The Squid's Ear
Recently @ Squidco:

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

Capturing a multidimensional dialogue through breathy microtones, atonal piano fragments, and ambiguous percussion, Joe Maneri on sax and clarinet, Tyson Rogers on piano, and Jacob Braverman on drums craft abstract improvisations exploring the delicate interplay of shadow and light, revealing emotional nuances and identity in richly layered, spontaneous constructions of impressive expressive intensity. ... Click to View


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

German saxophonist Christopher Kunz and drummer Florian Fischer capture the essence of German forests in their outdoor recording, titled to translate as 'The Unbalance, Desperation and Focus,' where sauntering saxophone and dynamic drums blend with environmental sounds to evoke a profound intimacy, growing with each listen and inviting deep engagement with nature's wild and humane aspects. ... Click to View


Joe Henderson / Kenny Dorham / Andrew Hill / McCoy Tyner:
Our Thing to In ’N Out Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Joe Henderson, alongside Kenny Dorham and Andrew Hill, revisits the essence of the 'New Thing' in jazz with the remasters and reissues of Our Thing to In 'N Out, showcasing mastery of both conservative and adventurous impulses through a sly blend of inside and outside tactics, marked by intricate solos and dynamic group interplay that highlight the evolving soundscape of early 60s Blue Note recordings. ... Click to View


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

An exciting meeting of free improvisers featuring saxophonists Rick Countryman and Germán Bringas — whose synesthetic explorations have defined Mexico City's free jazz underground since the '90s with his band Zero Point — updated here with bassist Itzam Cano and drummer Gabriel Lauber, Countryman joining while in Mexico City for this fiercely interactive 2022 session of profound sonic reflections. ... Click to View


Udo Schindler / Erhard Hirt / Ove Volquartz:
Shifting Types of Amazement (FMR)

A compelling live performance from Munich's Waldkirche Planegg uniting Udo Schindler's inventive bass clarinets, Erhard Hirt's textural guitar and computer interactions, and Ove Volquartz's resonant low reeds, weaving a rich tapestry of spontaneous, intricately layered improvisations infused with subtle electronic nuances. ... Click to View


Hemphill Stringtet, The :
Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill (Out Of Your Head Records)

Celebrating the profound compositional legacy of Julius Hemphill through inventive string adaptations of his saxophone quartet and sextet works, violinists Curtis Stewart and Sam Bardfeld, violist Stephanie Griffin, and cellist Tomeka Reid channel Abdul Wadud's expressive spirit, transforming Hemphill's blues-inflected jazz into vividly textured chamber improvisations with lyrical intensity. ... Click to View


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

Brooklyn trumpeter Adam O'Farrill leads a superb octet — Mary Halvorson (guitar), Patricia Brennan (vibes), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), and others — through dramatically inventive compositions inspired by the literature and arts of the 1930s, balancing angular rhythmic intensity, rich melodic lyricism, and expressive improvisational depth with adventurous sophistication. ... Click to View


Laura Cocks:
FATHM [VINYL] (Out Of Your Head Records)

Flutist and TAK Ensemble member Laura Cocks crafts an intimate, breath-driven solo work that blurs sound and silence, guiding listeners through fragmented melodies, hushed textures, and resonant pauses, offering a deeply personal and poetic meditation on presence, absence, and the physicality of listening. ... Click to View


Ernesto Rodrigues / Nuno Torres / Guilherme Rodrigues:
Whispers In The Moonlight - In Seven Movements [2CDs] (Creative Sources)

Capturing a richly nuanced sonic journey across seven improvised movements from concerts in Berlin, Köln, and Munich, this 2-CD set from the Portuguese trio of Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Guilherme Rodrigues (cello), and Nuno Torres (alto sax) presents a masterful exploration of intricate textures, hushed atmospherics, and lyrical interplay, woven into a vivid tapestry of contemporary European free improvisation. ... Click to View


Simulacrum:
Mecanique Analytique (Evil Clown)

