Camel-The Opening Farewell: Camel Live in Concert NTSC (all region) DVD $22.00
Recorded at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA. on Camel's farewell tour in 2003. This completely professional DVD is 2 hours long and it features Andrew Latimer: Guitar, Flute, Recorder,Vocals, Colin Bass: Bass, Bass Pedals, Vocals, Denis Clement: Drums, Percussion, Recorder, Tom Brislin: Keyboards, Vocals playing in front of a packed house of fans, which spurs them onto giving a excellent performance. This is a total no brainer for their many fans! The tracklist:
Lady Fantasy
Unevensong
Hymn to Her
Echoes
Stationary Traveller
Drafted
Rhayader
Rhayader Goes to Town
Lunar Sea
Another Night
Ice
Spirit of the Water
Slow Yourself Down
Mother Road
For Today [Camel Productions]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Camel---The-Opening-Farewell--Camel-Live-in-Concert-DVD__23-CP-spc-811.aspx
Xavier Charles/Ivar Grydeland/Christian Wallumrød/ Ingar Zach-Dans les Arbres $18.00
Xavier Charles clarinet, harmonica
Ivar Grydeland acoustic guitar, banjo, scruti box
Christian Wallumrød piano
Ingar Zach percussion, bass drum
"Guitarist Ivar Grydeland and percussionist Ingar Zach, prime movers and catalysts for free improvised music in Norway, got in touch with Christian Wallumrød after hearing his "Sofienberg Variations" on ECM and they have since worked together in diverse combinations including, since 2004, 'Dans les arbres' a project completed by French clarinettist Xavier Charles. Their radical all-acoustic improvisation explores sonorities and textures that frequently sound electronic, and also often sounds 'composed' – with echoes of Cage and the New York School." [ECM]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Charles--XavierIvar-GrydelandChristian-Wallumrød-Ingar-Zach---Dans-les-Arbres__28-ECM-spc-2058.aspx
Emerson, Lake & Palmer-Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 $6.00 (special)
For me, with a few exceptions, the earlier the better for ELP, so this recording from their second-ever gig has some of their better material and it's a fun, spirited performance. [Sanctuary]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Emerson--Lake-and-Palmer---Live-at-the-Isle-of-Wight-Festival-1970-(special)__Sanctuary-spc-085.aspx
Emerson, Lake & Palmer-Then and Now 2 x CDs $8.00 (special)
Very good price on this double release of the famous Cal Jam '74 show, where Keith and a acoustic piano slowly turned on a giant spit (unheated). I watched it on TV and couldn't believe it! The second disc is from their 1997-1998 tours and includes a lot of their better material and even a version of 21st Century Schizoid Man! [Sanctuary]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Emerson--Lake-and-Palmer---Then-and-Now-2-x-CDs-(special)__Sanctuary-spc-234322.aspx
England-Last of the Jubblies $18.00
This rarities collection by this great UK symphonic rock band has unavailable for many years and makes a welcome return here.
"England have been described as "the last of the great '70s symphonic prog bands." Drenched in Mellotron and influenced by Yes and Genesis, their Garden Shed is one of the best-loved albums to have emerged from the 1970s UK progressive scene. Last Of The Jubblies is a collection of rare non-album recordings by the band, and a treat for their many fans, showcasing their inimitable songwriting and intricate instrumental work. Includes liner notes." [Relics]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/England---Last-Of-The-Jubblies__05-REL3006.aspx
Faun Fables-Light Of A Vaster Dark $15.00
"Out of the glittering caverns of the soul crawls the newest album from Faun Fables. Light Of A Vaster Dark is a vibrant collection of songs and sounds excavated by songwriter Dawn McCarthy and supported by steadfast collaborator Nils Frykdahl of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. Light Of A Vaster Dark sparkles with fear, wonder and playfulness, elements that have been part of the tapestry of Faun Fables' music woven slowly over the course of five previous records. They have stood at the fork in the road where the myths of men and women meet the realities of their days, and with each album they go further down these paths. Light of A Vaster Dark meditates on the cyclical nature of light and darkness as revealed in the seasons of life, and in the beautiful power of steadfast and humble tales of housekeeping, immigrant pioneers and a civic parade. Sonically, the album is full of life, reflecting the new arrivals in the world of Dawn and Nils with fresh sounds. The sound of Faun Fables, always grounded in traditional instrumentation, bursts with color but stands smoothly united as a whole. Amidst the solid, elemental structure of McCarthy and Frykdahl's guitars and eclectic percussion whirl the violins of Meredith Yayanos and the vocals and multi-instrumental touches of Kirana Peyton; a lush continuation of their collaborative work with them on the 2008 EP release A Table Forgotten." [Drag City]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Faun-Fables---Light-Of-A-Vaster-Dark__05-DC371.aspx
Gong-Gong Est Mort $17.00
Happily back in stock!
