In his heyday from the late 1960s to the end of the 70s, alto saxophonist Mike Osborne was one of the most distinctive saxophone voices in Brit-jazz (and when you are talking about a school that included Elton Dean, Evan Parker, Dudu Pukwana, Alan...

This was the first release by British alto saxist Osborne under his own name, and was issued on the very rare (and short lived) Turtle label. It is reissued here from the master tapes in its full glory of two sidelong tracks.
Osborne had been playing with the Brotherhood of Breath, and this album sort of turned into a subgroup of the Brotherhood. Originally conceived in 1970 as a trio disc with bassist Harry Miller and drummer Louis Moholo, when the date actually arrived, along also came trumpeter...

Much-needed reissue of a 1975 live date by this improvising ensemble who specialized in music that had a very wide dynamic range, but especially who could play extremely softly at times. The original vinyl release of this album suffered greatly from...

“First vinyl re-issue of Evan Parker's duo with George Lewis. Transferred from the original masters, Otoroku has discovered that the original Incus LP was cut at the wrong speed -- and so, here is the first vinyl issue of the correct masters, or "mastas" as Adam Skeaping, legendary engineer who is also responsible for Six of One and Compatibles, fondly calls them.
Skeaping, always working with the latest in recording technology for the time, has a knack for gaining access to remarkable spaces. Good...

“A reissue of The People Band's self-titled album, originally released in 1970. Containing musicians that also worked with Pete Brown, Mike Westbrook, Ian Dury, Soft Machine, and others, this musical collective coalesced in London in 1968, and soon came to the attention of jazz aficionado Charlie Watts, who financed and oversaw a recording session that October.
Improvised, anarchic, and utterly original, the results are comparable to the contemporary work of Amalgam and the Spontaneous Music Ensemble.

Here's what I know about this group. Polar Bear are a young UK jazz group who are associated with the scene that Led Bib are also involved with. PB's sound is much different than Led Bib's and also not as consistantly 'out' as Bib, although they do...

Pip Pyle-drums
Paul Rogers-double bass
Elton Dean-alto sax and saxello
Sopia Domancich-piano

Until this reissue, this was a very scarce album from the early 90's, very similar in spirit & intent to Soft Heap or Soft Head.

"A real gem from jazzier climes than we've heard for a while. Equip Out's debut album from 1985 (with Pyle, Dean, Hopper and Malherbe) was not a totally convincing amalgam of several Canterbury luminaries: the parts were greater than the sum. This second..

“Due to overwhelming demand for Jazzman Records' five-LP boxset, here are the first ever official individual reissues of all five of the iconic Lansdowne recording sessions by the legendary UK jazz combo, the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet. The five albums have reached almost mythical status in the collector's world. Regarded as holy grail artifacts for even the seasoned aficionado, the collective second-hand market value comes to an astonishing £6000.
Jazzman Records located and acquired the original..

“Due to overwhelming demand for Jazzman Records' five-LP boxset, here are the first ever official individual reissues of all five of the iconic Lansdowne recording sessions by the legendary UK jazz combo, the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet. The five albums have reached almost mythical status in the collector's world. Regarded as holy grail artifacts for even the seasoned aficionado, the collective second-hand market value comes to an astonishing £6000.
Jazzman Records located and acquired the original..

Last time ever on this release from the wonderful, now gone, Reel Recordings label.

"Jazz in Britain during the 1960s has found many musical voices speaking uniquely beyond their American inspiration, but few spoke as eloquently as the Don Rendell Ian Carr Quintet. Formed in 1964 by modernists Don Rendell (saxes/flutes) and the late Ian Carr (trumpet/flugelhorn), their quintet was perfected by the tremendous rhythm section of composer Michael Garrick (piano), Dave Green (double bass) and Trevor ...

Originally released on the Turtle label, and making its first-ever vinyl reissue here, Flight must be considered one of Howard Riley’s most important documents. Recorded in 1971, the music represents a transitional period in Howard’s trio sound, this session also includes the input of Tony Oxley’s electronic frame and amplification and Barry Guy’s amplifier and foot pedal.

"...in the course of one improvisation we can use instrumental sounds traditionally association with music, or sounds....

Paul Dunmall (saxophones)
Paul Rogers (6-string bass)
Tony Bianco (drums)

"A superbly recorded slice of free improvisation from three of the leading exponents of creative music. Recorded at the Jackson lane venue in Highgate, London during a wonderful free improv event organised by the music specialist record shop Sound 323. Seperated into three sections, the performance begins with a performance of Tony Biancos Drone style drumming, followed by Paul Rogers and Paul Dunmall’s exquisite..

Ray Russell – guitars
- with -
Eric Baldwin – found sounds, sequential creativity
Georg Baldwin – bass, Chapman Stick
Chris Biscoe – tenor clarinet & soprano saxophone
Mo Foster – bass
Nic France – drums
Simon Phillips – drums
Ralph Salmins – drums
Jim Watson – keyboards

Frank Zappa famously characterized music as sculpted air, a notion Ray Russell parlays into another dimension...

