Jazz & Improvisation / Contemporary

At the crossroad of different worlds, Hubbub comprises five musicians with activities in various fields. Together, they work on the sound matter to create a moving electro-acoustic space inhabited by layers, distensions, imbrications, pulsations, dots and lines. Thanks to the longevity of the group, Hubbub has developed its own universe, which is more than just the sum of its parts.

SORBD brings together 5 musicians from the European improvised music and free jazz scene who have distinguished themselves as strong artistic personalities. The five instrumentalists and composers are characterized by their own sound language and the development of contemporary concepts of ensemble playing. The improvisation in various constellations, as well as conceptual composition sketches, lead to a high degree of interactive playfulness, surprising moments of noise and sensual sound images…

Tobias Klein, Marta Warelis and Frank Rosaly have been playing trio since 2020. Right from the start there was a remarkable chemistry between them — intense and relaxed at the same time — and very personal.

Unionen is a new quartet of four star-level Norwegian and Swedish jazz musicians. The group takes its name from the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch 1814-1905 and brings together Ståle Størlokken (Supersilent), Per "Texas" Johansson, Petter Eldh (Koma Saxo) and Gard Nilssen (Supersonic Orchestra). It's not hip to say "supergroup" but this sure is one super of a group, with each member contributing to the band sound that is unique in all the best possible ways. From mis…

*300 copies limited edition* In honor of Marshall Allen's 100th we are pleased to present this new one from the John Blum Quartet! Enjoy!

*200 copies limited edition* Again recorded live at Cafe Oto (London, UK), Colin Webster re-assembled his large ensemble, with the exception of John Edwards (who couldn't make it) being replaced by Caius Williams on the double bass, for another performance that pushed the barrier. Released on Colin's own Raw Tonk Records.

*100 copies limited edition* Freshly on Creative Sources is this debut duo collaboration by French 11 string guitarist Christian Vasseur and Belgium's Dirk Serries on his archtop guitar. Performed and recorded at the stunning Oude Klooster chapel in Brecht (Belgium). Both musicians met each other for the first at the Alternative Guitar Festival, organised by Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg in 2023 at Haekem Theatre (Brussels, Belgium) and immediately felt a kindred spirit for the abstract and immense…

*200 copies limited edition* "Almost a throwback to the glory days of 1970s Free Jazz, Driven’s one lengthy improvisation is played with fire and determination by a pan-European quintet. But with several generations of creative musicians now exploring that style, New Thing excesses have been pared to mature interaction. Consisting of Belgians, pianist Martina Verhoeven and guitarist Dirk Serries, Portuguese bassist Gonçalo Almeida, Dutch drummer Onno Govaert and British alto saxophonist Colin We…

*200 copies limited edition* This is Lemadi Trio's 2nd album for A New Wave Of Jazz. The trio consists of José Lencastre on alto sax, Martina Verhoeven on piano and Dirk Serries on archtop guitar. On contrary to its debut on which Martina plays the electric Crumar piano, she plays the grand piano here. Truly a game changer as the timbre is quite different from tis predecessor, with the clear and pristine acoustics at the home 'Canonical Discourse' is an album that furthermore expands the communc…

*200 copies limited edition* Connaisseurs of the label are most likely familiar with Tonus, the minimalist rotating ensemble curated by Dirk Serries.  6 years after Texture Point the trio configuration of Martina Verhoeven (piano), Benedict Taylor (viola) and Dirk Serries (archtop guitar) returns with a new album. This session was performed and recorded at the home studio. Still playing with the trademark pacing of Tonus, this album definitely takes a dive into more abstract and intense phrases …

*200 copies limited edition* Transition Unit is the brand-new trio of Rodrigo Pinheiro (piano), José Lencastre (alto and tenor sax) and Dirk Serries (archtop guitar). When Dirk Serries flew to Portugal in 2023 at the invitation of José for a number of concerts in duo, he received an surprise invitation from Rodrigo for a studio session. Rodrigo Pinheiro is a class act, a fantastic pianist who has earned his place in both classical free jazz and contemporary music with, among others, his magnific…

*2023 stock* "To watch two butterflies in flight is to see a complex intertwining of zigs and zags, dips and weaves, as each—seemingly erratically--rides the turbulence its wings create to carry it along. Together they trace an unchoreographed but nevertheless coherent set of variations on the line as they move with, against and through each other’s paths.  The intricate pattern of two butterflies’ interwoven flight paths stands as a fitting analogue for the nuanced complexity of Busy Butterflie…

Remastered from the original analog tapes of the duet between Anthony Braxton and Gino Robair from sessions recorded on August 6th and October 9th 1987 at Cal State University, Hayward, California. This release includes all of the music from the original, limited-edition LP as well as extra tracks from the same sessions.

What becomes quickly apparent when the music ends is that the parts of the brain wired for multi-tasking and instant contextualization have been swamped by Masaoka and Braxton’s palette, their bold strokes and the vaulting arcs they form.

Jemeel Moondoc and his bandmates are masters of the terrifying art of communicating how they feel, an art which, of course, takes both great intelligence and great discipline… A fire burns in Jemeel Moondoc’s music and once it was ignited it keeps spreading; it’s the flame you can also feel in the playing of Matthew Shipp, Hilliard Greene, and Newman Taylor Baker. This quartet’s music is never easy, but it’s always truthful. Ed Hazel, excepts from the liner notes

William Parker - double bassHugo Costa - alto saxophone Philipp Ernsting - drums Recorded at Codarts, Rotterdam, October 11th, 2023 by Philipp ErnstingMixed and mastered by Arūnas Zujus at MAMAstudiosCover art by Martynas IvinskasPhoto of Hugo Costa by Rui SilvaPhoto of William Parker by Peter Gannushkin / downtownmusic.netPhoto of Philipp Ernsting by Florian CramerDesign by Danas Mikailionis

The ECM folks do much better by Wadada Leo Smith than ever before with this solo recording, a true masterwork of its kind and one of the purest, most enlightening demonstrations of the connected natures of folk, blues, jazz, and creative music. That Smith is the man to do this is certainly no surprise; he laid it all down in print years before this release in his self-published books and liner notes. But the way he does it, with so much grace and style (and with the excellent production by Steve…

After the successful 7-inch release of Agip, Roman producer and composer Azzurro 80 is back on Four Flies with another triple-single that continues his love affair with dreamy synth-pop and Italian Eighties culture and society.

*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* The long awaited first recording by John Zorn’s newest and most exciting ensemble, the New Masada Quartet. Performing eight classic compositions from the Masada songbooks, NMQ is a tight unit of like-minded virtuosi and one of the best groups Zorn has ever had. Bristling hot guitar master Julian Lage, bass wizard Jorge Roeder and 30-year Zorn veteran Kenny Wollesen perform with a crackling live energy that brings the Masada music to life like never before! L…

*2024 stock* Organic Pulse Ensemble approaches adventures in fields of sound as a one-man band. It is music recorded, composed and mixed by Gustav Horneij. But don’t let this fact mislead you, because the way the artist is binding together rhythm, melody and textures is highly inspirational. It is singular but with a spiritual kinship and debt owed to the torchbearers of 60s and 70s independent jazz. Intellectually unpretentious ‘Formative Stages’ takes the listener on a voyage into an organic a…

Tomin’s debut full-length work, A Willed and Conscious Balance, answers a set of questions left unasked in recent years, as a new generation of artists re-energizes the tradition often referred to as “jazz” into its own directions: Where are the composers working with large ensembles? Who are the arrangers creating unexpected charts and dreaming up new orchestral sounds, layered tones and harmonically vibrant colors, the kind that have amended jazz’s “music for soloists” reputation since the swi…

Music produced by Freecall is based on improvisation with a variety of different aesthetic approaches: it explores elements of jazz, electronic music and the symphonic Avant Garde, maintaining aspects of Dadaism as what is produced in performance cannot possibly be repeated. Notions of time and sound are not seen as a means of creation but as autonomous mediums of a mosaic. 68 minutes of music is divided into two parts and 7 tracks, included is a 7 minute art video with music created for the spe…

*2024 stock* Recorded September 22, 2007 at Mylos (Xylourgeio), Thessaloniki, Greece in the context of the 5th meeting of jazz and creative music. Mastered September 28, 2008 at Royal Alzheimer Hall, Thessaloniki, Greece

Recorded At – Πολύτροπον Studio Issued in a tri-fold digipak. Drums, Percussion – Christos YermenoglouPiano – Sakis Papadimitriou

*300 copies limited edition* This is the first release from the Japanese shinobue and flute player Yuki Fujiwara. Boarding Yuki's musical ship feels as if the pier exists in a strange space between the past and the future going to a journey to a land which is not here anymore and is not still there. A trip to another state of conciousness. ''This is a recording of very unique musicians. Everyone had a deep understanding of music from different cultures, including Japan. Think of it as a new cult…

An out of tune piano inspired the creation of this album.

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

Master pianist, New York-based, originally from Argentina, Leo Genovese, just won a grammy as a ‘Best Improvised Jazz Solo’ - an award considered by many as ‘mainstream’. This certainly did not stop his creative path, only to encourage him towards further researching creative music. His debut album ‘The Art of Not Playing’ with fellow musicians John Lockwood on bass and drummer Nat Mugavero proves it. The trio celebrates the practice of disappearing during the process of creating. Trusting the ‘…

Rising Experimental Sax Player Ayumi Ishito Brings Her Quintet to 577 Records, Releasing First Album with the Label.

Murmuration Without End is a collection of rhythmic studies by producer, composer, percussionist & multi-instrumentalist Ben Lumsdaine. Whereas the tracks began as meditative synth drones recorded by Lumsdaine when quarantined in the basement studio of his friend’s home, over time they became multi-textural, poly-rhythmic sound worlds as he disrupted the meters and pulses implied by the synths’ inherent modulations with each instrumental layer added. He also enlisted guest musicians to help him …

2024 stock. This project is the exciting, unusual and at times unexpected result of five musicians from different backgrounds getting together and making music. This unlikely group that features a scientist on piano and an array of musicians from different places around the world is able to communicate on a level that is not only beyond planning and speech but also rational thought. The resulting music goes from moments that are exquisitely soft to deep juicy grooves. When studied attentively, i…

* Edition of 500 * Released on the occasion of Matthew Shipp 60th birthday. This double LP is the first vinyl Matthew Shipp recorded since his very first recording, "Sonic Exploration", a duo with Rob Brown, released on 1988. All compositions by Matthew Shipp. Recorded by Jim Clouse on November 10th and December 1st 2015 at Park West Studios, Brooklyn, NY, USA. Warning! Slowly remove contents from its package: while you think you are entering into new beginnings you are indeed beginning to reach…

This third CD from the dynamic piano trio of Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, and Ches Smith is a delightful surprise--and one of Zorn's greatest achievements. Exploring a wide variety of tempi, moods, and feelings the compositions dive deeply into the parameters of melody, harmony, hythm, and texture, stretching the ballade format to its limits and beyond. The trio, three essential members of Zorn's inner circle, performs with passion, imagination, virtuosity, and a telepathic improvisational inte…

Julian Lage and Gyan Riley have a magical rapport, a deep mutual respect, and have recorded some of Zorn’s most melodious and intimate compositions. In addition to the many books of music written for their trio with Bill Frisell, they have also worked together as a duo on The Bagatelles (2015), Midsummer Moons (2017), Book Beri’ah (2019), and Quatrain (2023). For this fifth duo CD Zorn turns again to William Shakespeare for inspiration and has composed a varied collection of ballads, dances, lul…

Zorn's lush and seductive compositions for the magical trio of Frisell-Lage-Riley are some of his most beautiful 21st century creations, and this seventh CD in their ever-expanding series is their best yet. A dramatic and colorful tribute to the expressive Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, Lamentations contains four extended pieces that unfold like exotic flowers—gorgeous music with a dark philosophical edge. These master musicians—three of the greatest guitarists in the world—work together with a profou…

After many supporting appearances on IARC across the years (including Makaya McCraven's Universal Beings in 2018, Daniel Villareal's Panamá 77 in 2022 and Lados B in 2023, Bex Burch's There is only love and fear also in 2023, and earlier this Summer as a core member of SML on Small Medium Large) we could not be more ecstatic to announce our first lead artist release with Anna Butterss!!!The Adelaide, Australia-born bassist and composer "has built their career around unshakable rhythm, blinding c…

"Ken Field’s triumphal music enables listeners to see with their mind’s eye what the dancers are performing on stage, helping us to contain loss, survive sorrow, live through grief, and ultimately transform us via this journey." - Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz.com

Recorded at Munich’s Muffathalle twenty years ago, in September 2004, this previously-unreleased concert recording of the Tomasz Stanko Quartet is a fascinating document, capturing a developmental chapter in the music between the song forms of the Suspended Night repertoire and the improvised areas that the Polish musicians would explore on Lontano.  The Munich show was a highlight in a year in which the Stanko Quartet played a record number of gigs, with extensive tours of the US and Europe.  T…

The Last Temple is a live recording of this extraordinary trio at the Alchemia in Krakow. Since the concert was quite long, we divided it into 3 formats: 1) The Last Temple vol. 1 - vinyl 9" EP 2) The Last Temple vol. 2 CD 3) (this one) The Last Temple vol. 3 vinyl 12" LP (180g black vinyl) The Trzaska, Haker Flaten, Nilsen Love trio played a concert tour in Poland in March 2024. A combination of one of the most famous sections of the world's intuitive jazz (e.g. The Thing) and one of the most f…

Much has happened to Tomeka Reid, who was already one of jazz's definitive figures in the 21st century, in the 4½ years since her last album by this all-star quintet. Most notably, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022, one of the most prestigious awards in the creative arts field in the USA. The same year, she also won the DownBeat Critics Poll for miscellaneous instrument (despite many deserving talents emerging on the instrument, the jazz polls don't have cello as a category for reco…