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Tim Daisy's Fulcrum Ensemble
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“Daisy uses this intimate knowledge to his advantage, writing three compositions that not only call on each musician’s unique personal range but also collapse them together into a single complex layered mass.” —Eric McDowell, Free Jazz Blog
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The second release from composer/percussionist Tim Daisy’s latest ensemble, (formerly known as the Celebration sextet.) Three brand new compositions mix intricate orchestration with spirited improvisation, performed by a cast of world-class improvisers.

The Fulcrum Ensemble is an experimental music sextet organized by Chicago based percussionist and composer Tim Daisy and is a primary vehicle for his compositional style which mixes intricate orchestration with spirited improvisation.

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 intention of the Fulcrum Ensemble’s music lies in the assimilation of these multiple influences with the hopes of creating something new and unique. Utilizing some of the leading lights of today’s improvised music scene, the realization of these compositions would not be possible without the strong personalities, shared experience, good humor, inventiveness and collaborative spirit of the ensemble members.

‘Animation’ is the second recorded document from the Fulcrum Ensemble (formerly called the Celebration Sextet – see relay records 016) and the group has every intention to keep creating these unique collaborative sounds together well into the future.
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James Falzone: Clarinet
Steve Swell: Trombone
Josh Berman: Cornet
Fred Lonberg-Holm: Cello
Dave Rempis: Alto and Baritone Saxophones
Tim Daisy: Drums/Marimba/Metronomes/Califone/Composer

All Compositions by Tim Daisy (Split Music/ASCAP)

Recorded on August 8th, 2017 at the Elastic Arts Foundation, Chicago Il.
Recorded by Dave Zuchowski / One Room Studio
Mixed/Mastered by Alex Inglizian at Experimental Sound Studio
Artwork/layout by Federico Peñalva

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Joe Morris
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“Abstract yes, but melodic too, with careful restraint precision on the first and third piece, with leads indeed to a strange kind of non-figurative clarity, and with more nervous and agitated work on the two other pieces.” -Stef, Free Jazz Blog
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Piano – Steve Lantner
Drums – Luther Gray
Guitar – Joe Morris

Recorded May 12, 2009 at 7A West Studios Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Artwork – Anne Marcotty
Design, Layout – Fumi Tomita
Engineer, Mixed, Mastered – Mike Caglianone
Liner Notes, Producer, Composed – Joe Morris
Production Manager – Adam Downey

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Joe McPhee, Evan Parker & Daunik Lazro
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“This isn’t a noodle fest, but it is very subdued with little change in dynamic throughout. This is a disc for people who like to think about the saxophone or hear Joe McPhee practice with a couple of other guys.” -Thom Yurek, All Music
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Joe McPhee – pocket trumpet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, alto clarinet
Evan Parker – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Daunik Lazro – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone

Recorded in France in 1995 and first released on the Vand’Oeuvre.

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Chris Corsano
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Chris’ no drum solo record.

“It wasn’t an exercise in constraint necessarily; it was just what I was feeling. I made that record because those were the sounds I was hearing in my head. The first solo record [Young Cricketer]…it wasn’t like it changed the world, but it did change my little world. It was a first statement, and that’s a powerful thing—it gives context to everything that comes after it. Since there’s no point in saying the same thing twice, I felt like the second solo record should be as far away from the first as possible, while still feeling honest to me.” Chris Corsano – Bomb Magazine
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Recorded April 2006 in Manchester, England.
Recorded and mixed by Chris Corsano

Originally released on CDR:
Hot Cars Warp Records #12
released June 1, 2006

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Tim Daisy
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This music is playfully serious and seriously inspired. It is obsessed with sonic juxtaposition, yet it is highly melodic. It wears its influences openly, yet it is refreshingly new. Born of improvisations, shaped into compositions, Daisy has written pieces that are sturdy, finely crafted morsels of musical experiences that the listener will return to again and again. —Tom Burris, Free Jazz Blog
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‘Relucent’ is Chicago composer and percussionist Tim Daisy’s latest solo effort. A collection of compositions and improvisations combining recent explorations with turntable manipulation and radio static with his expanding vocabulary as both a composer and improviser on the marimba.

