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Sunday, January 1, 2023

Cuneiform Records JANUARY 2023 Newsletter

*|MC:SUBJECT|*


HAPPY NEW YEAR



to EVERYone
from
CUNEIFORM RECORDS


May 2023 bring to all mankind happiness and love, healing and peace – an END to war in Ukraine and worldwide. 
And may it bring healing to the endangered natural world and planet we share.

 

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CUNEIFORM RECORDS

JANUARY 2023 NEWSLETTER: 
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WE WELCOME 2023

AND REVIEW THE PAST YEAR WITH

 A ROUND-UP OF



2022 RELEASES



We were busy last year.  Here's a list of albums we released in 2022, in alphabetical order.
There's something here for everyone's Best of 2022 Lists:

 
 
JAZZ, JAZZ-ROCK, FUSION & BEYOND
 
CURLEW – CBGB'S NYC 1987
Live recordings from 1987 of  Curlew - renowned as THE best live band on the Downtown NY/Knitting Factory scene – from CBGB's soundboard

~~~~~~

CURLEW  – LIVE AT PHANTASMAGORIA AND WFMU
Live Curlew recordings from 1997&1998 at the long-gone Phantasmagoria in metro DC (Wheaton/ Silver Spring) and at WFMU (NJ)


~~~~~~
JANEL LEPPIN  – ENSEMBLE VOLCANIC ASH
Washington DC based composer & cellist Janel Leppin bridges jazz and classical music with her Ensemble Volcanic Ash, which releases its debut album

~~~~~~

THE MUFFINS – BAKER'S DOZEN
A 13-disc boxed set of previously unreleased material by The Muffins, legendary Washington DC avant-progressive / post-jazz / beyond-genre group

~~~~~~

SOFT MACHINE – FACELIFT FRANCE & HOLLAND
Video & audio recordings (2 CDs+DVD) from the Soft Machine quintet's
1970 Facelift tour of France and Holland; electric jazz/rock at its volcanic origins 


~~~~~~

LUKE STEWART'S SILT TRIO – THE BOTTOM
Washington DC/ Chicago jazz /creative trio (Luke Stewart / Brian Settles/ Chad Taylor)

~~~~~~

THUMBSCREW – MULTICOLORED MIDNIGHT
All-star collaborative jazz trio of  Michael Formanek (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), and Mary Halvorson (guitar), celebrate their 10th Anniversary with a new release rich with new colors and directions

~~~~~~


ROCK, ELECTRONIC, MODERN COMPOSITION & BEYOND

BALUNGAN – KUDU BISA KUDU
13 piece French / Indonesian  gamelan / guitar ensemble, led by Guigou Chenevier 
 
~~~~~~

BUBBLEMATH  – TURF ASCENSION
Progrock ascends to lyrical perfection and compositional precision via Minneapolis' band Bubblemath. A meme series announcing their release culminates with a video classic

~~~~~~

KEN FIELD & ALIENO deBOOTES – ALIEN FIELD
Saxophonist Ken Field and electronic musician Alieno deBootes collaborate across oceans to  create a mesmerizing album of ambient, electronic, and minimalist jazz music

~~~~~

FOURTH WORLD QUARTET – GRAND BLAND VAPID RAPIDS
Michigan's cutting-edge piano & reeds ensemble
explore a world of polyrhythms and 20th Century classical techniques for their 1975 finale  


~~~~~

DAVE KERMAN/5UU'S – THE QUIET IN YOUR BONES 
Drummer/composer Dave Kerman's  new album of compositionally & lyrically intense, avant progressive/ rock-in-opposition-style  music
 
~~~~~

NICK MACRI & MONO NO AWARE  – AMACHE
Ambient music with electric & acoustic basses, electronics & percussion, recorded live at Chicago's Experimental Sound Studio
~~~~~~

ROGER CLARK MILLER – EIGHT DREAM INTERPRETATIONS FOR SOLO ELECTRIC GUITAR ENSEMBLE
Mission of Burma guitarist & Anvil (Alloy) Orchestra member Roger Miller commands a powerful, one-man orchestra live/ in real time (see video) with an arsenal of electric guitars, pedals and loops

