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$100 donation ($125 with t-shirt & bumper sticker.)
*Billie Holiday - "Rare Live Recordings"
THIS IS A 5 DISC SET!!!! (NO COPIES left!)
In 1972, thirteen years after her death, Congress extended copyright protections to include recorded musical performances. Holiday would have benefited greatly from such protection: During the more than twenty-five years of her career, Holiday gave an unknown number of live performances on TV and radio and in clubs and concert halls, many of which were recorded both officially and unofficially by sound engineers, fellow musicians, and fans. Today ESP-Disk Records, which for many years has been assembling unofficial recordings of several artists from before 1972, has released one of the most comprehensive collections of live Billie Holiday recordings to date, some previously available but most not. These Holiday recordings, laid out in chronological order, not only demonstrate the arc of Holiday’s development as a vocalist, but give a rare behind-the-scenes look into how the singer approached her musicians and her audience.

$75 (6 left)(3 CDs + Concert Tickets Gift pack) Laura Reed and Deep Pocket, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, & Sci Fi Friday, December 19th at the Orange Peel 9:00 PM
Laura Reed and Deep Pocket, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, & Sci Fi Friday, December 19th at the Orange Peel 9:00 PM Laura Reed & Deep Pocket fill the stage with captivating, soul shaking, conscious music. The crowd is emerged with lyrics of truth and a voice of intensity backed by bass, organ, and drums, horns, and harmonies reminiscent of the past days of motown and funk. The roots of their sound and message stem from Laura’s diverse experience of growing up in South Africa and the American South. Formed in the summer of 2006, the band switches up the music between funk, progressive R&B, and pure SOUL behind Laura Reed’s captivating stage presence. Laura Reed’s tasteful rhythm section, Deep Pocket, consists of Ryan Burns on piano, synth, and Mama Lou (his 1936 model-A Hammond organ). Ben Didelot brings it all together on the low end with his solid bass lines and occasional dance steps. Jimbonk holds down the rhythm on the drum set with an amazing ability to keep the dynamic just right for not only the song but also the energy of the crowd. Debrissa McKinney has been a recent addition to the group, being referred to as the "masta harmoniza”. She elevates the music to the next level of sublime with her positive energy and smooth vocals. You will also catch Deep Pocket with the addition of tasteful guitar by Silas Durocher, the funky Asheville Horns, Soul Revolutionary Sidney Barnes, music master Josh Phillips, and visionary DJ Kurfu. Singer, guitarist, and percussionist of Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, Josh Phillips has recently left the Booty Band in pursuit of his new project, Josh Phillips Folk Festival. Though the Folk Festival plays some of the same songs that Josh has written with the Booty Band, the overall vibe is more song oriented and less of the party vibe that is synonymous with the Booty Band experience. While the music seamlessly bounces between folk, world, reggae, and R&B, the common theme of the music is heart felt lyrics with a strong focus on the song itself. Josh Phillips began the Folk Festival as a recording project back in June of 2007, made up of members of Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, STRUT, Trainwreks, and Laura Reed and Deep Pocket. Also helping make the CD a true Folk Festival, Justin Perkins of Toubab Krewe, Bryon McMurray of Acoustic Syndicate, Nick Hope of Hope Massive, Woody Wood of the Blue Rags, and many other local musicians came through the studio to lay down a piece to the album. Defying traditional genres of music, Sci Fi incorporates elements of jazz, funk, dub, blues, house, latin, and others to supply steady intricate melodies that, quite frankly, will make you want to dance. Without musical boundaries, the versatility of this band allows them to design sets that can accompany many types of venues. From live music halls to house parties to jazz restaurants they can do it all. These guys rely heavily on being in the moment to provide fuel for their highly improvisational styles, and have a truly symbiotic relationship with fans, exchanging energy and feeding off one another during shows.

Laura Reed & Deep pocket - Live at Tree Sound Studios
This dynamic record was recorded on New Year's Eve 2007 and March 9th at Pandora's Premier Event for their Music Genome Project (www.pandora.com). There are a total of five highly anticipated unreleased songs on this album as well as live versions of older favorites. Live at Tree Sound Studios features special guests Greg Hollowell and Derrick Johnson of Asheville Horns and Silas Durocher on guitar. The album was mixed by Paul Diaz and Wyatt Oates and mastered by Andrew Mendelson and Paul Whorley at Georgetown Masters. The DVD is a combination of live performances captured in the same session and footage from their 2008 touring adventures. The DVD was produced by Tree Leaf partner company TreeV Productions and includes road footage from LRDP's own Sam Katz (tour manager), music from DJ Kurfu, and graphics from Lear Bunda (Cartoon Network). This release marks the beginning of an exciting endeavor and well suited partnership between Tree Leaf Music and Laura Reed & Deep Pocket.

Josh Phillips Folk Festival - Wicker Wicker
Wicker, the title of the debut solo CD by former Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band musician Josh Phillips, is a spin on the phrase “we care.” Which might be a hard sell amid the politically charged, hard-news-hungry post-9/11 cynicism—but from the disc’s opening organ strains on the song “You are Loved”, Phillips (fronting his band Josh Phillips Folk Festival) proves himself to be unflappably genuine. And his positive, inclusive, everything’s-all-right lyrics are as contagious as Marlo Thomas’ ode to childhood, Free to be ... You and Me. (Only with innate cool, like De La Soul, circa 3 Feet High and Rising.)

