The Squid's Ear
Recently @ Squidco:

Ingrid Laubrock :
Purposing The Air [2 CDs] (Pyroclastic Records)

Drawing on poet Erica Hunt's sixty-part "Mood Librarian," composer Ingrid Laubrock presents a stunning 2-CD song cycle of miniature vocal duets — performed by an extraordinary ensemble including Fay Victor, Theo Bleckmann, Sara Serpa, and others — each piece a poetic and sonic fragment brought vividly to life with precision, emotion, and profound collaboration. ... Click to View


Sylvie Courvoiser / Mary Halvorson:
Bone Bells (Pyroclastic Records)

Their third album in collaboration, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and guitarist Mary Halvorson deepen their intuitive musical dialogue in a set of alternately composed pieces — melding percussive piano, swirling guitar effects, and poetic abstraction into a haunting, fluid, and visceral soundworld shaped by mutual experience, instinct, and a sense of sonic adventure. ... Click to View


MouthWind (Van Schouwburg / Casserley):
Corps Et Biens - Hommage à Robert Desnos (Creative Sources)

A surreal and visceral homage to French poet Robert Desnos, this collaboration between Belgian vocal improviser Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg and British electroacoustic pioneer Lawrence Casserley transforms the human voice through expressive physicality and real-time electronic processing — fifteen vivid episodes unfolding as a dreamlike, humorous, and haunting exploration of language, body, and sound. ... Click to View


John Zorn (Medeski / Marsella / Hollenberg / Grohowski):
Through The Looking Glass (Tzadik)

The sixth chapter in the Downtown NY quartet of Matt Hollenberg (guitar), Brian Marsella (piano), John Medeski (organ), and Kenny Grohowski (drums), performing John Zorn’s compositions inspired by Chaos Magick — an individualistic practice that values personal experience over tradition — expressed through intricate, soulful, and powerfully imagined works. ... Click to View


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

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


Ches Smith:
The Self (Tzadik)

A solo debut on Tzadik from Downtown NY percussionist Ches Smith, presenting eighteen concise works performed on drums, vibraphone, timpani, glockenspiel, and small percussion — an intimate and exploratory set of improvisations revealing Smith's deep command of rhythm, texture, and form across a dynamic and extended palette of percussive sound. ... Click to View


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

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


Illusion Of Safety:
Float (Full Spectrum)

An immersive electroacoustic meditation from Dan Burke's Illusion Of Safety project, exploring the sonic essence of water through field recordings, granular synthesis, and processed textures — an evolving narrative that honors water's beauty and power, while reflecting on our fragile relationship with the natural world through deep listening and multichannel design. ... Click to View


Liang Yiyuan / Li Daiguo:
Sonic Talismans [VINYL] (Full Spectrum)

Bridging Chinese folklore and avant-garde exploration, yangqin innovator Liang YiYuan and multi-instrumentalist Li Daiguo conjure an entrancing tapestry of shadowy textures and melodic splinters on this long-form collaboration — recorded in Yunnan and blending traditional Eastern timbres with free improvisation and experimental form in a deeply narrative, otherworldly sonic journey. ... Click to View


Various:
Evil Clown Shorties Volume 5 (2024-2025) (Evil Clown)

Spanning 14 compact improvisations drawn from nine shifting ensembles within the modular Evil Clown collective, this volume distills the creativity of PEK's longform sessions into concise sonic snapshots — each "Shortie" capturing a distinct moment from the various ensembles as a focused sampler of the label's wide-ranging free improvisation ethos. ... Click to View


Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner:
The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi Recordings)

Alto saxophonist Steve Lehman leads his trio with bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Damion Reid, joined by tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, in a vibrant live homage to Anthony Braxton's small ensemble works, blending intricate modern jazz interplay with searing emotional expression in a bold, high-energy celebration of Braxton's enduring influence. ... Click to View


Painkiller (Harris / Laswell / Zorn):
The Great God Plan (Tzadik)

The legendary Painkiller trio of John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris reunites to deliver two expansive tracks that blend heavy metal intensity with ambient textures and brooding lyricism, a significant evolution in the trio's sonic journey as they create two haunting tapestries inspired by Arthur Machen's gothic novella The Great God Pan.​ ... Click to View


