Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

First pressing of 200 on gold foil cassette shells. Tracks A1-B5 recorded July 5th & 6th, 2003 at The Black Eye by Jeff Ottenbacher, and mixed at Funsize Studio by Jeff Ottenbacher. Track B6 is a live improvisation by Vernacular & Black Ox Orkestar at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in the Fall of 2004. J-card text: Thanks to Ed Sotelo, Jason Schafer, Cynthia Piper, Clinton Holley, and Jeff Ottenbacher. Extra special thanks to Amiri Baraka (rest in power), the members of Black Ox Orkes…

*200 copies limited edition*  Recorded live 2nd October 2022 at Café OTO, London by Pedro SubtilMixed December 2022 by Alex BonneyMastered by Mikey Young All compositions by Nicole Mitchell (Wheatgoddess Creations ASCAP) and Alexander Hawkins (PRS), except "There is a Balm in Gilead" (traditional, arr. Mitchell/Hawkins)

If Brandon Seabrook’s previous trio album, Convulsionaries, was quietly pummeled by a modified chamber jazz vibe, Exultations, featuring the ever-versatile drummer Gerald Cleaver and the inimitable Cooper-Moore on diddley-bow, leaves no holds barred. A makeover doesn’t even begin to describe what has happened to Seabrook with the shift in personnel, now a vehicle in full flight; while the faint of heart had better clear out, everyone else should buckle up! For those unfamiliar with Cooper-Moore’…

It is intended with the utmost respect that this album is entitled Apura!, which in the Filipino language Tagalog translates to “Very Urgent” (the name of an epochal record by the Blue Notes, the pioneering South African jazz sextet of which drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo was the heartbeat). The musicians of Louis and Trevor Watts’s generation cast a tremendous shadow over the legacy of improvised music. It’s not difficult to romanticize the era in which these musicians first made their marks, exer…

Brandon Lopez (contrabass), Steve Baczkowski (saxophones), and Gerald Cleaver (percussion) freely play propulsive grooves drawing as much from heavy metal aggression as free jazz freakouts. Baczkowski’s reeds with their acoustic distortions impart a crunch to the music and their snaking lines dance over the sinister and doomed romp of the rhythm section. Lopez and Cleaver are most often locked into a martial groove, assembled and disassembled, sometimes faltering and reeling from their own displ…

"The question to be answered during this live performance was, "Will there be enough space for all the musicians' voices to be heard?" Recorded at Firehouse 12, in June 2019, this new ensemble is an adaptation of various duos and familiar trios. Saxophonist Paul Flaherty and drummer Chris Corsano have performed and recorded numerous discs together since the late '90s, releasing high-octane free jazz. The same can be said of the drummer's duo work with Danish saxophonist Mette Rasmussen; their tw…

Photographs by Roberto Masotti, Lelli e Masotti  Forewords by Joan La Barbara, Franco Masotti, Veniero Rizzardi . The book "John Cage, in a landscape" is based on a rich photographic material taken to the American composer and theorist between 1977 and 1991, mainly by Roberto Masotti and in the remaining part by Lelli and Masotti, both during events that took place in Italy and abroad, like in his New York house.   To John Cage correspond such a multiplicity of aspects that it is even difficult …

2023 Repress Knockout! Real spiritual jazz — frank, deep, reaching; no fakery. John Tchicai appears on Ascension and Albert Ayler’s New York Eye And Ear Control; he’s on Witchdoctor’s Son, with Johnny Dyani and Dudu Pukwana, besides landmark recordings with Archie Shepp, including Four For Trane; and his Mohawk LP on Fontana is a five-star affair. Yet still Richard Williams in The Guardian reckoned this ‘wise and lyrical’ album ‘one of his best recordings’. Here his playing is somewhere new, osc…

The never before released Bird Curtis's second album, equally great as the first one, comes with UK flip sleeve. Limited to 500 copies. The critically acclaimed quintet is back with their second album! Finally available for the first time after it was recorded 50 years ago. ‘Needs B’ is a beautifully crafted set with one traditional and 9 original songs, filed under the classic British jazz sound blending modernism and bop with a strong focus on melody. With a top line-up of London musicians Ian…

