Jazz & Improvisation / Experimental

2008 release ** Ferran Fages: electric guitar. Recorded live by Pablo Rega, january 19th 2007 at Almazen, Barcelona. Some tracks are versions or new approaches of pieces released before in the album 'a cavall entre dos cavalls'. 'Al voltant d«un paral.lel ' brings to light a tension, which matches that of the previous two guitar albums of Ferran Fages. It's probably because a parallel could also be thought of as the lanes of a horse race, as a permanent conflict, or as a trait of one's character…

Using prepared piano (Anthony Pateras), prepared guitar (David Brown) and drums (Sean Baxter) this live concert of two improvisations was captured at l’Usine in Geneva, Switzerland in 2006, an exploratory conversation of dynamic structures and sound that implicitly references modern compositional approaches to keyboard, strings and percussion. Formed in 2002 Pateras-Baxter-Brown have performed countless concerts throughout Australia, New Zealand and Europe, developing a worldwide reputation for …

1992 release ** Guy Klucevsek plays music by Steve Elson, Tom Cora, Guy Klucevsek, Joseph Kasinskas, Anthony Coleman, Daniel Goode, Nicolas Collins, Guy De Bievre, Robin Holcomb, Duke Ellington, Peter Garland, William Duckworth, Bobby Previte, Carl Finch. "Accordionist Guy Klucevsek was listening to a radio interview with Charles Mingus one day in the '70s. The interviewer asked Mingus about the racial divide in jazz and whether or not whites could create great, innovative jazz music. "Let the w…

1991 release ** Guy Klucevsek plays music by William Obrecht, David Garland, John King, Fred Frith, Peter Zummo, Bill Ruyle, Lois V. Vierk, Phillip Johnston, Thomas Albert, Carl Stone, Mary Jane Leach, David Mahler, Elliott Sharp, A. Leroy. ?Who Stole the Polka? is the second volume of pieces that accordionist Guy Klucevsek commissioned from composers ranging widely over the contemporary new music scene in the mid-'80s. For pure wicked fun, it probably exceeds its companion, Polka Dots and Laser…

This double CD pairs a studio recording from December 2003 (the Gateway part) with a May 2002 concert recording of two long improvisations (the Vienna part). When this trio released their previous Emanem CD Mercury Concert in 1999, Veryan Weston was described as "underrated and John Edwards and Mark Sanders were described as "younger, unacclaimed players who are regulars on the London improv circuit. In the intervening years, Edwards and Sanders have advanced in acclaim, to the point where they …

Digital concert recording Colchester (Mercury Theatre) - 1998 June 24 All of the music of the concert is included unedited, in the order of performance. All instruments were used without amplification or other electronics.

Tania Chen: objects, toys, violin, piano ; Steve Beresford: objects, electronics, toys, trumpet, water. Pieces beginning with 'C' recorded by Tim Fletcher at The Bonnington, Vauxhall, London on December 18 2002. Event organised by Adam and Jonathan Bohman. All other pieces recorded by Steve Beresford in west London - pieces beginning with 'L' on August 7 2003 and the rest on June 12 2003. All pieces composed by Tania Chen and Steve Beresford. Edited by Steve Beresford in March 2004. Not to rub i…

Recorded between August and September 2004 in Duisburg.

2004 release ** "The cast of players includes cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, the newest member of Vandermark 5 (plus Wilco, Terminal 4, The Boxhead Ensemble, Pillow, and the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet, to name just a few); Lou Mallozzi, a sound artist from Chicago who lists Mats Gustafsson, Jaap Blonk, Sebi Tramontana, Michael Zerang, and Guillermo Gregorio as collaborators; and Portuguese violinist Carlos Zingaro, who has partnered with the likes of Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewi…

Somewhere between Musique Concrete and a kind of abstract improvisational work, using extended techniques and electrification that disconnects sound from any recognisable source. A fascinating first record that sits between studio improvisation and extensive post production processing composition.

Late-night improvisation captured on a stormy November evening in an old church during the 2006 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. John Butcher's soprano and tenor saxophones intertwine with Xavier Charles' clarinet and Axel Dörner's trumpet across 51 minutes of remarkable sustained exploration that stands as one of the defining documents of contemporary European improvised music. Tempestuous moves between the poles of calm and urgency that the setting might suggest, with the trio navigat…

Six-CD box of Paul Motian's first six ECM albums as leader, recorded 1972-1984 in New York and Ludwigsburg, with Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Charles Brackeen, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano and others. Old & New Masters series, 2013, notes by Ethan Iverson.

2003 release ** "Justin Bennet, Anne Wellmer and Stephie Buttrich fuse minimal electronica and free improvisation in a set of 16 warped and lovely songs."

Fourth ECM album by Tim Berne's Snakeoil: Berne (alto saxophone), Oscar Noriega (clarinets), Matt Mitchell (piano, electronics), Ches Smith (drums, vibes, timpani), Ryan Ferreira (guitar). Recorded December 2014 at The Clubhouse, Rhinebeck, produced by David Torn.

Third ECM album by Tim Berne's Snakeoil, now a quintet: Berne (alto saxophone), Oscar Noriega (clarinets), Ryan Ferreira (guitars), Matt Mitchell (piano, electronics), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone, timpani). Recorded December 2014 in Rhinebeck, NY; produced by David Torn.

Eleven-part suite by the Swiss duo Vera Kappeler (piano, harmonium, toy piano, voice) and Peter Conradin Zumthor (drums, toy piano, voice), commissioned for the Origen Festival Cultural after the Book of Daniel. Recorded June 2013 at the RSI Auditorio, Lugano; produced by Manfred Eicher.

Eighteen short duets by Michael Mantler, partly notated and partly improvised, for classical pianist Per Salo and jazz guitarist Bjarne Roupé. Piano recorded June 2010 at Studios La Buissonne, guitar August 2010 in Copenhagen; released 2011.

Expanded reissue of the debut Borbetomagus album from 1980 with the trio of Sauter, Dietrich and Miller further bolstered by Brian Doherty on electronics. These early recordings have a beautifully corrosive classical avant garde/Industrial edge that is as bluntly beguiling as low-grade splatter. Also features a winning shot of Donald Miller's legendary mullet on the back as well as the previously unreleased "Last Concordat" - bonus! The trio of Jim Sauter (reeds), Don Dietrich (reeds) and Donald…