From Wolves To Whales (Rempis / Wooley / Niggenkemper / Corsano): Strandwal [2 CDs] (Aerophonic)

The 2nd release from the quartet of cutting edge improvisers--Nate Wooley on trumpet, Dave Rempis on saxophone, Pascal Niggenkemper on bass, and Chris Corsano on drums--presents a complete concert during their Fall 2017 European Trou, performing in the city of Haarlem near Amsterdam, a wide-ranging concert of incredible technique and intrepid playing. ... Click to View

Rempis / Abrams / Ra + Baker: Apsis (Aerophonic)

"Apsis" makes permanent this Chicago band's expansion from the trio of Dave Rempis on saxophones, Joshua Abrams on bass, and Avreeayl Ra on drums & percussion, with pianist & synth player Jim Baker, first heard on "Perihelion", as the 3rd album demonstrates the power and articulate strength of all four through extended and energetic improvisations of great modern jazz. ... Click to View

Somersaults (Olie Brice / Tobias Delius / Mark Sanders): Numerology of Birdsong (West Hill Records)

Having supported Paul Dunmall, Evan Parker, Mikolaj Trzaska, Ken Vandermark, &c., the UK rhythm section of Olie Brice on double bass and Mark Sanders on drums joined forces for their own Somersaults trio with tenor saxophonist Tobias Delius (ICP), this second album an example of their buoyant, optimistically playful and melodically charged free improvisation. ... Click to View

Barry Guy : Blue Horizon. Barry Guy@70 (Live At The Ad Libitum Festival 2017) [3 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

3 astonishing concerts on 3 consecutive nights at C at the Ad Libitum Festival 2017 in Warsaw, Poland from British bassist Barry Guy in 3 configurations: 1st in a duo with Spanish pianist Agusti Fernandez; 2nd in a trio with US pianist Marilyn Crispell and British drummer Paul Lytton; and 3rd in a double bass duo with French bassist Joelle Leandre. ... Click to View

Joelle Leandre: Strings Garden [3 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Three concerts from 2016 & 2017 of different string duos anchored by Leandre's double bass, starting at rue Victor Masse 75009 in Paris with a double bass duo with Bernard Santacruz; then a bass and cello duo at Le Triton Les Lilas, France with Gaspar Claus; and completing the set, a performances at DZIK, in Warszaw, Poland with violinist and violist Theo Ceccaldi. ... Click to View

Agusti Fernandez : River Tiger Fire [4 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Recorded at the 2014 Ad Libitum Festival in Warsaw, pianist and composer Agusti Fernandez was invited to perform four concerts in celebration of his 60th birthday, choosing his working trio Aurora for once concert, a solo performance of "El Laberint de la Memoria", his electroacoustic Thunder trio, and a large ensemble conduction "River, Tiger Fire". ... Click to View

Killick: Stay-At-Home Monk [VINYL] (H(i)nds(i)ght)

Varying the instrument and proportions of acoustic or electric presentation straddling the foreground/background dynamic for each track, Appalachian Trance Metal guitarist Killick presents his first vinyl LP to extend his vast CD discography; a worthy and curious album of solo guitar, acoustic and electroacoustic work that belongs in any guitar enthusiast's collection. ... Click to View

Musicworks: #134 Fall 2019 [MAGAZINE + CD] (Musicworks)

Fall 2019 issue of Canada's premier music magazine covering contemporary, improvisation and experimental music, plus reviews of recordings, books, and events; this issue has articles on Ana Sokolovic, Charlie Morrow, Nadah El Shazly, Laraaji, Amy Brandon, William Kuo, Sami Blanco, Silla and Rise, Mystery & Wonder Records, including a CD with tracks from the same. ... Click to View

Suspensao: Rayon Blanc (Creative Sources)

The fourth release from the Portuguese lowercase electroacoustic ensemble Suspensao, merging viola, cello, bass clarinet, alto sax, electric guitar, piano, double bass, percussion and electronics in intensely detailed, slow moving improvisation, revealing impressive tension and suspension of time in impeccably concentrative collective conversation. ... Click to View

Lars Brondum / Per Gardin: Adhara (Creative Sources)

Swedish improvisers, saxophonist Per Gardin--known for his work with Rodrigo Pinheiro and Pedro Lopes and Oblique (Trio)--joins fellow Swede Lars Brondum, whose work focuses on modern composers like Cardew, Ligeti, and Riley, on modular synth and theremin, as the two focus on the star Adhara in the Canis Major constellation through 6 stellar object-named ea-improvisations. ... Click to View

Agusti Fernandez Trio (w. William Parker / Susie Ibarra): One Night At The Joan Miro Foundation (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A formidable meeting of three powerhouses of modern creative improvisation of diverse backgrounds -- Filipina-American drummer/percussionist Susie Ibarra, legendary New York bassist William Parker, and Spanish pianist Agusti Fernandez, in a spirited, masterful and stunning live performance at the Joan Miro Foundation in Barcelona recorded in 1998. ... Click to View

Francois Carrier / Alexander Hawkins / John Edwards / Michel Lambert: Nirguna [2 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A complete, powerful performance at London's Vortex club from the indefatigable quartet led by Canadian saxophonist Francois Carrier, featuring one of the finest European young piano virtuosos, Alexander Hawkins, one of the most in-demand bass players on the Euro/London free improv scene, John Edwards, and long running partner to Carrier, drummer Michel Lambert. ... Click to View

Ben Stapp / Joe Morris feat. Stephen Haynes : Mind Creature Sound Dasein (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Splitting his time between Portugal and NY, tuba and euphonium player Ben Stapp's association with guitarist Joe Morris and cornetist Stephen Haynes started in 2011, including participating in their Improvisations series, leading to this trio performing Stapp's compositions with musical forms based on the narrative structure of his novel "Mind Creature Sound Dasein". ... Click to View

Nobject (Martin Kuchen / Rafal Mazur / Vasco Trilla): X-Rayed [2 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Bringing separate collaborations together as a trio, Swedish saxophonist Martin Kuchen (Angles), who has worked separately with Catalan drummer Vascto Trilli and Polish guitarist Rafal Mazur, come together as Nobject, recording at Lodz-Art Inkubator during the sixth Musica Privata festival in Lodz, Poland, for 2 sets of fully free, sinuous and assertive improvisation. ... Click to View

Evan Parker / Eddie Prevost: Tools Of Imagination (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

An awe-inspiring concert between two of London's free improvisation legends, recording at Pardon To Tu [Teatr Nowy Clubroom] in Poland--percussionist Eddie Prevost and saxophonist Evan Parker on tenor sax--in an hour-long performance that starts with Prevost's reverberant bowed metal, as the two build and recede with profound concentration and masterful skill. ... Click to View

As You Hear (Veryan Weston / Pei Ann Yeoh / Beibei Wang): Four Seasonings (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Recording at Vortex Jazz Club in London in 2018, the As You Hear trio of renowned London and European free jazz pianist Veryan Weston with two younger generation improvisers, Pei Ann Yeoh (violin) and Beibei Wang (drums & percussion), here presenting a sophisticated concert of group improvisation, each collective improvisation named for a spice or seasoning. ... Click to View

Paula Shocron / Pablo Diaz (special guest Guillermo Gregorio): Dialogos (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Argentinian improvisers Paula Shocron (piano) and Pablo Diaz (drums) invite masterful Argentinian clarinetist and Mivimiento Musica Mas founder Guillermo Gregorio to record these 14 collective improvisations in the studio in New York, drawing upon contemporary and jazz elements with virtuosic skill, revealing inventive and imaginative playing. ... Click to View

After Dinner: Souvenir Cassette (2019) (Fish Prints)

Originally released in 1988 in limited cassette and LP editions and comprising live recordings from performances in 1987, the Japanese avant rock band After Dinner with vocalist Haco merged Japanese traditional music and electronics in sublime ways, their live performances a great reflection of their recorded albums, here impeccably remastered by Bob Drake. ... Click to View

Jean-Luc Petit / Jeremy Baysse / Fabrice Favriou: Ecorchure (Creative Sources)

"Ecorchure" translates to a skin wound produced by a violent friction that removes or tears the superficial layers; here the French trio of Jean-Luc Petit on saxophones, Jeremy Baysse on electric guitar & gadgets, and Fabrice Favriou on drums, tear through three excoriating improvisations during a 2019 live concert at Ateliers Musicaux Syrinx, in Poitiers France. ... Click to View

New York Contemporary Five, The: Live at Koncertsal, Copenhagen, 17.10.1963 [VINYL] (Alternative Fox)

Formed in 1962, the New York Contemporary Five with Don Cherry on trumpet, Archie Shepp & John Tchicai on saxophones, Don Moore on bass, and J.C. Moses on drums, was short lived but their influence long-lasting, this live album from Copenhagen in 1963 a testament to their contribution to 60s free jazz, and a welcome addition to their scant discography. ... Click to View

Rodrigo Amado / Chris Corsano: No Place To Fall [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)

Having previously worked together with Joe McPhee and Kent Kessler, this album distills the Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado and NY drummer/percussionist Chris Corsano to a concentrated sax and drum duo of earnest and edgy playing, bending jazz, free and blues idioms to their will with magnificent technique and power, both clearly elated in their meeting. ... Click to View

Rodrigo Amado / Chris Corsano: No Place To Fall (Astral Spirits)

Having previously worked together with Joe McPhee and Kent Kessler, this album distills the Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado and NY drummer/percussionist Chris Corsano to a concentrated sax and drum duo of earnest and edgy playing, bending jazz, free and blues idioms to their will with magnificent technique and power, both clearly elated in their meeting. ... Click to View

Nick Mazzarella Trio: Counterbalance [VINYL] (Astral Spirits)

From 2008-16 until drummer Frank Rosaly moved to Amsterdam, alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella's Trio was an active part of Chicago's creative jazz scene; in early 2018 Rosaly returned for a visit and Mazzarella composed a suite of 6 new pieces to commemorate the trio's tenth anniversary, the exuberant result this excellent concert recorded at Co-Prosperity Sphere! ... Click to View

Ali / Bordreuil / Mattrey : I Used To Sing So Lyrical [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)

The debut recording of New York double bassist Sean Ali's improvising string trio with violist Joanna Mattrey and cellist Leila Bordreuil, having worked together since 2015, each brings impressive technique and a somewhat twisted approach to their strings in a diverse set of extended improvisation from pensive and spacious to formidable density. ... Click to View

CARL (Damon Smith / Daniel Kamins / Andrew Durham): Solid Bottom [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)

Two basses and a lower-end saxophone from the trio of Damon Smith on double bass, Andrew Durham on electric bass, and Danny Kamins on baritone sax, Durham also adding effects and "Radio Manipulation" to their deep sound, Durham & Kamins the core of CARL with Damon Smith adding extra underpinnings to their slowly developing, sometimes pensive, sometimes cantankerous, profound improvisation. ... Click to View

Claire Rousay: Aerophobia [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)

Exploring human relationships and self perception through the use of physical objects and their potential sounds, San Antonio drummer Claire Rousay, who has worked with Jacob Wick, Ken Vandermark, Brandon Lopez, &c. recorded these six solo drum performances in the studio, developing each in a way that shows her strong technical skills and narrative voice on the drums. ... Click to View

Tereshkova (Jeff Lane): Chunks of Monochrome Rainbows [DOUBLE CASSETTE w/DOWNLOAD] (Astral Spirits)

Portland Oregon composer and sound artist Jeff Lane, co-founder of the Chicago/Portland record label Never Anything, as his alter-ego Tereshkova in a large work of electronic composition, part concrete, part acousmatic, spanning two cassettes with four side-long pieces, each an extended journey in mood, motion, perplexing sources and embrace-ably interesting. ... Click to View

Xavier Charles / Eric Normand : Avis Aux Reacteurs (Inexhaustible Editions)

Recorded live at Silence Sounds in Guelph Canada, the duo of Xavier Charles on clarinet and Eric Normand on electric bass & objects eschew idiom in favor of their unique natural language on their instruments, applying patient development of truly idiosyncratic and fascinating command through a single extended work punctuated in seven diverse passages. ... Click to View

Drasler / Jackson / Thompson: Nauportus (Creative Sources)

Clarinetist Tom Jackson, guitarist Daniel Thompson and drummer Vid Drasler met in 2016 as part of the CRAM Records residency at FriForma in Ljubljana, at which time they performed and recorded as a trio, vowing to collaborate again; this album of open-minded free improvisation is the result: "Nauportus" in 5 parts, ebbing and flowing from near silence to animated interaction. ... Click to View

den Boer Salmom, Miriam / Ernesto Rodrigues / Fredrik Rasten / Guilherme Rodrigues: A Late Evening In The Future (Creative Sources)

A subtle album of acoustic interaction recorded at Berlin's Noiseberg from the quartet of Miriam den Boer Salmon on violin, Ernesto Rodrigues on viola & zither, Fredrik Rasten on acoustic guitar, and Guilherme Rodrigues on cello & percussion, sounding almost electronic in their frictional technique and harmonic overtones, ebbing and flowing from active interaction to tranquil discourse. ... Click to View