The Squid's Ear Magazine
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Squidco Top 40 by Customer Orders

Leo Genovese / Mariano Otero / Sergio Verdinelli
Trio Sin Tiempo: Ritmos de Agua
(577 Records)

A lyrical piano trio album from three seasoned Argentinian-born improvising musicians -- Leo Genovese on piano, Mariano Otero on bass and Sergio Verdinelli on drums -- each contributing compositions to the album, along with one piece by Luis Alberto Spinetta, with whom Verdinelli has performed extensively; a lovely and sophisticated album of modern jazz.


Michael Sarian / Matthew Putman / Ledian Mola / Federico Ughi
The Sea, The Space, and Egypt, Vol. 1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Bringing together trumpeter Michael Sarian, keyboardist Matthew Putman, drummer Federico Ughi, and Cuban bassist-vocalist Ledian Mola to pay heartfelt tribute to Sun Ra's cosmic Afrofuturism, blending improvisational brilliance with Mola's folklore-inspired vocals and Putman's Rocksichord - the same keyboard model Sun Ra played - in a first-time collaboration and celebration of innovation.


Cecil Taylor Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray)
Live At Fat Tuesday's February 10, 1980 First Visit [CD + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

The 2nd night of the superb, extended live performance from 1980 at NYC's Fat Tuesday jazz club, from the outstanding sextet of forward-thinking free improvisers, Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Ramsey Ameen on violin, Alan Silva on double bass & cello, Jerome Cooper on drums & African Balaphone and Sunny Murray on drums, led by Cecil Taylor on piano in an ecstatic concert never previously released.


Evan Parker
The Heraclitean Two-Step, etc. [4 CDs + BOOK]
(False Walls)

Celebrating Evan Parker's 80th birthday in 2024 in a 4-CD set of solo improvisations recorded from 1994-2024, paired with a 120-page book featuring essays, an extended interview with Martin Davis plus visual artwork by Parker, blending profound reflections on space, sound, and artistic evolution while showcasing pivotal recordings and contributions from the improv and art community.


Peter Brotzmann / Paal Nilssen-Love
Butterfly Mushroom
(Trost Records)

The 2nd volume following Chicken Shit Bingo from a two-day 2015 studio session in Antwerp, capturing the deep rapport and evolving artistry of multi-reedist Peter Brötzmann and drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love through eight powerful and explorative improvisations, reflecting their nearly two-decade collaboration as they experiment with new instruments and demonstrate profound musical expression.


Cecil Taylor Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray)
Live At Fat Tuesday's February 9 - First Visit Archive [CD + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

A superb and extended live performance from 1980 at NYC's Fat Tuesday jazz club, from the outstanding sextet of forward-thinking free improvisers, Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Ramsey Ameen on violin, Alan Silva on double bass & cello, Jerome Cooper on drums & African Balaphone and Sunny Murray on drums, led by Cecil Taylor on piano in an ecstatic concert never previously released.


Anthony Braxton
Solo Bern 1984 First Visit
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Thirteen years after his breakthrough solo saxophone album For Alto, Anthony Braxton is heard in an inventive solo concert on the same instrument, performing at the Altes Schlachthaus Theatre in Bern, Switzerland for a set of original numbered compositions, the standards "Alone Together" and "I Remember You", and two Coltrane pieces: "Giant Steps" and "Naima".


Tim Berne (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.


Butcher / Durrant / Wastell
Around the Square, Above the Hill
(Confront)

Two 2024 sessions from the free improvising trio of John Butcher (tenor and soprano saxophones), Phil Durrant (electric mandolin and electronics), and Mark Wastell (drums and percussion): the two-part dialog "Around", recorded live at London's Vortex Jazz Club, and the four-part collective improvisation "Above", captured at The Rose Hill in Brighton, UK.


Camila Nebbia / Angelica Sanchez
In Another Land, Another Dream
(Relative Pitch)

An intimate duo at Brooklyn's IBeam performance venue in November 2023 between visiting Argentine-born, Berlin-based tenor saxophonist Camila Nebbia and New York pianist Angelica Sanchez, performing six freely improvised and sophisticated dialogs that highlight the implicit lyricism of each player and the finesse of their virtuosic skills in subtle expression.


Patricia Brennan Septet (Irabagon / Shim / O'Farrill / Gilmore / Herrera / Cass)
Breaking Stretch
(Pyroclastic Records)

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!


Kris Davis Trio (w/ Hurst / Blake)
Run the Gauntlet
(Pyroclastic Records)

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.


Ayumi Ishito (feat. Kevin Shea and George Draguns)
Roboquarians, Vol. 2
(577 Records)

Following the digital release of Roboquarians Volume 1, the trio of Ayumi Ishito on saxophone with effects, George Draguns on guitar and Kevin Shea on drums return with four wild jazz compositions by Draguns, their electrified performances infusing ferocious improvisations with an intense psychedelic energy and an avant-punk sensibility; wild!


Painkiller (Harris / Laswell / Zorn)
Samsara
(Tzadik)

Originally formed in 1991, the legendary PainKiller trio, known for merging jazz, metal, grindcore, ambient, and dub, returns after more than 25 years to explore an intense new direction, as electronic artist Mick Harris crafts a rich tapestry of beats and sounds, drawing inspired performances from bassist Bill Laswell and alto saxophonist John Zorn.


Steve Coleman & Five Elements
PolyTropos / Of Many Turns [2 CDs]
(Pi Recordings)

Drawn from two absolutely energetic and exciting concerts in France, saxophonist and composer Steve Coleman's Five Elements ensemble — Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Sean Rickman on drums, and new electric bassist Rich Brown — blend spontaneous rhythmic and tonal transformations with Coleman's inventive, biologically-inspired compositions; exhilarating!


Cecil Taylor
The Classic Albums - 8 Remastered LPs [4 CD BOX SET]
(Enlightenment)

Reissuing and remastering eight landmark albums released between 1956 and 1962, this collection traces iconoclastic pianist Cecil Taylor’s evolution from bop-influenced beginnings to the groundbreaking free jazz forms he helped pioneer, featuring collaborations with Steve Lacy, John Coltrane, Kenny Dorham, Archie Shepp, Clark Terry, Roswell Rudd, and others, culminating in his trailblazing trio with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray.


Michael Attias (Attias / Leibson / Pavolka / Ferber / Hoffman)
Quartet Music Vol. I: LuMiSong / Kardamon Fall [2 CDs]
(Out Of Your Head Records)

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.


Leandre / Lotte Anker / Kersten Osgood
Worlds
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A riveting live performance from the 2023 Copenhagen Jazz Festival by Joëlle Léandre, Lotte Anker, and Kresten Osgood, whose trio of bass, saxophones, and drums delivers an enthralling journey through three improvisational worlds, blending spontaneity, profound interplay, and virtuosic intensity in a masterful exploration of sound and emotion.


Charles Gayle / Szilard Mezei Quartet Bass
Oils
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A 2009 live performance at the 15th Magyarkanizsa Jazz Festival in Serbia between Hungarian violist and composer Szilárd Mezei and US saxophonist Charles Gayle, an evocative meeting of transcendent free jazz and compositional precision, weaving Mezei's intricate scores with Gayle's profound, soul-searching improvisations; a dynamic and fiery celebration of freedom and expression.


Trance Map (Evan Parker / Matthew Wright)
Horizons Held Close
(Relative Pitch)

Returning to the duo format that launched their series, Evan Parker on soprano saxophone and Matthew Wright on turntables with live processing and sound design deliver two studio improvisations from Ramsgate, UK, with Wright transforming Parker's virtuosity through layers of electronic interaction, crafting a dynamic and intricate virtual symphony of technique and intent.


Alexander Schlippenbach von / Daag Magnus Narvesen Duo
KAIROS
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Marking their decade-long collaboration, pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer Dag Magnus Narvesen present a dynamic dialogue of free jazz and structured improvisation, blending generational and cultural perspectives into deeply focused and evolving musical narratives, where melodies and rhythmic patterns unfold organically through collective discipline and creativity.


Albert Ayler with Don Cherry
1964 Recordings First Visit Completed [2 CDs + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

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.


Tyshawn Sorey (w/ Diehl / Ragahavan)
The Susceptible Now
(Pi Recordings)

Covering favorite compositions, drummer Tyshawn Sorey arranges works from artists recent and classic, including McCoy Tyner ("Peresina"), Joni Mitchell ("A Chair in the Sky"), Brad Mehldau ("Bealtine"), or Vividry ("Your Good Lies"), performed with double bassist Harish Raghavan and pianist Aaron Diehl and recorded in the studio after developing each piece in live performance at The Village Vanguard.


Brandon Seabrook
Object of Unknown Function
(Pyroclastic Records)

A "solo" guitar album of unparalleled creativity and technical prowess, blending virtuosic banjo and guitar performances with inventive compositions and experimental use of effects and overdubs through multiple instruments and cassette additions, a genre-defying exploration of layered soundscapes, intricate fingerpicking, and bold sonic textures that is absolutely fascinating.


Marilyn Crispell / Harvey Sorgen
Forest
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Superlative duo work from pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Harvey Sorgen, recording in the studio in Woodstock, NY, blending deeply attuned free collective dialogs with one composition from each artist, in an album of dynamic and evocative improvisation that moves from vivid storytelling to introspective meditations of vision and masterful artistry.


Cecil Taylor Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray)
Live At Fat Tuesday's February 10, 1980 First Visit [CD + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

The 2nd night of the superb, extended live performance from 1980 at NYC's Fat Tuesday jazz club, from the outstanding sextet of forward-thinking free improvisers, Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Ramsey Ameen on violin, Alan Silva on double bass & cello, Jerome Cooper on drums & African Balaphone and Sunny Murray on drums, led by Cecil Taylor on piano in an ecstatic concert never previously released.


Evan Parker
The Heraclitean Two-Step, etc. [4 CDs + BOOK]
(False Walls)

Celebrating Evan Parker's 80th birthday in 2024 in a 4-CD set of solo improvisations recorded from 1994-2024, paired with a 120-page book featuring essays, an extended interview with Martin Davis plus visual artwork by Parker, blending profound reflections on space, sound, and artistic evolution while showcasing pivotal recordings and contributions from the improv and art community.


