Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

"In Rova's translation of Ascension into contemporary practice, Coltrane's Ascension remains as a great gift for the energy it presents, for the sheer unfailing intensity with which it fights toward its collective freedom. The original is a major work of art, not merely an episode but a larger process. Rova's substantial achievement consists in assuming the responsibility of Coltrane's great original, treating it not simply as a memento of liberation but as a tool for it as well."(Stuart Broomer…

"So, listen closely, and savor the sounds: treat them with delicate abandon, indulge in their intricately measured poignancy; but don't forget to relax (a little) and enjoy: You are in the hands of a master soul traveler."(Steven Loewy, excerpt from the liner notes). Trombonist Steve Swell is one of the stalwarts on the NYC free jazz scene as both a player & an educator. This studio recording from June 2015 features a top flight band comprised of Swell’s longtime collaborators (William Parker &…

Joe McPhee and Ingebrigt Haker Flaten at the Sugar Maple/Okka Fest on Saturday, June 6th, 2015. Joe McPhee - tenor and soprano saxophone. Ingebrigt Haker Flaten - double bass. Recorded live by Dave Zuchowski. Mastered by Martin Siewert in July/August 2016.

Beside Trost releasing artists Chris Corsano (projects with Akira Sakata, Massimo Pupillo, Joe McPhee, and Mette Rasmussen, to name a few) and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (The Thing), with this new formation, the label works with the active US cellist and composer Daniel Levin. Daniel Levin is "one of the outstanding cellists working in the vanguard arena" (All About Jazz), "ridiculously fluent, virtually overflowing with ideas" (New York City Jazz Record), and "very much the man to watch" (Penguin G…

Following the death of German trombonist Johannes Bauer in May 2016, Peter Brötzmann decided to pay tribute to the many years of comradery and collaboration he and Bauer shared, from Globe Unity in the '70s to the Peter Brötzmann Group and the Chicago Tentet. This disc presents a previously unreleased recording of a beautiful live duo performance from Osaka, 1997, which had been waiting in Brötzmann's archives for a release. Peter Brötzmann: tenor and alto saxophones, tárogató, B-flat clarinet; …

Johan Berthling: double bass; Martin Küchen: tenor and soprano saxophones, retardophone, flute; Steve Noble: drums and percussion. Recorded by David Carlsson at Gula Studion, Malmö, Sweden, November 1, 2015. Mixed by David Carlsson. Mastered by Martin Siewert. Cover photo by Donald Boström. 

Dancing Wayang present a new and rare studio album by US noise legends Borbetomagus titled The Eastcote Studios Session. Recorded in 2014, it unites fire-breathing saxophonists Jim Sauter, Don Dietrich and face-flaying guitarist Donald Miller whom together summon one of their most forceful yet detailed sonic onslaughts to date. The bulk of Borbetomagus releases over the last forty years have been taken from live recordings. This particular workout, however, took place in the eponymous studio …

The initial vinyl edition comes with a CD. The debut album from this Norwegian-American trio consists of two long tracks that move between intimate lyricism and hardcore expressionism, shaping one of the strongest free jazz offerings we have heard for quite some time. Filipino-American Jon Irabagon has topped both the Rising Star Alto Saxophone and the Rising Star Tenor Saxophone categories in Down Beat´s critics polls and been named one of Time Out New York´s 25 New York City Jazz Icons. …

Live in Zurich 1984. Reissue of a double vinyl publish on the same label. Donald Miller, guitar, alto saxophone (on one track). Jim Sauter, tenor, alto, baritone saxophones. Don Dietrich, tenor, alto saxophone, guitar (on one track). 'First off, there is this huge saxophone sound, the bells of the two saxes often jammed against each other with a microphone dropped inside, and then there is the guitarist as a generator of sounds more crazed than anything that has ever come out of the instr…

“Skylark” (Mercer/Carmichael) plays under different forms as The Skylark Quartet with Orlando Lewis, clarinet, Franz-Ludwig Austenmeiser, keyboard, Hayden Pennyfeather, bass, Roland Spindler, drums. Producer is Sam Sfirri with the help of Taku Unami.Strange jazz, highly conceptual.

