The 4th of Karl Records' collaboration series brings Turkish free improvising group Konstrukt together with Japanese experimental improviser Otomo Yoshihide, recording at the Tusk Festival in 2018, Konstrukt configured as a quintet with two drummers, winds, guitar, synth and bass, Otomo adding guitar and turntables to create a dense, exultant and exotic brew of electrified improvisation.

Composer Alvin Lucier is heard in two extended works: "Vespers" (1969) using the Environ-Ears Recording System, an acoustical labyrinth and microphone assembly duplicating the localization and noise-reducing functions of the human ear; and "Chambers" (1968) exploring the relationship between our perception of the source of a sound and its relation to space.

An album of seductively exotic electronics, bass & drums through layered synthesisers, acoustic instrumentation, recited verse and field recordings from Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist Eiko Ishibashi, performed with Jim O'Rourke on double bass and Joe Talia on percussion, the work calling attention to persistent dangers, myths and evasions in Japanese culture.

Continuing her series of large works inspired by the dystopic writings of Octavia E. Butler, composer and flutist Nicole Mitchell assembles Chicago improvisers including cellist Tomeka Reid, percussionist Avreeayl Ra, trumpeter Ben LaMar Gay and interdisciplinary artist Lisa E. Harris to explore facets of Butler's Parable of the Sower.

The first meeting for the trio of Tuvan free improvising vocalist & throat singer Sainkho Namtchylak, saxophonist Ned Rothenberg and turntablist Dieb13, captured in performance at Music Unlimited 33, at Alter Schlachthof Wels, Austria in 2019 for 2 improvisations — the 40 minute "Shave and a Haircut" and the 11 minute "Two Bits" — in incredibly creative and formidable music.

Combining concerts from a number of festivals and venues between 2009 & 2017, this album presents the best of the collaboration between London free improvising vocalist Phil Minton and Austrian turntablist and experimenter Dieb13, each of them masterfully unleashed in overwhelmingly creative, outlandish, sometimes frightening/sometimes uproarious, truly unique music.

Using the traditional piano-bass-drums lineup, NY pianist Matthew Shipp's trio with Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums balance their work between beautiful lyrical interplay of melodic counterpoint and rhythmic undertow and exploratory work accentuating unique eccentricities from all three players, a great next motion from this authoritative trio.

Portugese tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado met Belgian electric & acoustic guitarist Dirk Serries for this live performance at Jazzblazzt in The Netherlands in 2018 for two extended conversations, the first set finding Serries on electric and the 2nd on acoustic, as the two push and pull each other, intertwining or finding complement in their discourse.

The second release from the trio of legendary London improvising drummer Roger Turner, Montreal trombonist Scott Thomson and guitarist Arthur Bull, aka Moniker, after their 2018 Ambiances Magnetiques album "Spine", in three improvisations about "Books", quick witted active improvisation with a carefree and bright approach to exceptionally detailed interaction.

Frequent collaborators, Canadian drummer and experimentalist Eric Hamelin joins Chris Dadge, who more typically performs as a drummer/percussionist, in a duo with Dadge on violin, as the two create wonderfully active environments of sound that follow conceptual paths embracing electroacoustic methodology through two pieces performed live in the studio.

Produced for their Spring 2018 Canadian Tour, the trio of Montreal/Cairo-based oud and guitar player Sam Shalabi, and Halifax collaborators, cellist Norm Adams and pianist Tim Crofts (both part of the suddenlyLISTEN performance series) present a live concert at St. Matthew's United Church in Halifax, brilliantly merging Arabic, compositional & free approaches.

Chicago-based guitarist Christopher Rigg, founder of the Holy Cheever Church Records, developed this set of pieces called "extinction bursts", performed with Emily David on drums and George Romaine on piano, a work he refers to as "maximalist harsh free jazz wall", using a lurching and squealing guitar figure over which David and Romaine overlay slow progressions.

