by Scott YanowBassist Barry Guy teamed up with the 13-piece New Orchestra Workshop (NOW) for this difficult but sometimes wondrous set of avant-garde music. The 16-minute "Study" makes excellent use of an ensemble drone and space in building up and releasing tension, while the 52-minute "Witch Gong Game II/10" is quite menacing and sometimes even scary. The wide range of tone colors during some of the denser moments makes it difficult to know what notes one is hearing and sometimes even what instruments are being played. Among the individual players are the brilliant pianist Paul Plimley, the very flexible vocalist Kate Hammett-Vaughan, six horns, guitar, cello, three bassists (counting Guy), and drums, but it is the intense and sometimes ferocious ensembles that are most memorable. This import from the English label Maya will take several listens to digest.