Matthew Shipp / Nate Wooley: What If? (RogueArt)
An authoritative meeting between two of New York City's strongest players--Matthew Shipp on pian and Nate Wooley on trumpet--distilled to their essence after work with saxophonist Ivo Pereleman and performing a set of 12 Shipp compositions brilliantly captured in the studio, illuminating Shipp's solid mastery of the keys and Wooley's remarkable technique and creative drive. ... Click to View
Matthew Shipp String Trio (w/ Mat Maneri / William Parker): Symbolic Reality (RogueArt)
Six compositions by pianist Matthew Shipp for his String Trio with violist Mat Maneri and double bassist William Parker, their first Trio record since 2001's "Expansion, Power and Release" (Hat), their long history of working together in a variety of configurations creating a near-telepathic link between the players over Shipp's sophisticated frameworks. ... Click to View
Jeb Bishop / Matthias Muche: Duo (Creative Sources)
Two trombones free improvising in the studio in Koln from the Duo of Chicago's Jeb Bishop and Cologne's Matthias Muche, both members of the trombone trio Bone-Crusher with Matthias Muller, this album recorded in the studio in Koln just before Bone-Crusher's "Konzert Fur Hannes" (NotTwo), elucidating this facet of the trio in 10 insightful dialogs of awesome technique and wit. ... Click to View
Day & Taxi: Devotion (Percaso)
A melodically subtle and sophisticated album of twenty improvisations composed by saxophonist Christoph Gallio and performed with Gerry Hemingway on drums and Silvan Jeger on electric bass, with Friederike Mayrocker providing words on several tracks, the compositions as short as 19 seconds and a long as 7:40, each dedicated to visual artists and colleagues. ... Click to View
After Dinner: Souvenir Cassette (2019) [DELUXE CD EDITION] (Fish Prints)
Originally released in 1988 in limited cassette and LP editions and comprising live recordings from performances in 1987, the Japanese avant rock band After Dinner with vocalist Haco merged Japanese traditional music and electronics in sublime ways, their live performances a great reflection of their recorded albums, here impeccably remastered by Bob Drake. ... Click to View
Cristian Alvear / Tim Olive: Telquan (845 Audio)
Minimalist Chilean guitarist Cristian Alvear and Tim Olive first played together in October 2016, doing three concerts in Japan, Alvear returning to Japan in October of 2017 for additional performances in Kyoto and Osaka, then spent a day recording in Kobe; this single improvised piece is the result of that day, heard as it was recorded, with a few structural edits. ... Click to View
Elizabeth Millar / Tim Olive / Craig Pedersen: Charm Point (845 Audio)
Montreal-area's Mystery and Wonder Records duo of Elizabeth Millar on clarinet and Craig Pedersen on trumpet met sound artist Tim Olive in Tokyo's famed Gok Sound studio to record these absorbing electroacoustic improvisations, employing hand-made microphones in metal and wooden tubes, corrupted consumer sound devices, and electro-magnetism through analog circuits. ... Click to View
Toys'R Noise: Manivole [VINYL] (BeCoq)
Using toys and handmade instruments alongside guitar, bass, synths, plundered recordings and electronics, the French Toys'R'Noise trio are a live performing group that borrows from electro-beat rock forms with overtones of IDM/ambient forms, building extended sections and then amusing with quick-witted sections that bridge a clear love of the music. ... Click to View
Bonne Humeur Provisoire: Marek [VINYL] (BeCoq)
A very odd album of experimental rock and mutilated folk forms that they refer to as "A sort of traditionnal music from a later country in a less faraway time", from French percussionist Bertrand Fraysse with vocalist Miha, using repetition and simple forms that build to strangely dense electronic environments, with a clear DIY and peculiar attitude; great fun! ... Click to View
URGE / SETE STAR SEPT: SSSURGE [VINYL] (BeCoq)
A split vinyl release between Urge (Caen) and Tokyo's Sete Star Sept, with one track from the French free jazz trio Urge of Antoine Ulmann on sax, Bubu Pagier on gutiar, and Yann Fontbonne (drums) in a Borbetomagus mode; and the Japanese gridcore duo of drummer Ryosuke Kiyasu and bassist/vocalist Kae Takahashi providing a thick extended rock grindcore piece; a blistering combo. ... Click to View
Nate Wooley: Battle Pieces 4 (Relative Pitch)