A sensational, previously unheard session by legendary British free jazz saxophonist Mike Osborne, recorded in December 1970 at London's famous 100 Club. From Osborne's personal tape collection. Feautures two compositions currently thought to be unrecorded in any other setting. Lineup: Mike Osborne - alto saxm Alan Skidmore - tenor sax, Harry Miller - double bass, Louis Moholo - drums.  Original mastering by Mike King. Additional mastering by Matt Parker for British Progressive Jazz in associati…

** 2021 Repress ** In the years following World War Two, Japan developed one of the most insatiable, dynamic and diverse markets for jazz. For a crucial period of little over a decade – from the late 1960s to the early 1980s – Japanese jazz culture progressed at an astonishing rate, producing an extraordinary array of artists, recordings and record labels that created some of the most forward thinking and impressive jazz to be committed to tape. This amazing journey is explored on J Jazz: Deep M…

BBE Music presents J Jazz volume 3, the latest in its definitive compilation series exploring the finest modern jazz from Japan. Since the first volume in February 2018, the J Jazz compilation series has showcased some of the most creative, inspired, and sought-after jazz recorded in Japan during a golden period spanning the 1960s to the 1980s. Illustrating the richness and versatility of the composers and musicians on this collection, the music spans a wide yet coherent range of styles: samba, …

A live recording of the trio comprised of John Butcher (saxophones, feedback) Thomas Lehn (analogue synthesizer) Matthew Shipp (piano) performing at Cafe Oto, London on 19 February 2014. "the standout album of 2016. There’s a raw vitality to the performance, and the music is unabashed and direct in channeling relatively conventional lyricism: Tangle is supremely listenable, and should grab listeners who usually find improvised free music elusive, as well as devotees . . . This is thrilling…

Soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy continued his early exploration of Thelonious Monk’s compositions on this 1961’s Evidence Lacy worked extensively with Monk, absorbing the pianist’s intricate music and adding his individualist soprano saxophone mark to it. On this date, he employs the equally impressive Don Cherry on trumpet, who was playing with the Ornette Coleman quartet at the time, drummer Billy Higgins, who played with both Coleman and Monk, and bassist Carl Brown. Cherry proved capable of p…

Since 2018, BBE Music has been leading the field in reissuing rare modern jazz from Japan’s golden period spanning the late 60s to the early 80s. The J Jazz Masterclass Series continues to present the finest in Japanese jazz with 'Planets' by Masaru Imada Trio + 1. Originally released in 1977 as a private press album, 'Planets' showcases the refined playing and sophisticated compositions of one of Japan’s leading pianists, Masaru Imada. In a fifty- plus year career he has released over 40 albums…

The Classic Greg Foat Group line-up returns with special guests Art Themen on Soprano Saxophone and Morgan Simpson (Black Midi) on Drums. Heavy synth and percussive grooves.

s of the two following albums from Cinedelic's Orient Series:- Masahiko Togashi, Isao Suzuki "A Day of the Sun" LP, 1979- Takeshi Inomata & Sound Limited "Innocent Canon" LP, 1971Masahiko Togashi, Isao Suzuki "A Day of the Sun"A spiritual jazz masterpiece full of poetry by two geniuses of the Japanese musical scene. Masahiko Togashi and Isao Suzuki, pivotal figures in jazz with a unique talent and sensitivity that transcends conventional jazz forms and styles. In addition to being skilled perfor…

 “Volume 2” is the 2nd and rarest album which had been recorded by the French Jazz-Funk band legend, Cortex. The obscure French jazz group that's been a favorite of jazz collectors for years! Reissued last in 2002 by Follow Me Records, it’s now back in stock in a final limited repressing of 500 copies, reissued by Trad Vibe Records under official license from Alain Mion. It really is another absolute killer album of dope Jazz-Groove tracks! Unlike their first album it's all instrumental (save fo…

All four Dharma Quintet, Dharma Trio & Dharma reissues at a special price. Long regarded as one of the best record stores in the world, offering a particular focus to avant-garde and experimental music, in 2014 Paris based SouffleContinu launched as bonafide record label. While France has played a crucial role in the history of avant-garde music - from its beginnings in Dada, to the developments of Musique concrète, experimental electronic and electroacoustic music, many of the country’s more ad…

* First ever vinyl reissue of this French free jazz nugget from Sahib Shihab & Jef Gilson Unit Remastered from the master tapes * Paris, February 1972. A few months after having released Le Massacre du Printemps, Jef Gilson was back behind his keyboards for a completely different experience. Heading up his Unit, he was joined by Sahib Shihab, ex- partner to Gillespie, Monk and Coltrane, for a brief stroll in the desert. For three-quarters of an hour, the caravan passes by, evoking, one after the…

