The Squid's Ear
Recently @ Squidco:

John Butcher / John Edwards:
This Is Not Speculation (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A remarkable live recording from Einstein Kultur in Munich, reuniting British free improvisation masters John Butcher on saxophones and John Edwards on double bass in four expansive, detailed, and often breathtaking duets, exploring abstract soundscapes with razor-sharp interplay, extended techniques, and an uncompromising sense of sonic exploration. ... Click to View


Jerome Deupree / Sylvie Courvoisier / Lester St. Louis / Joe Morris:
Canyon [2 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Recorded at Firehouse 12 Studios, Canyon brings together four exceptional improvisers — drummer Jerome Deupree, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, bassist Joe Morris, and cellist Lester St. Louis — for a double album of fluid, high-stakes interaction, balancing volatility and restraint as they carve out richly detailed sonic terrain with spontaneous precision. ... Click to View


Izumi Kimura / Lina Andonovska / Dominique Pifarely:
Seven Dreams (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Recorded live at Dublin's National Concert Hall, the trio of Izumi Kimura (piano), Lina Andonovska (flutes), and Dominique Pifarély (violin) weave a poetic and deeply intuitive improvisational performance, blending extended techniques and refined sensitivity into a dreamlike suite of tactile, intimate, and emotionally resonant sound worlds. ... Click to View


Lava Quartet feat. Almut Kuhne / Jordina Milla / Goncalo Almeida / Wieland Moller:
Ethereal Chant (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

The debut from the international Lava Quartet — Almut Kühne (voice), Jordina Milla (piano), Gonçalo Almeida (bass), and Wieland Möller (percussion) — capturing the ensemble's dynamic interplay and fearless improvisation across two European venues, blending extended techniques, expressive freedom, and unconventional sonic textures in a deeply creative and spontaneous journey. ... Click to View


Joe McPhee / Susanna Gartmayer / John Edwards / Maria Portugal:
Monster (Klanggalerie)

Recorded live at the 2023 Music Unlimited Festival in Wels, Austria, this powerhouse quartet of Joe McPhee, Susanna Gartmayer, John Edwards, and Maria Portugal delivers an electrifying set of spontaneous composition, blending fierce improvisation, commanding technique, and bold interplay in a dynamic performance brimming with vitality and creative approaches to improv. ... Click to View


Kim Jae Jung:
Shamanism (Relative Pitch)

A powerful and ritualistic session from South Korea's free improvisation scene, with tenor and soprano saxophones (Jung-Jae Kim & Sunjae Lee) and dual drum kits (Junyoung Song & Sunki Kim) channeling ancestral Korean shamanic ceremony through raw, primal energy, breath-driven phrasing, and a spiritual aesthetic that bridges indigenous tradition and contemporary free jazz expression. ... Click to View


Signe Emmeluth / Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten / Axel Filip:
Hyperboreal Trio (Relative Pitch)

Drawing on deep collaborative history and shared risk-taking instincts, the trio of alto saxophonist Signe Emmeluth, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and drummer Axel Filip deliver a debut of fierce, textural improvisation, recorded in Trondheim and shaped by dynamic interplay, shifting atmospheres, and a fearless drive to chart new sonic terrain. ... Click to View


Amy Cimini:
See You When I Get There (Relative Pitch)

The first solo album from West Coast violist Amy Cimini, blending amplified distortion, percussive textures, and spacious effects into a deeply personal and genre-blurring performance that channels experimental noise, tuneful abstraction, and the spirit of feminist rock and protest music into a resonant and evocative sonic journey. ... Click to View


Makoto Kawashima :
arteria (Relative Pitch)

A wild solo performance recorded at GOKsound in Tokyo by Japanese alto saxophonist Makoto Kawashima, whose intense and introspective improvisations balance fierce tonal expression with fragile silences, drawing from the lineage of Abe and Shiraishi while establishing his own haunting and highly individual voice in the realm of free improvisation. ... Click to View


Marco Eneidi Quintet (w / Johnston / Finkbelner / Smith / Anderson):
Wheat Fields of Kleylehof (Balance Point Acoustics)

