AMM percussionist Eddie Prevost playing all bowed sources in a subtle and ringing duet of bowing approaches with violinist Jennifer Allum of the London Post Quartet.

Members of Eddie Prevost's weekly improvisation workshops, violinist Jennifer Allum and cellist Ute Kanngiesser, recorded these 3 improvisations, running the gamut from spacious harmonics to vigorously weaving dialog, in 3 rooms of St Augustine's Bell Tower in London.

This duet between cellist Altenburger and guitarist Russell was recorded at the Musique en Mouvement Festival Theatre du Jarnisy in 2008, an intense and intricate dialog of great dynamics.

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.

Sardinian guitarist Paolo Angeli teams up with After Dinner/Volapuk violinist and singer Takumi Fukushima for a complex, unusual, and wonderfully embraceable work recorded live in Bologna.

ap'strophe began working together in 2006 in search of a common sonoric space, which they found in the investigation of distinctive timbres between acoustic guitar and zither.

The debut album from the NY based Baloni trio, blending chamber techniques with a unique approach to improvisation, as performed by bassist Pascal Niggenkemper, violist Frantz Loriot, and multi-reedist Joachim Badenhorst.

The London based improvising string trio Barrel of Alison Blunt on violin, Ivor Kallin on violin & viola, and Hannah Marshall on cello, all members of London Improvisers Orchestra and performers at the 2007 Freedom of the City.

Two instruments - Bertoncini on violin; Lehn on analogue synth - with totally different histories come together and look for a connection across two great sets from 2006 & 2010.

This duo arose from the meeting between two violists avid to confront with their instrumental double to create a common sound universe from the same instrument played by two different personalities.

Theo Ceccarelli expands his string trio from their Ayler debut album, "Carrousel", adding bassist and free vocalist Joelle Leandre to the group, yielding a new dimension to their rapidly expanding repertoire of rich, interactive improvisation.

A set of playful, upbeat duos from West Coast-born bassist Greg Cohen and NY guitarist Bill Frisell, celebrating Cohen's home state of California in 6 originals and 3 California covers.

Composer Jason Eckardt presents "Subject", a work that confronts "enhanced interrogation" techniques using sound and light, plus other works including a 6 part piece about glossolalia ("Tongues"), performed by JACK, ICE, and the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble.

Virtuoso double bassist John Eckhardt in eight performances of polyphonic and other-worldly explorations showing the instrument's breadth of sonic potential.

UK European free improv in-demand double bassist John Edwards in what is surprisingly his first solo album, recorded by John Wall at his Utterspalm studio.

Guitarist Sandy Ewen and double bassist Damon Smith recorded these 2 extended improvsations in concert as part a "Desbordamientos" series at Cine Tonala, in Mexico City, pairing live music with screenings of Derek Bailey's 4-part series on improvisation.

The 2nd volume of "Music for Piano and Strings" by Morton Feldman is performed by The Smith Quartet with John Tilbury, presenting "Patterns In a Chromatic Field", and "Piano, violin, Viola, Cello", on DVD audio to allow for the length of these large works.

Double bassist Alexander Frangenheim, peer to Phil Durrant, Evan Parker, Phil Wachsman, Thomas Lehn, Roger Turner, &c., in a 17 part solo work of gripping and exhilarating playing.

"Zwirn" means "twine" in German, an apt description of the interweaving sound that double bassists Daniel Studer and Peter Frey play together, in 7 freely improvised works of unusual technique and new musical structures.

Cellist Erik Friedlander provides the 8th in this series of interpretations of the Masada songbook, a lovely and technically remarkable set of music.

A hybrid acoustic tape piece of solo violin on four track tape, and a work for four violins, composed in 1974 by Harley Gaber, delicate pieces that he considered complements to his large work "The Winds Rise in the North".

Composer Harley Gaber wrote this piece for strings as an emotional examination of the questions posed by Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu, here performed by a quintet including violinist Malcolm Goldstein.

Extraordinary reed player Gjerstad on alto sax and clarinet in a quartet with two cellos (Fred Lonberg-Holm & Amit Sen) and all around drummer Paal Nielsen-Love.

Astute improvisations using extended language from the duo of Thomas Heberer (ICP) on cornet and Pascal Niggenkemper on double bass, two European free improvisers based in New York and pushing the limits of the improvised duo in accessible ways.

Captivating improvisational journeys with drummer and percussionist Gerry Hemingway and Jin Hi Kim performing on the Korean komungo black zither .

Violist and vocalist Charlotte Hug met Fred Lonberg-Holm in Zurich, 2009 to make these concert recordings, a duo taking stringed instruments into unique and irrepressible territory.

Using extended techniques on viola and piano, Charlotte Hug and Frederic Blondy draw the listener into unusual and encompassing sound worlds that feel electronic, yet are created through acoustic improvisation.

An intensely personal journey, Charlotte Hug uses extended vocal techniques and an unusual language on the viola, creating an exceptional and unique improvisatory sound world.

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.

A studio project from the elusive violinist Eyvind Kang, featuring many of his musical associates as well as several orchestral ensembles from around the world.

Detroit creative improvisers Christopher Riggs on guitar and Mike Khoury on violin in six studio tracks demonstrating unique approaches to their respective instruments.

