Jazz drummer and composer Scott Clark leads his Richmond, VA 4Tet of Cameron Ralston (bass), Jason Scott (sax) and Bob Miller (trumpet) on a lyrical and passionate suite exploring Clark's Native American roots, referencing Dee Brown's "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee".

Taking their name from composer Guillaume de Machaut, Quentin Biardeau directs his saxophone quartet as they reinterpret his 1365 polyphonic mass "Messe de Nostre Dame", using the resonance of the the Abbey of Noirlac, France to enhance these beautifully paced compositions.

Israeli alto & soprano saxophonist Daniel Zamir returns to Tzadik with tracks from each of two quartets in a release of burning jazz, passionate, lyrical and technically exceptional playing in compositions that shift time signatures and moods with strong melodic focus.

The inimitable trio of saxophonist Francois Carrier (also on Chinese oboe), drummer Michel Lambert and bassist John Edwards, joined by pianist Steve Beresford for a European tour, here recorded at London's Vortex Club for a powerful and diverse album of creative free improv.

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 young Norwegian trio of Christian Winther (acoustic guitar), Magnus Nergaard ( double bass) and Jan Martin Gismervik ( double bass) joined by legendary sax player Frode Gjerstad for open-minded, introspective and unpredictable improvisation bridging two generations.

The freely improvising quartet of Ernesto Rodrigues, Axel Dorner, Nuno Torres and Alexander Frangenheim recorded this beautiful album of dark sound in Germany in 2014, 3 movements of understated dialog using unexpected techniques in a subtle dialog.

Making extensive use of sampling and computer electronics, composer and guitarist Tim Brady combines a major work for 20 guitars on his debut record for Ambiances Magnetiques.

Duo improvisations on pieces composed by clarinetist Pierre Langevin and percussionist Pierre Tanguay, using unusual instruments such as bagpipes, jaw-harps, accordions, etc.

Live recordings in Catherine & Henri's courtyard, Fresnes, France from this trio of understated and extended improvisers: Louis Laurain (trumpet); Rodophe Loubatiere (percussion); Yoann Durant (saxophones).

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.

The duo of Liz Allbee on trumpet and Anthea Caddy on cello in beautifully paced, mysterious improvisations using a minimal approach of extended and often disconcerting techniques augmented with subtle electroacoustic touches.

A fresh, enthusiastic and very pertinent vision of the big band model from this large orchestra with a diverse and uniquely European spirit, but globally identifiable as excellent jazz.

A driving album of hard rocking jazz with a blues bite from saxophonist Peter Van Huffel and his power trio of bassist Roland Fidezius & drummer Rudi Fischerlehner, recorded live during their 2013 Canadia tour.

New York drummer Harris Eisenstadt revives his trio with trombonist Jeb Bishop and bassist Jason Roebke, adding tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, recording in the studio after two concerts at John Zorn's venue The Stone in 2015, heard in here in momentous and heartfelt jazz.

This progressive/folk/jazz/improv/experimental/psych quartet from Norway covers a diverse set of approaches to improvisation, from textural, minimalistic and radically abstract, like something AMM would play, using graphic and written notation.

Tin Hat Trio founder Burger in an eclectic and wonderfully informed set of film cues, with help from Marc Ribot, Eyvind Kang, Carla Kihlstedt, Kenny Wollesen, &c.

A collection of duo recordings featuring guitarist Sylvie Chenard playing with Maryse Poulin (sax), Martin Tetreault (turntables), and Alexandre St-Onge (electronics).

Fred Frith's leads a quartet of electric guitars (Rene Lussier, Nick Didkovsky, Mark Stewart) through 10 different journeys that explores the dynamic potential of this unique group composition.

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.

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

Chris Conway's Continuum, fusing electronic music, jazz, ambient, minimal and more in unique ways, on the first release for their Zorpin Music label.

Limited edition archive CDR of 1960's instrument inventor the late Hugh Davies, solo and with Richard Orton, to accompany the Another Timbre release "For Hugh Davies".

Young Belgian pianist & composer Bram De Looze in a new Septych (septet) orchestrated with two cellos, three horns, piano and drums from a tremendous set of players: Daniel Levin, Gebhard Ullmann, Robin Verheyen, Lester St-Louis, Bo Van Der Werf and Flin Van Hemmen.

Bassist and electronic artist Adam Linson brought this group together to explore new contexts at the intersection of jazz and computer music using real-time processing and interactive electronics.

Mark Wastell and Rhodri Davies select highlights from the All Angels Concerts in London featuring artists such as Jonh Russell, John Butcher, Steve Beresford, and more.

Live recordings of this incredible improvising trio as influenced by a 'tempestuous' storm buffeting & rattling the windows of the church in which the performance took place.