Being a humongous fan of Gong in high school and discovering them just about the time that Daevid left and they imploded, my sorrow was great. But only a couple of years after they broke up they had the first (of what would be many, many) reunion, but this one was special as it featured the entirety of the 'classic' line up of the band that recorded Angel's Egg and You, which were keystone records of my listening at that time. Being a twerp kid and this being before the instantaneous internet told you everything, I didn't even know the reformation had happened until it was over, but I was so very excited when this great document of the show was released. It may not be the very best live document of Gong, but as I said, it was the earliest reformation of the band and there is no jadedness or boredom here. Just great playing. This has been out before but hasn't really been generally avaialble for some time. Good to have it back! Highly recommmended for fans.
"Beware, cult record! Gong is a progressive space-rock band formed at the end of the '60s by Daevid Allen, in those days leader of Soft Machine. Recorded in the Pavillon de Paris in 1977, this live album is the ultimate testimony of the "historic" Gong. All the band's "classics" were played that night, during a "reunion" show that lasted several hours. Released originally by a small label in 1977, this release is almost a collector's item -- Virgin, the official record company of the band having made every effort to forbid it; in vain. You have to possess this album if you are a true Gong fan, since the "official" live recording released by Virgin was a pale copy of Gong Est Mort, Vive Gong. The songs, compared to studio versions, are transcended by the magnificent improvisation from Didier Malherbe and the astounding solos of Steve Hillage. Gong Est Mort, Vive Gong was an expensive record, and barely impossible to find. This prestigious re-edition will please all the true fans, without a doubt. Features the classic line-up of Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Tim Blake, Steve Hillage, Mike Howlett, Didier Malherbe, and Pierre Moerlen." [Celluloid]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Gong---Gong-est-Mort__05-CELLULOID026.aspx
Freddie Hubbard-Straight Life $7.00
Late 1970 session - one of two really good ones he made for CTI - of 'electric jazz' from famed trumpeter Freddie, plus a great band: Herbie Hancock-electric piano (anytime you see the following calculation: Herbie+late 60s/early 70s+electric piano, you KNOW it's going to be good!), Ron Carter-double bass, Jack DeJohnette-drums, Joe Henderson-sax, George Benson-guitar and Richie Landrum-percussion. Fine stuff and long tracks with lots of great jams! [CTI]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Hubbard--Freddie---Straight-Life--__28-CTI65125.aspx
Kuni Kawachi-Flower Travelling Band - Kirikyojen $18.00
"This is a two-fer reissue of early '70s Japanese underground rock albums Love Suki Daikirai and Kirikyogen, featuring Kuni Kawachi & Flower Travelling Band. Recorded in 1970, the tone of Kirikyogen is cast in a shadow, and it seeps through the pores of each track, with titles such as "Graveyard Of Love" and "Works Composed Mainly By Humans." However, this ain't some pointless posturing... this is an LP that carries that weight, while remembering to bring a pocket full of cool-ass riffs, super-heavy Hammond, bouncin' bass and far-out vox. LP opener, "Kirikyogen" teases in the intro with stop/start bass and organ before dropping into Grade A heavy funk-psych prog rock. It's completely irresistible. There's a whiff of the weirdness of early English prog records, but crucially, these kids were still into Hendrix too, remembering that no matter how good you are on guitar, you still gotta bring something to the dancefloor. Love Suki Daikirai released in 1972 is more straight-up dreamy psychedelia. Kawachi plays piano, celesta, Hammond organ, Rocksichord, Harpsichord, various percussions, and sings. Kimio Mizutani (A Path Through Haze [BAM 7003CD], Love Live Life +1) contributes acoustic and electric guitars. Housed in a highly-collectible unique card wallet. Digitally remastered." [Bamboo]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Kawachi--KuniFlower-Travelling-Band---Kirikyojen__05-BAM7004.aspx
Kayo Dot-Stained Glass EP $13.00
Scenes of rapture, agony, and consecration are arrayed as windows in this latest EP by the avant-rock maestros. With a large ensemble of glimmering malleted percussion, shrieking distorted organs, crystalline guitars, and sighing horns, violins, and vocals, Stained Glass' translucent passages of unearthly beauty set a new standard in soothing terror. Stained Glass features the return of original Kayo Dot lyricist Jason Byron, as well as a guest appearance by electric guitar genius Trey Spruance (Secret Chiefs 3, Mr. Bungle)." [Hydra Head]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Kayo-Dot---Stained-Glass__05-HDH213.aspx
Patrick Lundborg-The Acid Archives: The Second Edition (large 400 page book - due to size and weight, this item is for sale in the USA only) $55.00
Back in stock!
