December 26, 2024:
 Another busy week of new music pouring in, perfect for the cooler (and somewhat unseasonable) weather here in the US mid-East Coast. Anyone watching our "Just In" section has seen the proliferation of GRRR albums from the long-running French label. We're still coming to terms with the music arriving, a bold mix of improv, experimental, and composed forms; so far, everything I've heard from the label has been extremely intriguing. Thanks to Ayler Records for connecting us with GRRR.
You'll also note a number of new Relative Pitch albums, arriving not long after receiving another large batch. The label is truly focused at the moment, offering some of the finest group, ensemble, and solo improvisation albums. These works draw not only from the New York scene but also feature artists from Europe, the UK, Japan, the US West Coast, and South America.
Elliott Sharp's Mandorle arrived this week, a complement to his Mandocello album from earlier in the year. We've been advised that Mandocello is now out of print, so if you're considering picking up that exceptional record, we may have some of the last copies available. Additionally, two FMR albums featuring American ex-pat saxophonist Rick Countryman, now living in the Philippines, are highlighted in this week's mailing list — both are highly recommended. I also finished cataloging the recent Listen Now! albums we picked up this fall, including a delightful surprise in Dominik Dolega's album Everything Is True, a captivating collection of duets using unique percussive instruments.
The highlight of the week, however, is the arrival of two new releases from ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd. The first is a sophisticated and technically superb duo album featuring Hans Koch and Florian Stoffner on guitar and reeds. The second is the 2nd night of Cecil Taylor's legendary concerts at Fat Tuesday's in New York City on February 10, 1980, following the first album from February 9th. Both albums come with two postcards — one to send and one to keep — and showcase Taylor's commanding sextet, featuring Jimmy Lyons, Ramsey Ameen, Alan Silva, Jerome Cooper, and Sunny Murray.
 Sharp, Elliott: Mandorle (zOaR Records)
The companion album to Sharp's Mandocello, 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, here with tributes to Srinivas, Yank Rachell, Alvin Lucier, Frank Wakefeld, Tiny Moore, Ira Louvin, and Benoit Mandelbrot.
 Dolega, Dominik: Everything Is True (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Blending contemporary, orchestral, and electronic music with global cultural influences, Dominik Dolega presents 11 untitled "Memories" recorded as duets, featuring unconventional instruments like lithophones, stones, aluphone and the bassdesmophon, inviting listeners on a sonic journey that evokes personal emotions and memories through a rich global perspective.
 Bucher / Tan / Countryman: Unaminity (FMR)
Reflecting their evolution as a trio, Swiss drummer Christian Bucher, Filipino bassist Simon Tan, and American alto saxophonist Rick Countryman present a powerful statement of collective freedom, with the album title capturing their progression as a cohesive and expressive unit, highlighted by Bucher's rhythmic mastery, Tan's solid foundation, and Countryman's soulful, dynamic lead.
 Bucher / Countryman: Continuum (FMR)
Continuing their long-standing collaboration, American alto saxophonist Ricky Countryman, based in the Philippines, and Swiss drummer Christian Bucher explore space and time through fourteen succinct improvisations recorded at Strawberry Jams studio in Quezon City, blending pensive moments with dynamic interplay in a compelling journey of evolving musical dialogue.
 Koch, Hans / Florian Stoffner: Net (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
A limited release capturing the duo of two generations of improvisers — Hans Koch on clarinet and soprano saxophone, and Florian Stoffner on guitar — recorded in Koch's private Swiss studio, presenting six playful dialogs of remarkable mastery and pacing, where space becomes a third element, allowing their conversation to evolve with organic sophistication.
I'm just starting — a bit late — to pull together the top lists for 2024. It's been an excellent year for new music, and my own list is still in the making, as is Carl's. However, compiling the lists based on customer sales is a simpler task using our database statistics. This year, I've split the list into two sections. The first represents albums we sell to our retail customer base, including albums we distribute, but not those we sell through fulfillment or as exclusive distribution in the US. The second list is drawn from those aforementioned labels, particularly 577 Records and related labels, ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd, and New Braxton House.
I present the short lists here, with the proper publishing of those lists — along with my own and Carl's — scheduled before the 31st of December.
