Magda Mayas' Filamental (w / Davies / Caddy / Theriot / Davies / Parkins / Thieke / Abdelnour):
Confluence (Relative Pitch)
Composed by pianist Magda Mayas for an octet of superb avant improvisers including Rhodri Davies, Zeena Parkins, Michael Thieke, Angharad Davies, &c. and performed live at the 2019 Music Unlimited 33, in Wels, Austria, this extended work uses a graphic score to interpret 12 photographs taken over an hour observing the merging waters of the Rhone and the Arve rivers. ... Click to View
Mats Gustafsson / Joachim Nordwall:
Shadows of Tomorrow b/w The Brain Produces Electrical Waves [7'' VINYL w/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)
After their duo album A Map of Guilt and many albums together under various Fire! groupings, Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and electronic artist Joachim Nordwall face off again for a limited 7" single: two simmering dialogs, remarkable counterpunches of rumbling synthetics, instrumental noise, pulsating bass tones, heavy breath and terrifying innuendo! ... Click to View
Vasco Trilla / Liba Villaecchia:
Asebeia (FMR)
Asebeia (ἀσέβεια) was a criminal charge in ancient Greece for the "desecration and mockery of divine objects", for "irreverence towards the state gods" and disrespect towards parents and dead ancestors; here it is also the informed and diverse, freely improvised duo of Spanish improvisers, saxophonist Liba Villavecchia and drummer/percussionist Vasco Trilla. ... Click to View
Machinefabriek:
With Drums [VINYL + DOWNLOAD] (esc.rec.)
Rutger Zuydervelt (aka Machinefabriek) invited 41 drummer/percussionists including Tony Buck, Vasco Trilla, Tim Barnes, Greg Stuart, Cyril Bondi, &c. to take part in a project by recording a few short fills or phrases, which Zuydervelt used as "Lego Bricks" to build a series of short rhythmical collages, the results being 24 diverse and fascinating compositions. ... Click to View
Musicworks:
#139 Spring/Summer 2021 [MAGAZINE + CD] (Musicworks)
Spring/Summer issue of Canada's premiere new music magazine, including an 11-track CD of music from the artists covered in each issue, with articles: Sobey Art Award wubber Lou Shppard; a 30-page section exploring climate emergency through nine sound and music artists; Brooklyn-based composer and violist Tanya Kalmanovitch; Ashley Au; James Goddard; David Psutka; &c. &c! ... Click to View
Pek Solo:
A Quartet of Peks - Unifications (Evil Clown)
Boston free improviser, composer, reed player and multi-instrumentalist PEK (David Peck) quadruples himself on this album with four continuous tracks of one PEK each playing many instruments, using a broad palette comprised of woodwinds, percussion, electronics, and strings, each recorded pass filling in space and playing counterpoint to previously recorded tracks. ... Click to View
Oier Iruretagoiena :
Kulakantu (Nueni)
Four pieces from Oier Iruretagoiena (Tusuri, Larraskito Audio Dissection Unit) using computer generated sound of an abstract nature, with irregular rhythms and intersections in harmonics and feedback, actively reserved and avoiding extremes while creating a cohesively curious collection of quirky, aberrant, cranky and surprisingly compelling connected sounds. ... Click to View
Koen Nutters:
Intervals, time and space between [2 CDs] (Meenna)
Three versions of composer Koen Nutters piece "Intervals, time and space between," performed in Berlin, Switzerland and The Netherlands in 2019 by Ensemble Post-music and DNK Ensemble with special guests Stefan Thut, Luke Martin, Thea Mesirow and Aaron Foster Breilyn, the work open to interpretation as a construction kit for each player to build their own version. ... Click to View
Joelle Leandre:
Beauty / Resistance [3 CD BOX] (Not Two)
Live concert recordings at Alchemia club in Krakow captured during the Krakow Jazz Autumn Festival 2019 while double bassist Joëlle Léandre held residence, 3 CDs presenting first a quartet with Zlatko Kaucic on drums & percussion, Mateusz Rybicki on clarinets and Zbigniew Kozera on bass, then one disc in a duo with Zlatko Kaucic and another with guitarist Rafal Mazure. ... Click to View
Rosa Barba / Chad Taylor:
In a Perpetual Now of Instantaneous Visibility (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Using Rosa Barba's cello and the celluloid of a film projector as an alternative bow to create rich drones, and Chad Taylor's drum kit along with his incredible prowess with a mbira, this NY duo create an incredible set of rhythmically active soundscapes that draws their listener into a wonderfully vivid and richly flowing improvisational world; stunning! ... Click to View
James Lewis Brandon / Red Lily Quintet (w / William Parker/ Chad Taylor / Kirk Knuffke / Chris Hoffman):
