Click here for the Jazz News of 2024December 2023: British drummer Tony Oxley, cofounder of Incus label, who started his career with Horace Silver and Art Blakey, then leader or sessionman with many British greats of jazz (Cecil Taylor, Derek Bailey, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Rutherford, Evan Parker, etc.), died on december 26 after a long illness, at 85. Nothing Is As Real As Nothing (Tzadik, 2023) is the latest release by the guitar trio of Bill Frisell, Julian Lage and Gwyn Riley, conducted by Zorn, who composed six pieces as a suite of music dedicated to Samuel Beckett. Recorded in may 2023. The same label presents Parrhesiastes, that features the Chaos Magick project with John Medeski on organ, Brian Marsella on piano, Matt Hollenberg on electric guitar and Kenny Grohowski on drums. Their fifth CD gathers three extended compositions, always by Zorn. Recorded in july 2023. The project Eclectic Maybe Band by Univers Zero's Guy Segers (here on bass and virtual instruments) presents Bars Without Measures (Discus, 2023), featuring Julie Tippetts, Dani Klein, Sibel Dincer and Daniel Vincke-Saz (vocals), Pierre Bernard (flute), Piet Van Bockstal (oboe), Stephan Kohr (bassoon), Martin Archer (saxello), Dirk Descheemaeker (clarinets), Joe Higham (clarinet and soprano sax), Mark Bogaerts (alto and baritone saxes), Dave Newhouse (baritone sax), Jean Pierre Soarez (trumpet), Franck Cottret (trombone), Marianne Denoia, Cecile Broche, Ariane Plumerel and Forrest Fang (violins), Thierry Zaboitzeff (cello), Michel Delory, Pierre Vervloesem, Michel Delville, Angel Ontalva and Matvi Bilis (guitars), Andy Kirk and Catherine Smet (keyboards), Sean Rickman, Fabrice Owerzarzak and Dirk Wachtelaer (drums). Album multisession, recorded in 2023. Eleven tracks. Craft presents The Complete Jazz At Massey Hall Recordings, that, as title suggests, documents the complete version of the famous concert held in may 1953 by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charlie Mingus and Max Roach. This 3LP set is described by the label as a 19-piece set, including the original release plus all six quintet tracks without overdubs, as well as performances by the Powell/Mingus/Roach trio, and Roach's Drum Conversation. With At The Five Spot To Iron Man HatHut restores the july 1963 studio session of Iron Man by Eric Dolphy, which yielded the famous title-track and Burning Spear, and furthermore At The Five Spot, an unreleased live july 1961 performance on which he, on alto sax and bass clarinet, led Mal Waldron (piano), Richard Davis (bass), Ed Blackwell (drums) and Booker Little (trumpet) to record the three pieces collected on the vinyl: the 13:30-minute Mal Waldron's Fire Waltz, the 12:40-minute Booker Little's Bee Vamp and above all his famous The Prophet, in a 21:20-minute version. Performed with ten violins, five violas, four cellos and four contrebasses, the seven pieces of Occam’s Machete (zOaR, 2023) document an Elliott Sharp's "algorithmic composition using simple instruction sets to yield a progression of sonic tableaux. Shifting dronalities are created by the movement of simultaneous verticalities. Microtonal intervals generate different tone microrhythms, subliminal melodies, and ghost instruments, a psychoacoustic phenomenon", say credits. Recorded in october 2023. Among the performers, let's mention Sarah Bernstein, Joanna Mattry, Jessica Pavone, Ron Lawrence and Shayna Dulberger. Italian label Destination Moon restores Bahia, an old 1965 Prestige vinyl that documents the late 1950s sessions by John Coltrane, along with pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, Wilbur Hardin on trumpet, drummers Jimmy Cobb and Art Taylor. The five tracks collected show Coltrane as leader and as sessionman. Recorded in april 2022 as a concert, Welcome To The Troposphere (Fundacja Sluchaj, 2023) features Steve Swell (trombone) and Elisabeth Harnik (piano) in nine pieces, a follow-up of previous experience, Tonotopic Organizations, recorded in november 2019. Austrian pianist Elisabeth Harnik is on stage since 2004, and sports different albums as leader, among which several piano solos, and many collaborations as sessionwoman. From the same label, unreleased until now, From The Source documents veteran bassist Joe Fonda (sessionman with a lot of jazz giants) who reunited in march 1996 in a New York studio Anthony Braxton (various saxes, clarinets and flute), Brenda Bufalino (tap dance), Vickie Dodd (vocals), Herb Robertson (trumpets) and Grisha Alexiev (drums) in six lenghty Fonda's compositions. The bassist speaks extensively about the project. The 3CD set I Looked Like A Hippie (Weird Cry, 2023) documents a "solo guitars" album by Eugene Chadbourne. Its 74 minutes gather twelve compositions, among which the 25-minute Variations on 96 Tears, the 24-minute New Glasses Lost in Boulder Creek, and the 21-minute Live From The Bob Marshall Wilderness. Credits though are quite absent. In this interview, Chadbourne let's know that these pieces were composed during the pandemia. The vinyl Boston III/Tenor/Index (Alga Marghen, 2023) documents three of the earliest works by Phill Niblock, never released until now, that document the first influences on Niblock as jazz passionate. The side-long Boston III (25:20 minutes) was composed in 1972 and performed with Rhys Chatham (flute, voice), Martin Bough (tenor saxophone), and Gregory Reeve (viola, voice), while Niblock was on vocals. The 13 minutes of Tenor, composed always in 1972, feature the use of microtones, overtones, and drones, with Martin Bough on tenor sax; the eight minutes of Index, composed even before, in 1969, are an improvised sound performance by the composer himself, on guitar (both its body and strings). Timeless (Meta, 2023) features the fourth Adam Rudolph's recording with his project Hu Vibrational he created along with drummer Hamid Drake in 1997. Their Boonghee Music 1 gathered several tracks recorded between spring 1997 and fall 2000. In may 2002 the multi-instrumentist and the drummer composed and recorded Beautiful - Boonghee Music 2, that gathered thirteen pieces of soul-jazz and afro-cuban music; the leader played lute, harp, udu drums, kalimba, cajon, talking drum, flute qarqarba, shaker and surdo. In 2006 the duo returned with Universal Mother - Boonghee Music 3. After a long hiatus, the duo, with the contribution of Bill Laswell (bass), Elvind Aarset (electric guitar), Alex Marcelo (electric piano), Steve Gorn (flute) and several percussionists, recorded between 2014 and 2015 The Epic Botanical Beat Suite - Boonghee Music 4, mixing percussive African rhythms and Afro-jazz with elements of hip-hop and electronica. Now, with the vinyl Timeless, the duo was joined by 11 musicians. The leader played keyboards, thumb pianos, merimbula, cajon, mbuti harp, mouth bow, vocal, slit drums, udu drums, wooden and bamboo flutes, double reeds, gongs, kudu horn, zither, caxixi, kongos, tarija, gankogui, bells, percussion, along with Drake on various percussion, Alexis Marcelo on Fender Rhodes organ, Brahim Fribgane on tarija, Damon Banks on bass, Eivind Aarset on guitar and electronics, Harris Eisenstadt on bata, Jan Bang on sampling, Kaoru Watanabe on flute, Marco Cappelli on guitar, Neel Murgai on sitar and Sameer Gupta on tabla. Stembells (Bridge Sessions, 2023) features the last album ever recorded (april 2022) by Jaimie Branch before her death. The trumpeter, here also on synths & electronics, was accompanied by Isaiah Collier on soprano & tenor saxes and percussion, Gilles Coronado on electric guitar and Tim Daisy on drums. The music features the piece Hmmmm, 37-minute long. Two Trios (ESP, 2023) features, as title suggests, two trios, recorded at different locations about two years apart by Guillermo Gregorio. The first trio was recorded in 2018 with the leader on clarinet, Carrie Biolo on vibes and Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, and contains 6 pieces, two of which are free improvisations. The second trio sees Gregorio on clarinet, Ivan Barenboim on contralto clarinet and Nicholas Jozwiak on cello, in a set was recorded in february 2020, and collects three free improvisations and two partially written pieces. Pyroclastic presents Sculpting Sound, a collection of six "once in a lifetime performances" bringing together 12 master improvisers with the sound sculptures of visionary artist Harry Bertoia. These performances were premiered on the winter solstice of december 21 2023, and were captured as six high-definition concert films, each of them being one hour-long. The musicians, all well known, are: guitarists Nels Cline and Ben Monder, trumpeters Ambrose Akinmusire and Nate Wooley, saxophonists Ingrid Laubrock and JD Allen, acoustic string players Jen Shyu and Brandon Seabrook, drummers Marcus Gilmore and Dan Weiss, and pianists Kris Davis and Craig Taborn. Over The Wall (RogueArt, 2023) is the debuting album by the PNY Quintet, a project created by Steve Swell. The trombonist reunited Rob Brown (alto sax), French Michel Edelin (flutes), US Peter Giron (double bass) and veteran US drummer John Betsch (worked with Mario Brown, Max Roach, Archie Shepp and Henry Threadgill) for a february 2022 session held in a French studio. Each of them composed themes for the twelve pieces. Released by the Poland label Kilogram, Snapshots: Complete document a solo performance by Ken Vandermark. The sixteen tracks collected, all quite brief, were recorded in four different sessions, three at his home in Chicago, between february and october 2021; the fourt at his country home in Poland, in november 2021. Vandermark played tenor and baritone saxes, and clarinets. The vinyl A Ship (Nahfeld, 2023) documents a collaboration between Burkhard Stangl (acoustic and electric guitar, electronics) and Austrian Franz Hautzinger (trumpet and electronics). The two composed together seven pieces of experimental improvised music, plenty of field recordings. The session was held in the studio (april 2022). November 2023: US saxophonist Mars Williams, member of major progressive rock bands (Psychedelic Furs, Waitress), but also sessionman in different jazz lineups (Hal Russell, the Scorch Trio, Ken Vandermark, Peter Broetzmann, etc.), died of cancer on november 20, at 68. Welsh guitarist Brian Godding, well known sessionman in several British jazz fusion projects in '70s and '80s (Centipede, Mike Westbrook, Julie Tippett, Annette Peacock, etc.) and also credited for two obscure albums "solo" recorded in late '80s for Happydays, died on november 25 at 78. Trost delivers Chickenshit Bingo, an unreleased collection of eight pieces recorded in august 2015 in a Belgian studio by Peter Broetzmann (tarogato, clarinets and bass saxophone) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums, gongs, percussion). As states the label, the mixing process somehow stopped the recordings. Finally, the mixing was finished by Martin Siewert. The project Recursive Tree features the trio of David Murray (tenor sax), John Blum (piano), and Chad Taylor (drums). They debuted with a self-titled (Relative Pitch, 2023) recording nine pieces in december 2022. New York born pianist John Blum, who already founded his quartet in late '90, recording an album with William Parker, is credited for two solo pianos, and also worked with Steve Swell and Sunny Murray. Unhearted (Matchless, 2023) features John Butcher (soprano and tenor saxes) and Eddie Prevost (drums) in three long performances: the 34-minute Tap Root, the 28-minute Digging, and the 15-minute Lament For Old Bones. The session was recorded in june 2023. The Beholder's Share (Bead, 2023) documents the trio of Paul Dunmall (saxes), Alex Bonney (trumpet, modular synth and laptop) and Mark Sanders (drums) in a november 2022 session held in a Birmingham studio, where they recorded three pieces (notably the 20-minute Generating Worlds), inclined in lyrical approachs, with many improvisations. The 6CD boxset Outland (Cold Spring, 2023) gathers all of the Outland album series, the collaborative project created by Bill Laswell and Pete Namlook in 1994. Their five releases are here completed by a new addition: Blackland, that documents a Laswell's performance on bass space drone, recorded in july 2023. Let's remember the Outland's sessionography: Outland (august 1994); Outland 2 (1995); Outland 3 (1997); Outland 4 (1999); Outland 5 (2006). PSI restores Crossing The River, an old release credited to the Evan Parker Octet. The saxtenorist reunited Neil Metcalfe (flute), John Rangecroft (clarinet), Philipp Wachsmann (violin), Marcio Mattos (cello), John Edwards (bass), John Russell (guitar), and Agusti Fernandez (piano) for a may 2005 session in the studio, during which they recorded eight pieces, notably two extended octet improvisations (24 and 19 minutes). French saxophonist Pierre-Antoine Badaroux worked in the latest years on newly discovered pieces written by Mary Lou Williams. In 2021 he led the Umlaut Big Band, an acoustic ensemble of 32 french musicians, and for the label Umlaut released Mary's Ideas, a CD that gathers more than 40 pieces written but never recorded by Williams. More recently, in may 2023, he reunited a smaller lineup from the same ensemble (22 musicians) for the recording of an orchestral version of the famous Zodiac Suite, on which he worked for more than a year before the session. Trio San is a new Satoko Fujii's project the pianist created in 2022 along with Taiko Saito (vibraphone) and Yuko Oshima (drums). The label Jazzdor delivers now their first release, Hibiki, that features six pieces recorded in november 2022 at the Jazzdor Jazz Festival in Berlin. Necks' drummer Tony Buck still continues working out of his band. After having collaborated to Invisible Cinema, a november 2007 session self-released though only in 2017, along with Jean-Luc Guionnet (alto sax), Axel Dorner (trumpet) and Clayton Thomas (double bass), he released for Trost two albums, both performed with Italian bassist Massimo Pupillo: Unseen, that features two very long pieces: the 22:30-minute Psithurism and the 46-minute Entrainment, with Buck also on vibraphone and Pupillo also on electronics; and Time Being, a vinyl collecting two tracks, less long. Both these albums were recorded in august 2017. Then he released Ask The Axes, a collaboration with David Watson, the highland pipes performer well known for his sessions with John Zorn, Lee Ranaldo and Zeena Parkins. The two side-long tracks of the vinyl were recorded in november 2017. His latest productions are: Eternal Triangle (Dischi di Angelica, 2022), a seven-part suite with Toshinori