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Stan Tracey is probably the living (grand)father of modern British jazz; starting in the more typical post-bop style and as the house pianist at Ronnie Scott's internationally known club in London, by the late 60's, he was also playing a more adventuro...


The Molecules, brainchild of PAK, RonRuins member Ron Anderson, formed in 1990 in Oakland, CA and created a sound of discordant spazz-jazz-improvisational-rock that would later be recreated by bands such as Hella, Lightning Bolt, Upsilon Acrux & many...


"Fernando Molinari is a fantastic bassist, hailing from Brazil. The music here is heavy, progressive, instrumental fare. It reads like really well done shred, with some fusiony touches. Lead track, Tropical Rain reminds me of Canadian stalwarts, Spaced Out, as well as having some Meshuggah heaviness in parts. Guitar duties on this tune are handled by Andre Nieri, most recently seen on the Virgil Donati tour cycle. Trouble Tones is a driving, funky number, with a jaw-dropping bass solo. Fernando whips out...

Hedvig Mollestad-guitar
Torsten Lofthus-drums
Ole Mofjell-percussion
Marte Eberson-keyboards
Eriend Slettevoll-keyboards
Susana Santos Silva-trumpet

At first I was a little leery of this one; I mean, Hedvig without her incredible trio? But this one, while being a little different, still totally slays! And the trumpet is a great touch! Hugely Recommended.

“In May 2018 Hedvig Mollestad received an invitation from Vossajazz -- the much-loved annual festival establish

Sixth great release from one of the greatest, most electrifying ‘jazz/not jazz’ bands out there today! Highly recommended.

“With Smells Funny being their sixth album in seven years, the explosive and expansive Hedvig Mollestad Trio have gone from strength to strength, gathering respect from both rock and jazz camps, sharing big stages with the likes of John McLaughlin and Black Sabbath, and being equally comfortable in jazz and rock clubs. Smells Funny sees Mollestad truly coming into her own...

“Hedvig Mollestad must surely be one of the hardest working musicians on the Norwegian music scene at the moment, with Tempest Revisited being her third album in a mere 18 months, all at a consistently high artistic level. Her first solo album, Ekhidna received a Spellemannpris (Norwegian Grammy), appeared on several jazz and rock best of the year lists and got her into Downbeat's "25 for the future" selection.
Tempest Revisited draws lines back to 1998 and the very beginning of Rune Grammofon. This..

“Hedvig Mollestad says her new album, Maternity Beat, is her most ambitious work to date, and that's not a proclamation to be taken lightly. Mollestad, after all, has been one of Norway's most adventurous and hardest-working musicians since the Molde International Jazz Festival named her the "Young Jazz Talent of the Year" in 2009.
Recorded with the 12-piece Trondheim Jazz Orchestra (who have previously worked with legends like Chick Corea and Joshua Redman), Maternity Beat is a sprawling double...

“Never one to rest on her laurels and always eager to break new ground, it's full steam ahead for guitarist Hedvig Mollestad when teaming up with sublime keyboard player Ståle Storløkken (Elephant9, Supersilent) and young drummer ace Ole Mofjell in a new trio bearing her name.
Beautifully subtle and fiercely burning, Weejuns is a solid step into shimmering, hardcore improvisation and breathtaking instrumental interplay, a temporary move away from the composed music of her regular trio and the...

A classic of modern Irish folk music.

"The three most influential groups in traditional Irish music – The Bothy Band, Planxty, and The Chieftains – have only one man in common. He is Matt Molloy and this is his landmark solo album which shows...

"It's been four years since Norwegian trumpeter/Nu Jazz progenitor Nils Petter Molvær released a studio album.Hamada sounds unlike anything Molvær has done before, though it would be impossible for him to have achieved it without traveling the path he...

Nils Petter Molvaer was first discovered and championed by ECM. He plays trumpet and electronics, releasing a post-millenium kind of fusion. You can hear Bitches Brew in here for sure, but you can also hear Jon Hassell's "Fourth World" sound, and also...

“Nils Petter Molvaer, the visionary Norwegian trumpeter, composer, and producer, is set to release his latest opus, "Certainty of Tides," on October 6th via Modern Recordings. Known for his fearless exploration of musical realms, Molvaer has consistently defied convention since his groundbreaking debut, "Khmer," in 1997. Merging Northern European sensibilities with Southeast Asian influences, Molvaer's sonic journeys have garnered critical acclaim and earned him four Norwegian Grammys...

Brandon Terzic, oud/Ravish Momin, percussion/Sam Bardfeld, violin.

"This is a new Tarana. The trio recorded here includes violinist Sam Bardfeld and oud player Brandon Terzic occupying Jason Kao Hwang's and Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz's seats on...

Personel: Jason Kao Hwang (vn), Ravish Momin (perc), Shamir Ezra Blumenkranz (b)

"All music, even the most rigorously abstract of absolute music, is about time. That concept takes on several layers of meaning in the music presented here by the...

