Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

Fundacja Słuchaj proudly unveils The 7th Dinner Live, a sizzling live recording from the Joe Hertenstein Trio – drummer/composer Joe Hertenstein, reed master Michael Moore, and bassist powerhouse Michael Formanek – elevated by the irrepressible trombone wizardry of special guest Ray Anderson. Captured in the heat of performance, this album transforms a intimate dinner setting into a banquet of boundless improvisation, where jagged rhythms collide with lyrical invention and raw emotional depth. H…

Fundacja Słuchaj announces the release of Comprehensive, a riveting new album from the powerhouse trio of Joe Morris (guitar), Tyshawn Sorey (drums), and Peter Evans (trumpet). This recording captures the essence of fearless improvisation, where structural precision meets boundless creativity. In Comprehensive, three of contemporary music's most visionary artists converge for a telepathic exploration of rhythm, timbre, and form. Joe Morris wields his guitar as a sonic architect, crafting intrica…

Fundacja Słuchaj proudly announces the release of Choreography of Fractures, a searing new album from the powerhouse trio of bassist John Edwards, trumpeter Luis Vicente, and drummer Vasco Trilla. This recording captures the unbridled intensity of live improvisation, where fractures in sound become portals to profound musical discovery. In Choreography of Fractures, Edwards, Vicente, and Trilla forge a sonic landscape that dances on the edge of chaos and control. Edwards' thunderous double bass …

At first glance, the idea that McCoy Tyner and the Grateful Dead might share musical DNA seems like a stretch. One built frameworks to support Coltrane’s spiritual flights—rewriting the jazz harmony playbook while turning chords into flexible architecture. The others were a San Francisco circus of psychedelic chaos and Americana grooves, an improvising rock band whose mythology often overshadowed their musicianship. On the surface, Tyner and the Dead appear to come from different galaxies. But l…

From the same producer who brought you Brahja, Kadef, EEG Coherence, Watermelancholia and Nebulizer, Infinity Zero offers yet another journey through shimmering soundscapes, soulful expression and rhythmical trance. “Modern jazz multi-instrumentalist, Devin Brahja Waldman, is an underrated force to be reckoned with, within the international alternative jazz scene. Brahja (the band) is an exemplary collective of musicians, all who fall in-line with modern jazz philosophy and have reflected it wit…

300 copies. Rural psych-jazz improvisations by Finnish bastard sons of Arbete & Fritid! This sextet - featuring Toni Laakso, Janne Martinkauppi, Sami Pekkola, Daniel Stolle, Erno Taipale and Ilkka Vekka - delivers some serious countryside free music madness. If you know Pekkola, Taipale and Vekka from their brutal Ho Chi Moon trio (also on Ultraääni), you know what to expect: freedom music with no compromises! But here it gets even wilder - six heads exploring the zones where Swedish progg, Finn…

Finland's Augustus Pablo strikes again! The fourth album by this Nordic melodica wizard delivers deep authentic roots reggae the way it should be done - heavy instrumental vibes, skillful melodica playing and compelling organ work wrapped in a classic rockers manner. Lightman does it ALL himself - writing, arranging, playing, producing, recording, mixing and mastering. One-man roots army! Cover art by Arsi Keva, silkscreened on recycled old LP sleeves - each copy unique. Ultraääni Records contin…

With A Semblance: Of Return, South African drummer, composer, and bandleader Asher Gamedze gathers a close ensemble of longtime collaborators to explore what he calls “practices of assembly” - ways of coming together, making sound, and imagining new and old modes of freedom. Based in the independent music scenes of Cape Town and rooted in Pan-Africanism and Black Consciousness, Of Return extends the political and musical commitments that have defined Gamedze’s work since Dialectic Soul (On The C…

One of the best kept secrets in contemporary British Jazz, Leeds based collective Work Money Death returns to ATA Records with a towering gesture of free improvisation. Born from the loss of guitarist Chris Earl Dawkins, A Portal to Here draws on a deep well of Spiritual Jazz to soar toward new heights of sonic transcendence. Music as testament, tribute, healing and remembrance.

