GOLDBERG, BEN / JOHN SCHOTT / MIKE SARIN What Comes Before (Tzadik) cd 15.98
From the obi: "Two of the most creative composer/performers on the West Coast, Ben Goldberg (New Klezmer Trio) and John Schott (TJ Kirk) are joined by verstaile Brooklyn-based drummer Mike Sarin (Dave Douglas, Myra Medford) to create a delicate musical universe balancing space and movement with thoughts unimagined, feelings unfelt. These introspective pieces for guitar, clarinet and percussion touch upon Jewish life and philosophy in a manner both subtle and cruel."

GOLDBERG, BEN TRIO Here By Now (Music & Arts) cd 13.98
Ben Goldberg on clarinet / bass clarinet with Trevor Dunn on bass and Elliot Humberto Kavee on drums.

GOSFIELD, ANNIE Burnt Ivory and Loose Wires (Tzadik) cd 15.98
Sometimes aggressive, sometimes gentle, and as the title suggests, having to do with the destruction of a piano. Extended performance techniques reconfigured through a sampler. Features the Rova Sax Quartet. Quite nice.

GRAVES, MILFORD Meditation Among Us (Universal (Japan)) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

GRAVES, MILFORD Percussion Ensemble (ESP-Disk / Calibre / Get Back) cd 14.98
Another batch of essential and long overdue ESP reissues. This one is ALL drums. And like I've been saying all along, guitars and bass and piano, are all very nice and everything, and sometimes they even sound good in a band, but all you ever really need is drums. So here it is. 1965. Two of the best: Milford Graves and Sunny Morgan, playing drums (and percussion, bells, gongs and shakers, which are technically still in the drum family).

GRAVES, MILFORD Percussion Ensemble (ESP-Disk / Calibre / Get Back) lp 11.98
Another batch of essential and long overdue ESP reissues. This one is ALL drums. And like I've been saying all along, guitars and bass and piano, are all very nice and everything, and sometimes they even sound good in a band, but all you ever really need is drums. So here it is. Two of the best: Milford Graves and Sunny Morgan, playing drums (and percussion, bells, gongs and shakers, which are technically still in the drum family).

GRAVES, MILFORD Stories (Tzadik) cd 16.98
Second solo percussion album by veteran '60s free jazzer Graves to be released on Tzadik, and this is similar to his first: energetic free drumming and some vocal outbursts as well. The obi text describes him "playing with his hands, feet, elbows and head..." which is apparently true, but the obi also says that this is "absolutely riveting". Depends on your defintion of riveting I suppose. Perhaps best seen rather than just heard, although fans may enjoy.

GREENE, BURTON QUARTET s/t (ESP Disk) cd 14.98

GREENLIEF, PHILIP AND COVERED PAGES Russian Notebooks (Evander Music) cd 14.98
Local clarinet/flute/saxophone whiz Philip Greenlief presents "music for 2 guitars and 2 wind instruments". Vinnie Golia is the other reedsman, and the guitarists are G.E. Stinson and the AQ-beloved Nels Cline (all LA new music scene stalwarts). The pieces (thoughtful, sometimes doleful, sometimes pretty) are inspired by Greenlief's experiences living in Russia, where he spent a year in '98. Both Greenlief and Cline are credited with the use of "ray guns" in the liner notes, which kind of makes you wonder about what Russia's like these days...

GREENLIEF, PHILLIP / ADAM LEVY / DAN SEAMANS Who Ordered The Fish (Em Evander) cd 11.98

GREENLIEF, PHILLIP / SCOTT AMENDOLA Collect My Thoughts (9Winds) cd 11.98

GREENLIEF, PHILLIP / TREVOR DUNN (Evander Music) cd 11.98

GROUND ZERO Live 1992+ (Doubtmusic) cd 16.98
BACK IN STOCK! Wow! This is a blast from the past. And we do mean blast (just listen!). Ground Zero was the crazy sampling + free jazz + noise rock outfit led by Japanese turntablist/guitarist Otomo Yoshihide. Hopefully you know 'em, they were right in there with Boredoms and Ruins and Omoide Hatoba and Altered States etc. for noisy underground Japanese avant-rock insanity back in the early '90s. Their now out of print, self-titled debut album from 1992 sounded something like John Zorn's Naked City, all chaotic jump cuts and skronking sax, and in fact featured the inimitable screaming vocal stylings of Eye Yamataka of the Boredoms, who also guested with Naked City. Eventually they turned into a drone-jazz behemoth, and also did a fantastic album of "standards". Since the dissolution of Ground Zero, there's been plenty more cool Otomo projects, from the Eric Dolphy tribute of his New Jazz Orchestra to his minimalist "onkyo" experiments in Filament and ISO to a variety of other interesting soundtracks and solo recordings... but the Ground Zero discs will always be a crucial swath of his discography. And a favorite of ours!
So, it's pretty exciting to get to hear this long-lost live show, from a old tape that Otomo recently rummaged out of his closet. The liner notes include this from him: "All I remember for sure was that it was a really good gig... The recording quality is terrible, but the recording, including that quality, really captures the atmosphere of the time." He's right, the sound is raw, but it suits the music perfectly. This is INTENSE. The lineup consists of Otomo (guitar, turntables), Hirose Junji (sax), Kato Hideki (bass, voice), Uemura Masahiro (drums), and Eye Yamataka (vocals). All five of 'em make a LOT of noise. Imagine the Eye-fronted Naked City falling down the stairs, in the throes of a violent seizure. This performance dates from just prior to their first album's release and shares its punked-out energy, as well as a few of the same "songs". Two additional tracks at the end of the disc are studio recordings, previously unreleased material from the sessions for that debut album. As the Doubtmusic website says, "this is remembrance of fresh / poisonous earlier Ground Zero after 15 years."
This comes in typically fine Doubtmusic packaging, a handsome digipack design, and is basically essential for all hardcore Ground Zero and/or Eye Yamataka fans! And its value as an archival release is enhanced in light of the fact that you can't get their first album anymore anyway.
MPEG Stream: "Bottom Out-X"
MPEG Stream: "Pseudopodium"
MPEG Stream: "VT"

