What reads on the J-card as a large group is actually two separate quartets recorded in February 2006 at Gallery 1412 in Seattle. They might be two sets from the same night, but the notes don't say. The first piece (both are fairly long improvisations) finds Rodrigues' viola and Sielaff's bass clarinet commingling with Vic Rawlins cello and electronics and Leif Sundstrom's electronics. It is a rather stately affair, a series of long slow builds and quick descents. Careful pilings of blocks which are toppled again and again, with quick pauses for breath here and there � a series of vignettes or a shuffling of droney postcards.

By contrast the second piece, with Gust Burns' piano and Manuel Mota on electric guitar, is a long slice of lazy chatter. Without the electronics, the sound sources are all more recognizable, and it's easier to work out who's doing what, for what it's worth. There's much careful listening going on in both sets, though the second offers up a bit more argument than discussion. After a few minutes of toe-in-the-water testing things heat up and begin to quietly steam, never boiling over or really abating for long. Pay close attention to the piano. Gust Burns has an uncanny ability to choose beautiful ideas to throw into the mix, and his touch on such an old and weary instrument breathes a bit of new life into it. It's a mystery why he isn't heard more.