Bklyn Sounds: 4/11/2023 - 4/17/2023 + FAQ
Bklyn Sounds FAQ + Shows: Annea Lockwood / Luke Stewart, Steve Swell & Hans Tammen / "Love Injection" anniversary / Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 / Dreamcast Moe / Užupis / Muyassar Kurdi / and more
As I wrote last week, I am currently traveling and out of the city, but Bklyn Sounds continues. I thought it was a good time to take it from behind the paywall, and give a quick re-introduction in order to spread the word, to get folks who read it for free to consider becoming paid subscribers. Towards that end, last week I recap’d “what Bklyn Sounds is,” “why it is what it is” and “where it came from.” This week, I wanted to address questions and queries that have come up along the way, the personal ethical choices made in the musicking world I want to present. I hope it makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions.
When I write that Dada Strain and Bklyn Sounds is the product of thinking about rhythm, improvisation and community, it is not just about styles of music, or of supporting folks immediately around me, doing the great musicking work. Though it is that too. It is also about the intentions behind the creativity and the gatherings, and how I gather them to be. Is it judgmental? Hell, yes. Is that judgment absolute? Hopefully, no. But as someone I respect once wrote, “a man must have a code,” and I believe the upkeep of a community requires one. So the FAQ below folds together the questions about - and the ideas behind - Bklyn Sounds. The central one being:
“How Are Events on Bklyn Sounds Chosen?”
There is a simple answer which I have already stated in last week’s introduction, and in the notion that Bklyn Sounds is about events that promote rhythm, improvisation and community. But “which events?” of the many many that take place in the city, also requires follow-up questions on my part. Some of which are:
“Is the show sold out?” - I will not promote shows that are, at the time of writing (between Sunday evening and Tuesday morning), already sold out. I do not think it is a good editorial policy to preview events that general readers are unable to attend no matter how great they might be. Too many folks write about those events already anyway.
“Who is promoting the show?” or “Where is the show taking place?” - Generally speaking, this is about largess, notions of community, and telling people about already well-promoted events. So writing about events produced by corporations such as Live Nation and AEG (or subsidiaries like Bowery Presents), or which take place at venues like Barclays and Madison Square Garden, or Kings Theater and Radio City Music Hall, is not really worth my time. Again, there are plenty of editorial outlets that write about them. And those who are interested in these events, have gotten tickets months ahead - whereas I am only writing about things week-of. This is certainly not absolute, and I am hardly a hater of all such events: Mostly, I avoid shows at (major promoter) club venues, but there are many many exceptions. That said, if you are looking for big touring shows, or marquee events taking place at major institutions, Bklyn Sounds is less likely to be your one-stop events-listings shop.
“How much does it cost?” - Another case-by-case basis, as diligent readers may have already noticed. I’m mega-conscious of the costs of shows - especially now. Of course, I want artists to get paid and well-meaning venue owners/producers to earn their keep. But I generally bristle at super-expensive events (much less, those arena shows), at the cost of super-special small-scale/major-artist appearances, and at clubs which have exorbitant door + two-drinks minimum charges. All that said, there are times when such circumstances are hard to argue against. Old-school jazz clubs have line-ups you can’t see anywhere else, in rooms that make those shows an incredible experience. Some artists demand big fees to play one-offs that are also hard to ignore. And some major events are just too good, regardless of the price. It all depends on who, what, where, why, and of course how much? And this is where my personal taste comes into play as to whether I list it or not.
“Where is the show?” - Sometimes the question of the venue is not a matter of who owns it but of user experience, for both performing artist and audience. And I’d be a liar if I said this is not of utmost importance to whether or not I list it. There are venues I avoid like the plague — because of quality of sound, sight-lines or treatment of audiences and performers, or because of audiences they may attract. And if I do, I am unlikely to recommend readers going there, regardless of how much I may admire the artist playing there. That is just me. But again, this is a case-by-case basis. Another note about location: I try to go to all the clubs/venues where I recommend events, and prior to my visit, I try to keep recommendations to a minimum. It’s only fair.
“Do you really recommend this?” - The #1 rule of Bklyn Sounds is that I want to see the event that I am writing about - and would go if I could. The primary reason I write about an event is my interest in it, which hopefully translates to interest by people who subscribe to Dada Strain.
This then is my thinking behind Bklyn Sounds choices. I like to think that I am open to amending them all, as long as the musicking experiences remain the primary reason these events are produced. If the intentions are honorable, I generally believe you will not go wrong. Let me know if you have any questions. And, as always, thank you for reading, following and listening.
