Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

One of Treader’s most requested recordings sees the great UK free saxophonist Evan Parker on soprano and tenor saxophones, duetting with European birdsong. A fitting tribute to his friend, the celebrated soprano saxophone player Steve Lacy, who died in the year of its initial release. A titan of British free jazz, Evan Parker needs no introduction. His output, both as a bandleader and collaborator, are the stuff of legend. Within the history of the European improvised music, he’s everywhere - ha…

Post bop groovy album by Japanese pianist Fumio Itabashi recorded in 2011.

Fumio Karashima, who was active in Jazz Machine led by Elvin Jones, recorded this work in 1981 when he returned to Japan. The trio is led by George Otsuka, the drummer who gave Kashima his breakthrough, and Richard Davis, the famous bassist from Chicago, and their performance is the most attractive of all. Kashima's piano is vivid and fresh, like a fish moving in a large current.

In contrast to their previous work "Impact", which had a large ensemble, they welcomed Kazutoki Umezu as a guest and performed a relaxed performance with a small ensemble. A masterpiece released in 1986, which he himself admits was a really good one, with an effortless performance (from the LP liner). What shines is the trio composition of "Alicante" and "Don't Say Goodbye," a masterpiece that allows you to enjoy Itabashi's singing spirit. "Don't ~" can be said to be an answer song to the popula…

Dutch drumming legend Han Bennink teams up with Treader mainstays John Coxon and Ashley Wales for an amplified onslaught of ferocious freeform jazz. For this session Coxon kits himself out with an electric guitar while Wales mans electronics and samples. Between the two of them there's a barrage of flurried sonic ideas ranging from discordant string ensembles and abstract soundscapes to jagged wah-wah abuse. Throughout all this, Bennink's drumming comes across as boundlessly inventive, constantl…

First solo recording by Mark Sanders, one of the world's great improvisors. Recorded from the drummer's perspective, a beautiful virtuoso performance in 9 parts.

The extraordinary improvising duo of John Edwards and Mark Sanders have recorded together in countless groups, but only once as a duo [Nisus Duets Emanem 2002]. For this recording, Mark uses an unorthodox kit setup with horizontal orchestral bass drum. John's huge bass sound is captured in full by the old RCA ribbon microphone used in this recording. Constantly imaginative, thrilling playing.

A five part suite evoking the memory of Jimmy Guiffre and Giancinto Scelsi. Alex's brilliant clarinet playing perfecty complements Coxon's musical experiments in which the listener's spatial perspectives are constantly being challenged-extremely vivid recordings of guitars, kalimbas, 78rpm recordings,pebbles, metal objects and handbells form surreal landscapes as he takes the listener on an extended musical journey.

Seikatsu Kōjyō Iinkai (Committee for the Improvement of Life) began its activities in the early 1970s, led by Kazutoki Umezu and Yoshiyuki Harada. Many musicians came and went and engaged in multifaceted activities, but one of the pillars was the so-called Life Improvement Committee (Matsugumi), centered on Koichi Shofaze. This work, recorded live in Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture, is the only work left by Matsugumi with the same members. The saxophone cuts like a knife into the solid trio's pe…

Excellent as the two quartet discs are, the trilogy saves its ace to the end, thus bringing it to a fitting climax. (Despite that, it is worth stressing that this trilogy should best be heard altogether, rather than one of its discs being cherry-picked.) The pairing of Pat Thomas's piano and Steve Noble's percussion—credited as "The Both"—is an ideal match. The two had recorded together before, on And (Rectangle, 1997) with Derek Bailey, but with Noble on turntables not drums—an encounter that g…

Recorded February 2008, this album captures a specially organised Treader concert at St Giles-in-the-Fields church in London's West End. A series of duos played at the event, each improvising over the course of a twenty-five minute set. First up, the excellent John Butcher (on tenor and soprano saxophones) pairs with drummer Mark Sanders for 'Tooth Pivot', an incredible opener that stumbles into life through the reverberant performance space, with Butcher at first sounding measured and contempla…

