The Squid's Ear
Recently @ Squidco:

Paul Dunmalll (Dunmall / Kinch / Cole / Mwamba / Kane / Drake):
Bright Light A Joyous Celebration (Discus)

Recalling his Sun Quartet album, UK saxophonist Paul Dunmall's new sextet pivots off the jubilant rhythm section of drummer Hamid Drake, double bassist Dave Kane and vibraphonist Corey Mwamba, with three saxophonists--Dunmall on tenor & c-soprano saxophones, Xhosa Cole on tenor and Soweto Kinch on alto & tenor saxophones--in a truly joyful bright celebration of free flowing jazz. ... Click to View


John Butcher / Pat Thomas / Dominic Lash / Steve Noble:
Fathom [COLORED VINYL] (577 Records)

The debut for UK saxophonist John Butcher on 577 Records is this exemplary 2021 live recording at Cafe OTO in London by the quartet of Butcher on tenor and soprano saxophones, Pat Thomas on piano, Dominic Lash on double bass and Steve Noble on drums, four of the UK's leading free improvisers demonstrating their prodigious abilities in concentrated conversation. ... Click to View


Ned Rothenberg (w / Courvoisier / Halvorson / Fujiwara):
Crossings Four (Clean Feed)

Crossing styles, generations and approaches to improvisations, multi-reedist and composer Ned Rothenberg's quartet of Rothenberg on clarinets & alto sax, Sylvie Courvoisier on piano, Mary Halvorson on guitar & effects and Tomas Fujiwara on drums perform five Rothenberg compositions and one by Rothenberg & Courvoisier, of spectacular timbral, rhythmic and melodic intersections. ... Click to View


Grzegorz Tarwid Trio ( w/ Mucha / Karch):
Flowers (Clean Feed)

Lyrically upbeat and expressive piano trio compositions from Polish pianist Grzegorz Tarwid and his trio with double bassist Max Mucha and drummer Albert Karch, all active performers on the Polish and European free jazz secene, here in six works of diverse moods that start with Latin tinges and seamlessly work through playful and pointillistic pieces to end in a tranquil "Sleep". ... Click to View


Calcanhar (Mortagua / Azevedo):
Jump (Clean Feed)

The project name chosen by the duo of Portuguese improvisers, saxophonist Joao Mortagua and pianist Carlos Azevedo, translates to "heel", which they explain "represents the footprint we leave behind as we navigate a constantly evolving musical path", heard in 14 succinct improvisations that balance implicitly lyrical dialog with unconventional and often mischievous technique. ... Click to View


Crossland / Frangenheim:
Basic Tracks Baltimore New York (Concepts of Doing)

Nearly a decade after their first duo collaboration, Ape Green on the Creative Sources label, Wuppertal-born and Berlin-based double bassist Alexander Frangenheim joins again with Baltimore-based trombonist Patrick Crossland for two live performances of wildly creative interaction: first at the 2022 Livewire 12 Festival, then at The Record Shop in Brooklyn. ... Click to View


Joelle Leandre / Vinicius Cajado:
Storm Dance (Not Two)

Six "Dances" of a deeply turbulent nature as legendary French bassist Joëlle Léandre meets Brazilian bassist Vinicius Cajado for a 2022 live concert in Vienna at Alte Schmiede, both employing massively powerful techniques, Léandre vocalizing at times to push their dialog into tempestuous territory; at times darkly explosive but illuminated by incredible creative intent. ... Click to View


Sergio Merce:
Traslasierra (expanded landscape) (Hitorri)

A beautiful album of expanded landscapes performed on electronically modified Electronic Wind Instrument, field recordings, virtual instruments and synthesizer from Argentinian sound artist Sergio Merce, his characteristically patient pacing and use of space creating dramatic and beautiful sonic environments that hint at warm narratives in a seductive excursion. ... Click to View


Made Of Bones (Fonesca / Clemente / Dias / Sousa):
Handgun (Phonogram Unit)

Having collaborated over 15 years in bands including Slow is Possible and Cat in a Bag, the Portuguese quartet of Duarte Fonseca on drums, Joao Clemente on guitar, Nuno Santos Dias on Waldorf Zarenbourg electric piano and Ricardo Sousa on double bass, borrow from electric 70's jazz, rock and experimental forms through 10 diverse and intriguing concepts tinged with a dark wit. ... Click to View


