Longtime collaborators Abbott and Dadge release their first album together, a dizzying array of ideas and sounds recorded live at the monthly Calgary based Bug Incision concert series.

On their first concert as a duo in 2014, alto saxophonist Michael Attias and pianist Simon Nabatov recorded these five creatively lyrical improvisations at iBeam in Brooklyn, Nabatov on the keys and inside the piano and both using tremendous technique in a mix of perky and introspective free expression, including an extended work that melds into Herbie Nichol's "Spinning Song".

Two vocalists associated with Cecil Taylor's final trio--Albey onBass and Jane SpokenWord--join Evil Clown leader David Peck (PEK) on reeds, winds and a large collection of percussive devices, and Glynis Lomon on cello & aquasonic, for an extended work of critical poetry and spoken word, merging truth and abstraction through free improv and pointed expression.

The full performance of legendary improvising guitarist Derek Bailey's 2001 exhilarating duo with bassist Simon H. Fell at Sound 323, originally released as a mini-CD and voted record of the year in 2002 by The Wire, then released on CD and now as a deluxe 2 LP set on 180gm White Vinyl.

Pascal Battus in a series of compositions realized with recordings of cymbals, using specific techniques that enable him to sustain the sound and allow pure frequencies to emerge as he develops each piece as extended audio journeys based on improv and organized sound.

An album of dark atmospheric electroacoustic sound with voice and introductory narrative from Zu bassist Massimo Pupillo and Gordon Sharp of Cindytalk, the first meeting between the two, performed live at Cafe Oto for four pieces of rich sonics, emotional and hypnotic playing from two creative masters with a long history of powerful and passionate music.

A live concert in Quezon City from the Manila based duo of Rich Countryman on alto saxophone and Swiss drummer Christian Bucher, who are joined on one track by acoustic bassist Simon Tan and trombonist Isla Antinero.

With a discography of both contemporary and improvised music, Beligan pianist residing in Norway Jonas Cambien (Platform, Karokh) joins forces with Norwegian double bassist Adrian Myhr (Delius, Dorner, Buck) for an album that balances concentrative and muscular interplay, influenced by Cambien's piano preparations and Myhr's sophisticated techniques.

With a discography of both contemporary and improvised music, Beligan pianist residing in Norway Jonas Cambien (Platform, Karokh) joins forces with Norwegian double bassist Adrian Myhr (Delius, Dorner, Buck) for an album that balances concentrative and muscular interplay, influenced by Cambien's piano preparations and Myhr's sophisticated techniques.

"Regering" signifies "Government", the title and track names derived from the works of B. Traven, in the first meeting between sound artist and composer Matrijn Comes and guitarist Lukas Simonis (AA Kismet, Coolhaven), in a dark album of subtle innuendo and detail, running the spectrum from nightmarish environments to hopeful glimmers; an impressive collaboration.

Powerfully rich sounds from two NY-based instrumentalists — John McCowen on contrabass clarinet & Carlo Costa on bass drum & percussion — in a three-part work of acoustic improvisations, McCowen sounding deceptively electronic through overtones and masterful harmonic technique, while Costa's bass drum provides deep foundations as he mysteriously layers percussive distractions; phenomenal!

Portuguese composer and pianist Simao Costa in an album of solo prepared piano in the style of John Cage, using transducers, speaker & objects, paced like a Morton Feldman composition, balancing tones and percussive sound in exquisite compositions.

An exciting album of free jazz from the Australia/London-based Cyclone Trio, their name apt in the feverish interaction between saxophonist Massimo Magee and dual drummers Tony Irving and Tim Green on the opening work, the album patterned like a storm that slows introspectively for a quiet eye, then drums up a final gale force that dissipates to a sort of calm; brilliant.

Six compositions for chamber ensembles from composer Giuliano d'Angiolini, performed by Ensemble 2e2m, Quatuor Parisii, Franck Ollu, Pierre Roullier, Monique Bouvet, &c.

Influenced by bassist Simon H. Fell since first hearing him in 1994 in a quartet with Peter Brotzmann, harpist Rhodri Davies approached Fell to work together, enjoying 20 years of collaborations in many group settings; in 2020 Simon H. Fell became seriously ill and passed in June of that year, this extended improvisation being Rhodri Davies' heartfelt tribute to the great improviser.

Using saxophones and their voices, Jean Derome and Joane Hetu create songs of improvisation that invoke their primal human nature in creative and beautiful ways.

2021 reissue of this 2004 release on the DUNS label bringing together a uniquely voiced quartet with Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano saxophones, virtuoso concertina player Simon Thoumire, John Edwards on double bass and Philip Gibbs on guitar, with both Dunmall & Thoumire performing on bagpipes on two tracks; a welcome reissue to a distinctive and thought-provoking album.

