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Close matches: 82
Close matches1
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Peter Brotzmann Chicago TentetUltraman Vs Alien Metron (one-sided LP with silkscreen art) ... LP
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2002. New Copy ... $23.99 28.00
Unreleased work from the glory days of the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet – a legendary free jazz ensemble that's playing here at the height of their powers! The group have a vibe here that's wonderful – both as playful and as sinister as the title might imply – stretched out to a performance that's almost 20 minutes in length, and which almost has a sort of cinematic sense of dynamism at times – although still with all the unscripted energy that made the group so great. Brotzmann is in the lead on tenor, with Mars Williams on tenor and soprano, Ken Vandermark on baritone, Mats Gustafsson on alto, Joe McPhee on valve trombone, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lonberg Holm on cello, Kent Kessler on bass, and Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums. The first-ever issue of this music comes in a limited one-sided record – with music on side a, and a silkscreen of Peter Brotzmann artwork on side B! LP, Vinyl record album
(Limited edition of 1000!)

Close matches2
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Jason AdasiewiczRoscoe Village – The Music Of Roscoe Mitchell ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2023. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
The music of Roscoe Mitchell, served up here in a really amazing setting – all solo vibes, handled by Jason Adasiewicz, in a style that's very different than Roscoe's original versions of these tunes! If you've ever heard Adasiewicz solo, you'll already dig what's going on here – work on vibes that's deeply resonant, warmly chromatic, and full of some of the most human, honest, open expressions we've ever heard on the instrument! Jason's always been part of the avant underground in Chicago, but he's also a very spiritual player too – a quality that really comes out in a setting like this – as he unlocks very different currents in tunes that Mitchell originally presented on his own albums, or with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. The whole thing is wonderfully hypnotic throughout – and titles include "Congliptious", "Old", "Carefree", "The Waltz", "Toro/Jo Jar", "The Key", "A Jackson In Your House", and "Daddy Rollin Stone". CD

Close matches3
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Jason AdasiewiczRoy's World ... LP
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2023. New Copy Gatefold ... $20.99 25.99
Beautiful music from Chicago, set to another Chicago-themed project – a film based around the Roy stories of writer Barry Gifford! Yet that literary reference aside, the music here has fantastic merits of its own, even if you've never read Gifford at all – a very different, more compositional side of the spectrum from vibist Jason Adasiewicz, yet still music that has a loose small combo vibe as well – serve dup by a cool quintet that features Jonathan Doyle on saxes, Josh Berman on cornet, Joshua Abrams on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums! There's a mix of new tones and modern ideas that take us back to that late 50s time on the Chicago scene when Sun Ra's Arkestra was still in town – and the tunes penned by Adasiewicz are not only superb, but a perfect showcase for his incredible tones on vibes. Doyle is a real revelation too – a player we don't know well at all at this point, but whose sense of timing and presence really makes the whole record sparkle – as does the work of the rest of the better-known players in the group. Titles include "Ballad For Kitty", "River Blindness", "Walkin To Clinton", "Rudy's Basement", "Sand", and "Blue People". LP, Vinyl record album
(Limited to 500 copies – beautiful pressing from Smashed Plastic!)

Close matches4
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Fred AndersonMilwaukee Tapes Vol 2 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1980. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
A long-overdue second dive into the tapes of Fred Anderson's searing performance in Milwaukee in 1980 – a brilliant document of a group that was not recorded often, and who shine here in a way that really illuminates the genius that Anderson was capable of in the decade before the world began to give him greater recognition! There's a quality here that's almost a lost chapter in the development of avant jazz, especially the Chicago scene – earlier AACM energies given a bit more focus, and a bit bolder expression – by a quartet that also includes Billy Brimfield on trumpet, Larry Hayrod on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums – players who have a taught, urgent approach to the music that makes for completely captivating listening all the way through! The material is a key addition to Anderson's catalog, and a record that may well stand at the top of it as well – with titles that include "He Who Walks Alone", "Another Place", "Bernice", "3 On 2", and "Our Theme". CD

Close matches5
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Eugene ChadbourneThere'll Be No Tears Tonight ... CD
Parachute/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1980. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
One of the most compelling albums ever recorded by guitarist Eugene Chadbourne – a set billed as "free improvised country and western bebop" – and which features Chadbourne serving up these wild variations on tunes by Carl Perkins, Roger Miller, David Allen Coe, Bobby Bare, Merle Haggard, and other country music legends! The album's much more Eugene than Nashville – although Chadbourne does sing lyrics on all of the tunes, but in a way that's very offbeat and hardly unlike the originals at all – as is his guitar work, which is acoustic and all twisted and turned up in all the offbeat phrasings you might expect! Much of the record is Chadbourne on vocals and electric dobro – but the set also features some drums by David Licht, saxes from John Zorn, and cello from Tom Cora. Titles include "The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me", "I'm The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised", "Georgia In A Jug", "Motel Time Again", "Dang Me", "Window Shopping", "Jealous Loving Heart", "Mr Record Man", and "Swingin Doors". CD
(Beautiful package – with a heavy Japanese-style paper sleeve!)

Close matches6
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Hamid DrakeDedications – Black Cross Solo Sessions 6 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2022. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
Drummer Hamid Drake has appeared on countless records over the years – even some as spare as duo improvisation sessions – yet this album is a long-overdue first solo effort from Drake, and one that allows us to hear his sensitive touch on the kit even more than before! Drake's always been a very musical percussionist – able to get all sorts of sounds out of a simple drum kit, in ways that almost feel as melodic as they do rhythmic – not in any sort of Krupa-like style, as Hamid's definitely a free improviser – but with a warmth and understanding of these familiar elements, unlocked in a really personal way! That's the approach used here on all the tracks – a loving set of dedications dedicated to contemporaries who include Don Cherry, Milford Graves, Paul Lovens, Fred Anderson, Adam Rudolph, and others. CD

Close matches7
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Niklas Fite & Gunter ChristmannInsisting ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2024. New Copy ... $11.99 14.99
A brilliant combination of tones and textures – one that has a quality that's not unlike the bold black and white image on the cover! The legendary Gunter Christmann plays cello here in a way that's beyond compare – definitely up to his long legacy in improvised music, and almost as a way of removing the instrument completely from its traditions in western music – which is done very aptly by pairing it with the guitar of Niklas Fite! Fite's got a way of moving up and down the strings of the guitar with the same frenzy as Christmann at times – bringing some heavier tones out at points, with more metallic elements – yet never losing this sense of tangled sonic unity that both players share! Titles include "Inhalation", "Breath", "Game", "Felt", "Exhalation", "Holding", and "Suspense". CD

Close matches8
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Dredd Foole & The DinSee God 1985/1986 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, Mid 80s. New Copy 2CD ... $17.99 20.99
The second chapter of the underground Boston legacy of Dredd Foole & The Din – a strong stretch of material from a time when Dredd was working with the Volcano Suns! Early Din-related material had Mission Of Burma providing the instrumentation – and the shift here to Volcano Suns makes for music that's maybe a bit more in tune with the American underground of the mid 80s – that shift away from punk that made the Suns' own recordings so crucial, and which saw some of this material released during the glory days of Homestead Records! The package features two full albums – Eat My Dust Cleanse My Soul and Take Off Your Skin – both reissued here for the first time – plus lots of live material, recorded both at The Rat in Boston, and at CBGB – plus some rare studio material too – all in a package that has detailed notes, new mixing, and a total of 40 tracks in all. Titles include "No Gun", "I'm Crying", "Not The Same", "People Are Strange", "Paralyzed", "Criminal", "Greatest Band In Hell", "Shoulda Known Better", "So Strange", "I Can't Stand It", "Sonic Web Theme", "Not A Beast", "Slack", and "Put Down". CD

Close matches9
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Dredd Foole & The DinSongs In Heat (with bonus tracks) ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1982. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
A rare lost gem from the Boston scene of the early 80s – and a set whose "Din" features work from members of Mission Of Burma! Dan Ireton is Dredd Foole, and has a raw, moody way of putting over the vocals – strongly in the American post-punk tradition of the time, with a mode that's a nice link to some of the more experimental work on the Ohio scene – and a perfect fit with the dark instrumentation on the set – filled with plenty of lead guitar by Clint Conley, who's bringing his best MoB modes to the set – alongside organs and more guitar from Roger Miller, bass from Martin Swope, and drums from Peter Prescott. Titles include "Sanctuary", "Behind You", "Greatest Band In Hell", and "So Tough". PLUS, this reissue adds in rare bonus material – a version of "Sister Ray" from the album sessions – and live tracks "When I Was Young" and "So Tough", and a great take on Pere Ubu's "Final Solution". Also features a hidden bonus track – a cover of The Stooges "We Will Fall". CD

Close matches10
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Dredd Foole & The DinWe Will Fall ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1982. New Copy ... $12.99 15.99
Completely unreleased music from this legendary Boston group – one that features Mission Of Burma working with leader Dredd Foole, in a set of cuts that are completely incendiary all the way through! The material is mostly live, and even edgier than their studio work – and shows the sonic intensity and complexity that the Burma musicians bring to the performance – especially the organ and guitar work of Roger Miller, which really shows how much understanding of sound and power he's picked up in a few short years! The set features 10 live tracks – 9 of which were recorded at the legendary Rat Club – plus 2 more home recordings that are solo numbers – titles that include "So Tough", "Play With Fire", "Not A Beast", "Touch", "Greatest Band In Hell", "TV Eye", "Not The Same", "Behind You", and "Paint It Black". CD

