Fujii / Tamura / Yoshida / Takeharu:
Burning Wick (Libra)

Founded in 2001 and reunited after their last album in 2007, the quartet of Satoko Fujii (piano), Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), Hayakawa Takeharu (bass), and Tatsuya Yoshida (drums) unleashes a high-energy blend of avant jazz-rock, shifting from atmospheric fragments to dense, electric-edged turbulence, driven by sharp contrasts, ferocious rhythms, and the group's volatile, genre-bending interaction. ... Click to View

Armaroli / Piccolo / Sharp:
Imaginary Songbook [2 CDs] (Dodicilune)

Through 64 succinct works, the trio of Sergio Armaroli (vibraphone), Steve Piccolo (electric bass, voices, electronics), and Elliott Sharp (guitars, soprano saxophone) unravels and reimagines the jazz tradition in fascinating fragments where familiar melodies, riffs, and harmonic cues flicker through an inventive, experimental interplay that blurs memory, abstraction, and improvisational wit. ... Click to View

Ayako Kanda / Elliott Sharp:
Hi-Gengo (Erototox Decodings)

Exploring a vivid spectrum of sound, the duo of Ayako Kanda (voice) and Elliott Sharp (baritone guitar, electronics) pairs Kanda's kaleidoscopic shifts between linguistic and nonverbal expression with Sharp's baritone guitar textures and electronic detail in an improvisational dialogue that moves fluidly between abstraction, color, and visceral intensity. ... Click to View

Henry Threadgill :
Listen Ship (Pi Recordings)

Composer Henry Threadgill conducts a suite for six acoustic guitars and two pianos, bringing together Bill Frisell, Miles Okazaki, Brandon Ross, Gregg Belisle-Chi, Jerome Harris, Stomu Takeishi, Maya Keren, and Rahul Carlberg in an intricately orchestrated work whose intervallic syntax and meticulous counterpoint entwine with unexpected timbres to reveal his singular and sublime vision. ... Click to View

Henry Threadgill (Ross / Frisell / Besile-Che / Okazaki / Harris / Takeishi / Keren / Carlberg):
Listen Ship [VINYL] (Pi Recordings)

Composer Henry Threadgill conducts a suite for six acoustic guitars and two pianos, bringing together Bill Frisell, Miles Okazaki, Brandon Ross, Gregg Belisle-Chi, Jerome Harris, Stomu Takeishi, Maya Keren, and Rahul Carlberg in an intricately orchestrated work whose intervallic syntax and meticulous counterpoint entwine with unexpected timbres to reveal his singular and sublime vision. ... Click to View

Fieldwork (Iyer / Lehman / Sorey):
Thereupon (Pi Recordings)

Seventeen years after their last recording, the New York trio of Steve Lehman (alto saxophone), Vijay Iyer (piano, Rhodes), and Tyshawn Sorey (drums) reunite with dense, high-impact compositions and fearless interplay, blending complexity with groove as they reaffirm their status as one of the most vital ensembles in contemporary improvised music. ... Click to View

Fieldwork (Iyer / Lehman / Sorey):
Thereupon [VINYL] (Pi Recordings)

Seventeen years after their last recording, the New York trio of Steve Lehman (alto saxophone), Vijay Iyer (piano, Rhodes), and Tyshawn Sorey (drums) reunite with dense, high-impact compositions and fearless interplay, blending complexity with groove as they reaffirm their status as one of the most vital ensembles in contemporary improvised music. ... Click to View

Dan Weiss (w/ Evans / Okazaki / Brennan):
Unclassified Affections (Pi Recordings)

Drummer and composer Dan Weiss brings together Peter Evans (trumpet), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), and Miles Okazaki (guitar) in a set of compositions written for their distinct voices, shifting from meditative calm to intense peaks, weaving intricate contrapuntal textures and improvisations into a mysterious and transcendent collective sound. ... Click to View

Dan Weiss (w/ Evans / Okazaki / Brennan):
Unclassified Affections [VINYL 2 LPs] (Pi Recordings)

Drummer and composer Dan Weiss brings together Peter Evans (trumpet), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), and Miles Okazaki (guitar) in a set of compositions written for their distinct voices, shifting from meditative calm to intense peaks, weaving intricate contrapuntal textures and improvisations into a mysterious and transcendent collective sound. ... Click to View

Eva Novoa Trio (w/ Daniel Carter / Francisco Mela):
The Freedom Suite, Vol. 2 (577 Records)

