Brutally compelling, this is a thunder storm of a record: one of the strongest, wildest reedists out there in Ken Vandermark here with Hamid Drake, the US drummer who has been recently touring in the UK, bassist Kent Kessler, and then in the ultimate coup de gras the formidable Scandi trio The Thing joining forces.

Let’s put it this way it's not for the faint hearted, a full on record that’s a bit like being part of a triathlon and that's just listening.

Recorded in the Polish city of Kraków a year ago and released on Not Two Records earlier this month there’s a great sense of catharsis achieved once you have listened to these great improvisers at work on just three epic tracks. 

Free composition at its most considered, quite a feat given the immense energy all the musicians put into their work and the freedom they allow each other. One of the best free improv records of the year to date. 

Listen to the storming opening track ‘Cards,’ above