GROUND ZERO Plays Standards (DIW) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yay! After being out of print for the last couple of years, this fantastic album has finally been reissued! Unfortunately it's not a domestic reissue, so the price tag is still import-high. But it's well worth the $, being one of our very favorite discs by Otomo Yoshihide's amazing sampling/noise/jazz outfit Ground Zero. This one's all covers, Ground Zero interpretations of tunes as far ranging as Massacre's "Bones" to John Philip Sousa's "Washington Post March", Omoide Hatoba to Burt Bacharach... Includes liner notes in both English and Japanese explaining Otomo's reasons for doing each song. Great album, great band. If you missed it the first time, get it now!!
RealAudio clip: "A Better Tomorrow + I Say A Little Prayer "

GUEBROU, TSEGUE-MARYAM Ethiopiques Vol. 21 (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
Okay, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. The always amazing Ethiopiques series continues on past volume 20 with no end in sight. We were wrongly led to believe that volume 20 was to be the last in this, one of our all time favorite series, and we were heartbroken. On top of that, the final installment was quite surprisingly a live recording of modern day American musicians jamming with an Ethiopian band. It was still cool, but it was a bit tough to figure out why the curaters of this series would choose to go out on that kind of admittedly anticlimactic note, when there were certainly hundreds of buried treasures from the golden age of Ethiopian music that most definitely deserved to be unearthed. This newst volume quickly sets everything right, being entirely the solo piano of a woman named Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou. Her playing is devastatingly lovely and haunting. A curious hybrid of old time jazz and classical, but still truly Ethiopian. Dark and contemplative, moody but subtly playful as well. Culled mainly from recordings from the late 40's early 50's, a period during which Guebrou had recently left the convent due to illness, and then continued to compose and perform as a way of raising money for charity. And THAT's on the heels of having moved to Egypt and then returned to Ethiopia a figure of high society, her dream of playing piano dashed by the Emperor, which led her to sickness and then near death, she even received the last rites, survived and then joined the Imperial Guard, went back to school to study business finally fleeing to join a convent and become a nun. All the while continuing to play music, in fact she continues to perform to this day, in Ethiopia where she still lives, four of her most recent recordings (from 1996) are included here as well.
Her story is amazing, the liner notes go into great detail about her fantastic and adventurous life, but her music is equally as remarkable, the sound and feel is so dense with memory and imagery, musical but somehow quite visual, warm and woozy, a fuzzy, sepia toned old timey feel, due in no small part to the recording, which is quite reminiscent of old 78's, the soundtrack to movie Crumb, that sort of thing, dark rumbling low notes underpin sweet swirls and delicate flurries of minor key melody, sweet and lowdown for sure, warm evenings, back porches, big beautifully appointed parlors, huge empty fields, grass waving in the breeze, long late night wanders, moonlight strolls, so completely dreamy and lovely. Definitely one of out favorites so far in the series. We hope it never ends!
MPEG Stream: "The Homeless Wanderer"
MPEG Stream: "The Last Tears Of A Deceased"

GUSTAFSSON, MATS Windows: The Music of Steve Lacy (Blue Chopsticks) cd 14.98
Jazz head Mats Gustafsson plays the music of Steve Lacy on solo saxophone (tenor & baritone) and fluteophone, plus a piece by Cecil Taylor and a couple tracks of his own creation. As he puts it: "It's wonderful to hear somebody playing something I never heard before on the saxophone. Especially using some of my material as a jumping-off place. I appreciate many things here, but especially the surprise. As they say, Jazz is the sound of surprise."

HAAZZ & COMPANY Unlawful Noise (Atavistic / Unheard Music Series) cd 14.98
The Unheard Music series brings us another '70s free improv rarity. Dutch pianist Kees Hazevoet might not be a well-known name, but he was an early, integral player on the Amersterdam jazz scene back in the day, and on this 1976 album he is joined by what are certainly some big names: Peter Brotzmann, Han Bennink (and his brother Peter), Louis Moholo, and Johnny Dyani.