Close matches11
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Mats GustafssonNa Ja – Black Cross Solo Sessions 5 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2022. New Copy ... $12.99 14.99
A solo performance from groundbreaking saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, but one that's got sort of a "phantom" partner in Peter Brotzmann – as Mats works here from the boxed set of musical scores that Brotzmann originally created for his Chicago Tentet! Gustafsson plays selections from "Box 1" and "Box 2" – all set up by cards that cue the action for his improvisation – not a real set of musical notations, but ideas conveyed by images – which Mats then delivers on sopranino, soprano, alto, baritone, and bass saxophones – plus a few saxophone mouthpieces as well! There's few folks who can create such a range of sounds in such a setting – and the whole thing is not only a testament to Gustafsson's ongoing solo skills, but also his ability to relate to a key contemporary like Brotzmann. CD

Close matches12
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Beaver Harris/Don Pullen 360 ExperienceWell Kept Secret ... CD
Shemp/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1984. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
One of the most striking Don Pullen albums of the 80s – a beautifully open session that has the pianist co-leading a version of the 360 Experience group of drummer Beaver Harris – with an excellent lineup that also features Ricky Ford on tenor sax, Hamiet Bluiett on baritone, and Buster Williams on bass! The mix of players is unusual, and the sound here is as well – a record that easily steps between freer moments and more tuneful passages – imbued with the creative spirit of the loft jazz generation, but also taken a step further too – possibly via the album's production work by Hal Willner. There's some truly majestic moments on the album – and the whole thing is a great demonstration of the way that the farther fringes of the jazz universe were finding even more focused expression in the 80s – during a time when records like this really helped give musicians a great outlet for their new ideas. The set begins with the very long "Goree", which has additional work by Candido on percussion – and other tracks include "Land Of The Pharoahs", "Double Arc Jake", and "Newcomer". CD

Close matches13
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
ICP TentetTetterettet ... CD
Instant Composers Pool/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1977. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
A landmark record from the Dutch jazz scene – one that takes all the strong 70s years of free improvisation in that world, and helps it find a new sort of focus! As fans of the scene know, ICP stands for Instant Composers Pool – writing while improvising on the spot – a notion that's applied here to a completely amazing tentet, with a lineup that moves even beyond the core scene – to include Misha Mengelberg on piano, John Tchicai on alto and soprano, Gilius Bergeyk on alto, Peter Bennink on alto and sopranino, Peter Brotzmann on alto and tenor, Bert Koppelaar on trombone, Tristan Honsinger on cello, Alan Silva on bass, Han Bennink on drums and bass clarinet, and Michel Waisisz on the very cool "crackle box". The force of the individual players is already amazing – but the way they come together here is breathtaking – sometimes with a full blast that should be chaos, but which finds an amazing sense of song, thanks in part to the strength of Mengelberg on piano. Titles include "Valse Trovee", "Ludvig's Blue Note", "Dank", "Alexander's Marschbefehl", "Rumboon", and five "Tetterettet" selections. CD

Close matches14
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Peter KowaldPeter Kowald Quintet ... CD
FMP/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1972. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
An early moment of brilliance as a leader for bassist Peter Kowald – and maybe a record of his that matches the early FMP albums of Peter Brotzmann for sheer, raw intensity! There's almost a Machine Gun-like power here – as the group comes on with all the amazing energy that the early European free jazz scene had to offer – that moment when music like this was as much a force in politics and the larger cultural world as it was in jazz – with Kowald at the head of a group that also features Gunter Christmann and Paul Rutherford on trombones, Peter Van De Locht on alto, and Paul Lovens on drums. The trombones alone are worth the price of admission – and Kowald sometimes joins in on tuba and alphorn – on improvisations that include "Pavement Bolognaise", "Guete Luuni", "Platte Talloere", and "Wenn Wir Kehlkopfoperierte Uns Unterhalten". CD
(Remastered from the original tapes, first time on CD, and in a great LP-styled cover!)

Close matches15
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
KyosakuKyosaku ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2024. New Copy ... $11.99 14.99
The name of the group is a reference to Zen culture – but their sound is very different than that might make you expect – as the trio has a very searing, very intense sound on the album's two long tracks – as much an exercise in noise as it is in improvisation! The lineup features Finn Loxbo on guitar, Else Bergman on electric bass, and Ryan Packard on drums – and they come together in a full-on mode that really recalls some of the electrified improvisations of the 80s generation – that moment before noise became a genre unto itself, when rock instrumentation was coming into play with free jazz inspiration in a really great way! Titles include "Alagille" and "Gnistade Guts" – both long and very intense. CD

Close matches16
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Steve Lacy & Steve PottsTips ... CD
Hat Hut/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1981. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
Steve Lacy works here with one of his best partners of the 70s – altoist Steve Potts – whose tone and phrasing always turns out to be a perfect match for Lacy's ideas! And the duet also get some great accompaniment from vocalist Irene Aebi – who's almost has more presence here when she makes an appearance, but at a level that's arguably stronger and more powerful than some of her other contributions to Lacy records – this unusual manner of vocalizing that almost puts her in the Saravah Records tradition of Brigitte Fontaine, in terms of creativity and moving beyond the boundaries of language. Irene's words are more musical elements than anything else – giving shape to the start of each selection, then dropping out to make the interplay between Lacy's soprano and Potts' alto seem even warmer and more organic. The album features one long track – "Tips" – divided up into fourteen lettered sections. CD
(Beautiful package – with a heavy Japanese-style paper sleeve!)

Close matches17
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Rob MazurekMother Ode ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2014. New Copy ... $11.99 15.99
Rob Mazurek has always been more of a multi-instrumentalist instead of just a cornet player – but on this amazing solo set, he really pushes the boundaries even further – by taking up a huge host of different elements and different sounds! That soaring, spacious horn is still in the lead – a legacy that Rob seems to have inherited from 70s Miles Davis, but taken to even trippier territory – but the record also features flute, electronics, maracas, and bells – as well as weird objects like books, boxes, and apples! Mazurek uses a bit of distortion at times, which really helps unlike things resonate together – and the set's easily some of his most personal, evocative music to date. Titles include "Toward New Light", "Quiet The Thunder Bells", "The Breath Of Life You Gave To Me", "You Were Born With Sun In Your Eyes", and "Toward Enlightenment". CD

Close matches18
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra Small UnitSpectral Fiction ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2024. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
A really mesmerizing performance from a completely fantastic version of Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra – a smaller unit, and one that seems to bring even more focus to Rob's incredible musical vision of the past decade or so! Mazurek has grown tremendously as a player in the 21st Century, and matured into a role as a generous leader who really seems to bring out the best in the musicians he works with – in this case an all-star lineup that features Tomeka Reid on cello and electronics, Angelica Sanchez on Wurlitzer electric piano, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass, Chad Taylor on drums, and Damon Locks on voice, electronics, and text. Locks and Mazurek have an especially strong rapport – especially as Rob vocalizes a bit too – and the performance takes all the spiritual expressions of previous Exploding Star records, refines them down with a new focus, then sends them soaring to the skies! The album features two long tracks – "Equations Of Love In Prismatic Waves Of Color" and "Driftless". CD

Close matches19
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Joe McPheeBlack Is The Color – Live in Poughkeepsie & New Windsor 1969/1970 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1969/1970. New Copy 2CD ... $18.99 21.99
Fantastic unreleased work from the great Joe McPhee – material recorded around the same time as his legendary Nation Time set, and done with a similar blend of spiritual jazz and occasional funky undercurrents! This work shows McPhee to already be an amazing talent, even in the years before his wider reputation grew on record – and the work here is from a series of recordings in the Hudson River valley, where Joe was constantly creative, and very open to exploring new musical ideas! Two thirds of the set feature a version of the Contemporary Improvisational Ensemble – a group led by Joe on trumpet, tenor, and soprano saxophone, and who were clearly inspired by the later work of John Coltrane – with additional work on one group from Ernest Bostic on vibes, Tyrone Crabb on bass, and Bruce Thompson on drums – plus work in another group from Crabb and Thompson, plus Reggie Marks on tenor and flute. Titles from that group include long takes on "Afro Blue", "Naima", "Juju For John Coltrane", and "Black Is The Color" – plus two untitled "Improvisation" tracks. The last batch features slightly more soul-styled work – as McPhee's tenor works alongside the vocals of Octavius Graham – in a lineup that also has piano, drums, and electric bass – on versions of "I Don't Want Nobody" and "Funky Broadway", plus Joe's long original "Blues For The People". CD

Close matches20
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Joe McPheeRoute 84 Quarantine Blues – Black Cross Solo Sessions 2 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2021. New Copy ... $12.99 15.99
Tremendous solo work from the great Joe McPhee – recorded alone at home during 2020, as you might guess from the title – but a set that has Joe being wonderfully expressive, in the very personal way that you'd know if you've ever seen him live in performance! McPhee mostly blows tenor, but he also speaks at points – even quoting some lines from Black Panther – and brings in some field recordings, and even makes sounds on water and a pie tin too – all with this mandate to be as fully expressive as possible, even in a situation of isolation – a beautiful testament to the artistic fire that has kept McPhee going as one of the most important improvisers in jazz over the decades! Titles include "Cuernavaca 79", "Goodbye Porky Pig Hat", "Self Portrait In Three Colors – Red, Black, & Green", "Reflection On Ida Lupino", and "Do You Still Love Me". CD
(Part of the Black Cross Solo Sessions series!)

