The Squid's Ear
Recently @ Squidco:

KnCurrent (Brennan / Cooper-Moore / Davis / Hwang):
KnCurrent (Deep Dish)

An electrifying and richly textured electroacoustic quartet of NY improvisers—Patrick Brennan on alto saxophone, Cooper-Moore on diddley-bo, On Ka'a Davis on electric guitar, and Jason Kao Hwang on electric violin — weaving active improvisations where timbre, pitch, and rhythm share equal weight, as KnCurrent channels dynamic musical interaction into a polyglot, collective voice. ... Click to View


Elliott Sharp / Scott Fields :
Reimsi Geara (Relative Pitch)

A vital and inventive meeting between NY guitarist Elliott Sharp and Chicago guitarist Scott Fields, two visionary electric guitarists whose longstanding collaboration finds them weaving complex textures, sharp counterpoint, and dynamic interplay into a seamless blend of free improvisation, experimental composition, and nuanced sonic dialogue. ... Click to View


Dietrichs:
No Bahdu (Relative Pitch)

An uncompromising and electrifying studio set from father-daughter duo Don and Camille Dietrich, whose ferocious blend of distorted tenor saxophone and overdriven cello pushes sonic boundaries through four intense improvisations, merging free jazz, noise, and amplified effects into a blistering, high-voltage assault of raw energy and experimental fire. ... Click to View


Biota:
Measured Not Found (Recommended Records)

A deeply immersive and meticulously crafted work from the reclusive Biota collective, blending microtonal instruments, electroacoustic techniques, and a wide array of ancient and modern timbres into a richly layered and human sound-world of instrumental and delicate song forms, unfolding across shifting textures and suspended time-the result of more than seven years of collaborative studio experimentation. ... Click to View


Charlemagne Palestine / Seppe Gebruers:
Beyondddddd The Notessssss [VINYL] (Konnekt)

A mystical microtonal encounter between Charlemagne Palestine and Seppe Gebruers on four grand pianos — two tuned to 428Hz and two to 440Hz — recorded live in Geneva's Fonderie Kugler, where the duo's passion for unusual tunings and multi-piano performance unfolds in deeply resonant, transcendent layers of sound and silence. ... Click to View


Charlemagne Palestine / Seppe Gebruers:
Beyondddddd The Notessssss [NEON GREEN VINYL] (Konnekt)

A mystical microtonal encounter between Charlemagne Palestine and Seppe Gebruers on four grand pianos — two tuned to 428Hz and two to 440Hz — recorded live in Geneva's Fonderie Kugler, where the duo's passion for unusual tunings and multi-piano performance unfolds in deeply resonant, transcendent layers of sound and silence. ... Click to View


Deli Kuvveti :
Kuslar Soyledi [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Tsss Tapes)

A limited-edition cassette release from Turkish-born, Seattle-based artist Deli Kuvveti, Kuşlar Söyledi presents four studio compositions blending creaking doors, bird and liquid sounds, and minimal drones into a meditative exploration of microsound and sound collage. ... Click to View


Viddekazz2:
Sounds Of Silence (Public Eyesore)

An assertive Japanese punk-noise duo from Tokyo, VIDDEKAZZ2 delivers a volatile fusion of syncopated drumming, abrasive guitar textures, and unexpectedly serene vocals, channeling the disjointed energy of early noise rock with subtle pop inflections and a raw, Load Records-era aesthetic. ... Click to View


Leap Of Faith:
Spectral Radii (Evil Clown)

A compact yet sonically expansive set from the Boston-based Evil Clown collective, featuring PEK, Glynis Lomon, John Fugarino, and Michael Knoblach in a highly textural electroacoustic improvisation, blending a massive arsenal of traditional, extended, and invented instruments into a dense, spontaneous tapestry that embodies the group's signature broad-palette aesthetic. ... Click to View


Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner:
The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi Recordings)

