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Baritone saxophonist Josh Sinton continues his deep engagement with Steve Lacy's saxophone etudes in this 2-CD release, presenting fifteen spontaneous solo improvisations on Couloir, alongside a meticulous yet personal interpretation of Lacy's Book of Practitioners Vol. 2 "W", a suite of six structured études that explore sonic character through repetition, variation, and improvisation.

Captured live in Austria during their 2022 tour, the ferocious trio of Yong Yandsen on tenor sax, Christian Meaas Svendsen on double bass, voice, and shakuhachi, and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums conjure a visceral yet nuanced ritual of free improvisation, fusing Buddhist themes and extended technique into a raw, dynamic, and spiritually charged performance.

"Beauty No Beauty is the debut of Andreas Wildhagen's Spiralis quartet. The lineup features Kasper Vaernes on alto and soprano saxophones, Anja Lauvdal on piano and synth, Adrian Myhr on bass and Andreas Wildhagen on drums and compositi...

rilled to present ükya, the first band ever on our label which does not feature any member from Nakama! Ah, how we delight in the smell, taste and - not least - sounds of fresh blood! Jokes aside - we still consider them family, as two...

"Body of Sound, Body of Music is Norwegian bass player Christian Meaas Svendsen's second solo bass album. The entirety of the recording is based around a framework which Christian calls bass, body, bows: An ongoing introspection in how h...

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"Sacrum Profanum is the follow-up to Akmee's first album Neptun (2018), and releaseas as CD, LP and digital download. All members of the band contributed with compositions for this recording session which was done in Toyen Kirke, a chur...

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THOUGHTS OF THE DEAD

here the sapless leaves falling on the lawn. here the rising wind whining in the valley. here the aimless swallows brushing the sleeping waters with the tip of their wings. here the child gathering dead br...

"The essence of conviviality. You take a punch, soft as a sock at the end of a jog, but that isn't the real point here. Even poorly brewed fuel can become a cherished experience when shared in good company, highlighting that at its core...

"Setting the stage for The Zebra Paradox requires building anticipation and intrigue on the inside of the listener before they even hear the first notes. To accomplish this an imagined transference of information must bloom like a deep ...

The legendary Painkiller trio of John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris reunites to deliver two expansive tracks that blend heavy metal intensity with ambient textures and brooding lyricism, a significant evolution in the trio's sonic journey as they create two haunting tapestries inspired by Arthur Machen's gothic novella The Great God Pan.

Expanding the boundaries of the Turbulence aesthetic in a quintet blending wind instruments, electronics, and percussion, with longtime collaborators and new roster member Faruq Hassan introducing a dynamic drum 'n bass vibe via the SP404 MK2, using David Peck's Broad Palette Improvisation concept to unite horns, electronics, and auxiliary instruments.

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Expanding their intuitive interplay, the Marc Copland Quartet — featuring Robin Verheyen, Drew Gress, and Mark Ferber — explores harmonic depth and rhythmic layering through a dynamic set blending originals with reinterpretations of Monk and Kern, weaving lyrical free ballads, intricate compositions, and rich improvisational dialogs with great spontaneity, cohesion, and warmth.

Guy Segers (Univers Zero) in his 5th expansive EMBand project, assembling an ensemble of progressive and avant-garde musicians in ever-shifting configurations, for an album that evolves from introspective and textural atmospheres to dynamic and complex sonic landscapes, incorporating voices, poetry, and intricate instrumental interplay; a compelling example of Europe's progressive music scene.

A masterful solo piano performance from Marc Copland, recorded live in Lausanne as he duets with his own pre-recorded tracks, layering delicate yet harmonically rich improvisations in a deeply personal and intimate exploration of sound, blending standards by Monk, Coltrane, and Rodgers with originals, creating an introspective interplay that highlights his lyrical depth.

Bridging past and future, this 17th album from The Flying Luttenbachers is a punishing collection of modernist brutality, largely developed by Weasel Walter alone, yet culminating in a ferocious trio performance with Luke Polipnick and Charlie Werber captured in Chicago and NY; dense with asymmetrical riffs, death metal complexity, and avant-garde adaptations; savage!

A deeply expressive trio session recorded in New Jersey in 2024, where Robin Verheyen's fluid and lyrical saxophone lines intertwine with Drew Gress' subtle yet solid bass work and Billy Hart's masterfully restrained drumming, shaping an intimate and spacious album of striking original compositions along with a rendition a Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg piece and one from Marc Copland.

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"Two wind players from Belgium who have been involved in free improvisation for many years: Jean-Jacques Duerinckx on sopranino and baritone saxophones and Jacques Foschia on bass, E-flat and high B-flat clarinets, often met in joint co...

