The NY trio of Jessica Ackerley (SSWAN) on electric guitar, Yuma Uesaka on saxophone & reeds and Colin Hinton on drums & percussion, associated with improvisers including Tyshawn Sorey, Patrick Shiroshi, Ingrid Laubrock, &c., in a collective trio of exceptionally attuned and implicitly melodic dialog promoting energetic interplay balanced with periods of explorative reflection.

Taking the dual role of soaring guitar lines and savagely deep string foundations, Susan Alcorn joins clarinetist Patrick Holmes and drummer Ryan Sawyer for this invigorating 2022 concert at Union Pool in Brooklyn, their unique instrumentation providing clarity to each performer's contribution through their dynamic and often wildly energetic collective interplay.

Exploring the low end of the clarinet family with Jason Alder on bass, contra bass, B flat & E flat clarinets, Yoni Silver on bass clarinet, plus Caroline Kraabel on baritone saxophone & voice, Thanos Chrysakis expanding the sonic space with laptop & synthesizers, in a 5-part series of beautifully paced, absorbing and subtly detailed collective improvisations.

A leader on the Portuguese free jazz scene, tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado assembles a collective quartet with three exemplary Norwegian improvisers--Thomas Johansson on trumpet, Jon Rune Strom on double bass and Gard Nilssen on drums--for a dynamic concert at ZDB club in Lisbon in 2017, three dialogs of sparking, fiery interactions and a final "Response".

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.

The collaborative Australian electric jazz trio of Simon Jeans on guitar, Johannes Luebber on keyboards, and Daniel Susnjar on drums, who create semi-composed sonic structures that are used for collective improvisation and also live film scores and contemporary dance works, present 3 "Artefacts" using multiple structures of passionate and melodically inspired playing.

Rooted in an approach to the piano trio attributed to Bill Evan's non-hierarchical improvisation, the trio of long-standing collaborators Jim Baker on piano and Steve Hunt on drums & percussion, with younger generation double bassist Jakob Heinemann, bring equal voice to their highly interactive conversations in a mix of live and studio performances.

The tenth year of the working and touring international Ballister trio of Dave Rempis on alto & tenor saxophones, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello & electronics, and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums & percussion, here in an outrageously powerful yet explorative concert at Dom Cultural Center, in Moscow, Russia in 2019, a fierce example of what this band is capable of.

An "auditory exploration of the fragile balance between creation and destruction, echoing the forces that sculpted Earth's geological history" from the collective free improvising trio of two New York luminaries--Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, flugelhorn & trombone and Joe Morris on guitar & effects--with Boston double bassist Brad Barrett, also on cello & effects.

After a long break from their last recording, the long-lasting (since 1977!) BassDrumBone trio of Mark Helias on bass, Gerry Hemingway on drum and Ray Anderson on trombone came together for a packed 2023 concert at Zurcher Gallery, the enthusiasm resonating into this studio session days later as the trio recorded a mix of collective improvisations and one composition from each.

Two studio sessions of ebullient improv from the quartet of Israeli tenor saxophonist Albert Beger, bass clarinetist Ziv Taubenfeld, double bassist & guimbri player Shay Hazan, and Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, from hard-blowing collective interplay to introspective discourse, ending with Beger's reflective composition "Astral Visit"; a perfectly balanced album of modern jazz.

Cornetist Josh Berman, drummer Bill Harris, and cellist Ishmael Ali meet with NY pianist Eli Wallace in Chicago, recording live in the studio for a session that focuses on acoustic interplay using unusual techniques, inside piano playing, textural percussion with scrapes & drags and melodic & harmonic fragments, Fitting quite well in a set of interesting moods and motion.

An assertive album of collective free jazz from three masterful NYC players — John Blum (piano), David Murray (tenor sax) and Chad Taylor (drums) — recording in the studio for eight high-octane improvisations inspired by the mathematical and natural concept of recursion, comparing nature's expansive growth with the growth of jazz through the incremental expansion of ideas and influences.

Seven years into their collaboration, the creative and innovative piano trio initiated by bassist Stephan Crump with pianist Kris Davis and drummer Eric McPherson explore spontaneous free playing on a double CD of lyrically inclined, inventive interplay, borrowing from jazz, contemporary forms and sometimes funky grooves with a patiently rewarding approach to conversation.

Featuring distinctively voiced collective free improvisation, this transatlantic quartet recording on the West Coast brings together legendary musicians Frode Gjerstad on alto saxophone and clarinet, and Bobby Bradford on cornet, alongside contemporary classical and improvising tuba virtuoso William Roper and drummer Alex Cline, delivering five dynamic improvisations with remarkable direction.

Assembled by Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, this stellar quartet bridges nations with German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, Norwegian double bass player Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, and American drummer Gerry Hemingway, presenting the extended, masterful collective title track, along with two shorter works, particularly revisiting Albert Ayler's "Ghosts".

The title gives a sense of the unusual acoustic improvisation this West Coast collective perform, along with their description "prickles and bleats, an abrasive delicacy; fricative rasp and withheld breath seethe together in a discomfiting cuddle" — from Kyle Bruckmann on oboe & English horn, Tom Djll on trumpet, Jacob Felix Heule on floor tom, and Kanoko Nishi-Smith on koto.

The continuing collaboration from the collective free jazz trio of Philippines-based American alto saxophonist Rick Countryman, Philippines bassist Simon Tan and Swiss drummer Christian Bucher is heard in this studio session of eight lyrically inclined tracks of spontaneous interaction, a well-balanced mix of energetic grooves and contemplative group conversation.

Rick Countryman on alto saxophone, Simon Tan on bass, and Christian Bucher on drums cover diverse territory while letting each player stand out in this studio album of collective improvisation, their frequent collaborations allowing them to evoke a strong degree of melodicism among spontaneous interaction, from energetic grooves to ballads to beautiful textural work.

The collaboration between Swiss drummer Christian Bucher, Filipino bassist Simon Tan and American ex-patriate living in the Phillipines, saxophonist Rick Countryman, continues with this exceptional collective free jazz album, their fourth on FMR, captured in the studio in Quezon City, Philippines in 2022 for nine exuberant and astute improvisations.

Finnish saxophonist and improviser Harri Sjöström assembles this quartet with some of the most innovative and in-demand players in Europe, the UK & Australia--Tony Buck from The Necks on drums & percussion, John Edwards on double bass, and Elisabeth Harnik on piano--captured live at Panda Platforma in Berlin in 2023 for a stellar concert of collective improvisation.

Rob Burke composed the first seven pieces for this experimental NY quartet, the multi-reedist joined by guitarist Ben Monder, drummer Tom Rainey, and Ben Grayson on electronics, the last "Discordat" a collective improvisation in 4 parts, as the band investigates emotional approaches to playing, using subtle distortion and Grayson's post-editing sonic additions.

A remarkable concert in 2023 at The Loft in Cologne, Germany, a superb example of collective free improvisation using extraordinary and masterful technique between UK saxophonist John Butcher, Swiss guitarist Florian Stoffner and NY drummer Chris Corsano, also performing on half clarinet; nine conversations of sophisticated and astute communication.

Matthew Shipp (piano), John Butcher (saxophones) and Thomas Lehn (electronics) in a studio album recorded in France in 2017, a uniquely voiced collective trio of transformative improvisation, Lehn's additions and modifications blending perfectly with Shipp's solid foundations and Butcher's advanced technical expression, for an engrossing and expressive set of recordings.

Conceived as a collective starting in 2017, the Milan-based group Piranha led by clarinetist Federico Calcagno, has performed in configurations from duo to quartet, here with Filippo Rinaldo on piano and Stefano Grasso on percussion, presenting original compositions from each member alongside collective free improvisations, blending jazz, chamber and contemporary compositional music.

