Tim Berne and the Copenhagen Art Ensemble With Herb Robertson and Marc Ducret: Open, Coma

In his nearly half-century of making music, Tim Berne has been exceptionally committed to evolutionary exploration in terms of his compositions, ensembles and the presentation of the two in always unpredictable and exciting ways.  This listener was blown away in 1991 with the purchase of his Pace Yourself album with the Caos Totale collective.  The whole album was incredible, but the centerpiece to these ears was "The Legend of P-1," a 26-minute tour de force with the altoist joined by trombonist Steve Swell, Mark Dresser on bass, drummer Bobby Previte, Marc Ducret on guitar and Herb Robertson playing trumpet, cornet, flutes, flugelhorn and more.

A few years later, the next Caos Totale recording was Nice View, with the group joined by Django Bates on keys, piano and the E-flat horn and stretching, in the best way, for nearly 40 minutes is the astounding "Impacted Wisdom."  Recorded that same year, 1994, and released the following one was Memory Select, the third in a series of live albums by another phenomenal Berne group, Bloodcount, including Ducret along with Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor, bassist Michael Formanek and Jim Black on drums.  Only two tracks were on the recording, including the 51-minute "Eye Contact."

With these three mammoth works performed live for radio broadcast and the new studio-recorded "Open, Coma," the album of this latter name marked the first time Berne recorded with a larger ensemble, including ten musicians and a conductor, allowing him to work with the material and the performers in a different way because he released this stunning recording on his own Screwgun label.  What stands out to this largely untutored listener is how the complex compositions, which already sounded full-bodied with Caos Totale and Bloodcount, become richer and deeper and the sound is more expansive and enveloping.

Robertson and Ducret are part of the ensemble, which includes tenor and soprano saxes, flute, clarinet and bass clarinet, a second trumpet, a cornet, a trombone, a bass trombone, a tuba, a piano and organ and a bassist and drummer.  Berne's compositions often have a classical, orchestral feel in the arrangements and the ways the instrumentation works with harmonies, including contrasting ones, but to have this expanded lineup, they effect is even more striking.

What's great, as well, as that, with this more symphonic character, these extended pieces could each be heard as having a variety of movements, as in classical composition, as tempo, tone, and other aspects of form change, including light and shade and movement from quiet, contemplative sections to powerful, propulsive intensity.  The diversity of color in the types of instrumentation also stand out, so that, even if a listener has heard the Caos Totale and Bloodcount pieces on those three records, there are, of course, familiar aspects, namely melodic elements, but there is a freshness to the larger ensemble performance that makes them sound new, including, as just one example, the use of organ and piano with Ducret's guitar in "Impacted Wisdom" that hearkens somewhat to Miles Davis' In A Silent Way.

In 35 years of listening to Berne's amazing body of work, Open, Coma stands out because of this rare opportunity for a big band-type of ensemble and it should be noted that it took him, Robertson and Ducret traveling to Europe for it to happen.  This was more than a quarter-century ago and it seems only fair and reasonable that Berne be given an opportunity to make more music like this in our country.

Tim Berne/Science Friction: The Sublime And

Again, there is no explanation for waiting so long to highlight another record from the great alto saxophonist Tim Berne, but there is certainly no shortage of great material on which to focus.

This live double disc album was recorded at Winterthur, Switzerland in April 2003 and released that fall on Thirsty Ear Records and features Berne at the peak of his compositional and performing powers with a phenomenal band comprised of drummer Tom Rainey, keyboardist (including laptop) Craig Taborn and guitarist Marc Ducret.

All the hallmarks of Berne's writing style are there:  complexity of melody, harmonizing, shifting of time and rhythm, and lengthy tunes that give the musicians time to develop their interactive processes and soloing.

What adds further to the compelling sound is the electricity (literally) of Taborn's ambient and atmospheric, as well as rhythmic, sensibilities and Ducret's explorations of his guitar, including a remarkable solo on "The Shell Game."  Rainey, who has worked with Berne for many years, seems to be able to shift his role on a dime to accompany the other players and has some fine solos to boot.

