Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

This recording happened during a two gig tour with Leo Genovese and Drew Gress. We had a day off and since I had written new music for the occasion, I thought it would be a good opportunity to record it. I've known Leo for almost 20 years and we've played together many times ever since, and I've been a huge fan of Drew since I remember and it was a blast to play for the first time and share these musical moments with him. Over the years I've recorded different formats of my bands, from trios to …

Common Ground explores new sonic possibilities in a quintet format. There is dialogue and interaction in a searching mode, as the musicians are looking to find unity in language and sound within their different approaches and backgrounds. Intense and soft music at the same time. Contemporary, abstract, but also free and groovy.Emotions delivered with honesty and passion by José Lencastre on alto sax, Carlos Zíngaro on violin, Clara Lai on piano, Gonçalo Almeida on double bass, and Joāo Sousa on …

Hyper.object was formed in 2019 by three veterans from the Lisboa free improvised scene (Rodrigo Pinheiro on the piano, Hernâni Faustino on the double bass and Carlos Santos on the electronics) and by two young musicians (João Almeida on trumpet and João Valinho on drums). Since its beginnings. the group had frequently joined for rehearsals but as soon the pandemic hit, the gatherings were restricted to only when there was an opening on the frequent lockdowns. During one of these openings "inter…

"corpos" is the first album by the Barcelona-based trio, formed by pianist Clara Lai, double bassist Àlex Reviriego and drummer Oriol Roca. Recorded at Rosazul Studio in Barcelona on April, 2022. The music of this album explores collective construction in trio format, visiting different sound zones, compositional possibilities and improvisational languages. Music that is energetic but also contemplative, aleatoric, some noise and silence, coexist with melodic sketches. Pieces as sound bodies tha…

*2024 stock* Made of Bones was formed in 2020 with: Duarte Fonseca on drums, João Clemente on guitar, Nuno Santos Dias on waldorf, and Ricardo Sousa on double bass. Drawing from rock, experimental, and noise influences, their music captivates listeners with its unique blend of genres. The members of Made of Bones have been playing together for over 15 years in various bands, including Slow is Possible and Cat in a Bag (both released on Clean Feed), Salad Ensemble, Sideways, TMR & The Sea Wolves,…

"Two" is the first and smallest even prime number, signifying divisibility by both one and itself. It is a fundamental concept in mathematics. It´s associated with duality, symmetry and balance, providing an advantage in problem solving, as it allows comparison, choice and contrast. With two alternatives, decisions can be made, dilemmas can be solved and paths can be chosen.  Bruno Parrinha - Alto saxophone (on the right channel)João Gato - Alto saxophone (on the left channel)

Remastered in 24-bit from the original master tapes. Craft Recordings and Jazz Dispensary are set to issue a wide vinyl release of Joe Henderson’s 1969 classic, Power To The People, for the first time in over 50 years. Blending a socially conscious spirit with hard bop, jazz-funk, and electronic elements, the album finds the saxophonist entering a new creative dimension, as he performs such originals as “Isotope,” “Afro-Centric” and the first recording of his classic “Black Narcissus,” alongside…

Reissued by Fledg'ling in 2007. The long-overdue release on CD of Brotherhood -- a classic title from 1972 by Chris McGregor's magnificent big band Brotherhood Of Breath. Never before officially reissued, this wonderful album continues the ground-breaking music of their debut album. Mighty music for the head, the heart and the feet. "The Brotherhood of Breath is the kind of band you want to tell people about. It's not for private enjoyment, or for worship by a elitist cult. The Brotherhood'…

Drummer and Composer David Lee Jr.’s stunning and rare album Evolution (1974) blends the deep experimentalism of John Coltrane and Sun Ra with the pulsating second-line and parade rhythms of New Orleans to create a stunning sonic and rhythmical tour de force. In a lineage of incredible New Orleans drummers that includes James Black, Idris Muhammed, Zigaboo Modeliste of The Meters, and stretching back to Earl Palmer and Baby Dodds - David Lee Jr. stands out for his fire, experimentalism and an ou…

Huge Tip! Out of print since 1981, this pressing features a full LP’s worth of unissued music, including what may be Jessica’s only vocal recording. Includes extensive liner notes by musician Jennifer Leitham and jazz historian Scott Yanow. Jessica Williams was one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, but she was also a victim of geography. Her technical brilliance, complete control of the piano, creative imagination, wit, and constant desire to stretch herself put her at the top of her fi…