A fiery and tightly woven 2004 quintet session led by alto saxophonist and composer Marco Eneidi, recorded before his move to Europe, with trumpeter Darren Johnston, guitarist John Finkbeiner, bassist Damon Smith, and drummer Vijay Anderson performing dynamic, sharply articulated compositions that balance exuberant improvisation with finely honed structure. ... Click to View


Eric Shorter:
Shorter Bendian Shields (577 Records)

A dynamic debut from multi-talented saxophonist Eric Shorter, joined by pianist David Shields and percussionist Gregg Bendian in a spirited trio session that replaces the traditional bass role with open, aleatoric freedom, creating an engaging interplay of spontaneous composition, expressive lyricism, and inventive harmonic exploration. ... Click to View


Ernesto Rodrigues / Ana Albino / Hernani Faustino / Carlos Santos:
A Glimpse To An End Of A Cycle (Creative Sources)

Recorded live in Lisbon in 2025, this quietly immersive quartet session from Ernesto Rodrigues, Ana Albino, Hernani Faustino, and Carlos Santos unfolds as a single extended movement of enigmatic timbral interplay, blending modular synth, electric guitar, viola and bass in a sparse, introspective soundscape shaped by mystery, fluidity, and subtle dynamic shifts. ... Click to View


Paula Sanchez:
Pressure Sensitive (Relative Pitch)

Recorded in Switzerland in 2021, Argentinian cellist and interdisciplinary artist Paula Sanchez pushes the cello to its sonic limits through six radical performances that merge acoustic and processed sound, combining cello, cellophane, and ring modulation to evoke a visceral, poetic, and at times merciless exploration of embodied sound and ephemeral transformation. ... Click to View


Camila Nebbia / Kit Downes / Andrew Lisle:
Exhaust (Relative Pitch)

Recorded live in Berlin, the debut from Camila Nebbia's working trio with Kit Downes and Andrew Lisle captures six dynamic, unrestrained pieces that navigate shifting textures and rhythms, fractured lyricism, and tightly woven interplay, avoiding individual soloing as the group explores contrast and transformation through raw energy, deep listening, and collective momentum. ... Click to View


Le Vice Anglais (Pires / Parrinha):
vas-y (4DaRecord)

A fiercely expressive debut from Portuguese duo Ricardo Guerra Pires and Bruno Parrinha, blending electric guitar, alto saxophone, subtle electronics, and noise-infused improvisation into a raw yet controlled exploration of sonic extremes, channeling the spirit of free jazz, punk energy, and avant-garde texture into six powerful and provocative pieces. ... Click to View


Marc Baron / Eric La Casa:
Contrefacons (Swarming)

Exploring the fragility of recorded memory and the processes of cinematic restoration, Marc Baron and Eric La Casa capture, manipulate, and recontextualize sounds from the Hiventy film laboratories, transforming them through analogue treatments and dynamic re-recording into a compelling meditation on representation, decay, and the shifting nature of perception. ... Click to View


Francisco Lopez :
Untitled (2021-2022) [2 CDs] (Bu Lang Tribute Cake)

A double CD of composed environmental sound works from Francisco López, assembling raw field recordings from locations including Tenerife, Eswatini, Israel, Georgia, Chile, and the southwestern USA, along with a film soundtrack and a collaboration with Felipe Otondo, creating immersive, abstract electroacoustic pieces with intentional silences and textural extremes. ... Click to View


Eventless Plot | Haarvol:
The Subliminal Paths [CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD] (Innovo Editions)

An intimate, restrained electroacoustic collaboration between Eventless Plot and Haarvöl, unfolding in two extended, meditative movements that explore a nuanced dialogue between piano, field recordings, tapes, and electronic expression, gradually revealing layered sonic detail and immersive depth through spacious, dramatic momentum. ... Click to View


Eternities:
Rides Again [CASSETTE] (Sacred Realism)

The duo of Katie Porter on bass clarinet and Bob Bellerue on electronics, zither, and feedback create rich, multidimensional drones through live performance, blending harmonic wind tones with resonant feedback and overtone manipulation in two expansive recordings from Berlin and NYC that explore the porous boundary between intention and indeterminacy. ... Click to View


Elka Bong (Margolis / Wright / Bouchard):
Without Walls (Love Earth Music)