HAINO, KEIJI & TATSUYA YOSHIDA New Rap (Tzadik) cd 16.98
No, there's no rapping on here (or, if there is, it is indeed an extremely NEW style of "rap", consisting of intense screaming in what may or may not be Japanese -- yeah how's that for a "new rap dialect"?). So no, it's not Keiji gone MC. It's the Fushitsusha guitarist (and all around Tokyo psych shaman) Keiji teamed up again with Ruins drummer (and fellow Tokyo underground music titan) Tatsuya Yoshida for a disc of presumably improvised duets featuring Yoshida's amazing octopoidal drumming and Haino's shards of guitar and agonized throat-rasps.
Each track is named after a different New York City neighborhood, and based on Haino's vocals you might think that he'd had some traumatic experiences in these places, if a track like "Lower East Side" is somehow descriptive of its namesake. A violent mugging perhaps? Maybe the NYC theme suggests that New Rap is influenced by, or an homage to, Downtown New York jazz skronk a la John Zorn, who released this on his Tzadik label. But it's also unmistakably the sort of thing you'd expect to hear from Haino and Yoshida, and in fact have heard before from 'em on their previous duo disc from a few years back Until Water Grasps Flame, and to some extent their collaborations in Knead and Sanhedolin. This strikes a good balance between the controlled spazzcore of the Ruins and the primal emotions of Haino's many projects. Harsh energy indeed!!
MPEG Stream: "Lower East Side"
MPEG Stream: "Canal Street"

HANCOCK, HERBIE Headhunters (Columbia) lp 15.98

HANCOCK, HERBIE Sextant (Columbia) cd 6.98
Finally available domestically in the US! Sextant, by what was known as Herbie & Mwandishiis an Afro-funk/fusion/ambient/electo/jazz recording from 1972. So far ahead of its time it ain't even funny; you will be amazed. So funky, so strange and so recommended!

HANCOCK, HERBIE Thrust (Columbia) cd 12.98
Finally available domestically in the US! Thrust is the 1974 follow-up to Headhunters. Deep, deep keyboard-heavy funk with grooves to ride 'til dawn. So far ahead of its time it ain't even funny; you will be amazed.

HANCOCK, HERBIE, RON CARTER, JONATHAN KLEIN, THAD JONES... Hear, O Israel: A Prayer Ceremony In Jazz (Trunk) cd 16.98
Most likely you don't immediately connect Modern Jazz with Jewish Ritual, but this gorgeous reissue of a long lost private pressing of a 1968 Friday night service may have you rethinking those ideas. Written by Jonathan Klein, a then 17 year-old son of a Massachusetts Rabbi, who was asked to compose music for a service dealing with "Sects and Symbols Within Judaism". The music and service were so popular that the Synagogue incorporated the piece into every Friday night service, and Klein assembled a group to tour various New England Universities. For the debut performance in New York, Klein managed to get the finest New York Jazz musicians to perform his piece, including Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Grady Tate on drums, Jerome Richardson on flute and saxophone and Thad Jones on trumpet and flugelhorn with Antonia Lavanne and Phyllis Bryn-Julson on soprano and contralto voices respectively. Thankfully it was all recorded. Unlike the Christian Youth movement who used spiritually minded rock and folk music to sway new converts, the music for this service doesn't pander to youthful audiences. The music swings in unexpected ways for a religious ceremony but its full intent is an abstract spiritual openness. Even with the Hebrew recitations by Rabbi David Davis, the message is divine, universal and inspired. Rejoice!
MPEG Stream: "Matovu - Bor'chu"
MPEG Stream: "Sanctification"
MPEG Stream: "Kiddush"

HANCOCK, HERBIE, RON CARTER, JONATHAN KLEIN, THAD JONES... Hear, O Israel: A Prayer Ceremony In Jazz (Trunk) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.Most likely you don't immediately connect Modern Jazz with Jewish Ritual, but this gorgeous reissue of a long lost private pressing of a 1968 Friday night service may have you rethinking those ideas. Written by Jonathan Klein, a then 17 year-old son of a Massachusetts Rabbi, who was asked to compose music for a service dealing with "Sects and Symbols Within Judaism". The music and service were so popular that the Synagogue incorporated the piece into every Friday night service, and Klein assembled a group to tour various New England Universities. For the debut performance in New York, Klein managed to get the finest New York Jazz musicians to perform his piece, including Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Grady Tate on drums, Jerome Richardson on flute and saxophone and Thad Jones on trumpet and flugelhorn with Antonia Lavanne and Phyllis Bryn-Julson on soprano and contralto voices respectively. Thankfully it was all recorded. Unlike the Christian Youth movement who used spiritually minded rock and folk music to sway new converts, the music for this service doesn't pander to youthful audiences. The music swings in unexpected ways for a religious ceremony but its full intent is an abstract spiritual openness. Even with the Hebrew recitations by Rabbi David Davis, the message is divine, universal and inspired. Rejoice!
MPEG Stream: "Matovu - Bor'chu"
MPEG Stream: "Sanctification"
MPEG Stream: "Kiddush"