Fusing collage and abstraction, the compositions and improvisations on Relucent combine Tim’s multiple influences from the worlds of visual art and sound into a suite of eleven varied and dynamic musical situations. Building on almost two decades worth of experience working with a wide array of musicians and ensembles from both the Chicago and European experimental music scenes, Tim Daisy has created a unique body of work which draws on his past experiences in improvisation and composition, while at the same time forging ahead into new and unknown territory.

Citing multiple influences for his source material including the pioneering inventions of American experimental composer John Cage, the multi – layered, high energy interplay created by the African balafon ensemble, and the sound collage work of visual artist and composer Cristian Marclay.
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All Compositions by Tim Daisy (ASCAP)

Recorded on February 17th 2016 at bel_ Air Studios Chicago, IL.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Todd Carter.
Artwork/layout Fede Peñalva.

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Sandy Ewen, Damon Smith, Chris Cogburn & Jaap Blonk
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“A really cool album with a wide array of diverse sounds and adventurous textures.” – Ed Pettersen, Free Jazz Blog
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Label: Balance Point Acoustics
Recorded at Double Dog Studios in Round Rock, Texas, on June 1st, 2013, by Mike Kosacek.

Jaap Blonk: voice, electronics
Sandy Ewen: guitar, objects
Damon Smith: prepared doublebass
Chris Cogburn: percussion

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Henneman String Quartet
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(…) The tension between composition and improvisation and between tradition and innovation creates an uncommon music that knows few equivalents in the world of contemporary jazz music.” -Emanuel Wenger

Founded in 1993, the Henneman String Quartet is an improvising chamber ensemble which combines contemporary composition with an essential element of improvisation. Its music is informed by the major trends in the 20th century notated music as well as by diverse genres like pop and jazz. Ig Henneman’s compositions draw also much inspiration from the poetry of different languages and cultures.
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Oene van Geel: violin, viola
Ig Henneman: viola, compositions
Alex Waterman: cello
Wilbert de Joode: double bass

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Spaceways Incorporated
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Hamid Drake: Drums
Nate McBride: Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)
Ken Vandermark: Clarinet (Bass), Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)

Joel Wanek: Photography
Bob Weston: Engineer
John Golden: Mastering
John Corbett: Liner Notes

Atavistic 132
Released May 7th 2002

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Ich Bin N!ntendo & Mats Gustafsson
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Mats Gustafsson: Baritone Saxophone
Joakim Heibø Johansen: Drums
Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard: Electric Bass
Christian Skår Winther: Electric Guitar

Recorded live at Lillesalen Konsertserie, Oslo, March 20, 2012

Va Fongool 002

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The Joe McPhee Trio
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“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
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Dominic Duval: Bass
Jay Rosen: Drums
Joe McPhee: Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Pocket Trumpet

Tracks 1 to 3 recorded live at the third annual Vision Festival, Sunday, May 24, 1998.
Track 4 recorded and mixed at What’s Real Unlimited, Rochester, NY, October 20, 2004.

The Rochester Experiment recorded and mixed by Matthew D. Guarnere.

Producer: Joe McPhee
co-Producer: Craig Johnson
Mastering Engineer: Ted Orr, Sertso Studio, Woodstock, NY
Cover Photo: Jerry Starpoli
Cover Design & Layout: Karen Caropepe

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Joe McPhee & Jérôme Bourdellon
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“Manhattan Tango captures the intimacy of two friends playing in two friends’ living room, materializing fire.” -Rex Butters, All About Jazz
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Jérôme Bourdellon: Flutes
Joe McPhee: Pocket Trumpet, Voice

Recorded live in Ariane Lopez-Huici & Alain Kirili’s loft in Manhattan’s Tribeca, on Tuesday, April 4th, 2000.