Sheldon Suter:
Berceuses & Nocturnes (Shhpuma)

Percussionist Sheldon Suter steps out from groups including Musique Brute, Big Bold Back Bone, Marco von Orelli 6 or Jurg Wickihalder Orchestra for a seductive album of solo percussion, using zithers, portable turntables, a shruti box and harmonica in immersive works intermixing six pulsing and serene lullabies with five ominous nocturnal environments. ... Click to View


Sheldon Suter:
Berceuses & Nocturnes [VINYL] (Shhpuma)

Percussionist Sheldon Suter steps out from groups including Musique Brute, Big Bold Back Bone, Marco von Orelli 6 or Jurg Wickihalder Orchestra for a seductive album of solo percussion, using zithers, portable turntables, a shruti box and harmonica in immersive works intermixing six pulsing and serene lullabies with five ominous nocturnal environments. ... Click to View


Jose Lencastre / Hernani Faustino / Vasco Furtado :
Vento (Phonogram Unit)

A remarkable trio of active players on the Lisbon free improv scene -- José Lencastre (alto sax), Hernâni Faustino (double bass) and Vasco Furtado (drums) -- and the debut release for the Phonogram Unit label, in six collective improvisations recorded in the studio, evenly proportioned between boppish free jazz and abstract, almost chamber sonic expression; beautiful. ... Click to View


Albert Ayler (incl. Milford Graves, Cecil Taylor, Jimmy Lyons, Sunny Murray, &c):
More Lost Performances, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Remastering previously unavailable and vital performances from three configurations of saxophonist Albert Ayler's bands, including their 1967 Newport Festival concert with Milford Graves, their performance at John Coltrane's 1967 Funeral at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in NYC, and an incredible 1962 concert with Cecil Taylor's group with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray in Copenhagen. ... Click to View


Bill Evans (Evans, Hall, Peacock, Motian, Israels, Bunker):
Duos With Jim Hall & Trios '64 & '65, Revisited [2 CDs] (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Three configurations of sophisticated duos & trios from four remastered albums recorded between 1962 and 1966 by pianist Bill Evans: first in duos with guitarist Jim Hall (Undercurrent); then with his trio of bassist Gary Peacock & Paul Motian (Trio 64); then with bassist Chuck Israels & drummer Larry Bunker (Trio 65); and last full circle to 1966, again with Jim Hall (Intermodulation). ... Click to View


Scott Amendola / Henry Kaiser / Michael Manring:
Haunted by Eternity [2 CDs] + Trouble with the Treble (Agren / Colby / Kaiser) (Fractal)

The West Coast power trio of Scott Amendola on drums & live electronics, Henry Kaiser on guitar and Michael Manring on bass are heard in this double album of 15 assertive tracks that balance heavy electronics and effects with intense soloing amidst unusual "soundtracks for quite a number of films that do not exist in our homeworld version of the Earth's infinite timelines." ... Click to View


Mars Williams / Vasco Trilla:
Critical Mass (Not Two)

The second release from the duo of Spanish percussionist Vasco Trilla and Chicago reedist Mars Williams, the latter performing both on reeds and on toy instruments, each using extraordinary and extended technique to create exotically energetic conversations and beautifully meditative environments, in five creative, playful and impressively informed dialogs. ... Click to View


Tony Oxley / Stefan Holker:
The New World (Discus)

A meeting between two percussive collaborators from legendary UK improviser Tony Oxley and long-time collaborator and member of Oxley's Celebration Orchestra, Stefan Holker, the latter on acoustic percussion while Oxley performs in his inimitable style of close miking and effecting percussive objects, as the pair perform six Oxley compositions of tightly ringing, energetic activity. ... Click to View


Armonicord (Querlier / Minor / Houari / Traindl):
Libres (Festival de Massy 26 Octobre 1975) (Fou Records)

Four free players from the assertive history of French free jazz--Jean Querlier on alto saxophone & soprano oboe, Jouk Minor on baritone & sopranino saxophones, Rachid Houari (the original drummer for Gong) on drums and Joseph Traindl on trombone--are heard in this exceptional and determined set performing two compositions by Jouk Minor at the 1st Massy Independent Festival in 1975. ... Click to View


