Cuneiform releases

Cuneiform
Bernard Falaise guitars, keyboards, turntable
Pascal Globensky keyboards, synths, piano
Rémi Leclerc drums, percussion, electronics
Nicolas Lessard bass, double bass, keyboards

"With a career going back over 30 years, French-Canadian band Miriodor have carved out an instantly recognizable sound that straddles avant rock and jazz...Miriodor have a wonderful sense of melody to counter their more experimental tendencies, and [the band] pulls off the ha

This was the first Cuneiform release and has been out of print for about 25 years, but we just found a couple while moving stuff around in the very back of the warehouse. Stevie is a rare talent, but he's served best when someone is around to help him...

Synthesist Steve Moore is one half of the noted 70s-inspired, synth/prog duo Zombi. In addition to the five albums released by Zombi, he has a prolific and thriving solo career, releasing music that ranges from electronica/dance to...

Drummer/composer Moorefield leads his 9 piece ensemble (three guitars, trumpet, trombone, alto and tenor saxes, bass and drums) through a set of brilliantly written instrumental art-rock. This is forward-looking, innovative music by an avant big band t...

Since their demise in 1981, The Muffins have been generally acknowledged as one of the finest (and one of the most unsung) U.S. proponents of progressive/new music. Along with Grits, The Muffins were *the* formative band in my personal musical developm...

“Two words – simply amazing! This new recording from classic progressive rock and fusion masters The Muffins after a twenty year hiatus is a breathtaking example of just how much fire is left in the genre. [They] combine melodic jazz sensibilities with complex song structures and the searing nature of classic fusion, for a ride that was worth the wait. The Muffins have returned with a vengence.” – Sea Of Tranquility

It is an all-too-rare occurrence for a band, throughout its career, to...

Tony Levin - drums
Keith Tippett - piano [woodblocks, pebble]
Paul Dunmall - tenor and soprano saxes, Eb clarinet, bagpipes
Paul Rogers - double bass

This is one of their most overtly 'jazz' releases, and it swings like mad!

"Mujician's music works because the group's four very forceful musical personalities don't get in each other's way. For all their differences, their strengths seem complimentary - Keith Tippett's massive, lumpish piano chords; Paul Dunmall's brutal...

"The second album from Mujician was recorded live earlier this year. In the interim, free jazz has developed a tradition and language which Poem About The Hero unashamedly refers to. It may not be that radical anymore, but Tippett's ensemble can still...

"Working within the instrumental parameters of the standard post-bop combo - piano, bass, drums and saxophones - the band situates itself in a space midway between what could be called Brit-Improv and American energy music...their sound is, if anything...

If creating an unmistakable group sound is the ultimate goal of a jazz ensemble, the Spanish trio Naima is well on its way to securing a spot as one of the leading combos on the contemporary European scene. Featuring Enrique Ruiz on piano and synths, Luis Torregrosa on drums, and Rafael Ramos Sania on double bass, the Valencia-based electro-acoustic band has honed a dramatic, darkly romantic sound marked by astringent textures, arresting melodies, and tightly coiled rhythms....

If creating an unmistakable group sound is the ultimate goal of a jazz ensemble, the Spanish trio Naima is well on its way to securing a spot as one of the leading combos on the contemporary European scene. Featuring Enrique Ruiz on piano and synths, Luis Torregrosa on drums, and Rafael Ramos Sania on double bass, the Valencia-based electro-acoustic band has honed a dramatic, darkly romantic sound marked by astringent textures, arresting melodies, and tightly coiled rhythms....

This vinyl version of one of our great releases from earlier in the year was released only in Spain and we have only 8 copies to sell!

If creating an unmistakable group sound is the ultimate goal of a jazz ensemble, the Spanish trio Naima is well on its way to securing a spot as one of the leading combos on the contemporary European scene. Featuring Enrique Ruiz on piano and synths, Luis Torregrosa on drums, and Rafael Ramos Sania on double bass, the Valencia...

TATSUYA NAKATANI – percussion
SHANE PARISH – nylon string acoustic guitar

Tatsuya Nakatani is an avant-garde percussionist and composer, active internationally since the 1990's; Nakatani tours extensively, performing over 150 concerts a year. He teaches master classes and lectures at universities and music conservatories around the world.
Originally from Japan, he makes his home in the desert town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Nakatani creates his distinctive

NDIO was formed from the ashes of the Holland-based Hugh Hopper Band. Some time after the Hopper Band disbanded, saxophonist Frank van der Kooij, a key member from the start, asked Hopper to join a project under his leadership. Frank also invited two o...

NeBelNeST are one of the most adventurous and energetic young bands to emerge on the international post-rock / avant-progressive scene in recent years. The young French band is noted for its dark symphonic rock music influenced by King Crimson, Pulsar ...

Out of print! Last copies! Nebelnest emerged with a bang out of France, with an excellent first album in 1998 and a second well received album in 2002. An instrumental quartet of keyboards, guitar, bass and drums, on their third album, Nebelnest add more...

