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Op-Ed
(Opinions and Editorials)
September 26, 2025:
Much of this week was spent preparing for the concert we presented here in Wilmington with cellist Daniel Levin and drummer Mike Pride. It was an amazing show, and if you have an opportunity to see them live, it's absolutely worth it — the two set few boundaries in how they play and create sonic fiction, shifting from introspective to explosive moments with passages of striking lyricism.
The rest of the week was dedicated to processing new releases and updating our website. Particularly notable were three albums on Out of Your Head Records: Tomas Fujiwara's Dream Up, an exotic exploration of percussion with an array of unusual instruments; the Webber/Morris Big Band, a 19-piece ensemble performing two expansive suites; and the LP edition of Adam O'Farrill's For These Streets, featuring Patricia Brennan, David Leon, and Kevin Sun.
We also finished cataloging two of the four new Relative Pitch albums released today. The first is the duo of saxophonist Michel Doneda and pianist Frédéric Blondy, captured in a 2014 live performance at Eglise Saint-Merry in Paris, its natural resonance enhancing their extraordinary pacing and communication. The second is a trio session with guitarist Joe Morris, cellist Brad Barrett, and bassist Beth Ann Jones, celebrating Morris's 70th birthday with five collective improvisations marked by technical virtuosity and intense interaction.
A personal highlight, as an avid Dave Rempis fan, is the new Earscratcher album with Elisabeth Harnik (piano), Rempis (saxophones), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), and Tim Daisy (drums). Their first album was named Earscratcher, and the group has now adopted that as their band name for this second release — a wildly diverse and informed album. Rempis first collaborated with Harnik on the 2020 Not Two release Triple Tube, alongside Chicago drummer Michael Zerang, a trio that later recorded Astragaloi on Rempis's Aerophonic label. It's exciting to see this new quartet solidify into a working ensemble, with the album standing as a superb example of their range and chemistry.
Last but not least, Ned Rothenberg's new solo album on Pyroclastic, Looms & Legends, has been in steady rotation here all week. I first encountered Rothenberg's work in the 1980s at the Houston St. Knitting Factory, where he performed in a variety of groupings from the nascent Downtown NY scene. I was especially captivated by his 1993 solo album The Crux on Leo Records, which introduced me to circular breathing before I had much exposure to Evan Parker. Fast forward to 2025, and Rothenberg has not only expanded his concepts but made them increasingly accessible, balancing them with his shakuhachi work. The album closes with a remarkable rendition of "Round Midnight" on shakuhachi — a fitting and deeply rewarding conclusion to a stunning collection of improvisations.
 Morris, Joe / Brad Barrett / Beth Ann Jones: Abstract Forest (Relative Pitch)
Celebrating guitarist Joe Morris's 70th, this trio with Brad Barrett on cello and Beth Ann Jones on bass unfolds with deliberate restraint and deep listening, Morris layering textures around Barrett's lyrical and percussive bowing while Jones anchors with sculptural, propulsive bass, the group seamlessly shifting between spacious intimacy and taut collective momentum in an immersive improv dialogue.
 Doneda, Michel / Frederic Blondy: Points Of Convergences [2 CDs] (Relative Pitch)
Recorded in the extraordinary resonance of Paris's Saint-Merry Church, this double album captures soprano and sopranino saxophonist Michel Doneda in duo with pianist Frédéric Blondy, their improvisations unfolding in deep dialogue with the architecture itself, as tones and textures expand into the vast acoustics, creating immersive, luminous soundscapes of remarkable depth and presence.
 Fujiwara, Tomas: Dream Up (Out Of Your Head Records)
Recorded at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, drummer and composer Tomas Fujiwara introduces his Percussion Quartet with Patricia Brennan on vibraphone, Tim Keiper on African strings and percussion, and Kaoru Watanabe on Japanese drums and flute, blending global traditions into vivid, imaginative works that traverse groove, texture, and color with striking originality and depth.
 Webber/Morris Big Band: Unseparate (Out Of Your Head Records)
Five years after their debut, co-leaders Anna Webber and Angela Morris return with a 19-piece large ensemble recording that showcases their next-level compositional voices, unfolding through the "Just Intonation Etudes for Big Band" suite and a series of richly orchestrated works that balance drones, contrapuntal density, rhythmic blasts, and lyrical themes in an adventurous exploration of sound and structure.
 O'Farrill, Adam: For These Streets [VINYL 2 LPs] (Out Of Your Head Records)
Brooklyn trumpeter Adam O'Farrill leads a superb octet — Mary Halvorson (guitar), Patricia Brennan (vibes), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), and others — through dramatically inventive compositions inspired by the literature and arts of the 1930s, balancing angular rhythmic intensity, rich melodic lyricism, and expressive improvisational depth with adventurous sophistication.
 Earscratcher (Harnik / Rempis / Lonberg-Holm / Daisy): Otoliths (Aerophonic)
The transatlantic quartet of Elisabeth Harnik (piano), Dave Rempis (saxophones), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), and Tim Daisy (drums) in their second album, recorded live at the North St. Cabaret in Madison, WI, weaving surges of energy with passages of lyricism, deep timbral exploration, and spacious formal development, balancing ferocity and subtlety in a richly detailed and dynamic collective architecture.
 Rempis / Harnik / Lonberg-Holm / Daisy: Earscratcher (Aerophonic)
Formed in 2019, the quartet of Dave Rempis on alto sax, Elisabeth Harnik on piano, Fred Lonberg Holm on cello and Tim Daisy on drums celebrate Elisabeth Harnik's 50th birthday in 2020, originally planned as part of a European tour that year but prevented by pandemic, instead recording this well-balanced and often unbridled 2022 concert at Alte Gerberei, St. Johan in Tirol, Austria.
 Rempis / Harnik / Zerang: Astragaloi (Aerophonic)
The 3rd release for the trio of Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis, German pianist Elisabeth Harnik and Chicago percussionist Michael Zerang, performing live at the 2020 ArtActs Festival in St Johan Austria for five outstanding improvisations fueled by their previous trio & duo work and flavored with inside piano preparations, hand percussion and superb soloing from all three.
 Rempis, Dave / Elisabeth Harnik / Michael Zerang: Triple Tube (Not Two)
Recording in Graz, Austria in 2019 at the club Tube's, Chicago alto saxophonist Dave Rempis and drummer Michael Zerang, frequent collaborators with Ken Vandermark and The Resonance Ensemble, joined with Austrian improvising and classical pianist Elisabeth Harnik to record three exuberant and incredibly informed improvisations: "Triple Tube" I through III.
 Rothenberg, Ned: Looms & Legends (Pyroclastic Records)
A captivating solo recording from multi-reedist Ned Rothenberg on alto sax, clarinets, and shakuhachi, showcasing his extraordinary mastery of circular breathing, overtones, and multiphonics in works of rhythmic intensity, lyrical sensitivity, and soulful depth, culminating in a graceful rendering of Monk's "'Round Midnight" as an aural refuge of beauty and resolve.
We've been hard at work on our fall purchase plans, made more complicated with tariff concerns and shipping delays. This set of albums include some of our most important and anticipated labels, including the newly helmed ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd, a great set of contemporary albums from the UK label Another Timbre, and the fall releases from Listen! Foundation. Below are the album that have already been ordered and are on their way to us. If you're eager for any of these albums, you can ask us to inform you via email of any upcoming release that you're interested in, with no obligation.
Cat Hope: Speachless (first visit) (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Pierre Favre, Sergio Armaroli, Andrea Centazzo & Francesca Gemmo: The Art Of Sound(s) (first visit) (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Blumer / Dell / Geisser / Morgenthaler: Beyond Scope (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Francesca Gemmo & Magda Mayas: Tides In The Mirror (first visit) (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Christoph Gallio's Stone Is A Rose Is A Stone Is A Stone: Yet Dish – Gertrude Stein (first visit) (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Sightings: Udo Schindler / Katarina Weber: Sichtungen & Lichtungen (FMR)
Countryman / Bucher / Tan: Non Linear Expressions (FMR)
The Music Of Szilard Mezei: Anna (FMR)
Aly Berry: Hope This Reaches You in Time? (FMR)
Paul Dunmall: A Bad Day At The Office for Charles Ives (FMR)
Udo Schindler / Paul Rogers: Ephemeral Essences (FMR)
Rik Countryman / Christian Butcher: Phra-se-ol-o-gy (FMR)
Raymond MacDonald / Cliona Cassidy: Silk Threads (FMR)
Martin Blume / John Butcher / Ute Wassermann: Leaflight (FMR)
Adrian Northover / Magliocchi Saccente: Over the Top (FMR)
Tim Richards Trio (Tim Richards / Alex Keen / Daniel Howard): Four Aces (FMR)
Morton Feldman (Antti Tolvi): Intermission 6 (Another Timbre)
Apartment House & GBSR Duo: James Opstad 'Drift' (Another Timbre)
Marc Sabat & JS Bach (Sara Cubarsi & Xenia Gogu): Bach Tunings (Another Timbre)
Julia Eckhardt: Blanca (Another Timbre)
Magnus Granberg Skogen: The Willow Bends and so do I (Another Timbre)
Kahn, Jason: When Your Way Gets Dark (Editions)
Kahn, Jason: All Across The Universe Cut/Editions
Zorn, John (JACK Quartet w/Yura Lee and Michael Nicolas): PROLEGOMENA (Tzadik)
Necks, The: Disquiet [3 CDs] (Northern Spy)
Hwang, Jason Kao: Myths of Origin (True Sound Recordings)
Roscoe Mitchell & Michele Rabbia: In 2 (RogueArt)
Donny McCaslin: Lullaby For The Lost (Editions)
Edwards, John / Luis Vicente / Vasco Trilla: Choreography of Fractures (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Evans, Peter / Joe Morris / Tyshawn Sorey: Comprehensive (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Anderson, Ray / Joe Hertenstein Quartet feat. Michael Moore & Michael Formanek: 7th Dinner Live (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Pereleman, Ivo / Ray Anderson: 12 Stages of Spiritual Alchemy (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
When not cataloging or working on new release schedules, I took some time to improve our product listings. These pages were originally designed for desktop viewing, with inner scroll bars in the major sections — descriptions, artist biographies, and track listings — to contain varying amounts of information. The idea was to keep page lengths relatively uniform, but I always found the layout a bit awkward, especially on mobile devices where scrolling behaves differently.
