The fifth album by the Chris Burn Ensemble introduces yet another line-up. This time, long-standing members John Butcher (saxophones), Matt Hutchinson (synthesizer, electronics), Rhodri Davies (harp), and Burn (piano, no pocket trumpet in this session) are joined by two new figures. One is the French clarinetist Xavier Charles, who has recorded a landmark album with Butcher and Axel Dörner (The Contest of Pleasures, on Potlatch). The other is the Greek cellist Nikos Veliotis. This album was recorded live at the festival Musica Genera 2002 and consists of three free improvisations and three structured improvisations devised by Burn and Veliotis. If you don't glance at the composing credits, there is no way to distinguish ones from the others. And unlike the Ensemble's releases on Emanem and Acta, this one comes with no liner notes, so we are left to our own devices to guess what rules came to play in the structured pieces. Despite the new faces, the Ensemble retains a recognizable sound, one that delves into microscopic gestures (and did so years before improvisers from Berlin and Tokyo began to develop this esthetic) without turning it into a law. In that regard, Kontynuowac presents a wide range of dynamics as Butcher drops the toneless breathing to screech out a few runs, and Hutchinson's synth springs up with a mind of its own while Burn hammers the piano strings. At the other end of the spectrum, Ratacja and Strach na Wróble explore static, multi-layered textures where sustained and scratched sounds reign as kings. The recording sounds a little bit flat, and the performance may be perceived as even more challenging (i.e. ascetic) than on previous albums, but this CD provides a stimulating listen. ~ François Couture, Rovi

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