“An absolute gem of an album that is of great historical importance.... Both elemental and sophisticated, this is an invaluable document of an ephemeral outfit – that made a nonetheless invaluable contribution to the cannon of small group jazz, be it mainstream or avant-garde, or the space in between.” – Kevin Le Gendre/Jazzwise, October, 2010. This release is truly a remarkable archival find! Formed in the summer of 1964, although the New York Art Quartet existed for...

In the history of British jazz, there were few voices as unmistakable as Mike Osborne's alto saxophone, but his story is one of the tragedies of British jazz. Within 15 years of his first recordings, simmering mental illness had taken over and...

Very last copies - found a few hiding behind the dog-biscuits in the back of the cuboard.

Hiding behind a shockingly ugly-on-purpose cover is a very fine, very unusual & intriguing album by this duo consisting of Pad Conca (electric bass, effects, foot-triggered percussion and homemade string instrument) and Dirk Bruinsma (of Blast) (electric guitar, saxes, effects, foot-triggered percussion). Difficult, extremely composed, sophisticated music that is reminiscent of Skeleton Crew (due to the...

"...this ace arranger is dead serious about his song-renovations, striving for exceptional music that contains levels of technical resourcefulness and emotional exposition associated with premium jazz." – DownBeat

The Ed Palermo Big Band
combines two unlikely American masters with The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren, a dizzying and ingenious reinvention of music by Todd Rundgren & Frank Zappa, two much-loved but drastically different American rock composers...

Ed and his amazing 16 piece band (+ guests) return with his third album of his distinctive, big-band interpretations of the great 20th century composer, Frank Zappa. This body of work has won them huge acclaim from both new and old fans of the music and they even appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition for a short feature which was heard by millions of listeners in 2006. For those not already familiar with Ed's colorful, jazz-based arrangements of Zappa's compositions, Ed has led a big band for 30 years (!)...

"Palermo developed these charts during years of live shows with these musicians, and their mastery of the material shows in the performances, which turn on a dime yet feel fierce with spontaneous invention....

"Oh Yes!" – Culture Jazz

Over the past two decades Ed Palermo has earned an avid international following with his brilliantly executed, reverently irreverent arrangements of Frank Zappa’s tempestuous and wildly inventive music. On previous albums the New Jersey saxophonist, composer and arranger infused the world of Zappalogy with his own brand of incisive wit & bracing improvisation. He doesn’t neglect Zappa on his 4th Cuneiform dispatch One Child Left Behind...

Crazy times call for outrageous music, and few jazz ensembles are better prepared to meet the surreality of this reality-TV-era than the antic and epically creative Ed Palermo Big Band. The New Jersey saxophonist, composer and arranger is best known for his celebrated performances interpreting the ingenious compositions of Frank Zappa, an extensive body of work documented on previous Cuneiform albums.
But his fifth project for the label...

"Conceptually, it suggests what an inspired meeting of Steve Reich and King Crimson might sound like...masterfully weaving together lush melodies, minimalist tendencies and heavy rock overtones." – Innerviews
"Technically remarkable...

Picchio dal Pozzo are considered to be one of the very few "Canterbury" inspired bands that emerged from Italy's fertile 1970's progressive rock musical scene. They released two highly regarded - and highly sought after - albums during their lifetime.
The exciting release of Camere Zimmer Rooms, a previously unknown studio recording of all unreleased compositions, extends their legacy greatly!
The band formed in Genoa in 1972. They released their first, self-titled album in.

Composer, guitarist & electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of France's major experimental musicians & is a pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock. This was first solo album and is absolutely one of his very finest works:

"...ranges from industrial drones (during pre-industrial times) to earth-shaking rock to pre-new age visions of beauty." � Alternative Press

Richard Pinhas has long been recognized as a pivotal figure in the development of...

"The music is beautiful in its brutality" – Sonic Curiousity

"Richard Pinhas' continuing transformation...to touchstone for a next generation of abstract noisemakers continues..." – All Music Guide...

East/West was Richards s fourth solo album, which was originally released in 1980. This album has Richard embracing the new, computer-driven electronic technology, while still using some of his old gear and is one of Richard's personal favorites of his 70's and 80's work.
This reprinting of East/West includes two songs that were not on the original CD issue and are never-before released!

Composer, guitarist and electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of Frances major experimental musicians. A pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock, Pinhas' stature in France is analogous to Tangerine Dream's in Germany: f...

This was Richard's first album after the dissolution of Heldon and it's an mostly solo work (Francois Auger (drums) and Jean-Philippe Goude (mini-moog) join him on one track) that conjures up impressions of icy, pristine landscapes. Includes a previously unreleased 25' track.

"Iceland, from 1979, was Pinhas's third solo release (and considered by many to be his best). It was a slower, more classical recording, with a capacity of hypnotize the listener without their knowledge."-Alternative Press....

During a fairly incredible 7 year run that began in the mid 1970s,
Richard Pinhas released a large string of influencial albums; 7 by Heldon and 5 under his own name, all of which attempted in one way or another to meld (avant-garde) rock music...

