Jen Shyu: composition, vocals, percussion, piano, Taiwanese moon lute, Japanese biwa
Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet
Mat Maneri: viola
Thomas Morgan: bass
Dan Weiss: drums

“Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses, the new work by sui generis vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Jen Shyu, is a collection of songs devoted to the marginalized voices of women around the world, and a profound elegy to personal loss. The album is dedicated to her father, who passed away in 2019..

"Synastry is a collaboration between groundbreaking vocalist Jen Shyu and master bassist Mark Dresser that demonstrates new possibilities for jazz singing. Shyu, a member of influential saxophonist Steve Coleman’s Five Elements, is well known for her...

"Gorgeous quintet improv space explored at Chicago's ProMusica studios. Long-time partners Przemyslaw Drazek (trumpet, strings, percussion) and Brent Fuscaldo (voice, guitar, percussion, harmonica) join up again with Hamid's percussion, Tatsu's bass and shamisen, and Thymme's piano and various, just as they did on last year's amazing Ourania. The sounds now are spacious, comfortable explorations of unknown sonic turf. There may be a bit less of the aggressive edge that marked their earlier work, but the...

Sidehow is the project of vibraphonist Matt Moran of The Claudia Quintet. Sideshow do the songs of Charles Ives instrumentally, using a "jazz" lineup of vibes, electric guitar (Adam Good), alto sax and bass clarinet (Oscar Noriea) and drums (John Holle...

"Sidh is a fascinating hybrid between the traditional sounds of the Gnawa and the rhythms and melodies of the Mediterranean. Lila whose name significantly refers to the Gnawa’s spiritual séances is the work of a young Italian-based Algerian musician...

An excellent stoner/hard rock Swedish band. You'll hear influences/sounds of Captain Beyond, early Deep Purple, early Led Zep, mixed with more proggy touches: flute, sitar, organ and even a mellotron bit or two. They do the progressive hard rock mixed with a stoner vibe thing better than nearly anyone right about now.

"Siena Root - Swedish root rock experience! Siena Root came to life in Stockholm and is today considered one of the pioneering Swedish bands in root rock music. They persistently...

"Fervently committed to preserving his musical heritage, as a young man Roberto Sierra (b.1953) began to assimilate elements of the folklore and popular music of the Caribbean. His evocation of that musical culture is always free and imaginative...

"Sykli (Cycle in English), the third album from young Finnish team Siinai, is a brilliant example of what happens when a band go in search of not so much the lost chord as the perfect frequency. All five tracks are quite different from one another, yet each achieves a state of mesmeric immersion that’s comparable to the best ambient or minimal electronica. They never induce mere passivity in the listener – rather, they create a sense of active surrender. Temppeli starts with a celestial synth loop...

Susan Alcorn - pedal steel
Catherine Sikora - tenor saxophone

“This recording documents the first ever meeting between Susan Alcorn and Catherine Sikora. When musicians improvise with each other, a space is created that is unique and specific to the musicians who are playing. With Susan and Catherine, the space that presented itself was enormous, with great freedom and tonal flexibility, opening up endless possibilities for expression.”

Gabriel Nobrega - Keyboards
Ricardinho Paraíso - Bass
Jabes Felipe - Drums
Luciano Fagundes - Percussion
Anderson Quevedo - Saxophone
Bruno Belasco - Trumpet
Raphael Braga - Guitar

Composed, arranged and led by keyboardist Gabriel Nobrega, Silbrina are are very large sounding septet from São Paulo, Brazil. This is their first, self-released album from 2018.
They mix Brazilian folk and popular stylings, Hermeto-ish arrangements and more on top of a solid...

Typically thorough and well done Garden of Delights release of an exceedingly obscure and rare stoner folk album from 1972, with a history of the band, rare photos and documentation and more. Not to mention a bonus track! Adding keyboards and a more pr...

