The Squid's Ear
Recently @ Squidco:

Matt Mitchell (w/ Tordini / Weiss):
Zealous Angles (Pi Recordings)

The debut album of NY composer & pianist Matt Mitchell's long-running trio with bassist Chris Tordiniand and drummer Dan Weiss, an adventurous and accomplished group that brings an optimistic buoyancy to Mitchell's complex compositions, exploring multiple asynchronous cycles using polyrhythm and polymeter through multiple lines that the players have freedom to choose and improvise around. ... Click to View


Kim Cass (w/ Mitchell / Sorey / Cocks / Dotson):
Levs (Pi Recordings)

Performing the unique compositions of Brooklyn-based bassist & composer Kim Cass with the technically superb quintet of Matt Mitchell on piano & synthesizer, Tyshawn Sorey on drums, Laura Cocks on flutes and Adam Dotson on euphonium, Cass' intricate and unconventional works, influenced by 20th century contemporary classical, are complex structures that require precision and wit; impressive! ... Click to View


Arashi With Takeo Moriyama:
Tokuzo (Trost Records)

The trio of Japanese saxophone legend Akira Sakata with the Scandinavian rhythm section of Johan Berthling on double bass and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums, plus a second drummer with Takeo Moriyama (Yosuke Yamashita Trio), perform six wildly exciting improvisations, Sakata's vocalizations at times pushing the band as they are heard live in this 2019 recording at Tokuzo in Nagoya, Japan. ... Click to View


Arashi With Takeo Moriyama:
Tokuzo [VINYL 2 LPs] (Trost Records)

The trio of Japanese saxophone legend Akira Sakata with the Scandinavian rhythm section of Johan Berthling on double bass and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums, plus a second drummer with Takeo Moriyama (Yosuke Yamashita Trio), perform six wildly exciting improvisations, Sakata's vocalizations at times pushing the band as they are heard live in this 2019 recording at Tokuzo in Nagoya, Japan. ... Click to View


Kris Davis Trio (w/ Hurst / Blake):
Run the Gauntlet (Pyroclastic Records)

A tribute to six extraordinary female pianists — Geri Allen, Carla Bley, Marilyn Crispell, Angelica Sanchez, Sylvie Courvoisier & Renne Rosnes — through compositions from New York pianist Kris Davis and one by drummer Johnathan Blake, melodically rich and intricately challenging pieces as Davis stands shoulder to shoulder with those who inspired her. ... Click to View


Fictional Souvenirs (Thomas / Butcher / Solberg):
Volatile Object (Trost Records)

Following their 2019 Astral Spirits album Fictional Souvenirs , the trio of Pat Thomas on piano & electronics, John Butcher on saxophones and Stale Liavik Solberg on drums take that album's title as their trio's moniker, releasing this exceptional second album of four insightful collective conversations captured live at Cafe Oto, in London in 2023. ... Click to View


Joel Futterman:
Forever (Mahakala Music)

In two extended movements and a conclusion, free-improvising pianist Joel Futterman’s Forever reflects both the rich history of jazz and his own personal journey through deeply focused expression, his music flowing like a powerful river — at times turbulent, at times serene — yet always in motion, guiding listeners on an expansive and captivating journey. ... Click to View


Elliott Sharp:
Mandocello (zOaR Records)

A tour-de-force exposition of the mandocello, acoustic and electronic, an instrument evolving out of the 18th century mandalone into a louder instrument intended to take the bass role in mandolin ensembles, which Sharp demonstrates through strings that ring with powerful resonance as he performs original compositions with references to Derek Bailey, Kinshi Tsuruta, and Harry Partch. ... Click to View


Jamison Williams :
The Lesser Key of Solomon-Bael (Relative Pitch)

Appropriately recorded at Le Sauvage Cathedral in France, the region name dating to the legend of a wild woman who only ate raw meat, had a double row of teeth, lived under a rocky promontory and was buried by a landslide, as baritone saxophonist Jamison Williams darkly burns in an extended improvisation of outside technique while referencing the Lemegeton, a 17th century book of magic. ... Click to View


