Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

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…

**very last copies** Ultra limited exacte replica reissue, a beat-digger's delight with loads of excellent drum breaks in this far out ghetto Jazz album."Ron left this plant in 1989 and his wife Linda don't have anymore the original master tapes. to my knowledge only 3 persons have the original: one fella in the US of A, an Italian DJ and a Japanese (who got multiple copies ?!). master used for this reissue comes from an original copy and it came out simply AMAZING (considering also that it'…

This is the free jazz record that everyone wants. Its long, mythic history is shrouded and whispered about because of it rarity. Church Number Nine was recorded on March 7, 1970, but remained buried until it was released in 1973 on the Calumet label, a Parisian venture that instantly evaporated into thin air. Only 300 copies of the album made it into circulation; the rest were apparently destroyed. The line-up is one of free jazz's greatest, the same quartet as Frank Wright's legendary BYG …

2015 restock. First time vinyl reissue of Joe McPhee's classic CJR LP from 1969. Exact repress of the original artwork. Trumpeter and saxophonist Joe McPhee's first album, Underground Railroad, has been virtually impossible to find on vinyl, issued in an edition of 500 copies on Craig Johnson's CJR label -- it was recorded next to Johnson's house at the Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York. It sold out and was never reprinted on vinyl until now. Underground Railroad is comprised of thr…

Thurston Moore’s résumé is monolithic – with his band Sonic Youth and as a solo artist few people has had the same impact on music in the last 35 years. Moore has been instrumental is building bridges between the mainstream and underground experimental music.Coming out from the jazz scene, Mats Gustafsson holds a similar position, with endless projects, collaborations and three decades of non-stop touring, recording and performing.The duo have collaborated several times before, starting with Son…

Thomas Johansson, trumpet. Mats Äleklint, trombone. Julie Kjaer, alto saxophone. Klaus Holm, alto and baritone saxophone. Per Ake Holmlander, tuba. Ketil Gutvik, electric guitar. Tommi Kernen, electronics. Jon Rune Strom, double bass. Christian Meaas Svendsen, double bass. Andreas Wildhagen, drums. Paal Nilssen-Love, drums. Christian Obermayer, sound engineer. All music by Paal Nilssen-Love. Live at Bimhuis, Amsterdam 7th May 2015.Produced as a promo and tour record for the North American tour …

Limited to only 45 hand-numbered copies on black vinyl with a photo and notes on the cover. Great obscure recordings from an equally obscure quintet led by Coltrane's drummer Rashied Ali. Available here for the first time.

One of a kind and kind of esoteric John Tchicai unreleased kind of funk live sessions!" ~Punzmann. Quartet: John Tchicai - alto, soprano sax and vocals, Ole Thilo - piano, Peter Warren - bass, Pierre Favre - drums. Group: John Tchicai - alto, flute, percussion, Peter Oye - guitar, percussion, Hugo Rasmusen - bass, Aage Trangaard - drums. Limited to only 30 copies with paste-on cover, so order fast!

Joe McPhee: clarinet, pocket trumpet, flugelhorn, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone. Paal Nilssen-Love: drums and percussion. Produced by Lasse Marhaug and Paal Nilssen-Love. Joe McPhee and Paal Nilssen-Love have played together in bands like The Thing, The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet and Two Bands And A Legend since 2000 but in 2007 they started playing as a duo as well. PNL Records is proud to present 'Candy' a 7CD box-set that documents the developement of that duo with seven recordings ma…

"No free music here but probably the most lyrical, warm, melanchonic and sophisticated playing by Mr. Brown, unreleased stuff recorded at the legendary Funkhaus, live!" ~Punzmann. Marion Brown - alto sax, Brandon K. Ross - guitar, Jack Gregg - bass, Steve McCraven - drums. Limited to 30 copies only with paste-on cover, so order fast!

