Since 2005 Italian guitarist Tommaso Colafiglio has led the Omegatre trio, composing and arranging all works on this album with drummer & percussionist Leo Cicala, peformed with Paolo Romano on double bass and electric bass, presenting seven electric jazz compositions that flow with the sophistication and grace each brings through years of collaborative and independent evolution.

Though listing four tracks, this is an indexed continuous concert from the German Grid Mesh quartet of Christof Thewes on trombone, Frank Paul Schubert on alto & soprano saxophones, Andreas Willers on electric guitar and Willi Kellers on drums & percussion, performing at Spielraum Schiffweiler-Heiligenwald in Germany in 2020 for a wildly buidling concert of free collective force.

Bringing together Lisbon artists active in contemporary classical, electroacoustic soundscape and improvisation, the quartet of Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Joana Sa on soprano saxophone, Luisa Goncalves on piano and Carlos Santos on electronics delicately "Melt" or merge these elements in a subtle and absorbing concert captured live at Lisboa Incomun.

A mammoth undertaking by Boston multi-instrumentalist David Peck, 3 CDs of studio improvisations about language, one part per CD, performed on a vast array of reeds, percussive instruments and unusual sound sources, with drummer Yuri Zbitnoff joining for intermediate mixes, resulting in a multi-layered and unique sonic universe of depth and dexterity.

Based around gongs, chimes, glockenspiel, Tibetan bowls and many other metallic sounds, plus reeds and horns, signal processing & synths, the Boston improvising core duo of Metal Chaos Ensemble is formed by percussionist Yuri Zbitnoff and multi-reedist David Peck, here joined by guest electric bass player Mike Gruen to create a power trio edition of the band.

Woodwind player Michael Marcus' duo with drummer Jay Rosen performed with fellow reedsman Joe McPhee and a 2nd drummer at the Jazzgalerie Nickelsdorf in 2018, the concept so appealing that he took it to the studio in New York, with Warren Smith handling the 2nd drum part and cementing this unusually orchestrated and elegantly passionate band as "The Blue Reality Quartet".

Crossing experimental sound and rhythmic approaches that blend elements of electronic music, krautrock, noise, electronica and indescribable sonic environments, the quartet of Cory Bengtsen, Bob Newell, Phillip Klampe and Mike Richards are heard in their 6th full-length release, an embraceable and well-paced album of compelling beats and sonic surprises.

Using prepared re-recorded cassettes, iPad apps, sound effects, laptop, shortwave radio, small synthesizers, ancient 2bit sampling device, all recorded on the spot without multi-tracking or extensive post-editing, Frans de Waard's 2017 Modelbau release presents 22 concise recordings of joyfully quirky electronic expression, from Kraftwerkian sound to curious peculiarity; wonderful.

An exploration of texture and mood through electronics, performed by Romanian poet and plastic artist Gili Mocanu between 2015 & 2016, divided in four suites of striking and specific interpretive sound inspired by the eclipse of August 21, 2017, detailed in a beautiful 16 page booklet of eclipse imagery from the artist, packaged in a DVD snap case.

An album of electronic rhythmical work, glitch, soundscape experimentation and hallucinatory sound from Robert Newell, a member of Amalgamated, with fellow Amalgamated member Phillip Klampe assisting in contribution and production; 14 concise and diverse examples of twisted conceptual sound following a concept of life forming from the brine.

Swedish saxophonist Per Gärdin on alto and soprano, and Spanish percussionist Vasco Trilla performing primarily on timpani & gongs, along with clock chimes, metronomes and a drum set, recording in the studio between 2020 & 2021 in both Stockholm and Barcelona, the two favoring spacious environments for their improvisations as they expand and dissipate energy in perceptive ways.

Emulating a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse in two evolving improvised chamber works that take the quartet of Guilherme Rodrigues on cello, Mariana Carvalho on piano, Joao Valinho on percussion and Ernesto Rodrigues (switching from viola to harp & deploying electronics) through mysterious soundwork that move from darkness to light in detailed and subtle ways.