Peter Brotzmann / Paal Nilssen-Love
Butterfly Mushroom
(Trost Records)

The 2nd volume following Chicken Shit Bingo from a two-day 2015 studio session in Antwerp, capturing the deep rapport and evolving artistry of multi-reedist Peter Brötzmann and drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love through eight powerful and explorative improvisations, reflecting their nearly two-decade collaboration as they experiment with new instruments and demonstrate profound musical expression.


Cecil Taylor Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray)
Live At Fat Tuesday's February 9 - First Visit Archive [CD + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

A superb and extended live performance from 1980 at NYC's Fat Tuesday jazz club, from the outstanding sextet of forward-thinking free improvisers, Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Ramsey Ameen on violin, Alan Silva on double bass & cello, Jerome Cooper on drums & African Balaphone and Sunny Murray on drums, led by Cecil Taylor on piano in an ecstatic concert never previously released.


Anthony Braxton
Solo Bern 1984 First Visit
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Thirteen years after his breakthrough solo saxophone album For Alto, Anthony Braxton is heard in an inventive solo concert on the same instrument, performing at the Altes Schlachthaus Theatre in Bern, Switzerland for a set of original numbered compositions, the standards "Alone Together" and "I Remember You", and two Coltrane pieces: "Giant Steps" and "Naima".


Tim Berne (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.


Butcher / Durrant / Wastell
Around the Square, Above the Hill
(Confront)

Two 2024 sessions from the free improvising trio of John Butcher (tenor and soprano saxophones), Phil Durrant (electric mandolin and electronics), and Mark Wastell (drums and percussion): the two-part dialog "Around", recorded live at London's Vortex Jazz Club, and the four-part collective improvisation "Above", captured at The Rose Hill in Brighton, UK.


Camila Nebbia / Angelica Sanchez
In Another Land, Another Dream
(Relative Pitch)

An intimate duo at Brooklyn's IBeam performance venue in November 2023 between visiting Argentine-born, Berlin-based tenor saxophonist Camila Nebbia and New York pianist Angelica Sanchez, performing six freely improvised and sophisticated dialogs that highlight the implicit lyricism of each player and the finesse of their virtuosic skills in subtle expression.


Patricia Brennan Septet (Irabagon / Shim / O'Farrill / Gilmore / Herrera / Cass)
Breaking Stretch
(Pyroclastic Records)

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!


Kris Davis Trio (w/ Hurst / Blake)
Run the Gauntlet
(Pyroclastic Records)

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.


Ayumi Ishito (feat. Kevin Shea and George Draguns)
Roboquarians, Vol. 2
(577 Records)

Following the digital release of Roboquarians Volume 1, the trio of Ayumi Ishito on saxophone with effects, George Draguns on guitar and Kevin Shea on drums return with four wild jazz compositions by Draguns, their electrified performances infusing ferocious improvisations with an intense psychedelic energy and an avant-punk sensibility; wild!


Painkiller (Harris / Laswell / Zorn)
Samsara
(Tzadik)

Originally formed in 1991, the legendary PainKiller trio, known for merging jazz, metal, grindcore, ambient, and dub, returns after more than 25 years to explore an intense new direction, as electronic artist Mick Harris crafts a rich tapestry of beats and sounds, drawing inspired performances from bassist Bill Laswell and alto saxophonist John Zorn.


Steve Coleman & Five Elements
PolyTropos / Of Many Turns [2 CDs]
(Pi Recordings)

Drawn from two absolutely energetic and exciting concerts in France, saxophonist and composer Steve Coleman's Five Elements ensemble — Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Sean Rickman on drums, and new electric bassist Rich Brown — blend spontaneous rhythmic and tonal transformations with Coleman's inventive, biologically-inspired compositions; exhilarating!


Cecil Taylor
The Classic Albums - 8 Remastered LPs [4 CD BOX SET]
(Enlightenment)

Reissuing and remastering eight landmark albums released between 1956 and 1962, this collection traces iconoclastic pianist Cecil Taylor’s evolution from bop-influenced beginnings to the groundbreaking free jazz forms he helped pioneer, featuring collaborations with Steve Lacy, John Coltrane, Kenny Dorham, Archie Shepp, Clark Terry, Roswell Rudd, and others, culminating in his trailblazing trio with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray.


Michael Attias (Attias / Leibson / Pavolka / Ferber / Hoffman)
Quartet Music Vol. I: LuMiSong / Kardamon Fall [2 CDs]
(Out Of Your Head Records)

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.


Leandre / Lotte Anker / Kersten Osgood
Worlds
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A riveting live performance from the 2023 Copenhagen Jazz Festival by Joëlle Léandre, Lotte Anker, and Kresten Osgood, whose trio of bass, saxophones, and drums delivers an enthralling journey through three improvisational worlds, blending spontaneity, profound interplay, and virtuosic intensity in a masterful exploration of sound and emotion.


Charles Gayle / Szilard Mezei Quartet Bass
Oils
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A 2009 live performance at the 15th Magyarkanizsa Jazz Festival in Serbia between Hungarian violist and composer Szilárd Mezei and US saxophonist Charles Gayle, an evocative meeting of transcendent free jazz and compositional precision, weaving Mezei's intricate scores with Gayle's profound, soul-searching improvisations; a dynamic and fiery celebration of freedom and expression.


Trance Map (Evan Parker / Matthew Wright)
Horizons Held Close
(Relative Pitch)

Returning to the duo format that launched their series, Evan Parker on soprano saxophone and Matthew Wright on turntables with live processing and sound design deliver two studio improvisations from Ramsgate, UK, with Wright transforming Parker's virtuosity through layers of electronic interaction, crafting a dynamic and intricate virtual symphony of technique and intent.


Alexander Schlippenbach von / Daag Magnus Narvesen Duo
KAIROS
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Marking their decade-long collaboration, pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer Dag Magnus Narvesen present a dynamic dialogue of free jazz and structured improvisation, blending generational and cultural perspectives into deeply focused and evolving musical narratives, where melodies and rhythmic patterns unfold organically through collective discipline and creativity.


Albert Ayler with Don Cherry
1964 Recordings First Visit Completed [2 CDs + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

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.


Tyshawn Sorey (w/ Diehl / Ragahavan)
The Susceptible Now
(Pi Recordings)

Covering favorite compositions, drummer Tyshawn Sorey arranges works from artists recent and classic, including McCoy Tyner ("Peresina"), Joni Mitchell ("A Chair in the Sky"), Brad Mehldau ("Bealtine"), or Vividry ("Your Good Lies"), performed with double bassist Harish Raghavan and pianist Aaron Diehl and recorded in the studio after developing each piece in live performance at The Village Vanguard.


Brandon Seabrook
Object of Unknown Function
(Pyroclastic Records)

A "solo" guitar album of unparalleled creativity and technical prowess, blending virtuosic banjo and guitar performances with inventive compositions and experimental use of effects and overdubs through multiple instruments and cassette additions, a genre-defying exploration of layered soundscapes, intricate fingerpicking, and bold sonic textures that is absolutely fascinating.


Marilyn Crispell / Harvey Sorgen
Forest
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Superlative duo work from pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Harvey Sorgen, recording in the studio in Woodstock, NY, blending deeply attuned free collective dialogs with one composition from each artist, in an album of dynamic and evocative improvisation that moves from vivid storytelling to introspective meditations of vision and masterful artistry.


Koch-Schutz-Studer & El Nil Troop
Heavy Cairo Traffic
(Intuition)

Documenting a 1995 collaboration between Swiss improvisers Hans Koch, Martin Schütz, and Fredy Studer with Egypt's El Nil Troop, blending live and studio recordings of Egyptian folk music and European jazz improvisation into a dynamic, respectful and ecstatic fusion that preserves the essence of both traditions while adding inventive layers in a versatile and passionately energetic release.


Sophie Agnel / 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.


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.


Daniel Carter / Leo Genovese / William Parker / Francisco Mela
Shine Hear Volume 2 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Inspired by a poem Daniel Carter wrote about the transience and motion of modern life, the quartet of Daniel Carter on saxophone, Leo Genovese on piano, William Parker on bass, Gralla & Shakuhachi and Francisco Mela on drums & voice, turn in an ecstatic album of exotic collective improvisation in this second of two volumes from an excellent studio session.


John Butcher / Thomas Lehn / Gino Robair
Shaped & Chased [VINYL]
(NI-VU-NI-CONNU)

The 3rd of NI-VU-NI-CONNU's 5-LP John Butcher series and part of a 2 night residency at ausland in Berlin coinciding with his 65th birthday, the long-running trio of tenor & soprano saxophonist John Butcher with Thomas Lehn on synthesizer and Gino Robair on percussion, Blipoo Box & found objects perform four perfectly complementary and startling improvisations.


Daniel Carter / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver
Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

After decades playing together, the quartet of Daniel Carter on tenor sax, trumpet & flute, Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass, and Gerald Cleaver on drums, release the first of two planned studio albums, with two extended and remarkably warm collective excursions bookending a shorter "Scintillate", in an exceptionally solid album of masterful modern jazz.


Daniel Carter / Patrick Holmes / Matthew Putman / Hilliard Greene / Federico Ughi
Telepathic Mysteries Vol. 1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Referring to an improvisational style only possible after many years of collaboration, which they refer to as a "ghostly, boundary-pushing music between friends", this is the 4th sublime album from the quintet of Daniel Carter on reeds & trumpet, Patrick Holmes on clarinet, Matthew Putman on piano & keys, Hilliard Greene on bass, and Federico Ughi on drums.


Sean Conly
The Buzz [VINYL]
(577 Records)

A mix of lyrical, free and traditional compositions, the majority from leader, New York bassist Sean Conly, along with pieces from long-time collaborator Michael Attias, Sam Rivers and Paul Motian, performed in the piano trio format with drummer Francisco Mela and pianist Leo Genovese, a great balance of jazz steeped in tradition but living fully in the present.


Burkhard Beins / John Butcher / Werner Dafeldecker
induction [VINYL]
(NI-VU-NI-CONNU)

The first of NI-VU-NI-CONNU's 5-LP John Butcher series, presenting concerts from 2019 in Berlin and Leipzig of acoustic free improvisation fueled by incredible technique, extreme concentration and open-minded approaches to free interaction, from the trio of Burkhard Beins on percussion, John Butcher on tenor & soprano saxophones and Werner Dafeldecker on double bass.


