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Friday, November 2, 2018

Cuneiform Records November 2018 Newsletter: News, New Releases, Tours

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November 2018 Newsletter

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November 2018 Newsletter


Cuneiform's monthly newsletter is a compilation of several eblast/ newsletter series that, prior to our 2018 reorganization, we formerly sent out separately: Cuneiform Artists on Tour; Cuneiform New Releases; Artist News; and Office News, among others. If you're only interested in one topic, we've enabled links (right-hand column) to help you jump directly to what you need. We hope that you enjoy our monthly communique, and we thank you for your interest in Cuneiform Records and its artists.  
 

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Cuneiform News
November Releases
October Release

Artists on Tour
2018 Releases

News


CHARLES 'CHUCK' O'MEARA 
[aka C. W. VRTACEK
March 13, 1953 - October 20, 2018
 
 
In late October, while chopping/stacking wood outside his home in rural Connecticut, Charles 'Chuck' O'Meara [aka C.W. Vrtacek] died suddenly from a heart attack. Chuck had been part of the Cuneiform Records family for decades. He was a prolific composer of both rock/ pop and experimental/ ambient/ New Music; a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist; a radio professional and music writer (Option, Sound Choice); and a clever conceptualist. Between 1990 and 2005, he released five albums on Cuneiform of short, complex, and potent tunes with wildly witty titles of absurd length with his rock / math rock power trio, Forever Einstein. He worked with Colorado experimental ensemble Biota, who recorded on Chris Cutler's ReR. And he also made solo music that stylistically was a world apart; gently beautiful, introspective instrumentals in the spirit of Bartok, Satie and the Minimalists. In 1996, Cuneiform reissued on a single CD two C.W. Vrtacek solo albums that had originally been released on ReR and Cordelia Records. Called Silent Heaven, the Cuneiform release is filled with songs written 30 years ago (1986-88) that feel like messages in a bottle, written so Chuck could communicate with us today, like track #19, "Part of Me Here, Part of Me With You, Always". Listening today to #20, "Saying Goodbye to the Beauty and Complexity of Life on Earth", brings us to tears. Potent shards of Chuck's legacy are interwoven throughout Cuneiform like mica fragments; concerts he played at key points in our past; his role as a catalyst behind a double disc of Cuneiform artists performing compositions by other Cuneiform artists, called Unsettled ScoresLife will be boring without you, Chuck; things won't be the same "Minus My Friend" (Silent Heaven, #15).
 
        
 
"It may be preferable to meditate in a quiet room,
but we rarely find ourselves in quiet rooms.
Sounds intrude, trigger a memory, then something else intrudes and we are gone.
So, always the same question: how to find silence in the midst of chaos?"
C.W. Vrtacek, Silent Heaven

Photo of Chuck at Sturbridge, Massachusetts by Lucinda Wilde Pinchot.
Video by Charles O'Meara for the tune "With a Car Like That You Must be Knee Deep in Whores" from Forever Einstein's Down With Gravity.

NOVEMBER 2018 NEW RELEASES

Click the thumbnail to listen to or buy on Bandcamp.

Cuneiform Records Releases Two New Discs On November 9th:

 

RISK
FAR CORNER

 

 
Celebrating its 15th anniversary with a bang, Wisconsin post-classical / chamber rock / avant progressive ensemble Far Corner release Risk, their third studio album, on their longtime label Cuneiform Records.  It's an astounding disc. Bassist William Kopecky relays that “Far Corner plays insanely complex instrumental chamber rock (modern classical meets prog rock) and I can easily say that Risk was the most challenging record I’ve ever played on.”  We encourage classical music lovers as well as rock fans to plunge into Risk's stunningly original, accessible, and captivating works. The future of 21st Century classical music is rooted in works like this.  Explore
______________________________________________________________________________
New releases by two of our label's longstanding ensembles!

