A stellar collection of live and outtake tracks. From Tim Blake’s Bandcamp site: “Compiled by Daevid from the Bananamoon Observatory collection in aid of Tim Blake. The first 9 tracks are the classic ’73 line-up sans Gilli, live and well recorded. Many things make this release absolutely worth the entry Continue Reading
United Kingdom
Soft Works – Abracadabra In Osaka (Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall)
MoonJune Records should be given a massive debt of thanks for preserving the Soft Machine legacy. Some of the core members are in excellent form in a live outing that happened in Osaka, Japan, and the live recording is sublime.
Stephen Briggs – Good Friday
In celebration of Good Friday, we present Stephen Briggs and his dark, brooding ambient masterpiece that gives an unpleasant image of The Lord starting this Paschal period through His death. The music sets the tone quite well. From his Bandcamp site: “Good Friday was also inspired by the spirit that Continue Reading
Hervé Perez and John Garner – Bell of Evening Skies
This has to be one of the first albums where the Shakuhachi plays a large role in improvised music that I’ve come across. From the duo’s Bandcamp site: “This album is the first encounter between improvisers John Garner and Hervé Perez. We came across each other’s work through the jazz Continue Reading
VLMV – Flora & Fauna
VLMV comes from Great Britain, where he (they?) was, like everyone during these days, heavily affected by the cursed lockdown. This album, ethereal to its core, is the soundtrack to his coming back out to the world.
Scanner & Nurse with Wound – Contrary Motion
It looks so strange to see these two names paired up together for the first time, yet it feels weird that they had never collaborated before (to my knowledge). Neither project should need an introduction as both Robin Rimbaud (Scanner) and Steven Stapleton (Nurse With Wound) have nearly four decades Continue Reading
Delta Saxophone Quartet – Dedicated To You But You Weren’t Listening: The Music Of Soft Machine
Dedicated To You But You Weren’t Listening: The Music Of Soft Machine is an exceptional album full of renditions of classic Soft Machine material and includes the legendary Hugh Hopper. From the Bandcamp site: “Since initially being formed in 1984, the Delta Saxophone Quartet has never sought or found a Continue Reading
Zan Hoffman & Hubert Heathertoes – Synchronicity
Our dear friend Hubert Heathertoes collaborates with longtime partner Zan Hoffman on a release which pairs oddly satisfying spoken word with music that could rightfully be described as Berlin-School electronics. My only complaint about the tracks is its brevity. One minute and thirty-six seconds was just barely enough to whet Continue Reading
A Second Life for The Avant-Jazz of Leo Records
Today is a travel day, so there will be no posts, but it seems Bandcamp has a great article on Leo Records. Leo Feigin was the man responsible for introducing me to people like my old friend Roman Stolyar, Sergei Belichenko, and the work of Sergei Kuryokhin, who I ended Continue Reading
Soft Machine – Høvikodden 1971
Canterbury jazz-rock legends Soft Machine need little introduction, but this release might. This release comes from a Norwegian gig the band played, and though the master tapes aren’t absolutely pristine, the sound, for a live recording, is quite good. “Soft Machine’s two concerts at the Henie-Onstad Art Center near Oslo, Continue Reading