Reissues
The Impossible Dream
Delve into the groovy sounds of a Japanese harp jazz trio led by Tadao Hayashi. Similar to Dorothy Ashby's small combo records, the trio, with Takao Kusagaya on bass and Koichi Suzaki on drums, maintains a lean approach. Hayashi's harp work, given ample space, weaves mesmerizing note combinations with a gentle groove, especially enhanced by skillful bass. Familiar tunes take on a fresh perspective, resonating strongly in this recording.
Inner Space
*2023 stock* "Japanese pianist Yosuke Yamashita built his name as one of the country's avant-garde jazz leader with his bass-less trio founded still in 1969 (with drummer Takeo Moriyama and tenorist Seiichi Nakamura, in 1973 Nakamura has been changed by alto sax player Akira Sakata). Early-mid 70s were all years of trio's fame documented by representative collection of studio and live albums, all containing high energy fast and tight strongly improvisation music.Year 1977 was a transitional for …
Farewell My Johnny
*2023 stock* The first album by the Teru Sakamoto Trio, whose beautifully lyrical piano music has enjoyed exceptionally long sales. This is a new standard work of Japanese jazz that is highly acclaimed even overseas.
Sabu - Message To Chicago
*2023 stock* A wonderful recording by Japanese first generation free improvisers Sabu Toyozumi, Syoji Ukaji and Ryoh Hara.
Evolution
*2024 stock* "This release Shintaro Quintet’s private press release ‘Evolution’. It’s another well-chosen release that comes with superb packaging, high sound quality and some interesting sleeve notes which give a fascinating in-depth insight into the music and the musicians in Japan within the specified time period.
Recorded in New York, the one-off recording by bassist Shintaro Nakamura and his quintet features the brilliant trumpeter Shunzo Ohno, who has played on many of the quintessential J…
East Plants
*2023 stock* "A genuine ‘under the radar’ album known only to a handful of Japanese jazz collectors, ‘East Plants’ is now available once more, reissued as CD and digital formats. Originally released in 1983 on the Japanese VAP label, ‘East Plants’ is an essential album in the J Jazz canon. It’s an album that distils several key characteristics of Moriyama’s music: clearly articulated and inventive rhythms, open yet orderly arrangements, and an accessible groove balanced with a graceful control. …
All Variations Are Valid, Including this One
*2023 stock* Esther Ferrer, in fifty years of dedication to art, has assembled a multidisciplinary and profoundly critical body of work in the tradition of process art, redrawing the boundaries of language and time, placing the body in the center, and then turning it into both subject and object. This catalog reproduces a good number of the scores of Esther Ferrer, as well as a CD with sound works. Special care has also been taken in the covers of the book, of which more than 40 different versio…
Second Nature
We're excited to announce the reissue of the revolutionary album "Second Nature". This iconic album was the result of a collaboration between the outstanding musicians Bill Laswell, Atom Heart, and Tetsu Inoue. First released in 1995 on the legendary label FAX +49-69/450464, it immediately gained recognition and admiration. "Second Nature" impresses with its diversity. It brilliantly combines ambient melodies, deep basslines, experimental dub, and complex rhythms, creating a captivating and mult…
Distant Proximity: Soundtracks for the Films of Matthias Müller
* Handmade in an edition of 250 copies only; 180gr vinyl in custom-made screen-printed outer (sealed), containing Xerox-printed booklet with the words from the films of Matthias Mulle and a newly commissioned essay by S. Grisseman* The original soundtracks by Dirk Schaefer for the films of Matthias Muller: The Memo Book (1989), Home Stories (1990), Sleepy Haven (1993), Pensão Globo (1999), Vacancy (1999). Newly re-transferred from the original tapes by Schaefer himself, and remastered, these are…
Ary Lobo 1958-1966 (Limited Dance Edition No.19)
"Hailing from Belém do Para in the north of the country, Ary Lobo was ready to launch his campaign on the south of the country and set out for Rio de Janeiro in October of 1955. There he encountered the usual southern biases against singers from the North and it was only after meeting Gadé, a respected pianist, that he was able to secure an audition at Rádio Mauá. But the opportunity nearly turned into a disaster as he arrived to that session in such a frail state that he couldn't perform. Insuf…
Hey Let Loose Your Love
Pieced together with musty samples from children’s exercise records, vintage drama, clunky British jazz and library records, this is an archaeology of emotion, an exploration of the power of not only childhood memories, but of the collective unconscious. Julian House’s own The Focus Group; oddly assembled sampledelic collages, stitched together from fragments of library cues and forgotten soundtracks. A beautiful, unhinged stream of consciousness that seems to prod at buried memories."Julian Hou…