Thanos Chrysakis / Chris Cundy / Peer Schlechta / Ove Volquartz:
Archangel (Aural Terrains)

The follow-up to Music for Two Organs and Two Bass Clarinets, combining the collective work of clarinetists Chris Cundy, (bass clarinets, soprano ocarina) & Ove Volquartz (bass clarinets), Thanos Chrysakis (chamber organ & voice) and Peer Schlechta (pipe organ), recorded in the natural resonance of the Neustadter Kirche church in Hofgeismar, Germany. ... Click to View


Catherine Lamb / Kristofer Svensson:
Translucent Harmonies - two duos for violin and viola, performed by andPlay (Another Timbre)

The New York-based andPlay duo of violinist Maya Bennardo and violist Hannah Levinson perform two extended works commissioned for their performance series, Translucent Harmonies: first an acoustic rendering of Catherine Lamb's "Prisma Interius VIII (Melodic Duo)"; then Kristofer Svensson's work of contrasts, surprises, modulations, and transformations. ... Click to View


Butcher / Prevost:
High Laver Levitations Vol 1: Unearthed (Matchless)

Long-time collaborators and iconoclastic improvisers, drummer Eddie Prévost and saxophonist John Butcher, met at All Hallows Church, in High Laver, Essex in 2023, using the natural ambience of the space to capture these three improvisations, Prévost playing primarily on a drum kit and both in a more jazz-oriented sax and drum duo, extended by both players' exceptional technique. ... Click to View


Charbin / Prevost:
The Cry of a Dove Announcing Rain (Two Afternoon Concerts at Cafe OTO) (Matchless)

Two unfolding, extended sets from a 2022 concert at Cafe OTO by AMM legendary percussionist Eddie Prévost and French pianist based in London, Marjolain Charbin, the pianist playing inside and out her of instrument augmented by objects, Prévost creating sonic environments through cymbal bowing and scraping, as the duo evolve into high motion and withdraw into suspenseful beauty. ... Click to View


Eddie Prevost / NO Moore / Henry Kaiser / Binker Golding / Olie Brice:
The Secret Handshake with Danger Volume Two (577 Records)

The 2nd volume of the UK/US West Coast quintet of legendary AMM drummer Eddie Prévost, guitarist Henry Kaiser, N.O. Moore on "guitarisism", Blinker Golding on saxophone and Olie Brice on double bass, merging free jazz and free improvisation in a rollicking album of electric jazz recorded in London, adding two more exhilarating "Doors" of quick shifting improv. ... Click to View


Jessica Pavone:
Clamor (Out Of Your Head Records)

With a septet of women improvisers and contemporary performers, composer and violinist Jessica Pavone's long-form collective improv compositions are titled after innovations made by women throughout history to circumvent obstructions to their freedoms, revealed through string and bassoon orchestration that balances harmony, dissonance, drone and disruptive experimentation. ... Click to View


ZYFT (Felixbrodt / Taubenfeld / Zwerver):
Triangle Moments (Creative Sources)

The sophomore release for the acoustic free improvising Amsterdam trio of Ziv Taubenfeld on bass clarinet, Henk Zwerver on guitar, and Maya Felixbrodt on viola, upping the intensity in a set of abstract improvisations of an active nature using unorthodox and extended techniques; upbeat and often exciting collective discourse that leads to great moments of individual expression. ... Click to View


Ernesto Rodrigues / Nuno Torres / Guilherme Rodrigues / Eric Bauer / Stephen Flinn:
Letters to Milena (Creative Sources)

Referencing the book Letters to Milena (Briefe an Milena) by Franz Kafka of his intense love affair with Czech journalist & writer Milena Jesenská, through four lettered parts of a subtly sophisticated set of improvisations by Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Nuno Torres (alto sax), Guilherme Rodrigues (cello), Eric Bauer (electronics) and Stephen Flinn (percussion). ... Click to View


Junji Hirose / Kazuo Imai / Darren Moore:
Be Quiet!!! (Meenna)

The catalyst for this album is Australian drummer based in Singapore Darren Moore, whose 2022 tour of Japan took him to Tokyo where he performed with legendary Japanese free improvisers, Kazuo Imai on electric guitar and Junji Hirose on tenor saxophone, this album recorded in GOK Studio, the session anything but Quiet!!!, but definitely energetically charged and assertive. ... Click to View