The modern solution is the now-familiar "read more" button, which expands the text for those who want the full details. I've updated all of the sections mentioned above to use this approach, a technique we already applied to the homepage "recently" section and to individual biographies. Integrating the latter here posed an interesting challenge, but the result should make our site much easier to navigate.
Our goal remains to inform and connect related artists and albums, helping you discover music that deserves a place in your collection. As always, I welcome your feedback!
Squidco Publishing Roundup:
These are the updates to Squidco and The Squid's Ear over the last week. 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.
September 19, 2025:
It feels like this is the first day in weeks that I've been able to relax for a moment and write a blog entry — the past few weeks have been busy! With clarity on international shipping, we were finally able to import some of our most important labels and move our purchase queue forward. You'll see some of that in our In-Stock section today, and you'll also find key additions on our Recently Restocked page, including the incredible Evan Parker book & CD set, Japan's Amorfon Records, Discus Records, Libra, and a large restock of Clean Feed records.
Rather than rush the albums that came in early this week, we let them accumulate in our Just In Stock Section while we focused on running sales. These sales are vital to us, especially after the slowdown caused by tariff fears and temporarily suspended international shipping. Running a physical record store like ours depends on a steady flow of new releases in a highly competitive market. That interruption in shipments was concerning, and we responded with a series of sales that helped keep us afloat while the world figured out what to make of the U.S.'s petulant approach to taxation.
The two sales we're running this week have helped us reduce inventory and make room for the next set of releases, either already here or on the way. I'll detail those next week, but they include an excellent set of new albums on FMR Records, Another Timbre, and Discus Records.
Our Autumn Hat Sale also precedes the first new releases under the new ownership of ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Ltd., and we're especially excited about those albums, which are exclusive in the U.S. to Squidco. The new releases focus on modern jazz and free improvisation, boldly advancing some of the most interesting hybrids of contemporary improvisation. The albums arriving in the next few weeks include:
Upcoming ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd.
Cat Hope: Speachless (first visit)
Pierre Favre, Sergio Armaroli, Andrea Centazzo & Francesca Gemmo: The Art Of Sound(s) (first visit)
Blumer / Dell / Geisser / Morgenthaler: Beyond Scope
Francesca Gemmo & Magda Mayas: Tides In The Mirror (first visit)
Christoph Gallio's Stone Is A Rose Is A Stone Is A Stone: Yet Dish - Gertrude Stein (first visit)
The first day of fall is three days from when I'm publishing this. The world is in turmoil — more so than most years — but the music keeps on playing. And what amazing music we're finding for the season! Those of us on the sidelines of power politics — labels, artists, and stores like ours — will keep that music flowing, whether calming to escape or turbulent to reflect the state of the world. We'll do that with your help and your curiosity about the wonderful, creative, and innovative music that continues to emerge. Play on!
Queen Bee Records and Lisa Mezzacappa:
The West Coast and Bay Area
Since the late 1950s and early 1960s, the jazz avant-garde intersected with the countercultural currents of Beat poetry, free expression, and radical politics. Figures like Sonny Simmons and Bobby Few passed through, while local experimentalists began exploring freer forms of jazz. It's also the home of the psychedelic rock scene that included Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, and Quicksilver Messenger Service, blurring the lines of improvisation and rock.
Until recently Mills College in Oakland has been a central hub for experimental music. With teachers such as Terry Riley, Pauline Oliveros, and Robert Ashley, the Bay Area nurtured new forms of electronic music, deep listening practices, and open structures for improvisation. Pauline Oliveros' San Francisco Tape Music Center (later part of Mills) played a vital role in integrating electronics, performance art, and improvisation.
By the 1970s, the Bay Area's improvisers freely crossed stylistic borders. Rova Saxophone Quartet, and particularly Larry Ochs, emerged as one of the era's most important ensembles, combining free jazz, post-bop, and experimental composition.Groups like Henry Kaiser’s bands bridged free improv and the experimental rock/avant-garde/fusion movement. Odd bands like the Residents, as well as labels like Ralph Records, pushed boundaries further.
By the 1980s collaborations with international figures like Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Anthony Braxton became common in the Bay Area, and venues like New Langton Arts, Beanbenders, and Koncepts Cultural Gallery became important stages for experimental work. This led to a cross-pollinating network of jazz improvisers, noise musicians, and experimental rock performers, and labels including New World of Sound and Metalanguage Records. Collectives like Gino Robair's bands and improvisers associated with sfSound advanced electro-acoustic approaches.
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Thelonious Monk with Sonny Rollins:
Mark Wastell:
Dave Burrell / Sam Woodyard:
Frequency Disasters:
Tatsuya Nakatani:
Sophie Agnel:
Rhodri Davies:
Luke Martin:
Emil Karlsen:
Ava Mendoza / Gabby Fluke-Mogul / Carolina Perez:
