This all-star trio (all of whose members hail from the former German Democratic Republic) played together on-and-off for 15 years, ending only upon 's death in 2002. This is the group's final studio session and it captures the trio at its best, with intensely swirling layers of sound interlaced with innovative, creative . By the time this was recorded, this remarkably cohesive unit played with a singular defining vision that stamped it with an individual voice. , as the only horn, dominates, his full-bodied trombone never too abstract to sport earthy gutsy strings of notes filtered by a super-charged technique that includes multi-phonics, circular breathing, and so-called "false" notes. His lower range has never sounded better on disc, as evidenced by some gorgeously developed playing on, for example, and, even more so, on From the ethereal, even surreal, to the more aggressive and busy virtually every track is filled with wonder. 's bass shines in his triplicate role of supporting ; interacting as part of collective ; and soloing alone. A uniquely emotional performer who developed a substantial facility on the acoustic string bass, 's sense of discovery is preeminent, and connects head-on with the highly underrated 's percussive intrusions which with a seemingly endless array of instruments color almost every moment. More than most percussionists, 's musicality marks him as an equal third wheel, whether through his marimbas on or through rubber band dirge-like effects on the opening An important album for aesthetic and historic reasons, is a reminder of how compelling this trio could be. ~ Steven Loewy