The premiere encounter of the uniquely orchestrated trio of two legendary string improvisers--Gordon Grdina on guitar & oud, and Mat Maneri on viola--with drummer Christian Lillinger (New Old Luten, Punkt vs. Plastik, EUPHORIUM_freakestra) recording in the studio in Vancouver, BC for three impressive, innately lyrical, dexterous and magnificent conversations.

Having collaborated with EUPHORIUM_freakestra and Gunter Baby Sommer, narrator and actor Friedrich Kettlitz presents a 4-CD set of sound poetry using a language that pretends to be German but expands upon his native tongue, his deep voice carrying innuendo, humor, seriousness and articulate expression that fascinates regardless of the listener's own language.

Referencing Maxim Gorky's plays Children of the Sun, Alva Noto, aka Carsten Nicola, developed this music for a theater piece titled Komplitzen (Accomplices) by Simon Stone, presented in fourteen compositions of lush electronics, rich atmospheres of tones & timbre, detailed glitch and glacial rhythms that create a wonderful sense of tension and release.

Referencing Maxim Gorky's plays Children of the Sun, Alva Noto, aka Carsten Nicola, developed this music for a theater piece titled Komplitzen (Accomplices) by Simon Stone, presented in fourteen compositions of lush electronics, rich atmospheres of tones & timbre, detailed glitch and glacial rhythms that create a wonderful sense of tension and release.

From the Milford Graves Archival Series is this double LP of previously unreleased recordings in a trio with Hugh Glover on sax, percussion, klaxon horn & vaccine trumpet and Arthur Doyle on sax & flute; then a duo with Glover; then Graves solo; taken from three 1976 sessions in Grave's own basement workshop for 8 burning, passionate and ecstatic free jazz improvisations.

Reissuing trumpeter Don Cherry's 1969 album on the Sonet label, performing at the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey in a quartet with Turkish improvisers Selcuk Sun on bass, Okay Temiz on drums & percussion and Irfan Sumer on percussion & tenor saxophone, for a wild set of world-influenced free jazz, particularly two pieces referencing Ornette Coleman, and several pieces using Turkish folk melodies.

A live recording in 2020 at AXART in Los Angeles of Eliane Radigue's first acoustic composition, investigating the physical properties of resonating bodies and dynamic systems, composed in 2005 in collaboration with West Coast cellist Charles Curtis, who also performed on the original 2006 recording at Rglise de Notre-Dame de Bon Secours in Paris that is included in this 2-CD set.

Saxophonist Allen Lowe's statement on American music and American song form across the many genres and styles that make up the terrain, including jazz, the blues, gospel, honky tonk, heavy metal, hillbilly/minstrel song & medicine shows, &c.; diverse forms of popular music that reflect a commingled society, as Lowe blurs the sacred and the profane with a stellar ensemble of musicians.

After suffering and recovering from cancer surgery for a tumor in his sinus, the darkest period of despair in NY-area tenor saxophonist Allen Lowe's life, he turned to composition of new jazz works, finding that the music poured out of him, as heard in this set of lyrical and sophisticated original compositions performed with his aptly named ensemble: The Constant Sorrow Orchestra.

A tribute to jazz trumpeter & composer Don Cherry--a spiritual world traveler and influential free jazz trumpeter--performed by Chicago's equally spiritual Ethnic Heritage Ensemble led by percussionist Kahil El'Zabar with Corey Wilkes, Alex Harding, Dwight Trible, and the son of Don Cherry, David Ornette Cherry; sadly also an unexpected tribute to David Ornette's sudden passing in 2022.

A collection of twenty musical aphorisms inspired by the writings and thought of French philosopher Gilles Deleuze (1925-1995), following Zorn's first Multiplicities volume performed by his electric jazz ensemble Chaos Magick, here in Volume 2 energetically performed by his acoustic Incerto ensemble of Brian Marsella on piano, Ches Smith on drums, Julian Lage on guitar & Jorge Roeder on bass.

The meeting of three masterful string and keyboard players--Craig Taborn on piano, Joelle Leandre on double bass and Mat Maneri on viola--a Transatlantic chamber jazz trio recording live at Theatre Antoine Vitez in Ivry-sur Seine, France in 2022 for seven sublime conversations of innovative and imaginative exchanges; absolutely magnificent!