"Battle Pieces" uses trumpeter Nate Wooley's "social music" system, where each piece is constructed for a soloist who improvises with no score while the remaining player choose at will from over 75 compositions over which the soloist must find their path; here at Roulette in NYC with Nate Wooley, Sylvie Courvoisier, Ingrid Laubrock, & Matt Moran. ... Click to View
Masahiko Satoh / Otomo Yoshihide / Roger Turner: Sea (Relative Pitch)
After their Doubtmusic CD "Live at Hall Egg Farm", capturing the trio of Masahiko Satoh on piano, Otomo Yoshihide on electric guitar & whistle, and Roger Turner on drums & percussion in Fukaya City, this new chapter in the trio's activities finds them live at Shinjuku Pit Inn, in Tokyo the following year, for two energetically active and captivating conversations. ... Click to View
Ramon Lopez / Mark Feldman: Trappist-1 (Relative Pitch)
NY violinist Mark Feldman, an intensely active musician in improvisation and contemporary composition, and Spanish drummer Ramon Lopez, active with an impressive list of jazz masters including Barry Guy and The Turbine!, join together in the studio for the seven-part improvisation "Trappist-1", a virtuosic intertwining from introspective to exuberantly energetic. ... Click to View
Fred Van Hove: At 80 [3 CDs / 80 page book] (Dropa Disc)
Celebrating the 80th birthday of pioneering Belgian pianist Fred Van Hove, a member of Machine Gun and a frequent partner of Peter Brotzmann and Han Bennink, in a hardbound book of photos and essay, with 3 CDs: the 1st a trio with Evan Parker and Hamid Drake at deSingel in Antwerp; the 2nd a solo piano concert at NONA; and the 3rd a solo organ concert at BOZAR; magnificent. ... Click to View
Satoko Fujii / Joe Fonda: Four (Long Song Records)
Their aptly titled "Fourth" album since they first performed together in 2015, Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii and NY bassist and flutist Joe Fonda have toured and developed an intuitive, almost telepathic, relationship--naturally melodic, intelligent yet emotional-- heard here in two concerts in Japan, with trumpeter Natsuki Tamura joining as a guest on two pieces. ... Click to View
Colin Fisher Quartet: Living Midnight [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)
Toronto-area saxophonist Colin Fisher, best known for his group I Have Eaten The City, with his collective quartet of NY players Daniel Carter on tenor, alto & soprano saxophones + clarinet & flute, Brandon Lopez on upright bass, and Marc Edwards on drums & percussion, for three extended and exploratory improvisations of exemplary creative insight. ... Click to View
Colin Fisher Quartet: Living Midnight (Astral Spirits)
Toronto-area saxophonist Colin Fisher, best known for his group I Have Eaten The City, with his collective quartet of NY players Daniel Carter on tenor, alto & soprano saxophones + clarinet & flute, Brandon Lopez on upright bass, and Marc Edwards on drums & percussion, for three extended and exploratory improvisations of exemplary creative insight. ... Click to View
Michael Attias : Echos La Nuit (Out Of Your Head Records)
A beautiful solo set of 12 improvisations, Michael Attias performing on alto sax with his left hand and piano with his right, captured in the natural reverberation of La Maison en Bois in Abeville-La-Riviere, France; surprisingly his 1st solo album, developed over 12 years yet played in under an hour with no retakes, a wonderful nuanced reflection in tone, melody & color. ... Click to View
Nick Dunston: Atlantic Extraction (Out Of Your Head Records)
Brooklyn-based composer, bassist, and writer Nick Dunston in his debut album, blending jazz, contemporary, chamber and avant forms, in a uniquely voiced quintet with Louna Dekker on Vargas on flutes & piccolo, Ledah Finck on violin & viola, Tal Yahalom on guitar, and Stephen Boegehold on drums, in a sophisticated album of concisely fascinating compositions. ... Click to View
Sound of the Mountain w/ Tetuzi Akiyama / Toshimaru Nakamura: amplified clarinet and trumpet, guitars, nimb (Mystery & Wonder)
Sound of the Mountain is an independent label led by Montreal-area improvisers Elizabeth Millar (clarinet) and Craig Pedersen (trumpet), who traveled to Tokyo in 2017 for several concerts and this spectacular and unique recording session at GOK studio in Kichijoji with ea-improvisers Tetuzi Akiyama (guitar) and Toshimaru Nakamura (no-input mixing board). ... Click to View
Metal Chaos Ensemble: Proteus IV (Evil Clown)
