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Jason Wayne Sneed and Toshinori Kondo – Guardians Of The Most Cosmic Shrine

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Guardians Of The Most Cosmic Shrine is a collaboration between bassist/producer Jason Wayne Sneed and trumpeter/composer Toshinori Kondo. Friends for many years via correspondence between their respective home bases in the US and Japan, Sneed and Kondo worked remotely to record the album after meeting for a performance in Chicago in December 2019. Sneed produced the original tracks with Kondo’s specific sound and personality in mind, and Kondo recorded his parts at his studio in Japan. Several days after beginning work on the album, Sneed received news that Kondo had passed away on October 17, 2020. “It took me a minute to grasp how heavy of a responsibility this is. This album truly has his spirit in it. While working on it, I felt him with me in the room and felt his energy surrounding me,” says Sneed. Guardians Of The Most Cosmic Shrine has a deeply transcendental and meditative quality, while incorporating influences from jazz, dub, electronic music and more. It is a fitting final statement from an artist remembered by critic Nate Chinen on NPR as “a sonic chameleon… whose daring instinct and deep expressive resources slashed through a spectrum of experimental and ambient music… a creative force until the very end.”

Tracks:

1. Guardians Of The Most Cosmic Shrine
2. Interstellar
3. The Different Dimension
4. Portal 
5. Teleportation Device
6. Hyperspace Void Disruptor

All songs performed by Jason Wayne Sneed, and Toshinori Kondo
Bass and Electronics: Jason Wayne Sneed
Trumpet, Electronics, Voice: Toshinori Kondo
Produced by: Jason Wayne Sneed
Mastered by: Matt Dewine at Pieholden Studio

Jason Wayne Sneed parts were recorded at, Rabbit Hole Studio, Chicago.
Toshinori Kondo parts were recorded at, Kondo Sound Body Lab, Japan.

Catalog Number
CR2202JA

Related:
Dark Ages
ŪROK

John Di Pasquale – Move The Uncovered Boxes Away

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Move The Uncovered Boxes Away is the debut album from John Di Pasquale. The name of a trio rather than a single person, John Di Pasquale was formed as a laboratory for the research and experiments of London-based guitarist Filippo Ferazzoli (ŪROK, Adam Beattie) and features Jools Kelly on bass and Luciano Cocco on drums. Move The Uncovered Boxes Away is a post-rock journey through a kaleidoscope of intricate structures, tight grooves, rich textures, odd rhythms and manipulated tapes.

Tracks:

1. Smells Like Pine Trees 
2. Over The Highline
3. Meaningless#1
4. In A While
5. Circle
6. Manor Road
7. Umpteenth

Filippo Ferazzoli – Guitars and Tapes
Jools Kelly – Bass
Luciano Cocco –   Drums

All songs composed and produced by Filippo Ferazzoli
Recorded at Noatune Studios (London) and The White Lodge Studio (Rome) between February 2020 and March 2021
Recorded and Mixed by Matteo Dell’Unto
Mastered by Nick Watson at Fluid Mastering Studios (London)
Cover Art by IAIA

Catalog Number
CR2201JO

Related:
John Lee – Chu Bubaloo
Dark Ages
Freakdom – Session One
ŪROK

Strength in Numbers, Vol. 5

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Founded in 2017 by Jon Madof and Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, Chant Records releases adventurous music across the spectrum from an international community of artists. Incredibly prolific with over 70 releases to date, Chant presents Strength in Numbers, Vol. 5, a compilation featuring one song from each release of 2021.

Tracks

1. Bryan Murray and Jon Lundbom – Battalions
2. Guido Spannocchi, Martin Siewert, Gina Schwarz, Matheus Jardin – Scherzo
3. Shay Hazan Quintet – Beber’s Cha Cha
4. The Klezmatics – Nign Forgács (Instrumental)
5. Zion80 – Wandering Stone – Jon Madof RMX
6. Adaya Godlevsky and Haggai Fershtman – Martian Spa
7. Randi Pontoppidan/Sissel Vera Pettersen – Come
8. Axel Dörner, Marthe Lea, Birgitte Lyregaard – Three Rivers, One Flood
9. eXpanseplane – Sweet Spirit Near My Prayer
10. Alfred Kpebesaane and Brittany Anjou – The Women Are Taking Over The Men
11. Olson St. Clair – 54127
12. Randi Pontoppidan and Thomas Buckner – Hide
13. Robert Dick and Daniel Blake – Red Corner

Catalog Number CR2112CH

Related:
Strength in Numbers, Vol. 4
Strength in Numbers, Vol. 3
Strength in Numbers, Vol. 2
Strength in Numbers, Vol. 1 – free with mailing list signup

Bryan Murray & Jon Lundbom – Beats by Balto! Vol. 2

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Jon Lundbom (Big Five Chord) and Bryan Murray, a.k.a. Balto Exclamationpoint (Bryan and the Haggards) are back for their second Chant Records release. Joined by an all-star roster of accomplices, Lundbom and Murray blend hip-hop-style beat construction with avant-jazz and much more in a collage of sounds from various corners of the musical universe. Beats by Balto! Vol. 2 features performances from Jon Irabagon, Moppa Elliott, Nick Millevoi, and many more. A funky, wild, adventurous collection of music with virtuosic improvisation and revelrous glee, Beats by Balto! Vol. 2 is sure to please adventurous music lovers throughout Planet Earth and beyond. All artists’ proceeds to benefit the Jazz Foundation of America’s COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Tracks:

1. Battalions
2. Beat Like This
3. Big P. (Interlude)
4. Tears and Fists
5. Ex Machina
6. Cap’n Crunch (Interlude)
7. Truck Gun
8. Enter!
9. Weak Sauce (Interlude)
10. Hot Shit

MUSICIANS
Bryan Murray – soprano, alto, c-melody, and tenor saxophones
Jon Irabagon – sopranino, soprano, mezzo-soprano, balto!, and tenor
saxophones; alto clarinet
Jon Lundbom – guitar
Matt Kanelos – keyboard
Moppa Elliott – bass
Nick Millevoi – guitar
Richard Mikel – bass
Sam Kulik – trombone
Beats by Balto Exclamationpoint

COMPOSERS
Battalions – Jon Lundbom
Beat Like This – Jon Lundbom
Big P. – Bryan Murray
Ex Machina – Jon Lundbom
Tears and Fists – Jon Lundbom
Cap’n Crunch – Bryan Murray
Truck Gun – Jon Lundbom
Enter! – Jon Lundbom
Weak Sauce – Bryan Murray
Hot Shit – Jon Lundbom

All songs composed to beats constructed by Balto! Exclamationpoint
Recorded across the country, assembled in quarantine at Balto! World Headquarters
Mastered by Louie Lino at Resonate Music
Produced by Bryan Murray and Jon Lundbom

Catalog Number
CR2111JO

Related:
Jon Lundbom and Bryan Murray – Beats by Balto! Vol. 1
Zion80 – Warriors RMX
Darshan – Raza

Spannocchi Siewert Schwarz Jardim – ease & ooze

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ease & ooze is the debut album from four of Europe’s most exciting contemporary improvisers: Guido Spannocchi (alto sax), Martin Siewert (guitar, effects), Gina Schwarz (electric bass, prepared electric bass) and Matheus Jardim (drums). Spanning genres, generations, genders, histories and continents, Spannocchi Siewert Schwarz Jardim had never been in the same room let alone played music together before the recording of this album. Tracked in an afternoon at Audiomanufaktur Studios (Vienna) and without cuts, edits or overdubs, ease & ooze beautifully captures the spontaneous creation of distinct compositions and soundscapes. It is a four-way musical conversation illustrating the elusive truth that playing together is always secondary to listening together.

Tracks:

1. Prelude
2. Allegro
3. Vertigo
4. Triple Axle
5. Scherzo
6. Coda

All songs collectively spontaneously composed by
Guido Spannocchi – alto saxophone
Martin Siewert – guitar, slide guitar, effects
Gina Schwarz – electric bass
Matheus Jardim – drums

Recorded at Audiomanufaktur Vienna by Florian Jauker, mixed and mastered by Martin Siewert. Artwork screenprint on 35mm film by Julia Vogl 2021. Guido Spannocchi is endorsed by Austrian Audio, Corry Bros Mouthpieces UK and Marca Reeds France.

Catalog Number
CR2110SP

Related:
Laushaus
The Lie Detectors – Part III: Secret Unit
Xander Naylor – Continuum

Shay Hazan Quintet – Nuff Headlines

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Bassist and composer Shay Hazan is a mainstay on the vibrant Tel Aviv jazz scene. His new album Nuff Headlines finds him in the leadership role, a rare (although not unheard of) position for a bass player. The quintet is filled out by the two-horn duo of Tal Avraham on trumpet and Eyal Netzer on saxophone, along with Milton Michaeli on piano and Haim Peskoff on drums. Hazan’s musical roots spread far and wide into the magical realm of Moroccan Gnawa music (Hazan often plays gimbri, the traditional three stringed skin-covered bass lute), the new wave of hip hop, and the 1960’s Chicago free jazz and human rights movement. These roots all feed the single organism of the band, with Hazan leading from the bottom, anchoring and propelling the music with a force only a bassist can provide.

