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Empty Editions presents Palina’tufa, the newest work from saxophonist Seymour Wright and percussionist Paul Abbott’s long-running duo XT. Wright and Abbot’s respective practices have been marked by a simultaneous engagement (with) and desire to challenge the limitations (of) the British tradition of improvised music - represented by groups such as AMM and John Stevens’ Spontaneous Music Ensemble. This album charts a new trajectory for Wright and Abbott, as they draw on recent live collaborations with RP Boo and Container in developing a sound which hybridizes the spontaneous interplay and timbral experimentation of free improvisation with the recursive formal structures of dance music.

The album’s title is an enigmatic portmanteau of “Palina” (taken from the name of a species of butterfly sighted by the duo during recording) combined with the word “Tufa” -- a type of rock composed of ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption; the bedrock of the island of Hong Kong. Compellingly, the green sheen of the Palinurus butterfly is not produced by pigments, but emanates from the microstructure of it’s wing scales. Similarly, XT’s Palina’tufa contains a brilliant internal logic of stacked component parts all amalgamated into a singularly iridescent instrumental structure.

Recorded during a two week studio residency in Hong Kong, Palina’tufa departs from XT’s previous albums - primarily documentations of live performances - in its embrace of the recording studio as a form of instrumentation: a tool to sculpt, overdub and (re)assemble their chimeric sounds. The result is a striking cybernetic version of the classic sax-and-drums duo pioneered by legendary groupings such as John Coltrane and Rashied Ali, Evan Parker & Paul Lytton, and Jimmy Lyons & Andrew Cyrille. Palina’tufa turns the implied (and frankly, somewhat tired) tropes of this form on its head, pushing restlessly forward into the domain of a synthetic post-genre music. Wright's unconventional use of feedback and Abbott's heavily deconstructed electro-dance textures expand upon this simulated space, unfurling their instrumentation into an authentically liberated territory.

Across four dynamic fifteen minute cuts, the duo craft an esoteric response to the real (and imagined) landscape(s) of Hong Kong. Interpreting their experience of the island as a kind of extended metaphor, Palina’tufa translates chance encounters, pockets of cultural history, vernacular architecture, and local wildlife (among other phenomena) into organizing principles for the creation of speculative music. Palina’tufa is a brilliant showcase of Wright and Abbott’s composite sound: naturally synergistic, with careful attention paid to how psychogeographical experience is transposed into the deeply considered interplay of their respective instruments. A stunning listen, the album’s various movements respond to scenes in proximity to the Tin Wan (Aberdeen) area: the past/future poise of Permanent Cemetery; the human densities of Duck Tongue Island; the black garlic/gypsum of Empty Gallery itself.

Palina’tufa expands on this emerging style of electronically mediated improvised music by further compartmentalizing their playing through a series of concepts, limits, and methods to organize their materials into distinct classifications. This approach creates an album architecture, a time/space organized into “Stacks” (recalling vertical cylinders, tubes, pipes, columns), “Orbits” (recalling Chinese folk music, weather systems, paths travelling upward), and “Angles of Incidence,” (a concept inspired by Pere Portabella and Cecil Taylor) that responds to the social, physical, and temporal forces of a city. Loosely, these structures spatially reorganize the “time” in their playing, reversing, eliding, truncating, and magnifying content. This technique recalls everything from Anthony Braxton’s diagrammatic lines, colours, and figures that encode structural and vibrational elements of sound, through the pentatonic scale of Chinese folk music that was integrated into a symbolic matrix referencing the movements of the seasons, planets, and body-politic, to Alejo Carpentier’s search for a musical origin in fiction.

The release was recorded in Hong Kong over the course of two weeks with the creative expertise of David Sum and Tomas Chan and is mastered by Rashad Becker at D&M. The LP is produced in an edition of 300 on 180 gram vinyl featuring artwork by Ikebana artist Kosen Ohtsubo.

Seymour Wright’s work is about the creative, situated friction of learning, ideas, people, and the saxophone -- music, history and technique ­-- actual and potential. His solo work is documented on three widely-acclaimed collections: Seymour Wright of Derby (2008), Seymour Writes Back (2015) and Is This Right? (2017), ith a fourth “Rites” scheduled for release in 2019. Current projects include: abaria with Ute Kanngiesser; Ahmed with Antonin Gerbal, Joel Grip and Pat Thomas; @xcrswx with Crystabel Riley; an unnamed trio with Crystabel Riley and Ute Kanngiesser; GUO with Daniel Blumberg; The Experimental Library with Evie Ward; XT with Paul Abbott; a trans-atlantic duet with Anne Guthrie, and, with Jean-luc Guionnet a project addressing an imaginary lacunae in Aby Warburg's Atlas Mnemosyne. He is also a founding member of The Creaking Breeze Ensemble. His writing has been published in C//A, Sound American and The Wire.