Ikue Mori:
Of Ghosts And Goblins (Tzadik)

Electronic innovator Ikue Mori presents a captivating 9-part work drawing inspiration from Lafcadio Hearn's chronicles of Japanese folklore, through intricate laptop electronics and synthesizer work, conjuring a series of instrumental miniatures that evoke the ethereal presence of fox spirits, phantoms, and other spectral entities, a mysteriously enchanting and seductive work. ... Click to View


Jackie Myers:
What About The Butterfly (577 Records)

Pianist and vocalist Jackie Myers delivers a lyrically rich and microtonally innovative album recorded with an exceptional ensemble, including Bobby Watson, Rich Wheeler, Trent Austin, and members of the Fountain City String Quartet, blending spectral composition, soulful jazz vocals reminiscent of Billie Holiday, and detailed arrangements into an expressive and compelling release. ... Click to View


Vilhelm Bromander Unfolding Orchestra:
Jorden Vi Arvde (thanatosis produktion)

A stunning second album from Swedish bassist and composer Vilhelm Bromander's Unfolding Orchestra, expanding on his acclaimed debut with richly textured, spiritually resonant compositions inspired by political urgency and environmental reflection, featuring a 13-piece ensemble delivering lush orchestrations, patient development, and profound, hopeful expression. ... Click to View


Christer Bothen 3:
L'INVISIBLE (thanatosis produktion)

A deeply intuitive trio session from Swedish bass clarinetist Christer Bothen with bassist Kansan Zetterberg (aka Torbjourn Zetterberg) and vibraphonist/drummer Kjell Nordeson, balancing lyrically meditative spaciousness with surging energy through dreamlike, open-ended improvisations that reflect Bothen's lifelong pursuit of spiritual expression in sound. ... Click to View


Ernesto Rodrigues / Jung-Jae Kim / Alvaro Rosso :
Meari: Instant Waves (Creative Sources)

A live trio improvisation from violist Ernesto Rodrigues, tenor saxophonist Jung-Jae Kim, and bassist Alvaro Rosso, recorded at Lisbon's CreativeFest#18 at Casa do Comum, in Lisbon, unfolding as a 28-minute journey from hushed, lowercase textures to dynamic, scrabbly interplay, emphasizing timbral nuance and collective exploration in an intimate acoustic setting. ... Click to View


Tret Trio (Ron Hall / Tobias Weindorf / Phillipp Van Endert):
Crow Jam (FMR)

A beautifully lyrical and introspective trio recording from saxophonist Rob Hall, keyboardist Tobias Weindorf, and guitarist Philipp van Endert, sharing compositional duties across a set of chamber-like modern jazz works recorded in Germany, where nuanced improvisation, melodic sensitivity, and a refined sense of space define this elegant and democratic debut from the pan-European Tret Trio. ... Click to View


Turbulence Orchestra:
Strum And Drang (Evil Clown)

An octet of seasoned Evil Clown improvisers — led by multi-instrumentalist PEK — delivers a sprawling, electrified 70-minute session of free jazz intensity and ceaseless sonic transformation, with constant instrumental shifts and a broad palette of horns, percussion, electronics, and found objects creating a dynamic series of vividly contrasting textural episodes. ... Click to View


Unsub:
Ambitious Victim (Love Earth Music)

An intense and texturally rich album from the Los Angeles duo of Kevin Bernier and Steve Davis, blending heavy guitar drones, rhythmic pulses, post-rock structures, and synth atmospheres across six expansive tracks that oscillate between moody abstraction and beat-driven momentum, forging a dark yet melodic hybrid of noise, ambient, and industrial-infused experimentation. ... Click to View


Microtub (Hayward / Simonsen / Taxt):
Thin Peaks (Thanatosis Produktion)

The sixth album from the microtonal tuba trio of Robin Hayward, Peder Simonsen, and Martin Taxt, exploring the acoustic phenomena of half-valve combinations in two richly harmonic compositions developed during an artist residency in Andersabo, Sweden and recorded in Oslo, creating uniquely resonant and surprisingly consonant spectra shaped by each instrument's signature tuning. ... Click to View


Alex Zethson / Johan Jutterstrom:
It Could / If I (Thanatosis Produktion / Astral Spirits)