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Michael Bisio, Raymond Boni, Dominic Duval & Joe McPhee
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“Port of Saints describes an epic journey whose main character is the saxophone. A guitar acts as the saxophone’s alter ego. Two basses supply avuncular guide posts for traveling to an unknowable but certain destination. The journey is rife both with fantasy and human spirit.” -Lynn Horton, All About Jazz
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Dominic Duval: Double Bass
Michael Bisio: Double Bass
Raymond Boni: Electric Guitar
Joe McPhee: Tenor Saxophone

Recorded at Chapelle Sainte Philomène, Puget-Ville, France
on May 8, 2000.

Layout – Christine Marie Larsen
Mastered – Russell Frehling
Producer – Craig Johnson, Joe McPhee
Recorded By, Mixed By – Jean-Marc Foussat
Artwork and Liner Notes – Joe McPhee

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Dave Rempis & Lasse Marhaug
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The whole thing sounds ugly, hideous, dirty and evil – yet, there is a certain beauty under the surface because the music makes you feel alive as well, it makes you feel real if you commit yourself unconditionally ….. but it is not for the faint of heart! -Martin Schray, Free Jazz Blog
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This limited edition, 180-gm vinyl LP features one of Norway’s most renowned noise musicians, and one of Chicago’s most active saxophonists, pitting two like-minded individuals from slightly different worlds together for a deeper exploration of each other’s sonic pallet. This pairing was recorded straight to two-track cassette by Marhaug in his Oslo practice space/work studio in August of 2012, the afternoon after the two joined forces with Dutch vocalist Jaap Blonk and Norwegian musicians Per Zanussi (bass) and Tollef Østvang (drums) for a quintet set on the yearly Blowout Festival, organized by drummers Ståle Liavik Solberg, and Paal Nilssen-Love. Although Rempis and Marhaug had also worked together previously in Ken Vandermark’s Territory Band, and when Marhaug once guested with Ballister (Rempis/Lonberg-Holm/Nilssen-Love) on a date in Philadelphia, this session represents the first time the two really found the sonic space to match wits directly, and intertwine their sounds together into one seething, snarfling, scuffling, shrieking mass. Easing their way through this laid back session, alternating between laying down tracks and sitting in the garden outside drinking tea, it quickly became clear that this potentially informal recording was a keeper; a must-have document for fans of the deep connections that abound between the Oslo and Chicago scenes.
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Dave Rempis – alto saxophone
Lasse Marhaug – electronics

Recorded at the best studio in Oslo on August 16th, 2012.

Mixed and mastered by Lasse Marhaug
Lacquers cut by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service
Design by Johnathan Crawford
Produced by Dave Rempis

Special thanks to Ståle Liavik Solberg, Paal Nilssen-Love and the Blowout Festival.

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Icepick
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Review by Ryan Hall at Tome to The Weather Machine:

“Astral Spirits literally RIPS into the vinyl world with this insanely great collective improv by the legendary Chris Corsano on drums, Nate Wooley on trumpet and Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten on double bass. The album is filled with moments that, if dissected and surgically removed from the whole of the album – movements of relatively straight improvised post-bop to expressive meditations on the sheer mechanical movements of music – would be showcases, resume builders of three musicians on top of their game. Together, in totality, sound impossibly honed and interconnected as if directed from some higher power with some greater purpose. One such standout is Haker-Flaten’s impressively aggressive way he goes after bass lines on “Rossa Corsa” – attacking them with super villain tenacity in conjunction and with incredible dynamic range during his solo. Wooley showcases his ability to wring literally every sound a trumpet and mouth can make on the criminally short “Fuchsia” from airy breathspaces to flatulent lows. The album’s most impressive piece is the B-Side spanning “Rare Rufescent” wherein the track moves on a non-linear path from structured chaos to internal-shared logic chaos communicated using telepathy and Jungian archetypes. Listening at high volumes reveal Corsano playing every inch of his drum set, woody chops echo beneath splashy fills and inhuman snare hits while Haker-Flaten runs speed trials around Wooley’s in-the red-runs across a ruinous tonal field. A truly magnificent thing to behold.”

