The Squid's Ear Magazine
ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Sale — 143 albums on sale at $8.95 or $9.95!
Relative Pitch Sale — 100+ albums on sale at $8.95 - save $5 each!



Graewe, Georg / Brad Jones / Hamid Drake: More Than Anything (Random Acoustics)

A long-awaited reunion between pianist Georg Graewe and drummer Hamid Drake, joined for the first time by bassist Brad Jones, captured live at the 2024 Konfrontationen Festival in Austria in three expansive improvisations, the trio's chemistry igniting in deep rhythmic interplay, fluid abstraction, and Graewe's seamless movement between jazz traditions and contemporary sensibilities.
 

Price: $19.95


Quantity:

Out of Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Georg Graewe-piano

Brad Jones-double bass

Hamid Drake-drums


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: 9120036684218

Label: Random Acoustics
Catalog ID: RA 041CD
Squidco Product Code: 36395

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2025
Country: Austria
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded live during Konfrontationen, in Nickelsdorf, Austria, on July 28th, 2024, by Christian Gorz and Jens Jamin.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"In the mid-1990s German pianist Georg Graewe was among a number of free jazz veterans attracted to the young improv scene in Chicago. In 1997 he spent six months in the city and formed one of the finest groups of the decade with drummer Hamid Drake and bassist Kent Kessler, along with German reedist Frank Gratkowski. The quartet stopped working around 2001, but in 2019 the pianist found and released a searing live recording of the group from 1998, which sparked a desire to reconnect with Drake. That finally happened in the summer of 2024 at the storied Konfrontationen Festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria, in which Lisbon based American expat bassist Brad Jones rounded out the trio's first-time meeting. Lightning was indeed captured in a bottle with this recording, revealing that the Graewe-Drake electricity remains undiminished. In his sleevenotes the pianist notes the stifling heat as they took the stage, but over the course of three fiery collective improvisations the new trio was fuelled by the hothouse environment, revealing astonishing chemistry. The rhythm section unspools endless ebb and flow movement, riding deep grooves and embracing wide open abstraction; the ideal foundation for Graewe's nonchalant versatility.

While the pianist often elides boundaries between jazz and contemporary music, here he unabashedly digs into the former even while drawing ideas from the latter. There's something unfortunate about the way veterans are often overlooked if they don't devise an endless profusion of new concepts or bands, but More Than Anything proves how misguided that metric is. These individuals have amassed incredible experience and knowledge, and their ability to summon those resources in the moment, with an unceasing flow, is something even the most talented young improvisors will always lack.

Of course, Graewe hasn't been resting on his laurels. He has several ongoing projects including the latest manifestation of his long-running exploration of large ensemble music, Sonic Fiction Orchestra. In Concert, Bochum 2022 features three diverse works, tightly arranged and residing more in the contemporary music milieu despite plenty of neatly plotted improvisation from the likes of clarinettist Gratkowski, guitarist Martin Siewert and harpist Sara Kowal. Few improvisors have managed to collide musical worlds with more rigour and fecundity." - Peter Margasak


Artist Biographies

"Georg Graewe began composing and performing professionally at the age of 15. He has since been leading a variety of ensembles - ranging from trio to chamber orchestra formats - which have involved some of the leading instrumentalists in contemporary music. His compositions, which include chamber music and works for full orchestra as well as scores for films, theater productions, radio drama, and video, have been performed and broadcast around the world.

Graewe has had a long-standing trio with Dutch cellist Ernst Reijseger and US-based percussionist Gerry Hemingway since 1989. He has also performed and/or recorded with Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, Dave Douglas, Phil Minton, Roscoe Mitchell, Barry Guy, Barre Phillips, Hamid Drake, John Butcher, Robert Dick, John Butcher, Mark Dresser among others.

Over the last 10 years, he has also written three operas. Kopenhagen (based on the same-titled play by Michael Frayn) was produced by OPER KÖLN (Cologne Opera House) in 2003. His second opera, Quicksilver, (a commission by Semperoper Dresden) came out in November 2006. And his most recent opera, Barbara Strozzi oder die Avantgarde der Liebe, was staged by Theater Luzern in Switzerland in 2010 and Oper Bonn in Germany in 2011.

Since 1999, Graewe has been closely associated with CNMAT (Center for New Music and Audio Technology) at UC Berkeley. From 2002 - 2007, he taught at Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin.

