Four fascinating works of string intersection from New York composer and violist Jessica Pavone, recording in the studio with the trio of violinists Aimre Niemann (Du.0 (do-point-oh)) and Abby Swidler (Xanthoria Quartet), Pavone's compositions creating wonderful psychoacoustic intertwining of texture and tone that slowly and beautifully blossom.

Rutger Zuydervelt, aka Machinefabriek, composes the soundtrack for the film Banzo, written and directed by Margarida Cardoso, rich ambient music from melancholy to optimistic warmth, reflecting the tone and story of a plantation in 1907 plagued by starvation and suicide, and the doctor who decides to heal them by trying to understand what is affecting their soul.

A new sound composition by Dutch composer Rutger Zuydervelt for the installation piece "Curve" by Cocky Eek, developed in collaboration with Boukje Schweigman, Rutger's work an 8-channel soundscape of seamless loops that accompanies visitors of the installation via 24 speakers, here in a stereo adaptation mimicking the spatial quality of the installation space.

Combing two 2004 albums on the Les Disques Du Soleil Et De L'Acier label, Japanese guitarist and singer Keiji Haino's collection of six blues songs was recorded twice, once in a "violent" version and once in a "soft" version, contrasting his intensity and passion with a more atmospheric approach, a great example of the diverse elements of Haino's wide approach to avant rock.

Legendary AMM drummer/percussionist and Matchless label leader Eddie Prévost meets with Earshots co-label leader and improvising synthesist Daniel Kordik for five remarkable dialogs, both using a full range of creative techniques that complement through alternating percussive and sonic approaches to their instruments, taking listeners into unforseen territories.

Reissuing Annette Peacock and Paul Bley's live album from 1972, an electroacoustic jazz record using one of Robert Moog's earliest synthesizers, in a quintet with New Yorkers Mario Pavone on bass and Laurence Cook on drums, with Dutch avant jazz drummer Han Bennink joining them on tour, this album from two concerts at Club B14 in Rotterdam and Espace Cardin in Paris.

Aeolian instruments, which create sound by the action of wind, have been an occupation of Australian violinist Jon Rose since 1979, using central Australia's winds to exite vibrations on self-invented instrumented using piano wire and fishing line, here presenting beautifully exotic recordings from two instruments he created in 2021 (The Monolith) and in 2022 (The Tube).

Drawing on a diverse set of experiences, generations and continental locations, the quartet of Japanese saxophonist and vocalist Akira Sakata, New York drummer Chris Corsano, Japanese-based NYC guitarist Jim O'Rourke and London saxophonist Matte Rasmussen came together at Superdeluxe in 2017 for this wild and far-ranging concert of free and electrified improvisation.

Assembled by Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, this stellar quartet bridges nations with German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, Norwegian double bass player Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, and American drummer Gerry Hemingway, presenting the extended, masterful collective title track, along with two shorter works, particularly revisiting Albert Ayler's "Ghosts".

First vinyl pressing of this '93 Berlin concert at Townhall Charlottenburg from the quartet of Peter Brotzmann on alto & tenor saxophones & tarogato, Toshinoro Kondo on trumpet, William Parker on double bass and Hamid Drake on drums, improvising under the influence and showing their love of saxophonist Albert Ayler through quotation and fragments of Ayler's work.

Active since 2016, The "Bone" in PorchBone is heard in the three trombonists who join the trio of bassist Nate McBride, drummer Eric Rosenthal, and saxophonist Jorrit Dijkstra, who composed 7 of the 8 pieces on this album (Duke Ellington is the 8th, and the inspiration for their sound along with Sun Ra), with trombonists Jeb Bishop, Michael Prentky & Bill Lowe.

Their first time playing together as a trio despite many permutations in various projects over the years, the trio of Robert Mitchell (F-IRE Collective) on piano & percussion, Neil Charles on double bass and remarkably collaborative drummer Mark Sanders are heard in this 2nd part to their 2022 concert at London's Cafe OTO for three extended, free and very informed collective improvisations.

