★Astral Spirits
III
Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble III is an album full of shimmering harmonic atmospheres. It’s emblematic of the Chicago-based ensemble, whose music explores the textures and resonances of their string instruments, namely six and 12-string guitar (Elijah McLaughlin), upright bass (Jason Toth), and hammered dulcimer (Joel Styzens). Throughout Elijah McLaughlin III, they expand their usual palette by including analog synths, field recordings, and melodies from guest musicians cellist Katinka Kleijn and …
Lockdown
Leaney's lyrical and multi-textured tenor and alto saxophone playing is featured throughout, as is his playing on the Zimbabwean mbira and west African flulani flute. The record comprises equally of planned and deeply rehearsed compositions by both Leaney and Thouin, each with their own flavour brewed together to form a uniquely organic music. This is the first documented studio recording of 83 year old Thouin's lifelong exploration in sound and rhythm featuring his folkloric, DIY hybrid setup b…
Meadow Of Dreams
*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…
The Reel
"The multifaceted drummer Chad Taylor, who proves to be as much virtuosic as practical in his chops, returns with his bass-less trio - featuring saxophonist Brian Settles and pianist Neil Podgursky - for a sophomore album whose program is a jewel. As a sideman, the drummer has been contributing to some of the most compelling projects by the Chicago Underground Quartet, saxophonists Avram Fefer and James Brandon Lewis, and bassist Eric Revis, just to name a few. He brings two of his own compositi…
Sans Soleil II
*First pressing of 300 copies* Chris Williams (trumpet, cornet, objects, mutes), Patrick Shiroishi (alto, soprano and tenor saxophones, snare drum).Engineered by Jared Rodriguez, mixed and Mastered by Weston Olencki, remastered and edited by Mikey Young.Layout & Cover art by D. Norsen.Produced for release by Nate Cross & Gabriel Jermaine Vanlandingham-Dunn.
Music Improvised on September 23rd, 2021
*First pressing of 200 copies* Andreas Røysum (clarinet, bass clarinet), Christian Meaas Svendsen (double bass), Kresten Osgood (drums).Art & design by Dylan Marcus McConnell
1996-1997
Mishagas: John Colpitts (drums), Scott Daniel (alto sax), Chris Lee (guitar).As the original CD says, “all music born in Brooklyn”.Remastered by Josh Bonati in 2021-2022Art and design by Dan SchechterOriginal CD was self-released on POE (Proof of Existence) Records in 1998.
First Fire • At Dawn (Tape)
100 copies on Yellow cassette shell. John kolodij - guitar, banjo, etc, anna rg - fiddle, sarah hennies - percussion
Mastered by Stephan MathieuArtwork by Myste FrenchLayout by Tiny Little Hammers
The Little Bird (Tape)
First pressing of 200 on gold foil cassette shells. Tracks A1-B5 recorded July 5th & 6th, 2003 at The Black Eye by Jeff Ottenbacher, and mixed at Funsize Studio by Jeff Ottenbacher. Track B6 is a live improvisation by Vernacular & Black Ox Orkestar at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in the Fall of 2004. J-card text: Thanks to Ed Sotelo, Jason Schafer, Cynthia Piper, Clinton Holley, and Jeff Ottenbacher. Extra special thanks to Amiri Baraka (rest in power), the members of Black Ox Orkes…
Fresh Demons (Tape)
A low-key affiliate of the Chicago jazz scene, guitarist/composer Tim Stine goes out on a limb with his new trio album Fresh Demons. Using the secure foundation established by bassist Anton Hatwich and drummer Frank Rosaly to his own advantage, Stine performs eight originals with the same open-mindedness and unorthodox acoustic approaches that have been allowing him to escape jazz conventionalities. His previous outings include the homonymous trio album, out in 2016 on Astral Spirits, and Knots,…
Multiring
** First pressing consisted of 150 copies with black text on the labels.** Christian Rønn - würlitzer piano & effects Aram Shelton - alto saxophone
Jazzpreis
Tip! *In process of stocking. Limited edition of 500 copies.* Dry-sober: The whole thing is not new. Neither the line-up nor the methodology according to which the music on this record is organized. The two have known each other for 40 years, then as now they just met and started playing, without prior arrangements, earlier out of ignorance, today out of the opposite: the results are amazingly similar. Only: the recordings from the last 40 years, made privately with the tape recorder or later by…
