This release features four seasoned musicians sharing the stage on three different occasions, one in Berlin, one in St. Johann, Austria, and a last one in Cormons, Italy, all in 2024. Five of the six pieces were penned by drummer Joe Hertenstein, one by saxophonist/clarinetist Michael Moore. The overall effect is one of tight ensemble playing balanced by a free sense of form and spontaneous interactivity — an endearing combination of qualities listeners will surely appreciate, as I have.

Ray Anderson's trombone, Michael Moore's reeds, Michael Formanek's bass and Joe Hertenstein's drums combine as a unit larger than the sum of their parts...which is as it should be. Right from the opener, "The 7th Dinner," which starts with a drum intro then shoots into a roiling group shout before forking into overlapping sax and trombone solos, the energy is high octane, propelled by tight drums and bass gearwork. The drums and bass drive continues in "Alles Jutta" before dropping to a more low-key and meditative "Ballad for Paul & Poo," colored by Hertenstein's brush work and a plume-like melody on Moore's clarinet around which swirls Anderson's trombone like a sympathetic commentator on Moore's statements.

The last three compositions ("Bottle Opener," "Fourdance," and "Providence") are once again fairly driving pieces but with slightly different characteristics. "Bottle Opener" and "Fourdance" are initiated by percussive means, building and twisting and turning in a texturally layered manner. "Providence," which closes the album, is set in motion by whimsical sax phrases in tandem with a bubbling pizzicato bass, which are joined by an eager trombone line as the full quartet slips into a series of fleet ensemble lines before dashing to the finish after some inspired solos by Moore and Anderson over hard-swinging drums and bass.

Great ensemble playing and first-rate open-ended compositional material make this a solid outing by these seasoned artists!