Brooklyn pianist Eva Novoa joins saxophonist Daniel Carter and drummer Francisco Mela for the second volume of The Freedom Suite, a set of twelve pieces blending piano, Rhodes, harpsichord, gongs, and vocals with Carter's multi-reed brilliance and Mela's Cuban-inflected drumming, creating an urgent, intimate, and fluidly improvised dialogue of words, sound, and fearless imagination. ... Click to View

Eva Novoa Trio (w/ Carter / Mela):
The Freedom Suite, Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)

Brooklyn pianist Eva Novoa joins saxophonist Daniel Carter and drummer Francisco Mela for the second volume of The Freedom Suite, a set of twelve pieces blending piano, Rhodes, harpsichord, gongs, and vocals with Carter's multi-reed brilliance and Mela's Cuban-inflected drumming, creating an urgent, intimate, and fluidly improvised dialogue of words, sound, and fearless imagination. ... Click to View

Ken Vandermark:
October Flowers for Joe McPhee (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

A profoundly personal solo recording from Ken Vandermark on tenor and baritone saxophones and clarinets, captured live at Corbett vs. Dempsey in Chicago in March 2025, performing a suite dedicated to Joe McPhee that interlaces composed and freely improvised works — each named for symbolic flowers — into a deeply expressive tribute of melody, emotion, and inventive clarity. ... Click to View

Pat Thomas:
Hikmah (Tao Forms)

An extraordinary solo piano album from UK pianist Pat Thomas, recorded at London's Fish Factory Studio, presenting eight deeply focused improvisations and compositions reflecting Thomas's lifelong engagement with Sufism and spiritual expression through sound; a luminous, exploratory work that unites the traditions of jazz and mysticism into a transcendent, profoundly human statement. ... Click to View

Pat Thomas:
Hikmah [VINYL w/ DOWNLOAD] (Tao Forms)

An extraordinary solo piano album from UK pianist Pat Thomas, recorded at London's Fish Factory Studio, presenting eight deeply focused improvisations and compositions reflecting Thomas's lifelong engagement with Sufism and spiritual expression through sound; a luminous, exploratory work that unites the traditions of jazz and mysticism into a transcendent, profoundly human statement. ... Click to View

JEM3 (JT Lewis / Elliott Sharp / Marco Cappelli):
Apices (Klanggalerie)

A powerhouse debut from the improvising trio of drummer JT Lewis, guitarist & reed player Elliott Sharp, and guitarist Marco Cappelli, blending spontaneous composition with structured narrative in an inventive interplay of amplified classical, electric, and bass guitars, clarinet, electronics, and percussion that spans modern jazz, experimental, and avant-garde sound worlds. ... Click to View

Natural Information Society (Abrams / Alvarado / Avery / Stein):
Perseverance Flow (AGUIRRE RECORDS)

Returning to its core quartet, Natural Information Society — Joshua Abrams, Lisa Alvarado, Mikel Patrick Avery, and Jason Stein — unfolds a single continuous composition of hypnotic polyrhythms and evolving textures, merging minimalism, modal jazz, and dub-inspired production into a richly layered soundfield that pulses with meditative intensity, collective focus, and transcendent rhythmic flow. ... Click to View

Russ Lossing:
Proximity Alert (Blaser Music)

Joined by bassist Mark Helias and drummer Eric McPherson, pianist Russ Lossing presents a deeply intuitive trio performance that balances structure and freedom, unfolding through intricate yet unforced improvisations that reveal profound emotional depth, rhythmic sensitivity, and melodic imagination, affirming his mastery of spontaneous musical dialogue and expressive subtlety. ... Click to View

Thollem:
Worlds in a Life, Two (ESP-Disk)

Reimagining sounds from his past collaborations with Nels Cline, Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Terry Riley, and Michael Wimberly, Thollem transforms their performances into new sonic landscapes through real-time improvisation using samples from their improvisations, blending organic and electronic textures into a kaleidoscopic exploration of memory, transformation, and infinite creative possibility. ... Click to View

Gene Torchia / John Stowell:
Duo [2 CDs] (Not On Label)

A fascinating double album uniting guitarist Gene Torchia on amplified classical guitar and John Stowell on electric guitar, recorded in the studio between 2023 and 2025, blending composed works written for modern classical guitar and flute with Stowell's improvisations to create a rich and stylistically diverse dialogue spanning blues, Latin, Irish, baroque, and avant-garde forms. ... Click to View

Kesherul Neg Pineg:
The Book Of Pig [VINYL] (Tour de Bras)

The long-running duo between Czech trumpeter and electronics artist Petr Vrba and French drummer Peter Orins, blends ritualistic reductionism with psychedelic grooves, extended trumpet techniques, analog synthesis, and prepared percussion to create a hypnotic and unpredictable soundscape, full of frenetic energy, atmospheric tension, and sudden dynamic shifts. ... Click to View

