May 27, 2026:
We're catching up after the long weekend and the tremendous response to our Memorial Day sale. Thanks to all of you who placed orders, and for all the nice comments — it's truly heartening to sell to such a great and informed community!
We're following up the long weekend with some excellent new albums, which I'll write about soon, including new ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd.; five new albums on Another Timbre; two on Burning Ambulance Music; an essential compilation from Machinefabriek (Rutger Zuydervelt); Nate Wooley's final Columbia Icefield album on Out Of Your Head Records; the duo of Myra Melford & Satoko Fujii; and a Clifford Brown box set. Wow!
While listening to these new albums, I've also been turning back to my own history, as we mark what would have been Miles Davis' 100th birthday and the passing of Sonny Rollins at 95. I sought out albums including Bags' Groove and Collectors' Items, where Davis and Rollins can be heard playing together, followed by Sonny Rollins on Impulse!, where Rollins demonstrates that he truly was a colossus. My mornings at home have been filled with Miles, focusing on his 1960s quartet with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams, along with the later quintet albums with John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley.
Searching our database, I found these albums that we currently have in stock: the first two include Sonny Rollins, and the second set features Miles Davis. For me, history connects directly to modern creative jazz and improvisation, and we owe a debt to these masters, who helped change the way we listen to improvised music.
 Clifford Brown: The Ultimate Collection [4 CDs] (Enlightenment)
A 4-CD survey of Clifford Brown's essential 1953-1956 Blue Note and EmArcy recordings, tracing his masterful trumpet voice through early leader dates, string settings, vocal and ensemble sessions, and the classic Max Roach quintet with Harold Land, Sonny Rollins, Richie Powell and George Morrow, capturing a foundational hard bop figure at astonishing creative strength.
 Monk, Thelonious with Sonny Rollins : 1953 To 1957 Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Restoring and remastering three key sessions documenting the evolving creative relationship between Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins, alongside artists including Julius Watkins, Ernie Henry, Oscar Pettiford, and Max Roach, in a vital revisitation of formative collaborations that highlight Monk's unique brilliance and Rollins' early improvisational voice within shifting post-bop ensembles.
 Davis, Miles w/ Tadd Dameron: Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Between his work with Charlie Parker and before his own personal success, trumpeter Miles Davis joined the influential ensemble of pianist, composer and arranger Tadd Dameron, heard in six large ensemble pieces at New York's Royal Roost in 1949, and then in a quintet at the Paris Festival International De Jazz the same year, in both hearing a unique and confident facet to Miles' playing.
 Davis, Miles Quintet: 2nd Sessions 1956, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Recorded in the same October 1956 Rudy Van Gelder sessions that are heard on Miles Davis' Cookin' and Steamin' albums, these alternate takes with his quintet of John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums give us a unique view on the consistency and strength of the famous and foundational hard bop band.
 Davis, Miles Quintets: Stockholm 1967 & 1969 Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Two live recordings from Miles Davis in the 1960s, first from Stockholm in 1967 with the classic 60s quintet of Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams; then two years later also in Stockholm with the "Lost Quintet" of Miles, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, pushing new directions with tracks including "Bitches Brew".
 Parker, Charlie: Bebop Live [2 CDs] (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Remarkably remastered recordings of Charlie Parker's quintets from 1945-49, performing live at Carnegie Hall, Royal Roost, & Town Hall with configurations of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Dorham, Red Rodney, Don Byas, Al Haig, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Kenny Clarke, Tommy Potter & Curley Russell, allowing us to re-live the consistent brilliance of the leader and his sidemen.
 Parker, Charlie : Selections From The SAVOY Recordings (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The second of two volumes in celebration of legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker's 100th birthday, here remastering his landmark recordings for the Savoy label in New York City between 1945-48, performing with jazz greats including Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, John Lewis, Curley Russel, Max Roach, &c. for some of be-bop's finest and best known compositions.