Stephen Flinn / Bryan Eubanks :
Stephen Flinn / Bryan Eubanks (Public Eyesore)

A live performance of acoustic improvisation augmented by electronics between Stephen Flinn and Bryan Eubanks, Flinn bringing percussion and gongs to the stage while Eubanks performs on saxophone and electronics, over a 30 minute dialog they coax out unusual cries, squeals and utterance of confident sonic force evolved through improvisational restraint; compelling and mysterious. ... Click to View


Steve Swell's Imbued With Light:
Hommage a Galina Ustvolskaya (Silkheart)

Continuing his series of hommages to classical composers, New York trombonist Steve Swell assembles his sextet to improvise under the influence of Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006), whose truly unique "out of the box" approach to structuring sound brings force and intensity to Swell's compositions, yielding inspired performances from all musicians. ... Click to View


Laura Jurd / Paul Dunmall:
Fanfares And Freedom (Discus)

Paul Dunmall brings his quartet of Liam Noble (piano), Caius Williams (bass) and Miles Levi (drums) together with Laura Jurd's brass quintet of Jurd (trumpet), Chris Batchelor (trumpet), Alex Paxton (trombone), Raphael Clarkson (trombone) and Oren Marshall (tuba) for a live performance at The Vortex in London, written by Jurd as a commission from the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. ... Click to View


ONCEIM (Orchestre de Nouvelles Creations, Experimentations et Improvisations Musicales:
Laminaire (Relative Pitch)

ONCEIM is the French ensemble of over 30 distinguished musicians directed by Frédéric Blondy, drawing on jazz, free improv, experimental and contemporary music as they evolve impressively detailed works from subtle restraint to controlled swells, heard in live performances from 2018 at Eglise Saint-Merry in Paris and at La Muse en Circuit in 2020, plus a 3rd studio session from 2020. ... Click to View


Sentient Beings (O'Gallagher / Brackenbury / Pope / Bianco):
Truth Is Not The Enemy (Discus)

Four singular improvisors from the US and UK -- Faith Heleene Brackenbury on violin, John O'Gallagher on alto sax, Anthony Bianco on drums, and John Pope on bass -- are heard in this live performance of spiritually rich, intellectually deep and powerfully articulate collective free jazz, captured live in 2024 at The Vortex, in London, UK in two extended conversations. ... Click to View


Reid / Kitamura / Bynum / Morris:
Geometry of Phenomena (Relative Pitch)

The next angle from the collective Geometry group of Tomeka Reid on cello, Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet & flugelhorn, Kyoko Kitamura on voice, and Joe Morris on guitar, exploring their "Geometry" first of "Caves", then "Distance", "Trees", and now "Phenomena", through highly attuned exploration of sonic complexities and intersecting approaches to their respective instruments. ... Click to View


Tim Berne / Michael Formanek:
Parlour Games (Relative Pitch)

With an extensive discography of collaboration together in a wealth of groupings, New York bassist Formanek and alto saxophonist Tim Berne are heard in this 1991 live duo performance at The Parlour in Providence, Rhode Island, a powerfully confident concert of informed dialogs captured seven years before their only other duo album from 1998, Ornery People. ... Click to View


Leo Genovese:
Forward (577 Records)

Argentinian pianist based in NY Leo Genovese, a frequent collaborator on 577 releases and a Grammy Award winner for solo improvisation, is heard in his solo debut on 577 in two extended free improvisations, building from quiet introspection into unbridled exuberance, technically fascinating structures of great momentum, captured live at the 2024 Forward Festival in Brooklyn, NY. ... Click to View


Jessica Pavone:
What Happens Has Become Now (Relative Pitch)

Her 5th solo viola album finds NY improviser & composer Jessica Pavone extending her exploration of music based on the pitches of the open strings, accentuating the natural sympathetic resonances of the instrument and expanded through the use of electronic effects to create a virtual duo, on one track performing on a Ken Butler hand-crafted hybrid instrument, the Sword Viola. ... Click to View


