V

"Ever since the pianist, keyboardist and composer born in Enschede, The Netherlands, in 1947 quit his apprenticeship as a textile technician in favor of jazz, i.e., around 50 years ago, he has experimented in a beautiful new world of music between hard bop, free jazz and all forms of fusion, from African grooves to European reverence. "I can only be a jazz musician, because I know nothing," he said. "I know nothing! I just have great fun playing, and I rehearse like crazy. I love my instrument, and I...

"Belgium-based composer Christina Vantzou’s fourth full-length for Kranky ventures further into the uniquely elusive and evocative mode of ambient classical minimalism which has become her signature: a fragile synthesis of contemplative drift, heady silences, and muted dissonance. In regards to the new album she speaks of focusing particular attention on the effects of the recordings on the body, and of “directing sound perception into an inner space.”
No. 4 took shape across roughly two years...


Marian is the keyboardist for Collegium Musicum, and this solo album, recorded in 2003 and released on a small Czech label, has the sort of clasically-inspired keyboard work he is known for, but arranged and performed to work in a solo context. Feature...

Günter Christmann - cello, trombone
Alexander Frangenheim, double bass
Mats Gustafsson - soprano saxophone
Thomas Lehn, live-electronics
Paul Lovens – percussion

“Since its first iteration in 1979, Vario has appeared in some fifty different versions, with a great variety of musicians, also actors, dancers, and filmmakers. It's the brainchild of Günter Christmann, a powerhouse of improvised music in Germany whose influence is out of scale with his acclaim. Since his emergence on.


"This is the untold story of the bloodline of a sprawling musical legacy that unites a freakish family of disparate, influential pop-cultural orphans and the estranged surrogate parent that lost-pop forgot it ever knew. Between 1968 and 1974...

''The world's foremost Brazilian percussionist, Nana's stunning virtuosity is matched only by the originality of his compositional vision. The music here ranges from his trademark solo music to ensemble pieces featuring some of his favorite collaborato...

This was originally only released in Argentina in 1971 and is Nana Vasconcelos’ first release.
Sort of an odd album in that it opens with a nearly 20’ solo berimbau solo by Nana, that’s amazing, and then there is a 12’ improvised duo between him and nylon-string, bosa-nova guitarist Agustin Pereyra that’s also great and then there are two short, solo, acoustic guitar tracks at the end.
Liner notes in English and Portuguese and never seen photos!

“Often missing in Naná Vasconcelos'...

With Count Basie, Quincy Jones, Benny Carter, Gerald Wilson and more.

“Early Sarah is the best Sarah”, said the jazz snob, “and Sarah live in 1952 is some of the best!”

"Stevie Ray Vaughan was a great guitarist, but he had trouble making consistent albums. Greatest Hits rectifies that problem by collecting all of his best-known tracks, from "Pride and Joy" to "Crossfire." Not only is it a terrific introduction, it's his most consistent album, demonstrating exactly why he was one of the most important guitarists of the '80s."-All Music Guide

His last album released in his lifetime and some consider it his best!

"It's hard to overestimate the impact Stevie Ray Vaughan's debut, Texas Flood, had upon its release in 1983. At that point, blues was no longer hip, the way it was in the '60s. Texas Flood changed all that, climbing into the Top 40 and spending over half a year on the charts, which was practically unheard of for a blues recording. Vaughan became a genuine star and, in doing so, sparked a revitalization of the blues. This was a monumental impact, but his critics claimed that, no matter how prodigious...

Josh Strawn - vocals, guitar and synthesizers
Kevin Hufnagel – guitar
Toby Driver - bass
Charlie Schmid - drums and electronics

“The ever-evolving quartet Vaura follows up their 2013 album The Missing almost six years later with Sables, their most refined and contemplative release yet.
Introspective and somber, this album finds the band shedding most of it's post-metal heaviness in favor of experiments with brooding kosmische musik and the more avant-garde elements of new wave

“Afro-Rock is the debut album by Argentine keyboardist Luis Vecchio, later resident of the Canary Islands. Recorded for the sound library label DeWolfe, the album is frequently mentioned in hushed reverence among the beat digger DJ collecting crowd. And it's easy to see why, given its massive brass charts, funky bass lines, fluttering flute, choppy organ, and additional hand tribal percussion.
Unlike most incidental film music, Afro-Rock works more like a regular instrumental album and isn't just a...

