Bklyn Sounds 10/18/2023 - 10/24/2023 + Is Community Real?

Thinking out loud, trying to make sense + Shows: L'Rain / Daniel Villareal / Caroline Davis / Craig Harris / Sweater on Polo / "Soul in the Horn" / "John Zorn Plays Harry Smith" / and more

The past couple of weeks have been pretty hard to bear for any number of reasons — personal, professional, societal. And every single day brings an escalation of horrors, or dreadful disappointments — a new kind of pressure or an increase in familiar oppression. I am being purposefully opaque because this is not only about what’s happening far away, but about what’s happening all around us, our neighborhoods, our so-called industries.

I’ve been thinking and writing a lot about loss recently — some of that will be published shortly. But even more so, I’ve been thinking and writing about community — it is after all, one of this project’s tenets. About what community even means, whether it’s truly possible across national, racial, religious, and political lines; and subsequently, about whether there is actually such a thing as “universal” ideals. Or if power and capital and an unequivocal right for everyone to assert individual identity is really all there is.

I am trying to square the circle between a people’s right to self-sovereignty, self-defense, and self-development (which I believe in with all my heart), and the fact that there have to be self-governing limits to those actions (don’t there?) when short-term gains lead to long-term disasters. And I honestly don’t know what the solution is.

But still I keep searching. I write about music and participate in musicking not to escape from what is happening in the world or on my timeline. I do it because it’s been my experience that this is where I find the closest thing to a real answer, one which makes sense on the morning after. And I do it with the hope that this werk (with a “we,” like Angel taught me) brings other participants closer to their own answers. 

More soon. Please take care of yourselves and each other. 

Listings are free again this week, but if you like what happens at Dada Strain and find Bklyn Sounds useful, please consider a paid subscription.  

This Week’s Shows:

London-based Nigerian vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader Dele Sosimi first made his name in Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80, then in Femi’s Positive Force. But for the past decade, Sosimi has been a cornerstone of London’s Afrobeat and soul community, making a steady stream of excellent recordings under his own name, while playing with many others. He’s making an all-too-rare New York appearance to celebrate the release of producer Joe Claussell’s mixes of Sosimi’s 2002 solo debut, “Turbulent Times.” This free event at Clausell’s record shop is billed as a talk, but don’t be surprised if funky live sounds emanate. (Wed 10/18, 7p @ Cosmic Arts, Bushwick - FREE with RSVP)

Drummer Daniel Villareal is a Chicago music mainstay - I first learned of his prowess through the group Dos Santos, which brought together Afro-Latin musics (salsa, cumbia) with jazz and R&B under a garage-band sensibility. Villareal’s solo sounds do the same, but lean into improvisatory interactions. He just released a great new trio album, Lados B, with guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butters. Not sure if they’re on the road with him, but whoever is on-board, Villareal’s sets are always a joy of explorative funky Latin-leaning soul. (Wed 10/18, 8p @ public records, Gowanus - $20)

A second Bklyn gig in three months for Forró in the Dark after a few years of lying low, seems a hint that the Brazilian folk-rhythmalists who make up one of New York’s best bands are working on something together again. Forró’s leftfield sambas smoke hard, and their guests include some of the world’s greatest musicians, so you never know. Opening is Alexia Bomtempo, a Brazilian-American jazz/bossa nova chanteuse who also embraces the weirder sonics. (Wed 10/18, 8p @ The Sultan Room Rooftop, Bushwick - $15-20) 

Jitwam is a multi-instrumentalist child of four contents, a self-described “psychedelic soul savant” and, based on his very-dope The Jazz Diaries label, a man of wealth and taste. He’s a first-rate crooning documentarian of a borderless global life, and consistently leads excellent bands (this one features the next-level New Zealand drummer Myele Manzanza). Singer Allysha Joy of Melbourne’s soul-jazz 30/70 Collective opens. (Thurs 10/19, 7p @ Babys All Right, Williamsburg - $20)