In 2010, Graewe curated a series of 27 events that presented different aspects of resonance between music, poetry, visual arts, and science as part of the European Cultural Capital RUHR 2010. A catalogue plus DVD edition documenting this project has been published on his own Random Acoustics label."

-Nuscope Records (http://nuscope.org/musicians/georg-graewe/)
9/10/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"New York born Brad Christopher Jones is a bassist, composer, and educator. He has recorded, performed, and toured around the world with a diverse array of artists that include Ornette Coleman, Elvis Costello, Elvin Jones, David Byrne, Muhal Richard Abrams, Sheryl Crow, Deborah Harry, Dave Douglas, Vernon Reid, John Zorn, Don Byron, Marc Ribot, and The Jazz Passengers.

Brad has released three recordings under his own leadership with two seperate projects:"UNCIVILIZED POISE" and "THE EMBODIMENT" with his band Aka Alias, and"POURING MY HEART IN" with the Brad Jones Quartet.

Brad is also an experienced educator who has taught workshops and master classes in France, Italy, Canada, and Mexico and is part of the music faculty at Columbia University in New York City."

-Brad Jones Website (http://bassjones.com)
9/10/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Hamid Drake (born August 3, 1955) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends a great deal of time touring worldwide. By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and avant improvised music. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and African percussion instruments and influence, in addition to using the standard trap set, Drake has collaborated extensively with top free-jazz improvisers. Drake also has performed world music; by the late 70s, he was a member of Foday Musa Suso's Mandingo Griot Society and has played reggae throughout his career.

Drake has worked with trumpeter Don Cherry, pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Fred Anderson, Archie Shepp and David Murray and bassists Reggie Workman and William Parker (in a large number of lineups)

He studied drums extensively, including eastern and Caribbean styles. He frequently plays without sticks; using his hands to develop subtle commanding undertones. His tabla playing is notable for his subtlety and flair. Drake's questing nature and his interest in Caribbean percussion led to a deep involvement with reggae."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Drake)
9/10/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Leanings 26:33

2. Spinel 16:03

3. More Than Anything 10:54

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Collective & Free Improvsation
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Chicago Jazz & Improvisation
Trio Recordings
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
New in Improvised Music
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