The Japanese jazz cult work is one of the most popular Japanese jazz collectors around the world, including Tetsu Aizawa quartet and Yukasasasa Hino, and the original Jazz Rality series has been released as the world's first CD. As a musician, the prestigious Independent Jazz Label and Acetaz's Disc was reissued in the early 23 works of the famous Tokyo independent Jazz Label, and Acetaz's Disc. 11 of the 12 pieces released as the first release was released in the world for the first CD. These c…

CD reissue of Eiji Nakayama’s incredible 1978 album, a crate diggers dream find for many years, this is deep spiritual jazz, post-modal impressionism and grooves at the top

Dive into the brilliance of 1970s Japanese jazz with this exceptional bass-led trio session. While piano trios had their spotlight, the bassists led equally enchanting ensembles. Eiji Nakyama's bass takes center stage, weaving lyrical lines complemented by energetic guitar and drums. The album seamlessly blends straight jazz and modal explorations, showcasing creativity without gimmicks. A testament to Japanese jazz greatness, this session stands out for its dynamic and innovative approach.

This is a 2022 trio recording where the unique Kresten Osgood meets the two living legends: Bob Moses and Tisziji Muñoz.

*2023 stock* "To watch two butterflies in flight is to see a complex intertwining of zigs and zags, dips and weaves, as each—seemingly erratically--rides the turbulence its wings create to carry it along. Together they trace an unchoreographed but nevertheless coherent set of variations on the line as they move with, against and through each other’s paths.  The intricate pattern of two butterflies’ interwoven flight paths stands as a fitting analogue for the nuanced complexity of Busy Butterflie…

"Second album for Clairvoyance, a trio that sublimates improvisation through a blessed chemistry, delivering a perfectly balanced music where elements coming from different derivations and attitudes find grace and essentiality, freshness and solidity. Narrative spots and timbral consciousness inform this classy band and make this record unmissable!! Clairvoyance's fundamental orientation--an orientation that, collectively and individually, represents a compositional stance toward improvisation. …

"Amirani Records, the label founded and run by Milanese soprano saxophonist Gianni Mimmo, ends its eighteen-year run with three final releases. The last of the three, a recording of the Sestetto Internazionale, was reviewed here earlier; preceding it a duet for Mimmo and Finnish soprano and sopranino saxophonist Harri Sjöström, and a solo recording by Milanese cellist Walter Prati. Mimmo and Sjöström are frequent collaborators, whether in the Sestetto Internazionale or as duet partners, and on W…

[…] There is something slightly daunting about the notion of an improvising sextet. Do the casual math of instrumental permutations from six soloists to one sextet, adding in duos, trios, quartets and quintets, and you have something like 55 possible combinations. Literally anything might surface, but among the least likely is the superb music achieved here by Sestetto Internazionale, music that dances between the ideal poles of inevitability and unpredictability, inviting a sense of wonder. Lis…

"I look at this HerbstReise of ours as a sequence short but complete gaze of sound, often evocative in a narrative way, aimed at fulfilling an articulate as well as legible pattern. Though a single breath crosses them, fascinating opportunities are not alien to the syntax, the outline, and the expression of these improvisations. A clear ellipsis the dialogue proceeds delicately and consistently into, even when it thickens. The inner timing, the layer of colour that shines through have a reflecti…

*2023 stock* "Gianni Mimmo who runs Amirani Records from Italy and has performed in the KFJC Pit, here is joined by Pierfrancesco Mucari in a series of unaccompanied saxophone duets. These inventive and engaging duets bring to mind some of the duet work of Julius Hemphill and Oliver Lake, if only somewhat less raucous. I also hear a soupcon of Anthony Braxton.  These duets seem to be neither fully written out but nor entirely improvised. They play sopranos and an alto, the musical range of which…

*Limited edition of 200*  Cheval Rodéo by Trombe, Thomas Beaudelin (sax) and Erwan Cornic (drums), a really jazz-like energy album, with low dynamic sensibility and great interaction between the two musicians.

