html

Friday, March 1, 2019

Cuneiform Records March 2019 Newsletter: Artists On Tour & Releases

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

March 2019 Newsletter

It’s March!  We're looking forward to attending the 2019 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville Tennessee, which runs from March 21-24. Cuneiform artists Thumbscrew (Mary Halvorson/ Michael Formanek/ Tomas Fujiwara)  – whose two recent Cuneiform appeared on numerous Best of 2018 lists – is performing there, and other Cuneiform artists, including Wadada Leo Smith and Rob Mazurek and Anthony Pirog, will be at Big Ears as well, with various ensembles. I hope to see you in Knoxville! And I also hope that you see some of the other concerts that Cuneiform artists are doing in 2019; keep tuned to Cuneiform Records' Tours page.

2019 is looking to be a very special year for new Cuneiform releases. In April, we release Escape of the Fire Ants, a brilliant new album by Le Rex. It's our second by the young Swiss brass band who are winning jazz audiences across Europe & worldwide.  The renegade Swiss ensemble reinvents brass groove music with Escape of the Fire Ants, the group’s fourth album. It is the band’s most confident and cohesive, marked by consistently compelling compositions and performances. It was recorded in a studio that reflects this ‘jazz’ band’s ‘indie-rock’ esthetic.

“We have this common sense of humor that translates to the music. Playing on the street helped us develop that. We realized on the street you have to be entertaining, which led to players moving around a lot on stage. It’s not only a visual thing. It’s a sonic thing too. If the horns move away from the drums, it changes the arrangement,” the group notes.

And this summer, we release two killer guitar albums. One is by The Spellcasters (Joel Harrison, Anthony Pirog, and Dave Chappell on guitars John Previti–acoustic & electric bass; Barry Hart–drums), who celebrate the hybrid rockabilly/jazz/country music of the Anacostia Delta (DC/ northern VA/ southern MD) and the legacy of Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan via Fender Telecasters. The other release is a monster ‘out’ electric jazz/rock session by Five Times Surprise (Henry Kaiser & Anthony Pirog–six-string guitar; Tracy Silverman–six-string electric violin; Jeff Sipe-drums; Andy West–six-string bass). 

We invite you to listen to any of our 2018 releases that you may have missed last year. You can revisit the year's music (TWELVE 2018 releases!) via our compilation album, Cuneiform Records: The Albums of 2018featured at the end of this e-blast.  

– Steve Feigenbaum, Cuneiform Records

jump to:

• Artists on Tour/Shows
2018 Compilation Album 
Follow Cuneiform

ARTISTS ON TOUR

Please visit the Tours Page at Cuneiform Records for updates.

BEAT CIRCUS

 
Boston's Beat Circus resumes its place on center stage again with relish, serving up a hearty lineup of astounding shows.


March 22The Apohadion Theater - Portland, ME

March 23ONCE Sommerville - 156 Highland Ave - Sommerville, MA [with Count Zero, Jaggery, Emp. Norton, Kee Avil]

March 29Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA

March 30The Windup Space - Baltimiore, MD

March 31Brillobox - Pittsburgh, PA

April 1Cafe Bourbon St - Columbus, OH

April 2Blockhouse Bar - Bloomington, IN

April 3The Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL

April 4The Happy Dog - Cleveland, OH

April 5Outer Limits Lounge - Hamtramck, MI

April 6The Baby G - Toronto, Canada

April 7L'Escogriffe Cafe Bar - Montreal, Canada

April 11The Parlour - Providence, RI
 

Listen to & buy: 
Boy from Black Mountain and Dreamland

     


EMPIRICAL


London's Empirical are expanding jazz's reach with their music (embracing the future while respecting the past) and via innovative means ("pop-up jazz lounges" in Tube stations) to introduce jazz to the mainstream public. In 2019, in addition to playing live in the UK, Empirical bring their music to North America, performing at festivals, jazz venues and art spaces.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

2019
May 6Ronnie Scott's - London, UK

Summer 2019: North American Tour (US and Canada)

Fall 2019: UK Tour
                 Birmingham
                 Nottingham
                 Southampton
 

 
Listen to & buy:
Connection

THE GREAT HARRY HILLMAN

The exuberant Swiss jazz/ pop/ beyond quartet - named after the American triple-Gold Medal winner at the 1904 Summer Olympics - continue to celebrate their Cuneiform release, Tilt, by touring the Northern European jazz festival and club circuit. And in April, they'll tour Russia for the first time.
 

