I Can't Put My Finger on It

Miniature: Hank Roberts (vocals, cello); Tim Berne (alto & baritone saxophones); Joey Baron (drums, electronic drums).
Recorded at Sorcerer Sound, New York, New York in January 1991.
Personnel: Hank Roberts (vocals, fiddle, cello); Tim Berne (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, vibraphone); Joey Baron (drums, percussion, electronics).
Recording information: Sorcerer SOund, New York, NY (01/1991); Sorceror Sound, NY (01/1991).
Modern jazz musos rejoice! Here's the '90s incarnation of John Zorn's hyper-eclectic work with Naked City from a decade before. Taking off from Zorn's penchant for everything from metal and country to bebop, Miniature takes a bit more conservative, yet no less compelling, approach on this, the group's second and last outing for JMT (and last record as a band, too). Cooperatively headed up by alto saxophonist Tim Berne, drummer and Naked City alum Joey Baron, and cellist Hank Roberts, Miniature found direction in Berne's own wide-ranging and contemporary solo work for JMT. One hears both the humorous overplaying of Zappa and Primus, as well as the seeds of Medeski, Martin & Wood's own jazz-funk ramblings. The result here is a corralled mix of bop, free jazz, soundtrack ambience, and funk, all wrapped in Berne's cerebrally swinging sound. And while not a substitute for one of Berne's or Baron's solo outings of the '90s, I Can't Put My Finger on It will still please fans of the New York downtown jazz sound. ~ Stephen Cook