The Lisbon String Trio — Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Miguel Mira (cello) and Alvaro Rosso(double bass) — collaborates with Carlos Santos (electronics, modular synth) to create a sophisticated, assertive set that enriches the trio's soundscape with nuanced electronic textures, building on the trio's nearly telepathic coordination and harmonic depth, blending physicality and subtle electronics to evoke mysterious, wave-like motifs and dynamic subtlety.

The debut by a Norwegian trio comprised of Martha Lea on saxophone and flute, Jon-Rune Strom on bass and Dag Erik Knedal Andersen on drums, solidly in the free jazz realm as they present a mix of collective improvisation, plus composition each from Lea and Strom, ending with an interpretation of late bassist Charlie Haden's "Song for Che".

Recorded at Sonoscopia, the Porto, Portugal experimental music and sound art hub under the direction of percussionist Gustavo Costa, double bassist Gonçalo Almeida leads a trio with trumpeter Susana Santos Silva and Gustavo Costa performing the five-part Almeida composition "Restraint", fulfilling the title through commanding cliff's-edge control.

Paying tribute to the music of Steve Lacy from the Italian trio of Danilo Gallo on double bass, banjo & guitar, Ferdinando Farao on drums & percussion, and Roberto Ottaviano on soprano saxophone, the latter having studied with Lacy during the 80s, here in seven Lacy composition and four group compositions clearly influenced by the late, great soprano saxophonist.

Led by Portuguese trumpeter Luís Vicente, his trio with double bassist Gonçalo Almeida and drummer/percussionist Pedro Melo Alves introduce a set of Vicente compositions and one traditional Brazilian piece, Vicente's frameworks and melodic structures opening to great space for all three player to shine through formidable and creative improvisation.

Since 2019 Portuguese drummer & percussionist Pedro Melo Alves has run the Conundrum series at the ZDB club (Galeria Ze dos Bois) in Lisbon, inviting a diverse set of improvisers, many for first time encounters, and recording the concerts which he presents here in this first volume: thirteen fascinating improvisations that challenge both the drummer and participants alike.

The debut of this international septet with three double basses, two electric guitars, drums, and grand piano, led by pianist Margaux Oswald, who chose these players for their connection to Copenhagen and their previous collaborations in varying configurations, here their collective improvisations employing subgroups juxtaposed to full ensemble power through texture and timbre.

Assembling a new band from younger generation Portuguese improvisers — Jose Soares on alto saxophone, Eduardo Cardinho on vibraphone, and Gonçalo Neto on guitar & banjo — double bassist Carlos Bica presents original compositions along with work from Neto and collective arrangements from the ensemble, in a lyrical yet experimentally inclined album of modern jazz.

Move is the Lisbon-based trio of two Brazilian improvisers -- saxophonist Yedo Gibson (Eke, Naked Wolf) and electric bassist Felipe Zenicola (New Brazilian Funk, Chinese Cookie Poets) -- with Portuguese drummer João Valinho (Rodrigo Amado Refraction Quartet, Fashion Eternal), here caught live in a thrilling edge-of-your-seat concert at at B10Live in Shenzhen, China.

Clean Feed introduces listeners to Slovenian pianist living and working in Amsterdam, Rebeka Rusjan Zajc, through 5 CD-length "Piano Operas" of real-time compositions recorded in the studio — Fictus; Functio; Factum; Fabula; Furor — each illuminating aspects of the virtuosic artist's unique take on the tradition of solo improvised piano.

A 5-CD Box set introducing the work of double bassist and composer Gašper Livk in five configurations — Gašper Livk Trio; Gašper Livk Duo; Gašper Livk Large Ensemble; Gašper Livk Double Bass Octet; and Gašper Livk Solo — released to coincide with his artist-in-residence appearance at the 2024 Jazz Festival Ljubljana.

Portuguese pianist Luísa Gonçalves' second volume of solo improvisations extends her 2020 album Unno with eight new, lyrical works of succint and focused compositions that bring both her classical and improvisation skills to the foreground through beautifully structured and elegant works, ending with a lovely homage to "Bill Evans" that seemingly hangs in space.

