Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

"Live in New York, 2010 presents a tremendous one-night engagement by saxophone colossus David S. Ware and his latter day Trio in an intimate club setting -- the Blue Note on October 4, 2010. Featuring his perennially steadfast musical partner William Parker on bass, and equally incomparable Warren Smith on drums, they were celebrating the recent release of the studio album, Onecept (2010). Having played an electrifying set at Vision Festival in June, this extended night in October was the third…

"Meditation / Resurrection is a double-album presenting a bounty of beautiful new William Parker compositions performed by two of his flagship ensembles, the Quartet -&- In Order To Survive. It was recorded & mixed live during a one-day studio session in late 2016. With the tone of the pieces & performances reflecting our current moment, this is Parker & the groups' follow-up to 2013's epic Wood Flute Songs box (2013). At the core of both groups is Parker's foundational bass together with rhythm…

"The music takes on short, fleeting forms: fading here, held and moody there, as though the improvisation encouraged skepticism of firm certitudes. The tightness of the discourse, however, demands enlightening energy and lucid tautness." (Jean-François Abert, excerpt from the liner notes)"We have already seen that in the history of the universe, such a spiral nucleus of sounds that subsides on itself and grows dense, that softens and dilates, that provides its exceptional energy of cohesion even…

The culmination of 11 years working on music for this band, Wild Red Yellow was recorded in 2011 by an expanded version of Larry Ochs Sax & Drumming Core. With very critical help from engineer Philip Perkins, Ochs then slowly mixed and edited the two soundscapes on this new 2017 release, dedicated to film-makers Julie Taymor and David Cronenberg. The Sax & Drumming Core was originally a trio of Ochs on saxophones and two drummers – Scott Amendola and Don Robinson. They released two CDs and toure…

To date, celebrated Chicago musician Rob Mazurek’s solo endeavors have focused on his modular synthesizer and keyboard musings. On “Rome,” Mazurek’s sensitivity on cornet is at the fore, but we also find him using various electronics, and seated at a piano. Here the presence of the piano is expanded. He plays it conventionally, with preparation, with direct manipulation of the piano’s interior, and as a resonator for his cornet to create ethereal, otherworldly overtones. “Rome” was recorded and …

There’s a good side in the present day global dimension and that’s called “cultural syncretism”. Roots Magic is an Italian band who’s gradually building up a repertoire between Deep Blues and Creative Jazz, and this is their second effort. As in their previous release, the track list consists of personal renditions of Delta Blues classics (mostly Charlie Patton) played with an overtly exploratory attitude derived from the Free Jazz tradition, as well as a number of pieces composed by some chosen…

2013 release. In 1971, multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee waxed one of the landmark free-funk records: Nation Time. Recorded in concert at Vassar College and originally released on McPhee's own CjRecord Productions label, Nation Time culled elements of post-Coltrane spiritual jazz, greasy organ funk, and expressive R&B into a previously unknown brand of Poughkeepsie stew. When the LP was finally reissued on CD a dozen years ago, it became an instant hit, drawing fans from the British soul scene an…

2010 release. Poughkeepsie, New York multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee organized a great double-bill at Vassar College in 1970, featuring himself and his local underground jazz peers. One disc in the two CD set of previously unreleased music consists of a complete set of music by McPhee's quintet -- wild and deeply soulful free jazz quite close in spirit to McPhee's legendary 1971 debut, Nation Time (CVSD 011CD), with clear connections to Pharoah Sanders. On the other disc, a simmering Hammond B-…

2010 release. Sound On Sound is a two CD set of previously unreleased solo recordings by Poughkeepsie, New York multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee, dating from 1968 to 1973. The extraordinary tracks document the very early years of McPhee's tenor playing (he was initially a trumpet player, though he was an absolute natural saxophonist) and his omnivorous interest in sound-making devices of all types (from drone organ to Nagoya harp, by way of soprano sax and hand percussion). They present a little…

The much anticipated follow-up to his Beyond Jazz, Trevor Barre’s Convergences, Divergences & Affinities continues the story of early English free improvisation, tracing the path of the music from 1973 to 1979. It follows the progress of the early pioneers and the formation of the ‘second generation’ of improvisers, examining how they continued to develop the sound through such outlets as the London Musicians Collective, Company and Musics magazine. Particular attention is given to the regional …