An intricate electro-acoustic exploration from David Peck's Simulacrum sextet — featuring expansive horn and reed textures, a robust three-member electronics section, and eclectic percussion — in a sonically adventurous live session at Evil Clown Headquarters, resulting in vibrant improvisations blending organic timbres with dynamic electronic atmospheres. ... Click to View


Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio:
Dream A Dream (Libra)

Pianist Satoko Fujii's Tokyo Trio, featuring bassist Takashi Sugawa and drummer Ittetsu Takemura, expertly balances structured compositions with intuitive improvisation on their third album, recorded in Paris after touring the material across Japan and Europe, exploring shifting moods and intricate interplay through richly lyrical piano lines, subtle rhythmic dialogue, and inventive collective expression. ... Click to View


Paul Dunmalll (Dunmall / Sanders / Bellatalla / Adams):
Jazz Suite Outcome Of Choice (FMR)

Recorded at Birmingham's Custard Factory in 1999, tenor saxophonist Paul Dunmall leads drummer Mark Sanders, bassist Roberto Bellatalla, and guitarist John Adams through a set of Dunmall compositions, delivering lyrically expressive free jazz improvisations that blend dynamic interaction with inventive melodic exploration. ... Click to View


Transcendence (Bob Gluck / Christopher Dean Sullivan / Karl Latham):
Music Of Pat Metheny (FMR)

Inspired by the compositions of Pat Metheny, the Transcendence trio of pianist Bob Gluck, bassist Christopher Dean Sullivan, and drummer Karl Latham blends intent listening and explorative improvisational mastery into an expressive and dynamic performance, recorded in parallel with Gluck's book Pat Metheny: Stories Beyond Words in a heart-felt and sincere tribute to the guitarist's work. ... Click to View


Frode Gjerstad:
Stavanger 9 9 2024 (FMR)

A live 2024 performance at Spor 5 in Stavanger, Norway, uniting saxophonist Frode Gjerstad with pianist Margaux Oswald and drummer Ivar Myrset Asheim in an engaging set of collective free improvisation marked by dynamic interplay, impressive dialog from reserved introspection to expansive kinetic energy across shifting textures and intensities. ... Click to View


Ackerley / Prymek / Turner:
All Hope With Sleeping Minds [CASSETTE] (Full Spectrum)

Born from remote exchanges between Jessica Ackerley (guitar, voice, synth), Nick Turner (guitar, mellotron, synth), and Chaz Prymek (guitar, lap steel), this debut album emerges as an evocative imaginary soundtrack, blending improvisational noise with Americana-inflected ambience in an expansive meditation on post-apocalyptic contemplation. ... Click to View


David Myers Lee :
Tin Drop Tear [BOOK w/ DOWNLOAD] (pulsewidth)

Experimental composer and feedback artist David Lee Myers (Arcane Device) ventures into literary territory with a limited-edition book of fifty "Plunder-Lit" poetic pieces, complemented by fifteen spoken-word audio readings set to experimental soundscapes, evoking Tristan Tzara's work, William S. Burroughs' cutups, and the sensibilities of Captain Beefheart. ... Click to View


Leap Of Faith:
Decoding the Evolution of Meaning (Evil Clown)

Boston-based improvisational ensemble Leap of Faith, led by multi-instrumentalist David Peck (PEK) and cellist Glynis Lomon, presents a drummerless seven-piece configuration recorded live at Evil Clown Headquarters, navigating expansive free improvisation with horns, strings, electronics, and unconventional percussion in an explorative chamber-like performance of subtle dynamics and spontaneous interplay ... Click to View


Zilmrah:
Hallucinatory X-Ray Visions (Love Earth Music)

The debut full-length from Lawry Romani's noise/drone project Zilmrah blends manipulated samples, modular synths, and handcrafted electroacoustic instruments into intriguingly distorted yet spacious soundscapes, balancing hypnotic rhythms with dadaist absurdity and dense sonic experimentation in a captivating journey of cut-up electronics and immersive drones. ... Click to View