Pianist Joel Futterman pays a tribute to late alto saxophonist Eric Dolphy through six Dolphy original compositions, plus one Mal Waldron track and two Futterman originals referencing Dolphy's well-known Blue Note record, "Out to Dinner" parts one & two, each track unedited with no overdubs and the album presented in the sequence in which it was recorded.

Four solo imporovisations from pianist Joel Futterman, starting with the nearly 20-minute "Blues For Ronnie" dedicated to his brother Ronald, a lyrical and soulful work that reflects traditional blues and ragtimes forms within a modern perspective, alongside 3 other rich works of the strong technical and melodic skill that define Futterman's mastery and intentions.

A meeting in the studio in 2001 between frequent collaborators, pianist Joel Futterman, also performing on curved soprano saxophone & wooden Indian flute, and Chicago tenor saxophonist Ike Levin, also on bass clarinet and Brazilian Kalimba, beautifully capturing the extraordinary conversation of strongly articulated dialog between the two improvisers; impressive!

A three-part solo improvisation recorded in the studio and presented in complete unedited first takes with no overdubs, sequenced in the order recorded, from NY-area pianist Joel Futterman, performing "The Fall" in two parts, and "Recovery", each an epic journey through rapid technical virtuosity and nimble creativity, balanced with periods of deep reflection and introspection.

An intense and flexible exploration in free jazz from the West Coast trio of pianist Joel Futterman, saxophonist and bass clarinetist Ike Levin and cellist Kash Killion, Futterman also performing on curved soprano saxophone & wooden Indian flute, and Killion on African Wooden whistle, adding world elements to an intellectually energetic album worthy of Dolphy, Rivers, &c.

Performing as part of the Blow Out Festival 2019, the UK improvising trio Shifa, meaning "healing", of Rachel Musson on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, and Mark Sanders on drums, are captured live in Oslo for four dramatic and masterful collective improvisations, passionate and building works, releasing their tension and rebuilding in powerful waves.

Performing as part of the Blow Out Festival 2019, the UK improvising trio Shifa, meaning "healing", of Rachel Musson on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, and Mark Sanders on drums, are captured live in Oslo for four dramatic and masterful collective improvisations, passionate and building works, releasing their tension and rebuilding in powerful waves.

Recorded in two studios — Saint-Petersburg, Russia and Zurich, Switzerland — capturing 5 encounters between experimental improvisers Ilia Belorukov performing on modular synthesizer, and Jason Kahn, who steps away from his electronics and drums in favor of stark vocalizing, each providing perfectly caustic responses to the other's intense and determined tactics.

A fascinating 2-CD retrospective of the solo piano and computer work from 1990 to 2016 of San Francisco Bay Area experimental composer Chris Brown, whose work focuses on evolving paradigms of human-machine interaction through live signal processing, generative polyrhythmic textures, and a cohabitation of both formal control and indeterminacy.

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.

Six works by iconic composer Ellen Fullman in a duo with David Gamper, an original member of Pauline Oliveros' Deep Listening Band — ecstatic and mesmerizing improvisations recorded in the resonant space of the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin, CA — plus 2 tracks of a duo between Ellen Fullman and Deep Listening Band founding member Stuart Dempster on trombone & didjeridu.

Guitarist/composer Guillaume Gargaud of Le Havre, France steps away from his more typical electric guitar work for an album of acoustic guitar improvisations, freely associative playing of rich harmonic and melodic development, from ostensibly meandering fragility to powerful chord work, revealing a strong and confident center through imaginative progressions that captivate his listeners.

The debut of this reconfigured Boston-area trio drawn from the Leap of Faith lineup, starting with the core duo of PEK on clarinets, saxophones, clarinets & flutes, and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice, with guest Eric Woods on synth and percussion, the trio using heavy percussion and electronics gear in a unique journey of extended freeform improvisation.

The core duet of the Leap of Faith Orchestra (LOFO) comprised of PEK on clarinets, saxophones, clarinets & flutes, and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice is joined by pianist Eric Zinman performing inside and out of the piano, and also on synthesizer, drums & percussion, for three improvisations recorded live in the studio in Cambridge, MA in 2020.

A rare and exuberant exchange of sonic discourse between Chinese and American improvisers recorded in the Yunnan Province of China at the Lijiang Studio artist residency, in a uniquely voiced quintet with Theresa Wong on cello & voice, Lao Dan on saxophone & bamboo instruments, John McCowen on clarinet & recorder, Li Xing on electric & acoustic guitars, and Deng Boyu on percussion & found objects.

Despite using traditional instrumentation, the Montreal trio of pianist Lisa Cay Miller, guitarist Vicky Mettler, and bassist Raphael Foisy-Couture avoid sounding anything but traditional, through preparations and a mischievous attitude transforming their instruments and applying them to a highly interactive and darkly optimistic set of very unique dialogs.

After having collaborated in a variety of contexts for a few years, in 2017 Jonathan Moritz, Sean Ali and Carlo Costa started to perform regularly as a trio, over time honing a distinctive sound, using space through patient development, abstraction and textural playing and central tenets in their jazz-influenced improvisations, here in their first album.

Working extensively together in recording and touring, Japanese experimental sound artist Takuji Naka and Canadian ex-pat Tim Olive living in Kobe, Japan, recorded thise seven improvisations in the studio in Kyoto, 2019, using lo-fi electronics, distressed cassette tape and self-made instruments to create a unique sound in unusual dialogs of mysterious sonic motion.

David Peck, aka PEK, took advantage of the down time from his typically busy performance schedule with the Boston-area collective of bands centered around Leap of Faith to record a number of solo performances, using a variety of reed and wind instruments and the arsenal of unusual percussive instruments at his disposal, recording the 3 full CDs of new material presented in this set.

Approaching his solo work with new compositional strategies, multi-reedist and percussionist David Peck uses time and texture as the principal organizational elements in 9 pre-mixed recordings over which PEK was allowed more flexibility and freedom in instrumental choice during performance, using a vast collection of instruments in dramatic improvisations.

Intended originally as a solo performance related to NY saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos' Relative Pitch release Speak In Tongues, Pitsiokos decided instead to expand the gig to a trio with assertive and demanding players Kevin Murray on drums & objects, and Argentinian guitarist Javier Areal VŽlez, recording this savagely fun EP in the process.

Keyboardist Annie Lewandowski (London Improvisers Orchestra, Fred Frith, Samech) composed this song cycle about ancient Greek figures in collaboration with David Yearsley, Theresa Wong and Russell Greenberg, poetic pieces contrasting traditional use of instruments with subtle experimental approaches in a unique and fascinating set of compositional strategies.

A new sub-unit of the Leap of Faith Orchestra showcases the work of David Peck (PEK) on clarinets, saxophones, and a wide array of percussive devices, in a duo with new drummer Michael Knoblach, also on an assortment of percussive devices including antique sheep shears, African circumcision rattles, dan mo, &c, for 5 unique improvisations recorded in the studio.

The songwriting team of John Zorn and Jesse Harris, who worked together on Zorn's The Song Project, wrote these beautiful melodies & lyrics that merge elements of rock and jazz for singer Petra Haden, performed in a quintet with Jesse Harris on acoustic guitar, keys & background vocals, Kenny Wollesen on drums, percussion, Julian Lage on guitar, and Jorge Roeder on bass.

Formed in the mid-2000s in the wake of the band Knead, the first new Sanhedrin album in six years sees the return of Keiji Haino on guitar, Mitsuru Nasuno on bass guitar and Tatsuya Yoshida on drums, performing live at Akihabara Club Goodman in Japan for four extended rock improvisations, dense, soulful avant-prog with feedback drenched resonance.

Referring to an improvisational style only possible after many years of collaboration, which they refer to as a "ghostly, boundary-pushing music between friends", this is the 4th sublime album from the quintet of Daniel Carter on reeds & trumpet, Patrick Holmes on clarinet, Matthew Putman on piano & keys, Hilliard Greene on bass, and Federico Ughi on drums.

Recorded over 2 days in a Chicago studio in configurations from duos to an octet, drummer Quin Kirchner provides the compositions on this double LP for 11 pieces, alongside works by Frank Foster, Phil Cohran, Sun Ra & Carla Bley, presented as a story or a journey of differing styles and forms, made cohesive by Kirchner's remarkable drumming and coherently diverse interests.

A live recording from zentri-fuge in Berlin, led by trombonist Jeb Bishop, with Milan bassist Antonio Borghini (Mike Patton's Mondo Cane) and German drummer Michael Griener (Carl-Ludwig Hübsch' Primordial Soup), in a collective set of free and energetic improvisations, five pieces that "Jounce", "Jitter", "Plumb" and "Dither" through an exciting and expressive concert.

The second release for the Chicago trio of Keefe Jackson on tenor & sopranino saxophones, Jim Baker on piano & synthesizer, and Julian Kirshner on drums, following their 2016 album The Noisy Miner, are heard in two performances a year apart at the Hungry Brain, each an extended exploration of remarkably compatible, creative and uniquely lyrical collective collaboration.av

Jessica Pavones String Ensemble with Pavone and Abby Swidler on violas, and Erica Dicker and Angela Morris on violins, are recorded live at Firehouse 12 in a set of Pavone compositions combining traditional notation and improvisation, with a focus on sustained collaborative playing and the application of ideas exploring the healing potential of sonic vibrations.

Jessica Pavones String Ensemble with Pavone and Abby Swidler on violas, and Erica Dicker and Angela Morris on violins, are recorded live at Firehouse 12 in a set of Pavone compositions combining traditional notation and improvisation, with a focus on sustained collaborative playing and the application of ideas exploring the healing potential of sonic vibrations.

Originally released in 2004 in Japan, this compilation covers songs from Soft Machine legend Robert Wyatt's solo career, from albums back to Rock Bottom through Cuckooland, sequenced non-chronologically reflecting the depth of interest, excitement & pathos of his remarkable career, one of rock's most unconventional and brilliant songwriters and singers.

Since 2014 the collective [SNDNG STTNS] has explored theatrical situations between musictheatre, staging and composition with live music, instruments, recordings, samples, speach and live editing, this work featuring cellist Guilherme Rodrigues bridges the art of the brazilian "violeros" with contemporary music, acoustic and electronic composition and improvisation.

Four trios perform selections from composer and reedist Phillip Greenlief's BARBEDWIRE - 37 Graphic Scores For Trio, featuring John Bischoff, Kyle Bruckmann, Mark Clifford, Evelyn Davis, Tim Decillis, Gabby Fluke Mogul, Jane Rigler, and Tim Perkis, each composition a unique sonic sculpture, creating a diverse set of unique recordings realized by consummate performers.

A series of improvisations recorded in an afternoon in Melbourne, Australia between bass guitarist Joseph Franklin and saxophonist Sam Gill on alto & soprano, this the debut of their duo work that since 2018 has developed a unique discourse of adept interaction from calmly precise to rapid & disciplined exchanges, connected by textural and exploratory periods.

A beautifully subtle and strange twisting of tones, timbres and strings from the duo of Ernesto Rodrigues on violin & viola and Carlos Santos on electronics, recorded live in 2018 at O'Culto da Ajuda, in Lisbon, creating mysterious environments that metamorphose between sections through string interjections, each segment creating a new, mesmerizing environment.

