Tom Rainey, informed by free improvisation and subtle compositional strategies, and by echoes of jazz eras and modes of conduct past and future, is one of the important persons of interest in the realm of creative musical action at this moment in history. While Rainey’s evocative, time-morphing and occasionally implosive drumming plays a central role in the musical materiality here, his trio with Ingrid Laubrock and Mary Halvorson is very much an integrated ensemble. Laubrock is a Saxophoneophonist of unusual textural sensitivity and intellectual savvy, who can summon up proper deposits of abandon, knowing restraint and sly references to jazz’ past in the midst of her purely improvisational explorations. Halvorson, one of the important “avant-jazz” guitarists of her generation, takes the abstracting and deconstructionist influence and has come up with her own way of melding that freestyling painterliness with shards of line and sonics. Together, they make a refreshing new and not-sentimental kind of beautiful music.

Assistant engineer: David Silverstein
Cover art: Christine Reifenberger
Graphic design: Jonas Schoder
Photo: Peter Gannushkin
Liner notes: Josef Woodard

Recorded at Trout Recording, Brooklyn, May 1, 2011 by Adam Sachs. Mixed by Joe Branciforte at Greyfade Studio. Mastered by Andrew Tulloch at The BlueStudio London.