This disc documents an hour-long set of collectively improvised music at
John Zorn's New York performance space, The Stone. The players are guitarist
Nels Cline, saxophonist
Tim Berne, and drummer
Jim Black; fans of these three, who have worked together in multiple contexts in the past, should know what to expect. The music is all sharp corners and hairpin turns, rhythms that clatter instead of swinging, with
Berne's alto piercing through the storm of sound as
Cline uses a variety of pedals to create effects ranging from pastoral Americana to rip-roaring, almost metallic skronk. There's a strong element of groove to it all, too, even without a bassist to anchor things. "Rescue Her" is like a cross between
Ornette Coleman's harmolodic funk and
John Zorn's "Two-Lane Highway," a composition he wrote as a showcase for guitarist
Albert Collins. The blues feel continues throughout the disc, even evolving into something like metal on the two-part album closer "Tiny Moment," when
Cline's guitar becomes a massive droning roar. This is a fierce, scorching CD that fans of each of these three musicians (and their fan bases have a great deal of overlap) will find highly enjoyable and exciting. ~ Phil Freeman