An engaging meeting recorded in the studio in New York in 1991, bringing together vocalist Ellen Christi, saxophonist & bass clarinetist Carlo Actis Dato, trombonist Masahiko Kono, bassist Enrico Fazio, drummer Fiorenzo Sordini, and text artist Michael Vecchio, blending adventurous contemporary jazz, spontaneous composition, and spoken word in a strikingly dynamic and generally lyrical session.

A dynamic collective session from a quintet — led by multi-instrumentalist David Peck with Bonnie Kane (sax, flute, electronics), John Fugarino (brass, percussion), Albey onBass (bass, drums), and Jared Seabrook (drums, gongs) — featuring a richly textured three-horn interplay over an expansive rhythmic foundation, balancing harmonic shifts and spontaneous energy with a strong sense of structure.

A dynamic collective session from a quintet — led by multi-instrumentalist David Peck with Bonnie Kane (sax, flute, electronics), John Fugarino (brass, percussion), Albey onBass (bass, drums), and Jared Seabrook (drums, gongs) — featuring a richly textured three-horn interplay over an expansive rhythmic foundation, balancing harmonic shifts and spontaneous energy with a strong sense of structure.

The affect of Carlos Santos' electronics and recordings are the foundation of this Portuguese quintet's improvisations, creating an environment over which Ernesto & Guilherme Rodrigues on viola & cello, Eduardo Chagas on trombone, and Andre Hencleeday add subtle gestures of unusual approaches to their instruments, in a mysterious album of lowercase improv.

An electrified vortex of shifting soundworlds from PEK's Simulacrum ensemble, recorded live at Evil Clown Headquarters, blending PEK's reeds and electro-acoustics with Bob Moores' space trumpet and synths, Eric Woods' analog synthesis, Robin Amos' hybrid synths, and Michael Caglianone's saxophones in an Arkestra-infused, kosmische exploration of entropy and sonic strangeness.

Cut Sleeve Corner PROMO

Four voices--Norbert Zajac, Brigitte Kupper, Gala Hummel, Iouri Grankin--sing and speak over the piano work of Russian improviser Andrei Razin in a moody and often startling album that set tonal environments or disorient the listener through constrasting layers of vocalization, as Razin darts among them or sets an atmosphere of lingering tones; often curious, frequently stunning.

Blurring the boundaries between composition, improvisation, and spoken word, percussionist Sergio Armaroli leads a quintet of Elliott Sharp, Steve Piccolo, John Edwards, and Mark Sanders in an evocative, time-bending sonic narrative, drawing inspiration from John Cage, Kenneth Patchen, and free jazz traditions in a phantasmagorical soundscape and an immersive auditory experience.

A hushed and enigmatic quintet improvisation featuring Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg's extended vocal techniques alongside Nuno Torres (alto saxophone), Ernesto Rodrigues (viola, crackle box), João Madeira (double bass), and Carlos Santos (modular synthesizer), unfolding in reductionist, pointillistic interplay that explores subtle texture, utterance, and resonance.

A cross-cultural instrumental suite uniting British and Australian musicians, featuring the resonant didgeridoo and rhythmic sticks of Paul Rider-Boon, the rich woodwinds of Susie Hodder-Williams and Chris Caldwell, atmospheric electronics and guitar from Sam Hodder, and the expressive voice of Clifton Bieundurry, spiritually merging indigenous sound with contemporary improv and electronica.

Joe Henderson, alongside Kenny Dorham and Andrew Hill, revisits the essence of the 'New Thing' in jazz with the remasters and reissues of Our Thing to In 'N Out, showcasing mastery of both conservative and adventurous impulses through a sly blend of inside and outside tactics, marked by intricate solos and dynamic group interplay that highlight the evolving soundscape of early 60s Blue Note recordings.

Inspired by Maggie Nelson's reflections on freedom, this intuitive and boundary-defying quintet — featuring saxophonists Simona Castria and Angelo Manicone, Carlo Mascolo on no-input trombone, Valerio Metteo on organismic synthesizers, and João Pedro Viegas on bass clarinet — explores collective improvisation as a form of resistance, creating a deeply expressive tapestry untethered from ego or hierarchy.