Josh Phillips Folk Festival - For Today Premix is 5 songs, 3 of which will be on the album and 2 which will not. The 3 songs that are on the premix are different mixes than what you will hear on the album. The mixes were done at Upstream Studios right here in Asheville, NC and was mixed and mastered by grammy award winner Steven Heller.

$60 each or $80 with WPVM t-shirt bumper sticker.
Hellblinki Sextet Gift (which includes 1 CD, 1 t-shirt, 2 stickers, 2 postcards, 1 signed postcard) (4 left -- Girl's Tee: M & L, Unisex Tee: M & XL): The Hellblinki Sextet Oratory - The Hellblinki Sextet is a Shape-Shifting conglomerate of eclectic musicians from Asheville, NC serving an oddly beautiful musical vision envoking Broken tooth blues in a Tux, Choral fantasies for agnostic angels, and peg-leg waltzes on the rim of Mt. Vesuvius. In the studio or on the stage Hellblinki is prone to suprises, tension, and dramatic release; its material is refreshingly unusual, while remaining accessible to mortal ears.

The band has been known to perform as a true sextet, composed of male and female vocalists; acoustic electric and bass guitars, brass and woodwinds, multiple percussionists, violin, keyboards, samples, radio, various toys and empty wine bottles. In its present incarnation, Hellblinki is, Andrew the one-man band on guitar, vocals, drums and the occasional cornet, or accordion, joined by additional percussion, strings and voices provided by a rotating cast of characters.

This Hellblinki takes its raw pirate blues into the bloody public arena with careless abandon, and has been seen conquering entire unwary audiences: victims halt conversation and dance like mad drunken fools, joyously participating in the madness boiling over the boards. - Harry Grimes
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$50 or $75 with WPVM t-shirt bumper sticker.
(1 CD + DVD) Johnny Cash’s America
People who agree on little else can agree on Johnny Cash. He carried a unique ability to reach all people at once. He was admired by prisoners and presidents, by preachers and punks. Cash was a man of God who spoke for the condemned. Johnny Cash's America looks at the unifying vision he carried with him through 50 years in music.

From the filmmakers behind "Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story," this acclaimed documentary (and accompanying soundtrack) looks at The Man in Black in a whole new light. How did Cash navigate the issues of his day, and what can we learn from his example? Here are gathered a broad spectrum of Americans--politicians, musicians, writers, family--to reflect on the power and meaning of Cash's extraordinary life.

This documentary features many never before seen performances capturing Cash across the years and in all circumstances. Intimate, revealing, and provocative, Johnny Cash's America shines a new light on a musician, an entertainer, an American.

DVD: Full-length documentary includes interviews with: Al Gore, Bob Dylan, Snoop Dogg, Sheryl Crow, John Mellencamp, Lamar Alexander, Rosanne Cash, Tim Robbins, and many others. Narrated by Academy Award Winner® Chris Cooper. Directed by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon. Main Program Running Time: 90 minutes.

20 minutes of Bonus Material

$60 - 2 CD package
William Parker - "Double Sunrise over Neptune" and William Parker Quartet - "Petit Oiseau"
"Double Sunrise Over Neptune" is an orchestral work featuring immensely gifted individual and collective voices from around the world, meshing as one. Features Hamid Drake and Gerald Cleaver on drums, a full string section, young Shayna Dulberger on bass, and renowned Indian Classical vocal master Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay (flown in from India for this auspicious occasion) singing William Parker's lyrics on one piece. This is some serious (other)worldly teleportation music that achieves psychedelic proportions of sonic interplay. The specially commissioned world premiere of Double Sunrise Over Neptune took place in June 2007 at the opening night of Vision Festival XII. As there were technical difficulties that affected the recording, the musicians reconvened the following afternoon to perform and record the piece a second time. That entire performance is presented here, followed by the second half of the premiere performance.

"Petit Oiseau" - William Parker's Quartet is the premier outlet for many immense and timeless talents. The group's first two albums are universally recognized as exemplars of modern music masterpieces. Their third album--Petit Oiseau a.k.a. "Little Bird"--is a wholly new set of melodically, harmonically, and rhythmically advanced new Parker compositions rendered by one of the greatest jazz bands the world has had the good fortune to know. The band uses the launching pad of Parker's indelible tunes to explore the far reaches of collective improvisation. The music is delivered in a beautiful sixpanel digipak featuring liner notes by William Parker and cover art by renowned painter David Kroll.

All other CDs are $35 or $60 with T-shirt & bumper sticker.
(For $75, we’ll throw in a grab bag gift.)

YOU DON'T KNOW compilation (2 copies)
You know Ninja Tune and everything about them and exactly the type of music they put out and why and it's, y'know, cool and everything but, Well, you don't. This latest Ninja Cuts is number five in a series of classic compilations which have studded Ninja's 18 years of existence. And, like its predecessors, You Don't Know serves as a signpost of both where the label has come from and where it¹s heading. Now we can go on and wax poetic about how amazing the label is and how great the artists are and how this album contains new, old, rare and unreleased tracks; but we know the tracklisting will speak for itself. (FCC Violations: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13)
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Savina Yannatou & Primavera en Salonico Songs Of An Other

