A large band project from UK composer, arranger and conductor Giles Thornton, directing 29 musicians through original works and reinterpretations of ballads like Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You", in a blend of acoustic and electronic musicians that avoids overt fusion overtones while keeping the music melodic with the occasional exotica flair.

Live recordings at Hexagon Theatre in Birmingham in 2018 from the UK free improvising quartet of Paul Dunmall on tenor saxophone, John O'Gallagher on alto saxophone, John Edwards on bass, and Mark Sanders on drums, the two saxophonists bringing distinct approaches together as they weave and parry over the powerhouse rhythm duo of Edwards and Sanders.

A West Coast trio of electric and acoustic jazz from Patrick Shiroishi on alto & soprano saxophones, Dylan Fujioka on drums, and Paco Casanova on keyboards and electric piano, performing live at The Museum of Contemporary Art in LA in 2017 for an extended journey, at times psychedelic and others contemporary but always serious, revelatory and commanding.

It would be an understatement to call the Canadian trio of Francois Carrier (alto saxophone), Michel Lambert (drums) and Rafal Mazur (acoustic bass guitar) a working trio, as the band seems constantly on the go, performing their complex avant jazz live in Romania in 2016 at Aethernativ, for four extended, intricate and cathartic free dialogs.

A beautiful trio album bringing together New York saxophonist Tony Malaby and Australian saxophonist Robert Burke with NY bassist Mark Helias for sophisticated and organic collective improvisations with a chamber jazz sensibility, which the musicians describe as an immersive journey bringing together each player's experiences, expertise and egos.

Hungarian composer, improviser and multi-reedist Jasna Jovicevic in an album researching sound vibrations and their direct impact on our body, energy, and creativity, performed with her contemporary chamber jazz sextet of bassoon, percussion, viola, violin and violincello, lyrical and joyful music "divided according to psychic centers in the human body".

Long-time collaborators, saxophonist Paul Dunmall and guitar Philip Gibbs are joined by Neil Metcalfe on flute and Ashley-John Long on bass for a concert at the Victoria Rooms, in Bristol, England in 2017, six collective improvisation of spectacular technique and inventive playing, often at very fast tempos, but always resolving to an inner calm and beauty.

Australia's performing trio Omelette of Jordan Murray on trombone, Ronny Fereller on drums, and Luke Howard on piano follow up their 2014 album on Jazzhead with this live album, the trio joined by Chilean percussionist working in Melbourne Javier Fredes, for a lyrical and rhythmically rich live performance at Melbourne's JazzLab in 2017.

Recording at the Neustadter Kirche in Hofgeismar, Germany, the quartet of Thanos Chrysakis and Peer Schlechta organ with Chris Cundy and Ove Volquartz on bass clarinets, use the resonance and massive sound of their organs to create active improvisations of deep tones, cries, and unearthly squalls, an incredible set of interacting textures and runs.

A beautiful 3-CD set with a hardcover book presenting 3 full concerts from 2015 & 2016 of the AMM trio configuration of John Tilbury (piano), Keith Rowe (guitar) and Eddie Prevost (percussion). The 70 page book, dedicated to saxophonist Lou Gare, includes an AMM discography, plus photos, and essays by Paige Mitchell and Allen Fisher; Keith Rowe; Eddie Prevost; and Seymour Wright.

The quartet of Canadian electronics composer Chris Meloche and label leader Martin Archer on woodwinds and electronics orchestrated these pieces, performed with improvsations from Gino Robair on percussion and electronics and Lyn Hodnett on voice, for a 3 part work of rich interactive loops, drones and soundscape, ranging from spine-chilling to lush and lovely environments.

Univers Zero bassist Guy Seger brought this eclectic group of improvisers into the studio to develop the music on this genre-defying album, informed by a sextet of musicians who have performed and recorded with projects and artists including Vanishing Pictures, X-Legged Sally, Wrong Object, Tony Levin, Tony Bianco, Paul Schutze, Trevor Watts, Zeena Parkins, Jim O'Rourke, &c.

Saxophonist Martin Archer composed the five works on this, the 3rd release for Engine Room Favorites, his AACM-influenced big band with a tremendous orchestration of horns with drums, vibes, piano and bass, here with their most complex yet melodic and rich release yet, including melodic elements of folk music, powerful rhythms from prog-oriented rock, and free improv and jazz.

Having met at Middlesex University in 2001, this sophisticated London-based contemporary jazz/folk sextet formed in 2011, recently adding vocalist Kerry Andrew (Juice), as pianist Laura Cole composes music and text based on her personal experiences; pieces include two collective improvs and 2 reworkings of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman".

Creative uses of percussion from Italian drummers Giacomo Salis and Paolo Sanna, who explore gesture, movement, listening, and the investigation of natural materials and found objects, in five studio tracks that present the results of their research in both rhythmic sections and sections of abstract sound, honed from concerts, studio albums, and a collaboration with Jeph Jerman.

A proper reissue of the 1976 Incus album from guitarist Derek Bailey and cellist Tristan Honsinger, primarily from a live concert at at Verity's Place in London on February 7, 1976, with two unusual studio recordings punctuating the album, an early example of their long history of collaboration and a great example of their intense, joyful, and truly free improvisation together.

An impressive vinyl reissue of guitarist Derek Bailey, one of the most unique and influential free improvisers, in his 1974 solo recording on the Incus label, with Bailey playing on two amps and two volume pedals, a veritable duo split in the stereo field with occasional banter and observations, as he blends abstract and lyrical approaches on guitar in amazing ways.

An extended and beautiful composition for two guitars, exquisitely played by Taku Sugimoto and Cristian Alvear, captured in concert at Ftarri in Tokyo in 2017, and the first appearance on Another Timbre for this Japanese composer-guitarist Sugimoto, who is best known as an improviser, and who also features on the "Chamber and Field Works" album by Bruno Duplant.

New ensemble pieces by Jurg Frey and Magnus Granberg played by Ensemble Grizzana, commissioned by Another Timbre with the request that both start from the same two fragments of early music, one by Johannes Ockeghem, the other by William Byrd, each composer producing fascinatingly different pieces that both contain echoes of the source material.

A double CD of delicate music from the French composer Bruno Duplant, the first disc containing three chamber pieces exquisitely played by the Suidobashi Chamber Ensemble, the second disc a long piece for solo guitar, performed by Taku Sugimoto in a public park in Tokyo, incorporating an extraordinary variety of environmental sounds.

Spanish composer and guitarist based in France, Clara de Asis performs her own work "Do Nothing" in 6 sections, an electroacoustic, minimal studio composition for guitar and percussion, in 3 movements using space between distinct sound events to let each take its own life, offset by 3 movements of rotating or ringing percussive sound and punctuation.

French composer and producer Hector Zazou's 2nd and last release with a "most exquisite and eccentric of groups, who hardly touched the world of working bands, and whose existence was tenuous, flickering, mythological - and yet who managed, stealthily, to find its way in time to legendary status by leaving an indelible trace in recorded form of their verifiable existence."

Phil Maguire (Verz label) exchanges abstract electronics from a variety of lo-fi devices with glitch and aberrant guitarist James L. Malone, a London improviser who has worked with Eddie Prevost, Phil Durrant, Steve Beresford and Adam Bohman, as the two trade strange sonic disruptions, avoiding pandemonium, instead using noise in pointed discourse.

A remarkable album of electronic composition from sound experimenter and improviser Thanos Chrysakis, ten stunning compositions that explore a diverse set of tones across a broad spectrum of rich deep timbre and beautiful high frequency ringing, bell-tones at times taking the focus, at others providing a rotating basis for ethereal experiments; sophisticated and engaging!

The transnational ensemble of acoustic improvisers Nathaniel Catchpole on tenor saxophone, Elk calls, Jamie Coleman on trumpet, Alex James on piano, Ross Lambert on guitar, pocket trumpet, preparations, John Lely on piano, Sebastian Lexer on piano, Marianthi Papalexandri on moving objects, Eddie Prevost on percussion, and Seymour Wright on alto saxophone.

A mix of Afro-Cuban, Middle Eastern, jazz and rock traditions fuel the rich rhythmic and spiritual music of the trio of Elaine Edwards (The Moors) on saxophone and flute, Ken Edwards on bass and voice, and Jamie Harris on percussion and voice, referencing the powerful Arabian mythical demon "Afrit" and the insterstellar clouds of dust that make up a nebula.

Multi-reedist Udo Schindler is captured live at Ars Musica, in Stemmerhof, Munich performing on clarinet, soprano sax, and euphonium in a trio with sound artists Korhan Erel and trombonist Sebastiano Tramontana, a uniquely voiced concert that places intricate reed and brass playing against unusual electronic interactions, balancing energetic and spacious moments.

With packaging embellished by 5 images of Paul Dunmall's wood engravings, this album catches the saxophonist on soprano, alto and tenor in the company of saxophonist Frank Paul Schubert on soprano and alto, with Sebastiano Dessanay on bass and Jim Bashford on drums, performing live at Lamp Tavern, in Birmingham for an album of intertwining reeds and solid rhythmic support.

The UK's Delta Saxophone Quartet of Chris Caldwell, Peter Whyman, Graeme Blevins and Tim Holmes, known for their interpretations of compositional and popular music, take on the music of David Bowie, particularly focused on his Berlin years, and also connected pieces from Brian Eno's ambient output, and Brecht's "Alabama Song" in reference to Bowie's "Baal" album.

Recording at Jazz at the Fringe in Bristol in 2017, saxophonist Paul Dunmall shows his Coltrane influence in three extended improvisation with the trio of long-time collaborator Tony Orrell on drums and percussion, and bassist and trumpeter Percy Pursglove, in a concert that presents masterful playing, impressive creative asides, and insightful soloing.

Exceptional improvisation with a dark underpinning and masterful technique from the Berlin-based collective trio of Simon Rose on baritone and alto saxophones, Willi Keller on drums, and Jan Roder on double bass, recording in the studio and mixed by Olaf Rupp, for an intense ride through seven recordings with titles like "Human Head" or "That Metal Smell".

Blending Serbian ethnic flavors, rich experience in both improvised and compositional/symphonic music, with inventive and creative free improvisation, viola player Szilard Mezei's leads his trio with double bassist Ervin Malina and drummer Istvan Csik through seven original compositions, two of which were captured live in performance in Novi Sad.

The Belgian creative improvising quartet Kabas of Jan Daelman on flute, Thijs Troch on piano, Nils Vermeulen on double bass, and Elias Devoldere on drums for a 2-CD release, one album in studio with trumpeter Luis Vicente (Deux Maisons, Chamber 4), and one live at Portugal's SMUP with both Vicente and percussionist Carlos Godinho (Variable Geometry Orchestra).

Clarinetist and bass clarinetist Peter Kuhn defines his "intentions" with his trio of bassist Kyle Motl and drummer Nathan Hubbard, recording in the studio in 2017 for an album of determined, informed and demanding free improvisation, a reflection of Kuhn's life and his direction to create superb modern jazz music with power, release, and inventive joy.

A collective free improvising trio active on the London jazz scene for the last few years, comprised of Kurt Weil interpreter, pianist Vladimir Miller whose first quartet was formed in 1987; double bassist Pierpaolo Martino, who studied with Joelle Leandre and Mark Dresser; and saxophonist Adrian Northover known for The Remote Viewers and London Improvisers Orchestra.

Multi-reedist Peter Kuhn returned to the San Diego scene in 2013, forming the Dependent Origination band with a core of drummer Alex Cline and saxophonist Dave Sewelson, referencing the Buddhist concept of interdependent co-arising; 4 years later this album adding Dan Clucas (cornet) & Scott Walton (bass) represents the current state of this excellent collective band.

Peter Blegvad expands his trio with Henry Cow alumni, drummer Chris Cutler and bassist John Greaves, this time with Karen Mantler on keys and chordal instruments, and Bob Drake on guitar, voice and percussion, reworking songs from his solo career and work with Slapp Happy, alongside new numbers of classic Blegvad wordplay, wit, depth and humor; like the label, Recommended!

