MOONJUNE RECORDS

Nuevamente les ofrecemos un extenso listado de titulos para realizar pedidos especiales. En este caso el excelente sello Moonjune. Recibiremos los pedidos hasta el proximo domingo.

FINISTERRE Storybook (1997)

Formed in the early 1990s as a precursor to the recent revival of progressive rock in Italy, always a fertile ground for that musical movement, Finisterre are undoubtedly one of the most interesting bands on today's innovative rock scene. Having released three studio albums to growing critical and commercial success, the Italian group has also performed live internationally, its unpredictable and exciting performances establishing Finisterre as one of the most in-demand bands on the scene. "Storybook" documents Finisterre's first-ever concert in the United States,as part of the ProgDay open-air festival in North Carolina. This recording is not only unique in the intensity of the band's performance, but also in the instrumentation used on this occasion. Original member, flautist Sergio Grazia, had temporarily returned to the fold, and Boris Valle's keyboard set-up was different from the one he normally uses. These challenges led Finisterre to surpass itself and put on an unforgettable show. Finisterre's founding members were guitarist Stefano Marelli and bassist Fabio Zuffanti, who had already played together in another band playing a mixture of psychedelic music and blues. With the addition of classically-trained keyboard player Boris Valle, the band's music evolved in a more 'progressive' direction, and Finisterre released their eponymous debut album in early 1995 on the independent Mellow label. It was quickly ollowed by "In Limine", the band having in the meantime changed both flautist and drummer. Finisterre's latest album to date, "In Ogni Luogo", came out in early 1999 on the IrIdea label, and was noted for the production work by former PFM collaborator Roberto Colombo, and a further refined musical direction. Meanwhile, Fabio Zuffanti has started a parallel career leading several side projects - Hostsonaten, a more pastoral avatar of Finisterre which has already published two acclaimed albums, with a third ("Springsong") expected in September 2001. More recently, a rock opera based on the story of Merlin the Magician, with a libretto by British poetess Victoria Heward. The show has already been performed several times in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. Performances in England are already slated for January 2002. In spite of all this parallel activity, Finisterre itself is still very active, having recently returned from a tour of Mexico, their first with a new, expanded line-up (featuring female vocals, flute and violin). A new studio album will be recorded in the end of 2001. Finisterre's music is a unique mixture of composed pieces - which perpetuate the Italian tradition of sophisticated, baroque progressive music - and improvisation that keeps it fresh and always moving forward. "Storybook" is an excellent document of the band's early years, containing the best pieces from Finisterre's first two albums, one last backwards glance before embarking on new, exciting musical adventures.

D.F.A. Work In Progress Live (2000)

It was early afternoon on June 17th, 2000, when D.F.A. took the stage for their first-ever live performance in the USA. Many among the 1,000-strong audience of progressive music enthusiasts were seemingly unfamiliar with the Italian band and its music, but as the show progressed it became evident that history was in the making, and that D.F.A. were becoming instant stars on the international 'progressive music' scene. Each successive song was greeted with a bigger roar of applause as the outstanding mastery of the four instrumentalists became obvious to all, in spite of their relaxed, almost laid-back stage presence. European rock bands have always pursued the 'American dream', and crossing the Atlantic to present their music to American audiences was a challenge D.F.A. perhaps didn't hope to achieve as quickly as they did. It came at the right moment, though, a few months after the release of their critically acclaimed second album "Duty Free Area". A definite progression on their debut, 1997's "Lavori In Corso", it displayed the same complex arrangements and virtuoso playing, while also adding a higher diversity of styles and sounds, and a more obvious melodic content. These qualities made D.F.A. an obvious candidate for NEARfest, a festival of innovative rock music that had quickly become the ultimate reference among lovers of the genre. D.F.A.'s stellar performance at NEARfest 2000 has certainly marked the beginning of a new exciting phase in the band's career. As such it deserved to be immortalized for posterity on digital medium. This CD provides a unique opportunity to be confronted with D.F.A.'s music at the peak of its powers.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/dutyfreearea" www.myspace.com/dutyfreearea

TRIBUTE TO JACO PASTORIUS Gospel for J.F.P. III (2005)

Produced by Neil Weiss. Featuring over 60 musicians, jazz and fusion legends, band mates and colleagues of the legendary electric bass virtuoso and innovator Jaco Pastorius, among others: Alex Acuña, Carles Benavent, Charles Blenzig, Delmar Brown, Hiram Bullock, Kenwood Dennard, Hugo Fattoruso, Michael Gerber, Gil Goldstein, Danny Gottlieb, Billy Hart, Toninho Horta, Bireli Lagrene, Armando Marçal, Marcus Miller, Bob Mintzer, Othello Molineaux, Jorge Pardo, Felix Pastorius (Jaco’s son), John Patitucci, Mike Stern and more. As a musician, John Francis Pastorius III (Jaco) brought change. He boldly took his instrument, the electric bass guitar, to uncharted waters, and an instrument that is commonly placed behind the music, to the front. As a musician, Jaco's talent was not confined to the bass, more than a musician, Jaco was music.The focus of this project, Gospel For J.F.P. III, is on Jaco, the composer, a man with an extraordinary ability to create music. The body of material that he himself composed is not enormous, further proof that less is more, as these compositions rightfully fall into the status of contemporary standards, and sure to pass the test of time. Involved here are many of the musicians that were part of his life, as well as others his music has touched. Needless to say, Jaco's own renditions of his wonderful compositions could never be surpassed, only interpreted, and serve as an inspiration to all those who love his music.

SOFT MACHINE LEGACY Live in Zaandam (2005)

Powerfull jazz-rock fusion, British “Canterbury” style, from the legendary Soft Machine alumni. Live in Zaandam is the first salvo from Soft Machine Legacy, combining visceral grooves with sizzling solos and telepathic interplay. Founding SML members Hugh Hopper (bass), John Etheridge (guitar), John Marshall (drums) and the late Elton Dean (1946-2006; sax/electric piano) deliver six open-ended compositions where structure is but a framework for intrepidly expanding the possibilities of fusion, while remaining undeniably accessible. Bristling with unrestrained energy, Soft Machine Legacy demonstrates that “spirit, not a style, is truly Soft Machine’s greatest legacy.”

