Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

Same recordings as the bonus 7″ included with Winged Body but this comes in 50 copies with handmade covers. You better be quick on this one.

This 1958 debut recording by the Ornette Coleman Quintet, which featured Coleman on his trademark white plastic alto, Don Cherry on trumpet, Billy Higgins on drums, Walter Norris on piano, and Don Payne on bass, shook up the jazz world -- particularly those musicians and critics who had entered the hard bop era with such verve and were busy using the blues as a way of creating vast solo spaces inside tight and short melody lines. Something Else!!!! is anathema to that entire idea, and must have …

Gatefold double LP version. Includes CD. Fire! Orchestra follow their acclaimed 2014 album Enter (RCD 2158CD/RLP 3158LP) with Ritual, slimming the ensemble down from 28 of northern Europe's finest jazz and improvisational musicians to a mere 21. Since the release of Enter, this energetic and dynamic mass ensemble has gone from intimate jazz settings to the main hall at the Molde International Jazz Festival and a major stage at the prestigious Roskilde Festival. As brilliant as Enter is, wit…

2015 restock of this cosmic/spiritual jazz masterpiece. Grey area exact repro, originally released on Perception in 1973. A welcome reissue of this pure underground jazz classic from Newark, NJ's own Larry Young. He's in 'out' mode here, putting aside his more well-known styles (as heard on his classic Blue Note LP Unity) and laying down some Arkestra-style jamming alongside the shredding of James Blood Ulmer and some other underground cats. A killer melting of  cosmic, Eastern, Afro and fr…

Kaoru Abe was an influential Japanese free jazz alto saxophonist, who is often regarded as being the greatest abrasive sounding saxophonist.  He generally performed solo, and died young from a drug overdose, and has since been immortalized in the jazz scene. He became close friends with Milford Graves, Masayuki Takayanagi, Derek Bailey, and Motoharu Yoshizawa, and was married to the author Izumi Suzuki. His cousin was the famous singer Kyu Sakamoto.  

Nick Mazzarella is a singular voice in a late generation of free jazz formalists. The 31-year-old devotee of the alto saxophone spends days in a shop repairing woodwinds and nights playing gigs at diverse venues across the Chicago jazz and improvised music scene. In less than a decade, working with the likes of Rob Mazurek, Dana Hall, Ken Vandermark and The Eternals, he has quickly established himself as a vital contributor to the city’s creative music lineage. Far from just a sideman, Mazzarell…

Lead single from Jeff Parker's forthcoming full-length International Anthem release The New Breed. Released digitally and on limited 7" phonograph flexi disc with gold foil titles and glossy photo print of Ernie Parker and friends. Jeff Parker is an American jazz and rock guitarist based in Los Angeles. Parker is best known as an experimental musician, working with avant-garde electronic, rock, and improvisational groups. Parker currently plays guitar in the post-rock group Tortoise and also was…

Three live performances of collaborative electroacoustic compositions from 2007-08, recorded in London, Brisbane and Antwerp, each exploring different points of contact between precomposed structures and spontaneous invention: a duo adrift  (in memory of Paul Rutherford) with pianist Sarah Nicolls, a nonet codex IX (in memory of Mauricio Kagel) with the ELISION ensemble, and a 17-piece group with Ensemble Champ d'Action realising codex VII (to Vinko Globokar).

Two new releases by Jonas Kocher’s Flexion label, and those releases can be had for the exchange of money, other CDs, books, bottle of wine, postcards etc. The first of these is not by Kocher himself but by two friends, the duo of one Hans Koch on bass clarinet and Gaudenz Badrutt on electronics – whatever that may consist of these days (laptop, stomp boxes, synths, electrical connections) cooking up some radical improvised music. Not radical in the sense of things being very loud or very soft, …

2016 repress. Gatefold exact repro reissue of Don Cherry's classic Eternal Rhythm Group, recorded at the Berlin Jazz Festival, 1968. An amazing line up of: Cherry (cornet, gender and saron [gamelan], flutes), Albert Mangelsdorff (trombone), Eje Thelin (trombone), Bernt Rosengren (tenor sax, oboe, clarinet, flute), Sonny Sharrock (guitar), Karl Berger (vibes, piano, gender), Joachim Kühn (piano, prepared piano), Arild Andersen (bass), & Jacques Thollot (drums, saron, gong, bells, voice). T…