Garth Knox - D’Amore

Jennifer O’Connor - Here With Me

Shearwater - Rook

Stereolab - Chemical Chords

Miya Masaoka & Pauline Oliveros - "Accordion Koto"
3 COPIES
"Though an unlikely combination -- accordion and koto -- it is not so much about the instruments as about the energies of the music that comes from the intensity of listening -- listening as close to 'now' as possible. We know that our consciousness is delayed by a fraction of a second that the brain interprets as now -- however the body is instantaneous in its perception. Thus the phenomena of playing and becoming conscious of what has played -- been played -- is a continually surprising experience in such improvisation." --Pauline Oliveros
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Felix Werder - "The Tempest/Electronic Music"
3 COPIES
Felix Werder - THE TEMPEST: Our friends at POGUS PRODUCTIONS continue to amaze us with CD releases that feature some of the finest experimental/electronic adventures you will ever hear. All of Mr. Werder's compositions (except one, "V/Line", recorded in 1992) on this outing were put together in the 1970's, yet the recording quality approaches that of the 21st Century. My favorite piece of the four compositions was track 1, "Banker", recorded in 1973. Felix's and Keith Humble's synths, percussion by John Seal, guitar by Jochen Schubert & piano by Dennis Henning all combine to take you on a journey that could (as well) be a space odyssey. There seems to be no "competition" amongst the players - all the sounds mesh into a very cohesive sonic adventure that is quite calming (yet strange). 1971's "Oscussion", from a performance in Melbourne, was quite intriguing as well. If you're only looking for "straight-ahead" jazz, be-bop or R&B, it's doubtful you will get much further than the first track, as this kind of music requires intense involvement on the part of the listener - but if you're willing to engage yourself in the composer's imagination, & participate in adventurous sonic exploration, you will agree when I declare it MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. - Rotcod Zzaj, Zzaj Productions
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William Parker/Hamid Drake - "First Communion/Piercing The Veil"
(NO COPIES left!)
"A sumptuous double CD package .. together the two discs make for a powerful cross-section of the immense talents of these two musicians .. although the Afro-Asian character of the music is much to the fore, the performance still retains the improvisatory and evolutionary tenet of jazz with even the shortest pieces going through a sweeping narrative arc replete with impressive dynamics. Piercing The Veil is also very close to Jamaican dub. That comes more from the hypnosis and sensuality of the playing than any rhythmic rigidity or echo chamber antics but the parallel is clear enough. At the end of the day this music remains a tremendously freewheeling affair, with the virtuosity of the players carrying them from ostinato to rubato in the blink of any eye. Drake and Parker are a two-man big band with big sound and big ideas, a vision of the joyous, emotive waters that flow from the confluence of African-American, African, Middle eastern and Asian musical rivers." - Kevin Le Gendre
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David S Ware Quartet - "Renunciation"
2 COPIES
Renunciation was recorded live at Vision Festival XI on June 18, 2006 at the Orensanz Art Center in New York City. It was posited as the last ever U.S. performance by David S. Ware’s revered Quartet. Featuring three profound new compositions (the beauty ballad Ganesh Sound, the epic Renunciation Suite centerpiece, and the condensed encore), this concert and exquisite recording thereof offers the Quartet at a new height of their powers. A magnificent performance by one of the greatest Jazz bands the world will ever know, and which may well indeed have been their very last here in the country which birthed them.
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Rob Brown - "Crown Trunk Root Funk"
3 COPIES
Rob Brown is an awesome alto saxophonist, a mercurial improviser who is perpetually inventive. AUM Fidelity has recorded him many times over the years as a foundation member of the principal groups of William Parker, with whom he has shared a musical relationship for over 20 years. Brown has also revealed himself to be a very gifted composer and group leader. This particular ensemble was first brought together for a performance at the 2006 Vision Festival. It was deemed essential that this group be brought into the studio to make an album. A focus of Crown Trunk Root Funk is deep grooves, with brightness and openings provided by Brown's gorgeous, indelible melodies and the highly exploratory work of this extraordinary band.
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Ellery Eskelin - "Forms"
2 COPIES
Of all the downtown New Yorkers on the jazz scene, especially those who come from the avant-garde, saxophonist Ellery Eskelin is the one who has made the most use of the various forms of the jazz tradition. Here, accompanied by bassist Drew Gress and drummer Phil Haynes, Eskelin makes an overt gesture to his influences on the one hand, but uses his abilities to work out further inside the given forms he's learned.
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Frode Haltli - "Passing Images"
4 COPIES
Frode Haltli, acknowledged as one of the most outstanding accordion soloists in contemporary music, is also an exceptional improviser and an authority on folk music. His second ECM recording under his own name brings all of these aspects of his musical character together. Repertoire includes a psalm from the western fjords, a lyrical waltz from Haltli‘s home village near the Swedish border, a Roma traveller tune that suggests Albert Ayler‘s sound-world... With a supporting cast including Irish-Scottish classical viola player Garth Knox (ex-Arditti Quartet) as well as Norwegian partners composer/singer Maja Ratkje and trumpeter Arve Henriksen, Haltli offers a radical new look at music from traditional sources.
