Bklyn Sounds 11/13/2024—11/19/2024
This Week's Shows Include Abdullah Ibrahim / DOC NYC Festival / Wendy Eisenberg / Pique-nique x Will Shore 'Present Sounds' / Thandiswa Mazwai / Phong Tran + sinonó + ọmọlolú Refilwe Babátúndé / more
There is something that I am trying to say right now. Something about this moment, about why it’s not (too much of) a surprise, and how it actually clears the head. Something about why Dada Strain’s principles were designed for a moment like this, how those principles being put into action by an off-the-plane immigrant both cynical and righteous enough to believe in destroying old paradigms and creating new institutions, is Dada Strain’s blessing (and maybe later, will be its curse). I don’t wanna f*ck up how I say it, so rather than publish something rushed, I’m gonna dot the i’s, cross the t’s, and ask my fact-checking cuz to peep it. (And leave the paywall down while I do.)
What I do want all Dada Strain readers and subscribers to know immediately is that I am not going anywhere! That I am going to loudly support the community I believe myself to be a part of; that I will vocally champion it and do everything to help it survive and then thrive; and that I will do so with my ethics and principles in tact. That Dada Strain will grow. From the beginning of this project, I stated that I believe “Rhythm Improvisation and Community” to be more than a cute t-shirt slogan; I thought it contained the seeds of a way to restructure the world. Now, as predicted, we have little choice but to dream up a new structure. So the werk pivots and begins anew.
Thank you for sticking around, tell your friends to join us.
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This Week’s Shows:
Patrick Gibin is the founder of Mother Tongue, an Italian vinyl-pressing plant, record label and distributor that over the last decade, has become one of the most trusted names in the house music community. It’s part of a network that works primarily within and for the culture — not ignoring the commercial morass but paying it much less mind. Gibin is in town with some new records. And, as befitting the above, he’s playing at Joe Claussell’s record store/clubhouse/hang-out spot. (Wed 11/13, 7p @ Cosmic Arts, Bushwick - FREE)
Another Bunton's World Famous Benefit, but this one’s more punk, more immediate community. Proprietor Kareem Bunton was a longtime Max Fish bartender, so it’s awesome to see official/unofficial Max Fish house punk-band Slam Section (a neighborhood super-group of sorts) reform for a minute to top the bill. Mighty drummer-for-all Ryan Sawyer is on-hand to do…something. There’s also synth-poppers Bubbles, the indie trio Cool Whip, and inevitable special guests. Please donate to Bunton's World Famous rebuilding GoFundMe. (Wed 11/13, 8p @ Union Pool, Williamsburg - $25)
FILM: The annual DOC NYC Festival, which as its title implies, focuses on documentaries, moves into a handful of downtown Manhattan theaters over the next week-plus. As always, there is a good number of music-related features on the schedule, profiles of artists, scenes, and sounds (full music list here). And there’s a few worth pointing out: Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, which tells the tale of the legendary 1960s trans soul singer; Devo, a profile of the great pre-/post-punk/new wave band; Harley Flanagan: Wired For Chaos, a biography of the founder of NYC hardcore kings, The Cro-Mags, whose own Lower East Side childhood is adorned with the city’s cultural history; and Disco’s Revenge, another re-telling of a more popular New York-centric story behind a dance-music that changed everything. Check for locations and screening times, and jump on the tickets, as everything does sell out. (Wed 11/13—Thurs 11/21 @ Various Theaters, Manhattan - most screenings $20)
