D'ANGELO, ANDREW & JAIME FENNELLY Duets: Terpsichorea #2 (Falcta-Galia / Transparency) cd 14.98
An improv duo from Brooklyn, New York. D'Angelo (who has several solo recordings to his credit) plays alto sax and bass clarinet, whilst Fennelly plays double-bass. But both guys also manipulate their acoustic sounds electronically. Doubtless they could stir up quite a racket with their instruments alone, but the PowerBook & electronic effects processing adds even more texture (spacey, rumbling) to their scraping, squealing interplay of horn and bass. We wouldn't try to sell this to anyone not already into the whole avant-skronk free jazz thing, but if that's your bag, give these guys a listen.
RealAudio clip: "Is #8"
RealAudio clip: "Improvisation #1"

DAFELDECKER, FUSSENEGEGR, & KOVACIC Printer (Durian) cd 16.98
This spartan new music / improvisation trio, made up of Durian founders Werner Dafeldecker and Uli Fussenegger, both on acoustic bass, and Dieter Kovacic adding curious soundtexts on slow moving turntables (much like Otomo Yoshihide's turntables at a turtle's pace) create an album that is more creaking textures and subtle tones, than musical passages.

DAHLEN, ERLAND Rolling Bomber (Hubro) cd 17.98
We just love solo percussion albums. Stomu Yamash'ta, Toshiaki Ishizuka, Glen Velez, Milford Graves, Christopher Tree, Keiji Haino, Christian Vander, Janne Tuomi.... We're suckers for 'em. Something about a drummer saying, "hey, I'm more than just the timekeeper, you other guys, with your guitars and stuff, I don't need you, get lost, I'm doing this all myself my own way", is just cool, and often quite creative. So already we were interested in this debut solo album from this hitherto unknown to us (but apparently prolific) Norwegian jazz drummer, Erland Dahlen.
And then there's the title, Rolling Bomber. Sound heavy, right? We're already thinking martial drum rolls, and, uh, Motorhead's Bomber. But, the title actually comes from the name of Dahlen's drum kit, it's a vintage Slingerland "Rollingbomber" model, from the '40s, mostly made of wood 'cause of wartime metal shortages. So this isn't heavy - aside from the thump of the bass drum upon occasion - it's more of an atmospheric, textural soundscape thing. Besides the Rollingbomber kit, Dahlen makes use of multiple other percussion instruments (gongs, logdrum, timpani, maracas, kalimba, temple blocks, bells, etc.), also electronics, and some custom built gadgets, and a "monkey drummer with battery"... AND, also close to our hearts here at aQ, he plays the musical saw! That's where a lot of the (eerie) melody comes from. Not a percussion instrument per se, but cool.
So, the seven tracks here are all quite moody, dramatic, and rhythmically interesting (naturally). The grand finale, "Germany", gets kinda krautrocky, thus the title perhaps, with the beats more insistent, and the musical saw used effectively, it's an energetic culmination to this fine album.
MPEG Stream: "Flower Power"
MPEG Stream: "Monkey"
MPEG Stream: "Germany"

DAHLEN, ERLAND Rolling Bomber (Hubro) lp 24.00
We just love solo percussion albums. Stomu Yamash'ta, Toshiaki Ishizuka, Glen Velez, Milford Graves, Christopher Tree, Keiji Haino, Christian Vander, Janne Tuomi.... We're suckers for 'em. Something about a drummer saying, "hey, I'm more than just the timekeeper, you other guys, with your guitars and stuff, I don't need you, get lost, I'm doing this all myself my own way", is just cool, and often quite creative. So already we were interested in this debut solo album from this hitherto unknown to us (but apparently prolific) Norwegian jazz drummer, Erland Dahlen.
And then there's the title, Rolling Bomber. Sound heavy, right? We're already thinking martial drum rolls, and, uh, Motorhead's Bomber. But, the title actually comes from the name of Dahlen's drum kit, it's a vintage Slingerland "Rollingbomber" model, from the '40s, mostly made of wood 'cause of wartime metal shortages. So this isn't heavy - aside from the thump of the bass drum upon occasion - it's more of an atmospheric, textural soundscape thing. Besides the Rollingbomber kit, Dahlen makes use of multiple other percussion instruments (gongs, logdrum, timpani, maracas, kalimba, temple blocks, bells, etc.), also electronics, and some custom built gadgets, and a "monkey drummer with battery"... AND, also close to our hearts here at aQ, he plays the musical saw! That's where a lot of the (eerie) melody comes from. Not a percussion instrument per se, but cool.
So, the seven tracks here are all quite moody, dramatic, and rhythmically interesting (naturally). The grand finale, "Germany", gets kinda krautrocky, thus the title perhaps, with the beats more insistent, and the musical saw used effectively, it's an energetic culmination to this fine album.
MPEG Stream: "Flower Power"
MPEG Stream: "Monkey"
MPEG Stream: "Germany"

