V

Ivan Fedotov – drums, percussion, drum machine programming
Arkady Fedotov – bass, synths, flute
Alexander Kuzovlev – guitars
Alexey Klabukov – keys, synths
Vitaly Borodin – violin
With:
Alexander Timakov – percussion
Rasul Shugaipov – voice

Vespero are an awesomely great, instrumental space rock band from Astrakhan, south Russia, that are fully the equal of anyone working in the vein. They have a lot of albums out, but this is the first one I've been able to so

Ivan Fedotov – drums, percussion, wave drum
Arkady Fedotov – bass, synth, noises, vocs, recorder
Alexander Kuzovlev – guitars, saz, mandoline
Alexey Klabukov – keys, synths
Vitaly Borodin – violin, accordion
with:
Alexey Esin - gusli, midi-sax
Sonya Vlasova - vocal

On something like their 20th album, this fine Russian space-rock and beyond band still manage to pull a few new tricks out of their hat.

“A good year after the release of "The

This is the special, sold out, limited edition of the album that includes a second live disc (‘Liventure 2018-2019 – live Recordings’) that the band has assured me will NOT be released separately and are only available here!

Another fabulous release from one of the best space rock bands currently out there!

"On The Four Zoas, the Russians have surpassed themselves. Their brand is still psychedelic rock, but there is so much more to be discovered: progressive elements, post rock, space rock..

Ángel Ontalva - electric guitar
Alexander Kuzovlev - acoustic guitar
Vitaly Borodin - violin
Alexey Klabukov - keyboards
Arkady Fedotov - bass
Ivan Fedotov - drums
Natasha Blinova - piano, melodica

Recorded live by Alexey Klabukov at the Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Astrakhan, Russia, at the opening of Ángel Ontalva's pictures exhibition 28/02/2019 with additional recordings La Ratonera, Fuensalida Spain, VMS Astrakhan, Russia, June 2020.

This is...

Early half CD by the great Russian spacerock band Vespero!

“2012 split release from Germany's Zone Six and Russia's Vespero. The first three tracks of this record consists of the atmospheric soundscapes of psychedelic space rockers Vespero; a band that combines playfulness and joy with futuristic heavy rhythms. Zone Six is a band built up by members from the more outstanding psychedelic space rock scene in Germany. Some of the keys in the band is Dave Schmidt on the drums and Komet Lulu on bass...

You all know Vialka, right? Vialka are a French duo of Eric Boros (baritone guitar and voice) and Marylise Frechevile (drums and voice) are an exuberant duo who fill a lot of musical space with just baritone guitar & voice and drums and voice...

“Vialka was a drum and guitar duo, art project, and non-profit association: 15 years (2002-2017), 1274 concerts, 55 countries, a seemingly permanent world tour. Merci!”

Recorded and 'sculpted' by Bob Drake, this is a really great release by an exuberant duo who fill a lot of musical space with just baritone guitar & voice and drums and voice. If I had to compare it something, it reminds me a bit of a highly talented punk-rock duo playing the songbook of the earlist works by Etron Fou. Marylise was...

For the moment, this is the latest release by the terrific French duo of Eric Boros (baritone guitar and voice + trumpet) and Marylise Frechevile (drums and voice + keyboards). I have had the great pleasure of seeing them twice, and they amazed me with...

First-ever CD release for this solo album by a member of the infamous French underground band Red Noise. This was released in 1976 on the very active and much loved French progressive Egg label. Many of you remember this one!...

Luís Vicente trumpet
Gonçalo Almeida doublebass
Pedro Melo Alves drums and percussion

"A Portuguese trumpeter more and more present in the international scene, in such a way that he has more concerts scheduled in other countries than on his own, Luís Vicente never seems to stop: after the success of his partnership with John Dikeman, William Parker and Hamid Drake in “Goes Without Saying, But It’s Got to Be Said”, he turns to national silver (represented here by Gonçalo Almeida and...

Luís Vicente trumpet, composition
John Dikeman tenor saxophone
Luke Stewart double bass
Onno Goevart drums

"This international quartet first stepped on a stage in July 2021, on a tour of seven cities in Portugal supported by the GDA Foundation. Their support gave Portuguese trumpeter LUIS VICENTE the opportunity to put together a stellar band of JOHN DIKEMAN, a renowned North American saxophonist based in Amsterdam, with whom Vicente has built a fruitful relationship alongside...

