Recorded live at The Hungry Brain in Chicago, this stonking set captures an inter-generational quintet of impeccable pedigree with ideas to burn. The presence of Joe McPhee in any musical project is usually a guarantee of quality – and he doesn't disappoint here. Aged 79 at the time of recording, he bestows his beneficent personality on the proceedings like a warm cloak, whether sputtering out tight peals of pocket trumpet or unfurling lush tenor phrases. As you'd expect of such an experienced improviser, he knows when not to play too: on the opening piece, ‘Osel,’ it's a full six minutes before he plays his first note – but when he lifts the pocket trumpet to his lips, the music seems to deepen and resound. These are long, episodic improvisations that traverse multiple moods and cellist Tomeka Reid displays a nimble versatility, flitting from glistening harmonics to raw scrapes and light-footed walking lines. But it's the rhythm section that blazes brightest, with young NYC bassist Brandon Lopez and powerful Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love slotting into outrageously ferocious grooves that send the levels through the roof.