Kondo (trumpet) and Massimo Pupillo (bass and electronics), recorded in may 2019; Mythographer, a collaboration with australian pianist Alister Spence, collecting seven tracks (especially the 23-minute And Yet She Turns) recorded in january 2022; the "solo" Environmental Studies, that features a 110-minute piece also performed on guitar, piano and electronics, premiered in august 2023, when was performed along with the Brazilian Marina Cyrino (amplified piccolo and alto flute, installations, masks, sounds & musics); and now Mongrels (Relative Pitch, 2023) on which he played electric & acoustic guitars, bass, monochord, waterphone, zulu-bells and prepared instruments, along with Mark Nauseef on bells & gongs. Each of them recorded apart in 2022 their parts. Among the pieces, let's mention the 29-minute As Far As We Don't Know. Lueur (Sub Rosa, 2023) is the latest Univers Zero's album, the fruit of two years in the making, performed by Daniel Denis (keyboards, drums, percussion), Nicolas Dechene (guitars), Kurt Bude (clarinets) and Nicolas Denis (bass, percussion, vocals). Recorded between 2020 and 2023, it features eleven pieces, all composed by Daniel Denis. A Lovesome Thing (Motema, 2023) documents a september 2012 concert held by pianist Geri Allen and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. From that performance were extracted notably four lenghty pieces, among which Open-Handed Reach, written by Allen as a tribute to Billy Taylor and never recorded in the studio. Space Cube Jazz (RogueArt, 2023) document twelve duets between Steve Swell (trombone) and Matthew Shipp (piano) recorded in a New York studio in november 2021, their first experience as a duo. World Music Radio (Verve, 2023) documents the latest Jon Batiste's album. Recorded in several 2023 sessions, this DoLP collects twenty pieces with the leader on vocals, synthesizers, harmonium, melodica, piano, clarinet and organ, and a lot of guests (almost 50). Animals (Warp, 2023) documents the latest album by Kassa Overall. The new thirteen tracks he composed, that features a fusion between jazz and hip hop, were performed by the drummer also playing synthesizers, along with a notable set of musicians, among which the pianists Vijay Iyer, Kris Davis and Craig Taborn, and also the bassist Stephan Crump. Recorded between 2022 and 2023, the 2CD set Haunted By Eternity (Fratctal, 2023) document the trio of Scott Amendola (drums, live electronics), Henry Kaiser (guitar) and ex-Montreux Michael Manring (bass) in fifteen pieces (notably the 19-minute title-track) plenty of effects and solos, creating, say credits, "soundtracks for quite a number of films that do not exist in our homeworld version of the Earth's infinite timelines". More Lost Performances (HatHut, 2023) collects three previously unavailable performances by Albert Ayler: the june/july 1967 Newport Festival concert with Milford Graves, his performance at John Coltrane's july 1967 Funeral at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in NYC, and a november 1962 concert with Cecil Taylor's group with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray, from which we can listen to the 21:30-minute Four. Recorded in the studio between july and august 2022, Other Doors (Dyad, 2023) documents the latest Soft Machine's work. The current lineup, that sees John Etheridge on electric guitars, Theo Travis on electronics, tenor and soprano saxes, flute and electric piano, drummer John Marshall on his last performance before his death, and Fred Thelonius Baker on bass, was joined by veteran bassist Roy Babbington, and recorded thirteen pieces of jazz fusion, among which the Ayers' cover Joy Of A Toy. This is their new studio album in five years, after Hidden Details, recorded by the same lineup in december 2017. October 2023: Californian composer, keyboardist and bandleader Carla Bley, former wife of Paul Bley, hailed for her masterpiece Escalator Over the Hill, and sessionwoman in the Jazz Composers Orchestra, died of brain cancer on october 17, at the age of 87. The nine pieces of disPOSSESSION (zOaR, 2023), recorded in various dates in three different sessions, feature Elliott Sharp on electric guitar, soprano sax, synths & drum programs, Hélène Breschand on electric & acoustic harps & voice, Zafer Tawil on oud, violin & percussion & Flao Krouchi on electric bass, and Don Mackenzie on drum samples. The music mixes jazz, funk and arabic melodies. Sharp also played guitars, steel guitar, ghita phim lom, electric mandola, electric mandocello, basses, synthesizers, drum programming and arrangements in The Collapsed Wave (zOaR, 2023), performed along with Don McKenzie on drums & drum samples. The nine pieces he composed are a tribute to great disappeared guitarists: Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, Sonny Sharrock. Recorded between june and august 2023. The seven tracks of Polarity 2 (Burning Ambulance, 2023), recorded in january 2023, are the follow-up of previous Polarity by Ivo Perelman (tenor sax) and Nate Wooley (trumpet). The duo also reunited Mat Maneri (viola), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), Joe Morris (bass) and Mat Moran (vibes) for the 2CD set Seven Skies Orchestra, out now by Fundacja Sluchaj, documenting a suite in ten parts (105 minutes), recorded in november 2022. And still by Perelman, Tuning Forks, delivered by his old label Ibeji newly resurrected, collects six duets with vibraphonist Matt Moran. This album comes just after its recent session (september 2023), and extensively presented on the Perelman's bandcamp page. HatHut releases Braids, a production featuring John Butcher (tenor and soprano saxes), Chris Corsano (drums and half clarinet) and Swiss Florian Stoffner (guitar) in a may 2022 session, during which they recorded seven pieces mostly improvised. Stoffner (born in 1975) is on stage since early '2000s. Ballister, the well known trio formed in 2010 by saxophonist Dave Rempis, drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello and electronics) returns with Smash And Grab (Aerophonic, 2023), their eleventh album. As the previous, it has been recorded live, this time at the third annual Catalytic Sound Festival (Chicago), in december 2022. The three pieces collected (notably the 20-minute Smash) feature their music mostly improvised, released in a double edition, vinyl and CD. The DoLP Harmony In Diversity (Not Two, 2023) documents a november 2021 session during which the "bass duo" of Barry Guy and Rafal Mazur recorded eight pieces mostly improvised. Shimmer Wince (Intakt, 2023) is the latest Anna Webber's work. The reedist composer, here on tenor sax and flutes, leads Adam O'Farrill (trumpet), Mariel Roberts (cello), Elias Stemeseder (synthesizer) and Lesley Mok (drums) focusing on the "just intonation", i.e. an ancient tuning system based on the natural harmonics and resonances of notes. The seven pieces performed were recorded in december 2022 in a New York studio. Webber later edited the session. Still by Anna Webber, Capacious Aeration (Tzadik, 2023) features her collaboration on tenor sax and flute along with Matt Mitchell (piano). They recorded five tracks in july 2023, notably the 28-minute Re-aeration, composed by Mitchell, whereas the other four come by Webber. Kairos (Fundacja Sluchaj, 2023) features the duo of Gerry Hemingway (drums, marimba, vibraphone, voice) and Izumi Kimura (piano) in two sessions: one of them live (may 2022), and the other in a Switzerland studio (august 2022). The two already played together, along Barry Guy in Illuminated Silence (february 2018). Kairos is mostly improvised. The same label delivers Chimaera, a november 2022 session in a New York studio, during which were performed six pieces (notably the 21-minute Le pavot rouge) by a notable lineup: the leader pianist Sylvie Couvoisier, who composed all pieces, along with Wadada Leo Smith and Nate Wooley (both on trumpet), Christian Fennesz (guitar and electronics), Drew Gress (bass) and Kenny Wollesen (drums and vibraphone). The title tracks were inspired by the paintings of Odilon Redons. Recorded in april 2022 in a Brooklyn studio, Keep The Dream Up (Fundacja Sluchaj, 2023) features Joe McPhee and Kirk Knuffke both on cornet & voice, Christof Knoche on bass clarinet, Michael Bisio on contrabass and Jay Rosen on drums. The quintet performed ten new pieces for 79 minutes of music, notably the 20-minute long You See the Lights. The Remembrance Quintet is a new project created by Luke Stewart (double bass), Tcheser Holmes (drums, percussion), Daniel Carter (reeds), Jamal Moore (reeds, percussion) and Chris Williams (trumpet). They debuted with Do You Remember? (Sonboy, 2023), featuring eight pieces. Recorded in february 2021. Bassist Luke Stewart is also sessionman in Miserere (Mahakala, 2023), comprising of four long pieces recorded with the label's founder Chad Fowler (stritch, alto flute, baritone sax, bass flute), Curlew's founder George Cartwright (alto and tenor saxes, electric guitar), Chris Parker (piano, voice), Kelley Hurt (voice) and Steve Hirsh (drum set). Recorded in march 2022. Canto (Relative Pitch, 2023) documents the Septeto del Sur, a new project created by Susan Alcorn on which the steel guitarist led Luis "ToTo" Alvarez (guitar), Claudio "Pajaro" Araya (drums, cuatro), Francisco "Pancho" Araya (charango), Rodrigo Bobadilla (flute, quena, zampoña, vocals), Amanda Irarrazabal (double bass, vocals) and Danka Villanueva (violin, vocals) in six pieces, combining Chilean folk and "nueva cancion" with free improvisation and contemporary classical. Recorded in november 2022. Pith (Out Of Your Head, 2023) marks the return of 7 Poets Trio, the project created by Tomas Fujiwara in 2018 along with vibraphonist Patria Brennan and celloist Tomeka Reid. The drummer reunited the same lineup for a session held in april 2023 at the Firehouse 12 studio, where were recorded their new six pieces, five composed by the leader and one as a collective improvisation. Echolocation (Aum Fidelity, 2023) features the project Revels, comprising of James Brandon Lewis on tenor sax, Ava Mendoza on electric guitar, Devin Hoff on electric bass and Ches Smith on drums. Mendoza is an ex sessionwoman with Negativland and also worked with Matana Roberts, William Parker and Gerald Cleaver. Hoff instead sports collaborations with Nels Cline and Ben Goldberg. The eight pieces they recorded (four composed by Mendoza and other four by Hoff) feature a progressive jazz-rock free form oriented. Recorded in january 2022. Recorded in a Portuguese studio in november 2022, Pas De Deux (Clean Feed, 2023) documents a collaboration between Fritz Hauser (drums and percussion) and Pedro Carneiro (marimba). The seven pieces they performed are presented by Hauser as "a dance of sounds, noises and silence". On stage since early 2000s, Carneiro sports a career of credited albums in classical and jazz, and several collaborations with well known musicians, as Iannis Xenakis, Joshua Redman, etc. The same label delivers Crossings Four, documenting a collaboration between Ned Rothenberg (clarinets and alto sax), Sylvie Courvoisier (piano), Mary Halvorson (guitar and effects) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums). Recorded in a New York studio in august 2022, their six pieces, mostly composed by Rothenberg, were presented by the label. The label Carrier delivers Lock Me Up, Lock Me Down, that documents an old unreleased march 2010 session by Fred Frith on electric guitar, Cenk Ergün on electronics and Sudhu Tewari on recuperated junk. The seven pieces they recorded feature an experimental performance, plenty of improvisations, and overdubbed in 2020 with the piano by Tewari. The DoLP/2CD set Uncle John's Band (ECM, 2023) features guitarist John Scofield along with his rhythm section Vicente Archer (double bass) and Bill Stewart (drums) in a session recorded in august 2022 in a New York studio. The release presents 14 pieces, 7 of which are Scofield's compositions, the other 7 are rock and jazz covers (Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Neil Young, etc.). After For The Love Of Fire And Water, the Myra Melford Quintet returns with Hear The Light Singing, comprising five lenghty pieces composed by the pianist and recorded in november 2022. The lineup is almost the same: Myra Melford on piano, Mary Halvorson on guitar, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor and soprano saxes, Tomeka Reid on cello. Susie Ibarra was instead replaced on drums and percussion by Lesley Mok. Gush, the ancient project created by Mats Gustafsson along with pianist Sten Sandella and drummer Raymond Strid, returns with a larger lineup to celebrate their 30th aniversary. The Not Two's 3CD set Krakow 2018, recorded in november 2018, also features Sofia Jernberg and Sven Ake Johansson (both on vocals), Anders Nyqvist (trumpets), Philipp Wachsmann (violin), Christine Abdelnour (alto sax), Peter Soderberg (lute and guitar) and Jorgen Adolfsson (reeds), while the leader played reeds and flute. From the credits: "Gustafsson's saxophone emulates the qualities of the human voice, Sandell's piano evokes both lyricism and percussive rhythm, while Strid's drums exude a captivating, enigmatic fluidity in their aesthetics. Their collective efforts yield an intense, abstract beauty in the seamless convergence of sounds, culminating in an organic, harmonious unity". Bright Light A Joyous Celebration (Discus, 2023) documents Paul Dunmall on tenor & C soprano saxes, Soweto Kinch on alto & tenor saxes, Xhosa Cole on tenor sax, Corey Mwamba on vibes, Dave Kane on double bass and Hamid Drake on drums. This is the sixth collaboration for Dunmall and Drake together. Recorded in november 2022, it features four tracks composed, and a collective improvisation. German label Calig released in 1968 Gesprächsfetzen and in 1969 In Sommerhausen, two forgotten albums credited to Marion Brown and now re-released as a CD under the title Gesprächsfetzen & In Sommerhausen by the German indipendent label Moosicus. Gesprächsfetzen features the leader on alto sax, Buschi Niebergall (later sessionman in Globe Unity Orchestra, with Gunter Hampel, John Tchicai, Peter Broetzmann and Albert Mangelsdorff) on bass, Steve McCall (later sessionman with Billy Bang, David Murray and Cecil Taylor) on drums, Ambrose Jackson (who also worked with Steve Lacy) on trumpet, and Gunter Hampel on vibes & bass clarinet. Recorded live in september 1968, the release sported five pieces (notably the side-long title-track composed by Brown). Instead, In Sommerhausen documents the leader along with Jeanne