The Squid's Ear
Recently @ Squidco:

Sophie Lussi / Sandra Weiss / Fridolin Blumer / Andreas Wettstein:
Atlantic Puffin (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Blending Swiss and Argentine heritage, violinist Sophie Lüssi, along with Sandra Weiss (sax & bassoon), Fridolin Blumer (double bass), and Andreas Wettstein (drums), crafts an improvisational sound rooted in jazz, tango, and folk traditions, shaped by her studies in Zurich and two decades in Buenos Aires, resulting in a music that is both technically brilliant and deeply expressive. ... Click to View


Steve Lacy Three :
Live Lugano 1984 - First Visit [CD + 2 POSTCARDS] (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Recorded live in Lugano in 1984, Steve Lacy's trio with guitarist Barry Wedgle and bassist Jean-Jacques Avenel reimagines his compositions in an intimate and transparent setting, where Lacy's masterful soprano saxophone carves precise yet expressive lines, drawing on influences from poetry, Monk, and visual art to create a striking balance between structure and improvisation. ... Click to View


Paul Bley Trio:
Floater & Syndrome - The Upright Piano Sessions, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Revisiting and remastering two albums from Paul Bley's formative trio years with Steve Swallow on double bass and Pete LaRoca Sims on drums, recorded in Newark, NJ, from 1962-63 but unreleased until the 1980s on Savoy Jazz, as Bley explores Carla Bley's compositions alongside his own, reshaping the piano trio dynamic with a balance of free and lyrical approaches to jazz. ... Click to View


Flying Luttenbachers, The:
Losing the War Inside Our Heads (ugEXPLODE)

Bridging past and future, this 17th album from The Flying Luttenbachers is a punishing collection of modernist brutality, largely developed by Weasel Walter alone, yet culminating in a ferocious trio performance with Luke Polipnick and Charlie Werber captured in Chicago and NY; dense with asymmetrical riffs, death metal complexity, and avant-garde adaptations; savage! ... Click to View


Flying Luttenbachers, The:
Spectral Warrior Mythos 2 (ugEXPLODE)

Documenting The Flying Luttenbachers' transition from a New York-based lineup to a Chicago trio, this blistering live-in-the-studio session captures Weasel Walter (guitar), Luke Polipnick (bass), and Charlie Werber (drums) unleashing complex, high-energy compositions with no overdubs, solidifying their raw and relentless approach to genre-blurring improv, as the band continues its evolution. ... Click to View


AHC (Alexander Cooper):
Lase [2 CDs] (Bu Lang Tribute Cake)

A meditative and immersive work of sonic abstraction, Alexander Cooper's first solo release in eight years unfolds as a lattice of minimalism-inspired harmonic diffusion, where shifting textures and fluid structures dissolve into ethereal, non-representational spaces, blurring the boundaries between form and perception in a dynamic interplay of sound and air. ... Click to View


Ellen Christi (Christi / Buchanan / Ulrich / Parker / Brown):
Instant Reality (Network)

A striking exploration of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation, this 1992 session unites vocalist and pianist Ellen Christi with Steve Buchanan (electric guitar), Tomas Ulrich (cello), William Parker (bass), and Lefferts Brown (loops), weaving dynamic vocal phrasing, bold instrumental textures, and evolving electronic layers into an immersive and unpredictable sonic landscape. ... Click to View


Ellen Christi / Claudio Lodati:
Dreamers (Splasc(H) )

A refined and nuanced collaboration between vocalist Ellen Christi and guitarist Claudio Lodati, recorded in Ivrea, Italy in 1990, blending lyrical vocal improvisations with fluid electric and acoustic guitar work in an intimate, expressive dialogue — relaxed and unforced, yet deeply engaging, avoiding both histrionics and weightless ambience to create a grounded yet exploratory listening experience. ... Click to View


Turbulence:
Wormholes (Evil Clown)

A dynamic collective session from a quintet — led by multi-instrumentalist David Peck with Bonnie Kane (sax, flute, electronics), John Fugarino (brass, percussion), Albey onBass (bass, drums), and Jared Seabrook (drums, gongs) — featuring a richly textured three-horn interplay over an expansive rhythmic foundation, balancing harmonic shifts and spontaneous energy with a strong sense of structure. ... Click to View


