Label: Intakt Records, 2023

Personnel - Tim Berne: alto saxophone; Aurora Nealand: accordion, clarinet, voice; Hank Roberts: cello.

Tim Berne, an alto saxophonist with unpredictable musical temperament and a more-precise-than-brittle tone, teams up with master cellist Hank Roberts (a longtime partner), and multi-reedist/accordionist/vocalist Aurora Nealand (second musical experience after having joined forces with the duo Trapper Keaper in 2019). These musicians, owners of an excellent instrumental sound and big ears, put a spin on a unique post-modern trio that intrigues and captivates at every turn.

Their melding of ideas, eschewing genre conventions, is encapsulated in the 12 tracks that compose Oceans And. Take the opener as an example: “The Latter”, whose elongated, sustained notes with occasional screeching cello convey a mysterious tranquility, has Nealand’s atmospheric accordion giving harmonic context to Berne’s lines. And yet, one never knows where this gentle dance will take us.

“Framed” is fed by accordion’s elliptical textures, grievous cello, and saxophone motifs that, spreading across the tapestry, show no interest in eradicating tension. The next track, “Eez”, takes abstraction, fragmentation, and looseness even further with its constant diffusion of timbres.

“Partial 2” is an incredible piece that can be tied to “Clustard” and “Sutile”. The clarinet (surprisingly not as dulcet as one might expect) and saxophone engage in logical articulations that probe different intensities, while Roberts remains imperturbable in the back. The cellist excels during the eerie neo-folk of “Frosted”, emphasizing dark-hued elements with a firm identity.

Nealand puts her beautiful voice at the service of “Mortal and Pestered”, a haunting, ritualistic and often dramatic combination of the ethereal and the spectral, whereas on “10tious”, the longest piece on the album, she responsively attempts to mimic Berne’s intricate leaps and rhythmic trajectories on the accordion. There’s also cello pizzicato and quick-witted saxophone, with the protagonists coming and going from the scene with a particular aesthetic in mind.

This trio of like-minded artists offers strangely magnetic music with enough coils and refinements to keep you engaged.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Framed ► 06 - Mortal and Pestered ► 11 - Partial 2

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2021

Personnel - Hank Roberts: cello; Dana Lyn: violin; Brian Drye: trombone; Mike McGinnis: clarinet, soprano saxophone; Jacob sacks: piano; Vinnie Sperrazza: drums.

The distinguished cellist Hank Roberts, who marked the New York Downtown music scene with his artistically refined sound, makes a great return with Science of Love, an enjoyable body of work inspired by droves and featuring a multi-generational sextet of New York talents.

There are two freestanding pieces bookending the central 14-track suite titled “G”, namely, the opener “Sat/Sun Pa Tu X”, an expansion of the “Saturday/Sunday” suite from his 1993 album Little Motor People, and “205”, which closes out the album in a reflective and very much accessible chamber-pop mode. The former, however, is the one that causes more impact with an insouciant, vibrant swing that pulses through the group’s bloodstream. Pianist Jacob Sacks enters at a later time, but soon takes the lead, exposing a playfully articulated vocabulary. Then, it’s Roberts and violinist Dana Lyn who partner with the trombonist Brian Drye and the clarinetist Mike McGinnis, crisscrossing the rhythmic tapestry with elation, and creating a mood that recalls Charles Mingus. A clarinet solo paints a more sobering backdrop before taking us to the final cello musings.

The aforementioned suite is assembled with thematic-related frameworks that favor improvisation and creativity. One finds a generous dose of rock in Vinnie Sperrazza’s drumming on “G: The Sharp Peak of the Science of Love” as well as an allegro quality in the cello slogans. The charmer “G: Earth Sky Realms” is a beautifully brushed piece with pendular piano ostinatos and violin cries contributing to the subtle wistfulness that surrounds it.

The percussive and plucking techniques of “G: D23” invites us to imagine distant worlds, as it works toward a solid classical density. In turn, the more-invigorated “G: GLC Magnetic Floating Stripper” features McGinnis in a pungent flight of fancy on soprano over a 3/4 rhythmic flux. The three time feel is maintained on “G: 17” but things are softened up considerably here, just to ramp up again on “G: B45 L”, the longest track on the album at 12:44, which unfurls with Drye in the spotlight. This is before he starts a conversation with Roberts that culminates in a rhythmic dance with all members in it. The cellist puts on show a magnificent monologue before a mercurial final stage that involves a grooving passage, collective interplay and a propulsive backbeat.

Roberts will easily hook listeners with the tasteful blend of jazz, classical and improvisation that permeates his album.