A far softer less abrasive side to Tim Berne here on a studio album of group co-composed pieces recorded last summer. That may be a shock to those who love - and we do - the harsher, more scalding side of the alto saxophone icon's approach to jazz and improvised music. Quite a shift from say the blistering Mars, 'The Latter' in its mystery seems to prep us for a journey into the unknown. And the beefy accordion sound of George band member Aurora Nealand on 'Framed' is also a curveball, as baroque as a pipe organ the mood upended by Berne when he comes in adding a whole lot more gravity. Completing the trio jazz cello legend Hank Roberts - superb last year on the very different Blue Roads - comes into his own on 'Clustard' and '10tious'. Hardly ''the tender side of Tim Berne'' but in some ways that feeling is amplified on some of the more thought provoking moments for instance in the way 'Clustard' develops as Berne reaches into his Julius Hemphill book of inspirations and comes up with something couched in his own lens. Another chapter in Berne's remarkable career as an improviser begins and this trio setting represents a meeting of minds. Out today