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Gush (Gustafsson / Sandell / Strid) + Guests:
Gush 30 - Krakow 2018 [3 CD BOX SET] (Not Two)

The Gush trio — Mats Gustafsson on reeds and flute, Sten Sandell on piano, and Raymond Strid on drums — celebrate 30 years since their original formation, in extraordinary concerts at Alchemia and Manggha Hall in Krakow, joined by guests in three dynamic configurations — two sextets and a septet — for an unforgettable series of performances of irrepressible collective improvisation. ... Click to View


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Dan Blacksberg:
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Eden Lonsdale:
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Turbulence:
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Sergio Armaroli, Francesca Gemmo & Barry Guy:
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John Coltrane Quartet (w/ Tyner / Garrison / Jones):
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Expanding and remastering the 2019 single CD of John Coltrane's Quartet from its European tour in the fall of 1962, with McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on double bass, and Elvin Jones on drums, performing at Stefaniensaal in Graz, Austria, beautifully recorded by ORF Steiermark and now presented in both volumes, showcasing Coltrane's lyrical roots and growing free inclinations. ... Click to View


Tyshawn Sorey (w/ Diehl / Ragahavan):
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Paul Dunmall Quartet (w/ Noble / Edwards / Sanders):
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Zeena Parkins:
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Steve Coleman & Five Elements:
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Roscoe Mitchell :
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The Jazzmen w/ Joe McPhee:
Nineteen Sixty-Six (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

Possibly Joe McPhee's earliest recording, this session with bassist Tyrone Crabb's band, The Jazzmen, features McPhee on trumpet alongside saxophonists Harry Hall and Reggie Marks, pianist Mike Kull, and drummer Charlie Benjamin, performing two extended pieces, including the politically charged 'Killed in Vietnam' that evolves into a passionate interpretation of Miles Davis' 'Milestones'. ... Click to View


Linda Smith Catlin:
Flowers of Emptiness (Another Timbre)

The 6th album on Another Timbre from Canadian composer Linda Catlin Smith, a leading voice in contemporary chamber music, presents eight exquisite works performed by Apartment House, including the 1st recordings of three string quartets, alongside a violin duo, a clarinet quartet, an early string trio, a cello and piano duo, and a bass clarinet solo; evocative and deeply expressive artistry. ... Click to View


Adrian Democ:
Zamat (Another Timbre)

Highly-regarded Slovakian composer Adrian Demoč, known for his delicate and introspective approach to contemporary music, presents three chamber works: "Zamat," a 10-minute quartet for clarinet, bass clarinet, and cello exploring Korean unisons; "Gebrechlichkeit," a 25-minute string quartet; and "...o proton jasu...," a 30-minute piece commissioned by Another Timbre, for two clarinets, viola, and cello. ... Click to View


Matt Weston:
Communism Has Appeared On The Scene [VINYL 2 LPs] (7272music)

Matt Weston pushes the boundaries of percussion and improvisation, creating compositions that blend site-specific drum recordings, environmental soundscapes, and musique concrète techniques, exploring cavernous spaces, machine-like drones, and rapid editing as he crafts dynamic pieces in an innovative and captivating sonic experience. ... Click to View


Peter Evans (Evans / Eldh / Black):
Extra [VINYL] (We Jazz)

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Joe McPhee:
Straight Up, Without Wings [BOOK] (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

Joe McPhee recounts his journey from his formative years and time in the army to his evolution as a creative free jazz saxophonist and trumpeter, sharing experiences and encounters with artists such as Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Peter Brötzmann, and Pauline Oliveros; featuring a foreword by Fred Moten and an afterword by Moor Mother. ... Click to View


Duck Baker:
Breakdown Lane: Free Solos & Duos 1976-1998 (ESP)

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Barry Guy / Ken Vandermark:
Occasional Poems [2 CDs] (Not Two)

Capturing an exciting and cohesive live performance at Krakow's Alchemia club, documenting the first duo encounter between Chicago reedist Ken Vandermark and UK bassist Barry Guy, in nine spontaneous duets and soliloquies; Guy's dynamic bass explorations and Vandermark's versatility converge in an inspired interplay of rhythmic energy, textural innovation, and lyrical intensity. ... Click to View


Thollem McDonas :
Infinite-Sum Game (ESP)

Recording live in Palermo, Sicilia at Sala Perriera, Thollem McDonas' performance reflects a lifelong, genre-bending exploration of music, influenced by classical training, cultural diversity, and global experiences, blending classical, jazz, and punk into an omni-idiomatic dialogue; honoring the revolutionary spirit of the past while responding to the dynamics of our time. ... Click to View


