Udo Schindler / Etienne Rolin / Luc Laine:
In Search Of Surprise (FMR)
Unique voicing through the orchestration of saxophones, basset horn, glissotar (a modern continuous pitch wind instrument) and vibraphone, heard in this recording at the international artist house Villa Waldberta, in Feldafing-Munich, Germany, for seven recordings that blend free jazz forms with chamber jazz approaches with remarkable sophistication and composure. ... Click to View
Luis Lopes Love Song:
Emmentes (Shhpuma)
The third release in Portuguese guitarist Luís Lopes' Love Song Project is a solo album performed on a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar, six beautifully peaceful and introspective improvisations revealing a calm side to Lopes' often assertive electric guitar work, instead allowing harmonics and notes express his curiosity of life and love of music. ... Click to View
Kazemde George:
I Insist (Greenleaf Music)
A solid modern jazz album in the Blue Note tradition with a Latin angle, the title a reference to Max Roach's 1960 protest album We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, evoked through strongly melodic tunes composed by Brooklyn saxophonist Kazemde George and performed with vocalist Sami Stevens, keyboardist Isaac Wilson, bassist Tyrone Allen II, and drummer Adam Arruda. ... Click to View
Michael Pisaro-Liu :
Tombstones (performed by Barbara Dang & Muzzix) (elsewhere)
Applying techniques that Michael Pisaro uses in his audio compositions to song formats, this album presents 11 new versions of songs from his 2013 Human Ear Music album, here reworked for clarity and recorded under the artistic direction of the Lille-based pianist Barbara Dang and six members of the Muzzix collective (Bellefont, Cruz, Orins, Pruvost & Pruvost). ... Click to View
Guy Vandromme / Bruno Duplant:
l'infini des possibles (12 etudes pour piano) [2 CDs] (elsewhere)
Twelve etudes for solo piano by French composer Bruno Duplant and interpreted by pianist Guy Vandromme, each etude consisting of eight lines of lowercase letters a-g representing white keys, with accents, uppercase shifts, apostrophes, &c. affecting those letters, the performer given an "infinity of possibilities" through choices of combinations and repetions of the score. ... Click to View
Jordan Dykstra / Koen Nutters:
In Better Shape Than You Found Me (elsewhere)
... Click to View
Diaphane (Loriot / Costa / Hubsch / Loher):
Paris (Neither/Nor Records)
A live album at the Cafe de Paris in 2019, and the recording debut of the international quartet Diaphane of Frantz Loriot on viola, Raphael Loher on piano, Carl Ludwig Hübsch on tuba and Carlo Costa on percussion, heard here in an extended and fully free improvisation using unusual techniques and objects to extend the pallet of their acoustic instruments. ... Click to View
Flin van Hemmen :
You Can Know Where the Bombs Fell (Neither/Nor Records)
Based in NY but born the Netherlands, sound artist Flin Van Hemmen's title refers to observations from his hometown of Nijmegen, the concept focusing his work, with many samples originating from his previous Casting Spells & The Coves album, along with new field recordings and studio work, resulting in richly detailed worlds of sound and momentum. ... Click to View
You Sung Jin / Vincent Laju:
Kairos (Creative Sources)
Exotic improvisation from Korean musician based in Berlin, You Jin Sung, performing on the gayageum, a large traditional Korean plucked zither sometimes augmented with electronics, in a duo with French cellist Vincent Laju, both performers using tension and space contrasted with moments of intensity through six improvisations of cross-cultural, contemporary conversation. ... Click to View
Georgia Rodgers / Apartment House:
September (Another Timbre)
Eight chamber works of interestingly structured and exquisitely restrained character, composed between 2016 and 2021 by UK composer Georgia Rodgers, performed by the Apartment House ensemble in configurations of acoustic duos, trios & quartets, one solo piece for piano & electronics, one solo work for electronics and the title piece in 3 parts by a quintet. ... Click to View
Ikue Mori / Brian Marsella / Sae Hashimoto:
Archipelago X (Tzadik)
Part of Tzadik's Spectrum series, the Downtown NY trio of electroacoustic improviser and composer Ikue Mori, pianist Brian Marsella performing on electric keyboards and synths, and classical percussionist Sae Hashimoto on a wealth of marimbas, drums, bells, shakers and chimes, composed these intricately fascinating works by exchanging tracks composed in their home studios. ... Click to View
Mirror Unit (Georg Wissel / Tim O'Dwyer):
Sonic Rivers (FMR)
Following their Creative Sources album Wind Makes Weather, alto saxophonists Tim O'Dwyer and Georg Wissel, both employing preparations on their instruments, improvise a confluence of sonic rivers evoking, exploring and reflecting waterways from around the world, captured in concert at the cinema hall of the cultural center Alte Feuerwache, in Cologne. ... Click to View
Eric La Casa:
Everyday Unknown 4 & 5 (Swarming)
Exploring the details of everyday life as he examines the relationship between his environment and himself, microscopic audio explorer Éric La Casa investigates sounds beyond the threshold of auditory hearing, capturing barely perceptible sonic manifestations with incredible clarity and detail, constructing engaging works from these surprising and intriguing sounds. ... Click to View
Euphorium_freakestra:
2 Trios & 2 Babies (Euphorium)
Two drummerless trios meet two drummers in this incredible 2006 concert at naTo, in Leipzig, one from trumpeter Matthias Mainz, cello player Matthias Lorenz and bass player Michael Haves, the other from Fabian Niermann on tenor saxophone, Konrad Gruneberg on double bass and Oliver Schwerdt on the grand piano, the drummers Christian Lillinger & Gunter Baby Sommer. ... Click to View
Barbara Golden:
Not Dead Yet [CD+ 10 Postcards] (fo'c'sle)
[Bonus Edition] Bay Area experimental music scene legend and multi-disciplinary artist Barabara Golden celebrates her 80th birthday presents works created between 1980-2020, including performances by Robert Ashley, Maggi Payne, Chris Brown, WIGband with Johanna Poethig, George Lewis, William Winant, Mary Oliver and texts by Melody Sumner Carnahan. ... Click to View
Barbara Golden:
Not Dead Yet [CD] (fo'c'sle)
Bay Area experimental music scene legend and multi-disciplinary artist Barabara Golden celebrates her 80th birthday presents works created between 1980-2020, including performances by Robert Ashley, Maggi Payne, Chris Brown, WIGband with Johanna Poethig, George Lewis, William Winant, Mary Oliver and texts by Melody Sumner Carnahan. ... Click to View
Omegatre (Colafiglio / Romano / Cicala):
Terre Rare (Creative Sources)
Since 2005 Italian guitarist Tommaso Colafiglio has led the Omegatre trio, composing and arranging all works on this album with drummer & percussionist Leo Cicala, peformed with Paolo Romano on double bass and electric bass, presenting seven electric jazz compositions that flow with the sophistication and grace each brings through years of collaborative and independent evolution. ... Click to View
David Myers Lee:
Room In A Moon House (pulsewidth)
A series of "Rooms" and related electronic environments from New York sound artist David Lee Myers, whose long running Arcane Device project runs parallel to these nearly ambient works that Myers intimates are for intimate environments, developed through deft use of Eurorack electronics, feedback, sampling and other elegant electronic processes. ... Click to View
Jack Cooper / Jeff Tobias :
Tributaries [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)
Two side-long tracks of minimal improvisation from NY saxophonist Jeff Tobias (Sunwatchers) and UK guitarist Jack Cooper (Ultimate Painting); "Wicken" and "Debden" are named for and inspired by the tributaries of the River Cam in North Essex, revealing themselves in steady progressions and subtle application of instrumental technique in a beautifully flowing reflection. ... Click to View
Guillaume Gargaud :
17 Compositions (New Focus Recordings)
A compilation of improvised steel-string acoustic guitar works framed by pitch and intervallic restrictions, from French composer and guitarist Guillaume Gargaud, 17 succinct pieces that evade standard jazz vocabulary while integrating influences from Messiaen to Webern to Cecil Taylor, paced in contemplative and sophisticated style. ... Click to View
Okkyung Lee:
Na-Reul (나를 ) (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Extremely personal and passionate, cellist Okkyung Lee recorded this album after separation from her instrument for months as she traveled to Korea to be with her dying father during pandemic; the 9 pieces are layered with strings, instrument sounds, voice and with profound timing, creating an intensely beautiful album reflecting the anguish and loss of the time. ... Click to View
Joe McPhee:
Route 84 Quarantine Blues (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
One of Corbett vs. Dempsey's Black Cross Solo Sessions, Joe McPhees approaches his album recorded during pandemic lockdown in his home through tenor sax, voice, water, objects and field recordings, the center of the album a cycle of compositions by Charles Mingus, alongside works by Carla Bley and influences by Joni Mitchell, and a virtual symphony of saxes on the title track. ... Click to View
Ken Vandermark:
The Field Within a Line (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
One of Corbett vs. Dempsey's Black Cross Solo Sessions, Ken Vandermark recorded these twelve succinct, insightful and technically superb solo recordings at his home during pandemic lockdowns, part of a new book of compositions for solo reed instruments, each piece dedicated to an artist across multiple disciplines, including Joe McPhee, Anthony Braxton, Samuel Beckett, &c. ... Click to View
Moreno Veloso:
Every Single Night (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Brazilian singer Moreno Veloso recorded these songs from a songbook developed from his favorite artists, inspired while singing his children to sleep during pandemic, selecting lyrical songs that he performs accompanying himself on acoustic nylon-string guitar, recording the album in a corner of his living room, giving the album a beautiful intimacy and sincerity. ... Click to View
Paul Dunmall / Jonathan Impett / Andrew Ball / Paul Rogers / Phillip Gibbs:
Undistracted (FMR)
A 2004 quintet recording from Victoria Rooms in Bristol with the core of long-time collaborators Paul Dunmall on tenor sax, Paul Rogers on bass and Philip Gibbs, performing with two improvisers also well known for their work in compositional forms--Jonathan Impett on trumpet and Andrew Ball on piano--bringing unique perspectives to their far-ranging, advanced improvisation. ... Click to View
Paul Dunmall / Simon Thoumire / John Edwards / Phillip Gibbs:
Brothers In Music (FMR)
2021 reissue of this 2004 release on the DUNS label bringing together a uniquely voiced quartet with Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano saxophones, virtuoso concertina player Simon Thoumire, John Edwards on double bass and Philip Gibbs on guitar, with both Dunmall & Thoumire performing on bagpipes on two tracks; a welcome reissue to a distinctive and thought-provoking album. ... Click to View
Theresa Wong:
Venice Is a Fish (Euphorbia Records)
Five pieces composed as a diary manifest in song from Bay Area cellist and singer Theresa Wong, reflecting on her time in Venice through labyrinthine melodic and rhythmic pathways, adding piano and the Japanese 5-string tonkori instrument to add exotic flavor to each eclectic song, blurring genres as Wong's impressions and expression lets each song lead where it must. ... Click to View
Udo Schindler / Wilbert De Joode:
Participation & Interplay [LowToneStudies] (FMR)
Concentrating on the lower end of their instruments, Udo Schindler and double bassist Wilbert de Joode improvise live at DasKihotzky_wagnisARt and at the 99th Salon für Klang+Kunstover in Munich, for 10 parts of their "[LowToneStudies]", Schindler performing on bass clarinet, f-tuba and tubax (a contrabass saxophone), occasionally complementing their lower end with soprano sax. ... Click to View
Darius Jones:
Raw Demoon Alchemy (A Lone Operation) [VINYL + DOWNLOAD] (Northern Spy)
Drawing on compositions from black artists who have created something uniquely their own--Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Roscoe Mitchell, Georgia Anne Muldrow--alto saxophonist Darius Jones pulls from the depths of emotion and vulnerability in five solo tracks recorded in Portland, deeply felt blues reflecting the black experience in America and the pain of isolation. ... Click to View
Darius Jones:
Raw Demoon Alchemy (A Lone Operation) [PINK VINYL + DOWNLOAD] (Northern Spy)
Drawing on compositions from black artists who have created something uniquely their own--Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Roscoe Mitchell, Georgia Anne Muldrow--alto saxophonist Darius Jones pulls from the depths of emotion and vulnerability in five solo tracks recorded in Portland, deeply felt blues reflecting the black experience in America and the pain of isolation. ... Click to View
