Recordings from the 2022 Japanese New Music Festival Japan Tour from the trio of Tsuyama Atsushi on bass, guitar & piano, Yoshida Tatsuya on drums, synth and vocals, and Kawabata Makoto on guitar, bass and vocals, selecting the best tracks from the tour into a collection of 15 psychedelic, progressive, experimental and uncategorizable rock forms!

An epic story in symphonic rock style from pianist, drummer and composer Risa Takeda, telling the fantastic tale of a dramatic confrontation between an Emperor and a Sorcerer, through eleven compositions of a contemporary classical and theatrical nature, using modern synthetic sources in active and complex orchestration as the plot advances.

Fifteen rock instrumentals between drummer Tatsuya Yoshida and pianist & keyboardist Risa Takeda, generally high-speed, technically superb and melodically infused pieces of imaginative creativity with a quirky sense of humor, augmented with Yoshida's vocalizing and effect processing from both; includes a download sheet for 15 high-def movies, one for each track on the album.

A live recording at Koenji Jirokichi in 2022 between Magaibtusu leader Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins, Korekyojinn, Koenji Hyakkei, PYN, &c) and pianist Kazuto Shimizu (Arepos, Chakra, Hikashu, Killing Time, Lars Hollmer's Global Home Project, &c), both on vocals as they unfold a playful and technically incredible set of "Doodads", "Watchamacallits" and other wonderful curiosities.

The trio of North Carolina Triangle free jazz players Crowmeat Bob on bass clarinet, clarinet, alto & tenor saxophones, Phil Venable on upright bass, and Charles Chance on drums, Venable and Chance known from The Paul Swest band, here in a studio album of seven collective free improvisations using open and often abstract approaches to melody and rhythm.

Three muscular and inventive solo improvisations on the acoustic upright bass from North Carolina bassist and composer Phil Venable, a member of Tragic Assembly and The Phil Venable - Paul Swest Duo, recorded in the studio in 2022, the three "Basswork" parts are mostly demonstrating his strong walking and plucking skills, at times applying objects to his strings.

Two sessions from the free improvising electroacoustic trio of Philipp Wachsmann on violin & electronics, Martin Hakett on synthesizer and Emil Karlsen on drums & percussion, first for three studio recordings in 2019, and then in concert at the 2020 "Sounds Like This" festival at Leeds College for two wonderfully idiosyncratic and masterful conversations.

Well-recorded performances of Coltrane's most noted works--"Naima", "My Favorite Things" and "A Love Supreme"--in superb concerts from Berlin in 1963 and Antibes in 1965 with his classic quartet of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, revealing the expansion and freedom these compositions receive through the flexibility of live performance.

Essential to any collection charting the transition from Birth of the Cool era jazz to the modern explosion of harmonic and compositional forms, are pianist George Russell's two most essential albums from 1961 & 1962--Ezz-thetics and The Stratus Seekers--in a sextet & septet including Eric Dolphy, Don Elliss, Steve Swallow, &c., remastered to reveal their vital clarity.

Canadian improvising clarinetist François Houle and Swiss trumpeter Marco von Orelli are heard live at the Bird's Eye Jazz Club, in Basel, Switzerland, 2020 for eleven dialogs reminiscent of the work of John Carter and Bobby Bradford, though uniquely in their own modern language of chamber-oriented jazz through original compositions from both artists.

The 3rd installment in percussionist & composer Matt Weston's serialized opera for percussion ensemble + electronics, a set of narratives and counter-narratives that explore mental health struggles as they develop over time in varying circumstances, realized through a combination of site-specific graphic, multidimensional and instantaneous scores.

Trickster, the stellar quartet of New York guitarist Miles Okazaki with Matt Mitchell on piano, Fender Rhodes & synth, Anthony Tidd on electric bass and Sean Rickman on drums, in a sequel to The Sky Below, blending acoustic and electric jazz in four captivating compositions that Okazaki describes as striving towards something like collective dreaming.