Celebrating 50 Years of The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s Legacy and Unwavering Contribution to Great Black Music. This is the new offering from Kahil El’Zabar and his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, in conjunction with the legendary group’s 50th anniversary, Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit. Open Me is a joyous honoring of portent new directions of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble; it’s a visionary journey into deep roots and future routes, channeling traditions old and new. It mixes El’Z…

Deluxe reissue edition. Restoration and digital transfer from original analogue tapes. Reissue of a 1979 duo recording of legendary South African bassist Johnny Dyani (of The Blue Notes) and drummer Clifford Jarvis (who played with Sun Ra for over two decades). 180g vinyl presented in a deluxe gatefold sleeve - limited edition manufactured by German audiophile specialist, Pallas Group. Johnny 'Mbizo' Dyani was a jazz musician who performed during the apartheid era. He played for almost his entir…

Huge Tip! Digitally remastered edition of this 1974 album, a true holy-grail for Deep and Spiritual Jazz collectors around the world. This album was originally independently released to raise funds to combat the ongoing drought in the Sahel region of Africa (an area covering parts of Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad, Darfur, Sudan and Ethiopia). During his lifetime Roy Brooks released precious few solo albums. Black Survival, the Sahel Concert at the Town Hall was originally released o…

Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue Fumio Itabashi's sought-after album "Watarase" hailed as one of the great Japanese jazz albums and featuring Itabashi on piano playing an inspired mix of standards and originals. Recorded in 1981 for Denon and released the following year, the album has since reached cult status among jazz connoisseurs, thanks to Itabashi's inventive piano playing and to its cult title track, a superb soulful and spiritual composition. Newly remastered by Nippon Columbia using…

Pianist-composer Abdullah Ibrahim ( formerly known as “Dollar Brand“) has long ranked among South Africa’s giants alongside Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and the late Kippie Mokoetsi. A master of improvisation with a distinctive African edge, the exiled Cape Town musician has developed a musical style over the past 30 years that defies categorization.Rather, it is a fascinating mosaic of diverse traditions including African rutal and township rhythms, classical jazz, and gospel. South African fol…

Original release completely reproduced as faithfully as possible. Pressed and printed in Japan. Mind-blowing reissue of Kosuke Mine Quintet's first release, Mine, originally released on Three Blind Mice in 1970. This is the terrifying debut album from saxophonist Kosuke Mine, with a sense of tension that seems to burst throughout, and is a monumental work that marked the historic beginning of the prestigious three blind mice label Completely original reproduction specification (reproduced as f…

Original release completely reproduced as faithfully as possible. Pressed and printed in Japan. A recording of a passionate live performance held in the northern land of Nemuro, which continues to be loved along with the first album "Tact." The title song is literally epic, like ice floes colliding in the ocean. Played by a group under the direction of the legendary Japanese drummer Motohiko Hino, the music is firmly in the finest modal way. The reed players, Mabumi Yamaguchi on tenor and Yasuak…

Big Tip! Original release completely reproduced as faithfully as possible. Misty is one of the most sought-after titles from the acclaimed Three Blind Mice catalog. Few, if any, international audiophile jazz recordings have maintained the kind of deep and profound influence over techniques and even entire label repretoire as Three Blind Mice's Blow Up, Midnight Sugar and Misty. Originally recorded in Tokyo in 1974, this Piano Trio release from TBM features Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on piano, Isoo Fukui …

2024 Stock. New edition of this seminal album available as a 1000 copies edition only on new premium red vinyl! As a radical jazz artist, Steve Reid played with an extraordinary group of artists – including Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, James Brown, Ornette Coleman, Lester Bowie, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Dionne Warwick, Archie Shepp, Chief Bey, Olatunji, Arthur Blythe, Dextor Gordon, Gary Bartz, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sam Rivers, Leon Thomas, Lonnie Smith and Horace Silver! Reid was born …

"There is an underground stream that starts from Don Cherry Organic Music and the Art Ensemble of Chicago and meanders through improvised music, finally reaching our days; a flux particularly vital in the works of the Natural Information Society and the Drazek - Fuscaldo extended duo. It has to do with rhythm and use of words and voices and instruments, it creates an experience that focuses the listeners and the musicians on something basic, elementary and yet complex, organic indeed. Przemyslaw…

