Cuneiform Records OCTOBER 2026 Newsletter

CUNEIFORM RECORDS OCTOBER 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 OCTOBER 30, 2026: GHOST RHYTHMS – MISSING TIMES JAZZ / POST-JAZZ / AVANT PROGRESSIVE / CHAMBER ROCK New studio recording by France's Ghost Rhythms, an award-winning, nine-piece ensemble who combine jazz, classical, rock and world influences to create sophisticated, beautiful and accessible post-genre music [FRANCE] – Additional Ghost Rhythms albums on Cuneiform ~~~~~ OUT NOW! RELEASED SEPTEMBER 25, 2026: RAY RUSSELL – DANGEROUS BENDS ELECTRIC JAZZ / JAZZ ROCK FUSION British guitar hero and award-winning composer Ray Russell reunites with longtime collaborator Simon Phillips - and producer Greg Walsh - in a stellar quintet for a new album [UK] – VIDEO: Ray Russell discusses / presents  his new album, Dangerous Bends – VIDEO: Ray Russell 's band performs "Just for Clicks" from Dangerous Bends – VIDEO: Ray Russell's band performs "Why Wait to Be Invited" from Dangerous Bends – VIDEO: Ray Russell's band performs "From Here to Dexterity" from Dangerous Bends – Additional Ray Russell albums & collaborations on Cuneiform ~~~~~ OUT NOW! RELEASED AUGUST 28, 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 ~~~~~   SNEAK PEEKS WITH SOUNDS COMING OUT NOVEMBER 13, 2026: SCHNELLERTOLLER – SHADOW WEB EXPERIMENTAL-AVANT-PSYCH-MINIMAL / POST-JAZZ / MINIMALIST ROCK / IMPROV Globally acclaimed Swiss group Schnellertollermeier (Manuel Troller - guitar, Andi Schnellmann - bass, David Meier - drums) celebrate 20 years as a near-telepathic trio with a double LP/CD. [SWITZERLAND] ~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~               return to top   COMING OUT OCTOBER 30, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS     GHOST RHYTHMS MISSING TIMES       Bio information: GHOST RHYTHMS Title: MISSING TIMES (Cuneiform Rune 536) Format: CD  / DIGITAL LabeL: CUNEIFORM RECORDS  www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: JAZZ / POST-JAZZ / AVANT PROGRESSIVE / CHAMBER ROCK / POST-GENRE     GHOST RHYTHMS, one of the most exciting Post-Genre Ensembles on the International Scene, release MISSING TIMES a Tour-De-Force of Stunningly Beautiful Compositions Embracing Jazz, Classical, Rock and World Music as well as Concepts of Time and Perception, Absence and UFOs   listen to/ share "Quinta del Sordo" on Soundcloud, from Ghost Rhythms's Missing Times “The musical equivalent of a page-turner… Styles mingle without it ever sounding artificial… This...cannot be reduced to any existing style – it is in equal parts jazz, chamber music, rock, improv… A coherent, finely-crafted and supremely evocative work.” – Chromatique on Ghost Rhythms   Ghost Rhythms are a truly exciting, electric-eclectic jazz / post-genre ensemble based in France. Active in Paris since 2005, the nine-piece ensemble has won numerous awards and released 9 albums. Their music is cool, intelligent (conceptual themes underlay each album), and self-assured, featuring morphing drum grooves, catchy bass lines, expressive harmony changes, world music touches and a never-ending succession of dizzying, odd-time polyrhythms. The highly skilled instrumental ensemble uses a world of instrumentation and influences – jazz, classical, rock, world – to create captivating tunes that defy genre boundaries and soar beyond tradition. Missing Times, Ghost Rhythms’ new release and third album for Cuneiform Records, conceptually probes notions of UFOs – specifically, the phenomenon in which UFO abductees lose memory of their experiences aboard ships from outer space. It’s a slippery slope full of mythology, as drummer/guitarist Xavier Gelard points out, but not one without merit and depth. And beyond the sci-fi elements of that subject matter, there are universal themes. “We’re trying to decolonize the UFO lore from the UFO,” he explains, “in order to access the human part.”   all photographs by Audrey Petauton, montage by Xavier Gelard   The Ghost Rhythms ensemble is based around the creative duo of Xavier Gelard and pianist Camille Petit. Together, they’ve deeply explored the interplay between interlocking rhythms and musical feel throughout the group’s 20-year run. The themes relayed in Missing Times —absence, perception, and time itself—have been guiding principles. In that way, then, Missing Times, their ninth full-length release, is their ultimate statement, as its displaced rhythmic structures weave amongst each other in the foreground. “It was not just to be clever or for the sake of it,” Gelard explains,” it was a way of showing that many ghostly themes appear when you play with the way they’re perceived.”     