Cuban/NY pianist David Virelles in his first solo album, 14 original compositions and 2 from Cuban composers, blending modern jazz with Cuban, African and European influences, a tour-de-force of clear and balanced, irrepresible rhythms and elegant ballads, an inspired album opening on marimbula and expanded with percussion from Julio Barreto on three tracks.

Focused on the unusual physical properties of their instruments as tubes and air chambers capable of remarkable palette of sounds, overtones, thumps and inexplicable manifestations, Berlin-based trumpeter Brad Henkel and recorder player Miako Klein present two extended conversation of intensely compatible and wildly controlled, extended approaches to improvisation.

Soundscapes, drones, disruptive aberrations, textures and perplexingly absorbing interactions btween French guitarist and sound artist Xavier Mussat and saxophonist Quentin Rollett (Red Krayloa, Nurse with Wound), performing live at Instants Chavires, in Montreuil, France in 2020 for eight diverse and unusual improvisations.

Each track of the Meridian, or Eastern desert land's traditional noon-time middle of the day, represents various stages, chronologically understood, of the day of an ανθρωπός (human), represented through deep double bass, drums, objects and electronics from Turin, Italy improvisers Michele Anelli and Nicholas Remondino.

Inspired by the work of Lennie Tristano, Brooklyn-based saxophonist and wind player David Schnug steps out as a leader in the first of three albums (along with Aella and Alan Bjorklund's Amygdala) in a trio with bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Max Goldman, each of the 7 amusingly titled pieces employing a different compositional concept.

One of three albums in a series curated by saxophonist David Schnug and released by 577 Records, trumpeter Alan Bjorklund's Amygdala presents an inventive and adventurous set of compositions, from a succinct 16 seconds to more than 7 minutes on the title track, in a mix of composed and improvised approaches using modern syntax and compositional strategies to compelling effect.

"This 'Aella' release is one of three in a series curated by myself and released by 577 Records. The other two records are of my trio and of Alan Bjorklund's Amygdala. This trio displays the amazing potential of improvised music. Whenev...

"Concrete Science is not a stiff, cerebral test of complex music. It is the natural unfettered dialogue between three masterful improvisers: saxophonist Daniel Carter, trombonist Steve Swell, and drummer Federico Ughi. Though cerebral i...

"On the first piece of this album, "Talk in Play, People On Mercy", you will hear a rare wall of sound created by two acoustic instruments : Federico Ughi's drums and Gene Janas' bass. For close to nine minutes they bury every aspect of...

Recorded in Brooklyn in 2009 from the Downtown New York working band of David Moss on bass, Federico Ughi on drums, Matthew Putman on piano, Daniel Carter on saxophone and Demian Richardson on trumpet, this album was self-released by the artists, to Wake Up! the world through solid grooves and hard playing electric jazz of intensely spirited soloing.

One of a pair of complementary CDs (Navajo Sunrise and Navajo Sunset) this 2010 trio recording of a live performance at Area Sismica, Ravaldino in Monte, Italy between Daniel Carter on alto sax & piano, William Parker on bass & shakuhachi and Federico Ughi on drums, is a solid example of the sensitivity and collaborative power of the Downtown NY creative jazz scene.

Drummer Federico Ughi is heard in three duo configurations of three improvisations each with British improvisers Steve Buckley on alto saxophone and bass clarinet; Rachel Musson on tenor saxophone; and Matthew F. Morris on baritone saxophone, recording in the studio in London, 1998.

A unique collective jazz album drawing on science and math in 5 improvised works from the New York quintet of Daniel Carter on alto & tenor sax, clarinet and trumpet, Demian Richardson on trumpet, Matthew Putman on piano, Dave Moss on upright bass, and Federico Ughi on drums, in a limited edition LP with a download code; superlative playing in rich layers of interaction.

