“American drummer Chris Corsano and French saxophonist Christine Abdelnour have been working as aduo for several years and perform regularly in Europe. The disc « Quand fond la neige, où va le blanc ?» (Where Does the White Go When the Snow Melts?) is the highlight of their teaming.
The association of the two most talented musicians of the "new" generation offers a music of incredible richness in which the duo merges like tectonic plates of different densities, moving through intricate and complex...

“Gardener starts with a track that is just over a minute long. "Song of the pylon", had me more intrigued than riveted and was followed up with a 15 minute brain teaser "The changes wrought by the recurring use of tools" where harmonium, harpsichord, and piano are used to create an almost jack hammering effect where both musicians, who are credited with all three instruments, throw themes, fragments of ideas, and phrases at earth other at a dizzying pace.
There is some greatness on Gardener like...

Liz Allbee: Electronics, Trumpet, Quadraphonic Trumpet, Voice, Field Recordings, Acoustic Homemade Instruments

“Liz Allbee is fascinated by the guttural, proto-linguistic qualities of musical voices. On Rille she performs with her trumpet, quad-trumpet, voice, and electronics. The pieces range from experimental, electroacoustic, ambient textures merged with dark jazz interludes to even a foray into quasi pop music. But it is all distinctively Liz and forms a coherent organic musical statement.”

Susan Alcorn - pedal steel guitar
Mark Feldman - violin
Michael Formanek - double bass
Mary Halvorson - guitar
Ryan Sawyer - drums

“Pedernal opens with Alcorn’s gracefully slithery pedal steel line suggesting a dark, minor blues that’s joined in an undulating caress by Formanek’s lithe bass. Descending chords introduce the second section as the band steps into the gathering maelstrom, eventually resolving into a beatifically lyrical theme that seems to summon the abidi

Susan Alcorn - pedal steel guitar
Patrick Holmes - clarinet
Ryan Sawyer - drums

“This adventurous set catches lightning in a bottle. They hit the ground running and never let up. Susan Alcorn's pedal steel soloing is phenomenal while Ryan Sawyer drives the trio forward as Patrick Holmes' clarinet keeps pace with both of them. A breathless set of high energy free improvisation at its best.”

“A trio of adventurous Spanish improvisers, pianist Irene Aranda, bassist Johannes NÄstesjö and percussionist Nuria Andorra channel forces of exploration, energy and elemental mystery on Inner Core, six inventive tracks that plumb their astonishing creative depths with a fervid curiosity.
Fans of free improvisation may recognize these musicians through their mutual connections with pianist Agustφ Fernßndez, currently one of the most highly-regarded performers in this genre. And like Fernßndez...

“AYCH features three of the finest improvisers working today: saxophonist Jim Hobbs; guitarist Mary Halvorson; and cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum. All three come with stellar pedigrees and experience in guitarist/bassist Joe Morris' ensembles, plus Halvorson and Bynum were schooled at the knee of Anthony Braxton. Their previous recording together was last year's Bynum Sextet session, Apparent Distance (Firehouse 12, 2011).
Seven of the twelve tracks presented here are group improvisations, the remaining ...

“Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ is right in Frisell’s wheelhouse as a soulful blend of country, blues and gospel, and he delivers jagged electric phrases that, like fireworks, sometimes end abruptly with a starburst and sometimes zigzag before fading. John McLaughlin’s ‘Follow Your Heart’ is likewise refried and slowly wrung out after sizzling. Baron comes to the fore on fleet but gentler tracks such as Benny Goodman’s ‘Benny’s Bugle,’ Charlie Parker’s ‘My Little Suede Shoes’ and a nifty soft-shoe...

Gregg Belisle-Chi Acoustic Guitar

"Koi is simply one of the best guitar records I’ve heard in ages, with Gregg Belisle‐Chi’s steel‐string acoustic interpretations of Tim Berne’s compositions a special feat. Gregg – with flawless technique and sensitivity – has transcended the distance between Tim’s alto saxophone and the guitar to make a new, fresh and wonderful music.” — ANDY SUMMERS

The compositions of saxophonist/bandleader Tim Berne have earned renown for their intensely kinetic...

Maria Bertel - trombone

"Monophonic is the name of the new album by Maria Bertel. As the title hints the album is a study of music played with 'one voice'. The amplification of the trombone mimics the effect of a magnifying glass, that let otherwise inaudible sounds be heard and brought forward. The compositions are long swathes of sound slowly developing, heavily inspired by drone and noise."

Kirk Knuffke-cornet
Art Bailey-accordion
Michael Bisio-bass
Michael Wimberly-drums

“There's much to listen for on "Accortet" - the sound quality is excellent (kudos to Jim Clouse of Park West Studio in Brooklyn, NY), the compositions are thoughtful, and the musicianship unbeatable.
Kurt Knuffke continues to impress in every setting he plays in and Art Bailey's musical palette shows how he continues to expand the vocabulary of the accordion. And the rhythm section keeps the...

John Blum - piano
David Murray - tenor saxophone
Chad Taylor - drums

“The Recursive Tree features a rather remarkable trio consisting of John Blum on piano, tenor-saxophonist David Murray, and Chad Taylor on drums. Although the three musicians had never before recorded together, they sound very much like a working trio.
The title is inspired by a concept in mathematics that explains the architecture in nature arising from systematic growth over time. This algorithmic expression..