Combining as the Yatha Bhuta Jazz Combo this LP may be a surprise to followers of Onra, while Buddy Sativa will be known to some via his own 2011 jazz leaning LP "Deus Ex Machina" on Favorite Records. There they collaborated on their first jazz track - "Indica". Pleased with the results they carried on, keeping it simple and adhering to straightforward play-more-jazz stylings they have crafted this LP over sessions sandwiched between their assorted commitments over the last two years. Opening th…

"This is special for me. Evan Parker and Paul Rogers have given their permission for this release. I asked Evan if he would write some notes but he wants me to do it – my memory of the gig. That was 33 years ago (1992), so I don’t remember much. It was at the old Vortex on Stoke Newington Church Street; I must have been sitting with Candy on a little table in front of the low stage. A Marantz cassette recorder in front of me and a cheap mic stand with a single stereo mic in front of that. The ma…

Limited edition album by Tony Coe’s Axel featuring Tony, Gordon Beck, Phil Lee, Chris Laurence and Bryan Spring. Recorded during the Camden Jazz Festival at the Shaw Theatre in Euston, London in 1977. Featuring wonderful compositions from Tony, Phil Lee and Gordon Beck, who contributed the brilliant title track. The single CD comes in a 4-panel digisleeve, with a 20 page booklet containing notes from Dave Gelly, John Wickes, Chris Laurence and Chris Searle. In 1975, Tony Coe formed a co-operativ…

2025 repress. Originally released in 2019, this essential 4CD box set documenting one of the rarest trio meetings in the history of European free improvisation is finally available again. Eleven years after the legendary The Topography of the Lungs (Incus, 1970) - one of the landmark early albums of English free improvisation, co-founded the Incus label itself - the trio reunites at 28 rue Dunois in Paris. Almost three and a half hours of non-idiomatic free improvisation captured by Jean-Marc Fo…

Witchess is an experimental concept album by drummer and composer Francesca Remigi, which blends music, spoken words, and political concepts together to explore themes of feminism, social justice, and historical memory. Drawing on the radical voices of Angela Davis and Silvia Federici, the album confronts the intersections of gender, race, and capitalism, tracing the roots of gender violence from witch-hunt to today’s systemic economic inequalities. Through edgy compositions and spoken excerpts,…

*50 copies limited edition* After six years of sonic exploration, David Croshaw and David Cooper unveil their debut album as David / David — Blame Haro, a bold collection that blurs the line between structure and spontaneity. The release also marks the British duo’s debut on 577 Records, introducing their distinctive blend of live improvisation and electronic experimentation to the label’s forward-thinking roster. The duo’s collaboration has been forged through a shared fascination with the mutu…

*100 copies limited edition* 577 Records proudly presents Turn of Events, the debut album from the Matthieu Mazué Trio—a bold new project led by up-and-coming pianist Matthieu Mazué, based between Zurich and New York. Featuring trumpeter Diego Hedez and drummer Francisco Mela, the trio brings together three distinct and powerful improvisers in a deep exploration of sonic freedom and form. In a striking artistic decision, the trio performs without a bassist—liberating the piano from its tradition…

Step into the wild heart of New York’s underground avant-garde jazz scene with Voyage from Jericho.

Talk Show is a new duo collaboration featuring Steph Richards on trumpets and resonating surfaces and Qasim Naqvi on drums, almglocken bells and modular synthesizer. Having worked together on other projects for almost two decades, Miss America, to be released by We Jazz Records on 21st November, marks their first, pure duo collaboration – a space to engage with a sonic language they’ve been cultivating together for years. The album was recorded live, with Qasim crafting real-time electronics and…

*150 copies limited edition*  The Belgian free jazz scene of the early 1970s remains criminally under-documented. While Fred Van Hove's participation in the legendary Machine Gun sessions (1968) with Peter Brötzmann, Han Bennink, and Evan Parker placed Antwerp on the international map, a wild ecosystem of temporary combos and performative madness flourished in the shadows. The WIM (Werkgroep Improviserende Musici) collective - founded in 1972 after Van Hove and saxophonist Cel Overberghe refused…

The historical importance, influence, and stature of the Schlippenbach Trio was cemented long ago. Formed in 1970 by German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach in the early days of European free jazz, the group also featured British saxophonist Evan Parker and German drummer Paul Lovens, and soon formed the core of the mighty Globe Unity Orchestra from that point on. As heard on its 1972 debut for FMP Pakistani Pomade - reissued by Cien Fuegos back in 2015 - its foundational music helped establi…

