Ray Anderson / Han Bennink / Christy Doran: A B D

In the '90s, this trio ascended to the upper echelon of all things considered cutting-edge in the wide open world of jazz and improvisation. This reissue is a compilation featuring all of Azurety (hatART, 1994) and three tracks culled from Cheer Up (hatART, 1995).

Other than his superior improvisational faculties, Irish guitarist Christy Doran could give most metal or jazz-fusion guitarists a run for their money. The album boasts a consortium of jazz-blues overtones; tenacious three-way dialogues; free-form subplots; surrealistic slants; and jaunts into vast solar systems.

One of many highlights, "March of the Hipsters," opens with drummer Han Bennink's sweeping snare drum rolls and march progressions, jettisoning the customary rhythmic element into a high-octane gala. Thoroughly hip, and gushing with wit, the trio dishes out brisk pulses amid an excitable playbook.

Doran's hyperactive harmonics and flickering single notes give way to trombonist Ray Anderson's quivering lines. It's a quirky narrative designed upon superior chops and great vision. Topped off with some crash and burn exercises, "March of the Hipsters" provides a frolicking slant on any conceivable form of march music, the trio's striking ingenuity remaining a constant throughout the entire program.

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