Recasting theatre music composed by Szilárd Mezei along with a Hungarian folk song arranged by Mezei in an intimate live improvisation from a duo of violin/voice and viola, drawing out folk-tinged motifs and open forms into tensile dialogues, balancing chantlike lines and earthy drones with quicksilver bow work to reveal a spare, luminous chamber language that breathes beyond the stage.

PROMO COPY

Blending acoustic trio writing, subtle electronics, and everyday vocal gestures, Argentine composer Santiago Diez Fischer's decade-spanning set of five works for Gyre Ensemble shapes a raw, sculptural, and "punk-poetic" sound world where baritone sax, accordion, and percussion merge with the composer's vocal and electronic interventions to reveal music poised deliberately between rough material and refined form.

A brooding work for ten musicians, Jürg Frey's crepuscular score intertwines Japanese haiku and poems by Anne Perrier through hushed voices, fragile instrumental colors, and suspended textures, inviting ensemble]h[iatus, led by Le Quan Ninh and Martine Altenburger, into a slowly unfolding landscape where uncertainty, breath, and quiet tension shape a haunting world on the edge of darkness.

Captured live in the Manila studio, the duo of Swiss drummer/percussionist Christian Bucher and alto saxophonist Rick Countryman engage in improvisation built on the idea of musical phrasing as syntax, where saxophone lines, punctuated drums and responsive space converge into a series of sound-sentences in which tone, pause and gesture become elements in a live lexicon of form.

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Steve Beresford on prepared piano, electronics, & objects joins Pierpaolo Martino on double bass & electronics and Mark Sanders on drums for a fiercely interactive trio set of elastic rhythms and textured harmony, balancing grounded resonance with agile percussion and playful disruption, recorded at the 2024 Bari in Jazz Festival in sharply conversational, risk-embracing improvisation.

Cellist Khabat Abas and violist Ivor Kallin engage in a taut, exploratory duo dialogue built from extended techniques, fractured vocalizations, and deliberate use of space, where cantankerous textures, unconventional pacing, and carefully placed silences shape a curiously absorbing improvisation that balances raw intensity with focused restraint.

The Berlin trio of Miako Klein (recorders), Magda Mayas (piano), and Biliana Voutchkova (violin, voice) further refine their fully improvised approach into an immersive sonic practice, where sustained textures, extended techniques, and collective restraint blur individual voices into a cohesive, ever-shifting sound world, captured at the Studio for Electroacoustic Music at the Akademie der Kunst in Berlin.

'Ancestral' marks a profound metamorphosis for master saxophonist John O'Gallagher. He cast off his old skin, fundamentally altering his studies, homeland, and life, thereby charting a new future. Recorded at Sound on Sound Studios in M...

'Ancestral' marks a profound metamorphosis for master saxophonist John O'Gallagher. He cast off his old skin, fundamentally altering his studies, homeland, and life, thereby charting a new future. Recorded at Sound on Sound Studios in M...

Spanning Morton Feldman's three expansive trios for flute, piano, and percussion, these performances by the GBSR Duo with Taylor MacLennan immerse the listener in an extended temporal field where quiet intensity, precise timbral balance, and fragile rhythmic relationships unfold with hypnotic patience, transforming duration itself into an expressive element of listening, presence, and sustained attention.

Blending field recordings, percussion, tapes, and modular synthesis with Marina Katsarou's voice and text and Eva Matsigou's flute, Eventless Plot reshape urban sound into a finely detailed electroacoustic work that invites listeners to reconsider noise as a living, expressive presence, revealing the shifting textures, hidden meanings, and poetic potential embedded within the everyday sonic fabric of the city.

In a subtly detailed journey, Nate Wooley layers field recordings, trumpet, piano, sine tones, whistling, and bodily sound into a stark, reflective work that probes the uneasy coexistence of nature, machinery, and human presence, shaping a quietly political soundscape in which environmental detail, isolation, and mechanical intrusion collide in fragile, contrapuntal tension.

Jakob Ullmann's Solo I and Solo IV are realised together as two ultra-quiet, long-form works in which graphic notation, fixed pitch sequences, and subtle performance choices guide quarter-tone flute and double bass through slowly shifting regions of colour and resonance, blending live sound with tailored playback to create a fragile, immersive acoustic environment.

A brooding work for ten musicians, Jürg Frey's crepuscular score intertwines Japanese haiku and poems by Anne Perrier through hushed voices, fragile instrumental colors, and suspended textures, inviting ensemble]h[iatus, led by Le Quan Ninh and Martine Altenburger, into a slowly unfolding landscape where uncertainty, breath, and quiet tension shape a haunting world on the edge of darkness.

Acoustic ensemble realizations of two electroacoustic works by Marja Ahti, in which members of the Italian ensemble Blutwurst translate her drifting textures, elemental timbres, and spatial sensibilities into slow, finely detailed instrumental environments, expanding the original works into patient, resonant soundworlds shaped by pitch nuance, breath, and sustained collective focus.

Blending acoustic trio writing, subtle electronics, and everyday vocal gestures, Argentine composer Santiago Diez Fischer's decade-spanning set of five works for Gyre Ensemble shapes a raw, sculptural, and "punk-poetic" sound world where baritone sax, accordion, and percussion merge with the composer's vocal and electronic interventions to reveal music poised deliberately between rough material and refined form.

Three chamber works from Canadian composer Eldritch Priest trace his distinctive blend of lyric drifting and restless detail, from a fragile, noise-tinged string quartet to a reflective solo piano piece and a shifting, daydream-like ensemble work, each drawing on his interest in improvisation, ambiguity, and melodies that wander with deliberate aimlessness.

Reimagining and transforming Ahmed Abdul-Malik's Jazz Sahara in their first studio session, the [Ahmed] quartet of Pat Thomas, Joel Grip, Antonin Gerbal, and Seymour Wright ignite four compact, single-take explorations that fuse percussive intensity, kaleidoscopic group interplay, and a fearless reshaping of tradition into dizzying, future-leaning improvisation.

An intimate, immersive duo recording in which Tom Jackson's finely articulated clarinet and Daniel Thompson's responsive, highly attuned guitar create a richly expressive terrain of spontaneous sound, channeling the spirit of free improvisation's pioneers in a deeply communicative exchange of timbre, space, and dynamic nuance.

A deeply immersive duo performance from saxophonist Don Malfon and percussionist Vasco Trilla, this exploratory session unfolds as a richly textured dialogue of breath, resonance, and rhythm, where haunting tones, shifting densities, and subtle dynamics blur the lines between experimental jazz, ambient improvisation, and abstract sound sculpture, revealing a finely balanced interplay of intensity and restraint.

A powerful 1972 duo performance from alto saxophonist Mike Osborne and pianist Stan Tracey, and the 2nd release on Cadillac Records, recorded live at Surrey Hall and unfolding as a nearly 47-minute continuous improvisation, blending OsborneÕs fierce, vocal intensity with TraceyÕs harmonically adventurous, percussive drive in a richly inventive and compelling exchange.

Recorded live at Saint Augustine's Wrangthorn in Leeds, UK, the duo of saxophonist Ed Jones and drummer Emil Karlsen bridge free jazz and free improvisation in a dynamic, low-key but deeply interactive session, emphasizing collective phrasing, evolving structures, and subtle momentum in an hour-long exploration of nuanced, expressive dialog.

Captured live in the Manila studio, the duo of Swiss drummer/percussionist Christian Bucher and alto saxophonist Rick Countryman engage in improvisation built on the idea of musical phrasing as syntax, where saxophone lines, punctuated drums and responsive space converge into a series of sound-sentences in which tone, pause and gesture become elements in a live lexicon of form.

Recorded in two powerful live sets at Café OTO, Sophie Agnel's first solo LP channels her post-recovery reinvention into a fiercely physical language for prepared piano, unleashing dense sound masses, interior textures, and sudden moments of clarity as she reshapes the instrument into a raw, personal terrain of gesture, resonance, and fearless exploration.