Keyboardist Luis Vecchio has 4 albums listed in Discogs, of which this is the final (it’s from 1978).
At its best (maybe half of the record?) it comes across very much like an instrumental Area circa 1978! That’s really a pretty fucking great place to be, at least if you are me!
Again, it isn’t ALL that good, but what’s good is REALLY good...

“Cosmic jazz from the Canary Islands. After a few years in London, where he worked with Archie Shepp and recorded a sought-after album for the...

Dave King-drums
Anthony Cox-bass
Dean Granros-guitar
Brandon Wozniak-sax
The diverse Minneapolis/St. Paul music scene has spawned an incredible array of brilliant musicians. Like many smaller markets, the Twin Cities seem to breed multi-dimensional musicians who are versed in many styles and are willing to try anything. Vector Families is a perfect example of this ethos, as three generations of forward thinking musicians have converged to deliver For Those About to Jazz/Rock, We Salute..

Jack was the bassist of Forever Einstein, & a monster player. This record of solo bass (with live mutliple overdubbing, due to the wonders of digital devices) features 3 rock chestnuts: I Want You (Shes So Heavy) by The Beatles, Manic Depression by Jim...

“Alan Vega's name is synonymous with unfettered, tireless creativity. Beginning in the late 1950s, when he was a fine art student at Brooklyn College, through his years playing in Suicide, and all the way up until his death in 2016, Vega was constantly creating. That process naturally led to a wealth of material that didn't see the light of day immediately when it was recorded, which came to be known as the Vega Vault. Mutator is the first in a series of archival releases from the Vault that will come....

Solo pieces for trombone, didgeridoo & live electronics.

Who doesn't dig the accordion, baby? I know I do!
"Analog Africa moves its focus to another continent for release number 7: Mambo Loco is a compilation of tracks by Anibal Velasquez, the legendary accordionist from Barranquilla in Colombia. In fact..

"Early recording (1967) of Eastern European free improvisation, which maintained a strong tension between restraint and the all-out blowing of its Western relatives. Though more traditional postbop inspirations are evident, there is the beautiful...

Velez is a master percussionist, who specializes in the frame drum (basically a tambourine without the steel jangles). He's one of the greats; in addition to his solo work, he has been a member of Steve Reich's ensemble. I saw him play solo once, and t...

Unique and good album of music by a group (guitar, sax, percussion) that started their life as a strictly improvised group, but by the time they made this, their only album so far, some structures and melodic materials had also found their way into the sounds.

"This Finnish trio is an interesting combination of jazz, post-rock, and a few poses copped from the entities that are Tangerine Dream and U2. Sneer if you will but this is the stuff well dressed college kids will be wetting themselves over..

Here is a transnational band for a trans-idiomatic music. A Slovenian (Bostjan Simon), a Norwegian (Stephan Meidell) and a Portuguese (Luís Candeias) present on the politically charged “Don’t Wait for the Revolution” a symbiotic project in which rock...

Bostjan Simon sax, electronics
Stephan Meidell guitar, bass, percussion, electronics
Luis Candeias drums, percussion
"«Lean back and give it time to grow», asks Velkro to the listener in the liner-notes of their new CD, “Too Lazy to Panic”. In fact, the compositions by the trio with Bostjan Simon, Stephan Meidell and Luís Candeias need your attention to develop. They may be intense, but there’s no hurries. This hybrid of jazz with psychedelic jamming rock and experimental electronic music...

“At a time before COVID, Brazilian singer/songwriter/producer Moreno Veloso began singing his children to sleep. After the virus set in, this habit took on added significance, a father's reassurance. The music he chose for these nocturnes was drawn from friends and heroes, a selection of beautiful tunes and lyrics that began to form itself into a songbook of sorts, and Veloso started recording these pieces after the kids were tucked in. Gently surrounded by the night sounds outside his apartment...

