Following their 2019 Astral Spirits album Fictional Souvenirs , the trio of Pat Thomas on piano & electronics, John Butcher on saxophones and Stale Liavik Solberg on drums take that album's title as their trio's moniker, releasing this exceptional second album of four insightful collective conversations captured live at Cafe Oto, in London in 2023.

The trio of Japanese saxophone legend Akira Sakata with the Scandinavian rhythm section of Johan Berthling on double bass and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums, plus a second drummer with Takeo Moriyama (Yosuke Yamashita Trio), perform six wildly exciting improvisations, Sakata's vocalizations at times pushing the band as they are heard live in this 2019 recording at Tokuzo in Nagoya, Japan.

The trio of Japanese saxophone legend Akira Sakata with the Scandinavian rhythm section of Johan Berthling on double bass and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums, plus a second drummer with Takeo Moriyama (Yosuke Yamashita Trio), perform six wildly exciting improvisations, Sakata's vocalizations at times pushing the band as they are heard live in this 2019 recording at Tokuzo in Nagoya, Japan.

In two extended movements and a conclusion, free-improvising pianist Joel Futterman's Forever reflects both the rich history of jazz and his own personal journey through deeply focused expression, his music flowing like a powerful river — at times turbulent, at times serene — yet always in motion, guiding listeners on an expansive and captivating journey.

Emerging from a series of improv gigs and sessions, the trio of Sally Gates on guitar, Steve Hirsh on drums, and Daniel Carter on saxophones, flute, and trumpet present five studio recordings of spontaneous composition, weaving together a diverse range of sounds with intricate detail and complexity, transitioning seamlessly from fluid, flowing passages to sharp, jagged explorations.

Performing the unique compositions of Brooklyn-based bassist & composer Kim Cass with the technically superb quintet of Matt Mitchell on piano & synthesizer, Tyshawn Sorey on drums, Laura Cocks on flutes and Adam Dotson on euphonium, Cass' intricate and unconventional works, influenced by 20th century contemporary classical, are complex structures that require precision and wit; impressive!

A tribute to six extraordinary female pianists — Geri Allen, Carla Bley, Marilyn Crispell, Angelica Sanchez, Sylvie Courvoisier & Renne Rosnes — through compositions from New York pianist Kris Davis and one by drummer Johnathan Blake, melodically rich and intricately challenging pieces as Davis stands shoulder to shoulder with those who inspired her.

Live improvisations from the North Carolina duo of Alexander Cooper and Joseph Schlam, a double album of eight extended journeys through textural sound, drone and veiled reference, influenced by Costin Miereanu, Jaap Vink, Lionel Marchetti, Luc Ferrari, and Dagar Vani, as the duo work in stereo using two amps for drums, voice, live electronics, and field recordings.

A live performance of acoustic improvisation augmented by electronics between Stephen Flinn and Bryan Eubanks, Flinn bringing percussion and gongs to the stage while Eubanks performs on saxophone and electronics, over a 30 minute dialog they coax out unusual cries, squeals and utterance of confident sonic force evolved through improvisational restraint; compelling and mysterious.

The debut album of NY composer & pianist Matt Mitchell's long-running trio with bassist Chris Tordiniand and drummer Dan Weiss, an adventurous and accomplished group that brings an optimistic buoyancy to Mitchell's complex compositions, exploring multiple asynchronous cycles using polyrhythm and polymeter through multiple lines that the players have freedom to choose and improvise around.

A tour-de-force exposition of the mandocello, acoustic and electronic, an instrument evolving out of the 18th century mandalone into a louder instrument intended to take the bass role in mandolin ensembles, which Sharp demonstrates through strings that ring with powerful resonance as he performs original compositions with references to Derek Bailey, Kinshi Tsuruta, and Harry Partch.

Two acoustic improvisations from percussionist Kevin Corcoran and Andrew Weathers on soprano saxophone, recorded in an abandoned garage and using the structure's resonance to shape their playing, with the third and title track being an electroacoustic composition by Corcoran, incorporating field recordings from Mare Island, where they were working.

