Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

A single produced by the highly-revered Saravah label at the time, featuring the Art Ensemble of Chicago backing the poetry of the little-remembered Alfred Panou, is not as well-known as the label's other releases. Seen in the 1967 film Weekend by Jean-Luc Godard, Alfred Panou who is of mixed Benin-Togolese origin, already had a career as an actor in political theater when, pushed by producer Pierre Barouh, he recorded two of his texts concerning Black Power. Panou's prose is one of the first, i…

LP version. Includes eight-page booklet; 425 gsm brownboard outer sleeve; 180 gram vinyl. "Why would I sing in French? I have Breton culture, I speak Breton, I live in Brittany, and the Breton language is the language of this country..." So explained Kristen Noguès, of whom this is the first of the (rare) albums that she recorded Marc'h Gouez, is a fabulous voyage in space on each listening. Noguès learned the Breton language as a child, at the same time as the Celtic harp, -- taking lessons wit…

This bundle includes the following LPs recently re-issued by Souflle continu: FFL083 - Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra - L'Inter CommunalFFL084 - Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra - Le Musichien The Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra was created in 1971 by an “old hand” of French free jazz, François Tusques. Free Jazz, was also the name of the recording made by the pianist and other like-minded Frenchmen (Michel Portal, François Jeanneau, Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin and Charl…

LP version. Eight-page booklet with rare and unpublished photos. Heavyweight 180-gram LP. In 1972, trumpeter Baikida Carroll and some of his colleagues from the Black Artists Group (more precisely saxophonist/flutist Oliver Lake, trombonist Joseph Bowie, drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw and trumpeter Floyd LeFlore) took the advice of their friends in the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and left their native Missouri to come and discover the bright lights of Paris for themselves. The following year they would…

2024 stock Outstanding performance by the Austrian saxophonist Hans Koller; this is a very uncommon and memorable session from the 1960s. Koller plays tenor in a quartet that also features Fritz Pauer on piano; the track was initially recorded for a sound library session, but it is exemplary 60s contemporary jazz. In a style that appears to really challenge Koller during his solos, maximizing his remarkable tone and phrasing without descending into any kind of overdone experimentalism, most of t…

*2024 stock* "Tony has made a great album, it sounds like a lost album from the european spiritual jazz scene of the 1970s. A nice balance of themes with spirited playing. Great analogue recording too!" - Nat Birchall, Gondwana Records "Fresh new UK jazz talent who can only be destined for great things! This album can only be a future classic." - Jazzman Gerald, Jazzman Records

Respected Swedish Drummer and Composer Dennis Egberth Introduces New Sextet in His First Album with 577 Records. If you love the era in which electronic elements began to enter contemporary jazz, you’ll LOVE what Sweden’s Dennis Egberth has been creating. The esteemed drummer/composer introduces us to his hand-chosen ensemble, The Dennis Egberth Dynasty, in the artist’s first album with 577 Records. The self-titled release highlights his creativity, painting a hypnotic soundscape that soothes th…

Connect to your favorite listening device, crank up the volume, and prepare for the ultimate avant-punk experience!  Brooklyn-based 577 Records is honored to present the Roboquarians’ first recorded album, Roboquarians, Vol. 2.  The new release comes from the hearts of up-and-coming sax talent Ayumi Ishito, lively drummer Kevin Shea, and gifted guitarist George Draguns. When Ayumi received a request from Shea and Draguns to collaborate, she became part of the intriguing backstory of this work of…

A never-before released Donald Byrd & Bobby Jaspar 1958 studio recordings. First official release with the full permission and cooperation INA (Institut National de l’Audiovisuel). Available on vinyl only. No CD, No Digital is scheduled.In July 1958, Donald Byrd made a lengthy visit to Europe, not returning Stateside until December. He fronted a fine quintet that gave concert appearances at festivals held in many countries, Knokke-le-Zoute (Belgium), Cannes (France), Sweden, Norway, Germany – an…

*2022 stock. In process of stocking* Trumpeter Donald Byrd spent a few months in France in 1958, and a Paris concert resulted in two LPs' worth of material. Byrd's quintet at the time included Bobby Jaspar (on tenor and flute), pianist Walter Davis, Jr., bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor. Byrd was just beginning to find his own sound in the late '50s and he is in excellent form on "Dear Old Stockholm," Sonny Rollins' "Paul's Pal," Jaspar's "Flute Blues," "Ray's Idea," and "The Blues W…

