Never before released material from 1977 of Billy Bang's seminal NY loft band, Survival Ensemble: 1 LP and a 40 page booklet of essays, images and flyers - essential!
The electrified acoustic trio of vibraphonist Karl Berger (NY), trumpeter and electronic artist Werner Hasler (Switzerland) and drummer Gilbert Paeffgen (Switzerland), exotic groove-based jazz.
Trombonist Samuel Blaser's quartet with guitarist Marc Ducret, bassist Banz Oester and drummer Gerald Cleaver recording the leader's "Boundless Suite" in 4 magnificent parts.
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.
The classic trio lineup of saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, pianist Fred van Hove, and drummer Han Bennink in their 1975 album recording in the studio and live at Quartier Latin in Berlin.
The Full Blast trio of reedist Peter Brotzmann, bassist Mario Piakas and drummer Michael Wertmueller are joined by Ken Vandermark, Thomas Heberer and Dirk Rothbrust for an excellent concert at Donaueschinger Musiktage, 2010.
The Full Blast trio of reedist Peter Brotzmann, bassist Mario Piakas and drummer Michael Wertmueller are joined by Ken Vandermark, Thomas Heberer and Dirk Rothbrust for an excellent concert at Donaueschinger Musiktage, 2010.
The late great saxophonist Julian Hemphill and bassist Peter Kowald, essential free jazz players from NY and Germany, performing solo and as a duo live at Kassiopeia, Wuppertal in 1987.
The late great saxophonist Julian Hemphill and bassist Peter Kowald, essential free jazz players from NY and Germany, performing solo and as a duo live at Kassiopeia, Wuppertal in 1987.
Works from Volker Heyn, an outsider artist interested in acoustic process, tone gestures, friction, discontinuous movements, &c., with recordings by Pellegrini-Quartett, Ausfuhrende: Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin, &c.
Bassist Joelle Leandre recorded these two live concerts over two consecutive nights in Ulrichsberg, Austria, the first with a tentet and the second as a trio, showing two sides to her incredible writing and playing skills.
Saxophonist and pocket trumpeter Joe McPhee and drummer Michael Zerang recorded this suite of superb duos live at Big Top in New Orleans, LA in the fall of 2009, extended, unusual and masterful improvisation.
The Necks 16th release layers polyrhythmic material to form seething blocks of sound, in two long pieces, one more stripped back to the live trio, the other featuring multiple strata of swirling Hammonds, noise-guitar and electronics.
Bassist Pascal Niggenkemper put together this piano trio with veteran pianist Simon Nabatov and drummer Gerald Cleaver, excellent and complex modern jazz from three tremendous players.
The Remote Viewers' 10th album, with David Petts, Caroline Kraabel, Sue Lynch, Adrian Northover, John Edwards, Rosa Lynch-Northover, and Adam Bohman, in mysterious works of dissonance and wonderfully idiosyncratic expression.
The second volume in a planned series of David S. Ware solo recordings, presenting two entire concert performances on sopranino and tenor sax at Park Slope and at Unmbrella Music Festival in Chicago.
A portrait of Christian Wolff, documenting the composer's early activity through recordings made close to the time of their composition from artists including Cornelius Cardew, Frederic Rzewski, David Tudor, &c.
A beautiful and sophisticated set of jazz compositions, part of Zorn's mystical works, performed by John Medeski (piano/organ), Kenny Wollesen (vibes), Trevor Dunn (bass) and Joey Baron (drums).
Zorn's take on Christmas with his Dreamers (Marc Ribot, Kenny Wollesen, Joey Baron, Jamie Saft, Trevor Dunn, Cyro Baptista, with guest vocalist Mike Patton) performing 7 of Zorn's favorite Christmas songs along with 2 originals.
Using mostly unprocessed electric guitars, the duo of Elliott Sharp and Scott Fields' latest release presents eight dueling guitar works using dynamic, angular tones and textures, from extremely aggressive work to clean avant-jazz with twisted technical intent.
Australian improvising guitarist Candlesnuffer (David Brown) and Dutch guitarist Lukas Simonis in an album inspired by photographer Rosamund Purchell's book: "Special Cases: Natural Anomalies and Historical Monsters".
With soprano saxophone and bass clarinet, Sruti box, electronics, preparations and applied objects, Lucio Cape releases this suite consisting of six structured pieces exploring the possibilities of those reed instruments.
The South-African inspired Italian improvising group Canto General (named as a reference to poet Pablo Neruda) led by trumpeter Pino Manafra and saxophonist Roberto Ottaviano invite drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo for an album of compositions from Harry Miller, Keith Tippett, Mongezi Feza, &c.
Mattin on voice in an album of rock improvisations featuring Loy Fankbonner on drums, Margarida Garcia on electric double bass, Kevin Failure on guitar and Mattin on vocals recorded in NYC in 2009.
A live performance at Judson Church in Manhattan as part of the 20th Vision Festival from the NY/France free improvising trio of Joelle Leandre on double bass, Mat Maneri on viola, and Gerald Cleaver on drums and percussion, two tracks of steadily building, incredibly compatible dialog.
The Swedish duo of percussionist Andreas Pollak and prepared pianist Johan Graden (Adam & Alma) in an album of references and innuendo, clandestine and furtive sounds that evoke great mystery and drama in beautifully shaped sound; evocative music that deceives to emerge from the electronic realm while in actuality coming from all acoustic sources.
Live recordings at LOFT in Cologne, Germany from the trio of George Wissel on prepared saxophone, Achim Tang on doublebass, and Simon Camatta on drums & percussion, performing seven "Movements" that use prodigious technique with reserve and direction, revealing the structure of their work as the pieces build and recede in fascinating ways.
Live concert DVD from Bunda Love (id & Mike) with Jamie Saft, filmed at Strange Maine in Portland, Maine; sheer communications in wierdness of doom metal meeting schizoid noise.
Zorn's take on Christmas with his Dreamers (Marc Ribot, Kenny Wollesen, Joey Baron, Jamie Saft, Trevor Dunn, Cyro Baptista, with guest vocalist Mike Patton) performing 7 of Zorn's favorite Christmas songs along with 2 originals.
Having previously worked together with Joe McPhee and Kent Kessler, this album distills the Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado and NY drummer/percussionist Chris Corsano to a concentrated sax and drum duo of earnest and edgy playing, bending jazz, free and blues idioms to their will with magnificent technique and power, both clearly elated in their meeting.
Two basses and a lower-end saxophone from the trio of Damon Smith on double bass, Andrew Durham on electric bass, and Danny Kamins on baritone sax, Durham also adding effects and "Radio Manipulation" to their deep sound, Durham & Kamins the core of CARL with Damon Smith adding extra underpinnings to their slowly developing, sometimes pensive, sometimes cantankerous, profound improvisation.
Recorded live at Silence Sounds in Guelph Canada, the duo of Xavier Charles on clarinet and Eric Normand on electric bass & objects eschew idiom in favor of their unique natural language on their instruments, applying patient development of truly idiosyncratic and fascinating command through a single extended work punctuated in seven diverse passages.
From 2008-16 until drummer Frank Rosaly moved to Amsterdam, alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella's Trio was an active part of Chicago's creative jazz scene; in early 2018 Rosaly returned for a visit and Mazzarella composed a suite of 6 new pieces to commemorate the trio's tenth anniversary, the exuberant result this excellent concert recorded at Co-Prosperity Sphere!
A beautiful solo set of 12 improvisations, Michael Attias performing on alto sax with his left hand and piano with his right, captured in the natural reverberation of La Maison en Bois in Abeville-La-Riviere, France; surprisingly his 1st solo album, developed over 12 years yet played in under an hour with no retakes, a wonderful nuanced reflection in tone, melody & color.
Recording in Toronto, the core trio of drummer Nick Fraser, saxophonist Tony Malaby and pianist Kris Davis are joined on four tracks by tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and trumpeter Lina Allemano, in an album of composed and collective improvisation, merging Toronto, NY and European influences in an accomplished album of diverse approaches and orchestrations.
The 5th release from the trio of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Keiji Haino, guitarist Jim O'Rourke and Oren Ambarchi on wineglass and percussion is an introspective and beautifully developed set recorded live at their March 2013 concert at SuperDeluxe.
An extended and rich confluence of strings from R Keenan Lawler and John Krausbauer, using resonator guitar and banjo, sustained tones that intertwine in a beautiful and optimistic drone, minimalistic yet drenched in a profusion of harmonic detail; a beautiful and elusive dream mixing between an Indian raga and an alien electronic environment.
Recorded in the mid-90s, Livebatts! was a project of John White (Cornelius Cardew, Scratch Orchestra) developed to exploit "toy" keyboards of the 80s--cheap battery-driven instruments that hold tremendous potential for "serious" music-making--used here in a playful quartet with vocalist MJ Coldiron, Andrea Rocca (guitar & samples) and Nancy Ruffer (electrified flute).
An excellent first meeting of two guitarists recording on a February afternoon and released in the sequence recorded with no edits or changes, from Jim McAuley on guitar and Scot Ray on lap steel slide guitar with effects, an innately lyrical blending of styles masking the strong technical skills and long histories of these two superlative players.
Quietly lurking as it prepares to attack, this Kobra is the free improvising quaret of Aurora Nealand on accordion, alto saxophone, voice & objects, Steve Marquette on acoustic & electric guitars, Anton Hatwich on bass, and Paul Thibodeaux on drums, captured live at Chicago's Hungry Brain during the Instigation Festival for a mysterious 2-part "New Omens" and some "Telly Attire".
'Spilla' means 'to play' in the language of Neapolitan musicians, and playing here are NY guitarist and composer Elliott Sharp and Italian guitarist Sergio Sorrentino, presenting world premier recordings of 4 works recorded live in Vercelli, Italy: two improvisations and two graphic scores performed on electric guitar with incredible technique and passion.
Stochastic music for percussion and synthesizers from New York avant conceptualist and keyboardist Charlemagne Palestine, here on piano & electronics, with the Italian duo Trrma' of Giovanni Todisco on percussion and Guiseppe Candiano on synth, in two side-long works of irregular rhythm, complexity and dissonance that build and recede in a suspenseful journey.
While both improvisers were in New York City for the 2019 Vision Festival, multi-reedist and European Free Improv legend Peter Brötzmann met Chicago cellist and electronics artist Fred Lonberg-Holm to record their 3rd album together, their 1st album in the studio a diverse set of incredible concentration, with Brötzmann performing on tenor saxophone, woodwind, and clarinet.
A momentous 2020 concert at London's Cafe OTO, presented in two discs, the 1st with label leader Jean-Marc Foussat in a solo improvisation on synth and voice, the 2nd in a trio with Daunik Lazro on tenor & baritone sax, and Evan Parker on soprano sax, the 2 saxophones weaving and responding to Foussat's remarkable alien soundscapes and vocalization in an immersive extended improvisation.
German saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and Vancouver pianist Kris Davis, both living and working in NY, and having worked together in a variety of groups including Laubrock's Anti-House, a trio with drummer Tyshawn Sorey, Tom Rainey's Obligatto, &c. &c., concentrate their sophisticated playing with this duo album of 7 original compositions and 2 free improvisations.
Having played together in a variety of settings, but never as a trio, saxophonist Sabir Mateen, clarinetist Patrick Holmes and drummer Federico Ughi met in a recording studio in Tuscany, Italy to record this album of wide-ranging free improvisation, Mateen's Farfisa playing and vocal declamations bringing a Sun Ra element to the vehement and profound dialog.
Trumpeter Dennis Gonzalez merges his Yells at Eel project with bassist Aaron Gonzalez and drummer/percussionist Stefan Gonzalez, with Texas-based experimental rock band Pinkish Black--Daron Beck on keyboards and Jon Teague on drums & synthesizers--for a gripping and masterful hybrid of improvisation, dark synthetic rock and heavy moods; a riveting journey.
Using hard bop as his jumping off point, Swiss saxophonist Omri Ziegele Tomorrow Trio with Christian Weber on bass and Han Bennink on drums--musicians who have toured and performed together over years--went into the studio hot off of a 13 day tour to record these 6 Ziegele original compositions, lyrically balanced with room for exemplary soloing and group interplay.
The duo of cellist and vocalist Theresa Wong with Carla Kihlstedt on violin and voice in fascinating experimental art songs inspired by the "Disasters of War" etchings by Francisco Goya.