SHIPP, MATTHEW, "STRING" TRIO By the Law of Music (Hat Art) cd 18.98
The strings of Shipp's piano, William Parker's bass and Mat Maneri's violin. No drums. Challenging, sad, rewarding new music from these great improvisers.

SHIRAISHI, TAMIO Sax Solo Performance At Subway In NY (PSF) cd 17.98
Part field recording, part free jazz improv. As the title indicates, solo sax in the subway, that's what this is. But definitely not your usual "busker" fare! Beautiful, but also definitely dog-whistle intense. Japanese saxophonist Tamio Shiraishi has been active since the '70s, and played in an early incarnation of Keiji Haino's Fushitsusha, we're told. He been living in New York City for at least a decade, collaborating with NNCK among others, and apparently likes to haunt the subway in Queens, with his sax, when he's in a pensive mood. The sax he blows here generates a thin, piercing, upper-register "whistling" sound, sometimes a subtle squeal, sometimes a haunting soul-cry, that we'd think would be lost in the clangor of the subway system. But, instead it sounds like he's playing in an abandoned area of the subway, it seems often almost totally silent, but for the saxophone. And except, now and then, for the sounds of a passing train. Clearly it's a lonely stop, late at night or very early in the morning... or maybe the sine-wave like tone of his saxophone has chased all the commuters away. When a train does "run though" the station where Shiraishi is playing, a whole 'nother dimension is added, the ambient, field recording character of this disc becomes apparent, that's definitely what makes this most interesting to us, as listeners. Rumbling, clanking, hissing, rhythmically choo-chooing in its subway way, first in the distance softly, then louder, then receding again to be replaced by the sax it didn't quite drown out... The loneliness of the delicately shrill saxophone soloing is accentuated as the train fades away, each a drone of its own, for moments in brief duet. More than the sum of its parts, we'd definitely rather hear Shiraishi in this subway setting than in a studio - and at the same time, it's NOT quite what you might have thought a subway platform saxophone recording would sound like. So, move over DJ Shadow, David Shire, and Charles Gayle... this is the new sound of the NYC subway system!
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 5"

SHORTER, ALAN Tes Esat (America) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
WOW. And do we mean WOW!! Fifteen classic free jazz records from the late sixties / early seventies, long out of print, finally getting the ULTRA deluxe reissue treatment. Incredibly limited, these will probably be out of print before you know it.
Comes in a gorgeous diecut fullcover three panel sleeve, with new artwork, as well as a huge booklet with the original album sleeve notes, new liner notes in french and english as well as a bunch of cool photos. So nice!

SILVA & THE CELESTRIAL COMMUNICATION ORCHESTRA, ALAN Seasons (Actuel / Sunspots) 2cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
First time available on cd ever!
Fucking incredible document of early seventies free jazz recorded live in Paris, in December 1970. We shouldn't have to do anything but tell you who plays on this to convince you that this is utterly essential. Fans of Sun Ra, Art Ensemble of Chicago (most of whom, play on this) and all things ESP, MUST own this. Seriously beautiful and epic outer-jazz-space exploration.
And here's the freakin' lineup:
Alan Silva - leader, bass, electric-violin, electric-sarangi, bow and spring (two French electroacoustic instruments) / Bernard Vitet - trumpet, french horn / Lester Bowie (AEC) - trumpet, flugelhorn / Alan Shorter - trumpet / Joseph Jarman (AEC) - saxes, flute, bassoon / Steve Lacy - soprano saxophone / Ronnie Beer - tenor and soprano saxophone, flute / Roscoe Mitchell (AEC)- saxes, flute, oboe / Robin Kenyatta - alto sax, flute / Michel Portal - alto sax, clarinet / Dieter Gewissler - electric violin / Jouk Minor - electric viola / Kent Carter - cello / Irene Aebi - cello, celeste / Dave Burrell - piano / Beb Guerin - bass / Don Moye (AEC) - drums, percussion / Jerome Cooper - drums, percussion, bronte / Oliver Johnson - tympani, percussion. Compact disc release limited to 1500 copies, so don't hold out on this one!