Lee on vocals, French Daniel Laloux (who later was member of rock band Gong) on bass, Ambrose Jackson on trumpet and percussion, Gunter Hampel on vibes, percussion & bass clarinet, and Steve McCall on drums & percussion. Recorded live in may 1969, it features six pieces, mostly improvised. Bars Without Measures (Discus, 2023) features the fourth production by Eclectic Maybe Band, an ensemble currently comprising of Martin Archer on reeds, Guy Segers, Dirk Descheemaeker on bass clarinet, Michel Delville on guitar, Julie Tippetts on vocals, Art Zoid's Thierry Zaboitzeff on cello, Dirk Wachtelaer on drums plus 20 musicians from different backgrounds, among which it's worth mentioning Forrest Fang on processed violin and Dave Newhouse ex Muffins. The eleven pieces, composed by ex Univers Zero Guy Segers, were mostly created over the Internet on various dates, others in different studios in Europe and USA. This work mixes the themes created in the studios with the live improvisation over Internet. By the same label, From The Rough Hill documents the project Fjall, featuring Martin Archer on flutes, clarinets, recorders, harmonicas, soprano sax, percussion & electronics, Jan Todd on baritone psaltery, electric & cross-strung harps, waterphone, tagelharpa, flute, cello, electronics & field recordings, Fran Comyn on frame drums, cymbals, bells, bowls & hand percussion and Richard Jackson drums & percussion. They performed a twelve part suite, built with several live and live in the studio sessions, with an experimental approach and many improvisations. The vinyl Flesh And Bones (ORG, 2023) is the latest William Hooker's work. The drummer led Theodore Burnett III aka Ras Moshe (tenor sax and flute), Charles Burnham (violin), On Davis (guitar), Hilliard Greene and Luke Stewart (both on bass) in eleven pieces. The session was recorded in october 2021 in a New York studio. September 2023: Charles Gayle died on September 5, at the age of 84. American trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, cofounder of Jazz Passengers and sessionman along with Gunter Hampel, Henry Threadgill, Bill Frisell, John Zorn, Charlie Haden, Marty Ehrlich and many others, died on september 1, at 72. The last, until now, album by the Jazz Passengers has been Still Life With Trouble (Enja, 2017), produced after two years in the working, and documenting nine songs performed by Roy Nathanson (saxes), Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), Sam Bardfeld (violin), Bill Ware (vibraphone), Bradley Jones (bass), Ben Perowsky (drums) and EJ Rodriguez (percussion). After their Reunited, released in 2010, Brad Jones and Marc Ribot left the group. American bassist Richard Davis, who started his career in 1967 with Elvin Jones and Roland Kirk, and worked with many other great of jazz, sessionman in Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch, Pharoah Sanders' Karma and Andrew Hill's Judgement, but also in rock music (notably in Van Morrison's Astral Weeks), died on september 6, at 93. British drummer John Marshall, who started his career with Graham Collier in late '60s, then sessionman with a lot of British jazz musicians and bands, among other Nucleus and Soft Machine, died on september 16, at 82. Premiered in march 2023 during an European tour, the 72 minutes of Horror Vol. 15: The Odyssey (House of Chadula, 2023) feature Eugene Chadbourne on guitars, banjos, electric rake, turntables & editing, John Zorn on alto & soprano saxes, clarinet & game calls, Dan Clucas on cornet and violin, Jamison Williams on game calls, Florian Mastung on bass sax and Marcello Delbosco on drums, timbales, percussion & miscellaneous effects. This suite is based on the story of ‘The Odyssey’ and it is broken into 12 parts. Maromas (Relative Pitch, 2023) documents a collaboration between Ingrid Laubrock (soprano and tenor saxes) and Cecilia Lopez (electronics and processing). Recorded in april 2022, this release gathers ten improvised pieces. Born in Buenos Aires and currently New York-based musician and multimedia artist Cecilia Lopez is on stage since 2010s; her works feature sounds, installations and creation of sound devices and systems. Still by Laubrock, Monochromes (Intakt, 2023) documents a 39-minute suite she began writing since the pandemic, then recording it in august 2022 (but the work was already premiered in may 2021), playing soprano and tenor saxes, along with Jon Irabagon (sopranino sax), Zeena Parkins (electric harp), Tom Rainey (drums and percussion), Nate Wooley (trumpet) and Adam Matlock (accordion). The Very Fabric (Hitorri, 2023) documents a solo sax performance, on tenor and soprano, by John Butcher. Recorded in june 2022 inside a concrete water tower of Copenhagen of which Butcher utilized the echo of sounds creating a lot of effects, it sports eleven tracks, for 47 minutes of music.Still by Butcher, Ice In A Hot World (Unsounds, 2023) features Thermal, a trio led by the leader and comprising of Andy Moor (guitar) and Thomas Lehn (synthesizer) in five pieces, mostly improvised, recorded in february 2020, notably the 18-minute Autumn Fireflies. Live In Tel Aviv And Aubervilliers (ReR Fred, 2023) documents three live performances by Tom Cora (cello & sampling), Fred Frith (guitar & voice) and Chris Cutler (drums & electronics). The first features Chris Cutler & Fred Frith from a june 2005 concert; the second Tom Cora & Fred (march 1998) and the third sports the trio (still march 1998). The vinyl Janus (Org, 2023) is a compilation of rare material by Sun Ra, coming from tapes recorded between 1963 and 1970, taken from both live and studio performances. Musicians with the leader are the usual John Gilmore, Danny Davis, Marshall Allen, Ronnie Boykins, Pat Patrick, Robert Cummings, Danny Ray Thompson, Clifford Jarvis, etc. Visitation Of Spirits (NoBusiness, 2023) documents the trio of Roy Campbell (trumpet, flugelhorn and flute), William Parker (bass) and Zen Matsuura (drums) in five lenghty pieces recorded in february 1985 and until now unissued. American reedist Roy Campbell (1952-2014) is known above all as sessionman (mainly with William Parker), but he's also credited for two albums as leader: New Kingdom (recorded in october 1991) and La Tierra Del Fuego (december 1993). After signed for the label Strut in 2015, Idris Ackamoor, the leader of Pyramids, on tenor sax and keyboards, reunited Heshima Mark Williams and Kimathi Asante (both on basses), Babatunde Lea and Max Weissenfeldt (both on drums and percussion), Jason Liebert (horns), Sandra Poindexter (violin), Bajka and Benjamin "Stibbo" Spitzmuller (both on vocals), Bastian Duncker and Claudio Jolowicz (both on flutes) and composed (also under the moniker of Bruce Baker) seven pieces collected on We Be All Africans, recorded in may 2015. The DoLP An Angel Fell (august 2017) was the follow-up, that also featured guitarist David Molina. Another DoLP, Shaman!, was recorded with another guitarist, Bobby Cobb, and documents a 75-minute long suite multisession, whoose production debuted in 2018, for a 2020 release. Afro Futuristic Dreams (Strut, 2023), their latest album, sports another tour de force, three years in the making, with a new lineup: Vincent Tolliver on viola, Laura Boytz on cello, Aaron Atkinson on trumpet, Greg Stephens on trombone, Margaux Simmons on flute, Ruben Ramos Mecdina on bass, John Notaro, George Hearts, Bradie Speller and Ernesto Marichales on drums, Ben Maddox on keyboards, with the leader on sax, grand piano, organ, cymbal tree, keytar, didgeridoo, thunder sticks, pan flutes, rain stick, bells, bass mbira, talking drum and vocals. The two pieces (both 27-minute long) on All Along The Way (Editions, 2023) feature two different june 2022 "solo" sessions during which Jason Kahn performed an experimental music playing modular synthesizer, electronics, tube amplifier, electromagnetic transducers, contact microphones, radio and field recordings. Recorded in august 2021 in a New York studio after "a culmination of six years of writing, re-writing, rehearsals, concerts, van trips with the band and the love and support of friends and family", as she writes in her liner notes, Nighttime Creatures (Pyroclastic, 2023) documents the latest album by Angelica Sanchez, comprising of eleven pieces, among which the reworkings of Duke Ellington's Lady of the Lavender Mist and Tristeza by Chilean composer Armando Carvajal, died in 1972. The pianist led a nonet: Michael Attias (alto sax), Ben Goldberg (contralto clarinet), John Hebert (bass), Thomas Heberer (quarter-tone trumpet), Sam Ospovat (drums), Chris Speed (tenor sax and clarinet), Omar Tamez (guitar) and Kenny Warren (cornet). In The Garden (Constellation, 2023) is the chapter 5 of Matana Roberts' Coin Coin series. Recorded in Brooklyn in september 2022, the new sixteen tracks were composed by Roberts who, also on vocals, played horns, harmonicas and percussion, leading Mike Pride and Ryan Sawyer (both on drums), Matt Lavelle (alto clarinet, pocket trumpet), Stuart Bogie (clarinets), Cory Smythe (piano), Mazz Swift (violin), Darius Jones (alto sax), and Kyp Malone (synths). Trumpetist Jaimie Branch, who was due to play, unfortunately died before, receiving a credit for "courage". Her posthumous Fly Or Die Fly Or Die Fly Or Die (International Anthem, 2023) documents her last album. Recorded in april 2022, four months before her death, and later overdubbed in july, it features nine pieces composed by the trumpetist (here also on keyboards, vocals and percussion), along with Lester St. Louis (cello, voice, flute, marimba, keyboard), Jason Ajemian (double and electric bass, voice, marimba) and Chad Taylor (drums, mbira, timpani, bells), plus, as guests, Nick Broste (trombone), Rob Frye (flute and bass clarinet), Daniel Villarreal (conga and percussion) and vocalists Akenya Seymour and Kuma Dog. John Zorn's project Incerto returns with Homenaje A Remedios Varo, their fourth work featuring nine pieces composed by Zorn and recorded in april 2023 by the same lineup: Julian Lage (guitar), Brian Marsella (piano), Jorge Roeder (bass) and Ches Smith (drums and Haitian tanbou). The DoLP For Mahalia, With Love (Tao Forms, 2023) documents the Red Lily Quintet, i.e. James Brandon Lewis on tenor sax (who arranged nine pieces inspired by Mahalia Jackson), Kirk Knuffke (cornet), William Parker (bass), Chad Taylor (drums) and Christopher Hoffman (cello). This is the follow-up of their previous Jesup Wagon. The expanded CD edition also features the suite These Are Soulful Days, performed by Lewis with the Lutoslawski Quartet (52 minutes), that was premiered in november 2021. Ezz-Thetics restores At Antibes, already released in 1979 by Atlantic, and documenting a Charlie Mingus' concert held in july 1960 during a French festival. The bassist led Eric Dolphy (alto sax and bass clarinet), Dannie Richmond (drums), Booker Ervin (tenor sax) and Ted Curson (trumpet) in six lenghty pieces extracted from the concert; on the Gene De Paul's I'll Remember April also played Bud Powell on piano. Mingus also played piano in Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting and in Better Git Hit In Your Soul. Recorded in february 2018 but out only now thanks to Astral Spirits, the vinyl Vertical Motion documents Anthony Davis on piano, Kyle Motl on contrabass and Kjell Nordeson on drums. The trio presents five tracks, two improvised, other two by Motl, and finally a reworking of Davis' Lady of the Mirrors. August 2023: American cellist Tristan Honsinger, who debuted his career with Derek Bailey, then joining ICP Orchestra in 1979, sessionman with Cecil Taylor and a lot of other jazz greats, died in Trieste on august 5, at 73. Ex Machina (PI, 2023) documents Steve Lehman (alto sax and electronics), Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet) and Chris Dingman (vibraphone) in nine pieces perfomed with the Orchestre National de Jazz, an ensemble founded in 1986 and currently conducted by Frédéric Maurin (here also on electronics), and comprising Fanny Ménégoz (flute, alto flute, piccolo), Catherine Delaunay (clarinet, basset horn), Julien Soro (tenor sax, clarinet), Fabien Debellefontaine (baritone sax, clarinet, flute), Fabien Norbert (trumpet, flugelhorn), Daniel Zimmermann and Christiane Bopp (both on trombone), Fanny Meteier (tuba), Bruno Ruder (piano, synthesizer), Stéphan Caracci (vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, percussion, synthesizer), Rafaël Koerner (drums), Sarah Murcia (double bass), Jéröme Nika (generative electronics creation & artistic collaboration) and Dionysios Papanikolaou (IRCAM electronics). The pieces were composed by Lehman along with the director Maurin, and then premiered in february 2022. Presented here by the label. Pyroclastic delivers the concert Live At The Village Vanguard, held by Kris Davis at the famous New York jazz club in may 2022. The pianist, also on prepared piano and an Arturia Microfreak synthesizer, performed five pieces she composed, along with three covers by Shannon Jackson, Geri Allen and Wayne Shorter, leading Terri Lyne Carrington (drums), Val Jeanty (turntables and electronics), Julian Lage (electric guitar) and Trevor Dunn (electric bass). The sinth played by Davis is an hybrid experimental instrument that uses 18 digital sound engines (algorithms) to synthesize raw tones, whose digital oscillator is fed into a multi-mode analog filter, giving the MicroFreak its hybrid sounds. Songs From A Rogue State (zOaR, 2023) features nine pieces composed by Elliott Sharp (playing electric, 12 string, baritone and console steel guitars, electric and 8 string basses, analog synthesizers, and drum programming), who led Eric Mingus (voice, vocal arrangements, electric upright and electric basses) and Don McKenzie (drum samples, loops) in three sessions (july, august and september 2022) recorded in a New Mexico studio. Ogun restores now SOS, an old album by the sax trio S.O.S., i.e. Alan Skidmore (tenor sax, drums, percussion), Mike Osborne (alto sax and percussion) and John Surman (baritone and soprano saxes, bass clarinet, and synths). The trio was formed in april 1973, and in october began their first concerts. The three were later commissioned to compose and perform the music for the ballet Sabler Prison (june 1974). In january and february 1975 they performed two sessions in an English studio, for ten pieces gathered in this album now restored. The group disbanded though in the same year. In 2013, Cuneiform delivered the 2CD set Looking For The Next One, collecting the last unreleased sessions by S.O.S.: CD1 features six pieces recorded in the studio (late 1974 and