Jurg Frey / Apartment House:
String Trio (Another Timbre)

Reworking a piece for string trio originally commissioned by the Concertgebouw Brugge and premiered by the Goeyvaerts Trio as part of the 2019 SLOW Festival, this new version expands on the original composition to bring elegant calmness and clarity to the work, performed by UK's Apartment House members Mira Benjamin on violin, Bridget Carey on viola and Anton Lukoszevieze on cello. ... Click to View


Toshimaru Nakamura / David Lee Myers:
Elements (Surface World)

Two like-minded electronic sound & feedback artists, David Lee Myers, aka Arcane Device from NYC and Toshimaru Nakamura from Japan, use feedback matrices & modular electronics (Myers) and No-input Mixing Board (Nakamura) in a remote collaboration of alien overlays, sonic extensions and disruptive digressions through 12 complex and varying compositions. ... Click to View


Phillip Gayle:
Mammoth Flower (Public Eyesore)

A psychedelic set of recordings based around the guitar work of Philip Gayle, improvised, recorded, and layered into diverse experiments in sound and performed on banjo, bass, cello, door, guitars, mandolin, percussion, piano, toy piano, voice, ukulele and waterphone, with guests including saxophonist Shogo Ohshima and vocalists Shizka Ueda, Omusubisan and Fuuchan. ... Click to View



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The Squid's Ear
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Op-Ed (Opinions and Editorials)
philz Squidco Blog
  • November 30, 2023:

    We have so much new material that's worth writing about that I'm uncertain where to start! So I'll start with much gratitude for the warm response our customers have shown us through our Blue Squid/Black Friday sale, and the associated Clean Feed sale, which kept us happily busy for the last several days. Setting up for that sale kept us apart from our typical cataloging process, which I finally returned to this week with a new Scott Amendola / Henry Kaiser / Michael Manring trio album on Fractal (which comes with a free CD of another Kaiser Trio). I also started the next round of purchasing, following the addition of a great collection of albums from Clean Feed & Shhpuma, Not Two, Concepts of Doing, and Discus.

    An exceptional set of albums after a week off from announcing new releases! In particular, the new Ned Rothenberg Crossings Quartet is certain to make our top 10 list this year; as we add Portugal's Phonogram Unit albums into our catalog, the first release of the trio of Jose Lencastre/Hernani Faustino/Vasco Furtado shows why this young label is such an important connector to the vital Portuguese free improv scene; the second duo from Vasco Trilla and Mars Williams is a bittersweet album given the recent loss of Williams, but is a reminder of both player's excellent, playful percussion improv; the two new ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd includes the exceptional collection of "lost" Albert Ayler performances, particularly in Cecil Taylor's quartet with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray (!); and the first 15 orders of the new Amendola/Kaiser/Manring CD on Fractal comes with a free copy of "Trouble with the Treble" by the trio of Agren/Colby/Kaiser!






    In Memory of Mars:

    When I read the news of saxophonist Mars Williams' passing I was surprised at the emphasis on his work with The Psychedelic Furs. Not to dismiss that achievement, or his work with the new wave band The Waitresses, but I only thought of Williams as a jazz player, and a really great one at that. A mainstay of the Chicago scene, his loss will be felt across the community, but recalled through the excellent discography and performance memories he leaves behind.

    Mars Williams played at one of the shows Squidco presented back in 2013, with Paul Giallorenzo's group including Jeb Bishop, Anton Hatwich and Marc Riordan. Of the many shows we presented during that time, Mars' solo was one of the most memorable: enthusiastic and passionate, masterful, visually interesting as he muted the sax with his thigh and brought his playing to increasing heights.

    Over the years we've carried his Ayler Xmas CDs, some of my favorite holiday records, and which will be in rotation this year in honor of this great saxophonist and the legacy he leaves behind.

    Here are a few albums that he played on, currently in-stock in Squidco's catalog as I write this entry. RIP, Mars Williams, you made a lasting impression on me.