A ferocious meeting of three seasoned innovators, this live set from Charles Hayward (drums, vocals), Guy Segers (bass), and Kawabata Makoto (guitar) channels decades of rock, punk, psychedelia, and free improvisation into an explosive power trio performance, where raw energy, shifting polyrhythms, and searing intensity collide in a fiercely immediate and unfiltered sonic assault captured on stage in Brighton in 2013.

This double-CD set finds Michael Pisaro and Michael Francis Duch probing the attentive meeting of electric guitar and double bass in extended, quietly rigorous works that privilege the fine gradations of sound, duration and silence, offering a minimal but richly textured listening experience rooted in subtle transformation rather than overt spectacle.

Composed from four pools of material inspired by Johnny Mandel's A Time for Love, Magnus Granberg's 2024 work for his Swedish ensemble Skogen unfolds in ten slow cycles where delicate fragments, melodic shadings, and restrained improvisation interlace across strings, harp, guitar, percussion, and prepared piano, creating a quietly luminous meditation on fragility and motion.

Developed during a residency in the Spanish town of Blanca, violist Julia Eckhardt's eight compositions trace daily walks through the arid hills as sound, image, and memory, each piece born from field recordings, photographs, and improvisations that echo the wind-swept landscape, transforming the act of walking and listening into meditative musical reflection.

Reimagining Bach's Three Sonatas for Solo Violin through the lens of Just Intonation, composer Marc Sabat adds a second violin to create intricate harmonic dialogues performed with Sara Cubarsi and Xenia Gogu, where precise microtonal tuning and subtle psychoacoustic resonance reveal new shades of Bach's counterpoint, bridging baroque invention with contemporary exploration.

The debut composer album from Apartment House bassist James Opstad presents five chamber works performed by Apartment House, the GBSR Duo, and clarinettist Heather Roche, tracing his evolution from electroacoustic exploration to intricately layered instrumental writing, where overlapping tempi, gradual transformations, and subtle harmonic shifts create a sense of suspended motion and quiet intensity.

Finnish composer Antti Tolvi's 72-minute realization of Morton Feldman's Intermission 6 transforms the brief 1953 piano score into an extended meditation on sound and silence, his patient, quietly unpredictable interpretation revealing the work's subtle randomness and serene depth, evoking Feldman's later explorations of duration and near-stillness.

The fourth piano trio release from veteran UK pianist and composer Tim Richards, joined by bassist Alex Keen and drummer Daniel Howard, drawing on the deep traditions of McCoy Tyner and Thelonious Monk while embracing calypso, Brazilian rhythm and soul-jazz colour, the trio's years of residency shaping fluid interplay, melodic clarity and an unforced balance between swing, lyricism and joyful invention.

Live from Padua, Magliocchi (drums/percussion), Northover (soprano sax) and Saccente (prepared accordion) forge an improvisational terrain of lean material and sharp focus, their sparse instrumentation allowing micro-gestures, discreet textures and sudden tonal shifts to articulate an open-ended search for sound, essence and interaction in the spirit of discovery.

In a live Cologne performance the trio of Butcher (reeds), Wassermann (voice & bird-calls) and Blume (drums/percussion) transform ambient impulse and acoustic detail into a series of "close-call" ensemble gestures, where bird-like vocal fragments, saxophone multiphonics and micro-percussion co-here in porous space, yielding an improvised chamber of attentiveness, ecological flux and sonic shadow play.

A striking Munich concert from Udo Schindler and Paul Rogers, where reeds, brass and seven-string double bass trace Burnside-inspired titles into supple, slow-burning forms, their precise timbral interplay and dynamic restraint yielding an improvised chamber drama of quiet intensity, eruptive weight, and finely poised, moment-to-moment architecture.

Uncovering long-shelved recordings from 2006 and 2010, Paul Dunmall reveals a rare side of his artistry at piano and organ, freely improvising with harmonic collisions, lyrical fragments, and bold dynamics that echo the adventurous spirit of Charles Ives, whose humor, vision, and audacity serve as both inspiration and dedication for these spontaneous performances.

