Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

Swiss artist Lukas Traxel releases his powerful debut album One-Eyed Daruma on We Jazz Records, March 10. The trio features Traxel on double bass, Otis Sandsjö on sax and Moritz Baumgärtner on drums. Compact, deep, and organic to the bone, Traxel & co's sound echoes the innovations of rhythmically driven avantgarde jazz while keeping things moving at all times. There's both drive and freedom to this sound. One-Eyed Daruma features eight new compositions by Traxel, who crafted the outline for the…

"This is one of those occasions when we 'labellers of music' get stuck in our own glue. Consider the complication: A group called Indo Jazz Fusions containing Indian and British musicians, an American-born guest, and the result, a uniquely beautiful music which is patently not quite Indian, not quite jazz, not quite contemporary-American. I think the most accurate thing you can say is that it can only be played the way it is by men in contact with the jazz tradition. The group is led, and all th…

Bassist Ubadah McConner recounts the evolution and history of this home based cultural, educational, and music center in Pontiac, Michigan that embraced the revolutionary spirit of the 60s and 70s Black artistic renaissance through all night sessions of fire music, mutual support and conversation.  McConner’s weekend sessions lasted thirty years, until 2002, and were open to everyone so there is name-dropping galore, but the reader may not be familiar with many of the names. As patrick brennan n…

The 2nd volume of Ethiopian hit-parade. The hottest tracks of 1972. Original LP Reissue. The follow up to the highly acclaimed reissue of the first volume, Ethiopian Hit Parade. The track layout is identical to the original record released in 1972.  "After releasing around fifty 45 rpm singles and his first 33 rpm album (Ethiopian Modern Instrumental Hits AELP 10, re-released by Heavenly Sweetness HS092VL), Amha Esthèté set about compiling his best 45s on a series of now legendary albums (the or…

Tip!  When artsts self-releases their own recordings, they do so in the hopes that a hit might develop, or even better, a sphere of influence might form. In a lot of cases these records provide a stamp of existence and intent – a sonic business card showing what musicians were made of. Compass Rises (1973), the privately pressed sole LP by Oneonta, New York’s Compass, is both a sampling of versatility and a declaration of straight-ahead purpose. Regularly active in upstate New York between 1969 …

*In process of stocking* Recorded in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, UK, December 1976. Private session. Previously unheard. Available in digital format and limited edition CD. The amazing lost Dean, Miller, Pyle private tapes from 1976: featuring the very first recorded meeting of these three extraordinary pioneering talents of British Jazz/Rock, performing four magical co-composed pieces, none of which have ever been issued in any form. This album was originally intended to be released by Mike …

"In the spring of 1949, the music was ready to undergo a transformation. Both Miles Davis and Tadd Dameron were experimenting with their larger groups, but they were also presented with the opportunity to travel to Paris, to present a programme of new music at an international jazz festival there." - Brian Morton

"If music really is a form of rapid transportation, then I have found my mode of transport. Suspense brings apprehension before something happens. It’s a fact. The next time you’re in a snappy nightclub, tap your foot to the memories of your day fading out under the blue lights. The fiercest way to walk anywhere is on your toes. “Here I am,” you blurt out, but everyone already knows you, because a bass is a foghorn that guides us out of exhaustion. The days are doing a little number on us all of…

Iconic musician and political activist makes a typically thought-provoking statement on historic 1969 recording.

*300 copies limited edition. In process of stocking* Nick Ingman has had a long career - as a composer, arranger and conductor. Big Beat is just one nugget from his legacy, but it's certainly a big one. Was involved in the Eurovision Song Contest on several occasions, leading the orchestra for Olivia Newton John (1974) and writing the live arrangements to 'Making Your Mind Up' (1981) and 'One Step Further' (1982).

*300 copies limted edition  In process of stocking* Jazz classics featuring Hampton Hawes on piano. Released,1971. John Denis Hawksworth, British pianist, bassist, composer, and arranger. He worked with the "Ted Heath Orchestra" from 1951 to 1965. Hampton Hawes, American jazz pianist.

*300 copies limited edition. In process of stocking* Small band featuring brass and percussion. Argentinian artist born in Buenos Aires in 1941. In 1975 he moved to Gran Canaria, Spain, where he created the first jazz school of the island.

** Edition of 300. In process of stocking ** Recorded in Supraphon's Prague studios in Dejvice in March 1970. Jointly created by the bands Blue Effect and Stivin's Jazz Q Praha. The result of this process is forty minutes of music in which the influence of external environments, the immediate ability of each participant, and the predetermination in regard to traditions which shaped their musical development to-date, are expressed by new beauty which contains both logic as well as free, imaginati…

The first recording by these pioneers of electro-acoustic improvisation, AMMMusic stands the test of time both as a remarkably prescient session and as an utterly powerful and deep piece of 20th century music

"Always at the helm, the sound magician Jean-Marc Foussat offers us four new releases from his catalogue. In April 2022 in Le Mans, this champion of combinations between electronics and acoustics brought together Emmanuelle Parrenin on the hurdy-gurdy, a very old instrument that is sometimes considered the ancestor of the synthesizer (!) and Quentin Rollet on the saxophones, an "impossible" trio if ever there was one. Yet these instruments are in perfect harmony, blending and harmonising in the …

"Periferia is an ancient greek word which dérives from the verb perifero,i.e, to bear, bring about; Periferoalso means to let someone know or makesomething known to people, therefore to spread and communicate. Periferia as a specific area is the perimeter of any closed system. But the1ine of letter Фcuts like a sword the circumference of the solid circle. Periferia symbolizes the fact that you are always far from the center, thatyou follow paths which will never bring you towards the center — yo…

"Is it the fall of Icarus, whose vertiginous stridulation we hear from the very first notes of this album, to which Jean-Marc Foussat once again mixes his AKS synth and his voice? A sharp whistle has just pierced the atmosphere and is lost in the urban bustle where the police sirens can easily be distinguished. It is with this scene worthy of a Michael Mann or Christopher Nolan film that this trio recording opens, bringing together saxophonist Urs Leimgruber, who has already signed a magnificent…

"There is a landscape of sonic ideas, of banging, of entity, of new forms of stimulating the body and of prehension moved by our human, urban, maybe even cubist surroundings, or by the big wild country where, we say, music does what it wants. Unless, we misread and “music knows what it wants.” Both! With one stroke, knowing and doing unanimously converge into one. A point of intersection - there are so many - between the desiredl iberties and sublime agitation provoked by the embrasure of paths …

“In the afternoon we performed in a rather austere theatre in East Berlin. Then I remember we crossed Checkpoint Charlie that evening to play in a club in West Berlin. The atmosphere was completely different. I felt as though we were living in a black and white spy movie.” Nicolas Fiszman recalls that chaotic day of 13 June 1982. Two outstanding guitarists, Philip Catherine and Nicolas Fiszman, who at the time was only seventeen years old, were taken from one side of Berlin to the other in pouri…

Tip! *Silkscreen printed cover. Edition of 200, hand-numbered on the back cover. Totally sold out at source *Muumiot is an Italian-Finnish sextet, which also features Ho Chi Moon’s Pekkola. Gau Ri Laa is a set of four songs, released on ten-inch vinyl and digitally. V. Genta - eceltric piano & saxophones, T. Kemppainen - double bass, S. Pekkola - saxophones & shrutiboxes, T. Tammi - trumpet, T. Tiheäsalo - electric guitar, D. Vanzan - drums  Killer stuff!

2023 repress. Brace Up! is the first ever studio release from the duo of Chris Corsano (drums) and Bill Orcutt (guitar). Recorded in Brussels at Les Ateliers Claus by Christophe Albertijn on March 19th and 20th, 2018. Stage dive photograph by Jason Penner. "Over the past six years or so, drummer Chris Corsano has proven to be one of Bill Orcutt's most reliably flexible collusionists. Regardless of whether Bill is cluster-busting electric guitar strings, weaseling around with cracked electronics,…

*In process of stocking* 'This album pays homage to being, existing, and becoming Ancestors in the Universe. It is a dialogue between an Elder Griot and a young Jali. The story is about each and everyone that gives life, becomes life and ascends through all of our struggles. It is in the House of Good Spirit, that we present an acknowledgement within the African Oral Tradition which represents who we are. A legacy of sound that will give everyone a message. Ashe.' - Neo Griot and the Afrocentric…

*In process of stocking. 2023 stock* Devin Daniels’ Trio Exposition is a bold yet vulnerable body of work that highlights his unique sense of rhythm and harmony through relatively obscure songs by jazz greats. Joined by bassist Logan Kane and drummer Christian Euman, the lack of a harmonic instrument gives the three musicians space to fully explore and push each other. Very rarely do saxophonists choose this instrumentation- especially as their breakout record as a bandleader.

*In process of stocking* "Sting And Grid is an album of great joy and great sensitivity which bears repeated listening due to its relatively calm nature. A real delight for any improv lovers." – Mr Olivetti, FREQ Two world class players from the Manchester UK free improvisation scene deliver here a beautifully recorded set of pieces founded on pure instrumental skill. Hanslip's elegant, singing lines are delivered with calm and precision, driven by Cheetham's multi-textural percussion.

*In process of stocking* "Wild, wooly, wet, wacky, and quite wonderful new outing from Discus’s primo sound-warping sextet, led by arch poet/spoken word maven Bo Meson. Eccentric is but one mild way to describe the spontaneous wordplay, improvisational acrobatics, and general weirdness to be found percolating across this bafflingly odd disc. Behind Meson’s stream-of-consciousness phrasing lurks guitarist Andy McAuley, synthesist Jez Creek, saxophonist Martin Archer, bassist Peter Rophone, and ce…

*In process of stocking* "Ostensibly ‘jazz’, but you’d be hard-pressed to adopt that term here, as the duo stretch the definition of such pat categorizations to the point where genre effectively becomes meaningless. Just gorgeous, pure music. Softly, as in a morning sunrise." - Darren Bergstein Music the listener can sink into, immersing themselves in lush textures, and bathing in the richly varied harmonies and sonorities. Ripples began life with an experimental session designed to explore the …

Les Poumons Gonflés finds Etron Fou Leloublan at their most joyously unhinged: jagged rhythms, rasping horns and yelped vocals tumbling through songs that splice punk urgency, free improvisation and absurdist theatre into something uniquely volatile.

*2023 stock* "A few rare albums fit perfectly into your emotional state of mind and capture the fragility of our impermanent lives so beautifully as Another Way of the Heart by Norwegian reeds and trumpet player Torben Snekkestad and Danish pianist Søren Kjærgaard. Both Snekkestad and Kjærgaard were associated with the Danish label-musicians cooperative Ilk Music but, unfortunately, their discographies, especially in recent years, don't match their great creative potential. Snekkestad and Kjærga…

*2023 stock* The trio of Kieran Adams (sampler, drum machine, drums), Matthew “Doc” Dunn (keyboards and electronics), and Andy Haas (reeds and electronics) is a subset of Toronto spiritual jazz practitioners The Cosmic Range. Where their parent-group tends to anchor itself with a firm pulse, the trio veers into various flavours of abstraction. Some pieces furnish nervy ambient waft, whereas others are more gestural—sometimes violently so. Meanwhile, on the title track, a synth bass ostinato lays…

*2023 stock. Edition of 100 copies* Brodie West draws upon a vast array of experience to formulate his unique take on jazz. West was a member of Dutch avant-punks the Ex during their collaboration with Ethiopian saxophone legend Getatchew Mekurya, recording and touring worldwide. He's also worked extensively with drummer Han Bennink, appeared alongside the likes of Hamid Drake, Achim Kaufmann, and Sandro Perri while fronting the octet Eucalyptus and collaborating in the duo Ways with drummer Eva…

*100 copies limited edition. 2023 sock* When Christopher Shannon (of bands Bart and Possum) and Benjamin Pullia started High Alpine Hut Network, the intention was to explore cosmic extensions of house music. However with the addition of Jason Bhattacharya on drums, HAHN's recording sessions rapidly became a site of experimentation where members would generate raw material through structured improvisation and sheer spontaneity. Through this process, the project eventually evolved into a collabora…

First analog reissue of Masayuki Takayanagi's modern jazz works based on the Tristano-Konitz technique! First analog reissue of this extremely rare modern jazz work originally recorded in 1970! "Although Takayanagi was already devoted to free jazz at this time, this work is a modern jazz piece based on the Tristano-Konitz technique. Familiar numbers are transformed into Takayanagi's unique sense of time, and then pass through Takeshi Shibuya's filter. The sound thus unleashed seems to wander sof…

This is the dangerous tandem of Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson caught in action at the NYC Bottom Line in hot August 1977, just a week before the release of "Bridges" one of their best and durable efforts of the season. At the head of a super tight line up the two deliver a dense performance of politically conscious music based on unapologetic words and soulful sounds. Not just a stream of hits but dense, expanded renditions full of improvisation including timeless pieces such as "Home Is Whe…

*In process of stocking* "A magic dwells in each beginning.” The members of the freeform psych-inducing collective known as Spiritczualic Enhancement Center are of the same mind as Hermann Hesse on that one. Within the mythologically-rich universe assembled by the band - Transporting Salt - Enhanced Edition is a serious deluxe revisit of their most original encounters. In the five years since it was hermetically spawned, the group has stretched into an esoteric wave of musicians counting well ov…

Before Sesame Street or Yo Gabba Gabba made art for kids that their parents understood on a whole other level, there were Hip Fables. Pop prose originally put to pulp by the pen of Steve Allen circa the ‘50s, which inspired a popular album and even a book titled Hip Fables (Simon & Schuster). The original recording featured Steve Allen on the piano accompanied by King Cool himself, Chicago DJ and Impulse! recording artist Al Jazzbeaux Collins! In 1983 under the watchful eye of original producer …

It was a magical Autumn day in Vilnius - Mr. Howard Riley was giving his rare solo performance at St. Catherine’s Church.The outcome is this two LP set of deep musical contemplation, freedom and lyricism. After the concert Howard Riley said that this was his best solo performance in many years.

Composer Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen presents his Nonet formation on We Jazz Records. Their debut album Tigers Are Better Looking is released 3 Feb and the ensemble features internationally renowned Finnish clarinetist Antti Sarpila, plus a strong cast of Helsinki-based musicians from several of the top Finnish groups. Based on the writings of British-Caribbean author Jean Rhys (1890–1979), the 6-track album is a melancholy, intimate chamber jazz creation. Laurell's music swings, yet he doesn't st…

Finnish bassist Antti Lötjönen returns in February 2023 with his second Quintet East album on We Jazz Records. With Verneri Pohjola on trumpet, Mikko Innanen and Jussi Kannaste on saxes, and Joonas Riippa on drums, Quintet East is a hard-hitting ensemble of Helsinki scene A-listers. The new release sees the quintet work with Lötjönen's inspired new music with remarkable spirit, spreading out on a quest for new sounds and ideas, and returning to base with a fresh batch of acoustic creative music,…

Recorded in May 1960 this is probably one of Lateef’s more straight jazz releases with almost no trace of his famous Eastern sound experiments. This is a beautiful and dynamic album based on a balanced mix of originals and standards including great numbers by Dvorak, Ellington and Zawinul and with Lateef who’s literally shining on both tenor sax, oboe and flute. A fine document from a master musician caught during one of the peaks of his career.

Tip! In 1975, under the oppressive air of military dictatorship in Brazil, brothers Lelo and Zé Eduardo Nazario invited bassist Zeca Assumpção to join their musical experiments in a basement under Sao Paulo’s Teodoro Sampaio Street. As teenagers, the trio had already been playing together in Hermeto Pascoal’s Grupo, alongside guitarist Toninho Horta and saxophonist Nivaldo Ornelas, and it was while working together under Hermeto’s direction that the Paulista rhythm section (as they were then kno…