Ears Are Filled With Wonder, the debut release from the duo of pedal steel player Heather Leigh and reedist Peter Brötzmann, blows the old adage about improvised music somehow not being best appreciated via the recordings to beautiful pieces. This is a music that demands re-visiting, that seems to alter, slightly, every time it is played, with new details emerging, new relationships of tone and style, new romance, even. Recorded during a mammoth stint in Kraków, Poland, where Brötzmann and…

A vital and inspired early European Free Improvisation masterpiece. Cien Fuegos presents a 1969 album from the Manfred Schoof Orchestra -- headed up by popular European avant-garde jazz figure, Manfred Schoof. Originally issued on FMP, the label's first release. Features appearances from musicians such as Peter Brötzmann, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Paul Rutherford, Evan Parker. Born 1936 in Magdeburg, Manfred Schoof is one of the most popular jazz avant-gardists in Europe. He played in projec…

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 0040). 180-gram vinyl. One-time pressing of 500. First standalone reissue."Brötzmann's regular trio was joined by the trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff, one of the most respected German jazz musicians,…

Lean Left, the quartet of jazz drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and saxophonist Ken Vandermark with The Ex members Terrie Hessels and Andy Moor, present I Forgot To Breathe. Personnel: Paal Nilssen-Love - drums; Terrie Hessels - guitar; Andy Moor - guitar; Ken Vandermark - reeds. A quartet bringing together two guitarists from the punk group The Ex with two major figures of the current free jazz scene. An overflowing energy in constant evolution

Recording of Heather Leigh and Peter Brötzmann's great set at Unlimited Festival, Wels, 2016. Personnel: Heather Leigh - pedal steel guitar; Peter Brötzmann - tenor saxophone.

The interplanetary jazz travelers of Sun Ra's Arkestra reached transcendent heights over the many decades their free music spanned. Live in Nickelsdorf 1984 finds a particularly spirited lineup of the Arkestra simmering through an almost three-hour set at an Austrian jazz festival. The band, featuring key Arkestra players John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Rollo Radford, Don Mumford, and of course Ra himself, runs through brilliant versions of almost 30 tunes. The set is heavy on improvisation and al…

A great counterpart to some of Archie Shepp's studio albums for Impulse – a live date recorded in San Francisco, with a slightly freer, sharper edge! The sound is almost free at times, but always with that strong sense of focus that Archie brought to his brilliant work of the time – and the group's a well-honed ensemble who really understand each others motivations and inspirations – Roswell Rudd on trombone, Donald Garrett and Lewis Worrell on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums – all almost worki…

Of Sudanese heritage, the bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik (1927-1993) was born Jonathan Timms in Brooklyn. After working with Art Blakey and Thelonious Monk, among others, Abdul-Malik studied music of other cultures. He was among the first to incorporate Middle Eastern and Indian influences into Jazz.A mindblowing mix of jazz and Middle Eastern influences— and a rare ‘60s treasure from Thelonious Monk’s former bassist! Ahmed Abdul-Malik blends together percussion, bass, and oud with some soulfu…

Latin jazz percussionist Airto Moreira's third solo album, originally released in 1972. Featuring Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, Nelson Ayres and others. Airto has played with the likes of Miles Davis, Donald Byrd and, most recently, on Arthur Verocai's Timeless project.

t’s a rare feeling when music can give you the sensation like a bullet through the head, and you call it a pleasure. No Balls ‘More is More’ gives a new meaning to what we used to call ‘heavy shit’, filling the missing spot between rock and harsh noise. Anders Bryngelsson (Brainbombs, Orchestra of Constant Distress), Kjetil Brandsdal (Noxagt, Ultralyd), David Gurrik (Anal Babes, Astroburger), Jan Christian Lauritzen (Noxagt) blessed our ears with a masterpiece of brutal honesty and perverted bea…

No Fun are keen to assert "This is not a jazz record." Yeah, no kidding. Noise maestro Greg Kelley puts his trumpet down and attends to his collection of analogue elecronics, belting out some sublime passages of unstable drones, echo chamber feedback derangement and rampant oscillator fuzz. This is pretty exceptional stuff, up there with the finest non-digital noise excursions currently out there, and one of the very best No Fun emissions in quite some time. Typically, despite Kelley being a pre…