Jesup Wagon (Tao Forms)
Led by tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and peformed by his Red Lily Quintet with Kirk Knuffke on cornet, William Parker on bass & gimbri, Christopher Hoffman on cello and Chad Taylor on drums & mbira, Lewis' work explores and reflects on the legacy of scientist George Washington Carver through 7 remarkable free jazz compositions. ... Click to View
Spontaneous Music Ensemble:
Question And Answer 1966 [2 CDs] (Rhythm and Blues)
Exploring the roots of the SME, this illuminating disc presents a full concert from 1966 of an early configuration performing in a mode closer to what listeners might consider "jazz", from John Stevens (drums), Trevor Watts (sax), Paul Rutherford (trombone) and Bruce Cale (bass), plus a studio session from later that year and a 1/2 hour Q&A session discussing improvisation. ... Click to View
Banks / Canha / Porter / Taylor:
Lost At Sea (FMR)
Using as their inspiration the esthetic, soundscape and work of experimental Icelandic band Sigur Rós, the UK quartet of Dan Banks on piano, Jose Canha on bass, Trevor Taylor on drums and Robin Porter on saxophone present eight compositions written and arranged by pianist Banks, bringing the ethereal post-rock of Rós into the lyrical world of modern creative jazz. ... Click to View
Joe Moffett:
Stress Positions (Neither/Nor Records)
The title referencing police tactics used to subdue a suspect, the 2nd solo album from NY trumpeter Joe Moffett finds the imporoviser approaching the instrument with atypical technique and a sense of sonic power in five engrossing works of technical prowess and creative imagination, producing "mangled, oscillating, chittering noises, a collision of muscle, bone, and metal". ... Click to View
TtD (Nasuno Mitsuru / Tatsuya Yoshida):
Teneleven the Duo (Fourth Hand Record)
Concentrating the Teneleven quintet to a duo in the core of drummer Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins, Koenji Hyakkei, Korekyojinn) and bassist & electronic device guru Mitsuru Nasuno (Altered States, Fushitsusha, Ground Zero), for eleven tracks of energetic interactive rock improvisations, alternating between "TdD" pieces of burning improvisations and introspective "Afterglows". ... Click to View
Julius Eastman :
Femenine (Sub Rosa)
ensemble 0: Variable geometry performs this essential work from composer Julius Eastman, written in 1974 for a chamber ensemble of acoustic and electronic instruments, merging a backbone of hypnotic minimalism with forms of improvisation and points of flexibility for the performers, a great example of Eastman's work and relationship to other contemporary composers. ... Click to View
Drasler / Pascolo / Novello:
odboqpo (Creative Sources)
The electroacoustic improv trio of flutist Paolo Pascolo and electronics guru Alberto Novello (JesterN') on modular synthesizer, and Slovenian drummer Vid Drašler, for seven haunting improvisations of unfaltering patience, electronic tones commingling with atmospheric flutes and subtle percussive intervention, creating rich sonic environments or quirky conversation. ... Click to View
Tanja Feichtmair / Damon Smith / Gino Robair:
The Shrilling of Frogs (Balance Point Acoustics)
Discovered in a box of recordings in BPA's possession, this recording from 2003 restores a stimulating freely improvised studio encounter between then-West Coast frequent collaborators, double bassist Damon Smith and percussionist Gino Robair, in a trio with Austrian alto saxophonist & bass clarinetist Tanja Feichtmair, mastered to pristine quality by Weasel Walter. ... Click to View
Michel Banabila :
Wah-Wah Whispers [VINYL] (Bureau B)
A collection of compositions drawn from recent works by Michel Banabila, the composer performing alongside artists Rutger Zuydervelt, Yuko Parris, ok Van Vuuren and all n4tural, showcasing his flexibility in developing a variety of works that include cinematic sweeps, ambient/fourth world, sound and noise, and rhythm-based and synthetic. ... Click to View
Phew / John Duncan / Kondo Tatsuo:
Backfire of Joy [VINYL] (Black Truffle)
A previously unreleased concert at Tokyo's Hosei University in 1982 from the trio of Tatsuo Kondo performing on synthesizer, tape & piano, Phew on vocals, and visiting artist John Duncan on electronics and shortwave radio, each LP side a creative exploration of sound and free associative voice, an assertive and confident example of the explosion of 80s experimentation. ... Click to View
Mark Shippy / Alex Cunningham :
Ghost Note [VINY] (Personal Archives)
The first recorded collaboration between guitarist Mark Shippy (U.S. Maple) and improvising violinist Alex Cunningham (Apathist!, Claire Rousay, Cunningham/Cameron/Smith), together taking their instruments into strangely tumultuous and often quickly shifting territory; sometimes ethereal, sometimes cantankerous, always captivating. ... Click to View