SILVA AND THE CELESTRIAL COMMUNICATION ORCHESTRA, ALAN Seasons (BYG / Actuel / Get Back) 3lp 32.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fucking incredible document of early seventies free jazz recorded live in Paris, in December 1970. We shouldn't have to do anything but tell you who plays on this to convince you that this is utterly essential. Fans of Sun Ra, Art Ensemble of Chicago (most of whom, play on this) and all things ESP, MUST own this. Seriously beautiful and epic (3 lps!) outer-jazz-space exploration.
And here's the freakin' lineup:
Alan Silva - leader, bass, electric-violin, electric-sarangi, bow and spring (two French electroacoustic instruments) / Bernard Vitet - trumpet, french horn / Lester Bowie (AEC) - trumpet, flugelhorn / Alan Shorter - trumpet / Joseph Jarman (AEC) - saxes, flute, bassoon / Steve Lacy - soprano saxophone / Ronnie Beer - tenor and soprano saxophone, flute / Roscoe Mitchell (AEC)- saxes, flute, oboe / Robin Kenyatta - alto sax, flute / Michel Portal - alto sax, clarinet / Dieter Gewissler - electric violin / Jouk Minor - electric viola / Kent Carter - cello / Irene Aebi - cello, celeste / Dave Burrell - piano / Beb Guerin - bass / Don Moye (AEC) - drums, percussion / Jerome Cooper - drums, percussion, bronte / Oliver Johnson - tympani, percussion

SILVA, ALAN Skillfullness (Get Back / ESP) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another Silva reissue from his ESP days, this one recorded in 1970 with Dave Burrell, Becky Friend, Karl Berger, Mike Ephron, Lawrence Cook and Barry Altschul.

SILVA, ALAN Skillfulness (Abraxas / ESP - Disk ) cd 15.98
Another contender for Andee's flute hall of fame. More spaced out celestrial divinity from the master himself, Alan Silva. Two lengthy tracks of abstract fluttering flutes, free jazz clatter, and spaced out otherworldly wildness. Violin, cello, piano, organ, vibraphone, rattles, cymbals, percussion and FLUTE, all woven together into a gorgeously thick miasma of drone-y, scrape-y, difficult beauty.
MPEG Stream: "Skillfullness"
MPEG Stream: "Solestrial"

SILVA, ALAN AND HIS CELESTRIAL COMMUNICATION ORCHESTRA Luna Surface (Actuel) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SIMMONS, SONNY Music From The Spheres (ESP Disk) cd 14.98

SIMMONS, SONNY Music From The Spheres (ESP Disk) lp 14.98

SIMMONS, SONNY Staying On The Watch (ESP / Aretina) cd 16.98
Finally another wave of ESP reissues and more completely essential and seminal sixties free jazz. This disc, recorded in 1966, Simmons' debut as a band leader, is an intense blast of aggresive melody with four extended tracks of raw and relentless skronk and skree with some inspired playing from Barbara Donald (trumpet), John Hicks (piano), Teddy Smith (bass), and Marvin Pattillo (drums). So nice.
RealAudio clip: "Metamorphosis"
RealAudio clip: "A Distant Voice"

SIMMONS, SONNY Staying On The Watch (ESP / Get Back) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally another wave of ESP reissues and more completely essential and seminal sixties free jazz. This disc, recorded in 1966, Simmons' debut as a band leader, is an intense blast of aggresive melody with four extended tracks of raw and relentless skronk and skree with some inspired playing from Barbara Donald (trumpet), John Hicks (piano), Teddy Smith (bass), and Marvin Pattillo (drums). So nice.

SIMMONS, SONNY The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings (ESP-Disk) 2cd 24.00

SIMONE, NINA ...Sings Duke Ellington / ...At Carnegie Hall (Collectables) cd 14.98

SIMONE, NINA Anthology: The Colpix Years (Rhino) 2cd 29.00
Fine new double disc collection, 40 tracks worth, from "the high priestess of soul" - wonderful.

