Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

"The debut album of The Jason Stein Quartet, The Story This Time, brings together Chicago bass clarinetist Jason Stein with three of his favorite improvisers. With Joshua Abrams on bass, Frank Rosaly on drums, and Keefe Jackson on tenor saxophone and contrabass clarinet, the album features five original compositions by Stein and six underexplored compositions by jazz luminaries Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, Lenny Tristano, and Thelonious Monk. Following three critically acclaimed albums with …

The second volume in a planned series of David S. Ware solo recordings, presenting two entire concert performances on sopranino and tenor sax at Park Slope and at Unmbrella Music Festival in Chicago.  Each David S. Ware solo concert performance is a rare and magisterial happening. There were two such events in 2010, and both concerts are presented here in their entirety. The first took place in March at an intimate, invite-only event in Brooklyn; the second took place at the Umbrella Music …

Recorded live in concert at the Abrons Arts Center, NYC on October 15, 2009, Saturnian documents master saxophonist David S. Ware's triumphant return to performance following his kidney transplant in May 2009. This performance prompted features in The New York Times and on NBC Nightly News.Ware, in full peak of form, performed three extended pieces, each one on a different horn. "Methone" is on the saxello and "Pallene" features the stritch.  David has played these lesser-known members of the sa…

Awesome, 10/10 on Digitalis "The late Steve Reid, veteran jazz drummer and percussionist and Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), the British electronic musician/producer young enough to be his grandson, present the fifth and final installment of their momentous synergy. The music on this double LP was recorded in concert on June, 20 2009 in the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall at London's Southbank Centre, as part of the Meltdown Festival curated by free jazz legend Ornette Coleman. For this marath…

"The great avant-garde reed player Anthony Braxton (who on this set switches between alto, C-melody sax, clarinet, flute, soprano and sopranino), bassist Adelhard Roidinger and drummer Tony Oxley play five of Braxton's complex originals, Oxley's "The Angular Apron" and the standard "All the Things You Are." As usual Braxton's improvising is quite advanced and original but is colorful and fiery enough to always hold on to open-eared listener's attention. This is one of literally dozens of …

"[...] Satie, the original "Enfant Terrible", was a strange man with strange thoughts that produced strange music with strange titles that don't seem so shocking today ("Jack-in-the-Box", "Driveling Preludes for a Dog", "Dried Embryos"), but considering that he was born two centuries ago, this bad boy of classical music deserves a very close look.Satie lived an unconventional life and demanded the same from those who attempted to sneak a peek into it. For example, his notes to Vexations r…

"The Koeln concert shows us these positive vibrations marching through "the complete continuance of creative music," and on towards the next millennium. The "success of the future" is not a lost cause as long as there is music like this in the air."-Graham Lock"Although Anthony Braxton does not play on this double CD (whose contents were released for the first time in 1995), his presence is certainly felt. He conducts the band through a fairly free improvisation and five of his compositio…

A great live recording of Sun Ra and his Arkestra from 1980 in Switzerland, originally released as a double LP, and remastered for CD in 2010 (two pieces have been excluded from the original LP release). The concert featured a ten piece ensemble playing a mix of originals, standards and modern jazz compositions, including pieces Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis/Tad Dameron, Coleman Hawkins, Billy Strayhorn, and Duke Ellington. This is a good example of later Sun Ra configurations, with Sun R…

London's fiercest free improvising saxophonist Evan Parker meets Downtown New York cellist Okkyung Lee and trumpeter Peter Evans for a series of superb duos and trios on "the bleeding edge".  "The art of trio improvisation is taken on here by three pitch producing instruments each from a different family: reeds, brass and strings. Each player comes from a different continent but the music speaks of unanimity. Purely acoustic real time improvised music continues to develop."- label press

The London based improvising string trio Barrel of Alison Blunt on violin, Ivor Kallin on violin & viola, and Hannah Marshall on cello, all members of London Improvisers Orchestra and performers at the 2007 Freedom of the City.  "These three musicians have been performing in various combinations with others on the London improvising scene for several years. As well as the numerous small groups they have participated in, all three are members of the London Improvisers Orchestra. About six years a…

The London improvising scene duo of vocalist Kay Grant, a former Downtown NY arists, and clarinetist Alex Ward, have been playing together for decades, here recorded in four live performances and a studio session."Singer Kay Grant left the Downtown New York scene some twenty years ago and crossed the Atlantic. Around the same time, schoolboy clarinettist Alex Ward donned long trousers and played in public with Derek Bailey. Since then, they have both been vital members of the London improvising …

