The Squid's Ear
Recently @ Squidco:

Joe Morris / Elliott Sharp:
Realism (ESP)

A powerful meeting of guitar luminaries Joe Morris and Elliott Sharp, recorded at Park West Studios in Brooklyn, where the duo delve into an intricate and exploratory dialogue of free improvisation and expanded sonic vocabulary, blending effects, electronics, and their singular guitar languages in a session that bridges avant-garde jazz, experimentalism, and raw creative spontaneity. ... Click to View


AGogol / NaabtalDeath / Ernesto Rodrigues / Guilherme Rodrigues:
Mistika Jpeg Oscillations (Creative Sources)

In a surreal electroacoustic encounter recorded live in Hannover, the quartet of AGogol, NaabtalDeath (Jerome Noetinger), Ernesto Rodrigues, and Guilherme Rodrigues deconstructs chamber music into a visceral, alchemical performance of modified strings, electronics, and crackling noise, blending absurd vocalizations, brutal textures, and delicate atmospheres into a raw, dreamlike sound theater. ... Click to View


Stefan Keune / Sandy Ewen / Damon Smith:
Two Felt-Tip Pens: Live At Moers (Balance Point Acoustics)

An explosive and intricately balanced trio performance dedicated to the late bassist Hans Schneider from sopranino and alto saxophonist Stefan Keune, guitarist Sandy Ewen, and bassist Damon Smith, recorded live at the Moers Festival, where jagged breathwork, meticulous micro-noise, and deep-string abstraction collide in a fiercely expressive set of free improvisation. ... Click to View


Bloomers (Efternoler / Dybbroe / Goodwin):
Cyclism (Relative Pitch)

Exploring free improvisation with a fierce political undertone, the Copenhagen-based trio Bloomers — trumpeter Anne Efternøler and reedists Maria Dybbroe and Carolyn Goodwin — are captured live in fifteen distinct locations around the globe, engaging in dynamic, textural dialogs that honor historic milestones in women's liberation through a poignant series of sonic vignettes blending abstraction, dissonance, and innate lyricism. ... Click to View


Jackie Myers:
What About The Butterfly [VINYL] (577 Records)

Pianist and vocalist Jackie Myers delivers a lyrically rich and microtonally innovative album recorded with an exceptional ensemble, including Bobby Watson, Rich Wheeler, Trent Austin, and members of the Fountain City String Quartet, blending spectral composition, soulful jazz vocals reminiscent of Billie Holiday, and detailed arrangements into an expressive and compelling release. ... Click to View


Laura Steenberge :
Piriforms (Sacred Realism)

Exploring the ethereal resonance of chant through intimate compositions for solo to quartet voice and bass flute, Laura Steenberge draws on the mysticism of medieval music, performed by Rebecca Lane, Catherine Lamb, Julia Holter, Yannick Guédon, and Evelyn Saylor in nuanced layers that reveal harmonic shadows, breath-bound relationships, and otherworldly sonic artifacts. ... Click to View


Philip Gayle :
Sunrise Crazy (Public Eyesore)

A richly textured exploration of acoustic and electronic soundscapes, fully displaying Philip Gayle's multi-instrumental prowess alongside contributions from Japanese vocalists and woodwind artist Shogo Oshima, at times with a number of improvising vocalists, culminating in a collaborative work that blurs the lines between folk, avant-garde, and ambient music. ... Click to View


MNE (Mikawa / Numata / Escalante):
MNE Is Not NME (Love Earth Music)

The trio of Toshiji Mikawa on electronics, Jun Numata (Doubtmusic) on guitar & electronics and Martin Escalante on saxophone for a superbly noisy and chaotic attack captured in Tokyo at Bar Isshee in 2023, two all-out assaults of clear electronic mayhem that would sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Borbetomagus and their kind; terrifyingly awesome! ... Click to View


Eva Novoa:
Novoa / Kamaguchi / Cleaver Trio - Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records)

Barcelona-born pianist Eva Novoa leads bassist Masa Kamaguchi and drummer Gerald Cleaver in their second trio release for 577 Records, recorded in 2020 and blending melodic density with contrapuntal dialogue through a boldly experimental set on piano, Fender Rhodes, Chinese gongs, and improvisation, deepening the trio's inventive, textural interplay. ... Click to View


GPS (Guillermo Gregorio / Jeff Pearring / Charley Sabatino):
Directions + Destinations (577 Records)

A fascinating debut from the trio GPS — clarinetist Guillermo Gregorio, saxophonist Jeff Pearring, and bassist Charley Sabatino — recorded in two sessions a year apart where they capture fourteen dynamic tracks of composed and spontaneous collective improvisation, blending intuitive interplay and diverse genre influences into a distinct, uncategorizable sound. ... Click to View


Samir Boehringer's Sazzerac:
Olympia (577 Records)

Emerging Swiss drummer Samir Boehringer unites musicians from Switzerland and New York — Caleb Wheeler Curtis on stritch and trumpet, Hery Paz on tenor saxophone, and Kenneth Jimenez on double bass — in his debut 577 Records album, blending fixed patterns and open improvisation into a captivating and creative quartet performance. ... Click to View


Sylvain Kassap / Steve Swell / Benjmain Duboc / Chad Taylor:
Edges (RogueArt)

Bringing together French clarinetist Sylvain Kassap and bassist Benjamin Duboc with American trombonist Steve Swell and drummer Chad Taylor, this transatlantic quartet delivers eleven adventurous improvisations of shifting textures and rhythmic surges, culminating in Swell's closing tribute to clarinetist Perry Robinson in a vivid and unpredictable exploration of sound. ... Click to View


Motoharu Yoshizawa / Kim Dae Hwan:
Way Of The Breeze (NoBusiness)

A rare 1993 live duo between Japanese avant-garde pioneers Motoharu Yoshizawa on electric bass and Kim Dae Hwan on percussion, this profound and genre-defying recording explores sound itself, blending space, silence, and spontaneous interaction into a philosophical, boundary-pushing acoustic journey that evokes elemental, organic sonic landscapes. ... Click to View


Sophie Agnel:
Song (Relative Pitch)

Recorded live at Instants Chavires in France, pianist Sophie Agnel's third solo album transforms the prepared piano with Cage influenced techniques and preparations, crafting seven poetic and dramatic movements that challenge preconceptions of the instrument, weaving abstract, lyrical, and sensual sonic textures into a vivid and captivating hyper-pianistic masterpiece. ... Click to View


Ravenna Escaleira :
Vagabondage (Relative Pitch)

Portuguese saxophonist Ravenna Escaleira's rugged and deeply personal solo album layers saxophone, electric bass, and piano into four urgent, uncompromising pieces shaped by her wandering relationship with Lisbon, blending raw noise, deep lyricism, and powerful emotional intensity as she transforms personal history and urban experience into vivid, layered sound. ... Click to View


Leap of Faith:
Linguistic Deference (Evil Clown)

Recorded live at Evil Clown Headquarters, the quartet Leap of Faith — David Peck, Glynis Lomon, John Fugarino, and Tom Swafford — delivers a masterful chamber improvisation balancing strings, winds, percussion, electronics, and an extraordinary palette of acoustic and electro-acoustic instruments, blending seasoned creativity into a vivid, expansive, and tightly woven sonic exploration. ... Click to View


Brass Clouds:
Escape Vessels (Bathysphere Records)

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Dustin Dybvig crafts a layered and melodic exploration of existence, time, and cosmic themes through his project Brass Clouds, blending psychedelic textures, shimmering beats, and introspective soundscapes into a mesmerizing sonic journey across dimensions and dying worlds. ... Click to View


E.O.C. (Engineering Of Consent):
Dreams (Love Earth Music)

An enigmatic electroacoustic project from Mexico City, E.O.C. (Engineering Of Consent) crafts layered, dramatic, and immersive soundscapes that blend dark ambient, noise, and experimental textures into a compelling exploration of human nature, perception, and the subtle forces shaping collective experience. ... Click to View


Jimmy Lyons:
Rivbea Live! Series, Volume 3 (NoBusiness)

Continuing NoBusiness' series of historic loft concerts at Sam Rivers' Studio Rivbea, alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons leads a quintet featuring bassoonist Karen Borca, bassist Hayes Burnett, and drummers Henry Letcher and Syd Smart in two electrifying 1970s performances, delivering fervent free jazz marked by intricate interplay and dynamic improvisation. ... Click to View


Berlin Art Quartet (Schubert / Bauer / Muller / Bruggemann):
Live At MIM (Unisono Records)

Formed in 2013 by drummer Reinhard Brüggemann, the Berlin Art Quartet channels the spirit of the New York Art Quartet, with saxophonist Matthias Schubert, trombonist Matthias Müller, and bassist Matthias Bauer performing a powerful live set of free jazz, blending fiery interplay, dynamic shifts, extended techniques, and raw yet thoughtful improvisation. ... Click to View


Alex Zethson / Johan Jutterstrom:
It Could / If I [VINYL] (thanatosis produktion / Astral Spirits)