~~~~~

MIRIODOR – ELEMENTS
Visionary avant-progressive ensemble Miriodor, based in Quebec, release their 10th studio album of elegantly playful, cinematic and fantastical instrumental music 

~~~~~~

YANG – DESIGNED FOR DISASTER
European dual-guitar progressive quartet led by composer Frédéric L’Épée
 
SNEAK PEAK!!!!!

COMING OUT in SPRING/SUMMER 2023


Tomeka Reid Quartet (new studio album) [USA]
Radio Massacre International - Galactic Furnace [UK]

Soft Machine - The Dutch Lesson (previously unreleased live recordings 10/26/73) [UK]
Janel & Anthony - (new studio album) [USA]
Location, Location, Location - Damaged Goods (new studio album by Anthony Pirog/ Michael Formanek/ Mike Pride) [USA]
Curlew - (two digital releases of previously unreleased live recordings) [USA]



CONGRATULATIONS to cellist / composer TOMEKA REID,
2022 MACARTHUR FELLOW!



Listen to Old New, Tomeka Reid's 2019 release on Cuneiform Records:


And stay tuned for new Cuneiform releases by Reid and others in 2023!

The building in downtown Silver Spring, MD (the DMV!) in which Cuneiform Records (since 1984) and Wayside Music (since 1980) have had their offices for more than 20 years has been sold, and will soon be demolished.  We are moving.  Once resettled, we look forward to continuing to release great music by some of the best avant garde musicians in the world. 

CUNEIFORM ARTISTS ON TOUR

2023 CALENDAR

IMPORTANT COVID REMINDER:
In an evolving COVID-19 world, these dates are ALL tentative. Please check with venues, close to the concert date, to confirm. We're ecstatic that live concerts are happening worldwide, but we remain aware that emergent variants - as well as winter weather - can unexpectedly affect schedules.

See also the Tours Page at Cuneiform Records.

 

GHOST RHYTHMS

"The music here walks a wide loop around Soft Machine and Magma, Univers Zero and Henry Cow, Miles Davis and Miriodor, Van Der Graaf Generator and Art Zoyd. It's impeccably assembled and played, while freely indulging the more insane aspects of progressive rock, avant-garde chamber music, and electric jazz....Despite the musical sophistication and adventure on Live at Yoshiwara, this music is extremely accessible to a wide swathe of listeners. Its release signals the magnificent arrival of Ghost Rhythms on American shores. Get it now." – AllMusic
_______________________________

December 8 - Le 34 - 34 rue Léon, Paris, France

2023
March 22 - Studio L'Ermitage - 8 rue de l’ermitage - 75020 Paris, France

May 12 - Pan Piper - 2-4 impasse Lamier - Paris, 75011, France [performing with Andy Emler MegaOctet!]
 
Listen to & buy:  Spectral Music  //  Live at Yoshiwara

    
 

JANEL LEPPIN

A composer and cellist who’s honed a singular synthesis of composition, orchestration and improvisation, Janel Leppin is one of DC's leading avant-music stars. Besides performing as half of the experimental duo Janel and Anthony, which she co-leads with her husband guitarist Anthony Pirog, she leads the seven-piece chamber-jazz Ensemble Volcanic Ash, as well as performing and recording with other jazz, rock, and experimental  groups. 

"An Absolute Virtuoso - 4 Stars" - Downbeat Magazine

"Leppin is a rarity..ahhh-vant garde at its finest." - Capital Bop


January 15 - Winter JazzFest 2022 - Nublu - 151 Ave C - New York, NY [a night honoring Jaimie Branch]



Listen to & buy:
Janel Leppin Ensemble Volcanic Ash


Janel & Anthony, Where Is Home

HENRY KAISER

Grammy winner Henry Kaiser is widely recognized as one of the most creative and innovative guitarists, improvisers, and producers in the fields of rock, jazz, world, and contemporary experimental musics.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

THE HENRY KAISER MONTHLY SOLO SERIES, presented exclusively on the CUNEIFORM RECORDS YouTube Channel

