CD

Rozemarie Heggen & Terrie Ex

2017

"Openness, intuition, intensity, joy are a few of the basic elements which made the special connection that have taken them both to a different level of music-making. Exploring new territory can definitely be heard in their playing. The eleven improvisations on "Fiets" are little stories, experiences you might have while doing a very Dutch thing; making a ride on your bicycle (fiets). Have a good listen!... -Terrie Hessels"

Adam Linson Systems Quartet

2011

""Linson's aim to explore the range of possibilities at the intersection of jazz and computer music goes some way to being achieved; it still feels as if there are yet more possibilities to be explored. As an exemplar of the use of electronics and processing with a small improvising group, Figures and Grounds is a great success." -John Eyles, All About Jazz"

Morris / Cancura / Nazary

2008

"Just listening to the absolute basic notion of what a sax trio should sound like, is a true joy. — Stef, The Free Jazz Collective"

Joe McPhee Trio

2012

"One of the most amazing discoveries is how the band's sound was already well-established from this very first recorded performance, not that they haven't evolved, but the core elements of total freedom, authentic feeling and reverence for tradition are already present. Quiet moments with lots of open space and room for interpretation and excursion by the individual soloists alternate by great moments of energetic explosivity. -Stef, Free Jazz Blog"

Jaap Blonk, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Michael Zerang

1998

"Cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and percussionist Michael Zerang have collaboratively joined forces before, but the addition of Dutch vocalist Jaap Blonk is a wonderful complement to the Chicago duo. Blonk, of course, is much more than your usual "singer, " as the sounds he caresses from his vocal chords are utterly unconventional and strikingly unique. He is literally a one-man band, reaching into a bag of bizarre blips and pops, wonderfully complementing his colleagues. Lonberg-Holm and Zerang have mastered their crafts so well that they almost sound as one. Transforming the cello into a wildly, freestyle machine, Lonberg-Holm creates a unique blend of noise and scratches into which Zerang holds on and digs. The results are totally satisfying, and each of the ten tracks glows with highlights. ~Steven A. Loewy"

Fish & Steel

2019

"While Nilssen-Love was never a man of restraint, with two of the world’s most versatile brass improvisers going at it he able to be completely free in his approach. And this playfulness is certainly what makes Fish & Steel’s debut album such an exciting release."

Benjamín Vergara / Fred Lonberg-Holm / Aaron Zarzutzki

2018

"In all five tracks there’s never just a single idea of how the recording will proceed. They seem to decide on the spot, always ready to change direction or choose another path. This is probably the most important lesson learned in collective improvisation. -Fotis Nikolakopoulos, Free Jazz Collective"

Jaap Blonk, Koichi Makigami, Paul Dutton, Phil Minton & David Moss

""You may call them sound poets, vocalists, or even singers, but when you gather all five of them on-stage they become pure entertainers. Five Men Singing is the genuine avant-garde voice summit. Recorded live at the 2003 Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, this performance is a delightful demonstration of what the human voice is capable of, what level of excitement group improvisation can provide, and what creative singing is all about. The performance is spontaneous, mischievous, occasionally deviant, often humorous, and extremely physical." -François Couture"

Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble with Sainkho Namtchylak

2021

""The ElectroAcoustic Ensemble is one of the most significant events in the humanization of electronic music, in making it mobile and spontaneously responsive. Fluctuating, by the Ensemble itself, is more than a valuable document, it’s a major revelatory work." -Stuart Broomer"

Joe Morris Trio

1992

Joe McPhee

2016

"McPhee is a master at inventing figures and melodies as the foundation for his excursions which take in more extreme elements of the sound spectrum. It's that fascination as to how McPhee will plot a course on the continuum between form and abstraction in any given piece which forms a large part of his enduring intrigue and appeal. -John Sharpe, All About Jazz"

Large Unit

2017

"Fluku is a superb album, dynamic, adventurous, colorful and innovative. If you have the chance to see the band live, don’t miss it."

Andy Moor & Yannis Kyriakides

2010

""Folia" is the third CD collaboration of Andy Moor (guitar) and Yannis Kyriakides (computer) created in 2009 and performed in numerous festivals and concerts that year. It is an epic reworking of the famous tune from the 16th and 17th centuries called "La Folia". Fusing influences from this and South American folk music, they create a unique sound world of slowly evolving soundscapes, fluctuating beats, and rich oscillating harmonies. -Unsounds"

Ken Vandermark & Pandelis Karayorgis

2007

Frode Gjerstad Trio + 1

2020

"With the release of “Forgotten City” Norway’s premier free-jazz trio sounds as fresh and exciting as when they started."

Ab Baars Trio + Rosewell Rudd

2001

"...If you are accustomed to the eclectic, dissonant and perhaps even sometimes bullying Baars language, then you’ll find some true gems on the album Four. The group interaction and the improvisations are of an exceptionally high level. Rudd fits perfectly with the trio; together they form a real quartet.” Kees Stevens Parool 31/7/2001"

Joe Morris & Anthony Braxton

2008

"Morris's soft-toned parlando style little guitar sounds seem to have an incredible effect on Braxton who is lyrical as I've seldom heard him. Both musicians listen extremely closely and actually compose on the spot, moving these long improvisations through different moods and musical landscapes, but then of the low and hilly kind, without high peaks or deep chasms. The music is fragile, sensitive, deeply emotional and vibrating with life and musical joy. -Stef, Free Jazz Blog"

Vandermark / Guy / Sanders

2009

"The proof here is the instantaneous manner in which the trio gets down to the business of music-making. This isn't just twiddling and tinkering with instruments; the three, in the classic sax/bass/drums configuration, narrate paths of sound governed by an unwritten set of rules."

Sylvie Courvoisier Trio

2020

""There is abundant creativity here, but it is channeled so skillfully that it never feels gratuitous or self-indulgent. It is just another ideal opportunity for three masters to display their craft in close communication and genuine rapport." - Troy Dostert, All About Jazz "

The Vandermark 5

2001

"The band lovingly works over pieces by many of the pillars in free jazz, from Ornette to Giuffre, Ra to Hemphill. The exciting repertoire remains fresh (these compositions haven't exactly been overexposed) and gives the musicians plenty of room to groove and work their chops...which, by now, these Chicago players certainly have enough of to pull off this tribute project with excellent results."