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Susie Ibarra - "Drum Sketches"
2 COPIES
Susie Ibarra is a percussionist, but she doesn’t hit you over the head with the fact. Rather, her powerfully delicate, insistent sounds seem to emanate from the landscape of drums and tuned gongs by themselves. Drum Sketches, Ibarra’s first solo CD following several Tzadik ensemble releases, is inspired by various images and sounds of her native Philippines. Among her glowing array of percussion are tuned bronze Kulintang gongs and a Surunay xylophone that blend with field recordings of boat festivals, a baby’s heartbeat, and evening peeper frogs.
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Peter Evans Quartet - "Peter Evans Quartet"
2 COPIES
New York-based trumpeter/composer Peter Evans first recording as a leader, The Peter Evans Quartet, introduces his group of the same name featuring guitarist Brandon Seabrook, bassist Tom Blancarte and drummer Kevin Shea. Evans describes the bands music, which it has performed at the annual Festival of New Trumpet Music among many other prominent New York venues, as using "a combination of influences that are near and dear to the all the members of the group (the great recorded Jazz of the 50s and 60s, abrasive noise music, wild and kinetic free improvisation) to give the listener something searing, intense, and honest."
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Transvalue - "Book III - The '58 Retractable Hardtop"
5 copies
Since 1980, under the name Transvalue, trombonist/composer Michael Vlatkovich has been, with his unique brand of improvisationally-friendly compositions, creating musical settings to support, surround and interact with the writings and vocal performances of spoken word artist Chuck Britt. Over the years, Transvalue has grown into a sort of repertory company of West Coast experimental jazz artists with the instrumentation and personnel varying with the needs of the material.
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Natural Food - "Natural Food"
2 copies
First time on CD! Originally a private pressing out of Boston in the early 70s, this record has it all, from funky soul jazz to inside and outside jazz. A truly amazing and unique recording that defies any easy categorization.
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Birigwa - "Birigwa"
2 copies
CD reissue of Jaw-dropping Afro-Jazz with wild, soaring vocals and strong rhythms. Amazingly tight drumming from Vinnie Johnson and fluid bass lines from Phil Morrison of Stark Reality fame! Included are some wonderful and touching African folk songs.
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Andrew McGraw - "Kolaborasi"
1 copy
Astonishing music which ranges from large gamelan ensembles to peaceful duets of traditional Southeast Asian folk songs.
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Odean Pope - "What went before volume 1"
1 copy
From a founding member of the 70’s band Catalyst to his performances with Max Roach, Odean has always maintained a unique and identifiable sound on the tenor saxophone. On this CD we find him performing two different trio dates, one from 1995 and another from 2000. Within the trio he is really able to open up his big bold sound. Excellent interplay between drums, bass and saxophone. This CD is the first in a series of Odean Pope’s trio work that has been previously released but out of print.
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Heikki Sarmanto - "A Boston Date"
1 copy
Previously unreleased 1970 recording from Heikki Sarmanto. Though mostly known (if at all stateside) today for his jazz-choral and operatic persuasions, Finnish pianist-composer Heikki Sarmanto spent 1968-1971 in Boston studying at Berklee and engaging the cream of the local musicians’ crop in what would be the Serious Music Ensemble. In between dates for Finnish EMI , Sarmanto cut over an hour’s worth of improvisation with soon-to-be cohorts in Boston in December 1970. He’s joined here by regular foil, saxophonist Juhani Aaltonen, local drummer Craig Herndon and guitarist Lance Gunderson (who would also form the nucleus of the SME), and Czech bassist George Mraz, who was at the time also at Berkelee. The set is comprised of six originals, mostly segued from one to the next.
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Rudesh Mahanthappa - "Kinsmen"
2 copies
"Kinsmen" is a collaborative effort between Rudresh Mahanthappa and fellow Indian saxophonist Kadri Golpalnath. While Rudresh's style is that of a modern jazz sax player, Kadri's style is based in traditional Indian music. It is fascinating to hear them both solo and compare and contrasts the different styles. Together they lead a classic world jazz fusion ensemble and arguably one of the finest fusions of Indian music and jazz ever. In addition to the Indian and jazz theme, there is also a 60's hippy transcendent spiritual vibe going on. This is most apparent in the stellar guitar playing of Rez Abassi. If you are like me and you have never heard of Kadri Golpalnath, Rez Abassi, or violinist A. Kanyakumari, Mridangam player Poovalur Sriji, bassist Carlo de Rosa, or drummer Royal Hartigan, you are in for a treat. Each musician has a unique style and delivers a stellar performance on this album. This is hands down Mahanthappa's best effort as a leader. There is great soloing by everyone throughout the album and the song writing offers a great variety of sounds and textures and feature clever song writing. The album also flows really well from start to finish. There is nothing not to like here.

