[Italics added]
I posted about the Westbrook on a "British jazz reissues" thread a couple of weeks ago. This release initially confused me, but the way I read the non-compete agreement the "unreleased Hat Hut archives" stip allows him to release material by living musicians that's in said archives. Although it's not entirely clear: does "exceptions" apply to both the "living" clause and the "historic" clause, or just to the latter? After some thought I concluded both. Granted, I could be giving Werner too much credit on ethical matters...
AlAy Ltd. is subject to a non-competition agreement starting June 2025 with a term of three years in Switzerland. During this period, AlAy Ltd. may not accept or release recordings by living composers/musicians. Our releases during this period will therefore focus on historic recordings from the past. Exceptions are unreleased recordings from the archive of the former Hat Hut Records Ltd. 4106 Therwil, which changed its name to AlAy Ltd. in June 2025.