''My Beloved Brothers and Sisters: I am overwhelmed with joy to see the entire youth of America gathered here in the name of the fine art of music. In fact, through the music, we can work wonders. Music is a celestial sound and it is the sound that controls the whole universe, not atomic vibrations. Sound energy, sound power, is much, much greater than any other power in this world. And, one thing I would very much wish you all to remember is that with sound, we can make—and at the same ti…

Simultonality is the follow-up to Joshua Abrams's critically acclaimed 2015 album Magnetoception (MTE 063-64LP, 2015). Credited to Joshua Abrams and Natural Information Society (NIS), it is the first recording in the project's nine year, four album history made by a regularly gigging manifestation, rather than a special assembly of friends. Recorded in 2014 and 2015 in single takes by the full ensemble during and after tours of the US and Canada, Simultonality once more affirms the project's …

Alto Saxophone – Klaus Marmulla (tracks: 1-1 to 1-10, 2-1 to 2-15), Peter Reinke (tracks: 1-11, 1-12) Bass – Hajo Lange (tracks: 1-1 to 1-10, 2-1 to 2-15), Wolfgang Lauschert (tracks: 1-11, 1-12) Drums – Heinz von Moisy (tracks: 1-1 to 1-10, 2-1 to 2-6, 2-8 to 2-11), Joe Nay (tracks: 1-11, 1-12), "Eminenz" Roberts (tracks: 2-7, 2-12 to 2-15) Piano – Michael Naura Vibraphone – Wolfgang Schlüter (tracks: 1-1 to 2-6, 2-8 to 2-15) Vocals – Gitta Eilers (tracks: 2-14, 2-15) In the booklet drums for t…

The International Nothing is the Berlin-based duo of clarinet players Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke. The two have been working together since 2000, refining a highly personal language focused on introspective, microtonal textures through stasis, patiently investigating timbre, multiphonics and extended techniques, with a commanding intensity spiced with a dry sense of humor (reflected also in the cover art by Japanese Masae Tanabe). This duo has released three albums on the Japanes…

The brilliant third album from Mike Westbrook – a sharp-edged, two volume set with a scathing anti-war theme! The work is Westbrook's first total-concept album, and it's still one of his best – written with an edge that's free from some of the more whimsical touches that showed up in Mike's later years, and played by a core group of British avant soloists with searing intensity! You've never heard large group scoring like this – bold, ambitious, and quite different than most of what's c…

Three British albums produced by Peter Eden and released in one year – 1970-1971 – are the matter of this attractive box set, with contributions from legends of British jazz and indeed classical giants – bassist Barry Guy (born 1947) has since made a name for himself in the more lofty world of early music, though not exclusively so. Saxophonist Mike Osborne’s Outback is the first of the discs, a bold, explorative record comprising just two tracks from his trio, the first of which, So It Is, …

CD version. The first-ever collection of Arkestra vocal tracks! Over 75 minutes of vocal performances - audible perfection! Featuring album art interpreted from the work of "the father of modern space art," Chesley Bonestell, plus extensive liner notes. Across the history of jazz, there is no wilder, more future-forward composer and performer than Herman Poole Blount, aka Sun Ra. Known as much for his wild on-stage persona as his innovative compositions, Sun Ra was the avant-garde bleeding edge …

Electro-Acoustic Composer, Cornetist Rob Mazurek continues to focus on the Brazilian side of his musical production, and that’s good news. Even better when we notice that “Chants and Corners” is something else than a new São Paulo Underground enterprise – some of the contributors are the same, but the project has another confection and this signifies that it’s multiplying in different perspectives, like the flowers of a plant. Playing a modular synth, a sampler and a piano besides his cornet, Ma…

Triple LP version. A stunning live Sun Ra event, recorded at the Inter-Media Arts Center in New York, April 20, 1991! Modern Harmonic proudly presents this very special Sun Ra recording, issued here for the first time ever! This concert was just two years before Ra’s “earthly departure” – and his keyboard work was amazingly strident and vibrant here. The Arkestra was in perfect form as well; this special night also showcased the Arkestra’s vocal magnificence with selections and sections powerful…