The Pique-nique Records fam returns for another Present Sounds at the LSD Loft, and they’re bringing along a Dada Strain #BklynSounds favorite, Will Shore. A superlative improvising vibraphonist who studied under Butch Morris, Shore is also a producer of electronic music—at times minimal and forward, at other times lush and dreamy—and his live sets combine his chops and programming. Shore hasn’t done a solo vibes+electronics set in a long time, so this is a treat. Highest Recommendation. (Thurs 11/14, 7p @ Light and Sound Design, Greenpoint - $20-$30)
For all the sh*t that 2024 has wrought, there’s the musical blessing that incomparable South African singer Thandiswa Mazwai is now performing in New York City for the third time in a calendar year. Thandiswa’s newest album Sankofa was produced in part by the mighty Meshell Ndegeocello, and by the exquisite SA-jazz pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, a regular collaborator. But her band in January was young, punky and electric, which speaks to how wide her musical net is. And through it all, Thandiswa’s voice transcends. A nice recent interview here. (Thurs 11/14, 8p @ Le Poisson Rouge, Greenwich Village - $35-$45)
Another week, another reason to go see the GOAT, guitarist Wendy Eisenberg, play music. This is why we live here, the constant opportunities to witness greatness unfolding. Word is that Thursday’s show will be heavy with personnel and sounds from Wendy’s recent landmark, Viewfinder, a jazz-rock-folk-singer/songwriter narrative sprawl that’s one of Dada Strain’s albums of the year (#BklynSounds or otherwise). An artist atop their game. Get there early for Lynn Avery’s excellent Iceblink, more wonderfully thought-through, textured, meditative music. Highest Recommendation! (Thurs 11/14, 8p @ Union Pool, Williamsburg - $20)
When two festivals clash! The great folks behind Dripping, one of the tri-state area’s best new-music endeavors, are collaborating with the visiting smarties from Krakow, Poland’s world-famous new music concern, Unsound. (Thurs 11/14, 8p @ Nowadays, Ridgewood - $30)
A.Sarr and e.g.’s mostly-locals, original-productions-only happy hour, Heartbeats, returns to the neighborhood techno club. The beauty of this evening is not in recognizing the bold names, but responding to the work, sitting in the corner, taking notes for the future, because whenever I go (full disclosure: haven’t been since March), there are massive new sounds being played. This month’s presenters include Nelson Bandela, Slim Carrey (Bars), e.g. herself, and others. (Fri 11/15, 7p @ Bossa Nova Civic Club, Bushwick - FREE)
As legends of 20th-century music keep disappearing, it feels deeply important to salute the ones still around, and doing vital work. South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim may have just celebrated his 90th birthday, but earlier this year he released 3, a trio album that illustrates a late-career path: balancing the Ellingtonian majesty of his youth, the gorgeous Mzansi melodies that have been a staple of his classic compositions, and the ambient-baroque Zen spareness that has been his more recent forte. Ibrahim’s music is crucial to my world-view, so any additional opportunities to bask in his ideas are worth embracing. Highest Recommendation. (Fri 11/15, 7:30p @ 92nd Street Y, Kaufmann Concert Hall, Upper East Side - $40)
Wonderful DIY triple-bill at CuteLab, a secretly out-of-the-way spot in Gowanus. (DM for address, but easy walk from F/G Smith-9th stop.) Phong Tran is an electronics wiz, a synth composer whose work (both solo and in MediaQueer, a duo with Darian Donovan Thomas) is full of melody and deep enchantment. Speaking of enchantment, sinonó (isa crespo pardo, Lester St. Louis and Henry Fraser) is playing its first gig in a minute. Lastly, ọmọlolú Refilwe Babátúndé is a name new to me, but the beautiful folk song on their Bandcamp is special. (Sat 11/16, 8p @ CuteLab NYC, Gowanus - $15 NOTAFLOF)
