Cuneiform Records 선주문 예약/비트볼 배포

[전선위의 곰]

< Beatball Music Import Title List - 2006. 9 >

비트볼 뮤직 9월 수입 신보안내입니다.
국내에는 처음으로 정식 소개되는 Cuneiform Records의 전타이틀을 비트볼 뮤직에서 독점 수입/배포하게 되었습니다.
Cuneiform Records에는 Universe Zero, Muffin, Presenst, Henry Kaiser, Bill Laswell 등 재즈 록, 아방가르드 록씬에서 선구자적인 뮤지션 / 그룹들의 대표작들이 포진되어 있습니다. 국내에서는 입수가 불가능해 애태웠던 국내 매니어들에게는 반가운 소식이 아닐 수 없습니다. 특히 ECM 등 유럽을 중심으로 한 포스트 밥 또는 일렉트로닉 재즈, 챔버 록 / 캔터베리 록 등을 좋아하시는 팬들에게는 크게 어필할 수 있는 명반들이 Cuneiform Records를 통해 대거 발매되고 있는 상황입니다. 끝까지 살펴보시고 많은 관심과 성원 부탁드립니다.

# 배포가격: CD - 17,000

 
5uu's - Point Of Views
록음악 경계의 확장과 대중음악의 예술적 자율성을 부르짖었던 Henry Cow의 리더 Chris Cutler의 ‘Rock In Opposition’ 선언에 영감을 받은 David Kerman의 프로젝트 ‘5UU’S’의 두 매의 음반을 한 매의 CD에 담아 발매한 Complete Recording. 유러피언 프로그레시브/아방가르드 록으로부터 영향받은 David Kerman의 80년대 음악작업의 총체.
 
Ahleuchatistas - What You Will
2003년 미국 출신 트리오 Ahleuchatistas의 세번째 앨범. Charlie Parker의 ‘Ah-Leu-Cha＇와 멕시코의 Zapatistas운동으로부터 따온 밴드명처럼 대중음악의 경계를 넘어서는 치열한 실험정신으로 중무장하고 있는 작품. 다이내믹과 악곡의 치밀함, 록의 진정성과 실험의식이 극단에서 조율된 수작.
Enchanced CD로서 라이브 동영상 3편 수록.
 
Ahvak – Ahvak
5uu의 Dave Kerman의 리듬파트위에 두 명의 천재적인 작곡가와 키보디스트가 헤쳐놓은 장중한 아방가르드 록의 교향시. Univers Zero, The Sceience Group, Sotos 또는 Thinking Plague등이 이룩한 업적에 비교되는 이슬라엘 그룹 Ahvak 의 화려한 록 퍼포먼스가 담긴 수작.
 
Arkham – Arkham
후일 프랑의 프로그레브 록의 거성 Magma에 가입하게되는 Daniel Denis와 Jean-Luc Manderlier가 재적했던 벨기에 아트록 그룹 Arkham의 동명 타이틀 앨범. 70년대를 대표하는 벨기에 프로그레시브 록 그룹으로서 Soft Machine, Egg, Caravan 등의 음악에 많은 영향을 받은 그들의 총체적 결과물을 담은 마스터피스 레코딩.
 
Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic - Dancing On A'A
Missing Of Burma의 멤버인 Roger Miller와, Martin Swope의 사이드 프로젝트 Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic의 1995년 앨범. Ken Field 등의 참여로 당시로서 환상적인 라인업을 갖춘 후 발매한 아방가르드/프로그레시브 록 수작. 그들의 작품 중 가장 인상적인 작푸으로 평가받는 본작은 ‘Peter Gunn’ 영화음악 및 ‘Rocky & Bullwinkle’, ‘The Simpsons’ 등의 TV 프로그램 사운드트랙에 대한 변주등을 통해 대중음악에 대해 날카로운 비판을 가함으로써 예술적 확장을 부르짖고 있다.
 
Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic – Faultline
Missing Of Burma의 멤버인 Roger Miller와, Martin Swope의 사이드 프로젝트 Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic의 1989년 앨범. multi-keyboards, guitar, electronic percussion, & sax 등 4개 악기가 완벽한 악곡의 구조아래 펼쳐보이는 인터플레이와 예상을 벗어나는 화려한 임프로바이제이션이 응집된 혁신적 록 앨범.
 
Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic – Petrophonics
Missing Of Burma의 멤버인 Roger Miller와, Martin Swope의 사이드 프로젝트 Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic의 2000년 앨범. 프로그레시브 록과 모던 클래식의 하이브리드, 그리고 그 안을 부유하는 사운드 이펙트와 샘플, 노이즈가 엮어내는 미래 지향적 Experimental Rock으로 현재까지 그들의 최고작으로 평가받는 작품.
 
Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic – Pyroclastics
Missing Of Burma의 멤버인 Roger Miller와, Martin Swope의 사이드 프로젝트 Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic의 1991년 앨범. 초창기 시절로 돌아간듯 유려하게 뻣어나가는 키보드의 진동과 강력해진 기타플레이 등이 돋보이며, 특히 재즈의 영향과 Brian Wilson등에서나 엿볼 수 있는 하모니 등 회귀적이며 동시에 신선한 사운드를 담고 있는 필청작.
 
Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic - The Iridium Controversy
Missing Of Burma의 멤버인 Roger Miller와, Martin Swope의 사이드 프로젝트로 시작했던 Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic의 2003년 근작. New York Times등의 언론으로부터 가장 혁신적이고 창의적인 챔버 록 쿼텟이라는 평가를 얻었던 작품으로서, 미니멀리즘, 펑크와 모던 클래식, 재즈와 팝 등의 구조적 믹스쳐를 통한 Experimentalism의 예술을 표현하고 있는 앨범. 그들의 음악에 감명받은 Roger Dean이 직접 디자인했으며, HDCD로 발매된 고음질 오디오파일 음반.
 
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic with Oral Moses - Extreme Spirituals
결성 25주년인 2006년 올해 발매된 통산 열세번째 앨범으로 포스트 펑크와, 아트 록, 익스페리멘틀의 선구자격으로 추앙받는 그들의 본작은 African-American 퍼포먼서이자 보컬리스트 Oral Moses 를 영입하여 지금까지의 음악적 방향을 완전히 선회하고 있다. 기존의 Birdsongs of Mesozoic의 Experimentalizm과 Oral Moses가 추구하는 영혼의 울림이 결합한 몰아의 세계.
 
Raoul Bjorkenheim – Apocalypso
L.A출신으로 버클릭 음대를 졸업한 완성된 기타리스트 Raoul Bjrkenheim은 Edward Vesala’ s Sound & Fury band의 분파로서 자신의 그룹 Krakatau를 결성하며 프로 뮤지션의 길로 접어들었다. 독일의 ECM 레이블등에서 활동했던 그는 Bill Laswell, Henry Kaiser등의 아방가르드 뮤직의 거장들과 교류하며 비로소 자신의 솔로앨범을 발표하기에 이른다. 1995년 작곡되었으며, 몇차례의 공연에서 선보이기도 했던 앨범으로 1996년 이후 5년만에 완성된 아방가르드 퓨젼 록 명반.
 
Bjorkenheim, Raoul & Krakatau – Ritual
L.A출신으로 버클릭 음대를 졸업한 완성된 기타리스트 Raoul Bjrkenheim은 Edward Vesala’ s Sound & Fury band의 분파로서 자신의 그룹 Krakatau를 결성하며 프로 뮤지션의 길로 접어들었다. 본작은 자신의 분신과도 같은 Krakatau와 함께한 데뷔작으로, 두 개의 드럼이 전개하는 타이트한 리듬라인 위로 Raoul Bjorkenheim의 기타사운드가 허공을 휘감는다. 이후 ECM에서 발매했던 3집과 4집에서의 음악적 모태가 여기에 담겨있다.
 
Blast - A Sophisticated Face
네덜란드 출신 아방가르드 록 그룹 Blast의 1999년 앨범.. 아홉명의 소규모 오케스트로로 운용되는 그룹 Blast는 기타, 트럼펫, 그리고 세개의 섹소폰과 바이올린, 첼로 등의 현악기 등의 편성으로 이루어진다. 다소 경약되고 급진적인 Art Zoyd 라고 평가받는 그들은 현악, 관악 등의 일사분란한 인터플레이와 임프로바이제이션으로 이 시대 가장 충격적이며 아름다운 챔버록의 새로운 경지를 개척했다. 록의 경계를 허물고 록의 예술적 자율적 자율성을 성공적으로 실현한 본작은 그들의 최고작으로 거론된다.
 
Blast - Stringy Rugs
네덜란드 출신 아방가르드 록 그룹 Blast의 1997년 앨범.. 아홉명의 소규모 오케스트로로 운용되는 그룹 Blast는 기타, 트럼펫, 그리고 세개의 섹소폰과 바이올린, 첼로 등의 현악기 등의 편성으로 이루어진다. 다소 경약되고 급진적인 Art Zoyd 라고 평가받는 그들은 현악, 관악 등의 일사분란한 인터플레이와 임프로바이제이션으로 이 시대 가장 충격적이며 아름다운 챔버록의 새로운 경지를 개척했다. 저명한 평론가 Bill Ellsworth, 음악 저널 Alternative Press 등에서 최고의 평가를 얻어낸 Blast의 1997년작.
 
Blast - Wire Stitched Ears
네덜란드 출신 아방가르드 록 그룹 Blast의 1995년 앨범.. 아홉명의 소규모 오케스트로로 운용되는 그룹 Blast는 기타, 트럼펫, 그리고 세개의 섹소폰과 바이올린, 첼로 등의 현악기 등의 편성으로 이루어진다. 다소 경약되고 급진적인 Art Zoyd 라고 평가받는 그들은 현악, 관악 등의 일사분란한 인터플레이와 임프로바이제이션으로 이 시대 가장 충격적이며 아름다운 챔버록의 새로운 경지를 개척했다. King Crimson과 Henry Cow의 70년대 음악적 성과에 필적하는 통산 두번째 앨범으로 이후 Cuneiform에서 발매되는 명작들의 신호탄격 작품.
 
Bone - Uses Wrist Grab
명석하며 동시에 격렬한 연주는 Doctor Nerve, Soft Machine, Foever Enstein 출신의 정예멤버들 3인이 연출하는 실험성 농후한 싸이키델리아에 다름아니다. Nick Didkovsky의 디스토션 가득한 헤비 기타와 Soft Machine 출신 Hugh Hopper의 천재의 반열에 오른 베이스 터치, 그리고 다이내믹한 그루브로 넘실대는 드럼 등 초현실적인 록을 연출하는 트리오 Bone의 충격작.
 
David Borden - Places, Times & People
세계적인 아방가르드 일렉트로닉 그룹 Mother Mallard의 브레인 David Borden의 1995년 작품. 작곡가로서, 그리고 일렉트로닉 계열의 선구자 중 한사람으로서 그의 계속되는 실험의 결과물은 대중음악 전체에 큰 영향력을 행사하고있다. 클래식 악곡과 난해한 텍스쳐, 엄격한 대위법 등 그는 이 모든 것들을 그의 음악 속에 하나로 녹여낸다. 그의 디스코그래피 중 후반부에 위치하는 본작은 그런 그의 사운드 아트가 절정에 달한 작품으로 평가받는다.

David Borden & Mother Mallard - The Continuing Story of Counterpoint, Parts 1-4 + 8 (Complete)
세계적인 아방가르드 일렉트로닉 그룹 Mother Mallard의 브레인 David Borden의 1990년 작품. 작곡가로서, 그리고 일렉트로닉 계열의 선구자 중 한사람으로서 그의 계속되는 실험의 결과물은 대중음악 전체에 큰 영향력을 행사하고있다. 클래식 악곡과 난해한 텍스쳐, 엄격한 대위법 등 그는 이 모든 것들을 그의 음악 속에 하나로 녹여낸다. 무려 11년동안의 제작기간을 통해 총 세 매로 발표된 Counterpoint 시리즈 중 1번부터 4번, 그리고 8번을 담은 본작에서 그는 Mike Oldfield 혹은 Tangerine Dream 등의 음악을 연상케하는 일렉트로닉 예술을 창조하고 있다.
 
David Borden & Mother Mallard - The Continuing Story Of Counterpoint, Parts 5-8
세계적인 아방가르드 일렉트로닉 그룹 Mother Mallard의 브레인 David Borden의 1990년 작품. 작곡가로서, 그리고 일렉트로닉 계열의 선구자 중 한사람으로서 그의 계속되는 실험의 결과물은 대중음악 전체에 큰 영향력을 행사하고있다. 클래식 악곡과 난해한 텍스쳐, 엄격한 대위법 등 그는 이 모든 것들을 그의 음악 속에 하나로 녹여낸다. Counter Point 시리즈 중 1987년부터 1989년 사이에 작곡된 5번부터 8번을 담고 있는 본작은 부유하는 드론 사운드위에 개인의 자아가 중첩되어있다. Bach가 그랬듯 그의 Counerpoint는 20세기 대중음악의 구약성서로 평가받는다.
 
David Borden & Mother Mallard - Counterpoint 9-12
세계적인 아방가르드 일렉트로닉 그룹 Mother Mallard의 브레인 David Borden의 1990년 작품. 작곡가로서, 그리고 일렉트로닉 계열의 선구자 중 한사람으로서 그의 계속되는 실험의 결과물은 대중음악 전체에 큰 영향력을 행사하고있다. 클래식 악곡과 난해한 텍스쳐, 엄격한 대위법 등 그는 이 모든 것들을 그의 음악 속에 하나로 녹여낸다. 1986년부터 1987년 사이에 집중적으로 녹음된 Counterpoint 시리즈 중 9번부터 12번까지를 담은 본작은 가장 혁신적인 음악적 실험이 이루어졌던 시기의 녹음으로서, Brian Eno, Universe Zero, Steve Reich 등을 믹스한 듯 종횡무진하는 그의 천재적 감각에 감탄하게 만든다.

 
Boud Deun - Astronomy Made Easy
북미 Virginia 출신의 Jazz Rock 그룹 Boud Deun의 '97년작. 전작의 노선을 계승하면서, 프로그레시브, 아방가르드 록의 인텔리젼트한 앙상블 전개가 매력적인 앨범. .Greg Hiser의 바이올린과 Shawn Persinger의 오소독스한 기타 프레이즈 등 안정적인 스피드감과 심플하면서도 긴장감을 놓치지 않는 연주와 악곡으로 만들어진 수작.
 
Boud Deun - The Stolen Bicycle
북미 Virginia 출신의 Jazz Rock 그룹 Boud Deun의 ‘98년작. 「ASTRONOMY MADE EASY」에서 보여주었던 철저한 작/편곡을 바탕으로 치밀한 스코어 지향주의, 그리고 한층 더 완숙한 테크닉이 더해져 완성된 앨범이 본작이다. 코믹컬한 쟈켓과 컨셉과는 정반대로 아름다운 선율을 동반한 악곡의 전개, 그리고 바이올린과 기타의 긴장감 넘치는 앙상블은 재즈, 아방가르드 팬들로부터 감동을 이끌어내기에 충분하다.
 
Cartoon – Sortie
Low stock warning! Less than 35 copies remain and this is not being reprinted! In the very darkest days of progressive music, Cartoon were one of the very brightest stars of U.S. classical/progressive rock. Originally a trio (keyboards, guitar, drums), & expanding to a quintet for their 2nd lp (add reeds & violin), they used classical form & influences along with more avant prog influences like Zamla & Univers Zero. This is both their lps (minus one track that wouldn't fit) directly off the masters & includes a 12 page book with photos & a band history. "Their music is just as amazing now as it was ten years ago not being dated or outmoded in any way."-Background. "...one of the hidden gems of American progressive rock."-Laser's Edge
 
George Cartwright - The Memphis Years
This is the second solo release by composer/saxophonist George Cartwright, best known as the leader of Curlew. The Memphis Years pays tribute to Cartwrights five-year involvement in Memphis' well known music scene, and features some of that citys best musicians. Cartwright collaborates with noted lyricist Paul Haines (Tropic Appetites, Escalator Over The Hill) and vocalist Amy Denio. Curlew guitarist Davey Williams also appears. The result is a blending of strictly composed songs sung by Denio and composed and semi-improvisational jazz-oriented instrumentals. Cartwright continues to astound...altogether foot-stomping and gregariously festive...but then again, we wouldnt expect anything less (5/5 stars)!-All About Jazz.
 
Guigou Chenevier - Rumours Of The City
Guigou is one of rock's great unsung drummers, performing with Volapk and Etron Fou for many years. This album grew out of a workshop Guigou held in his home of Avignon. He composed music for saxes, clarinets, cellos, keyboards, guitar, bass & drums, to be played by professional musicians (with all of Volapk as part of the band). Then he added tapes he had made of ''amateur'' musicians performing in impromptu situations. This work is a mixture of the compositions for septet plus taped fragments of the amateurs. Neither aspect stands alone, as each - the professional & the enthusiastic amateur - is assimilated into the whole. Great compositions, great playing & a beautiful cover; a brilliant & unique presentation.
 
The Claudia Quintet - I, Claudia
The 2nd release by this sensational 'jazz and beyond' ensemble. Their music, while clearly influenced by the jazz idiom, goes far beyond jazz, and many parts of this record have more in common with musicians such as L'Ensemble Raye, Hamster Theatre, Nimal, Von Zamla and others. This album demonstrates that, "Innovative jazz does not have to be harsh, angry, loud, shrill or grating; it can be delicate, witty, ethereal and radiantly lyric, as the Claudia Quintet pointed out..." [Chicago Tribune]. Formed by composer/drummer John Hollenbeck in 1997, this NY ensemble creates music that explores the edge in a manner that captivates and enthralls novice listeners, and keeps experienced fans returning for more. Claudias newest release, I, Claudia is a highly seductive work, ripe with compelling, propulsive grooves, dynamic sensitivity, catchy melodies and telepathic improvisation. Remarkably accessible, its music can perhaps be called postjazz. As the NY Times stated recently: "...if the music were a little bit dumber, it would resemble the music of the rock band Tortoise. No disrespect to Tortoise." In addition to Hollenbeck, the band features four other versatile and acclaimed players drawn from the huge pool of talent in New York: Drew Gress (double bass), Matt Moran (vibraphone), Ted Reichman (accordion) and Chris Speed (tenor sax and clarinet). I predict that many people who would never consider themselves as interested in a 'contemporary jazz' release will be floored by this album.
 
The Claudia Quintet - Semi-Formal
The Claudia Quintet is proof positive that the pessimists were wrong: jazz is not dead, despite being embalmed by major labels and confined by some musicians to dead ends. In the works of this sensational NY-based, 'jazz and beyond' ensemble, jazz has broken through its rigid shell and been reborn in shimmering new form. It lives and breathes in music that melds influences from classical minimalism, new music composition, and progressive and post-rock with an astonishingly fresh jazz sensibility. Whatever one wants to call their music, it has very striking original, unique and attractive qualities. This is a slowly unfolding album; group leader/drummer/composer John Hollenbeck has specifically stated that this album is "...a 'listener's record' - a record that might not make perfect sense when individual tracks are listened to randomly on one's ipod shuffle or on a writer's deadline.... In the end, despite despite cultural pressure to create an instant "hit", I had to listen to my inner voice and go for this - whatever you want to call it - (is it a concept album?)...an album that I hope will cater at the very least to the deep, patient listener." In addition to Hollenbeck, the band has four other superb musicians: Drew Gress (double bass), Matt Moran (vibraphone), Ted Reichman (accordion) and Chris Speed (tenor sax and clarinet). Their previous release, "I, Claudia" was a huge critical and sales success, even reaching the top 15 jazz albums played in the US, according to CMJ, a major industry guide!
The Claudia Quintet creates a fresh, distinctive sound while it obliterates barriers between jazz, classical and progressive rock.-DownBeat.
 
Graham Collier - Workpoints 2 x CDs
Called "A pioneer...a true British jazz original." by The Times, "An inventive and underrated jazz figure" by Jazziz and "Britain's most original jazz talent." by The Financial Times, Graham Collier is one of the best known British jazz composers, and over a 40 year career, his list of compositions and comissions has grown to encompass ensembles around the world. He was born in Tynemouth, England in 1937. He won a Downbeat scholarship to Berklee School of Music, Boston, studying with Herb Pomeroy and becoming its first British graduate in 1963. Returning to Britain, he formed the first of many line-ups known as Graham Collier Music, which over the years has featured a vast majority of all British jazz musicians of note. He was also the first receipient of a grant from the Art's Council of Great Britain for jazz composition; basically his work was so impressive that it forced the dowdy music establishment to take jazz seriously for the first time, which led to other deserving UK musicians also having a chance to be supported for their art in the jazz world! Workpoints consists of two previously unreleased concerts from 'a golden age of British jazz': one from 1968 and one from 1975. The music is composed with lots of room for contributions from the individual players, and in that regard, might be comparable to the work of one of Graham's heroes, Charles Mingus. The album features a huge number of well known jazz musicians, such as: Harry Beckett, Mike Gibbs, Karl Jenkins, Frank Ricotti, Henry Lowther, John Marshall, John Surman, Art Themen, Kenny Wheeler and others. Included in the booklet are archival photos, notes and comments from Graham.
 