Close matches21
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Joe McPheeVariations On A Blue Line – Round Midnight ... CD
Hat Hut/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1977. New Copy ... $11.99 15.99
Seminal solo work from the great Joe McPhee – and a crucial album in linking the American and European undergrounds of the 70s! Joe's working alone here – on soprano sax and tenor – and getting some amazing sounds out of both horns – the kind of post-musical, highly-textural elements that are right at home in the European concert setting of the recording. The album was a legendary start to Hat Art – and to the international fame of McPhee – and side one features an extended tenor performance on the original composition "Beanstalk", and side two features tenor again on "Variations On A Blue Line", then soprano on "Motian Studies", as well as "Round Midnight" – played by Joe with just the right sort of soul to round out the record! CD

Close matches22
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Joe McPhee & Andre JaumeNuclear Family ... CD
Hat Hut/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1979. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
Insanely beautiful work from the great Joe McPhee – an album that was recorded and intended to be issued during his groundbreaking stretch with Hat Art Records – but which never saw the light of day at the time! Why that happened, we're not entirely sure – because the album is tremendous right from the very first note – as McPhee blows alto, tenor, and pocket cornet alongside the work of Andre Jaume on alto, tenor, and bass clarinet – in a set of horn-only performances that are breathtaking from start to finish! Jaume's a great player too – and his work of the time, especially on Hat Art, is a masterpiece of subtlety and soul – and he balances McPhee perfectly here, often with some deeper currents that create a beautifully organic energy between the two. Jaume's got this way of handling his reed that's amazing – and, of course, Joe's phrasing is as incredible as always. Titles include great reworks of modern jazz classics – including "Pithecanthropus Erectus", "Self Portrait In Three Colors", "Evidence", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Lonely Woman" – plus the originals "Nuclear" and "Rue St Jaume". CD
(Beautiful package – with a heavy Japanese-style paper sleeve!)

Close matches23
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Joe McPhee & Evan ParkerSweet Nothings (For Milford Graves) – Live In Chicago 2003 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2003. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
Two reed geniuses, working together in sublime formation – an extended, open live performance setting – which makes for incredible interplay throughout! There's a beautiful balance between unity and conflict going on here – Evan Parker and Joe McPhee both blowing soprano and tenor, with McPhee on a small bit of pocket cornet as well – crafting lines that sometimes snake out alongside each other, flowering in the open space of improvisation – sometimes chafe next to each other, but in ways that create a magical tension of sonic possibilities – growing to a sound that's way more than the sum of its parts. The set features seven live improvisations – all recorded in the space of the Chicago Cultural Center in 2003. CD

Close matches24
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Joe McPhee & Hamid DrakeKeep Going ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2018. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
A long overdue return to duet formation for Joe McPhee and Hamid Drake – the duo who played together so beautifully on the Emancipation Proclamation album! This set is maybe even more personal, and more open – with Drake working some incredible magic on the drum kit, creating sounds that so many others would only get from a huge variety of percussion instruments – while McPhee blows both alto sax and pocket trumpet – sometimes with an intensity that makes it hard to believe the record's not some lost session of his from the 70s! If you think that you missed out on all the famous improv records the first time around, then think again – because this one's an instant classic. Titles include "Endangered Species", "Medgar/Malcolm/Martin", "Keep Going", "Lord Don't Let Them Drop Them Goddamn Nukes On Us Lord", "Sojourner's Truth", "Morning Star", and "Time Was". CD

Close matches25
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Joe McPhee with Ken VandermarkMusings Of A Bahamian Son ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2024. New Copy ... $11.99 14.99
A very different side of the talents of the great Joe McPhee, and a great one too – a set of spoken word passages that are provided with occasional saxophone contributions from Ken Vandermark – all coming together in a way that's maybe even more righteous than some of the instrumental work that Joe has given us in the past! There's a quality both to the writing and McPhee's delivery that's stunning – a subtle power that's a bit like when Langston Hughes might read his own words on a jazz record – and as anyone who has seen Joe in recent years might know, spoken passages have become a much larger part of his performances too. McPhee blows a bit of soprano sax on the record, and Vandermark plays clarinet and bass clarinet on some tracks – especially the nine instrumental interludes that dot the recording. Titles include "Party Lights", "The Loneliest Woman", "Tell Me How Long Trane Has Been Gone", "Long Story Short", "A Meeting In Chicago", "New Chicago Blues", "The Grand Marquis", "Please Sweet Mistress Kiss Me Once More Before I Die", "Driva Man 2", and "Violets For Pia". CD

Close matches26
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Roscoe MitchellKeeper Of The Code – Paintings 1963 to 2022 ... Book
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2023. New Copy ... $36.99 40.99
A long-overdue document of the artistic activity of Roscoe Mitchell – best known to most as a key member of both the AACM and Art Ensemble Of Chicago as a jazz musician, but a surprisingly accomplished painter too! Mitchell's artistic career is captured here in both distant chapters – his early work in the 60s, including a few famous paintings that ended up on album covers – and his more recent burst of visually creative activity in the past fifteen years, presented here in a stunning array of very vibrant images! The painting on the cover is just the tip of the iceberg – as the book features dozens of other artworks, in an edition that's 138 pages in length – complete with an interview with Mitchell on his creative activity too. Book

Close matches27
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ NRG EnsembleHold That Thought – Mars Archive #2 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1996. New Copy ... $11.99 15.99
A searing live set from the legendary NRG Ensemble – a key bridge between Chicago avant generations in the 80s, still going very strong in the 90s in this stunning concert recorded in Utrecht! There's a lot of twin-reed frenzy in the music – leader Mars Williams and Ken Vandermark – relatively new to Chicago, but already making his mark – and a fierce frontline force, next to Steve Hunt on drums, Kent Kessler on bass, and Brian Sandstrong on bass, guitar, and trumpet! Mars also plays some toys along the way – and amidst the intensity, there's also some great breaks for more tuneful moments – on titles that include "Hold That Thought", "Pet Peeve", "Straight Time", "Wire Money", "In The Middle Of Pennsylvania", and "Cut Flowers". CD

Close matches28
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Tony Oxley QuintetAngular Apron ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1992. New Copy ... $11.99 15.99
A brilliant album-length improvisation headed up by drummer Tony Oxley – done at a time when he was serving up some of his best recordings on the European scene – a legacy to which this never-issued performance can be added! The set is completely on fire throughout – Oxley at his most powerful and progressive, working with a lineup that features brilliant trumpet from Manfred Schoof, searching soprano and tenor from Larry Stabbins, bold piano from Pat Thomas, and bass from the great Sirone – making a really surprising appearance here in a festival date recorded in German! Both Oxley and Thomas also bring in a bit of electronics, used in great ways – by Oxley at a level that often echoes his percussive impulses – and the album features one long performance of the title composition, which runs for over an hour in length. CD

Close matches29
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ PipelinePipeline ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2000. Used ... $8.99
The long-overdue issue of the only recording by this lost Chicago/Swedish project – a massive lineup of young avant players from the start of the millenium – similar in construction to the Peter Brotzman Tentet, but working here with a very different sound! The group came together over the space of months, on both sides of the Atlantic – and really took their time to develop the album's two long compositions by Ken Vandermark and Fredrik Ljungkvist – working in amazing shades and tones that really reflect the individual personalities and strengths of the 16-member lineup. Each track spins out towards the half-hour mark – which allows lots of space for sounds from Mats Gustafsson on tenor, Ken Vandermark on clarinet and tenor, Fredrik Ljungkvist on tenor, clarinet, and baritone (were these guys having a competition?) – plus Guillermo Gregorio on alto and clarinet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Per Ake Holmlander on tuba, Joe Morris and David Stackenas on guitars, Sten Sandell on piano, Jim Baker on piano and Arp, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, Kent Kessler and Johan Berthling on basses, Michale Zerang and Raymond Strid on drums and percussion, and Kjell Nordeson on drums, percussion, and vibes. There's a heck of a lot going on here – and titles include "Codeine Picasso" and "In This Very Room" – each of which have a mix of composition and improvisation that's not unlike some of the projects directed by Lonberg-Holm around the same time. CD

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Tom PrehnAxiom 1 & 2 ... CD
Sonet/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1963. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
One of the rarest free jazz albums of the European 60s scene – a set that was originally intended for release by Sonet Records, pressed up in test records for the musicians, then denied release because they felt that they'd already moved past the performance! Yet in the space of over 50 years, the music still sounds remarkably fresh – an early, striking, and stunning example of the way that the European avant jazz scene was not only overtaking the American one, but also providing the kind of energy that would be a key inspiration for artists like Albert Ayler or Cecil Taylor! Pianist Tom Prehn offers up a lot of the latter here – boundless piano lines that leap forward into space with a frenzied, yet tuneful approach – followed by tremendous tenor from Frits Krogh, a player we don't know at all – but who blows powerfully and soulfully, at a level that maybe even prefaces some of John Coltrane's more outside material to come. The rest of the group features Poul Ehlers on bass and Finn Slumstrup on drums – and the album features the full "Axiom (parts 1 & 2)" performance from the Sonet album – plus a more contemplative number titled "Percussive Anticipations", recorded by the same group in 1966, and appearing here for the first time ever! CD
(Beautiful package – with a heavy Japanese-style paper sleeve!)

