A heartfelt tribute to three significant jazz innovators associated with the 1960's free jazz scene--Pharoah Sanders, Wayne Shorter, and Milford Graves--in one improvisation each from the long-running collaboration of alto saxophonist John Zorn and bassist Bill Laswell, contrasting Laswell's fx-expanded bass underpinnings with Zorn's emphatic and expressive playing.

Based on the influential 1929 novel by Welsh writer Richard Hughes, A High Wind in Jamaica, about the disturbing ordeal of four children captured by pirates on the sea, realized through John Zorn's compositions for two guitarist--Julian Lage and Gyan Riley--and expressed through a spectrum of tranquil and portentous passages of virtuosic playing.

Using members of the violin family augmented with effects, NY violinist Sana Nagano and violist Leonor Falcon pay homage to Prokofiev's Sonata for Two Violins and Bela Bartok's Etudes 1 & 2, reinterpreted for modern contemporary approaches, alongside new compositions from both Nagano & Falcon that show their virtuosic talents and playful attitude to performance.

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 first concert brings together Prévost with four horn players, NO Moore on guitar and Marcio Matttons on double bass, for varying duos, trios and full ensemble performances.

"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 2nd concert brings together Prévost, Marjolaine Charbin (piano), Ute Kanngiesser (cello) and John Butcher (sax), the same group that recorded the contemporary album Sounds of Assembly on the Meena label.

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.

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 third concert presents combinations of improvisers from Prévost's weekly workshop series through diverse groupings from trio to septet.

Recording at the Chamber of Commerce in Brooklyn in 2021, the duo of Sandy Ewen on prepared guitar and Jason Nazary on drums & percussion take a nearly pugilistic approach to their improvisations, building aggressive sections of intense pummeling, then slipping back to catch their breath before the next round, each filled with curious elements and energetic determination.

The first release on his new imprint, Right Brain Records, French guitarist Guillaume Gargaud improvises on acoustic guitar on the seven part Kōenji, a district in Japan known for its temple and falconry, here envisioned through creatively dexterous and inventive passages, recorded live in Le Havre, France in the spring of 2023.

Taking the title from Brandon Sanderson's book series The Stormlight Archive, where a soulcaster is an instrument that transforms one object or life form into another; Joanna Mattrey transforms her viola and a tromba marina, aka a nuns' fiddle, with preparations, objects and unusual approaches through technique, creating a remarkable set of 11 unique and inventive improvisations.

Releasing their first studio work in 2020, this album presents the first two live concerts in Brooklyn and Saugerties for the ea-improv trio MAW of Frank Meadows on upright bass, Jessica Ackerley on electric guitar and Eli Wallace on prepared piano & synth, in two 2-part improvisations: the darkly heavy "Mise-en-Place" and the brighter experiments of "Opus 40".

A tribute to the music of composer Iannis Xenakis through 12 new works referencing and reconstructing the original works of Xenakis, the title of each piece an anagram that reflects the elements of its source, realized by Elliott Sharp on bass, guitars & synth, Brandon Lopez on bass guitars and mandocello, Henry Kaiser on guitars and Scott Amendola on drums & percussion.

A deep string trio of two double basses and violin/viola from double bassists Joao Madeira and Hernani Faustino, whose duo albums on the FMR label are under the group name dB Duet, with Creative Sources label leader Ernesto Rodrigues, recording in the studio in Lisbon for 8 succint improvisations and an expanded live version at Cossoul during the 2023 Creative Sources Cycle.

Berlin studio recordings from the free improvising quartet of Beat Keller on feedbacker electric guitar, Ernesto Rodrigues on violin, Rieko Okuda on piano and Guilherme Rodrigues on cello; four string players invoking the reptilian Mesozoic age through unusual approaches to their instruments, extending the palette of each while creating unexpected percussive elements.

The Suspensao octet are heard in this live performance at SMUP, in Parede, Portugal in 2023, blending primarily acoustic instruments with electric guitar and analog synth, using a reductionist approach to highly concentrative and suspenseful free improvisation, their long-running collective history allowing an impressive level of articulation and control through the integration of diverse voices.

Exploring diverse landscapes and moments of extreme behavior changes through a single acoustic viola, composed and performed by Jordan Dykstra, in four pieces that vary his approach to the instrument through overlapping tones, drones, extended techniques and rolling cycles, performed in California at the California Institute of the Arts and at the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana.

A fascinating conceptual work on CD and printed score that attempts to sonically represent celestial events through guided improvisations, providing the performers an abstract of the main musical ideas and options on how to execute them, exploring microtonal sounds, harmonic interactions and sound as moments within physical boundaries, here in a studio realization in Zurich.

