Ingrid Laubrock :
Purposing The Air [2 CDs] (Pyroclastic Records)

Drawing on poet Erica Hunt's sixty-part "Mood Librarian," composer Ingrid Laubrock presents a stunning 2-CD song cycle of miniature vocal duets — performed by an extraordinary ensemble including Fay Victor, Theo Bleckmann, Sara Serpa, and others — each piece a poetic and sonic fragment brought vividly to life with precision, emotion, and profound collaboration. ... Click to View

Sylvie Courvoiser / Mary Halvorson:
Bone Bells (Pyroclastic Records)

Their third album in collaboration, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and guitarist Mary Halvorson deepen their intuitive musical dialogue in a set of alternately composed pieces — melding percussive piano, swirling guitar effects, and poetic abstraction into a haunting, fluid, and visceral soundworld shaped by mutual experience, instinct, and a sense of sonic adventure. ... Click to View

MouthWind (Van Schouwburg / Casserley):
Corps Et Biens - Hommage à Robert Desnos (Creative Sources)

A surreal and visceral homage to French poet Robert Desnos, this collaboration between Belgian vocal improviser Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg and British electroacoustic pioneer Lawrence Casserley transforms the human voice through expressive physicality and real-time electronic processing — fifteen vivid episodes unfolding as a dreamlike, humorous, and haunting exploration of language, body, and sound. ... Click to View

John Zorn (Medeski / Marsella / Hollenberg / Grohowski):
Through The Looking Glass (Tzadik)

The sixth chapter in the Downtown NY quartet of Matt Hollenberg (guitar), Brian Marsella (piano), John Medeski (organ), and Kenny Grohowski (drums), performing John Zorn’s compositions inspired by Chaos Magick — an individualistic practice that values personal experience over tradition — expressed through intricate, soulful, and powerfully imagined works. ... Click to View

John Zorn (Edgcomb / Greene / Hanes):
The Bagatelles Vol. 3 Trigger (Tzadik)

The third volume in John Zorn's Bagatelles series features the explosive trio Trigger — Aaron Edgcomb on drums, Will Greene on guitar, and Simon Hanes on bass — tearing through Zorn's intricate compositions with fierce precision and raw energy, delivering a searing and radical interpretation of these works drawn from Zorn's expansive 2015 collection of 300 pieces. ... Click to View

Ches Smith:
The Self (Tzadik)

A solo debut on Tzadik from Downtown NY percussionist Ches Smith, presenting eighteen concise works performed on drums, vibraphone, timpani, glockenspiel, and small percussion — an intimate and exploratory set of improvisations revealing Smith's deep command of rhythm, texture, and form across a dynamic and extended palette of percussive sound. ... Click to View

La Noed (w/ Carlos Mascolo):
De la liberte (FMR)

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. ... Click to View

Illusion Of Safety:
Float (Full Spectrum)

An immersive electroacoustic meditation from Dan Burke's Illusion Of Safety project, exploring the sonic essence of water through field recordings, granular synthesis, and processed textures — an evolving narrative that honors water's beauty and power, while reflecting on our fragile relationship with the natural world through deep listening and multichannel design. ... Click to View

Liang Yiyuan / Li Daiguo:
Sonic Talismans [VINYL] (Full Spectrum)

Bridging Chinese folklore and avant-garde exploration, yangqin innovator Liang YiYuan and multi-instrumentalist Li Daiguo conjure an entrancing tapestry of shadowy textures and melodic splinters on this long-form collaboration — recorded in Yunnan and blending traditional Eastern timbres with free improvisation and experimental form in a deeply narrative, otherworldly sonic journey. ... Click to View

Various:
Evil Clown Shorties Volume 5 (2024-2025) (Evil Clown)

Spanning 14 compact improvisations drawn from nine shifting ensembles within the modular Evil Clown collective, this volume distills the creativity of PEK's longform sessions into concise sonic snapshots — each "Shortie" capturing a distinct moment from the various ensembles as a focused sampler of the label's wide-ranging free improvisation ethos. ... Click to View

Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner:
The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi Recordings)

Alto saxophonist Steve Lehman leads his trio with bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Damion Reid, joined by tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, in a vibrant live homage to Anthony Braxton's small ensemble works, blending intricate modern jazz interplay with searing emotional expression in a bold, high-energy celebration of Braxton's enduring influence. ... Click to View

Painkiller (Harris / Laswell / Zorn):
The Great God Plan (Tzadik)

The legendary Painkiller trio of John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris reunites to deliver two expansive tracks that blend heavy metal intensity with ambient textures and brooding lyricism, a significant evolution in the trio's sonic journey as they create two haunting tapestries inspired by Arthur Machen's gothic novella The Great God Pan.​ ... Click to View

Ikue Mori:
Of Ghosts And Goblins (Tzadik)

Electronic innovator Ikue Mori presents a captivating 9-part work drawing inspiration from Lafcadio Hearn's chronicles of Japanese folklore, through intricate laptop electronics and synthesizer work, conjuring a series of instrumental miniatures that evoke the ethereal presence of fox spirits, phantoms, and other spectral entities, a mysteriously enchanting and seductive work. ... Click to View

Jackie Myers:
What About The Butterfly (577 Records)

Pianist and vocalist Jackie Myers delivers a lyrically rich and microtonally innovative album recorded with an exceptional ensemble, including Bobby Watson, Rich Wheeler, Trent Austin, and members of the Fountain City String Quartet, blending spectral composition, soulful jazz vocals reminiscent of Billie Holiday, and detailed arrangements into an expressive and compelling release. ... Click to View

Vilhelm Bromander Unfolding Orchestra:
Jorden Vi Arvde (thanatosis produktion)

A stunning second album from Swedish bassist and composer Vilhelm Bromander's Unfolding Orchestra, expanding on his acclaimed debut with richly textured, spiritually resonant compositions inspired by political urgency and environmental reflection, featuring a 13-piece ensemble delivering lush orchestrations, patient development, and profound, hopeful expression. ... Click to View

Christer Bothen 3:
L'INVISIBLE (thanatosis produktion)

A deeply intuitive trio session from Swedish bass clarinetist Christer Bothen with bassist Kansan Zetterberg (aka Torbjourn Zetterberg) and vibraphonist/drummer Kjell Nordeson, balancing lyrically meditative spaciousness with surging energy through dreamlike, open-ended improvisations that reflect Bothen's lifelong pursuit of spiritual expression in sound. ... Click to View

Ernesto Rodrigues / Jung-Jae Kim / Alvaro Rosso :
Meari: Instant Waves (Creative Sources)

A live trio improvisation from violist Ernesto Rodrigues, tenor saxophonist Jung-Jae Kim, and bassist Alvaro Rosso, recorded at Lisbon's CreativeFest#18 at Casa do Comum, in Lisbon, unfolding as a 28-minute journey from hushed, lowercase textures to dynamic, scrabbly interplay, emphasizing timbral nuance and collective exploration in an intimate acoustic setting. ... Click to View

Tret Trio (Ron Hall / Tobias Weindorf / Phillipp Van Endert):
Crow Jam (FMR)

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. ... Click to View

Turbulence Orchestra:
Strum And Drang (Evil Clown)

An octet of seasoned Evil Clown improvisers — led by multi-instrumentalist PEK — delivers a sprawling, electrified 70-minute session of free jazz intensity and ceaseless sonic transformation, with constant instrumental shifts and a broad palette of horns, percussion, electronics, and found objects creating a dynamic series of vividly contrasting textural episodes. ... Click to View

Unsub:
Ambitious Victim (Love Earth Music)

An intense and texturally rich album from the Los Angeles duo of Kevin Bernier and Steve Davis, blending heavy guitar drones, rhythmic pulses, post-rock structures, and synth atmospheres across six expansive tracks that oscillate between moody abstraction and beat-driven momentum, forging a dark yet melodic hybrid of noise, ambient, and industrial-infused experimentation. ... Click to View

Microtub (Hayward / Simonsen / Taxt):
Thin Peaks (Thanatosis Produktion)

The sixth album from the microtonal tuba trio of Robin Hayward, Peder Simonsen, and Martin Taxt, exploring the acoustic phenomena of half-valve combinations in two richly harmonic compositions developed during an artist residency in Andersabo, Sweden and recorded in Oslo, creating uniquely resonant and surprisingly consonant spectra shaped by each instrument's signature tuning. ... Click to View

