Jazz & Improvisation / Avant-Garde Jazz

Powerful saxophone textures from the sax player of the mighty ZU. On this debut album Luca T. Mai is placing his probing and powerful saxophone artistry from energetic sound scapes to celestial layered drones. A stunning solo piece of work, immersive and deep.Luca T. Mai: baritone saxophone. Recorded in September at ZK Squatt Riot Studio. Mixed and mastered by Lorenzo Stecconi.

**300 copies, 2019 stock** Punk Kong is a chameleon, it changes color according to the circumstances to avoid being part of any particular musical idiom. The bassless ensemble offers you a crossover among African blues, avant-garde jazz, noise rock and improvised music. In addition to his collaborations with improvisers from all over the world, the leader and guitarist of the group Giotis Damianidis was influenced by his long collaboration with the legends of Afro-beat Oghene Kologbo and Tony Al…

**300 copies** Pull Ninja, the second album of the chameleon quintet Punk Kong is relesed by Mr. Nakayasi / El Negocito Records. Edgy guitar, powerful drums and three hyper dynamic saxophones, a special instrumentation that creates a unique sound. Pull Ninja continues the story telling of Lonely Cedar - Punk Kong's first album released back in 2016 - with songs that blend Jazz, Psychedelic rock, African Blues and improvised music into a remarkable amalgam. Viktor Perdieus: tenor & baritone saxGr…

Zeitkratzer keeps on being good for a surprise and finally goes jazz! Looking at the line-up of the "modern composition supergroup" (The Wire) it seems astonishing that it took so long: Saxophonists Frank Gratkowski and Hayden Chisholm both won independently the German radio SWR Jazz award, the French horn virtuoso Hild Sofie Tafjord grew up with jazz, as her father and uncle are members of Norwegian jazz group Brazz Brothers, Hilary Jeffery toured with numerous jazz musicians, as did drummer Ma…

Peter Evans on trumpet and compositions, John Hébert on bass and Kassa Overall on drums. Recorded live at the Zebulon Cafe in March of 2012. Debut album by this rare trumpet - bass- drums trio. A review from Gapplegate Music Review: "Peter Evans was and is a trumpet player who never ceases to surprise me. When I first heard the solo album he did for Evan Parker a number of years ago I thought, "huh?" And it's been that way ever since, whether it's with MOPDTK, with others or on his own. He is a …

The long awaited second release from the Peter Evans Quintet. Four new compositions commissioned by the Jerome Foundation's Emerging Artist Grant and recorded at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center in Troy, New York. The album is named after a novel by Frank Herbert concerning a mission into space to create an artificial consciousness, a mission designed to use planned failure as a springboard to new levels of creativity. Destination: Void is an epic, cinematic synthesis of eccentr…

The eponymous debut recording from the quartet Rocket Science, recorded live at the Vortex in London. Rocket Science brings together four virtuosic instrumentalists: Evan Parker (tenor and soprano saxophones), Craig Taborn (piano), Sam Pluta (live electronics) and Peter Evans (trumpet and piccolo trumpet). Together they perform an hour of highly detailed, dynamic and surprisingly beautiful improvised electro-acoustic chamber music. Each member of the group is widely recognized as having pushed t…

The first release from Evans' new group Being & Becoming, featuring some of the leading lights from the next generation of creative musicians: Joel Ross, Nick Joziwak, and Savannah Harris. This debut album features a set of new compositions from Evans, moving between notated chamber music textures, free improvisations, deep grooves and telepathic ensemble playing. Being & Becoming represents a new chapter in Evans' commitment to composition and improvisation in a small-group format. After workin…

**500 copies** First release from the first time trio of legends Susan Alcorn, Joe McPhee and Ken Vandermark. Invitation to a Dream is not only the first recorded statement, it is also a document of the very first meeting of the trio. Back in 2016 we asked Alcorn and McPhee to play a duo set at our favorite festival Cropped Out in Louisville, KY, and after getting our minds blown we knew we had to get the duo into a studio to record an album. After a few failed attempts due to schedules and bad …

New Rituals is exploring the relation between form and freedom, between modern Western culture and traditional Eastern culture, and between written and open musical material. The piece is written in three parts for (1) ensemble and a chant-choir, (2) ensemble, and (3) solo bass.The three parts are all rooted in and based on the same source material: 10 ancient Zen Buddhist sutras, or chants. The music is presenting Buddhist philosophy in a nutshell: What we experience as an independent self is i…

