This four-movement collective improvisation was performed and recorded as part of a gathering of improvisers in 2002 in the Pioneer Valley, a place where virtually all of the players had woodshedded at one time or another during their individual histories. Under the auspices of bassist Joe Fonda and his longtime collaborator Cliff White, two more East Coast bright lights -- drummer Ben Karetnick (fresh from Sabir Mateen's fine band) and vanguard legend and multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee -- joined the pack for a wild, careening, dynamic ride into the unknown on what was supposedly the hottest night of the year in a building without air conditioning. McPhee and White are fine foils for one another. McPhee is given to longer and more elaborate melodic statements (especially on his soprano), while White engages in fiery legato runs throughout and weaves his lines around McPhee's. But it is Fonda who is the mystic driving force here; his bowing and pizzicato runs propel and then rein in the proceedings from the purely abstract, focusing them on some hidden nuance that he hears and then brings other sounds to, so the other players can hear and comment upon them as well. These elongated excursions into tonal expansion and the process of honing in on feeling, impression, and unexplored harmonies create an exhilarating listen, one that feels as much like composition as it does a free jazz blowing session. The depth of listening on this date is truly astonishing. It is far from pure instinct; it is disciplined trust, good faith, and the desire for complete communication that drives this music and makes it such a joy to listen to. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi

1		Part 1
2		Part 2
3		Part 3
4		Part 4