Thomas Bonvalet takes the banjo into unusual territory with Jean-Luc Guionnet performing on the organ at the protestant temple of Bergerac, France, in a beautifully terrifying album recorded during the MONC cultural arts centre's festival of avant-garde culture in 2010.

Jean-Luc Guionnet creates a portrayal of Lake Annecy near his home as described through its geographical location, and heard in a series of snapshot field recording compositions that describe the environment, fauna, people and civilization that abound around it.

Stepping away from the saxophone, composer/improviser Jean-Luc Guionnet presents two large compositions for the organ, each taking a single CD to explore the organ's border effects, resonances, natural saturations, all artefacts that sign the acoustic, analogic, digital, process.

The debut album of this focused and intrepid Chicago trio led by saxophonist Dave Rempis with young stalwarts Ryan Packard on percussion and electronics, and Netherlands transplant Albert Wildeman, for three extended improvisations recorded live and in the studio.

Bassist Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten is joined by key improvisers Joe McPhee (sax), Joe Morris (guitar) and Nate Wooley (trumpet) for this improvised studio recording, free improvisation with the influence of swing and blues.

Guitarist Gordon Hall in an album of instrumental journeys and vocal work, a series of independent spatial experiences with structural nuance and improvisation.

Saxophonist Halliwell appears here in three duo performances with Rhodri Davies playing E-bowed harp; Steve Roden with extracts from his "resonantlighttones"; and Mark Wastell on tam-tam.

Beautiful string work and lovely and unusual vocals from the duo of Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone, music of "stark clarity and introspection."

Presenting compositions from all three players, the NY-based trio of Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Mary Halvorson (guitar) & Matt Wilson (drums) this exceptional trio play a stripped down, rocking blend of free form improvisation.

Halvorson's quintet in a new book of music exploring close knit and dissonant harmonies for her ensemble of trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, saxophonist Jon Irabagon, bassist John Hebert & drummer Ches Smith.

Guitarist Mary Halvorson's project with Chris Speed on sax & clarinet, Eivind Opsvik on bass, and Tomas Fuijwara on drums, a band formed for a one-off concert at the Blue Note in NYC, that continued on based on the strength of the bond between them, as heard on this superb release.

Ensemble Recherche plays chamber music pieces by Polish composer Roman Haubenstock-Ramati that are dynamically explosive and allow for the free communicating of the musicians.

A series of musical "mobiles" from European composer Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, sonic transformations of the visual experiences of Alexander Calder's dynamic sculptures.

Berlin-based saxophonist Boris Hauf's sextet with Keefe Jackson (sax), Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Frank Rosaly (drums), Steve Hess (drums & electronics) and Michael Hartman (drums) in 4 extended pieces of boiling intensity.

Established players on the London and European Free Jazz scene from two generations, saxophonist Evan Parker and pianist Alexander Hawkins come together for a duo of remarkable insight, technical skill, and inventive dialog from two masterful players.

Birder started as a piece for solo tenor banjo to study of the music of Charlie Parker (Bird), an exhaustive work with Christine Duncan's trombone and theremin at the end.

Bassist John Hebert continues to explore his Louisana/Cajun roots with his trio of Benoit Delbecq on piano (plus synth & electronics) and drummer Gerald Cleaver, challenging and enigmatic improvisation with a solid rhythmic center.

Bassist Hebert's Trio with French pianist and synth player Benoit Delbecq and drummer Gerald Cleaver, expansive and spacious jazz with a beautiful spirituality.

A hybrid of theater, music, sound poetry and political manifesto from Sylvaine Helary, focused on the "Arab Spring" in Egypt, using intertwining words and voices around the quartet performances of Hugues Mayot, Sylvain Lemetre, Antonin Rayon and Sylvaine Helary.

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.

Henry Cow captured in concert between their "In Praise of Learning of Learning" and "Western Culture" releases. in concerts that featured Robert Wyatt in his last public performances.

Ranging from trio to septet, Herculaneum incorporates a chamber aesthetic into modern improvisational aesthetic with graceful expressiveness and compositional power.

The German born NYC-based trio of quarter-tone trumpeter Thomas Heberer, drummer Joe Hertenstein and bassist Pascal Niggenkemperer, bringing European perspectives to jazz with a NY flavor.

Drummer Joe Herteinstein's followup to his 1st Clean Feed HNH album from his New York trio with Pascal Niggenkemper on bass and Thomas Heberer on cornet, adding a New York attitude to European modern jazz, with oustanding playing using a mix of traditional and inventive approaches.

Nine new works from the trio of Joane Hetu (sax, voice), Diane Labrosse (sampler, voice), and Danielle Palardy Roger (percussion, voice) with a moody and haunting atmosphere.

CD reissue of the 1990 concept LP based on themes of man and machine, programming and intuition. A strange synthesis of freedom and imagination.