"Bigger, better and more colorful! After the huge success of the first edition from 2006, the Acid Archives book has been long out-of-print. Used copies have sold for as high as $200, and there are many inquiries about new runs from around the world. Instead of just a new printing, here is a brand-new edition -- completely revised, massively expanded, and attractively re-designed. The Acid Archives, The Second Edition will delight any lover of rare and great underground music from the 1960s-1970s. All the elements that made the first edition such a hit are here. The A-Z section has been expanded with 90 new pages, detailing many hundreds of previously-unknown LPs. Just as exciting is a brand-new section of special features, where leading experts present the best and rarest albums within exotica, lounge, '70s funk & soul, Southern rock, new age, custom labels and tax scam records. In answer to requests from fans of the first book, the Acid Archives has been fully re-designed and is now printed entirely in color. The 400 pages in the second edition (100 pages more than the old version) are loaded with color images of obscure and trippy album sleeves, posters and band photos, many of which have never been published before. 400 pages, all entirely in color, in a perfect-bound softcover quarto. Writers: P. Lundborg, A. Milenski, R. Moore and others. Size: 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" x 7/8"; weight: 3 lbs 4 oz." [Lysergia]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Lundborg--Patrick---The-Acid-Archives--The-Second-Edition-(large-400-page-book---due-to-size-and-weight--this-item-is-for-sale-in-the-USA-only)__05-LSD25-spc-011BK.aspx
Albert Mangelsdorff/Wolfgang Dauner-Hut Ab!/Two is Company (remastered) 2 x CDs $15.00
Great price on two complete releases, easily available for the first time outside of Germany.
"In 1997, trombone pioneer and world-renowned soloist Albert Mangelsdorff convened a meeting of the leading lights of German jazz in the studio. Wolfgang Dauner, Christof Lauer, Dieter Ilg and Wolfgang Haffner. The album title Hut Ab! is Mangelsdorff's tribute to all the people whose dedication over the years made a vibrant jazz scene even possible in the first place, from jazz club owners to concert organizers. However, Hut Ab! can also be an expression of the listener s respect for this wonderful musical achievement. The title Two Is Company says it all: Mangelsdorff and Dauner, two extraordinary exponents of their instruments, get together for brilliant and energetic dialogues. Two masters in good company." [Mood]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Mangelsdorff--AlbertWolfgang-Dauner---Hut-AbTwo-is-Company-(remastered)-2-x-CDs__21-Mood-spc-4609.aspx
Many Arms-Missing Time $15.00
I have seen these guys a couple of times and have always enjoyed them. They play a wild, powerful form of power-trio out-rock. These guys are jazz-trained, but rock-ready. If your taste runs towards tight and a bit brutal, this, their second album, will knock you out.
"Many Arms is a power trio in the truest sense of the term. The band's music is loud and aggressive, and the members work together as a solid unit, pushing and pulling improvisations and heavy shredding to and from strong unison melodies and vamps. The members of Many Arms are 6- and 12-string electric guitarist Nick Millevoi (Make A Rising, Joe Lally), electric bassist John DeBlase (Zevious), and drummer Ricardo Lagomasino (Joe Lally, Capillary Action). The band's punk-rock touring ethos has taken their music across the US and Canada numerous times. Missing Time is Many Arms' second full-length release."
