Celebrated pianist Matthew Shipp joins Irish guitarist Mark O'Leary to explore the many fields of improvisation each follows, from meditative to intense discourse.

Mark O'Leary's 9th release on Leo Records is a trio with drummer Kenny Wollesen and Zorn compatriot Jamie Saft, synthetic jazz in an ECM mold with rich, slowly unfolding soundscapes.

Romanian-French composer Horatiu Radulescu with 2 works from 1983: "Clepsydra" for 16 Sound Icons played on a sideway piano, and the 1984 work "Astray" for 6 saxophones and Sound Icons.

Exploring the many voices of the extraordinary electronic instrument onde Martinot with works by Olivier Messiaen, N'Guyen Thien Dao, Jacques Charpentier & Tristan Murail.

The duo of pianist Dana Reason and drummer & sampler player Peter Valsamis in an album crossing boundaries of jazz, classical, and creative new music from two exceptional players involved in a rich dialog.

Five original compositions and a great rendering of "Lush Life" from British pianist Howard Riley performing solo at the Jazz Jungtys Festival in Kaunas, 2012, brilliant and focused playing showing his masterful skills deeply steeped in tradition and freedom.

Pianist Howard Riley recorded these twelve solo piano performances live at Leicester Jazz House at Embrace Arts in 2012, with 4 original Riley compositions and 8 drawn from jazz standards or Thelonius Monk compositions.

For the first time in 25 years, Howard Riley overdubs a piano by recording one part as if he were playing a solo and the immediately overdubbing the second part, resulting in nine improvisations and a jazz tribute to Monk.

Following her trio record with Benjamin Duboc and Edward Perraud, pianist Eve Risser releases this contemplative and gorgeous solo album, a beautifully paced and delicate album for the piano, augmented with moving preparations for sonic and percussive accents.

Pianist Angelica Sanchez's debut solo record, a beautiful mix of meditative, introspective original compositions as well as pieces by Ornette Coleman, Hank Thompson and a Brazilian folk song.

The piano and vibraphone duo of Sten Sandell and Mattias Stahl in improvisations that borrow from both Sun Ra and contemporary classical such as Cage, Cowell, Xenakis, &c.

The coordinates in the title are from Switzerland, the location where Christoph Schiller and Lea Danzeisen recorded this unusual output from a pair of spinnet keyboards, manipulating them in highly unusual ways.

The free improvising duo of pianist Manon-Liu Winter and saxophonist Udo Schindler performing at the SALON fur KLANG + KUNST in Kralling, Munich in 2012, an amazing dialog that balances subtle and explosive playing in inventive ways.

Modern improv and Bebop innvoative legends combine in this solo album from European pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach peforming the music of Thelonious Monk, 20 of the pianist's favorite works including several rarely performed pieces.

Pianist Shipp's long-standing trio with bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey, complex and inspired compositions that makes modern creative approaches to jazz beautifully accessible and essential.

Solo piano works from Matthew Shipp recorded in 2007 in NYC, 12 tracks that show the breadth style, range, technique from one of our greatest modern players.

Free jazz pioneers and electronic improvisers Alan Silva and Burton Greene together playing vintage synthesizers and keyboards, exploring new sounds and pushing boundaries.

A chamber opera by Joanna Halszka Sokolowska at Opera// REMIX at Komuna// Warszawa, using sung and spoken voice, piano, and a variety of tonal instruments to present an intriguing set of variations informed by numerological methods, scientific statistics, &c..

Sontag Shogun is the trio of pianist Ian Temple and sound artists Jesse Perlstein and Jeremy Young, setting the piano against intricately designed sonic textures and cut-ups of choral voice and acoustic guitar, as well as processed field recordings, here in a 10" 4 track EP.

Recorded mostly in the early'60s in a sextet with Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, &c., this album explores stripped back forms and colour combinations that take jazz into unusual territories.

Pianist Takase continues her tributes to great American jazz musicians with a solo album of Ellington interpretations, taken from her unique perspective and style, played with great feeling and insight.

2-CD set with recordings by the legendary 20th century avantgarde pianist performing compositions by (and with) John Cage, plus Sylvano Bussotti, Morton Feldman, Christian Wolff.

An extract from Berlin composer Jakob Ullman's 2012 3-CD box set on Edition Rz, presenting "solo III for organ" (1992/1993), an hour long work of tone and tension performed by Hans-Peter Schulz at the Big Organ in Abteikirche Neresheim.

Fred Van Hove's 52 minute solo piano performance at the Jazz à Mulhouse summer festival 2007 reveals one of the giants of improvised music at the height of his creative powers.

In a trio with bassist Barry Guy and percussionist Balts Nils, pianist Katharina Weber interprets 11 short piano pieces by Gyorgy Kurtag's collection "Jatekok", beautiful gems of trio improvisation.