Paul Abbott works through questions and feelings exploring music and language: using real and imaginary drums, synthetic sounds, performance, and writing. Current projects include The Creaking Breeze Ensemble, XT & lll人 with Seymour Wright and Daichi Yoshikawa, yPLO with Michael Speers, Falls with Keira Greene, ULAPAARC with Cara Tolmie and an ongoing project with Will Holder. Abbott is co-editor of Cesura//Acceso and was was one of the Sound and Music “Embedded” resident artists at Cafe Oto 2015-2016. Abbott has performed and collaborated with musicians and artists, including: RP Boo, Container, Benedict Drew, Pat Thomas, Ute Kanngiesser, Billy Steiger, Bill Orcutt, Danny Haywood, Joel Grip, Brandon La Belle, Eddie Prevost, Steve Noble, Sebastian Lexer, Evan Parker and Otomo Yoshihide.

Empty Editions is a Berlin-based publishing platform initiated by Hong Kong’s Empty Gallery, releasing vinyl records, artist books, multiples, and other ephemera with a special focus on the fertile intersection between the visual and sonic arts. We present speculative documents that posit options for synthesis between the sounds of today and the historical avant-garde.

Mastered by Tohru Kotetsu and pressed at RTI, this 45rpm LP will live up to and surpass your most demanding judgments. Midnight Sugar is one of the most sough-after titles from the acclaimed Three Blind Mice catalogue.

On “Midnight Sugar” the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio plays two of Tsuyoshi’s own blues improvisations followed by jazz ballads that became standards for the Trio. The combination of these titles is nothing but exceptional.

The Yamamoto Trio’s Midnight Sugar was recorded March 1, 1974 at Aoi Studio, Tokyo. It earned the Best Engineering Award and Jazz Disc Award of Swing Journal in 1974. It is Yamamoto’s unmistakable skill and his jazz feeling which adds that certain touch of liveliness and spontaneity and makes Midnight Sugar a unique experience. This Piano Trio will mesmerize you with this great collection of standards, superb musicianship and awesome sonics. You are sure to listen to this one over and over.

Mastered by Tohru Kotetsu and pressed at RTI, this 45rpm LP will live up to and surpass your most demanding judgments. Misty is one of the most sought-after titles from the acclaimed Three Blind Mice catalog.

Touring with the Micky Curtis Band, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto had the chance to explore several international experiences that he would later use on his 1974 album, Misty, as he worked with this band in France, England, and Switzerland.

The Yamamoto Trio’s Misty is a Stoned Cold Killer! A1 Reference Material!!! Misty earned both the “Best Engineering” Award and Jazz Disc Award of Swing Journal in 1974. Recorded at Aoi Studio, Tokyo, on August 7, 1974. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto is highly musical and his expressions natural, neither overly technical nor serious, his performance is relaxed and melodious.

Peer through the windows of the sun-dappled homes in Sicily and you will be faced with a small, strange ceramic object adorning each hallway. It is a glistening pine cone standing upright – a pigna – the longstanding symbol of Sicilian openness and welcome hospitality.

The pigna is a delightfully unusual and yet apt symbol for the title of the third record from Benjamin Harris, AKA Yarni. Ever since his debut LP release in 2017, Yarni has established a following committed to his musical openness, an intuitive curiosity that has spanned everything from house and techno to cinematic ambience and Japanese percussion, as well as jazz horns and afrobeat fanfares. For Yarni, anything goes and everyone is welcome. Now, Pigna sees Yarni reach his fullest and most musically diverse expression, taking its name and ethos from Sicily, but finding a sonic home in the luscious orchestration of a new ensemble of musicians.

Here, at the helm of a nine-person ensemble, Yarni artfully pieces together live improvisations to create the warmth of a seasoned group performing deep within the groove. Opener “Midnight Getaway” places the listener squarely within the disco-funk of Daft Punk as Yarni’s top-line synth intersects with a rolling bassline and a lyrical flute solo from Rachel Shirley. This optimistic tone of sunlit spaciousness is then heightened on “Utopia”, as Yarni’s horn section comes to the fore to pay homage to the ineffable syncopations of Fela Kuti’s pioneering afrobeat.

Rather than scratch at the surface of these musical genres, Yarni’s attuned ear embodies the emotive essence of his various sounds by paying intimate attention to their creation. There is the punch of that afrobeat sax on “Utopia”; the rhythmic skitter of breakbeats on “The Astral”; the sludging thump of funk in the bassline on “Nova”. Collaborators are given free reign, too, to incorporate their own unique stylings into this remarkable whole, from vocalist Emily Marks’ languid tone on “In A Dream”, to saxophonist Jonoa’s innate swing on “Cherub”, and the metronomic movement of bassist Ally McMahon’s playing throughout.

Listening to Pigna is ultimately to find yourself squarely within the comforting embrace of Yarni’s musical mind. It is a truly LP experience – a record to be placed on the turntable’s platter and then left to play, allowing yourself an immersion in these journeying soundscapes. It is no wonder fellow sonic travellers such as the late Andrew Weatherall and DJ Harvey have been supporters of Yarni’s work, since here is a kindred spirit – an artist shaped in the form of radical openness, speaking the hospitable, universal language of beautiful music.

Mit seinem neuen Album beschreitet der Pianist Yaron Herman ganz neue Wege.

Nachdem er bereits zehn Alben veröffentlicht hat, lässt er sich ins Leere fallen und bietet erstmals ein Korpus völlig improvisierter Musik - einen verblüffenden Schnappschuss und einen lebendigen Spiegel seiner Vergangenheit. Das Klavier wird damit zum Mittelpunkt umfassenderen Nachdenkens, ein Gefährte, der dabei hilft, die Geheimnisse der Welt zu lüften. Dieser schöpferische, vielseitige und atypische Werdegang steht im Hintergrund einer begeisternden, großherzigen globalen Reflexion, die er kürzlich in einem früheren Werk durchführte.
Ohne irgendein Konzept im Hinterkopf überlässt er sich völlig dem, was die Musik zu sagen hat; er eröffnet Räume, in denen er selbst noch nicht war. Improvisieren heißt in Echtzeit Komponieren. Beim Komponieren ist die erste Geste - das, was man manchmal "Inspiration" nennt - improvisiert.
Auf diese Weise konzise und kunstvoll aufgebaute Stücke zu konstruieren, Melodien zu erfinden, die sich gemäß einer in Echtzeit entstehenden Logik entwickeln, ist ein unendlich komplexer Vorgang. Er setzt eine außergewöhnliche Erfindungs- und Konzentrationskraft voraus, einen Sinn für die Gegenwart, der mit Offenheit für die Zukunft gepaart ist, ohne die keine Entwicklung möglich ist. 'Alma' ist eine seltene Aufforderung, ein innerer Tanz, der uns sehr weit mit sich führt, eine sensorische Reise, zu der der Hörer eingeladen ist, und eine tiefe Emotion, die ihn nie loslässt.
CD und Doppel-LP (Schwarzes Vinyl)!

Nach zwei Jahren Solo-Tourneen präsentiert Yaron Herman sein neues Album. Er kehrt mit einem außergewöhnlichen Ensemble zurück und verbindet sich mit zwei der besten Saxophonisten der Welt: María Grand, ein aufsteigender, internationaler Star, und Alexandra Grimal, eine bedeutende Persönlichkeit der improvisierten Musik. Dieses Album nimmt uns mit auf die Suche nach Lyrik, Tiefe und Aufrichtigkeit, mit eleganten Melodien und kraftvollen Rhythmen, in einem Projekt, das sowohl spirituell als auch tief bewegend ist.

Als Yaron Herman mit der Arbeit an diesem Album begann, war das Erste, was ihm in den Sinn kam, die Melodie. Er habe in den letzten Jahren viel geschrieben, hauptsächlich in Notizbüchern, so der Künstler. Unterwegs oder zu Hause, alles von langen Zeilen bis zu kurzen Fragmenten. Mit der Zeit (und harter Arbeit) begannen diese "Motive" Gestalt anzunehmen und sich in "Lieder" zu verwandeln. Während er sie spielte und erkundete, was aus ihnen werden könnte, wurde klar, dass er nach einem Klang suchte, der nicht "nur" das Klavier war. Diese Melodien erforderten eine andere Stimme. Die Saxophonistinnen Maria Grand und Alexandra Grimal haben unterschiedliche Ansätze, doch beide haben eine geheimnisvolle, kraftvolle und lyrische Qualität, nach der gesucht wurde. Diese Qualitäten, kombiniert mit Haggai Cohen Milos wunderschönem Ton und rhythmischer Vielseitigkeit und dem Spiel und damit wertvollen Ideen von Herman's langjährigen musikalischen Bruders Ziv Ravitz während des gesamten Prozesses, ließen diese Lieder wirklich zum Leben erwachen. Im Studio hatte man das Glück, die Erfahrung und Perspektive des Produzenten Daniel Yvinec zu haben, der dazu ermutigte, die Musik weiter voranzutreiben und Risiken einzugehen. Improvisation: eine Suche nach dem Sweet Spot zwischen Freiheit und Zwang. Die Verspieltheit des Ganzen. Die Werkzeuge bereitstellen, aber nicht das endgültige Gebäude, die Leinwand bereitstellen, aber nicht vorschreiben, was darauf gemalt werden soll. So ist 'Radio Paradise' entstanden. Man ist im Studio auf den Titel gestoßen während einer Diskussion, wie sich Gegensätze ergänzen und wie die Rolle als Künstler darin besteht. Zu versuchen, das scheinbar Widersprüchliche in Einklang zu bringen. Den Raum zu finden, in dem Musik mühelos und aus dem Herzen fließt.

A private press rarity that few know of, ‘Song of Island’ was the third album from pianist Yasuhiro Kohno’s trio, recorded live at the jazz club and live house (gig venue) ‘Again’ in August 1985. Pressed up in small numbers, ‘Song for Island’ was issued on the private ASCAP Records, set up by pianist and band leader Yasuhiro Kohno. The album is a follow up to Kohno-san’s previous two albums, ‘Peace’ and ‘Roma in the Rain’, released on the cult Aketa’s Disk label. However, unlike the ‘Peace’ and ‘Roma in the Rain’ albums, ‘Song of Island’ has never been reissued before – until now. The title track was included on J Jazz volume 3. This is a very special album that captures a special time in Japanese jazz, when exemplary acoustic jazz was still being performed and recorded by dedicated and talented artists at the height of mid-80s synth pop. ‘Song of Island’ features four original compositions by Yasuhiro Kohno plus a distinctive take on a jazz standard. Yasuhiro Kohno was born in Nara, southern Japan, in 1953 and made his professional debut as a member of Japanese rocker Eikichi Yazawa's band before going on to accompany actor/singer Masatoshi Nakamura. As well as recording and performing under his own name, Kohno has also played with American musicians such as Richard Davis and Mal Waldron and continues to perform regularly in Japan. ‘Song of Island’ will be issued as a full reproduction of the original work, with inserts, translated original sleeve notes, plus new sleeve notes, photos, and interview with Yasuhiro Kohno by Tony Higgins.