A fascinating Italian project using improv techniques on voice, bass clarinet, prepared guitars & banjos and live electronics, allowing each musician to generate sounds by using their senses to listen and reflect on the world around them, from Elio Martusciello (live electronics), Chiara Liuzzi (voice), Francesco Massaro (reeds & electronics) & Adolfo La Volpe (guitars & objects).

The Hamburg-based performing quartet of Lorena Izquierdo on free improvised voice, Aziz Lewandowski on cello & voice, Kris Kuldkepp on double bass and Felix Mayer on trombone are heard in these eight studio recordings of quietly creepy conversation, generally slow motion and reflectively introspective work that occasionally rises in throttled crescendo.

Three fully free studio improvisations recorded in Manchester from the quintet of David Birchall on electric guitar, Adam Fairhall on accordion, Michael Perrett on bass clarinet, Yoni Silver on bass clarinet and Otto Willberg on double bass, all masterful performers using a wealth of creative approaches to create unusual motion in rich sonic interaction.

Electronic improviser Carlos Santos, whose sound work started with VITRIOL in 1989, a laboratory for experimental sound actions, also studied painting and works as a graphic designer; here he joins with cellist and sound artist Ulrich Mitzlaff for two extended works taking their cue from the visual arts as they study and sonically reflect subtle modulations in color fields.

For Boston improviser David Peck, a surprisingly small set of instruments for this extended solo work focused on Bb, bass & contrabass clarinets, recorded in a continuous improvisation augmented with goat horn, ocarinas, wood flutes, penny whistle, triple slide whistle, chromatic harmonica, hulusi, wind siren, concertina, gongs, tank bell and Tibetan bells.

Boston improviser and multi-instrumentalist David Peck (PEK) in a solo album using his Quartet of PEKs formats, improvising in the studio through four layers, presenting the final installment of a triptych of albums constrained to one or two woodwind instrument families - this one for flutes and double reeds, along with nadaswaram, shenai, goat horn, dizi, bass tromboon, &c &c.

In 1969 alto saxophonist Anthony Braxton released an unprecedented solo saxophone album, For Alto, dedicating each piece to a composer or player, including Leroy Jenkins and John Cage; Boston improviser David Peck took this album as inspiration to create his own extended solo improvisation as a tribute to Braxton, performing on a classic Selmer Balanced Action saxophone.

Before initiating the live improvisation that makes up Complex & Real Dimensions, reedist and multi-instrumentalist David Peck built a foundation track including electro-acoustic instruments created by Tim Kaiser, particularly the loop-capable "Large Spring Box", creating tone, timbre and interludes over which PEK passionately performs.

Recording as An Orchestra of PEKs--overdubbed tracks performing with his arsenal of metallic, percussive and electronics devices--intermediate mixes here of electric cello and electric upright bass through Moogerfooger stomp box and syntrix analog synthesizer and a metallic percussion mix, the various timbres interacting as a larger environment for PEK's reed improvisations.

In various configurations of her ensemble--from trios to 12 performers--composer, saxophonist & flutist Anna Weber composed these six pieces based around specific wind techniques, including the use of multiphonics, alternate fingerings, buzzes, air sounds, key clicks & overblown notes, explored through an exuberant and embraceable balance of improvised and composed "Idioms".

Exploring the earliest work of Claire Rousay, from her performances as a solo drummer and then transitioning into a musique concrete/new music composer, the 1st CD collecting Rousay's favorite drumming cuts, sequenced into a large single composition, the 2nd CD beginning with percussion work as Rousay adds voice, sonic & field recorded material to create a monumental composition.

Two essential early 60s release from famed UK saxophonist Joe Harriott, an innovator bringing free jazz concepts to the British audience with his quintet of Shake Kane on trumpet & flugelhorn, Pat Smythe on piano, Coleridge Goode on double bass and Phil Seaman on drums, referencing the new forms of jazz from US artists like Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman.

Interlacing vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, metallophones, gamelan bar, piano, keyboards and organ with rhythmic percussion and fragments of voice and field recordings, New York percussionist Eli Keszler's album floats in warm melodicism and rich ambience, gliding along with a cinematic sense framed by recordings of NYC, the Odyssey Cave and other global locations.