september 1975); CD2 sports three tracks coming from a concert (july 1974), notably the 25-minute Suite and the 23-minute Trio Trio. The 4CD boxset Four Experiments (Four Word Sea) documents four different "pandemic" compositions by Nate Wooley (he's present as performer in one track only, on vocals), born from his "desire to explore new ways of viewing his relationship to instrumental, compositional, and improvisatory technique", as he states in his credits. So, CD1 features two performances by John McCowen on recorder (27 min.), recorded in april 2022, and Weston Olencki on trombone (32 min.), recorded in july 2022; CD2 features a performance by Ryan Packard on bass drum, sine tones, speaker cone, and rope (18 min.) and the 20:30-minute gabby fluke-mogul violin, recorded in may 2022 by the quartet of Russell Greenberg (percussion), Cory Smythe (piano), Lester St. Louis (cello) and Luke Stewart (double bass and amplifier); CD3 sports a solo vocals perfomance by Wooley (23 min.), recorded in april 2022, and three pieces performed by Joshua Modney on cello, violin and voice (october 2022); CD4 features a 33-minute London session (february 2022) on solo alto sax by Seymour Wright, and a 35-minute performance recorded in june 2022 by Laura Cocks (flute), Madison Greenstone (clarinet) and Eric Wubbels (piano, voice, autoharp). Etching The Ether (Intakt, 2023) documents the quartet of Evan Parker (soprano sax), Matthew Wright (live electronics), Peter Evans (trumpet and piccolo trumpet) and Mark Nauseef (percussion) in a session recorded in the studio (march 2022) that began with a trio recording by Parker, Wright and Evans, with Mark Nauseef who added later intro, interludes and a coda. The release sports three long pieces, notably the 20:40-minute Drawing Breath. Italian label Setola Di Maiale delivers Sun Spells, featuring Joe Morris on acoustic bass, Jeff Platz on guitar & electronics, Stephen Haynes on cornet and Matt Crane on drums. Recorded in a studio in Rhode Island in june 2022, it sports seven lenghty tracks of contemporary jazz. Sunnyside restores two forgotten albums by the trio of Paul Bley, Jimmy Giuffre and Steve Swallow. The label already re-released Conversations With A Goose, i.e. the third and final album by the trio, recorded in may 1993. Previously, they debuted with The Life Of A Trio: Sunday, that documents a session recorded in december 1989 in a New York studio. The twelve pieces performed, some individual, some collective, featured a mix of postbop and avantgarde jazz, with Giuffre on clarinet and soprano sax, Bley on piano and Swallow on electric bass. Fly Away Little Bird, recorded in the same studio in april 1992, features the same trio with Giuffre also on vocals. The fourteen pieces collected show this time a more free oriented approach, with more improvisations. The trio also sported another "one time" experience, the live album Emphasis & Flight 1961, delivered by Hatology in 2003, that documents a concert held in november 1961, featuring two very long performances, 52-minute and 62-minute long respectively. The Whisperers (Mahakala, 2023) documents the duo of Ivo Perelman (sax) and cofounder of String Trio of New York James Emery (guitar) in thirteen pieces, mostly melodical and lyrical, recorded in a Brooklyn studio in february 2022. The vinyl Oblique Strategies (Black Truffle, 2023) features Joe McPhee on tenor sax, Mette Rasmussen on alto sax and Dennis Tyfus on tape, voice and percussion. The performance was recorded in august 2018 and sports four pieces, among which the side-long Light My Fire. Recorded in a London studio in december 2022, Here And Now (Bead, 2023) features John Butcher (saxes), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Emil Karlsen (drums) in eight pieces mostly improvised. Last Calls (Matchless, 2023) collects two tracks that celebrate 80th birthday of percussionist Eddie Prévost, who, in june 2022, along with guitarist Keith Rowe held a concert from which has been extracted the namesake 53-minute long piece. The release has been completed by a John Tilbury's Postscript (13 minutes) the pianist recorded at his home in january 2023. The vinyl Live In Paris (WHP, 2023) documents the Horace Silver Quintet, on which the pianist led a stellar lineup: Bennie Maupin (tenor sax), Randy Brecker (trumpet), John Williams (bass) and Billy Cobham (drums), in three extended version of Silver's compositions performed during a november 1968 concert. Not to be confused with the namesake release documenting an older concert (february 1959). Irreversible Entanglements, the bassist Luke Stewart's project created in 2015, comes to their fourth album. After having debuted with a self-titled (session in august 2015), followed by Who Sent You? (march 2019), they recorded in january 2021 Open The Gates. Now, after having signed for Impulse, with the vinyl Protect Your Light they present an unchanged lineup since their first release: the leader bassist plays along with Camae Ayewa (vocals), Keir Neuringer (saxophone), Aquiles Navarro ( trumpet) and Tcheser Holmes (drums). These new eight pieces were recorded in january 2023. Recorded in january 2001, but released only now by the label Iamshee, Drone Bone features Billy Bang on acoustic violin, William Parker on contrabass, Lou Grassi (sessionman with John Tchicai) on drums and Amy Sheffer on vocals. The disc gathers twelve pieces of avantgarde jazz. Vocalist and also pianist Sheffer is on stage since 1977, when she recorded the credited album Sanctuary Mine , followed by Where's Your Home? (1985) and We'um (1987), on which Billy Bang also was sessionman. Borne On A Whim (Corbett vs Dempsey, 2023) documents eight duets performed in an april 1981 session recorded in a Belgian studio by percussionist Paul Lytton and German guitarist Erhard Hirt. On stage since 1982, Hirt sports several credited albums, and worked, among others, with Axel Dörner, Phil Minton, Thomas Lehn, Phil Wachsmann and John Butcher. From the same label, The Milwaukee Tapes, Vol. 2 is the follow-up of Vol. 1 by the Fred Anderson Quartet. The release collects five pieces, between 11 and 16 minutes, recorded in january and february 1980 by the saxtenorist, who led again Billie Brimfield (trumpet), Larry Hayrod (bass) and Hamid Drake (drums). Recorded in january 2023, Full Fathom Five (Tzadik, 2023) is the second production by Incerto, the latest John Zorn Quartet comprising Julian Lage (guitar), Brian Marsella (piano), Jorge Roeder (bass) and Ches Smith (drums, Haitian tanbou). Zorn composed, arranged and conducted his new seven pieces as a suite of nocturne, inspired by Shakespeare. July 2023: After their february 2021 duets collected on The Cleansing, John Zorn (on alto sax) and Bill Laswell (on bass) return with Memoria (Tzadik, 2023), that sports three improvisations dedicated to three jazz giants recently disappeared: Pharoah Sanders, Milford Graves and Wayne Shorter. Recorded in january 2023. Still by Zorn, the same label releases Quatrain, that gathers five new pieces performed by the guitarists Julian Lage and Gyan Riley, inspired by the English novel A High Wind in Jamaica. Recorded in april 2023. Prophecy (Mahakala, 2023) documents the trio of Ivo Perelman (tenor sax), Cuban Aruan Ortiz (piano) and Lester St. Louis (cello) in two long pieces (respectively 37 and 18 minutes) recorded in january 2022 in a Brooklyn studio. The same label delivers For The People Of The Open Heart, credited to Steve Swell. The reedist, here on trombone and flute, reunited Mark Tokar (double bass) and Klaus Kugel (drums) for nine new pieces recorded in a German studio in february 2020. Still by Swell, relative Pitch delivers For Rhina P. Espaillat, a solo album played on trombone and pocket trumpet, comprising of eight pieces (notably the 18:30-minute Hope) inspired by poem Why Publish. Recorded live in the studio without overdubbings sometime in 2023, Mahalo Nui (Fractal, 2023) features Henry Kaiser's solo compositions for electric and acoustic guitar and effects. Among the ten pieces collected, let's mention the 23-minute long Antarctic Requiem For Liz Sutter & Bija Sass. Impulse! restores John Coltrane's Evenings At The Village Gate, documenting two unheard sessions held at the New York City Club in august and september 1961, when the saxophonist, on tenor and soprano, led a stellar cast: Eric Dolphy (alto sax, flute and clarinet), McCoy Tyner (piano), Reggie Workman and Art Davis (basses), and Elvin Jones (drums). The five pieces collected, all very famous, were: My Favorite Things (15:45); Benny Carter's When Lights Are Low (15:10), with a solo Dolphy's showcase; Impressions (10:00); the traditional Greensleeves (16:15); Africa (22:41). Recorded in september 2022, Angles Of Enquiry (Confront, 2023) features John Butcher on tenor & soprano saxes, Max Eastley on arc electroacoustic monochord (ancient instrument which has only one string), percussion & bird call and veteran Terry Day on drums. The trio improvised a six-part 47-minute long performance. Mutable re-released an old Fred Ho's forgotten album. Celestial Green Monster, recorded in december 2008 and firstly released in 2009, documents fifteen pieces performed with the Green Monster Big Band, an ensemble Ho led on baritone sax and comprising of Bobby Zankel and Jim Hobbs (alto sax), Hafez Modirzadeh and Salim Washington (tenor sax), Stanton Davis, Brian Kilpatrick and Amir Elsaffar (trumpet), Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet), Robert Pilkington, Marty Wehner and Richard Harper (trombone), Earl MacIntyre and David Harris (contrabass trombone), Art Hirahara (piano, electronic keyboard), Wes Brown (electric and acoustic bass) and Royal Hartigan (drum set). Knitting Factory re-released two rare Dave Douglas' albums. Souvenir, firstly delivered in 1992, documents two sessions (september and december 1991) during which the trumpetist led Mark Feldman (violin), American Andy Laster (alto and baritone saxes), Tom Rainey (drums) and Kermit Driscoll (basses) in ten pieces collectively composed. Instead, Consensus, already released in 1995, documents an october 1993 session with the same lineup, who performed other ten pieces of contemporary jazz. Stochastica, an one-time project featuring Elliott Sharp (electric, 12-string, steel & fretless baritone guitars, electric sitar, electric mandocello, bass clarinet & analog synth), Henry Kaiser (electric & acoustic guitars & 6-string bass), Brandon Lopez (contrabass, baritone guitar & electric mandocello) and Scott Amendola (drums, percussions & electronics) was created for the 2CD set A Tribute to Iannis Xenakis (Erototox, 2023), the Romanian born (1922) avantgarde musician dead in 2001. Each of all four musicians recorded his separately during the pandemic, performing their own versions of 12 of Xenakis' compositions. Still Elliott Sharp recorded in july 2022 the four pieces of Topical Anesthetic (Imploding Sounds, 2023), playing electric guitar & processing and paired with "polymathic electroacoustic composer, noise guitarist, and performance artist" (so presented by Sharp) Zona Zanjeros on live processing. The vinyl Four Hands Piano Pieces (Trost, 2023) documents Aki Takase and Alexander von Schlippenbach in ten piano duos recorded in september 2021, and so presented by Schlippenbach: "During the first attempts to improvise with four hands on the piano, it soon became clear that playing together without any conceptual guidelines can quickly lead to unwanted tautologies or even pleonasms. On the other hand, it is quite possible that with longer experience in practice, something useful will emerge. The present pieces, which were composed over a period of thirty years meet these criteria in different ways". The Intrinsic Nature Of Shipp (Mahakala, 2023) features ten compositions of solo piano recorded by Matthew Shipp in march 2023, basically improvised. Recorded in march 2023, All This This Here (Fundacja Sluchaj, 2023) is the latest Barry Guy's Blue Shroud Band album. The current lineup directed by the bassist is a 13-musician ensemble, comprising of Savina Yannatou (voice), Agusti Fernandez (piano), Maya Homburger (violin), Fanny Paccoud (viola), Ben Dwyer (guitar), Percy Pursglove (trumpet), Torben Snekkestad (soprano and tenor saxes), Michael Niesemann (alto sax, oboe and oboe d’amore), Per Texas Johansson (tenor sax and clarinet), Julius Gabriel (baritone and soprano saxes), Marc Unternahrer (tuba), and the duo of Lucas Niggli and Ramon Lopez on percussion. The title of his new work comes from the last poem of Samuel Beckett What is the word. The suite (72 minutes) is divided in seven movements, notably the 21-minute Comment Dire. Symphony No. 107 - The Bard (Black Truffle, 2023) documents an unheard archival recording by Alvin Curran's Musica Elettronica Viva. The vinyl restores an october 2012 session, during which the core trio of Curran, Frederic Rzewski and Richard Teitelbaum played piano, electronics and small instruments in a splitted 41-minute long suite. Lantskap Logic, the project created by guitarist Fred Frith, saxophonist Phillip Greenlief and organist Evelyn Davis, returns ten years after their debuting namesake album, that featured two 26-minute long improvisations recorded in february 2013. Hidden Danger Lets Me In (Clean Feed, 2023), their new album, presents the same lineup in seven new tracks, mostly improvised (notably the 15:30-minute The Sail Makers) recorded in may 2022. Blutopia (Discus, 2023) is the fourth collaboration between Ron Caines and Martin Archer. The two, on various saxes (and Archer also on clarinet and flute) recorded in 2022 and 2023 seventeen pieces (all brief but the 13:30-minute Ancient and Modern) leading Laura Cole (piano), Charlotte Keefe (trumpet), Chris Sharkey (electric guitar), Graham Clark (violin), Gus Garside (double bass) and Johnny Hunter (drums). Ee Opus One (Trost, 2023) documents the namesake 48-minute suite performed in two sessions (may and september 2022) by Ensemble E, the new Mats Gustafsson's project. In the liner notes, the leader states that "the initial idea behind Ensemble E was to combine traditions of contemporary music, noise, improvised music, free jazz and other experimental music fields and traditions with the deeper music traditions. This is deeper research of traditional and non-traditional ways of expressing folk music of Scandinavia, Portugal, Poland, Ukraine and more". Playing baritone sax, flute and spilapipa (a traditional Sweden flute), Gustafsson led Helga Myhr (hardanger fiddle, a traditional Norwegian instrument), Sylwia Swiatkowska (bilgoraj suka, another traditional