New York multi-reed and wind player Ned Rothenberg performing on the shakuhachi in orignal compositions performed with viola and spoken word in beautiful and nuanced performances.

Danish pianist Niels Joergen Steen in a 1973 concert at Sweden's Ahus Jazz Festival, with Miles Davis associate Jesper Thilo and Red Mitchell scatting on 1 number.

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.

Combining composition & improvisation, percussionist Luis Tabuenca based each of these 9 pieces on a print from Goya's critical series "Los Caprichos", orchestrating with saxophone, cello, clarinets, piano, & voice, allowing freedom around determined structure.

Pianist Takase's visit to North East England resulted in these recordings: duos with saxophonist Tchicai, and trios with John Edwards & Tony Levin, plus solos from the 2008 Music Outside Festival.

The sextet of Jorrit Dijkstra (sax), Pandelis Karayorgis (piano), Jeb Bishop (trombone), Mary Oliver (violin), Nate McBride (bass) and Han Bennink (drums) once again take on the music of Steve Lacy in this second volume.

Henry Threadgill and his Zooid band follow up the 2 part "This Bring Us To" series with this exceptional album of NY jazz, abstracting the jazz idiom in persuasive and stunning ways through great writing and playing.

Bassist Nic Caloia (Ratchet Orchestra) with his Montreal based quartet of pianist Guillaume Dostaler, drummer Isaiah Ceccarelli and Jean Derome on baritone sax and bass flute, in an album of great compositional mood and creative playing.

A minimal theater in sound from Taku Unami and Takahiro Kawaguchi and starring Yoko Chosakabe and Kumio Kurachi, recording at the Ueno Okura Theater Older Building.

Live recordings of the Trevor Watts Drum Orchestra from 1983, a turning point in his career towards evolving a complex, polyrhythmically-driven approach to improvised structures.

Recorded during their 2014 tour, Jorrit Dijkstra (sax), Pandelis Karayorgis (piano), Jeb Bishop (trombone), Mary Oliver (violin), Jason Roebke (bass) and Han Bennink (drums) recorded this new set of inspired Steve Lacy & Monks tunes primarily in Padova, Italy.

The flugelhornist in 1995-2003 recordings from solo to sextet distilled from an epic series of visits to Gateway Studio over a period of seven years.

Chicago trumpeter Wilkes, who plays in El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Exploding Star Orchestra, in his own Abstrakt Pulse sextet, a modern take on mid-60s jazz.

The first recording of Tony Wilson's music inspired by the plight and lives of the homeless and drug addictied in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, in a band with P Carter on trumpet, Jesse Zubot on violin, Peggy Lee on cello, Russell Sholberg on bass and Skye Brooks on drums.

Tony Wilson Sextet's was formed almost 20 years ago to perform his original compositions and arrangements, here performing Benjamin Britten's Lachrymae and 4 original works.

The final night of Otomo and Sachiko's first residency at London's Cafe OTO in 2009 saw the pair joined by the long-running trio of Evan Parker, John Edwards and Tony Marsh and special guest John Butcher, for an exceptional set of creative improvisation.

Two controversial and influential releases from John Zorn in the early 90s: "Torture Garden", rapidly merging jazz, r&b, surf, metal and grindcore; and "Leng Tch'e", extreme and violent music.

The latest addition in The Book of Angels series bring the core Masada band (Zorn, Joey Baron, Uri Caine, Greg Cohen, Dave Douglas) together with Joe Lovano!

Zorn's 5th installment in the Moonchild series, nine duos, trios and quartets swirling with melodic and rhythmic invention performed by Zorn, Marc Ribot, Mike Patton, Joey Barron, & Trevor Dunn.

Zorn's exotic and compelling followup to "The Dreamers" jazz release featuring the same dynamic band of masters from Zorn's inner circle; far-ranging and superb music.

The 4th album from John Zorn's Dreamers (Cyro Baptista, Joey Baron, Trevor Dunn, Marc Ribot, Jamie Saft, & Kenny Wollesen) is a lyrical album of tuneful compositions and superb soloing, in an ornate package accompanied by a 36 page book of colorful drawings.