DAMSEL Distressed (Temporary Residence Ltd.) cd 14.98
Zach Hill (Hella, The Ladies, etc) and Nels Cline (Wilco, Geraldine Fibbers, etc) are probably two of the busiest and most prolific musicians in the 'underground' these days. They've been trying to find time for ages to make a record together, as their talents do seem to speak to a similar ecstatic aesthetic. But finding the time proved to be quite a feat. Luckily when Wilco had a day off in Chicago and Zach was also in Chicago, the two decided to have an improv jam together and Distressed is the result. Hill's trademark frantic drumming moves more towards avant jazz as Cline once again shows why he is such an in demand guitarist. What if in their prime Van Halen were cool enough to cover a Pharaoh Sanders record? Maybe it would sound something like this.
MPEG Stream: "Space Needle"
MPEG Stream: "Fork-Fed"

DANIEL, TED QUINTET Tapestry (Porter Records) cd 14.98
Porter Records have been unearthing some fine free musical gems lately, including killer rarities from Birigwa and Byard Lancaster, and have now unleashed this 1974 live free jazz set from Ted Daniel Quintet. Recorded and performed at Ornette Coleman's Artist House, a performance space in the Lower East Side, flugelhorn and trumpet player Daniels teamed up with a quintet featuring Khan Jamal on vibes (we're big fans of his Drumdance To The Motherland album), Tim Ingles on electric bass with wah wah pedal, brother Richard Daniel on Fender Rhodes and echoplex and Jerome Cooper on drums. Majestic and psychedelic, fans of Idris Ackamoor, Khan Jamal, and Roland P. Young will find plenty to love here. Right on!
MPEG Stream: "Asagefo"
MPEG Stream: "Tapestry"

DATE COURSE PENTAGON ROYAL GARDEN Report From Iron Mountain (P-Vine) cd 32.00
This is the debut recording from a new eleven piece fusion outfit featuring Otomo Yoshihide on guitar (yep, he's better known for his turntable artistry, but he's been doing guitar improv for a long time too). Basically, Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden (what a name!) is the brainchild of Naruyoshi Kikuchi (whose dexterous saxophone work can be heard in Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet), who fronts this group on guitar and electronics. Joining the lineup are New Jazz Quintet members Kenta Tsugami and Yasuhiro Yoshigaki and many other luminaries from the Japanese improv underground. They play a weird, roiling electronic-jazz-fusion with samples, synths, and funky grooves. At its best, DCPRG is kinda like early '70s electric Miles with a Boredoms twist. But then there's some super-cheesy sounding stuff on here, the kinda sax blowing that gives the words "jazz" and "fusion" a bad name. So you might have to hit the fast-forward button once in a while. Despite that reservation, this is actually worth the $32 import price just for the twelve minutes of their delirious, almost unrecognizable, wildly psychedelic and funky instrumental cover of "Hey Joe"!! Then again, the kitschy pastiche called "Mirror Ball" that follows it, however, may tip your purchasing decision in the other direction. It sounds like some song we can't pin down, but whatever it is, it would be at home on an episode of "The Love Boat". It's hard to tell, is this really what underground Japanese avant-garde jazz is supposed to sound like, or is Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden meant to be an ironic pisstake on '70s lounge-jazz cheese? We're confused, and amused.
RealAudio clip: "Play Mate At Hanoi"
RealAudio clip: "Hey Joe"

