Jazz & Improvisation / Free Jazz

Sainkho Namtchylak is a singer originally from Tuva, an autonomous republic in the Russian Federation just north of Mongolia. She is known for her Tuvan throat singing or Khöömei. Her music encompasses avant-jazz, electronica, modern composition and Tuvan influences. Once the Soviet Union had collapsed, she moved to Vienna, making it her base, although she traveled widely, working in any number of shifting groups and recording a number of discs that revolved around free improvisation. Amongst th…

"The special qualities of this music emerge from the focus on Lacy’s soprano saxophone in this unique instrumentation; the transparency and intimacy of the bass and guitar create a nuanced background set against the variety of improvisational strategies." - Art Lange"The removal of two recorded compositions and the editing here is based on notes originally written by Steve Lacy on the cassette he sent me to listen to and evaluate the music for release. I acquired the original recording in 1985 f…

"This, it seems to me, is the great strength of Sophie Lüssi’s music here on Atlantic Puffin. It is clearly skilled and doesn't deal in casual approximations. It is built on solid technique, a brilliant appropriation of classical violin methods in the interests of improvisation. But her music, which draws on folk as well as canonical forms, is one that emanates from and addresses the whole person. It's generous music, kindly and open, and in its gentle humour it engages a part of the spirit that…

William Hooker is a musician, composer, and poet with over 70 recordings as a leader, encompassing jazz, new music, experimental music and multi-disciplinary forms of expression (e.g. dance, silent film and spoken word). He has been recognized as “an iconoclast, and one of the most innovative musicians and drummers of his generation”  - The Wire,  which is evident nowhere more than on his latest album, Jubilation. The new work features collaborators Matt LaVelle on trumpet, Sarah Manning on alto…

What if the blue that I see is different from the blue that you see? This question is an infrastructure for my Afro-Surrealist Anti-Opera, Colla Voce. Often, when we think of Surrealism, we think of subconscious mental states, dreams, nightmares-those unexplored corners of our psyche. But Afro-Surrealism protests: what if that which one calls a ‘dream' is a nightmare to another? What if that which one calls ‘rational' is completely baseless to another? And surely, we must have varying ideas of w…

*2025 stock* A musical visionary, some outstanding instrumentalists, the 10th anniversary of the collective’s founding, a reflection on Polishness, and finally – a 4,000 km-long walking pilgrimage of 100 solo concerts in 100 temples. These events, symbols, experiences and facts have somehow been combined into one coherent whole – the Polska LP, the first release by Piotr Damasiewicz & Power of the Horns Ensemble since 2013.“Power of the Horns have the ability to captivate audiences of any festiv…

*2025 stock* The band Damasiewicz, Lesiak, Villavecchia, Reviriego, Trilla with SKAWA recording is the result of cooperation and friendship of five exceptional artists. The paths of these musicians have intertwined for many years. Each of them is characterized by a unique sound and the awareness of creating their own language, which is a bridge connecting artistic sensitivity, philosophy, mysticism and reality. Each of them blazes its own trail, often in difficult and untouched terrain. Constant…

"In the quartet on this album, Paul Dunmall has returned to his first love: totally free improvisation based on interaction between the four players. Many aspects of Paul Dunmall’s playing are apparent on this album. His approach is to listen very carefully to what is happening around him and to react to it. If you see him play live, you will see how he concentrates on the flow of the music, often stepping back and allowing the music to develop before choosing the right moment to enter or re-ent…

Rob Mazurek’s creations, dedicated to these six artists offered to Tomeka Reid, Angelica Sanchez, and Chad Taylor, to interpret freely. A foundation laid for these improvisations in the foursome’s forays into Mazurek’s music with the larger ensemble. Here something becomes distilled. Interaction is direct. The unit is unitary, the dynamics are gently modulated, the sounds are tendered with deliberation love and inter-ensemble generosity.

Sven-Ake Johansson has referred to the book of compositions used for his Stumps project as the magnum opus of his small group writing. The top-notch quintet he assembled for the project includes some of his most trusted collaborators in trumpeter Axel Dörner and double bassist Joel Grip, complemented by the involvement of two younger but equally compelling French improvisers, pianist Simon Sieger and alto saxophonist Pierre Borel. A set of recordings made at the Berlin club Au Topsi Pohl were re…

Part of Rashied Ali’s artistic strength involved turning improbable sound combinations into unchallenged masterpieces. After the pattern established by John Coltrane’s Interstellar Space, and Duo Exchange with Frank Lowe, the drummer stepped into a rather unlikely duet with violinist Leroy Jenkins for Swift are the Winds of Life. Five years with the Revolutionary Ensemble had established Jenkins as a composer; he designed all the pieces played on these 1975 duets with Ali. That record is issued …

Rashied Ali stood as a magnetic force for the musical environment around him. In his last decades he sponsored rehearsal opportunities for young musicians, tightened up neighborhood street-corner drum circles he happened to pass, and for years would pull promising young talents into his orbit. One unique group that Ali led at the 2002 Vision Festival in NYC, along with with Frank Lowe, he also took into the studio—and the moment you hear on Sidewalks in Motion features Ali and Lowe along with yo…

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** The West Coast Rova Saxophone quartet in a 7 track studio album from 1995, from Jon Raskin on alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, sopranino saxophone, Steve Adams on alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone, Bruce Ackley on soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone and Larry Ochs on tenor saxophone, sopranino saxophone.

