This gorgeous Sundanese music from Java, featuring a suling flute and three zithers weaving dreamlike and sensuous musics behind the vocalists’ heartfelt poetic musings, is available for Flac and MP3 download on my blog:
https://music-republic-world-traditional.blogspot.com/2021/04/indonesia-indonesia-java-sounda-musique.html

Java – Pays Sounda – Musique et Chants Traditionnels – Disques Alvarès LD 110

Indonesia Java - Traditional Sundanese music

This forceful music from the Dan people of Ivory Coast, featuring inspired esoteric rituals and ceremonies recorded around 1980, is available for Flac and MP3 download on my blog:
https://music-republic-world-traditional.blogspot.com/2021/06/ivory-coast-cote-chants-et-rythmes-en.html

Chants et Rythmes en Pays Yacouba – Editions Trindia – Production Oulaï T. Francis – OTF LP 002

Ivory Coast - Yacouba (Dan) rituals and ceremonies

This mesmerizing 1973 vintage LP of Japanese Gagaku imperial court music born over 1000 years ago, featuring fascinating drones, clusters and eerie sonorities, is available for Flac and MP3 download on my blog:
https://music-republic-world-traditional.blogspot.com/2023/11/japan-japon-gagaku-collection-2-music.html

Gagaku Collection 2 – Victor – SLJ-59

Gagaku music – Japan – Music Department of the Imperial Household Agency

This precious double LP of Gambian griot music on the soviet Melodiya label, featuring virtuoso singers, 21-string kora lutes balaphons and drums, is available for Flac and MP3 download on my blog:
https://music-republic-world-traditional.blogspot.com/2024/02/gambia-national-ensemble-of-gambia.html

National Ensemble of The Gambia – Traditional Music – Melodiya - S 80 – 14951-54 (2 LP)

National Ensemble of The Gambia mix (1976)

Improvisation with a Chilean Twist: 577 Records Releases Calados, Nichunimu’s Newest Experimental Album
 
ABOUT THE ALBUM:
 
Prepare to enter an aural labyrinth when you press play on an upcoming second album from Chile’s improvisational trio, Nichunimu – brought to you by independent label 577 Records.  Led by adventurous trumpeter Benjamin Vergara, the group’s new hit, Calados, is an intense and hypnotic collection.  It features three glorious tracks, offering a mental escape that spans over an hour!
Vergara has served as Artistic Director of the International Experimental Music Festival – Relincha (an annual delight in Valdivia) since 2014.  He is also a professor at the School of Musical and Sonora Arts (Universidad Austral de Chile).  As a trumpeter and educator, he focuses on improvising, written contemporary music, free jazz, and experimentation.
Nichunimu truly embodies the last 20 years of Chile’s experimental scene.  Their roots took shape in 2014 between Valdivia and Santiago, when Vergara joined Nicolás Carrasco on the synthesizer and Matías Mardones on percussion.  Together, they infuse abstract krautrock music with their own savory flavors of avant-garde minimalism and ritualistic noise.  Their brilliant sounds are forged from repetition, textures, friendship, and an emphasis on the circular shapes that unite them.
Grab a slice of heaven in Calados, available on CD and digital download starting September 20, 2024!

Artist Title: Nichunimu
Album Title: Calados
Label: 577 Records
File Under: Experimental / Avant / Minimalistic
Release Date: 9/20/24
Cat#: 5947
Format: CD/DL

Benjamin Vergara: Trumpet
Nicolás Carrasco: Synthesizer, radio
Matías Mardones: Percussion

Recorded on June 17, 2023
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Nicolás Ríos at Palo Quemado, Santiago, Chile

Photography by Benjamin Vergara
Graphic design by Sergio Vezzali
Graphic support by Mark Smith


577 Records is an independent record label 
based in Brooklyn, New York 
operating since 2001

577 Records
Brooklyn, New York
www.577records.com
©+℗ 2024

Calados

Nichunimu: 'Trazos' from album 'Calados' (577 Records)

Pianist, Composer, Multi-Instrumentalist Eva Novoa Releases First Album from Her Newly Forged Trio with Sax Legend Daniel Carter and Beloved Drummer Francisco Mela

It’s not a rumor.  Brooklyn’s Eva Novoa has formed a new trio!  Novoa / Carter / Mela Trio, Vol. 1 marks their first sparkling album together (which is also Eva’s third with 577 Records).  The group performed live for the first time in Cambridge (Boston) in 2022 and at the NY Forward Festival in August 2024.
In an invigorating creative explosion recorded at New York City’s Sear Sound in 2021, the multi-talented instrumentalist unites with sax legend Daniel Carter and beloved drummer Francisco Mela.  Prepare to be reawakened when you experience Novoa tickling the ivories, dominating the Fender Rhodes, and wowing with the electric harpsichord and Chinese gongs.  Even her whistling will linger in your mind!  
As captured in the electrifying tracks “Aire” and “Fuego", Novoa / Carter / Mela Trio, Vol. 1 is inspired by the four elements (earth, wind, fire, and water).  “Hasta Mañana Vida Mia” weaves together Cuban tradition with soulful lyrics (sung by Francisco) and high-energy, rhythmic conversations with horns and drums.  The musicians’ free interplay approach defines this eclectic trio and their sonic universe.
Born in Barcelona, Spain, Eva Novoa is a pianist and composer who’s been mastering her talents since childhood. Calling NYC home since 2012, she has rocked countless local venues with her thrilling performances and has played with many adored artists all over the globe.

