Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

Believe’s debut album ‘Spirits of the Dead are Watching’ is a potent statement from four of Australia’s most experienced and dedicated improvisers. A powerhouse unit of rare intimacy, flexibility and passion, Believe connects the spectrum of contemporary creative sound making with the fluid, anything is possible momentum of free jazz.

Asked to create a solo album, Adia started looking for a creative way to re-invent her solo saxophone music. Her new improvisations are inventive pieces which take advantage of the full range of her instrument and different playing techniques, but also the sounds of her surroundings in the unusual locations where she recorded – the echo of a silo, the clucking of a chicken coop, or passing cars. These sounds inspired the music, creating a dialogue with the environment.

Unchained—a name which at the project’s inception or on earlier recordings spoke perhaps to the ecstatic saturation of high gain guitar—has over the past three albums (N.D. Visitor, Pic, and Gabbeh) come to represent more and more an acknowledgement of and sensitive remove from a crashing world. An excuse of oneself from trend towards a siloed artistic development.  On Frontalier, Nate Davis crosses further into this patient personal lexicon of guitar composition, presenting a new set of richly …

Hikmah is the astonishing new solo piano work from Pat Thomas - virtuosic sound scientist, deep and compassionate thinker, and UK-based musical treasure. A singular album in his now substantial body of work, it marks his first release for TAO Forms. Born in Oxford to Antiguan parents on July 27, 1960, Thomas belongs to a remarkable generation of piano masters. Just over four months separate his birth from that of Matthew Shipp (December 7, 1960) - whose The Piano Equation inaugurated the TAO For…

This 2-CD box is comprised of two albums originally intended for release on ABC's Impulse Records but never issued. After Impulse abruptly ended a licensing agreement with Sun Ra's El Saturn label, the two unreleased album masters were boxed up and returned to Saturn, where they languished in obscurity for the next 27 years. Evidence has remixed the original four-track tapes down to two-track stereo. Former Impulse Records head Ed Michel wrote the notes, which chronicle the short, strange histor…

NYC free jazz cooperative TEST was literally an underground favorite -- as part of the Music Under New York program in the 1990s, TEST was out on the street and subway platforms year-round, playing long-form unadulterated free jazz with an energy and creativity rarely encountered. Even on a scene known for strong personalities, these guys were renegade cats. Eremite heard and recorded TEST many, many times over a ten-year period; Always Coming from the Love Side, a two-CD set from TEST's 1999 US…

Ultra-positive consciousness from Afro-Caribbean London, circa 1979. Members of the legendary 20th Century Steel Band (one of Grand Master Flash's favourites) sailing Trinidad-wise over gratifyingly intricate African ritual rhythms. Strong vocals compliment reggae, funk, disco and soul influences to form a relentless groove machine. Steel an' Skin, a unit composed of young nightclub musicians born in Ghana, Nigeria, St. Kitts, Trinidad and the U.K., who once performed with Ginger Johnson's Afrik…

Recorded in Italy in 1985, this is a valuable record of a unique trio playing at the very top of their game. Larry Stabbins, after years of playing with many of the greatest improvising musicians of the 60s and 70s (John Stevens, Chris McGregor, Keith Tippett, Mike Westbrook, Tony Oxley etc) had recently exploded onto the pop world with the bands Weekend and Working Week and was quite famous in Italy. Not to be outdone, Louis Moholo-Moholo turned up to this gig in full ‘warpaint’ and all three p…

Christoph Gallio unveils his latest album, Yet Dish, a compelling journey through sonic textures and emotional landscapes. This record showcases Gallio’s ability to fuse experimental soundscapes with intricate rhythms, crafting an immersive listening experience that defies genre boundaries. The album beautifully balances elemental rawness with refined compositions, inviting listeners to explore themes of transformation, fragility, and resilience. Each track offers a distinct narrative, woven tog…