Recording in the studio in Hornchurch, UK in 2022, the open-minded, innately lyrical and freely improvising trio of pianist Dan Banks, long-time collaborator with drummer Trevor Taylor at the latter's Jazz825 club in Southend-on-Sea, and Portuguese double bassist Jose Canhas, are heard in five impeccable contemporary jazz recordings, warm collective conversations of adept skill.

A burning album of collective free jazz from Canadian compatriots Francois Carrier on alto saxophone and Michel Lambert on drums, on a spring tour of Europe, performing at Poland's MOZG in Byrgoszcz, home of the MOZG Festival, with Polish tenor saxophonist Tomek Gadecki amd bassist Marcin Bozen, also on French Horn, in an exhilarating set of three extended improvisations.

Inspired by a poem Daniel Carter wrote about the transience and motion of modern life, the quartet of Daniel Carter on saxophone, Leo Genovese on piano, William Parker on bass, Gralla & Shakuhachi and Francisco Mela on drums & voice, turn in an ecstatic album of exotic collective improvisation in this second of two volumes from an excellent studio session.

Inspired by a poem Carter wrote about New York's interminable motion, the quartet of Daniel Carter on saxophone, Leo Genovese on piano, William Parker on bass, Gralla & Shakuhachi and Francisco Mela on drums & voice, turn in an ecstatic album of exotic collective improvisation in this first of two planned volumes from an excellent studio session.

After participating together in many groups over more than a decade, this is the first time these three improvisers and core performers on the 577 label--Daniel Carter on saxophone, trumpet & clarinet, Matthew Putman on piano and Federico Ughi on drums--have come together as a trio, captured live at the 2024 Forward Festival in Brooklyn for three extended, dexterous conversations.

The second of two performances at Tago Jazz in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines in 2024 between first generation Japanese free improvisational drummer, Sabu Toyozumi, Malaysia-based bassist, Richard Allan Bates, and Philippines-based alto saxophonist, Rick Countryman, this energetic concert recorded after two days in the studio developing their collective sound.

A collaboration between the working trio of bass clarinetist Jason Stein, double bassist Damon Smith, and drummer Adam Shead, adding pianist Marilyn Crispell, initiated by Smith & Crispell's admiration of painter Cy Twombly, whose artwork graces this album's cover, recorded live and complete in the studio after two live concerts between the quartet; masterful collective improv!

The Chicago collective trio of tenor saxophonist Gerrit Hatcher, Lebanese bassist Eli Namay and drummer/percussionist Bill Harris are captured live at Chicago's The Whistler in the summer of 2019 for two extended and exploratory improvisations, showing both technical mastery and a curiosity for new modes of expression through inspired and intuitive conversation.

Comprised of Anglo-Russian pianist Vladimir Miller (Moscow Composers Orchestra), Italian double-bassist Pierpaolo Martino (Mondegreen, Howl and Machine3) and British saxophonist Adrian Northover (The Remote Viewers, London Improvisers Orchestra), this collective improv trio brings a lyrical and melodic approach to their performances of graceful and cultivated conversation.

Legendary players, drummer Alvin Fielder, bassist William Parker, and saxophonist Kidd Jordan joined younger generation players pianist Christopher Parker, vocalist Kelley Hurt, and saxophonist Chad Fowler in New Orleans to record this exceptional album of modern jazz compositions primarily from Fowler, plus a collective improvisation and a narrative from Hurt.

The trio of German pianist/composer Georg Graewe, guitarist Martin Siewert (Radian, Trapist, Also), and drummer Dieter Kern (DEK Trio, Bulbul, Fuckhead) bring together diverse attitudes in free improv from avant jazz to ea-/experimental approaches and bristling rock forms, sharing a unique collective voice with an oddly implied sense of humor and disconcertingly ingenious skill.

The counterpart to the Dunmall session "Seascapes" recorded at the same Victoria Rooms at the University of Bristol's music department, this quartet sees Dunmall on soprano sax and flute joined by three string players--Benedict Taylor on viola, Ashley John Long on bass, and guitarist Phil Gibbs--for six detailed collective improvisations leaning toward chamber jazz.