DAUNER, WOLFGANG Knirsch (HGBS) cd 17.98

DAUNER, WOLFGANG (QUINTET) The Oimels (Long Hair) cd 24.00
We've heard tell of record for a long time, but this is the first occasion that a cd reissue has wound up in our bins. It's about time 'cause it is indeed a pretty cool little album! Multi-instrumentalist Wolfgang Dauner was an innovative German jazz musician who in the late '60s started to move into more experimental and "krautrock" territory. The Oimels, originally released in 1969, was supposedly his attempt at a "pop" album...
It starts off with the funky, quirky instrumental "Oh, Baby, I Don't Love You Anymore", wherein ivories are tickled, flutes are flaunted, and there's some silly serious stabs of fuzz guitar from Siggi Schwab (an MPS label vet that you've heard before if you're familiar with the Vampyros Lesbos soundtrack!). Reminds us a bit of that bizarre exploito-kraut "party album" by Staff Carpenborg & The Electric Corona we reviewed a couple years ago. Neat enough, should appeal to the same folks digging those "In-Kraut" and "Instro-Hipsters" compilations... but with an extra dose of something. Uh, LSD?
Sitar twang is added to the next track, the faux-Eastern hippy jam "Take Off Your Clothes To Feel The Setting Sun", the vocals blissfully, mantrically suggesting that one disrobe as per the song title. That's followed by another bright n' slinky lounge instrumental, "My Man's Gone Now", that would have Austin Powers sayin' "Groovy, baby" and whooping it up. So far, so good... a groovy jazzy album yeah, with some freaky pop leanings, but a psychedelic krautrock classic? Well then you hit the positively CRAZED track four, "Come On In On In" and you realize that The Oimels are seriously trippin'. It's a hard one to describe, totally unhinged, almost hyperactively punked-up like The Monks, with chaotic chanting vocals and infectious rhythmic glee. Wow, wild! Ok, now we're convinced. And as the album continues, the freakiness does too. It's such a weird blend of smooth jazz grooves and psychedelic spasms. Dauner and his Quintet were definitely on to something (or on something) with their sound. Some of the other surprises in store for listeners include a swingin' version of "Greensleeves", and, to end the record, a pretty amazing cover of "A Day In The Life" by the Beatles. The elegiac mood of the original is maintained, enhanced even, yet also subverted with insane atonal fuzz-jazz soloing.
We're now definitely interested in hearing Dauner's other progressive jazz and fusion albums of the era, if we can find 'em...
MPEG Stream: "Come On In On In"
MPEG Stream: "Take Off Your Clothes To Feel The Setting Sun"

DAVE MIHALY'S SHIMMERING LEAVES ENSEMBLE Eastern Accents In the Far West (PFR / Porter) cd 13.98

DAVID COPPERFUCK Chalet Chalet (Party Turtle) 7" 5.98

DAVIDSON, LOWELL Trio (ESP-Disk) cd 14.98

DAVIS, MILES A Tribute To Jack Johnson (Sony) cd 9.98
First of all, this album is undeniably incredible. Secondly, if you don't already own this or the expensive Complete Jack Johnson Sessions, buy it. For yourself, for friends, for your stuffed animals, whatever. Make sure you have a copy around you at all times. This album, the object of cult-like fascination for decades, is now remastered and easily available once again.
Inspired by his own deep passion for the art of boxing, Miles created this soundtrack in 1970 for the documentary about legend-in-his-own-time boxer, Jack Johnson. A time change in the very first couple of measures hints that the two twenty-five minute tracks here were captured mid-jam. Musicians involved on these sessions also worked on Bitches Brew (1969) and include John McLaughlin and his soon-to-be fellow Mahavishnu Orchestra member Billy Cobham on, respectively, guitar and drums; electric bassist Michael Henderson; soprano saxist Steve Grossman; accidental walk-in Herbie Hancock on Farfisa organ; and, on the second track, "Yesternow," an uncredited Sonny Sharrock on additional electric guitar. Jimi Hendrix was also meant to be involved but sadly shuffled off his mortal coil prior to the session. Even without the Hendrix element, Tribute is by far the closest Davis ever really came to ROCK. Not your typical white pop-song/performance-driven rock of the time (for instance, The Who and other artists who joined Davis at the legendary Isle of Wight festival in 1970), but a deep, spacious jazz funk rock fusion that one would absorb introspectively rather than conjure up an immediate energized reaction. This "music" was way ahead of its time. Rock audiences of the time couldn't fully grasp Davis' electric direction here, and on the flip side, jazz audiences/critics blasted him for his deviances from classic (acoustic) jazz. It may sound a little gratuitous, but honestly it's as totally mind-blowing today as it must of been then, perhaps and hopefully now more welcomed by a broader audience. Again, we must insist you BUY THIS NOW. You will not regret it.
MPEG Stream: "Right Off"

DAVIS, MILES Agharta (Columbia) 2cd 20.00

DAVIS, MILES At Fillmore: Live at the Fillmore East (Columbia/Legacy) 2cd 24.00
Recorded from 1970-74 and shamefully, until now, only available as imports, this album, along with 4 other albums from Miles' kozmik groove electric period, has been properly issued. Limited edition format (which probably means they'll be available in 2 months, a little cheaper and in jewel cases) features the original gatefold LP graphics, digipak & booklet with new essays, rare & previously unpublished photos. Stretched out experimentation, sometimes ferocious, always enlightening. With the talents of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, Joe Zawinul, Ron Carter, etc.

