Recorded in Chicago between 1925 and 1928, these seminal Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions led by Louis Armstrong capture a transformative moment in early jazz, where his virtuosic phrasing, rhythmic innovation, and charismatic presence redefine the music's expressive scope, presented here with exceptional restoration and mastering, and accompanied by two postcards detailing recording sessions and personnel.

Centering the lyrical interplay of piano and violin, Marc Copland and Mark Feldman lead two rhythm sections with Drew Gress (bass), the late Anthony Pinciotti (drums) or Felix Henkelhausen (bass), and Jonas Burgwinkel (drums), through intimate, textural performances balancing standards and originals with subtle, exploratory improvisation.

A compelling issue of Musicworks spotlights Montreal artist Quinton Barnes and his hybrid of free jazz, drone, and experimental R&B, alongside features on composer Corie Rose Soumah and writer/musician DeForrest Brown, Jr., with additional artist profiles, festival coverage, and reviews of contemporary experimental music.

Uniting tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman with three distinct guitar voices — Marc Ribot, Elliott Sharp, and Joe Morris — this 3-CD set presents three separate duo encounters recorded at Park West Studios in Brooklyn, highlighting contrasting improvisational languages while exploring timbre, interaction, and the expressive possibilities of the guitar in free improv contexts.

Blending Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms with modern jazz and exploratory improvisation, guitarist Gabriel Vicens leads a sextet of guitar, saxophone, piano, bass, drums, and percussion — performing lyrical and sophisticated compositions that move through propulsive, textural, and meditative passages, balancing ancestral pulse, temporal reflection, and avant-garde expression.

On her first solo piano recording, Brooklyn-based pianist and composer Eva Novoa explores an intimate and adventurous sonic palette across six original pieces, combining grand piano with Fender Rhodes, electric harpsichord, gongs, percussion, voice, and whistling, creating a rhythmically charged and cinematic performance that expands the expressive possibilities of the solo format.

Framed as a shifting, dreamlike improvisation, this electroacoustic quartet led by violist Ernesto Rodrigues, with cellist Guilherme Rodrigues, Carlos Santos on electronics, and percussionist Monsieur Trinité, unfolds a fluid free improv session that dissolves into evolving textures, balancing tension, restraint, and collective interplay within an immersive sonic landscape.

Recorded live in Lisbon, violist Ernesto Rodrigues joins vocalist Maria Radich and violinist Maria do Mar in a free improv trio where close-range string interplay and crackle box electronics create high-register tension, while voice moves within the texture through whispers and cries, shaping an intimate, spatially focused performance balancing density, restraint, and evolving interaction.

Blending solo and ensemble free improv, percussionist Vasco Trilla joins Vilhelm Bromander, Alex Zethson, and Martin Kuchen in a Stockholm session where drones, elastic bass textures, and intricate percussive detail evolve through responsive interplay, culminating in a resonant solo performance that reflects a dynamic exploration of texture, tension, and transformation.

A powerful chamber work from Ukrainian pianist and composer Vadim Neselovskyi, this release blends classical composition and improvisation, as piano and string trio merge structured writing with spontaneous expression, aligning his lyrical, introspective voice with modular, improvisation-driven aesthetics shaped by the tensions and resilience of his homeland.

Reuniting Bill Frisell, Kenny Wollesen, and Carol Emanuel as The Gnostic Trio, John Zorn presents a refined set of compositions that blend chamber minimalism, early music influences, and ambient textures, where delicate interplay, spacious forms, and a touch of electronics from Ikue Mori yield a serene, introspective, and subtly cinematic exploration of tone and atmosphere.

Performing thirteen selections from John Zorn's 2015 Bagatelles collection, pianist Brian Marsella delivers a dynamic solo recital that navigates angular, atonal forms and moments of striking lyricism, blending classical precision with jazz spontaneity to create an intimate, virtuosic, and emotionally resonant interpretation of Zorn's expansive compositional language.

With a title translating to The Die is Cast, this formidable piano concerto from composer John Zorn unfolds through abrupt shifts in mood, tempo, and texture, as Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, and Ches Smith navigate its exacting, volatile structures with precision and intensity, joined by Sae Hashimoto on vibraphone, adding a resonant counterpoint to this complex, dynamically shifting work.

A fierce interpretation of John Zorn's Bagatelles by the organ trio of John Medeski with guitarist David Fiuczynski and drummer Grant Calvin Weston, this release channels funk, jazz, and psychedelic rock into explosive, high-energy performances, transforming Zorn's concise compositions into a dynamic, groove-driven and sonically adventurous set.

Bringing together an octet of long-associated improvisers led by violist Ernesto Rodrigues, this single extended work unfolds as a fluid, introspective collective statement of shifting timbres and spectral harmonies with moments of tension and release, forging a deeply personal and evolving free improv narrative shaped by continuity, interaction and shared intuition.

Recorded live at the Archipel Festival, this quintet of Nicolas Field, Thomas Florin, Jerome Noetinger, Fritz Welch, and Nate Wooley delivers an intense electroacoustic performance where composed frameworks erupt into explosive, immersive interactions, as voice, trumpet, piano, percussion, and electronics collide in dense, mutating textures that are disorienting, consuming, often volatile, yet consistently exhilarating.

The Simulacrum ensemble expands its electroacoustic palette on Modeling Personas, bringing together a fluid septet of winds, strings, percussion, and extensive electronics in a dense and highly textural session where layered improvisations, shifting instrumental permutations, and rich sonic experimentation create a dynamic and immersive exploration of timbre, form, and collective interplay.

Expanding the Evil Clown universe with a humor-driven electroacoustic improvisation, the Neurodivergent Orchestra blends dense ensemble interplay, electronics, and an extraordinary array of instruments with fully improvised spoken-word banter, where playful, absurdist narrative threads intertwine with dynamic sonic exploration to create a richly textured, unpredictable, and engaging collective performance.

Expanding from the long-running Leap of Faith core duet, bringing together a sextet of reeds, brass, cello, bass, percussion, and electronics in a fluid electroacoustic improvisation where shifting instrumental doublings, richly varied global percussion, and evolving textures drive a continuous transformation of sonority, creating a deeply immersive and dynamically unfolding exploration of collective free improv.

A duo of breath and air, recorded in Bogotá in 2025, Colombian sound artist Ricardo Arias and vocalist Jaap Blonk explore microscopic improvisations using balloons, fragments, and extended voice, where fragile textures, elastic tones, and near-silence merge human and object into a tactile, minimal, subtly uncanny, and occasionally absurdist sonic dialogue.

Blending acoustic guitars, clarinets, accordion, voice and found objects, Barry Chabala and Clara Byom craft a deeply intuitive duo session that moves between unedited studio improvs and expanded "extractions," weaving folk-inflected fragments, graphic score realizations and haunting textures into a raw yet lyrical free improv language shaped by trust, contrast and evolving interplay.

"This recording documents a first encounter. For his 60th birthday, Stefan invited two musicians he had previously met only online. We stepped into the same room, the same air, the same sound. By the end of the night, the trio had alrea...

A Berlin-recorded trio of violin, viola, and cello with voice, where Gerhard Uebele, Ernesto Rodrigues, and Guilherme Rodrigues shape twelve concise movements of hushed, textural free improv, blending extended string techniques and subtle vocalizations into a fragile, reductionist sound world of intimate interplay, suspended time, and finely detailed sonic nuance.

Birgit Ulher and Jaap Blonk engage in an eccentric duo of trumpet, radio, electronics, and voice, where drifting textures, interference, and extended techniques shape a spacious, volatile improvisation balancing delicate detail with sudden, fractured gestures, recorded at the artist-run collective, gallery, and cultural venue Westwerk in Hamburg, Germany.

A 4-CD/8 album survey of Kenny Dorham's early-1960s output, compiling sessions from Show Boat through Una Mas, where his warm, lyrical trumpet leads shifting ensembles including Joe Henderson and Herbie Hancock, bridging hard bop, modal jazz, and Latin-tinged explorations with refined compositional clarity.