"In times like ours, such an absence of the ordinary, of the real, may not exactly be a political statement. But as a social concept, this kind of music might be a beginning—a step toward a different, perhaps better, perception of the world around us. And that’s precisely what “The Art of Sound(s)“ is: Because as soon as the molecules start dancing in this chamber of reflections, art is becoming a true and selfless act of existentialism." - Rudolf Amstutz

"Although alto saxophonist Noah Howard never quite managed to garner the reputation that several of his more well-known playing partners did, to those 'in the know', he was every bit as essential and extraordinary as Archie Shepp and Albert Ayler. A player and composer of direct and emotionally charged music, Howard's career saw him bear witness to some of the most tumultuous periods in jazz, giving voice to the cry for freedom – both musical and political – that characterised the late 1960s and…

In times of infobesity and doomscrolling, maintaining a sense of wonder can be hard - especially for those who depend on it for their work. For all those involved in the arts, but also for anyone else who likes to be inspired by previously unimagined combinations of ideas, here is the perfect album: a sung conversation between artists, a voyage through the sonic multiverse, a musical invitation to re-widen those eyes. On ‘Holding on to Wonder’, contemporary jazz corresponds with 70s cop show sou…

Cult album of Brazilian music finally reissued. Official reissue of this real tour de force of Brazilian creativity, where the mighty Naná Vasconcelos is joined by his friends Nelson Angelo and Novelli (both members of the legendary Clube da Esquina) to create one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever recorded outside of Brazil. The three musicians grasp here for the kind of musical freedom that could then only be achieved outside of their country. A boundary-pushing experimentation that makes y…

Essential jazz from Argentina, originally released in 1971. Bronca Buenos Aires is one of the highlights in the career of Jorge López Ruiz, alongside El Grito and the much-acclaimed Viejas Raíces project. The album is jazz poem by López Ruiz to the city he loved, not just for its virtues but also its faults, and the recording was an ambitious project that gathered many of the prominent jazz musicians of Buenos Aires. However, due to the repressive political context of the time, Bronca Buenos Air…

Norwegian saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Harald Lassen returns with Rik, a vibrant and exploratory new album that picks up the threads of his acclaimed Balans - the album that earned him a Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy) - and weaves them into something stranger, softer, and more surprising. “It’s the little brother,” Lassen says. “Same blood, same environment, but making different choices.” Across seven tracks, RIK builds a world that is both cinematic and deeply intimate.…

On Friday, September 5, Liv Andrea Hauge Trio releases its third album, Døgnville, on Norwegian label Hubro. The record explores the feeling of being “døgnvill” – a Norwegian term describing the sensation of being out of sync with time and reality, like during jet lag or insomnia. The music inhabits this liminal space between structure and freedom, consciousness and dream. Half of the compositions were written while pianist and composer Liv Andrea Hauge was bedridden with a high fever – in a sem…

Norwegian coastal culture meets American dreams in Trond Kallevåg’s most cinematic work yet. Imagine Ry Cooder, Daniel Lanois, and David Lynch sharing a rowboat on a misty West Norwegian morning – that’s the world of Minnesota. With Minnesota, guitarist and composer Trond Kallevåg deepens his image-rich sound – a warm, wistful universe where the atmosphere of Norway’s rugged west coast drifts seamlessly into the wide horizons of the American Midwest. Drawing inspiration from traditional music, j…

Over the past 15 years, Hanna Paulsberg has established herself as one of the most vital and heartfelt voices on the Norwegian jazz scene. A highly sought-after saxophonist, Paulsberg moves effortlessly between musical genres in her many projects — from the pop/soul/jazz trio Gurls, which she co-founded and writes for, to the quartet Flukten, whose sound blends free jazz and folk influences. She’s also part of a Dexter Gordon tribute with Karin Krog, and has contributed to numerous projects with…

*100 copies limited edition* This Molar record was created in a few stages. First it was substantial to find creative means which would spark the new material. The Polyend Tracker was perfect for that as it is both simple and surprisingly fresh. Only after that I applied my favourite environment and comfortably sat in my digital domain. The next stage was to find kindred spirits who share the same mental and musical sensibility. Michał Fetler and Jacek Prościński seemed to fit like a custom-made…

Instrumental Smoothie. What is Grid? is: sax, bass, drums. Recorded @ boto's Farm by Alberto "Boto" Dutto on August 2024.