An active and well-balanced duo between Greek pianist based in Boston, Pandelis Karayorgis, and Greek bassist, concert organizer and publisher, George Kokkinaris, both from Athens and recording in the studio in that city, drawing on elements of contemporary music and free jazz in a mix of spontaneous dialogs, one solo improvisation from each, and three Karayorgis compositions.

Sculpted sonics through prepared guitars, electronics, synthetics, drums, gongs, metal and percussion, the Chicago duo Gleaming Shards of guitarist Da Wei Wang and drummer Jerome Bryerton, both veterans of improvisation, experimental and avant rock groups, evoke the album title and group name through shimmering and subtly shifting expanses of sound and punctuated movement.

Powerful free improvisation led by the words of poet K. Curtis Lyle, known for his work with Julius Hemphill, part of a sextet with trumpeter George R. Sams, a member of United Front, two double bassists — Adi Bu Dharma Joshua Weinstein and Damon Smith — and two percussionists — Henry Claude and Ra Kalaam Bob Moses — in a gatefold CD with a 10-page booklet of related poems from K.Curtis Lyle.

Taking their titles from the avant poetry book "Tent Posts" by author Henri Michaux, this concert of collective free improv at Ziggy's Ypsilanti in Michigan between double bassist Damon Smith and reed & wind player Piotr Michalowski is an active and impressive set of dialogs, Michalowski switching between bass & contralto clarinets, sopranino & soprano saxophones, and Japanese Shinobbue flute.

Four sets of recordings from September, 1964 in Copenhagen, Denmark from a week performing live at Club Montmarte, and a recording in Hilversum, The Netherlands for VARA Radio, collecting and remastering these vital recordings from tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler's most vital free jazz quartet with Don Cherry on cornet, Gary Peacock on double bass and Sunny Murray on drums.

Performing in the liminal space between free improv, jazz & chamber-oriented improvisation, the trio of American cellist Daniel Levin with long-time Portuguese collaborators Sei Miguel on pocket trumpet and Fala Mariam on alto trombone, come together for these authoritative recordings in Lisbon, captured in the studio and at a live performance of solos & duos at Galeria Ze dos Bois.

A triple CD and 24-page booklet of recordings from Italian flutist and composer Manuel Zurria performing works by luminary composers including Alvin Lucier, James Tenney, Tashi Wada, Jürg Frey, Laurence Crane, &c., with an homage to Italian conceptual artist Alighiero Boetti, each CD punctuated with Preludes and Postludes performed with guest saxophonist Gianni Gebbia.

"Tenor saxophonist David Murray, the giant of modern jazz, fuses all the great things that black music has produced: Gospel sounds, free jazz, Afro-Caribbean, blues, soul as well as the beautiful standards of classic jazz. Murray's colo...

Following his 2017 trio album with guitarists Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorson, New York guitarist Elliott Sharp returns to his Manhattan studio with two different guitarists--Bhutan guitarist Tashi Dorji living in Asheville, and New Zealand guitarist living in New York Sally Gates--for ten far-ranging improvisations of inspired technique and creative intent.

Austrian pianist Elias Stemeseder and German percussionist Christian Lillinger expand their partnership into a quartet with brilliant New York trumpeter Peter Evans and double bassist Russell Hall, in this all-acoustic follow-up to their 2023 album Umbra in 13 avant jazz compositions, inventively lyrical and unpredictably impressive, recorded in the warmth of the Van Gelder studios.

"The time in Porto when Barry Guy and The Blue Shroud Band recorded an album all this here would also be a time when a group of outstanding artists and warm friends also had the opportunity to spend time making music together outside th...

Bringing together as a trio two improvisers who have both worked previously with bassist Joëlle Léandre in various configurations--drummer Zlatko Kaučič, and pianist Elisabeth Harnik--for a magnificent concert of innovative expression through intent conversation of impressive and unusual technique, captured live at the 2023 ARTACTS Festival in Tirol, Austria.

Finnish saxophonist and improviser Harri Sjöström assembles this quartet with some of the most innovative and in-demand players in Europe, the UK & Australia--Tony Buck from The Necks on drums & percussion, John Edwards on double bass, and Elisabeth Harnik on piano--captured live at Panda Platforma in Berlin in 2023 for a stellar concert of collective improvisation.