A powerful set of succint compositions, themes and sea shanties for the soundtrack for Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole's film Blow the Man Down , scored through the collaboration of composers Jordan Dykstra, who also performs on viola, piano, prepared piano, vibraphone & percussion, and Brian Mcomber, who also performs on keyboards and percussion.

The original score composed by Brooklyn violist and multi-instrumental Jordan Dykstra for the documentary movie Globes directed by Nina de Vroome, exploring the relationship between bees and humans through their history and affect on the global economy and our cultures, realized in a diverse set of contemporary musical forms from orchestral to electronica.

Six songs from Michael Pisaro's "Tombstones" project--experimental songs developed from recontextualized fragments of popular songs--heard in this 2012 Brooklyn recording directed by guitarist Jason Brogan, with Julia Holter (voice), Tucker Dulin (trombone), Andrew Lafkas (bass), Katie Porter (clarinet), Sam Sfirri (piano and melodica), and Ron Wiltrout (keyboard & percussion).

Recorded in Brooklyn by Jordan Dykstra performing on viola, electronics, percussion & programming, this is the second release in his subharmonic series "Seeing the Forest in a Tree", exploring one conceptual idea with four radically different realizations through arrangements contrasting the acoustic sources of viola & bells with prepared speakers and sine-tones.

The third release in Editions Verde's series "Seeing the Forest in a Tree" are three iterations of interpretations realized by Joseph Clayton Mills, Fraufraulein, and the duo Sarah Hughes and Patrick Farmer, who were invited to interact with Morgan Evans-Weiler's score intended to be interpreted as both sound and sculpture, presented in three unique sets of recordings.

Sealed copy. A large Lisboa ensemble presenting a collective improvisation titled after a painting by Yves Klein, with performers including Ernesto Rodrigues (baritone violin), Miguel Mira (bass), Nuno Torres (sax), Carlos Santos (electronics), Rodrigo Pinheiro (piano), &c. &c.

Formed at Michael Attias's Washington Heights, Manhattan apartment by three improv compatriots, the trio of Kenneth Jiminez on bass, Michael Attias on saxophones and Francisco Mela on drums & voice incorporate free and experimental jazz forms with heartfelt tradition, in five collective improvisations captured in the studio, plus Paul Motian's "From Time to Time".

Jazz flutist and composer Joe Melnicove, Israeli-born and living in NYC, is joined by his mentor George Garzone on tenor & soprano saxophones, Ben Street on bass and Billy Hart on drums, with Jerry Bergonzi joining on piano for one piece, as the band performs a set of lyrical and upbeat Melnicove original compositions along with one from Garzone and one from Liana Catalano-Garzone.

The quartet of Udo Schindler on reeds, Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Guilherme Rodrigues on cello and Nuno Torres on saxophone are heard in Munich, first in a wildly interactive live performance at Schindler's Salon successor: BASIS_Soundscape at MUCCA; then live in the studio for 7 improvisations with track titles borrowed from and under the influence of the poetry of Allen Ginsberg.

Four improvisations titled for the way nature deals with water (The Whirlpool, The Vortex, The Whirlwind, Maelstrom) from the quartet of Lina Allemano on trumpet, Uwe Oberg on piano, Matthias Bauer on doublebass and Rudi Fischerlehner on drums & percussion, heard in this well-flowing, well-recorded and energetically upbeat set at Zentrifuge in Berlin in 2022.

Excellent pacing with introspective richness and detail through five improvisations, as US pianist Thollem McDonas joins Portuguese improvisers Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Bruno Parrinha on alto clarinet, Flak on acoustic guitar and Jose Oliveira on percussion for this studio recording in Lisbon, each passage reflecting a word from the title; inspired and beautiful.

Part of the 2022 trio tour of violinist Ernesto Rodrigues, cellist Guilherme Rodrigues and saxophonist Nuno Torres is this studio recording in Berlin with free jazz legendary pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer/percussionist Willi Kellers, each of the 9 improvisations named for mythical beasts, appropriate to the fearsome force of these five masterful players.

Focused mostly on introspective yet propulsive improvised interaction of concentrative listening, punctuated by moments of explosive exchanges, the trio of Dirk Serries on archtop guitar, Benedict Taylor on viola and Friso Van Wyck on drums & percussion are heard live in an engaging concert at Koffie and Ambacht's Le Sud, in Rotterdam in 2022.