"I have to admit that this record contains some of the most intriguing and wicked music I ever experienced. And I say that from the point of view of a John Coltrane aficionado. Well, Ayler and his mates Don Cherry on trumpet, Sonny Murray on drums and Gary Peacock on bass guitar are definitely on par with the before mentioned god of free jazz and others like Ornette Coleman. If you listen to this album from the pop music perspective you may find only screeching and overblown saxes and some non s…

It was a really great idea to search for pieces, with the taste of a collector, and to produce this compilation, with jazz pieces and pieces extracted from refined sound tracks which have a subtle and intelligent taste, among the production of some of the biggest Italian composers in this sector. It is a piece that has never been reedited and it is of great taste, and consequent will to give works to an audience that otherwise are difficult to discover.  And therefore has taste for the cinema an…

**175 copies** "A joint release between Noel Meek's New Zealand label Called God In The Music and Astral Spirits, the trio of Meek himself on electronics, Arrington de Dionyso on saxophone and Rodrigo Rico on drums are caught live at Gallery 1412 in Seattle, WA in 2017 for a freely improvised album of controlled chaos among intensely wicked and mischievous electroacoustic improv." - SquidCo

Turkish pianist Arman Ratip's "Spy From Istanbul" is a killer LP originally issued in Lansdowne Series UK Jazz. Featuring Soft Machine sidemen from 1973, this is one of Top 10 British Jazz albums, and it's indeed superb. Also it's supposedly the soundtrack to a book Ratip was going to pen.

Tip! **50 numbered copies** "Kyle Quass is a composer, trumpet player and sound artist based in Bloomington, Indiana. He holds a MM in Jazz Studies from Indiana University. He has studied, played, and/or collaborated with, among many others, David Baker, Joe Henderson, Greg Osby, Mulgrew Miller, Tyshawn Sorey, Thollem, Tim Berne, Tony Malaby, Ralph Alessi and Cory Smythe. He has performed on numerous and varied recordings from David Baker to Amy Stephens to Murder By Death. He has also released …

**300 copies** Cuneo´s band oAxAcA brings us the second 2 Headed Deer reference. From the Italian Piedmont, this 'hard to define' collective delivers a sound that fluctuates between a free and experimental jazz reminiscent of the AACM spirit, to a very personal and reworked vision of the most electric jazz-rock."oAxAcA come back with a new record, they called it Onde di Sabbia (Waves of Sand), and they couldn’t find a more evocative title. As a matter of fact here we feel overwhelmed by a tempes…

A special bundle that includes the latest 8 CD releases published in late April 2020 by Belgian label A New Wave of Jazz. Includes works by Dirk Serries, Martina Verhoeven, Colin Webster, Daniel Thompson, Benedict Taylor, Tom Malmendier, Jürg Frey, Andrew Cheetham, Alan Wilkinson, and John Edwards.

**300 copies** "To fully grasp the range of extended techniques, you should be able to see them in action, but it is also perfectly possible to listen to this music and focus on elements such as flow, density and responsiveness." - Guy Peters"SETT is a an acoustic strings quartet, featuring British most prolific double bass player John Edwards, Dirk Serries and Daniel Thompson on acoustic guitars and violist Benedict Taylor, recorded at the Dave Hunt studio, London in November 2019. SETT does no…

**300 copies** "As Derek Bailey once argued, the term ‘improvisation’ is loaded with such widespread connotations (the music is unprepared, flippant, without depth) that you’d almost hesitate to use it. However, no better alternative has become available and moreover: one close listen to Vanguard lets you know that you are dealing with skilled and inspired improvisers adding a worthwhile chapter to a 50-plus years legacy." - Guy PetersPerformed, recorded, mixed and mastered at the Sunny Side Inc…

**300 copies** "And there is an abundance of material displayed here, as Andrew Cheetham and Alan Wilkinson combine impressive technical prowess, dynamics and imagination into a whole that combines physicality with thoughtfulness, tumult with intimacy. A musical performance remains the ideal way to deal with the impermanence of everything, and this album makes an excellent case." Guy Peters"Percussionist Cheetham and reedist Wilkinson, veteran improvisers of the UK scene, collaborate here on fou…

