Jazz & Improvisation / Contemporary

Third album by the Jérémie Ternoy Trio, Survol à basse altitude (“Low-Altitude Flight”) extends the story of a group that, for over twenty years, has moved beyond the well-trodden paths. Away from noise, effects, and speed, the trio continues its quest for clarity, balance, and meaning. Around Jérémie Ternoy (piano, compositions), Nicolas Mahieux (double bass), and Charles Duytschaever (drums), an open space for dialogue takes shape — one where listening drives everything, where each sound finds…

** 2021 Stock ** ** 2021 Stock ** This is an official reissue of a rare and unknown Danish EP issued on CSA records in 1967. CSA's focus was mainly on traditional jazz, and this gem is a one-of-a-kind from the Danish jazz scene at that time.This is a vinyl only reissue. No downloads.

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "This quartet date pairing alto saxophonist Rob Brown with guitar madman Joe Morris dates from 1993 with William Parker, the ubiquitous New York bassist in the avant-garde, and the lesser-known, but very able drummer Jackson Krall. Recorded by Tommy Tedesco (not the guitarist), this set has all the elements that many of Morris' other dates are missing: cohesiveness. Here he is merely part of the band. Sure, he solos, but no more or less …

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "Webster's defines the word canto as "one of the major divisions in a long poem." These four cantos of the Austrian composer and flügelhorn maestro Franz Koglmann are indeed major divisions in a long poem, but that poem happens to be musical. Rather than look at Cantos I-IV as a symphony with four movements, it is better to view them as breaks in the various traditions that Koglmann has been inspired by and participates in: jazz in all i…

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage.

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage.

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** The primary inspirations on the album include the blues, African drumming and the music of Lennie Tristano. The pieces were commissioned by the New York arts organisation Roulette as part of their tenth birthday celebrations. Marilyn Crispell, bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Gerry Hemingway played together many times in the Anthony Braxton quartet, but this was their debut performance as a trio. The title of the composition "What of it …

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "One of the better albums in Rova's confusingly expansive discography, From the Bureau of Both features some of the quartet's most immediately rewarding moments, as well as a few on the opposite end of the spectrum. Rova can be surprisingly accessible when the group's free explorations are tethered to strong frameworks, and that's the case with much of this album. "Swang" became something of a signature piece for the group, featuring a j…

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "Many listeners may think of ROVA (comprised of Bruce Ackley on soprano and tenor, Jon Raskin on baritone and alto, Steve Adams on alto and sopranino and Larry Ochs on tenor and sopranino), the most advanced of the saxophone quartets, as playing free jazz, but much of their music on this CD is actually written out, tonal and occasionally rhythmic. The term "avant-garde" does fit as long as one keeps in mind that these very lengthy explor…

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "ROVA saxophone quartet provide a tiered, three-dimensional look at the interaction of soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone. The arrangement of these instruments in the stereo mix -- left to right on all tracks in the sequence soprano, baritone, alto, and then tenor -- offers great contrast in the three-dimensional sound. Even the bright little spark of piccolo or sopranino saxophone involves in these works of sonic texture. Whil…

jaimie branch’s FLY or DIE II: bird dogs of paradise, originally released in the fall of 2019, was hugely anticipated in its time.

HobbyHouse is the self-titled debut album by the Berlin-based duo featuring Mia Dyberg (DK) on saxophone and Axel Filip (ARG) on drums. Rooted in avant-garde improvised jazz, HobbyHouse explores diverse musical structures and sonic playgrounds, crafting spontaneous compositions with a strong focus on timbral nuance and authenticity. The duo weaves these elements into vivid, evolving sound narratives that reflect their commitment to exploratory expression and creative immediacy.

"In times like ours, such an absence of the ordinary, of the real, may not exactly be a political statement. But as a social concept, this kind of music might be a beginning—a step toward a different, perhaps better, perception of the world around us. And that’s precisely what “The Art of Sound(s)“ is: Because as soon as the molecules start dancing in this chamber of reflections, art is becoming a true and selfless act of existentialism." - Rudolf Amstutz

In times of infobesity and doomscrolling, maintaining a sense of wonder can be hard - especially for those who depend on it for their work. For all those involved in the arts, but also for anyone else who likes to be inspired by previously unimagined combinations of ideas, here is the perfect album: a sung conversation between artists, a voyage through the sonic multiverse, a musical invitation to re-widen those eyes. On ‘Holding on to Wonder’, contemporary jazz corresponds with 70s cop show sou…

