bar next door, its patrons being showered with blasts of Norteno that threatened a sonic incursion on the intimate, crystalline purity of Mr. Poole's performance. But nothing could sully this moment for me. Many had told me that I should check Rod's music out. He had only been in Los Angeles a few years, transplanted from his native England. He had been playing solo concerts here and there, as well as performing his music for an ensemble of bowed, open-tuned acoustic guitars. He had recorded a bit at the now-defunct recording studio and underground music haven in Los Angeles called Poop Alley, and I think that Poop Alley empresario Tom Grimley may have been the first person to tell me about Rod. But on that evening at The Smell, I was not only dazzled by the beauty of Rod's music and by his concentration, I also wondered how I could find an avenue that would lead me closer to his art, to a possible collaboration of sorts.
Eventually, it came to me. I had known guitarist Jim McAuley since the late 1970s. He had played numerous times in the 90s at a concert series I once booked, performing on mostly acoustic guitars in various states of preparation, different tunings, etc. And I have long felt that Jim, always bubbling under the radar after years and years of creative endeavor, was under-appreciated. Like Rod (and unlike me), he possessed serious fingerstyle technique. Like me, he had a non-systematic love and understanding of salient aspects of microtonal music, which was Rod Poole's obsession (well, one of many, it turned out). So I came up with the idea of an improvising, microtonal acoustic guitar trio. When I approached these gentlemen with the idea, they were enthusiastic, which was a bit surprising, especially in Rod's case, because outwardly he had a sort of British reserve, and also because I had heard and felt that he was one serious fellow! Jim had apparently not heard Rod's music, but it was no surprise that when he finally did that he loved it as much as I did. The year was 1999. The Acoustic Guitar Trio, as it would generically be called, was born; a group which I formed but one I did not lead. Our work was purely collaborative.
Rod Poole was also a tireless documenter of the local improvising and new music scene. He could often be seen in a corner, in headphones, with his DAT-loaded mini-rack and luggage cart. As such, every bang, scrape, and chime of the Acoustic Guitar Trio was recorded by Rod. Lucky us! The release of this document, "Vignes" is, of all the 'live' recordings Rod made, the only one that was subject to Trio scrutiny that lead to unanimous agreement on content. We really hoped that someone would release it, in spite of the car noises and whatnot, because we all liked these pieces. Rod could be quite a stickler, and it was his ear for severe editing that shaved two sets of improvising at the Downtown Playhouse (on Vignes Street) in Los Angeles to the three pieces heard on this record. Rest assured there is a lot of other good material waiting in the wings, but this was what we hoped could be the follow-up to the eponymously-named studio recording that Derek Bailey had released on Incus. Time and circumstances beyond our control prevented this. Until now.
Sometime around 2003, Rod announced to Jim and myself that he wanted to cease performing 'live' completely. Given his headstrong qualities and seeing what a battle it is to play music of such uncompromising delicacy and subtlety, I really couldn't blame him. This, along with my burgeoning tour schedule with Wilco and numerous other groups coupled with Jim's family responsibilities, caused us to all drift apart, a drift I felt was surely temporary. Unfortunately, Rod Poole was murdered not far from his and his wife Lisa's apartment in Hollywood, the details of which I do not care to go into here. Suffice to say that it was a pointless act of the most heinous type, and we who loved Rod Poole and his music are forever wounded by it.
For now, enjoy "Vignes", a concentrated sampling of three microtonal improvising acoustic guitars. Our methodology was quite simple: make up a tuning on the spot for each improvisation, look around at each other to find the nods and grins of agreement that meant that a promising tuning combination had been arrived at, and GO. For Jim McAuley and me, it was challenging yes, but more like breathing; natural, nurturing. We hope you like the music. All love and respect to Rod Poole, and thanks to Fabrizio Perissinotto for bringing it to the world on Long Song." - Nels Cline
CD $16



MARY HALVORSON & JESSICA PAVONE - Thin Air (Blue Series/Thirsty Ear 57188; USA) Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone have collectively been featured in The New York Times, Jazz Review, BBC, The Wire, Time Out New York, Jazztimes, All About Jazz, and Downbeat. From the collaborative minds and nimble fingers of Mary Halvorson (Guitar, Vocals) and Jessica Pavone (Viola, Vocals) come a minimalist performance of stark clarity and introspection, presented in avant-folk with jazz underpinnings. I haven't heard this yet but I find both of these fine musicians to consistently come up with strong surprises, musically speaking. Review soon..
CD $15


SIGNAL TO NOISE - The Journal of Improvised Music (Issue 53/Spring 2009; USA) ON the Cover: Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone! As well as the feature story on this issue's Dynamic Duo on the cover, there are articles and features on Giuseppi Logan, Allen Lowe, Lucas Abella, Azita - and of course dozens upon dozens of new release and recent live gig reviews!
MAGAZINE $5



COREY WILKES & ABSTRAK PULSE - Cries From Tha Ghetto (Pi Recordings 29; USA) Featuring Corey Wilkes on trumpet & flugelhorn, Kevin Nabors on tenor sax, Scott Hesse on guitar, Junius Paul on bass, Isaiah Spencer on drums and Jumaane Taylor tap dancing. One of the hottest young trumpeters on the scene today, Corey Wilkes shows off another side of his musical personality with his new release Cries From Tha Ghetto. Unlike Drop It, his prior release as a leader which focused more on his funky soul side, Cries From Tha Ghetto demonstrates a mid-'60s Blue Note sensibility melded with the influence of Chicago's AACM. Wilkes' playing evinces the concise, bravura playing of Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan combined with the more open style of Lester Bowie. Indeed, in 2003 Wilkes was handpicked by Roscoe Mitchell to replace the irreplaceable Bowie as trumpeter in the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the flagship band of the AACM. Wilkes is based in Chicago, and it seems that a whole scene revolves around him in that musically vibrant city. The CD features just one of many bands that Wilkes leads: Abstrakt Pulse, featuring several up-and-comers from the Chicago jazz scene.
CD $15