string instrument), Susana Santos Silva (trumpet), Maniucha Bikont (vocal, tuba), Daniel Formo (organ, prepared piano) and Arne Forsen (prepared piano, clavichord, percussion). Still by Gustaffson, the same label delivers Hidros 9 Mirrors, collecting nine pieces recorded in october 2022, when he conducted two 9-musicians different ensembles and five soloists. Aerophonic releases On The Blink, new work by Dave Rempis, who, on alto and tenor saxes, performed four pieces (especially the 26:30-minute Radiata) recorded in november 2022 along with Farida Amadou (electric bass and electronics) and Jonas Cambien (piano and electronics). World Without (577 Records, 2023) documents the new Paul Dunmall Quartet in a december 2021 session recorded in an UK studio, during which the reedist, on tenor and alto saxes, led Steve Saunders (guitar), Dave Kane (bass) and Miles Levin (drums) in two long tracks, The Beauty In You and the title-track, for one hour of mostly improvised music. June 2023: German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, one of the most influential European musicians in the latest 50 years, well known for his ferocious free style, cofounder in 1965 of Globe Unity Orchestra, died at his home on june 20, at 82. Relative Pitch delivers Catch The Leaves, that features Borbetomagus' Don Dietrich on tenor sax along with his daughter Camille on cello. The two, after their previous Dietrichs, recorded in september 2016 for Pica Disk, return with other four pieces completely improvised, recorded in a New York studio in june 2022. Unclosing (Out Of Your Head, 2023) documents the third release by Illegal Crowns, the notable project founded in 2014 by Tomas Fujiwara. The drummer reunited Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet and flugelhorn), Mary Halvorson (guitar), and Benoît Delbecq (piano and prepared piano), who debuted with a Self-Titled, collecting six pieces (among which the 15-minute Wry Tulips) recorded in a French studio in may 2014. The No-Nosed Puppet was their follow-up, a vinyl comprising of other six pieces recorded in november 2017. Now Unclosing documents the same lineup in nine new tracks (three composed each by Halvorson, Fujiwara and Delbecq), recorded in a Connecticut studio in june 2022. Neural (Room40, 2023) features double bassist Werner Dafeldecker (here only on electronics, though) leading Nicholas Bussmann (cello), Judith Hamann (cello), John Heilbron (double bass), Lucio Capece (bass clarinet) and Wolfgang Seidl (gongs). This work is so presented by Dafeldecker: "I have always found the idea of using alien material as the structuring element of an artistic process exciting… This working method creates areas of tension that reflect the artistic process on a different emotional level… Neural places sound surfaces as its central focus and is inspired by the idea that neural networks develop a memory when they repeatedly send information. The ensemble focuses on vibrations and rhythmic variations of the overtones, which are caused by dynamics and pitch shifts in the microtonal range. With the passage of time and performance practice, spherical, acoustic stamps become established, caused by the conscious perception of when rhythm changes into sound sensation and vice versa". This album sports two 28-minute compositions, the title-track and Tape 231, both recorded at a date in 2022. The vinyl Scheisse '71 (Black Truffle, 2023) documents a november 1971 concert held by vocalist Jeanne Lee, accompanied by her husband Gunter Hampel on vibes, flute and bass clarinet, Sven-Ake Johansson on drums, accordion, and oboe d'amore, Michael Waisvisz on modified Putney (VCS 3) synthesizer, and Freddy Gosseye on electric bass. From the concert, this release presents the 30:30-minute long title-track. The DoLP 60 Years (The Village, 2023) features the history of Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, the famous ensemble founded in 1961 by Horace Tapscott, and currently always active, led by drummer Mekala Session (Tapscott's son altoist Michael). The six tracks of this celebration, all unreleased until now, were recorded between 1961 and 2019, i.e. before and after the Tapscott's death (1999). Among the tracks, let's mention the 27-minute Dem Folks, taken from an august 2019 concert. We Speak (Relative Pitch, 2023) documents a collaboration between Frode Gjerstad (alto sax and Bb clarinet) and Matthew Shipp (piano), who in november 2022 recorded in a Brooklyn studio eight new pieces. Saxtenorist Frank Lowe founded in 1983 the project Jazz Doctors, a notable quartet he led along with Billy Bang (violin), Rafael Garrett (bass), and Denis Charles (drums). Cadillac released their only album, Intensive Care, comprising of six pieces (mostly reworkings), recorded in november 1983. The same label now reprinted this release on CD, along with Prescriptions Filled, another album the project recorded in october 1984, and never delivered until now. This second release presents a different rhythm section, with bassist Wilber Morris, Thurman Barker on piano and drums. The quartet recorded notably a splitted version (22 minutes) of Billy Bang's Suite For Gamma. Recorded in april and june 2022, i. e. just before his self-produced The Complex Relationship Between Two Simple Machines, and released now by Intakt, Despite Obstacles documents the trio of Chris Speed on his third release, with the leader on tenor sax and clarinet, Chris Tordini on acoustic bass and Dave King on drums. The leader composed eight new tracks, more swing-based, as states Speed. Sometimes The Air Is (Mahakala, 2023) features Joe McPhee on tenor sax, Steve Swell on trombone and Chris Corsano on drums and percussion. Recorded in a Brooklyn studio in march 2022, this release sports ten performances completely improvised. Harlem Rhapsody (Parco Della Musica, 2023) is a solo piano by 82 years old Dave Burrell, his new album recorded in the studio in ten years (after Conception), performed in a trio with Joe Chonto (drums) and David Tamura (tenor sax). Comprising of six pieces (notably the 21-minute Red Summer March) among which a cover (My Melancholy Baby) and a solo piano version of his Dancing With Monika, Harlem Rhapsody was premiered in september 2021. Shakti, the project John McLaughlin created in 1973, celebrates the 50th anniversary with This Moment (Abstract Logix, 2023), their first album in 23 years (after the live Saturday Night In Bombay), and the first in the studio in 45 years. The current lineup sees the leader on guitar and synthesizer, Zakir Hussain on tablas and konokol, Shankar Mahadevan on vocals and konokol, and Ganesh Rajagopalan on violin and konokol, plus, as guest, Selvaganesh Vinayakram on kanjira, mridangam, ghatam and konokol (konokol, or konnakol, is the art of performing percussion syllables vocally in South Indian Carnatic music). Their eight new pieces were recorded in four different sessions (U.S., Monaco, India and Great Britain), in the fall 2021. Recorded in an UK studio in november 2021, The Laughing Stone (Confront, 2023) documents a collaboration between Paul Dunmall (tenor and alto saxes, clarinet, flute) and London-based Olie Brice (double bass); the two performed five extended pieces, whose titles come from Basil Bunting's 1966 poem Briggflatts. Still by Dunmall, Meditations For Clarinets (FMR, 2023) sports four extended improvisations on clarinet, recorded always in the studio in april 2023 for a "solo" album. Schemen (Karl, 2023) is the 12th album by the Kammerflimmer Kollektief. The current lineup, featuring Johannes Frisch (double bass), Christopher Brunner (drums), Thomas Weber (electric guitar), and Heike Aumuller (harmonium and synthesizer), recorded in several sessions from may 2018 to july 2022 eight new pieces, featuring an experimental contemporary jazz. The 3CD boxset Dances With Questions (Not Two, 2023) documents three october 2019 live performances by trombonist Steve Swell with thirteen diffrent lineups, comprising of, among others, Gebhard Ullmann (bass clarinet), Per-Ake Holmlander (tuba), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums, percussion), Elisabeth Harnik (piano), Carlos Zingaro (violin), Elisabeth Coudoux (cello), and several reedists. Among the pieces, let's mention the title-track, that takes all of third CD (71 minutes). Veer (Discus, 2023) features the fourt release by Das Rad, the project Martin Archer created in 2016. The former trio is now a quintet, having been joined by Jon Short (bass guitar) and Peter Rophone (vocals). They composed and recorded between 2020 and 2023 eight new pieces, among which the six-part suite Expergefactor (25 minutes). The "solo" DoLP Dream Box (BMG, 2023) documents ten pieces (among which four covers) recorded between 2021 and 2022 and now restored by Pat Metheny, who played electric and baritone guitars. West Of The Moon documents Franz Koglmann on flugelhorn and trumpet, along with Georg Graewe (piano, organ & vibes), Michael Moore (clarinet and alto sax), Robert Landfermann (bass) and Gerry Hemingway (drums) in eleven tracks recorded in july 2019 in a Wien studio, and released by German label Handsemmel. German composer and keyboardist Graewe (1956) is on stage since late '70s, and is credited for several albums of solo piano and duets, releases as leader of his trio, quartet and quintet, and many collaborations as sessionman. The 2CD set Heat (Clean Feed, 2023) documents two different experiences by the trio Grew, comprising of Miya Masaoka, Reggie Workman and Gerry Hemingway. We can listen to two different sessions: on the old Heat (1998-99), that sports sessions from winter 1998 and november 1999, Masaoka was on koto and electronics, with drummer Hemingway (here also on electronics) and bassist Workman (also on percussion). Instead, on Between Reflections, recorded in november 2019, i.e. 20 years after, Masaoka also plays dan bau, a Vietnamese monochord, hooked up to a guitar amp, Workman is also on didgeridoo, and Hemingway also on vibraphone. From the same label, Manifesto features the trio of Susan Alcorn (pedal steel and lap steel guitars), José Lencastre (alto and tenor saxes) and (Hernani Faustino (double and electric basses) in six collective pieces recorded in the studio in august 2022. Charm (Whirlwind, 2023) features the latest Rez Abbasi's work. Recorded in november 2021, its twelve-part suite is credited to Naya Baaz, a new project the guitarist created along with Josh Feinberg (sitar), Jennifer Vincent (5-string cello) and Satoshi Takeishi (drums). Damaged Goods (Cuneiform, 2023) features the debut of Location Location Location, a project founded by Anthony Pirog (guitar, guitar synth, synthesizers), Michael Formanek (4 & 5 string electric and double bass, guitar) and Mike Pride (drumset, marimba, bongos, dub), each of them having recorded his parts in a different studio; Pride mixed all ten pieces. Recorded during the COVID period, this album is presented by the label. May 2023: Multiplicities II (Tzadik, 2023) sports the volume 2 of the work composed by John Zorn in 2020. While the first session featured the Chaos Magick ensemble, this second session was recorded in january 2023 by the project Incerto: the ten pieces composed by Zorn were performed by Brian Marsella (piano), Ches Smith (drums), Julian Lage (guitar) and Jorge Roeder (bass). NYC 1978 (Relative Pitch, 2023) documents an unreleased solo performance by Evan Parker, recorded in october 1978 on tenor and soprano saxes. Among the six lenghty pieces collected, let's remember Environ 1 and Environ 6, both 17-minute long. Recorded in may 2016 in a Californian studio, Eastside Romp (RogueArt, 2022) documents the trio of guitarist Jeff Parker, who led Eric Revis (double bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums) in seven tracks (among which a Marion Brown's cover) of contemporary jazz. Revis, on stage since early 2000s, is credited for four albums; Waits sports a solo career and a lot of collaborations as sessionman. The quartet Perch Hen Brock & Rain was created in 2014 by reedists Ingrid Laubrock and Ab Baars, drummer Tom Rainey, and Dutch violist Ig Henneman. After their partecipation at Tampere Jazz Happening (Finland), documented in a live album recorded in november 2014, the quartet came at their first “studio” album, Elegiacal, delivered now by Dutch label Wig, that features an already old session (august 2018). The eight pieces here collected sport free improvisations, with Baars on tenor sax, clarinet and shakuhachi, and Laubrock on tenor and soprano saxes. Recorded in a Swiss studio in may 2022, Our Daily Bread (ECM, 2023) documents the Trio Tapestry in their third release, after the self-titled and Garden Of Expression. The lineup is the same, i.e. Joe Lovano (here on tenor sax, tarogato and gongs), Marilyn Crispell (piano) and Carmen Castaldi (drums). The eight new pieces were all written by Lovano. Dancing Like Dust (Klanggalerie, 2023) features Fred Frith on electric guitar and Spanish Nuria Andorra on marimba, assorted pieces of metal, cymbals, a tympani or bass drum. Recorded in october 2021, their eleven pieces are quite totally improvised. The DoLP Children Of The Forest (Black Editions Archives, 2023) documents unreleased Milford Graves' january, february and march 1976 sessions, recorded by the drummer in his Queens basement laboratory and workshop along with Hugh Glover (klaxon, percussion and vaccine, i.e. an Haitian one-note trumpet) and Arthur Doyle (tenor sax and flute). Black Editions Archive is a series on American independent label Black Editions, launched in 2022 by Peter Kolovos and dedicated to previously unreleased works of Milford Graves. This is the second release, after the DoLP Historic Music Past Tense Future, that documents the trio of Graves, Peter Broetzmann and William Parker in a march 2002 session in four side-long pieces. Graves, let's remember, died in february 2021. The vinyl Battering Rams (A Sunken Mall, 2023) documents a self-released Kevin Drumm's performance that collects five archival works recorded between 2000 to 2022, plenty of improvised drummings and bleak electronic drones. Elusion, the Michael Formanek's quartet who debuted with Time Like This, returns with the same lineup with the Intakt release As Things Do, documenting eight new pieces composed by the bassist, and recorded in december 2022 in a Brooklyn studio. Torrent (Libra, 2023) features the ninth solo piano by Satoko Fujii. The six new tracks here collected were recorded in october 2022 during an improvised session. Recorded in the studio in september 2022, Sentient Beings (Off, 2023) features