Jesse Daniel: Bass
Eugene Heasly: Bass
Alexander Johnson: Vibraphone, Trombone
Billy Martin: Waterphone
Kevin Newton: Horn
Selendis Sebastian: Vibraphone, Trombone
Jon Starks: Drums
Simon Hanes: Baritone Guitar

“Born in California and now based in Brooklyn, Simon Hanes is a composer/performer/arranger and one of the major figures in the newest generation of the NY Downtown music scene. Mastermind of the large pop ensemble Tredici Bacci, a frequent collaborator of J.

Another musically brilliant and brilliantly humorous batch of surprising and unlikely (but once you hear them, absolutely PERFECT) musical mash-ups from The Ed Palermo Big Band!

“While pundits and experts debate whether the United States of America has entered an age of decline as a world power, New York saxophonist, composer, arranger, bandleader and inveterate troublemaker Ed Palermo makes an incontrovertible case for un-American ascendance. With The Great Un-American Songbook Volume 3: Run...

“‘music for sketches' is the result of a decade of musical exploration and experimenting by the swedish composer Tobias Svensson. it features four tracks, all blending in between modern classical, jazz, electronic music and ambient music. the minimalistic elements are always present, although the soundscape varies between the timidest piano playing to atmospheric large sounds.
"music for sketches was born out of drawings. i wanted to find the perfect sounds to enhance your imagination for when...

Unique and quite good first album by this 'progressive rock/jazz fusion experience' (as it sez on the label), who really are a progressive rock/jazz experience! Considering that these musicians all come from the alternative/underground side of rock...

This is the third and final archival set of recordings from the early, classic era of UK proto-progressive legends, T2. Packaged in a nice digpack with a 12 page booklet with lots of details, etc.

"The rise of power trio T2 was rapid: important..

"Also called zarb, the tombak is the main percussion instrument used in Persian classical music. Made of a single piece of wood, the instrument consists of five parts: the membrane, which is stretched over the large opening, the drum shell, the neck...

A really nice mix of jazz instrumentation and orchestration and June’s wonderfully clear voice. Almost an art song kind of release, but with a very firm grounding in June’s folk roots, it is a lot of things simultaneously. Highly recommended.

“As June Tabor ages her voice seems, paradoxically, to become clearer and sharper. She is also becoming increasingly interested in expanding her repertoire beyond the traditional British and Irish folk music on which her early career was built. There are...

“Craig Taborn and Vadim Neselovskyi are two of the most acclaimed and brilliant pianists working today and here they perform a select set of Masada compositions in solo, duo and trio permutations. Created as a bonus disc for the "Book Beri'ah," it is a beautiful program and highlights the incredible versatility of the Masada compositions themselves as well as and the stunning virtuosity and imaginative creativity of these two keyboard masters. Featuring pieces for solo piano, two amazing piano duets...

"Sacred texts from the Mishnah, prayers from North Africa and the Middle East, modern Hebrew poetry and even a letter found in the streets of Jerusalem all serve as the basis for this exciting exploration of the roots of Hebrew song by these innovative...

This is different and fairly unique, as it is Inuit throat singing in a bit more modern clothing than what is thought of as traditional Inuit vocal music.
Tanya Tagaq was born in 1977 and raised in an Inuit community. She studied at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. While there, she took an interest in traditional Inuit throat singing, a multiphonic and percussive form that is customarily performed by two people. Thus she was obliged to teach herself a solo variation and later...

This is the second solo album by the long time leader of Le Orme, who left the group a few years ago to embark on a solo career. He will always be the voice of Orme, and this is a nice 'song oriented album'. It's definitely proggy, with good...

"Taj Mahal's second album, recorded in the spring and fall of 1968, opens with more stripped-down Delta-style blues in the manner of his debut, but adds a little more amplification (partly courtesy of Al Kooper on organ) before moving into wholly...