ICEPICK is:
Nate Wooley – trumpet
Chris Corsano – drums
Ingebrigt Haker Flaten – bass

Recorded September 20th, 2014 in Austin, TX
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Ian Rundell.
Produced by Icepick, executive production by Nate Cross.

All music by Nate Wooley (Fourwordseamusic/BMI), Chris Corsano (BMI) & Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (Tono/BMI).

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Jaap Blonk
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“Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948) wrote his “Ursonate” or “Sonate in Urlauten” (“Primordial Sonata” or “Sonata in Primordial Sounds”) over ten years, from 1922 to 1932. During that period Schwitters tried out many preliminary parts in public poetry readings. It became a 30-page work in invented words, which he later considered one of his two masterpieces (the other being the “Merzbau” in his house in Hannover, destroyed in 1944).

The “Ursonate” has a structure similar to that of a classical sonata or symphony. It consists of four movements: Erster Teil (“first part”), Largo, Scherzo and Presto. After a short introduction, the first movement opens with an exposition of its four main themes (subjects), each of which is subsequently “developed” (development in the sense it is used in classical sonata form), leading to a coda. It is noteworthy that the theme exposition returns as a reprise before each new development but the last one. Both the Largo and the Scherzo have a centered (A-B-A) construction in which the middle part contrasts with the two identical outer parts. The Presto has a strict rhythm broken only by a few interjections from the first movement and the Scherzo. Like the first movement, it follows the sonata form: exposition (repeated immediately in this case), development, and recapitulation. Next is the Cadenza, leaving the reciter free to choose between the written version and his own. However, in his written instructions for future performers of the piece, Schwitters says that he wrote his cadenza only for those among them who “had no imagination.” In my performances of the “Ursonate,” I always create an improvised cadenza on the basis of the sonata’s thematic material. Only on the recordings I have issued, including the first (an LP released on BVHAAST in 1986), for reasons of completeness, a recording of the written cadenza is included as a separate track. As a Coda, Schwitters uses one of his earliest Dada poems: the German alphabet read backwards, here repeated three times with different tempo and intention.

In February of 1979, I happened to hear Schwitters’ “Ursonate” read by a student of the Arnhem Drama School, at a poetry event in that city. The piece was quite a revelation to me, and with no delay I looked up the piece in Schwitters’ collected works at the Utrecht University Library and made photocopies of it. At the time, however, I had no intention at all to be a voice performer. I had begun composing pieces of instrumental music. The “Ursonate” was on a shelf in my room and, every once in a while, I took it out and read sections of it aloud. This went on for about two-and-a-half years, and by the fall of 1981 I realized that I almost knew the piece by heart. Looking back at this from a much later time, I am very much aware of the benefits of this slow process of internalizing the piece. I gradually and intuitively formed my own interpretation of it, without any pressure from outside and without any knowledge of versions of it by other performers.

To make a long story short: since then, I have presented between 300 and 400 public performances of the complete work, and many more of single movements from it. I am very happy to make it available again as a CD.”  – Jaap Blonk, December 2024

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Recorded by Kasper Frenkel at Electric Monkey Studio, Zaandam, Netherlands, February 13, 2024 (with the 1930s “Neumann Bottle” microphone)
“Kadenz” recorded by Jaap Blonk at home, October 20, 2024.
Mastered by Jaap Blonk.
Design by David Khan-Giordano.
CD produced by John Corbett.

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Archer
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Sudden Dusk is the recorded debut of Archer, a working band comprised of four singular voices on the international improvised music scene.