Steve Baczkowski :
Cheap Fabric (Relative Pitch)

Recording on a vintage reel-to-reel tape deck in his own warehouse living room during a lunar eclipse, saxophonist Steve Baczkowski (Brandon Lopez Trio, Buffalo Suicide Prevention Unit, Ensemble MIA) captures thirteen explorations on tenor and baritone saxophones, plus a homemade wind instrument, for an intimately challenging album of outrageous technique and overtones. ... Click to View


Katsura Yamauchi / Jason Kahn:
Time Between (Ftarri)

Two itinerant and unique performers in solo and small group configurations--Japanese saxophonist Katsura Yamauchi, who has recorded & performed with Voice Crack, Tatsuya Nakatani, Otomo Yoshihide, &c. &c., and Swiss electroacoustic improviser Jason Kahn--meet during Kahn's 2023 visit to Japan, recording these perceptively subtle duos live at HALL, in Oita and at IAF SHOP, in Hakata. ... Click to View


Don Ellis (Byard / Carter / Persip; Bley / Peacock / Stone /Martinis):
How Time Passes To Essence, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Before his experimental, culturally absorbing large band work in the late 60s and 70s, trumpeter Don Ellis released these two excellent quartet albums featuring his own compositions, particularly the side-long work "Improvisational Suite 1", in bands with Jaki Byard, Ron Carter & Charlie Persip (How Time Passes) and with Paul Bley, Gary Peacock and either Gene Stone or Nick Martinis (Essence). ... Click to View


Judith Wegmann / Jens Ruland / Robert Torche:
Kon.Takte (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Surrounding the realization of Karlheinz Stockhausen's ground-breaking work of electronic music and acoustic improvisation, Kontakte, performed by Judith Wegmann (piano) Jens Ruland (percussion) & Robert Torche (electronics), are Antoine Chessex's exploratory score Geschichte der Gewalt, applying improvisation to frequency and form, and the improvised prelude from all three: Spiegelungen. ... Click to View


Hubbub (Blondy / Denzler / Guionnet / Mariage / Perraud):
abb abb abb (Relative Pitch)

With prior albums on For4Ears and Matchless, the French electroacoustic (with an emphasis on "acoustic") free improvising quartet Hubbub of Frédéric Blondy (piano), Bertrand Denzler (tenor sax), Jean-Luc Guionnet (alto sax), Jean-Sébastien Mariage (guitar), and Edward Peraud (percussion) present two extended, perfectly paced improvisations of stunning interplay and incredible technique. ... Click to View


Das Rad:
Funfair (Discus)

The UK improvising rock/prog band Das Rad in their seventh album, expanded from the original trio of guitarist & mellotron player Nick Robinson, woodwind & keys player Martin Archer and drummer & synth player Steve Dinsdale, to this quintet with bassist Jon Short and guitarist & vocalist Peter Rophone, evolving their expansive approach merging electronic, jazz and rock music. ... Click to View


Russ Lossing:
Inventions (Blaser Music)

New York pianist Russ Lossing, known for his inventive work with his trio Three-Part Invention alongside bassist Mark Helias and trumpeter Ralph Alessi, steps into the spotlight alone on Inventions, a solo piano album that showcases his unique ability to weave quick-witted, spontaneous improvisations with beautifully introspective moments in this captivating set of live studio performances. ... Click to View


Jason Hwang Kao:
Soliloquies (True Sound Recordings)

Honoring the courage of the survivors of atrocities experienced in China during World War II, including that of his own father, New York improvising violinist Jason Kao Hwang presents twelve solo pieces performed on the pizzicato violin, works that embrace the struggle of his antecedents with a narrative sense of presentation and extraordinary technique. ... Click to View


Seijiro Murayama / Jean-Luc Guionnet:
Balcony Inside (Ftarri)

