Keith Rowe / Michael Pisaro
13 Thirteen [2 CDs]
(erstwhile)
A collaboration between composer Michael Pisaro and AMM guitarist/improviser Keith Rowe, with each bringing scores which they improvised over, creating 13 discrete sections including samples from Shostakovich's 13th String Quartet, balancing activity, space and silence in patient ways that only two such experienced composer/improvisers could.
Bill Orcutt
Bill Orcutt
(Palilalia)
Guitarist Bill Orcutt's self-titled solo album brings a mix of standards and original compositions, starting with Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" and eclectically running us to "The Star Spangled Banner", each song unfolding as he delivers in an unhurried way with rich sustain and reverb on a 4-string Telecaster, performing at The Living Room in San Francisco.
David Ware S. Trio
Live in New York, 2010 [2 CDs]
(Aum Fidelity)
A tremendous one-night engagement by late saxophone colossus David S. Ware and his latter day Trio with William Parker on bass and Warren Smith on drums, in an intimate club setting at Blue Note in New York City on October 4, 2010, the last time this trio came together, the previous an electrifying set at Vision Festival in June of 2015.
Keiji Haino
Watashi Dake [VINYL + DOWNLOAD CODE]
(Black Editions)
Enigmatic Japanese legend Keiji Haino's 1981 debut album receives a fitting reissue in this metallic gold and silver jacket pressing, presenting the stark vocals, whispered and screamed, punctuating dark silences over intricate and sharp guitar figures that interweave, repeat, and stretch, trance-like, emerging from dark recesses; an essential piece of the Haino puzzle.
Graham Lambkin / Taku Unami
The Whistler [2 CDs]
(erstwhile)
Sound artists Graham Lambkin and Taku Unami create two large works using material which they recorded together, and then which independently assembled into a single CD each, with "Whistler Vanishes in Wind" composed by Taku Unami, and "Small Mistakes in Nature" by Graham Lambkin, both fascinating collages that alternately distract and absorb the listener.
Eric Revis
Sing Me Some Cry
(Clean Feed)
Double Bassist Eric Revis expands his concepts in this outstanding album with fellow New Yorkers, pianist Kris Davis and drummer Chad Taylor, and Chicago reedist Ken Vandermark on tenor saxophone, with all four players providing compositions that push the limit on structure and form while opening up the players to superb soloing settings of great modern jazz.
William Parker Quartets
Meditation / Resurrection [2 CDs]
(Aum Fidelity)
New compositions from bassist William Parker, two CDs with the first performed by the William Parker Quartet of Hamid Drake on drums, Rob Brown on sax, and Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson on trumpet, the second with his In Order to Survive quartet with Brown, Drake, and Coooper-Moore on piano; a tremendous album of beautiful melodies and infectious rhythms.
Sylvie Courvoisier / Mary Halvorson
Crop Circles
(Relative Pitch)
A studio encounter between pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and electric guitarist Mary Halvorson, both using sophisticated techniques giving unique voices to their playing styles, in a set of improvisations that balance playful, subtle, energetic, and emotional playing.
Noah Kaplan Quartet
Cluster Swerve
(Hatology)
Soprano & tenor saxophonist Noah Kaplan leads a quartet with Joe Morris on guitar, Giacomo Merega on electric bass, and Jason Nazary on drums, performing Kaplan original compositions and Johnny Green's "Body and Soul", taking melodic material and stretching it in unconventional and often microtonal ways; sophisticated and forward-thinking jazz.
Albert Ayler Quartet
Copenhagen Live 1964
(Hatology)
In 1964 Albert Ayler's approach to free improvisation had found its voice, in a quartet supported by the now-legendary players Don Cherry on cornet, Gary Peacock on doublebass, and Sunny Murray on drums, heard live in a well-recorded concert at Club Montmarte, in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1964; ferocious and forward thinking, an astonishing concert!
Jurg Frey
Ephemeral Constructions
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Three works, two for large ensembles of performers on sax, guitar, clarinet, voice, percussion, horn, flute, vibes, and objects that belie the size of the group in its fragile presences, with a shorter trio of Frey, Greg Stuart and Erik Carlson transitioning the large pieces; compositions conceived as both short presences within abundant orchestration.
Jerome Noetinger / Anthony Pateras / Synergy Percussion
Beauty Will Be Amnesiac Or Will Not Be At All
(Immediata)
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.
Morton Feldman
Piano,Violin, Viola, Cello
(Another Timbre)
Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
03
(Discus)
The improvising rock group Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere, led by Martin Archer, Chris Bywater, and Steve Dinsdale, in their 3rd album of innovative improvisation, haunting hypnotic grooves and blasts of sheer exuberance, with the band augmented by strings and trombone to give them a larger and more intense sound.
Ron Samworth (Samworth / Adler / JP Carter / Naylor / Peggy Lee / James Meger)
Dogs Do Dream
(Drip Audio)
Presented at the Vancouver International Improvisation Festival and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, guitarist Ron Samworth's conceptual work explores the life and dreams of a dog, with narration from Barbara Adler and an incredible ensemble including cellist Peggy, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, trumpeter JP Carter, drummer Dylan van der Schyff, etc.
Max Johnson
In The West
(Clean Feed)
New York bassist Max Johnson expands his piano trio of Kris Davis on piano and Mike Pride on drums with Susan Alcorn on pedal steel guitar, adding an eclectic Western flavor to overall on-point, anchored and driven modern jazz of a high order, balancing lyrical playing with moments of free collective playing, in a beautiful and extraordinary album.
Nate Wooley
Knknighgh (Minimal Poetry for Aram Saroyan)
(Clean Feed)
Pronounced as "knife", this new project from NY trumpeter Nate Wooley brings together Chris Pitsiokos on alto sax, Brandon Lopez on bass, and Dre Hocevar on drums in a fresh take on the concepts of free jazz, using short material composed by Wooley and based on the poetry of Aram Saroyan, used in looping and repeating structures that never sound as such.
Morton Feldman
Three Voices (performed by Juliet Fraser)
(Hat[now]ART)
Soprano Juliet Fraser performs Morton Feldman's late work for 3 voices, performed by 1 vocalist (originally Joan La Barbara) who performs with themself on tape, in a work that Feldman described as "lucious", "sexy", and "gorgeous", as heard in Fraser's beautiful rendering.
Christian Lillinger / Tobias Deluis
Dicht
(Relative Pitch)
Berlin-based improvisers Christian Lillinger on drums and Tobias Delius on tenor sax and clarinet in an album of powerful rhythms, instant melodies, and quick-witted responses, bridging a generation of experience in dialog and give and take that works well head on and in reserve, a great encounter from two modern and active creative players.
Michael Pisaro
Sometimes
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
The MaDam Electroacoustic Improvisation Collective based in Spain performs the first in Pisaro's 34 piece Harmony Series, which attempts to create the conditions for a harmonic situation without giving any actual notes, just numbers, durations of tones, and pauses; this work is based on "swell piece (for alison knowles)" (1967) by James Tenney.
Joe McPhee / Damon Smith / Alvin Fielder
Six Situations
(Not Two)
Frequent collaborators, West Coast double bassist Damon Smith and AACM charter member Alvin Fielder on drums travel north to join free improv saxophone legend Joe McPhee at Roulette in New York City in 2016, recording this excellent example of informed free improvisation.
Bill Orcutt
Bill Orcutt [VINYL]
(Palilalia)
Guitarist Bill Orcutt's self-titled solo album brings a mix of standards and original compositions, starting with Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" and eclectically running us to "The Star Spangled Banner", each song unfolding as he delivers in an unhurried way with rich sustain and reverb on a 4-string Telecaster, performing at The Living Room in San Francisco.
DK & The Perfectly Ordinary
CAR DEW TREAT US
(Spool)
A diverse set of artist interpret a random page from Cornelius Cardew's "Treatise", using the score alone with each artist unable to hear what the other participants were playing, which Spool label-leader Daniel Kernohan assembled into these 10 incredible audio tracks, each roughly 4:35 long, in a great interpretation of Cardew's (in)famous work.
LAMA + Joachim Badenhorst
Metamorphosis
(Clean Feed)
A superb example of contemporary collective improvisation crossing from acoustic improvisation into electroacoustic material from the quartet of Joachim Badenhorst on clarinets, Susana Santos Silva on trumpet, Goncalo Almeida on double bass, keyboards & effects, and Greg Smith on drums & laptop, performing live at Jazzcase series Dommelhof, 2016.
Platform (Xavier Charles / Katrine Schiott / Jan Martin Gismervik / Jonas Cambien)
Flux Reflux
(Clean Feed)
The 2nd recorded outing of this Oslo based improvising quartet, comprised of 3 young Norwegian players -- Katrine Shiott (cello), Jan Martin Gismervik (drums), and Jonas Cambien (piano & keys) -- with French clarinetist Xavier Charles, performing subtle collective improvisation using extended techniques, eclectic percussion, and piano preparations.