Integrating live coding, field recordings, IFM synthesis, and an array of electroacoustic instrumentation, the trio of Al Margolis, Walter Wright, and Sara Bouchard craft an unbounded and exploratory work that embraces technological transformation and sensory disruption, channeling Marshall McLuhan's insights into a richly layered and prophetic sonic landscape. ... Click to View


Karl Evangelista Quintet feat. Bobby Bradford and William Roper:
Solace Angles (Asian Improv)

A heartfelt tribute to Los Angeles and its resilient creative community, guitarist Karl Evangelista leads a stellar quintet with Bobby Bradford on cornet and William Roper on tuba, blending both lyrical and eclectic improvisation, deep-rooted West Coast traditions, and a spirit of resistance into an evocative and deeply personal album that honors place, legacy, and the power of collective expression. ... Click to View


Sleep Of Reason Produces Monsters, The (Rasmussen / Mitelli / Rezaei / Koenig):
The Sleep Of Reason Produces Monsters (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

An electrifying session of genre-defying free improvisation from the international quartet of Gabriele Mitelli (trumpet & electronics), Mette Rasmussen (sax), Mariam Rezaei (turntables), and Lukas Koenig (drums & bass synth), delivering an explosive, high-energy album that blurs the lines between noise, jazz, and avant-electronic intensity with visceral spontaneity and tightly channeled chaos. ... Click to View


Akmee:
Sacrum Profanum (Nakama Records)

Recorded in Oslo's Toyen Kirke, this spiritually resonant second album from the Norwegian quartet Akmee explores acoustic possibilities with lyrical counterpoint, trance-like repetition, and intuitive improvisation, as trumpeter Erik Kimestad Pedersen, pianist Kjetil Jerve, bassist Erlend Olderskog Albertsen, and drummer Andreas Wildhagen stretch melody and rhythm into expressive, otherworldly forms. ... Click to View


Ernesto Rodrigues / Guilherme Rodrigues / Maximilian Glass:
Beyond The Mist And The Unforeseen Encounters (Creative Sources)

An intimate, texturally rich trio session recorded in Berlin between Ernesto Rodrigues on viola & crackle box, Guilherme Rodrigues on cello, and Maximilian Glass on percussion, navigating misty lowercase atmospheres, glitch-box coloration, and finely balanced interactions that unveil subtle surprise and collective improvisation within a tight, exploratory sound world. ... Click to View


Sveio:
Latent Imprints (577 Records)

A fascinating exploration of human-machine collaboration from UK trio Sveio — James Mainwaring on saxophone, Federico Reuben on laptop improvisation and live coding, and Emil Karlsen on drums — using AI in real-time to generate uncanny textures and forms, resulting in a spontaneously composed and constantly evolving electroacoustic sound world. ... Click to View


Kommun:
Kalpa (thanatosis produktion)

Expanding to a sextet, Swedish guitarist Finn Loxbo's Kommun deepens its exploration of cyclical time and collective improvisation, weaving acoustic steel-string guitar, piano, strings, and percussion into evolving, harmonically rich phrases that merge individual lines into fluid, slow-burning forms — meditative, intricate, and poised between structure and dissolution. ... Click to View


Various Artists:
Archipelago (Bathysphere Records)

A benefit compilation in support of marine restoration through ORAI, this diverse collection features 13 experimental and ambient works — including evocative soundscapes by Scott Solter, Cristina Cano, and others — each track a donation from artists celebrating the sea’s mystery, fragility, and power through deeply personal sonic reflections. ... Click to View


Mat Watson:
Reflective Hits (Eternal Music Projects)

Extracted from archival sessions at Imaginary Sound Fields in Melbourne, Australian synthesist Mat Watson assembles a limited-edition set of vivid modular compositions — ranging from library-inspired cues to exploratory electronic abstractions — capturing the tactile nuance of a Eurorack modular as he sculpts asymmetrical, colorful soundscapes that blur nostalgia, experimentation, and inner space. ... Click to View


Unredeemable (Tracy Lisk / Andrea Pensado):
Preverbal (Love Earth Music)