True to its name, Teteo, Dominican slang for a banging party, has a crisp line-up of American-Latinx futurists turning dembow into electronic club experiments. Beyonce producer Kelman Duran and the Ecuadoran sound artist Riobamba are the known attractions. Also on the bill Brooklyn Dominican DJ aguaepanti, Queens Dominican DJ Fried Platano and Brooklyn Haitian selector Duneska. (Thurs 10/19, 10p @ Paragon, Bedford-Stuyversant - Free before 10:30p w/RSVP / $12-18)

Visiting electronic experimentalists alert. CoH (in Russian, pronounced “sone,” meaning “dream”) is Stockholm-based Ivan Pavlov, a longtime collaborator of Throbbing Gristle/Coil’s Peter Christopherson, who experiments with Pop Ambience in the way Kompakt used the term when they gave that name to an annual compilation series. African-American Sound Recordings is the producer monicker of Memphis hip-hop outsider Cities Aviv, whose own “beats” range from gospel loops to atmospheric washes to drum-machine divergences. Minimalist Brandon Nickell (lately of outer Houston) makes post-techno rhythmic digitalia meant for loud systems. (Fri 10/20, 8p @ Union Pool, Williamsburg - $20)

What’s the word for the joy one feels when people you’ve known for a while — whose creative work you’ve supported for a long-time, whose approach to that work and to the community has had an effect on your own — receive critical and commercial flowers in real time? Like, what’s the opposite of schadenfreude? Bklyn grrrl Taja Cheek, who leads  L’Rain, is one of those people, and the continuation of her art-rock project’s break-out moment — the new album I Killed Your Dog is as good as widely rated — makes me giddy. Come celebrate it tonight. Get there early for Russell E.L. Butler, a producer and DJ whose mix of techno traditionalism and forward-motion I shouted out way-back too, and who still brings it hard. Highest Recommendation (Fri 10/20, 8p @ Pioneer Works, Red Hook - $25)

Soul in the Horn comes to Brooklyn! If you’ve been going out in New York over the last decade, you likely know about DJ Natasha Diggs and promoter DProsper’s community gathering, one of the best DJ+live musicians vibes around…even if it too-often takes place in a Chelsea mall. Tonight though, they’re pulling up to a newly-renovated, old-school, Black-owned traditional Bklyn space. Baltimore house-music don Karizma is in tow, and there are other special TBD guests. Highest Recommendation. (Fri 10/20, 10p @ Crown Hill Theater, Crown Heights - $40)

Whoever does the talent IDing for Lifesavers: take a bow. Less than two years-old, this occasional party has become a great night to hear young techno artists trying out new things. My reason for being excited about this Friday’s edition is a live hardware set by Sweater on Polo, which, when it pops off, is one of my favorite musical things in town. Tonight also features D Strange from Chicago, and three poppin’ New Yorkers, Mengze, gbd (formerly Saville) and Honey Bun. Your favorite neighborhood techno bar on a Friday night: plan accordingly. (Fri 10/20, 10p @ Bossa Nova Civic Club, Bushwick - $10 before midnight) 

For awhile, trombonist Craig Harris seemed like he receded into boeing a secret musical treasure. He’s a one-time member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra, and a mainstay of the city’s jazz community, whose ensemble compositions speak to history and the Black cultural experience. (The Afrobeat-heavy “FESTAC ‘77,” inspired by Harris’ experience at the festival of that name, is a still unrecorded wonder.) The last few years, Harris’ pieces have been receiving increasingly more critical shine, and this weekend, at Harlem Stage, he is rolling out a new one: “Tongues of Fire (in a harlem state of mind).” (Fri 10/20 & Sat 10/21, 8p @ Harlem Stage, Manhattan - $25-40)

ART-FILM+MUSIC: A late addition to the ongoing “Zorn at 70” celebrations that have been toasting the New York-born and -bred saxophonist-improviser-composer-musicker all over town. In collaboration with the Whitney’s supposedly excellent retrospective of legendary artist-collector-social-polymath Harry Smith (whom Zorn studied under), the museum presents John Zorn Plays Harry Smith. Two dates where Zorn and a crack band of longtime collaborators (Ikue Mori on computer, bassist Jorge Roeder, drummer Kenny Grohowski) improvise new music to Smith’s lo-fi films. Highest Recommendation. (Fri 10/20, 8p & Sat. 10/21, 4p @ Whitney Museum of American Art, Manhattan - $10-$15)

