Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

Hank Mobley quintet session with Kenny Dorham, Sonny Clark, Jimmy Rowser and Art Taylor, recorded for Blue Note on 18 August 1957 and first issued in Japan in 1984. Tone Poet 180g LP reissue.

Original copy in great condition of the first edition of Wolfgang Dauner's 1970 album on MPS with Eberhard Weber and Roland Wittich. Modal jazz weirdness by a composer loosely connected with krautrock with his band Et Cetera.

Yusef Lateef walks into Rudy Van Gelder's studio with a vision that won't have a proper name for another two decades. What to call music that swings hard as any bebop session but incorporates sounds from beyond the American jazz tradition? "Ethnic materials," they'd say awkwardly. "World music," they'd say later. Lateef just called it music - his music - and got to work. Sounds of Yusef, recorded for Prestige, captures Lateef at a pivotal moment. This is before the radical experiments of the 196…

Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. Live recording of the fully-staged Anthony Braxton opera Trillium R - Composition No. 162 -- An Opera in Four Acts/Shala Fears for the Poor (dedicated to Nelson Mandela). Liner notes by Anthony Braxton. Trillium is the name I have given to a preconceived series of thirty-six autonomous one-act operas that will hopefully be completed in the next ten to fifteen years. I have conceived of this effort as an “opera complex” that allows for the interconnecti…

Hank Mobley's 1961 Blue Note quintet session with Grant Green, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, recorded on 26 March 1961 and first released in 1962. Blue Note Classic Vinyl reissue, 180g.

2 LPs packaged in cardboard sleeve with paper insert | Produced and directed by Christopher Williams | Executive production by John Corbett & Jim Dempsey | Edition: 500. Inklusive is a play written by Bavarian playwright Franz Xaver Kroetz. It is part of a trilogy of radio plays from 1971 titled Trilogie Münchener Lebens. The play was first broadcast as a radio play in former West Germany on Südwestfunk in 1972. A second version was broadcast in former East Germany on Rundfunk der DDR in 1974. T…

''This recording was done on a four track tape recorder. Meaning the process of recording was a bit different this time around. Most of the tracks had to be recorded more or less in one take all the way through which means more room for mistakes. As I didn't have the ctrl-z option of the computer I had to try and fix my mistakes by turning them into features. This problem solving on the fly approach is why I'm calling the record ad hoc''. - Gustav Horneij / Organic Pulse Ensemble

For "Daughter of a Temple", ganavya invited over 30 artists from various disciplines to a ritual gathering in Houston. Consequently, the album features numerous contributors, including renowned musicians such as esperanza spalding, Vijay Iyer, Shabaka Hutchings, Immanuel Wilkins, and Peter Sellars. The results—an innovative and deeply moving blend of spiritual jazz and South Asian devotional music—were initially recorded by Ryan Renteria and then further edited and mixed by Nils Frahm at LEITER'…

Twenty years of working almost only with sine waves, tuned by the laws of the natural harmonic series and produced by generators he builds himself. Della Marina thinks of the pieces as sound sculptures, and works between music and the visual arts.

When you wish upon a star… that turns out to be Saturn!

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers ignite the Lausanne stage in Second Set Lausanne 1960, channeling hard bop’s volatile spirit through a telepathic lineup. Reeling through standards and infernal originals, the band radiates volcanic intensity and effortless swing, immortalizing a high-water mark in live jazz.​

*300 copies limited edition* All compositions were written by Dennis Gonzalez.Rest in peace. 1954-2022. Aaron Gonzalez- Acoustic Bass, VoiceStefan Gonzalez- Drums, Vibraphone, VoiceRob Mazurek- Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet, VoiceDrew Phelps- Acoustic BassJawwaad Taylor- Pocket TrumpetGaika James- Trombone, PercussionLily Taylor- VocalsDanny Kamins- Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Soprano SaxophoneJoshua Miller- Tenor Saxophone, Drums Recorded live at the Texas Theatre in Dallas, TX on Sunday Ja…