As for Berne, his playing is always full of interest as he explores melody and harmony in so many striking ways and knows how to play in sync with his bandmates, no matter who they are and in what configuration they are in.

That's one of the most admirable things about Berne--that he writes and plays the music he wants, with the people he wants, and has adhered to that way of doing things for over thirty years.  He doesn't get much attention or big album sales. but his commitment to his craft is worthy of support for those who can get into his adventurous explorations in all of the various configurations over the years.

And, yes, this amazing live recording is sublime!

Tim Berne's Caos Totale: Pace Yourself

This was another early foray into the adventurous side of jazz and an early CD purchase as a brand-new release, way back in 1991, from the German label JMT (Jazz Music Today.)  Berne's Caos Totale, a sextet, has a wide-ranging array of instrumentation, from the leader's alto sax and the highly expressive Mark Dresser's bass to Bobby Previte's energetic drumming and Marc Ducret's excellent electric guitar playing to the trombone of Steve Swell and multi-instrumentalist Herb Robertson's trumpet, cornet, flute, fluegelhorn, whistles and other sounds.

If anything can be expected from Berne, it is that he has richly arranged pieces that can often go on at great length, although Pace Yourself is somewhat restrained, with four of its six tunes clocking in at under ten minutes, "Sam's Dilemma," which is this listeners' highlight, at over thirteen, and the expansive "The Legend of P-1" extending over 26 minutes.  Sometimes, though, the length has to be viewed in the context of changes in tempo, new melodies and what might be thought of as movements.

The opener, "Bass Voodoo," is perhaps most notable for its pairings of guitar and bass and trumpet and trombone duets, which reveal the great sensitivity the members of the band have for each other, an essential quality between "total chaos" and an "aware freedom." The second piece, "The Noose," contains an excellent drum solo from Previte, whose playing throughout the record in tandem with the always-compelling Dresser is stellar.  "The Usual" is a more ambient, down-tempo, and softer tune and provides a bit of a respite from the frenetic and complex sounds that embody much of Berne's work.

As noted above, "Sam's Dilemma" is the favorite track on this album.  Ducret's searing and searching electric guitar intro lays the groundwork and Previte's percussion is exceptional.  There is also a probing and inventive bass solo from Dresser, which is no surprise to anyone who's heard his work with Anthony Braxton (or read Graham Lock's Forces in Motion about the British tour headed by Braxton and including Dresser.)  Dresser then plays the melody that leads into the finale with the full band and it's a fantastic way to end a great tune.

"The Legend of P-1" has an atmospheric and soft opening that continues for several minutes gradually building to a fuller sound.  This work is a showcase for how Berne utilizes shifting tempos and changing melodic and rhythmic ideas and with a band as sensitized to the way the leader writes, arranges and plays, this lengthy piece doesn't drag or wander.  It's a testament to how solid a composer and arranger Berne is that the tune never fails to hold interest, even at 26 plus minutes.

The closer, "Luna," is another slower, softer, almost ambient piece and here Berne gives a nice expression, almost mournful or somber, to his alto sax work.  It's a nice way to end an album that shows all of the dynamic interplay of an excellent band working with some inspired material.  Those who have heard Julius Hemphill, whose big band record was highlighted here recently, will recognize his influence on his student, but Berne also has his own style or way of expressing himself and "Pace Yourself" is an apt title for a record that runs the gamut of the various tempos, melodic concepts, harmonic interplay and rhythmic variety that is a Berne hallmark.

Tim Berne's Caos Totale:  Pace Yourself (JMT, 1991)

1.  Bass Voodoo  9:57
2.  The Noose  7:34
3.  The Usual  8:15
4.  Sam's Dilemma  13:33
5.  The Legend of P-1  26:21
6.  Luna  4:32