Luis Vicente trumpet
Vasco Trilla drums and percussion

"When does a duet means that the music is thinner than with a bigger ensemble? Well, when the duo in question isn’t the one formed by the Portuguese trumpeter Luís Vicente and the Luso-Catalan drummer Vasco Trilla, both known for their endless resources, sound wise and in terms of the grammars they use to turn the technical procedure we call improvisation to the aesthetics of improvised music. At the beginning of each piece reunited...

Fay Victor – vocals
Michaël Attias - alto & baritone sax
Anthony Coleman - piano
Ratzo Harris – bass
Tom Rainey - drums

“Acclaimed vocalist-lyricist-arranger Fay Victor & her Herbie Nichols SUNG Quintet celebrate & thoroughly reconsider the rich legacy of jazz composer Herbie Nichols with Life Is Funny That Way, and bring it singing boldly into this century.
Following on Billie Holiday, who famously wrote "Lady Sings The Blues" to Nichols' "Serenade," Victor developed th

Fay Victor - voice, texts, compositions
Sam Newsome - soprano saxophone
Joe Morris - electric guitar
Reggie Nicholson – drums

“The second album by this all-star quartet Far Victor's SoundNoiseFunk -- both on ESP-Disk' -- was recorded over two sets mixing planned and freely improvised music. It is a cry of frustration, but also determination and celebration.
Frustration with the state of our country, determination to do something about it, and celebration of the power and joy of..

Wet Robots is Fay Victor's first album as a leader released on an American label other than her own Greene Street Music, but she is already a star on the New York avant-jazz scene.

From Bradley Bambarger's liner notes: "Few vocalists have the sheer boldness -- the outright fearlessness -- of Fay Victor as an improviser. The New York native has long been a creative force on the avant-jazz scene, as a singer, bandleader, composer, arranger, and teacher. She has worked on both sides of the...

A very limited album release of 200 copies in 1971 was the extent of the success of this New Jersey psych/pop/prog sextet (keyboards/organ, guitars, saxes/horns, bass, drums, female vocals). This includes the original album as well as 7 non lp tracks t...

The 2nd of two albums by this German fusion/soundscape band. Both their albums were released by the much-missed CMP label, and are among their most obscure releases, but this is really good. Spoken work (poetry by Baudelaire, Roethke, O'Hara, Merwin, e...

Mathilde Grooss Viddal - Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax
Hayden Powell - trumpet
Børge-Are Halvorsen - tenor sax
Øyvind Brække - trombone
Per Willy Åserud - trumpet & electronics

“Listening to Mathilde Groos Viddal's Meditations and Prayers, the listener may well feel there is a timeless quality to the music. The majority of the tracks are entitled "Reflection" and "Psalm," and these two dimensions come together on "Reflection V - Psalm 3." These referenc

Fantastically good Norwegian jazz/new music big band led by composer and bass clarinetist/saxophonist Mathilde Groos Viddal. The most obvious comparison would be to Maria Schneider's work, but Mathilde and her ensemble have their own sound. She's...

Fantastically good Norwegian jazz/new music big band led by composer and bass clarinetist/saxophonist Mathilde Groos Viddal. This is their 2nd album. Found some quotes for this one, so you can read someone else gushing instead of me...

Fantastically good Norwegian jazz/new music big band led by composer and bass clarinetist/saxophonist Mathilde Groos Viddal. This is their 3rd album and like all their others, it's an utter corker and a joy. The most obvious comparison would be to...

"...one of the more thrilling albums of 2014.... it’s a touch of old school ECM Records, of folk and jazz in a mesmerizing synthesis, of Don Cherry’s heartbreaking cries on Dona Nostra...The title-track ends the album with its biggest show of...


''Vierk's music explores texture and microtonality in highly structured pieces that build to swirling high energy intensity. Influenced by minimalism, Japanese Gagaku, and Appalachian folk music, Lois Vierk is one of America's great originals. Her firs...