The first duo album from Stockholm's long-standing duo of Johan Jutterström and Alex Zethson, reimagining songs from jazz standards to Leonard Cohen and the Pet Shop Boys as deconstructed etudes and expressive palimpsests, where meaning emerges through reinterpretation, erasure, and the intimate process of performance and transformation. ... Click to View


Eric La Casa:
Zones Portuaires 2 (Swarming)

Working from recordings made at maritime ports between 2017 and 2023, sound artist Éric La Casa constructs a compelling suite of documentary compositions shaped by the industrial rhythms, constraints, and spatial tensions of global harbours, blending field recording and sonic observation into a tactile, immersive portrait of male-dominated coastal labor environments. ... Click to View


Francisco del Pino / Charlotte Mundy:
The Sea [CASSETTE] (Notice Recordings)

Composer Francisco del Pino and vocalist Charlotte Mundy create a deeply nuanced and emotionally rich exchange, as Mundy's radiant voice navigates del Pino's intricate, polyphony-tinged compositions, layering syllabic repetition, resonant phrasing, and textural detail into a multitrack performance that evokes mantra, lament, and ecstatic meditation in equal measure. ... Click to View


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

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


Various Artists:
In Fractured Silence (SOUFFLE CONTINU RECORDS)

Originally compiled for Steven Stapleton's United Dairies label and now remastered, this snapshot of late 20th-century experimental/industrial music brings together the surreal collage of Nurse With Wound's Stapleton, the brooding piano of Robert Haigh (Sema), the chamber-styled acoustics of Hélène Sage, and the sonic provocations of Un Drame Musical Instantané. ... Click to View


Perturbations:
Unhinged (Evil Clown)

The Perturbations ensemble — featuring PEK, Michael Caglianone, John Fugarino, and Joel Simches — delivers a dense, sometimes unhinged and exploratory session of free improv, where layered reeds, brass, electroacoustic textures, and a vast arsenal of unconventional instruments evolve through continuous transformation, shaped in real time by Simches' dynamic electronic processing. ... Click to View


Leap Of Faith:
Correlations (Evil Clown)

An expansive octet of seasoned improvisers from the Evil Clown collective — including PEK (David Peck), Glynis Lomon, Michael Caglianone, and Albey onBass — navigate pure improvisation through a sprawling live session of rich, shifting textures, contrasts, and unexpected sonic juxtapositions, ranging from subtle ea-improv to full-out ensemble peaks across a transforming soundscape. ... Click to View


Sabu Toyozumi / Richard Allan Bates / Rick Countryman:
The Separation of Sound and Space (FMR)

The trio of Sabu Toyozumi, Richard Allan Bates, and Rick Countryman delve into a contemplative exploration anchored by Bates's electric upright bass, whose resonant tones foster rich harmonic dialogues between Toyozumi's textured percussion and Countryman's fluid alto saxophone, emphasizing the nuanced interplay of sound and space. ... Click to View


Hemispheres :
II (FMR)

A cross-cultural instrumental suite uniting British and Australian musicians, featuring the resonant didgeridoo and rhythmic sticks of Paul Rider-Boon, the rich woodwinds of Susie Hodder-Williams and Chris Caldwell, atmospheric electronics and guitar from Sam Hodder, and the expressive voice of Clifton Bieundurry, spiritually merging indigenous sound with contemporary improv and electronica. ... Click to View


Matteo Cimnari:
Mental Core Drilling (FMR)

Italian composer and multi-instrumentalist Matteo Ciminari leads an adventurous sextet through a labyrinth of polyrhythms, dissonant harmonies, and unexpected textures, with virtuosic contributions from Maurizio Moscatelli, Simone Maggio, Mattia Borraccetti, Michele Sperandio, and Luca Orselli, creating an unpredictable yet lyrical fusion of progressive structure, free jazz, and playful experimentation. ... Click to View


Sonic Chambers Quartet:
Kiss Of The Earth (577 Records)

The debut album from the Sonic Chambers Quartet — co-led by multi-reedists Byron Asher and Tomas Majcherski with bassist Matt Booth and drummer Doug Garrison — presents a deeply expressive and texturally rich orchestration merging American avant jazz tradition with European chamber influences, shaped through collaborative composition, adventurous improv, and a strikingly unified ensemble sound. ... Click to View