All music written, recorded & mixed by Tuck Nelson & Ferj Gainsbourg at Echo Ray Studios, London, UK.

"3rd Drop" is a full-length album by Great Revivers, an instrumental funk band from St. Petersburg, Russia. Released in 2023 on the US-based Funk Night Records (catalog no. FNR-176), this LP showcases the group's signature groove-driven sound and tight musicianship. The record includes 12 tracks that journey through deep funk atmospheres, cosmic tinges, and energetic rhythms, opening with "Adventures Begin" and closing with the melodic "Estrellas." Great Revivers highlight their Russian roots wh…

"Lost Communication" by Mike Bandoni, released on Funk Night Records (FNR), is a concept album that launches listeners on a discovery mission through alien territory, inspired by journeys into interstellar space toward a supermassive black hole. The LP is marked by heavy and funky organic drums, deep cosmic textures, and a fusion of sounds drawing inspiration from the 1970s to present day. Known for his powerful drumming—Bandoni is the founder of Funkshone—the record combines groove-laden beats …

There are many facets to Misha Panfilov's music. As a music lover himself, reflecting on his extensive catalogue reveals numerous references in his harmonic palette, making it challenging to fully encapsulate. This septet's formation embodies his unique sound on this, their second album "The Mesosphere And Beyond." The music is imbued with optimism, featuring airy, soothing space-age voicing reminiscent of Terry Riley and Raymond Scott, all revolving around jazz. The integration of the unconvent…

The Complete Pharoah Sanders Theresa Recordings reveals the revolutionary saxophonist's misunderstood 1980s period. Seven discs capture Sanders integrating avant-garde fire with melodic tradition, featuring collaborators like John Hicks, Elvin Jones, and Bobby Hutcherson. Essential rediscovery of an artistic evolution long dismissed by critics but blazing with spiritual intensity and technical innovation.

Don Byas Takes His Place Among the Greats A historical document of jazz at a time when the musicians, steeped in the swing tradition, were creating and setting the mold for the modern sounds of bebop.

“From the moment he played one note you knew that was Freddie Hubbard. He had a sound that was as distinctive as Miles Davis, as Louis Armstrong, as Clifford Brown. I mean, he’s one of those trumpet players.” – Stanley Crouch

It Was The Sixties. Blue Note Was Where It Was At. And Bobby Hutcherson Was At The Center Of It."

This is Mr. Mat Walerian's fourth album as a leader, all on ESP-Disk'. He also appears in the Matthew Shipp Quartet on the album Sonic Fiction (ESPDISK 5018CD, 2018). Credits: Mat Walerian - alto saxophone, bass clarinet, soprano clarinet, flute; Matthew Shipp - piano; William Parker - double bass, shakuhachi; Hamid Drake - drums, percussion. Recorded May 21, 2018 at Parkwest Studios, Brooklyn, New York. Produced by Steve Holtje.

From the producer's liner notes: "It is an interesting question how old 'free jazz' is. At some point, even a theme and a plan became optional. In the ESP-Disk' catalog, 'Taneou' on the Giuseppi Logan Quartet's eponymous album sounds like this approach of complete freedom starting from scratch; it was recorded on November 11, 1964. Joe McPhee, in 1967, appeared on Clifford Thornton's album Freedom and Unity, so his recording career covers 53 of those 56 years, 95% of the approach's history. Each…

In February, 1968, as the false Spring of hope was rising in occupied Czechoslovakia, ESP instructed Karl Velebny to record his group of improvisers during their upcoming tour of Germany. In April, 1968, the clandestine project was completed. Karel survived a terrible auto crash and sent photographs to ESP, which were utilized on the LP cover as a symbolic reference to the plight of the Czech people. A must for anyone interested in European jazz and the history of its relationship with the '60s …

Recorded in Baarn, Holland on December 21st, 1966, Music From Europe was a strong statement of European free jazz from one of its first and strongest leaders, Gunter Hampel. Over the beautifully structured compositional suites are strong blowing and improvising by both reedmen (Hampel, Breuker) and the elastic rhythm section (Veening, Courbois).