On Metal/Crystal, French experimental guitarist and electronic musician Richard Pinhas summons the assistance of noise artists Merzbow (Masami Akita) from Japan and Wolf Eyes from USA to weave a spellbinding aural web that spans 2 CDs.Over the years...

"We take it for granted today, but not too long ago, integrating electronics into a rock setting was something exotic and strange..... Heldon and Richard Pinhas are considered building blocks for whole schools of experimental rock music, and one of the few who rarely fail to deliver on the hype."-Pitchfork Media.

"Richard Pinhas demonstrates that he is capable of contstructing some of the most formidable but exhilharating sonic edifices ever heard by mortal ears."-Bill Tilland/All Music
..

“Music that is in flux and stasis at the same time, with an almost sculptural presence, stuffed with overtones and rich textures.”-BBC

"Among collectors of electronic music, some names have become legendary and are present in every search list. These names include Richard Pnhas, the leader of the French cult group Heldon."-Audion


Composer, guitarist and electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of France’s major experimental musicians. A pivotal figure in the ...

Barry Cleveland – guitars, Moog guitar, EBow, M-Tron, Vocalizer 1000, kalimba, zither, percussion, programming, samples
Richard Pinhas – guitar synthesizer, Metatronics
Michael Manring – bass, EBow bass
Celso Alberti – drums, electronic drums, percussion

Mu is often translated as “nothingness,” but as the response in Zen’s most famous koan, the gesture speaks to a truth deeper than rational dualistic thinking can obtain—therefore also resonating with th

Composer, guitarist & electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of France's major experimental musicians & is a pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock. In 1998, Pinhas teamed up with French 'cyber-punk' author Dantec for a...

"...it’s like the weird, beautiful music you think you only hear in dreams." – Q

The music, which consists of three very lengthy tracks, comes across as a cross between the heavy, synth-driven, sequencer beats of classic Heldon...

Tatsuya Yoshida – drums
Masami Akita – noise electronics
Richard Pinhas – guitars and analog synth guitars

Three founding fathers of experimental music join forces to conjure an unholy serenade for a society on the verge of collapse on Process and Reality, an hourlong whirlwind of pessimistic prophecy transformed into a heady monolith of sound.

Boundary-stretching guitarist Richard Pinhas, founder of the influential French electronic

"...two pioneers of fringe music, with the rapport of the two as the driving force behind this album" -– Something Else!

On Welcome In The Void, Richard Pinhas again pushes sonic and compositional boundaries...

"...Richard Pinhas consolidates his position as the reigning master of mesmerizing, trance/ambient guitar...."-All Music Guide

“Merzbow is essentially a psychedelic artist, attempting to create shifts in consciousness through extreme sound.”-Pitchfork

Richard and Merzbow are both among the best-known figures in electronic rock music today. Merzbow is considered the originator of Japanese noise music and the single best-known artist in noise music today. While Richard's work wouldn't be...

Anthony Pirog – guitar and electronics
Michael Formanek – acoustic and electric bass
Ches Smith – drums, percussion and electronics

“[Pocket Poem] is AAA+++
Best guitar album of the year so far; he did everything right.
I am super impressed.” – Henry Kaiser

“Anthony Pirog’s work is otherworldly – feverish in its delivery and interstellar in its complexity – but his feet have long been planted on the ground in Washington DC...

"[Palo Colorado Dream] covers a sprawling musical terrain–avant jazz, atmospheric soundscapes, earthy Americana, math-rock...with an arsenal of effects hardware and studio production techniques..." – JazzTimes...

"...a quirky, catchy blend of pop hooks and jazz-centric soloing...it's rare for a group so young to emerge with such a fully formed and distinctive concept, but Pixel seems to have accomplished just that." – AllAboutJazz...

"...a quirky, catchy blend of pop hooks and jazz-centric soloing...it's rare for a group so young to emerge with such a fully formed and distinctive concept, but Pixel seems to have accomplished just that." - AllAboutJazz

The first thirty seconds of this album was enough to tell me that I would probably like Norwegian band Pixel. I did...this band has something new to say musically and produces tunes that are toe-tappingly, wantonly catchy." - London Jazz News...

"... one of the most memorable moments of the [Match and Fuse Festival]." – DownBeat

"Jazz doesn't usually equate to instant enjoyment or accessibility, but this Norwegian quartet...is great fun. Bassist/bandleader Ellen...

As long-time fans of the 'Canterbury School' style of jazz/rock, a very appealing, very English, sometimes slightly whimsical blend of electric jazz with complex rock have sadly learned, this style and sound is rarely invoked nowadays...

"...a raucous 10-piece ensemble which nails its distinctive blend of Afro-Cuban rhythm and freewheeling improvisation."- The New York Times

"This group combined the Latin and avant-garde traditions in unheard ways, sinking its...

Positive Catastrophe is the brainchild of Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet) and Abraham Gomez-Delgado (percussion). Taylor is one of the most impressive of the latest crop of up and coming jazz musicians and Aib has long been expanding the boundaries of Latin...