Aki Takase releases the second album with her commanding band, Japanic. On Forte, the leading figure of European improvisational jazz once again demonstrates her energetic, radiating nature, joined by her distinguished bandmates – Daniel Erdmann, Dag Magnus Narvesen, Carlos Bica and DJ Illvibe –, and two guest artists, Alexander von Schlippenbach and Nils Wogram.

Bernd Haas' NOW focuses on atmospherically dense free improvisation. What is commonly referred to as "new improvisational music" or simply "improvised music", which emerged from free jazz with links to the ideas of representatives of contemporary classical music (Cage), can be located in the border area of jazz and new music.

We hear juicy, fine and atmospheric jazz from two such unusual imitators, musicians and wonderful instrumentalists. Familiar themes take on completely new colors in their interpretation, especially since the closeness and intimacy of this musical encounter can be heard in their duo.

Revered vocalist Randi Pontoppidan and leading vibraphonist Martin Fabricius proudly present the culmination of a blossoming musical relationship of the past eight years. Blending acoustic and electronic timbres, free improvisation and ethereal composition, their otherworldly universe ‘Clouds’ is set to release on the 12th of April.

The blues is full of the mystical and the hidden. Bluesmen hid magical objects like rattlesnake rattlers in their guitars, which would augment the supernatural sounds of their strings with the sympathetic resonance of the snake. The devil appeared as a snake to Eve, and to Robert Johnson. In Fire Lapping at the Creek we hear these resonances from a distant time and place, from this deepest wellspring of American music making.

When Carla, Nick and I has completed our previous work “The Scale” in 2021, I felt this was such a unique work in its scope and feel – prog, pop, abstraction and chanson – that it would be very difficult to follow up such a definitive statement.

Life Is Funny That Way is the major new work from acclaimed and singular singer-soundartist-lyricist-bandleader Fay Victor. It is both a loving celebration and thorough reconsideration of jazz composer Herbie Nichols' rich legacy & a powerful work of art from a formidably talented and forthright black woman. This landmark work is also the first time that a full program of lyrics have been written & recorded for Nichols’ compositions. Victor's innovative arrangements are brought to vibrant life by Herbie Nichols SUNG, a dedicated and profoundly gifted quintet of veteran jazz performers.

Two side-long outtakes that didn´t make the main tribute, but were just too good to be left on the shelf.

Sky Music is a humble and heartfelt celebration of an inspirational artist and truly unique guitarist that hasn´t fully received the due credit and recognition he deserves for over 50 years of excellent music making. Initiated by the experimental US guitarist and lifelong Rypdal fan Henry Kaiser, we put together a Rune Grammofon allstar band including keyboardist and long time Rypdal side-kick Ståle Storløkken (Elephant9, Supersilent), bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (Scorch Trio, The Thing), drummer Gard Nilssen (Bushman´s Revenge), guitarists Even Helte Hermansen (Bushman´s Revenge) and Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen, Finnish guitarist Raoul Björkenheim (Scorch Trio) and Swedish guitarist Reine Fiske (Dungen).

Eric Petzoldt (*1990 in Kassel) is a saxophonist, Guitarist and musicologist. In addition to music projects in the fields of jazz and improvised music, he is also active at the Center for Intercultural Music in Kassel. He is currently doing his PhD at Cambridge University on jazz in Morocco. He lives in Rabat and Kassel.

Since forming in March 2021, the Liba Villavecchia Trio have channelled a singular spiritual mien, borne of shared experience, reflection and reminiscence, with previous albums, Zaidín (2022) and Birchwood (2023) capturing the group’s esprit de corps in vividly contrasting approaches, hopscotching from propulsive swing and fractious bustle, to smouldering disquisition and evocative abstraction.

Drummer-composer Willy Rodriguez proudly announces the release of his debut album. Joining the Puerto Rico-born, New York based musician on his expansive debut is trumpeter Jason Palmer, saxophonist Hery Paz, pianist Leo Genovese, bassists John Hébert and Kenneth Jimenez, and special guest artist, saxophonist Dave Liebman. Avant garde philosophies provide precarious but often brilliant edges to how open or free improvisation function in Jazz.

Saxophonist and vocalist María Grand presents her new project, “Anohin”, a gently intricate duo with wondrous pianist Marta Sánchez. The music, a mix of song, spontaneous duo improvisations, and through-written music, effortlessly weaves technical virtuosity with a direct connection to transcendent sound. Most of all, it is music that is focused on the heart, on the freeing act of sound-making and listening.

Pianist and composer Philipp Rüttgers, of German descent, has been active in the Dutch jazz scene for 15 years. On his new album 'Etudes of Shapes and Forms' he can be heard, for the first time, in an acoustic piano trio, featuring the versatile Thomas Pol on double bass and rising star Sun-Mi Hong on drums. For this record, Philipp was inspired by pianists/composers such as Craig Taborn, Kris Davis and Sylvie Courvoisier, where he mainly focused on 'shapes and forms'. He explains: “Shapes as in harmonic and rhythmic structures, and forms as in arranging with bass and drums and the structure of improvisation and composition.”

The "straight horn" referred to in the title of this superb album from 1961 is the soprano saxophone, and Lacy is recognized as one of the greatest to ever play the instrument, ranking alongside John Coltrane and Sidney Bechet. Because of the difficulty involved in mastering it's pitch challenges, very few jazzmen concentrated on it. Lacy is widely considered the first "modern" musician to specialize on the instrument.