Excellent pacing with introspective richness and detail through five improvisations, as US pianist Thollem McDonas joins Portuguese improvisers Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Bruno Parrinha on alto clarinet, Flak on acoustic guitar and Jose Oliveira on percussion for this studio recording in Lisbon, each passage reflecting a word from the title; inspired and beautiful.

Ute Wassermann adds a unique expressiveness to this Berlin studio session, bringing her impressive talents as a free improvising vocalist along with her bird calls and objects, providing an unusual yet extremely complementary foil to the intertwined strings of the father/son collaboration of violist Ernesto Rodrigues and cellist Guilherme Rodrigues; idiosyncratically wonderful!

Focused mostly on introspective yet propulsive improvised interaction of concentrative listening, punctuated by moments of explosive exchanges, the trio of Dirk Serries on archtop guitar, Benedict Taylor on viola and Friso Van Wyck on drums & percussion are heard live in an engaging concert at Koffie and Ambacht's Le Sud, in Rotterdam in 2022.

Part of the 2022 trio tour of violinist Ernesto Rodrigues, cellist Guilherme Rodrigues and saxophonist Nuno Torres is this studio recording in Berlin with free jazz legendary pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer/percussionist Willi Kellers, each of the 9 improvisations named for mythical beasts, appropriate to the fearsome force of these five masterful players.

Referencing the asian evergreen shrub "Hoya" through a series of solos, duos and quartets between Portuguese string players Maria da Rocha on violin, Ernesto Rodrigues on viola and Joao Madeira on double bass with visiting US bassist Daniel Levin on cello, first in four solo performances of remarkable technique, then permutations of duos, culminating in two quartet improvisations.

A highly interactive and textural set of chamber-oriented free improvisations with an often pointillistic approach from the quartet of Portuguese improvisers Ernesto Rodrigues on viola & crackle box, Bruno Parrinha on clarinet & alto saxophone, Joao Madeira on double bass with Swiss electric guitarist Florian Stoffner, in three detailed and engaging conversations.

A 2022 live performance at The Vortex in London from the trio of Maggie Nicols on voice, Caroline Kraabel on alto saxophone & voice and Charlotte Hug on viola & voice, reuniting the partnership from their 2002 Emanem album, Transitions, each track taking its titles from an observational poem by Jenny Xie, rendered in expressive, mostly wordless vocalization.

Adding Chicago cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm to their string-oriented improvisation, the Portuguese collaborative quartet of Ernesto Rodrigues on viola and crackle box, João Madeira on double bass, Flak on electric guitar and percussionist Jose Oliveira perform an 8-part suite of entwined strings and subtle punctuation, a selfless blending of masterful skill.

Referencing Twittering Machine, a 1922 painting by Paul Klee that depicts a group of birds on a wire connected to a hand-crank, interpreted as as a visual representation of the mechanics of sound, the ea-improvising quartet of Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Bruno Parrinha (bass clarinet), Flak (electric guitar) and Carlos Santos (modular synth) present three hi-tension improvisations.

Titled for the film by Rob Christopher — Roy's World: Barry Gifford's Chicago, — whose soundtrack includes segments of this album, vibraphonist and composer Jason Adasiewicz's lyrically upbeat album is performed in a quintet with Chicago mainstays, Jonathan Doyle on saxophones, Josh Berman on cornet, Joshua Abrams on bass and Hamid Drake on drums.

A live performance at Koenji Jirokichi that draws on the works of Sergei Prokofiev, Bela Bartok, Manuel de Falla and Ludwig van Beethoven, from drummer Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins, Koenji Hyakkei) and pianist Satoshi Mishiba (Kinniku Shoujotai, Tokusatsu), part of Yoshida's "Piano 10th Game" series, as the two layer and spectacularly interweave melodies and tight percussive work.

Rutger Zuydervelt, aka Machinefabriek, returns to rhythmic electronic solo work with his fourth mini-CD release after Hinkelstap (2022), Tuimelval (2022) and Haast (2023), in this seven-part work Kadans (translating to "Cadence"), each track using a unique rhythmic foundation under warm electronics, plus a violin sample from collaborator Anne Bakker.

Originally named The Third World Energy Ensemble, Ted Daniels' Loft-era ensemble eventually became simply "Energy", and this 1978 recording at Ali's Alley in NYC of the 23-piece ensemble shows both Daniel's skill as a band leader & improviser, and as a document of the urgent free jazz scene of the time; ensemble includes Byard Lancaster, Joseph Bowie, Sam Furnace, &c. &c.