The first duo album from Stockholm's long-standing duo of Johan Jutterström and Alex Zethson, reimagining songs from jazz standards to Leonard Cohen and the Pet Shop Boys as deconstructed etudes and expressive palimpsests, where meaning emerges through reinterpretation, erasure, and the intimate process of performance and transformation. ... Click to View


Alex Zethson / Nikos Veliotis :
Cryo [VINYL] (thanatosis produktion)

Pianist Alexander Zethson (Vathres, Fire! Orchestra, Angles) and cellist Nikos Veliotis (MMMD, In Trance 95) present two expansive, darkly immersive improvisations that drift through glacial landscapes of resonant, slowly shifting textures and austere tonal drones, sculpting elemental sound environments of profound stillness and contemplation through deep-listening and hypnotic intensity. ... Click to View


Alex Zethson / Nikos Veliotis :
Cryo (thanatosis produktion)

Pianist Alexander Zethson (Vathres, Fire! Orchestra, Angles) and cellist Nikos Veliotis (MMMD, In Trance 95) present two expansive, darkly immersive improvisations that drift through glacial landscapes of resonant, slowly shifting textures and austere tonal drones, sculpting elemental sound environments of profound stillness and contemplation through deep-listening and hypnotic intensity. ... Click to View


Christer Bothen 3:
L'INVISIBLE (thanatosis produktion)

A deeply intuitive trio session from Swedish bass clarinetist Christer Bothen with bassist Kansan Zetterberg (aka Torbjourn Zetterberg) and vibraphonist/drummer Kjell Nordeson, balancing lyrically meditative spaciousness with surging energy through dreamlike, open-ended improvisations that reflect Bothen's lifelong pursuit of spiritual expression in sound. ... Click to View


Christer Bothen 3:
L'INVISIBLE [VINYL] (thanatosis produktion)

A deeply intuitive trio session from Swedish bass clarinetist Christer Bothen with bassist Kansan Zetterberg (aka Torbjourn Zetterberg) and vibraphonist/drummer Kjell Nordeson, balancing lyrically meditative spaciousness with surging energy through dreamlike, open-ended improvisations that reflect Bothen's lifelong pursuit of spiritual expression in sound. ... Click to View


Vilhelm Bromander Unfolding Orchestra:
Jorden Vi Arvde [VINYL] (thanatosis produktion)

A stunning second album from Swedish bassist and composer Vilhelm Bromander's Unfolding Orchestra, expanding on his acclaimed debut with richly textured, spiritually resonant compositions inspired by political urgency and environmental reflection, featuring a 13-piece ensemble delivering lush orchestrations, patient development, and profound, hopeful expression. ... Click to View


Vilhelm Bromander Unfolding Orchestra:
Jorden Vi Arvde (thanatosis produktion)

A stunning second album from Swedish bassist and composer Vilhelm Bromander's Unfolding Orchestra, expanding on his acclaimed debut with richly textured, spiritually resonant compositions inspired by political urgency and environmental reflection, featuring a 13-piece ensemble delivering lush orchestrations, patient development, and profound, hopeful expression. ... Click to View


Erik Klinga:
Elusive Shimmer [VINYL] (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


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


Fire! Orchestra:
Echoes [2 CDs] (Rune Grammofon)

A monumental release from Fire! Orchestra led by Mats Gustafsson, Johan Berthling & Andreas Werliin, in an expanded ensemble of 43 international musicians, with new members including Joe McPhee, for a massive work organized into seven parts, presented in a solid box set spread across 3 vinyl LPs of music with titles inspired by Swedish author & poet Erik Lindegren; magnificent! ... Click to View



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Op-Ed (Opinions and Editorials)


  Dave Rempis 
  The Squid's Ear Interview  

"Saxophonist, improviser, and composer Dave Rempis has been an integral part of the thriving Chicago jazz and improvised music scene since 1997. With a background in ethnomusicology and African studies at Northwestern University, including a year spent at the University of Ghana, Rempis burst onto the creative music scene at the age of 22 when he was asked to join the now-legendary Chicago jazz outfit The Vandermark Five. This opportunity catapulted him to notoriety as he began to tour regularly throughout the US and Europe, an active schedule that he still maintains to the present day. [...]"-from the Dave Rempis website



How would you describe music?

An expensive and addictive habit that leads to no good.

As my friend Mars Williams said about a month into the pandemic in 2020:
"I just did my accounting for April and found out that I saved $600 by not being a musician this month..."

What is your relationship to music?

It's complicated!

There's nothing like playing music with others and coming into deep artistic and spiritual communion. But it can also be incredibly frustrating — especially trying to make it happen in an era where what we do often feels marginal to society, and the values of a late capitalistic/fascist state.