Robert Creely, Steve Swallow, David Torn, Chris Massey, David CasT - Have We Told You All You'd Thought To Know?
Robert Creeley is one of Americas greatest living poets; he was the link between the beat poets of Greenwich Village and those of Black Mountain College. Creeley has long acknowledged the influence of jazz & improvised music on his work. In this collaboration of music & poetry, recorded live 9/98, Creeley reads his texts while the extremely talented band of David Torn (guitar, processing), Steve Swallow (electric bass), David CasT (saxes, bass clarinet) and Chris Massey (drums) provide a lively mesh of music that supports and augments the reading. This disc provides a permanent record of the quintets emotionally moving performance, a work of art in which poetry, music & process become one.
 
Curlew – Bee
Heads up that we are down to well under 50 copies of what was the defining album by one of *the* - if not THE - definitive "downtown sound" bands in New York City in the 80's, and which will NOT be reprinted. Led by saxist George Cartwright, Curlew are noted for their sense of fun, great riffing, spirited interplay & superb musicianship. This was the first by the classic lineup of Tom Cora-cello, Davey Williams-guitar, Ann Rupel-bass, & Pippin Barnett-drums. Curlew were one of the great or greatest Cuneiform bands during our formative years and this lengthry album is just filled with amazing stuff. They used to pack the old Knitting Factory everytime they would play and they toured all over Europe and even the eastern half of the USA, yet somehow the serious and huge acclaim that they deserved eluded them. I think we should blame the record label! Tom plays some unbelievable solos, and the rest of the band match him and better him, spurring him on to even greater heights. Much of this album still raises goose flesh over 15 years later, and Davey Williams channels Jimi Hendrix better than ANYONE I've ever heard on his unbelievable solo on "To The Summer In Our Hearts". George and Tom contribute catchy tunes that the band simply rip through. HELL, YES. Recommended.
 
Curlew - Fabulous Drop
Led by saxist George Cartwright, Curlew are noted for their sense of fun, great riffing, spirited interplay, & the superb musicianship of musical members like Davey Williams, Ann Rupel, Chris Cochrane & Kenny Wollesen. This features somewhat changed instrumentation & a new edge & maturity. ''Curlew's new twin-guitar lineup has resulted in, perhaps, the most satisfying yet of recordings by this criminally unrecognized band.''-Henry Kaiser. ''...another stunningly good release...''-Memphis Flier.
 
Curlew - Live In Berlin
Led by saxist George Cartwright, Curlew are noted for their sense of fun, great riffing, spirited interplay & the superb musicianship of musical members Tom Cora, Davey Williams, Wayne Horvitz & Pippin Barnett. ''Jazz record of the week...one of the best of New York's downtown bands, & this recording captures the group at its most intense, roadhouse best.''-The New York Times.
 
Curlew - Meet The Curlews
Few avant/electric jazz bands have maintained as high a quality of work over as long a career over two decades thus far as Curlew. Saxist/leader/main composer George Cartwright's compositions for Curlew are at once direct and mysterious, possessing a clarity and focus that show both Ellington and Ornette assimilated in the most unique way. They provide room for the bands individual members ace players all to stretch out, improvise and leave their imprint. Curlews sound has therefore evolved with each new lineup. "Meet the Curlews" features long-time members Cartwright and guitarist Davey Williams as well as new members bassist Fred Chalenor (Wayne Horvitz's Pigpen, Hughscore), drummer Bruce Golden and pianist Chris Parker, whose contributions swing the genre-busting band more firmly into the realm of jazz. The eighth brilliant album by the band that The Wire called "...one hell of a group", and who Option referred to as "...the best and most obstinately commited band to emerge from New York's Knitting Factory based alternative music scene...
 
Curlew – Mercury
Curlew was formed in 1979 by George Cartwright, the group's leader, saxophonist, and main composer. Cartwright's compositions are at once direct and mysterious, possessing a clarity and focus that show both Ellington and Ornette assimilated in a most unique way. Backed by the hard-rocking unit of Chris Parker-electric keyboards and piano, Dean Granros-guitar, Fred Chalenor-bass and Bruce Golden-drums, Curlew somehow manage to combine rnb swagger and groove with free jazz and wild soloing into a whole that is immediately identifiable as nothing other than Curlew! As a unit Curlew is focused and structured...(they are) a finely tuned machine with a sparkling identity.-All About Jazz. Curlew are well known and well respected for almost 25 years of exciting work. Mercury is their 10th release; may they rock for another 25!!
 
Curlew - North America
Few avant/electric jazz bands have maintained as high a quality of work over as long a career over two decades thus far as Curlew. Formed in 1979, North America reissues their obscure 2nd album, which was recorded in 1984-85 and originally released only in Germany. It features the band in transition from it's original line-up into the band that helped to define the "Knitting Factory Sound" in the mid/late 1980's, and who the New York Times, called, the best of the unsigned, genre-busting downtown groups. North America is an unusual album in the band's oeuvre, as it's their one album that is the most obviously a product of the studio, and it's also their most overtly 'avant-progressive' release. Like all the band's work, it is a unique synthesis of gritty Southern r 'n' b, harmolodics, finger-popping grooves and the avant-garde. The band who perform on North America is pretty much an all-star ensemble of the emerging 'downtown' scene: Appearing as always are saxist/leader George Cartwright and cellist Tom Cora. Fred Frith appears in the role of bassist (& 2nd guitarist), which might seem a little suprising until one remembers that for many years he held down the bass chair in Naked City. Curlew was actually the first band in which he played bass. The guitarist is Mark Howell. Drum duties are split between Rick Brown and Pippin Barnett. Pippin would become Curlew's drummer for the next six years. In addition to the personnel on the original album, there is 30' of never-heard bonus live material included which was recorded a year before the recording of the album, and which features Cartwright, Cora, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, drummer Anton Fier and bassist Otto Williams. We remastered it for better sound than the original issue, and repackaged it as well, with great liner notes by Michael Decapite.
 
Curlew – Paradise
Led by saxist George Cartwright, Curlew are noted for their sense of fun, great riffing, spirited interplay, & the superb musicianship of musical members like Davey Williams, Ann Rupel, Chris Cochrane & Samm Bennett. This features somewhat changed instrumentation & a new edge & maturity. ''Curlew's new twin-guitar lineup has resulted in, perhaps, the most satisfying yet of recordings by this criminally unrecognized band.''-Henry Kaiser. ''...one hell of a group...''-The Wire.
 
The Danubians - The Danubians
The Danubians is the exciting, new international band comprising Amy Denio-vocals, accordion, alto sax & bass, Pavel Fajt-drums, and half of Hungarys Kampec Dolores; Csaba Hajnocy-guitar, sampler & Gabi Kenderesi-vocals, violin. Recorded live last year in Italy & Hungary, at points this features Csaba playing samples of Amy & Gabis voice, while they sing along live with the samples! Nine charming songs that chart the territory where Eastern European folk influences meet with rock, improvisation, soaring vocals and accordions! We have long wanted to work with Amy Denio on one of her own projects & are thrilled she brought us such a great one! ''...the Danubians' self-titled debut gleams. Nine tracks: Nine winners!-Schwann Inside.
 
Elton Dean - Just Us
English jazz saxophone legend Elton has been in the public eye for over 30 years, & has played in numerous acclaimed groups over the years, including the Keith Tippett Group, Soft Machine and many others. This is the LONG awaited reissue on CD of Elton's very first solo album (with the scorpions on the cover), recorded & released in 1971, while he was still a member of Soft Machine. In addition to the original album, we have added 25' of never heard bonus material, recorded live in 1972. The music on this release is a cross between the musical freedom that Elton's career would later take & more composed music comparable to Soft Machine's output.
 
Elton Dean – Moorsong
Moorsong shows British jazz sax legend Dean entirely at home with an impressive range of jazz settings & styles. The CD begins with a swinging Hammond Organ-driven session. The latter part of Moorsong features spacier, more atmospheric sets, with the music more based on modes & drones. Moorsong shows Dean in top form throughout, exploring the varied topography of British jazz, with appeal to afficionados of jazz, fusion and free music alike...
 
Elton Dean Quintet - Silent Knowledge
English jazz saxophone legend Elton was in the public eye for over 35 This was Cuneiform's first release by the great free-jazz saxophonist and composer Elton Dean and was also Elton's first-ever North American release under his own name. This album features a European all-star free-jazz band: Paul Dunmall-saxes, Paul Rogers-bass, Tony Levin-drums (all of the well known UK jazz collective Mujician) and French pianist Sophia Domancich. It's a powerful "Brit-jazz" disc that features some tightly arranged compositions mixed in with superlative free blowing. "What makes the record is the great feeling of all involved being totally immersed in what's unfolding, which is essentially big, brawny, free-minded jazz..."-The Wire
 
Elton Dean, Paul Dunmall, Tony Levin, Paul Rogers, Roswell Rudd, Keith Tippett – Bladik
This album, released under all of the musician's names, but instigated and led by Elton Dean, features all of Mujician as well as the legendary American trombonist - possibly the foremost trombonist in free-jazz, Roswell Rudd. "Dunmall, Levin, Rogers and Tippett perform and record on a regular basis as the Mujician quartet, and the addition of Elton Dean on saxes and Roswell Rudd on trombone adds some weight to the quartet sound, but doesn't change the style of the music appreciably. Like Mujician, this augmented group starts with relatively open-ended collective improvisations, concentrating initially on individual instrumental textures and timbres, and then works its way gradually into melody, metrical regularity and interactions among various group members. Each of the three long pieces is a journey, and process is at least as important as product. In fact, the episodic, improvisational nature of the music is such that the CD might as well be one long 60-minute composition, because there's no clear sonic or stylistic transition between one piece and the next. Rudd is a real presence at times on trombone; he's an expansive, extroverted musician playing an instrument which accentuates such personal qualities. On occasion, Rudd's presence gives some of the blues-oriented sections a gregarious, almost Dixieland sensibility. Dean and Dunmall are both excellent on saxophones, and although there's no information on who's playing what, I suspect that Dunmall would be most often on tenor, while Dean would be playing his standard mixture of alto and saxello. The emotional range of the music on Bladek is enormous, and includes poignant solo work, both lyrical and raucous dialogues between group members, broad blues swagger, and some powerhouse collective free blowing which recapitulates the best of the late, expanded Coltrane groups."-Bill Tilland/All Music Guide
 
Deus Ex Machina – Cinque
One of the finest avant/progressive bands in the world today, Deus Ex Machina have carved out an enviable reputation with their amazingly high energy live shows and their incredible six previous live & studio albums. They are an Italian sextet of vocals, violin, Hammond organ/Fender Rhodes piano/Arp Odyssey synth, guitar, bass and drums. All of the players are top notch, but, as we all know, the most attention is always paid to the vocalist, & in the classically trained Alberto Piras, who sings in both Latin and Italian (!), Deus Ex Machina have one of the greatest voices in rock ever. Cinque is their fifth studio work, and is a astonishing, heady blend of jazz/rock fusion with heavy progressive rock. This is the first album by D.E.M. released outside of Italy, and I can not begin to tell you how proud we are to have them on Cuneiform. "[Deus Ex Machina] are easily one of the fifty most influencial progressive rock bands...spectacular."-20th Century Rock & Roll/Jerry Lucky. Driving, agressive fusion with wickedly complex rhythms, hints of R.I.O and avant garde sounds, and Alberto Piras' unbelievable vocal skills...essential."-Expose.
 
Djam Karet - A Night For Baku
Djam Karet were established in 1984 and by the late 1980's had established themselves as one of the US's most important instrumental progressive rock ensembles. Compared by the press with King Crimson, Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Ozric Tentacles and Porcupine Tree, they are credited with breathing new life into progressive rock. Their music is a unique and exciting blend of heavy guitar rock, jam-band excitement and ambient/electronic soundscapes. The title derives from Japanese folklore: the Baku are mythical inhabitants of the dream world, valiant warriors who devour nightmares as the spoils of battle. A Night For Baku is a journey through Djam Karets musical universe, an immersion in its aural dreams. This finds Djam Karet utilizing more keyboards and electronics than in the recent past, and collaborating on one track with electronic musician Steve Roach. The band's work is legendary, and this release will only help continue to raise their profile.
 
Djam Karet - Burning The Hard City
Djam Karet use dual guitars, keyboards/electronics, bass & drums. They play interesting & fresh instrumental progressive rock. They have developed their own sound out of the classic influences of bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Present, Heldon, & others, and are one of the most popular and essential US progressive bands. This reissues one of the two albums that were released simultaneously in 1991, each showcasing a very different side of their work. Expos noted that ''Djam Karet took the two main drivers of their music, hard-edged guitar work and electronic ambient, and forcibly separated them...this was...the ultimate defining moment for Djam Karet, as it proved just how broadly talented, visionary and artistic the band could be, while also showcasing their finest songwriting to date.'' Using dual guitars, keyboards, bass & drums, the sound on Burning The Hard City is probably their heaviest ever; ''Guitars crunch, slash, crash and bang through a bundle of hard driving prog rock cookers. Think 1973 and King Crimson...''-Keyboard.
 
Djam Karet - Live At Orion
Djam Karet use dual guitars, keyboards/electronics, bass & drums. They play interesting & fresh instrumental progressive rock. They have developed their own sound out of the classic influences of bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Present, Heldon, & others, and are one of the most popular and essential US progressive bands. In 9/98, Djam Karet were invited to play their 1st ever East Coast shows, which were recorded, & this, a superbly recorded release is the result. Voted ''One of the 100 best independent releases of 1999'' by Pulse magazine, this is an excellent summation of their work, & a perfect introduction to them. ''...the greatest undiscovered band in the world.''-Electronic Musician. ''Pink Floydian dreamscapes intersect with the jagged complexity of King Crimson.''-Rolling Stone. ''Drawning upon music that spans its 15 years together, Djam Karet is never less than exhilarating in its virtuoso interplay, while never succumbing to jam band histrionics''-Billboard.
 
Djam Karet - New Dark Age
Featuring dual guitar and keyboard-driven rockers and dark soundscapes woven from an array of electronics, this, the band's 11th release, showcases how Djam Karets signature sound has evolved after over 15 years of playing together. Interweaving elements from the hard rock/progressive and ambient/trance schools, Djam Karet has created a progressive rock that remains outside of any single stylistic time a true classic progressive sound. Djam Karet are firmly in the tradition of progressive rock, but they are exciting and powerful and sound like no one but themselves.
 
Djam Karet - Recollection Harvest
With Recollection Harvest, Djam Karet has again succeeded in making a powerful and beautiful album of progressive rock. Recollection Harvest is also a landmark in the bands restless sonic evolution. In the bands own words, Never content to just sit on our ass, we worked diligently to explore a more melodic and orchestrated vision of high energy progressive rock. Deeply disturbing atmospheres and netherworlds await. Acoustic guitars, generous use of vintage analog synths and mellotrons, and the use of 2 bass players for compositional ideas, are paired along with familiar aspects of the Djam Karet sound: ripping dual lead guitars, a dynamic pounding rhythm section, and electronic treated field recordings and soundscapes. Recollection Harvest is the bands 16th studio recording, and is actually two albums combined on a single CD. The first half, Recollection Harvest, is Djam Karets most extensive foray into high energy melodic rock underpinned by vintage and modern keyboards. It also shows Djam Karet revisiting its "fusion" roots. The second half of Recollection Harvest, titled "Indian Summer, is a quieter, more introspective and evocative work in which Djam Karet explores a variety of electro/acoustic sounds and moods. The instrumentation ranges from acoustic guitars and bazouki, to hand percussion, modular analog synths, and field recordings from the Middle East.
All the clichs ever used about instrumental prog rock at its best would be appropriate here soaring, anthemic, powerful, gorgeous, cosmic, and so on...thats good news for anyone who wants to revisit the glory days of the genre or find out why this type of music still has so many fans.... Their music has a sweeping, epic sound very much in the tradition ...-Bill Tilland, All Music Guide.
 
Djam Karet - Reflections From The Firepool
One of the most popular & essential US progressive rock bands. Djam Karet use dual guitars, keyboards/electronics, bass & drums. They play interesting & fresh instrumental progressive rock. They have developed their own sound out of the classic influences of bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Present, Heldon, & others, and are one of the most popular and essential US progressive bands. Originally released in 1989, Reflections From The Firepool was the album that brought the band to the attention of the general public & was such a powerful release that even mainstream publications such as Billboard and Rolling Stone took notice & gave glowing reviews. Over a decade later, it's still a fresh blending of complex heavy guitar rock and electronics. ''...the greatest undiscovered band in the world.''-Electronic Musician. ''Pink Floydian dreamscapes intersect with the jagged complexity of King Crimson.''-Rolling Stone.
 
Djam Karet - Suspension & Displacement
Djam Karet use dual guitars, keyboards/electronics, bass & drums. They play interesting & fresh instrumental progressive rock. They have developed their own sound out of the classic influences of bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Present, Heldon, & others, and are one of the most popular and essential US progressive bands.This reissues one of the two albums that were released simultaneously in 1991, each showcasing a very different side of their work. Expos noted that ''Djam Karet took the two main drivers of their music, hard-edged guitar work and electronic ambient, and forcibly separated them...this was...the ultimate defining moment for Djam Karet, as it proved just how broadly talented, visionary and artistic the band could be, while also showcasing their finest songwriting to date.''Suspension & Displacement spotlights a complimentary yet completely different side of the band. This is dark, ambient electronic & acoustic soundscapes mixed with found recordings. ''...the greatest undiscovered band in the world.''-Electronic Musician. ''Pink Floydian dreamscapes intersect with the jagged complexity of King Crimson.''-Rolling Stone.
 
Djam Karet - The Devouring
Djam Karet use dual guitars, keyboards/electronics, bass & drums. They play interesting & fresh instrumental progressive rock. They have developed their own sound out of the classic influences of bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Present, Heldon, & others, and are one of the most popular and essential US progressive bands. This was their 1st studio release after a long absence, and in some ways, might be considered their most overtly progressive rock release. ''The greatest progressive rock album of the 1990's'' -Dr. Robert LaDuca (Nearfest co-founder). ''...the greatest undiscovered band in the world.''-Electronic Musician. ''Pink Floydian dreamscapes intersect with the jagged complexity of King Crimson.''-Rolling Stone. ''Drawning upon music that spans its 15 years together, Djam Karet is never less than exhilarating in its virtuoso interplay, while never succumbing to jam band histrionics''-Billboard.
 
Doctor Nerve - Armed Observation / Out To Bomb Fresh Kings
Available again for a short time! These are the first two albums, complete on one CD, that cemented Nerve's reputation as one of New York City's most fast 'n' furious bands. The first album is somewhat more in the vein of the early 80's punk/jazz scene (Massacre, Material) than later work, and with embryonic versions of the lineup, but it still smokes. Armed Observation was their second, and the definitive Nerve sound is beginning to be cemented into place. Hot NYC downtown fusion. Get it while you can!
 
Doctor Nerve - Did Sprinting Die?
Aa live show from 6/14/89. "Guitarist/leader Nick Didkovsky loves building polyrythmic edifices out of odd rythmic figures played at breakneak tempos by his turn-on-a-dime ensemble...which he pushes to inhuman limits of virtuosity."-Option.
 
Doctor Nerve – Skin
NYC's most fast 'n' furious band. On Skin, Nerve finds the unlikely meeting ground between heavy metal, thrashcore, contemporary composition & artrock. ''The music is brash, tricky, obnoxious, & proud of it.''-The New York Times. ''Magnificent''-The Wire. ''A startling collision of post-metal guitar, avant-garde improvisation, & tight large-ensemble arrangments.''-Guitar Player. This is their masterpiece so far; start here.
 
Doctor Nerve with the Sirius String Quartet – Ereia
Well under a box of this album remains on our shelves and when they're gone, then that's it! The most recent and the most ambitious release by NYC's most fast 'n' furious band. Recorded in collaboration with the Sirius String Quartet. Ereia is a large work in three movements that spans intimate composition for solo viola, tightly reigned composition for full ensemble, explosive conducted improvisation of orchestral scope, and incendiary solos over rock grooves. It includes a no-holds-barred live performance of the second movement, recorded at Ereia's premiere at the FIMAV '97 Festival. Nerve play the densest, heaviest, most intricately composed music you could ever imagine! Nothing else sounds like Doctor Nerve!
 
Paul Dunmall Octet - Bebop Starburst
Saxophonist Dunmall of Mujician appears here fronting his octet, a mixture of well known & up-and-coming players, including Keith Tippett-piano, Simon Pickard-tenor sax, Annie Whitehead & Chris Bridges-trombone, Gethin Liddington-trumpet, Paul Rogers-bass & Tony Levin-drums. But the group is not just ''Mujician + four more'', as Paul is firmly in control here, mixing his compositions with the more free-oriented blowing of the ensemble, moving through a five part program that goes through many moods. Sympathetically produced by Evan Parker, Bebop Starburst is an important addition to Paul's growing body of works, and to the genre known affectionately as ''Britjazz''.
 