Keiji Haino / Natsuki Tamura:
What Happened There? (Libra)

An electrifying 1st-time meeting between guitarist Keiji Haino and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, captured live at Tokyo's Shinjuku Pit Inn, where the duo shape an unpredictable set that veers from reflective stillness to wildly passionate outbursts, their extended techniques and visceral vocals — sometimes urgent, sometimes outrageous — fueling an exhilarating and uncompromising sonic adventure. ... Click to View


Satoko Fujii GEN String Ensemble:
Altitude 1100 Meters (Libra)

Celebrating her 65th birthday with her first compositions for strings, pianist-composer Satoko Fujii writes for the specific musicians of GEN, a sextet of violin, viola, bass, piano, electronics, and drums, in a suite inspired by Nagano's mountain views, leveraging microtonal string techniques for an expressive and texturally rich sonic landscape. ... Click to View


Amanojaku (Yoshida / Fujii / Tamura):
Bishamonten (Magaibutsu)

Emerging from an improv session during the pandemic, Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), Satoko Fujii (piano), and Tatsuya Yoshida (drums) formed Amanojaku, named after the contrarian demon of Japanese folklore, embracing a balance of composition, improv and mischievous interplay with a uniquely Japanese sensibility through virtuosic spontaneity and irreverent humor, captured live at Koen-dori Classics. ... Click to View


Stian Larsen / Colin Webster / Ruth Goller / Andrew Lisle :
Temple of Muses (Relative Pitch)

Norwegian guitarist Stian Larsen joins UK musicians Colin Webster on alto sax, Ruth Goller on bass, and Andrew Lisle on drums in a high-energy fusion of free jazz, post-rock, and noise, weaving dynamic improvisation that moves from sparse textures to explosive climaxes, embracing ecstatic intensity, cathartic interplay, and expansive creative exploration. ... Click to View


MARANATA (Wesseltoft / Stiberg / Escalante):
Ugly Euphoria (Relative Pitch)

An album of brutal improvisation in the Borbetomagus mold as the longstanding Maranata duo of Dag Stiberg on alto and baritone saxophones and Jon Wesseltoft on electronics join forces with Mexican saxophonist Martín Escalante, creating an unrelenting sonic assault of frenzied saxophone interplay and harsh electronics, fueled by a visceral intensity and high-pressure chaotic energy. ... Click to View


Allan Zane / Carl Kruger:
Model Collapse (Love Earth Music)

Allan Zane and Carl Kruger craft an album of "wet ambient music" inspired by Roland Kayn, featuring fluid textures and evolving soundscapes that pay homage to the German composer and electronic music pioneer innovative approach to ambient composition, here in an immersive auditory experience of deep-water, subtle transitory and aqueous sound. ... Click to View


Various Artists:
Evil Clown Shorties Volume 4 (2024) (Evil Clown)

A curated collection of 14 short improvisations from Evil Clown's modular ensembles, this fourth Shorties Volume distills the essence of expansive, long-form performances into concise yet potent expressions, featuring 31 musicians across 7 ensembles, these spontaneous works, recorded during warmups and soundchecks, offer a dynamic snapshot of the label's ever-evolving sonic landscape. ... Click to View


Various Artists:
Sarajevo (Suite) (L'Empreinte Digitale)

A profound 1994 GRRR label release, Sarajevo Suite is a conceptual collaboration produced by Jean-Jacques Birgé and Corinne Léonet, featuring a global assembly of jazz and experimental artists-including Lindsay Cooper, Henri Texier, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the Balanescu Quartet-crafted to support Bosnian war victims. ... Click to View


Un Drame Musical Instantane:
Qui Vive? (GRRR)

A strikingly inventive work from Un Drame Musical Instantané, as Jean-Jacques Birgé, Bernard Vitet, and Francis Gorgé blend synthesizers, trumpet, guitar, voice, and unconventional instrumentation in a satire of television and religion, merging free improvisation, jazz, electronics, and contemporary composition into a provocative and unclassifiable sonic experience. ... Click to View