André B. Silva guitar
José Soares alto saxophone
Raquel Reis cello
Sophie Bernado basoon
Paulo Bernardino bass clarinet
André Carvalho double bass
Ricardo Coelho drums, percussion and vibraphone

"Mt. Meru” is the second record under his own name by the guitarist of The Rite of Trio - one of the most brilliant projects coming from the small European country called Portugal. After his first record, The Guit Kune Do, which consisted of five electric guitars, he shuffles things...

“Beacon is the fourth album for the Silver Apples, the "come back album", produced by Steve Albini and originally released in 1997. Eight of the tracks were new songs that former exile and Silver Apples leader Simeon had composed with recent additions Xian Hawkins and Michael Lerner. The remaining three tunes are remakes from the Silver Apples's past. A reworking of "I Have Known Love" opens the record. "You and I" is given an appropriate chaotic reading; a wall of cacophonous keyboards forms in the...

"After pioneering the use of electronics in rock music and releasing two groundbreaking albums, the Silver Apples were left without a record label after Kapp folded, not to mention a $100,000 lawsuit from PanAm over the 'Contact' sleeve.
Thanks to the Record Plant studio in NY, they were allowed to begin recording their third full length in the hopes that another label would pick up the bill. Unfortunately, no labels came through and the tapes were held by the studio as payment for the studio time....

"Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band have been making a big raw angry tender racket since the 2005 release of their last album, Horses In The Sky. With a focus on live performance and special projects over the past three years, the...

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. A great place to hear some of his best stuff and at a amazing price...

"Recorded during simakDialog's 2013 tour which culminated with the gig at Orion Studios, in Baltimore, this two-disc set finds the Indonesian progressive icons in top form: serving up their own brand of inspired and spirited music which listens as...

“Not to be confused with the Spandex-clad bass player from Kiss or the late British actress, Tupelo-born Gene Simmons was responsible for some of the best Rockabilly cuts never to emerge on the Sun label! A gifted tunesmith, Simmons' self-penned gems such as 'Juicy Fruit' and 'Crazy Woman' languished unissued for years, whilst his only Sun release, 'Drinkin' Wine' b/w 'I Done Told You', was held back by label boss Sam Phillips for eighteen months, by which point the Rockabilly craze had peaked, nixing...

This is the great and somewhat surprising psychedelic meeting between a grizzled and great free jazz veteran and a bunch of hip youngsters channeling a psychedelic vibe. Recommended!

"Nomadic is the latest psychedelic exploration of absolute free jazz legend Sonny Simmons. At 82 years old, Simmons has joined forces with Moksha Samnyasin, a bass-drums-sitar trio consisting of French musicians Thomas Bellier (Spindrift, Blaak Heat Shujaa), Sebastien Bismuth (Abrahma) and Michel Kristof...

“Nina Simone's first official album, 1958's Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club, is pure perfection, an amazing accomplishment for a 24-year-old pianist arranging and singing studio renditions of songs from her live set.
Captured here are moments of intrigue, as Simone magically takes the listener through musical caverns that want to be explored again with repeated spins. The rendition of "Plain Gold Ring" is exotic and draws the listener back, just as the Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart...

“This album is a Limited Edition from The last Usa Tour. Over the years, Claudio Simonetti and his group Goblin have managed to become a reference point in the horror soundtrack scene and in the prog rock movement. This compilation covers 40 years of this talented musician's work. With Classics pieces of his career like Profondo Rosso (Deep Red), Suspiria, Dawn of The Dead, Demons, Phenomena, Opera, The Third Mother (Feat Dani Filth - Cradle of Filth). A complete compilation that will make us remember...

“Coinciding with Profondo Rosso's 45th anniversary, Claudio Simonetti's Goblin celebrates this anniversary with a new version of the famous soundtrack. Original version played anew. CD and LP with lavish cover.”

David Simons is a composer/performer who combines percussion, theremin, digital electronics, and World Music in strikingly original compositions that defy classification. A close collaborator of vocalist Shelley Hirsch, David has toured with Samul Nori...