initially made his reputation in the world, but since 2000 or so he's been doing at least as many gigs (if not more), contributing heavily to albums by and . is 's first release, put out as part of 's illustrious Blue Series Continuum. The album is constructed from performances of an amazing all-star group: on keyboards, giant on bass, and on drums, with additional contributions from and percussionist . Then comes the radical reconstructive surgery. takes those performances and transforms them, adding drum machines and samples and using techniques and studio production to rework the material into something that probably couldn't have been performed live, but retains the essence of the live performance. For a guy with a reputation as a free player, sure knows how to work a groove, and he and set up some muscular beats. are both virtuosos in their own right, and contrasts them nicely by having them play different instruments on the songs, generally organ and piano. The playing is great all the way around, but this isn't an album about virtuosic solos; it's about groove and atmosphere and it succeeds in spades. Oddly enough, 's modus operandi is laid out in an exerpt from a medical journal written by "The Company of Barber Surgeons" (remember "Theodoric of York"?) concerning bodily humors and "foul vapours" in the curing of the sick. The answer?: "to experiment with new techniques; to undertake a radical reconstructive surgery." The rest of the quote fits in nicely with the concept as well. Is this ? No way. Is it ? You bet. has been releasing some of the finest examples of this new modern over the last several years, and stands up nicely alongside releases by avant-jazzmen like and other entries in the Blue Series Continuum from non-jazzers like . This is decidedly adventurous that invites listeners in and can make them move at the same time. Well done. ~ Sean Westergaard