Paul Dunmall on tenor sax, Faith Brackenbury on violin & viola, John Pope on bass and Tony Bianco on drums. The performance gathered three long pieces: The 20-minute As It Was In The Beginning, the 23-minute Is Now, and the 17-minute Ever Shall Be. Released just before his death in the last april, Heart Is A Melody (Stunt, 2023) documents the last Karl Berger's album. Recorded in a New York studio in april 2022, this is a collaboration between Berger (keyboard, vibraphone and piano) and Kirk Knuffke (cornet), who composed seven pieces, along with the rhythm section of Jay Anderson (bass) and Matt Wilson (drums). The CD also sports three jazz covers, by Don Cherry, Steve Lacy and Pharoah Sanders. The 2CD set Mary Ann - Live in Bremen 1969 (Moosicus, 2023) documents an unissued april 1969 concert held by Marion Brown on his alto sax along with his quartet, comprising of, at that time, by AACM drummer Steve McCall, German Ed Kroeger on trombone and Siggi Busch on bass. Among the eight pieces extracted from this performance, let's remember the 17-minute Ode To Coltrane, the 24-minute Mary Ann and a 26-minute version of Juba Lee. The Rempis Percussion Quartet returns with Harvesters (Aerophonic, 2023), their new album recorded in a French studio in march 2023. The current lineup sees the leader on alto and tenor sax, along with Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass, Tim Daisy and Frank Rosaly on drums, plus, this time as guest, Jean-Luc Cappozzo on flugelhorn. This 2CD set is comprising of five new long tracks, notably the 29-minute Everything Happens To You and the 26:30-minute Spooky Action. The music is mostly improvised. At The Fault Zone Festival (Wide Hive, 2023) features the Roscoe Mitchell’s Space Trio (with Mitchell on bass sax & compositions, Scott Robinson on tenor & slides saxes and Thomas Buckner on baritone voice) and the Roscoe Mitchell Orchestra, a 40-musician ensemble comprising of, among others, Sarah Cahill on piano, Ben Goldberg on B-flat clarinet, Jordan Glenn on percussion, the leader on soprano sax and Scott Robinson on tenor sax. Recorded, as title suggests, at the Fault Zone Festival in April 2022, this album sports two pieces performed by the Space Trio, and the others by the Orchestra, notably the 29-minute Distant Radio Transmission Fault Zone. The self-produced vinyl The Complex Relationship Between Two Simple Machines documents five pieces live recorded in a Los Angeles studio in august 2022 by Chris Speed (clarinet and tenor sax), Armen Nalbandian (paino) and David King (drums). Born in 1978, Nalbandian is on stage since 2006, and released more than twenty albums, focusing above all on improvisations. After having released two albums for the defunct label RareNoise, The End, the project founded by Mats Gustafsson in 2017, returns with Why Do You Mourn (Trost, 2023), a performance recorded in a Norwegian studio between september 2021 and may 2022. The leader, on flutes, baritone saxophone & electronics, led Sofia Jernberg (voice), Kjetil Moster (clarinet, tenor saxophone & electronics), Anders Hana (baritone and bass guitars, langeleik) and Borge Fjordheim (drums), in seven tracks combine avantrock and jazz. Let's remember the two previous albums by the project: Svarmod Och Vemod Ar Vardesinnen, recorded in the studio in january 2018, featuring six experimental pieces, and Allt Ar Intet, sporting other six pieces, recorded in the same studio of their third release, in november 2019. Ars Transmutatoria Iku-Turso is the latest Raoul Bjorkenheim's work. Recorded in an Helsinki studio in june 2022, it's the first of two sessions featuring 12 new scores, featuring the stories of Iku-Turso, the legendary Finnish sea monster. The guitarist led Jorma Tapio (flute, saxophone), Sampo Lassila (double bass) and Michel Lambert (drums and visual scores). Duo With Deer Isle (Black Heart, 2023) documents the first solo album by flautist Nicole Mitchell. Recorded in july 2005, it has been though released this year only, and features the musician in 18 mostly brief improvisations she performed playing a large variety of instruments: several flutes, harp, slit drum, saw blades, percussion and vocals. April 2023: German pianist and vibraphonist, composer and educator Karl Berger, who played with many jazz giants and was cofounder with Ornette Coleman of Creative Music Studio in Woodstock in 1972, died at the Albany Medical Center on april 9, at 88. US pianist Frederick Ahmad Jamal Jones, composer, bandleader and educator active since '50s, died at his home on april 16 at 93. Miles Davis once said that “all my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal”. Brian Marsella (piano), Jorge Roeder (bass) and Ches Smith (drums) recorded in december 2022 The Fourth Way (Tzadik, 2023), the latest John Zorn's work inspired by the writings and thought of Georges Gurdjieff. Among the six tracks, let's mention the 23-minute Meetings With Remarkable Men. Still by Zorn, Tzadik released 444, the fourth release by Chaos Magick, the project featuring Brian Marsella on electric piano, John Medeski on organ, Kenny Grohowski on drums and percussion, and Matt Hollenberg on electric guitar. Recorded still in december 2022. Led by the core trio of Mats Gustafsson (sax), Johan Berthling (bass) and Andreas Werliin (drums), Fire! Orchestra returns with the 3LP/2CD Echoes, featuring a maxi ensemble of 43 musicians, who performed thirteen new pieces, recorded in a Stockholm studio in march 2022. Personnel was compring of 2 violins, 2 cellos, 4 trumpets, 2 trombones, 2 tubas, 6 clarinets, 11 saxes, 9 flutes, bells, oboe, bassoon, guembri, Fender Rhodes organ, 2 pianos, synthesizer, vibraphone, glockenspiel, electronics, guitar; banjo, double bass, percussion, and three vocalists. Joe McPhee played as guest on vocals and tenor sax. The core consists of the seven part 85-minute long title-track. The Other One (PI, 2023) features the Henry Threadgill's 13-musician ensemble in the 3-movement one-hour suite Of Valence, live premiered and recorded in may 2022 in Brooklyn (NY). Threadgill conducted Alfredo Colon (alto sax), Noah Becker (alto sax and clarinet), Peyton Pleninger (tenor sax), Craig Weinrib (percussion, electronics), Sara Caswell (violin), Stephanie Griffin (viola), Mariel Roberts (cello), Christopher Hoffman (cello), Jose Davila (tuba), and David Virelles (piano). The recording was taken from the second of two performances respectively entitled One and The Other One. Of Valence, a 61-minute long suite in three movements, is dedicated to the percussionist Milford Graves, died in 2021. The free improvisation of Brittle Feebling (Humbler, 2023) documents a quartet led on oboe and English horn by Kyle Bruckmann, and comprising of Oakland-based Jacob Felix Heule on floor tom (a sort of drum), Kanoko Nishi on koto, and Tom Djll on trumpet. The release gathers five pieces recorded in two sessions (may and june 2018) in a Berkeley studio. The three pieces of Naked Nudes (Trost, 2023) were recorded in august 2021 by Peter Broetzmann, who, on alto and tenor saxes, led Heather Leigh Murray on pedal steel guitar and Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and electronics. The pieces, two brief and the title-track 29-minute long, has been extracted from a concert. The Tomas Fujiwara's self-released March On documents a collaboration by the drummer with his sextet Triple Double, comprising of Gerald Cleaver (drums) Mary Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook (both on guitar), Ralph Alessi (trumpet) and Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet). Recorded in december 2019 at the Firehouse 12 studio, the performance sports above all the 32-minute long title-track. The vinyl Eternal River (Corbett vs Dempsey, 2023) features a collaboration between Ken Vandermark (tenor sax) and Hamid Drake (drums). The two built a series of seven improvisations starting from themes composed by Don Cherry, recording them in october 2021 in a Chicago studio. Trost delivers AAPD, a release that collects eleven duets (composed over a period of thirty years) on piano by Aki Takase and Alexander von Schlippenbach. The session was held in the studio in september 2021. Live In Carrboro (Soul City Sounds, 2023) documents a live performance held in november 2022 by Ivo Perelman (tenor sax) and Matthew Shipp (piano). The two, joined by drummer Jeff Cosgrove, recorded the concert as a continuous piece, presented here as a 55-minute long tune. Glass Triangle, the Zeena Parkins' project debuted with the june 2019 self-titled, returns with Blue And Sun-lights (Relative Pitch, 2023). With the same lineup, i.e. the harpist leading Mette Rasmussen (sax, objects and voice) and Ryan Sawyer (drums and objects), the trio recorded ten new pieces at a date in 2022 in a Brooklyn studio. Mat Maneri (viola), Joelle Leandre (double bass) and Craig Taborn (piano) recorded the seven new tracks on hEARoes (RogueArt, 2023), collectively composed and performed in a february 2022 session during the Festival Sons d’hiver. The music was strongly improvised. Recorded in december 2021, The Rite of Spring - Spectre d’un Songe (Pyroclastic, 2023) documents the piano duo of Sylvie Courvoisier and Cory Smythe. Courvoisier created above all a solo version of the first three movements of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, then recording along with Smythe. The pianist also composed the piece Spectre d’un songe. The eight pieces of Their Power Reached Across Space And Time-To Defy Them Was Death-Or Worse (Thrill Jockey, 2023) were recorded at a date in 2021 in a Sweden studio by Mats Gustafsson (flute, reeds, various saxes) and Skull Defekts' Joachim Nordwall (analog synthesizer, effects, tapes), who created psychedelic and intricate sounds. The DoLP Copenhagen, Denmark (FM) October 25, 1963 (WHP, 2023) features the classic John Coltrane's lineup (with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones) in a recently discovered concert held a the title date, during which they performed extended versions of Impressions, Naima, Afro Blue, My Favorite Things, etc. Oceans And (Intakt, 2023) documents an august 2022 session by Tim Berne (alto sax), Hank Roberts (cello) and Aurora Nealand (accordion, clarinet, voice) during which they recorded twelve pieces all composed by Berne. The 2CD set Lonely Man And His Fish is the latest Yelena Eckemoff's album. The pianist led, on Rhodes and ampli-celeste, Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Ben Street (bass), Eric Harland (drums), and Masaru Koga (shakuhachi and other flutes), in fourteen pieces she composed, telling us the story of a retired orchestral trumpeter player (the lonely man) and his retirement present pet fish, Spark. Recorded in a Brooklyn studio in november 2021. Nimbus West restores Live At I.U.C.C. 26/11/1978, that documents a november 1978 concert held by Horace Tapscott and his Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra. Not to be confused, be careful, with the namesake disk delivered in 1979 by the same label, this 2CD set features, among others, the 31-minute Jungle Juice, the 21:30-minute Ballad For Samuel, the 25-minute Lately's Solo, and the 22-minute To The Great House. On his piano, Tapscott led Jesse Sharps (soprano sax), Billie Harris and Sabir Mateen (both on tenor sax), Herbert Callies (clarinet), Michael Sessions (alto sax), David Bryant, Alan Hines and Kamota Lawrence Polk (all on bass), Everett Brown Jr. (drums) and Daa-Oud Woods (congas). The project George was created by drummer John Hollenbeck and reedist and composer Anna Webber in 2021. The two (Hollenbeck also on piano, and Webber on flute and tenor sax), along with Chiquita Magic on keyboards, voice and piano, and Aurora Nealand on saxes, keyboards and voice, debuted with Letters To George (Out Of Heads, 2023), a DoLP featuring ten pieces, mostly composed by Hollenbeck, recorded in the studio in january 2022, mixing jazz, progressive and also a bit of pop music. The DoLP Musikforum Schloss, Viktring, Austria (WHP, 2023) was recorded live in Austria in july 1972, documenting the meeting between Don Cherry (trumpet and vocals) and Dollar Brand (piano, flute and vocals). The two, along with Johnny Dyani (double bass, percussion, vocals) and Nana Vasconcelos (berimbau, percussion, vocals) present four side-long pieces extracted from the concert. Ice In A Hot World (Unsounds, 2023) documents the second experience by Thermal, the project created by John Butcher debuted with the self-titled recorded in 2001. Butcher, on tenor and soprano saxes, led again Andy Moor (guitar) and Thomas Lehn (analogue synthesizer) in five improvisation recorded in the studio in february 2020, especially the 17:30-minute long Autumn Fireflies. With The Dutch Lesson, Cuneiform restores an unreleased Soft Machine's performance dating back to october 1973. At that time, the lineup was comprising of Roy Babbington (electric 6-string bass), Karl Jenkins (soprano and baritone saxes, oboe, electric piano), John Marshall (drums) and Mike Ratledge (electric piano, organ). The release, a 2CD set, collects 17 tracks. Something About This Landscape (Sub Rosa, 2023) documents Fred Frith in an orchestral composition and two 10-minute long improvisations with the ensemble Musiques Nouvelles. The title-track (23 minutes) was commissioned by Ars Musica in 2018 and composed in 2019. Frith played guitar leading an acoustic ensemble conducted by Jean-Paul Dessy, and comprising of flute, clarinet, trombone, guitar, percussion and a string quartet. Still no infos about the recording session. March 2023: US saxophonist Wayne Shorter, prominent legend in the first generation of free jazz and later cofounder of Weather Report, died on march 2, at 89. British reedist Tony Coe, eclectic composer, bandleader and sessionman since late '50s, more known for the famous theme of The Pink Panther, died in hospital on march 16, at 88. Commissioned for the 2019 Annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and then premiered in september 2019 at the Logan Center for the Arts in Chicago, Requiem For Jazz (International Anthem, 2023) features the latest Angel Bat Dawid's work. It's a 12-movement suite composed, arranged, and inspired in part by dialogue from Edward O. Bland’s 1959 film The Cry of Jazz, drawing, say credits, formal comparisons between the structure of jazz music and the African American experience. The suite was performed by the ensemble Tha ArkeStarzz, comprising of Charles Joseph Smith (piano), Jeremiah Hunt (contrabass), Vincent Davis (percussion), Xristian Espinoza (auxiliary instruments), Norman