Kicking off what will be an Alice Coltrane year with more releases to come in the next 12 months, is a previously unreleased, killer live recording from 1971.  Recorded live, by Impulse! at a charity gala given at Carnegie Hall for the benefit of the Integral Yoga Institute in 1971, this incredible set never saw commercial release until now. The gala concert was one of two halves with the first two transcendental tunes by Alice taken from the album she had just released on Impulse! and then two …

Leo Genovese - Piano, saxWilliam Parker - BassFrancisco Mela - Drums Recorded November 13, 2020 by Jeremy Loucas at Douglass Recording, Brooklyn, New YorkAssistant engineer: Juanma TrujilloMixed and mastered by Jeremy Loucas at Sear Sound, New York City

Shinya Lin: Piano, prepared pianoFrancisco Mela: Drums Recorded October 24, 2021 by Yushu Bao and Hao Jen Lam at Berklee College, Boston, MARecording assistants: Qi Wang, Yimu Feng, Ziyan WangMixed and mastered by Yushu Bao

Master pianist, New York-based, originally from Argentina, Leo Genovese, just won a grammy as a ‘Best Improvised Jazz Solo’ - an award considered by many as ‘mainstream’. This certainly did not stop his creative path, only to encourage him towards further researching creative music. His debut album ‘The Art of Not Playing’ with fellow musicians John Lockwood on bass and drummer Nat Mugavero proves it. The trio celebrates the practice of disappearing during the process of creating. Trusting the ‘…

"Teiku arranges our unique family Passover melodies into vehicles for sonic exploration. This ancestral music, much like the tradition of Creative Music through which we interpret it, is liberation music. As its humble stewards we offer it as a call for justice for all oppressed peoples; as Jews, we decry the senseless violence, displacement, and killing perpetrated in our name." - Josh Harlow and Jonathan Barahal Taylor, bandleaders  Teiku’s origin story feels almost pre-ordained. Co-leaders pi…

The album title – Words Unspoken – alludes to the instant musical understanding found by the members of this nimble quartet assembled by great British reedman John Surman. „My idea was to put together some musical ideas that would offer a collective sense of purpose but still be open enough to allow each of us to suggest other ways of developing the material together. Everything fell into place immediately. But I soon realized it wasn‘t so much the musical ideas that made it work, it was the mus…

*2024 stock* David Axelrod (1931-2017) was a producer, arranger and A&R at Capitol Records in Hollywood in the 1960s, working with artists Cannonball Adderley, Lou Rawls and David McCallum amongst others, alongside the infamous group of L.A. session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. In 1967, for Reprise Records, Axelrod composed and “ghost-produced” the psychedelic rock album Mass In F Minor under the guise of The Electric Prunes. This surprise hit earned Axelrod a new audience, and the oppo…

Bluesy, aggressive, typically expressive. Splashes (subtitled Tribute to Wilbur Little) is an album by saxophonist Archie Shepp's Quartet which was recorded in Holland in 1987 and released on the L+R label. With Horace Parlan (p), Harry Emmery (b), and Clifford Jarvis (d).  It's one of those deep European records that gets missed because Shepp was recording so much and in so many ways overseas in his later years. The style here is a great distillation of the modes he was exploring in the years a…

Archie Shepp, a saxophone tenor icon, collaborates with keyboardist Jasper Van't Hof - of  Toto Blanke's Electric Circus (it was while with Blanke that van't Hof co-founded a group called Association P.C.)in a creatively innovative record. Jasper incorporates elements from his 70s electronic work into the song, blending them with acoustic piano in a way that resonates well with Archie's spirit, a departure from his previous style.