Bill Orcutt
Bill Orcutt
(Palilalia)
Guitarist Bill Orcutt's self-titled solo album brings a mix of standards and original compositions, starting with Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" and eclectically running us to "The Star Spangled Banner", each song unfolding as he delivers in an unhurried way with rich sustain and reverb on a 4-string Telecaster, performing at The Living Room in San Francisco.
David Ware S. Trio
Live in New York, 2010 [2 CDs]
(Aum Fidelity)
A tremendous one-night engagement by late saxophone colossus David S. Ware and his latter day Trio with William Parker on bass and Warren Smith on drums, in an intimate club setting at Blue Note in New York City on October 4, 2010, the last time this trio came together, the previous an electrifying set at Vision Festival in June of 2015.
Graham Lambkin / Taku Unami
The Whistler [2 CDs]
(erstwhile)
Sound artists Graham Lambkin and Taku Unami create two large works using material which they recorded together, and then which independently assembled into a single CD each, with "Whistler Vanishes in Wind" composed by Taku Unami, and "Small Mistakes in Nature" by Graham Lambkin, both fascinating collages that alternately distract and absorb the listener.
Eric Revis
Sing Me Some Cry
(Clean Feed)
Double Bassist Eric Revis expands his concepts in this outstanding album with fellow New Yorkers, pianist Kris Davis and drummer Chad Taylor, and Chicago reedist Ken Vandermark on tenor saxophone, with all four players providing compositions that push the limit on structure and form while opening up the players to superb soloing settings of great modern jazz.
William Parker Quartets
Meditation / Resurrection [2 CDs]
(Aum Fidelity)
New compositions from bassist William Parker, two CDs with the first performed by the William Parker Quartet of Hamid Drake on drums, Rob Brown on sax, and Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson on trumpet, the second with his In Order to Survive quartet with Brown, Drake, and Coooper-Moore on piano; a tremendous album of beautiful melodies and infectious rhythms.
Sylvie Courvoisier / Mary Halvorson
Crop Circles
(Relative Pitch)
A studio encounter between pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and electric guitarist Mary Halvorson, both using sophisticated techniques giving unique voices to their playing styles, in a set of improvisations that balance playful, subtle, energetic, and emotional playing.
Noah Kaplan Quartet
Cluster Swerve
(Hatology)
Soprano & tenor saxophonist Noah Kaplan leads a quartet with Joe Morris on guitar, Giacomo Merega on electric bass, and Jason Nazary on drums, performing Kaplan original compositions and Johnny Green's "Body and Soul", taking melodic material and stretching it in unconventional and often microtonal ways; sophisticated and forward-thinking jazz.
Albert Ayler Quartet
Copenhagen Live 1964
(Hatology)
In 1964 Albert Ayler's approach to free improvisation had found its voice, in a quartet supported by the now-legendary players Don Cherry on cornet, Gary Peacock on doublebass, and Sunny Murray on drums, heard live in a well-recorded concert at Club Montmarte, in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1964; ferocious and forward thinking, an astonishing concert!
Jurg Frey
Ephemeral Constructions
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Three works, two for large ensembles of performers on sax, guitar, clarinet, voice, percussion, horn, flute, vibes, and objects that belie the size of the group in its fragile presences, with a shorter trio of Frey, Greg Stuart and Erik Carlson transitioning the large pieces; compositions conceived as both short presences within abundant orchestration.
Jerome Noetinger / Anthony Pateras / Synergy Percussion
Beauty Will Be Amnesiac Or Will Not Be At All
(Immediata)
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.
Morton Feldman
Piano,Violin, Viola, Cello
(Another Timbre)
Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
03
(Discus)
The improvising rock group Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere, led by Martin Archer, Chris Bywater, and Steve Dinsdale, in their 3rd album of innovative improvisation, haunting hypnotic grooves and blasts of sheer exuberance, with the band augmented by strings and trombone to give them a larger and more intense sound.
Ron Samworth (Samworth / Adler / JP Carter / Naylor / Peggy Lee / James Meger)
Dogs Do Dream
(Drip Audio)
Presented at the Vancouver International Improvisation Festival and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, guitarist Ron Samworth's conceptual work explores the life and dreams of a dog, with narration from Barbara Adler and an incredible ensemble including cellist Peggy, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, trumpeter JP Carter, drummer Dylan van der Schyff, etc.
Max Johnson
In The West
(Clean Feed)
New York bassist Max Johnson expands his piano trio of Kris Davis on piano and Mike Pride on drums with Susan Alcorn on pedal steel guitar, adding an eclectic Western flavor to overall on-point, anchored and driven modern jazz of a high order, balancing lyrical playing with moments of free collective playing, in a beautiful and extraordinary album.
Nate Wooley
Knknighgh (Minimal Poetry for Aram Saroyan)
(Clean Feed)
Pronounced as "knife", this new project from NY trumpeter Nate Wooley brings together Chris Pitsiokos on alto sax, Brandon Lopez on bass, and Dre Hocevar on drums in a fresh take on the concepts of free jazz, using short material composed by Wooley and based on the poetry of Aram Saroyan, used in looping and repeating structures that never sound as such.
Morton Feldman
Three Voices (performed by Juliet Fraser)
(Hat[now]ART)
Soprano Juliet Fraser performs Morton Feldman's late work for 3 voices, performed by 1 vocalist (originally Joan La Barbara) who performs with themself on tape, in a work that Feldman described as "lucious", "sexy", and "gorgeous", as heard in Fraser's beautiful rendering.
Christian Lillinger / Tobias Deluis
Dicht
(Relative Pitch)
Berlin-based improvisers Christian Lillinger on drums and Tobias Delius on tenor sax and clarinet in an album of powerful rhythms, instant melodies, and quick-witted responses, bridging a generation of experience in dialog and give and take that works well head on and in reserve, a great encounter from two modern and active creative players.
Michael Pisaro
Sometimes
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
The MaDam Electroacoustic Improvisation Collective based in Spain performs the first in Pisaro's 34 piece Harmony Series, which attempts to create the conditions for a harmonic situation without giving any actual notes, just numbers, durations of tones, and pauses; this work is based on "swell piece (for alison knowles)" (1967) by James Tenney.
Joe McPhee / Damon Smith / Alvin Fielder
Six Situations
(Not Two)
Frequent collaborators, West Coast double bassist Damon Smith and AACM charter member Alvin Fielder on drums travel north to join free improv saxophone legend Joe McPhee at Roulette in New York City in 2016, recording this excellent example of informed free improvisation.
DK & The Perfectly Ordinary
CAR DEW TREAT US
(Spool)
A diverse set of artist interpret a random page from Cornelius Cardew's "Treatise", using the score alone with each artist unable to hear what the other participants were playing, which Spool label-leader Daniel Kernohan assembled into these 10 incredible audio tracks, each roughly 4:35 long, in a great interpretation of Cardew's (in)famous work.
LAMA + Joachim Badenhorst
Metamorphosis
(Clean Feed)
A superb example of contemporary collective improvisation crossing from acoustic improvisation into electroacoustic material from the quartet of Joachim Badenhorst on clarinets, Susana Santos Silva on trumpet, Goncalo Almeida on double bass, keyboards & effects, and Greg Smith on drums & laptop, performing live at Jazzcase series Dommelhof, 2016.
Platform (Xavier Charles / Katrine Schiott / Jan Martin Gismervik / Jonas Cambien)
Flux Reflux
(Clean Feed)
The 2nd recorded outing of this Oslo based improvising quartet, comprised of 3 young Norwegian players -- Katrine Shiott (cello), Jan Martin Gismervik (drums), and Jonas Cambien (piano & keys) -- with French clarinetist Xavier Charles, performing subtle collective improvisation using extended techniques, eclectic percussion, and piano preparations.
Morton Feldman
Clarinet & String Quartet
(Hat[now]ART)
2 works for clarinet and string quartet, active compositions with a unique perspective in sound & texture; 2 versions of the 2 part 1961 work, and the larger 1983 composition.
Christoph Erb / Jim Baker / Frank Rosaly
...Don't Buy Him A Parrot...
(Hatology)
Saxophonist and bass clarinetist Christoph Erb travels between Europe and Chicago, here in a trio with Chicago mainstays, pianist Jim Baker and drummer Frank Rosaly, for an intense and fierce album of collective improvisation captured live at their second-only encounter on the stage of the Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago in 2014.
Mannfred Werder
2003 [3 CDs]
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Pushing the envelope on minimalism, Manfredd Werder's 3 scores for "2003" present just 6 tones, the instructions telling 3, 2 or 1 performers to play a pitch or sound for 3-7 seconds twice during the performance; realized by Erik Carlson, Stephanie Richards, and D. Edward Davis.
Bill Orcutt
Bill Orcutt [VINYL]
(Palilalia)
Guitarist Bill Orcutt's self-titled solo album brings a mix of standards and original compositions, starting with Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" and eclectically running us to "The Star Spangled Banner", each song unfolding as he delivers in an unhurried way with rich sustain and reverb on a 4-string Telecaster, performing at The Living Room in San Francisco.
