Recent Reviews:
Marta Warelis / Andy Moor:
Escape
(Relative Pitch Records)
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Ruben Turba / Minami Saeki:
The Gift
(Editions Wandelweiser)
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Ingrid Laubrock:
Monochromes
(Intakt Records)
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BassDrumBone (Hemingway / Helias / Anderson):
Afternoon
(Auricle)
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Derek Bailey / Sabu Toyozumi:
Breath Awareness
(NoBusiness)
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Keefe Jackson / Raoul van der Weide / Frank Rosaly:
Live at de Tanker
(Kettle Hole Records)
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Bobby Bradford / Frode Gjerstad / William Roper / Alex Cline:
Frice
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
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Stephen Flinn:
Red Bell
(Creative Sources Recordings)
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Albert Ayler with Don Cherry:
1964 Recordings First Visit Completed
(Ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records, Ltd.)
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Philz:
Top 2024 Album List
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Facebook: Squidco Sales
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Op-Ed
(Opinions and Editorials)
January 10, 2025:
For my ears, this has been an incredible week of new music. With our mid-country city in the grip of cold weather, staying indoors and listening has been a joy. The highlight of the week is a trio of box sets released by the Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!) label, celebrating three masterful and influential European improvisers.
First among these is the Agustí Fernández box set, marking his 70th birthday. I spent time reading interviews with Fernández, learning about his experiences living in various parts of Europe and the US as a young man and the diverse influences he encountered. His wide-ranging approach to performance, remarkable technical skill, and inventive use of the piano — both inside and out — are on full display. Known for his preference for small group collaborations, the set captures phenomenal concerts with luminaries like Barry Guy, John Butcher, Liudas Mockunas, and others.
The second release is a stunning 8-panel foldout package celebrating Zlatko Kaučič's 70th birthday. It features performances with Agustí Fernández, Barry Guy, Axel Dörner, Rodrigo Amado, and more. Kaučič is an innovative drummer and percussionist whose playing is endlessly fascinating, commanding intense and focused listening. These festival recordings are thrilling and utterly compelling, showcasing his persistent creativity.
Finally, the third box set comes from Ictus label founder and influential composer Andrea Centazzo, commemorating 50 years of performances. Recorded at Milan's Teatro Out Off, this 4-CD set brings together a large ensemble of European and American performers to interpret Centazzo's compositions. Standout members of the ensemble include Elliott Sharp, Vasco Trilla, Steve Hubback, Steve Swell, and Sergio Armaroli. Each of the four nights presents unique and expansive concerts, including a remarkable 28-minute reference to Soft Machine's "Moon in June."
 Fernandez, Agusti feat. Barry Guy, Don Malfon, John Butcher, Jordina Milla, Liudas Mockunas, Lucia Martinez, Torben Snekkestad, Zlatko Kaucic: Agusti Fernandez @70 - Aesthetic Of Prisms. [7 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Honoring Agustí Fernández's 70th birthday, this 7-CD box set captures his innovative artistry through live and studio collaborations with performers including Barry Guy, John Butcher, Lucía Martínez, &c., recorded across global venues, showcasing his mastery of the piano, free improvisation, and profound creative dialogue with fellow improvisers.
 Kaucic, Zlatko (Kaucic / Amado / Dorner / Grom / Guy / Fernandez / Snekkestad): INKLINGS [4 CD BOX SET] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Marking drummer/percussionist Zlatko Kaučič's 70th birthday, this 4-CD set presents his collaborations with luminaries including Torben Snekkestad, Axel Dörner, Rodrigo Amado, Barry Guy, and Agustí Fernández, blending intimate and transformative improvisations recorded across Slovenian festivals, showcasing Kaučič's mastery and the profound synergy of these exceptional ensembles.
 Centazzo, Andrea: Ictus@45 - Out Off Nights [4 CD BOX SET] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Celebrating 50 years of Andrea Centazzo's career and 45 years of ICTUS Records, this 4-CD set documents concerts over four nights at Milan's Teatro Out Off, vibrant sets of improvisation uniting global luminaries like Elliott Sharp, Ellen Burr, and Steve Swell in a boundary-pushing exploration of ICTUS's legacy and Centazzo's innovative artistry.
Out of Your Head Records has released Yikes, a single LP, and Yikes Too, a double CD, presenting new work from Tim Berne's trio. The double CD features Berne on alto saxophone, drummer Tom Rainey, and guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi, in both studio and live settings, while the LP focuses exclusively on the studio recordings. The compositions are primarily Berne's, with one by his mentor, Julius Hemphill.