Guitarist Terrie Ex may be best known for his decades of work in the Dutch punk band The Ex, but his abilities as an improviser are prodigious. The urgency of his playing and a complete irreverence to form or narrative, coupled with a wild imagination and a Dadaist sense of humor, turn him into a rare bird in the field of improvised music – an actual improviser. His longstanding work with legends of the worldwide community includes ongoing collaborations with Han Bennink, Ab Baars, Ken Vandermark, Jaap Blonk, Paal Nilssen-Love, and Ethiopian superstar Getachew Mekurya. And although he may be the “elder stateman” in this formation, it’s his fundamental curiosity and dedicated role as provocateur that helps the band deconstruct and dispose of improvisatory tropes.

Dave Rempis is a saxophonist who’s developed a wide-ranging palette across his decades as an anchor of the Chicago scene. From Brötzmann-like blasts of sound that he can sustain over the long- term like few living saxophonists, to pointillistic explorations of texture and timbre, his broad arsenal is the perfect foil to match that of Ex. The two together might spiral upwards into the stratosphere at one moment, and alight like a bee on a flower the next.

From the back line, a powerhouse Norwegian rhythm section drives the momentum forward. Jon Rune Strøm and Tollef Østvang are known for their work together in bands like Universal Indians (with Joe McPhee), and All Included (w/Martin Küchen), as well as in the renowned Norwegian quintet Friends & Neighbors. Strøm has also been a frequent partner of drummer Paal Nilssen- Love in his Large Unit, and in the Frode Gjerstad Trio, while Østvang’s CV includes work with Mars Williams, Trevor Watts, Ben Lamar Gay, and jaimie branch.

Sudden Dusk was recorded live in Chicago and Milwaukee at the start of a two-week US tour in April of 2024. And you can tell the band is ready to bust out the gate after waiting a year to regroup since their 2023 debut tour in Norway. With Strøm’s muscular lines ever leading the charge, and Østvang providing both momentum and texture, Rempis and Ex streak back and forth across that sky in a tenacious dogfight.

It’s not all bursts of sonic lighting though. There’s a depth and soulfulness on display in the quieter sections of the music like the piece Half Stack that demonstrate the patience of richly seasoned players basking in simplicity. Subtleties of tone and timbre float over a repetitive guitar ostinato, providing a gorgeous counterpoint to the spikier sections of tracks like Omen and Bright Side. Overall it’s a carefully calibrated balance between the pent up energy of baited breath, and the slow release of a long exhale.

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Dave Rempis – soprano/tenor/baritone saxophone
Terrie Ex – guitar
Jon Rune Strøm – bass
Tollef Østvang – drums

Recorded on April 5th, 2024 at Constellation in Chicago, IL and on April 7th, 2024 at The Sugar Maple in Milwaukee, WI.
April 5th recorded by Margaret McCarthy.

April 7th recorded by Dave Zuchowski Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski.
Artwork and cover design by Lasse Marhaug Produced by Dave Rempis.

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Luigi Ceccarelli, Hamid Drake, Gianni Trovalusci & Ken Vandermark
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“Open Border is a beautiful, truly collaborative project between Ken Vandermark on reed instruments, Luigi Ceccarelli on electronics, Hamid Drake on drums and Gianni Trovalusci on flutes… Interplay between Drake and Vandermark stellar as always, as is the light and fluid section for flute and electronic sound, and graceful spoken vocalization leading everyone to come together for a elegant and memorable conclusion. This was a unique and very enjoyable album, taking three stellar instrumentalists and adding Ceccarelli to create electronic sound and process the other band members playing in real time to create a vibrant and rich performance that continuously moves in dynamic and spontaneous ways.” -Tim Niland, Music and More, April 4, 2020
—This first-time encounter was recorded during a concert at the magnificent Chiesa di San Giacomo – Complesso Museale San Domenico – Forlì, for the Forlì Open Music Festival on October 14th, 2018. The music performed has the impact of that magnificent space and, like the architecture, is both expansive and extreme. Configurations of the participants shift from passages of solo to quartet, and the improvisations move between pure texture and evolving melodicism.