ROB MAZUREK QUINTET - Sound Is (Delmark DE 586; USA) Featuring Rob Mazurek on cornet, synth & piano, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Matthew Lux on bass guitar, Josh Abrams on acoustic bass & piano and John Henrdon on drums & percussion. Composer Cornetist Rob Mazurek consistently pushes beyond the expectations of his listeners, drawing together ideas out of sound, personalities out of space, and fusing color and light into the tones of his music. The debut record of this new quintet, featuring John Herndon on drums (Tortoise, the For Carnation), Matthew Lux on bass guitar (Isotope 217, Iron and Wine) Josh Abrams on acoustic bass (Town and Country, Black Earth Ensemble) and Jason Adasiewicz on vibes (Loose Assembly, Rolldown) pulls together an astounding array of personalities into a seamless and effervescent whole. SOUND IS features 14 new Mazurek compositions.
CD $15


CHARLES TOLLIVER BIG BAND - Emperor March: Live At The Blue Note (Halfnote 4539; USA) It is an exhilarating recording, featuring expansive, progressive arrangements and solos from Billy Harper, Marcus Strickland, Stanley Cowell, and the leader, among others. Tolliver, who earned a Grammy nomination with last year's big bang record, showcases his writing, arranging and conducting skills, prodding the 19-piece band to step out boldly. It is an audacious performance, capturing all at the peak of their powers, clearly drawing inspiration from the energy and vitality of New York's foremost jazz club.
CD $15


THE HANUMAN SEXTET [ANDY HAAS/DON FIORINO/MIA THEODORATUS/MATT HEYNER/DEE POP/DAVID GOULD] - 9 Meals From Anarchy (Resonant 07; USA) Featuring Andy Haas on sax, raita, morsing & live electronics, Don Fiorino lotar & lap steel, Mia Theodoratus on electric harp, Matt Heyner on bass & erhu and David Gould & Dee Pop on drums & percussion. This is the second disc by the Hanuman Sextet and they remain one of downtown best kept secrets. Starting with "Come Down, Darkness" the Sextet get into a twisted sort of funk, free jazz groove that feel just right and takes us into outer space. They do a couple of select covers like "Salt Lane Rock" by Cedric Brooks which layers slide guitar with echoed sax, bent electric harp and subdued spinning drums. Very cool indeed! This music blends a good deal of disparate streams: Sun Ra space music, country steel guitar, other-worldly harp, New Orleans sly sax and swirling percussion. Although much of this is "out", it is never too far out. There is something indescribably joyous about this that makes me smile yet I can't quite put my finger on it. One of the strangest, coolest, ..wackiest treasures that I've heard in a long while. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $10


ZU [MASSIMO PUPILLO/LUCA T MAI/JACOPO BATTAGLIA] - Carboniferous (Ipecac 110; USA) In the past decade, the Rome-based power trio Zu has grown into a truly fearsome beast. Kindred spirits with extreme noise merchants like the Flying Luttenbachers, Last Exit, Lightning Bolt and Painkiller, baritone saxophonist Luca T. Mai, electric bassist Massimo Pupillo and drummer Jacopo Battaglia channel riotous improvisational freedom into a tireless DIY punk rock aesthetic that champions collaboration above insular development.
Making their high profile debut on vocalist Mike Patton's Ipecac Records, Carboniferous is the trio's fifteenth recording, preceded by a spate of releases on obscure but highly regarded independent labels. In league with their previous work, which features collaborations with Eugene Chadbourne, Mats Gustafsson, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Nobukazu Takemura, Ken Vandermark and many others, this visceral set includes a number of guests, including guitarist King Buzzo (groups The Melvins and Fantomas) and two memorable appearances from Patton himself - his delirious vocal acrobatics on the surreal, prog-metal mini-epic "Soulympics" and unearthly overtone singing on the atmospheric "Orc" are the album's most unorthodox performances, providing welcome respite to the session's bone-crushing intensity.
Revealing their debt to extreme metal, the surging opener "Ostia" features grinding bass figures, coruscating baritone eruptions and blistering drum fills borrowed from Slayer's own Dave Lombardo; obviously, this is not your father's jazz. Mai's forlorn baritone cries on "Axiom" may invoke the noir cinematic vibe of Ennio Morricone, but typically the trio unleashes a relentless fusillade of mechanized aural violence.
King Buzzo's sludge metal riffing on "Chthonian" lends a menacing Lovecraftian ambience, setting the mood for the majority of the album. Awash with impertinent key changes, sudden tempo shifts, pulverizing downbeats and overdriven electronic textures, it lays an ominous foundation of unresolved tension.
While the endless barrage of off-kilter time signatures, punishing rhythms and extreme volume often lacks dynamic variety upon repeated listens, when enjoyed incrementally the set possesses its share of visceral charms. Regardless of genre, the testosterone fueled Carboniferous is bound to be one of the heaviest, most uncompromising records of the year. - Troy Collins, AAJ
CD $16


SECRET CHIEFS 3 [TREY SPRUANCE et al] - Live At The Great American Music Hall [DVD] (Web Of Mimicry 36; USA) Live at the Great American Music Hall captures Secret Chiefs 3 in concert with what many consider to be the best of their many line- ups in 14 years of playing. Shot in 2007 at one of the band's favorite haunts, this DVD does justice to a group whose live energy usually exceeds the recorded medium. Renowned for their ultra-elaborate CD productions, Secret Chiefs 3 has also garnered a reputation for the power and immediacy of their live shows. Their fanbase has swelled in recent years and grown accustomed to this live incarnation (the Secret Chiefs 3 bootleg scene is thriving), and they demand an official release! Not just some audience-hand-cam and stereo-mic-job thing, this DVD boasts a pro six-camera shoot with live sound mixed by Billy Anderson, with the multi-channel outs mixed for DVD by Trey Spruance and Randall Dunn (producer of Earth, SUNNO))), Kinski, Wolves in the Throne Room, etc). And it comes with a really nice six-panel gatefold digi-pack with original artwork. At the show, Secret Chiefs 3 performs a set of both familiar and as-yet-unreleased music. The line-up includes Ches Smith (Xiu Xiu, Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog), Shahzad Ismaili (who also plays with Graham Haynes, Laurie Anderson, and Tom Waits), Timb Harris (Estradasphere), Rich Doucette, Peijman Kouretchian, and Jai Young Kim.
This DVD also includes an award-winning and seriously dimensionally altered 80-minute stop-motion animation feature film directed by Tawd Dornfeld that uses Secret Chiefs 3's live show as a soundtrack.
DVD $18



Shoji Hano's own new label Heart Lord!

PETER BROTZMANN/SHOJI HANO - Funny Rat/S 2 (Heart Lord; Japan) Funny Rat/S1 was released on the IMJ [Improvised Music Japn] label - an amazing rave-up. More intensity is found here on S2!
CD $25

PETER BROTZMANN/SHOJI HANO - Funny Rat/S 3 (Heart Lord; Japan)
[please note: our full order of this one did not arrive, so you may be back-ordered on it for a short time]
CD $25

SHOJI HANO - Drums (Heart Lord; Japan) Drums in this case means a slightly non-standard kit of bass drum,two tom-toms, two cymbals and a hi-hat. No snare, the drum that usually sits at the heart of a kit. Deprived of its crisp articulations, Hano relies much more on toms and hi-hat than would normally be the case,producing a sound that owes more to rock music than jazz. Having said that his approach is far from monolithia, and technically he's light years ahead of all but the best rock drummers -and,for that matter jazz drummers too. Of the five pieces on Drums, "Improvisation3", which features cymbals,and "Improvisation4", which initially draws sounds out of near silence, are the tracks, I'll most often return to , but drummers will marvel at everything he does. - Brian Marley, Wire
CD $25


KAZUTOKI UMEZU - Umezu Kazutoki Plays The Enka (Doubt 126; Japan) This Umezu's second solo disc. Instead of just solo bass clarinet like his first disc (also on Doubt), he plays alto & soprano sax, clarinet and bass clarinet. "Enka" is a style of Japanese pop songs analogous to American blues or country. For this disc Umezu performs fourteen standards from Japan and elsewhere in Asia. What I find most extraordinary about this is that he has chosen songs that reach deep for our hearts, each one is special in its own way. Umezu takes these songs and stretches them, bending notes and often erupting with exuberance. The first piece is a most poignant ballad that Umezu blasts into tear-jerking oblivion. The second piece sounds like Evan Parker circular breathing fast layers of notes on his soprano sax, with two lines intersecting at once. Although all of the song titles are in Japanese, many of the songs do sound familiar, like a melancholy, late-night ballad to drown your tears with. Since the clarinet has an even longer history in jazz as a soloing instrument, Umezu sounds as if he is reaching further back with his touching yet ancient clarinet tone at hand. On bass clarinet, he has a modern modern sound, still warm and wooden with quick cascades of exuberant notes. I found this disc to be very well balanced between the old and the new, the startling and the subtle and between four different reeds, each with its own sound, approach and history. Even though this is a solo effort, it is completely satisfying from the beginning to the end. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $23


TAKU SUGIMOTO/KEVIN DRUMM - Den (Sonoris 13; EEC) Taku Sugimoto: guitar; Kevin Drumm: guitar, electronics. Recorded live at Gallery Den in Tokyo on April 5, 2000 by Simpoh Yanagawa
An album that documents the concert by two guitarists (of which one also plays electronics) held on April 5th, 2000 in Japan. Sugimoto is known for his improv style in which silence plays an extensive role. He strums a string, waits, strums the same and waits again. The space in which he plays becomes an important factor. Drumm is kinda similar, but he's responsible for the electronic part, so he fills his guitar strums, with occasional feedback, crackles and glitches. Yet, Drumm is a controller, so he never lets things out of control. Listening to these 41 minutes you feel the air of the Gallery where this was recorded, so much silent interludes, delicate strumming, isolated cracks and more silence. If you try listening superficially, then the whole thing go lost. This requires your full attention, or better play something else. Zen in music. - Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly
CD $20



JOE McPHEE With MICHAEL BISIO/DOMINIC DUVAL/CLAUDE TCHAMITIAN/PAU; ROGERS - Angels, Devils & Haints: Europa Jazz Festival 2000/Action Jazz Pannonica 2000 [2 CD set] (CJR 7; USA) Featuring Joe McPhee on tenor & alto sax & pocket trumpet with four acoustic bassists, two from the US, Michael Bisio & Dominic Duval and two who live in France, Paul Rogers & Claude Tchamitian. According to Mr. McPhee this music is a celebration of the music of Albert & Donald Ayler. Mr. McPhee did in fact meet Donald Ayler in a record store in 1965 in NYC and was invited to go to a rehearsal with the Aylers, which sadly never came to be. The Albert and Donald Ayler are longtime inspirations for Joe McPhee and you can hear their spiritual beauty in this music. The four acoustic bassists create a cosmic web of bowed and plucked strings that swirl together like a quicksand of heavy spirits. Joe McPhee sounds marvelous as he bends and twists his notes inside out, occasionally screaming and shrieking and providing the powerful calm at the center of the hurricane. On the title track, "Angels, Devils & Haints", it breaks down to one bassist and then builds back up as each bassist comes back in to play layers of cosmic lines, weaving like an extraordinary tapestry that quite mesmerizing. McPhee covers two standards that were also done by Albert Ayler, "Goin' Home" and "Ol' Man River" and does a fine job of stretching these songs into new shapes. For those of us who need to hear and feel their music on the more spiritual side, this double disc set is certainly manna from the gods. So dig in and be fulfilled. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
CD $15


TOM HAMILTON/BRUCE EISENBEIL - Shadow Machine (Pogus 21051; USA) SHADOW MACHINE is the first CD by Tom Hamilton and Bruce Eisenbeil, who began playing music together in 2007. Coherence without predictability, speed without tempo, direction without a roadmap - an unlikely foray into the world of out-jazz and free improvisation.
It's a duo that thwarts expectations of its specific instrumentation. The artists hybridize the language of electronic sound through Eisenbeil's guitar and Hamilton's virtual analog synthesizer, and the live-in-the-studio tracks insure that the performances impart maximum physicality and spontaneity.
Their aim is to generate new forms, new ways of listening, new definitions of music. Equal rights for all sounds is one goal, and since each musician is a maximalist, a dizzying array of sounds and techniques are employed to sustain a visceral experience. Contrasting sonic elements are played one against another, simultaneously and successively. Modern jazz and improvised music have just now begun to really embrace the language and sounds of electronics; these two artists are positioned on the forefront of a trend that aims to subvert orthodoxy and challenge old assumptions.
CD $13


TRUMPET NATURE [V.A With PETER EVANS/DAVE BALLOU/JACOB GREENBERG/KEVIN BOWYER/JON NELSON/ERIC BIONDO et al] - Trumpet Nature (8Bells 13; USA) The most eclectic assemblage of trumpet music ever documented on a single disc!
CD $12


ZEITKRATZER [FRANK GRATKOWSKI/REINHOLD FRIEDL/FRANZ HAUTZINGER et al] With HAINO KEIJI/CARSTEN NICOLAI/TERRE THAEMLITZ - Electronics Vols 1-3 [3 CD Box] (Zeitkratzer 03; Germany) The Zeitkratzer label releases a limited 3CD box documenting international avant-garde soloists ensemble Zeitkratzer, and their collaborations with groundbreaking electronic musicians spanning nearly a decade. This set collects all three previously-released Electronics recordings (ZKR 004CD/ZKR 005CD/ZKR 006CD), made in Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Austria with non-academic electronic musician Carsten Nicolai (aka Alva Noto), electro-acoustic composer Terre Thaemlitz, and legendary Japanese noise artist Keiji Haino: three heroes of electronic music. This package includes a special 34-page textbook in German and English containing essays about the consequences of the ensemble's radical work: Diedrich Diederichsen on authorship, Elliott Sharp's "Zeitkratzer and the Myth of the End of Instruments," and Michael Iber on Zeitkratzer's unusual musical notation. Other essays by Tony Herrington (Wire), and Stefan Fricke. Zeitkratzer are: Frank Gratkowski (bass clarinet); Hayden Chisholm (bass clarinet); Franz Hautzinger (trumpet) Melvyn Poore (tuba); Reinhold Friedl (piano, inside-piano); Maurice De Martin (percussion); Burkhard Schlothauer (violin); Anton Lukoszevieze (cello); Ulrich Phillipp (double bass); Marc Weiser (analog electronics); Ralf Meinz (sound). Directed by Reinhold Friedl.
3 CD set for $50


CHARLIE KOHLHASE'S EXPLORER'S CLUB - Adventures (Boxholder 055; USA) Charlie Kohlhase (alto, tenor & baritone saxophones); Jeff Galindo (trombone, mutes); Matt Langley (tenor& soprano saxophones); Eric Hofbauer (guitar); Jef Charland (bass); Miki Matsuki (drums); Chris Punis (drums)
CD $15


MAX NAGL With CLEMENS WENGER/HERBERT PIRKER - Boulazac (Rude Noises 16; EEC) (Special limited-time price!)
CD $15


HILDUR GUDNADOTTIR - Without Sinking (Touch 70; UK) Hildur Ingveldardottir Gudnadottir (b. 1982) is a classically-trained Icelandic cellist and composer, and this is her first full-length release for the Touch label. Best known for her collaborations with mum and guest appearances with Pan Sonic, she has a rich catalog of collaborations and varied projects behind her. Gudnadottir began playing cello as a child, entering the Reykjavik Music Academy and then moving on to musical studies/composition and new media at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and Universitat der Kunste in Berlin. Back in Iceland, she became very active in the neu-Iceland scene as a member of Kitchen Motors, a Reykjavik-based think tank, record label and art collective, along with internationally-renowned composer Johann Johannsson. In 2004, she started playing with the band Angel (Ilpo Vaisanen and Dirk Dresslehaus). Around that time, she made an album with Dirk (Mr. Schmuck's Farm), and went on to play live with Pan Sonic, later collaborating on their album Katodivaihe/Cathodephase. She released her first solo album, Mount A, under the artist name Lost In Hildurness, on the Reykjavik-based label 12 Tonar in 2006. Gudnadottir played all the instruments on the album -- vibraphone, viola da gamba, harp and vocals, constructing a work of delicately-layered, contemplative, cello-based ruminations. She has also played frequently with field recording artist and performer BJ Nilsen; delicate duets that conjure the somber rapture of multi-tracked cello -- Gudnadottir's live playing augmented by laptop loops. As a composer, she has written music for plays, dance performances and films, pieces for chamber orchestras, various instruments, voices and electronics. Gudnadottir likes to explore the nature and movement of sound, and often turns her experiments into sound and visual installations. Touch presents the work of an artist who has quickly risen in status as an essential staple in modern music composition due to her notable collaborations, her deft touch and her haunting, evocative soundscapes. Composed and recorded in Berlin and Reykjavik; Hildur Gudnadottir (cello, zither, processors and voice); additional recordings by Skuli Sverrisson (bass and processors on all tracks except track 7); Johann Johannsson (organs and processors on tracks 2, 3 and 9); Guoni Franzson (clarinet and bass clarinet on tracks 6 and 10).
CD $16


CHEN YI//THIRD ANGLE NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE - Sound Of The Five (New World 80691; USA) Chen Yi (b. 1953) is part of a distinguished cohort of Chinese composers who have immigrated to the United States over the past several decades. A common element in their biographies is study with the Columbia University professor Chou Wen-chung. A native of China himself, Chou was a pupil and a close associate of Edgard Varese. Varese, who defined music as 'organized sound,' did not himself study Asian music, but his approach to timbre and texture is very close to Chinese aesthetic values. Chou Wen-chung and his student-colleagues all share an aesthetic which treats timbre as a musical element equal to melody, harmony, rhythm, and form. One is struck in Chen Yi's music by the vibrancy and importance of tremolos, pitch inflections, and articulations, while concurrently realizing that they are always in the service of the music, not there merely as 'effects'. Her music stands at the intersection of Eastern and Western musical culture, drawing on the history and music of her native China to create new works that are beautiful, evocative, and highly crafted. The theme of cultural integration informs all her work and expands the definition of what we call 'American' music. Sound of the Five (1998), Yangko (2000/2004), Sprout (1982/1986), Burning (2002/), Tibetan Tunes (2007), Happy Rain on a Spring Night (2004)
CD $15


GARTH KNOX - Viola Spaces (Mode 207; USA) "Garth Knox is known as a viola player and a champion of new music, having played with the Arditti Quartet and the Ensemble Intercontemporain for seven years each before emerging as a soloist on both viola and viola d'amore in recent years. On this CD we hear not only his distinctive performing style but also his original compositions. In each of the eight studies that make up Viola Spaces, the music is based on a simple concept: a particular way of causing the strings to resonate. Although conceived as a series of concert studies, these pieces soon take on a life of their own, creating vast musical (viola) spaces to which you can bring your own stories and pictures. From a clearly defined constraint, the music bursts out of the instruments. These techniques include studies in sul ponticello, glissandi, tremelo, etc., but all the while entertaining to listen to. In addition to the viola ensemble etudes, the CD features Knox's compositions 'Jonah and the Whale' for the unusual duo of viola and tuba, and 'La Valse De La Vineuse' for clarinet, violin, viola and cello."
CD $15


SUN RA & His ARKESTRA - Cosmos (Inner City 1020; USA) A hard-to-find, alternately chaotic and tightly organized '76 session [August at the Studio Hautefeuille, Paris] that was issued on the Cobra [France], and then Inner City [U.S.] labels. Sun Ra provided some stunning moments on the Rocksichord, while leading The Arkestra through stomping full-band cuts of atmospheric or alternately hard bop compositions, peeling off various saxophonists for skittering, screaming, at times spacey dialogues. The seven tracks include - "The Mystery of Two," "Interstellar Low-Ways," "Neo-Project #2," "Cosmos," "Moonshine Journey," "Journey Among The Stars" and "Jazz From An Unknown Planet". Featuring a core line up of: Mr. Ra, Eloe Omoe, Danny Thompson, Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, Danny Davis, James Jackson, Craig Harris, Ahmed Abdullah, Vincent Chancy, Larry Bright and R. Anthony Bunn. This is one of the best later period Sun Ra Arkestra studio recordings and still sounds "cosmic" today! - Ron Wynn & Michael G Nastos, AMG
CD $15


ARTHUR RUSSELL - The Sleeping Bag Sessions (Sleeping Bag/Traffic; USA) Lush doublepack compilation of Arthur Russell productions - under various different guises - from his days at Sleeping Bag Records... Essential stuff for Arthur Russell fans and for anyone into slightly off-kilter disco and early house. Includes 2 versions of the Jerry Harrison [Talking Heads]/Bootsy Collins [Funkadelic] surprise hit 'Bonzo Goes To Washington - 5 Minutes'
Whether it's Hip Hop, it's face pointed reverentially to the Old School, or House stealing Disco riffs by the truck load, people are increasingly intrigued by back-in-the-day. And common to both the aforementioned scenes and much more is one person, Arthur Russell, a man some regard as the best songwriter of the 20th century. In 1981 Arthur set up Sleeping Bag Records with Will Socolov. The first release was the album "24-24 Music" as Dinosaur L. If you're wondering about the name it would appear Arthur would often use the names of extinct or near-extinct animals. On one production credit he's "Killer Whale", whilst the logo for Sleeping Bag is a Koala bear! Will remembers how they came up with the name for their label. "We were joking about names, and James Brown was on with "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" and I was sleeping in a sleeping bag in my apartment and I kind of made a joke about that, and Arthur said that was a great idea for the name of the company!" The line up was pretty much the same as the Loose Joints sessions, (which boasted the Ingram Brothers rhythm section) and a similar stream-of-conscience approach was taken with the recording itself. Russell arranged the beats so there'd be a change every 24 bars (hence the title) and the band would have to improvise the songs over the top. He also made sure he went into the studio when there was a full moon! The album is again very experimental, and makes occasional uneasy listening but the same magic is very much in evidence. Arthur would continue to be involved in production and mixing duties for the label, but parted company with Socolov in 1985. Arthur sadly died of AIDS in 1992 leaving behind many songs; as one obituary put it, it was though he simply vanished into his music. "all those classic moments on one album. in 1981, arthur set up sleeping bag records with will socolov. the first release was the album '24-24 music' as dinosaur l. from then on they went on to record and release tracks by bonzo goes to washington, felix, clandestine, sounds of jhs 126 brooklyn, indian ocean and dinosaur l (who are all represented here). arthur russell's writing and recording methods are cloaked in urban myth - some say he would only record under a full moon! anyhow, here's the proof of his cult and legendary status. a must for anyone really."
1 Bonzo Goes To Washington - "(We Begin Bombing In) 5 Minutes" (B-B-B Bombing Mix)
2 Felix - "Tiger Stripes" (Extended Version)
3 Sounds Of JHS 126 Brooklyn - "Chill Pill" (Underwater Mix)
4 Clandestine - "Radiorhythm(S-I-G-N-A-L-S-M-A-R-T)" (Feat. Ned Sublette) (Extra Cheese Mix)
5 Dinosaur L - "Go Bang!" (Walter Gibbons Mix)
6 Indian Ocean - "School Bell/Tree House"
7 Indian Ocean - "Tree House" (Extended Bootleg Edit)
8 Felix - "You Can't Hold Me Down" (Extended Version)
9 Bonzo Goes To Washington - "5 Minutes" (R-R-R Radio Mix)
10 Clandestine - "Radiorhythm (S-I-G-N-A-L-S-M-A-R-T)" (Feat. Ned Sublette) (Dub Mix) (Killer Whale)
CD $15
also available as 2 LP set for $20


AFRICAN SCREAM CONTEST [V.A.] - African Scream Contest - Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds From Benin & Togo '70s [2 LP set] (Analog Africa 63; USA) Just like with the label's first two releases - albums by Zimbabwean '70s bands the Green Arrows and Hallelujah Chicken Run Band -- the essence of Analog Africa is clear yet again: searching in dusty warehouses for forgotten music to keep it alive. All the tracks have been officially licensed, usually from the artists who Ben Redjeb also met with for detailed research. He conducted 16 interviews in various cities in Benin and Togo with artists, producers and sound engineers to reconstruct the history of the '70s music scene for the 44-page booklet which also includes many rare photographs directly received from the artists. Like most modern music in French-speaking West African countries, the music of Benin and Togo was influenced by a few main musical currents: Cuban, Congolese and local traditional music, as well as Chanson Francaise. Additionally, the geographical location of Benin and Togo -- sandwiched between Ghana and Nigeria -- exposed Beninese and Togolese musicians to Highlife music. The cultural and spiritual riches of traditional Beninese music had an immense impact on the sound of Benin's modern music. Benin is the birth place of Vodun (or, as it is known in the West, Voodoo), and some of the rhythms used during traditional rituals -- Sakpata, Sato, Agbadja, Tchenkoume and many others -- were fused to soul and Latin music as early as the mid-1960s and later to funk. That fusion is the essence of this compilation. In the late '60s and early '70s rock and soul music started creeping into the region. In particular, the music of James Brown and Johnny Halladay became immensely popular with university students. It was then that the music scene in Benin really started to take off. What made this musical revolution even more interesting is that most of the musicians could not read music. Often the music they made sounded one semi-tone away from being out of tune, but somehow they always managed to bring all the elements together into something new and exciting. One of the greatest bands of their era, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, who are of course featured on this compilation, took the Afro sound to another level by showing their musical versatility in many forms. Although they were consciously copying western artists, they would always inject a dose of psychedelic Afro grooves that would make their music unmistakably Beninese. Their biggest song, 'Gbeti Madjro' is believed to have revolutionized the music industry in Benin in the '70s when the country went through a period of political turmoil. The song is full of raw breaks and the hypnotic rhythms as well as screams - la James Brown -- after this song many bands in Benin started screaming on their recordings, hence the title of this compilation. Latin-influenced sounds are present on this compilation, too. Ouidah, a city on the Atlantic coast of Benin, is home to a large Brazilian community, or, as they are called in Benin, 'Agoudas.' Members of that community are descendents of slaves who returned from Brazil at the end of the 19th century. Their dances (such as Kaleta and Buriyanj) and songs are still being performed and fused into the traditional Beninese rituals. That, too, can be heard in modern Beninese music. The proximity of the giant neighbor Nigeria can be heard on the track 'Djanfa Magni' which features the amazing trumpeter/ saxophonist Tidjani Kone fronting the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. Kone whose career started in Mali as the founder and band leader of the Rail Band de Bamako, had played with Fela Kuti for a short while hence the strong Afrobeat influence. There are countless stories to be discovered in the extremely well-researched booklet and the music is truly mind-blowing. So delve into the forgotten raw and psychedelic Afro sounds from '70s Benin and Togo and experience the African Scream Contest."
2 LP set for $26
also available as CD for $22


MICHAEL HURLEY - Armchair Boogie (Mississippi 19; USA) "First ever vinyl reissue of Michael's hard to find classic 1972 2nd album. Hurley is a much respected singer songwriter (former member of the Holy Modal Rounders), & it is an honor for us to put this out. Features the following songs: 'Werewolf' (a beautiful haunting song later covered by Cat Power), 'Grand Canyon Line,' 'English Nobleman,' 'Be Kind To Me,' 'Troubled Waters,' 'Red Ravager's Reel,' 'Sweedeedee' (also covered by Cat Power), 'Open Up,' 'Jocko's Lament,' 'Light Green Fellow,' 'Get The Best Of Me,' 'Biscuit Roller,' 'When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano,' & 'Penguins' (a beautiful dirge played by trumpets & guitars). New back cover & label designed by Michael himself."
LP $15


HANS JOACHIM ROEDELIUS - Jardin Au Fou (Bureau B 23; Germany) Composer/poet Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Kluster, Cluster, Harmonia) is one of the most prolific musicians of the German avant-garde and a key figure in the birth of Krautrock, synthesizer pop and ambient music. Jardin Au Fou is his second solo album, originally issued in 1979 on France's Egg label, and produced by former Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann. This record was all the more noteworthy as it bore no resemblance whatsoever to what was expected of avant-garde electronica and displayed none of the typical Krautrock characteristics. A rhythm machine, sequencer and abstract sounds are conspicuously absent, and listeners at the time were stunned by one of the most beautiful, charming, ethereal and peaceful albums in the history of German rock music. None other than Asmus Tietchens, friend and artistic companion to Roedelius, has written the following in the liner notes for the reissue: "Jardin Au Fou (Fool's Garden) is a thoroughly romantic album, bursting with joie de vivre and unadulterated joy. With the greatest of pleasure, Roedelius cranks up a carousel of fairground organs, popping corks, waltzes and sweet melodies. Musical ideas come thick and fast. If you listen carefully and immerse yourself in Jardin Au Fou, you might hear traces of the baroque in this romantic music." Roedelius concentrates here on keyboards, and, in particular, the acoustic grand piano. He played most of the tracks by hand, exploiting his virtuosity to the full. The sweet disposition of the album as a whole borders on the naive, bearing none of the Krautrock hallmarks one might expect. Sweetness and light it may be, yet the music of Roedelius is more complex than it first appears. It carries a certain gentle gravitas borne of maturity, reflecting the ongoing quest of a musician for new paths and forms. Jardin Au Fou confronts the listener with an unfiltered, open perspective -- today, some 30 years after it was created, this music has lost none of its shine or charm.
This CD version features 6 bonus tracks: 3 remixes of compositions from the LP and 3 new tracks which Roedelius recorded for the 1998 CD re-release on the Japanese Captain Trip label!
CD $17


STRAWBERRY WINDOW - Strawberry Window (World In Sound 1041; Germany) "Strawberry Window hailed from the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay music scene in the mid '60s and were truly one of the 'early birds' and innovators who made their own distinct brand of rock-n-roll. They played in a heavy-psychedelic-garage style, sounding somewhat reminiscent of the Jefferson Airplane, (early) Mad River, Buffalo Springfield, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Frumious Bandersnatch. These previously unreleased recordings have survived for the last four decades in a box on a shelf in a band member's closet. Meticulous care and detail has been taken to master these recordings with a fresh, open approach, while ensuring that the sound and integrity of the vintage songs remained intact. The amazing music of this guitar based quartet ranges from catchy electric folk tunes and 'West Coast' garage rock to raw energetic acid jams lasting over 10 minutes. You'll be impressed by the great stereo sound quality throughout their ten original cuts not to mention their freaky cover version of JD Loudermilk's 'Tobacco Road.' It's an outright shame that this talented bunch were not signed to a record deal back then. Then again, that's okay with us because it has allowed World In Sound the opportunity to proudly present for the first time ever, the music of and the history behind this talented group of songwriters and wild performers known as the Strawberry Window. Contains 65 minutes of intense but melodic performances and also comes with a 16-page color booklet that will take you on a trip back to the halcyon days of the Summer of Love. In 1968, they switched guitar players, added a girl singer and changed their name to the Dandelion Wine. They recorded several songs and also released a private pressing of a 4 song 7 inch EP. Truly a masterpiece!"
CD $21


GONG [DAEVID ALLEN/GILLI SMYTH et al] - Angel's Egg [Radio Gnome Invisible Trilogy Pt 2] (Charly/Snapper; UK) "The second part of a trilogy [preceded by Flying Teapot and followed by You], Angel's Egg is not your usual progressive rock album. Very quirky, with many, mostly brief compositions, the album is a tad less spacey than Teapot, with just a few psychedelic-inspired lyrics, and it's very technically adept. Angels Egg opens with a true space rock cut (one of the few on the album), filled with the usual Smyth space whispering and Daevid Allen voicings, then leads into the cleverly titled 'Sold to the Highest Buddha,' with Steve Hillage and Didier Malherbe as prominent figures. The instrumental 'Castle in the Clouds' finds Hillage coming into his own, with a sound identical to his solo work. 'Givin' My Love to You' sounds like a bar song, with no music and a cluster of seemingly drunken fellas trying to sing. The instrumental 'Flute Salad' gives way to 'Oily Way,' a showcase for Malherbe's jazzy flute. 'Inner Temple,' an instrumental space rock track, moves along with a jazz edge, provided by Didiers sax. The final three tracks are the real highlights on Angels Egg: 'I Never Glid Before' is a fantastic prog-rock tune, replete with blistering Hillage solo, primo Allen lyrics and vocal, and the precise percussion of new bandmember Pierre Moerlen. This eclectic composition travels through several movements and time changes, and comes across as a perpetually progressing piece. The imaginative and jazzy 'Eat That Phone Book Coda' brings the album to a close."
CD $13


DAWN OF THE DEAD [V.A.] - Dawn of the Dead - Unreleased Incidental Music [sndtck] (Trunk 011; UK) "An absolute classic release from Trunk records, the unreleased incidental music from Dawn of the Dead including unique original and unseen artwork. Romero's cult classic Dawn Of The Dead is possibly the greatest Zombie movie of all time. Often copied but never bettered this thrilling gorefest has over the years gained literally thousands of fans throughout the world. There are dedicated webrings, websites, fan clubs and magazines just for the film, it really is one of the great cult movies of the 70s. The music from the film was played by Goblin (the progressive Italian rockers), and their soundtrack was issued at the time and has never been out of print since its original release. However the Goblin score is only a small fraction of the soundtrack. What eager fans have always wanted are the incidental cues. The weirdo electronics. The dramatic underscores. The bonkers ragtime jazz. The truly strange big band numbers. Seriously, fans of this film have been waiting years for this one very special release. Well the wait is over for them all...Carefully compiled on this album are these great missing musical moments. They were chosen for Romero by his friend and fellow horror genius, Dario Argento as they were cutting the film, and their twisted, dark humour is all over this release. Out of the 100+ cues Romero used in the film (some only 2 seconds long!), the tracks they have selected are the longest and most distinctive in the film, this is the music the fans have been waiting for. Best of all is 'The Gonk', a truly insane piece of mechanical, almost hypnotic big band jazz. Following on from 'The Gonk' is a truly weird and wonderful menagerie of tracks -- including the rare country blues cut 'Cause I'm a Man' performed by The Electric Banana (the band which included members of The Pretty Things). All together these tracks build into a quite wonderful and unique mix of dark electronic horror and musical humour which is something we believe the hardcore horror fans will really enjoy."
CD $16


GURU GURU [MANI NEUMEIER et al] - Kanguru (Inside Out/Revisited 306272; Germany) Guru Guru was formed in August 1968 by drummer Mani Neumeier and developed into one of Germany's most colourful rock acts. Kanguru saw the band consisting of Mani Neumeier on drums, Uli Trepte on el. bass and Ax Genrich on lead guitar. Together with sound engineer Conny Plank they ensconced themselves in the studio in 1972 and produced an album of four long tracks which presented musicians who had inspired each other during the recording. German magazine Sounds: "The four tracks on Kanguru all feature confusing melody lines played on top of and against each other with such effortlessness and a matter-of-course attitude that there is no room for any incomprehensibilities. The sound structures are marked by fastidious accuracy and unusual artfulness, bringing to mind the best works of Jimi Hendrix, whose music Guru Guru appear to be familiar with. Yet they don't copy Hendrix, but, under their own steam and with their own creativity, merely process his results to produce music that goes beyond Hendrix."
CD $17


ASH RA TEMPEL [MANUEL GOTTSCHING et al] - Schwingungen (Spalax 14248; France) 2nd album from 1972, and another stoned psych masterwork, with a beautiful spaced vibe. Schulze had gone solo by this point, and was replaced by Wolfgang Muller, but it was no huge loss. The mixture of electronics and psychedelic rock was perfectly realized.
CD $17

ASH RA TEMPEL [MANUEL GOTTSCHING et al] - Seven Up (Spalax 14249; France) The 3rd ART album. With the presence of Dr. Timothy Leary, this 1972 album divides between power-splurge-psych (the side-long epic "Space") and more levitational space-outs (the side long "Time").
CD $17

ASH RA TEMPEL [KLAUS SCHULZE/MANUEL GOTTSCHING et al] - Ash Ra Tempel (Spalax 14244; France) The reissue of historic, early albums of Germany's legendary space/psych outfit is a legitimately great thing, and the network of people who continue to discover this stuff seems to expand daily with no let up. The first, self-titled, Ash Ra Tempel album, from 1971, is a flat-out massive overdriven psych monster. Formed by Klaus Schulze (on drums & electronics, after having left Tangerine Dream), guitarist Manuel Gottsching (who would remain the one constant with Ash Ra), and Hartmut Enke (bass), this is the most intense recording in their discography & an absolute must if you're interested in the early glories of Krautrock bliss.
CD $17


THE MONOCHROME SET - The Lost Weekend (Cherry Red 383; UK) "The Monochrome Set defined themselves in the late '70s and '80s as England's wittiest troubadours, avoiding the somber overtones of post-punk by penning songs that had a clean '60s pop sensibility, allied to vocalist and guitarist Bid's sandpaper-dry reflections on life and love. Re-released for the first time on CD in the UK, this CD documents the band's time at Blanco y Negro Records, the mini-major set up by Mike Alway (Cherry Red) and Geoff Travis (Rough Trade). It was a turbulent period for the band, recounted in full in the accompanying booklet by a reflective Bid. Including the story behind 'Letter From Viola,' perhaps the funniest Dear John song ever written (hint: never allow your bandmates to cut your hair while touring Norway and expect romantic favours on your return). All tracks have been digitally remastered from the original audio sources. Five bonus tracks are included, including additional mixes of the two singles housed on the album, 'Jacob s Ladder,' the band's nearly hit, and 'Wallflower.'"
CD $17

BURT BACHARACH - The First Book Of Songs 1954-58 (Cherry Red/El 166; UK) Performed by Mel Torme, Sherry Parsons, The Gallahads, Jun Valli, Marty Robbins, Gale Storm, Bob Manning, Bob Manning, Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee, Jerry Lewis, Michael Holliday, The Four Preps, The Four Blobs, The Four Coins and Joe Williams and The Count Basie Orchestra. "Burt Bacharach revolutionized popular songwriting, employing a previously unimagined technical sophistication that would find full expression in the sixties when with an astonishing run of unforgettable hits, he and his lyricist partner Hal David, ruled the pop charts. The prince of popular music, Bacharach was now respected by everyone from Brian Wilson to Bill Evans to Frank Zappa, but his early years had been ones of struggle and frustrating compromise. This collection offers fascinating glimpses of an eclectic apprenticeship that culminated in the landmark first hits 'Magic Moments' and 'The Story of My Life.' Indispensable to all Burt Bacharach completists around the world, a collection of all of his early songs, performed by popular artists from Tony Bennett to Patti Page to Johnny Mathis, including the breakthrough Perry Como and Marty Robbins hits and a great many impossible rarities including Burt's own first solo single 'Searching Wind'/'Rosanne.'"
CD $17


DR. BOOGIE [V.A. Curated By WALTER DE PADUWA] - Vol 4: Dr. Boogie Presents 20 Deranged And Smokin' Cool Cats (Sub Rosa 286; Belgium) This is the fourth volume in Sub Rosa's collection devoted to rare and lost recordings from the '20s to the '60s, following Dr. Boogie Presents Rarities from the Bob Hite Vaults (SR 271CD/LP), Oh, Run Into Me, But Don't Hurt Me! Female Blues Singers -- Rarities 1923-1930 (SR 268CD/LP), and Shim Sham Shimmy (SR 279CD/LP). This time around, musicologist and radio personality Walter De Paduwa aka Dr. Boogie focuses on the rocketing rise and fast decline of rockabilly (1954-1959), whose name derives from a combination of "rock 'n' roll" and "hillbilly," which may be a reference to the country music that contributed to this genre's development. Dr. Boogie explains, "This form of musical expression can be summed up as a white, typically southern, and rural kind of rock and roll born in Memphis in 1954. The lyrics are often about recurring themes in '50s American pop culture, like cars and teenage love. Young people identified with rockabilly in large numbers, forming gangs that could terrorize a neighborhood by facing other gangs. Leather, Brylcreem, and motorcycles were the signs by which they defined themselves. As a trend, rockabilly lasted only a few years, but it generated a near-unmatched number of recordings from hundreds of studios from as many American cities and small towns. Back then, you could very easily improvise yourself a record producer or label owner: all it took was a little bit of equipment and a small garage, basement, or backstore space. You started by pressing a hundred-copy run for the artist's family and friends. Sometimes, the product reached the ears of bigger label owners who would ensure its wider distribution." Rockabilly almost completely vanished in the late '50s, being replaced by other forms of rock 'n' roll. There was a rockabilly revival in the '70s, spawned by pop culture's nostalgic interest in '50s culture, and rockabilly bands of all stripes and sub-genres keep this important piece of early rock history alive today. The energy, boldness, wildness, and talent of these young pioneers can all be found on this compilation, which rediscovers 20 of these rock adventurers. Artists include: Johnny Jay, Curly Coldiron, Danny Verne, Eddie Cash, Chuck Dallis, The Cals, Al Urban, Ronnie Haig, Jimmy Evans, Jimmie Dee, Johnny Knight, Wayne Haas, Bill Moss, Ronnie Allen, Jay Brown & The Jets, Gary Hodge, Charles Page, T.K.Hulin and Gene Maltais.
CD $16


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