Alex Zethson / Johan Jutterstrom:
It Could / If I (Thanatosis Produktion / Astral Spirits)

The first duo album from Stockholm's long-standing duo of Johan Jutterström and Alex Zethson, reimagining songs from jazz standards to Leonard Cohen and the Pet Shop Boys as deconstructed etudes and expressive palimpsests, where meaning emerges through reinterpretation, erasure, and the intimate process of performance and transformation. ... Click to View

Eric La Casa:
Zones Portuaires 2 (Swarming)

Working from recordings made at maritime ports between 2017 and 2023, sound artist Éric La Casa constructs a compelling suite of documentary compositions shaped by the industrial rhythms, constraints, and spatial tensions of global harbours, blending field recording and sonic observation into a tactile, immersive portrait of male-dominated coastal labor environments. ... Click to View

Francisco del Pino / Charlotte Mundy:
The Sea [CASSETTE] (Notice Recordings)

Composer Francisco del Pino and vocalist Charlotte Mundy create a deeply nuanced and emotionally rich exchange, as Mundy's radiant voice navigates del Pino's intricate, polyphony-tinged compositions, layering syllabic repetition, resonant phrasing, and textural detail into a multitrack performance that evokes mantra, lament, and ecstatic meditation in equal measure. ... Click to View

111 (Michelle / Villamil):
Live at Opus 40 [CASSETTE] (Notice Recordings)

The duo of Chantal Michelle and Grace Villamil transform the monumental land sculpture of Opus 40 into a resonant instrument, layering voice and electronics with field recordings and audience interactions to create an immersive, spatially dynamic performance of ambient tension and sonic obliteration, masterfully teetering between composed sound, environmental resonance, and blooming noise. ... Click to View

Various Artists:
In Fractured Silence (SOUFFLE CONTINU RECORDS)

Originally compiled for Steven Stapleton's United Dairies label and now remastered, this snapshot of late 20th-century experimental/industrial music brings together the surreal collage of Nurse With Wound's Stapleton, the brooding piano of Robert Haigh (Sema), the chamber-styled acoustics of Hélène Sage, and the sonic provocations of Un Drame Musical Instantané. ... Click to View

Perturbations:
Unhinged (Evil Clown)

The Perturbations ensemble — featuring PEK, Michael Caglianone, John Fugarino, and Joel Simches — delivers a dense, sometimes unhinged and exploratory session of free improv, where layered reeds, brass, electroacoustic textures, and a vast arsenal of unconventional instruments evolve through continuous transformation, shaped in real time by Simches' dynamic electronic processing. ... Click to View

Leap Of Faith:
Correlations (Evil Clown)

An expansive octet of seasoned improvisers from the Evil Clown collective — including PEK (David Peck), Glynis Lomon, Michael Caglianone, and Albey onBass — navigate pure improvisation through a sprawling live session of rich, shifting textures, contrasts, and unexpected sonic juxtapositions, ranging from subtle ea-improv to full-out ensemble peaks across a transforming soundscape. ... Click to View

Sabu Toyozumi / Richard Allan Bates / Rick Countryman:
The Separation of Sound and Space (FMR)

The trio of Sabu Toyozumi, Richard Allan Bates, and Rick Countryman delve into a contemplative exploration anchored by Bates's electric upright bass, whose resonant tones foster rich harmonic dialogues between Toyozumi's textured percussion and Countryman's fluid alto saxophone, emphasizing the nuanced interplay of sound and space. ... Click to View

Hemispheres :
II (FMR)

A cross-cultural instrumental suite uniting British and Australian musicians, featuring the resonant didgeridoo and rhythmic sticks of Paul Rider-Boon, the rich woodwinds of Susie Hodder-Williams and Chris Caldwell, atmospheric electronics and guitar from Sam Hodder, and the expressive voice of Clifton Bieundurry, spiritually merging indigenous sound with contemporary improv and electronica. ... Click to View

Matteo Cimnari:
Mental Core Drilling (FMR)

Italian composer and multi-instrumentalist Matteo Ciminari leads an adventurous sextet through a labyrinth of polyrhythms, dissonant harmonies, and unexpected textures, with virtuosic contributions from Maurizio Moscatelli, Simone Maggio, Mattia Borraccetti, Michele Sperandio, and Luca Orselli, creating an unpredictable yet lyrical fusion of progressive structure, free jazz, and playful experimentation. ... Click to View