Alto saxophonist Steve Lehman leads his trio with bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Damion Reid, joined by tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, in a vibrant live homage to Anthony Braxton's small ensemble works, blending intricate modern jazz interplay with searing emotional expression in a bold, high-energy celebration of Braxton's enduring influence. ... Click to View


Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner:
The Music of Anthony Braxton [VINYL] (Pi Recordings)

Alto saxophonist Steve Lehman leads his trio with bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Damion Reid, joined by tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, in a vibrant live homage to Anthony Braxton's small ensemble works, blending intricate modern jazz interplay with searing emotional expression in a bold, high-energy celebration of Braxton's enduring influence. ... Click to View


Ellery Eskelin Trio New York:
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Reuniting for two powerful studio sessions recorded in 2011 and 2013, tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Gerald Cleaver form Trio New York, navigating an intuitive path between free improvisation and jazz standards with soulful depth, rich allusions, and a shared language that reimagines the classic organ trio. ... Click to View


Russ Johnson / Christian Weber / Dieter Ulrich:
To Walk On Eggshells (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

In a spontaneously assembled 2009 session at Zürich's DRS studio, trumpeter Russ Johnson, bassist Christian Weber, and drummer Dieter Ulrich sculpt a dynamic and intuitive trio performance, threading balladic lyricism with abstract tension in a deft interplay of trust, fragility, and risk that transforms improvisation into captivating and timeless art. ... Click to View


Jean-Jacques Birge :
Perspectives Du Xxiie Siecle (Musee d'ethnographie de Geneve)

Commissioned by Geneva's Museum of Ethnography, Jean-Jacques Birgé crafts a richly imaginative sonic fiction using field recordings, archival folk material, and electroacoustic composition, with a remarkable ensemble including Nicolas Chedmail, Antonin-Tri Hoang, Jean-François Vrod, Sylvain Lemêtre, and Else Birgé, evoking a post-human journey through reinvention and memory. ... Click to View


Un Drame Musical Instantane:
Tchak (Klanggalerie)

The final recordings of Un Drame Musical Instantané with co-founder Bernard Vitet, compiling sessions from 1998 to 2000 with the Machiavel Quartet and guests including Baco Mourchid and Nem, blending free jazz, electroacoustic experimentation, and multimedia spontaneity into cinematic improvisations that showcase the ensemble's enduring commitment to collective creation and sonic innovation. ... Click to View


Paul Flaherty:
A Willing Passenger (Relative Pitch)

A solo saxophone album from legendary free improviser Paul Flaherty, recorded at Pete's Basement Studio in Massachusetts in 2021, presenting a deeply personal and expressive journey through alto and tenor saxophone explorations that juxtapose raw turbulence and lyrical beauty, continuing Flaherty's legacy of shaping sound into emotionally resonant sonic narratives ... Click to View


Tommaso Rolando / Andy Moor :
Biscotti [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOADS] (Tsss Tapes)

Recorded live in Genoa in 2022, the energetic and exploratory, rock-oriented duo of bassist Tommaso Rolando (Torto Editions) and guitarist Andy Moor (The Ex) captures an improvisational dialog shaped by alternate tunings, intent listening, and kinetic spontaneity, as the two seasoned performers bridge punk-rooted experimentation with richly resonant acoustic interplay. ... Click to View


Tetsuya Nakayama :
Edo Wan [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Tsss Tapes)

Composing with assembled field recordings and environmental textures, Chiba, Japan-based composer Tetsuya Nakayama transforms mundane sounds into poetic events, as water, metal, and incidental noise intertwine in a quiet yet immersive narrative that re-enchants everyday spaces, revealing a new mode of listening shaped by nuance and fleeting detail. ... Click to View


Turbulence Orchestra and Sub-Units:
Tempestuous Hubbub (2 CDs) (Evil Clown)

A massive 22-member improvising ensemble, the Turbulence Orchestra and Sub-Units are heard live in Vermont, with five dynamic sub-unit performances and a full-orchestra hour-long guided improvisation, blending structured conduction, graphic notation techniques, and a chaotic palette of woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion and even rubber chickens in an intense and unpredictable sonic experience. ... Click to View