Luigi Ceccarelli, who has been working with electronics since 1970, and has won numerous electronic music awards, not only creates his own incredible web of sound, but also processes the other musicians’ playing in real time. Hamid Drake, one of the most respected percussionists in the world today, goes deep into free territory here, making the recording an even more unique document. The reed combinations between Gianni Trovalusci’s flutes and Ken Vandermark’s clarinet and tenor sax give the proceedings a unique spacial and dynamic character, one that is informed by Trovalusci’s investigation of the contemporary repertoire and early music, along with Vandermark’s decades-long history of collaborating with musicians from around the world.

The music on Open Border defies musical conventions and boundary lines. Instead it focuses on a search for creative ground without categories. It is a recording of improvised music invented at the highest level, spontaneous and timeless, energized and austere, always exhilarating.

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Luigi Ceccarelli: electronics
Hamid Drake: drums
Gianni Trovalusci: flutes
Ken Vandermark: reeds

Music recorded live in concert by Luigi Ceccarelli at Forlí Open Music, October 14th, 2018. Mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service.

Thanks to to the musicians; Sam Clapp and Federico Peñalva for their assistance at Audiographic Records; and to the listeners.
Special thanks to Ariele Monti and the Area Sismica crew.

Cover painting and design by Federico Peñalva
Executive producers: Ariele Monti and Area Sismica, and Ken Vandermark
Produced by Ken Vandermark for Audiographic Records

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Olle Bonniér
9 Tracks
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“A curious and playful entry in Swedish sound artist Olle Bonniér’s experimental discography, Plingeling / Plingaling (exact release date/label TBD*) showcases his signature blend of absurdist humor and meticulous sound design. Known for his work with Sewer Election and Enhet för Fri Musik, Bonniér here crafts miniature sonic vignettes that teeter between childlike whimsy and surrealist noise.

The tracks—likely built from toy instruments, circuit-bent electronics, and lo-fi tape manipulations—bounce with a Dadaist energy, evoking broken music boxes or a kindergarten classroom in a parallel universe. Despite their apparent simplicity, these pieces reveal Bonniér’s ear for textural nuance and rhythmic mischief, aligning with the Scandinavian underground’s tradition of turning the mundane into the uncanny.

A cult gem for fans of outsider electronics and the I Dischi del Barone milieu.”

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Mixed and edited at Alibi Studios, Gustavsberg.
Tape transfers at EMS, April 2005.

Composed by Olle Bonniér
Cover – Olle Bonniér
Liner Notes [Text] – Thomas Millroth
Mixed By, Edited By – Göran Freese (tracks: 6 to 8), Niklas Billström, Olle Bonniér (tracks: 6 to 8), Olof Madsen
Producer – Mats Gustafsson, Thomas Millroth
Recorded By – Anders Lind (tracks: 6 to 8), Niklas Billström (tracks: 1 to 4)
Research [Tape Research] – Göran Freese, Mats Gustafsson, Olle Bonniér
Transferred By [Tape Transfers] – Niklas Billström

Cover: “Plingeling” (detail), 1949, ctsy Åmells, Stockholm.
Practical and creative help with layout by Stenmark & Co, Malmö.

Thanks to all creative musicians and to EMS.
Supported by the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs.