Reflecting on his studies with guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi, Otomo Yoshihide plays one of Takayanagi's favorite electric guitars, a 1963 Gibson-175, to record 6 extended and informed free improvisations, including Ornette's "Lonely Woman" and "Song for Che"."It's been a quarter-century since I broke away from my teacher, Masayuki Takayanagi. In recording this album, I used a 1963 Gibson-175 electric guitar that had been one of Takayanagi-san's favorites. The occasion that led to this guitar com…

As a sax player, Junji Hirose has been a prominent figure on the free jazz-improvised music scene since the 1970's. But he has another side: he collects everyday odds and ends and puts them together to create instruments which he uses in noise performance. Hirose calls these noise instruments SSI (self-made sound instruments). In 2013, he released the CD SSI-4 (hitorri-997). This is his new release, SSI-5. To make the SSI No. 5 instrument, he put together about 30 vinyl chloride pipes and, using…

26 copies only, numbered, on special orange paper with very small red/green dots (same style as the one used for the Qbico Omicron/Omega box set) with:- front artworks by Mike Johnston (two vvariations) hand-made frame by ep along Mike's arttwork, on interstellar metallic bronze paper (all different = each box is unique) signed print by Don Barber of originall inner sleeve cover photograph- color insert printed on quality paper (front & back) with rare & beautiful images of the band- an extra on…

Sensational!!! 4LP box set with printed inner sleeves, black vinyls/black labels, ltd ed 75 copies only numbered. "second and last volume; including their earliest available recordings from 1985 (not available anywhere else)!" (ep) Fog and Fire #51: rec. January 8, 1994 at Northwoods Studios, Michigan, originally released by Arc on CD; Branches #52: rec. 2000, originally released by Entropy on CD; Spinning #53: rec. June 7th & 8th, 1996 at Northwoods Studios, Michigan, originally released …

"Recorderd in 1968, here we have a very rare South African jazz album, only two copies known in the whole wide world: one in the hand of a SA prime minister and the other one in the hand of an art gallery owner (= original it's practically impossible to find ?!). this new edition had been re-mastered and cleaned, with different art on cover but by the same fine artist. a very unique record with such an unusual instrument combination, all songs written by Mr. Nxumalo who is surely an origin…

Very last copies, A really difficult (or impossible) to describe unreleased live session. This definitely is one of the most unique and one-of-a-kind records in the history of jazz and creative music! In order to get an idea of what's on offer, on really has to hear it! This set was recorded on October 15, 1981 and features Billy Bang (violin), Wilber Morris (bass), Dennis Charles (drums) and Henry Warner (clarinet). Limited to only 70 copies on black vinyl, presented with a photo on the front o…

Mindblowing!!!!!!"One day a super nice fellows from Turkey wrote me... Umut ! he enjoyed the one-sided i did by Phill Musra with Huseyin... that's why i always consider myself as a farmer, a plant seeds... well this RARE focus on the Turkey jazz scene are the fruits from that Musra trio one-sided LP... and to be sincere i'd have NEVER belived one day to be able to do such a focus (not even when i stopped qbico): difficult to know/find the right people/the right music from that elusive (but with …

Limited to 66 handnumbered copies with different cover (as the limited 22 version) on front and back. On black vinyls and including black labels and black deluxe padded inner sleeves. the same session, personnel and recording date as the Charles Tyler 4et's 'At WKCR' one-sided LP, but with totally DIFFERENT music. Two copies available, outstanding performance

Peter Brötzmann is described as mad by some and as the 'Godfather of free jazz' by others. His improvisational musical horizon ranges from violent outbursts and delicate, dreamy fantasies. The Live recording of his solo concert at the Münster of Berne from october 27th 2013 is an extraordinary contemporary document. "Solo performance has long been a vital part of Peter Brötzmann’s practice, but recordings of such sessions have been few and far between – at least until recently. Albums like 198…

2012 release. ESP-Disk is now releasing Frank Wright's tribute concert to tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler titled Blues For Albert Ayler in a 6 part suite. This high energy performance was recorded live at Rashied Ali's club 'Ali's Alley' on July 17th, 1974. This is the Right Reverend Frank Wright, live and raw, in his element, with a most impressive band. Frank Wright plays tenor sax and bass clarinet, with an electrifying performance from guitarist James 'Blood' Ulmer, bassistBenny Wilson and dr…