all photographs by Audrey Petauton, montage by Xavier Gelard The album—most of which was recorded live in the studio—started with the title and concept, and the music fell into place. “Reacting is probably my main way of writing music,” explains Petit. “It applies not only to the initial ideas but also to the compositional process itself. Each new section, each counterpoint, and most of the structural ideas emerge from listening to what is already there and responding to it.” Ghost Rhythms seamlessly create sonic quilts of interweaving riffage and soaring melodies. Their sound straddles genres, wearing inspiration from modern avant-leaning influences like John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet or Bad Plus—both ensembles that feature jazz-associated musicians reaching toward rock, pop, and classical influences—as easily as it does vintage progressive rock groups like National Health, particularly in their propensity toward rhythmic experimentation and flexibility, as well as genre-defying Chamber Rock/ avant progessive ensembles like Lars Hollmer/ Von Zamla, Art Zoyd and Miriodor.   Throughout Missing Times, the UFO concept is strong on pieces like the pulse-driven “Aux Grand Absents” and the title track. The former features a choir of wordless vocals soaring over a multi-meter rhythmic foundation. An accordion solo enters with a lighter, sprightly feel that pulls the listener’s ear in new directions and adds intrigue. On the closing “Missing Times,” things develop much more slowly, Petit’s lonely piano in the foreground a mysterious sonic investigation of absence.   all photographs by Audrey Petauton, montage by Xavier Gelard UFO lore is just a lens for absence and longing—feelings notably explored in a rock context on Pink Floyd’s epic Wish You Were Here.  Opener “Quinta del Sordo,” Gelard explains, was directly inspired by the house where late-18th-century/early-19th-century Spanish artist Francisco Goya painted his “black paintings.” A growing dissonance pervades the piece that, while full of activity, evokes loss. “As Goya grew more and more deaf through his life,” Gelard explains, “he grew more lonely.”   Similarly, “Agatha” is inspired by the 11 days that author Agatha Christie went missing in 1926. The track blends mystery and grandeur via a noir-ish melody and soaring chorus and strings. An ever-shifting set of driving grooves settles in the soulful middle section behind Petit’s plaintive, lyrical solo.     photograph by Audrey Petauton Right in the middle of the album—track 7—is the one lyric-driven tune, “Vie de Betty and Barney Hill.” It’s a rumination on the couple’s famous alleged abduction by UFOs that seems to imagine a collaboration between Robert Wyatt and Syd Barrett with its lonely nylon-string arpeggios and string accompaniment. That might not feel like the most obvious centerpiece for an ensemble-driven instrumental record, yet it serves as cohesion, tying the record perfectly together.   An epic sensibility, characteristic of the best concept-driven albums, pervades Missing Times; it’s in the themes themselves and how they manifest in the songs. Below the surface, within the interplay of the musicians and the ever-evolving rhythmic texture of the compositions is the feeling of the music, the grooves, and how Ghost Rhythms work as a driving, well-oiled unit. Missing Times is modern music that spans and flies beyond genres—the kind of album made by an ensemble with intellectual curiosity and infinite ideas, exemplary compositional and performance skills, ears open to the musical universe, and with the energy and sense of adventure to dive in with abandon. ~ ~ ~   PRE-ORDER / LISTEN to GHOST RHYTHMS' MISSING TIMES on BANDCAMP:     ALBUM CREDITS: Guillaume Aventurin : Guitar // Julien Bigorgne : Flute // Alexis Collin : Accordion //  Nadia Mejri-Chapelle : Cello, vocals //  Xavier Gélard : Drums // Grégory Kosovski : Bass //  Morgan Lowenstein : Congas // Camille Petit : Piano, Rhodes //  Maxime Thiébaut : Alto and Ténor Saxophones // Bertrand Aimar : Violins // Maxime Berton : Soprano Saxophone //  Frédéric Garcia : Choir Director MISSING TIMES: photographs by Audrey Petauton, montage by Xavier Gelard ~ ~ ~ "...gloriously expansive and darkly cinematic... Mysterious and beguiling, this is a highly enjoyable and melodic album of intricate chamber jazz arrangements... While hinting at avant influences, there is nothing at all difficult... A must for any jazz fan, and for any music fan not put off by the word “jazz” and not hidebound by genre restrictions." – The Progressive Aspect return to top   MORE ALBUMS BY GHOST RHYTHMS ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS   "If there is one collective that certainly doesn't lack creativity, it is Ghost Rhythms. ...They are often guided by a theme, a story, a film, or, as is the case here, a "concept"... ..influences are draped in what could pass for a majestic, epic film score..." – Chromatique photo credit: Amaury Cibot CLICK ON ALBUM COVERS TO LISTEN / BUY   SPECTRAL MUSIC "...the band continues its genre-agnostic mission to create some of the most colorful and compelling speechless music on the planet. ...the Ghosts’ virtues...multiple rhythms, stupendous melodies, jazz improvisation, a broad instrumental pallet, ambitious arrangements, and a sense of music as pure expression... [Wyatt] Hopper thought music was itself a conduit for telepathy, and when Ghost Rhythms is at its best, as it is on Spectral Music, you’ll be drawn in so deeply you just might believe he was right." – Michael Toland, The Big Takeover "...it is a band with a wide range of tonal colors... "Parapente/Paraglider" opens the album...reminiscent of Philip Glass. "Thoughtography"...with....Accordion, cello and violin...a nod to traditional French music. ....this music is a winning and eclectic blend of rock, classical, and folk music. 4/5 stars" – Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz "Xavier Gélard’s ensemble drifts between influences, treating the range of music as merely different colors on the same palette. The mix of woodwinds, string, percussion, and keyed instruments falls right in line with that model. It all culminates with a lyrical touch that is wildly expressive and gently nuanced, both." – Dave Sumner, The Best Jazz on Bandcamp: November 2021 *"Spectral Music*...is a deep dive into the various influences that have shaped composers Xavier Gélard and Camille Petit: 1970s jazz fusion, minimalism, progressive rock, chamber rock, world music... a list that feels distinctly Zappa-esque, blending in different proportions across the various tracks. ...the quintessential Ghost Rhythms sound: interlocking repetitive motifs played by every instrument, intricate counterpoint, and atmospheres that feel indefinably strange. ...influences are draped in what could pass for a majestic, epic film score." – Jean-Phillippe Haas, Chromatique LIVE AT YOSHIWARA "Mysterious and beguiling...gloriously expansive and darkly cinematic...a highly enjoyable and melodic album intricate chamber jazz arrangements for...medium sized ensemble...” – Dave Sumner, Bird Is The Worm "4/5 stars ...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. It's impeccably assembled and played, while freely indulging the more insane aspects of progressive rock, avant-garde chamber music, and electric jazz.... Despite the musical sophistication and adventure on Live at Yoshiwara, this music is extremely accessible to a wide swathe of listeners. Its release signals the magnificent arrival of Ghost Rhythms on American shores. Get it now." – Thom Jurek, AllMusic "Le grand ensemble français Ghost Rhythms, emmène l’auditeur dans un voyage à travers des réalités parallèles avec “Live at Yoshiwara” qui paraît chez Cuneiform." – E. Lacaze / A. Dutilh, "Jazz Trotter," Radio France, Jan. 7, 2021 return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED SEPTEMBER 25, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS RAY RUSSELL DANGEROUS BENDS Bio information: RAY RUSSELL Title: DANGEROUS BENDS (Cuneiform Rune 553) Format: CD  / DIGITAL Label: CUNEIFORM RECORDS www.cuneiformrecords.com  FILE UNDER: ELECTRIC JAZZ /  JAZZ ROCK / FUSION   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                                   "I believe in the sonic signature. Gil Evans used to say,             'Everyone has a cry. Without it, only notes come out of the instrument.'"                                                          – Ray Russell   The first thing you’re likely to notice when you hear Ray Russell’s Dangerous Bends is his sound, his extraordinary guitar sound. On guitar, he flies at heights only attempted by David Gilmour’s soaring melodies, navigating musical twists and turns with the nuanced filigree of Jeff Beck and the angular fluidity of Allan Holdsworth. No surprise, though: This is no list of heroes; Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth and David Gilmour are Russell’s coequals, his peers. And while Russell’s name might not have reached the same kind of household status as that trio of legends, his guitar playing has. You’ve heard the teenage Russell’s guitar on vintage James Bond soundtracks, seven films starring Sean Connery and Roger Moore recorded back in the '60s and '70s when Russell was a member of the John Barry Seven. His presence accompanying, producing and/or composing for the silver screen spans his career—you can even hear him on the soundtrack to the modern comedy classic Anchorman. His film and TV projects have received awards from the Royal Television Society, OFTA (Online Film & Television Association), BAFTA (A Touch of Frost),  Oxford International Film Festival (One Note at a Time), ASCAP ("Most Used Music in an American TV Series" for Hard Copy's "New Blood"), British Phonographic Industry (Rock Follies 1976 & 1977), MIP and other professional bodies. But Russell's list of first-call studio and stage credits may still supersede that work. To only briefly touch on his credits feels like an impossible task, with names like Tina Turner (Private Dancer [5 times Platinum!], Let’s Stay Together), Heaven 17 (The Luxury Gap, How Men Are), George Harrison (Hunting of the Snark; Monty Python's Life of Brian & other HandMade Films), Phil Collins (You Can’t Hurry Love, One More Night), Cat Stevens (1967 tour w Jimi Hendrix Experience), Robert Plant (The Honeydrippers), Art Garfunkle (Bright Eyes) and David Bowie (Space Odyssey, Labyrinth) vying for mention. Russell has used his own name to release records that appeal more to his personal forward-leaning tendencies. His albums have captured the rapt attention of taste-making experimental cognoscenti such as Jim O’Rourke, who has famously praised Russell and overseen archival releases. On Dangerous Bends, his newest studio recording, he continues to forge ahead, his ever-evolving Strat sound on full display, making a case that though he’s a player who quite literally has done it all, there’s still more to discover.  