Tim Berne & Snakeoil, Blue Cranes

The saxophonist/composer and one time Lewis & Clark student, who started the school’s jazz series, returns after three decades as one of New York’s downtown alt jazz pioneers, bearing a smoother than usual new disk on the prestigious ECM label featuring clarinetist Oscar Noriega, pianist Matt Mitchell, and percussionist Ches Smith. Striking an exquisite balance between structured compositions and exploratory improvisation, the new quartet reaffirms Berne’s position in the vanguard of forward gazing jazz while this time also reaching toward more traditionally minded listeners. Blue Cranes, one of the city's most broadly appealing jazz bands, somehow manages to reach just about everyone, thanks especially to the chemistry between saxophonists Joe Cunningham and Reed Wallsmith.