Räkenskapens Dag
A small chunk of early 80's Swedish DIY underground history from the legendary but rarely heard Fysisk Fostran. Based in the small town of Stenungsund north of Gothenburg and roughly active between 1980 and 1984, the group released a few cassettes as well as a fabled 7" that due to mysterious complications only exist as a testpressing in 4 copies. Fysisk Fostran were inspired by the early UK industrial sound as well as post-punk and synth music, this combined with the young age of the bandmember…
Sounds Of North American Frogs
Super tip! "It is probable that the first voice in existence was that of a frog," remarks renowned herpetologist Charles M. Bogert in the liner notes for Sounds of North American Frogs. These critters have been singing, croaking, barking, and chirping for millions of years, and Bogert captures 57 species in his 1958 compendium of frog calls. Sounds of North American Frogs has become one of the most coveted Folkways LPs, and we're proud to present a remastered version, out now on vinyl for the fi…
Rebirth of "TBM" - The Japanese Deep Jazz (Compiled by Tatsuo Sunaga)
Tip! Three Blind Mice revitalized the Japanese jazz scene during the 1970s and 1980s. Its initial mission was to proactively produce albums of new musicians. Another goal was to expand its fan base, which was done by releasing albums of famous musicians. Through these efforts, TBM has greatly contributed to enriching the Japanese jazz scene. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto and Isao Suzuki were two of the leading figures who gained prominence by their works on TBM. Yamamoto quickly became a star in the Japanes…
Rock Bottom
2023 Repress. Robert Wyatt: gifted songwriter; political activist; drummer in the Canterbury jazz/prog pioneers Soft Machine and contemporaries of the original lineup of Pink Floyd; collaborator with the likes of Brian Eno, David Gilmour, Phil Manzanera, Fred Frith, Paul Weller, Scritti Politti, Elvis Costello and his beloved wife Alfreda Benge, to name but a few.
Perhaps his greatest gift though is his voice, a reedy instrument of great warmth and emotion; one need only hear his interpretation …
Live From Studio S2 Warsaw
*2023 repress* The now iconic ‘Live from Studio S2’ memorizing performance gets a sought after limited vinyl edition and now features all four tracks from the session including the previously unreleased ‘Hawaii Oslo’ and ‘Glass’ which will also be available to stream and download. First premiered on the Gondwana Records YouTube channel on Sunday March 28th 2021 at 8:00 PM / 9:00PM CET, it has since become a global success reaching 3 million views and counting and has earned Rani many more devote…
Köln – February 23, 1975
The meeting between Terry Riley the father of American Minimalism and free jazz pioneer Don Cherry. Two contemporary luminaries who always shared an ear for non Western music and philosophies. Joined here by Stein Claeson on violin and el. bass, and Bengt Berger on percussion, these two giants give us an example of deep organic music based on the full integration of various materials. A beautiful example of true extended sonic democracy.
Coastline
*Contains printed inner sleeve with archival photos and extensive liner notes by two Italian soprano saxophone specialists Roberto Ottaviano and Eugenio Colombo, and pianist Martin Joseph himself* Recorded Live in Italy in October 1985 and mastered directly from the old dusty cassette, here's a previously unheard Steve Lacy recording from a rare duo appearance with pianist Martin Joseph, a little known yet fascinating British musician who had worked with Harry Beckett, John Surman, Ian Carr, Tub…
Live In Paris, 1970
This is the one and only Rahsaan Roland Kirk caught Live in Paris in 1970 with one of his best lineups ever. A distinctive quintet featuring Ron Burton on piano, bassist Vernon Martin, drummer great Jerome Cooper, mostly known as member of the mythical Revolutionary Ensemble, and the colourful percussion work of Joe Habao Texidor. Rahsan displays a fine set list including original compositions like the anthemic "Voluntary Slavery" and a wide selection of standards, from Cole Porter to Stevie Won…
Bahia
Another one of the albums that Prestige would issue several years after it was recorded, Bahia is drawn from a couple of sessions that the iconic tenor saxophonist recorded for the label in the late 1950s, during a time in which he was exploring different genres with various players, including pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, plus drummers Jimmy Cobb and Art Taylor. The album has plenty of Trane hallmarks in the saxophone lead, and there is noteworthy contribution from trumpeter Wilbu…