Composer, cornetist, electronic & acoustic sound specialist and musical director Rob Mazurek leads his largest regular ensemble, the Exploding Star Orchestra through one of his most ambitious recordings. While Galactic Parables: Volume 1 is a self-contained cosmos, marked by colliding melodic lines and startlingly beautiful passages, as the title indicates, it’s part of a larger work. Ever since Exploding Star Orchestra’s debut recording, Mazurek has been gradually building an epic science ficti…

2016 limited repress, edition of 200. A meeting with the giant. In this live session recorded in 2014, the konstruKt quartet's basic lineup reunites again with Peter Brotzmann, with whom they recorded the amazing studio album Dolunay (rec. 2008, rel. 2011) and Eklisia Sunday (rec. 2011, rel. 2013; also with Huseyin Ertunç and Dogan Dogusel). As the title says, all are invited to listen to the message hidden in these rhapsodic vibes, where the energy of an elephant stampede is channeled into a…

John Butcher, saxophones. Michael Duch, contrabass. Jazzfest Trondheim, Trondelag Senter for Samtidskunst, 9th May 2015. Recorded in concert by Jonas Krossli and mastered by Karl Klaseie. Thanks to Ernst-Wiggo Sandbakk and Randi Martine Brockmann. 'I first heard John Butcher in 2001 playing duos with Rhodri Davies and Derek Bailey on the CD Vortices and Angels. I was completely mesmerized, particularly by the two tracks in the end with John and Rhodri playing together. Vortices and Angels is sti…

rec. 1973 live at the Funkhaus, Hamburg, Germany - ltd/numbered 1/69, with paste-on cover (front & back with notes) "two sides long pieces, available here for the 1st time, top sound quality/pressing" punzmann

A vibrant Sun Ra recording session held in NYC at Variety Studio in 1973, ltd/numbered 1/79, with paste-on cover (front & back with notes) "meager, raw and totally oblique Arkestra rec. available here for the 1st time. very difficult record to do, came out amazing" punzmann

This deluxe overview of Boston's creative jazz scene is packaged in an 8 ½ x 5 ½, 80 page book documenting the rich history of the music with in-depth analyses and photos. In the 1970s Boston was a fertile ground for a very creative jazz scene. Small, independent venues ranging from lofts to churches to clubs opened up to support this thriving backdrop while jazz musicians set up their own labels. One man was there through it all, playing music and documenting the musical landscape. His name was…

German reedman-composer Peter Brotzmann is, despite an immense catalog spanning over forty years of activity in free music, criminally underrepresented in the format of a "standard" piano-less quartet. From reed-heavy octets and orchestras to the winds-bass-drums power trio, not to mention a long-running trio with percussion and piano, most of the possible formations have been covered. His Die Like A Dog Quartet was the one entry in this instrumental canon in the late 1990s, and produced five re…

"From New York" is a musical jouney into the street of New York divided into three splendid albums:  DAVID MURRAY - Live at the Lower Manhattan Ocean ClubNew Year's Eve 1977 gig with Lester Bowie, Fred Hopkins and Phillip Wilson, originally released on India Navigation. JOHN LINDBERG'S TRIPOLAR - (A)Live at Roulette, NYCString Trio of New York bassist Lindberg, with Don Davis (sax) and Kevin Norton (drums), recorded in sparkling form in New York, 2010 LESTER BOWIE - The Great PretenderGospel-dre…

With their debut album, Backer & Strid tell both short and long stories through sound improvisations that includes the rich spectrum from more serious expressions, to humoristic passages and parts. Tracks range from minimalistic and quiet nuances, to outraging energy bursts. The music is inspired by European improv, free jazz, contemporary classical music, folk music and much more. The album was improvised and recorded September 2014 in Heby, Sweden by Strid, and mixed by Backer & Strid.