 Parker, Charlie : Selections From The DIAL Recordings (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The first of two volumes in celebration of legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker's 100th birthday, here remastering his landmark recordings for the Dial label on the US West Coast between 1946-47, performing with jazz greats including Miles Davis, Lucky Thompson, Erroll Garner, Barney Kessel, Red Calender, JJ Johson, Max Roach, &c. for some of Parker's best known and essential compositions.
Squidco Publishing Roundup:
You can view our latest fully cataloged albums in the Recently Section.
You can also browse new titles as they enter our Just In Stock Section — meaning we physically have the album and can ship it, though we may still be updating additional information about the release.
To see restocks of previously listed titles, visit our Recently Restocked page.
And if you're interested in a future release, you can ask us to notify you by email via our Upcoming Releases page — no obligation necessary.
May 21, 2026:
It's been a bit quiet here as we lead up to the US holiday of Memorial Day. For me, that means a week of half workdays, spending the rest of my time in the yard repairing the damage of winter and preparing for the hot summers here in the mid-South; in a few more weeks, it will be prohibitively hot for outdoor work. That has put cataloging and publishing mostly on hold, with a few exceptions.
As we have for the last couple of decades, we're running our annual Memorial Day sale, with discounts on all new items. This sale always makes me reflect on the musicians who have passed away in the previous year, and this year I spent time reading interviews with Louis Moholo-Moholo, the South African drummer best known for his work with Chris McGregor in The Blue Notes, and for his legacy within the British jazz scene. I found this fascinating interview, which discusses his early foundation in learning to play drums in South Africa. In America's current political situation, with efforts to dismantle the legacy of the civil rights movement and affirmative action under attacks on the poorly maligned idea of D.E.I. — Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — this is an important read. Moholo discusses being prevented from seeking music education, being forced to play behind a curtain while performing with white musicians, and having police enter his home to destroy his instruments.
As this weekend is dedicated to remembering those who came before us, it's extremely important to remember how brutal people can be to one another. The innovations that led to jazz, blues, son, salsa, and so many other musical forms came from people of color. While some try to cast D.E.I. as an unfair correction of racial imbalance, it's critical to remember how horribly we have treated those who have given us so much.
Squid Note #6 - Ivo Perelman & Damon Smith: Duologue: Core of Existence:
Our biggest news for the week is the release of our next digital album on our own Squid Note Records: the duo of Ivo Perelman & Damon Smith and the coincidental sixth album of duos in Perelman's Duologue series. A first time-meeting between these two incredibly active improviser, Perelman pairs his searching tenor saxophone with Damon Smith's commanding double bass for a freely improvised exchange of raw physical immediacy and deep listening, where intertwining lines, extended techniques and spontaneous form turn dialogue itself into the core of the music.
Squidco Publishing Roundup:
You can view our latest fully cataloged albums in the Recently Section.
You can also browse new titles as they enter our Just In Stock Section — meaning we physically have the album and can ship it, though we may still be updating additional information about the release.
To see restocks of previously listed titles, visit our Recently Restocked page.
And if you're interested in a future release, you can ask us to notify you by email via our Upcoming Releases page — no obligation necessary.
May 7, 2026:
These last two weeks brought an extraordinary wave of new albums into the catalog. We finally caught up with a strong batch from Intakt, including the James Brandon Lewis Quartet's Abstraction Is Deliverance, where Lewis continues to channel the spiritual force and commanding authority that inevitably recalls John Coltrane while remaining unmistakably his own voice. Equally compelling is the latest Sylvie Courvoisier Trio release with Drew Gress and Kenny Wollesen, balancing rhythmic agility, sharp interplay, and Courvoisier's restless harmonic imagination. Alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier also returns with a powerhouse ensemble featuring Chicago stalwarts Dave Rempis, Jason Adasiewicz, Nicole Mitchell, and the formidable rhythm section of Mike Reed and Luke Stewart. And then there's the wonderfully eccentric trio of Luciano Biondini, Lucas Niggli, and Michel Godard, whose inventive reinterpretation of Radiohead's "Knives Out" completely won me over.
