A portrait of Christian Wolff, documenting the composer's early activity through recordings made close to the time of their composition from artists including Cornelius Cardew, Frederic Rzewski, David Tudor, &c.

Rasa Rasa members Kenny Wollesen, Dalius Naujo, Jonathon Haffner and Sean Francis Conway present the ancient polyphonic vocal music of Lithuania using a mix of ensembles, reviving the infectious grooves and ancient vocal rounds, aided by new instruments devised by Wollesen.

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Cantankerous and brilliantly executed improvisation continuing the partnership of percussionist/live electronician Lytton and trumpet/amplifier player Nate Wooley.

Turbulent and ecstatic electronic improvisation in the 2nd installment of Seven Storey Mountain with Nate Wooley on amplified trumpet and tape, drummer Chris Corsano , and violinist C. Spencer Yeh.

"Battle Pieces" was conceived as a background for an improviser, using linguistics, tape processes & aleatoric concepts to fashion an ever-shifting composition that supplies the soloist with information within the context of an ever-changing series of densities, velocities and silences.

A free jazz session recorded in Brussells between trumpeter Nate Wooley and half of the Daniele Martini Quartet--saxophonist Martini himself and drummer Joao Lobo--stepping in and out of modal jazz with a contemplative approach, using extended techniques to great effect, Lobo handling the foundation and rhythm in absolutely impressive ways.

Nate Wooley assembled his outstanding quintet of Josh Sinton on bass clarinet, Matt Moran on vibs, Eivind Opsvik on bass and Harris Eisenstadt on drums to present a non-ironic take on the early music of a trumpeter who inspired Wooley at an early age - Wynton Marsalis.

Trumpeter Nate Wooley's major 3-part work makes oblique reference to dodecaphony, ambient tape music, and the minimalist rock of Terry Riley, conceived as a tribute to Wooley's mentor Ron Miles, who performs alongside Devin Gray & Rudy Royston (drums), Cory Smythe & Jozef Dumoulin (piano).

Commissioned by Anthony Braxton's Tri-Centric Foundation, trumpeter Nate Wooley developed a modular compositional structure of small melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, conceptual, textural, and timbral fragments, allowing Ingrid Laubrock (sax), Sylvie Courvoisier (piano), and Matt Moran (Vibes) exceptional freedom in improvisation, here in their 2nd recording live at Koeln's Loft.

Pronounced as "knife", this new project from NY trumpeter Nate Wooley brings together Chris Pitsiokos on alto sax, Brandon Lopez on bass, and Dre Hocevar on drums in a fresh take on the concepts of free jazz, using short material composed by Wooley and based on the poetry of Aram Saroyan, used in looping and repeating structures that never sound as such.

The 5th of 7 large and inspiring works that began with a Festival of New Trumpet commission in 2007, here in an ensemble of 19 players including C. Spencer Yeh, Ben Vida, Ben Hall, Matt Moran, Chris Dingman, Dan Peck, Josh Sinton, Colin Stetson, the TILT brass octet, &c.

Composer, improviser, and trumpet player Nate Wooley continues to cement his place as an American iconoclast by releasing the complete recordings of his revolutionary solo [Syllables] compositions as a deluxe 4 CD set consisting of two reissues of out-of-print early works: 8 [Syllables] (2013) and 9 [Syllables] (2014) as well as the premiere recording of his 150 minute epic For Kenneth Gaburo.

The Japanese improvising rock quintet The World Heritage--Yamamoto Seiichi, Katsui Yuji, Kido Natsuki, Nasuno Mitsuru, and Yoshida Tatsuya--with two guitars, violin, bass and drums, in a live recording of dynamic collective improvisation at Akihabara Goodman in 2013.

CD & DVD of this supergroup of Japanese improvising and advanced rock forms with members of Ruins, Koenji Hyakkei, Korekyojinn, ROVO, Boredoms, Bondage Fruit, &c!

The World Heritage in their 5th release recorded live at Tokyo's Akihabara Goodman in 2012, amazing improvised instrumental rock from Tatsuya Yoshida (drums), Seiichi Yamamoto (guitar), Natsuki Kido (guitar), Yuji Katsui (violin) and Mitsuru Nasuno (bass).

Live recordings of drummer Yoshida Tatsuya's World Heritage band from Koenji HIGH in 2009, condensing and editing the show into one incredible hour of sophisticated rock improvisation.

Reedist Cory Wright's 5-piece Outfit from Oakland, CA, in an album featuring eight tracks of advanced compositions featuring remarkable improvising with Evan Francis (sax), Rob Ewing (trombone), Lisa Mezzacappa (bass), and Jordan Glenn (drums).

Acclaimed free improvising saxophonist Jack Wright is joined by his son Ben on double bass for these exceptional duos that balance space and color through extended techniques and an impecable sense of timing.