"One would be hard-pressed to name a rock album whose influence has been as broad and pervasive as The Velvet Underground & Nico. While it reportedly took over a decade for the album's sales to crack six figures, glam, punk, new wave, goth, noise, and nearly every other left-of-center rock movement owes an audible debt to this set. While The Velvet Underground had as distinctive a sound as any band, what's most surprising about this album is its diversity. Here, the Velvets dipped their toes into dreamy...

Guitarist and composer Gigi Venegoni was the brains behind those fantastic, first two Arti e Mestieri releases. Since that time he has sometimes appeared with them and also released a number of albums under his sole leadership as "Venegoni & Co", of which this 2018 release is the latest and the first in some time...

I spent two years spent for composing, arranging, recording and mixing “Canvas”, the latest double cd by Venegoni & Co.
A strong band, put together by guitar player and composer...

After founding and leading Arti E Mestieri through 2 great albums, guitarist and composer Gigi Venegoni left and started another band, who released 2 albums on Cramps in the late 1970's. They were a more stripped-down band, using keyboards, guitar, bas...

"Ante Tilt is a collection of tunes recorded in the years (1972/1973) before the publishing of Arti & Mestieri's first album Tilt, with the collaboration of some musicians, one of them Giovani Vigliar, who I used to play with before we both became...

Bob Drake: drums, bass, backing vocals, tapes, viola
Susanne Lewis: vocals, guitar, viola, accordion, synths

Venus Handcuffs is an early, pre-Hail project by Bob Drake and Susanne Lewis, both of whom were working in Thinking Plague at the time they were also simultaneously doing this duo work.

"Referred to as "a cross between Throbbing Gristle and Nick Cave" during the band's lifetime, Venus Handcuffs got their start in the ranks of Colorado's most far-reaching band, Thinking...

“Conundrum sees the band in fantastic form, with their signature blend of alternative and modern progressive rock infused with hits of classic pop and rock. Jargon’s dark lyricism fuses seamlessly with the strong melodic approach to the music, mixing light and darkness to create a sound which generally has no boundaries.
Jargon says: “ If I had to describe the sound of Conundrum, I’d say something like Pink Floyd meets Cardiacs, meets Queen, meets Muse, meets King Crimson. We can’t wait to get this...

“Willy Verdaguer is an Argentinian bass player that has lived in Brazil since the late 60's. He has long been associated with progressive rock and jazz/rock in Brazil, playing with well-known Brazilian players and with progressive rock bands such as Secos & Molhados in the early 70's.
This, his third solo album, features progressive instrumental music, with some guests, like the guitar player of O Terço and others. He mixes classic prog influences with some Latin touches.”

“The new...

Benjamín Vergara: trumpet

"This impossibility is propelled as an subterranean homage to trumpet players of the caliber of Don Cherry, Bill Dixon, Miles Davis, Lester Bowie, Tomasz Stanko, Wadada Leo Smith, Jaimie Branch and Chet Baker, all of them sublime atmosphere creators who observe the universe as a unit."

“When I first listened to The Hallowed Plant, I was immediately captivated. It’s a work that grabbed my attention and made immediate, intuitive sense. It seems that that the artists had a similar experience; after all, the band recorded it after having only played together twice previously. Chilean trumpeter Benjamin Vergara (trumpet) traveled to Chicago a few years ago and met Chicago-based musicians Keefe Jackson (reeds), Jim Baker (piano/synthesizer), and Phil Sudderberg (drums). It seems the...

“The Martina Verhoeven Quintet made its debut at the impressive Roadburn festival in 2022. In front of a full house, at jazzclub Paradox, The Netherlands, this quintet, built around the piano virtuosity of polymath and multi-instrumentalist, Martina Verhoeven, was an instant success.
Hailed by a super excited audience, Martina Verhoeven Quintet with assembled musicians - Gonçalo Almeida on double bass, Onno Govaert on drums, Dirk Serries on guitar, and Colin Webster on saxophone created a high...