Ute Wassermann adds a unique expressiveness to this Berlin studio session, bringing her impressive talents as a free improvising vocalist along with her bird calls and objects, providing an unusual yet extremely complementary foil to the intertwined strings of the father/son collaboration of violist Ernesto Rodrigues and cellist Guilherme Rodrigues; idiosyncratically wonderful!

Referencing the asian evergreen shrub "Hoya" through a series of solos, duos and quartets between Portuguese string players Maria da Rocha on violin, Ernesto Rodrigues on viola and Joao Madeira on double bass with visiting US bassist Daniel Levin on cello, first in four solo performances of remarkable technique, then permutations of duos, culminating in two quartet improvisations.

A highly interactive and textural set of chamber-oriented free improvisations with an often pointillistic approach from the quartet of Portuguese improvisers Ernesto Rodrigues on viola & crackle box, Bruno Parrinha on clarinet & alto saxophone, Joao Madeira on double bass with Swiss electric guitarist Florian Stoffner, in three detailed and engaging conversations.

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.

Referencing Twittering Machine, a 1922 painting by Paul Klee that depicts a group of birds on a wire connected to a hand-crank, interpreted as as a visual representation of the mechanics of sound, the ea-improvising quartet of Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Bruno Parrinha (bass clarinet), Flak (electric guitar) and Carlos Santos (modular synth) present three hi-tension improvisations.

A 2022 live performance at The Vortex in London from the trio of Maggie Nicols on voice, Caroline Kraabel on alto saxophone & voice and Charlotte Hug on viola & voice, reuniting the partnership from their 2002 Emanem album, Transitions, each track taking its titles from an observational poem by Jenny Xie, rendered in expressive, mostly wordless vocalization.

Impeccably recorded in the studio, the long-running and varied collaborations of saxophonist John Butcher, double bassist Dominic Lash and drummer Emil Karlsen come together for the first time as a trio, recording eight succinct improvisations of remarkable technique and nearly telepathic dialog, allowing space for each player to display their masterful skill.

Reissuing three essential album from trumpeter Bill Dixon's work in the 60's, first his 1962 album with saxophonist Archie Shepp in configurations of trio & quartet; then Dixon's septet album from 1964 in two compositions; and his orchestra album from 1967, showing the evolution of the trumpeter's work, approach to soloing, and his unique sense of orchestration.

Reissuing and remastering two seminal albums on the Riverside label from pianist and composer Bill Evan's trio with double bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian — Sunday At The Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby — yielding jazz standards and helping define the modern jazz trio through impressive technical underpinnings and lyrical sophistication.

Seeking to organize a group of musicians driven by an underlying pulse and a central energy, going beyond the abstract improvisations he has been familiar with for years, saxophonist Paul Dunmall assembled Steven Saunders on guitar, Dave Kane on bass and Miles Levin on drums, achieving these impressive improvisations, captured in the studio in Birmingham.

Subterrene, aka Grant Stewart, continues his prolific sonic journey through six discrete sound works, deep river immersions of slowly evolving and dovetailing drones of rich, resonant synthetics employing great control and concentration, invoking rich harmonics that shift and subsume in aqueous clouds, each track succinctly exploring new terrains.

Starting as an electric jazz album, the UK trio of Mark Sanders on drums & percussion, Chris Mapp on bass & electronics and Andrew Woodhead on keys & electronics slip into moody and experimental ea-improv territory, fluctuating between acoustic and electronic material of masterful virtuosity, presenting two unconventional solo sections for drummer Sanders along the way.

Cecil Taylor trio associates, the working duo of poet Jane SpokenWord and bassist Albey onBass, joins the collaborative Boston duo of David Peck on reeds & percussion and Gylnis Lomon on cello and aquasonic, the "Axioms" focusing on statements or propositions that bridge the distance between poetic discussion of truths and abstract musical structures.

Arranged around the core of bassist Albey onBass and poet Jane SpokenWord, who were a part of Cecil Taylor's final trio, this spoken word, drummer-less ensemble from the Boston-based Axiom collective is a live quartet performance with David Peck on reeds, winds, percussion & electronics, and Glynic Lomon on cello and aquasonic, in an extended, eclectic and electric discourse.

The Boston-based Expanse, inspired by the concepts of space and restraint, configured as a trio in a livestreamed session where Evil Clown stalwart David Peck on clarinets, saxophones, fog horns & percussion is joined by Eric Woods on analog synth & percussion, and Michael Knoblach, who focuses on exotic percussion instruments, for a unique journey in electroacoustic improv.