SOFT MACHINE Floating world live (feat. Allan Holdsworth) (2006)

This CD marks the first release of a live performance by Soft Machine's Bundles line-up featuring Allan Holdsworth on guitar. This concert, recorded for Radio Bremen in January 1975, consists of most of the Bundles material, which hadn't yet come out although in the can since the previous summer, plus a couple of band improvs and solo showcases for Mike Ratledge, Roy Babbington and John Marshall. That era of the legendary UK pioneers of jazz-rock, Soft Machine, was unique in that, taking the band's long established tradition of continuous change to an extreme, when Holdsworth joined all the previous repertoire was abandoned, literally at once, in favour of brand new material written by Karl Jenkins and, to a lesser extent, Mike Ratledge. This made the new Soft Machine even more difficult to compare with its predecessors, and gave the band a well-deserved chance for critical reappraisal. At long last, reviewers stopped bemoaning the loss of the band's father figures to judge the new line-up on its own merits. As a consequence, positive reviews again began to pour in, and 1974-75 was to prove Soft Machine's second golden age in many respects.

SOFT MACHINE LEGACY Soft machine legacy (2006)

Powerful rock-edged collaboration from the 4 legendary members of the seminal pioneers of jazz-rock, Soft Machine. Featuring the late, great free jazzer Elton Dean on saxophones and Fender Rhodes, innovative, rock solid bassist Hugh Hopper, virtuosic guitarist John Etheridge and intuitive, forceful drummer John Marshall, Soft Machine Legacy’s first studio album rocks harder than any of the Soft Machine’s 1970s albums. Combining new writing, free jams and a fresh look at some old material, Soft Machine Legacy is a hard-hitting album that will not only appeal to fans of the original band, but to anyone who likes their fusion wide open, their jams loose and totally spontaneous, and their jazz combined with potent grooves and fiery energy. Soft Machine Legacy demonstrates that “spirit, not a style, is truly Soft Machine’s greatest legacy.” (AllAboutJazz.com)

ELTON DEAN & THE WRONG OBJECT The unbelievable truth (2007)

Saxophonist Elton Dean shines on one of his final recordings, featuring the powerhouse Belgian improv-jazz-art-rock band The Wrong Object.Recorded live in Paris in October of 2005, less than four months before his untimely passing, The Unbelievable Truth demonstrates the remarkable breadth of the late British saxophonist’s reach. With Dean originals ranging from the 7/4 jam “Seven for Lee” to the tender ballad “Baker’s Treat,” The Unbelievable Truth also highlights The Wrong Object’s equally diverse writing and freewheeling improvisational ability. From quirky Zappa-esque complexity to ominous material reminiscent of Dean’s 1970s tenure with Soft Machine and even a hint of swing, The Unbelievable Truth proves that Dean remained a vital musical force to the very end.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/wrongobject" www.myspace.com/wrongobject

D.F.A. Kaleidoscope (2cd) (2007)

DOUBLE CD. First two DFA’s critically acclaimed cult albums “Lavori In Corso” (1996) and “Duty Free Area” (1999) remastered and including 3 live bonus tracks.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/dutyfreearea" www.myspace.com/dutyfreearea

JASON SMITH Tipping point (feat. Gary Husband & Dave Carpenter) (2007)

With the release of "Tipping Point-Live at the Jazz Bakery," drummer Jason Smith makes his voice emphatically heard. Flanked by Gary Husband on piano and Fender Rhodes, and Dave Carpenter on acoustic bass, Smith leads his cohorts through a set of unconventional standards, executed with a deft blend of audacity and authenticity. From the moment the music commences, the conventions of the classic piano trio are shelved in favor of bold, expressionistic strokes; the musicians unravel meter and melody into a whimsical triple helix of bending, arcing, swooping lines, converging at unexpected junctures that demand both a mastery of technique and a joyous sense of adventure. "It's like a taffy pull - we start with a shared thought then yank it in every direction we can. It doesn't always work, but its the risk taking and recovery that's appealing to me. When I listen to Gary and Carp - man, they sound like there about to fall off of the ledge and I'm feeding them rope - and yet we always get back to one. Bob Dillan calls it the 'razors edge', and that's exactly it." Englishmen Gary Husband and L.A. based Dave Carpenter are witting participants in Smiths romp on the wild side. Husband, equally renowned on the drums, is justly acclaimed for his work with Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin and Allen Holdsworth. Carpenter, who began his career in the Buddy Rich big band, is at home on the sound stage of a Hollywood film scoring session as he is trekking the world in Herbie Hancocks "Gershwins World" project. But here in this trio, their sublime skills are put to the full test. It's a difficult time in the Jazz marketplace. Musicians and audiences are struggling to define what comes next. Smith has some thoughts: "There's a lot of hooey passing for 'new' jazz standards lately. I don't need to cover the Cocteau Twins to be hip. Keith Jarrett, Kenny Wheeler, Denny Zeitlin, these are my mentors. They're timeless. And the Rhodes is back! A lot of guys like that plinky Bob James sound circa '73 CTI. That's cool, but it's like Wheatina to me. I like that big, fat, glob of Scottish oat meal that Gary dishes out. His sounds stick to your ribs. I want listeners to take away something solid from this record, something you can't ignore. You don't have to like it that's fine-just acknowledge it."

ARTI & MESTIERI First live in Japan (2007)

Outstanding 7-piece progressive jazz-rock band from Italy. All the power delivered by the spectacular insane drumming of Furio Chirico (often compared to Billy Cobham) and magnificent analog keyboards of maestro Beppe Crovella (Mellotron, Hammond, Mini Moog, Fender Rhodes, acoustic piano), counter-pointed by the beautiful violin passages, killer sax lines, wonderful guitar work, robust bass and challenging vocals. Captured live in Kawasaki/Tokyo, during the Japan tour in June of 2005, this 76 minutes album includes most of the material from their two legendary cult albums “Tilt” (1974) and “Giro Di Valzer Per Domani” (1975) with few newer compositions. In the vein and league of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return To Forever, Mothers Of Invention, mid ‘70s Soft Machine, King Crimson and Gong.

