Musica De Selvagem (Decloedt / Nader / Rodrigues / Ferreira / Marques): Volume Unico (Shhpuma)

Reacting to negative comments about Brazilian music, Sao Paulo born double bassist Arthur Decloedt recruited saxophonist Filipe Nader to create a new, spontaneous and free form take on Brazilian jazz, using pop songs as a jumping off point, with four vocalists and a five piece band creating compelling new and unusual hybrids of Brazil's rich, rhythmic and compelling music. ... Click to View

Julien Desprez / Luis Lopes: Boa Tarde [VINYL] (Shhpuma)

Two guitarists with unique approaches to their instruments -- Paris-based Julen Depsrez and Lisbon-based Luis Lopes -- in an experimental album of evolving sound through extreme modification of guitar sound and sustain, mysteriously building their interactions from whispering sonics to growling harmonics, tightly controlled but bristling with complex energy. ... Click to View

Albatre (Costa / Almeida / Ernstring): The Fall Of The Damned (Shhpuma)

Rotterdam based band comprising two Portuguese players--Gonccalo Almeida on bass and Hugo Costa on sax--and German drummer Philipp Ernsting, the trio adding electronics, keys and effects, in their third album slamming hard free jazz and rock angst into a controlled chaos, a maelstrom of powerful riffs, rugged soloing, and mesmerizing grooves. ... Click to View

Knalpot (Fanoli / Jager / Caron): Dierendag (Shhpuma)

Sporting a strange sense of humor and blending rock and improvisation, instrumentally this Amsterdam is the duo of Raphael Vanoli on guitar, synth, & electronics and Gerri Jager on drums, synths, & electronics, with Sandor Caron providing sound design, here in an album of stylistic amalgamations of unexpected and upbeat rhythmic oddity and fun melodic inventiveness. ... Click to View

Rupp Olaf / Ernesto Rodrigues / Guilherme Rodrigues: RRR (Creative Sources)

Electric guitarist Olaf Rupp joins the father son duo of violist Ernesto Rodrigues and cellist Guilherme cello, in a studio recordings from Berlin in 2017, as three disparate strings intertwine in acoustics and electronics for an intensely evolving two part work of textured tapestry of slow bowing, sustaining tones, unusual progressions, and odd percussive invention. ... Click to View

Chris Pitsiokos / Susana Santos Silva / Torbjorn Zetterberg: Child Of Illusion (Clean Feed)

A profound sense of drama in free playing from the young collective trio of NY saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos with the establish partnership of Portuguese trumpeter Susana Santos Silva and Swedish bassist Torbjourn Zetterberg, in jazz is chamber-like, informed by their musical background that spreads over a myriad of aesthetics, full of nuance and beautiful interplay. ... Click to View

Friends & Neighbors (Roligheten / Johansson / Gronberg / Rune Strom / Ostvang): What's Next? (Clean Feed)

A great example of the Norwegian creative jazz scene, the quintet of Andree Roligheten on sax & clarinet, Thomas Johansson on trumpet, Oscar Gronberg on piano, Jon Rune Strom on double bass, and Tollef Ostvang on drums take their name from an Ornette Coleman LP, as they show us 'What's Next' by blending lyrical and free approaches with unexpected twists and turns. ... Click to View

Jacob Sacks: Fishes (Clean Feed)

Eleven new works from New York pianist Jacob Sacks in a quintet with some of NY's finest--Ellery Eskelin on tenor saxophone, Tony Malaby on tenor & soprano saxophones, Michael Formanek on bass, and Dan Weiss on drums--referencing traditional jazz influences like Monk & Mingus with superbly creative soloing fostered by the freedom of Sack's compositions. ... Click to View

Mette Rasmussen / Chris Corsano: A View Of The Moon (From The Sun) (Clean Feed)

Following their Relative Pitch album "All the Ghosts at Once", the free improvising duo of alto saxophonist Mette Rasmussen and drummer Chris Corsano, also on slide clarinet, release their 2nd album, a live concert at Cankarjev dom, in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2015, pushing the limits on both instruments through radical technique and inventive approaches to their playing. ... Click to View

Master Oogway: The Concert Koan [VINYL] (Clean Feed)

Powerful electric jazz roots from the Norwegia quartet of Lauritz Lyster Skeidsvoll on saxophone, Havard Nordberg Funderud on guitar, Karl Erik E. Horndalsveen on double bass, and Martin Mellem on drums, shredding inspirations from 60s electric Miles and Ornette, with a rock influenced rhythm section and electric guitar work driving great soloing. ... Click to View

Heaven (Henrik Pultz Melbye / Ole Mofjell): IAPOE [VINYL] (Clean Feed)