The trio of Erhard Hirt, Klaus Kürvers, and Dietrich Petzold defies conventional norms, blending Dobro, electric guitar, double bass, violin, and rare instruments like tenor violin and bowed metal into a compelling exploration of atonality, sonic precision, and playful free improvisation, creating uniquely intricate and shifting soundscapes filled with string excitement.

Quoting Piet Mondrian — 'I believe that the destructive element in art is neglected too much' — the duo of Udo Schindler (bass clarinet, alto saxophone, cornet, tuba) and Olaf Rupp (electric guitar) deliver a compelling 2023 live performance at MUCCA [BASIS-Buchsalon] in Munich, Germany, in the six-part collective conversation "HerzAtmungen," loosely translating to "Heart Breathings".

Recording at Kuhlspot Social Club in Berlin, the quartet of Erhard Hirt (e-guitar & electronics), Richard Scott (live electronics), Klaus Kurvers (double bass), and Willi Kellers (drums & percussion) perform assertive and exploratory electroacoustic improvisations, taking listeners on 7 journeys that flow through dense forests, deep into watery worlds or traverse unearthly trails.

Duo guitar improvisations performed on archtop acoustic guitars from French guitarists Christian Vasseur and Eric Mimosa, nine improvisations recorded in the studio in Mons en Baroeul, France using impressive technique in a well-matched duo of virtuosic playing and wildly creative ideas that run the gamut from extremely energetic discussion to spacious observation.

L'Heure Dernière du Silence stands as a testament to VGO's ongoing exploration of the interplay between silence and sound, solidifying their position as a leading force in contemporary improvised music as heard in this live recording captured during the cycle "A Hora Derradeira do Silencio" at St. George's Church, in Lisbon, Portugal in 2024.

Three surreal improvisations with an hallucinatory edge, drawn into a dreamlike nature by the free vocals of Girilal Baars (Girilal Baars Trio, Äijä), from a 2024 concert at COSMOS in Lisbon, PT with Ernesto Rodrigues on viola & crackle box, Carlos Santos on electronics and Monsieur Trinite on percussion; unconventional electroacoustic incantatory interactions.

An extraordinary meeting in Berlin, where Portuguese cellist Guilherme Rodrigues resides, with Creative Sources label leader and long-time collaborator as a father/son duo, violist Ernesto Rodrigues, joining as a trio with US percussionist Ben Bennett, known for his work with Michael Foster and Jack Wright, for an incredibly well-balanced album of unorthodox technique and creative expresion.

The Swedish trio of South Korean tenor saxophonist Jung-Jae Kim, Joel Haag on guitar and Henrik Wartel on drums, recording in the studio for a mix of five original compositions from Jung-Jae Kim, often based around a motive or idea which is developed and expanded upon by each member of the trio, and five collective improvisation borrowing from a variety of styles.

A trio concept album from Polish free jazz players, trumpeter Olgierd Dokalski, drummer Dominik Mokrzewski and electric guitarist & alto saxophonist Jan Malkoswki, across seven pieces developing their sometimes wild collective improvisations, taking listeners from an "Egg" through "Larva", "Caterpillar", "Nymph", "Grub", "Pupa", tied together through a final Ayler-inspired "Imago".

Created as part of an artist-in-residence programme of Azkuna Zentroa, Bilbao in 2024, Miguel A. Garc’a creates seven intricate compositions using the raw sound and rhythmic material provide by Ruben Gil, with additional material on one track from Fernando Carvalho, in a well-paced album of awe-inspiring moments of beauty and propulsive motion.

The title an apt description of this dreamlike improvisation guided by the piano of Luisa Gonçalves, in a quintet with Flak on acoustic guitar & ebow, Bruno Parrinha on bass clarinet, Miguel Mira on cello and Ernesto Rodrigues on viola & crackle box, the latter adding crepuscular bird calls and whispers to this nuanced nocturnal meditation of dark ambiance and furtive encounters.

Recordings from the Maeng Museum in Berlin, Germany from the free improvising string trio of father/son collaborators Ernesto Rodrigues on viola and Guilherme Rodrigues on cello with Berlin musicologist and violinist Gerhard Uebele, very much in a sophisticated chamber jazz mode that borrows from contemporary classical approaches and free improvisation.

