A reissue of Wichlinghauser Blues the debut album by legendary German guitar improviser and instrument inventor Hans Reichel (1949-2011), originally released on FMP in 1973. Wichlinghauser Blues is a resonant and hilarious document of the nascent genius recording his peculiar and wondrous music alone in a studio. Acoustic and unfiltered electric guitars turned back into the supremely malleable instruments they were before they'd been firmly encoded as tools for rock or pop or jazz. Reichel uses a homemade 11-string guitar (with three pickups) for all the tunes except the first one. Reichel is like an improvising Harry Partch, investigating the genesis of lute music. First ever release on CD. Remastered from original tapes; Packaged with a gatefold and tip-on sleeve, with a reprinting of the original design.

2016 release. A reissue of Jimmy Lyons's Push Pull, originally released on Hat Hut Records in 1979. Long known as Cecil Taylor's most reliable and loyal colleague, alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons has a select discography as a leader, and among it's best entries is Push Pull, originally issued by Hat Hut Records as a massive three LP set. Recorded during a single marathon performance at the Collective for Living Cinema in New York in 1978, Push Pull features five extended pieces, all by Lyons, with his working quintet that included his wife Karen Borca on bassoon, Hayes Burnett on bass, Munner Bernard Fennell on cello, and Roger Blank on drums. Jolting, quicksilver free jazz with terse themes and brilliant interplay, the music is quintessential Lyons - searching, pliant, and sincere. Remastered from the original tapes, this first reissue of Push Pull compiles the original tracks - two of which were split to accommodate the 20-minute limit of LP - into their original full-length, fitting the whole program onto two CDs, lovingly repackaged featuring the original Klaus Baumg�rtner cover. Recorded by Karen Borca on May 6, 1978 at the Collective for Living Cinema in New York. Photos by Ken Brunton and H.L. Lindenmaier; Cover by Klaus Baumg�rtner. Remastered at Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, 2015; Tapes transferred at Chicago Mastering Service, 2015; Reissue produced by John Corbett.

INCIPIENT ICP 1966-71

One day in the studio, something ridiculously great happened. It was deep Chicago winter, cold as shit. Four musicians assembled for a round-robin set of improvisations - duets, trios, a few quartets. Approached casually, the late morning bloomed into Largest Afternoon, 15 crackling encounters between guitarist Arto Lindsay, saxophonists Joe McPhee, and Ken Vandermark, and drummer Phil Sudderberg. No expectations - open minds and creative intent. Lindsay, a brilliant singer and songwriter and one of the key architects of no wave via his band DNA, has proven himself once again to be one of the world's top texturalists, and he is an equally sensitive and challenging group improvisor. Vandermark and McPhee brought their long friendship and musical partnership to the studio, and both engaged with Lindsay in different ways, bringing blue flame and melody. The session's final wildcard, Sudderberg, a versatile drummer who collaborates with Vandermark on the band Marker, brought a lovely sense of buoyancy and ear for contrast in colors, as well as a raucous rock pulse. With parts this stellar, imagine when Largest Afternoon than the sum. Nobody knew this would happen. Recorded February 9, 2019, at Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago. Engineered by Alex Inglizian. Mixed and mastered by Alex Inglizian with Ken Vandermark, John Corbett, and Jim Dempsey at ESS. Photographs by John Corbett. Cover design by David Khan-Giordano. Produced by John Corbett and Jim Dempsey. Personnel: Arto Lindsay - guitar; Joe McPhee - alto and tenor saxophone, pocket trumpet; Ken Vandermark - tenor and baritone saxophone, clarinet; Phil Sudderberg, drums.

Hailing from the Germantown section of Philadelphia, well known as the site of the Sun Ra Arkestra communal homestead, Sounds of Liberation were at the forefront of '70s Black liberation music. After a series of gigs in elementary schools, prisons, and community centers, in 1973 the band travelled along with their manager George Gilmore (father of Linc Gilmore of Breakwater fame) to NYC for a recording session at Columbia University. This five-song session has never been heard until now. Had it ever been issued, it would have followed on the band's debut, New Horizons, released on Dogtown Records in 1972. Sounds of Liberation formed in early 1970, initially lead by vibraphonist Warren Robert Cheeseboro, aka Khan Jamal, but it wasn't until the eventual arrival of Byard Lancaster that the band's prospects started to take off. Lancaster was a master at making a deal. This deal-making lead to more gigs and more recognition, especially from local newspapers. Sounds of Liberation was more of a community than a band at times and because of that spirit there was a strong desire by the entire group to work with schoolchildren as well as inmates. They did just that, and continued to do so throughout the early to mid-70s. Released briefly in 2018 as a special edition of 100 copies by Brewerytown Beats, the music on Sounds of Liberation has never been heard before. Shoulder-deep in groove juice, it's a record with heavy ostinato and beautiful backbeats, including the mellowing influence of Jamal's vibes and the incisive guitar of Monette Sudler, the final track featuring an unidentified vocal group singing a stone-cold soul hit, also featuring some searing saxophone courtesy of Mr. Lancaster. A treasure for fans of so-called spiritual jazz and free funk, Sounds of Liberation is a snapshot of it's era and equally an inspiration in ours. The package comes with never seen photos of the band and a cover design by artist LeRoy Butler, who worked with the SoL in the era, at the same time he was designing records for Sun Ra. Lovingly coaxed from long-unplayed original tapes, Sounds of Liberation is a new line item in the soul improvisation pantheon. Personnel: Byard Lancaster - flute, alto saxophone; Khan Jamal - vibraphone; Monnette Sudler - guitar; Billy Mills - bass; Dwight James - drums; Rashid Salime - congos; Omar Hill - percussion; vocalists on "New Horizon/Backstreets of Heaven" are unidentified. Recorded at Columbia University, NYC, in 1973.

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