Tamura / Fujii / Lopez:
Yama Kawa Umi (Not Two)
Reuniting after their acclaimed Mantle album, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, pianist Satoko Fujii, and drummer Ramon Lopez return with Yama Kawa Umi (Mountain River Sea), a powerful exploration of musical landscapes where wild seas crash into cliffs, rivers flow with melodic clarity, and peaceful mountains rise in serene, introspective moments, reflecting the deep, dynamic interplay from years of collaboration. ... Click to View
duo B. (Lisa Mezzacappa / Jason Levis):
Luminous Axis (Queen Bee Records)
Longtime collaborators Lisa Mezzacappa and Jason Levis deepen their exploration of Wadada Leo Smith's Ankhrasmation language, interpreting his graphic score through an intuitive acoustic bass and drum dialogue shaped by years of study, live performance, and improvisational research, forging their own path through his modular notation in a dynamic and deeply immersive exchange. ... Click to View
Rob Brown / Brandon Lopez / Juan P. Carletti:
Walkabout (Mahakala Music)
An energetic trio session of collective free improvisation from NY alto saxophonist Rob Brown, bassist Brandon Lopez, and drummer Juan Pablo Carletti, recorded in the studio and driven by an intense energy that maintains a powerful swing, with Brown's incisive phrasing, Lopez's commanding bass, and Carletti's dynamic percussion merging into a spontaneous and deeply expressive musical force. ... Click to View
Booker T & The Plasmic Bleeds:
Ode To BC/LY... And Eye Know BO.... da Prez (Mahakala Music)
Underground saxophone legends Booker T. Williams and Gary Hammon lead a powerhouse ensemble with Marc Franklin, Chad Fowler, Kelley Hurt, Christopher Parker, Luke Stewart, and Chad Anderson, blending post-Coltrane jazz, reggae inflections, and balladry in a vibrant session that revisits their decades-long musical journey while honoring resilience, friendship, and cultural legacy. ... Click to View
Marc Copland:
Alter Ego Lausanne 2022 (TCB Records)
A masterful solo piano performance from Marc Copland, recorded live in Lausanne as he duets with his own pre-recorded tracks, layering delicate yet harmonically rich improvisations in a deeply personal and intimate exploration of sound, blending standards by Monk, Coltrane, and Rodgers with originals, creating an introspective interplay that highlights his lyrical depth. ... Click to View
Bruckmann / Heule / Nishi-Smith / Rivero :
Negligiblism (Full Spectrum)
A visceral and texturally rich exploration of free improv from longtime Bay Area collaborators Danishta Rivero (voice, electronics), Kanoko Nishi-Smith (koto), Jacob Felix Heule (bass drum, drum set), and Kyle Bruckmann (English horn, electronics), blending raw acoustic noise, extended techniques, and deep sonic interactions into a dynamic and unpredictable suite of expressive intensity. ... Click to View
Shiroishi / Tiesenga:
Empty Vessels [VINYL] (Full Spectrum)
A powerful duo of resonant harmonic interaction between Patrick Shiroishi & Marta Tiesenga, both on soprano sax, recorded in an underground tunnel below the Jazz Cat in Monterey Park, CA during the pandemic, the tunnel's natural reverb becoming a 'third performer' in shaping an evocative sonic dialogue that contrasts isolation and connection through long tones, fragmented utterances, and immersive resonance. ... Click to View
Alientstalk (Ellen Christi / Claudio Lodati / Jan Schlegel / Luigi Archetti):
Alientstalk (Sargasso)
A compelling collaboration of vocalist Ellen Christi with guitarists Claudio Lodati and Luigi Archetti, and bassist Jan Schlegel, recorded at Baby Monster Studio in NYC in 1996, blending free improvisation, jazz, and experimental forms with Christi's inventive vocal approach, yielding fifteen succinct yet dynamic, exploratory soundscapes. ... Click to View
Tim Daisy / Ken Vandermark:
Fourth Atlas (Not Two)
A solid duo recording from long-time Chicago collaborators Ken Vandermark (tenor & baritone saxophones, Bb & bass clarinets) and Tim Daisy (drums & percussion), captured in the studio in Chicago, blending focused free jazz with intricate free improv, as the two navigate dynamic contrasts, rich textures, and conversational interplay with seemingly telepathic precision. ... Click to View
Eri Yamamoto Quadraphonic:
Fly With The Wings (Mahakala Music)
A warm and lyrical new quartet from pianist, vocalist, and melodica player Eri Yamamoto alongside Chad Fowler on alto sax & flute, Kevin Thomas on bass, and longtime collaborator Ikuo Takeuchi on drums, blending groove-driven jazz, free improvisation, and tender balladry with Yamamoto's distinctive touch, highlighted by playful interplay, beautiful melodies, and a soulful, unhurried charm. ... Click to View
Daniel Carter / Ayumi Ishito:
Endless Season (577 Records)
A first-time duo recording from multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter and tenor saxophonist Ayumi Ishito, transforming an acoustic improvisation session into an evocative electronic dreamscape, blending Carter's expressive trumpet, saxophones, clarinet, flute, piano, and poetry with Ishito's textured tenor sax, synthesizer, and effects, creating a tranquil yet adventurous dialogue bridging soundscape with jazz. ... Click to View
Jacqueline Kerrod / Joe Morris:
Morpeth Contemporary 2024 (Relative Pitch)
A remarkable live performance uniting South African harpist Jacqueline Kerrod and American guitarist Joe Morris, recorded at the Morpeth Contemporary gallery in New Jersey, their first collaboration of adventurous improvisations blending Kerrod's virtuosic harp techniques with Morris's innovative guitar approach, heard in three dynamic and exploratory string interactions. ... Click to View
Iancu Dumitrescu :
Ansamblul Hyperion (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Recorded in 1980 under Ceausescu's dictatorship, this groundbreaking document of Romanian avant-garde music features Iancu Dumitrescu conducting his Ansamblul Hyperion ensemble in radical works by Dumitrescu, Octavian Nemescu, Stefan Niculescu, and Corneliu Cezar, blending acousmatic philosophies, Balkan resonances, and electronic experimentation in an unprecedented exploration of sound and structure. ... Click to View
David Myers Lee:
Oculus [2CDs] (pulsewidth)
A double CD of rich ambient work from New York City-based sound artist David Lee Myers, presenting four expansive compositions that blend electronics, lamellophone, feedback matrices, and hardware and software processing, evoking the ocular opening of the eye and architectural forms through immersive soundscapes that explore the interplay between organic and electronic elements. ... Click to View
Arcane Device:
Plays the Music of J.S. Bach (pulsewidth)
Under his Arcane Device moniker, David Lee Myers revisits an unrealized collaboration with Tod Dockstader, deconstructing well-known classical works — primarily those of Bach — through sampling, stretching, looping, and computer-based processing, transforming familiar motifs into playful, shimmering, and immersive soundscapes inspired by Lucas Foss's Baroque Variations. ... Click to View
Turbulence:
Effects of Channeling (Evil Clown)
This small-format Turbulence performance led by David Peck features an ensemble of six musicians — including Michael Caglianone, John Fugarino, Bob Moores, Scott Samenfeld, and Jim Lucchese — navigating broad-palette improvisation across a constantly shifting landscape of horns, percussion, strings, and electronics yielding evolving textures and intricate sonic interactions. ... Click to View
Jean-Jacques Birge :
Pique-nique Au Labo 3 (GRRR)
The 3rd in Jean-Jacques Birgé's collaborative Pique-nique au Labo series, recorded between 2021 and 2023, bringing together Birgé with 20 musicians — including Sophie Agnel, Hélène Breschand, Élise Caron, and François Corneloup — in spontaneous duets and trios, each piece sparked by a randomly chosen theme, creating a rich and exploratory mosaic of improvisation and sonic experimentation. ... Click to View
Michel Houellebecq / Jean-Jacques Birge :
Etablissement D'Un Ciel D'Alternance (GRRR)
A distinctive collaboration uniting writer Michel Houellebecq and composer Jean-Jacques Birgé, with Bernard Vitet providing orchestral compositions, recorded primarily in 1996 at Studio GRRR, this album merges Houellebecq's poetic prose, spoken in French, with Birgé's electronic textures, offering an immersive exploration of narrative and sound. ... Click to View
Mars Williams / Vasco Trilla:
Awakening Nature From Her Dream (Live In Barcelona) (Not Two)
A powerful 2019 live performance from Barcelona between legendary multi-reedist Mars Williams and boundary-pushing percussionist Vasco Trilla, unfolding from introspective explorations into bursts of intricate and energetic free jazz, as Williams' array of saxophones and toys meets Trilla's rich palette of percussion in an electrifying exchange. ... Click to View
Fred Frith / Shelley Burgon:
The Life and Behavior (Relative Pitch)
A compelling collaboration between guitarist Fred Frith and innovative harpist Shelley Burgon — known for her work with Anthony Braxton, Trevor Dunn, and Okkyung Lee — in a series of concise and precise improvisations recorded in Oakland, CA, in 2002 and 2005, as Burgon blends seamlessly with Frith's acoustic guitar to create seemingly telepathic synchronicity and an expansive sonic palette. ... Click to View
Brandon Lopez Septet:
nada sagrada (Relative Pitch)
An intense performance led by bassist Brandon Lopez, recorded live at Roulette during the 2023 Vision Festival, blending deep listening and collective spirit in a dynamic, politically charged composition featuring Zeena Parkins (electric harp), Mat Maneri (viola), Cecilia Lopez (electronics), DoYeon Kim (gayageum), and drummers Gerald Cleaver &Tom Rainey, propelling intricate textures and ritualistic intensity. ... Click to View
Hobbs and Shanko:
The Depression Tapes (Relative Pitch)
Alto saxophonist Jim Hobbs and bassist Timo Shanko, co-founders of the Fully Celebrated Orchestra, present their first duo recording, nine improvisations recorded in the studio in Massachusetts, expressing their three-decade synergy through intimate, exploratory playing that blends passionate and deep-seated melodic interplay with free jazz elements and a strong sense of the blues. ... Click to View
Painkiller:
The Equinox (Tzadik)
Following their acclaimed 2024 album Samsara, Painkiller returns with Mick Harris (beats, electronics), Bill Laswell (bass), and John Zorn (alto saxophone) delivering six intense and genre-blurring tracks that fuse jazz, grindcore, metal, noise, and techno into an exhilarating, multilayered sonic journey inspired by the magickal practices of Aleister Crowley. ... Click to View
dustsceawung:
dustsceawung [CASSETTE w/ Download] (Eh?)
Minneapolis trio Dustsceawung — Miri Karraker (viola), Noah Ophoven-Baldwin (cornet), and Mitch Stahlmann (flute) — explore lowercase improvisation and instrumental abstraction in two 20-minute pieces, "Firn" (2018) and "Fold" (2022), blending scraping textures, breathy timbres, and hushed dynamics, as they create an intimate, shifting soundscape of subtle tension and ephemeral beauty. ... Click to View
Rutger Zuydervelt :
Microtopia (Original Game Score) (Machinefabriek)
An immersive and atmospheric soundtrack from composer Rutger Zuydervelt, known for his work as Machinefabriek, scoring the video game Microtopia with intricate electronic textures and evocative soundscapes that enhance the game's robotic ant colony simulation, blending ambient, rhythmic, and experimental elements to create a rich sonic environment praised for its depth and integration with gameplay. ... Click to View
Simulacrum:
Shadows (Evil Clown)
An electrified vortex of shifting soundworlds from PEK's Simulacrum ensemble, recorded live at Evil Clown Headquarters, blending PEK's reeds and electro-acoustics with Bob Moores' space trumpet and synths, Eric Woods' analog synthesis, Robin Amos' hybrid synths, and Michael Caglianone's saxophones in an Arkestra-infused, kosmische exploration of entropy and sonic strangeness. ... Click to View
Expanse:
Attenuations (Evil Clown)
David Peck leads an expansive sextet with Bob Moores, John Fugarino, Jiaxin Wan, Ziyi Gao, and Michael Knoblach, blending Western and Chinese instrumentation as clarinet, saxophones, & space trumpet intertwine with guzheng, pipa, electronics, & percussion, creating a richly textured, dynamic improvisation that reflects the ensemble's ongoing exploration of spontaneous composition. ... Click to View
John Zorn / Mary Halvorson Quartet:
The Bagatelles Vol. 1 (Tzadik)
Originally part of the Bagatelles 4-CD box set, this standalone release presents John Zorn's tightly constructed compositions interpreted by the Mary Halvorson Quartet, where Halvorson's microtonal guitar meets Miles Okazaki's rhythmic fluidity, propelled by bassist Drew Gress and drummer Tomas Fujiwara in an explosive and intricately woven set of high-energy, avant-garde jazz explorations. ... Click to View
John Zorn / Erik Friedlander / Michael Nicolas:
The Bagatelles Vol. 2 (Tzadik)
An intimate exploration of John Zorn's Bagatelles, featuring the seemingly telepathic cello duo of Erik Friedlander and Michael Nicolas in deeply expressive and intricately woven performances that reveal the emotional depth, sensitivity, and Zorn's adventurous compositional spirit, bridging composed forms with spontaneous improvisation for a nuanced and exciting chamber setting. ... Click to View
Peter Brotzmann / Steve Swell / Paal Nilssen-Love:
Krakow Nights (Not Two)
A powerhouse trio of free jazz titans — Peter Brötzmann on saxophone and clarinet, Steve Swell on trombone, and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums — captured live at Krakow's Alchemia Club in 2015, delivering a high-energy set of unrelenting interplay, shifting dynamics, and deep improvisational synergy, from explosive full-throttle exchanges to nuanced explorations of timbre and structure. ... Click to View