Bettye LaVette - "The Scene of the Crime"
2 copies
Her 2005 acclaimed release, "I've Got My Own Hell To Raise", brought well-deserved recognition to this R&B maverick who's been recording since the early 60s. Now comes the almost autobiographical "Scene Of The Crime". To make music this raw and direct, Bettye enlisted "dirty south" rockers The Drive By Truckers as her backup band. With swampy guitars, slippery Wurlitzer piano, and a driving backline, this record conjures up the spirit of great loose 70s bands like the Faces while offering Bettye an urgent, vital setting for her razor-sharp vocals. Recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL, where she recorded "Child Of The Seventies" in 1972 - a masterpiece that was shelved then released 30 years later. Returning to Muscle Shoals was like returning to the scene of a crime; thus the album title, and the intense, personal music within.

Billy Bragg - "Mr Love and Justice"
1 left
In his two and a half decades carrying the torch of social justice, Billy Bragg has melded the folksy populism of Woody Guthrie with the anger and indignation of The Clash. Both are perfectly encapsulated on his Anti debut. Despite the intense politics behind his songs, Billy has never lost sight of the power of personal relationships to hold us together and bring about the kind of redemption that outstrips even the greatest political movements. Musically, this record combines the loose, Stonesy groove Bragg found working with Wilco on the "Mermaid Ave." sessions, with the best parts of his punk and music hall roots. On his most mature record to date, the title says it all. This deluxe version features an extra CD with Billy performing the entirety of "Mr. Love & Justice" live in the studio - one man with a guitar, just like it was in the beginning.

Blackalicious - "The Craft"
ZERO copies left!
With their third full-length, Blackalicious have produced a record of such sonic depth and lyrical ambition that it can proudly stand alongside the work of Bay Area funk fathers Sly Stone and Shuggie Otis, or hip-hop classics like Outkast's "Aquemini" and The Roots' "Things Fall Apart". But "The Craft" isn't nostalgic for some golden era that never existed. Lyricist Gab moves beyond the introspection of earlier albums, and musically, Xcel accomplishes beats that touch on classic funk sidling cosily alongside the orchestral sweep of Stereolab. Features guest appearances by George Clinton, Floetry, Lateef The Truth Speaker, and Pigeon John. Blackalicious's 2002 breakthrough, "Blazing Arrow" has scanned 230,000 units.

Bloc Party - "Intimacy"
1 copy
Following a long run of summer festivals and sold out tour dates, Bloc Party brings us their newest studio effort. Intimacy is a fittingly up-close title for an album that is, immediately, in-your-face and in-your-ear. Bloc Party's third album is a thrillingly radical record, bristling with percussive innovation, scorching riffs, orchestral sampledelia, and biting emotional candor.

Dead Meadow - "Old Growth"
1 copy

Ersi Arvizu - "Friend for Life"
1 copy
In the mid-70s, as the lead singer of legendary group El Chicano, Arvizu and the band came to be known as premier ambassadors of the East LA sound - an amalgam of rock, jazz, R&B, and Latin groove. "Friend For Life" is Arvizu's story strung into a dozen songs - sung both in Spanish and English - songs of love, despair, and survival. A recording that's both intimately personal and dance floor approachable. Produced by Ry Cooder (Buena Vista Social Club, Chavez Ravine, talking Timbuktu). RIYL: Buena Vista Social Club, Santana, War.

Grinderman - "Grinderman"
1 copy
The story of Grinderman begins within the working processes of another band: Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds. At the start of 2004, when Nick Cave took a small team of Bad Seeds members -- violinist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn Casey and drummer Jim Sclavunos -- off to the tiny Misère studio in Paris for a songwriting session, they effectively established a new band. The small combo configuration of Nick, Warren, Marty and Jim had its public debut in a showcase performance to promote the Bad Seeds Nocturama album; the foursome continued working in this streamlined format, getting together frequently for Nick Cave "solo" tours. Born of babbling lyrics hatched from Bosch eggshells in the Hyde-bound apocalyptic margins of the Cave brain, the Grinderman sound is an instinctual yawlp that also resurrects the demons of each musician's past: the trashcan proselytising of Birthday Party -era Nick; Sclavunos' late 70s New York no-wave noise wisdom; Martyn Casey's ominous Triffids bass reverb; plus Ellis' avant-garde soundtrack work and his teenage love of Black Sabbath. Destination: Out! Grinderman sound different from everyone, including themselves. As Memphis Slim put it back in 1941, "While everything is quiet and easy/ Mr. Grinder can have his way." It's a new day. God help you all.

I Am Ghost - "Those We Leave Behind"
1 copy
California's dark rock quintet return with their second album - fourteen turbulent tracks of classic screamo. Combining sharp metallic riffs and soaring melodic choruses with tragic lyrics of love and decay, "Those We Leave Behind" is a nonstop torrent of brooding passion-fueled rock with immediate accessibility. Produced by Paul Leavitt (Senses Fail, The Bled, Circa Survive).

Man Man - "Rabbit Habits"
1 copy
Philadelphia's Man Man have found the perfect berth for their gypsy-swamp-rock-carny-soul-Viking-vaudeville-punk collective. This record matches the fierce energy of their non-stop live shows, which utilize a variety of more traditional instruments (accordion, Moog, xylophone) along with such noisemakers as soup pots, shoes, squeaky toys, and a fire extinguisher. With a following that sells out clubs coast to coast and with a kinetic stage presence, Man Man are a musical contagion waiting to happen. They've toured with Cat Power, Arcade Fire, and Modest Mouse.

Michael Franti - "All Rebel Rockers"
(NO COPIES left!)
The follow-up to the critically acclaimed "Yell Fire". "All Rebel Rockers" is Franti's fiery protest music and thought-provoking lyrics backed by seductive elements of dub, infectious dance music, and irresistible hook-infused soul. Franti has toured and performed with everyone from U2, Dave Matthews Band, Ziggy Marley, and REM to Digable Planets, Cypress Hill, The Fugees, and A Tribe Called Quest. The deluxe verion contains a bonus DVD with 4 new Michael Franti videos and a featurette on the making of All Rebel Rockers.