British saxophonist Simon Rose uses extended and evocative techniques in this exceptional set of duos with Paul Stapleton, who plays a Bonsai Sound Sculpture, an assemblage of unusual electronic and acoustic components allowing a wide range of expression.

The French Le Bruit de la Musique festival is run by Le Quan Ninh and Martine Altenburger, who invited Simon H. Fell to perform a solo set on the doublebass, the result being this fantastic album that takes the largest of bass instruments through an astonishing array of approaches enhanced by the acoustics of the church of Toulx-Sainte-Croix.

Italian saxophonist Stefano Ferrian in a duo with pianist Simone Quatrana, Ferrian bounding terse phrases against Quatrana's concise but tenacious dissections of pattern and rhythm, using angularity, counterpoint and expansive harmonics in a rewarding dialog.

An unusual and gripping album of electronic improvisation on guitar and synthesizer between keyboardist Jean-Marc Foussat and guitarist Simon Henocq, taking alien and abstract landscapes into intense territory over two monumental tracks.

Putting less focus on the strings and more into sonic environments, French guitarist Pierre Gerard releases a set of eight abstract compositions for voice, guitar, cello, piano, violin, bass clarinet, electronics & field recordings, intended for random playing, employing silence and active sections to catch the passive or background listener off guard.

Long-time collaborators, German reed & wind player Frank Gratkowski and pianist Simon Nabatov release their third collaboration as a duo, concentrating their playing from large bands including the Simon Nabatov Quartet to the essence of their personal and impressive dialog, here performing at the LOFT, in Cologne for the celebration of Nabatov's birthday.

Drawing on a far-ranging set of influences--jazz, rock, contemporary, surf & exotica--California-born improvising guitarist Simon Hanes (of Trigger, who covered Zorn's Bagatelles) now resides in NYC, appropriately releasing an album of eclectic, generally upbeat, sometimes quirky, typically melodic instrumentals performed with an octet ensemble of incredible musicianship.

Free improvising vocalist and story spieler Shelley Hirsch teams with Simon Ho and a great set of musicians including Tony Buck, David Hofstra, Tomas Ulrich, for an engaging and fascinating set of songs and stories.

Two extended free electroacoustic improvisations in the AMM/London Improvisation Workshop vein, recorded live at London's Cafe OTO: first a prelude in the duo of Massimo Magee on electronics & saxophone and Joshua Weitzel on the 3-string Japanese shamisen; then expanded to a quartet with percussionist Eddie Prevost and Ken Ikeda on synthesizer.

Two separate live recordings from the UK sax & drum duo of Massimo Magee on tenor, alto and sopranino saxophones, and drummer Tony Irving (Ascension), both captured in 2019 at The Globe in Newcastle Upon Tyne and at Hundred Years Gallery in London, as they burn through three free jazz dialogs of passionate playing informed by personal history and creative drive.

A new quintet lineup for the long-running Boston collective Leap of Faith, expanding the core duet of David Peck on reeds & flutes and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice, with trumpeter Ellwood Epps, double bassist Nate McBride, drummer Eric Rosenthal, and transformed by live signal processing from Joel Simches, performing a powerful and extended post-pandemic concert.

Recorded during cellist Okkyung Lee's 2019 residency at OTO Cafe, this album presents two duos: the A side with Jerome Noetinger performing on tapes & electronics, processing Lee's cello live to create a virtual trio of incredible technical skill; the B side with a master of the historic keyboard Ondes Martenot, Nadia Ratsimandresy, in an uncommon dialog of strings and synthetics.

Drummer Joao Lobo's trio with guitarist Norberto Lobo and double bassist Soet Kempeneer perform the drummer's dynamic compositions, along with one traditional works, a tight trio of highly interactive playing and a sense of familial interplay as the band weaves around Lobo's layered drumming and emphatic grooves, taking time for introspection among their energetic spontaneity.

Referencing their influences as Punkt.Vrt.Plastik or the Kris Davis Trio, the uniquely voiced young piano trio of Simon Lucaciu on piano, Florian Muller on double bass and Lukas Heckers on drums formed in 2016 to compose and perform original work, inspired by Christopher Dell's possibilities of differentiation and unusual forms, receiving the Central German Jazz Prize in 2022.

A virtual live performance from the UK at The OctoBar in this solo clarinet performance from multi-reedist Massimo Magee, starting with a short introduction titled "The Way In", leading to a 43 minute extended and accomplished improvisation dedicated to the playing of iconic reedists Evan Parker and John Coltrane, complemented by unexpected digital glitches and reverb.