Tip! For the 8th edition of Mats Gustafsson's NU Ensemble, Gustafsson focused on the current state of the world, „Hidros 8 Heal" is an attempt to rise and find the questions about the state of things. there is an extreme unbalance on local and global levels at the moment — from ideological, economical, cultural and political perspectives – and we need an equilibrium of some sorts very soon. can it heal ? what can make it all heal? and for how long can it heal? Anna Högberg - alto and baritone sa…

Live recordings of heavy weigh Japanese saxophone wizard Akira Sakata Europen tour in 2022. In Greece together with Giovanni di Domenico: piano, Giotis Damianidis: electric guitar, Petros Damianidis: double bass, Stephanos Chytiris: drums; in Italy with di Domenico, Damianidis and Balázs Pándi on drums; and in Belgium with di Domenico, Damianidis and Aleksandar Škorić on drums.

*2022 stock* Tip! Michel Portal, a brilliant clarinetist, saxophonist and performer from the world of contemporary classical music, became one of the most important actors of the new European improvised music in the early 1960s.While pursuing a parallel career in classical music, he multiplied his encounters with the most active creators of the new European jazz, as well as with various foreign musicians visiting France. This album, recorded on the Futura label in 1970, was made possible thanks …

*2024 repress* Rare and rich contents from 1970s Japanese jazz which is now gathering global attention, originally released on Terumasa Hino's private label Love Records and distributed by a Japanese major label. Representing "Ode To Workman" from J Jazz : Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 1969-1984 released on BBE, in his session with local NY musicians, Love Nature along with three other reissues are so important pieces in 1970s independent jazz. The fourth and last work form Terumasa Hino's Love Re…

"Armonicord. In 1977 an album was released under the name of Armonicord, of which I have just found a copy through a mutual friend: Esprits de Sel. Having heard of the album's release at that time, the memory of the presence of harpsichordist Odile Bailleux and drummer Christian Lete undoubtedly made me imagine a possible sort of chamber music. In the cover, we can admire the graphic scores of baritone saxophonist Jouk Minor, all in curves and ellipses with instrument and timing indications. A m…

* Clear Wax with Pink & Yellow Splatter * In the 1970s, Betty Davis defied genre and gender by pushing her voice to extremes and embracing the erotic. She articulated a kind of pre–punk, funk–blues fusion that had yet to be normalized in mainstream music — a style that few musicians have come close to replicating. As one of the first Black women to write, arrange, and produce her own albums, Betty was a visionary who disregarded industry boundaries and constraints. Raw, unapologetic, and in full…

*200 copies limited edition* Volume 2 is the long awaited followup from the all-star Chicago trio of Quin Kirchner, Daniel Van Duerm & Matthew Lux. Although it's been three years since their debut, Volume 1, KVL has continued to hone their brand of call-it-whatever-you-want jazz, keeping many of the same meditative and ambient qualities as their previous album, but expressed in new and different ways - Van Duerm's repetitive and winding organ lines on "Absent Crash," Kirchner's steady & insisten…

"Onkiniemi Ateljee is a cultural space established in a disused knitting factory in 2020, at a time when the Covid pandemic had been raging for roughly half a year. Globally, countermeasures to the disease and the threat it posed were varied, but the effects were universal. Communal rituals, such as live music gatherings, became rarer or changed in nature. The most you could do was put a record on while boiling masks in the evenings. Every now and then I’ve heard people speak of experimental or …

*300 copies limited edition* Xenia Ende - vocalsJulius Gabriel - saxophoneAchim Zepezauer - electronicsGabor Bodolay - bass guitarKarl F.-Degenhardt - drums & sensory percussion All music by Das Behälter. All lyrics by Xenia Ende. Recorded by Pablo Paredes at Tucapel Studio. Mastered by Filipe Louro at Arda Recorders. Artwork by Rosh Zeeba. Design by Thomas Spallek.

