Chris Kelsey / Jack DeSalvo - Live at Magnolia's (UNSEEN RAIN Records 2018)

Chris Kelsey and Jack DeSalvo have been performing and recording together since they met at the Bunker in the East Village in the early 90s. In 2012 they played Sundays at Magnolia's, a restaurant in Pawling NY owned and run at the time by Kelsey and his wife Lisa. Here the duo perform riveting versions of Monk tunes (Blue Monk, Bemsha Swing, Friday the 13th and Nutty) a piece each by Sonny Rollins (Doxy) and Wayne Shorter (Footprints) and two tracks improvised on the spot (Yonder Train 1 and 2) that have all the integrity of pre-composed music.

1. Blue Monk 05:44

2. Doxy 05:34

3. Yonder Train 1 09:52

4. Yonder Train 2 08:14

5. Footprints 08:36

6. Bemsha Swing 08:04

7. Friday the 13th 07:39

8. Nutty 05:12

Chris Kelsey - soprano sax

Jack DeSalvo - guitar

Recorded live at Magnolia's, Pawling, New York by Chris Kelsey

Mastered by Jim DeSalvo

Chris Kelsey - 1UP1DOWN (Live From Nowhere) UNSEEN RAIN Records 2018

Chris Kelsey on straight alto saxophone; Jack DeSalvo, electric guitar; Lewis Porter, on Kimball electric combo organ and Crumar Roadrunner electric piano; Joe Gallant, six-string electric bass; Alan Lerner, drums are some of the most versatile and passionate musicians on the New York City creative music scene…1UP1DOWN’s music reflects the inclusive nature of the jazz we all grew up loving – a music that ruled everything in and nothing out, whilst maintaining the rhythmic thread connecting the music from Armstrong to Ornette. It’s all good. It’s all jazz.

1. Alfie's Theme 09:39

2. Waltz Frisk 13:05

3. India (John Coltrane) 12:18

4. Easy Bake Burnt Pie 11:44

5. Blessing In Disguise (Sonny Rollins) 11:23

Chris Kelsey - straight alto saxophone

Jack DeSalvo - electric guitar

Lewis Porter - Kimball electric combo organ and Crumar Roadrunner electric piano

Joe Gallant - six-string electric bass

Alan Lerner - drums

Recorded at Magnolia’s, Patterson, NY, October 6, 2013

Engineered by Gene Gaudette

Edited by Chris Kelsey

Mastered by Jim DeSalvo at Beanstudio, Wayne, NJ

Photos & Design by Qua’s Eye Graphix

Executive producers: Gene Gaudette, Jim DeSalvo, Jack DeSalvo

Produced by Jack DeSalvo

Chris Kelsey / Jack DeSalvo / Tom Tedesco - Stutches (UNSEEN RAIN Records)

Though today he performs on the entire array of saxophones centered around his straight alto sax, when he was first on the New York City Downtown scene Chris Kelsey was an avowed soprano-only player. Chris met Jack DeSalvo and Tom Tedesco at ABC No Rio, then known also as The Bunker. DeSalvo was fresh from the road, playing guitar in Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society while Tedesco just finished recording with Karl Berger, Anthony Cox and DeSalvo at Carla Bley's Grog Kill Studio. Tedesco had just opened his own studio in New Jersey, so the trio decided to record sans-bass, with DeSalvo playing electric and classical guitars adding banjo and mandolin while Tedesco played tablas and drum set. Kelsey's sinewy soprano soars over and weaves through the proceedings in this seminal album of improvised music.

1. Jelly Snake 07:23

2. Walking Trees 08:10

3. Red Feet 06:57

4. A Name Will Come 08:18

5. Stutches 04:30

6. Cantolin 10:36

7. Breatheover 18:05

8. Slaughtyville FD Part One 02:03

9. Slaughterville FD Part Two 08:22

Chris Kelsey - soprano saxophone

Jack DeSalvo - electric and classical guitars, banjo, mandolin

Tom Tedesco - drums, tabla

Recorded at Tedesco Studio, Paramus, NJ by Jon Rosenberg

Mastered by Jim DeSalvo at Beanstudio, Wayne, NJ

Design by Qua’s Eye Graphix

Produced by Chris Kelsey, Tom Tedesco, Jack DeSalvo