With each solo intended for a specific recipient, London saxophonist Magee recorded a series of improvisations during the pandemic isolations, retaining two of the recordings as pure solo Magee, the others virtual duos with: Travis D. Johnson on synth, Tim Green on drums, Joshua Weitze on guitar, A.F. Jones for resampling, Thomas Milovac on bass, and Lance Austin Olsen on guitar.

A solo sax album of patterns and intersections from London writer, artist & musician Massimo Magee, influenced by a wealth of sources from Braxton to Stockhausen, each of the five parts of "Toneflower" affected through mic placement as Magee builds to wild expressiveness, transforming round tones into stratospheric pitches, using circular breathing for extended expressiveness; stunning!

A solo sax album of patterns and intersections from London writer, artist & musician Massimo Magee, influenced by a wealth of sources from Braxton to Stockhausen, each of the five parts of Toneflower affected through mic placement as Magee builds to wild expressiveness, transforming round tones into stratospheric pitches, using circular breathing for extended expressiveness; stunning!

A sophisticated duo meeting at InTegra House in Trakai, Lithuania between two central figures of Lithuanian creative jazz--saxophonist Jan Maksimowicz and pianist Dmitrij Golovanov--in a spontaneous set of dialogs plus a rendering of Kenny Kirkland's "Dienda", as the two employ magnificent technique and strong lyrical tendencies across twelve succinct improvisations.

Composer Simon Martin pays hommage to Quebec painters Ozias Leduc, Paul-Emile Borduas, and Jean-Paul Riopelle in contemplative works for each artist, performed by the ensembles Quatuor Bozzini, Quasar quatuor de saxophons, and Trio de guitares contemporain.

A captivating collection of songs encompassing blues, ballads, and folk music with improvised moments of free jazz that were written and arranged by guitarist Simone Massaron and sung by lyricist Carla Bozulich.

Twelve dialogs of burning, intuitive and astute free improvisation from three players steeped in the form--Simon Nabatov on piano, Barry Guy on double bass, and Gerry Hemingway on drums & marimba, performing live at LOFT in Cologne, Germany in 2015, an essential example of modern creative playing that surprises and enlightens with repeated listens.

Live at the LOFT in Cologne, Germany, the trio of German-based Russian pianist Simon Nabatov with NY Downtown double bassist Mark Dresser and relative newcomer Dominik Manhig on drums, expressive collective improvisation using edgy techniques in impressive dialog.

The 1st meeting between Simon Nabatov on piano (inside and out) and double bassist Mark Dresser, recorded live at the Loft in Cologne in 2014, for a remarkable dialog of empathetic communication, outrageous technique and dynamic exchange from two authoritative players.

An exciting and forceful album of free jazz from the trio of pianist Simon Nabatov, bassist Max Johnson and drummer Michael Sarin, recording in the studio in New York City with each player propelling themselves in dynamic, inventive collective free playing with an experimental bent, but never departing from the traditions of identifiable jazz music; recommended!

An open dialog between 15 year collaborators pianist Nabatov and trombonist Wogram, both members of Wogram's Quartet and the NDR Big Band.

Joining pianist Simon Nabatov's trio with bassist Stefan Schönegg and drummer Dominik Mahnig are Leondhard Huhn on saxophone & clarinet and Philip Zoubek on synthesizer, this Cologne-based 3+2 quintet expanding Nabatov's space as the group performs six collective improvisations interpreting a series of semantics signal that influence tempo, pitch, tone and timbre; extraordinary.

"Lovely" but also free to take some wild asides, Russian-American pianist Simon Nabatov's quintet with trumpeter Ralph Allessi, saxophonist Sebastian Gille, bassist David Helm and drummer Leif Berger pivots around melodic cores from Nabatov's alluring compositions as he explores themes of love, refraining from cloying approaches through sophisticated and often edgy direction for his players.

After pianist Simon Nabatov's return to NYC in 2018 he began assembling this quintet with the goal of pursuing a more traditional jazz setting, enlisting support from some of the city's finest and most versatile players--saxophonist Tony Malaby, drummer Gerald Cleaver, bassist Michael Formanek, and guitarist Brandon Seabrook--here in an exuberant set of Nabatov originals.

Russian-born Germany/NY-based pianist Simon Nabatov's Quintet with the new lineup of Chris Speed on tenor sax & clarinet, Herb Robertson on trumpet & cornet, John Hebert on double bass and Tom Rainey on drums, performing Nabatov's magnificently lyrical, sophisticated and often chamber-oriented compositions, an incredible achievement in writing and performance.