Julius Hemphill's Dogon A.D. has just been reissued in a remastered edition by New World.
"Meticulously remastered & includes a 28-page booklet with new notes by Marty Ehrlich, complemented by several stills from a 30-minute film of an early ’70s dance performance featuring complete performances of Dogon A.D. and Rites with Hemphill, Baikida Carroll, Phillip Wilson, and John Hicks.
This, at long last, is the definitive edition of this seminal jazz masterwork. "
Yeah, the label’s supposed to be sending me a copy. (It’s also coming back out on vinyl from Superior Viaduct.) I look forward to comparing it to the previous CD edition on International Phonograph from 2007. I played that one just the other day - it remains mind-blowing.
There is a new digital version of Machine Gun out, with bonus tracks. I highly recommend it. I bought a Dogon A.D. CD on BC Friday! I have half of your top ten, & none of the titles you want to hear. You know, a book like this could send a Free Jazz Music Addict down lots of rabbit holes. I wonder if I will make it back out in one piece. I'll let you know. 🤘😎🤘
A valuable post! If you haven't already, check out my Substack piece on a Cecil Taylor gig in the early '60s — when the new music was still in it's nascent stages. No, don't pay for a subscription. I just want to share it with like-minded folks.
Thanks for the write-up, I hadn’t heard of this book and look forward to checking it out. I too first came across Byron Coley’s writing in Spin and while his tastes are pretty catholic (I don’t understand how anyone could listen to as much music as that guy) he always manages to capture his excitement in his goofy riffing prose. I think about 60% of writers on experimental music today are still mining his writing for ideas.
I knew a guy in grad school who went to the coley hacienda, wish I could go there.. I bought a few records from him at Terrastock in the 2000s, seemed like a cool guy. He was actually pretty ripped.
Robert: I think that when Christopher says he "hadn't heard of this book", he's talking about the book under review here, Now Jazz Now, not your writing.
Its a fantastic book... my top book of last year... quite a few I've never heard... I do quite well on the Japanese titles...
Mats Gustafsson collection is truly amazing... never seen it, but it has been well featured... as you may guess he contribution sleeves to the book, "J Jazz - Free & Modern Jazz Albums From Japan 1954 - 1988" - the latter book features... Takao Haga & Osamu Yamaguchi – Tidal Wave (Mide Records, Japan 1977) - a Free Jazz monster & a half... my most wanted LP... a kind fella on selling his copy made a file for me before passing it on... so I can sleep at night on this LP... I digress... after a gig at the Porgy (Vienna) I asked Mats was the Tidal Wave sleeve from his copy... sure enough it was... the devil ;-)
that early 2000s era with BYG reissues and Unheard music was such a beautiful time to dive deep into this music (and of course finally finding "The List" as well)...so many things still weren't easily available but many things you could bug someone into sending you a cd-r of....
ok, it wasn't really your primary topic today, but as a native of allentown, i must learn/hear more about borbetomagus! i can't even tell what kind of music they play, but i have to say that the idea that allentown would be the place where a presumably legendary concert took place wouldn't have crossed teenage-me's mind.
Borbetomagus were AMAZING. They were a two-saxes-and-electric-guitar trio that produced an absolutely unholy racket; the two saxophonists played through an array of pedals each and their whole goal was to get to the point where neither they nor the audience could be sure who was producing what sound. I saw them live several times, once opening for Merzbow. That night, one of their stage monitors burst into flames. There are plenty of live videos on YouTube; check them out. They’ll scorch your eyebrows.
Other great BYG Actuels (I had most all of them when they hit the cutout racks for $2 a pop around ‘73-74) : the two Jacques Coursil records, two volumes of Sun Ra live at Slugs’ (REALLY happening), Noah Howard, Sunny Murray’s An Even Break (Never Give A Sucker). The Alan Silva Celestial Communication 3 LP set is an incredible document, a who’s who of that whole scene (the condition of his teeth on the back cover photo was very concerning, though). I believe there were three Art Ensemble albums on Actuel - my favorite at the time was A Jackson In Your House. Sold before I moved to
Amazing
Ordering right now.
Julius Hemphill's Dogon A.D. has just been reissued in a remastered edition by New World.
"Meticulously remastered & includes a 28-page booklet with new notes by Marty Ehrlich, complemented by several stills from a 30-minute film of an early ’70s dance performance featuring complete performances of Dogon A.D. and Rites with Hemphill, Baikida Carroll, Phillip Wilson, and John Hicks.
