The absolute fantastic FREE JAZZ WITH FRED – the long-running radio show hosted by Fred Kellogg on KAOS Community Radio (Olympia, WA. USA) continues to support our label as his latest episode features large cuts from our recent live compilation LIVE AT PLUS-ETAGE. A 3CD that unites 3 concerts we hosted at Baarle-Nassau’s PlusEtage venue. The release is still available here.

Check out the radioshow here.

Pianist MARTINA VERHOEVEN has been part of the label since day one. Over the years she played together with a significant number of outstanding UK musicians so naturally when there’s something to be celebrated, the decision is easily made to do this in London, one of the main hubs in the UK for the free improvised Martina and we, as the label, like so much. Tomorrow she, along with guitarist DIRK SERRIES, is surrounded by this stellar line-up of UK musicians: ANDREW LISLE (drums), BENEDICT TAYLOR (viola), CATH ROBERTS (baritone sax), CHARLOTTE KEEFFE (trumpet, flugelhorn), COLIN WEBSTER (alto sax), DANIEL THOMPSON (acoustic guitar), TOM JACKSON (clarinet) and TOM WARD (bass clarinet, flute). For this special event artist GINA SOUTHGATE, renowned for her live concert paintings, will capture the full band on canvas.
The place to be: Sunday April 23rd – CAFE OTO, London 2pm

As we’ve been counting down to this exceptional event, next Sunday pianist MARTINA VERHOEVEN celebrates and invites an exquisite bunch of British improvisers to join us in this ‘big band’ constellation at Cafe Oto. Showdown is at 2pm. Her comrades for this free impro event are ANDREW LISLE (drums), BENEDICT TAYLOR (viola), CATH ROBERTS (baritone sax), CHARLOTTE KEEFFE (trumpet, flugelhorn), COLIN WEBSTER (alto sax), DANIEL THOMPSON (guitar), DIRK SERRIES (guitar), TOM JACKSON (clarinet) and TOM WARD (flute, bass clarinet).

UK’s MUSIQUE MACHINE just reviewed our recent KODIAN PLUS album ‘Disengage’. Read the lovely review here below and the album is still available from our bandcamp store.

“Disengage is the first sonic statement from five-piece Kodian Plus, which brings together some of the great names in the British and European improvisation scene.  The four-track album is a decidedly varied and rewarding affair- which moves between textured minimalism, manic free jazz workouts, and building/ expanding jam-outs.
The release appears on A New Wave Of Jazz as a CD. And surprisingly it steps away from the label’s normal sparse grey box and white text format, for a rather grimly arty mini gatefold, featuring atmospheric pictures of churned up & shadow bound earth. The CD is limited to just three hundred copies, and these can be purchased directly from the label. 
Kodian Plus brings together Charlotte Keeffe: trumpet, flugelhorn,. Andrew Lisle: drums. Dirk Serries: electric guitar. Martina Verhoeven: piano, and Colin Webster: alto saxophone.  The album was performed, recorded, mixed and mastered in just one day in March of 2022 at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio, Anderlecht, Belgium.
The release opens with the wonderfully entitled “Latching Effect”, and this is the longest track here at just over the twelve-minute mark. It opens with around two minutes of moodily jittering ‘n’ twitching static grain(I‘m guessing this is either created by guitar picks/ and or sax fiddle) which slowly but surely start to weave together manic circling, compressed flits, and subtle forks. As the tracks move on jarring key darts are added, along with more snaking ‘n’ twittering honks, and this sort of roaming tone swell. Slow but surely the growing weave of tones & textures grow- creating this great feel of atmosphere, unbalance, and a sort of violent if slightly playful vibe. By the seventh minute, we’ve gone into a wonderful manic freefall of layers of key dart ‘n’ bound, crashing snaking percussion, guitar scrub, and reeling horn piping. In its last few minutes, we move into a glumly descending mix of piercing & billow sustained horn work, high note key tinkle, and cymbal heavy percussive workouts. As we move through the album, we come to just over eleven minutes of “The Five-headed Anomaly”. This opens with a tight sonic noose of crashing ‘n’ rolling percussion. Fairly soon the horns appear all fired-up and angular- and you think we going to drop into straight-out free jazz- then all of a sudden the scratching and fiddling guitar is added, as well as the darting/ shifting Piano tones. At points we get moments that almost start towards a strut or a groove, at others it’s manic honk ‘n’ twitch. With the percussive circling drop in & out- when it’s there it feels tense & on the edge, but when it’s gone it feels more playful in its intent.
The album plays out with “Kinds Of Things”. This clocks in at around the nine-minute mark- it opens with a blend of stretched honk & static grain drag- which is surrounded by high baying tone pulls.  As we move on roll/crash/then stop percussion tones appear- along with more piping to wondering horn work, key cascades and drifting guitar strums/hacks. I do hope that Disengage was not just a one-off album/ collaboration- as these five play together with such flare, spirit and invention. If you enjoy unpredictable and eventful improv/ free jazz- you’ll be wanting to grab a copy of this.” Musique Machine – UK