Inspired by European improvisation, 60's NY-loft-avant-garde and Ethiopian jazz, Heaven, the Norwegian collaborative project of Danish saxophonist Henrik Pultz Melbye and Norwegian drummer Ole Mofjell, merge rhythmic and melodic realms, adding stretches of noise and non-idiomatic sounds, in fast-paced, highly-energetic, and highly-informed performances. ... Click to View

Peter McEachern Trio : Bone-Code (Clean Feed)

A trombone trio led by Peter McEachern, with the frequent collaborators, the formidable rhythm team of Mario Pavone on bass and Michael Sarin on drums; here they dedicate their lyrical, blues tinged but avant embracing album to Roswell Rudd as they play a set of McEachern compositions, along with one from Mario Pavone and one from Alice Coltrane. ... Click to View

Jonas Cambien Trio (w / Roligheten / Wildhagen): We Must Mustn't We [VINYL] (Clean Feed)

Leveraging influences in improvisation and contemporary compositional music, Belgian/Oslo pianist Jonas Cambien, a member of Simiskina and Platform, extends his own trio of saxophonist Andre Rolighete and drummer Andreas Wildhagen with trumpeter Torstein Lavik Larsen on 2 tracks, as they balance jazz, avant, free improv and other hybrid forms in a compellingly creative album. ... Click to View

Gunter Sommer Baby (w/ Till Bronner): Baby's Party (Intakt)

For his 75th birthday celebration, German free jazz legend Guther "Baby" Sommer joined with German trumpeter and flugelhornist Till Bronner for a rhythmically inventive, lyrical, and joyful album of free improvisation, nine pieces from Sommer plus "Danny Boy" (Weatherly) and Duke Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood", making for a stylish and upbeat party! ... Click to View

Stefen Aeby Trio (w/ Andre Pousaz / Michi Stulz): The London Concert (Intakt)

The Stefan Aeby Trio at the Intakt Festival at Vortex Jazz Club in London 2017, the pianist leading his trio with bassist Andre Pousaz and drummer Michi Stulz through lyrical original compositions from Aeby, with one from Pousaz, a wonderful example of the modern piano trio that embrace a wealth of styles and approaches while flowing clearly in jazz history. ... Click to View

Skerebotte Fatta: Riders From The Ra (Creative Sources)

Members of the Polish Infant Joy Quintet and Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra--saxophonist Jan Malkowski and drummer Dominik Mokrzewski--pair off in a dynamic album of solid free jazz, influences feeling like Albert Ayler or Steve Lacy, as the two show great technical and creative skills, sometimes in great motion, sometimes reflective, showing great command and direction. ... Click to View

Ornette Coleman : Looking For Ornette [DVD] (La Huite)

Two films documenting and seeking insight into the work of late alto saxophonist and free jazz trail blazer Ornette Coleman, to some an iconoclast, to others a pioneering musician; the first film by Jacque Goldstein creates a portrait through interviews of those influenced by him; the 2nd, Stephane Jourdain follows Coleman's influence in today's music. ... Click to View

Donald Sturge / Anthony McKenzie II (feat. Elliot Sharp, Bill Laswell, Vernon Reid): Silenced II - Views from the Auction Block [VINYL + DOWNLOAD] (577)

Drummer Donald Sturge Anthony McKenzie II trades off duos with a set of masterful musicians in the second volume of his "Silenced" project, here with guitarist Elliott Sharp for a complex and inspired dialog; with bassist Bill Laswell for a rich and moody soundscape; and with guitarist Vernon Reid in a piece for McKenzie's daughter; plus one solo drum piece. ... Click to View

Listening Group (feat. Daniel Carter / Patrick Holmes / Jeff Snyder / Stelios Mihas / Federico Ughi): Live at the Forward Festival 2016 [VINYL + DOWNLOAD] (577)

A live performance at Forward Festival 2016, in Brooklyn, NY, merging chamber music, free improvisation, free and avant jazz and other forms in a an ensemble with Daniel Carter (sax & trumpet), Claire de Brunner (bassoon), Patrick Holmes (clarinet), Nick Lyons (sax), Jeff Snyder (electronics), Stelios Mihas (guitar), Jonah Rosenberg (piano), Zach Swanson (bass), and Federico Ughi (drums). ... Click to View

Listening Group (feat. Daniel Carter / Patrick Holmes / Jeff Snyder / Stelios Mihas / Federico Ughi): Live at the Forward Festival 2016 (577)