DAVIS, MILES Big Fun (Columbia/Legacy) 2cd 24.00
Sprawling (over two cds, and four years of recording, '69 to '72) jazz fusion classic from Miles & Co. (McLaughlin, Hancock, Shorter, Corea, Holland, Foster, Maupin, DeJohnette...), now finally reissued (in remixed and remastered to boot) as a domestic double cd release. Includes, as bonus tracks, 43 minutes of additional music otherwise only available on the "Complete Bitches Brew" 4-cd box set.

DAVIS, MILES Birth of the Cool (Capitol) cd 11.98

DAVIS, MILES Black Beauty (Columbia/Legacy) 2cd 24.00
Recorded from 1970-74 and shamefully, until now, only available as imports, this album, along with 4 other albums from Miles' kozmik groove electric period, has been properly issued. Limited edition format (which probably means they'll be available in 2 months, a little cheaper and in jewel cases) features the original gatefold LP graphics, digipak & booklet with new essays, rare & previously unpublished photos. Stretched out experimentation, sometimes ferocious, always enlightening. With the talents of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, Joe Zawinul, Ron Carter, etc.

DAVIS, MILES Complete On The Corner (Sony) 6cd 135.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Awesome six cd collection of over six and a half hours of sessions from 1972-1975 including 12 unreleased tracks. Includes the entire On The Corner album with related sessions, as well as tracks from Big Fun, and Get Up With It. Players from these sessions include Reggie Lucas, Michael Henderson, Chick Corea, Mtume, Herbie Hancock,
Jack DeJohnette, Lonnie Liston Smith, the mysterious (and thought to be missing) guitarist Dave Creamer and many others. 120 page full color booklet with essays and rare photos, packaged in a metal box with a raised relief version of the classic cover. Mind-Blowing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DAVIS, MILES Dark Magus (4 Men With Beards) 2lp 25.00

DAVIS, MILES Dark Magus: Live at Carnegie Hall (Sony) 2cd 22.00
Recorded from 1970-74 and shamefully, until now, only available as imports, this album, along with 4 other albums from Miles' kozmik groove electric period, has been properly issued. Stretched out experimentation, sometimes ferocious, always enlightening. With the talents of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, Joe Zawinul, Ron Carter, etc.

DAVIS, MILES Filles De Kilimanjaro (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

DAVIS, MILES Get Up With It (Columbia/Legacy) 2cd 24.00
Miles last studio album before his 1975-81 "retirement", yet another stone classic in the field of '70s freak fusion jazz funk. Possibly Windy's favorite Miles album ever, with the gorgeous half hour long "He Loved Him Madly," and the talents of Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, John McLaughlin Mtume, Airto, and so many more. If you get just one Davis album from this era of his career, this is the one to buy. Promise. Get up with it indeed--now's your chance as it's been remixed, remastered, and most importantly, reissued (domestically, rather than via Japan).
RealAudio clip: "Red China Blues"

DAVIS, MILES In a Silent Way (Sony / BMG) lp 15.98

DAVIS, MILES In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall (Columbia/Legacy) 2cd 24.00
Recorded from 1970-74 and shamefully, until now, only available as imports, this album, along with 4 other albums from Miles' kozmik groove electric period, has been properly issued. Limited edition format (which probably means they'll be available in 2 months, a little cheaper and in jewel cases) features the original gatefold LP graphics, digipak & booklet with new essays, rare & previously unpublished photos. Stretched out experimentation, sometimes ferocious, always enlightening. With the talents of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, Joe Zawinul, Ron Carter, etc.