Modern Silence present a reissue of Albert Ayler's The Hilversum Sessions, originally released in 1980. "Recorded in the Dutch city of Hilversum, The Hilversum Sessions presents Albert Ayler in all his blowzy, testifying glory, fronting a quartet that includes trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Sunny Murray. The repertoire includes five Ayler originals, notably his signature tunes 'Angels,' 'Ghosts,' and 'Spirits.' It's easy to forget how starkly original Ayler was, given…

There are albums that you can‘t stop listening to. That is “Boom Boom” by Atomic. Earlier released on CD only, this reissue on LP will provide a great joy for vinyl addicts. Now already a classical Atomic album includes a unique design with a special numbered insert."Great work from one of the most groundbreaking combos in the current Norwegian scene – Atomic, a group who really bring strong promise to a long tradition of modern Scandinavian jazz! The set, which has an endorsement by Ken Vanderm…

The short story: Prints is Fred Frith's first album of songs in 20 years. The long story: it is actually a collection of compilation tracks and unreleased studio sessions recorded between 1987 and 2001. No matter if you already own a few of these, a pop album by this man is a rarity -- and that is truly a shame. Of course, as a respected improviser, serious composer, and educator, anything lighter from this pillar of modern music will meet with severe criticism from people who take themse…

Although this is technically the soundtrack to a film of the same name by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel, Step Across the Border actually serves as an excellent overview of Fred Frith\'s groundbreaking work as a soloist, bandleader, and collaborator. There\'s an example of his \"guitars on the table\" approach (\"Romanisches Cafe\"), and a couple of excellent duos with tape manipulation whiz Bob Ostertag (\"Voice of America, Pt. 3,\" from the lost and lamented Voice of America album they m…

In a country and a musical domain where you have someone like Evan Parker, it’s difficult for any emerging sax player to establish himself, but John Butcher managed to do it and with his own personal style, very different from Parker’s. Now, he’s one of the main figures of the United Kingdom free improvised scene and his name crossed frontiers. “So Beautiful, it Starts to Rain” is a transnational enterprising, and another product of the British / Scandinavian connection, reuniting the tenor and …

When 20-something saxophonist Trevor Watts was demobbed from the RAF in the early 60s, he moved to London and co-founded the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Although clearly aware of Ornette Coleman’s new conception of Jazz in America, he soon developed his own, more fluently inclusive style, filtering and synthesising the history of jazz saxophony like few others—David Murray is one obvious counterpart in that respect—and giving it a personal twist. He also developed a unique conception of musical …

A replica reissue of a legendary, sought-after album, a worthy and historical addition to the collections of all fans of avant-garde duos. Rashied Ali and Frank Lowe's Duo Exchange LP from 1973, originally released by Survival Records. From Thurston Moore's Top Ten Free Jazz Underground (1996): "Frank Lowe has been studying and playing a consistently developing tenor sax style for a few decades now. At present he's been swinging through a Lester Young trip, which can be heard majestically on …

Vampisoul present a reissue of Perujazz's self-titled album, originally released in 1987. "Manongo Mujica (drums, percussion), Jean Pierre Magnet (tenor saxophone), Julio 'Chocolate' Algendones (percussion) and Enrique Luna (electric bass) founded Perujazz in 1984. All four already had embarked on diverse musical ventures when they formed the band. Mujica had played as a jazz drummer and also with the psychedelic rock group Los Mad's and then as an experimental music percussionist. Jean Pierre…

Alto Saxophone – Trevor Watts Bass – Barry Guy Drums – John Stevens Recorded at Riverside Studios, London, May 1977. Previously unissued.

The trio of drummer John Stevens, bassist Barry Guy and saxophonist Trevor Watts was one of Stevens ’ s hottest small groups and the two records they cut for Spotlite in the late 70s are Atlantic straddling classics that reconcile the emotive supernatural force of the late Albert Ayler with the exacting microdetail of the post SME set. Application Interaction And… was the second of these discs, the first, No Fear, having already been made available on CD by Hi 4 Head. At points the fidelity is p…

Recorded in May of 1977 and released a year later on Spotlite, No Fear is one of drummer John Stevens' excellent jazzier sessions. Backed by his regular acolytes Trevor Watts and Barry Guy, the leader of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble revels in the hot free jazz licks he and the saxophonist came up with. His playing is superbly detailed by the recording, the interplay between his hi-hat cymbals and snare drum being particularly impressive in this jazz context. Watts pours a lot of soul into his …

