Day: April 14, 2012

Coming to the ISSUE Project Room

~ Mike

From New York’s ISSUE Project Room:

04/18 @ 9:00pm
SOLD OUT!
Unsound Opening Night ~ Jenny Hval + Julia Holter + Julia Kent

Unsound Festival New York opens with a night of distinctive female experimental artists working with sound. LA resident Julia Holter and Norway’s Jenny Hval combine avant-garde structures with music at the edge of pop, working with explicit lyrics exploring sex and gender, and subverting expectations. Holter’s Tragedy and Hval’s Viscera were among 2011′s best albums. New York cellist Julia Kent, a collaborator of Rasputina and Anthony and the Johnsons, performs solo.

SOLD OUT!
04/21 @ 4:00pm
Unsound LABs: Zavoloka with Andrea Pensado + Hai Nguyen Dihn with Nondor Nevai + Kotra with Black Rain

04/22 @ 4:00pm
Unsound LABs: Denis Kolokol/Tomek Choloniewski Duo with Nate Wooley + Maria Minerva with Mark Van Hoen + Mark McGuire with Bartosz Weber

Unsound LABs concerts feature collaborations between musicians of different kinds working together for the first time in a series of unique free performances. Curated to cross borders of both sound and geography, this year’s program pairs artists from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia with musicians from the U.S. This year’s LABs features: Zavoloka with Andrea Pensado, Hai Nguyen Dihn with Nondor Nevai, Kotra with Black Rain, Denis Kolokol/Tomek Choloniewski Duo with Nate Wooley, Maria Minerva with Mark Van Hoen, and Mark Mcquire with Bartosz Weber.

AMN Review: Jessica Lurie Ensemble – Megaphone Heart (Zipa!)

~ S. Fruitman

Jessica Lurie is a jazz dervish well on her way to spinning into a major New York City attraction. A dynamic saxophonist with an accordion hanging from her neck and a few strings and winds in the satchel slung over her shoulder, she leads this ensemble, co-founded the Tiptons Saxophone Quartet, and is a standing member of four more groups including La Buya and Sheqer, which specialize in Latin and Balkan tunes, respectively.

Her eponymous Ensemble has been around for about a decade now and introduces itself on its latest studio offering like it was handpicked by Kurt Weill, especially when the banjo of Brandon Seabrook bounces off the piano of Erik Deutsch. But they´re only getting warmed up. The group has no one style; rather, they come across as jacks of all trade and masters of each. It is personality that unifies their sound. Thematicallly, the Ensemble range all over the great big American mainland, conjuring cowboys, cool cats and immigrants. Hebrew sax glossolalia and a jam named after the great Yiddish modernist writer Der Nister is contrasted with meandering tales with the colour and tone of Celtic home counties recalled generations later by an Appalachian oldtimer. A few tracks are as angular and pushy as a New York City subway ride.

The production is round and full, separating Lurie, Seabrook, Deutsch, acoustic bassist Todd Sickafoose and drummer Allison Miller with just the right amount of distance to showcase their individual brilliance and collective cohesiveness. Jessica´s voice is in fine form, too, especially on the seductively restless country blues “Maps”, which opens up in the middle for a terrific guitar solo by Seabrook, who later is joyfully abrasive brushing up against Lurie´s saxophone on “Boot Heels”. And what a lovely, sad closer the ballad “Once” makes.

“Shop of Wild Dreams”, the quintet´s previous album,  is equally entertaining. Like a talented theatre improv group, they can craft something meaningful out of whatever you throw at them – lounge, dance, smoke, laugh as you are tossed head-first into the weird flute and synth tango of “Grinch” after having gotten all misty over the chilly but soulful “Grey Ocean”. Wined, dined and undermined, the Jessica Lurie Ensemble leaves your head spinning, your ears pleasantly stuffed and your expectations defied and surpassed.

http://www.jessicalurie.com

Stephen Fruitman

Monsieur Délire Reviews

~ Mike

From Monsieur Délire:

SIMON NABATOV / Spinning Songs of Herbie Nichols (Leo Records)
RAYMOND BONI / Welcome (Émouvance)
TRIO M / The Guest House (Enja/Yellow Bird – merci à/thanks to Braithwate & Katz Communications)
STRINGS OF CONSCIOUSNESS / From Beyond Love (Staubgold – merci à/thanks to Forced Exposure)
CAKEWALK / Wired (Hubro)
BALLROGG / Cabin Music (Hubro)
STEFANO LUIGI MANGIA, STEFANIA LADISA, ADOLFO LA VOLPE & ANGELO URSO / Ulysses (Leo Records)
DARIUS JONES QUARTET / Book of Mæ’bul (Another Kind of Sunrise) (AUM Fidelity – merci à/thanks to Improvised Communications)
AARON NOVIK / Secrets of Secrets (Tzadik – merci à/thanks to Braithwate & Katz Communications)
ERNESTO DIAZ-INFANTE / Civilian Life (Pax Recordings)
PLAISTOW / Lacrimosa (Insubordinations)
NORTHERN VALENTINE / Fin de siècle (Silber Records)
KOTEBEL / Concerto for Piano and Electric Ensemble (Musea)
JETHRO TULL’S IAN ANDERSON / Thick as a Brick 2 (EMI)