Inspired by the Gnostic philosophies of the Nag Hammadi library, Zorn invokes the mystical journey of the soul through the bardo as a tribute to the passing of Lou Reed, presented by his Gnostic Trio of Bill Frisell, Kenny Wollesen, and Carol Emanuel, plus guests.

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.

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).

Guitarist Liberty Ellman leads a sextet with Steve Lehman (alto sax), Jose Davila (tuba), Stephan Crump (bass), Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet) and Damon Reid (drums) in a diverse collection of eight original compositions of energetic, lyrical and informed NY jazz.

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.

Poet John Sinclair, leader of the anti-racist White Panther Party, reads his poetry with the NYC quintet of Ras Moshe (sax), Elliott Levin (sax), Alex Obert (bass), Ander Nilssen (guitar) and Michael Wimberly (drums).

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".

UK's Remote Viewers with 4 saxophone players--David Petts, Caroline Kraabel, Andrian Northover & Sue Lynch--plus John Edwards on double bass and David Stockard on drums & percussion, blending jazz and modern chamber in lyrical, novel, and mysterious ways.

An expanded reissue of Albert Ayler's 1965 live album "Bells" in a quintet with drummer Sunny Murray (drums), Gary Peacock (bass), Donald Ayler (trumpet) and Charles Tyler (alto sax), plus his 1975 "Prophecy" album in a trio with Murray and Peacock, plus tracks from "Albert Smiles with Sunny".

The acclaimed daxophonist Hans Reichel meets shruti stick and metallophone inventor Ganesh Anandan for these expressive and unconventional dialogs.

A double CD set of fourteen songs based on the poetry of Yves Bonnefoy, composed by bassist Pierre Cartier and executed by two females voices, one man's, three brass instruments, two saxophones, one double-bass and two trap sets.

A work that pays homage to chilly northwest winds, sparkling winter light, the February moon, and the tedium and the exasperation of March , all of which allow the emotional excitement of winter to show through.

Revisiting Sex Pistols' "Never Mind the Bollocks" in a band with Benoit Delbecq on piano, Gilles Coronado on guitar, Olivier Py on sax, Franck Vaillant on drums, and Sarah Murcia on bass, splitting the vocals with Mark Tompkins in a unique take on a punk classic.

Recordings from Lisbon of Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker with pianist Rodrigo Pinheiro and double bassist Hernani Faustino, both from Red Trio; dynamic improvisation with a sense of restraint and beautiful fluidity.

Recorded and performed without loops, overlays or other technological aid, Norwegian drummer and composer Ola Djupvik explores his limits in a mix of European free improvisation, minimalism and contemporary composers like John Cage and Morton Feldman.

Guitarist Luis Jose Martins and pianist Joana Sa, known from their Shhpuma release "Almost a Song" and a release on Creative Sources, join again with harpist Eduardo Raon, with two Shhpuma releases, for a delicately complex, effervescent, and sometimes turbulent release.

"After a free jazz investment for many years, now something entirely different. Avant-garde? Composer / improviser Rob Brown says it's an irrelevant categorization nowadays. Instead of the conventional sax-bass-drums combo of the New Thi...

An extended group improvisation and compositions by Lely, Sarah Hughes, and Jurg Frey, subtle and beautiful performances by Angharad Davies (violin), Rhodri Davies (electric harp), Michael Duch (bass), Lina Lapelyte (violin), John Lely (objects & electronics) & John Tilbury (piano).

A live recording at Alte Feuerwache Mannheim, Germany from Skein, extending the trio of Achim Kaufmann (piano), Frank Gratkowski (reeds), and Wilbert de Joode (bass) with Okkyung Lee (cello), Richard Barrett (electronics) and Tony Buck (drums) for an amazing album of instant composition.

New York drummer Tyshawn Sorey's impressive work for double trio is an ambitious chamber jazz composition using multiple harmonic, formal, rhythmic, and modal vocabularies in an exploratory and improvisational framework, inspired by the work of Lawrence D. Butch Morris.