L'oreille électrique
FORGAS BAND PHENOMENA



For more than 40 years, Parisian composer and drummer Patrick Forgas has been forging a distinctive take on progressive jazz/rock, leading Forgas Band Phenomena for over 20 years. Cuneiform is thrilled to release their sixth album, their fourth on our label. Called L'oreille électrique,  the album displays the band's signature sound, a singular electric fusion / progressive rock / Canterbury music blend.  Explore

OCTOBER 2018 NEW RELEASE

Click the thumbnail to listen to or buy on Bandcamp.
On October 5th, Cuneiform Records released Alec K. Redfearn and The Eyesores' new album, The Opposite, in CD, lp and digital formats. The long-awaited follow-up to 2012's riveting Sister DeathThe Opposite focuses on Redfearn’s arcane rock sensibilities and vocals, with serpentine accordion lines which lace the music with tinges of everything from Krautrock to minimalism, alternate-universe folk tunes to psychedelic prog. The Opposite may be The Eyesores' most accessible and mind-expanding to date, a mystery that rewards getting lost within.
 

ARTISTS ON TOUR

Please visit the Tours Page at Cuneiform Records for updates.
 


BENT KNEE


Boston's Bent Knee embarks on an extensive North American tour.
 


November 1 - L'Astral - Montreal, Canada

November 2 - Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA

November 3 - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY

November 4 - The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA

November 6 - Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD

November 7 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC

November 8 - The Orpheum - Tampa, FL

November 9 - Revolution Live - Fort Lauderdale, FL

November 10 - The Plaza Live - Orlando, FL

November 11 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA

November 13 - Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill - Dallas, TX

November 14 - Barracuda - Austin, TX

November 16 - Crescent Ballroom - Phoenix, AZ

November 17 - The Glass House - Pomona, CA

November 18 - August Hall - San Francisco, CA

November 19 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR

November 20 - The Crocodile - Seattle, WA

November 21 - Rickshaw Theatre - Vancouver, Canada

November 23 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT

November 24 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO

November 25 - The Granada - Lawrence, KS

November 26 - Delmar Hall - St. Louis, MO

November 27 - Exit/In - Nashville, TN

November 29 - Rex Theater - Pittsburgh, PA

November 30 - Beachland Ballroom & Tavern - Cleveland, OH

December 1 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL


 

Listen to & buy: Say So


BLUE CRANES


Key players in the Portland, Oregon creative music scene, The Blue Cranes are one of the most exciting groups to keep tabs on in the Northwest. They’ve developed a singular musical voice grounded in melody and explosive improvisations—marking off their unique microcosmic territory in “post-jazz/jazz-not jazz” circles.
 
 

November 12Mississippi Studios - 3939 N. Mississippi - Portland OR 97227 [with Scott Amendola's Invisible Bird]

November 18Royale Brewing Co - Portland, OR [special afternoon, all ages, no cover show!]

December 7Jack London Revue - Portland, OR [with Wayne Horvitz Snowghost Trio]

2019
February 23 - Portland Jazz Festival - Alberta Street Pub - Portland, OR

 

Listen to & buy: Swim


EMPIRICAL


The band’s release on Cuneiform, Connection, captures the ensemble at its most pure and potent.
 
 

November 16 - EFG London Jazz Festival - Purcell Room, Southbank Centre - London, UK

 

Listen to & buy: Connection


GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA


When Cuneiform released Glue Works, the Swedish band’s third album, blog.monsieurdelire.com praised its "Songwriting capable of nuances, humor, sweetness, epic complexity, and lyricism..A must-have for instrumental prog fans of both conservative and adventurous persuasions."
 

December 2Södra Teatern - Stockholm, Sweden [with Henrik Palm]

January 18 - Plan B - Malmö, Sweden

January 19 - Folk - Göteborg, Sweden



Listen to & buy: Glue Works


THE GREAT HARRY HILLMAN


The exuberant Swiss jazz/pop/beyond group - named after the American triple-Gold Medal winner at the 1904 Summer Olympics - tours the European festival and club circuit, celebrating their Cuneiform release Tilt.
 

