Jazz /
Second Edition
*200 copies limited edition* Again recorded live at Cafe Oto (London, UK), Colin Webster re-assembled his large ensemble, with the exception of John Edwards (who couldn't make it) being replaced by Caius Williams on the double bass, for another performance that pushed the barrier. Released on Colin's own Raw Tonk Records.
Floating Similarities
*100 copies limited edition* Freshly on Creative Sources is this debut duo collaboration by French 11 string guitarist Christian Vasseur and Belgium's Dirk Serries on his archtop guitar. Performed and recorded at the stunning Oude Klooster chapel in Brecht (Belgium). Both musicians met each other for the first at the Alternative Guitar Festival, organised by Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg in 2023 at Haekem Theatre (Brussels, Belgium) and immediately felt a kindred spirit for the abstract and immense…
Indicator Light – Live At Paradox 2023
*200 copies limited edition* "Almost a throwback to the glory days of 1970s Free Jazz, Driven’s one lengthy improvisation is played with fire and determination by a pan-European quintet. But with several generations of creative musicians now exploring that style, New Thing excesses have been pared to mature interaction. Consisting of Belgians, pianist Martina Verhoeven and guitarist Dirk Serries, Portuguese bassist Gonçalo Almeida, Dutch drummer Onno Govaert and British alto saxophonist Colin We…
Canonical Discourse
*200 copies limited edition* This is Lemadi Trio's 2nd album for A New Wave Of Jazz. The trio consists of José Lencastre on alto sax, Martina Verhoeven on piano and Dirk Serries on archtop guitar. On contrary to its debut on which Martina plays the electric Crumar piano, she plays the grand piano here. Truly a game changer as the timbre is quite different from tis predecessor, with the clear and pristine acoustics at the home 'Canonical Discourse' is an album that furthermore expands the communc…
Analog Deviation
*200 copies limited edition* Connaisseurs of the label are most likely familiar with Tonus, the minimalist rotating ensemble curated by Dirk Serries. 6 years after Texture Point the trio configuration of Martina Verhoeven (piano), Benedict Taylor (viola) and Dirk Serries (archtop guitar) returns with a new album. This session was performed and recorded at the home studio. Still playing with the trademark pacing of Tonus, this album definitely takes a dive into more abstract and intense phrases …
Face Value
*200 copies limited edition* Transition Unit is the brand-new trio of Rodrigo Pinheiro (piano), José Lencastre (alto and tenor sax) and Dirk Serries (archtop guitar). When Dirk Serries flew to Portugal in 2023 at the invitation of José for a number of concerts in duo, he received an surprise invitation from Rodrigo for a studio session. Rodrigo Pinheiro is a class act, a fantastic pianist who has earned his place in both classical free jazz and contemporary music with, among others, his magnific…
Album II
The inspiration for 'Album l' and 'Album Il' began with a performance by Japanese musician Eiko Ishibashi at Cologne's Week-End Fest in 2019. For this appearance the renowned experimental musician and composer of the Oscar-winning film „Drive My Car" was joined on drums by Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and Joe Talia; both integral members of the top-level improvisational/ experimental scene in Tokyo. While in town for the festival, Ishibashi met up with the members of the Cologne-Berlin based group Von Spa…
Album I
The inspiration for 'Album l' and 'Album Il' began with a performance by Japanese musician Eiko Ishibashi at Cologne's Week-End Fest in 2019. For this appearance the renowned experimental musician and composer of the Oscar-winning film „Drive My Car" was joined on drums by Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and Joe Talia; both integral members of the top-level improvisational/ experimental scene in Tokyo. While in town for the festival, Ishibashi met up with the members of the Cologne-Berlin based group Von Spa…
SpiriTuaL HeaLinG: Bwa KaYimaN FreeDoM SuiTe
Saxophonist Omicil builds atmospheres then upends expectations in this free-jazz homage to Haiti’s successful 18th-century slave insurrection - The Guardian
Duets 1987
Remastered from the original analog tapes of the duet between Anthony Braxton and Gino Robair from sessions recorded on August 6th and October 9th 1987 at Cal State University, Hayward, California. This release includes all of the music from the original, limited-edition LP as well as extra tracks from the same sessions.