HANNIBAL PETERSON AND THE SUNRISE ORCHESTRA Children Of The Fire (Universal Sound) cd 21.00
A long overdue reissue of this lost jazz classic, originally self released in 1974. Hannibal Peterson isn't much of a household name, even among jazzheads, which is a bit odd considering he's played with Roland Kirk, Elvin Jones, Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders and loads more. And it's a shame because this record is something else! Beautiful and bizarre. Traditional sounding at times, but quite experimental at others. A lush and tripped out orchestral free jazz with swelling strings, wild and clattery tribal percussion, some killer drumming, all joyful and jubilant, until about halfway through, when the orchestra fades out leaving just the sounds of bombs dropping, wild repetitive piano and a mournful female vocalist wailing operatically, eventually the vocals fade leaving a dense instrumental bed of buzzing sitar, tinkling chimes, fluttering flute, completely tranquil and dreamlike. The nearly twenty minute "Aftermath" though is the sonic centerpiece of the record, the first half a skittering post bop free jazz workout, almost funky in parts, the second half, an elegiac dirge of throbbing bass, moaning cello, wailing trumpet and a sizzling percussive crescendo, with gorgeous plaintive vocal coda.
MPEG Stream: "Rhythm Ritual"
MPEG Stream: "Song Of Life"
MPEG Stream: "The Bombing"

HANO, SHOJI / GARY SMITH / ASAHITO NANJO s/t (Chronoscope) cd 18.98
British electric improv guitarist Smith (Mass, etc.), and Japanese psych rock bassist Nanjo (High Rise, Mainliner, Musica Transonic, etc.), team up with Japanese free jazz percussionist Shoji Hano (who's worked with Peter Brotzmann, Keiji Haino, & many others). Quite a barrage of beauty and terror results. Yeah, somewhere between jazz and psychedelic rock this is, for fans of both Mass and Musica Transonic for sure.

HANSSON & KARLSSON s/t (Polydor) cd 22.00
The late '60s Swedish power duo of Bosse Hansson (Hammond organ) & Janne Karlsson (drums), though having slipped into relative obscurity, were once a legend -- and rightfully so. Not only did Jimi Hendrix seek them out when on tour in Europe, jamming with them and watching them play, but even covered one of their songs -- "Tax Free". Legend has it that Bosse Hansson, trained as a guitarist, forsook his instrument for the organ after seeing Jack McDuff play and was booking himself gigs with it after playing for merely three days! Listening to his playing, it's really hard to believe he wasn't trained as not just a pianist, but an organist. Hansson, using a double manual Hammond B-3 organ, is truly brilliant in his handling of the instrument; alternating chords and melody between both manuals, playing the bass line with the foot pedals and breathing life into the damn thing with swells and stop effects. Along with Karlsson's drumming they produce such a full sound it's difficult to imagine only two people are playing. Plus, the tunes they belt out are fucking kick ASS to boot. Rocking jams that, though obviously influenced by blues and jazz, are truly unique in the realm of organ rock. There's spontaneity and energy enough, but the two never lose their grip on the structure of their songs, never meander into gratuitous improv nonsense. Part of their ability to keep things tight while still vibrant is the way they rehearsed songs, by improvising in the studio until structures became apparent to the two and then building songs out of the results. This cd is a compilation gathered from Hansson & Karlsson's three albums and one single that they recorded between 1967 and 1969. The cd comes packaged with a 15 page interview with Hansson & Karlsson conducted in 1997. Certainly, if for no other reason, organ fans -- ie: Jimmy Smith et al -- MUST own this. Interested folks wanting to follow Hansson's career are directed to our review of his later "Lord of the Rings" solo album.
RealAudio clip: "Tax Free"
RealAudio clip: "I Love, You Love"

HARLEY, RUFUS Re-Creation Of The Gods (Transparency) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Reissue of a rare 1972 album. (All right, we're listening, tell us more...) Free jazz improv. (Ok, we're interested, except for Jim who's not into jazz.) Funky grooves. (Still sounds good... except you've lost Andee, he doesn't dig the funk.) BAGPIPES! (Whoa?! Really? Maybe Andee and Jim are back in the fold. Bagpipes?)
Yep, bagpipes. And a lot of groovy, jazzy funk laid down by organ, bass and drums. And, at one point, there's a baby crying. Ok, this IS still way too jazzy fusiony funky for Andee or Jim, but Allan's digging it. Just imagine a Scottish highlander trying to fit in with a jivey '70s urban nightclub jazz scene. It works. Rufus ain't blowin' the bagpipes continuously (he also grooves on electric soprano sax), but there are certainly way more BPs than you'd normally hear on a jazz/funk album! Understandable, then, the "legendary" status of this record, now reissued on cd with a 10 minute bonus track.
And oh yeah, dude's playing AMERICAN FLAG bagpipes in the picture on the front cover.
MPEG Stream: "The Crack"
MPEG Stream: "Nobody Knows The Trouble Us People Done Seen"

HARRISON, JOEL 3+3=7 (9 Winds) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Three guitarists and three percussionists, exploring Harrison's songs and their own extensive improvisational skills. Local. Featuring AQ fave guitarist Nels Cline!