"The Black-Flag-meets-Ornette-Coleman comparison had some weight here, and I couldn t help but geek out to the angular dizziness of Nick Millevoi s 12-string guitar workouts."-NPR s A Blog Supreme [Engine]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Many-Arms---Missing-Time__Engine-spc-E035.aspx
Moebius-Blue Moon OST $18.00
"By 1969 at the latest, Dieter Moebius was synonymous with the avant-garde electronic music scene in Germany. He and Hans-Joachim Roedelius formed Cluster, a seminal electronic/ambient duo, while Moebius was also a member of the so-called Krautrock supergroup Harmonia (with Michael Rother and Roedelius), as well as collaborating on various other projects with the likes of Brian Eno and Mani Neumeier from Guru Guru. This was the last solo album that Moebius delivered to Sky Records, originally released in 1986. Blue Moon was released at a time when electronically-created pop music was no longer perceived as exotic. It was new music, free of the ballast of the 1970s, minimalist and uncluttered. Moebius, a constant simplifier in the Cluster/Harmonia family, made a particular virtue of this simplicity on Blue Moon, resulting in 11 wonderfully measured miniatures, rhythmic, harmonic textures of exceptional aural transparency. Clarity, calm and an impression of unthreatening irreality run through all 11 pieces, which, to capture their full sense of musical and atmospheric development, would all need to be twice as long. Instead of which, regrettably, they break off abruptly, all too soon, all too often. Short isn't always sweet. What an epochal flight of fancy Blue Moon could have been, had it extended to a double album format. But Moebius, his wings clipped in the service of film music, needed, of course, to match his compositions to the length of each scene -- sometimes a blessing, other times a curse. Due to their soundtrack function, the 11 compositions on the album fell short of the glittering diamonds they could so easily have become, precious though they undoubtedly were. As previously on Tonspuren (BB 040CD/LP), Moebius structures his music with well defined, sharp contours, modestly elegant, simple yet rich in detail, thus never running the risk of lapsing into monotony. This is forceful electronic pop music and it works perfectly well without pictures. It has survived throughout the decades because Moebius -- much like his Harmonia colleagues, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Michael Rother -- had formulated a musical language which, today, can be understood better than ever." [Bureau B]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Moebius---Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack-Blue-Moon__05-BB059.aspx
Kimio Mizutani-A Path Through Haze $18.00
"CD reissue of this ultra-rare '70s Japanese rock album. Kimio Mizutani was the guitarist in the excellent Japanese freak-out group, Love Live Life + 1 and this reissue is of his first solo album from 1971. Mizutani plays electric and "folk" guitar and leads a largish ensemble (bass, drums, organ, Moog and vocals) through what is widely-regarded as one of the true psychedelic masterpieces of the '70s Japanese scene. Sensitive interludes (accompanied by the Toyama String Quartet and the Etoh Wood Quartet), tasteful nods to progressive/fusionist extension and a lovely, hovering psych guitar from Mizutani dominate proceedings. A nice merger of hard rock conceptualization and the complexities that would evolve from it -- and, until now, almost impossible to hear within the confines of western society. Housed in a unique, highly-collectible card wallet. Digitally remastered." [Bamboo]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Mizutani--Kimio---A-Path-Through-Haze__05-BAM7003.aspx
Perrey & Kingsley-The Out Sound From Way In! 3 x CDs $15.00 (special)
This is all four of the early electronic albums (The In Sound From Way Out, Spotlight on the Moog, The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sound, Moog Indigo) by Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley or Perrey on his own, originally released in 1966-1970 complete in one set plus bonus remixes. Stick with the originals which have tons and tons of period charm and total goofball-ness.
"In the mid-'60s, Frenchman Jean-Jacques Perrey -- an electronic musician who had helped popularize the Ondioline, a keyboard which produced sounds similar to the violin and the flute -- teamed up with American composer and arranger Gershon Kingsley for a couple albums of then-futuristic electronic pop. Using tape recorders, scissors, and splicing tape, they recorded variations on pop motifs that, while kitschy from a latter-day perspective, represented the state-of-the-art in electronic sounds at the time."-Ritchie Unterberger/All Music Guide [Vanguard]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Perrey-and-Kingsley---The-Out-Sound-From-Way-In-3-x-CDs-(special)__02-Vanguard-spc-184-186.aspx
Various Artists-Progest '97 - 2 x CDs $9.00 (special)
Great price on this nearly 2 hour set featuring tracks from many of the bands who played at Progfest '97 in San Francisco. This includes the John Wetton Band (doing two U.K. songs), Le Orme (doing Felona e Serona!), Arena, The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, Big Elf and Sinkadus. [Voiceprint]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Various-Artists---Progest-97---2-x-CDs-(special)__23-PGVP-spc-004.aspx