After years of collaboration through New York's Downtown scene, multi-reed & wind player Daniel Carter (also on piano) and drummer Federico Ughi recorded this 2012 studio album, their 3rd duo album together and a great example of their spontaneously lyrical give and take, ability to anticipate each other's momentum, and the deep jazz roots that each brings to their music.

"Bonus material from the album Songs For Four Cities. Exclusive limited edition of 20 hand-numbered copies."-577 Records

A perfect example of the radiant electronics David Lee Myers, aka Arcane Device, has developed over decades, in nine shimmering works of clear tones, controlled feedback and electronic errata, each piece transitioning in sublime ways as Myers evolves luminescent stories in glowing atmospheric sound, a richly lustered album of sound sculpting.

Xenography is the ability to write in a language which the individual has not learned, an apt description of the rich dialects sculpted from feedback sources and expertly routed through circular circuits of sound processors by New York sound artist David Lee Myers, AKA Arcane Device, captured and layered into these astounding electronic compositions.

Originally released in 2013 on CDR, this meeting of sound artists Jeph Jerman and Aaron Dilloway show the skill, subtlety, and disruptive sonic skills of two innovators, using objects, damaged electronics, electronic loops and live acoustic sound to create large tapestries: 4 pieces that defy characterization through diverse approaches to impactful sound.

Written by Catalan composer Ferran Fages for pianist Lluïsa Espigolé following a quote by Catalan author Carles Camps Mundó — "Barely anything: deformities of silence" — this delicate work of resonance, space and suspense slowly unfolds, the score giving Espigolé choices for timing and placement as each meaningful note or combination subsides.

Creating complex intervals that the players must "notice among each other" as a model for coexistence, cellist Stefan Thut's score for three string players and sine waves, here configured for double bass (Félicie Bazelaire), acoustic guitar (Fredrik Rasten) and cello (Thut) with Léo Dupleix on sine waves tuned to multiples of prime numbers and attached to the wooden boxes that serve as transducers.

Dedicated to Cor Fuhler, Tasmanian guitarist Nick Ashwood's extended composition is a thoughtfully introspective work of rich sonority, shifting harmonics and abstract tones generated through guitar bowing, recorded live to tape in two continuous recordings, the second overlaying the first as the work unfolds in a meditative and beautifully pensive manner.

The first volume of powerful free playing and intimate conversation bringing together two New York-based improvisers, Cuban native drummer/percussionist Francisco Mela and Tennessee native reed & wind player Zoh Amba, both sharing a mountain region upbringing that brings a uniquely reflective quality to their playing, fortified by the exploratory NY improv scene.

An examination of the lives and work of anti-fascist political activists Natalia and Leone Ginzburg during World War II, researched and developed by late vocalist and composer Jewlia Eisenberg, this album completed by her longtime collaborator Marika Hughes and performed with musicians including Nils Frykdahl, Darren Johnston, Dan Cantrell, &c.

Downtown NY pianist Anthony Coleman (John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Glenn Branca), and drummer Brian Chase (Jeremiah Cymerman, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Drums and Drones) present their debut collaboration, balancing jazz-influenced improvisation with avant compositional forms to forge a chamber jazz album of thoughtful interaction informed by profound technique and creative drive.

The soundtrack to the documentary Loving Highsmith about thriller novelist Patricia Highsmith, with music composed by Belgium guitarist Noël Akchoté along with pieces by Cole Porter, Mancini, Johnny Mercer, Frank Sinatra, Hildegard von Bingen, Carl Fischer, &c, presented in two CDs, one each of duets between Akchoté and New York guitarists Mary Halvorson and Bill Frisell.

The 2nd Derviche album on Ayler Records from the French electric bass and drum improvising duo of Eric Brochard and Fabrice Favriou, in five sequences of assertive and masterful instrumental improvising rock, ecstatically heavy material of thick detail and ominous overtone, intended to be played as a continuous suite and clearly intended for maximum amplitude!