+Felladog+:
+Felladog+ (Love Earth Music)

A high-decibel collaboration between harsh noise veteran Steve Davis (+DOG+) and Cleveland sound artist Jim Fellahean Szudy (Fellahean), recorded in Massachusetts and Ohio, blending subterranean industrial textures with metal scraping, low drones, and brutal sonic ruptures across 14 dynamic tracks, delivering an hour of immersive and confrontational electro-industrial experimentation. ... Click to View


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 (Ikue Mori):
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



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  Shaking the Squid Entries January 10, 2020 - September 27, 2022  
philz Squidco Blog

Archive of previous Blog Entries written between January 10, 2020 and September 27, 2022 and

Click here for the latest Shaking The Squid blog entries.



  • September 27, 2022:

    As quiet as it's been on this blog, it's been anything but quiet here at Squidco Headquarters! It started with our Memorial Day sale, that kept us running filling orders and conversing with many of our customers, fellow music enthusiasts and sonic explorers. That followed with a deluge of excellent new albums, as the summer doldrums expanded into an early fall set of releases from some of our favorite labels, including multiple albums from 577 Records, Aerophonic, Another Timbre, Astral Spirits, ChapChap Records, Corbett vs. Dempsey, ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Ltd, Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!), Nakatani-Kobo, RogueArt, Soul City Sounds, thanatosis produktion, Umlaut, a number of single releases on labels including ANTS, KARLRECORDS, Torn Light, Ultragash and Unbroken Sounds.

    Though there hasn't been much written here over the last 3 weeks, I've been taking notes for this current entry. Below you will find an overview of Relative Pitch's excellent series of solo releases, presenting unique approaches to solo improvisation from a fine set of musicians. Following, the recent ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd. dig deeper into more traditional jazz forms, with a list of the new albums and other lyrical albums from the label. Last is a list of experimental clarinet & reed influenced albums, inspired by the addition of new Great Waitress and John McCowen albums to our catalog.

    Since it's been three weeks I'll end with a short update on the Squidco website changes you might have noticed, and end with a list of upcoming titles from our recent purchases and acquisitions.






    Relative Pitch's Solo Series

    I count 31 solo albums on the New York-based Relative Pitch label, from 28 different improvisers and explorers. Just for fun I generated the list of soloists and their instruments, demonstrating the diversity of musicians, instrumentation and approach:

    Michel Doneda (soprano saxophone); Susan Alcorn (pedel steel guitar); Matana Roberts (alto saxophone); Joe Morris (guitar); Catherine Sikora (tenor saxophone); Jessica Pavone (viola; effects); Jessica Pavone (viola; effects); Paul Flaherty (tenor saxophone; alto saxophone); Erin Rogers (tenor saxophone; soprano saxophone; cymbal); Masayoshi Urabe (alto saxophone; harmonica); Chris Pitsiokos (alto saxophone); Alex Ward (electric guitar); Joanna Mattrey (viola; Stroh violin); Tamio Shiraishi (alto saxophone); Hermione Johnson (prepared piano); Samara Lubelski (violin); Gabby Fluke-Mogul (violin); Signe Emmeluth (saxophone); Gregg Belisle-Chi (acoustic guitar); Hermione Johnson (prepared piano); Samara Lubelski (violin); Gabby Fluke-Mogul (violin); Erin Rogers (saxophone); Liz Allbee (electronics; trumpet; quadraphonic trumpet; voice; field recording; acoustic homemade instruments); Robbie Lee (sopranino saxophone; tuning forks; live electronics); Ava Mendoza (electric guitar); Aaron Burnett (saxophone); Jessica Pavone (viola; voice; effects); Masayo Koketsu (alto saxophone); Gabby Fluke-Mogul (violin); Marta Warelis (piano); Alexandra Grimal (soprano saxophone); Amidea Clotet (electric guitar; objects); Michael Foster (tenor saxophone; soprano saxophone; samples; oscillators); Aaron Burnett (saxophone).