    Brotzmann, Peter Chicago Tentet: Ultraman vs. Alien Metron [SINGLE SIDED VINYL] (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

    Recorded during the 2002 studio sessions that yielded the albums A Short Visit to Nowhere and Broken English, this unreleased recording of a Mars Williams composition is issued as a 1-sided LP with the stellar lineup of Brötzmann with Williams, Ken Vandermark, Jeb Bishop, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Kent Kessler, Michael Zerang, Hamid Drake, Mats Gustafsson and Joe McPhee.



    Stirrup + 6 (Lonberg-Holdm / Macri / Rumback): The Avondale Addition (Cuneiform)

    The Stirrup trio of cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, Nick Macri (bass), and Charles Rumback (drums) is merged with improvisers from Lonberg-Holm's Lightbox Orchestra project--Keefe Jackson & Mars Williams on reeds, guitarist Peter Maunu, violist Jen Clare Paulson, trumpeter Russ Johnson & Zoots Houston on electronics -for this compelling structured performance at Elastic Arts.



    Chicago Reed Quartet (Mazzarella / Rempis / Williams / Vandermark): Western Automatic (Aerophonic)

    Four generations of Chicago saxophonists--Dave Rempis, Ken Vandermark, Mars Williams, and Nick Mazzarella--come together in an interactive saxophone quartet with each player providing 2 compositions of well-developed, powerful, engaging free and lyrical jazz.



    Williams, Mars Presents: An Ayler Xmas Vol.5 (Astral Spirits / Soul What Records)

    This year's An Ayler Xmas is the 5th in the series from saxophonist Mars Williams, mashing holiday classics with works by saxophonist Albert Ayler, with the amazing sextet of Josh Berman on cornet, Jim Baker on piano, viola & Arp Synth, Brian Sandstrom on bass, guitar & trumpet, Steve Hunt on drums, Peter Maunu on violin and Kent Kessler or Krzysztof Pabian on bass.



    Williams, Mars Presents: An Ayler Xmas Vol. 4: Chicago vs. NYC [VINYL] (Astral Spirits / Soul What Records)

    This year's An Ayler Xmas, the 4th in the series from saxophonist Mars Williams, expands to a double CD with recordings from two bands: Josh Berman, Jim Baker, Kent Kessler, Brian Sandstrom & Steve Hunt (Chicago); and Steve Swell, Hilliard Greene, Chris Corsano, Nels Cline & Fred Lonberg-Holm (NYC); in incredible free jazz mashups and bash-ups of Holiday favorites.



    Boneshaker: Thinking Out Loud [VINYL-DAMAGED] (Trost Records)

    The third album from this international trio of powerful improvisers--Norwegian drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love, Chicago bassist Kent Kessler, and Chicago/NY saxophonist Mars William-- in four odysseys that take the listener from introspective playing to out and out blowing, using technique to serve their incredible dialog.



    Williams, Mars / Vasco Trilla: Critical Mass (Not Two)

    The second release from the duo of Spanish percussionist Vasco Trilla and Chicago reedist Mars Williams, the latter performing both on reeds and on toy instruments, both using extraordinary and extended technique to create both exotically energetic conversations and beautifully meditative environments, in five creative, playful and impressively informed dialogs.








    Slippery Bones and Strings:

    As I listened to the new duo album of Berlin double bassist Alexander Frangenheim and Baltimore-based trombonist Patrick Crossland, Basic Tracks Baltimore New York on Frangenheim's Concept of Doing album, I became curious about this particular duo configuration. Trombone and bass make as much sense as most duo meetings, in that unexpected and often wonderful results come from two players who must fill the spaces between them while communicating intently. It seems like a tightrope to me when a larger group provides more safety to each player, but in solo and duo configurations each player is very exposed and responsible for their voice. With Frangenheim and Crossland, in their second duo release since 2014, the level of expertise and great creative habits come through, making for a joyfully interesting album, more expressive and exciting than their first.

    I searched our database for other combinations of trombone and bass, which while a curious combination, is also a very interesting orchestration, as the trombone so easily slides pitches in the same way that string instruments are able. It makes for a slippery potential that's punctuated with pointillistic string possibilities, and charged with brass timbre and the wonderfully idiosyncratic techniques each instrument can produce.

    In the end I found only three other albums in our catalog of trombone & bass duos, and two of those are in albums of permutations of duos with other instrumentalists, but that include trombone & bass duos. This is, of course, only drawing on Squidco's catalog, and a quick internet search found other examples in both classical and improvisational settings. I still find it a more obscure duo configuration than many others, making these among the more unique acoustic improv settings in creative jazz.



    Crossland / Frangenheim: Basic Tracks Baltimore New York (Concepts of Doing)

    Nearly a decade after their first duo collaboration, Ape Green on the Creative Sources label, Wuppertal-born and Berlin-based double bassist Alexander Frangenheim joins again with Baltimore-based trombonist Patrick Crossland for two live performances of wildly creative interaction: first at the 2022 Livewire 12 Festival, then at The Record Shop in Brooklyn.



    Polyorchard (David Menestres / Jeb Bishop): Ink [2 CDs] (Out & Gone Records)

    A remarkable set of duos recorded live at three concerts during April 2019 in Bloomington IN, Nashville, TN and Columbus, OH, between Polyorchard leader, double bassist David Menestres, and trombonist Jeb Bishop, two free improvisers using extended and unusual approaches to their instruments as a means to fascinating dialog as they engage their listeners.



    Clucas, Dan / Jeb Bishop / Damon Smith / Matt Crane: Universal or Directional (Balance Point Acoustics)

    Three quartet improvisations and six duo combinations between Dan Clucas on cornet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Damon Smith on double bass, and Matt Crane on drums, recording in the studio in Rhode Island, 2018, the various permutations of each player elucidating the full group interactions through focused and captivating investigations of instrumental combinations.



    Bishop / Karayorgis / Smith: Duals [3 CDs] (Driff Records)

    Three albums of three duos between three frequent Boston collaborators and improvisers -- Jeb Bishop on trombone, Pandelis Karayorgis on piano and Damon Smith on double bass -- each CD respectively a combination of trombone & bass, piano & bass and piano & trombone, each recorded during the last year of Jeb Bishop's residency in Boston between 2016-2022.








    Squidco Publishing Roundup:

    As always, I end with updates to Squidco and The Squid's Ear over the last week. You can see our latest fully cataloged albums in our Recently Section.

    You can see new albums as they enter our Just In Stock Section, meaning that we physically have an album and are able to ship it with an order, but that we're not satisfied that we've added all the information we can about that release.

    You can also see recent restocks of previously listed items at our Recently Restocked page.

    You can ask us to inform you via email of any upcoming release that you're interested in, with no obligation.



    November 30, 2023: New @ Squidco:
    Paul Dunmalll (Dunmall/Kinch/Cole/Mwamba/Kane/Drake) -Bright Light A Joyous Celebration [CD] (Discus)
    John Butcher/Pat Thomas/Dominic Lash/Steve Noble -Fathom [COLORED VINYL] (577 Records)
    Grzegorz Tarwid Trio ( w/ Mucha/Karch) -Flowers [CD] (Clean Feed)
    Calcanhar (Mortagua /Azevedo) -Jump [CD] (Clean Feed)
    Crossland/Frangenheim -Basic Tracks Baltimore New York [CD] (Concepts of Doing)
    Joelle Leandre/Vinicius Cajado -Storm Dance [CD] (Not Two)
    Sergio Merce -Traslasierra (expanded landscape) [CD] (Hitorri)
    Made Of Bones (Fonesca/Clemente/Dias/Sousa) -Handgun [CD] (Phonogram Unit)
    Sheldon Suter -Berceuses & Nocturnes [CD] (Shhpuma)
    Sheldon Suter -Berceuses & Nocturnes [VINYL] (Shhpuma)

    November 30, 2023: New Review @ The Squid's Ear: Henry Kaiser - Mahalo Nui (Metalanguage) by Massimo Ricci.