A special day requires a special gathering. Belgian photographer and pianist Martina Verhoeven invites some of her kindred spirits and collaborative musicians, and hosts an evening of rotating configurations in the context of a full-on free impro event at Cafe Oto on Sunday July 23rd 2023. Two hours of improvisations without borders, rules and/or commitments. FREE IS THE SPACE.

Martina Verhoeven : Initially playing the fretless bass and double bass before going straight and full force on the piano. As critic Guy Peters wrote :
“To Cecil Taylor, the piano itself sounded like an orchestra, and occasionally, something similar seems to be going on for Verhoeven. The piano is an instrument she inhabits, turning the 88 tuned drums into a generator for rhythm, shapes, turbulence and a sheer endless provocation of sounds and ideas.”

A prime example of high-tension free improvisation by a very energetic and unique female pianist. Her MARTINA VERHOEVEN QUINTET has received raving reviews and met a very enthusiastic audience at a full house during 2022’s ROADBURN festival in The Netherlands.

For this gathering MARTINA VERHOEVEN (piano) will be accompanied by some of the best musicians in the UK free improvisation scene, with whom she already collaborated in live (UK, Belgium, The Netherlands) and recording sessions for labels like Klanggalerie, Raw Tonk Records, Fort Fruit Evil and A New Wave Of Jazz :

ANDREW LISLE / drums
BENEDICT TAYLOR / viola
CATH ROBERTS / bariton saxophone
CHARLOTTE KEEFFE / trumpet
COLIN WEBSTER / alto saxophone
DANIEL THOMPSON / acoustic guitar
DIRK SERRIES / electric guitar
TOM JACKSON / clarinet
TOM WARD / bass clarinet, flute

This unique event will be captured by painter Gina Southgate. Well known on the London free music and jazz scene where she has painted live at gigs for 30 years. Gina works with the frisson of the music observing the relationship between the musician and instrument, to capture the energy and essence of the gig in the real time.

For tickets and all info visit the CAFE OTO website.

SUMMER SALE

To highlight this upcoming celebration event at Cafe Oto on July 23rd, we’ve selected nine albums from the A New Wave Of Catalogue in which she plays a pivotal role. You can now buy these 9 albums for a nice price of only 65 EUR (incl. postage worldwide). Click here to order. This offer is valid through July 31st. Go here to order : https://newwaveofjazz.bandcamp.com/merch/martina-verhoeven-9cd-bundle

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To give you that chance to get updated with your music collection, we’re doing a Summer Sale on most of our bandcamp shops. 20% off of any digital or hard copy (or use it as an extra discount if you want to buy the full digital discography).

Code : Summertime2023
Valid through August 31st, 2023 or while stock lasts.

dirkserries.bandcamp.com
vidnaobmana.bandcamp.com
dirkserriesmicrophonics.bandcamp.com
fearfallsburning.bandcamp.com
streamsofconsciousness.bandcamp.com