Bruno Parrinha / Andrew Levine / Ernesto Rodrigues :
Sensor Out Of Service (Creative Sources)

In a live performance emphasizing minimalism and lowercase improvisation, Ernesto Rodrigues (viola, crackle box), Bruno Parrinha (bass clarinet), and Andrew Levine (Theremin, modular synth, crackle box, stereo field) engage in a nuanced exploration of subtle textures and sonic interactions, resulting in an immersive and introspective auditory experience.​ ... Click to View


Jean-Jacques Birge + 16 musiciens:
Pique-nique Au Labo 4 (GRRR)

In a vibrant fusion of spontaneous themes and collective improvisation, Jean-Jacques Birgé leads a 17-member ensemble through dynamic performances recorded at Studio GRRR and live during APÉRO LABO sessions, blending diverse instrumentation and real-time composition to create an album of unpredictable auditory journeys. ... Click to View


Un Drame Musical Instantane:
Urgent Meeting 2 : Operation Blow Up (GRRR)

An eccentric and captivating sonic collage from Jean-Jacques Birgé and the ensemble Un Drame Musical Instantané — with Francis Gorge and Bernard Vitet collaborating alongside extraordinary guests including Brigitte Fontaine, Joëlle Léandre, Luc Ferrari, Henri Texier, Carlos Zingaro, and René Lussier — in an inventive fusion of electronic improvisation, free jazz, and experimental sound art. ... Click to View


Alex Zethson / Nikos Veliotis :
Cryo (thanatosis produktion)

Pianist Alexander Zethson (Vathres, Fire! Orchestra, Angles) and cellist Nikos Veliotis (MMMD, In Trance 95) present two expansive, darkly immersive improvisations that drift through glacial landscapes of resonant, slowly shifting textures and austere tonal drones, sculpting elemental sound environments of profound stillness and contemplation through deep-listening and hypnotic intensity. ... Click to View


TJ Borden / Steve Flato:
In the Garden of Eating (Full Spectrum)

Taking ironic inspiration from Stockhausen’s conceptual extremes, cellist Tyler J. Borden and guitarist Steve Flato fuse cello, microtonal guitar, modular synth, Gizmotron, and electronics in an absurdist yet introspective performance score, immersively weaving subtle textures and just-intonation harmonies shaped by physical and psychological excesses around food and discomfort. ... Click to View


Caleb Chase:
Looking At Bugs Under A Log (Love Earth Music)

Experimental composer Caleb Chase presents 15 succinct electroacoustic pieces that delve into intricate sound spatialization and panning techniques, crafting immersive auditory environments where layered textures and dynamic movements reveal hidden sonic details, rewarding attentive listening through headphones or stereo speakers. ... Click to View


Archer (Dave Rempis / Terrie Ex / Jon Rune Strom / Tollef Ostvang):
Sudden Dusk (Aerophonic)

A fierce and unpredictable quartet of international improvisers — saxophonist Dave Rempis, guitarist Terrie Ex, bassist Jon Rune Strøm, and drummer Tollef Østvang — recorded live in Chicago and Milwaukee, delivering a balance of explosive energy and nuanced restraint in a tightly coiled interplay of sonic provocation, rhythmic drive, and free-form invention. ... Click to View


Jeong / Bisio Duo w/ Joe Mcphee / Jay Rosen:
Morning Bells Whistle Bright (ESP)

A meeting of deep lyrical expression and adventurous collective free jazz, as Korean pianist Eunhye Jeong and bassist Michael Bisio expand their intuitive duo with the soulful power of Joe McPhee on tenor saxophone and the dynamic energy of drummer Jay Rosen, in a resonant, poetic session beautifully captured at Park West Studios for ESP-Disk. ... Click to View



  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear
Facebook: Squidco Sales

Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Phil Zampino 
  Top 2023 Album List  
Phil Zampino: Top 2023 Album List ()

Philz Top 35 albums for 2023, a funny number but better than the 80 albums he originally selected for the finest of the year!



