Music from United States

From the liner notes by Jakob Ullmann (translated by Peter Gebert and Molly McDolan): "It was during a break in the inaugural meeting of the East German section of the IGNM (International Society for Contemporary Music) in March of 1990 when Reinhard Oehlschlägel, the long-standing music editor of Deutschlandfunk in Cologne, suggested taking advantage of the fact that John Cage was to attend the summer courses in Darmstadt as a special guest by inviting John Cage to East Berlin. . . . Making Gia…

Black Truffle presents the eighth full-length release from the trio of Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke, and Oren Ambarchi. Over the course of four LP sides, the October 2014 concert documented here ranges from rock power trio dynamics to maelstroms of analog electronics. Once again, the three demonstrate their commitment to pushing into new areas of instrumental exploration and group interaction. Where their previous releases featured extended vocal workouts from Haino, his vocalizations here ar…

**edition of 200, numbered*Two new vocal based recordings by the conceptual, and ever challenging artist John Duncan. "Mantra" is a piece by himself and is a choral drone that is highly capturing and transcendent. "Ur Sonate" is a classic sound poem by dadaist Kurt Schwitters composed between 1922-1932. The piece was banned from being recorded for many years (by the Kurt und Ernst Schwitters Stiftung). This album is something new for Duncan, but also in a way connected to his "Bitter Earth…

Bob Bellerue is a New York based composer, sound activist and artist. His, to us, highly important releases “Brokelyn” (LP, Love Earth Music 2014) and “Damned Piano” (2xLP, Anarchymoon Recordings 2015) were quietly released and distributed but left a deep impact on everyone it reached. The iDEAL office were very happy to receive an offer to release more piano manipulations by mr Bellerue, further examples of one of the most interesting electro-acoustic noise artists active today. His acti…

Major label breakthrough (don’t blink or you’ll miss it)! Moondog’s spell with Columbia, then America’s most prestigious jazz and classical label, began here. Joplin’s lobbying opened the door. The album was produced by James William Guercio, a former Mother of Invention and producer of Columbia artists Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago. A modest commercial success, and an unqualified artistic triumph, the disc featured Moondog fronting a 40-piece orchestra. The best known track is ‘Bird’s Lament…

Another "surprise" box especially conceived and made for our "sound-related" series. The reflection made by If, Bwana/Al Margolis (as the two faces of the same artist) are upon the concept of communication in art. What is the role of the artist and what is the role of the spectator? Is any interpretation of art valid? Is it possible to have a direct communication between the act of creation and the act of seeing/listening?Each boxset in this series of 50 is absolutely unique, containing differen…

The history of American avant-garde music is a snarled knot, twisting through the decades, spanning genre, practice, and approach. Most narratives plant its origins within the post-war period, orbiting around John Cage, Morton Feldman, and those artists springing from the movements of Fluxus and free-jazz. American creative innovation issued unquestionable influence over the later half of 20th century, but the root of its radicalism was earlier, with its origins often misplaced. Rather growing f…

"To understand the significance of the word 'featuring' on Featuring Pharoah Sanders And Black Harold, consider how infrequently Sun Ra used it and the exact way it had been used."The October Revolution in Jazz, organized by Bill Dixon in the West Village in 1964, presented a vivid cross section of approaches to the new music, including a sextet led by Ra. For the October Revolution's continuation, titled Four Days in December, held at nearby Judson Hall on the last days of 1964, the Arkestra pe…

Black Truffle present the first ever vinyl reissue of legendary performance and sound artist John Duncan's forgotten gem Klaar, originally released by Extreme in 1991 and partly created in collaboration with Andrew McKenzie (The Hafler Trio). Duncan is perhaps most well-known for his notorious early performances pieces, which explored violence, self-denial, and the establishment of extreme psychological and physical states in both artist and audience. Alongside these transgressive experiments, D…

An incredible package – one that brings together two very important albums from reedman Steve Lacy – plus unreleased material from the same time too! First up is the record Disposability – presented here with the first-ever correction to the cymbal sound – a key session in the development of Steve Lacy – and a great one too! The album was one of Lacy's first European recordings – caught in the studio in Rome in 1965, with a very free-styled trio that includes Alberto Romano on drums and Kent Car…

