Astral Spirits Records is an independent record label specializing in free jazz, improvisation, and experimental music.[1][2] Based in Austin, Texas, the label was founded in 2014 by musician Nathan Cross, who started Astral Spirits as a platform for "the new wave of heavy free jazz"; as the breadth of the label's offerings expanded, imprint Astral Editions became the home for its more experimental releases.[3]
| Astral Spirits Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Nathan Cross |
| Genre | |
| Location | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Official website | astralspiritsrecords |
Astral Spirits has been featured in Bandcamp Daily,[1] All About Jazz,[2] the Chicago Reader,[4] DownBeat,[5] and the Free Jazz Collective;[3][6] Rolling Stone has called the label "crucial"[7] and "enormously prolific";[8] and in 2019, Tiny Mix Tapes included Astral Spirits among their favorite labels of the decade.[9]
History
editIn the early 2010s, Cross began to consider starting a record label or a live-recorded series as a way to stay involved in music without touring extensively.[10] He spoke with Morgan Coy of Monofonus Press while in the early planning stages, and Coy encouraged him to start a label under the Monofonus umbrella.[10] Cross named the label after a recurring song title in Joe McPhee's work: the first "Astral Spirits" track appeared on McPhee's Trinity, recorded in 1971, and he continued to use the name on later releases (e.g., Oleo and In the Spirit).[2]
Astral Spirits began as a cassette-based label, but later expanded to include vinyl and CDs.[4] All albums are also available as digital releases, but the catalogue is not available through low-revenue streaming services such as Spotify.[2]
Since the label's inception, Cross has handled most logistics––aside from artwork and layout––himself, including curation, press, and shipping.[2]
Astral Editions
editCross launched Astral Editions in 2019, initially intending to make it a digital-only offshoot.[10] The imprint began carrying physical products in 2020, distinguishing itself instead by a greater emphasis on experimentalism outside of the jazz continuum.[10] The Astral Editions Bandcamp carries the tagline, "a primer on some of the best unheard experimental music being made today by names you don't know yet, but should".[11]
Art and design
editThe Astral Spirits logo was designed by Mason McFee, who also chose the label's signature Cooper Black font; for the first two years, McFee created all tape and LP artwork.[10][12] Jaime Zuverza later took over design, eventually developing a template for the label's distinctive visual aesthetic; he listens to, and creates artwork specifically for, the majority of Astral Spirits releases.[1][2]
Roster
edit- [Ahmed]
- Akiyama / Field / Vidic
- Alcorn / McPhee / Vandermark
- Ali / Bordreuil / Mattrey
- Rodrigo Amado / Chris Corsano
- Anahuac
- Lotte Anker / Fred Lonberg-Holm & Dave Jackson / Dirk Serries
- Artifacts: Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Mike Reed (musician)
- Astral Ascending
- Ballister
- Charles Barabé
- Barker Trio
- Ben Bennett
- Berman / Lytton / Roebke
- Billington / Shippy / Wyche
- Birchall / Smal / Webster
- Jeb Bishop
- Black Spirituals
- Bloor
- Cyril Bondi & d'incise
- Bouchons d'Orielles / Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra
- Boxhead Ensemble
- Broken Trap Ensemble
- Peter Brötzmann & Fred Lonberg-Holm
- Caldwell / Tester
- Caloia / Charuest / Fousek
- Cameron / Carter / Håker Flaten
- Lisa Cameron & Sandy Ewen
- CARL
- Daniel Carter & Andrew Barker
- Chatoyant
- Chicago Underground Quartet
- Jack Cooper & Jeff Tobias
- Crazy Bread
- Crazy Doberman
- Alex Cunningham & claire rousay
- Jeremiah Cymerman & Charlie Looker
- Signe Dahlgreen
- John Dikeman
- Dikeman / Gonzalez / Håker Flaten / Horne
- Arrington de Dionyso & Ted Byrnes
- de Dionyso / Meek / Rico
- R. Lee Dockery & Smokey Emery
- Tashi Dorji & Tyler Damon
- East of the Valley Blues
- EAVE
- Harris Eisendstadt
- Emmeluth / Knedal Andersen / Skavhaug Nergaard
- Karl Evangelista with Alexander Hawkins, Louis Moholo-Moholo, and Trevor Watts
- Sandy Ewen & Lisa Cameron
- Alvin Fielder Quartet
- Colin Fisher Quartet
- Michael Foster & Ben Bennett
- Fraser / Davis / Malaby (with Laubrock & Allemano)
- Rob Frye
- The Gate
- GOATFACE
- Gordon Grdina & Jim Black
- Greene / Smith / Moses
- Mats Gustafsson & Joachim Nordwall
- Will Guthrie
- Gerrit Hatcher
- Hearts & Minds
- Sarah Hennies
- HMS
- William Hooker Trio
- Hupata!
