Masayo Koketsu / Nava Dunkelman / Tim Berne:
Poiesis (Relative Pitch)
A first-time meeting in the studio for alto saxophonists Tim Berne and Masayo Koketsu with percussionist Nava Dunkelman, captured in a dynamic session of collective free improvisation where contrasting approaches — Berne's grounded tone, Koketsu's extended techniques, and Dunkelman's textural percussion — intertwine with clarity and spontaneous expression. ... Click to View
Laura Cocks:
FATHM (Relative Pitch)
An intimate and exploratory solo recording from NY flutist Laura Cocks, known for their work with TAK Ensemble, presenting a poetic and deeply focused album where breath, silence, and sound merge into fragile, resonant gestures — Cocks bends time and expectation with extended technique and stillness, inviting the listener into a space of presence and emotional depth. ... Click to View
Julia Uehla and Dalava:
Understories (Pi Recordings)
Drawing from Moravian folk songs transcribed by her great-grandfather, vocalist Julia Úlehla leads the Vancouver ensemble Dálava in a haunting and emotionally charged set blending Czech and English vocals with experimental improvisation, as Aram Bajakian, Peggy Lee, and Joshua Zubot weave a deeply layered, otherworldly sonic journey that bridges ancestry and avant sound. ... Click to View
John Zorn:
The Bagatelles Vol. 4 Ikue Mori (Tzadik)
Downtown NY improviser, sound artist and drummer Ikue Mori reimagines John Zorn's compositions from his Bagatelles book through her distinctive electronic lens, crafting a solo album where composed structures meet spontaneous digital improvisation, revealing new dimensions and highlighting her innovative approach to sound and form. ... Click to View
Poudingue:
La Preuve (GRRR)
A song-oriented, genre-blurring album from the French quartet Poudingue (Pudding), drawing from the spirit of Rock in Opposition with richly layered arrangements, experimental textures, and playful lyricism, as multi-instrumentalist Nicolas Chedmail, guitarist Frédéric Mainçon, synthesist Jean-Jacques Birgé, and drummer Benjamin Sanz fuse improvisation and composition into an irreverent and inventive set. ... Click to View
Denis Lavant / Jean-Jacques Birge / Lionel Martin:
Les Dements (2 CDS) (GRRR / Ouch!)
Following their 2022 album Fictions, French saxophonist Lionel Martin and multi-instrumentalist Jean-Jacques Birgé reunite with actor Denis Lavant for a second collaboration, captured in a spontaneous two-disc session of spoken word and electroacoustic improvisation, as Lavant delivers chosen texts with surreal intensity amid vividly shifting soundscapes. ... Click to View
Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg / Nuno Torres / Ernesto Rodrigues / Joao Madeira / Carlos Santos :
La Rambarde Des Songes, Les Congruences Des Soupirs (Creative Sources)
A hushed and enigmatic quintet improvisation featuring Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg's extended vocal techniques alongside Nuno Torres (alto saxophone), Ernesto Rodrigues (viola, crackle box), João Madeira (double bass), and Carlos Santos (modular synthesizer), unfolding in reductionist, pointillistic interplay that explores subtle texture, utterance, and resonance. ... Click to View
Erik Klinga:
Elusive Shimmer (thanatosis produktion)
Swedish composer Erik Klinga crafts radiant electroacoustic works from Buchla synth, pipe organ, drum machine, and field recordings, weaving melodic ambient vignettes that shimmer with warmth and light, moving through celestial textures, gliding rhythms, and bird-like flourishes in a richly detailed debut recorded at Stockholm’s Royal College of Music, the first of a planned trilogy on Thanatosis. ... Click to View
Metal Chaos Ensemble:
Room 2017 (Evil Clown)
A transitional yet quintessential Metal Chaos Ensemble set, this septet blends horns, Chapman Stick, electronics, guitar, drums, and an arsenal of metallic percussion with spoken word, creating dense free improvisation that balances spacey electronics, chaotic interplay, and shifting sonic textures within the group's evolving aesthetic. ... Click to View
Unsub:
Suffer Apathy (Love Earth Music)
A collaborative ambient work from sound artists, LA-based guitarist Fetusk and Massachusetts-based synthesizer Steven Davis, blending subtly layered guitars, drones, and synth textures in a spacious, contemplative environment that unfolds slowly and delicately, drawing the listener into a refined and immersive electroacoustic soundscape. ... Click to View
Georg Graewe & Sonic Fiction Orchestra:
In Concert, Bochum 2022 (Random Acoustics)
A remarkable solo concert from German pianist George Graewe, performing at Kunstmuseum Bochum in 2022, presenting intricate and expansive free improvisations that showcase his dynamic range, rhythmic precision, harmonic sophistication, and the lyrical abstraction that has defined his work across contemporary jazz and modern improvisation. ... Click to View
NOUT (w/ Mats Gustafsson):
Live Album (Trost Records)
Flute, electric harp, and drums become fierce tools of sonic exploration in the French trio Nout, whose riotous live performances blend jazz, noise, metal, and groove with fearless originality; joined by baritone saxophonist Mats Gustafsson on three tracks, the expanded quartet erupts with raw energy, wild textures, and a thrilling disregard for genre. ... Click to View
Sven-Ake Johansson Quintet:
Stumps: Second Version (Trost Records)
Drummer Sven-Åke Johansson leads his quintet of long-time collaborators and younger improvisers through his "Stumps" compositions in a live recording at Jazzfest Berlin in 2022, schematic works of shifting rhythmic and melodic variations that provide a vibrant foundation for spontaneous solos and ensemble interplay, showcasing Johansson's unique percussive drive and concise thematic structures. ... Click to View
Franz Hautzinger / Ignaz Schick / Sven-Ake Johansson:
Rotations + (Trost Records)
Recorded live at KM28 in Berlin in 2023, trumpeter Franz Hautzinger, turntablist Ignaz Schick, and percussionist/accordionist Sven-Ake Johansson create fragile yet dynamic collective improvisations focused on color, texture, and interplay, moving between structured rhythmic support and delicate free forms in an elevated and nuanced spontaneous sound sculpture. ... Click to View
Jonathan Segel / Chaos Butterfly:
Hall of Mirrors [2 CDs] (Demagnetized)
Drone-based electroacoustic improvisations led by Jonathan Segel on Halldorophone, guitar, and Buchla synth, joined by an expanded Chaos Butterfly ensemble in longform, time-dilating works where evolving feedback, percussion, winds, and electronics blur structure and narrative into immersive, densely active yet often beautifully delicate sonic landscapes. ... Click to View
Sophie Agnel / Joke Lanz:
Ella (Klanggalerie)
An exciting meeting of French pianist Sophie Agnel, known for her extended and prepared piano techniques, and Swiss turntablist Joke Lanz, renowned for his work in noise, experimental music, and performance art, presenting a dynamic and playful duo of spontaneous improvisation blending percussive textures, sonic collage, and energetic interaction revealing a sense of humor and awe. ... Click to View
Udo Schindler / Max Arsava / Gunnar Geisse :
Sightings And Stratifications - 2nd Investigation For Trio (Creative Sources)
A live document of free improvisation from Udo Schindler (clarinets, cornet, soprano sax), Max Arsava (piano, tapes, sampler, objects), and Gunnar Geisse (laptop guitar, virtual instruments), in a performance of pointillistic exchanges and layered textures that blend intricate acoustic and electronic timbres into a cohesive, exploratory sonic tapestry.
... Click to View
Cecil Taylor Quintet (w/ John Coltrane / Kenny Dorham / Chuck Israels / Louis Hayes):
Stereo Drive + 2 Bonus Tracks (limited Edition) [VINYL] (SoundsGood)
The only album pairing pianist Cecil Taylor and saxophonist John Coltrane, recorded in 1958 with Kenny Dorham on trumpet instead of Taylor's preferred Ted Curson, creating a tense studio dynamic that fueled extraordinary performances, reissued with two bonus tracks from 1957 and 1961 sessions featuring Archie Shepp, Roswell Rudd, Steve Lacy, Charles Davis, and Billy Higgins. ... Click to View
Leap Of Faith:
Prior Credences (Evil Clown)
A drummerless quartet of woodwinds, brass, strings, and electronics from the Evil Clown collective core ensemble Leap of Faith, navigating expansive free improvisations, shifting through dense and dynamic sonic transformations with a broad instrumental palette that emphasizes suspended textures, chamber-like interplay, and moments of controlled chaos. ... Click to View
Magical:
The Gift Of Today (Love Earth Music)
A visceral plunge into the depths of experimental noise from Massachusetts sound artist Magical, this release juxtaposes brief, deceptively titled tracks with relentless sonic assaults and divisive vocal moments, creating a disorienting yet compelling experience that shifts between the brutal and the mysterious. ... Click to View
John Zorn (Medeski / Marsella / Hollenberg / Grohowski):
