Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

Lol Coxhill was an English saxophone player, largely known for playing soprano and sopranino saxophones. He began playing aged 15 in 1947 and later in that decade, organised club sessions where he introduced music from the jazz coming from the US. He later toured with musicians in America. Back in the UK, he played with Otis Spann, Jack Dupree and many other musicians. Coxhill was unconventional in so many ways. Rather than a permanent trio, quartet or collaborator, he played with a host of diff…

Collective improvisations by the quintet Conditions: Jamie Coleman, Nathaniel Catchpole, Alex James, John Edwards and Eddie Prévost, recorded at Gateway Studios, Kingston upon Thames, on 16 November 2002 and 2 March 2003.

Studio duets by Eddie Prévost (drums) and Veryan Weston (piano), twelve pieces in two parts recorded at Gateway Studios, Kingston, on 5 and 29 June 1998, mixed by Evan Parker.

Volume 4 of Meetings with Remarkable Saxophonists: Bertrand Denzler (tenor saxophone), John Edwards (double bass) and Eddie Prévost (drums), recorded at the Network Theatre, Waterloo, London, on 12 December 2011.

A concert by Tom Chant (tenor and soprano saxophones), John Edwards (double bass) and Eddie Prévost (drums), recorded at the Network Theatre, Waterloo, London, on 13 June 2012.

Trio of John Butcher (tenor and soprano saxophones), Guillaume Viltard (double bass) and Eddie Prévost (drums), four improvisations forming the Chinese Whispers Suite, recorded live at Iklectik, London, on 23 November 2016.

Free improvisation by Marilyn Crispell (piano), Harrison Smith (saxophones, bass clarinet) and Eddie Prévost (drums), recorded live at Café Oto, London, on 7 November 2012, the last date of a short tour.

SUM (Eddie Prévost on drums, Ross Lambert on guitar, Seymour Wright on alto saxophone) in two long sets recorded live at Cafe OTO, London, on 8 February 2009, one per disc.

Concert by Alexander von Schlippenbach (piano) and Eddie Prévost (drums) at Blackheath Halls, London, on 30 March 2008: a piano solo, a drum solo and a duet.

Live concert by the Free Jazz Quartet (Paul Rutherford, trombone; Harrison Smith, saxophones and bass clarinet; Tony Moore, cello; Eddie Prévost, drums), recorded at St George's Brandon Hill, Bristol, in 1992.

Reunion concert of the Eddie Prévost Band, Prévost (drums) with Geoff Hawkins (tenor saxophone), Gerry Gold (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Marcio Mattos (double bass), recorded live at Café Oto, London, on 17 February 2020.

Back in 1980, Weather Report consisted of Wayne Shorter - tenor & soprano sax, Joe Zawinul - keyboards, Jaco Pastorius - bass, Peter Erskine - drums and Bobby Thomas Jr. - percussion. Often considered as one of the best line ups in the band's history, this was a super tight combo playing with the same energy and power of a big band. The 1980 tour, also known as the "Night Passage" tour, is also remembered for the great visual impact, a large scale staging including laser and film projections. Th…

"The narrative has many faces, twisted, oneiric, mysterious and expressive."- Andrzej Nowak (Spontaneous Music Tribune)

“Repeated listening discovers more and more nuances in the subtle interplay and the clever and endless sonic games of these pioneers of European improvised music.” - Eyal Hareuveni, Salt Peanuts

"Three musicians who seem like impressionist painters, building, stroke by stroke, on small scale, finally creating a strong statement for the fresh catalogue of the label." - Fotis Nikolakopoulos, Freejazzblog

A never-before released Nathan Davis 1966/67 live recordings. Official release with the full permission and cooperation of the Nathan Davis Estate & INA (Institut National de l’Audiovisuel). "Style is not a given. Not many musicians reach the level of artistic personality where you can unmistakably recognize them. It takes character, roots, honesty, soulfulness. Nathan Davis had style. His tone on tenor was unique. So was his soprano sound and his distinctive approach to flute. His musical world…