    November 28, 2023: New @ Squidco:
    Ned Rothenberg (w/Courvoisier/Halvorson/Fujiwara) -Crossings Four [CD] (Clean Feed)
    Jose Lencastre/Hernani Faustino/Vasco Furtado -Vento [CD] (Phonogram Unit)
    Albert Ayler (incl. Milford Graves, Cecil Taylor, Jimmy Lyons, Sunny Murray, &c) -More Lost Performances, Revisited [CD] (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
    Bill Evans (Evans, Hall, Peacock, Motian, Israels, Bunker) -Duos With Jim Hall & Trios '64 & '65, Revisited [2 CDs] (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
    Scott Amendola/Henry Kaiser/Michael Manring -Haunted by Eternity [2 CDs] + Trouble with the Treble (Agren/Colby/Kaiser) (Fractal)
    Mars Williams/Vasco Trilla -Critical Mass [CD] (Not Two)
    Tony Oxley/Stefan Holker -The New World [CD] (Discus)
    Armonicord (Querlier/Minor/Houari/Traindl) -Libres (Festival de Massy 26 Octobre 1975) [CD] (Fou Records)
    Thanos Chrysakis/Chris Cundy/Peer Schlechta/Ove Volquartz -Archangel [CD] (Aural Terrains)
    Catherine Lamb/Kristofer Svensson -Translucent Harmonies - two duos for violin and viola, performed by andPlay [CD] (Another Timbre)

    November 28, 2023: New Review @ The Squid's Ear: Andrew Cyrille - Music Delivery/Percussion (Intakt Records) by Nick Ostrum.

    November 22, 2023: New Review @ The Squid's Ear: Thanos Chrysakis / Chris Cundy / Peer Schlechta / Ove Volquartz - Archangel (Aural Terrains) by Massimo Ricci.

    November 20, 2023: New Review @ The Squid's Ear: New York Art Quartet - Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd) by Paul Serralheiro.




  • November 17, 2023:

    With Carl back from vacation we had a busy and exciting week activating the albums that arrived over the week he was away. That added up to 26 albums on ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd, Not Two, Concepts of Doing, Clean Feed, Shhpuma and Discus. That followed the activation of new releases from Creative Sources and Phonogram Unit, making this in particular a month of great Portuguese albums! I spent the rest of the week making a new purchase plan for the coming months, with the next few weeks distracted by holidays, sales and with plenty of new releases to feast on at the moment.

    Next week is the US holiday of Thanksgiving, a moment to show gratitude to those around us. With many parts of the world in turmoil it's difficult to rise to this challenge, but surrounded by friends, family and music hopefully we can all find a way to influence the world in postive ways. To all of you reading this entry, and to those who are positively affected by the music we connect you to, both those who appreciate the music and those who create it, I am beyond thankful.






    Focus on the Engineer: Joaquim Monte



    While cataloging the new addition to our catalog from Portugal's Phonogram Unit album by Lencastre, Zingaro, Lai, Almeida & Sousa, Common Ground, I caught note of their reference to the stellar quality of the recording due to the work of recording & mixing engineer Joaquim Monte. A common name in many albums we sell, I searched our database to find 84 (!) active albums that he engineered from 124 that we have listed. Labels that have carried his impeccable recordings including Clean Feed, Ayler, Creative Source, Phonogram Unit, Shhpuma, and Tour de Bras.

    Audio engineers are rarely celebrated unless they also perform, as with Jean-Marc Foussat's exceptional engineering and performing skills. Historically Rudy Van Gelder and his studio, influencing the Blue Note sound for countless albums is one of the most famous examples of prolific engineers with an amazing sense of sonic balance. In New York now I would highlight the work of Jim Clouse at Park West Studios, whose meticulous recordings are heard on Tzadik, Not Two, Leo Records, Relative Pitch, ESP, Clean Feed, Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!), Mahakala Music, Pi Recordings, RogueArt, Tao Forms, Silkheart, &c.

    Returning to Joaquim Monte, here is a list of a few "Squidco Picks" that he recorded, his work bringing to life the most subtle and the energetic of improvised and experimental music.



    New Thing Unit: For Cecil Taylor (Creative Sources)

    Dedicated to the late free jazz legend Cecil Taylor, this Lisbon sextet of Paulo Alexandre Jorge on tenor saxophone, Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Eduardo Chagas on trombone, Manuel Guimaraes on piano, Miguel Mira on cello, and Pedro Santo on drums performs four energetic and well-balanced collective improvisations, respecting and evoking the incredible legacy Taylor left behind.



    IKB: Monochrome Bleu Sans Titre (Creative Sources)

    Referencing the work of French artist and composer Yves Klein, this large group of Creative Sources regulars perform the 4 part Monochrome Bleu Sans Titre, a subtle and rich work of acoustic and electronic improvisation.