"The either/OAR series of and/OAR continues to take unexpected twists and turns while slowly but surely unveiling the intended perimeter of it's conceptual focus - this time a magic realism trip via the world of atmospheric avant-jazz. Distare Sonanti is the second album by the highly synergistic Di Domenico / Henriksen / Yamamoto trio whose first CD titled Clinamen was released in 2010 by the Off label based in Belgium. Now, in 2012 and/OAR is very pleased and honored to present this second mas…

**CD version** Finding Ourselves In All Things features two lengthy tracks, standing in stark contrast to each other: Melting With Butterflies is brimming with life: chaotic, hysterical and joyous - celebrating the viewpoint of all small things and their seemingly frantic nature. The Way Mountains Make Love is equally intense, but with a quite different energy – a slow moving organic unity vibrating with the frequencies of everything big and ancient.Both tracks explore and elaborate on its respe…

**CD version** Hungry Ghosts are beings who are driven by intense emotional needs, periodically roaming the earth’s surface in search for anything that can satisfy their cravings. Now they are here for you! The omnipotent living legend Paal-Nilssen Love clashes head to head with bass prodigy Christian Meaas Svendsen on bass, playing with 2-3 bows, cheek, voice, hands and feet. In the midst of the battle we find Yong Yandsen, a high-octane Malaysian sax virtuoso who virtually explodes on stage co…

**CD version** Gibberish, Balderdash and Drivel consists of three nonsensical musical conversations between Malaysian nylon guitar player Goh Lee Kwang and Norwegian bass player Christian Meeas Svendsen. The album was recorded in an independent art gallery close to Kuala Lumpur with a handheld device. It tells us the story of the first encounter between two different mindsets, nationalities and generations trying - and totally failing at - making any sensible dialogue with their respective music…

"Worst Generation" is Nakama’s first fully improvised album, and was recorded as part of a live concert in studio during their first European tour. The LP version is in lenticular – the motif changes when viewed from a different angle. The CD is in English on one side and Japanese on the other with the imprint in beautiful gloss. One thing is always something different and at the same time two sides of the same coin...

**CD version** Most Intimate is Nakama’s third release. Their previous albums have been very conceptual, dealing with the relation between sound and silence on Before the Storm and then form as something malleable on Grand Line. Most Intimate is different. It is more personal, more transparent and more.., well, intimate. It offers a close-up on the musicians and how they deal with music in different roles. Because even though the music on this album isn’t conceptual, the structure of it is, and …

**CD version** This album is a free exploration of sound within the boundaries of two violins and the musicians playing them. Close interplay and together-ness permeates the 36 minutes of eclectic but cohesive music, ranging in expression from reductionist and sparse textures, to filmscore-like tonal landscapes with clear dramatic outlines. The record reflects both the duo's dionysic and apollinian sides, and  the balance between the two creates something universal which the listener can relate …

**CD version** The music on Grand Line consists of two separate components: musical compositions and form compositions, and explores form as a malleable object in shaping musical content. Founded on a fixed music material it is an approach which mixes arbitrariness with intention, and at the same time relying heavily on the creativity of the players involved. The sounding result might seem entropic, and at times leave both listeners and performers puzzled and perplexed, but the goal with the rec…

**CD version** Forms & Poses is Norwegian bass player Christian Meaas Svendsen’s second solo album, and features four compositions / improvisations which explore the physical connection between the human body and the double bass. Although recorded in two entirely different settings, it is clear that Svendsen’s mind-set on all these tracks are one and the same, and the release shines as a condensed representation of his creative diversity. The CD version comes with a 24-page long booklet with lin…

Kasper Skullerud Værnes and Andreas Wildhagen has played together for ten years as of 2018. They formed a duo shortly after meeting, and quickly realized that the power and subtleness of the sax and drums duo format was worth further explorations. Through the years and in various ensembles and projects such as KNYST! (trio with bassist and Nakama founder Christian Meaas Svendsen,) and Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit, the duo has grown and developed a highly flexible and telepathic interplay. This i…

Before the Storm features four original compositions by Nakama’s leader Christian Meaas Svendsen. The album is the group’s first recording, and can be summed up as an investigation of sound related to silence through a minimalistic approach to both written and improvised material. The tracks on the recording are four attempts to define the nature of what we normally define as silence, and present at the same time a musical idiom of a band that operates on the outside of conventional borders."The…

"Cepi is a solid reality located in the south of France. It’s Barre Phillips’ vision about improvisation. It can be flexible about the team but not about the idea above it all. Hic stands for Hidden Improvisers Consort; it’s a study group under the guide of Claudio Lugo. This meeting has been organized and strongly desired by Barre Phillips and Tommaso Rolando. We made a big circle, we played with the fire."The Cepi Nomads: Barre Phillips - Contrabass / György Kurtag - Electronics / Laurent Char…

In February 2020, Sven-Åke Johansson and Thomas Kapielski released the vinyl LP Recovered under their project name Das Moabiter Duo at Fantôme Verlag. It was published on the occasion of a joint exhibition by Johansson and Kapielski at the Laura Mars Gallery, Berlin.Recovered, mixed and mastered by Frieder Butzmann, features a previously unreleased concert recording from 1983. Joint performances by Kapielski and Johansson took place in clubs like the Korrekt (Alt-Moabit, Berlin) or ‒ as part o…

Jaap Blonk (born 1953, Woerden) is a Dutch avant-garde composer and soundpoet. He is primarily self-taught, both as a sound artist and as a visual/stage performer. One of his early influences was Kurt Schwitters, whose Ursonate he first heard in 1979; he memorized the entire work, and it became one of the cornerstones of his repertory; he has recited portions of the piece hundreds of times in various public places. His performances of sound poetry are unique and world renowned, making use…

Massive industrial noise and free jazz blasts from the past,16-17 returning with new material after 25 years. Founded 1983 in Basel by saxophonist Alex Buess and former drummer Knut Remond, they have been shaping the forefront of a new sound area. Playing an abrasive distorted mix of dub, hardcore and free jazz that lead to a meeting of likeminded heavy heads that temporally took part in the band e.g. Kevin Martin (The Bug, Techno Animal) or G.C. Green (Godflesh). After marking their presence an…

The Last Dream of the Morning is the new band from three UK masters of contemporary improvised music – they released a trio CD under this title on Relativ Pitch (NYC) in 2017, now choosing it for their bandname for continuing activities. Recorded by Shaun Crook at Cafe Oto, London on 8 August 2018. Mixed and Mastered by John Butcher.Line-up:John Butcher: tenor & soprano saxophonesJohn Edwards: double bassMark Sanders: percussion

**300 copies** A solid and distinguished work by two talented musicians coming from the lively Lithuanian jazz scene: Jan Maksimowicz – soprano saxophone, Dmitrij Golovanov - piano.All compositions by Jan Maksimowicz and Dmitrij Golovanov, except Dienda by Kenny Kirkland. Recorded on 13th, 16th and 26th September, 2018 at InTegra House, Trakai, Lithuania. Engineered and mixed by Artūras Bieliauskas. Mastered by Arūnas Zujus at MAMAstudios. Design by Folk Science.

Bitter Balls – the second full length studio album from mostly Middle Eastern supergroup Karkhana, features members of Dwarfs of East Agouza, „A“Trio, Konstrukt, Chicago Tentet, Land of Kush among others – shows the ongoing incredible progression and artistic flow the group is currently working under. Four new fine tuned compositions of crystal clear and deep, dark, distorted unrock – electric and acoustic. The cross between old school and contemporary oriental free-jazz sounds and western impro…

**500 copies** A collection of duo recordings featuring Ken Vandermark in collaboration with internationally renowned, and critically acclaimed, musicians: Kris Davis, Hamid Drake, Paul Lytton, Ikue Mori, and William Parker. The material is documented on 5 CDs and was recorded during performances at Vandermark’s second Stone residency in New York City during January of 2018, and at Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago.The improvised music included is remarkably expansive, in terms of instrumenta…

Five Spontaneous Ones was recorded by Albert Cirera (tenor and soprano saxophones), Rafal Mazur (acoustic bass guitar) and Nicolas Field (drums). The three improvisers are featured stars of the avant-garde jazz scene. Albert Cirera has an organic and expressive playing technique, impressive virtuosity, wide musical knownledge and unique sound. Rafal Mazur fuses together the tendencies of contemporary academical and experimental music, basics of avant-garde jazz and the newest tendencies of exper…