Mogwai - "The Hawk is Howling"
(NO COPIES left!)
Mogwai's sixth album continues to showcase the fiercely layered guitars and dynamics of their classic work, and features a new array of rhythms and melodies. These hint more than ever before at their electronic and metal influences. Not only do they remain masters of the eloquently stretched guitar phrase, but they've also expanded the syntax to include a new, almost beat-driven sound. Limited deluxe CD+DVD in gatefold digipak includes video for "Batcat", directed by Dominic Hailstone (Aphex Twin), plus the Vincent Moon (The National) short film about Mogwai, "Before It Sounds".

Nick Cave - "Dig, Lazarus, Dig"
1 copy
Last seen under the gleeful guise of 2007's Grinderman, a no-nonsense rock 'n' roll excuse to head down to the basement and shout, now Nick Cave returns to his full time Bad Seeds co-conspirators for this release. "Grinderman was deliberately spare and the concepts were pretty simple," explains Cave. "With 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!' we allowed ourselves to get expansive." It picks up where Grinderman left off, filled with Stoogified electric guitar, driving beats, and Cave's literate, seductive, and firmly tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Sigur Ros - "Med Sud"
2 copies
Inspired by the unfettered feeling of the acoustic performances filmed during Heima, Sigur Rós adopted a looser approach in creating their fifth album Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust. The album consequently is fresher and more human than anything they ve previously recorded. Rough edges, cracked notes, and the sound of fingers on strings are audible resulting in tracks (e.g. Íllgresi ) that prove to be the band's sparsest and most affecting work to date. Worry not though, plenty of electric guitar can be heard throughout the album ensuring Sigur Rós commitment to challenging sonic limitations. Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust is truly a groundbreaking album for Sigur Rós. It s the first time they ve attempted to write, record, mix, release and support (by touring) an album in the same year. Notoriously known for their laborious writing/recording style and their Icelandic roots, Sigur Rós decided to record an album outside of Iceland for the first time. Recording, mixing and mastering sessions took place in such un-Reykjavik cities as New York (Sear Sound and Sterling Sound), London (Abbey Road and Assault & Battery) and Havana. The result is pretty much their leave home album, the anti-Heima. The opening track, Gobbledigook , is a manifesto setter with its shifting/no time signature. On the last track, All Alright , Sigur Rós find themselves singing a song solely in English for the first time. The seventh track, Ára Bátur , was performed with a full orchestra and the London Oratory Boys Choir. This was recorded in one take with no overdubs and the result was 90 people playing at once and just one perfect take. This is their first album working with Flood (U2, Depeche Mode, PJ Harvey) and the first since their debut to not be recorded with Ken Thomas. It was a true co-production, one that found Sigur Rós breaking out of old molds/habits. The cover artwork is a photo taken from a flyer for Ryan McGinley s most recent photo exhibition in NYC, I Know Where the Summer Goes , and the image captures perfectly the spirit of the album, one of free-spirited happiness and exploration. The band will be touring the US throughout the fall of 2008 to support Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust.

Stephen Malkmus - "Real Emotional Trash"
2 copies
Stephen Malkmus has never made a record that covered nearly as much stylistic ground as this nor, it could be argued, has Stephen made an album until now that packed as much of an emotional (not nearly trashy enough for some) wallop. "Cold Son," "Out of Reaches" and "We Can't Help You" are amongst the more gorgeous, contemplative songs Malkmus has recorded, though we should stress a) there's no shortage of dark humor scattered through RET and b) Malkmus remains a sh*t-hot guitarist (ridiculously so).

The Cure - "4:13 Dream"
1 copy
2008 release, the 13th studio longplayer from the legendary Goth rockers led by Robert Smith. Now down to a quartet (Smith, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson and Jason Cooper), the band continue to musically evolve while dealing with subjects like relationships, the material world, politics and religion. The songs on 4:13 Dream are stripped down and 'in your face' while also sounding very much like The Cure. Includes the singles 'The Only One', 'Freakshow', 'Sleep When I'm Dead' and 'The Perfect Boy.'

Tom Waits - "Alice"
2 copies
Alice has been called Wait's long-lost masterpiece. Originally performed as an opera directed by Robert Wilson for Hamburg's Thalia Theatre in 1992, but left unrecorded until 2001. The show ran for a year and a half using an unusual orchestra designed by Waits to underpin the songs co-written with his wife Kathleen Brennen. Rather than being directly based on Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass, the Waits-Brennen Alice takes inspiration from feelings remembered and dreams recalled after reading the books. Released simultaneously with Blood Money.

Tom Waits - "Real Gone"
1 left
Tom Waits is one of the most influential musicians in the world today, an artist who never rests on his laurels. He continues to re-invent music, push boundaries and create new sounds. On Real Gone, the up tempo tracks are some of the rawest and most kinetic he's ever laid down...He's never sounded like he's had this much fun...while the ballads are among his most beautiful and even chilling at times. Real Gone also contains his first overtly political song, "The Day After Tomorrow", a plaintive letter home from a young soldier in the middle of a war. Taken as a whole, the experience is breathtaking.

Tom Waits - "Blood Money"
2 copies
Blood Money uses the same template and players as Alice (released at the same time) and first saw life as an opera production by Robert Wilson. It's Waits's treatment of Georg Buchner's 1837 socio-political play, Woyzek which premiered in 2000 in Copenhagen. It's a dark morality play performed in a style where a barker from a medicine show is mysteriously transported to the Weimar Republic via Tin Pan Alley. Disturbing and delirious when it's not romantic and hilarious, the songs have a much more direct emotional appeal than the surrealistic Alice.