Ackerley / Uesaka / Hinton: Petting Zoo (Waveform Alphabet)

The NY trio of Jessica Ackerley (SSWAN) on electric guitar, Yuma Uesaka on saxophone & reeds and Colin Hinton on drums & percussion, associated with improvisers including Tyshawn Sorey, Patrick Shiroshi, Ingrid Laubrock, &c., in a collective trio of exceptionally attuned and implicitly melodic dialog promoting energetic interplay balanced with periods of explorative reflection.



AMM (Rowe / Prevost + Tilbury): Last Calls (Matchless)

To celebrate drummer/percussionist Eddie Prévost's 80th birthday, Café Oto hosted four concerts once a week in June, 2022, each a differing configuration from Prévost's history; this final concert reconvened for an extended improvisation between Prévost & guitarist Keith Rowe, with a "Postscript" from pianist John Tilbury recorded at his home in January, 2023.



Ballister (Rempis / Lonberg-Holm / Nilssen-Love): Smash And Grab (Aerophonic)

"Smash", "Even More Smashing" and "Grab" sums up the intense energy that the Ballister trio brought to their 2022 performance at Elastic Arts in Chicago as part of the Catalytic Sound Festival, impelled by Paul Nilssen-Love's powerful drumming and Fred Lonberg-Holm's demanding cello work, with Dave Rempis roaring on alto, tenor and baritone saxophones; wow!



Bi Ba Doom (Pitsiokos / Stewart / Nazary): Graceful Collision [VINYL w/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)

A New York trio of musical friends from Chris Pitsiokos on alto saxophone, Luke Stewart on electric & acoustic basses and Jason Nazary on drums, an elegantly impactful album of organic free jazz expanded through electronic textures from all three members as they enthusiastically explore new approaches to energetic, creative, contemporary improvisation; extraordinary!



Butcher, John: The Very Fabric (Ftarri / Hitorri)

Impeccably recorded inside the Brønshøj Water Tower, in Copenhagen, Denmark, a highly resonant space built 100 years ago, where UK tenor and soprano saxophonist John Butcher continues his investigations into spaces with natural delay and decay, through 11 improvisations of discriminating pacing as he finds incredible beauty in floating and shifting tones and instrument errata; exquisite.



Butcher, John / Pat Thomas / Dominic Lash / Steve Noble: Fathom (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.



Ceccaldi, Valentin (w/ Ziemniak / Ottervanger / Lopes): Bonbon Flamme (Clean Feed)

A wild, fun, inventive and musically impressive ride from French cellist Valentin Ceccaldi quartet with Etienne Ziemniak on drums, Fulco Ottervanger on piano & keyboards and Luis Lopes on guitar, a unique set of jazz, psychedelic and almost circus music, where the listener is never quite certain what's around the corner but constantly amazed at what they hear.



Chrysakis, Thanos: Manifold Vista (Auf Abwegen)

Aural Terrains label-leader, composer and sound artist Thanos Chrysakis presents six new pieces merging electronic composition with field recordings and other electro-acoustic sources, in five rich and beautifully paced works of a diverse nature, evolving a consistent sound world where each piece draws the listener into the composer's detailed and engaging concepts.



Cochrane, Chris / John Thayer: Excavation [VINYL] (Astral Editions)

The core duo of guitarist & bassist Chris Cochrane (No Safety) and drummer & electronics artist John Thayer dig deep into a bag of aural tricks in eight compelling tracks that blur rock, jazz and experimental approaches to upbeat rhythmic music, assisted on various pieces by an excellent cast including Zeena Parkins, Graham Haynes, Gelsey Bell, and Kato Hideki.



Darge, Moniek / Vanessa Rossetto: Dream Soundies (erstwhile)

Bringing together two generations of sound artists and field recording specialists--Belgian composer Moniek Darge, known for her ethnomusicologist "soundies" from global locations; and American sound composer Vanessa Rossetto transforming everyday occurrence--for a meeting at Lincoln Center in NYC to record the city and reshape its sound into four impressionistic sonic reveries.



Davies, Rhodri: Trem (Amgen Records)

Reissuing his 2003 album on the Confront label, Rhodri Davies' first solo album is a captivating set of uniquely voiced free improvisation, using a pedal harp, radio and tape recorders and percussive devices, and recorded in the natural resonance of All Angels, St Michael and All Angels Church in London, creating narrative and drama through Davie's intuitive sense of timing.



