CD

Joe McPhee / Lisle Ellis / Paul Plimley

2004

"In 1994, Joe McPhee entered a studio in Zurich, Switzerland and recorded this thoughtful yet chance-taking response to Max Roach's ambitious Freedom Now Suite of 1960 ... McPhee doesn't treat Roach's compositions like museum pieces; instead, he embraces them on his own terms and brings many of his own ideas to the table ... the element of surprise is exactly what McPhee is going for on this rewarding, AACM-influenced inside/outside date. -Alex Henderson, All Music"

The Clifford Thornton Memorial Quartet

2018

"Throughout its one extended track and a cursory refinement of the obvious encore, the four musicians work through the theme with a logic of their own. McPhee’s valve trombone introduction and much later tenor saxophone elaborations refer back to bedrock Blues which also coursed through Thornton’s work. -Ken Waxman, Jazz World"

Peter Brötzmann & Paal Nilssen-Love

2008

"Brotzmann and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love seem like a perfect pairing: Brotzmann's saxophones, clarinets and tarogato—a Hungarian single-reed instrument with a deeper, louder and woodier timbre—are underscored by Nilssen-Love's relentless, fast-paced cymbal work. -Ted Gordon, All About Jazz"

Joe Morris Instantiation

2020

"Switches is scored with invented notation that is read in line from right to left. Each player has different pages. The performer assigns value to the notation by making a sound. Players also have additional pages consisting of 13 units of traditional notation. The independent use of the score generates a natural juxtaposition of material. - Joe Morris, liner notes"

Platform 1

2012

Mohammed

2006

"Mohammed 'Jimmy' Mohammed is a phenomenal blind singer from Ethiopia. He has appeared on the Ethiopiques series and this is his debut album. The songs are about love, politics, and the social life of the poor. But there is also wit and charm and plenty of 'Wax & Gold', the typical Ethiopian double meaning. He is accompanied by Mesele Asmamaw on the krar, a 5-string harp and Asnake Gebreyes on the traditional drums."

Frode Gjerstad / Fred Lonberg-Holm / William Parker / Steve Swell

2020

"On the day of the recording, William set the tone by bringing a whole arsenal of instruments including flutes, tuba, cornet and, of course, his bass, while. Fred brought his cello and electronics, Steve, his trombone and some mutes and I brought what I had with me, which was my sax and clarinet. What we created was far from the drummerless free-jazz session I expected. But the great thing about working with good friends is that together we found and delivered something special! I have known these gentlemen for many years, but I never heard them play this way before."

Mats Gustafsson / Barry Guy / Raymond Strid

2008

"The energy swells and recesses, popping circuits off the listeners receptors even in the quietest moments. -Mark Corroto, All About Jazz"

The Vandermark 5

1998

Joelle Leandre / Elisabeth Harnik

2018

"Harnik and Léandre continue to perform as a duo but even on this early phase of their collaboration they already established a profound bond. As Ken Vandermark notes in his liner notes, both bring to this setting their “unique personal creative histories - applying techniques and melodic/textual territories that are distinctly their own, developed in other ensembles and field of endeavors, and brought together through the parallel lines of expression”. -Eyal Hareuveni, Free Jazz Blog"

Joe McPhee

2000

Fred Lonberg-Holm Trio

2007

"Terminal Valentine is Lonberg-Holm's third album in a series originally inspired by the work of cellist Fred Katz, best known as a member of Chico Hamilton's visionary 1950s chamber jazz quintet. A Valentine for Fred Katz (Atavistic, 2002) and Other Valentines (Atavistic, 2005) preceded this date, with each succeeding album making subtle, creative inroads along the way. -Troy Collins, All About Jazz"

Rodrigo Amado / Kent Kessler / Paal Nilssen-Love

2009

"Nilssen-Love is a master of propulsion. Be it with his tom-toms or simple sticks on metal, he is always driving, commenting, and chiding his mates. The music, although not scripted, is structured and organized, but not just Kessler's time-keeping bass but all three players. -Mark Corroto, All About Jazz"

Christof Kurzmann

2003

""The low rumbles in the last third and the sharp blows that came before them evoke a war-like atmosphere, but that's as far the parallel between text and music can go. Kurzmann has quite a talent for sound organization, but the piece still has a couple of stretches where the mind wanders off because of the narrow sound palette, but overall The Air Between provides a captivating listen." -Francoise Couture, All Music"

Various Artists

2018

"Limited edition of 150 Copies, each numbered"

Stirrup +6

2020

"…this just hits like an especially robust excursion into the beauty of avant-Chicago...with stretches that roll and even groove; in terms of rhythm (movement) and foundational sturdiness, The Avondale Addition is a substantial ride (that lasts for just over an hour). Everybody plays at a high level, and this [is] splendid stuff. –Joseph Neff (The Vinyl District)"

Paul Flaherty & Chris Corsano

2006

"Buoyed by flowing swells of tom skin, The Beloved Music is an aural analog to Clyfford Still's caked oils or Richard Serra's manhandled lead. Flaherty and Corsano make music that is here, and they don't give a shit if you're around to love it or not. -Clifford Allen, Bagatellen"

Claudio f. Baroni

2020

"The music on this album originates in the interactive sound installation The Body Imitates the Landscape by artist Adi Hollander: she designed a collection of ergonomic objects that are meant to transform music into vibrations felt through the entire body. Hollander was inspired by the Japanese book Karada by Michitaro Tada about the ‘school of the body’. Hollander and Claudio F. Baroni made a live version of the installation where Baroni’s music, performed by Maze, was experienced live by the public. As it was channeled through the objects, the public could at once hear the music in the space and feel it in their bodies."

Luke Stewart's Silt Trio

2022

"“I approached the recording session as closely as possible to playing a set, arranging the sequence with that in mind,” says Stewart, who was born and raised in Mississippi. “Like a set compositions are coupled by moments of free improvisation, but that free improv is contextualized by what happened before and after. It’s a journey, and the recording session reflects that.” -Luke Stewart"

Joe McPhee & Jeb Bishop

1999

"A wonderful meeting between the great multi-horn master from Poughkeepsie NY (Joe McPhee) and up and coming trombone star of the Vandermark 5, Jeb Bishop."