Dangerous Bends is Russell’s fourth album as bandleader/ composer/ guitarist on Washington DC's Cuneiform Records, following the studio albums  Fluid Architecture (2020) and Goodbye Svengali (his 2006 tribute to Gil Evans), and Cuneiform's 2021 reissue of Russell's 1972 Secret Asylum. In addition, Cuneiform released two of Russell's collaborative projects: Stacked (2026), a live improv recording by Russell, drummer Eddie Prévost and guitarist Nathan Moore), and Celestial Squid, an avant-improv project he co-led with guitarist Henry Kaiser and a band. Russell also appears on Cuneiform’s archival Nucleus release, Live in Bremen, featuring recordings from 1972.   Russell’s inspiration for Dangerous Bends was to do a quintet record mostly live off the floor, sharing the melodic frontline with saxophonist Tim Whitehead (Nucleus, Loose Tubes). For a rhythm section, he tapped Laurence Cottle (Black Sabbath, Bill Bruford) for the bass slot, Jim Watson (Kurt Elling, Sting) on keys, and drummer Ian Palmer (Randy Brecker, Climax Blues Band) for most of the record, who collectively provide what he calls “a telepathic thing—they know where you’re going when you start.”  That connection between players lends an airy, agile feel to the performances on Dangerous Bends—a feeling of sleekly navigating the dynamic peaks and valleys of Russell’s dimensional compositions. It’s by design that Russell wanted to compose to the live feeling of the band, so he wrote quickly to encapsulate the feel of the ensemble. He brought a lesson learned from his work with Gil Evans along with him. “When Gil made Out of the Cool,” he recalls, “a solo section would come up, and there was always this memory of the composition. When you played your solo, it was always to deal with that tune. And it’s not confining because you can break out of it. I tried to do it that way.” That fluidity can be heard as Russell and Watson—on electric piano and ARP Odyssey here—take turns with guest Johnny Thirkell (Level 42, Jamiroquai) on trumpet and flugelhorn to blur the lines between composed and improvised forms on the simmering “From Here to Dexterity.”  Melody lives at the forefront of the ballad “Airscapes.” Russell’s mournful, reverb-drenched dyads evoke the late guitar legend Steve Cropper, as if the intro to Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man” was slowed to glacial speed to serve as a central theme for meditation. “I knew him just a little bit from the old days of playing R&B with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames. I watched a rerun of the Blues Brothers and got thinking about him.”  Drummer Simon Phillips—known for his own extensive list of credits that put him aside members of rock royalty including Toto, the Who, and Joe Satriani to keep it to a true few—is one of Russell’s longest running co-conspirators. He and Russell keep their collaboration fresh with a pair of tracks on Dangerous Bends. Together, the pair composed the moody, shifting opening track “Just For Clicks,” with Phillips appearing in the drum chair. The drummer’s hard-hitting groove proves a perfect foil for Russell’s sinewy, plasma-like melodic solo that, while it stays “inside” the harmonic framework of the tunes, offers a good example of why all the experimental guitar heads cling to Russell’s work.  They also co-wrote the title track, which finds George Baldwin subbing in on bass. Atop a highly motivated, hard-rocking jammer is a winding melody of big intervals. As it gives way to angular chord breakdowns and vast synth-scapes, Russell’s guitar issues scorched interjections that show off his command not only of technique, but of mountain-moving sound. As a final touch for the album, Russell brought in a producer – Greg Walsh, with whom he'd worked with while playing on Tina Turner's Let's Stay Together. Dangerous Bends isn’t just a welcomed new entry into a vast discography from a preeminent 6-stringer, it’s proof that Russell continues to develop as a player and adapt his sound to fit a few years ahead of our contemporary times. His well-oiled band not only supports, but helps lift him above the clouds. "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 ~ ~ ~   BUY / LISTEN to RAY RUSSELL'S DANGEROUS BENDS on BANDCAMP: BUY CD / digital or LISTEN on Bandcamp                                     BUY HD 24/28 or listen on Bandcamp ~ ~ ~ ALBUM CREDITS for DANGEROUS BENDS:   "Just for Clicks" Composed by Simon Phillips & Ray Russell // Simon Phillips - drums // Ray Russell - guitar // Tim Whitehead - soprano sax  // George Baldwin - bass // Jim Watson - acoustic piano "From Here to Dexterity"  Composed by Ray Russell // Ian Palmer - drums // Ray Russell - guitar // Laurence Cottle - bass // Johnny Thirkell - trumpet & flugelhorn // Tim Whitehead - soprano sax  // Jim Watson - keys & ARP Odyssey  "We Are Here" Composed by Ray Russell // Ian Palmer - drums // Ray Russell - guitar & Prophet-5 pad // Laurence Cottle - bass // Tim Whitehead - soprano sax // Jim Watson - keys  "Airscapes"  Composed by Ray Russell // Ian Palmer - drums // Ray Russell - guitar & Prophet-5 pad // Laurence Cottle - bass // Jim Watson - keys  "Why Wait to Be Invited" Composed by Ray Russell // Ian Palmer - drums // Ray Russell - guitar // Laurence Cottle - bass // Jim Watson - keys // Tim Whitehead - tenor sax // Charlie Baldwin - Buchla Easel  "Dangerous Bends" Composed by Simon Phillips & Ray Russell // Simon Phillips - drums & synths // Ray Russell - electric guitar, acoustic guitar & keys // George Baldwin - bass  // Tim Whitehead - soprano sax  "Walking With Giants" Composed by Ray Russell // Ralph Salmins - drums // Ray Russell - guitar & bass synth // Rupert Cobb - trumpet & granular disturbances // V.O.A. - jazzrap  "So Be It" Composed by Ray Russell // Ray Russell - solo acoustic guitar  Album produced by Greg Walsh.  return to top PRESENTATION VIDEO for RAY RUSSELL'S DANGEROUS BENDS Ray Russell discusses the making of - and shares clips of music from - Dangerous Bends, his new studio album on Cuneiform Records return to top VIDEO: Ray Russell Band performs "Just for Clicks" from his new album Dangerous Bends return to top ADDITIONAL RAY RUSSELL RELEASES ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS CLICK ON ALBUM COVERS TO LISTEN OR BUY   FLUID ARCHITECTURE Ray Russell : guitars - with: Eric Baldwin: found sounds, sequential creativity (1) // George Baldwin: bass, Chapman Stick (2/5/8) // Chris Biscoe: tenor clarinet & soprano saxophone (2/8/9) // Mo Foster: bass (9) // Nic France: drums (5) // Simon Phillips: drums (2/4/8) // Ralph Salmins: drums (9) // Jim Watson: keyboards (2/5/8) "4/5 stars ...All of these tunes show off Russell's virtuosity; he is a bonafide British guitar hero. ...Fluid Architecture is Russell's description of the process of musical performance: "The musicians that helped interpret the many 'moments' and helped the music 'become' are as important as the composition ... for what they play is fluid architecture." A lovely description of the creation of a remarkable album." – Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz "4/5 stars ...his new album is a force to be reckoned with. The sheer diversity of music...shows that this man has years of experience, and is not afraid to experiment. ...Fluid Architecture is an album dripping in beautiful moments. It puts Ray Russell's creativity and versatility up for everyone to see...this man has it all." – Maciej Slowik, Sea of Tranquility Seventy-four-year-old guitarist Ray Russell recently earned a PhD the hard way from Leeds Beckett University. ...Russell’s thesis was entitled Fluid Architecture. That also is the title of his current album. “It’s from [German poet] Goethe, who said ‘If architecture is frozen music, then music is fluid architecture.’ I thought that was a great title.” – "Ray Russell: Mixing It Up," interview by Trevor Hodgett, Jazz Journal     GOODBYE SVENGALI Robin Aspland - Fender Rhodes piano & Hammond B3 organ[1/8] // Amy Baldwin - double bass[1/3/8] // Gil Evans - keyboards[4] // Miles Evans - trumpet[3] // Mo Foster - bass guitar[6] // Gary Husband - drums & keyboards [3/6/9] // Tony Hymas - keyboards 10] // Anthony Jackson - double bass[10] // Phil Peskett - keyboard [2] // Simon Phillips - drums[10] // Ray Russell - electric & acoustic guitars[all tracks] // Ralph Salmins - drums[1/8]   "On the strength of this CD, it's a mystery why Ray Russell has been so severely under-recorded throughout his career. ...he has made only a handful of recordings under his name since 1973, although he has always been in huge demand (for obvious reasons) as a session player... This recording was put together as homage to Evans ("Svengali" is a nickname..a 1972 Evans recording...an anagram...). Gil Evans' son Miles Evans  (named...after Miles Davis) even plays some blistering trumpet on the title track, sounding almost like he's channeling Davis. Overall, the 11 pieces on this CD...are firmly in the jazz-funk/fusion tradition, with obvious nods to the great electric Miles Davis bands. Several gorgeous ballads are perhaps more reminiscent of Pat Metheny's oeuvre... One very touching, personal piece, Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," has Russell improvising over a solo Fender Rhodes piano track recorded by [Gil] Evans in 1983, which Russell found recently while digging through his tape archives. ....Russell's technical and creative facility is nothing short of jaw-dropping throughout. ...Truly an excellent recording. But please, somebody get Russell in the studio again (and again) so that he can share more of his singular talents with the world. 4.5/5 STARS" – William Tilland, AllMusic "From rock to free jazz, fusion and pop, the guitarist has done it all. His newest effort, Goodbye Svengali, a tribute to a like-minded spirit (Gil Evans ...Russell is in rare form throughout. ... Goodbye Svengali does what the best tribute records do. In invoking not only the music but also the soul of an admired musician, it brings out the best in the artist paying tribute. And Russell here is energetic, thoughtful, and most of all, eclectic. 4/5 STARS" – David Miller, All About Jazz    SECRET ASYLUM Harry Beckett – trumpet & flugel horn // Darryl Runswick – bass // Alan Rushton – drums // Ray Russell – electric & acoustic guitars, and piano // Gary Windo – tenor sax & flute "This reissue of his classic [1973] album shows...his work in...Free Jazz and is a wonderful example of the genre, similar to the work done earlier by John McLaughlin with John Surman on “Where Fortune Smiles”. Accompanied by a splendid group of musicians ...Russell presents a series of his compositions, which vary from contemplative pieces to group improvisation mayhem, all performed splendidly. ...The album achieved little attention at the time of its release, but ...years after it was recorded, it can be really appreciated in full and in the proper historic perspective. Definitely worth checking out! 4/5 STARS" – RateYourMusic "Great work from...British guitarist Ray Russell...one that stands right up there with his best albums of the time! The style here is quite free at times - Russell's guitar working in a quintet...all stretching out with energy that's similar to some of the freest moments in the Paris scene a few years before, inflected with some sharper, sometimes louder, edges from Russell's guitar..." –  DustyGroove   "Russell...demonstrates why younger generations of experimental musicians have rediscovered his early solo work. His sound retains a rare ability to combine lyricism with unpredictability, elegance with abrasion.” – Chain D.L.K. ________________________ "All of the current noise freaks -- Keiji Haino, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, Rudolph Grey, Masaki Batoh, Alan Licht...and even Jim O'Rourke -- owe a great debt to Russell and this band; they showed beyond all doubt that a perfect "fusion" of free jazz and hard rock was the most natural thing in the world." – AllMusic on Russell's 1971 release NATHAN MOORE / EDDIE PRÉVOST / RAY RUSSELL STACKED Ray Russell : electric guitar Eddie Prévost : drums  Nathan Moore : electric guitar "4.5/5 STARS  ...Stacked... is a recording that feels both deeply rooted and refreshingly unconcerned with tradition. .... What makes the performance compelling is the absence of hierarchy. Despite the legendary status of the older musicians, there is no sense of deference. Ideas circulate freely. ...This is adventurous music, certainly, but also deeply humane music. Beneath the abstractions lies a simple principle: three musicians entering a room with no predetermined map and enough trust to get lost together. ...The music breathes because nobody is trying to control it. And, as it turns out, that remains one of the oldest and most reliable forms of magic." – Vito Camarretta, Chain DLK   HENRY KAISER & RAY RUSSELL CELESTIAL SQUID guitars: Henry Kaiser, Ray Russell // saxophones: Steve Adams, Joshua Allen, Phillip Greenlief, Aram Shelton //  electric bass: Michael Manring // acoustic bass: Damon Smith // drums: Weasel Walter, William Winant "...The Celestial Squid is so special... Here are two of the greats....no, the greatest." – Jim O'Rourke "Russell is in particularly fine form, harking back to the McLaughlin-esque shapes he was making in 1971 on Rites & Rituals. Kaiser is equally inventive as he lets loose from his guitar electrified psychedelic mantras coupled with Derek Bailey styled meditations that merge with Russell's more jazz oriented bluster and roar. ...this sounds like a lot of fun was had by all involved – and hearing Ray Russell play like a demon again is certainly worth the price of admission alone. 3/4 stars" – Edwin Pouncey, Jazzwise "The Celestial Squid is an unprecedented summit meeting between two renowned guitarists: legendary British session ace Ray Russell and idiosyncratic Bay Area experimentalist Henry Kaiser. ... Kaiser and Russell elicit some of the most inventively conversational guitar playing of recent vintage.... Rivaling Kaiser's prior collaborations with fellow guitarists, The Celestial Squid ranks among his finest releases, and even more importantly, stands tall as a bold career milestone for Russell. 4/5 stars" – Troy Collins, All About Jazz   NUCLEUS LIVE IN BREMEN 1971 Roy Babbington -bass // Ian Carr - trumpet // Karl Jenkins -piano & oboe // // John Marshall -drums // Ray Russell -guitar // Brian Smith -tenor & soprano sax, flute & percussion  "Now this is something special! Cuneiform has just hit the jackpot with this 2CD set of a previously unreleased concert from Bremen, Germany in 1971 by seminal British fusion band Nucleus. ...Ian Carr and the boys were in fine form on this date and delivered a devastating mix of fiery jazz rock.... This is an astounding release, and a must have for every fan of 70's fusion. The sound quality is very good, and the performances are excellent. Cuneiform did a great job on the booklet, with a full essay from Aymeric Leroy explaining the history and significance behind these long lost recordings. Highly recommended! 5/5 STARS." – Pete Pardo, Sea of Tranquility "The wild card is Ray Russell. ...how well he fits with the group for this, his one tour, and how comfortable he is taking a starring role on jazz-, blues- and prog-influenced tunes. His contributions, coupled with the long modal trumpet work of Carr, floats Nucleus to the level of many of their higher-profile American counterparts." –A. Henkin, All About Jazz return to top VIDEO: Ray Russell's band performs "Why Wait to Be Invited" from his new album Dangerous Bends return to top VIDEO: Ray Russell's band performs "From Here to Dexterity" from his new album Dangerous Bends return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED 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    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   BUY / 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 BUY CD or Digital                                                          BUY 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 SNEAK PEEKS WITH SOUNDS: COMING OUT NOVEMBER 13, 2026 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER SHADOW WEB Swiss group SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER  (Manuel Troller - guitar, Andi Schnellmann - bass, David Meier - drums)  celebrate 20 years as a globally-acclaimed, near-telepathic trio performing music that astounds and delights by releasing their 6th album, SHADOW WEB, as a new double LP/CD on CUNEIFORM RECORDS    listen to/ share "Epoxide" on Soundcloud, from Schnellertollermeier's Shadow Web   ALBUM CREDITS: Andi Schnellmann - bass Manuel Troller - guitars & drum programming David Meier - drums & percussion Double Vinyl LP in Gatefold Jacket PRE-ORDER / LISTEN on BANDCAMP:   Double vinyl LP or a CD + digital album + streaming                                 Digital  Album [HD 24/96] return to top SNEAK PEEKS OF DISTANT TREASURES   COMING OUT IN 2027, 2028 & 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] ~~~~~~ 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 – HACK THE PIANO (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] ~~~~~~ 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. 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 2026, they will perform 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. The group's 2nd album on Cuneiform Records, 150 Swirl, was released August 28 2026:   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.   November 20 - Arts and Literature Lab - 111 S Livingston St #100 - Madison, WI 53703   Listen to & buy:   150 Swirl                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   December 12 - Stages Music Arts - Cockeysville, MD   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.   ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––       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 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 December 12 - Stages Music Arts - Cockeysville, MD   2027 January 15 - Winter JazzFest - New York, NY 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 ROB MAZUREK / EXPLODING STAR ORCHESTRA Rob Mazurek is a highly-acclaimed composer, cornetist and visual artist whose work - music and artworks - have been performed and/or exhibited at festivals, galleries and museums worldwide. His numerous musical ensembles range in size from Chicago Underground Duo to his large-ensemble Exploding Star Orchestra. Mazurek's visual works include painting, sculpture, and mixed-media sound installations. "Mazurek stitches together an [Exploding Star Orchestra] album of big, unanswerable questions and gorgeously orchestrated music, setting aside distinctions between genres, musicians, and points in time and space without losing sight of how each of these components is necessary to the whole." – Pitchfork "4/4 stars ...fantastical extraterrestrial terrain. Outer space has always been the place for more adventurous jazz adventurers..." –Jazzwise ROB MAZUREK / EXPLODING STAR ORCHESTRA October 16 - Vilnius Lithuania October 17 - Vilnius Lithuania   Listen to & buy:   Rob Mazurek / Exploding Star Orchestra Galactic Parables: Volume 1   Chicago / London Underground Walking Through Mirrors Rob Mazurek and Black Cube SP Return the Tides: Ascension Suite and Holy Ghost Rob Mazurek Octet Skull Sessions São Paulo Underground Beija Flors Velho E Sujo   Tres Cabeças Loucuras 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)'   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]   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. ~~~~ 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  December 12 - Stages Music Arts - Cockeysville, MD Anthony Pirog with THE MESSTHETICS featuring JAMES BRANDON LEWIS October 24 - FLYFA - Athens, Greece October 25 - Le Grand Mix - Coing, France October 26 - Den Amer CC Diest - Diet, Belgium October 27 - New Morning - Paris, France October 28 - AJMI Jazz Club - Avignon, France October 29 - Le Scarron - Le