Jazz /
Goede Reis !
2025 Stock. Instant Composers Pool presents Goede Reis !. All music composed by Oscar Jan Hoogland and Han Bennink except Hornin’ In, Epistrophy and Ugly Beauty by Thelonious Monk, Peer’s Counting Song by Misha Mengelberg, Aanhanghuis by Oscar Jan Hoogland, Rhythm Three by Cor Fuhler and Fleruette Africaine by Duke Ellington. Recorded & Mixed by Marc Schots at Bimhuis, Amsterdam August 13th 2020. Artwork by Han Bennink. Photo artwork by Pieter Boersma. Graphic Design by Emma Fischer.
Defiant Life
Anchored in the idea that, despite all obstacles, the human experience casts a net of possibilities, Defiant Life – Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith second duo recording for ECM – proves a profound meditation on the human condition and both the suffering and resilience it entails. An ethereal iridescence glistens between Leo Smith’s unmistakable trumpet wail and Vijay’s textural key strokes on piano and Fender Rhodes, conjuring multi-dimensional spaces of thoughtful musical conversation. “We work…
Pulsation
2025 much-needed repress. On May 27th 1983, drummer Masahiko Togashi and guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi, two pivotal figures in the Japanese free jazz scene that had been working together since the 1960's, performed and record this unique set at Zojoji Hall in Tokyo. At the time, Japanese jazz musicians were trying to find their own voice, welcoming creative elements coming in from the USA and Europe. The two musicians were at the fore-front of this generation, with Takayanagi developing his own …
Play Mary Lou Williams
It's very rare that Discus Music commissions the actual musical content of a new release from the artists. In this case Martin Archer enjoyed a live gig by the duo so much, which had included one Mary Lou piece, that he suggested to Adam and Johnny after the gig they put together an entire programme of her music for this CD/DL. MLW is, after all, one of Martin's favourite artists.
Adam and Johnny both understand and demonstrate in their playing that new music does not appear out of nowhere. Any …
Just Us
Two legendary souls, one timeless rhythm—Just Us celebrates the enduring bond between Heikki Sarmanto and Juhani Aaltonen. Born from spontaneous sessions and inspired compositions, these eleven tracks capture their unmatched musical chemistry. A testament to six decades of creative mastery.
Duo (Amherst) 2010
*2025 stock* Recorded September 22, 2010 at Bezanson Recital Hall, Amherst MA
Produced by Taylor Ho Bynum for the Tri-Centric FoundationConcert produced by Glenn Siegel for the Solo & Duos Seriesof the Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts, AmherstVideo recorded, edited and directed by Dennis SteinerAssistant camera by Nick RussoAudio recorded by Jim MatusMastered by Nick Lloyd, Firehouse 12 Studios, New Haven CTGraphic design by Ben HellerThanks to WMUA 91.1, ACTV, Amherst Media, …
Synergetic Matches
Elisabeth Harnik, an Austrian based pianist and composer has created a multi-faceted body of work by blurring genre boundaries through various collaborations in the field of improvised music, interdisciplinary projects and contemporary compositional works. She studied classical piano and later – with Beat Furrer – composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Graz. As an improviser she works within an electro-acoustic inspired sound-world, using specific preparations and extended t…
Entwined
Avant-garde bassoonist Karen Borca's first proper leader record is a series of duos with drummer Paul Murphy who she first played with in Jimmy Lyons group.
A Radical Horizon
*100 copies limited edition* A Radical Horizon is comprised of a series of duets between cellist Lori Goldston and pianist Stefan Christoff, recorded on a late Fall afternoon in Brooklyn, NY. A conversation between friends, these improvised excursions reflect a willingness to be open to the spirits in the space and between the notes; a spirit of communion that, as Stefan writes, "guides and dances with our dialogue together".
Stefan Christoff is a Canadian musician, community organizer, and jour…
Duos
*300 copies limited edition* The first duo recording between towering free jazz saxophonist Paul Dunmall and the highly creative saxophonist Kevin Figes, sees them perform ten improvised pieces using an assortment of instruments, including various saxophones, clarinets and flutes. With no pre-composed themes or motifs, what you hear are two master musicians in the moment of creativity. The wholly improvised conversations seem to encompass and distil the history of jazz, moving between free and c…
Happy Apples
*300 copies limited edition* 'Happy Apples’ presents a collection of improvised duo exchanges between legendary free jazz vocalist Julie Tippetts, whose spell-binding vocals intermingle perfectly with saxophonist Kevin Figes’ atmospheric playing. Both musicians supplement the recording with an array of percussive devices, including the quirky tinkling 1970s toy that lends the album its name. The epic opening track “The Third Harmony” sets the mood for the recording as Tippetts displays a dazzlin…
It Was Always Time
It Was Always Time, the debut duo release from Berke Can Özcan & Jonah Parzen-Johnson out November 1 on We Jazz Records, is a refreshing and full-throated expression of joy and curiosity. In a year when 76 countries hold national elections and we find ourselves in an existential battle against apathy and cynicism, this effortlessly authentic album offers an innocent reminder that the antidote to stagnation is curiosity and the fuel for change is the joy of building something transformative toget…
Butterfly Mushroom
2nd Volume of the perfect pairing Brötzmann & Nilssen-Love! Recorded at Zuiderpershuis in Antwerp, August 2015. Liner notes-transcription of an interview with Peter Brötzmann.
Heart & Soul
Released in 1982, “Heart and Soul” is a collaboration between bassist Ron Carter and pianist Cedar Walton, two jazz giants renowned for their impeccable musicianship. The album showcases their exceptional interplay and deep understanding of jazz standards. Title track “Heart & Soul”, “Frankie and Johnny”, “Little Waltz” highlight their ability to communicate and improvise with sophistication and emotion. The album is a testament to the enduring appeal of jazz standards and the artistry of two ma…
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)
Star Quality - Speculations for Guitar and Voice
Star Quality – Speculations for Guitar and Voice is a highly original album of experimental music that transcends the categories of free improvisation, jazz, electro-acoustic art, and the opera aria
Lullabies And Other Stories
CD edition. Solo album by Walter Prati, here back on his cello driving us through an illuminating and sublimative journey. Walter Prati’s composition for cello seems to interpret this range of facets, these transparent and elusive angles. Contemplative music, to a certain extent, but also ready to express fragments lyrically, and their rushing to compose a mosaic. For reasons I cannot explain, I catch a glimpse of several iridescent colours, between turquoise and hard blue with odd crimson strip…
Biyartabiyu
"Because I make records in a number of different styles, I often filter and change my saxophone playing to match the style of the record I’m making. But when I make a work like this, you hear my playing in my natural, unfiltered style, and that style is determined by the many AACM records which were most influential in forming my own playing. That’s especially true in this duo setting with Walt Shaw, where the music is stripped down to its essence of blues + abstraction. It’s really simple - I’m…
Satisfaction
*2024 stock* Altoist John Tchicai, who has made his name on numerous free jazz sessions, including Archie Shepp's New York Contemporary Five and John Coltrane's Ascension, in a duo with Polish stunning bass player Witold Lek. Spiritual session!
Burning Up
This is the first collaboration between Australian improvisor Chloë Sobek who plays the Renaissance precursor to the double bass, the violone and New York saxophonist Time Berne.