Four German saxophonists are heard in three sophisticated and extremely creative chamber-oriented improvisations recorded at Kulturzentrum Hufeisen: Andreas Krennerich on soprano, sopranino & baritone saxophones; Frank Paul Schubert on alto & soprano saxophones; Hartmut Osswald on tenor sax & bass clarinet; and Nils Fischer on baritone sax & contrabass clarinet.

An immersive album of solo percussion, slowly sculpted through bowed cymbals, tension across drum heads, resonance and extraneous percussive elements, from New York-based experimental percussionist, composer & improviser, each piece unfolding a meditative yet substantial story built of powerful elements, creating mysterious and often daunting soundscapes.

The concept of a spiegel, or mirror, is explored by this perceptively patient electroacoustic octet led by violist Ernesto Rodrigues, each of the 3 tracks an evolution of the first recorded improvisation, the 2nd "Spiegel" layering and reacting to the first recording, and the 3rd to the previous two, ultimately reflecting a conversation of 24 virtual musicians.

Unusual glitch and extreme electronics improvised by the duo of New York artist Dominic Cole and Chicago/NY artist Hunter Brown (Sound Tribe Sector Nine), using approaches including glitch, noise & circuit bending in 9 pieces with tongue-in-cheek titles, balancing erratic moments with exploratory sections and near silence, an interesting and enigmatic album of aberrant electronics.

Track titles are borrowed from Friederike Mayröcker for their "concentrated word acrobatics and linguistic sensuality", and apt analogy to the duo of Udo Schindler on clarinets & cornet, and Irene Kepl on violin, who are recorded live at the 95th Salon für Klang+Kunst Krailling in Munich, 2019, in a set of 9 delicately virtuosic dialogs that use extended and unusual techniques.

Acnalbasac Noom was Slapp Happy's second LP, recorded in 1973, and engineered by Kurt Grauner in Faust's legendary Wumme Studio using Faust as the Slapphappy house band; it was originally rejected by Virgin Records, who made the group re-record the album with different musicians as Casablanca Moon, though through time Acnalbasac is still the definitive and preferred edition.

Portuguese cellist Guilherme Rodrigues, an essential performer in the Creative Sources community of free improvisers, recorded this album from a personal need to share his freedom as a cellist, arriving at the studio and playing for almost two hours with nothing pre-planned, recording 23 concise improvisations that he describes as "fluid as a waterfall".

An electroacoustic octet drawn from the collaborative community surrounding Creative Sources, captured live during the Small Format Materials Festival at Galeria Monumental, in Lisbon in 2019, a subtle and substantial work of intimate tension and quietly detailed interaction, seemingly minimalistic yet dynamically a narrative evolution of sublime patience.

Seven improvisations for solo piano from Swedish composer and pianist Rasmus Borg, recording in Stockholm in a contemplative contemporary mode, as evidenced by titles like "Nocturne", "Waltz", "Toccata", &c, referencing established forms through instant compositions, a reflection of his statement that Borg likes "melody, harmony, going in circles, canons".

Three Swedish improvising musicians from different generations are heard in this set of five free jazz and non-idiomatic exchanges, recorded at the artist-run venue Fylkingen Stockholm in 2019, bringing together pianist Arne Forsen (Roscoe Mitchell, John Tchicai and Charles Tyler), drummer Andreas Axelsson (Lia Ullen) and bassist Mats Dimming (APUH!).

Perhaps referring to their "Pan"-global membership, with improvisers from Europe, Iran, Palestine and South Korea, and unusual instrumentation including the kanun and keneche, the Pan quintet recorded this album using unconventional composing methods and the integration of sound processing and extraneous interjections, a truly unique album of encompassing improvisation.

The first recording for the New York-based trio formed in 2017 by Germany/NY saxophonist Charlotte Greve, Brooklyn-based bassist Chris Trodini and drummer Vinnie Sperazza, all three composing for the band as they integrate composed structures and improvised sections with an ear towards lyrical interplay, create a diverse and optimistic first outing of buoyant jazz.