Antibalas - "Security"
1 copy
With Security, their ANTI- debut, Brooklyn's Antibalas are ready to connect with a mass audience hungry for loosebooty grooves, intelligent sounds, and committed lyrics - the same audience that made instant classics of genre-breakers like Talking Heads' Remain In Light. Bringing John McEntire of Tortoise into the studio - this is the band's first release with an outside producer - has upped the harmonic density in Antibalas' sound, creating a rich tapestry of harmelodic color that owes as much to jazz masters like Mingus and Coltrane and maverick bands like Can as it does to Fela Kuti. Antibalas have broadened their appeal to the point where they can collaborate with TV On the Radio one day, groove a sweaty Brooklyn club the next, and then turn around and rock massive crowds at festivals like Coachella and Bonaroo. Building from the revolutionary blueprint of afrobeat, the dozen-strong members of Brooklyn's Antibalas weave latin, jazz, funk and horn-laden soul into a blend that is both polyrhythmic and political, independent and infectious.

Bright Black Morning Light - "Motion to Rejoin"
2 copies
"Haunting", "ethereal", and "oozing with soul" are just a few of the words used to describe the music of these Alabama-Kentucky-to-Northern California transplants. Backed by a crack ensemble, this duo's transcendent brand of super-spooky, carefully crafted music for many moods is the genre-blurring experience of the decade. "Brightblack's free form blues sound transcends marketing, name-dropping, and hustling, taking us for a blindfolded dive into a live river. When you close your eyes, separating yourself from your immediate surroundings, and hear Rabob's (Rachael's) moody keys and experience the slow syrup rhythms of Nabob's (Nathan's) 'Bear Momma' slide guitar, you find yourself lost in an unpretentious, unmaterialistic world" - Soma.

Roy Oribson Radio Special
2 copies
New radio special documents the life and music of Roy Orbison through his songs, his own words, and comments by many musicians inspired by him - Barbara Orbison, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Jeff Lynne, Tom Waits, Robin and Barry Gibb, Chet Atkins, T-Bone Burnett and many more.

Eri Yamamoto - Duologue
3 copies
Duologue is Eri Yamamoto’s first album as a leader outside of the piano trio format. Each piece was composed by her specifically with each duo partner in mind (Daniel Carter, William Parker, Hamid Drake, Federico Ughi) and each piece is informed and suffused by their respective musical/personal essences. Eri writes incredibly beautiful songs. Contemplative, jubilant, mesmerizing songs. Songs which we’ve found increasingly rewarding with each successive listen. Her improvisations within them, guided by the rhythm as much as the melody, are invitingly exploratory.

Eric Hofbauer & the Infrared Band - Myth Understanding
3 copies
Boston-based guitarist/composer Eric Hofbauer makes his recorded debut as a bandleader with Myth Understanding (Creative Nation Music), featuring his year-old working quartet, Eric Hofbauer and The Infrared Band. With the same signature blend of intelligence and whimsy heard on his 2004 solo recording, American Vanity (CNM 003), and The Blueprint Project with Han Bennink’s 2007 release, People I Like (CNM 008), Hofbauer’s newest ensemble explores his intermingling interests in wordplay, mythology and puzzles.

Garrison Fewell / Eric Hofbauer - The Lady of Khartoum
1 copy
Guitarists Garrison Fewell and Eric Hofbauer perform an eclectic series of duets inspired by the deeper roots of jazz in the music of West Africa, Persia and the Arabic-Islamic world. The music juxtaposes ancient traditions with the language and techniques of contemporary improvisation. Fewell and Hofbauer augment their guitars with preparations, unusual tunings and percussion ranging from African ribbed drum sticks to antique Afghan and Moroccan jewelry to bells from India and the African Yoruba tribe. Their music, most of which is improvised, references such diverse elements as Congolese mythology, Delta blues, Sun Ra, a muezzin's call to prayer and the sonorities of traditional instruments such as the kora and African thumb piano. The duo also adds original compositions to the mix, as well reinterpretations of music by Thelonious Monk and John Tchicai.

The Microscopic Septet - Lobster Leaps In
1 copy
Originally active for a dozen years, from 1980-1992, the Microscopic Septet were widely recognized as "New York's Most Famous Unknown Band." The group started with a basic reeds-and-rhythm texture (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone sax, piano, bass and drums) that was sonically similar to the sound of the Swing Era. However, they employed these textures to address a widely eclectic range of styles, from free-form music to R&B, rhumbas and ragtime. The result was a brilliant blend of fresh-sounding orchestration and inspired soloing. Beloved in New York, where they generally drew capacity crowds, "The Micros" were one of the most celebrated of the many cutting-edge units associated with experimental music's best-known venue, the Knitting Factory, during the peak years of the "Downtown" music movement in the mid 1980s onward. In 2006, Cuneiform released two double-CD sets containing all four of the Micros albums. The Micros reunited to play a few shows and had such a good time doing so, that they decided to make the Micros a 'occasional regular thing'. After two well-received weeks in Europe, the band returned very well-rehearsed to New York where they recorded Lobster Leaps In, their first new album in 20 years!