Norwegian saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Harald Lassen returns with Rik, a vibrant and exploratory new album that picks up the threads of his acclaimed Balans - the album that earned him a Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy) - and weaves them into something stranger, softer, and more surprising. “It’s the little brother,” Lassen says. “Same blood, same environment, but making different choices.” Across seven tracks, RIK builds a world that is both cinematic and deeply intimate.…

On Friday, September 5, Liv Andrea Hauge Trio releases its third album, Døgnville, on Norwegian label Hubro. The record explores the feeling of being “døgnvill” – a Norwegian term describing the sensation of being out of sync with time and reality, like during jet lag or insomnia. The music inhabits this liminal space between structure and freedom, consciousness and dream. Half of the compositions were written while pianist and composer Liv Andrea Hauge was bedridden with a high fever – in a sem…

Norwegian coastal culture meets American dreams in Trond Kallevåg’s most cinematic work yet. Imagine Ry Cooder, Daniel Lanois, and David Lynch sharing a rowboat on a misty West Norwegian morning – that’s the world of Minnesota. With Minnesota, guitarist and composer Trond Kallevåg deepens his image-rich sound – a warm, wistful universe where the atmosphere of Norway’s rugged west coast drifts seamlessly into the wide horizons of the American Midwest. Drawing inspiration from traditional music, j…

Over the past 15 years, Hanna Paulsberg has established herself as one of the most vital and heartfelt voices on the Norwegian jazz scene. A highly sought-after saxophonist, Paulsberg moves effortlessly between musical genres in her many projects — from the pop/soul/jazz trio Gurls, which she co-founded and writes for, to the quartet Flukten, whose sound blends free jazz and folk influences. She’s also part of a Dexter Gordon tribute with Karin Krog, and has contributed to numerous projects with…

*100 copies limited edition* This Molar record was created in a few stages. First it was substantial to find creative means which would spark the new material. The Polyend Tracker was perfect for that as it is both simple and surprisingly fresh. Only after that I applied my favourite environment and comfortably sat in my digital domain. The next stage was to find kindred spirits who share the same mental and musical sensibility. Michał Fetler and Jacek Prościński seemed to fit like a custom-made…

It Was The Sixties. Blue Note Was Where It Was At. And Bobby Hutcherson Was At The Center Of It."

Selections from the Empty Bottle Jazz and Improvised Music Series (1996-2005) is a six-CD anthology that captures the vibrant, unpredictable pulse of Chicago’s improvisational scene. Meticulously compiled from over 500 performances curated by John Corbett and Ken Vandermark, this box set chronicles a crucial era with recordings from nearly 100 international artists, immersing listeners in the fearless experimentation that defined the Empty Bottle’s celebrated Wednesday nights.​

"On a good day it is strenuous to stay current with pianist Matthew Shipp's imposing and voluminous output. On an even better day it is a fool's hardy errand to say the least. Now with the planned re-issuing of some of his great early deconstructions of musical thought and theory, starting here with 1990's daringly incongruous yet hypnotically accessible, Circular Temple, keeping up just got a whole lot harder. With William Parker on bass and Whit Dickey on drums, this four-movement suite for pi…

“A blissfully ecstatic sprawl of spiritual-jazz explorations of the most transcendent order” – Brooklyn Rail

Big Tip! David Murray emerged in mid-1970s New York at a pivotal moment for jazz. As cultural shifts and urban decay created vacant buildings and low rents, aspiring artists converged on the city from Chicago, California, and St. Louis, drawing inspiration less from the mainstream than from the first thrusts of free jazz—John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler. They established performance spaces in lofts and apartments, downtown storefronts, art galleries, and abandoned warehouses. Mu…

Super groups are always risky—the potential for disappointing fans or warring musical styles is high—but when longtime friends and masterful improvisers come together, they usually work. Evident in their first collaboration, simply titled Volume 1, John Dikeman (Saxophone; When The Time Is Right, 577 Records, 2021) joined musicians Pat Thomas (Piano; Shifa Live at Cafe Oto 2019, BleySchool 2019, Shifa Live in Oslo 2020, Educated Guess 2021), John Edwards (Bass; EMPoWered. 577 Records, 2021), and…

3d and final repress. In the intimate confines of a Kortedala apartment just outside Gothenburg, Gustav Horneij has quietly assembled one of 2024's most compelling statements in spiritual jazz composition. Organic Pulse Ensemble's fifth album, Zither Suite, represents the culmination of a decade-long creative process that transforms modal meditation and ancient Swedish melodies into transcendent chamber folk with deep connections to the spiritual jazz tradition pioneered by Pharoah Sanders and h…

West and East Baying by Oakland Reductionist Orchestra investigates the porous boundaries between acoustic improvisation and electronic sound, favoring the subtle friction and microdynamics of “lowercase” performance practice. Across two extended pieces—one live, one studio-crafted—this Bay Area supergroup reveals the intricate textures, restrained intensity and deep listening that define the West Coast reductionist scene.

