Jazz /
Alleycat
Definitely one of Nucleus' lesser known albums, Alleycat nonetheless maintains the exceptionally high standards that Ian Carr & Nucleus had set for themselves over the course of numerous albums before this one. It's true that there's little here which is a departure from any of their previous releases, but with a quality of of both songwriting and playing this high, who could blame them? Once again we have fast, intricate, melodic jazz-rock fusion, with moments of high energy interspersed with s…
Under The Sun
Under The Sun is the follow-up to the astonishing Roots and contains yet more absolutely essential Nucleus material. Originally released on Vertigo in 1974, Under The Sun was never re-pressed and of course those original copies are now very tricky to score. Like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well and this re-issue, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press. The bleak, rain-dappled cover matches the melancholic vibe of the record and has been restored as the finishing…
Bone Of Contention
*In process of stocking* Semantics was a jazz supergroup consisting of Elliott Sharp, Ned Rothenberg and Samm Bennett. Elliott Sharp, born in Ohio in 1951, began playing the piano at the age of six and started to perform concerts two years later. He soon gave up the piano, first in favour of the clarinet and later for the guitar. Sharp became intrigued with all types of experimental music, from contemporary classical to free jazz and sophisticated rock. He studied anthropology at Cornell Univers…
Concerto For Wah Wah
*In process of stocking* Produced by Jimmy Curtiss, who is best remembered as lead singer of the great psychedelic folk rock band the Hobbits, Century Expanded’s “Concerto For Wah Wah” was released in 1971 but staged very little impact at the time. Finding original copies of the disc is a real chore, so how cool it is the Gear Fab label will soon reissue this super rare album, which features all instrumentals duly drenched in wah wah guitar action.
The opening track of “Concerto Wah Wah” measure…
Chloé
*2022 stock* Futura Marge presents Chloé by Ray Mauger trio. Ray Mauger (guitar), Alain Raman (electric bass) & Chris Dailey McCraven (drums) - guest on two tracks: Félix Perron (curved soprano saxophone). Recorded in Paris on 12 January 2007 at Studio Mesa, and on 8 June and 16 July 2007 at Studio Border.
Garden Of Secrets
"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 …
Kiedy Wilki Zawyja?
"This giddy avant pop affair is rather more avant than pop, with a large backing band of musicians steeped in the stylings of early 1970s psychedelia, mutant prog, free jazz saxophone solos, slinky blues (particularly on “Red White And Blue”) and moody spy soundtracks in the vein of John Barry’s score for 1965’s The Ipcress File. “Last Exit To Lublin” has a spoken word interlude in which the Cold War language of such films is remapped for the era of Brexit: “Papers, please/How long have you been…
Miles Davis Quintets Stockholm Live 1967 & 1969 Revisited
Temporary Super Offer! 'Was there more than one Miles Davis? Could he be both the Prince of Darkness and the purveyor of cool? A drug addict and an athletic boxer? A hip bebopper and a protohippie? A flamboyant dresser and a shy vulnerable soul? A brutal misogynist and an insecure romantic? The answer is yes, and yes. Miles Davis was both a creator and a destroyer. His chameleon-like nature can be explained by the times in which he lived and created his art. These live recordings in Stockholm, S…
Spirale
Released way back in 1974, the lone, self-titled effort from Spirale is an album notable for its lack of electronic instruments. It also has some of those loveable low-budget production flaws that are so often heard in obscure 1970s Italian progressive music, and the bass quite often seems charmingly out-of-tune. But this was an earnest and quite energetic jazz-rock ensemble excursion, with excellent brass arrangements and improvisation. Other instruments used include violin, drums, piano and va…
Terrifying Sunset
Contemporary German artist Albert Oehlen invited Steamboat Switzerland to create music for his solo exhibition Tramonto Spaventoso at the Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles, 2021. Oehlen and the experimental Swiss ensemble had already collaborated in 2019/2020 at the Serpentine Galleries (London). The recorded instant compositions draw connection with Oehlen’s own visual strategies in which he interprets and transforms John Graham’s painting Tramonto Spaventoso (Terrifying Sunset) (1940–49).
Middle Eastern Rock
"Crazed time signatures abound as musicians from the West look East for inspiration, infusing their rock and jazz sounds with vibes looted from India and the Far East. A true marriage of Western and (Middle) Eastern music with a fuzzed-out psychedelic edge.Released originally in 1969, Middle Eastern Rock is a unique, compelling fusion record from Armenian-American oud player John Berberian. The Rock East Ensemble, Beberian’s backing band, consists of the artist’s standard group, which specialize…
Eastern Flowers
This is the first stop on Sven Wunder’s musical journey. Wunder takes the listener somewhere around the easternmost part of the Mediterranean Sea, around the Levantine Sea, where he paints a colourful portrait and illustrates the regions flora through sound.
Natura Morta
On Natura Morta, Sven Wunder is exploring art as a bridge between nature and the human ability to judge and observe in eleven musical compositions with brightly colored textures and an emphasis on vibrant melodies.
Wabi Sabi
By welcoming the beauty of imperfection and simplicity, Sven Wunder applies the timeless wisdom of wabi sabi on this musical journey. What you can hear is filtered through Ukiyo-e (which translates as “pictures of the floating world”), which illustrates everyday life, as well as through Japonism, the study of Japanese art, and more specifically its influence on European works.
Carlton Streets
Composer and saxophonist Brian Brown produced some of the most refined Australian jazz recordings during the 1970s. A versatile musician whose distinct impressionist music melded modern jazz with the outer limits of free experimentation. Considered to be his greatest work was the 1975 concept album Carlton Streets, an ambitious recording that romanticised the sights, sounds and the nostalgia of this once-bohemian Melbourne neighbourhood. Differing from his eco-jazz composition Wildflowers heard …
African Spaces
The South African response to Chick Corea’s Return to Forever and Miles’ On the Corner. A defining musical statement in South Africa’s jazz canon – pinpointing the moment of social and musical ferment in which the country’s terms of engagement with jazz were irreversibly changed. Forged when township kids were facing down bullets, this is an electric mulberry funk – slick, intense and complex.
Kryzys Czytelnictwa
Debut from this Polish group, whose name means Old Tapes and whose members have an impressive background in punk, improv, experimental and even classical music. They have come together here to let out a loud shriek of angry disbelief triggered by the general shape of contemporary Polish society and the concomitant public discourse. The album, whose title approximately translates to Literacy Crisis, consists of six punk, jazz and religious chants, all worked together to form a powerful and specif…
Uva Ursi
“Urs Graf Consort, a collective with a corrupted genealogy, produce trail-blazing simulacra - songs nested within themselves, with the experimental accents of Ursonate. A protean duo operates under the name of Swiss engraver Urs Graf (1485 - c. 1529); Prune Bécheau and Adrien Bardi-Bienenstock are composers and performers for ensembles that are as varied as the motley company brought together in The Peasants War which Urs Graf depicted; Uva Ursi captures on-the-spot at acoustic vigils on the edg…
Dr Heckle and Mr Jive
The debut album by post-punk/funk group, Pigbag - Formed from creative jam sessions in punk’s aftermath, the young group gathered steam after convincing Simon Underwood to join the fun following his departure from The Pop Group. Mixing punk, funk, jazz, ska, reggae and afrobeat into a bewitching brew, this vinyl reissue is the first time this album has been on wax since 1982.
Crossfade Estate
Crossfade Estate was a special, distinct project. It was made in November 2005. Recorded in 10 hours. Edited, mixed and collaged over 18 months. It was a development of Charles Hayward's long term relationship with The Albany in Deptford, London. They asked him to push their recently installed digital recording suite and see what he could make. The approach was a step further from the series Accidents+Emergencies which Hayward had curated in the late 1990's.
It was a pulling together of differen…