What has always drawn me to Tim Berne's music is his masterful use of structure, no matter how abstract or unconventional it may be. Berne hails from an older school of free improvisation that embraces melody while often turning it on its side. His compositions are unmistakably his own, marked by their rhythmic playfulness and the dynamic interplay they foster among his collaborators. These compositions consistently yield unexpected improvisational outcomes while maintaining a sense of coherence for the listener.
I first discovered Berne through Fulton Street Maul, a release that earned significant attention for a then-unknown young talent. Decades later, the same core elements remain captivating in his music, now enriched by modern influences, his exceptional sidemen, and his own ever-evolving brilliance as a player.
 Berne, Tim (w/ Tom Rainey / Gregg Belisle-Chi): Yikes Too [2 CDs] (Out Of Your Head Records)
Highlighting the profound skill and musical connection of alto saxophonist Tim Berne, drummer Tom Rainey, and guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi, in a captivating journey through meticulously composed pieces, dynamic improvisation, and structured arrangements of spontaneous creativity, across 2 CDs contrasting live and studio recordings that emphasize their exploratory artistry and evolution within creative jazz.
 Berne, Tim (w/ Rainey / Belisle-Chi): Yikes [VINYL] (Screwgun/Out Of Your Head Records)
Vinyl release of the studio recordings from the Compact Disc listed above.
Postal Increases:
Just a note to let you know that the US Post Office is at it again, raising postal rates for the new year. We've been told that US Media Mail rates will remain the same, but US and International 1st Class rates have increased 5%, and we've raised our rates the same 5%. It's staggering to me that postal rates continue to increase while the cost of music CDs has stayed relatively static, making the cost of international shipping for a new CD often more expensive than the CD itself! We recommend all international customers use our International Economy shipping method to save on the expense, which provides tracking and reliable delivery using your own country's postal service.
YOu can read about our detailed shipping rates here.
Squidco Publishing Roundup:
These are the updates to Squidco and The Squid's Ear over the last week. You can see our latest fully cataloged albums in our Recently Section.
You can see new albums as they enter our Just In Stock Section, meaning that we physically have an album and are able to ship it with an order, but that we're not satisfied that we've added all the information we can about that release.
You can also see recent restocks of previously listed items at our Recently Restocked page.
You can ask us to inform you via email of any upcoming release that you're interested in, with no obligation.
January 16, 2025: New @ Squidco:
Agusti Fernandez feat. Barry Guy, Don Malfon, John Butcher, Jordina Milla, Liudas Mockunas, Lucia Martinez, Torben Snekkestad, Zlatko Kaucic -Agusti Fernandez @70 - Aesthetic Of Prisms. [7 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Zlatko Kaucic (Kaucic/Amado/Dorner/Grom/Guy/Fernandez/Snekkestad) -INKLINGS [4 CD BOX SET] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Andrea Centazzo -Ictus@45 - Out Off Nights [4 CD BOX SET] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Painkiller (Harris/Laswell/Zorn) -Samsara [CD] (Tzadik)
Sun & Rain (Morgan/Laplante/Smiley/Nazary) -Waterfall [VINYL] (Out Of Your Head Records)
Giacomo Merega/Joe Morris -Opus Dichotomous [CD] (Infrequent Seams Records)
Jason Kahn -Every Hand Is Lunatic That Travels on the Moon [CD] (Editions)
Sun Ra -Lanquidity (DELUXE EDITION) [VINYL] (STRUT)
January 16, 2025: New Review @ The Squid's Ear: Ruben Turba / Minami Saeki - The Gift (Editions Wandelweiser) by Brian Olewnick.