Re: Cooperation-TransCollaboration $9.00
"TransCollaboration is the five year project of David Cooper Orton (England) and James H. Sidlo (USA). David and James started this project out of mutual interests in looping, having "met" on The Looper's Delight mailing list. Looper's Delight is an open on-line forum for samplists to discuss different techniques and ideas concerning the looping of music and sound. James proposed a joint project with David that would entail the trading of tapes with ideas. The end result is the cd ReCooperation: TransCollaboration. A release representing the progressive diversity from Uncle Buzz Records and Dogfingers Productions. Together they create sound collages-aural landscapes-which initially traced the contours mapped-out by Brian Eno and Robert Fripp, but gradually moved-on to circumnavigate vistas of their own diving, which increasingly meander towards more urban environs." [Uncle Buzz]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Re--Cooperation---TransCollaboration__UB-spc-14.aspx
Samla Mammas Manna-Klossa Knapitatet (expanded/remastered) Japanese mini-lp sleeve $19.00
Samla Mammas Manna was the original band of keyboardist/composer Lars Hollmer. They blended progressive with bits of folk elements & more. This is an earlier, more overtly "progressive rock" disc than what came later, with some great melodies & great playing. It was their third album and their last before losing guitarist Coste Apetrea. It also has a very funny and controversial title, if you know Swedish and the 70s left-leaning Swedish progressive scene. Features two bonus tracks not available anywhere else! [Arcangelo]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Samla-Mammas-Manna---Klossa-Knapitatet-(expandedremastered)-Japanese-mini-lp-sleeve__14-Arcangelo-spc-3011.aspx
Samla Mammas Manna-Maltid (expanded/remastered) Japanese mini-lp sleeve $19.00
Samla Mammas Manna was the original band of keyboardist/composer Lars Hollmer and they were hugely popular in their native Sweden. They blended progressive with bits of folk elements & more. This is an earlier (their second), more overtly "progressive rock" disc, with some great melodies & great playing. Guitar, keyboards, bass and drums. Sometimes it reminded me a little bit of the early Muffins in a more jammy style. Features a bonus track not available anywhere else! [Arcangelo]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Samla-Mammas-Manna---Maltid--(expandedremastered)-Japanese-mini-lp-sleeve__14-Arcangelo-spc-3010.aspx
Samlas Mammas Manna-Samla Mammas Manna (expanded/remastered) Japanese mini-lp sleeve $19.00
The very first Samlas album, from 1970 is early steps for the band. You can hear a lot of Lars' early somewhat Canterbury/Muffins styled Fender Rhodes work, along with organ & vocals in a more simplified format than the band took later. But you can still easily tell it's them. Also along are Lars Krantz-bass, Hasse Bruniusson-drums & Henrik Oberg-percussion. Not their best, but definitely worthwhile. Features two bonus tracks not available anywhere else! [Arcangelo]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Samla-Mammas-Manna---Samla-Mammas-Manna-(expandedremastered)-Japanese-mini-lp-sleeve__14-Arcangelo-spc-3009.aspx
Zamla Mammaz Manna-Familjesprickor (expanded/remastered) Japanese mini-lp sleeve $19.00
This album was the second by the 'new! improved! weirder!' version of Samla Mammas Manna, who changed their name to Zamlaz Mammaz Manna to highlight the difference! Those crazy Swedes! This was their final album, until their reunion disc, & has some simply amazing playing from all, including under-heralded guitar genius Eino Haapala. This was the first one by them I heard and it may still be my favorite; the suite of the 1st 3 songs that begins the disc is really still quite stunning. Features a bonus track not available anywhere else! [Silence]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Zamla-Mammaz-Manna---Familjesprickor-(expandedremastered)-Japanese-mini-lp-sleeve__14-Arcangelo-spc-3014.aspx
Zamla Mammaz Manna-Schlagerns Mystik/For Aldre Nybegynnare (expanded/remastered) Japanese mini-lp sleeve 2 x CDs $28.00
This album marks the beginning of the more experimental side of Samla Mammas Manna, who changed their name to Zamla Manna Manna to deliniate the difference - not that anyone really noticed the name change. Those crazy Swedes! Original guitarist Coste Apetrea left and guitarist Eino Haapla joined. Coste is a great guitarist and it's hard to believe that they replaced him with someone who I think is even better, but I think that they did. This double album consists of an album of live improvisations from 1977 and an album of more typical Samla/Zamla material, although even on that, more of a folky influence is showing through than before. Features a bonus track not available anywhere else! [Silence]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Zamla-Mammaz-Manna---Schlagerns-MystikFor-Aldre-Nybegynnare--(expandedremastered)-Japanese-mini-lp-sleeve-2-x-CDs__14-Arcangelo-spc-3012-13.aspx
Scorch Trio-Melaza $18.00