Live rec. at June 21st, 2024 by Udo Schindler at Kulturbahnhof München-GiesingMix by Wolfgang Obrecht / Tonstudio RichArt. Cover photo by Udo Schindler.All compositions by Udo Schindler, Erhard Hirt, Ove Volquartz. Produced by Udo SchindlerUdo Schindler plays a bflat-clarinet mod.3000 by Seggelke Klarinetten, a Leblanc metal doublebass clarinet modified till low C by Bruno Waltersbacher (& Benedikt Eppelsheim†) with a mouthpiece by Max Geller & use a bass clarinet heavy neck by Martin Suter (Bla…

Saxophonist Omicil builds atmospheres then upends expectations in this free-jazz homage to Haiti’s successful 18th-century slave insurrection - The Guardian

Masaru Imada's debut album, "Maki," is where it all began. Known as one of Japan's most influential pianists, Imada's career has spanned seven decades, from hard bop to fusion, with over 30 albums under his belt. "Maki" captures the essence of his powerful, emotive touch, blending fresh rhythms with beautiful melodies. The album showcases a mix of standards and originals, like the dynamic "On Green Dolphin Street," the tender "Maki" dedicated to his daughter, and the vibrant "Sea Horse." Release…

This bundle includes Joe McPhee's "Tenor", "The Willisau Concert", "Black Magic Man" LPs, released by Superior Viaduct. Recorded in the same sessions as 1971's classic Nation Time, Black Magic Man is smoldering, late-Coltrane-inspired modal free jazz. While The Willisau Concert features longtime collaborator, synth player John Snyder and South African drummer Makaya Ntshoko, McPhee unleashes his first solo LP, simply named Tenor. Together the albums represent the sound of McPhee opening up, open…

Recorded at Munich’s Muffathalle twenty years ago, in September 2004, this previously-unreleased concert recording of the Tomasz Stanko Quartet is a fascinating document, capturing a developmental chapter in the music between the song forms of the Suspended Night repertoire and the improvised areas that the Polish musicians would explore on Lontano.  The Munich show was a highlight in a year in which the Stanko Quartet played a record number of gigs, with extensive tours of the US and Europe.  T…

On My Prophet, Oded Tzur together with his quartet of pianist Nitai Hershkovits, bassist Petros Klampanis and the new group member Cyrano Almeida on drums, continues on the idiosyncratic musical path he has carved out for himself – a flowing jazz idiom that seamlessly combines multiple forms of expression –,  while delving deeper into the meditative and highly concentrated realm of improvisation. In the process, the saxophonist presents some of his fiercest playing yet. The quartet’s synergy is…

2008 release. Bobby "BlackHat" Walters, harmonica player, vocalist, and songwriter hails from Cleveland, Ohio and has been playing harp for over 30 years. While a member of the Black Rose Blues Band, BlackHat had the honor of opening for blues legends B.B. King, Taj Mahal, and Steady Rollin Bob Margolin. Featuring Larry Berwald (guitar), Mark Hopkins (guitar), Von Jose Roberts (bass), Marty Germain (drums), Tommy Fisher (keyboards) and Jackie Scott (vocals).

First time reissue of this forgotten gem from Don Cherry. This unsung album is only known by hardcore fans of Don cherry who considered it as one of his best effort. Heavenly Sweetness do it again! This album was recorded in 1978 in Paris and released only in France in 1981. That was the first meeting between Don Cherry and Indian percussionist Latif Khan and the result is an incredible mixture of jazz and Indian music.

Great but still rather unknown German spiritual jazz including the massive "Nil", originally compiled by Rainer Tron the second volume of the Glucklich series (along Sail Joia and Niagara). Its about time to exhumate this gem from the 70s German jazz underground for your listening pleasure. Drummer Heinz Von Moisy leads Irisation, an incredible quintet formed Carlo Domeniconi (acoustic guitar), Manfred Burzlaff (vibraphon), Dieter G (bass), Ulrich Moritz (percussion) and Von Moissy himself perfo…

At the dawn of the seventies, Barcelona's underground scene veered towards a jazz-oriented fusion sound with echoes of Gary Burton, Miles Davis and John McLaughlin. Two bands were at the forefront of this movement: Om and Jarka. The latter being the brainchild of Jordi Sabatés, one of the most talented pianists/keyboardists in the Catalan scene. A generation younger than the late great Tete Montoliu, with whom he also recorded, he found fame on the teenage pop charts of the late sixties with the…

