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Recently @ Squidco:

Charles Mingus:
Presents Charles Mingus To Pre Bird, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Three sides of Charles Mingus in this remastered reissue set: the 1961 Candid album Mingus Presents Mingus with the classic quartet of Eric Dolphy, Ted Curson and Dannie Richmond; then the Mercury release Pre-Bird from the same year, in ensembles performing the music of or influenced by Duke Ellington, along with the ambitious and brilliant through-composed work, "Half Mast Inhibition". ... Click to View


Franz Koglmann:
Near Blue - A Taste of Melancholy (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Presented in two versions--a stereo mix and a binaural mix for headphones--flugelhorn improviser and composer Franz Koglmann leads his septet of exceptional players through 10 original Koglmann compositions, sophisticated works that show influences from Ellington to Franz Joseph Haydn or Johann Strauss, in pieces influenced by or tipping the hat to modern artists, musicians and writers. ... Click to View


Nikolaus Gerszewski :
3 Works For Strings, Giusto Chamber Orchestra (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Giusto Chamber Orchestra performs three works for twelve strings by German composer and visual artist Nikolaus Gerszewski, whose music of shifting pitches, vibrations and volumes--compared with experimental sound & noise work--is influenced by composers Radulescu and Dumitrescu's spectral music, James Tenney's "swell form" and Cornelius Cardew's graphic scores. ... Click to View


Void Patrol (Sharp / Stetson / Martin / MacDonald):
Live @ Victo (Victo)

A wild and adventurous concert and one of the highlights of the 39th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville from the electric improvising quartet of Elliott Sharp on electric guitar & electronics, Colin Stetson on bass, alto & tenor saxophones, Billy Martin on drums & percussion and Payton Macdonald on marimba, vibraphone & African xylophone. ... Click to View


Federico Ughi (w / Leo Genovese / Brandon Lopez):
Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You, Vol. 1 (577 Records)

The first album under 577 label leader and drummer Federico Ughi's name in five years brings together the incredible bass skills of Brandon Lopez and expansive Argentinean keyboard sonics of Leo Genovese, the first of two planned volumes recorded in the studio for a boundary-less album of acoustic and electric improv influenced by the music and philosophy of Sun Ra. ... Click to View


Federico Ughi (w / Leo Genovese / Brandon Lopez):
Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You, Vol. 1 [VINYL] (577 Records)

The first album under 577 label leader and drummer Federico Ughi's name in five years brings together the incredible bass skills of Brandon Lopez and expansive Argentinean keyboard sonics of Leo Genovese, the first of two planned volumes recorded in the studio for a boundary-less album of acoustic and electric improv influenced by the music and philosophy of Sun Ra. ... Click to View


Sven-Ake Johansson / Alexander Von Schlippenbach:
uber Ursache und Wirkung der Meinungsverschiedenheiten beim Turmbau zu Babel [VINYL 2 LPs & PAL DVD] (Trost Records)

Documenting the 1994 avant music drama composed by pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and accordionist Sven-Ake Johansson, uber Ursache und Wirkung der Meinungsverschiedenheiten beim Turmbau zu Babel (on the cause and effect of the disagreements over the building of the Tower of Babel) through a double LP, DVD, libretto and 16-page booklet in a solid box set. ... Click to View


Musicworks:
#147 Winter 2024 [MAGAZINE + CD] (Musicworks)

Winter 2024 issue of Canada's premiere new music magazine, with Saxophonist Andrew MacKelvie on the cover; plus features on Indonesia's Music Subculture; Sonny-Ray Day Ride; Solidaridad Tango; A History of the Canadian Electronic Ensemble; plus album reviews, essays and a CD of tracks from artists covered in the magazine. ... Click to View


Witches & Devils (Williams / Vandermark / Lonberg-Holm):
At the Empty Bottle (Knitting Factory Works)

Before his ecstatic Xmas series, An Ayler Xmas, Chicago saxophonist Mars Williams led the Witches & Devils quintet of Mars Williams on reeds, Ken Vandermark on reeds, Jim Baker on keyboards, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and Kent Kessler on bass, an incredible and passionate free jazz group paying tribute to the music of Albert Ayler, heard live at The Empty Bottle in 1997. ... Click to View


Simulacrum:
Mechatronics (Evil Clown)

This ensemble features 3 core Evil Clown members--David Peck on reeds, winds, percussion & electronics; Eric Woods on analog synth; and Bob Moores on space trumpet, guitar & electronics--with guests Michael Caglianone on reeds & percussion, Robin Amos on electric zither and keyboards; Faruq Hassan on samplers & keys; Albey OnBass on bass; and Michael Knoblach on military devices. ... Click to View