An album inspired by childhood culinary experiences, where memories and fiction mix in an explosive cocktail of cinema, rock & roll and psychedelia. The album sounds rough, as if it were played live by a band, even though it is instead a one man session. The skeleton of each track is characterized by the most classic of drums, bass and guitar combos. Behind the pseudonym Louis Fontaine is a Paris-based composer, self didact and multi-instrumentalist from Italy, with a passion for soundtracks and…

**300 copies** Strong sixth release on the very solid Signal & Sound label - this time with Sol Sol, a quartet featuring David Stackenäs, Elin Larsson, Anna Lund and Mauritz Agnas. A very consistent set throughout, with some favourites among the progressive Our Mobile Home and the beautiful Aura.David Stackenäs - guitar & composition, Mauritz Agnas - bass, Anna Lund - drums, Elin Forkelid - saxophones & composition.

"Okinawa-born tenor sax star Ryusei Tomoyose famously studied under Sadao Watanabe in Tokyo words the final part of the 190s. Once his studies were complete, he went home and decided to focus on teaching and nurturing young musicians, which he did for the rest of his life while also becoming a pioneer in the Okinawa jazz scene. This album which was originally released in 1979 is packed with his playing passion and is a legendary record into which he pours his whole heart and soul. It was recorde…

* Available on LP for the first time in over 30 years! Featuring contributions from the queen of afrofuturism, June Tyson. Includes a bonus cut from the same sessions, not available on the original LP. * True studio albums of Ra with the Arkestra are rare on this planet or beyond. This studio saucer is an interplanetary interpreter, here to convert even the faintest of heart to the sounds of Sun Ra. Recorded with Arkestra veterans at the same NY studio that hosted countless Sun Ra sessions since…

The legendary multi-percussionist and spiritual jazz master Kahil El’Zabar continues his quest of spirit through groove in his collaboration with tenor sax colossus, David Murray. ‘Spirit Groove’ is the divining moment upon their incredible journey to meaningful art. This is a phenomenal album, adding an entirely new, elevated dimension to the Spirit of Groove! In Kahil El'Zabar's own words ‘Spirit Groove’ "intends to move you nakedly with a deep sense of dance on a Mind/Body/Spirit level. From …

Visionary percussionist and veteran bandleader Kahil El’Zabar leads his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble in celebration of the legendary jazz pioneer Don Cherry and releases new album Spirit Gatherer and previews the first track ‘Don Cherry’. The fifth of a series of Spiritmuse recordings that began with 2019’s Be Known: Ancient/Future Music [Spiritmuse KEZ001], Spirit Gatherer finds the three-person Ethnic Heritage Ensemble joined by two storied guest artists: Dwight Trible, vocalist with the Pan-Afrik…

Celebrating 50 Years of The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s Legacy and Unwavering Contribution to Great Black Music. This is the new offering from Kahil El’Zabar and his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, in conjunction with the legendary group’s 50th anniversary, Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit. Open Me is a joyous honoring of portent new directions of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble; it’s a visionary journey into deep roots and future routes, channeling traditions old and new. It mixes El’Z…

"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…

A 1982 New York studio session that pairs Derek Bailey with Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista and his cuica, surdo and berimbau. Polyrhythms and traces of samba meet a guitarist who declines the bait.

The Music Improvisation Company with Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Hugh Davies, Jamie Muir and Christine Jeffrey, before their ECM album. A Curt Sachs quote marks European free improvisation off from American free jazz.

Previously unreleased recordings from Company Week 1983. It opens with a reunion of Music Improvisation Company members Evan Parker, Hugh Davies and Jamie Muir, then moves to duos with Joelle Leandre and Muir.

Previously unreleased recordings from 1981 by shifting Company line-ups, with Derek Bailey, Tristan Honsinger, Toshinori Kondo, David Toop, Steve Lacy, Lindsay Cooper, Radu Malfatti and Jamie Muir.