Richard Pinhas & Merzbo - Keio Line
1 copy
Richard Pinhas has been at the forefront of new rock music in France since the early 1970's, when he founded the band Heldon. Heldon was one of the first bands to meld rock music and electronics, releasing a number of 'classic' albums during the 1970's. Following up on Metatron (Cuneiform, 2007), widely considered his finest record to date, experimental guitarist Richard Pinhas shifts direction slightly with Keio Line, a collaboration with the uncompromising Merzbow, originator of Japanese noise music. It's an album of ambient soundscapes that prove noise can indeed be beautiful, and that it's possible to dispense with conventional constructs of rhythm, melody and harmony yet still create something both musical and profound.

Isotope - Golden Section
1 copy
While it's generally accepted that Miles Davis fired the first fusion shots with In a Silent Way (Columbia, 1969) and Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1969), plenty was going on, at the same time, to explore the fusion of jazz and rock. In England, Ian Carr's Nucleus and Soft Machine were finding their own nexus points. And as Miles spawned a second wave in North American groups like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report, England became fertile ground for Hatfield and the North and Gilgamesh, who brought a distinctly British spin to complex writing meshed with rock energy. Isotope was, however, the one that most mirrored what was happening on the other side of the Atlantic, a link in clear evidence on Golden Section.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Brotherman in the Fatherland (live germany 1972)
2 copies
The Rahsaanaissance continues. Recorded March 3, 1972 at the Funkhaus in Hamburg, Germany and originally broadcast on German radio and television, the recordings on Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Brotherman In The Fatherland have surfaced from time to time over the years on the jazz underground--swapped among tape-traders and rare jazz collectors. With the HYENA release, however, these pristine, high fidelity recordings of the highly-regarded and much-lauded "Hamburg '72 radio broadcasts" are officially available for the first time ever. On Brotherman In The Fatherland, Rahsaan Roland Kirk is joined by his band of the period featuring Ron Burton on piano, Henry Pete Pearson "Mettathias" on bass, Richie Goldberg on drums and Joe "Habao" Texidor on percussion. The date serves as an exceptional example of Kirk's brilliance on tenor saxophone. His bold, muscular tone and visionary command of the instrument are highlights throughout the concert, including set openers, "Like Sonny" and "Make It With You," his often played improvisational vehicle "Pedal Up" and a tour de force rendition of John Coltrane's "Blue Trane." Another standout is the six minute-plus medley of the Kirk compositions "Seasons" and "Serenade To A Cuckoo," for which he switches to flute and showcases yet another side of his unending musical oeuvre.

Mike Ellis - Chicago Spontaneous Combustion Suite
2 copies
"Chicago Spontaneous Combustion Suite" is the first in a series of completely improvised recordings which includes "The Shaman's Dance", "Invite the unexpected", "Jazz Renegades" and Speak in Tones' "Suabaro". This recording was done in late 2000 and is my way of tipping my hat to the plethora of unrecognized talent in Chicago. Putting the band on the spot and having fun no holds barred is what it's all about.

The Roy Campbell Ensemble - Akhenaten Suite (live at vision festival XII
1 copy
Roy Campbell is a jazz trumpeter and composer of the first order, one who encompasses the tradition even as he pushes the music forward. A founding member of the luminous collective Other Dimensions In Music and a member of Marc Ribot's recent Spiritual Unity project, his last album as a nominal leader (2001's Ethnic Stew and Brew with William Parker and Hamid Drake) topped countless year-end Top 10 lists. The well-traveled trumpeter has long been a sonic frontiersman, embracing the universality of a sound continuum in which the Harlembound A Train and the majestic River Nile are moonlit reflections of each other. His stellar combo Pyramid Trio has devoted three albums to improvised explorations of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. So it's only natural that Campbell would turn his hand to a full-on composition inspired by Amenhotep IV, Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Akhenaten Suite, specially commissioned for and recorded live at the 2007 Vision Festival, is a splendid passage to a fabled dimension. It is realized by musicians who have an intimate affiliation with Campbell's vibrant brass stylings and wonderfully open, expansive compositions. The ensemble's richly textured palette provides a kaleidoscopic tapestry for Campbell's bursting runs of notes and graceful, curving lines.

Bill Dixon - 17 Musicians In Search of a Sound: Darfur (in concert vision festival XII)
1 copy
2008 marks the magnificent return of the legendary Bill Dixon: composer, trumpeter, teacher, and all-around musical force. His contributions to the body of great Black American Music first began in the 1960s: performing and recording with Archie Shepp and Cecil Taylor; producing the groundbreaking October Revolution concert series in NYC 1964, and as architect of the Jazz Composers Guild. In the late '60s he left "the scene" but continued to leave an indelible mark on music by devoting himself to teaching from 1968 onward, creating the Black Music Division at Bennington College in 1973. While he has never stopped composing (prolifically at that), and has produced a series of rarified small ensemble recordings, his work for expanded orchestral ensemble has gone unrecorded and/or unreleased since his momentous album Intents and Purposes (RCA, 1967). Bill Dixon with Exploding Star Orchestra, a well-received collaboration with Rob Mazurek (Exploding Star Orchestra), was released by Thrill Jockey in February. And now, this album--a tour de force of orchestral composition, conduction, and improvisational exploration--fully composed by Bill Dixon and performed with the Bill Dixon Orchestra. 17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur was specially commissioned by Arts for Art, Inc. (producers of the Vision Festival). It is one of three such commissions that made their concert debuts at Vision Festival XII in 2007. Roy Campbell's Akhenaten Suite was the first released (in March) and the next shall be William Parker's orchestral work Double Sunrise Over Neptune (due in August).

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