DAVIS, MILES Lift To The Scaffold (OST) (Doxy) lp 24.00
Deadly cool, existential, and cruelly absurd, Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (aka Lift To The Scaffold, or Elevator To The Gallows) is one of those brilliantly black humored French noir films about an ingenious murder plan gone awry due to a random turn of events. Directed by Louis Malle and starring Jeanne Moreau, this 1958 crime thriller also featured a beautifully understated score by Miles Davis. Working with French musicians on bass, piano and tenor saxophone, along with ex-pat American drummer Kenny Clarke, Davis alternates between mostly somber processionals with a slow stalking bass and plaintive trumpet motifs, to occasionally a scurrying and frenetic bop pace depicting the seductively modern lifestyle of these carefree and careless criminals. Davis handles the noirish vibe perfectly, resonating deeply with the doom-laden mood but with a light yet foreboding touch that draws you in and entraps you long before you realize you're a goner. Very Recommended!!!!!!

DAVIS, MILES Live At The Fillmore East: March 7, 1970 (Columbia) 2cd 23.00
Recorded a few months before the release of 1970's astonishing Bitches Brew, these nine tracks have never been previously released (so don't confuse this album with heavily-post-produced Live at the Fillmore -- this live material has not been messed with). Opening for Steve Miller and Neil Young, Davis introduced his new rock-influenced sound. The In a Silent Way album (1969) had seen Davis experimenting with rock's tonalities, sure, but that was quiet, ethereal, and floating (how many of today's post-rock bands wish they could sound like In A Silent Way, I wonder)... whereas the "rock" that Davis flirts with here on Live at the Fillmore East is chaotic, throbbing and turbulent. It wasn't really rock, of course -- this is fucking brilliant jazz -- but the amplification and instrumentation, not to mention the audience there for the headlining acts, led many to question whether or not he was in fact playing rock. Today we call it fusion. And it rules.
With Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Chick Corea (Fender Rhodes electric piano), Dave Holland (bass), Jack deJohnette (drums), Airto Moreira (percussion) -- this album documents the first official recording from this lineup, one of Davis' great sextets. Within days Shorter would leave the group to found Weather Report with Joe Zawinul.
Highly recommended!
RealAudio clip: "It's About That Time / The Theme (excerpt 1)"
RealAudio clip: "It's About That Time / The Theme (excerpt 2)"
RealAudio clip: "Spanish Key"

DAVIS, MILES Live-Evil (Columbia/Legacy) 2cd 24.00
Recorded from 1970-74 and shamefully, until now, only available as imports, this album, along with 4 other albums from Miles' kozmik groove electric period, has been properly issued. Limited edition format (which probably means they'll be available in 2 months, a little cheaper and in jewel cases) features the original gatefold LP graphics, digipak & booklet with new essays, rare & previously unpublished photos. Stretched out experimentation, sometimes ferocious, always enlightening. With the talents of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, Joe Zawinul, Ron Carter, etc.

DAVIS, MILES Live-Evil (4 Men With Beards) 2lp 25.00

DAVIS, MILES Love Songs (Columbia Legacy) cd 13.98
Predating his improvised jazz/funk experimentation of the 1970s, these love ballads have finally been collected into one consistently pretty listen.

DAVIS, MILES Miles Electric: A Different Kind Of Blue (Eagle Eye Media) dvd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You know when you buy a present for your boyfriend (or girlfriend) and it's really so you can enjoy it yourself -- also fondly called Homer Simpson gifting? Well, I have to admit my own HSG guilt, the gift being this Miles Electric dvd. Honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect. But man, am I glad I bought it for "our" enjoyment. It's an incredible look inside later period (electric) Miles Davis. With in-depth and well-edited interviews of his Isle Of Wight era musicians (Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea) as well as Carlos Santana, and others, this documentary explains how the Electric took shape in the eyes of Miles, in the studio (with Bitches Brew) and in juxtoposition to the acoustic jazz establishment from which Miles' electricity exploded to a seriously unprepared audience.
The unfolding dramatization culminates with the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival performance by Miles and his septet before 600,000 festival-goers in its 38 minute entirety. Some extra talking head style interviews give further explanation of Miles at that time. The film itself could be critiqued at length, though its interviews render such a full story, there should be no doubt of this documentary's importance.

