Avant Music News

Santa Fe New Music encourages appreciation of new music in kids 18 and under.

This week’s DMG Newsletter contains the latest issues and reissues.

The Soft Machine Legacy is a reunion of SM alums Hopper, Dean, Marshall and Etheridge. An album is due in the spring and a tour is being booked now.

An article discusses the best jazz events and releases of 2004.

Innova has released a few new CDs:

Carei Thomas - Sound Window(s) V: Pinnacle
Brief Realities, Poemmetry… Like a Gospel Holy Roller Party, these compositions draw narrative materials from non-linear, fractal-like formations of story and expression, memory and fantasy. SOUND WINDOW(S) V is an experimental sound study using voice, poemmetry and acoustic-electronic instrumentation for an extraordinary ensemble […]

This review of Ms. Coltrane’s Translinear Light includes some historical details of her life and career.

Braxton has a lot of stuff going on and seems to be the focus of quite a bit of news lately. Jazz Weekly has recently reviewed his 4CD set Six Compositions (GTM) 2001.

Cuneiform is listing the following releases for May 2005:

Graham Collier - Workpoints
Miriodor - Parade
Present - A great Inhuman Adventure
Radio Massacre International - Emissaries
John Surman - Way Back When

Also, material from Hugh Hopper, the Muffins, and Richard Pinhas will be reissued in March.

Marty Ehrlich is being profiled on WKCR, and he writes the following:

I have written a new work for the Sound Vision Orchestra, which is a setting of the poem A TRUMPET IN THE MORNING by fellow St.Louis native Arthur Brown. This half hour long work features my long time colleague J.D.Parran as reciter and soloist. […]

Mike Heffley has made a few of his academic treatises on Braxton publically available on his site.

An article discusses how composer Peter Maxwell-Davies has made a good deal of his material available on line at reasonable prices.

Drake’s latest The Shunned Country, now has a page with cover art and samples.

Ron Anderson’s PAK will be releasing their latest office, Motel, soon. Samples are available. Currently online orders are discounted.

No official word yet but rumor has it Leo will be releasing a trio of Anthony Braxton, Gyorgy Szabados and Vladimir Tarasov, while HatHut will release a set called Concept of Freedom, which may be Ellington covers.

This week’s DMG Newsletter has the usual list of new recordings and resissues from all over.