Paul Dunmall Octet - Great Divide
Born 1953 in Welling, England, Paul Dunmall is one of Britains best-known jazz musicians. Classically trained on clarinet, Dunmall began his professional music career in 1969. Dunmall is perhaps most widely known for his work since 1988 as a member of Mujician, a highly acclaimed British improvising collective that has released four albums on Cuneiform. Since 1997, Dunmall has led his own Octet. The Paul Dunmall Octet includes both well known and up-and-coming players. In The Great Divide, the bands third release, the Paul Dunmall Octet progresses through a six-part program that explores a multitude of moods and styles within the medium of modern improvised jazz. On the final track, an additional 8 players join the Octet on their musical journey. The CD is an important addition to Dunmall's ever-growing body of works as well as to the genre affectionately called ''Britjazz''.
 
Paul Dunmall & Moksha Big Band - I Wish You Peace
I Wish You Peace is a landmark recording in the career of one of modern jazzs emerging giants: British jazz musician Paul Dunmall. A world-class reed player, Dunmall is described as "A powerful player often cited as the cream of British saxophonists" by the Guiness Who's Who In Jazz, and a "Superlative saxophone and clarinet playerone of the best reed players in Europe if not the world." by Venue. He is a member of the UK improvising ensemble Mujician and leads the Paul Dunmall Octet among many other credits. To celebrate the British musicians 50th anniversary in 2003, the BBC enabled Dunmall to fulfill his longstanding dream to compose and record for a big band at Gateway Studios. This gave Dunmall an unprecedented opportunity to assemble and write for the large ensemble of his dreams, which he named the Moksha Big Band after a Hindu word meaning the supreme liberation of the soul. Numbering 14 players plus a conductor, the Moksha Big Band includes both established and new talent from the UK free-jazz pool, including Keith Tippett, Tony Levin, Paul Rogers, Chris Bridges, Howard Cottle, Hilary Jeffrey, Gethin Liddington, Simon Picard, Paul Rutherford, John Adams, Mark Sanders, Philip Gibbs, David Priseman and conductor Brian Irvine. Like the best 'energy jazz', I Wish You Peace is an intensely visceral yet spiritual work. The music goes from intensely hot and focused jazz to rowdy 'blowing' from the large ensemble.
 
Forrest Fang – Folklore
Forrest combines influences & instruments of many lands together with a modern esthestic & electronic instruments. Forrest plays violin, sampler, & instruments from Bali, Botswana, China, India, Java, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Syria & Thailand. His music is neither traditional nor ''worldmusic'', but a personal mixture of influences & instrumentation. ''This is an exceptional record. -The Wire. ''Fang's story-like suites are full of changes and exotic turns that always have an underpinning melodicism and atmosphere.''-Billboard. ''A fine meditative album.''-Facelift.
 
Far Corner - Far Corner
This is an exciting and auspicous debut release by a chamber rock quartet from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Far Corner play carefully honed compositions, composed in a style that reflects influences from 20th century composers, such as Stravinsky and Bartok conbined with classical/chamber rock greats like Univers Zero , early ELP, Present and more, combined in their own fashion. In addition to their compositions, Far Corner also perform purely improvised music. Their music maintains the energy level and power of rock, but in an extremely sophisticated way. Their music is mysterious, sometimes dark, and always intriguing. Far Corner uses a relatively small palette of instrumental colors to achieve a big sound: Grand piano and Hammond organ, cello (played both classically and with amplification and fuzzboxes to give it a metal edge ala Alamaailman Vasarat), electric bass (by the very excellent Bill Kopecky) and drums. Their fusion of classical and rock instrumentation is untraditional; occasionally it even inverts the instruments roles, using rock instruments in a classical context and manner and treating classical instruments as though they were rock. Most notably, each instrument in the quartet is treated as an equal, and all instruments are assigned melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic roles. The four musicians are all extremely accomplished players, and this is sure to get the attention it deserves from fans of chamber/progressive rock.
 
Fast 'N' Bulbous - Pork Chop Blue Around The Rind
Among the many great idiosyncratic talents of American music in the 20th century, Captain Beefheart would certainly figure prominently on any list. "...once you get past the audacious unfamiliarity of (his work), you realize that this was not just some big improvised mess, but in fact the most tightly composed polyrhythmic rock 'n' roll ever written"-Matt Groening (The Simpsons). Fast 'N' Bulbous is a Captain Beefheart tribute project, led by two innovators of New York's avant music scene: Gary Lucas, who was guitarist for Captain Beefheart's Magic Band in its latter years and saxist and arranger Phillip Johnston. Their mission statement: The idea is to use the compositions of Don Van Vliet as a vehicle for improvisation and arranging. The band contains a crew of seasoned improvisers from both the worlds of avant-garde jazz and rock, who render the music as both a tribute and a creative adventure in improvising. We use the horn section to take the place of the vocals, as well as transmute this guitar-based music into ensemble into ensemble interplay, between horns and guitar and rhythm section. They energetically revive the spirit and sound of The Magic Band, while adding a big healthy dollop of themselves to it and making it their own, cartwheeling through tunes that are as gutsy as they are cerebral, and playing this wonderful repertoire with verve and soul. A must for any fan of this music. "Fast 'n' Bulbous proved that Beefheart's songs deserve to be played in his absence and are, for all their knotty logic, quite playable...Johnston's brass scores hit the R&B meat and twisted swing that Beefheart embedded in spidery guitars... Lucas on searing bottleneck guitar celebrated the rock in Beefheart's extremes"-David Fricke/Rolling Stone.
 
Forever Einstein - Artificial Horizon
Forever Einstein use guitar, electric bass, & a wonderfully idiosyncratic drummer to unique ends, performing well thought out & playful instrumental rock music that is highlighted by a great sense of dynamics & sensitivity from all. Their immediately identifiable ''power trio with smarts'' sound has won them a broad range of acclaim. All three players are really superlative musicians, & there is a ton of great ideas percolating around here. ''...eccentric, highly original instrumental music that is stimulating, musically challenging & remarkably accesible...the group shows that music can be complex, category defining & far reaching & have innate melodic content. Despite the complexities of the music, the trio has a remarkably clean & uncluttered sound. Guitarist C.W. Vrtacek is a phenomenal player with an expansive sound. All in all a thoroughly inventive album.''-Relix. "One of the most impressive and entertaining instrumental prog rock discs of all time. Its that good."-Brad Smith, author, Billboard Guide To Progressive.
 
Forever Einstein - Down With Gravity
Forever Einstein use guitar, electric bass, & a wonderfully idiosyncratic drummer to unique ends, performing well thought out & playful instrumental rock music that is highlighted by a great sense of dynamics & sensitivity from all. Their immediately identifiable ''power trio with smarts'' sound has won them a broad range of acclaim. All three players are really superlative musicians, & there is a ton of great ideas percolating around here. ''...eccentric, highly original instrumental music that is stimulating, musically challenging & remarkably accesible...the group shows that music can be complex, category defining & far reaching & have innate melodic content. Despite the complexities of the music, the trio has a remarkably clean & uncluttered sound. Guitarist C.W. Vrtacek is a phenomenal player with an expansive sound. All in all a thoroughly inventive album.''-Relix. "One of the most impressive and entertaining instrumental prog rock discs of all time. Its that good."-Brad Smith, author, Billboard Guide To Progressive.
 
Forever Einstein - Opportunity Crosses The Bridge
Forever Einstein use guitar, electric bass, & a wonderfully idiosyncratic drummer to unique ends, performing well thought out & playful instrumental rock music that is highlighted by a great sense of dynamics & sensitivity from all. Their immediately identifiable ''power trio with smarts'' sound has won them a broad range of acclaim. All three players are really superlative musicians, & there is a ton of great ideas percolating around here. ''...eccentric, highly original instrumental music that is stimulating, musically challenging & remarkably accesible...the group shows that music can be complex, category defining & far reaching & have innate melodic content. Despite the complexities of the music, the trio has a remarkably clean & uncluttered sound. Guitarist C.W. Vrtacek is a phenomenal player with an expansive sound. All in all a thoroughly inventive album.''-Relix. "One of the most impressive and entertaining instrumental prog rock discs of all time. Its that good."-Brad Smith, author, Billboard Guide To Progressive.
 
Forever Einstein - Racket Science
They truly deserve the title of power trio. Essentially a rock album, but with some very diverse influences...full of power and complexity-Wonderous Stories. Forever Einstein are an instrumental guitar/bass/drums progressive rock outfit whose roots include musical forms not normally associated with progressive rock, such as blues, bluegrass, cartoon and film noir soundtracks, surf-rock, western swing and other very American musical forms that stretch back 50 years or more. Additionally, they add a lot of humor into their work, which makes for a musical twist. They use familiar musical elements in unfamiliar and interesting ways, and as a consequence, their music is somehow quite familiar, while being startlingly different. "...eccentric, highly original instrumental music that is stimulating, musically challenging and remarkably accessible...the group show that music can be complex, category defining and far reaching and have innate melodic content. Despite the complexities of the music, the trio has a remarkably clean and uncluttered sound."-Mick Skidmore/Relix. For their fifth album, Einstein keep many of their trademarked sounds and moves in place while changing some aspects to keep everything fresh. In addition to guitarist/composer Charles O'Meara (formerly C.W. Vrtacek) and drummer John Roulat, the band now features a new bassist, Kevin Gerety, who plays an electric double bass, and his bow work and slides features nicely on some of the tracks. You may love them or you may not, but NO ONE else sounds remotely like Forever Einstein! "...a must have for the ardent fan of progressive rock or perhaps any rock related genre, as this gang produces a distinct style and methodology that is perhaps unparalled in the business"-Glenn Astarita/All About Jazz. This is very possibly their best album yet.
 
Forgas Band Phenomena - Soleil 12
The Forgas Band Phenomena is led by composer and drummer Patrick Forgas, who has been hailed as "the French answer to the Canterbury scene" since he first burst upon the scene in 1977 with his "Cocktail" album, which featured members of Magma and Zao. Due to bad luck and bad circumstances, he fell out of the music scene for a great number of years, re-emerging with the very wonderful Forgas Band Phenomena about a decade ago. For their third album, and their first for Cuneiform, Patrick leads an 8 piece instrumental ensemble (dual saxes, trumpet, violin, guitar, keyboards, bass and drums) through epic-length, complex and melodic compositions that mix ambitious progressive structures and inspired soloing. Interestingly, two of the pieces are greatly re-arranged versions of the two works that Patrick had originally planned for the never-recorded follow up to Cocktail!
"...thoroughly composed jazz-rock brimming with purpose at every twist and turn. The large number of instruments allowed for a great variety of expression‎, as they tended not to play all at once. Think Arti E Mestieri arranged for a jazz orchestra and you get a rough idea (of what this is about). I can't say enough about how good these guys are."-Sean McFee/Expose.
"Flexing my authority, I strong armed a copy of Soleil 12 out of the Cuneiform head honcho. It is absolutely drop dead amazing. Canterbury fans will shit themselves when they hear this disc. I can't stop playing it. Amazing, Amazing, Amazing."-Ken Golden/The Laser's Edge.
 
Fred Frith & Henry Kaiser - Friends & Enemies 2 x CDs
The complete recordings (1979-1999) by these two extremely well known & respected guitarists, who, separately & together, have both pushed the boundaries of what can be done in music and with their instruments for many decades now. This includes the albums With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies, their unreleased live album, and 30 minutes of material recorded expressly for this set in January, 1999! Despite the fact that both players are ''guitarists'', there is a very wide range of sounds & styles to be found here. ''Sonic manna...5 out of 5 stars''-Alternative Press.
 
Peter Frohmader - Cycle Of Eternity
This straddles the boundries between the menacing works of his past, & a more spacier side. Despite it's less intense nature, it still has that "bite" that you expect from him. "...a brilliant achievement, highly recommended to any fan of electronic music, past or present. Play it loud & often."-Goldmine.
 
Peter Frohmader & Richard Pinhas - Fossil Culture
These two giants of European electronic music join forces. Richard's sustained, instantly recognizable guitarwork & processing blends with Peter's dark synthetic vision to come up with a sound that is recognizably the work of both of these distinctive musicians, yet still has it's own character. Compelling, demented and downright evil, this is probably the closest we will get to hearing Richard doing a new version of the classic Heldon sound, with Peter's heavy synthetics and electronic rhythms propelling his guitarwork forward. ''The best Pinhas release since the glory days of Heldon's Standby. Incendiary, musicially consistent, cohesive...one of the most powerful, dynamic & totally mind blowing releases you'll hear in 1999.''-Andy G./C&D. "Fossil Culture is a magnificently produced project that brings together French guitarist Richard Pinhas and German composer Peter Frohmader. In the mid-'70s, Pinhas' avant-garde rock band Heldon paved the way for the industrial music scene, and since the mid-'80s Frohmader has released more than 20 electronic music CDs.Fossil Culture's seven tracks, "Fossil Culture 1-7," are intelligently constructed electronic landscapes. Frohmader spreads out dark palettes of synthetic textures that combine powerful rhythms, obliquely drifting ghosts of electronic tones and bits of music concrete.Pinhas adds his patented soaring, sustained guitar notes that creep in and out of the compositions like sinewy, sinister-minded organic entities, intent on infecting everything in their path. On FC 2, children's laughter, backwards voices and chimpanzee screams act as a catalyst to increase the music's unbalanced tension. Pinhas' guitar on FC 1 uses a looping technique over which he plays complementary notes to create richly conceived layers of ever intensifying patterns. FC 7 is a 17-minute opus that is the CD's most complex piece, with Frohmader rapidly shifting the type of percussive tools and the song's pace, allowing Pinhas room to rip loose with some incendiary solos. Pinhas' and Frohmader's edgy musical visions perfectly complement each other. Their convergence of sound and spirit create ominously tangible, three-dimensional sculptures. Fossil Culture is not easily used as background music because its intensely captivating energy commands an attention that invites one to join the artists on their quest to explore fantastically futuristic vistas."-Michael Hopkins/Valley Scene
 
Gilgamesh - Arriving Twice
Formed in late 1972 as a Canterbury-style jazz/rock band by keyboardist/ composer Alan Gowen, the group eventually disbanded in 1975 when Alan left for National Health. Comprising demo & rehearsal recordings, this amazing archival release features almost 60 of unreleased recordings by 3 different editions of the band from 1973-75, with 25 of previously unheard compositions by Alan, including a re-working of the tune written for the double quartet of Gilgamesh & Hatfield & The North (!), as well as significantly more fiery versions of many of the pieces from their 1st album! Includes a 16 page booklet jammed with rare photos and incredible interviews with band members & friends by noted Canterbury expert Aymeric Leroy. Essential for Canterbury fans!
 
Guapo - Five Suns
This is a dramatic and dynamic release that I feel certain will impress a large number of people. Guapo is a British trio that plays an intense music that straddles the boundaries of progressive, noise, minimalism and avant-rock. Their sound has been compared to such artists as Magma, Boredoms, King Crimson, Univers Zero, This Heat, Ruins, Sun Ra and Terry Riley. As Sound Projector put it, "Guapo come on like all the hellhounds of Magma, Eskaton and Ruins were after them...on a par with Magmas Kohntarkosz or Univers Zeros Ceux Du Dehors". Five Suns is the bands fifth album, and its first on Cuneiform. Five Suns is Guapos most apocalyptic and dynamically accomplished work to date, bringing a new sense of sonic and spatial awareness to the band's trademark sensibilities of complex song structures, harmonic atonality and percussive mantras. The Five Suns makes use of vintage equipment such as Fender Rhodes, mellotron, Moogs and gongs to create a colour-saturated patchwork of epic, primordial beauty. The new instrumentation has allowed their sound into more ambitious vistas, where progressive influences are turned on their head by both the infusion of hardcore rock energy and the use of hypnotic, trance-like repetition. Over the course of the 46 minute title track, as well as the two additional pieces on the album, the manic jazz-inflected drumming, brooding zeuhl bass and pointillist keyboards maintain a relentless driving momentum while deftly negotiating a carefully controlled ebb and flow.
"...sipping from the same dark chalice that intoxicated Larks Tongues era King Crimson..."- The Wire.
 
Hamster Theater - Carnival Detournment
Out of print and this is not being reprinted! Hamster Theatre is co-led by multi-instrumentalists Dave Willey and Jon Stubbs, who composed the tunes and handled the majority of the instruments. But they are joined here by 10 additional guests. The result is the richest-sounding Hamster Theatre recording to date, featuring a wide variety of instrumentation, musical sources, and styles in a number of charming and accessible instrumental tunes. There are echoes here of a wide geographic, social, and chronological range of music: carnival and theatre music, European avant/progressive composers and bands, most notably L'Ensemble Raye & Nimal, 20th century French composers ranging from Satie and Ravel to Albert Marcoeur and Lars Hollmer, folk music forms from across the continent and sidewalk cafe musings from Eastern Europe. The end result an early 21st century folk fusion --, is pure Hamster Theatre. "[Hamster Theatre] make up what is, in effect, a highly skilled chamber ensemble...the CD has a vvery European feel, offering a literate synthesis of rock, jazz & European folk forms. You can't really put this music into a tidy little compartment, but it's unforced, sophisticated & hightly entertaining." 4/5 stars (Outstanding) - Alternative Press
 
Hamster Theatre - The Public Execution of Mister Personality/Quasi Day Room 2 x CDs
"...a highly skilled chamber ensemble...offering a literate synthesis of rock, jazz and European folk forms. You can't really put this music into a tidy little compartment, but it's unforced, sophisticated and highly entertaining."-Alternative Press. Hamster Theatre straddle the edges of folk music, avant-garde, world music, early 20th century French composers, such as Erik Satie and Maurice Ravel, contemporary composition and many other musical forms, bringing together elements of all these styles while never sounding 'just like' any one of them. Using an instrumentation of accordion, keyboards, trombones, saxophones, clarinets, flutes, guitars, mandolin, bass, drums and percussion, their pieces are always filled with delightful melodies and surprising orchestrations. In addition to the new studio album included here, there is a second disc of the band's stupendous live performance from August, 2002 at The Moore Theatre in Seattle. This CD is a perfect compliment to the studio disc, as it shows the amazing performance that 'the Hamsters' can put on in a live environment; Hugh Hopper called this performance, "Some of the most interesting music and one of the best live shows I've seen for years." Both discs were mixed by noted producer/engineer Bob Drake.
 
Happy Family - Happy Family
Happy Family are a Japanese instrumental quartet (keyboards, guitar, bass, drums) who are influenced by groups such as Magma, Univers Zero, Weidorje, King Crimson & Area. If you can imagine a full CD's worth of the kind of inspired playing & intensity of ''De Futura'', you'll have an idea of what they are about. ''Monster Japanese Zeuhl; the spirit of Magma, Univers Zero Weidorje & King Crimson locked together in a furious fusion...''-Audion. ''Sounds like Slayer playing Henry Cow charts'' - a customer.
 
Happy Family – Toscco
Happy Family are a Japanese instrumental quartet (keyboards, guitar, bass, drums) who are influenced by groups such as Magma, Univers Zero, Weidorje, King Crimson & Area. If you can imagine a full CD's worth of the kind of inspired playing & intensity of ''De Futura'', you'll have an idea of what they are about. This, their 2nd & last, notches up the energy level & shows more confidence & a ''grittier'' sound. This is a big step forward from their much appreciated first. ''The instrumental inventiveness & agressiveness of this band are things that must be heard to be believed. In summary, what Toscco shows is growth, not stagnation. Highly recommended.''-Expos. ''...a fully formed & highly individual voice. Tossco is a real find.'' (5 star (highest) rating)-Alternative Press. ''Sounds like Slayer playing Henry Cow charts'' - a customer.
 
Happy The Man – Beginnings
Happy The Man (1974-1979) are considered by many to be the best US symphonic/progressive band of all time. This is all previously unreleased material from the very earliest days of the band.
 
Happy The Man - Death's Crown
Happy The Man (1974-1979) are considered by many to be the best US symphonic/progressive band of all time. Composed & performed in late 1974, this was written as a collaborative work with dancers, actors, lighting & coordinated slide shows - a multi-media event staged at a local dinner theatre in their hometown. Rehearsal tapes of the band performing this material were recently found & this marks the first time that this material has been heard.
 
Happy The Man – Live
Happy The Man (1974-1979) are considered by many to be the best US symphonic/progressive band of all time. This features good sound from the final incarnation of the band. Spirited live versions of pieces from their two Arista lps, some of which are significantly different than the studio versions.
 
Happy The Man – Third / Better Late...
Happy The Man (1974-1979) are considered by many to be the best US symphonic/progressive band of all time. This is a reissue of their 3rd & last lp, adding two songs that were recorded at the sessions but have never before been released!
 
Heldon - Allez Teia
Some of this is the most mellow and spacey Heldon material, while other parts burn with a nasty intensity! "Allez Teia (1975) was the second Heldon album - it features Pinhas' trademark instrumental sound: waves of distorted post-Frippian guitars, ARP synthesizers, VCS3, tapes and mellotron into a monstrous, swelling mania. Searing instrumental space music, bridging electronics & psychedelic guitar excess in unique & legendary fashion."-Forced Exposure.
 
Heldon – I / III : Electronique Guerilla / It's Always Rock 'n' Roll 2 x CDs
Composer, guitarist & electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of France's major experimental musicians & is a pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock. This combines their 1st & 3rd albums (3 lps) onto 2 CDs. Some of their most primitive, yet compelling work; some of it if by just Richard on primitive synthesizers and electric guitars with lots of fuzz, while other tracks add familiar names like George Grunblatt-VCS3 synth, mellotron and guitar, Pattrick Gauthier-VCS3 and ARP synths, Jean-My Truong-drums, Coco Roussel-drums, Gilbert Artman-drums, Ariel Kalma-harmonium and more! "...France's most influencial contemporary musician."-Alternative Press. "Searing instrumental space music, bridging electronics & psychedelic guitar excess in unique & legendary fashion...one of the quintessential European progressive groups of the 70's"- Forced Exposure.
 
Heldon – Interface
This is a reissue of the sixth album by this quintessential progressive French electronic rock band. Originally released on Cobra in 1977, this features the classic Heldon line-up of Richard Pinhas-guitar and electronics, Patric Gauthier-Moog synthesizer and electronics and Franois Auger-drums and electronics. This was one of Heldon's heaviest albums, featuring their most intense and relentless electronic fusillades. This includes two bonus live tracks. This is probably my personal favorite of all their albums and a great place to start. "If there was ever a band that epitomized perhaps the ultimate union of guitars with electronics, Heldon's holy blaze burns the brightest."-i/e.
 
Heldon - IV : Agneta Nilsson
Composer, guitarist & electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of France's major experimental musicians & is a pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock. This was their fourth album and features Patrick Gauthier, Gerard Prevost, Coco Roussel, Michael Ettori and Alain Bellaiche and ranges from slow building mellotron/electronic drones, to brain searing synth/guitar sonic attacks. "...widely considered to be one of the most experimental of the Heldon catalog, as Pinhas dazzles the ear with monstrous assaults of mellotron, the big Moog, electric guitars and shuddering bass that projects images of a sort of music Stockhausen might have done had he gigged with a rock band...indispensable."-i/e
 
Heldon - Stand By
This is a reissue of the seventh and final album by this quintessential progressive French electronic rock band. Originally released on Egg in 1979, this features the classic Heldon line-up of Richard Pinhas-guitar and electronics, Patric Gauthier-Moog synthesizer and electronics, Didier Batard-bass, Franois Auger-drums and guests, including Klaus Blasquiz of Magma! This was one of Heldon's heaviest rock albums. "Heldon's last was album was also their best. Stand By stood on an imaginary crossroad between Robert Fripp, Magma and Tangerine Dream."-Scented Gardens of the Mind.
 
Heldon - Un Reve Sans Consequence Speciale
Composer, guitarist & electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of France's major experimental musicians & is a pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock. This was Heldon's fifth, & many people's favorite, this was called "the apex of the punk-electronic sound - a masterpiece". by Forced Exposure. Includes a guest slot by Magma monster bassist Janick Top and two live bonus tracks! Probably their closest, along with Stand By, to a heavy zeuhl sound with massive electronics added! "Fans of Kraftwerk and Neu! owe it to themselves to check out this similarly far-sighted stuff...exciting guitar and Moog noodle-o-rama!"-C.M.J.
 
Hugh Hopper Band – Carousel
This is the only studio release by Hugh's ''Franglo Dutch'' group. The instrumenation is sax, keyboards, guitar (by killer French guitarist Patrice Meyer), bass, & drums. After a decade of work together, several live albums, many concert tours, & lots of satisfied listeners, we finally got Hugh & crew into a studio & they made their best yet. After all this time together, the band is really a WORKING unit, with fine playing from all members. ''(Carousel is) a solid & convincing record, with many of the old Soft Machine qualities of compositional interest and high standard of performance in evidence. Enjoyable and consistant''-Chris Cutler/ReR.
 
Hugh Hopper – 1984
1984 combines Hugh's unique fuzz bass & compositions with tapework, multiple overdubs, & a very avant esthetic, & then contrasts those works with short, weirdly devolved James Brown-inspired pieces. 25 years later, the originality and distinctiveness of Hugh's vision on 1984 remains untouched. Taken from the original master tapes,this includes a never heard bonus track from the original sessions, as well as new notes by Hugh that tell the story of 1984. Absolutely a classic of its kind.
 
Hugh Hopper - Meccano Pelorus
Originally released only as a limited edition in the early 1990s, and out of print for over 5 years, Meccano Pelorus was Hughs fourth album and the first release under his own name since the 1970s! Featuring his great FrangloDutch band (Patrice Meyer-guitar, Dionys Breukers-keyboards, Frank Van Der Kooij-saxes, Pieter Bast-drums + Hugh on bass), this was recorded live in 1987 and 1989 and was the beginning of his career back in the musical arena, after laying out for a good number of years. Newly re-designed package.
 
Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen - Two Rainbows Daily
Reissue of a long out of print classic from 1980 from these two fine composers & instrumentalists (bass & keyboards) who are best known for their work with Soft Machine (Hugh) Gilgamesh (Alan and Hugh) and National Health (Alan). While rich in sound due to overdubs, this doesn't have a full band sound, & this rather stripped-down approach makes for a "intimate" release filled with crafty melodies & subtle tonal colors. Mastered directly off the master tapes, it sounds terrific! As a bonus there is 20' of extra live material & excellent liner notes by Hugh, which tell the story of the making of this disc.
 
The Hosemobile - What Can & Can't Go On
The 2nd album by this band from rural Cookeville, TN, who mix late 1990's influences of postrock bands such Don Caballero with the progressive/experiemental edge of This Heat, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and others. Let's just say this: these four young guys have a sound that is their own. Using dual guitars (one doubles on Fender Rhodes piano) bass & drums, they mix 90's style loud, roaring & meshing guitar sounds with classic experimental/ progressive stylings to arrive at this fusion of fiery aggression with complex structures that results in an intense layering of musical ideas. ''Great new music...this is the sound of men at work who find themselves vigorously pursuing innovation...there is a wealth of melodic material here...all of which makes for an ear-opening journey...''-The Memphis Flyer.
 
Hughscore - Delta Flora
This is the 3rd release by the hugely influencial UK bassist & composer Hugh Hopper, along with Seattle musicians Fred Chalenor-bass & guitar, Elaine diFalco- Rhodes, organ, Wurlitzer, synth, accordion & voice and Tucker Martine-drums, plus guests. In addition to the great playing that you would expect, the biggest pleasure about this release is the really rich pieces composed by Hugh & beautifully sung by Elaine. Hugh hasn't worked with songs so successfully (or a singer this good) since Soft Machine Volume Two! And yes, there are lots of fabulous instrumental passages too. For me, this is one of the very best things that Hugh has done post Softs! "This is great Hopper writing, fantastic psychedelic music with a hint of experimentation. Delta Flora is one of the most beautiful records to have come out in 1999..."- Francois Couture/CFLX "The beauty here is about substance & strong compositional development....natural & effortless. Highly recommended. -All About Jazz.
 
The Richard Leo Johnson Trio - Poetry Of Appliance
Richard Leo Johnson is one of the most innovative and inspired acoustic guitarists on the current American music scene. Johnsons style, characterized by complexity, exhilarating speed, and hauntingly unfamiliar harmonies created through found tunings, marks this self-taught player apart. Richard was raised in Americas deep South, in a small Arkansas town in the Mississippi Delta. A good indication of Richard is about is captured when he recalls that his real jumping off point was a home-made cassette he received as a teenager, which featured The Mahavishnu Orchestras Inner Mounting Flame on one side, and Leo Kottkes Greenhouse on the other; I thought both sides were by the same artist! The initial impact was that it was somehow possible to make something happen that fused the linear liquidity of McLaughlin and the dense harmonic structure and drive of Kottke. Practicing incessantly on his own, Johnson developed an idiosyncratic playing style which combined plucking and strumming, alternating between 6, 12, and 18 strings (a 2-necked McCullum guitar with 6 and 12 strings), using all parts of the guitar, and employing 30 tunings he devised. The Richard Leo Johnson Trio is his first ever 'band' and it fuses elements of Americana, rock, ambient and folk music with the sensibilities of classical color and structure, reflecting an eclectic, modern outlook on chamber music. With the collaboration of the classically trained and former symphony musicians Andrew Ripley (wind instruments and electronics) and Ricardo A. Ochoa (strings and theremin), Richard Leo Johnson brings a fresh new focus and additional instrumental orchestrations to his own brand of guitar-centric instrumental poetry, making for a music that is both beautiful and deep. Amazon.coms editors called Johnson perhaps the next in a short line of guitar greats a line that includes [Michael] Hedges, Derek Bailey, Pat Metheny, Sonny Sharrock, and a few others, while Playboy touted him as the most innovative guitarist since Jim Hendrix.
 
Richard Leo Johnson - The Legend of Vernon McAlister
"Be prepared...the extraordinary Richard Leo Johnson isn't quite like any...guitarist you've ever heard before".-Jazzwise. This one is very low key, very personal and very extraordinary. Best known for his blazing speed and unusual techniques on the acoustic guitar, "Richard Leo Johnson has emerged from the fringe of the Mississippi Delta to become one of the baddest axe slingers in the land."-Jazziz. On this album, Richard has traded in his trademark double-neck acoustic for a well-worn, 1930's National Duolian steel-bodied guitar which he stumbled across. "I pulled it out of the case and was immediately stunned by its playability and tone. Bells, horns, voices and other mysterious qualities emanated from its resonate chamber. Moments later I noticed something etched into the steel body. It was the name Vernon McAlister, apparently the one-time owner of this amazing instrument. Who was Vernon? I could find nothing about him. A myth of sorts emerged, using this wonderful instrument as the nucleus. Every sound on this recording comes directly from the Vernon guitar." Richard was inspired by this unique instrument and its sounds to try something different from any of his other albums. This is a CD of deep beauty and innovation, created with just this one old guitar and some simple electronic and tape effects. As Dean Blackwood (Revenant Records) said about it, it is located in some sort of nether place between the old and the modern.
"Difficult to categorize...but marvelous to hear."-All Music Guide.
"A rustic strain of ambient Americana has been in the wind for the last year or so, with Daniel Lanois's solo pedal steel album, Belladonna, and Jeff Beal's literally haunted score to Carnavale taking American roots into ambient spaces. Richard Leo Johnson's The Legend of Vernon McAlister may have upped the ante. Johnson was already a critically acclaimed fret-burner, bringing two-handed tapping techniques to his double-necked acoustic. Here, he opts for a gentler, but possibly more avant-garde sound, trading his acoustic for a National Steel guitar. Like a Dobro on steroids, the National Steel is a metal guitar whose overtones and strange resonances make it capable of the most unearthly sounds. Creating a mythological narrative around the story of Vernon McAlister, whose name is actually etched on Johnson's ancient instrument, the guitarist creates a sound that is both mystical and rural, like the lost ghost of McAlister slipping his sound through static and haze. Johnson overdubs himself, picking and sliding notes and often using an e-bow that makes the instrument sound like a musical saw. The Legend of Vernon McAlister traverses the Appalachian fantasy of "Morning Glory," serene backwoods reveries on "Side Road to Splendor," and experimental tone poems on "Briar Patch Harmony." Richard Leo Johnson has created an album of hidden and subtle charms."-John Diliberto/Amazon.com editorial review.
 
Henry Kaiser - Lemon Fish Tweezer
This is the definitive Henry Kaiser solo guitar disc! We gave Henry carte blanche to make what he felt represented his best work, & the result is this 75' disc of incredible guitarwork. Some tracks are from (long out of print) lps, many tracks are previously unreleased, & two were recorded especially for this set. This truly represents the best aspects of his solo work.
 
Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith: Yo Miles! - Sky Garden 2 x hybrid SACDs/CDs
Among the giants enthroned in jazz's pantheon, no one made as big, as broad, as bad-boy brazen of an impact on popular music in many manifestations of jazz, rock and improvisation - as Miles Davis. At the same time, he pioneered new routes for rock. The innovations Davis made in both jazz and rock spawned immediate followers in his time, and continue to infuse and energize the music of today. But even during the revival that began in the 1990s, " only one band has had the courage to throw itself full bore into the thorniest Davis era, the mid-'70s years when he created a dark, dangerous, haunting, ecstatically wondrous body of music that no one has ever attempted to duplicate."(San Francisco Chronicle). That band is Yo Miles! Yo Miles! was formed in 1998 to explore, expound and expand on Davis mid-70s electric music. For Sky Garden, Yo Miles!s 2nd recording and 1st release on Cuneiform, Kaiser and Smith have assembled an all-star cast culled from both the jazz and rock communities. The lineup here includes Smith on trumpet; Kaiser, Mike Keneally and Chris Muir on electric guitars; Michael Manring on bass; Steve Smith on drums; Karl Perazzo on percussion; Greg Osby (alto) and John Tchicai (tenor and soprano) on saxophones; and Tom Coster on keyboards. It also features special guests Zakir Hussain on tabla, Dave Creamer on guitar, and the ROVA Sax Quartet. This set is about equally split between Miles' compositions and original compositions in the electric Miles style. The groups studio performance at The Site was recorded live, directly to a stereo DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recorder. The result is a set of two hybrid SACDs (Super Audio CDs, a new technology for enhanced audio quality) playable in either an SACD player or on a standard CD player. And it rocks!
 
Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith: Yo Miles! - Upriver 2 x hybrid SACDs/CDs
Yo Miles! has gone beyond the fundamental with songs that breathe the spirit of Davis to create an atmosphere that resonates with a fire and an essence of their very own. Kaiser and Smith's knowing explorations through Miles' complex electro-funk realm revisits the dread while expanding the beauty."-All About Jazz. Upriver is Yo Miles! second Cuneiform release and was recorded live directly to stereo DSD recorder at the same sessions that produced the award-winning Sky Garden release. "Smith and Kaiser have recovered some of (Miles') radical energy and reapplied it in the context of a new technology that gives this music clarity as well as thudding power...if you want to see where (Miles') example leads us, this is the way to go"-The Wire. Kaiser and Smith have assembled an all-star cast that includes Smith on trumpet; Kaiser, Mike Keneally and Chris Muir on electric guitars; Michael Manring on bass; Steve Smith on drums; Karl Perazzo on percussion; Greg Osby (alto) and John Tchicai (tenor and soprano) on saxophones; and Tom Coster on keyboards. It also features special guests Zakir Hussain on tabla, Dave Creamer on guitar, and the ROVA Sax Quartet. "...a sprawling blowout that should convert open minds...at once dangerous and respectful..."-Denver Post. It is playable in either an SACD player or on any standard CD player. Containing 2 1/2 hours of music, this recording focuses on Davis' improv-fueled works from the early-mid 70's, while also including an original Smith composition and a group improvisation. "This studio production, recorded direct to DSD, offers some of the most immediate and realistic sound of both electronic and acoustic instruments."-Stereophile. Sky Garden won the 2004 Surround Music Award for "Best High-Resolution Stereo Program"; Upriver is from the same sessions, and that makes this album one of the most important audiophile releases of 2005! "...beautifully played by great musicians...it's fabulously recorded...the album trucks along like the world's number one jam band..."-Paris Transatlantic.
 
Dave Kerman & 5uu's – Abandonship
Dave Kerman is in the forefront of contemporary "Rock In Opposition" (R.I.O.)-inspired progressive rock, his name appearing in multiple contexts as an internationally-reknown drummer and as a composer. He is one of the most in-demand drummers on the avant progressive scene, playing in the 5uus, U Totem, Thinking Plague, Present and Blast. Kerman founded his own band, the 5uu's, in 1984. Inspired by the European "Rock In Opposition" (RIO) movement's uncompromising stance, and devoted to a concept of song-oriented music with emphasis on short pieces, and lyrics and melodies, the 5uus created a sound that was a distinctly American version of R.I.O.-inspired rock. Abandonship is the 5uus sixth release. It features compositions, lyrics (printed in the CD booklet), and multi-instrumentation by Kerman, vocals by Deborah Perry (Thinking Plague) & sound sculpting by Udi Koomran. It is a emotionally intense, densely-layered, and compositionally complex work, inspired by such dark R.I.O. bands as Univers Zero and Present, and a logical progression of the 5uus multi-faceted, prismatic sound. "The results are mesmerizing...Kerman is still the unsung shaman of unbridled convolution..perched on a precipice high enough to make most indie rockers appear ant-sized."-Alternative Press. "...a frighteningly coherent statement that with time should eventually stand as one of Rock In Opposition's finest momements"-Expose.
 
Dave Kerman & 5uu's - Regarding Purgatories
Inspired by the ''Rock In Opposition'' (R.I.O) movement's uncompromising stance, drummer/composer David Kerman formed the 5uu's in 1982. The 5th album by drummer/composer Kermans 5uus project features a completely revamped version of the band. He has enlisted what amounts to a avant/progressive supergroup to back him here, including vocalist Deborah Perry (Thinking Plague), bassist Keith Macksoud (Present) with guest keyboardists Charles Turner (5uus) and Sanjay Kumar (U Totem). An essential document for those interested in the development of a distinctly American version of R.I.O. inspired progressive.
 
Kombinat M - Hybrid Beat
From Vienna, Kombinat M use an unusual combination of two electric guitars, violin, reeds & drums. Their approach combines aspects of the Glenn Branca guitar wall of sound approach with a touch of The Ordinaires & other ''downtown'' groups, but mostly their own style. ''Kombinat M have absorbed myriads of influence into their vivacious & powerful music (and) have much to commend them.''-Audion.
 
Krakatoa - We Are The Rowboats
Third, best and final album, as the band has broken up! Less than 10 copies remain and it will NOT be reprinted! Krakatoa are a young quartet, originally from Philadelphia and now relocated to Brooklyn who blend precise musicality and compositional skill with charm, playfulness and humor; their music is the unlikely meeting place between art rock, baroque cartoon music, progressive rock and chamber punk. We Are The Rowboats is their 3rd release & their 1st on Cuneiform and we are happy to have them on board! The band uses vocals, guitars, violin, electric mandolin, keyboards, bass and drums. Guest musicians further enrich the quartets sound. Krakatoa utilizes rock and classical instrumentation to channel surf and subvert the musical landscape, borrowing from every imaginable musical genre. Their mixture of charming musicality and fearless humor is theirs alone. "This band is madly eclectic, but it's to their credit they dont overtly call attention to it.subtlety and sly humor are prized While never coming across as derivative, Krakatoa seems to be going for balance between pre-1974 King Crimson, Millions Now Living Will Never Die-era Tortoise and the crazy-quilt jump-cutting of John Zorns Naked City with touches of the instrumental Hot Rats / Waka Jawaka side of Frank Zappa . Driving, distorted electric guitar lines give way to mournful violin passages, Fractured Fairy Tales daffiness segues into pensive watching-the-sunset yearning, Oliver Nelson and Elmer Bernstein TV/movie music evolves into surrealist tangos, Charles Ives rearranges the entire Booker T & the MG's canon-- all this and more goes on before your very ears and this crafty bunch make it all seem natural and affable. Good show!"-Mark Keresman, Waterfront Week, Brooklyn NY
 
Larval – Obedience
Larval is an avant/progressive rock ensemble led by composer Bill Brovold. Defined by driving guitars, saxes, multiple strings (violin, bass, cello, harp) and percussion, Larvals sound is intense, relentless and savagely hypnotic. The music brings to mind a blending of aspects of Glenn Branca, Godspeed You Black Emperor! King Crimson and more, but all put together in a completely "Larval" fashion. This is Larval's fourth album and their first on Cuneiform. Larvals three previous CDs were all given 4 star reviews by the All Music Guide. Brovold formed the Detroit-based Larval in 1996, selecting that citys best musicians to help realize his musical visions. The band caught the attention of John Zorn, who proclaimed: Bill Brovolds music blows me away Larval is the shit. Blistering in its intesity, relentless in its propulsive rhythms, the music on Obedience is nevertheless disciplined at its core. Brovolds compositions here encompass a wide spectrum of mood, traveling from quiet, contemplative passages tinged with ominous expectations to driving, aggressive onslaughts of screaming guitars and assorted strings that threaten chaos. Bill Brovold crafts quiet think-hums that transform into bold, dense, almost assaulting compositions in his instrumental rock band, Larval.-Detroit Metro Times. "When they begin to play, several things are immediately apparent. First, the music that the group plays is fairly rigorous in its construction - even its simplest pieces pit strings against guitars in sectional call-and-response punctuated by the horns. Second, the drummer is essentially playing straightforward rock rhythms, infused with that most indefinable of elements. And third, they're loud. Real loud."-Music Box
 
Machine and the Synergetic Nuts - Leap Second Neutral
Great second release from this high-energy Japanese instrumental ensemble of soprano and tenor sax, keyboards (mostly electric piano and organ), bass and drums, with guests on guitar and percussion. Their 2003 debut blew the minds of those who were lucky enough to hear it, and this confident & powerful release will convert the rest! "The main thing that sets these guys apart is the intense and aggressive energy level...like a runaway train approaching that sharp curve, you just know it's going to go over the edge, but somehow it stays on track"-Expose. This features combined monster grooves and head-crunching heaviness. You wll hear traces of fusion bands like mid-period Soft Machine/Canterbury fusion, early Passport, Nucleus, Mushroom, The Mothers Of Invention, all filtered through Japanese over-driven rock ala Happy Family or Tatsuya Yoshida's Koenjihyakkei or Keorekyojinn; they tear into these jazz/rock grooves with a great ferocity, which makes complete sense when you learn that the drummer/leader was the original drummer for Melt Banana, and was on their first two album. "...a perfect marriage of 70's Canterbury and burning jazz-fusion, with complex time signatures, ripping keyboards and squonkin' sax lines... reeks of promise and delivers on many fronts"-Sea of Tranquility
 
Matching Mole – March
Formed by drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt after he left the pioneering UK jazz/rock Soft Machine in 1971. By early 1972, the band conisted of Robert, guitarist Phil Miller, bassist Bill MacCormick & electric pianist Dave MacRae. The band was exceedingly active for a band that lasted less than one year, recording two albums and playing dozens of shows throughout Europe. In 2001, Cuneiform released Smoke Signals, a collection of unreleased performances. The band was so pleased with that album that when one of the members came across a forgotten live show on tape - identified simply as "March, 1972", they immediately contacted us, and this album is the result. Recorded live in Europe 3/72, shortly after Dave MacRae became the keyboardist, this includes the basic repertoire that the band would perform during their lifetime, with a few surprises thrown in. The sound is surprisingly superb for a live show of this vintage, and once again Tom Recchion has come up with a charming cover. "Great sound, great artwork - so thanks once again."-Robert Wyatt
 
Matching Mole - Smoke Signals
Formed by drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt after he left the pioneering UK outfit Soft Machine in 1971. By early 1972, the band conisted of Robert, guitarist Phil Miller, bassist Bill MacCormick & electric pianist Dave McRae. Smoke Signals compiles all previously unreleased performances - selected & sequenced by Robert Wyatt biographer Mike King - from the band's most intense gigging period. The set list is mostly drawn from Little Red Record, but the way the band performed the pieces live is quite different from the heavily overdubbed versions found on the studio disc. Despite their very short lifetime, Mole developed an individual sound based on the players idiosyncratic musical styles, that was a unique take on fusion and Canterbury musics. Features an amazing cover and liner notes by Aymeric Leroy.
 
