Jazz & Improvisation / Contemporary

"When we walked out on stage it felt like a homecoming,” says Jakob Bro of this texturally spacious and emotionally charged live recording from Copenhagen, on which three of the defining protagonists of improvisation in Denmark, leading musicians from three generations of Danish jazz, come together. The concert, in February 2023, was particularly poignant since it marked a return to performance for trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, who delivers some of his most thoughtful playing here. Repertoire, dra…

Pianist Jonas Cambien, bassist Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard and drummer Dag Erik Knedal Andersen have been indispensable to followers of the eclectic creative music scene in Oslo for years; among others with bands such as The Handover, Reôlo, Maca Conu, Delish, Cortex and Sulida. Until now, only lucky concertgoers have been able to experience their excellent improvising trio, but fortunately Motvind Records are doing something about that! "The Ear Behind the Airport" is a multifaceted being. Between…

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.

Tom Penaguin returns with Tom Penaguin II, a compelling new album that expands on the sound, spirit, and identity established in his previous work. Confident yet exploratory, the record captures an artist moving forward without losing sight of what makes his music distinctive. Across the album, Tom Penaguin blends atmosphere, melody, and emotional depth into a collection of tracks that feels both intimate and expansive. Tom Penaguin II is a record shaped by contrasts: reflective moments meet bur…

Trost Records is pleased to release Live at Kafé Hærverk, the latest transmission from one of the most exciƟng figures in European jazz, the Oslo-based Danish saxophonist and composer Amalie Dahl. Since dropping the debut album with her stellar quintet Dafnie in 2022, Dahl has enjoyed a meteoric rise, both in terms of acclaim and ambition. This new live album, taped at one of Oslo’s most beloved venues in March of 2025, arrives on the heels of the duly lauded Dafnie Extended—Live at Molde Jazz, …

Swiss saxophonist Gilles Torrent may have been initially smitten by the sounds of US jazz giants like Coltrane, Shepp and Sanders, but as he’s developed and matured he’s cast his creative net much wider.  After teaching himself the sax at 21 he spent the next 11 years studying the concepts and innovations of Coltrane before moving on to take the next logical step - exploring and soaking up the many styles music from around the world, and incorporating them into his Coltranesque vision of jazz. A…

Ancient Infinity Orchestra return with their third album, It’s Always About Liberation, a new record that deepens the vision of their acclaimed recent work while moving into darker, more searching emotional territory. Conceived as a partner to It’s Always About Love, this new body of work shares its predecessor’s generosity and spiritual openness, but carries a different charge. Where the previous album focused on healing and warmth, It’s Always About Liberation is largely animated by struggle, …

Henriette Eilertsen's solo debut from 2021, "Poems for flute", is regarded by many as one of the classics in the Motvind Records catalogue. Since then, many concertgoers have also been thrilled by the flautists fresh trio, with Joel Ring (cello & electronics) and Øystein Aarnes Vik (drums). Finally, we are all approaching the opportunity to dive deep into this warm, mysterious and alluring sonic bath. Henriette Eilertsen Trio's debut album "Moder" is characterized by captivating compositions, an…

'Edge Conditions' is the new album by Chicago born and raised, longtime Los Angeles based composer, synthesist, and multi-media artist Jeremiah Chiu.

Best known as a multi-instrumental member of Tortoise and a pillar of the Chicago jazz and experimental music scene, Jeff Parker has been incomparably prolific over the last 20+ years while merely producing 5 albums as a “lead artist” (just 2 since 2005, including 2016’s duo recording with Rob Mazurek on Rogue Art). “Lead artist” is in quotes here, because though his name is seldom seen in marquees, his distinctive guitar sound has been essential to every project he’s been part of. It was in tha…

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 …

On October 15th and 16th, 2020, drummer Daniel Villarreal was joined by guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butterss for two afternoons of recording in the backyard of Chicali Outpost in Los Angeles. For all three musicians, it was the first ensemble recording session they’d done in-person since the pandemic locked the world down just seven months prior. Some choice moments from these sessions made it onto Villarreal’s critically-acclaimed 2022 album Panamá 77, but most of the music remained …

Loveland Music presents 8, a studio recording featuring an all-star ensemble of Jakob Bro, Brian Blade, Craig Taborn, Chris Cheek, Jesper Zeuthen, Anders Christensen, Larry Grenadier & Marcus Gilmore, playing compositions by Paul Motian and Jakob Bro. The album was recorded in a single session at New York's Power Station with engineer James Farber, following a week-long residency at the Village Vanguard.  "Danish guitarist and composer Jakob Bro is celebrated for his pure reflective expression a…

In a new duo collaboration that defies conventions and background, Midori Takada and Jakob Bro took up residence in Tokyo’s Avaco Studios to record their first album, あなたに出会うまで / Until I Met You. The title, taken from a Midori Takada composition, refers to the spiritual bond that arises in every new friendship, whether in music or in life. Until I Met You is pure acoustic music, a tapestry of dreamlike compositions with beautiful melodies that sees ambient music icon Midori Takada on grand piano…

On his self‑titled debut, Bauke Meersman steps into focus with an intimate, detail‑oriented statement: a set of pieces shaped as much by touch, space and recording perspective as by melody, quietly framed by DHM Records’ tactile artwork and production care.

A deeply expressive new album where jazz, memory, and emotion unfold in intimate conversation. The Marc Levin Trio unveils My Blue Rose, a compelling new album shaped by atmosphere, lyrical expression, and the spontaneous energy of a trio in full artistic connection. Rooted in the language of jazz but open to a wider emotional landscape, My Blue Rose is a record of contrasts: delicate yet powerful, introspective yet alive, intimate yet expansive. Each track reveals a different shade of the proje…

Sinsuke Fujieda Group recorded Fukushima at Groove Studio Matsudo in May 2023. When Superfly Records put it out on vinyl in the spring of 2025 the thousand copies vanished within days, two further pressings followed, and copies on the second-hand market are now asking three figures. This CD is the record the LP could not hold: the five compositions restored to their full unedited length, three flute pieces that had only ever appeared digitally, and Jiva, a previously unheard piece for bamboo cla…

A space is often described by its dimensions. The height of the ceiling, the expanse between walls. Division into functional elements of varying density follows. We have ideas of how such dimensions should be balanced to work well for sound — the classical concert hall, a Northward mastering room. It’s tempting to try and use this idea of space to understand Space the group (Lisa Ullén, Elsa Bergman, Anna Lund). To calculate their cartesian co-ordinates: dynamics that run from whisper soft to pu…

* Edition of 100 copies * Two people in a room, and not one moment of merging. That is what makes All I Know In The City remarkable, and it is not a small thing. Potliquor is the duo of pianist Sharon Udoh and turntablist Allen Moore, caught live at Elastic Arts in Chicago on 18 January 2026 and issued by Amalgam, the artist-run Chicago collective and label founded in 2015 by drummer and engineer Bill Harris, who also recorded, mixed and mastered the session. Amalgam has spent a decade documenti…

"Utility Modern represents a kind of full creative circle for me. My musical journey began under the influence of Bill's work, and now we find ourselves collaborating, building something new together. In many ways, Utility Modern is an homage to the guitar and to the guitarists whose music shaped my artistic voice.My work is rooted more in process than in concept, and that process is deeply informed by an ongoing exploration of the instrument—its technique, physicality, and expressive possibilit…

180 gram Vinyl Edition. Gatefold Cover. The fourth album as a leader by spiritual jazz saxophone titan Pharoah Sanders, Jewels of Thought was released in 1969. It Consist of two extended tracks, one of which had to be divided into two parts in order to fit onto the LP. Sanders was incrediblt active in 1969, recording lo less than four albums and releasing three. The band on Jewels of Thought includes several major stars, among them Idris Muhammad, Roy Haynes, Richards Davis, Cecil McBee, Leon Th…

On Oscillations, Sol Sol stretch their free‑jazz vocabulary into something almost cosmic: ten pieces where Elin Forkelid’s four saxes, David Stackenäs’ guitar and the Agnas brothers’ rhythm team move from feather‑light drift to razor‑edged intensity with effortless precision.

Hot Heros once again bring a raw jazz grit to the heart of Finnish folk. Their latest LP, Tähtisilmä, explores the compositions of the master fiddler Konsta Jylhä through a modern, improvisational lens. Deepened by the rich, mournful tones of cellist Juho Kanervo, the group reimagines these beloved songs alongside a new original composition by bassist Ville Rauhala. Tähtisilmä is a visceral blend of jazz improvisation and the timeless "pelimanni" spirit, capturing the melancholy beauty of Finnis…

Kuusijärvi/Rönkkö launches the concept of accordion jazz into orbit with their album Aika ja tila (Time and Space). Built entirely on improvisation, this six-track collection stretches both musical genre boundaries and the very fabric of spacetime. Harri Kuusijärvi’s electronic accordion sounds at times like the chirping of a cyborg bird flock, and at others like Brian Eno’s electric toothbrush just as the batteries are dying. The other half of the duo, Tatu Rönkkö, weaves through his drum kit, …

“Peace is not the word to play” rapped Large Professor on Main Source’s 1991 debut album. His plea to stop abusing the word “peace” simply for rhetoric flair sounds just as valid in today’s genocidal world as it did in the streets of New York over 30 years ago. For Oiro Pena to name this album Béke, meaning peace in Hungarian - or white people in French Caribbean creole - it seems like they finally have something to say.With this group/concept/project called Oiro Pena, circling as a creative vor…

After Chick Corea’s Piano Improvisations, and Keith Jarrett’s Facing You, Paul Bley’s Open, To Love was the third fabulous chapter in ECM’s quietly revolutionary solo piano manifesto, whose impact endures and continues to influence improvisers today.  In the liner notes to this Luminessence vinyl edition, Bley biographer Greg Buium writes, “After more than fifty years, Open, To Love remains an imperishable gem, lodged forever in the present tense, and among the great masterpieces in ECM’s vast c…

Bomb! The debut recording by The Ancients, the intergenerational coalition of Isaiah Collier, William Hooker and William Parker formed by Parker to play concerts in conjunction with the Milford Graves' “A Mind-Body Deal” exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and now a working group. Across 2LPs of side-length long-form improvised sets recorded at 2220 Arts & Archives in LA and The Chapel in San Francisco, The Ancients bring the free jazz trio languages first explored by t…

Brooklyn-based pianist and composer Eva Novoa presents Eva Novoa Solo (I), her first solo piano recording and seventh album with 577 Records. Recorded at the legendary Sear Sound Studios in Manhattan, the album captures Novoa alone in the studio, embracing the artistic challenge of vulnerability, introspection, and creative freedom that defines the solo piano format. After several years working primarily within piano trio settings and other ensemble configurations, Novoa turned inward, embarking…

Flirty Ghost is an evocative LP by Rachel Kitchlew, a jazz and contemporary harpist known for pushing the boundaries of her instrument. A blend of jazz, ambient, and experimental sounds, the album was crafted in a spontaneous, deeply personal atmosphere, recorded late at night in the cozy, smoky setting of SFJ headquarters. Inspired by everything from Henry Mancini to Dorothy Ashby, this LP captures an eerie, playful essence, like a ‘flirty ghost’, while celebrating exploration and self-expressi…

Brasil & The Gallowbrothers Band are proud to announce the release of Record, Erase...Start Over Again, a powerful new record that captures the energy of live performance, the emotion of reinvention, and the joy of turning mistakes into momentum. Across the album, the band invites listeners into a world where every groove tells a story and every transition feels like a fresh start. From driving moments to deeply reflective passages, Record, Erase...Start Over Again follows an arc of growth—one t…

*Warehouse find!* "D.N.A." is a contemporary jazz album recorded at Mondial Studios in Milan in December 1996 by two 'heavyweights' of Italian and international jazz music, trumpeter Enrico Rava and pianist Mario Rusca, the latter here feature with his trio accompanied by double bass player Lucio Terzano and drummer Tony Arco. The album alternates original compositions written by Mario Rusca with evergreen classics of the genre.  In 1997 SAAR Records with its Giants Of Jazz label for the contemp…

Future Present Past is the second Impulse! Records album  by the free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements. The album was largely recorded at the historic Van Gelder Studio and showcases how the quintet fuses atmospheric jazz, world music traditions, and spoken word with the story of our collective existence: a future full of possibilities, a present with all its uncertainties, and a past as a source of ancestral wisdom. Irreversible Entanglements, formed in Brooklyn in 2015, consists of p…

** Edition of 500 ** Recorded direct to lathe cut, this pair of spontaneous creations teams two Berlin-based horn players with two New Yorkers of broad-ranging vision. Since their inception in 2003, Talibam!’s ultimate goal has been to wed disparate ideologies through proficiency, controversy, inquiry, and compassion. This is their fifth release on ESP-Disk’. Silke Eberhard, alto saxophone; Nikolaus Neuser, trumpet; Matt Mottel, piano, synthesizer, three-string guitar; Kevin Shea, drums.

A landmark recording in early creative improvised modern music, bassist Cecil McBee's recording for the Strata East label is an important document introducing him as a leader from the international jazz-based scene in New York City via his native Tulsa, OK and following a brief mid-'60s stint in Detroit. McBee as a pure musician has staggering technique, rich harmonic ideas, and an indefatigable swing, but it is as a composer that he is set apart from other musicians of this mid-'70s era.Life Wa…

**350 copies** "NoBusiness presents the latest trio recordings by Thomas Borgmann, Jan Roder and Willi Kellers. The album includes the following tracks: The Other Morning in the Park by Thomas Borgmann, Broadway Birdy by Willi Kellers and Chatham Bellbird by Jan Roder.Recorded on 16th May, 2017 at SAE Studios, Berlin by Robert Oeser.Mixed by Olaf Rupp and mastered by Arūnas Zujus at MAMAstudiosDesign by Oskaras Anosovas.Thomas Borgmann - tenor & soprano saxophone, toy-melodicaJan Roder - double …

300 copies. Recorded on 11th April, 2007 at Park West Studio by Jim Clouse. The Ullmann/Swell Quartet is the latest format of Gebhard Ullmann and Steve Swell with bassist Hill Greene and legendary drummer Barry Altschul. This emotional and intense quartet was founded in 2004 and toured in the U.S. and Canada in the same year. in October and November of 2006 the Ullmann/Swell 4 performed in Europe for the first time and got raving reviews. More tours in the U.S. and Canada followed 2007 and 2008.…

This latest instalment from NoBusiness Records collaboration with the Japanese Chap Chap label under the name of Yuji Takahashi with Sabu Toyozumi constitutes a real find. A wonderfully mystic vernal episode of free improv music recorded in Tokyo, 1998. Piano and percussion album of the highest beauty, interactive on a telepathic level and execution. Yuji Takahashi is a Japanese avant-garde composer and pianist. In Japan he was by then already well established as leading practitioner of experime…

On Live At Sogn Student Campus 1968, Ditlef Eckhoff Quintet captures Oslo’s student underground at full boil: hard-bop heads splinter into early freebag squalls while Knut Riisnæs and Christian Reim drive the frontline with nervy, melodic fire, turning a long-lost campus tape into a vivid document of Nordic modern jazz in transition.

A vibrant blend of Finnish jazz-rock, featuring intricate arrangements, modal harmonies, and memorable melodies. The result is an immersive, forward-thinking listening experience

A previously unissued post-bop document from 1970, Jyväskylä Workshop Band 1970 assembles American saxophonist Charlie Mariano, Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and Finnish luminaries Heikki Sarmanto, Eero Koivistoinen, Paroni Paakkunainen, Seppo Ranniko, Pekka Pöyry, Edward Vesala and Matti Koskiala. Professionally captured in concert, the album delivers a vibrant set of groovy, exploratory and subtly exotic tunes that helped assert Finland’s place on the international jazz map.