Two western-US, like-minded sound artists and improviser who started their musical lives as drummer/percussionists, Jeph Jerman and Ted Byrnes present nine relatively succinct tracks of unusual and unidentifiable sources, typically formed around a rhythmic center and always actively engaging, finding logic in curious or even chaotic interaction.

Composer, poet and saxophonist David Mirarchi seeks to transform the written word into melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and structural materials, using experimental compositional techniques, here recording in Brooklyn with trio of bassist Mathias Hojgaard Jensen and drummer Eliza Salem for a two part work transmuted from a two-part poem contrasting city life and nature.

An unrestrained album of free jazz, unorthodox electronic excursions and vocal irascibility as legendary tenor saxophonist Joe McPhee joins the Bazuinschal duo of alto saxophonist Mette Rasmussen and percussionist & electronic manipulator Dennis Tyfus (Ultra Eczema) for this singularly unusual 2018 concert at Het Bos, in Antwerp, Belgium; magnificently indescribable!

Zorn expands the canon for his lyrical jazz quartet Incerto of Brian Marsella on piano, Ches Smith on drums & Haitian Tanbou, Julian Lage on guitar and Jorge Roeder on bass, composing a suite of seven subtle and passionate nocturnes inspired by the night imagery of Shakespeare, merging jazz and chamber forms with a Downtown NY sensibility; gorgeous.

A new Free Jazz album inspired by Pharoah Sanders' Karma, from the North Carolina ensemble led by upright bassist, guitarist and Soul City Sounds label-leader Phil Venable with Crowmeat Bob on saxophone, Ken Moshesh on percussion and Tommy Jackson on drums, plus a work for spoken word with NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green and a song inspired by BLM with vocalist Jennifer Evans.

As part of his annual concert series with local & international artists & musicians, in 2006 Montreal saxophonist Francois Carrier reached out to Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko to perform at Theatre La Chapelle, recording over two days as a quintet with long-time collaborator, drummer Michel Lambert, and legendary improvisers Mat Maneri on viola and Gary Peacock on double bass.

The title and text drawn from Samuel Beckett's last poem and meditation on language, "what is the word" and also his "Brief Dream", plus a poem from Barra O Seaghdha and two 18th century Edo Haikus, Barry Guy's exquisite work about life in transit through eight movements is performed with a stellar ensemble including Agusti Fernandez, Maya Homburg, Lucas Niggli, Percuy Pursgolve, &c.

Recording at London's Cafe OTO, and at the 2022 Newcastle Festival Of Jazz And Improvised Music, saxophonist and composer Martin Archer's exceptional 8-piece line up of his exuberant avant-electric jazz band blurring lines between 70's Miles and AACM abstractions, is heard across three CDs of fiery soloing, contemplative transitions, and spectacular group interplay.

A collection of original songs recorded in NY & Paris from vocalist Hélène Breschand, also performing on acoustic and electric harp, in a duo with Elliott Sharp, who creates grooves and instrumental environments on guitar, analog synth, bass, toy piano and drum programming; unusually structured and richly detailed, from idiosyncratic to sensuous.

Two New York Improvisers recording at The Pink Forest studio in Brooklyn present 18 succinct, upbeat and distinctive improvisations on drums and electric guitar, from drummer Kate Gentile (Matt Mitchell, Secret People, Gabriel Zucker & The Delegation, Dave Douglas) and guitarist Andrew Smiley (Little Women, Bloor, Chris Pitsiokis Quartet).

A six part improvisational inquiry from three experienced London investigators--John Butcher on saxophones, Terry Day on drums and Max Eastley performing on his self-developed electroacoustic monochord, along with percussion and a bird call--all three performing with unusual and extended techniques to create a uniqe sonic palette applied to extremely focused conversations.

An interpretation and reimagining of the opening track of Coltrane's Meditations, from the UK trio of Ed Jones on tenor & soprano saxophones, Dominic Lash on double bass and Mark Wastell on tam tam, gongs, cymbal & percussion, performed live at Cafe OTO in London in 2023, transforming the original recording's density into a slowly opening, evolving work of beauty.