Trumpet superstar Chet Baker recorded a session with Archie Shepp in 1988, an unexpected collaboration given their different styles. At the time of the event, Shepp had adopted a more traditional approach, yet still retained an appreciation for the contemporary elements that characterized his earlier creations. Meanwhile, Chet had embraced a more modern style in his music, which differed significantly from Archie's direction, partly due to the physical transformations Baker had experienced. The …

This lovely session from the 1980s features saxophonist Archie Shepp and pianist Horace Parlan, who both initially recorded in the United States but eventually discovered a more accommodating environment in Europe (they crossed paths many times while recording in Europe) Shepp began his career as a dedicated avant-garde player, but he eventually discovered the joy of applying his modern approach to more conventional material, such as these well-known ballads that Parlan paints with delicate, sou…

German pianist Wolfgang Dauner's early session sounds as fantastic as the title suggests! The "dream talk" component comes from Dauner's gentle, yet modern approach to the keys, which is clearly learning from 50s modernists like George Russell or Bill Evans but is stretching out here in some of the bolder freedoms of the European scene at the time. It's a precursor to later modes on MPS and Saba, but performed here with more restraint. The record is acoustic and inventive, with a "set free" soun…

An incredible early German bop session! In the 1950s, pianist Jutta Hipp recorded straighter sides for Blue Note in the US, but this first album features her with German contemporaries Joki Freund on tenor sax and Emil Mangelsdorff on alto, creating a dark, sharper sound than expected! Hipp leads, but Mangelsdorff and Freund's horn interaction on several song intros, slashing back and forth like a double-edged blade and then bursting forth into lovely compact solos, makes the record sparkle.

*2024 stock*"Yellow brings together acclaimed LA-based musicians Kozue Matsumoto, Patrick Shiroishi, and Shoshi Watanabe. With total expressive command of their instruments, the trio unfurls a brilliant and impassioned free improvisation of the highest virtuosic caliber that is at once anguished, defiant, and vigorously hopeful. An astonishing musical work, Yellow is also a powerful political statement. The musicians came together on the basis of a mutual interest in exploring Japanese-American …

"Favorite Recordings returns with the second edition of its compilation series: Fusion Global Sounds. Comprising eight rare and hidden tracks produced between 1976 and 1984 in various parts of the world, this hot-off-the-plate comp delivers a mighty-fine array of dynamic, soul-feeding jazz, soul, disco, jazz and funk delicacies. As a fine collector of jazz-funk and fusion for many years, curator Charles Maurice can be credited for sourcing the ingredients for and cooking up this fine spread of f…

6LP box set containing original studio albums from 1957 - 1965. Remastered directly and lacquers cut from the original analog tapes, 180gm vinyl and housed in reverse-board deluxe sleeves. Extensive book with foreword from Brandee Younger, comprehensive liner notes by Shannon J. Effinger and previously unseen photographs and ephemera. Housed inside book-shelf style slipcase with silver-foil detail. New Land are proud to present the first multi-disc box set from one of the most overlooked artists…

* 300 copies, deluxe edition with two booklets, perfect replica of the original. * Joining their rapidly growing catalog of radical gestures of creative sound, Holidays Records returns with one of their most important releases to date, the first ever vinyl reissue of Pygmy Unit’s “Signals From Earth”, a towering private press obscurity, originally released by the band in 1974. Blending Native American references into a body of sonority that draws on free improvisation, experimental electronic mu…

LP issued to celebrate more European artists than ever before winning the annual “Downbeat” polls in 1969. On this release they all perform as a unit. Jazz giants from six European countries coalesce to play wide-open music. One of Norway’s greatest jazz singers, Karin Krog has worked and recorded with Jan Garbarek and Clare Fischer. English multi-saxophonist John Surman and Krog have jointly won two Norwegian Grammys. Surman has played with Mike Westbrook’s Orchestra and John McLaughlin, as wel…

"The Nigerian establishment labelled Kalakuta Republic inhabitants as — ‘hooligans’, ‘hemp smokers’, etc. Noise For Vendor Mouth is Fela’s indifference to that name calling because, for him, people in Kalakuta are really a bunch of hard working citizens, trying to survive in a society riddled with corruption and mismanagement. He adds that the real hooligans are those in authority who resort to political gangsterism, and sometimes military coups in order to resolve constitutional issues. He cons…

The deepest song here is the second track, ""Mr Grammarticalogylisationalism Is The Boss,” which ridicules the notion that speaking ""proper"" English demonstrates superior intelligence, and bemoans the fact that doing so is, unfortunately, a requirement for upward mobility. As the chorus repeats the line “Him talk oyinbo pass English man” (“He talks English better than an Englishman”), Fela lays it down: “The better oyinbo you talk, the more bread you get, school start na grade four bread, B.A.…