Toronto's Xmas series with an amazing lineup Jean Martin, Christine Duncan, John Southworth, Tania Gill, Kyle Brenders, Justin Haynes, Julia Hambleton, DB Boyko, &c. &c.

Toronto creative improviser multi-reedist Kyle Brenders (AIMToronto, The Rent) in an unhurried and intuitive duo with the drummer & percussionist of his quartet Brandon Miguel Valdivia (Not The Wind, Not The Flag).

Violinist Mike Khoury and electronic artist Andrew Coltrane in an album of thick and blurry sonic environments and effected string interaction, a bit like a drive in an ancient auto on alien moons.

Burro is the Calgary improvising trio of Whitney Ota (electric guitar), Stew Elton (bass) and Andrew Hume (drums), in a studio release of their intense and hard rock-oriented playing.

The Quatuor Bozzini string quartet dedicate this double CD to emerging artists in a collection of miniatures written in 2011 by emerging composers for the QB's annual Composer's Kitchen event.

A musical theatre in 3 acts using texts, songs, free improvisation and compositional textures, "an evocation of the fusion between opposite forces-tight and flexible, male and female".

Mecha Fixes Clocks' 3rd release with Michel F. Cote, Lori Freedman, Philippe Lauzier, Ellwood Epps, Josh Zubot, Martin Tetrault, Bernard Falaise, &c... a musique actuelle supergroup, and an amazing conceptual work.

Putting together two releases from Montreal guitarist and composer Tim Brady's "24 Frames" project: "Trance" (CD + DVD) and "Scatter" (2 CDs), performed solo and with his Bradyworks ensemble.

Montreal creative guitarist Tim Brady and his Bradyworks (Lori Freedman, Karen Young, &c) performing 6 duos for electric guitar with other instruments, and 12 compositions for electric guitar (with and without effects pedals).

Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq in a bizarre and amazing performance at the Victoriaville Festival in 2010 with Drip Audio director Jesse Zubot on violin and Barnyard boss Jean Martin on drums, computer, trumpophone.

Jean Martin and Christine Duncan lead this Toronto collective with more than 60 choir members in a stunning improvisational setting, here performing at Christ Church Deer Park with NY bassist William Parker.

T H O M A S is the ongoing brainchild of Toronto's Thom Gill, since 2009 exploring the world of song, at home and abroad, through pieces that blur the lines between pop and avant-garde.

Drawing from some of the finest of the West Coast and Vancouver scenes, The Now Orchestra present 3 long works in multiple section, with performers including Peggy Lee, Vinny Golia, George Lewis, Dylan van der Schyff, &c. &c.

Part of a sound installation and exhibition of sculptural work by Reinhard Reitzenstein, the Test Tubes perform with strings, glass instruments, and unique instruments to create music of unusual and complex timbral combinations.

An unusual and absorbing record of percussion and electronic improvisation from bassist and tape machine manipulator Chris Tarry and Vancouver drummer and samplist Dylan van der Schyff.

Influenced by experimental and electroacoustic practices, Hansen & Krakowiak attack and disseminate turntables and percussion through improvisations built on layers of sound and interpolated instrumentation.

Inspired by the ice storm that ravaged large parts of Quebec and Ontario, "Au Coeur du Litige" is a radiophonic work consisting at its core of a series of solo clarinet improvisations.

Composer John Shiurba with an impressive West Coast octet including vocalists Lara Bruckmann & Morgan Guberman, trumpeter Tom Djll, drummer Gino Robair, and bassist Matthew Sperry, &c. conducting them through five twisted compositions.

The chamber rock 8 piece Saint Dirt Elementary School ensemble in their second release on Barnyard, superb sophisticated compositions reminiscent of L'Ensemble Raye or Conventum.

Drummer and electronic artist Jean Martin joins forces with amazing vocalist Christine Duncan for an album of rhythmic soundscapes and free vocal improvisation.

Summer 2011 issue of Canada's premiere music magazine and CD, with articles and tracks from Gregory Oh, Grimes, Doldrums, The Vegetable Orchestra, Terri Hron, Miguel Azguime, Rachel Wadham, &c.

British saxophonist Evan Parker came to Toronto in 2009 as a guest of the AIMToronto (Association of Improvising Musicians Toronto) Interface Series, recording his trio with Wes Neal (double bass) and Joe Sorbara (drums).

The Leaney-Dadge duo has been working together since 2006; this release is taken from a series of weekly sessions in Mount Pleasant, Calgary, using extended instrumentation including trumpet, percussion, zither, recorder, and piano.

A mysterious electroacoustic work in seven compositions commissioned by the Sylvain Emard Danse group of keyboard artists Tiari Kese, aided by trumpeter Ellwood Epps and percussionist Michel F Cote.