Saxophonist, vocalist, and composer Joane Hetu is joined by Jean Derome, Diane Labrosse, and Pierre Tanguay for a collection of songs celebrating love and life.

A specially priced box set bringing together all three CDs from Joane Hetu of music about the winter: Musique d'hiver, Nouvelle musique d'hiver and Recits de neige.

With lyrics inspired by Hindu erotic books, Arabic love games, and sensual songs; Joane Hetu presents her first CD of her own music with accompaniment from Jean Derome, Diane Labrosse, and Pierre Tanguay.

Beautiful, mysterious improvised compositions with spoken interludes, recorded live in March 2003 at the first Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques (MNM) festival.

Joane Hetu in her first solo album for alto saxophone and voice that is poetic and intimate.

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.

Saxophonist Junji Hirose met Kazuhisa Uchihashi at Foxhole in Kichijoji in 2014 and 2015, Uchihashi performing only on Hans Reichel's daxophone--wood shapes played in a variety of ways to create unusual sound--as heard on these 10 surprising and wonderfully idiosyncratic recordings.

Jim Hobbs piano-less trio in an "emboldened program of muscular angularity Ornette-ish harmolodic lullaby and punk-rock deviousness."

Canada's songwriting Hobson's Choice has developed into a tightly knit ensemble embracing elements of jazz, chamber, and singer-songwriter traditions, with sound-worlds ranging from midnight deep-woods marimba ballads to sunny cicada-sung anthems.

Freely improvised collective with an electroacoustic inclination and chamber music reserve from the quintet of Dre Hoceva (drums), Bran De Looze (piano), Lester St. Louis (cello), Chris Pitsiokos (sax) and Philip White (electronics & signal processing).

A multinational jazz trio using compositional and improvisational approaches, led by drummer Dre Hocevar, with Bram De Looze on piano, and Lester St. Louis on cello, plus NY electronics artist Sam Pluta providing signal processing on the title track.

A demanding duo from New York drummer William Hooker and Lithunian saxophonist Liudas Mockunas, performing live at the 2013 Vilnius Jazz Festival, hard-edged and rugged free music from two outstanding players.

A collosal encounter of drummer William Hooker and the late wind player Thomas Chapin performing at the 9th Street Gallery in NYC in 1992, 3 massive improvisations from the jazz underground.

"HORKESKART" acted as a conceptual & unique choir group from 2000 to 2006, based in Belgrade.

Instrumental post rock inspired by a torturous ocean journey: the sounds of hurricanes funneled through violins, guitars, drums, & effect pedals; nice squid cover!

An early album from Vancouver clarinetist Francois Houle with frequent collaborators Tony Wilson (guitar) and Dylan van der Schyff (drums & percussion), performing original compositions and a unique version of Duke Ellington's "Frustration."

Out free improvising vocalist Viviane Houle's debut solo release in duos with a veritable who's-who of Vancouver's finest improvisers including Peggy Lee, Jesse Zubot, &c. &c.

Sound sculptist and percussionist Steve Hubback met with Dutch saxophonist Ad Peijnenburg on baritone and sopranino in a release of thoughtful and mesmerizing improvisation.

A double CD by the French free improvising ensemble Hubbub recording live in 2010: CD1 in concert at Festival Muzzix, La Malterie, Lille; CD2 at Carre Bleu, Poitiers.

Improv meeting with Dutch master vocalist Jaap Blonk, turntablist Claus van Bebber and Carl Ludwig Hubsch on tuba.

For her second solo album, Charlotte Hug concentrates on solo viola without any electronics in a series of pieces inspired by a then-recent visit to London, showing her strong musical personality and original extended techniques in a solo recital unlike any other.

The Japanese trio of Hirose Junji on tenor saxophone, Innocence label founder Uchihashi Kazuhisa on guitar, and Yoshida Tatsuya on drums, initiating Magaibutsu's "Improv Session Series" with this on-fire album of controlled chaos, recorded live at Foxhole in Kichijoji.

Ernesto Rodrigues leads a 16 piece orchestra of strings, reeds, winds, voice, brass, accordion, electric guitar, electronics and percussion through the elaborately restrained work "Chelodnis Nigra", rewarding the careful listener with fascinating layers of sound.

Referencing the work of French artist and composer Yves Klein, this large group of Creative Sources regulars perform the 4 part Monochrome Bleu Sans Titre, a subtle and rich work of acoustic and electronic improvisation.

Toronto percussionist Debashis Sinha's first release as the Ima Ensemble features the vocals of Toronto world music singers Jayne Brown and Sophia Grigoriadis.

The 3rd full length from Canada's Inhabitants expands the sonic experiments of this quartet's intuitive group improvisations, mixing rich feedback with alluring lyricism.

