Alister Spence / Satoko Fujii: Intelsat (Alister Spence Music)

Continuing her monthly releases for her 60th birthday, Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii meets Australian keyboard and electronic artist Alister Spence for their second meeting, touring Japan and recording this spellbinding album merging bells, gongs, electronics, and acoustic piano, inside and out, in a passionate album that balances melodicism and sound. ... Click to View

Peggy Lee : Echo Painting (Songlines)

Commissioned by Coastal Jazz and Blues and premiered at the 2016 Vancouver International Jazz Festival, cellist Peggy Lee's suite for ten players includes some of the most interesting improvisers on the Vancouver scene, the music multi-layered, texturally varied and melodically rich, with beautiful melodic passages, driving rhythm, and incendiary improv; outstanding! ... Click to View

Paul Dunmall / Jon Irabagon / Mark Sanders / Jim Bashford: The Rain Sessions (FMR)

Dedicated to Cecil Taylor and taking advantage of NY saxophonist Irabagon's UK visit, this album presents four drum duets "time two", as two tenor saxophonists--Paul Dunmall and Jon Irabagon--meet two musical drummers--Mark Sanders and Jim Bashford--following Dunmall long-standing interest in drum and sax duets, the results this ebullient and remarkable album. ... Click to View

Szilard Mezei Septet: Veres Pancel (FMR)

Vojvodinian composer and violist Szilard Mezei formed this septet in 2005, his 3rd chamber group with a distinctly free jazz voice, citing influences Gyorgy Szabados, Anthony Braxton, Bela Bartok, Witold Lutoslawsky, Gyoryg Ligeti, Jimmy Giuffre, Steve Lacy, Mal Waldron, to which we would add Eric Dolphy, here in their second FMR album capturing a live concert in Serbia, 2018. ... Click to View

Phil Gibbs / Marcello Magliocchi / Adrian Northover / Maresuke Okamoto: Sezu (FMR)

An intense live concert in Bristol, UK of collective free improvisation using insane technique and ecstatic drive from the quartet of Philip Gibbs on guitar & banjo, Marcello Magliocchi on drums, Adrian Northover on soprano & alto saxophones, and Maresuke Okamoto on cello & voice, a wonderfully skilled example of unexpected directions in creative free playing. ... Click to View

Runcible Quintet, The: Four (FMR)

London-based free improvisers and members of the London Improvisers Orchestra (LIO), this ensemble consists of soprano saxophonist Adrian Northover, flautist Neil Metcalfe, acoustic guitarist Daniel Thompson, double bassist John Edwards and Italian-born drummer Marcello Magliocci, in their second album on the FMR label, a spectacular live performance at I'klectik in 2017. ... Click to View

Dave Sewelson (w/ William Parker): Music For A Free World (FMR)

West Coast baritone saxophonist Dave Sewelson leads the accomplished quartet of Steve Swell on trombone, William Parker on bass, and Marvin "Bugalu" Smith on drums through six collective compositions, plus a reprise of Sewelson's earlier "Music for a Free World" compositions, and his new composition "Bill" for guitarist/composer and friend Bill Horvitz. ... Click to View

Frame Trio (Luis Vincente / Marcelo Dos Reis / Nils Vermeulen): Luminaria (FMR)

Recording at Centro Norton de Matos Gymnasium, in Coimbra, Portugal, the Frame Trio led by Portuguese trumpeter Luis Vicente and Portuguese guitarist Marcelo Dos Reis, with Belgium double bassist Nils Vermeulen rounding out their unique approach to improvised music blending jazz and free approaches as they present their six part "Luminaria" (Luminary) suite. ... Click to View

Free Pantone Trio: A Blink Of An Eye To The Nature Of Things (FMR)

Free Pantone trio is a Portuguese musical group recently created in Lisbon by bassist Rui Sousa, pianist Manuel Guimaraes and drummer Joao Valinho, taking a trans-idiomatic and experimental approach they seek to exploit diverse musical genres and sub-genres from jazz and contemporary music using improvisation and real-time composition as their uniting principle. ... Click to View

Don Cherry / Marion Brown / Evan Parker / John Stevens: Free Jazz Meeting Baden Baden '67 (Hi Hat)

Recorded at the 2nd Free Jazz Meeting (now known as the SWR NewJazz Meeting) in Baden-Baden, 1967, with 4 recordings from the groupings of Jeanne Lee, Albert Mangelsdorff, Gunter Hampel & Pierre Courbois; Marion Brown, Peter Kowald & Sven-Ake Johansson; Albert Mangelsdorff, Evan Parker & John Stevens; and Don Cherry, Evan Parker, Peter Kowald, Buschi Niebergall & John Stevens. ... Click to View

