Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

In 1975, the lead album "Fragment" by the acclaimed UK jazz pianist John Taylor, which was previously only released on cassette tape and hailed as a gem of UK jazz.

Souffle Continu records is thrilled to present Byard Lancaster – Us, one of his 4 legendary albums released on Jef Gilson’s Palm Records in the 1970s. At the beginning of the 1960s, at the Berklee College of Music, Byard Lancaster met some feisty friends: Sonny Sharrock, Dave Burrell and Ted Daniel. It is easy to see why he rapidly became involved in free jazz. Once he was settled in New York, he appeared on Sunny Murray Quintet, recorded under the leadership of the drum crazy colleague of Alber…

Tip! *Japan import with Obi Strip* From the opening tune “The Vamp” to the final “Head Rock”, this album is a dazzling jazz rock showcase with dreadnought songs that are filled with ideas and passion. This is a masterpiece that has an overwhelming presence in the history of jazz in Japan, as an heresy left on the prestigious jazz label Takt.

Tip! *Japan import with Obi Strip* This is the first and long-awaited vinyl reissue of this Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media jazz rock masterpiece! With vocals by Sammy and Yasushi Sawada. Backed by Masahiko Sato, Kimio Mizutani, Hiro Yanagida. Essential!

Tip! *Japan import with Obi Strip* Hiromasa Suzuki is a legendary composer and arranger, and a key player who has been active in the Japanese music world, including jazz as well as movies, television and commercials. In the late ‘60s and mid-’70s, he was deeply involved in the works of Terumasa Hino, Akira Ishikawa and Jiro Inagaki in their most radical times. The album “High-Flying,” recorded in 1976, showed his innovativeness, which was always one step ahead of the times. This is an essential …

Tip! *Japan import with Obi Strip* In 1967, drummer Takeo Moriyama joined pianist Yosuke Yamashita’s group, later forming a legendary trio together with saxophonist Seiichi Nakamura in 1969. This group consisting of Moriyama, Yamashita, and Nakamura became known worldwide as one of Japan's leading free jazz combos. Moriyama left the group in 1975 and later returned to the scene in 1977 with the Flush Up live album, where he evolved and deepened his musicality in a more melodic and rhythmic direc…

"In the spirit of expansive expression; deep connection to the Sea as it furthers the Sound. The rumination of consideration put forth thru a profound triumvirate of Beings, Fathers, Sons, Family Members, Loved Ones. The Most Powerful Movements of Love are Subtle. They are sublime. They are felt before and after any note  is played by the three of us. We are supportive of each other as people, in the true spirit of a Trio. Equilateral in the degrees of consideration towards each portion of our h…

Last Copies around. Bomb! ** 700 copies only. Definitive 7 vinyl records deluxe package featuring all four original albums restored and remastered, each with 4 page-portfolio and exclusive obi strip + 20-page booklet ** Souffle Continu records is thrilled to present Byard Lancaster – The Complete Palm Recordings 1973-1974, the definitive deluxe package of Philadelphia born jazz wizard Byard Lancaster including his 4 legendary albums released on Jef Gilson’s Palm Records in the 1970s, Us, Mother …

This bundle includes Joe McPhee's "Tenor", "The Willisau Concert", "Black Magic Man" LPs, released by Superior Viaduct. Recorded in the same sessions as 1971's classic Nation Time, Black Magic Man is smoldering, late-Coltrane-inspired modal free jazz. While The Willisau Concert features longtime collaborator, synth player John Snyder and South African drummer Makaya Ntshoko, McPhee unleashes his first solo LP, simply named Tenor. Together the albums represent the sound of McPhee opening up, open…

“Between 1974-77 Elaine Brown led the Black Panther Party, the 1st and only woman to do so. Seize The Time is a curiously elegiac and somber affair. Five of the tracks also features arrangements written by pianist/composer Horace Tapscott and performed by the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra” A milestone of the Black music movement, originally released on Vault in 1969. The debut album of Elaine Brown was arranged by piano player and composer Horace Tapscott, conducting the Californian Pan-Afrikan P…

Frank Heer about idea of triple LP At Low Noon set up by founder of Chuchchepati Orchestra, double bass player and improviser Patrick Kessler: ‘Patric Kessler is not afraid to stare death into the eyes. Twelve times in June 2020, he challenged people to a duel, although dueling has been outlawed in Switzerland since 1937.But no fear! Patrick Kessler, challenged his opponents, who arrived by train and were armed with an instrument, solely musically.When the train arrived at 12:12 noon each day, P…

Jonathan Bäckström Quartet is an acoustic improvising quartet based in Helsinki with members from Finland and Sweden. Bassist/composer Jonathan Bäckström leads the quartet and they are set on a mission to navigate and discover the music that is being created in the moment. The quartet's expression consists of minimalistic landscapes and explosive, multi-layered free improvisation and is the result of each musician bringing their individual voices to create a strong, collective statement. The gro…

"I mean this album seriously. Because of my own background, I've always wanted to write an entire album of spiritual-like pieces. The most accurate way I can describe what we were all trying to do is that this is a modern hymnal. In an earlier period, the New Orleans jazzmen would often play religious music for exactly what it was - but with their own jazz textures and techniques added. Now, as modern jazzmen, we're also approaching this tradition with respect and great pleasure." - Donald Byrd

This Celestial Engine, an exciting new project that fuses the talents of three remarkable musicians from diverse musical backgrounds, announce the release of their debut album in January 2024. Featuring the extraordinary lineup of drummer Ted Parsons (Swans, Prong, Godflesh, Killing Joke, Jesu), bassist Dave Sturt (Gong, Steve Hillage Band, Bill Nelson), and keyboardist Roy Powell (InterStatic, Anthony Braxton, Mumpbeak with Bill Laswell), the album delivers a unique blend of experimental ambien…

The Jazz Times has described Barrett’s style as “diced bits of Derek Bailey skronk” infused with “Delta blues twang,” and the Free Music Collective has lauded his playing as “singularly rhythmically genius.” In 2019, his first album, Cowboy Transfiguration—featuring Joe Morris on guitar and MacArthur Fellow Tyshawn Sorey on percussion—garnered critical acclaim for its distinctive sonic landscapes and virtuosity. Last few years Brad performed with jazz luminaries such as Jason Moran, Sheila Jorda…

"All lovers of free improvised music know them well saxophonist Paul Dunmall one of the fathers of the British free impro scene, Tobias Delius one of the Old Continent's most respected saxophonists and clarinetists and the marvelous rhythm section of Olie Brice double bass and Mark Sanders. Such four seasoned artists together in a recording studio guarantee great things will happen." - Fundacja Słuchaj

"Legendary saxophonist and improviser Harri Sjostrom knows how to build bands. This has certainly been the case since the Lifting The Bandstand album, but back then the great Cecil Taylor was the leader. This is certainly one of the many lessons Harri Sjostrom has learned from the brilliant pianist and leader. He has since given evidence of this an endless number of times. The latest band he has established is a quartet with Elisabeth Harnik, arguably one of the most important pianists in improv…

"The time in Porto when Barry Guy and The Blue Shroud Band recorded an album all this here would also be a time when a group of outstanding artists and warm friends also had the opportunity to spend time making music together outside the big band formula. It's not easy to bring together some of Europe's most original artists, and it's not easy to assemble such a stellar quintet with Savina Yannatou, Julius Gabriel, Agusti Fernendez, Barry Guy and Ramon Lopez. It's a great thing to be able to doc…

"The legend of the world of improvisation and the field of double bass virtuosity, Joelle Leandre, needs no introduction. She is one of the most expressive and original artists in the world! The singer and composer Elisabeth Harnik is probably already remembered by music lovers enough to follow her musical journey with bated breath, and Zlatko Kaucic, well, if you are in love with percussion painting, sensitivity, and expression combined with communication skills, this is one of the best address…

Organic, electric, freeform. Pete Jolly's Seasons is comprised of melodies and textures composed live and without pretense—its grooves contain a complete and divine listening experience that surpasses all others of the era in which it was originally released, coming as close to transcendent musical meditation incarnate as one could possibly imagine. Seasons is an unsung masterpiece of ensemble groove and stellar musicianship, equally unsurpassed and inspired in its quiet excellence.

Low Leaf is the long-running and multivalent project of Los Angeleno and multi-instrumentalist Angelica-Marie. Riding the wake of 2023’s Microdose—melding/channeling free jazz, astrology, hip-hop, eco-spirituality, and geo-political anger—Red Moon is a tight, three-song release, a snapshot of Low Leaf during an especially dynamic period. Having received training in classical piano as a child, Low Leaf is equally adept as a self-taught guitarist, harpist, and producer. Indeed, these four elements…

New vinyl edtition as part of the "Luminessence" Series, presented as a tip-on gatefold including new photos from the archive. “I personally feel this is a great record and recommend it to everyone. It’s positive and hot and simply excellent.” – Gary Burton   Pat Metheny had debuted at ECM as a member of Gary Burton’s band on the album Ring in 1974, but Bright Size Life, his first studio recording as a leader, was the album that decisively put him on the map as a bright new force, with something…

*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* Second album by The Trio, formed by J. Thurman, B. Phillips and S. Martin. The Trio's second album was recorded with a 15-strong line-up, including Alan Skidmore and John Taylor, who were at the forefront of British jazz at the time, as well as Chick Corea. The sharply incisive electric piano, John Marshall's rock-inspired rhythms and the way the group improvised together…

*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* The ‘70, two-CD debut of The Trio, formed by John Thurman, who was taking European jazz by storm with his baritone saxophone playing with incredible speed and power, with Barre Phillips (b) and Stu Martin (ds). ' A great classic album that symbolises the British scene, which was undergoing a remarkable evolution in the early 70s as it united with rock, with a musicality t…

For the second volume of Reflections, Black Decelerant, the duo of Khari Lucas, aka Contour, and Omari Jazz, explore improvisational jazz traditions through contemporary tone and texture, fostering sonic meditations on themes of Black being and nonbeing, life and mourning, expansion and limitation, and the individual and collective. The Black Decelerant collaboration, and intention, creates space for listeners to be still, while providing a basis for a movement beyond “the moment.”

This box includes a CD commemorating the event 20 years of Jazz in the Park and postcards of the respective posters of the 20 editions held. Mário João Laginha dos Santos is a Portuguese jazz pianist and composer. For Mário Laginha, making music is above all an act of sharing. And he has done it with strong musical personalities: Maria João, Bernardo Sassetti and Pedro Burmester. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a predominantly jazz-like nature, being one of the founders of the Sexteto…

The improvisational and untraditional piano trio of Michel Wintsch (piano, synthesizers), Christian Weber (bass), and Christian Wolfart (drums) in a fantastic, live performance from Willisau.

*2024 stock* Daniele Cavallanti (sax) and Tiziano Tononi (drums), famous names in Italian jazz, in an unprecedented electro-acoustic quartet with two of the best names on the new scene, Michelangelo Flammia (electric bass) and Walter Donatiello (electric guitar). Music that combines Coltrane's jazz with the rock of Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford's King Crimson.

Stormy Waiter is the brand new album by Giancarlo Schiaffini (trombone, electronics) and Claudio Chianura (samples, electronics), an indefinable, intense, amusing work, eleven tracks of improvisation, electronics, jazz, ambient... To be listened to in one breath

Premiere LP by Portland's finest practitioners of Great Black Music. A spiritual record for the ages. Roman Norfleet And Be Present Art Group play deeply felt sometimes earthy and sometimes cosmic music. A trio (sax, drums and organ) are augmented by additional percussion, soaring vocals and even a vocal appearance by a toddler. This record will take you where you need to go. Don't miss history in the making. Across six expansive tracks, Roman Norfleet and Be Present Art Group build from free-fl…

Chicago's Black Diamond debuts on We Jazz Records with their new album Furniture Of the Mind Rearranging on 5th July. Co-led by Artie Black and Hunter Diamond (composers, saxophones, and other woodwinds), Black Diamond appears in both quartet and duo formations. The first three album sides present the quartet, complete with long standing band members Matt Ulery (double bass) and Neil Hemphill (drums), under the heading Furniture Of the Mind. The remaining two tracks on side D fall under the titl…