"Fourth album from the free-spirited power trio that should need no long introduction by now, apart from the significant fact that Frank Rosaly has taken over the drum stool from Paal Nilssen-Love. No mean feat, seeing how the hand-in-glove rhythm section of Nilssen-Love and Håker Flaten has graced a large number of recordings over the years and built a solid reputation as one of modern jazz and improv's most reliable units. That said, the Chicago-based drummer is doing a remarkable job in both keeping the group sound intact while bringing new blood to the proceedings. As with the previous albums, Melaza was recorded live in the studio with a minimum of overdubs, this time by Robert Mussi at Bill Laswell's New York studio. Raoul Björkenheim is from Finland and he recorded for ECM as a member of Finnish pioneers Krakatau as well as with Bill Laswell, Henry Kaiser, Jah Wobble, Peter Erskine, Paul Schütze, Mats Gustafsson, Nicky Skopelitis, and others. He has also written film scores and orchestral music. Norwegian Ingebrigt Håker Flaten is a member of The Thing, Atomic, School Days, Free Fall with Ken Vandermark and has his own quintet. He has toured with Trygve Seim, Joe McPhee, Chris Potter, Dave Liebman, Tony Oxley and many others. Drummer and composer Frank Rosaly has been an integral part of the Chicago music scene for 10 years, navigating between the improv, experimental, rock and jazz communities. As with the other Scorch Trio albums, all titles are local slang-words: this time, it's Puerto Rican, with the album title translating as "pure sugar cane juice, something sweet, fantastic." Members: Raoul Björkenheim (guitar), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass), and Frank Rosaly (drums)." [Rune Grammofon]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Scorch-Trio---Melaza__05-RCD2104.aspx
Soft Machine-Alive & Well : Recorded in Paris (expanded/remastered) 2 x CDs $22.00
Now this is pretty exciting. This was the 3rd CD that Soft Machine released on Harvest and their last real album by a working version of the group. It featured the line-up of Karl Jenkins (Piano, Electric Keyboards, Synthesizer), John Marshall (Drums), John Etheridge (Acoustic and Electric Guitars), Steve Cook (Bass Guitar) and Ric Sanders (Violin). The original album was pretty good, but it was also heavily worked on in the studio. It also tended to emphasize the mellower, composed music over the music that had all of these firey, great musicians letting loose. This excellent reissue includes the original disc in remastered form, but it's the second disc that is the real revelation; it's over 45' of additional, unreleased material from the same recordings (made over 3 days in July, 1977) and you can hear everyone really let loose and rocking out! This presents a fuller picture of the band late in their life and - for me - a much better picture as well. If you have any interest in the late period of this great band's work, this superlative reissue is highly recommended [Esoteric]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Soft-Machine---Alive-and-Well---Recorded-in-Paris-(expandedremastered)-2-x-CDs__23-Esoteric-spc-22234.aspx
Stan Sulzmann-The Jigsaw $11.00
"UK's sax giant teams up with US heavyweights Copland, Grenadier and Stewart - stunning. Stan Sulzmann's music was described in the Guardian as 'ravishing, delicious, powerful, direct,...meticulously written' and he was recently described by Marc Copland as "one of the greatest sax players in the world" and he should know. Their musical relationship goes back over 25 years and both musicians hold each other in the highest esteem. Marc Copland is without doubt one of the most lyrical and moving pianists around with "an undercurrent of swing that makes any band burn" The stellar company he keeps speaks volumes - Mike Brecker, Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie, Gary Peacock, Greg Osby to name but a few. "The Jigsaw" featuring Marc Copland, Larry Grenadier and Bill Stewart and recorded in New York represents a long-awaited landmark in Stan's career and has put him with the world class musical company he rightfully deserves." [Basho]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Sulzmann--Stan---The-Jigsaw__21-Basho-spc-10.aspx
Ken Thomson and Slow/Fast-It Would Be Easier If $16.00
I know Ken as the stage-stalking saxophonist of the amazing Gutbucket (see them and you'll know exactly what I mean by that), but he works with other ensembles and this release features some of this other work.
"Ken Thomson, co-founder of the successful Gutbucket, has started a new project called Slow/Fast that features complex, extensive compositions that start out like chamber music, but then turn out to be jazz."
"This is a project I started to combine many elements of the music I make; it's 5 long-form compositions of mine infused with improvisation, played by an amazing quintet... I'm playing bass clarinet and alto saxophone with Russ Johnson, trumpet, Nir Felder, guitar, Adam Armstrong, bass, and Fred Kennedy, drums. The music probably sounds different than a lot of what you've heard from me; sure there are some pretty frenetic and loud moments, but there is also a lot of quiet, and a lot of patience. I'm quite proud of the record and hope you get a chance to check it out."-Ken Thomson.