Yazz Ahmeds Album "Polyhymnia" (2019) feiert weiblichen Mut, Entschlossenheit und Kreativität. Im Auftrag der Tomorrow's Warriors schrieb sie 2015 ein längeres Werk für deren Nu Civilisation Orchestra, das am Internationalen Frauentag beim Women Of The World Festival in der Londoner Queen Elizabeth Hall aufgeführt wurde. In Anlehnung an Polyhymnia, die griechische Muse der Musik, Poesie und des Tanzes, schuf Yazz eine Reihe von Sätzen, die herausragenden weiblichen Vorbildern wie Rosa Parks, Haifaa Al-Mansour und Malala Yousafzai gewidmet waren. Dieses Album steht im Kontrast zu ihrem vorherigen Werk "La Saboteuse", das von ihrer inneren Zerstörerin oder Anti-Muse getrieben wurde.

One of the busiest keyboardists in Tel Aviv today, Yonatan Daskal plays with the biggest names in the local scene as a composer, producer and keyboardist.
His classical background combined with a love for synthesizers as well as a curious and open-minded musical vision make Daskal’s music such a deep, culturefusing and timeless experience. Daskal’s debut solo album and first release on
Raw Tapes titled ‘Romantican’ reveals a colorful, rhythmically driven universe of gentle atmospheric nebulas as well as more uplifting disco planets.
Created using skillful analog synthesis, sequencers, vinyl sampling and of course good old keyboard playing. Conceived and played by Yonatan Daskal.
Co-Produced by Yonatan Daskal and Rejoicer

The Young Mothers return with their third album, Better If You Let It, blending a genre-defying mix of jazz, hip-hop, punk, experimental rock, and electronic music. Formed by Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten in Austin, Texas, the band’s sound is shaped by the diverse musical backgrounds of its members, hailing from both the U.S. and Norway. With influences spanning from Texas’ vibrant hip-hop and punk scenes to Norway’s experimental jazz traditions, the band creates a powerful fusion that feels cinematic and unpredictable.

The lineup includes Jawwaad Taylor (trumpet, rhymes, electronics) and Jason Jackson (tenor and baritone sax) from Houston, Stefan Gonzalez (vibraphone, drums, percussion, voice) from Dallas, Frank Rosaly (drums, electronics) from Chicago and Amsterdam, and Håker Flaten (bass) from Norway.

This global roster brings together a dynamic, cross-cultural sound, with Better If You Let It showcasing their most cohesive and wide-ranging material yet. Recorded in Oslo and set for release on Sonic Transmission Records, the album is a bold statement, proving The Young Mothers’ ability to push musical boundaries across genres and geographies.

The new duo album by Yuri Honing and Wolfert Brederode contains
compositions by both artists complimented by pieces from Charlie Haden Friedrich Hollander and Billy Strayhorn.
“Avalon is inspired by an ancient Celtic myth of an island in dense fog where the Holy Grail is said to be located, King Arthur is buried and where Excalibur is hidden.
I use it as a metaphor for the present time in which we live in which it is not clear to anyone what the world will look like after the pandemic.
The single Avalon is a dreamy piece of music that is also used for the exhibition in De Fundatie that will run until the spring of 2021.” - Yuri Honing

After the thematic albums 'True' (2012 inspired by Berlin and David Bowie).

'Desire' (2015, an instrumental opera about longing), 'Goldbrun' (2017 a homage to Europe and Honing's interest in European art music) and 'Bluebeard' (2020, a dark album mainly inspired by the 300-year-old fairy tale of the same name), there is now 'Heaven on my mind'.An album on which the quartet's now decade- long existence undoubtedly pays off. Not only is the almost telepathic way the band members communicate with each other an important feature; this fifth quartet album also clearly shows Honing's love for Charles Lloyd, Pharoah Sanders and the freer acoustic jazz that emerged along with the 1960s hippie movement.

WAXTIME YUSEF LATEEF - EASTERN SOUNDS + bonus track LIMITED
EDTION - 180gram AUDIOPHILE PRESSING 5 Stars AllMusic “One of
multi-instrumentalist and composer Yusef Lateef’s most enduring
recordings, Eastern Sounds was one of the last recordings made by the
band that Lateef shared with pianist Barry Harris after the band moved to
New York from Detroit, where the jazz scene was already dying
Lateef had long been interested in Eastern music, long before John Coltrane had
ever shown any public interest anyway, so this Moodsville session was drenched
in Lateef’s current explorations of Eastern mode and interval, as well as tonal and
polytonal improvisation. The themes set up the deep blues and wondrous ballad
extrapolations Lateef was working on, which add such depth and dimension to
the Eastern- flavoured music that it is hard to imagine them coming from the
same band. Awesome!” (Thom Jurek) Yusef Lateef, tenor sax, oboe & flute, Barry
Harris, piano; Ernie Farrow, bass and rabat; Lex Humphries, drums. Hackensack,
New Jersey, September 5, 1961. Original session recorded by Rudy Van Gelder

Limited Clear Vinyl edition, 500 copies! Lateef at Cranbrook (also reissued as Yusef Lateef) is a. live album by multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef recorded in 1958 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and originally released on the Argo label. Saxophonist, flautist, oboist and all-round reeds maestro Yusef Lateef was a renowned cross-pollinator of Eastern modes with the more traditional harmonic repertoire of American jazz. During the course of his covetable career he worked side-by-side with Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus and Miles Davis among others.