Mats / Morgan Band - Thanks For Flying With Us
Mats Oberg (keyboards) and Morgan Agren (drums) first began playing together 25 years ago (!!) when Mats was 11 and Morgan was 15. Originally very influenced by Frank Zappa, they actually played with Zappa in 1988, but while some of the Zappa influence remains, they have long since found their own voices. In the mid 90's, they began releasing CDs on Morgan's UAE label, eventually forming a stable band, which has been amazing audiences in Europe and the USA since 2001, and which consists of Mats and Robert Elovsson-keyboards, Jimmy Agren-guitar, Tommy Thordsson-bass and Morgan-drums. All players with superb playing ability, the quintet plays as a well-honed, cohesive unit, with more developed compositions than in earlier works, showing the band arriving at its own voice in progressive jazz/rock, with a modern-sounding blend of complexity, composition, chops and beats. Thanks For Flying With Us is their seventh album, their first release outside of Sweden and their first studio work since 1997. This is a great album by an absolutely monster band who await the world's discovery!
"Remarkable technical expertise and playing skills"-Bill Bruford
"They played unbelievable, just unbelievable."-Frank Zappa
"Absolutely unbelievable, they drove me right out of my mind, it was so good. Buy their albums."-Mike Keneally.
 
Chris McGregor & Brotherhood Of Breath - Bremen To Bridgwater 2 x CDs
South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor led racially mixed Blue Notes in South Africa in the early 1960's. But touring and performing proved difficult, and tiring of continuous government harassment, in 1964 McGregor and the bands core members left their South African homeland. They settled in London in 1966 where they befriended many in the citys emerging avant-garde jazz community and made a huge impact on Londons jazz scene. He founded the big-band Brotherhood of Breath in 1970. The Brotherhood was essentially The Blue Notes augmented by musicians of the English avant-garde jazz community. Combining the rhythms of African music with those of American big-band jazz and the free playing of British improv, it produced one of the most vital and life-affirming big-band jazz ever played by anyone, anywhere. (BBCi). The Brotherhood released only a handful of recordings in their lifetime, and the band was rather forgotten, until Cuneiform released Travelling Somewhere in 2001, a 1973 radio broadcast, in 2001, which gained rave reviews. This release, Bremen to Bridgewater, contains two CDs of previously unreleased live recordings made in Germany and England during two very different periods of the bands career. The German radio recordings were made on June 20th, 1971 at Lila Uele, a well known jazz club in Bremen. The English recordings were made at the Bridgewater Arts Center, during two tours that the band made with different lineups in February and November of 1975, and feature some of the very last recordings of trumpeter Mongezi Feza, who died in December of that year. The bands lineups on these recordings are a veritable who's who of British free jazz, and include Harry Beckett, Marc Charig, Elton Dean, Nick Evans, Harry Miller, Louis Moholo, Mike Osborne, Evan Parker, Dudu Pukwana, Alan Skidmore, Gary Windo and others. In addition to the stunning music, this CD features a 12 page booklet with rare and beautiful photos and detailed liner notes by Francesco Martinelli.
 
Chris McGregor & Brotherhood Of Breath - Travelling Somewhere
South African born and raised pianist/bandleader Chris McGregor formed the racially mixed Blue Notes in the early 1960's, touring and trying to get by in extremely difficult political circumstances as best they could. By 1964, facing continous government harassment, Chris & the Blue Notes fled their South African homeland, finally settling in London in 1966. They made a huge impact on London's jazz scene and befriended many in London's emerging avant-garde jazz community. By 1969, the Blue Notes had drifted apart. Not too long afterwards, Chris formed The Brotherhood Of Breath, which was essentially the Blue Notes, augmented by a large number of the friends that they had made in the British jazz community. The band toured constantly during their peak years of 1971-74, but they only released 3 albums in their lifetime. Travelling Somewhere was recorded at a well known jazz club in Bremen, Germany on January 19th, 1973 for radio broadcast, and is by far the best recorded live document of the Brotherhood. The 12 piece band is a who's who of many of the big names of British free jazz of the early/mid 1970's: Harry Beckett, Mark Charig & Mongezi Feza (trumpets), Nick Evans & Malcolm Griffiths (trombones), Mike Osborne, Evan Parker, Dudu Pukwana & Gary Windo (saxes), Chris McGregor (piano), Harry Miller (double bass) and Louis Moholo (drums). Called ''One of the truly legendary modern jazz big bands.'' by The Penguin Guide To Jazz On CD, Travelling Somewhere adds to the band's still growing legacy, and will bring their music to a new generation of fans.
 
Microscopic Septet - Seven Men In Neckties: History of the Micros, Volume One 2 x CDs
Active for a dozen years, the Microscopic Septet were widely recognized as "New York's Most Famous Unknown Band." The group started with a basic reeds-and-rhythm texture (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone sax, piano, bass and drums) that was sonically similar to the sound of the Swing Era. However, they employed these textures to address a widely eclectic range of styles, from free-form music to R&B, rhumbas and ragtime. The result was a brilliant blend of fresh-sounding orchestration and inspired soloing. Beloved in New York, where they generally drew capacity crowds, "The Micros" were one of the most celebrated of the many cutting-edge units associated with experimental music's best-known venue, the Knitting Factory, during the peak years of the "Downtown" music movement in the mid 1980s onward. This beautifully packaged and annotated set includes new cover artwork by Pulitzer-prize winning illustrator Art Spiegelman, new notes by leader Phillip Johnston, lots of great photographs and newly remastered versions of the first two albums by the band: "Take The Z Train" and "Let's Flip!", as well as quite a lot of never-before released material, including the well-known theme to the NPR show Fresh Air. The majority of this set has never appeared on CD and all of it has been unavailable for a number of years. "A truly distinctive sound that pumps Basie boogies, zestfully shifts from tangoed unison to Dixieland discordance with Mingus precision and sax solos that reach Eric Dolphy free and Earl Bostic blue within the same tune; this is one band that can afford to be seriously original and share a playful humor"-Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide

Microscopic Septet - Surrealistic Swing

Piero Milesi – Modi
Piero is an Italian composer who has done a lot of work in the field of film & TV scores. Lovely, yet also rich musically. For chamber orchestras of between 12-18 musicians, this is two extended works of unique beauty. ''Modi is a masterpiece of the genre.''-Audion.
 
Piero Milesi - The Nuclear Observatory Of Mr. Nanof
Piero is an Italian composer who has done a lot of work in the field of film & TV scores. . Lovely, yet also rich musically. This culls the best of his many works for installations & films and shuffles them into a flowing, cohesive album. ''Suspended motion suggests abyssal depths in these soundtrack instrumentals.'' -Keyboard.
 
Piero Milesi - Within Himself
Piero is an Italian composer who has done a lot of work in the field of film & TV scores. . Lovely, yet also rich musically. This culls the best of his many works for installations & films and shuffles them into a flowing, cohesive album
 
Piero Milesi & Daniel Bacalov - La Camera Astratta
Piero is an Italian composer who has done a lot of work in the field of film & TV scores. . Lovely, yet also rich musically. This is the soundtrack to a large scale dance/performance work. A work that is simultaneously high-tech & organic. ''The juxtaposition of the natural & the synthetic, plus the elaborately patterned, shifting, but not too dense rhythms all work together amazingly well.''-Baltimore City Paper.
 
Phil Miller - Cutting Both Ways
Back in print after several years of unavailability. Phil made his name as guitarist with the legendary bands Delivery, Matching Mole, Hatfield & the North and National Health. This was the first album released under his own name, and the first album to feature his band In Cahoots, who are pretty much of a supergroup themselves: Hugh Hopper-bass (Soft Machine), Elton Dean-saxes (Soft Machine), Peter Lemer-keyboards (Gilgamesh, Mike Oldfield, Pierre Moerlin's Gong) & Pip Pyle-drums (Gong, Hatfield, National Health). Additionally, two tracks are multi-overdubbed meetings between Phil and keyboardist Dave Stewart (Egg, Hatfield, National Health). Canterbury jazz/rock of the highest order.
 
Phil Miller & In Cahoots - All That
Featuring great players from the worlds of both jazz and rock, In Cahoots is one of the best groups producing new jazz fusion in the U.K. today. It was founded in 1982 by composer and guitarist Phil Miller as a vehicle for his own compositions, jazz-inflected tunes notable for their unique melodies, intricacy, passages for passionate soloing, and expert use of rhythm. Showcasing Millers sublime compositions and contributions by others, and absolutely stellar playing by all involved, All That is one smoking disc. It is essential listening for followers of Phil Millers work as well as all fans of fusion and British jazz. Phil Miller has performed with Delivery, Matching Mole, Hatfield and the North and National Health. All That features the 'supergroup' lineup of Miller (guitar), Peter Lemer (keyboards), Jim Dvorak (trumpet), Elton Dean (alto & C melody sax, saxello), Fred Baker (bass guitar), and Mark Fletcher (drums). Phil's mature writing and the crack ensemble deliver the goods. Whether you call it rocked up jazz or jazzed up rock, it is exciting, excellently played music.
 
Harry Miller's Isipingo - Which Way Now
Bassist Harry Miller was born in South Africa, but he was the Brit-jazz bassist throughout the 1970s, playing with John Surman, Centipede, Mike Westbrook, Keith Tippett, Mike Osborne, King Crimson, Julie Tippetts, Alan Skidmore and Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath, among many others, as well as co-founding the legendary Ogun label, which did so much to document the Brit-jazz scene in the 1970s. Harry's group, Isipingo, which he led for a number of years, could be compared to a smaller-scale, more "swinging" take on the wonderful kwela-influenced jazz of the Brotherhood. The band includes six of the greatest of Britain's jazzers of the mid 70's: Nick Evans-trombone, Mongezi Feza-trumpet, Harry Miller-double bass, Louis Moholo-drums, Mike Osborne-alto sax and Keith Tippett-piano. Which Way Now features over 70 minutes of music from a beautifully recorded radio concert from November 20, 1975; it sounds as if you are in the room right with the band! The package includes a 16 page booklet with a number of stunning, never-before seen photos, as well as extensive liner notes by Francesco Martinelli. Since Isipingo only released one album during their lifetime, this release dramatically extends their legacy and like Cuneiform's important and historical work with the Brotherhood of Breath, brings this hugely enjoyable, nearly-forgotten music to a new audience.
 
Miriodor - 3rd Warning

Montreal's incredible Miriodor have been making adventurous rock music for 15 years. Here, using keyboards, sax, drums + synthesizers), they developed a sound that is truely theirs, & borrows from no one, grafting the sound & feel of ''classic progressive'' onto new technology & ''new music'' forms.
 
Miriodor - Elastic Juggling (Jongleries Elastiques)
Montreal's incredible Miriodor have been making adventurous rock music for 15 years.This changes the lineup & adds instrumentation (piano/synths, guitar/bass and drums, plus saxophone & many other guests). Adventurous & precise musical statements, played with great fire, wit, drive, & spirit. One of the few bands today whose works combine all the hallmarks of the ''R.I.O.'' school. All of their work is superlative, but this is a definite classic of it's kind, so start there. ''Miriodor has to be one of Canada's most unique & inspiring groups. Fully engaged in the creation of their own distinctive style of music...Miriodor have constructed a sonic landscape full of wild imagery...not to be missed.''-Exclaim.
 
Miriodor – Mekano
Miriodor have been making adventurous progressive rock music in Quebec for 20 years. They are among a handful of bands worldwide whose works convey all hallmarks of the ''R.I.O.'' school: adventurous and inspired compositions, rigorous musicianship, a distinctive and highly personalized sound, periodic references to folk music, and a steely determination to make music without compromise. Their music has been called ''...a dynamic, intricate and beautifully crafted blending of rock fusion, classical, folk and avant-garde musics.'' by Audion. Mekano, the band's 5th album, is perhaps their most impressive & entertaining work of all. Operating around the core of long-time members Pascal Globensky, Rmi Leclerc & Bernard Falaise, plus newcomers Nicolas Masino (bass & keyboards) and Marie-Chantal Leclair (saxes), it continues the trend that the band has adhered to since their beginning; a sound that is always developing in new and interesting ways, but that is still completely recognizable as ''Miriodor''.
 
Miriodor – Miriodor
Less than 10 copies remain of this early Cuneiform (and Miriodor) classic! Montreal's incredible Miriodor have been making adventurous rock music for 15 years. Here on their second album, using keyboards, sax, drums + synthesizers, they developed a sound that is truly theirs, & borrows from no one, grafting the sound & feel of "classic progressive" onto new technology & "new music" forms.
 
Miriodor - Parade + Live At NEARFest 2 x CDs
There are few things as exciting to me personally as receiving a new release from this band, who I regard as one of the greatest of the greats. Miriodor have been making adventurous, memorable and truly entertaining instrumental rock music for 25 years. Currently they use a six piece lineup of guitars, keyboards, violin, saxophones, bass and drums. As Goldmine said, "Occupying a realm somewhat between the chamber rock of Univers Zero and the spry fusion of vintage Jean-Luc Ponty, with hints of Van Der Graaf Generator and Soft Machine along the way, Miriodor mostly just sounds like Miriodor...unique and forward looking." Featuring some wonderful guest performances on bassoon and also guest spots by accordionist/keyboardist Lars Hollmer, who also contributes compositionally, Parade is the band's sixth album and is their most impressive and inspired album yet! In addition to their new studio work, this album includes a second disc which features the band's complete, now legendary performance at NEARFest 2002, which was seen by a sold-out audience of 1,850 and which caused Sea Of Tranquility to comment, "Miriodor proved that complex music can still have melody and finesse. Miriodor was without a doubt one of the highlights of the festival..."
 
Miriodor – Recontres
Montreal's incredible Miriodor have been making adventurous rock music for 15 years. This, their first album, contains the only recordings of the band in their original sextet (multi-keyboards, violin, sax, guitar/bass, drums) formation. The music is joyful & spirited. The music is more squarely in the progressive rock vein than their later works, with nods to the classic Qubcois prog sound, and lovely melodies performed on violin, electric guitar, flute, sax or keyboards.
 
Virgil Moorefield - Distractions On The Way To The King's Party
Drummer/composer Moorefield leads his 9 piece ensemble (three guitars, trumpet, trombone, alto and tenor saxes, bass and drums) through a set of brilliantly written instrumental art-rock. This is forward-looking, innovative music by an avant big band that rocks and swings. Moorefield has an exceedingly varied resum, playing with everyone from hardcore bands to symphony orchestras, as well as Glenn Branca and Swans. ''Brainy yet bloodthirsty...Manhattan's Virgil Moorefield Ensemble sets a horn section against a trio of fine, fiery guitarists''-Guitar Player. ''One of the year's ten best''-Expos . ''...an all too rare blast of fresh air. The label-defying music heard (here) is thick with surprising insights and enthralling musicianship.''-Frank-John Hadley/Downbeat writer.
 
Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co. – 1970~73
The first album and previously unreleased recordings from the world's first all-synthesizer ensemble. They were also one of the very first (possibly the first) performing synthesizer ensembles, working closely with Robert Moog, whose first factory was nearby. This material pre-dates or is contemporary with the first work of Kraftwerk & Tangerine Dream. A uniquely American slant on synthesizer music by a band whose pioneering contributions to the genre had been forgotten until now. With David Borden, Steve Drews & Linda Fisher.
 
Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co. - Like A Duck To Water / 1974-1976
MMPMC were the world's first all synthesizer ensemble. This was their 2nd & final release, and was originally released in 1976. The music is a unique and extremely enjoyable blend of space electronics (ala Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze), minimal music (Terry Riley, Philip Glass), and contemporary classical & electronics (Gordon Mumma, John Cage). This album showcases a uniquely American slant on synthesizer music by a band whose pioneering contributions to the genre had been forgotten until now. Includes the original album, 20' of previously unheard bonus material, and bonus CDRom material; a QuickTime video of the band in performance in 1976. With David Borden, Steve Drews & Judy Borsher. ''A marvel of pioneering electronica.''-The Wire.
 
The Muffins – 185
Originally released in 1981, just before the band's demise, this contains some of the last & some of the finest work from the band's original lifetime, by this amazing live ensemble. The original lp production downplayed the live aspects of the band, so, in addition to the original full lp version of <185> as known by all who own the original Random Radar vinyl version, we have remixed all seven compositions from the album (not the 3 improvisations) to their original "live in the studio" origins, and included them as bonus tracks, allowing you to hear exactly how the band used to sound during this time period. <185> has their most intricate, R.I.O.-styled work and it also features the best sonics of any of their albums. When you listen to Angle Dance (remixed to its 'live state'), if you are not amazed, then there is no hope for you!
 
The Muffins – Bandwidth
Since their demise in 1981, The Muffins have been generally acknowledged as one of the finest (and one of the most unsung) U.S. proponents of progressive/new music. Along with Grits, The Muffins were *the* formative band in my personal musical development and interests; I saw them live at least 50 times, and also saw countless rehearsals. During their lifetime, The Muffins were never less than amazing, and with the reissues on CD of their back catalog, their reputation only grew. In a very happy occurance, all four members of the band reformed in 1998 and began developing a new repertoire and performing concerts. In a world glutted with half-baked reformations by bands looking to cash in on past glories, Bandwidth is the genuine article; a reformation of all the original members who who have gotten together not for money, but because they miss what they had done together in the past and who feel that they still have something to say. Bandwidth is very recognizably the work of The Muffins; you can hear elements of both Manna/Mirage and <185> here, as well as lots of new elements. As we all know, there are very few second chances in life; as the saying goes, "you can't go home again." But we and The Muffins have all been handed another chance with Bandwidth.
 
The Muffins – Chronometers
Chronometers is an excellent collection of home and studio demos from the band's earliest period, when they were a quintet (Dave Newhouse-piano, organ, woodwinds, Tom Scott-woodwinds, Billy Swann-bass, Stuart Abramowitz-drums and Mike Zentner-guitar and violin). These 1975/76 recordings feature the band at their most Canterburian and especially at their most Hatfield-like. This is the band as I knew them when I first met them and these tapes - very carefully worked on to make them sound quite good from their very primitive genesis - is a loving tribute to a great band in their formative years, when they had more cats than fans....
 
The Muffins - Double Negative
It is an all-too-rare occurrence for a band, throughout its career, to create music that continually pushes the envelope and transforms the landscape. It is an even rarer occurrence for such a band to reunite after a long separation, and embark on a second musical career that proves as innovative as the first. For The Muffins, lightning has struck twice. In 1998, The Muffins reformed with all four members, and it proved to be the genuine article. Double Negative is The Muffins 2nd studio recording released since reforming and possibly the most ambitious work of their career. Featuring 75 minutes of music spread over 17 songs, Double Negative is The Muffins most compositionally diverse work, featuring pieces that vary in style and tone greatly, but which are always theirs (although they might fool you for a bit here and there!). The Muffins have long been noted for the way they craft memorable themes with adventurous musical structures and this is no exception. In addition, it is the bands most instrumentally rich work, featuring an unprecedented number of musical guest appearances. Two principal members of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Marshall Allen and Knoel Scott, play sax on several tracks, while longtime Muffins contributor, Doug Elliott, contributes excellent trombone parts to half the pieces and string players also contribute.
 
The Muffins – Manna / Mirage
The Muffins were a D.C. area band from 1974-81. This was their 1st & best known lp. A SUPERB & sublime instrumental mix of Canterbury progressive, fusion, improvisation elements, & more. "...America's most impressive & innovative Cow/Hatfield style group...The Muffins are the quintessential example of a group whose excellence, clear musical intelligence, light touch & broad range marked them out clearly for success and a place in the history of 'progressive rock'....The Muffins deserve their place in the pantheon of 70's progressive GREATS."-Chris Cutler.
 
Mujician – Spacetime
Since Mujician formed in England in 1988 as an improvising collective, the band has released 5 CDs on Cuneiform, who, in the words of The Wire, perform "...measured & powerful music, mining a rich free-jazz vein". Mujician is composed of four of the biggest names in the European jazz and improvised music community: Paul Dunmall: saxes, Tony Levin: drums, Paul Rogers: double bass, Keith Tippett: piano. But this "supergroup" is also a true co-operative, a collective critically praised for its sensitive interplay and coherent voice. As The Penguin Guide To Jazz on CD stated, "[Mujician are]...utterly central to free jazz in Britain". Spacetime another essential slice of improvising "Brit-jazz", features Mujician experimenting with shorter formats, and includes 15 pieces under 10 minutes each, recorded live in the studio.
 
Mujician - The Journey
Just 50 copies remain of this 1992 album that announced this free jazz supergroup to the world! The first release by Mujician - an extraordinary UK improvising/free jazz quartet, featuring Keith Tippett-piano, Paul Dunmall-reeds, Paul Rogers-bass, & Tony Levin- drums. This was recorded live at a festival by the BBC, & has some of their most freely improvised work. Mujician's music is notable for its wide range of musical interplay, its contrast between fiery freedom & calm melodies, and for it's wide variety of tonal color. "The interplay among the four musicians is incredible - this is a listening band. The music may be unfettered & spontaneous, but the players are disciplined & sympathetic to the musical moment."-Goldmine.
 
Mujician - There's No Going Back Now
"Working within the instrumental parameters of the standard post-bop combo - piano, bass, drums and saxophones - the band situates itself in a space midway between what could be called Brit-Improv and American energy music...their sound is, if anything, more exhilarating than it has ever been."-Jazz Weekly. For almost two decades, this British free-jazz quartet has been working and refining their dynamic take on improvised jazz with the same quartet of musicians, all of whom are long-time mainstays on the English and European free-jazz scene: Paul Dunmall-saxes, Tony Levin-drums, Paul Rogers-7 string A.L.L. double bass and Keith Tippett-piano. On this, their sixth album, they do what they have always done, which is to dig in and to investigate the music and where the music takes them, which in this case is a single, 45' long piece! "...the band has been together for many years, producing tasty, adventurous music that pushes the barriers of convention, but never sacrifices high standards. Each of these four musicians is a significant soloist, yet the totality of their balanced, collective sound is due to a certain synergy among them as they create sculptures of an almost transcendent nature... Grandstanding is discarded in favor of a more nuanced approach. Sometimes it even rises to the level of magnificence. The quartet forges a distinct sound, radical yet accessible, unconventional but comforting."-All Music Guide
 
National Health – Playtime
This marks the first time that this version of this classic Canterbury group (Alan Gowen, John Greaves, Phil Miller, Pip Pyle) has been documented on record. This edition of the band strove towards a more stretched-out, free-er approach. As Phil remembers it, Basically, we did less writing and more playing. Indeed, this version of National Health did more gigging that any other lineup of the band, but they never released any recordings until now. Recorded at two different shows in 1979 - including one show that features the addition of guest guitarist Alain Eckert (Art Zoyd) - the majority of the compositions on Playtime cannot be found on any other National Health recording. It includes a 16 page booklet with liner notes by Aymeric Leroy, which tells the story of this last period of the band. Illustrated with rare photos, interviews and comments with all surviving members of the band, this is a fantastic and unexpected document 20 years later, of a much loved band.
 
NDIO – AirBack
NDIO was formed from the ashes of the Holland-based Hugh Hopper Band. Some time after the Hopper Band disbanded, saxophonist Frank van der Kooij, a key member from the start, asked Hopper to join a project under his leadership. Frank also invited two other Hopper Band alumni to join: British trombonist Robert Jarvis, and drummer Pieter Bast. Two other Dutch musicians rounded out the ensemble: guitarist Niels Brouwer, keyboardist Paul Maassen. Van der Kooij named this new project NDIO; as he recalls: "The history of NDIO starts of course with the long cooperation between Hugh Hopper and myself in the Hugh Hopper Band, which did its first concert in spring 1985 in Breda, Holland; many concerts in Europe followed. In 2000 I wanted to create a new working formula in which I would have more possibilities of creating my own atmosphere so I invited a lot of old and new musicians to form several new groups. Of course one of these musicians was Hugh and the cooperation with him resulted again in a fascinating new sound. Immediately we started doing concerts and worked on this record." Airback is NDIOs 1st CD release. The music is a fluid and airy fusion of jazz with elements of rock, folk, ambient, classical music and sampling. While most of the compositions are by van der Kooij, one is by Jarvis and two are by Hopper, including Big Bombay, a tune previously heard on Uses Wrist Grab by Bone. Several of these tunes have become regular features of NDIOs live repetoire. The Netherlands has recently been recognized as a seedbed for some of the best and most adventurous jazz in recent years. Airback shows that young Dutch jazz musicians are also producing some of the worlds best jazz/rock fusion as well yet another musical development in which Hopper has played an integral role and the band's music, even though led by Frank, strongly bears Hugh's musical imprint.
 
NeBeLNeST - Nova Express
NeBelNeST are one of the most adventurous and energetic young bands to emerge on the international post-rock / avant-progressive scene in recent years. The young French band is noted for its dark symphonic rock music influenced by King Crimson, Pulsar & Shylock, laced with psychedelia and improvisation, and played with a riveting level of energy and intensity that 70's bands never even considered! Nova Express, their second CD, is produced by Bob Drake of the 5uus and Thinking Plague, and has recorded solo and other CDs for the ReR label. Drakes distinctive production techniques are a perfect match for NeBeLNeST, emphasizing and augmenting the wide dynamic range of the bands dark, mesmerizing sound.
 
NeBeLNeST – ZePTO
Nebelnest emerged with a bang out of France, with an excellent first album in 1998 and a second well received album in 2002. An instrumental quartet of keyboards, guitar, bass and drums, on their third album, Nebelnest add more elements of found-sound, noise, improvisation and dissonance to their uniquely post-punk take on dark symphonic rock, updating and punishing that sound beyond recognizable and reaching a whole new audience with it as well. Recorded during a time of chaos and transition for the band - their original guitarist appears on some of the album, as well as his replacement, who has also since left - the uncertainly that they were dealing with filled their music with an exciting tension. Happily, since the album was recorded, they have found a new replacement guitarist and have been busier playing concerts than during anytime in recent years. "stunning...powerful and complex...the relentless pace of this album is a challenge to keep up with and multiple listens through the aural pain barrier are essential to even begin to understand where this band is going."-Classic Rock Society
 
Nucleus - Live In Bremen 2 x CDs
The groundbreaking UK band Nucleus were one of the very first jazz/rock fusion groups, forming in 1969 and releasing their first album in 1970. During their lifetime, the band recorded 13 albums for labels like Vertigo and Capitol, among others. The band was founded by trumpeter Ian Carr. he recruited musicians for the band in the autumn of 1969. The timing was perfect: the world was ready for Nucleus and other early bands who were combining the energy and excitement of rock with jazz instrumentation, like Miles Davis, Tony Williams' Lifetime and Soft Machine. This never before released concert, recorded May 25th, 1971 and licensed from Radio Bremen, captures the band at an early peak and with an interesting lineup: Carr, Karl Jenkins-piano & oboe, Brian Smith-tenor & soprano sax, flute & percussion, Ray Russell-guitar, Roy Babbington-bass & John Marshall-drums. Most notably, Russell never recorded with the band, and his short tenure with Nucleus was completely unknown until now. Shortly after this recording, the original Nucleus began to unravel and three of the players (Babbington, Jenkins & Marshall) ended up in Soft Machine. This fine slice of vital, exciting, early jazz/rock includes some wonderful archival photos supplied by John Marshall and liner notes by Aymeric Leroy
 
Otolithen - S.O.D.
Hiding behind a shockingly ugly-on-purpose cover is a very fine, very unusual & intriguing album by this duo consisting of Pad Conca (electric bass, effects, foot-triggered percussion and homemade string instrument) and Dirk Bruinsma (of Blast) (electric guitar, saxes, effects, foot-triggered percussion). Difficult, extremely composed, sophisticated music that is reminiscent of Skeleton Crew (due to the line-up) performing the songbooks of Tim Hodgkinson or U Totem (due to the complexity of ideas.) ''...Intricate melodies & interplay...music that grows with each listening.''-Facelift.
 
Ed Palermo Big Band - Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance
"In arranging Zappa's tunes for big band, Ed Palermo has thrown new light on his legacy while retaining the composer's original melodic and harmonic designs. The arrangements also leave plenty of room for the band's gifted soloists..."-The Washington Post. Ed Palermo is a alto sax player and arranger; he has had a big band for twenty-five years, which is an impressive feat in itself, and has had his band performing the music of Frank Zappa for over a decade. Years and years of playing these pieces in front of enthusiastic crowds at a number of venues in New York City and beyond have honed the band’s skills with this difficult material to where they can glide through these charts as if they were butter. There are a number of ensembles performing the music of this great 20th century American composer, but no one does it with this ease, skill and originality; Ed is not afraid to turn a piece into a salsa number (the title track) or to take what was a one minute miniature and to develop it out into a six minute work. The band is a 15 piece ensemble of 6 woodwind players, two trumpeters, three trombonists, two keyboardists, bass and drums, plus a few guests. All of these musicians are NYC professionals, and they have been playing this music for years with Ed, because, like Ed, they recognize and appreciate the genius inherent in the huge body of Zappa's work, and they want to keep this great music alive and in front of the public. "[Palermo's] wisely chosen to emphasize Zappa's early and mid-career work, as that's the music which is more fluid and graceful--and more apt to swing....reveals the lighthearted playfulness and rhythmic intelligence at the core of Zappa's best work..."-Downbeat. [Cuneiform]
 
PFS – 279
A trio of keyboards, reeds, drums, & tapes, PFS's music is sharp, & creative; a vibrant mix of jagged rhythms, pre-recorded tape material, & bursts of musical color, blended with classical melodies. A wide range of styles are touched upon. ''Melodies & tonalities from the 12-tone school form the backbone of PFS's excursions; the results are both electrifying & introspective. Highly recommended.''-Spin.
 
Philharmonie - North (Nord)
Philharmone are an immensely talented guitar trio, featuring Frdric L'Epe of Shylock. Tight, well-written, pointillistic compositions, performed by 3 guitar masters. Here they add a drummer who gives them an even broader array of musical color. ''...a trio of top-flight guitarists with a sharp sense of melody and impeccable stylistic influences.''-i/e. ''Technically remarkable...'' -Guitar Player.
 
Philharmonie – Rage
Philharmone are an immensely talented guitar trio + drums, featuring Frdric L'Epe of Shylock. Tight, well-written, pointillistic compositions, performed by 3 guitar masters. Very rich & very ''progressive'' too, with lots of Fripp-ish fuzz lead lines snaking about. This is by far their most agressive & purely ''rock'' release yet. ''The best music I heard (this year)''-Facelift. ''...a trio of top-flight guitarists with a sharp sense of melody and impeccable stylistic influences.''-i/e. ''Technically remarkable...'' -Guitar Player. ''...a very fresh and different twist on the borderline King Crimson/R.I.O. genre...''-Audion. ''Conceptually, it suggests what an inspired meeting of Steve Reich and King Crimson might sound like...masterfully weaving together lush melodies, minimalist tendencies and heavy rock overtones.''-Innerviews.
 
Philharmonie - The Elephant Bell-Ringers (Les Elephants Carillonneurs)
On their 1st Cuneiform release, Philharmone are an immensely talented guitar trio, featuring Frdric L'Epe of Shylock. Tight, well-written, pointillistic compositions, performed by 3 guitar masters. Very rich & very ''progressive'' too, with lots of Fripp-ish fuzz lead lines snaking about. ''Technically remarkable...'' -Guitar Player. ''Conceptually, it suggests what an inspired meeting of Steve Reich and King Crimson might sound like...masterfully weaving together lush melodies, minimalist tendencies and heavy rock overtones.''-Innerviews.
 
Philharmonie - The Last Word (Le Dernier Mot)
Out of print! Last copies!! Their final work. As a trio of guitar, stick & drums, this mixes performances generally slanted towards the heavier sound of Rage, with some quieter moments as well. ''The best music I heard (this year)''-Facelift. ''...a trio of top-flight guitarists with a sharp sense of melody and impeccable stylistic influences.''-i/e. ''Technically remarkable...'' -Guitar Player. ''...a very fresh and different twist on the borderline King Crimson/R.I.O. genre...''-Audion. ''Conceptually, it suggests what an inspired meeting of Steve Reich and King Crimson might sound like...masterfully weaving together lush melodies, minimalist tendencies and heavy rock overtones.''-Innerviews. Start here.
 
Picchio dal Pozzo - Camere Zimmer Rooms
Picchio dal Pozzo are considered to be one of the very few ''Canterbury'' inspired bands that emerged from Italy's fertile 1970's progressive rock musical scene. They released two highly regarded - and highly sought after - albums during their lifetime. The exciting release of Camere Zimmer Rooms, a previously unknown studio recording of all unreleased compositions, extends their legacy greatly! The band formed in Genoa in 1972. They released their first, self-titled album in 1975. The band recorded their second LP '' Abbiamo Tutti i Suoi Problemi'' in 1980. Shortly after this release, the band dissolved. But, back in 1977, with their first earnings as a band, Picchio decided to buy their first sound reinforcement equipment to use for touring. To check out the equipment, the band decided to set up a live concert in studio for some friends and record it. The result is the tapes that now make up Camere Zimmer Rooms. While never originally intended for release, the band now feels that it is indeed the most faithful recording of Picchio dal Pozzo's music and mood. One of the first things that even the casual listener will discover is that Camere Zimmer Rooms does not sound like a live-in-the-studio recording. Using the full extent of the large band and pre-recorded tapes of things like natural sounds, factory noises, radio-advertising collages and other manipulated material, that were triggered by the various members of the band, the sound is indeed very close to a studio recording that would be filled with overdubbing. Essential for their fans, as well as fans of groups like Caravan, Hatfield & The North, Henry Cow, Soft Machine & Frank Zappa.
 
Richard Pinhas – Chronolyse
Composer, guitarist & electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of France's major experimental musicians & is a pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock. This was his 2nd solo and is absolutely one of his very finest works: half live Moog electronics that make fantastic use of stereo imaging and mix agression with the repetiveness of Phillip Glass or Terry Riley, & half with Heldon in a 30' King Crimson-ish stormy drone-epic of mellotrons, electronics, guitar, bass, & drums. One of my very favorite albums of all time!
 
Richard Pinhas - East/West
Out of print for the last 5 years, East/West was Richards s fourth solo album, which was originally released in 1980. This album has Richard embracing the new, computer-driven electronic technology, while still using some of his old gear and is one of Richard's personal favorites of his 70's and 80's work. This reprinting of East/West includes two songs that were not on the original CD issue and are never-before released!
 
Richard Pinhas - Event and Repetitions

Composer, guitarist and electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of Frances major experimental musicians. A pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock, Pinhas' stature in France is analogous to Tangerine Dream's in Germany: father figure of an entire musical movement. For the last decade, Pinhas has been developing a system of electronic processing to perform live solo guitar concerts with. Event and Repetitions, his first solo album in over 5 years, is over 75' of music performed live in his studio with just guitar and processing systems. The music is rich in depth, detail and texture.
 
Richard Pinhas - L'Ethique
Heads up, this early 80's album, his last before his 'retirement', is a really strong one, but we've got less than 50 copies left and who knows if there will be a reprinting. This has members of Magma & Heldon, & is a real rocker in places and is another of my real favorites by him! Includes a great 7' bonus track! "...France's most influencial contemporary musician."-Alternative Press. "Searing instrumental space music, bridging electronics & psychedelic guitar excess in unique & legendary fashion...one of the quintessential European progressive groups of the 70's"-Forced Exposure.
 
Richard Pinhas – Rhizosphere / Live Paris 1982
Low stock warning! Less than 50 copies remain and this is not being reprinted! Composer, guitarist & electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of France's major experimental musicians & is a pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock. Rhizosphere was his 1st solo; a great all-synth release, now coupled with a previously unreleased concert from 1981! "...France's most influencial contemporary musician."-Alternative Press. "Searing instrumental space music, bridging electronics & psychedelic guitar excess in unique & legendary fashion...one of the quintessential European progressive groups of the 70's"- Forced Exposure.
 
Richard Pinhas – Tranzition
Composer, guitarist and electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of Frances major experimental musicians. A pivotal figure in the international development of electronic rock music, Pinhas' stature in France is analogous to Tangerine Dream's in Germany: the father figure of an entire musical movement. The pioneering, aggressive music produced by his band Heldon during the 1970s, fusing electronics, guitar and rock, heralded the industrial and techno to come and remains today vital and unsurpassed. On Tranzition, Pinhas weaves beautiful, spacey, processed guitar tapestries, with added color from laptop, violin and the drumming of Antoine Paganotti of Magma. The voice of the late author Philip K. Dick can be heard on Moumoune girl, from a 1977 tape that he gave Pinhas. The BBC described his recent guitar music as Music that is in flux and stasis at the same time, with an almost sculptural presence, stuffed with overtones and rich textures. Tranzition is a multifaceted and richly jeweled work in which cause and effect, acoustics and electronics, taped sound and live playing change roles and even realities. "Among collectors of electronic music, some names have become legendary and are present in every search list. These names include Richard Pnhas, the leader of the French cult group Heldon."-Audion.
 
Richard Pinhas & Maurice Dantec:  Schizotrope - The Life And Death Of Marie Zorn
Composer, guitarist & electronics innovator Richard Pinhas is recognized as one of France's major experimental musicians & is a pivotal figure in the development of electronic rock. In 1998, Pinhas teamed up with French 'cyber-punk' author Dantec for a tribute to famed French philosopher Gilles Deleux, and Schizotrope came to North America for a series of shows, the best of which were recorded & compiled on here. ''...France's most influencial contemporary musician.''-Alternative Press. ''Searing instrumental space music, bridging electronics & psychedelic guitar excess in unique & legendary fashion...one of the quintessential European progressive groups of the 70's''-Forced Exposure.
 
Present - A Great Inhumane Adventure
In 1998, when Cuneiform released Present's fifth album, Certitudes, the band came to the USA for the very first time and undertook a huge, full US tour, logging in 10,000 miles and 5 weeks of concerts. Professionally recorded on 24 track on the final date of the tour, after 35 days of touring, the band were a tight, hard-rocking, road-tested machine and this is a very well recorded, stunning, loud and hot performance. Roger & Reggie Trigaux-guitars and vocals, Pierre Cheval‎ier-piano, Jean-Pierre Mendez-bass and Dave Kerman-drums. "No matter how great their record is, little could have prepared us for experiencing Belgium's Present live. They churned out mind-numbingly complex and shifting songs that always seemed to be driving towards some sort of awesome denouement. If they ever come around again, see them even if you have to kill to do it." - Atlanta Press.
 
Present – Certitudes
After Roger Trigaux left Univers Zero, he formed Present. This is new studio recordings from Roger & Rginald Trigaux-guitars & vocals, Alain Rochette-keyboards, Guy Segers-bass & Daniel Denis-drums! All perform with a lot of fire & energy, & this combines the precision & intricacy of Present's earlier sound with the heavy attack of Live. ''Notably more furious & urgent than anything on their previous albums...these avatars of an anguished, angular muse have unleashed their ultimate tour de force...this is a turbulent masterpiece.'' 5 stars (highest rating) -Alternative Press.
 