Daniel Carter / Patrick Holmes / Matthew Putman / Hilliard Greene / Federico Ughi
Telepatica [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Named for the long history of collaboration over decades, the NY free jazz Telepathic Band of Daniel Carter on saxophones, clarinet & trumpet, Patrick Holmes on clarinet, Matthew Putman on piano, Rhodes, Hilliard Greene on bass and Federico Ughi on drums are heard live at the 2018 Forward Festival in Brooklyn, NY for four outstandingly informed improvisations.


John Butcher / Pat Thomas / Dominic Lash / Steve Noble
Fathom [COLORED VINYL]
(577 Records)

The debut for UK saxophonist John Butcher on 577 Records is this exemplary 2021 live recording at Cafe OTO in London by the quartet of Butcher on tenor and soprano saxophones, Pat Thomas on piano, Dominic Lash on double bass and Steve Noble on drums, four of the UK's leading free improvisers demonstrating their prodigious abilities in concentrated conversation.


Derek Bailey / Paul Motian
Duo in Concert [VINYL w/ DOWNLOAD]
(Frozen Reeds)

Discovered in the archives of guitarist and free improv innovator Derek Bailey's Incus Records label are these two live performances between Bailey and percussionist Paul Motian, mastered by Jim O'Rourke and presented as a vinyl LP with a 1990 performance at JazzMarathon at De Oosterpoort, in Groningen, and as a download with a concert in 1991 at New Music Cafe, NYC.


[ism] (Pat Thomas / Joel Grip / Aontonin Gerbal)
Maua [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Recordings from the Berlin club Au Topsi Pohl where the [ism] piano trio of Pat Thomas on piano, Joel Grip on double bass and Antonin Gerbal on drums played 4 nights in a row, May 18-21, 2022, Thomas performing on a Bösendorfer grand piano, creating an omnipresent and precise sound that drove the band to great heights of interactive, warmly diverse playing.


Deerlady (Obomsawin, Mali / Magdalena Abrego)
Greatest Hits [VINYL]
(Out Of Your Head Records)

A collection of songs exploring intimacy under colonialism by the writing duo of bassist and singer/lyricist Mali Obomsawin, a member of the Odanak First Nation and known for her work with the band Lula Wiles, and Chicago guitarist Magdalena Abrego, based in Cambridge, MA, featuring eight beautifully crafted pieces that showcase lyrical strength and astute observation.


Jessica Pavone
Reverse Bloom [VINYL]
(Astral Spirits)

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.


Elephant9 with Terje Rypdal
Catching Fire [VINYL 2 LPs]
(Rune Grammofon)

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.


Burkhard Beins (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.


Luigi Nono
A Carlo Scarpa; A Pierre Dell'Azzurro Silenzio, Inquietum; Guai ai Gelidi Mostri [VINYL]
(Edition Rz)

3 works by composer Luigi Nono: "A Carlo Scarpa" for orchestra; "A Pierre..." for bass flute, bass clarinet and live elektronics; and "Guai ai Gelidi Mostri" for ensemble, voices and live elektronics.


Evan Parker / Barry Guy / Paul Lytton
Live at Maya Recordings Festival [VINYL 2 LPs]
(NoBusiness)

Superb improvisation from three masters - Evan Parker on sax, Barry Guy on bass and Paul Lytton on drums - performing at the Maya Recordings Festival, September 23 - 25, 2011 at Theater am Gleis, Winterthur, Switzerland.


Daniel Carter / Tobias Wilner / Djibril Toure / Federico Ughi
New York United [VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
(577 Records)

An excellent blend of electronics and acoustics as saxophonist, flutist and trumpeter Daniel Carter meets sound artist Tobias Wilner from world-renowned electronic pop band Blue Foundation, with Wu-Tang Clan bass player Djibril Toure and drum wiz Federico Ughi rounding out this forward-thinking album of hazy and rhythmic electroacoustic environments.


Oyauchi / Deku Duo
Now's The Time? [VINYL]
(Armageddon Nova)

The first release on Japan's Armageddon Nova, now reissued as a limited 180gm double vinyl LP, presenting a 2012 concert at Performing Arts Center, in Japan in 2012 by the duo of free improvising alto saxophonist Aishi Oyauchi, a peer of Karou Abe in the 60s, and contrabassist Deku, a member of the 70s free improvising group New Jazz Syndicate.


Pat Thomas / Dominic Lash / Tony Orrell
BleySchool [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Referencing the deceptively simple and memorable melodies of pianist Paul Bley, the trio of Pat Thomas on piano, Dominic Lash on double bass, and Tony Orrell on drums & percussion pay homage to the late pianist through his own work, plus compositions from Cara Bley, Ornette Coleman, Duke Ellington, and one collective improvisation; a sensitive and lyrical modern jazz album.


Gerald Cleaver
Signs [VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
(577 Records)

Taking his cues from the electronic music of his Detroit roots, free jazz drummer Gerald Cleaver presents an album of synthetic rhythms and sonic landscape, 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.


Astroturf Noise (Harmet / Nagano / Swanson / Martin / Bernstein)
Astroturf Noise [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Astroturf Noise is Sam Day Harmet on mandolin, Sana Nagano on violin, Zach Swanson on bass, Billy Martin on percussion, and Sarah Bernstein on violin, living at the intersection of American folk & roots music and free improvisation, using effects and sonic additions in an unusual mix that the quintet makes completely natural and all their own.


Master Oogway
Earth And Other Worlds [VINYL]
(Rune Grammofon)

The second album from the Norwegian electric jazz quartet of Havard Nordberg Funderud on guitar, Lauritz Lyster Skeidsvoll on saxophone, Karl Erik Horndalsveen on double bass, and Martin Heggli Mellem on drums, after their 2018 album The Concert Koan on the Clean Feed label, here in six powerfully thrilling tracks of youthful exuberance and impressive skill.


Rachel Musson / Pat Thomas / Mark Sanders
Shifa - Live In Oslo [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Performing as part of the Blow Out Festival 2019, the UK improvising trio Shifa, meaning "healing", of Rachel Musson on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, and Mark Sanders on drums, are captured live in Oslo for four dramatic and masterful collective improvisations, passionate and building works, releasing their tension and rebuilding in powerful waves.


Michael Sarian / Matthew Putman / Ledian Mola / Federico Ughi
The Sea, The Space, and Egypt, Vol. 1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Bringing together trumpeter Michael Sarian, keyboardist Matthew Putman, drummer Federico Ughi, and Cuban bassist-vocalist Ledian Mola to pay heartfelt tribute to Sun Ra's cosmic Afrofuturism, blending improvisational brilliance with Mola's folklore-inspired vocals and Putman's Rocksichord - the same keyboard model Sun Ra played - in a first-time collaboration and celebration of innovation.


Cecil Taylor Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray)
Live At Fat Tuesday's February 10, 1980 First Visit [CD + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

The 2nd night of the superb, extended live performance from 1980 at NYC's Fat Tuesday jazz club, from the outstanding sextet of forward-thinking free improvisers, Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Ramsey Ameen on violin, Alan Silva on double bass & cello, Jerome Cooper on drums & African Balaphone and Sunny Murray on drums, led by Cecil Taylor on piano in an ecstatic concert never previously released.


Evan Parker
The Heraclitean Two-Step, etc. [4 CDs + BOOK]
(False Walls)

Celebrating Evan Parker's 80th birthday in 2024 in a 4-CD set of solo improvisations recorded from 1994-2024, paired with a 120-page book featuring essays, an extended interview with Martin Davis plus visual artwork by Parker, blending profound reflections on space, sound, and artistic evolution while showcasing pivotal recordings and contributions from the improv and art community.


Peter Brotzmann / Paal Nilssen-Love
Butterfly Mushroom
(Trost Records)

The 2nd volume following Chicken Shit Bingo from a two-day 2015 studio session in Antwerp, capturing the deep rapport and evolving artistry of multi-reedist Peter Brötzmann and drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love through eight powerful and explorative improvisations, reflecting their nearly two-decade collaboration as they experiment with new instruments and demonstrate profound musical expression.


Cecil Taylor Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray)
Live At Fat Tuesday's February 9 - First Visit Archive [CD + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

A superb and extended live performance from 1980 at NYC's Fat Tuesday jazz club, from the outstanding sextet of forward-thinking free improvisers, Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Ramsey Ameen on violin, Alan Silva on double bass & cello, Jerome Cooper on drums & African Balaphone and Sunny Murray on drums, led by Cecil Taylor on piano in an ecstatic concert never previously released.


Anthony Braxton
Solo Bern 1984 First Visit
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Thirteen years after his breakthrough solo saxophone album For Alto, Anthony Braxton is heard in an inventive solo concert on the same instrument, performing at the Altes Schlachthaus Theatre in Bern, Switzerland for a set of original numbered compositions, the standards "Alone Together" and "I Remember You", and two Coltrane pieces: "Giant Steps" and "Naima".


Tim Berne (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.


Butcher / Durrant / Wastell
Around the Square, Above the Hill
(Confront)

Two 2024 sessions from the free improvising trio of John Butcher (tenor and soprano saxophones), Phil Durrant (electric mandolin and electronics), and Mark Wastell (drums and percussion): the two-part dialog "Around", recorded live at London's Vortex Jazz Club, and the four-part collective improvisation "Above", captured at The Rose Hill in Brighton, UK.


Camila Nebbia / Angelica Sanchez
In Another Land, Another Dream
(Relative Pitch)

An intimate duo at Brooklyn's IBeam performance venue in November 2023 between visiting Argentine-born, Berlin-based tenor saxophonist Camila Nebbia and New York pianist Angelica Sanchez, performing six freely improvised and sophisticated dialogs that highlight the implicit lyricism of each player and the finesse of their virtuosic skills in subtle expression.


Patricia Brennan Septet (Irabagon / Shim / O'Farrill / Gilmore / Herrera / Cass)
Breaking Stretch
(Pyroclastic Records)

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!


Kris Davis Trio (w/ Hurst / Blake)
Run the Gauntlet
(Pyroclastic Records)

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.


