Free Jazz Collective's Top Albums of 2024

Drawing by Anjali Grant

Dear readers, 

Thank you for another year of being a part of the Free Jazz Collective! According to our statistics, we have been lucky to see continued readership growth, with a rather noticeable jump in pageviews starting in October and running through November, which peaked at rather jaw-dropping number of 47,906 views in one day! The numbers have settled, but we're still seeing daily pageview count of around 11,000, which is a rather mind-blowing 69% increase from last year - hopefully these views correlate with reality and also with purchases of the recordings being reviewed! Anyway, who really trusts numbers these days? The important thing is you, dear readers, and you, dear writers, and most of you, dear artists who keep giving something that keeps us going. 

So, now to everyone's favorites - the lists. Below are the top 10 albums of the year lists from the writers of the Free Jazz Collective, but first, the top entries from the lists. How this is done is that the most listed recordings are culled to produce the list of top recordings of the year. Our rules are simple: any recording that appears on a list must have been reviewed on the Free Jazz Blog (or by the reviewer personally, somewhere). You can search for any of the recordings listed to read a review of the recording. As you check out the lists, the Collective will be busy voting, from the selections in the first list below, to come up with our top album of the year, which will be presented on January 1st.  

Please share your best of lists too!

Best,
-The Free Jazz Collective

 

Top Albums A - Z (all albums receiving three or more mentions)

Top 10 (entries appeared on the lists four or more times each, included in Album of the Year vote)

• Borderlands Trio - Rewilder (Intakt Records)
  
• Darius Jones - Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidely)
• David Maranha / Rodrigo Amado - Wrecks (Nariz Entupido)
• Fire! - Testament (Rune Grammofon)
• John Butcher + 13 - Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax)
• ØKSE - self-titled (backwoodz records)
• The Attic & Eve Risser - La Grande Crue (NoBusiness Records)
• The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - self-titled (Impulse!)
• Mette Rasmussen, Craig Taborn, Ches Smith - Weird of Mouth (Otherly Love)
• أحمد [Ahmed] - Giant Beauty (Fonstret)

Runners up (appeared in lists times three times each, not included in Album of the Year vote)

• AALY Trio - Sustain (Silkheart)
  
• Angles & Elle-Kari with Strings - The Death of Kalypso (Thanatosis Produktion)
• Matt Mitchell - Illimitable (Obliquity Records)
  
• Matthew Shipp Trio - New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk')
• Nick Dunston - Colla Voce (Out Of Your Head)
• Space - Embrace the Space (Relative Pitch)

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The Collective Lists of 2024

David Cristol

1. Matthew Shipp - The Data (RogueArt)
2. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers - Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook)
3. حمد [Ahmed] - Giant Beauty (Fönstret)
4. Matthew Shipp Trio - New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk’)
5. Luís Lopes - Dark Narcissus: Stereo Guitar Solo (Rotten/Fresh / Shhpuma)
6. Joëlle Léandre - Lifetime Rebel (RogueArt)
7. Borderlands Trio - Rewilder (Intakt)
8. Rob Mazurek - Milan (Clean Feed)
9. The Attic and Eve Risser - La Grande Crue (No Business)
10. Yuki Fujiwara - Glass Colored Lily (Defkaz)

Historic/Archival

1. Byard Lancaster - The Palm Recordings 1973-74 (Souffle Continu LP box set)
2. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy - The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (Elemental Music)
3. Art Ensemble of Chicago - Message to our Folks (BYG-Actuel)

Books

1. Phil Freeman - In the Brewing Luminous: The Life & Music of Cecil Taylor (Wolke Verlag)
2. Žiga Koritnik - Brötzmann In My Focus (Pega)
   
   

Don Phipps

• Kaze - Unwritten (Circum Disc)
• Fire! - Testament (Rune Grammofon)
• Kris Davis Trio - Run the Gauntlet (Pyroclastic Records)
• Anthony Braxton - Sax Qt  (Lorraine) 2022 (I dischi di angelica)
• Angelica Sanchez and Chad Taylor - A Monster Is Just An Animal You Haven’t Met Yet (Intakt)
• James Brandon Lewis - Transfiguration (Intakt)
• Sylvie Courvoisier - To Be Other-Wise (Intakt)
• Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley - Polarity 2 (Burning Ambulance)
• Matthias Spillman Inviting Bill McHenry - Walcheturm (Unit Records)
• Sentient Beings - Truth Is Not the  Enemy (Discus Music)

Historic/Archival

• Cecil Taylor Unit - Live At Fat Tuesdays, February 9, 1980 (First-Archive-Visit)
• Tim Berne and Michael Formanek - Parlour Games (Relative Pitch Records)
• Mal Waldon and Steve Lacy - The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (Elemental Music)
• Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian - The Old Country (ECM)
• Derek Bailey & Paul Motian – Duo In Concert (Frozen Reeds) 
• Gush – Afro Blue (Trost Records)
  
  

Eyal Hareuveni

• Isabelle Duthoit & Franz Hautzinger - Dans le Morvan (Relative Pitch)[read here]
  
• Stian Westergus & Maja S. K. Ratkje - All Losses Are Restored (Crispin Glover) [read here]
  
• Joe Mcphee (with Ken Vandermark) - Musings of a Bahamian Son: Poems and Other Words by Joe Mcphee (Corbett vs Dempsey)
• Alexander Hawkins / Sofia Jernberg - Musho (Intakt)
• The Attic & Eve Risser - La Grande Crue (NoBusiness)
• John Butcher - Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax)
• ØKSE  - self-titled (Backwoodz Studioz)
• أحمد [Ahmed] - Giant Beauty (Fönstret[
• Nacka Forum - Peaceful Piano (Moserobie)[read here]
  
• Joëlle Léandre / Elisabeth Harnik / Zlatko Kaučič - Live in St. Johan (Fundacja Słuchaj) [read here]
  
  

Ferruccio Martinotti

• Ballister - Smash and Grab (Aerophonic)
• Fire! - Testament (Rune Grammofon)
• Darius Jones - Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (Aum Fidelity)
• Ava Mendoza, Dave Sewelson - Of It but Not Is It (Mahakala)
• Pal Nilssen Love, Ken Vandermark - Japan 2019 (Pnl/Audiographic Records)
• ØKSE - self-titled (Blackwoodz Studioz)
• Reed, Edwards, Coudoux - self-titled (Relative Pitch
• Sakata, O'rourke, Rasmussen, Corsano - Live at Superdeluxe Vol. 1 (Trost)
• Frederico Ughi - Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You (577 Records)
• Weird of Mouth - self-titled (Otherly Love)

Historic/Archival

• Brotzmann, Kondo, Parker, Graves - Die Like a Dog ( Cien Fuegos)
• Charles Gayle/ Milford Graves/ William Parker - WEBO (Black Editions Archive)
• Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy - The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (Elemental Music) 
• Gush - Afro Blue (Trost)
  
  

Fotis Nikolakopoulos

• Ute Kanngießer/Eddie Prévost/Seymour Wright - Splendid Nettle (Matchless Recordings)
• Ben Bennett/Michael Foster/Jacob Wick - Carne Vale (Relative Pitch Records)
• TRAPEZE - LEVEL CROSSING (circum-disc, late 2023)
• yPLO - ob TRU (Feedback Moves)
• Feichtmair/Koliibri/Krist/Novotny/Pröll/Winter/Winter - Adschi (Creative Sources)
• Schubert/Rupp/Ohlmeier - Entropy Hug (not applicable)
• divr - Is This water (We Jazz)
• Nathan Hubbard / Kyle Motl - Obsidian (Confront Recordings)
• Wilson Shook/Ted Byrnes - Joy (Other Ghosts)
• Nick Dunston - Colla Voce (Out Of Your Head Records)

Historic/Archive

• Charles Gayle/ Milford Graves/ William Parker - WEBO (Black Editions Archive)
  Though the list above is in no particular order, this doesn't include WEBO. This box set was/is the most adventurous, fiery amazing music for me this whole year.
  