Day & Taxi (Gallio / Jeger / Hemmingway): Live in Baden (Clean Feed)

For 35 years saxophonist & composer Christoph Gallio has directed the exemplary Swiss jazz group Day & Taxi, here in a trio format with bassist Silvan Jeger and drummer Gerry Hemingway, Gallio on soprano, alto & C melody saxophones, heard in this 2021 live performance at Stadtbistro Isebahnli, in Baden, Germany for nine diverse, creative and delightfully quirky pieces.



Day, Bryan / Dereck Higgins: Woven Territories (Public Eyesore)

San Francisco East Bay sonic artist and Public Eyesore/Eh? label-leader Bryan Day meets Omaha bass player and sound artist Dereck Higgins for four enveloping works of sound, sonically rich and epic journeys through terrains of identifiable musical elements and acousmatic curiosity, all with an ear to story-telling as the duo weave passages of fantastic elements.



Ducret, Marc (w/ Martinez / Helary / Bopp / Ducret): Palm Sweat: Marc Ducret Plays the Music of Tim Berne (Out Of Your Head Records)

A frequent collaborator with NY saxophonist and composer Tim Berne, French guitarist Marc Ducret takes on Berne's compositions, at times in multiple interpretations of the same work or by merging pieces together, performed with the superb support of trumpeter Fabrice Martinez, flutist Sylvaine Helary, trombonist Christiane Bopp and Ducret's son, cellist Bruno Ducret.



Duplant, Bruno / Seth Nehil: The Memory Of Things (Sublime Retreat)

An immersive and often explosive set of dark compositions from Seth Nehil & Bruno Duplant, blending field recordings, electronics, percussion and percussive objects into a controlled chaos of inexplicably murky and uncategorizable sounds, at times like a surreal firework display, or inserted into a complex machine on the verge of collapse, all imbued with a consistent resonant hue.



Ensemble Dedalus + eRikm: Fata Morgana (Relative Pitch)

Composed by erikM and performed with the Dedalus Ensemble, these pieces started through acousmographe recording of sounds outside of human hearing, transposed into notes and scored to be interpreted by musicians while immersed via headphone to mimic the sounds of cetaceans, then rearranged in the studio to create the annotated compositions heard on these carefully recorded compositions.



Festen (Hedtjarn / Ullen / Bergman / Carlsson): Festen (Clean Feed)

A remarkable album of free improvisation from the Scandinavian quartet of Isak Hedtjarn on clarinet, Lisa Ullen on piano, Elsa Bergman on double bass, and Erik Carlsson on drums, captivating the listener with active and detailed interplay of strong intention and technical skill.



Foussat, Jean-Marc / Guy-Frank Pellerin: Les Beaux Jours (Fou Records)

The title translating to

The Good Days, Fou label leader and synth player Jean-Marc Foussat joins with soprano & tenor saxophonist Guy-Frank Pellerin (Dieci Ensemble) for three extended electroacoustic improvisations and a shorter coda, employing piano, toys, field recordings, a whispered poem from Tristan Tzara, and a sense of limitless creativity and imagination.



Frith, Fred And Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles: Something About This Landscape For Ensemble (Sub Rosa)

Commissioned by and recorded during the 2018 Ars Musical Festival, Fred Frith composed this work while under the inspiration of his residency at Lou Harrison's straw-bale house in the desert at Joshua Tree, CA, then performed with the Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles, along with two very unique improvisations, one recorded during the dress rehearsal and then again in concert.



Ghost, The Michael Foster's (Foster / Radichel / Sullivan): Vanished Pleasures (Relative Pitch)

Following NY saxophonist Michael Foster's interest in free jazz, noise and the pre-AIDS era of sexual freedom in the gay community, expressed in a sax-bass-drums trio with Philadelphia double bassist Jared Radichel and drummer Joey Sullivan, drawing on pre-composed structures, melodies, samples, and improvisation to reflect both the joy and anxiety of the queer experience.



