Music from United States

On The Bagatelles Vol. 7, John Zorn hands a batch of his razor‑cut miniatures to pianist Brian Marsella, who turns thirteen terse themes into a 46‑minute solo suite where classical poise, jazz volatility and downtown mischief share the same set of keys.

On Alea Iacta Est, John Zorn hurls the piano concerto into a maelstrom: Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, Ches Smith and Sae Hashimoto navigate four years of volatile writing where ferocious counterpoint, free‑jazz impact and sudden lyric calm collide with game‑like inevitability.

On Three for Shepp, Marion Brown leads a blazing American free‑jazz ensemble with Dave Burrell, Norris “Sirone” Jones and Grachan Moncur III, unleashing high‑energy fire music that shows the Impulse! era at full boil yet still somehow under‑sung.

*2026 repress* "With the reissue of the Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool sessions, accompanied by recordings of this seminal nonet’s slightly earlier live dates at New York City’s Royal Roost, we now have as complete as possible an account of this still fresh sounding and beautiful music. The array of talent alone is startling: Miles Davis in transition between his earlier bebop stylings, and his later gorgeous tone and sparer choice of notes; Lee Konitz on alto sax playing startling melodic inven…

*2026 repress!* Representing a more intimate and spontaneous side of Miles Davis, this expanded re-release of the soundtrack to Ascenseur pour l'échafaud is a welcome event. Louis Malle was already a jazz fan when Jean-Claude Rappeneau suggested to him that Miles, who was in France for a brief tour, be asked to record the soundtrack; he readily agreed. By creating a relaxed environment in the studio, where the musicians could view main scenes of the film in a loop and then improvise in response …

*2026 repress!* This is Dorothy Ashby's debut album, originally released in 1957 by the Regent label. Recognized as the woman who gave the harp a jazz voice, here Ashby is at the head of a highly distinctive combo featuring Frank Wess on flute, Eddie Jones or Wendell Marshall on bass and master Ed Thigpen on drums. The Jazz Harpist is an unprecedented mix of evocative classic sounds and jazz soul, awarded by Allmusic as her first and best album, period!

*2026 repress!* Born in Detroit in 1932 Dorothy Ashby can be easily recognized as the woman who gave the harp a Jazz voice. In her hands, the harp, an originally classical instrument which seemed to just scare people, became a highly versatile swinging voice able to drive a whole jazz rhythm section. Recorded in 1958 by master Rudy Van Gelder and originally released on the Prestige label, Hip Harp is a perfect example of Ashby’s artistry.  At the head of a fine quartet featuring the great Frank …

Mana is the International Anthem debut by composer, trombonist and vocalist Kalia Vandever. This new full length carries on the expansive and dazed spirit of their first solo album, We Fell In Turn, while entering a new landscape of spacious songwriting. Vandever’s music has quickly and widely gained traction in the last few years despite the fact that their style has been consistently difficult to pin down, boasting a compositional scope ranging from the cinematic modern jazz of their quartet w…

Darla Records is honored to offer Another Flower, a new record by two singularly and sonically recognizable masters of lush beauty and minimalism respectively, Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd. Another Flower was recorded at Robin's home studio in France in 2013 and was held unreleased, until now.Another flower follows Robin and Harold's previous work together Bordeaux (2011), matched set After the Night Falls and Before the Day Breaks (2007) and Mysterious Skin (2004) and of course The Moon and th…

Darla is pleased to offer A Song For Lost Blossoms, a record of ambient melody and transcendental mood portals from minimalist/modernist master Harold Budd and friend guitarist/composer/producer Clive Wright. A Song For Lost Blossoms nicely builds on both artists’ previous ambient work. A Song For Lost Blossoms was recorded live and in studio at different locations including the artists’ homes, at REDCAT (Roy E. Disney Concert and Theater), Los Angeles, and Clive Wright's Desert Sky Studio, Josh…

Darla is pleased to offer a new album from Harold Budd and Clive Wright. Little Windows completes the trilogy begun with A Song for Lost Blossoms and carried through their previous album Candylion.  Part of Little Windows was recorded especially for Echoes, the nightly music soundscape from Public Radio International heard on over 120 public radio stations and online at www.echoes.org.  These recordings were first heard on Echoes Radio in Fall 2009.  The other part of Little Windows was recorded…

Jane 12-21 is the companion to Jane 1-11. Minimal, modern classical piano and avant-garde electronics by the master.  "It's simple. I broke out and broke back to my earlier days: A triangle of risk, improvisation and joy -- as I say, very simple. My rules to myself were: No plan, no notes, no ideas, no microphones; except for Jane 1 I stuck to it. My other rule -- the most important one -- was: At least one piece per day, finished, mixed and not to be revisited again. Jane 7, 8, 9 were done in o…

Harold Budd is a one of a kind modern neo-classical artist creating high-callibre and complex music with unique and subtle tension and abstraction, and simultaneous almost-pastoral but as-often otherworldly mood.

At the time of release in 2005 Avalon Sutra was reported to be California-born American minimalist composer and pianist Harold Budd’s last recorded work. Avalon Sutra (released as a 2 disc set) is a suite of short, heartbreaking ambient pieces, featuring Budd’s delicate piano improvisations, lush string arrangements and warm electronic drones. The second disc (As Long As I Can Hold My Breath) features a startling coda by LA based electronic composer Akira Rabelais, sending Budd’s arrangements in…

Darla is pleased to offer a new record of string quartets by Harold Budd. Bandits of Stature is a first as it comprises 14 compact Budd composed string quartets played by the Formalist Quartet.

One Size Fits All’s 50th Anniversary 2LP “black glitter” anniversary edition boasts a brand-new analog cut of the album, a bonus LP of highlights from the box set, and the 50th anniversary edition booklet.  The booklet has newly revealed photos by Sam Emerson accompanying the bespoke liner notes by Ruth Underwood, David Fricke, and Joe Travers.

Recorded and released in 1969, Herbie Hancock’s last Blue Note album The Prisoner is a powerful but overlooked masterpiece. A moving tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, this nonet session features some of the most exceptional instrumentalists in jazz including Joe Henderson, Johnny Coles, Hubert Laws, Garnett Brown, Buster Williams, and Albert “Tootie” Heath. Hancock said of The Prisoner: “I've been able to get closer to the real me with this album than on any other previous one.” Blue Note Tone …

Herbie Hancock debuted on Blue Note in 1962 and quickly established himself as both a remarkable pianist and a brilliant composer with three excellent albums—Takin’ Off, My Point Of View, and Inventions & Dimensions—before making what is widely considered to be his first masterpiece: Empyrean Isles. Recorded in 1964, the album seemed to distill the full breadth of Hancock’s artistry into a sweeping 35-minute musical journey. Joining Hancock on the voyage were three of his closest collaborators: …

The debut album from jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef, Jazz Mood was originally released in 1957 on New Jersey’s Savoy label. Featuring five Lateef originals the album included Curtis Fuller (trombone), Hugh Lawson (piano), Ernie Farrow (bass), and Louis Hayes (drums). This new edition of the album is released as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series on 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI with all-analog mastering from the original tapes at Cohearent Audio and a Stoughton Tip-On Jacket.

Bangor Flying Circus, the self-titled debut from the short-lived but influential Chicago progressive rock trio, is a striking document of late-1960s American psychedelia and ambitious musicianship. Formed in mid-1967 and active through 1969, Bangor Flying Circus brought together seasoned players from the Shadows of Knight and H.P. Lovecraft to create a sound that bridged blues-rooted rock, baroque psychedelia, and forward-looking progressive arrangements. Recorded and released during a moment of…