Recorded live at Elastic Arts in Chicago, Double Helix Quartet finds Fred Jackson Jr., Ishmael Ali, Bill Harris and Avreeayl Ra in compact, highly responsive conversation, as alto saxophone, cello, drums and flute intersect in rhythmic propulsion, textural depth and incisive group invention, yielding a vivid, incisive document of Chicago-led collective improvisation.

Composed and led by cellist Ishmael Ali, this wide-ranging studio set moves between raw solo explorations, collaborative improvisations and groove-driven ensemble pieces, blending cello, voice and electronics with a multi-generational Chicago lineup to create an eclectic yet cohesive sound world that balances experimental risk, melodic intimacy and playful collective interaction.

Composed and led by cellist Ishmael Ali, this wide-ranging studio set moves between raw solo explorations, collaborative improvisations and groove-driven ensemble pieces, blending cello, voice and electronics with a multi-generational Chicago lineup to create an eclectic yet cohesive sound world that balances experimental risk, melodic intimacy and playful collective interaction.

Cornetist Josh Berman, drummer Bill Harris, and cellist Ishmael Ali meet with NY pianist Eli Wallace in Chicago, recording live in the studio for a session that focuses on acoustic interplay using unusual techniques, inside piano playing, textural percussion with scrapes & drags and melodic & harmonic fragments, Fitting quite well in a set of interesting moods and motion.

The third release for the Chicago collective improvising trio of Jeff Kimmel on clarinet & electronics, Ishmael Ali on cello & electronics and Bill Harris on drums & feedback, acoustic interplay in the foreground with electronics adding layers of intriguing sonic pressure as their playing evolves through clear and cohesive conversation over punctuated & textural foundations.

The trio Hearsay — turntablist Allen Moore, cellist/guitarist Ishmael Ali, and drummer Bill Harris — craft a restless and texturally rich improvisational set that bends time through fractured grooves, looping vinyl gestures, and agile acoustic interplay, balancing rhythmic tension, abstract sound manipulation, and aural exploration with striking restraint and spontaneity.

The debut as a leader for Chicago double bassist and composer Jakob Heinemann, in a series of peacefully sophisticate, through-composed compositions of acoustic orchestration with subtle field recording & object accents from Heinemann, each piece leaving room for improvisation, performed in a quartet with Ishmael Ali on cello, Jeff Kimmel on clarinet and Molly Jones on flutes.

Part of the Chi Away project bringing together new collaborations of Chicago improvisers, Akjai is the unique experimental chamber jazz quartet of Brianna Tong on vocals, Johanna Brock on voice & violin, Ishmael Ali on cello and Andrew Scott Young on double bass, blurring 20th century classical music, art song and free jazz with texts by Brianna Tong, Octavia Butler, and RA Washington.

Unusual textures, unlikely orchestration and unconventional rhythmic directions from the Chicago electroacoustic improv trio of Allen Moore on turntables & records casted with various material, Ishmael Ali on cello, guitar & electronics and Bill Harris on drums & percussion, captured live at Marmalade in Chicago in 2021 for a diverse set of experimental and absorbing improvisations.

A diverse set of electroacoustic improvisations, including pointillistic interplay, free explorations merging contemporary compositional cues, pieces composed around specific parameters and evolving experimental soundscapes, from the Michigan trio Kimmel.Ali.Harris of Jeff Kimmel on clarinet & electronics, Ishmael Ali on cello, guitar & electronics, and Bill Harris on drums & synth.

Reminding of Downtown NY bands in the vein of No Safety or Curlew, this Chicago/NY 7-piece blurs rock, jazz and funk forms with intelligent and often satirical lyrics, upbeat and joyful music that defies categorization through groove-based songs that playfully critique while keeping it all danceable and fun, in a wonderfully talented and enjoyable album.