Jazz & Improvisation / Avant-Garde Jazz

Rova Saxophone Quartet (Bruce Ackley, Steve Adams, Larry Ochs, Jon Raskin) on Black Saint, recorded at Sharkbite Studio, Oakland, in April 1996 and at Mr. Toads, San Francisco, in November 2000; released 2006. Pieces by Adams, Raskin and Fred Frith.

John Lindberg Ensemble: John Lindberg (bass), Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet), Larry Ochs (saxophones), Andrew Cyrille (drums), recorded at Mu Rec Studio, Milan, on April 12-13, 1999. Lindberg originals plus pieces by Jimmy Garrison and Charles Mingus.

Glenn Spearman Double Trio: Glenn Spearman and Larry Ochs (saxophones), Donald Robinson and William Winant (drums), Chris Brown (piano), Lisle Ellis (bass), recorded at Bay Studios, Berkeley, on November 15-16, 1994.

What We Live (Larry Ochs, Lisle Ellis, Donald Robinson) with guest trumpeters: Wadada Leo Smith, recorded at The Outpost, Albuquerque, March 21, 1998, and Dave Douglas, recorded at The Western Front, Vancouver, November 1, 1996.

Phillip Johnston's Big Trouble (Johnston, Bob DeBellis, Steve Swell, Joe Ruddick, Dave Hofstra, Kevin Norton and trumpet) in twelve pieces by Johnston, his bandmates and Steve Lacy, recorded at Tedesco Studios, New Jersey, July-August 1995.

John Lindberg (bass) with Albert Mangelsdorff (trombone), Eric Watson (piano) and Ed Thigpen (drums), recorded at Mu Rec Studio, Milan, on February 9-10, 1995. Seven pieces by all four members.

What We Live, the San Francisco trio of Larry Ochs (tenor and sopranino sax), Lisle Ellis (bass) and Donald Robinson (drums), in eight collective improvisations recorded at Sharkbite Studio, Oakland, on June 13 and July 5, 1996.

Figure 8, the Rova Saxophone Quartet (Ackley, Adams, Ochs, Raskin) plus Tim Berne, Vinny Golia, Glenn Spearman and Dave Barrett: eight saxophones playing Larry Ochs's Saalfelden commission. Recorded at Bay Studios, Berkeley, January 9-10, 1994.

Duo album by David Murray (tenor sax, bass clarinet) and Dave Burrell (piano, voice), with Monika Larsson (voice), recorded at Mu Rec Studio, Milan, on December 8, 1993. Originals plus Jelly Roll Morton's The Crave and two takes of Naima.

The only album by Flute Force 4, a quartet of flutes with no rhythm section: James Newton, Henry Threadgill, Pedro Eustache and Melecio Magdaluyo, from piccolo to bass flute. Recorded June 26, 1990, released by Black Saint in 1997.

Muhal Richard Abrams (piano, synthesizer) with Eddie Allen, Craig Harris, Aaron Stewart, Bryan Carrott, Brad Jones, Reggie Nicholson and Richarda Abrams (voice), recorded at East Side Sound, New York, in April 1994. Eight Abrams compositions.

Hugh Ragin Collective (Ragin, trumpet; Greg Carroll, vibraphone; Marc Sabatella, piano; Erik Turkman, bass; Scott Gordan, drums), recorded at Eye In The Sky Sound on August 10 and 11, 1993. Dedicated to Sun Ra.

What We Live (Lisle Ellis, Larry Ochs, Donald Robinson) with guests Glenn Spearman, Miya Masaoka, Paul Plimley, India Cooke and others, recorded live at Mobius Studio, San Francisco, on June 3, 1994.

Debut of Phillip Johnston's band Big Trouble, with Jim Leff, Bob DeBellis, Joe Ruddick, Dave Hofstra and Kevin Norton, recorded at Water Music, Hoboken, in June and July 1992. Originals and pieces by Herbie Nichols, Steve Lacy and Raymond Scott.

Muhal Richard Abrams (piano, synthesizer) and Roscoe Mitchell (soprano, alto and tenor saxophones), recorded in New York on March 15, 1990: one solo each and two duets, the last a continuous four-part suite.

Rova Saxophone Quartet (Bruce Ackley, Larry Ochs, Jon Raskin, Andrew Voigt) recorded at Barigozzi Studio, Milan, on April 13 to 15, 1987. Pieces by Voigt, Raskin and the group, plus Anthony Braxton's Composition 37.

Leroy Jenkins (violin) live at P.S. 122, New York, on March 15, 1992, with Brandon Ross (guitar), Eric Johnson (synthesizer), Hilliard Greene (bass) and Reggie Nicholson (drums). Seven Jenkins compositions. Black Saint, 1993.

The Sun Ra Arkestra, fourteen musicians including John Gilmore, Marshall Allen and Pat Patrick, recorded at Jingle Machine Studios, Milan, on December 18-19, 1986, the sessions that also gave Reflections In Blue. Black Saint, 1989.

Oliver Lake (alto, soprano and tenor saxophone, flute) with Charles Eubanks (piano), Reggie Workman (bass) and Andrew Cyrille (drums), recorded at Mu Rec Studio, Milan, on June 28-29, 1993. Black Saint, 1994.