Ayumi Ishito (feat. Kevin Shea and George Draguns)
Roboquarians, Vol. 2
(577 Records)

Following the digital release of Roboquarians Volume 1, the trio of Ayumi Ishito on saxophone with effects, George Draguns on guitar and Kevin Shea on drums return with four wild jazz compositions by Draguns, their electrified performances infusing ferocious improvisations with an intense psychedelic energy and an avant-punk sensibility; wild!


Painkiller (Harris / Laswell / Zorn)
Samsara
(Tzadik)

Originally formed in 1991, the legendary PainKiller trio, known for merging jazz, metal, grindcore, ambient, and dub, returns after more than 25 years to explore an intense new direction, as electronic artist Mick Harris crafts a rich tapestry of beats and sounds, drawing inspired performances from bassist Bill Laswell and alto saxophonist John Zorn.


Steve Coleman & Five Elements
PolyTropos / Of Many Turns [2 CDs]
(Pi Recordings)

Drawn from two absolutely energetic and exciting concerts in France, saxophonist and composer Steve Coleman's Five Elements ensemble — Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Sean Rickman on drums, and new electric bassist Rich Brown — blend spontaneous rhythmic and tonal transformations with Coleman's inventive, biologically-inspired compositions; exhilarating!


Cecil Taylor
The Classic Albums - 8 Remastered LPs [4 CD BOX SET]
(Enlightenment)

Reissuing and remastering eight landmark albums released between 1956 and 1962, this collection traces iconoclastic pianist Cecil Taylor’s evolution from bop-influenced beginnings to the groundbreaking free jazz forms he helped pioneer, featuring collaborations with Steve Lacy, John Coltrane, Kenny Dorham, Archie Shepp, Clark Terry, Roswell Rudd, and others, culminating in his trailblazing trio with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray.


Michael Attias (Attias / Leibson / Pavolka / Ferber / Hoffman)
Quartet Music Vol. I: LuMiSong / Kardamon Fall [2 CDs]
(Out Of Your Head Records)

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.


Leandre / Lotte Anker / Kersten Osgood
Worlds
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A riveting live performance from the 2023 Copenhagen Jazz Festival by Joëlle Léandre, Lotte Anker, and Kresten Osgood, whose trio of bass, saxophones, and drums delivers an enthralling journey through three improvisational worlds, blending spontaneity, profound interplay, and virtuosic intensity in a masterful exploration of sound and emotion.


Charles Gayle / Szilard Mezei Quartet Bass
Oils
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A 2009 live performance at the 15th Magyarkanizsa Jazz Festival in Serbia between Hungarian violist and composer Szilárd Mezei and US saxophonist Charles Gayle, an evocative meeting of transcendent free jazz and compositional precision, weaving Mezei's intricate scores with Gayle's profound, soul-searching improvisations; a dynamic and fiery celebration of freedom and expression.


Trance Map (Evan Parker / Matthew Wright)
Horizons Held Close
(Relative Pitch)

Returning to the duo format that launched their series, Evan Parker on soprano saxophone and Matthew Wright on turntables with live processing and sound design deliver two studio improvisations from Ramsgate, UK, with Wright transforming Parker's virtuosity through layers of electronic interaction, crafting a dynamic and intricate virtual symphony of technique and intent.


Alexander Schlippenbach von / Daag Magnus Narvesen Duo
KAIROS
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Marking their decade-long collaboration, pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer Dag Magnus Narvesen present a dynamic dialogue of free jazz and structured improvisation, blending generational and cultural perspectives into deeply focused and evolving musical narratives, where melodies and rhythmic patterns unfold organically through collective discipline and creativity.


Albert Ayler with Don Cherry
1964 Recordings First Visit Completed [2 CDs + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

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.


Tyshawn Sorey (w/ Diehl / Ragahavan)
The Susceptible Now
(Pi Recordings)

Covering favorite compositions, drummer Tyshawn Sorey arranges works from artists recent and classic, including McCoy Tyner ("Peresina"), Joni Mitchell ("A Chair in the Sky"), Brad Mehldau ("Bealtine"), or Vividry ("Your Good Lies"), performed with double bassist Harish Raghavan and pianist Aaron Diehl and recorded in the studio after developing each piece in live performance at The Village Vanguard.


Brandon Seabrook
Object of Unknown Function
(Pyroclastic Records)

A "solo" guitar album of unparalleled creativity and technical prowess, blending virtuosic banjo and guitar performances with inventive compositions and experimental use of effects and overdubs through multiple instruments and cassette additions, a genre-defying exploration of layered soundscapes, intricate fingerpicking, and bold sonic textures that is absolutely fascinating.


Marilyn Crispell / Harvey Sorgen
Forest
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Superlative duo work from pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Harvey Sorgen, recording in the studio in Woodstock, NY, blending deeply attuned free collective dialogs with one composition from each artist, in an album of dynamic and evocative improvisation that moves from vivid storytelling to introspective meditations of vision and masterful artistry.


Koch-Schutz-Studer & El Nil Troop
Heavy Cairo Traffic
(Intuition)

Documenting a 1995 collaboration between Swiss improvisers Hans Koch, Martin Schütz, and Fredy Studer with Egypt's El Nil Troop, blending live and studio recordings of Egyptian folk music and European jazz improvisation into a dynamic, respectful and ecstatic fusion that preserves the essence of both traditions while adding inventive layers in a versatile and passionately energetic release.


Fennesz
Mosaic
(Touch)

Working in his new Seven Fountains studio in Vienna, guitarist and sound artist Fennesz developed these six works as a "mosaic" of elements derived from improvisation, composition and experimentation using unexpected influences and time signatures, each piece a richly immersive environment of bright harmonics with turns into intricately shadowed space.


Alva Noto
Xerrox Vol. 5
(Noton)

Carsten Nicolai concludes his Xerrox series with Vol. 5, an emotional work blending conceptual image-to-sound themes and sweeping melodic compositions influenced by classical instrumentation, creating a richly layered and introspective sonic experience that encapsulates his evolution from minimalist glitch aesthetics to ambient neo-classical grandeur.


Formanex w/ AMM / Christian Wolff / Keith Rowe / Ralf Wehowsky / John Tilbury / Phill Niblock / ONsemble / Seth Cluett / Radu Malfatti / Michael Pisaro / Julien Ottavi / Kasper T. Toeplitz
20 Years Of Experimental Music [10 CDS]
(Mikroton Recordings)

Their first release in 2000 performing Cornelius Cardew's "Treatise", for 20 years the Formanex quartet of sound artists, conceptualists and experimenters Anthony Taillard, Christophe Havard, Emmanuel Leduc, and Julien Ottavi are heard here in collaborations with Keith Rowe, Kasper T. Toeplitz, Ralf Wehowsky, Seth Cluett, Michael Pisaro, Radu Malfatti, &c.


Alva Noto
HYbr:ID II
(Noton)

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.


Taxonomy
A Global Taxonomical Machine
(Ambiances Magnetiques)

The trio of Roberto Fega (electronics), Elio Martusciello (guitar, electronics) and Graziano Lella (laptop) in a series of compositions and improvisations that explore the syncretism between different musical codes.


Chester Hawkins
Magnetisk Nord
(Intangible Arts)

Chester Hawkins' curiosity for Denmark resulted in his renting an apartment in central Kobenhavn, bringing along his electronically modified lapsteel guitar, wind and reed instruments, tabletop noise-boxes, mobile synthesizer apps and a shortwave radio, which he joined with field recordings from the capital region, creating this magnificent loveletter to Denmark.


Rob Mazurek
Love Waves Ecstatic Charge
(Astral Spirits)

One of three releases in Rob Mazurek's Marfa Trio, recorded in Marfa, TX, using 106 distorted still images and fragmented skipping sound from video shot at Abbaye Royal de Fontevraud, France in 2005, repurposed for this intense and wild sound work which processes the images through modular synth and computer, shaped by Mazurek's unique approach to sound.


FEN (Otomo Yoshihide / Ryu Hankil / Yan Jun / Yuen Chee Wai)
No One's Island
(Mikroton Recordings)

FEN (Far East Network) is comprised of improvisers from Singapore (Yuen Chee Wai), Japan (Otomo Yoshihide), China (Yan Jun), and Korea (Ryu Hankil), using electroacoustic instrumentation to create a unique merging of cultural and personal aesthetic, in their 1st album recorded in NYC using electronic feedback, computer noises and guitar; intriguing and unconventional.


Gerald Cleaver
Signs [VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
(577 Records)

Taking his cues from the electronic music of his Detroit roots, free jazz drummer Gerald Cleaver presents an album of synthetic rhythms and sonic landscape, 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.


Gerald Cleaver
Signs
(577 Records)

Taking his cues from the electronic music of his Detroit roots, free jazz drummer Gerald Cleaver presents an album of synthetic rhythms and sonic landscape, 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.


Chris Brown
Retrospectacles [2 CDs]
(fo'c'sle)

A fascinating 2-CD retrospective of the solo piano and computer work from 1990 to 2016 of San Francisco Bay Area experimental composer Chris Brown, whose work focuses on evolving paradigms of human-machine interaction through live signal processing, generative polyrhythmic textures, and a cohabitation of both formal control and indeterminacy.


Jeph Jerman
Popular Fictions [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD]
(Tsss Tapes)

Two side-long compositions from audio explorer Jeph Jerman, assembled using recordings of objects including "mouth, stone, wood, glass, metal, paper, plastic, radio" plus field recordings made through the spring and summer of 2020 in and around Cottonwood, AZ, joined with audio contributions from Doug Theriault, Chris Reider, Julie Schubert, &c.


Well... The Yes (Jeph Jerman / Dave Knott)
No, Really. [CASSETTE]
(Self Released)

Beginning in 1995 in Seattle, audio explorers Jeph Jerman & David Knotts explore lo-fi approaches using cassettes, mini-cassettes, dictaphones, various assortments of homemade instruments & collected materials, this 2020 cassette including recordings of mouth, stone, wood, glass, metal, paper, plastic, radio, and input from a number of contributors.


Ayumi Ishito
The Spacemen Vol. 1
(577 Records)

Somewhere between Acid Mothers, 70s Miles or Sun Ra's Arkestra, NY-based Japanese saxophonist Ayumi Ishito's first Spacemen volume with Theo Woodward on synth & vocals, Nebula and the Velvet Queen on theremin, Jake Strauss on guitar & bass and Steven Bartishev on drums, lives up to it's cosmic moniker through exploratory improv blurring jazz, electronica and psych.