    The most significant of the label's solo series are listed with the catalog code "RPR SS", and this year has seen six new releases on that series, with four more (Violeta Garcia, Chris Pitsiokis, Tamio Shiraishi, Jon Lipscomb) on the cusp of being added to our catalog. The musicians on this recent set come from NY, Tokyo, Amsterdam, France and Barcelona, with instrumental work on saxophone, electric guitar and prepared piano. Each brings specific talents and unique approaches to their instruments, and to their concept of music and solo performance. Aside from the long tradition of solo piano recordings, solo improvisation performance on other instruments has taken on great significance over the last decades, arguably fueled by Anthony Braxton's 1968 album For Alto. Relative Pitch's series has been heavy on saxophone albums, but also presenting violin, guitar and their own piano albums. Each embraces a the unique methodology and technique that each performer brings. Through a spectrum of approaches we see the vast breadth of modern improvisation and its singular definition to each improviser.



    Aaron Burnett: Correspondence (Relative Pitch)

    Known for his ensemble The Big Machine with Peter Evans, Carlos Homs, &c., NYC saxophonist Aaron Burnett steps out for a solo album of intense improvisatory exploration, demonstrating his background in classical saxophone studies that fuels an ardent intensity in personal expression, a tremendous balance between technique and passion.



    Koketsu, Masayo: Fukiya (Relative Pitch)

    An extended monologue on the alto saxophone from Tokyo-based Masayo Koketsu (Carrier/Koketsu/Fuwa/Itani), driven by an innate sense of timing to introduce assertive utterances, growls, throttling and intense interaction offset with long pauses, digressive asides and reflective moments, a remarkable album of modern free jazz in the Japanese tradition.



    Marta Warelis: A Grain of Earth (Relative Pitch)

    Working inside and out of the piano and sometime evoking wild sounds that seem to have no relationship to the instrument, Polish-born and Amsterdam-based pianist Marta Warelis explores the concepts of realities beyond our perception, and a thought that we are a part of a big organism where everything goes endlessly bigger and smaller in scale of size, time and speed.



    Alexandra Grimal: Refuge (Relative Pitch)

    Recorded using the natural resonance from the base of a stone double spiral staircase in the Castle of Chambord, France, improvising soprano saxophonist Alexandra Grimal explores her own personal language and the affect the ambience brings to her adept playing, through beautifully melodic lines, long arpeggiations, or short bursts of penetrating utterance.



    Amidea Clotet: Trasluz (Relative Pitch)

    Sorollets i catxarros—noises and rattles—from Barcelona electric guitarist and free improviser Amidea Clotet, who explores unusual possibilites from the instrument through textural approaches and amplification, evoking unusual soundscapes of inexplicable sound from the body, hardware and strings of the guitar, in seven unusual and fascinating expositions.



    Michael Foster: The Industrious Tongue (Relative Pitch)

    It's not just the tongue that drives these compellingly irascible and unexpected sounds from the saxophone, augmented at times by samples and oscillators, as NY saxophonist Michael Foster applies technique beyond extended to a tenor and soprano saxophone, in two multi-part works of solo utterance: "Libidinal Fragments" in seven parts, and "Celluloid Nightmares" in two.








    Unexpected ezz-thetics (by Hat Hut, Ltd.)

    Since being revived in 2019 by the original founder of Hat Hut Records, Werner X. Uehlinger, ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd has resumed releasing both excellent new forms of improvisation and modern compositional music, but also has focused on a set of reissued and "Revisited" albums from jazz greats. Many of the "revisited" albums have concentrated on free jazz legends like Albert Ayler, Jimmy Giuffre, Marion Brown, Archie Shepp, New York Contemporary Five, Don Cherry, &c. Another side to the label has also emerged, focused on earlier bop and hard bop forms, with reissues of selections from Charlie Parker's Dial & Savoy releases; John Coltrane concerts from his period transitioning into freer forms; and Miles Davis' European tour with an evolving band from his 50's work.