Strut are proud to present the brand new studio album from West Coast jazz mavericks, The Pyramids, led by their inspirational bandleader, Idris Ackamoor.  Alto saxophonist Ackamoor first met Margo Simmons (flute) and Kimathi Asante (electric bass) whilst students together at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio where one of their teachers was renowned pianist, Cecil Taylor. After founding the band in Paris in 1972, performing in Holland and embarking on a “cultural odyssey” across Afric…

The immense output of Sun Ra and his many backing bands, coupled with the limited production of many of his releases has long defied dedicated collectors. Parallel to a vast list of LP releases, Sun Ra released numerous 45 RPM singles; one-off meteorites from his prolific cosmic journey. Working closely with Sun Ra LLC and Art Yard Records, it is with great pride that Strut presents a definitive collection of the rare singles released by Sun Ra across his illustrious career, spanning 1952…

Currently a trio featuring Helge Sten, Arve Henriksen and Ståle Storløkken, Supersilent ’s album number 13 marks a turning point in the group’s two-decade career. After a dozen recordings under the umbrella of the diverse Rune Grammofon label, Supersilent have now signed to Oslo based Smalltown Supersound, where they join the likes of Lindstrøm, DJ Harvey, Prins Thomas and Andre Bratten as labelmates. After live and studio dalliances with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones in the last few years, the…

Art Yard continues their voyage into the omniverse of unreleased Sun Ratapes with I Roam The Cosmos, an unreleased, previously unheard 1972 live session recorded at Slug's Saloon in New York. Fronting a stellar 18-piece incarnation of the Arkestra, I Roam The Cosmos finds Sun Ra taking the listener on a poetic journey to the outer limits of planetary awareness. While the captain of the space-ship declaims his message with Arkestra vocalist June Tyson as co-pilot, the Arkestra voyage into the sol…

2013 release. "Presented here are parts from three solo concerts from the early 1970s. Roscoe Mitchell plays soprano, alto, tenor, and bass saxophones. One of the tracks on this LP reissue includes an early version of 'Noonah,' a composition that many of his followers will recognize. Originally released on Sackville recordings in 1974 as The Roscoe Mitchell Solo Saxophone Concerts, this historical reissue has been remastered and contains the same material as the original, which is primaril…

2013 re-release. Yet another masterpiece from the archives of Phil Cohran. Armageddon was conceived in 1958 and written down in 1963. After performing with Sun Ra and benefiting from the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Phil Cohran's compositions changed decidedly, and he began to focus on cosmology and culture. This particular performance was recorded live at the Afro Arts Theater at 3900 S. Drexel in Chicago on February 11th, 1968. It has never been released and practically unheard …

An incredible album from Larry Young, the man that changed the way the world hears the Hammond; killer melting of cosmic, Eastern, Afro and free music vibes. "electric acid punk funk jazz extremely loud pressing available here for the 1st time music for the year 8019 far oooouut !" punzmann

Jeanne Dielman present Tribes Of New York, a collection compiling recordings from the early '60s by The Ornette Coleman Quartet. The Ornette Coleman Quartet is one of the most important groups in the history of jazz, a truly groundbreaking group that featured the brilliant Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell. In the early '60s this quarter of young guns recorded some of the earliest examples of "free jazz" and were on the vanguard of a new jazz that would shape everything from the s…

Jeanne Dielman present Blue York, a collection featuring unreleased tracks from Sun Ra's Arkestra from 1963. Herman Poole Blount, better known to the world as Sun Ra, lived more musical lives in his 79 years on this planet (and others) than seems possible. In the '30s he was the most rigorous bandleader in Birmingham, heading the Sonny Blount Orchestraand filling every waking moment with music or philosophical discussions, by the '40s he had moved to Chicago and performed with luminaries such as…

Herman Poole Blount, better known to the world as Sun Ra, lived more musical lives in his 79 years on this planet (and others) than seems possible. In the 30s he was the most rigorous bandleader in Birmingham, heading the Sonny Blount Orchestra and filling every waking moment with music or philosophical discussions, by the 40s he had moved to Chicago and performed with luminaries such as Wynonie Harris, Fletcher Henderson, and Coleman Hawkins. By the 50s he had changed his name to Sun Ra …