Adapting to last-minute lineup changes, this Metal Chaos Ensemble session trades its typical sextet rock-influenced edge for a more textural, electroacoustic chamber approach, as PEK, Michael Caglianone, Bob Moores, Gabe Boyarin, and Mike Gruen conjure a richly layered sonic tapestry of winds, guitars, electronics, metal percussion, and narration within their aesthetic of spacey, chaotic improvisation.

Drummer Sven-Åke Johansson leads his quintet of long-time collaborators and younger improvisers through his "Stumps" compositions in a live recording at Jazzfest Berlin in 2022, schematic works of shifting rhythmic and melodic variations that provide a vibrant foundation for spontaneous solos and ensemble interplay, showcasing Johansson's unique percussive drive and concise thematic structures.

Flute, electric harp, and drums become fierce tools of sonic exploration in the French trio Nout, whose riotous live performances blend jazz, noise, metal, and groove with fearless originality; joined by baritone saxophonist Mats Gustafsson on three tracks, the expanded quartet erupts with raw energy, wild textures, and a thrilling disregard for genre.

The only album pairing pianist Cecil Taylor and saxophonist John Coltrane, recorded in 1958 with Kenny Dorham on trumpet instead of Taylor's preferred Ted Curson, creating a tense studio dynamic that fueled extraordinary performances, reissued with two bonus tracks from 1957 and 1961 sessions featuring Archie Shepp, Roswell Rudd, Steve Lacy, Charles Davis, and Billy Higgins.

CUT CORNER PROMO

Expanding the Re-Ghoster trio of Nicolas Field on drums, Thomas Florin on piano, and Valerio Tricoli on revox and electronics with the addition of Nate Wooley on acoustic and amplified trumpet and Fritz Welch's visceral vocal work, the group explores surreal electroacoustic improvisation through dense, transdimensional soundscapes, fractured time, deranged textures, and ritualistic intensity; incredible!

A contemplative composition by Ferdinand Schwarz for the Oslo-based ensemble AREPO, Listening Time unfolds as a patient, microtonal exploration of harmonic stasis and collective structure, blending just intonation, fragile textures, and co-composed material in a deep listening experience that merges composed form with improvisational sensibility and communal artistry.

A new quintet configuration from Norwegian collective Nakama, recorded in Oslo with clarinetists Klaus Ellerhusen Holm and Andreas Røysum joining Christian Meaas Svendsen, Ayumi Tanaka, and Andreas Wildhagen in nine pieces that blend compositional structure with free improvisation, post-production treatments, and dynamic interplay across chamber-like and explosive sonic terrain.

Pianist Simon Nabatov leads three shifting ensembles through eight distinct compositions in this richly orchestrated and stylistically diverse studio recording, blending chamber elements and jazz improvisation with musicians including Angelika Niescier, Shannon Barnett, Pascal Klewer, and Roger Kintopf, as Nabatov explores contrasting textures, political undercurrents, and tonal interplay.

Originally intended as an octet, this quartet edition of Simulacrum features David Peck, Eric Dahlman, Robin Amos, and Michael Knoblach navigating a dense electroacoustic improvisation with expanded electronics, handmade instruments, and unorthodox sound objects, embracing radical lineup shifts and the spontaneous resilience of pure freeform experimentation.

A rich and spiritually resonant quintet featuring Christer Bothén, Mats Gustafsson, Goran Kajfeš, Juan Romero, and Kansan Zetterberg, drawing inspiration from Don Cherry's transcultural legacy as they weave meditative global grooves with donso n'goni, karignan, electronics, and deep improvisation into a vibrant and exploratory sonic journey.