Search for other titles on the label:
Random Acoustics.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Graewe, Georg & Sonic Fiction Orchestra
In Concert, Bochum 2022
(Random Acoustics)
A remarkable solo concert from German pianist George Graewe, performing at Kunstmuseum Bochum in 2022, presenting intricate and expansive free improvisations that showcase his dynamic range, rhythmic precision, harmonic sophistication, and the lyrical abstraction that has defined his work across contemporary jazz and modern improvisation.
Parker, William / Cooper-Moore / Hamid Drake
Heart Trio [VINYL]
(Aum Fidelity)
A mesmerizing and organically spiritual album of collective improv from three global travelers based around the NY and Chicago scenes--long-time collaborators William Parker, Cooper-Moore and Hamid Drake--their instrumentation on this beautiful album also uniquely global, including doson ngoni, shakuhachi, bass dudek, Serbian flute, Ney flute, ashimba, hoe-handle harp and frame drum.
Beger / Taubenfeld / Hazan / Drake
Cosmic Waves
(NoBusiness)
Two studio sessions of ebullient improv from the quartet of Israeli tenor saxophonist Albert Beger, bass clarinetist Ziv Taubenfeld, double bassist & guimbri player Shay Hazan, and Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, from hard-blowing collective interplay to introspective discourse, ending with Beger's reflective composition "Astral Visit"; a perfectly balanced album of modern jazz.
Brotzmann, Peter / Majid Bekkas / Hamid Drake
Catching Ghosts
(ACT Music + Vision)
A powerful, spiritual and warmly dynamic album of international and cross-cultural free improvisation meticulously recorded live at Jazzfest Berlin in 2022 from the trio of German reedist Peter Brötzmann on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Chicago drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake, and Moroccan guembri player and vocalist Majid Bekkas.
Pride, Mike
I Hate Work
(Rarenoise Records)
A warmly lyrical, mostly instrumental album of modern jazz that surprisingly takes it's title from legendary punk band MDC, and its songs from their 1982 debut album Millions of Dead Cops, led by NY drummer Mike Pride and performed with Jamie Saft (keys), Brad Jones (bass), Mick Bar (guitars) and on a few songs, vocalists JG Thirlwell (Foetus), Sam Mickens (The Dead Science) and Dave Dictor from MDC itself.
Dry Thrust (Georg Graewe / Martin Siewert / Dieter Kern)
The Less You Sleep
(Trost Records)
The trio of German pianist/composer Georg Graewe, guitarist Martin Siewert (Radian, Trapist, Also), and drummer Dieter Kern (DEK Trio, Bulbul, Fuckhead) bring together diverse attitudes in free improv from avant jazz to ea-/experimental approaches and bristling rock forms, sharing a unique collective voice with an oddly implied sense of humor and disconcertingly ingenious skill.
Graewe, Georg Quintet
New Movements
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
First-ever reissue of the 1976 FMP album from the adventurous German hard-bop quintet led by pianist Georg Graewe, with Horst Grabosch on trumpet, Harald Dau on saxophones, Hans Schneider on bass and Achim Kramer on drums, embracing post-bop, freebop, free jazz, and free improvisation in an exciting live recording from "Jazz Now" at the Quarter Latin in Berlin, Germany in 1976.
Murray, David (w/ Brad Jones / Hamid Drake)
Seriana Promethea
(Intakt)
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.
Tsahar, Assif / William Parker / Hamid Drake
In Between The Tumbling A Stillness [VINYL]
(Hopscotch Records)
A fierce free jazz concert recorded live at Levontin 7, in Tel Aviv by three players with a long history of collaboration and dynamic trio settings, from Israeli saxophonist formerly based in NYC Assif Tsahar, bassist William Parker and Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, in two extended, energetic and inventive improvisations and a concise closing "Stillness".
Gjerstad, Frode / Hamid Drake / William Parker
[4-CD BOX SET]
(Not Two)
4 essential albums from the trio of Frode Gjerstad on saxophones and reeds, William Parker on double bass, and Hamid Drake on drums; CD 1 presents "Ultima" originally released in 1997 on Cadence Jazz; CD 2 presents "Remember To Forget" from 1998 on Circulasione Totale; CD 3 "The Other Side" from 2006 on Ayler Records; and CD 4 "On Reade Street" from 2008 on FMR.
Jungle: Mat Walerian / Matthew Shipp / Hamid Drake
Live at Okuden [2 CDs]
(ESP-Disk)
The 2nd LP from Polish multi-wind & reedist Mat Walerian, his 2nd with NY pianist Matthew Shipp, and the 2nd recorded within the live Okuden Concert Series, adding drummer Hamid Drake for an excellent album of free improvisation that flows beautifully from track to track.
Gjerstad, Frode / Parker, William / Drake, Hamid
On Reade Street
(FMR)
Insanely great improvisation in the 3rd recorded outing for this amazing trio, bringing Free Europe and New York Downtown players together for 3 extended compositions.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Blonk, Jaap / Damon Smith / Michael Zerang
Improvisers
(Kontrans)
The first meeting as a trio between Jaap Blonk on voice, Damon Smith on bass, and Michael Zerang on percussion, captured live in Chicago and continuing the Kontrans Improvisors series, bringing together three longstanding collaborators in new formation for an inventive and uncompromising set of free improvisation that highlights their commanding spontaneity and creative rapport.
McGee, Hal
Columbus Expedition [Cassette w/ Download]
(Copy This!)
A celebration of friendship, sound, and daily life, Hal McGeeÕs cassette + download release assembles dictaphone recordings from his June 2025 trip to Ohio, capturing conversations with Chris Phinney, Jeff Chenault, and Jerry Kranitz, the ambience of cafŽs, shops, and the Arts Fair, collaborative studio and live performances, and voices from the city, composed into a strangely compelling audio diary.