A powerful free improv statement from saxophonist Paul Dunmall and his quartet with Sophia Domancich, James Owston, and Miles Levin, blending composed themes — including a rendition of "Spiritual" by John Coltrane — with collective improvisation, as the ensemble's masterful interplay unfolds with fluid cohesion, balancing explosive energy and introspective nuance in a deeply expressive album.

Expanding the definitive collection from British avant-garde pioneers Henry Cow, this expanded edition compiles the complete 40th anniversary box with remastered studio and live recordings, rare material including Cabinet of Curiosities and Glastonbury and Elsewhere, plus a DVD and three extensive booklets totaling 250 pages, presenting a comprehensive and rigorously documented portrait of the band's uncompromising, genre-defying work.

Uniting the long-running trio Harriet Tubman with vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Georgia Anne Muldrow, this expansive set channels collective, largely spontaneous composition into a powerful blend of jazz, funk, rock, and electronics, where incantatory vocals and dynamic interplay drive a deeply expressive free-flowing exploration of texture, groove, and emotional resonance.

Uniting the long-running trio Harriet Tubman with vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Georgia Anne Muldrow, this expansive set channels collective, largely spontaneous composition into a powerful blend of jazz, funk, rock, and electronics, where incantatory vocals and dynamic interplay drive a deeply expressive free-flowing exploration of texture, groove, and emotional resonance.

Bringing together seven landmark 1960s sessions, this 4-CD set captures Joe Henderson at the height of his early career, leading stellar ensembles through a compelling range of post-bop expression, from hard-driving grooves to exploratory improvisation, showcasing his commanding tone, compositional strength, and enduring influence on modern jazz.

Blending a core duet with an expanded ensemble, this richly orchestrated free improv performance weaves three-horn front lines with contrasting string approaches, dense percussion, and a vast electroacoustic palette, unfolding as a continuous transformation of texture and form where acoustic interplay and subtle signal processing shape an immersive, multidimensional sonic environment.

Emerging from a shifting lineup, this iteration of the ensemble trades its usual rock-driven intensity for a more restrained, electroacoustic chamber feel, as layered horns, dense metallic percussion, and evolving electronics intertwine with spoken narration, shaping a fluid free improv performance that navigates a wide spectrum of textures and timbral transformations.

Blending the raw energy of New York's loft jazz lineage with a transatlantic avant-garde sensibility, drummer Sam Ospovat leads a fiery ensemble through polyrhythmic intensity and expansive improvisation, where searing guitars, layered horns, and driving rhythms converge in a volatile and immersive session that channels historical influence into a bold, unfiltered contemporary expression.

Formed from an unexpected shift in personnel, this agile quartet channels a tightly honed horn section, layered electronics, and Joel Simches' real-time signal processing into a richly textured free improv set, where fluid interplay and rapid adaptation drive an evolving, high-density sonic environment shaped by both precision and spontaneity.

A late-period live recording from AMM — Eddie Prévost, Keith Rowe, and John Tilbury — capturing their refined electroacoustic free improv language of near-silence, where percussion, electronics, and piano dissolve into a shared sonic field shaped by extreme restraint, microscopic detail, and a collective focus on texture, duration, and deep listening.

Accordionist Luciano Biondini, tubist and serpent player Michel Godard, and percussionist Lucas Niggli weave composition and free improv into a richly expressive dialogue drawing on Mediterranean lyricism, early music, and contemporary jazz, where original pieces, Radiohead and Monteverdi reinterpretations, and spontaneous interplay unfold with poetic depth, wit, and an ever-shifting sense of narrative.

Captured during a European tour, the trio of pianist Sylvie Courvoisier with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen presents a finely honed language shaped through deep trust and evolving interplay, where Courvoisier's compositions unfold with precision and openness, balancing intricate detail, shifting textures, and spontaneous free improv with subtle complexity and vivid expressiveness.

A 1962 quartet session on Candid — then directed by Nat Hentoff — featuring Steve Lacy on soprano sax with Charles Davis on baritone sax, John Ore on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums, interpreting two pieces by Cecil Taylor, three by Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee" in a focused, where incisive lines and lyrical restraint reveal a forward-thinking voice of free improv.

