Jazz /
Ilog2
*2023 stock* Ignaz Schick and Oliver Steidle started collaborating as Ilog around 2013/2014 with celebrated concerts in the Berlin experimental underground. Their first album on Boomslang Records was released in 2015 and since then the two have been performing on and off concerts & tours in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and the USA.
In the meantime they also collaborated with the Norwegian bass maverick Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten and German sound artist Jan-Peter Son…
Smash And Grab
When Ballister hit the stage at the Catalytic Sound Festival in Chicago in December 2022, no one in the band was quite sure what to expect. Although they’d done a two-week tour of the US in April of that year, their first reunion following an almost three-year break due to the pandemic, you never know what might happen after several months apart. Sometimes that first gig is magic. And sometimes it swims around searching for a center. That’s just a danger of the art form.
But drummer Paal Nilssen…
Lepok
*300 copies limited edition* The very unique Basque scene of sound experimentation has had two main hubs for more than twenty years: the highly regarded and sorely missed Larraskito in Bilbao, and the iconic and resilient Matadeixe / Matadero in Azkoitia (Gipuzkoa). Mikel (Conteiner, Killerkume, Loan, Orbain Unit) from Bilbao and Joseba (Autoa, Fernalia, Paezur) from Azpeitia are two fundamental pillars in this great story, thanks to their multiple musical projects, their skills as listeners and…
Chicken Shit Bingo
Peter Brötzmann collaborated with many artists in his career, regularly adding new compatriots into the fold, and Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love became one of his staunchest allies after the percussionist joined the Chicago Tentet in 2004. They worked in various contexts, including this inexhaustible, hard-hitting duo. Most of the albums they’ve issued have captured live performances, but in 2015 they made this stunning studio recording. As Nilssen-Love says in the liner notes, “Peter had a…
Afro Blue
Saxophonist Mats Gustafsson is notorious for his prolific nature and constantly expanding circle of collaborators, but few of his partnerships have been as powerful and profound as Gush, the Swedish trio which formed way back in 1988 and celebrates its 36th anniversary in 2024. This performance was captured live at the famous Stockholm jazz venue Fasching on December 17, 1998, and the music excited all three musicians when they revisited it this year. The album is named for the Mongo Santamaria …
Yogi Jazz
*2023 repress* Tremendous early work from German saxophonist Joki Freund a player who would go onto much greater fame in the progressive years at the end of the 60s, but who already sounds plenty darn great on this early combo side from 1963! The style of the work is incredibly hip with a definite John Coltrane modal groove in place, but also a sense of globally conscious jazz that's very much in the spirit of classic Saba/MPS work, but which predates most of that by a number of years! Freund pl…
African Rock
Back in print ! Fully licensed and remastered from the original tapes. Akira Ishikawa runs through the land of Africa with both jazz and rock. "Prayer", "dawn", "hunting", "love" drawn with beautiful and exciting sounds. Akira Ishikawa's three pillars of musicality, jazz, rock and African music, are fused in the best balance, and it is a masterpiece that rushes one after another with thrilling songs. A solemn "prayer" reminiscent of the eternal earth, a clear and psychedelic scent "dawn", a quie…
Journey To Air
*Limited Edition* Terumasa Hino ventures into a new realm with a spiritual approach in this New York recording, featuring an extended track that balances improvisation and structure. Collaborating with notable musicians like Steve Grossman, Dave Liebman, and Dave Holland, Hino explores unbridled expression within the framework of a finely crafted spiritual jazz session.
Peace And Love
*Limited Edition* Experience the musical journey of Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino in this 1970 recording from his early New York trip. With a sextet, including Reggie Workman on bass, Hino explores two expansive tracks, "Gongen" and "Peace & Love," revealing a post-Coltrane spiritual exploration. Taking more musical risks than before, Hino showcases a shift towards a future-oriented jazz approach for the 70s.
A Day Of The Sun
** Black Vinyl edition ** A spiritual jazz masterpiece full of poetry by two geniuses of the Japanese musical scene. Masahiko Togashi and Isao Suzuki, pivotal figures in jazz with a unique talent and sensitivity that transcends conventional jazz forms and styles. In addition to being skilled performers they demonstrate extraordinary compositional talent that transcends their sensibilities and wisdom of more conventional jazz.
They are together a wonderful combination of techniques, but without …
Innocent Canon
** Black Vinyl edition ** Original masters licensed by King Records Japan. Includes OBI and insert. 'Innocent Canon' is one of the hopelessly obscure Japanese underground albums that few people know about. It is a kind of unreleased delirious groovadelic soundtrack played by an acid-soaked Japanese big band with powerful drumming, heavy jazz fumes and delirious organ/guitar lines and luminary narration.Inomata was a well-known jazz musician at the time, but like many of his contemporaries, he w…
Un Exceso de Luz
Ensamble Acústico was conceived in the early 1980s by Billy Pereyra and Eduardo Roland in Blancarena, a resort on the coast of the Río de la Plata, east of Colonia, Uruguay. In 1989, after only a few performances, the duo released their first and only album: a cassette of eight songs titled ‘Un Exceso De Luz’ (‘An Excess of Light’), co-released by independent labels Perro Andaluz (Uruguay) and Circe (Argentina). Despite being limited to just 500 copies the album was critically acclaimed and laud…
Jodo
*2023 stock* Takehiro Honda joins forces with Reggie Workman on bass and Motohiko Hino on drums in this outstanding trio session. The album showcases a freer side of Honda, exploring open and lyrical modes that were gaining prominence in Japan during that period. Despite the freedom, a strong rhythmic sense prevails. While one track features Honda on electric piano, the acoustic numbers stand out with a proud and righteous energy.
Straight Ahead
*Limited Edition* Immerse yourself in a delightful offering of Japanese jazz from the 70s, featuring a straight-ahead approach complemented by captivating fusion elements, courtesy of keyboardist Mikio Masuda, whose electrifying presence enhances most tracks. Tenor saxophonist Takao Uematsu leads the ensemble, with the added brilliance of trumpeter Hitoshi Okano, whose bold lines infuse the record with a touch reminiscent of Freddie Hubbard's CTI-era sensibility. While certain tracks exude a fun…
Shudan Seikatsu
*Limited Edition* Shoyuki Akedagawa is not only a pianist, but also an ocarina player, guitarist, and eventually a vocalist. Comical yet emotional. Melancholy in his humor. This is a masterpiece that explodes with Akutagawa's talent. Nakamura Masco gradually reveals his true nature, Umezu Kazutoki bursts out with his unique phrases without pause, and Miyasaka Takashi and Saito Makoto create dynamism like a big wave. All blend together to form a vortex that opens the door to the incomparable worl…
Aketa's Erotical Piano Solo & Grotesque Piano Trio
*Limited Edition* Pianist Shoji Aketagawa, the creative force behind the consistently unconventional Aketa's Disc label, presents an album with an unusual title that aligns with the label's distinctiveness. The material, while not explicitly erotic or grotesque, showcases Shoji's beautiful and robust notes on several solo tracks. The album takes a unique turn as Shoji collaborates with the trio on the final tune, offering a quality unlike any other artist we can think of. The piano, possessing t…
Tryangle
*2023 stock* From 1960 era, Hiroshi Yamazaki played with Masayuki Takayanagi, Kaoru Abe, Masabumi Kikuchi, and so on. He plays from standard Jazz to Freeform Improvisation by his original drum sounds and now he put the focus on this unit called Tryangle. Also bassist Nobuyoshi Ino played with Masayuki Takayanagi and Yamazaki from 60 era. Tryangle is the unsettled unit that drummer Yamazaki and bassist Ino invite unique guest musician. For example, Takayuki Kato (g), Masayo Koketsu (as), Sachi Ha…
Root
*2023 stock* Japanese prog. irregular time signature drum master, Tatsuya Yoshida and crazy beautiful jazz pianist, Dairo Suga met and improvised first time at the venue “7th Floor”, Tokyo on 2021. This CD is the all recorded memorable live performance then. The duo playing has a passion, a sense of speed, number of voices and mugginess ! Yoshida uses brushes ( unbelievable ! ) and singing by falsetto voice, and Suga send out a prog-rock-like phrase. They are getting closer to each other but don…
What's Going On
*2023 stock* The impossibly cool 1973 album What's Going On from Late, Great Japanese Funk & Jazz Don Takehiro Honda which swings through jazz orchestral renditions of American R&B and Funk Classics like Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On, "Otis Redding's "Sitting On The Dock of the Bay," and James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now" turning them into the most Down Home, Grits 'N' Gravy Grooviest Versions and sounding like they were recorded at the studio of the band that taught the Memphis Rhythm Sections…
Flying To The Sky
*2023 stock* Collaboration between Japanese pianist Takehiro Honda and German saxophonist Gerd Dudek. Recorded March 1, 1971