CD

Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet

2005

"First of all there is a great line-up going at this point, with the titanically endowed reed configuration of Brotzmann, Gustafsson, Vandermark and McPhee (the latter on alto sax and trumpet), plus Jeb Bishop on the trombone. Then there is Lonberg-Holm on cello, Kessler on bass, and the duo drum-team of Nilssen-Love and Zerang. Mike Pearson appears in the guise of recitator, since Be Music, Night centers around the poems of Kenneth Patchen and a hommage to his work."

The Vandermark 5

2008

"This is probably one of Vandermark's strongest compositional strengths : to structure carefully with strong melodic lines (listen to the beauty of "Any Given Number"), while leaving freedom to act, to integrate many things while creating something new, and all this while maintaing the band's phenomenal drive. It's fierce, it's tender, it's hypnotic. A captivating, surprising, intense album."

The Vandermark 5

2008

"This is probably one of Vandermark's strongest compositional strengths : to structure carefully with strong melodic lines (listen to the beauty of "Any Given Number"), while leaving freedom to act, to integrate many things while creating something new, and all this while maintaing the band's phenomenal drive. It's fierce, it's tender, it's hypnotic. A captivating, surprising, intense album."

Joe Morris Quartet

2005

"... Morris leads his quartet on an adventurous and varied set. With hauntingly atmospheric modal grooves, tender, reflective ballads and invigorating, angular free bop, Morris's singular talents as a guitarist have never been more evident. -Troy Collins, All About jazz"

Made to Break

2015

Fendika

2016

"Melaku likes to call the music ‘Addis Tradition’, which means ‘new tradition’. And that how it is. You feel the strong, traditional Ethiopian tunes, deeply rooted in the culture of many regions, but you also sense the new generation of great dancers and musicians. All five of this Fendika group are extremely talented and groundbreaking in their technique and approach. -Terp Records"

Sylvie Courvoisier Mark Feldman Quartet with Scott Colley and Billy Mintz

2014

"This music possesses a striking beauty, even when it appears to be trying for a different effect. This in itself is a remarkable achievement, but that it’s also so damn accessible and easy to connect with just makes it that much more impressive. - Bird is the Worm"

Gustafsson / Russell / Strid

2012

"The trio of Mats Gustafsson (saxophones), John Russell (guitar), and Raymond Strid (drums) play an outstanding live set of improvisation with timbrical richness at Hagen Festen 2011"

Mats Gustafsson & Alfred Vogel

2017

"the two musicians have been waiting for this since a long time. In summer 2016 they gave it a chance when Gustafsson played on Vogel´s festival BEZAU BEATZ with his power-free-jazz-trio THE THING. After a short holiday weekend Gustafsson was ready to blow and Vogel to beat. "my baritone never sounded any better" claims the reed wizard while Vogel who was also doing the mix seems to be free as a bird can be - way up in the sky and down to earth ..."

FJF

1997

"The succinctly titled Blow Horn starts with a shout from the saxes of Gustafsson and Ken Vandermark, with bass and drums (Kent Kessler and Steve Hunt) churning underneath, and thereafter the energy level seldom subsides. This is post-Ayler, Brötzmann-incited freedom, storm centers of agitation and exuberance, with only brief moments of respite (“Biomass”) between onrushing shock waves. But even at such an intense tack they’re able to suggest distinctive rhythmic designs, like the raucous r&b inflections of “Blow Horn for Service” or the slow, taut groove of “Structure a la Malle"."

Joe McPhee & Ingebrigt Håker Flaten

2010

"Though willfully abstract in comparison to conventional interpretations, McPhee and Haker Flaten's commitment to the blues is palpable. Blue Chicago Blues is grounded in the same core principles that bequeathed I-IV-V chord progressions and flatted notes, celebrating an enduring tradition in its endless capacity for emotional expression. -Troy Collins, All About Jazz"

The Ex

1984

"It's caustic. A real burner. (...) While still retaining an all important relevant edge to their musical comment , they've introduced elements of tunesmithing, attack, decay and composition that places them head and shoulders above their contemporaries."

The Thing

2013

Frode Gjerstad Trio + Steve Swell

2018

"Frode Gjerstad’s name can be legendary in Norway and all the European continent, due to the fact that he was practically the only one to contrast himself, from the beginning, to the saxophone style which defined the Scandinavian approach to jazz for 40 years, the one defined by Jan Garbarek, but his trio with Jon Rune Strom and Paal Nilssen-Love is relatively new on the scene. It started in 2011 and there’s only another recording with trombonist Steve Swell as special guest, “At Constellation”, from 2015. Of course, there were some previous cumplicities between these musicians: Nilssen-Love was a member of Gjerstad’s Circulasione Totale Orchestra since 1992 and the alto saxophonist and clarinetist played with Swell in several occasions, mostly when visiting the United States. Musically, the quartet proposes a very particular kind of free improvised music with strong connections to the free jazz tradition, reinforced by the participation of the American who collaborated with the likes of Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon and Anthony Braxton. The energy level is very high, but the delivery isn’t always on the red: lots of dynamics and sudden contrasts keep the group interactions interesting and unpredictable. Frode Gjerstad’s approach to improvisation is distinctive in itself: he’s a melodic player, even if asymetrical, and he prefers the “old school” jazz phrasing to «reed-fueled bric-a-brac», as a music critic once wrote, managing to present it as if it’s a novelty."

Wheelhouse

2013

"The ten pieces presented here float in ruminating glances. The drummer-less trio invites stillness as its fourth member. Rempis delivers with a stoicism, eschewing volume for eloquence. -Mark Corroto, All About Jazz"

Lacerda / Manso / Nilssen-Love / Zenicola

2014

"A live recording of two extended improvisations at Audio Rebel's Quintavant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from the quartet of Arthur Lacerda on guitar and electronics, electric bassist Felipe Zenicola, guitarist Eduardo Manso, and drummer/percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love. "Bota" is a groove-oriented jam, Zenicola and Nilssen-Love carrying the pulse while the guitarists work above, ending with a degenerating electronic display. "Fogo" is the freer of the two, staring quietly and building into a wonderfully driving piece, with Nilssen-Love pulling out the stops with unpredictable and solid rhythmic intensity while Zenicola churns below. A powerful performance from Rio!"

Fred Lonberg-Holm and the Amphibians of the Everglades featuring Gustavo Matamoros

2020

"The title of this collection alludes to a direction in the score of Iannis Xanakis' "Kottos", where the cellist is instructed to "Bow Hard at the Frog", meaning quite literally to play vigorously at the frog (of the bow). In the context of this recording however the phrase becomes multifaceted, as Lonberg-Holm attempts to engage the amphibious wildlife of the Everglades in dialogue. -Nick Metzger, The Squid's Ear"

Joe McPhee & Mats Gustafsson

2018

"McPhee and Gustafsson liked these recordings so much that they immediately mixed and mastered the proceedings for an unspecified label only to have them collect dust in the vaults for the next decade. Fast forward to the present where CvsD has done this lost session justice with a knockout release emblazoned with artwork by Chicago-based artist Charline von Heyl. -Nick Metzger, Squid Ear"

Agustí Fernández, Mats Gustafsson, Ramon Prats

2013

"In April of 2013, Agustí Fernández gave a series of concerts at what could be considered the most vital jazz venue in Barcelona, the Jamboree Jazz Club. During a residence that lasted over a month, he invited some of the best improvisers from near and far to participate in the Agustí Fernández Lab Sessions; documented herein we have the session with saxophonist Mats Gustafsson guesting (performing for the first time in Jamboree, curiously enough) alongside Catalan drummer Ramon Prats for what is both an insightful chronicle of the city's improvisational milieu and a keen recording of a kinetic and compelling performance."

Fred Lonberg-Holm Quartet

2006

"Four individual voices overlapping in convulsive fragmentations, yet never exceeding the threshold of a barely disturbed imperturbability; even if Lonberg-Holm is indicated as the “leader”, this is pure and simple “anarchic democracy”. The abundant fruits generated by the artistic sensitiveness brought in by Guillermo Gregorio on clarinet, Glenn Kotche on percussion and Jason Roebke on bass are tangible since the very first listen; the development of a common, if atypical language seems to be the only thing that matters for this quartet. -Massimo Ricci"