Rogers, Paul
Peace And Happiness
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)
On a custom 7-string double bass, Paul Rogers delivers a powerful eight-part solo recital where deeply melodic lines and harmonically rich textures meet commanding technique — bowed chords, ringing harmonics and agile counterpoint — shaping fluid narratives that balance intensity and lyricism into a remarkable, satisfying journey.
Angles 11
Tell Them It's The Sound Of Freedom
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)
Martin Küchen's Angles returns as an 11-piece — two trumpets, expanded reeds, vibraphone and amplified violin, Fender Rhodes/synth, and a three-drummer engine — lifting songful, anthemic themes into free, melody-rich interplay and propulsive grooves, the ensemble shifting from playful exchanges to surging peaks as its close-knit rapport balances warmth, bite, and momentum.
Pereleman, Ivo / Nate Wooley / Matt Moran / Mark Helias / Tom Rainey
A Modicum Of the Blues
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)
Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman joins Nate Wooley (trumpet), Matt Moran (vibes), Mark Helias (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums) in a tempered yet highly active quintet that nods to the blues, moving through free, melody-rich dialog; vibes replace piano to color the space as the group shifts from playful exchanges to surging peaks, their seemingly telepathic interplay balancing warmth and power.
Yoshida, Tatsuya / Martin Escalante
The Sound of Raspberry [VINYL]
(Wash and Wear Records)
A relentless duo of Japanese drummer, vocalist and electronic artist Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins, Koenji Hyakkei), with Mexican saxophonist Martín Escalante on alto and voice, captured live in Tokyo in fourteen explosive improvisations of blistering energy, searing noise, and sudden precision shifts, balancing chaotic abandon with uncanny control.
Escalante, Martin / Charlie Mumma / Tete Leguia
This Molten Salt
(Wash and Wear Records)
A searing trio of saxophonist Martin Escalante, bassist Tete Leguia, and drummer Charlie Mumma, captured across sessions in Nashville and Grand Rapids, unleashing an uncompromising pedal-free noise assault that fuses the extremity of free jazz with noise music intensity, their ferocious interplay creating dense, volatile structures that channel chaos into a raw, intuitive sonic onslaught.
Gjerstad, Frode / Alexander von Schlippenbach / Dag Magnus Narvesen
Seven Tracks
(Relative Pitch)
A dynamic trio session from Frode Gjerstad on alto sax & clarinet, Alexander von Schlippenbach on piano, and Dag Magnus Narvesen on drums & percussion, their first collaboration unfolds in seven spontaneous improvisations that balance fierce intensity with lyrical openness, revealing a seasoned interplay that blends deep exploration with collective free jazz sensibility.
Foster / Crawford / Sullivan
Against Proper Objects
(Relative Pitch)
The debut of saxophonist Michael Foster, guitarist and banjo player Webb Crawford, and drummer Joey Sullivan, a free trio whose quirky yet technically impressive improvisations shift from sax shouts and overblown tones to frenetic banjo and guitar textures, driven by metallic percussion into a dense but dynamic interplay that combines raw energy with finely detailed, unpredictable explorations.
Mayas, Magda / Jim Denley
One Another
(Relative Pitch)
An immersive meeting of Berlin pianist Magda Mayas and Australian flutist Jim Denley, ffollowing up on their 2017 Relative Pitch release, Tempe Jetz, as they weave flutes, piano, and percussive objects into a delicately balanced exchange where subtle gestures and resonant detail create a patient yet gripping exploration of texture, breath, and sonic space.
Zingaro, Carlos / Joao Madeira
Arcada Pendular
(4DaRecord)
An inspired meeting between Portuguese double bassist João Madeira and pioneering violinist Carlos Zingaro, recorded in 2023 in Barreiro, Portugal, their duo exploring a vast sonic terrain of lyrical interplay, textural bow work, and spontaneous counterpoint, moving from delicate introspection to angular abstraction with an intuitive rapport that bridges risk and curiosity.
Joseph Holbrooke (w/ Derek Bailey / Gavin Bryars / Tony Oxley)
Last Live 2001 - In Memoriam Derek Bailey And Tony Oxley [2 CDs]
(Tzadik)
The legendary trio Joseph Holbrooke — guitarist Derek Bailey, bassist Gavin Bryars, and drummer Tony Oxley — reunited after decades for one final performance in 2001, captured in this historic live recording that highlights their uncompromising commitment to free improvisation, the set resonating with both the radical spirit of their 1960s origins and the profound artistry of three pioneering voices in avant-garde music.
Marteau Rouge (Foussat / Pauvros / Sato) / Evan Parker
Gift
(Fou Records)
A fiery live performance recorded at Instants Chavires in 2009, reuniting Marteau Rouge's raw and electrified trio of synth, guitar, and drums with saxophonist Evan Parker, erupting in extended collective improvisations that dissolve structure in favour of texture, power, sonic friction and ecstatic freedom through waves of noise, silence, combustion, and control.
Foussat, Jean-Marc
Abbatage
(Fou Records)
Originally released in 1983 as Jean-Marc Foussat's sole solo statement for the next 18 years, Abattage is a frenetic musique concrète collage of Synthi AKS & VCS3 electronics, tapes, voice, guitar, piano and field recordings, reissued in a deluxe remastered edition with 32-page booklet that restores the intensity and inventiveness of his groundbreaking debut.




The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC