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Hilly Kristal, the longtime owner of New York’s CBGB’s, died yesterday at the age of 75, following a battle with lung cancer. Although he planned to book bluegrass music when he opened the place in 1973, rock soon took over; few clubs have ever achieved a reputation comparable to the ramshackle Bowery dive, which closed after a long landlord dispute last year. It more or less provided a home for the punk rock movement in the mid-70s, presenting some of the earliest shows by the Ramones, Television, and Patti Smith, among many others. The club remained a crucial New York venue through the early 90s, but as competition sprung up Kristal’s haphazard booking policy—the same policy that originally allowed the punks to land shows at a time when no one else would touch them—got him trounced by promoters with a sharper vision and sense of what was actually happening.
Mlimani Park Orchestra, Sikindi (Africassette)Benson Orchestra of Chicago, Volume One, 1920-1921 (Archeophone)Tidiane et les Dieuf Dieul, Salimata (Justin Time)Mats Eilertsen, Flux (AIM)