On the active and experimental side of Creative Sources' acoustic configurations organized by label leader and violist Ernesto Rodrigues, this energetic chamber quartet with Carlos Bechegas on piccolo, flute & alto flute, Joao Madeira on double bass and Monsieur Trinite on percussion, explore the three-part title work through rapid action and highly textured reflection.

Legendary Greek bass clarinetist and improviser Floros Floridis, also performing on clarinet, and German double bassist Ulf Mengersen of the Berlin Improvisers Orchestra and Ensemble MIA, meet the ever-creative duo of violist Ernesto Rodrigues and cellist Guilherme Rodrigues for this 6-part active studio improvisation whose title aptly translates to "Unexpected Encounters".

Referencing the book Letters to Milena (Briefe an Milena) by Franz Kafka of his intense love affair with Czech journalist & writer Milena Jesenská, through four lettered parts of a subtly sophisticated set of improvisations by Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Nuno Torres (alto sax), Guilherme Rodrigues (cello), Eric Bauer (electronics) and Stephen Flinn (percussion).

The trio of violist Ernesto Rodrigues, cellist Guilherme Rodrigues and clarinetist Bruno Parrinha on alto & bass clarinets are captured live at Lisboa Incomum, during the 2022 Festival DME, performing two sophisticated chamber improv works, their titles translating to "The aging skies - it's all illusion" and "Pass The Bridges If It's Windy - The Flame Of The Solemnity".

A composition for at least three musicians and processed field recordings from Adam Zuckerman, here configured as a quintet eliciting a poem by Paul Celan, organizing the lines of the poem into multiple movements, exquisitely performed by Kanoa Ichiyanagi (viola), Zaq Kenefick (harmonica), Juan Marroquin (flute), Dylan Marx (guitar) and Kristyna Svihalova (percussion).

Translating to freedom, Te Ti'ama is the duo of French trombonist Jérôme Descamps and guitarist Christelle Séry, heard in eleven succinct improvisations that create a unique vocabulary of both active and spacious dialog, from pointillistic energy to introspective rumination, both improvisers favoring peculiar sonic events and techniques for moments of humor and awe.

"Lovely" but also free to take some wild asides, Russian-American pianist Simon Nabatov's quintet with trumpeter Ralph Allessi, saxophonist Sebastian Gille, bassist David Helm and drummer Leif Berger pivots around melodic cores from Nabatov's alluring compositions as he explores themes of love, refraining from cloying approaches through sophisticated and often edgy direction for his players.

The 3rd box set from Slovenian pianist & composer residing in Amsterdam, Miha Gantar, in five CDs collaborating with NYC improvisors and contemporary players performing Gantar compositions and collective improv, in configurations from a quintet, two trios including one with bassist John Hebert & drummer Eric McPherson, a duo with tenor saxophonist Zoh Amba, ending with Gantar solo.

Electroacoustic improvisation from the trio of Marc Vilanova on saxophone, Sergio Castrillon on cello, and pianist James Andean also performing on objects and electronics, in nine collective improvisations of close-knit dialog balancing intense activity and silent space, building tension and releasing it in unexpected and wonderfully eccentric ways.

While theremin & synth specialist Andrew Levine was on a 2023 tour of Portugal he met with a core trio of Creative Sources improvisers--Ernesto Rodrigues on viola & Crackle Box, Bruno Parrinha on bass clarinet & objects, Flak on electric guitar & effects--meeting in Flak's countryside studio for one detailed, extensive improvisation and 6 short works of differing sonic characters and colour.

One of the largest ensembles associated with Creative Sources, merging acoustic and electronic improvisers, this conduction by violist Ernesto Rodrigues at Torre Do Tombo in Lisbon in 2023 was the opening for an exhibition about the struggle of college students against the Portuguese dictatorship during the years 1970-74, leading to the Carnation Revolution.

An intense album of pyschedelic and subliminally detailed electroacoustic improvisation from the Portuguese quintet of Miguel A. Garcia on electronics, Abdul Moimeme on guitar & metals, Alex Reviriego on double bass, Ernesto Rodrigues on piano harp & viola and Carlos Santos on electronics, a powerful live set recorded in 2018 at Le Larraskito Kluba in Rekalde, Bilbao.

