"This concert recording is something of a miracle. Nothing suggested that this album or even the performance it documents—produced in extremis, in the middle of a global pandemic, with ever-changing public health orders—would see the light of day. A few weeks prior to the event, no-one knew if the concert would happen, nor did I know what we would be performing!
Really. Almost half of the program was composed four weeks before the show. From the outset, I knew that the set list would include the epic..

Huge 23 piece band directed by Vancouver composer John Korsrud. This band uses elements of jazz (of course), but with a decidedly modern esthetic. You will also hear elements of rock, 20th century composition (Korsrud studied with Louis Andriessen), mi...

Lars Hollmer is someone who put out a lot of albums, including a lot of solo albums. While I am a huge fan, imo, his very best work has always been in ensembles : First Samla, then Von Zamla, and finally, his last regular unit, the Looping Home Orchestra.
There's very little Lars still in print and not only is this great one available, but for now, we have it at a special price.
This has Lars' engaging compositions with his great Looping Home Orchestra, & includes Jean Derome & Fred Frith...

François Houle – clarinette de basset, clarinette, électroniques
Kate Gentile – batterie, percussion
Alexander Hawkins – piano

“The transatlantic trio of UK pianist Alexander Hawkins, NY drummer Kate Gentile and Canadian reedist Francois Houle are heard in four masterful spontaneous improvisations in their live performance at the 39th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, Houle performing on clarinets (sometimes two at a time) including the early, deep-note.

Two fabulous players give us improvised guitar duets, which get into a wilder, freer vein.

Two Mexican artists, one a violinist, the other on ceramic flutes, flute Veracruz harp & piano. Extended techniques & unusual improvisational instruments [Victo]

Kovac is a composer from the former Yugoslavia. This features the composer's clarinet as he leads the ''Ritual Nova'' Ensemble (soprano voice, violin, cello, piano & percussion). The music sounds deceptively sparse at first, but these are both yet more in a long string of good releases by this undefinable artist.

Kovac is a composer from the former Yugoslavia. This features the composer's clarinet as he leads the ''Ritual Nova'' Ensemble (soprano voice, violin, cello, piano & percussion). The music sounds deceptively sparse at first, but these are both yet mor...

Sax, piano & double bass. "The choices Leimgruber, Demierre, and Phillips have made are everywhere unexpected and unexplained, but fit together as aural expression in the ambiguous area between imagination (a belief without experience to support it) an...

Rene Lussier – guitar, daxophone
Erick d’Orion – computer, electronics
Robbie Kuster – drums
Martin Tétrault – turntable, electronics

“Lussier, Orion, Kuster and Tétreault created an hour of thunderous atmospheres, heterogeneous collages and heavy sound masses. The liberated, energetic and unpretentious improvised music like that, we would take it even more often.”

“The performance of the quartet was the high point of the Festival.” – All About Jazz

The guitars of Sonic Youth with turntable avantist Marclay. ...a wall of beautiful noise was erected...mesmeric abandon.-The Independent. [Victo]

Masami Akita - electronics
Mats Gustafson - bass & baritone sax, electronics
Balázs Pándi - drums, percussion

“The festival concluded—climactically and cathartically—with a bracing wall of sound,noise and fury from the trio of Gustafsson, the mystical Japanese noise master Merzbow and impressive young Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi.” – DownBeat

“If you've seen Merzbow perform live, a question you probably wouldn't ask is, "How can we make that louder?" Well, the answer...

The 1st North American release by Italian trumpeter/composer/bandleader Pino & his sextet (trombone, saxes, keyboards, bass, drums). His work stradles the boundry between new-jazz & European freemusic. [Victo]

This work has the AEC reedman playing solos, duos, & trios with violin, drums, bass (Richard Davis), bull roarers & wind wands. [Victo]

"Recorded at the 25th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville on May 28, 2008."

This is the 1st new work by these Italian composers since their two ReR releases from 10 years ago. They've got a new partner too. ''...a stunning accomplishment...both exceptional & exceptionally strange.''-Cadence. [Victo]

Maurizio Opalio-cosmic guitar, mini xylophone, meteor percussion and Roberto Opalio-astral guitar, piano, extraterrestrial electronics, harmonica, planetary percussion, voice. “Each album or performance by My Cat Is An Alien is an invitation to leave...

The three players of New Winds (Robert Dick-flutes, J.D. Parran-saxes & Ned Rothenberg-reeds) are some of the of the finest reed/horn players around. [Victo]

The 2nd release by this LA-based duo. Using female voice, clarinets, strings, keyboards, bass & drums they combine a large number of influences (art rock, Art Bears, art-song, electronics) into their own blend. [Victo]

A 13 piece band + guest Marilyn Crispell in a studio date from 11/04. Kate Hammett-Vaughan: voice, Coat Cooke: baritone & tenor saxophones, flute, Bruce Freedman: alto saxophone, Graham Ord: tenor & soprano saxophones flute, Saul Berson: alto saxophone...

A sextet of Baritone saxes (!) led by Montreal saxist Papasoff, & including Hamiet Bluiett & Jean Derome. Each member contributes a chart, so it's a group effort. ''...one simply forgets that only baritones are playing, just a one does not always notic...

New release by Evan and an all-star unit, recorded live at the 30th FIMAV (Victo Festival) in May, 2014.
Peter Evans : pocket trumpet, trumpet
Okkyung Lee : cello
George Lewis : electronics, trombone
Ikue Mori : electronics...

Recorded at the Victo Festival on May 22, 2005, this has a great band of moderately well known players and up 'n' comers, all led by bassist Parker: Sabir Mateen-tenor saxophone tenor, alto clarinet, Darryl Foster-tenor & soprano saxophones, Rob Brown...

Disc One: live FIMAV 5/2019
Disc Two: live at the Western Front 5/1989

“That distinguished history at once evaporates into and illuminates the inspiring presence of these two Phillips performances, another leap in time, linking the 1989 concert Camou¬age, a then state-of-the-art account of bass possibilities, to Ahoy! a voyager’s greeting shouted across time. It documents Phillips’ appearance on the stage of Victoriaville’s Colisée in May 2019, a slight and almost spectral presence standing...

"The next set my favorite one of the entire fest, it featured Barre Phillips on acoustic bass, Catherine Jauniaux on voice and Malcolm Goldstein on violin. This set was completely acoustic and didn't really employ any extended techniques yet...