This excellent 1965 album from the always versatile Yusef Lateef runs the gamut musically, from the Coltrane influenced “Semi-Octo” to soulful reads of standards from Hammerstein/Kern, Fats Waller and Erik Satie, and a beautifully rendered original ‘Bamboo Flute Blues’.

This Verve By Request title is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Third Man in Detroit.

This is Yusef Lateef's quartet caught live in Germany in October 1971. Lateef on tenor sax, flute and oboe, presents a classy quartet featuring Kenny Barron on Piano, Bob Cunningham on Bass, and master Albert “Toothie” Heath on drums. Not much in Lateef's etno-world trip, just tons of solid grooves and waves of blue notes, a timeless formula to be enjoyed unreservedly!

The debut album from jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef, Jazz Mood was originally released in 1957 on New Jersey’s Savoy label. Featuring five Lateef originals the album included Curtis Fuller (trombone), Hugh Lawson (piano), Ernie Farrow (bass), and Louis Hayes (drums). This new edition of the album is released as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series on 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI with all-analogue mastering from the original tapes at Cohearent Audio and a Stoughton Tip-On Jacket.

Recorded in 1957 and released on the Prestige label, "Sound of Yusef" features Lateef's quintet with Wilbur Harden - flugelhorn, Hugh Lawson - piano, Ernie Farrow - bass, and Oliver Jackson - drums. Lateef's aesthetic was a perfect mixture of hard-driving jazz and a variety of ethnic materials. Even though If compared to later works, "Sounds of Yusef" is still very much rooted in Jazz while the use of traditional ethnic instruments adds colors and flavors without really deviating from the American Jazz tradition. Lateef shines on both tenor sax and flute while the rhythm section swings hard throughout a varied repertoire including an airy version of Strayhorn's ultra-classic "Take the A Train" and a contemplative Lateef's original called "Meditation".

One of his best albums from the mid-Sixties, Yusef Lateef's 1984 is a truly experimental work. With bassist Reggie Workman, pianist Mike Nock, and drummer James Black, it goes from the eight-minute title track that opens the album to the two-minute, angular modal ballad "Try Love." Reviewer Thom Jurek gave it four out of five stars in AllMusic, stating that "1984 certainly seems to be shaping up into one weird record.

The title is an experimental, noodling improv with Lateef moaning as if in mourning. But then with 'Soul Sister,' featuring Lateef's deep, bluesy, tenor blowing around a gorgeous lyric figure, and Mike Nock's stunningly beautiful soloing on 'Love Waltz,' the entire album moves in another direction, even if it isn't terribly focused. In all, a complex yet emotionally and musically rewarding effort by a master.”

Das Debütalbum des Jazz-Multiinstrumentalisten Yusef Lateef, Jazz Mood, wurde ursprünglich 1957 auf
dem Label Savoy aus New Jersey veröffentlicht. Das Album enthält fünf Originalkompositionen von Lateef
und wurde von Curtis Fuller (Posaune), Hugh Lawson (Klavier), Ernie Farrow (Bass) und Louis Hayes
(Schlagzeug) eingespielt. Diese Neuauflage des Albums erscheint als Teil der Original Jazz Classics Series
auf 180-Gramm-Vinyl, gepresst bei RTI, mit vollständig analogem Mastering von den Originalbändern bei
Cohearent Audio und einem Stoughton Tip-On-Cover.

Eine bemerkenswerte Zusammenkunft improvisierender Meister aus unterschiedlichen musikalischen Hintergründen: Zakir Hussains Making Music erschien 1987 wie aus dem Nichts und fesselte die Hörer mit seiner
eigenständigen Klangwelt. „Der Austausch zwischen Flöte, Tabla und Gitarre ist oft atemberaubend“, bemerkte die Philadelphia Tribune und beschrieb Jan Garbareks Spiel als „Linien, die die Töne so biegen, dass
sie zur indischen Vokalmusik und zur Sitar passen – und an anderer Stelle die norwegischen Winter heraufbeschwören.“ McLaughlins elegante Akustikgitarreneinsätze fügen sich mit improvisatorischer Leichtigkeit
ein und verbinden die eindrucksvolle Flötenkunst Hariprasad Chaurasias mit Hussains scheinbar alle Pulse
durchwanderndem Tablaspiel zu einem harmonischen Ganzen. Es ist ein Leichtes, nachzuvollziehen, warum
die FAZ zu dem Schluss kam: „Ohne auch nur einen der vier wäre ‚Making Music‘ nicht vorstellbar.“
Das Album wird im Rahmen der Luminessence-Serie erstmals seit seiner ursprünglichen Veröffentlichung
wieder auf Vinyl aufgelegt und erscheint im hochwertigen Tip-on-Gatefold-Cover

Brownswood are delighted to present Zara McFarlane’s, Songs of an Unknown Tongue a masterful work that underlines her continuous growth as an artist. Zara’s fourth studio album pushes the boundaries of jazz adjacent music via an exploration into the folk and spiritual traditions of her ancestral motherland, Jamaica. The album is a rumination on the piecing together of black heritage, where painful and proud histories are uncovered and connected to the present.