SIMONE, NINA At Newport (Doxy) lp+cd 26.00

SIMONE, NINA Baltimore (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

SIMONE, NINA Black Gold (RCA) lp 12.98

SIMONE, NINA Emergency Ward! (Sony) lp 15.98
Nina Simone's vast and varied back catalog never ceases to thrill and amaze us. As we dig and dig into the deep vaults of her recorded material we keep running into records that demand full attention and grab us by our vitals and throw us right into the world she was inhabiting at that moment. This 1973 album, now reissued on vinyl, found Nina full of a crazy kind of energy, empowerment, rage, urgency and intensity. As the Vietnam War continued to linger, Emergency Ward! was Nina Simone's most pointed protest against the war, as well as one of her most fiery and commanding records, period. With arrangements by the great Weldon Irvine and a church junior choir from South Jamaica, New York backing her up, a strong foundation was laid for Nina to take those elements and bring them to life as only she could. Recorded live in a few different locations the record finds Simone at her most epic and emotionally charged. The first side is one long track that merges an adaptation of George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" with "Today Is A Killer", a poem by David Nelson, that Nina Simone transforms into an unforgettable gospel burner! The second side starts off with an irresistible version of "Poppies" and then the grand finale is an eleven minute emotionally poignant take on another George Harrison song, "Isn't It A Pity", that rings with so much truth and timeliness all these years later. Nina Simone fans, you must have this! Totally engaging and essential!

SIMONE, NINA Fodder On My Wings (Sunnyside) cd 17.98
We've long been advocates of the importance and reward of spending time with Nina Simone's proper albums. We're really glad there have been so many reissues of her records from the '60s and '70s, but truth be told she was one of those rare incredible artists who stayed true to her vision and made powerful music in all five decades that she shared her magical voice and musical wisdom with the world.
Recorded in Paris in 1982, Fodder On My Wings was an album not many of us were familiar with so we were thrilled Sunnyside brought it to our attention, as it's one smoking and satisfying record, with Nina on piano, harpsichord shaker, and tambourine backed by an awesome band with instrumentation that included congas, woodblock, timpani, etc. Unlike many of her earlier albums, Nina wrote and composed all but one track on this record. Singing in both French and English, her songs range from bittersweet, to empowering, to effervescent. Filled with rich grooves, entrancing piano, and that unmistakably wise and magical voice. A must have for any Nina Simone fan!
MPEG Stream: "I Sing Just To Know That I'm Alive"
MPEG Stream: "Vous Etes Seuls, Mais Je Desire Etre Avec Vous"
MPEG Stream: "Heaven Belongs To You"
MPEG Stream: "Il Y A Un Baume A Gilhead"

SIMONE, NINA Folksy Nina / Nina With Strings (Collectables) cd 14.98

SIMONE, NINA Forbidden Fruit (Doxy) lp + 7" 29.00

SIMONE, NINA Forbidden Fruit / At Newport (Collectables) cd 14.98

SIMONE, NINA High Priestess Of Soul (Verve) cd 12.98
It can sometimes be daunting with some legendary artists, especially with ones who have left us so much great music, to figure out where to start in terms of really exploring their music. Truth be told, any time or any way you get to hear a Nina Simone song it's pretty damn special. Whether it's on a mix someone made you, or one of the many best-of collections, or even any of the great live recordings. But lately we've really wanted to spend some quality time with her albums, as they were created so meticulously and flow so amazingly, with perfect emotional peaks and valleys that take you on a spiritual sonic journey from start to finish.
We easily could list a handful of essential albums from Nina Simone (we reviewed the great Silk & Soul a couple years back and it's become a staple of the AQ soundsytem), but this time around, we'll focus on one of her true masterpieces, High Priestess Of Soul, recorded in 1966. With lush and tasteful arrangements by Hal Mooney, this is a record that definitely demonstrates Simones's dynamic range and magical touch. From sad and sultry to empowered and resilient, her songs have this magical way of cutting right to the truth. From the rich gospel of "Take Me To The Water/I'm Going Back Home" to one of the most amazing and minimal deep groove songs of all time!!! "Come Ye" and the strong and proud anthem "Don't You Pay Them No Mind", High Priestess of Soul is filled with songs that that are like mirrors that reflect all that is true and real.
One of our all time favorite records, and an album that if you don't already own, we know you will want to start spending some serious time with, as it will become one of those special records you turn to when you need the real deal to hit your soul just right!
MPEG Stream: "Come Ye"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Gonna Leave You"
MPEG Stream: "Keeper Of The Flame"