    This month the label has released two lyrical jazz albums, one from the swing big band era — the Lionel Hampton Orchestra 1958 — and one from the Blue Note era of hard bop — the Horace Silver Quintet.

    I personally found the Lionel Hampton Orchestra album most surprising, having always been impressed with Hampton's playing in smaller groupings, but not associating him with the kinds of music Hat Hut has traditionally released. Reading the liner notes and listening to both this album and other earlier examples of his playing was very informative to me, as I'd not considered the influence he had on future bop and small group players. Looking through Hampton's extensive discography over the decades, one finds albums closer to my typical traditional jazz aesthetic, including albums with Dexter Gordon, Chick Corea, Clark Terry, Hank Jones, Gerry Mulligan, &c. For this big band album, a listener like myself found the focal point in a beautiful rendering of "Round About Midnight", though overall I find the entire set upbeat and engaging. The remastering of these studio recordings from Stuttgart is warm and clear, bringing to life Hampton's music from 60 years prior. Hampton's playing is exceptional, as are the solos and group interplay from the cream-of-the-crop sidemen that he employed, and the arrangements are impeccable.

    The other release from ezz-thetics, Horace Silver's Live New York, Revisited is closer in character to the other aforementioned "Revisited" releases. A great hard bop player and composer, Horace Silver's bands and other groups that he played in present a who's who of the Blue Note era, and the two groupings heard on these two live albums include tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and two trumpet greats, Carmell Jones and Woody Shaw. For me personally the recordings with Shaw are the closest to my heart, as I was drawn to Shaw's work from his initial work as an Art Blakey sideman through his excellent Columbia albums; his tragic and premature death hit hard for me, and it's wonderful to hear two of his lovely solos on "African Queen". Which is to say nothing of the work of every player in Silver's groupings, and the version of "Song For My Father" reminds why the pianist was a mainstay for the period.



    Hampton, Lionel Orchestra 1958: The Mess Is Here, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

    An influence on the next generation of small band and bop players, vibraphonist and Band Leader Lionel Hampton's programs included both crowd-pleasers and sophisticatedly complex sections, heard here in this 1958 studio recording from Stuttgart, Germany while touring Europe, Ghana and Israel with his exceptional band expanded by three German jazz musicians.



    Silver, Horace Quintet: Live New York, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

    Recorded around the time of his most famous records, Song For My Father and The Cape Verdean Blues, lyrical hard bop/Blue Note pianist and composer Horace Silver's band is heard live at The Half Note in NYC and at "The Cork & Bib" on Long Island with his spectacular band including trumpeters Carmell Jones & Woody Shaw and saxophonist Joe Henderson.








    Reeds, Multiphonics and Extreme Techniques:

    I am drawn to the clarinet because of my late father, Gerald Zampino, who was a classical symphonic clarinetist and soloist. That also makes me acutely critical of tone and technique on the instrument, so I'm impressed when I hear great modern improvisers or experimenters on this very challenging reed instrument. The last couple of decades have heard some exceptional players on the b-flat and bass clarinets, some personal favorites including Lori Freedman, Oscar Noriega, Jean Derome, Peter Brotzmann (on the tarogato, an earlier form of the instrument), Ned Rothenberg, and Roscoe Mitchell, to name a very few.

    Not quite improvisation, I've also been deeply drawn to the work of two clarinetists, together or apart, that make up the International Nothing duo: Kai Fagaschinski & Michael Thieke. Their playing brings the clarinet into new territory, focusing on multiphonics and harmonic interactions through the clarinet. Similarly clarinet explorer Sergio Merce generates profound microtonal and multiphonic tones on his reeds, sometimes merged with electronics or EWI wind synth. Clarinetist John McCowen takes the contrabass clarinet and b-flat clarinets into uncharted acoustic territory, using circular breathing and multiphonics to generate intense drones and unexpected utterances. While not strictly a clarinet album, the playing of clarinetist Laura Altman in the Australian deep listening improv band Great Waitress is a great example of extended reed techniques in a group setting.