Continuing NoBusiness' series of historic loft concerts at Sam Rivers' Studio Rivbea, alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons leads a quintet featuring bassoonist Karen Borca, bassist Hayes Burnett, and drummers Henry Letcher and Syd Smart in two electrifying 1970s performances, delivering fervent free jazz marked by intricate interplay and dynamic improvisation.

PROMO w/ CORNER CUT FRONT SLEEVE

A heartfelt tribute to Los Angeles and its resilient creative community, guitarist Karl Evangelista leads a stellar quintet with Bobby Bradford on cornet and William Roper on tuba, blending both lyrical and eclectic improvisation, deep-rooted West Coast traditions, and a spirit of resistance into an evocative and deeply personal album that honors place, legacy, and the power of collective expression.

PROMO W/ CUT SLEEVE CORNER

PROMO W/ CUT SLEEVE CORNER

A fiery and tightly woven 2004 quintet session led by alto saxophonist and composer Marco Eneidi, recorded before his move to Europe, with trumpeter Darren Johnston, guitarist John Finkbeiner, bassist Damon Smith, and drummer Vijay Anderson performing dynamic, sharply articulated compositions that balance exuberant improvisation with finely honed structure.

Inspired by Ornette Coleman's harmolodic principles, vocalist Monica Nica Agosti leads Tommaso Iacoviello (trumpet), Tobia Bondesan (alto saxophone), Francesco Sarrini (double bass), and Giuseppe Sardina (drums) in a vibrant 2021 studio session in Arezzo, italy, blending free improvisation and deep ensemble interplay into an expressive and richly textured celebration of creative music.

A powerful acoustic studio session from flutist Massimo De Mattia's Suonomadre ensemble with Zlatko Kaucic on drums & percussion, Giorgio Pacorig on piano, and Luigi Vitale on vibes, marimba & percussion, shifting from prior electronic approaches to explore urgent themes of loss and displacement through raw, unfiltered improvisation that merges expressive virtuosity with politically reflective intensity.

While NY trombonist Steve Swell and alto saxophonist Rob Brown were in Paris, flutist Michel Edelin, who has recorded and performed with Swell over more than a decade, organized this session with Paris-based American ex-pats, drummer John Betsch and bassist Peter Giron, recording three Swell compositions, two by Brown, one from Edelin and four collective improvisations; magnifique!

Performing live at SMUP, in Parede, Portugal in 2022, the bass-oriented chamber quintet of Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Bruno Parrinha on bass clarinet, Joao Madeira on double bass, Hernani Faustino on double bass and Jose Oliveira on percussion balance jazz and contemporary compositional approaches to their sophisticated and extremely detailed improvisations.

Improvising over strings, winds & percussion from the Portuguese quintet of Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Guilherme Rodrigues on cello, Joao Madeira on double bass, Bruno Parrinha on flute & bass clarinet and Monsieur Trinite on percussion, in a studio session of active, often pointillistic interaction offset with periods of introspection, reflecting concepts of Baudelaire & The Surrealists.

Recording in the Polish Radio studio, the quintet of Evan Ziporyn on clarinets, Adrien Lambinet on trombone, Mikolaj Palosz on cello, Kuba Sokolowski on piano and Kamil Szuszkiewica on trumpet improvise on the compositions "Musiquette IV op. 28" and "Lerchenmusick op. 53" by H. M. Gorecki using conceptual approaches to his scores.

Freely improvised and unusual collective improv from the quintet of Christian Meaas Svendsen (double bass), Andreas Wildhagen (drums), Ayumi Nataka (piano), Adrian Loseth Waade (violin) and Agness Hvizdalek (voice), an abstract yet energetic album with Hvizdalek's voice adding an exotic edge to extended techniques based in free jazz strategies.

An endlessly imaginative and intricately scored set of chamber works from John Zorn, performed by a virtuosic quartet of Hashimoto, Gosling, Smith, and Roeder, with electronics from Ikue Mori on one track, blending classical precision and improvisational fire in a dynamic and mischievous exploration of surrealist sound worlds.