Paletuvier, or "mangrove", is part of a color series where Labrosse, Lauzier and Tanguay use close-miked acoustic instruments to create an ecosystem of sound in subtle and rich interplay.

XYZ is the trio of Pierre-Yves Martel (feedback & static), Martin Tetreault (turntable), & Philippe Lauzier (reeds) improvising with post-industrial sound orchestration using electronic and acoustic sources.

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.

David Payne (Fossils, Slut Mouth, Middle James Co.) solo offers a wasted take on the acoustic guitar, which is mangled, scraped, rubbed, fingered, bent, and subjected to a variety of preparations.

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.

The Bozzini Quartet commissioned this work from the duo Derome/Hetu, which tackles the subject of making differences cohabit, calling for the musicians to move & improvise in response to a soundtrack in 4 languages.

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.

Montreal's great jazz trio of saxophonist Jean Derome, bassist Normand Guilbeault, & drummer Pierre Tanguay, in an album of original compositions and work by Dolphy, Ellington, Kirk, Mengelberg & Strayhorn.

Electroacoustic improv from the quartet of trumpeter Philippe Battikha, laptop artist Matthew Wadell, drummer Sam Vipond and trombinist/saxophonist Etienne Lebel.

The quasi-trio/mail improv of French improvisers Duplant, a multi-instrumentalist who appears here on percussion and Lenglet, on the guitar, with pianist and junk manipulator Rachael Wadham.

Intelligent and inspired compositions by saxophonist Evan Shaw and trumpeter Nicole Rampersaud performed with Jean Martin (drums and laptop), Wes Neal (double bass), and Tomasz Krakowiak (percussion).

AIMTorotono Orchestra under the direction of Kyle Brenders was formed in 2007 to perform the music of Anthony Braxton, here in their first studio album of original compositions for their own sophisticated repertoire.

The late trumpeter Bill Dixon's final performance at the 2011 Victo Festival, performing with and directing an incredible group including Taylor Ho Bynum, Rob Mazurek, Stephen Haynes, Graham Haynes, &c. &c.

This is the 2nd release by Eisenstadt's stable working quintet Canada Day with Nate Wooley, Matt Bauder, Chris Dingman and Eivind Opsvik, named by ex-Torontonian drummer Eisenstadt for playing its first gig on Canada Day 2007.

Musicworks Spring 2011 issue with Music Technology Futures on the cover, plus articles on Cleo Palacio-Quintin, Paul Walde, Daniel Peter Biro, and 10 track compilation CD.

Intense and understated electro-acoustic improvisation from saxophonists Jim Denley and Philippe Lauzier, electronic artist Pierre-Yves Martel, guitaris Kim Myhr and bassis Eric Normand.

Part of Rencontres de musiques spontanees 2009, Jean Derome on bird calls, flute & sax met percussionist Le Quan Ninh playing objects over bass drum for a long work of unusual improvisation.

Delicately powerful and unusual improvisation from the trio of bassist Barre Phillips, violinist Malcolm Goldstein, and free vocalist Catherine Januiaux, performing at the Victo Festival in 2010.

Pieces in 4 movements - Snow; Never Cold; Gusts; Landscapes - performed by Ensemble SuperMusique: Joane Hetu, Jean Derome, Diane Labrosse, Pierre Tanguay, Scott Thomson & Alexandre St-Onge.

Percussionist Isaiah Ceccarelli's work for percussion, two voices, two bass clarinets and viola da gamba, woven from the delicate fabric of the tension between darkness and light.

Three vicious improvisers from some of Montreal's most ferocious and fascinating practicioners: drummer Michel F. Cote, trumpeter Ellwood Apps, and bassist Alexandre St-Onge.

Montreal interdisciplinary artist Alexis O'Hara releases her 1st music album with Montreal luminaries Bernard Falaise, Michel F. Cote, Alexandre St-Onge - intelligent and sophisticated vocal music.

This Canadian quartet of Guido Del Fabbro, Simon Lapointe, Antonin Provost & Nemo Venba merge rock, prog, jazz and contemporary concepts in impressive ways; reference Conventum, recommended!

3 live recordings from 3 ensembles - GGRIL, Ensemble SuperMusique and ECM+ - exploring relationsips between early music and contemporary creative music; with Jean Derome, Joane Hetu, Diane Labrosse, Bernard Falaise, &c. &c.

Michel F. Cote's gorgeous electroacoustic Mecha Fixes Clocks with Jean Derome, Diane Labrosse, Pierre-Yves Martel, Jean Rene and Max Steiner, with guests Martin Tetrault, Bernard Falaise, Lori Freedman, &c.

The 3rd solo drumset album from Bug Incision operator Chris Dadge, an album of sharply focused workouts vascillating between a handful of densities, operating in simple, clear structures.