W. Long (electronics), Adam Zanolini (flute), Hannah Washington (clarinet), Sam Thousand (trumpet), Isaiah Collier (soprano sax), Fred Jackson Jr. (alto sax), Kwesaiah (tenor saxophone), J’Niya Blunt and DaJour Smith (violin), Michelle Manson (viola), Olula (cello), plus the Tha Choruzz: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone, and, as guests, Marshall Allen (alto sax and ewi) and Knoel Scott (percussion). The release features the premiered performance. The DoLP Love In Exile (Verve, 2023) documents the trio, formed in 2018, of Vijay Iyer (piano and electronics), Shahzad Ismaily (bass and Moog synthesizer) and Pakistani Arooj Aftab (vocals) in six lenghty compositions recorded live in the studio (august 2022) with minimal edits, after having been premiered for the first time in concert in january 2021. Extensively presented by RollingStone. Orange Wave Electric is the new Wadada Leo Smith's project the trumpetist debuted with Fire Illuminations (Kabell, 2023), gathering a notable lineup: Nels Cline and Brandon Ross on electric guitar; Bill Laswell and Melvin Gibbs on electric bass, Mauro Refosco on percussion, Pheeroan aKLaff on drumset and Velibor Pedevski (aka Hardedge) on electronics. Recorded in several sessions during 2022. Still by Leo Smith, the 2CD set Free Acoustic Supergroup (Euphorium, 2022) is credited to the "EUPHORIUM_freakestra", a ten musicians ensemble led by the trumpetist along with Axel Dorner (trumpet), Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky (alto sax), Urs Leimgruber (tenor and soprano saxes), Oliver Schwerdt (grand piano, percussion, little instruments, electric organ), Friedrich Kettlitz (voice), Michael Haves and Barre Phillips (both on double bass), Christian Lillinger and Gunter Baby Sommer (both on drums). The set, an old unissued session (august 2009), collects nineteen pieces, mostly brief and basically improvised. The 4CD set The Complete ORTF 1970 Fondation Maeght Recordings (Elemental, 2023) documents long-lost tapes from a july 1970 session held by Albert Ayler recently discovered and released in their entirety for the first time. The reedist played along with pianist Call Cobbs, bassist Steve Tintweiss, drummer Allen Blairman, and sopranoist and vocalist Mary Maria. The set collects 31 pieces, all composed by Ayler. Recorded in september 2021, the five tracks on the vinyl of Exploding Star Orchestra's Lightning Dreamers (International Anthem, 2023) feature the leader Rob Mazurek as director and composer on trumpets, voice, launeddas, electronic treatments; he led Jeff Parker: guitar; Craig Taborn: wurlitzer, moog matriarch; Angelica Sanchez: wurlitzer, piano, moog sub 37; Damon Locks: voice, electronics, samplers, text; Gerald Cleaver: drums; Mauricio Takara: electronic percussion, percussion; Nicole Mitchell: flute, voice. Mahakala's release Quartets/Trios/Duos documents Steve Swell (trombone), Borah Bergman (piano), Perry Robinson (clarinet) and Ray Sage (drums) in an august 2007 unreleased session recorded in a New York studio and recently rediscovered by Swell, featuring nine pieces performed in several sets, as title suggests. US pianist Bergman, let's remember, died in 2012 at 86, after having played as sessionman with Ivo Perelman and Frode Gjerstad. Since Time Is Gravity (Aguirre, 2023) is the latest production by Josua Abrams' project Natural Information Society. The CD/DoLP was recorded in two sessions (may and august 2021) with the current lineup, on which Abrams, on bass and guimbri, led Nick Mazzarella (alto sax), Mai Sugimoto (alto sax and flute), Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Hamid Drake (congas, tabla, and tar, a special drum), Ben Lamar Gay and Josh Berman (both on cornet), Mikel Avery (drums), Lisa Alvarado (harmonium), Kara Bershad (harp), and, as guest, the old AACM member Ari Brown on tenor sax. Among the tracks, let's remember the 17:30-minute Murmuration. The Great Mirage (ASG, 2023) documents a collaboration between the electric guitar duo of Joel Harrison and Anthony Pirog. The two, accompanied by Stephan Crump (bass) and Allison Miller (drums) recorded eleven pieces at a day in 2022. Kaze, the Satoko Fujii and her husband Natsuki Tamura, returns with Crustal Movement (Libra, 2023), featuring the current lineup that sees the pianist and the trumpetist along with Christian Pruvost (trumpet), Peter Orins (drums) and Ikue Mori as guest on electronics. Each of them contributed with 1 or 2 pieces. Between october 2021 and may 2022, they exchanged and recorded over the Internet the pieces. Mori, Fujii and Tamura sent the audio files with their contributions to the others, who performed over the recorded pieces on a concert stage in France, completing these recordings in front of a live audience. Presented as a tribute to Paul Motian, Once Around The Room (ECM, 2023) features six pieces recorded in november 2021 in a Copenaghen studio by Joe Lovano (tenor sax and tarogato) and Jakob Bro (guitar). The two, along with Larry Grenadier (double bass) and Thomas Morgan (both on double bass), Anders Christensen (bass guitar), Joey Baron and Jorge Rossy (both on drums), composed each of them two pieces, also performing a collective improvisation and a reworking of Motian’s Drum Music. The same label delivers At First Light, the new solo album by Ralph Towner. Recorded in february 2022 in a Swiss studio, the release features eight new Towner’s compositions performed on his guitar, plus three covers. The label WeWantSounds restores on CD Song Of Soil, an album originally released as vinyl by the Japanese label Paddle Wheel, and featuring a july 1979 session recorded in a Parisian studio by Don Cherry (cornet, flute, trumpet, percussion), Masahiko Togashi (percussion), who composed all the pieces, and Charlie Haden (bass). The music, say credits, "reaches heights of spirituality mixing Eastern influences with jazz and deep ambient soundscapes". Still by Don Cherry, the DoLP Musikforum Schloss (WHP, 2023) documents an unreleased Austrian concert held in july 1972 by a notable lineup: Don Cherry (trumpet, vocals), Dollar Brand (piano, flute, vocals), Johnny Dyani (double bass, percussion, vocals) and Nana Vasconcelos (berimbau, percussion, vocals). The DoLP features three side-long improvisations, among which the splitted The Pilgrim (42 minutes). Again by Don Cherry, The DoLP Maghreb Cantata, Live 1969 (WHP, 2023) documents two unreleased sessions (may 1969 in Tunisia and september 1969 in Germany) performed by the leader (cornet and flute) paired with Swiss pianist and composer George Gruntz (here also on celesta). Their lineup also features the old legend Sahib Shihab on flutes and soprano sax, Henry Texier and Eberhard Weber on basses, and Swiss Daniel Humair (drums), plus a quartet of North African musicians on traditional instruments (bendir, ney, bagpipes, tabla and darbouka). Released by his label Greenleaf, the vinyl If There Are Mountains features a collaboration of Dave Douglas (trumpet) along with US jazz pianist Elan Mehler. The two, accompanied by Dominique Eade (vocals), John Gunther (sax and clarinets), Simon Willson (bass) and Dayeon Seok (drums), composed nine pieces (five by Mehler and four by Douglas), recording them in may 2019. It’s A Matter Of Fact (Discus, 2023) documents Paul Dunmall (tenor & soprano saxes, compositions), Julie Tippetts (voice), Martin Archer (alto & baritone saxes & harmonica), Charlotte Keeffe (trumpet & flugelhorn), Richard Foote (trombone), Steven Saunders (electric guitar), James Owston (contrabass) and Jim Bashford (drums). Among the six tracks, let’s mention the 19-minute title-track and the 17:30-minute long Calling the Spirits. Recorded in september 2022. Still by Dunmall, One Moment (FMR, 2023) features the saxtenorist along with Liam Noble on piano, John Edwards on contrabass and Mark Sanders on drums. Recorded live in Birmingham in november 2022, this release consists of one 44-minute long improvisation. From the same label, 06 is the latest work by the Orchestra of the Upper Atmosphere, the Martin Archer project featuring the leader on woodwinds, organ & software, Yvonna Magda on violin & electronics, Jan Todd on vocals, Celtic harp, laptop, samples, Andy Peake on piano & keyboards, Lorin Halsall & Terry Todd acoustic & electric basses and Steve Dinsdale on drums & keyboards. The recording, say credits, evolved from studio sessions held between july 2022 and january 2023. Keep The Dream Up (Fundacja Sluchaj, 2023) documents the Knuffke-McPhee Quartet+1, a lineup comprising of Joe McPhee (tenor sax and voice), Kirk Knuffke (cornet and voice), Christof Knoche (bass clarinet), Michael Bisio (bass) and Jay Rosen (drums). They recorded in april 2022 in a New York studio ten pieces (notably the 20-minute You See the Lights), mostly composed by Knuffke. The self-produced Martingale features a february 2020 session in a New York studio during which Denman Maroney on hyperpiano & compositions (all but one), Steven Frieder on reeds, Ratzo Harris on 6-string bass and Bob Meyer on drums, recorded eleven pieces of avantgarde jazz. No Refunds (Unbroken Sounds, 2023) features Vinny Golia on baritone & sopranino saxes, saxello & B-flat clarinet, Max Johnson on contrabass and Weasel Walter on drums. Recorded live in august 2014, this CD collects five lenghty pieces, mostly improvised. Dedicated to the altoist Jemeel Moondoc, the 3CD set Fire From The Road (RogueArt, 2023) gathers two concerts held in october 2004 and september 2005 by Fire Into Music, the old Steve Swell project led by the trombonist and comprising of Moondoc and the rhythm section of William Parker (double bass) and Hamid Drake (drums). Among the performances, let's mention the 55:30-minute long At the El Dorado, that takes the CD1, and the 32-minute long At Ballroom Marfa, both improvised. The project, after this debuting concerts, produced later (june 2006) their only CD recorded in the studio: Swimming in a Galaxy of Goodwill and Sorrow. February 2023: Lost In Time, Live At Smalls (Cellar Live, 2022) documents the latest Dave Liebman's work. The reedist, on tenor & soprano sax, led Peter Evans on trumpet, Leo Genovese on piano, John Hebert on contrabass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums. Recorded in january 2022, it gathers three long pieces, notably the 33-minute The Middle and the 25-minute The End. How Long This Time (British Progressive Jazz, 2023) gathers two private sessions recorded in a UK studio respectively in january and in august 1970 by the Keith Tippett Group. The pianist led Marc Charig (cornet), Nick Evans (trombone), Elton Dean (alto sax and saxello), Jeff Clyne and Roy Babbington (basses), Trevor Tomkins and Bryan Spring (drums). Three of the six pieces (all composed by Tippett) document the first version of tracks later included in Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening, whereas the other three were left until now unreleased. This is a DoLP, with three sides of music, but also exists a CD release. From the same label, Home Brewed features another private and unreleased session (december 1976) credited to the trio of Elton Dean (alto sax), Steve Miller (piano) and Pip Pyle (drums & percussion). The four tracks sport brief melodies quickly evolved in free improvisations. Molten Gold (Fundacja Sluchaj, 2023) is a 2CD set reuniting Ivo Perelman (tenor sax), Ray Anderson (trombone), Joe Morris (double bass) and Reggie Nicholson (drums) for an october 2022 session in a Brooklyn studio, during which they recorded four long pieces (notably the 28:30-minute Aqua Regia), strongly improvised. On Letters To George (Out Of Your Head, 2023), Claudia Quintet's member John Hollenbeck reunited Anna Webber (tenor sax and flute), Chiquita Magic (keyboard, voice and piano) and Aurora Nealand (voice, alto and soprano saxes, keyboards) for a january 2022 session in a Canadian studio, during which he, on drums and piano, composed ten new lyrical pieces, among which two arrangements of Sonny Bono (Bang Bang) and Cyril Tawney (Grey Funnel Line). Session(wo)man Anna Webber, musician and composer on stage since 2009, is already credited for several interesting albums of avantgarde jazz, on which she plays flute and several saxes. Her discography until now sports: Third Floor People (Nowt, 2010), recorded in august 2009 in a septet along with Erik Hove (alto sax), Fred Kennedy and Philippe Melanson (both on drums), Jean-Sebastien Williams and Owen Stewart-Robertson (both on guitar), and Matt Holman (trumpet); Percussive Mechanics (Pirouet, 2013), featuring nine pieces she composed and recorded in february 2012 along with James Wylie (clarinet and alto sax), Igor Spallati (double bass), Martin Kruemmling and Max Andrzejewski (glockenspiel, drums and percussion), Elias Stemeseder (piano and electric piano), Julius Heise (vibraphone and marimba); Refraction (Pirouet, 2015), documenting a march 2014 session during which she composed seven pieces leading the same previous lineup; Simple (Skirl, 2014), an august 2013 session mostly improvised in a trio along with Hollenbeck and pianist Matt Mitchell; the same trio returned with Binary, recorded in may 2016 and out by the same label; Clockwise (PI, 2019), featuring nine pieces she wrote in august 2017 and then recorded in january 2018, with a lineup comprising of Chris Tordini (bass), Christopher Hoffman (cello), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone, timpani), Matt Mitchell (piano), Jeremy Viner (tenor sax and clarinet) and Jacob Garchik (trombone); Rectangles (Out Of Your Head, 2020), documenting the namesake 34-minute composition live recorded in december 2019 with Marc Hannaford (piano), Adam Hopkins (bass) and Mark Ferber (drums); the 2CD set Idiom (PI, 2021), featuring the trio with Hollenbeck and Mitchell on CD1 (recorded in march 2019), and, on CD2 recorded in december 2019, a large ensemble conducted by Eric Wubbels, comprising of Nathaniel Morgan (alto sax), Nick Dunston (bass), Mariel Roberts (cello), Satoshi Takeishi (drums), David Byrd-Marrow (horn), Liz Kosack (synthesizer), Yuma Uesaka (tenor sax and clarinets), Jacob Garchik (trombone), Adam O'Farrill (trumpet) and Joanna Mattrey (violin). With Eye Of I (Anti-Records, 2023), James Brandon Lewis, on tenor sax, led Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Anthony Pirog (guitar), Shahzad Ismaily (synthesizer), Chris Hoffman (cello, pedals) Max Jaffe (drums, sensory percussion), Joe Lally (bass), and Brendan Canty (frums) in eleven tracks, among which two covers. Recorded in september 2021. The label presents it here. Travel (Northern Spy, 