Peter Brotzmann / Heather Leigh:
Ears Are Filled With Wonder (Not Two)

Brotzmann continued to surprise in eclectic pairings, here pitting his tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, tarogato, and clarinet against Heather Leigh's pedal steel guitar, recorded during a tour of Poland where the two paused from big bands, trios, quartets, and duos to record this gem. ... Click to View


Joe Fonda Quartet (w/ Wadada Leo Smith / Satoko Fujii / Tizano Tononi):
Eyes On The Horizon (Long Song Records)

NY Bassist-composer Joe Fonda leads an exceptional quartet featuring trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, pianist Satoko Fujii, and drummer Tiziano Tononi in a profound tribute to his mentor Smith, skillfully blending compositional clarity with collective improvisation in a deeply resonant and lyrically intricate musical conversation that reflects inspiration, respect, and artistic integrity. ... Click to View


Giovanni Maier / Alexander Hawkins:
Two For Keith (Long Song Records)

Recorded live in the studio in Trieste, Italy, bassist Giovanni Maier and pianist Alexander Hawkins deliver a deeply expressive and adventurous duo session dedicated to the late, great Keith Tippett, weaving spontaneous improvisations and dynamic interplay in a heartfelt homage that reflects Tippett's profound influence and creative spirit. ... Click to View


Ernesto Rodrigues / Carlos Santos / Miguel Mira:
The Knowledge That Our Time Is Limited Can Inspire Us (Creative Sources)

Recorded live during the 2024 Creative Sources Cycle, violist Ernesto Rodrigues, cellist Miguel Mira, and analog synthesist Carlos Santos deliver a nuanced and exploratory collective improvisation, drawing on Rodrigues's delicate textural approach, Mira's lyrical sensitivity, and Santos's ethereal synth interactions, evoking an urgent reflection on the fleeting nature of time. ... Click to View


Der Vierte Zustand:
Layers (Creative Sources)

The Cologne-based free improvising trio Der Vierte Zustand — vocalist Hanna Schörken, guitarist Christina Zurhausen, and drummer Ramon Keck — om a compelling blend of experimental soundscapes, noise rock influences, and free jazz energy, driven by Schörken's acrobatic wordless vocals, Zurhausen's effects-laden guitar textures, and Keck's dynamic rhythms. ... Click to View


Udo Schindler / Sandy Ewen / Damon Smith:
Munich Sound Studies Vols. 4, 5 & 6 [3 CDs] (Balance Point Acoustics)

An expansive 3-CD document recorded live across three Munich venues in May 2023, featuring Udo Schindler (clarinets, saxophones, brass), Sandy Ewen (electric guitar), and Damon Smith (double bass), each session enhanced by collaborators Karina Erhard, Jaap Blonk, and Sebastiano Tramontana, in an inventive series of improvisations of dynamic interplay and innovative sonic experiments. ... Click to View


Thanos Chrysakis :
Psyche (Eternal Music Projects)

Exploring the depths and boundaries of the psyche through seven compelling electroacoustic compositions, Greek composer Thanos Chrysakis delivers a deeply psychedelic, mysterious, and immersive sonic journey, masterfully blending electronic textures and acousmatic elements that resonate within the listener's consciousness, psyche, and imagination — a vivid reflection on complex inner landscapes. ... Click to View


Luke Martin:
To Be Worthy of Pessoa (Editions Verde)

Drawing inspiration from Fernando Pessoa's "The Book of Disquiet," composer Luke Martin leads the ensemble Ordinary Affects — Morgan Evans-Weiler & Francesca Caruso (violin), Jordan Dykstra (viola), Laura Cetilia (cello), J.P.A. Falzone (vibes) and Luke Damrosch (farfisa organ) — through two introspective, quietly evolving compositions of minimalistic beauty creating thoughtful sonic dialogues. ... Click to View


Turbulence Orchestra & Sub-Units:
Smear Out the Difficulties (Double Live) [2 CDs] (Evil Clown)

