Cuneiform Records AUGUST 2026 Newsletter

CUNEIFORM RECORDS AUGUST 2026 NEWSLETTER New Releases & Concerts read this newsletter online    LAPTOP/ COMPUTER: navigate email via colored links or scroll down  MOBILE:  scroll email or read online if images don't open ~~~~~~ COMING OUT AUGUST, 2026: HEAT ON – 150 SWIRL JAZZ Second release by Heat On, drummer / composer Lily Finnegan's Chicago jazz quartet with saxophonists Ed Wilkerson Jr. and Fred Jackson Jr., and bassist Nick Macri. [USA] – HEAT ON's previous, self-titled debut release on Cuneiform Records ~~~~~   OUT NOW! RELEASED JULY 31, 2026 5 DIGITAL RELEASES: CHRIS COCHRANE / KEVIN BUD JONES – LIVE IN SEATTLE DARK AMBIENT / CINEMATIC / AVANT-EXPERIMENTAL ROCK / ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC Brooding, powerful, and terrifyingly prescient music performed in Seattle and augmented in studio by Chris Cochrane, composer/guitarist, and Kevin Bud Jones, composer/keyboardist/ electronic musician. Composed for choreographer Linda Austin's "In Preparation for Disappearances to Come," which premiered in Portland in the early weeks of Trump's 2nd term. [USA] – Additional CHRIS COCHRANE releases on Cuneiform Records: Collapsible Shoulder Big Band `~~~~ MICHAEL COLUMBIA – MIRRORS, SHAPES, OBJECTS INDIE-ROCK / PSYCHEDELIC / POST-ROCK Chicago post-genre trio Michael Columbia, composed of multi-instrumentalists David McDonnell, Christopher Kalis, and Dylan Ryan, create a sound-world of compelling tunes infused with post-rock, jazz, electronica and more .  [USA] – Additional DYLAN RYAN releases on Cuneiform Records: DYLAN RYAN / SAND ~~~~ HONEY RIDE ME A GOAT – HORNS & HOOVES AVANT-INDIE ROCK / POST-PUNK / IMPROVISATION First album on Cuneiform by longstanding British quartet Honey Ride Me a Goat, Canterbury College alumns whose math rock and jazz punk recordings capture the attention (& collaboration) of musicians ranging from the UK's Hugh Hopper to LA's Upsilon Acrux. [UK]  ~~~~ LUCAS & LUKAS – OMNIDIRECTIONAL AVANT ROCK / PSYCHEDELIC / POST-GENRE / IMPROVISATION / CINEMATIC / INSTRUMENTAL  Stunning improvised studio collaboration by Gary Lucas, Grammy nominated songwriter & American guitar legend (Captain Beefheart Magic Band) & award-winning Austrian composer / drummer Lukas Ligeti. [USA/AUSTRIA] – Additional GARY LUCAS releases on Cuneiform Records – Additional LUKAS LIGETI releases on Cuneiform Records ~~~~ BOUD DEUN – PRONOUNCED BOOED DEE-UN: CHURCHES: LIVE BOUD DEUN AT ORION APRIL 5, 1997 ROCK / ART ROCK / AVANT PROGRESSIVE / INSTRUMENTAL Previously unreleased live concert recordings by '90s avant progressive fusion quartet (guitar/violin/bass/drums) from rural Warrenton VA, outside Washington DC, led by guitarist/composer Shawn Persinger)  [USA]  – Additional BOUD DEUN releases on Cuneiform Records ~~~~~ OUT NOW!  RELEASED JUNE 26, 2026: HENRIK OLSSON'S ANTUMBRA ENSEMBLE  – ANTUMBRA ENSEMBLE AVANT JAZZ / EXPERIMENTAL / AVANT PROGRESSIVE Composer / guitarist Henrik Olsson leads his 7-piece Antumbra Ensemble through complex structures recalling Henry Threadgill’s Very Very Circus band and such Rock In Opposition artists as Henry Cow. [DENMARK] – VIDEO by Nespy5euro, featuring "Homeshredder" by Henrik Olssen's Antumbra Ensemble ~~~~~   SNEAK PEEKS WITH SOUNDS COMING OUT SEPTEMBER 25, 2026: RAY RUSSELL – DANGEROUS BENDS ELECTRIC JAZZ / JAZZ ROCK / FUSION New studio recording by guitar hero Ray Russell, who's played with EVERYONE, his signature sound pervasive in films and albums from James Bond to Gil Evans, Tina Turner, Phil Collins, Henry Kaiser and beyond. Featuring Russell with an ensemble of U.K. studio heavyweights including Simon Phillips.  [UK] ~~~~~ SNEAK PEEKS  OF WHAT'S COMING OUT LATER IN 2026 & BEYOND: A LIST OF UPCOMING JAZZ , ROCK, & EXPERIMENTAL / ELECTRONIC RELEASES ~~~~~ CUNEIFORM ARTISTS ON TOUR: LIVE CONCERTS & TOURS   ~~~~~ ENJOY A WORLD OF MUSICAL ADVENTURE with  CUNEIFORM RECORDS ONLINE:   • EXPLORE Cuneiform Records'  SOCIAL MEDIA //  BANDCAMP PAGE // YOUTUBE CHANNEL //  SOUNDCLOUD PAGE ~~~~~ • Purchase music from 100s of labels at WAYSIDE MUSIC, our sister store, estab.1980 ~~~~~ • Missed seeing a CUNEIFORM NEWSLETTER? Access prior issues at cuneiformrecord.blogspot.com/   ~~~~~~                                                                                     read this newsletter online ~~~~~~ photo top of page:  Devastating summer fires in France and Spain following unprecedented, successive heat waves in Europe return to top COMING OUT AUGUST 28, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS HEAT ON 150 SWIRL Bio information: HEAT ON Title: 150 SWIRL (Cuneiform Rune 548) Format: CD  / DIGITAL Record Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS www.cuneiformrecords.com Release Date: August 28, 2026  FILE UNDER: JAZZ    RIYL: Henry Cow, Henry Threadgill, Sun Ra, Blast, Marc Ribot, Frank Zappa   Drummer / composer LILY FINNEGAN plunges into jazz’s maelstrom on 150 SWIRL, the second release featuring her heavyweight Chicago quartet with legendary tenor saxophonist ED WILKERSON JR, alto sax great FRED JACKSON JR and in-demand bassist NICK MACRI listen to/ share "Eighty Too" on Soundcloud, from 150 Swirl by Heat On                    If drummer Lily Finnegan’s acclaimed 2025 debut album Heat On! was a love letter to Chicago’s tight-knit jazz scene, her blazing follow up 150 Swirl is a musical manifesto from an artist who knows the value of consistency. Like her incendiary first project, 150 Swirl is a Cuneiform Records release. The project features the same prodigious cast of players, and is designed to fuel creative flights by legendary Chicago tenor saxophonist Ed Wilkerson Jr., Chi-town alto sax great Fred Jackson Jr., and the highly versatile Nick Macri on upright and electric bass.   An essential player working across several overlapping scenes, including left-field jazz, punk and improvised music, the 28-year-old Finnegan has thrived by seeking out veteran masters.   She doesn’t take her era-spanning relationships for granted, but was recently reminded by a friend visiting from New York that she’s ensconced in a rarefied environment. “She said, ‘It’s so cool you have so many elders in your life. That intergenerational aspect is really lacking in New York,’” Finnegan recalls. “That’s part of what makes me so excited about this band.” It’s entirely in keeping with this ethos that the album opens with Finnegan’s “Same Old Velvet,” a piece dedicated to the late tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson’s long-running but lamented outpost of Chicago experimentation. Swinging with rough abandon, the piece solders together two fragments to create a kinetic, rambunctious tune that’s “very inspired by Roscoe Mitchell and Henry Threadgill, where elements of their work could paint a vibrant picture with sparse melodic information,” says Finnegan, who notes that she’s too young to have frequented the Velvet Lounge.   With Wilkerson’s liquid alto clarinet wending around Jackson’s quarrelsome alto sax, the song embodies a particular Chicago vibe in the way that “it swings but it’s also loose,” Finnegan says. “Sometimes people think outside music equals not playing in grid-like time. I like to keep swing in there that rubs against the grid, particularly when the music gets more chaotic.”   Macri’s powerhouse electric bass work steers “Eighty Too,” an extended form that unfolds like a brisk bus trip across town on dubiously paved roads. Wilkerson and Jackson play tag-team saxophones, feinting, darting, and circling around each other while responding to Finnegan’s muscular stick work. She’s similarly out front on “For H-Park,” which opens with a drum solo, accelerates into a headlong groove with an Afro-Cuban tinge that provides a magic carpet that sweeps the horns into a freer passage.   “I enjoy that it’s rough around the edges,” she says. “With this group, I like to write intricate, interlocking parts but also leave room for surprise when we variate from what’s written on the page.”   The mood changes abruptly with the insinuating “Lipstick Criminal Moonlight,” which moves from a brooding, almost obsessive theme to a series of teasing, deliberate passages. Defined by open space and minimal trap accents, the music turns droll and meditative before fading into silence.  The calmer vibe continues with “Lovebird Nextdoor,” a luscious Mingusian ballad that unfurls with beatific grace. Wilkerson’s tenor sax sounds magnificent as he delivers the melody with unfussy poise. The finely calibrated dynamics give the piece a transparent feel as Finnegan suggests a 12/8 beat.    The conversational feel takes a different turn on the mostly through composed “Drift, Flip, Spiral-Like,” which proceeds in distinct sections guided by Finnegan’s drum call, “a form you hear in samba,” she says. “I created a rhythmic cue that calls the band back in to the melody.”    The album closes with “Rubber Rose,” an idiosyncratic piece that opens with Macri on electric bass and Jackson and Wilkerson on clarinets. It’s a masterly case of setting two parts of the ensemble on disparate paths, as drums and bass engage in one dialogue while the horns carry on their own vigorous discussion. Instead of cacophony, the tune ends the album with intrigue that draws listeners into the action.   Finnegan’s work has attracted widespread notice. She was recently awarded a Next Jazz Legacy fellowship for early-career women musicians through New Music USA, an initiative spearheaded by drum great Terri Lyne Carrington. Paired with Moor Mother and pianist Marilyn Crispell, she’s already planned a recording session with Crispell, an artist who brings her own rigorous approach to outside/in improvisation.   Born in Chicago and raised in nearby Evanston, Finnegan started playing drums as a tween. Drawn at first to punk and alternative rock, she started delving into jazz in high school, making connections between “improvised, free music and punk,” she recalls. “I was drawn to music about liberation and bigger topics, and less concerned about fitting in to a genre box.”   At the University of Wisconsin–Madison she started with sociology rather than music, but ended up spending as much time playing drums and graduated with a double major. During a summer in Boston she connected with drum star Terri Lyne Carrington, who recruited her to Berklee’s master’s program. She earned the degree in the thick of the pandemic via a full scholarship to the Global Jazz Institute, a 20-person cadre led by Danilo Perez. Finnegan was also part of the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, where she was mentored by Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, and Carrington (on her “Music for Abolition” thesis, as well the Visualizing Abolition Exhibit at the University of California Santa Cruz). “I’ve been blessed with great mentors, people who’ve supported me being curious about all these different styles and histories,” she says. “Allison Miller is another major one for me.” Returning to Chicago in 2021 she connected with Ken Vandermark through Kris Davis. He invited her to join a new band, Edition Redux, and she got a front row view into his compositional process. “There are so many different ways to write and organize music,” she says.   Building on her Berklee thesis project, “Music and Abolition: Creating a World Without Policing - Music’s Role in Imagination, Experimentation, and Collectivity,” Finnegan has continued to study and observe the way power structures, history, and social movements have shaped the Chicago scene.  This is not a passive process. She’s one of the curators of the Option Series, a showcase for contemporary approaches to improvisation and composition held at Experimental Sound Studio.   Finnegan is also a festival organizer and a member of the cooperative Catalytic Sound, a creatively charged constellation of players that includes violinist/vocalist gabby fluke-mogul, her partner in the queer-punk-meets-avant jazz duo that released the 2024 album Throw It In The Sink. She recently released Live at Elastic Arts by the Lily Finnegan Double Drum Quintet, a free improv project featuring veteran AACM drummer Vincent Davis, “the Chicago elder and teacher who plays a lot with Roscoe Mitchell,” she says. There’s also the GAF Trio with saxophonist/guitarist Will Greene and cellist Ishmael Ali. She’s performed with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, guitarist Bill Orcutt, vocalist Fay Victor, multi-instrumentalist Patrick Shiroishi, guitarist Brandon Seabrook, and storyteller/multi-instrumentalist Shanta Nurullah, among many others. Clearly, Finnegan contains multitudes. From punk rock to free improv to post-bop jazz tunes, “the variety of projects help me connect with the different sides of myself,” she says. And by connecting to herself, Finnegan has spun a vast web of relationships that fuel her creative evolution. With 150 Swirl she’s fed a roiling cauldron of a quartet that has galvanized her work as a composer, bandleader and player. It’s a bold and enthralling statement that would set her apart in any generation.    CREDITS for HEAT ON'S 150 SWIRL Edward Wilkerson Jr. - tenor saxophone, alto clarinet, B♭ clarinet Fred Jackson Jr. - alto saxophone and percussion Nick Macri - upright bass and electric bass Lily Finnegan - drums   PRE-ORDER / LISTEN on BANDCAMP:          Buy CD or Digital                         Buy Digital  [HD 24/96]      return to top BUY / LISTEN  on BANDCAMP  to  HEAT ON's previous / self-titled debut release on CUNEIFORM RECORDS: "...this is exciting, vibrant and vital. 8/10" – Kev Rowland, Rezonant PRE-ORDER CD or Digital                                  PRE-ORDER Digital  [HD 24/96]      "Heat On" is an album that rewards both heart and ear - jazzy but not retro, thoughtful without forsaking impulse, fierce without losing warmth. At once sprawling and intimate, it confirms Lily Finnegan isn’t just joining the story of Jazz; she’s showing us how to keep writing it. 4/5 stars" –Vito Camarretta, Chain D.L.K.   "Drummer Lily Finnegan’s robust debut, Heat On, is her “love letter to Chicago,” where her intergenerational quartet makes notable noise. In addition to being a creative drummer, Finnegan is a strong composer, and her work is always interesting." – DownBeat   "Heat On is an impressive set that’s hopefully just the beginning of a fruitful collaboration. ...Finnegan can let it fly in a free context, but her debut illuminates her preference for combining abstraction and compositional structure, and to pinpoint, Finnegan’s stated appreciation for grooves. ...a fine record... GRADED ON A CURVE: A–" – Joseph Neff, The Vinyl District   return to top  !! OUT NOW !! FIVE DIGITAL RELEASES RELEASED JULY 31, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS   (CLICK ON ALBUM COVERS TO JUMP TO MORE INFO ON ALBUM & ARTIST)   CHRIS COCHRANE / KEVIN BUD JONES                                                 MICHAEL COLUMBIA  .    .                             HONEY RIDE ME A GOAT       LUCAS & LUKAS                                                                             BOUD DEUN            return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 31, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS CHRIS COCHRANE / KEVIN BUD JONES LIVE IN SEATTLE JANUARY 31, 2025 AT CHAPEL PERFORMANCE SPACE …   Bio information: CHRIS COCHRANE / KEVIN BUD JONES Title: LIVE IN SEATTLE: JANUARY 31, 2025 AT CHAPEL PERFORMANCE SPACE ... (Cuneiform Rune 3410) Format: DIGITAL Record Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: DARK AMBIENT / CINEMATIC / ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC / AVANT-EXPERIMENTAL  ROCK /   LIVE IN SEATTLE  features music performed January 31, 2025 by CHRIS COCHRANE (composer / guitarist) and KEVIN BUD JONES (composer/ keyboardist/ electronic musician) at Seattle WA's Chapel Performance Space, and later augmented in studio.  The duo had composed the Seattle music for choreographer Linda Austin's dance work “In Preparation for Disappearances to Come,” which would premiere February 2025 in Portland, OR. Performed during the first two months of Trump's second term in office, the music was prescient of "Disappearances to Come." listen to/ share "PART 1" on Soundcloud, from CHRIS COCHRANE/ KEVIN BUD JONES'  LIVE IN SEATTLE   In December 2013, Chris Cochrane formed the band Collapsible Shoulder, recruiting Brian Chase on drums, Mike Duclos on bass, and Kevin Bud Jones on second guitar. Before the year was over, Kato Hideki replaced Duclos on bass, and Jones shifted to electronics and keyboards. In 2016, they self-released their first album,  e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e . Collapsible Shoulder Big Band's second album, featuring live recordings made 2019-2020 at Roulette, came out a decade later on Cuneiform Records as Live 2019: A Map of Books.  Cochrane and Jones started a side project performing as a duo, and collaborating on music for dance and film which led to a collaboration with choreographer Antonio Ramos for shows in Manhattan and Queens NY. In 2023 Filmmaker Jim Hubbard tapped the duo to score his 48 minute film “Nostalgia” which was commissioned by the NYC AIDS Memorial Foundation and screened with live music at its premiere in November 2024, with the addition of percussionist Jim Pugliese. Concurrently, choreographer Linda Austin reached out to Cochrane and Jones to develop a new dance theater piece which was presented as a work in progress at Judson Memorial Church in 2023. The following year work began in earnest on what became “In Preparation for Disappearances to Come” presented by Austin's company Performance Works Northwest with a live score played by the duo in 4 performances at PICA in Portland, Oregon during February 2025. Prior to final rehearsals in Portland with Austin's company, Chapel Performance Space at the Good Shepherd Center, Seattle WA offered Cochrane and Jones a gig to coincide with their time on the coast. Planned as a starting point, exploration, and examination of themes developed for the score for “In Preparation for Disappearances to Come”, it offered them welcome focus and perspective on their work. Feeling that the recording of the night was a solid representation of where their work together had led them, they decided to take it a step further. Jones began to mix, augment, and alter the music in subtle and often in very drastic ways. His manipulation of the music mirrors what can happen to a memory; when stories are retold with new details added, a discovery happens of what remains, what has disappeared, and what keeps evolving. It is not lost on them, prescient even, that these performances happened during the first weeks of the current Trump administration.   ~ ~ ~   Choreographer Linda Austin speaks about the genesis of "In Preparation of Disappearances to Come": “'In Preparation for Disappearances to Come' came into being first as a way for two old friends to reconnect. In 2021, musician Chris Cochrane and I began to talk about rekindling the long-dormant collaborative relationship that we enjoyed during the 1980s-90s when I still lived in New York. As we talked, the conversation turned to a troubled and gifted human close to us both—Paul Hoskin (1958–2018)—and thus on to contemplating the ways in which influences continue to make themselves felt, even when we begin to forget from whom or from where they originally came. Now, four years later, we prepare for disappearances large and small: of this performance and the memory of this performance. Of this day, of this era, of the lives in this room. We consider how what we do and what we are now becomes part of the compost that nourishes the doing and being of the future. In Preparation for Disappearances to Come is dedicated to those we have lost* and will lose, as well as to our own future disappearance. Here’s a quote from Virginia Woolf’s The Waves: "We have come together...to make one thing, not enduring—for what endures?— but seen by many eyes simultaneously'”  – Linda Austin ~ ~ ~ BUY / LISTEN to CHRIS COCHRANE & KEVIN BUD JONES' LIVE IN SEATTLE on BANDCAMP: ~ ~ ~ ALBUM CREDITS Chris Cochrane - Composer, Producer, Electric guitar Kevin Bud Jones - Composer, Producer, Electronics and Keyboards Live sound Steve Peters Location recording, post-production, and mix by KBJ Mastering by Myles Boisen, Headless Buddha Mastering Photography and design by KBJ Special thanks to Steve Peters and Nonsequitur for presenting us at Chapel Performance Space, Seattle WA, and to Linda Austin / Performance Works Northwest. return to top ADDITIONAL RELEASES BY CHRIS COCHRANE ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS   COLLAPSIBLE SHOULDER BIG BAND Chris Cochrane – guitar / vocals // Gordon Beeferman – piano and organ // Brian Chase – drums // Richard Dworkin – drums // Kato Hideki - bass // Stuart Popejoy – bass // Stew Stewart – vocals // Gelsey Bell - vocals // Syd Straw - vocals // Marlon Cherry – vocals // Sulynn Hago - guitar // Eszter Balint -– violin and vocals // Sarah Bernstein – violin // Kevin Bud Jones – electronics / keyboards // Jim Pugliese – drums, vibes and additional percussion // Hanna Fox - drums - percussion // Eddie Gormley – drums - percussion // Killian Karlsson – guitar // John Thayer – drums, electronics // Zeena Parkins – Electric harp   LIVE 2019: A MAP OF BOOKS "4.5 / 5 stars ...Chris Cochrane...leads his 19-piece Collapsible Shoulder Big Band with the sort of loose, generous authority that can only be earned after four decades of musical wanderlust through New York’s fertile downtown scenes. ...there’s a surprising tenderness woven through the noise - a reminder that Cochrane’s music, for all its abstraction, is deeply human. It’s an album full of broken anthems for broken times, stitched together with DIY thread and a grin. ... Cochrane has always believed that music should breathe... "Live 2019" is not just a collection of songs; it’s a document of a community improvising survival, friendship, and mischief in real time. It’s an ode to the beautiful instability of trying to make meaning in a collapsing world." –Chain DLK return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 31, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS MICHAEL COLUMBIA MIRRORS, SHAPES, OBJECTS Bio information: MICHAEL COLUMBIA Title: MIRRORS, SHAPES, OBJECTS (Cuneiform Rune 3404) Format: VINYL / DIGITAL Record Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: INDIE ROCK / PSYCHEDELIC / POST-ROCK Born out of the co-mingling experimental, free-jazz, and post-rock scenes of CHICAGO, IL, the trio called MICHAEL COLUMBIA  operates in the shared zones of those sonic worlds. MIRRORS, SHAPES, OBJECTS, the trio's newest album and first on CUNEIFORM RECORDS, embraces an unbridled compound of electronic and acoustic textures that intersect in a distinctive aural universe of  magnetically compelling tunes. listen to/ share "Diana" on Soundcloud, from Michael Columbia's Mirrors, Shapes, Objects   Born out of the stylistic free-for-all that was the Chicago independent music scene of the early 2000’s, Michael Columbia has continually experimented with its sound, evolving to meet the creative whims and urges of its practitioners. Originally formed as a tangent of David McDonnell’s work with the Elephant 6 group Bablicon, Michael Columbia’s records have consistently defied expectations. Their latest offering, Mirrors, Shapes, Objects operates in the overlapping zones shared by free jazz, experimental, and post-rock.  The unaffected blend of electro/acoustic textures and ambient swells suggest that the group may have at last arrived at an aesthetic equilibrium.      A multi-instrumentalist trio of veteran genrebenders, David McDonnell, Christopher Kalis, and Dylan Ryan first played together over a decade ago in the Chicago/Philadelphia-based post-rock collective, Icy Demons.  Since then they have all consistently moved forward with their own respective musical identities, releasing records and performing with dozens of artists in the free jazz, indie, and electronic scenes in Chicago as well as on both coasts.  Those varied experiences only serve to make the Michael Columbia more compelling.  Equally comfortable in an extended instrumental solo as in a committed motorik moment, the group drifts effortlessly between the Soft Machine-style soprano saxophone leads, the interlocking riffs of Discipline-era King Crimson, and the psychedelic-hypno-funk rhythms of Can.   Vocals emerge periodically throughout the record, dispelling the notion that these pieces are just vehicles for improvisation and, unlike some of their progressive-rock predecessors, Michael Columbia’s songs rarely exceed five minutes. As the title suggests, the structures of the pieces are occasionally nonconventional, but as with the Canterbury scene, there dwells within the nimble musicianship clearly defined vocal sections where improvisation takes the back seat to vocals and lyrics.  Michael Columbia seems keen to keep the record focused, opting for more songs in the same amount of time and embracing a new-wave/progressive sound, coaxing the listener to ponder what kind of songs Bennie Maupin, Laurie Anderson, and Connie Plank might conjure up for a Michael Mann soundtrack circa 1982.     The record opens with “Eagles of the Sea”,  a playful yet mysterious little number that dances over and around the  syncopated sample that runs throughout.  McDonnell’s gentle vocal line floats over Ryan’s KeIth-Moon-esque time-keeping, giving way to an ebullient solo where McDonnell, shifting to soprano saxophone,  sculpts out a delicate balance of slippery melodic fragments and heady improvisational exhilaration evoking early 70’s Wayne Shorter.  Regarding the use of samples, Kalis explains "The electronics in this group have traditionally been phrase samples and loops of synth lines that aren't locked on to a grid.”  The avoidance of  MIDI tempo-sync on these songs provides the luxury of a much more transparent and organic rhythm base that blends with live soprano and drums.      On cuts like “Red Paint” and “Lady Midnight” Kalis’ harnesses an Andy Summers-like guitar refrain while McDonnell’s relaxed, measured vocal delivery hints at early Peter Gabriel and the trio reveal their pop sensibilities, eschewing stylish synth textures for more traditional song forms, catchy melodies and, subtler rhythm section interplay. While on the surface, the presentation of these tunes may seem more straight forward, lyrically, they are embracing darker themes of the subconscious.  In “Red Paint” McDonnell refers to Jim Jarmusch’s Acid-Western classic, “Dead Man”, explaining that the lyrics “seek to evoke the senses of the protagonist falling in and out of consciousness laying by the river's edge.”  Along the same cinematic bent, “Lady Midnight” imagines a duchess' fever visions during the 100 Years War, painting them on canvas by the moonlight.”  Indeed, the crunching intro sequence summons the clash of approaching armies; a portrait as much as perhaps a plea for our leaders to behave more maturely.    On “The Ghola” McDonnell creates swaths of synthesizers that swirl and oscillate over Ryan and Kalis’ motorik-inspired grooves as the group leans hard into an instrumental psych rock milieu.  Tunes like this and “Maid of Metal” are built on spaced out soundscapes, the group’s psychedelic bedrock, on which they couple Kalis and McDonnell’s instrumental versatility with Ryan’s jazz-infused back beats.  Speaking to  “Maid of Metal,” Kalis elaborates, “...since there wasn't a sample or a MIDI clock to synchronize the arpeggio and delay tempos, I wanted to create a very flexible and loose feel for the synth lines on the Roland Juno-60. The first part is played live and the second is an unsynchronized arpeggio modulated with different chords to create a more fluid and less repetitive rhythm." This approach allows for the group to let sections develop uniquely within each live performance.  The sense of immediacy in these songs hint that within the forms of the pieces there is plenty of stuff going on that may be happening for the first time, perhaps even the only time.      The recording of the title track, “Mirrors, Shapes, Objects” was rediscovered by McDonnell on a 15 year old hard drive and had originally been recorded on reel to reel tape nearly 20 years ago. With a new vocal line, the swirling world of pulsing bass synths and heavily delayed saxophone harkens immediately back to a heady era of crowded Chicago loft shows.   While the bulk of the tracks on this offering were recorded in December of 2024, a few, such as the above “Mirrors…” and “The Ghola,” have been culled from previous, unfinished recording efforts and then re-worked in the studio into a finished form. Michael Columbia is an ongoing creative process and this new release is simply the trio picking up from where they left off more than 10 years ago as they moved on to new cities and lives. The benefit now is the new skill sets, experience and creative insight they each accrued in their individual journeys before coming back together for this recording.     BAND MEMBER BIOS DAVID MCDONNELL David McDonnell is a multi-instrumentalist and composer who began his career with the Elephant 6 group Bablicon. Equally at home playing jazz saxophone as he is working with synthesizers and electric bass, or manning a recording studio his eclectic output has featured releases for Chicago’s Delmark Records, Portugal’s Clean Feed as well as the indie stalwart Misra Records among others. He is a founding member of the groups Herculaneum and Icy Demons. Recent work includes an album of electronic music under the moniker 5th World on Astrolabe Recordings as well as engineering the soundtrack to the feature film Mastermind  for trumpeter/composer Rob Mazurek.      CHRISTOPHER KALIS Chris Kalis has produced dynamic work within the Chicago underground over the past 20 years. He is the co-founder of live hardware groups Chandeliers, Songs for Gods, and Drasii. His discography includes co-productions and remixes on labels such as Phonica Records, DFA Records, Potions Music, and Ghost Arcade LTD. Chandeliers live performances have received international praise from notable outlets such as The Wire, Pitchfork, and The Quietus, and they have supported acts such as Cluster, Psychic TV, and Shabazz Palaces.      DYLAN RYAN Dylan Ryan has drummed with groups like Red Krayola and Cursive, while maintaining ties to the jazz and experimental communities, frequenting the bandstand and recording studio alongside artists like Bitchin Bajas, Bill MacKay, Jeff Parker, Patrick Shiroishi, and Jeremiah Chiu.  He has two recordings under his name on the Cuneiform Records imprint and has performed at the New York City Winter Jazz Fest, Massey Hall, Pritzker Pavilion, REDCAT Theatre, David Lynch’s Silencio, and the Getty Center.   BUY / LISTEN to MICHAEL COLUMBIA'S MIRRORS, SHAPES, OBJECTS  on BANDCAMP AVAILABLE IN VINYL OR DIGITAL FORMATS: ALBUM CREDITS: David McDonnell:  synthesizers, bass, soprano & alto saxophones, vocals Christopher Kalis: synthesizers, guitar, bass Dylan Ryan: drums, percussion, vocals return to top ADDITIONAL DYLAN RYAN RECORDINGS ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS DYLAN RYAN / SAND Dylan Ryan: Drums // Timothy Young: Guitar // Devin Hoff: Bass   “Mining the ground between fuzzed-out free jazz and wide-screen instrumental rock, L.A.-based drummer Dylan Ryan's group can recall the twisted drive of post-rock bands such as Pell Mell and Couch in one moment, some of the more barbed corners of Bill Frisell's catalog the next.” – Chris Barton, Los Angeles Times “Sometimes they sound like a jam band wandering. Sometimes they sound like a free jazz trio searching. And sometimes they sound the littlest bit like Black Sabbath, which means we must follow.” – Chris Richards, The Washington Post   "Sky Bleached was a killer opening salvo for Dylan Ryan's Sand; Circa ups the ante and proves the debut was no fluke." – AllMusic   CIRCA "If you've ever pondered what Crazy Horse or Robin Trower might sound like with an acoustic bassist and a dynamically sensitive drummer, Circa provides an answer. The Nels Cline Singers are another obvious reference… Anyone who enjoys jazz on the freer side with a very heavy dose of rock influence should glom onto Circa. [4½ stars out of 5]” – Robert Bush, All About Jazz "Dylan Ryan is a drummer adept at combing his jazz skills with adventurous rock, resulting in music that maintains the cerebral and visceral qualities of both styles.” – Mike Shanley, JazzTimes   SKY BLEACHED “…an earthy brand of fusion, perched between the rootsy and the abstract, that reminds us in turn of Bill Frisell, Sonny Sharrock and Tortoise. …” – Time Out New York "...a signature sound, along with a highly imaginative mode of execution, making Sky Bleached a work of art… one of the most fascinating guitar trio dates I've heard in quite some time.” – Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz “...tracks which range in scope and tone from heavy menacing riffs to nearly ambient excursions, and music which clatters and curves with jazz, free improvisation and outsider rock." – Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 31, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS HONEY RIDE ME A GOAT HORNS & HOOVES Bio information: HONEY RIDE ME A GOAT Title: HORNS & HOOVES (Cuneiform Rune 3406) Format: DIGITAL / VINYL Record Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: AVANT-INDIE ROCK / POST-PUNK / IMPROVISATION Since forming at Canterbury College in the early 2000s, British quartet HONEY RIDE ME A GOAT has blazed a brazen path, releasing numerous widely acclaimed math-rock recordings and capturing the attention (and musicial collaboration) of artists ranging from Hugh Hopper to Upsilon Acrux. Their first album for Cuneiform, HORNS & HOOVES, is released in digital format and limited-edition vinyl,  and marks a sonic departure for the band, with space for horns to breathe and improvise. listen to/ share "Spacedocker" on Soundcloud, from Horns & Hooves by Honey Ride Me a Goat   “At various times, it brings to mind everyone from DNA to Don Caballero, Molecules to Beefheart, Melt-Banana to Elliott Sharp. Combining complex rhythmic interplay with noisy textural scrapes, the trio rocks in the most abstract way, and has a brilliant way of transitioning from high-speed squawk to melodic passages that can be pretty in an off-kilter way.” – Dusted   Honey Ride Me a Goat (HRMAG) were formed in the early 2000s by old school friends attending Canterbury College who shared a love of Captain Beefheart, Black Sabbath, and Soft Machine. Early demos were recorded at Canterbury college and HRMAG began playing live around 2005, continuing to do so frequently up until hiatus in 2020. They released their self-titled EP in 2006 and went on to record a number of tapes and split vinyl releases over the next few years. Many of these recordings were eventually picked up by Australian label Lexicon Devil and compiled in the 2010 release Udders.   