November 8 - JazzOnze+ - Lausanne, Switzerland

November 9 - Krämer - Meiningen, Germany

November 10 - Saxstall - Pohrsdorf, Germany

November 11 - Jazzmeile Thüringen Weintanne - Jenna, Germany

November 12 - C-Keller - Weimar, Germany

November 13 - A-Trane - Berlin, Germany

December 13Périscope - Lyon, France

December 23Bee-flat im Progr - Bern, Switzerland

 

Listen to & buy: Tilt


ROB MAZUREK / EXPLODING STAR ORCHESTRA


Visionary jazz and electronic musician Rob Mazurek, a cornet player, improvisor, and band catalyst/leader has appeared on the cover of  The Wire, the world's premiere avant music magazine and was voted Musician of the Year by Italy's top jazz magazine, Musica Jazz. He is constantly touring the world and is known as one of today's most intrepid and sought after sound explorers, as well as an accomplished visual artist.
 

November 1-4Berliner Jazztage - Berlin, Germany
World premiere of Galactic Parables: Volume 2 , the new commissioned work by Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star International (US & German musicians)
 



Listen to & buy:
Galactic Parables: Volume 1

Cuneiform has also released numerous recordings with Mazurek's other ensembles, including Sao Paulo Underground, Rob Mazurek Octet, and more.


THE ED PALERMO BIG BAND


The Big Apple's beloved Ed Palermo Big Band, led by composer/ arranger/ saxophonist Ed Palermo, is celebrating two new albums on Cuneiform:
The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren & The Great Un-American Songbook: Volumes I & II
 

November 19 - The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - New York, NY

December 17 - The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - New York, NY

December 31 - The Falcon - 1348 Route 9W - Marlboro, NY



Listen to & buy:
The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren,
The Great Un-American Songbook: Volumes I & II

       

RICHARD PINHAS

 
A guitarist, electronic musician, and scholar of philosophy and sci fi, Richard Pinhas is one of the most important figures in France's experimental/ avant music scene. Ceaselessly innovative, he's reknown as the "father of electronic music in France," leader of Heldon, and creator of numerous solo and collaborative works that retain his place at the forefront of experimental rock and noise music today.
 
Richard Pinhas Solo China Tour 2018

November 10 –  Jazz Improvise Meeting Festival (JIMF) 

November 11 –  Jazz Improvise Meeting Festival (JIMF) 

November 15 –  Guangzhou

November 16 – Ruijin – Shenzhen

November  17 – Ruijin – Shenzhen

November 18 –  Beijing 
 
 

Listen to & buy
Solo discs Desolation Row & DWW;
Tikkun (Pinhas & Oren Ambarchi); Process & Reality (Pinhas & Tatsuya Yoshida & Masami Akita/Merzbow); and many other solo, collaborative & Pinhas/Merzbow discs on Cuneiform.


    

 
    
 


PIXEL


Norway's Pixel combines jazz with pop sensibilities.
 
2019
January 25/26 - Rainbow Serpent Festival 2019 - Donald - Victoria, Australia
 

Listen to & buy:
We Are All Small Pixels
, ReminderGolden Years

    

 

SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER


Celebrating Rights, their new album on Cuneiform, Switzerland's Schnellertollermeier have been performing at countless music festivals – jazz AND rock AND experimental music – across Europe. Dazzling audiences of all genres with music beyond genre, they're the band most often named "Best Festival Discovery" whenever and wherever they play. 
 
 
November 10Rockit Festival - Groningen, The Netherlands
 

Listen to & buy: Rights, X

   


WADADA LEO SMITH


Winner of the Jazz Journalist Association's 2017 Musician of the Year Award and DownBeat 2017 Critics Poll awards for Trumpeter of the Year, Jazz Artist of the Year & Jazz Album of the Year.
 