Francisco Mela and Shinya Lin:
Motions Vol. 2 (577 Records)

The second volume from extraordinary New York drummer Francisco Mela and Taiwan-born pianist Shinya Lin, now based in NY, presents Parts 3 & 4 of their extended collective improvisations, showcasing joyful interplay and complex interweaving of keys and drums, enhanced by Lin's percussive preparations and Mela's vocal exclamations, delivering an upbeat and intricately exuberant encounter. ... Click to View


Novoa / Carter / Mela Trio:
Vol.1 [VINYL] (577 Records)

Brooklyn-based Eva Novoa's new trio with sax legend Daniel Carter and drummer Francisco Mela debuts with their first volume, featuring compositions inspired by the four elements — earth, wind, fire, and water — and a Cuban piece, blending Novoa's piano, Fender Rhodes, electric harpsichord, and gongs with Carter's sax and Mela's rhythms for vibrant, free-flowing interplay. ... Click to View


Philip Jeck:
rpm [2 CDs] (Touch)

Collecting work from Philip Jeck's life and collaborations, including projects with Fennesz, Jah Wobble, Faith Coloccia, Gavin Bryars and Chris Watson, including Oxmardyke completed from Watson's recordings, Jana Winderen's pilot whale track, and reflections on Jeck's groundbreaking audiovisual work Vinyl Requiem (1993), showcasing his legacy of innovation in sound and performance. ... Click to View


Rasmus Persson / Lee Noyes :
Ratios (Idealstate Recordings)

The collaboration between sound artists Lee Noyes and Rasmus initiated during their 2021 residency at Elementstudion in Goteborg, blending feedback electronics to explore balance, restraint, and precision; navigating the unpredictability of their instruments, they use improvisation, negative space and perceptual phenomena to develop these fascinating compositions. ... Click to View


Elephant9 :
Mythical River [VINYL] (Rune Grammofon)

Wearing the cloak of 60's pyschedelic organ trios modernized in approach and maturity, this is the 8th album from the Swedish improvising, prog-oriented rock band Elephant9, presenting six new compositions from keyboardist Stale Storlokken (Supersilent, Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns) performed with Nikolai Haengsle on electric bass and Torstein Lofthus on drums. ... Click to View



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  Dean Rosenthal 
  Stones/Water/Time/Breath  
  (Edition Wandelweiser) 


  
   review by Jeph Jerman
  2020-11-17
Dean Rosenthal: Stones/Water/Time/Breath (Edition Wandelweiser)

Five different performances of Rosenthal's piece, which instructs people to "make percussive sounds on the water". The recordings of these versions were made by ensembles varying between one and eight players and they range in length between just under two minutes and slightly over twenty. The surprising thing here is the variety of approaches and the resulting sounds they produce.

The first version, performed by Gayle Young and Reinhard Reitzenstein in Duntara Newfoundland, gives the idea of fairly shallow water. Stones can be heard sliding or banging against others under the surface. There's a bit of wind and the constant sound of rushing water. Simple and wonderful and all over in one minute and fifty six seconds.

This is followed by the longest version here, performed at Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn NY by Jen Baker, Kelsey Bell, William Lang, Stephanie Richards Sara Schoenbeck, Ezra Teboul and Lucie Vitkova. This version sounds more like people playing the surface of the water, with periodical rhythms starting and stopping and the sounds of children and planes included. It is reminiscent of the Jon Hassell piece which used a recording of Senoi women playing water with the flats of their palms. I must admit that's the first thing I thought of upon reading the description of this disc. Toward the end there are a couple of splashes. Lots of birdsong as well.

Russell Craig Richardson's solo turn from Cooper Lake in Woodstock is altogether more raucous, with large splashes augmented by what could be a semi-constant flow of traffic and some fairly violent wind gusts. Rosenthal's own version from Nine Mile Pond in Wilbraham, Mass. is the most sparse. Occasional small splashes are set against wind or far-off traffic, with occasional unidentifiable small sounds.

Aside from being a nice listen, this disc also adds to the ever-growing collection of music written for natural objects and is a reminder to keep our ears open when we're outside. There is also a companion website wherein one can check out other recordings of the piece and watch videos (stones on frozen water!) as well as contribute your own recording, should you be so inclined.



Dean Rosenthal: Stones/Water/Time/Breath
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Recent Selections @ Squidco:


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(Not Two)



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