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "Alto saxophonist Christopher Cauley's debut recording as a leader carries with it all of the weight of a major talent announcing its "coming out" into a room full of aggressive challengers. To accomplish this, he has enlisted the assistance of a veritable tank of a rhythm section in drummer Gregg Bendian and bassist William Parker, and the occasional help of trombonist Steve Swell. Cauley's approach to improvising has been deeply inspir…

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "Futterman's restless churning lines are countered by the questing trumpet of former Cecil Taylor associate Raphé Malik, who, along with drummer Robert Adkins makes The World Watched and Ask The Price enticing, thought provoking experiences. The collection's closing title, There Is Peace, provides the listener with a intensely swirling, though decidedly less harrowing, aural imagery."

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "One of the better albums in Rova's confusingly expansive discography, From the Bureau of Both features some of the quartet's most immediately rewarding moments, as well as a few on the opposite end of the spectrum. Rova can be surprisingly accessible when the group's free explorations are tethered to strong frameworks, and that's the case with much of this album. "Swang" became something of a signature piece for the group, featuring a j…

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "Many listeners may think of ROVA (comprised of Bruce Ackley on soprano and tenor, Jon Raskin on baritone and alto, Steve Adams on alto and sopranino and Larry Ochs on tenor and sopranino), the most advanced of the saxophone quartets, as playing free jazz, but much of their music on this CD is actually written out, tonal and occasionally rhythmic. The term "avant-garde" does fit as long as one keeps in mind that these very lengthy explor…

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "ROVA saxophone quartet provide a tiered, three-dimensional look at the interaction of soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone. The arrangement of these instruments in the stereo mix -- left to right on all tracks in the sequence soprano, baritone, alto, and then tenor -- offers great contrast in the three-dimensional sound. Even the bright little spark of piccolo or sopranino saxophone involves in these works of sonic texture. Whil…

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** "Recorded at the 1993 Vancouver Jazz Festival, these five group improvisations feature sound explorations by pianist Marilyn Crispell, bassist Barry Guy, and drummer Gerry Hemingway. The interplay is quite spontaneous and the continuous music is rather forbidding, atonal, and with an emphasis on sounds rather than notes."

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage.

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** Recorded during their second tour of the Soviet Union, these six performances by Rova (Larry Ochs on tenor and sopranino, Bruce Ackley on soprano, Steve Adams on alto and sopranino, and baritonist Jon Raskin) are consistently exciting and inventive. In general, the four masterful saxophonists start off with fairly accessible and rhythmic patterns before venturing into loose but controlled freedom. The sound explorations cover a great dea…

Rare CD 2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage.

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage.

2024 Stock. Minor signs of wear from long-time storage. ** The primary inspirations on the album include the blues, African drumming and the music of Lennie Tristano. The pieces were commissioned by the New York arts organisation Roulette as part of their tenth birthday celebrations. Marilyn Crispell, bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Gerry Hemingway played together many times in the Anthony Braxton quartet, but this was their debut performance as a trio. The title of the composition "What of it …

*2026 stock* A young, super-tight and intense power trio from Moscow, Brom genuinely push heavily, crossing over among improv, noise-rock and free jazz with Sunstroke.  "One of the most amazing mixes of musical elements I have heard in a long freakin´ time."- Mats Gustafsson

Connect to your favorite listening device, crank up the volume, and prepare for the ultimate avant-punk experience!  Brooklyn-based 577 Records is honored to present the Roboquarians’ first recorded album, Roboquarians, Vol. 2.  The new release comes from the hearts of up-and-coming sax talent Ayumi Ishito, lively drummer Kevin Shea, and gifted guitarist George Draguns. When Ayumi received a request from Shea and Draguns to collaborate, she became part of the intriguing backstory of this work of…

The first time the band that became LuMiSong ever played together was during the Great Lockdown of July 2020. The others wore masks while I stood twenty feet away with the door behind me open to a Gowanus side-street. I hadn’t shared a sound or negotiated an eighth-note with anybody for months and the experience overwhelmed me with emotion. (The most basic facts of collective music-making are the most profound.) We all brought in music to that session and to the many that followed. Matt and Sant…

