Category Archives: Reviews

CD Review: NYC Artist Tomas Doncker Pays Tribute To Howlin’ Wolf, Brings “GLOBAL SOUL” To The Masses

Text by Dawoud Kringle

New York mainstay Thomas Doncker was recently asked to be the musical director for Diablo Love (a love story by Mando Alvarado, directed by Alfred Preisser, featuring live music that features Dockner’s re-imagining of songs by Howling Wolf – a.k.a. Chester Arthur Burnet. It will be presented at Central Park SummerStage, in honor of Wolf’s 103rd birthday), and released an EP of music by Howling Wolf. And in doing so, he was taking on a great burden.

a0464342006_2Artist: Tomas Doncker Band
Title: Howlin’ Wolf EP
Format: CD & download
Label: self released
Genre: Blues/Global Soul/Future Roots
Release date: July 2, 2013
Streaming link: http://tomasdonckerband.bandcamp.com/album/howlin-wolf-ep
Produced by Tomas Doncker & James Dellatacoma for True Groove

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Vision Festival 18 Report P.4:…all of the bands managed to balance individual pyrotechnics and skill with the collaborative spontaneous creation of interesting and engaging music.

image003Date: June 15, 2013
Venue: the Roulette (NY)

Review by Matt Cole  – All photos courtesy of the Vision Festival

The Vision Festival is perhaps the most prominent and important ongoing festival of avant-garde and free music. This year, it took place over five days at the 2-year old Brooklyn home of the long-standing art and performance space, Roulette. With panels, and performances by many prominent masters of free music, it is a must-attend for aficionados of radical spontaneous composition.

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Vision Festival 18 Report P.3: Milford Graves Lifetime Achievement Award and performances

Date: June 12, 2013
Venue: the Roulette (NY)

Review and photos by Ancelmo James

267px-Milford_GravesThis past Wednesday evening I entered the Roulette, a very nice, perfectly sized theater on Atlantic Ave just about where it intersects Flatbush Ave with no idea of what to expect from the night of music ahead of me. Prior to going, I had never heard of Milford Graves, although I suppose it is very possible that his music has slipped through my ears without knowing at some point in my lifetime. That said, being a drummer myself, I was excited to experience whatever lay ahead.

Before I give any opinions or reviews of the music let it be said, that, in my understanding, the evening was a celebration of Dr. Graves’ lifetime achievements – not only his music, but his contributions to humanity through his music, as well as, through his teaching and research. As I gather, said contributions and achievements have been ample in Milford Graves life. From there it would be prudent to point out that a recurring theme throughout the night – and Dr. Graves life – was that of his openness of mind, of heart and of ear. This openness is a state of mind and a state of being – and for this I can say with much respect and admiration that Dr. Graves has earned the praise and acknowledgement that he has received.

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Vision Festival 18 Report P.2: The Evening of the Final Day

image003Date: June 16, 2013
Venue: the Roulette (NY)

Review and photos by Dawoud Kringle

As I arrived, Hamiet Bluiett’s Bio-Electric Ensemble was taking the stage. Joining Bluiett was DD. Jackson piano, Hamid Drake, drums, Harrison Bankhead, bass, and special guest Matthew Whittaker, on keyboards. A free, major key gospel-like invocation filled the air. Bluiett came on and played an enormous baritone sax. Low notes and melodies riding their

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Concert Review: Bell Cycle…Their music has an old world feel, yet fits with today’s independent underground.

Date: May 28, 2013
Venue: Littlefield (NY)

Review by Dawoud Kringle

On an unseasonably cold, and wet, spring night, at Littlefield, a venue in a dark street in Brooklyn, Bell Cycle celebrated the release of their new CD. Bell Cycle is an ensemble led by Isabel Castevelli. Rob Chaimberlain played guitar, drums, electronics; at the same time, mind you.

photo (1) Isabel Castevelli is a graduate from Manhattan School of Music, where she earned a Master’s Degree in photoContemporary Music Performance and studied with Fred Sherry.  She earned her bachelor degree in music performance from DePaul University, where she studied with Katinka Kleijn and Steve Balderston. Previous teachers include Fred Zlotkin, Danny Morganstern and Myriam Santucci.  She has toured and recorded in the US, Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle East with the Mivos Quartet, Diane Cluck, Katie Mullins, Marc Farre, Lewis Lazar, Sasha Siem, J.G. Thirwell’s Manorexia, Diane Cluck, CocoRosie, Ned Rothenberg, Tori Ensemble, Timucin Sahin, Beth Nielsen Chapman, CelloVox, Copal, and ThingNY. She lives in New York City.

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