Jazz /
Swinging Macedonia
A legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditiona…
Frode Gjerstad With Hamid Drake And William Parker
Featuring Frode Gjerstad on alto sax & clarinet, William Parker on contrabass and Hamid Drake on drums & percussion. Norwegian saxist Frode Gjerstad is one of the most prolific and hard working of all European saxists, a career that stretches back some forty plus years, with upwards of 100 releases during his long tenure. Mr. Gjerstad is forever juggling several bands simultaneously: Detail (with John Stevens & Johnny Dyani), Calling Signals (with Nick Stephens), Ultralyd (Scandinavian noise/roc…
Jellyspace
eruption of energy and musicality! The group play with a forward energy that takes off right from the start - Mikołaj Trzaska on alto and baritone saxophones, Peter Ole Jørgensen on percussion and percussion, Rafał Mazur bass guitar.Mikolaj Trzaska is ne of the main figures of Polish avan-jazz, free improvised music scene. Cofounder and saxophonist of Miłość, one of the main pillars of so called yass scene. The group cooperated with among others Lester Bowie and Tomasz Stańko. They recorded f…
Frames & Terrains
Edition of 300. A long improvisation with lots of angles and dark corners – served up in a way that really builds up tension, while also providing lots of compelling stops along the journey! The music is never too full-on, but always has a sense of complexity – strong interplay between the group right from the start, with Martin Blume on drums and percussion, Tobias Delius on tenor and clarinet, Achim Kaufmann on piano, and Dieter Manderscheid on bass. Things get a bit more tentative in …
Live at Cafe Amores
Edition of 300. Kang Tae Hwan plays alto sax with a rawness that's usually reserved for the tenor – a fantastic sound that really comes through beautifully here in this solo set of improvisations! The material was recorded around the same time as Kang's brilliant (and few) recordings for the Japanese market – and the long-overdue presentation of this performance comes as a much-needed accompaniment to his small catalog – the kind of record that boldly, brilliantly documents a completely unique t…
Oostum
Edition of 300. A really great setting for drummer Gerry Hemmingway – an album that has him improvising live with trombonist Samuel Blaser – a fantastic musician who's one of the freshest trombone talents we've heard in years! In previous comments, we've liked Blaser to a modern day heir to the genius of 60s trombonists like Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur – and those words definitely hold true here, as Blaser delivers a wondrous balance between new sounds and tuneful moments, fresh ideas …
Oh My, Those Boys!
Edition of 300. Brilliant work from these two very inventive bassists – the legendary Barre Phillips, working on acoustic bass – and Motoharu Yoshizawa, playing an unusual homemade electric vertical 5-string bass! The combination of instruments is beautiful – and with one electric, and one acoustic, you can really separate the voice of each player – even though both Phillips and Yoshizawa resonate strongly together, and really have a complimentary sense of improvisation – a beautiful combination…
Marvel Motor
**Edition of 110 copies only** A beautifully conceived record, housed in a silkscreend slip-in cover with a paste on picture – and one that sounds equally beautiful too – a super limited picture disc that features the mighty Mats Gustafsson working on bass sax and live electronics – while getting some heavy accompaniment from the flaming drums of Didi Kern (of Bulbul fame) The music is kind of a long, sonic text – with the drums almost always pointing forward with a pulsating vibe, which frees …
Confusion
Over a decade a half after his death, vindication has come to Fela Kuti, Africa’s musical genius. AfroBeat, his gift to the world, is now an international staple on his own uncompromising terms, social content intact. Throughout his life, Fela contended that AfroBeat was a modern form of danceable, African classical music with an urgent message for the planet’s denizens. Created out of a cross-breeding of Funk, Jazz, Salsa and Calypso with Juju, Highlife and African percussive patterns, i…
First Impressions
For a label that wasn't around long, Strata East achieved the same sort of label recognition that Impulse! or Blue Note managed to build. In other words, you knew what you were getting when you bought a record on the label, even if you didn't know the names on the outside of the cover. This is no exception. Who is Shamek Farrah? Who knows? Who cares? It's the music that's important. This is the standard spiritually intense new jazz one learns to expect from the label, soaked in some Eastern infl…
Capra Black
Capra Black remains one of the seminal recordings of jazz's black consciousness movement. A profoundly spiritual effort that channels both the intellectual complexity of the avant-garde as well as the emotional potency of gospel, its focus and assurance belie Billy Harper's inexperience as a leader. Backed by an all-star supporting unit including trombonist Julian Priester and drummer Billy Cobham, Harper's tenor summons the brute force and mystical resolve of John Coltrane but transcends its in…
The Elements
**One of the greatest Spiritual album ever made**180-gram vinyl reissue, new re-edition, reduced price. Improvised spiritual jazz from Joe Henderson and Alice Coltrane. "The Elements" was originally recorded in 1973 and marked a move away from the post bop that Henderson was known for. Working with Coltrane on piano and harp, violinist Michael White, Charlie Haden on bass, percussionist Kenneth Nash and Baba Duru Oshun on tablas, the veteran saxophonist explored themes inspired by the four eleme…
Apteryx Mantelli
Portugal's IKB Ensemble is an electracoustic improvising ensemble with a strong string and wind section, balanced with electric guitar, electronics, and percussion. This is a beautiful example of communal playing allowing textures and unique voices to surface and submerge, where no voice subsumes the other, but work together to create a unique and intriguing tapestry of sound.