  
• Alice Coltrane - The Carnegie Hall Concert (Impulse!)
• Ofamfa - Children Of The Sun (Moved-By-Sound, Universal Justice Records)
  
  

Gary Chapin

1. Tim Berne’s Ocean’s And - Lucid/Still (Screwgun)
2. George Cartwright and Bruce Golden - Dilate (Self-released)
3. Ivo Perelman, Chad Fowler, Reggie Workman, and Andrew Cyrille - Embracing the Unknown (Mahakala)
4. Matthew Shipp Trio - New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk)
5. Liba Villevecchia Trio + Luis Vincente - Muracik (Clean Feed)
6. Moor Mother - The Great Bailout (Anti-)
7. ØKSE - self-titled (Backwoodz Studioz)
8. Space - Embrace the Space (Relative Pitch)
9. حمد [Ahmed] - Giant Beauty (Fönstret)
10. Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet - Hear the Light Singing (RogueArt)

Historic/Archival

1. Tim Berne/Bill Frisell - Live from Someplace Nice (Screwgun)
2. George Cartwright - Ghostly Bee (Mahakala)
3. Cecil Taylor - Live at Fat Tuesdays February 9, 1980 (First-Archive-Visit)
4. Tim Berne and Mike Formanek - Parlour Games (Screwgun)
5. Derek Bailey and Paul Motian - Duo in Concert (Frozen Reeds)
6. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy - The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (Elemental Music)

Book

• Phil Freeman - In the Brewing Luminous: The Life & Music of Cecil Taylor (Wolke Verlag)

Gregg Miller

1. AALY Trio - Sustain (Silkheart)
2. Wilson Shook & Ted Byrnes - Joy (Other Ghosts)
3. Russ Johnson, Tim Daisy & Max Johnson - Live a the Hungry Brain (Fundacja Sluchaj)
4. Sylvie Courvoisier - To Be Otherwise (Intakt)
5. Rich Pellegrin - Topography (Slow and Steady Records)
6. STHLM svaga - Plays Carter, Plays Mitchell, Plays Shepp (Thanatosis)
7. Jordina Milla & Barry Guy - Live in Munich (ECM)
8. Hubbub - abb abb abb (Relative Pitch)
9. Joelle Leandre - Lifetime Rebel (Rogueart)
10. John Butcher + 13 - Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax)

João Esteves da Silva

• Nick Dunston - Colla Voce (Out of Your Head Records)
  Hands down the album of the year for me, regardless of “genres”. A real work of genius, and possible masterpiece of twenty-first century music, radically subverting opera conventions.

• Alexander Hawkins & Sofia Jernberg - Musho (Intakt Records)
  A breathtaking song cycle, eclectic and yet unified, by one of the world’s foremost creative singers and the great Oxford piano polymath, shattering the singer/accompanist hierarchy.

• Matt Mitchell - Illimitable (Obliquity Records)
  A fully improvised solo piano session for the ages. One to rank alongside stuff like Keith Jarrett’s Solo Concerts, Cecil Taylor’s Silent Tongues, or Craig Taborn’s Avenging Angel.

• Borderlands Trio - Rewilder (Intakt Records)
  In a year full of excellent piano trio albums, this one stood out. I currently know of no other band devoted to the art of spontaneous composition displaying quite the same degree of consistency.

• Stemeseder Lillinger - Antumbra (PLAIST-MUSIC)
  Genreless and wonderfully adventurous electro-acoustic music for the future, by a duo of groundbreaking musician-composers.

• STHLM svaga - Plays Carter, Plays Mitchell, Plays Shepp (Thanatosis Produktion)
  A delightful program, calling for the recognition of Black creative musicians as genuine composers, by an ensemble exploring the lower end of the dynamic range in an altogether rare way in jazz.

• The Attic & Eve Risser - La Grande Crue (NoBusiness Records)
  Rodrigo and Eve might have been an unexpected match, but the result is exceptional, and unlike anything either of them had done previously. A masterclass in focus and controlled intensity.

• Kim Cass - Levs (Pi Recordings)
  One of the freshest and most exciting works of New Brooklyn Complexity to come out lately. Utterly crazy writing, masterfully negotiated, to the point of sounding almost spontaneous.

• ØKSE - self-titled (Backwoodz Recordz)
  More than a successful fusion of hip-hop and avant-garde jazz, ØKSE has its very own, ultramodern aesthetic.

• Angles & Elle-Kari with Strings - The Death of Kalypso (Thanatosis Produktion)
  An exquisitely produced jazz opera, full of mystery and pathos, already sounding somewhat timeless.

Lee Rice Epstein

Ranked, as usual, because there can only be one number one.

1. Matthew Shipp Trio - New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk')
   This is it right here, the best album of the year. Shipp had a solo album that nearly took its place (if you know me, you know I try not to repeat players in my list), but this won me over early and nothing ever quite took its place…
   
   
2. Darius Jones - Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity)
   Except this one!! Which came very close to topping my list, as well. It's a wild year for wild, brilliant music.
   
   
3. Allen Lowe & the Constant Sorrow Orchestra - Louis Armstrong's America, Volumes 1–4 (ESP-Disk')
   For some reason, we haven't covered Allen Lowe's music here, like, at all. Which is weird! Maybe this is the year all that changes.
   
   
4. Jason Stein, Marilyn Crispell, Damon Smith, Adam Shead - spi-raling horn (Balance Point Acoustics)
   Smith had an album drop late in the year that took my breath away, but this one stayed in rotation for months. Credit where due to its captivating sounds.
   
   
5. أحمد [Ahmed] - Giant Beauty (Fonstret)
   C'mon, we all know this is going to rate highly for so many reasons, not least of which being the band is on fire.
   
   
6. Space - Embrace the Space (Relative Pitch)
   Lisa Ullén, Elsa Bergman and Anna Lund, sometimes known as the rhythm section at the heart of Anna Högberg's Attack, should be better known now as the piano trio Space.
   
   
7. Matt Mitchell - Illimitable (Obliquity Records)
   It seems like 2024 was the year of the piano trio, and I loved Mitchell's latest. And yet, his solo album is a triumph.
   
   
8. Anthony Braxton - 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (Tri-Centric)
   Two lineups tackling a new book of compositions, written not very long before going on the road. Braxton should be an inspiration to us all, there really are no limits.
   
   
9. John Zorn - New Masada Quartet, Vol. 3 (Tzadik Records)
   The first live album for this latest quartet of Zorn's, released as a single track. You wouldn't want to listen to it any other way.
   
   
10. Weird of Mouth - self-titled (Otherly Love)
    Rasmussen had maybe the best year ever, with half a dozen albums I've had on permanent rotation. This one just rose to the top of that pile in recent weeks, and wow is it a scorcher.

Martin Schray

• Ballister - Smash and Grab (Aerophonic Records, 2024)
  The best band in the free jazz world, I stick to it
  
  
• The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - self-titled (Impulse)
  Punk/Hardcore clashes into Free Jazz
  
  
• Darius Jones - Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity)
  Possibly the best and most interesting saxophonist these days
  
  
• ØKSE - self-titled (backwoodz records)
  Free Jazz meets HipHop, finally with excellent results
  
  
• Fire! - Testament (Rune Grammofon) 
  No end-of-the-year-list without Fire! (Orchestra)
  
  
• David Maranha & Rodrigo Amado - Wrecks (Nariz Entupido)
  Is it possible to have an end-of-the-year-list without Rodrigo?
  
  
• Mats Gustafsson / Liudas Mockūnas- Watching a dog. Smiling. (NoBusiness)
  A dark raging hell ride. two masters at work
  
  
• Steve Baczkowski - Cheap Fabric (Relative Pitch)
  The pure essence of a free jazz saxophone
  
  
• Amalie Dahl/Henrik Sandstad Dalen/Jomar Jeppsson Søvik- Live in Europe (Nice Thing Records)
  Anyone who manages to elicit something new from this format deserves to be in theTopTen
  
  
• Dave Rempis & Tashi Dorji - Gnash (Aerophonic Records)
  Folk music, Bhutanese roots music, blues and psychedelic rock - true world music

Historic/Archival

• The Laws of William Bonney Saxophone Quartet 1993 - 2007: Self- titled (Acheulian Handaxe) 
  The misfit in this list; no idea why they didn’t release this music back in the days
  
  
• Olaf Rupp - Earth And More (scatterARCHIVE)
  Not really free jazz, but an important document that shows Rupp at a crossroads in his career
  
  
• Charles Gayle/ Milford Graves/ William Parker - WEBO (Black Editions Archive)
  Music that not only seems to come from another time, but also from another universe
  
  

Nick Metzger

• Barry Guy Blue Shroud Band - all this this here (Fundacja Słuchaj)
• John Butcher + 13 - Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax)
• The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - self-titled (Impulse!)
• Magda Mayas’ Filamental - Ritual Mechanics (Relative Pitch)
• K. Curtis Lyle/George R. Sams/Ra Kalam Bob Moses Sextett - 29 Birds You Never Heard (Balance Point Acoustics)
• Darius Jones - Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity)
• أحمد [Ahmed] - Giant Beauty (Fonstret)
• Weird of Mouth - self-titled (Otherly Love)
• David Maranha/Rodrigo Amado - Wrecks (Nariz Entupido)
• AALY Trio - Sustain (Silkheart)

Historic/Archival

• Charles Gayle/ Milford Graves/ William Parker - WEBO (Black Editions Archive)
• EMT - 1973, Editions 1-4 (SÅJ)
• Louis Moholo-Moholo - Louis Moholo-Moholo’s Viva La Black (Ogun)
• Atrás del Cosmos - Cold Drinks, Hot Dreams (Blank Forms)
  
  

Nick Ostrum

• Nick Dunston – Colla Voce (OOYH)
• ØKSE - self-titled (backwoodz records)
• Cheryl Duvall & Patrick Giguère - Intimes Exubérances (Redshift Records)
• Gordon Grdina’s the Marrow – With Fathieh Honari (Attaboygirl Records)
• Peter Evans’ Being and Becoming – Ars Memoria (More is More)
• Wadada Leo Smith and Aminda Claudine Myers – Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths, Garden (Red Hook Records)
• James Brandon Lewis and the Messthetics – self-titled (Impulse!)
• K. Curtis Lyle, George R. Sams, Ra Kalam Bob Moses Sextet - 29 Birds You Never Heard (Balance Point Acoustics)
• Jeremiah Cymerman – Body of Light (5049 Records)
• Adam Rudolph and Tyshawn Sorey – Archaisms I and II (Defkaz)
  

Historic/Archival:

• Cecil Taylor Unit – Live at Fat Tuesday’s, February 9, 1980, First Visit (Ezzthetics)
• Mars Williams and Hamid Drake – I Know You Are But What Am I (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
• Charles Gayle, William Parker, Milford Graves – WEBO (Black Editions Archive)
• Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy - The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (Elemental Music)

Book:

• Žiga Koritnik - Brötzmann In My Focus (Pega)

Paul Acquaro

1. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - self-titled (Impulse!)
2. Space - Embrace the Space (Relative Pitch)
3. Sakina Abdou/ Marta Warelis/ Toma Gouband - Hammer, Roll and Leaf (Relative Pitch)
4. The Attic and Eve Risser - La Grande Crue (No Business)
5. Borderlands Trio - Rewilder (Intakt Records)
6. Han-earl Park, Yorgos Dimitriadis and Camila Nebbia – Gonggong 225088 (Waveform Alphabet)
7. Ivo Perelman’s Sao Paulo Creative 4 - Supernova (s/r)
8. Janel Leppin - To March is to Love (Cuneiform)
9. Jon Irabagon I Don't Hear Nothin' But the Blues - Vol.3, part 2: Exuberant Scars (Irrbagast)
10. Peter Evans - Extra (We Jazz, 2024)
    

Historic/Archive

• Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy - The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (Elemental Music)
• The Arthur Blythe Quartet - Live from Studio Rivbea (NoBusiness)
• Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co / David Borden - Make Way For Mother Mallard : 50 Years of Music (Cuneiform)
  
• Bob Dylan - The 1974 Live Recordings (Columbia)
  Does this belong here? Absolutely not, but this is my all-time favorite Dylan period, so I'm going for it. 

Sammy Stein

1. Ivo Perelman and Fay Victor - Messa Di Voce (Mahakala Music)
   I liked how both improvisers encouraged the other and pushed them into challenging areas.
   
   
2. Paula Rae Gibson- The Roles We Play to Disappear (33Xtreme)
   The emotional content is barely contained in this music but controlled enough to give the listener a sense of the artist's inner soul.
   
   
3. Olie Brice, Rachel Musson, Mark Sanders - Immense Blue (West Hill Records)
   Improvisers proving what different ideas can create
   
   
4. Satya - Songs of The Fathers: A Celebration of the Music of Abdullah Ibrahim (Resonant Artists)
   Creative and beautiful interpretations and superb musicianship combine to make this a worthy listen.
   
   
5. Montresor - Autopioesis (s/r, 2024)
   Many different facets are combined in a unique styling.
   
   
6. Maddelena Ghezzie and Ruth Goller - Dolomite (Deng Yue records)
   The listener is taken on a sonic journey with the musicians
   
   
7. Samo Salamon, Vasil Hadzimanov, and Ra Kalam, Bob Moses - Dances of Freedom (Samo)
   Different influences meld together seamlessly.
   
   
8. Jelle Roozenberg and Han Bennink - Live At Galloway Studio (Sound of Niche)
   Both musicians show on this recording why their reputations are what they are.
   
   
9. Lars Fiil - New Ground (self-release)
   Lars shows how he has developed and found new ways to travel on this stellar recording.
   
   
10. Giuseppe Doronzo, Andy Moor, Frank Rosaly - Futuro Ancestrale (Clean Feed)
    The wonderful landscape created continues the journey for this creative musician.

Sarah Grosser

Records that impacted me greatly in 2024, reviewed on Free Jazz Collective:

• Semeseder & Lillinger - Antumbra (Plaist)
• Etienne Nilessen - en (Sofa)
• Jordan Mila, Barry Guy - Live in Munich (ECM)
• Neon Dilemma - Neon Dilemma (Klang Records)
• Ches Smith - Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic)
• Mary Halvorson - Cloudward (Nonesuch Records)
• Weird of Mouth - self-titled (Otherly Love)
• Reza Askari’s ROAR feat. Christopher Dell - Zen World Cables (Boomslang Records)
• Steffi Narr, Oliver Steidle - Introduction (self released)
• Ingrid Schmoliner - I Am Animal (Idyllic Noise)

Stef Gjissels

• Kris Davis Trio – Run the Gauntlet (Pyroclastic Records)
• Angles + Elle-Kari – The Death Of Kalypso (Thanatosis Produktion)
• Gonçalo Almeida, Susana Santos Silva & Gustavo Costa - States of Restraint (Clean Feed)
• Christoph Erb, Magda Mayas & Gerry Hemingway - Hour Music (Veto)
• John Butcher + 13 - Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax)
• Lina Allemano's Ohrenschmaus & Andrea Parkins - Flip Side (Lumo Records)
• Hubbub - abb abb abb (Relative Pitch)
• David Maranha & Rodrigo Amado - Wrecks (Nariz Entupido)
• Desarbres Ensemble - Live at 6nd Spontaneous Music Festival, 2022 (Spontaneous Live Series) 
• Earth Tongues - Anemone (Neither Nor)

Historic/Archival 

• Gush - Afro Blue (Trost Records)

Stuart Broomer

• Sakina Abdou/ Marta Warelis/ Toma Gouband - Hammer, Roll and Leaf (Relative Pitch)
• أحمد [Ahmed] - Giant Beauty (Fönstret)
• Anthony Braxton - 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (Braxton House)
• John Butcher + 13 - Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax)
• Joëlle Léandre - Lifetime Achievement (Rogueart) [read here]
• Ute Kanngießer/ Eddie Prévost/ Seymour Wright - Splendid Nettle (Matchless Recordings) [read here]
• David Maranha/ Rodrigo Amado - Wrecks (Nariz Entupido)
• Onceim - Laminaire (Relative Pitch) [read here]
• Jason Stein, Marilyn Crispell, Damon Smith, Adam Shead - spi-raling horn (Balance Point Acoustics/ Irritable Music)
• Transatlantic Trance Map - Marconi’s Drift (False Walls)

Certain musicians, otherwise unnamed but essential to current improvised music, stand out here:

Pat Thomas appears on three of these recordings: [Ahmed], Butcher + 13, and Transatlantic Trance Map; Hannah Marshall appears with Butcher + 13 and Transatlantic Trance Map; Craig Taborn appears with Transatlantic Trance Map and Joëlle Léandre; Seymour Wright appears with [Ahmed] as well as on Splendid Nettle. Antonin Gerbal is a member of both [Ahmed] and Onceim.

Historic/Archival

• Charles Gayle/ Milford Graves/ William Parker - WEBO (Black Editions Archive)
• Andrew Hill - A Beautiful Day, Revisited (Palmetto)
• Mal Waldron/ Steve Lacy - The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (Elemental)

Taylor McDowell

• Oùat - Trial of Future Animals (Self-Released)
• Weird of Mouth - self-titled (Otherly Love)
• مد [Ahmed] - Wood Blues (Astral Spirits)
• Matt Mitchell - Illimitable (Obliquity Records)
• Satoko Fujii Quartet - Dog Days of Summer (Libra)
• Darius Jones - Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity)
• Fire! - Testament (Rune Grammofon)
• ØKSE - self-titled (Backwoodz Studioz)
• AALY Trio - Sustain (Silkheart)
• Laura Jurd & Paul Dunmall - Fanfares and Freedom (Discus) 

Historic/Archive

• Gush - Afro Blue (Trost Records) 

Troy Dostert

• Borderlands Trio - Rewilder (Intakt)
• Steve Coleman and Five Elements - PolyTropos (Pi Recordings) [read here]
• Isaiah Collier and the Chosen Few - The Almighty (Division 81 Records)
• Caleb Wheeler Curtis - The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Imani Records) [read here]
• Matt Mitchell - Zealous Angles (Pi Recordings)

William Rossi

1. ØKSE - self-titled (Backwoodz Studioz)
2. David Maranha / Rodrigo Amado - Wrecks (Nariz Entupido)
3. Angles + Elle-Kari - The Death of Kalypso (Thanatosis Produktion)
4. The Attic and Eve Risser - La Grande Crue (No Business)
5. Sinonó - La espalda y su punto radiante (Subtext / Multiverse LTD)
6. Fire! - Testament (Rune Grammofon)
7. Mary Halvorson - Cloudward (Nonesuch)
8. The Necks - Bleed (Northern Spy)
9. Makoto Kawashima - Zoe (Black Editions)
10. Weird of Mouth - self-titled (Otherly Love)

Historic/Archive

11. Charles Gayle / Milford Graves / William Parker - WEBO (Black Editions Archive)

Read More

Borderlands Trio - Rewilder (Intakt Records, 2024)

By Troy Dostert

Calling the Borderlands Trio a “piano trio” doesn’t quite do justice to the marvels that are found on the group’s scintillating recordings. Pianist Kris Davis, bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Eric McPherson are masters of their respective instruments, and they gel with the kind of cohesion one expects from longstanding acquaintanceship, but their music is also completely improvised—and therein lies the particular magic of Rewilder. Like the trio’s preceding releases, Asteroidea (Intakt, 2017) and Wandersphere (Intakt, 2021), this one revels in the process of spontaneous creation. And just as those previous efforts were not only adventurously unpredictable but also both accessible and inviting, Rewilder is one of the most engaging albums of free improvisation one is likely to encounter.

In case one has any doubts about the music being completely unpremeditated (and after listening to the album, they are likely), Crump explains in the liner notes that the trio convened for the one-day recording session, “played for an hour or two, then had lunch, and then came back. We played for exactly how long the record is.” Now such a description could probably apply to lots of freely improvised recordings; but what separates this one from run-of-the-mill free encounters is just how well-organized it is. There is a structure to these pieces, even if that structure is arrived at collectively and extemporaneously. Surely the players’ long-standing familiarity plays a role here, as do their superb listening instincts. But no matter the secret formula, one cannot deny the remarkable alchemy that takes place on these eight capacious tracks.

Crump and McPherson provide the pivotal axis on which the trio turns, given that so much of the group’s modus operandi involves finding catchy grooves to explore. After the opening moments of “Cyclops Mountain,” where all three musicians are pursuing their individual muses, McPherson and Crump gradually coalesce to form a tentative pulse, with Davis joining them as a nascent foundation is put in place. Davis’s initial meanderings become increasingly focused and expansive, while McPherson and Crump cement the music’s identity with a rhythm that is identifiable, yet just slightly off-center. Other tracks build from Crump ostinatos or arco passages, McPherson’s intuitions allowing him to stay in close rapport while Davis expertly finds moments for her own interjections.

One of the reasons the Borderlands Trio doesn’t fit the “piano trio” caricature is because there really is no lead instrument here; Davis allows her partners to make their contributions on equal terms, and as a result each track develops its own unique momentum, with McPherson or Crump as free to take the lead as Davis. So while the pianist finds the repeated phrase that serves as the melodic thread to the gently bouncing “Axolotyl,” on “Monotreme” Crump and McPherson establish a sinuous groove that Davis then navigates, finding her own pathways as the bassist and drummer deftly alter both tempo and rhythm throughout the track’s eighteen-plus minutes. And while most of the music on Rewilder stays within an understated, gentle temperament, Davis’s animated flights on “Monotreme” are invigorating, fueled by the energy created by her colleagues. Then we have her skilled use of prepared piano on “Tree Shrimp,” where she sounds as though two separate pianists are improvising over McPherson’s reggae-inspired rhythm. Davis’s creativity and virtuosity are as evident here as always, yet without a trace of ostentatiousness.

It's a lot of music to take in, to be sure—over 100 minutes, all told—yet there is an immersive quality to the trio’s explorations. On the back half of the album, Davis’s fondness for minimalist gestures adds to the trancelike aspect of the 23-minute “Lost Species,” once again featuring her prepared piano surging over the tenacious rhythms of Crump and McPherson, while “Echidna” offers a riveting study in texture, Crump’s darting arco sparring with Davis before moving into a walking bass line that somehow ushers the track into a gentle swinging section, only to conclude with Davis at her most extroverted, with tempestuous flurries and shards of notes riding over Crump’s dense arco and McPherson’s subdued support. “Commerce Sunrise” closes the album with the trio at its most accessible, finding a comfortable groove (or two) to sustain Davis’s lambent lyricism. It’s more than enough to satisfy us until the next superlative outing from this formidable group of improvisers.

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Jazzdor 16, June 4-7, 2024

 

By Paul Acquaro

Tucked into Berlin's Kulturebrauerei, a former brewery turned cultural center with a museum, a university outpost, performance spaces and restaurants, the German branch of the Jazzdor festival displaced the Kesselhaus events space's more typical programming of 90s dance parties and tribute bands with four evenings of contemporary music.

It was the festival's 16th edition in Berlin, which itself is an offshoot from the main festival activities in Strasbourg, France that have been going on since 1986. The festival, under the long-term leadership of Phillipe Ochem, also has a presence in Dresden at the underground Jazzclub Tonne runing concurrently with the Berlin festival and featuring a selection of the groups (see also my 2023 review).

Jazzdor brings together musicians from France, Germany and the US presents music that is just as diverse, with rich improvisation and compositions straddling classical, modern, and even a bit of free jazz. Regardless of the genre or where the needle points on the experimental spectrum, the results are nevertheless ear opening, both introducing heretofore unknown projects and musicians to new audiences as well as supporting already known collaborations. This year, for example, the Steve Lacy / Ornette Coleman inspired Prospectus quartet from France made their German debut; the long-standing collaboration Axiom brought back together top notch musicians from Germany, France, Switzerland and the USA; and the colossal French big band, "Orchestre National De Jazz," presented their ambitious work with American saxophonist Steve Lehman, realizing a critical update to the jazz big band operating system.

Tuesday:

Tuba Trio. Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder

The festival began with the somewhat unusual pairing of piano, drums and tuba with French tubist Michel Godard's Tuba Trio. Somewhat unusual because one could imagine the tuba as an ersatz bass, which would make this a rather usual trio, but Godard's tuba playing does not replace a bass, rather he brings a whole rich tapestry of sound and motion to the configuration. 

As the set began, pianist Florian Weber hit a sharp chord, abrupt, clean, precise, another soon followed. Godard responded in kind and soon enough the two, along with the drumming of Anna Paceo, began ramping up the intensity. From Weber, there was an increasingly complex interplay of rhythms that gave the tuba great spaces to fill. From classical inspired passage to evolving melodies to loping grooves, the harmony and melody segued fluently between Godard and Weber. On some tunes, like the one dedicated to the late fluegel hornist Herbert Joos, Godard switched to the Serpent, a mystical looking ancestor to the tuba, whose sound seems to melt between the stark proclamation of a trumpet and the warm blast of a trombone. It was a mournful tune, gently expressive and appropriately hopeful at times. In other places, Paceo's drumming was given more prominence, while other tunes were more playful and rhythmic.