Includes 3 pieces; Go Guitars (for 5 microtonally tuned electric guitars), Cirrus (for 6 trumpets), & Simoom (for 8 cellos). [Experimental Intermedia]

Risto Pahlama - Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Mellotron
Hannu Hiltula - Flute, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Aapo Honkanen - Bass
Mikko Uusi-Oukari - Guitars, Mellotron
Mikko Väärälä - Drums, Vocals, Keyboards, Chimes
with:
Kimmo Lähteenmäki - Keyboards, Wind

15 years after their second album, this fine, Finnish symphonic / progressive rock band return with their third album; I’d say it was long-awaited, except that after so long, I doubt that anyone was expecting t

First ever CD reissue of this heavy rock album 1975, reissued with an 11 minute bonus track. "Raw and hard-edged blues-rock from the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The original LP is a very rare collector's item. The band was living in England at...

Well, it's a silly concept and sillier cover, but if this hipster compilation will allow people to hear the music released between 1974-1987 by this Czech keyboardist (probably best known to Waysiders for his work with Energit), all's the better and...

Elio Villafranca – piano
Vincent Herring - alto saxophone
Steve Turre – trombone
Gregg August – bass
Lewis Nash – drums
Chembo Corniel - percussion
Nelson Mateo Gonzales - percussion
Julia Loisa-Gutiérrez - dancer

“As a long-time jazz listener, I most enjoy most artists that combine great group interplay, with shifting rhythms and moods (e.g. any Charles Mingus, David Murray's Octet, and Henry Threadgill's Sextett). These days, those preferences are leading me to

“Villagers of Ioannina City is a folk rock band from Ioannina, Greece, formed in 2007. They play post-, stoner and psychedelic rock with a large dose of Greek folk music from the region of Epirus.
The band fuses this unique folk music with modern psychedelic forms, creating a sound where the dominant solo instrument is the clarinet. That regional musical tradition is characterized by polyphony, specific rhythms and tunes, and the use of clarinet, kaval, and bagpipe.
The region of Epirus is...

Liba Villavecchia alto sax
Luis Vicente trumpet
Alex Reviriego double bass
Vasco Trilla drums

"Since forming in March 2021, the Liba Villavecchia Trio have channelled a singular spiritual mien, borne of shared experience, reflection and reminiscence, with previous albums, Zaidín (2022) and Birchwood (2023) capturing the group’s esprit de corps in vividly contrasting approaches, hopscotching from propulsive swing and fractious bustle, to smouldering disquisition and evocative...

Liba Villavecchia alto saxophone
Vasco Trilla drums and percussion
Àlex Reviriego double bass

"The Liba Villavecchia Trio was founded in March 2021 in Barcelona. Their first CD, “Zaidín”, which was released on March 18th 2022 by Clean Feed Records, received rave reviews, and the Trio has been active ever since, performing concerts and setting on fire several venues around Europe. Not stopping was the way to prolong the creativity of the group and to fill the vacuum that usually appears...

Liba Villavecchia alto saxophone
Vasco Trilla drums and percussion
Alex Reviriego double bass

"The legendary saxophonist from Catalunya strikes again, this time in trio, with a collection of his own compositions (including a tribute to the film director Andréj Tarkovski), a couple of group improvisations, and a Thomas Chapin cover. “Zaidín” is the new achievement by an extraordinary musician who played Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman” with Agustí Fernãndez, collaborated with the....

“Debut album from Swedish 4 piece VILLEBRAD. Located in Uppsala, city of KAIPA, who consider themselves influenced by the classic era of progressive music alá CRIMSON, as well as the early 80's sound of JAPAN. The result is a fascination embryo that is close to Swedish sounding bands like ANEKDOTEN and LANDBERK. 9 tracks of dramatic progressive songs with vocals in Swedish.”

“The pop immediacy of the songs is enriched by experimental tangents, between electronic music, krautrock and jazz, which raise the bar to unexpected heights.” (Le Soir, BE)

“A miracle: the resurrected Aksak Maboul unfolds a brand of synthetic, carnal pop, with fat, enchanting grooves, sparkling melodies and lyrics.” (Telerama, FR)

"Impressed and charmed by Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul's acclaimed 'lost' avant-pop opus , a host of artists from all over the place have launched into.