Hemingway, Gerry: Afterlife (Auricle)

Taking what he describes as a road he's never been on, percussionist and improviser Gerry Hemingway turns in an astute album of original songs, Hemingway's voice expressive on work he explains was originally influenced by Dylan, Geeshie Wiley, Lou Reed or Monroe Brothers, the album developed over four years with a cast of collaborators including Ralph Alessi, Earl Howard, Michael Moore, &c.



Koch / Loriot / Kocher: Stranger Becoming (Bruit Editions + Neither / Nor Records)

Singular but not strange improvisational intersections from this Swiss trio of open-minded and masterful musicians--Hans Koch on clarinet, Frantz Loriot on viola and Jonas Kocher on accordion--highly compatible collaborators who have developed a unique language of chamber-oriented free improvisation that experiments at the convergence of compositional and chamber jazz forms.



La Casa, Eric: Barrieres Mobiles [CD + 40pg BOOKLET] (Swarming)

A series of sound impressions and an audio documentary of metal barriers placed at entrances to public buildings after the coordinated 2015 Paris attacks by ISIS; 29 compositions recorded and mixed between 2018-2023 by Eric La Casa, wondering what the barriers protected Parisians from, and answering the question of what Paris sounds like to the barriers themselves.



Lantskap Logic (Frith / Davis / Greenlief): Hidden Danger Lets Me In (Clean Feed)

Mixed, edited and re-organized by Fred Frith and mastered by Thomas Dimuzio, this album find the trio of Frith on electric guitar, Evelyn Davis on the Mills Chapel pipe organ and Phillip Greenlief on clarinet & alto saxophone, performing in the Mills College Chapel in Oakland, CA, the sophomore release on Clean Feed for this versatile trio of masterful improvisers.



Myers, David Lee: Ceremonial Fires (pulsewidth)

A journey through an uncharted jungle island from NY electronic composer David Lee Myers, aka Arcane Device, using field recordings in rhythmic environments with synthetic sounds buzzing and whirling around and electronic tones and textures rising and falling, composing detailed song structures that are embraceable and awe-inspiring at the same time.



Niggli, Lucas Sound of Serendipity Tentet: Play! (Intakt)

Surprises abound with Lucas Niggli's approach to improvised composition, using 40 playing cards that his ten-piece ensemble interpret, drawing on inspired performers from improvised, experimental and contemporary classical music, their game performed over three rounds, allowing an incredibly diverse set of approaches to reveal themselves on each unique track.



Rempis / Harnik / Lonberg-Holm / Daisy: Earscratcher (Aerophonic)

Formed in 2019, the quartet of Dave Rempis on alto sax, Elisabeth Harnik on piano, Fred Lonberg Holm on cello and Tim Daisy on drums celebrate Elisabeth Harnik's 50th birthday in 2020, originally planned as part of a European tour that year but prevented by pandemic, instead recording this well-balanced and often unbridled 2022 concert at Alte Gerberei, St. Johan in Tirol, Austria.



Rodrigues / Lonberg-Holm / Flak / Madeira / Oliveira: The Giving Tree Moving On (Creative Sources)

Adding Chicago cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm to their string-oriented improvisation, the Portuguese collaborative quartet of Ernesto Rodrigues on viola and crackle box, João Madeira on double bass, Flak on electric guitar and percussionist Jose Oliveira perform an 8-part suite of entwined strings and subtle punctuation, a selfless blending of masterful skill.



Rothenberg, Ned (w / Courvoisier / Halvorson / Fujiwara): Crossings Four (Clean Feed)

Crossing styles, generations and approaches to improvisations, multi-reedist and composer Ned Rothenberg's quartet of Rothenberg on clarinets & alto sax, Sylvie Courvoisier on piano, Mary Halvorson on guitar & effects and Tomas Fujiwara on drums perform five Rothenberg compositions and one by Rothenberg & Courvoisier, of spectacular timbral, rhythmic and melodic intersections.



Sick Boss (JP Carter/ Zubot / Lee / Schmidt / Meger / Gaucher): Businessless (Drip Audio)

A wild improvising band from Vancouver in their 3rd release of episodic compositions based around instrumental rock forms, six "sick" and wide-ranging pieces that blend rock, jazz, chamber music and inventive forms in magnificent way, from JP Carter on trumpet, Joshua Zubot on violin, Peggy Lee on cello, Cole Schmidt on guitar, James Meger on bass, synths and Dan Gaucher on drums.