The Boston-are duo of reedist PEK and percussionsit Yuri Zbitnov cover a wide range of sonorities, always with the presence of Gongs, chimes, glockenspiel, Tibetan Bowls and many other metallic sounds and the horns of PEK, here in a sci-fi epic, with Eric Woods on modular synth and Englephone, Mike Gruen on bass, and Joel Simches with real-time signal processing. ... Click to View
Frank Rosaly (w/ Blonk / Boye / Farha / Pfiffner / Bishop / Broste / McBride / Diaz / Fernandez / Guerra / Rodriguez): Todos de Pie! (Kontrans)
Examining the music of Puerto Rico through a very personal relationship, drummer Frank Rosaly assembled a group of percussionists along with trombonists Jeb Bishop & Nick Broste, bassist Nate McBride, pianist Ben Boye wind player Cameron Pfiffner, and Dutch avant-free vocalist Jaap Blonk, all using electronics and voice as they push the boundary of genre and concept. ... Click to View
Elliott Sharp / Sergio Sorrentino: Spilla' (ANTS Records)
'Spilla' means 'to play' in the language of Neapolitan musicians, and playing here are NY guitarist and composer Elliott Sharp and Italian guitarist Sergio Sorrentino, presenting world premier recordings of 4 works recorded live in Vercelli, Italy: two improvisations and two graphic scores performed on electric guitar with incredible technique and passion. ... Click to View
Werner Durand : Schwingende Luftsaulen 2 (ANTS Records)
A beautifully hypnotic album of saxophone, accompanied by Pan-Ney, Shruti Box and Organ, recorded in overdubs by composer/wind player Werner Durand in this 2nd chapter of his trilogy focused on the Pan-Ney, a self-built instrument for repetitive foundations, as Durand draws on elements of nature, mythology, dance, religion, literature and folklore. ... Click to View
Jessica Pavone String Ensemble: Brick and Mortar (Birdwatcher Records)
After six years of composing primarily for solo viola, NY violist and violinist Jessica Pavone formed the J. Pavone String Ensemble as an extension of the sonic discoveries of her solo music, exploring tactile experience that expand on the themes of her solo work while also integrating a deeper understanding of the effects sound has on the listener. ... Click to View
Aurora Nealand / Steve Marquette / Anton Hatwich / Paul Thibodeaux: Kobra Quartet [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)
Quietly lurking as it prepares to attack, this Kobra is the free improvising quaret of Aurora Nealand on accordion, alto saxophone, voice & objects, Steve Marquette on acoustic & electric guitars, Anton Hatwich on bass, and Paul Thibodeaux on drums, captured live at Chicago's Hungry Brain during the Instigation Festival for a mysterious 2-part "New Omens" and some "Telly Attire". ... Click to View
Koenjihyakkei: Angherr Shisspa Revisited (Skin Graft)
A new edition of Koenjihyakkei's landmark fourth album, blending progressive rock, jazz fusion, symphonic rock and neoclassicism with the energy of hardcore punk, the volume of metal and the attitude of Rock In Opposition, from Tatsuya Yoshida on drums, Sakamoto Kengo on bass, Kanazawa Miyako on keyboards Yamamoto Kyoko on voice, and Komori Keiko on reeds. ... Click to View
Koenjihyakkei: Angherr Shisspa Revisited [VINYL] (Skin Graft)
A new edition of Koenjihyakkei's landmark fourth album, blending progressive rock, jazz fusion, symphonic rock and neoclassicism with the energy of hardcore punk, the volume of metal and the attitude of Rock In Opposition, from Tatsuya Yoshida on drums, Sakamoto Kengo on bass, Kanazawa Miyako on keyboards Yamamoto Kyoko on voice, and Komori Keiko on reeds. ... Click to View
String Theory: 3 of 9 Dimensions (Evil Clown)
String Theory is the extended string section of the Leap of Faith Orchestra, with David Peck (PEK) on reeds, Glynis Lomon on cello, and in this performance at Outpost 186 in Cambridge, MA, joined by violinist Elinor Speirs and pianist Eric Zinman, the latter also playing inside the piano with mallets, while Peck and Glynis add cymbals and wood & metal instruments. ... Click to View
PEK Solo: Closed & Open Universes [2 CDS] (Evil Clown)
Evil Clown mastermind David Peck (PEK) in a double album of solo work, 1st pure solo, then in a long work accompanied by his own prepared mixes, using clarinets, saxophones, English horn, goat horn, tarota, bamboo, Chistmas & alto flutes, slide whistles, sheng, Melodica, Akai Wind controller, moog subsequent, gongs, brontosaurus & tank bells, Englephone, and delay. ... Click to View
