Bassist and composer Michael Formanek leads a trans-Atlantic septet with John O'Gallagher, Chet Doxas, Joao Almeida, Mary Halvorson, Alexander Hawkins on Hammond B3 and Tomas Fujiwara, unfolding a bold contemporary jazz architecture where braided horns, off-axis guitar, organ-driven momentum and elastic rhythms move between dense collective force and sharply focused small-group interplay.

Accordionist Luciano Biondini, tubist and serpent player Michel Godard, and percussionist Lucas Niggli weave composition and free improv into a richly expressive dialogue drawing on Mediterranean lyricism, early music, and contemporary jazz, where original pieces, Radiohead and Monteverdi reinterpretations, and spontaneous interplay unfold with poetic depth, wit, and an ever-shifting sense of narrative.

Captured during a European tour, the trio of pianist Sylvie Courvoisier with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen presents a finely honed language shaped through deep trust and evolving interplay, where Courvoisier's compositions unfold with precision and openness, balancing intricate detail, shifting textures, and spontaneous free improv with subtle complexity and vivid expressiveness.

Marking her return to Chicago, German alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier reunites with a powerhouse sextet of the city's improvisers, including Nicole Mitchell, Dave Rempis, and Jason Adasiewicz, for a high-velocity session of free improv, where fierce interplay, shifting textures, and spontaneous structures bridge European and AACM-informed traditions with raw, contemporary energy.

Uniting bassist Stephan Crump, drummer Eric McPherson with alto saxophonist Darius Jones, this trio channels a deeply connected improvisational language built on evolving vamps, elastic grooves, and shared momentum, as Jones's emotionally direct alto moves freely through shifting forms shaped by trust, vulnerability, and a collective pursuit of intensity without hierarchy or hesitation.

Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and legendary trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith meet in a deeply focused duo session, their through-composed material unfolding with stunning restraint, architectural clarity, and a quiet but potent freedom, as each phrase, gesture, and interval feels acutely calibrated in a shared space of mystery, immediacy, and poetic intent.

Uniting from different continents and generations, guitarist and vocalist Fred Frith and drummer, percussionist, and vocalist Maria Portugal meet in Cologne for four improvised stretches that blend song form, rhythmic invention, exploratory textures, and creative voice work, revealing a shared musical language that dissolves genre boundaries into a vivid, unpredictable exchange.

A powerful quartet session led by James Brandon Lewis on tenor sax with Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones, and Chad Taylor, blending lyrical melodic clarity with dynamic, responsive interplay, where rich tonal expression and groove-sensitive improvisation draw from the lineage of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and David S. Ware while forging a deeply personal, contemporary voice.

Only the second solo album from Swiss-born pianist and composer Sylvie Courvoisier, now based in New York, presenting twelve studio recordings that explore the full range of the piano inside and out, recorded in Germany and showcasing the breadth of her expressive power and spontaneous creativity, shaped by decades of work in innovative transatlantic ensembles.

A stunning 1981 live performance at Internationales Jazzfestival Zurich, from pianist Irene Schweizer's short-lived but explosive quartet with Rüdiger Carl, Johnny Dyani, and Han Bennink, blending theatrical flair, fierce intensity, bold humor, and spontaneous surprises in a powerhouse set that channels the spirit of Mingus, the wit of Waller, and the raw energy of punk jazz.

Swiss vocalist Sarah Buechi, guitarist Franz Hellmuller and bassist Rafael Jerjen expand their trio with Kristina Brunner on Schwyzerorgeli, Andreas Gabriel on violin, Marianne Domide on alphorn and Emmanuel Krucker on Hackbrett, merging jazz, experimental song and lively Swiss folk traditions in a vivid homecoming to the alpine Glarus region, its legends, dramas and rugged mountain atmospheres.

Drawing inspiration from rediscovered 1998 Ornette Coleman rehearsal tapes and the spirit of Dewey Redman, tenor saxophonist and composer Ohad Talmor opens a new artistic cycle with his core trio of Chris Tordini and Eric McPherson plus a remarkable array of guests, creating kaleidoscopic variations that merge composed forms, liberated improvisation, and subtly deployed electronics.