Mans, France October 30 - Le Petit Faucheux - Association Loi 1901 - Tours, France October 31 - Metropolink's - Heidelberg, Germany November 2 - tba November 3 - Monk - Gdansk, Poland November 4 - tba - Bergan, Norway November 6 - Marula Cafe - Barcelona, Spain November 7 - Santeria Toscana 31 - Milano, Italy November 8 - tba November 10 - Vintage Industrial - Zagreb, Croatia November 11 - Jazzclub Tonne - Dresden, Germany November 12 - Jazzclub Unterfahrt - München, Germany November 13 - Porgy & Bess - Wien, Austria November 14 - Altes Hallenbad Gallneukirchen Kulturpool - Gallneukirchen, Austria November 15 - Auditorium Conad - Forli, Italy 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 October 22 - Sydney International Women's Festival - Sydney Australia October 23 - Melbourne Jazz Festival - Melbourne, Australia October 24 - Melbourne Jazz Festival - Melbourne, Australia October 31 - Berlin Jazz Festival - Berlin, Germany December 12 - The Bug  Theatre - 3654 Navajo St, Denver -  CO 80211 2027 January 19 - tba January 20 - tba January 21 - tba January 22 - tba - Rotterdam, The Netherlands January 23 - tba - Geneva, Switzerland January 24 - tba - Bern, Switzerland 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, his new 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       Nathan Moore / Eddie Prévost / Ray Russell Stacked 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 SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER Brutal-jazz psych-minimalist power trio Schnellertollermeier doesn't compromise. Their fresh and uncompromising mix of jazz, punk, rock, sound and free improvised music, combined with great musicianship, telepathic interplay and intense energy, has awed audiences at festivals of jazz, rock, pop and experimental music worldwide. The trio tours China, Japan and Switzerland in fall and winter 2026-27, celebrating its 2nd decade. And on Nov. 13, 2026, it releases a new double-vinyl LP on Cuneiform, Missing Times.   "Bassist Andi Schnellmann, guitarist Manuel Toller and drummer David Meier are a three-man jazz wrecking crew, smashing up perceptions of what the genre is with Picasso-like effrontery and panache. Though perhaps more minimalist than cubist, their music is..utterly different to anything out there..This is not your parents’ jazz. ...It’s not safe, but it’s damned thrilling!" – London JazzNews October 3 - MPS Studio - Richthofenstraße 1 - Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany October 23 - Ferme Asile - Prom des Pecheurs 10 - Scion, Switzerland October 28 - Kaserne - Klybeckstr. 1b - Basel, Switzerland October 29 - AMERON Luzern Hotel Flora - Seidenhofstrasse 5 - Luzern, Switzerland November 7 - Cuadro 22 - Ringstrasse 22 - Chur, Switzerland November 10 - Jiangjinjiu·OMNI SPACE, Guangzhou, China November 11 - HOU LIVE (Xiasha), Shenzhen, China November 13 - LiveShop Uni - UNI Hangzhou, China November 14 - Singer Space - Shanghai, China November 15 - DDC Livehouse, Beijing, China November 17 - Metro - Kyoto, Japan November 18 - Rooms - Fukuoka, Japan November 19 - 100Ban Hall - Kobe, Japan November 21 - SuperNaturalDeluxe - Kamogawa, Chiba, Japan November 23 - Tokuzo - Nagoya, Japan December 10 - Helsinki Club - Geroldstrasse 35 - Zürich, Switzerland                      2027 January 10 - Verein Amboss & Steigbugel - St Georgen-Str. 3 - Sankt Gallen - Switzerland January 16 - Bad Bonn - Bonn 2 - Dudingen, Switzerland February 19 - Cinema Sil Plaz - Via Centrala 2 - Ilanz, Switzerland April 16 - Ton sur Ton - Forum Inclusion - Rue Numa-Droz 174 - La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland     Listen to & buy: 5                                     Rights             X ""The Best Music of 2015: A Banner Year for the Bold: …here are a dozen albums... that I savored repeatedly for their musicality, clarity of statement and courage. …“X” by Schnellertollermeier marries brutality to avant-garde rock and jazz. A classic power trio from Switzerland, the band plays with punk fury and dazzling technical dexterity to create booming, bone-rattling music that stalks, confronts and astonishes."             – The Wall Street Journal SWRM SWRM, the duo of Providence singer/ songwriter/ bandleader Alec  K. Redfearn (analog synthesizers, vocals) and Matt McLaren (drums), celebrate SWRM's debut album Lights Out, coming out July 2025 on Cuneiform Records, the longtime label of the band Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores.     October 31 - Myrtle - East Providence, RI [Halloween with SWRM! Scary!] Listen to & buy: SWRM LiGHTS OUT   "4/5 STARS. SWRM’s "Lights Out" arrives like a blackout with an agenda: not merely to plunge you into shadow, but to show you what strange machinery hums there when the lights go. ...Musically the album moves between propulsive krautish grooves and shadowy minimal wave, with occasional forays into psych-haze and drone. ...a satisfying plunge into nightlight territory." – Vito Camaretta, Chain DLK 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 & BEYOND 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