Music written to accompany a light & juggling performance by German contemporary circus artist Kolja Huneck, Rutger Zuydervelt developing the compositions of these works using only short looping structures that weave and develop into a tapestry of sound, inspired by the repetitive motions of Kolja's performance and the 30 centimeter round discs with which he performs.

Featuring electronically-augmented vocal interpretations of lieder songs by such composers as Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann, New York vocalist Judith Berkson also presents purely electronic pieces engaging noise and feedback-oriented vignettes, the evolution of her project started in 2016 as she re-contextualizes classical music in powerfully expressive ways.

Calling his music jazz and not jazz, bassist Brandon Lopez demands of his listeners to dance, as the quartet of Lopez, Steve Baczkowski on saxophones, Gerald Cleaver on percussion and Cecilia Lopez on synthesizer are heard in this energetic live concert at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, blurring free jazz with experimental sound that never loses its strong grooves.

Music with "no restrictions, no guidelines, no imposed intention, no expectation" from keyboardist John Medeski, in an album that evolves static noise into rich and fascinating soundscapes, a blend of improvisation and composition using electric and acoustic keyboards, synthesizers, mellotron and early electronic gear, masterfully unfurled in riveting ways.

The Simulacrum trio of John Medeski on organ, Kenny Grohowski on drums and Matt Hollenberg on guitar, with prior releases Inferno, Unspeakable Depravity..., Beyond Good And Evil and Baphomet, continue composer John Zorn's investigation on the dark side of swinging jazz merged with rock & compositional attitudes, as he explores the written works of Antonin Artaud.

Exotic improvisation from Korean musician based in Berlin, You Jin Sung, performing on the gayageum, a large traditional Korean plucked zither sometimes augmented with electronics, in a duo with French cellist Vincent Laju, both performers using tension and space contrasted with moments of intensity through six improvisations of cross-cultural, contemporary conversation.

Active since 2008, the PLASMA 8 duo of German pianist & vocalist Thomas Reuter and saxophonist Andreas Krennerich explore the geological deposits of porphyr, a hard igneous rock containing crystals, through free improvisation, expressed here in 20 concise interactions of piano keys & strings, soprano & baritone saxophones plus unusual vocal utterance.

A diverse set of conversations between Austrian improvisers, drummer/percussionist Fredi Pröll (Trio Now!, Lull) and free vocalist Mara Kolibri, recording in the studio for seven concise and far-ranging dialogs, from cantankerous interactions to controlled incoherence of absurdly implied vocalization punctuated with creative percussive reaction, often returning to lyrical jazz-influenced moments.

Darkly meditative and somber compositions for the lower registers of the grand piano accompanied by synthesizer, in two extended pieces by Je Suis! and Angles 9 pianist Alexander Zethson, using the interactions between the deep piano keys and synth more as a sound source than as a distinct instrument, each reshaping the other to create a cloud of sound.

The second volume of this rich and exotic quartet in a sublime merging of jazz, electronics and compositional approaches yielding melodically dream-like music and environments, from reedist, flutist && trumpeter Daniel Carter, Tobias Wilner (Blue Foundation) on synth and keys, Wu-Tang Clan bassist Djibril Toure and Italian/NY drummer Federico Ughi.

Merging Tiger Hatchery's tenor saxophonist Michael Forbes and bassist Andrew Scott Young and newly arrived to NYC Flying Luttenbacher leader & drummer Weasel Walter, for classic hardcore free jazz of articulate and demanding improvisation; this a recently unearthed studio recording from 2010, captured two years after their first encounter in a quartet with Jeb Bishop.

Touring the South and Midwest US just before the pandemic lockdown, the assertive Chicago trio Kuzu of Dave Rempis on alto, tenor & baritone saxophones, Tashi Dorji on guitar and Tyler Damon on drums, processed and echoed the sense of uncertainty they encountered, capturing it in depth during two concerts and reflecting it in this powerful, almost ritualistic free jazz album.