DAVIS, MILES Nefertiti (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

DAVIS, MILES On The Corner (Columbia / Legacy) cd 12.98
This 1972 Miles Davis album stands as one of our favorites and one of the most played at AQ over the years. And for good reason, it seriously is one of the most gritty, dirty, funked out jazz records of all time. Influenced by his then wife, Betty Davis's vision of raw, nasty funk, this was Miles at his most forward thinking, inventive, deep hitting, psychedelic and purely bad ass!
Part of the concept of On The Corner, was to try to get black youth engaged and brought back into the world of jazz, as Davis saw that the jazz scene was getting so straight laced, watered down and stale. This album really served as his biggest 'fuck you' to the jazz establishment, all the squares that wanted him to just make pretty sounds with his trumpet and not rock the boat. But Davis was interested in much more then what jazz was traditionally considered to sound like, as this is an album equally influenced by psychedelic rock, true funk, and spiritual ritualistic music.
It's an album that has found such a devoted and diverse following. Hip-Hop heads and krautrock alike count On The Corner as sacrosanct! Distorted guitar, fucked up organs, these sounds laid the foundation for so much of our favorite music of the last several decades. While Bitches Brew, always gets the most attention, On The Corner might just be THEE one, and quite possibly one of the most brilliant and game changing albums of all time!
MPEG Stream: "On The Corner"
MPEG Stream: "Helen Butte"

DAVIS, MILES The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (Sony / BMG) 6cd 117.00

DAVIS, MILES The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (Columbia Legacy) 4cd box 65.00
Four cds packaged in a stunning full color book, bound with blue metal, in a silky fabric covered box.

DAVIS, MILES The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (Columbia) 5cd 56.00

DAVIS, MILES The Cool Jazz Sound (Disconforme) dvd 14.98

DAVIS, MILES /BILL LASWELL Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969-1974 (Columbia) cd 16.98
A "reconstruction and mix translation" by Laswell, long awaited and hotly debated...

DAVIS, NATHAN Best Of: '65-'76 (Jazzman) cd 17.98
From the same label that brought us the amazing reissue of Lloyd Miller's A Lifetime In Oriental Jazz comes another killer collection, this one from Nathan Davis, a frustratingly under appreciated musician in the US, whose records for the most part remain out of print, but who in Europe was quite a sensation, performing with Eric Dolphy, Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, Johnny Griffin, Sonny Stitt and loads more. This relative obscurity was due in part to Davis' avoidance of the limelight, as well as his early flight to Europe. But he would later return to the US and become a pioneer in Jazz education.
This collection gathers up some of Davis' best tunes, sonically varied, from bop to modal, spiritual jazz, seventies funk, even some ethnic Turkish jazz (which will for sure appeal to fans of that Lloyd Miller), which makes sense as he would become a professor of Ethnomusicology. The first half of the record is totally classic sounding, inspired and emotional, with cool passages of dark mystery butted up against soaring ebullience, as the record progresses, the sounds become more exotic, "A5" is a brooding moody drifter, very haunting and mysterious, with a distinctly 'exotica' feel, "Mandingo's Pad" offers up some gorgeous flute, over languid piano and slippery bass, "Uschimaus" is another flute driven number that sounds like an abstract version of "My Favorite Things", all shuffle-y and serene, "Cecen Kizi" sounds like it could have been taken from a Sublime Frequencies collection, funky and soulful and very Eastern sounding, while "Atlanta Walk" sounds like the soundtrack to a chase scene in a seventies cop show, and the last few tracks follow a similar path, dark and smoldery and funky, barring the record closer, an alternate version of "A5" that's way more raw and dirty, and a bit more sweaty and sultry. Killer stuff for sure. And like the Lloyd Miller, and incredible booklet packed with tons of liner notes, about the tracks, and Davis' life, photos as well, all part of a fantastic, and long overdue introduction to this unsung jazz legend.
MPEG Stream: "B's Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Sconsolato"
MPEG Stream: "Theme From Zoltan"
MPEG Stream: "A5"

DAVKA Judith (Tzadik) cd 15.98
From the obi: "Based in San Francisco, Davka is an acoustic group at the forefront of the new Jewish Rennaissance. These three masterful musicians have been performing modern Jewish music together since 1992 and Judith, their latest release, features their flowing melodic compostitions and magical interplay in ten distinctive compostitions drawing upon Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions, jazz, and classical chamber music. Beautiful, soulful music performed with astonishing technique and passion.