PHIL MILLER IN CAHOOTS Conspiracy theories (2007)

Two years in the making, Conspiracy Theories is guitarist Phil Miller’s most ambitious record to date. A member of legendary Canterbury groups including Hatfield and the North, National Health, Matching Mole and Delivery, Miller has devoted the majority of his energy over the past quarter century to his more overtly jazz-centric In Cahoots group. While the core of In Cahoots remains - über-bassist Fred Baker, keyboardist Pete Lemer and relative newcomer Mark Fletcher on drums - Conspiracy Theories introduces saxophonist Simon Picard and trumpeter Simon Finch to the line-up. Miller also calls on a number of friends old and new, including Gong alumnus Didier Malherbe (woodwinds), Annie Whitehead (trombone), Barbara Gaskin (vocals) and ex-Hatfield mates Dave Stewart (tuned percussion) and Richard Sinclair (bass).

Conspiracy Theories features seven new and characteristically dynamic compositions from Miller, and one each from Baker and Lemer. The group expands and contracts, ranging in size from quintet to a full eleven-piece for Miller’s episodic, metrically-challenging and texturally rich “5s & 7s” - the largest ensemble Miller has written for to date. Miller’s writing has never been more complex yet approachable, and the indefinable British nature of his writing, dating back to Matching Mole, remains a defining quality. Miller, always a democratic leader, has also never been so liberal in providing his musical cohorts solo space. Still, while he doesn’t take a proper solo himself until half-way through the disc, his distinctive and immediately recognizable harmonic voicings can be heard throughout. He’s an economical player who values the meaning of space and thematic development over pyrotechnics and purposeless displays, and while he solos less on Conspiracy Theories than on previous outings, every note in every solo counts. Conspiracy Theories is an important and welcome return for Miller after 2003’s All That. Fans of the Canterbury scene will undoubtedly rejoice, but Conspiracy Theories’ finely honed compositions, outstanding arrangements and compelling solos make it an album equally deserving of attention from the broader jazz listening public.

SimakDIALOG Pathan (2007)

Compelling Indonesian electro-acoustic progressive jazz-fusion with a distinctive cultural bent. For its first international release Jakarta-based simakDialog delivers Patahan, a live recording that suggests how Pat Metheny might sound were he from the Far East rather than the United States. A combination of electric and acoustic instruments, the 14 year-old group is innovatively propelled by two percussionists rather than a conventional drummer, but the result is no less powerful. Keyboardist/composer Riza Arshad, guitarist Tohpati and bassist Adhhitya join vocalist Nyak Ina Raseuki and percussionists Endang Ramdam and Emy Tata for five lengthy, episodic and finely detailed compositions that create a unique nexus of jazz and less-traveled ethnicity. Expansive solos, rich harmonies, telling interplay and propulsive rhythms make Patahan a genre-busting album that demands to be heard.

“...top-end, killer sound quality cd and beautiful music! The guitarist Tohpati gets going and going, in the vein of the best John Scofield and Scott Henderson with Pat Metheny reminiscences! It’s really difficult these days to come across recordings that have the fusion mojo, and simakDialog definitely has the mojo! “

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/simakDialog" www.myspace.com/simakDialog

SOFT MACHINE LEGACY Steam (2007)

The group new release, "Steam", combines collective freely improvised jams with new writing from Hopper, Etheridge and Travis. Gone are the keyboards that so defined 1970s Soft Machine. In their place are modernistic sampling/looping and sonic processing, creating expansive soundscapes not possible during Soft Machine heyday. Between Etheridge broad sonics, Hopper's legendary bass loops and "fuzztonics" and Travis system of ambitronics - allowing him to sample his saxophones and flutes in real time and naturally layer unpredictable harmonies - Soft Machine (Legacy) often sounds larger than a quartet. Powerful rock rhythms, funky progressive jazz-rock grooves and abstract interaction are interspersed with muscular soloing and dense textures. A modern look at Chloe & The Pirates from 1973 "Six" is brought into the 21st Century, anchored by Etheridge loops and the light but insistent groove of Hopper and Marshall. The group is driven by a tradition of experimentation and unfettered improvisational abandon that remains purposeful, hard-edged and exciting. The limitless possibilities of the band forward-reaching innovations will not only appeal to fans of 1970s Soft Machine, but to anyone who likes their fusion wide open, their jams loose and totally spontaneous, and their jazz combined with potent grooves and fiery energy.

DELTA SAXOPHONE QUARTET Dedicated to you but you weren’t listening – The music of Soft Machine (2007)

... quite sure this is one of the year's best albums. This group is in exceptional form: in tune at all kinds of levels, with each other, with their subject matter and literally - terrific ensemble intonation and purity of tone. They all sound very good (there's an especially touching quality to the character of Graeme Blevins's soprano) and they are convincing as both interpreters and improvisers in a set that is intelligently-produced and thought through. When the quartet want to, as on the strange "Outrageous Moon" (a simultaneous reading of both "Out-Bloody-Rageous" and "Moon in June") they can, between them, get very close even to the phrasing of Ratledge's organ figures. The Delta Sax Quartet has found a historical continuity in the music of the Soft Machine that sometimes escaped its original protagonists.

THE WRONG OBJECT Stories from the shed (2008)

Belgian heavy avant-prog-jazz-rock combo The Wrong Object returns with a brand new studio release of their trademark instrumentation and sonic landscapes. Laden with a full load of heavy guitar riffs, extravagant jazz themes and electronic sounds, this CD marks a return to the rockier and densely overdriven stance that characterized the band’s earlier productions. The sheer sonic texture of this album is driven by a combination of tight prog-rock sequences alternating with more open, freely improvised material. This explosive package consists of a solid, pulsing rhythm section capable of performing with versatility in any situation, aggressive guitar riffs and solos, unusual guitar-synth soundscapes, and fuzz bass guitar laced with a fiery horn duet. With influences ranging from Zappa’s whimsical complexities to Squarepusher’s glitchy electronics, from Soft Machine and Electric Miles to Stravinsky and Béla Bartok, “Stories from the Shed” will surprise prog-rock fans and modern electric jazz aficionados alike with its genre-defying compositions, eclectic jam improvisations and intricate arrangements. Eclectic band for fans of Frank Zappa, Soft Machine, Primus, King Crimson, Terje Rypdal, John Zorn and jazz-oriented jam-band scene. Blending psychedelic jazz with modern rock sensibilities, the music of The Wrong Object is influenced by a vast array of artists ranging from Canterbury Scene prog-jazz-rock à la Soft Machine, Nucleus and Gong to Béla Bartok, Aka Moon, Charlie Mingus and Frank Zappa. While their repertoire contains mainly original compositions, they also play a special set of Zappa covers on demand. Since its creation in early 2002.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/wrongobject" www.myspace.com/wrongobject

HUMI (Hugh Hopper & Yumi Hara Cawkwell) Dune (2008)

Hugh Hopper and Yumi Hara Cawkwell met in August 2007, and they decided to start a new project immediately. Hopper's complex, multi-layered bass sound with various effects and loops, together with Cawkwell's delicate, but at times violent and explosive keyboard playing and her vocalise stemming from Japanese folk singing create a highly cerebral, yet extremely sensual sound world which breaks the boundaries between psychedelic, progressive rock, free jazz, contemporary classical and world music: in other words, it is 21st century international Canterbury music. Their distinctive stage presence, concentration and communication during the performance have to be witnessed live.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/humimyspace" www.myspace.com/humimyspace

MAHOGANY FROG MO 5 (2008)

Colorful music from a Canadian quartet from Winnipeg that fuse elements of noise and brutal prog with a big helping of Canterbury-style jazz rock. Recommended if you like Stereolab, Tortoise, Soft Machine. This unique Winnipeg four-piece masterfully combines colourful melodic washes and structure with lyrical polyrythms, all with kamakazi determination. Carefully conceived compositions decoded with keyboards, guitars, horns, samples, effects and percussion.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/mahoganyfrog" www.myspace.com/mahoganyfrog

D.F.A. 4th (2008)
The impressive amount of musical substance on offer speaks for itself, and more than makes up for the seemingly endless wait. Most of the album is D.F.A. as we know and love them, with their sonic and stylistic trademarks fully intact - the warm analog sounds, the impressive interplay, with guitar (Silvio Minella) and keyboards (Alberto Bonomi) trading or sharing leads over an ever-shifting rhythmic foundation (Luca Baldassari and Alberto De Grandis), and the unmistakably "Latin" extroversion and exuberance. Anyone who liked the band's first two albums will welcome 4th as a worthy successor. In several ways it is even superior - there is more subtlety, restraint and nuance in the instrumental performance, which allows the epic, largely instrumental compositions to unfold naturally and organically, as if created on the spur of the moment.
This is saying a lot about D.F.A.'s almost telepathic interplay, as very little of their music is actually improvised. Although it may display strong similarities to 1970s jazz-fusion at times, it ultimately owes more to the (often maligned) tradition of progressive rock, with its heavily structured compositions characterised by a constant turnover of thematic content. It should be noted that D.F.A.'s main composer is drummer De Grandis - ably assisted by Bonomi -, and he is no exception to the rule that drummers usually have an excellent orchestral feel. In true "progressive" tradition, there are also moments on the album that depart more radically from the established D.F.A. "formula". The piano- and strings-based intro and outro bookending "Mosoq Runa" mark an unprecedented foray into pure classical music. More importantly, "La Ballata de 's'Isposa e Mannorri", a collaboration with the Sardinian vocal trio Andhira, in an oustanding achievement. If anything, it shows that the human voice can be integrated satisfactorily into the D.F.A.'s music - which has long been a moot point despite the best efforts of Alberto De Grandis and assorted guest vocalists - and suggests exciting new developments for the future.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/dutyfreearea" www.myspace.com/dutyfreearea

ALEX MAGUIRE SEXTET Brewed In Belgium (2007)
Alex Maguire and the fine fleur of Belgian jazz and jazz-rock musicians team up to launch a repertoire ranging from lyrical to groovy tunes, haunting melodies, free improvisation and high-energy interaction. In this record, Maguire’s Belgian sextet includes Jean-Paul Estiévenart on trumpet, Michel Delville on guitar and guitar-synth, Damien Polard on bass and Laurent Delchambre on drums (four members of notable Belgian rock-jazz band and another exclusive MoonJune recording artist The Wrong Object) as well as Flemish saxophonist, now based in New York City, Robin Verheyen (who has just released his first solo opus with American pianist Bill Carrothers). The quality of this recording, which was captured live by VPRO (the Dutch National Radio) in October 2007, confirms Maguire’s status as a vital presence on the international jazz scene, one which is capable of lacing the most intense lyricism with a juicy experimentalism that is reminiscent of Cecil Taylor’s best work and results in what is perhaps best described as a paradoxical and delightfully unstable form of “lyric experimentalism”. Maguire’s talents as a pianist and a keyboard player are so diverse, his “touch” so personal (Maguire belongs to that class of musicians who have succeeded in developing their own, immediately recognizable sound), his telepathic conversations with the other musicians in the band so explosive and brilliantly unpredictable that the line that divides the written parts from the collective improvisations is often impossible to draw. It is a tribute to the sextet’s improvisational skills that the mixture remains coherent and fascinating throughout despite the wide range of styles that characterizes this highly unusual record. These, of course bear the mark of Canterbury School prog-jazz, but hey also contain swinging upbeat tunes such as “John’s Fragment”, poignant, meditative and mournful hymns such as “Psychic Warrior” (Maguire’s compositions dedicated to late Softmachinist and British saxophone jazz legend Elton Dean) as well as faster-than-light melodic improvisations like “Pumpkin Soup” that flow in and out of funky syncopated cadences and English pastoral flavors.

SOFT MACHINE Drop (1972)

This CD documents an often overlooked phase in the long and complex history of Soft Machine - Australian drummer Phil Howard's five-month interim behind the drum stool between Robert Wyatt's departure and his eventual long-term replacement John Marshall. It did last long enough to record half of the studio album "Fifth" (1972) and a couple of BBC radio sessions, but until now no official document of that line-up in its preferred environment - the stage. Howard was brought into Soft Machine by saxophonist Elton Dean, both being members of Elton's side project Just Us, and under their combined influence the band became freer and wilder than ever before (or after) in its existence, pushing longtime leaders Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper into unchartered areas of electric madness. Before long they'd decided this wasn't the way to go, but meanwhile the line-up had antagonised audiences throughout extensive tours of the UK and Europe. This CD documents the German leg of the tour and, as veteran music journalist Steve Lake notes in his detailed liner notes, is a revelation - a glimpse of a highly exciting alternative route Soft Machine decided not to explore further.

SimakDIALOG Demi masa (2009)

This is the fifth album from Indonesian progressive jazz ensemble simakDialog. Led by keyboardist and composer Riza Arshad, the band also features guitarist Tohpati and bassist Adhitya Pratama, working alongside the twinned percussion thrust of Endang Ramdan and Erlan Suwardana. This latter pair are specialists in traditional Sundanese kendang drumming. Arshad's compositional approach opens up from a jazz-rock palette, but his Fender Rhodes electric piano is clearly influenced by the crisp ring and shimmer of the Indonesian gamelan's array of gongs, metallophones and double-headed drums. We can immediately hear the similarities between the keyboard's percussive crackle and the sharp detonations of tunefully struck metal. The percussionists soon enter, clattering out their heavily organic patterns with roundly slapped skins, shaker bells and handclaps. Arshad frequently pushes his solos (or are they ongoing themes?) up to continually higher levels, urging repeated climaxes as each piece steadily amasses intensity. Tohpati is also attracted to resonant trebly zones, journeying from acoustic delicacy to a subtly distorted friction. The guitarist's presence has a significance beyond his role on this album, as Tohpati is one of the Indonesian music scene's most successful (and ubiquitous) players. Another element is tipped in later, with the percussionists chanting along to emphasise their dense structures. Arshad might recline in a hazy contemplation, but it doesn't take him long to develop an insistent pulse, invariably reaching a frenzied state. There's a clear recalling of the classic moves made by Chick Corea and Terje Rypdal in the 1970s, but this is laced with authentic gamelan elements utilised as part of this jazz-rock vocabulary. The result sounds both natural and fully integrated. This a particular realm that couldn't be reached either by Western progressives or a traditional gamelan ensemble. The simakDialog involves a unique combination of both spheres, without making the commercially tempting mistake of cultural dilution.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/simakDialog" www.myspace.com/simakDialog

BORIS SAVOLDELLI & ELLIOTT SHARP Protoplasmic (2009)

Following a Milano gig by New Yorker Elliott Sharp's Terraplane, the Italian singer Boris Savoldelli handed the guitarist a copy of his freshly-recorded solo album Insanology. Sharp was blown away, and the pair met again a year later in Padova. Savoldelli announced his plans for a Manhattan jaunt, and promptly invited Sharp to guest on his September 2008 gig at The Stone, composer John Zorn's Lower East Side venue for experimental sounds. The day before the show, the pair entered Sharp's own Studio zOaR and set its controls for an extended improvisation. The result was a session of communicative depth, and its highlights are now presented as Protoplasmic. Both players are continually seeking the pitch-shifting wobble, constantly discovering fresh ways to manipulate their real-time output. Effects boxes are liberally used, but always with a focused sense of purpose. The knobs and buttons never get beyond the control of Savoldelli and Sharp's fingers. The guitarist makes glassy shard-cascades, whilst the singer wields frosty sustain-tones, the twosome sculpting as quickly as they invent. The sounds they make are frequently pitch-shifted, but sometimes have a similar nature to the manic turntable scrabble of a hiphop DJ. Sharp jumps from electric sludge to acoustic harp impersonations, whilst Savoldelli makes guttural hog-growls, momentarily rising towards helium-howling, churchy extensions. Both players are perverting their real-time outpourings, continually massing, mutating and multiplying.

SLIVOVITZ Hubris (2009)

Slivovitz's Hubris disc, their second, opens with a Middle Eastern shimmy, led by Domenico Angarano's slippery bassline, but moments later, as soon as Pietro Santangelo leads his horn attack, the mood is transplanted to Gypsy territory before exploding into a free jazz cacophony that could have been prompted by Frank Zappa. Such swift alteration of tactics is often the Slivovitz approach, usually within the space of a six minute composition. Santangelo's tenor and alto saxophones can be soothing as well as rippingly percussive, simultaneously inspired by Sonny Rollins and John Zorn. Slivovitz might take their musical foundation from the likes of Zappa, but they are also highly receptive to the ethnographic sounds of the globe. These elements are confidently and knowledgeably handled, as they're fed through the jazz rock mincer. Voices and drums rattle out of the tribal village, but this folkloric authenticity is immediately followed by Hawaiian surf guitars in Senegal. Slivovitz don't quite engage in a fully disorientating cut'n'splice, but their pieces certainly slide through a number of contrasting movements. There's reggae, again given the loopy lilt that Zappa occasionally offered in this style, complete with vibraphone skitters and slithery voices. At other points, there are also traces of Canterbury style jazz-fusion, with strong solos delivered throughout by Santangelo, guitarist Marcello Giannini and violinist Riccardo Villari. Singer Ludovica Manzo steps forward to lead a pair of wedding party scampers, with one of these boasting an incredibly abrasive harmonica solo courtesy of Derek Di Perri. Even towards the album's close, Slivovitz still have a few more stylistic surprises, with funky Brazilian samba rock and coasting Argentinean tango, paying homage, it seems, to Os Mutantes and Astor Piazzolla. Once bubbled up together, this astounding set of influences is distilled into the distinctively impressive Slivovitz sound.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/slivovitz" www.myspace.com/slivovitz

GEOFF LEIGH & YUMI HARA Upstream (2009)

It's difficult to discern whether Geoff Leigh and Yumi Hara are improvising freely, or if they've pre-composed the pieces on their Upstream collaboration. If it's the former, then their spontaneity has generated a good degree of melodic invention. If the latter possibility is so, then their works have an untethered nature, working through a succession of encounters that often sound ritualistic or meditative. Although a multi-instrumentalist, Leigh concentrates mainly on the flute, although it's frequently fed through an entanglement of electronic effects, lending a subtly harmonised burr. Hara plays keyboards, changing her palette from acoustic piano to hard-edged organ sounds. Often, she can be gently ruminative, but there are also spells where Hara rumbles with great intensity on the piano's bass notes or charges up to a Gothic organ sustain. Their music possesses some highly contrasting densities. Leigh coats his small gongs with an effects burnish, spangling into infinity. Hara also alters her voice at times, again with a subtly harmonised displacement. Leigh sometimes overblows, creating a harsh edge, suggesting the sound of a Japanese shakuhachi flute. This is made all the more gripping when surrounded by the overall atmosphere of slowly evolving calm. The pair also evoke a specific Tibetan Buddhist feel, with bells and a vocal drone, or alternatively matching their high-vaulting voice and soprano saxophone ranges to the imaginary sounds of ocean-deep whale communications. Leigh and Hara have produced a deeply sensitive soundscape, populated by a number of surprising (and exciting) forays into a more intense form of expression.

HYPERLINK "http://www.moonjune.com/www.myspace.com/humimyspace" \t "_blank" www.myspace.com/humimyspace

COPERNICUS Disappearance (2009)

The 'disappearance' of which the New York performer-poet Copernicus speaks is that of The Universe itself. His conceptual concerns are not with the everyday. He is not penning couplets about the changing fortunes of human existence, other than on the grandest (or lowliest) scale. He speaks of subatomic matter, and refuses to bear any glad tidings.

It all happened in Hoboken, New Jersey, on November 2, 2008, when Copernicus gathered together a large ensemble of improvising musicians and booked a day-long session dedicated to existential immersion (or possibly non-existential immersion). Many of these are artists that he's worked with for more than two decades, all of them attuned to the willing abandonment of pre-meditation, well-versed in the dangers of deliberate free-fall. The longtime musical director of Copernicus' assemblage is the Irish keyboardist and composer Pierce Turner, long resident in New York City. His fellow countryman, Black 47 leader Larry Kirwan is one of the album's four guitarists, along with Mike Fazio, César Aragundi and Bob Hoffnar. Other musicians appearing on the album are: Raimundo Penaforte (violin, acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals), Fred Parcells (trombone), Rob Thomas (violin), Matty Fillou (sax), Marvin Wright (electric bass guitar and additional electric guitar), George Rush (tuba, acoustic and electric bass), Thomas Hamlin (drums & percussion) and Mark Brotter (drums & percussion).

MORAINE Manifest density (2009)

You could describe the output of this towering electric string quartet-plus-drums as “heavy chamber music.” With its several writers and full complement of ace instrumentalists, arrayed in striking combination, Moraine achieves a coherent sound while drawing on forms ranging from math-rock to fractured bebop to Chinese folk music to unleashed, plugged-in power jazz, and more. You have to love a band that lists its influences as Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson, Terje Rypdal, John Abercrombie, Oregon, Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, Dr. Nerve, traditional East Asian music, and hurdy-gurdy music. Particularly one that adds plenty of its own to that diverting mix. At the center of the sound are Dennis Rea’s stellar guitar inventions. The much-praised veteran has deployed fierce, elusive imagination to build on decades of engagement with countless musical styles of multiple regions of the globe. He creates a dynamic, lyrical, enigmatic blend of modern jazz, boundary-pushing rock, experimental music, and world musical traditions. In other contexts – stay tuned for his next MoonJune Records’ release, Views from Chicheng Precipice – his output reflects the three years he spent in the two Chinas, where he was among the first wave of Western creative musicians to venture behind the tattered curtain of the devastating Cultural Revolution. (He is the author, in addition, of the fascinating Live at the Forbidden City: Musical Encounters in China.) On the band’s debut CD Manifest Density, Rea enjoys ideal support from all quarters in what is truly a collaborative endeavor of composition and performance: Ruth Davidson’s cello and Alicia Allen’s violin slash and singe with uncanny unity of purpose and design. Bassist Kevin Millard and drummer Jay Jaskot boast drive and thrust ideally suited to the task. All that begins to explain why Moraine has been embraced by audiences ranging from jazz aficionados to metalheads. The band squalls, sears, soars, and lilts over a novel musical terrain.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/moraineseattle" \t "_blank" www.myspace.com/moraineseattle

ALLAN HOLDSWORTH / ALAN PASQUA / JIMMY HASLIP / CHAD WACKERMAN Blues For Tony (Double CD) (2009)

It's the live classic that's waited for three years to happen. Reuniting for a fall 2006 tour to pay tribute to time spent in the mid-'70s fusion juggernaut, the New Tony Williams Lifetime, guitarist Allan Holdsworth and keyboardist Alan Pasqua recruited Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip and in-demand drummer Chad Wackerman for an exciting cross-section of material that first saw the light of day on a DVD recorded at Oakland's legendary Yoshi's. Now, Blues for Tony takes the best material from that tour and makes it available in CD form, creating an exciting "you are there" double-disc of music that comprises a full evening of music.

Emerging on the British scene in the early 1970s with groups including Ian Carr's Nucleus, Soft Machine and Tempest, Allan Holdsworth's remarkable fluidity and profound vernacular quickly gained international attention, resulting in stints with Jean-Luc Ponty, Gong, UK, Bruford and, of course, Tony Williams. From 1983's Road Games to 2004's Then!, the guitarist has released a string of groundbreaking and essential solo albums that, with their sonic innovations and unmistakable harmonic language, have influenced guitarists worldwide. Since playing in New Lifetime, Alan Pasqua has been a busy session player for over 30 years, working with everyone from Gary Burton, Peter Erskine and John Patitucci to Bob Dylan, Alice Cooper and Santana. He began focusing more heavily on his solo career in the mid-'90s, with albums including 1993's stellar Milagro, 2005's sublime My New Old Friend and 2007's electrifying Antisocial Club.

Starting out charting complex territory in Frank Zappa's early-'80s groups, Chad Wackerman quickly became one of Holdsworth's drummers of choice in addition to a busy session career with artists ranging from Barbra Streisand and Bill Watrous to Steve Vai and Andy Summers, and has since built a small but significant discography as a leader, from 1992's Forty Reasons and 1994's The View, both featuring Holdsworth, to recent 2000’s Scream and 2004’s Legs Eleven.

Blues for Tony brings four masters of their instruments together for an exciting set that may have started with a tribute in mind, but quickly turned into something much more. Fusion at its best, it combines all the prerequisite energy and virtuosity with a deeper language and freer approach, as Holdsworth, Pasqua, Haslip and Wackerman deliver the goods on what will certainly be one of 2009's hottest jazz and fusion releases.

BEPPE CROVELLA What's Rattlin' On The Moon? - Personal vision of the music of Mike Ratledge (2009)

With his brilliant new MoonJune Records release What’s Rattlin’ on the Moon, veteran progressive musician and award-winning composer Beppe Crovella (Arti e Mestieri) delivers a heartfelt and long-overdue appreciation of one of the defining voices of the jazz-rock idiom, Soft Machine keyboard player and composer Mike Ratledge. More than any of his more widely recognized former bandmates, it was Ratledge who was truly the heart and soul of Soft Machine, his instantly identifiable sound and forceful, incandescent soloing providing the thread of continuity throughout most of the band’s many incarnations. At a time when many progressive rock keyboardists were surrounding themselves with ever more elaborate arrays of futuristic, often sterile-sounding keyboard instruments, Ratledge managed to produce music of arguably greater depth and vitality armed primarily with an inexpensive modified Lowrey organ and a Rhodes electric piano. Not for Ratledge the precious neoclassicism and faux orchestral flavorings of the progressive genre—his signature overdriven organ gave even guitarists like Softs touring partner Jimi Hendrix a run for their money and flattened many an unsuspecting concertgoer. The rawness and intensity of his Coltrane-inspired sheets of sound imbued Soft Machine’s music with a sense of risk and immediacy that tilted the band into the realm of up-to-the-minute jazz, yet he could just as easily conjure more bucolic moods with his ruminative playing on the electric piano. Crovella’s choice of vintage keyboards — no synthesizers or digital keyboards of any kind are used on this recording — is particularly inspired, their organic tones aptly evoking the raspy timbres of Ratledge’s fuzzed-out organ and piano. Crovella’s deep empathy with the Ratledge sound ethos is also evident in the six original compositions with which he augments the program. What’s Rattlin’ is not only a supremely fitting homage to one of the giants of jazz-rock, but in the spirit of its subject, moves the music forward in bold and imaginative ways. It is that rarest of ‘tribute’ albums, one that captures the unique musical gifts of both its dedicatee and creator.

IRON KIM STYLE Iron Kim Style (2009)

Enthusiasts of critically acclaimed dark progressive band Moraine (manifest deNsity, MoonJune Records MJR028) will welcome Iron Kim Style, a related project in a completely different but equally compelling musical vein.

Iron Kim Style is an explosive Seattle-based jazz-rock improv quintet featuring Moraine’s Dennis Rea (6-string electric guitar) and Jay Jaskot (drums) alongside Bill Jones (trumpet), Thaddaeus Brophy (12-string electric guitar), and Ryan Berg (electric bass). Drawing on influences as diverse as Olivier Messiaen, electric-period Miles Davis, Terje Rypdal, John Abercrombie, heavy rock, and North Korean martial music, Iron Kim Style conjures spontaneous sonic epics that encompass everything from stomping grooves to grinding noise to passages of eerie beauty.

Named after the acrobatic martial arts approach espoused by Grandmaster “Iron” Kim, and taking playful aim at deranged North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il, Iron Kim Style’s eponymously titled debut CD is a totally improvised outing that stands in stark contrast to most specimens of the free-improv genre. The quintet has no purist axes to grind here but gleefully blends structure and abstraction, lyrical melodies and scalding noise, wicked funk and weightless balladry, jazz phrasing and bracing experimentalism into a rich and meaty sonic stew. The resulting music frequently sounds as if it were composed, due to the finely tuned listening skills of the participants after years of collective music-making.

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/ironkimstyle" www.myspace.com/ironkimstyle

DOUBT Never Pet A Burning Dog (2009)

With moods and registers ranging from heavy-rock riffs to cosmic grooves and on to more lyrical and pastoral flavors, douBt’s debut release, “Never Pet a Burning Dog”, sound like nothing less than the missing link between Sun Ra, John Zorn’s Masada, vintage Terje Rypdal, Sonic Youth and Ennio Morricone. The record also features guest contributions from Canterbury legend Richard Sinclair on vocals and bass.

A new power electric jazz trio featuring Alex Maguire (Hatfield and the North, Elton Dean, Michael Moore), Michel Delville (The Wrong Object, Comicoperando, TZGIV) and Tony Bianco (Dave Liebman, Paul Dunmall, Alex von Schlippenbach), douBt combines the energy of rock, the spirit of free-jazz and the lyricism of post-Canterbury Nu-Jazz.

Critics have praised Alex Maguire’s “encyclopedic breadth of references” (John Kelman, All About Jazz) and his capacity to be “at home in any style from rock to jazz to jazz-rock to free improvisation” (Steve Feigenbaum, Wayside Music). They have also hailed Michel Delville’s “artful compositions , quirky guitar work and super-flanged atmospherics” (Barry Cleveland, Guitar Player Magazine) and acclaimed Tony Bianco’s “improbable stamina and inventive phrasing” as well as his “supercharged and yet crisp metrical variations” (Julian Cowley, The Wire). The results of their combined efforts amounts to a intriguing and monumental album, full of unexpected twists and turns and yet driven by a common force that draws as readily from Tony Williams (the comparison with the original line-up of the Lifetime is inevitable) as from British and American post-punk prog-jazz aesthetics ("Cosmic Surgery", "Beppe's Shelter"), a concept also reflected in Bianco’s freebeat, a way of playing through many different time signatures that releases an interplay of energies accomplished in one pulse (one thinks of the aptly named "Sea" or the strangely ethereal sonic landscapes of "Aeon").

HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/doubt3" www.myspace.com/doubt3

COPERNICUS Nothing Exists (2010)

After releasing the critically acclaimed Copernicus' album disappearance in June 2009, nevermore Inc in association with MoonJune Records is releasing for the first time on the cd, COPERNICUS’ debut album Nothing Exists.