Squidco's Top 20 by Retail Sales:
McIntyre / Thompson / Suggs / Fielder: Rivbea Live! Series, Volume 1 (NoBusiness)
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Oxley, Tony Quintet: Angular Apron (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
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Schwerdt, Oliver / Barry Guy / Baby Sommer: Fucking Ballads (Euphorium)
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Smith, Wadada Leo / Joe Morris: Earth's Frequencies (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
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AMM (Prevost / Tilbury): Aura (Matchless)
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Butcher, John + 13: Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax)
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Blythe, Arthur Quartet (Blythe / Booth / Abdullah / Reid): Rivbea Live! Series, Volume 2 (NoBusiness)
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Tabbal, Tani Quartet (w/ McPhee / Bisio / Siegel): Intentional (Mahakala Music)
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Brotzmann / Kondo / Toyozumi: Complete Link (NoBusiness)
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Parker's, Evan Transatlantic Trance Map: Marconi's Drift (False Walls)
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Bailey / Toyozumi: Breath Awareness (NoBusiness)
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New Old Luten Trio (Petrowsky / Pauer / Lillinger): Trident Juncture (Euphorium)
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Borca / R. Brown / W. Parker / Workman / Nicholson / Murphy / Ibarra / Taylor / Baker: Good News Blues (NoBusiness)
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Bridge, The (Amado / von Schlippenbach / Haker (Flaten / Hemingway): Beyond the Margins (Trost Records_
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Butcher, John / Thomas Lehn / John Tilbury: Lights (Fataka)
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Quatuor Bozzini: Jurg Frey: String Quartet No. 4 (Collection QB)
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Williams, Mars / Hamid Drake: I Know You Are But What Am I? (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
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Schmid, Silvan / Tom Wheatley / Eddie Prevost: The Wandering One - High Laver Levitation Volume 2 (Matchless)
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Sea Trio, The (Satoh / Yoshihide / Turner): Live in Munich & Bonn [2 CDs] (Confront)
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Crispell, Marilyn / Jason Stein / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: Spi-Raling Horn (Balance Point Acoustics)
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Squidco's Top 20 by Distribution/Fulfillment Sales:
Carter, Daniel / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver : Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1 [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Amba, Zoh / William Parker / Francisco Mela: O Life, O Light Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Taylor, Cecil Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray): Live At Fat Tuesday's February 9 (First Visit Archive [CD + POSTCARDS]) ezz (thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
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[ism] (Pat Thomas / Joel Grip / Aontonin Gerbal): Maua (577 Records)
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Mela, Francisco / Zoh Amba: Causa y Efecto, Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Cleaver, Gerald: The Process [VINYL] (Positive Elevation / 577 Records)
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Braxton, Anthony: 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (New Braxton House)
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Carter, Daniel / Tobias Wilner / Djibril Toure / Federico Ughi: New York United [VINYL + DOWNLOAD] (577 Records)
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Carter, Daniel / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver: Welcome Adventure! Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Carter, Daniel / Tobias Wilner / Djibril Toure / Federico Ughi: New York United Volume 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Braxton, Anthony : Quintet (Tristano) 2014 [7 CDs] (New Braxton House)
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Nagano, Sana (w/ Apflebaum / Matsuno / Filiano / Herternstein): Smashing Humans [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Nichunimu (Vergara / Carrasco / Mardones): Un Cacho de Metal, Un Resto de Vaiven [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Heroes Are Gang Leaders: LeAutoRoiOgraphy [BLACK VINYL] (577 Records)
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Ackerley, Jessica / Patrick Shiroishi / Chris Williams / Luke Stewart / Jason Nazary: SSWAN: Invisibility is an Unnatural Disaster [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Mela, Francisco / Zoh Amba: Causa y Efecto, Vol. 2 (577 Records)
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Coultrain: Phantasmagoria [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Carter, Daniel / Evan Strauss / 5 (Track / Sheridan Riley: The Uproar In Bursts Of Sound And Silence [VINYL] (577 Records) -
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Ughi, Federico (w / Leo Genovese / Brandon Lopez): Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You, Vol. 1 [VINYL] (577 Records)
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Braxton, Anthony: Solo Bern 1984 First Visit (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
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Squidco Publishing Roundup:
These are the updates to Squidco and The Squid's Ear over the last week. You can see our latest fully cataloged albums in our Recently Section.
You can see new albums as they enter our Just In Stock Section, meaning that we physically have an album and are able to ship it with an order, but that we're not satisfied that we've added all the information we can about that release.
You can also see recent restocks of previously listed items at our Recently Restocked page.
You can ask us to inform you via email of any upcoming release that you're interested in, with no obligation.
December 9, 2024:
It's been a busy couple of weeks as we kicked off our purchase plan for the coming year and received some of our final collections for 2024. Amid the holiday activity, I was out for a couple of days last week for my decennial endoscopy, which, I'm happy to report, went well — this squid got a clean bill of health! While that threw off my schedule briefly, I've been surrounded by excellent auditory distractions from the many outstanding albums recently added to our catalog.
Highlights include the latest Listen! Now (Fundacja Sluchaj!) releases, a few gems we had missed earlier in the year, and the newest set of FMR titles. Our last mailing list introduced the remarkable Gush 30 box set, featuring Mats Gustafsson, Sten Sandell, and Raymond Strid in performance with an impressive roster of guests. On Listen! Now, a fascinating and unexpected addition is Oils, a live concert recording of Serbian violist Szilárd Mezei with the late New York saxophonist Charles Gayle. Meanwhile, FMR offers a double CD from Mezei's Tul A Tiszan Innen Ensemble, reinterpreting Hungarian folk songs from Vojvodina through chamber-oriented jazz. Devin Gray's Rataplan imprint brings Melt the Guns II, a standout modern jazz release featuring Ralph Alessi on trumpet.
Corbett vs. Dempsey unearths the earliest known recording of Joe McPhee on Nineteen Sixty-Six, capturing McPhee primarily on (non-pocket) trumpet and recorder. A personal favorite for decades, Steve Coleman & Five Elements return with PolyTropos / Of Many Turns, a double CD of sophisticated, biology-inspired compositions performed live in France. We've also added two Paul Dunmall albums: Here Today Gone Tomorrow on RogueArt — a quartet with John Edwards, Liam Noble, and Mark Sanders — and Disappearing Worlds.
Additionally, we've picked up some excellent experimental albums from the Polish label Sublime Retreat, alongside notable releases like the final chapter of Carsten Nicolai/Alva Noto's Xerrox series, the richly immersive new Fennesz album, and a double CD compiling the late turntablist Philip Jeck's works with a spectacular set of guests.
continued...
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Jean-Jacques Birge:
Karl Evangelista:
Giovanni Maier / Alexander Hawkins:
Josh Sinton:
GPS (Guillermo Gregorio / Jeff Pearring / Charley Sabatino):
Kory Reeder / Apartment House:
Paul Flaherty:
Motoharu Yoshizawa / Kim Dae Hwan:
David Myers:
John Butcher / Phil Durrant / Mark Wastell:
Taylor, Cecil Unit (w/ Lyons / Silva / Cooper / Murray): Live At Fat Tuesday's February 10, 1980 First Visit [CD + POSTCARDS] (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
