Kalabalik @ LPR 5/25/12

It was Downtown Music Gallery (DMG) 21st anniversary celebration.  It was also a CD release for this 2 guitar and drums trio.  Apparantly, DMG has a record label and this is one of theirs.  Since I enjoyed the band so much and I love supporting DMG, I had to get the CD.  Before I bought it and after the phenomenal set.

The set was fabulous, and definitely got out there with some great avant-rock portions.

Search & Restore presents:
Downtown Music Gallery's 21st Anniversary Show
w/ Nels Cline & Julian Lage (First appearance as a duo!) , Kalabalik feat. Raoul Björkenheim, Anders Nilsson, and Gerald Cleaver and CD Release Party for Kalabalik's debut CD on DMG/ARC Records

Kalabalik feat. Raoul Björkenheim, Anders Nilsson, and Gerald Cleaver
Kalabalik is RAOUL BJORKENHEIM guitar, ANDERS NILSSON guitar, and GERALD CLEAVER drums. Originally united for a live recording at DMG's Chinatown store in 2011, this trio has formed a rewarding creative bond. This is their 2nd NYC performance.

The incendiary Mr Bjorkenheim, leader of such units as Scorch Trio and Krakatau, has a three decade career of performance internationally, including with Edward Vesala, Bill Laswell, Paul Schutze, and UMO Jazz Orchestra, and over 50 recordings (ECM, Rune Grammafon, Cuneiform, et al).

Master drummer Gerald Cleaver, with over 100 releases under his belt, has performed with legends like Roscoe Mitchell and Henry Threadgill, and leads the groups Farmers By Nature, Uncle June, Detroit, and Veil Of Names with jazz luminaries Craig Taborn, Mat Maneri, Tony Malaby, Ben Monder, Andrew Bishop, et al.

Anders Nilsson, like Raoul also raised in Finland, is the leader of the Aorta Ensemble and Fulminate Trio, and a favorite collaborator of jazz vocalist Fay Victor. He is the youngest member of this outfit by a hair, but this has not impeded his collaboration with an astonishing number of international musicians, including Mats Gustafsson, Paquito D'Rivera, Michael Formanek, Hamid Drake, et al. His chameleonesque guitar prowess has appeared on over 30 recordings in the last 10 years.