Vancouver 4-piece with members from Fond of Tigers, Tony Wilson 6Tet, Carsick, &c, merging jazz, noise rock and free improv into music with few sonic boundaries.

The duo of Berlin clarinetists Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke (The Magic I.D.) create rich, evolving soundscapes using tones and odd interjections in unison and in dissonance, dark works of subtle beauty in unique sound oriented compositions.

Edition Rz's "Parallele" series in a spiral bound catalog and 2 CDs from the 2000 Berliner Festival Neuer Musik with compositions by Francois Donato, Tom Johnson, Christina Kubisch, Alvin Lucier, &c.

A live recording of this quartet from the Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan, improvised an29730d impressive rock from Yoshida Tatsuya (drums), Nasuno Mitsuru (bass), Kita Naoki (violin) and Murakami Naoki (guitar).

Ist - Rhodri Davies (harp), Simon H. Fell (double bass) & Mark Wastell (violoncello) - recorded this fascinating, quietly active lower case work at Total Music Meeting in Berlin 2001.

Since 1995 the string trio of Rhodri Davies, Simon H. Fell & Mark Wastell have created sparse, introspective improvisation, performing here at the Contemporaneamente festival in Lodi, Italy.

Chicago saxophonist Keefe Jacksonand Swiss pianist Hans-Peter Pfammatter in a contemplative and expressive duo album demonstrating powerful technique and subtle restraint through nine improvisations.

Recorded in Brooklyn and Paris, this quintet crosses the threshold between jazz, rock and electronic sound with a somewhat dark intent, using guitar & sitar, organs, syths, pianos, drums, bass and sounds to evoke thick and extended psychedelic environments.

Italian Transalpine reedist Piero Bittolo (El Gallo Rojo) in his oddly named trio playing freeform jazz with a groovy accent, refined technique, imagination, soul and guts.

Improvising artists Catherine Jauniaux on voice, bird call, cupule, cazoo and eRikm on turntables, electronics, live sampling, architect lamp recorded these 17 pieces for the radio show A L'improviste by Anne Montaron for France Culture Radio.

Pianist John Tilbury is captured with remarkable clarity by Sebastian Lexer as he performs works by composers Terry Jennings and John Cage (with Lexer on electronics); superb performances!

Pianist Samuel Vriezen performs Tom Johnson's work presenting what Johnson describes as a natural phenomenon within a musical scale: progressions in 1 to 5 voices of all possible combinations of notes with each voice being limited to 3 steps, a perfect 4th or a perfect 5th.

John McAlpine performs composer Tom Johnson's beautiful piano cycle "Counting Keys", using mathematical progressions to create the structure of its 5 movements; plus 8 parts from his "Organ and Silence for Piano"; and two other compositions using mathematical processes.

A compendium of compositions and improvisations from 2009-13 by undersea acoustician and audio engineer A.F. Jones, who uses stringed instruments and analog devices, hand-crafted and found, in works that emphasize structural components such as timbre, tone, or attack over form.

JC Jones on electroacoustic bass and live electronics performing duos with friends Harold Rubin, Ariel Shibolet, Maya Dunietz, Yuval Mesner, Josef Sprinzak, &c.

The free improvising trio of saxophonist Kidd Jordan, drummer Alvin Fielder, and bassist Peter Kowald performing at Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center in New Orleans in 2002, plus the duo of Jordan and Fielder in the studio in 2005 and live, 2012 in Texas.

Saxophonist Paulo Alexandre Jorge leads his Improbable Trio with Tom Wheatley on double bass and AMM/Matchless legendary percussionist Eddie Prevost in a six part album of ardent free improvisation on titles about Sex, Love, Death, Friendship, Art Beauty, Power Law, &c.

Clarinetist Theo Jorgensmann's quartet with double bassist Christian Ramond, drummer Klaus Kugel, and vibraphonist Christopher Dell recording in the studio in German, 1999.

Vancouver-based Jay Crocker, half of Bent Spoon with Chris Dadge, in an album of electronics using homebuilt instruments and treatments, rhythmically based music with effective melodies and a quirky, sometimes lo-fi, but always engaging approach.

Six dense, mysterious and abstract electronic compositions created over a decade by German sound sculpture artist and composer Rolf Julius.

Sarah June sings and plays all instruments on goth-tinged folk americana songs; for fans of the Cranes, PJ Harvey, or Joanna Newsom.

The 2nd LP from Polish multi-wind & reedist Mat Walerian, his 2nd with NY pianist Matthew Shipp, and the 2nd recorded within the live Okuden Concert Series, adding drummer Hamid Drake for an excellent album of free improvisation that flows beautifully from track to track.

Satoko Fujii's latest Junk Box with Natsuki Tamura and John Hollenbeck is an amazing jazz album of extended technique, instrumentation and expressive, dramatic ideas