Digital concert recording made in Bordeaux, France from pianist Veryan Weston performing solo, the last part of a cycle of concerts organized by Musique Ouverte.

Keyboardist Michel Wintsch uses piano, prepared piano, synthesizer, and a variety of foot devices to create unique solo compositions, informed by his years working with artists like Franz Koglmann and Gerry Hemingway.

A portrait of Christian Wolff, documenting the composer's early activity through recordings made close to the time of their composition from artists including Cornelius Cardew, Frederic Rzewski, David Tudor, &c.

Pianist Yamamoto, noted on William Parker's "Corn Meal Dance", in a set of sensitive and melodic original compositions with her trio of drummer Ikuo Takeuchi & bassist David Ambrosio.

The second volume documenting John Zorn's astonishing solo organ improvisations recorded in 2013 on the Aeloian Skinner organ at St. Paul's Chapel in New York City.

The third in John Zorn's solo organ is performed live at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in 2013, performing with unusual sonorities, spectral experimentation, hypnotic moods and stirring melodies.

Three compositional works from Zorn: 1999's violin concerto "Contes de Faes"; and two intense pieces of "Crowleana", a bizarre and expansive solo piano piece and a work for 3 cellists.

Celebrating Ivo Perelman's 25th anniversary as a recording artist in a duo with legendary vibist Karl Berger (here on piano) for a special recording brimming with lyricism and a unique mix of virtuosity, wild abandon and romance.

A collection of performances by tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp, each piece named for characters from arias sung by Greek opera vocalist Maria Callas, 16 lyrical free improvisations as Perelman evokes Callas' distinctive voice.

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.

Legendary trumpeter, composer and educator Bill Dixon in a 17 piece orchestra playing original compositions live at the 12th Vision Festival in New York City.

Great duo set from bassist Dresser and "hyperpiano" (read: heavily prepared) player Maroney.

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.

Free improvising saxophonist Simon Rose, on baritone and alto sax, meets composer/arranger Stefan Schultze on prepared piano for 11 exploratory works based around Schultze's "modules"--bits and pieces attached inside the piano--creating unusual platforms for free improvisation.

Acoustic hallucinations for violin and piano from the duo of violinist Erkki Veltheim and pianist Anthony Pateras, exploring spectral techniques throughout extended temporal structures to generate unrelenting harmonic waves that create a singular psycho-harmonic texture.

Five new or recent pieces from composer Jurg Frey, alongside his 1993 work "In Memoriam Cornelius Cardew", all performed by pianist Philip Thomas, presenting slowly unfolding compositions emphasizing the physical space and time within which sounds are situated.

The Italian duo of pianist Gianni Lenoci and soprano saxophonist Gianni Mimmo using extended and unusual techniques through eight improvisations mixing melody, timbre and tone.

An engaging encounter between bassist Leandre and pianist Sirjacq, delicate yet intense interaction from two sophisticated & listening players from different generations.

Mysterious and intense works for electric guitar, signal processing, field recordings and voice from experimenter, improviser and audio researcher Gunnar Geisse.

John Zorn's 4th volume of ritualistic organ improvisations, this recital was recorded at midnight on the eve of Halloween on St. Bart's organ, the largest in New York City, a massive sound of "contrasts, colors, bells, drones, counterpoint and simultaneity".

Edwin Alexander Buchholz performs this beautiful work by John Cage on accordion, originally written for the Japanese sho, where sounds are single tones and chords, up to six part harmonies, or as Cage wrote, "sounds brushed into existence as in oriental calligraphy".

John McAlpine performs composer Tom Johnson's beautiful piano cycle "Counting Keys", using mathematical progressions to create the structure of its 5 movements; plus 8 parts from his "Organ and Silence for Piano"; and two other compositions using mathematical processes.

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.

A thoroughly modern and bizarre two-act opera about three struggling roommates in Brooklyn performed with Jason Cady, Mary Halvorson, Tomas Fujiwara, Jessica Pavone, Tim Dahl, Ben Holmes, Katie Young, &c.

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.

New York/Ohio skronkers Scarcity of Tanks with Jim Sauter of Borbetomagus plus Kid Millions in a hard free rock free improv blast.

Anthony Pateras & Valerio Tricoli worked 7 years transforming pianos, organs, harpsichords, tape machines and synthesizers into an expansive sonic otherworld that celebrates the "End of Times" in three parts; a meticulous and fascinating work.

Extended Pianos employ stochastic improvisations, live analogue processing, feedback experiments, atmospheric tape composition, and ultra-physical episodic structures to manipulate prepared piano performances in real time, creating an exceptional and engrossing work.

Polish conceptual composer Zygmunt Krauze meets pianist John Tilbury, who studied in Warsaw in the 1960s, and returned in 2015 for a residency; this delicate and beautiful work was recorded at the Concert Studio of Polish Radio in Warsaw with 4 pianos and a percussionist.