Erich Kleinschuster’s projects and initiatives played a vital role in establishing a spiritual home for jazz in Vienna. The founding of his sextet in 1966 and, in 1968, a jazz department at the Vienna Conservatory, were catalysts for a scene that attracted international stars as well as nurturing the careers of home-grown virtuosos. Many jazz exiles, admired in Europe as they never were in the United States, settled for long periods, carving out new lives on the continent. The recordings in this…

First time release on vinyl of the breathtaking songs Patty Waters recorded with engineer Steve Atkins in 1970 at the Coast Recordings studio, together with the unreleased single 'My One And Only Love' and a recorded live session at Lone Mountain College in 1974.The album 'You Loved Me' is the missing link between her two groundbreaking pioneering and highly acclaimed ESP-Disk records from the end of the 60's and her post 90's releases. The missing link between the radical ingenue of the 1960s a…

Patty Waters is a visionary avant-garde vocalist and composer, best known for her groundbreaking 1960s recordings for the legendary free jazz label ESP-Disk. Captivated by the music of Billie Holiday, she sang with Bill Evans, Charlie Mingus, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock before coming to the attention of Albert Ayler, who introduced her to ESP-Disk's Bernard Stollman. The rest is history.Recorded with pianist Burton Greene, Waters' haunting 1966 debut Sings juxtaposes a side of hushed self-com…

Sun & Rain is a fully collaborative quartet that thus far has practiced a painstaking process of co-composing music together. Because of this extreme sense of collaboration and only working on the music when all four members were physically together, the album Waterfall took six years to compose. Beginning in 2014 the band gathered at Laplante’s residence in Vermont for semi-annual rehearsal retreats. These were not particularly relaxing retreats, as the band held themselves to a rigorous work e…

Recorded at Kammerspiele (Schauspielhaus Bochum), October 31, 2022, mixed and mastered by Peter Böhm.Frank Gratkowski — clarinets Maria Gstättner — bassoon Martin Siewert — guitars, electronics Sara Kowal — harp Joanna Lewis—violin Laura Strobl—viola Melissa Coleman—cello Peter Herbert — double bass Els Vandeweyer — vibes, percussion Gerry Hemingway — drums, percussion Georg Graewe — piano

Tip! A radiant manifesto of artistic freedom, fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s suite but sacred) brings together a composition in four movements written and performed by Jones on alto saxophone, long-time collaborator Gerald Cleaver on drums, and four Vancouver-based string musicians: violinists Jesse Zubot and Josh Zubot, cellist Peggy Lee and bassist James Meger; with original artwork by Stan Douglas and liner notes by poet Harmony Holiday. Commissioned by Western Front, an artist-run center for multi…

** Black Vinyl, inside out sleeve, 12"x12" insert with artwork, liner notes & lyrics, black polylined inner sleeve. ** Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones join We Jazz Records for their third LP New Monuments. Amirtha Kidambi has long affirmed that the role of sound in the act of protest is pivotal. In the summer of 2020, the Brooklyn-based vocalist and composer was immersed in mass demonstrations across New York City in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, organizing bands to counter the violent pr…

Blacknuss was a trend-setting iconic contribution to jazz. Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s creative force helped to define musical culture. From its opening bars, with Bill Salter's bass and Rahsaan's flute passionately playing Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine", you know this isn't an ordinary Roland Kirk album (were any of them?). As the string section, electric piano, percussion, and Cornel Dupree's guitar slip in the back door, one can feel the deep soul groove Kirk is bringing to the jazz fore here. A…

Peter Brötzmann: tenor saxophone; Fred Van Hove: piano; Han Bennink: drums, voice; Albert Mangelsdorff: trombone. Recorded during the Free Music Market, August 27 and 28, 1971, in Berlin. Designed by Peter Brötzmann. Part of the legendary "Berlin Trilogy" originally released by FMP in 1971 (FMP 0050). 180-gram vinyl. One-time pressing of 500. First standalone reissue."The great thing about this trilogy/set is how naturally everything flows. . . . each subdividing of the group, each solo excursio…

Peter Brötzmann: tenor saxophone; Fred Van Hove: piano; Han Bennink: drums, voice; Albert Mangelsdorff: trombone. Recorded during the Free Music Market, August 27 and 28, 1971, in Berlin. Designed by Peter Brötzmann. Part of the legendary "Berlin Trilogy" originally released by FMP in 1971 (FMP 0030). 180-gram vinyl. One-time pressing of 500. First standalone reissue."What reveals itself in the über energetics on display here is the ability of one quartet to take so much for granted and ye…