2023) is the 19th studio album by the Necks. In their latest release, the band improvised through four long tracks of 20 minutes each. Current lineup sees always as leader Chris Abrahams on piano and Hammond organ, along with Tony Buck (drums, percussion) and Lloyd Swanton (bass). The recording session was held the last fall. The trio of Jean Derome (alto and baritone saxes, flute, voice), Normand Guilbeault (bass) and Pierre Tanguay (drums) returns with Si Tu Parlais (Ambiances Magnetiques, 2022), that features eleven pieces recorded in march 2022, also including reworked version of Ornette Coleman, Duke Ellington and Eric Dolphy. This is their sixth release. Let's remember the sessionography: 10 Compositions De Jean Derome (october 2003); The Feeling Of Jazz (june 2005), an album of jazz covers; Etymologie, a DVD documenting a concert at Festival Jazz in Montreal (june 2006), during which the trio presented famous covers of Eric Dolphy, Duke Ellington, Lennie Tristano, etc; Danse À L'Anvers (november 2010); Wow! (august 2012); 2004-2012, is a 4CD boxset gathering all the CDs but the DVD. Perpetual Motion (Ayler, 2023) documents the four movements of the namesake suite (48 minutes) recorded in january 2022 by the pianist Satoko Fujii and the percussionist Otomo Yoshihide, here anyway on electric guitar. The performance was mostly improvised. Then Through Now (False Walls, 2023) features a collaboration between Evan Parker on soprano sax and Henry Dagg on electronics. Recorded live in Canterbury in december 2021, the namesake suite, 56 minutes mostly improvised, has been edited by Dagg. He is a builder of experimental musical instruments (for this recording he developed a new electronic instrument called the Stage Cage), who worked as a sound engineer for the BBC, and autoproduced his own album in 2003: Music From The Cutting Edge. With Tonic 19-01-2001, Black Truffle label celebrated its 100th release presenting an archival discovery that documents the only performance by the trio of Tony Conrad, Arnold Dreyblatt and Jim O'Rourke. Recorded in january 2001 in a New York studio, these 41 minutes see Conrad on his violin paired with Dreyblatt and O'Rourke on strings and electronics, creating an hypnotic, dissonant and minimalistic atmosphere. The Last Quiet Place (Pyroclastic, 2023) documents the latest Ingrid Laubrock's production. In september 2019 she recorded six new pieces composed and performed on tenor and soprano saxes along with Mazz Swift (violin), Tomeka Reid (cello), Brandon Seabrook (guitar), Michael Formanek (double bass) and Tom Rainey (drums). Sirocco (Aerophonic, 2023) features the trio of Mark Feldman (violin), Dave Rempis (alto, tenor and baritone saxes) and Tim Daisy (drums) in an october 2022 session in a Chicago studio, during which they recorded two long pieces, both 28-minute long: Ostro and Bora. The trio already worked together. The 2CD set Die Grosste Fuge (Infrequent Seams, 2023) features Elliott Sharp as composer, director and librettist, who plays synth, electric baritone & bass guitars, bass drums, percussion & processing, plus Nicholas Isherwood (bass baritone voice) and the Asasello String Quartet. The composition was inspired by Elliott Sharp’s study into the late Beethoven; its title is the same of a Beethoven's final string quartet. The concert was premiered in september 2021, with the electro-acoustic parts already pre-recorded. Still by Sharp, L’Apres-Midi D'Un Bot (ZoAr, 2023) documents a collaboration with Helene Breschand (concert & electric harps, vocals & texts), while the leader plays guitars, bass, analog synth, violin, toy piano, drum programing and vocals. This is their third album together, after Chansons Du Crepuscule (may 2014) and Aube (august 2020). These new ten pieces were recorded in june 2022. Down Another Road @ Stockholm Jazz Days '69 (My Only Desire, 2023) restores unreleased recordings at Stockholm Jazz Days 1969 by bassist Graham Collier. The pieces he composed were performed along with well known musicians of British jazz: Stan Sulzmann (tenor & alto saxes), Harry Beckett (trumpet & flugelhorn), Nick Evans (trombone), Karl Jenkins (piano & oboe), and John Marshall (drums). Blue Note restores Oh!, an album recorded in july 2002 in a New York studio by the "one-time project" Scholohofo, i. e. the initials of his members: guitarist John Scofield, saxophonist Joe Lovano, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Al Foster (the old member of Miles Davis' group). The four shared their compositions: Lovano, Holland and Scofield three pieces, Foster two pieces. The release was cut directly from the original analog tapes, recorded live-to-two-track 30 ips. Still Blue Note restores That's Where It's At, an old and forgotten Stanley Turrentine's album recorded in the studio in january 1962, where the saxtenorist led veteran bassist Herbie Lewis, drummer Otis Finch and pianist Les McCann. The leader and the pianist shared their compositions: four by McCann and three by Turrentine. An album of bop jazz. East Axis, the Matthew Shipp project debuted in 2020 with Cool With That, returns with No Subject (Brother Mister Productions, 2023), twelve pieces recorded in the studio in june 2022. In this release Scott Robinson, on baritone sax, replaced Allen Lowe. January 2023: The Ojai Sessions (Musical Eschatology, 2022) features a july 2018 recording by Vinny Golia, who played sopranino, soprano, baritone and bass saxes in a seven part session (42 minutes) during which the reedist was accompanied by Danny Kamins (alto and baritone saxes) and Garrett Wingfield (alto, tenor and baritone saxes). This all-sax performance was mostly improvised. The vinyl The Painter (JUBG, 2022) features, on the first side, the soundtrack of the namesake German movie directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and composed by Gudrun Gut, historical founder of Einstürzende Neubauten and Malaria; the second side features a set of assorted improvisations from a 2021 session. The performers were Nate Wooley (trumpet) and Chris Corsano (drums). This a limited edition (20 copies only!). The Belgian label Off delivered CLIFFS, that documents a july 2019 session performed in a French studio by James Brandon Lewis (tenor sax), Benjamin Sanz (drums) and Floy Krouchi (fretless bass). Their six tracks were compoletely improvised, but the 22-minute The Three Streams, whose theme was collectively composed. The ltd ed. vinyl Tell Me How Long Has Trane Been Gone released by Idyllic Noise label, dedicated to James Baldwin and John Coltrane, documents a march 2019 session held by Joe McPhee (tenor sax and vocals) and John Edwards (double bass), during which they recorded four tracks largely improvised, notably the side-long title-track (22 minutes). From Union Pool (Relative Pitch, 2023) documents the trio of Susan Alcorn (pedal steel guitar), Patrick Holmes (clarinet) and Ryan Sawyer (drums) in a march 2022 session recorded in New York, featuring three lenghty pieces, notably Naar (14 min.) and Nett (17 min.). Ron Carter's DoLP Finding The Right Notes (In + Out, 2022) documents eleven solo compositions for bass gathered between 2014 and 2021, released as a soundtrack of his musical career. In three of these pieces he was accompanied by the WDR Big Band Köln, whereas the other sessionmen were Bill Frisell, Jon Batiste and Russell Malone (guitar), Donald Vega and Renee Rosnes (piano), Payton Crossley (drums), Jimmy Greene (tenor sax). Furthermore, two tracks were performed as a bass duo, one with Stanley Clarke, and the other with Christian McBride. Sun Of Goldfinger, the David Torn's project created along with Ches Smith and Tim Berne, returned, after their self-titled, with other two albums, digital only (until now) recently released by Screwgun: Congratulations To You, featuring three old long pieces (especially the 29-minute Coco Tangle) the trio recorded in december 2010; and Ozmir, featuring an april 2022 session in the studio, comprising of two very long tracks: the 37-minute Sun Of Ozmir and the 39-minute Sun Of Ui. Both these releases are strongly improvised. Music Delivery/Percussion (Intakt, 2023) is a solo work recorded in the studio by Andrew Cyrille in january 2022. The eleven pieces, quite brief, performed on drums and several percussion (tambourines, bells, cymbals, crotales, gongs, mallets), were all composed by the drummer, but two reworkings of Amina Claudine Myers' Jumping In The Sugar Bowl and John Carter's Enter From the East. Unreleased until now, Prophet (Modern Harmonic, 2022) documents Sun Ra and his Arkestra in six pieces, recently found, recorded in august 1986, when the leader entered Mission Control, a Massachusetts studio, along with his historical sessionmen (Marshall Allen, Danny Ray Thompson, Tyler Mitchell, Eloe Omoe, John Gilmore, Tyrone Hill, Fred Adams, etc.). He was on piano and vocals. Among the tracks, the namesake The Prophet (16:30 min.) inspired by digital ultra keyboard that revolutionized electronic music as the first polyphonic and programmable synthesizer. Thunder (ECM, 2023) documents the 25th solo album by Stephan Micus, whose title comes from the thunderous sound of his recent new instrument, the dung chen, a Tibetan trumpet. But Micus, in these new nine pieces he composed, also played several other instruments: rame drum, burmese temple bells, himalayan horse bells, ki un ki, bass zither, bowed dinding, kyeezee, shakuhachi, sarangi, nyckelharpa, kaukas, sapeh and nokhan. The nine pieces were recorded over 2020 and 2022. Recorded in Austria in may 2022, Earscratcher (Aerophonic, 2022) features a quartet formed in 2019 by Dave Rempis who, on alto sax, led Elisabeth Harnik (piano), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello) and Tim Daisy (drums and percussion) in three lenghty tracks: the 20:30-minute long Ohrenkratzer, the 16:30-minute Mimikaki and the 19-minute Penggaruk Telinga. Released by the French label Vent du Sud, Intimations features a collaboration between Denman Maroney (Hyperpiano and Denis Fournier (drums & percussion). Recorded in summer 2017, their nine pieces (notably the 20-minute Shadowy Recollections) were basically improvised. Furthermore, the self-produced Covid Variations documents still Denman Maroney on hyperpiano & compositions, Robin Fincker on tenor sax & B-flat clarinet, Scott Walton on bass and Samuel Silvant on drums. Recorded in april 2021 in a French studio. Maroney composed all of the song, plus Stuffy Tyrkey, a cover by Thelonious Monk. As for the sessionmen, Walton worked with George Lewis, Wadada Leo Smith, John Carter, Vinny Golia, Bobby Bradford and Nels Cline; Fincker is an emergent reedist who worked with Bill Frisell, Evan Parker and Benoit Delbecq. Translations (Potlatch, 2022) documents a collaboration between Jason Kahn (electronics) and Bertrand Denzler (tenor sax). The two recorded in december 2021 the namesake 35-minute piece, featuring noises, improvisations and intricate sounds. Laying Demons To Rest (RogueArt, 2022) features the namesake 42-minute work recorded in august 2021 by Fred Frith (guitar) and Susana Santos Silva (trumpet). The two improvised continuous dialogs, mixed with some melodies composed. Portuguese Santos Silva is on stage since 2012, credited for six albums as leader and other twenty as co-leader and/or session(wo)man, and also as member of Mats Gustafsson's Fire! Orchestra. Joel Harrison And The Stardust Reunion Band (Alternative Guitar Summit, 2023) features the ensemble Joel Harrison (on guitar & voice, compositions) reunited during the pandemic for a session that produced ten pieces mixing R&B, jazz, rock and gospel. The guitarist led Liberty Ellman on guitar, James Brandon Lewis on tenor sax, Steve Gorn on bansuri flute, Jon Cowherd on keyboards, Chute Galewood on bass, Jamey Haddad, Josh Dion & Jerry Marrotta on drums plus a "six horn" section and vocalists Everett Bradley, Nicki Richards and Keith Fluitt. Streamline restores on CD Hen Ogledd, an old vinyl released in a ltd ed. of 250 copies, that features a collaboration between Rhodri Davies (here on various harps, drums, cymbal, wood block and other instruments) and English singer Richard Dawson (here on bass and guitar). The two recorded between may and july 2013 five tracks (especially the 21-minute Chickpea To Cook) featuring an abstarct and experimental avantgarde jazz, mostly improvised and plenty of electronics. Hen Ogledd debuted later the namesake band, comprising also of British violinist Laura Cannell, New Zealand improviser Jeff Henderson, keyboardist Dawn Bothwell and other musicians. Their sessionography, led always by Davies and Dawson, sports also the vinyl Bronze (re-released by Streamline), six tracks recorded in november 2015; Mogic, a vinyl featuring ten pieces recorded in 2018 and released by Weird World; the DoLP Free Humans, recorded in september 2019; and the digital only No Wood Accepted, who features six pieces recorded between january 2018 and december 2020. Recorded in Paris in july 2022, The Source documents the first solo piano by Kenny Barron in 41 years (his At The Piano was recorded in february 1981). These nine pieces are comprising of four from his originals, and five standards by Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk and Billy Strayhorn. Off Course! features an improvised performance played in may 2013 by Joelle Leandre (voice and double bass) and Paul Lovens (drums, cymbals and gong). The 28-minute namesake piece, along with another 6-minute track, after a digital release, has been delivered now on CD by French label Fou. Ben Neill launched in 2018 his own label, Blue Math, and released in 2020 two albums featuring onld and unreleased compositions. Posthorn was created over several years and finished in 2005. Based on the Posthorn solo for trumpet from Gustav Mahler’s Symphony no. 3, Posthorn highlights the expressive interactive capabilities of his instrument Mutantrumpet transforming themusic through live sampling, chaotic structures, and improvisation into an electro-orchestral piece. Instead, Schizetude 3 (composed in 1991) is the last of a set of 3 pieces composed for Neill’s instrument and also intended for performance by other instrumentalists. The performance features trumpeter Theo Van Dyck. Schizetude 3 is a series of variations on a 12-tone theme, with specific pitches assigned to different acoustic and electronic timbres. The work references the early 20th century cornet solos of Herbert L. Clarke, improvisations of Miles Davis’ cool period, and the drone music of La Monte Young. 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