After performing at Jean-Herve Peron's 2010 Avant Garde Festival, Yumi Hara (keys, violin & voice), Geoff Leigh (winds & electronics), John Greaves (bass & piano) and Chris Cutler (drums & percussion) present their first studio album mixing open-minded composed and improvised music.

Scandinavian and American musicians join together to form this quartet, with Kristoffer Berre Alberts on saxes, Jamie Saft on organ and keys, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten on electric bass, and Gard Nilssen on drums & electronics, for an album of spacey and groove oriented jazz.

Violinist Emanuele Parrini leads his quartet with Dimitiri Grechi Espinoz on alto sax, Giovanni Maier on double bass, and Andrea Melani on drums, performing Parrini's 3 part "The Blessed Prince", and original compositions from bassist Maier; lyrical and innovative modern jazz.

NY trumpeter Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers Ensemble, exploring the juncture between jazz and music of the Middle East through sophisticated and lyrically stunning music, here focusing on revolution, civil war, and sectarian violence; a culture's struggle for survival.

Looking like the cover to Ornette's "This Is Our Music", the brilliant quartet of Peter Evans, Kevin Shea, Jon Irabagon & Moppa Elliott both pay homage to & move forward hard bop music.

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 Leena Circus trio of Antoine Letellier on sax, trumpet & guitar, Nicolas Moulin on guitar, and Guillaume Arbonville on drums, joins with trumpeter Itaru Oki for an album of open-ended and downright psychedelic free improvisation, a superb achievement in creative music.

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.

Jurg Frey on clarinet and Irene Kurka on soprano vocals perform Wandelweiser composer Antoine Beuger's extended composition "Two"; then the duo of Rhodri Davies on harp and Ko Ishikawa on sho are layered on the first recording, creating a refreshingly new take on the piece.

A remarkable album of free improvisation from the Scandinavian quartet of Isak Hedtjarn on clarinet, Lisa Ullen on piano, Elsa Bergman on double bass, and Erik Carlsson on drums, captivating the listener with active and detailed interplay of strong intention and technical skill.

NY Saxophonist Tony Malaby's Paloma Recio with Ben Monder on guitar, Eivind Opsvik on double bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums in a studio album performing Malaby's 4-part "Incantation Suite", lyrically free improvisation with a shimmering essence invoking dreamlike states.

Guitarist Nick Millevoi leads an ensemble that includes Jamie Saft on Hammond Organ, Ches Smith on drums, Johnny Deblase on bass, Dan Blacksberg on trombone and June Bender on violin, for an album equally embracing and subverting a wealth of rock and jazz forms.

The second collaboration between the Portugese Red Trio of Rodrigo Pinheiro (piano), Hernani Faustino (double bass) and Gabriel Ferrandini (drums) with UK saxophonist John Butcher, performing live at Jazz em Agosto Festival in 2015, revealing new aspects to their project.

Scandinavian and American musicians join together to form this quartet, with Kristoffer Berre Alberts on saxes, Jamie Saft on organ and keys, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten on electric bass, and Gard Nilssen on drums & electronics, for an album of spacey and groove oriented jazz.

Dazwischen means in-between, and these works by pianist, electronic artist and AMM associate Sebastian Lexer bridge the electronic, compositional, and free improv worlds with subtlety.

Unusual approaches to string improvisation from the quartet of Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Guilherme Rodrigues (cello), Maria da Rocha (violin), and Miguel Mira (double bass), using extended techniques in subtle yet detailed discourse yielding unexpected qualities to their instruments.

Two freely improvised works performed on cello, sine waves, cracklebox, bottle, synth, cornet and objects from the quartet of frequent collaborators Guilherme Rodrigue, David Area Guillermo Torres, and Tomas Gris, a mix of subtle improvisation and subsuming sound.

Joining noise rock and free jazz, the Louis Minus XVI quartet is fronted by two saxophonists--Adrien Douliez on alto and Jean Baptiste Rubin on tenor--with Maxime Petit on bass and Frederic L'homme on drums, in a balanced album of powerful and introspective compositions.

With members of IKB, Variable Geometry Orchestra, and LIO, the free improvising/chamber quartet of Ernesto Rodriguge (viola), Bernardo Alvares (bass), Roland Ramana (trumpet), and Nuno Torres (sax), were captured live at Estrela for an intense and introspective concert.

Following their 2013 release "Aphelion", the working trio of Dave Rempis on sax, Joshua Abrams on bass & clarinet, and Avreeayl Ra on drums release their 2nd collaboration in a 2-CD album of live and studio improvisations, adding Jim Baker on keys and electronics for the 2nd disc.

The debut album by the chamber-jazz quartet resAUnance of Jonathan Golove on electric cello, Michael McNeill on piano, John Bacon on vibraphone and percussion, and Esin Gunduz on voice, blending compositional, improvisation, & Turkish folk music into passionate and beautiful works.

West Coast cornetist Bobby Bradford captured live in 2013 for a superb set at the Center for the Arts in Los Angeles, part of the Open Gate Theatre Sunday evening concert series, in a quartet with Hafez Modirzadeh on alto sax, Mark Dresser on bass, and Alex Cline on drums.

Recorded live at the Huddersfield Festival of Contemporary Music in 2006, this is the 3rd and final volume of works by Morton Feldman performed by the Smith Quartet with John Tilbury on piano, recorded in high quality DVD audio and with extensive liner notes by Tilbury.

West Coast jazz musicians Mears, Tiner, Kikuchi and Johnson in a fiery set of original compositions from shuffle swing to free jazz blowouts, liner notes by Leo Smith.

Crossing Netherland and New York players, Ab Baars on reeds, Ig Henneman on viola, Ingrid Laubrcok on sax and Tom Rainey on drums present an album of insightful improv that borrows approaches to sound from natural world, performed live at Tampere Jazz Happening, Finland in 2014.

John Zorn's Gnostic Trio of Bill Frisell on guitar, Carol Emanuel on harp and Kenny Wollesen on vibes and chimes, perform Zorn's compositions inspired by the classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" in lyrical chamber jazz of great depth and nuance.

Approaching the free side of 60s postbop in the Ornette Coleman vein, the Cortex quartet of Thomas Johansson (trumpet), Kristoffer Alberts (sax), Ola Hoyer (double bass) and Gard Nilssen (drums) are captured for a dynamic and captivating set at IBeam in Brooklyn in 2015.

The transnational quartet of artists from Germany, Latvia and Poland comprised of Karlis Auzins (sax), Lucas Leidinger (piano), Tomo Jacobson (double bass), and Thomas Sauerborn (drums), performing intuitive and collective free improvisation of great sensitify and skill.

The free improvising trio of John Dikeman on sax, Jon Rune Strom on bass, and Tollef Ostvang on drums, invites Joe McPhee on pocket trumpet and alto sax for a release of rugged free improv using unorthodox approaches and amazing dexterity in their playing.

Electronic-inspired ensemble High Risk with Dave Douglas on trumpet, Jonathan Maron on bass, Mark Guiliana on drums and Shigeto on electronics, exploring the intersection of creative improvisation and modern electronic music production in persuasively rhythmic music.

A most unusual trio: actually a quartet, this Polish/Ukraine group has three strings (violin, cello, contrabass) with modular synth and electronics reinforcing their sound, less EA than chamber jazz with fascinating orchestration and wonderful harmonic and melodic invention.

Following their 2015 album "Songs for children who don't want to sleep", the quartet of Yan Pittard on guitar & oud, Mitsuru Nasuno on bass, Maki Nakano on vocals, and Tatsuya Yoshida on drums present this soundtrack album, which translates to "the creative urge".

As close to straight-ahead improvisation as you'll hear from audio explorer Mark Wastell, in an authoritative quartet of free improvisers, with both Olie Brice and Dominic Lash on double bass, Alan Wilkinson on alto sax, and Wastell himself on violoncello.

The longÐrunning duo of NY pianist Matthew Shipp and Brazilian/NY saxophonist Ivo Perelman forms the basis for this excellent quartet, with mainstays Michael Bisio on bass and Whit Dickey on drums, in an expressive and soulful album that balances enthusiasm and brilliant restraint.

The unexpected and open-minded quartet of Pauline Oliveros, Roscoe Mitchell, John Tilbury and Wadada Leo Smith performing live in Italy at the Angelika Festival in 2011, presenting the three part improvised work "Nessuno"; delicate, virtuosic, rewarding music from 4 masters.

Meaning "sound and smoke", the quartet of trumpeter Axel Dorner, pianist Tisha Mukarji, and reedist Johan Arrias & Kai Fagaschinski are caught live at Ausland in Berlin for a set of tonal improvisations based on compositions, creating outstanding textural environments.

A new NY label from percussionist Carlo Costa in its 1st release, a quartet with Steve Swell on trombone, Sean ali on bass and Jonathan Moritz on sax, presenting an improvisational language that subsumes the individual players into a distinct group sound.

Bassist Max Johnson's quartet with multi-reedist Mark Whitecage, trombonist Steve Swell and drummer Tyshawn Sorey in an upbeat album of free collective improvisation from the downtown NY scene.