Related articles

DMG Newsletter April 13th, 2012

~ Mike
Raoul Bjorkenheim at Moers Festival 2006, Germany
Raoul Bjorkenheim at Moers Festival 2006, Germany (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From DMG:

Frank Wright/James Blood Ulmer/Rashied Ali! Evan Parker/Steve Beresford: Foxes Fox! Frank Lowe/Joseph Jarman/William Parker! Steve Swell‘s Nation Of We! Marzette Watts/Sonny Sharrock/Byard Lancaster/Clifford Thornton/Henry Grimes!

Fred Frith/Zeena Parkins/Carla Kihlstedt Cosa Brava! Diane Moser/Mark Dresser! Lucian Capece! Gjerstad/Nilssen-Love! Terrence McManus & Joe Battaglia! Lamb/Abbs/Smith! Katharina Weber/Barry Guy/Balts Nill! Delerium!

Black Saint-Soul Note Box Sets: Mal Waldron Quintets, World Saxophone Quartet, Don Pillen, Jimmy Giuffre!

Mother Don Preston Early Synth LP! Masaki Batoh! Dirty Three! Wolf Eyes & John Weisse! Volcano the Bear! Francis Bebey Electronic Music! Sophia Knapp! Akos Rozmann! Mike Shiflett! Dan Froberg!

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ANNOUNCING…DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY’s 21st Anniversary Show!

with

NELS CLINE & JULIAN LAGE
First appearance as a duo!

and

KALABALIK with RAOUL BJORKENHEIM, ANDERS NILSSON & GERALD CLEAVER
CD Release Party for Kalabalik’s debut CD on DMG/ARC Records!

Friday, May 25th, 7 – 10 PM
doors open at 6 PM

at Le Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker St, NYC
212-505-3474

Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 day of show
Students: $15 Day Of Show at ticket booth with valid school ID

Purchase tickets in advance here:
https://secure.gigmaven.com/events/8051/orders/new

Kalabalik is..
RAOUL BJORKENHEIM guitar, ANDERS NILSSON guitar, and GERALD CLEAVER drums. Originally united for a live recording at DMG’s Chinatown store in 2011, this trio has formed a richly rewarding creative bond. This is their 2nd NYC performance.

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The DMG Free Weekly In-Store Performance Series Continues With:

Sunday, April 15th Double-Header:
6pm: LATHAN HARDY – Alto Sax / SEAN ALI – Contrabass / FLIN VAN HEMMEN – Drums!
7pm: DAVE GROLLMAN – Drums/LUCIO MENEGON & BRENDAN LANDIS – Guitars!

Sunday April 22nd Early Double-Header (Note 1st Set is at 5pm!):
5pm: FRANCESCO GUAIANA & His FITZCARRALDO FRIENDS from ITALY!
6pm THE MUJO 4-TET featuring: MICHAEL ATTIAS – Saxes / J.G.B. – Clarinet / PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER – Contrabass / CARLO COSTA – Drums!

Sunday April 29th at 6pm:
BIRDS IN THE MEADOW Featuring – DARIUS JONES – Alto Sax & MARTY McCAVITT – Electronics!

Sunday, May 6th Double-Header:
6pm: The Return of BONNIE KANE on Sax & CHRIS WELCOME on Guitar!
7pm: JAMES ILGENFRITZ on Bass & MIKKO INNANEN on Alto Sax!

Sunday, May 13th Double-Header:
6pm: SARAH BUECHI – Vocalist & CHRISTOPH KNOCHE – Bass Clarinet & Harmonica!
7pm: DANIEL LEVIN – Solo & Duo Cello(s)!

Sunday, May 20th – No In-Store During the Victo Festival!

Sunday, May 27th at Double-Header:
6pm: JESSE DULMAN & JASON CANDLER – Great Tuba & Alto Sax Duo!
7pm: MARTIN PHILADELPHY’S PUZZLE WORKS – Solo Guitar!

Sunday June 3rd, 2012 at 6pm:
ZOMBI JAZZ from Florida!

Sunday, July 1st at 6pm:
THE BROOKLYNITA TRIO Featuring ERIKA DAGNINO (poetry), BLAISE SIWULA (reeds) & KEN FILIANO (bass)

Sunday, July 15th at 6pm:
JACK WRIGHT – International Improvising Saxophone Master is Back!