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Sun RaExtensions Out – Four Poetry Books 1957 to 1972 ... Book
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2021. New Copy ... $42.99 50.00
An incredible package – one that brings together four rare publications by Sun Ra – printed words that are every bit as groundbreaking as his music – and which together represent the farther-flung corners of his vast cultural enterprise! The set represents each of the texts in the manner in which it was originally presented – save for the yellowing paper of the originals – so that two are small pamphlets, one is a slightly larger booklet, and the last is a huge stapled publication – each with a size, feel, and presentation that's like their originals! First up are the pamphlets that came with two early Ra records – Jazz By Sun Ra and Jazz In Silhouette – the first a booklet of liner notes with some poems, the second much more poetic, and originally done as a mimeograph that quickly deteriorated. Next is the famous Immeasurable Equation – a book of poetry from the mid 60s, which also features some writings by Ra on both his career and politics. Last is the huge Immeasurable Equation Vol 2 – a much larger book of poetry from 1972, presented on full sheets of paper stapled together with a textured cover of artwork. All four are impossibly hard to find – and in the format here, it's as if you had the originals in your hands, but in mint condition! Book

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Sun RaSun Ra – Berkeley Lecture 1971 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1971. New Copy ... $11.99 14.99
A very cool document of the great Sun Ra – and a set that combines both music and a spoken passage from a class that Ra was teaching at the University of California in the 70s! The spoken work is fascinating – as it really captured Ra as he lived, but in ways that are different than you might expect – still as intellectual as any of his writings, and ideas you might have picked up from other sources – but with a very down-to-earth approach that maybe makes the man seem more human than some of his future-thinking music, or the cosmic garb that he's usually wearing on a record cover! Ra is completely captivating during the 30 minute lecture – which was part of a cours titled The Black Man & The Cosmos – then the set moves into a wonderful five minute solo piano piece, and an extra cool solo Moog performance that runs for over sixteen minutes in length – mindblowing analog electronics that has Ra getting some very noisy sounds from the Moog! CD

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Jason RoebkeFour Spheres ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2023. New Copy ... $12.99 15.99
A very dynamic set from bassist Jason Roebke – a set that uses graphic scores to direct improvsations by the members of the quartet, who are a very tightly-matched group of players, very able to deliver on Roebke's musical vision! The lineup features some especially great work on clarinet and saxes from Ed Wilkerson – a player we haven't heard as much of in recent years, but who still has the bright fire and imagination that first made us fall in love with his bold music decades ago – and the group also features lots of dark-tinged piano from Mabel Kwan, a player whose depth offsets Wilkerson's energy beautifully. The group also features Marcus Evans on drums, a player who can shake things up in all the right ways – on titles that include "Pulse & Tone", "Quarter Note Equals Eighty", "Stability & Coda", "Piano Spacer", "Four Spheres", and "Starting & Stopping". CD

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Wadada Leo SmithRed Chrysanthemums – Live 1977 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1977. New Copy ... $11.99 15.99
An unreleased set of solo performances from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – one that we'd rank right up there with his most adventurous work of the 70s! Smith comes across wonderfully on the record – full of soul and imagination, and easily as impressive on his solo instruments as scenemate Roscoe Mitchell could be in a similar setting – always moving around with thoughtful shifts in timing and purpose, in ways that always make the whole performance feel very organic, especially as Smith moves between other instruments that include flute, percussion, gongs, and steelophone. Titles include "Jupiter's Astro Waves", "Blue Green Gardens Of The Indigenous People", and "Pan Sonic Fire Rhythms/Red Chrysanthemums/Dark Purple Night On Crater Lake With A Clear View Of Saturn's Rings & Moons". CD

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Ken VandermarkField Within A Line – Black Cross Solo Sessions 1 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2021. New Copy ... $12.99 15.00
Beautiful solo recordings from saxophone genius Ken Vandermark – music that we don't normally hear in such a setting from Ken, given what a strong collaborator he is – and a set that's just a further reminder of the endless depths of his talents! The material was recorded at Vandermark's apartment during the pandemic, but hardly feels like one of those beat-down sessions from that time – as while solo, it's clear that the reedman was driven by a new sense of creativity – as you'll hear these selections of varying length, on a variety of horns, dedicated to some of Vandermark's key inspirations – a long list of heavyweights that includes William S Burroughs and Willem De Kooning. Titles include "Portable Nowhere", "Shared Testament", "Looking Back At Looking Forward", "End The Giraffe Lottery", "Feet On Main", and "Imagine The Paper". CD
(Part of the Black Cross Solo Sessions series!)

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Ken Vandermark & Hamid DrakeEternal River ... LP
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2023. New Copy ... $20.99 25.99
The music of Don Cherry, but delivered in a completely different way than his original recordings – served up here as a beautiful series of duets between Ken Vandermark on tenor and Hamid Drake on drums and percussion! The pair have a sympathy for each other that's amazing – and the music is often more rhythmic than you might be used to hearing from Vandermark – as the duo weave together themes from Don Cherry compositions in a variety of classic settings – yet work them anew with the sort of individual magic that really makes the record special! This isn't a set of covers, nor some staid "tribute" record – and instead, Vandermark and Drake really soar with inspiration that's delivered at a very personal level, and which marks the record as a testament to the still very vital talents of both musicians. LP, Vinyl record album

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Moreno VelosoEvery Single Night – Black Cross Solo Sessions 4 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2021. New Copy ... $12.99 15.00
Maybe the most personal, most evocative album we've ever heard from Brazilian singer Moreno Veloso – a set that's summed up wonderfully by its title, as these are songs that Veloso sung to his children at night during the darkest months of 2020! The record features just vocals and guitar – but as with his father Caetano in such a setting, Moreno actually seems to make more with less – allowing us to hear him in a way that's maybe even more up-close than ever before –with the mix of emotional currents that you'd get on the best bossa recordings of this nature – even though Veloso is far beyond bossa with this music! Most tracks are penned by others, but given these fantastic new interpretations – and titles include "Fazenda", "Unga Dorme Nesse Frio", "Luna Caprese", "Tigresa", "Noche De Ronda", "Normelia", and "Tres Da Madrugada". CD
(Part of the Black Cross Solo Sessions series!)

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Alexander Von SchlippenbachGlobe Unity ... CD
MPS/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1966. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
The earliest album ever to be issued under the Globe Unity label – a very early project headed up by the mighty pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach – and a record that's noteworthy for the first album to feature the work of Peter Brotzmann and Peter Kowald! Right from the start, the vibe is completely in line with the highest ideals of the improvising orchestra – Schlippenbach directing the group and playing piano – in a large lineup that also features Brotzmann on alto, Manfred Schoof on cornet, Gerd Dudek on tenor, Willem Breuker on baritone, Gunter Hampel on bass clarinet, Karl Berger on vibes, and Peter Kowald and Buschi Niebergall on basses, one in each channel! And alongside these free jazz heavyweights, the album also sports the amazing rhythm duo of future prog rock giants Jaki Liebezeit and Mani Neumeier – both working here at a level that matches the free improvisations of the others – on two side-long tracks, titled "Globe Unity" and "Sun". CD
Also available Globe Unity ... LP 20.99

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✨✧ Alexander Von SchlippenbachGlobe Unity ... LP
MPS/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1966. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)... $20.99 25.99
The earliest album ever to be issued under the Globe Unity label – a very early project headed up by the mighty pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach – and a record that's noteworthy for the first album to feature the work of Peter Brotzmann and Peter Kowald! Right from the start, the vibe is completely in line with the highest ideals of the improvising orchestra – Schlippenbach directing the group and playing piano – in a large lineup that also features Brotzmann on alto, Manfred Schoof on cornet, Gerd Dudek on tenor, Willem Breuker on baritone, Gunter Hampel on bass clarinet, Karl Berger on vibes, and Peter Kowald and Buschi Niebergall on basses, one in each channel! And alongside these free jazz heavyweights, the album also sports the amazing rhythm duo of future prog rock giants Jaki Liebezeit and Mani Neumeier – both working here at a level that matches the free improvisations of the others – on two side-long tracks, titled "Globe Unity" and "Sun". LP, Vinyl record album
Also available Globe Unity ... CD 12.99

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Alexander Von Schlippenbach QuartetThree Nails Left ... CD
FMP/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1975. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
Amazing work from this seminal group on the FMP scene – a quartet led by pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach, but equally balanced between the saxes of Evan Parker, bass of Peter Kowald, and percussion of Paul Lovens! We're not sure how much to take the "nails" in the title seriously, but it does sound as if Schlippenbach is playing prepared piano at times – or perhaps his command of the keyboard is just so strong, he can make other-worldly elements come from the instrument whenever he wants! Much of the music has a full-on FMP intensity – that non-stop, sonically adventurous quality inherited from Machine Gun – spun out over three great live improvisations, titled "Range", "Black Holes", and "Three Nails Left". CD
(Remastered from the original tapes – and first time on CD!)

