GARY LUCAS UPDATE

Gary Lucas—On The Road and In The Studio

New Music and Recordings in Progress

Shows in the Hamptons, Paris, Madrid, Ireland, and Woodstock

photo courtesy of Gary Lucas

In addition to two eclectic album releases this year (the space rock “Omnidirectional” with drummer Lukas Ligeti and the Chinese Pop “The Edge of Heaven-2” with singer/instrumentalist Feifei Yang), Gary’s presenting equally wide-spanning gigs over the next two months in Sag Harbor, NY; Paris France; Madrid, Spain; Dundalk, Ireland; and Woodstock, NY.

Saturday, Oct. 31st, 2026, 6:00pm
Sag Harbor Cinema, 90 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY - Gary will perform his live solo guitar score accompanying James Whale's 1931 “Frankenstein” starring Boris Karloff.
sagharborcinema.org/films/frankenstein/

Tuesday, Nov. 17th, 2026, 9:30pm
Le Chair de Poule, Paris - Gary plays solo acoustic upstairs at the Peine Perdu bar.
evvntly.com/event/gary-lucas-at-gl-solo-acoustic-at-the-peine-perdu-bar-le-chair-de-poule-paris-pa/ev-df2ea53e29a9b6ceb77b13228

Gary is recording in Normandy with French musicians Hannah Hesse and Fred Pessoa.

Friday & Saturday, Nov. 20th & 21st, 2026
Recoletos Jazz Series, Recoletos Hotel, Madrid, Spain - Gary returns to Madrid to lead a Tribute to Jeff Buckley, marking what would have been Jeff's 60th Birthday Anniversary. Many cutting-edge Spanish will perform many of the Buckley/Lucas songs with Gary.
 www.recoletosjazz.com

Saturday, Nov. 28th, 2026, 11:00am - 5:00pm
An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk, Ireland - Gary Lucas Masterclass
www.antain.ie/event/gary-lucas-masterclass/

Thursday, Dec. 17th, 2026, 7:00 pm-10:00 pm
The Colony, 22 Rock City Road, Woodstock, NY – Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters, feat. Calvin Weston drums and Ernie Brooks bass.

www.eventbrite.com/e/gary-lucas-gods-and-monsters-tickets-2003586325635

GHOST RHYTMS - MISSING TIMES + ANOTHER PRESENT EP

• Ghost Rhythms: Missing Times + Another Present EP
      (2026, download / streaming, --, bandcamp)

The Cuneiform Records label has just released "Missing Times" and "Another Present EP" by Paris, France-based ensemble Ghost Rhythms.

Fans of progressive rock, modern jazz and avant-garde will be very happy with these new releases.
Beautiful melodies and orchestrations.

Digital download / streaming only.
Check it out on Bandcamp.

-- info: Danny Mathys

AN ED PALERMO BIG BAND UPDATE

https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-ed-palermo-big-band-iridium-tickets/14331154

Well, it's that time of year again. And it looks like things are shaping up nicely for our next performance. Join our zany bandleader, as we venture into uncharted musical territories.
It's the Ed Palermo Big Band, live and unfiltered. Nov 23 at The Iridium.
Plus, we'll be celebrating the release of our new album, "It's an Ed Palermo Christmas! God Bless Us, Everyone!"

ROMÁN GARCÍA ALBERTOS

Kjell Knudde wrote a very informative piece on Román García Albertos, graphic artist, musician and webmaster of the essential IINK (https://donlope.net/fz/).

Read it here:

https://www.lambiek.net/artists/g/garcia_albertos_roman.htm

THE DON RENDELL / IAN CARR QUINTET - MIRAGE

 

• The Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet: Mirage
      (2026, cd, --, landsdowne cd 001)

Don Rendell and Ian Carr's "Mirage" takes us back to 1969.
British modern jazz. 

One year later, Ian Carr would form jazz-rock band Nucleus !

JILL YANN * JEREMY COLSON * JUNIOR BRAGUINHA TRIO

Announced for March 12, 2027 at SPIRIT OF 66 in Verviers, BE:

JILL YAN * JEREMY COLSON * JUNIOR BRAGUINHA Trio

"ALIEN ROCK-FUSION !" Swiss guitar virtuoso JILL YAN, a graduate of Hollywood’s prestigious Guitar Institute of Technology, has released nine albums, blending progressive rock, metal, jazz-fusion and world music into his own explosive musical universe.
Featuring JEREMY COLSON (Steve Vai’s drummer) and JUNIOR BRAGUINHA (Virgil Donati’s bassist), this powerhouse trio delivers breathtaking virtuosity, crushing grooves and pure instrumental fire! No rules. No limits. Just pure musical energy!