Austrian pianist Elias Stemeseder and German percussionist Christian Lillinger expand their partnership into a quartet with brilliant New York trumpeter Peter Evans and double bassist Russell Hall, in this all-acoustic follow-up to their 2023 album Umbra in 13 avant jazz compositions, inventively lyrical and unpredictably impressive, recorded in the warmth of the Van Gelder studios.

Following his 2017 trio album with guitarists Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorson, New York guitarist Elliott Sharp returns to his Manhattan studio with two different guitarists--Bhutan guitarist Tashi Dorji living in Asheville, and New Zealand guitarist living in New York Sally Gates--for ten far-ranging improvisations of inspired technique and creative intent.

Dedicated to his wife Francesca, David Murray shows his powerful ability to play both lyrically and free, with an impressive quartet of young musicians--Marta Sanchez on piano, Luke Stewart on bass and Russell Carter on drums--performing Murray compositions and one from Don Pullen, blending a variety of influences with modern sensibility and commanding soloing from all players.

Seven years into their collaboration, the creative and innovative piano trio initiated by bassist Stephan Crump with pianist Kris Davis and drummer Eric McPherson explore spontaneous free playing on a double CD of lyrically inclined, inventive interplay, borrowing from jazz, contemporary forms and sometimes funky grooves with a patiently rewarding approach to conversation.

A mercurial album of electronic and acoustic collective free improv from the masterful quintet of Tim Berne on alto sax, David Torn and Marc Ducret on electric guitars, Devin Hoff on electric bass and Ches Smith on drums & electronics, the band intertwining and bending sound to the evolution of their improvisations, which twist and turn in alien jazz soundscape.

Anna Webber's explorations of just intonation in a quintet of New York improvisers, with Webber herself on tenor sax & flutes, Adam O'Farrill on trumpet, Mariel Roberts on cello, Elias Stemeseder on synthesizer and Lesley Mok on drums, her approachable compositions blurring the lines between tuning systems while focusing on fascinatingly exotic tonal combinations.

With a rare ability to play hard-hitting jazz while maintaining a lyrical sense to his compositions, tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis' new studio album from his quartet of Aruan Ortiz on piano, Brad Jones on bass and Chad Taylor on drums is the fourth album from this working band, demonstrating their strong group affinity that invokes impressive soloing from all four.

The first live recordings from 2021 in Switzerland of NY saxophonist James Brandon Lewis' Molecular concept of composition, inspired by molecular biology and yielding lyrical and sophisticated structures for his players, heard in nine compositions performed with the exemplary quartet of Brad Jones on bass, Chad Taylor on drums, Aruán Ortiz on piano and Lewis on tenor sax.

Chimaera is the ensemble of Sylvie Courvoisier on piano, her core trio with Drew Gress on bass, Kenny Wollesen on drums & vibraphone, expanded by two trumpeters--Wadada Leo Smith & Nate Wooley--and affected by Austrian guitarist Christian Fennesz who provides sonic backdrops for the improvisations over Courvoisier's compositions, focusing on aura over pyrotechnics; absolutely sublime.

Saxophonist & composer Ingrid Laubrock's quartet with Jon Irabagon on sopranino sax, Zeena Parkins on electric harp and Tom Rainey on drums, in a work of conventional and graphic notation with text instructions, accompanied by fixed media tape pieces (monochromes), from Nate Wooley, Adam Matlock, Tom Rainey, and by JD Allen, David Breskin & Ingrid Laubrock manipulating Harry Bertoia sculptures.

Surprises abound with Lucas Niggli's approach to improvised composition, using 40 playing cards that his ten-piece ensemble interpret, drawing on inspired performers from improvised, experimental and contemporary classical music, their game performed over three rounds, allowing an incredibly diverse set of approaches to reveal themselves on each unique track.

Evan Parker and Matthew Wright are the core of Trance Map, the soprano saxophonist and live electronics duo expanding on their original 2011 concept with Trance Map+, adding guest musicians to their unique approach to electroacoustic improvisation, here in an exceptional quartet configuration with Peter Evans on trumpet & piccolo trumpet, and Mark Nauseff on percussion.

Michael Formanek's compositions run a wide range of styles and approaches to creative modern jazz, from flowing lyrical melodies to tense agitation in rapid runs, all anchored by Formanek's powerful bass and rendered with his Elusion Quartet of Tony Malaby on tenor & soprano sax, Kris Davis on piano and Ches Smith on drums & vibes; inventive jazz that continuously surprises.

The 3rd Intakt release from NY multi-reedist and composer Chris Speed's Trio with bassist Chris Toridini and drummer Dave King, who is also a part of Speed's other working band The Bad Plus, this new album presenting eight original Speed compositions that, as Speed explains, get to the point of featuring the song, the sophisticated melodies around which this excellent trio pivot.

Unique approaches to the piano trio format, alerted to the listener by merging synthetics and samples into the opening, bubbling carnival-esque "Rapture", then settling into more recognizable yet innovative approaches to creative, modern jazz through Hawkin's fascinating compositions, electronics drifting in and out at times but generally adhering to great, modern jazz.

The other shaded region to their 2022 Penumbra album, keyboardist Stemeseder and drummer Christian Lillinger explore "utopias in sound production" through acoustic and electronic composition, creating evolving melodies and sonic tapestries in performance with Peter Evans on Piccolo trumpet, Russell Hall on bass, DoYeon Kim on Gayageum and Brandon Seabrook on banjo & guitar.

Recording at the Rudy van Gelder Studio, this is Cuban pianist David Virelles' debut on Intakt with his trio of bassist Ben Street and drummer Eric McPherson, performing eight Virelles compositions and his arrangement of a piece by Enrique Bonne Castillo; a joyful contemporary piano trio of great technical skill and passionate performance beautifully captured.

A new trio setting from New York alto saxophonist Tim Berne with accordionist & multi-instrumentalist Aurora Nealand and long-time associate, cellist Hank Roberts, a warmly orchestrated band that allows fluid and relaxed approaches to their playing, Berne's compositions evoking exquisite tonal color and diverse conversations from pacific to tempestuous.

Celebrating 20 years since his recording debut as a leader and his own 50th birthday, Cuban-born, New York-based pianist Aruán Ortiz presents his 6th album on Intakt in a trio with bassist Brad Jones and drummer John Betsch, opening with a Gillespie/Parker number then taking us on a spectacular journey through contemporary jazz influenced by Afro-Cuban/Haitian traditions.

Swiss pianist, composer and producer Marie Kruttli, who splits her time between Switzerland and Berlin, steps away from her trio with bassist Lukas Traxel and drummer Jonathan Barber for a sophisticated solo album of original composition and improvisations, in thirteen succinct, emotional and introspectively elegant works.

"Jim" is US drummer & composer Jim Black working in Berlin, and The Shrimps are the trio of bassist Felix Henkelhausen and the two-sax front line of Germans, Asger Nissen on alto and Julius Gawlik on tenor, finding a rapport and common approach to free improv, they formed to perform & record Black's assertive compositions influenced by the tradition of Black American jazz.

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.

Zurich tenor saxophonist & composer Christoph Irniger in his fourth album on the Intakt label with his creative and cooperative band Pilgrim of Stefan Aeby on piano, Dave Gisler on guitar, Raffaele Bossard on bass and Michael Stulz on drums, performing Irninger's lyrical and thoughtful compositions, along with one from bassist Raffaele Bossard.

Formed in 1972 and releasing their first album in 1975, the enduring quartet OM of Urs Leimgruber on soprano saxophone, Christy Doran on electric guitar, Bobby Burri on double bass and Fredy Studer on drums & percussion, celebrate 50 years of intense genre-blurring creative jazz leveraging rock music's energy with this exhilarating album of structured collective improv.

A leading statesman of free jazz drumming, Andrew Cyrille's approach is influenced by both the Blue Note era and the groundbreaking work he participated in with Cecil Taylor or Trio3, still going strong�and perceptively wise as heard on these eleven succinct studio solo performances, featuring favored percussive instruments adding melodic elements to these solid rhythmic vignettes.

Magnificent and succinct compositions merging contemporary and improvised approaches in powerfully elegant ways from Swiss pianist Katharina Weber, performing solo in the studio in 2022, presenting seventeen original compositions and two by György Kurtág, including pieces dedicated to Kurtág and Marta Kurtág, along with dedications to Heinz Holliger, Roland Moser, Gertrud Schneider, &c.