Through The Looking Glass (Tzadik)
The sixth chapter in the Downtown NY quartet of Matt Hollenberg (guitar), Brian Marsella (piano), John Medeski (organ), and Kenny Grohowski (drums), performing John Zorn's compositions inspired by Chaos Magick — an individualistic practice that values personal experience over tradition — expressed through intricate, soulful, and powerfully imagined works. ... Click to View
John Zorn (Edgcomb / Greene / Hanes):
The Bagatelles Vol. 3 Trigger (Tzadik)
The third volume in John Zorn's Bagatelles series features the explosive trio Trigger — Aaron Edgcomb on drums, Will Greene on guitar, and Simon Hanes on bass — tearing through Zorn's intricate compositions with fierce precision and raw energy, delivering a searing and radical interpretation of these works drawn from Zorn's expansive 2015 collection of 300 pieces. ... Click to View
Ches Smith:
The Self (Tzadik)
A solo debut on Tzadik from Downtown NY percussionist Ches Smith, presenting eighteen concise works performed on drums, vibraphone, timpani, glockenspiel, and small percussion — an intimate and exploratory set of improvisations revealing Smith's deep command of rhythm, texture, and form across a dynamic and extended palette of percussive sound. ... Click to View
Sylvie Courvoiser / Mary Halvorson:
Bone Bells (Pyroclastic Records)
Their third album in collaboration, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and guitarist Mary Halvorson deepen their intuitive musical dialogue in a set of alternately composed pieces — melding percussive piano, swirling guitar effects, and poetic abstraction into a haunting, fluid, and visceral soundworld shaped by mutual experience, instinct, and a sense of sonic adventure. ... Click to View
Ingrid Laubrock :
Purposing The Air [2 CDs] (Pyroclastic Records)
Drawing on poet Erica Hunt's sixty-part "Mood Librarian," composer Ingrid Laubrock presents a stunning 2-CD song cycle of miniature vocal duets — performed by an extraordinary ensemble including Fay Victor, Theo Bleckmann, Sara Serpa, and others — each piece a poetic and sonic fragment brought vividly to life with precision, emotion, and profound collaboration. ... Click to View
MouthWind (Van Schouwburg / Casserley):
Corps Et Biens - Hommage à Robert Desnos (Creative Sources)
A surreal and visceral homage to French poet Robert Desnos, this collaboration between Belgian vocal improviser Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg and British electroacoustic pioneer Lawrence Casserley transforms the human voice through expressive physicality and real-time electronic processing — fifteen vivid episodes unfolding as a dreamlike, humorous, and haunting exploration of language, body, and sound. ... Click to View
La Noed (w/ Carlos Mascolo):
De la liberte (FMR)
Inspired by Maggie Nelson's reflections on freedom, this intuitive and boundary-defying quintet — featuring saxophonists Simona Castria and Angelo Manicone, Carlo Mascolo on no-input trombone, Valerio Metteo on organismic synthesizers, and João Pedro Viegas on bass clarinet — explores collective improvisation as a form of resistance, creating a deeply expressive tapestry untethered from ego or hierarchy. ... Click to View
Liang Yiyuan / Li Daiguo:
Sonic Talismans [VINYL] (Full Spectrum)
Bridging Chinese folklore and avant-garde exploration, yangqin innovator Liang YiYuan and multi-instrumentalist Li Daiguo conjure an entrancing tapestry of shadowy textures and melodic splinters on this long-form collaboration — recorded in Yunnan and blending traditional Eastern timbres with free improvisation and experimental form in a deeply narrative, otherworldly sonic journey.
... Click to View
Various:
Evil Clown Shorties Volume 5 (2024-2025) (Evil Clown)
Spanning 14 compact improvisations drawn from nine shifting ensembles within the modular Evil Clown collective, this volume distills the creativity of PEK's longform sessions into concise sonic snapshots — each "Shortie" capturing a distinct moment from the various ensembles as a focused sampler of the label's wide-ranging free improvisation ethos. ... Click to View
Illusion Of Safety:
Float (Full Spectrum)
An immersive electroacoustic meditation from Dan Burke's Illusion Of Safety project, exploring the sonic essence of water through field recordings, granular synthesis, and processed textures — an evolving narrative that honors water's beauty and power, while reflecting on our fragile relationship with the natural world through deep listening and multichannel design. ... Click to View