  1. Fuga/Fugue [4:19]
    Tuba – Per-Åke Holmlander
  2. Score For Invisible Sound [3:48]
    Tenor Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
  3. Duo For Tuba And Trombone [7:35]
    Trombone – Johannes Bauer

Tuba – Per-Åke Holmlander

  1. Plingeling/Plingaling [5:57]
    Baritone Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
    Piano – Mats Persson
  2. 45-AN/”45″ [5:40]
    Bass – Olle Bengtsson
    Cello – Peter Schuback
    Flute – Per Flennström
    Percussion, Bells, Horns – Johan Mannerstedt
    Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Tommy Koverhult
    Trombone – Folke Rabe
    Tuba – Per-Åke Holmlander

Recorded & Mixed  – Göran Freese

Kommunen Hundra År/The Commune Of Paris 100 Years

  1. Plankor/Planks [7:08]
  2. Paket/Parcels [8:19]
  3. Snöre/Strings [9:29]
  4. Minos Palats/Minos Palace [18:10]
    Effects [Processing, Treatment], Edited & Composed [In Collaboration With] – Karl-Erik Welin

Mixed [4 Tracks Channel Mix] – Niklas Billström, Olof Madsen
Recorded [Basic Sound Material] – Ingemar Ohlson, Olle Bonniér

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Konstrukt + Ken Vandermark
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After 2 critically acclaimed albums with the Japanese avantgarde / noise icon KEIJI HAINO, KONSTRUKT return with a new inspiring collaborative mind: KEN VANDERMARK, who for three decades now has been a highly prolific musician in contemporary jazz and free improvisation. With various groups like NRG ENSEMBLE, SPACEWAYS INC., THE VANDERMARK 5, MADE TO BREAK or the PETER BRÖTZMANN CHICAGO TENTET (to name just a few) and various spontaneous collaborations the saxophone / clarinet player has created an impressive catalogue and performed / recorded with the who-is-who of today’s jazz / improv scene: PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE, HAMID DRAKE, FRED ANDERSON, PAUL LYTTON, JOE MORRIS THE EX, AXEL DÖRNER, MATS GUSTAFSSON, JOE MCPHEE, ZU, PETER BRÖTZMANN, PAUL LOVENS, LASSE MARHAUG, YAKUZA, KEVIN DRUMM, and many more.

In November 2018, KONSTRUKT (who themselves can look back on a long list of class A collaborators like JOE McPHEE, WILLIAM PARKER, AKIRA SAKATA, MARSHALL ALLEN, EVAN PARKER, THURSTON MOORE or ALEXANDER HAWKINS) met VANDERMARK in their homebase ISTANBUL for a recording session – a match made in heaven that all musicians involved are extremely happy with. The resulting album “Kozmik Bazaar” starts with a reference to Ornette COLEMAN before turning more and more into a psychedelic trip that goes way beyond the jazz idiom. But what else to expect from such a stellar constellation?

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Korhan Futacı: alto saxophone, instant loops, vocal

Umut Çağlar: electric guitar, synthesizer, gralla, guimbri
Apostolos Sideris: double bass
Berkan Tilavel: drums, electronic percussion
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Ken Vandermark: tenor saxophone, clarinet.
Recorded by Ozan Öner at Pür Recording Studio, Istanbul Mixed by Korhan Futacı and Umut Çağlar.
Mastered & cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin.
Cover painting “Explosion” by Artur Trojanowski.

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claire rousay
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“It’s a treat to listen to, and there are moments where I thought “I didn’t know the human body could do that,” but this doesn’t appear to be the direction Rousay is moving towards.” -Keith Prosk, Free Jazz Blog
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claire rousay: Drums, Objects

Recorded by Tommy Munter at Matador Studios (December 2017) in San Antonio, TX.
Mastered by Andrew Weathers.

Thanks to Samantha, Marcus, Jacob, Michael, and Nate.

Layout & Design by Jaime Zuverza.

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claire rousay
2 Tracks
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Released in 2019 on Never Anything Records (NA-021), friends captures Claire Rousay in a pivotal moment of her evolution—bridging the raw experimentation of her noise roots with the emotionally charged ambient style she would later refine. The album’s two sidelong tracks (each ~15 minutes) weave together field recordings, tape hiss, and delicate instrumental fragments into a meditation on intimacy and transience.