Music(s) is the intimist portrait of Japanese composer Otomo Yoshihide.Music(s) is the intimist portrait of Japanese composer Otomo Yoshihide.In 1990, he founded the mythic group 'Ground Zero' produced by John Zorn, and is one of the major players on the current Japanese scene. An adept of free jazz and noisy music, he travels around the globe with his various jazz ensembles as well as solo on guitar or with his astonishing turntables. This double DVD presents a talented artist through th…

Brud is a three volume compilation of recordings from 1995 to 2011 by Andre Vida, morphing seamlessly between a sense of total irreverence and the sublime. His spontaneous compositions and notated works are the angled mirrored counterparts of a transient saxophone driven performance language, drawing on elements of 1970s performance art, new music, improvisation cult, folk and pop hybrids, channeling them into asymmetrical tunes of feral beauty. BRUD traces the development of Vida's wayw…

After several years spent searching for a publisher for On The Road, in 1957 Jack Kerouac s fortune finally changed as he literally became a star overnight, thanks to rave reviews by the New York Times and others who heralded Kerouac as the voice of a new generation. It was during this initial period of fame (1957-1959) that Kerouac also recorded a trio of albums. His first effort, Poetry For The Beat Generation, was recorded at the Village Vanguard in 1957 with soon-to-be pop icon Steve …

Dennis Duck (ds), Fredrik Nilsen (b), Tom Recchion (mock cello, strangaphone), Keiji Haino (g), Rick Potts (g). Recorded in 1982. A definite, honest-to-goodness blast from out of the deepest vaults, bringing together Haino and a trio of wildly surreal pranksters from the Los Angeles Free Music Society scene. An amazing archive find!

Xavier Charles (clarinet), Nicolas Desmarchellier (guitar), Ulrich Phillipp (doublebass), Eiko Yamada (flute) and Burkhard Schlothauer (violin). Recorded live in concert direct to digital stereo by Uli Böttcher 18-06-07, Bergkirche-Wiesbaden.

A triple CD limited box set of 3 CDs and a 48 page booklet, introducting 2 new studio CDs of solo bass, and a reissue of William Parker's out of print 1995 solo bass album "Testimony". A strictly limited/one-time only edition of 1000 copies (987 to be exact) specially designed box set containing 3 albums of William Parker solo bass compositions/performances in full tandem with a 48-page booklet of all-new William Parker writings (poems, dreams, meditations and more). Very powerful and prof…

After the runaway success of the Akita/Gustafsson/O'Rourke LP One Bird Two Bird (DEMEGO 016LP), Swedish sax legend Mats Gustafsson returns to Editions Mego with another storming collaboration. Now a resident of Vienna, he teamed up with experimental artists dieb13 and Martin Siewert for a live and studio session. (Fake) The Facts is the result. A dense fog of sound comes from all directions, but whereas the general impetus is a full-on attack, the trio finds enough restraint to create a deepe…

And that's the story of jazz... Get it? Well, maybe you had to be there when legendary saxophonist Akira Sakata, guitarist Jim O'Rourke and bombast rhythm crew of percussionist Chris Corsano and double bassist Darin Gray (aka Chikamorachi) jumped in the van for a Japanese tour. This two CD set documents their 2008 jaunt -- not the first and far from last -- in blistering detail. Shades of Last Exit, Coltrane's Live in Seattle and even Kousokuya appear here but this quartet has nailed its own uni…

Smalltown Superjazzz is very proud to present two new albums by The Thing. And this time it is The Thing with guitars! And none others than two of the best guitar players in the improv world today; Otomo Yoshihide and Jim O`Rourke. Both albums are recorded live at Pit Inn in Tokyo, Japan. Shinkjuku Growl with Jim O`Rourke was recorded the 4th of February 2008 and Shinkuju Crawl with Otomo Yoshihide was recorded the 2nd of October 2007 (and was also recorded by Jim O`Rourke). These two live docum…

Smalltown Superjazzz is proud to to rerelase the debut album by Diskaholics Anonymous Trio. The album was released 10 years ago on the now defunct Crazy Wisdom/Universal label, and the album has been unavailable since then. The trio creates a pulsing, massive and monumental sound. Free-jazz, noise, electronic ambience, drone music and punk all mixed. The result of these three titans clashing together is an intense blow-out. Raw, grandiose and brutally beautiful. The album features three l…