Fusing many styles into a strange jazz-like environment fueled by exotica, electronica, orchestral forms and unusual transitions, Dutch multi-instrumentalist & composer Jeroen Kimman, along with ten Amsterdam musicians including John Dikeman, Koen Nutters, Michael Moore and Mark Morse, present Kimman's unusual and often rubbery musical vision while continually fascinating his listeners.

Commissioned by Cineteatro Louletano to respond creatively to the musical legacy of Ludwig van Beethoven, double bassist Carlos Bica developed ten compositions that draw on Beethoven's original works, performing them with saxophonist Daniel Erdmann, accordionist João Barradas and DJ Illvibe on turntables, a truly unique take on some of the renowned composer's most famous works.

Active in both contemporary music and as an improviser, Portuguese accordionist João Barradas is heard live at the 2022 Festival d'Aix-en-Provence in France, performing solo on a chromatic accordion, MIDI chromatic accordion and voice for an expansive, un-interrupted six-part improvisation that showcases both his technical skills and his emotional passion.

Recorded two decades apart, first in 1998 as a combination of recordings in the studio and live @ The Knitting Factory, and then in 2019 in the studio, the trio of Miya Masaoka on Koto, dan bau & electronics, Reggie Workman on bass, percussion, musical saw & digeridoo and Gerry Hemingway on drums & electronics, show both their consistency and evolution as masterful, creative improvisers.

A wild, fun, inventive and musically impressive ride from French cellist Valentin Ceccaldi quartet with Etienne Ziemniak on drums, Fulco Ottervanger on piano & keyboards and Luis Lopes on guitar, a unique set of jazz, psychedelic and almost circus music, where the listener is never quite certain what's around the corner but constantly amazed at what they hear.

Also part of the working group Zeuthen / Østergaard-Nielsen / Nordberg / Oswald, legendary Danish saxophonist Jesper Zeuthen of Blue Sun and pianist Margaux Oswald are heard in this 2022 performance at Koncertkirken in Copenhagen for three extended and discerning dialogs of powerfully passionate interplay and startlingly beautiful plateaus of peaceful discourse.

Continuing his project dedicated to 20th century Polish composers, saxophonist Marek Pospieszalski leads his creative octet through open and collectively improvised arrangements of works from six Polish female composers — Barbara Buczek, Elżbieta Sikora, Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil and Marta Ptaszyńska — in wide-ranging and often startling impressions of the original works.

Mixed, edited and re-organized by Fred Frith and mastered by Thomas Dimuzio, this album find the trio of Frith on electric guitar, Evelyn Davis on the Mills Chapel pipe organ and Phillip Greenlief on clarinet & alto saxophone, performing in the Mills College Chapel in Oakland, CA, the sophomore release on Clean Feed for this versatile trio of masterful improvisers.

To celebrate drummer/percussionist Eddie Prévost's 80th birthday, Café Oto hosted four concerts once a week in June, 2022, each a differing configuration from Prévost's history; this third concert presents combinations of improvisers from Prévost's weekly workshop series through diverse groupings from trio to septet.

To celebrate drummer/percussionist Eddie Prévost's 80th birthday, Café Oto hosted four concerts once a week in June, 2022, each a differing configuration from Prévost's history; this first concert brings together Prévost with four horn players, NO Moore on guitar and Marcio Matttons on double bass, for varying duos, trios and full ensemble performances.

One of New York School minimalist composer Morton Feldman's later works, this extended composition spread across two CDs invokes waves of beautifully suspended, weaving strings from four violinists and cello, performed by the UK Apartment House ensemble violinists Mira Benjamin, Chihiro Ono, Amalia Young & Bridget Carey and cellist Anton Lukoszevieze.

Clifford Allen frames the work of pianist Matthew Shipp and his collaborators through his work on the RogueArt label of 25 albums and a book with poet Steve Dalachinsky, providing insight and context into Shipp's music through photographs, essays and interviews with William Parker, Rob Brown, Whit Dickey, Joe Morris, Yuko Otomo, Michel Dorbon, and Jim Clouse.

Percussionist and electronic artist Matt Weston describes these four tracks as "songs", each demonstrating aspects of his compositional methods — multidimensional graphic scores, implied and aural notation, site-specific structures and frameworks, physical and otherwise — creating immersive and dramatic sonic environments revealing his increasing sophistication as a composer.