Lotte Anker / Kamil Piotrowicz / Jacob Anderskov:
Antiworld I (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A stunning live performance from wild to instrospective from the 2019 Copenhagen Jazz Festival, where saxophonist Lotte Anker and two pianists — Jacob Anderskov and Kamil Piotrowicz — create a rare and extraordinary interplay of alto saxophone and dual grand pianos, blending frenetic intensity and dreamlike calm in an inspired and organically evolving dialogue of composed and improvised soundscapes. ... Click to View


Leandre / Lotte Anker / Kersten Osgood:
Worlds (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A riveting live performance from the 2023 Copenhagen Jazz Festival by Joëlle Léandre, Lotte Anker, and Kresten Osgood, whose trio of bass, saxophones, and drums delivers an enthralling journey through three improvisational worlds, blending spontaneity, profound interplay, and virtuosic intensity in a masterful exploration of sound and emotion. ... Click to View


Sophie Agnel / John Butcher:
RARE (Les Disques Victo)

Extraordinary and masterful performers Sophie Agnel (piano) and John Butcher (soprano & tenor saxophones) present a live recording from the 40th International Festival of Current Music in Victoriaville, Canada, featuring five improvised pieces that highlight their exceptional interplay and collective discovery of new musical forms while exploring the boundaries of free improvisation. ... Click to View


Alexandra Grimal / Giovanni Di Domenico:
Shakkei (Relative Pitch)

Five duets inspired by the Japanese concept of borrowed scenery (Shakkei (借景)) — integrating background landscapes into the design of a garden — are exquisitely realized in these spiritual and introspective performances, from the 20-year collaboration between French saxophonist Alexandra Grimal (tenor and soprano) and Italian pianist-organist Giovanni Di Domenico. ... Click to View


Brandon Lopez / DoYeon Kim:
Syzygy, Vol. 1 (577 Records)

A confluence of contrasting strings recorded in the studio in NYC, bringing bassist Brandon Lopez and gayageum master DoYeon Kim together in an acoustic dialogue of free improvisation, blending Lopez's explosive intuition with Kim's dynamic reinterpretation of tradition, resulting in a fascinating sonic journey that bridges ancient melodies and avant-garde exploration. ... Click to View


Francois Tusques / Sunny Murray 38:
Intercommunal Dialogue 1&2 [2LPS w/ DOWNLOAD] (NI-VU-NI-CONNU)

A historic reunion captured live at Le Triton in Les Lilas, France, in 2007, bringing together pianist François Tusques and drummer Sunny Murray for the first time in decades to renew their blues-infused, avant-garde dialogue, blending percussive exploration, evocative dedications, and rich improvisation that honors their shared history while forging new sonic landscapes. ... Click to View


Jason Kahn / Magda Mayas:
Night (Editions)

Captured live at the Werkstatt für Improvisierte Musik in Zurich, Switzerland, this debut release from Jason Kahn (electronics) and Magda Mayas (piano, objects) presents three improvised pieces that blend their complementary palettes into a poetic and intricately detailed electroacoustic dialogue, reflecting their 13-year collaboration with a mix of introspection, spontaneity, and mutual respect. ... Click to View


Jean-Jacques Birge :
Pique-nique Au Labo [2 CDs] (GRRR)

Jean-Jacques Birgé invited 28 improvising musicians to the studio to perform in duos and trios, the theme for each of the 22 recordings chosen just before each recording, with noted performers including Birgé himself, Sophie Bernado, Pascal Contet, Julien Desprez, Jean-Brice Godet, Alexandra Grimal, Sylvain Kassap, Edward Perraud, Eve Risser, &c. ... Click to View


Metal Chaos Ensemble:
A Great Python Spews Venomous Kerosene Upon the World (Evil Clown)

Exploring chaotic rhythms on metallic instruments, Metal Chaos Ensemble is one of the most prolific Evil Clown ensembles, producing over 50 albums with a signature sound of gongs, chimes, and horns, recently recurring as a sextet blending rock elements; here configured as a quintet without a bass performer, in a distinctive work that begins with a PEK narrative. ... Click to View


Joke Lanz / Dieb13 :
Musical Education (Klanggalerie)