The definitive edition of a 1977 classic, Plunky & Oneness Of Juju’s ‘Make A Change’ album featuring the international hit ‘Every Way But Loose’ and five previously unheard studio takes across an expanded 2lp release. Recorded at Omega studios in Maryland, the album marked a transition for the band with lead vocalist Jackie Eka-Ete recording her last sessions with Plunky and Virtania Tillery taking over lead vocal duties. “‘Make A Change’ was always designed as a slightly more commercial entry i…

Little is known about Norman Feels…but we do know that he was an underground soul sensation in the 1970s. He released two classic albums on Just Sunshine Records (the label that was also responsible for putting out milestone recordings by artists like Betty Davis, Karen Dalton and Arica). Over the years, Norman’s songs have been sampled by renowned acts from the likes of Ghostface Killah, Nas and Kanye West. The sound his songs emit reminds of the classic soul coming out of New Jersey at the tim…

2014 release. Alan Sondheim was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; he lives with his partner, Azure Carter, in Providence, RI. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from Brown University. A new-media artist, writer, and theorist, he has exhibited, performed and lectured widely. His band Ritual All 770, whose debut The Songs (Riverboat, 1967) was reissued by the Fire Museum label, was included on the notorious Nurse With Wound list of outsider/avant-garde influences. Sondheim is the first artist from ESP-Dis…

*180 Gram/ gatefold/ audiophile* Originally issued by Impulse in 1971, this masterpiece Alice's album is on of the most exciting record she have ever did! And, what's more, it's absolutely live! It is definitely one of the best  truly cosmic jazz orchestrations ever realized. Recorded at the Coltrane home studio, Dix Hills, New York on November 8, 1970. Alice Coltrane (harp, piano); Pharoah Sanders (soprano saxophone, perc); Charlie Haden (bass); Rashied Ali (drums); Cecil McBee (bass); Vishnu W…

In this vivid and exciting project, the Santiago-raised and New York-based pianist-composer David Virelles looks towards one melting pot from the vantage point of another. A far-reaching work with deep cultural roots, Gnosis speaks of transculturation and traditions, and of the complex tapestry of Cuba’s music – the sacred, the secular, and the ritualistic – but the work’s shapes and forms could only have been created by a gifted contemporary player thoroughly versed in the art of the improviser…

Norwegian drummer/composer Thomas Strønen presents a revised edition of his acoustic collective Time Is A Blind Guide, now trimmed to quintet size, and with a new pianist in Wakayama-born Ayumi Tanaka. Tanaka has spoken of seeking associative connections between Japan and Norway in her improvising, a tendency Strønen seems to be encouraging with his space-conscious writing for the ensemble, letting in more light. As on the group’s eponymously-titled and critically-lauded debut album there are ex…

In this third ECM release as a leader, Chris Potter presents a new acoustic quartet that naturally blends melodic rhapsody with rhythmic muscle. The group includes superlative musicians well known to followers of ECM’s many recordings from New York over the past decade: keyboardist David Virelles, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Marcus Gilmore, who each shine in addition to the leader on multiple horns. The Dreamer Is the Dream features Potter on tenor saxophone – the instrument that has made him…

On his second leader album for ECM – following on from the prizewinning Gefion – Danish guitarist Jakob Bro continues to refine his trio project, with its emphases on melody, sound, space, layered textures and interaction. The rapport between Bro and Thomas Morgan (Bro calls him “my musical soul mate”) has become something extraordinary, and often guitarist and bassist develop improvisational ideas in parallel. There’s an historical aptness, too, in the choice of Joey Baron as the band’s new dru…

One of the pleasures of Mathias Eick’s Midwest album was hearing his vaulting trumpet supported by violin, an instrumental combination further developed on Ravensburg. The new violinist in Eick’s ensemble is Håkon Aase, one of the up-and-coming players of the Norwegian scene, whom attentive ECM listeners will already know from his work with Thomas Strønen’s group. The core Eick road band is further shored up by the addition of Helge Andreas Norbakken, who interacts excitingly with fellow drummer…