More typically a solo performer, Japanese bluesman Kan Mikami has created a distinctive path for his voice, guitar and poetic lyrics; here he is propelled in an improvisational setting with two powerful UK players--John Edwards on bass and Alex Neilson on drums--captured live at London's Cafe Oto for a growling concert of finesse and brusque attitude.

Double double bass from the duo of John Edwards and Olie Brice performing live at Iklectik Arts Lab, in London in 2017, a return of sorts as Brice's first live improv gig was opening for the Sunny Murray Trio with Edwards and Bevan; here the two combine, in contrast and confluence as they demonstrate massive technique and concentrative conversation.

Peter Hammill continues his immense solo career, intricately linked to his work with Van Der Graaf Generator, but more focused in intelligent lyrics, profound vocal layering, and fluid song structures, a unique voice who for more than 35 studio albums has developed an approach to songwriting and intellectual observation of subtle sophistication and detail.

The saxophone-heavy UK improvising band Remote Viewers returns to a trio format, with founders David Petts on tenor sax and Adrian Northover on soprano sax, plus John Edwards on double bass, as the stripped-down band employs signature harmonic territory and compositional approaches, making this a distinctively concentrated and welcome Remote Viewers album.

The quirky acoustic trio of German improvisers Udo Schindler on clarinet, saxophone, cornet, and Euphonium, Johannes Ollinger on acoustic guitar and toys, and Dine Doneff on double bass, waterphone, and toys, the odd instrumentation adding surprising textures and disorienting angles to really fine dialog, technically, melodically, and eccentrically.

Actually four quartet improvisations and two duets, London creative improvisers Peter Urpeth on piano, Olie Brice on bass, Terry Day on drums and Ntshuks Bonga on saxophone took to Cafe Oto in January, 2017, to record this excellent album of collective free improvisation drawing on decades of experience in an absorbing and engaging concert.

London Jazz Composers Orchestra trombonist Alan Tomlinson, performing on tenor and alto trombone, with his trio of Dave Tucker on guitar and Phillip Marks on percussion, are caught live in Birmingham, Lancaster, London, and during the Harwich Festival, from 2009-16, demonstrating the strong rapport and exciting dialog these players have developed over years performing together.

A live recording from Kongsberg Jazzfestival in 2017 between frequent collaborators, Norwegian improviser Frode Gjerstad on reeds and Chicago improviser Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and electronics, their second FMR album as a duo, alongside their work in the Cello Quartet and VCDC, showing the progression of their dynamic and fascinating dialog.

Recordings from the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra Festival in Scotland recorded in 2013 & 2015, the 20+ piece orchestra blending acoustic, electronic and vocal instruments into incredibly diverse and rich compositions, here presenting "A Peculiar Slumber" I & II, and the impressive and large work "A Bit in the Air", both exploring words and loss of control.

An amazing example of extremely detailed collective free improvisation from the trio of Szilard Mezei on viola, Tim Trevor-Briscoe on alto & tenor saxophone, soprano clarinet, and bass clarinet, and Nicola Guazzaloca on piano, Mezei's strings adding a rapid-scatter of expressive playing, as the trio pitches forward and lays back for lyrical moments; astonishing!

The peforming duo of Tokyo pianist Yoko Miura on conventional piano, toy piano and melodica, and free improvising vocalist Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg are recorded in the studio for 14 succinct and unusual improvisations, Fou Records leader Jean-Marc Foussat recording the affair and providing electronics on one track; wonderfully weird and informed.

Freely improvised music from the masterful duo of Canadian saxophonist Fracois Carrier and drummer/percussionist Michel Lambert, performing live at Ryan's Bar in Stoke Newington, London in 2015, seven tracks showing the depth of discussion between these two long collaborating musicians, supporting and pushing each other to great heights.

Live recordings from Pollat-Pavillion in Munich, Germany in 2015 from this seriously fun spontaneous collective improvising trio of Udo Schindler on reeds, cornet, euphonium, and monophonic analogue synthesizer, Philipp Kolb on trumpet, tuba and live electronics, and Sebastiano Tramontana on trombone, voice and whistling; expect the unexpected!