Jazz & Improvisation / Contemporary

'The Uproar in Bursts of Sound and Silence is a sort of emergent collage that came together over four years of composition, improvisation, and production. The foundations for this album were initially recorded in 2018 by producer/engineer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Skinyard) at Soundhouse in Seattle, WA with myself (Evan Strauss, electric bass and upright bass), 5-Track (Guitar) and Sheridan Riley (Drums). The initial foundations of this music consisted of my long-form graphica…

Live was mostly recorded on November 1st, 2019, at Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Berlin, Germany, during the 2019 edition of JazzFest Berlin. For Angel Bat Dawid and her band Tha Brothahood – which includes Deacon Otis Cooke, Viktor Le Givens, Xristian Espinoza, Norman W. Long, Dr. Adam Zanolini, and Asher Simiso Gamedze – it was the first stop of their first European tour.  Forty-eight hours before the show, Angel and members of the band were on their way to the airport in Chicago when they r…

Recently rediscovered while digging through our vaults, this is the original 1984 vinyl edition of the album. It doesn't get any better than this! This is an album featuring octet led by the Milanese musician Giorgio Gaslini.

“Orbit of Sound” is the new release from composer/double bassist Max Johnson’s newest trio, with Anna Webber on tenor saxophone/flute, and Michael Sarin on drumset. Formed in 2018, the trio traverses tightly knit composed music and patient, sprawling improvised textures, highlighting all three individual voices as improvisers. The trio completed their inaugural tour of Europe in February & March, having to cancel their final concert and subsequent recording due to the pandemic, delaying the reco…

The music on this album was not preconceived or premeditated in any way whatsoever. The ensemble's method of collaboration has been to begin playing without any discussion of what is to be played or how the music should be approached. The group was formed after a number of informal, but fruitful sessions. It was unanimous among the group that the musical chemistry and dynamic we shared was fertile enough to merit further exploration. « We went into the recording studio after several years of enj…

'Well here is Max Johnson's picture, his snapshot of three men in a room making music, and as with any great composed shot, here would be his law of thirds for creating a great image. First Law: Max Johnson (bass) has the ability to search out the best musicians to suit his current project. Ziv Ravitz (drums), drawing from his Israeli roots, contributes not only a solid and earthy foundation for the others to play over but also provides just enough world music flavor without making it old or tir…

*In process of stocking* 15 self-portraits by Sebi Tramontana. The shortest is about 30 seconds and the longest is almost nine minutes.In these fifteen pieces the trombone is explored in multiple directions. There are techniques dear to the world of European improvised music as well as echoes of Duke Ellington's trombone masters, Italian accounting as well as the pure sound of the air. Tramontana is a northern wind but Tramontana comes from the south, they have met and through a tube they take u…

Toronto-based octet Eucalyptus has been steadily gathering a devoted cult following since the release of their debut 10” Eeeeeuuucaaaaaaallyyypppptus in 2012. Led by acclaimed saxophonist and composer Brodie West, the band's languid, kaleidoscopic jazz is very much a collective endeavour, the product of an internal network of improvisational synergy they've built over more than a decade together. Moves is their sixth release, and somewhat of a milestone. In addition to it being the octet's most …

'Sometimes a piece of music seems to trigger a sense of déjà vu. I had that experience listening to the Nick Mazzarella Trio’s new recording. It was as if all the things that had caught my sincere attention for some years was suddenly distilled into one set of compositions. That was an illusion, as déjà vu always is; however, it was not without some substance. I heard traces of traces of Andrew Cyrille, Steve Lacy, and Fred Anderson. This recording hit me like some of those did. The beginning of…

Big, big tip! "The Seventh Son" was originally release in 1980 on RA Records and became a true Jazz Holy Grail. For anyone collecting Spiritual Jazz this reissue is simply not to be missed. Malachi Thompson moved to Chicago as a child and credited his interest in the trumpet when he was 11 years old. Malachi worked in the rhythm and blues scene on Chicago’s South Side as a teen. In 1968, he joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), spending some time in the AACM bi…

Astral Spirit presents Sun Beans of Shimmering Light by Wadada Leo Smith, Douglas R. Ewart, Mike Reed. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dave Zuchowski. Photos by Michael Jackson. All compositions by Smith, Ewart, and Reed (Kiom Music, ASCAP; Nikoranza Publishing Company BMI; Reedmicj Publishing, ASCAP). "Commercial Improvisation", Cover Art Image (c) 2020 Sonnenzimmer, Nick Butcher & Nadine Nakanishi. Layout by Nick LaRoche.

When I proposed this trio it was intentional to create an instrumentation which closely matched that of the classic Leo Smith Trio of the 1970s – a line up which allows space and fire to co-exist. Of course, the fact that Martin Pyne doubles on both vibraphone and drums gives us a few extra sonic possibilities, and these have all been exploited by the suite of 12 compositions which the 3 of us have created together. While my own music output veers off into a wide range of bands and territories, …

"A true music lover typically has dreams that their favorite musicians, who do not normally work one with another, will meet and perform together. I had a dream many years ago that the two Giants of contemporary improvised music, Joëlle Léandre and Barry Guy play a double bass duo together. And my dream became true at the 2017 Ad Libitum in Warsaw in Festival, and was released by Fundacja Słuchaj! on a phenomenal 3 CDs box “Blue Horizon ● Barry Guy@70”. Here is another dream realized by Fundacja…

Soon celebrating 20 years as a duo, on Ismalfa J/L Duo team up with Brooklyn-based composer/musician Adrian Knight and vocalist/lyricist Frew Elfineh Taha (also known under the moniker Black Fist). A cohesive suite in eight parts, Ismalfa is a powerful statement of dynamic and forward-looking acoustic jazz.

*in process of stocking* debut album from swedish piano trio yokada. released May 25, 2018 alex zethson: grand piano, compositions johan holmegard: drums johan berthling: bass

*In process of stocking* "This is the first release in a series of albums on Smalltown Supersound with Norwegian freeform pianist Anja Lauvdal. On All My Clothes, Lauvdal teams up with her friend, the reclusive and now retired(?) Norwegian drummer Joakim Heibø for a session in the great tradition of piano and drums at Flerbruket Studios, Hemnes outside of Oslo. Anja (born 1987) is from the small town of Flekkefjord in the south of Norway (where Smalltown Supersound was founded) and from the age …

Fundacja Sluchaj! presents Warszawa 2019 by Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble. Recorded live on 12 of October 2019 at 14th Ad Libitum Festival, Laboratorium, U-Jazdowski, Wojciech Krukowski Hall, Warsaw by Kuba Sosulski. Mixed by Evan Parker with Fil Gomes at Arcobarco, Ramsgate, UK. Mastering by Grzegorz Piwkowski (High End Audio). Photos: Piotr Gruchała. Liner notes: Stuart Broomer. Cover Design: Zuza Ustjan. Executive Producer: Maciej Karłowski.  The ElectroAcoustic Ensemble was formed in…

"Renaissance is back, this time with a double CD on Maciek Karlowski's Fundacja Sluchaj!. This clearly, the trio's masterpiece: rick, diverse, amazingly deep, emotional, expressive and simply beautiful like hell. Disc 1, "Gesualdo", contains Anna Gadt's arrangements, deconstructions and her own original music obviously related to ancient, renaissance music. With one exception: "Monumentum" de-constructs already a de-construction of ancient music by Igor Stravinski of the same title. Everything i…

'There is a beguiling sense of simplicity in the complexity of le temps. In the scale of its orchestra - containing at least samulnori, clubs, bicycle bells, and bathtub plugs - that could be confused for just the kit. In the breadth of technique, in opening, closing, rubbing, and other gestures that confront the ear with a blown snare but could otherwise pass as traditional play. In the seemingly singular focus on one aspect of the kit in each vignette, the metal of rims and cymbals in “ouvertu…

*2022 stock. In process of stocking* Saxophonist, pianist, vocalist and composer Archie Shepp is one of the most emblematic figures of Afro-American free jazz, in all its components. In the early 1960s he helped found the Jazz Composers Guild, performed with Cecil Taylor in The Connection and made several albums for Impulse. Inspired by the great jazz tradition (Ellington, Monk and Mingus) and the masters of the tenor saxophone, including Ben Webster and John Coltrane, his mentor, Archie Shepp e…

*2022 stock. In process of stocking* Futura Marge presents Parisian Concert, vol 2 by: Archie Shepp (tenor and soprano saxophones), Siegfried Kessler (piano), Cameron Brown (double bass) & Clifford Jarvis (drums)Recorded live on 18 October 1977 at the Palais des Glaces in Paris

*2022 stock* Futura Marge presents Terronès - Suite andalouse pour Odile, Gérard & Eric Terronès by Raymond Boni Fortuna 21 octet. Raymond Boni (guitar & musical direction), Laure Donnat (voice), Joe McPhee (soprano saxophone & pocket trumpet), Anna Startseva (violin), Emmanuel Cremer (cello), Bastien Boni (double bass), Rémi Charmasson (guitar) & Jean-Marc Foussat (sound report). Recorded on 16 and 20 June 2003 in Paris, and on 25 June 2003 in Marseille (France)

*2022 stock* The American vocalist and actress Abbey Lincoln made a name for herself in the 1950s under the name of Gaby Lee as a variety singer and film actress (The Blonde and I). At the end of the 1950s, married to drummer Max Roach, she participated with him in several important recordings with Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Golson... It was the fabulous "Freedom Now Suite", recorded in 1960 with Max Roach, that made her famous to the general public. Twenty years later, associated in …

Reissue. Originally released in 1981. "A two-LP set on Theresa, Rejoice features Pharoah Sanders in excellent form in 1981. Sanders sounds much more mellow than he had a decade earlier, often improvising in a style similar to late-'50s John Coltrane, particularly on 'When Lights Are Low,' 'Moments Notice,' and 'Central Park West.' The personnel changes on many of the selections and includes such top players as pianists Joe Bonner and John Hicks, bassist Art Davis, drummers Elvin Jones and Billy …

One of the iconic and enduring music leaders to emerge in the world over the last half century, William Parker continues to raise the bar higher.

We Jazz Records presents the debut album of AINON, a Helsinki-based ensemble founded by cellist-composer Aino Juutilainen, released 4 September. On "Drought", the four-piece plays music influenced by jazz, contemporary music and classical music, all morphed together into a highly inspired musical vision. The music of AINON might be best described as "spiritual avantgarde jazz", with original compositions and the individual voices of the four players both playing an integral part in the music. In…

Gothenburg trio Dark Horse present their new album "Listen", released by We Jazz Records. The band, comprising of John Holmström (piano), Alfred Lorinius (bass) and Mårten Magnefors (drums) recorded their second album in a remote cabin by the ocean in Norway, owned by Holmström's family. The natural sound of the album owes a lot to the relaxed surroundings and the result is some high degree of improvised music turning into collective composition as the music unfolds.  The album recording took pl…

*2022 stock* Futura Marge presents Challenge by Hal Singer (tenor saxophone), David Murray (tenor saxophone), Lafayette Gilchrist (piano), Jaribu Shahid (double bass) & Hamid Drake (drums) - guest on two tracks: Rasul Siddik (trumpet). Recorded on 9 and 10 April 2010 at the EGP studio in Paris

*2022 stock* Futura Marge presents Noel McGhie Afro-Caribbean Project's Re-Masters. Recorded on 16, 18 April and 30 November 2015 at Studio du Sous Sol in Argenteuil (France).Rasul Siddik (trumpet), Daniele Vigilucci (alto saxophone), Patrick Sedoc (guitar), Simon Teboul (double bass), Noel McGhie (drums), Awa Timbo (vocals) on one track

*2022 stock* Futura Marge presents Flying Eagle by Claudine François (piano), Hubert Dupont (double bass) & Hamid Drake (drums). Recorded on 11 July 2013 at the EGP studio in Paris

"Garden of Secrets is a very successful and varied disc with electronic-folk-jazz-progressive soundscapes, and thus another remarkable album from the Discus, which is highly recommended for friends of electronic sound journeys around the world." – Achim Breiling An electroacoustic work by Hervé Perez taking the form of a suite of compositions which combine Hervé's software based sounds with a host of beautiful and unusual sounds from a wide range of instruments played by Hervé and collaborator …

Dirar Kalash is an improvising musician currently based in his native Ramallah, in the state of Palestine. Opportunities to perform are non-existent. Even access to an instrument is impossible at the current time. On a rare visit to the UK early in 2020, we are fortunate that Dirar found an opportunity to record with the master sound engineer Simon Reynell, on a fine instrument in the beautiful acoustic of St Paul’s Hall at the University Of Huddersfield. The plan had been to record some compos…

An exciting live performance recorded at the festival Konfrontationen Nickelsdorf in 2006, featuring six early compositions by Anthony Braxton arranged for the band by Pat Thomas. When Discus Music asked Pat what recording he had in his personal archive that he would most like to see released, this one was the first choice. Pat’s arrangements of these angular melodies allow Alex Ward’s stratospheric clarinet to fly over the band’s churning grooves, and much excitement was generated in the proces…

"This is a delight. Treppenwitz are a jazz trio for the new age, but with an intimacy and skill that is just perfect." - Mr Olivetti

'During the first lockdown of the Covid era in spring 2020 my creative fire was still burning. All concerts were cancelled, but I still wanted to play and improvise. That's were the idea for long-distance improvisation came up. I sent emails to some of my friends and other musicians who I admired and hoped that they might be interested in doing such a project. I'm really happy that some of the best improvisers in Europe were happy to participate in this project. I'm such a fan of all these playe…

A live (first class quality) recording of the duo from 2002 - from the personal archives of Tony Oxley.

Mycorrhiza is the term describing the symbiotic relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and a plants root system. The fungi forms networks between the trees, allowing them to communicate. Often nicknamed the ‘wood wide web’, the network allows trees to send each other nutrients and warn each other about predators such as bugs, deer, or harmful pathogens. This album is inspired by natural systems like this and is concerned about the human impact and the corruption surrounding it. The album flows l…

"Talk about your dynamic duos. Drummer/bassist Tony Bianco and violinist/violaist Faith Brackenbury have pooled their talents to come up with one of the best such meetings in recent memory." - Darren Bergstein, DMG NYC A no holds barred free jazz duo equally balancing fire / momentum with space / texture. Faith – “Everything is first takes and no edits, and so captures some raw feelings. It feels to me that all my learning and training, and unlearning and exploration has come to this point in a …

This duo, and the resulting album developed out of conversations between Robert and Shirley whilst working on Robert’s Invocation project in 2014. Their discussions explored the varied paths of their respective backgrounds, and different relationships of all aspects of those musical paths to improvisation. Both have a shared classical training, in which the absence of an improvisation became both a frustration and source of inspiration. Part of the story of this album lies in their different for…

Anthropods is the new band from American drummer and composer, Mark Holub. Holub, known mainly as bandleader of the acclaimed and Mercury Prize nominated Led Bib has with ‘Anthropods’ created his first project as a leader since starting Led Bib in 2003. While some of Holub’s trademark Led Bib style is evident here, the album is full of contrasts, from pastoral beauty to dense free improvisation to heavy grooves, showcasing sides of Holub’s work well beyond his work with Led Bib. Holub has been b…