In 1964, Sun Ra asked the young tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders to join him, while Arkestra mainstay John Gilmore was busy working with Paul Bley, Andrew Hill and Art Blakey. Before the recording's original release in 1976, Sun Ra stated: 'It should be very interesting to the world to show what the pre-Coltrane Pharoah Sanders was like.' Also appearing on Featuring Pharoah Sanders & Black Harold is the little-heard flautist, Black Harold(Harold Murray), who takes the lead on the track “The Voi…

Lindha Kallerdahl studied jazz at renowned Swedish schools Skurup and Birka from 1993-1996. Situated in Stockholm, she was exposed to free music at a young age, and has participated in collaborations with Mats Gustavsson, David Stackenäs, Raymond Strid, Mattias Windemo, andFredrik Ljungkvist. In Summer 2000, Kallerdahl made a spectacular project with Jim O'Rourke, Mats Gustavsson, and dancer Lotta Melin. In 2001, she was awarded the prestigious Jazz in Sweden Prize, which resulted in the critica…

Heliocentric Worlds Volume 3 is the continuation of the Heliocentric Worlds Volume 2 session, recorded the same day and with the same personnel, that has been lost for nearly 40 years. Recently, the tapes were discovered, digitally remastered, and are now available for the first time. Totally-unreleased studio material -- continuation of the session hailed as a "...masterpiece of free jazz."Sun Ra (piano, tuned bongos, clavioline); Marshall Allen (alto sax, pic, flute); Pat Patrick (bar sax);Wal…

Charles Tyler, from Albert Ayler's band, makes a startling statement on his debut solo record. His group, featuring an unusual instrumentation of cello, bass, drums, orchestra vibes, and saxophone, plays through his original compositions and showcases some heated solos. Although primarily known as a baritone sax player, Charles Tyler is featured on alto sax yet his sound and concept are fully evident on this record. Performers: Charles Tyler: alto sax; Charles Moffett: orchestra vibes;Joel Freed…

(excerpted from Peter's liner notes): "There was a time Han Bennink and I, sometimes with Fred Van Hove, would drive through the Black Forest to get to places like the jazz club in Villingen and Loerrach, to play. At the same time during the end of sixties, beginning of seventies Joachim-Ernst Berendt, chief of the SWF Radio was setting up a yearly meeting and driving through the forest Bennink and I had the idea of just going and playing in nature. We talked to Berendt about the idea an…

On November 11th, 1964, Giuseppi Logan went to Bell Sound Studios to record his first album for the newly-formed ESP-Disk label. Bernard Stollmandiscovered Giuseppi and others who would form the nucleus of his label at the October Revolution Concert of 1964. For the recording, Giuseppi chose friends and fellow music companions Don Pullenand Milford Graves, and added bassist extraordinaire Eddie Gomez. The session is rich with imagination, and added to the dimension of musicians who would become …

“Roswell Rudd assembled the newly formed New York Quartet for an afternoon recording session at Bell Sound Studios in midtown Manhattan. They were joined by a small, youthful appearing individual, the poet Amiri Baraka. Their engineer was the late Art Crist, an accomplished pianist. I was introduced to Lewis Worrell, Amiri Baraka andJohn Tchicai. The group was short lived. I heard them again 40 years later, when they reassembled for a concert at the South Street Seaport in New York City, opening…

BRÖ presents Mollie's in the Mood by Peter Brötzmann & Jason Adasiewicz, the label's third LP since its revival in 2003 and the sequel to the Brötzmann/Adasiewicz 2012 tour-only CD. Recorded in "you-are-there" fidelity, the LP captures a performance at Chicago's Hideout on the duo's 2012 U.S.A. tour. Brötzmann played alto and tenor saxophones, b-flat clarinet, and tárogató; Adasiewicz played vibraphone. This is what happens when the most original vibraphonist of his generation slams into …

This is the first duo album since 2010 by leading British improvisers Rhodri Davies (harp) and John Butcher (saxophone). In January 2014, together with respected musician and sound recordist Chris Watson, they visited Routing Lynn, an area of ancient rock carvings in Northumberland, northern England. In this natural setting, Davies and Butcher played music and Watson recorded. Two months later, at a festival in Gateshead, England, Davies and Butcher performed along with the 4-channel play…