Gerald Cleaver
Griots
(577 Records)

Drummer Gerald Cleaver continues his explorations in electronic music, taking his compositions of modular electronics, synthesis, FM tones, and muted drum machines into intricate and wide-ranging territory, compelling through the solid and natural rhythms he imparts to each piece, many of which are titled for musicians who have influenced him.


Gerald Cleaver
Griots [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Drummer Gerald Cleaver continues his explorations in electronic music, taking his compositions of modular electronics, synthesis, FM tones, and muted drum machines into intricate and wide-ranging territory, compelling through the solid and natural rhythms he imparts to each piece, many of which are titled for musicians who have influenced him.


Lee Ranaldo / Jim Jarmusch / Marc Urselli / Balazs Pandi
Churning of the Ocean [VINYL]
(Trost Records)

Dark, often unsettling and rich in detail and innuendo, bassist Marc Urselli brings together this quartet with Lee Ranaldo on guitar, pedals & bells, Jim Jarmusch on guitars, pedals & synth, and Balazs Pandi on drums for their second album of sublimely tension-filled improvisation, patiently building to stealthy momentum and retreating back into night.


N/UM
Ravens [VINYL EP]
(577 Records)

With a combined history of dj production, engineering, writing and arranging in a variety of settings from small and large ensembles, electronic music, experimental rock, classical orchestration &c, the N/UM trio of Elias Meister, Jeremy Loucas and Emil Bovbjerg (VAVAV) release their fourth album of innovative live electronics developed through a carefully conceived collective creativity.


Henry Kaiser / Anthony Pirog
Figure / Ground
(Ramble Records)

A gorgeous album of duo work from West Coast guitarist Henry Kaiser and D.C. guitarist Anthony Pirog, creating "ground" structures of beautifully rich harmonics over which "figures" of virtuosic guitar playing emerge and submerge, the overlap creating almost hallucinatory effects as the listener is transfixed somewhere between exquisite foregrounds and backgrounds.


Ben Miller
In the Moment [VINYL]
(Two Rooms)

Destroy All Monsters and Sensorium Saxophone Orchestra guitarist Ben Miller in an album of experimental solo guitar works, augmenting his guitar with effects, synthesizer, bass, tapes and radio to create seven fascinating works that reflect on his rock background through solid rhythmic and melodic hooks, but also captivates through unusual and suprising sonic elements.


Makoto Kawashima / Mochizuki Harutaka / Michel Henritzi
Chinmoku Wa Ishikure Ni Yadoru Bouryoku
(Trost Records)

Evoking the passionate free improvisation of Kaoru Abe and influenced by Austrian poet Georg Trakl's "Nocturnal Song", the trio of Makoto Kawashima and Harutaka Mochizuki on alto saxophone and Michel Henritzi on lap steel & feedback recorded these three crepuscular works in separate locations, assembled by Henritzi into richly dreamlike and cathartic compositions.


Mats Gustafsson / Joachim Nordwall
Their Power Reached Across Space And Time-To Defy Them Was Death-Or Worse
(Thrill Jockey)

Expanding on their decade-long collaboration with albums on Astral Spirits, Bocian and Confront (Ensemble Var), and both members of Fire! Orchestra, sound artist Joachim Nordwall on analog synth and tapes and reed & wind player Mats Gustafsson use extended approaches to their instruments through effects and close mic-ing to create powerful and hallucinatory sound worlds.


Gerald Cleaver
22 / 23 [VINYL VIOLET OPAQUE]
(Positive Elevation / 577 Records)

A journey through a diverse set of genres and styles of electronica, influenced by the New York drummer & composer Gerald Cleaver's native Detroit upbringing, bringing out elements of techno and house music tempered by his improvisational, experimental and avant work; 11 tracks with solid rhythmic foundation in both propulsive and contemplative approaches to electronic composition.


Alva Noto
Kinder der Sonne
(Noton)

Referencing Maxim Gorky's plays Children of the Sun, Alva Noto, aka Carsten Nicola, developed this music for a theater piece titled Komplitzen (Accomplices) by Simon Stone, presented in fourteen compositions of lush electronics, rich atmospheres of tones & timbre, detailed glitch and glacial rhythms that create a wonderful sense of tension and release.


Carl 666 Gustaf
Claim
(thanatosis produktion)

The album art represents the intensity of this Swedish duo's Industrial music, from keyboardist Carl Westholm (Carptree, Avatarium, Krux, Candlemass) and bass player Gustaf Hielm (Pain of Salvation, Meshuggah, Mats/Morgan, Tiamat, &c), using electronics, field recordings, pulsing rhythms and synthetics to develop a complex and dark world of menacing force.


Jessica Pavone
Reverse Bloom [VINYL]
(Astral Spirits)

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.


Jurg Frey
Outermost Melodie [2 CDs]
(Another Timbre)

Contemporary percussionist Ian Antonio (Wet Ink, Talujon Percussion Ensemble, Zs, Yarn/Wire) performs seven works for percussion by composer Jürg Frey written between 1994 and 2022, joined by members of the Talujon for one piece, though mostly a solo and very personal album for the percussionist, who has been influenced by Frey's approach to stillness and harmony.


Edu Haubensak / Tomas Korber
Works For Guitar & Percussion by Buck-Wolfarth
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Active since 2010, the German/Swiss duo of classical guitarist Christian Buck and improviser Christian Wolfarth occupies a space between music and sound art, as they perform two works each by Ed Haubensak and Tomas Korber, pieces that make use of time, microharmonies, multiphonics, unusual tuning systems, interference patterns, and other conceptual approaches to music.


Linda Smith Catlin
Flowers of Emptiness
(Another Timbre)

The 6th album on Another Timbre from Canadian composer Linda Catlin Smith, a leading voice in contemporary chamber music, presents eight exquisite works performed by Apartment House, including the 1st recordings of three string quartets, alongside a violin duo, a clarinet quartet, an early string trio, a cello and piano duo, and a bass clarinet solo; evocative and deeply expressive artistry.


Noriko Hisada
Prognostication
(Hat [now] ART)


James Tenney
Forms 1-4 - In Memoriam Edgar Varese, John Cage, Stefan Wolpe, Morton Feldman [2 CDs]
(Hat [now] ART)


Delta Saxophone Quartet
Uneasy Dreams [DVD]
(FMR)

The Delta Saxophone Quartet presents works by some of UK & Ireland's most original composers: Michael Finnissy, Mike Searby, Stephen Goss, Gerald Barry, and Tim Ewers.


Luigi Nono
A Carlo Scarpa; A Pierre Dell'Azzurro Silenzio, Inquietum; Guai ai Gelidi Mostri [VINYL]
(Edition Rz)

3 works by composer Luigi Nono: "A Carlo Scarpa" for orchestra; "A Pierre..." for bass flute, bass clarinet and live elektronics; and "Guai ai Gelidi Mostri" for ensemble, voices and live elektronics.


Horatiu Radulescu
20 Jahre Inventionen
(Edition Rz)

Horatiu Radulescu's String Quartet No 4, opus 33 (1976-87) performed by the Arditti String Quartett at IRCAM/Centre Pompidou Paris in 1996.


Trophies (Bosetti / Nagai / Ches Smith)
A Color Photo of the Horse
(D.S al Coda)

Alessandro Bosetti provides voice and electronics on words & text from a variety of writers, as performed in a trio with drummer Ches Smith and fretless guitarist Kenta Nagai; fascinating and perplexing expression.


Fritz Hauser
Pieces For Percussion
(Hat [now] ART)

Ensemble XII performs pieces by percussionist Fritz Hauser that were composed with an attention to detail that is heard in the timbre, texture, density and dynamics of his arrangements.


Teodoro Anzellotti
Push Pull
(Hat [now] ART)

New works for the accordion composed by Vinko Globokar, Toshio Hosokawa, Youghi Pagh-Paan, Rolf Riehm, and Salavatore Sciarrino and performed by Teodoro Anzellotti.


John Cage
Empty Words [2 CDs]
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)

John Cage's "Empty Words" (1974) is drawn from the Journals of Henry David Thoreau, written in four parts: Part I omits sentences, Part II omits phrases, and Part III omits words. Part IV, which omits syllables, leaves us nothing but a virtual lullaby of letters and sounds.


Jurg Frey
String Quartet No. 3 / Unhorbare Zeit
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)

Two works from composer Frey performed by Montreal's string ensemble Quatuor Bozzini: "String Quartet No. 3", a minimal work of colors, sensations, shadows, durations; and "Unhorbare Zeit" exploring durations without sound, or empty volumes, to achieve lucidity and transparency.


Emilie Girard-Charest
Emilie Prefere Le Chant
(Ambiances Magnetiques)

Emilie Girard-Charest is a Montreal cellist, composer and improviser, here presenting 5 works, one of her own and 4 from Fredrik Gran, Sergio Castrillon, Maxime Corbeil-Perron and Joane Hetu, using extreme techniques and electroacoustic accompaniment in both joyful and terrifying ways.


Eva Houben Maria
Organ Sonatinas And Drones [2 CDs]
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)

American organist and composer Carson Cooman performs three sontatinas, each in three movements, and the 2014 work "drones", by German contemporary composer Eva Maria Houben, a member of the Wandelweiser group, all slowly evolving works of tone and subtle harmonics.


Strycharski / Andriessen
Ghost
(Bolt)

Polish composer and recorder player Dominik Strycharski wrote these pieces in response to a work for the recorder by composer Louis Andriessen that he dedicated to Frans Bruggen: "Melodie"; Strycharski response is "Harmonie", performed in a duo with pianist Sebastian Zawadzki to demonstrate the impracticability of harmony in its purest forms.


Cornelius Cardew / London Experimental Ensemble
Treatise
(Split Rock Records)

The full two-hour performance of Cornelius Cardew's entire 193-page legendary Treatise graphic score, performed at Iklectik in London, England on January 28, 2017 in an 11-member ensemble of some of London's most interesting improvisers including participants in Scratch Orchestra, in a double CD release with liner notes by AMM founder Eddie Prevost.