 Sophie Bernado 4tet. Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder

The second set of the night was by bassoonist and world music enthusiast Sophie Bernado and her 4tet. The set's start was beset with a technical problem of some sort, where the buzzing, electronically effected blast of her bassoon was not right. After a few attempts to rectify, the third being the charm, the corrected atonal, electric and buzzing introduction led to an atmospheric, acoustic-electric, trance-like swirl of sound. Underscored by vibraphonist Taiko Saito's ringing figures and drummer Franceso Pastacaldi's steady pulse, the music was flowing. The group's approach generally was to layer long tones and shifting chords, and from these gentle grooves, the musicians took solo turns. Joachim Florent's first bass solo kept close to the band's heartbeat, until it didn't anymore and escaped daringly. Saito's punchy jazz-oriented soloing captured the spotlight at times as did Bernardo's own playing. There were some pop-rocky moments as well, when Bernardo sung lyrics with simple, catchy melodies. After the last tune ended with a prog-rock flourish, a humming of the last melody was audible in the audience.

As it turns out, an original member, Marie-Pascale Dube, a vocalist with a specialization in Inuit throat singing was replaced last minute by drummer Francesco Pastacaldi. The group's sound, however, was quite cohesive, and it is tricky to imagine the musical directions the music could have taken.

Wednesday

Prospectus. Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder

The evening began with Prospectus, a quartet out of France that was formed around the work of Ornette Coleman and Steve Lacy. In fact, they took their group name from Lacy's 1983 album Prospectus. It is actually quite possible to form an impression of the group's music just from this fun fact, but it would be unfair to stop there. The group also lists Eric Dolphy, Steve Coleman, Rob Brown and Rob Mazurek as influences, and the music they played on the Jazzdor stage on Wednesday night was an infectious blend of a classic free jazz and refined musicianship. Playing songs from their debut 2020 recording Prospectus I and II, as well as this years METEORIE, the winners of the French 'Jazz Migration' prize (which supports younger musicians), wore all of these influences on their sleeves as they proceeded to make the music their own. 

The first tune started with a jaunty rhythm with a in-tandem melodic blast from Lea Ciechelski's sax and Henri Peyrous' bass clarinet, this led to some delicate harmonization between the horns while bassist Julien Ducoin and drummer Florentin Hay kept the atmosphere swirling. Ciechelski's first neat disassembled solo was a true breath of fresh air, and Peyrous' brought out the aromatic bouquet of tones that inhabit the bass clarinet, invoking the gentle ghost of Dolphy in the process. The next tune saw Ciechelski on flute and Ducoin on soprano sax spinning a melody around the firmly planted bass figure. The tune introduced some middle eastern scales and other subtle flavors and it is fair to say that switching up the wind instruments, as well as the musical ideas, kept things moving engagingly. The band is cohesive, and despite its leaderless quality, it surly seem to know where it is going. 

Orchestre National De Jazz. Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder 

After a generous break in which the myriad equipment of the Orchestre National De Jazz (ONJ) was set up, the 18-piece strong big band revealed the sound of our current future. My colleague Troy Dostert reviewed the album Ex Machina when it was released last fall and captures the details especially well but for just a quick backstory, celebrated saxophonist Steve Lehman and ONJ director Frederic Maurin composed the music heard on Ex Machina specifically to use the now popular concept of generative AI to be an integral component of the music. 

On the stage live, from the opening moments, one could feel the power of the group and peering over the band, back in the corner where one may expect to see say Timpani drums or such, were two laptops with Dionysios Papanikolaou at their helm. Listening to the music, however, one was not overwhelmed by electronics. The initially slow moving grooves created a level of tension in the space as the array of acoustic instruments added tones and textures, while fraught solos from Lehman led the music to thrilling peaks. The inclusion of two vibraphonists also had a rather profound impact on the sound - Stephan Caracci and Chris Dingman's percussive and melodic playing, sometimes delivered together, added a certain and urgent sheen. 

The first noticeable interaction with the AI seemed to be with a solo from Lehman, whose circular phrasings and atonal lines were picked up and reimagined (is it right to say that about a computer program?) by the electronics. The sounds were sometimes disarming, with a certain ill-boding imbued in the AI reactions, but nevertheless provided a fascinating glimpse into creative human/computer collaboration. Other solos followed, like trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson's multiple attention grabbing spots or flutist Fanny Menegoz's stint in the latter part of the program.

The penultimate tune was interesting as it left the accessible rhythms behind and opted more for exploration of tones - for a bit, as it ended in a rather strident groove. I would have been happy with that neatly ending the night, but a final piece that dug even deeper into the tonal possibilities followed. Obviously, much had gone into the construction of the music, the seamlessness of the sounds, and the mix of accessibility and challenge felt nothing short of a paradigm shift.

Thursday

As Thursday evening rolled around, I was a bit concerned. The first two nights featured two groups per night and by the end of each, I had felt musically saturated. Now that we were approaching the weekend, there were to be three per night. Would I make it?

Marie Krüttli Trio. Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder

Sure I did. And it was excellent. The night began slowly, with the very ECM-spirited Marie Krüttli Trio. The piano, bass, drum trio started out on an austere note with Krüttli introducing some simple, sustained chords. Gautier Garrigue's drums were spacious and patient, and along with bassist Lukas Traxel, the three generated a gentle, suspended atmosphere. Dreamy excursions on the piano had a distinct tinge of classical music interspersed with jazz-like voicings and flair. Perhaps it stayed a little too long in the dream-state, but when it finally woke up, it did so vigorously, the gentle flow becoming an intense groove of repetitious rhythmic figures. The set-long piece ended satisfyingly with a series of ever greater climatic moments.

Axiom. Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder

The next group, drummer Dejan Terzic's Axiom started out nimble and pointedly. Saxophonist Chris Speed exuded gentle but complex ampersand-like phrases, as bassist Bänz Oester and Terzic engaged in akimbo accompaniment that fit together like lethally sharpened jigsaw puzzle pieces. As the music continued, the pieces began lock together ever more tightly. Adding to the momentum and growing musical tension were tonal colors that keyboardist Bojan Zulfikarpašić brought in through the use of the Fender Rhodes in addition to his expressive piano playing. However, one could also sense that they were still holding back a bit. As they got into their second piece, Speed's lithe melodies hardened, and with the group's dense thicket of sound, they began approaching goosebump-raising territory. For a moment, Speed stepped into the backstage darkness which highlighted the high-speed and fiery interaction between Oester and Zulfikarpašić. During a following ballad, which found Terzic introducing intriguing polyrhythmic shifts, two chat prone people behind me decided at the quietest moment to clink glasses to celebrate just how sophisticated they were. Hmm. I would have supported saying "Prost!" to the quartet on stage for their infectious and tireless energy. 

Bonbon Flamme.  Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder

The final act of the evening was the highly anticipated - at least by me - French, Portuguese and Dutch collaboration of Bonbon Flamme. Guitarist Luis Lopes had told me earlier that they would be playing all new music this time. He was referring to the Bonbon Flamme album released last year under cellist Valentin Ceccaldi's name on Clean Feed records. The group had composed pieces separately over the past year and then spent a few days together somewhere in France to rehearse, and tonight was their first public performance of the repertoire called Calavaras Y Boom Boom Chupitos (which seemed to cause a ripple of giggling each time it was announced from stage). I had caught a wiff of the group at the Quasimodo club during Jazzfest Berlin. It was a wild event, with chanson and noise rock mixing liberally. This new repertoire seemed to build on the last, but perhaps going deeper into song craft. 

The set began with light harmonic overtones from Ceccaldi, which seemed to get amplified by keyboardist Fulco Ottervanger before slowly coming to life. The beginning however was just to build the atmosphere and the slow start did indeed grow brash and exuberant. Just as unexpectedly, the music took on a Rain Dogs-era Tom Waits vibe with guitarist Luis Lopes channeling Marc Ribot's iconic "Jockey Full of Bourbon" riffs. From beautiful skronk to Mexican dance to prog-metal, there was no end to versatility of the musical pastiche, as well as no lack of absurdist humor. For example, Ottervanger's old-time jazz tune that he started with an accordion-like sound slowly transformed into lurching rock with an early 90s downtown NYC scene vibe. The eclectic set however ended with a somewhat serious emotive and atmospheric coda.

Friday

The final day of the festival ended with three quite different groups, the affecting Lotus Flower Trio, La Main's angular post-rock jazz of, and the Emile Parisien 4tet's energetic modern jazz

Lotus Flower Trio. Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder

Of the three, the Lotus Flower Trio was the most unexpected. The trio, comprised of pianist Bruno Angelini and saxophonists Sakina Abdou and Angelika Niescier, were making their German premiere. The group's name draws on an idea (and a song) from the composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter who embraced the the lotus flower on his album Emanon, which he explained as "the lotus exists only in the swamp, in our world of turmoil, and the blooming flower purifies the water around it." Indeed, Angelini's compositions for the group effectively connected sounds to the impressions of people who have shone a light of resistance through darkness, embracing figures such as civil rights activist Rosa Parks, environmentalist Berta Cacérès, and anti-apartheid activist and politician Nelson Mandela. 

 

The opening song, apparently a Wayne Shorter piece, featured flowing piano with a gentle, pendulous lilt. Then the saxophonists came in with a melody that rode the expressive melodic contours. The next song, started by Niescier, was a more energetic piece full of short, explosive phrases. The two woodwinds provided a wonderful contrast, as Abdou's tenor provided a subtler solo to Niescier's edgier approach. Later in the program, Abdou's exuberant solo and near vocalizations were captivating, as was Angelini's own solo spot, which veered into a classical styles while still making reference to jazz. The final piece was the most arresting, starting with an intense furnace-blast of free playing that resolved into a gentle, nurturing melody. The overall impression, aside of course from the impressive musicianship, was the emotional level that the group reached repeatedly through the set.

La Main. Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder

Following the trio was the quintet of La Main, also making their first German appearance. The group, led by guitarist Gilles Coronado, is apparently typically a trio with trumpeter Olivier Laisney and drummer Christophe Lavergne, however this evening they were joined by clarinetist Catherine Delaunay and the synthesizer work of Sarah Murcia, both members of the Orchestre National De Jazz. The music was varied, from tight rhythmic passages that emphasized a single note and built tension through repetition to long musically economic pieces that referenced the sonic landscapes of post-rock. The individual playing was quite good - Lavergne was delightfully wild at times, and Laisney's tone was sharp and incisive. The inclusion of Murcia's synthesizer added a welcome bass element and Delauney's playing provided a strong jazz flavor. Coronado's compositions felt somewhat brittle and uneven, delicately hanging in a balance between motion and disintegration. For example, one composition was rather static and did not seem to really go anywhere at all, while its follow up began with a gripping intensity between the guitarist and the drummer.

Emile Parisien 4ET. Photo (c) Ulla C. Binder

The final act of the festival was the now 20-year running Emile Parisien 4ET, who focused on their latest recording for the ACT Label, Let Them Cook. And, much like the title suggests, they did. This final set was a pleasant surprise. I had thought the album was fine but had not really engaged me, however, the concert was completely the opposite. In fact, it has me going back to reassess my original impression. 

The group began with a droning backdrop while Parisien introduced a smokey melody. A splash of percussion from Julien Loutelier and dabs of melody from pianist Julien Touery followed, each adding extra flavor. With the help of bassist Ivan Gelugne, the group began crafting an intensity, slowly drawing in the audience. Parisien often turned to a table of electronics set up to his side to layer effects on to his soprano's lachrymose tone. 

The result of the group's potent and seamless interplay was effective, and the feature spots for the  musicians were engaging in their own right. At one point, a fervid solo melody from Tourey raised the energy level on stage to a point at which Parisien seemingly could not resist moving to. The melodic maelstrom intensified on the next tune that saw the saxophonist playing to the edge of self-control. With the additional assortment of tools like prepared piano as well as electronic accents from Loutelier, the music never settled into formula or routine and the final moments reached nearly ecstatic peaks. Not a bad way to wrap it up at all.

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Moor Mother – The Great Bailout (Anti-, 2024)

By Troy Dostert

Although Moor Mother (Camae Ayewa) has received justified acclaim for her vocal work with Irreversible Entanglements, that praise has to some extent overshadowed the attention given to the substantial series of solo albums and other collaborative projects she has pursued since the 2010s. Perhaps that will change with The Great Bailout. With a harrowing and relentless interrogation of Great Britain’s legacy of slavery and colonialism, this uncompromising artist sketches a world in sound that demands to be heard. It is a listening experience both challenging and immensely rewarding.

This is Moor Mother’s ninth studio album under her own name, and her third with the Anti- label. Her previous Anti- release, 2022’s Jazz Codes, was a kaleidoscopic engagement with the jazz tradition itself, drawing from a pan-idiomatic template in celebrating and scrutinizing the work of artists from Woody Shaw to Joe McPhee to Mary Lou Williams. The sound collages on The Great Bailout continue to mine the resources of jazz, but they appear as fugitive traces rather than sustained explorations. But they are no less powerful for that, to be sure.

The opening strains of “Guilty” establish the trajectory of the album, with a disarmingly lilting soundscape undergirded by harpist Mary Lattimore and vocalists Lonnie Holley and Raia Was, before Moor Mother’s emphatic entrance in which she questions and confronts the historical weight of oppression through half-whispered, half-shouted entreaties. It is a dichotomous effect that recurs throughout the record: the music, which is sometimes quite beautiful, is continuously disrupted and threatened by the horrific subject matter.

Each track is tightly constructed, without an emphasis on spontaneous improvisation. The voices from the jazz world are instead woven deftly into the fabric of each track: “Liverpool Wins” contains haunting echoes from Sarah Vaughan, while Lester Bowie’s trumpet winds its way through “God Save the Queen,” and Angel Bat Dawid’s inimitable clarinet moans like a wraith through the brutally grim “South Sea.” But as with Jazz Codes, these elements are filtered through Moor Mother’s broad stylistic prism, one that seeks to move beyond musical category altogether, into a much more amorphous realm.

The album’s title is a reference to England’s Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which resulted in a massive taxpayer-funded effort to compensate British slaveholders when slavery was finally abolished in the empire. The fortunes of thousands, including the ancestors of Prime Ministers William Gladstone and David Cameron, were enlarged through this unprecedented act of government largesse (or theft, more accurately). While the attempt to obtain justice for the long legacy of slavery both in Britain and elsewhere will undoubtedly remain pressing for generations to come, recordings like The Great Bailout will continue their vital work of disturbing, troubling, and probing the consciences of those who will have to heed this call.

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Free Jazz Blog's 2023 Top 10 Lists

So, here we are, standing on the precipice of a new year looking back at the current one -- who would have thought that would see the future catching up with the present so fast, especially with AI that can take artfully crafted prompts like "Santa delivering records for Christmas, excitement, painting style" and create stunning visualizations like the one above, in addition to generating an endless supply of confusing student essays. Fortunately, we haven't outsourced all our creativity to the machines yet. For example, the past year was a banner one for experimental and improvised music. Here is some anecdotal evidence: over the past 12 months, the Free Jazz Blog received at least two thousand requests for reviews and welcomed over 1.71 million visitors -- a testament to both the spirit and creativity of musicians around the world and a nod to the tireless effort that the collective's volunteer writers put into keeping the website humming.

Now, without further ado, we present the top 10 albums of the year from the Free Jazz Collective:

The Free Jazz Collective's Top 10 of 2023 (A - Z):

• Akira Sakata & Entasis - Live in Europe 2022 (Trost)
• Anna Webber - Shimmer Wince (Intakt)
• Fire Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
• Irreversible Entanglements - Protect your Light (Impulse)
• King Übü Örchestrü – Roi (FMR, 2023)
• Lina Allemano - Canons (Lumo Records, 2023)
• Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation, 2023)
• Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala, 2023)
• Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost, 2023)

From each list, the most listed recordings were culled to produce the above list of top 10 recordings of the year. Our rules are simply, anything that appears on a list must have been reviewed on the site (or by the reviewer personally, somewhere). You can search for any of the recordings listed to read a review of the recording. As you check out the lists the collective will be busy voting on the top album from the list below to come up with our top album of the year, which we will present on January 1st.

And please, share your thoughts on 2023's rich offerings in the comments!