There are musicians who play jazz and there are musicians who expand its very definition. Yusef Lateef was the latter - a visionary who brought the oboe, the argol, the shanai, the bamboo flute and countless other instruments into the jazz vocabulary decades before "world music" became a marketing category. Golden Flower: Live in Sweden presents two never-before-released concert recordings that capture this master at the height of his powers, finally emerging from the Sveriges Radio tape vaults …

Tilaye Gebre was a central figure in Ethiopian music during the mid- to late 1970s, a period now hard to document but rich with talent. His saxophone and arrangements are likely featured on many recordings from Addis Ababa of that era. Despite Ethiopia’s limited formal musical institutions, Tilaye trained at the Haile Selassie First Theatre music school, where he began studying saxophone instead of guitar under mentor Ato Aymre Gemeda. This instrument became his lifelong expressive voice. Tilaye…

Experience a captivating dialogue between clarinet and piano in Music for Clarinet and Piano, a compelling new release by renowned clarinetist François Houle and visionary pianist Georg Graewe. This album showcases a sophisticated interplay of contemporary composition and improvisational mastery, carving a unique space in modern chamber music. François Houle brings a lyrical sensitivity and technical precision to the clarinet, weaving intricate melodic lines with emotional depth. Georg Graewe’s …

2005 release ** Cardboard sleeve. All 4 tracks are electro-acoustic improvisations that delight the ear through their unorthodox tones and unexpected turns. Noisy and mystifying sounds develop into subtle compositions while playful rhythms and dynamic drones invite the listener on a 45 minute journey into the extreme.

1996 release ** Gatefold caedboard sleeve with insert (no OBI). The title is a play on the non-existent word "gospelized." This is Ware's most overt attempt at acknowledging the influence of Albert Ayler, not only on his playing style, but also on his method of hearing and formation. Accompanied by drummer Susie Ibarra, pianist Matthew Shipp, and bassist William Parker, Ware digs deep into the church and the level of spiritual reality to be found there and creates his own sonic vision of how tha…

Behind the name Pouf Pouf Pantoufle lie six musicians from Nancy, graduates of the Lillebonne music school: Vincent Petit on double bass, Gabriel Lambert on bass, Guillaume Schwab on keyboards, Tom Colombain on trombone, Gaspard Petitnicolas on flute, and Solal Piquand on drums. In 2022, they founded the APC (Appellation Pantouflarde Contrôlée) association and started organizing concerts at the legendary MJC Lillebonne, often alongside BMM and RPT. Thanks to their eclectic and avant-garde line-u…

Listed as one of the four most influential Jazz albums that happened to be released in 1959 (Dave Brubeck -Time Out & Charles Mingus -Ah Um among them), so much has been said and written about Miles Davis'Kind Of Blue, it's virtually impossible to summarize all the necessary info to the length of this page. We could simply list some facts (best sold Jazz album ever worldwide). We could try to explain why it's the best Jazz album ever made, but the music itself will do that to you. As Bill Evans …

Experience a remarkable session led by the legendary pianist and composer Tadd Dameron, recorded in 1956 and featuring the young lion John Coltrane, fresh from his tenure with Miles Davis. Mating Call is a solid and often overlooked gem showcasing six powerful and beautiful Dameron compositions. Performed by an impeccably tight quartet, the album features John Simmons on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums, complementing Dameron’s distinctive bass-heavy piano style. This foundation offers a rich …

"Quartetics" captures a unique encounter between four seasoned improvisers, who first came together in this quartet formation on May 15, 2019. Although new in this configuration, these musicians share extensive collaborative histories: Lash has longstanding collaborations with Reuben and Hanslip, while Hession, Reuben, and Hanslip had already performed and recorded as a trio. The album explores the idea of "The Quartet"—specifically, this configuration of tenor saxophone, laptop, double bass, an…

*50 copies limited edition* On a quiet Tuesday night in April, three musicians—Max Ridley, Eleanor Elektra, and Nat Mugavero—gathered at The Lilypad in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for an evening of deep improvisation. What unfolded was Playing, Praying—an intimate, continuous recording that captures the trio’s shared devotion to sound, silence, and spirit. The album was recorded live as the trio improvised from the heart, pausing only for moments of silence—now preserved as their own tracks. These…