** Black Vinyl, inside out sleeve, 12"x12" insert with artwork, liner notes & lyrics, black polylined inner sleeve. ** Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones join We Jazz Records for their third LP New Monuments. Amirtha Kidambi has long affirmed that the role of sound in the act of protest is pivotal. In the summer of 2020, the Brooklyn-based vocalist and composer was immersed in mass demonstrations across New York City in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, organizing bands to counter the violent pr…

Curacao + Red Marbled LP. The Swedish quartet Goran Kajfeš Tropiques share their new music We Jazz Records on May 3rd. Tell Us, an album consisting of three long pieces composed by the group, is "slow music" to the bone, a deep body of work utilising the language of jazz as its core mode of communication but echoing way beyond. The quartet is expanded with strings, adding wings to the music and helping it lift off the ground in a personal, highly engaging manner. The Tropiques quartet consists o…

2024 edition - 180 Gram, Tip On Sleeve. One of the rarer records of the mythical Strata East. The 1974 recording of Earth Blossom, the John Betsch Society's one and only album, seems something of an enigma nowadays. For even though Nashville is clearly one of the towns in the US with the highest number of recording studios, who would have thought that the capital of country music would give birth to one of the forgotten masterpieces of 1970s spiritual jazz. The path leading to the album starts i…

Combining the beauty of art, poetry and music this beautiful package (available as compact disc or LP) makes for a fitting send off for the great bassist Sirone who passed away not long after this recording was completed. Along with Sirone’s deep and resonant bass, the musicians in this collective performance include Oluyemi Thomas on bass clarinet, flute, soprano, musette and percussion (he also composed the music) and Michael Wimberly on drums and percussion. Like the meditative poem that is i…

One Line, Two Views features seven compositions for nine-piece ensemble by Muhal Richard Abrams. Works range from the subtle textural and tonal explorations of “"Textures,”" “"Hydepth,"” and the title track to the hard bop revisitations of “"11 over 4"” and “"The Prism 3."” The disc is rounded out by an ebullient, joyous, and celebratory “"Tribute to Julius Hemphill and Don Pullen"” and the blues-tinged "“Ensemble Song." Abrams opts for unique instrumentation including violin, harp, and accordio…

*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* The classic restored. No extra tracks, just this legendary release as it was originally conceived. Kew Rhone was made soon after Peter and John left Henry Cow, at Carla Bley and Mike Mantler’s Grog Kill studio in New York (they both appear on the CD). Fellow conspirators included singer Lisa Herman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It’s one of those records which sums up a mome…

CD edition, remastered with Bonus Tracks, liner notes by Irwin Chusid, and an expanded essay by David Toop. Packed in tip-on Stoughton gatefold jacket, and includes a printed insert card of the original cover art. Fans of Sun Ra's Space Bop and genre-bending jazz were in for a shock with Strange Strings. Even in the eclectic and sometimes baffling Sun Ra catalog, Strange Strings, first issued in 1967, is an outlier. Is it music, or just noise? Or noise as music? John Cage could not be reached fo…

2024 stock. The Coliseum and the New Jazz Orchestra led by Neil Ardlay originally had John Heisman and Dick Hextall Smith in the NJO, and the NJO participated in the ‘Valentine Suite’, but this album was released the year after the ‘Valentine Suite’, in ‘ This is a rare live album from when they toured as a combined band in 1970, the year after ‘Valentine Suite’. The album features songs from the Coliseum and NJO albums, as well as songs by Jack Bruce and John Coltrane, and is a rare live record…

Third solo album released in 1976 by Neil Ardley, a British jazz pianist and arranger who led the ‘New Jazz Orchestra’, featuring top British jazz musicians such as Ian Kerr and Brian Smith of Necleus, as well as Third Ear Band's Paul Buckmaster of Third Ear Band, Dave Krahe of Matching Mole and others also participated. As the album title suggests, the dazzling sonic universe is a brilliant crossover of diverse musical genres. Paper jacket, SHM-CD, latest remastering, definitive release!