DAVKA Lavy's Dream (Tzadik) cd 16.98

DAVKA Live (Tzadik) cd 15.98

DAVKA The Golem (Tzadik) cd 16.98
Veteran San Francisco klezmer/jazz outfit Davka are certainly a good choice to take on the task of providing a soundtrack to the 1920 silent film classic Der Golem. Davka violinist Daniel Hoffmann wrote the score and performs it along with Paul Hanson on bassoon and clarinet, Kevin Mummey on dumbeq and zarb and Moses Sedler on cello. It's 32 short tracks seamlessly stitched together, ranging from almost loungey, exotica flavored sketches to more creepy and melancholic evocations -- but you could easily listen to this without getting creeped out, it doesn't come across like a horror-film score, just well-played, Old World influenced chamber jazz full of life, definitely for fans of John Zorn's Masada in their Bar Kokhba mode.
MPEG Stream: "The Golem track 8"
MPEG Stream: "The Golem track 12"

DEAD NEANDERTHALS Polaris (Utech) cd 14.98
Dunno about you, but man, we've always loved some sax/drums improv skree. Its just a thing that rules. Going way back to John Coltrane and Rashied Ali out there in Interstellar Space, you know. This Dutch duo are totally in that tradition, but of course (as you might guess from their excellent name) taking it to the extreme, playing essentially "acoustic noise" in freeform shred mode, one of 'em blowing like crazy, the other attacking his kit - not for nothin' that this Utech release was mastered by Jazzkammer's Lasse Marhaug. Also it's perhaps worth noting that one track is named "Yamatsuka Eye". So, yeah, this disc is intense -not unmusical, but intense - with sudden frantic tangles of tenor sax blurt and spasms of percussion slamming into your skull. Pure pleasure in other words, if you dig Peter Brotzmann machine gunning style sax, Zornified jazzcore, and/or the most aggressive Jooklo Duo stuff! Only just about under a half-hour in length, but that's fine, cuz Dead Neanderthals give it their all for the duration, ripping it up here like the sax/drums equivalent of Slayer's Reign In Blood (RIP Jeff Hanneman btw).
MPEG Stream: "Neck-AIDS"
MPEG Stream: "The Pit"
MPEG Stream: "Pliskken"

DEARIE, BLOSSOM Teach Me Tonight (El / Cherry Red) cd 17.98
Even at her most melancholy, how can anyone be sad listening to the warm and wonderful Blossom Dearie? Perfectly timed just as the weather got nicer, Dearie's light and dry vocal delivery, with its wry yet daffy effervescence and seemingly effortless syncopated acrobatics, is the perfect soundtrack for long sunny afternoon walks in the city.
Truly one of the great jazz vocal stylists especially amongst the white female singers such as Annie Ross and Anita O'Day whose sharp wit and roller coaster delivery delightfully stunned audiences at jazz festivals nationwide in the fifties and sixties. Dearie was perhaps the least deadly of the three, but definitely the most carefree and playful. She was even one of the voices for Schoolhouse Rock!
Sadly, this is also available just in time as a tribute to her life as she recently passed away just a few weeks ago. RIP Blossom, you were truly one of a kind!
MPEG Stream: "Tea For Two"
MPEG Stream: "Surrey With The Fringe On Top"
MPEG Stream: "Moonlight Savings Time"

DEATH AMBIENT Drunken Forest (Tzadik) cd 16.98

DEMERLE, LES Spectrum (Get On Down) cd 14.98
We're a sucker for the drummer as band leader. You don't really see that so much any more, but back in the fifties and sixties, plenty of drummers led their own bands, there are the obvious ones, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, and then there's Les Demerle, a drummer / band leader you probably have never heard of. We hadn't either but holy heck is this record ruling, originally released in 1968, when Demerle was 22, Spectrum demonstrates not only Demerle's incredible drumming, but also is knack for arranging, seeing has a handful of these tracks are covers, including a killer version of the Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" and "A Day In The Life".
The record opens, as all drummers' albums should, with a drum solo, and it's a killer, wild and jazzy, loose and a little chaotic, a super energetic intro, which leads directly into the band's version of "A Taste Of Honey", which is appropriately drum heavy, opening with an ominous horn driven James Bond like groove, the song so swinging, arranged for some extra kick ass drumming, little flurries here and there, but some seriously monster drumming that somehow manages to not sound out of place. There's some more standard jazzy jams, many leaning more toward a sort of funky psychedelic sixties jazz, groovy and hippy but tight as hell. And then there's the Beatles covers, the arrangement of "A Day In The Life" is laid back, a little bit dark, a little bit funky, with some killer soloing as well as more bombastic drumming, while "I Am The Walrus" is another funky groover laced with plenty of wah wah guitar. They also cover the Fifth Dimension's "Aquarius", which gets a little bit funkified, with some awesome horns, some weird psychedelic buzz, as well as, yep, another DRUM SOLO, as well as a killer breakbeat coming out of the solo, that we imagine must have been sampled, and if not, it won't be long now. And while the covers and reinterpretations are fantastic, we almost wish there were more Demerle originals, cuz the 8+ minute epic "Deflections 1, 2, 3 & 4" might be the best track here, with its wild tangles of psychedelic guitars, its frantic drumming and constantly shifting arrangement, more killer horns, amazing solos, wah wah guitar all over the place, the sound totally psychedelic and funky, and that track has us hoping there's another record of all originals out there somewhere, cuz we can't even begin to imaging how amazing that might be.
Psychedelic sixities jazz pop reissue of the year hands down!!
MPEG Stream: "Spectrum"
MPEG Stream: "Dio Dati (God Gives)"
MPEG Stream: "Deflections 1,2,3 & 4"
MPEG Stream: "A Day In The Life"