Horatiu Radulescu
Clepsydra / Astray [VINYL]
(Edition Rz)
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.
Luigi Nono
A Carlo Scarpa; A Pierre Dell'Azzurro Silenzio, Inquietum; Guai ai Gelidi Mostri [VINYL]
(Edition Rz)
3 works by composer Luigi Nono: "A Carlo Scarpa" for orchestra; "A Pierre..." for bass flute, bass clarinet and live elektronics; and "Guai ai Gelidi Mostri" for ensemble, voices and live elektronics.
Bill Nace / Chris Corsano / Paul Flaherty
These [VINYL]
(Open Mouth)
After years of collaboration in various configurations, the trio of guitarist Bill Nace, drummer Chris Corsano and tenor saxophonist Paul Flaherty met in the studio in 2015 to create these three extended tracks of gut-wrenching and fierce free improvisations.
Steve Baczkowski / Chris Corsano / Paul Flaherty
The Dull Blade [VINYL]
(FEEDING TUBE RECORDS)
A decade after their last album "Dim Bulb", "The Dull Blade" follows up with the trio of Chris Corsano on drums and duel saxophonist Steve Baczkowski and Paul Flaherty, recorded live in the studio at New Haven, Connecticut's Firehouse 12, an incredible album of fiery and ferocious playing with an outsider jazz attitude; brilliant.
Emmett Williams
Poems 1950-2003 [VINYL]
(Edition Rz)
Fluxus originator & member of the "Darmstadt Circle" of concrete poetry, Emmett Williams in a beatiful picture disc of poems written from 1950-2003 and recorded from 2000-2003.
Judson Trio (Joelle Leandre / Mat Maneri / Gerald Cleaver)
An Air of Unreality [VINYL]
(RogueArt)
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.
Keiji Haino / Jozef Dumoulin / Teun Verbruggen
The Miracles Of Only One Thing [VINYL]
(Sub Rosa)
While on a 2-week tour of Japan, Belgium sound artists Teun Verbruggen on drums & electronics and Jozef Dumoulin on Fender Rhodes, joined forces with Keiji Haino on guitar, vocals, flute & gongs, capturing these darkly intense and powerful tracks in the studio and live at SDLX.
Mats Gustafsson / Craig Taborn
Ljubljana [VINYL]
(Clean Feed)
Celebrating the 400th release of Clean Feed Records, Swedish free jazz phenomenon, saxophonist Mats Gustafsson meets with NY jazz pianist Craig Taborn for an unlikely yet highly satisfying encounter that pushes each improviser into unfamiliar, edge-of-their seats, territory.
Anemone (John Butcher / Peter Evans / Frederic Blondy / Clayton Thomas / Paul Lovens)
A Wing Dissolved in Light [VINYL]
(NoBusiness)
A brilliant quintet brought together for the Tampere Jazz Happening, in Finland in 2013, with NY trumpeter Peter Evans, UK saxophonist John Butcher, Australian bassist Clayton Thomas, German drummer/percussionist Paul Lovens, and French pianist Frederic Blondy for a phenomenal extended improvisation presented in parts: "Une Aile Dissoute Dans La Lumiere".
Joshua Abrams Natural Information Society
Simultonality [VINYL]
(Eremite)
Chicago bassist and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams follows up his incredible "Simultonality" album with this faster-paced album recorded with his Natural Information Society, joining traditional musics, American minimalism & jazz with the gnawa ceremonial instrument the guimbri.
Lambs Gamble
Farewell Body Bags [VINYL]
(Discombobulate)
Bizarre, disruptive, aberrant sound from twisted experts in the field Lambs Gamble, comprised of George Cremaschi on bass & electronics, Fritz Welch on drums, percussion and voice, and Eric Boros (Vialka) on electronics and voice, recording in Switzerland for a fantastic album of intelligent abnormality.
Peeesseye + Talibam!
[VINYL]
(Smeraldina-Rima)
New York bands Talibam! and Peeesseye together for a limited edition album mixing rock, sound and noise, and altogether unknown territory; great stuff!
Ferdinand Kriwet
Hortexte - Radiotexts [3 VINYL LP BOX SET]
(Edition Rz)
Six radio texts by multimedia artist and poet Ferdinand Kriwet in a beautifully designed 3 LP picture discs luxury box with a 20 page 12"x12" book of text and images.
Mattin
Exquisite Corpse [VINYL]
(Azul Discografica)
Mattin on voice in an album of rock improvisations featuring Loy Fankbonner on drums, Margarida Garcia on electric double bass, Kevin Failure on guitar and Mattin on vocals recorded in NYC in 2009.
David Ware S. Quartet
Live in Vilnius [VINYL 2 LPs]
(NoBusiness)
The last recording of the legendary David S. Ware Quartet with bassist William Parker, drummer Guillermo E. Brown, and pianist Matthew Shipp performing live in Vilnius in 2007.
Pierre Schaeffer
Le Triedre Fertile [VINYL]
(Recollection GRM)
"Le Triedre Fertile" is composer Pierre Schaeffer's only purely electronic music work, developed from synthetic sounds where the synthesizer is monitored by sensitivity, allowing uncanny structures to emerge.
Various Artists
District of Noise Vol. 4: A Compilation of Experimental Music from Washington DC [VINYL]
(Sonic Circuits)
The fourth installment of the District of Noise series featuring a diverse set of experimental noise and electronic artists from the Washington DC area released as part of the 2011 Sonic Circuits Festival.
Axel Dorner & Jassem Hindi
waterkil [WHITE VINYL]
(Corvo)
Since meeting in Beirut at the 2006 Irtijal Festival, the duo of trumpeter Axel Dorner and electronic artist Jassem Hindi have regularly performed their electroacoustic music using their equipment and instruments in unusual ways.
Alexander Schlippenbach Von
The Living Music [VINYL]
(Cien Fuegos)
Recorded the same day as Brotzmann's "Nipples", pianist Schlippenbach's 2nd album was released on his own Quasar label in 1969, featuring Brotzmann(sax), Manfred Schoof (cornet), Michael Pilz (reeds), Paul Rutherford (trombone), Buschi Niebergall (bass) and Han Bennink (drums).
Byron Coley
Dating Tips for Touring Bands [VINYL]
(Hot Cars Warp)
The first spoken word LP by author, music journalist, poet, and head of Ecstatic Yod Records, Byron Coley, talking about underground cultural history in verse on Side A, and reading from his forthcoming novel, "Dominoes" on the B Side.
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
Take Me to the Land of Hell [VINYL]
(Chimera Music)
Yoko Ono's fifteenth solo album produced by her son, Sean Lennon, featuring guests tUnEyArDs, ?uestlove, Lenny Kravitz, Nels Cline, Andrew Wyatt, &c..
Arto Lindsay & Paal Nilssen-Love
Scarcity [VINYL]
(PNL)
During Paal Nilssen-Love's July 2013 solo gig at Auido Rebel's Quintavant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he was joined by Arto Lindsay performing on electric guitar and voice, recording these two impressive improvisations released on a 180 Gram 33/45 RPM record.
N.E.W. (Noble / Edwards / Ward)
Motion [VINYL]
(Dancing Wayang)
The London power jazz trio of Steve Noble on drums, John Edwards on double bass and Alex Ward on electric guitar, powerful and exhilarating free improvisation from a trio who for more than 10 years have developed a unique sound that blurs the lines of jazz & rock.
Julius Hemphill
Raw Materials and Residuals [VINYL + CD]
(Black Saint)
An essential 70s Black Saint album from New York saxophonist Julius Hemphill in a trio with Abdul Wadud on cello and Don Moye on percussion, merging blues, free jazz, free bop and inspired approaches to improvisation, reissued on vinyl LP with a CD copy included.
David Ware S. Trio
Live in New York, 2010 [2 CDs]
(Aum Fidelity)
A tremendous one-night engagement by late saxophone colossus David S. Ware and his latter day Trio with William Parker on bass and Warren Smith on drums, in an intimate club setting at Blue Note in New York City on October 4, 2010, the last time this trio came together, the previous an electrifying set at Vision Festival in June of 2015.
Eric Revis
Sing Me Some Cry
(Clean Feed)
Double Bassist Eric Revis expands his concepts in this outstanding album with fellow New Yorkers, pianist Kris Davis and drummer Chad Taylor, and Chicago reedist Ken Vandermark on tenor saxophone, with all four players providing compositions that push the limit on structure and form while opening up the players to superb soloing settings of great modern jazz.
William Parker Quartets
Meditation / Resurrection [2 CDs]
(Aum Fidelity)
New compositions from bassist William Parker, two CDs with the first performed by the William Parker Quartet of Hamid Drake on drums, Rob Brown on sax, and Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson on trumpet, the second with his In Order to Survive quartet with Brown, Drake, and Coooper-Moore on piano; a tremendous album of beautiful melodies and infectious rhythms.
Sylvie Courvoisier / Mary Halvorson
Crop Circles
(Relative Pitch)
A studio encounter between pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and electric guitarist Mary Halvorson, both using sophisticated techniques giving unique voices to their playing styles, in a set of improvisations that balance playful, subtle, energetic, and emotional playing.
Noah Kaplan Quartet
Cluster Swerve
(Hatology)
Soprano & tenor saxophonist Noah Kaplan leads a quartet with Joe Morris on guitar, Giacomo Merega on electric bass, and Jason Nazary on drums, performing Kaplan original compositions and Johnny Green's "Body and Soul", taking melodic material and stretching it in unconventional and often microtonal ways; sophisticated and forward-thinking jazz.
Albert Ayler Quartet
Copenhagen Live 1964
(Hatology)
In 1964 Albert Ayler's approach to free improvisation had found its voice, in a quartet supported by the now-legendary players Don Cherry on cornet, Gary Peacock on doublebass, and Sunny Murray on drums, heard live in a well-recorded concert at Club Montmarte, in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1964; ferocious and forward thinking, an astonishing concert!
Max Johnson
In The West
(Clean Feed)
New York bassist Max Johnson expands his piano trio of Kris Davis on piano and Mike Pride on drums with Susan Alcorn on pedal steel guitar, adding an eclectic Western flavor to overall on-point, anchored and driven modern jazz of a high order, balancing lyrical playing with moments of free collective playing, in a beautiful and extraordinary album.
Nate Wooley
Knknighgh (Minimal Poetry for Aram Saroyan)
(Clean Feed)
Pronounced as "knife", this new project from NY trumpeter Nate Wooley brings together Chris Pitsiokos on alto sax, Brandon Lopez on bass, and Dre Hocevar on drums in a fresh take on the concepts of free jazz, using short material composed by Wooley and based on the poetry of Aram Saroyan, used in looping and repeating structures that never sound as such.
Christian Lillinger / Tobias Deluis
Dicht
(Relative Pitch)
Berlin-based improvisers Christian Lillinger on drums and Tobias Delius on tenor sax and clarinet in an album of powerful rhythms, instant melodies, and quick-witted responses, bridging a generation of experience in dialog and give and take that works well head on and in reserve, a great encounter from two modern and active creative players.
Joe McPhee / Damon Smith / Alvin Fielder
Six Situations
(Not Two)
Frequent collaborators, West Coast double bassist Damon Smith and AACM charter member Alvin Fielder on drums travel north to join free improv saxophone legend Joe McPhee at Roulette in New York City in 2016, recording this excellent example of informed free improvisation.
LAMA + Joachim Badenhorst
Metamorphosis
(Clean Feed)
A superb example of contemporary collective improvisation crossing from acoustic improvisation into electroacoustic material from the quartet of Joachim Badenhorst on clarinets, Susana Santos Silva on trumpet, Goncalo Almeida on double bass, keyboards & effects, and Greg Smith on drums & laptop, performing live at Jazzcase series Dommelhof, 2016.
Platform (Xavier Charles / Katrine Schiott / Jan Martin Gismervik / Jonas Cambien)
Flux Reflux
(Clean Feed)
The 2nd recorded outing of this Oslo based improvising quartet, comprised of 3 young Norwegian players -- Katrine Shiott (cello), Jan Martin Gismervik (drums), and Jonas Cambien (piano & keys) -- with French clarinetist Xavier Charles, performing subtle collective improvisation using extended techniques, eclectic percussion, and piano preparations.
Christoph Erb / Jim Baker / Frank Rosaly
...Don't Buy Him A Parrot...
(Hatology)
Saxophonist and bass clarinetist Christoph Erb travels between Europe and Chicago, here in a trio with Chicago mainstays, pianist Jim Baker and drummer Frank Rosaly, for an intense and fierce album of collective improvisation captured live at their second-only encounter on the stage of the Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago in 2014.
Michael Attias Quartet (w/ Ortiz / Hebert / Hebert)
Nerve Dance
(Clean Feed)
New York alto saxophonist Michael Attias presents his new quartet with Aruan Ortiz on piano, John Hebert on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums, in his sixth album as a leader, a lyrical album dealing with the theory of elasticity and the concept of equality in music.
Paula Shocron / German Lamonega / Pablo Diaz
Tenzegridad
(Hatology)
Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, the trio of Paula Shocron on piano, German Lamonega on double bass, and co-founder of her Nendo Dango Records label, Pablo Diaz on drums, for an exciting album of free jazz with lyrical intent and great technical skills, an unexpected gem from a part of world not well known for free improvisation.
Lunar Error
Selene
(BeCoq)
A rich and building improvisation from this French 10 piece ensemble, using 4 reeds, piano, zither, gangsa gantung, Indian harmonium, harmonium, mixing desk, contact microphones, banjo, objects, electric & acoustic guitars, effects, gong and drums to create a expansive audio universe that owes its sound to free improvisation and Ligeti.
Dunmall / Shipp / Edwards / Sanders
Live in London
(FMR)
Nigel Coombes / Steve Beresford
White String's Attached (1979)
(Emanem)
These 1979 duo concert performances from violinist Nigel Coomes and pianist Steve Beresford were generally considered at the time to be the most significant advance in violin & piano music for around 200 years.
Dorner / Hayward / Krebs / Neumann
The Berlin Series No. 3
(Another Timbre)
A split CD presenting contrasting aspects of 'Berlin reductionism': "Roananax 1999" - from the quartet of Axel Dorner, Robin Hayward, Annette Krebs and Andrea Neumann; and "Obliq 2014" from the current Berlin group of Pierre Borel, Hannes Lingens and Derek Shirley.
Tim Olive / Anne-F Jacques
Dominion Mills
(845 Audio)
Anne-F Jacques performs on rotating devices, small electric motors which are modified, manipulated and amplified, and Tim Olive plays magnetic pickups, here recording 3 studio works of unusual and inspired improvisations.
Myra Melford Trio
Alive In The House Of Saints, Part 1
(Hatology)
Pianist Myra Melford's original trio with Reggie Nicholson on drums and Lindsey Horner, her first in a long career of tremendous collaboration, presents a superb example of melodic playing balancing free and traditional structures with effusive joy and profound skill, captured live at Der Club, in Heiligenhaus, Germany in 1993.
Bill Nace / Chris Corsano / Paul Flaherty
These [VINYL]
(Open Mouth)
After years of collaboration in various configurations, the trio of guitarist Bill Nace, drummer Chris Corsano and tenor saxophonist Paul Flaherty met in the studio in 2015 to create these three extended tracks of gut-wrenching and fierce free improvisations.
Rhodri Davies / David Sylvian / Mark Wastell
There Is No Love
(Confront)
Steve Baczkowski / Chris Corsano / Paul Flaherty
The Dull Blade [VINYL]
(FEEDING TUBE RECORDS)
A decade after their last album "Dim Bulb", "The Dull Blade" follows up with the trio of Chris Corsano on drums and duel saxophonist Steve Baczkowski and Paul Flaherty, recorded live in the studio at New Haven, Connecticut's Firehouse 12, an incredible album of fiery and ferocious playing with an outsider jazz attitude; brilliant.
Ned Rothenberg / Hamid Drake
Full Circle - Live in Lodz
(Foundation Listen)
Two legendary improvisers, Downtown New York multi-reedist and shakuhachi player Ned Rothenberg met Chicago drummer Hamid Drake at Ciagoty I Tesknoty, in Lodz, Poland in 2016 to record this effusive, extraordinary live concert of improvised music, demonstrating both enormous instrumental skill while imparting wonderfully upbeat energy; outstanding!
Various Artists
Because Tomorrow Comes #3
(Because Tomorrow Comes)
The third volume of this excellent German sound magazine and audio CD, 9 artists working in sound art, electroacoustic composition; a "listenable exhibition" of modern compositional approach.
Various Artists
Because Tomorrow Comes #2
(Because Tomorrow Comes)
The second volume of this excellent German sound magazine and audio CD, 9 artists working in sound art, electroacoustic composition; a "listenable exhibition" of modern compositional approach.
Extended Pianos (Fox / Griswold / Pateras)
Switch On A Dime
(Immediata)
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.
Astral Colonels (Anthony Pateras / Valerio Tricoli)
Good Times in the End Times
(Immediata)
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.
Anthony Burr / Anthony Pateras
The Long Exhale
(Immediata)
Beautifully slow drifting compositions for clarinet, ARP 2600, piano and prepared piano from the duo of Anthony Burr and Anthony Pateras, drawing on Cage and Feldman in these expansive and tranquil works that create beautiful and quietly exotic sound environments.
Keiji Haino / Jozef Dumoulin / Teun Verbruggen
The Miracles Of Only One Thing
(Sub Rosa)
While on a 2-week tour of Japan, Belgium sound artists Teun Verbruggen on drums & electronics and Jozef Dumoulin on Fender Rhodes, joined forces with Keiji Haino on guitar, vocals, flute & gongs, capturing these darkly intense and powerful tracks in the studio and live at SDLX.
Keiji Haino / Jozef Dumoulin / Teun Verbruggen
The Miracles Of Only One Thing [VINYL]
(Sub Rosa)
While on a 2-week tour of Japan, Belgium sound artists Teun Verbruggen on drums & electronics and Jozef Dumoulin on Fender Rhodes, joined forces with Keiji Haino on guitar, vocals, flute & gongs, capturing these darkly intense and powerful tracks in the studio and live at SDLX.
Nate Wooley
The Complete Syllables Music [4 CD Box Set]
(Pleasure of the Text Records)
Composer, improviser, and trumpet player Nate Wooley continues to cement his place as an American iconoclast by releasing the complete recordings of his revolutionary solo [Syllables] compositions as a deluxe 4 CD set consisting of two reissues of out-of-print early works: 8 [Syllables] (2013) and 9 [Syllables] (2014) as well as the premiere recording of his 150 minute epic For Kenneth Gaburo.
Machinefabriek
Assemblage
(Zoharum)
A great collection of short film soundtracks and pieces that appeared on compilation albums and out-of-print CDRs, including the "Nerf" EP, the tracks for the book "Things That A Mutant Needs To Know" by Reinaldo Laddaga, and 3 soundtracks of which two are for a short movie and one for a video installation, alongside tracks from other compilations.
Rothko. Blk w/ Bear
Wish for a World Without Hurt
(Trace)
Ernst Schultz / Stamm, Holger
Go Lep-Lai-Lai: A Musical Journey
(Meta Records)
Tomas Phillips
Drink_Deep
(Non Visual Objects (NVO))
Electronic composer Tomas Phillips sampling and reworking the 80's Dischord artist Rites of Spring into modern minimalist compositions.
Mark O'Leary
4 Urban Landscapes
(Creative Sources)
In "Urban Landscapes" Irish guitarist and electroacoustic artist Mark O'Leary captures and documents environmental audio associated with Urban Cork City.
Various Artists
PRES Revisited. Jozef Patkowski In Memoriam
(Bolt)
Recordings of a concert at London's Cafe Oto dedicated to Jozef Patkowski's Polish Radio Experimental Studio (CD2), which are transformed in the studio by John Tilbury, Eddie Prevost, Phil Durrant, Maciej Sledziecki & Mikolaj Palosz (CD1).
Larry Jefferson
Journey [CASSETTE]
(Rollax Records)
Electronic Artist Larry Jefferson explores issues of philosophy and loss and this is reflected in this collection of 9 songs & music in a professionally manufactured cassette.
Various Artists
District of Noise Vol. 4: A Compilation of Experimental Music from Washington DC [VINYL]
(Sonic Circuits)
The fourth installment of the District of Noise series featuring a diverse set of experimental noise and electronic artists from the Washington DC area released as part of the 2011 Sonic Circuits Festival.
Jeph Jerman
Psaltery
(no label)
A psaltery is a type of zither, often played with a bow; Jerman does not explain his sources, but using analog cassette, micro-cassette and 4-track digital recorders he creates a series of rich drones and entrancing works of sound.
Yannis Kyriakides
Resorts & Ruins
(Unsounds)
Three recent sound works by Yannis Kyriakides using source material highlighting specific vocal traditions - Turkish pop music, Cypriot epic song, and Baroque opera - making extensive use of other forms of speech and vocal acts.
Anthony Pateras
Collected Works 2002-2012 [5 CD BOX]
(Immediata)
Electroacoustic composer and performer Anthony Pateras in a beautiful 5-CD box set documenting a broad variety of works from ensembles to solo work, an excellent overview of one of Australia's most vital composers and performers.
Banabila & Machinefabriek
Banabila & Machinefabriek
(No Label)
Sound artists Michel Banabila and Rutger Zuydervelt layer and process each other's sounds to create a 40 minute journey through drones, crackling, and digital noise.
Jason Crumer
Gentrification Suite [CASSETTE]
(Banned Productions)
Jason Crumer (Aluminum Noise, Now in Darkness World stops turning, Reverse Baptism, &c) in 3 detailed sound works ranging from building quiet burbles to extreme noise responses, a wild ride from rich to stark sound.
Various Artists
Blanc et Rouge [3 CDs]
(Bolt)
Under the wing of the Warsaw Polish Radio Experimental Studio emerged dozens of hours of socially engaged music from artists including Eugeniusz Rudnik, Krzysztof Penderecki, Elzbieta Sikora, Krzystof Knittel, &c.
Herbert Distel
Travelogue
(Hatology)
An electroacoustic composition from Herbert Distel, a "Travelogue" of field recordings organized into two long works that present hallucinatory sound with an illusive rhythmic component, structured into a long journey with a departure, journey and arrival.
Helen Mirra / Ernst Karel
A Map Of Parallels 41-N And 49-N At A Scale Of Ten Seconds To One Degree
(Shhpuma)
A map of the latitudes delineating the geographical area where the European - North American history of deforestation and resforestation has played out, in a work of guitar and field effects from Portugese artist Helen Mirra and sound artist Ernst Karel.
Graham Lambkin / Michael Pisaro
Schwarze Riesenfalter
(erstwhile)
Balancing active organized sound worlds from Graham Lambkin with Wandelweiser discretion from Michael Pisaro in five tracks that punctuate concrete sound compositions with Feldman-esque piano progressions, bound together by a short poem; captivating and elusive.
Jerome Noetinger / Anthony Pateras / Synergy Percussion
Beauty Will Be Amnesiac Or Will Not Be At All
(Immediata)
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.
Morton Feldman
Piano,Violin, Viola, Cello
(Another Timbre)
Morton Feldman
Three Voices (performed by Juliet Fraser)
(Hat[now]ART)
Soprano Juliet Fraser performs Morton Feldman's late work for 3 voices, performed by 1 vocalist (originally Joan La Barbara) who performs with themself on tape, in a work that Feldman described as "lucious", "sexy", and "gorgeous", as heard in Fraser's beautiful rendering.
Michael Pisaro
Sometimes
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
The MaDam Electroacoustic Improvisation Collective based in Spain performs the first in Pisaro's 34 piece Harmony Series, which attempts to create the conditions for a harmonic situation without giving any actual notes, just numbers, durations of tones, and pauses; this work is based on "swell piece (for alison knowles)" (1967) by James Tenney.
DK & The Perfectly Ordinary
CAR DEW TREAT US
(Spool)
A diverse set of artist interpret a random page from Cornelius Cardew's "Treatise", using the score alone with each artist unable to hear what the other participants were playing, which Spool label-leader Daniel Kernohan assembled into these 10 incredible audio tracks, each roughly 4:35 long, in a great interpretation of Cardew's (in)famous work.
Morton Feldman
Clarinet & String Quartet
(Hat[now]ART)
2 works for clarinet and string quartet, active compositions with a unique perspective in sound & texture; 2 versions of the 2 part 1961 work, and the larger 1983 composition.
Mannfred Werder
2003 [3 CDs]
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Pushing the envelope on minimalism, Manfredd Werder's 3 scores for "2003" present just 6 tones, the instructions telling 3, 2 or 1 performers to play a pitch or sound for 3-7 seconds twice during the performance; realized by Erik Carlson, Stephanie Richards, and D. Edward Davis.
Morton Feldman
Patterns In A Chromatic Field [2 CDs]
(Hat [now] ART)
Feldman's idiosyncratic large composition is also one of his more active, influenced by John Cage, and using a score that defines organizational procedures in chordal and chromatic patterns, as realized in this '93 recording by Rohan de Saram (cello) and Marianne Schroeder (piano).
Eva Houben Maria
Organ Sonatinas And Drones [2 CDs]
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
American organist and composer Carson Cooman performs three sontatinas, each in three movements, and the 2014 work "drones", by German contemporary composer Eva Maria Houben, a member of the Wandelweiser group, all slowly evolving works of tone and subtle harmonics.
Horatiu Radulescu
Clepsydra / Astray [VINYL]
(Edition Rz)
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.
Morton Feldman
For Bunita Marcus
(Hat[now]ART)
Feldman's 1985 solo piano composition for Feldman's pupil and long-time associate, from a 1990 digital recording remastered for this new edition.
Giacinto Scelsi
Giacinto Scelsi
(Edition Rz)
Six works by composer Giacinto Scelsi performed by groups including the Ensemble 2E2M, collected and remastered from the original recordings.
Luigi Nono
A Carlo Scarpa; A Pierre Dell'Azzurro Silenzio, Inquietum; Guai ai Gelidi Mostri [VINYL]
(Edition Rz)
3 works by composer Luigi Nono: "A Carlo Scarpa" for orchestra; "A Pierre..." for bass flute, bass clarinet and live elektronics; and "Guai ai Gelidi Mostri" for ensemble, voices and live elektronics.
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Mantra (performed by Mark Knoop, Roderick Chadwick and Newton Armstrong)
(Hat[now]ART)
Stockhausen's late 60s composition "Mantra" was a return to his intricately systematised approach to musical construction, expanding the possibilities and potentialities of the serial principle to allow for more melodic and embraceable compositions.
Morton Feldman played by John Tilbury & Philip Thomas
Two Pianos And Other Pieces 1953-1969 [2 CDs]
(Another Timbre)
"Two Pianos" is one of Morton Feldman's most experimental and radical works, performed here by John Tilbury & Philip Thomas; plus lesser known works including 'Piece for Four Pianos', 'Between Categories', 'False Relationships and the Extended Ending' and 'Two Pieces for Three Pianos'.
Jurg Frey
String Quartets
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Composer Jurg Frey's 1988 work "String Quartet" realized by Nadia Francavilla, Clemens Merkel, Stephanie Bozzini and Isabelle Bozzini, exploring ideas of audibility: the moment when sound waves move in space and the air touches the body.
Morton Feldman
For John Cage
(Hat[now]ART)
Morton Feldman was a friend, flatmate and student of John Cage's innovative approaches to composition; he wrote this 3 part work for violin and piano in 1982 as a 70th birthday present for Cage, here performed by violinist Josje Fosie Ter Haar and pianist John Snijders.
Linda Smith Catlin
Drifter [2 CDs]
(Another Timbre)
Ten pieces dating from 1995 to 2015 from Canadian composer Linda Catlin Smith, performed by Quatuor Bozzini and Apartment House, the first in Another Timbre's Canadian Composer series, a 2-CD release focusing on Smith's "equal and simultaneous drive toward abstraction and lyricism" in slowly developing, lush and sophisticated compositions.
Luigi Nono
20 Jahre Inventionen V
(Edition Rz)
Three compositions by Luigi Nono, recorded at the Berlin festival "Inventionen", live electronics moving away from clear spatial and timbral assignations rendering the acoustic instruments barely recognizable.
James Tenney
Morton Feldman
Piano Three Hands, Intermission 5, Vertical Thoughts 2, Extensions 3, Four Instruments, Intermission 5, Piano Piece 1956 A + B, Intersection 3, Instruments 1
(Edition Rz)
A collection of Feldman compositions primarily for piano as recorded by his earliest interpreters: Cornelius Cardew, John Tilbury, David Tutor, Cantilene Chamber Players, and Feldman himself.
Harley Gaber
The Winds Rise In The North
(Edition Rz)
Composer Harley Gaber wrote this piece for strings as an emotional examination of the questions posed by Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu, here performed by a quintet including violinist Malcolm Goldstein.
Emmett Williams
Poems 1950-2003 [VINYL]
(Edition Rz)
Fluxus originator & member of the "Darmstadt Circle" of concrete poetry, Emmett Williams in a beatiful picture disc of poems written from 1950-2003 and recorded from 2000-2003.
Christian Wolff
Kompositionen 1950-1972 [2 CDs]
(Edition Rz)
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.
Aaron Siegel
Science is Only a Sometimes Friend
(Lock Step Records)
A work for eight glockenspiels and organ, a beautiful percussive work in the vein of Reich and Glass that creates hallucinatory illusions in sound as the piece progresses, testing "the science of attention and the counterpoint of daydreams".
Keiji Haino
Watashi Dake [VINYL + DOWNLOAD CODE]
(Black Editions)
Enigmatic Japanese legend Keiji Haino's 1981 debut album receives a fitting reissue in this metallic gold and silver jacket pressing, presenting the stark vocals, whispered and screamed, punctuating dark silences over intricate and sharp guitar figures that interweave, repeat, and stretch, trance-like, emerging from dark recesses; an essential piece of the Haino puzzle.
Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
03
(Discus)
The improvising rock group Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere, led by Martin Archer, Chris Bywater, and Steve Dinsdale, in their 3rd album of innovative improvisation, haunting hypnotic grooves and blasts of sheer exuberance, with the band augmented by strings and trombone to give them a larger and more intense sound.
Ron Samworth (Samworth / Adler / JP Carter / Naylor / Peggy Lee / James Meger)
Dogs Do Dream
(Drip Audio)
Presented at the Vancouver International Improvisation Festival and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, guitarist Ron Samworth's conceptual work explores the life and dreams of a dog, with narration from Barbara Adler and an incredible ensemble including cellist Peggy, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, trumpeter JP Carter, drummer Dylan van der Schyff, etc.
Bill Orcutt
Bill Orcutt [VINYL]
(Palilalia)
Guitarist Bill Orcutt's self-titled solo album brings a mix of standards and original compositions, starting with Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" and eclectically running us to "The Star Spangled Banner", each song unfolding as he delivers in an unhurried way with rich sustain and reverb on a 4-string Telecaster, performing at The Living Room in San Francisco.
Korekyojinn Acoustic
Kaleidoscope
(Magaibutsu Limited)
The Korekyojin trio of Tatsuya Yoshida on percussion, Kido Natsuki on guitar and Mitsuru Nasuno on fretless bass, plus violinist Miyamoto Rei on several tracks, take their intricate and exuberant rock into acoustic territory with this impressive album, which includes acoustic takes on "Arabesque", "Careless Heart", "Four Holes in the Sky", &c.
The Honkies
How Do We Prevent The Advance Of The Desert?
(Music a la Coque)
From 1987-93 this bizarre UK band took Rock-In-Opposition attitudes on tour in the UK & Europe, presenting their strangely informed approach to improvised rock with a punk attitude, fueled by dual saxes from Kathy Hulme & Caroline Kraabel, trumpeter Andy Diagram, and drummer Re Harrison, as heard on this reissue of their wonderfully weird 2nd album.
Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
(Discus)
The debut release of the UK improvising rock group Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere, co-led by Martin Archer & Chris Bywater, in a double CD blending kosmische musik, space rock, and contemporary classical, an improbable meeting between Ligeti, Klaus Schulze, & Quarkspace, supplemented at times by a string quartet, a sax quintet, and a 25-piece mixed choir.
Fred Frith
Prints
(Recommended Records)
The Homosexuals
The Homosexuals CD
(Recommended Records)
This Heat
Out of Cold Storage Box Set (6 CDs)
(This Is/Recommended Records)
This Heat
Made Available
(Recommended Records)
Peeesseye + Talibam!
[VINYL]
(Smeraldina-Rima)
New York bands Talibam! and Peeesseye together for a limited edition album mixing rock, sound and noise, and altogether unknown territory; great stuff!
Mattin
Exquisite Corpse [VINYL]
(Azul Discografica)
Mattin on voice in an album of rock improvisations featuring Loy Fankbonner on drums, Margarida Garcia on electric double bass, Kevin Failure on guitar and Mattin on vocals recorded in NYC in 2009.
Korekyojinn with Tsuboy Akihisa
Doldrums
(Magaibutsu Limited)
Korekyojinn (Yoshida Tatsuya, Nasuno Mitsuru and Kido Natuski) in their 7th release, joined by violinist Akihisa Tsuboy, recorded live at Tokyo's Koenji High, Lush, and Missions from 2008-2010.
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
Take Me to the Land of Hell
(Chimera Music)
Yoko Ono's fifteenth solo album produced by her son, Sean Lennon, featuring guests tUnEyArDs, ?uestlove, Lenny Kravitz, Nels Cline, Andrew Wyatt, &c..
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
Take Me to the Land of Hell [VINYL]
(Chimera Music)
Yoko Ono's fifteenth solo album produced by her son, Sean Lennon, featuring guests tUnEyArDs, ?uestlove, Lenny Kravitz, Nels Cline, Andrew Wyatt, &c..
Sam Mickens
Kayfabe: Lamb of G.O.D.
(Sam Mickens)
Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Sam Mickens (The Dead Science) leading an excellent band including drummer Mike Pride, bassist Shahzad Ismaily, vocalists Carla Bozulich, Jesse Quattro, &c, through 15 persuasive rock songs recorded in NYC.
Korekyojinn
Fall Line
(Magaibutsu)
The 5th studio album from the trio of Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins alone / Koenji Hyakkei), Kido Natsuki (Bondage Fruit / Salle Gavoux), Nasunomitsuru (Altered states / Umbeltipo), avant-progressive instrumental rock, melodic and complex rock performed at breakneck speed.
Korekyojinn (Yoshida Tatsuya)
Arabesque [2nd SPECIAL EDITION with new bonus tracks]
(Magaibutsu)
The insanely great improvising rock trio of drummer Yoshida Tatsuya, guitarist Kido Natsuki, and bassist Nasuno Mitsuru, in the third edition of their 2004 album, with 4 different bonus tracks recorded live At Osaka Bridge: "Hash"; "Arabesque"; "Quicksilver"; and "Freestone".
