Cuneiform Records MAY 2021 Newsletter

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view this email  in your browser Cuneiform Records MAY 2020 Newsletter jump to  CORONA CONTINUES: CHECKING IN WITH OUR FRIENDS IN MUSIC  ~~~~~~ OUT NOW! / SPRING 2020 RELEASES ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS jazz/improv: TATSUYA NAKATANI & SHANE PARISH – Interactivity CHAD TAYLOR TRIO featuring BRIAN SETTLES & NEIL PODGURSKI – The Daily Biological ~~~~~~ UPCOMING! / SUMMER 2020 RELEASES ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS jazz/improv: STIRRUP + 6 – The Avondale Addition THUMBSCREW [Mary Halvorson / Michael Formanek/ Tomas Fujiwara]  – The Anthony Braxton Project ~~~~~~ SELF ISOLATING AT HOME?  GET SOCIAL WITH CUNEIFORM ONLINE! • Join our Facebook GROUP: Fans of Cuneiform Records. • Visit & Like & Follow our Facebook PAGE for Cuneiform Records. • Enjoy hours on Cuneiform Records' YouTube CHANNEL:  free music videos, videos of live shows, & samples from 400+ adventurous releases!  • Discover music on Cuneiform Records' BANDCAMP PAGE: support our artists & indie label by purchasing music.   • Visit the CuneiformRecords.com official WEBSITE for info on artists, releases, concerts & more. • Media professionals: LICENSE music for movies, ads etc via our sister site TheMusicOutpost.com. • Sign up for the Cuneiform NEWSLETTER & get notice of our weekly "$5 Friday" specials. • Visit our internet store, WaysideMusic.com (established 1980!), to purchase  music from ALL your favorite labels!  ~~~~~~ RECENT/ WINTER 2020 RELEASES various beyond-genres; see each CHEER-ACCIDENT - Chicago XX Cuneiform Records: The Albums Of 2019 BIRDSONGS  OF THE MESOZOIC – 2001 Live Birds THINKING PLAGUE - Upon Both Your Houses AS THE CORONA VIRUS CRISIS CONTINUES, A MESSAGE TO OUR FRIENDS IN MUSIC    We hope that you and yours are well, whether sheltering inside, or cautiously venturing outdoors as seasons change. Covid 19 continues to spread.  Our deepest condolences to those of you who have lost loved ones. And to those who've recovered from the virus, we send our joy.    It's now May, and here in metro DC, the surge continues and lockdown remains in force. The pandemic has become local and personal. Last week, we lost our MD music biz friend, Dr. Anton Grobani, longtime owner of The Tape & Record Exchange chain of stores, a baseball book author and dentist. Nationally, scores of renown musicians have died from covid 19: Hal Willner, Lee Konitz, Ellis Marsalis, and John Prine, to name but a few. More casualties will sadly follow. Globally and locally, many areas are beginning to relax lockdown orders. Please continue to stay safe, for yourselves and the wellbeing of others.   For countless numbers of people, the pandemic is taking a financial as well as a physical toll. With festivals and live concerts cancelled, many professional musicians have lost their main incomes. To survive, some have begun teaching and playing paid solo concerts online. But not everyone is performing live online. If you can afford to do so, we encourage you to help support artists you love by buying their recorded music from online stores, Bandcamp, their label's website, or the artist's own website. And we thank ALL of you (especially Bandcamp!) who support musicians and small indie music businesses like ourselves.  We sincerely hope that a silver lining of the corona crisis may be a re-valuing of recorded music, and a re-evaluation of the current payment system for streaming music. Musicians should be able to make enough money from their recorded music to support themselves when they cannot or choose not to tour. They did so before tech and streaming companies devalued music, packaging it as a free or nearly free amenity 'gifted' by tech providers to their customers. The corona crisis won't last forever, and we look forward to concert and festival doors opening soon. But we know the world won't be the