"After discovering the unique hand-wringing style of guitarist Christy Doran on Red Twist & Tuned Arrow, I was excited to check out this seemingly neglected record, for which he was again joined by drummer Fredy Studer, only this time, intriguingly enough, with two bassists: Bobby Burri and Olivier Magnenat. Burri is a familiar name in the ECM circuit, having shared stages with Pierre Favre, Manfred Schoof, and Tim Berne, and of course as a member of OM (also with Doran and Studer). Burri, it be…

"An evocative, lyrical recording.... The two draw heavily on Slavic folk influences, even as they mine the kind of airy, contemplative jazz harmonies associated with the ECM school." - David R. Adler, AllMusicWave of Sorrow is an album by Soviet-Norwegian jazz pianist Mikhail Alperin and Russian brass player Arkady Shilkloper recorded in July 1989 and released on ECM the following year.

Between 1979 and 1982, the Miroslav Vitouš Group was the primary outlet for the abundant improvisational skills of leader Vitouš and John Surman. They made three ECM albums: this eponymously-titled disc from 1980 is the middle one. Vitouš and Surman were well-matched in lots of ways, with roots and influences that extended beyond jazz, a love of playing freely, a commitment to using all the sound potential of their respective instruments: Surman singing at the top of the baritone sax’s range to …

Charles Lloyd’s sixth ECM album is both a departure and a homecoming for the Memphis-born and California-based tenorist, introducing new music and revisiting archive favourites (including the epic "Forest Flower"), and featuring an all-star line-up. With his "Scandinavian" band currently on hold,this is Lloyd’s first all-American album in a long while – Dave Holland qualifies as an honorary American by now – with all the differences of cultural emphasis that this implies. ECM veteran John Abercr…

A fresh and open music, delicate and space-conscious, is shaped as drummer Thomas Strønen and Ayumi Tanaka, previously heard in the ensemble Time Is A Blind Guide on Lucus, resurface in a new trio with clarinettist/singer/percussionist Marthe Lea. The group first came together at Oslo’s Royal Academy of Music, where for two years the players would meet each week for exploratory music making. Strønen: “We always played freely- drifting between elements of contemporary classical music, folk music,…

Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick’s expressive playing, which according to the New York Times radiates a “pristine yet penetrating tone”, is remarkably well complemented in the company of his gifted supporting players and fellow travelers. Violinist Håkon Aase, one of the outstanding improvisers of his generation, shadows the leader with lines that draw upon folk traditions as well as jazz. Drummers Helge Andeas Norbakken and Torstein Lofthus mirror their exchanges, as they interact with purring …

A new ECM studio album and a programme of new music from Terje Rypdal is cause for celebration. On Conspiracy the great Norwegian guitarist seems to reconnect with the wild inspiration that fuelled such early masterpieces as Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away, Odyssey and Waves, exploring the sonic potential of the electric guitar with both a rock improviser’s love of raw energy and a composer’s feeling for space and texture. Keyboardist Ståle Storløkken, who contributed to Terje’s Vossabrygg and Cr…

Mark Turner’s writing for his quartet on Return from the Stars (titled after Stanislav Lem’s science fiction novel) gives the players plenty of space in which to move, on an album both exhilarating and thoughtful in its arc of expression.  Solos flow organically out of the arrangements and, beneath the often-dazzling interplay of Turner’s tenor and Jason Palmer’s trumpet, the rhythm section of Joe Martin and Jonathan Pinson roams freely.   Although Turner has been a frequent presence on ECM in c…

Kit Downes joins forces with long-time collaborators Petter Eldh on bass and James Maddren on drums for a carefully assorted piano trio programme that treads gentle lyricism and bold creative outbursts in equal measures. Downes, whose prior ECM offering Dreamlife of Debris was termed a “work of otherworldly beauty” by BBC Music Magazine, carves out some of his most compendious pieces to date on Vermillion. Replete with subtle twists and turns, the trio offers its idiosyncratic take on the piano …