 

- Paul Acquaro 

 

Alphabetically by first name, the top 10's from the collective:

 

Eyal Hareuveni

• Fred Frith & Susana Silva Santos - Laying Demons to Rest (RogueArt)
• Peter Bruun, Søren Kjærgaard & Jonas Westergaard - Thēsaurós (Ilk Music)
• Satoko Fujii & Otomo Yoshihide - Perpetual Motion (Ayler)
• Glass Triangle - Blue and Sun-lights (Relative Pitch)
• Illegal Crowns - Unclosing (Out Of Your Head)
• Vasco Trilla - A Constellation Of Anomaly (Thanatosis Produktion)
• Jürg Frey (Quatuor Bozzini / Konus Quartett) - Continuité, fragilité, résonance (elsewhere)
  
• Marcelo dos Reis & Luís Vicente - (Un)Prepared Pieces for Guitar and Trumpet (Cipsela)
• John Butcher - The Very Fabric (Hittori)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond The Margins (Trost)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Dror Feiler - Maavak (Music & Noise 1980-2023, Volume 1 & 2) (iDEAL Recordings)

 

Ferruccio Martinotti

• Akira Sakata & Entasis - Live in Europe 2022 (Trost)
• Ceramic dog - Connection (Knockwurst)
• Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
• Irreversible Entanglements - Protect your Light (Impulse) 
• jamie branch - Fly or die fly or die fly or die (World War) (International anthem)
• Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation) 
• Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity) 
• Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra - Lightning Dreamers (International anthem) 
• The End - Why do you Mourn (Trost) 
• The Necks - Travel (Northern Spy) 

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Sam Rivers - Archive series (NoBusiness) 

Fotis Nikolakopoulos

1. Silke Eberhard &  Céline Voccia - Wild Knots (Relative Pitch)
2. Alabaster DePlume - Come With Fierce Grace (International Anthem)
3. Gerrit Hatcher - Solo Five (Kettle Hole Records)
4. Julius Amber – Close Up (Veto Records)
5. Jack Wright, Ben Bennett - Augur (Palliative Records)
6. Darius Jones - fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s suite but sacred) (Northern Spy, We Jazz)
7. Rudolph & Sorey -Archaisms (defkaz)
8. Sam Weinberg Trio w/ Chris Lightcap & Tom Rainey (Astral Spirits)
9. Anne Gillis + XT - Our(s) Bouture(s) (Art Into Life)
10. Rupp/Kneer/Fischerlehner - Puna (Klanggalerie)   

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

A few comments on the archival recordings: 2023 was M. Graves' year. Babi, the most important recording for  post-Ayler free jazz, was reissued for the first time on vinyl, plus Children of The Forest is a musical statement beyond explanations. 

I strongly believe that the NYC recording of Evan Parker solo did  not get the praise it deserves. Last but not least, the french  avant/free jazz/experimental trio of Axolotl from 1981 gets, finally, a  first ever reissue in any format. 

1. Milford Graves With Arthur Doyle & Hugh Glover – Children Of The Forest (Black Editions Archives)
2. Evan Parker – NYC 1978 (Relative Pitch)
3. Axolotl - Abrasive (SouffleContinu Records)
   
   

Gary Chapin

1. Tim Berne/Hank Roberts/Aurora Nealand - Oceans And (Intakt)
2. Art Ensemble of Chicago - The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris (Live at Sons d’Hiver) (Rogue Art)
3. Anna Webber - Shimmer Wince (Intakt)
4. Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation)
5. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse)
6. Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala)
7. Ceramic Dog - Connection (Knockwurst Records)
8. Katherine Kyu Hyeon Lim - Starling (self-release)
9. Fire Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
10. Marc Ducret - Palm Sweat: Marc Ducret Plays the Music of Tim Berne (Out of Your Head)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Matthew Shipp Trio - Circular Temple (ESP-DSK)
• Sam River Archive Series (NoBusiness)

Guido Montegrandi

• Natural Information Society - Since Time is Gravity (Eremite, 2023)
• Bill Orcutt - Jump on It (Palilalia, 2023)
• The Pitch & Julia Reidy – Neutral Star (Miasmah, 2023)
• Wadada Leo Smith – Fire Illuminations (Kabell Records, 2023)
• Ove Volquartz, Gianni Mimmo, Peer Schlechta, John Hughes – Cadenza del Crepuscolo (Amirani, 2023)
• Fire! Orchestra – Echoes (Rune Grammofon, 2023)
• The Necks – Travel (Northern Spy 2023)
• Dave Sewelson, William Parker, Steve Hirsh – The Gate (Mahakala, 2023)
• Fred Frith & Susana Silva Santos – Layin Demons to Rest (RogueArt, 2023)
• Zoh Amba, Chris Corsano, Bill Orcutt – The Flower School (Palilalia, 2023)

Gregg Miller

• Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala, 2023)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost, 2023)
• Greg Davis & E. Jason Gibb - Steam Fence (Superpang, 2023)
• Rob Brown - Oceanic (Rogueart, 2023)
• Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation, 2023)
• Jaap Blonk / Damon Smith / Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Rune Kitchen (Balance Point Acoustics, 2023)
• Mat Maneri Quartet - Ash (Sunnyside Records, 2023)
• Peter Brötzmann, Majid Bekkas, Hamid Drake - Catching Ghosts (ACT, 2023)
• Rempis Percussion Quartet - Harvesters (Aerophonic Records, 2023)
• The Coal - Recorded Remembered (Shhpuma, 2023)

Irena Stevanovska

1. The Necks - Travel (Northern Spy, 2023)
2. Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon, 2023)
3. Village of the Sun - First Light (Gearbox, 2023)
4. Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra - Family (We Jazz, 2023)
5. Ambrose Akinmusire - Beauty Is Enough (Origami Harvest, 2023)
6. The End - Why Do You Mourn (Trost Records, 2023)
7. Peter Brötzmann / Majid Bekkas / Hamid Drake - Catching Ghosts (ACT, 2023)
8. KVL - Vol 2 (Astral Spirits, 2023)
9. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse, 2023)
10. The Green Mean Machine - The Engine (Independent, 2023)

Jury Kobayashi

1. Joe Morris, Jeb Bishop, Nathan McBride: Tells or Terrier - (Not Two Records)
2. Maria Valencia: Compendio de Alfonías Abisales - (Relative Pitch)
3. gabby fluke-mogul, Nava Dunkelman - Likht (Relative Pitch)
4. Jaap Blonk, Damon Smith, Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Rune Kitchen (bpa)
5. Kris Tiner, Tatsuya Nakatani - The Magic Room (Epigraph Records)
6. Camila Nebbia - una ofrenda a la ausencia (Relative Pitch Records)
7. Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation)
8. jaimie branch - Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die (Word War) (International Anthem)
9. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse)
10. Tomas Fujiwara - Pith (Out of Your Head)

Lee Rice Epstein

1. Darius Jones - fLuXkit Vancouver (its suite but sacred) (Northern Spy & We Jazz)
2. Anne Gillis + XT - Our/s Bouture(s) (Art Into Life)
3. Kate Gentile - Find Letter X (Pi Recordings)
4. GEORGE - Letters To George (Out of Your Head)
5. Lina Allemano - Canons (Lumo Records)
6. John Zorn - Bagatelles, Vol. 13 - 16 (Tzadik  Records)
7. Ivo Perelman and Nate Wooley - Polarity 2 (Burning Ambulance)
8. Eddie Prévost/ N.O. Moore/ James O’Sullivan/ Ross Lambert- CHORD (Shrike Records)
9. João Almeida, Rodrigo Pinheiro & Vasco Furtado - Linae (Phonogram Unit)
10. Charlotte Keeffe's Right Here, Right Now Quartet - Alive! In The Studio (Discus Music) 

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Masada - 30th Anniversary Edition: The Complete Studio Master Takes (Tzadik)
• Milford Graves, Arthur Doyle, Hugh Glover - Children of the Forest (Black Editions Archive)
• Steve Swell’s Fire Into Music - For Jemeel - Fire From the Road (2004–2005) (RogueArt)

Martin Schray

1. Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
2. Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Schemen (Karl Records)
3. The End - Why Do You Mourn (Trost Records)
4. Xenofox - The Garden Was Empty (audiosemantics)
5. Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity)
6. King Übü Örchestrü 2021 – Roi (FMR)
7. Zoh Amba, Chris Corsano, Bill Orcutt – The Flower School (Palilalia Records)
8. jaimie branch - Fly Or Die Fly or Die Fly Or Die (World War) (International Anthem)
9. Rupp/Kneer/Fischerlehner - Puna (audiosemantics)
10. Louis Laurain - Le Bargy (three:four records)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy - Evenings at the Village Gate (Impulse!)
• Sam Rivers Archive Series (NoBusiness)
• Peter Brötzman / Sabu Toyozumi - Triangle - Live at OHM 1987 (NoBusiness)

Matty Bannond

1. Anna Webber – Shimmer Wince (Intakt Records).
   
2. Ingrid Laubrock – The Last Quiet Place (Pyroclastic)
   
3. Ellen Arkbro and Johan Graden – I get along without you very well (Thrill Jockey, 2022)
4. Florian Arbenz – Conversation #8 Ablaze (Hammer)
5. Jessica Pavone – Spam Likely (577 Records)
6. The Green Mean Machine – The Engine (Independent)
   
7. Galumphing Duo – Contrast of Opposites (AMP Records)
8. Leo Genovese, Demian Cabaud and Marcos Cavaleiro – Estrellero (Sunnyside, 2023)
9. Arina Fujiwara – Neon (Independent, 2023)
10. fractus – fractus (Independent, 2023)
     

Nick Metzger

• Sven-Ake Johansson - Stumps (Ni-Vu-Ni-Connu)
• James Brandon Lewis - Eye of I (Anti)
• Luís Vicente 4tet - House in the Valley (Clean Feed)
• Nava Dunkelman & gabby fluke-mogul - Likht (Relative Pitch)
• Jaap Blonk / Damon Smith / Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Rune Kitchen (Balance Point Acoustics)
• King Übü Örchestrü 2021 - Roi (FMR)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost)
• Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse)
• Sei Miguel - The Original Drum (Clean Feed)
• Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Graves/Doyle/Glover - Children of the Forest (Black Editions Archive)
• Marion Brown Quartet - Mary Ann, Live In Bremen 1969 (Moosicus)
• John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy - Evenings at the Village Gate (Impulse)

Nick Ostrum

• Satoko Fujii and Otomo Yoshihide – Perpetual Motion (Ayler)
• King Übü Örchestrü – Roi (FMR)
• Joëlle Léandre - Zurich Concert (Intakt, 2023)
  
• Marc Ducret - Palm Sweat: Marc Ducret Plays the Music of Tim Berne (Out of Your Head Records)
• Eve Egoyan and Mauricio Pauly – Hopeful Monster (No Hay Discos)
• James Brandon Lewis Red Lilly Quartet – For Mahalia, With Love/These Are Soulful Days (Tao-Forms)
• Nava Dunkelman and gabby fluke-mogul – Likht (Relative Pitch)
• Tomas Fujiwara – Pith (Out of Your Head Records)
• Vasco Trilla & Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Singing Icons (Astral Spirits)
• Pascal Niggenkemper - Blòc (Subran Musiques Aventureuses)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Okay Temiz’s Oriental Wind – Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1982 (CazPlak)
• Milford Graves, Arthur Doyle, Hugh Glover – Children of the Forest (Black Editions Archive)
• Dror Feiler – Maavak: Music and Noise, 1980-2023 (Ideal Recordings)
  
  

Paul Acquaro
Akiri Sakata Entasis's set at Jazzwerstatt Peitz this fall acutally brought me to tears. The intensity that the quartet reached as Sakata summoned the demons with his furious spoken/shouted vocals was simply face melting. A friend in the audience said to me after, "I know a bit of Japanese, he was reciting his grocery list." Ok whatever, I'll have what he's cooking.

• Akiri Sakata Entasis - Live in Europe 2022 (Trost, 2023)
• Angelika Niescier / Tomeka Reid / Savannah Harris - Beyond Dragons (Intakt, 2023)
• Bushman’s Revenge - All the Better For Seeing You (Is It Jazz?, 2023)
• Daunik Lazro, Benjamin Duboc, Mathieu Bec - Standards Combustion (Dark Tree, 2023)
• Lina Allemano - Canons (Lumo Records, 2023)
• Marcelo dos Reis - Flora (JACC, 2023) - write
• Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost, 2023)
• Silke Eberhard & Céline Voccia - Wild Knots (Relative Pitch)
• The Selva - Camarão-Girafa (Clean Feed, 2023)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Various Artists - Jazz in der DDR (Jazzwerstatt, 2023)
• Sam Rivers Archive Series (NoBusiness, 2023)
• Brötzmann / Van Hove / Bennink & Albert Mangelsdorff – Outspan No.1 / 2 (CienFuegos, 2023)
• Matthew Shipp - Circular Temple (ESP, 2023)
  
  

Troy Dostert

Titles that haven’t been reviewed at FJC were covered over at All About Jazz.

1. Sylvie Courvoisier - Chimaera (Intakt)
2. James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet - For Mahalia, With Love (Tao Forms)
3. Steve Lehman & Orchestre National de Jazz - Ex Machina (Pi)
4. Jo Lawry - Acrobats (Whirlwind)
5. Rodrigo Amado & the Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost)
6. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse!)
7. Henry Threadgill Ensemble - The Other One (Pi)
8. Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity)
9. Trickster - Live in Brooklyn (Cygnus)
10. Ingrid Laubrock - The Last Quiet Place (Pyroclastic)

Stuart Broomer

• Susan Alcorn/José Lencastre/Hernâni Faustino - Manifesto (Clean Feed)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost)
• John Butcher - The Very Fabric (Hitorri)
• Daunik Lazro/Benjamin Duboc/Mathieu Bec - Standards Combustion (Dark Tree)
• Luís Lopes - Lisbon Paris: Stereo Noise Solo (Shhpuma)
• Pascal Niggenkemper - Blòc (Subran Musiques Aventureuses)
• Eddie Prévost/ N.O. Moore/ James O’Sullivan/ Ross Lambert- CHORD (Shriker Records)
• Eddie Prévost, et al. -  A Bright Nowhere: Complete Series (Matchless)
• Corey Smythe - Smoke Gets in your Eyes (Pyroclastic)
• Anna Webber - Shimmer Wince (Intakt)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Sophie Agnel / Olivier Benoit / Daunik Lazro - Gargorium (2008-2009) (Fou Records) 
• Marteau Rouge (Foussat/Pauvros/Sato) & Evan Parker (2009) - Gift (Fou Records) 
• Bengt “Frippe” Nordström - Vinyl Box (Ni Vu Ni Connu)

Stef Gijssels

1. Ambrose Akinmusire - Beauty is Enough (Origami Harvest)
   
2. João Almeida, Rodrigo Pinheiro & Vasco Furtado - Linae (Phonogram Unit)
3. Kris Tiner & Tatsuya Nakatani - The Magic Room (Epigraph Records)
4. Marcelo dos Reis & Luís Vicente - (Un)Prepared Pieces for Guitar and Trumpet (Cipsela)
5. Ove Volquartz, Gianni Mimmo, Peer Schlechta & John Hughes - Cadenza Del Crepuscolo (Amirani)
6. Lina Allemano - Canons (Lumo Records)
7. Joëlle Léandre, Craig Taborn & Mat Maneri - hEARoes (RogueArt)
8. g a b b r o - The Moon Appears When The Water Is Still (Gabbro)
9. Ken Vandermark and Paul Lytton - Distant Cousins (Audiographic)
10. Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
    

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

1. Wayne Horvitz, Butch Morris & Bobby Previte Trio - Live Forever, Vol. 2, NYC, Leverkusen 1988-1989 (Self-Released)
2. Alan Braufman - Live in New York City, February 8, 1975 (Valley Of Search)
3. Pyramid Trio - Visitation Of Spirits (NoBusiness)
4. Matthew Shipp - Circular Temple (ESP)

William Rossi

1. Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
2. Zoh Amba / Chris Corsano / Bill Orcutt - The Flower School (Palilalia Records)
3. Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation)
4. Susana Santos Silva - All the Birds and a Telephone Ringing (Thanatosis)
5. Rodrigo Amado's The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost Records)
6. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse!)
7. hÄK / Danzeisen - hÄK / Danzeisen (Karlrecords)
8. Akira Sakata & Entasis - Live in Europe 2022 (Trost)
9. Pascal Niggenkemper - La vallée de l'étrange (Subran Musiques Aventureuses)
10. Fred Frith & Susana Santos Silva - Laying Demons to Rest (Rogue Art)

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