Detroit area improviser Mike Khoury in live solo recordings from various radio broadcasts in Maine, Illinois, and DC, ribbons of lyrical, stream-of-consciousness violin playing.

Two compositions by the young Austrian composer/organist Klaus Lang, who currently lives in Berlin, Germany.

The Canadian duo of reedist Philippe Lauzier and bassist Eric Normand freely improvise in sound environments that are both introspective and precarious, using subtle and aberrant approaches to playing that evoke unusual aspects of their instruments in oddly refined dialog.

Two strings take 6 journeys at the International Society for Improvised Music, as bassist Joelle Leandre met violinist India Cooke for their 2nd recorded duo after their 2005 Red Toucan release.

The string duo Bobun celebrates ten years of creative collaboration with this six piece suite, a studio recording of diverse improvisations that runs the gamut from lowercase minimalism to dense and technically exuberant interaction.

Surprisingly the first solo album from bassist Marcio Mattos, an important member of the London free improv and jazz scenes since the 70's, here presenting recordings from late 90s and 2000's, and a live recording at St. Mary's Old Church in Stoke Newington, 2010.

Serbian string player and band leader Szilard Mezei in an impressive solo performance of three works - Heat; Snow; and Chrom - performed on viola and double bass.

The unusual cello duo format is explored by Mitzlaff and Mira in these experimental contemporary improvisations using acoustics and techniques mimicking live electronics to create a uniquely informed music.

Ever-active bassist Pascal Niggenkemper in his first solo album of riveting and intriguing double bass work, from aggressive to contemplative and immersive improvisations using work using bass preparations to transform the instrument and make us rethink its potential.

A beautiful and evocative song cycle that meditates on themes of destruction and rebuilding, migration, falsities and undeniable truths performed with the Toomai String Quartet, and Mary Halvorson, Tomas Fujiwara and Emily Manzo.

The Bozzini string quartet working with the melodic and unique universe of Toronto-based composer and performer Martin Arnold, whose roots are in the music of avant and improvisational work.

Premiered by the Bozzini Quartet at Berlin's Ballhaus Naunynstrasze, this haunting work was composed for temporal and architechtural space using unusual tuning systems producing natural harmonics.

Horatiu Radulescu's String Quartet No 4, opus 33 (1976-87) performed by the Arditti String Quartett at IRCAM/Centre Pompidou Paris in 1996.

Portugese harpist Eduardo Raon uses harp, daxophone, electronics, voice & percussion to create dramatic music that applies his classical training to improvisational methods, using real-time electronic processing to create encompassing yet intricate and unusual sonic environments.

Composer/performer/instrument builder Elliott Sharp's 2nd in a series of complete string quartets, inventive works blending computer science, fractals, improvisation and mathematics.

Philipp Wachsmann, Charlotte Hug, Marcio Mattos & John Edwards performing live at the Uncool Festival in Switzerland, 2007, and in studio recordings from 2006.

Pianist Aki Takase's Planet Quartet ensemble with clarinetist Louis Sclavis, Dominique Pifarely on violin and Vincent Courtois on cello, a beautiful blend of improvisation and composed work that plays with time, space and sound.

Ullman's composition of subtle gradations in sound performed very softly forcing the ear to notice the smallest variations, as realized by the string trio Ensemble Oriol Berline.

Electronics artist Watkins wrote this piece for resonant spaces, interactive electronics, audience participation & string quartet, here in a special version tuning each string to an odd partial of 60Hz.

A portrait of Christian Wolff, documenting the composer's early activity through recordings made close to the time of their composition from artists including Cornelius Cardew, Frederic Rzewski, David Tudor, &c.

Xu Fengxia traditional Sanxian & Guzheng player and free vocalist in duo with drummer/percussionist Lucas Niggli for suspenseful cross-cultural improvisations.

Portuguese violinist Carlos "Zingaro" in a string trio work committed to reinventing chamber music through improvisation that bridges contemporary classical music.

The 16th release in John Zorn's series "The Book of Angels" reworking the Masada songbook, here with the Masada String Trio of Greg Cohen, Mark Feldman, and Erik Friedlander.

Revised version of this 2001 chamber work inspired by the remarkable worlds of Henry Darger, Lewis Carroll and Unica Zurn, remastered and resequenced with a new postlude.

Three young virtuoso violinists perform two new major works by John Zorn - "Passagen" and "Ceremonial Magic" (reworked from his Rimbaud release) and a set of 12 miniatures for two violins, "Apophthegms".

3 pieces of magic and religious mysticism: a string trio-satanic counterpoint for the Witches' Sabbath written for the ICE Ensemble; a work for Shakespeare's "The Tempest"; and Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble performing Zorn's mini piano concerto.

Three compositional works from Zorn: 1999's violin concerto "Contes de Faes"; and two intense pieces of "Crowleana", a bizarre and expansive solo piano piece and a work for 3 cellists.

A beautiful solo album from Montreal/Brooklyn trumpeter Philippe Battikha, who also developed the field recordings over which he plays, joined on two tracks by double bassist Johan Fortune, in a melancholy and haunting album of emotionally rich soundscapes.

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.

Great duo set from bassist Dresser and "hyperpiano" (read: heavily prepared) player Maroney.

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