 Biondini, Luciano / Lucas Niggli / Michel Godard: Fables of Time (Intakt)
Accordionist Luciano Biondini, tubist and serpent player Michel Godard, and percussionist Lucas Niggli weave composition and free improv into a richly expressive dialogue drawing on Mediterranean lyricism, early music, and contemporary jazz, where original pieces, Radiohead and Monteverdi reinterpretations, and spontaneous interplay unfold with poetic depth, wit, and an ever-shifting sense of narrative.
 Courvoisier, Sylvie Trio (w/ Gress / Wollesen): Eclats - Live in Europe (Intakt)
Captured during a European tour, the trio of pianist Sylvie Courvoisier with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen presents a finely honed language shaped through deep trust and evolving interplay, where Courvoisier's compositions unfold with precision and openness, balancing intricate detail, shifting textures, and spontaneous free improv with subtle complexity and vivid expressiveness.
 Niescier, Angelika (Niescier / Adasiewicz / Mitchell / Reed / Rempis / Stewart): Chicago Tapes (Intakt)
Marking her return to Chicago, German alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier reunites with a powerhouse sextet of the city's improvisers, including Nicole Mitchell, Dave Rempis, and Jason Adasiewicz, for a high-velocity session of free improv, where fierce interplay, shifting textures, and spontaneous structures bridge European and AACM-informed traditions with raw, contemporary energy.
 Lewis, James Brandon Quartet: Abstraction Is Deliverance (Intakt)
A powerful quartet session led by James Brandon Lewis on tenor sax with Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones, and Chad Taylor, blending lyrical melodic clarity with dynamic, responsive interplay, where rich tonal expression and groove-sensitive improvisation draw from the lineage of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and David S. Ware while forging a deeply personal, contemporary voice.
On Confront we added two essential albums, both duos with label leader and percussionist Mark Wastell. The first pairs Wastell with The Necks pianist Chris Abrahams, performing on a Steinway grand at London's Vortex Jazz Club. Uncharacteristically for a member of The Necks, the album unfolds through 11 succinct pieces, its title cleverly referencing the duo's 2021 release, A Thousand Sacred Steps. The second release stands somewhat apart within the Confront catalog, a duo with Dominic Lash on electric guitar that leans more directly into European free jazz language and kinetic interplay — though despite the comparatively grounded approach, to these ears it remains unmistakably a Confront recording.
 Lash, Dominic / Mark Wastell: Polyvalent Creativity (Confront)
Bringing together two prolific figures in the UK's improvised music community, guitarist Dominic Lash and drummer/percussionist Mark Wastell explore a stripped yet expansive duo format that nods toward free jazz, where a seemingly conventional setup gives way to a language rooted in texture, gesture, and sonic detail rather than pulse or harmonic progression.
 Abrahams, Chris / Mark Wastell: Two Thousand Sacred Steps (Confront)
Expanding their earlier duo work into a live setting, pianist Chris Abrahams and percussionist Mark Wastell engage in a patient, textural session of free improv, where rippling piano figures and resonant cymbal washes unfold in a deeply attentive dialog, shaping a meditative, slowly evolving sound world defined by subtle interplay, spatial awareness, and restrained, ritual-like intensity.
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Albert Ayler Quintet:
Merzbow / Mats Gustafsson / Balasz Pandi:
Ivo Perelman / Damon Smith:
Paul Rogers:
Camila Nebbia (feat. Marilyn Crispell & Lesley Mok):
Eric La Casa / Francisco Lopez:
Oliver Lake / Fred Hopkins / Phillip Wilson / Baikida Carroll / Michael Gregory Jackson:
James Opstad:
Taborn / Cline / Gilmore:
Fonda, Joe Quartet (w/ Wadada Leo Smith / Satoko Fujii / Tizano Tononi):
Davis, Miles Quintet (w/ Coltrane / Kelly / Chambers / Cobb): Live Europe 1960, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