Perhaps the most fitting way to describe Copernicus is as a performance poet. Even though he (originally named Joseph Smalkowski) plays keyboards, Copernicus refuses to be categorised as a musician. Despite often having inhabited the alternative New York rock'n'roll scene, his music also exudes strong elements of jazz, classical and the avant garde. Even though Copernicus' preferred recording strategy is that of improvisation, his epic pieces tend to revolve around themes, riffs and repeated clusters, moving along a clearly linear pathway.

Copernicus has always been fiercely independent, since he first started recording in this manner, back at the dawn of the 1980s. He organizes the recording sessions, sculpts the assembled band, oversees the album artwork and releases each disc on his own Nevermore, Inc. label. 1985 brought Nothing Exists, which emphatically laid out the themes of his subsequent work. A burst of creativity led to the swift succession of Victim Of The Sky (1987), Deeper (1989) and Null (1990). Often, Copernicus would perform with large-scale ensembles, but in 1991 he initiated the practice of giving completely solo performances, revealing his declamations in a stripped, confrontational space. He views himself as a conduit for abstract ideas and philosophical notions. Copernicus decided that his particular marriage of music and narrative was the best way to communicate his thoughts and concepts to a receptive audience.

BARRY CLEVELAND Hologramatron (2010)

Barry Cleveland reinvents the protest album with all-star avant-rock line-up on Hologramatron

When Barry Cleveland isn’t talking guitar with people like Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Ry Cooder, Tony Iommi, and John Frusciante, he’s busy recording globally acclaimed progressive rock and world fusion music. For more than 25 years, his epic compositions and virtuoso, eclectic guitar work have been celebrated by critics and listeners alike. And for the last decade, he’s served as a key editor at Guitar Player magazine, holding court with the world’s most important musicians and enabling them to make statements to a massive global audience. Now, it’s Cleveland’s turn to make his own timely statement with his fifth album Hologramatron.

Hologramatron is a 21st Century protest record with songs featuring biting, sometimes brutal, commentary on the state of the Western world. It’s a musical response to contemporary social, political, and even spiritual realities. The disc draws inspiration from a musical continuum spanning art rock, psychedelia, metal, ambient, world music, trance, and funk.

The cast of players joining Cleveland comprises some of the most respected musicians of the avant-rock scene, including bass innovator Michael Manring; drummer Celso Alberti (Steve Winwood); pedal-steel iconoclast Robert Powell (Peter Gabriel, Jackson Browne), vocalists Amy X Neuburg, Deborah Holland (Stanley Clarke, Stewart Copeland), and Harry Manx. Other renowned contributors include Turkish electro-acoustic guitarist Erdem Helvacioglu, percussionists Gino Robair and Rick Walker, and cymbalom master Michael Masley, a.k.a. the infamous “Artist General.”

CYRILLE, DRESSER, EHRLICH C/D/E (2001)

Originally formed as a quartet for an appearance at the Knitting Factory's What Is Jazz Festival. 'Free Jazz Economics' dictated another reality that prevented their long time friend trumpeter Bobby Bradford from traveling East. So CDE became a cooperative group of composing performers that dedicated their performances to the music of John Carter and Bobby Bradford, two important avant-garde players from Los Angeles. CDE is the trio of drummer Andrew Cyrille, bassist Mark Dresser, and multi-reedman Marty Ehrlich - three of the leading musicians of the 80's and 90's. Since that first Knitting Factory appearance CDE has evolved a repertoire of seasoned compositions and a distinct ensemble sound. CDE is a band that performs music with deep sentiments without sentimentality.

JORGE SYLVESTER The ear of the beholder (feat. Bobby Sanabria) (2001)

In the Ear of the Beholder is Jorge Sylvester's first release since the critically acclaimed Musicollage a Billboard Critics Choice that received a Downbeat four star rating. Sylvester's collaborative ensemble, The Afro-Caribbean Experimental Trio, with percussionist/drummer Bobby Sanabria and bassist Donald Nicks, slips deeper in to Sylvester's concoction of jazz brewed with Afro-Caribbean forms. The Panama-born soprano and alto saxophonist has worked with the Oliver Lake Big Band, David Murray Big Band, Sekou Sundiata, The Black Rock Coalition Orchestra, Michele Rosewoman, Sonny Fortune, Joe Bowie's DeFunkt Big Band, and numerous of his own ensembles, including The Jorge Sylvester Quintet, Next Legacy Orchestra, and Jorge Sylvester's Musicollage. He is member of Collective Identity Saxophone Quartet. The Ear of the Beholder features six original compositions and two vintage classics arranged by Jorge; Sly Mongoose and Corazon Rebelde. Sylvester samples the Brazilian tambor de mina, coco, and carimbo, plus the Cuban songo and guajira. He also dissects the clave in the title cut, revisits a bolero his mother sang along with the radio, and treats us to his hometown calypsos, and a modal reggae tribute to his West Indian neighbors in Brooklyn. The music on this recording unfolds a journey of artistic imagination through a great planetary crossroads and crucible – The Caribbean.

JEAN-PAUL BOURELLY Boom Bop (2001)

Boom Bop is Jean Paul Bourelly's tenth outing as a leader. "Boom Bop" features the uniting of two very powerful yet cohesive forces; the soulful modern approach of jazz legend Archie Shepp (tenor saxophone) and the exciting bluesy expressionism of the innovative guitarist/conceptualist Jean-Paul Bourelly. Utilizing African rhythms as the foundation for a new creative experience the compositions on Boom Bop are modern and original and create a diverse array of fiery solos exchanges, harmonic textures, and sound constellations over the irrepressible flow of African rhythms. The group features the powerful tenor voice of Senegalese griot Abdourahmane Diop known as the "African Howlin' Wolf"; the dynamic drummer Felix Sabaal Lecco (formerly with Peter Gabriel, Manu Dibango); the bassist Reggie Washington and a lively Senegalese percussion section comprised of Samba Sock (boograboo) Makha Diop - sabar, dance and Badou M'Baya - sabar, dance