Cassandra Miller
O Zomer!
(Another Timbre)

Two ensemble works and two solo pieces by Christian Wolff's favourite contemporary composer, Cassandra Miller, who is blazing a very personal trail through the experimental music world, with brilliant performances by Apartment House, Mira Benjamin, Philip Thomas, and Charles Curtis with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ilan Volkov.


Linda Smith Catlin
Wanderer
(Another Timbre)

Eight sophisticated chamber pieces composed by Linda Catlin Smith and realized by the Canadian Apartment House ensemble, including a solo piano performed by Philip Thomas, a piano duo with Thomas and Mark Knoop, and works for percussion & cello, 2 quintet pieces for strings, percussion and winds, and two 7-piece conducted works with two percussionists, strings and brass.


Bruno Duplant
Deux Songes (Les Jours Sont Faits Pour Expliquer Les Nuits)
(Meenna)

Two beautifully subtle works for an ensemble of strings and electric piano from French composer Bruno Duplant, realized by the Boston-based Ordinary Affects ensemble or Jordan Dykstra, Morgan Evans-Weiler, JPA Falzone, Luke Martin and Ashley Frith, the first a quintet and the second a string quartet, creating illusory affects of motion and space through abstraction.


Satoko Inoue
Presents Jo Kondo's New Works For Piano
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

The second album of piano works from Japanese composer Jo Kondo performed by pianist Satoko Inoue--a noted interpreter of solo works by Feldman, Ferrari, and Cage--here presenting all of Kondo's works for solo piano written from 2001 to 2012, alongside two early works from 1975, exploring a wealth of harmonic, rhythmic, and conceptual ideas from a diversity of projects.


Frank Denyer
The Boundaries of Intimacy
(Another Timbre)

A set of varied compositions from Frank Denyer, most of them of a delicate acoustic intimacy, with works for female singers & flute, two works for koto, a string quartet, one for flute and electronics and the two-part "Frog" for a bowed stringed instrument of Denyer design, the "sneh"; uncategorizable music of sublime imagination and unusual approaches.


Jurg Frey
Fields, Traces, Clouds
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)

Three compositions from clarinetist and Wandelweiser peer Jurg Frey, performed by Luke Martin on electric guitar, Laura Cetilia on cello, J.P.A. Falzone on piano & vibraphone, Morgan Evans-Weiler on violin, and Jurg Frey himself on clarinet; beautifully reflective music indicating Frey's working method and his relationship with wide, quiet sound spaces.


Oliver Leith / George Barton / Siwan Rhys
Good Day Good Day Bad Day Bad Day
(Another Timbre)

UK composer Oliver Leith presents a work in 8 movements for piano, keys and percussion performed by Siwan Rhys (keys) and George Barton, an invocation of everyday life through a personal and often idiosyncratic orchestration reflective of personal ritual & habits; our good and our irrational, often contradictory impetus, portrayed through quirky and embraceable episodes.


Fushitsusha
Withdrawe, this sable Disclosure ere devot'd
(Les Disques Victo)


Elephant9
Mythical River
(Rune Grammofon)

Wearing the cloak of 60's pyschedelic organ trios modernized in approach and maturity, this is the 8th album from the Swedish improvising, prog-oriented rock band Elephant9, presenting six new compositions from keyboardist Stale Storlokken (Supersilent, Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns) performed with Nikolai Haengsle on electric bass and Torstein Lofthus on drums.


Deerlady (Obomsawin, Mali / Magdalena Abrego)
Greatest Hits [VINYL]
(Out Of Your Head Records)

A collection of songs exploring intimacy under colonialism by the writing duo of bassist and singer/lyricist Mali Obomsawin, a member of the Odanak First Nation and known for her work with the band Lula Wiles, and Chicago guitarist Magdalena Abrego, based in Cambridge, MA, featuring eight beautifully crafted pieces that showcase lyrical strength and astute observation.


Thurston Moore
Flow Critical Lucidity
(Daydream Library Series)

A diverse and interesting set of songs in Thurston Moore's ninth solo record, recorded in Europe & The UK with contributors including Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab and Deb Googe of My Bloody Valentine, many of the songs reminiscent of Sonic Youth but uniquely Moore through unpretentious communication that references topics including lucid dreaming, nature and the changing planet.


Jimmy Black Carl & The X-Tra Combo
Mercedes Benz
(Inkanish)


B.E.P.
Hamburger Midnight
(Inkanish)


The Grandmothers
Eating the Astoria
(Obvious Music)


Henry Cow
Concerts [remastered]
(Recommended Records)

Henry Cow captured in concert between their "In Praise of Learning of Learning" and "Western Culture" releases. in concerts that featured Robert Wyatt in his last public performances.


Fanfare Pourpour / Hollmer, Lars
Karusell Musik
(Monsieur Fauteux)


Henry Cow
Box 2: The Road: Volumes 6-10 with DVD
(Recommended Records)

Henry Cow's early years on the road, live recordings masterfully restored by Bob Drake, including the only known video of Henry Cow in Switzerland - amazing and essential!


Mute Socialite
More Popular Than Presidents and Generals
(Dephine Knormal Musik)

Dynamic and hyperkinetic songs from this West Coast band with Moe! Staiano (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum), rugged and impressive instrumental rock including a cover of Massacre's "Killing Time".


Scarcity Of Tanks
Vulgar Defender
(Total Life Society Records)

New York/Ohio skronkers Scarcity of Tanks with Jim Sauter of Borbetomagus plus Kid Millions in a hard free rock free improv blast.


Sarah Murcia
Never Mind The Future
(Ayler)

Revisiting Sex Pistols' "Never Mind the Bollocks" in a band with Benoit Delbecq on piano, Gilles Coronado on guitar, Olivier Py on sax, Franck Vaillant on drums, and Sarah Murcia on bass, splitting the vocals with Mark Tompkins in a unique take on a punk classic.


Yoshida Tatsuya / Cho Sokkyo / Tzboguchi Masayasu
TYU
(Magaibutsu)

The frequent and super-speed improvising duo of drummer Tatsuya Yoshida and guitarist Kazuhisa Uchihashi join forces with Tzboguchi Masayasu on keyboards and vocoder for an energetic, melodic, and at times outlandish album that pays homage to astonishingly complex rock forms.


Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
(Discus)

The debut release of the UK improvising rock group Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere, co-led by Martin Archer & Chris Bywater, in a double CD blending kosmische musik, space rock, and contemporary classical, an improbable meeting between Ligeti, Klaus Schulze, & Quarkspace, supplemented at times by a string quartet, a sax quintet, and a 25-piece mixed choir.


Eclectic Maybe Band
The Blind Night Watchers' Mysterious Landscapes
(Discus)

Univers Zero bassist Guy Seger brought this eclectic group of improvisers into the studio to develop the music on this genre-defying album, informed by a sextet of musicians who have performed and recorded with projects and artists including Vanishing Pictures, X-Legged Sally, Wrong Object, Tony Levin, Tony Bianco, Paul Schutze, Trevor Watts, Zeena Parkins, Jim O'Rourke, &c.


Peter Blegvad
Bandbox [6 CD BOX SET]
(Recommended Records)

Starting with Blegvad's "Downtime" LP, this box traces the evolution of the Peter Blegvad Trio into a quintet with Karen Mantler and Bob Drake, released in a solid box with a double CD of alternate versions, unreleased material and live performances, plus a 72 page book of photographs, memorabilia, drawings, documents and recollections; the ultimate reissue!


Eclectic Maybe Band
Reflections In A Moebius Ring Mirror
(Discus)

The second album of this Guy Segers (Univers Zero) project in an eclectic ensemble of improvisers, rock musicians and experimenters, a genre-defying project of primarily instrumental work with interventions of song, merging acoustic & electric instruments with electronics, live improvisation with studio manipulation, to find new forms of mesmerizing music.


Richard Pinhas / Tatsuya Yoshida
Ascension
(Magaibutsu Limited)

The collaboration between Magaibutsu label leader, Yoshida Tatsuya (Ruins, Korekyojinn, Koenji, The World Heritage, &c) on drums, keyboards & voice, and Heldon mastermind Richard Pinhas on guitar & effects, continues with this CD of live material from their 2014 Japanese tour, extending the 2015 "Live in Japan" album, including the 8-part "Ascension".


Dean Roberts
Not Fire
(erstwhile)

Berlin-based songwriter Dean Roberts' first album in 12 years is a collection of dark and melancholic songs, set in unusual formats based around guitar, electronics, strings, with subtle rhythmic elements, performed by Dean's Dark Moth Ensemble, with additional musicians that include Boris Hauf on piano and The Neck's keyboardist Chris Abrahams on harp.


Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
Theta Five
(Discus)

The 5th album from the UK collective improvising progressive rock band of reedist Martin Archer, drummer Steve Dinsdale, bassists Lorin Halsall & Terry Todd, percussionist Walt Shaw, keyboardist Andy Peake, violinist Yvonna Magda and string player & vocalist Jad Todd, merging acoustic and electronic instruments in rich and often dreamlike forms that flow with spirited refinement.


Squid
Bright Green Field
(Warp Records)

Blurring the boundaries of popular rock, composed and electro/experimental/ea forms, with hints of The Ex, Gang of Four, Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and their own happily quirky sound, Squid was formed in Brigton by Ollie Judge (Drums & Lead Vocals), Louis Borlase (Guitars), Arthur Leadbetter (Keys, Strings & Percussion), Laurie Nankivell (Bass & Brass) and Anton Pearson (Guitars).


Hedvig Mollestad Trio
Ding Dong. You're Dead [VINYL]
(Rune Grammofon)

A scorching album of instrumental rock bridging avant, prog and jazz/rock forms, from the inspired and burning Norwegian band led by guitarist Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen and her trio with bassist Ellen Brekken and drummer Ivar Loe Bjornstad; reference John McLaughlin, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, or just focus on the powerhouse that is the Hedvig Mollestad Trio.


Tatsuya Yoshida / Risa Takeda
SUPERHELIX [CD + DOWNLOAD VIDEOS]
(Magaibutsu Limited)

Fifteen rock instrumentals between drummer Tatsuya Yoshida and pianist & keyboardist Risa Takeda, generally high-speed, technically superb and melodically infused pieces of imaginative creativity with a quirky sense of humor, augmented with Yoshida's vocalizing and effect processing from both; includes a download sheet for 15 high-def movies, one for each track on the album.