"Like much of his work, the album is a combination of rock, jazz and modern chamber music, but whereas Asphalt [Orchestra] defies easy categorization and Gutbucket is overtly punk jazz, Slow/Fast leans towards composition-heavy chamber jazz..... [About the 3rd track:] Humor is an ongoing element in Thomson's music, but there is nothing funny about the elegant 'No No No.' This 11-minute gem is imbued with long tones that blend together like different colors on a painter's palette. Unlike Gutbucket's material, which tends toward spasmodic and to-the-point, 'Slow/Fast' methodically brings the song to a boil and then dissolves it into a Thomson solo that eventually fades out. While there is very little movement, Thomson and Co. create a taut piece that holds the listener's attention throughout." - AOL Spinner.com
"Between jazz and improvised music on one side and iridescent composed avant-garde and new music on the other hand, the five musicians search for new and different possibilities of musical expression. Shape and sound, dynamics and timbre are other parameters, sometimes over shimmering arpeggios of the guitar, then also rocking loud sounds; sometimes over a thick chordal carpet, then with entangled polyphonic phrases. That sounds more complex and intellectual than it is. One thing Thomson learned from Gutbucket: To grab your audience, you must be able to keep it."-JazzThing Germany [Intuition]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Thomson--Ken---It-Would-Be-Easier__32-Intuition-spc-710305.aspx
Henry Threadgill Zooid-This Brings Us To, Volume II $16.00
"A year ago Pi Recordings released the first new Henry Threadgill recording since 2001: This Brings Us To, Volume I. This is the second release from the same recording sessions of November 2008. Threadgill's Zooid band is a quintet, with Liberty Ellman on acoustic guitar, Jose Davila on trombone and tuba, Stomu Takeishi on bass and Elliot Humberto Kavee on drums, with Henry alternating between flute and alto sax. Volume II (about 44 minutes long) was again mixed by Liberty Ellman, in June 2010, and mastered by Steve Fallone. This is a tight unit, and they only entered the studio after extensive live touring with these compositions. The liner notes on the Pi Recordings website, explain that Threadgill has developed a new system of improvisation since his last recordings in 2001: "[t]he compositions are organized along a series of interval blocks comprised of three notes, each of which is assigned to a musician, who is free to move around within these intervals, improvising melodies and creating counterpoint to one another." This is something the listener can use in order to hear the parameters of the compositions, but in any event one has only to hear the record to immediately recognize Threadgill's sound world. The music is rhythmically propulsive and tight in the way that only a band that has played together for years can achieve. Threadgill has been mining the same distinctive sound for 30 years now, and it is still a rich vein. Threadgill's Air trio of the '70s, which came out of Chicago's AACM, explored the intersection of composition and free improv. The Sextett of the '80s and Very Very Circus of the '90s (with twin guitars and tubas!) both featured complex compositions that emphasized unusual textures, and utilized a dark, minor key harmonic palette, and the 2008 Zooid THIS BRINGS US TO sessions do not mark a sharp stylistic departure. There is improvisation, but it is tightly constrained, as described above. Threadgill has never been known primarily as a virtuoso alto soloist, rather his strength is as a composer and arranger. He utilizes rhythmic structures from Jellyroll Morton, sophisticated counterpoint, and subtle harmonic shifts that do not resolve. The return of Henry Threadgill is one of the great events of jazz/improv of 2009 and 2010, with much of his back catalog reissued in addition to these new recordings. If you are new to his music, you are in for a pleasant surprise, and if you are a long-time listener like me, you know what to expect -- the best!"-R. Hutchinson [Pi Recordings]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Threadgill--Henry---This-Brings-Us-To--Volume-II__32-Pi-spc-36.aspx
Ultralyd-Inertiadrome $18.00
Ultralyd are Kjetil Møster (saxophones/clarinet), Anders Hana (guitars), Kjetil Brandsdal (bass) and Morten J. Olsen (drums/electric vibraphone). Ultralyd can be said to operate in a sonic landscape that has as much in common with modern contemporary music as with heavy metal. While their vinyl-only release Renditions on The Last Record Company label in 2009 and their contribution to Rune Grammofon's Twenty Centuries Of Stony Sleep compilation can easily be described as belonging to the former, Inertiadrome introduces a more rhythm-based, rough-edged sound. What you get is an instrumental album of ensemble playing, practically free of soloing, largely driven by Olsen's relentless drumming and Brandsdal's monster heavy bass. Hana and Møster's unorthodox instrument treatments are filling the gaps while the bleak and futuristic-sounding production brings a sense of doom." [Rune Grammofon]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Ultralyd---Inertiadrome__05-RCD2105.aspx
United Jazz + Rock Ensemble-Die Neunte von United/X (remastered) 2 x CDs $15.00
Great price on two complete releases that were previously hard to find and expensive. Dig who's here on one or both of these - this is a supergroup: Ian Carr, Wolfgang Dauner, Jon Hiseman, Volker Kriegel, Albert Mangelsdorff, Barbara Thompson, Dave King and more!