"When everything was ready the trio played four tracks in a row, all in one breath" recalls Veschi. There was no need to record many takes for each piece. Everything went for the best. The trio played for pieces that Rivers baptized wit...

"Starting the month again with an album from Ernesto Rodrigues, Genius Loci - recorded in Lisbon just this past March - continues his post-Cage explorations, now involving a quintet featuring (instead of Carlos Santos, per recent entries......

Happening to continue with the next release pairing Ernesto Rodrigues and Carlos Santos, A Glimpse to an end of a Cycle - recorded in Lisbon this January, so the first actual 2025 recording featured here - involves a similar sort of "op...

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"An unusual encounter, on October 20th, 2024, in Hanover: Andreas Gogol from Berlin with electric guitar, electronics, and vocals, his NaabtalDeath buddy as a zither torturer, and Guilherme R. on cello. Ernesto, his father, traveled ...

An electrifying and richly textured electroacoustic quartet of NY improvisers — Patrick Brennan on alto saxophone, Cooper-Moore on diddley-bo, On Ka'a Davis on electric guitar, and Jason Kao Hwang on electric violin — weaving active improvisations where timbre, pitch, and rhythm share equal weight, as KnCurrent channels dynamic musical interaction into a polyglot, collective voice.

A live trio improvisation from violist Ernesto Rodrigues, tenor saxophonist Jung-Jae Kim, and bassist Alvaro Rosso, recorded at Lisbon's CreativeFest#18 at Casa do Comum, in Lisbon, unfolding as a 28-minute journey from hushed, lowercase textures to dynamic, scrabbly interplay, emphasizing timbral nuance and collective exploration in an intimate acoustic setting.

The Cologne-based free improvising trio Der Vierte Zustand — vocalist Hanna Schörken, guitarist Christina Zurhausen, and drummer Ramon Keck — om a compelling blend of experimental soundscapes, noise rock influences, and free jazz energy, driven by Schörken's acrobatic wordless vocals, Zurhausen's effects-laden guitar textures, and Keck's dynamic rhythms.

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A vital and inventive meeting between NY guitarist Elliott Sharp and Chicago guitarist Scott Fields, two visionary electric guitarists whose longstanding collaboration finds them weaving complex textures, sharp counterpoint, and dynamic interplay into a seamless blend of free improvisation, experimental composition, and nuanced sonic dialogue.

A first-time meeting in the studio for alto saxophonists Tim Berne and Masayo Koketsu with percussionist Nava Dunkelman, captured in a dynamic session of collective free improvisation where contrasting approaches — Berne's grounded tone, Koketsu's extended techniques, and Dunkelman's textural percussion — intertwine with clarity and spontaneous expression.

A solo saxophone album from legendary free improviser Paul Flaherty, recorded at Pete's Basement Studio in Massachusetts in 2021, presenting a deeply personal and expressive journey through alto and tenor saxophone explorations that juxtapose raw turbulence and lyrical beauty, continuing Flaherty's legacy of shaping sound into emotionally resonant sonic narratives

"Vents is seemingly a musical wind trio - humans playing with flutes, airdrums, bubbles... Although, in each set-up, material has its own vitality.

Jim's lungs and lips cut air across edges, generating tones - primordial fluti...

An uncompromising and electrifying studio set from father-daughter duo Don and Camille Dietrich, whose ferocious blend of distorted tenor saxophone and overdriven cello pushes sonic boundaries through four intense improvisations, merging free jazz, noise, and amplified effects into a blistering, high-voltage assault of raw energy and experimental fire.

"Here, the obstinate metamorphoses of the keyboard call forth the monstrous organicity of the glowing steel in the instrument's belly. Despite the modernity of its very conception, the work reveals itself like a private photo album, a ...

"An instrument constellation that holds infinite potential for sonic clashes and explorations, Bloomers explore the aesthetics of chamber music in a condensed, improvised and naked expression, within vast worlds of harmonies and sounds....

Recorded live in Genoa in 2022, the energetic and exploratory, rock-oriented duo of bassist Tommaso Rolando (Torto Editions) and guitarist Andy Moor (The Ex) captures an improvisational dialog shaped by alternate tunings, intent listening, and kinetic spontaneity, as the two seasoned performers bridge punk-rooted experimentation with richly resonant acoustic interplay.

"Metal Chaos Ensemble was formed in early 2015 by PEK and Yuri Zbitnov as a working project to explore chaotic rhythms on metallic instruments. I had started to amass the Evil Clown Arsenal of percussion, electronic and wind instruments and...