same as before. We're hoping that many of the inequities highlighted by the corona crisis will be addressed and resolved by our society - including the inequities in payment between streaming and tech companies and musicians and other content providers. When covid's dark clouds break, let's hope that the "New Normal" has a silver lining for the music world. We are NOT including a TOURS section in our MAY 2020 Newsletter because no schedule of upcoming public events would be reliable. Countless concerts and festivals worldwide for May and beyond have already been cancelled, and the situation remains fluid, changing daily. We can't predict what events will be held this summer.  We hope this situation improves soon, and look forward to including a Tours section in future Newsletters.   Please take care of yourselves & stay safe. We look forward to attending live concerts with you again, sometime in the not-too-distant future. Until then, sending all of you love and virtual hugs. – Cuneiform Records, May 2020 return to top Cuneiform Records' New SPRING 2020 Releases are  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!out now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JAZZ & IMPROV   CHAD TAYLOR TRIO featuring BRIAN SETTLES & NEIL PODGURSKI The Daily Biological Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS Catalog #: Cuneiform Rune 467 UPC:  045775046723 Genre:  JAZZ  Street Date: April 24, 2020 scroll below for more info TATSUYA NAKATANI & SHANE PARISH Interactivity Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS Catalog #: Cuneiform Rune 469 UPC:  045775046921 Genre:  JAZZ / IMPROVISATION Street Date: April 24, 2020 scroll below for more info !!!!!!!OUT NOW!!!!!!  CHAD TAYLOR TRIO featuring BRIAN SETTLES & NEIL PODGURSKI The Daily Biological Artist: CHAD TAYLOR TRIO featuring BRIAN SETTLES and NEIL PODGURSKI Title: THE DAILY BIOLOGICAL Label: CUNEIFORM Catalog #: Cuneiform Rune 467 UPC:  045775046723 Genre:  JAZZ  Street Date: April 24, 2020         As the debut recording of an ensemble rooted in deep and abiding friendships The Daily Biological is a creatively roiling conversation. The unusual trio of drums (Chad Taylor), saxophone (Brian Settles) and piano (Neil Podgurski) creates tough and engaging music that unfurls in kinetic conversational bursts.         Taylor is probably best known as co-founder of the Chicago Underground Duo with trumpeter Rob Mazurek (and the numerous Underground iterations). A professional on the Chicago scene from the age of 16, he’s worked with many of the most celebrated artists in improvised music including Fred Anderson, Pharoah Sanders, Nicole Mitchell, Matana Roberts, Ken Vandermark, Darius Jones, James Brandon Lewis, Jaimie Branch, Derek Bailey, Marc Ribot, and Peter Brötzmann, and has also led numerous acclaimed ensembles of his own.         The absence of a bass means all three players sometimes step into the low-end role. A musical problem to be solved “we all approached it differently,” Taylor says. “All of our tunes explore different ways to utilize a trio without a bass. You need to be really strong in your playing.”         Part of the reason the music feels so lived in is that Taylor traces his friendships with Settles and Podgurski back to their mid-1990s undergrad years in the New School in New York City.  Years later, determined to start playing together again, they set out creating a body of music for a specific grant. When the grant didn’t come through, Taylor felt so strongly about the budding ensemble that he spearheaded the quest for gigs and recording opportunities.  It’s hardly news that Taylor is one of jazz’s most dependably inspired drummers. The Daily Biological should turn many more ears onto his vivid imagination as a bandleader and composer, opening a new window into his expansive musical vision.     ~~~~~~~~~~ "The album..is startling, music that verges on "free" yet there are times when the beat is so powerful it feels as if the drums could knock you off your feet. ... "The Daily Biological", if you listen deeply, will change your idea of "power trios."  No over-amped guitars, fuzzy bass lines, no ponderous drums; instead, this is music teeming with ideas, interactions, inventive solos, intelligent writing, and more.  ...an auspicious recorded debut for the Chad Taylor Trio..."   –Richard Kamins,  StepTempest  return to top !!!!!!!OUT NOW!!!!!! TATSUYA NAKATANI & SHANE PARISH Interactivity Artist: TATSUYA NAKATANI & SHANE PARISH Title: INTERACTIVITY Label: CUNEIFORM Catalog #: Cuneiform Rune 469 UPC:  045775046921 Genre:  JAZZ / IMPROVISATION Street Date: April 24, 2020   ●      Tatsuya Nakatani is an avant-garde percussionist and composer, active internationally since the 1990's; Nakatani tours extensively, performing over 150 concerts a year. He teaches master classes and lectures at universities and music conservatories around the world. Originally from Japan, he makes his home in the desert town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Nakatani creates his distinctive music centered around his adapted bowed gong, in consort with his hand-carved Kobo Bow and supported by an array of drums, cymbals, and singing bowls. Within this contemporary work, one can still recognize the dramatic pacing, formal elegance and space (‘ma') felt in traditional Japanese music.   ●      Shane Parish is a guitarist from Asheville, North Carolina, who is known for his work fronting the electric and agressive, avant-technical duo Ahleuchatistas, who mix influences of jazz, progressive rock, avant-garde, and experimental to create a unique sound and who have toured internationally and have released 8 albums released on Tzadik, International Anthem and Cuneiform Records. Additionally, he is simultaneously known for his dexterious, finger-style acoustic guitar work, informed by Americana masters such as Fahey and Basho but also reflecting his own wide range of musical interests as well as his continuing study of folksongs from all over the world.          Interactivity is the second album by the duo. The master percussionist and guitarist have been collaborating for nearly a decade, performing improvised duets in Parish’s hometown of Asheville, whenever Nakatani’s annual world tour brought him through the Appalachian Mountain town. Both musicians are lifers, committed to advancing their respective crafts, and the passage of time has allowed their musical growth to push their collaboration to new heights and possibilities.      Interactivity was recorded in performance at Static Age in late spring, 2018 and finds both players at the top of their game in a live setting, featuring telepathic communication, deep listening, texture, and explosive energy. ~~~~~~~~ "In short, if you are attuned to free improv, guitar, and percussion, Interactivity is a must-have. There just isn’t much precedent for this recording as Nakatani and Parish stretch their respective instruments to the breaking point and beyond." – Mike Borella, AvantMusicNews  return to top !!! Upcoming Releases !!! Cuneiform Records' SUMMER 2020 RELEASES JAZZ & IMPROV stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks ~~~~ STIRRUP + 6 The Avondale Addition   Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS Catalog #: Cuneiform Rune 473 UPC:  045775047324 Genre:  JAZZ  Street Date: July 17, 2020 Stirrup: Fred Lonberg-Holm - lightbox operator Nick Macri - bass Charles Rumback - drums + 6: Jen Clare Paulson - viola Zoots Houston - electronics  Keefe Jackson - reeds  Russ Johnson - trumpet Peter Maunu - guitar, violin  Mars Williams - reeds   THUMBSCREW The Anthony Braxton Project   Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS Catalog #: Cuneiform Rune 475 UPC:  045775047522 Genre:  JAZZ / IMPROVISATION Street Date: July 17, 2020 Thumbscrew: Mary Halvorson - Guitar Michael Formanek - Double Bass Tomas Fujiwara - Drums & Vibraphone All compositions by Anthony Braxton return to top RECENT / WINTER 2020 RELEASES from  CUNEIFORM RECORDS   CHEER-ACCIDENT Chicago XX Released February 28, 2020 on CD and in Digital (download & streaming) Formats Genre: post-rock / post-pop / alternative experimental   Another really great, indefinable Cheer-Accident album that stylistically veers everywhere, Chicago XX  is Cheer-Accident's 4th studio album on Cuneiform Records.  