CD

The Vandermark 5

2003

"Fans of Chicago's incredibly prolific Ken Vandermark will no doubt appreciate the fresh angle his V5 group has placed on these nine tunes, each dedicated to a distinct artist from independent-minded filmmaker John Cassavetes to R&B hero Otis Redding. "

The Vandermark 5

2003

"Fans of Chicago's incredibly prolific Ken Vandermark will no doubt appreciate the fresh angle his V5 group has placed on these nine tunes, each dedicated to a distinct artist from independent-minded filmmaker John Cassavetes to R&B hero Otis Redding. "

Various Artists

2003

Zerfu Demissie

2007

Ken Vandermark & Nate Wooley

2015

"All Directions Home wastes exactly no time getting going. The pairing is a fruitful one, with two bridging their deep interests in jazz history and tradition with their equally unique talents using extended techniques and crafting avant-garde compositions. Highly recommended (Lee Rice Epstein, The Free Jazz Collective)"

Joe Morris / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver

2012

"Inspired by the lengthy expositions of Coltrane and Cecil Taylor (although sounding nothing like either) the threesome maintains an urgent pace throughout the first extended piece (50-plus minutes, demarcated into the first two tracks, comprising the opening set in full). In a relatively straightforward execution, the adventure stems from the ceaseless search, as the trio obsessively wrings all the possibilities inherent from a single mood via a steadily blossoming stream of consciousness."

Paal Nilssen-Love & Anders Hana

2010

Joe Morris & Agusti Fernandez

2011

"This guitar and piano duo album from Joe Morris and Agustí Fernández is an outing by like minded improvisors, happily extending the definition of melody and the physical limitations of their respective instruments. Between rich acoustic tones they scratch and pluck in unintended places, creating rhythm and melody in adventurous ways."

Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet

2007

Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet

2007

Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit

2016

"Ana, Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit's second full-length album, was recorded just a few hours after the Large Unit's ecstatic performance at the Oslo Jazz Festival on August 2015, while the group still riding high on the adrenalin of the live performance. Ana offers an extended version of the Large Unit, augmented by two Brazilian percussionists, Celio de Carvalho and Paulinho Bicolor, both also played in the live performance and enriched the sonic spectrum of the Large Unit."

Ab Baars

2018

""Since I first started making music I listened extensively to ballads that were being played by the great saxophonists. These inspiring examples became part of my playing, my sound, my language. This CD is a salute to that tradition".-Ab Baars Internationally acclaimed for both his solo and ensemble music performed, Dutch multi-wind player Ab Baars presents a studio album of solo playing on the clarinet, saxophone, and shakuhachi, inspired by and focusing on the traditions of ballads from great saxophonists, with improvisations colored by songs like "Naima", "Body and Soul", "Solitude"."

The Ex + Tom Cora

1993

"Like Sonic Youth, The Ex knows that their harshest parts stand out in bolder and better relief when balanced with softer moments."

"The Ex and Tom Cora have joined forces again for another passionate and eclectic release."

"A new voyage of discovery, once again quite enervating... Poetry and chaos side by side, like confrontation and trance, in a wild collision of styles. Uneasy listening."

Joe McPhee

2009

""Epic" is a word that seems appropriate to describe the music on this two-disc offering by saxophonist and trumpeter Joe McPhee. Accompanied by four double-bassists, the veteran free-jazzer from upstate New York has concocted a tribute to the spirit of one of the genre's early patron saints and called it, appropriately enough The Albert Ayler 2000 Project."

Michiyo Yagi / Paal Nilssen-Love / Lasse Marhaug

2015

"Koto virtuoso Michiyo Yagi joins the longstanding Norwegian duo of drummer Paal-Nilssen-Love and electronics wizard Lasse Marhaug for a session of extended improvisations. Galvanized by Nilssen-Love’s arsenal of sounds and textures, Yagi drives the most traditional of Japanese instruments to non-idiomatic and percussive extremes while Marhaug’s abstractions reach heights of surprising lyricism. A veritable atlas of strange and wonderful sonic terrain, “Angular Mass” invites the listener to an unforgettable adventure."

Tim Daisy's Fulcrum Ensemble

2018

"The three compositions on the group’s latest release “Animation” take inspiration from a range of contemporary musical ideas including: the innovative performance and compositional techniques pioneered by the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, structural and textural innovations connected to contemporary composers including Earle Brown, Anthony Braxton and Terry Riley, as well as the energy and spirit generated by the American “free jazz” movement of the 1960’s and 70's, notably the work of Julius Hemphill, Marion Brown, and Don Cherry. "

The Vandermark 5

2009

David Grubbs / Mats Gustafsson

1998

"Duets for harmonium and whateveraphone. These pieces are starkly out of character for both individuals, but no less excellent"

Rempis/Abrams/Ra

2014

"This debut release by the regular working trio of Dave Rempis, Joshua Abrams, and Avreeayl Ra is a perfect example of what makes Chicago such a fertile breeding ground for improvised music; three musicians of widely varying ages, backgrounds, playing experiences, and musical interests join forces to deliver moments of both sublime beauty and volcanic energy, continually tempered by the seamless narrative momentum that they weave together in a seemingly effortless way. Although the trio has only been working since the fall of 2012, their group dynamic reveals a chemistry that feels much more seasoned than such a short time might allow – perhaps a result of their shared interest in musical experiences that transcend the every day level, and offer something more substantial to the listener. With Abrams doubling on several different string instruments, and Ra on his characteristically wide array of percussion, the music these three create together is wide-ranging in nature, drawing upon influences from around the world to create a sound that’s totally unique within the current milieu of improvised music. credits "

Akira Sakata / Johan Berthling / Paal Nilssen-Love

2014