Paris-based musician Seijiro Murayama (percussion, voice) and French alto sax and organ player Jean-Luc Guionnet continue their collaboration with this 2023 recording of a 50-minute performance at the Taborkirche church in Berlin, using the resonance of the space to expand Murayama's snare drum, cymbal and voice in tandem with Guionnet's improvisation on the pipe organ. ... Click to View


Christian Wolfarth :
39 / Part IV - VI (Hiddenbell Records)

An engaging album of solo percussion that start like a vortex of clocks ticking, and then draws the listener into an amazing journey of unique percussive expression, timbre, rhythm and subtle transitions, the second album in Swiss percussionist Christian Wolfarth's 39 series, presenting Parts IV - VI of his works exploring the relationships between 3, 9 & 39. ... Click to View


Satoko Fujii Quartet (w/ Tamura / Takeharu / Yoshida):
Dog Days of Summer (Libra)

One of Satoko Fujii's wildest groups, the quartet of Fujii on piano, Natsuki Tamura on trumpet, Hayakawa Takeharu (HAYAKAWA, Dr. Umezu Band) on bass and Magaibutsu label leader & Ruins drummer Tatsuya Yoshida present their first album since 2007, expanding their assertive approach to improv in an adventurous set that merges rock and jazz forms with lyricism and power. ... Click to View


Jason Stein (Stein / Abrams / Cleaver / Boon):
Anchors (Tao Forms)

Chicago-based bass clarinetist-composer Jason Stein returns from a six-year hiatus as bandleader with a beautifully personal, nuanced, and expansive album, created with bassist Joshua Abrams (Natural Information Society), drummer Gerald Cleaver, and guitarist and co-producer Boon, in a suite of seven Stein compositions ranging from meditative calm to gripping intensity. ... Click to View



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The Squid's Ear
Facebook: Squidco Sales

Op-Ed (Opinions and Editorials)


  Squidco Record Store Day 2024 Sales  
Squidco RSD 2024

On the weekend of April 20, 2024 (from Friday April 19 - Sunday April 21) we celebrate Record Store Day, a day set aside to celebrate independent record stores selling physical media. Squidco has 21 years of experience as a retail and distribution service focused on these important art objects, presenting music that can be admired for their superior quality of sound, interesting artwork, insightful liner notes and other distinctive attributes unique to physical media. We also celebrate those who build substantial libraries of extraordinary music, following their personal interests as they expand their knowledge of great and important music.

To recognize this year's Record Store Day we have partnered with labels New Braxton House and 577 Records to offer a selection of their albums at 50% off their retail price. In addition we've added a set of vinyl LPs from labels including Astral Spirits, Corbett vs. Dempsey, Editions, Greenleaf, Greyfade, NoBusiness, Tubapede, zOaR Records, and many more, also at 50% off their retail prices.



Sales start Friday morning, April 19th and run through Sunday, April 21st at midnight






New Braxton House Box Sets & CDs @ 50% Off:

Braxton, Anthony: 12 Duets (DCWM) 2012 [12 CD Box Set] (New Braxton House)

Newly Distributed in 2021: A 12-CD set presenting Braxton in dialogue with three distinctive duet partners: violinist Erica Dicker, vocalist Kyoko Kitamura and bassoonist Katherine Young, recorded in the summer of 2012 over two sessions with each player, a remarkable and expansive set of innovative and creative improvisation.



Braxton, Anthony & Taylor Ho Bynum: Duo (Amherst) 2010 [DVD] (New Braxton House)

Newly Distributed in 2021: Limited edition DVD plus audio files of two extended sets bringing saxophonist Anthony Braxton and cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum together live at Bezanson Recital Hall in Amherst, MA in 2010, performing compositions by both artists.



Braxton, Anthony: GTM (Syntax) 2017 [12 CD BOX SET] (New Braxton House)

A 12-hour collection over 12 CDs of composer Anthony Braxton's Ghost Trance Music (GTM), a compositional system he developed with his superlative Tri-Centric Vocal Ensemble, GTM allowing the ensemble to generate a performance in real time in a mix of sung, spoken, and non-verbal utterances, with unpredictable and surprising results that reveal fascinating layers with each listen.