Her new album drops on November 22, 2024, and will be available on vinyl, CD, and digital download. Don’t miss the stunning cover art by Novoa’s friend and collaborator, acclaimed street photographer Richard Sandler, and stay tuned for Volumes 2, 3, and 4!

Daniel Carter - winds (tenor, alto & soprano saxophones, trumpet, flute, clarinets)  Eva Novoa - piano, Fender Rhodes, Chinese gongs, percussion & whistling)
Francisco Mela - drums & vocals  

Recorded April 18, 2021
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jeremy Loucas at Sear Sound, New York City

Photography by Richard Sandler 
Graphic design by Sergio Vezzali
Graphic support by Mark Smith

Music by Eva Novoa (Eva Novoa, ASCAP) 
‘Hasta Maňana Vida Mía’ by Rosendo Ruiz Jr.

Artist Title: Eva Novoa
Album Title:  Novoa / Carter / Mela Trio, Vol.1
Label: 577 Records
File Under: Experimental / Avant-garde / Free Jazz
Release Date: 11/22/2024
Cat#: 5968-1
Format: LP (first edition 200 copies)/ CD (first edition 100 copies) / DL

577 Records is an independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York operating since 2001

577 Records
Brooklyn, New York
www.577records.com
©+℗ 2024

Novoa / Carter / Mela Trio, Vol. 1

'Fuego' from album 'Novoa / Carter / Mela Trio, Vol. 1' (577 Records)

Artist Title: Ayumi Ishito
Album Title:  Roboquarians, Vol. 2 (feat. Kevin Shea and George Draguns)
Label: 577 Records
File Under: Avantgarde / Avant / Experimental
Release Date: 1/3/25
Cat#: 5934-2
Format: CD (first edition of 100) /DL
Barcode CD: 755491322550

Meet the Roboquarians: Rising Saxist Ayumi Ishito Joins Drummer Kevin Shea & Guitarist George Draguns in First Recorded Album, Avant-Punk Style

ABOUT THE ALBUM

Connect to your favorite listening device, crank up the volume, and prepare for the ultimate avant-punk experience!  Brooklyn-based 577 Records is honored to present the Roboquarians’ first recorded album, Roboquarians, Vol. 2.  The new release comes from the hearts of up-and-coming sax talent Ayumi Ishito, lively drummer Kevin Shea, and gifted guitarist George Draguns.
When Ayumi received a request from Shea and Draguns to collaborate, she became part of the intriguing backstory of this work of art and its paradoxical title.  The initial studio recording of the album featured a different assembly.  The project then hit a few bumps and changed direction (irreconcilable differences, if you will).  In an attempt to preserve the passion they invested, Kevin and George isolated their instruments from the recording and reached out to the only artist that made sense.
NYC’s blossoming saxist Ayumi Ishito has created several albums with 577 Records.  She joined the community more recently following multiple collaborations with the philosopher behind the label, maestro Daniel Carter.
Roboquarians, Vol. 2 captures the sincere intent that drives the composition within four edgy tracks.  It is said to be heavier on the punk sound than the first volume, showcasing an almost feral free improvisation.  Enjoy it on digital download beginning January 3, 2025.

Ayumi Ishito: saxophone with effects
George Draguns: guitar 
Kevin Shea: drums 

Recorded by John Epperly, March 2021at Metropolitan Sound Brooklyn, New York
Mixed and mastered by Jeremy Loucas, Sear Sound, New York City

Artwork by Alvin Dafoe
Graphic design by Sergio Vezzali
Graphic support by Mark Smith 

All music by George Draguns (Dragunsmilk, ASCAP)

577 Records is an independent record label 
based in Brooklyn, New York 
operating since 2001

577 Records
Brooklyn, New York
www.577records.com
©+℗ 2025

Roboquarians, Vol. 2 (feat. Kevin Shea and George Draguns)

Ayumi Ishito: 'Aromatherapy For Erzulie' from 'Roboquarians, Vol. 2' (577 Records)

Cover of an R. Stevie Moore tune that I always loved

Do You Feel About The Same?

This unique LP on the legendary Bärenreiter-Musicaphon label, which presents an appealing sonic excursion of Southeast and East Asian traditional and folk music, including rare tracks from private and historical recordings, is available for Flac and MP3 download on my blog:
https://music-republic-world-traditional.blogspot.com/2020/09/indonesia-thailand-cambodia-china-japan.html

Musik in Asien II – Südost- & Ostasien – BM 30 SL 5107

Wu Wen-Guang  plays Chiu-K'uang (Wine Madness)

This excellent panorama of East African music from the early 1950s recorded by the great American ethnomusicologist and folklorist Alan Lomax, featuring music from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Congo, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Lesotho, is available for Flac and MP3 download on my blog:
https://music-republic-world-traditional.blogspot.com/2021/02/tanzania-zimbabwe-uganda-kenya-congo.html

Do You Feel About The Same?

Wilson Novitzki