Don Cherry Trio: Studio 105, Paris 1967 (Hi Hat)

The complete broadcast on the French radio station ORTF of Don Cherry's work at Studio 105, Maison de l'ORTF, Paris in March of 1967, finding multi-instrumentalist/trumpeter Don Cherry, also on cornet, piano, bamboo flute, gong, performing with Karl Berger on vibes, marimba, piano, cleste, percussion, and Jacques Thollot on drums, bells, timbales. ... Click to View

Sun Ra: The Early Albums Collection 1957-1963 [4 CDs] (Enlightenment)

A 4-CD collection bringing together 7 full albums and early singles, more than five hours of music from the early part of Herman Blount's, aka Sun Ra's, career as a bandleader, tracint the development of his work from 1957 to 1963 as he introduced increasingly out forms of jazz through compositions like "Sunology", "Interplanetary Music", "We Travel the Spaceways", &c. ... Click to View

Biliana Voutchkova / Michael Thieke: Blurred Music (elsewhere)

Berlin-based violinist Biliana Voutchkova and German clarinetist Michael Thieke (Magic I.D., International Nothing) present a stunning achievement in blending compositional, pre-structured material with live improvisation, creating a blurring of virtually identical sections that create microtonal anomalies in timing, rhythm, timbre and motive, as heard in 3 amazing performances. ... Click to View

Matthew Revert / Vanessa Rossetto: Everyone Needs A Plan (erstwhile)

The second collaboration between sounds artist Vanessa Rossetto and writer and sound artist Matthew Revert is a monumental work that studies the evolution of communication through fragments of spoken words, and a rich tapestry of sound from acoustic and electronic instruments, field recordings, and perplexing and dramatic sources of sound. ... Click to View

Lucio Capece / Marc Baron: My Trust In You (erstwhile)

Two electroacoustic improvisers and composers--Lucio Capece on reeds, analog synths, effects, field recordings, drums machines, speakers in motion, and Marc Baron on field recordings and analog devices--developed these 6 extraordinary recordings that blend motion, perspective, sound and noise, and concrete references in a mystifying and mesmerizing journey in sound. ... Click to View

Melaine Dalibert : Musique pour le lever du jour (elsewhere)

Inspired by the work of Hungarian-born French media artist Vera Molnar, and by the vicissitudes of natural phenomena, French pianist and composer Melaine Dalibert developed algorithmic procedures to compose this work, translating to "Music for the Daybreak", as an illusory "endless piece" of meditative layered, resonant music in the mode of Morton Feldman. ... Click to View

Otomo Yoshihide / Paal Nilssen-Love: 19th of May, 2016 (PNL)

An intensively diverse and thrilling game of "cat and dog" between Norwegian percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love and Japanese guitarist Otomo Yoshihide, performing live at Dom Cultural Center, Moscow, Russia in 2016 for two extended improvisations that exemplify incredible technical skills, reflective and introspective dialog, and cathartic release; absolutely impressive. ... Click to View

Marker (w/ Ken Vandermark): Wired For Sound (Audiographic Records)

The debut from this Chicago band merging strong grooves with free playing, with 2 guitarists--Andrew Clinkman & Steve Marquette, plus Macie Stewart on keys & violin, Phil Sudderberg on drums, and Ken Vandermark on reeds, each of the 3 tracks dedicated to an artist: Belgian movie director Chantal Akerman; German choreographer Pina Bausch; and Anthony Braxton and Bernie Worrell. ... Click to View

Vandermark / Kugel / Tokar: No-Exit Corner (Not Two)

the second CD by the trio featuring the tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Vandermark, the drummer Klaus Kugel, and the bassist Mark Tokar has the band back at Krakow's Alchemia Club, bringing these three Chicago and European players together for a skronky, energetic romp of commanding playing alongside unorthodox approaches and powerfully creative intent. ... Click to View

Bobby Zankel & The Wonderful Sound 6: Celebrating William Parker at 65 (Not Two)

Celebrating bassist and composer William Parker's 65th birthday at the Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia in a band led by Bobby Zankel on alto saxophone, Muhammad Ali on drums, Dave Burrell on piano, Steve Swell on trombone, Diane Monroe on violin, and William Parker himself on bass, in a 4-part suite of beautifully turbulent and masterful free jazz. ... Click to View