AMM percussionist Eddie Prevost on roto toms with alto saxophonist Seymour Wright in a 5 part series of G.A.M.U.T. free improvisations and interactions.

A collection of historical and essential works from Xenakis including Syrmos, Le Polytope de Montreal, Terretektorh, Nomos Gamma, ST/48-1,240162, Achorripsis, Persepolis, Polytope de Cluny.

The debut of Xenofox, the duo of Olaf Rupp on electric guitar and Rudi Fischerlehner on drum playing electric improv that ranges from critically dense to spacious and exploratory, blending rock and European Free Improv sensibilities into a moody and absorbing album.

The duo of Paul Abbot on drum kits, percussion & computer, and Seymour Wright on alto saxophone and feedback, in a massive edge-of-your seat live recording from London's Cafe Oto in 2015, a mix of brutal and beautiful playing with unexpected and surprising twists.

Xu Fengxia traditional Sanxian & Guzheng player and free vocalist in duo with drummer/percussionist Lucas Niggli for suspenseful cross-cultural improvisations.

XYZ is the trio of Pierre-Yves Martel (feedback & static), Martin Tetreault (turntable), & Philippe Lauzier (reeds) improvising with post-industrial sound orchestration using electronic and acoustic sources.

Japanese Koto virtuoso Michiyo Yagi joins the longstanding duo of drummer Paal-Nilssen-Love and electronics wizard Lasse Marhaug for a session of extended improvisations, driving the traditional Japanese instruments into non-idiomatic and percussive extremes.

Elegant, thoughtfully lyrical and original jazz trio compositions from pianist Eri Yamamoto's Trio with bassist David Ambrosio and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi, their 7th release as a group and 3rd on Aum Fidelity.

Pianist Eri Yamamoto's trio with bassist David Ambrosio and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi in a set of emotional and beautiful original works, surprisingly her first-ever live album, recorded at Klavierhaus, in NYC, 2012.

Pianist Yamamoto, noted on William Parker's "Corn Meal Dance", in a set of sensitive and melodic original compositions with her trio of drummer Ikuo Takeuchi & bassist David Ambrosio.

Pianist Eri Yamamoto with her regular trio of bassist David Ambrosio and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi, beautiful and melodic jazz with subtlety and finesse.

Japanese born NY based pianist Eri Yamamoto, part of William Parker's Raining on the Moon ensemble, in an album of duos with Parker, Federico Ughi, Hamid Drake, and Daniel Carter.

The 3rd volume from a series of concerts Eddie Prevost organised at the Network Theatre in London, trio sessions featuring the finest modern free improvising saxophonists, here with Jason Yarde on alto & soprano, and Oil Hayhurst rounding out the trio on double bass.

British guitarist Jon Attwood's Yellow6 solo project finds him performing on guitar, bass, electronics, and drum programming for a beautiful album of shoegaze rock with elements of minimalist, electronica, and ambient sound.

The Norwegian & Danish freejazz-noise-rock trio Yes Deer of Anders Vestergaard on drums, Karl Bjora on guitar and Signe Dahlgreen on sax, in their second album of high energy, cacophonous and brutally joyful (they say "enthusiastic despair") collective improvisation.

Two of the original innovators of the Tokyo "onkyo" sound movement, understated ea-improvisations, in their first collaboration, constructed asynchronous recordings.

It started with a Mats Gustafsson's LP, for which Ozeki Mitkito created a polyvinyl chloride cutout, which Otomo manipulated on his turntable, recording this limited hand-numbered CD.

Core Anode is Otomo's roaring-sound project, 3 pieces recorded live at concerts in Tokyo (2002), Copenhagen (2006), and London (2006).

The final night of Otomo and Sachiko's first residency at London's Cafe OTO in 2009 saw the pair joined by the long-running trio of Evan Parker, John Edwards and Tony Marsh and special guest John Butcher, for an exceptional set of creative improvisation.

Israeli alto & soprano saxophonist Daniel Zamir returns to Tzadik with tracks from each of two quartets in a release of burning jazz, passionate, lyrical and technically exceptional playing in compositions that shift time signatures and moods with strong melodic focus.

Bassist Per Zanussi and Zanussi 5 peforming live in Coimbra, Portugal at the 2013 Jazz ao Centro Festival, with drummer Gard Nilssen filling out the rhythm section and three reeds providing the front end for their powerful set balancing lyrical and free playing.

The 20th anniversary of director Reinhold Friedl's Zeitkratzer ensemble, who have reinterpreted in surprising ways the music of a far-ranging and eclectic set of composers and performers, as they take on the innovative electronic rock band Kraftwerk in six interpretations from their first two albums.

The 2nd volume of saxophonist Omri Ziegele and pianist Irene Schweizer's "Where's Africa" with drummer Makaya Ntshoko, beautiful, virtuosic and melodic jazz.

