UK-based Leo Records releases a handful of new and provocative albums sure to inspire free thinking.
The quartet of Walter Faehndrich/vi-voc, Christy Doran/eg, Remo Schnyder/sax and Samuel Wettstein/synth 
meet together for 13 intuitive originals. There are no song titles, only numbers, as buzzing reeds swirl like bees on “1”, “8” and “11”, drums scramble and sounds like furniture being moved along the floor on “6” and a sonic back scratching on “3.” Bowed strings and things 
that go bump in the night take place on “2” and “4.” Sound effects album using instruments?
Orkestra Eustoria consists of Peter Sparacino/ts-ss, David Binney/synth, pagiotis Andreau/b, Isamu McGrgor/key, Aki Ishiguro/g, Engin Gunaydin/dr and Sarpay Ozcaatay/fl for an 11 song excursion. The saxes wheeze on “Intro” leading to a funky title trach before some Klezmer funk takes place on “The Hustle. Soulful keyboards frame out “Le Bumpier” and vamp like Elvirea on “ Blinker Sync.” A trip aboard the Enterprise?
The piano/drum team of Eli Wallace and Rob Pumpelly respectively make up Dialectical Imagination. For this latest release, four free formed compositions are produced. Dark piano musings and sleigh bells build up with dramatic drums on “Immutable Light,” reflective pianistic impressions prance on “Vanished” and for12 minutes drums and ivories crash and collide on “Rungs.” The closing “Infusion” slowly builds up tension with piano and high hat to a rousing climax. Bump and run!
NEUMA consists of organist Vladimir Homyakov and Slava Ganelin, who plays (deep breath) piano, synthesizers, Kor MicroStation, Korg Montron and percussion for two songs that clock in at over 35 minutes each. The two improvised marathons hold up pretty well, with dramatic skyscapes building and receding on “Part One,” and electric noodles veering in and out of piano and organic jabs on “Part Two.” The two do well with conversing with one another and don’t try to out muscle the other, creating impressionistic paintings with pedals and fingers.
Comprised of Guy Bettini/ct-tp-fh, Fabio Martini/cl-as, Luca Sisera/b and Gerry Hemingway/dr/voc create a pastoral chamber mood through these eight sensitive pieces. Muted horn and fluffy reads take place on “Prologos” and “Stasimon A” with gentle bass lines teaming with clarinet on “Epeisodia.” Bosed bass and rustling rhythms take place on “Epeisodia1” and the closing title track has sucking reeds, puffy mouth work and sharp angles to close out the celestial journey.
The quartet of Akira Sakata-as-cl-voc-perc, Simon Nabatov/p, Takashi Seo/b and Darren Moore/dr-perc get free and frisky on these six intuitive originals. Yelling and tribal percussion takes up “Ritual” with searing alto teaming with trudging rhythm on “Retreat” while the drums and piano scramble like cockroaches on the acerbic “Surbe.” Most accessible is the bopping “Abscond” and the bluesy “Uncoil” which features some piercing piano by Nabatov. Ideas bouncing off the walls, with some sticking like al dente pasta.