Recording in the studio next door to Hugh Hopper around this time, a session was arranged and the results ultimately released as Goat Hopper by Voiceprint in 2013, though the project was never fully realized due to Hopper's untimely passing. Several joint UK tours and a further split release with Upsilon Acrux followed, where the seeds were sown to one day collaborate with Patrick - the results of which are on this record.   HRMAG isn’t ‘math rock’ or a display of virtuosity and rarely leans on those familiar tropes. Their music shifts between tightly wound composition and free flowing rhythmic improvisation, likely in the same song, building and collapsing in calamitous cycles, sometimes tight, sometimes loose. They like to thrive on this tension between rigid forms and free exploration, usually favouring atonal riffing over melody. Often, parts aren’t explicitly notated, rather rhythmic frameworks shaped by repetition. It’s playful, absurd, and not taking itself too seriously.   This record moves slightly away from the band’s previous bludgeoning breakneck jazz-punk, and incorporates more direct song structures, opening space for improvisation and gives Shiroishi’s sax contributions a central, integrated role. ALBUM CREDITS: Jonny Shoults - Drums Michael Pike - Bass, Piano (7) Patrick Shiroishi – Sax (1,2,3 & 5)  Ryan Simpson - Guitars BUY / LISTEN on BANDCAMP: Honey Ride Me A Goat's Horns & Hooves return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 31, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS LUCAS & LUKAS OMNIDIRECTIONAL Bio information: LUCAS and LUKAS [GARY LUCAS and LUKAS LIGETI] Title: OMNIDIRECTIONAL (Cuneiform Rune 3412 ) Format: DIGITAL Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS www.cuneiformrecords.com  FILE UNDER: AVANT ROCK / PSYCHEDELIC / POST-GENRE / CINEMATIC / IMPROVISATION / INSTRUMENTAL   Two Fearless Musical Globetrotters with Expansive Ears and Extensive Careers – GARY LUCAS and LUKAS LIGETI – Embark on an Improvisational Journey and Produce a Stunning Album of Potent, OMNIDIRECTIONAL Music for CUNEIFORM RECORDS listen to/ share "Journey in Satchidanada" on Soundcloud, from Lucas & Lukas' Omnidirectional   Gary Lucas reflects on collaborating with Lukas Ligeti for Omnidirectional: “I have enormous respect for percussionist / composer / sonic adventurer Lukas Ligeti and have enjoyed playing with him over the years in various situations, including my longtime band Gods and Monsters.  This live in the studio date was totally improvised and contains moments of transcendent beauty as well as sonic maelstroms of rabid noise.  Lukas is my kind of collaborator!”                                                                   — Gary Lucas               BUY / LISTEN to          LUCAS & LUKAS'       OMNIDIRECTIONAL on BANDCAMP:                                                     ALBUM CREDITS: Gary Lucas — guitars and FX  Lukas Ligeti — drums and percussion "Journey in Satchidanada" composed by Alice Coltrane  ~ ~ ~ ~              BIO INFORMATION GARY LUCAS  A world class guitar hero, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, an international recording artist, and a soundtrack composer for film and television, Gary Lucas is always on the move.  The former Captain Beefheart guitarist has recorded over 50 acclaimed albums to date in his own right in a variety of genres—jazz, rock, classical, folk, blues, avant-garde and world music—and has performed in over 40 countries—including the UK, Canada, Australia, all over Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavia, Israel, South Korea, Serbia, China, Russia, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Morocco, India, and elsewhere.  Lucas has received several Lifetime Achievement awards for his songwriting with Jeff Buckley (he co-wrote Buckley's anthems "Grace" and "Mojo Pin") and many honors—including performing solo before the General Assembly of the UN to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  He has performed and collaborated with a who's who of musical luminaries, including Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet), Jeff Buckley, Leonard Bernstein, Lou Reed, John Cale, Patti Smith, Chris Cornell, Bryan Ferry, Nona Hendryx, Fred Schneider, Los Van Van, Bob Weir, Nick Cave, Thurston Moore, Martha Wainwright, Camille O'Sullivan, Steve Kilbey, and many others, and he has given Masterclasses in guitar and songwriting at his alma mater Yale University, Columbia University, Rutgers University, the Amsterdam Musik Conservatorium, the Henri Dutilleux Conservatoire in Paris, The New School, and other academic institutions.   Dubbed "The Thinking Man's Guitar Hero" by The New Yorker, "The world's most popular avant-rock guitarist" by The Independent (UK), "One of the 100 Greatest Living Guitarists" (Classic Rock), "Legendary Leftfield guitarist" by The Guardian (UK), "Guitarist of 1000 Ideas" by The New York Times, "a true axe God" by Melody Maker, and "One of the five best guitarists in the world" by the national Czech newspaper Lidove Noviny; the British world music magazine fRoots recently described Gary Lucas as "without question, the most innovative and challenging guitarist playing today." Rolling Stone's David Fricke wrote: "Gary Lucas is one of the best and most original guitarists in America...a modern guitar miracle." Best-selling author/producer Dan Levitin ("This Is Your Brain On Music") recently cited Gary as "the greatest living electric guitarist". Gary was also dubbed "one of the world's greatest guitar players" by HITS Magazine. Pete Frame, music journalist, founder/editor of legendary UK music magazine ZigZag, and author/creator of 5 volumes of "Rock Family Trees" said of Lucas, "Can there be another musician as adventurous, ingenious, accomplished, diverse, intrepid, hard-working and well-travelled as Gary Lucas?" LUKAS LIGETI   Lukas Ligeti is an Austrian/American composer, drummer, and researcher whose innovative music combines influences from the western classical canon, African music, jazz, electronics, the American experimental tradition, and many others sources. Special interests include polymetric and polytempo structures, non- tempered tunings, and the development of new performance practices through unconventional uses of technology. Lukas studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, received his PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and has taught at the University of California, Irvine (as a core member of the PhD program in Integrated Composition, Improvisation. and Technology), the University of Pretoria (as an Extraordinary Professor) and at the University of Ghana (jointly with J.H.  Kwabena Nketia). He is currently Professor of Composition at the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles in Belgium    A recipient of the CalArts Alpert Award in Music, his compositions have been commissioned by Ars Musica (Brussels), the Vienna Festwochen, American Composers Orchestra, MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig, Ensemble Modern, Eighth Blackbird, the Bang On A Can All Stars, the Kronos Quartet, Håkan Hardenberger, Colin Currie, and Ji Hye Jung, and his music has also been performed by the Brussels Philharmonic, Basel Sinfonietta, Gürzenich Orchester Cologne, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Vienna Radio Symphony, the London Sinfonietta, Avanti! (Helsinki), the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Amadinda Percussion Group, and countless others.   As a drummer, he has performed and/or recorded with artists such as John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, Henry Kaiser, John Tchicai, Marilyn Crispell, George Lewis, Kazuhisa Uchihashi, etc., and has given solo concerts on electronic percussion at festivals on five continents. He has been listed repeatedly as a talent deserving wider recognition in DownBeat magazine’s Critics Poll. He co-founded the groups Beta Foly (Côte d'Ivoire) and Burkina Electric (Burkina Faso) and has worked in many other countries across Africa, leading to an approach he refers to as experimental intercultural collaboration. He has been an Artist-in-Residence at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and at Sonoscopia in Porto, Portugal. CDs of his music have been released by New World, Tzadik, Cantaloupe, Intuition, Innova, col legno, Cuneiform Records, and other labels. For more information, please see www.lukasligeti.com return to top ADDITIONAL RELEASES FEATURING GARY LUCAS ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS   FAST 'N' BULBOUS Gary Lucas - electric guitar, National steel guitar, arrangements Phillip Johnston - alto saxophone, arrangements Joe Fiedler - trombone, arrangements Dave Sewelson - baritone sax Rob Henke - trumpet Jesse Krakow - electric bass Richard Dworkin - drums Robyn Hitchcock - guest vocalist on Waxed Oop 'China Pig' "[They] recast Captain Beefeart's tunes and make the case for him as a composer the equal of Thelonious Monk." – Nashville Scene WAXED OOP ""...Fast 'n' Bulbous have painstakingly retooled the Captain's best-known works as big-band instrumental compositions. The results are fairly staggering...this collection is a masterful reinterpretation of rock's Grand Surrealist's best work. Brilliant!"– The Big Takeover  "disc of the day: 10-16-09. Fast ‘n’ Bulbous: Waxed Oop ... I can’t imagine this is the first attempt to honour Captain Beefheart in a jazzy mode, but it’s certainly the first one I’ve come across, and it’s brilliant. ... ...at heart Beefheart was a good, ol’ fashioned bluesman – a kind of fractured Howlin’ Wolf with a bit of Zappa thrown in, and Fast ‘n’ Bulbous bring all those aspects out with just the right balance." –The Jazz Breakfast   PORK CHOP BLUE AROUND THE RIND “… Fast 'N' Bulbous...are the big brass band [Don Van Vliet / Captain Beefheart' never had. With bellowing horns arranged by saxophonist Phillip Johnston and pinpoint swordplay by ex-Magic Band guitarist Gary Lucas, Fast 'N' Bulbous ignite the R&B gunpowder inside the tangled surrealism…” – David Fricke, Rolling Stone “Few groups do justice to the music of Captain Beefheart…but this is something else. … The rhythm section get right inside the structure of these tunes, Lucas synthesizes two guitars' lines into one, while the brass take care of  the main themes, teasing out unexpected melodies.  [4 / 5 stars]” – Mike Barnes, Mojo   "Fast 'n' Bulbous proved that Beefheart's songs deserve to be played in his absence and are, for all their knotty logic, quite playable..."– David Fricke, Rolling Stone GARY LUCAS' FLEISCHEREI [FEATURING: SARAH STILES]   MUSIC FROM MAX FLEISCHER'S CARTOONS "Music from Max Fleischer Cartoons...is a top to bottom delight. ...the shorts produced by Fleischer studios, particularly those hailing from the pre-Code era ...remain near animation’s apex... Across a dozen selections nary a note is laid wrong ... Lucas fans will adore Music from Max Fleischer Cartoons, and so will lovers of Raymond Scott, Carl Stalling, and John Zorn ... The excellent liners by Lucas and film-critic Glenn Kenny also warrant mention." – Joseph Neff, The Vinyl District "4 / 5 stars...guitarist Gary Lucas..assembled his Fleischerei, german for "butcher shop," to present the music of Max Fleischer cartoons. Brooklyn-based Fleischer studios...was the antithesis to the lily-white productions of Walt Disney. ...the Rolling Stones to Disney's Beatles. Fleischer's music drew from Jewish klezmer, Harlem's Cotton Club and Tim Pan Alley's show tunes, employing artists such as Louis Armstrong, Don Redman, and Cab Calloway....." –– Marc Corroto, All About Jazz  return to top ADDITIONAL CUNEIFORM RECORDS RELEASES FEATURING  LUKAS LIGETI THE SIAMESE STEPBROTHERS Henry Kaiser  – guitar // Bruce Anderson (MX-80) - guitar // Tom Constanten (Grateful Dead) - keyboards // Dale Sophiea (MX-80) - bass // Lukas Ligeti (Kombinat M) - drums Compositions by Miles Davis, Sonny Sharrock & original compositions. THE SIAMESE STEPBROTHERS "...the Siamese Stepbrothers carry forward a spirit of improvisation that seems to cross all time and musical boundaries. Bits of rock, jazz, psych, and other forms flow freely together and congeal into brilliant streams of musical consciousness, structured loosely around a rock core...with plenty of absolutely stunning moments" – Exposé  "This project amounts to a lot of contagious fun..." – Jazziz "... Not bad at all, and I didn't even mention that the drummer on this 'un was one Lukas Ligeti, a trusted name in various jazz and rock circles to this day ..." – Blog to Comm KOMBINANT M Erwin Redl - guitar, bass, keyboards, drum programing Andreas Heidu - guitar, drum programing Andreas Leikauf - violin Walter Hollinetz - saxes, clarinet Lukas Ligeti - drums   HYBRID BEAT "This is from 1990-1991. … there are post rock trademarks here that would later appear in post rock bands albums…. This band was not afraid to experiment… They manage to fuse various styles of music successfully ... Moreover, in...composing they seem to have deconstructed the tracks back to their basic building blocks and rebuilt them...to achieve different sounds. … This band seems to be full of new ideas all the time... This album is the sole album Kombinat M, and it is a pity, as this release is a great promise and debut.  ….I can recommend this album to those … into the more complex, experimental, original and chaotic side of Rock In Opposition. " – avestin, Progarchives "Kombinat M have absorbed myriads of influence into their vivacious & powerful music [and] have much to commend them." - Audion return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 31, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS BOUD DEUN PRONOUNCED BOOED DEE-UN : CHURCHES : LIVE BOUD DEUN AT ORION APRIL 5, 1997 Bio information: BOUD DEUN Title: PRONOUNCED BOOED DEE-UN : CHURCHES : LIVE BOUD DEUN AT ORION APRIL 5, 1997 (Cuneiform Rune 3405) Format: DIGITAL Lebel: CUNEIFORM RECORDS www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER:  ROCK / ART ROCK / AVANT PROGRESSIVE / INSTRUMENTAL Between their founding in 1994 in Washington DC's Virginia suburbs and their last show in 1998, the instrumental guitar/ bass/ violin/ drum quartet led by composer/ guitarist SHAWN PERSINGER and called BOUD DEUN toured the East Coast incessantly, performing at clubs and festivals and opening for such progressive acts as Gong, The Aquarium Rescue Unit and Porcupine Tree. This live recording of one of their shows at Orion Sound Studios spotlights the band in all their Mahavishnu-Orchestra-On-Steroids splendor listen to/ share 4 excerpts from on Soundcloud, from Boud Deun's Pronounced Booed Dee-Un   Boud Deun, from Warrenton, VA, arrived with a roar on the new-music scene in January 1994, performing frequently and astonishing audiences up and down the East Coast of the United States. Performing constantly, Boud Deun shared the bill at clubs and festivals with groups like Gong, The Aquarium Rescue Unit and Porcupine Tree, as well as headlining numerous solo gigs. Although obvious parallels were apparent between Boud Deun's work and instrumental greats like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Dixie Dregs, and King Crimson, there were additional influences from musicians as far-ranging as Minor Threat, Minutemen, Dead Kennedys, David Grisman, Leonard Bernstein, and Igor Stravinsky. The band members’ combined backgrounds in acoustic music, jazz, punk, bluegrass, and classical music further fueled Boud Deun's innovative instrumental sound. Their star burnt brightly and in their not-quite-four years of existence, the group played hundreds of shows, released four albums and won many fans. Their last show was September 26, 1998.    ~ ~ ~ Shawn Persinger, Boud Deun's guitarist and principle composer, comments on this release for Cuneiform Records: Many musicians listen to their old albums, and in particular live recordings, and say, “All I hear are the mistakes.” Well, I do hear the mistakes (there are plenty) but I also hear some amazing music.   Firstly, I hear phenomenal drumming. Rocky should be up there with the greatest of all time. In my book he is.   Second, I hear controlled chaos. I love it! These songs are weird. Especially Mat’s. Try to follow along with the surrealist logic (is that an oxymoron?) of “Waterford.” Those parts are ultra-specific yet seemingly random. I remember Mat once described this composition as a “dance song” and I suggested, “Mat, you couldn’t dance to this song unless you had three legs and one was longer than the other.” I think we were both right.   Third, thanks to Greg’s violin, I hear that Boud Deun could be as lyrical and rhapsodic as any vocal group. Listen to the tender lilt of “Ranileigh Gardens” and the dynamic middle section of “Burnsville” to understand that Boud Deun sang as much as we played (almost as much).     Finally, I hear my languid voice talking to the audience. I sound so blasé. And maybe I was. I know on a certain level, I took this band for granted. I had no idea this kind of musical kinship was so rare. Someone should have told us. They did, over and over. We didn’t listen. – Shawn Persinger, Fall 2025   [Shawn Persinger is available for interviews and can be reached at PresterJohnMusic@gmail.com]  ~ ~ ~ BUY / LISTEN on BANDCAMP: BOUD DEUN'S PRONOUNCED BOOED DEE-UN : CHURCHES : LIVE BOUD DEUN AT ORION APRIL 5, 1997 CREDITS: Shawn Persinger - guitar Greg Hiser - violin Matt Eiland - bass Rocky Cancelose - drums Recorded live at Orion Studios, Baltimore, MD on April 5, 1997 return to top ADDITIONAL BOUD DEUN RELEASES ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS: THE STOLEN BICYCLE "Boud Deun...improvise exciting and dynamic instrumentals pregnant with the same high-energy charge that typifies early King Crimson. This tight, integrated unit deifies belief ... The result is stunning and masterful. Influence of the Crimson ones is detectable throughout, as is the hyper-folk of Stravinsky... and traditional jazz... Elsewhere...the lexicons of punk bombast, bluegrass, lightning licks...and more.... Boud Deun is Mahavishnu Orchestra on fire, the Dixie Dregs gone to town, a worthy new volume in the encyclopedia of progressive, limitless, surprising instrumental groups." – Tom Schulte / AllMusic    ASTRONOMY MADE EASY "Anything this excellent is hard to review without being reduced to giggles & a sheer state of awe. Yes it's that good...1997's top release" -Exposé. "I have played it repeatedly...Brilliant. Although it's very easy to say this right now, I believe this will hold up as one of the best releases of this year." -Mike Taylor, editor, Gibraltar. "This progressive rock, jazz, fusion beauty is ASTONISHING! Do not let this ballistic treat slip through your fingers." -Fantastic Voyage System. return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JUNE 26, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS HENRIK OLSSON ANTUMBRA ENSEMBLE Bio information: HENRIK OLSSON Title: ANTUMBRA ENSEMBLE (Cuneiform Rune 548) Format: CD  / DIGITAL Record Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS www.cuneiformrecords.com Release Date: JUNE 26, 2026  FILE UNDER: JAZZ / AVANT-PROGRESSIVE / PROGRESSIVE JAZZ   RIYL: Henry Cow, Henry Threadgill, Sun Ra, Blast, Marc Ribot, Frank Zappa   Guitarist / Composer / Improvisor HENRIK OLSSON scours the Musical Universe for Road Maps – from Henry Threadgill to Henry Cow, Incredible String Band and Zappa to Sun Ra and far beyond – to Sculpt Highly Energized & Cohesive Jazz / Rock Pieces for his 7-Piece, Denmark-based ANTUMBRA ENSEMBLE listen to/ share "Homeshredder" on Soundcloud, by Henry Olsson's Antumbra Ensemble               When we open the box to a jigsaw puzzle, we see a pile of disparate pieces, each with their own identifying characteristics. To assemble, we need to understand the logic of the shapes and how they might fit together. Eventually we need to zoom out and consider the big picture. For guitarist Henrik Olsson, composition works in a similar way. His process is intuitive, playing until he finds the right musical figure, then tossing it about in repetition to discover everything it has to offer. “I constantly have to ask a piece what comes before or what comes after,” he explains. Slowly, the pieces reveal themselves, and the composition assembles.   On his Cuneiform Records debut, Antumbra Ensemble, Olsson has created eight musical puzzles, each unique in form and function. Joined with a group that includes fellow artists from the Copenhagen scene—a horn section of Michaela Turcerová on alto sax, Erik Kimestad Pedersen on trumpet, Petter Hängsel on trombone and recorder, and Kristian Tangvik on tuba, with a rhythm section of bassist Jeppe Skovbakke and drummer Rune Lohse—he draws on a seemingly unending well of sounds to form his songs, each serving as single pieces to form the record’s whole.   Olsson’s approach references artists like Henry Threadgill’s groundbreaking Very Very Circus band—a unit that remains instantly identifiable through labyrinthine structures—and Rock In Opposition artists, namely Henry Cow, who essentially made unpredictability their vocabulary. In each, it is a unique vision and framework that holds those groups’ sound together. The same can certainly be said for Olsson. “When I was a kid and really got into a record,” he explains, “I wanted to live in this world, where I could smell and taste and discover new things. That’s the kind of experience I want to give the listener.”       While those groups inform the intent of Olsson’s compositions, he also draws inspiration from Sun Ra, who forged a forward-thinking sound based on melodically focused tunes. Outrageous as it might seem to seek accessibility in such an avant-garde landscape, he aspires toward a perfect musical world for any curious listener, balancing his references to artists like the psychedelic Incredible String Band with the more pop-minded Astrud Gilberto, and draws on old-school R&B (as on “El Excavador de mi Corazon”) just as casually as he skronks out a deeply angular no-wave-inspired guitar solo (on “Homeshredder”).   If it sounds ambitious, it is. But he succeeds. Olsson’s knack for a catchy melody is strong—dig the winding riffage of “Will Sommers”—as is his propensity to fuel his compositional ambition with a healthy dose of groove. (“Hey Pedro, it’s just cosmic dust” will easily reel you in with its almost Caribbean-informed feel before heading to more sinister destinations.) Intrepid listeners will be all about the juxtaposition, but it’s pulsing beats and inclination to rock that makes Antumbra Ensemble welcoming to ears of all varieties.   Though Olsson sees himself as a composer first on Antumbra Ensemble—“It’s almost like the composer side of me gives the guitar side of me a role to stick to the composition,” he attests—his guitar playing is a major part of the record that both sets the tone and injects it with a shot of his distinct musical energy. Definitively not a pedal-tweaking gearhead, Olsson uses his sonic toolbox wisely, as his plunky single-coil twang and occasional noise-filled excursions nod toward Marc Ribot while his warbly vibrato-heavy melodies can evoke a modern-cumbia-guitar flavor à la Eblis Alvarez of Meridian Brothers.   Antumbra Ensemble is a wild adventure that blends an ever-evolving palette with a strong penchant for deep, shifting grooves and melodies that are both varied and catchy. It all centers around Olsson’s fearless musical voice, his kaleidoscopic compositions at the forefront, supported by his bold guitar flavors and a well-oiled, highly versatile band who are committed to the cause. Together, they put together a puzzle you’ll want to hear.   Antumbra Ensemble, featuring Olsson's 7-piece Copenhagen Antumbra Ensemble, is the Swedish-born, Denmark-based musician's debut on US-based Cuneiform Records. His previous releases under his own name include several well-received recordings with his projects Hand of Benediction and Penumbra Ensemble, released on Denmark's Barefoot Records. Besides leading his own groups, Olsson also plays in OLSSON/ RUBIN, EHM, Ytterlandet, Jeppe Zeeberg & The Absolute Pinnacle of Human Achievement, and others.   CREDITS for ANTUMBRA ENSEMBLE Henrik Olsson - electric guitar, additional synths/sounds Michaela Turcerová - alto sax Erik Kimestad Pedersen - trumpet Petter Hängsel - trombone & recorder Kristian Tangvik - tuba Jeppe Skovbakke - electric bass Rune Lohse - drums Compositions and arrangements by Henrik Olsson.   BUY / LISTEN on BANDCAMP:          Buy CD or Digital                         Buy Digital  [HD 24/96]    "Olsson displays his own musical vocabulary which is full of surprising sounds and unpredictable explorations. He never plays the expected and somehow his sidemen follow him closely even when the music is at its freest..." –  Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene   “Olsson is apt to terrorize his guitar on a nanosecond´s notice” – Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz PARIS-MOVE reviews Henrik Olsson's ANTUMBRA ENSEMBLE: "A debut album often serves as an introduction to an artist’s musical personality. In the case of Antumbra Ensemble, guitarist and composer Henrik Olsson does something far more ambitious: he presents a fully formed artistic universe, one where progressive rock, avant-garde jazz, contemporary composition, and fearless improvisation intersect with remarkable imagination. The result is an album of eight original compositions which refuse to be confined by stylistic boundaries. .... This is progressive jazz in the truest sense of the word: music that constantly moves forward, questions conventions, embraces risk, and celebrates creativity without sacrificing emotional engagement. For a debut album, Antumbra Ensemble is an extraordinary achievement. .... One can only hope that this first recording marks the beginning of a long and fascinating musical journey. If Antumbra Ensemble is any indication, Henrik Olsson has already established himself as one of the most imaginative new voices in contemporary progressive jazz." – Frankie Pfeiffer, Editor in chief, PARIS-MOVE, June 30th, 2026 'Homeshredder' from HENRIK OLSSON'S ANTUMBRA ENSEMBLE  Video by Nespy5euro return to top SNEAK PEEKS WITH SOUNDS: COMING OUT SEPTEMBER 25, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS RAY RUSSELL DANGEROUS BENDS British Guitar Hero RAY RUSSELL Navigates DANGEROUS BENDS With a Sleek Ensemble of U.K. Studio Heavyweights Including Longtime Collaborator SIMON PHILLIPS   listen to/ share "Just for Clicks" on Soundcloud, from Ray Russell's Dangerous Bends ALBUM CREDITS: Simon Phillips - drums Ray Russell - guitar Tim Whitehead - soprano sax George Baldwin - bass Jim Watson - acoustic piano return to top SNEAK PEEKS OF DISTANT TREASURES   COMING OUT LATER IN 2026 & BEYOND ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS (Listed in alphabetical order. Sound samples to come out in future newsletters) ~~~~~ JAZZ ~~~~~ A LOVE SUPREME ELECTRIC – THE BEAUTY AND THE  TERROR: A LOVE SUPREME ELECTRIC PLAYS THE MUSIC OF SONNY SHARROCK (Studio album by all-star, 6-piece, California-based electric jazz ensemble) [USA] ~~~~~ GHOST RHYTHMS – MISSING TIMES  (New studio album by young French avant progressive ensemble) [FRANCE] ~~~~~~ DAVE MCDONNELL'S ANSIBLE – INTREPID GEOMETRY Explorative jazz by saxist and composer Dave McDonnell’s new project [USA]   ELECTRONIC / ROCK ~~~~~~ HIRO KAWAHAWA / HERETIC – BE HERE NOW (The final studio album by synth/guitar project Heretic, Japan's answer to Heldon) [JAPAN]   ROCK ~~~~~~ DAEVID ALLEN / UNIVERSITY OF ERRORS – TBC (Previously unreleased live recordings by the late, great pataphysical guitarist and Gong founder Daevid Allen's USA-based band) [USA] ~~~~~~ BINARY SYSTEM – FROM THE EPICENTER (Reissue of album by guitarist/ keyboardist/ composer Roger Clark Miller's post-classical/ chamber rock/ avant progressive  piano & percussion duo with drummer Larry Dersch) [USA] ~~~~~~ BINARY SYSTEM – INVENTION BOX (Reissue of album by guitarist/ keyboardist/ composer Roger Clark Miller's post-classical/ chamber rock/ avant progressive piano & percussion duo with drummer Larry Dersch) [USA] ~~~~~~ BINARY SYSTEM – LIVE AT THE IDEA ROOM (Reissue of album by guitarist/ keyboardist/ composer Roger Clark Miller's post-classical/ chamber rock/ avant progressive piano & percussion duo with drummer Larry Dersch) [USA] ~~~~~~ PATRICK FORGAS – ART D'ECHO (Reissue of French composer/ multi-instrumentalist Patrick Forgas' 3rd album) [FRANCE] ~~~~~~ PATRICK FORGAS – L'OEILL (Reissue of French composer/ multi-instrumentalist Patrick Forgas' 2nd album) [FRANCE] ~~~~~~ HAPPY FAMILY – TBC (Japanese avant progressive / post-rock/ Zeuhl ensemble Happy Family release a new studio recording!) [UK] ~~~~~~ HENRY KAISER / GLENN PHILLIPS  – GUITAR PARTY (Reissue of 1990 studio album featuring Henry Kaiser & Glenn Phillips, two uniquely great, American rock guitarists) [USA] ~~~~~~ NEBELNEST – THE LOST ALBUM   (Nebelnest's previously unreleased 4th album - an exciting find!) [FRANCE] ~~~~~~ PRESENT – BABARO (MA NON TROPO) (Reissue of the 9th album by Belgian composer Roger Trigaux's powerful rock-in-opposition/ chamber rock group Present) [BELGIUM] ~~~~~~ PRESENT – NO 6  (Reissue of the 6th album by Belgian composer Roger Trigaux's powerful rock-in-opposition/ chamber rock group Present) [BELGIUM] ~~~~~~ PRESENT – HIGH INFIDELITY (Reissue of the 8th album by Belgian composer Roger Trigaux's powerful rock-in-opposition/ chamber rock group Present) [BELGIUM] ~~~~~~ SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER –  SHADOW WEB (6th studio album by Swiss experimental-avant-psych-minimal / post-jazz/ rock trio) [SWITZERLAND] ~~~~~~ THE LUCK PUSHERS – TBC (New studio recording by guitarist/ composer Shawn Persinger’s current, Connecticut-based band) [USA] ~~~~~~ YANG – TBC (Sixth studio album by French composer/ guitarist Frederick L'Epee's longstanding progressive ensemble) [FRANCE] ~~~~~~   return to top CUNEIFORM ARTISTS ON TOUR 2026 - 2027 - 2028 CALENDAR IMPORTANT REMINDER: In an evolving (and now endemic) COVID-19 world, and with adverse weather and political "events" happening in increasing frequency, these dates are ALL tentative. Please check with venues, close to the concert date, to confirm. We're ecstatic that live concerts are happening worldwide, but we remain aware that emergent variants - as well as severe weather - can unexpectedly affect schedules. See also the Tours Page at Cuneiform Records. CHRIS COCHRANE / KEVIN BUD JONES Composer/ guitarist Chris Cochrane and composer/ keyboardist/ electronic musician Kevin Bud Jones celebrate the July 31, 2026 release of their duo recording on Cuneiform Records - Live in Seattle: January 31, 2025 at Chapel Performance Space.                  August 18 - Main Drag Music - 50 South 1st St - Williamsburg, NY                  Listen to & buy                 Live In Seattle                  FRENCH TV Louisville, KY progressive rock ensemble French TV release The Spanish Caper, a double-disc set, on Cuneiform in late April 2026, and in May played at Baltimore's iconic Orion Studios, renown for its progressive music concerts. In  September, French TV perform at ProgDay in North Carolina, the world's longest running festival of progressive music, and then tour northern Europe. Listen to & buy The Spanish Caper   #1 top charting progressive rock album for 16 weeks and counting on the Gagliarchives Radio Show, from 4/24/26 to present!   September 5 & 6 - ProgDay Festival - Storybook Farm - Chapel Hill, NC September 18 - Encore - Sundbyberg, Sweden September 19 - Linkoping. Sweden September 20 - MIR - Grunerlkka - Oslo, Norway [with Panzerpappa] September 23 - Berkeller Reichenbach - Reichenback im Voigland   Listen to & buy:   THE SPANISH CAPER                             A GHASTLY STATE OF AFFAIRS      GHOST RHYTHMS French post-genre (post-jazz, avant-progressive, chamber rock) ensemble have released six albums - two on Cuneiform - and captivated listeners worldwide. In October 2027, they perform a concert in Paris to celebrate the release of their seventh album, Missing Times, coming out on Cuneiform. The music here walks a wide loop around Soft Machine and Magma, Univers Zero and Henry Cow, Miles Davis and Miriodor, Van Der Graaf Generator and Art Zoyd. .. Despite the musical sophistication and adventure...this music is extremely accessible to a wide swathe of listeners. Its release signals the magnificent arrival of Ghost Rhythms on American shores." – AllMusic   October 29 - Studio L’Ermetage - 8 rue de l'Ermitage - 75020, Paris - France (record release show)   Listen to & buy:   SPECTRAL MUSIC      //                                           LIVE AT YOSHIWARA      HEAT ON Chicago drummer and composer Lily Finnegan’s powerhouse, multi-generational inside-out Heat On quartet featuring legendary Chicago tenor saxophonist Ed Wilkerson Jr., Chi-town alto sax great Fred Jackson Jr., and consummately versatile Nick Macri on upright and electric bass. In August 2026, the group releases its 2nd album on Cuneiform:   150 Swirl "Lily Finnegan isn’t just joining the story of Jazz; she’s showing us how to keep writing it." – Chain D.L.K.   September 4 - Chicago Jazz Festival - Von Freeman Stage - Chicago, IL   Listen to & buy:   Heat On JANEL & ANTHONY Washington DC's premier music power duo, Janel & Anthony individually are internationally acclaimed master players and composers who lead their own ensembles.    "Janel & Anthony - guitars and 'cello respectively - play a haunting and humbly virtuosic form of music wherein the elements of electronics, looping, and lo-fi timbres live both in intimacy and in majesty in the same house as acoustic instruments and folk/blues-inspired melodies. As such, it is both timely and timeless..." – Nels Cline   September 25 - OnJoy - Los Angeles, CA   Listen to & buy:   New Moon In the Evil Age                                Where Is Home    "The result is a marvelous surprise at every turn, as the duo...two absolute virtuosos...create atmospheres that at times evoke the music of Steve Tibbetts, Brian Eno, even soundtrack music" – DownBeat   HENRY KAISER Grammy winner Henry Kaiser is widely recognized as one of the most creative and innovative guitarists, improvisers, and producers in the fields of rock, jazz, world, and contemporary experimental musics.   –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LIVE SHOWS HENRY KAISER  with The Deep Unreal: Brad Bradlove/ Jennifer Burns/ John Hanrahan/ Henry Kaiser/ Nathan Moore August 11 - The Grateful Red Barn at Cabrillo Cottage Farms - 4461 Porter Gulch - Aptos, CA     VIDEO SERIES FOR CUNEIFORM YOUTUBE CHANNEL THE HENRY KAISER QUARTERLY SHOW is presented on a regular basis, exclusively on the CUNEIFORM RECORDS YouTube Channel  When Covid pandemic lockdowns began in 2020, Henry Kaiser began curating & presenting a series of pre-recorded music videos exclusively on Cuneiform's YouTube Channel for music lovers isolating at home. These "live" concerts – which initially were released on a WEEKLY basis – were taped beforehand and not streamed; Henry discusses the process in a Guitar Moderne interview, "The New "Live"".  Many videos in the series depicted duets and larger bands, despite the program then being called the "HENRY KAISER WEEKLY SOLO SERIES".  While many depicted new or recent performances, other videos in this series are vintage footage of performances not available elsewhere (The Valentines' 1994 concert in the Fukuoka Dome). Kaiser continued presenting his popular video series on Cuneiform Records' YouTube Channel after the pandemic, but on a new schedule; it is now THE HENRY KAISER QUARTERLY SHOW. In addition to these quarterly releases, he presents additional videos marking special events or tributes.  All 52 videos from the initial HENRY KAISER WEEKLY SERIES + the entire two year MONTHLY SERIES + the ongoing QUARTERLY SHOW videos are available on CUNEIFORM RECORD'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL.  We invite you to visit and follow Cuneiform Record's YouTube Channel to see new videos that Kaiser regularly presents, as well as to explore Kaiser's video archives. Recently, Henry released HENRY KAISER QUARTERLY SHOW #13 : Fun With Guitars, which "featured Maximum Crazy Experimental Fun with many guests and many guitars, including an unprecedented Cecil Taylor cover with Jair-Rohm Parker Wells." Kaiser's WINTER 2026 was HENRY KAISER QUARTERLY SHOW #12 : THE RISE AND FALL OF TREMOLO, featuring Henry firing up a variety of guitar tremolo bridges with Scott Amendola, John French, Scott Colby, Bob Weir, Bill Murray, Jimmy Ågren, Tore Elgarøy, and more. Dive into Cuneiform's YouTube archives to view previous essential shows, such as the HENRY KAISER QUARTERLY #4: BARITONE GUITAR SPECIAL, featuring Kaiser's guitar work along with special guests Luciana Bass, Jim Clark, Janet Feder, Sandy Ewen, Vanessa Gould, Sandor Nagyszalancy, Anthony Pirog, Gregory Stephen, Sid Stephen, & Carl Weingarten. Numerous Kaiser quarterly videos provide free guitar lessons, sometimes focusing on tunes associated with legendary guitarists. His video for 2025's 1st quarter, HENRY KAISER QUARTERLY SHOW #8 : THE BACKWARDS GUITAR SOLOS LESSON, is both instructional for players and highly entertaining for non-musicians. An earlier video focuses on Sonny Sharrock: The Whole Tone Scale! Sonny Sharrock’s DICK DOGS lesson with Henry Kaiser.  In addition to his Quarterly series, Kaiser occasionally presents additional, special videos. Some are memorial tributes, such as FULL MOON FAIR, HENRY KAISER'S MEMORIAL FOR ALAN SENAUKE, which features Kaiser with musicians Ed Pettersen, Danny Carnahan, Ngoc Lam, & Robin Petrie. Others are celebrations of living music legends and contemporary events, such as CURVED AIR FOR TERRY RILEY'S 90TH BIRTHDAY, a video by Kaiser and Vanessa Gould featuring both a performance by the expansive 23-member Curved Air Chorale and an interview with Terry Riley by Kaiser. In addition, Henry presents a number of illuminating educational videos, such as a series on Derek Bailey's acoustic guitars, called DEREK BAILEY FETISH GUITARS.   Besides his work as a musician, Kaiser is also a scientific diver and underwater videographer in the U.S. Antarctic program. Several of his Solo Series videos on the Cuneiform channel feature Henry's stunning underwater videography in addition to his guitar playing, as in this stunning video from May 2020:  HENRY KAISER : Cuneiform Weekly Solo #2 : UNDER THE ICE AGAIN . Because all videos are archived on the Cuneiform Records' YouTube Channel, you can watch anything in the series at any time.   Listen to & buy: Albums by Henry Kaiser & Friends  on Cuneiform A Love Supreme Electric [Vinny Golia / John Hanrahan / Henry Kaiser / Wayne Peet / Mike Watt]: A Love Supreme Electric: A Love Supreme and Meditations  Yo Miles!: Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith: Sky Garden & Upriver     Five Times Surprise [Henry Kaiser / Anthony Pirog / Tracy Silverman / Jeff Sipe / Andy West]:  Five Times Surprise Henry Kaiser & Ray Russell:  The Celestial Squid Henry Kaiser: Lemon Fish Tweezer; Fred Frith & Henry Kaiser: Friends & Enemies     Healing Force [Vinny Golia • Aurora Josephson • Henry Kaiser • Mike Keneally • Joe Morris • Damon Smith • Weasel Walter]: Healing Force:  The Songs of Albert Ayler                       V.A.: 156 Strings: Nineteen Totally Original Acoustic Guitarists JANEL LEPPIN A composer and cellist who’s honed a singular synthesis of composition, orchestration and improvisation, Janel Leppin is an avant-jazz luminary. Besides performing solo on cello & electronics in various contexts - including opening on an extensive Mdou Moctar tour – she performs as half of the experimental duo Janel and Anthony, which she co-leads with her husband guitarist Anthony Pirog. In addition, she leads the chamber-jazz Ensemble Volcanic Ash, as well as performing and recording with other jazz, rock, and experimental  groups. In the spring of 2026, Cuneiform released a new solo album by Leppin, called Slowly Melting, as well as her third Ensemble Volcanic Ash album, Pluto in Aquarius. "Leppin is a rarity..ahhh-vant garde at its finest." - Capital Bop   Janel Leppin – Slowly Melting   Janel Leppin's Ensemble Volcanic Ash – Pluto in Aquarius   2026 JANEL LEPPIN August 4 - Reveler - Richmond, VA August 19 - Météo Festival - Motoko - Mulhouse, France September 25 - OnJoy - Los Angeles, CA September 26 - Henry Miller Memorial Library - 48603 Hwy 1 - Big Sur, CA 93920 October 9 - Palisades Hub - 5200 Cathedral Ave NW - Washington, DC 20016 [with Realist Trio] October 15 - Roulette - 509 Atlantic Avenue - Brooklyn, NY [The Art of the Solo] JANEL & ANTHONY Janel Leppin with Anthony Pirog September 25 - OnJoy - Los Angeles, CA   2027 JANEL LEPPIN RESIDENCY AT THE STONE, NYC May 19, 2027 - The Stone - Stone Residency - 55 West 13th St - NYC, NY May 20, 2027 - The Stone - Stone Residency - 55 West 13th St - NYC, NY May 21, 2027 - The Stone - Stone Residency - 55 West 13th St - NYC, NY May 22, 2027 - The Stone - Stone Residency - 55 West 13th St - NYC, NY   Listen to & buy: Janel Leppin Ensemble Volcanic Ash  To March Is To Love                 Ensemble Volcanic Ash Janel & Anthony New Moon In the Evil Age,   Where Is Home       Skullcap Snakes of Albuquerque MICHAEL COLUMBIA Michael Columbia is Dylan Ryan's Chicago-based synth-pop trio with Christopher Kalis and David McDonnell. Their 1st release on Cuneiform, Mirrors, Shapes, Objects, came out at the end of July, 2026.   buy / listen Mirrors, Shapes, Objects ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––     August 28 - Rozz-Tox - Rock Island, IL ROGER CLARK MILLER Roger Clark Miller is a guitarist, pianist, bassist, composer, singer, percussionist and occasional cornet player. His career officially began in 1979 when he co-founded the influential post-punk band Mission of Burma on guitar and vocals. He formed Birdsongs of the Mesozoic on piano in 1981, and from 1983-1989 he began his Maximum Electric Piano work. Miller joined the Alloy Orchestra in 1998 - "the best [orchestra] in the world at accompanying silent film" says Roger Ebert – which continues today as The Anvil Orchestra. In recent years, he's released two Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble albums on Cuneiform - his highly acclaimed solo project featuring live looping and electric guitar, as well as an album with his new rock group, Trinary System.  Boston Globe: "Less a recital than a musical minefield... Miller is a man in constant motion, a one-man symphony." –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ROGER CLARK MILLER  solo 'Unplugged (from a Band)'   August 14 - Brighton Music Hall [free but you must get tickets in advance] September 17 - Cabaret Foufs - Montreal, Quebec, Canada September 18 - Mills Hardware - Hamilton, Ont., Canada September 19 - Phog - Windsor, Ont, Canada September 20 - BSMT254 - Toronto, Ont Canada September 21 - Angry Mom Records - Ithaca, NY October 2 - Nova Arts - Keene, NH [with the Burma documentary 'Not A Photograph'] October 8 - Myrtle - Providence, RI October 11 - Stage 33 - Bellows Falls, VT October 14 - Deep Cuts - Medford, MA October 15 - TV Eye - NYC, NY October 16 - house concert - New Haven, CT   ROGER CLARK MILLER with ANVIL ORCHESTRA  [live music for silent films]   August 29 - Middlebury Film Festival - Middlebury, VT [The General] September 12 - George Eastman Museum - Rochester, NY  [Metropolis] September 13 - Hamilton College - Clinton, NY [Man With A Movie Camera / The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari] September 29 - Dundee Theater - Omaha, NE [The Adventures of Prince Achmed / Underworld] October 21 - Keene University - Keene, NH.   [The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari] October 30 - The Ross Theater - Lincoln, NE  [The Adventures of Prince Achmed / Underworld] October 31 - The Ross Theater - Lincoln, NE  [The Adventures of Prince Achmed / Underworld] November 6 - AFI Silver Theater - Silver Spring, MD November 7 - AFI Silver Theater - Silver Spring, MD December 13 - The National Gallery - Washington, DC  [Symphonie of a City] premier     Listen to & buy --------- Roger Clark Miller's Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble Curiosity for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble     Eight Dream Interpretations for Electric Guitar Ensemble    --------- Trinary System The Hard Machine --------- The Fourth World Quartet 1975 --------- Birdsongs of the Mesozoic Dawn of the Cycads // The Fossil Record       THE ED PALERMO BIG BAND "Twenty-first century big-band music doesn’t get more exciting and impressive than this." – Jazz Times An astounding 18 piece jazz ensemble of five woodwind players, four trumpeters, three trombonists, two keyboardists, guitar, violin, bass and drums, led by arranger, composer & saxophonist Ed Palermo, one of America's most singular arrangers who draws on jazz, pop and rock tunes for his top-notch band. There are a number of ensembles performing the music of Frank Zappa, one of the greatest American composers of the 20th century, but no one does it with the ease, skill and originality that Ed and his band do! –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Don't miss seeing the ED PALERMO BIG BAND live!  THEIR SHOWS SELL OUT, so buy your tickets well in advance. ~~~~ August 29 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542   October 31 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542 [Halloween show!]   December 19 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542      Listen to & buy Ed Palermo Big Band albums on Cuneiform: The Adventures of Zoyd Zundgren // The Great Un-American Songbook Vols. 1&2  // One Child Left Behind // Oh No! Not Jazz!!  // Eddy Loves Frank. //  Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance                               ANTHONY PIROG "[Palo Colorado Dream] covers a sprawling musical terrain–avant jazz, atmospheric soundscapes, earthy Americana, math-rock...with an arsenal of effects hardware and studio production techniques..." – JazzTimes "One of jazz’s most reliable conduits to a living, breathing audience is electric-guitar heroism, and Anthony Pirog, from Washington...seems poised to become a hero of the instrument." – The New York Times ________________________________ JANEL & ANTHONY Anthony Pirog with Janel Leppin  September 25 - OnJoy - Los Angeles, CA   Anthony Pirog with THE MESSTHETICS featuring JAMES BRANDON LEWIS September 3 - Stages Music Arts - Cockeysville, MD [Messthetics only] September 10 - Hopscotch Music Festival - Raleigh, NC October 25 - Le Grand Mix - Coing, France October 26 - Den Amer CC Diest - Diet, Belgium October 27 - New Morning - Paris, France October 28 - tba October 29 - Le Scarron - Le Mans, France October 30 - tba - Tours, France October 31 - Metropolink's - Heidelberg, Germany November 3 - Monk - Gdansk, Poland November 4 - tba - Bergan, Norway November 7 - tba - Milano, Italy November 8 - tba November 10 - Vintage Industrial - Zagreb, Croatia November 11 - Jazzclub Tonne - Dresden, Germany November 13 - Pogy & Bess - Wien, Austria November 14 - Altes Hallenbad Gallneukirchen Kulturpool - Gallneukirchen, Austria   2027 May 12 - The Stone - 55 West 13th Street - NY, NY Listen to & buy: Anthony Pirog: Pocket Poem  // Palo Colorado Dream .       Janel & Anthony:    New Moon in the Evil Age //     Where Is Home            in other groupings: Skullcap: Snakes of Albuquerque Location Location Location: Damaged Goods Five Times Surprise: Five Times Surprise The Spellcasters, Music from the Anacostia Delta   Janel Leppin/ Ensemble Volcanic Ash Pluto in Aquarius To March Is to Love  //  Ensemble Volcanic Ash          TOMEKA REID QUARTET No artist over the past decade has done more to bring the cello from the margins to the center of the contemporary jazz scene than Tomeka Reid. The 2022 MacArthur Award winning cellist has recorded prolifically, and released two albums on Cuneiform with her all-star Quartet  (Jason Roebke-bass,Tomas Fujiwara-drums, 2019 MacArthur Award recipient Mary Halvorson-guitar, Reid-cello). "4/4 stars... Reid’s thematic material is abundantly rich and her longstanding quartet is an exemplary vehicle for bringing it to life, partly because of the astute choice of instrumentation, in which Reid’s cello, Jason Roebke’s double bass and Mary Halvorson’s guitar form a kind of alternative string section, such are their cohesion, smart dovetailing and tight counterpoint. Yet the individual sounds are strong within the ensemble voice." – Kevin Le Gendre, Jazzwise   TOMEKA REID QUARTET September 3 - Sound and Gravity Festival - Chicago, IL 2027 January 19 - tba January 20 - tba January 21 - tba January 27 - tba January 31 - tba   Listen to & buy: 3+3                                Old New         RAY RUSSELL "Like contemporaries Sonny Sharrock and Terje Rypdal, Russell makes it sound as if the guitar is not enough, as if he's reaching for something wilder, something that can't be contained within the 6 string cage" - Jim O'Rourke   Dangerous Bends On September 25, 2026, Russell releases Dangerous Bends on Cuneiform Records, a new studio album featuring an ensemble of UK studio heavyweights, including longtime collaborator Simon Phillips. _____________________________ November 8 - Pizza Express - 99 High Holborn -  London  WC1V 6LF - UK [Dangerous Bends record release party] Listen to & buy: Ray Russell: Fluid Architecture // Secret Asylum  // Goodbye Svengali       Ray Russell & Henry Kaiser: The Celestial Squid        “Russell isn’t merely a fine jazz player, but a truly original music thinker and an improvisational force to be reckoned with.”  – AllMusic Guide LUKE STEWART /  SILT TRIO Called “one of the 25 most influential jazz artists of his generation” by DownBeat Magazine and a member of several earth-shaking ensembles, including Irreversible Entanglements and Heroes Are Gang Leaders, polymathic bassist Luke Stewart, a creative catalyst on the Washington D.C. (and beyond) music scene for almost two decades, introduces his protean trio with Chicago drum legend Chad Taylor and powerhouse DC saxophonist Brian Settles.    August 1 - The Stone - 55 West 13th street - NY, NY Listen to & buy: Luke Stewart Silt Remembrance Ensemble The Order Luke Stewart Silt Trio The Bottom         "...The Order...might be said to encapsulate everything Stewart does best. The tunes tend toward the kind of infectious, organic grooves that shape the Silt Trio’s two albums... Much is happening here, all of it captivating. 4.5/5 STARS" – DownBeat To set up press and radio interviews with Cuneiform Artists while on tour or at home, please contact: promo@cuneiformrecords.com return to top SPEND 2026 WITH EXPLORE COUNTLESS HOURS OF GREAT MUSIC & VIDEOS BY SOME OF THE BEST MUSICIANS   IN THE INTERNATIONAL WORLD OF AVANT-GARDE & POST-GENRE MUSIC     CUNEIFORM RECORDS has a treasure chest of interesting music to serve as soundtrack, inspiration and solace during these evolving and challenging times. Our mammoth catalogue of over 500 releases by artists from around the world includes many of avant music's most esteemed icons as well as young rising stars, and is available for purchase in digital and physical formats at the CUNEIFORM RECORDS BANDCAMP store, and in physical formats at one of our sister companies, WAYSIDE MUSIC as well as in RECORD SHOPS worldwide (see our DISTRIBUTORS).  Your purchases of our CDs, LPs, and digital downloads supports or indie musicians, indie labels, and small businesses.    • VISIT the official CUNEIFORM RECORDS WEBSITE  for extensive information on the artists and recordings on our label,  upcoming concerts & much more.   • WATCH VIDEOS on Cuneiform Records' YOUTUBE CHANNEL Cuneiform Records has an extremely active YouTube Channel which you should bookmark as a favorite:  free music videos, videos of live shows, & samples from 500+ adventurous releases!   And we began expanding our video content during the pandemic, most notably with an ongoing video series curated  and produced by guitarist Henry Kaiser.  • PURCHASE & LISTEN to releases on CUNEIFORM RECORDS BANDCAMP PAGE  Discover new music on our Bandcamp Page, and support artists & our indie label by purchasing music.   • PURCHASE music from100s of LABELS from around the world at  WAYSIDE MUSIC, our sister store.  At our internet store, WaysideMusic.com (established in 1980!), you can purchase hard-to-find CDs and LPs from ALL your favorite labels!  • ENJOY and SHARE SAMPLES of music by releases of countless Cuneiform artists on the Cuneiform Records' SoundCloud Site. • VISIT, LIKE & FOLLOW  Cuneiform Records' Official FACEBOOK PAGE.  • JOIN the Cuneiform Records FACEBOOK GROUP:  FANS Of Cuneiform Records.  • FOLLOW @CuneiformRecord on TWITTER (now X) • LICENSE music from Cuneiform for movies, ads etc via our sister site TheMusicOutpost.com. • SIGN UP for the CUNEIFORM RECORDS NEWSLETTER if you're not already one of our subscribers, and  get BOTH this monthly newsletter in your email box AND receive notices for Cuneiform's weekly "$5 Friday" offers – Cuneiform selects a special album from its archive each weekend,  to be sold in download format via Bandcamp, that weekend only,  for half price. • VISIT our TOURS PAGE for upcoming concerts WORLDWIDE by our artists.   • ACCESS PRIOR ISSUES of the CUNEIFORM RECORDS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER at cuneiformrecord.blogspot.com/     Cuneiform Records' Monthly Newsletter announces and gives in-depth info on ALL of the label's NEW RELEASES - both physical and digital formats - and also provides TOUR / CONCERT info from its artists.   ~ ~ ~ return to top CUNEIFORM RECORDS SOCIAL ONLINE Cuneiform YouTube Cuneiform Website Facebook FanGroup Facebook Page Cuneiform Twitter Cuneiform SoundCloud Cuneiform Bandcamp Instagram Email Cuneiform .                                                                       return to top Cuneiform Records' Monthly Newsletter is compiled by Joyce (Joy) [Nalewajk] Feigenbaum, DIRECTOR OF THE MUSIC OUTPOST – PUBLICITY EMAIL: joyce@themusicoutpost.com FACEBOOK PAGE: MusicOutpostPublicityAndLicensing TWITTER: @TheMusicOutpost     STOP WARS         Photo on left of Ceasefire Now banner unveiled 1/24/2024 by Greenpeace & Unmute Gaza at Madrid's Reina Sofia Museum. Poster image by US visual artist Shepard Fairey "Obey" based on photo by Palestinian photojournalist Belal Khaled. Museo Reina Sofia is the home of Picasso's iconic 1937 Guernica painting, photo above. Bottom left photos: Gaza 2025 & Lebanon 2026     return to top Copyright © 2026 Cuneiform Records, All rights reserved.   Washington, DC // Silver Spring, MD Our mailing address is: Cuneiform Records P.O. Box 8427 Silver Spring, MD 20907 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Was this email forwarded to you from a friend? Subscribe to the Cuneiform Records Newsletter. Read this email online   return to top