LAWRENCE JOSEPH

Alexander von Schlippenbach leads Yet Another Monk Album, plus echoes of baggy/jangly England on the debut single by Nottingham’s Childhood and more love for lo-fi video via Vancouver punk grrrls White Lung.

Four alto saxes unite in a new rendition of the compositions of Frank Gratkowski, emitting ghost notes and breath tones reflecting the German school of minimalism. Plus a new track by Norwegian synthpop act Casiokids and a new, characteristically eccentric video by Bjork.

An instrumental protest record by local activist Stefan Christoff, supported by a team of top local Mile End musicians, plus a track by Toro Y Moi feat. Hodgy Beats and a juicy video by Brooklyn’s Empress Of

The new record by Ratchet Orchestra just ahead of their Halloween launch + a sweet track by the Antlers and a cool and creepy Halloween video by the Balconies

A slice of Montreal synthesizer music past with Bernard Gagnon’s Musique Électronique 1975–1983, a new track by Hercules and Love Affair and some apocalyptic rawk in a video by L.A. gals Deap Vally.

Staggering death noise on the new record (on vinyl) by Nate Wooley, Christian Weber, Paul Lytton + a Rihanna cover by Bat for Lashes and another audio-visual gem from South African freaks Die Antwoord.

Not every free-improvisation recording comes with a scholarly guide to the music’s modus operandi. There are thousands of books about classical, jazz and rock, but with a few notable exceptions (Braxton’s Tri-Axium writings, Tom Nunn’s Wisdom of the Impulse and Joe Morris’s Perpetual Frontier: The Properties of Free Music), not many have attempted to explain the various implementations of free music.
Hafez Modirzadeh not only provides some technical details about his systems, but ties them in with their historical and spiritual origins — indivisible parts of the whole.

All good improvisers have a signature sound, and the best keep evolving to remain fresh. In the absence of compositions, the act of assembling a group creates the ingredients for improv. It’s always fun to imagine how a unit might sound based on the individuals within, but the best can surprise with interactions that catalyze past expectations.
After over 20 years and dozens of releases as a sideman with everyone from Kenny Werner to Tim Berne, drummer Tom Rainey’s first session as leader was 2010’s Pool School. He has often played in groups without a bass player, freeing the rhythm section to interact musically, not just to keep time. His playing often burrows a deep funky groove, but can veer into atmospherics.