It's easy to say "just do it for fun," but as a bandleader, I know the folks I work with can't afford that. There's a lot of wrangling and hustling involved in making it sustainable and fair for great musicians to work together.

Why do you perform on the instrument(s) you play?

I had a strange attraction to the saxophone that I could never explain.

It started with Zoot, the sax player in the Muppets band, when I was a kid. My older brother was taking clarinet lessons at the time, and I wanted something similar but different.

From the first time I opened the case, it felt like a magical creature I wanted to know and understand.

What deceased performer, improviser, or composer would you most like to have a conversation with?

There's just too many to count...

What musician most influenced your approach to music?

All of them.

The thing about fantastic musicians is that their voices are so strong and unique. When you listen to Sonny Rollins, you wonder why anyone would play the horn any other way — until you hear Gene Ammons, and feel the same.

Diving into all those voices is what helps you find your own.

Who or what influences you most outside of music?

Family, friends, nature, and my partner's garden!

What advice would you give to a young musician entering your field?

Keep your blinders on, and focus on the music.

It's easy to get distracted by press, awards, or festival offers — but the only thing that really holds up over a career is your own artistic vision. There may be long stretches when no one pays attention.

Reading Lee Konitz interviews from the '90s or thinking about folks like Fred Anderson and Von Freeman — who only started getting overdue attention in their 60s and 70s — is eye-opening.

What do you hope audiences take away from experiencing your music?

Hopefully, some sounds and approaches they haven't heard before.

Additional Notes

Where are you currently located or musically associated with?

I've been in Chicago for 32 years and feel very connected to this city and scene.

What is your musical education or background?

I grew up outside Boston taking private lessons, playing in concert and jazz bands, and statewide ensembles in Massachusetts.

I started at Northwestern University for classical saxophone with Fred Hemke, but couldn't stand the conservative vibe — so I switched to anthropology with a focus on ethnomusicology.

I studied a bit with Paul Berliner and spent a year abroad at the University of Ghana, where J.H. Kwabena Nketia was running the International Centre for African Music and Dance.

What is your favorite recording by another musician or group?

Way too many to even start!

What is your favorite recording that you have made?

I don't really listen to my own records once they're released... I hear enough of myself during mixing and mastering!


Also check out Dave's amazing label, Aerophonic Records



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

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


AGogol /
NaabtalDeath /
Ernesto Rodrigues /
Guilherme Rodrigues:
Mistika Jpeg
Oscillations
(Creative Sources)



Stefan Keune /
Sandy Ewen /
Damon Smith:
Two Felt-Tip Pens:
Live At Moers
(Balance Point Acoustics)



MNE (
Mikawa /
Numata /
Escalante):
MNE Is Not NME
(Love Earth Music)



Sophie Agnel:
Song
(Relative Pitch)



Sylvain Kassap /
Steve Swell /
Benjmain Duboc /
Chad Taylor:
Edges
(RogueArt)



Brass Clouds:
Escape Vessels
(Bathysphere Records)



GPS (
Guillermo Gregorio /
Jeff Pearring /
Charley Sabatino):
Directions +
Destinations
(577 Records)



Berlin Art Quartet (
Schubert /
Bauer /
Muller /
Bruggemann):
Live At MIM
(Unisono Records)



Jimmy Lyons:
Rivbea Live! Series,
Volume 3
(NoBusiness)



Erik Klinga:
Elusive Shimmer
(thanatosis produktion)



Sophie Agnel /
John Edwards /
Steve Noble:
Three On A Match
(Otoroku)



Satoko Fujii This is It! (
w/ Natsuki Tamura /
Takashi Itani):
Message
(Libra)



Sorry For Laughing (
G. Whitlow /
M. Bates /
Dave-Id /
E. Ka-Spel):
Rain Flowers
[2 CDS]
(Klanggalerie)



New Origin (
feat. Christoph Rocher /
Joe Fonda /
Harvey Sorge):
The Poet Walks
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Simon Nabatov:
Agree to Disagree
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Von Schlippenbach, Alexander /
Barry Altschul Quartet w/
Joe Fonda &
Rudi Mahal:
Free Flow
[2 CDs]
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Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Thelonious Monk
with Sonny Rollins:
1953 To 1957
Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)



Daniel Carter /
Ayumi Ishito /
George Draguns /
Ed Wilcox:
Makeshift Spirituals
(577 Records)



Kory Reeder:
Homestead
(Another Timbre)



John Cage:
Chamber Works
1943-1951
(Another Timbre)







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