“Recorded in a live setting and played with instruments conserved in the collections of the MEG Museum, Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter is Midori Takada's very own rendition of "Nhemamusasa", a traditional work emblematic of the musical repertoire for mbira of the Shona of Zimbabwe, well known worldwide, thanks notably to its version by Paul F. Berliner included on the famed 1973 album The Soul of Mbira. The choice of this title by Midori Takada evokes the links between traditional African and...

“Originally recorded in September 1998 at legendary Ginza (Tokyo) studio Onkio Haus (founded in 1974 and where Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" and many more were recorded) and released on CD only for the Japan market in 1999, Tree of Life is Midori Takada's best kept secret, a lost gem of minimalism and percussive ambient.
The album is separated in two parts, the first one finds Takada exploring her trademark environmental soundscapes with precise mastery of marimba, drums, and...

"A reissue of Midori Takada and Masahiko Satoh's Lunar Cruise, originally released in 1990. Following the successful reissue of Midori Takada's Through The Looking Glass here is another release from the legendary Japanese percussionist: 1990's Lunar Cruise, her superb collaboration with jazz pianist, synth master, composer, and arranger Masahiko Satoh. Arguably the best kept secret in Midori Takada's fascinating discography, Lunar Cruise is an under-the-radar masterpiece that captures Takada (on marimba...

Excellent performances of John Cage's piano works by this pianist.

AKI TAKASE Piano
CHRISTIAN WEBER Bass
MICHAEL GRIENER Drums

"I really love the piano trio," says Aki Takase, with a passion that mirrors her playing. "But not the old idea, where the pianist is king, and the bassist and the drummer are just sidemen. We are equal."
Indeed, all three musicians are in focus in the trio AUGE: bassist Christian Weber and drummer Michael Griener are among the most original virtuosos of their instruments. On Intakt they have presented brilliant albums...

Aki Takase, Piano, Celesta / Louis Sclavis, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet / Dominique Pifarély, Violin / Vincent Courtois, Cello

"La Planète Quartet is one of Aki Takase's newest ensembles, arising from her partnership with the French clarinettist

Recorded just a week before the 50th anniversary of the death of this great, great musician, this is a worthy tribute.

"So long, Eric! For this tribute to Eric Dolphy, Alexander von Schlippenbach and Aki Takase have put together an ensemble...

Aki Takase: Piano
David Murray: Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet
"Over the years, Aki Takase und David Murray have amassed respective bodies of soul-stirring compositions, of which several pieces related to the rites of passage of middle age are included on Cherry – Sakura, making this a markedly different conversation than before – and one that is more profound.
Cherry – Sakura presents an unsparing conversation about the defining issues of later life by two artists who have seen it all at...

Aki Takase, Piano / Lauren Newton, Voice

"Aki Takase and Lauren Newton correspond to and contradict one another with sounds, tones, vocalizations, words. They converse in fantasy languages, plunge into areas of deep emotion and fly off into the..

Pianist Aki Takase and trombonist Konrad Bauer in the studio in Berlin in January, 2002. "News From Berlin is good news indeed. It suggest a broadening of perspectives, but also a focused devotion to artistic values arrived at through long consideratio...

AKI TAKASE, PIANO / RUDI MAHALL, BASS CLARINET

"Since 1995, whenever Aki Takase has not been making solo recordings, she has always sought the company of Rudi Mahal: The depth of their knowledge of jazz history and their craft-oriented...

“Masayuki "Jojo" Takayanagi (1932-1991) was a maverick Japanese guitarist, a revolutionary spirit whose oeuvre embodied the radical political movements of late '60s Japan. Having cut his teeth as an accomplished Lennie Tristano disciple playing cool jazz in the late '50s, Takayanagi had his mind blown by the Chicago Transit Authority's "Free Form Guitar" in 1969 and promptly turned his back on the jazz scene. Takayanagi had found a new direction, an annihilation of jazz and its associated idolatry of...

Really good album by what I think is all young, new players based out of NYC. Alon Nechushtan-keyboards, Marc Mommaas-saxophones, Matt Pavolka-bass, Jordan Perlson-drums, Matt Shulman-trumpet. Everything in the hype-sheet that follows is true!. "Talat...