Huy (Junji / Kazuhisa / Yoshida)
Huy
(Magaibutsu Limited)
The Japanese trio of Hirose Junji on tenor saxophone, Innocence label founder Uchihashi Kazuhisa on guitar, and Yoshida Tatsuya on drums, initiating Magaibutsu's "Improv Session Series" with this on-fire album of controlled chaos, recorded live at Foxhole in Kichijoji.
Bushman's Revenge
Jazz, Fritt Etter Hukommelsen
(Rune Grammofon)
The Norwegian trio of guitarist Even Helte Hermansen, drummer Gard Nilssen, and bassist Rune Nergaard in their 8th Bushman's Revenge album, bridging free improvisation and 70s style prog-oriented rock, non-histrionic, outstanding instrumental music with great depth.
John Zorn
The Garden Of Earthly Delights
(Tzadik)
Composer John Zorn's Simulacrum ensemble of Trevor Dunn (bass), John Medeski (keyboards), Kenny Grohowski (drums), Matt Hollenberg (guitar), and Sara Serpa (voice) in their 6th album of heavy improv, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the passing of painter Hieronymus Bosch.
Orchestra of the Upper Atmosphere
02
(Discus)
An absolutely impressive album blending advanced/progressive rock forms with improvisation, starting from collective improvisation and layering in the studio to create a sophisticated psychedelic music, the second album from this ensemble that is headed by Martin Archer (reeds & keys), Chris Bywater (keys & synth), and Steve Dinsdale (drums & percussion).
frostlake
White Moon, Black Moon
(Discus)
The debut album for frostlake, female songstress and instrumentalist, in a collection of songs with an eerie strangeness and English ethereal quality, with haunting melodies, layered vocals and unusual sounds in a band including Martin Archer on clarinet, Mick Somerset on winds, Nigel Manning on flute, and Steve Dinsdale on drums.
Anthony Braxton
Quintet (Basel) 1977
(Hatology)
Reissuing and remastering Braxton's outstanding radio concert for Radio DRS in Safranzunft, Basel in 1977 in a quintet with George Lewis on trombone, Muhal Richard Abrams on piano, Mark Helias on double bass, and Charles "Bobo" Shaw on drums.
Joe Morris
Perpetual Frontier The Properties of Free Music [BOOK]
(Riti Publishing)
Joe Morris wrote this book to discuss aspects of free music, including responses to his questionnaire written by Joe McPhee, William Parker, Jamie Saft, Ken Vandermark, Marilyn Crispell, Nate Wooley, Jack Wright, Matthew Shipp, &c.
Sylvie Courvoisier / Mary Halvorson
Crop Circles
(Relative Pitch)
A studio encounter between pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and electric guitarist Mary Halvorson, both using sophisticated techniques giving unique voices to their playing styles, in a set of improvisations that balance playful, subtle, energetic, and emotional playing.
Morton Feldman
Three Voices (performed by Juliet Fraser)
(Hat[now]ART)
Soprano Juliet Fraser performs Morton Feldman's late work for 3 voices, performed by 1 vocalist (originally Joan La Barbara) who performs with themself on tape, in a work that Feldman described as "lucious", "sexy", and "gorgeous", as heard in Fraser's beautiful rendering.
BassDrumBone + guests Joe Lovano / Jason Moran
The Long Road [2 CDs]
(Auricle)
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.
Pauline Oliveros / Roscoe Mitchell / John Tilbury / Wadada Leo Smith
Nessuno
(Angelica)
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.
Anthony Braxton / Quartet
(Santa Cruz) 1993 1st Set [REPRESS]
(Hatology)
Reissuing and remastering saxophonist Anthony Braxton's stellar release documenting his 1993 live performance with Marilyn Crispell on piano, Mark Dresser on bass, and Gerry Hemingway on percussion & marimba, demanding collective improvisation from masterful players.
Mary Halvorson Octet
Away With You
(Firehouse 12 Records)
Mary Halvorson continues her string of excellent modern jazz albums with this octet release with fellow guitarist Susan Alcorn, Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), Jon Irabagon & Ingrid Laubrock (sax), Jacob Garchik (trombone), John Hebert (bass) and Ches Smith (drums).
Albert Ayler Quartet with Don Cherry
European Radio Studio Recordings 1964
(Hatology)
Recorded during Albert Ayler's 1964 European tour with Don Cherry on cornet, Gary Peacock on bass, and Sunny Murray on drums, perhaps Ayler's best band and most creative period, well captured at Hilversum in The Netherlands and for Danish Radio Copenhagen, Denmark.
Corsano / Courviosier / Wooley
Salt Task
(Relative Pitch)
First recorded meeting of Chris Corsano (drums), Sylvie Courvoisier (piano), and Nate Wooley (trumpet) in the studio in Brooklyn, 2015, for a completely open, sensitive set of improvisations that are constantly on the edge, at times explosive, and always in a focused dialog.
Morton Feldman
Patterns In A Chromatic Field [2 CDs]
(Hat [now] ART)
Feldman's idiosyncratic large composition is also one of his more active, influenced by John Cage, and using a score that defines organizational procedures in chordal and chromatic patterns, as realized in this '93 recording by Rohan de Saram (cello) and Marianne Schroeder (piano).
James Tenney
Bass Works (performed by Dario Calderone)
(Hat[now]ART)
Fascinating works for doublebass from American composer James Tenney, 3 pieces for solo doublebass, and a large work for viola, cello, doublebass and tape delay system, performed by bassist Dario Calderone with William Lane on viola and Francesco Dillon on cello.
Evan Parker / Mark Nauseef / Toma Gouband
As The Wind
(psi)
A brilliant album of subtle and masterful improvisation recorded in 2012 at and using the reverb of the St. Peters church in Whitstable by soprano saxophonist Evan Parker with two percussionists: Toma Gouband on lithophone-based percussion and Mark Nauseef on metallophone-based percussion.
Joe Morris
Shock Axis
(Relative Pitch)
A limited edition release of guitarist Joe Morri's new NY-area aggressive improvising trio with younger players Dave Parmelle on drums and Chris Cretella on electric bass, shredding with awesome technical skill and intense harmonic and melodic force, really powerful stuff!
Jimmy Giuffre 3
Bremen & Stuttgart (1961) [2 CDs]
(Emanem)
The sophisticated and influential Jimmy Giuffre 3 led by clarinetist Giuffre with Paul Bley on piano and Steve Swallow on double bass, in a 2-CD reissue of their only known well-recorded concerts, alongside two tracks from their "Fusion" album not included in the ECM reissue.
Anthony Braxton
Quartet (Santa Cruz) 1993, 2nd Set
(Hatology)
Remaster of the exhilarating second set from saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton's concert at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, CA, 1993, one of 7 nights performing with the quartet of Marilyn Crispell on piano, Mark Dresser on bass, and Gerry Hemingway on percussion.
Huy (Junji / Kazuhisa / Yoshida)
Huy
(Magaibutsu Limited)
The Japanese trio of Hirose Junji on tenor saxophone, Innocence label founder Uchihashi Kazuhisa on guitar, and Yoshida Tatsuya on drums, initiating Magaibutsu's "Improv Session Series" with this on-fire album of controlled chaos, recorded live at Foxhole in Kichijoji.
John Butcher / Thomas Lehn / Matthew Shipp
Tangle
(Fataka)
After "Exta", where saxophonist John Butcher and electronics artist Thomas Lehn met with pianist John Tilbury, the duo now meet with New York pianist Matthew Shipp for a distinct improvisational entanglement of Butcher's dense streams, Lehn's rich sound floor, and Shipp's thick repetitions.
Neukollner (Denzler / von Schlippenbach / Grip / Johansson)
Sektion 3-7 [2 CDs]
(Umlaut Records)
The Neukollner trio of Bertrand Denzler on sax, Joel Grip on double bass, and Sven-Ake Johnasson on drums is joined by pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach for a double album of exhilarating free jazz that conjurs standards-based jazz through well-structured instant compositions.
Cecil Taylor
Garden, 2nd Set
(Hatology)
The second set of Cecil Taylor's superb live set at Grosser Saal Volkshaus, in Basel, Switzerland in 1981, performing solo over five improvisations, presented for the first time in the original concert sequence.
Evan Parker / John Edwards / Steve Noble
PEN
(Dropa Disc)
Bringing together three leaders from the UK free jazz scene, the new trio of Evan Parker on tenor sax, Steve Noble on drums & percussion, and John Edwards on double bass present a masterful album drawing from the roots of free improvisation in playing that rises and recedes like a tidal force, captured live at the Oorstof concert series in Antwerp.
Tomas Fujiwara / Ben Goldberg / Mary Halvorson
The Out Louds
(Relative Pitch)
The first release from the NY/West Coast trio of Tomas Fujiwara on drums, Ben Goldberg on clarinet, and Mary Halvorson on guitar, a collaborative improv of lyrical and nuanced improv, using great skill and sophistication in dialog that takes unexpected twists and turns.