HASKELL, JIMMY AND HIS ORCHESTRA Count Down! (EM Records) cd 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We listed this a while back, but then discovered that it's now been officially re-released in a much more deluxe version by one of our new favorite labels, Japanese reissue label EM records (who also did the Moolah and the Symphony Of The Birds discs we reviewed recently). This is an absolute all time space-age bachelor pad music kitschy classic for sure. Count Down! -- originally released in 1959 -- is a rock and roll visit to outerspace. Take your standard 1950's boogie woogie, throw a ton of echo, reverb, theremin and other strange sounds at it and you have Jimmie Haskell. Pre-dating Joe Meek's I Hear A New World by just one year, it's hard to believe the two didn't have a late night brainstorming session together. The two share a similar production aesthetic -- double speed vocals, extreme EQ-ing & compression -- and an off-kilter melodic sensibility. Wacky and wonderful!
As with all EM releases, very nicely done with lots of liner notes (unfortunately almost all in Japanese, though) as well as photos, the original artwork, repros of both the front and back covers and loads more!
MPEG Stream: "Weightless Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Rockin' In the Orbit"
MPEG Stream: "We Get Messages"

HEADHUNTERS Return of the Headhunters (Verve) 15.98
The legendary jazz-funk masters reunite -- featuring Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson, Mike Clark, and Bill Summers -- and with "special guests" Herbie Hancock, Billy Childs, and N'Dea Davenport. You will remember that Herbie Hancock made a string of fantastic kozmik groove records in the 1970s with this band, who then made a few on their own without him, and all are worth hearing. We've got a few of the Hancock 70s reissued LPs too, so ask us about those if you are interested.

HEASLEY, TOM On The Sensations Of Tone (Innova) cd 14.98
You know how much I love flutes, so it would only stand to reason that I would also love tubas. What!? Makes perfect sense to me. Two of the most maligned instruments, the instruments that even band geeks made fun of. Well not any more!!! Flutes have already proven themselves (check out Osanna and a million other kick ass prog bands), now it's the tuba's turn to shine. And shine it does, although not in nearly as ostentatious a manner as the flute. Partially because tonally, the tuba is more well designed to rumble and drone than freak out. So Tom Heasly, who, we sadly know little about, takes his tuba, mixes in some throat singing, loops and digital processing, and comes up with this dreamy, willowy record of gentle swells and warm drones. Bordering occasionally on new age, Heasly manages to just barely steer clear of Windham Hill, adding some grit to the gentle soundscapes, making notes ring endlessly, as other notes join in and gently pulse along side. Washes of gauzy major key hum whirl in lazy rings around rumbling swells. Kind of like Stars Of The Lid without the guitars, or Gas without the beats or a Coleclough record with lots of tuba!!
RealAudio clip: "Thonis"

HEBDEN, KIERAN AND STEVE REID Exchange Sessions Vol. 1 (Domino) cd 14.98
How cool is Steve Reid! While a lot of free jazz legends rest on their laurels or keep hashing out the same sounds that were once revolutionary but now just sort of sound stale, Reid is committed to staying current and pushing himself in new and different modes of expression, as evidenced here, where he is teamed up with Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) for a really nice collaboration of drums and electronics. A few lists ago you might remember we reviewed Reid's Spirit Walk in which Hebden lent some helping hands in a very minimal way. This release is much more of an equal pairing of their two worlds. Hebden creates tension and and color with his electronics as Reid so skillfully yet freely goes off on his drum kit. Their recent live show in SF was so totally captivating and full of all the right vibrations. Seeing the two of them on stage with a super sweet kind of father / son dynamic was a sight to see for sure. This seems to be the first in what we hope to be many exchange sessions between these two.
MPEG Stream: "Soul Oscillations"
MPEG Stream: "Morning Prayer"

HEBDEN, KIERAN AND STEVE REID NYC (Domino) cd 15.98
We've been big fans of the previous collaborative efforts between Kieren Hebden (Four Tet) and legendary free jazz drummer Steve Reid, but NYC demonstrates the two truly finding their own pulsating and exciting outer groove. This isn't fusion or jazz, instead it really sounds like two musical innovators reaching out into each other's orbits and succeeding in making something wholly new.
NYC was recorded right in the heart of New York City over just a couple days and both the city and the urgency shines through as these tracks play like some amazing version of Liquid Liquid performing live at the Village Vanguard. We almost want to send copies of this to some of our favorite rhythmic and percussion fueled bands like Tussle, Mi Ami, !!!, Lemonade and Trans Am, for a shot of fresh inspiration. Hot off the heels of Hebden's recent collaboration with Sunburned Hand Of The Man and a dazzling stripped down and drugged out Four Tet ep he's really sounding like he's on top of his game lately and Reid keeps proving that getting older has hardly dimmed his soul and passion as his percussive skills have never sounded more alive and full of fire. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Lyman Place"
MPEG Stream: "Arrival"
MPEG Stream: "Departure"

HEBDEN, KIERAN AND STEVE REID Tongues (Domino) cd 15.98
The third album in the exciting collaboration between electronic wizard Kieren Hebden (Four Tet, Fridge) and free jazz and beyond living legend drummer Steve Reid who over the years has manned the kit for everyone from Sun Ra, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Martha & The Vandellas and Fela Kuti. Their first two collaborations together (The Exchange Sessions) were marked with great extended pieces that perfectly blended electronics and free jazz into one seamless whole. Tongues offers a more song based album, with shorter tracks but just as much vibrancy and color, the two of them constantly bouncing sounds and ideas off of each other. These two gifted musicians from two different generations have tapped into something so exciting together. Sure to stand the test of time, Tongues is truly the work of two people dedicated to the endless search for new sounds and free expression. So good!
MPEG Stream: "The Sun Never Sets"
MPEG Stream: "Our Time"

