Sakina ABDOU: alto and tenor saxophone
Marta WARELIS: piano
Toma GOUBAND: drums, stones, leaves

The saxophonist Sakina Abdou follows up her first solo album with this trio release, which has all the freshness of a very first encounter.The album is the fruit of an improvised, closed session of several days in her home, punctuated by two concerts, and offers an arc of 60 minutes that retraces a musical itinerary that is intimate and acoustic.
We have previously heard Toma Gouband.

“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...

Sophie Agnel - piano
Michael Zerang - percussion

"Sophie Agnel and Michael Zerang are relentless on every surface and in the diving pit of improvisation. You've got to hear it to see it to believe it: it's a water lily drum set in the soundboard of a pond piano. At times, it seems as if a single instrument is being played by two people, with razor-sharp clarity." - Alexandre Pierrepont

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.”

Laura Altman - clarinet, speakers, tapes, tins, voice, small collected objects

Rooted in Altman's exploratory practice, she weaves clarinet alongside a sparse palette of preparations, objects, tapes, and feedback. She crafts a series of pieces that are at once delicate and textural yet bold and expressive that reflect both the unique acoustics of the space and her subtle, inquisitive approach to sound, offering a contemplative and tactile listening experience that blurs the line between...

Don Malfon - sax
Irene Aranda - piano
Ami Yamasaki - voice

"Formed by pianist Irene Aranda, this trio brings together three artists who take the sonic possibilities of their instruments to the hilt. Aranda specifically chose saxophonist Don Malfon and vocalist Ami Yamasaki for their unconventional approaches to improvisation — Malfon through his constantly evolving extended saxophone techniques, Yamasaki through the singularity of her echolocation vocal practices. Together, the...

Robbie Avenaim - prepared typewriter
Chris Abrahams - synthesiser
Jim Denley - bass flute

“Although Weft is the first release for this trio, the three musicians - Jim Denley, Robbie Avenaim and Chris Abrahams - have been playing together in various groups and contexts for decades—often meeting at Chris’ house to converse, drink tea and play/record music. The line-up for this particular session comprised bass flute, Waldorf Q+ Synthesiser and typewriter. The combination of instruments..

Steve Baczkowski: baritone and tenor saxophones, homemade winds (tracks 2 & 9)

"This recording of solo improvisations was initiated and realized by my longtime friend and collaborator David Bailey. We recorded nearly all of these pieces on the evening of a lunar eclipse, after David brought his vintage reel-to-reel tape machine to my old warehouse living room. The process and timing created an energy of focused intensity and stark intimacy, which is apparent in the music. I am grateful for the...

“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...

Luciana Bass - Guitar
Ezekiel Jaime - Electric bass
Federico Isasti - Drums

"The trio of Luciana Bass, Ezequiel Jaime, and Federico Isasti brings together three distinctive voices from Argentina's adventurous improvised music scene. Centered on Bass’s expressive sonic palette, their music is both volatile yet deeply attentive, fueled by Jaime’s exploratory playing and Isasti’s highly responsive drumming. They move freely between sparse textures and intricate collective energy. This..

Martin Küchen - sopranino saxophone, percussion
Ola Rubin - trombone

“bBb makes everyday music for distracted times. Influences from near and afar blow in and over - and out again. Most of it pulls through the narrow neck of the sopranino sax and the emerging sounding facets of the trombone vault, but also almost archaeologically colored sound-bearing artefacts are displayed and dissected in real time.
A crack and a bang - and then jazz like a glowing blanket thrown over everything...

Peter Farrar - Alto Saxophone/Percussion
Novak Manojlovic - Piano/Percussion
Clayton Thomas - Double Bass/Percussion
Laurence Pike - Drums/Percussion

“BELIEVE’s debut album ‘Spirits of the Dead are Watching’ is a potent statement from four of Australia’s most experienced and dedicated improvisers. A powerhouse unit of rare intimacy, flexibility and passion, BELIEVE connects the spectrum of contemporary creative sound making with the fluid, anything is possible momentum of...