 When Covid pandemic lockdowns began in 2020, Henry Kaiser began curating & presenting a weekly series of pre-recorded music videos exclusively on Cuneiform's YouTube Channel for music lovers isolating at home. These "live" concerts are taped beforehand and not streamed - Henry discusses the process in a Guitar Moderne interview, "The New "Live"".  Many videos in the series depict duets and larger bands, despite the program being called the "Henry Kaiser Weekly Solo Series".  While many depict new or recent performances, other videos in this series are vintage footage of performances not available elsewhere (The Valentines' 1994 concert in the Fukuoka Dome).

After lockdowns began to lift In April 2021, the series celebrated its one-year anniversary and converted to a monthly format, which continues!  All 52 videos from the Henry Kaiser's Weekly Series and everything in the current Monthly Series are archived & available on Cuneiform's YouTube Channel.  

We invite you to visit and follow Cuneiform Record's YouTube Channel to see the videos that Henry presents on the first of every month. The January 1, 2023 video is 
HENRY KAISER SHOW #22 - Rock and Blues Favorites - Set Two.


Most recently, in addition to his monthly video series, Kaiser occasionally presents videos with free guitar lessons, focusing on tunes associated with legendary guitarists. His September 2022 guitar lesson video, focusing on the whole tone scale and Sonny Sharrock, is titled The Whole Tone Scale! Sonny Sharrock’s DICK DOGS lesson with Henry Kaiser.

Besides his work as a musician, Kaiser is also a scientific diver and underwater videographer in the U.S. Antarctic program. Several of his Solo Series videos on the Cuneiform channel feature Henry's stunning underwater videography in addition to his guitar playing, as in this stunning video from May 2020:  HENRY KAISER : Cuneiform Weekly Solo #2 : Under The Ice Again .

Because all videos are archived on the Cuneiform Records' YouTube Channel, you can watch anything in the series at any time.
 


Listen to & buy:
Albums by Henry Kaiser & Friends  on Cuneiform


A Love Supreme Electric [Vinny Golia / John Hanrahan / Henry Kaiser / Wayne Peet / Mike Watt]:
A Love Supreme Electric: A Love Supreme and Meditations 



Yo Miles!: Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith: Sky Garden & Upriver
   

Five Times Surprise [Henry Kaiser / Anthony Pirog / Tracy Silverman / Jeff Sipe / Andy West]: 
Five Times Surprise



Henry Kaiser & Ray Russell: 
The Celestial Squid



Henry Kaiser: Lemon Fish Tweezer;
Fred Frith & Henry Kaiser: Friends & Enemies 

  

Healing Force [Vinny Golia • Aurora Josephson • Henry Kaiser • Mike Keneally • Joe Morris • Damon Smith • Weasel Walter]:
Healing Force:  The Songs of Albert Ayler        
     
       

V.A.: 156 Strings: Nineteen Totally Original Acoustic Guitarists

ROGER CLARK MILLER

“Less a recital than a musical minefield... Miller is a man in constant motion, a one-man symphony." – Boston Globe


Roger Clark Miller (Mission of Burma; Alloy Orchestra; Birdsongs of Mesozoic) celebrates Cuneiform Records' release of Eight Dream Interpretations for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble with a series of concerts presenting that music in New England. 

________________________________

January 21 - Surrealist Games Night - Epsilon Spires - 190 Main St. - Brattleboro, VT [Roger Miller hosts a night of Surrealist Games and plays an opening set of prepared piano to set the tone]



Listen to & buy:
Eight Dream Interpretations for Electric Guitar Ensemble 

    
    

THE ED PALERMO BIG BAND

"Twenty-first century big-band music doesn’t get more exciting
and impressive than this."
– Jazz Times

An astounding 18 piece jazz ensemble of five woodwind players, four trumpeters, three trombonists, two keyboardists, guitar, violin, bass and drums, led by arranger, composer & saxophonist Ed Palermo, one of America's most singular arrangers who draws on jazz, pop and rock tunes for his top-notch band. There are a number of ensembles performing the music of Frank Zappa, one of the greatest American composers of the 20th century, but no one does it with the ease, skill and originality that Ed and his band do!
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Don't miss seeing the ED PALERMO BIG BAND live!
~~~~

