Jazz & Improvisation / Contemporary

2025 stock Elastic Jargon is an album by Dutch composer and violist Maurice Horsthuis, released in 2007 on the Data label. The project brings together a unique ensemble of string players, with Horsthuis as the sole composer, exploring the boundaries of what can be achieved with string instruments alone.

2025 stock In the ever-mutable landscape of Dutch jazz, Joost Buis’s Astronotes stands as a testament to the playful collision of composition and improvisation. Released on the Data label in 2004, the album finds Buis—trombonist, composer, and bandleader—at the helm of a vibrant ensemble drawn from the heart of Amsterdam’s creative music scene. From the opening bars of “The Eggs,” it’s clear that Buis is less interested in adhering to tradition than in subverting it with wit and invention. The b…

2025 stock In the shadowy interstices of contemporary jazz and free improvisation, Slang by Elastic Jargon emerges as a document of restless inquiry and coded communication. Released on the Dutch label Data in 2010, the album is a cryptic dispatch from the margins, where genre boundaries are not so much blurred as actively subverted Elastic Jargon—true to their name—stretch the language of jazz until it snaps, then reassemble the fragments into something at once familiar and alien. The group’s a…

Jinya Disc presents Live at freedom by New Directions, recorded live on 25 April 1981 at Takasaki. The album includes 4 tracks performed by Masayuki Takayanagi - Guitar, and Hiroshi Yamazaki on drums. Masayuki 'Jojo' Takayanagi was a Japanese jazz / free improvisational musician. He was active in the Japanese jazz scene from the late 1950s. Was one of the earliest noise guitar improvisers, and the first (with Keith Rowe) to use the table-top guitar. Was a leading member of every avant-garde move…

Taken from Abdullah Ibrahim’s summer 2023 sold-out headline date at London’s Barbican Centre, the new album “3” follows suit and is spread across two performances – the first is recorded without an audience ahead of the concert straight to analogue on a 1” Scully tape machine, which had previously been used by Elvis at the famous Memphis-based Sun Studios. The second recording is taken from the evening’s performance itself with Ibrahim performing in a unique trio which includes Cleave Guyton (fl…

"This album is the most personal I’ve made to date. Named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon poem from the 9th century AD about the former glory of an unnamed ruined city, “The Ruin” is inspired by the feeling of living in England (“a country that feels like a living ruin”), the bleak landscape of where I grew up (Medway towns), and a kind of self-portrait reflecting how we all live amongst the ruins of our past selves both collectively and individually. All the musical material on “The Ruin” is taken…

This recording is an experiment in composing from percussion first. To feel movement in harmony and arrangement through the improvising senses of a percussionist. The melodic and harmonic elements appeared instantly after recording the percussion with Rama Parwata. The additional Tenor Saxophone of Cheryl Durongpisitkul (Sola) and Bass Clarinet of Flora Carbo (Sfondo and Mondo) were the final touches to bring life into the music. The result is a through-composed work, a narrative starting inside…

Two legendary souls, one timeless rhythm—Just Us celebrates the enduring bond between Heikki Sarmanto and Juhani Aaltonen. Born from spontaneous sessions and inspired compositions, these eleven tracks capture their unmatched musical chemistry. A testament to six decades of creative mastery.

* 75 copies limited edition * In times of vinyl shortage and production backlog, resourcefulness is key. In keeping with his well-established practice of replacing original materials with surrogates to generate new sonic experiences, Sven-Åke Johansson has devised a digital reinterpretation of the historic flexidisc in the shape of a 10inch rubber disc with engraved QR codes that let buyers access the music online. About the music: "The six compositions titled ‘stumps’ are based on a potential f…

Lucifecit’s debut “Devoção” blends anthems, mantras, and hypnotic grooves—homage to a forgotten deity. Led by Lobo (bass), Pereira (drums), Almeida & Tembe (trumpets), it fuses spiritual jazz, punk-Gnawa bass, modal forms, and radiant horn improvisations.

