Guitarist Mary Halvorson's project with Chris Speed on sax & clarinet, Eivind Opsvik on bass, and Tomas Fuijwara on drums, a band formed for a one-off concert at the Blue Note in NYC, that continued on based on the strength of the bond between them, as heard on this superb release.

Following the success of "Enter the Continent", Masashi Harada dance-conducts a somewhat larger group of mostly Boston-based musicians, including Greg Kelley and Bhob Rainey, among others.

Swiss accordionist Hans Hassler in his 2nd Intakt release, incorporating Swiss folk music, jazz, film music, free improvisation and classical interpretation in a band with Gebhard Ullmann on bass, Jurgen Kupke on clarinet, and Beat Follmi on percussion.

Berlin-based saxophonist Boris Hauf's sextet with Keefe Jackson (sax), Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Frank Rosaly (drums), Steve Hess (drums & electronics) and Michael Hartman (drums) in 4 extended pieces of boiling intensity.

Astute improvisations using extended language from the duo of Thomas Heberer (ICP) on cornet and Pascal Niggenkemper on double bass, two European free improvisers based in New York and pushing the limits of the improvised duo in accessible ways.

German born, NY based trumpeter Heberer's trio with clarinetist Joachim Badenhorst and bassist Pascal Niggenkemper performing Heberer's "cliff" works blending composition and improvisation.

Master trumpeter Thomas Heberer in a two part double LP release: "Klippe" in a trio with clarinetist Badenhorst and bassist Niggenhkemper; and "One" performing solo.

Bassist John Hebert continues to explore his Louisana/Cajun roots with his trio of Benoit Delbecq on piano (plus synth & electronics) and drummer Gerald Cleaver, challenging and enigmatic improvisation with a solid rhythmic center.

Bassist Hebert's Trio with French pianist and synth player Benoit Delbecq and drummer Gerald Cleaver, expansive and spacious jazz with a beautiful spirituality.

A hybrid of theater, music, sound poetry and political manifesto from Sylvaine Helary, focused on the "Arab Spring" in Egypt, using intertwining words and voices around the quartet performances of Hugues Mayot, Sylvain Lemetre, Antonin Rayon and Sylvaine Helary.

The late great saxophonist Julian Hemphill and bassist Peter Kowald, essential free jazz players from NY and Germany, performing solo and as a duo live at Kassiopeia, Wuppertal in 1987.

The late great saxophonist Julian Hemphill and bassist Peter Kowald, essential free jazz players from NY and Germany, performing solo and as a duo live at Kassiopeia, Wuppertal in 1987.

Ranging from trio to septet, Herculaneum incorporates a chamber aesthetic into modern improvisational aesthetic with graceful expressiveness and compositional power.

The German born NYC-based trio of quarter-tone trumpeter Thomas Heberer, drummer Joe Hertenstein and bassist Pascal Niggenkemperer, bringing European perspectives to jazz with a NY flavor.

Drummer Joe Herteinstein's followup to his 1st Clean Feed HNH album from his New York trio with Pascal Niggenkemper on bass and Thomas Heberer on cornet, adding a New York attitude to European modern jazz, with oustanding playing using a mix of traditional and inventive approaches.

Jim Hobbs piano-less trio in an "emboldened program of muscular angularity Ornette-ish harmolodic lullaby and punk-rock deviousness."

Canada's songwriting Hobson's Choice has developed into a tightly knit ensemble embracing elements of jazz, chamber, and singer-songwriter traditions, with sound-worlds ranging from midnight deep-woods marimba ballads to sunny cicada-sung anthems.

Freely improvised collective with an electroacoustic inclination and chamber music reserve from the quintet of Dre Hoceva (drums), Bran De Looze (piano), Lester St. Louis (cello), Chris Pitsiokos (sax) and Philip White (electronics & signal processing).

A multinational jazz trio using compositional and improvisational approaches, led by drummer Dre Hocevar, with Bram De Looze on piano, and Lester St. Louis on cello, plus NY electronics artist Sam Pluta providing signal processing on the title track.