January 30 - The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - NYC, NY

February 25 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

February 27 - The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - NYC, NY

March 20 - The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - NYC, NY

April 29 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

June 24 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

August 26 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

October 28 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

December 23 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542


Listen to & buy:
Ed Palermo Big Band albums on Cuneiform:

The Adventures of Zoyd Zundgren //
The Great Un-American Songbook Vols. 1&2  //
One Child Left Behind //

Oh No! Not Jazz!!  //
Eddy Loves Frank. // 
Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance

               

 

 

ANTHONY PIROG

"[Palo Colorado Dream] covers a sprawling musical terrain–avant jazz, atmospheric soundscapes, earthy Americana, math-rock...with an arsenal of effects hardware and studio production techniques..."
– JazzTimes


"One of jazz’s most reliable conduits to a living, breathing audience is electric-guitar heroism, and Anthony Pirog, from Washington...seems poised to become a hero of the instrument."
– The New York Times

________________________________

January 15 - Winter JazzFest 2022 - Nublu - 151 Ave C - New York, NY [a night honoring Jaimie Branch]

February 22 - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Casbah - 2501 Kettner Blvd. -
San Diego, CA 92101

February 23 -  featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Zebulon - 2478 Fletcher Drive - Los Angeles, CA

 February 24 -  featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis - Bottom Of The Hill - 1233 17th Street (17th @ Missouri) - San Francisco, CA 94107

February 25 - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Volcanic Theater Pub - 70 SW Century Dr - Bend, OR 

February 26 - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Mississippi Studios - 3939 N. Mississippi Ave - Portland OR 97227

February 27 - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Madame Lou's - 2505 1st Ave - Seattle, WA

March 8 - featured with Dave Chappell - Blues Alley - ​1073 REAR Wisconsin Ave NW - Washington, DC 20007

March 12 - - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Tubby's - 566 Broadway - Kingston, NY

March 13 - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Drake Hotel - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

March 14 -- featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis - JazzErie  - Erie, PA

March 15 - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Constellation - 3111 N Western Ave - Chicago, IL

March 17 - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Club Cafe -  56 S 12th St # 58, - Pittsburgh, PA

March 18 -  featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis - Black Cat - 1811 14th St. NW - Washington, DC 20009

March 19 - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Johnny Brenda's - 1201 Frankford Ave - Philadelphia, PA

March 20 - featured with The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis  - Le Poisson Rouge - 158 Bleecker Street - NYC, NY


 

Listen to & buy:
Anthony Pirog:
Pocket Poem; Palo Colorado Dream

.      

Janel & Anthony, Where Is Home

    
in other groupings:
Five Times Surprise


The Spellcasters, Music from the Anacostia Delta

 

Janel Leppin Ensemble Volcanic Ash

SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER

"The Best Music of 2015: A Banner Year for the Bold: …here are a dozen albums released in 2015 that I savored repeatedly for their musicality, clarity of statement and courage. …“X” by Schnellertollermeier marries brutality to avant-garde rock and jazz. A classic power trio from Switzerland, the band plays with punk fury and dazzling technical dexterity to create booming, bone-rattling music that stalks, confronts and astonishes.”
The Wall Street Journal

Schnellertollermeier's clear-cut approach burns itself into one's memory; audiences who have seen the trio (bassist Andi Schnellmann/ guitarist ManuelTroller / percussionist David Meier) live describe their music as “stunning”, “minimalist”, “brutal”, “decisive”, “monumental”, “angry”, “controlled”, “captivating” or “radical”.  Simply fantastic.

_____________________________

2023 shows
January 20 - AMR - Rue des Alpes 10 - Genève, Switzerland

January 21 - Gaswerk - Untere Schöntalstrasse 19 - Winterthur, Switzerland

January 25 - Teater Momentum - Ny Vestergade 18 - Odense, Denmark

January 26 - Northern Winter Beat Festival 2023 - Gammeltorv 10 - Aalborg, Denmark

January 27 - Inkonst - Bergsgatan 20 - Malmö, Sweden

January 28 - Bubblan - Fiskhamnsgatan 41 - Göteborg, Sweden

January 29 - Hallarna - Tunnbindaregatan 37 - Norrköping, Sweden

March 3 - TapTab Musikraum - Baumgartenstrasse 19 - Schaffhausen, Switzerland

March 4 - L'Échandole - Rue du Casino 9 - Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland

March 11 - Cuadro 22 - Ringstrasse 22 - Chur, Switzerland
 



Listen to & buy:
5, Rights, X
     
      
  

THUMBSCREW

Thumbscrew is the all-star collaborative trio of Mary Halvorson (guitar), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), and Michael Formanek (acoustic bass). Thumbscrew's critically acclaimed albums, all on Cuneiform Records, have appeared on Best of Year lists worldwide. Thumbscrew perform  frequently at festivals and served numerous residencies at art centers and prominent venues in the US and abroad. I September 2022, in celebration of their 10th Anniversary, Thumbscrew will release their 7th album on Cuneiform Records: Multicolored Midnight.
 
