The DVD movie and CD soundtrack of 10 years of Nanni Angeli's photo documentation of the strange story of Paolo Angelis exotic, extended giant Sardinian guitar.
British tenor saxophonist Julian Arguelles in a trio with NY drummer Tom Rainey and bassist Michael Formanek, a strong group feel led by one of contemporary jazz' unique voices.
Alto saxophonist Michael Attias leads this quintet with Tony Malaby on tenor and soprano, Russ Lossing on piano, John Hebert on bass and Staoshi Takeishi on drums performing live at the Jazz ao Centro Festival.
The complete meeting of bassist Joelle Leandre with reed player Anthony Braxton 2 CDs from their magnificent performance at the Heidelberg Cafe in Belgium, 2007.
Solo piano works from Brennan, also performing on arcopiano, pizzicatopiano, sordinopiano, tamburopiano, frampiano, indian harmonium, Irish whistle, Hohner accordion & melodica, Yamaha e-piano.
Second edition of these 1997 recordings from guitarists Lorren Connors and Jim O'Rourke, sparse western-flavored playing with an experimental side that never loses sight of melodicism.
Reissue of pianist Copland in a trio with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Jochen Rueckert performing ballads including pieces by Coltrane, Waldron, Porter and Sting.
Duet improvisations of acoustic guitarist John Corbett with two separate collaborators: cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and bassist Torsten Muller, subtle and substantial interaction.
Reissue and fresh master of saxophonist Lee Konitz, pianist Don Friedman and guitarist Attila Zoller's great 1995 Hat release, original compositions of live melodic interplay.
Cellist Daniel Levin's quartet with Nate Wooley on trumpet, Peter Bitenc on bass and Matt Moran on vibraphone performing live at the Jazz ao Centro Festival, Salao Brazil.
Pianist, flautist & vocalist Masashi Harada and the late saxophonist Joe Maneri worked together from the mid 80s, here in a studio work from 2003 of great creative power.
Percussionist Tony Marsh in four percussion solos and eleven duos with Veryan Weston on church organ performed live at St. Peter's church in Whistable, England.
San Francisco Bay Area bassist Lisa Mezzacappa's "garage jazz" quartet, a raw collective with an energized approach to jazz that focuses on band sound and chemistry.
Guitarist Joe Morris continues his duet parternships on Clean Feed, here with the innovative and amazing trumpeter Nate Wooley in an album of brilliant spontaneous improv.
Canada's premiere new music magazine's Summer 2010 issue with articles on Marilyn Lerner, Richard Marsella, Richard Windeyer, Psychotropic Sonics, plus a 12-track CD.
British sax giant Evan Parker meets Swiss tenor and soprano explorer Urs Leimgruber in an album of intertwining sax discussion using an unusual and unique language.
A sequence of six duo improvisations from Evan Parker on tenor saxophone & Sten Sandell on church organ recorded at Evan Parker's recording studio of choice, St Peter's in Whitstable, UK, 2009.
This recording with Dominic Duval on bass and Brian Wilson on drums marks the 20th anniversary of Ivo Perelman's recording career: passionate jazz that balances free jazz with music from his homeland.
Hal Rammel has been building instruments since the mid 1970s; the amplified palette is an artist's palette with attached wood & metal rods played with mallets or bows, amplified with a contact microphone.
"Three Days: a radiophonic excursion" brings together work commissioned by Chicago's Experimental Sound Studio for its Outer Ear Festival of Sound and Crouton Records' folktales series.
Bassist Kent Carter chose the ensemble of two string and two wind players from amongst the most experienced musicians in Europe to record the studio and live compositions in this exceptional 3 CD set.
A sequence of three solo acoustic guitar improvisations from prominent Euro/UK Free Improv guitarist John Russell, recorded at St Peter's, Whitstable 2009.
Part of a performance by tenor saxophonist Lorenzo Sanguedolce and bassist Michael Bisio, two extended and adventurous jazz works composed by Sanguedolc.
Saxophonist Stephen Gauci, pianist Kris Davis and bassist Michael Bisio work in an entirely improvised context, referencing jazz tradition with remarkable freedom and style.