Cheer-Accident were scheduled to celebrate the release of  Chicago XX   by performing March 28, 2020 at the  Big Ears Festival in Knoxville TN, but  the USA's top festival for adventurous new music was cancelled because of the corona virus.  ~~~ “Cheer-Accident have just released their 20th album, Chicago XX, whose cover pays terry-cloth tribute to the band once known as the Chicago Transit Authority. ...this constantly mutating nexus...have perfected an organic dadaism that makes them kin to the Residents, say, or Henry Cow, or Canada’s Nihilist Spasm Band. ...their free-range eclecticism is warm and welcoming –they're a highly intelligent band but never spill into off-putting cerebral iciness. ...      Originally a noisy postpunk outfit..in the mid-90s Cheer-Accident turned to a much more melodic and mellifluous sound, producing some of the most strangely beautiful music—or just straight-up most beautiful music—to ever come out of the Chicago indie scene. ...2017’s Putting Off Death [Cuneiform], 2018’s Fades, and the new Chicago XX—all masterpieces. Maturity has its benefits. ... [Thymme] Jones tells me he was delighted by a comment from a fan at a recent show who insisted that the band combine Chicago with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It’s as accurate an elevator pitch as anything I could come up with, honestly, except that Cheer-Accident are far funnier than either.” – Monica Kendrick / Chicago Reader  ~~~ return to top Cuneiform Records'Annual Sampler Features Tracks from 11 Albums Released in 2019 CUNEIFORM RECORDS: THE ALBUMS OF 2019 This year's digital Cuneiform Records Sampler is available via Bandcamp for PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT.   Get your copy now!   FIVE TIMES SURPRISE  - Five Times Surprise  (Henry Kaiser & Anthony Pirog–six-string guitar; Tracy Silverman–six-string electric violin; Jeff Sipe-drums; Andy West–six-string bass)  COUNTRY/band location: USA (East & West Coasts) FORMAT: CD & digital release  GENRE: electric jazz/ avant rock        GHOST RYTHMS - Live at Yoshiwara (Xavier Gélard–drums, compositions; Camille Petit–piano, compositions; Guillaume Aventurin–guitar; Alexis Collin–accordion; Gregory Kosovski–bass; Morgan Lowenstein–percussion; Nadia Mejri-Chapelle–cello; Tom Namias–electric guitar; David Rousselet–sax; Maxime Thiébaut–saxes)    COUNTRY/band location:  France FORMAT:  CD & digital release.  GENRE: avant/art rock; jazz-rock   RICHARD LEO JOHNSON     Glidepath  (Richard Leo Johnson–6&12 string guitar; Jud Martindale–percussion; Steve Patrick–piano; Ed Nicholson–electric guitar).   COUNTRY/band location: USA (Savannah, GA) FORMAT:  Digital reissue. GENRE: Americana / 'beyond jazz' / ambient / visionary guitar RICHARD LEO JOHNSON     The Sleeping Porch  (Richard Leo Johnson - 6&12 string solo guitar).  COUNTRY/band location: USA (Savannah, GA) FORMAT:  Digital reissue     GENRE: Americana / 'beyond jazz' / ambient / visionary guitar             LE REX - Escape of the Fire Ants (Andreas Tschopp –trombone; Marc Unternahrer tuba; Benedikt Reising & Marc Stucki–saxes; Rico Baumann–drums).    COUNTRY/band location:  Switzerland FORMAT: CD & Digital release   GENRE:  jazz & beyond; brass band     TOMEKA REID QUARTET - Old New (Tomeka Reid–cello; Jason Roebke–bass;  Tomas Fujiwara–drums;  Mary Halvorson–guitar)  COUNTRY/band location: USA (Chicago/New York City) FORMAT:  CD & Digital release    GENRE: contemporary jazz / avant jazz    THE SPELLCASTERS - Music from the Anacostia Delta (Anthony Pirog, Joel Harrison &  Dave Chappell–telecaster guitars; Danny Gatton's rhythm section: John Previti–bass, Barry Hart–drums).    