"Leap of Faith is 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. The ensemble is based in Boston and dates back to...

"Leap of Faith is 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. The ensemble is based in Boston and dates back to...

Spanning 14 compact improvisations drawn from nine shifting ensembles within the modular Evil Clown collective, this volume distills the creativity of PEK's longform sessions into concise sonic snapshots — each "Shortie" capturing a distinct moment from the various ensembles as a focused sampler of the label's wide-ranging free improvisation ethos.

"As is often the case as a new ensemble develops over time, the original scope of intent is deepened and broadened. An Evil Clown session that is assigned to Expanse really is a set with Michael and me and others where it is not Leap of...

An octet of seasoned Evil Clown improvisers — led by multi-instrumentalist PEK — delivers a sprawling, electrified 70-minute session of free jazz intensity and ceaseless sonic transformation, with constant instrumental shifts and a broad palette of horns, percussion, electronics, and found objects creating a dynamic series of vividly contrasting textural episodes.

"Leap of Faith is the core duet of the Leap of Faith Orchestra (LOFO) comprised of PEK on clarinets, saxophones, clarinets and flutes, and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic and voice. The ensemble is based in Boston and dates back to the...

A transitional yet quintessential Metal Chaos Ensemble set, this septet blends horns, Chapman Stick, electronics, guitar, drums, and an arsenal of metallic percussion with spoken word, creating dense free improvisation that balances spacey electronics, chaotic interplay, and shifting sonic textures within the group's evolving aesthetic.

"In May of 2021, I opened Evil Clown Headquarters to other fully vaccinated musicians, and the first session of the new age was scheduled for the second set of the Expanse sound world. Michael and I both enjoyed the auspicious first set rig...

An expansive octet of seasoned improvisers from the Evil Clown collective — including PEK (David Peck), Glynis Lomon, Michael Caglianone, and Albey onBass — navigate pure improvisation through a sprawling live session of rich, shifting textures, contrasts, and unexpected sonic juxtapositions, ranging from subtle ea-improv to full-out ensemble peaks across a transforming soundscape.

"Every once in a while, a new ensemble gets started at Evil Clown. Sometimes the new unit has a particular aesthetic problem and an appropriate band name assigned defined in advance. For example, Metal Chaos Ensemble started as a duet b...

"Objections to Realism is the third Evil Clown session in a row to be credited to Turbulence. The previous session from a week ago, Golden Ratio, was originally going to be Leap of Faith which is the original Evil Clown band featuring c...

"I formed Turbulence in 2015 as I started to assemble players for the Leap of Faith Orchestra. Turbulence, the extended horn section for the Orchestra (along with guests on other instruments), also records and performs as an independent...

"Simulacrum is an offshoot of Metal Chaos Ensemble that was conceived just prior to the Virus shutting things down. The ensemble has generally featured 3 core members PEK on all my stuff, Eric Woods on analog synth, and Bob Moores on sp...

An electrified offshoot of Evil Clown's improvisational collective, this powerful quartet featuring PEK, Jonathan LaMaster, Robin Amos, and Michael Knoblach channels the post-rock energy of Boston's Cul de Sac through spontaneous electroacoustic interplay, melding elaborate electronics, extended strings, and an arsenal of percussive and wind instruments into a rich, groove-laced and sonically expansive performance.

A compact yet sonically expansive set from the Boston-based Evil Clown collective, featuring PEK, Glynis Lomon, John Fugarino, and Michael Knoblach in a highly textural electroacoustic improvisation, blending a massive arsenal of traditional, extended, and invented instruments into a dense, spontaneous tapestry that embodies the group's signature broad-palette aesthetic.

A massive 22-member improvising ensemble, the Turbulence Orchestra and Sub-Units are heard live in Vermont, with five dynamic sub-unit performances and a full-orchestra hour-long guided improvisation, blending structured conduction, graphic notation techniques, and a chaotic palette of woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion and even rubber chickens in an intense and unpredictable sonic experience.

The Perturbations ensemble — featuring PEK, Michael Caglianone, John Fugarino, and Joel Simches — delivers a dense, sometimes unhinged and exploratory session of free improv, where layered reeds, brass, electroacoustic textures, and a vast arsenal of unconventional instruments evolve through continuous transformation, shaped in real time by Simches' dynamic electronic processing.

A drummerless quartet of woodwinds, brass, strings, and electronics from the Evil Clown collective core ensemble Leap of Faith, navigating expansive free improvisations, shifting through dense and dynamic sonic transformations with a broad instrumental palette that emphasizes suspended textures, chamber-like interplay, and moments of controlled chaos.

