Joe Maneri / Tyson Rogers / Jacob Braverman:
In The Shadow, First Visit (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Capturing a multidimensional dialogue through breathy microtones, atonal piano fragments, and ambiguous percussion, Joe Maneri on sax and clarinet, Tyson Rogers on piano, and Jacob Braverman on drums craft abstract improvisations exploring the delicate interplay of shadow and light, revealing emotional nuances and identity in richly layered, spontaneous constructions of impressive expressive intensity. ... Click to View
Christopher Kunz / Florian Fischer:
Die Unwucht, Disperation And Focus First Visit (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
German saxophonist Christopher Kunz and drummer Florian Fischer capture the essence of German forests in their outdoor recording, titled to translate as 'The Unbalance, Desperation and Focus,' where sauntering saxophone and dynamic drums blend with environmental sounds to evoke a profound intimacy, growing with each listen and inviting deep engagement with nature's wild and humane aspects. ... Click to View
Joe Henderson / Kenny Dorham / Andrew Hill / McCoy Tyner:
Our Thing to In ’N Out Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Joe Henderson, alongside Kenny Dorham and Andrew Hill, revisits the essence of the 'New Thing' in jazz with the remasters and reissues of Our Thing to In 'N Out, showcasing mastery of both conservative and adventurous impulses through a sly blend of inside and outside tactics, marked by intricate solos and dynamic group interplay that highlight the evolving soundscape of early 60s Blue Note recordings. ... Click to View
Zero Point (Rick Countryman / German Bringas / Itzam Cano / Gabriel Lauber):
Determinism (FMR)
An exciting meeting of free improvisers featuring saxophonists Rick Countryman and Germán Bringas — whose synesthetic explorations have defined Mexico City's free jazz underground since the '90s with his band Zero Point — updated here with bassist Itzam Cano and drummer Gabriel Lauber, Countryman joining while in Mexico City for this fiercely interactive 2022 session of profound sonic reflections. ... Click to View
Udo Schindler / Erhard Hirt / Ove Volquartz:
Shifting Types of Amazement (FMR)
A compelling live performance from Munich's Waldkirche Planegg uniting Udo Schindler's inventive bass clarinets, Erhard Hirt's textural guitar and computer interactions, and Ove Volquartz's resonant low reeds, weaving a rich tapestry of spontaneous, intricately layered improvisations infused with subtle electronic nuances. ... Click to View
Hemphill Stringtet, The :
Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill (Out Of Your Head Records)
Celebrating the profound compositional legacy of Julius Hemphill through inventive string adaptations of his saxophone quartet and sextet works, violinists Curtis Stewart and Sam Bardfeld, violist Stephanie Griffin, and cellist Tomeka Reid channel Abdul Wadud's expressive spirit, transforming Hemphill's blues-inflected jazz into vividly textured chamber improvisations with lyrical intensity. ... Click to View
Adam O'Farrill :
For These Streets (Out Of Your Head Records)
Brooklyn trumpeter Adam O'Farrill leads a superb octet — Mary Halvorson (guitar), Patricia Brennan (vibes), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), and others — through dramatically inventive compositions inspired by the literature and arts of the 1930s, balancing angular rhythmic intensity, rich melodic lyricism, and expressive improvisational depth with adventurous sophistication. ... Click to View
Laura Cocks:
FATHM [VINYL] (Out Of Your Head Records)
Flutist and TAK Ensemble member Laura Cocks crafts an intimate, breath-driven solo work that blurs sound and silence, guiding listeners through fragmented melodies, hushed textures, and resonant pauses, offering a deeply personal and poetic meditation on presence, absence, and the physicality of listening. ... Click to View
Ernesto Rodrigues / Nuno Torres / Guilherme Rodrigues:
Whispers In The Moonlight - In Seven Movements [2CDs] (Creative Sources)
Capturing a richly nuanced sonic journey across seven improvised movements from concerts in Berlin, Köln, and Munich, this 2-CD set from the Portuguese trio of Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Guilherme Rodrigues (cello), and Nuno Torres (alto sax) presents a masterful exploration of intricate textures, hushed atmospherics, and lyrical interplay, woven into a vivid tapestry of contemporary European free improvisation. ... Click to View
Simulacrum:
Mecanique Analytique (Evil Clown)
An intricate electro-acoustic exploration from David Peck's Simulacrum sextet — featuring expansive horn and reed textures, a robust three-member electronics section, and eclectic percussion — in a sonically adventurous live session at Evil Clown Headquarters, resulting in vibrant improvisations blending organic timbres with dynamic electronic atmospheres. ... Click to View
Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio:
Dream A Dream (Libra)
Pianist Satoko Fujii's Tokyo Trio, featuring bassist Takashi Sugawa and drummer Ittetsu Takemura, expertly balances structured compositions with intuitive improvisation on their third album, recorded in Paris after touring the material across Japan and Europe, exploring shifting moods and intricate interplay through richly lyrical piano lines, subtle rhythmic dialogue, and inventive collective expression. ... Click to View
Paul Dunmalll (Dunmall / Sanders / Bellatalla / Adams):
Jazz Suite Outcome Of Choice (FMR)
Recorded at Birmingham's Custard Factory in 1999, tenor saxophonist Paul Dunmall leads drummer Mark Sanders, bassist Roberto Bellatalla, and guitarist John Adams through a set of Dunmall compositions, delivering lyrically expressive free jazz improvisations that blend dynamic interaction with inventive melodic exploration. ... Click to View
Transcendence (Bob Gluck / Christopher Dean Sullivan / Karl Latham):
Music Of Pat Metheny (FMR)
Inspired by the compositions of Pat Metheny, the Transcendence trio of pianist Bob Gluck, bassist Christopher Dean Sullivan, and drummer Karl Latham blends intent listening and explorative improvisational mastery into an expressive and dynamic performance, recorded in parallel with Gluck's book Pat Metheny: Stories Beyond Words in a heart-felt and sincere tribute to the guitarist's work. ... Click to View
Frode Gjerstad:
Stavanger 9 9 2024 (FMR)
A live 2024 performance at Spor 5 in Stavanger, Norway, uniting saxophonist Frode Gjerstad with pianist Margaux Oswald and drummer Ivar Myrset Asheim in an engaging set of collective free improvisation marked by dynamic interplay, impressive dialog from reserved introspection to expansive kinetic energy across shifting textures and intensities. ... Click to View
Ackerley / Prymek / Turner:
All Hope With Sleeping Minds [CASSETTE] (Full Spectrum)
Born from remote exchanges between Jessica Ackerley (guitar, voice, synth), Nick Turner (guitar, mellotron, synth), and Chaz Prymek (guitar, lap steel), this debut album emerges as an evocative imaginary soundtrack, blending improvisational noise with Americana-inflected ambience in an expansive meditation on post-apocalyptic contemplation. ... Click to View
David Myers Lee :
Tin Drop Tear [BOOK w/ DOWNLOAD] (pulsewidth)
Experimental composer and feedback artist David Lee Myers (Arcane Device) ventures into literary territory with a limited-edition book of fifty "Plunder-Lit" poetic pieces, complemented by fifteen spoken-word audio readings set to experimental soundscapes, evoking Tristan Tzara's work, William S. Burroughs' cutups, and the sensibilities of Captain Beefheart. ... Click to View
Leap Of Faith:
Decoding the Evolution of Meaning (Evil Clown)
Boston-based improvisational ensemble Leap of Faith, led by multi-instrumentalist David Peck (PEK) and cellist Glynis Lomon, presents a drummerless seven-piece configuration recorded live at Evil Clown Headquarters, navigating expansive free improvisation with horns, strings, electronics, and unconventional percussion in an explorative chamber-like performance of subtle dynamics and spontaneous interplay ... Click to View
Zilmrah:
Hallucinatory X-Ray Visions (Love Earth Music)
The debut full-length from Lawry Romani's noise/drone project Zilmrah blends manipulated samples, modular synths, and handcrafted electroacoustic instruments into intriguingly distorted yet spacious soundscapes, balancing hypnotic rhythms with dadaist absurdity and dense sonic experimentation in a captivating journey of cut-up electronics and immersive drones. ... Click to View
Peter Brotzmann / Heather Leigh:
Ears Are Filled With Wonder (Not Two)
Brotzmann continued to surprise in eclectic pairings, here pitting his tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, tarogato, and clarinet against Heather Leigh's pedal steel guitar, recorded during a tour of Poland where the two paused from big bands, trios, quartets, and duos to record this gem. ... Click to View
Joe Fonda Quartet (w/ Wadada Leo Smith / Satoko Fujii / Tizano Tononi):
Eyes On The Horizon (Long Song Records)
NY Bassist-composer Joe Fonda leads an exceptional quartet featuring trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, pianist Satoko Fujii, and drummer Tiziano Tononi in a profound tribute to his mentor Smith, skillfully blending compositional clarity with collective improvisation in a deeply resonant and lyrically intricate musical conversation that reflects inspiration, respect, and artistic integrity. ... Click to View
Giovanni Maier / Alexander Hawkins:
Two For Keith (Long Song Records)
Recorded live in the studio in Trieste, Italy, bassist Giovanni Maier and pianist Alexander Hawkins deliver a deeply expressive and adventurous duo session dedicated to the late, great Keith Tippett, weaving spontaneous improvisations and dynamic interplay in a heartfelt homage that reflects Tippett's profound influence and creative spirit. ... Click to View
Ernesto Rodrigues / Carlos Santos / Miguel Mira:
The Knowledge That Our Time Is Limited Can Inspire Us (Creative Sources)
Recorded live during the 2024 Creative Sources Cycle, violist Ernesto Rodrigues, cellist Miguel Mira, and analog synthesist Carlos Santos deliver a nuanced and exploratory collective improvisation, drawing on Rodrigues's delicate textural approach, Mira's lyrical sensitivity, and Santos's ethereal synth interactions, evoking an urgent reflection on the fleeting nature of time. ... Click to View
Der Vierte Zustand:
Layers (Creative Sources)
The Cologne-based free improvising trio Der Vierte Zustand — vocalist Hanna Schörken, guitarist Christina Zurhausen, and drummer Ramon Keck — om a compelling blend of experimental soundscapes, noise rock influences, and free jazz energy, driven by Schörken's acrobatic wordless vocals, Zurhausen's effects-laden guitar textures, and Keck's dynamic rhythms. ... Click to View
Udo Schindler / Sandy Ewen / Damon Smith:
Munich Sound Studies Vols. 4, 5 & 6 [3 CDs] (Balance Point Acoustics)
An expansive 3-CD document recorded live across three Munich venues in May 2023, featuring Udo Schindler (clarinets, saxophones, brass), Sandy Ewen (electric guitar), and Damon Smith (double bass), each session enhanced by collaborators Karina Erhard, Jaap Blonk, and Sebastiano Tramontana, in an inventive series of improvisations of dynamic interplay and innovative sonic experiments. ... Click to View
Thanos Chrysakis :
Psyche (Eternal Music Projects)
Exploring the depths and boundaries of the psyche through seven compelling electroacoustic compositions, Greek composer Thanos Chrysakis delivers a deeply psychedelic, mysterious, and immersive sonic journey, masterfully blending electronic textures and acousmatic elements that resonate within the listener's consciousness, psyche, and imagination — a vivid reflection on complex inner landscapes. ... Click to View
Luke Martin:
To Be Worthy of Pessoa (Editions Verde)
Drawing inspiration from Fernando Pessoa's "The Book of Disquiet," composer Luke Martin leads the ensemble Ordinary Affects — Morgan Evans-Weiler & Francesca Caruso (violin), Jordan Dykstra (viola), Laura Cetilia (cello), J.P.A. Falzone (vibes) and Luke Damrosch (farfisa organ) — through two introspective, quietly evolving compositions of minimalistic beauty creating thoughtful sonic dialogues. ... Click to View
Turbulence Orchestra & Sub-Units:
Smear Out the Difficulties (Double Live) [2 CDs] (Evil Clown)
Bringing together a powerful 20-member ensemble, Turbulence Orchestra — led by David Peck and featuring Bonnie Kane, John Loggia, Glynis Lomon, and a diverse array of improvisers — unleashes an expansive and dynamic improvisational journey, combining dense textures, radical instrumentation, and structured spontaneity through novel conducting techniques for a set of unique sonic narratives. ... Click to View
God Pussy:
Rudimentar Desejo De Liberdade (Love Earth Music)
Brazilian noise artist Jhones Silva, aka God Pussy, delivers a brutal, uncompromising conglomerate of harsh electronic textures, abstract noise, and aggressive sonic distortion, employing pedals, synths, radios & noise generators in an intense DIY exploration of social chaos, urban corruption, and humanity's unfulfilled desire for freedom through confrontational electroacoustic compositions. ... Click to View
Simon Nabatov / Mark Helias / Tom Rainey:
Assamblage (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
A far-ranging transatlantic trio session from pianist Simon Nabatov, bassist Mark Helias, and drummer Tom Rainey, capturing a dynamic fusion of composed and collective free jazz, as Nabatov's intricate compositions burst with frenetic energy, shifting between exuberant rhythmic interplay, explosive improvisation, and richly textured sonic landscapes in an electrifying set of performances. ... Click to View
Harri Sjostrom:
SoundScapes #4 Festival Berlin 2023 [3 CDs] (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
A remarkable live document of Finnish saxophonist Harri Sjöström's SoundScapes #4 festival in Berlin, bringing together 19 extraordinary musicians from across Europe, Australia, and the U.S. for a series of improvised performances from intimate duos to expansive octets, highlighting spontaneous collaborations all driven by creative risk-taking, deep listening, and a profound sense of musical trust. ... Click to View