ErstLive is a new series of releases from Erstwhile Records, documenting notable live sets associated with the label. The discs are designed to simulate a concert experience, each in the same template design using two colors chosen by the musicians involved, with a photo of the concert on the back cover. Each will be in an edition of 800 CDs and not reprinted. The initial releases will be chosen from the AMPLIFY 2004 festival which took place in Cologne and Berlin in May 2004. ErstLive …

Ami Yoshida and Christof Kurzmann are both well-respected artists within the international community, each performing in a wide range of contexts from abstract to pure pop. Both are best known for their long-running duos, Yoshida for Cosmos (with Sachiko M) and Kurzmann for schnee (with Burkhard Stangl). This project finds them in far less comfortable territory, and a s o is the outcome of two years of hard work.Ami Yoshida strives to create a pure sound, abstracting her voice until it becomes a…

From the first moment the pulsating tone of Devin's synth blends with the whispering voices of Earth, Wind and Choir and the menacing bells Naima Karlsson set in motion this record you just know and feel immediately 'Nebulizer' will be a soul-searching journey, soaking you deep into an unknown and very personal musical world. Devin Brahja Waldman is a New York saxophonist, drummer, synthesizer player and composer who leads the group Brahja. He has performed with Patti Smith, William Parker, Nada…

Devin Brahja Waldman is a New York saxophonist, drummer, synthesizer player and composer who leads the group Brahja. Waldman has accompanied his aunt, poet Anne Waldman, since the age of ten. Waldman is a co-founding member of Radical Reversal, Diva of Deva Loka, and Notable Deaths. He has performed with Patti Smith, William Parker, Nadah El Shazly, Malcolm Mooney, Thurston Moore, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Charles Hayward, Luke Stewart and Yoshiko Chuma. Waldman is also a member of NYC’s Hero…

Recorded in the 1980's and snapped up upon arrival in Europe by the Soho Boho's, Acid Jazzuals, Cuboppers, Jazz Massivists and Mojo Jazzmuziker, "Le-Le" by The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble is a unique one off spiritual soul-jazz outing with avant garde touches and more than a hint of afro-cuban orientalism.The percussion drenched title track has that special worldwide sound and the cool jazz get down groove of "Wet Walnuts and Whipped Cream" is a DJ's delight, whether played over the airwaves or to a …

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…

The tenth issue of We Jazz Magazine, "Dominoes" for Donald Byrd. 128 pages, 170 x 240 mm in size and printed on 140g Edixion paper with laminated 300g Invercote covers. All articles presented in English. Donald Byrd by Andy Beta, Lonnie Liston Smith by Anton Spice, Charles Gayle by Seymour Wright, Anoushka Shankar & Arooj Aftab in conversation by Debra Richards, Billy Harper by Bret Sjerven, Anni Kiviniemi by Wif Stenger, Kenneth Jimenez by Andrey Henkin, Sun Ra by Francis Gooding, Muffins by Ma…

The twelfth issue of We Jazz Magazine, "Worldwide" for Gilles Peterson. 128 pages, 170 x 240 mm in size and printed on 140g Edixion paper with laminated 300g Invercote covers. All articles presented in English. Includes Gilles Peterson by Anton Spice, Ingrid Laubrock by Stewart Smith, Hannibal Lokumbe by Bret Sjerven, Universal Folks Sounds by Magnus Nygren, Spoken Word / Free Jazz by Alex Coles, Dutch Jazz Archive by Danny Veekens, Takuya Kuroda by Rob Garratt, Jan Roder and Michael Griener of …

*50 copies limited edition* "This release has been in the works for a while and we're beyond thrilled to finally bring it to you. Pet Peeves seamlessly blends angular, precision musicianship with sheer blown-out chaos without sounding disjointed or contrived. High-energy guitar, drum and horn music with an absurdist performative edge. The sound of a tornado hitting a Guitar Center." - Orb Tapes

Mr. Bongo proudly presenting our reissue of a bona fide Latin classic from 1979 by the Cuban-born violinist Alfredo De La Fe. Based in New York and Colombia, Alfredo worked with some of the greats in Latin music including Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colon and Roberto Roena, alongside disco and soul icons like Sylvester and Aquarian Dream. His debut album, Alfredo, is sublime and comprises two distinct halves. The A-side is a fine outing of Latin dancefloor workouts, with Alfredo innovatively incorpor…

