Special triple percussion set from this years Corsano / McPhee residency. Flanked by Eddie Prévost and Orphy Robinson, prepare for the kind of radically intuitive and joyously intense interplay that comes along very very very rarely.  --- Chris Corsano / drums Eddie Prévost / drums Orphy Robinson / vibraphone, kalimba Joe McPhee / alto & tenor saxophone, trumpet --- Recorded by Shaun Crook on the 15th of February 2016. Mixed by Shaun Crook. Mastered by James Dunn.

Composer, saxophonist and sound artist Antoine Chessex is usually known for playing through distorting stacks of guitar amplifiers to create monolithic walls of noise and texture, but on 12.12.16 he teamed up with free music giants John Edwards and Steve Noble to play an all acoustic trio -  an attempt to deconstruct the ‘classic’ formula of the tenor sax, bass and drums. Right off the bat Chessex's extended technique reaches combustable energy levels, and Edwards and Noble push pace and space to a taut intensity. Fresh, fierce and always under control - we very much hope this trio returns. For now though, dig in to this.   --- Antine Chessex / saxophone John Edwards / double bass Steve Noble / drums --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO by Shaun Crook on Sunday 12th December, 2016. Mixed and mastered by James Dunn. Photo by Dawid Laskowski.

Aggressive and confrontational on tenor sax, Gayle lights up and Edwards and Turner let rip. His piano work hints at bebop and the blues, at Monk and Taylor, but overall he's wholly unpredictable - as likely to bash his whole arm on the keys and wail and he is to tinkle the keys with one finger. Over an hour of heat and sensitivity. £6. Tracklisting 1. January (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 34.14 2. Febuary (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 7.04 3. March (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 23.34 4. April (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 11.34 5. May (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 10.48 Recorded live at Cafe OTO on 26 May 2015 by James Dunn. Mixed by James Dunn. Mastered by Rupert Clervaux. Photograph Dawid Laskowski.

Art-Punk, Noise-Rock, What-Effing-Ever - Carla Bozulich never does it the same way twice and this is no exception. Featuring the first time release of power medly 'L.A / Underdog', alongside haunting reworkings of traditional Scottish folk song 'MacCrimmon’s Lament', Bozulich's low slung and unwavering vocals flip every binary idea you ever had and whisks up your genre boundaries for good measure. Whether you are pissed off or full of joy by the end of it, Bozulich expends so much energy on a set it is impossible not to be moved.  --- Carla Bozulich  / guitar, voice Don the Tiger / guitar, electronics Sage Charles / drums (on Track 6) --- Recorded by Tom Mudd on Sunday 19th April 2015. Mixed by John Chantler. Mastered by James Dunn.

Cameron Deas is one of the few guitarists to emerge from the shadow of John Fahey and present his own radical musical vision. He’s also made a bold transition from the stripped back sonics of his extended suites for solo guitar to an open system of electronics where the guitar becomes the physical interface for a rich and dynamic sound world of flickering electronics, alien tones, tightly controlled attacks and dense, elastic texture. The music initially brings to mind both Gagaku - the glacially paced court music of Japan and the runaway microtonality of the Gamelan in its Javanese counterpart whilst simultaneously generating whole new tongues under Deas expert compositional control. --- Cam Deas / Guitar, Electronics --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO on Friday 5th June 2015 by  James Dunn. Mixed by John Chantler. Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi.

At once remote and then drawn impossibly close, Billy Steiger's playing sits stony faced between the fantastic and the real. Given the chance, his music will lead you out of the live venue, out of your own head, and tell you looped fragments of stories you can't quite put your finger on. Magic. --- Billy Steiger / violin --- Recorded on Thursday 11th August, 2016 by Adam Matschulat. Mixed by Billy Steiger. Mastered by James Dunn.  --- Tracklisting:  1. Minor Things - 17:03

Two slabs of dark ambience from composer, electronic musician and co-founder of MEV, Alvin Curran, and incendiary bassist Massimo Pupillo. The pair’s mutual interest in ritual and spirituality combine with field recordings, live electronics, and improvised piano and bass. Chants whirr in a cloud of electronic static, full kit percussion plays behind locked doors and Pupillo's suspended bass tones build huge shoals of sound which turn and shift on an unseen apogee. 12.10.16 is maelstrom free from dogma - a caustic and consuming collaboration.  --- Alvin Curran / piano, sampler Massimo Pupillo / bass guitar --- Tracklisting: 1. 49:02 2. 51:02 --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO by Shaun Crook on Wednesday October 12th, 2016. Mixed and mastered by James Dunn.

Last year we invited flutist, composer and educator Nicole Mitchell to make her London debut at OTO. Though originally lined up to play with semi frequent collaborator Joelle Leandre, Joelle had to pull out at the last minute. Instead, we asked Mark Sanders if he would like to play. Having never met before, Mark’s restrained approach to the kit, with skipping brushes on toms and light touches to a ride, a bell or wooden blocks gives remarkable space and air to Mitchell’s unique synthesis of flute and voice. Together they create  a strikingly sparse and minimal sound, but one which is no less full of joyous melodic hooks and grooves reminiscent of a stripped back Art Ensemble.  --- Nicole Mitchell / flute, voice Mark Sanders / percussion --- Tracklisting: 1. One - 24:10 2. Two - 7:18 3. Three - 10:34 --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO on Saturday 14th May, 2016 by James Dunn. Mixed & mastered by James Dunn.

