Tim Berne (alto saxophone); David Torn (guitar); Ches Smith (drums)

Berne, Torn, and Smith have collaborated in many contexts over the years; this particular configuration was documented on their eponymous ECM release in March 2019. With his singular approach to the guitar, Torn uses the instrument as a starting point to generate sonic landscapes. His gift for spontaneously creating these majestic and engrossing sound worlds has earned him a respected position as a producer and collaborator in improvised music and beyond - scoring films and TV, and collaborating with artists David Bowie, k.d. lang, Don Cherry and more. In this band, Tim Berne's alto saxophone alternately luxuriates in and cuts above the guitar work. Ches Smith generates a propulsive rhythmic layer, blending his own subtle use of electronics, a deep knowledge of Haitian drumming traditions, and a foundation in traditional drum kit performance.

In a concert review on LondonJazz, Geoff Winston wrote, "[t]heirs is dangerous music, at times angry music, at others blissed -out, illuminating music with its thunderous rumblings and Ornette-inspired figures – delivering not so much a wash of sound, more a tidal wave."

Photo credit: Robert Lewis/ECM Records