The second duo release from J.J. Gregg on sitar and Pavan Kanekal on tabla, following their 2022 album re-cycling, is a rich work of sophisticated rhythm, sympathetic chords, and strong raga melodies, recorded at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio in Chicago, warmly capturing the duo's purposeful momentum and sincere joy in their playing.

The second installment from New York saxophonist Ivo Perelman and trumpeter Nate Wooley demonstrates the strong affinity between the two players, highlighting their impressive mastery of their instruments with a creative drive and quick responsiveness that sparks unique dialogs, full of powerful and sometimes unconventional technique and expression; a truly gratifying and remarkable set of improvisations.

Ten improvisations in the 3rd release of New York trumpeter Nate Wooley and tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman's Polarity series, their dialogs an incredible weaving of creative ideas and technical prowess that started in 2020 after recording a series of larger group albums, their affinity and cooperative approach to instrumental dialog exceptional and exemplary.

Bay Area instrument inventor David Samas leads Pet The Tiger, a collective ensemble primarily of instrument inventors, augmented with original ceramic flutes and occasionally Samas' voice, the unique quality of their sound recalling Harry Partch or Harry Bertoia, here in four major works of multiple parts performed in a mixture of composed and improvised approaches; fascinating.

An intimate and warmly recorded studio session between long-time collaborators and masterful improvisers — pianist Matthew Shipp and drummer Whit Dickey — the album opens with a beautifully placid dialog, evolving into a well-balanced collection of expressive, energetic, and startlingly exciting exchanges, from "Moon Garden" to the intensely forceful title track.

UK improviser and keyboard artist Pat Thomas makes his 577 debut with a solo album of abstract and active electronic experimentation with an urban edge, blending texture, depth, and 'mental stimulation' in unexpected, densely packed ways, with Thomas describing the album as the product of an alternative universe where JDilla and Morton Feldman collaborate.

St. Louis violinist Alex Cunningham and Brooklyn pianist Eli Wallace debut as a duo with five extended improvisations, engaging in dynamic conversations that explore rapid melodic passages, complemented by textural piano preparations, creating diverse soundscapes ranging from intense energy to moments of thoughtful, unhurried interaction.

Returning to the electronic jazz approach of his album Multifariam, cellist Christopher Hoffman, composing with the core trio of Frank LoCrasto on keyboards and Bill Campbell on drums, is joined by luminaries such as Henry Threadgill, Ryan Scott, Anna Webber, and Alfred Colón on select tracks, releasing a lyrically compelling album that draws on a diverse range of influences.

Picking up from their 2018 album Bright Force, the quartet of Libra label leaders Satoko Fujii on piano and Natsuki Tamura on trumpet, with Australian improviser Alister Spence on Fender Rhodes electric piano, and now with Magaibutsu/Ruins legend Tatsuya Yoshida on drums, are heard in two wildly powerful 2024 concerts at Koendori Classics in Tokyo and at Jazz Inn Lovely, Nagoya, with compositions from each member.

In 1971 as Sun Ra's deal with ABC Impulse! introduced him and his Arkestra to a wider audience, Sun Ra, aka Herman Poole Blount, accepted a lectureship at University of California, Berkeley, teaching a class titled "The Black Man and the Cosmos" heard in this half hour lecture with a solo piano rendering of "Love in Outer Space," and a 16 minute wild Moog solo.

The eighth album from the Thumbscrew trio of Tomas Fujiwara on drums & vibraphone, Michael Formanek on double bass and Mary Halvorson on guitar, developed during the trio's three-week residency in Pittsburgh for the community-based City of Asylum project, each member contributing three compositions, along with Charles Mingus' "Orange was the Color of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk".

In their second release, the Hunter Underwater quartet of four cellists — Guilherme Rodrigues (Portugal), Gábor Hartyáni (Budapest), Guido Kohn (Buenos Aires), and Hui-Chun Lin (Taiwan) — record at Berlin's Zentrifuge, creating sound sculptures and landscapes with layered harmonics and dynamic interplay through composition and improvisation.

Developed as part of the 2024 artist-in-residence program at Azkuna Zentroa in Bilbao, this series of nine electroacoustic compositions by Miguel A. García and Fernando Carvalho blends rhythms, synthesizers, and Carvalho's field recordings, all manipulated and transformed by García into distinct sonic worlds, each unveiling or making curious mysteriously fascinating sources.