Present - Triskaidekaphobie/Le Poison Qui Rend Fou
After Roger Trigaux left Univers Zero, he formed Present.This puts their 1st two lps complete on one CD, which contains the most intricate & roaring rock music since King Crimson's ''Fracture''. Featuring amazing drummer Daniel Denis (of Univers Zero), these releases are rightly considered classics. ''Present offers violently cerebral, no-nonsense, no-compromise music.''-Carbon 14.
 
Proto-Kaw - Early Recordings From Kansas 1971-1973
This album compiles and releases for the very first time all of the studio recordings (as well as two live recordings) made by guitarist and composer Kerry Livgren with the seven-piece band that immediately preceded the formation of the lineup of the band that the world knows as Kansas. These recordings present a different and fascinating contrast to the music that Kerry would develop and release upon the world with Kansas just a couple of years later. Yet, as composer of all the tracks here, they still have his obvious imprint. In fact, two of the songs here would later reappear in different versions on Kansas' albums; Belexes would show up on the band's self-titled debut album, while Incomudro would appear on their 2nd album, Song For America. With dual keyboards (one of whom doubled on reeds) and an electric saxist/flautist (ala David Jackson) featured in addition to the more standard rock instrumentation, the sound is obviously influenced by jazz/rock pioneers as well as early progressive rock bands such as Van Der Graaf Generator and King Crimson. Early Recordings From Kansas 1971-73 is an exciting archival release of dark and exploratory early American progressive rock. The fact that these musicians were not able to find success while making this adventurous music in the heartland of agricultural America over 30 years ago should not be a surprise, but the fact that the tapes have survived and are able to finally be presented to the world in an authorized form will give fans of Kansas as well as all fans of early progressive rock a very pleasant surprise. These recordings have been licensed from, and released with the full consent and agreement of all the musicians. Kerry Livgren has returned to the original tapes and worked on all tracks in his studio to present this material in the best possible light. He also contributed liner notes and provided archival photographs.
 
Rip Pyle & Bash - Belle Illusion
Drummer and composer Pip Pyle is widely recognized as the drummer of the Canterbury school of progressive rock. As the drummer for Hatfield and the North and National Health, as well as stints with Gong, In Cahoots, Soft Heap and many, many others in both England and France, Pyle is one of the great drummers of both progressive rock and jazz-rock/fusion. His newest project, Bash!, is a modern electric jazz fusion/Canterbury outfit that integrates all of his past musical experiences while showcasing his compositional skills. In 2002, Pyle formed the group Bash! to perform his own jazz-infused, rock-energized compositions. Besides Pyle, the virtuoso ensemble includes guitarist Patrice Meyer, keyboardist Alex Maguire and bassist Fred Baker. Saxist Elton Dean guests on two tracks. Belle Illusion, despite it being this groups first release, is an organic and remarkably mature work. Its success is in part due to the players high level of skill, and in part due to the fact that Pyle penned his compositions with these specific players in mind. According to Pyle, Belle Illusion is the nearest to writing for specific musicians that Ive ever done. Featuring excellent sound, the CD was recorded live at two festival shows, allowing the excitement that musicians bring to good live performances to be captured here. Bash! is sure to please fans of Pip's work and also to bring new fans to an appreciation of his music.
 
Radio Massacre International - Emissaries 2 x CDs
Radio Massacre International is a British trio of Steve Dinsdale (keyboards, electronics), Duncan Goddard (keyboards, electronics) and Gary Houghton (guitar, keyboards). These three musicians have worked together in various configurations since they were 16 year old students in the 70's and formed R.M.I. in 1993. Appealing to fans of classic era work by Ashra/Manuel Gottsching, Heldon, Pink Floyd, Popol Vuh, Steve Roach, Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, Radio Massacre International are considered one of the greats of the current spacemusic/ electronic music scene. There are many times during this album where you will think you are listening to a long-lost Klaus Schulze album with his old friend Manuel Gottsching helping out on guitar! Emissaries is intended to introduce the band to the music world at large outside of the electronic music cognoscenti. This deluxe 2 CD set, which sells for the price of a single CD, features a new studio album, a live album recorded at radio station WXPN in Philadelphia during their 2004 USA performances and a stunning cover by cartoonist Matt Howarth. Additionally, the studio album is a CD+ release which provides the buyer with a beautiful electronic comic (in .pdf format), which is viewable on any computer! "If you like Berlin school 1970's electronics...this is a feast of scorching sequencerrs and synthesizers, laced with searing guitars over lots of cool outer space drifting."-Expose.
 
Rattlemouth - Fist Full Of Iffy
Rattlemouth is an offshoot of the legendary Orthotonics. Features saxist/vocalist Danny Finney + a great & supple rhythm section. Mostly instrumental new music that isn't afraid to rock hard (while using unusual modes for the melodies & rapidly changing time signatures). The lack of guitar & trio format takes this further away from the ''rock'' elements of their first, & puts this more in line with musical iconoclasts like Etron Fou, albeit in a less obviously ''weird'' manner. ''...crisply executed, audacious...''-The Wire.
 
Rattlemouth - Walking A Full Moon Dog
Rattlemouth is an offshoot of the legendary Orthotonics. This features saxist/vocalist Danny Finney & guitarist Rebby Sharp - both of the Orthos + a great & supple rhythm section. Mostly instrumental new music that isn't afraid to rock hard (while using unusual modes for the melodies & rapidly changing time signatures). In a just world, all we would have to say is ''sounds like a revved-up version of The Orthotonics with a hot bassist added'' & we'd sell tons.!. ''...their music is extremely contagious, very defined and melodic, but still has that angular and slightly abrasive guitar driven edge. An outstanding first release that is vying for a reservation on my best-of-96 list.''-Expose #9. ''...crisply executed, audacious...''-The Wire.
 
Alec K. Redfearn and The Eyesores - The Quiet Room
The Eyesores are an accordion-driven, gypsy cursed band that specialize in funeral marches and hypno-drone trance music, among other, equally odd things. The Eyesores are bad ass motherfuckers in an entirely new way. Recommended.-The Noise. This one is a little bit different and also rather special. A huge nine-piece band (accordion/vocals, guitar, French horn, violin, electronics, alto sax, string bass/vocals, drums and percussion), they combine a gigantic array of influences, such as acid folk, maverick 20th century Americana (Tom Waits, Charles Ives, John Cage, Harry Partch), Eastern European folk music, noise/drone rock, cyclical minimalism (Terry Riley, Philip Glass), cabaret and theater music and more. To my ears, this band is simultaneously drawing from the 'primitive' and 'avant-garde' esthetic, and blending together this huge range of styles into a distinctive, wholely charming sound; at any given moment, you can't tell if you will be hearing the influences of 1920's Appalachia, as filtered through a modern rock band, or post math-rock rendered by acoustic instruments. There are not a lot of vocals, but what vocals there are are nicely sung and feature a wry wit. Always evolving and ever elusive, The Eyesores have consistently left their audiences equally enthralled and confused; the tradition continues here! A quiet stunner! "This massive musical untaking is a complex mix of psychedelic folk, prog rock, old-time, acid cabaret, dark circus music, and sinister dream fragments that haunt in recurring motifs"-Dream.
 
Ray Russell - Goodbye Svengali
Like contemporaries Sonny Sharrock and Terje Rypdal, Russell makes it sound as if the guitar is not enough, as if he's reaching for something wilder, something that can't be contained within the 6 string cage-Jim O'Rourke. Guitarist Ray Russell has been a professional musician since he was 15 and he joined the John Barry Seven (famous for their James Bond soundtracks). Not hugely known to the general public, for over four decades he has worked with artists as diverse as Nucleus, Gil Evans, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, Bill Fay, Jack Bruce, Michael Gibbs, Tina Turner, Bryan Ferry and many, many others. His wide-ranging solo career got into gear during the late 60s and can be viewed as a simultaneous and wilder variant of the same path towards electric jazz that Miles Davis and others took during this time, releasing a number of very collectable and ahead of their time albums, and becoming one of the earliest truly 'out' guitarists of the late 60s in the process. Goodbye Svengali is influenced by and dedicated to visionary jazz arranger Gil Evans, and includes one of Gil's final recordings. It is an album that mixes dark fusion, lyrical guitar pieces and icy soundscapes. Ray's playing style can be compared to such great players as Sonny and Terje, as Jim noted, but also to John McLaughlin, John Abercrombie and Jeff Beck! Includes performances by noted U.K. fusion/rock players such as : Mo Foster, Gary Husband, Tony Hymas, Simon Phillips and others.
"Ray Russells back with his first solo record in 14 years and, man, its good. What began as an idea for a series of duets expanded into a much grander project. From a lovely Goodbye Pork Pie Hat with just Russell and Gil Evans (recorded back in the eighties) to the out-and-out rock of Blaize, this is a staggeringly wide-ranging album. Theres some of the free jazz-rock Russell pioneered in the sixties and seventies on Everywhere and in the wild guitar/drums section on the title track. But theres also a softer, tender side present on Without a Trace and Wailing Wall and a filmic quality to So Far Away. Yet it never sounds cluttered or fragmented. Instead it moves always easily and convincingly through styles and modes. Its Russells sound that dominates but that takes nothing from the bravura playing of Gary Husband and, Russells daughter, Amy Baldwin (fabulous on double bass) or from Miles Evans touchingly emotional trumpet on Goodbye Svengali. Fusion or jazz-rock rarely sounds this good."-Jazzwise/Duncan Heining
 
Soft Machine – Backwards
The fourth in our Soft Machine archival series. While I am really proud of all of our Soft Machine releases, this one is really special & something perhaps even close to magnificent. Backwards is comprised of recordings from three different and interesting eras of the band: First on the CD is a recording of the quartet from May, 1970, made just about the time that the band had finished recording their Third album. The recording is mono, but the sonic quality is superb; this may be the single finest recording of the quartet version of the band, surpasing even their official studio relases. Next is two performances from November, 1969, featuring the septet version of Soft Machine. Since the only other available material by this version of the band is 20' of BBC recordings, this is an invaluable addition to the band's recorded legacy. Lastly there is Robert Wyatt's original demo of "Moon In June", which would eventually appear on Third. The first half of this demo version was recorded in the USA in the fall of 1968, after Soft Machine had disbanded after their 2nd US tour, but before the band reformed for their 2nd album. Then, in 1969, the trio version of Soft Machine recorded the ending to their piece, and spliced on the final half. As I said before, this one is special, & anyone remotely interested in what was happening in English progressive music-jazz/rock (before it became known as jazz/rock) should be extremely happy with this release.
 
Soft Machine - Grides CD + DVD
Soft Machine were one of first and one of the greatest jazz/rock bands of all time. Their importance and influence was especially great in Europe, where they influenced several generations of bands, and their influences can still be heard to this day in bands like Jaga Jazzist and beyond. Grides presents the most famous version of the band (Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt) recorded live at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on October 25, 1970, in a high-quality, previously unreleased recording, just a few months after the release of Third and at the peak of their popularity. It showcases them in transition between releases, with the band performing 3 of the four works from Third, as well as some of the earliest recordings of material from the upcomming Fourth, including some very different arrangements to what would eventually end up on that release. In addition, it features the earliest recording of Elton's Neo-Caliban Grides, which has a fairly lengthy composed section that was never heard again. Also included in this set is the first-ever DVD release by Soft Machine! It was recorded at the TV studios of Radio Bremen on the same date (March 23, 1971) as the radio session that Cuneiform released as Virtually, but is a completely different performance. This was the band's final European tour with Robert Wyatt and is a 20 minute set, professionally recorded by a multicamera crew. The audio and video quality is excellent for the time period (over 35 years old now!), as we worked from the original videotape master in the archives of Radio Bremen. Bottom line: another excellent and essential archival release from a great band!
 
Soft Machine - Live In Paris 2 x CDs
The Soft Machine line-up of Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall and Mike Ratledge lasted under half a year and recorded just one half of an album (side two of "5"). Live in Paris is a rare recording of this quartet during that lineups final days; Dean left Soft Machine later that month. It is also a special, rare example of a Soft Machine concert recorded and released in its entirety. Live in Paris shows Soft Machine playing in top form. As Aymeric Leroy points out in the liner notes, the music illustrates main composers Ratledge and Hoppers shift in compositional styletowards looser and more minimalistic themes." The tracklisting consists of works from "Third" and "5" in often significantly different versions, as well as several piece not recorded elsewhere. This excellent quality release - formerly released as "Live In France" on another label - is taken from the less than 2 dozen shows performed by this version of the band, and shows that despite such a short life, that this version of the quartet definitely had their own style and sound.
 
Soft Machine – Noisette
Noisette was recorded January 4th, 1970, by the short-lived quintet formation of the group: Elton Dean & Lyn Dobson-reeds, Hugh Hopper-bass, Mike Ratledge-keyboards & Robert Wyatt-drums & vocals. Noisette showcases a band in transition from their earlier psychedelic/progressive sound towards the jazz rock sound of Third & Fourth. It features the quintet performing versions of material from their 1st two albums as well as material not available on their studio albums. Mastered directly off of the 30 year old 15ips master tapes, this release boasts superb live sound for the time period, & includes rare, unseen photos and liner notes by Aymeric Leroy.
 
Soft Machine – Spaced
This is previously unreleased studio recordings recorded in mid 1969 by the ''classic'' Soft Machine trio line-up of Hugh Hopper, Mike Ratledge and Robert Wyatt. These heavily manipulated/looped/etc. recordings were originally presented as the backdrop to a multi-media work entitled Spaced. After it's week-long performance, the tapes were forgotten for over 25 years until rediscovered by Mike King. These recordings feature the band at their most radical, & while they would never again use the studio in such an extreme fashion, the work done here definitely influenced later works such as Third & Hugh's 1984. With liner notes by Hugh & Bob Woolford. ''Fantastic archival release...showing them at their most experimental, tranced-state ever, an organically looped masterpiece of sound construction...''-Forced Exposure.
 
Soft Machine – Virtually
This is a previously unreleased show recorded 3/23/71 by the classic quartet Softs (Elton Dean/Mike Ratledge/Hugh Hopper/Robert Wyatt) during their final European tour & just 4 months before their dissolution. The recording (licensed from German radio & taken from the master tapes) is superb for the time period, & the performance really sparkles, with everyone shinning. With versions of all the tracks from Fourth, most of Third and much more, this 78' release, which captures the entire concert, is absolutely essential for any fan.
 
Sotos – Platypus
Platypus is the second album by this instrumental chamber rock/zeuhl/R.I.O. ensemble from Bordeaux, France. Sotos was formed in January of 1996. From the beginning the line up has been the same five young musicians on guitar, violin, cello, bass and drums, all of whom were students at the French National School of Music when they formed the group. In 1999, they recorded their first album which was released on the French Gazul label and which met with strong acclaim, such as this review from Expos: "...a highly melodic and complex dark music...the best debut in a very, very long time.". Platypus was recorded by the noted engineer Bob Drake, who has done fine work for 5uu's, Nebelnest, The Science Group, Thinking Plague and others, and the nicely recorded and balanced sound allows you to hear all the strong nuances of this rich and complex music. There is so much good work that is left to be done in this field of music, and so few people working in this vein, that Platypus is sure to be a best of the year release to fans of Bela Bartok, Doctor Nerve, King Crimson, Magma, Igor Stravinsky, Univers Zero, Zypressen and other contemporary composers and ensembles. ". Platypus positions Sotos has the most exciting avant-prog band to surface since Boud Deun. Highly recommended."-All Music Guide
 
John Surman - Way Back When
This is a truly stupendous archival find, with broad appeal to both jazz and early fusion fans. This never before released album was recorded on October 7th, 1969 by John Surman and British jazz superstars. It is a mix between the vibrancy of late 60's uk jazz and spacey early electric jazz/rock ala "In A Silent Way"; listening to this album, you can hear that the fusion explosion is on the cusp of happening. Soprano/baritone saxophonist John Surman is one of the UK's best known jazzmen, having released 8 albums under his own name between 1968 - 1974 for mainstream labels such as Deram and Island. He was a member of John McLaughlin's final UK-based group, recording John's famous first solo album, Extrapolation with him in 1969, six months before recording Way Back When. Since the late 1970's, he has mostly recorded for the ECM label, recording dozens of albums as either the leader or as a sideman. "In mid-October, 1969, I left the UK to meet up with bassist Barre Phillips and drummer Stu Martin to begin working with them as "The Trio". Before I left however, a few close friends and I held a sort of 'farewell' session in Tangerine Studios in London. On hand were drummer John Marshall, electric pianist John Taylor and Brian Odgers on bass guitar - later Mike Osborne appeared with his alto and joined us. Shortly after I left England, the studios closed down and, although a few test pressings were made, the original tapes got lost in the general confusion. Much to my surprise the masters had survived and were uncovered in 2003...what you are hearing accurately reflects the sound of the sixties...it offers genuine insight into some of the musical directions that were being explored at the end of that swinging decade in the UK."-John Surman
 
Thinking Plague - A History Of Madness
Thinking Plague's greatly anticipated 5th album presents a further maturation of the bands sound. Not content to merely repeat their past successes, the album's overall feel is due in part to the inclusion of acoustic instruments in the mix, which is also interwoven with electronic sounds and samples. The CD includes two soundscape pieces, War on Terra and Le Gouffre, that leader Mike Johnson maintains: are really a departure for me, or a beginning, as it were, in that they are my first really serious forays into the realm of semi-composed, sonic environments rather than organized pieces or songs." The line up is Mike Johnson (guitars), Deborah Perry (vocals), Dave Willey (bass and accordions), Dave Shamrock (formerly of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum) (drums), Mark Harris (reeds) and Matt Mitchell (piano, harmonium, synths) with contributions from other musicians, including Dave Kerman (percussion), Ron Miles (trumpet), Mark McCoin (samples and soundscapes) and others. The CDs magic reveals itself on multiple listenings, in exploring the works threads like currents in a stream. However, a single listen will suffice to leave most spellbound.
 
Thinking Plague - Early Plague Years
Thinking Plague grew out of basement recording experiments by Mike Johnson & Bob Drake in the early 80s. They released their 1st lp, ...a thinking plague in 1984 on their own label in a hand-painted edition of 500. They then disbanded the original version of the band & formed a new version, featuring Susanne Lewis & others. This band released Moonsongs in 1986, which Option called stunning upon its release. Newly remastered by Bob Drake, with astonishingly improved sound, this marks the 1st time that these vinyl rarities have been available in over a decade. You can hear the development of the band from their roots grow into the sound that is uniquely theirs.
 
Thinking Plague - In Extremis
Denver's legendary Thinking Plague have been making music since the early 1980's. This is their latest & includes co-founders guitarist Mike Johnson, multi-instrumentalist Bob Drake, monster drummer Dave Kerman as well as a host of others, all of whom turn in tremendous performances on vocals, guitars, multiple reeds, accordion, keyboards, bass, drums and more. Tuneful, well composed & strongly structured, this is very much in the vanguard of the RIO art-rock song style, along with peers such as U Totem, the 5uu's & the Art Bears. ''Among the vanguard of groups riding the crest of a largely unheralded contemporary avant-progressive tsunami, Denver's Thinking Plague stand out in bas-relief...the manner in which Thinking Plague...have condensed only the most fertile (& often most pulverising) aspects of the last 30 years of progressive exploration is nothing short of awe-inspiring.'' 5/5 stars - Alternative Press
 
Steve Tibbetts - Steve Tibbetts [1st]
A reissue of guitar-star Steve's long unavailable 1st lp from 1977. Recorded using just multiple guitars, synth, & tape effects/processing, this achieves an unholy mix of finger-style guitar Americana with the psychedelic spirit & effects of Jimi Hendrix. Carefully mastered from the original master tape, Steve says that the sound is better than he even hoped was possible. "This 1977 debut release laid the groundwork for Tibbetts' extraordinary ECM albums; stunning 12 string chops, eccentric, fascinating tape effects & a consistent sense of spiritual dimension."-Guitar Player. "Arguably his finest album."-Audion.
 
U Totem - Strange Attractors
U Totem were the avant-rock supergroup that combined personnel from Los Angeles' 5uu's and Motor Totemist Guild. They existed between 1998 - 2004 and released two albums, of which this is the second. Since his time in U Totem, drummer/composer Dave Kerman has gone onto high profile with with many other projects. This one isn't nearly as obviously 'complex rock' as their first, but that's only because the complexity is more subtle and less overtly in-you-face, which makes it even more impressive when what they are doing on some of these pieces finally 'clicks' in your brain. "Of all of James Grigsby's productions, Strange Attractors is the work he will be remembered for. This album, weaved on a complex story line jumping back and forth from 1957 to 1985 to 2012, contains some of the best music avant-progressive had to offer in the 1990s...a classic."-All Music Guide.
 
U Totem - U Totem
U Totem is the combination of the 5uus & the Motor Totemist Guild. This pairing has brought out the best parts of both bands, combining the abstraction & lyricism of the 5uus with the classical control & tambre of the MTG. Keyboards, bassoon, guitar, bass, flute, drums & voice combine to produce major stunners. ''U Totem is characterized by unsurpassed technique and perfect sound; in addition, this music is well written & well orchestrated...this must surely be the CD of the year!-Gateavisa. ''The closest thing to Henry Cow in complexity...world class playing & singing...there is nothing else like this now.''-Chris Cutler.
 