April 8Cully Jazz Festival - Cully, Switzerland

April 15Kozlov Club (Mansarda stage) - Moscow, Russia

April 16 Nikitin - Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

April 17Topographia Culture Center - Tula, Russia

April 18JFC Jazz Club - St Petersburg, Russia

April 19Dreadnought - Kaliningrad, Russia

April 20 Sound Museum - St. Petersburg, Russia

April 22City Jazz Center - Yaroslavl, Russia

April 23 Dubrava Culture Center - Sergiev Posad, Russia

April 24Jewish Culture Center - Moscow, Russia

April 25Petrovsky Book Club - Voronezh, Russia

June 26Orpheum - Graz, Austrial

June 27Porgy and Bess - Wien, Austria

 


Listen to & buy: Tilt

JANEL & ANTHONY

 
DC's strings/ electronics/ vocal duo, Janel & Anthony, are globally-renowned as astounding musicians who create beautiful beyond-genre/ avant/ experimental music.  The all-star duo consists of cellist/ electronic musician/ vocalist Janel Leppin-Pirog (Mellow Diamond) & guitarist/ electronic musician Anthony Pirog (Anthony Pirog Trio, Messthetics, Spellcasters).
 

March 1The Black Cat - 1811  14th St, NW - Washington, DC [free show!]

 



Listen to & buy:
Where Is Home

LE REX

 
Le Rex are a quintet from Switzerland consisting of two saxophonists, trombone, tuba and drums. They are a band that answers the question, "Can you still have a party when the lights go out?", with a resounding 'YES'!
 


March 24Moods - Zurich, Switzerland

May 17Kulturcinema - Arbon, Switzerland
 



Listen to & buy:
Wild Man


ROB MAZUREK


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.
––––––––––––––––––––––––

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



Listen to & buy:
Numerous recordings on Cuneiform with Mazurek's various ensembles:
Exploding Star Orchestra
(Galactic Parables: Volume 1)

Sao Paulo Underground
        
Black Cube SP   
 
Rob Mazurek Octet
 


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
 


March 2The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - NYC, NY

April 13The Falcon - 1348 Route 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

April 22The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - NYC, NY

May 20The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - NYC, NY

June 15The Falcon - 1348 Route 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

June 17The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - NYC, NY

July 15The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - NYC, NY

August 12The Iridium - 1650 Broadway - NYC, NY

August 17The Falcon - 1348 Route 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

October 19The Falcon - 1348 Route 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

December 21The Falcon - 1348 Route 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542

December 31The Falcon - 1348 Route 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542



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


PRESENT


Founded in 1979, the Belgian band, Present, is widely acknowledged and celebrated as one of the leading lights of the Rock In Opposition (R.I.O.) / avant-progressive / Chamber Rock scene, notable for producing genre-transcendent, non-commercial music outside the mainstream music industry.
 
 
May 11 - Rock In Opposition Festival 2019 - Les Abbatoirs - 18 route de l’Isle d’Abeau - 38300 Bourgoin Jallieu - France
 

 


RADIO MASSACRE INTERNATIONAL

UK electronic ensemble Radio Massacre International bring "Berlin School electronics" into the 21st  century and onto the live stage. The longstanding improvisational synth & electronics trio has released dozens of recordings - including 3 on Cuneiform – and mesmerized festival audiences worldwide.
 

October 12 - Awakenings - Lea Hall Pavilion, Sandy Lane - Rugeley, Staffs - UK
 

Listen to & buy:
Time & Motion, Rain Falls in Grey, Emissaries
   
 

ALEC K. REDFEARN AND THE EYESORES


Providence, RI's beloved electro-acoustic ensemble, led by composer/ accordionist/ vocalist Alec K. Redfearn, celebrate the 2018 release of their new album The Opposite by storming the stage of North Carolina's ProgDay and France's renowned Rock in Opposition Festival with accordion, French horn, & more, followed by a tour of France, Belgium and Germany.
 

March 2 - Quinn's - 330 Main St - Beacon, NY (with Brandon Seabrook)

March 3 - Muchmore's - 2 Havemeyer St - Brooklyn, NY


 

SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER


Schnellertollermeier has an immense presence – that’s the first thing you notice. Initially, you only hear concise, repetitive patterns, but you can already feel their powerful energy while performing, their will to play out and not to yield to any ceremonial, reductionist modes.
 

March 14Taktlos Festival - Zurich, Switzerland

April 3ROXY - Ulm, Germany

April 4Het Bos - Antwerpen, Belgium

April 5Bimhuis - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

April 6Merleyn - Nijmegen, The Netherlands

April 7Hafen 2 - Offenbach, Germany

April 8 - Cafe Wagner - Jena, Germany

April 12L'Amalgame - Yverdon-Les-Bains, Switzerland

April 24-27 - in residence at Live In Vevey - Vevy, Switzerland

May 9XJAZZ Festival - Berlin, Germany

May 10 - Rock In Opposition Festival 2019 - Les Abbatoirs - 18 route de l’Isle d’Abeau - 38300 Bourgoin Jallieu - France

 

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.
 