Sicilian pianist Tommaso Vespo assembled the multinational sextet of Antonio Aiella (bass), Noel Taylor (clarinet), Antonio Longo (drums), Nicola Hein (guitar), Ricardo Teje (saxophone), and Tommaso Vespo (piano), blending lyrical jazz, chamber, and free improvisation.

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.

Trumpeter Nate Wooley's major 3-part work makes oblique reference to dodecaphony, ambient tape music, and the minimalist rock of Terry Riley, conceived as a tribute to Wooley's mentor Ron Miles, who performs alongside Devin Gray & Rudy Royston (drums), Cory Smythe & Jozef Dumoulin (piano).

Unusual instrumentation and a very diverse set of improvising backgrounds from pianist Alexander Hawkins Ensemble, with Orphy Robinson on steel pan, Otto Fischer on electric guitar, Dominic Lash on double bass, Hannah Marshall on cello, and Javier Carmona on drums.

A melodic set of improvisations composed by bass clarinetist Chris Cundy, using approaches for songwriting to create compelling jazz compositions, in a band with Fyfe Dangerfield on piano, Mat Martin on guitar, Hannah Marshall on cello, Mark Sanders on drums and Dominic Lash on bass.

The 15th album from the UK based, saxophone heavy Remote Viewers led by David Petts, bridging compositions and improvisation with a rock sensibility, in a sextet that includes improv heavies Mark Sanders on drums and John Edwards on bass.

ICP Orchestra cellist/composer Tristan Honsinger wrote these sophisticated works combining free improv with mischievous songs in a band with Toshinori Kondo on trumpet, Sean Bergen on sax, Jean Jacques Avenel on bass, Michael Vatcher on drums and Tiziana Simona Vigni on voice.

Since 1999 the Norwegian Motif band has surprised listeners with their energetic, intelligent approach to experimental jazz, bridging free, structured, and collective approaches to improvised music, here as a sextet of trumpet/sax/clarinet/piano/bass/drums.

French flutist Michel Edelin leads this 6-piece band named in honor of Jeremy Steig, with 4 flutists including Sylvaine Helary, Ludivine Issambourg, and Nicole Mitchell, plus John Betsch (drums) and Peter Giron (bass) in exceptional, unexpected and inclusive approaches to improv.

Influenced by noir crime novels from the 20s set in the Bay Area, bassist Mezacappa wrote these sophisticated and lyrical compositions for selected scenes or characters, performed by the superb sextet of William Winant, Tim Perkis, Aaron Benett, John Finkbeiner, & Jordan Glenn.

Montreal's Quatuor Bozzini string quartet worked with composer Christopher Butterfield, who wrote two of these pieces ("Trip" and "Fall") specifically for QB, alongside three other works from 20 years of composing that use unusual instructions and scores for the performers.

Martin Archer introduces a new sextet based on Chicago's AACM approach to free improvisation, in a 2-CD set of 6 large works divided into 5 or 6 chapters each, presenting character themes, rhythm ideas, composed duets, and improvised instructions; superb!

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.

Drummer Peter Orins expands the Kaze quartet of trumpeters Natsuki Tamura and Christian Pruvost and pianist Satoko Fujii, with a second drummmer--Didier Lasserre--and a second pianist--Sophie Agnel--for a live recording of a 5-part suite of magnificently epic collective improv.

Part of the Henry Cow boxset, now available for individual purchase, compiled from live recordings, radio transcription, or early recordings, remastered and presented to give a complete look at the history of Henry Cow.

Part of the Henry Cow boxset, now available for individual purchase, compiled from live recordings, radio transcription, or early recordings, remastered and presented to give a complete look at the history of Henry Cow.

Part of the Henry Cow boxset, now available for individual purchase, compiled from live recordings, radio transcription, or early recordings, remastered and presented to give a complete look at the history of Henry Cow.