    Here are a few commendable albums illustrating the unique place the clarinet has brought to modern improvisation and experimental music.



    Merce, Sergio: Three Dimensions Of The Spirit (Edition Wandelweiser Records)

    Conservatory trained Argentinian saxophonist Sergio Merce uses a prepared tenor sax and a microtonal sax to create rich harmonics and slowly moving tonal works, layering aberrant and alluring tones in restrained configurations that allow each stratum of sound to be distinguished and appreciated, creating mesmerizing compositions of elusive and illusionistic sound.



    Merce, Sergio: En Lugar De Pensar (Edition Wandelweiser Records)

    One circular and one continuous composition from Argentinian composer Sergio Merce, using rich tones like clouds of sound generated by a microtonal saxophone, synthesizer and wind synth, the title referring to his sense of music a channel to see, to reveal, a channel that opens through intuition, observation and attention but not through thinking; beautiful.



    Merce, Sergio: Be Nothing (Edition Wandelweiser Records)

    A beautifully ambient album of analogue synthesiser, microtonal saxophone and electronics by Argentinian saxophonist Sergio Merce, a single long track that pauses and resumes its rich tones and harmonies at a deliberate and measured pace, allowing each environment to ring.



    McCowen, John: Mundanas I - V (Edition Wandelweiser Records)

    Two clarinetists--John McCowen, also the composer, and Madison Greenstone, both on clarinet & bass clarinet--taking the title from Boethius' (427-524 AD) printed work on ancient Greek music: "De institutione musica", as they generate long-form drones using the harmonic interactions and interference patterns of similar tones, overtones, and difference tones; impressively intense.



    McCowen, John: Models of Duration [VINYL] (Astral Spirits)

    A co-release with Dinzu Artefacts, clarinetist John McCowen continues his investigation into the physical possibilites of the clarinet family, here on contrabass clarinet for four fully acoustic recordings of continuous tones and unexpected aural phenomena through circular breathing while generating intense harmonics and multiphonics of earth-shaking ferocity.



    International Nothing, The (Fagaschinski / Thieke): Less Action, Less Excitement, Less Everything (Ftarri)

    Masters of tonality, in their 2nd release the dual clarinets of Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke are heard without any guest musicians, making a rich, gorgeous album of tense timbres.



    International Nothing, The (Fagaschinski / Thieke): Just None of Those Things (Ftarri)

    Using harmonic intersections and extraneous sonic emanations from two clarinets, the duo of Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke (also of The Magic I.D.) continue their long-standing International Nothing project of composed works through patient interactions of powerfully focused technique, here in their fifth album presenting a 42-minute work of delicate, dark beauty.



    International Nothing, The: The Dark Side of Success (Ftarri)

    The duo of Berlin clarinetists Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke (The Magic I.D.) create rich, evolving soundscapes using tones and odd interjections in unison and in dissonance, dark works of subtle beauty in unique sound oriented compositions.



    International Nothing, The: Mainstream (Ftarri)



    Great Waitress (Mayas / Brooks / Altman): Back, Before (Splitrec)

    Gorgeously subtle improvisation of a primarily acoustic nature through unfolding soundscapes of intricate restraint and deep listening, from the trio of Berlin pianist Magda Mayas and Sydney improvisers Monica Brooks on accordion and Laura Altman on clarinet & feedback, in their 4th release, recorded live in the reverberant church hall of the Annandale Creative Arts Centre.



    Fraser / McCowen / Weinberg: Thip [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Tripticks Tapes)

    Recorded primarily at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn and leveraging the natural resonance of that performance space, the New York trio of innovative improvisers Henry Frase on double bass, John McCowen on Bb and contrabass clarinets and Sam Weinberg on tenor & soprano saxophones explore the peripheries of their instruments in intense and reflective interplay.