Partnering with cult South London based producers Kwake Bass and Wu-lu, Zara has created a futuristic sound palate, electronically recreating the pulsing, hypnotic rhythms Kumina and Nyabinghi – and the music played at African rooted rituals like the emancipation celebration Bruckins Party, and the lively death rites of Dinki Minki and Gerreh. These richly patterned electronic rhythms are balanced throughout by McFarlane’s distinctive, clear vocal tones, and vivid song writing.



Zara’s critically acclaimed third studio album ‘Arise’ met with universal critical praise, and was supported by an impressive live tour performing at festivals such as Love Supreme, Field Day and SXSW. Zara is the winner of multiple awards including a Mobo, 2 Jazz FM Vocalist of the Year Award (2018 & 2015), an Urban Music Award, and Session of the Year at Worldwide Awards. Drawing respect from a wide range of artists, Zara has collaborated with Gregory Porter, Shabaka Hutchings, Moses Boyd and Louie Vega.



These new sonic explorations signal an exciting direction of travel for this innovative founding member of the UK’s vibrant homegrown jazz scene.

For the DJs we present a 7" single of Gorjeios b/w Jararaca Snake (Remix)! The a-side, Gorjeios, is a hypnotic blend of Brazilian rhythms and dreamy melodies. Zé Nigro’s ethereal vocals intertwine seamlessly with Arthur Verocai’s instrumental magic. The b-side, a remix version of Jararaca Snake, is a pulsing dub synthesizer journey featuring Zé Nigro’s effected vocals describing his endless quest for knowledge of why we are here.

"Entitled Silêncio, the new album is due in September and will arrive as a natural continuation of the first, featuring songs that had been left out as well as those that were part of Nigro's shows with the band. ""The songs have come to life. Today I feel more confident about doing my own thing, more assured. I want to propose this listening to silence, to the hidden subtleties that are revealed in existence"", he concludes.

Recording the first album was a personal adventure with an uncertain destination. Apocalip Se embodies this feeling of conducting an internal investigation, a rediscovery from the inside out. On the new album, the image on the cover is about being open, with your hands absorbing the outside, feeling the power of nature reflected in its greatness,"" Nigro reflects.

""I always woke up at 4 a.m. to the sound of a variety of birdsongs, and I kept thinking 'what are these birds saying? Do they even think about us?'"". The artist then composed the instrumental part with his guitar and sent it to the poet Eveline Sin suggesting this theme, and she responded years later, at the time of the recording of Apocalip Se. The song was formed in several movements, also bringing together pianist and partner Dustan Gallas, with a new arrangement featuring more than 20 musicians, taking the new version to another level of interpretation. As for the construction of the melodies, Nigro reflects: ""I think the voice is an instrument, a fascinating harmonic instrument"". In addition to producing for numerous well-known artists, such as Russo Passapusso, Francisco el Hombre, Curumin, and Anelis Assumpção, onalbums that have marked the history of independent Brazilian music, Zé Nigro has used his role as a singer as a long experiment in self-knowledge."

Provocative percussion from the jazz trio Zen Widow!
Recorded live to 2-track analogue tape at Capitol Studios (CAP A)
Produced by Tone Poet's Joe Harley, recorded by Mike Ross
100% analogue mastering* by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
Pressed on 180-gram ultra-quiet vinyl at RTI
Deluxe Old Style Tip-On single pocket gatefold jacket by Stoughton Printing

*Track 8 finished from high-resolution digital for vocal track
Intervention Records presents a special collaborative distribution effort with Italian objet-a records, Zen Widow IV – (from one dark age to another). This AAA 180G vinyl release is the fourth recording of Zen Widow, and it places an emphasis on highly melodic, spacious, and engaging treatments of medieval compositions ranging from Gesualdo Da Venosa, the Burana and Chantilly Codex, Welsh Gower folk melodies and texts, as well as the Bach Cello suites. These rich compositions are then reimagined through the lens of a highly accomplished and adventuresome jazz-improvised music trio.

Zen Widow is an international improvisational music-jazz super group. They have recorded and performed in clubs and festivals throughout the United States and Europe for that last 20 years. The trio consists of Gianni Gebbia (Bb soprano saxophone – cornettophone ) from Sicily, Italy, Matthew Goodheart (grand piano – transducer-actuated gong) from New York, Garth Powell (drums, percussion, and gongs) from Los Angeles, and is joined by special guest Dwight Trible (vocals) for this recording. Their previous release featured trumpet and jazz master Wadada Leo Smith, and like this recording was produced by Joe Harley (Blue Note – Tone Poet Series, Charles Lloyd, and Music Matters Jazz).

