Bassist Mark Helias, drummer Gerry Hemingway and trombonist Ray Anderson have been working as a free-flowing jazz collective since 1977 and it shows in the trio's clarity of thought and roll-swapping democracy. Each musician is a bandleader in their own right and has credits to his name – Helias with Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, Don Byron and more besides. Here the bassist keeps it solid and sensitive with inventive counterpoint and a fat sound. The lesser known Hemingway is equally crisp, clear and swinging when necessary. But, inevitably, it is the gruff and gritty sound of trombonist Anderson which dominates this 2CD set. His lexicon of slurs, glides and mutes add warmth as well as melodic interest and he has chops to spare. Indeed, the album is something of a masterclass in contemporary trombone history. Most of the tracks come from the latter studio session, recorded in Brooklyn. ‘Kemp’ is freely developed through counterpoint lines and fast swing and ‘Quomput’ is a nifty unison riff. Pianist Jason Moran and saxophonist Joe Lovano, separately, guest for three tracks each. Moran, channelling Andrew Hill on ‘Tone L’, delivers a ballad highlight, matched by Lovano's warmth and invention on the sultry blues ‘BluRay’. But the trio sound at their bare-bones best on the two live tracks which round out the second CD. Recorded in Lausanne, Switzerland three years earlier, they shift gear more dramatically and develop more intimately than the studio cuts.