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Mars Williams & Hamid DrakeI Know You Are But What Am I – Mars Archive #1 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1996. New Copy ... $11.99 15.99
Maybe one of the most striking examples of the genius of reedman Mars Williams we've ever heard – a set of live improvisations with drummer Hamid Drake – done in this really open, unadorned style that also has Drake really moving at the height of his power too! Williams effortlessly moves between sonic intensity and tunefulness, shifting instruments throughout the set – while Hamid delivers some of his more sensitive work on the kit at just a few points, but mostly responds to the raw energy of Mars by really letting loose in a way you don't always hear! The whole set was recorded in very friendly Chicago territory – and titles include "The Worm", "But What Am I", "I Know", and "You Are". CD

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✨✧ Peter BrotzmannPaintings & Objects ... Book
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2007. New Copy ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
A beautiful document of the artwork of Peter Brotzmann – best known to most of our customers as a key force in improvised music for the past few decades, but lately emerging with equal importance in the art world too! As you might guess from the title, the book features not only Brotzmann's paintings, but also some of his more sculptural objects as well – work that has an amazing sense of texture that runs as deep as the sounds in his music, and which is as much of a visual revelation as his music is a sonic one. The book's a limited-edition run – done in collaboration with Brotzmann's show for the Corbett Vs Dempsey gallery in the fall of 2007 – and it's 95 pages, softcover, in full color throughout! Book

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✨✧ Peter Brotzmann/Fred Van Hove/Han BenninkBrotzmann/Van Hove/Bennink – 1971 (LP sleeve edition) ... CD
JG/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1971. New Copy Gatefold ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
Very rare, very obscure material from this important free jazz trio of the German scene in the 70s – a set that features one long performance originally issued on the JG label, despite the FMP-like image on the cover – plus two more tracks from the same year that appear here for the first time ever! "Just For Altena" offers up the power trio at their best – very freewheeling piano from Fred Van Hove, drums from Han Bennink, and tenor from Peter Brotzmann – with intensity that may well surpass the Machine Gun years, and an understanding of each players strengths that means that there's almost no tentative moments at all in the improvisation! "Filet Americain" and "ICP No 17" are from earlier in 1971 – and showcase a different, more sonic side of the trio – some tones that are at the farther end of hearing, which ruminate then blossom into bolder statements, but still often with a very abstracted approach to each instrument. Great stuff – and every bit as essential as any of the better-known Brotzman recordings of the time! CD
(Beautiful package – with a heavy Japanese-style paper sleeve!)

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✨✧ Milford GravesBabi (with bonus CD) ... CD
IPS/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1969/1976. New Copy 2CD Gatefold ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
One of the rarest albums ever from percussionist Milford Graves, and one of the most intense as well – a completely unbridled live performance that features saxes from Hugh Glover and Arthur Doyle! Glover and Doyle are amazing together – and with that trademark raspy tone, Doyle's set apart nicely, even amidst the frenzy – and Graves is a complete monster on the drum kit, moving with a speed that must have been breathtaking to see in person – at a level that always has us checking the record to make sure that we don't have it set to 45rpm! If you've ever overlooked the contributions that Graves has made to improvised music, this is the record to convince you – with titles that include "Ba", "Bi", and "Babi". Great bonus material too – a whole CD that features the same trio, playing together 8 years before – recorded in New York in 1969, with four improvisations of varying length. CD
Also available Babi ... LP 23.99

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✨✧ Steve LacyStamps (with bonus track) ... CD
Hat Hut/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1979. New Copy 2CDs ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
A massive double-length set from saxophonist Steve Lacy – and maybe one of the strongest 70s statements from his legendary European quintet! The album features two different live performances – each of which open up in the brilliant freedoms allowed by the European scene since the end of the 60s, but restructured by Lacy in that fantastic energy he shared with Steve Potts on alto, Irene Aebi on cello and voice, Kent Carter on bass, and Oliver Johnson on drums. The group display a masterful balance between united energy and individual expression – and the synchronicity between Lacy and Potts is especially striking. Titles include "Stamps", "Wickets", "The Dumps", "The Blinks", "Duckles", "Ire", and "Existence". Also features the bonus track "Follies". CD

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✨✧ Joe McPheeCosmic Love/Cosmic Love (number 2) ... 7-inch
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1970. New Copy (pic cover)... Temporarily Out Of Stock
Two versions of a great track by Joe McPhee – both of which have the saxophonist laying out some surprisingly soulful sounds! If you only know Joe from his later avant years, you'll be stunned to hear McPhee here – as "Cosmic Love" has Joe spinning out this soulful saxophone lead over organ, which burns very slowly in the background – as McPhee starts out first straight, then surprisingly outside once things get going – but with a vibe that's somewhere between Kalaparusha on Delmark, and Arthur Doyle a few years later. The second version of the tune really turns up the echo on the organ, which makes things even more cosmic – as McPhee's solo follows a similar way-out path! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Close matches47
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✨✧ Joe McPheeNation Time – The Complete Recordings (Nation Time/Black Magic Man/Nation Time Preview/rare tracks) (4CD set) ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, Early 70s. Used 4 CDs ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
A tremendous look at the early years of the legendary Joe McPhee – a set that's based around his classic Nation Time album, and which features other live material from the same time – including a Hat Hut album, and two CDs' worth of previously unissued work! The core album is legendary – a gritty set that features a mighty funky drummer, and some of the most soulful work that Joe ever recorded. Joe plays tenor and trumpet in sweet lineup that features bubbling organ, vamping rhythms, and some sweet modal elements mixed together in percussion, guitar, and Fender Rhodes. Titles include the hard wailing "Nation Time" – plus "Shakey Jake", an excellent 13 minute funk number – and the moodier "Scorpio's Dance". Next is the searing Black Magic Man album – an early release on the Hat Hut label, but recorded during the same December 1970 performance as Nation Time – almost showing the bolder, freer sound of the group – but still coming across with some surprising soulful elements too. The original album is expanded by the addition of the unreleased "Song For Lauren" alternate takes – and the core record includes "Black Magic Man", "Hymn Of The Dragon Kings", and "Song For Lauren". The next two CDs feature material recorded in 1969 and 1970 – at Vassar and in Poughkeepsie – with Joe and group working through some similar spiritual and soul jazz territory as on the Vassar CD issue from the same label. The music is heavy on elements you'd hear from the Nation Time album – Hammond, guitar, and even some electric bass and vibes – used in styles that run from soul jazz, to modal, to more experimental – all on very long tracks that have McPhee really stretching out on tenor and trumpet! Titles include "Cold Sweat", "Breakaway Theme", "Untitled", "Nation Time", "Sunshower", "Spring Street", and "Contemplation". All 4CDs come in very cool LP sleeves, in a slipcover box, a 60 page booklet of notes, photos, and information on the music! CD
(Out of print.)

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✨✧ Sun RaContinuation (with bonus tracks) ... CD
Saturn/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1963. New Copy 2CD ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
Mindblowing music from Sun Ra & The Arkestra – sounds recorded during the same marathon session that gave the world the records Other Planes Of There, When Sun Comes Out, and When Angels Speak Of Love – but titles that are much more obscure overall! The initial release of the material featured very misleading notes, but the true details of the session are even more impressive – as Ra plays a variety of unusual instruments alongside piano – including the piano strings, space organ, and clavioline – alongside some sublime straight horn work from John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and oboe, Pat Patrick on baritone, Danny Davis on alto and clarinet, Walter Miller on trumpet, Robert Cummings on bass clarinet, and Ali Hasaan on trombone! The lineup here has that raw power the Arkestra first unleashed after their initial move to New York – almost a sense of new freedom in the new environment – even at a time when they weren't clicking on a financial level, but still continued to push forward with new ideas in music! Some passages have this great approach that links the cosmic ideas of the Arkestra with older traditions of jazz soloing – while others reflect the growing concern of the group with new textures and sounds – making for some very impressive elements on both the horns and percussion. The group is completed by Ronnie Boykins on bass, Art Jenkins on space voice and percussion, and Tommy Hunter on drums, percussion, and some mighty nice reverb – and titles include "Biosphere Blues", "Intergalactic Research", "Earth Primitive Earth", "New Planet", and "Continuation To Jupiter Festival". Beautiful 2CD reissue features sublime sounds from the original tapes, remastered – plus a full bonus CD of unreleased tracks that include "Blue York", "Conversation Of The Universe", "Red Planet Mars", "Cosmic Rays/Next Stop Mars", "The Myth", "Meteor Shower", "Infinity", "The Beginning Of", and "Endlessness". CD

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✨✧ Sun RaI Struck A Match On The Moon/Dreamsville ... 7-inch
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1961. New Copy (pic cover)... Temporarily Out Of Stock
Never-issued work from the Sun Ra Arkestra – and two tracks that really show just how much the initial wave of their sound tied together with other strands of postwar music! Both cuts here feature vocals from singer Ricky Murray – and as you can tell from the titles, there's a slightly exotic feel to the tunes – almost a space take on Eden Ahbez territory, handled by Murray in a rich baritone, while the Arkestra provides backing with some nicely rhythmic touches! The sound is straighter than some of the group's more avant material, but in a way that also really links them towards the more out-there side of mainstream music – that blend of exotic modes and wistful longing that Ra first explored in Chicago as the house band at the Club DeLisa! 7-inch, Vinyl record

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✨✧ Cecil Taylor & Sunny MurrayCorona ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1996. New Copy ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
A fantastic extended performance from the great Cecil Taylor – and a set that's really striking for a number of different reasons! First, the performance begins with some added voice work from Tristan Honsinger, Dominic Duval, and others – doing unusual vocalizations that are a bit like those that Taylor would sometimes use to augment his piano improvisations. Another striking feature is the presence of Sunny Murray on drums – one of Taylor's best musical partner, and a player who here is working at a level that's wonderfully open and spacious – very different than you might expect, and in a way that also seems to bring even more thoughtful, sensitive qualities to Cecil's piano! The set was recorded live in Berlin in 1996, and features two shorter segments, both with voice – and one very bold piece in the middle that runs for almost 50 minutes in length. CD