This, at long last, is the definitive edition of this seminal jazz masterwork. "
Order from Bandcamp. (I have).
Yeah, the label’s supposed to be sending me a copy. (It’s also coming back out on vinyl from Superior Viaduct.) I look forward to comparing it to the previous CD edition on International Phonograph from 2007. I played that one just the other day - it remains mind-blowing.
I got a copy!
Looking forward to this one also!
i actually saw hemphill perform dogon ad: it was every bit as spectacular as you might have imagined.
and marty ehrlich, whom i have been following since his new england conservatory days, has been an excellent keeper of the hemphill flame.
There is a new digital version of Machine Gun out, with bonus tracks. I highly recommend it. I bought a Dogon A.D. CD on BC Friday! I have half of your top ten, & none of the titles you want to hear. You know, a book like this could send a Free Jazz Music Addict down lots of rabbit holes. I wonder if I will make it back out in one piece. I'll let you know. 🤘😎🤘
A valuable post! If you haven't already, check out my Substack piece on a Cecil Taylor gig in the early '60s — when the new music was still in it's nascent stages. No, don't pay for a subscription. I just want to share it with like-minded folks.
Thanks for the write-up, I hadn’t heard of this book and look forward to checking it out. I too first came across Byron Coley’s writing in Spin and while his tastes are pretty catholic (I don’t understand how anyone could listen to as much music as that guy) he always manages to capture his excitement in his goofy riffing prose. I think about 60% of writers on experimental music today are still mining his writing for ideas.
i go back to the '80s and reading coley in forced exposure, where it felt like he was producing dozens and dozens of reviews every month.
I knew a guy in grad school who went to the coley hacienda, wish I could go there.. I bought a few records from him at Terrastock in the 2000s, seemed like a cool guy. He was actually pretty ripped.
Vinyl is heavy!
No need to seek out the book, Christopher. All the jazz stuff in it is on my website. robert-levin.com
Robert: I think that when Christopher says he "hadn't heard of this book", he's talking about the book under review here, Now Jazz Now, not your writing.
OK. My ego got in the way. Sorry.
FTR, I definitely recommend subscribing to Robert’s newsletter; he was a valuable interview subject for my Cecil Taylor biography.
Its a fantastic book... my top book of last year... quite a few I've never heard... I do quite well on the Japanese titles...
Mats Gustafsson collection is truly amazing... never seen it, but it has been well featured... as you may guess he contribution sleeves to the book, "J Jazz - Free & Modern Jazz Albums From Japan 1954 - 1988" - the latter book features... Takao Haga & Osamu Yamaguchi – Tidal Wave (Mide Records, Japan 1977) - a Free Jazz monster & a half... my most wanted LP... a kind fella on selling his copy made a file for me before passing it on... so I can sleep at night on this LP... I digress... after a gig at the Porgy (Vienna) I asked Mats was the Tidal Wave sleeve from his copy... sure enough it was... the devil ;-)
that early 2000s era with BYG reissues and Unheard music was such a beautiful time to dive deep into this music (and of course finally finding "The List" as well)...so many things still weren't easily available but many things you could bug someone into sending you a cd-r of....
also At Judson Hall would be my personal Noah Howard pick...black ark is great but there is something about the lineup on that one I just love
ok, it wasn't really your primary topic today, but as a native of allentown, i must learn/hear more about borbetomagus! i can't even tell what kind of music they play, but i have to say that the idea that allentown would be the place where a presumably legendary concert took place wouldn't have crossed teenage-me's mind.
Borbetomagus were AMAZING. They were a two-saxes-and-electric-guitar trio that produced an absolutely unholy racket; the two saxophonists played through an array of pedals each and their whole goal was to get to the point where neither they nor the audience could be sure who was producing what sound. I saw them live several times, once opening for Merzbow. That night, one of their stage monitors burst into flames. There are plenty of live videos on YouTube; check them out. They’ll scorch your eyebrows.
Thanks, i'll get on it.
Other great BYG Actuels (I had most all of them when they hit the cutout racks for $2 a pop around ‘73-74) : the two Jacques Coursil records, two volumes of Sun Ra live at Slugs’ (REALLY happening), Noah Howard, Sunny Murray’s An Even Break (Never Give A Sucker). The Alan Silva Celestial Communication 3 LP set is an incredible document, a who’s who of that whole scene (the condition of his teeth on the back cover photo was very concerning, though). I believe there were three Art Ensemble albums on Actuel - my favorite at the time was A Jackson In Your House. Sold before I moved to
NYC, alas….