"We have a special relationship with Ivo Perelman, so when his latest trio with Cuban-born and hugely respected pianist Aruan Ortiz and Spanish-born but French-based friend of our label Ramon Lopez finally came about, we felt that their...

An "auditory exploration of the fragile balance between creation and destruction, echoing the forces that sculpted Earth's geological history" from the collective free improvising trio of two New York luminaries--Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, flugelhorn & trombone and Joe Morris on guitar & effects--with Boston double bassist Brad Barrett, also on cello & effects.

Featuring distinctively voiced collective free improvisation, this transatlantic quartet recording on the West Coast brings together legendary musicians Frode Gjerstad on alto saxophone and clarinet, and Bobby Bradford on cornet, alongside contemporary classical and improvising tuba virtuoso William Roper and drummer Alex Cline, delivering five dynamic improvisations with remarkable direction.

With two reeds--Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano saxophones & clarinet, and tenor saxophonist & clarinetist Tobias Delius--and the masterful rhythm section of Olie Brice ond double bass and Mark Sanders on drums, this superb collective quartet leverages the long relationships between players, particularly the trio of Sanders/Brice/Delius and Dunmall & Sanders' extensive work together.

Axioms is based around the core trio of Boston multi-reedist, percussionist and composer David Peck, and Cecil Taylor associates Albey onBass (on bass) and poet Jane SpokenWord, here in a performance with collective core cellist & aquasonic performer Glynis Lomon, and guest improviser from New Orleans, Chris Alford on guitar, stomp box and percussion.

Keefe Jackson on tenor & bass clarinets, Raoul Van Der Weide on bass & cracklebox, and Frank Rosaly on drums are heard in this 2022 live performance at De Roze Tanker in Amsterdam, reuniting the Chicago reedist with Rosaly, who is now based in Amsterdam, for six free jazz tunes: two Jackson compositions and four superb collective dialogs.

The third chapter in Cuban-Born, New York-based drummer Francisco Mela's tribute to his legendary mentor and bandleader Mccoy Tyner, in a trio with William Parker on bass and Leo Genovese on piano, celebrating the avant side of Tyner's work with Coltrane and his own bands, and the influence he had on Mela in encouraging him to push the boundaries of his playing.

The third chapter in Cuban-Born, New York-based drummer Francisco Mela's tribute to his legendary mentor and bandleader Mccoy Tyner, in a trio with William Parker on bass and Leo Genovese on piano, celebrating the avant side of Tyner's work with Coltrane and his own bands, and the influence he had on Mela in encouraging him to push the boundaries of his playing.

Metal Chaos Ensemble was formed in 2015 by reedist & percussionist David Peck and drummer Yuri Zbitnov as a working project to explore chaotic rhythms on metallic instruments with a rock sensibility; drummer Steve Niemitz now holds the drum chair, and the band is a prolific sextet with saxophonist Michael Caglione, trumpeter Bob Moores, synth player Eric Woods and guitarist Mike Gruen.

An impressive live performance at Exploratorium Berlin in 2024 as part of the international symposium Musicians' Perspectives on Improvisation, which explores the practices, ideas, visions and theories of improvising musicians, from the trio of John Butcher on saxophones, Luigi Marino on cymbals, zarb, zarb e zurkhaneh & feedback devices, and Mark Wastell on percussion.

The trio of Barry Chabala on acoustic guitar, objects & radio, David Forlano on laptop, EWI & live sampling and Drew Gowran on drums & percussion are heard in a set of four experimental soundscapes and improvised dialogs of great detail and diverse momentum, captured live at Juno Brewery + Cafe, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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For her third album as a leader, NY vibraphonist and composer Patricia Brennan expands her band to a septet with bassist Kim Cass, drummer Marcus Gilmore, percussionist Mauricio Herrera, saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Mark Shim and trumpeter Adam O'Farrill also on electronics, for an exciting, widely embracing and fully modern album of compelling modern jazz, bound to be a 2024 top 10!

A first time issue for these 2009 studio recordings between Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano saxophones and bass & b-flat clarinets, Paul Rogers on 7 string acoustic bass and Tony Levin on drums, bringing to light both a great trio session that's sat on the shelf too long, and a superb example of the late great drummer Tony Levin's important contribution to UK free improv.

"Two Views of Steve Lacy's The Wire re-imagines a historic moment: that time when the American composer and soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy went into a Tokyo recording studio with some freshly made Japanese friends, where they recorded a...

The second installment of Alva Noto's HYbr:ID series initiated in 2021 in a mysteriously dark and beautiful album of electronics, submerged sound, glitch and alien percussive elements, these 10 pieces from a commission to score Richard Siegal's Ectopia performed in 2021 by Tanztheater Pina Bausch with Shooting into the Corner (2008-09) by Anish Kapoor.

The second installment of Alva Noto's HYbr:ID series initiated in 2021 in a mysteriously dark and beautiful album of electronics, submerged sound, glitch and alien percussive elements, these 10 pieces from a commission to score Richard Siegal's Ectopia performed in 2021 by Tanztheater Pina Bausch with Shooting into the Corner (2008-09) by Anish Kapoor.

Meticulously remastered, these twelve "lost" studio recordings from the Arkestra in 1986 find Sun Ra performing with the Outer Space Visual Communicator (OVC), which used light to create kaleidoscopic visuals during performance, as seen in still pictures in the included booklet, which also has extensive liner notes and an in-depth interview with OVC inventor Bill Sebastian.

The seventh solo percussion album from Barcelona-based Vasco Trilla, here investigating the symbolic and historical use of bells in different regions and cultures around the world through ten unconventional observations of vibration, resonance, and rich tones performed on timpani, flat tuned bells, transducer speakers, snare drum and assorted percussions.

Ten numbered Ballads from the pen of John Zorn, writing for the trio of Brian Marsella on piano, Jorge Roeder on bass and Ches Smith on drums, his third album with this same Downtown New York piano trio and by far the most lyrical and lovely collection to date, as the trio settles into Zorn's inventive structures with improvisational passion and adroit interaction.

Two virtuosic contemporary performers--pianist Stephen Gosling and vocalist Barbara Hannigan--heard in live performances of three challenging works by John Zorn: Jumalattaret, a song cycle in praise of line Finnish Goddesses out of Sami Shamanism, and Split the Lark, Zorn's tribute to the magical American poet Emily Dickinson, plus Zorn's early work Nazdar, Poupon, Nazdar.

"Zorn's first appearance at the world renowned Venice Biennale was a spectacular one. Invited to perform The Hermetic Organ at the famed 17th century Palazzo Pisano, he was surprised to find two small antique organs opposite one another...

A diverse, upbeat and embraceable album of brass-heavy jazz from New York trumpeter Frank London's ensemble, from funky rhythms to material that would be at home in Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool, flavored with London's Klezmatics background and performed with three percussionists, taking a wide view on the role of brass, particularly trumpet, trombone & tuba, in the history of jazz music.

Taking his cues from the electronic music of his Detroit roots, free jazz drummer Gerald Cleaver presents an album of synthetic rhythms and sonic landscapes, each piece composed in detailed arrangements of compelling and adventurous structures, from propulsive grooves to sinuous soundscapes, a surprising and exciting twist showing Cleaver's strong compositional skills.

The followup to their 2020 album titled BleySchool, the trio of Pat Thomas on piano, Dominic Lash on double bass and Tony Orrell on drums revisit and further explore the music of Paul and Carla Bley, here in a 2022 live performance at London's Cafe OTO focused on early Bley compositions, and also a cover of "Monk's Mood" which Bley included on his solo album Basics.

Their first time playing together as a trio despite many permutations in various projects over the years, the trio of Robert Mitchell (F-IRE Collective) on piano & percussion, Neil Charles on double bass and the remarkably collaborative drummer Mark Sanders, are heard in this 2nd part to their 2022 concert at London's Cafe OTO for three extended, free and very informed collective improvisations.