Univers Zero – 1313
Univers Zero play fascinating, modern, chamber music-influenced rock. Simultaneously gothic & futuristic, they are somewhat like the very best of Magma or Crimson, but infinitely darker, with helpings of Eastern European folk melodies added. This band and these discs are completely deserving of the mystique & legendary status that have grown up around them. Incomparable! Their first, this is a unique disc of dark, mostly acoustic chamber rock. ''...a must for lovers of adventurous music''-Keyboard. ''A remarkably subtle weaving of rock, classical, & avant garde tactics...''-Alternative Press. ''If Stravinsky had a rock band, it would sound like this. Blazing, white hot, medieval''-Advocate Newspapers. ''The fall of Rome? The parting of the Red Sea? What else can compare with the monumental occurence of a new slab of Univers Zero?''-Mike Ezzo/Expos #18. ''Univers Zero's vision (is) pretty much unique & for those touched by it, nothing else will quite do...a sound that really couldn't be any other band in the world.''-The Rough Guide To Rock. ''Daring & delightful...their music has mystery and power...''-Focus.
 
Univers Zero - Ceux Du Dehors
Univers Zero play fascinating, modern, chamber music-influenced rock. Simultaneously gothic & futuristic, they are somewhat like the very best of Magma or Crimson, but infinitely darker, with helpings of Eastern European folk melodies added. This band and these discs are completely deserving of the mystique & legendary status that have grown up around them. Incomparable! For many people, this album is considered their highest achievement and it was my personal soundtrack for a number of years. "Dense" is indeed one of the greatest avant-orchestra rock pieces ever created, with amazing majesty, power, tension and release. Recommended. ''...a must for lovers of adventurous music''-Keyboard. ''A remarkably subtle weaving of rock, classical, & avant garde tactics...''-Alternative Press. ''If Stravinsky had a rock band, it would sound like this. Blazing, white hot, medieval''-Advocate Newspapers. ''The fall of Rome? The parting of the Red Sea? What else can compare with the monumental occurence of a new slab of Univers Zero?''-Mike Ezzo/Expos #18. ''Univers Zero's vision (is) pretty much unique & for those touched by it, nothing else will quite do...a sound that really couldn't be any other band in the world.''-The Rough Guide To Rock. ''Daring & delightful...their music has mystery and power...''-Focus.
 
Univers Zero - Crawling Wind
A founding member of the original Rock In Opposition [R.I.O.] movement, and considered to be one of the greatest avant-garde bands of the 70s & 80s Belgium's Univers Zero were originally founded in 1974. Originally released as a limited edition, Japanese-only 12'' EP, Crawling Wind has long been the unavailable crown jewel of the band's oeuvre. Now available for the first time on CD, it has been remastered and expanded, with the addition of rare and never before released studio and live material, to a full length album. It additionally includes a short history of the group written by noted writer Dean Suzuki, a long time fan of the band. Univers Zero's distinctive sound is a combination of their unique instrumentation (piano and keyboards, violin, clarinets, oboe/bassoon, bass, and drums) blended with Gothic imagery and an intensely strong, classically influenced writing style. In the hands of some of the best musicians of Europe, these factors lead to a group on the cutting edge of creating a new, vital and different approach to rock music.
 
Univers Zero – Heatwave
Univers Zero play fascinating, modern, chamber music-influenced rock. Simultaneously gothic & futuristic, they are somewhat like the very best of Magma or Crimson, but infinitely darker, with helpings of Eastern European folk melodies added. This band and these discs are completely deserving of the mystique & legendary status that have grown up around them. Incomparable! From 1986, this is more overtly electric, & uses reeds, strings, keyboards, bass, & drums. It was their last album in their original incarnation and their last until they reformed 13 years later. ''...a must for lovers of adventurous music''-Keyboard. ''A remarkably subtle weaving of rock, classical, & avant garde tactics...''-Alternative Press. ''If Stravinsky had a rock band, it would sound like this. Blazing, white hot, medieval''-Advocate Newspapers. ''The fall of Rome? The parting of the Red Sea? What else can compare with the monumental occurence of a new slab of Univers Zero?''-Mike Ezzo/Expos #18. ''Univers Zero's vision (is) pretty much unique & for those touched by it, nothing else will quite do...a sound that really couldn't be any other band in the world.''-The Rough Guide To Rock. ''Daring & delightful...their music has mystery and power...''-Focus.
 
Univers Zero – Heresie
Univers Zero play fascinating, modern, chamber music-influenced rock. Simultaneously gothic & futuristic, they are somewhat like the very best of Magma or Crimson, but infinitely darker, with helpings of Eastern European folk melodies added. This band and these discs are completely deserving of the mystique & legendary status that have grown up around them. Incomparable! Scored for bassoon/oboe, harmonium/guitar, violin, bass & drum, this is absolutely one of the darkest lps ever made. ''...a must for lovers of adventurous music''-Keyboard. ''A remarkably subtle weaving of rock, classical, & avant garde tactics...''-Alternative Press. ''If Stravinsky had a rock band, it would sound like this. Blazing, white hot, medieval''-Advocate Newspapers. ''The fall of Rome? The parting of the Red Sea? What else can compare with the monumental occurence of a new slab of Univers Zero?''-Mike Ezzo/Expos #18. ''Univers Zero's vision (is) pretty much unique & for those touched by it, nothing else will quite do...a sound that really couldn't be any other band in the world.''-The Rough Guide To Rock. ''Daring & delightful...their music has mystery and power...''-Focus.
 
Univers Zero – Implosion
Implosion features Univers Zero's trademark chamber rock style - a style that they are one of the originators of - subtly modernized, infused with greater classicism and given a sharper, more electric and electronic edge. Besides leader/composer Daniel Denis Denis (drums, percussion, keyboard, samplers, accordion, guitar), musicians on Implosion include Michel Berckmans (oboe, English horn, bassoon), Serge Bertocchi (saxes & tubax), Aurelia Boven (cello), Ariane De Bievre (flute, piccolo), Dirk Descheemaeker (bass clarinet, clarinet), Bart Maris (trumpet, flugelhorn), Eric Plantain (electric bass), Christophe Pons (acoustic guitar), Bart Quartier (marimba, glockenspiel), and Igor Semenoff (violin).Implosion shows that, three decades after it was first formed, Univers Zero continues to evolve, expanding and experimenting with the boundaries of New Music, and, to quote Expose, "...ceaselessly proving themselves to be one of the best and most important groups on the planet."
 
Univers Zero – Live
"Since the late 70s, Univers Zero composer and drummer Daniel Denis has been pursuing his vision of a chamber music that borrows the energy and production of rock, especially working with stereo extremes, but with a classical ambiance."-John Diliberto/Pulse! Univers Zero occupy a special place in the new music pantheon. They practically invented the 'chamber-rock style and their albums are classics of their kind, with an instantly recognizable sound. Group leader Daniel Denis had long insisted that he wasn't interested in having a performing band, so it was a thrill and a shock when he put together a stable band version of UZ for the 00's. This edition of the band is the most perfectly realized version of Univers Zero for live performance, which is something that Daniel obviously agrees with, as he had resisted a live album until now. Consisting of six tremendous players: Daniel Denis-drums, Michael Berckmans-bassoon, English horn and oboe, Martin Lauwers-violin, Peter Van Den Berghe-piano and keyboards, Kurt Bud-clarinet and saxophone and Eric Plantain-bass, the band has finally managed to fufill Daniel's vision of marrying a rock band with the majesty and power of classical instrumentation. This is an utterly fantastic sounding recording which includes some significant re-arrangements of a number of great works, which bring out new aspects of these pieces!
"I must say the live UZ is freakin' great. Congrats. For me, it's their best album since Ceux. Truly an excellent recording too."-Dave Kerman
"...one of the best sounding live documents I know of."-Udi Koomran.
 
Univers Zero – Rhythmix
Univers Zeros New Music fusion of rock and classical music has been discussed by Focus magazine: while ensembles like the Kronos and Brodsky quartets have filtered into the rock world by way of guest appearances or loosely adapting rock music, Univers Zero have been single-handedly bridging the two disparate worlds by integrating a frontline rhythm section into their dark scores. And what a powerhouse pulse machine it is..." This is UZ's 2nd release since reforming in the late 1990's. and leader/composer/drummer/keyboardist Daniel Denis builds upon the rich legacy of Univers Zero's work, using both the acoustic colorations of their earliest releases (bassoon, oboe, harmoniums) as well as the interest in electronic keyboards and synthesis that marked their later releases. While working with this legacy, Denis is not afraid to experiment, and the music on Rhythmix includes a total of 10 musicians, including some performing on instruments like flute, trumpet, acoustic guitar, marimba and accordion, all of which are instruments that are not normally thought of in the context of Univers Zero, in addition to the violin, bassoon/oboe, piano/harmonium, bass, drums, etc. that we all know would be there!
 
Univers Zero - The Hard Quest
Univers Zero play fascinating, modern, chamber music-influenced rock. Simultaneously gothic & futuristic, they are somewhat like the very best of Magma or Crimson, but infinitely darker, with helpings of Eastern European folk melodies added. This band and these discs are completely deserving of the mystique & legendary status that have grown up around them. Incomparable! This is their 1st in 13 years! ''The fall of Rome? The parting of the Red Sea? What else can compare with the monumental occurence of a new slab of Univers Zero?''-Mike Ezzo/Expos #18. ''Univers Zero's vision (is) pretty much unique & for those touched by it, nothing else will quite do...a sound that really couldn't be any other band in the world.''-The Rough Guide To Rock. ''Daring & delightful...their music has mystery and power...''-Focus.
 
Univers Zero – Uzed
Univers Zero play fascinating, modern, chamber music-influenced rock. Simultaneously gothic & futuristic, they are somewhat like the very best of Magma or Crimson, but infinitely darker, with helpings of Eastern European folk melodies added. This band and these discs are completely deserving of the mystique & legendary status that have grown up around them. Incomparable! From 1984, this is more overtly electric, & uses reeds, strings, keyboards, bass, & drums. ''...a must for lovers of adventurous music''-Keyboard. ''A remarkably subtle weaving of rock, classical, & avant garde tactics...''-Alternative Press. ''If Stravinsky had a rock band, it would sound like this. Blazing, white hot, medieval''-Advocate Newspapers. ''The fall of Rome? The parting of the Red Sea? What else can compare with the monumental occurence of a new slab of Univers Zero?''-Mike Ezzo/Expos #18. ''Univers Zero's vision (is) pretty much unique & for those touched by it, nothing else will quite do...a sound that really couldn't be any other band in the world.''-The Rough Guide To Rock. ''Daring & delightful...their music has mystery and power...''-Focus.
 
University Of Errors - Jet Propelled Photographs
University of Errors is led by guitarist, vocalist, and pataphysical icon Daevid Allen. Daevid was one of the founding members of The Soft Machine (and later the founder of Gong), but he left the Softs in August, 1967, and there are only a handful of recordings and demos of his tenure with the band. Allen launched his US-based band, University of Errors, over thirty years, numerous musical escapades and multiple continents later. Jet Propelled Photographs is University of Errors 4th release and their first recording with Cuneiform Records. It is a remake of Soft Machines first music: their repertoire from the days when Allen was in, and recorded with, the band whose existence he sparked. On Jet Propelled Photographs, University of Errors revives, re-informs, and reinvents Soft Machines psychedelic rock and pop of the era, kicking it into the 21st century and resulting in a sound that is entirely new!
"Thanks for the University of Errors. Great BAND!...lovely record." - Robert Wyatt.
"Just got the Jet Propelled Photographs. I like it. Good energetic versions of the songs and Daevid is singing well." - Hugh Hopper
 
Volapuk – Polyglot
Forget the fact that you can't pronounce the name of the band & listen up! Volapk is drummer/composer Guigou Chenevier's (Etron Fou) new trio also featuring bass clarinetist/etc. Michel Mandel & cellist Guillaume Saurel. The band has an immediately identifiable sound, making full usage of the unusual sonorities of their instruments, along with short, rhythmically complex compositions & improvisations that will please any fan of adventurous/RIO style rock. This, their fourth album, adds new member Takumi Fukushima, ex-After Dinner, on violin, & her contributions fill out & extend their already marvelous sound. Guigou is one of the great drummers in rock & is also a superb composer; many of the great Etron works bear his imprint. Great melodies & catchy, intricate rhythms abound! A must own! ''A wonderful trio (whose) compositions are highly rhythmic & playfull, full of both surprises & logical thematic development.''-C.M.J. ''...lively, soulful & very accessible.''-Option.
 
Volapuk - Slang!
Forget the fact that you can't pronounce the name of the band & listen up! Volapk is drummer/composer Guigou Chenevier's (Etron Fou) new trio also featuring bass clarinetist/etc. Michel Mandel & cellist Guillaume Saurel. The band has an immediately identifiable sound, making full usage of the unusual sonorities of their instruments, along with short, rhythmically complex compositions & improvisations that will please any fan of adventurous/RIO style rock. Guigou is one of the great drummers in rock & is also a superb composer; many of the great Etron works bear his imprint. Great melodies & catchy, intricate rhythms abound! A must own! ''A wonderful trio (whose) compositions are highly rhythmic & playfull, full of both surprises & logical thematic development.''-C.M.J. ''...lively, soulful & very accessible.''-Option.
 
Von Zamla – 1983
Never before released, high quality live recordings from the band's 1983 German tour! This features Michel Berckmans-oboe/bassoon, Eino Haapala,-guitar, Lars Hollmer-keyboards, Hans Loelv-keyboards Wolfgang Salomon-bass & Mrten Tiselius-drums) performing (often radically rearranged) versions of tracks from No Make Up and Zamlaranama, as well as other oddities & a Samla track too! With great archival photos & brief notes by Lars. ''It's going to be a tough hill to climb for any other contender to dethrone 1983 as archive release of the year.''-Expos. ''...in a live setting, as represented here, Von Zamla are nothing less than a force of nature. It's goosebump-inducing artistry of of the highest order.'' 5/5 stars - Eric Lumbleau/Alternative Press
 
C.W. Vrtacek - Silent Heaven
This puts Chuck's 3rd & 4th solo lps onto one CD; ''Learning To Be Silent'' & ''When Heaven Comes To Town'' (originally on ReR). Very different from Einstein, the music here is quiet, sober, introspective, sometimes playful, & often somewhat dark. ''It could almost be French, as there's that spirit of ZNR & Pascal Comelade - primitive yet sophisticated, in a multi-textured concoction of guitars, keyboards, etc.''-Audion. ''It may be preferable to meditate in a quiet room, but we seldom find ourselves in quiet rooms...so, always the same question: how to find silence in the midst of chaos?''-C.W. Vrtacek.
 
Gary Windo - Anglo American
Anglo American, the 2nd retrospective of the late saxist Gary Windos work to appear on Cuneiform, was compiled by Michael King and features liner notes by Pam Windo, as well as rare photos supplied by her. While Gary recorded in an amazing number of situations over several decades of work, he is probably best known for his crucial involvement on Robert Wyatt's classic albums "Rock Bottom" and "Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard". Consisting of over 70 minutes of previously unreleased and rare recordings from 1971-81, it not only highlights a decade of Windos work but also that of numerous other prominent avant garde musicians on two continents. Anglo American includes 35 minutes of early 1970s recordings featuring Wyatt, including the only recordings by the legendary WMWM band (Windo, Monkman, Wyatt, MacRae); several tracks featuring Brotherhood of Breath members, including Mongezi Feza, Dudu Pukwana and Louis Moholo; and appearances by Hugh Hopper, Steve Swallow, Laurie Allen and numerous other notable artists.
 
Gary Windo - His Master's Bones
Gary 1st came to prominence in the early 70's, via his work with Canterbury progressive musicans as well as his free jazz work. His style on tenor sax & bass clarinet was very much his own & immediately identifiable. This retrospective look back on the work of this late sax giant, annotated & curated by Mike King (''Wrong Movements'') contains well over an hour of unreleased material from 1971-84, including duets with Carla Bley, an outtake from Hugh Hopper's ''1984'', tracks from his own, unreleased ''Steam Radio Tapes'' lp (featuring Hugh, Robert Wyatt, Steve Hillage, Bill MacCormick, Nick Mason, Julie Tippetts, & many others), ''rock-a-bop-a-metaldelic'' versions of Albert Ayler & the Psychedelic Furs & much, much more.
 
Rich Woodson's Ellipsis - Control And Resistance
Rich Woodson is a self-taught composer and guitarist who grew up on hard rock and heavy metal in Nashville, TN and San Antonio and Austin, TX. His major musical influences are Tim Berne, Frank Zappa, Watchtower (the 1980's Austin metal band, who invented the technical metal subgenre) and composer Charles Wuorinen. This debut CD is a bold and brilliant synthesis of avant, rock, modern jazz and contemporary composition. A quintet using the simple instrumentation of tenor sax, soprano sax, guitar, acoustic bass & drums. There is simply so much musical information going on here that I am sometimes reminded of the first time I heard Trout Mask Replica where multiple playings are necessary to reveal all of the hidden musical treasure...
 
Robert Wyatt - Solar Flares Burn For You
Vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Robert Wyatt's career extends from the beginings of the psychedelic era to the present day. This album started its life as simply a collection of the two BBC Top Gear sessions that Robert recorded in 1972 and 1974. But as we worked on it, Robert became more and more involved in it, until it ended up in its final form. In addition to the Top Gear recordings, there is a previously unheard and little known 1973 soundtrack for a short experimental film, two recent works with old collaborator Hugh Hopper and finally a 2003 home demo of a new song that did not end up on Robert's new release "Cuckooland". Additionally, this CD includes a Quicktime movie of that 1973 film, as well as a 16 page booklet filled with photos, artwork and stories supplied by Robert and others, and liner notes by Aymeric Leroy. "Throughout a career as singular and honest as his expressive voice, Robert Wyatt has remained a true progressive."-Rolling Stone. I have to just quickly say that as a fan for over 30 years, doing this CD was really a dream come true for me.
 
Yang - A Complex Nature/Un Nature Complexe
Yang, a French quartet whose stunning compositons combine intricate guitar parts with driving rock, is the newest project led by French guitarist and composer Frederic LEpe. LEpes former projects include founding two of the most intriguing all-instrumental bands to emerge from France and capture international interest: Shylock and Philharmonie. Yang, LEpees post-Philharmonie band, extends some of Philarmonies compositional ideas while adopting a harder tempered, more rock-based approach. Featuring the 'standard' line-up of two guiarists, bass and drums, Yang play a dynamic instrumental music that rocks hard, and which bears comparisons to groups such as Gordian Knot and King Crimson. LEpe formed Yang in September, 2002. Yangs debut CD consists of 8 compositions written by LEpe with each of the specific band members in mind. The band recorded the CD quickly, spending only 3 days in the studio in a conscious attempt to harness the power and spontanaety of live performance. Featuring intricate and often beautiful guitar pieces embedded in harder-tempered rock compositions, complex rhythms and melodic modes not previously seen in LEpes work, and a rich variety of guitar treatments, A Complex Nature is an inventive, dynamic and accessible instrumental work that rocks hard. It is, in LEpes own words: the next step after Philharmonies last CDs: Rage and The Last Word. This exciting and hard-rocking album features some subtly stunning work from all players, and is probably as close to an 'air guitar' album as you will ever hear from Cuneiform!
 
Zaar – Zaar
This is the debut album by a quartet of musicians who know exactly what they want to do and who already have a totally distinctive ensemble sound! Guitarist Yan Hazera and drummer Michael Hazera are alumni of the great band Sotos, who spent 8 years honing their sound. After Sotos disbanded, they wanted to persue a similar musical vein, utilizing elements of chamber rock, zeuhl, improvisation, Rock In Opposition structured complexity and even French folk traditions. They found an excellent bassist and then gave themselves the unique edge of adding a vielle a roue (hurdy gurdy) player. The vielle a roue dates back to medieval times and has several strings which vibrate by turning a crank attached to a resined wheel. You play a melody by pressing keys on the instrument, while the other strings drone. It's a marvelous instrument and it sounds like nothing else; in this context, it often sounds like a cross between a Mike Ratledge-style electric organ, a cellist and bagpipes! This album includes two lengthy pieces, with several shorter works as well, giving the album a nice balance. While you can certainly hear echoes of Sotos on this album, I think that Zaar have already moved further than Sotos and have the possibility to appeal to a greater number of listeners. Excellently recorded by Bob Drake, who captured the rich overtones of these four instruments - not an easy feat! A band with a unique voice who are in the great French tradition of excellence in 'left-field' rock.

[ChoiJamani]

최재우 ; Blast - A Sophisticated Face/ Boud Deun - The Stolen Bicycle/ George Cartwright - The Memphis Years/ The Claudia Quintet - Semi-Formal/ Soft Machine - Grides CD + DVD/주문함.