Recorded in Stockholm on October 25, 1962, this session is one of Albert Ayler's earliest recordings, featuring a European backing group he assembled during his brief stay there, before returning to the States in 1963 and beginning his legendary run with ESP-Disk and Impulse. Though his genius is not yet fully formed, one can easily hear he's headed that direction, and this rare and long out of print recording is an essential piece of the history from one of America's most uniquely lyrical voice…

First House is the final recordings from free jazz legend and Birmingham, Alabama native, Arthur Doyle. The LP was recorded live at the Stone July 11, 2012 and these six pieces are backed by His New Quiet Screamers, a Brooklyn-based ensemble adding muscle and movement to Doyle's always already free, non-linear saxophone, flute and vocal lines. Born in Birmingham in 1944, Doyle studied Music Education at Tennessee State University in Nashville. In his early years, Doyle worked with a wide array o…

A never-heard live session from the great Eje Thelin – a mid 70s set that has the trombonist working with a cool quartet that includes some Fender Rhodes from Harald Svensson – who makes a wonderful partner for Thelin's long-blown lines! Eje had already grown tremendously as a musician in the 60s – from bop to modern to avant in the space of a few short years – and here, he moves back into more soulful territory which opens up perfectly next to the Rhodes – with these very fluid, open solos that…

Music entirely improvised by François Carrier, Michel Lambert, and Rafal Mazur (SOCAN)Recorded live at Alchemia Jazz Klub in Krakow, Poland on the soulful night of May 24th 2015Sound, mixing and photo by François CarrierMastered by Arūnas Zujus at MAMAstudiosDesign by Oskaras Anosovas Produced by François CarrierExecutive producer Danas MikailionisCo-producer - Valerij Anosov

CD#1 1. Maya Homburger • Hans Koch • Herb Robertson • Raymond Strid [08:42] 2. Johannes Bauer • Barry Guy • Paul Lytton [13:49] 3. Johannes Bauer • Barry Guy • Paul Lytton [04:11] 4. Agustí Fernández • Trevor Watts • Evan Parker [19:16] 5. Mats Gustafsson • Hans Koch • Per-Åke Holmlander [05:41] 6. Mats Gustafsson • Hans Koch • Per-Åke Holmlander [03:43] 7. Mats Gustafsson • Hans Koch • Per-Åke Holmlander [03:16]  CD#2 1. Johannes Bauer solo [09:40] 2. Agustí Fernández • Raymond Strid [14:24] 3.…

"Here the 14 members of British bassist Barry Guy’s Blue Shroud Band, gathered in Krakow to perform the bassist’s orchestral Blue Shroud, were recorded in Small Formations. The set features 26 tracks where band members from 10 countries demonstrate their skills. Some improvisations are unexpected, as when four reed players stack up so many timbres that are alternately shrill, subterranean, harsh and gentle, that it appears critical mass is reached. Then they’re joined by serpent-player Michael G…

Sektion 1-2 is an extravagant LP-production which depicts the new musical thoughts and craftsmanships of three musician identities who couldn’t be further apart (or better distributed) in age. Together they work on the form. The result is a radical suspended shape of instrumental interplay, exploring unbound rhythms, structures, and harmonies. Even though Neuköllner Modelle draws attention to Free Jazz (a genre of which Sven-Ake Johansson became one of the european pioneers), their methods…

** pre-order, delayed to Jan 20th ** Who might be Rick Mason that his inner dimension is so utterly interesting people pay about 800 US$ for the sole record he and his band RARE FEELINGS produced in 1977? Well, we will now find out. He turns all of his interior inside out and gets you folks into a state of trance listening and dancing to his raging funk’n’soul music. Organ, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, drums and percussions build a simmering fundament for the eruptive yet sophisticated performanc…

Feelin Alright is Frode Thingnæs first album. It is considered a Norwegian jazz masterpiece from 1974, a true holy grail amongst jazz collectors. It sells for high amounts online. It was originally released in small quantities with very limited distribution, mainly in Norway. Recorded in the 70’s, combining funk, folk songs, jazz and soul, makes it an unique album that represents the contemporary 70’s jazz scene in Norway. This is the first official licensed re issue of the original alb…