Accordionist and Braxton protege Holshouser's Trio with pianist Bernardo Sassetti play jazz incorporating world musics like cajun, klezmer, tango, gypsy songs, &c.

An exciting and powerful album by William Hooker's quintet recorded live in NYC, featuring trumpeter (DiMeglio) and guitarist (Ross) on the front line backed by an explosive hurricane of perucussion.

A collosal encounter of drummer William Hooker and the late wind player Thomas Chapin performing at the 9th Street Gallery in NYC in 1992, 3 massive improvisations from the jazz underground.

A collosal encounter of drummer William Hooker and the late wind player Thomas Chapin performing at the 9th Street Gallery in NYC in 1992, 3 massive improvisations from the jazz underground.

NY drummer William Hooker performing with Darius Jones and Adam Lane at The Stone in NYC, and with Aaron Bennett, Weasel Walter and Damon Smith at The Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco.

An early album from Vancouver clarinetist Francois Houle with frequent collaborators Tony Wilson (guitar) and Dylan van der Schyff (drums & percussion), performing original compositions and a unique version of Duke Ellington's "Frustration."

Performing live at B-Flat, in Berlin, Germany in 2014, this album aptly names the intricate interactions and dialog from this sophisticated and seasoned quartet, performing extended collective compositions that showcases each player while emphasizing their group dynamic.

Digital concert recording made in Brussels at the L'Archiduc from trombonist Paul Hubweber and prepared pianist Philip Zoubek, two generations of players with tremendous empathy and dialog.

An intensely personal journey, Charlotte Hug uses extended vocal techniques and an unusual language on the viola, creating an exceptional and unique improvisatory sound world.

Eyal Maoz, James Ilgenfritz, and Lukas Ligeti make up Hypercolor, the NYC-based spastic jazz-rock hybrid whose ridiculous artsong craftsmanship alternately revels in complexity or brazen simplicity, favoring entropy and near-disaster over order or tidiness.

A large Lisboa ensemble presenting a collective improvisation titled after a painting by Yves Klein, with performers including Ernesto Rodrigues (baritone violin), Miguel Mira (bass), Nuno Torres (sax), Carlos Santos (electronics), Rodrigo Pinheiro (piano), &c. &c.

A previously unissued 1972 concert by the original version of Iskra 1903 - Paul Rutherford (trombone), Derek Bailey (guitar) and Barry Guy (double bass) - extraordinary performances, plus 2 short extracts from another concert.

Crossing NY and Chicago artists, the quartet of Mike Ladd on vocals & synth, Jeff Parker on electric guitar, Tyshawn Sorey on drums, trombone & electric piano, and HPRIZM/High Priest on synth create thought-provoking spoken environments of intense improv.

The French experimental jazz trio of Theo Ceccaldi (violin), Valentin Ceccaldi (cello) and Sylvain Darrifourcq (drums, percussuions, zither) in a playful release of quick paced, creative improvisations in an album of exciting and somewhat off-kilter music; superbe!

The trio of flautist Nicole Mitchell with Harrison Bankhead and Hamid Drake, three Chicago musicians recording a set of original recordings in NYC, 2008.

Two creative flautists come together when Michel Edilin joins Nicole Mitchell's Indigo Trio with Harrison Bankhead and Hamid Drake for an album of excellent and tantric improvisation.

Herbie Hancock's 1971 Mwandishi band is revisited by original members Eddie Henderson (trumpet) and Billy Hart (drums) along with Bob Gluck on piano & electronics and Christopher Dean Sullivan on bass, updating and exploring the potential from that exciting music.

The 3rd full length from Canada's Inhabitants expands the sonic experiments of this quartet's intuitive group improvisations, mixing rich feedback with alluring lyricism.

Vancouver 4-piece with members from Fond of Tigers, Tony Wilson 6Tet, Carsick, &c, merging jazz, noise rock and free improv into music with few sonic boundaries.