Reissue of a very rare Spiritual Jazz / poetry 7inch. All woman Soul Jazz with attitude and a message! 'The Common Woman' is a basement revamp of Herbie Hancoks 'Maiden Voyade' with flute, recitation and a lovely piano buildup. Flip it and you have the polical soulful track 'Degradation' including conga breakdown! Rare replica reissue from the very hard to find 1974 original released by The Women's Press Collective.

** Edition of 200 copies ** Istanbul-based free music ensemble Konstrukt perform alongside special guest Alexander Hawkins building the perfect groove in a sweaty Cafe Oto on August 10th 2015. Two sets from the same night, each a 40 minute long improvisation. First set is a psychedelic warm-up where the Turkish quartet welcomes Hawkins in a whirlwind of hypnotic funky tunes going electric in the Miles Davis way. The second set starts with Hawkins piano keys bouncing along a silent background soo…

** Edition of 250 copies ** Virginia Genta is a self-taught musician who plays all saxophones (tenor, soprano, baritone, alto) mainly known for being part of the astonishing Jooklo Duo, the project she shares with drummer David Vanzan since 2003, often playing as a drums and tenor duo, but regularly including other guests evolving into new forms as Neokarma Jooklo Trio (or Sextet, Octet, Experience), Golden Jooklo Age, Jooklo Finnish Quartet, New Jooklo Age, and so on. But - no matter how many m…

Percussionist and composer Okay Temiz scored two underground hits in his native Turkey with “Denizaltı Rüzgarları” (translation: “Submarine Winds”) and Dokuz Sekiz. The songs are slinky, eerie funk/psych/jazz hybrid that marries Temiz‘ impeccable chops as a percussionist to a lute-like Turkish saz and some truly otherworldly sounding Moog riffing. They're both purely instrumental and almost appear to borrow elements from Brazilian music and in particular Tropicalia, though the melody is clearly …

** In process of stocking ** Super cool jazz score by Michel Magne in the vein of 'Take Five'. Super rare too with original copies. Anyone who was into the earlier Jazz Room single release of Take Vibes version of Golden Brown' is going to want to get their hands on a copy of this! Regularly featured on Worldwide FM's / Gilles Peterson's playlist this is a must buy - limited pressing, don't miss!

On October 15th and 16th, 2020, drummer Daniel Villarreal was joined by guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butterss for two afternoons of recording in the backyard of Chicali Outpost in Los Angeles. For all three musicians, it was the first ensemble recording session they’d done in-person since the pandemic locked the world down just seven months prior. Some choice moments from these sessions made it onto Villarreal’s critically-acclaimed 2022 album Panamá 77, but most of the music remained …

Co-released in 2011, this 7" features alto saxophonist Paul Flaherty, a major American alto saxophonist active since the 1980s, and Bill Nace, head of Open Mouth, an experimental label in the same country. Includes two improvised tracks with alto and guitar, DL code included.

**Edition of 200** Texts by Joshua Abrams, Paal Nilssen-Love, Jim Sauter, Mike Watt, Guy Peters, Mette Rasmussen, Dave Rempis, Bruce Ackley, Sandrine Verstraete, Laurens Smet, Ken Vandermark, Koen Vandenhoudt. The idea for this publication started with a request made by photographer, reviewer and overall music enthusiast Hans van der Linden to document the Oorstof series behind the scenes for a whole year. In addition to his unique photographic impressions, we asked graphic designer Marijke Looz…

*2022 stock* Some records tell you what’s what. That’s not a bad thing: there’s a place in music for reportage, for commentary, for what’s going on. But A Love Supreme Electric, the collaborative project between Vinny Golia, John Hanrahan, Henry Kaiser, Wayne Peet, Mike Watt, and John Coltrane’s immortal spirit, starts from a different place. “What if?” it asks. In fact, ALSE asks “What if?” over and over again, joyously interrogating the twin templates of Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and Meditatio…