Two unique and adventurous takes on collective free improvisation led by Paul Dunmall and recorded in the studio, using the group that appears on his first Paul Dunmall Presents series in January 2020: Dunmall on tenor sax, John O'Gallagher on alto sax, Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Elliott Sansom on piano, Chris Mapp on electric bass and Miles Levin on drums.

A 4-track collective improvisation project performed by Paul Dunmall (saxophones, fife & bagpipes), pianist Keith Tippett, guitarist Philip Gibbs and drummer Pete Fairclough, recorded at Victoria Rooms at the University of Bristol, UK in 2000 and originally issued on Dunmall's own DUNS label, here reissued 20 years later in the memory of Keith Tippett.

Some of the finest London and Birmingham improvisers, the free improvising quartet of saxophonist Paul Dunmall with pianist Liam Noble, drummer Mark Sanders and bassist John Edwards, continue their work together with this exceptional live performance at the Eastside Jazz Club, Birmingham Conservatoire in an extended, far-ranging and engaging collective concert.

A wildly explorative and masterful studio encounter for three of the UK's most well-known and well-recorded improvisers--Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano saxophones, clarinet & flute; Paul Rogers on 7-string double bass; and Mark Sanders on drums--in four collective improvisations that run the gamut from explosive to introspective conversation; ferocious!

Capturing their 2nd gig together, double bassist Olie Brice and trumpeter Percy Pursglove invited two prominent improvisers who had never played together before — drummer Jeff Williams and tenor saxophonist Paul Dunmall — to join them for a 2020 concert at Cafe Oto in London, presented into two palindromic-ally named and profound improvisations: "Tattarratta" 1 & 2.

With two reeds--Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano saxophones & clarinet, and tenor saxophonist & clarinetist Tobias Delius--and the masterful rhythm section of Olie Brice on double bass and Mark Sanders on drums, this superb collective quartet leverages the long relationships between players, particularly the trio of Sanders/Brice/Delius and Dunmall & Sanders' extensive work together.

From subtle dynamics to invigorating free exchanges, the collective improvising band Easter Quartet brings together New York luminaries Ken Filiano on bass with two drummer/percussionists--Lou Grassi and Todd Capp--and Leipzig, German pianist Simone Weissenfels, performing in the studio for three extended, forcefully confident, evolving improvisations.

The long-running quartet of percussionist Heinz Geisser, bassist Fridolin Blumer, pianist Reto Staub and trombonist Robert Morgenthaler have for years extended their 4-tet with a 5th guest, here asking vibraphonist Christopher Dell to join them in the studio after a successful live performance in the spring of 2022, capturing this spectacular, wide-ranging example of collective improvisation.

Radical masters of free jazz--Spanish pianist Agusti Fernandez and British bassist Barry Guy--meet young(er) radical trumpeter Peter Evans at the Moscow Cultural Center DOM for this 2017 concert of free improvisation, a fiery and informed concert of two sets, each in three parts, and an encore, showing technical mastery, inventive interaction, and sheer excitement in performance.

The ninth set from the Boston collective group Expanse led by Evil Clown label leader David Peck, combining improvisers with both a post-jazz and post-rock aesthetic, here as an electroacoustic septet with an extended and unusual percussion set, as performed by David Peck, DNA Girl, Eric Dahlman, DNA Girl, Count Robot, Tim Mungenast, and Michael Knoblach.

Taking the place of both bass and horn in this uniquely orchestrated piano trio, the long friendship of NY improviser Josh Sinton on baritone sax, bass clarinet & flute with Boston-area improvisers, pianist Jed Wilson and drummer Tony Falco, is heard in the intimate and warm dialog the three share in their 2021 performance at the Soul Shop in Medford, Massachusetts.