Henry Cow
Glastonbury, Chaumont, Bilbao And The Lions Of Desire
(ReR Megacorp)

Expanding on the history of Henry Cow in new recordings discovered after the 19-CD Cow Redux box, including: a well-recorded concert at the the first Glastonbury Fayre in 1972, the earliest recordings of the quartet of Martin Ditcham, Fred Frith, John Greaves and Tim Hodgkinson; a 1978 grouping with Phil Minton; unrecorded compositions from 1977 in Bilbao; and a 1976 Chaumont Concert.


Cecil Taylor Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray)
Live At Fat Tuesday's February 9 - First Visit Archive [CD + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

A superb and extended live performance from 1980 at NYC's Fat Tuesday jazz club, from the outstanding sextet of forward-thinking free improvisers, Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Ramsey Ameen on violin, Alan Silva on double bass & cello, Jerome Cooper on drums & African Balaphone and Sunny Murray on drums, led by Cecil Taylor on piano in an ecstatic concert never previously released.


Gerald Cleaver
The Process [VINYL]
(Positive Elevation / 577 Records)

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.


Anthony Braxton
10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022
(New Braxton House)

Documenting six live performances with Anthony Braxton's Lorraine Trio featuring trumpeter Susana Santos Silva, accordionist/vocalist Adam Matlock, and Anthony Braxton, plus four studio recordings featuring Braxton, saxophonist James Fei, and bassists Zach Rowden and Carl Testa, in a solid box set of 10 CDs in five gatefold wallets with a 28 page booklet of notes by Anthony Braxton.


Francisco Mela feat. Cooper-Moore / William Parker
Music Frees Our Souls, Vol. 2
(577 Records)

The second volume of Music Frees Our Souls, the trio of Francisco Mela on drums, Cooper-Moore on piano and William Parker on bass, recording in the studio in Brooklyn two extended, far reaching and powerful collective improvisations of music performed under the influence of Mela's work with, mentorship by and encouragement from pianist McCoy Tyner.


Francisco Mela / Zoh Amba
Causa y Efecto, Vol. 2 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

The second volume of powerful free playing and intimate conversation bringing together two New York-based improvisers, Cuban native drummer/percussionist Francisco Mela and Tennessee native reed & wind player Zoh Amba, both sharing a mountain region upbringing that brings a uniquely reflective quality to their playing, fortified by the exploratory NY improv scene.


Cecil Taylor Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray)
Live At Fat Tuesday's February 10, 1980 First Visit [CD + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

The 2nd night of the superb, extended live performance from 1980 at NYC's Fat Tuesday jazz club, from the outstanding sextet of forward-thinking free improvisers, Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Ramsey Ameen on violin, Alan Silva on double bass & cello, Jerome Cooper on drums & African Balaphone and Sunny Murray on drums, led by Cecil Taylor on piano in an ecstatic concert never previously released.


Ornette Coleman
Ornette At 12, Crisis & Man On The Moon, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Reissuing and remastering two Impulse! albums from saxophonist Ornette Coleman: 1969's Ornette At 12 with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and his then 12-year-old son Denardo on drums; 1972's Crisis adding Don Cherry on trumpet; and a lesser-known 1969 EP, Man On The Moon, with electronics from Dr. Emmanuel Ghent and Ed Blackwell on drums.


Anthony Braxton
Solo Bern 1984 First Visit
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Thirteen years after his breakthrough solo saxophone album For Alto, Anthony Braxton is heard in an inventive solo concert on the same instrument, performing at the Altes Schlachthaus Theatre in Bern, Switzerland for a set of original numbered compositions, the standards "Alone Together" and "I Remember You", and two Coltrane pieces: "Giant Steps" and "Naima".


Daniel Carter / Leo Genovese / William Parker / Francisco Mela
Shine Hear Volume 2 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Inspired by a poem Daniel Carter wrote about the transience and motion of modern life, the quartet of Daniel Carter on saxophone, Leo Genovese on piano, William Parker on bass, Gralla & Shakuhachi and Francisco Mela on drums & voice, turn in an ecstatic album of exotic collective improvisation in this second of two volumes from an excellent studio session.


Federico Ughi (w / Leo Genovese / Brandon Lopez)
Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You, Vol. 1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

The first album under 577 label leader and drummer Federico Ughi's name in five years brings together the incredible bass skills of Brandon Lopez and expansive Argentinean keyboard sonics of Leo Genovese, the first of two planned volumes recorded in the studio for a boundary-less album of acoustic and electric improv influenced by the music and philosophy of Sun Ra.


[ism] (Pat Thomas / Joel Grip / Aontonin Gerbal)
Maua
(577 Records)

Recordings from the Berlin club Au Topsi Pohl where the [ism] piano trio of Pat Thomas on piano, Joel Grip on double bass and Antonin Gerbal on drums played 4-nights in a row, May 18-21, 2022, Thomas performing on a Bösendorfer grand piano, creating an omnipresent and precise sound that drove the band to great heights of interactive, warmly diverse playing.


Albert Ayler with Don Cherry
1964 Recordings First Visit Completed [2 CDs + POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

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.


Novoa / Carter / Mela Trio
Vol.1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Brooklyn-based Eva Novoa's new trio with sax legend Daniel Carter and drummer Francisco Mela debuts with their first volume, featuring compositions inspired by the four elements — earth, wind, fire, and water — and a Cuban piece, blending Novoa's piano, Fender Rhodes, electric harpsichord, and gongs with Carter's sax and Mela's rhythms for vibrant, free-flowing interplay.


Francisco Mela / Zoh Amba
Causa y Efecto Vol. 1
(577 Records)

The first volume of powerful free playing and intimate conversation bringing together two New York-based improvisers, Cuban native drummer/percussionist Francisco Mela and Tennessee native reed & wind player Zoh Amba, both sharing a mountain region upbringing that brings a uniquely reflective quality to their playing, fortified by the exploratory NY improv scene.


Gerald Cleaver
22 / 23 [VINYL VIOLET OPAQUE]
(Positive Elevation / 577 Records)

A journey through a diverse set of genres and styles of electronica, influenced by the New York drummer & composer Gerald Cleaver's native Detroit upbringing, bringing out elements of techno and house music tempered by his improvisational, experimental and avant work; 11 tracks with solid rhythmic foundation in both propulsive and contemplative approaches to electronic composition.


Paul Bley Trios
Play Annette Peacock, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Annette Peacock's response to the free-blowing loft scene was to compose using spacious intervals, allowing great harmonic and rhythmic freedom, inspiring pianist Paul Bley and his trio as heard in two unique interpretations of the same pieces from two exceptional working bands: one with bassist & drummer Mark Levinson & Barry Altschul, the other with Gary Peacock & Billy Elgart.


Gerald Cleaver / Brandon Lopez / Hprizm
In The Wilderness [VINYL]
(Positive Elevation / 577 Records)

Drawn from an experimental improv performance by drummer Gerald Cleaver and bassist Brandon Lopez at 577 Records' 2019 Forward Festival, electronic artist and producer Hprizm of the Antipop Consortium took those recording to reconstruct twelve works of illusory and often surreal music, from active beat-based electronica to hazy dreamlike ambience.


Albert Ayler
Summertime To Spiritual Unity, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Remastering and reissuing two tracks--"Summertime" and "C.T"--from saxophonist Albert Ayler's 1964 Fontana album My Name Is Albert Ayler with basssist Nils-Henning Orsted Pedersen, drummer Ronnie Gardiner and pianist Nils Bronsted; and his classic and passionate 1965 ESP Disk release Spiritual Unity with double bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray.


John Butcher / Pat Thomas / Dominic Lash / Steve Noble
Fathom [COLORED VINYL]
(577 Records)

The debut for UK saxophonist John Butcher on 577 Records is this exemplary 2021 live recording at Cafe OTO in London by the quartet of Butcher on tenor and soprano saxophones, Pat Thomas on piano, Dominic Lash on double bass and Steve Noble on drums, four of the UK's leading free improvisers demonstrating their prodigious abilities in concentrated conversation.


Zoh Amba / William Parker / Francisco Mela
O Life, O Light Vol. 1
(577 Records)

New generation New York tenor saxophonist Zoe Amba, a Tennessee transplant whose spirit is illuminated with free styles that harken back to Ayler, recording in the studio with a trio of luminary players--William Parker on bass and Francisco Mela on drums--performing three Amba compositions, one featuring Amba on flute; the CD edition contains one bonus improvisation.


John Dikeman / Pat Thomas / John Edwards / Steve Noble
Volume 2 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

The second of two volumes from the quartet of John Dikeman on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, John Edwards on bass and Steve Noble on drums, bringing the American saxophonist working throughout Europe together with this nearly telepathic collaborative grouping of UK frequent collaborators, captured in concert at Cafe OTO in 2019 for two absorbing improvisations.


Jessica Ackerley / Patrick Shiroishi / Chris Williams / Luke Stewart / Jason Nazary
SSWAN: Invisibility is an Unnatural Disaster [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Rugged, experimental and avant jazz in the debut album from the SSWAN group of Patrick Shiroishi on saxophones, Chris Williams on trumpet, Jessica Ackerley on electric guitar, Luke Stewart on bass and Jason Nazary on drums, the group focused first on sound and velocity rather than pitch and harmonic information as they carve out a unique space between free jazz and free improv.


John Dikeman / Pat Thomas / John Edwards / Steve Noble
Volume 1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

The first of two planned volumes from the quartet of John Dikeman on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, John Edwards on bass and Steve Noble on drums, bringing the American saxophonist working throughout Europe together with this nearly telepathic collaborative grouping of UK frequent collaborators, captured in concert at Cafe OTO in 2019 for two absorbing improvisations.


Francisco Mela / Sinya Lin
Motions Vol. 1
(577 Records)

Extraordinary New York drummer & percussionist Francisco Mela is joined by Taiwan pianist and composer residing in NY, Shinya Lin, for two extended collective improvisations of joyful interaction, a complex interweaving of keys and drums augmented by percussive preparations from Lin and vocal exclamation from Mela, an upbeat and exuberantly intricate encounter.


