Now 87, the German-born vibist Berger is the doyen of the New York avant-garde, a long-time sideman with Don Cherry, and revered by Knuffke as ‘one of the most important personalities in modern jazz, period!’. That said, the cornetist, no slouch himself, sought him out in upstate New York, recruited Anderson and Wilson who were new to Berger's music and selected an eclectic list of pieces to play. ‘Ganesh’ by Cherry is the opener, with Berger playing the Rhodes, lyrical at first, the groove building, with Wilson and Knuffke playing a repeated figure, the cornetist thoughtful and bell-like in his sound. He really is a substantial figure, open to all sorts of possibilities, the riffs behind him almost mesmeric, Berger pleasingly creative. It swings, too.

Four themes are by the cornetist, each with its own direction, Knuffke stretching boundaries, often over patterned drum figures, sometimes extending the cornet's range to near-breaking point. Berger's ‘Ornette’ is a jaunty theme and recalls his association with the alto innovator, his vibes animated over a strong pulse from Anderson, ‘free but really in rhythm’, as Berger says, Knuffke similarly inclined. Steve Lacy's ‘Art’ is a pretty tune, taken straight, Berger's keys speculative, Wilson percussive but quiet, Anderson pizzicato, as Knuffke moves into a march-like tempo and fades to finish. There's a lot going on here: ‘Why Not’ by Berger has a stop-start theme, Ornette-styled again, the screechy melodica in the mix, as Wilson rattles. Berger's ‘Going Out’ with a Wilson solo to start, has a quick-fire feel. So varied is the music here, colloquial, yet challenging, that these 10 performances merit a blow-by-blow study. For now, here are four free thinkers, happy to play off each other, and finding a way that satisfies. Wow!