Mat Maneri on electric violin, tenor and alto saxophone, Ed Schuller on bass, and Randy Peterson on drums. CD

Joe Maneri on reeds and piano, Mat Maneri on violin, Ed Schuller on bass, and Randy Peterson on drums. CD

Joe Maneri on clarinet, piano & alto & tenor saxes, Joe Morris on guitar & Mat Maneri on violin. CD

Matthew Shipp on piano and Joe Morris on piano. CD

Guitarist Joe Morris works here with frequent partner Mat Maneri on viola – a duo who've been making music for many years together – and who find this really special way of combining their two instruments together – at a level that's almost its own sort of space between a viola and guitar! Sounds come from either musician at a level that's always very inventive, and spontaneously creative – and the pair get rhythmic assistance from Chris Lightcap on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums – both of whom are as loose and free as Morris and Maneri, so that the instruments shade in the sound more than direct the propulsion of performance. Titles include "Thought", "Effort", "Trust", "Purpose", "Substance", and "Meaning". CD

Joe Morris on guitar, Mat Maneri on violin and baritone violin, Chris Lightcap on bass, and Gerald Cleaver on drums. CD

The ear in the title is certainly well-tuned here – as this trio plays with all sorts of wonderfully sensitive sounds – a sublime combination of the bass of Joelle Leandre, piano of Craig Taborn, and viola of Mat Maneri! The record resonates with a lot of those qualities we love from some of Leandre's sessions as a leader – that sort of gentle but powerful way of exploring subtle sonic space, which Taborn matches with an incredibly evocative performance on piano – moody in all the right ways, and matched with understated viola from Maneri. The set features seven improvised tracks of varied length – titled "h", "E", "A", "R", "o", "e", and "s". CD