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The Ballot or The Bullet is a maximal sax & drums meeting from Olympia, WA based (but always on tour) saxophonist ARRINGTON DE DIONYSO & Los Angeles based percussionist TED BYRNES. Many folks probably know Dionyso from his work under the Old Time Relijun & Malaikat dan Singa monikers. Percussionist Ted Byrnes has played with a who's who of the LA experimental scene...Sissy Spacek, LAFMS (including Smegma, Airway, Rick and Joe Potts, Tom Recchion, etc) Zola Jesus, The Rita, as well as folks like Jeff Parker, Michael Foster, Scott Cazan, William Hutson and more.
The recording for The Ballot or the Bullet comes out of De Dionyso's never-ending THIS SAXOPHONE KILLS FASCISTS touring, and this particular duo recording with Byrnes came amidst a handful of shows together in California. The music is unrelenting in a beautiful way that initially brings to mind both Coltrane's "Interstellar Space" duets with Rashied Ali (or even Rashied Ali's "Duo Exchange" with Frank Lowe) & Dionyso's interest in Indonesian trance music. There is a non-stop pulse throughout the albums 50 minutes.
Dionyso by now should be considered a saxophonist on par with many of today's best and paired with Byrnes free-everything drumming the two create something that is more than just another sax & drums duo record. Both the title of the record itself (a nod to Malcolm X's 1964 speech, and also a nod to the recent election and unrest in the US) and the relentless energy voiced in Dionyso & Byrnes playing give us a clear picture as to what they hope to convey in the music. Get into it and let them speak to you too.
supported by 37 fans who also own “The Ballot or the Bullet”
Despite seeming an odd pairing at a a casual (or lazy) glance, Nakatani and Kawabata have proven a solid improvising unit during multiple performances in recent times. Both keep their ears open and compliment each other well. Try to grab their limited duo CD on the current AMT tour if it's still available. jasonk
A new compilation of studio recordings and live rarities captures another side of ’90s experimentalists Gastr del Sol. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 27, 2024
Recorded after overcoming serious physical issues, joy and und radiate from every note of trumpeter Steph Richard's incredible new LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 23, 2024
supported by 32 fans who also own “The Ballot or the Bullet”
Urgency, groove, tradition, anger, it's all there in this wonderful bass sound. The pieces reveal different aspects each time I listen to them. Feedback, overtones, shifting patterns, lyrical moments, make this a very contemporary and explorative album, while tone and phrasing at times reaffirm the power of the instrument's tradition. livkon