HEMMINGSON, MERIT Queen Of Swedish Hammond Folk Groove (Amigo) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Wow! The wonderful, wonderful music of organist Merit Hemmingson combines a bunch of stuff we just simply LOVE but never heard quite like this before. The title of this "best of" collection boldly suggests as much to you too, right? Swedish Hammond Folk Groove, yeah!! We hadn't heard of her before we came across this, but now we know she made a handful of records in the '70s that brought together ancestral Swedish folk melodies, jazzy Hammond organ grooving, and some colorful psychedelic moves. Merit's Hammond is at the fore, playing her own swingin', riffin' take on these traditional tunes, but the arrangements also variously incorporate '70s funky wah-wah psych guitars, her lovely, wordless vocals, flutes and bongos and more... It's all so sunshiney and delightful, reminding us of everything from Hansson & Karlsson to Turid to The Free Design to a calmer, mellower version of Aavikko! And of course modern-day Swedish folk organ duo Sagor & Swing.
Merit's music is gentle, soulful, rhythmic -- so nice! It's total "grooving with trolls and flowers in the forest funk". Not your everyday organ jazz that's for sure, though Merit got her start in the '60s playing jazz -- she came over to the New York City to study, taking piano lessons from both Joe Zawinul and Lalo Schifrin and even getting to sit in with Miles Davis's band! But soon she went in a more pop/funk direction, and then became inspired by Scandinavia's rich history of olden folk music to create the sounds heard here.
The twenty tracks on this collection are all from albums originally released between 1971-1977 (Huvva, Trollskog, Bergtagen, Balsam, and Hoven Droven) except for a couple of recently-recorded tracks at the disc's end done in a similar style, featuring as sidemen members of currently happenin' Swedish retro-leaning rock bands (and big Merit fans) Dungen and The Ark! That's right, while obscure for years even in Sweden, she's undergone a bit of a hipster rediscovery lately and in fact this disc (the first time on cd for most of this music) is the prelude to a new album due out this year.
Queen Of Swedish Hammond Folk Groove is a nicely deluxe package, in a slipcovered jewelcase with a thick booklet full of photos, liner notes in both English and Swedish, and Merit's own track-by-track commentary. We had to go to a bit of trouble to import these from Sweden, but it was worth it!
MPEG Stream: "Mandom Mod Och Morske Man"
MPEG Stream: "Brudmarsch Efter Lisme Per"
MPEG Stream: "Setnmarks Slalompolska"

HEMOPHILIAC John Zorn's 50th Birthday Celebration Vol. 6 (Tzadik) cd 16.98
Good grief, it's become a running joke 'round these parts about John Zorn's never-ending 50th birthday sell-a-bration. I mean, of course he gets our best wishes and everything, but it seems like Tzadik's still gonna be releasing Zorn 50th Birthday cds when the man turns 60! Certainly it might take us that long to review all of 'em. But, that's no complaint, when we get to check out via compact disc shows we probably would have been stoked to see had we been in NYC during Zorn's month-long birthday concert happenins' in September 2003. Like this one, a rare recording from Hemophiliac, a trio made up of John Zorn (on sax), Mike Patton (voice) and Ikue Mori (laptop electronics). How's that for avant-cool? Crazed chaos ensues of course...squeals and squeeks and squalling squonk. Surely an endurance test for some, but sticking with it we're hearing some interestin' textures -- and even calm drones and beautiful sax lines -- alongside the exciting improv cartoon carnage dished out by these pros.
MPEG Stream: "@:<>:@"
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HENDERSON, JOE Power To The People (Universe / Milestone) cd 16.98
Italian reissue of this 1969 album by tenor sax man Joe Henderson, or shall we say Joe Henderson and heavy friends: Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette... Very "jazz" indeed.

HENRIKSEN, ARVE Chiaroscuro (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98
On his own, trumpeter for Norwegian "death-jazz" geniuses Supersilent Arve Henriksen seems like a big softie, blowing and singing wordless soundscapes that are eerily pretty and entrancing. Arve's 2001 solo debut Sakuteiki merged his haunting horn with minimal abstract electronics. Now he's back with his 2nd solo for Rune Grammofon, Chiaroscuro, on which Arve's breathy playing and ever-so-slightly Bjorkish singing are joined by the live sampling of Jan Bang and the drums and percussion of Audun Kleive. The results, yet again, are gorgeous.
MPEG Stream: "Opening Image"
MPEG Stream: "Blue Silk"