Side A’s “friends (pt. 1)” drifts through muffled conversations and creaking furniture, evoking the ghostly presence of shared spaces, while “friends (pt. 2)” introduces sparse piano and guitar, their melodies dissolving like half-remembered conversations. The work feels diaristic yet universal, a precursor to her “emo ambient” label but with a grittier, more improvisational edge.

A key artifact for tracing Rousay’s shift from harsh noise (e.g., Face Time) to vulnerable sound poetry, friends remains a cult favorite for its unfiltered intimacy and tactile imperfections.

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claire rousay
8 Tracks
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Released in 2019 on Rat Tail Tapes (RTT-04), blip is an early standout in Claire Rousay’s discography, showcasing her transition from harsh noise to the more nuanced, emotive sound collage that would define her later work. Recorded in her signature DIY style, the album stitches together field recordings, tape loops, and percussive fragments into a quietly restless meditation on memory and attention.

The 30-minute piece (presented as a single track) balances gritty texture and fleeting melody—glitchy electronics bump against muffled conversations, while sparse piano notes dissolve into room tone. Unlike the polished vulnerability of her 2020s output, blip feels improvised and tactile, with abrupt cuts and raw edits laying bare Rousay’s process.

A precursor to her “emo ambient” era, this release already hints at her genius for elevating mundane sounds (a chair creak, a breath, a skipping CD) into poignant composition. Now a sought-after artifact among noise/experimental collectors.

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claire rousay
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Released on the experimental label Mended Dreams in November 2020, this early EP captures Rousay’s developing “emo ambient” aesthetic. The 18-minute title piece unfolds as a haunting sound collage, blending fragmented piano melodies, muffled voicemails, and environmental textures (breathing, rustling fabric) into a meditation on intimacy and distance.

Recorded during pandemic isolation, the work feels both confessional and abstract—looped phrases (“I’ll give you…”) dissolve into tape hiss, mirroring the instability of connection. Unlike her later Thrill Jockey releases, this retains a raw, bedroom-recorded spontaneity, with ASMR-like closeness amplifying its emotional weight.

A key bridge between Rousay’s noise roots (Face Time, 2018) and her refined A Softer Focus (2021) era, this EP remains a cult favorite for its unfiltered vulnerability.

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claire rousay
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neuter (2024) is a deeply intimate and experimental album by claire rousay, a key figure in contemporary ambient and musique concrète. Known for her tender yet raw approach to sound, rousay blends field recordings, fragmented conversations, and delicate instrumentation to explore themes of vulnerability, queerness, and emotional memory.

On neuter, she layers muffled voices, ambient textures, and subtle percussion, creating a soundscape that feels both personal and universally relatable. The album drifts between melancholic beauty and unsettling rawness, mirroring the complexities of human connection and self-reflection. Tracks like 4pm and a kind of promise showcase her ability to turn mundane moments into profound sonic experiences.

With its confessional tone and lo-fi aesthetic, neuter solidifies rousay’s place as a pioneer of “emo ambient”—a genre that merges ambient music with deeply personal, diary-like expression. A haunting, beautiful, and quietly revolutionary work.

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Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love
4 Tracks
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AMR is a fiery duo album by American saxophonist Ken Vandermark and Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, two giants of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation. Recorded live at the AMR Festival in Geneva (2013), this explosive session captures their relentless energy and deep musical telepathy. Vandermark’s razor-sharp phrasing on tenor and baritone sax meets Nilssen-Love’s thunderous, polyrhythmic drumming, creating a dynamic and unpredictable dialogue. Raw, intense, and brilliantly cohesive, AMR is a testament to their long-standing partnership and mastery of spontaneous composition. A must-listen for fans of cutting-edge jazz.

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Ken Vandermark: Reeds
Paal Nilssen-Love: Drums and percussion

Recorded Live at AMR, Geneva, 18th September 2018, by Rodolphe Loubatiere.
Mastered by David Zuchowski.
Photo by Dawid Laskowski.
Cover by Lasse Marhaug.