    Lonberg-Holm / Moimeme / Santos: Transition Zone (Creative Sources)

    With a history of collaboration in the Lisbon improvisation scene through bands including Variable Geometry Orchestra, IKB, Isotope Ensemble, &c., guitarist Abdul Moimême (performing on two guitars simultaneously) and electronics artist Carlos Santos join with Chicago cellist & electronic improviser Fred Lonberg-Holm for five elaborate alien soundscapes of impressive detail and skill.



    Trespass Trio: Bruder Beda (Clean Feed)

    The 2nd Trespass Trio CD with Martin Kuchen (alto and baritone), Per Zanussi (bass) and Raymond Strid (drums and percussion), jazz music with a narrative drive from 3 powerful players.



    LFU (Lisbon Freedom Unit) : Praise Of Our Folly (Clean Feed)

    Without a leader, this 9 piece collective ensemble includes members of Red Trio (Rodrigo Pinheiro, Hernaani Faustino and Gabriel Ferrandini), Garden (Jose Bruno Parrinha, Ricardo Jacinto, Luis Lopes), the duo Eitr (Pedro Sousa and Pedro Lopes), 2/3 of the Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio (Amado, Ferrandini) and half of the Luis Lopes Humanization 4tet (Lopes and Amado).



    continued...




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    Recent Selections @ Squidco:


    John Butcher /
    Pat Thomas /
    Dominic Lash /
    Steve Noble:
    Fathom
    [COLORED VINYL]
    (577 Records)



    Sergio Merce:
    Traslasierra (
    expanded landscape)
    (Hitorri)



    Sheldon Suter:
    Berceuses &
    Nocturnes
    (Shhpuma)



    Paul Dunmalll (
    Dunmall /
    Kinch /
    Cole /
    Mwamba /
    Kane /
    Drake):
    Bright Light
    A Joyous Celebration
    (Discus)



    Mars Williams /
    Vasco Trilla:
    Critical Mass
    (Not Two)



    Ned Rothenberg (
    w /
    Courvoisier /
    Halvorson /
    Fujiwara):
    Crossings Four
    (Clean Feed)



    Jose Lencastre /
    Hernani Faustino /
    Vasco Furtado :
    Vento
    (Phonogram Unit)



    Scott Amendola /
    Henry Kaiser /
    Michael Manring:
    Haunted by Eternity
    [2 CDs] +
    Trouble with
    the Treble (
    Agren /
    Colby /
    Kaiser)
    (Fractal)



    Albert Ayler (
    incl. Milford Graves,
    Cecil Taylor,
    Jimmy Lyons,
    Sunny Murray, &c):
    More Lost Performances,
    Revisited
    (ezz-thetics by
    Hat Hut Records
    Ltd)



    Butcher /
    Prevost:
    High Laver Levitations
    Vol 1: Unearthed
    (Matchless)



    Charbin /
    Prevost:
    The Cry of a Dove
    Announcing Rain (
    Two Afternoon Concerts
    at Cafe OTO)
    (Matchless)



    Aruan Ortiz (
    Ortiz /
    Byron /
    akLaff + St. Louis, Dhar, Gant):
    Pastor's Paradox
    (Clean Feed)



    Jessica Pavone:
    Clamor
    (Out Of Your Head Records)



    Jurg Frey /
    Apartment House:
    String Trio
    (Another Timbre)



    Zoh Amba /
    Chris Corsano /
    Bill Orcutt:
    The Flower School
    (Palilalia)



    Art Ensemble of Chicago:
    Tutankhamun
    [VINYL]
    (Org Music)



    Eddie Prevost /
    NO Moore /
    Henry Kaiser /
    Binker Golding /
    Olie Brice:
    The Secret
    Handshake with Danger
    Volume Two
    (577 Records)



    Rob Brown Quartet (
    Brown /
    Swell /
    Lightcap /
    Taylor):
    Oblongata
    (RogueArt)



    Jason Adasiewicz :
    Roy's World
    [VINYL]
    (Corbett vs. Dempsey)



    Longhand (
    Tony Wilson /
    Peder Long) with special guests
    Jesse and Josh Zubot:
    Plays Long
    (Drip Audio)







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