Zoh Amba / William Parker / Francisco Mela
O Life, O Light Vol. 1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

New generation New York tenor saxophonist Zoe Amba, a Tennessee transplant whose spirit is illuminated with free styles that harken back to Ayler, recording in the studio with a trio of luminary players--William Parker on bass and Francisco Mela on drums--performing three Amba compositions, one featuring Amba on flute; the CD edition contains one bonus improvisation.


Daniel Carter / Tobias Wilner / Djibril Toure / Federico Ughi
New York United Volume 2
(577 Records)

The second volume of this rich and exotic quartet in a sublime merging of jazz, electronics and compositional approaches yielding melodically dream-like music and environments, from reedist, flutist && trumpeter Daniel Carter, Tobias Wilner (Blue Foundation) on synth and keys, Wu-Tang Clan bassist Djibril Toure and Italian/NY drummer Federico Ughi.


Francisco Mela feat. Matthew Shipp / William Parker
Music Frees Our Souls, Vol. 1
(577 Records)

A member of pianist McCoy Tyner's Trio and Joe Lavano's Quartet, New York drummer Francisco Mela's own career as a leader is heard in this energetic trio album with two of NY's finest--pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist William Parker--recording in the studio in Brooklyn in 2020 for two extended and powerful collective improvisations and a brief "Dark Light".


Daniel Carter / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver
Welcome Adventure! Vol. 2
(577 Records)

The 2nd of two studio albums from the quartet of Daniel Carter on saxophone & flute, Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums, recordings from the same sessions as the 1st volume with five shorter works, as the long-time collaborators and friends show their nearly telepathic rapport in adventurous and masterful modern jazz.


Thelonious Monk Quartet
Live Five Spot 1958, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Revisiting and remastering two 1958 albums on the Riverside Label (Monk in Action and Misterioso), then remastered as At The Five Spot on Milestone in 1977, this quartet show a different take on Monk's music through the authoritative playing and interpretations of Monk's music by tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, intensified by drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik's solid support.


Albert Ayler Quintet
Lost Performances 1966, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

In 1966 tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler toured northern Europe with his ensemble of Donald Ayler on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on double bass & Beaver Harris on drums, a stellar group performing some of Ayler's most substantial compositions, heard in concerts in Rotterdam and Helsinki, and in the soundtrack to a film recorded in Munich.


Michael Sarian / Matthew Putman / Ledian Mola / Federico Ughi
The Sea, The Space, and Egypt, Vol. 1 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

Bringing together trumpeter Michael Sarian, keyboardist Matthew Putman, drummer Federico Ughi, and Cuban bassist-vocalist Ledian Mola to pay heartfelt tribute to Sun Ra's cosmic Afrofuturism, blending improvisational brilliance with Mola's folklore-inspired vocals and Putman's Rocksichord - the same keyboard model Sun Ra played - in a first-time collaboration and celebration of innovation.


Daniel Carter / Tobias Wilner / Djibril Toure / Federico Ughi
New York United [CD + DOWNLOAD]
(577 Records)

An excellent blend of electronics and acoustics as saxophonist, flutist and trumpeter Daniel Carter meets sound artist Tobias Wilner from world-renowned electronic pop band Blue Foundation, with Wu-Tang Clan bass player Djibril Toure and drum wiz Federico Ughi rounding out this forward-thinking album of hazy and rhythmic electroacoustic environments.


Daniel Carter / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver
Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1
(577 Records)

After decades playing together, the quartet of Daniel Carter on tenor sax, trumpet & flute, Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass, and Gerald Cleaver on drums, release the first of two planned studio albums, with two extended and remarkably warm collective excursions bookending a shorter "Scintillate", in an exceptionally solid album of masterful modern jazz.


Cecil Taylor (w/ Lyons / Dixon / Grimes / Silva / Cyrille)
With (Exit) To Student Studies, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Changing approaches to his music with new quartet of Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Alan Silva on double bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums, pianist Cecil Taylor's incredible 1966 concert in Paris presented four extended compositions, here remastered and reissued with a track from a compilation LP--"With (Exit)"--extending his quartet with Bill Dixon on trumpet and Henry Grimes on double bass.


Daniel Carter / Tobias Wilner / Djibril Toure / Federico Ughi
New York United Volume 2 [VINYL]
(577 Records)

The second volume of this rich and exotic quartet in a sublime merging of jazz, electronics and compositional approaches yielding melodically dream-like music and environments, from reedist, flutist && trumpeter Daniel Carter, Tobias Wilner (Blue Foundation) on synth and keys, Wu-Tang Clan bassist Djibril Toure and Italian/NY drummer Federico Ughi.


Leo Genovese / Mariano Otero / Sergio Verdinelli
Trio Sin Tiempo: Ritmos de Agua
(577 Records)

A lyrical piano trio album from three seasoned Argentinian-born improvising musicians -- Leo Genovese on piano, Mariano Otero on bass and Sergio Verdinelli on drums -- each contributing compositions to the album, along with one piece by Luis Alberto Spinetta, with whom Verdinelli has performed extensively; a lovely and sophisticated album of modern jazz.


Don Cherry
Complete Communion & Symphony For Improvisers, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Following a 1964 Albert Ayler tour, trumpeter Don Cherry remained in Europe, working on new concepts of improvising based on form itself, developing his concepts with saxophonist Gato Barbieri, vibraphonist Karl Berger & bassist J.F. Jenny Clark, composing two brilliant albums: 1966's Communion with Barbieri, Henry Grimes & Ed Blackwell; and in 1967 Symphony for Improvisers as a septet.


Don Cherry
Where Is Brooklyn? & Eternal Rhythm Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Reissuing two albums showing trumpeter Don Cherry's musical evolution through the 1960s, recorded two years apart--Where is Brooklyn from NY in 1966, and Eternal Rhythm recorded in Germany in 1968--demonstrating the development of his style from Ornette-influenced free jazz into music influenced by Northern Indian music and the percussion of Southeast Asia.


Sana Nagano
Anime Mundi
(577 Records)

A superb chamber jazz trio from NY improviser and violinist Sana Nagano, with Karl Berger on piano & vibraphone and Billy Martin on drums & percussion, Nagano having a long history with each through Berger's Improvisers Orchestra and with Martin through Creative Music Studio, their connections evident in their articulately energetic and confident collective conversations.


Miles Davis Quintets
Stockholm 1967 & 1969 Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Two live recordings from Miles Davis in the 1960s, first from Stockholm in 1967 with the classic 60s quintet of Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams; then two years later also in Stockholm with the "Lost Quintet" of Miles, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, pushing new directions with tracks including "Bitches Brew".


Eric Dolphy
Outward Bound To Out To Lunch Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Arriving in NY in 1959, saxophonist, flute & bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy joined some of the finest avant jazz players, releasing his 1st album as a leader in 1960--Outward Bound--with Freddie Hubbard, Jaki Byard, George Tucker & Roy Haynes; subsequently tagged as an anti-jazz musician, it would be 4 years before his masterwork Out To Lunch would be released, both albums here reissued & remastered.


Albert Ayler (incl. Milford Graves, Cecil Taylor, Jimmy Lyons, Sunny Murray, &c)
More Lost Performances, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Remastering previously unavailable and vital performances from three configurations of saxophonist Albert Ayler's bands, including their 1967 Newport Festival concert with Milford Graves, their performance at John Coltrane's 1967 Funeral at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in NYC, and an incredible 1962 concert with Cecil Taylor's group with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray in Copenhagen.


Gerald Cleaver
The Process
(Positive Elevation / 577 Records)

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.


Daniel Carter / Tobias Wilner / Djibril Toure / Federico Ughi
New York United [VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
(577 Records)

An excellent blend of electronics and acoustics as saxophonist, flutist and trumpeter Daniel Carter meets sound artist Tobias Wilner from world-renowned electronic pop band Blue Foundation, with Wu-Tang Clan bass player Djibril Toure and drum wiz Federico Ughi rounding out this forward-thinking album of hazy and rhythmic electroacoustic environments.


Albert Ayler Quintet 1966
Berlin, Lorrach, Paris & Stockholm. Revisited [2 CDs]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler's 1966 quintet brought a unique orchestration to his music, heard in these live performances in Berlin, Lörrach, Paris & Stockholm in November of 1966, four concerts presented chronologically as performed with the exemplary playing of brother Donald Ayler on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums.


Bill Evans (w/ LoFaro / Motian)
The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Unofficial jazz documentarian Boris Rose captured these recordings on reel-to-reel tape of the Bill Evans Trio in 1960, an artistically fulfilling concert at Birdland in NYC and a rare recording of this particular trio with bassist scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian; originally issued in 1992 on the Cool & Blue label, here properly restored and remastered.


Joe Morris
Perpetual Frontier The Properties of Free Music [BOOK]
(Riti Publishing)

Joe Morris wrote this book to discuss aspects of free music, including responses to his questionnaire written by Joe McPhee, William Parker, Jamie Saft, Ken Vandermark, Marilyn Crispell, Nate Wooley, Jack Wright, Matthew Shipp, &c.


Ornette Coleman
New York Is Now & Love Call, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

An overlooked chapter in Ornette Coleman's recording career, these two Blue Note albums recorded in NY in 1968 and issued in '68 & '71 feature the innovative alto saxophonist joined by West Coast tenor saxophonist recently moved to NYC, Dewey Redman, and Coltrane sidemen, drummer Elvin Jones & bassist Jimmy Garrison, for two sessions of inventive and accomplished free jazz.


Marion Brown
Three For Shepp to Gesprachsfetzen Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Remastering and restoring Marion Brown's 1967 Impulse! album with Grachan Moncure III, Dave Burrel, Stanley Cowell, Sirone, Beaver Harris & Bobby Capp, and his 1968 album on the Calig label with Gunter Hampel, Steve McCall, Ambrosa Jackson & Buschi Niedergall; two albums of essential "New Thing" work through fascinating composed forms by Brown, plus Archie Shepps' "Delicado"; essential.


Horace Silver Quintet
Live New York, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Recorded around the time of his most famous records, Song For My Father and The Cape Verdean Blues, lyrical hard bop/Blue Note pianist and composer Horace Silver's band is heard live at The Half Note in NYC and at "The Cork & Bib" on Long Island with his spectacular band including trumpeters Carmell Jones & Woody Shaw and saxophonist Joe Henderson.




The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

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