DERAKUSHI s/t (PSF) cd 17.98
First heard these guys (and girl, it appears) on Tokyo Flashback Vol. 7, now here's their PSF full-length, packaged in a nice miniature-lp style gatefold sleeve. Very little information is available about 'em. So we'll just make do with describing the music. Avant garde free jazz improv, kinda, but also psychedelic free rock too, from a quartet consisting of alto sax, guitar, drums, and bass. Sometimes super heavy distorted bass! Definitely a lot of electricity to this unit. Along with plenty of human-powered pounding and screaming... PSF compares 'em to Borbetomagus, but that's not quite right. They're wild, but not -quite- that dense and noisy. PSF's own Ahousen would be a better comparison, if you liked that, you should check out Derakushi too. Sax honking and squealing, bass shuddering, guitar stabbing, the pipe fighting percussion sometimes skittery, sometimes straight up rocking, right through the freakout, and it's not at all wall-to-wall freakout, there's dynamics and stop and go and sudden silence... Emotional, mayhemic, yet controlled. Derakushi know how to do it, or they wouldn't be on PSF. The dark psych guitar rock elements that bleed into their freeform "jazz" are what grabs us about this, and that's also a definite PSF specialty.
MPEG Stream: "Gateway"
MPEG Stream: "Pegana"

DETENTION Warp & Woof (Arrival Records) cd 14.98
Detention are an improv group of students in detention hall after school. No, that's not true. Would have been cool though. Detention is a duo featuring Montreal musicians Sam Shalabi (whom you may know from the lovely psychedelica of the Shalabi Effect, as well as his band Molasses, etc.) and Alex MacSween, playing guitar and drums, respectively. This is an improv session, and sounds like it.

DEWAR, ANDREW RAFFO Six Lines Of Transformation (Porter) cd 14.98
Porter Records strikes again. And again and again and again and again... We've been overwhelmed with releases from this one-man-run label juggernaut, we might even have to hire another person just to keep up. But until that happens, we'll just have to pick our favorites, and do our best to get them reviewed and on the list. And with all the stuff Porter keeps digging up it really is difficult to pick favorites, but this one definitely hit the spot.
Two long form pieces, both composed by a youngish composer Andrew Raffo Dewar, the first, "Six Lines Of Transformation" is a sprawling drift of deep swells, soft trills, fluttering woodwinds, dizzying melodies, haunting percussion, and plenty of space. This is a swirling soft cloud of free jazz flutter, peppered with some strange music concrete, and some almost folky melodies. Nearly a half hour, beginning tranquil and a bit droney, with the various instruments, sliding down descending scales like musical rainfall, the piece gets more and more spare until the last movement when things get really strange, and players start huffing through the mouthpieces, bits of bizarre percussion surface, buzzing drones, really cool, and pretty strange for sure.
But it's the second piece that is worth the price of admission. The title says it all, "Music For Eight Bamboo Flutes", 40 minutes of layered woodwind drone, subtly shifting tones, a slowly unfurling melody spread out over the whole 40 minutes, what sounds like crickets in the background, as if it was performed and recorded outside (maybe it was?), the piece goes from soft and breathy to dense and densely layered, tons of overtones, soft fluttery high end, swirling clouds of drones and tones shifting and shimmering, swelling to intense crescendos, then drifting back down to a hushed whir, so very simple, yet richly textured, so primitive and primeval and mesmerizing and beautiful. Absolutely essential listening for the drone inclined, and jazzbos with a thing for far out, space-y and static sounds...
MPEG Stream: "Six Lines Of Transformation 1"
MPEG Stream: "Music For Eight Bamboo Flutes 1"