“In recent years, Southern California has proved to be fertile ground for heavy psych, prog, and free rock. The amount of excellent bands growing out of the San Diego soil is simply unparalleled. Among the youngest generation of these bands are the five-piece Monarch, a band rooted in psychedelia and experimental prog, with a view towards broader horizons. There's something refreshing about Monarch's take on psychedelic rock: they aren't afraid to weave Allman Brothers-esque dual guitar lines with...

"No other band channels the color, warmth and energy of the coastal SoCal scenery as well as San Diego's Monarch. Their debut album Two Isles was recorded and produced by local glitterati Brian Ellis. It's full of breezy Allman Brothers guitar leads gliding effortlessly on top of gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, prog-rock structures. With supreme musicianship, they somehow connect the dots between classic California rock, prog, pastoral pop and the vivid, expansiveness of early 1990s British shoegaze...

Chris Lamont: Drums
Dino Verginella: Bass
Ken Baird: Piano, Keyboards, Vocals, Guitars on tracks 1 and 5, Recorder, Penny Whistle
Kelly Kereliuk: Guitar on "Twenty K"
Steve Cochrane: Guitars on "Moon to Follow"

Very good, predominately instrumental symphonic rock from a Canadian trio [with guitar / guest guitar on four of the five tracks] that is instrumentally evocative of Wind & Wuthering.
As they say, “effectively a “double album” of 74 minutes which fits onto one

Ben Monder - guitar
Tony Malaby - saxophone
Tom Rainey - drums

“Guitarist Ben Monder set out with the intent of recording a studio album with longtime collaborators, saxophonist Tony Malaby and drummer Tom Rainey, but circumstances led to a more informal situation, providing a visceral glimpse of these stellar musicians' rapport. // The performance world was on the brink of shutting down in early March 2020 due to the appearance of COVID-19. Monder decided to take the opportunity...

Ben Monder - acoustic and electric guitar
Matt Brewer - acoustic - electric bass
Ted Poor - drums

“The idea of presenting a collection of arrangements of other composers' works had long been a goal for Monder, but one that until now had not been realized. In 2014, he was awarded a grant from The Shifting Foundation, and saw this as an opportunity to finally pursue this vision. For a few months he sequestered himself in an apartment in Saugerties, New York, and began the process of...

"Anyone who has yet to experience Ben Monder is in for a real treat. A long-standing member of the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, this guy possesses a gift for composition that is equal to his improvisational gift, which, as far as I'm concerned, is u...

"This cd is a must have for every serious guitarist. Ben Monder takes electric guitar playing to heights that have never been reached before. His modern language and technique - both in composing and improvising -, although sometimes resemblant...

Ben Monder is a astounding guitarist who has just incredible technique and can go from wild rock to delicate control in a snap. This is fairly typical of his solo albums, which means it sounds like a Ben Monder album - no one else gets the sounds and...

Everyone knows how much I think highly of guitarist Ben Monder and Bill McHenry is a fine, rising saxist who is on many recent albums I own. Together they make a great, heavily textural album.

"On the stunning duo release Bloom, guitarist...

"Picking up where 2007's surprise release 'Fates" left off. Equilibrium is the second release from acoustic guitar genius and #1 Youtube sensation, Erik Mongrain. Features special guests Michael Manring and Bill Plummer. Recorded at Paul Reed Smith's...

Erik Mongrain is a tapping guitarist who has gotten a lot of attention for his very good, Michael Hedges-influenced sound. He's had huge amounts of views on YouTube which you can see here...

Monika H. is Monika Heidemann, a young, up 'n' coming jazz and new rock vocalist from NYC who "twists together jazz sensibility, improvisation, catchy pop melodies, the grind of rock n’ roll and enough subconscious creativity to still question where...

"An unprecedented collection of recordings charting the earliest years of one of the world’s most innovative and exciting renaissance women—composer, singer, performer, film director, visual artist and auteur Meredith Monk. Hand selected by Meredith...

Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble-voices
Todd Reynolds Quartet-string quartet
The M6 voices
Montclair State University Singers

"'Songs of Ascension' is a major new recording from composer Meredith Monk and her vocal ensemble. Writte

Includes five complete Riverside albums:
Plays Duke Ellington (1955)
The Unique (1956)
Brilliant Corners (1957)
At the Blackhawk (1960)
In Italy (1963)

Released on Proper, a great UK label who do an amazing job in terms of packaging, presentation and especially in terms of sonics. This is important, basic repertoire material and should be in every jazz-lover's collection. A great place to hear some of...

The good: This presents Monk and his post Coltrane quartet of Charlie Rouse, Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Roy Haynes in a performance from the Five Spot in 1958, several years before he was so well documented. Additionally, you get to hear Baroness Nica's voice introducing him.

The bad: These recordings were made with a portable reel-to-reel tape recorder, utilizing a single microphone. There is background noise and table chatter. It's all audible, but hardly 'hi-fi'.

Live, professional (radio?) recordings by Monk and his long-standing group (Charlie Rouse, Butch Warren, Ben Riley), recorded in Paris in 1964.