Braxton, Anthony : Quintet (Tristano) 2014 [7 CDs] (New Braxton House)

Newly Distributed in 2021: Composer and jazz master Anthony Braxton performing on piano in a septet with saxophonists Jackson Moore and Andre Vida, bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Mike Szekely, exploring the compositions of Lennie Tristano plus peers Billy Bauer, Connie Crothers, Warne Marsh, Sal Mosca, &c.



Braxton, Anthony and the Tri-Centric Orchestra: Trillium E [4 CDs] (New Braxton House)

Newly Distributed in 2021: Trillium E is the first-ever studio recording of an Anthony Braxton opera, a deluxe 4-disc set of this surreal and witty installment in Braxton's ongoing Trillium cycle, and includes a booklet with libretto, photos, and critical essays.



Braxton, Anthony: Trillium J [4 CDs + Blu Ray] (New Braxton House)

Newly Distributed in 2021: A multimedia box set of Anthony Braxton's opera work "Trillium J", containing live performance video on Blu-ray disc of a 2014 performance at Roulette in NY, and studio recording on 4-CD set, with 12 vocalists, 12 instrumental soloists and a full orchestra.










577 LP's @ 50% Off:

Ackerley, Jessica / Patrick Shiroishi / Chris Williams / Luke Stewart / Jason Nazary: SSWAN: Invisibility is an Unnatural Disaster [VINYL] (577 Records)

Rugged, experimental and avant jazz in the debut album from the SSWAN group of Patrick Shiroishi on saxophones, Chris Williams on trumpet, Jessica Ackerley on electric guitar, Luke Stewart on bass and Jason Nazary on drums, the group focused first on sound and velocity rather than pitch and harmonic information as they carve out a unique space between free jazz and free improv.



Amba, Zoh / William Parker / Francisco Mela: O Life, O Light Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)

The second volume from the trio of Tennessee-to-NYC transplant Zoe Amba on tenor saxophone & flute, legendary double bassist William Parker and Francisco Mela on drums, performing three compositions by Amba recorded in the studio in NYC; emphatic free jazz with a powerful rhythm section elucidating Amba's spiritually fueled approach to compelling, lyrical improvisation.



Carter, Daniel / Evan Strauss / 5-Track / Sheridan Riley: The Uproar In Bursts Of Sound And Silence [VINYL] (577 Records)

A collage of styles and experimentation developed over several years by bassist and multi-instrumentalist Evan Strauss, using long-form graphically notated conceptual compositions based on bird calls along with thematic material from Ursula K. Le Guin, expanded with narration and poetry from Daniel Carter and titled from an excerpt by Virginia Woolf.



Carter, Daniel / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver: Welcome Adventure! Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)

The 2nd of two studio albums from the quartet of Daniel Carter on saxophone & flute, Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums, recordings from the same sessions as the 1st volume with five shorter works, as the long-time collaborators and friends show their nearly telepathic rapport in adventurous and masterful modern jazz.



Carter, Daniel / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver : Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1 [VINYL] (577 Records)

After decades playing together, the quartet of Daniel Carter on tenor sax, trumpet & flute, Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass, and Gerald Cleaver on drums, release the first of two planned studio albums, with two extended and remarkably warm collective excursions bookending a shorter "Scintillate", in an exceptionally solid album of masterful modern jazz.



Carter, Daniel / Patrick Holmes / Matthew Putman / Hilliard Greene / Federico Ughi: Telepatica [VINYL] (577 Records)

Named for the long history of collaboration over decades, the NY free jazz Telepathic Band of Daniel Carter on saxophones, clarinet & trumpet, Patrick Holmes on clarinet, Matthew Putman on piano, Rhodes, Hilliard Greene on bass and Federico Ughi on drums are heard live at the 2018 Forward Festival in Brooklyn, NY for four outstandingly informed improvisations.