*Limited edition of 300 copies.* Now Again Records and Sonor Music Editions announce the debut release by The Kimba Unit on 45. Grown up in Los Angeles, Julian Rapaport made his musical studies in New York, developing his personal musical taste listening to the Jazz mentors of American Spiritual/Avant-garde movement (Sun Ra especially). Legendary Madlib's jazz projects influenced him a lot too. Since his very young age, he had a deep connection with Italy and the world of Italian Library music: …

Obscure, rare spiritual jazz, deep folk and psychedelia sounds from the French ‘70s - ‘80s underground.

*2022 stock* Called "A pioneer...a true British jazz original." by The Times, "An inventive and underrated jazz figure" by Jazziz and "Britain's most original jazz talent." by The Financial Times, Graham Collier was one of the best known British jazz composers, and over a 40 year career, his list of compositions and commissions grew to encompass ensembles around the world. He was well known as an author and educator, having written seven books on jazz. He was born in Tynemouth, England in 1937. …

Jesper Nordberg Trio is a group based in Copenhagen (DK) and Malmö (SE), featuring the double bass player Jesper Nordberg, violinist Stefan Pöntinen and trumpetist Ruhi Erdogan. With Nordberg's compositions as a starting point, the trio's playing can be characterized by close interplay, radical shifts, and having elements ranging from experimental improvisation, Balkan music, Scandinavian folklore, jazz and expressionism. Jesper Nordberg's warm tone and rhythmic displacements meet Ruhi's trumpet…

*2023 stock* Spirit Spirit is an improvised suite in nine parts and epilogue by the Scandinavian trio featuring the renowned saxophone player Torben Snekkestad, pianist Søren Kjærgaard, and double bass player Tomo Jacobson. The suite was carefully composed from almost 3 hours of spontaneously improvised studio recordings by the trio. The outcome is a focused, minimal, dark, dynamic, enigmatic 38 minutes of music that unfolds like a ghostly tale. The trio was formed in 2016.

*2023 stock* Lo and behold, the second and final part of the diptych from the unusual free improvising quartet featuring two New York-based viola players Mat Maneri & Tanya Kalmanovitch, and Copenhageners Tomo Jacobson on double bass & Kresten Osgood on drums, is finally here! This time, we enter into a darker, fiercer, seemingly telepathic exchange - a powerful finale to an unprecedented musical journey.

Perhaps for the first time in the history of music, here is two violas, double bass, and drums quartet featuring the New York-based Mat Maneri & Tanya Kalmanovitch, and Copenhageners Tomo Jacobson & Kresten Osgood. Calling their music chamber free improv gives some clues about the sound world you are entering, but it also falls very short in the face of the multitudes presented here. ‘Variations On No Particular Theme’ is a pregnant name in which we can look for the key to this album. Of course,…

*2023 stock. 50 copies limited edition* After his oneiric, Casio-centric 'Nullpluss' that Kristian Tangvik released two years ago, the time has come for his next move. In Kristian's own words: "The Cod and the Cat has developed over the course of two years. It came to me in a dream. Some compositions arrived while traveling, others in a complete standstill. And so I have gathered a fresh combination of exceptional performers from the rich and exciting underground of Copenhagen's music scene, and…

*2023 stock* Bloodstock themes, cascading drum fills, pumping bass lines, and flamethrower saxophone cries - Litterjug is a rollercoaster ride of joyful anarchy. Litterjug is a Copenhagen-based contemporary trash jazz trio featuring three original improvisers from Poland, Lithuania, and Denmark. The band's explorations are heavily rock-inspired, with a dose of abrasive free flow improvisations. The trio offers contrast-filled, action-packed music, sometimes rocking a simple groove, and other tim…