Jimmy Giuffre (w / Bley / Swallow):
Free Fall Clarinet 1962, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Reissuing clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre's 1963 Columbia album Free Fall, presenting trio performances with bassist Steve Swallow and pianist Paul Bley recorded after their 1961 European tour, along with duos between Giuffre and Swallow and several solo tracks from the clarinetist himself, propelling himself and his band into his sophisticated, risk-taking chamber jazz compositions. ... Click to View
Christopher Kunz / Florian Fischer:
Die Unwucht (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The Die Unwucht (The Imbalance) duo of saxophonist Christopher Kunz and drummer Florian Fische was formed to explore jazz tradition while looking for ways to break down restrictive boundaries and create their own forms of expression, achieving a great balance and equality in Kunz' lyrical playing with a Getz/Desmond sound against Fische's active interactions. ... Click to View
Gerald Cleaver :
Griots (Positive Elevation/577 Records)
Drummer Gerald Cleaver continues his explorations in electronic music, taking his compositions of modular electronics, synthesis, FM tones, and muted drum machines into intricate and wide-ranging territory, compelling through the solid and natural rhythms he imparts to each piece, many of which are titled for musicians who have influenced him. ... Click to View
Gerald Cleaver :
Griots [VINYL] (Positive Elevation/577 Records)
Drummer Gerald Cleaver continues his explorations in electronic music, taking his compositions of modular electronics, synthesis, FM tones, and muted drum machines into intricate and wide-ranging territory, compelling through the solid and natural rhythms he imparts to each piece, many of which are titled for musicians who have influenced him. ... Click to View
Andrea Centazzo / Steve Lacy:
Scraps (Ictus)
"Scraps", or leftovers from the recording sessions of soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy and drummer/percussionist Andrea Centazzo, the same sessions that yielded the albums Clangs and Tao, with remastered studio and live sessions in Udine, Bologna and other cities in Italy, plus a live recording from an audio cassette with Kent Cart on bass at Teatro Lirico in Milano. ... Click to View
The Funambulists (Tibor Takacs Faki / Laslo Lenkes / Goran Grubisic):
The Funambulists (FMR)
An energetic trio of Serbian free improvisers from Tibor Takacs Faki on reeds, Laslo Lenkes on guitar and Goran Grubisic on drums, Tibor Takacs Faki and Goran Grubisic both part of the rock band Wooden Ambulance, that energy translating into their indefatigable approach to collective improvisation, just keeping a lid on their rambunctious interaction. ... Click to View
Hirose Junji:
SSI-7 (Hitorri)
Known mostly as a saxophonist on the Japanese improvised music scene, Junji Hirose has also released a series of albums using self-made analog noise instruments, here using a device where balls and small objects are placed on a large, shallow, round metal plate and moved by a compressor, here in four tracks with different objects and one with no objects at all. ... Click to View
Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza:
Eroina [VINYL - CLEAR] (Cometa Edizioni)
A reissue of Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza's Eroina, recorded in Rome in 1971, in a series of improvisations each inspired by the effects of a different drug, through electronic glitch, skronky horns, heavy piano and funky drums, performed by the ensemble of Ennio Morricone, Mario Bertoncini, Egisto Macchi, Battisti D'Amario, Franco Evangelisti, & Walter Bianchi. ... Click to View
Senyawa (Rully Shabara / Wukir Suryadi):
Alkisah (Burning Ambulance Music)
Since 2010 the Indonesian duo Senyawa of vocalist Rully Shabara and instrumentalist Wukir Suryadi have merged traditional Indonesian music with experimental approaches, heard here in their seventh album, released through a cooperative arrangement with more than 30 labels across the globe, in an attempt to decentralize the hierarchical structures of the music industry. ... Click to View
Paul Dunmall:
Awakening Expectations (FMR)
Two unique and adventurous takes on collective free improvisation led by Paul Dunmall and recorded in the studio, using the group that appears on his first Paul Dunmall Presents series in January 2020: Dunmall on tenor sax, John O'Gallagher on alto sax, Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Elliott Sansom on piano, Chris Mapp on electric bass and Miles Levin on drums. ... Click to View