SIMONE, NINA In Concert / I Put A Spell On You (Mercury) cd 12.98

SIMONE, NINA Is It Finished (RCA) lp 12.98

SIMONE, NINA Lamentations (Versatile) lp 12.98

SIMONE, NINA Pastel Blues (Verve) cd 12.98
This is not newly reissued, it's just an old fave that gets played like crazy in the store but has never gotten reviewed, until NOW!
It's still astonishing to listen to records Nina Simone made over forty years ago and hear the kind of experimentation in song structure and delivery she used while transforming songs into creatures that became totally her own, all the while infusing so much soul and emotion into each note.
Pastel Blues came out in 1965 and fits so nicely into that mid to late '60s era of Nina that we are so in love with. The same era that produced High Priestess Of Soul, Let It All Out, Silk & Soul and Wild In The Wind. Bookend with two of her greatest musical moments, the leadoff track "Be My Husband" which has become a staple cover of Antony & The Johnsons and the ten minute closer "Sinnerman" which finds her at her most fiery, frantic and riveting. In between are so many more beautiful and sad sounds filled with her soft piano and distinctive vocals, a sound rich with such universal feelings of loss and sadness, yet burning with life and hope and passion.
We've said it before but we will keep saying it, this is an artist that demands a serious and deep relationship by music lovers of all varieties, 'best of' recordings are great but Simone's albums, especially in this era are so strong and carefully constructed from start to finish that they reward so richly, repeat listens. Without Nina so many of our modern day AQ favorites like Antony, Cat Power, White Magic, Devendra Banhart, etc. wouldn't exist as we know and love them. Another essential Nina Simone album!
MPEG Stream: "Be My Husband"
MPEG Stream: "Sinnerman"
MPEG Stream: "Trouble In Mind"

SIMONE, NINA Silk & Soul (BMG) cd 12.98
It's been about three years now since Nina Simone passed away, we miss her madly but it's nice that reissues of her back catalog will keep her voice alive for years to come. This is one of her nicest soul centered albums with totally lush arrangements and of course her voice at it's most seductive and silky. While retrospectives and best of collections can be nice, when it comes to amazing artists like Nina Simone it's so important to get to hear how well crafted her albums were, how she was so conscious of the flow and the journey from start to finish. We think you'll be hard pressed to find a more perfect sounding Sunday morning album. This buried treasure from 1967 is sounding pretty perfect and timeless to our ears almost 40 years later.
MPEG Stream: "Go To Hell"
MPEG Stream: "Some Say"

SIMONE, NINA Sings The Blues (4 Men With Beards) lp 19.98

SIMONE, NINA The Amazing Nina Simone (4 Men With Beards) lp 16.98

SIMONE, NINA The Amazing... / ...At Town Hall (Collectables) cd 14.98

SIMONE, NINA The Legendary First Recording In New York City, 1957 (Doxy) lp+cd 26.00

SIMONE, NINA To Love Somebody (4 Men With Beards) lp 19.98

SIMONE, NINA Wild Is The Wind (Universal) lp 15.98

SIRONE Live (Atavistic) cd 14.98
Most well known to most as the leader of the Revolutionary Ensemble in the 70's, Sirone was also a sideman for such jazz legends as Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, Charles Gayle, Ornette Coleman, Roswell Rudd, Clifford Thornton, Sonny Sharrock, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra and more. But he was way more than just a sideman, an amazing composer in his own right and a completely orignal and creative bass player. For this live set, recorded in 1991, Sirone teamed up with Dennis Charles on drums and Claude Lawrence on alto sax, and the results are sublime. The performance starts off with a long piece for solo flute. A dense squall of tweets and trills and twitters and flitterings, like strange and haunting bird calls. After that it's all about the bass, as Sirone stretches out and slides smoothly all over the fretboard with two tracks of almost nothing but bass (one track gets a smattering of free jazz rhythmic splatter), it's dark and deliriously languorous, warm and thick and totally dreamy. When the rest of the trio does join in, it's dense and focused and intense, with Sirone and Charles locked in tight but somehow still wild and loose and free, while Lawrence skips gingerly atop a squirming tangle of shuffling rhythms and throbbing pulsing low end. So good.
MPEG Stream: "Flute Song "
MPEG Stream: "Eyes Of The Wind"