"The United Jazz + Rock Ensemble was a group of a very special kind. This 'band of bandleaders' emergied in the mid-1970s from Wolfgang Dauner's Elfeinhalb Ensemble. The original CDs Die Neunte von United (1996) and X (1999) are live recordings. Neunte includes the addition of inspired saxophonist Christof Lauer, bassist Dave King and trumpet sophisticate Kenny Wheeler. On X, Lauer and King are accompanied by trumpeter Thorsten Benkenstein and guitarist Peter O'Mara. The result sounds funky in places, more rock-influenced in others. In any case, the accomplished all-rounders of the UJRE always deliver unorthodox jazz-rock in a class of its own." [Inakustik]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/United-Jazz--plus--Rock-Ensemble---Die-Neunte-von-UnitedX-(remastered)-2-x-CDs__21-Mood-spc-4611.aspx
United Jazz + Rock Ensemble-Round Seven/Teamwork (remastered) 2 x CDs $15.00
Great price on two complete releases that were previously hard to find and expensive. Dig who's here on one or both of these - this is a supergroup: Ian Carr, Wolfgang Dauner, Jon Hiseman, Volker Kriegel, Albert Mangelsdorff, Charlie Mariano, Barbara Thompson, Eberhard Weber and more!
"The United Jazz + Rock Ensemble, or UJRE, is not your standard big band, nor is it an all-star ensemble in the usual sense, with a compact sound and various resplendent soloists. No, the UJRE is the "band of bandleaders", as it has often been called. 1978's Teamwork, successor to the furious Schützenhaus album, shows the classic line-up of the band on top form: Dauner, Albert Mangelsdorff, Charlie Mariano & Co. harmonizing like a dream. In Round Seven from 1987, the ensemble gives the soloists plenty of room – for example, super-drummer Jon Hiseman, sensitive guitarist Volker Kriegel, or Eberhard Weber with his unmistakable bass sound." [Inakustik]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/United-Jazz--plus--Rock-Ensemble---Round-SevenTeamwork-(remastered)-2-x-CD__21-Mood-spc-4608.aspx
Chad Wackerman Trio-Hits Live NTSC (Region 1) DVD $17.00
Chad's a great drummer and additionally a good composer and bandleader. His two CMP albums are great releases and the set list here is drawn from those albums. Seeing him with Allan Holdsworth a few years ago was a major revelation.
"This is The Chad Wackerman Trio's first DVD, recorded "live" in DrumChannel's LA studio in 2009. Contains mostly tracks from Chad's four solo cd's, released between 1991 and 2004. The first
two of these albums featured guitarist Allan Holdsworth, the last two Australian guitarist James Muller. On this DVD, however, the band consists of guitarist Mike Miller (Chick Corea Elektrik Band II,
Banned from Utopia) and bassist Doug Lunn (Ed Mann, OutTrio). This is absolutely not an instructional DVD, but rather a performance DVD. Chad talks a bit between songs about what inspired that particular tune and so on. The playing is top notch, the sound and camera angles perfect. If you are a fan of any of the above musicians (Miller is featured A LOT), you'll enjoy this! Chad has a couple of featured drum intros to some of the songs, nicely improvised on his DW/Paiste drumkit." [Drum Channel]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Wackerman--Chad---Hits-Live-DVD__21-DC-spc-3801.aspx
Chad Wackerman-The View $6.00 (special)
A fine album and back in stock again!
This was the follow up disc to Forty Reasons above, and is quite similar and similarly good, if not completely up to the heights reached on Forty Reasons. The core of the band is again Jim Cox-piano, organ and keyboards, Chad Wackerman- drums and Jimmy Johnson-bass, with Allan Holdsworth and Carl Verheyen sharing the guitarist duties and ex-Zappa trumpeter Walt Fowler added as well. We have a small number of copies of this out of print title available. [CMP]
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Wackerman--Chad---The-View-(special)__10-CMP-spc-64.aspx
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