Montreal saxophone quartet Quasar (Jean-Marc Bouchard, Marie-Chantal Leclair, Mathieu Leclair, & Andre Leroux) in their 3rd incredible album of contemporary saxophone compositions, presenting 14 rich and varied compositions, including commissioned and premier works.

Alto saxophonist Robbins in a free improvising and powerful New York quartet with Nate Wooley on trumpet, Daniel Levin on cello, and Jeff Davis on drums.

A collection of compositions from drummer/composer Federico Ughi dedicated to the four cities where he's lived: Rome, London, Montreal and New York, performed in a quartet with Darius Jones (sax), Eri Yamamoto (piano) and Ed Schuller (bass).

New York saxophonist Bonnie Kane/W.O.O. (Whole Other Orbit) in a quartet with Blaise Siwula, Ray Sage and Will Redmond.

Approaching the free side of 60s postbop in the Ornette Coleman vein, the Cortex quartet of Thomas Johansson (trumpet), Kristoffer Alberts (sax), Ola Hoyer (double bass) and Gard Nilssen (drums) are captured for a dynamic and captivating set at IBeam in Brooklyn in 2015.

Blending jazz and rock forms with frenetic excitement and masterful control, multi-reedist Forebrace quartet with Roberto Sassi (electric guitar), Santiago Horro (electric bass) and Jem Doulton (drums) run the gamut on exultantly virtuosic improvisation, here recording live at Cafe Oto.

Transcendental and exceptional improvisation in the 2nd release from the Fenetre Ovale project, with composer Karl Naegelen and improvisers Eve Risser (piano) and Joris Ruhl (clarinet), expanded with the arrival of percussionist Toma Gouband and violinist Amaryllis Billet.

A stunning example of collective free improvisation from the quartet of frequent collaborators and superb improvisers, Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano sax, Liam Noble on piano, Mark Sanders on drums, and John Edwards on bass, recording in the studio in Birmingham.

A cooperative band of mostly NY improvisers-- Mary Halvorson on guitar, Tomas Fujiwara on drums, Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet & flugelhorn, and French pianist Benoit Delbecq, recording in the studio for a album of uniquely unusual and rewarding compositions from all players.

A beguiling and atmospheric work of overtones, harmonics, tonal and microtonal progressions from a trio of clarinetists (Hans Koch, Michael Thieke, and Paed Conca) with Japanese vocalist Maki Hachiya, an immaculately paced and exotic work of sound.

The 40th Anniversary release for the creative free improvising jazz trio of Gerry Hemingway (drums), Mark Helias (bass) and Ray Anderson (trombone), with guests Joe Lovano on sax and Jason Moran on piano; superb lyrical soulful collective improvisation of the finest order.

Clarinetist Tom Jackson and pianist Keith Tippett have worked together since 2001, with bassist Ashley-John Long joining them in improvisation in 2009, adding violist Benedict Taylor that same year in London, here meeting in the studio for 4 subtle and expansive recordings.

A much-needed reissue of Eugene Chadbourne's ground-breaking free country improv album recorded in NYC with a great Downtown NY lineup including Tom Cora, John Zorn, Scott Manring, and David Licht, performing twisted takes on classics by Paycheck, Haggard, Miller, &c.

The quartet of saxophonist Albert Cirera, pianist Agusti Fernandez, Hernani Faustino on bass and Gabriel Ferrandini on drums recording during the Voll Damm Festival Jazz Vic in Barcelona in 2015 for a set of four expansive, collective improvisations of intense interaction.

Live recordings from Salao, Brazil in 2016 by the quartet of John Dikeman on tenor saxophone, Luis Vicente on trumpet, Hugo Antunes on double bass, and Gabriel Ferrandini on drums, for two sets of exploratory and often explosive free jazz.

Portuguese stoner rock band Black Bombaim and German free jazz saxophonist Peter Brotzmann recorded this album live at Estudios Sa Da Bandeira in Portugal, a power trio + 1 of uncompromising and burning improvisation, a less common but completely rewarding setting for Brotzmann.

Bringing together the core of the Gebhard Ullmann / Steve Swell Quartet in sax and trombone with Chicago mainstay improvisers Fred Longberg-Holm on cello & electronics and Michael Zerang on drums for an album that embraces free jazz, world rhythms, and experimental sound.

Using principles similar to Pauline Oliveros' Deep Listening, the quartet of Thanos Chrysakis, Christian Kobi, Christian Skjodt, and Zsolt Sores use acoustic and electronic instruments in carefully developed improvisations based around dynamics, densities & textures.

With members from Twenty One 4Tet, Clock and Clouds, Cactus Truck, and trumpeter Luis Vicente's Trio, this quartet's strength lies in a seemingly casual approach to what is in execution intensely detailed dialog, each member contributing to a unique and entrancing group sound.