A previously unissued 1972 concert by the original version of Iskra 1903 - Paul Rutherford (trombone), Derek Bailey (guitar) and Barry Guy (double bass) - extraordinary performances, plus 2 short extracts from another concert. "Iskra 1903 was one of my favourite groups. I cannot remember hearing a performance that I did not enjoy, although inevitably some were better than others. The previously unissued concert on this CD was arguably one of their best.I first heard this recording about ten year…

Cien Fuegos presents live recordings circa 1970 Berlin from the legendary free music duo of German free jazz saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and Dutch jazz drummer and percussionist Han Bennink and pianist Fred Van Hove. Instrumentation: Peter Brötzmann (tenor saxophone), Fred Van Hove (piano), Han Bennink (drums, gachi, shell, voice). Recording: Recorded by Wolfgang Bukatz on August 17th, 1970 in Berlin. Supervision by Hans-Dieter Frankenberg. Produced by Jost Gebers. This album was origi…

Cien Fuegos presents live recordings circa 1975 Berlin from the legendary free music duo of German free jazz saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, Dutch jazz drummer and percussionist Han Bennink and pianist/accordionist Fred Van Hove. Instrumentation: Peter Brötzmann (clarinets, alto, tenor & bass saxophone, vocals), Fred Van Hove: (piano, accordion), Han Bennink: (drums, cymbals, Schwirrholz, accordion, clarinets, floor, walls, megaphone, etc.). Recorded by Jost Gebers on Sunday afternoon, September 14…

Peter Brötzmann: soprano, alto, tenor saxophone, b-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, piano. Han Bennink: drums, piano, viola, banjo, bass clarinet. Recording: A1 & A2 recorded live by Bernhard Arndt on April 8th & 9th, 1977 during the Workshop Freie Musik at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. A3, A4, A5 & B1 recorded by Jost Gebers on March 26th, 1977 at the Quartier Latin in Berlin. B2 to B5 recorded by Jost Gebers on March 27th, 1977, at the Quartier Latin in Berlin. Produced by Jost Gebers. Th…

Alto saxophonist Masayoshi Urabe and percussionist Toshi Ishizuka recorded this extended improvisation at Tokyo's Apia Club, quietly ferocious music with a unique physicality.  "Thrilling, blood-shaking, soul-scraping and defiantly non-sexless improv set from two Japanese titans. Recorded live at the Apia club in Tokyo in December last year, this set showcases Urabe's uniquely physical approach to improvisation -- ferociously concentrated, contorted, sweating and eruptive with physical power. Hi…

Solo Drumkit Improvisations is a richly detailed document of Sean Baxter's explorations in extended percussive technique. Utilising stochastic structures applied to the conventional drumkit, Baxter exploits the sonic potential of a range of percussive implements including, bamboo wok brushes and chopsticks, enamel camping plates, aluminium wind-chimes and wok lids, scrap metal, and even the body. Recorded by acclaimed Australian engineer, Christopher Lawson, with assistance from sound-artist Rob…

A lovely split, with Evan Parker improvising with live electronics by Walter Prati on the first side, and percussionist/composer Lukas Ligeti (son of composer György Ligeti) with João Orecchia (guitar, electronics) on the other side. 

Pisaro’s “Hearing Metal” series is a multipart lecture of the above, now on its third rendition. Each is in dedication to the sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi, with track names and piece subtitles littered with Brâncuşi references (Sleeping Muse, The Endless Column, Prometheus, 1911). Although the orchestration differs across each entry, each piece is primarily composed of electronic (sine tones, field recordings, a guitar, etc.) and percussive (cymbals, tam-tams, ‘surfaces,’ almglocken, etc.) eleme…

Stellar release!! ""The first disc features "Conduction No. 43: The Cloth". The first thing I noticed about this disc is how well it is recorded and perfectly balanced. We can hear Zeena Parkins's acoustic harp, the strings, guitar, oboe, vibes and other assorted percussion just right. You can tell that Butch Morris has rehearsed with this ensemble as the swirling lines they play together are so tight and instantly connected. Certain solos, like the oboe, rise above the rest of the ensemble like…

A minimal theater in sound from Taku Unami and Takahiro Kawaguchi and starring Yoko Chosakabe and Kumio Kurachi, recording at the Ueno Okura Theater Older Building. "Teatro Assente is endearing and provoking, but most of all, endlessly pleasing." Tinymixtapes

homas Heberer is called “a European master” and “new trumpet genius”. The music in his new double LP brings a fresh approach to blending improvisation and composition, which allows for the highest amount of freedom on the musicians' side while incorporating significant structural tools on the composer's side as well. His solo recording applies a vast variety of conventional and extended techniques, among which the most distinctive component is the exclusive use of circular breathing.