"Following their much-acclaimed surprise, self-titled debut album Vermont from 2014, Motor City Drum Ensemble's Danilo Plessow and Innervisions's Marcus Worgull reunite for more synth daydreaming on the suitably titled II. The new outing continues where the first full-length left off, strolling further down the luminous and undulating path that the duo turned into, influenced in equal measures by kosmische, krautrock, minimal wave and synth soundtracks. This latest batch of instrumental cuts opens with...

Now in stock, the group's first album from 2014 which features guest drummer Jaki Liebezeit!

"With an artist roster as prolific and well-established as Kompakt's, you won't find much downtime that could be used for new entries to the catalog. That's why the label is especially happy to not only present Vermont's inaugurating full-length, but also to introduce two distinguished producers to the fold that have built their impressive careers in Kompakt's immediate vicinity, albeit appearing on the...

New, smaller band project by the leader of the mega-big bands, X-Legged Sally and Flat Earth Soceity.

"Belgian guitarist Pierre Vervloesem blasted into the music world with Peter Vermeersch’s hyper-energetic X-Legged Sally at the beginning....

A new release by Pierre is always a cause for joy in Wayside land, as he was the brain behind the much-missed X-Legged Sally and the still currently active Flat Earth Society. This is more of a sketchbook kinda release, as there aren't other musicians...

Teun Verbruggen : Drums

Falk Schrauwen : Percussions


Thomas Mayade : Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Baritone horn, Keyboard 

Bruno Vansina : Saxes, Keyboard, Xun


Pierre Vervloesem : Bass, Guitar


“The music on this album was conceived or premeditated for a band by Pierre who recorded all the bases on guitar and bass then emailed the result to each guest musicians (all of them met when he was playing with Flat Earth Society or before on different projects). 

It was then up to.

From September 2017 to December, Pierre Vervloesem (Flat Earth Society, Orchestra Exotica, X- Legged-Sally...) spent 3 months editing, mixing adding guitars and basses, keys and noises, spices and magic to a few recording sessions he did with Alinovsky who provided on command or improvised beats, percussions and keys.
The album features also Caroline Lumia, an electro acoustic artist who gave a full range of field recordings and house noises that Pierre used on most of the tracks.
The result...

“Another masterpiece from Pierre Vervloesem, this time featuring the amazing many times awarded Swedish drummer Morgan Ågren.
12 crafted tracks full of humour, stunning time signatures, new things happening every seconds, and moving music that will never let you wondering what but instead wondering how! An album that you will not forget or be bored even after a thousand times listening to it!”

“First time ever on CD, this collection of experimental recordings was originally released on Scandia, one of Finland’s largest labels, which shows how open the mood of the mid-seventies was for new things, even in large-scale record companies.
Ode to Marilyn, based on a group of recordings from 1973, is a sophisticated gem of experimental music. The recording sessions resulted in the material on the album, which is a coherent and balanced package and is a combination of avant-garde, improvisation...

Edward Vesala Drums, Percussion
Esko Heikkinen Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet
Pentti Lahti Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Flutes
Jorma Tapio Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Flute
Tapani Rinne Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Kari Heinilä Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute
Tom Bildo Trombone, Tuba
Iro Haarla Piano, Harp
Raoul Björkenheim Guitar
Taito Vainio Accordion
Häkä Bass

Edward Vesala’s band w

Ivan Fedotov – drums, percussion, сachon, wave drum
Arkady Fedotov – bass, synth, noises
Alexander Kuzovlev – guitars, mandoline
Alexey Klabukov – keys, synths
Vitaly Borodin – violin, accordion, piano, synth
with
Pavel Alekseev – tenor saxophone

Latest (well, as of October 2018) release by this excellent Russian spacerock and more ensemble. And on this one you will definitely hear a lot more ‘and more’!

Ivan Fedotov – drums, percussion)
Arkadiy Fedotov – bass, flute (2), vox (6)
Alexander Kuzovlev – guitar, electronics
Alexei Klabukov – keyboards, button accordion (1)
Natalya Tjurina – lead vox (2,3,4,6,7), synths
+ Valentin Rulev – violin (8,9) harp (8)

Vespero are an awesomely great, space rock band from Astrakhan, south Russia, that are fully the equal of anyone working in the vein. This is the oldest recording of theirs I have seen or heard (see below). For something.