SKALPEL Konfusion (Ninja Tune) 2cd 15.98
Skapel are two electronic musicans from Poland who do an incredible sample/cut/paste job with some obscure and anonymous (to us) '70 Eastern European jazz LPs being used for their sound sources. This duo is right on in their constructions built from mellow bass grooves, funky drum loops, glistening vibes, horn vamps, snatches of soulful female vox, etc., generating a head-nodding, smokey, noir-ish atmosphere of breakbeat jazz plunderphonica. Imagine an extremely jazz-oriented DJ Shadow and you'd be close... DJ Shadow meets '70s Miles Davis or Herbie Hancock maybe. Throw some of David Shire's the Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3 soundtrack in there too. As with Shadow, these tracks are built from other folks' records but stand on their own, the edits all flowing, the samples (including some record crackle to hint at their origin) integrated seamlessly, such that you might be fooled into thinking you were listening to the product of a real live band of musicans actually all playing together at the same time and place... though some electronic manipulation and looping will clue you otherwise. Still, there's no wip-wip-wap turntablism going on to get in the way of the music and mood. Really nice (though you've gotta like jazz of course). And it certainly makes us wish that the Skalpel guys would put together a compilation of Polish '70s fusion so we could check out the originals too!
The cd version of this comes with a bonus remix disc entitled 1958 Breaks, featuring remixes by Skalpel and others (Quantic, Dr. Rubberfunk, Backini, Paradowski, etc.) of stuff from Skalpel's first album. It has its moments but I won't be listening to it as much as the main disc 'cause the more techno/hiphop/whatever mixes tend to detract from the "I can't believe it's not real live jazz" authenticity that Konfusion does so well.
MPEG Stream: "Flying Officer"
MPEG Stream: "Test Drive"

SMITH, GARY & JOE GALLIVAN s/t (Paratactile) cd 18.98
Spacy and sizzling collision of the electric stereo guitar wielded by Gary Smith (of current UK power improv trio Mass) and the Moog synths and electronic percussion of Joe Gallivan (known for his obscurely legendary '70s fusion outfit Love Cry Want). Ranges from exotic sci-fi soundscapes to thunderous high-energy blowouts. Pretty cool for fans of this sort of thing.

SMITH, LONNIE LISTON & THE COSMIC ECHOES Expansions (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

SMITH, RUDY QUARTET Time To Move On (Storyville) cd 15.98

SMITH, TERRY Fall Out (Sunbeam Records) cd 16.98

SMITH, WADADA, LEO & HENRY KAISER Yo Miles! (Shanachie) 2cd 19.98
Kaiser and Smith join together to pay tribute to Miles Davis' electric '73-'75 period, joined by The Rova Sax Quartet, Nels Cline, Elliot Sharp, John Medeski, Lukas Ligeti, Oluyemi Thomas and many others...