Peter Brotzmann / Paal Nilssen-Love:
Chicken Shit Bingo (Trost Records)

Often performing together as a duo after their initial 2004 Chicago Tentet encounter, drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen and multi-reedist Peter Brötzmann typically released albums of live performances, this 2015 studio date in Antwerp unique in their catalog, an exemplary set of recordings, particularly with Brötzmann on a new contra-alto clarinet and Paal adding gongs to their improvisations. ... Click to View


Peter Brotzmann / Paal Nilssen-Love:
Chicken Shit Bingo [VINYL] (Trost Records)

Often performing together as a duo after their initial 2004 Chicago Tentet encounter, drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen and multi-reedist Peter Brötzmann typically released albums of live performances, this 2015 studio date in Antwerp unique in their catalog, an exemplary set of recordings, particularly with Brötzmann on a new contra-alto clarinet and Paal adding gongs to their improvisations. ... Click to View


Jean Derome:
La Chaleur De La Pensee (Ambiances Magnetiques)

Concepts of community, dialog, sharing and transmission, or "recontre", are the linking ideas between these four works commissioned of Montreal composer and wind player Jean Derome, developed for four Quebec ensembles, these pieces combine contemporary and improvisational forms, the scores shaped by constraints from the combinatorial mathematics of Marin Mersenne. ... Click to View


Giuseppe Doronzo / Andy Moor / Frank Rosaly:
Futuro Ancestrale (Clean Feed)

Having worked together in other collaborations, this was the first meeting as a trio by Giuseppe Doronzo on baritone sax & Iranian bagpipe, Andy Moor on electric guitar and Frank Rosaly on drums, performing live at BIMHUIS in Amsterdam for a contemplatively charged set of unorthodox instrumental approaches using contemporary improv attitudes through structured and collective playing. ... Click to View


Norbert Pfammatter / Florestan Berset / Francesco Losavio:
A Vol D'Oiseau (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

The Swiss guitar trio of Florestan Berset on electric guitar with Norbert Pfammatter on drums and Francesco Losavio on double bass perform a mix of lyrical compositions from Berset, along with lyrically inclined collective improvisation from the group, each player bringing unique approaches to their instruments in a highly compatible set of conversations. ... Click to View


CHANGES TO blind:
Volume Eight: Before Birth to Expiration (Squidco Records)

The eighth album from the long-running CHANGES TO blind project of Phil Zampino, eight works drawing on compositions & improvisations, acoustic & synthetic instruments, field recordings & samples, with guests Levi Erik providing field recordings & voice and Wilmington, NC's 910 Noise Members of Carl Kruger, subterrene, John Bishop, Authorless and Ryan Lewis. ... Click to View


Marc Baron / Mark Vernon:
post-chance (erstwhile)

Mailing unspooled 1/4" tape to each other along with a magnet to randomly erase part of each tape, Marc Baron & Mark Vernon captured these fragments and placed them into sequence based on the minute past the hour each was originally recorded, contrasting the degraded recordings with the original; an exacting but fascinating method of creating something unexpected and uniquely engaging. ... Click to View


Elliot Sharp:
Arbor (zOaR Records)

A collection of arboreal pieces for solo acoustic guitar--wood transformed into a resonator with the help of metal oscillators and digital manipulation--performed in the studio by NY guitarist and improviser Elliott Sharp, developing the works around trees, "austere and intense", each piece unfolding like delicate branches of acoustic and ethereal framework. ... Click to View


Hal Russell / Mars Wiliams:
EFTSOONS [VINYL] (NESSA)

Eftsoons (defined as "soon after") is the 1981 duo album from NRG Ensemble leader Hal Russell with ensemble saxophonist and Chicago mainstay saxophonist Mars Williams, who also performs on slide whistle, bells and "lots of other stuff", Russell also performing on cornet, vibraphone and toys; an exciting and energetic album of truly free, inspired playing! ... Click to View


Leap of Faith:
Quest for Uncertainty (Evil Clown)

Joining the Boston free improvising duo of David Peck on clarinets, saxophones, clarinets & flutes, and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice--the core duo of Leap of Faith Orchestra--are Bonnie Kane on tenor sax, flute & electronics, and John Loggia on drums and percussion, capturing the extended title track and a brief, "possible outcome" as a summation. ... Click to View