A formidable meeting of three powerhouses of modern creative improvisation of diverse backgrounds -- Filipina-American drummer/percussionist Susie Ibarra, legendary New York bassist William Parker, and Spanish pianist Agusti Fernandez, in a spirited, masterful and stunning live performance at the Joan Miro Foundation in Barcelona recorded in 1998.

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.

The collaboration of saxophonist Yedo Gibson and Vasco Trilla, heard as a duo on Multikulti Project and together in projects released on Emanem, NoBusiness and Creative Sources, are heard in this second Fish Wool trio album with trumpeter Susana Santos Silva, a uniquely voiced band of two horns and versatile percussion, captured live at the 24th Jazz Cerkno in 2018.

Toronto-area saxophonist Colin Fisher, best known for his group I Have Eaten The City, with his collective quartet of NY players Daniel Carter on tenor, alto & soprano saxophones + clarinet & flute, Brandon Lopez on upright bass, and Marc Edwards on drums & percussion, for three extended and exploratory improvisations of exemplary creative insight.

Their first time playing together as a trio despite many permutations in various projects over the years, the trio of Robert Mitchell (F-IRE Collective) on piano & percussion, Neil Charles on double bass and remarkably collaborative drummer Mark Sanders are heard in this 2022 concert at London's Cafe OTO for two extended, free and very informed collective improvisations.

Their first time playing together as a trio despite many permutations in various projects over the years, the trio of Robert Mitchell (F-IRE Collective) on piano & percussion, Neil Charles on double bass and remarkably collaborative drummer Mark Sanders are heard in this 2nd part to their 2022 concert at London's Cafe OTO for three extended, free and very informed collective improvisations.

Joining the exemplary New York City Flow Trio of Louie Belogenis on tenor & soprano saxophones, Joe Morris on bass, and Charles Downs on drums is NY legendary saxophonist & trumpeter Joe McPhee, performing on tenor saxophone in an album of collective free jazz that reminds its listeners of the power of passionately unfettered yet superbly controlled free playing.

The first release on the Swedish label Association For Free Improvised Music (FRIM) is the trio of Gustaf Hielm (Mats/Morgan Band) on bass, Elin Forkelid (Anna Högberg Attack!) on saxophones and Erik Carlsson (Swedish Azz, Skogen) on drums, a free-blowing session of heavy collective playing in the European Free Jazz tradition for two extended "Question" & "Answer" sessions.

Highlighting the parallel to changes in birdsong in urban areas because of anthropogenic ambient noise, this diverse ensemble demonstrates the evolution of improv approaches through unique origins and backgrounds; with Chad Fowler (stritch, flute), Shanyse Strickland (French Horn), Sana Nagano (violin), Melanie Dyer (viola), Ken Filiano (bass) and Anders Griffen (drums).

Seeking new methods of performing real-time collective composition through improvisation, composer & guitarist Moss Freed developed a language of hand signals that could be used among a large ensemble with instructions to guide players towards particular activities, heard in this spectacular set of seven improvisations, each named for an iconic improviser or composer.

An expressive piano trio from Steve Beresford on piano, Italian-born, UK-based drummer/percussionist Valentina Magaletti, and Italian Bassist Pierpaolo Martino, Beresford using piano preparations, electronics & toys to expand the palette of their instrumentation, all three bringing a wealth of experience in jazz, free improv and experimental sound to their solid conversations.

An energetic trio of Serbian free improvisers from Tibor Takacs Faki on reeds, Laslo Lenkes on guitar and Goran Grubisic on drums, Tibor Takacs Faki and Goran Grubisic both part of the rock band Wooden Ambulance, that energy translating into their indefatigable approach to collective improvisation, just keeping a lid on their rambunctious interaction.

Continuing the connections from prior Mahakala Music albums Warp & Weft, (Futterman/Hirsch) and Two Five None (Fowler/Hirsch) this album brings the three together as a dynamic trio recording the two-part "Ebb & Flow", a spectacular convergence that, true to the title, shows tremendous momentum and moments of great introspection, an incredible collective free encounter!

