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Trio 3 & Vijay Iyer – Wiring (2014)
The incandescent free jazz of late John Coltrane and Albert Ayler lives on, in Trio 3. In recent years, they’ve released a number of albums on the Intakt label with pianists who share their free...
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Aki Takase & Alexander von Schlippenbach – So Long, Eric! Homage to Eric...
Eric Dolphy’s star just keeps on rising. The life of this great pioneer of free jazz was cut cruelly short in 1964, when he died of diabetic shock, and the recorded legacy is tantalisingly small. But...
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Aki Takase & Ayumi Paul – Hotel Zauberberg (2015)
The project Hotel Zauberberg arose out of Aki Takase‘s and Yumi Paul’s shared admiration for the writer Thomas Mann. It mostly consists of notated compositions, with some improvised parts as well....
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Oliver Lake & William Parker – To Roy (2015)
To Roy is dedicated to the late trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr., who had risen among the ranks as a first-call session artist amid a fruitful career as a leader. He was an astute and powerful improviser who...
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Barry Guy New Orchestra – Amphi Radio Rondo (2014)
Venerable British bassist and improviser, Barry Guy is the director of the New Orchestra but also serves as an enabler for the musicians’ creative sparks to flourish. Other than frequent collaborator...
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Ingrid Laubrock Octet – Zürich Concert (2014)
Even though numbering just eight strong, Ingrid Laubrock makes such skillful use of the talented cast at her disposal on Zurich Concert that the band delivers an almost orchestral experience. She...
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Christoph Irniger Pilgrim – Italian Circus Story (2014)
Young Swiss saxophonist, composer Christoph Irniger is one to watch. His blossoming stature on the European jazz scene is partly due to his invigorating and meticulous compositional approach. With this...
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Barry Guy & London Jazz Composers Orchestra: Studio II, Stringer (2014)
This CD represents a tying-up of loose ends for the now-disbanded LJCO, coupling the previously unreleased Study II with the long out-of-print Stringer. As often with Guy’s work, there’s a sense of...
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Andreas Schaerer & Lucas Niggli – Arcanum (2014)
Whether leading his Drum Quartet, seven-piece Zoom ensemble or supporting fabled improvisers, bassist Barry Guy and guitarist Fred Frith, Swiss drummer Lucas Niggli is not one to play it safe or dodge...
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Chico Freeman & Heiri Känzig – The Arrival (2015)
It is difficult to speak of Chico Freeman in the same terms as you would another saxophonist playing today. He has a heritage that is unusual in jazz, coming as he does not from a musical family, but a...
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Luciano Biondini – Senza Fine (2015)
Luciano Biondini is one of the few outstanding masters of the accordion in Europe, a musician who is at home with jazz music as well as being deeply rooted in the music of his homeland: the...
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Han Bennink & Irène Schweizer – Welcome Back (2015)
Irène Schweizer and Han Bennink like to play together – you can hear it in every note. After a tour of Switzerland, the two went straight in the recording studio. The result is a stunning second album:...
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Tom Rainey Trio – Hotel Grief (2015)
After making the studio recording Camino Ciel Echo, New York drummer Tom Rainey’s trio has now recorded a “live” album containing the distilled essence of numerous concerts including several European...
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Ulrich Gumpert Quartett – A New One (2015)
A New One. Featuring Jurg Wickihalder on soprano & tenor saxes, Ulrich Gumpert on piano, Jan Roder on bass and Michael Greiner on drums. Longtime FMP/Intakt pianist & composer Ulrich Gumpert...
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Katharina Weber, Fred Frith, Fredy Studer – It Rolls (2015)
A new “piano icon” – this is how Fred Frith describes Katharina Weber. For almost thirty years now the classically trained pianist and composer moves within the world of New Music and Improvisation....
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Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House – Roulette of the Cradle (2015)
The fact that Ingrid Laubrock‘s Anti-House is an established working band is borne out by the degree of trust the German saxophonist places in her world class cast of collaborators. But even though she...
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Christoph Irniger Trio – Octopus (2015)
Iterations of the tenor, bass, drums configuration in improvised music are well past the point of being easily quantified and cataloged. Trios entering the playing field with the format face a decision...
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Marilyn Crispell & Gerry Hemingway – Table of Changes (2015)
With Affinities in 2011, the partnership of former Anthony Braxton players Marilyn Crispell (piano) and Gerry Hemingway (drums) produced improv-duo music of power, precision and lyricism. Table of...
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Angelika Niescier & Florian Weber – NYC Five (2016)
With their new album, alto player and bandleader Angelica Niescier and pianist and composer Florian Weber both from Cologne, Germany place themselves at the centre of the New York jazz scene. Their...
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Aruán Ortiz Trio – Hidden Voices (2016)
The jazz piano trio comes in a wide spectrum of approaches, from the traditional — Red Garland, Tommy Flanagan — to the way out there avant-garde, like Cecil Taylor. When the subject of “Cuban...
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