Ivo Perelman / Mark Helias / Tom Rainey:
Truth Seeker (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Meeting at Park West Studios in Brooklyn, the NY trio of Ivo Perelman on tenor saxophone, Mark Helias on bass and Tom Rainey on drums record seven collective free improvisations of great depth and expression, unhurried playing that concentrates on the group dialog, yielding space for exceptional soloing supported by perceptive interaction; masterful! ... Click to View


Scheen Jazzorkester & Cortex:
Frameworks - Music by Thomas Johansson (Clean Feed)

Merging jazz organizations, Norwegian trumpeter & composer Thomas Johansson brings together the third stream large band Scheen Jazzorkester with the electric jazz band Cortex (Kristoffer Alberts (baritone & tenor saxophone), Ola Høyer (double bass) and Dag Erik Knedal Andersen (drums)), for a rousing, exciting and diverse live concert at Hamar Teater in Norway. ... Click to View


Joana Sa:
A Body as Listening (Clean Feed)

The concluding opus of a trilogy that began with "Through This Looking Glass" and followed with "In Praise Of Disorder", Portuguese pianist Joana Sa merges acoustic piano with well-balanced electronics and resonance, using preparations and fragments of previous recordings to create a uniquely expressive solo performance: forceful, fragile, and captivatingly fascinating. ... Click to View


Scratching Fork (Malinowski / Rychlicki / Zadruzynski):
Scratching Fork II (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

The 2nd album from the Polish guitar trio of Marek Malinowski on guitar, Robert Rychlicki-Gasowski on double bass & bass guitar, and Wojciech Zadruaynski on drums, performing Malinowski's embraceable mix of lyrically inclined modern jazz compositions with an explorative side, balancing structure with free space for sprightly spontaneity, a beautiful followup. ... Click to View


Zakrocki / Garbowski / Gradziuk:
Ballads And Blues [2 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A series of electroacoustic improv "Ballads" and "Blues", beautiful and chimerical works at the intersection of strings and a miscellany of percussion, patiently and unhurriedly unfolding under the deep listening ears from the Polish trio of Patryk Zakrocki on prepared electric guitar & granular delay, Maciej Garbowski on double bass and Krzysztof Gradziuk on multipercussion, objects & toys. ... Click to View


Elliott Sharp:
The Collapsed Wave (zOaR Records)

The NY duo of Elliott Sharp and Don McKenzie pay tribute to guitar-oriented instrumental rock as practiced by Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, Sonny Sharrock, Miles Daves, &c, music that valued virtuosity and embraceability, with Sharp performing on Strats, Les Pauls, steel guitar, a Vietnamese ghita phim lom on Uchuu, mandola & mandocello and Telecaster. ... Click to View


Tragic Assembly + Tatsuya Nakatani :
Live at the Artscenter (Soul City Sounds)

The NC Tragic Assembly free improvising trio of Charles Chace on guitar, Crowmeat Bob on reeds and Phil Venable on upright bass are joined for this 2022 concert at Carrboro, NC's ArtCenter by improvising percussion powerhouse Tatsuya Nakatani, adding sonic expansion and rhythmic punctuation to this trio's typically drum free configuration, heard in four striking improvisations. ... Click to View


Miharu Ogura:
Ogura Plays Ogura (thanatosis produktion)

Following her 2022 album Ogura Plays Stockhausen, Japanese born, Frankfurt-based pianist Miharu Ogura turns her attention to her own compositions, presenting five uniquely creative works unfolding in pacing that surprises the listener, balancing silence and clusters of layered patterns that move at differing speeds and rhythms, from simple clarity to labyrinthine entanglement. ... Click to View


Henrik Olsson / Aviva Endean:
Split Series Vol. 2 (FRIM Records)

Part of the split series from Swedish label FRIM (Association For Free Improvised Music), this album presents the two solo concerts from an evening at Rönnells Antikvariat during the 2022 Sound of Stockholm festival, first from drummer Henrik Olsson performing on turntables & objects; then from Aviva Endean on clarinets, electronics, voice & plastic pipes. ... Click to View


Wadada Smith Leo / Joe Morris:
Earth's Frequencies (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Delicately forceful, the live concert at Real Art Ways, in Hartford, Connecticut as part of the ImprovisatioNOW concert series, is a perfect encounter between two legendary New York improvisers--trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and guitarist Joe Morris--capturing five dialogs of impressive technique and creative expression, including references to Monk and Ma Rainey. ... Click to View



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  ZNR 
  Traite De Mecanique Populaire  
  (Recommended Records) 


  
   review by Nick Metzger
  2019-10-03
ZNR: Traite De Mecanique Populaire (Recommended Records)