Ernesto Rodrigues / Guilherme Rodrigues / Fred Marty / Carlos Santos: Jardin Carre (Creative Sources)

French double bassist Fred Marty joins Creative Sources core performers, violist Ernesto Rodrigues, cellist Guilherme Rodrigues and electronic artist Carlos Santos for an extensive improvisation exploring both lyrical and pointillistic improvisation, themed loosely around a garden quartet or frame, the music detailed, active and formidably sophisticated. ... Click to View

Urlich Mitzlaff : Ten Sonic Miniatures about the "Scream" by Edvard Munch (Creative Sources)

Using Edvard Munch's famous painting "The Scream" as his muse, German cellist living in Portugal, Ulrich Mitzlaff, presents 10 acoustic miniatures from just over a minute to 4 1/2 minutes in length, including wildly interactive moments of delirium to darkly melodic bowed passages, using his impressive technique to create vivid depictions of Munch's work. ... Click to View

4! (Patrizia Oliva / Carlo Mascolo / Domenico Saccente / Felice Furioso): Factorial (Creative Sources)

Free electroacoustic improvisation from the Italian quartet of Patrizia Oliva on voice, electronics, bawu, objects, Carlo Mascolo on prepared trombone, Domenico Saccente on accordion and prepared piano, and Felice Furioso on drums, cupa cupa, contrabbassa, sounded objects, using voice and unusual instrumentation to guide unusual and forward-thinking improv. ... Click to View

Frantz Loriot : Reflections on an Introspective Path (Neither/Nor Records)

French-Japanese violist Frantz Loriot's first solo album takes the viola into unusual territory, using an acousmatic approach to create music and sounds with no visual reference by transforming the sound of the viola through preparations and remarkable extended techniques, layering and assembling his works to create concrete statements of movement. ... Click to View

Costa's Acustica, Carlo: Strata (Neither/Nor Records)

New York composer and drummer Carlo Costa assembled this accomplished ensemble of NY improvisers for a live performance at IBeam in Brooklyn, capturing his piece "Strata" that evolves layers of sound from very sparse to densely yet accesibly stacked sound, varying recurring material to change perspectives in the aural space as the piece progresses; impressive. ... Click to View

Flin van Hemmen (w/ Neufeld / Obsvik): Drums of Days (Neither/Nor Records)

Debut album as a leader from drummer and pianist Flin van Hemmen, an evocative album of original compositions and improvisations recorded in a trio with Eyvind Opsvik on double bass and Todd Neufeld on acoustic guitar, with Tony Malaby on alto and soprano sax on one track; a beautifully cinematic and poetic album that allows for space and reflection. ... Click to View

Peter Blegvad : Bandbox [6 CD BOX SET] (Recommended Records)

Starting with Blegvad's "Downtime" LP, this box traces the evolution of the Peter Blegvad Trio into a quintet with Karen Mantler and Bob Drake, released in a solid box with a double CD of alternate versions, unreleased material and live performances, plus a 72 page book of photographs, memorabilia, drawings, documents and recollections; the ultimate reissue! ... Click to View

Roberto Musci / Giovanni Venosta: Messages & Portraits (2018 Edition) (Recommended Records)

A welcome reissue of two 1980s, forward-thinking albums of electronic compositions from Milanese ethnomusicologist composers, sound engineers and performers Giovanni Venosta and Roberto Musci, incorporating exotic field recordings from their world travels into accessibly sophisticated pieces, creating unexpectedly innovative, novel and melodically rich hybrids. ... Click to View

Vitor Rua & The Metaphysical Angels: When Better Isn't Quite Good Enough [2 CDs] (Recommended Records)

Guitarist Vitor Rua (GNR, Telectu) recorded the 15 pieces of this 2-CD set first as a series of overdubbed solo improvisations, using his virtuosic skills to create intriguing and compelling works, which he orchestrated and recorded with the quintet of Hernani Faustino on bass, Luis San Payo on drums, Manuel Guimaraes on organ, Nuno Reis on trumpet, and Paulo Galao on clarinets. ... Click to View

Allen Ravenstine : Waiting For The Bomb [VINYL] (Recommended Records)

Many years after Pere Ubu and his work as a pilot, one of the world's most unique synth players, Allen Ravenstine, releases an album of composed works, 18 discrete hybrid miniature sound worlds that blend acoustic, real-world and synthetic sounds in unorthodox ways that elusively twist conventional approaches with unexpected elements and narrative twists. ... Click to View