Duo (DCWM) 2013
What becomes quickly apparent when the music ends is that the parts of the brain wired for multi-tasking and instant contextualization have been swamped by Masaoka and Braxton’s palette, their bold strokes and the vaulting arcs they form.
Anaya
Creative music making is a matter of energy, heart, and trust, and when all three are present the music flies. A meeting of three old Chicago friends and collaborators, flutist Nicole Mitchell, drummer Hamid Drake, and bassist Harrison Bankhead, the Indigo Trio soars with the kind of spiritual energy that has inspired Great Black Music from its inception... Building a bridge between composition and improvisation, Bankhead, Drake, and Mitchell have created an inspiring album. With their spirit of…
The Astral Revelations
Jemeel Moondoc and his bandmates are masters of the terrifying art of communicating how they feel, an art which, of course, takes both great intelligence and great discipline… A fire burns in Jemeel Moondoc’s music and once it was ignited it keeps spreading; it’s the flame you can also feel in the playing of Matthew Shipp, Hilliard Greene, and Newman Taylor Baker. This quartet’s music is never easy, but it’s always truthful. Ed Hazel, excepts from the liner notes
Pulsar
William Parker - double bassHugo Costa - alto saxophone Philipp Ernsting - drums
Recorded at Codarts, Rotterdam, October 11th, 2023 by Philipp ErnstingMixed and mastered by Arūnas Zujus at MAMAstudiosCover art by Martynas IvinskasPhoto of Hugo Costa by Rui SilvaPhoto of William Parker by Peter Gannushkin / downtownmusic.netPhoto of Philipp Ernsting by Florian CramerDesign by Danas Mikailionis
Innervoice
"Innervoice is perfection filled with beauty, power and grace of the celestial blues where the changes are happening all the time; the tonic is love; the seventh is the absence of war; peace is the melody redefined moment to moment; all are guided by the inner voice" - William Parker
La Grande Crue
Joining Attic Trio, pianist Eve Risser collaborates now with Rodrigo Amado on tenor, Goncalo Almeida on bass, and Onno Govaert on drums, contributing an additional dimension to their intricate soundscape. Risser exhibits a frequently variable tone on the piano, effectively complementing the soulful expressions of Amado's tenor. The horn is played in a manner that is often free yet consistently cohesive, which is further enhanced by Eve's more assertive passages on the keys. Bassist Almeida effec…
Kulture Jazz
The ECM folks do much better by Wadada Leo Smith than ever before with this solo recording, a true masterwork of its kind and one of the purest, most enlightening demonstrations of the connected natures of folk, blues, jazz, and creative music. That Smith is the man to do this is certainly no surprise; he laid it all down in print years before this release in his self-published books and liner notes. But the way he does it, with so much grace and style (and with the excellent production by Steve…
Portico Quartet / Hania Rani
Portico Quartet / Hania Rani brings the singular Polish pianist and composer, Hania Rani, and East-London based widescreen minimalists, Portico Quartet, together for a unique collaboration. The idea was simple, each artist would rework one of each other's tunes. The result is a beautiful collaborative work that feel less like straight forward remixes and more like a new recording that brings the two acts distinctive sound worlds to a new place. The first track to be shared is Hania Rani - Nest (…
Anchors
With Anchors, Chicago-based bass clarinetist Jason Stein returns after six years with his most personal album to date. It was created together with bassist Joshua Abrams (Natural Information Society, of which Stein has been a member since 2017), drummer Gerald Cleaver, and guest artist/co-producer Boon. Anchors are, so often, symbolic of strength and stability. They reflect our capacity to steady ourselves in turbulent waters, allowing us to traverse the deepest seas. With anchors aboard, we can…
Live Amsterdam 2006, First Visit
To experience this music, over the relocations of time and place, is an opportunity to confront complex truths and seductive mysteries, discover the poetry in sound, and share a rare “ecstatic instant.” – Art Lange
Ran Blake pianoDave Knife Fabris electric guitar (tracks 11-18)