Here we have an essential reissue of ZNR's second and final release Traité De Mécanique Populaire brought to us by the good people of ReR Megacorp. Originally released by Invisible Records back in 1978, "Treaty of Popular Mechanics," as it translates from French, has been reissued over the years and has won the hearts and minds of more than a few musically adventurous souls. ZNR was the short-lived but spectacularly inventive vehicle for the creative impulses of French composers Hector Zazou and Joseph Racaille (hence the name, Z and R). The cover of their first release under the ZNR moniker, titled "Barricades 3", was sketched up by none other than Captain Beefheart himself, and that should give you some sense of what you're up against here (though this music is light years away from his style). The bedrock could likely be described as Soft Machine or Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd if their songs had been written by Erik Satie, scattered with a little Perrey and Kingsley experimentation and perhaps some free jazz undertones using a heavily contrasting assortment of instruments. While it may sound a little bit scattered and maybe somewhat off-putting, I can't stress enough how thoroughly listenable the album is. If this sounds intriguing to you I would suggest you jump in straight away, you're already late for the party.

Side Zazou, as it's called, begins with "Ancien Automate Mexicain" which starts off with a horns and piano melody over which strings briefly provide a nice harmony, sounding almost like Calliope music towards the conclusion. This is followed by "Ecorcherie Romantique Pour Coeur Fele", where saxophone and bass clarinet engage in some back-and-forth over another charming piano melody. "Enchevetrement Desordonne" is built up on a very simple, warm, Rhodes-sounding keyboard riff which is accompanied again by the reeds and a bit of guitar. On "Alia Lasse" the dueling piano lines and horns are capped with a welcome fragment of singing and clapping. "La Vieille Montre" is a soft dialogue of clarinet and flute that gets bouncy towards the close, and ends with a single piano chord accenting the clarinet line. A lot occurs in a short amount of time on the piece entitled "Tout Debout", followed very shortly by the chanted, wordless melody of "Printemps Au Jardin Potager Vu D'en Haut." The stunning "Triste Prose Et Vieux Billards" is an exquisitely brief piano and bass romp that's over sooner than you'll want it to be. The next track "Garden Party" opens with a beautifully sorrowful violin with a classical/Spanish guitar accompaniment before getting fleshed out with horns and some brief but playful vocals.

"Chanson Triste Pour Faire Dancer Les Petites Filles" extends the sentiment of the previous track by reprising the sparse violin/guitar interplay to kick off Side Racaille. Next up, "Nu Au Bain" is a short longing piece for piano and flute, which recalls for me some long-lost 70's ABC Movie of the Week intro (I mean that in a good way). The next two tracks, "Serenades Italienne" parts 1 & 2, are gorgeous miniatures that you barely have time to wrap your head around before they disappear back into the ether. "Trou De Ble" features the most vocals of any single track on the album by a long shot, obviously all sung in French over an accompaniment of keys and bandoneon with some nice accents from the reeds. I think the next piece; "Vieille Chanson Irlandaise" wins the prize as my favorite track, mainly due to the free jazz inspired, hiccupping saxophone and bass clarinet interactions which come completely and unexpectedly out of the blue. "Memoire D'un Chien" is an electric keyboard and piano driven romp, with Zazou and Racaille riffing off one other. Towards the finish the bass clarinet appears to provide apposite counterpoint. The next track "Printemps Au Jardin Potager Vu D'en Bas" is all soft wordless vocals, piano, and strings whereas "Un Veritable Monstre A Musique" feels a bit disjointed, but is never-the-less an entertaining listen. The next three pieces are piano music, all wearing Erik Satie's influence proudly on their sleeve, "Deux Pieces Elementaires Pour Piano: Retourne A Melbourne", "Deux Pieces Elementaires Pour Piano: Retourne A L'ecole", and "Prelude A La Graisse De Phoque" run a combined total of about 90 seconds. It probably takes longer to say the titles than to listen to the songs, but as with Satie they're all relatively unadorned and exceedingly enjoyable to listen to. The last morsel of song is titled "Le Fils Du Grand Compositeur" and closes the album in a manner that gives a little of everything, but not too much of anything, which is to say that everything is proportioned very minimally, but with such variety and elegance that it's impossible not to be entranced by it all. This is a decidedly recommended reissue for enthusiasts of indispensable, timeless, yet peculiar music.





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Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Federico Ughi (
w /
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Brandon Lopez):
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Calling You You You,
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und Wirkung der
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beim Turmbau zu Babel
[VINYL 2 LPs & PAL DVD]
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Pre Bird,
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Ltd)



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Jean Derome:
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