“Made up of three highly distinctive voices in the world of jazz and avant-garde music, Thumbscrew should probably collapse under the weight of its own star power but Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Mary Halvorson (electric guitar) and Michael Formanek (acoustic bass) are just too aware of the potential of this supertrio to let that happen.”  – Something Else!
________________________________

April 29 - Weinberg Center For The Arts - 20 West Patrick Street - Frederick, MD, 21701


Listen to & buy:

Multicolored Midnight //



 Never Is Enough //
The Anthony Braxton Project //
.   


Ours // Theirs //
    

Convallaria // Thumbscrew //
    


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

promo@cuneiformrecords.com
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

It's Winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
When "the weather outside is frightful," stay inside and explore a world of musical adventure with




MUSIC & VIDEOS ONLINE !
 

CUNEIFORM RECORDS has a treasure chest of interesting music to serve as soundtrack, inspiration and solace during these evolving and challenging times. Our mammoth catalogue of over 500 releases by artists from around the world includes many of avant music's most esteemed icons as well as young rising stars, and is available for purchase in digital and physical formats at the CUNEIFORM RECORDS BANDCAMP store, and in physical formats at one of our sister companies, WAYSIDE MUSIC as well as in RECORD SHOPS worldwide (see our DISTRIBUTORS).  Your purchases of our CDs, LPs, and digital downloads supports or indie musicians, indie labels, and small businesses. 

• VISIT the official CUNEIFORM RECORDS WEBSITE  for extensive information on the artists and recordings on our label,  upcoming concerts & much more. 

• VISIT our TOURS PAGE for upcoming concerts WORLDWIDE by our artists.


• WATCH VIDEOS on Cuneiform Records' YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Cuneiform Records has an extremely active YouTube Channel which you should bookmark as a favorite:  free music videos, videos of live shows, & samples from 500+ adventurous releases!   And we began expanding our video content during the pandemic, most notably with an ongoing video series curated  and produced by guitarist Henry Kaiser. 

• PURCHASE & LISTEN to releases on CUNEIFORM RECORDS BANDCAMP PAGE 
Discover new music on our Bandcamp Page, and support artists & our indie label by purchasing music.  

• PURCHASE music from100s of LABELS from around the world at  
WAYSIDE MUSIC, our sister store.  At our internet store, WaysideMusic.com (established in 1980!), you can purchase hard-to-find CDs and LPs from ALL your favorite labels! 

• ENJOY and SHARE SAMPLES of music by releases of countless Cuneiform artists on the Cuneiform Records' SoundCloud Site.

• VISIT, LIKE & FOLLOW  Cuneiform Records' Official FACEBOOK PAGE

• JOIN the Cuneiform Records FACEBOOK GROUP:  FANS OF CUNEIFORM RECORDS

 FOLLOW @CuneiformRecord onTWITTER


• LICENSE music from Cuneiform for movies, ads etc via our sister site TheMusicOutpost.com.

SIGN UP for the CUNEIFORM RECORDS NEWSLETTER if you're not already one of our subscribers, to  get this monthly newsletter in your email box AND to receive notices for Cuneiform's weekly "$5 Friday" offers – Cuneiform selects a special album from its archive each weekend,  to be sold in download format via Bandcamp, that weekend only,  for half price.
 
• ACCESS PRIOR ISSUES of the CUNEIFORM RECORDS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER at cuneiformrecord.blogspot.com/     Cuneiform Records announces and gives in-depth info on ALL OF ITS NEW RELEASES - physical and digital formats - in its monthly newsletter.  Newsletters are archived on our Cuneiform News Blogspot.


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Cuneiform Records' Monthly Newsletter is compiled by Joyce [Nalewajk] Feigenbaum,
Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* Cuneiform Records, All rights reserved.
 
Washington, DC // Silver Spring, MD

Our mailing address is:
Cuneiform Records
P.O. Box 8427
Silver Spring, MD 20907

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