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

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

Listen to & buy: 
America's National Parks
(DownBeat's 2017 Album of the Year Award)



Ten Freedom Summers
(finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music)



& additional Wadada Leo Smith albums on Cuneiform:
Tabligh, Heart’s Reflections, Spiritual Dimensions, Sky Garden, Upriver 

     
THE 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).
_______________________________

May 12Union Brewery - 1700 W 41st St #420 - Baltimore, MD [CD release show!]

May 13 - Blues Alley - 1073 Wisconsin Avenue [in the alley] - Washington, DC [CD release show!]
 


THUMBSCREW


Thumbscrew is the all-star collaborative trio of Mary Halvorson (guitar), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), and Michael Formanek (acoustic bass). Their two new albums on Cuneiform – Ours and Theirs  placed on numerous Best Albums of 2018 lists worldwide, including the 2018 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll, Popmatters' Best Jazz of 2018, and many more. They serve a residency at Dartmouth College in February, and in March the all-star trio performs that the 2019 Big Ears Festival in TN.
 


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

Cuneiform Records Released TWELVE Recordings in 2018! 

Explore our 2018 compilation album & sample all.


– Cuneiform Records: The Albums of 2018 –
a "Name Your Own Price" Compilation Album
Featuring Cuneiform's 2018 Releases

This 12 song compilation album, Cuneiform Records: The Albums of 2018, features over 60 minutes of simply great and utterly creative music made by brilliant musicians; selected from albums that Cuneiform Records released in 2018.

It is now available to stream or download at a price of YOUR OWN choosing via Cuneiform's Bandcamp page:
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cuneiform-records-the-albums-of-2018

CUNEIFORM RECORDS: THE ALBUMS OF 2018
TRACK LISTING

1. Thumbscrew - Words That Rhyme With Spangle (angle bangle dangle jangle mangel mangle strangle tangle wangle wrangle) (4:59)
[from Ours]

2. Thumbscrew - The Peacocks (Jimmy Rowles) (6:53)
[from Theirs]

3. Forgas Band Phenomena - Délice Karmâ / Karmic Delights ("radio edit")  (5:21)
[from L’Oreille Électrique (The Electric Ear)]

4. Steve Tibbetts - Desert (4:56)
[from Steve Tibbetts]

5. Far Corner - Fork (3:52)
[from Risk]

6. Curlew - To The Summer In Our Hearts (12:30)
[from Live at the Knitting Factory 1991 / Live at D​.​C. Space]

7. Alec K. Redfearn and The Eyesores - Bat Living In My Room (3:19)
[from The Opposite]

8. Alec K. Redfearn and The Eyesores - Benevolent St. (4:11)
[from May You Dine On Weeds Made Bitter By The Piss Of Drunkards]

9. Alec K. Redfearn and The Eyesores - Ginger Gin / Flight Of The Sims (6:53)
[from The Smother Party]

10. Alec K. Redfearn and The Eyesores - Dashboard Lazarus (4:20)
[from Bent At The Waist]

11. Alec K. Redfearn and The Seizures - The Hole (7:28)
[from Exterminating Angel]

12. Alec K. Redfearn and The Eyesores - Black Tar and White Slavery (4:06)
[from Every Man For Himself & God Against All]
 
As you're undoubtedly aware, in mid-2018 Cuneiform Records resumed releasing music after a several months sabbatical. By the end of 2018 it had released 5 new albums in both physical (CD, lp) and digital formats, in addition to 7 digital-only releases. 

We're ecstatic that Ours and Theirs by Thumbscrew, the band responsible for Cuneiform's re-entry into releasing new recordings, is being featured on numerous "Best of 2018" lists. Here are only a few of the lists on which these Cuneiform albums have appeared thus far: 

Thumbscrew (Ours & Theirs)
- #10 on The 2018 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll 
- #7 on Nextbop's Favorite Jazz Albums of 2018 
- Bandcamp Daily's "The Best Jazz Albums of 2018"
- The New York City Jazz Record: Best of 2018 - Albums of the Year
- PopMatters' The Best Jazz of 2018

When compiling your lists of Fave / Best Jazz & Rock Albums of 2018, please keep Cuneiform Records' 2018 releases in mind!  We look forward to seeing the Year's Best lists as they come out; please remember to send us any featuring Cuneiform's artists.
-
CUNEIFORM RECORDS

visit us on the web, at:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
SoundCloud
YouTube
Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* Cuneiform Records, All rights reserved.

Silver Spring, MD / Washington, DC

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

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Was this email forwarded to you from a friend?
Subscribe to the Cuneiform Records Newsletter.