A powerful quartet session led by James Brandon Lewis on tenor sax with Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones, and Chad Taylor, blending lyrical melodic clarity with dynamic, responsive interplay, where rich tonal expression and groove-sensitive improvisation draw from the lineage of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and David S. Ware while forging a deeply personal, contemporary voice.

Marking her return to Chicago, German alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier reunites with a powerhouse sextet of the city's improvisers, including Nicole Mitchell, Dave Rempis, and Jason Adasiewicz, for a high-velocity session of free improv, where fierce interplay, shifting textures, and spontaneous structures bridge European and AACM-informed traditions with raw, contemporary energy.

Two days across 2 CDs capture trio sessions featuring Pauline Oliveros on Roland V-accordion, Miya Masaoka on 21-string koto, and Issui Minegishi on ichigenkin (a single-string koto), in a richly textured and immersive dialogue of cross-cultural instrumentation unfolding with patient sensitivity and Deep Listening, where expressive interplay balances tradition, experimentation, and sonic intimacy.

An active trio session at EMPAC from Jonas Braasch on soprano saxophone, Pauline Oliveros on V-accordion, and Doug Van Nort on GREIS electronics engage in a free improv dialog where acoustic, physically modeled, and electronic sound sources continuously merge and diverge, Van Nort's real-time processing reshaping the ensemble's output as Oliveros bends timbral models and Braasch explores extended techniques.

Expanding their earlier duo work into a live setting, pianist Chris Abrahams and percussionist Mark Wastell engage in a patient, textural session of free improv, where rippling piano figures and resonant cymbal washes unfold in a deeply attentive dialog, shaping a meditative, slowly evolving sound world defined by subtle interplay, spatial awareness, and restrained, ritual-like intensity.

Expanding her Amaryllis ensemble with the addition of saxophonists Immanuel Wilkins and Brian Settles, guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson presents eight new works, balancing spectral beauty and sly unease as vibraphone, layered brass, flexible grooves, and her singular harmonic distortions cohere into a richly orchestrated and restlessly inventive large-ensemble statement.

Bringing together two prolific figures in the UK's improvised music community, guitarist Dominic Lash and drummer/percussionist Mark Wastell explore a stripped yet expansive duo format that nods toward free jazz, where a seemingly conventional setup gives way to a language rooted in texture, gesture, and sonic detail rather than pulse or harmonic progression.

Leading his new quartet Elephant, trumpeter Adam O'Farrill presents a forward-looking jazz session of original compositions that shift fluidly between rhythmic drive and abstraction, where contrasting textures, layered structures, and expressive interplay animate a dynamic ensemble sound shaped by subtle electronic elements and a contemporary, cross-genre sensibility.

Drawing from periods of isolation spanning a 2017 residency and the early pandemic, pianist Marta Sanchez presents a solo prepared piano work that transforms the instrument into a layered, multi-voiced sound world, where interlocking rhythms, fragile textures, and introspective passages of free improv reflect contrasting emotional states shaped by solitude, vulnerability, and a deeply internal creative process.

Drawing from periods of isolation spanning a 2017 residency and the early pandemic, pianist Marta Sanchez presents a solo prepared piano work that transforms the instrument into a layered, multi-voiced sound world, where interlocking rhythms, fragile textures, and introspective passages of free improv reflect contrasting emotional states shaped by solitude, vulnerability, and a deeply internal creative process.

Blending the raw energy of New York's loft jazz lineage with a transatlantic avant-garde sensibility, drummer Sam Ospovat leads a fiery ensemble through polyrhythmic intensity and expansive improvisation, where searing guitars, layered horns, and driving rhythms converge in a volatile and immersive session that channels historical influence into a bold, unfiltered contemporary expression.

An active trio session at EMPAC from Jonas Braasch on soprano saxophone, Pauline Oliveros on V-accordion, and Doug Van Nort on GREIS electronics engage in a free improv dialog where acoustic, physically modeled, and electronic sound sources continuously merge and diverge, Van Nort's real-time processing reshaping the ensemble's output as Oliveros bends timbral models and Braasch explores extended techniques.