Indie-rock show of the weekend. There’s been a buzz about the sets played by Rotterdam quartet Lewsberg on its first U.S. tour. The tradition kicked off by VU’s third album continues apace. Get there early for Weak Signal, a guitar-bass-drums trio writing some of my favorite anti-establishment roots-punk tunes, and for local post-punk poppers, Famous Logs in History. Get there early. Kudos to Dot Dosh for a season of great free shows at Mama Tried. (Sat 10/21, 4p @ Mama Tried, Sunset Park - FREE)

You’ve Come a Long Way Baby! Celebrating its Ninth Anniversary, Good Room has gone from being a decent club with excellent international bookings, to one of the essential spaces of the contemporary Bklyn community. All vibes, no attitude. Immense kudos to JDH and team for the transformation. The weekend-long anniversary salute is stacked with great locals, but special mention to Saturday night’s inter-generational soiree — Love Tempo (NYC lifer Justin Strauss + veteran Manc-in-NYC Billy Caldwell), the excellent Lovie, and the mighty homies Paul & Barbie Love Injection — bringing a whole lotta wide-world-of-acid-disco love to the proceedings. (Sat 10/21, 10p @ Good Room, Greenpoint - $15)

Brooklyn Museum’s Sunday afternoon Jazz in the Garden series has esteemed free-jazz drummer Pheeroan akLaff’s New African Brew project which “takes inspiration from his time living and performing in West Africa and incorporates a range of musical styles.” It’s a tie-in  to the last day of the museum’s Africa Fashion exhibit. (Sun 10/22, 2p @ Brooklyn Museum Sculpture Garden, Prospect Heights - Free with RSVP)

Spectacular triple-bill alert. Headliner Slauson Malone1 is the artist-name of Jasper Marsalis who’s gone from making key contributions to Standing on the Corner’s great early work, to co-producing the last L’Rain record, to shaping his own weird electronic-art-hiphop-music-concrete oeuvre for WARP Records. I’ve already gushed about Chakeiya Camille Richmond aka keiyaA’s mixture of soul-gospel singing and lo-fi-electronics/voice-manipulation practice; it’s a live wonder to behold. And Colloboh, Nigeria-born Baltimoran Collins Oboh, is a modular synthesizer wiz. Highest recommendation. (Sun 10/22, 8p @ Bowery Ballroom, Manhattan - $25)

The NYC debut of Detroit vocalist/producer Kesswa (Kesiena Wanogho), who like most excellent young artists from that legendary music city has her hands in all the corners of the Black American musical tradition. You could easily hear her voice and songs in the context of some jazz trio in a smoky club, but instead what you get is warm techno/house-inspired beats, and futurist energy. Excited to hear her at the Blank Forms “apartment.” (Mon 10/23, 7:30p @ Blank Forms, Clinton Hill - $15)

Lester St. Louis and Luke Stewart’s great Assembly series returns with its 10th monthly installment of experimental and improvisational music. And this time it has what feels like a featured performer: the quartet of Zoh Amba, Jim White, Shahzad Ismaily and Steve Gunn, whose performance of free-jazz-meets-folk-rock at Littlefield last month was kinda revelatory. But of course there’s more heat here: a solo set from Viennese free-jazz drummer and beat-producer Lukas König, the art-collective-in-residence Nate Wooley’s Mutual Aid Music, and an Indonesian music-influenced quartet of Peni Candra Rini, Shahzad Ismaily, Andy McGraw, and Gusti Sudarta. (Mon 10/23, 8p @ Sisters, Clinton Hill - $20)

As anyone who reads Dada Strain and Bklyn Sounds knows, New York is teeming with great improvising musicians, and for my money, alto saxophonist Caroline Davis is high on that list. Alula: Captivity, the electronics-heavy politically-focused album she just dropped, filled with samples and wondrous rhythmic asides courtesy of Val Jeanty and Tyshawn Sorey, is excellent work I’ve been playing constantly at home and on the radio. At Roulette, Davis is celebrating this music with two other Bklyn colleagues, bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Jason Nazary. (Tues 10/24, 8p @ Roulette, Downtown Brooklyn - $25adv/$30)