SNYDER, DOUG AND BOB THOMPSON Daily Dance (Lion Productions ) cd 14.98
Woah! We've got the return of a way, way, way, WAY OUT electric guitar and drums duo document here, an improv maelstrom of uber DISTORTION freakout action that proves there's nothing new under the sun, 'cause this was cranked out by two long haired American hippies back in the early Seventies. In the annals of underground noise, they deserve a special place. This is proto everything! Mick Barr, No Wave, Ascension, Rhys Chatham, Glen Branca, Sonic Youth, High Rise, The Blue Humans, Dead C, Harry Pussy, Lightning Bolt, D!O!D!O!D!, even the Rangda we listed a couple weeks ago... heck, we're hearing all of that here. Wow. A total feedback and bashing attack, but not negative in attitude or anti-musical at all. In fact, it's presented with a lot of positive hippy-dippy charm ("listen for the time when the drums play themselves - when the spirits in the drums themselves are dancing" - that's a quote from drummer Bob Thompson found on the '98 release, and the title Daily Dance comes from the writings of Ken Kesey of Merry Prankster/Acid Test fame). Yet, it makes one of their own influences - The Stooges - seem square in comparison. These two go further in channeling spiritual free jazz a la Coltrane and Sanders into a stripped down, amped up primal "psych rock" context, it's hard to think of many earlier examples of such out-rock exploration. And it was also totally DIY punk too - of course, no label back then, or now for that matter, would have seen much commercial potential in this volume-dealing duo's pioneering skronk fest!
Daily Dance was recorded in 1972, and subsequently released as a private press lp in '73 via Carla Bley's New Music Distribution Service. It was reviewed favorably by Creem magazine in '77 (you can see, this didn't get all that much attention when it first came out, but has grown in cult status over the years), with Doug Snyder's guitar squall indeed compared to James Williamson of The Stooges. Snyder also cited the Velvet Underground and Sonny Sharrock as his guitar influences... Japan's Masayuki Takayangi was probably unknown to Snyder at the time but we bet he'd have been into him too, though the Daily Dance duo definitely are more ROCK than they are jazz. Or at least, they manage to combine rock and jazz without coming close to "fusion", not that there's anything wrong with fusion, good fusion anyway, but there's lots of bad fusion and this ain't either.
Now it's been reissued on cd for the second time (the previous edition, from '98, is long out of print) and on vinyl as well, making it available to a new generation of improv noise rock freaks. [Vinyl? Yes, unfortunately we're out of stock on the vinyl right at the moment, but will get it back in soon, so please let us know if you want a copy in that format.] Pretty neat to hear music "like this" being made for what might have been the very first time, certainly Snyder and Thompson were "pushing the envelope" as they knew it then, advancing into territory not entirely mapped out by things they'd already heard. And even if it wasn't from '72, anyone who likes loud, full-on freakout, rhythmic skree, and droney noisy textures will be variously entertained, whether it be by the moody, mystic feedback and percussive shimmer that closes out the epic title track, or the dense rumble of "Teenage Emergency" at the end of the disc that makes us think of Sharrock playing some sort of static surf music...
Lion Productions, in association with Cantor Records (responsible for the vinyl reissue mentioned above), has done this up nicely, in a fancy Japanese-looking miniature lp style paste-on sleeve, complete with obi. Remastered from the original tapes, and packaged with a 20 page booklet with liner notes and photos. Nice! FYI, this compact disc edition also includes a previously unreleased two-minute bonus track, "Unseen, Unheard", that was left off the both the original and reissued vinyl for reasons of space (and it's not on the previous cd version either).
MPEG Stream: "Daily Dance"
MPEG Stream: "Hit And Run"
MPEG Stream: "Teenage Emergency"

SOLAR FIRE TRIO Breakthrough / External Threat (Invada) 12" 19.98

SONDHEIM, ALAN Ritual-All-7-70 (ESP) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "770"
MPEG Stream: "771"
MPEG Stream: "772"
MPEG Stream: "June"
MPEG Stream: "775"