A dynamic, spontaneous duo collaboration by percussionist Tracy-Lisk and multi-disciplinary performer Andrea-Pensado, this LEM-347 release unfolds through drumming, cymbal washes, voice and live electronics into a fluid, improvisatory dialogue that balances rhythmic sensitivity and textural exploration within an intimate, acutely reactive sound world. ... Click to View


+DOG+:
Our Beloved..... (Love Earth Music)

A fierce and immersive set of three extended noise pieces from the six-member experimental collective of Steve Davis, Bobby Almon, Chuck Foster, Edward Giles, LOB, and Mackenzie Kourie, recorded in multiple locations, blending dense textures, static-laced improvisation, and electroacoustic intensity into a raw and unapologetically visceral listening experience. ... Click to View



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  Outside the Chicken Shack  

Lars Hollmer Brings Sammla Mama to the U.S.


By William Burke 2003-12-15

Lars Hollmer
[Photo: Pelle Engman from the album utsikter]
"My influences? Hard to tell. Of course I like artists like Robert Wyatt, Albert Marcoeur, Tamla Movton, Wagner, Beethoven, Prokofieff...even some stuff of Michael Jackson."

Lars Hollmer is a true original. From his home base in Uppsala, Sweden, Hollmer and his accordion explore sublime regions of varied musical worlds, drawing on rock, prog, Scandinavian folk music, circus music, organ grinders and other cultural traditions. "Lately I have been listening to much from Japan," he said. "I have been so occupied with Japanese musicians and I have been to Japan six times." Along with his group Sola, which draws on those Japanese influences, Holmer works regularly with the groups Accordion Tribe and Von Zamla. But he is perhaps known for his progressive rock group Samla Mammas Manna, who undertook their first US tour in the fall.

Over more than three decades of performing, Hollmer has consistently been a tireless performer and dazzling composer. Just about any sounds or rhythms that may enter his world seem to be fair game and may eventually turn up on a composition. He is a noted keyboard player often blending his compositional pieces with a ferocious ability to improvise. The Samla sound especially, is often upbeat and at times almost whimsical, crossing musical boundaries and creating a warm blend of pleasing melodies within complex time signatures. "I always write the music down on paper," he said. "I need to do it to be able to communicate with other musicians. I compose everything myself from the heart. Nowadays I also have Pro tools for recording and I use Logic Audio Platinum for composing. It is much easier now. I have big experience from the past with analog tapes, multitracks. So much easier now."

Samla was originally formed in the late 60s, rehearsing and recording in Hollmer's home studio, which has become known over the years as the Chicken House. (The Zamla side of Fred Frith's Gravity was recorded there). "Mainly all my recording work I do in the Chicken House," he said. "I've had it since the mid '70s. I made the Chicken House myself and it's mainly two rooms, one kitchen and one studio. CH is located 50 meters from our living house in the country outside Uppsala. I'm very happy about it! It has great sound and now I have excellent tools as well."

The Uppsala countryside has remained his home base, despite the quiet lifestyle. "It is not a very big town," he said. "It is a university town, close to the airport, and close to Stockholm. The music scene is so-so. I don't play her so much but many good musicians live here. I have thought about moving, but since we built a house ourselves in the countryside and we have four children it has not been so easy to move. Also I have my studio here. If not Sweden, Italy maybe , or even Japan."

After years of recording and touring in Sweden, Finland, and Norway, Zamla was invited to tour Europe with the legendary British band Henry Cow. This helped further Zamla's contact with different European bands such as Univers Zero, Etron Fou, Stormy Six and Art Zoyd, among others, enmeshing them in the Rock in Opposition movement. "The nicest part about RIO was that suddenly we found out that we were not alone making strange music," Hollmer said. "Other groups like Univers Zero and Henry Cow had their own tracks but we found several common things. It was great to collaborate and to be invited to play in other European countries. Of course many influences were moving around."

Despite acclaim among the progressive rock community, Samla Mammas Manna had never played in the United States before this year, when they headlined the Progday Festival held in North Carolina. "I don't know why we haven't played in the US before," Hollmer said. "Fred Frith wanted me to come to the Knitting Factory in the '80s and we negotiated about playing there many times but always something came up."

