Motifs may have been worked out in advance, but itall comes down to exploring and supporting the musical possibilitieswhile conveying them as a group. Since Parker and Pavkovic have playedtogether in Toe 2000 their musical support is already familiar. Tunesstart with an idea being presented right off the bat, or working itsway from a solo with the rest of the group finding their part in makinga groove for which to play. The track "Nonparticipant" opens with abass solo which presents a line that is repeated throughout the entirepiece with slight variance, propelled by some busy brush work on thedrums. The guitar states a beautiful and sparse melody which gives wayfor some nice soloing. "Deceit" opens with a free form drum solo whichturns into unison blasts of snare rolls and distorted wah-wah guitarwith the bass laying down a syncopated rhythm and changes which thegroup will work with. Personally, this track captures the generalatmosphere of the electric Miles Davis groups of the early 70s (think'Live Evil') via Parker's signature sound and running lines againstPavkovic's nice, loose and funky drums, all anchored down by Aoki'ssolid playing. Recorded live at the Hothouse in Chicago in March 2001,the disc captures the energy of a great live performance with plenty ofsuccessful risk taking. Right down to the clinking of audience glassesduring the show. - samples:
