Free Albums Galore Recommendations

July 18, 2009 — Mike

We haven’t had a chance to check these out yet, but Free Albums Galore has recommended the following experimental recordings.

Joxfield ProjeX – three albums
Blind Umizato – As The Evening Descends; Two Rivers
Zn’shñ – The winter book

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Six Questions for … Tortoise

July 18, 2009 — Mike

Chicago’s Tortoise is interviewed.

More than any other band, the veteran Chicago group has most singularly been associated with the largely instrumental, ’90s-born genre that incorporates all kinds of non-rock sounds yet most appealed to an indie-rock audience. The band’s latest album, “Beacons of Ancestorship,” is one of the most vigorous of its career, but still has some of the jazzy and ambient touches that made albums such as “Millions Now Living Will Never Die” and “TNT” enduring favorites. Herndon also plays in a large handful of avant-garde bands — Exploding Star Orchestra with Rob Mazurek, Powerhouse Sound with Ken Vandermark and A Fox Can Be Hungry with fellow Chicagoans — and explains why foreigners are more open to out-there sounds than Americans. Tortoise plays at the Black Cat on Sunday.

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The State of Modern Classical Labels

July 18, 2009 — Mike

NewMusicBox features an article (and this is part 2 of a 3 parter) about the economics and focus of indie classical labels in a post-CD world.

Given that thousands of new CD titles are produced every year across the span of musical genres, it’s not hard to surmise that most discs don’t earn back enough funds to recoup the costs of recording and manufacturing. In other words, it can’t be just classical and contemporary music projects that have modest sales.

It’s a given: money has to come from somewhere before discs get released. It’s just that the need for dough is more on the surface in all realms of the always-struggling little realm of contemporary American music.

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The boundless sonic creativity of Okkyung Lee

July 18, 2009 — Mike

From the Chicago Reader:

Okkyung Lee, who plays Sunday night at the Pritzker Pavilion in Min Xiao-Fen’s Asian Trio, is one of the most beguiling young figures in New York’s creative-music community. The Korean cellist—she came to the U.S. in 1993, at age 18—moves effortlessly between different worlds without changing her sound in any significant way. She plays in pianist Vijay Iyer’s multimedia project Still Life With Commentator as well as Laurie Anderson’s art-pop ensemble, but on her own she’s concerned mostly with improvisation.

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DMG Newsletter July 17th, 2009

July 18, 2009 — Mike

From DMG:

Paul Dunmall/Paul Rogers 4 CD set! Weasel Walter w/Henry Kaiser & Peter Evans! Bill Frisell w/ Jenny Scheinman! James Carney w/ Tony Malaby & Josh Roseman!

Franz Koglmann/Vladimir Nabokov! Itaru Oki! In the Country! Jandek! Francisco Lopez! Giancinto Scelsi! Bruno Maderna! Peter Hammill!

Plus Historic Discs from Dick Heckstall-Smith, Mel Collin’s Circus, Anekdoten, Gong, Cressida, Chico Magnetic Band, Liverpool Scene, and Powell St. John!

Downtown Music Gallery FREE In-Store Performance Schedule Continues with:

Sunday, July 26th at 6pm:
JASON KAO HWANG & STEVE SWELL! Ace Violinist & Tremendous Trombonist!

Sunday, August 2nd at 6pm:
GIACOMO MEREGA / NOAH KAPLAN / MARCO CAPPELLI!
International Electric Bass / Saxes / Guitar Trio!

Sunday, August 9th at 6pm:
TED DANIEL TRIO! CD Release Celebration from Legendary Loft Jazz Trumpet Hero!

Sunday, August 16th at 6pm:
CLIFTON HYDE Returns!

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