Vancouver mainstay, guitarist and composer Tony Wilson leads Longhnad, performing the energetically twising and turning, genre-spanning music of composer and saxophonist Peder Long, a mentor to Wilson while studying at Malaspina College, in a band with Vancouver collaborators Russell Sholberg (bass), Skey Brooks (drums), Jesse Zubot (violin) and Joshua Zubot (violin).

The Rempis Percussion Quartet in their French debut after 15 years of touring elsewhere through Europe, with Dave Rempis on sax, both Tim Daisy & Frank Rosaly on drums and Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass, performing an exuberant concert recorded at Le Petit Faucheux in Tours, with trumpeter Jean-Luc Cappozzo joining for one extended improv, plus a live workshop for young immigrants and a rare studio session.

Performing together for more than a decade at the time of this recording at the 2022 Three Lobed Records 21St Anniversary Festival at Duke University in Durham, NC, the duo of guitarist Bill Orcutt and drummer/percussionist Chris Corsano burn through three distinct improvisations that pack in a wealth of ideas, styles and moods in a tight and cathartic set.

The third album from the genre-merging quintet The End of of Sofia Jernberg (vocals), Kjetil Moster (clarinet and tenor saxophone), Mats Gustafsson (flutes, baritone saxophone and electronics), Anders Hana (baritone and bass guitar) and Borge Fjordheim (drums), an experimental song-based project influenced by avant rock, jazz and soundscape in seven nuanced pieces.

Having just formed the prior year, the San Francisco Bay Area saxophone quartet Rova of Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Andrew Voigt, and Bruce Ackley met with Italian percussionist Andrea Centazzo during his 1978 US tour, recording this exceptional album demonstrating creative approaches to thematic and structural jazz forms, particularly the nearly side-long "Trobar Clus".

Five concerts from percussionist and Ictus label leader Andrea Centazzo's 1978 US tour, performing in a duo with percussionist Alex Cline; in a trio with LaDonna Smith (violin) and Davey Williams (guitar); and in a quintet with John Zorn (saxophone), Tom Cora (cello), Toshinori Kondo (trumpet), Eugene Chadbourne (guitar) and Polly Bradfield (violin).

An exceptional album of widely-embracing collective improvisation recorded during Vertical Squirrel's 2019-20 residency at Silence as part of the You Are I Am series, the core quartet of Daniel Fischlin on guitars, monotron, flute & percussion, Ajay Heble on piano, Lewis Melville on bass & percussion and Ted Warren on drums & percussion are joined by cornetist and world instrumentalist Gary Diggins and vocalist & percussionist Dong-Won Kim.

Two large-scale compositions from "Through-Composer of Brutal Classical" Nandor Nevai, scored for 35 brass players and a vocalist, accomplished through 10 layers of Peter Evans (trumpet, piccolo trumpet), 9 of Steve B (tenor trombone), 7 of Ron Stabinsky (bass trombone) and 10 of Nevai himself on tenor trombone & voice; plus "Gospel Power Walls" for a chorus of 5 (bad) people.

The duo of guitarist Killick Hinds on stringed instruments, bells & electronics, and Italian/NY drummer Francesca Remigi on acoustic & electronic drums, percussion, and credited with Delene Porter for performing on "symbiote"; an "eclectic, ecstatic and exploratory duo strives for sonic research and for breaking the barriers of the conventional process of music making."

The second of two volumes of studio improvisations between Brooklyn trumpeter & flugelhorn player Michael Sarian and keyboardist Matthew Putman, recorded in Sarin's home studio during the 2020 pandemic, allowing freedom in exploration as they sought out cadences, rhythms and melodies, this 2nd volume presenting the most interesting of their investigations.

Three live guitar improvisations from Swedish guitarist Kasper Agnas performing at Stockholm's New Music and Intermedia Art venue Fylkingen, each piece uniquely approached, starting with a lap guitar dulcimer-like approach of rapid rhythmic attacks, to a warm sound world using mallets on the guitar neck, and finally a work of decaying chords that evolve in complexity, strength and skew.

An exceptional quartet of electroacoustic improvisers captured in concert at MUG Einstein Kultur in Munich, organized by the non-profit Offene Haken e.V. - Freunde der improvisierten Musik (Friends of improvised music), from Markus Eichenberger on clarinet, Carl Ludwig Hubsch on tuba, Philip Zoubek on synthesizer and Etienne Nillesen on extended snare drum.