Interdisciplinary Spanish percussionist Núria Andorrà whose background includes contemporary music and improvisation with performers including Agustín Fernández, Joëlle Léandre, Mats Gustafsson, Nate Wooley, and Joe Morris joins Fred Frith in Santa Maria de Palautordera for studio and concert recordings of eleven far-ranging dialogs of unusual and imaginative technique and concept.

A beautifully recorded session at Germany's Club Lila Eule for Radio Bremen from 1969 by the Marion Brown Quartet, his touring band at the time with AACM legendary drummer Steve McCall and German double bassist Siggi Busch and trombonist Ed Kröger, performing eight solid free jazz pieces including "Ode to Coltrane" and "Juba Lee"; a spectacular addition to Brown's discography.

Bringing vast experience in free improv and contemporary creative settings, the French trio of Guillaume Gargaud on acoustic guitar, Patrice Grente on double bass and Thierry Waziniak on drums present seven unique collective conversations named by permutation, recorded in the studio to bring the nuance of their playing to the foreground.

A high-intensity free jazz workout from the French duo of tenor saxophonist Bertrand Denzler and drummer Antonin Gerbal, long-time collaborators in their 3rd sax & drum duo album, anticipating each other's gestures to allow them flexibility in creating textural approaches to their dialog, challenging physical limits while subtly progressing their frenzied and arresting playing.

A fascinatingly structured album conceived by Romain Clerc Renaud and Antonin Tri Hoang, the first CD constructing a complex poetic form made up of multiple themes, from simple (Encore, Petit Matelot) to rapidly complex (LetCo, Klaxon), unfolding in unexpected ways; the 2nd CD restructured in the studio by Marc Baron, transforming the music into seven engrossing electroacoustic compositions.

The second part of Umlaut's Cartographie de rythmes, a sound exploration guided by an imaginary map of rhythm, here investigating the relationship between text and music through mysteriously breathing clarinet lines & harmonics by Fabrice Arnaud-Cremon, and patient narration by Julien Gaillard, Karl Naegelen and Aurélie Maisonneuve.

The core duet of the Boston-based free improvising ensemble Leap of Faith Orchestra (LOFO) of David Peck on reeds, winds & an amazing collection of percussive instruments and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice are joined by keyboardist Eric Woods for an extended exploration adding unusual electronics to their typically acoustic sets for unexpected and remarkable sonic journeys.

Two New York improvisers — percussionist Nava Dunkelman and violinst Gabby Fluke-Mogul — sharing a background from Mills College and work with luminaries including Fred Frith, present their extroverted approaches to free improvisation in these eleven assertive dialogs recorded in the studio, their compatibility and love of unusual techniques evident.

Scott Field's 9-part Sands for 20 instrumentalists, three singers, and a conductor, in this case Fields himself, employs a modular performance system that integrates composition and improvisation, the conductor selecting modules from melodies, phasing patterns, long tones, improv elements, fragmented short stories, &c., spontaneously assigned live; a fascinating accomplishment.

With nine years of work together, the Uruguayan duo of guitarist Santiago Bogacz, aka Matador, and clarinetist Emiliano Aires have developed a near-telepathic dialog of sharp-edged interactions through technically rapid exchanges and plateaus of anxious reserve; exhilarating work heard here in 9 vehement and creatively urgent improvisations.

Energetic, authoritative and unpredictable, this 2020 concert at Hyde Park Book club, in Leeds, UK from the collective free improv trio of Pat Thomas on keyboards, Chris Sharkey on electric guitar and Luke Reddin on Williams on drums, burns through an extended and far-ranging set of sonic environments and seriously exhilarating straight-on playing.

Energetic, authoritative and unpredictable, this 2020 concert at Hyde Park Book club, in Leeds, UK from the collective free improv trio of Pat Thomas on keyboards, Chris Sharkey on electric guitar and Luke Reddin on Williams on drums, burns through an extended and far-ranging set of sonic environments and seriously exhilarating straight-on playing.

Remastering and reissuing two tracks--"Summertime" and "C.T"--from saxophonist Albert Ayler's 1964 Fontana album My Name Is Albert Ayler with basssist Nils-Henning Orsted Pedersen, drummer Ronnie Gardiner and pianist Nils Bronsted; and his classic and passionate 1965 ESP Disk release Spiritual Unity with double bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray.