Two related classic Saturn LP reissues on a single CD, both recorded at the Detroit Jazz Centre in 1980 and 1981 respectively with Sun Ra's large Omniverse Jet-set Arkestra.
3rd edition of this great live recording of Sun Ra and his Arkestra from 1980 in Switzerland, originally released as a double LP, and remastered for CD in 2010.
Live recordings from the 2009 Perspectives Festival in Vasteras, Sweden by the trio of Pat Thomas on piano & synth, Clayton Thomas on double bass and Raymond Strid on percussion.
The 16th release in John Zorn's series "The Book of Angels" reworking the Masada songbook, here with the Masada String Trio of Greg Cohen, Mark Feldman, and Erik Friedlander.
Using mostly unprocessed electric guitars, the duo of Elliott Sharp and Scott Fields' latest release presents eight dueling guitar works using dynamic, angular tones and textures, from extremely aggressive work to clean avant-jazz with twisted technical intent.
The trio of bassist Gary Peacock, pianist Paul Bley, and trumpeter Franz Koglmann interpret and improvise on the music of avant song-writer Annette Peacock.
The quartet of Cosottini, Melano, Pisani, Miano (EAQuartet Electroacoustic) in compositions referring to the 4 cardinal map points using graphic scores, games, open readings, &c.
The trio of violinist/vocalist Carla Kihlstedt, bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Matthias Bossi explore the language of memory and dreams through songs, improvisation, and field recordings.
Reedist Louis Sclavis' new cooperative trio with keyboardist Craig Taborn and drummer Tom Rainey in a mix of studio and live recordings from Casa da Musica, Porto.
A live performance at Judson Church in Manhattan as part of the 20th Vision Festival from the NY/France free improvising trio of Joelle Leandre on double bass, Mat Maneri on viola, and Gerald Cleaver on drums and percussion, two tracks of steadily building, incredibly compatible dialog.
Roman philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus named "Clinamen" the unpredictable (in time and space) swerve of atoms falling in the void, which aptly describes the unexpected directions taken in subtle free improvisation from this French trio, led by bassist Louis-Michel Marion, with Jacques Di Donato on clarinet, and Philippe Berger on viola.
A co-production between BeCoq Records and Creative Sources, the quartet of saxophonist Mathhiew Lebrun with 3 guitarists--Leo Rathier, Paul Menard, and Thomas Coquelet--use preparations, feedbacks, glass, cymbals, microswitches, and unusual sax techniques to create unusual sonic environments that ebb and flow in introspective and disquieting ways.
The Swedish duo of percussionist Andreas Pollak and prepared pianist Johan Graden (Adam & Alma) in an album of references and innuendo, clandestine and furtive sounds that evoke great mystery and drama in beautifully shaped sound; evocative music that deceives to emerge from the electronic realm while in actuality coming from all acoustic sources.
The second volume of the project heard in the previous Creative Sources album, "Suspensao", here in a 9-piece electroacoust ensemble with viola, cello, doublebass, alto sax, trombone, piano, electric guitar, computer and percussion, suspenseful lowercase music that unfolds in mysterious, beautiful and rewarding ways.
Live recordings at LOFT in Cologne, Germany from the trio of George Wissel on prepared saxophone, Achim Tang on doublebass, and Simon Camatta on drums & percussion, performing seven "Movements" that use prodigious technique with reserve and direction, revealing the structure of their work as the pieces build and recede in fascinating ways.
Repressed for 2019! Daphne Oram, founder of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, in a remarkable 44-track collection 4 LP release showcasing her important work and curious nature: 155 minutes/8 sides of vinyl in a heavyweight 300 gram gatefold sleeve with rare archival material.
Reissue and fresh master of saxophonist Lee Konitz, pianist Don Friedman and guitarist Attila Zoller's great 1995 Hat release, original compositions of live melodic interplay.
Having previously worked together with Joe McPhee and Kent Kessler, this album distills the Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado and NY drummer/percussionist Chris Corsano to a concentrated sax and drum duo of earnest and edgy playing, bending jazz, free and blues idioms to their will with magnificent technique and power, both clearly elated in their meeting.