A 2-CD release from the impressive trio of Finnish saxophonist Mikko Innanen and legendary US improvisers bassist William Parker, and drummer Andrew Cyrille, presenting one studio disc of Innanen compositions recorded in 2010, and a live CD from IBEAM Brooklyn in 2012.

Drummer Barry Altschul joins saxophonist Jon Irabagon and bassist Peter Brendler in an incredible trio of free improvisation and hard playing that's not afraid to put a little cheesecake on the cover.

Brian Irvine's large work performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra was written and dedicated to Paul Dunmall and inspired by the film work of David Lynch, a 4-part musical landscape using 3 groups of players, 2 conductors and Dunmall himself.

Chicago saxophonist Keefe Jacksonand Swiss pianist Hans-Peter Pfammatter in a contemplative and expressive duo album demonstrating powerful technique and subtle restraint through nine improvisations.

Tenor saxophonist Keefe Jackson's quartet with trombonist Jeb Bishop, bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Noritaka Tanaka, creative Chicago jazz from an active set of windy city players.

Mick Sexton curates the first compilation of late pianist/keyboard player Pete Jacobsen, with sidemen including Mick Sexton, Tony Marsh, Don Weller, Jimmy Roche, Bobby Wellins, Rob King, Chris Boscoe, &c.

Swiss saxophonist Michael Jaeger's quartet Kerouac meets saxophonist Greg Osby and guitarist Phillip Schaufelberger for a set of original compositions played on the outside.

Saxophonist and clarinetist Michael Jaeger's quartet with Vincent Membrez (piano), Luca Sisera (bass) and Norbert Pfammatter (drums) play with rhythms, sounds and spaces, merging traditional and new forms in euphoric ways.

Italian Transalpine reedist Piero Bittolo (El Gallo Rojo) in his oddly named trio playing freeform jazz with a groovy accent, refined technique, imagination, soul and guts.

A sophisticaed album of modern jazz inspired by the 1968 British TV show of the same name; atmospheric to melodic free music composed by New York bassist Max Johnson and performed with Ingrid Laubrock (tenor saxophone), Mat Maneri (viola) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums).

The New York trio of trumpeter Kirk Knuffke, bassist Max Johnson and Ziv Ravitz recording mostly original compositions in the studio, modern improvisation blending melodic and free improvisation in excellent ways.

Pianist Samuel Vriezen performs Tom Johnson's work presenting what Johnson describes as a natural phenomenon within a musical scale: progressions in 1 to 5 voices of all possible combinations of notes with each voice being limited to 3 steps, a perfect 4th or a perfect 5th.

Cylinder with Aram Shelton on sax, Darren Johnston on trumpet, Kjell Nordeson on drums and Lisa Mezzacappa on bass, sharing Ornette Coleman's chordless instrumentation in inventive harmolodic compositions.

The 5th installment in saxophonist/composer Darius Jones' expansive "Man'ish" Boy epic, a well-balanced album of jazz and voice performed with Matt Mitchell (piano), Sean Conly (bass), Ches Smith (drums), Emillie Lesbros (voice, piano) and Pascal Niggenkemper (bass).

JC Jones on electroacoustic bass and live electronics performing duos with friends Harold Rubin, Ariel Shibolet, Maya Dunietz, Yuval Mesner, Josef Sprinzak, &c.

An inventive, exuberant and absolutely amazing duo record from free jazz legends Edward "Kidd" Jordan and Hamid Drake recording live at New Orleans' renowned Piety Street Recording.

The free improvising trio of saxophonist Kidd Jordan, drummer Alvin Fielder, and bassist Peter Kowald performing at Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center in New Orleans in 2002.

The free improvising trio of saxophonist Kidd Jordan, drummer Alvin Fielder, and bassist Peter Kowald performing at Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center in New Orleans in 2002, plus the duo of Jordan and Fielder in the studio in 2005 and live, 2012 in Texas.

Saxophonist Paulo Alexandre Jorge leads his Improbable Trio with Tom Wheatley on double bass and AMM/Matchless legendary percussionist Eddie Prevost in a six part album of ardent free improvisation on titles about Sex, Love, Death, Friendship, Art Beauty, Power Law, &c.

Clarinetist Theo Jorgensmann's quartet with double bassist Christian Ramond, drummer Klaus Kugel, and vibraphonist Christopher Dell recording in the studio in German, 1999.

The 2nd LP from Polish multi-wind & reedist Mat Walerian, his 2nd with NY pianist Matthew Shipp, and the 2nd recorded within the live Okuden Concert Series, adding drummer Hamid Drake for an excellent album of free improvisation that flows beautifully from track to track.

Satoko Fujii's latest Junk Box with Natsuki Tamura and John Hollenbeck is an amazing jazz album of extended technique, instrumentation and expressive, dramatic ideas

With links to Foton Quartet, Rob Mazurek, Nicole Mitchell, Keith Rowe, Kevin Drumm, Matt Bauder, &c, the Polish & German quartet of Anna Kaluza (sax), Artur Majewski (trumpet), Rafal Mazur (guitar) & Kuba Suchar (drums) perform a perfect blend of bebop, free forms, west coast jazz and free improvisation.

The 21st volume in John Zorn's Book of Angels presents 10 Masada arrangements from Eyvind Kang, performing on a variety of strings & keys, with a modern orchestra and unusual orchestration to create a lyrical and unique vision of Zorn's work.

The Boston based trio of pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, bassist Jef Charland and drummer Luther Gray documented their work on their own compositions in 2012, after a year's worth of monthly concerts.

A live recording made in April 2014 at Mike Reed's Constellation in Chicago of pianist Karayorgis Quintet with Dave Rempis (sax), Keefe Jackson (reeds), Nate McBride (bass) and Frank Rosaly (drums), bridging post-bop and avant jazz in sophisticated and lyrical ways.

Pianist Pandelis Karayorgis in a new band with Luther Gray, Jef Charland, Jeff Galindo and Matt Langley, distinctive jazz focusing on tradition through contemporary perspectives.

The trio of clarinetist Sylvain Kassap, bassist Claude Tchamitchian and drummer Ramon Lopez with Denis Lavant interpreting Franck Medioni's jazz poem to John Coltrane.

"Grunen" (The Greening) is a live totally improvised recording from the trio of pianist Achim Kaufmann, bassist Robert Landfermann, and drummer Christian Lillinger.

The trio of Achim Kaufmann on piano, Frank Gratkowski on sax and clarinets, and Wilbert de Joode on bass, has performed together since the mid-80s, developing a unique language of dynamic, texture and rhythmic complexity that puts them at the forefront of European collective improv.

With two trumpets, drums and piano, Kaze's 2nd release with Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura, and Muzzix members Christian Pruvost and Peter Orins, hits like the album title, but surprises with contrasts from torrential power to beautiful melodic interplay.

Magaibutsu drummer Yoshida Tatsuya and Innocence/Altered States guitarist Uchihashi Kazuhisa in a genre-shifting and inspired duo from two of Japan's most active rock improvisers.

Grid Mesh drummer Willi Kellers Quartet with the dual saxophone lineup of Paul Dunmall and Frank Paul Schubert and bassist Clayton Thomas (BassX3, Ames Room) performing live at Black box/CUBA, in Muenster, DE; powerful and innovative improv.

Michel F Cote, Bernard Falaise, Alexandre St-Onge, Christof Migone, and Sam Shalabi, all members of the excellent group Klaxon Gueule, in a minimalist release of improv.

Tzadik's series reinterpreting John Zorn's Masada compositions releases the 24th "Book of Angels", performed by Klezmerson, a Mexico-based ensemble led by violist & composer Benjamin Shwartz, who founded the group in 2003 to integrate music from a Mexican standpoint.