A live recording from Jazz Festival Ljubljana in 2016 from Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon leading a trans-national sextet with Julian Arguelles (sax), Achille Succi (bass clarinet), Roberto Dani (drums), Pascal Niggenkemper (bass), and Christian Lillinger (drums) through a series of complex harmonic and rhythmic compositions named for colors.

Prolific bassist William Parker's incredible lyrical quartet Raining on the Moon with vocalist Leena Conquest on a set of Parker originals.

London's Cafe Oto organized a reunion of String Thing, guitarist Ian Brighton's project with violinist Phillip Wachsmann, bassist Marcio Mattos, & Trevor Taylor on percussion and electronics, adding guitarist John Russell and saxophonist Evan Parker, here capturing an impressive night of improv, and Brighton's first public appearance in nearly 40 years.

Drawing from some of the finest players on the New York Downtown jazz scene, with Dave Ballou on trumpet, Tony Malaby and Oscar Noriega on reeds, Peter McEachern on trombone and Michael Sarin on drums, double bassist Mario Pavone presents a set of 11 new compositions of lyrical and sophisticated jazz anchored by the leader's powerful compositional structures.

The Californian saxophone quartet composed of Bruce Ackley, Steve Adams, Larry Ochs and Jon Raskin is extended with Henry Kaiser on guitar and Kyle Bruckmann on analog synth to perform the music of saxophone legend Steve Lacy in 7 compositions, putting an eclectic spin on the iconic composer and performer's music.

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.

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.

Anthony Pateras was commissioned to compose this work by Synergy Percussion for their 40th birthday in 2014, performed with a six piece ensemble including electronic artist Jerome Noetinger, using the same instrumentation as Xenakis' "Pleiades" of more than 100 orchestral percussion instruments, including Xenakis' 17-pitch microtonal metallophones.

Pianist and composer Myra Melford's 2nd Be Bread release with Cuong Vu, Bend Goldberg, Brandon Ross, Stomu Takeishi and Matt Wilson, outstanding and distinctive acoustic jazz.

Beautiful, mysterious improvised compositions with spoken interludes, recorded live in March 2003 at the first Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques (MNM) festival.

A supergroup of the AM collective with Derome, Hetu, Labrosse, Roger, Tanguay and Tetrault, in adventurous and far-reaching improvisation that have to be heard to be believed!

NY drummer Mike Pride's modern jazz work inspired by the birth of his first child, reflecting the fullness Pride finds in his life as a parent, with Jon Irabagon (sax), Alexis Marcelo (piano), Peter Bienec (bass), Jonathan Moritz (sax) and Jason Stein (bass clarinet).

Composer Ryoko Akama releases a 2 disc set of 23 scores in the crossroads of minimalism and sound compositions, quiet and loud, performed in a sextet with the composer herself plus Christian Muller, Cristian Alvear, Cyril Bondi, Stefan Thut, and d'incise, each section like a page in a notebook related to place, space, time or location.

Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler leads the New York free improvising sextet of trumpeter Don Cherry, alto saxophonist John Tchicai, trombonist Roswell Rudd, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray through two extended jams, which were used as the soundtrack for director Michael Snow's short film "New York Eye and Ear Control".

Rova leader Larry Ochs takes his Sax and Drumming Core to the next level with this charged album of mind-bending free improvisation with an hallucinatory edge, joined by Libra artists Satoko Fujii on piano & synth and Natsuki Tamura on trumpet, with Scott Amendola on drums, William Winant and Matthias Bossi on a wild set of percussive instruments.

A compendium of compositions and improvisations from 2009-13 by undersea acoustician and audio engineer A.F. Jones, who uses stringed instruments and analog devices, hand-crafted and found, in works that emphasize structural components such as timbre, tone, or attack over form.

Composer and drummer Dre Hocevar brings an unusual sense of unity, logic and purpose to his improvised work resulting from a number of distinct compositional procedures, performed by vocalist Charmaine Lee, pianist Elias Stemeseder, brass player Weston Olencki reedist Michael Foster, and electronics artist Bernardo Barros, a unique and rewarding album.