Michael Formanek - Contrabass
Tim Berne - Alto and Baritone saxophones

Recorded live at The Parlour, June 16th 1991 By Bruce Hall.

“Recorded seven years before their only duo release, Ornery People (1998), in Parlour Games we can hear the beginnings of all that would follow in the work of Tim Berne and Michael Formanek.”

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."

“The title track starts with a written structure that eventually leads to an unaccompanied bass solo which reminds these ears that, as much as I enjoy Bisio with pianist Matthew Shipp, a greater appreciation of his technique and writing comes across when he steps away from the individualistic pianist. The music is grounded, not free and wild, but that nevertheless generates close listening. Sometimes Knuffke and Bisio play in an in-between place which doesn't feel like the bass is echoing the cornet...

“In seven tracks, all credited to both of them, the players keep their ears on each other, exploring the sonic possibilities of their instruments and how they can interact. Those familiar with either musician might expect some untamed frenzy, and Bisio and Shipp definitely deliver dark and stormy textures. Bisio utilizes his bow for intense scraping and howling in ‘Decay,’ where Shipp begins by plucking his piano strings and ends with heavy handwork in the lower register. But the bassist also reveals...

Anne Efternøler - trumpet
Maria Dybbroe - clarinet & alto saxophone
Carolyn Goodwin – clarinet & bass clarinet

"An instrument constellation that holds infinite potential for sonic clashes and explorations, Bloomers explore the aesthetics of chamber music in a condensed, improvised and naked expression, within vast worlds of harmonies and sounds. Each track on Cyclism is dedicated to an important historical event in the struggle for women's freedom, and the album opens with a track...

John Blum - piano
Jackson Krall - drums

“Relative Pitch Records celebrates its 100th release with a duo recording by Pianist John Blum and Drummer Jackson Krall.
John Blum is an underground legend of the downtown music scene in New York City, known for his high voltage pianism and as a musician who strives for the very personal. His stylistic antecedents are apparent: Boogie-woogie, Stride, Bebop and Free Jazz, but John has absorbed all of these styles to craft a unique voice that...

"“Bogan Ghost is Liz Allbee on trumpet and Anthea Caddy on cello and 'Zerfall' is one pleasant, totally absorbing surprise. "Surprise" if only because of my limited prior exposure to their music.
I happened to have heard them both as part of the Splitter Orchestra (and a subset or two thereof) last year at St. Merri in Paris but still, I wasn't quite prepared for the music encountered here.
I guess the main unexpected (and very welcome) aspect is the degree of concision in play and the fact that.

Karen Borca - bassoon
Paul Murphy - drums

“Avant-garde bassoonist Karen Borca's first proper leader record is a series of duos with drummer Paul Murphy who she first played with in Jimmy Lyons’ group.”

Matthew Bourne - piano
Emil Karlsen - drums

“Matthew Bourne is a renowned pianist with a reputation as a fearlessly unpredictable improviser. Emil Karlsen is an independently minded drummer who plays with power and delicacy. The Embalmer documents one of Karlsen and Bourne’s first meetings. Recorded in a single session in 2020, The Embalmer sees a wide-ranging musical discourse between the two musicians unfold in its most lean form across the six improvised tracks.”

Tony Buck: electric guitar, electric baritone guitar, arch-top acoustic guitar, bass guitar, mono-chord, waterphone, zulu-bells, and instrument preparations
Mark Nauseef: bells and gongs from Bali, Java, Korea, Japan, India, China and Tibet

“Mongrels—Buck Nauseef—two creatures with no pedigree or particular style who have absorbed, mixed and amalgamated numerous pedigrees and styles during long careers working closely with leading musicians of diverse genres including: orchestral, Javanese..

John Butcher - saxophones
Florian Stoffner - guitar
Chris Corsano - drums & half clarinet

"These three artists don’t need volume or soloing to get their message across. Their message is inscribed in elegant lower-case and rarely used aural fonts. You will find yourself leaning forward because not a note or whisper should be missed ..." - Brian Morton