Santiago Bogacz - guitar
Emiliano Aires - clarinet

"This is the first recording of this guitar/clarinet duo from Uruguay. These nine frenzied tracks display an intensity and passion developed over 9 years of playing. Their listening and anticipation of each other is telepathic. The results are edgy and invigorating."

“On the surface, the album title might be an oxymoron. None of these free-form works resemble traditional ballads, but the young Brooklyn-based duo's ideology and vision is clearly distinct and personalized via these jaunts that to some extent, parallel the British free jazz scene with acidic, creaky and scorching elaborations. There is a consortium of zany nouveau classical music breakouts with bizarre episodic transgressions that tend to hold your attention. At times, the acoustic instrumental...

Peter Brötzmann : saxophone, tarogato, b-flat clarinet
Fred Lonberg-Holm : cello, electronics

“"Memories Of A Tunicate" is the third release and the first studio recording by Peter Brötzmann and Fred Lonberg-Holm. It was recorded in Manhattan at GSI Studios when Peter was in town for the 2019 Vision Festival. These seven pieces move between lyrical spaciousness and no holds bar flying sparks. This is a deep and focused session where they thoughtfully explore their history together."

Aaron Burnett-saxophone

“Aaron Burnett is “a standout new voice on the saxophone. In a very short time, the young musician has already lent his personal and unhindered approach to a breadth of bandleaders including Esperanza Spalding, Wynton Marsalis, Anti-Pop Consortium‘s HPRIZM, and Weasel Walter. He also toured with three time Grammy winner, Esperanza Spalding in her 2012 world tour with Radio Music Society.
Aaron has the also retained the true nature of jazz in his music and his playing..

Tomeka Reid - cello
Kyoko Kitamura - voice
Taylor Ho Bynum - cornet
Joe Morris - guitar

“This foursome is resolute in its acceptance of communal responsibility and creation. Vocalist Kyoko Kitamura sings and speaks in wordless flurries matching Taylor Ho Bynum’s brassy exhortations on cornet. Cellist Tomeka Reid and guitarist Joe Morris worry and pluck their respective strings, applying speed and torque in the loosing of spidery cascades of crinkled and crenelated tones. Pitch...

Kirsten Carey - guitar
Aaron Edgcomb - drums

"Mature Defense Mechanism is an improvised experiment in the relationships between rock and jazz characterized by whimsy amidst seclusion. It’s natural territory for guitarist Kirsten Carey and drummer Aaron Edgcomb, who are both gaining reputations for adventurous and wide-ranging approaches to music making."

Chris Pitsiokos - alto saxophone
Susana Santos Silva - trumpet
Torbjörn Zetterberg - double bass

“Khimaira is a three headed monster. It has a lion head in front, a wild goat head on it’s back and a snake head at the end of it’s tail. It is the offspring of Echidna, the mother of all monsters. The group collaborates to produce eerie organic sounds, howling cries, whispered hums, disturbing wailing, shrieks that die off and reimerge with an intense fluidity. Yet there is an architecture

Greg Cohen-bass
Bill Frisell-guitar

“The sunny lyricism of "Old Gravenstein" sets the bar high from the outset. Frisell takes lead melodic duties while Cohen injects rhythmic impetus, but in truth their lines are but two interweaving threads of the same chord.
The duo has a spring in its step on "California Here I Come," written in 1921 by Buddy DeSylvia, Joseph Myer, and Al Jolson and declared the official state song of California in 1988. Cohen takes his most extended solo of the set...

“Salt Task opens with the revolutionary title track, a 20-minute-piece that erupts with dense contrapuntal cogitations simultaneously driven by the trio. After the opening section, the musicians usually interact two by two, exploring different sonic possibilities and moods until reaching the final section, where the trio strikes again. Depending on the setting, one may float serenely over idyllic landscapes, march at the sound of a military trumpet, startle with ominous low-pitched piano vibes, revolve...

Matthias Müller, trombone
Eve Risser, piano
Christian Marien, drums

“Cranes is a brand new collaboration, a European project. Three extraordinary improvisors from Germany and France maintain their long term musical relations by dedicating themselves to cross-linked sonic experiments and the discursive use of forms. Their music is powerful and fragile at the same time.”

Camille Dietrich - cello
Don Dietrich - tenor saxophone

“For more than 40 years Don Dietrich has been one of the three musicians in Borbetomagus, whose music has been described as an unrelenting, take-no-prisoners wall of sound.
Camille Dietrich grew up in the crucible of her father's free playing. As a cellist she shares his passionate intensity and brings a playful freshness which Don feeds off. This is the stunning follow-up to their 2017 Pica Disc release.”

Tetsu Saitoh - double bass
Frederic Blondy - grand piano
Michel Doneda - soprano and sopranino saxophones

“Michel Doneda recently lost one of his most faithful friends and musical companions, the double bass player Tetsu Saïtoh. Relative Pitch now offers us a superb album recorded on April 16, 2016 on Radio-France bringing together the two improvisers and the remarkable piano explorer Frédéric Blondy.
Spring Road 16 is comprised of two collective improvisations under the title...

Soprano player Michel Doneda and Le Quan Ninh are celebrating a 30 year playing relationship. Doneda's playing can be at turns lyrical, playful, or raucous, and can switch from the liveliness of street melodies to circular breathing, microscopic sounds, or shrieking outbursts. Ninh plays regularly in ensembles in forms that mix improvised acoustic & electroacoustic music, 'performance art', dance, poetry, experimental cinema, photography and video. Listening is their main discipline.
"It’s our...