Emma Walker

Australian trio The Necks have been responsible for some of the most inventive music of recent years. Their live sets (I saw them in Liverpool last year) consist of entirely improvised, hour-long pieces on piano, upright bass and drums/percussion which resemble the hypnotic repetition and barely perceptible development of Steve Reich's compositions as much as any jazz. Their studio albums are at least partly composed in advance and in some cases incorporate electric instruments - the closest comparisons I can think of are early Tortoise and maybe a less frenetic On The Corner. Recordings of some of their live performances can be (legally) downloaded here and here.

The covers of Piano Bass Drums and Townsville feature paintings by Australian artist Emma Walker. More examples of her work (some of which remind me of Arthur Boyd) can be found here, here and here.