January 14, 2025: New @ Squidco:
Tim Berne (w/ Tom Rainey/Gregg Belisle-Chi) -Yikes Too [2 CDs] (Out Of Your Head Records)
Tim Berne (w/ Rainey/Belisle-Chi) -Yikes [VINYL] (Screwgun/Out Of Your Head Records)
Michael Sarian/Matthew Putman/Ledian Mola/Federico Ughi -The Sea, The Space, and Egypt, Vol. 1 [VINYL] (577 Records)
Michael Sarian/Matthew Putman/Ledian Mola/Federico Ughi -The Sea, The Space, and Egypt, Vol. 1 [CDR] (577 Records)
Trance Map (Evan Parker/Matthew Wright) -Horizons Held Close [CD] (Relative Pitch)
Udo Schindler/Paul Rogers -Ephemeral Locations [CDR] (Confront)
Chuck Roth -Document 1 [CD] (Relative Pitch)
Jean-Jacques Birge -Animal Opera [CD] (GRRR)
Neurodivergent -Stigma [CDR] (Evil Clown)
Various artists -Evil Clown Shorties, Vol. 3 (2024) [CDR] (Evil Clown)
January 14, 2025: New Review @ The Squid's Ear: Ingrid Laubrock - Monochromes (Intakt Records) by John Eyles.
January 13, 2025: New Review @ The Squid's Ear: BassDrumBone (Hemingway / Helias / Anderson) - Afternoon (Auricle) by Andrey Henkin.
January 10, 2025:
As the year came to a close, we Squids experienced a flurry of activity before taking a breather during the holiday-packed final weeks, which made our publishing schedule a bit challenging. Last week, we eased back into a semi-normal routine with our mailing list, and this week marks our full return to the usual schedule. While the political and social landscape remains far from normal, we're energized by extraordinary new releases that are propelling us into the new year.
New releases that have been in rotation for my personal listening have come from Confront Records, particularly the wildly exotic Ensemble A release the trio of Schick, Tuerlinckx, Zoepf and the excellent Wunderkammer LP from Jan Bang, Michael Francis Duch, Erik Honore, David Toop and Mark Wastell; it's been a while since we had an album from Jan Bang in our catalog, the last being the 2022 Confront album Compound Full Of Bones, Translucent Thousands, and before that on David Sylvian's Samadhi label, so it's great to hear his contribution in such a sophisticated ensemble.
 Bang / Duch / Honore / Toop / Wastell: Wunderkammer [VINYL] (Confront)
A collaborative tribute to Nordic poet Nils Christian Moe-Repstad (1972-2022), Wunderkammer blends live recordings from Punkt Festival 2023 with Moe-Repstad's 2014 voice recordings, as Jan Bang, Erik Honoré, Michael Francis Duch, David Toop, and Mark Wastell weave a spectral and meditative ea-improv work of minimalism, poetic tension, and reverent sonic exploration.
 Hubbard, Nathan / Kyle Motl: Obsidian (Confront)
Recording live in the studio in San Diego, percussionist Nathan Hubbard and double bassist Kyle Motl engage in four fascinating duets of improvised music, blending extended techniques and unconventional approaches to their instruments to evoke richly textured, unpredictable, and exploratory performances that push the boundaries of traditional bass-and-drum interplay.
 Schick / Tuerlinckx / Zoepf: Ensemble A (Confront)
Recorded live in Kassel and Cologne, Germany, in May 2023, turntablist Ignaz Schick, prepared pianist Anaïs Tuerlinckx, and bass clarinetist/soprano saxophonist Joachim Zoepf deliver two wild and extended electroacoustic improvisations, blending tactile textures, dynamic interplay, and outside approaches to redefine the sonic possibilities of their respective instruments.
 Bang, Jan / David Toop / Mark Wastell: Compound Full Of Bones, Translucent Thousands (Confront)
An extended improvisation interweaving acoustic and electronic instruments in a beautifully coherent evolution of mysterious and approachable sources, from the trio of Jan Bang, David Toop and Mark Wastell, combining tam tams, gongs, flutes, lapsteel, live sampling, gongs, brushes, elastic, paper and more to captivate the curious listener.
We also picked up a great set of LP from the Luxembourg NI-VU-NI-CONNU label, with two albums from Jon Butcher, a duo between Kai Fagaschinski and Yan Jun, and a 3-LP set of duos from Burkhard Beins with illustrious improvisers including Axel Dorner, Andrea Neumann, Anais Tuerlinckx, &c. If you're not familiar with NI-VU-NI-CONNU's pressing, they are of remarkable quality in their packaging, with care and attention to detail in every aspect of each release.
 Beins, Burkhard (w/ Dorner / Elieh / Ermke / Neumann / Renkel / Tuerlinckx / Zapparoli): Eight Duos [3 LPs] (NI-VU-NI-CONNU)
Showcasing Burkhard Beins's versatile approach to collaboration, this 3-LP set recorded at Morphine Raum presents eight duo performances featuring partners such as Andrea Neumann, Axel Dörner, and Marta Zapparoli, blending acoustic and electronic instruments in conceptual explorations that range from the percussive "Expansion" to the dynamic "Transmission," reflecting Beins's broad artistic spectrum.