HENRIKSEN, ARVE Sakuteiki (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98
Henriksen is a member of AQ-faves Supersilent, the unclassifiable and brilliant Norwegian improvising outfit. On this, his debut solo album, he blends his gorgeous, haunting trumpet playing with the drone-ful production of electronicist Deathprod (aka Helge Sten, who is also a member of Supersilent) -- although the sleeve states that everything was recorded direct to 2-track with no effects added in post production. Wow. Seemingly inspired by a visit to a Japanese Zen garden (with track titles like "Beauty of Bamboos", "Peaceful -- Close To Cherry Trees", "Planting Trees Creating Beauty", and "Shrine"), Henrikson's album is austere, hushed, detailed, and beautiful. The far north meets the far east: keening shakuhachi-like horn calls, breathy melodies, some pulsing sub-sonics, rare electronic blips, and even on the track "White Gravel" what sounds like rubbing stones. It reminds us of the lovely, melancholic tones of Armenian duduk player Djivan Gasparyan, if he were performing in an environment created by an Arctic ambient-electronica artist like Biosphere. If you enjoyed the "glacial Miles Davis" moments (as we put it in our review) on the most recent Supersilent disc "5" -- the ambient-jazz stuff that might have had something to do with why ECM picked up Rune Grammofon for distribution -- then you'll love Henriksen's disc too. So nice.
RealAudio clip: "Procession Passing"
RealAudio clip: "White Gravel"
RealAudio clip: "Tsukubai - Washbasin"

HENRIKSEN, ARVE Strjon (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98
Here's another set of moody abstract electro-acoustic soundscapes from Supersilent trumpeter Arve Henriksen, his third solo outing on the Rune Grammophon label, as lovely as the other two. In addition to his calm, melodic, breathy "glacial Miles Davis" horn playing, he also utilizes electronics and keyboards and wordless singing. Plus Supersilent bandmates Stale Storlokeen Helge "Deathprod" Sten (on production duties as well) contribute on keys and guitars respectively, adding to the overall mysterious drone-factor of this music, some of it very Supersilent-sounding (as you might expect with this lineup), some parts particularly reminiscent of the austere Arctic tranquility of Henriksen's solo debut on Rune G, Sakuteiki. Overall, there's an air of olden mystic ceremony, with tracks like "Glacier Descent" building to white-light shining bliss. Ominous relaxation... definitely for fans of Supersilent and Deathprod.
MPEG Stream: "Black Mountain"
MPEG Stream: "Leaf And Rock"

HERON, GIL-SCOTT / BRIAN JACKSON Winter in America (Get Back) lp 14.98

HESSION, PAUL / ALAN WILKINSON / SIMON H. FELL Saint John's (Ecstatic Peace) cd 14.98

HINDS BROTHERS 420 Haight Street, San Francisco (Omni Sonic) cd 11.98
John and Peter Hinds (of Sun Ra Research 'zine fame) return with their second album of hybrid jazz/electronica grooves. The mix includes drum'n'bass beats, dub elements, spacy synth, faux-classical compositions, AND incoherent interviews with homeless people (nine field recorded interludes that crop up throughout the disc)! Exploitative maybe, but unusual.
RealAudio clip: "The Light Dub"
RealAudio clip: "Scene Eight"

HINDS BROTHERS Dubmixer: Mixed By John Hinds (Omni Sonic) cd 7.98
The Brothers Hinds return with another eclectic release. Don't let the title fool ya, this is a far cry from a typical dub mix collection. It's a super trippy meltdown of jazz, drum'n'bass, and yes, some dub too. As always, well executed and with a few unexpected twists thrown into the mix.

HINDS BROTHERS The Brilliant Sound (Omni Sonic) cd 12.98
The brothers responsible for the locally-produced, fab, & obsessive "Sun Ra Research" zine have released this very original and enjoyable electronica/jazz recording, kinda like a meeting of Muslimgauze and Bill Laswell. Organic grooves. Recommended.

HIS NAME IS ALIVE Sweet Earth Flower - A Tribute To Marion Brown (High Two Recording Co.) cd 16.98
Without knowing why or how, the idea of the recently more soulful, perpetually Beach Boys obsessed pop group His Name Is Alive tackling a record of tracks by legendary jazz saxophonist Marion Brown, seems not just unlikely but maybe even ill advised.
So we were pretty surprised and thrilled when we finally wrapped our ears around this disc. A dark smoldering expansive ambient jazz sprawl, His Name Is Alive, seriously channeling the spirit of Marion Brown, in such a way that is at once totally faithful but also, quite modern and radical.
Most of the tracks are languorous and laid back, and sometimes sound like a jazzier No Neck Blues Band, a sort of fluttering free folk, the sounds drifting like smoke, the percussion sizzling and shuffling, the horns moaning softly, lots of tinkling chimes and little flurries of piano, gorgeously soft focus and hypnotic.
There are a few live tracks, which is where the band really cut loose, and embrace the noisier side of Brown's oeuvre, "Capricorn Moon" the first live track, is much boppier, the drums and bass locked into a sort of muted exotica, while the horns bleat wildly over the top, the sound very African, and dipping into some serious Ethiopiques territory here and there. The next few songs return to the blissy jazzy tranquility of the first few, until "Bismillahi 'Rrahmani 'Rrahim", which starts off all dreamlike, but by the end, is a squall of thick distorted guitars and skronky saxes, a serious free jazz duel.
The two part "Geechee Recollections" is another slow burning jam, all exotic percussion and thick rubbery basslines, wailing sax, shuffling skittery drum lines, moody meandering piano, the second half a super minimal late night jazzy sprawl, like a less repetitive Necks, but the same sort of mysterious murky swirl.
The record finishes off with a live version of the opening track, sticking close to that same smoky late night shimmer, but with the horns more active and up in the mix, the drums a bit more propulsive, some wah guitar, managing to sound just a bit more fierce, but without losing that blurry blissy sultriness...
This is so good. We used to love love love His Name Is Alive. They even played an instore here, which was a blast. They sort of lost us though lately with their ever intensifying soul leanings, but this record is absolutely gorgeous, and has definitely restored our faith in Warn Defever and company, plus anyone so into Marion Brown is aces in our book.
A portion of the proceeds of the sale of this cd goes to the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation, which is also quite cool...
MPEG Stream: "Sweet Earth Flying"
MPEG Stream: "Juba Lee Brown"
MPEG Stream: "Geechee Recollections I"

HONDA, YUKA Eucademix (Tzadik) cd 16.98
Eucademix is the second solo album from the more esoteric half of the sadly defunct, beloved US-based Japanese electronic pop duo Cibo Matto. Once again Ms Honda traverses a broad expanse of style and mood. However unlike her last solo experimental pop effort which was, for lack of a better word, more 'serious' (i.e, more experimental than pop) and on which there really wasn't a hint of her former band's sound (which some C.M. fans found to be somewhat alienating), on Eucademix she actually brings some of her playful, funky Cibo Matto side back into view. Just check out the first two engaging tracks "Humming Song" and "I Dream About You". From there she roams through cirrus and altocumulus cloudlike formations of atmosphere'n'rhythm-rich space jazz, groovy beats, psych guitars, pretty chamber strings, and more. Much lighter in mood and perhaps more palatable to a broader audience than her previous album Memories Are My Only Witness, Eucademix very well might be the most accessible release on Tzadik. Helping to keep her trippy flying carpet aloft are her pals Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas), Marc Ribot, Petra Haden (That Dog), Timo Ellis and... Miho Hatori her former C.M. partner! Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Humming Song (Alone Together)"
MPEG Stream: "When The Monkey Kills"

HOOKER, WILLIAM Mindfulness (Knitting Factory Works) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NYC energy drummer Hooker live in San Francisco with local powerhouse saxophonist Glenn Spearman and "illbient" DJ Olive (of the fab We). Surf over to Marc's web site for a look at the interview he did with Mr. Hooker right after this show!

HOPKINS, CLUTCHY Life Of Clutchy Hopkins (Mislead Children) cd 13.98
The rumors are flying. Well, at least on all the underground hip-hop blogs they are. Who is Clutchy Hopkins? Could he really be this Ted Kaczynski type hermit living in a cave somewhere out in the Mojave Desert but who perhaps sometime in the '80s recorded these recently discovered and amazing instrumental funk-jazz tracks? And then came out of hiding briefly to put a new record out on Ubiquity only to then disappear once more? Seems doubtful. Details are shady at best. No one has really seen him, except for some less than trustworthy sources. There are only some old photographs of him looking like some serious Moondog cave hippie, like if Gnarls Barkley was an actual person maybe. It's an interesting back story which adds an exciting twist to the origins of these killer tracks, but would they be less killer if the rumors going around were true that maybe this is in fact an alias band project for either Money Mark, Madlib, Cut Chemist, or DJ Shadow? (Our guess? Kid Loco. Seems like he's been in a cave for awhile.) It shouldn't matter, because this shit is good. And who wouldn't rather believe we live in a world where cave-dwelling hermits could make such awesome grooves. Originally released in 2005, it has 12 untitled tracks ranging from flute groovers, and spy chases to strange percussive interludes. We will review the Ubiquity release on a later list, as this one here we like a bit better and want to make it available to you before it, like Clutchy, disappears into the ether.
MPEG Stream: "3:02"
MPEG Stream: "2:07"
MPEG Stream: "3:24"

HOPKINS, CLUTCHY Life Of Clutchy Hopkins (Mislead Children) lp 14.98
The rumors are flying. Well, at least on all the underground hip-hop blogs they are. Who is Clutchy Hopkins? Could he really be this Ted Kaczynski type hermit living in a cave somewhere out in the Mojave Desert but who perhaps sometime in the '80s recorded these recently discovered and amazing instrumental funk-jazz tracks? And then came out of hiding briefly to put a new record out on Ubiquity only to then disappear once more? Seems doubtful. Details are shady at best. No one has really seen him, except for some less than trustworthy sources. There are only some old photographs of him looking like some serious Moondog cave hippie, like if Gnarls Barkley was an actual person maybe. It's an interesting back story which adds an exciting twist to the origins of these killer tracks, but would they be less killer if the rumors going around were true that maybe this is in fact an alias band project for either Money Mark, Madlib, Cut Chemist, or DJ Shadow? (Our guess? Kid Loco. Seems like he's been in a cave for awhile.) It shouldn't matter, because this shit is good. And who wouldn't rather believe we live in a world where cave-dwelling hermits could make such awesome grooves. Originally released in 2005, it has 12 untitled tracks ranging from flute groovers, and spy chases to strange percussive interludes. We will review the Ubiquity release on a later list, as this one here we like a bit better and want to make it available to you before it, like Clutchy, disappears into the ether.
MPEG Stream: "3:02"
MPEG Stream: "2:07"
MPEG Stream: "3:24"