Earlier this year, the trio featured Mohini Dey on the bass :

-- info: Philippe Lamoot

THE BIG SWIFTY

The Big Swifty was a medium-sized jazz ensemble / small big band from Nijmegen,  NL, formed by the Dutch saxophonist and composer Bo van de Graaf, active between 1995 and 2000.

The ensemble performed the music of Frank Zappa, next to pieces by Astor Piazzolla and by Dutch contemporary composers.

Here's The Big Swifty, performing 'Swingtime' by Mark v Platen,
a piece that sounds like a broken record,

live in O42 Nijmegen, 1997.

Bo added:
Composed as a damaged 78 rpm record . Performed live in O42 Nijmegen in a program by Bas Andriessen (interview and live music with the composer).
Because it was extremely difficult to play there was only one performance.

MATTHEW JASKOT

Matt Jaskot's 'Dense, Angular, Nuanced, Cosmic Energy' (2017), is a piece for flute/piccolo, clarinet in B-flat/bass clarinet, and piano

It premiered by Alicia Kosack, Laura Armstrong, and Matthew Jaskot on October 22, 2017 in Bel Air, MD

It's a composition in four movements with the final movement being FZ's 'Bebop Tango' !

  
I. Fist Pumps and Giant Stomps
II. Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee
III. Balloons of Remembrance Glide to Infinity
IV. Bebop Tango (F. Zappa, arr. Geoffroy Burleson)

https://www.matthewjaskot.com/copy-of-breathe-in-these-moments-ju

Here are movements two and three.
(unfortunately, I could not find a recording of the fourth movement)

-

AN UPDATE FROM STICK MEN

Dear friends,

Today marks the worldwide digital release of Let’s THRAK Again REEL TWO across all platforms. If you listen on a streaming service, please search for the album, save it to your library, and give it a spin. It really helps get the music out there.

We’re also happy to announce that ALL standalone CD and LP orders were dispatched as of last week and are on their way to you, even to the remotest parts of the world.

VIDEO PREMIERE: “SWIMMING IN TEA” (OCTOBER 30)

On Friday, October 30, we’re premiering the video for “Swimming in Tea,” an amazing puppetry short film by the genius filmmaker Jeff Myers. Head over to YouTube now to RSVP and set a reminder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NpCXSJDZrs

BOX SET UPDATE

Unfortunately, we’ve hit a further delay with the Let’s THRAK Again Box Set: a box of LPs was lost in the mail, meaning the 1LP has to be repressed before the sets can ship. Thank you so much for your patience. Take a look at the photo below showing some of the box set contents. As you can see, it has turned out truly beautiful and special.

So many people have asked for more copies of the box set. To stay on the safe side with stock, we are only making 10 additional Let’s THRAK Again box sets available to order for now: https://stickmen.bandcamp.com/merch

JAPANESE UHQCD EDITION

For collectors, the imported Japanese UHQCD edition of Let’s THRAK Again is available now. Uniquely, this release features the Reel Two mixes sequenced in the Reel One running order, plus two bonus tracks: https://japaneseimportuhqcd.bandcamp.com/merch/stick-men-let-s-thrak-again-japanese-version-uhqcd-by-japanese-import-uhqcd

TOUCH GUITARS U8 DELUXE SPECIAL EDITION

On a related note, some of you may have heard Markus’s new Touch Guitar on our recent US tour. Only two instruments from that same build series of ten super-light and amazing-sounding guitars are left in stock and available: https://www.markusreuter.com/touch-guitars-u8-deluxe-special-edition

A BIG SURPRISE

What’s ahead for us? A big surprise: Believe it or not, we’ll soon start work on our next album, and we’ll also be re-releasing our entire back catalogue over the next couple of years. On the live front, we’ll be heading to Asia in late January and early February for shows in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. Search online for more details on those dates. And we'll be back playing in the USA in March and April.

Thank you and best wishes! Markus, Tony, Pat

 

STARLICKER - DOUBLE DEMON

• Starlicker: Double Demon
      (2011, cd, --, delmark)
      (2011, lp, --, delmark)

When I first heard heard about Starlicker, I expected to be immersed in some psychedelic space jazz. Not that I would mind, but Starlicker's "Double Demon" is quite something else. And I should have known if I would have checked the line-up:

• Rob Mazurek - cornet
• Jason Adasiewicz - vibes
• John Herndon - drums 

As far as I could tell, "Double Demon" is the trio's only album (released in 2011 !!) and that's a pity because they sound great.
Rob Mazurek is no stranger to this blog, as is Jason Adasiewicz. Add John Herndon (Tortoise), and you have an ensemble that you want to check out.

Eclectic, chaotic but also groundbreaking.
A great combination of instruments plus the unconventional rhythms remind me a lot of Frank Zappa's avant-garde and jazz pieces.

Essential listening !!

-- info: Danny Mathys