Recorded live at Silence Sounds in Guelph Canada, the duo of Xavier Charles on clarinet and Eric Normand on electric bass & objects eschew idiom in favor of their unique natural language on their instruments, applying patient development of truly idiosyncratic and fascinating command through a single extended work punctuated in seven diverse passages.
From 2008-16 until drummer Frank Rosaly moved to Amsterdam, alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella's Trio was an active part of Chicago's creative jazz scene; in early 2018 Rosaly returned for a visit and Mazzarella composed a suite of 6 new pieces to commemorate the trio's tenth anniversary, the exuberant result this excellent concert recorded at Co-Prosperity Sphere!
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.
The 5th release from the trio of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Keiji Haino, guitarist Jim O'Rourke and Oren Ambarchi on wineglass and percussion is an introspective and beautifully developed set recorded live at their March 2013 concert at SuperDeluxe.
Dark and demanding improvisation, each side of this album an extended foray into dark and dangerous explorations from the Los Angeles trio of Peter Kolovos on guitar, Patrick Shiroishi on saxophone, and Noel Meek on electronics and tapes, Shiroishi's sweeping tones matching the electronics and effected guitar in a glorious nightmare of darkly imaginative sound.
An extended and rich confluence of strings from R Keenan Lawler and John Krausbauer, using resonator guitar and banjo, sustained tones that intertwine in a beautiful and optimistic drone, minimalistic yet drenched in a profusion of harmonic detail; a beautiful and elusive dream mixing between an Indian raga and an alien electronic environment.
Recorded in the mid-90s, Livebatts! was a project of John White (Cornelius Cardew, Scratch Orchestra) developed to exploit "toy" keyboards of the 80s--cheap battery-driven instruments that hold tremendous potential for "serious" music-making--used here in a playful quartet with vocalist MJ Coldiron, Andrea Rocca (guitar & samples) and Nancy Ruffer (electrified flute).
An excellent first meeting of two guitarists recording on a February afternoon and released in the sequence recorded with no edits or changes, from Jim McAuley on guitar and Scot Ray on lap steel slide guitar with effects, an innately lyrical blending of styles masking the strong technical skills and long histories of these two superlative players.
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".
'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.
While both improvisers were in New York City for the 2019 Vision Festival, multi-reedist and European Free Improv legend Peter Brötzmann met Chicago cellist and electronics artist Fred Lonberg-Holm to record their 3rd album together, their 1st album in the studio a diverse set of incredible concentration, with Brötzmann performing on tenor saxophone, woodwind, and clarinet.
German saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and Vancouver pianist Kris Davis, both living and working in NY, and having worked together in a variety of groups including Laubrock's Anti-House, a trio with drummer Tyshawn Sorey, Tom Rainey's Obligatto, &c. &c., concentrate their sophisticated playing with this duo album of 7 original compositions and 2 free improvisations.
Having played together in a variety of settings, but never as a trio, saxophonist Sabir Mateen, clarinetist Patrick Holmes and drummer Federico Ughi met in a recording studio in Tuscany, Italy to record this album of wide-ranging free improvisation, Mateen's Farfisa playing and vocal declamations bringing a Sun Ra element to the vehement and profound dialog.
Trumpeter Dennis Gonzalez merges his Yells at Eel project with bassist Aaron Gonzalez and drummer/percussionist Stefan Gonzalez, with Texas-based experimental rock band Pinkish Black--Daron Beck on keyboards and Jon Teague on drums & synthesizers--for a gripping and masterful hybrid of improvisation, dark synthetic rock and heavy moods; a riveting journey.
Exploring the lineage of the Dukes of Bedford, the Russell lineage in Bedford, England, in groupings of acoustic & electric guitarists John Russell, Ray Russell, and Henry Kaiser along with double bassist Ollie Brice, from duos to quartets, eight Duke "Russells" from 1680 to 2003 are explored through intricate and joyfully creative and technically amazing string improvisations.
Taking his title from a poem by Octavio Paz with titles from translations by Lysander Kemp of other Octavio Paz poems, this solo album from double bassist Damon Smith is his definitive statement on the instrument: 23 tracks from 46 seconds to 5 minutes 50, developed over 15 years and displaying Smith's incredible technique and creative intent; incomparable.