January 26, 2019Jazz At Lincoln Center - 10 Columbus Circle - New York, NY [The Complete America's National Parks]

March 30, 2019McGuire Theater at Walker Art Center - Minneapolis, MN [The Complete America's National Parks]
 

Listen to & buy: 
America's National Parks (Winner of DownBeat's 2017 Album of the Year Award) & Ten Freedom Summers (finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music)

       


SOFT MACHINE

 
UK's legendary Soft Machine
[John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Roy Babbington, John Marshall] continue on a major global tour

 
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
ENGLAND & SCOTLAND
 2018
 
November 3 - Marlow Theater - Canterbury, UK

November 6 - Sage - Gateshead, UK

November 8 - Green Hotel - Kinross, Scotland

November 9 - Hebden Bridge Townhall - Hebden, UK

November 10 - The Trade's Club - Howden, UK

November 16 - Borderline - London, UK

November 17 - West End Center - Aldershot, UK

November 18 - Lews Con Club - Lewes, UK

November 20 - Epic Studios - Norwich, UK

November 22 - Trading Boundaries - Fletching, UK

November 25 - Talking Heads - Southampton, UK
 
CONTINENTAL EUROPE
 

December 15 - Peppel - Zeist, The Netherlands

December 16 - Harmonie - Bonn, Germany
 

UNITED STATES 2019
 

January 24, 2019 - Freight & Salvage - Berkely, CA [with Levin Brothers]

January 25, 2019 - Flynn's - Santa Cruz, CA [with Levin Brothers]

January 27, 2019 - Alberta Rose Theater - Portland, OR [with Moraine]

January 28, 2019 - Triple Door - Seattle, WA [with Moraine]

January 29, 2019 - Triple Door - Seattle, WA [with Moraine]

January 31, 2019 - The Baked Potato - Los Angeles, CA [two shows]

February 1, 2019 - The Baked Potato - Los Angeles, CA [two shows]

February 2, 2019 - Scottsdale Performing Arts Center - Scottsdale, AZ  [with Levin Brothers]


NORTH AMERICA: GULF OF MEXICO CRUISE 2019
 
February 4-8, 2019 - The Cruise To The Edge - Key West, FL, USA & Cozumel, Mexico

 

Listen to & buy  
SOFT MACHINE ALBUMS+DVDS on CUNEIFORM RECORDS:

NDR Jazz Workshop,  Middle Earth MastersSwitzerland 1974,
  VirtuallySpaced,  BackwardsGridesLive in Paris,  Noisette


        

         

          

 


SPELLCASTERS

 
SPELLCASTERS revive, celebrate and expand the distinct hybrid (rock/ bluegrass/ blues/ country) guitar music unique to the Washington DC region and associated with the late guitarist Danny Gatton. The DC-based all-star quintet is three great guitarists – Anthony Pirog, Dave Chappell, Joel Harrison – and Danny Gatton's stellar rhythm section, John Previte (bass) and Barry Hart (drums).
________________________________________________

November 11Bertha's Mussels - Baltimore, MD [3:00 - 6:00 pm!]

December 16Bertha's Mussels - Baltimore, MD [3:00 - 6:00 pm!]

 

 


THUMBSCREW


Thumbscrew is the all-star collaborative trio of Mary Halvorson (guitar), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), and Michael Formanek (acoustic bass). Thumbscrew is celebrating the release of two new albums – Ours and Theirs  on Cuneiform, performing concerts at festivals and venues worldwide.
 


November 1-4Berliner Jazztage - Berlin, Germany

February 5-9, 2019Dartmouth College Residency - Hanover, NH


March 21-24, 2019  - Big Ears Festival - Knoxville, TN


 

Listen to & buy: 
OursTheirs
ConvallariaThumbscrew


    

    

To set up press and radio interviews with Cuneiform Artists while on tour, please contact:

promo@cuneiformrecords.com

2018 RELEASES

Click the thumbnail to listen to or buy each album on Bandcamp.

THUMBSCREW 
[Michael Formanek / Tomas Fujiwara / Mary Halvorson]

     

Steve Tibbetts


Alec K. Redfearn & The Eyesores / The Seizures
                   

     
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Silver Spring, MD / Washington, DC

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