COUNTRY/band location: USA (Washington DC) FORMAT: CD & Digital release.  GENRE:  hybrid jazz/ rockabilly/ R&B/ country/ rock’n’roll / "hybrid music native to Anacostia Delta/Washington DC region / Danny Gatton / Roy Buchanan tribute band    UPSILON ACRUX – Volucris Avis Dirae​-​Arum   (Jesse Appelhans –drums; Derek Burns–drums; Eric Kiernowski– bass; Nick Lejejs–Moogs; Paul Lai–guitar) COUNTRY/band location: USA (Los Angeles) FORMAT:  Digital reissue.  GENRE:  brutal prog / avant progressive.   UPSILON ACRUX – Last Train Out      (Jesse Klecker–drums; Paul Lai–guitar; Cameron Presley–guitar; Eric Kiernowski– bass; Muir Tennerstet–bass)  COUNTRY/band location: USA (Los Angeles)  FORMAT:  Digital reissue.  GENRE:  brutal prog / avant progressive.   UPSILON ACRUX –   The Last Pirates Of Upsilon    (Jesse Klecker–drums; Josh Quon–bass, piano, viola, drums, sax;  Cameron Presley–guitar, bass, Moog;  Paul Lai–guitar, piano, Moog, sax;  Mark Cisneros–sax; Christiaan Cruz–sax; Mike Flowers–cornet; Rob Pash–trumpet; Don Munoz–pocket trumpet; Devin Sarno–ambient-destructo bass; Bobb Bruno–crate 'glass-on-glass' guitar).   COUNTRY/band location: USA (Los Angeles) FORMAT:  Digital reissue.  GENRE:  brutal prog / avant progressive.   UPSILON ACRUX –   In The Acrux Of The Upsilon King  (Jesse Klecker–drums, percussion, bow; Paul Lai–guitar, Moog, reeds; Muir Tennerstet –bass, Moog; Cameron Presley–guitar, Moog, reeds; & Glen Galloway; Steve Blake and Josh Quon) COUNTRY/band location: USA (Los Angeles) FORMAT:  Digital reissue.  GENRE:  brutal prog / avant progressive.                return to top   BIRDSONGS OF THE MESOZOIC 2001 Live Birds Released January 31, 2020 in Digital-Only Formats (download & streaming) Genre: chamber-rock/ avant-progressive/ post-rock/ 21st century post-classical [click image for sound sample]   Re-issued on Cuneiform Records in digital-only formats (downloads and streaming), 2001 Live Birds is a live recording of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic's performance at NEARfest, the premiere US festival of international progressive music, and was originally released on CD in 2004 on NEARfest Records. Cuneiform has released eight studio recordings since 1989 by Birdsongs, the Boston-based chamber-rock co-founded by keyboardists Erik Lindgren and Roger Miller; 2001 Live Birds is the label's first live Birdsongs recording.   THINKING PLAGUE Upon Both Your Houses Released January 31, 2020 in Digital-Only Formats (download & streaming) Genre: avant-progressive / post-rock / 21st century post-classical [click image for sound sample]   Digitally released by Cuneiform in download and streaming formats, Upon Both Your Houses is a live recording by Denver-based Thinking Plague, one of the most compositionally-complex ensembles on the international avant-progressive/ Rock-in-Opposition-style/ post-rock/ chamber rock scene. Recorded in 2000 at NEARfest, mixed and mastered by Bob Drake, and originally released on CD by NEARfest Records, it not only provides an excellent cross-section of the group's repertoire but is also an extremely rare glimpse of the band performing its intricate music – all of it composed by composer/ bandleader/ guitarist Mike Johnson – live. Upon Both Your Houses is the first live Thinking Plague recording on Cuneiform, which previously released six studio recordings by the band.     ~~~~~~~~~~ return to top BE SOCIAL WITH CUNEIFORM RECORDS! JOIN US ONLINE: CUNEIFORM RECORDS visit us on the web, at: Official Website Twitter SoundCloud YouTube Bandcamp Instagram Facebook GROUP: FANS of Cuneiform Records Official Facebook Page: Cuneiform Records return to top Copyright © 2020 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? 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