A stunning second album from Swedish bassist and composer Vilhelm Bromander's Unfolding Orchestra, expanding on his acclaimed debut with richly textured, spiritually resonant compositions inspired by political urgency and environmental reflection, featuring a 13-piece ensemble delivering lush orchestrations, patient development, and profound, hopeful expression.

The first duo album from Stockholm's long-standing duo of Johan Jutterström and Alex Zethson, reimagining songs from jazz standards to Leonard Cohen and the Pet Shop Boys as deconstructed etudes and expressive palimpsests, where meaning emerges through reinterpretation, erasure, and the intimate process of performance and transformation.

A deeply intuitive trio session from Swedish bass clarinetist Christer Bothen with bassist Kansan Zetterberg (aka Torbjourn Zetterberg) and vibraphonist/drummer Kjell Nordeson, balancing lyrically meditative spaciousness with surging energy through dreamlike, open-ended improvisations that reflect Bothen's lifelong pursuit of spiritual expression in sound.

Pianist Alexander Zethson (Vathres, Fire! Orchestra, Angles) and cellist Nikos Veliotis (MMMD, In Trance 95) present two expansive, darkly immersive improvisations that drift through glacial landscapes of resonant, slowly shifting textures and austere tonal drones, sculpting elemental sound environments of profound stillness and contemplation through deep-listening and hypnotic intensity.

In a vibrant fusion of spontaneous themes and collective improvisation, Jean-Jacques Birgé leads a 17-member ensemble through dynamic performances recorded at Studio GRRR and live during APÉRO LABO sessions, blending diverse instrumentation and real-time composition to create an album of unpredictable auditory journeys.

Commissioned by Geneva's Museum of Ethnography, Jean-Jacques Birgé crafts a richly imaginative sonic fiction using field recordings, archival folk material, and electroacoustic composition, with a remarkable ensemble including Nicolas Chedmail, Antonin-Tri Hoang, Jean-François Vrod, Sylvain Lemêtre, and Else Birgé, evoking a post-human journey through reinvention and memory.

A song-oriented, genre-blurring album from the French quartet Poudingue (Pudding), drawing from the spirit of Rock in Opposition with richly layered arrangements, experimental textures, and playful lyricism, as multi-instrumentalist Nicolas Chedmail, guitarist Frédéric Mainçon, synthesist Jean-Jacques Birgé, and drummer Benjamin Sanz fuse improvisation and composition into an irreverent and inventive set.

Following their 2022 album Fictions, French saxophonist Lionel Martin and multi-instrumentalist Jean-Jacques Birgé reunite with actor Denis Lavant for a second collaboration, captured in a spontaneous two-disc session of spoken word and electroacoustic improvisation, as Lavant delivers chosen texts with surreal intensity amid vividly shifting soundscapes.

The ninth volume from Phil Zampino's long-running project CHANGES TO blind is his first concept album, an examination of a life, its value, and its curiosity in sound. Developed from recent recordings and performance projects, the album...

A powerful large-ensemble improvisation drawing on the metallic percussion roots of early Metal Chaos Ensemble, this edition of Expanse features Evil Clown regulars alongside Berklee percussionists — including rising drummer Andy Korajczyk and instrument inventor Ken Lovelett — in a resonant, textural work of shimmering sonorities and kinetic interplay, recorded live with real-time signal processing.

An inspired session of spontaneously lyrical collective interplay from drummer Steve Hirsh with pianist Eri Yamamoto and bassist William Parker (also performing on gimbri), recorded in a single afternoon at Brooklyn's Park West Studios, presenting four fully improvised pieces that balance nuance, empathy, and depth with free yet cohesive expression.

An intricate electro-acoustic exploration from David Peck's Simulacrum sextet — featuring expansive horn and reed textures, a robust three-member electronics section, and eclectic percussion — in a sonically adventurous live session at Evil Clown Headquarters, resulting in vibrant improvisations blending organic timbres with dynamic electronic atmospheres.

In a spontaneously assembled 2009 session at Zürich's DRS studio, trumpeter Russ Johnson, bassist Christian Weber, and drummer Dieter Ulrich sculpt a dynamic and intuitive trio performance, threading balladic lyricism with abstract tension in a deft interplay of trust, fragility, and risk that transforms improvisation into captivating and timeless art.

Reuniting for two powerful studio sessions recorded in 2011 and 2013, tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Gerald Cleaver form Trio New York, navigating an intuitive path between free improvisation and jazz standards with soulful depth, rich allusions, and a shared language that reimagines the classic organ trio.