The new incarnation consists of the core of the classic '70s lineup, with Hollmer on keyboards, guitarist Coste Apetrea, and Lars Krantz on bass, with Ruins drummer Tatsuya Yoshida, himself an unabashed prog fan, joining in. Hollmer and Yoshida had previously played together in Sola, and the power drummer was a strong addition to the Samlas. "Great with Tatsuya Yoshida in Samla!" he said. "It is not easy to take Hans Bruniusson's place but Tatsuya makes it great, and he adds good energy to the band."

Even without playing the US, Lars' tour schedule is demanding. "I'm on the road several times a year," he said. "Last year I had five repertoires in my head, Samla, Accordion Tribe, Sola, Fem Söker en Skatt, and solo, and I toured like hell! This year less, but I have been in Japan twice and on a tour in France solo. Plus some gigs in Sweden. The audiences have been great. I have got a kind of reputation from over the years and it may help a bit, especially in Japan. Toyko is a nice city to play.

"Recording is enjoyable but overall I can't stand just sitting in a studio," he added. "I need to meet an audience. Also the music develops in front of an audience and for me to play and share the music with other musicians is the biggest pleasure."

Samla Mammas Manna brief US tour included a stop in New York's Knitting Factory at the end of August, where they shared the stage with two other heavy prog outfits. The evening began with Nick Didkovsky and the great Dr. Nerve playing their wonderfully tight compositional madness for an appreciative crowd. They were immediately followed by the impressive Ron Anderson and Pak, who ripped through their set with a heady combination of power and control. The two bands warmed up the recently renovated Tap Bar for Samla, who delighted the crowd with their light-hearted ease and complex musical progressions. Hollmer was especially impressive as he directed the band, chatted casually with the audience and played difficult passages without a misplaced note, frequently all at the same time.

That onstage juggling act seems to be how he manages much of his work. In the coming months, Hollmer will release two new cds, include a "Chicken House Archives" disc in Japan, and has tours booked for December and March, as well as an Accordion Tribe tour in February. And he is working with Michel Berckmenns to form a larger group with a string section. "I hope I can keep alive some more because much remains to do."



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Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Kim Jae Jung:
Shamanism
(Relative Pitch)



Joe McPhee/
Susanna Gartmayer/
John Edwards/
Maria Portugal:
Monster
(Klanggalerie)



Signe Emmeluth/
Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten/
Axel Filip:
Hyperboreal Trio
(Relative Pitch)



John Butcher/
John Edwards:
This Is
Not Speculation
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Izumi Kimura/
Lina Andonovska/
Dominique Pifarely:
Seven Dreams
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Jerome Deupree/
Sylvie Courvoisier/
Lester St. Louis/
Joe Morris:
Canyon
[2 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Marc Baron/
Eric La Casa:
Contrefacons
(Swarming)



Francisco Lopez:
Untitled (
2021-2022)
[2 CDs]
(Bu Lang Tribute Cake)



Eventless Plot |
Haarvol:
The Subliminal Paths
[CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD]
(Innovo Editions)



Akmee:
Sacrum Profanum
(Nakama Records)



Karl Evangelista Quintet
feat. Bobby Bradford and
William Roper:
Solace Angles
(Asian Improv)



Sveio:
Latent Imprints
(577 Records)



The Sleep Of Reason
Produces Monsters (
Rasmussen/
Mitelli/
Rezaei/
Koenig):
The Sleep Of Reason
Produces Monsters
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)



Dan Brown/
Dan Reynolds:
Live At
The Grange Hall
[unauthorized][CASSETTE]
(Sacred Realism)



Matt Mitchell:
Sacrosanctity
(Obliquity)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj/
Mike Majkowski/
Magda Mayas/
Tony Buck):
Love
(thanatosis produktion/
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj/
Mike Majkowski/
Magda Mayas/
Tony Buck):
Love
[VINYL]
(thanatosis produktion/
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Mary Halvorson Septet:
Illusionary Sea
[2 LPS]
(Firehouse 12 Records)



Darius Jones:
Legend of e'Boi (
The Hypervigilant Eye)
[VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
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Irene Schweizer/
Rudiger Carl/
Johnny Dyani/
Han Bennink:
Irenes Hot Four
(Intakt)







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