This essential title is also available under the moniker of Sun Song (1956). Regardless of its name, this long player contains some of Sun Ra's most complex but most accessible efforts. Ra had been an active performer since the late 1940s, recording with his various combos or "Arkestra(s)," as he dubbed them. Since this was the first widely distributed platter that the artist cut, it is often erroneously referred to as his debut. The tracks were documented by then-unknown Tom Wilson. If the name…

Angels And Demons At Play was compiled from two different sessions, recorded four years apart (1956 and 1960), that reflect Sun Ra's evolution from hard Chicago bop towards exotic styles that transcended easy categorization. The album was released in 1965 with a distinctive sleeve design by Sun Ra, featuring an identical illustration on both sides, and no sleeve notes. Besides the leader, there's overlapping personnel at the two sessions, yet the two LP sides were somewhat incongruous, demonstra…

Herman Poole Blount, better known to the world as Sun Ra, lived more musical lives in his 79 years on this planet (and others) than seems possible. This collection compile singles of rare hard to find early Sun Ra productions and performances from Juanita Rogers, Yochanan, Little Mack, and Sun Ra and his Myth-Science Arkestra, from 1955-1961. A must have for all true Sun Ra collectors, this is an impressive retrospective on the early days of this legendary music guru.

Restocked, reduced price. A collection of rare free-jazz pieces performed by John Zorn and selected by the American guitarist and music critic Eugene Chadbourne. Come out in 1998 to accompany the book release “Sonora: John Zorn” (Materiali Sonori), the album is presented here for the first time in an exclusive release in limited edition on vinyl.The special issue includes the original book that features exclusive interviews, essays and photos about the artist’s entire oeuvre up to 1988.

Two concerts of experimental improvisation from Eddie Prevost and Christian Wolff, two giants of conceptual improvisation and composition, recorded at Ikletick in London in 2015 and at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire in 2016; with superb pacing and brilliant execution, these dialogs between keyboard and percussive instruments explore unique sound worlds with depth, inquisitiveness, and a sense of wonder.

A double 10" set featuring Sun Ra recordings. Initially released on two separate 10"s back in 2010/13. Volume 1 features "Along Came Ra", a previously unissued live track recorded in Paris in 1983. The legendary Disco 3000 concert tapes are on the flip. Volume 2 lifts three fine selections from the Sub-Underground Saturn LPs. "Love Is For Always" and the driving, roots-y "The World Of Africa" come from 1974's Temple U; while the myth-science poetics of "Space Is The Place/We Roam The Cosmos" com…

2015 release. On the occasion of improviser and composer Wadada Leo Smith's exhibition Ankhrasmation: The Language Scores, 1967-2015 at Chicago's Renaissance Society, Corbett Vs. Dempsey present Red Chrysanthemums, a previously unreleased live recording of solo performances by Smith, documented in Los Angeles in December of 1977. Three adventurous, spacious tracks that feature Smith's unique and innovative trumpet, as well as percussion, tuned percussion, and flute, all captured as Smith was in …

A collection of brand new Laraaji studio recordings, recorded by Davey Jewell (Peaking Lights/Flaming Lips) and mixed by Carlos Niño (Leaving Records). A magical mixtape of tracks that run the full gamut of ‘Laraaji music’, from blissed-out percussive jams to reflective vocal hymnals to trance-inducing drones. A perfect Laraaji entry-point on his never-ending creative journey through inner light. Laraaji is a musician, mystic and laughter meditation practitioner based in New York City. He began …

New age pioneer Laraaji summons celestial energies thru radiant gong meditations alloyed with modular synth and vocals to immersive effect. It’s really not as optimistic as you might expect, but does seem to follow a narrative arc from chaotic mystic darkness to a more positive, chiming conclusion in its 25 minute duration. An intriguing addition to his catalogue, which takes another smart turn with his upcoming album, Bring On The Sun.

Totally necessary vinyl edition of Aaron Dilloway's 'Psychic Driving Tapes', recorded in 2009 and originally only available (and now dead hard to find) on a 2011 cassette via his notorious Hanson Records. It's pure swill, smearing over 50 minutes of noize crud and sampledelia into the crevices of both sides so that you can finally own and become acquainted with a modern classic of its genre. "Coruscating cut-ups yanked still dripping and yowling from the belly of the beast. Dazzling and i…