Following the success of ‘The Original Sound of Mali’ compilation, we return with another explorative delve into the wonders of Malian music compiled by French writer, journalist and Grammy-nominated compiler Florent Mazzoleni and Mr Bongo’s very own David Buttle. Restoring, reissuing and contextualising iconic tracks from Ousmane Kouyaté & Ambassadeurs Internationaux, Rail Band, Les Messagers du Mali, Mystère Jazz de Tombouctou and many more, the second compilation in this series dives ever fur…

Considered by some to be trumpeter Donald Byrd's last worthwhile jazz recording, Electric Byrd is a high-flying relic from 1970. This album can be understood as Byrd's formidable response to the musical challenges set down by trumpet-rival Miles Davis with his epic Bitches Brew recordings from a year earlier. Clearly Miles is the ghost presence here, with distinct echoes of his sound permeating the vibe of this exploratory set. Byrd demonstrates on his three originals that he, too, was a force t…

Black Vinyl. John Coltrane saw the album-length suite A Love Supreme as his gift to God. The world has come to see it as a classic –not only Coltrane’s best-known work, but one of the most important and influential jazz records ever made. Featuring the Classic Quartet of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, A Love Supreme is one of the most honest musical performances put to tape. Its beauty and appeal are timeless.

The End is near - after two albums on the now defunct UK label Rare Noise, the powerful project of Sofia Jernberg (vocals), Kjetil Møster (clarinet and tenor saxophone), Mats Gustafsson (flutes, baritone saxophone and electronics), Anders Hana (baritone and bass guitar) and Børge Fjordheim (drums) release their third album on Trost. They combine Avantrock, Jazz and a haunting beautiful voice to a seethe mix of emotions, noise, music - a sonic landscape, dynamic and captivating. This album is a t…

Boneshaker are Mars Williams (reeds, toy instruments), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums & percussion) and Kent Kessler (bass), three prolific powerhouse musicians, carrying among them a Grammy nomination and decades of experience with the top ensembles in the world. Thinking Out Loud is their third album. Personnel: Mars Williams - reeds; Paal Nilssen-Love - drums; Kent Kessler - bass.

Jim O'Rourke (of Gastr del Sol and Sonic Youth fame) plays a lot with Japanese Free jazz legend Akira Sakata in various formations. Together with Italian composer and pianist Giovanni di Domenico and the drummer Tatsuhisa Yamamoto they form this powerful band. Their second release combines contemporary Avantgarde and Free Jazz in a beautiful way.Line-up:Akira Sakata - sax, clarinet, voiceJim O’Rourke - double bassGiovanni di Domenico – piano, hohner pianetTatsuhisa Yamamoto - drumsRecorded Jim O…

Since 2008 our Spiritual Jazz series has presented unlimited horizons. Each album celebrates the rich tradition of African-American songs based on the belief in a higher force than oneself and has also focused on geographical areas, such as Europe or Japan, thus recognizing that these territories have immense cultural riches. Religions, like Islam, whose musical traditions have vivid Arabic and North African resonances, have also been highlighted. The stylistic range of all the above is wide. Ye…

From Elemental Music comes the long overdue vinyl reissue of one of greatest and most standalone albums in both the legendary Blue Note catalog and the history of American jazz: the longtime Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter Eddie Gale’s 1968 debut “Ghetto Music”. A towering hybrid of free jazz, spiritual jazz, and gospel, infused with politics of Black Nationalism and self-determination of its era that culminate in a writhing, heavy sound like nothing else, it’s one of those records that pulls the rug …

"The music is never the same. It verifies its positions and conditions, its peculiar way of listening to the cavities, the motions started, the tensions between sound and silence, tone and memory. Nature is present not only as trees and clouds, light and shadows. It is a readiness for what is constantly changing, a heightened awareness on the minimal variations in the materials and processes at hand, what it means to slowly examine a rough surface, the transformation of a rhythm, a melodic phras…

2024 stock These days, where a young generation worldwide discovers good swinging Jazz again, where Dexter Gordon returned after so many years in exile like a triumphator to New York and "young swinging Scott Hamilton" becomes something like a 'super-star', it is hard to believe that this album was recorded 13 years ago - hard to believe by both artistic and technical standard. At this time, in the year of 1966, Beatlemania reached its peak and the beat and/ or rock wave ruled the world of music…