Think of ‘Joy’ by Electric Simcha as Jewish party music for the punk set.

Avant garde jazz could use more joy and wit, which is Reut Regev R*Time’s secret weapon for making you want to listen.

The Michael Gregory Jackson Clarity Quartet’s ‘Whenufindituwillknow’ pulls together the guitarist’s many musical threads into a richly diverse basket of songs.

The supremely creative ‘Sun of Goldfinger’ is unlike anything else out there – apart from other David Torn records.

Performances like these are often called “spontaneous compositions” but in the case of Dave Rempis’ Kuzu, they’re often spontaneous combustions.

‘New York United’ is a balance between the unpredictable and the mulled over, between live performance and dreamy, electronic production values.

Here is S. Victor Aaron’s Best of 2018 list for avant garde jazz and experimental music, including releases by Wendy Eisenberg, Brandon Seabrook, David Dominique and others.

Wendy Eisenberg is elbowing her way to the vanguard of guitarists who radically rethink the guitar as Machinic Unconscious Trio proves that she can shine in the company of New York’s best.

As an old school guy who thrives in the outer reaches of jazz, Andrew Lamb leads another formidable trio date ‘Casbah of Love’ with a lot of both head and heart.

Ryan A. Miller’s ‘Atrophy Torque Fly’ thrives in its uniqueness.