Ab Baars

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Ab Baars

Tenor Saxophone · Clarinet · Shakuhachi · Composition

Dutch saxophonist and shakuhachi player. Co-founder of Wig Records, 35 years documenting European free improvisation with Ig Henneman.

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Andy Moor

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Andy Moor

Electric Guitar

Electric guitarist and founding member of The Ex. Co-founder of Unsounds label, Amsterdam. Four decades bridging post-punk and free improvisation.

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Ben Hall

Detroit, USA

Ben Hall

Drums · Percussion

American avant-garde percussionist, sculptor, and archivist whose experimental work redefines rhythm, improvisation, and community structures.

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Bonnie Han Jones

Chicago, USA

Bonnie Han Jones

Electronics

Pianist and composer working at the intersection of free improvisation and contemporary composition. Catalytic Sound member.

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Brandon Lopez

New York, USA

Brandon Lopez

Double Bass

New York-based bassist and composer redefining the double bass through physical improvisation, raw energy, and radical avant-garde sonic textures.

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Chris Corsano

Chicago, USA

Chris Corsano

Drums · Percussion

A boundary-pushing American drummer and improviser known for blending free jazz, avant-rock, and noise music into a unique sonic style.

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Christof Kurzmann

Vienna, Austria

Christof Kurzmann

Electronics · Voice · Clarinet

Austrian electronics improviser and vocalist bridging Vienna and Chicago experimental scenes. Voice, laptop, and clarinet in radical combination.

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claire rousay

Los Angeles, USA

claire rousay

Percussion · Electronics · Voice

An experimental artist reshaping modern percussion and ambient music by weaving everyday sounds and emotional vulnerability into avant-garde textures.

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Damon Locks

Chicago, USA

Damon Locks

Voice · Electronics · Visual Art

Chicago-based vocalist, sound artist, and visual creator who blends experimental music, free jazz, radical politics, and electronics into transformative art.

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Dave Rempis

Chicago, USA

Dave Rempis

Soprano · Alto · Tenor · Baritone Saxophones

A leading figure in contemporary avant-garde jazz and improvised music, renowned for his intense, limits-pushing saxophone performances.

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Elisabeth Harnik

Graz, Austria

Elisabeth Harnik

Piano · Composition

A visionary Austrian pianist and composer whose fearless avant-garde jazz and improvisation redefine the boundaries of modern sound.

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Fred Lonberg-Holm

El Cerrito, Ca, USA

Fred Lonberg-Holm

Cello · Electronics · Composition

American cellist and composer central to the improvised music and avant-garde scenes. Known for his work as a leader and a versatile session musician, his cata…

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gabby fluke-mogul

New York, USA

gabby fluke-mogul

Violin · Voice · Composition

gabby fluke-mogul is a Brooklyn-based violinist, improviser, composer, facilitator, organizer and doula.

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Ig Henneman

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Ig Henneman

Viola · Composition

A cornerstone of the Dutch avant-jazz scene. From rock roots to free improvisation, her viola and compositions reshape creative music.

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Ikue Mori

New York, New York

Ikue Mori

Electronics · Drum Machine · Composition

Japanese-born New York electronic musician and No Wave pioneer. Drum machine improvisation as a fully developed art form. Catalytic Sound member.

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Ingebrigt Håker Flaten

Austin, Texas

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten

Double Bass · Electric Bass

Norwegian double bassist connecting Oslo and Chicago free jazz. Founder of Sonic Transmission Records and co-founder of The Thing. Catalytic Sound.

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Jaap Blonk

Arnhem, Netherlands

Jaap Blonk

Voice · Electronics · Composition

Dutch sound poet and Kontrans Records founder. Vocal improvisation, phonetic poetry, and electronic synthesis. The voice as radical instrument. Catalytic Sound.

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Joe McPhee

Poughkeepsie, New York

Joe McPhee

Tenor · Pocket Trumpet · Electronics

American free jazz legend and philosopher of improvised music since the 1960s. Saxophone, pocket trumpet, and a lifetime of uncompromising creativity. Catalyti…

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Joe Morris

Boston, Massachusetts

Joe Morris

Guitar · Bass · Composition

Avant-garde guitarist, composer, and educator. Founder of Riti Records and Glacial Erratic. American free improvisation in the deepest tradition. Catalytic Sou…

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Ken Vandermark

Chicago, Illinois

Ken Vandermark

Tenor Saxophone · Clarinet · Composition

Chicago saxophonist, composer, and Audiographic Records founder. MacArthur Fellow. One of free jazz's most prolific architects. Catalytic Sound.

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Kim Alpert

Chicago, USA

Kim Alpert

Multimedia · Design

Kim combines analog and digital technologies, movement, music, and interactivity, to create sculptural and performance-based video systems.

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Lily Finnegan

Chicago, USA

Lily Finnegan

Drums · Composition

Chicago drummer, composer, and organizer. Leader of Heat On, member of Ken Vandermark's Edition Redux. Option Series curator.

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Luke Stewart

Washington, D.C.

Luke Stewart

Double Bass · Electric Bass · Electronics · Composition

DC-NY bassist and Irreversible Entanglements co-founder. CapitalBop co-director. DownBeat's "25 for the Future." Music as liberation practice. Catalytic Sound.

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Mats Gustafsson

Vienna, Austria

Mats Gustafsson

Tenor · Baritone Saxophone · Flute · Electronics

Swedish saxophonist and one of free jazz's most prolific figures. Co-founder of The Thing. Radical sound and radical politics. Catalytic Sound.

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Nate Wooley

Brooklyn, New York

Nate Wooley

Trumpet · Composition · Publisher

Brooklyn trumpeter and founder of Pleasure of the Text Records and Sound American journal. Extended technique that redefines the instrument. Catalytic Sound.

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Paal Nilssen-Love

Oslo, Norway

Paal Nilssen-Love

Drums · Percussion

Norwegian drummer and founder of PNL Records. Leader of the Large Unit. One of free jazz's most prolific and physically commanding forces. Catalytic Sound.

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Paul Lytton

Belgium

Paul Lytton

Drums · Percussion · Electronics

British percussionist and electronics musician. Co-founder of the Evan Parker Trio. Six decades at the heart of European free improvisation. Catalytic Sound.

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Sylvie Courvoisier

New York, New York

Sylvie Courvoisier

Piano · Prepared Piano · Composition

Swiss pianist and composer based in New York. Free jazz and contemporary composition in extraordinary dialogue. Extended piano technique. Catalytic Sound.

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Tashi Dorji

Asheville, North Carolina

Tashi Dorji

Electric Guitar

Bhutanese-born electric guitarist with a wholly self-invented approach. Co-founder of KUZU with Dave Rempis. Free improvisation and noise. Catalytic Sound.

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Terrie Ex

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Terrie Ex

Electric Guitar

Founding member of The Ex and TERP Records. Four decades of post-punk, free jazz, and radical creative independence from Amsterdam. Catalytic Sound.

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Tim Daisy

Chicago, Illinois

Tim Daisy

Drums · Percussion · Composition

Chicago drummer, composer, and founder of Relay Recordings. Percussion-centered free jazz with a composer's structural intelligence. Catalytic Sound.

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Tomeka Reid

Chicago, Illinois

Tomeka Reid

Cello · Composition

Chicago cellist, composer, and 2022 MacArthur Fellow. AACM member and Chicago Jazz String Summit founder. The cello at the center of contemporary jazz. Catalyt…

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Zeena Parkins

Brooklyn, New York

Zeena Parkins

Harp · Composition

New York harpist and composer. Four decades of radical sound exploration at the intersection of free improvisation, electronics, and contemporary composition.

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