After receiving interest in joining the Evil Clown collective from Count Robot and DNA Girl (Deb Angelosanto), and in parallel from guitarist Tim Mungenast, collective director David Peck scheduled a session for this 7th Expanse album, adding drummer Michael Knoblach to complete this quintet configuration of the band's electric-oriented approach to space and restraint.

The core duet from the Leap of Faith Orchestra of David Peck (PEK) on clarinets, saxophones, double reeds & flutes, and Glynis Lomon on cello, are joined by Tom Swafford on violin and Kit Demos on double bass, all performing on the vast collection of percussive instruments in the Evil Clown arsenal, performing transformations across highly varied sonorities.

Leap of Faith is the core duet of the Leap of Faith Orchestra (LOFO) comprised of PEK on clarinets, saxophones, double reeds & flutes, and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice, here joined by John Fugarino performing on trumpet, slide valve trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone and leveraging the vast Evil Clown arsenal of percussion devices.

The 2nd live performance from the Evil Clown headquarters post-pandemic, in a trio edition of Leap of Faith comprised of David Peck on reeds & winds, Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice and Steve Niemitz on drums, plus an extended encore with 3 strings, reeds, trumpet and drums adding Nate McBride, Eric Rosenthal, Vance Provey and Albey onBass.

Reuniting drummer Sydney Smart with Leap of Faith, the core duet from the Leap of Faith Orchestra of cellist Glynis Lomon and reed, wind & percussionist David Peck, in a sextet configuration of theÊBoston collective band with Ellwood Epps on trumpet, Eric Zinman on keyboards, Joel Simches performing real-time signal processing, and Smart on a variety of exotic drums and gongs.

Leap of Faith (David Peck on reeds, winds & percussion and Glynis Lomo on cello & aquasonic) are joined by saxophonist Bonnie Kane, former Cecil Taylor bassist Albey onBass, John Loggia on drums, Joel Simches performing real time processing, and in his debut with the Boston collective, Chris Alford on guitar & signal processing, in a dynamic jazz-oriented extended set.

"Newbie Chris Alford makes his second Evil Clown appearance on this session. He lives in New Orleans, but his wife is originally from the Boston area. They were in town for about a month and Albey onBass reached out asking if he could j...

"I met Glynis originally when we both played in the Masashi Harada Sextet... A few months after I arrived in Boston to attend Berklee, I saw Masashi perform with Joe and Matt Maneri and introduced myself afterwards, and the Sextet start...

Looking to configure The Leap of Faith ensemble with a 3-horn front line, Boston wind & reed player and Evil Clown label leader David Peck recruited John Fugarino to perform on trumpet, slide trumpet & trombone, and surprisingly, Japanese pianist Keiichi Hashimoto, who also performs on trumpet, cornet & flugelhorn, with cellist Gylnis Lomon filling out the band for this dynamic, extended set.

"Just before the pandemic, Leap of Faith did a performance as a trio with drummer Steve Niemitz at Bonnie Kane's Friday night experience in western Mass. On the bill with us was a stunning solo violin performance by Tom Swafford. As I a...

A unique and fascinating edition of the Leap of Faith Orchestra, bringing special guests Jimmy Zhao, Yazhi Gao, Jiaxin Winky Wan, Ziya Gao, and Jiangcheng Guan performing on Chinese instruments to join with the core duo of David Peck on clarinets, saxophones, clarinets & flutes, Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice, along with percussionist/drummer Michael Knoblach.

One of Evil Clown's most prolific groupings, Metal Chaos Ensemble was formed in 2015 by David Peck and Yuri Zbitnov as a working project to explore chaotic rhythms on metallic instruments, here in a live performance with real time signal processing by Joel Simches, performed with saxophonist Michael Caglianone, bassist Mike Gruen, analog synthesist Eric Woods and percussionist Steve Niemitz.

"Over time, MCE has morphed into the most rock-oriented of the Evil Clown Ensembles with a regular sextet line-up and a few subs... Sometimes the band varies a bit, but this time we have all six regulars in attendance. This is the third...

Leveraging the real time signal processing of Evil Clown house engineer Joel Simches, this project from the Boston free improving collective centers around reedist & multi-instrumentalist David Peck and Simches, who provides the "perturbations" of each player through his processing, making him the 4th in this quartet with bassist Albey onBass and reedist Michael Caglianone.

A quartet of collective improvisors focused on the merging of percussion and electronics from the Boston project Simulacrum in an extended transmigration, here with Bob Moores on guitar and synths, former Cecil Taylor bassist Albey onBass, keyboardist Eric Zinman also performing on drum kit, and David Peck on reeds, winds, electronics and percussive devices.