John Butcher is one of the really nice guys in this music, invariably pleasant and attentive, always willing to sit down for a good conversation and, as exemplified here, ready at the drop of a hat to collaborate with local musicians. Importantly in this regard, there is absolutely no notion of his relative �star factor,� nothing of �John Butcher and guests.� Of course, this doesn�t guarantee stellar results � nothing can � but his openness can only engender increased exploration and touch on possibilities that would have otherwise gone uninvestigated, which is always a good thing.

In the case of Equation, Butcher had traveled to Toronto in May of 2002 and, presumably along with a solo performance, played a set with Mike Hansen (record players � not �turntables�, mind you) and Tomasz Krakowiak (percussion). There are two suites of sorts, each about 25 minutes long and each given both an equationary title (I imagine reflecting Butcher�s prior career as a professor of physics) and a descriptive one. �Noise Temperature Suite� finds Butcher immediately able to blend in with the fairly abstract sounds produced by his companions. Krakowiak, here as elsewhere on the disc, has a decided bent toward the rubbing end of the percussion spectrum, largely eschewing the clatter and bang. This tends to dovetail easily with Hansen�s staticky, vinyl-derived evocations and Butcher is right at home in this sort of environment. His soprano and tenor weave in and out of the duo�s improvised structures with the grace of a dragonfly navigating irregular reeds. The music ricochets around, gurgling and throbbing, and pretty much creates a convincing sound environment. One doesn�t hear Butcher in the detail and structural purity sense that�s the signature of his solo investigations, but as a one-off improv, it�s consistently absorbing and enjoyable.

The first section of �Standing Wave Suite� finds Butcher more in drone mode, projecting deep flutters and resonant low tones, plowing through the chatter and roughage deployed by Hansen and Krakowiak. This one portion is definitely the highlight of the disc and really one of the stronger things I�ve heard from Butcher in recent years. The remainder of this suite trails off a bit, the interaction becoming somewhat scattershot. Butcher, in the final section, does offer a small taste of his lovely, delicate feedback work, but in general it seems like most of the ideas have evaporated. Still and all, Equation is a pretty decent recording, one well worth the time of any Butcher aficionado and, while not absolutely vital or ground-breaking by any means, an often-intriguing document of the kind of casual collaboration that�s become one of the hallmarks of this musical genre.