 Butcher / Davies / Sanders / Thomas: Lower Marsh [VINYL] (NI-VU-NI-CONNU)
Recorded across two sessions at London's now-closed Iklectik, named for its Lambeth Marsh location, saxophonist John Butcher performs in duos and small groups with Angharad Davies on violin, Mark Sanders on percussion, Pat Thomas on electronics, and John Edwards on double bass, crafting remarkable acoustic and electroacoustic improvisations that honor the venue's legacy.
 Butcher / Davies / Sanders / Thomas: Unlockings [VINYL] (NI-VU-NI-CONNU)
Recorded live at Iklectik in London, saxophonist John Butcher on soprano and tenor leads an ensemble of Angharad Davies on violin, Mark Sanders on percussion, and Pat Thomas on electronics, iPad, and samples in four open, exploratory electroacoustic improvisations that reflect a post-lockdown freedom and Butcher's ethos of spontaneity and personal expression in creative music-making.
We also caught up with Relative Pitch Records, with another set of albums that will be hot on the heels of this set. Highlights for me are the quartet of Zeena Parkins, Chris Brown, William Winant, Ben Davis, Scree, guitarist Luciana Bass' solo album of inventive improv, Desatornillandonos, and the duo of Sophie Agnel & Michael Zerang, Draw Bridge. Clayton Thomas released Sound the Alarm, an incredible ensemble of improvisers conducted by Thomas, in an album responding to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, with all proceeds donated to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza. New Relative Pitch albums, including the Trance Map release with Evan Parker and Matthew Wright, Horizons Held Close.
 Sound the Alarm (Clayton Thomas + Ensemble): Sound the Alarm (Relative Pitch)
A powerful and socially driven project from a large ensemble founded by Clayton Thomas to musically and culturally respond to the ongoing genocide in Palestine, blending composed improvisation with collective human energy; recorded live on June 27, 2024, this performance stands as a sonic act of solidarity, reflection, and bearing witness, with all proceeds donated to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
 Agnel, Sophie / Michael Zerang: Draw Bridge (Relative Pitch)
French classically trained pianist Sophie Agnel and percussionist Michael Zerang explore unconventional techniques in nine captivating improvisations recorded at Chicago's Experimental Sound Studio, blending Agnel's prepared and extended piano methods with Zerang's nuanced percussion to create a strikingly compatible and dynamic sonic dialogue.
 Bass, Luciana: Desatornillandonos (Relative Pitch)
With a title roughly translating to "Unscrewed", Argentinian guitarist Luciana Bass dismantles and loosens the bolts on conventional boundaries, blending blues and abstract improvisation in a journey marked by melodic passion and adventurous sonic exploration, crafting a vivid interplay between embraceable beauty and strikingly unexpected contrasts.
 Parkins, Zeena / Chris Brown / William Winant / Ben Davis: Scree (Relative Pitch)
Recording in the Mills College Concert Hall in Oakland, the quartet of Zeena Parkins (harp), Chris Brown (piano and electronics), William Winant (percussion), and Ben Davis (cello) work in an ethereal mode of electro-acoustic improvisation, drawing unconventional sounds from their instruments as they weave a virtuosic and intricately creative sonic tapestry evoking the rugged unpredictability of the album's title.
We also started the cataloging process for the GRRR label from France, active since the early 1980s with genre-mashing albums from founder Jean-Jacques Birge, including Un Drame Musical Instantané, and impressive RIO-oriented bands like Pied De Poule or the work of Hélène Sage. This is a new relationship for us, and we're just digging into the first set of albums we picked up, which have all been sophisticated, compelling and a twisted in all the right ways. We will be slowly cataloging these albums, 19 in all thus far, as we research the musicians involved and the background of each album.
 Sage, Helene: Comme Une Image (GRRR)
A visionary 1989 release by French multi-instrumentalist and composer Hélène Sage, this 14-track album blends electronic, modern classical, and experimental elements, featuring collaborations with Jean-Jacques Birgé and Bernard Vitet; surreal yet meticulously crafted, the album showcases Sage's eclectic style and innovative compositions in standout pieces like "L'invitation Au Voyage" and "Les Sept Merveilles Du Monde."
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