Carter, Daniel / Patrick Holmes / Matthew Putman / Hilliard Greene / Federico Ughi: Telepathic Mysteries Vol. 1 [VINYL] (577 Records)

Referring to an improvisational style only possible after many years of collaboration, which they refer to as a "ghostly, boundary-pushing music between friends", this is the 4th sublime album from the quintet of Daniel Carter on reeds & trumpet, Patrick Holmes on clarinet, Matthew Putman on piano & keys, Hilliard Greene on bass, and Federico Ughi on drums.



Carter, Daniel / Tobias Wilner / Djibril Toure / Federico Ughi: New York United Volume 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)

The second volume of this rich and exotic quartet in a sublime merging of jazz, electronics and compositional approaches yielding melodically dream-like music and environments, from reedist, flutist && trumpeter Daniel Carter, Tobias Wilner (Blue Foundation) on synth and keys, Wu-Tang Clan bassist Djibril Toure and Italian/NY drummer Federico Ughi.



Carter, Daniel / Tobias Wilner / Djibril Toure / Federico Ughi: New York United [VINYL + DOWNLOAD] (577 Records)

An excellent blend of electronics and acoustics as saxophonist, flutist and trumpeter Daniel Carter meets sound artist Tobias Wilner from world-renowned electronic pop band Blue Foundation, with Wu-Tang Clan bass player Djibril Toure and drum wiz Federico Ughi rounding out this forward-thinking album of hazy and rhythmic electroacoustic environments.



Cleaver, Gerald / Brandon Lopez / Hprizm: In The Wilderness [VINYL] (Positive Elevation / 577 Records)

Drawn from an experimental improv performance by drummer Gerald Cleaver and bassist Brandon Lopez at 577 Records' 2019 Forward Festival, electronic artist and producer Hprizm of the Antipop Consortium took those recording to reconstruct twelve works of illusory and often surreal music, from active beat-based electronica to hazy dreamlike ambience.



Conly, Sean: The Buzz [VINYL] (577 Records)

A mix of lyrical, free and traditional compositions, the majority from leader, New York bassist Sean Conly, along with pieces from long-time collaborator Michael Attias, Sam Rivers and Paul Motian, performed in the piano trio format with drummer Francisco Mela and pianist Leo Genovese, a great balance of jazz steeped in tradition but living fully in the present.



Coultrain: Phantasmagoria [VINYL] (577 Records)

West Coast songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Coultrain, aka Aaron Michael Frison or Seymour Liberty, in an collection of songs based around a sequence of images reminiscent of a dream, capturing the hazy state of mind that drove the process behind this album, as well as its dreamy effect; soulful and introspective, an album of poetic observation and reflection.



Coultrain: Mundus [VINYL] (Positive Elevations)

West Coast songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Coultrain, aka Aaron Michael Frison or Seymour Liberty, in a sequel to his Phantasmagoria album, a soulful, introspective and lyrical collection of songs based around a sequence of images reminiscent of a dream, capturing the hazy state of mind that drove the process behind this album, as well as its dreamy effect.



Dikeman, John / Pat Thomas / John Edwards / Steve Noble: Volume 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)

The second of two volumes from the quartet of John Dikeman on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, John Edwards on bass and Steve Noble on drums, bringing the American saxophonist working throughout Europe together with this nearly telepathic collaborative grouping of UK frequent collaborators, captured in concert at Cafe OTO in 2019 for two absorbing improvisations.



Dikeman, John / Pat Thomas / John Edwards / Steve Noble: Volume 1 [VINYL] (577 Records)

The first of two planned volumes from the quartet of John Dikeman on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, John Edwards on bass and Steve Noble on drums, bringing the American saxophonist working throughout Europe together with this nearly telepathic collaborative grouping of UK frequent collaborators, captured in concert at Cafe OTO in 2019 for two absorbing improvisations.