Recorded with a handpicked ensemble of well-known jazz musicians, vocalist and lyricist Aly Berry presents a debut that draws on classic jazz phrasing with a contemporary, observational touch, her storytelling framed by performances from Dave Green, Scott Hamilton, Andy Watson, Natalie Rozario, and Neil Bullock in a polished, traditionally rooted jazz setting.

Recasting theatre music composed by Szilárd Mezei along with a Hungarian folk song arranged by Mezei in an intimate live improvisation from a duo of violin/voice and viola, drawing out folk-tinged motifs and open forms into tensile dialogues, balancing chantlike lines and earthy drones with quicksilver bow work to reveal a spare, luminous chamber language that breathes beyond the stage.

Recorded in Quezon City, Philippines during Typhoon Crising, the long-running trio of Christian Bucher (drums), Simon Tan (double bass), and Rick Countryman (alto saxophone) capture urgent and agile free improvisation between canceled gigs and storm delays, their 13 years of collaboration driving vibrant exchanges that balance volatility with poised, spontaneous form.

In an incisive Munich set, multi-reedist Udo Schindler and pianist Katharina Weber transform breath, wood and wire into tensile, reductionist improvisations that pivot from hushed, inside-piano timbres to bristling polyphony, their acute listening and timbral agility forging a vivid, moment-to-moment architecture of detail, momentum and quietly luminous intensity.

Bringing together two major figures of UK improvisation, saxophonist Larry Stabbins - long associated with innovators like Mike Westbrook, Keith Tippett, and Robert Wyatt - and percussionist Mark Sanders (Paul Dunmall, John Butcher, Veryan Weston, &c) in 2024 Bristol sessions captured with stunning clarity, their 1st-take performances unfolding as thoughtful, exploratory dialogs of texture, rhythm, and timbre.

The trio of Rachel Musson on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, and Mark Sanders on drums perform as Shifa, their 46-minute improvisation moving through fiery intensity and spacious reflection in a cohesive journey shaped by deep trust, attentive listening, and fearless exploration, captured live at London's Café Oto in 2023.

Breaking away from their acoustic trio Bleyschool, the long-standing partnership of Pat Thomas, Dominic Lash, and Tony Orrell reconfigure as Lifeline, trading piano, bass, and drums for keyboards, electroacoustic percussion, and electric guitar in a spontaneous studio performance that channels noise, dance, and rock energy into electrified free improv brimming with risk, tension, and surprise.

Delivering his sixth Discus Music release in two years, saxophonist Paul Dunmall leads a dynamic nonet drawn largely from Birmingham's thriving scene, joined by guests Martin Archer, Corey Mwamba, and John Ball, their first-take performances balancing sharply honed compositions with spontaneous invention in a powerful suite that shifts between bluesy themes, lyrical reflection, and collective fire.

A beautifully lyrical and introspective trio recording from saxophonist Rob Hall, keyboardist Tobias Weindorf, and guitarist Philipp van Endert, sharing compositional duties across a set of chamber-like modern jazz works recorded in Germany, where nuanced improvisation, melodic sensitivity, and a refined sense of space define this elegant and democratic debut from the pan-European Tret Trio.

Inspired by Maggie Nelson's reflections on freedom, this intuitive and boundary-defying quintet — featuring saxophonists Simona Castria and Angelo Manicone, Carlo Mascolo on no-input trombone, Valerio Metteo on organismic synthesizers, and João Pedro Viegas on bass clarinet — explores collective improvisation as a form of resistance, creating a deeply expressive tapestry untethered from ego or hierarchy.

Collecting eight albums from the early to late '60s, this generous four-CD set surveys the groundbreaking work of trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Don Ellis, tracing his evolution from post-bop experiments with shifting metric structures into large-ensemble innovation infused with global rhythms, expanded instrumentations, and a fiercely exploratory imagination.