The title an apt description of the furtive intercourse between these three Portuguese improvisors -- Ernesto Rodrigues on viola & crackle box (an electronic sound generator), Bruno Parrinha on bass clarinet & alto saxophone, Johannes von Buttlar on percussion -- recording in the studio for 10 improvisations of understated but highly detailed free improvisation.

With an impressive resume in improvised and contemporary forms, French saxophonist Violaíne Gestalder presents three major conceptual works for multiple players, using studio layering to perform all parts herself on soprano sax, voice & effects, a comprehensive, yearning, powerful and often mysteriously beautiful album that draws on her skills as a composer, improviser and experimenter.

Frequent collaborators Ernesto Rodrigues on viola & crackle box and Nuno Torres on alto saxophone join with Berlin percussionist Johannes von Buttlar, a member of the Altered Forms Trio who have collaborated with Fred Frith, Raymond McDonald, &c., for four "Cosmic Collisions", highly interactive improvisations with impressive inertia and extraordinary technique.

Improvising collaborators, percussionist Stephen Flinn and cellist Guilherme Rodrigues join with Irish improviser and composer Roy Carroll, a member of Splitter Orchestra and who works with the amplification and signal processing of diverse objects, here the trio performing an extended improvisation of exotic and transformative sonic interaction through unusual, encompassing soundscapes of exotic and transformative sonic interaction.

In four parts this primarily acoustic octet of Lisbon improvisers evolve a deceptive narrative of collective interaction, highly textured through rich combinations that emerge and subside throughout the natural development of their converstations; with Ernesto & Guilherme Rodriguez, João Madeira, Noel Taylor, Bruno Parrinha, Ziv Tuabenfeld, Guilherme Carmelo and Monsieur Trinite.

Lisbon contemporary flutist and improviser Carlos Bechegas, an associate of Carlos Zingaro and his electroacoustic trio, joins violist Ernesto Rodrigues and long-time collaborator Carlos Santos in a uniquely electronic, chamber-oriented, mysteriously crepuscular improvisation captured live at Casa do Comum, Lisbon, Portugal during the 2024 "SpectraLx" event.

Two reeds, a cello and a signal processing instrument in this live electroacoustic improvisation session captured at Petersburg Art Space, in Berlin, Germany between cellist Guilherme Rodrigues, saxophonist Harri Sjostrom on soprano & sopranino using selected mutes, clarinetist Floris Floridis and electronic improvising legend Lawrence Casserley.

Originally formed in 2005 by guitarist Pedro Gomes as a Portuguese free rock group, this Lisboa-based band has transformed into this burning quartet that bridges rock and free improv in both savage and brooding moments, from the superb quartet of Gomes on guitar, Pedro Sousa on saxophone, Gabriel Ferrandini on drums and Miguel Abras on electric bass.

Trumpeter Luís Vicente joins the Spanish saxophonist Liba Villavechia's Trio with double bassist Alex Reveriego and drummer Vasco Trilla for a studio album of four Villavecchia compositions, and one each from Reviriego and Vicente, propelling the band into hard swinging free improv balanced with introspective abstraction and sonic extensions; masterful.

Twenty years of activity and advancement is heard in this fourth album from the dynamic tuba power trio of tubist Sergio Carolino, guitarist Mario Delgado & drummer Alexandre Frazao, an electric jazz unit of deep power and drive, on this album leaving behind cover tunes that included Deep Purple and Thelonious Monk to focus on compositions from each band member.

A step into a darker world than Gorilla Mask from the debut of baritone saxophonist Peter Van Huffel's bass-less quartet Callisto with Lina Allemano on trumpet, Antonis Anissegos on piano & electronics and Joe Hertenstein on drums, a solid jazz quartet that shies from clichŽ in devilishly deep collective interplay fostered by Van Huffel's inventive compositions.

A deeply personal and spiritual solo journey that unfolds from near-silence to powerful, ritualistic expression, from Chicago trumpeter and improviser Rob Mazurek, recording for Radio Popolare in Milan, Italy while performing on trumpet, piccolo trumpet, piano, prepared piano, sampler, magic yellow bucket, bells, shakers, flutes, voice, and various percussion.