    Squidco Website Changes:

    We've continued to make progress on revamping our website for smaller devices. Visitors to our site using tablet computers should find our listings much easier on the eyes, while phone visitors will have an improved experience, but one that I'm not quite satisfied with. The complications of what is referred to as responsive design — adapting the website to screen size, platform and orientation — is fascinatingly complex and has evolved through several approaches over the years. For our site, a number of technical issues require us to ease into some of the bigger changes we'll need, but a lot of progress has been made and will continue thorough the fall. Our hope is to have the site much friendlier to any size device by the time we celebrate our 20th anniversary in January.






    Ordered & Upcoming

    Here's a list of purchases that we've already ordered and that are on the way to us. You will see them on our site in the next coming weeks, and it's possible that by the time you read this, a few may already be on the site! You can ask us to inform you via email of any upcoming release that you're interested in, with no obligation.



    Thumbscrew: Multicolored Midnight (Cuneiform)

    Thumbscrew: Multicolored Midnight [VINYL] (Cuneiform)



    Amelia Cuni & Alex Mendizabal: STIMMEN AUS HIMMEL UND HOLLE (ANTS Records)



    Alexander von Schlippenbach: Globe Unity (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

    Alexander von Schlippenbach: Globe Unity [VINYL] (Corbett vs. Dempsey)



    Trevor Dunn's Trio (Dunn / Halvorson / Smith): Convulsant avec Folie ŕ Quatre (Pyroclastic Records)



    Matthew Shipp & Mark Helias: The New Syntax (RogueArt)

    Denman Maroney & Scott Walton & Denis Fournier : O Kosmos Meta (RogueArt)



    Fowler, Chad / Matthew Shipp: Old Stories [2 CDs] (Mahakala Music)

    Jeff Arnal, Curt Cloninger: Drum Major Instinct (Mahakala Music)

    Blue Reality Quartet (McPhee, Joe / Michael Marcus / Jay Rosen / Warren Smith): Ella's Island (Mahakala Music)

    Chad Fowler / William Parker / Anders Griffen: Thinking Unthinking (Mahakala Music)

    Steve Hirsh / Zoh Amba / Luke Stewart: An Unikely Place (Mahakala Music)

    Chad Fowler / William Parker / Anders Griffen: Broken Unbroken (Mahakala Music)



    Nevai, Nandor w/ Tim Dahl / Trevor Dunn: << The Die Motherfucker Volume 2>> (Psykomanteum)



    Paul Dunmall Quintet (Dunmall / Saunders / Foote / Owston / Bashford): YES TOMORROW (Discus)

    Julie Tippetts & Martin Archer: Illusion (Discus)



    Anthony Braxton and James Fei: Duet (Other Minds) 2021 (Other Minds)



    Jon Lipscomb: Conscious Without Function (Relative Pitch)

    Chris Pitsiokos: Art of the Alto (Relative Pitch)

    Ingrid Laubrock / Tom Rainey: Counterfeit Mars (Relative Pitch)

    Fred Moten / Brandon Lopez / Gerald Cleaver (Relative Pitch)

    Tamio Shiraishi: Moon (Relative Pitch)

    Violeta Garcia: FOBIA (Relative Pitch)



    Udo Schindler, Eric Zang Erikson: Blow And Swirl (FMR)

    Udo Schindler. Sebastian Grams, Gunnar Geisse: Resilient Perspectives (FMR)

    Paul Dunmall, Phillip Gibbs, Andrew Ball, Neil Metcalfe , Hilary Jeffery: Newsagents (FMR)

    Carlos Mascolo. M,Iguel Mira, Marcello Maglioccho: Bridge In The Dark (FMR)

    Jaka Berger, Marko Jenic, Jure Borsic, Andre Bost Ruda, Jost Drasler, Vid Drasler: Sunday Sextet (FMR)

    Transmap+. Evan Parker, Matt Wright, Robert Jarvis: Grounded Abstraction (FMR)

    Bucher Tan Countryman: Sacred Fire Of The Free (FMR)

    Countryman. Bucher Yandsen: The Malasia Live Fact Session (FMR)




    Squidco Publishing Roundup:



    continued...




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