Tracks:

1. Beber’s Cha Cha
2. Evening Puja (Netzer)
3. Vertigo
4. Kebero
5. Desert Snake
6. Olam
7. Old Tart (ft. Rosa Lea Salmon)

Credits:
Tal Avraham – trumpet
Eyal Netzer – saxophone, zurna
Milton Michaeli – piano
Shay Hazan – bass, gimbri, percussion
Haim Peskoff – drums, percussion
Rosa Salmon – vocals (Old Tart) Nir Tom Sabag – lyrics (Old Tart)

Recorded December 18th 2019
Haogen Studios with Shlomi Gvili and Nitzan Levi
Mixed & Edited by Nitzan Levi and Shay Hazan

Catalog Number
CR2109SH

Related:
Santiago Leibson Trio – Little Pieces
Germani / Boni / Genovese / Marcocci / Kim – Leave It Blank For Now
Eyal Talmudi – Even If

The Klezmatics – Letters to Afar

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The Klezmatics are globally-renowned world music superstars — and the only klezmer band to win a Grammy award. The Klezmatics emerged out of the vibrant cultural scene of New York City’s East Village in 1986 with klezmer steeped in Eastern European Jewish tradition and spirituality, while incorporating contemporary themes such as human rights and anti-fundamentalism and eclectic musical influences including Arab, African, Latin and Balkan rhythms, jazz and punk.

Letters to Afar, The Klezmatics’ 13th and most adventurous release to date, contains music composed for Hungarian found-footage artist Péter Forgács’ acclaimed installation of Polish-Jewish historical films sourced from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The music is evocative, ambient and by turns psychedelic, meditative and illuminating. This is The Klezmatics as you’ve never heard them – deeply rooted in the traditions of klezmer and experimental avant-garde musics; Klezmatics filtered through Brian Eno, David Torn, Duke Ellington, Morton Feldman and electronica.

Tracks:

1. HoraLité
2. Blut
3. Tish Nign
4. Olem-Haze
5. Dray Fidlen
6. Flarp
7. DeParnu
8. Nign Forgács
9. Tish Nign (Mizrekhdik)
10. Oylem-Habe
11. Shlofn Afn Yam
12. Naftule-Tsikl
13. Kandel
14. Beymer
15. Nign Forgács (Instrumental)

Credits:
The Klezmatics
Richie Barshay: percussion
Matt Darriau: clarinets, kaval
Lisa Gutkin: violin
Frank London: brass
Paul Morrissett: bass, tsimbl
Lorin Sklamberg, accordion, piano, voice

With John Mettam, drums (track 12), miscellaneous percussion
Recorded April 11-12, 2013 at Park West Studios, Brooklyn, NY by Jim Clouse
Mastered by Andrew Felluss @ MusicNetwork SRC, New York City (March 5th, 2021)
MAX XP processing by Guy Barash
DeParnu (track 7) mixed by Greg Anderson

Letters to Afar, a film by Péter Forgács

Catalog Number
CR2108TH

Related:
Midwood – Out of the Narrows
Ben Holmes – Naked Lore
Sandcatchers – What We Found Along The Way

Zion80 – Warriors RMX

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Zion80’s Warriors RMX is a reworking of songs from 2017’s Warriors EP. The 10-piece band’s signature groove-heavy sound of out-front horns, organic percussion, electric guitars and keyboards lends itself very well to the art of the remix. The album kicks off with a mix of “Pardes” by Curha (aka Curtis Hasselbring), adding a dose of quirky electronica to the song’s Latin-jazz groove (think Eddie Palmieri meets Autechre). The album’s only vocal track is a mix of “In Our Youth” by producer Smoke M2D6, featuring indie rapper/poet ePHRYME and some added guitar work from Zion80 bandleader Jon Madof. Madof takes the reins on a dub-heavy mix of “Wandering Stone,” with nods to producers Bill Laswell and King Tubby. London-based producer and multi-instrumental wizard Koby Israelite runs “Holy Brother” through the mashup meat grinder, adding blast-beat drums and chaotic jump-cuts along the way. The album finishes with an instrumental version of “In Our Youth,” bringing the album to a close and hinting at things to come from a live band who, after eight years and four studio albums, has only begun to expand their musical horizons into uncharted territory. Available as a limited edition CD with hand-painted digipak cover »

Tracks:

1. Pardes – Curha RMX
2. In Our Youth – Smoke q RMX (feat. ePRHYME, Jon Madof)
3. Wandering Stone – Jon Madof RMX
4. Holy Brother – Koby Israelite RMX
5. In Our Youth – Smoke M2D6 Instrumental RMX (feat. Jon Madof)

Credits:

1. Pardes – Curha RMX
   Curha – production
2. In Our Youth – Smoke M2D6 RMX (feat. ePRHYME, Jon Madof)
   ePRHYME – vocals
   Jon Madof – guitar, production
   Smoke M2D6 – production
3. Wandering Stone – Jon Madof RMX
   Jon Madof – production
4. Holy Brother – Koby Israelite RMX
   Koby Israelite – keyboard, bass, drums, production
5. In Our youth – Smoke M2D6 Instrumental RMX (feat. Jon Madof)
   Jon Madof – guitar
   Smoke M2D6 – production

All songs mastered by James Dellatacoma at Orange Music, NJ
Cover design by Talia Madof

Catalog Number
CR2107ZI

Related:
Zion80 – Warriors
Ruthless Cosmopolitans – Ruthless
Yemen Blues – Live

Adaya Godlevsky and Haggai Fershtman – Sonia

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Sonia is an album of improvised music for harp, electronics, voice, drums and percussion by Israeli musicians Haggai Fershtman (drums, percussion) and Adaya Godlevsky (harp, voice, electronics). The unusual instrumentation creates a palate of sounds drawing on influences including contemporary classical music, avant-garde jazz and electronic music. Fershtman has toured internationally with artists including Katamine, Monotonix and Assaf Avidan, and has appeared on numerous recordings. Godlevsky is an interdisciplinary artist working in music, theater and performance art. Sonia, recorded in Tel Aviv in June 2020, is a loving tribute to the memory of Sonia Barchilon (1976-2017) Haggai’s wife and Adaya’s good friend.

Tracks:

1. Part 1: Library Cleaner
2. Part 1: Martian Spa
3. Part 1: Kishuf
4. Part 1: Full Turtle To Nowhere
5. Part 1: A Secret
6. Part 1: Take-A-Way
7. Part 2: Sonia
8. Part 2: Hildegard-Phone-Beam-Her
9. Part 2: Cajun Queen Kitchen
10. Part 2: White Raven
11. Part 2: Later Night Show
12. Part 2: A Secret Mission For Agent Fish
13. Part 2: Night Trains

Harp, Voice and Electronics: Adaya Godlevsky
Drums and Percussion: Haggai Fershtman
Recording and Mixing: Ronen Hajaj
Assistant Engineer: Guy Shavitt
Mastering: Ronald Boersen
Photo Cover: Sonia Barchilon
Design: Dikla Benano
Recorded at Pluto Studios, Tel Aviv, June 2020

Special thanks to:
Anat Levin
Ariela Rosen
Assaf Tager
Avishai Cohen
Dganit Elyakim
Dikla Benano
Ophir Ilzetzki
Tom Soloveitzik
Uri Levinson
Family and Friends

Catalog Number 
CR2106HA

Related:
Olson St. Clair – Western Free
Freakdom – Session One
The Lie Detectors – Part III: Secret Unit

Randi Pontoppidan / Sissel Vera Pettersen – Inner Lift

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Conceived by master vocal improvisers Sissel Vera Pettersen & Randi Pontoppidan, Inner Lift draws on various traditions and genres to create a sound world entirely unto itself. Curious, searching, meditative, melodic, rhythmic, ambient and powerfully evocative, the album was constructed using only the human voice, live processing and the minimal instrumentation of a zither and Tibetan singing bowls. But the whole is truly far more than the sum of its parts, encompassing the melding of minds, voices and spirits into a stunningly beautiful collection of new music. Sissel Vera Pettersen is artistic director of Trondheim Voices and has collaborated with Chick Corea, Marilyn Mazur, Jon Balke, Lionel Loueke, John Hollenbeck, Theo Bleckmann, Marc Ducret, Terje Isungset and others. Randi Pontoppidan has toured worldwide with Theatre of Voices and has collaborated with artists including Greg Cohen, Joélle Léandre, Thomas Buckner, Simon Toldam, Jamaladeen Tacuma, and IKI.

Tracks:

1. Come
2. Ethereal
3. Mazuu
4. Inner Lift
5. Raindrops
6. Traces
7. Ohro
8. Swimmingly
9. Still Safe

All tracks improvised live, no overdubs.

Sissel Vera Pettersen: voice, live electronic processing, singing bowls 

Randi Pontoppidan: voice, live electronic processing, prepared zither

Recorded by Thomas Vang in The Village Studio
Mixed by August Wanngren in Virkeligheden Studio
Mastered by Morten Bue
Produced by Sissel Vera Pettersen & Randi Pontoppidan
Photos: Hanne Hvattum
Cover design/concept: Ernesta Vala
Supported by Koda Culture Funds & Norwegian Arts council

Catalog Number 
CR2105RA

Related:
Randi Pontoppidan & Thomas Buckner – Voicescapes
Randi Pontoppidan & Christian Rønn – HEAD¨SPACE
Event Horizon (Greg Cohen and Randi Pontoppidan) – Space Geode
Randi Pontoppidan – ROOMS