Recorded 29th May 1977 at A Day in Solidarity with Soweto: A Fund Raiser, Harlem Fight-Back, 1 East 125th St., New York Violinist Billy Bang made his recording debut as a leader with the Survival Ensemble, the first working band he ever led, on New York Collage in 1979. Bang, saxophonists Bilal Abdur Rahman and Henry Warner, bassist William Parker, and percussionists Rashid Bakr and Khuwana John Fuller played incendiary free jazz more clearly indebted to the New York avant-garde of the precedin…

RED trio made a stunning debut in 2010. In this second album they play with British music veteran John Butcher pushing musical boundaries to the new realms of gripping and exciting kingdom of free improvisation. Rodrigo Pinheiro, piano. Hernani Faustino, double bass. Gabriel Ferrandini, drums and percussion. John Butcher, tenor and soprano saxophone. Recorded April 6, 2010 at Namouche Studio Lisbon by Joaquim Monte. Mixed by John Butcher. Mastered by Ar nas Zujus at MAMAstudios. Design by …

The Tarfala Trio (Mats Gustafsson : tenor sax and alto fluteophone. Barry Guy : bass. Raymond Strid : drums) has its roots from 1992, meeting at the Solo-92 festival in Stockholm, Sweden. After that first encounter in 1992, the trio has worked sporadically and played festivals in Europe and releasing 2 CDs on Maya Recordings. This recording captures them playing live in Belgium, 2009. It is explosive, high energy loaded ferocious music focusing on low dynamic melodic material. Tarfala Trio is at…

Here are two men whose musical natures are obviously rich and their backgrounds complex - back to Stinky Winkles in the pianist's case, back to Amalgam and the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in the saxophonist's - but who reduce, in the critic/analyst's shorthand, to tiling or fabric. Tessellations. Moiré. Does that convey all you need to know about Veryan Weston and Trevor Watts, secure in the understanding that these are self-chosen metaphors, not imposed from outside? Needless to say, no, …

Guitarist Ninni Morgia, after playing with countless improvisers such as Peter Evans, Daniel Carter, William Parker and lots others, is here in a duo together with master Italian drummer and percussionist Marcello Magliocchi. Marcello Magliocchi has been active since the early 70s and has played and recorded with amazing artists like Steve Lacy, Evan Parker, Peter Kowald, Mal Waldron, John Tchicai, Joelle Leandre and countless others. He also put out his work on Andrea Centazzo’s Ictus label and…

A colossal encounter of drummer William Hooker and the late wind player Thomas Chapin performing at the 9th Street Gallery in NYC in 1992, 3 massive improvisations from the jazz underground. This is a monster duo! One of the greatest duo events of all time. There were a series of weekly duo encounters with William Hooker and different saxists at Jerome Cooper's loft during the summer in the early nineties. I caught two of these with Louie Belogenis and Thomas Chapin and both were incredible.I re…

"It's a great summer for music, with some excellent albums just released - and more reviews to come ... Let's start with the great David S. Ware and his new quartet, a great quartet, with William Parker playing the bass as on all other David S. Ware albums, with Cooper-More on piano instead of Matthew Shipp, and with Muhammad Ali on drums (the latest in a long list, with Susie Ibarra, Guillermo E. Brown, Warren Smith, Whit Dickey, Hamid Drake, ... and quite a phenomenal list at that).It is no do…

**restocked, few copies left** Almost sold out in pre-sale, act fast! As this album is a treasure, a minblowing reissue (dated 1972) of an intense, spontaneous droney improvisation and the complex Michael Ranta's chiming rhythms interlaced with trance-alike collective passages. It’s a monster! ""...tomorrow i will send you the CD of a very strange anarcho spontaneously improvised sound tableau. it is one of the very first musical projects with Ranta, when we met in Egypt in 1972. i didn't listen…