Product Description After compelling contributions to ECM discs by David Torn and Michael Formanek, here is Tim Berne s first leader date for the label and his first studio record in 8 years. Snakeoil introduces a fascinating ensemble, a chamber-like group in Berne s words, albeit one that packs some power. Tim s clear alto is heard with Oscar Noriega s earthy clarinets, Mat Mitchell s cryptic piano, and Ches Smith s tone-conscious drums, tympani, gongs and congas. Two years of wood-shedding preceded the recording of Snakeoil at New York s Avatar Studios early in 2011, and the band was ready to roar. The album highlights Berne s compositional style original and avant-garde yet perhaps more accessible on this outing. About the Artist Tim Berne was recently ranked in the Top 10 of Time Out New York's "Essential NYC Jazz Icons", an honor he will likely take with a pinch of salt, but also a reminder of the persistence of his endeavors: "Based on the recorded evidence, it may very well have been Tim Berne who was the definitive genius of NYC's downtown 1980s jazz scene," Time Out opined. "In the intervening years, he has remained committed to exploring the small group jazz idiom with a series of gritty, head-turning bands that have helped propel younger players such as Jim Black, Craig Taborn and Ches Smith into alt-jazz stardom". Since 1996, the primary outlet for Berne's recordings has been his own label Screwgun, which has presented his bands, mostly in concert recordings. For the new quartet, he sought a larger platform. Accordingly, Snakeoil was recorded for ECM at Avatar Studios in New York in January 2011, with Manfred Eicher producing.