Price Reduction: A startling and energetically exciting collision of cleverly eclectic sound sources when Swiss turntablist and sound artist Joke Lanz met Austrian improviser and turntablist Dieb13 (Dieter Kovacic) for this amazing 2020 concert at GrillX in Vienna, using three turntables to create an incredible collage of sounds from the humorous to the awe inspiring. ... Click to View


John Dikeman / Sun-Mi Hong / Aaron Lumley / Marta Warelis:
Old Adam on Turtle Island (Relative Pitch)

Saxophonist John Dikeman composed this diverse and expressively lyrical song cycle reflecting on colonization, and the double edged sword of religion which can lead to transcendence or tyranny, recorded in Amsterdam in a quartet with Marta Warelis on piano, Aaron Lumley on bass and Sun on Mi Hong on drums, presented in two extended improvisations. ... Click to View


Alexander Schlippenbach von / Daag Magnus Narvesen Duo:
KAIROS (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Marking their decade-long collaboration, pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer Dag Magnus Narvesen present a dynamic dialogue of free jazz and structured improvisation, blending generational and cultural perspectives into deeply focused and evolving musical narratives, where melodies and rhythmic patterns unfold organically through collective discipline and creativity. ... Click to View



  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear
Facebook: Squidco Sales

Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Cornelius Cardew / London Experimental Ensemble 
  Treatise  
  (Split Rock Records) 


  
   review by Dave Madden
  2018-10-10
Cornelius Cardew / London Experimental Ensemble: Treatise (Split Rock Records)

In 1967 — before he internalized Mao Tse-tung, embraced Marxism, condemned the avant-garde (Cage and Stockhausen, the latter being his former boss, were recipients of much of his venom), purposely wrote "unoriginal music" because art attracts the bourgeois and music is meant to support the revolution of oppressed masses — Cornelius Cardew produced the inimitable graphic score Treatise. Admittedly influenced by Abandoned Theory and "picture theory of language / meaning" as outlined in Wittgenstein's book, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Treatise is a collection of 50+ shapes spread across 193 pages, sans written instructions. With each performance and iteration of the work, Cardew flip-flopped on his stance regarding his vision. Initially, he wrote:

"The notation is more important than the sound. Not the exactitude and success with which a notation notates a sound; but the musicalness of the notation in its notating."

Gradually, he acceded to less conductor-centric offerings to the players:

"Any number of musicians using any media are free to participate in a 'reading' of this score...and each is free to interpret it in his own way."

And make of this what you will:

"In the case of Treatise a line or dot is certainly an immediate orientation as much as the thread in the fog. "

So... Having an expansive set of implied parameters around supposed abstraction can cause performances of Treatise to come off anywhere from mind-blowing and earth-shaking (i.e. the 1999 Art Lange and Jim O'Rourke duo, and Noël Akchoté on solo guitar in 2016) to schizophrenic and meandering; this entity that appears to lend itself to interpretation can end up governed to the point of the oxymoron "process-driven experiment." Being scolded about "mistakes" in an indeterminate piece reminds one of a disheartened George Harrison toward dictator Paul McCartney on the Let It Be documentary: "I'll play, you know, whatever you want me to play. Or I won't play at all if you don't want me to play. Whatever it is that'll please you, I'll do it." Concerning the realization at hand, the size of the ensemble (thirteen members) causes an inflation of space and time. That is, there is rarely a pause or break, and the two hours and eight minutes (over two discs) first engage and then turn from intriguing and mystical to "is this going to change?" like having too much of your favorite food in one sitting.

The endurance of the London Experimental Ensemble version is certainly admirable, as holding together this long of an "improvisation" requires strength. Maybe following the abundance of continuous lines on the score inspired the players to adhere to a mission of unbreakable sustain (Cardew called this "the 6-day cycle race when you sling your partner into the next lap with a forcible handclasp). There isn't a metered or formal repetition as the performance lumbers along, but the ingredients here simmer without global evolution. The peculiar nature of part one is mired in overwhelming string webs (contrabass x2 + electric guitar x2 + slide guitar + violin) until near 35 minutes when the group peels back to percussive knocks, tears, shutters, and shadowy, warbling synthesized murmurs. There are other curious moments in spots where sampled ghostly voices in conversation ooze under the surface; grand explosions from pummeled piano sound boards rise above the din; swooping UFO's stop by on occasion; thick bass strings snap and rattle as if detuned. Other interesting gestures try to surface, but the rest of the ambling juggernaut masks these in favor of stirring up dust and sticks and otherwise debris while moving (last analogy) like a dune buggy stuck in quicksand.