Live, professional (radio?) recordings by Monk and his long-standing group (Charlie Rouse, Butch Warren, Ben Riley), recorded in Paris in 1964.

This 1963 release was his first for Columbia and gained him a lot of attention and here it is with 4 extra songs and sounding absolutely great. Recommended!

Thelonious Monk-piano
Ray Copeland-trumpet
Clark Terry-trumpet
Jimmy Cleveland-trombone
Phil Woods-alto sax
Charlie Rouse-tenor sax
Johnny Griffin-tenor sax
Larry Gales-bass
Ben Riley-drums

This excellent recording of a show from 11/3/67 has been released a zillion ways, but it’s a very rare chance to hear Monk with a larger group in front of an audience.

“Pianist/composer Thelonious Monk led a quartet throughout the 1960s but on a European tour in

“Following his move to Columbia Records in 1963 and his appearance on the cover of Time the following year, 1965 found Thelonious Monk at his commercial peak.
This superb performance at Montreal Jazz Festival on 21st August 1965, finds him on remarkable form, though sadly his powers would dwindle thereafter, as mental illness made a recluse of him.
This CBC radio broadcast features several of his most enduring compositions and it's presented here in excellent quality, together with background...

Includes five complete albums, most with bonus tracks!
Straight No Chaser
Underground
Criss Cross
Monk's Dream
Solo Monk

“Thelonious Monk (piano/arranger) began his illustrious relationship with Riverside Records on the pair of July 21 and 27, 1955, dates needed to complete the eight sides for Plays Duke Ellington (1955).
Monk commands a trio that also presents the talents of Oscar Pettiford (bass) and Kenny Clarke (drums) on all the tracks sans "Solitude," which appropriately enough features an unaccompanied piano. The delicacy and inherently intricate melodies that Duke Ellington is best known for are perfectly....

"Alternate takes on a Monk solo LP are a revelation, and this reissue of his 1965 Columbia solo LP is packed with seven of them, plus an additional bonus track!"

"The mystery and haunting angular beauty of Thelonious Monk's unadorned keyboard sides are the focus of Solo Monk. As if holding the history of jazz in his hands, Monk's solo recordings and performances from every phase of his career remain pure."-All Music Guide


This is the seventh album from this spacerock band from Switzerland working a heavy, modern version of the style, which includes plenty of stoner rock influence and also a lot of 1970-era Pink Floyd.

“Instrumental rockers MONKEY3 have buckled up for their next interstellar journey: nestled somewhere in between space rock, psych, stoner and progressive, this four piece is infamous for its onstage intensity that has crowned prestigious festivals such as Roadburn, Hellfest and Desertfest...

This is the eighth album from this spacerock / technical band from Switzerland working a heavy, modern version of the style, which includes plenty of stoner rock influence and also a lot of 1970-era Pink Floyd.

“Welcome To The Machine's musical themes are inspired by movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Matrix, Sunshine, Solaris and 1984, while unveiling an intense mankind vs. Machines story that instantly launches the listener into deep space. Right from it's first tones, the album...

The Monks were a crazy, pre-punk reductionist rock band made up of five US soldiers stationed in Germany, who stayed in Germany after their discharge from the service and who recorded this one classic of primal rock music that was released in 1966. Think of Faust's "It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl", but even more stripped down and you get an idea of what the Monks did. A real favorite here of mine and of the kids who work here. Some of you will really love this and some of you will not. Includes bonus...

This is the demo tape from late 1965 that got them their Polydor contract and led to their early 1966 album, as well as including their 1964 pre-Monks single.
It’s a little less primal and unhinged, but it’s also six months earlier! It’s still shocking to believe that anything even remotely like this existed in 1965
The Monks were a crazy, pre-punk reductionist rock band made up of five US soldiers stationed in Germany, who stayed in Germany after their discharge from the service and who...

Jan Garbarek – saxophone
Terje Rypdal – guitar
Svein Christensen – drums
+ other unknown musicians

This is the soundtrack for a Norwegian exploitation anti-drug film called ‘Heaven and Hell’ from 1969. This first time ever CD-release is produced based on original master tapes preserved and digitalized at Nasjonalbiblioteket.
This sounds exactly like what you would imagine a 1969 explotation film by these folks to sound like, with some of it going pretty out for 1969! Groovy, man

“MONO formed in Tokyo, Japan in the closing winter weeks of December, 1999. They played their first live shows at the top of the new millennium, and released their first album, Under The Pipal Tree, in 2001. Recorded live in one day on a razor-thin budget, Pipal Tree was an earnest introduction to the curious magic of a band that would eventually become synonymous with monstrously dynamic, contemporary classical rock music. To commemorate those austere beginnings – and celebrate their remarkable...

Nice collection of all of this great Japanese instrumental post-rock quartet (dual guitar, bass and drums) sampler, single and non-album tracks.

"Collecting all of Mono's rare and out-of-print non-album tracks, Gone perfectly...

Great and surprisingly popular Japanese instrumental postrock outfit who seem to get bigger and better sounding with each release!

"In association with the esteemed Wordless Music Series, MONO super-sized their already legendary live show with...