A cross-cultural instrumental suite uniting British and Australian musicians, featuring the resonant didgeridoo and rhythmic sticks of Paul Rider-Boon, the rich woodwinds of Susie Hodder-Williams and Chris Caldwell, atmospheric electronics and guitar from Sam Hodder, and the expressive voice of Clifton Bieundurry, spiritually merging indigenous sound with contemporary improv and electronica.

A joyful and unpredictable meeting of Japanese quartet Kaze — pianist Satoko Fujii, trumpeters Natsuki Tamura and Christian Pruvost, and drummer Peter Orins — with avant-rock icon Koichi Makigami, recorded live in Lille in a kaleidoscopic blend of free improv, surreal humor, textural exploration, and exuberant interplay that celebrates spontaneity and sonic invention.

An expressive and unyielding ensemble led by pianist-composer Nicola Guazzaloca, with Edoardo Marraffa, Filippo Orefice, Luca Bernard, and Andrea Grillini joined by three bold guests, delivering cathartic and uncompromising modern jazz that balances melodic immediacy and incendiary improvisation in a fiercely dynamic and cohesive performance.

An historic document of Chicago's Extraordinary Popular Delusions in their final quintet performance with the late Mars Williams, recorded live in August 2023 at Elastic Arts Foundation, capturing Williams' fiery, life-affirming playing alongside Edward Wilkerson Jr. (tenor sax0, Jim Baker (piano & kesy), Brian Sandstrom (bass), and Steve Hunt (drums) in a two-set suite of fearless improvisation.

Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman joins Nate Wooley (trumpet), Matt Moran (vibes), Mark Helias (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums) in a tempered yet highly active quintet that nods to the blues, moving through free, melody-rich dialog; vibes replace piano to color the space as the group shifts from playful exchanges to surging peaks, their seemingly telepathic interplay balancing warmth and power.

Inspired by Maggie Nelson's reflections on freedom, this intuitive and boundary-defying quintet — featuring saxophonists Simona Castria and Angelo Manicone, Carlo Mascolo on no-input trombone, Valerio Metteo on organismic synthesizers, and João Pedro Viegas on bass clarinet — explores collective improvisation as a form of resistance, creating a deeply expressive tapestry untethered from ego or hierarchy.

Composed in 2020 during the first months of the pandemic and recorded at Oktaven by Ryan Streber, this striking work for strings expands the JACK Quartet with violist Yura Lee and cellist Michael Nicolas, delivering two masterful pieces of dramatic tension, mercurial movement, and virtuosic beauty that stand among Zorn's most compelling contributions to modern chamber music.

With longtime collaborators Jason Lindner, Ben Monder, Tim Lefebvre, Zach Danziger, Nate Wood, Ryan Dahle, and Jonathan Maron, visionary saxophonist Donny McCaslin channels the raw intensity of improvised jams into a cinematic, high-energy sound world, blending jazz with rock, electronica, and soulful urgency, a fierce and timeless statement.

Led by alto saxophonist Jorrit Dijkstra, BLINK embraces collective improvisation over solo display, blending microtonal tuning, layered rhythmic cycles, and ensemble interplay inspired by insect swarms, African High Life, and minimalist rock, resulting in an inventive, off-balance sound that thrives on tension, texture, and spontaneous cohesion.

Blurring the line between sound and action, English composer James Saunders' composition transforms 100 pages of performance instructions to tear, score, press, and write on paper, creating a tactile soundscape where performers Conor Bourgal, Lindsay Goss, Ryan Seward, and Andrew Weathers weave rustle, rhythm, and resonance into a fragile equilibrium between the mundane and collective sound art.

Blending incisive lyricism with modern chamber-jazz intensity, vocalist Laura Ann Singh leads a quintet with Scott Clark, Adam Hopkins, John Lilley, and Bob Miller through richly composed pieces that move from fragile introspection to assertive rhythmic drive, intertwining trumpet and saxophone lines with atmospheric bass and percussion in a deeply emotive, genre-fluid statement.