Sun Embassy
Roaratorio's survey of the unheard Sun Ra continues with Sun Embassy. Consisting of recordings from Sun Studios (aka Ra's house in Philadelphia) from 1968-1969, the album features nine tracks: six compositions which have never been heard before in any form, plus fresh coats of paint on such 1950s classics as "Sunology" and "Ancient Aiethiopia", and an early rendition of "Why Go To The Moon". Essential listening for Sun Ra devotees. Includes download coupon.
The Hands
LP version. Very much a tight knit unit with three equal players, Fire! has been likened to powerful guitar led trios such as Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, but with Johan Berthling's heavy, doom-laden basslines being such a typical identifier, you can't help but think of Black Sabbath's debut album (1970) when it comes to hypnotic impact. The Hands is the trio's sixth album and it once again displays a totally uncompromising and intriguing mix of (mostly) heavy, dark, and intensely bu…
From Outer Space
**sold out at source, few copies left**At age 78, Joe McPhee shows no sign of slowing down. Plan B is the master improviser's new trio, with James Keepnews on guitar and laptop and David Berger on drums. A soundtrack to a science fiction movie existing only in their heads, From Outer Space finds McPhee and company envisioning the first encounter between alien life and a delegation of earthlings (while giving a nod to jazz's original man from another planet, Sun Ra, with a side-long suite dedic…
Sunshine Man
Harold Alexander was a competent saxophonist and dynamic flutist whose early and mid-’70s albums for Flying Dutchman and Atlantic blended originals, soul/jazz and R&B effectively. Alexander recorded three albums (including a live ‘Montreux Jazz Festival’ record in 1972) and contributed to various other recordings during his career.After a very brief period of recording music, from about 1967 to 1974, Alexander disappeared from the music scene. He is alleged to have commented on the music industr…
Pleasures of the Horror
Bisou Records asked Eugene Chadbourne to do an album for children and he proposed an album about horror movies and monsters. Some references are obvious, like “The Thing”, “Blacky Lagoony”, etc., and some are about strange characters, like “Vampire Tiger Girl”, and some are covers (Sam And The Shams, Shockabilly). It’s probably the best recorded album of Eugene Chadbourne. Eugene met Steve Beresford and Alex Ward in London at Eastcote Studios (where Adele, Duran Duran, Aswad, Tindersticks…
Zodiac
The third volume in Strata East's Series, and a hard to find recording by the great baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne! Although Payne had his roots in earlier bop material, by the time of this recording, he'd emerged as an outspoken modernist – although few labels would give him the chance to prove himself in this respect – save for the legendary Strata East imprint, which gives Payne this chance to show a whole new side of his talents! The group is a perfect one to bridge the generations – with …
Thirsty Ears
Jaap Blonk (born 1953, Woerden) is a Dutch avant-garde composer and soundpoet. He is primarily self-taught, both as a sound artist and as a visual/stage performer. One of his early influences was Kurt Schwitters, whose Ursonate he first heard in 1979; he memorized the entire work, and it became one of the cornerstones of his repertory; he has recited portions of the piece hundreds of times in various public places. His performances of sound poetry are unique and world renowned, making use…