Live recordings from 2012 & 2015 by German pianist Uwe Oberg performing a mix of original compositions and work by Monk, Bley, Lacy, & A. Peacock, balancing melodic and exploratory playing with passionate conviction backed by masterly skills and impeccable pacing.

Four works interpreted for accordion performed by Edwin Alexander Buchhol, including John Cage's "Cheap Imitation"; Michael Pisaro-Liu's "Here (2)"; Jurg Frey's "Sam Lazaro Bros." and Antoine Beuger's "die geschichte des sandkorns".

11 beautiful and technically interesting instant compositions improvised on piano by Nico Huijbregts.

The title reflecting violinist Angharad Davies' Welsh Roots, this duo with inside pianist Tisha Mukarji furthers the collaborations of these improvisers, recording in St Catherine's Church in South London, using the acoustics of the space to shape the form of their music.

German composer Alfred Zimmerlin presents 3 pieces that balance compositional and improvisational approaches, with a 7-part work for strings, a large Klavierstruck work for microtonal piano, and an improvised chamber work, "Klarinettenquintett," with Jurg Frey on clarinet.

erstwhile records releases their first CD on their ErstClass imprint, issuing and collecting historically important work, here with composer Michael Pisaro-Liu's piano works from 1994-2016, 11 compositions performed by Netherlands pianist Reinier van Houdt.

Legendary pianist Veryan Weston set out across England in 2014 in search of tracker-action organs, which he tested for suitability for a planned trio album, where possible recording himself on the instrument, as heard in these seven recordings of unusual and impressive improvisations.

Pianist Howard Riley in a 5 CD box of absolutely impressive solo piano never before released on CD, including festival recordings in Paris & Debrecen, a 1987 cassette-only release, and three new albums from 2014, 15 & 16 titled as "Longer Story" "One", "Two" & "Three"; esssential!

Three beautifully delicate works for Jurg Frey's clarinet, composed by the Amsterdam-based Wandelweiser composer/pianist Dante Boon, who has collaborated with Frey for several years and who accompanies Jurg on two of the pieces.

Christoph Schiller performs on the spinet, often improvising with electronics and objects; here he uses the spinet alone in patiently developing compositions that emphasize the individual tones and harmonics of the instrument played on the keys and inside the instrument.

Pianist Roger Admiral performs Canadian composer Mark Hannesson's "The Angel's Game", and "Memory Sustained", both minimal works for solo piano, the second using a set of instructions giving the performer advice and discretion over pacing and approach.

Jean-Marc Foussat joins drummer Ramon Lopez for an album of inventive sound and rhythm, spontaneous compositions of unusual approach and texture, Lopez using an array of percussion and drums including tablas to provide punctuation and depth to Foussant's other-worldly playing.

A live recording at POP in Berlin between synth and electronics player Jean-Marc Foussat and vocalist and electronicist Maria Luisa Capurso, subverting the voice through electronics and effects to create wildly encompassing sound environments that contrast Foussat's synthetics with the organic quality of the human voice; rich, hallucinatory, wonderful.

Synth improviser Jean-Marc Foussat and double bassist Fred Marty join their names and playing together for an absolutely impressive album of exploratory improv, Foussat taking their music into hallucinatory territories while Marty provides both a solid anchor and flights of textural nuance; supberb.

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.

Pianist Simon Nabatov plays the music of Thelonious Monk in a live concert from 1995, alternating those recordings with a 2013 concert of solo electroacoustic work, an unusual approach that focuses the melodic aspects of Monk while highlighting his eccentricity and intrepidity.

Pianist Matt Mitchell, a member of saxophonist Tim Berne's Snakeoil, releases a solo album of Berne compositions, taking the reedist's typically frenetic material into unexpected territory, revealing dark beauty and intensely introspective aspects to Berne's music.

After bringing her band Kaze to the Cortez club in Mito, Japan, the owner asked pianist Satoko Fujii back to perform a solo show, captured here across two CDs showing her extensive technical skills and passionate approach to playing, in a mix of new work and new takes on previously recorded compositions.

Recorded at an exhibition of visual works by Chicago trumpeter Rob Mazurek in Texas, this was the first meeting with pianist Thollem McDonas, in an ardent session of explorative improvisation using electric and analog piano, sythn, samplers, cornet, voice, bells and effects; inquisitive and cathartic music of great drive.

A dramatic work for solo piano, exploring sound phenomena in fast repetitions that generate whirlpools of overtones, "Blood Stretched Out" is the primary track on composer & pianist Anthony Pateras' first solo album in 10 years, paired with "Chronochromatics", recorded live at The Loft in Cologne as part of the Plush Music Festival in 2013.