Bringing together a powerful 20-member ensemble, Turbulence Orchestra — led by David Peck and featuring Bonnie Kane, John Loggia, Glynis Lomon, and a diverse array of improvisers — unleashes an expansive and dynamic improvisational journey, combining dense textures, radical instrumentation, and structured spontaneity through novel conducting techniques for a set of unique sonic narratives. ... Click to View


God Pussy:
Rudimentar Desejo De Liberdade (Love Earth Music)

Brazilian noise artist Jhones Silva, aka God Pussy, delivers a brutal, uncompromising conglomerate of harsh electronic textures, abstract noise, and aggressive sonic distortion, employing pedals, synths, radios & noise generators in an intense DIY exploration of social chaos, urban corruption, and humanity's unfulfilled desire for freedom through confrontational electroacoustic compositions. ... Click to View


Simon Nabatov / Mark Helias / Tom Rainey:
Assamblage (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A far-ranging transatlantic trio session from pianist Simon Nabatov, bassist Mark Helias, and drummer Tom Rainey, capturing a dynamic fusion of composed and collective free jazz, as Nabatov's intricate compositions burst with frenetic energy, shifting between exuberant rhythmic interplay, explosive improvisation, and richly textured sonic landscapes in an electrifying set of performances. ... Click to View


Harri Sjostrom:
SoundScapes #4 Festival Berlin 2023 [3 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A remarkable live document of Finnish saxophonist Harri Sjöström's SoundScapes #4 festival in Berlin, bringing together 19 extraordinary musicians from across Europe, Australia, and the U.S. for a series of improvised performances from intimate duos to expansive octets, highlighting spontaneous collaborations all driven by creative risk-taking, deep listening, and a profound sense of musical trust. ... Click to View



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  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.





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reviews about releases
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written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Frode Gjerstad:
Stavanger
9 9 2024
(FMR)



Paul Dunmalll (
Dunmall /
Sanders /
Bellatalla /
Adams):
Jazz Suite
Outcome Of Choice
(FMR)



Transcendence (
Bob Gluck /
Christopher Dean Sullivan /
Karl Latham):
Music Of
Pat Metheny
(FMR)



Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio:
Dream A Dream
(Libra)



David Myers Lee:
Tin Drop Tear
[BOOK w/
DOWNLOAD]
(pulsewidth)



Joe Fonda Quartet (
w/ Wadda Leo Smith /
Satoko Fujii /
Tizano Tononi):
Eyes On
The Horizon
(Long Song Records)



Giovanni Maier /
Alexander Hawkins:
Two For Keith
(Long Song Records)



Udo Schindler /
Sandy Ewen /
Damon Smith:
Munich Sound Studies
Vols. 4, 5 & 6
[3 CDs]
(Balance Point Acoustics)



Ivo Perelman /
Tyshawn Sorey:
Paralell Aesthetics
[2 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Simon Nabatov /
Mark Helias /
Tom Rainey:
Assamblage
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Harri Sjostrom:
SoundScapes #4
Festival Berlin 2023
[3 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Chris Jonas /
David Forlano /
Gregg Koyle:
Trio
(Creative Sources)



Fred Loisel /
Philippe Lenglet /
Christian Vasseur:
Priced And Cheap (
Two Graphic Scores)
(Creative Sources)



Tristan Honsinger &
The House Of Wasps:
Noisy Sadness
(Creative Sources)



Isotope Ensemble:
Caesium
(Creative Sources)



Modelbau:
1x33.3
(Love Earth Music)



Cecil Taylor:
Air Above Mountains
(ENJA RECORDS)



Rick Reger:
Textures & Tonalities
for Analogue Synthesizers &
Percussion
(Aural Terrains)



Carlos Zingaro /
Carlos Bechegas /
Ernesto Rodrigues:
Spleen
(Creative Sources)



Teodora Stepancic:
A O | F G
(Another Timbre)







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