Two innovative sonic luminaries--Japan's Masami Akita, aka Merzbow, and New York City's David Lee Myers, aka Arcane Device--remix each other's work, bringing Myer's unique approach to feedback and ethereal electronics to harness Akita's agressive sounds, and in reverse, Akita's sense of disruptive sonics explode Myer's more contemplative feedback music.

An aggressive album of ballistic free improvisation recorded live at Seizures Palace, in Brooklyn in 2021 from the trio of Martin Escalante on saxophone, Tete Leguia on bass guitar and Weasel Walter on drums, three tracks of sax multiphonics, altissimo shrieks and subtones, bass feedback, magnetic field disruption, found objects, and distortion and high impact drumming.

A scorching studio recording from 2011 recently discovered in the archives from the trio of Elliott Sharp on guitar, Tim Dahl on bass guitar, Weasel Walter on drums, a raging album of free improvisation in the Downtown NY style from three players steeped in expressing instrumental agitation with clarity and conviction - a truly burning power trio!

Perhaps the darkest and most experimental album from the Flying Luttenbachers, the 4th from the NYC-based version of Weasel Walter on guitars & drums+bagpipe chanter & electronics, Tim Dahl on bass, Katie Battistoni on guitar, Matt Nelson on sax & live electronics and Sam Ospovat on drums, in two extended, terrific collective improvisations.

David Bennet & Vilhelm Bromander is a Stockholm-based duo exploring microtonal soundscapes and timbral relations, focused on subtle relations between sounds using texture, intonation and timbre, beating, common partials and difference tones, creating sonic landscapes often based on triggering psychoacoustic phenomena, here following a semi-open score in a four part work.

An extended 7-part solo improvisation from Swedish double bassist Johan Berthling (Angles, Fire!, Nacka Forum, Sten Sandell Trio, &c) using magnificent technique, timing and pacing in a diverse set that includes a reference to Charlie Hayden's "Turiya".

Ultimately it's Martin KŸchen's saxophone improvisations that lead these sensitively moody environments built around multi-tracked tapes of ambiance from snare, speaker, radio and tambora (a 2-headed drum) used unusually to create subtle and spacious drone environments over which KŸchen performs, hauntingly, emotionally and beautifully captivating his listeners.

Performed with Stockholm musicians including pianist Alexander Zethson, wind player Martin Küchen and trombonist Mats Äleklint, organist Linnéa Talp explores the areas of sound that emulate breathing, push/pull or back & forth motion, in eight beautifully paced recordings led by the organ's rich and microtonal vibrations & timbre and imbued by the contributor's subtle additions.

Two very different but openly creative improvising duos on a split CD, initiating the Swedish label and concert organizer FRIMS's split recording series: first 4 improvisations from legendary free improvisers Raymond Strid on drums & percussion and guitarist Mattias Windemo; then an extended dialog from new generation players Marcus Warnheim on alto saxophone and Karin Ivgves on piano.

The literal album title belies the subtle interplay between Swedish improvisers, cellist My Hellgren and Peter Söderberg, the latter known for his work on classical lute but here on guitar, oud and theorbo (a long-necked lute that adds additional bass notes), recording an extended, warmly beautiful and intricate acoustic dialog of gentle tension and masterful skill.

The 2nd solo album from Sweden-based pianist and Merce Cunningham-collaborator Kristine Scholz, performing on a 1921 Steinway & Sons Model A piano, recording four movements from composer Hans Otte's seminal work "Das Buch der Klänge" (1979-82), and an interpretation of John Cage's "Music for Piano 4-19", compatible pieces from two contemporary and visionary composers.

The first release on the Swedish label Association For Free Improvised Music (FRIM) is the trio of Gustaf Hielm (Mats/Morgan Band) on bass, Elin Forkelid (Anna Högberg Attack!) on saxophones and Erik Carlsson (Swedish Azz, Skogen) on drums, a free-blowing session of heavy collective playing in the European Free Jazz tradition for two extended "Question" & "Answer" sessions.