With exceptionally quick spontaneity and astute anticipation, free improvising pianist Joel Futterman and drummer Steve Hirsh engage in a series of extended dialogs across two CDs of "Warp" & "Weft" in multiple parts, pushing each other in both technical and expressive interaction, weaving complex interplay with startling ease and creative intention.

Having worked together as members of the Kidd Jordan Quartet, pianist Joel Futterman and bassist William Parker recorded these collective duo improvisations in the studio in New York City in 2020, a perfect match of technical mastery pushing the boundaries of free playing through creative use of tonality, rhythm, and harmony from two extraordinarily compatibile improvisers.

Sounding as though they'd played together for decades, this 1st meeting between pianist Joel Futterman, bassist William Parker, saxophonist Chad Fowler and drummer Steve Hirsh is a single 52-minute free jazz exposition as the four immediately fall into an invigorating conversation that continues through diverse moods from pinnacles of activity to reflective tone worlds; masterful!

Joining with two of London's finest free improvisers, Swiss saxophonist Christoph Gallio of DAY & TAXI fame and performing on alto, soprano & c-melody saxophones, meets drummer Mark Sanders and double bassist Dominic Lash at London's Cafe OTO for a remarkable concert of free collective playing in two large works: "Wildlife" in three parts, and "Homelife" in two parts.

The 3rd box set from Slovenian pianist & composer residing in Amsterdam, Miha Gantar, in five CDs collaborating with NYC improvisors and contemporary players performing Gantar compositions and collective improv, in configurations from a quintet, two trios including one with bassist John Hebert & drummer Eric McPherson, a duo with tenor saxophonist Zoh Amba, ending with Gantar solo.

Bringing vast experience in free improv and contemporary creative settings, the French trio of Guillaume Gargaud on acoustic guitar, Patrice Grente on double bass and Thierry Waziniak on drums present seven unique collective conversations named by permutation, recorded in the studio to bring the nuance of their playing to the foreground.

Emerging from a series of improv gigs and sessions, the trio of Sally Gates on guitar, Steve Hirsh on drums, and Daniel Carter on saxophones, flute, and trumpet present five studio recordings of spontaneous composition, weaving together a diverse range of sounds with intricate detail and complexity, transitioning seamlessly from fluid, flowing passages to sharp, jagged explorations.

Quite a bit of insightful collective playing actually, from the trio of New York-based Argentinian pianist Leo Genovese, bassist John Lockwood and drummer Nat Mugavero, in seven untitled studio improvisations that explore open approaches to their conversations through unhurried, masterful, expressive and explorative playing with an upbeat attitude.

After a tour through upstate New York State with Chicago cellist and electronic artist Fred Lonberg-Holm, saxophonist Frode Gjerstad headed to New York City for a planned trio recording which evolved into this informed quartet with Steve Swell on trombone and William Parker on bass, tuba, cornet & flutes, an outstanding example of Transatlanic collective improvisation.

Representing some of the London scene's most innovative and creative improvisers, with years of work together as a trio and as M.A.M.--saxophonist Andrian Northover (Remote Viewers), cellist Marcio Mattos (Stellari String Quartet, Tony Oxley's Celebration Orchestra) and vocalist Marilza Gouvea--are heard here in 2 studio recordings and 3 live recordings at Iklectic.

In 2004 legendary European Free Jazz pianist Georg Graewe and German multi-reedist Frank Gratkowski met with Chicago cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm on the stage at LOFT in Cologne, Germany to perform these six collective improvisations with an innate chamber jazz feeling, particularly the four part "Trilinear Polarity"; a spectacular set available for the first time.

A uniquely voiced free improv trio of strings and drums from the New York City trio of violinist Jessica Pavone, guitarist Wendy Eisenberg and drummer Devin Gray, each a distinctive leader in their own right who use their instruments in unusual and technically superb ways, here in a concise set of collective improvisations of an edgy and exploratory style.