Primarily an acoustic ensemble of nine improvisers led by Ernesto Rodrigues on viola — including saxophonist Joana Sá, percussionist Monsieur Trindade, guitarist Flak, and pianist Luisa Gonçalves — performs a live, extended improvisation of tightly controlled, deeply detailed conversation as part of the 2024 Creative Sources Cycle in Lisbon.

The UK-based Chemical Expansion League of Adam Bohman (prepared strings, voice), Adrian Northover (sax, theremin, wasp synth), Sue Lynch (sax, clarinet, flute), and Ulf Mengersen (bowed & prepared double bass) present thirteen mostly succinct and eccentric improvisations that oscillate between sanity and absurdity, punctuated by industrial elements, bent tones, and surreal soundscapes.

Brooklyn saxophonist Dan Black and guitarist Kevin Miller present a duo album featuring three improvisations using pre-conceived time-based structures, one work using a particular kind of ambience, and an abstract take on a classic jazz tune, all reflecting their years of collaboration and exploration through free improvisation based around jazz standards.

The trio of Erhard Hirt, Klaus Kürvers, and Dietrich Petzold defies conventional norms, blending Dobro, electric guitar, double bass, violin, and rare instruments like tenor violin and bowed metal into a compelling exploration of atonality, sonic precision, and playful free improvisation, creating uniquely intricate and shifting soundscapes filled with string excitement.

Recording at Kuhlspot Social Club in Berlin, the quartet of Erhard Hirt (e-guitar & electronics), Richard Scott (live electronics), Klaus Kurvers (double bass), and Willi Kellers (drums & percussion) perform assertive and exploratory electroacoustic improvisations, taking listeners on 7 journeys that flow through dense forests, deep into watery worlds or traverse unearthly trails.

L'Heure Dernière du Silence stands as a testament to VGO's ongoing exploration of the interplay between silence and sound, solidifying their position as a leading force in contemporary improvised music as heard in this live recording captured during the cycle "A Hora Derradeira do Silencio" at St. George's Church, in Lisbon, Portugal in 2024.

Recorded live during the Creative Sources Cycle at Lisbon's Cossoul on May 2, 2024, this collaboration brings together Ernesto Rodrigues (viola, crackle box), Nuno Torres (alto saxophone), Andre Hencleeday (piano), and Carlos Santos (modular synth) in a delicate journey of reductionist improvisation, blending acoustic and electronic textures to craft an intricate, lower-case performance of subtle sonic dialogues and dynamic restraint.

The Lisbon String Trio — Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Miguel Mira (cello) and Alvaro Rosso(double bass) — collaborates with Carlos Santos (electronics, modular synth) to create a sophisticated, assertive set that enriches the trio's soundscape with nuanced electronic textures, building on the trio's nearly telepathic coordination and harmonic depth, blending physicality and subtle electronics to evoke mysterious, wave-like motifs and dynamic subtlety.

With an ear to detail, Michaël Attias spent a year mixing and refining these four tracks, recorded after a post-pandemic concert at Barbes in Brooklyn, bringing to light four intricately melodic compositions performed with Michael Attias on alto sax, Santiago Leibson on piano & Wurli, Matt Pavolka on bass, Mark Ferber on drums and Christopher Hoffman on cello.

The title translating to The Great Flood, French Pianist Eve Risser joins the trio of Rodrigo Amado on tenor saxophone, Goncalo Almeida on double bass, Onno Govaert on drums, aka The Attic, for a collective interpretation in four parts of a vividly descriptive prose piece titled "ANGLE" by Portuguese essayist, poet, writer, novelist Nuno Júdice (1949-2024).

Joel Futterman delivers a coherent and expansive studio performance presented in three parts, seamlessly weaving beautiful melodic passages, rapid harmonic and rhythmic development, and a profound sense of jazz history that evokes the finest players while remaining distinctly and unmistakably his own — an absolutely masterful achievement.

Rotterdam-based collaborators, alto saxophonist Hugo Costa and drummer Philipp Ernsting, invite legendary bassist William Parker to join them in a Netherlands studio for threeimprovisations that emphasize emotional spontaneity and raw intensity, creating music that finds beauty in exploration and a transformative journey through expressive conversation.

Recorded over two days — first in the studio, then live at Freies Musikzentrum in Munich — Udo Schindler on clarinets, saxophones, & cornet joins pianist Rieko Okuda and drummer Eric Zwang Eriksson in a dynamic exploration of texture and interplay, beginning with clarinet-piano duos before expanding into a full-throttle trio improvisation, for an intricate and energetic free jazz performance.

French guitarist Christian Vasseur, known for his explorative approach and use of unique instruments like the archlute and electric 10-string lap-steel guitar, joins Dirk Serries (A New Wave of Jazz, Vidna Obmana), who employs an archtop guitar with bow and objects in this live-recorded album at Kapel Oude Klooster in Belgium, featuring seven chamber-like duets that weave resonant, tension-filled acoustic textures with surreal and exotic elements.

Bridging jazz and contemporary forms, this 2024 live recording of four improvisations at Berlin's Kuhlspot Social Club channels collective power with chamber jazz influences, showcasing the refined techniques and deep experience of Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Frank Gratkowski on clarinets and alto saxophone, Guilherme Rodrigues on cello, and Michael Griener on percussion.

With an ear to detail, Michaël Attias spent a year mixing and refining these four tracks, recorded after a post-pandemic concert at Barbes in Brooklyn, bringing to light four intricately melodic compositions performed with Michael Attias on alto sax, Santiago Leibson on piano & Wurli, Matt Pavolka on bass, Mark Ferber on drums and Christopher Hoffman on cello.

Returning to the electronic jazz approach of his album Multifariam, cellist Christopher Hoffman, composing with the core trio of Frank LoCrasto on keyboards and Bill Campbell on drums, is joined by luminaries such as Henry Threadgill, Ryan Scott, Anna Webber, and Alfred Colón on select tracks, releasing a lyrically compelling album that draws on a diverse range of influences.

(code named KM-53), is an energetic and sophisticated album of free collective improvisation and one Jeong composition, performed with Allison Burik on alto sax & bass clarinet, Max Ridley on double bass, Francisco Mela on drums and Mina Kim on cello, recorded live at Lilypad, in Cambridge.

"Transoceanico" signifies the global reach of Rome, Italy-born improvising drummer Federico Ughi, celebrating 20 years since his first album recorded in London while residing there, leading to his current Brooklyn launchpad for many global tours and albums, this impressive LP realized in a superb free jazz trio with bassist Adam Lane and tenor saxophonist Rachel Musson.

Drawing from the 2023 studio album Lightning Dreamers, trumpeter and bandleader Rob Mazurek assembles a stellar lineup — including electric pianists Angelica Sanchez and Craig Taborn, cellist Tomeka Reid, flutist Nicole Mitchell, bassist Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, drummers Chad Taylor and Gerald Cleaver, and vocalist Damon Locks — for a psychedelic improvisational journey recorded under the dome of Chicago's Adler Planetarium.

A posthumous realization of Phill Niblock's 2022 composition, this dense, resonant work of drone and sonic intensity, written for Italian vocalist Anna Clementi and shaped and developed with guitarist and bassist Thomas Stern of Einstürzende Neubauten and Crime & the City Solution, is presented in two monumental, haunting longform versions.

The ever-chameleonic Australian trio The Necks — featuring Chris Abrahams on piano and keyboards, Tony Buck on drums & guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass — explore electronic stillness in this 42-minute, single-track composition, evolving from a meditative opening through rich textures and sonic spaces to a beautifully structured conclusion, offering a rewarding and captivating journey.

The ever-chameleonic Australian trio The Necks — featuring Chris Abrahams on piano and keyboards, Tony Buck on drums & guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass — explore electronic stillness in this 42-minute, single-track composition, evolving from a meditative opening through rich textures and sonic spaces to a beautifully structured conclusion, offering a rewarding and captivating journey.

New York trumpeter Kenny Warren leads a trio with cellist Christopher Hoffman and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell through eighteen Warren compositions that draw on diverse musical elements from around the globe — without being 'world music' — crafting succinct, creatively engaging works marked by eclectic references, unconventional time signatures, and a free-flowing lyrical spirit.

Recorded live in Oslo, the Norwegian jazz-rock trio Elephant9 of Torstein Lofthus (drums), Nikolai Haengsle (bass) and Stale Storlokken (keys) join with legendary guitarist Terje Rypdal, channeling the intensity of bands like King Crimson and Mahavishnu Orchestra as they blend and evolve layered psychedelia with angular improvisation for a raw, electric fusion experience.

A formidable sonic duo of guitar, bass, electronics, prepared bass, and drums, featuring Downtown NY pioneer Dougie Bowne and Brooklyn-based experimental rock bassist Matt Nelson (tUnE-yArDs, Weasel Walter Large Ensemble), delivering twelve intense and startlingly inventive improvisations, using every inch of their instruments to create a heavy, captivating set of soundscapes.

Led by pianist Brian Marsella, the sonic theater supergroup iMAGiNARiUM unites a remarkable cast from the Downtown NY scene for a wildly creative 3-CD set that blends jazz, fusion, psych, experimental, and contemporary forms with a sense of awe, humor, and effortless ingenuity, resulting in a captivating journey filled with wonder and, yes, imagination.

Each volume of Nandor Nevai's musikbook series merges four CDs of genre-focused music — folk, industrial, jazz, or hard rock — with autobiographical text and vibrant images, creating a multi-sensory journey through evolving sub-genres, as Nevai's narration and Alex Theoret's mastering bring pristine studio works and raw recordings into a cohesive, powerful experience.

Each volume of Nandor Nevai's musikbook series merges four CDs of genre-focused music — folk, industrial, jazz, or hard rock — with autobiographical text and vibrant images, creating a multi-sensory journey through evolving sub-genres, as Nevai's narration and Alex Theoret's mastering bring pristine studio works and raw recordings into a cohesive, powerful experience.

Each volume of Nandor Nevai's musikbook series merges four CDs of genre-focused music — folk, industrial, jazz, or hard rock — with autobiographical text and vibrant images, creating a multi-sensory journey through evolving sub-genres, as Nevai's narration and Alex Theoret's mastering bring pristine studio works and raw recordings into a cohesive, powerful experience.

Each volume of Nandor Nevai's musikbook series merges four CDs of genre-focused music — folk, industrial, jazz, or hard rock — with autobiographical text and vibrant images, creating a multi-sensory journey through evolving sub-genres, as Nevai's narration and Alex Theoret's mastering bring pristine studio works and raw recordings into a cohesive, powerful experience.

Recorded in Finland in 2016, this extended improvisation features a core duo from later AMM configurations — percussionist Eddie Prévost and pianist John Tilbury, who also performs on harpsichord — captured in the exceptional acoustics of The Sibelius Museum concert hall where the intimate setting elicits profound, beautifully recorded dialogue between these two masterful performers.

Showcasing Buffalo-based percussionist Bob Fullex and Jason Bauers' innovative mastery as Crossfire Duo in an album that features Jacob Gotlib's "Portrait Sequence", performed without striking objects, Matt Sargent's "Small Stones" played entirely on metallophones, Richard Richard Festinger's high-speed "Crossfire", and Christian Wolff's "Flutist (and) Percussionist" as an intricate rhythmic dialogue.

The title refers to the dynamic addition of drummer and percussionist Julian Sartorius, whose energy injects 'jet fuel' into this bassless, windless trio's live 2021 performance at naTo in Leipzig, Germany, with Euphorium label leader Oliver Schwerdt igniting the grand piano and Axel Dörner's thrillingly unconventional slide trumpet playing adding to the burn & mdash; exceptional!

The third volume in the High Laver Levitations series that started with the duo of John Butcher and Eddie Prévost, continued with Silvan Schmid, Tom Wheatley & Prévost, now presents Ute Kanngiesser on cello, Seymour Wright on alto sax, and Eddie Prévost on drum kit, recording two extended improvisations that explore the resonant acoustics of All Saints Church in High Laver, Essex.