The Locals (Thomas, Ward / Thomas / Lash / Hasson-Davis):
The Locals Play The Music Of Anthony Braxton (Discus)
An upbeat and energetic performance at the Konfrontation Festival, Ulrichsberg in 2006, featuring six early compositions by Anthony Braxton, arranged by pianist Pat Thomas and performed by the quintet of superb improviser and interpreters Alex Ward on clarinet, Evan Thomas on electric guitar, Dominic Lash on electric bass, and Darren Hasson-Davis on drums. ... Click to View
Roscoe Mitchell & Mike Reed:
The Ritual and The Dance (Astral Spirits)
An ecstatic and intense album of saxophone and drum improvisation from the duo of AACM legend Roscoe Mitchel and drummer Mike Reeds, also performing on electronics, the two Chicago mainstays performing at the Oorstof concert series Zuiderpershuis in Antwerp, Belgium in 2015 for an extended single improvisation of passionate and penetrating dialog. ... Click to View
Roscoe Mitchell & Mike Reed:
The Ritual and The Dance [VINYL] (Astral Spirits)
An ecstatic and intense album of saxophone and drum improvisation from the duo of AACM legend Roscoe Mitchel and drummer Mike Reeds, also performing on electronics, the two Chicago mainstays performing at the Oorstof concert series at Zuiderpershuis in Antwerp, Belgium in 2015 for an extended single improvisation of passionate and penetrating dialog. ... Click to View
Ivo Perelman Trio:
Garden of Jewels (Tao Forms)
A meeting of three master improvisers but also the three friends and frequent collaborators of Ivo Perelman on tenor sax, Matthew Shipp on piano, and Whit Dickey on drums, their familiarity showing in a collective compatibility and assurance heard especially in this studio album of exploratory discourse, each piece aptly dedicated to a precious jewel. ... Click to View
Helary / Rayon / Gilbert / Lavergne:
Glowing Life (Ayler)
French flutist Sylvaine Helary's new quartet explores a more electric branch of her work as a composer, in compositions that bridge improvisation and rock forms with song-like structures and narrative, performed with Antonin Rayon-Hammond Organ B3, Moog, piano & clavinet, Benjamin Glibert on electric guitar & bass, and Christophe Lavergne on drums. ... Click to View
Jeremiah Cymerman / Charlie Looker:
A Horizon Made of Canvas [CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)
A series of ominous duos on the dark side from NY improviser Jeremiah Cymerman on clarinets & pedals, and Charlie Looker (Extra Life, Psalm Zero) on guitars & piano, each of the five pieces exploring murky caverns of warmly bleak environments rendered through Looker's deep piano & guitar work, perforated by cracks of light through Cymerman's riffs & exclamations. ... Click to View
Jeremiah Cymerman / Charlie Looker:
A Horizon Made of Canvas (Astral Spirits)
A series of ominous duos on the dark side from NY improviser Jeremiah Cymerman on clarinets & pedals, and Charlie Looker (Extra Life, Psalm Zero) on guitars & piano, each of the five pieces exploring murky caverns of warmly bleak environments rendered through Looker's deep piano & guitar work, perforated by cracks of light through Cymerman's riffs & exclamations. ... Click to View
Tomas Fujiwara (w / Brennan / Reid):
7 Poets Trio (RogueArt)
Drummer Tomas Fujiwara composed these compositions specifically for his trio with Patricia Brennan (vibraphone) and Tomeka Reid (cello), beautifully orchestrated for the unique combination of instruments and the extraordinary technique of each player, resulting in lyrical improvisation performed with a clarity appropriate for each piece's dedication. ... Click to View
Gus Garside / Herve Perez:
The Unexpected Visitor (Orbit577)
Saxophonist Herve Perez and double bassist Gus Garside spent much of the pandemic lockdown recording these intimate duos, interpretations of a 13th Century Poem, "The Guest House" by Rumi, recording in their respective homes using software designed for real-time audio collaboration, as they developed this introspective set of dialogs with strong lyrical affinity between the two. ... Click to View
Various Artists curated by Nick Vander:
Walk My Way, Volume Two (Orbit577)
The second of a five-volume compilation series curated by Nick Vander, a testament to the incredible musical range of the guitar and the imaginative possibility of guitarists around the world, with tracks from David Stackenäs, Jessica Ackerley, Jorge Espinal, Usui Yasuhiro, Scott Fields, Sebastian Sequoiah.Grayson0, Sam Shalabi, Shinobu Nemoto and Nyctalllz. ... Click to View
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii / Ramon Lopez:
Mantle (Not Two)