German composer Alfred Zimmerlin presents 3 pieces that balance compositional and improvisational approaches, with a 7-part work for strings, a large Klavierstruck work for microtonal piano, and an improvised chamber work, "Klarinettenquintett," with Jurg Frey on clarinet.

Portuguese violinist Carlos "Zingaro" in a string trio work committed to reinventing chamber music through improvisation that bridges contemporary classical music.

A quartet of thoroughly modern and innovative improvisers - violinist Carlos Alves "Zingaro", trumpeter Jean Luc Cappozzo, flutist and bass clarinetist Jerome Bourdellon, and percussionist Nicolas Lelievre - performing at "Live At Total Meeting", 2010.

Part of Ayler's Guerilla Series, percussionist Laurence Cook and keyboardist Eric Zinman in an album of textural duos developed over a year while working with the Yamaha CP300 stage keyboard.

The 22nd edition of John Zorn's Masada intrepretations, "The Book of Angels" comes from guitarist Jon Madof blending Afro-pop stylings of the legendary Fela Kuti with the Jewish tradition in an 11 piece all-star band.

Circle The Path straddles the line somewhere between old-school free jazz, contemporary improvisation, the blues, and standard composition.

Two guitarists -- Gyan Riley and Julian Lage -- perform 10 lyrical John Zorn compositions inspired by Shakespeare and written for the moon, a symbol of love, lust, madness and dreams, as the two guitarists play in unison and interweaving figures, a beautiful album of contemplative, refined and elegant works from one of New York's most prolific composers.

The long-standing duo of alto saxophonist John Zorn and guitarist Fred Frith continues with these "late works", improvisations in a unique language of formidable breadth and imagination.

Ensemble InterContemporain is viola player Garth Knox's string and percussion performance group, here called upon by John Zorn to present new interpretations of his "Book of Angels" Masada compositions, in nine magnificent recordings of great depth and intimacy.

Two iconic New York players - saxophonist John Zorn and guitarist Thurston Moore - meet for the first time, presenting seven exhilarating improvisations of great diversity, inventiveness, sonic power, and creative drive.

This Book of Angels release is the first recording in 10 years from this Masada ensemble blending Sephardic and Ashkenazi sonorities with latin, surf, world music and more.

2001 recordings of Zorn's original Masada band with bassist Greg Cohen, drummer Joey Baron and trumpeter Dave Douglas, performing live at Tonic, NYC.

Zorn's 3rd CD for his 21st century ensemble The Gnostic Trio - Bill Frisell (guitar), Carol Emanuel (harp), Kenny Wollesen (vibraphone & bells) - and guest Ikue Mori (electronics) in a transcendent record celebrating the work of poet and artist William Blake.

Simulacrum's 5th CD, with John Medeski on organ, Kenny Grohowski on drums and Matt Hollenberg on guitar, powerful playing that blends heavy rock, blues, funk and jazz with modern classical music, here performing composer John Zorn's 10 part suite on decscending into madness.

Zorn's take on Christmas with his Dreamers (Marc Ribot, Kenny Wollesen, Joey Baron, Jamie Saft, Trevor Dunn, Cyro Baptista, with guest vocalist Mike Patton) performing 7 of Zorn's favorite Christmas songs along with 2 originals.

Inspired by the spiritual mythology of William Blake, this is part of Zorn's series of 21st century mystical works, alternately romantic, ominous, ecstatic, driving and meditative.

A beautiful and sophisticated set of jazz compositions, part of Zorn's mystical works, performed by John Medeski (piano/organ), Kenny Wollesen (vibes), Trevor Dunn (bass) and Joey Baron (drums).

Led by composers Sam Eastmond and Nikki Franklin, The SPIKE Orchestra is a large ensemble that draws on a wide range of influences including Duke Ellington, Frank Zappa, Carl Stalling, Zorn and more, here performing the 26th "Book of Angels" covering Zorn's Masada book.

Revised version of this 2001 chamber work inspired by the remarkable worlds of Henry Darger, Lewis Carroll and Unica Zurn, remastered and resequenced with a new postlude.

2 studio compositions from Zorn: a ritualistic homage to Korean/American writer and conceptual artist Theresa Hak-Kyung Cha; and a mythic psychodrama inspired by the legendary Red Book of Carl Jung.

"Dreamachines" takes Zorn's fascination with Gysin and Burroughs further in 9 compositions combining improvised and compositional techniques, performed by the amazing quartet of Joey Baron (drums), Trevor Dunn (bass), John Medeski (piano) and Kenny Wollesen (vibes).

Twelve bizarre compositional miniatures for the blazing duo of Marc Ribot and Trevor Dunn, combining classical 12-tone lyricism with rock intensity and improvisational madness.