Heroes Are Gang Leaders: LeAutoRoiOgraphy [BLACK VINYL] (577 Records)

Led by tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and poet Thomas Sayers Ellis, this 12-piece ensemble of pointed and ecstatic free jazz and spoken word are heard at the 2019 Sons D'Hiver Festival in Paris, 2019, their sound influenced by chamber elements and sharpened through insightful and demanding observations and the influence of Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones).



Hprizm: Signs Remixed [BLACK VINYL] (577 Records)

577 Records' experimental, electronic sub-label Positive Elevation releases this remix of Gerald Cleaver's Signs album, itself an innovative album of synthetic rhythms and sonic landscape, here reworked by producer Hprizm, aka High Priest of Antipop Consortium, channeling Cleaver's work into dream-like territory that re-thinks and re-paces the original.



Magee, Massimo: Toneflower [VINYL] (577 Records)

A solo sax album of patterns and intersections from London writer, artist & musician Massimo Magee, influenced by a wealth of sources from Braxton to Stockhausen, each of the five parts of Toneflower affected through mic placement as Magee builds to wild expressiveness, transforming round tones into stratospheric pitches, using circular breathing for extended expressiveness; stunning!



Mela, Francisco feat. Cooper-Moore / William Parker: Music Frees Our Souls, Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)

The second volume of Music Frees Our Souls, the trio of Francisco Mela on drums, Cooper-Moore on piano and William Parker on bass, recording in the studio in Brooklyn two extended, far reaching and powerful collective improvisations of music performed under the influence of Mela's work with, mentorship by and encouragement from pianist McCoy Tyner.



Musson, Rachel / Pat Thomas / Mark Sanders: Shifa - Live In Oslo [VINYL] (577 Records)

Performing as part of the Blow Out Festival 2019, the UK improvising trio Shifa, meaning "healing", of Rachel Musson on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, and Mark Sanders on drums, are captured live in Oslo for four dramatic and masterful collective improvisations, passionate and building works, releasing their tension and rebuilding in powerful waves.



Nagano, Sana (w/ Apflebaum / Matsuno / Filiano / Herternstein): Smashing Humans [VINYL] (577 Records)

The debut of a new electric jazz quintet from NY violinist Sana Nagano, with Peter Appfelbaum on tenor saxophone & megaphone, Keisuke Matsuno on electric guitar, Ken Filiano on acoustic bass & effects, and Joe Hertenstein on drums, an inventive and energetic album of joyful urgency and tremendous group dynamic, fueled by Nagano's exuberant and lyrical compositions.



Nichunimu (Vergara / Carrasco / Mardones): Un Cacho de Metal, Un Resto de Vaiven [VINYL] (577 Records)

Experimental improvisation that moves in and out of jazz territory from the Chilean trio of Benjamin Vergara on trumpet, Nicolas Carrasco on synthesizer and Matias Mardones on percussion, recording in the studio the day after their performance at the 2019 Relincha Festival in Ciudad de Valdivia, focusing on patterns of circularity and repetition to inform their playing.



Sarian, Michael / Matthew Putman: A Lifeboat (Part I) [VINYL] (577 Records)

The first of two planned volumes of studio improvisations between Brooklyn trumpeter & flugelhorn player Michael Sarian and keyboardist Matthew Putman, recorded in Sarin's home studio during the 2020 pandemic, allowing freedom in exploration as they sought out cadences, rhythms and melodies, this 1st volume presenting the finest of their investigations.



Tucker, Dave / Pat Thomas / Thurston Moore / Mark Sanders: Educated Guess Vol. 1 [VINYL] (577 Records)

The "guess" was guitarist and electronics artist Dave Tucker's educated guess that these four musicians--himself, pianist/keyboardist Pat Thomas, guitarist Thurston Moore and drummer/percussionist Mark Sanders--would create someting extraordinary if he brought them together for a concert at London's Cafe OTO, this boundary-pushing album the indisputably successful result.