Tip! Edition of 66 numbered copies. Straight outta Jutland comes the new album by Denmark’s Lenny Kalimba. Set your ears adrift in warm scenic sounds, and watch them dance blissfully spasmodic. Homemade flutes, carved from a sacred bamboo bush burning with playful awe, float across the sonic spheres to mind-melt with protofunkoid kalimbas. Electronic beats and acoustic drums swing each other to a higher level of groove. Recorded on tape for a warm listening pleasure, and hereby presented as a ta…

Sixty years after Horace Tapscott founded the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in Los Angeles, the flame burns bright in Berlin. Efuru is the first album by the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arktet, led by saxophonist and composer Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq - former assistant conductor, arranger and longtime member of Tapscott's legendary UGMAA collective. This is not nostalgia. This is continuation. This is the real deal. Recorded live at the Schlot Jazz Club in Berlin on May 20, 2024, Efuru brings together the larg…

2010 release ** Montréal-based trio Pink Saliva produce music that’s at once intensely deep and readily accessible. Accessible because drummer Michel F Côté lays down earthy rhythmic patterns that sound beamed to the planet through a reverb-y, distant mix. Intensely deep because trumpeter Elwood Epps (aka Gordon Allen) puts so much passion and focus into each and every sound, from kissing lip smacks to achingly beautiful single notes, suspended over the insistent thrumming of Alexandre St-Onge o…

2010 release ** A long-standing member of Montréal’s extremely fertile experimental music scene, Jean René has lent his skills to many of his contemporaries. (...) Fammi comes across as a daring, idiosyncratic album. It's the 8th publication - out of 24, one for each hour of a day - produced by &records (Michel F. Côté & Fabrizio Gilardino).

November 1978. Henry Cow disbands after a decade of music that redefined the boundaries of experimental rock. November 2022. Four founding members return to the stage. Not to look back - but to improvise the present. Fred Frith (guitar, violin, electronics), Tim Hodgkinson (keyboards, saxophone, lap steel, electronics), Chris Cutler (drums, percussion), John Greaves (bass, vocals): the original core reunited under the name Henry Now. The key is in the name - as Clive Bell noted in The Wire, this…

From the original "Theme" to a series of beautifully reimagined standards by Duke Ellington, Benny Golson, and Isham Jones, The Original Quintet (First Recording) captures a seminal moment in jazz history. Released in 1956 on Prestige and engineered by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder, this album perfectly synthesizes Miles Davis’s evolving artistic vision, marking a landmark in the bop revolution. Featuring an extraordinary ensemble including John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Philly Joe Jones on d…

*2025 Repress!! 150 copies limited edition* Rich in musical associations yet utterly singular in its voice, joyous with an inner tranquility, the music of Natural Information Society is unlike any other being made today. Their sixth album in eleven years for eremite records, descension (Out of Our Constrictions) is the first to be recorded live, featuring a set from London’s Cafe OTO with veteran English free-improv great Evan Parker, & the first to feature just one extended composition. The 75-…

26 October 2024, an album comprising a live performance by the Creative Unit of Yosaburō Toyozumi, Namchirak Signho, and Masatsugu Harada with Senko Terukina and Kosei Yamamoto at Gallery Mai within the Mōri Residence in Hofu City, alongside recordings from Masatsugu Harada's studio in Kure City. The performance at Gallery Mai could be described as ‘a once-in-a-lifetime resonance carved in Hofu by masters of improvisation.

Home Thoughts is the late, luminous farewell from Michael Garrick, written for his Lyric Ensemble and recorded in 2011. Working with poetry by Shakespeare, Browning, Blake and others, he fashions 12 song-like pieces where jazz harmony, chamber textures and spoken or sung verse fuse into an intimate, autumnal meditation on memory, love and mortality.​

Tone Poems sees Michael Garrick orchestrating textures and images in a powerful display of big-band colour. Released in 2011 and performed by the Michael Garrick Jazz Orchestra, the suite of eight pieces draws on myth, landscape, and autobiography - each composition unfolding as a miniature drama of shifting harmony and luminous ensemble interplay.​