Expanse:
Loud & Furious Tongues (Evil Clown)

An extraordinary collective improvisation uniting David Peck, Michael Caglianone, John Fugarino, Robin Amos, Jonathan LaMaster, and Michael Knoblach, merging woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion, and electronic instruments in a fluid and intricately balanced dialogue that juxtaposes turbulence and calm, unfolding with expansive textures, measured intensity, and vivid sonic interplay. ... Click to View

Metal Chaos Ensemble:
Ephemerol (Evil Clown)

Featuring David Peck, John Fugarino, Bob Moores, Eric Woods, and Mike Gruen, this edition of Metal Chaos Ensemble merges horns, electronics, and metallic percussion in a dense improvisational landscape where shifting textures, resonant drones, and abstract rhythmic interplay create an evolving sound world of raw intensity, shimmering atmosphere, and inventive sonic dialogue. ... Click to View

Turbulence Orchestra:
Density Fluctuation (Evil Clown)

An eight-piece horn and electronics ensemble featuring David Peck, Hilary Noble, Cliff White, Dennis Livingston, John Fugarino, Bob Moores, Eric Dahlman, and Duane Reed, creating a vividly shifting chamber improvisation where reeds and brass intertwine with auxiliary percussion and electronics, generating dynamic waves of color, density, and resonance in a constantly evolving acoustic spectrum. ... Click to View

Sophie Agnel / Joke Lanz:
Ella (Klanggalerie)

An exciting meeting of French pianist Sophie Agnel, known for her extended and prepared piano techniques, and Swiss turntablist Joke Lanz, renowned for his work in noise, experimental music, and performance art, presenting a dynamic and playful duo of spontaneous improvisation blending percussive textures, sonic collage, and energetic interaction revealing a sense of humor and awe. ... Click to View

Sopa Boba:
That Moment (Sub Rosa)

Blending spoken word, modern classical strings, and harsh modular synths, Belgian/Dutch ensemble Sopa Boba crafts a striking electronic-orchestral oratorio based on Moldavian writer Nicoleta Esinencu's That Moment, unraveling a dark, satirical narrative of capitalist excess through seven gripping movements that merge caustic irony with haunting sonic textures. ... Click to View

John Zorn (Edgcomb / Greene / Hanes):
The Bagatelles Vol. 3 Trigger (Tzadik)

The third volume in John Zorn's Bagatelles series features the explosive trio Trigger — Aaron Edgcomb on drums, Will Greene on guitar, and Simon Hanes on bass — tearing through Zorn's intricate compositions with fierce precision and raw energy, delivering a searing and radical interpretation of these works drawn from Zorn's expansive 2015 collection of 300 pieces. ... Click to View

Weston Olencki :
Pearls Ground Down To Powder [VINYL] (Full Spectrum)

Weston Olencki deconstructs and reimagines the banjo across two longform compositions, transforming it into a percussive, polyrhythmic engine and a harmonic resonator, navigating glitch-driven algorithmic textures and richly detuned sonorities, juxtaposing the kinetic, minimalist grooves of "The Rocks Are Different, Here" with the spectral, ring-modulated drones of "Brothers". ... Click to View

111 (Michelle / Villamil):
Live at Opus 40 [CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD] (Notice Recordings)

The duo of Chantal Michelle and Grace Villamil transform the monumental land sculpture of Opus 40 into a resonant instrument, layering voice and electronics with field recordings and audience interactions to create an immersive, spatially dynamic performance of ambient tension and sonic obliteration, masterfully teetering between composed sound, environmental resonance, and blooming noise. ... Click to View

La Noed (w/ Carlos Mascolo):
De la liberte (FMR)

Inspired by Maggie Nelson's reflections on freedom, this intuitive and boundary-defying quintet — featuring saxophonists Simona Castria and Angelo Manicone, Carlo Mascolo on no-input trombone, Valerio Metteo on organismic synthesizers, and João Pedro Viegas on bass clarinet — explores collective improvisation as a form of resistance, creating a deeply expressive tapestry untethered from ego or hierarchy. ... Click to View

Helene Sage :
Les Araignees (GRRR)

An imaginative and genre-defying return from Hélène Sage in an eclectic blend of songs, jazz-inflected fanfares, and humorous yet critical texts performed in multiple languages, featuring a striking ensemble of avant-garde musicians whose voices, instruments, and unconventional approaches craft a surreal and adventurous sonic world; of interest to RIO fans. ... Click to View