Other RSD Weekend Vinyl Releases @ 50% Off:

Artifacts (Nicole Mitchell / Tomeka Reid / Mike Reed): ...and then there's this [VINYL] (Astral Spirits)

Confirming their place in Chicago's improv legacy, the second album from the Artifacts Trio of Nicole Mitchell on flute & electronics, Tomeka Reid on cello and Mike Reed on drums & percussion expand the AACM canon with compositions from each member, plus several insightful and lively collective improvisations and one piece each from Roscoe Mitchell and Muhal Richard Abrams.



Coley, Byron: Dating Tips for Touring Bands [VINYL] (Hot Cars Warp)

The first spoken word LP by author, music journalist, poet, and head of Ecstatic Yod Records, Byron Coley, talking about underground cultural history in verse on Side A, and reading from his forthcoming novel, "Dominoes" on the B Side.



Davis, Anthony / Paul Plimley / Al Neil / John Kameel Farah: Past Piano Present | Live at Western Front 1985 - 2015 [VINYL LP with DOWNLOAD] (Western Front New Music)

Four innovative and creative pianists performing solo at the Western Front between 1985 and 2015--Anthony Davis, Paul Plimley, Al Neil, John Kameel Farah--compiled on this extraordinary LP, the 2nd essential archive from one of Canada's most important performance spaces.



Douglas, Dave: Showing Up / The Power of the Vote [7" VINYL] (Greenleaf Music)

2019 Record Store Day release, a 7" from trumpeter Dave Douglas in two different configurations: the lead track from his album "Engage" featuring guitarist Jeff Parker and cellist Tomeka Reid along with Anna Webber, Nick Dunston & Kate Gentile; and a B-Side from 2018's "Uplift" featuring Joe Lovano and Bill Laswell alongside Mary Halvorson, Julian Lage, and Ian Chang.



continued...




The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Matt Mitchell (
w/ Tordini /
Weiss):
Zealous Angles
(Pi Recordings)



Arashi With Takeo Moriyama:
Tokuzo
(Trost Records)



Fictional Souvenirs (
Thomas /
Butcher /
Solberg):
Volatile Object
(Trost Records)



Joel Futterman:
Forever
(Mahakala Music)



Kris Davis Trio (
w/ Hurst /
Blake):
Run the Gauntlet
(Pyroclastic Records)



ONCEIM (
Orchestre de Nouvelles Creations,
Experimentations et
Improvisations Musicales:
Laminaire
(Relative Pitch)



Reid /
Kitamura /
Bynum /
Morris:
Geometry of Phenomena
(Relative Pitch)



Steve Swell's
Imbued With Light:
Hommage a
Galina Ustvolskaya
(Silkheart)



Laura Jurd /
Paul Dunmall:
Fanfares And Freedom
(Discus)



Tim Berne /
Michael Formanek:
Parlour Games
(Relative Pitch)



Hubbub (
Blondy /
Denzler /
Guionnet /
Mariage /
Perraud):
abb abb abb
(Relative Pitch)



Judith Wegmann /
Jens Ruland /
Robert Torche:
Kon.Takte
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Record
Ltd)



Don Ellis (
Byard /
Carter /
Persip; Bley /
Peacock /
Stone /Martinis):
How Time Passes
To
Essence,
Revisited
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)



Russ Lossing:
Inventions
(Blaser Music)



Satoko Fujii Quartet (
w/ Tamura /
Takeharu /
Yoshida):
Dog Days
of Summer
(Libra)



Christian Wolfarth :
39 /
Part IV - VI
(Hiddenbell Records)



Thurston Moore:
Flow Critical Lucidity
(Daydream Library Series)



Allen Lowe And
he Constant Sorrow
Orchestra:
Louis Armstrong's
America
Volume 1
[2 CDs]
(ESP)



Allen Lowe And
The Constant Sorrow Orchestra:
Louis Armstrong's
America
Volume 2
[2 CDs]
(ESP)



Jason Stein (
Stein /
Abrams /
Cleaver /
Boon):
Anchors
(Tao Forms)







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