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✨✧ Fred AndersonMilwaukee Tapes Vol 2 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1980. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A long-overdue second dive into the tapes of Fred Anderson's searing performance in Milwaukee in 1980 – a brilliant document of a group that was not recorded often, and who shine here in a way that really illuminates the genius that Anderson was capable of in the decade before the world began to give him greater recognition! There's a quality here that's almost a lost chapter in the development of avant jazz, especially the Chicago scene – earlier AACM energies given a bit more focus, and a bit bolder expression – by a quartet that also includes Billy Brimfield on trumpet, Larry Hayrod on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums – players who have a taught, urgent approach to the music that makes for completely captivating listening all the way through! The material is a key addition to Anderson's catalog, and a record that may well stand at the top of it as well – with titles that include "He Who Walks Alone", "Another Place", "Bernice", "3 On 2", and "Our Theme". CD
Also available Milwaukee Tapes Vol 2 ... CD 12.99

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✨✧ Hans ReichelWichlinghauser Blues ... CD
FMP/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1973. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Overlooked work by one of the true guitar geniuses of the 70s – an artist who should be right up there with Derek Bailey and Fred Frith – especially with groundbreaking work of this nature! Hans Reichel has a very unique approach to the electric – one that's both very deft on the strings, but also has a sonic sensibility that almost seems to use the instrument to trigger sounds as much as to create notes – moments that are often quite melodic, even when free – shifting between the infinite tonal possibilities of the guitar and some of its textural elements too. Some of Reichel's later work wasn't as great as his 70s output – but this album's a tremendous and well-lauded classic! Titles include "Lupi", "Shaved Guitar", "Krampfhandlugen", and "Alfons Al Piepenbrink & His Lonely Wah Wah Pedal". CD
(Item has light edge wear.)

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✨✧ Sounds Of LiberationUntitled – Columbia University 1973 ... CD
Dogtown/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1973. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A true treasure from this righteous Philly collective – a group who only issued one album in the 70s, and who finally double their catalog with the release of this rare performance from 1973! Sounds Of Liberation have this all-star lineup of musicians who did great work in Philadelphia and elsewhere – with Khan Jamal on vibes, Monette Sudler on guitar, and Omar Hill and Rashid Salim on percussion – working alongside some great work on flute and alto from Byard Lancaster, heavy bass from Billy Mills, and just the right touch of drums from Dwight James! The style here is maybe tighter, and occasionally more funky than on their one self-titled album – but the group also stretch out strongly too – hitting all the right spots in this forward-thinking blend of spiritual jazz modes, of the sort that would have made them a huge 70s ensemble, had they held on and found the right venue. Titles include the extended "New Horizon", plus "Badi", "Sweet Evil Mist", "Thoughts", and "Keno". CD

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✨✧ Hamid DrakeDedications – Black Cross Solo Sessions 6 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2022. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Drummer Hamid Drake has appeared on countless records over the years – even some as spare as duo improvisation sessions – yet this album is a long-overdue first solo effort from Drake, and one that allows us to hear his sensitive touch on the kit even more than before! Drake's always been a very musical percussionist – able to get all sorts of sounds out of a simple drum kit, in ways that almost feel as melodic as they do rhythmic – not in any sort of Krupa-like style, as Hamid's definitely a free improviser – but with a warmth and understanding of these familiar elements, unlocked in a really personal way! That's the approach used here on all the tracks – a loving set of dedications dedicated to contemporaries who include Don Cherry, Milford Graves, Paul Lovens, Fred Anderson, Adam Rudolph, and others. CD
Also available Dedications – Black Cross Solo Sessions 6 ... CD 12.99

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✨✧ Milford Graves & Don PullenComplete Yale Concert 1966 (In Concert At Yale University/Nommo) ... CD
SRP/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1966. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
Groundbreaking early work from drummer Milford Graves and pianist Don Pullen – a set of long, free improvisations that were originally issued on Graves' Self-Reliance Productions label – combined here for the first time ever! The music is even more striking than sounds from the time on the ESP label – and also really predates some of the freer work of this type from the European scene – as Graves is a monster on the drum kit and a range of percussion, reaching out with this scope of sound and deft command of his hands that's simply breathtaking – matched by energy from Pullen that really surpasses some of his later work too – almost Cecil Taylor-like vibes at points, mixed with other elements that are in a more familiar mode for the pianist. The set features five long improvisations, each a numbered variant with the title "PG". Great gatefold package – with images of some of the hand-painted covers that Graves used for his releases! CD

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✨✧ Joe McPheeAlone Together – The Solo Ensemble Recordings 1974 & 1979 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1974/1979. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A stunning exploration of the "solo ensemble" concept from the legendary Joe McPhee – a mode that might seem like an oxymoron in its name, but which actually features McPhee working with overdub techniques to play alongside himself on a range of different brass and reed instruments! The overdub approach is nothing new – players like Jimmy Giuffre and Anthony Ortega had tried it out in the past, with great results – but in the hands of someone like McPhee, the mode becomes something different altogether – almost as if the creatively-growing Joe is saying that he's finding it hard to find like-minded musicians to work with, so instead decides to turn inward and create these amazing groups of sound all by himself. There's a dynamism here that really makes the music feel as if it's coming from more than one intellect at once – as Joe holds us rapt with work on tenor, alto, soprano, trumpet, alto horn, and other instruments throughout the set. CD

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✨✧ Joe McPheeGlasses ... CD
Hat Hut/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1979. Used ... Out Of Stock
Extraordinary work from one of the true giants of the American scene – a mindblowing set of mostly solo sounds from reedman Joe McPhee – also working here on flugelhorn and a bit of percussion as well! The set begins with the incredible "Glasses" – a piece that appears to have McPhee actually playing a glass in performance, and alternating with some searingly soulful sounds on tenor sax – blown with a texture that matches the glass wonderfully – already showing his amazing ear for sound shapes. Side two reminds us that McPhee's got a deeply spiritual side – as he takes on Coltrane's "Naima" in a haunting solo reading that's almost worth the price of the album alone – full of feeling, but graced with these textures that really open up the song. The set's completed by "New Potatoes" – a much more driving number with added help from percussionist Reto Weber – plus the promised flugelhorn from Joe! CD

Close matches58
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✨✧ Joe McPheeRoute 84 Quarantine Blues – Black Cross Solo Sessions 2 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2021. Used ... Out Of Stock
Tremendous solo work from the great Joe McPhee – recorded alone at home during 2020, as you might guess from the title – but a set that has Joe being wonderfully expressive, in the very personal way that you'd know if you've ever seen him live in performance! McPhee mostly blows tenor, but he also speaks at points – even quoting some lines from Black Panther – and brings in some field recordings, and even makes sounds on water and a pie tin too – all with this mandate to be as fully expressive as possible, even in a situation of isolation – a beautiful testament to the artistic fire that has kept McPhee going as one of the most important improvisers in jazz over the decades! Titles include "Cuernavaca 79", "Goodbye Porky Pig Hat", "Self Portrait In Three Colors – Red, Black, & Green", "Reflection On Ida Lupino", and "Do You Still Love Me". CD
Also available Route 84 Quarantine Blues – Black Cross Solo Sessions 2 ... CD 12.99

Close matches59
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✨✧ Joe McPheeVariations On A Blue Line – Round Midnight ... CD
Hat Hut/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1977. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Seminal solo work from the great Joe McPhee – and a crucial album in linking the American and European undergrounds of the 70s! Joe's working alone here – on soprano sax and tenor – and getting some amazing sounds out of both horns – the kind of post-musical, highly-textural elements that are right at home in the European concert setting of the recording. The album was a legendary start to Hat Art – and to the international fame of McPhee – and side one features an extended tenor performance on the original composition "Beanstalk", and side two features tenor again on "Variations On A Blue Line", then soprano on "Motian Studies", as well as "Round Midnight" – played by Joe with just the right sort of soul to round out the record! CD
Also available Variations On A Blue Line – Round Midnight ... CD 11.99

Close matches60
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✨✧ Joe McPhee & Andre JaumeNuclear Family ... CD
Hat Hut/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1979. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Insanely beautiful work from the great Joe McPhee – an album that was recorded and intended to be issued during his groundbreaking stretch with Hat Art Records – but which never saw the light of day at the time! Why that happened, we're not entirely sure – because the album is tremendous right from the very first note – as McPhee blows alto, tenor, and pocket cornet alongside the work of Andre Jaume on alto, tenor, and bass clarinet – in a set of horn-only performances that are breathtaking from start to finish! Jaume's a great player too – and his work of the time, especially on Hat Art, is a masterpiece of subtlety and soul – and he balances McPhee perfectly here, often with some deeper currents that create a beautifully organic energy between the two. Jaume's got this way of handling his reed that's amazing – and, of course, Joe's phrasing is as incredible as always. Titles include great reworks of modern jazz classics – including "Pithecanthropus Erectus", "Self Portrait In Three Colors", "Evidence", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Lonely Woman" – plus the originals "Nuclear" and "Rue St Jaume". CD
Also available Nuclear Family ... CD 12.99

Close matches61
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✨✧ Joe McPhee & Evan ParkerSweet Nothings (For Milford Graves) – Live In Chicago 2003 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2003. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Two reed geniuses, working together in sublime formation – an extended, open live performance setting – which makes for incredible interplay throughout! There's a beautiful balance between unity and conflict going on here – Evan Parker and Joe McPhee both blowing soprano and tenor, with McPhee on a small bit of pocket cornet as well – crafting lines that sometimes snake out alongside each other, flowering in the open space of improvisation – sometimes chafe next to each other, but in ways that create a magical tension of sonic possibilities – growing to a sound that's way more than the sum of its parts. The set features seven live improvisations – all recorded in the space of the Chicago Cultural Center in 2003. CD
Also available Sweet Nothings (For Milford Graves) – Live In Chicago 2003 ... CD 12.99