Angles 9 (Zethson / Stahl / Broo / Kajfes / Aleklint / Hegdal / Berthling / Werlin / Kuchen)
Disappeared Behind the Sun
(Clean Feed)
Saxophonist Martin Kuchen's amazing 9-piece Angles ensemble returns for an album titled for the grief of those who disappear due to war, crime and oppression, music that celebrates the tense balance in the challenge to confront and lead away from darkness and tyranny.
Korekyojinn Acoustic
Kaleidoscope
(Magaibutsu Limited)
The Korekyojin trio of Tatsuya Yoshida on percussion, Kido Natsuki on guitar and Mitsuru Nasuno on fretless bass, plus violinist Miyamoto Rei on several tracks, take their intricate and exuberant rock into acoustic territory with this impressive album, which includes acoustic takes on "Arabesque", "Careless Heart", "Four Holes in the Sky", &c.
The World Heritage (Yamamoto Seiichi / Katsui Yuji / Kido Natsuki / Nasuno Mitsuru / Yoshida Tatsuya)
The Land of Light
(Magaibutsu)
The Japanese improvising rock quintet The World Heritage--Yamamoto Seiichi, Katsui Yuji, Kido Natsuki, Nasuno Mitsuru, and Yoshida Tatsuya--with two guitars, violin, bass and drums, in a live recording of dynamic collective improvisation at Akihabara Goodman in 2013.
Evan Parker / Pat Thomas / John Russell / John Edwards / Alex Ward / Alison Blunt / Benedict Taylor / David Leahy / Kay Grant
Mopomoso Tour 2013 | Making Rooms [4 CD BOX SET]
(Weekertoft)
An excellent 4-CD set from a UK tour of the long-running London monthly concert series Mopomoso, featuring improvisations from various grouping of John Russell, Evan Parker, John Edwards, David Leahy, Pat Thomas, Alison Blunt, Benedict Taylor, Kay Grant & Alex Ward.
Black Bombaim & Peter Brotzmann
Black Bombaim & Peter Brotzmann
(Shhpuma)
Portugese 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.
Michael Pisaro / Reinier van Houdt
The Earth And The Sky [3 CDs]
(erstwhile)
erstwhile records releases their first CD on their ErstClass imprint, issuing and collecting historically important work, here with composer Michael Pisaro's piano works from 1994-2016, 11 compositions performed by Netherlands pianist Reinier van Houdt.
Mark Dresser Seven (Mitchell / Ehrlich / Boroff / Dessen / White / Black)
Sedimental You
(Clean Feed)
Downtown NY scene pioneering bassist, currently on the West Coast, Mark Dresser presents an album of original compositions performed with an amazing septet including Marty Ehrlich, Jim Black, Joshua White, Michael Dessen, David Morales Borof, and Nicole Mitchell.
Morton Feldman
For John Cage
(Hat[now]ART)
Morton Feldman was a friend, flatmate and student of John Cage's innovative approaches to composition; he wrote this 3 part work for violin and piano in 1982 as a 70th birthday present for Cage, here performed by violinist Josje Fosie Ter Haar and pianist John Snijders.
Keith Rowe
The Room Extended [4 CDs]
(erstwhile)
A massive and rewarding work of organized sound extending ea-improviser, AMM guitarist Keith Rowe's work "The Room" into a massive 4 CD set of compositions, layering work familiar from his recent improvisations with classical compositions, field recordings, &c. &c.
Joelle Leandre 10
Can You Hear Me?
(Ayler Records)
Known mostly as a masterful improviser, this 2015 live performance of her 2009 work for a tenet crosses compositional and improvisation boundaries, reflecting on her 40 year career while bringing out new subtleties from its original release, here with a superb set of performers.
Dunmall / Noble / Edwards / Sanders
Chords Of Connections
(FMR)
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.
Graham Lambkin
Community [2 CDs]
(erstwhile)
Using electronics, field recordings and spoken word, Graham Lambkin explores "Community" in abstract and literal ways, reflecting on society and describing aspects of community through spoken word and sound, a thought-provoking and complex work of organized sound.
Musica Elettronica Viva
Symphony No 106
(Les Disques Victo)
Documenting a reunion of Musica Elettronica Viva's founders Frederic Rzewski (piano and vocals), Richard Teitelbaum (keyboards and computer) and Alvin Curran (keyboards, computer and shofar) at the 32nd International Festival Of Current Music in Victoriaville, Canada in 2016.
Mat Maneri / Evan Parker / Lucian Ban
Sounding Tears
(Clean Feed)
Viola improviser and composer Mat Maneri leads this trio with British UK legend Evan Parker on soprano and tenor saxophone and Romanian ex-patriot and frequent collaborator Lucian Ban on piano, for ten compositions blending tradition, song, and improvisational tactics, recalling 20th century modern classical music in addition to jazz.
Jackson Harrison Trio
Sintering
(Hatology)
Melodic and texturally rich jazz from the trio of pianist Jackson Harrison with Ben Waples on double bass and brother James Waples on drums, a lyrical album of original compositions named for the process of coalescing a powder into a solid by heating it without liquefaction.
Steve Swell Quintet (Swell / Moondoc / Burrell / W. Parker / Cleaver)
Soul Travelers [VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
(RogueArt)
A great set of Downtown NY players led by trombonist Steve Swell, with Jemeel Moondoc on alto sax, Dave Burrell on piano, William Parker on double bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums, a heartfelt and masterfully soulful album of excellent modern jazz in a limited LP.
Perch Hen Brock & Rainy (Ab Baars / Ig Henneman / Ingrid Laubrock / Tom Raine)
Live @ The Jazz Happening Tampere
(Relative Pitch)
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.
Forebrace (Ward / Sassi / Horro / Doulton)
Steeped
(Relative Pitch)
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.
Harris Eisenstadt
Recent Developments
(Songlines)
NY Composer and percussionist Harris Eisenstadt furthers his exploration into long-form composition and unusual instrumentation in his 20th release as a bandleader, with a spectacular improv ensemble including Nate Wooley, Jeb Bishop, Han Roberts, Anna Webber, &c. &c.
En Corps (Eve Risser / Benjamin Duboc / Edward Perraud)
Generation
(Dark Tree Records)
The 2nd album from En Corps, the improvising trio of Eve Risser on piano, Benjamin Duboc on double bass, and Edward Perraud on drums, was recorded live at Artacts 16 festival in St Johann, Austria in 2016, performing two building works--"Des Corps" and "Des Ames" (The Bodies, The Souls)--which evolve from intricate quiet interplay into rich harmonic interaction.
Morton Feldman
Clarinet & String Quartet
(Hat[now]ART)
2 works for clarinet and string quartet, active compositions with a unique perspective in sound & texture; 2 versions of the 2 part 1961 work, and the larger 1983 composition.
Linda Smith Catlin
Dirt Road
(Another Timbre)
Canadian composer Linda Catlin Smith's extended composition for violin and percussion in 15 parts, performed by percussionist Simon Limbrick and violinist Mira Benjamin, a unique orchestration that reveals a journey of steady pace, tension and beauty.
Kazuto Shimizu / Yoshida Tatsuya / Nasyuno Mitsuru
SYN LIVE
(Magaibutsu Limited)
The Japanese improvising rock trio of Kazuto Shimizu on keyboards, Nasyuno Mitsuru on bass, and Yoshida Tatsuya on drums performing live at Club Goodman in Akihabara, Japan, 2016 for technically superb, fast paced, turn-on-a-dime, joyful prog-oriented playing.
Evan Parker / John Russel / Ian Brighton / Phillip Wachsmann / Marcio Mattos / Trevor Taylor
Reunion: Live From Cafe Oto
(FMR)
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.
Willem Breuker Kollektief
Angouleme, 18 Mai 1980 [2 CDs]
(Fou Records)
The late Willem Breuker's Kollektief was an ensemble focusing on jazz roots in theatrical and dramatic performances, emphasing the fun aspects of historic jazz bands with energetic orchestration and soloing, described as a "mix of circus music, jazz and improvisation".
Morton Feldman
For Bunita Marcus
(Hat[now]ART)
Feldman's 1985 solo piano composition for Feldman's pupil and long-time associate, from a 1990 digital recording remastered for this new edition.
Jurg Frey
String Quartets
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Composer Jurg Frey's 1988 work "String Quartet" realized by Nadia Francavilla, Clemens Merkel, Stephanie Bozzini and Isabelle Bozzini, exploring ideas of audibility: the moment when sound waves move in space and the air touches the body.
Jurg Frey
String Quartet No. 3 / Unhorbare Zeit
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Two works from composer Frey performed by Montreal's string ensemble Quatuor Bozzini: "String Quartet No. 3", a minimal work of colors, sensations, shadows, durations; and "Unhorbare Zeit" exploring durations without sound, or empty volumes, to achieve lucidity and transparency.