- Icepick
- In the Sea
- Tony Irving & Massimo Magee
- Jackson / Baker / Kirshner
- Jerman • Barnes
- Johansson / Grip / Fite
- Amirtha Kidambi & Lea Bertucci
- Kid Millions & Jim Sauter
- Quin Kirchner
- Komeshi Trio
- Konstrukt with Graham Massey & David McLean
- Muyassar Kurdi & Nicholas Jozwiak
- Kuzu
- KVL
- Dustin Laurenzi
- Dustin Laurenzi's Snaketime
- Stefano Leonardi & Antonio Bertoni
- Brandon Lopez
- Matthew Lux's Communication Arts Quartet
- Mike Majkowski
- Rob Mazurek
- Mazzarella / Haker Flaten / Ra
- Nick Mazzarella Trio
- John McCowen
- Joe McPhee
- Roscoe Mitchell & Mike Reed
- Mockunas / Mazurkiewicz / Berre
- Monas
- Thurston Moore & Umut Caglar
- More Eaze / A.F. Jones & Steve Flato
- Nakatani / Kawabata / Chou
- Aurora Nealand / Steve Marquette / Anton Hatwich / Paul Thibodeaux
- Aaron Novik
- Obnox
- Parish / Rowden / Nakatani
- Jessica Pavone
- Phicus
- Rankin-Parker / Pearce
- RED Trio
- Rempis / Piet / Daisy
- claire rousay
- Charlie Rumback
- Charles Rumback with Jim Baker & John Tate
- Charles Rumback Quartet
- Chris Schlarb & Chad Taylor
- Seabrook / Cooper-Moore / Cleaver
- Brandon Seabrook String Trio
- Mako Sica feat: Tatsu Aoki, Thymme Jones & Jacob Fawcett
- Mako Sica & Hamid Drake
- Sfyria Trio
- Aram Shelton & Christian Rønn
- Shiroishi / Golia / Fujioka / Cline
- Shit & Shine
- Paula Shocron / William Parker / Pablo Díaz
- Wally Shoup Sax Trio + 1
- Andrew Smiley
- Wadada Leo Smith / Douglas R. Ewart / Mike Reed
- Sound American
- Spires that In The Sunset Rise
- SSBT
- Luke Stewart
- Luke Stewart Exposure Quintet
- Macie Stewart & Lia Kohl
- Tim Stine Trio
- Strictly Missionary
- Survival Unit III
- Taco Bells with Pekka Airaksinen
- Talibam! with Alan Wilkinson
- La Tene
- Tereshkova
- Thomas / Butcher / Solberg
- Tredici Bacci / ENPSE
- Vasco Trillia & Ilia Belorukov
- Lina Tullgren / Alec Toku Whiting
- Vernacular
- W-2
- Pierce Warnecke / Louis Laurain
- Jacob Wick & Phil Sudderberg
- Chris Williams & Patrick Shiroishi
- Mars Williams
- Otomo Yoshihide & Chris Pitsiokos
References
edit- ^ a b c Williger, Jonathan (12 March 2020). "Austin Label Astral Spirits Leads New Wave of Heavy Free Jazz". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Baekgaard, Jakob (4 November 2019). "Astral Spirits: Lifting The Spirit Of Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ a b Epstein, Lee Rice (14 November 2019). "Astral Ascending - Astral Spirits at Five Years". The Free Jazz Collective. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ a b Meyer, Bill (19 September 2017). "Texas label Astral Spirits weds the cassette resurgence to the 'new wave of heavy free jazz'". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ Meyer, Bill (22 August 2016). "Free-Improv Players Soar During Astral Spirits Showcase". DownBeat. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ Prosk, Keith (11 November 2019). "The Impact of Astral Spirits Locally". Free Jazz Collective. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "70 Most Anticipated Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ Shteamer, Hank (11 December 2019). "The Many Sounds of Jazz in 2019: A Listener's Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "2010s: Favorite 30 Labels of the Decade". Tiny Mix Tapes. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Rose, Brad (10 April 2021). "Astral Spirits' Expanding Universe". Foxy Digitalis. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Astral Editions". Bandcamp. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ McPherson, Matthew (26 June 2020). "Interview: Astral Spirits (KCSB Zine 2020)". KCSB. Retrieved 23 August 2021.