New Conference Call brings together Gebhard Ullmann, Uwe Oberg, Joe Fonda and Dieter Ulrich for an engaging session rooted in deep listening, spirited interplay and exploratory textures. Their varied compositional voices and dynamic rapport yield music that stretches from reflective lyricism to intricate rhythmic conversations, underscoring their ability to blend innovation with ensemble empathy.​

The inspiration for 'Album l' and 'Album Il' began with a performance by Japanese musician Eiko Ishibashi at Cologne's Week-End Fest in 2019. For this appearance the renowned experimental musician and composer of the Oscar-winning film „Drive My Car" was joined on drums by Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and Joe Talia; both integral members of the top-level improvisational/ experimental scene in Tokyo. While in town for the festival, Ishibashi met up with the members of the Cologne-Berlin based group Von Spa…

The inspiration for 'Album l' and 'Album Il' began with a performance by Japanese musician Eiko Ishibashi at Cologne's Week-End Fest in 2019. For this appearance the renowned experimental musician and composer of the Oscar-winning film „Drive My Car" was joined on drums by Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and Joe Talia; both integral members of the top-level improvisational/ experimental scene in Tokyo. While in town for the festival, Ishibashi met up with the members of the Cologne-Berlin based group Von Spa…

Two days after his 100th birthday, Marshall Allen started recording New Dawn, his debut solo album. A member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra since 1958, Allen assumed leadership of the band in 1995. Throughout his nearly seventy-year career, Allen has never released a solo album under his own name, and yet, instead of capping such a legendary output, New Dawn seems to herald a new beginning. A love letter to spacetime, it channels a century of musical intelligence into seven tracks, showing Allen at his mo…

Fred Moten & Brandon López’s duo debut explores cultural innovation, virtuosity, and confronting institutional madness while preserving humanity.

1990 release **

With The Bliss of Bliss, Pat Thomas distills four decades of radical pianism into a transcendent live improvisation. Recorded in Geneva in 2024, the album transforms the solo piano into a realm of shifting densities and ecstatic form, where each note seems to create and erase the space it inhabits.

**500 copies** Chicago saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi, a touring member of Justin Vernon’s Bon Iver and one-third of the inventive Chicago improvising collective Twin Talk, first encountered the music of Moondog a decade ago, while studying at Indiana University. "Initially, I liked the quirkiness of the music and the lore surrounding him," he says. Until he relocated to Germany in 1974, Kansas-born Louis Hardin Jr. was a genuine New York City fixture —a tall and gangly blind man festooned in a hom…

Wheelhouse reunites as a trio after a decade apart. Their new work, "House and the Home," reflects years of artistic growth, personal change, and enduring bonds, capturing the essence of shared musical evolution and community.

Andrew Barker - drums, percussion William Parker - bass, b flat pocket tuba, gralla Jon Irabagon - tenor saxophone, sopranino saxophone   Recorded by Andrew Barker January 3rd, 2022 at Phantom Ear Studio, Brooklyn, NY.Mixed by Andrew Barker.Mastered by Steve Silverstein.

Three improvisers having fun and taking risks. The classic piano-less jazz trio reinvented by mixing melodies, dirty sounds, noises, extended techniques and references to tradition with a quasi-punk approach.

These duets exemplify a compelling musical interplay, characterized by symmetrical encounters and an organic, intuitive dialogue that seamlessly weaves together elements of core improvisation, contemporary classical influences, and jazzy choruses, resulting in a rich tapestry of sound that is captivating in its spontaneity and depth.Alexandra Grimal: tenor and soprano saxophonesGiovanni Di Domenico: acoustic grand pianos, celesta, pipe organ

Ancient Infinity Orchestra’s It’s Always About Love is a lush outpouring of melodic, communal jazz, where improvisational freedom and thoughtful orchestration balance earthiness with cosmic ambition. Led by double-bassist Ozzy Moysey, the album draws inspiration from spiritual jazz icons and blends folk, jazz, and classical leanings within a 15-member ensemble, presenting a heartfelt meditation on connection and celebration.