The trio of English saxophonist John Butcher, Hamburg-born bassist Torsten M�ller and Johannesburg-born drummer Dylan vander Schyff first came together at the 2007 Vancouver Jazz Festival in the bassist and drummer's adopted home city, as a result of van der Schyff previously having played with each of the others. The results of that gig were released on the album Way Out Northwest (Drip Audio, 2009). Over time, the trio acquired the name of the album (something similar also occurred with those other groups featuring Butcher, The Contest of Pleasures and Thermal) and now The White Spot is credited thus. Since 2007, the trio has intermittently played and toured together. The White Spot is their second release, the result of a June 2008 radio session in Seattle � which accounts for the excellent quality of the recording.

Although he has played in many duos with drummers, Butcher has not been as keen on the sax-bass-drums trio, apparently being wary that the members of such trios fall into stereotyped roles, like the divide between a soloist and a supporting rhythm section. The current trio has been the most obvious exception, and it is not difficult to see why: rather than falling into well-trodden, conventional pathways, the three members all contribute equally, with a dynamic balance between them. They are all experienced improvisers and clearly know each other well, which makes their exchanges easy and natural, and gives their playing a pleasing fluency.

Across the album's nine pieces, varying in length from under two minutes to over eleven, Butcher alternates between his tenor and soprano saxes, giving the soundscape variety and unpredictability. As ever, he pushes at the boundaries of his instruments, extracting an impressive range of sounds from them, one minute a sustained burst of staccato quacks and squeaks, the next a sublime lilting melody. M�ller and van der Schyff match that variety with their own, but it is never variety for its own sake; always in the moment, they each react with whatever best fits the collective. The end result is a paradigm of trio improvisation.