"Four hands on one piano" from the duo of pianist Chris Abrahams (The Necks) and Magda Mayas, both improvising in Berlin at the Vivaldi Saal performance space using their piano, harpsichord, and harmonium.
A live recording at the famous Meteo Festival from the trio of Sophie Agnel (piano), John Edwards (double bass) and Steve Noble (drums), three of Europe's most active improvisers in an intense extended performance.
Paolo Angeli presents an experimental album that explores the entire range of his modified, extended, and prepared Sardinian guitar with beautiful compositions that defy categorization.
The third CD by the trio of Rex Casswell (electric guitar), Phillip Marks (percussion) and Paul Obermayer (samples), creating beautiful jagged, sharp edged textures propelled by some of their tightest, strangest, most powerful rhythmic designs yet.
Collective improvisation from Ho Bynum's Book of Three with bassist John Hebert & drummer Gerald Cleaver, following their RogueArt CD with this exceptional album of original compositions plus works from Bobby Bradford, Salim Washington, and Jim Hobbs.
Aural Terrains label leader and electronic composer Thanos Chrysakis in a work in three movements based on a blending of electronics and acoustic instruments.
An improvised concert at Les Instantes Chavires near Paris in 2011, the last outing of the duo of saxophonist Lol Coxhill and trumpter Michel Doneda, two fine improvisers at the top of their respective abilities.
The Texas duo of amplified & acoustic trombonist David Dove and Jawwaad Taylor on electronics, voice and trumpet, urban-oriented creative free improvisation in slowly evolving and evocative forms.
Saxophonist Gerd Dudek's 2012 concert in London at the Vortex in a quartet with Hans Koller (piano), Oli Hayhurst (bass) and Gene Calderazzo (drums), with Dudek and Koller picking some of their favorite jazz tunes including works by Nichols, Shorter, Coleman, Wheeler, &c.
French artists Michel Edelin (flute), Jacques Di Donato (reeds), Jean-Jacques Avenel (bass) and Simon Goubert (drums) in a melodic and creative jazz album that surprises in beautiful and unusual compositional structures.
The second album of the trio founded by drummer and composer Harris Eisenstadt with Ellery Eskelin (tenor saxophone) and Angelica Sanchez (piano) performing a set of Eisenstadt compositions referencing Joseph Conrad, Schoenberg, &c.
A mercurial and beautiful record from the trio led by tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, with pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn and bassist Michael Formaneck with a unique, introspective and lovely group sound.
A member of alto saxophonist Steve Coleman's band Five Elements, this is the debut album from a trumpeter widely admired for his ability to tackle cutting-edge musical concepts with confidence and great skill.
A set of new trio compositions from pianist Satoko Fujii with bassist Todd Nicholson and drummer/percussionist Takashi Itani, a magnificent set of compositions for the transformative season.
Paul Giallorenzo's touring band with Jeb Bishop (trombone), Mars Williams (sax), Anton Hatwich (bass) and Marc Riordan (drums), exceptional bop-based modern music from an excellent Chicago composer and pianist.
Brothers John and Robert Kidney play stripped down, guitar-based narrative songs that are occasionally accompanied by the harmonica or tenor sax, and are rooted in the blues.
A previously unreleased, excellent improvised piece with two soprano saxophones from a concert in June 1977 in Basel, Switzerland when Steve Lacy invited Joe McPhee to join him to close his set.
Six unique, abstract pieces from the electroacoustic trio of Ayelet Lerman (viola), Wade Matthews (synthesis, field recordings), and Carmel Raz (violin)
Massacre with Fred Frith, Bill Laswell and Charles Hayward in an album collecting live recordings from Frith's private archives, documenting their 1999 European tour and 2008 performances, spectacular improvised rock.
A free-wheeling debut from 8-piece mid-Atlantic supergroup formed by guitarist Edward Ricart and drummer Sam Lohman (Matta Gawa) plus Roy Cambell (trumpet), Steve Swell (trombone), Jason Ajemian (bass), Andrew Barker (drums), &c.
Six "Rex", 2 "Wrecks" and 1 "XXX" from the duo of British reedist Evan Parker and NY pianist Matthew Shipp in a double CD release, one in the studio and one live at Vortex in London, exceptional interplay from two masters.
Three open improvisations recorded in concert at Kunstencentrum Belgie Hasselt, Belgium in 2010 by sub-groups from the Electrocacoustic Ensemble, plus an extended performance by the whole ensemble.
Exceptional free improvisation by Evan Parker performing solo at St. Michael and All Angels Church in England in 2001, urgent and powerful playing using extended techniques while playing to the natural reflections in the cathedral.
With 9 drummers, bass, and guitar, "Drummer's Corpse" was written following a devastating apartment fire which consumed nearly all of Pride's possessions, recordings, and compositions.
A 2-CD set of live concert recordings from this brilliant improvising quartet headed by Dave Rempis (sax) with prominent members Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (bass), Tim Daisy (drums), and Frank Rosaly (drums).
The trio of Eric Revis on bass, Kris Davis on piano and Andrew Cyrille on drums recording in the studio in NYC, vital, introspective and sophisticated free trio work spanning generations in spontaneous compositions and one each from Monk, Jarrett, and Revis.
A 3 CD box set with a booklet and bow hair marking violinist/conceptualist Jon Rose's 60th birthday, all previously unreleased works ranging from radio documentary and radio fiction to virtuoso performances using acoustic violin and his hyperstring interactive bow system.
The debut album from the trio of Dave Rempis (sax), Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone) and Nate McBride (bass) is a rich melodic and harmonic release with tracks that vary from sparse to zestful.
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.
The trio of bassist Gary Peacock, pianist Paul Bley, and trumpeter Franz Koglmann interpret and improvise on the music of avant song-writer Annette Peacock.
The quartet of Cosottini, Melano, Pisani, Miano (EAQuartet Electroacoustic) in compositions referring to the 4 cardinal map points using graphic scores, games, open readings, &c.
Legendary trumpeter, composer and educator Bill Dixon in a 17 piece orchestra playing original compositions live at the 12th Vision Festival in New York City.
Composer/saxophonist Braxton performed "Composition NO 347 + 62'37" " at the 2011 Victo Festival with the "super-group" of Braxton alumni - Mary Halvorson, Taylor Ho Bynum, Jessica Pavone, Jay Rozen, Aaron Siegel, Carl Testa", on their respective instruments + iPods.
The trio of Chicago and New York artists - bassist Jason Roebke, drummer Tim Barnes and dancer Ayako Kato - in a film of stark yet detailed improvisations and movement.
Braxton's Diamond Curtain Wall Trio with Mary Halvorson and Taylor Ho Bynum live using laptop and interactive electronics at the 24th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville.
Electroacoustic composer and performer Anthony Pateras in a beautiful 5-CD box set documenting a broad variety of works from ensembles to solo work, an excellent overview of one of Australia's most vital composers and performers.
The music of bassist Jason Roebke and his trio of guitarist Matthew Schneider and drummer Marcus Evan is rooted in the leader's solid bass work and the tasteful and informed lyrical freedom of his sidemen, as heard in this live performace Chicago's Hungry Brain.
Pianists Fujii & Melford met in Berkley to record these masterful and challenging duo works, impressionist excursions in the water inside and out of the piano.
Multi-reedist Peter Brotzmann and drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake met in the studio in New York City, April 2010, to record this double album of fiercely intense and beautiful improvised music.
A masterful fountain of melodic ideas, intriguing rhythms, and exceptional technical skill from the duo of Hamid Drake on drums and frame drum, and Sylvain Kassap on clarinets and chalumeau, recording live at the France Musique at Studio Theatre dÕAlfortville and in the studio.
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.
The second volume of the project heard in the previous Creative Sources album, "Suspensao", here in a 9-piece electroacoust ensemble with viola, cello, doublebass, alto sax, trombone, piano, electric guitar, computer and percussion, suspenseful lowercase music that unfolds in mysterious, beautiful and rewarding ways.
Jason Kahn developed these graphic scores, commissioned by the 2012 now NOW Festival in Australia, to push these specific players into situations outside of their comfort zone, as heard in this double LP which includes copies of the score plus notes and interviews.
After studying jazz and classical music, pianist Satoko Fujii became interested in Min-Yoh, which means folk music in Japanese; this is her 2nd lovely and powerful release with her Min-Yoh Ensemble.
A collection of guitar, electronic and voice pieces from Anne-James Chaton and Andy Moor, originally released as a series of four seven inch singles here combined into a single CD with 3 bonus tracks.
The first release from the duo of Katsura Mouri and Tim Olive was recorded near Kyoto on a sweltering summer day in 2010, heard in these gritty and rich ea-improv pieces from Tim Olive on pickups and metals, and Mouri on turntables.
NY drummer Mike Pride's modern jazz work inspired by the birth of his first child, reflecting the fullness Pride finds in his life as a parent, with Jon Irabagon (sax), Alexis Marcelo (piano), Peter Bienec (bass), Jonathan Moritz (sax) and Jason Stein (bass clarinet).
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.
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!
The fourth of a collection dedicated to the French Musique Action Festival, here in a tribute to Tom Cora recorded in 1998 with Catherine Jauniaux, Phil Minton, Zeena Parkins, Christian Marclay, Otomo Yoshihide, Veryan Weston, &c. &c.
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.
A beautifully hypnotic album of saxophone, accompanied by Pan-Ney, Shruti Box and Organ, recorded in overdubs by composer/wind player Werner Durand in this 2nd chapter of his trilogy focused on the Pan-Ney, a self-built instrument for repetitive foundations, as Durand draws on elements of nature, mythology, dance, religion, literature and folklore.
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.