A live performance at Forward Festival 2016, in Brooklyn, NY, merging chamber music, free improvisation, free and avant jazz and other forms in a an ensemble with Daniel Carter (sax & trumpet), Claire de Brunner (bassoon), Patrick Holmes (clarinet), Nick Lyons (sax), Jeff Snyder (electronics), Stelios Mihas (guitar), Jonah Rosenberg (piano), Zach Swanson (bass), and Federico Ughi (drums). ... Click to View

Choi Bae Sun / Junji Hirose / Motoharu Yoshizawa / Kim Dae Hwan: Arirang Fantasy (NoBusiness)

A 1995 live concert at Romanisches Cafe in Tokyo from the South Korean and Japanese free improvising quartet of Choi Sun Bae on trumpet, Junji Hirose on tenor & soprano saxophones, Motoharu Yoshizawa on electric vertical five strings bass, and Kim Dae Hwan on percussion, in five collective improvisations including an homage to Charlie Parker. ... Click to View

Choi Bae Sun / Junji Hirose / Motoharu Yoshizawa / Kim Dae Hwan: Arirang Fantasy [VINYL] (NoBusiness)

A 1995 live concert at Romanisches Cafe in Tokyo from the South Korean and Japanese free improvising quartet of Choi Sun Bae on trumpet, Junji Hirose on tenor & soprano saxophones, Motoharu Yoshizawa on electric vertical five strings bass, and Kim Dae Hwan on percussion, in five collective improvisations including an homage to Charlie Parker. ... Click to View

Morton Feldman: Triadic Memories & Piano [2 CDS] (Hat [now] ART)

Two substantial works for solo piano from late composer Morton Feldman, performed by Dutch avant-garde pianist John Snijders; "Triad Memories" is presented in two sections over 2 CDs, following Feldmans's socre, Snijders holding the sustain pedal halfway down for unusual harmonic decay, while "Piano" exploring permutations in a work of suspended time and motion. ... Click to View

Morton Feldman: Trio (Hat [now] ART)

Reissuing the 1996 recording of Morton Feldmans' "Trio" performed by Ives Ensemble members Job Ter Haar on cello, John Snijders on piano, and Josje Ter Haar on violin, Feldman's compositions sparse with tension over spacious moments of lyrical beauty, tense dissonance, unhurried repetition, and a sense of drifting momentum, evasive yet beautiful music. ... Click to View

Metal Chaos Ensemble: Blast Furnace (Evil Clown)

PEK and Yuri Zbitnov's working project exploring chaotic rhythms on metallic instruments using a wide range of sonorities, including gongs, chimes, glockenspiel, Tibetan Bowls and other metallic sounds and horns, plus accompaniment tracks, with special guests Bob Moores on trumpet and guitar and Eric Woods on analog synth, and performing real time Signal Processing. ... Click to View

Leap Of Faith: Proof Theory (Evil Clown)

The core trio of the Leap of Faith Orchestra is Boston area PEK on clarinets, saxophones, double reeds & flutes, Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice, and Yuri Zbitnov on drums & percussion, here expanded with Eric Dahlman on trumpet, whistles and game calls, and and Jim Warshauer on saxophone, in an incredibly diverse live performance at Outpost 186, in Cambridge, 2018. ... Click to View

Antonis Anissegos / Christos Yermenoglou: Intertitles (Creative Sources)

Berlin pianist Antonis Anissegos and Greek drummer Christos Yermenoglou in an album of obscurely titled free improvisations, sophisticated and thoughtful discourse using both traditional and extended techniques, Anissegos inside and out of the piano, as the two converse through understated yet strong melodic threads, a truly lovely and accomplished album. ... Click to View

Univers Zero: Ceux Du Dehors [VINYL] (Sub Rosa)

A remarkable work of chamber rock in the the 1981 third album from Belgian band Univers Zero led by drummer/percussionist Daniel Denis, who alo provides the complex and darkly brooding compositions for the ensemble, inspired and guided by the writing of H. P. Lovecraft, here in a much-needed vinyl reissue. ... Click to View

Mike Westbrook: Starcross Bridge (Hatology)

A solo piano album of lyrical jazz compositions from London pianist and band leader Mike Westbrook, including pieces from Monk, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Lennon & McCartney, and original work from himself and his partnership with Kate Westbrook, an album of musical and personal references with the title track dedicated to saxophonist Lou Gare. ... Click to View

Luzia von Wyl Ensemble: Throwing Coins (Hatology)

Swiss pianist and composer leads her Luzia von Wyl Ensemble, a 10 piece band orchestrated with piano, bass, drums, flute, bassoon, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin, cello, and marimba, in a series of original jazz pieces that embrace third-stream jazz and Middle Eastern modal melodies, her players taking on exceptional solo spots fueled by her sophisticated compositions. ... Click to View