The pianist Matt Mitchell, one of the go-to NY-based improv scene all-rounders, is Berne's closest collaborator of recent years. Besides being a member of Snakeoil, the saxophonist's ECM label vehicle, last year's førage saw Mitchell entrusted with solo piano redesigns of a varied selection of Berne originals. In duo their instincts have more overlaps than contrasts. It makes for a dense, scratchily robust and demanding recording. Berne's sax freely digresses from roots in Ayler and post-Ornette blues incantations, his tonality and angular phrasing also revolving around contemporary classical music and alt.rock riffage. Sometimes they raise hell, at others the canvas is painted with ghostly counterpoint. Angel Dusk could prove heavy-going for those not fully attuned to this intensely creative artist's work. But regular Berne apostles might see things very differently, welcoming the break from the more palatable Snakeoil.