*300 copies limited edition* Composition, improvisation, and performance are no longer the only elements at play in Dunston’s recorded work. On Skultura, he continuously shapes the music with various sound-manipulation techniques to create an album that is meticulous as it is visceral. To quote Jacob Garchik’s liner notes, the ‘work is made of continuous waves of inspiration and creation, strata of improvisations madepermanent, each layer related to the one below, or not’. Skultura is revered in…

Cleveland "Cleve" Eaton is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, right there with Nat Cole, Wilson Pickett, Martha Reeves, Jerry Wexler, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, and a few dozen other notables. "I don't play like nobody else," he told The Birmingham News when inducted in 2008. "I do my own thing. It's absolutely Alabama." Eaton's Plenty Good Eaton, recorded in Curtis Mayfield's soul Chicago at Chess Recording Studio with local hired-guns and first out in 1975, belongs to the R&B genre,…

*200 copies limited edition. 2023 stock* "A great performance by the Nordjazz Quintet -- a cool mixed electric/acoustic combo that features sax and flute from Pekka Poyry, guitar from Nils Petter Nyren, keyboards from Ole Kock Nahsen, bass from Kjell Jansson, and drums from Petur Ostlund -- a combo who work on long tracks that are a nice extrapolation of some of the fusion modes explored by the Love Records label during the same time! The tunes here get especially soulful in the longer stretches…

*tiny bump on corners, discounted copies* Donald Byrd’s residency in Paris in 1958 to study with composer Nadia Boulanger gave rise to one of the greatest bands of his career with Bobby Jaspar on tenor sax and flute, Walter Davis, Jr. on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Art Taylor on drums.Sam Records is proud to present this previously unreleased concert by the Donald Byrd/Bobby Jaspar Quintet recorded during the evening dedicated to ‘Modern Jazz’ during the 1st and only Cannes Jazz Festival on …

** Edition of 300 ** A celebratory, expanded reissue of the 1983 debut album Sielun Veljet. Originally printed on three LP sides, the fourth side of the album features only the song Valssi, previously heard on the B-side of the single, and a previously unreleased early live version of Taas hauk kasvaa (Again the hair grows), found in the band's archives and only later released on the studio album. The package comes with a 12-page accompanying booklet containing a history and photographic materia…

"On a good day it is strenuous to stay current with pianist Matthew Shipp's imposing and voluminous output. On an even better day it is a fool's hardy errand to say the least. Now with the planned re-issuing of some of his great early deconstructions of musical thought and theory, starting here with 1990's daringly incongruous yet hypnotically accessible, Circular Temple, keeping up just got a whole lot harder. With William Parker on bass and Whit Dickey on drums, this four-movement suite for pi…

Svart Mondo presents Jappa: The Complete Jazz at the Polytechnicum Recordings 1967-1968 by Eero Koivistoinen with friends. By early 1960’s, jazz in its mainstream form had become the standard dance music for the student parties in high schools and several student union clubrooms in Helsinki. The Polytech union even organized matinée dances for high school students on Sundays. The change in the musical preference of young people’s dance music occurred with the arrival of British rock in the mid-s…

Another luminous compilation from London's Death is Not the End, this time examining the city's modern jazz and hard-bop scenes from the end of the 1940s until the early '60s.

A welcome addition to Four Flies 45s series, this is the first 7-inch release ever of one of the very few soundtracks written by Paolo Ormi, who is better known as a music producer of Italian funk, disco and library music, not only for big stars such as Raffaella Carrà but also underground projects geared to the disco industry. “Provaci anche tu Lionel” is out on 7” on June 2nd. The 7” contains three uber-funky instrumentals, two of which previously included in Four Flies’ now almost impossible-…

We’ve rarely listened to anything funkier by Alessandro Alessandroni. Walkingthe line between disco and jazz-funk, our beloved Maestro penned the twoirresistibly groovy gems in this release slightly before his blaxploitation-inspiredsoundtrack to Sangue di sbirro, and there are indeed similarities here–the hornand rhythm sections, as well as pianist Enrico Pieranunzi’s jazz phrasing. Taken from the soundtrack to an obscure 1975 Italian film, Elio Bartolini’s L’Altro Dio, these two instrumentals …

Two days after recording the first album ever issued on the Black Saint label, Billy Harper and his quintet were onstage at the Antibes Juan-Les-Pins jazz festival. Though Black Saint is a phenomenal album and is rightfully considered as one of the finest jazz releases of the period, Antibes ’75 shows that Billy and his men gathered momentum to push the boundaries of their studio effort even further.  That night, surrounded by stars, pine woods and a captivated audience, the quintet delivered a …