1995 release ** Conduction #28: Cherry Blossom: P3 Art and Environment, Tokyo, Japan; March 28, 1993Yukihiro Isso, nokan; Shonosuke Okura, ohtsuzumi; Makiko Sakurai, shomyo, music box; Michihiro Sato, tugaru syamisen; Kizan Daiyoshi, shakuhachi; Yuji Katsui, violin; Haruna Miyake, piano; Asuka Kaneko, voice; Shuichi Chino, computer; Koichi Makigami, voice; Yoshihide Otomo, turntables, CD player; Kazutoki Umezu, bass clarinet; Sachiko Nagata, percussion; Motoharu Yoshizawa, electric bass; Kazuo O…

Anna Webber & Angela Morris - tenor saxophone, flute, conductorJay Rattman - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, fluteCharlotte Greve - alto saxophone, flute, clarinetAdam Schneit - tenor saxophone, clarinetLisa Parrott - baritone saxophone, bass clarinet Nolan Tsang, Ryan Easter, Jake Henry, Kenny Warren - trumpets Tim Vaughn, Zekkereya El-magharbel, Jen Baker, Reginald Chapman - trombones Yuhan Su - vibraphoneDustin Carlson - guitarMarta Sánchez - pianoAdam Hopkins - bassJeff Davis - …

A monumental 9CD set, Piano Music (1968–2000) captures Anthony Braxton’s uncompromising vision for solo piano: dense, notated landscapes performed by Geneviève Foccroulle with rare clarity. Eschewing jazz convention, these works map a radical terrain of sound, intellect, and interpretive freedom—an essential document of the avant-garde.

Secular Music Group’s Volume Two, featuring new members, was recorded live to analog tape with vintage gear. This LP tightens structures, foregrounds piano, and blends spiritual jazz, folk, and 70s library influences for a timeless, contemporary sound.

2016 release ** "With America’s National Parks, visionary composer and Wadada Leo Smith offers his latest epic collection, a suite inspired by the scenic splendor, historic legacy, and political controversies of the country’s public landscapes. Writing for his newly expanded Golden Quintet, Smith crafts six extended works that explore, confront and question the preserved natural resources that are considered the most hallowed ground in the U.S. – and some that should be. His 28-page score for Am…

1992 release ** Christy Doran on acoustic and electric guitars and delay devices.

1989 release ** Heupel studied flute at the Cologne University of Music. From 1980 to 1985, he was a member of the multimedia group Boury. Since 1984, he has also performed as a soloist with his own compositions. He has toured Asia, Africa, and Latin America with Norbert Stein's Pata Masters. He has been a member of many of Norbert Stein's Pata projects for many years. In a duo with Xu Fengxia, he played bass flute and subcontrabass flute. In 1990, he founded his own quartet. He has also worked …

German pianist Georg Graewe reunites with drummer Hamid Drake and bassist Brad Jones in a fiery 2024 trio debut at Konfrontationen Festival. Capturing the spirit of his 1990s Chicago collaborations, More Than Anything showcases masterful free improvisation and Graewe’s genre-blurring brilliance.

Saxophonist Steve Lehman and trio, with Mark Turner, celebrate Braxton’s 80th in a live set: intense emotion meets cool articulation and rhythmic mastery.

Sudden Dusk is the recorded debut of Archer, a working band comprised of four singular voices on the international improvised music scene.

1995 release ** Quinzaine de MontrealThe Spectrum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; April 11, 1992Tristan Honsinger, cello; Martin Schütz, cello; Eric Longsworth, cello; Michelle Kinney, broom-cello; Ken Butler, broom-cello; Helmut Lipsky, violin; J. A. Deane, trombone, live sampling; Guillaume Dostaler, piano; Mike Milligan, bass; Pierre Dubé, vibesConducting is no longer a mere method for an interpretation, but an actual part of the process of composition. Conduction is a means by which a conductor m…

1995 release ** The Akbank Conduction, Akbank IIIstanbul, Turkey; October 16 & 17, 1992The Süleyman Erguner Ensemble: Hasan Esen, kemence; Mehmet Emin Bitmez, ud; Göksel Baktagir, kanun; Süleyman Erguner, ney; Lê Quan Ninh, percussion; Bryan Carrott, vibraphone; J.A.Deane, trombone, electronics, drum machine; Elizabeth Panzer, harp; Brandon Ross, acoustic guitar; Steve Colson, piano; Hugh Ragin, pocket trumpetConducting is no longer a mere method for an interpretation, but an actual part of the …

1995 release ** Conduction #31: Angelica Festival of International Music: Bologna, Italy; May 16, 1993 Dietmar Diesner, soprano sax; Peter Kowald, bass; Wolter Wierbos, trombone; Steve Beresford, piano; Hans Reichel, guitar; Tom Cora, cello; Han Bennink, drums; Catherine Jauniaux, voice; Ikue Mori, drum machinesConduction #35: American Connection 4: Antwerp, Belgium; May 26, 1993Conduction #36: American Connection 4: Amsterdam, Holland; May 27, 1993The Maarten Altena Ensemble: Maarten Altena, ba…

1995 release **Conduction #38: in Freud's Garden: Muffathalle, Germany; December 11, 1993Myra Melford, piano; Zeena Parkins, harp; Bryan Carrott, vibes; Brandon Ross, acoustic guitar; J. A. Deane, trombone; live sampling; Motoharu Yoshizawa, electric bass; Lê Quan Ninh, percussion; Martin Schütz, electric cello; Tristan Honsinger, cello; Martine Altenburger, cello; Edgar Laubscher, electric viola; Hans Koch, clarinet, bass & contrabass clarinet, soprano & tenor saxConduction #39 & #40: Threadwax…

1995 release ** New World, New World - Opperman Music Hall, Florida State University School of Music; February 4, 1994Jesse Canterbury, clarinet; Mimi Patterson, clarinet; Scott Deeter, sax; Philip Gelb, shakuhachi; Gregor Harvey, guitar; Ethan Schaffner, electric guitar; Elisabeth King, voice; Daniel Raney, trombone; David Tatro, trombone; Michael Titlebaum, alto saxConducting is no longer a mere method for an interpretation, but an actual part of the process of composition. Conduction is a mea…

"A standard takes on a new shape when it is realized through Trio New York’s methods. Their improvised preludes promote refreshed readings studded with bright accents and pungent embellishments, reinforcing the qualities that have enabled these tunes to endure, be it the sweet sentimentality of “Memories of You” or the devil-may-care of “Just One of Those Things.” By embracing the tenets of free improvisation – experimentation, discovery, and, on a good night, elucidation – Trio New York has tra…

“We are in the business of transformation, applying our knowledge of improvising together for twenty-five years, interwoven with our resonance with these melodies and forms. We have found our collective way with honouring what these pieces express to us, through our personal language, comments Gerry Hemingway.” He agrees that there's a concept of authenticity”. “The feeling of swing is our own, but shaped by the pieces we are playing”. Authenticity is acquired through assimilating traditions, an…

"Christian Weber said in an interview for “Jazz’N’More": No matter how I move along the timeline, my attention is focused on what is to come. At the same time, I always keep in mind what happened before, without analyzing. This way, I avoid the improvisation becoming arbitrary. Both arbitrary openness and narrow restriction, neither suits me." And therein lies the whole secret of this record and ultimately the definition of great art: it is the ability of a musician to have control over space an…

"It is not easy to find a description of what constitutes “the art of the duo” in jazz or improvised music. Suffice to say that any credible description would have to encompass the duo of Gallio and Turner, their approaches to playing together and the contents of You Can Blackmail Me Later." - John Eyles

"It is a message, and you will hear it sounding firmly through the various pieces that make up The Human Factor, that tells us much about how we might live together: sharing, giving way, simple giving, lifting up, helping ... above all, listening ..."  - Brian Morton

"Given their distinct backgrounds and individualistic sense of creative process, it’s not surprising to discover that the sounds Levin, Mariam and Miguel generate do not fall into common improv tactics, stylistic clichés, or the isolation of chance. There are individual characteristics that affect our perception of the flow, cessation, and singularity of events heard here, and serve to identify and intensify the moment." – Art Lange

"Dialog: Two Rooms One Vibraphone 1 to 6 & Five Interludes differs, however, from the classical Greek idea of dialectics, that of thesis-antithesis-synthesis, in one respect. There is thesis, from Armaroli, and antithesis, from Parker, but it is a third party, the listener, who provides the synthesis. And there will be as many syntheses, and as much diversity among them, as there are those of us tuning in." -Chris May

Temporary Super Offer! 'The music on this CD is an impressive document of such a search for meaning and artistic legitimacy. It doesn’t want to add something even louder to the supposedly spectacular. On the contrary: Here, it is about the subtle intimacy and emotionality of human relationships, about breathing as one. It is about being interested in each other beyond ever new superlatives. This is where the unobtrusive authenticity of this music comes from, what makes it special and thoughtful.…

Temporary Super Offer! 'The CD’s title is borrowed from computer language: STRG + X is the key combination for “cut to the clipboard” to be temporarily stored and pasted somewhere else at a later time. Perhaps the most important quality of this carefully thought-out yet anything but cerebral music: it is aware of its means and can twist and turn and rearrange them as it pleases, in which case improvised contexts create their own forms and play with original material in a fresh, new way. This is …

Temporary Super Offer! The Thing started as a recording project in 2000, for the newly formed label Crazy Wisdom, run by Christian Falk, Conny Charles Lindström and me. I wanted to put together a trio, to record some Don Cherry pieces and since I had recently played with Paal in Stockholm and heard Ingebrigt playing live, I knew they were tight. So, things went where they went. I invited the two young Norwegians to Stockholm for a recording date at Atlantic Studios. One day of recording for the …

"Live from the Archives" by Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band is a live double LP recorded at Blues Alley, Washington, D.C., in 2000. Featuring a stellar lineup, the album presents a rich tapestry of original compositions and improvisations that blend jazz with gospel and folk sensibilities. Through its dynamic performances and heartfelt interplay, the record offers an immersive snapshot of the band’s artistry, capturing both their technical brilliance and spiritual depth in a singular live sett…

"Baro 101" unites Mats Gustafsson, Paal Nilssen-Love, and Masele Asmamaw for an electrifying fusion of Scandinavian free jazz and Ethiopian traditions. The album’s two expansive tracks showcase intense improvisation, with Asmamaw’s krar injecting unique rhythms and melodies, creating a bold, genre-defying musical journey.

When eminent jazz practitioners with shared histories convene in the studio without rehearsal or preparatory gigs, a perfunctory, by-the-numbers session is often the outcome. That is decidedly not the case on Solid Jackson, whose personnel, four of whom participated on the well-wrought day-after-Christmas of 1994 Criss Cross album titled Consenting Adults, reside in any hardcore jazz connoisseur’s “top-five”. This second gathering of M.T.B. (titled for the surnames of Brad Mehldau, Mark Turner a…

1998 release (light storage wear) ** "It has always been baffling why the work of certain contemporary composers like Anthony Braxton, whose work spans the jazz and classical genres, has not been more widely performed by musicians outside of their own immediate sphere as "standards" of modern repertoire. After all, pieces by modern composers of the generation prior to his, like Ornette Coleman or Charles Mingus, are routinely covered by performers in and outside of jazz. One would think that Bra…

2005 release ** "Recorded at the Institut fur Elektronische Musik und Akustik in Graz, Austria during the first week of August 2003, Anthony Braxton's (+ Duke Ellington) Concept of Freedom is a dazzling exercise in collective creativity. Braxton does not perform on this recording. Neither does Ellington, for that matter. Both men and their substantial accomplishments are honored and invoked by a quartet of skilled improvisers. These are trombonist Roland Dahinden, pianist Hildegard Kleeb, violin…