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✨✧ Joe McPhee & Hamid DrakeKeep Going ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2018. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A long overdue return to duet formation for Joe McPhee and Hamid Drake – the duo who played together so beautifully on the Emancipation Proclamation album! This set is maybe even more personal, and more open – with Drake working some incredible magic on the drum kit, creating sounds that so many others would only get from a huge variety of percussion instruments – while McPhee blows both alto sax and pocket trumpet – sometimes with an intensity that makes it hard to believe the record's not some lost session of his from the 70s! If you think that you missed out on all the famous improv records the first time around, then think again – because this one's an instant classic. Titles include "Endangered Species", "Medgar/Malcolm/Martin", "Keep Going", "Lord Don't Let Them Drop Them Goddamn Nukes On Us Lord", "Sojourner's Truth", "Morning Star", and "Time Was". CD
Also available Keep Going ... CD 12.99

Close matches63
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✨✧ Sun RaContinuation (with bonus tracks) ... CD
Saturn/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1963. Used 2CD Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Mindblowing music from Sun Ra & The Arkestra – sounds recorded during the same marathon session that gave the world the records Other Planes Of There, When Sun Comes Out, and When Angels Speak Of Love – but titles that are much more obscure overall! The initial release of the material featured very misleading notes, but the true details of the session are even more impressive – as Ra plays a variety of unusual instruments alongside piano – including the piano strings, space organ, and clavioline – alongside some sublime straight horn work from John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and oboe, Pat Patrick on baritone, Danny Davis on alto and clarinet, Walter Miller on trumpet, Robert Cummings on bass clarinet, and Ali Hasaan on trombone! The lineup here has that raw power the Arkestra first unleashed after their initial move to New York – almost a sense of new freedom in the new environment – even at a time when they weren't clicking on a financial level, but still continued to push forward with new ideas in music! Some passages have this great approach that links the cosmic ideas of the Arkestra with older traditions of jazz soloing – while others reflect the growing concern of the group with new textures and sounds – making for some very impressive elements on both the horns and percussion. The group is completed by Ronnie Boykins on bass, Art Jenkins on space voice and percussion, and Tommy Hunter on drums, percussion, and some mighty nice reverb – and titles include "Biosphere Blues", "Intergalactic Research", "Earth Primitive Earth", "New Planet", and "Continuation To Jupiter Festival". Beautiful 2CD reissue features sublime sounds from the original tapes, remastered – plus a full bonus CD of unreleased tracks that include "Blue York", "Conversation Of The Universe", "Red Planet Mars", "Cosmic Rays/Next Stop Mars", "The Myth", "Meteor Shower", "Infinity", "The Beginning Of", and "Endlessness". CD

Close matches64
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✨✧ Hans ReichelWichlinghauser Blues ... CD
FMP/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1973. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Overlooked work by one of the true guitar geniuses of the 70s – an artist who should be right up there with Derek Bailey and Fred Frith – especially with groundbreaking work of this nature! Hans Reichel has a very unique approach to the electric – one that's both very deft on the strings, but also has a sonic sensibility that almost seems to use the instrument to trigger sounds as much as to create notes – moments that are often quite melodic, even when free – shifting between the infinite tonal possibilities of the guitar and some of its textural elements too. Some of Reichel's later work wasn't as great as his 70s output – but this album's a tremendous and well-lauded classic! Titles include "Lupi", "Shaved Guitar", "Krampfhandlugen", and "Alfons Al Piepenbrink & His Lonely Wah Wah Pedal". CD

Close matches65
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✨✧ Jason RoebkeFour Spheres ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2023. Used ... Out Of Stock
A very dynamic set from bassist Jason Roebke – a set that uses graphic scores to direct improvsations by the members of the quartet, who are a very tightly-matched group of players, very able to deliver on Roebke's musical vision! The lineup features some especially great work on clarinet and saxes from Ed Wilkerson – a player we haven't heard as much of in recent years, but who still has the bright fire and imagination that first made us fall in love with his bold music decades ago – and the group also features lots of dark-tinged piano from Mabel Kwan, a player whose depth offsets Wilkerson's energy beautifully. The group also features Marcus Evans on drums, a player who can shake things up in all the right ways – on titles that include "Pulse & Tone", "Quarter Note Equals Eighty", "Stability & Coda", "Piano Spacer", "Four Spheres", and "Starting & Stopping". CD
Also available Four Spheres ... CD 12.99

Close matches66
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✨✧ Ashbury Stabbins Duo (Roy Ashbury/Larry Stabbins)Fire Without Bricks ... CD
Bead/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1977. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
An overlooked gem from the British free jazz scene of the 70s – a set issued on the Bead Records label, and one that got very little circulation at the time – but which is equally as mindblowing as work from the period on labels like Ictus and Ogun! The duo here features Roy Ashbury on drums and percussion, and Larry Stabbins on soprano and tenor – working in this free, open space, but on tracks that are often shorter than album-length improvisations – which allows the players to stop a minute, take a breath, and move into these nicely varied moments of spontaneous creation! You might know Stabbins from later 80s work on more groove-oriented records – but here, he's a tremendousimproviser, with a sense for creative reedwork that might well rival his contemporary Evan Parker. Titles include "Puff", "Formants Of The Deep", "Wych Elm", "Fire Without Bricks", "Rough Cut", and "Maldoror". CD

Close matches67
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✨✧ David Grubbs/Mats Gustafsson/Rob MazurekUnderflow ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2019. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A fantastic meeting of the musical minds – coming together here in a set of live improvisations recorded at a record store in Greece! The setting's an unusual one, and the music is too – sounds that really move past the usual for all three players, but especially David Grubbs and Mats Gustafsson – both of whom seem very comfortable here in some of the sonic territory that we normally hear more from Rob Mazurek! Grubbs' guitar is quite different than on some of his own records – especially the solo acoustic moments – and Mats reminds us that he's not just a hell of a saxophonist, but also a master of many other ways to disturb the flow of air – delivering work here on flute, fluteophone, and live electronics – the last of which is matched with more electronics from Rob Mazurek, who also plays piccolo trumpet and wood flute too. Every song has a different shape and texture, which is a further testament to both the sensitivities of the musicians, and their sympathies with each other – and titles include "Not In A Hall Of Mirrors", "Creep Mission", "City Stones Sleep", and "Goats & Hollers". CD

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✨✧ Peter Kowald/Kent Kessler/Fred Lonberg-HolmFlats Fixed ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1998. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
The strings have it – in this sweet little set from bassists Peter Kowald and Kent Kessler, and the great Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello! The combination of instruments is wonderful – very free, but often quite tuneful nonetheless – as each player seems to glide between rhythm and melody, very much awash in their strong senses of sounds! The recording is a vintage one – captured in the WNUR studios in Chicago, at a very formative time for each player, especially Kessler and Lonberg-Holm – and it's issued here for the first time ever. Tracks vary in length from 17 minutes to 55 seconds – and the CD features 16 titles in all. CD

Close matches69
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✨✧ Okkyung LeeNa-Reul – Black Cross Solo Sessions 3 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2021. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
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". CD

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✨✧ Arto LindsayCharivari – Black Cross Solo Sessions 7 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2022. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
The great Arto Lindsay solo, and at a level that really has his unique character coming out more than ever – definitely different than some of the more song-based records he gave us decades back, and very much in the territory of the sounds that made him such a force during the no wave generation! Arto sings and plays guitar – but the results are hardly as ordinary as that might make you expect – as Lindsay moves from noise one minute to sweeter crooning the next – all with an understanding of the boundaries of sound, and the pleasures in stepping back after reaching them in performance. Every track is a new surprise – and titles include "A Mirror Trying To Do Its Job", "Parallel", "Nothing", "The Famous Land Of Evening", "Your Hair Sticks To My Cheek", "Many Body", and "Yoga". CD

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✨✧ Arto Lindsay/Joe McPhee/Ken Vandermark/Phil SudderbergLargest Afternoon ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2019. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
A set that's brimming over with improvising jazz talent – but one that's an especially great reminder of the guitar genius of the great Arto Lindsay! Lindsay is amazing here – playing with energy to match the brilliance of Ken Vandermark and Joe McPhee – which is really saying a lot, and which has us almost feeling like a younger version of Arto's self stepped forward straight from the New York no wave scene, in order to create a pan-historical bridge with the improvising strengths of the Corbett Vs Dempsey universe! Drummer Phil Sudderberg is wonderful too – a master of sounds and moments – and the short tracks allow for plenty of sharp changes, and shifts in energy between each selection. McPhee blows alto, tenor, and pocket trumpet – and Vandermark is on tenor, baritone, and clarinet – on titles that include "The Push & Pull Beneath The Surface", "She Must Have Known", "Whether You Were There Or Not", "When I Lose Any Sense Of Perspective", and "The World's Longest Afternoon". CD