Recorded on the 22th june 1991 at approximately the times indicated. (Discogs)

Otoroku is proud to present the second recorded outing from the universe shifting free jazz trio of Evan Parker, John Edwards and Chris Corsano. This trio have been playing together for 9 years, sometimes expanding into quartets with the like of Noah Howard, John Russell, Joe McPhee, John Coxon & Paul Dunmall. The material on this LP was recorded during a 4 night residency by Corsano at Cafe Oto in August 2014.  All material recorded live, no editing or post production. As raw and libera…

The Paris concert was supposed to be the last of this ill-fated tour -- but at the last minute, Sun Ra decided to go to Egypt. Someone had tipped him off to cheap airfare from Copenhagen to Cairo and a handful of gigs in Denmark were cobbled together to pay for a trip to the Land of the Pharaohs (see Campbell & Trent p.178). Egypt was a place of obvious spiritual importance to Sun Ra, but half of the rapidly shrinking Arkestra bailed out and returned home. Nevertheless, the core musicians dutifu…

A limited edition reissue in dramatic new packaging of the already highly collectable double full-session version of the legendary Saturn classic...In the winter months of 1977-1978, philosopher, pianist and bandleader Sun Ra was in Italy. The Italian tour resulted in releases on Sun Ra's own Saturn label, all of which have long been out of print and all but impossible to find. With the re-release of Disco 3000 one of the most celebrated of these elusive Saturn gems is once more available …

2015 repress. In 1966, she replaced pianist McCoy Tyner in her husband John Coltrane's group. Coltrane's work became a spiritual wellspring for her, but she surely developed her own style on piano, organ, harp, and later, Indian instruments such as the tamboura. After Coltrane's death in 1967, Alice began recording under her own name for Impulse!, leading groups that included at various times saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, Joe Henderson, Frank Lowe, and Carlos Ward, double bass play…

Norwegian drummer and percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love is one of the most prolific and hard-working musicians in the field of free-jazz, improvised and experimental music of the last 20 years. With his numerous collaborations, projects and band constellations he spends most of the year on the road, and the few days at home running his PNL Records label and organizing two music festivals. His discography is immense and displays an artist intent on documenting his activities, allowing listeners to …

Infinitely inventive (and busy) drummer Chris Corsano has paired up his furious kit-exploring with Pak Yan Lau, who uses electronics and the like, but also toy pianos and a ‘typatune’ to squeeze a fresh sound into improvisations. Lots of lovely fiddly small-sound interplay going on here, and thus lots to enjoy. Asbestos & A Little Rain is out on Les Albums Claus.  Chris Corsano plays the drumsPak Yan Lau plays toy piano's, typatune, pendules and electronics. recorded, mixed and mastered by Etien…

Morgan Ågren has been a drummer since age four and a Grammy winning musician on both sides of the Atlantic. Born in Umeå, Sweden in 1967, Mr. Ågren was spotted as an outstanding talent at a young age as he began performing publicly at age seven, and eventually joined forces with ten year old blind keyboardist Mats Öberg in 1981. In 1988, still around their late teens, Morgan and Mats got invited to play with Frank Zappa for a few different projects in the US - just before Zappa passed away. Whil…

"Of all the saxophones, it is our opinion that the one with the most distinctive sound, warmth and range that can reach into that of other saxophones, is the baritone sax." As composer, bandleader, and full-time member of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Pat Patrick was a visionary musician whose singular contribution to the jazz tradition has not yet been fully recognized. As well as holding down the baritone spot in the Arkestra for 35 years, Patrick played flute and alto, composed in both jazz and…

2015 restock / Recorded live at the "Donaueschingen Musiktage 1967", October 21st, 1967. "This is an exciting album. The important tenor Archie Shepp and his 1967 group -- with both Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur on trombones, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Beaver Harris -- romp through the continuous 43-and-a-half-minute "One for the Trane" before an enthusiastic audience at a German music festival. Although he improvises very freely and with great intensity, Shepp surprised the crowd by …

Fiercely beautiful Danish jazz from 1968, sworn body-and-soul to the legacy of John Coltrane, and the raw sense of music as a healing force, tearing through the cosmos — but with its own intensely compelling voice, on the line from Copenhagen, to you. So a searching, hurting version of Naima gives way to Meinert’s terrific, succinct, Lateef-flavoured tribute to Alice Coltrane  and a thrilling set of modal originals, including a tender ballad for Martin Luther King. Remastered from the ta…

"already released on vinyls in the late 80's (Naima/Serene were on a Jazzway LP and Serene/Springtime on a West Wind album) but NOT with this track sequence and i may sounds exaggerated but in this way to me it's simply Eric Dolphy's best album to date. perfect & totally in tune, you'd play this one all night & all day too... rec. with a fantastic 6et wich include the great Donald Byrd and Nathan Davis, most probably his very last live rec. since Eric left this planet on June 29, 1964 (the…

Recently formed quartet composed of Mark Wastell, violoncello with Olie Brice and Dominic Lash, basses, and Alan Wilkinson, alto saxophone and bass clarinet. Improvisations of Huntington Ashram Monastery '(Alice Coltrane) and' Lonely Woman '(Ornette Coleman). Two interpretations and two originals. Registered in 2015.

Alan Wilkinson, saxophone, clarinet, Kim Johannesen, electric guitar, Ola Hoyer, bass, Dag Erik Andersen Knedal, battery. Live at Café Oto, London in 2014. Power and emotion of a seasoned saxophonist against routine improvisation with young musicians from the Norwegian scene already well informed on the issues of the scene!

**restocked, very last copies** "two things make this record so special: it fills a void in Miles' discography as during this period he stayed away from the scene for a while and 2nd these unissued tracks have such an unique sound that you'll not hear anything like that on any other Miles Davis albums (here he plays mostly organ). so futuristic and ahead of it's time (as it'll probably be also in the next few years)." punzmann

Trost continues its Trost Jukebox Series of 7"s. Mats Gustafsson: tenor and baritone saxophones; Ingebrigt Håker Flaten: double bass; Paal Nilssen-Love: drums, percussion, and megaphone-sampler. It seemed to be a split between The Thing and Shit and Shine but instead they are playing together and make the most awful but visceral racket. Thumping hardcore repeato-punk is married to madcap electronics to well and truly cleanse your ears out once and for all. Both sides sort of sound like the Napal…

An astonishing 3CD box set of new and previously unissued long-form works from world-renowned composer-bassist William Parker. This box set is comprised of four distinctly compelling long-form works -- Parker's first composition written for symphony orchestra performance; a commissioned piece for a standing new music ensemble; a 'chamber-jazz' song series for voice / soprano sax / piano / bass; a composition created specifically for a particularly diverse Parker assemblage in Universal To…

2015 repress, originally reissued in 2001. Better sit down now, Euro-jazz fans. Here's a partial lineup from these two brilliant, previously unreleased German National Radio sessions from the dawn of the era: Gunter Hampel, Gerd Dudek,Willem Breuker, Peter Brötzmann, Manfred Schoof, Albert Mangelsdorff, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Buschi Niebergall, Peter Kowald, Jaki Liebezeit, Mani Neumeier,Sven-Åke Johansson, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Arjen Gorter, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Paul Lovens.…

"Trinity represents the second installation in The Unheard Music Series efforts to resurrect Joe McPhee's early '70's work on the CjR label, soon to be completed withUnderground Railroad and Pieces Of Light. This brilliant trio recording of blues inflected out-soul from '73 follows up on hugely successful Nation Time, recorded a year later. Originally issued in '73 in an edition of 1000, Trinity has not available since. John Corbett has remastered Trinity from original tapes; the LP had to be se…

Third - and sadly last - chapter of the archival recordings fixed on tape by Hartmut Geerken during his stay in Kabul in the 70s. Insistency! was recorded at the Goethe Institut of Kabul on same day of the duo session of Hyndukush Serenade - May 22, 1977 - but sees also Maqsud Schukurwali and Ghafur Rasul - members of the Free Jazz Group Kabul - joining Geerken and John Tchicai and playing an insistent anthem, featuring also an eight year old Olaf Geerken at congas. On side B, the music g…

***restocked, very last copies** "2nd and final set from that legendary concert, here's a review i found on the net about part I: Unbelievable previously unreleased live electric Miles blow-out from January 1974: this is a mind-blower, with the electric group at an insane high energy over-amped peak. Not many live recordings exist from 1974, the same era as Dark Magus etc. Here Miles is paired with Dave Liebman, guitarist Pete Cosey, Reggie Lucas, Michael Henderson, Al Foster and Mtume and the f…