Under & Cracked
Limited edition of 200 copies.* Aonghus McEvoy is an Irish, Dublin-based experimental guitarist, who has played with musicians such as Annette Krebs, Ricardo Jacinto, Adam Pultz Melbye and Damo Suzuki. Aonghus’ long-term projects include a duo with chaotic synthesist Tristan Clutterbuck and he is a member of pioneering exploitation folk-rock group Woven Skull and the brutalist punk quintet Worst. Likewise, he counts among his many inspirations Eva-Maria Houben, J.S. Bach, Cornelius Cardew, Rhodr…
Blood In My Eye (A Soul Insurgent Guide)
*Limited edition of 500 copies.* It was during the long stretch of isolation that I received a message from Bashi Rose. A big brother figure to many of us in Baltimore during the 1990s - 2000s, he’s been a fixture on the scene as a poet, writer, theatre person, director, and most recently drummer. His message came shortly after the release of the Ocean Bridges lp by Archie Shepp, Damu, and Raw Poetic (on which Bashi and Jamal Moore both played integral parts). I was blown away by the music and p…
Graceful Collision
*Limited edition of 600 copies.* The Bi Ba Doom trio, featuring saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos, bassist Luke Stewart and drummer Jason Nazary, will release their debut album Graceful Collision in the coming months. The trio Bi Ba Doom, in their recording debut with the album Graceful Collision, delivers five collective compositions (Skeletal Representation, Invisible Maze, Caught The Flicker, Graceful Collision and Limitless Fascination) in which free improvisation, ambient jazz, electronic music a…
In Search of Our Father's Gardens
*Limited edition of 500 copies.* Absolutely thrilled to present the debut release from the duo of RA Washington (from Mourning [A] BLKstar, Vernacular - our recent amazing Astral Spirits reissue of their only recorded album) and Jah Nada (from Bloody Show, Obnox, JZNZ and more).
In Search For Our Father's Gardens is a sprawling double LP that features a large 14 piece ensemble cast, including members of Mourning [A] BLKstar, Oneida, and more. The album runs the gamut of sounds from the reverent …
Models of Duration
*Limited edition of 400 copies.* The latest from the uncompromising John McCowen is a split release between Dinzu Artefacts and Astral Spirits. Models of Duration follows the same trajectory as McCowen's other amazing solo releases - Solo Contra (International Anthem, 2017), 4 Chairs in 3 Dimensons (Astral Spirits, 2018), Mundanas I - V (Editions Wandelweiser, 2018) but is also a whole world beyond those. McCowen continues to focus on extended possibilities of the clarinet family as well as acou…
Boiling Point
*In process of stocking. Limited edition of 300 copies.* "Boiling Point" is the sophomore release from Gordon Grdina's Nomad Trio featuring Matt Mitchell (piano) and Jim Black (drums) and also follows up on 2021's Astral Spirits Grdina / Black duo release "Martian Kitties." The self-titled 2020 debut of Grdina’s Nomad Trio (Skirl Records) was hailed by PopMatters for setting up “loose structures for wild improvising [while also including] a healthy menu of hot unison licks and fleet melodies.” S…
In The Swarm
*In process of stocking.* Few bands in improvised music seem to generate more palpable sonic friction than Brandon Seabrook’s trio with Cooper-Moore and Gerald Cleaver. The group produces a seriously tactile, almost psychedelic sound: the gut-punch of drums, the rumbling twang of diddley-bow, and the slashing, brittle crunch of electric guitar. On Exulations, the trio’s 2020 debut album on Astral Spirits, these sounds coalesced into gritty, propulsive improvisations possessed of an almost three-…
The End and The Beginning
*In process of stocking. Limited edition of 500 copies.* The debut LP from RedGreenBlue posits a mesmeric, minimalist extension of Chicago's groove-based improvised music tradition. Over the course of two introverted, side-long pieces, the band patiently crafts hypnotic—yet still dynamic—sonic spaces using languid pulsations, careful shifts in colour, and occasional bursts of virtuosic urgency. It's music that hovers between worlds, unfurling a foundation of almost-ambient weightlessness that's …