Jazz /
Between Earth and Sky
A mystery begins. A journey. A vision emerges. Free, intuitive music, played spontaneously in the present moment, without any prior arrangements. I invited musicians, some of whom I’ve known and trusted for a long time, such as Fabrizio Ottaciucci, with whom I’ve enjoyed collaborating on and off since 1987. I met Fabio Mina in Bogliasco in 2007, and since then our paths have crossed more and more frequently. He has made a marvellous musical development. Then there’s Francesco, whom Fabio knew, a…
Sing Me Now Asleep
Bill Frisell, Kenny Wollesen, and Carol Emanuel are The Gnostic Trio and their unique blend of minimalism, early music, and jazz has resulted in some of the loveliest music Zorn has ever created. “Sing Me Now Asleep” is their first CD in over five years and not surprisingly it explores some unexpected new directions—notably two ambient-influenced pieces in the spirit of Zorn’s Absinthe and Redbird, and a dramatic long form composition in the style of his cinematic file card works. Enhanced by th…
Extra Stars
Extra Stars is a deeply beautiful expression of Gregory Uhlmann’s ever-evolving sound world, and comes at a pivotal juncture in the LA-based composer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist’s musical journey.
waxing | waning
Taupe’s latest album release, "waxing | waning" delivers jazz experimentalism, ‘skronk’, avant-rock, and electronics, by the Glasgow-based trio, due out via Minority Records. Across its seven tracks, "waxing | waning" captures Taupe’s approach – bold and boundarypushing – shaped by a fresh shift in the band’s dynamic and compositional approach. Taupe’s "waxing | waning", co-composed and realised by its players in a studio that was once an undertaker’s premises in Glasgow, is an absolutely affirm…
Theta 7
Theta Seven – OUA’s seventh and final album – arrives a shade under 3 years since its predecessor. As with previous releases, basic tracks, either using simple compositional ideas or freely improvised, were recorded live in the studio by the full band over a frenetic 2 day period. These tracks were radically edited and collaged by Martin Archer, and finally overdubbed and arranged by Martin Archer and Jan Todd working in tandem to arrive at the seamless continuity of sound heard on the finished …
Strata, Act (Joy Contemporary)* Zurich
Pianist Pat Thomas, saxophonist Seymour Wright (both of [ahmed]) and drummer Paul Abbott - the latter two working as XT - deliver a remarkable set of new music, each, re-imagining improvisation and synthetic ideas with acoustic and electronic tools. This monumental new suite Strata, Act (Joy Contemporary)* released by We Jazz Records on 30th January 2026 is spread across three release formats, the complete album includes more than 2 hours and 15 minutes of music recorded live in London and Zuric…
Strata, Act (Joy Contemporary)* London
Pianist Pat Thomas, saxophonist Seymour Wright (both of [ahmed]) and drummer Paul Abbott - the latter two working as XT - deliver a remarkable set of new music, each, re-imagining improvisation and synthetic ideas with acoustic and electronic tools. This monumental new suite Strata, Act (Joy Contemporary)* released by We Jazz Records on 30th January 2026 is spread across three release formats, the complete album includes more than 2 hours and 15 minutes of music recorded live in London and Zuric…
Quartetics
"Quartetics" captures a unique encounter between four seasoned improvisers, who first came together in this quartet formation on May 15, 2019. Although new in this configuration, these musicians share extensive collaborative histories: Lash has longstanding collaborations with Reuben and Hanslip, while Hession, Reuben, and Hanslip had already performed and recorded as a trio. The album explores the idea of "The Quartet"—specifically, this configuration of tenor saxophone, laptop, double bass, an…
Field Trip
Zach Tenorio invites listeners on an immersive auditory adventure with his latest release, Field Trip. This captivating album showcases a rich tapestry of sound, blending ambient textures, intricate rhythms, and evocative melodies that transport the audience through vivid emotional landscapes. Field Trip exemplifies Zach Tenorio’s innovative approach to music production, where organic elements seamlessly merge with electronic flourishes. Each track unfolds with a cinematic quality, encouraging l…
All is Sound
Portland trio offering a distinctive contribution to the lineage of Great Black Music. All is Sound - now reissued - positions itself at the intersection of several African-American musical traditions: the meditative modality of Alice Coltrane's ashram recordings, the cosmic expansiveness of Sun Ra's quieter moments, and the devotional intensity that Pharoah Sanders brought to his late-period work.
The Cosmic Tones Research Trio comprises alto saxophonist and composer Roman Norfleet, cellist and…
How You Been
SML is the quintet of bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann. Their second album, How You Been, finds the supergroup of prolific composer/producers pushing ever further into the hyperrealist, collectivist approach to music creation nascently explored on their debut Small Medium Large, which was lauded as “awe-inspiring” by Glide, “exuberant” by the Los Angeles Times, and “an exciting milestone” by Pi…
Around You Is A Forest
The long-awaited debut album from bassist-composer Thomas Morgan is a lush, layered journey through ambient textures and open improvisation. Featuring an all-star cast—Bill Frisell, Craig Taborn, Ambrose Akinmusire, Immanuel Wilkins, Henry Threadgill, Dan Weiss, and Gerald Cleaver—the record is both spacious and intricate, with Morgan’s own virtual instrument woods shaping its organic feel. The inclusion of poet Gary Snyder’s voice adds another dimension to this environmental soundscape. Around …
Ensamseglaren
Tip! "I stood on top of the mountain and looked out over the landscape. It was so beautiful that my chest hurt. The light vibrated, time stood still, and the contours dissolved for a moment. Everything had changed; I felt it then. I took their little hands so as not to lose contact with the ground. Then we ran down the mountain, scraping our knees. Still, we didn't make it. You had already put away all the nautical charts, loosened the moorings and steered out among the skerries. Mum stood wavin…
The Garden of Unknowing
*2025 stock* Garden of Unknowing is a work of staggering ingenuity from one of Toronto’s most talented and in demand multi-instrumentalists. Utterly on his own, Colin Fisher masterfully employs guitar, saxophone, synthesizer, drums and bass to create a shifting suite of nocturnal jazz. These are ghosts of song, which, going by the simple clear titles, emphatically question the very nature of existence. Fisher’s breath-taking technical ability to conjure whole sound worlds entirely on his own is …
PorchBone
*2025 stock* Driff Records proudly announces the release of PorchBone, the latest project from Dutch saxophonist and composer Jorrit Dijkstra, leading an adventurous ensemble that brings new colors and textures to contemporary improvised music.
On PorchBone, Dijkstra assembles a singular front line that sets alto saxophone and lyricon alongside the rich, brassy voice of the trombone. This unusual pairing creates a wide palette of timbres—by turns muscular, playful, and surprisingly intimate. Th…
Of The Near And Far
"I’ve always been captivated by the night sky, endlessly wondering about what lies beyond. Amidst the vast expanse of stars, there is a sense of balance and symmetry that fascinates me—an order within the chaos. The innate patterns of the constellations sparked my curiosity, prompting me to explore how these celestial forms might be translated musically.
In the summer of 2024, I developed a process that allowed me to collect pitch and numerical data from constellations. I overlaid the shapes of …
The Cosmic Tones Research Trio
Tip! Tip! Tip! On their self-titled second album, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio—featuring Roman Norfleet, Harlan Silverman, and Kennedy Verrett—dives deeper into the spiritual soundscapes that first defined their genre-defying approach. Based in Portland, Oregon, the trio crafts a transcendent listening experience rooted in both meditative stillness and rhythmic propulsion.
Blending cello, alto sax, piano, flutes, and an eclectic palette of textures and percussions, the album channels a sacred …
Extraordinary Popular Delusions
Two decades ago, an all-star assembly of Chicago improvisers started a new band, drawing its name from an 1841 book by Charles Mackay: Extraordinary Popular Delusions. With weekly gigs at a spot in Chicago called Hotti Biscotti, Jim Baker, Mars Williams, Brian Sandstrom, and Steve Hunt honed their sound, which could be ferocious or nerdy or diffuse, as they moment required. After a couple years, the quartet moved to a regular Monday session at Beat Kitchen, where they have maintained their weekl…
split
From the enigmatic fringes of experimental sound comes an extraordinary split release between K/S/R and The Tulsa Ball Room Singers—a bold document of two singular live performances where music and moving image intertwine.
Beyond Antibiotics & Bad for Business
*100 copies limited edition* "Like the early work of fellow Midwestern experimentalists Raccoo-oo-oon, there's a calming franticness in the work of (D)(B)(H), an ever-changing group whose sound is constantly evolving. (D)(B)(H)'s "Bad For Business," captured live summer 2010, features a quartet taking the entire 21-minute side to sculpt a piece that rests somewhere between free jazz and non-idiomatic improv. The result is not unlike what the AACM captured in its 1966 'Little Suite' or what The B…