Close matches72
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✨✧ Paul Lytton & Erhard HirtBorne On A Whim – Duets 1981 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1981. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A set of free improvised duets that are so fierce, they've been kept from the public for decades – finally seeing the light of day in this long-overdue package! Percussionist/electronicist Paul Lytton is a player known to many, and known for his always-incredible ear for sonic intensity – yet we've maybe never heard him this intense before, working alongside guitarist Erhard Hirt, a player with an approach to his instrument that's unlike anyone else in the free jazz universe at the time! Hirt often plays with a great sense of noise – not as bombastically as Sonny Sharrock, or as rock-influenced as some of the others – but almost as if he's using his electric guitar as the gateway to some darker universe, opening a passage that Lytton dives in to follow very quickly with some especially great electronics. Even the percussion has this electrified spark – and titles include "Orbod", "The Sensitive Stickler", "Don't Wait Too Long", "Deder", "Clip", and "175". CD

Close matches73
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✨✧ Joe McPhee & Mats GustafssonBrace For Impact (with bonus track) ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2007. Used Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
The first-ever album of studio duets between Joe McPhee and Mats Gustafsson – quite a surprise, given how often their paths have crossed over the years! The set was recorded in 2007, but only issued many years later – and it's a key document of the power that both improvisers have at this point in their career – each receiving strong global attention and facing new discovery by audiences nobody would have expected to be there for free jazz in the new millennium – but also able to completely put aside their egos and work together with the kind of sensitive interplay that only comes when you've got two masters in a rare moment like this. Sonically, the whole thing is very textural – maybe initially informed by that style that Gustafsson has of exploring all the outer reaches of a saxophone, from the tip of the reed right down to the surface of the pads – as he blows baritone, slide sax, and alto fluteophone – and McPhee works on pocket trumpet, alto, and alto clarinet. Titles include "Suicide Chicken Wings Over Nickelsdorf", "Bat Cave Feast", "Just Blue", "Just Green", "Race Matters", and "Blame Game". CD

Close matches74
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✨✧ Zeena ParkinsTo Dusk – Black Cross Solo Sessions 8 ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2022. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
Maybe one of the most beautiful records we've ever heard from the mesmerizing Zeena Parkins – a set of solo work, mostly done on her electric harp – an instrument that she hasn't used in awhile, but which is wonderfully reawakened here! There's a sonic sensitivity to the record that really brings us back to why we first fell in love with Parkins so many years ago – and the electric harp sounds hardly like you might guess from an instrument of such a name – as Zeena turns it into a conveyor of all sorts of sounds and tones, with extra help from percussion, assorted pedals,a nd some found objects! The album features ten tracks, all really beautiful – making this one of the real standouts in this Black Cross series. CD

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✨✧ PicnicPicnic ... CD
Data/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1985. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Free jazz, and lots lots more – a lost nugget from an especially creative period in the Dutch scene, headed up by cellist Tristan Honsinger! At some level, the music echoes other improvised work by Honsinger – but at others, it also reflects the criss-crossing of genres and scenes that were taking place during these key years – a point after which free jazz had established itself, post-punk had opened up new waves of expression, too-prog tendencies had settled down, and the higher art world had opened their arms to embrace them all! The songs are both instrumental, and feature occasional vocals from Tiziana Simona Vigni – whose role with the sextet is not unlike some of Irene Aebi's performances with Steve Lacy, although maybe a bit more freewheeling and open-ended – more in a Recommended Records vein – a label that might have been a good home for this set, were it not issued by Data Records. In additional to Honsinger on cello and additional voice, the record also features Toshinori Kondo on trumpet, Jean-Jacques Avenel on bass, Sean Bergin on saxes, and Michael Vatcher on percussion – on titles that include "Quandro Era Estate", "Picnic", "Violets", "Teeth", "Orient Express", "Laly", "Romy", and "After The Rain". CD

Close matches76
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✨✧ Dudu Pukwana, Misha Mengelberg, & Han BenninkYi Yole ... CD
ICP/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1978. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A fantastic slice of sound from the legendary Dudu Pukwana – not his work with the famous Blue Notes combo, nor his globally-styled projects – but instead this searing free jazz date cut for the ICP label with Misha Mengelberg on piano and Hank Bennink on drums, clarinet, viola, and trombone! Pukwana is always great, but here he comes on with an improvising force that's even more amazing than you might expect – really stretching out over long tracks on alto sax, with moments that echo his more familiar tones, but with a lot more intensity – really driven on by the fantastic piano impulses from Mengelberg, and all pushed to the brink by Bennink's boundless energy on all instruments. Titles include "The King Of Weasle Is Called Easle", "Yi Yole", and "Silopobock". CD

Close matches77
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✨✧ Hans ReichelBonobo ... CD
FMP/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1975. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A seminal album from Hans Reichel – a musician who might be to free jazz what John Fahey was to acoustic music – a player who can at once be immediately modern and completely timeless in his approach – working here in a way that opens up the instrument beyond any conventional expectations! Many of these tracks have an inherent cyclical pulse – a bit like the way that Fahey could mix Eastern elements with blues inspiration – but there's also a more chromatic approach to the instrument, and ways of playing that go beyond simple notes – so that each touch of a string is almost like a little explosion of color – explosions that work together to make some amazing sounds throughout! Titles include "Bonobo I", "Peter Zweifel", "Lurch", "Toeni", "Moor", "Nicht Sand Sondern Popel Im Getriebe", and "Mariahhilf". CD

Close matches78
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✨✧ Hans ReichelBonobo Beach ... CD
FMP/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1981. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
Pure acoustic genius from Hans Reichel – an improvising musician who rose up in the same generation as Derek Bailey and Fred Frith, but who's got a sound that's maybe much more in the experimental style of American artists like John Fahey or Robbie Basho! We're not saying that Reichel sounds exactly like either of them, but there is a similar love of overall sonic possibilities, and finding tunefulness far from the norm – continually coming up with breathless beauty at a level that's really unexpected, and definitely different than the usual session of free jazz on the FMP label. Titles include "Could Be Nice", "Two Small Pieces Announced By Cigar Box", "Bonobo Beach 1", "Southern Monologue", and "Bonobo Beach 2". CD

Close matches79
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✨✧ Tomeka ReidSoundtrack To Hairy Who & The Chicago Imagists ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2014. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Some of the coolest music we've ever heard from Tomeka Reid – a soundtrack for a film based on the Chicago school of imagist painting in the 60s – nicely scored with music from the windy city itself! Reid composed the different selections on the soundtrack – most of which are different themes for Hairy Who artists, such as Ed Paschke, Ray Yoshida, Jim Nutt, and others – and the music features Reid's cello and the percussion of Adam Vida, plus some slight vocalizations at a few haunting moments! The music is surprisingly tuneful at most points – and quite beautiful as well – and titles include "Jizz & Jazz", "Hairy Shoes", "Tin Eared Tenor", "Dappled Pleasure Dress", "O Number I", "The Design & The Dilemma", and "Snooper Trooper". CD

Close matches80
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✨✧ Tomeka Reid & Fred Lonberg-HolmEight Pieces For Two Cellos (180 gram pressing) ... LP
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2013. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
Tomeka Reid and Fred Lonberg-Holm are two of the most amazing contemporary musicians on cello – yet here, in a set of live duets, they also pay tribute to those who've gone before in jazz territory on the instrument – as they combine their own compositions with those by Sam Jones, Ron Carter, Fred Katz, and Harry Babasin! The music is sublime, and very different than most you'd expect from either player – more compositional at times, but still with the sense of individual and spontaneous expression that you'd get in more improvisational performances – as the whole thing is carried by a sense of richness in tone that reminds us that both Tomeka and Fred have an insane understanding of the cello's potential, showcased here in eight different songs that include "C'Mon", "How Can We", "Monti Cello", "Rally", "Fragile", "In Walked Ray", "Alla Mingus For La Bang", and "Pluck It". LP, Vinyl record album

Close matches81
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✨✧ Luther Thomas11th Street Fire Suite ... CD
Creative Consciousness/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1978. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A wonderfully sensitive record from the legendary St Louis saxophonist Luther Thomas – very different than some of his larger group material, and in a really great way! The record features Thomas in duets with Luther C Petty – the leader on alto sax, Petty on flute, and both musicians on a variety of "small instruments" – used in these openly creative ways throughout the set as the pair improvise together with a sense of spiritual engagement that's really wonderful! The set's got that vibe from the moment when some of the energy from the New York loft jazz scene was almost hitting a sort of more personal, almost pastoral expression on some records – really pushing forward experiments first started in the AACM at a very individual level on records like this. Despite the "suite" of the title, tracks are each singular and on their own – titles that include "11th Street Fire", "Charge & Discharge", "Dormin", and takes on "Since I Lost My Baby" and "The Fire Just Keeps On Burning". CD

Close matches82
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✨✧ Phillip Wilson with Olu DaraEsoteric ... CD
Hat Hut/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1979. New Copy Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
Percussionist Phillip Wilson's got his name on the cover, but the set's a very collaborative outing with trumpeter Olu Dara – recorded in Paris by Jef Gilson with a very free-thinking, open style that bridges both American and European modes of free jazz at the time! Wilson plays both a conventional drum kit and assorted percussion instruments – although not a huge range – and Dara brings a real sense of "voice" to the proceedings, both with his phrasing on the trumpet – often in a gritty, "mouthy" mode – and his occasional vocalizations through the horn – both of which evoke the more spiritual currents of the New York scene in the 70s. There's mindblowingly creative spirit to the music throughout – that best Hat Hut sound from the first few years of the label – and titles include "Call Call The So", "Double Click", "The Chad", "Elephant Bossa", "Olu 1", and "Lester 3". CD
 
 
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