Influenced by and working with John Coltrane, saxophonist and composer Archie Shepp paid tribute to 'Trane with his 1965 Impulse! album Four for Trane, here remastered and joined with tracks from the live album John Coltrane/Archie Shepp: New Thing At Newport, accompanied on each by acclaimed free jazz players including Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai, Reggie Workman, Barre Phillips, Joe Chambers, &c.

A tour-de-force solo concert from the masterful improvising French double bassist Joëlle Léandre, performing at Kunstraum Walcheturm in Zurich in 2022, mostly performed through an astounding bowing exposition, accompanied at times by her worldless vocal improvising, the five parts of this concert evoking passion, power, and a lifetime of profound expression.

Recording in Brooklyn's Seaside Lounge in 2014, these five previously unreleased collective improvisations bring together West Coast reedist Vinny Golia, performing on clarinet, saxello, sopranino, baritone saxophones with double bassist Max Johnson and drummer Weasel Walter, an absolutely impressive example of free playing intent and well-balanced conversation.

Arriving in NY in 1959, saxophonist, flute & bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy joined some of the finest avant jazz players, releasing his 1st album as a leader in 1960--Outward Bound--with Freddie Hubbard, Jaki Byard, George Tucker & Roy Haynes; subsequently tagged as an anti-jazz musician, it would be 4 years before his masterwork Out To Lunch would be released, both albums here reissued & remastered.

Reissuing and remastering two Impulse! albums from saxophonist Ornette Coleman: 1969's Ornette At 12 with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and his then 12-year-old son Denardo on drums; 1972's Crisis adding Don Cherry on trumpet; and a lesser-known 1969 EP, Man On The Moon, with electronics from Dr. Emmanuel Ghent and Ed Blackwell on drums.

Inspired by the writings of Russian philosopher, mystic and composer Georges Gurdjieff (1866-1949), John Zorn composes for his piano trio of Brian Marsella (piano), Ches Smith (drums) and Jorge Roeder (bass), their 3rd album after Suite for Piano and their quartet work with guitarist Julian Lage on Incerto; technically sophisticated and melodically compelling music; exceptional.

Led by trumpeter Rob Mazurek with Damon Locks (Black Monuments Ensemble), Jeff Parker (Tortoise), Nicole Mitchell, Gerald Cleaver, Angelica Sanchez, Mauricio Takara and Craig Taborn, this compact version of Exploding Star Orchestra performs Mazurek's deep space and wide-ranging electric jazz compositions, including a side-long, immersive journey evoking spirits past, present and future.

A compact version of the Exploding Star Orchestra, trumpeter & composer Rob Mazurek's octet with guitarist Jeff Parker, drummer Gerald Cleaver, pianists Angelica Sanchez & Craig Taborn, flutist Nicole Mitchell, vocalist Damon Locks and percussionist Mauricio Takara present a far-ranging set of electric jazz, Miles-atmospheres and lyrically compelling music.

Circumventing pandemic lockdowns, the trio of Brandon Seabrook on guitar, banjo & tapes, Mike Pride on drums, marimba, glockenspiel, bells & organ and Mike Watt on bass recorded their contributions in separate studios and file-shared to create this genre-merging album of free improv, rock, experimental and inexplicable forms; an inspired and seriously unique album of challenges overcome.

The incredibly creative EUPHORIUM_freakestra as a mid-size ensemble performing at naTo in Leipzig, Germany are joined by legendary free jazz players, Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and Barre Phillip on double bass, extending the incredible assemblage of players including Oliver Schwerdt, Axel Dorner, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, Urs Leimgruber, Christian Lillinger, Gunter Baby Sommer & Michael Haves.

A journey through a diverse set of genres and styles of electronica, influenced by the New York drummer & composer Gerald Cleaver's native Detroit upbringing, bringing out elements of techno and house music tempered by his improvisational, experimental and avant work; 11 tracks with solid rhythmic foundation in both propulsive and contemplative approaches to electronic composition.

Jade Vinyl - Expanding on their decade-long collaboration with albums on Astral Spirits, Bocian and Confront (Ensemble Var), and both members of Fire! Orchestra, sound artist Joachim Nordwall on analog synth and tapes and reed & wind player Mats Gustafsson use extended approaches to their instruments through effects and close mic-ing to create powerful and hallucinatory sound worlds.

