... LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing solo work on cello from Okkyung Lee – material recorded after a particularly difficult stretch in 2020, as Lee was initially trapped in Korea, away from her instrument – then returned to the darkness of New York during its worst months of struggle! Yet despite that time leading up to the recording, the session actually feels like one with a new sense of optimism and exploration – all these fresh ideas for expression on the cello, at a level that make this record unlike any other we can think of – especially as there are many moments when the source of the music feels very unfamiliar, which are then balanced by more straightforward notes. Titles include "Burning", "Lorelei", "Drifting", "Mountains", "Grey", and "Pisces". (Jazz, Out Sound) CD

Graham Halliwell performs on saxophone using feedback and electronic processing, accompanied by field recordings from Lee Patterson, who also performs on various amplified devices. CD

Beautifully meditative music from Alabaster DePlume – a set that brings together work from a variety of recorded projects from the past decade or so – finally getting full exposure in this Transatlantic collaboration between Chicago's International Anthem label and London's Total Refreshment Centre! The sound is a great illustration of the genre-crossing modes that have been going on in both scenes – as Alabaster's music is definitely beyond easy description or definition, and comes across in a way that's as personal as it is collaborative – since DePlume works with a whole host of different musicians on the recordings, mixing flute, percussion, strings, keyboards, and other elements together in a way that follows a spiritual legacy from the more spacey side of Alice Coltrane, to the west coast experiments of Carlos Nino and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, to the changes taking place on the planet at present. Alabaster plays tenor and guitar, and vocalizes slightly – but never really sings – and titles include "Why Buzzardman Why", "Not My Ask", "Whisky Story Time", "If You're Sure You Want To", "What's Missing", and "Song Of The Foundling". (Jazz, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A masterpiece of new music for guitar from the legendary Glenn Branca – a set that both draws on all the minimal experiments on the New York scene of the 70s, and the big wave of underground music at the end of the decade! Branca effortlessly fuses the rock and compositional communities here – working with Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, and artist Ned Sublette – in a fierce set of tunes that blend four guitars, electric bass, and drums – all with an instrumental frenzy that matches some of the best early jams from Sonic Youth. Branca's approach is less freeform, but has very much the same intensity – and titles include "Lesson No 2", "Structure", "The Ascension", and "Spectacular Commodity". LP, Vinyl record album

A really amazing bit of free jazz – hardly the set of solos you might guess from the title, and instead a performance of live improvisation by a larger group – done at the famous Leo Castelli Gallery, an important locale for avant activity on the downtown scene in New York in the 70s! There's more of a European free jazz vibe going on here than some of the loft work of the city at the time – with searing work from leader Richard Landry on tenor, soprano sax, and electric piano – alongside Richard Peck on tenor, Robert Prado on trumpet, Jon Smith on tenor, Allan Brafman on alto, and David Lee on drums – all captured on tape by Kurt Munkacsi, the sonic force known for some more important avant classical sides of the time. The set features seven selections in all – some pushing well past the 15 minute mark! (Jazz, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album