SONDHEIM, ALAN / RITUAL ALL 770 The Songs (Fire Museum) cd 13.98

SONIC LIBERATION FRONT Ashe A Go-Go (High Two) cd 14.98

SOUND OF FEELING Up Into Silence (Sunbeam) cd 16.98
Yes! The Sound of Feeling were a short lived but influential avant jazz-pop vocal group who recorded one full length album called Spleen in 1969 and a split LP with Oliver Nelson in 1968. Along with a handful of unreleased bonus tracks from the early seventies, Up into Silence collects their complete recordings. Comprised of pianist / arranger / singer Gary David, the counterpoint microtonal vocal talents of twin sisters Alice Rhae and Rhae Alice Andrece and rounded out musically with 2 bassists and a drummer, The Sound of Feeling updated the jazz-scat vocal style made popular by Lambert Hendricks and Ross and The Singers Unlimited by channeling John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk instead of Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong. But at times also referencing 16th-century madrigals, Bartok, the poetry of Paul Verlaine, as well as Simon and Garfunkel and Donovan amongst their many touchstones. Beginning with their take on Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things", the first five tracks are from the split LP with Oliver Nelson. The four others are all originals including "Circe Revisited" which features the unusual instrumentation of Marxaphone, an autoharp type instrument with strings tuned to a microtonal scale. But it's their full length album, Spleen, where the group gets the most interesting. Opening with a bass and piano hook that has been sampled many times, the group's take on Donovan's "Hurdy-Gurdy Man" is one of the strangest and beautiful versions we've heard, taking the song through so many peaks and valleys (and even out on a few limbs) that never materialized in the original. With tracks like "Hex" and "Along Came Sam", it seems they left the jazz world altogether, and entered a lysergic avant chamber pop territory, with the basses, piano, vibes and drums alternating between killer breaks and restrained near-silent passages amongst the oddly tuned vocal acrobatics. The final 5 tracks were previously unreleased as the group were attempting to expand into hipper territories in the early seventies. The best of them, "Born Amongst The Eagles", continues with the amazing drum fills and some very strange vocal effects. Predicting the vocalese fusion style of Ursula Dudziak and Flora Purim, The Sound of Feeling were like a strange cocktail of Patty Water's Out vocals and the cool groove of Norwegian jazz singer Karin Krog. Their recognition is long overdue!
MPEG Stream: "Hurdy Gurdy Man"
MPEG Stream: "Hex"
MPEG Stream: "Born With The Eagles"

SOUNDS OF LIBERATION s/t (Porter Records) cd 13.98
This early seventies free-jazz-funk supergroup from Philadelphia featured Byard Lancaster, Khan Jamal and Monette Sudler (one of the most amazing female jazz guitar players we've heard!) with a whole host of rhythm support from percussionists Rashid Salim, and Omar Hill, drummer Dwight James, and Billy Mills on bass, many of whom appeared on Jamal's highly praised Drumdance To The Motherland. Community-minded free players, The Sounds of Liberation tear it up through these six numbers on their debut album from 1972, moving with ease through long-form free jazz, as well as groovy funk, and urgent hard-hittingly tight cinematic jams. Each performer gets a turn in the spotlight, but it never departs from the overall energy, feel and flow of the whole album. We think fans of the groovier sides of Sun Ra and Sonny Sharrock or fans of classic Blue Note label jazz and rare groove from the sixties and seventies (Donald Byrd, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan etc.) who are looking for something a little more out but not TOO out, should definitely look into this! Lovingly reissued on Florida's Porter Records label, the lp version is limited to 500 copies with original artwork and mp3 download card.
MPEG Stream: "New Horizons"
MPEG Stream: "Billie One"
MPEG Stream: "We'll Tell You Later"

SOUNDS OF LIBERATION s/t (Porter Records) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This early seventies free-jazz-funk supergroup from Philadelphia featured Byard Lancaster, Khan Jamal and Monette Sudler (one of the most amazing female jazz guitar players we've heard!) with a whole host of rhythm support from percussionists Rashid Salim, and Omar Hill, drummer Dwight James, and Billy Mills on bass, many of whom appeared on Jamal's highly praised Drumdance To The Motherland. Community-minded free players, The Sounds of Liberation tear it up through these six numbers on their debut album from 1972, moving with ease through long-form free jazz, as well as groovy funk, and urgent hard-hittingly tight cinematic jams. Each performer gets a turn in the spotlight, but it never departs from the overall energy, feel and flow of the whole album. We think fans of the groovier sides of Sun Ra and Sonny Sharrock or fans of classic Blue Note label jazz and rare groove from the sixties and seventies (Donald Byrd, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan etc.) who are looking for something a little more out but not TOO out, should definitely look into this! Lovingly reissued on Florida's Porter Records label, the lp version is limited to 500 copies with original artwork and mp3 download card.
MPEG Stream: "New Horizons"
MPEG Stream: "Billie One"
MPEG Stream: "We'll Tell You Later"