Within a relatively small circle of players, Perelman seems intent on trying out all manner of configurations and his decision to use both of his two regular drummers, Dickey and Cleaver, says a lot about the confidence he has in his partners as well as desire to hear new sounds. The double drums often form a percussive ebb and flow that conspires to be not so much underneath as around the solid ground occupied by Perelman and Shipp, and the Dickey-Cleaver combination is handled with sensitivity and, for the most part, understatement. The mid-range toms are a warm, broad texture that enhances Shipp's left hand work while the cymbal crashes sync with the syncopated dash of his right, as if the drummers are there to highlight the pianist's drumming. Having said that, the 11-minute tour de force, ‘Ritual’, really shows how responsive and expressive the whole ensemble is as the entwining of lengthy ascending lines and short riffs reaches impressive heights. Perelman's horn and a springy snare play cat and mouse call and response in the first phase of the piece. This is followed by a drop of tempo almost in a tipsy, slurred speech manner as Shipp whittles his lines down to one heavily reverberating Tyneresque chord before piano and sax let the drums take the lead then return to push on to a volcanic climax. This kind of ‘energy playing’ has existed in the avant-garde for decades, but rarely is it executed with such a degree of control, reflexive skill and advanced dynamics. Several sax-piano duets, of which the most beautiful is ‘Gentle As A Fawn’, provide effective contrasts to the quartet pieces, but rather than the calm to the storm, they are dark and light colours on a shifting canvas.