Recorded at Kammerspiele (Schauspielhaus Bochum), October 31, 2022, mixed and mastered by Peter Böhm.Frank Gratkowski — clarinets Maria Gstättner — bassoon Martin Siewert — guitars, electronics Sara Kowal — harp Joanna Lewis—violin Laura Strobl—viola Melissa Coleman—cello Peter Herbert — double bass Els Vandeweyer — vibes, percussion Gerry Hemingway — drums, percussion Georg Graewe — piano

*50 copies limited edition* "This release has been in the works for a while and we're beyond thrilled to finally bring it to you. Pet Peeves seamlessly blends angular, precision musicianship with sheer blown-out chaos without sounding disjointed or contrived. High-energy guitar, drum and horn music with an absurdist performative edge. The sound of a tornado hitting a Guitar Center." - Orb Tapes

Duo a la Bibliothéque de Massy le 13 novembre 1980.

Concert recorded at 28 rue Dunois, 9th May 1982, ... Text d'Antonin Artaud, extrait de la prèface du Théatre et son double, 1938. (Text by Antonin Artaud, extract from the preface to Le Théatre et son double, 1938).

Huge tip! It is a huge honour to announce the publication of Peter Brotzmann’s final concerts on Otoroku. When we invited Peter to do a residency at Cafe OTO back in February 2023 we had no idea these would be his last ever shows and he played with such power it would have been hard for anyone present to believe he would never play publicly again. Recorded over two nights this grouping of Jason Adasiewicz on vibraphone, John Edwards on bass and Steve Noble on drums feels especially resonant and …

Specially released for Record Store Day 2012, April 21th. Recorded during two 'Saxophone' projects of The Ex in Ethiopia. Trio-side December 28 2009 in the Bateau Ivre, Kazanchis, Addis Abeba. Solo-side Februari 22 2011 at Yared Music School, Sidist Kilo, Addis Abeba.

Trost Records proudly announces the latest release in its ongoing cooperation with Berlin’s legendary FMP label, with the long overdue reissue of two classic live albums by the singular alto saxophonist Noah Howard, a key figure in New York’s free jazz revolution during the 1960s. Berlin Concert was recorded live in the titular city in January of 1975 with a quartet featuring pianist Takashi Kako, bassist Kent Carter, drummer Oliver Johnson, and percussionist Lamont Hampton, while Schizophrenic …

Trost Records proudly announces the latest release in its ongoing cooperation with Berlin’s legendary FMP label, with the long overdue reissue of two classic live albums by the singular alto saxophonist Noah Howard, a key figure in New York’s free jazz revolution during the 1960s. Berlin Concert was recorded live in the titular city in January of 1975 with a quartet featuring pianist Takashi Kako, bassist Kent Carter, drummer Oliver Johnson, and percussionist Lamont Hampton, while Schizophrenic …

*100 copies limited edition* The Pennsylvania improvising trio of Kevin Sims, James Searfoss, and Justin Dorsey continue to hone their fierce and potent relationship with texture, rhythm, and amorphous sound forms. This album is laced with musical paths travelled and skirted, conversant with drone, electroacoustics, and free jazz. “Glint” functions as a bit of an overture, and as “Once Threw” expands on the clatter and clamber, Dorsey’s bass becomes a focal point, taking a prominent position in …

Ovules is a series of improvisations performed by ZAÄAR in various spaces over the kingdom of Belgium. Ovules is a triptych inspired by Tchouang-Tseu's fable “The Dream of the Butterfly” (莊周夢蝶) about dream and reality reciprocity. Ovules is a surrealist jazz manifestation due to a collaboration between labels WV Sorcerer Productions and Subsound Records and the preacher of the band's first proper studio album. ZAÄAR is a Belgian collective, twin project of Neptunian Maximalism, the cosmic free-j…

"This, the third release from the sequence of remarkable performances by Cecil Taylor’s Unit recorded at Fat. Tuesday’s in New York from 8-10 February 1980 (the previous two are It Is In the Brewing Luminous [Hat Hut], and Live At Fat Tuesday’s, February 9, 1980 [ezz-thetics 101]), is a further illumination of the transformational premise which conceptualized and catalyzed Taylor’s music, from creative impulse to spiritual and self-defining fulfillment." – Art Lange

"Would the following advice alone be sufficient? Look at the cover of this album, then close your eyes and listen to the wonderful performances of these two musicians. Because in the end, all art speaks for itself." – Rudolf Amstutz

Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, Ches Smith. "Ou Phrontis" means 'who cares' in Greek. Inscribed on the lintel above the door of Thomas Edward Lawrence's cottage on Clouds Hill, it symbolized a place where Lawrence felt at home, free from the cares of the world. This fourth CD by the dynamic piano trio of Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder and Ches Smith ("Suite for Piano," "The Fourth Way," "Ballades") features eight challenging Zorn compositions inspired by Stoic philosophy and science. The telepathic …