With longtime collaborators Jason Lindner, Ben Monder, Tim Lefebvre, Zach Danziger, Nate Wood, Ryan Dahle, and Jonathan Maron, visionary saxophonist Donny McCaslin channels the raw intensity of improvised jams into a cinematic, high-energy sound world, blending jazz with rock, electronica, and soulful urgency, a fierce and timeless statement.

Featuring David Peck, John Fugarino, Bob Moores, Eric Woods, and Mike Gruen, this edition of Metal Chaos Ensemble merges horns, electronics, and metallic percussion in a dense improvisational landscape where shifting textures, resonant drones, and abstract rhythmic interplay create an evolving sound world of raw intensity, shimmering atmosphere, and inventive sonic dialogue.

Rugged, experimental and avant jazz in the debut album from the SSWAN group of Patrick Shiroishi on saxophones, Chris Williams on trumpet, Jessica Ackerley on electric guitar, Luke Stewart on bass and Jason Nazary on drums, the group focused first on sound and velocity rather than pitch and harmonic information as they carve out a unique space between free jazz and free improv.

Rugged, experimental and avant jazz in the debut album from the SSWAN group of Patrick Shiroishi on saxophones, Chris Williams on trumpet, Jessica Ackerley on electric guitar, Luke Stewart on bass and Jason Nazary on drums, the group focused first on sound and velocity rather than pitch and harmonic information as they carve out a unique space between free jazz and free improv.

Long time collaborators, Italian saxophonist Daniele Cavallanti and drummer Tiziano Tononi, travelled to NYC to record with friends new and old, the results of which are this dynamic free jazz album recorded with Steve Swell (trombone), Herb Robertson (cornet) and Joe Fonda (bass).

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.

Longtime collaborators Daniel Carter, Patrick Holmes, Matthew Putman, Hilliard Greene, and Federico Ughi deepen their singular "telepathic" language in extended, impressionistic improvisations that merge chamber-like clarity, eerie lyricism, and freely shifting rhythms, creating one of the ensemble's darkest and most atmospheric explorations to date.

A quintet configuration of New Old Luten, the core of Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky on sax, clarinet and Romanian shepherd's flute and Christian Lillinger on drums & percussion, with Elan Pauer on piano & little instruments, and both John Edwards & Robert Landerfmann on double bass, performing the first set of a 2015 evening at naTo/ in Leipzig, Germany.

Drawing on a cross-continental journey of change and discovery, drummer and composer Jacobo Vega-Albela debuts with an expressive set of trio, quartet, and quintet pieces blending contemporary jazz with post-bop, rock, Latin, and modern classical influences, offering a vivid and deeply personal statement shaped by close collaborators and heartfelt narrative drive.

Expanding their language through dense composition and open improvisation, this iteration of Peter Evans's ensemble moves fluidly between explosive dynamics, electronic textures, orchestral color, and rhythmic propulsion, as brass, vibes, synths, and percussion interlock in a restless, polyphonic music driven by play, risk, and a continually evolving collective imagination.

Recorded live in Berlin by Bryan Eubanks, Ernesto Rodrigues, Guilherme Rodrigues, Jung-Jae Kim, Eric Bauer, and Stephen Flinn shape six long-form improvisations from bowed grain, air tones, faint circuitry, and brushed resonance, letting micro-events and room sound accumulate into a patient, quietly luminous architecture of texture and space.

Emerging from Ernesto Rodrigues' post-Cage investigations, this quintet with Jung-Jae Kim, Guilherme Rodrigues, Eric Bauer, and Stephen Flinn shapes sparse, deeply relational music where strings, winds, electronics, and percussion hover in spectral balance, forming a quiet "ghost dance" of held tones and subtle motion that blurs interior and exterior spaces while sculpting time through restraint and resonance.

Multi-reedist Vinny Golia playing ethnic woodwinds including danso, kaval, moxeneo, marori bone flute, &c. in a series of duets with Barre Phillips, Joelle Leandre, Bert Turetzky, and Lisa Mezzacappa.

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