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MARTIAL SOLAL TRIO - Longitude (2008)
Oftentimes the best free players are those with a firm footing in the jazz tradition. Few have demonstrated as uncanny an ability to straddle the line between form and freedom as Martial Solal, a...
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ROSCOE MITCHELL - Sound (1966)
Woodwind player, and co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Roscoe Mitchell’s landmark 1966 Sound remains one of the essential and transformative work in music...
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JOSEPH JARMAN / ANTHONY BRAXTON - Together Alone (1974)
It's a matter of fact that the late 60s and early 70s was a time of great artistic experimentation and achievement for creative improvised music. Paris, in particular, lured some of the AACM's most...
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KRIS DAVIS - The Slightest Shift (2005)
The adjective that comes to mind again and again when listening to this quartet recording by pianist and composer Kris Davis is "refreshing. Much of The Slightest Shift sounds close to free...
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KRIS DAVIS - Good Citizen (2010)
It's just a coincidence that pianist Kris Davis has had three stunning trio recordings released in 2010. There are the two on Clean Feed Records—Paradoxial Frog, a brilliant joint collaboration with...
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KRIS DAVIS / INGRID LAUBROCK / TYSHAWN SOREY - Paradoxical Frog (2010)
There's so much music bursting out of saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, and her cultural reference points are so diverse, that you never quite know, as you take a disc out of the sleeve for the first time,...
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ARTHUR BLYTHE - In Concert (The Grip/Metamorphosis) (1977)
Altoist Arthur Blythe's first two recordings as a leader, The Grip and Metamorphosis, were recorded at the same concert; all of the two LP's contents are on this single CD. Blythe was already quite...
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MARILYN CRISPELL / TIM BERNE - Inference (1992)
An avant-gardist whose playing (even at its most intense) is lyrical, the remarkable pianist Marilyn Crispell was originally influenced by Cecil Taylor but has since carved out her own musical...
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TIM BERNE - The Sevens (2002)
The Sevens is Tim Berne's most explicitly "compositional" statement in some time. The album's core, a pair of through-composed movements performed by the ARTE saxophone quartet, could serve as an...
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TIM BERNE / MICHAEL FORMANEK - Ornery People (1998)
These sessions were done at the Mat Bevel Institute in Tuscon, AZ, between alto/baritone saxophonist Berne and acoustic upright bassist Formanek. These days Berne is more free of clichés than ever...
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BIG SATAN [Tim Berne/Marc Ducret/Tom Rainey] - I Think They Liked It, Honey...
Tim Berne (alto and baritone saxes) has been at the forefront of progressive jazz since the early '80s. On this release, the artist regroups with longtime musical associates Marc Ducret (electric...
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BIG SATAN - Souls Saved Hear (2004)
Hear marks the ferocious return of saxophonist Tim Berne's Big Satan. At just under 48 minutes ó the longest piece just over ten ó it is somewhat diminutive within Berne's catalog. But the taut...
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BIG SATAN - Livein Cognito (2006)
Tim Berne has developed a rather distinct approach to composition and performance. His alto saxophone charges through convoluted lines that baffle anyone who attempts to discern the time signature....
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KENNY BARRON - Scratch (1985)
Kenny Barron, one of those talented pianists who always seems to be underrated, breaks away from playing standards and conventional bebop on this frequently exciting trio date. Matched up with bassist...
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JACOB YOUNG - Glow (2001)
"With Glow, a melodic, and thoughtful third CD, he has taken a significant step, first and foremost as a composer/arranger. But there is a growing, quiet and determined authority with his performance...
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JACOB YOUNG - Pieces Of Time (1997)
Tracks1. Coming Home (Jacob Young)2. Wonder Why (Jacob Young)3. When We're Talking4. Joana5. In a Subtle Way6. Ballad7. The Promise8. Lamenting9. å, den som var en løvetannTRYGVE SEIM tenor saxophone,...
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LOUIS SCLAVIS SEPTET - Chamber Music (1989)
Originally released in the late '80s, Chine and Chamber Music are here conveniently reissued as a two-CD set. At the time, both albums helped Louis Sclavis gain wider recognition -- at least in Europe....
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LOUIS SCLAVIS - Chine/Chamber Music (2003)
Originally released in the late '80s, Chine and Chamber Music are here conveniently reissued as a two-CD set. At the time, both albums helped Louis Sclavis gain wider recognition -- at least in Europe....
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LOUIS SCLAVIS QUINTET - L'affrontement des prétendants
The latest ECM date by clarinetist and soprano saxophonist Louis Sclavis moves astray from his previous concept-oriented albums and toward musical settings that showcase his stunning new quintet. The...
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JOHN TAYLOR / KENNY WHEELER / RICCARDO DEL FRA - Overnight (2002)
More contemporary jazz with a lot of space in it, but a strictly acoustic association of three richly experienced soloists on the interesting French Sketch label. Kenny Wheeler's celebrated audacity of...
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