jim baker is an improviser based in chicago who focuses on the keyboard arts – pianos, keyboards, synthesizers. since the 80′s baker has played in numerous groups in chicago’s free improv scene. he has performed throughout the united states and europe and plays almost weekly with the group, extraordinary popular delusions. his activities as a writer / composer have been ongoing during the past twenty years, and some of his compositions have been recorded by steam and broken wire.

along with classical training in cello and piano, sarah ritch also played guitar and bass in several punk and metal bands between 1996 and 2003 in las vegas, nv. existing in two aesthetic worlds, sarah’s work ranges from improvisational noise to tonal notated music. she has been the composer-in-residence for chicago classical ensembles the millennium chamber players and anaphora, and regularly performs solo and with her free improv band, sound collision alliance.

this album documents the first meeting of these two chicago improvisers that went down on january 15th of 2013 at the surplus of options in chicago. sarah played electric guitar and cello and jim played electronic keyboards. the sound is: modem scratch. mechanical wood. tone bits. crushed fragments. surprise skree. atlantis shred.

renée baker’s chicago modern orchestra project is revamping the traditional concert going experience by programming an eclectic genre mix, crossing grooves and roads where least expected. they look to build bridges between audience members of different backgrounds. part of their organizational mission is to adjust and transcend global viewpoints through ethnic human experimentation. to this end they seek out unusual and completely innovative scores from every genre of music – focusing on living composers.

nappy hair’s best friend, their first album for pan y rosas, is a document of a performance in lakeside, michigan in september of 2012. the album captures the performances of two pieces of conduction/comprovisations by aacm member renée baker.

máquina solar is a duo consisting of amanda irarrázabal (b. santiago, chile) on double bass and vocals and wenchi lazo (b. buenos aires, argentina) on guitars and vocals. they have been playing on and off for two years recording their first album de escamas in january of 2013. the music they play is based on free improvisations of concise and varied time lengths resulting in sounds that resemble, at times, short compositions.
their first album, de escamas, is a collection of twenty brief improvisations that were improvised and recorded in santiago, chile in january of 2013. short. noisy. dramatic. scratchy. singy.

shapes and monsters is an international collaborative improvisation project with two members in barcelona and two members in chicago. diego caicedo and gabriel millan play in snorkel quintet and etermortifera among others. reid karris is a solo improviser and member of step slow. keith helt is a member of catholic witches.

their first album, chkm, was improvised recorded between november 2011 and february 2013. tracks were sent back and forth. limited takes were allowed in order to maintain an improvised feeling/aesthetic.

based in buenos aires, pianist nicolás chientaroli is an active member of the city’s jazz scene where, in addition to his trio, he leads the group, la gran cena; and co-leads the groups los improvisadores gráficos and las formas avanzan. he has also performed with the groups andrés elstein trío, caravana colemanica, proyecto orgánico rave, trío dumpty, francisco salgado cuarteto, and la hormiga.

ViajeraMente is the third album from the trio and the first on pan y rosas. for this album the lineup features chientaroli on piano, carlos álvarez on bass and sebastián groshaus on drums. the album contains a mix of compositions by chientaroli, group improvisations and a cover of dizzy gillespie’s be-bop.

“I use the same modus operandi for most of my albums (except the ones that are composed): I lay some free improvised moods (usually on rhythm instruments) that serve as the frame or background for the rest of the piece… I call this process ¨real time compositions¨ as I never have any ideas or plans before the actual recording starts… When I feel that the group or orchestral feelings reflect the mood I stop adding new layers or instruments… On my solo guitar or piano sets & albums I do the same, just once… Sometimes I decide that format for the instrument group that is going to appear on the album (a piano trio, a guitar trio= piano/guitar, bass & percussion), do so that all the pieces are going to feature those elements as in real group or just limit myself to focus on one of my main instruments… Little games that add to the music a little more mystery… or (as in this album) I use any combination randomly…” – Claudio Nuñez

Electric guitar, fretlles bass, percussion & voice by Claudio Nuñez.

Recorded in January 26 & 27 2013 in Caballito, Buenos Aires.

01 – electric dream blues
02 – eternal sorrow dance
03 – he closed his eyes…
04 – end of a story

volcano radar is a fusion of ecstatic improvisational energy and apollonian intellect. a power quartet with dual free jazz/noise/avant guitarists elbio barilari and julia a. miller, legendary bassist harrison bankhead and incendiary drummer avreeayl ra, volcano radar moves fluently through a stylistic range from noise-funk improvisation to structured sonic forms.

their debut album, refutation of time, consists of an improvised set that was recorded at experimental sound studio in chicago on february 26, 2013.

– See more at: http://www.panyrosasdiscos.net/2013/03/pan-y-rosas-discos-release-refutation-of-time-by-volcano-radar/#sthash.OUt5uAz5.dpuf

claudio nuñez was born in buenos aires in 1959. he studied classical guitar during the 1970s and composition with hilda dianda. he received a choral conductor degree in 1980. he’s participated in several projects in los angeles and new york – storacci sextet, carlos miralles group, bhrama nada, the charlie martins quartet. he has also performed with sam hendrix, john riley, larry granadier, matt wilson, charles gayle, william parker, george fernandez, etc.

his music covers space modern jazz, free jazz, avant garde classical, indian classical music and new tango. he has long been a proponent of netlabels and free music

his first album for pan y rosas, ninguna libertad/baladas, is a double album that features free improv piano meditations with wordless vocal action underneath.