Pianist Imada Masaru was 42 years old when he recorded this album in 1975. His adventurous spirit led him to use the electric piano for the first time in a recording, and thanks to his musicianship, he made it sound like he'd been playing the instrument for years. The program opens with the title track, a sophisticated urban funk. Guitarist Kazumi Watanabe plays a big role here. It is followed by a more intricate, fusion-like "Straight Flash."The all-original-composition program switches gear on…

It seems bizarre that this LP’s original copy was pressed in such low numbers in 1969 that it has become an unusually expensive and wanted collector’s item that hasn’t been repressed on vinyl (and never released on CD) until now. Soulset were, after all, in the late 1960s one of the most popular pop groups in Finland. Their recorded legacy is relatively short, and when this split LP was released, Soulset were already about to call it a day. Here Soulset perform five fine cuts of jazzy Fenno-soul…

Tilt" is the amazing debut album by a band whose members were not newbies at all. The six musicians' combined former experiences had led them to the roads of jazz and prog rock (even the very young, masterful drummer Furio Chirico had played in The Trip's last two albums) for some time, so their expertise was quite obvious and quite impressive as well by the time "Tilt" introduced Arti + Mestieri to the eyes of the world. The jazz-rock oriented sound delivered by the band serves as an appropriat…

this is Big D jazz live material gets released here for the first time. The players are Marcus Belgrave (trumpet), Vincent York (alto sax), Rick Roe (percussion), Marion Hyden (bass) and Lawrence Williams (drums).. Limited to only 70 copies, so order fast! "A rare live session from Tribe Records legend Marcus Belgrave – a record that has the Detroit trumpeter working strongly here on his home turf with a very well-matched quintet of musicians! The work is maybe a bit more straightforward …

Finally reissued, this mega rare spiritual jazz by reed player Milton Marsh – one of the harder-to-find albums on Strata East – and one of just a couple incredible records to Marsh's name! Obscurity aside, this is prime Strata East. In 1975, Milton Marsh released his first album Monism for the Strata-East label. Marsh, a composer, arranger, saxophonist and flautist, recorded the album in New York City from 1973-1974. The musicians on Monism represent some of the finest living in NYC at t…

Bitter Funeral Beer Band was a unique band with an early world music with an own identity that mixes african funeral music and improvisation with a nordic touch that has not existed before or after the few years in the 80’s that the band was active. Led by Bengt Berger who had studied a couple of years in Ghana, the band based a lot of the music on the funeral music concept of the Lo-Birifor people of northern Ghana.The band did its first cd, Bitter Funeral Beer, on ECM and then one more,…

Ernesto Rodrigues - violaMaria do Mar - violinGuilherme Rodrigues - celloMiguel Mira - double bassAndré Hencleeday - tenor psalteryMiguel Almeida - acoustic guitarMaria Radich - voicePaulo Curado - flutePaulo Chagas - oboeNuno Torres - alto saxophoneBruno Parrinha - clarinet & bass clarinetFernando Simões - trumpetEduardo Chagas - tromboneAbdul Moimême - electric guitarCarlos Santos - electronicsMonsieur Trinité - percussio

In Summer 2015 A L’ARME! Festival invited Konstrukt to perform with William Parker so we teamed up with Matt Bordin of Outside Inside Studio and invited the quartet to play two shows in Italy on their way to Berlin. Plans overlapped leaving two days off which were spent playing with no interruption at Matt's studio in Montebelluna and capturing four incredible tracks.Now, Konstrukt are well known for their many collaborations with key players and real giants of worldwide jazz scene, but -…

"Brotzmann Box" is a beautiful box set containing 3 albums by German free jazz master Peter Brötzmann. The first volume of the album is "Full Blast" (JW 1) with Brötzmann (alto and soprano sax, tárogató) playing in a super Swiss-German trio with Marino Pliakas (electric bass), a member of Swiss Steamboat, and Michael Wertmuller (drums), one of the best musiciand of the Berlin music scene and member of the group Alboth. Together these three musicians create a truly unique musical cosmos that lies…

Two different duets between reedman Sylvain Kassap and percussionist Hamid Drake – one live, one studio – recorded six years apart, but sounding wonderful together in this double-length package! The first section is live – and features some very long, open improvisations – with Kassap on a range of clarinets, mostly in the bass range, plus chalumeau as well – as Drake opens up his drum kit with that special sort of magic that's made him a key percussionist in the legacy of rhythm-free drummers l…