Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

Temporary Super Offer! Summertime from the LP My Name Is Albert Ayler made me discover Albert Ayler. His unique interpretation of Summertime motivated me to go to Lörrach crossing the border from Switzerland to Germany to listen to the concert of the Albert Ayler Quintet in Lörrach on November 7, 1966. This experience has indoctrinated me forever for the music of Albert Ayler. In 1975 I created the label Hat Hut Records and in 1978 I had the chance, thanks to the support of Joachim Ernst Berendt…

Temporary Super Offer! Four For Trane became one of the classic, iconic albums of the post-bop era. The explanation is three-fold. First, the material. Rather than follow Coltrane’s lead into the most extreme of his free-blowing anthems, Shepp selected three songs from the Giant Steps album, and one from Coltrane Plays The Blues (although “Cousin Mary,” from the former release, is also a twelve-bar blues). This is significant because it illuminates the two sides of Archie Shepp’s conceptual persp…

Bomb! Spiritual, intimate and revolutionary, yet firmly rooted in Brazil's folklore. Africadeus was the breakthrough album of the mighty Naná Vasconcelos, in which he discovered the berimbau to the world and took the instrument to a universal level. Having played in the shadows for other artists such as Milton Nascimento, Gato Barbieri or Som Imaginario, Naná is here finally in the spotlight. Recorded in 1973 in France for Pierre Barouh's Saravah label, this is the album that definitely imprinte…

Charles Mingus brought together an amazing lineup spanning the totality of the nation's jazz scene with such luminaries as Eric Dolphy, Buddy Collette, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, Pepper Adams, Jaki Byard, Grady Tate, and more. Brought together to perform new Mingus compositions for the first time in public, the recording was initially considered weak due to limited rehearsal time but the years have been kind to this recording and it's a fantastic set of Mingus compositions, including the powerful "…

*2023 stock* Horst Jankowski was a classically trained German pianist, most famous for his internationally successful easy listening music. Born in Berlin, Jankowski studied at the Berlin Music Conservatory and played jazz in Germany in the 1950s, serving as bandleader for singer Caterina Valente.

*2023 stock* "That this is the first release by the courageous pianist Mario Rusca, born in Turin in 1937, and thus not that young anymore, can only be explained (and not justified) by circumstances such as described above. But there’s more to it. Though I really strive to support Italian jazz and to discover new talents, often by going against the tide, I hadn’t yet heard the name of Mario Rusca three years ago. It was Joe Venuti who introduced me to him in the spring of 1971, while he was stay…

*2023 stock* First recording of Eric Le Lann under his name in 1983. Around him, a group composed of Césarius Alvim on bass, André Ceccarelli on drums and Olivier Hutman on piano and Rhodes which escorts the sublime phrasing of a trumpet entirely placed on the melody. The quartet is of a remarkable flexibility, sonority and unity. A hell of a quartet!

*2023 stock* "This band has a certain Finnish (and forestral?) nature, like e.g. Pekka Pohjola's music too. The composer is the guitarist Pekka Tegelman (who later wrote and played for singer Liisa Tavi among others, by the way). The sound is rather mellow, besides electric guitar the keyboards are in the key role. Lähtö Matkalle is progressive with longer compositions, the keyboardist had changed and some other new players arrived for this album - another reason for sounding a bit different. If…

*200 copies limited edition. 2023 stock* "A great performance by the Nordjazz Quintet -- a cool mixed electric/acoustic combo that features sax and flute from Pekka Poyry, guitar from Nils Petter Nyren, keyboards from Ole Kock Nahsen, bass from Kjell Jansson, and drums from Petur Ostlund -- a combo who work on long tracks that are a nice extrapolation of some of the fusion modes explored by the Love Records label during the same time! The tunes here get especially soulful in the longer stretches…

*300 copies limited edition. 2023 stock* Actor/singer/flautist Vesa-Matti Loiri's debut album 4+20 was a largely instrumental piece of psychedelic jazz. The follow-up, Vesku Suomesta, from 1972, is more vocal-oriented but no less psychedelic. With guitar hero Hasse Walli, keyboard experimentalist Esa Helasvuo and free jazz guru Edward Vesala in the lineup and with the material consisting of Finnish folk traditionals, the outcome is an oddly captivating and unique set of vocal jazz caught between…

A celestial journey is just what Sun Ra and his Arkestra have created with Space is the Place. Sun Ra's opus is at its simplest, a trip through outer bound melodies! Planetary bodies, eras in time, crystals, space caravans

We can safely say that some of the past Italian library music masterpieces will hardly reach the export levels of mainstream Italian pop music. However, there is no doubt that the recent rediscovery operation led by some record labels such as Schema, Sonor, Four Flies, Intervallo and many others, has helped to create a lively and passionate record collectors’ market where names such as Umiliani, Brugnolini, Torossi, Tommasi, Braen, Iacoucci, Alessandroni are the watchwords for entering a wonderf…

Sexmob breaks new sonic ground with longtime producer scotty hard on the hard way, a new and extraordinary collaboration

* Edition of 300 numbered copies * The Sam Rivers Archive Series looks to be a beautiful physical manifestation of the love and respect that NoBusiness Record's Danas Mikailionis has for NYC loft era free jazz (we're working with PDFs and digital files but I, for one, have my copy on pre-order!). Over the years, NoBusiness has been dedicated to unearthing and releasing long-unheard music from a number of musicians (like Peter Kuhn, Billy Bang, Jameel Moondoc, among others) and quite notably, in …

The music of Horace Silver is magically presented here by drummer Hideo Shiraki – grooving nicely in the same exotic approach to soul jazz you'd find on Silver's best Blue Note sides of the late 50s! Shiraki's always had a bit of a Jazz Messengers approach in his music – at least at this point in his career – so it's no surprise that he does such a great job with Silver's music – recreating some of the best grooves made famous by Horace at Blue Note, but also bringing a bit of his own flavor to …

"How magical that in an improvisation recorded in a former hospital funeral chapel, we hear the sounds of life. We hear the sounds of breath. Not only the gentle sibilance of the air spilling from the edges of the mouthpiece, as it escapes life as a note; not only the airiness of those low drums: but also the sound of the music being allowed to breathe within the space’s very special acoustic. We hear the sounds of the heartbeat in Cornelia Nilsson’s low drums, now urgent, now reassuring. And we…

The compositional minimalism of Jewels of Thought is a major thread through Sanders albums of this period, setting up a sparse canvas for colorful tenor saxophone meditations. In one instance Sanders' playing may be soft, beckoning and glad, while elsewhere his saxophone becomes a crazed, outraged beast unleashing its fury on the world. Regardless of which way these compositions lead, listeners are made to feel more like sonic travelers than mere consumers.

As​-​Shams Archive Vol. 1 introduces the core catalogue of As-Shams/The Sun, the independent record label that documented some of the most exciting developments in jazz, funk and soul from South Africa in the 1970s. With 10 tracks from 10 iconic albums featuring 10 different artists and 10 original compositions, this compilation delivers 85 minutes of South African music history.Including essential tracks by the likes of Dick Khoza, Black Disco and Harari, remastered from the original analog tap…

Highly anticipated sophomore release from saxophonist and composer Sisonke Xonti, winner of South Africa's 2020 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Jazz. At the centre of the album, Xonti's four-part "Migration Suite" is his boldest work to date, exploring rural and urban identity and the perilous spiritual journey from homeland to the global village. Produced by Xonti and pianist Yonela Mnana and featuring photography by Mandisa Buthelezi, the album appears on As-Shams/The Sun as part of a ros…

Gideon Nxumalo was a key figure during the formative years of South African jazz in the 1950s and 60s, helping shape a modern African jazz sound as a composer, arranger and pianist and contributing to the scene as a music teacher and radio presenter. His recorded output as solo artist/bandleader is comprised of a trilogy of iconic albums from Jazz Fantasia (1962) to Gideon Plays (1968) to Early-Mart (1970).Early-Mart was Gideon Nxumalo's tribute to friend and musical compatriot, drummer Early Ma…

*In process of stocking* 'This jazz musician of Sudanese descent shows up here and there on recording sessions from the '60s, including a stint as a member of Thelonious Monk's combo. He also played oud and took part in a variety of attempts to blend his roots music with jazz, out of which this is one of the most successful. Indeed, one might overlook the entire fusion nature of this record and look at is as a prime example of how much brilliant jazz is created often by relatively unknown player…

Sounds of Africa is the fourth album by double bassist and oud player Ahmed Abdul-Malik featuring performances recorded in 1962 (with one track from 1961) and originally released on the New Jazz label. This Early 60's Afro-jazz jam with middle-eastern and latin flavours is one of the first in its genre. The album also features Bilal Abdurahman, Andrew Cyrille and Chief Bey. Seminal!

*In process of stocking* Repress of Wildflower's 2nd album. The band continued to explore areas of groove-based improvised jazz. Taking a slightly freer approach to the writing process, simple but effective melodies and bass motifs are explored to create fully realised pieces with dynamic extremes that bring a full range of emotion. Recorded over a two-day session at Studios in London, the band sounds relaxed and at ease, giving space to explore intricate improvised interplay and dialogue fully …

Paul Dunnall’s dynamic Birmingham quintet’s release Yes Tomorrow was a Discus highlight of 2022. We enjoyed the release so much that we took the unusual step of suggesting he add Julie Tippetts and Charlotte Keeffe to the group to make a second release. Paul embraced the idea with enthusiasm, and came up with this suite for the expanded group. The result is a freewheeling set with a great “live gig” feel, which gives plenty of space for each player to shine, and which mixes some tight compositio…

Theta Six – OUA’s sixth album – is an ever morphing tapestry of new sounds arriving via wormhole direct from the left field progressive sound universe. It evolved from a studio session of bass driven rhythms followed next day by a marathon free-improvisation session. These sessions were amalgamated through a high impact collision which made extensive use of chance procedures, and then carefully sculpted and arranged for horns and voices by Martin and Jan. The music is heard as a single continuou…

This discounted bundle includes both double LPs released so far in the "Hyperituals: Black Saint / Soul Note" series:Various Artists "Hyperituals Vol. 1 - Soul Note" (2LP)Various Artists "Hyperituals Vol. 2 - Black Saint" (2LP)"Hyperituals Vol. 1 - Soul Note" (2LP)After enjoying roughly half a century at the center of popular culture - despite its continued, towering cultural importance - by the 1970s jazz had fallen onto hard times. Its audiences drifted away, heeding the call of less demanding…

Drawing to light rhythms, grooves and Afrocentric traditions, Hyperjazz Records takes an unprecedented dive into the incredible back catalog of the seminal Italian imprint, Soul Note, with “Hyperituals Vol. 2”. Gathering an astounding group of recordings by Sun Ra Arkestra, Archie Shepp, Karl Berger, Muhal Richard Abrams, Lester Bowie, Cecil McBee, John Carter, Joseph Jarman, Don Moye, Johnny Dyani, Don Pullen, World Saxophone Quartet, and others - many of which have never before appeared on vin…

150 hand numbered copies. Kick-ass free music recorded in the glorious year of 1966 in Copenhagen. From Finn Von Eyben a leading exponent of the fertile Danish free jazz movement of the 1960s, comes these never-before-released live and studio recordings, offering an interesting addition to our understanding of a time in Danish music history where past, present, and future clashed to create a whole new sound.  This is as essential as it gets. Piano, double-bass & drums in total interaction. 150 h…

** 2023 much-needed repress ** A Free Jazz masterpiece is again on the block—bigger and better than ever. Rashied Ali & Frank Lowe Duo Exchange is legitimately re-released on LP for the first time, mastered from original tapes for the first time, and expanded with nearly an hour's music from the session never before heard.  You know Duo Exchange as the flagship release of Rashied Ali's Survival Records. When the record was made, Survival still belonged jointly to Ali and Frank Lowe, and the reco…

Recorded directly to two-track digital Mitsubishi X-80 tape recorder at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ on June 4th & 5th, 1987.

A great live Cd by drummer giant Roy Haynes. Roy Haynes's very active and his different approach to drumming comes out very well - hard swinging and with a lot of joy and very spontaneous.

Masahiko Satoh is a Japanese jazz pianist, composer and arranger. Yoshisaburo 'Sabu' Toyozumi is one of the small group of musical pioneers who comprised the first generation playing free improvisation music in Japan. As an improvising drummer he played and recorded with many of the key figures in Japanese free music including the two principal figures in the first generation, Masayuki Takayanagi and Kaoru Abe from the late 1960s onwards. The Aiki was recorded live on the 26th March 1997 at C.S.…

Evan Parker's followup to The Snake Decides is this live recording of saxophone solos from 1989 recorded in the Holywell Music Room by Michael Gerzon."Of the many solo soprano recordings by British improviser Evan Parker, few offer as intimate a portrait as this one in terms of his development as an artist. In 1993, Parker had hit a new stride in his playing. He worked -- as he does now -- long hours to find a way through the improvisation barrier imposed by the restrictions of circular and conv…

Fred Van Hove's 52 minute solo piano performance at the Jazz à Mulhouse summer festival 2007 reveals one of the giants of improvised music at the height of his creative powers.

This is the third album by Wadada Leo Smith’s all-star Golden Quartet. Recorded live, the sound on Tabligh veers from a sound akin to early electric jazz ala "In A Silent Way" and especially 'the lost quintet' of Miles in late 1969/early 1970, to both more sparse and modern jazz fare, all of it informed by the distinctive personalities of these four players and their leader's musical concepts. Wadada Leo Smith is a well-respected trumpeter and composer working in avant-garde jazz and improvisati…

Temporary Super Offer! 'The music on this CD is an impressive document of such a search for meaning and artistic legitimacy. It doesn’t want to add something even louder to the supposedly spectacular. On the contrary: Here, it is about the subtle intimacy and emotionality of human relationships, about breathing as one. It is about being interested in each other beyond ever new superlatives. This is where the unobtrusive authenticity of this music comes from, what makes it special and thoughtful.…

Recorded on November 9 and 10, 1985, at Gimmick Studio, Yerres, France Digital mastering at Translab Studios, Paris

Greg Osby, alto sax #1,2,7; Dave Fiuczynski, guitar; Santi Debriano, bass; Cindy Blackman, drums; Jerry Gonzalez, congas #5. Recorded in NYC, August 29 and 30, 1990

*2022 stock.* Futura Marge presents Some Jive Ass Boer / Live at Jazz Unité by John Dyani (double bass, piano & vocals) & Mal Waldron (piano) - Guest on one track : Pablo Sauvage (percussion)Recorded live on 16 April 1981 at Jazz Unité (Paris-La Défense)

Gisburg's debut release is "imaginary movie music" by an extraordinary young vocalist and composer, including dramtic text and Chinese and African traditional instruments. Gisburg was born in Austria in 1966 and has lived in New York since 1992. In Berlin, she performed in the ensemble of Dieter Schnebel and in the Vocalduo Allii Gaa with Anna Clementi. She has recorded with Anthony Coleman/Roy Nathanson and Michelle Kinney among others.