Sonic Chambers Quartet:
Kiss Of The Earth (577 Records)

The debut album from the Sonic Chambers Quartet — co-led by multi-reedists Byron Asher and Tomas Majcherski with bassist Matt Booth and drummer Doug Garrison — presents a deeply expressive and texturally rich orchestration merging American avant jazz tradition with European chamber influences, shaped through collaborative composition, adventurous improv, and a strikingly unified ensemble sound. ... Click to View

Bruno Parrinha / Andrew Levine / Ernesto Rodrigues :
Sensor Out Of Service (Creative Sources)

In a live performance emphasizing minimalism and lowercase improvisation, Ernesto Rodrigues (viola, crackle box), Bruno Parrinha (bass clarinet), and Andrew Levine (Theremin, modular synth, crackle box, stereo field) engage in a nuanced exploration of subtle textures and sonic interactions, resulting in an immersive and introspective auditory experience.​ ... Click to View

Jean-Jacques Birge + 16 musiciens:
Pique-nique Au Labo 4 (GRRR)

In a vibrant fusion of spontaneous themes and collective improvisation, Jean-Jacques Birgé leads a 17-member ensemble through dynamic performances recorded at Studio GRRR and live during APÉRO LABO sessions, blending diverse instrumentation and real-time composition to create an album of unpredictable auditory journeys. ... Click to View

Un Drame Musical Instantane:
Urgent Meeting 2 : Operation Blow Up (GRRR)

An eccentric and captivating sonic collage from Jean-Jacques Birgé and the ensemble Un Drame Musical Instantané — with Francis Gorge and Bernard Vitet collaborating alongside extraordinary guests including Brigitte Fontaine, Joëlle Léandre, Luc Ferrari, Henri Texier, Carlos Zingaro, and René Lussier — in an inventive fusion of electronic improvisation, free jazz, and experimental sound art. ... Click to View

Alex Zethson / Nikos Veliotis :
Cryo (thanatosis produktion)

Pianist Alexander Zethson (Vathres, Fire! Orchestra, Angles) and cellist Nikos Veliotis (MMMD, In Trance 95) present two expansive, darkly immersive improvisations that drift through glacial landscapes of resonant, slowly shifting textures and austere tonal drones, sculpting elemental sound environments of profound stillness and contemplation through deep-listening and hypnotic intensity. ... Click to View

TJ Borden / Steve Flato:
In the Garden of Eating (Full Spectrum)

Taking ironic inspiration from Stockhausen’s conceptual extremes, cellist Tyler J. Borden and guitarist Steve Flato fuse cello, microtonal guitar, modular synth, Gizmotron, and electronics in an absurdist yet introspective performance score, immersively weaving subtle textures and just-intonation harmonies shaped by physical and psychological excesses around food and discomfort. ... Click to View

Caleb Chase:
Looking At Bugs Under A Log (Love Earth Music)

Experimental composer Caleb Chase presents 15 succinct electroacoustic pieces that delve into intricate sound spatialization and panning techniques, crafting immersive auditory environments where layered textures and dynamic movements reveal hidden sonic details, rewarding attentive listening through headphones or stereo speakers. ... Click to View

Archer (Dave Rempis / Terrie Ex / Jon Rune Strom / Tollef Ostvang):
Sudden Dusk (Aerophonic)

A fierce and unpredictable quartet of international improvisers — saxophonist Dave Rempis, guitarist Terrie Ex, bassist Jon Rune Strøm, and drummer Tollef Østvang — recorded live in Chicago and Milwaukee, delivering a balance of explosive energy and nuanced restraint in a tightly coiled interplay of sonic provocation, rhythmic drive, and free-form invention. ... Click to View

Jeong / Bisio Duo w/ Joe Mcphee / Jay Rosen:
Morning Bells Whistle Bright (ESP)

A meeting of deep lyrical expression and adventurous collective free jazz, as Korean pianist Eunhye Jeong and bassist Michael Bisio expand their intuitive duo with the soulful power of Joe McPhee on tenor saxophone and the dynamic energy of drummer Jay Rosen, in a resonant, poetic session beautifully captured at Park West Studios for ESP-Disk. ... Click to View