Bomb! Black Vinyl edition. One can hardly imagine the genre-busting, culture-crossing musical magic of Outkast, Prince, Erykah Badu, Rick James, The Roots, or even the early Red Hot Chili Peppers without the influence of R&B pioneer Betty Davis. Her style of raw and revelatory punk-funk defies any notions that women can’t be visionaries in the worlds of rock and pop. In recent years, rappers from Ice Cube to Talib Kweli to Ludacris have rhymed over her intensely strong but sensual music. There i…

Universe in Blue is a rarity. After-hours music, showcasing Sun Ra's twisted take on the Blues, these live recordings from 1972 provide an intriguing glimpse of the Arkestra’s repertoire and virtuosity at the close of their first decade playing in New York, and brought him to the greater attention of the New York press and helped cement his reputation for audacious showmanship. Ra and his band performed at the famed East Village Slug's almost every Monday night for several years through the late…

Daniel Carter, William Parker, and Federico Ughi have been playing together since 2005, the year in which they recorded their first album The Dream. The band has performed regularly in the US and Europe ever since, gaining considerable success, with a 2010 European tour throughout Portugal, Spain, and Italy that resulted in the live album Navajo Sunrise (2012). In 2015 the trio started to rehearse with multi-instrumentalist Watson Jennison (Toronto, CA). As a quartet, the band toured the US and …

Limited to 300 copies Tip-on jacket. Niklas Persson's clever compositions juggle with playful elements of modern jazz, powerful free jazz and intimate modal jazz

The Beaters – Harari was released in 1975. After changing their name, Harari went into the studio late in 1976 to record their follow-up, Rufaro / Happiness. In 1976 they were voted South Africa’s top instrumental group and were in high demand at concert venues across the country. Comprising former schoolmates guitarist and singer Selby Ntuli, bassist Alec Khaoli, lead guitarist Monty Ndimande and drummer Sipho Mabuse, the group had come a long way from playing American-styled instrumental soul …

Available on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 1984, Outernational Sounds proudly presents Build An Ark pianist Nate Morgan’s second outing for the celebrated Nimbus West label – the conscious and spiritualised sounds of Retribution, Reparation.

100 hand numbered copies, 180 gr. vinyl LP. Solo album by Walter Prati, here back on his cello driving us through an illuminating and sublimative journey. Walter Prati’s composition for cello seems to interpret this range of facets, these transparent and elusive angles. Contemplative music, to a certain extent, but also ready to express fragments lyrically, and their rushing to compose a mosaic. For reasons I cannot explain, I catch a glimpse of several iridescent colours, between turquoise and …

Six extended improvisations from Company Week at London's ICA, July 1982: Derek Bailey with Ursula Oppens, Julie and Keith Tippett, Philipp Wachsmann, Fred Frith, George Lewis, Anne LeBaron, Motoharu Yoshizawa and Akio Suzuki.

* Edition of 300 copies. High thickness cardboard with opaque laminated cover. Comes with a printed insert. * “Beautiful United Harmony Happening” / “The Education of an Amphibian” - the second release by Alga Marghen’s brand new free jazz imprint, Formalibera - is also dedicated to the output of John Tchicai following his return to Copenhagen during the mid 1960s. Comprising two pieces, remarkably, this single LP effectively bookends a rich period of activity for the saxophonist, capturing one …

A night-time haunt in the backstreets of Soweto run by a well-known bootlegger should have been a prime zone for nefarious underworld activities. Instead, it nurtured an underground of a different kind. Soon after its opening in 1973, Club Pelican became a spot where musicians steeped in the tradition of South African jazz began to cook up experimental sounds inspired by communion, competition and the movements in funk and soul blowing in from the West. Located in an industrial park on the weste…

Roberto Laneri's works always convey a clear artistic certainty: a total composer with an eclectic cultural background. In this latest adventure it seems to propose a kind of weird and curious Exotica music; his Mediterranean ragas release glows and shadows, but the music plays more the plateaus of the Maghreb than the Indus Valley. Like a sorcerer piper, the sax shapes alchemy and hypnotic phrasing become: vague dances of camels, ecstatic progressions of an aboriginal vortex or a mystic arabesq…

** Small repress **Live and direct from Balombo City, capital of Bolombia, a land of milk and honey in between the scorching stomping South and the glacial abstract North: Maistah Aphrica are back on track! The word has spread in the Bolombian nation: everyone who knows they are returned is shouting De balombo!” (so cool), “El secondo xe Meow!” (the 2nd is better), they answer back. Maistah Aphrica (never been to Aphrica, in their own Bolombian slang) celebrate again Cultura de Bolombia: the nat…