Collection of live performances by free flux improv icons The People Band. Recorded at OTO between 2008 and 2014 and bookended with solos by the late Mel Davis, the clan create a hubbub of frenetic free jazz and chaotic, polyrhythmic thrusts.  The origins of the people band can be traced back to 1965 and the core members of the band had all arrived by 1969 / 70. Although all the musicians involved are playing within other genres - the love and power of this collective has inspired all to maintain and develop the work for over 50 years.  This album is dedicated to the memory of the founder member, pianist, teacher and continued inspiration - Mel Davis - who left us in 2013. Two solo tracks open and close this album by way of our deep respect.  --- Mel Davis / piano, thrumb piano, perc.  Terry Day / percussion, reed pipes etc.  Mike Figgis / pocket trumpet, guitar George Khan / saxes, flute Davey Payne / saxes Paul Jolly / saxes, bass clarinet Charlie Hart / bass, violin Tony Edwards / percussion Adam Hart / piano, trombone  and featuring: Tony Marsh  Maggie Nichols Ed Deane Terry Holman  Ben Higham Dave Chambers Brian Godding and with thanks to: Jim Dvorak Dave Fowler Oly Blanchflower --- Recorded by Arlen Figgis. Mastered by Nick Pugh at Session Corner. New artwork sourced from a Fabio Lugaro photograph. Previous artwork by Gina Southgate (original CD release). Produced by 33 Jazz / Paul Jolly. Thanks to Tim Powell and to the audiences that keep this remarkable band alive, and thanks to 33 Jazz who originally released the recordings as a CD. You can find the CD here.

First meeting of pianist Pat Thomas and drummer Paul Abbott. Abbott’s affective concerns find a perfect partner in Thomas and his signature smack-palm approach. Reminiscent of Milford Graves’ ‘Percussion Ensemble’ but replace the rather serious gong with jovial and dissonant piano. Take a deep breath because there aren't many moments to come up for air in here.  --- Paul Abbot / drums Pat Thomas / piano --- Tracklisting: 1. 28.4.16 - 31:30 --- Recorded by James Dunn on Thursday 28th of April 2016. Mixed & mastered by James Dunn. Plants by Hamish Dunbar.

This was part of Mdou Moctar’s first tour of Europe and recorded on what was originally scheduled as a night off.  The band had played a rousing set the night before to a packed house when it was discovered that they weren’t up to anything on this night and that OTO was only scheduled to open as a bar. Things were quickly put into place for a second show which promptly sold out and totally delivered the kind of spontaneous energy you’d hope for in this kind of situation.   “We’ve got a problem” said Carl, our erstwhile evening manager at the end of the night.  “Mdou has fallen in love” “ah…” “He’d like to take our amp with him” Of course, a deal was struck and off it went. It’s nice to know that there is a little bit of OTO tearing it up across the north of Africa!  --- Mdou Moctar / guitar, voiceAhmoudou Madassane / guitar, voiceMahmoud Ahmed Jabre / drums, voice Recorded by Shaun Crook at Cafe OTO on Friday 1 August 2014. Mixed by John Chantler.  Mastered by Rupert Clervaux, London. Photograph by Jonathan Crabb.

Available as 320k MP3 or 24 bit FLAC. 1. #1  12:342. #2  23:283. #3  11:10A recording of a rare duo performance by percussionist / composer Michael Zerang and guitarist / vocalist / banjo player Daniel Higgs conjuring densely interwoven improvisations that draw on traditional forms but take them in defiantly unexpected directions. Both musicians will be familiar to OTO regulars - Zerang as a member of Joe McPhee's Survival Unit III alongside Fred Lonberg-Holm, and his gracefully rolling approach to the drums has provided a welcome, beatific contrast to PNLs full-on assaults in Peter Brötzmann's Chicago Tentet. Daniel A.I.U Higgs has also been responsible for some singularly memorable performances here alongside the likes of Maya Dunietz and Jennifer Walshe and his transcendental ragas here reach an even higher level of hypnotism. --- Michael Zerang / percussionDaniel Higgs / voice, banjo --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO on 28 June 2014 by James Dunn. Mixed by James Dunn.  Mastered by Andreas [LUPO] Lubich at Calyx, Berlin. Photograph by Andrej Chudy.

Japanese experimental guitarist Taku Sugimoto sounds particularly contemplative in this pairing with Welsh violinist Angharad Davies. Exploring the textural and timbral elements of their instruments, the duo create a space for reflection amidst the ghostly echoes of Dalston's Kingsland Road. --- Angharad Davies / violin Taku Sugimoto / guitar --- Recorded by Shaun Crook on Monday 16th March 2015. Mixed by John Chantler. Mastered by James Dunn. Original photograph by Fabio Lugaro.