Seijiro Murayama (percussion), who is currently based in Japan, lived in France for a number of years and since that time has performed frequently with the French alto sax player Jean-Luc Guionnet. Mishima, Day & Night is their third duo album after Le Bruit du Toit (Xing-Wu Records, 2007) and Window Dressing (Potlatch, 2011). These four tracks document their improvised music performances in Mishima City at Hongaku Temple (day) and Teke Bar (night) on the same day in July 2013. Murayama uses…

"I have always thought of the idea of passing as a beautiful thing, in which the soul or life force of the individual is somehow transferred to the immensity and brilliance of the entirety. The idea of Heaven and Hell (and everything inbetween) has always been a hallmark within the limited spectrum of what we humans can come up with and the idea of God or Gods has, for some, been an interesting way of putting a life and circumstances into some kind of mysterious belief system that can at times b…

Outstanding work from bassist/percussionist Juma Sultan – a wealth of wonderful tracks from the loft jazz years of the 70s! Sultan's a player who doesn't always get his due on record – especially during this formative generation. Most of the tunes are quite spiritual, and feature a shifting lineup that really keeps things fresh – players who include Sultan on bass, percussion, and flute – plus Ali Abuwi on drums, flute, and oboe; Kasa Allah and Earl Cross on piano, Art Bennett on tenor,…

The previously unreleased show captured on Virtually, recorded 3/23/71, presents the classic quartet Softs [Elton Dean/Mike Ratledge/Hugh Hopper/Robert Wyatt] during their final European tour & just 4 months before their dissolution. The recording [licensed from German radio & taken from the master tapes] is superb for the time period, & the performance really sparkles, with everyone shinning, although special note must be made of Robert's drumming, as he plays with more gusto on this show than …

This is a truly stupendous archival find, with broad appeal to both jazz and early fusion fans. This never before released album was recorded on October 7th, 1969 by John Surman and British jazz superstars. It is a mix between the vibrancy of late 60's uk jazz and spacey early electric jazz/rock ala "In A Silent Way"; listening to this album, you can hear that the fusion explosion is on the cusp of happening. Soprano/baritone saxophonist John Surman is one of the UK's best known jazzmen, having …

Soft Machine were one of the greatest UK avant/jazz-rock bands of all time and their work, whether their earliest performances as a psychedelic band, who were contemporaries of, and shared stages with Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, all the way to being one of Europe's best known 'fusion' bands, their work continues to be name-checked by today's hip experimentalists. By mid 1973, Soft Machine had gone through a tremendous amount of personnel turnover and a shifting in t…

Recorded live, the sound on Tabligh veers from a sound akin to early electric jazz ala "In A Silent Way" and especially 'the lost quintet' of Miles in late 1969/early 1970, to both more sparse and modern jazz fare, all of it informed by the distinctive personalities of these four players and their leader's musical concepts."Smith is working at his highest level since the mid '70s. This quartet - with its combination of maturity, craftsmanship, and sense of adventure - is the perfect band to real…

Released for the very first time here is the Soft Machine's television broadcast, recorded for Germany's famous "NDR Jazz Workshop" on May 17, 1973. This performance was one of the earliest shows by the quartet of Roy Babbington (electric bass), Karl Jenkins (oboe, baritone sax, soprano sax, electric piano), John Marshall (drums) and Mike Ratledge (electric piano, organ). This was a very high profile appearance by the group and for this performance Soft Machine made it a special show. They perfo…

The NDR Jazz Workshop was a weekly show featuring all manner of jazzmen of the day. The taping of this NDR show was around the same time as Surman was recording his second album as a leader, How Many Clouds Can You See, so this is a unique chance to get an expanded view of his formative work as a leader and also at the early work of his musical compatriots who appear with him here. For this occasion, Surman led a ten-piece ensemble featuring the cream of modern British jazz players: John Surman …

Masahide Tokunaga, born in 1982, is an alto sax player & improviser active on the Tokyo scene. This CD is his second solo album, and his first since the 2009 release of 'Alto Saxophone' on the Slub Music label five and a half years ago. Like that CD, these 7 tracks (recorded in January 2015) are made up entirely of subtly changing long tones played on the alto sax. This album is just as unique, but compared to the previous CD, which is made up entirely of soft playing, its sound is a great deal …