by Thom JurekOne look at the lineup for this date on the back of the slipcase is enough to raise the eyebrows of and create anticipation in any avant jazz fan, given that some of these names and their instruments are associated with so many fine recordings that it's difficult to keep track of them all: Roscoe Mitchell playing soprano saxophone exclusively; Evan Parker as his foil on tenor and soprano; a rhythm section of drummers Tani Tabbal and Paul Lytton; bassists Jaribu Shahid and Barry Guy; Craig Taborn on piano; a string trio that includes Philipp Wachsmann, Nils Bultmann, and Marcio Mattos; flutist Neil Metcalfe; Anders Svanoe on alto and baritone saxophones; Corey Wilkes on trumpet and flügelhorn; and John Rangecroft on clarinet. The players come from both the United States and the U.K., and are comprised (mainly) of members from Mitchell's Note Factory and Parker's Electro-Acoustic Ensemble. Collectively they are known here as the Transatlantic Art Ensemble. The connotation with Mitchell's legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago is no mistake. Recorded live in 2004 in Munich -- ECM's home base -- Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3 is divided into nine sections, and offered 25 years after the Art Ensemble recorded here for ECM. The pieces begin quietly and deliberately, feeling more like contemporary classical music; space is at a premium as strings, piano, and the roll of a timpani usher in the proceedings. There's no fire breathing here; it's all of a piece, restrained yet relaxed, full of mystery and deliberation yet wandering toward something over the introduction's 13 and a half minutes. Abstraction begins in earnest during the short second section when the drummers begin improvising together in near counterpoint precision, but the feel is more complementary. ... Read More...