Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

The Gate is Dan Peck, Tom Blancarte and Brian Osborne. Formed in 2008, and originally named Dan Peck Trio, the band has developed an aesthetic that is unique and uncompromising. Dividing time between improvisation and Dan’s compositions, the music ranges from bleak landscapes of near-­silence to massive, horrifying sound sculptures. The Gate seeks to break down and confuse the conventional roles of a horn-bass-­drums ensemble, revealing the most raw and elemental aspects of organized sound. "Poi…

Roger Turner, studio drumset and cymbals. Witold Oleszak, inner piano. Recorded in 2010.

** very last copies, be fast**  a very rare (only two original copies ever sold, both close to $2.000; and mysterious album: nobody knows who plays on it but most probably everybody'll agree that this it's one of the rarest (discovered only now after probably more then 35 years ?!) and koolest spiritual jazz/soul funk/rare groove album ever recorded. available here for the 1st time, check dull knife !" punzmann

"vibrant unissued live set which moves from free passages (side a) to more ethnic influences atmospheres (side b). my fav Kalaparusha (one of the real outsiders) album so far; those new live tracks sounds totally different from the the black saint studio album which was rec. only two days after ?!" punzmann Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, an outstanding saxophonist was a founding member of the AACM, Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, a pioneering Chicago avant-garde coaliti…

* 180 gr. White Vinyl. Digitally remastered at 192 khz and 24 bit. From the original master tapes * Originally released in 1977. "Although Claudio Rocchi is probably better known for his earlier material on other labels, his offering on Cramps from 1977 A Fuoco  is a good showcase for his own talents (vocals, synthesizers, songwriting, and production) as well as his knack for surrounding himself with top notch musicians. Ostensibly a pop-singer, his skillful mastery of dynamics and clever arrang…

The second Venegoni album, Sarabanda, continues onward from the first, perhaps replacing some of the experimentalism with refinement, and some of the subtlety with a willingness to rock. Indeed, the album opener sounds almost like it could be some lost Dixie Dregs tune from around the time of their second album. Other tracks are permeated with high- flying fusion riffs, some tropical, folk and ethnic influences, and despite the fact that this album features less vocals overall than the fi…

first-ever reissue of a 1978 jazz-rock album on Cramps and comes in a nice digi-pack. "These Italian guys were playing a really awesome jazz fusion on their one and only album. Excellent musicianship with lots of (reeds) and a fantastic guitar playing. All tracks on this unfortunately rather short album (well it has still been in the vinyl era!) are just brilliant. This completely unknown Italian band with a name, from which you wouldn't expect anything interesting created with their only …

Just when you thought it would be safe... Ground Zero are back with a CD of extraordinary covers, some are massive, others strange, all add something to their originals and were selected because of their importance to founder Otomo Yoshihide's personal musical biography - all explained in his excellent accompanying notes. Just the version of Shed a Little Tear is worth the whole CD.

CD digipack incl.20-page booklet. Unreleased recordings from 1963 sessions! The 22 musicians presented on this album can be referred to as the leading names of jazz in Germany. In the “'German Jazz Poll 1963' Albert Mangelsdorff was elected 'musician of the year', the prize winners on individual instruments from trumpet to bass are included, as are the two leading ensembles – the Michael Naura Quintett as the best modern jazz combo, the Feet warmers as the best traditional band. Rarely ha…

CD digipack incl.12-page booklet. Unreleased live recordings from the 4th Antibes Jazz Festival. Since 1960 a jazz festival is held in Juan-Les-Pins at the Côte d'Azur, which is regarded as one of the best summer festivals worldwide. Apart from the big names - from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald to Miles Davis or Keith Jarrett - it also featured legends such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Chuck Berry and Ray Charles. The 4th Festival in 1963 saw a meeting of representatives of traditional and mo…

Rec. early/mid 70's in Santo Domingo, ltd/numbered 1/85, on color vinyl (some green/some blue), paste-on cover (front & back with notes) and deluxe black padded inner sleeves"you think you have heard all the greatest spiritual/modal/free jazz albums ?! WAIT !!! you'd hear this Jazz Vanguard Group from Santo Domingo and you'll not believe yr ears ! inna world with one click and a go here's a little story for you: oct. 2016 exotic island in the mediterranean sea 5 o'clock in the morning no sleep w…

Recorded in mid 70's in Zambia, ltd/numbered 1/65 , with paste-on cover (front & back with notes) plenty of reissue from in vogue Zambia but they forgot this one the best one plenty of soul from these wonderful xhols unique feelings ! reissue of ghost original" punzmann

Recorded in Stockholm on October 25, 1962, this session is one of Albert Ayler's earliest recordings, and features a European backing group he assembled during his brief stay in Sweden 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 of one America's most uniquely lyric…

Double LP version. The first-ever collection of Arkestra vocal tracks! Over 75 minutes of vocal performances - audible perfection! Featuring album art interpreted from the work of "the father of modern space art," Chesley Bonestell, plus extensive liner notes. Across the history of jazz, there is no wilder, more future-forward composer and performer than Herman Poole Blount, aka Sun Ra. Known as much for his wild on-stage persona as his innovative compositions, Sun Ra was the avant-garde bleedin…

"Joe McPhee's solo album, Tenor literally changed my life. The recording (one of his first for Hat Hut, in September 1976) displayed his unique ability to integrate unconventional sounds and extended techniques with pure melodicism, and it permanently altered my perspective on what the saxophone could do and what music could be. Nation Time was recorded six years earlier, but ideas regarding the integration of means and methods were already at the forefront of McPhee's approach to improvisation.…

"Regularly hailed as one the most important composers of the late 20th century, John Zorn is comfortable at the helm of an ensemble, as improviser on an array of instruments, and as a bold theorist of collaboration. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the New York artist and operator of the esteemed Tzadik label became known for assembling hardcore-inflected jazz ensembles and for devising 'game systems,' or intricate musical conditions intended to force players into new territory. Released in 1990 …

CD edition. A very trippy album from the enigmatic former member of Sun Ra's Arkestra, and also a lecturer on the east coast. This album's his first, originally issued on the Strata East label – and a space mixture of other-worldly sounds. The renowned French horn player known as Brother Ah (aka Robert Northern) is one of the most prolific and respected musicians in the history of jazz music, with a recorded output spanning more than 30 years. Born in 1934 and raised in the south Bronx, B…

The project heard on this CD resulted from a commission from the Festival des Nuits Romanes, which organizes performances and concerts in Romanesque churches in the Southwest of France. In 2008 this was given to Company D M I of which Kent Carter is the musical director. (Danse Musique Image), The resulting multimedia show 'Fire Shadow' was performed in three churches that year – excerpts can be seen and heard at here. For some time, Carter has been organising superb groups whose music is unclas…

Duck Baker made his name as a preeminent fingerstyle guitarist in the folk/acoustic world, as one of several players of his age who expanded the fingerpicking repertoire from blues, ragtime, and Merle Travis-style instrumentals to include Irish and Scottish music, swing numbers and modern jazz. Less well-documented is Baker's free jazz - free improv style, something he began working on after hearing Sonny Sharrock in the 1960s. Baker's approach to this music was also heavily influenced by people…

2015 release. Strut follow up their hugely successful Marshall Allen - curated ‘In The Orbit Of Ra’ compilation with a newly curated set from the immense 125 LP back catalogue of jazz maverick, DIY philosopher and self-professed member of an “angel race”, Sun Ra. ‘To Those Of Earth… And Other Worlds’ is a hand-picked selection from BBC 6Music / Worldwide DJ Gilles Peterson, long-time champion of Ra’s music and the UK’s leading tastemaker for jazz-based sounds. It serves as perhaps the best intro…

2014 release. Sun Ra is one of the most respected, and perhaps most misunderstood creative minds in jazz music. To commemorate what would have been Ra’s 100th birthday, we’ve teamed up with Art Yard for a very special release. In The Orbit Of Ra is a new collection presented by the longest serving member of the Arkestra and current bandleader, Marshall Allen. Bringing together Sun Ra highights from over 25 years of music, the album is the first internationally released compilation to provide an …

Cultures Of Soul compile a selection of music culled from rare private press Jazz LPs, pressed in small quantities of a few hundred for band members and the local jazz community. This group existed in the creatively fertile, Boston jazz scene at the time. Presented as a double LP set, packaged in deluxe box with each piece of vinyl housed in its own euro-style glossy jacket. In the 1970s Boston was a fertile ground for a very creative jazz scene. Small, independent venues ranging from lofts…

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 …

"one night i was surfing the net and i can't remember exactly how i arrived at that youtube Rakka video ?! but i saw some friendly faces (Janne from Rakhim and Ville from Black Motor) and i'd immeditaly feel the special vibes... so i wrote them and here they are, the 1st two Rakka releases on vinyl. i started with qbico way back in early 2001, so with these two records i'm celebrating 15 years OUTSIDE the music biz AND please believe me: i'd have NEVER asked/wished for something better to celebr…

Best known, at least here, from his trio with Anthony Pateras and David Brown, Sean Baxter offers here two cuts of solo percussion. I assume that the title is indicative of what is played, 'Metal' and 'Flesh', in which perhaps we must understand 'Flesh' as the skin of drums. In 'Metal' things rattle on the metallic objects in the best tradition of someone like Z'EV, and is short and to the point. 'Flesh' is a more jazzy piece for various drum skins and a bit of cymbals. A moody piece of music ac…

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…

The core of Brotzmann reeds & Marino Pliakas on bass & Michael Wertmuller are joined by Peter Evans on trumpet, Mars Williams on reeds and Keiji Haino on guitar & voice. Recorded live at Jazzfest Berlin on November 2nd, 2008.

Arashi presents Semikujira. Arashi is: Akira Sakata - alto saxophone, clarinet, voice; Johan Berthling - double bass; Paal Nilssen-Love - drums & percussion. The Wire about Arashi (TROST 130CD/LP), the trio's first release: "there are moments on this album when the energy is so furiously intense it feels like it's going to spin out of control and take someone's eye out. Sakata delivers wry alto phrases, as though from the corner of his mouth, before digressing into urgent flights of fancy, and f…

With all the projects Peter Brötzmann is currently working on, Full Blast -- with the precise and dynamic Swiss rhythm section of Marino Pliakas and Michael Wertmüller -- is the most consistent and the longest-running. Their fifth album finds the band in a studio again, with time and the desire to try something new. Seven compositions in the distinctive, strong Full Blast nature get an exciting electronic treatment by Michael Wertmüller (with electronics by Gerd Rische, recorded months before hi…

Beautiful work from Joe Haider – a lesser-known pianist on these shores, but an important force in the German scene – best remembered for some wonderful music on the Ego Records label! This set captures Joe in a very similar setting – working on both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes – in a trio with Allen Blairman on drums, and the mighty Isla Eckinger on bass. If you don't know Eckinger, you're really in for a treat – as he's a tremendous talent who has this way of shaping notes and rhythms tha…

** restocked** Kye is proud to present The Paris Concert, the second installment in our Joe McPhee archival series, following 2015's To Be Continued. Recorded May 13th 2015 The Paris Concert documents a historical private performance held in a 5th floor Paris apartment to an invited audience of 15 people. '40 years after a chance meeting in 1975 at The American Center in Paris, Raymond Boni (guitar), Jean Marc Foussat (synthesizer) and Joe McPhee (tenor/pocket trumpet) reunite with an improm…

** restocked, very last copies ** 180-gram exact repro reissue, originally released in 1972. Hyper-afro spiritual jazz teetering between avant-garde inventiveness and free jazz madness. "This album is a mean motherfucker. It’s an amazing document of the pure fire of Black Nationalist Free-Jazz. I discovered it during a period when I was picking at the outer reaches of Leroy Jenkins’ discography (he’s a member of this ensemble). At the time I had exhausted his output as a band leader and as a mem…

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…

This performance from May 2014 was the opening concert at Jazzwerkstatt 51, given by Charles Gayle (tenor saxophone, piano), William Parker (double bass) and Hamid Drake (drums) in the Stüler Church, Peitz, Germany. The concert was dedicated “In Memoriam Peter Kowald”, the German bassist who died in 2002 and lived in New York for almost the last two decades of his life. Gayle and Parker were among his earliest musical associates in the city, as seen in the film Rising Tones Cross (full of now fa…

One of the highlights of the EFG London Jazz Festival programme at The Vortex was a late night performance by Double Trouble, a quartet led by the Berlin based saxophonist and composer Peter Ehwald. Ehwald is probably best known to UK jazz audiences as a member of the Anglo-German group Paragon featuring Ehwald’s compatriot Matthias Nowak on double bass plus the British contingent of pianist Arthur Lea and drummer Jon Scott. Both of Paragon’s albums “Quarterlife Crisis” (2010) and “Cerca” (2014)…

"Stan's Hat Flapping In The Wind features work from one of the jazz avant-garde's most heralded figures, presented in one of the most traditional of forms. 19 new songs composed by William Parker, and performed by singer Lisa Sokolov & pianist Cooper-Moore. Parker is -- among his many great talents -- a master of evocative song-craft, as readily evidenced on Corn Meal Dance (AUM043, 2007), and the very recently released Great Spirit (AUM098, 2015), by his Raining On The Moon ensemble. The compos…

"Tee" in Tee and Company is the nickname of Three Blind Mice's founder and producer Takeshi Fujii, who formed the all-star group of eight top Japanese jazz musicians in 1977 for a series of concerts and seven days of studio recording that produced three separate albums.This supergroup included who's who of the Japanese jazz scene: Kenji Mori and Takao Uematsu on saxophones, Masaru Imada on piano, Masayuki Takayanagi on guitar, Hideto Kanai on bass, Nobuyoshi Ino on electric bass, Hiroshi Murakam…

One of the most compelling albums Steve Lacy recorded during the 80s – a spare set of duets with Japanese percussionist Masahiko Togashi, who really helps shape Steve's style on the record! Togashi approaches his instruments with a very introspective, almost tentative style – hardly the bold rhythms of other drummers, and instead this subtle stepping forward that almost feels, at times, as if Masahiko is discovering his instruments for the first time – and figuring out the sounds in a careful wa…

Further distanced in time from John Coltrane's spiritual new-jazz and the influential second Miles Davis quintet, Doug Carn showed a close affinity with R&B when recording his fourth and final Black Jazz album Adam's Apple. Sharing his interest in R&B was a platoon of committed, resourceful jazz musicians including young star-in-the-making Ronnie Laws, who had worked with Earth, Wind & Fire before that band's big commercial breakthrough. Of the others, ace guitarists Nathan Page and Calvin Keys …

**2016 revised edition** Utterly essential!!How did Free Improvisation, aka Free Music emerge? And how has this most arcane of musical forms survived so long and gained such loyal adherents? Trevor Barre seeks to answer these questions in Beyond Jazz, the first book solely devoted to the so-called First Generation of Free improvisers. Beyond Jazz is an account of the genre's formative London years. It retraces the road that led from the music's emergence in late 1965/early 1966, through t…