Paul Bley recorded the compositions of Carla Bley with a quintet that included Eddie Gomez, on the evening of October 20, 1964, at Mirasound Studios, with Alfy Wade as engineer. His group included Milford Graves, Marshall Allen of the Sun Ra Arkestra, and Dewey Johnson.

In Search of the Mystery, Gato Barbieri’s debut album as leader, was recorded March 15, 1967, on the heels of his work on Don Cherry’s famed Blue Note recordings: Complete Communion and Symphony for Improvisers. This avant-jazz masterpiece from the Argentine tenor saxophonist shows off his volatile, shrieking sound to full and unrelenting affect, fueled by the twin interweaving strings of cellist Calo Scott and bassist Norris Jones (Sirone) and Bobby Kapp’s impressionistic drum splatter. Recorde…

2024 stock. The album Entschlummern sollst du, sollst entschlummern (engl.: Thou shall slumber, slumber, shall thou) brings us the first ever released recordings of four string quartets by Frieda Bertelsohn Martholdy (1878 -1907), a composer yet unknown to most of us. The first listening makes undoubtedly clear what an original voice as a composer and what an astonishing achievement from the performers we are witnessing here. Frieda Bertelsohn Martholdys thoroughly modern sounding music fluently…

Originally released in 1966. Featured artists: Albert Ayler (tenor sax), Ed Blackwell(trumpet), Don Cherry (trumpet, cornet), Sunny Murray (drums), Gary Peacock (bass), Roswell Rudd (trombone), John Tchicai (saxophone, alto sax). Michael Snow is a Canadian national treasure, a true Renaissance man. He assembled a stellar group to improvise a sound track for his art film, titled Walking Woman, featuring a silhouette that is rumored to have been inspired by Carla Bley. Digitally remastered. Manufa…

This is the sixth album by Dorothy Ashby, a Detroit born jazz harpist who passed away in her early 50s in 1986 way before her time. She left us a rich legacy of music with this 1965 release being one of her milestones. The music is pure bright and swinging with a joyful mood. Dorothy Ashby performs her lines big time with her harp and captures your soul with the melodies she picks from its strings. She is always there upfront while the brass section mostly fills the background with colour if the…

When Ira Gitler, jazz journalist and producer at Prestige, curated this album, the term "collector" was already well-established among music enthusiasts. The pursuit of out-of-print recordings, old 78 rpm discs, and unreleased material had reached an intensity comparable to the fervor seen in the vinyl-collecting market decades later. Gitler aimed to offer jazz fans unreleased Prestige recordings while meeting expectations for the amount of music on an LP. Initially dismissed as a mere compilati…

Le Cri du Caire is a striking mosaic of Sufi poetry, jazz, and spoken word, led by the magnetic presence of Abdullah Miniawy alongside Peter Corser, Karsten Hochapfel, and Erik Truffaz. Fusing hypnotic loops with visceral strings and evocative brass, the album channels the hopes and struggles of Cairo’s youth into a transcendent musical ritual - challenging, inventive, and brimming with emotional intensity.​​

2025 stock  A harrowing layered work of solo saxophone and electronics, Descension is at once beautifully elegiac and unflinchingly primal. Patrick Shiroishi is one of the key artists to emerge from the current L.A. free improvisation avant-underground; his first vinyl release is a spiritual journey that reveals his deeply reflective and unique musical vision. Descension is a sonic meditation on the legacy of a dark history and its echoing relevance in the present era.