THIS WEEK’s SHOWS:
Užupis is an oddly configured percussion trio: twin vibraphonists Kenny Wollesen and Will Shore, alongside drummer Dalius Naujo (ne Dalius Naujokaitis), all veterans of NYC’s improvised music community. Naujo moved here from Vilnius in the mid-’90s, which is why it should come as no surprise that Užupis, named after a bohemian neighborhood in the Lithuanian capital that declared itself an independent republic, performs pieces influenced by the country’s folk music. (Tues 4/11, 9p @ Bar LunAtico 486 Halsey St. Bed-Stuy - $10)
Peter Manheim is the drummer/keyboardist in Chicago’s wonderful indie-soul-jazz sextet Resavoir. He has just dropped a brand-new solo EP out, for which this is a release show. And it’s a great celebratory line-up, also featuring a quartet version of Bklyn Sounds Afro-funk faves Super Yamba Band, as well as the Charlotte Grieve-led art-pop quartet, Wood River. (Tues 4/11, 7p @ Sultan Room 234 Starr St. Bushwick - $19)
The sound artist Annea Lockwood and electronic composer Ruth Anderson were partners in work and in life for over 50 years, before Anderson passed away in 2019. Tête-à-tête, a brand-new album set to be released by New York’s Ergot Records, collects their private experiments and collages, and goes a great way to explain how in these women’s hands everything you thought you knew about 20th century experimental electronic music may not have been all there was. This Poetry Project event is an album release that will include an introduction by Lockwood, a listening session of the album, and a DJ set by Ergot’s Adrian Rew, playing LPs from Annea and Ruth’s personal collection. (Wed. 4/12 @ The Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church 131 E. 10th St. Manhattan - FREE)
The second of Muyassar Kurdi’s two artist-in-residence performances at Roulette is entitled “A Daughter of Isis.” It is a free-sound trio “paired with graphic scores that present movements and poetic fragments which trace the lineage of the Arab diaspora” featuring Kurdi on extended voice and piano, joined by Camilo Angeles on flutes and Chris Williams on trumpet and electronics. (Read more about Muyassar Kurdi’s practice.) (Wed 4/12, 8p @ Roulette 509 Atlantic Ave. Downtown Brooklyn - $25adv/$30)
I can’t tell you how long saxophonist Stephen Gauci has been running an Improvised Music Series because, when I started looking for improvised nights in Brooklyn pre-pandemic, his was already there. For the past year, Gauci’s night has been operating out of Williamsburg’s Main Drag Music on most Wednesdays, with many great players in regular attendance. This week’s stacked line-up, has one trio jumping out: Hans Tammen, “a worker in rhythms, frequencies, and intensities” on buchla, Steve Swell on trombone, and the mighty Luke Stewart on bass. Also appearing are a quartet led by drummer Marc Edwards, and a trio led by Gauci. (Wed 4/12, 7p @ Main Drag Music 50 S. 1st St. Williamsburg - $20)
Pianist Micah Thomas has been hot sh*t on New York’s jazz scene for a few years now, playing with all the right people (he’s great in Immanuel Wilkins’ band) and receiving all the right praise. During this week’s residency at The Stone, he’s also getting a bit weird. This night features Thomas not on piano but on synths (which I find no recorded evidence of - readers: please send if you do), alongside another synthesizer player, Spencer Whitfield, in a wonderfully oddball quartet rounded out by Kalia Vandever on trombone, and voice by the mighty Taja Cheek. (Thurs 4/13, 8:30p @ Glassbox Theater at The Stone 55 W. 13th St. Manhattan - $20)
Under the guidance of legendary theater director George C. Wolfe and with help from the folks at Bed-Stuy’s excellent queer-space club C’Mon Everybody, Lincoln Center’s critically vaunted American Songbook series seems to have finally discovered The Club. I have no idea how this night devoted to “The Paradise Garage” is gonna go, but between LC’s production partners, and the talent — multi-disciplinary nightlife duo Dragon Sisters, Brooklyn house-music duo Illustrious Blacks, Harlem’s DJ Samuella — it might be a proper tribute to one of the great clubs in New York history. (Fri. 4/14 @ David Rubinstein Atrium at Lincoln Center 61 W. 62nd St. Manhattan - FREE)
When saxophonist David Murray returned to New York City a few years ago and started putting together a new group of all young players, the Madrid-born pianist Marta Sanchez was among the first players he reached out to. Though she plays in his highly regarded (and not-yet-recorded) new quartet, tonight they play as a duo, at trombonist Craig Harris’ Harlem Jazz series. (Read more about David Murray - and Marta Sanchez.) (Fri. 4/14, 7p @ Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church 15 Mt Morris Park W. Manhattan - $25)
When Fela passed away in 1997, his youngest son, Seun Kuti, took over the band leadership of his father’s great Egypt 80 band. And while global media initially anointed his brother Femi as Afrobeat’s natural heir, the longer Seun fronts the group, the more obvious it is that his father’s revolutionary musical energy is actually his for the taking. Kuti & Egypt 80 perform as part of the Apollo’s annual ‘Africa Now!’ festival. (Sat 4/15, 8p @ Apollo Theater 253 West 125th St. Manhattan - $28-$70)
A vocalist and improviser (among many other skills), DC’s Dreamcast Moe mixes live performance and DJing as fluidly as he moves from sound to sound and vibe to vibe. I’ve only ever seen him in loose, late-afternoon situations, where Moe’s blending of crooning and rapping, dance- and soul-beats, has been sharp and fun and emo AF. Which means this late-night at Black Flamingo begins with a lot of promise. (Sat 4/15, 10:30p @ Black Flamingo 168 Borinquen Pl. Williamsburg - $10-$15)
As I say over and over, Dada Strain (and Bklyn Sounds) is a commitment to rhythm, improvisation and community; and Barbie Bertisch and Paul Raffaele, the duo behind Love Injection (‘zine, party, radio show, label) are an embodiment of that commitment. My work once inspired them, and theirs now often inspires mine. On Saturday night, Love Injection is celebrating its Eight Anniversary at public records. Once the riff-raff clears, it’s gonna be a community dance-party. Y’all should come. (Sat. 4/15, 11p @ public records 253 Butler St. Gowanus - $30)
Alto saxophonist Tim Berne is one of the city’s (and if I’m getting hyper-local, my Brooklyn neighborhood’s) improvising mainstays, an old-school abstractionist who’s got a standards-player’s way with the changes. If you want, you can catch him at Lowlands in Gowanus, and at Park Slope’s Barbes a few nights a month, always in the presence of worthy contemporaries or folks on the way to being. Sunday night, he’s with pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Kate Gentile. (Sun 4/16, 8p @ Barbes 376 9th St. Park Slope - $20)