Each track named after a mythical Scottish character, the Ukrainian trio of Stanislav Bobrytsky on modular synth, Pavlo Lisovsky on tenor saxophone and Anton Boldenko on viola create a music merging free jazz principles with modular synthetic drone, creating an orchestral sound that still elucidates the detail of their uniquely orchestrated, rich sonic explorations.

An improvisational investigation into two bass drums over two extended recordings from West Coast experimental improvisers Kevin Corcoran and Jacob Felix Heule, as they apply an arsenal of unusual techniques and engage every inch of the drums with a diverse set of objects, evoking strange sounds, pattering rhythmic echoes, metallic cries and deep rumbling effects.

Taking his inspiration from the concepts and work of German fractal image & video artist Joerg Wand, US-born and Philippines-based alto saxophonist Rick Countryman presents his first unaccompanied saxophone album, as he flows, winds and weaves his saxophone along rich peninsular curves to illustrate Wand's vision through fluid and sustained playing.

During a two-day encounter in Houston in 2012, visiting improviser & guitarist Keith Rowe and double bassist Damon Smith combined with guitarist Sandy Ewen, on day 1 joining with her all-female experimental music ensemble Lady Band (of Various Fruit Names) to perform works from the 70s London ensemble Scratch Orchestra; on day 2 recording two uniquely creative improvsations as a trio.

Argentinian sound artist based in NYC Cecilia Lopez engages fellow Brandon Lopez Trio double bassist Lopez and drummer Gerald Cleaver for a performance of improvisation, installation and architecture, using woven wire nets filled with instruments and hung from Roulette Intermedia's ceiling to act as a complex feedback organism with which the trio interacts.

A building and extended set of fully free improvisation using unusual techniques, from the trio of Birgit Ulher on trumpet, radio, speaker & objects, Damon Smith on double bass and Chris Cogburn on percussion & electronics, Ulher using the trumpet as a sound source as much as a conventional instrument, as the trio builds from near silence to intensely controlled interaction.

The Japanese Korekyojinn trio of Tatsuya Yoshida on drums, Mitsuru Nasuno on bass and Kido Natsuki on guitar continue their high energy approach to prog and jazz/rock with this, their 6th studio album over 20 years, in seven new pieces of extended instrumental works maintaining the effortlessly complex & joyful interplay amid quickly shifting time signatures and melodic changes.

Hard-edged NYC free jazz in a limited EP CD release from the trio of alto saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos, bassist Luke Stewart and drummer & composer Devin Gray, who explains that the music reflects "the modern world we're all trying to live in, with that odd mix of the comfortable and uncomfortable", as heard in the edgy and dynamic power of his group.

The Hamburg-based performing quartet of Lorena Izquierdo on free improvised voice, Aziz Lewandowski on cello & voice, Kris Kuldkepp on double bass and Felix Mayer on trombone are heard in these eight studio recordings of quietly creepy conversation, generally slow motion and reflectively introspective work that occasionally rises in throttled crescendo.

A diverse set of conversations between Austrian improvisers, drummer/percussionist Fredi Pröll (Trio Now!, Lull) and free vocalist Mara Kolibri, recording in the studio for seven concise and far-ranging dialogs, from cantankerous interactions to controlled incoherence of absurdly implied vocalization punctuated with creative percussive reaction, often returning to lyrical jazz-influenced moments.

Active since 2008, the PLASMA 8 duo of German pianist & vocalist Thomas Reuter and saxophonist Andreas Krennerich explore the geological deposits of porphyr, a hard igneous rock containing crystals, through free improvisation, expressed here in 20 concise interactions of piano keys & strings, soprano & baritone saxophones plus unusual vocal utterance.

Emulating a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse in two evolving improvised chamber works that take the quartet of Guilherme Rodrigues on cello, Mariana Carvalho on piano, Joao Valinho on percussion and Ernesto Rodrigues (switching from viola to harp & deploying electronics) through mysterious soundwork that move from darkness to light in detailed and subtle ways.