Trio Hurricane, Glenn Spearman (tenor sax), William Parker (bass) and Paul Murphy (drums), recorded at Xandor Recording Studios, Orinda, California, on August 25, 1986. A four-part suite dedicated to Jimmy Lyons, Frank Wright and Jay Oliver.

The David Murray Octet with Baikida Carroll, Hugh Ragin, Craig Harris, John Purcell, Steve Colson, Wilber Morris and Ralph Peterson, recorded at Sorcerer Sound, New York, on October 8, 1985. Four Murray compositions. Black Saint, first issued 1987.

The String Trio of New York, Billy Bang (violin), James Emery (guitar) and John Lindberg (bass), recorded at Barigozzi Studio, Milan, on April 1-2, 1986. Six group originals, the last album with Bang. Black Saint, first issued 1987.

Hamiet Bluiett (alto clarinet) with an eight-clarinet ensemble including J.D. Parran, Kidd Jordan, Don Byron and Buddy Collette, plus Fred Hopkins (bass) and Ronnie Burrage (drums), live at the Berlin Philharmonic, November 1984. Black Saint, first issued 1987.

Live recording by the David Murray Big Band, conducted by Butch Morris, at Sweet Basil, New York, on August 24-26, 1984, with Olu Dara, Steve Coleman, Fred Hopkins and Billy Higgins. Second volume, Black Saint, first issued 1986.

John Tchicai on saxophones with Timo Fleig (drums, percussion) and Thomas Dürst and Christian Kuntner (contrabass), recorded at Chez Jeanette, Aarau, Switzerland, on 7 February 1984. Black Saint, first issued 1987.

Roscoe Mitchell Quartet with Jodie Christian (piano), Malachi Favors (bass) and Steve McCall (drums), recorded live in 1986 at the Raccoon Club and the Goetz Theater, Chicago. Three versions of The Flow Of Things and Cards For Quartet.

David Murray Big Band conducted by Butch Morris, live at Sweet Basil, New York, August 24 to 26, 1984: Murray, Steve Coleman, Craig Harris, Olu Dara, Baikida Carroll, Fred Hopkins, Billy Higgins and others. Four Murray compositions.

Leroy Jenkins' Sting live at Sweet Basil, New York, January 2, 1984: Jenkins and Terry Jenoure (violins), Brandon Ross and James Emery (guitars), Alonzo Gardner (bass), Kamal Sabir (drums). Seven Jenkins pieces.

Three compositions by John Lindberg (bass) for eleven players, conducted by Anthony Braxton, with Ray Anderson, Hugh Ragin, Marty Ehrlich, Thurman Barker and others. Recorded at Vanguard Studios, New York, September 8 and 9, 1984.

Keshavan Maslak (alto and tenor sax) and Charles Moffett (drums) in duo, recorded live at the Nickelsdorf festival, Austria, on August 16, 1981. Five pieces, mixed in New York and first issued by Black Saint in 1984.

World Saxophone Quartet (Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, David Murray, Hamiet Bluiett) recorded live at the Zürich jazz festival on November 6, 1981: six Hemphill compositions framed by Bluiett's Hattie Wall.

Rova Saxophone Quartet (Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Andrew Voigt, Bruce Ackley) playing seven Steve Lacy compositions in their own arrangements, recorded at Barigozzi Studio, Milan, November 15 to 17, 1983.

Marcello Melis (double bass, voice) with Don Pullen (piano), Famoudou Don Moye (drums, percussion) and Sandro Satta (alto sax): a four-part suite dedicated to Sardinia, recorded at Sonic Recording Studio in August 1982.

Roscoe Mitchell (soprano, alto, tenor sax) with his Sound Ensemble and Space Ensemble: Gerald Oshita, Tom Buckner, A. Spencer Barefield, Jaribu Shahid, Tani Tabbal and others, recorded at Barigozzi Studio, Milan, June 2 and 3, 1983.

Fourth album by the String Trio Of New York: Billy Bang (violin), James Emery (guitar, soprano guitar) and John Lindberg (bass), recorded at Barigozzi Studio, Milan, on November 25 and 26, 1983. Five pieces by the members.

Sam Rivers (tenor and soprano sax, flute) with Winds Of Manhattan, an eleven-piece reed and flute ensemble with Steve Coleman and Bobby Watson, recorded at Cine Music Studio, Milan, on September 13, 1982. Six Rivers compositions.

The World Bass Violin Ensemble, seven double bassists including Brian Smith, Rufus Reid, Fred Hopkins and Bob Cunningham, with Thurman Barker on percussion, recorded at Platinum Studios, Brooklyn, in December 1982 and January 1983.

John Lindberg (bass) with Hugh Ragin (trumpet), Marty Ehrlich (alto sax, flute), Billy Bang (violin) and Thurman Barker (drums), recorded live at Cami Hall, New York, on February 27, 1981. Four Lindberg compositions.

Leroy Jenkins (violin) with James Newton (flute), John Clark (French horn), J.D. Parran (clarinet) and Marty Ehrlich (bass clarinet), recorded at CI Studios, New York, on March 22 and 23, 1979. Two long Jenkins compositions.

Third album by the String Trio Of New York: Billy Bang (violin, yokobue flute, gong), James Emery (guitar, soprano guitar) and John Lindberg (bass), recorded at Barigozzi Studios, Milan, on November 12 and 13, 1981.