Swiss vocalist Sarah Buechi leads a new trio with Franz Hellmüller on guitar and Rafael Jerjen on bass, putting a uniquely expressive touch to a mix of original Buechi songs, standards including "I Thought About You" and "Moon River", and traditional song, the intimate and adept playing of Hellmüller and Jerjen enveloping the trio with a warm glow.

A series of spontaneous converstations captured live at the 2021 Copenhagen Jazz Festival at KoncertKirken, the second duo album between trumpeter Susana Santos Silva and pianist Kaja Draksler, using extraordinary and extended techniques to create lovely rolling textures or spacious sonic environments, passing between moods and approaches in natural and captivating ways.

Leveraging more than a decade of collaboration, New York saxophonist Tim Berne and pianist Matt Mitchell present an intimate live concert in Montreal at Club Soda, performing mostly Berne compositions and one by Julius Hemphill ("Number 2") in a thoughtful and innately lyrical set of seemingly telepathic dialogs interpreting Berne's intricate and innovative works.

Ydivide is Swiss drummer Clemens Kuratle's multi-national quintet with Dee Byrne on alto saxophone, Elliot Galvin on piano & electronics, Chris Guilfoyle on guitar and Lukas Traxel on bass, a dynamic young band performing Kuratle's structured compositions allowing for energetic and enthusiastic soloing amidst collective group work and lyrically introspective moments.

A series of sixteen succinctly expansive, dramatic and moody collective improvisations, evocative music of rich melodic and rhythmic foundation that coax inspired tempests from misty lands and seas, at the intersection of Austrian Hurdy Gurdy master Matthias Loibner and Zurich-based West Kamerun drummer Lucas Niggli; absolutely impressive and beguiling.

Founded in 2008, the Berlin-based Lisbeth Quartett under the direction of saxophonist and composer Charlotte Greve with core members Manuel Schmiedel on piano, Marc Muellbauer on bass and Moritz Baumgartner on drums, present nine lyrically cultured and beautifully fluid pieces through Greve's clever and sophisticated compositions of creative modern jazz.

The Lucaciu 3--Antonio Lucaciu (sax), Simon Lucaciu (piano) and Rober Lucaciu (bass)--are joined at Studio Loft in Koln, Germany by legendary Euro Free Jazz drummer Gunter Baby Sommer to record this exceptionally joyful and sophisticated album of creative jazz, with distinctive compositions from band members, alongside text from Hugo Ball and an adaptation of a Béla Bartók motiv.

Following her duo albums on Intakt with pianists Aki Takase and Kris Davis, New York saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock collaborates with pianist Andy Milne (Dapp Theory, M-Base Collective) for ten beautifully empathetic, delicate and sophisticated dialogs, Laubrock performing on tenor & soprano saxophones and Milne at times using preparations.

A new piano-less trio led by a modern giant of jazz--saxophonist David Murray--who composed the lyrically upbeat and swinging compositions for this Brave New World Trio with bassist Brad Jones and drummer Hamid Drake, two incredible and innovative players who expand each piece with enthusiastic playing of free and inventive approaches to Murray's music.

A beautiful trio album of compositions from pianist Yuko Fujiyama and presented in a mix of solo pieces and duets & trios with cornetist Graham Haynes and electronic improviser Ikue Mori, for a subtle set of elegant improvisations balancing spacious moments with responsively relaxed interplay rich with anticipation, punctuated with two poems by Shutaro Tankikawa.

A solo album from Austrian-born, NY-based pianist Elias Stemeseder, a member of the Jim Black Trio and Dre Hocevar, here presenting 14 original compositions, succinct works of inventive structures and insightful improvisation along with a traditional Austrian tune "foeggslia'l", an album revealing great skill, quick wit, and a complex mind that yields delightfully intrepid discovery.

Expanding on his live album "Zurich Concert" with trumpeter Jaimie Branch, Swiss guitarist Dave Gisler's trio with Raffaele Bossard on bass and Lionel Friedli on drums release this studio album with Branch returning, and adding New York tenor saxophonist David Murray for a mix of demanding jazz and introspective improv environments, a beautifully balanced album of avant jazz.