Just as Schoenberg's purported reason behind serialism was to extend — not destroy — the work of Bach's more radical cantatas, Cardew tried a newish trope on notation to reign in, say, Fluxus wanking (not my words), to bring method back to madness. However, whereas the adventure of Cage's 4'33" affords a freedom to let sound do what it wants to do (unless the indeterminate ensemble don't follow the instructions on three empty tacets), Cardew (here I go again — as if I have the right) literally painted the performer into a corner. One could argue anticipation of a successful recorded version of Treatise was purposely sabotaged from the beginning. Cardew:

"...this music does not occur in a home environment, it occurs in a public environment, and its force depends to some extent on public response. For this reason, too, it cannot happen fully in a recording studio; if there is hope for a recording it must be a recording of a public performance."

Yes, I'm bagging on one of the world's most impressive pieces of musical history, a physical monument that I highly admire and feel belongs on museum walls — I was very close to getting a tattoo of page 46 on my forearm. But the overshadowing printed extra-musical mammoth is almost more authoritative than the audible results. I'm thoroughly addressing the former, not to understand the output here, but to...reflect on the why of the output? Cheers to the London Experimental Ensemble for its attempt to take on this beast.





Comments and Feedback:



The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Paul Bley Trio:
Floater & Syndrome
-
The Upright Piano Sessions,
Revisited
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)



Steve Lacy Three:
Live Lugano 1984

First Visit
[CD + 2 POSTCARDS]
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)



Sophie Lussi /
Sandra Weiss /
Fridolin Blumer /
Andreas Wettstein:
Atlantic Puffin
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)



Keiji Haino /
Natsuki Tamura:
What Happened There?
(Libra)



Satoko Fujii
GEN String Ensemble:
Altitude 1100 Meters
(Libra)



Stian Larsen /
Colin Webster /
Ruth Goller /
Andrew Lisle:
Temple of Muses
(Relative Pitch)



Amanojaku (
Yoshida /
Fujii /
Tamura):
Bishamonten
(Magaibutsu)



Lotte Anker /
Kamil Piotrowicz /
Jacob Anderskov:
Antiworld I
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Sophie Agnel /
John Butcher:
RARE
(Les Disques Victo)



Joke Lanz /
Dieb13:
Musical Education
(Klanggalerie)



Peter Brotzmann /
Paal Nilssen-Love:
Butterfly Mushroom
(Trost Records)



El Strom:
Long Time No Sea
(GRRR)



Alexander Schlippenbach von /
Daag Magnus Narvesen Duo:
KAIROS
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Joe Fonda /
Bass of Operation:
w/ Rabinovitz /
Lederer /
Sorgen
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



John Dikeman /
Sun-Mi Hong /
Aaron Lumley /
Marta Warelis:
Old Adam on
Turtle Island
(Relative Pitch)



Painkiller (
Harris /
Laswell /
Zorn):
Samsara
(Tzadik)



Sun & Rain (
Morgan /
Laplante /
Smiley /
Nazary):
Waterfall
[VINYL]
(Out Of Your Head Records)



Andrea Centazzo:
Ictus@45 - Out Off Nights
[4 CD BOX SET]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Zlatko Kaucic (
Kaucic /
Amado /
Dorner /
Grom /
Guy /
Fernandez /
Snekkestad):
INKLINGS
[4 CD BOX SET]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Agusti Fernandez
feat.
Barry Guy,
Don Malfon,
John Butcher,
Jordina Milla,
Liudas Mockunas,
Lucia Martinez,
Torben Snekkestad,
Zlatko Kaucic:
Agusti Fernandez @70
-
Aesthetic Of Prisms
[7 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (78542)