This excellent three-room, deep-music takeover at Public Records is helmed by the mighty Fred P, once known as Black Jazz Consortium, and among the more profound house-minded DJ/producers to come out of NYC this century. Though he’s been in Berlin for a while, Fred’s vibe still reverberates. His Sound Room partner, Shawn Dub, plus Ella Hussle and Kels, who’ll hold down in PR’s Atrium, are all solid locals with excellent records and sound-vision. The evening’s other possible leftfield stand-out is Dare Balogun, a regular on London’s Balamii Radio, who is guaranteed to have some excellent African records and diaspora rhythms. (Sat 11/16, 10p @ Public Records, Gowanus - $20)
Belgian crate-digger DJ Sofa Elsewhere is still floating around the East Coast for a minute and landing at Black Flamingo, supported by a global-rhythms-minded collaboration, modrums b2b mixtiiii. (Sat 11/16, 10:30p @ Black Flamingo, Williamsburg - $10-$15)
ART + MUSIC: I first became familiar with Carol Szymanski’s practice of making alphabetic-sculptural brass instruments in October 2021, when she and jaimie branch collaborated at the Park Avenue Armory. The horns are gorgeous, odd-looking objects but eminently playable. Szymanski returns with a composition for brass and voice, “The Fall (Recirculation): 1st movement,” to be performed by vocalist Olivia Foschi as well as trumpeters Sam Jones and David Adewumi. (Sun 11/17, 3p & 5p @ Torn Page, Chelsea - Donation)
Another multi-instrumentalist/producer trying to create a unique space at the intersection of jazz and hip-hop, Cisco Swank returns from a short hiatus with a one-off late-Sunday show. (Sun 11/17, 10p @ Baby's All Right, Williamsburg - $20)
The electronic drum-circle A.B.E.L.A., the Asociación de Bateristas Electrónicos de Latinoamerica, will be at the great Tropical Vortex weekly that showcases all manner of tropical styles from all over Latinolandia. Excellent long-range, electro-ceremonial headspace music for the moment. (Mon 11/18, 9p @ Barbes, Park Slope - $15suggested)
FILM + MUSIC: Part of BAM’s Next Wave festival, “Sun Dogs: Filmmaker and Composer Pairings” is a two-night program presenting newly made short-film collaborations between noted directors from around the globe (including folks-of-the moment, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Mati Diop), and great young composers. As with most things Dada Strain, it’s hearing what the composers—Rafiq Bhatia, Devonté Hynes, and Arooj Aftab working with Daniel Wohl—bring to these visuals, that excites me. The works will be performed by Alarm Will Sound. (Mon 11/18 & Tues 11/19, 7:30p @ BAM Film, Downtown Bklyn - $25)
One of Dada Strain’s favorite music-playing humans in Bklyn (or anywhere), drummer Tcheser Holmes has put together an excellent free improv-minded triple-bill in Gowanus. It’s topped by XXE, Tcheser’s trio with the mighty gabby fluke-mogul on violin and pianist Mara Rosenbloom. The volcanic voice of Kyle Kidd will be in collaboration with drummer/producer Mauricio Escamilla. And the young flutist Samantha Kochis is also on-hand. (Tues 11/19, 8p @ iBeam, Gowanus - $20)
A super-group in the eyes of #BklynSounds, Lines of Light Vocal Ensemble is a quartet of composers/improvisers Amirtha Kidambi, Miriam Elhajli, Shara Lunon, and isabel crespo pardo. From the bio: "Lines of Light was formed in direct response to attacks on women, non-binary, and trans people’s bodily autonomy and the interconnection to the struggle for racial justice. Conceptually, the vocal ensemble is driven by the idea that communal singing is a direct path towards community building and collective liberation, drawing from forms such as Indian folk and devotional bhajans, gospel and other vocal folk and improvised traditions." Tuesday marks their debut performance. (Tues 11/19, 8p @ Roulette, Downtown Bklyn - $25/$30)
Zion Battle, who records as Katzin, is a young punky, singer-songwriter-guitarist who grew up in NYC, has a local’s eye for narrative detail, and a great ear for oddball song construction. (Full disclosure: I have been giving Zion musical feedback since he was 15, but he’s gone viral and grown all on his own.) This is the biggest show Katzin has played till now. Come out for the next generation! Also: Max Morgen, Bobbie Lovesong and Nonequator. (Tues 11/19, 8p @ TV Eye, Ridgewood - $15)