Like contemporaries Sonny Sharrock and Terje Rypdal, Russell makes it sound as if the guitar is not enough, as if he's reaching for something wilder, something that can't be contained within the 6 string cage-Jim O'Rourke...

Aaron Bennet, saxophone
Jerome Bryerton, drums
John Butcher, saxophone
Danielle DeGruttola, cello
Henry Kaiser, guitar
Damon Smith, double bass
Kurt Newman, guitar (track 9)

“Sextessense is "a tribute to John Stevens and the SME" (the title refers of course to the two albums Stevens recorded with the Derek Bailey, Kent Carter, Evan Parker and Trevor Watts line-up of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in 1973, Quintessence 1 and 2).
Stevens was one of the prime movers

Pat Smythe - piano, Fender Rhodes
Allan Holdsworth - guitar
Daryl Runswick - double bass
John Marshall - drums

Tracks 1 - 4 recorded at Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, 27th July 1973.
Tracks 5 - 8 recorded at Festival de Jazz, Amphithéâtre, Châteauvallon, France, 21st August 1973.

This is a very exciting release that fills in a couple of question marks about how Allan Holdsworth ended up in Soft Machine.
The story is – I believe - that John met Allan at some...

Elton Dean – Alto sax, saxello
Lyn Dobson – Soprano and tenor sax, flute, harmonica, vocals
Hugh Hopper – Bass
Mike Ratledge – Hohner Pianet, Lowrey Holiday Deluxe organ
Robert Wyatt – Drums, vocals

"A love affair with France preserved on film - shot with tangible cinematic flair at Paris' photogenic Theatre De La Musique in March 1970, this superb quality live footage of the Softs at their freewheeling peak was originally broadcast on..

NOTE: There WILL be a four CD set of this show available for sale soon, if you prefer CDs.

NOTE: This is a preorder for this huge and beautiful set.

There are 200 COPIES to sell of this title in the USA.

We are putting this up for preorder now because we want to give our regular customers a chance to own it before it sells out.

It will ship to you at the very beginning of May, 2024.

Elton Dean - alto sax, saxello
Lyn Dobson -- soprano sax, flute, vocals
Hugh Hopper -- bass
Mike Ratledge -- electric piano, organ
Robert Wyatt -- drums, vocals

Noisette was recorded January 4th, 1970, by the short-lived quintet formation of the group, this was this line-up's first gig and this is the concert and same recording that gave us Facelift on Third!
Noisette showcases a band in...

By this time (1973), the band were pretty much a straight-forward fusion ensemble with many of their biggest quirks and oddities excised. And all the quirky old personnel too, with only Mike Ratledge remaining (for the time being at least). Hugh Hoppper left and is replaced by the great (but not as quirky) bassist Roy Babbington along with Karl Jenkins and John Marshall. The band is now 75% comprised of ex-Nucleus players, and while they don't sound like Nucleus at all, they also don't really sound so...

Roy Babbington : Electric 6-string bass
Karl Jenkins : Soprano sax, baritone sax, oboe, electric piano

John Marshall : Drums

Mike Ratledge : Electric piano, organ

From their beginnings as a psychedelic rock band in 1966, sharing stages with Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, to being one of the originators of electric jazz/rock by early 1969, Britain’s Soft Machine were restlessly creative. The Dutch Lesson captures them..

A very good album from 'way back when' with a fairly incredible story! I had never seen or heard it before now, although I knew its legend...!
Chris Spedding Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Roger Potter Bass, Double Bass
John Marshall Drums
John Mitchell Piano, Electric Piano
Paul Rutherford Trombone

"Between 1969 and 1972, Chris Spedding was a rock guitarist whose unique sound, style and musical literacy meant regular employment on the exploding British progressive jazz.

"Electronic duo Spring Heel Jack return with a collaboration with the legendary American trumpeter and Pulitzer Prize nominee Wadada Leo Smith. Wadada was born in the Mississippi Delta and became immersed in the music of the great blues masters as a young musician. He then moved to Chicago and became an early member of the AACM alongside the likes of Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Malachi Favors and Roscoe Mitchell. Recorded 2017 in London, this LP sees Smith's authoritative trumpet joined by...

“Subversion Through Jazz examines the beginning of the British progressive jazz (BPJ) movement from 1956 to 1964, attempting to identify and plot the progress of its coming into being. This eight-year period of inception was set against the backdrop of two specifically relevant world events: the failed Hungarian revolution in 1956; and the Cuban Missile Crisis, a potentially apocalyptic nuclear standoff between the United States and the USSR in the Gulf of Mexico in 1962. Like many art forms in the UK...

This was previously available on CD, but wasn't authorized and wasn't from the original masters. This version is from John's original masters and he supervised this reissue!
This minor classic was recorded live December 3, 1973 and features Surman's soprano and baritone sax work in a all-star jazz and jazz/rock setting, with a band consisting of Terje Rypdal-guitar, Chris Lawrence-bass, John Taylor-piano & electric piano, Malcolm Griffiths-trombone, Chris Lawrence-double bass and John Marshall-drums..