Sorey, Tyshawn Trio: Mesmerism (Pi Recordings)

An alluring album of piano trio music from the NY trio led by drummer Tyshawn Sorey with Aaron Diehl on piano and Matt Brewer on bass, allowing the excitement of a first meeting between the players as they perform compositions from the American Songbook, and some songs that Sorey feels should be included in the Songbook; lyrical, sophisticated, virtuosic, beautiful.



Threadgill, Henry Ensemble: The Other One (Pi Recordings)

Composed by Henry Threadgill based on his observations of the exodus of people from New York City during the Covid pandemic and the debris left behind, this work titled "Valence" and dedicated to percussionist Milford Graves, is a chamber jazz piece in three movements was taken from recordings at Roulette of the second of two performances entitled "One" and "The Other One".



von Orelli, Marco / Sheldon Suter: Draw From The Source (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

A series of extraordinary sound painting from the Swiss duo of trumpeter Marco von Orelli and percussionist Sheldon Suter, von Orelli also performing on cornet, prepared slidetrumpet & little bells while Suter works with drums, cymbals, prepared zithers, gong & singing bowls, creating detailed aural environments that evoke bewitching twilight spaces.



Williams, Mars / Vasco Trilla: Critical Mass (Not Two)

The second release from the duo of Spanish percussionist Vasco Trilla and Chicago reedist Mars Williams, the latter performing both on reeds and on toy instruments, each using extraordinary and extended technique to create exotically energetic conversations and beautifully meditative environments, in five creative, playful and impressively informed dialogs.



Zorn, John Incerto (Marsella / Smith / Lage / Roeder): Full Fathom Five (Tzadik)

Zorn expands the canon for his lyrical jazz quartet Incerto of Brian Marsella on piano, Ches Smith on drums & Haitian Tanbou, Julian Lage on guitar and Jorge Roeder on bass, composing a suite of seven subtle and passionate nocturnes inspired by the night imagery of Shakespeare, merging jazz and chamber forms with a Downtown NY sensibility; gorgeous.





The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Ingrid Laubrock:
Purposing The Air
[2 CDs]
(Pyroclastic Records)



Sylvie Courvoiser /
Mary Halvorson:
Bone Bells
(Pyroclastic Records)



John Zorn (
Medeski /
Marsella /
Hollenberg /
Grohowski):
Through The
Looking Glass
(Tzadik)



Illusion Of Safety:
Float
(Full Spectrum)



Steve Lehman Trio +
Mark Turner:
The Music of
Anthony Braxton
(Pi Recordings)



Ikue Mori:
Of Ghosts And Goblins
(Tzadik)



Painkiller (
Harris /
Laswell /
Zorn):
The Great God Plan
(Tzadik)



Eric La Casa:
Zones Portuaires 2
(Swarming)



Jean-Jacques Birge +
16 musiciens:
Pique-nique Au Labo 4
(GRRR)



Un Drame Musical Instantane:
Urgent Meeting 2:
Operation Blow Up
(GRRR)



Sonic Chambers Quartet:
Kiss Of The Earth
(577 Records)



Matteo Cimnari:
Mental Core Drilling
(FMR)



Jeong /
Bisio Duow/
Joe Mcphee /
Jay Rosen:
Morning Bells
Whistle Bright
(ESP)



Peter Brotzmann /
John Edwards /
Steve Noble /
Jason Adasiewicz:
The Quartet
[2 CDs]
(Otoroku)



Jordan Glenn's BEAK:
The Party
(Queen Bee Records)



Archer (
Dave Rempis /
Terrie Ex /
Jon Rune Strom /
Tollef Ostvang):
Sudden Dusk
(Aerophonic)



Adam O'Farrill:
For These Streets
(Out Of Your Head Records)



Zero Point (
Rick Countryman /
German Bringas /
Itzam Cano /
Gabriel Lauber):
Determinism
(FMR)



Joe Maneri /
Tyson Rogers /
Jacob Braverman:
In The Shadow,
First Visit
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)



Christopher Kunz /
Florian Fischer:
Die Unwucht,
Disperation And Focus
First Visit
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (68965)