Bruno Parrinha alto saxophone
Luís Lopes electric guitar
João Valinho drums

"Assuming the leadership of the band, Bruno Parrinha named this trio after the translation of his name to English (Parrinha in English: VINE LEAF).The partnership with guitarist Luís Lopes was already being worked on in the “Garden” trio (also released by Clean Feed) exploring in depth the personal aesthetics of each instrumentalist with a possible greater approximation to total freedom, free from any...

This obscure group made an excellent album in the garage-underground-progressive" genre way back in 1971. Vinegar could be ranked along with Mammut as one of the most important examples of such bands. For your amusement, here's a closer look at their f...

Biggi Vinkeloe (alto sax, flute), George Cremaschi (contrabass), Miya Masaoka (21-string koto), Gino Robair (percussion).

"On each of these relatively brief and finely shaped tracks, Vinkeloe, Cremaschi, Masaoka and Robair jointly cultivate...

"Seeds were sown in 2003 when Joel Taylor played in Moscow; a couple of years later Kip Reed played ‘Jazz Provinc' Festival in Russia with the Vintskeviches. This matured into the quartet and this studio recording in 2008
From Russia: Leonid and...

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 fun, proto-rock 'n' roll/rhythm & blues, basic repertoire material.

"Great compilation of 40's big band...

“'441' refers to the five pianists (88 keys) plus one saxophone present on this hugely impressive recording. Featuring a truly stellar cast in pianists Tigran Hamasyan, Fred Hersch, Gerald Clayton, Sullivan Fortner and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, bassists Larry Grenadier, Matt Brewer, Rick Rosato and Matt Penman, plus drummers Billy Hart, Eric Harland, Clarence Penn, Jochen Rueckert and Obed Calvaire.
Originally from London, alto saxophonist/composer Will Vinson moved to New York City in 1999 and has...

“André Marques is the keyboard player of Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo, and [r]existir is the fourth CD by his very fine 20 piece band he leads, which brings young musicians to play either Andre’s compositions or some Brazilian music made by well know composers, but always translated by their view. Tight play, sharp and very complex arrangments.”

Very good album strongly in the Hermeto Pascoal style, which isn't surprising, considering that the leader, Andre Marques, is the keyboardist with Hermeto's group! And here, on the group's second album, Hermeto himself makes a special guest appearance...

Leonid Vintskevitch-saxes
Nikolai Vintskevitch-piano
Petter Svärd-drums
Steve Kershaw-double bass.

"In 2000 an Englishman, a Swede and two Russians found themselves on a jam session at a festival in Finland. The musical camaraderie...



David Virelles: Piano
Ben Street: Acoustic Bass
Eric McPherson: Drums, Percussion

“David Virelles presents an eagerly awaited debut album with this superb trio on Intakt Records.
Born in Santiago de Cuba, the pianist and composer has established himself on the international jazz scene with his Afro-Cuban influenced keyboard artistry and has made a name for himself with numerous collaborations with artists such as Henry Threadgill, Andrew Cyrille, Chris Potter, Wadada Leo Smith, Tom.

Igbó Alákọrin (a phrase in Yoruba which can be loosely translated as The Singer’s Grove) is the realization of pianist David Virelles’s long-held dream to document the under-sung musicians of his birthplace, Santiago de Cuba. Virelles, who was named the #1 Rising Jazz Pianist in the 2017 Downbeat Critics Poll, is one of the most in-demand pianists on the contemporary jazz scene, recording with the likes of Henry Threadgill, Chris Potter, and Tomasz Stanko. He also has four prior releases under his own...

“Nuna is a book of compositions for solo piano by Cuban-American pianist and composer David Virelles. A 2021 recipient of the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, Virelles has worked with musicians as distinct as Henry Threadgill, Andrew Cyrille, Ravi Coltrane, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Tomasz Stanko, Steve Coleman, Wadada Leo Smith, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Tom Harrell and Milford Graves. His release Continuum (Pi 2012) was named the best jazz release of that year by The New York Times. After three...

"Recorded in Switzerland, in the family home of longtime friend and collaborator Misha Hering within the domesticity and gentle routine of communal life, the album represents a world as predisposed to solemn introspection as it is to blithe conviviality.
Ecstatic Arrow borrows from the heterogeneous terrain of The Flying Lizards Fourth Wall, the exuberant technology assisted pop of Yellow Magic Orchestra and the playful sophistication of Lizzy Mercier Desclouxs Press Colour, arriving at the...