Black Vinyl - Expanding on their decade-long collaboration with albums on Astral Spirits, Bocian and Confront (Ensemble Var), and both members of Fire! Orchestra, sound artist Joachim Nordwall on analog synth and tapes and reed & wind player Mats Gustafsson use extended approaches to their instruments through effects and close mic-ing to create powerful and hallucinatory sound worlds.

Expanding on their decade-long collaboration with albums on Astral Spirits, Bocian and Confront (Ensemble Var), and both members of Fire! Orchestra, sound artist Joachim Nordwall on analog synth and tapes and reed & wind player Mats Gustafsson use extended approaches to their instruments through effects and close mic-ing to create powerful and hallucinatory sound worlds.

Originally released as an LP on the French Newvelle Records label co-founded by pianist Elan Mehler, here reissued with four additional recordings of beautifully lyrical jazz pivoting around Japanese haiku's, from the sextet led by Mehler and NY trumpeter Dave Douglas with vocalist Dominique Eade, reedist John Gunther, bassist Simon Willson, and drummer Dayeon Seok.

Their first time playing together as a trio despite many permutations in various projects over the years, the trio of Robert Mitchell (F-IRE Collective) on piano & percussion, Neil Charles on double bass and remarkably collaborative drummer Mark Sanders are heard in this 2022 concert at London's Cafe OTO for two extended, free and very informed collective improvisations.

Steering far from pyrotechnics or histrionics, the drum duo of UK legend Mark Sanders and Norwegian residing in the UK and part of the new direction of Bead Records, Emil Karlsen, present six percussion improvisations that focus on textural interaction, melodic progression, polyrhythms, and sonic excitement through percussive elements; an exceptional duo.

The improvising duo light.box of Alex Bonney (trumpet) and Pierre Alexandre Tremblay (bass), using expansive electronic processing at the intersection of dark ambient, gestural improv and electronic environment, is expanded through the drums and percussion of Norwegian improviser Emil Karlsen, heard in these 2021 recordings at University of Huddersfield, UK.

A student of Steve Lacy & Anthony Braxton and active from NYC to the San Francisco Bay Area, soprano saxophonist Andrew Raffo Dewar is heard in these studio recordings with bassist John Hughes and drummer/vibraphonist Chad Popple, a follow-up to the 2018 trio album Reflejos on pfMENTUM, presenting a series of compositions based on reflection/refraction-based compositional forms.

An exemplary concert of free jazz with world influences, from a quartet drawn from diverse parts of the world--trumpeter Don Cherry from New York, Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim) from South Africa, double bassist Johnny Dyani, also from South Africa, and Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos--in four side-long improvisations recorded in Austria in 1972.

The French Dedalus Ensemble render three works from the ground-breaking ambient work of Brian Eno--Discreet Music (1975), Music for Airports (1978), and Thursday Afternoon (1985)--performed as an 11-piece acoustic ensemble and remaining faithful to the introspectively intelligent intention and peaceful elegance of Eno's original electronic works.

The French Dedalus Ensemble render three works from the ground-breaking ambient work of Brian Eno--Discreet Music (1975), Music for Airports (1978), and Thursday Afternoon (1985)--performed as an 11-piece acoustic ensemble and remaining faithful to the introspectively intelligent intention and peaceful elegance of Eno's original electronic works.

A work of scientific sound from Australian sound artist Philip Samartzis, creating compositions based on field work from the High-Altitude Research Station at Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, over four weeks deploying various recording devices and microphones in and around the station to capture anthropogenic & geophysical forces, allowing listeners to experience the ecology under stress.

Part of Peter Brötzmann's 80th birthday concerts in his hometown of Wuppertal, the saxophonist assembled a trio from his typically duo partner, pedal steel guitarist Heather Leigh (Charalambides, Dream/Aktion Unit) and Chicago cellist and electronic improviser Fred Lonberg-Holm, performing the extended title track at INSEL | Kultur im ADA, along with two succinct improvisations.

The first single from Swedish electronic composer Joakim Forsgren's Autorhythm's project Songs For The Nervous System, two soundscapes in the ambient realm, Forsgren using vintage synths and no computers to create these tracks, described as "pop music for a dysfunctional but beautiful parallel world".