A collection of compositions from clarinetist Guillermo Gregorio alongside collective improvisations from the trio with bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Ramon Lopez, sophisticated chamber-oriented jazz from masterful players recording in the studio in New Jersey, as they explore the musical intersection of disparate cultural, geographic and life experiences.

Chicago saxophonist and Kettle Hole label leader Gerrit Hatcher joins with West Coast saxophonists Rob Magill (Weird Cry Records, Dreamcolour) and Japanese saxophonist based in Los Angeles Patrick Shiroishi, for five collective free improvisations of informed saxophone interaction; three approaches to the horn that complement and contrast in fascinating ways.

Developed originally as a "remedy" to pandemic through a weekly discipline of composing and rehearsing new music, the trio of trumpeter Thomas Heberer, bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Joe Hertenstein return for the second in their series: eight studio recordings of magnificent collective interplay through intricate and implicitly lyrical compositions from each of the three performers.

Brooklyn Saxophonist and Park West Studios founder is the common thread to this quartet with Steve Hirsh on drums, Steve Swell on trombone and William Parker on bass, all frequent collaborators in innumerable projects, here in three extended improvisations beautifully recorded, showing the wealth of experience each has alone and in collective expression.

The transatlantic trio of UK pianist Alexander Hawkins, NY drummer Kate Gentile and Canadian reedist Francois Houle are heard in four masterful spontaneous improvisations in their live performance at the 39th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, Houle performing on clarinets (sometimes two at a time) including the early, deep-note basset clarinet.

Expanding the enduring free improvising trio of Netherlands tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Luc Houtkamp, British pianist and player of electronics and objects Steve Beresford, and German drummer and percussionist Martin Blume, with Italian trombonist Sebi Tramontana for this exceptional concert captured live in 2023 at LOFT, in Cologne, Germany.

The second album from the Hydra Ensemble (Goncalo Almeida on double bass, Lucija Gregov on cello, Nina Hitz on cello, Rutger Zuydervelt on electronics) is a live recording with no audience from the Worm club in Rotterdam during the pandemic, reaching deeper into their masterful world of darkly intense chamber improv and electronics, slowly yielding to a spaciously brighter ending.

Featuring cellists Nina Hitz and Lucija Gregov, double bassist Goncalo Almeida and Rutger Zuydervelt (Machinefabriek) on electronics, recording in Old Church, in Rotterdam Charlois for six pensive improvisations, a collective conversation of concurrently layered, minimalist melodic and textural lines expanded with drones, evoking the mythical Greek multi-headed monster.

The third collaboration of the Dutch Hyrdra Ensemble of Lucija Gregov on cello, Nina Hitz on cello, Goncalo Almeida on double bass and Rutger Zuydervelt (aka Machinefabriek) on electronics, performing live at De Pletterij in Haarlem (NL), released on bassist Gonçalo's DIY label Cylinder Recordings, focused on free improvised and experimental music.

Four improvisations that start as dense and scrabbly electroacoustic improv and then transport into beautiful sonic interaction from the Chicago collaborative quartet of Chris Dammann (Scott Clark) on double bass, Kevin Davis (Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore) on cello, John Niekrasz (Poor School, The Naked Future) on drums and Toby Summerfield (Larval, Algernon, Scott Clark) on guitar.

Three leaders in the Chicago free improv scene--Keefe Jackson on tenor & sopranino saxophones, Jim Baker on piano & synthesizer and Julian Kirshner on drums--in a collective album of concentrative conversation, a group of equals that function together through close listening and interactive support in expressive playing that leaves ego out of the equation.

Keefe Jackson on tenor & bass clarinets, Raoul Van Der Weide on bass & cracklebox, and Frank Rosaly on drums are heard in this 2022 live performance at De Roze Tanker in Amsterdam, reuniting the Chicago reedist with Rosaly, who is now based in Amsterdam, for six free jazz tunes: two Jackson compositions and four superb collective dialogs.