While on a tour of Japan in 2019, Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii and Spanish drummer Ramon Lopez asked trumpeter Natsuki Tamura to join them, and to join in a challenge to write a new piece of music for the trio each day while on tour; this studio album selects the finest of those compositions, performed with nearly telepathic control in a mix of fire and lyrical beauty. ... Click to View
Step In (Carlo Morena / Joe Fonda / Felix Lecaros Herrera):
Voila La Tendresse (Not Two)
Pianist Carlo Morena leads this lyrical and energetic piano trio with bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Félix Lecaros Herrera, performing 6 Morena compositions and one piece by Emil Boyd, recording at the Firehouse 12 studio in Connecticut for the 3rd album under the Step In name, and the first with drummer Herrera; upbeat but never cloying, a very compelling album. ... Click to View
Mars Williams / Vasco Trilla:
Spiracle (Not Two)
A truly unique duo album of sax and drums from Chicago reedist Mars Williams and Spanish percussionist Vasco Trilla, using their immense technical skills to pivot reflective and meditative playing around exuberant free jazz spirit, maintaining a sense of journey and sonic introspection through unusual and extended technique; a beautifully balanced album. ... Click to View
Georg Graewe / Sonic Fiction Orchestra:
Fortschritt und Vergnugen (Random Acoustics)
First introduced at the "Konfrontationen" festival in Nickelsdorf in 2006, German pianist and composer Georg Graewe's Sonic Fiction Orchestra developed these diverse works of jazz, fusion-tinged, and chamber improv during a residency at the 2018/19 Porgy & Bess in Vienna, recording in the studio in 2020 for this impressive album, particularly the large "Redshift E" composition. ... Click to View
Souchal / Nick / Lazro / Cappozzo:
Neigen (Ayler)
An album of explorative and restrained improvisation, primarily acoustic but also using object and an electro-acoustic octave violin, from the quartet of Nicolas Souchal on trumpet & flugelhorn, Michael Nick on violin & electro acoustic octave violin, Daunik Lazro on tenor & baritone saxophones, and Jean-Luc Cappozzo on trumpet, flugelhorn & objects. ... Click to View
Gary Lucas:
The Essential Gary Lucas [2 CDs] (Knitting Factory)
A retrospective of the work of guitarist and one-time Captain Beefheart Magic Band member Gary Lucas, in two CDs, the first devoted to songs recorded with Lucas' psychedelic jazz-rock band Gods and Monsters, the second devoted to solo works, rarities and collaborations, with an incredible list of performers reflecting Lucas' diverse 40-year career. ... Click to View
Vasco Trilla:
Unmoved Mover (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
A dramatic set of improvisations performed on timpani and gongs from Spanish percussionist Vasco Trilla, from the quietest of moments to massively profound and encompassing events, Trilla's timing evoking both meditative passages and moments of power, in a rich and spiritual album that impresses by both technical ability and by the sense of story he reveals. ... Click to View
Alex Cunningham :
Echo's Bones Were Turned to Stone [CASSETTE] (Storm Cellar)
A muscular album of improvised "fiddling" from St. Louis violinist Alex Cunningham, five works of assertive playing based on recurring and evolving figures, often rapid string patterns that show Cunningham's skill and stamina on the instrument, interspersed with quirky expressions and extraneous instrumental sound that keep his listeners on edge and captivated. ... Click to View
Steve Baczkowski / Bill Nace:
Success [CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD] (Notice Recordings)
A rough-and-tumble improv encounter between Steve Baczkowski performing on tenor & baritone saxophones and Bill Nace performing on electric guitar, captured live at The Wild Detectives in Dallas, Texas for two extended improvisations, the first a cantankerously energetic exchange, the second mysteriously evolving from introspective to barbed interaction and back. ... Click to View
Montgomery & Turner :
Sounds Passing Through Circumstances [CASSETTE W/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Editions)
Chicago sound artists Jayve Montgomery on saxophone & flute and Nick Turner on Mellotron, present an epic two part work of effected sound, two contemplative pieces of twilight environments, the first mysteriously punctuated with distant percussive elements, the second a hopeful work of glacial melody and harmonic tones; a great sonic companion under the influence. ... Click to View
William Parker:
Migration of Silence Into and Out of The Tone World (Volumes 1-10) [10 CD BOX SET] (Centering Records)
A 10-album collection in a solid box set of vocal and instrumental suites recorded expressly for this set between late 2018 and early 2020, with women's voices at its core (both on voice & other instruments), taking a vast view of music from around the globe through free improvisation and re-imagined sonic collage, performed by groupings of extraordinary performers. ... Click to View
Gerrit Hatcher Group (Hather / Ernst / Gay / Jackson / Kirshner):
The Good Instinct of the Morning (Kettle Hole Records)
The first album as a bandleader from Chicago tenor saxophonist Gerrit Hatcher in a full quintet of well-known Chicago improvisers -- cornetist Ben LaMar Gay, tenor saxophonist Keefe Jackson, bassist Katie Ernst, and drummer Julian Kirshner -- in an album that would fit well in the ESP/Ayler free-jazz mode, tipped off by a cover of Charles Tyler's "Man Alone". ... Click to View
Udo Schindler / Damon Smith / Karina Erhard:
The Munich Sound Studies Vol 1 (FMR)
Performing at the Gottfried Duren/arToxin at Galerie ar Toxin in 2019, the trio of Udo Schindler on clarinet, bass clarinet & alto horn, Damon Smith on double bass, and Karina Erhard on C flute & alto flute present a sophisticated set of free improvisations with a chamber improv feeling, using tremendous technique and intent listening through six fascinating dialogs. ... Click to View
Schindler. Udo / Damon Smith / Jaap Blonk:
The Munich Sound Studies Vol 2 & 3 (FMR)
Refined and free ranging improvisation between German reedist Udo Schindler performing on bass clarinet, tenor & sopranino saxophones and also on cornet, and US double bassist Damon Smith, recorded 3 days after the first volume in this series, presenting two sets from the same day of informed and diverse dialogs between two masterful improvisers. ... Click to View
Udo Schindler / Jaap Blonk:
Lakefront Discussions (FMR)
Extremely well paired in their unusual approaches to their instruments both acoustic and electronic, this live recording between Udo Schindler on reed & brass instruments and Jaap Blonk improvising with his voice and using computer electronics, results in eight diverting and inspired recording of extreme creative approaches and impressive technical skill. ... Click to View
Schnee (Christof Kurzmann / Burkhard Stangl) :
Cher [VINYL] (Mikroton Recordings)
The fourth album in 20 years from the Schnee duo of guitarist Burkhard Stangl (efzeg, Polwechsel) and Christof Kurzmann performing on lloop, voice and "ruber bands", creating music for films that have not yet been created through intensely moody electroacoustic environments, Kurzmann's voice sometimes guiding the narrative of their visionary sound. ... Click to View
Jeam Van Schouwburg Nichel / Lawrence Cassserely / Yoko Miura:
Arcturus Sverdrup Balance On Tour (FMR)
A collection of live recordings from Sverdrup Balance, the trio of Lawrence Casserley on signal processing instrument, Yoko Miura on piano & Melodeon, and Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg on voice, recorded during their 2019 autumn tour in U.K., Belgium and North Italy, a skewed but generally optimistic group of ea- and voice improvisers with a wealth of creative inspirations. ... Click to View
Hali Palombo:
Cylinder Loops [CASSETTE W/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Editions)
Using early cylinder recordings from the UCSB Cylinder Archive, Chicago composer Hali Palombo creates twelve brief and diverse compositions by looping each scratchy and sometimes strange recording, audio phantasms from one of the earliest forms of audio recording, repurposed into fascinating vignettes of experimental and intuitive approaches to sound art. ... Click to View
Werner Durand:
Schwingende Luftsaulen 3 (ANTS Records)
A beautifully hypnotic album of wind music, especially on the Pan-Ney, an instrument developed by Berlin composer Werner Durand, along with electronics and a piece using the talking drum as performed by Marika Falk, presenting early works from the 1990s that bridge both improvisation and composition with an embraceable sound that reveals underlying complexity. ... Click to View
John White:
Electric Music [2 CDs] (ANTS Records)
English experimental composer and musical performer John White recorded the pieces on this 2 CD retrospective set between 1980 and 1995, a combination of serious, popular and novelty pieces, often exploring areas of contradiction, particularly linear and rhythmic, within an unlikely sound-world in which parameters such as volume, timbre, texture and speed remain fixed. ... Click to View