Garth Powell is also an audio industry legend, and AudioQuest’s Sr. Director of Engineering. Garth is the driving force behind the company’s multi award-winning line of Niagara series power conditioners and its Mythical Creatures ultra high-performance cables.

As powerful as these performances are, the sonic results created by this production/engineering team is equally stunning – a truly reference quality analogue experience.

This recording is captured live-to-two-track analogue, 30ips tape at Capitol Studios (studio “A”) by Mike Ross and Steve Genewick. 7 of the 8 tracks are AAA, while the last track alone is finished high-res digital to accommodate the vocal track. Mastering and lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at CoHEARent Audio, with 180-gram pressings by RTI (Camarillo, California).

The single-gatefold jacket is a deluxe Old Style “tip-on” from Stoughton, designed by Intervention’s longtime Art Director Tom Vadakan.

A collaboration between US label Astral Spirits and Sweden’s Thanatosis Produktion, It could / If I marks the debut album from Stockholm-based duo Johan Jutterström (saxophone) and Alex Zethson (piano). Together, they reinterpret jazz standards and explore an eclectic mix of compositions by Leonard Cohen, Pet Shop Boys, John Lurie, and 19th-century composer Alexander Fesca.

Jutterström and Zethson’s musical partnership dates back to their teenage years, when they bonded over a love for jazz and the struggle to find their own voice within it. Their duo work has always been about navigating that tension—trying to capture jazz, failing, and finding another way forward. This album continues that pursuit, emphasizing not just what is played, but how it is played.

The record’s title reflects their approach: a process of reaching for something just out of grasp. Songs are deconstructed, rearranged, and treated like palimpsests—scrubbed clean and rewritten while allowing traces of the original to shine through. The result is a dynamic and deeply personal exploration of sound, filled with both reverence and reinvention.

Both musicians have extensive backgrounds in jazz, improvisation, and experimental music. Zethson, a prolific pianist and composer, has worked with ensembles like Fire! Orchestra and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, and plays keyboards in ensembles such as Vilhelm Bromander Unfolding Orchestra, Goran Kajfes Tropiques, Vathres, and Angles (current with the jazzopera The Death of Kalypso). Jutterström, a saxophonist with an artistic PhD, has performed internationally and runs the ensemble STHLM svaga, a band who have performed commissioned pieces by jazz legends such as Ron Carter, Archie Shepp and Roscoe Mitchell.

With It could / If I, the duo crafts an intricate, ever-shifting dialogue—an ongoing attempt to "stick jazz music," as they put it, constantly approaching, never quite arriving, and finding beauty in the pursuit.

Mit ihrem kurzweiligen "Slow Food" richtet das polnische Quintett ZK Collaboration den Fokus aufs kulinarische Ohr, das selbst bei atemberaubendem Improvisationen und rasanten Unisonoparts immer noch jede Zutat präzise herausschmecken will und nach einem Kontrast zu unserer informellen Fast Food Mentalität sucht. Mit eingängigen Themen, packenden Grooves und verführerischen Sounds ist " Slow Food" genau das richtige Album für diese Zeit.

Die stilistische Karte ihres Slow Foods ist weit gestreut, aber zu keinem Zeitpunkt eklektizistisch oder gar beliebig. In den verschiedenen Töpfen, Pfannen und Öfen wird ein Acht-Gänge-Menü gezaubert, dessen Ingredienzien sich zwar mit Jazzrock, Fusion, Post Bop, freier Improvisation, Folk, epischen Soundscapes und
typischen polnischen Jazz-Motiven von der Komeda-Tradition bis zur Aufmüpfigkeit des Yass beschreiben lassen, aber ganz eigene Geschmacksnoten und Konsistenzen entfalten, die sich jeder eindeutigen Zuordnung entziehen

"Sun" ist das erste Album der aus Tennessee stammenden Baritonsaxophonistin Zoh Amba für das in Oslo ansässige Label Smalltown Supersound - und ihr zweites Album nach "Oh Sun", das 2022 auf dem Label Tzadik erschienen ist. Auf "Sun" stellt Amba eine neu zusammengestellte Gruppe mit einer Reihe von Kompositionen vor, die die Grenze zwischen Performance und Prozess verwischen - wobei sich sowohl die Musik als auch der Akt ihrer Aufnahme in Echtzeit entfalten, teilweise geleitet von improvisatorischen Aufnahmetechniken. Als Bandleaderin bewegt sich Amba an den Rändern eines improvisatorischen Deltas, in dem spiritueller Jazz und Free Folk nicht als getrennte Genres auftreten, sondern als Nebenflüsse derselben Strömung, die beide aus einem gemeinsamen Glauben an die Musik als heilige Kraft entspringen. Die Entscheidung, "Sun" auf Smalltown Supersound zu veröffentlichen, entstand aus einer gemeinsamen Verbindung zum verstorbenen deutschen Saxophonisten Peter Brötzmann, der sowohl ein spiritueller Mentor für Amba war als auch mehrere Platten auf dem Label veröffentlicht hat. Und während das Album in amerikanischen Folk-Traditionen verwurzelt ist, ist es Brötzmanns furchtloser Geist - selbst ein immenser historischer Katalysator für den europäischen Free Jazz -, der wie ein roter Faden durch die musikalische Zusammenarbeit des Ensembles und seine experimentellen Aufnahmetechniken verläuft. Für Amba war es jedoch wichtig, dass das Ensemble - bestehend aus Caroline Morton (Bass), Lex Korton (Piano) und Miguel Marcel Russel (Percussion) - vor den Aufnahmen eine tiefere musikalische Verbindung aufbauen konnte: ,Wir haben tagelang einfach nur zusammen gespielt, und ich habe versucht, mir mental Notizen zu machen, was in dieser Band ganz natürlich vorhanden war - bevor ich Anweisungen gab oder Noten austeilte. Ich wollte sehen, wo wir alle in diesem Moment in unserem Leben standen. Von dort aus begann ich, mit ihnen den Prozess zu gestalten. So entstanden die Struktur der Band und der Ansatz für das Album."

Copenhagen / Cologne-based songwriter Zola Mennenöh joins Shahzad Ismaily’s figureight records for the release of her eloquent debut album Longing for Belonging.

Known - and highly in demand - as a session musician in her native Germany and her adoptive second homes in Denmark and Norway, Zola Mennenöh is a singer, guitarist, flautist and sound artist of huge talent. She has toured the world over, specialising in jazz, improvisation and experimental & avant garde choral music, both as a performer and as composer. It is through this experience and years of honing that Longing for Belonging comes into existence. Her debut solo album is a collection of delicate treasures: graceful, expressive and elegantly poised, exploring the great depth of her abilities as a musician and the cultured poetry of her lyrics.


Zola’s music touches on pastoral alternative folk, while splashes of classical decoration (such as the yearningly beautiful sea of undulating woodwind at the end of “I Will Always Be Yours, Forever”) and melodic licks borrowed from jazz help illuminate unexpected corners. There is, in abundance, a songwriting sophistication in the mold of PJ Harvey or Beth Orton, a Southern Gothic shadow comparable to Neko Case and Nina Nastasia, and an omnivorous musical awareness that could stand alongside Cat Power’s varied arrangements. Thematically, the album meditates on the search and discovery of personal and emotional unity. “It is an attempt to encounter and ultimately become one's true self,” Zola writes. The record is largely performed by a core quartet of Zola, Nicole Hogstrand (viola da gamba), Johanna Borchert (prepared piano) and Szymon Pimpon Gąsiorek (drumkit / percussion).

In keeping with the album’s wider creative process - which Zola describes as “allowing intuition, feeling and subconscious into the process and letting go of expectations” - the lyrical threads chase various narratives, memories and hopes. “I Disappeared Under The Sea” speaks of an existential disconnection from the world, its arrangement and form also representing the same theme. “Make Things Simple” acts as Zola’s response to early experimental music pioneer Pauline Oliveros - a meditative exploration of sound, rhythm and time.

Recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, the album captures Zu at their most raw and explosive -- where avant-jazz energy collides with the weight of experimental rock. Igneo (2002) by Zu is the band's debut studio album and marks the starting point of their distinctive sonic identity. Even at this early stage, many of the elements that would define their later work are already clearly present. The album emerges from a context deeply rooted in experimentation and exploration. Compared to their subsequent releases, the sound here feels more open and less tightly structured, with a stronger emphasis on improvisation and real- time interaction between the musicians. The trio--baritone sax, electric bass, and drums--develops a language that blends free jazz, noise, post- hardcore, and touches of contemporary composition.

Listening to Igneo, you can sense a balance between raw energy and expressive freedom. The baritone sax shifts between abrasive bursts and more spacious, stretched- out passages, while the bass moves from repetitive grooves into fragmented lines. The drums, in turn, alternate between tight rhythmic frameworks and looser, more fluid playing. There's a constant negotiation between control and release. Unlike the band's later, more disciplined records, the structures here feel more fluid and unpredictable. The tracks don't follow conventional forms; instead, they evolve like living organisms, marked by sudden changes, contrasting sections, and a persistent sense of instability. This gives the album a dynamic, almost volatile character. The title Igneo-- suggesting something fiery and primal-- captures the essence of the record quite well. The music feels warm, raw, and in continuous motion, as if it were constantly on the verge of erupting.

A collaborative classic from the Italian Avant-Jazz pioneers Zu and Chicago's Jazz mavericks Spaceways Inc Originally released in 2004, RADIALE is back, bringing together explosive energy, avant-jazz improvisation, and experimental rock in a landmark collaboration. Radiale (2004) by Zu is the band's second studio album and stands as one of the most defining releases in the European avant-garde scene of the early 2000s. With this record, Zu moved decisively away from the slightly more exploratory feel of their debut Bromio and developed a tighter, more aggressive sonic identity. The trio-- built around baritone sax, electric bass, and drums-- strips away almost all conventional melody, focusing instead on repetition, tension, and raw physical impact. Listening to Radiale feels less like following a sequence of songs and more like being drawn into a continuous sonic current. The music is driven by hypnotic, circular rhythms and abrupt dynamic shifts, moving from sparse, almost suspended moments to sudden, explosive bursts. The baritone sax often functions more as a percussive force than a melodic instrument, while the bass locks into distorted, looping figures and the drums maintain a relentless, tightly controlled intensity.