Tim Berne’s 2010’s were mostly consumed by launching and leading a new and exilerating ensemble, Snakeoil. The alto saxophonist, composer and bandleader put out a batch of studio records under this name that became some of the most widely lauded projects of his whole career. But this dangerous quartet comprising of Berne, Matt Mitchell (piano), Oscar Noriega (clarinets) and Ches Smith (percussion) was a band built for the high-wire thrill of live performance. We received a first taste of their stage prowess with the 2020 release of The Deceptive 4.
Here’s a second taste. Snakeoil OK arose from newly discovered live recordings from Snakeoil’s first European tour, in 2013. This was a band old enough to just be reaching cruising altitude, still young enough to be bristling with freshness.
Two of the selections (“Static,” “Psalm (Paul Motian)”) showed up on Shadow Man released the same year, while a third piece, “Incidentals Contact,” didn’t appear on a studio record until Incidentals four years later.
Smith’s brushwork on “Incidentals Contact” perfectly fits the twisting cadence of the motif, also notable in that years later for the studio version he was on vibes instead. Mitchell puts forth a commanding feature while Noriega is fearless for his.
“Static” is long enough to consume almost an entire gig on its own. Roaming through a string of distinct, complex patterns, it proceeds like a jazz symphony, yet leaving room for dexterous individual performances culminating into an electrifying exchange between Noriega and Berne.
Paul Motian’s ghostly “Psalm” is the rare, non-Julius Hemphill cover from a Berne band, an homage to the late drumming legend who had played in a very early ensemble led by the saxophonist. It’s a pretty elusive melody but Snakeoil has no problem sussing it out in a very reverential way.
The trio of “Lamè” compositions appear for possibly the first time on a record. Like other Snakeoil songs, “Lamè #3” was written and arranged to fit perfectly to the whole quartet’s makeup. Smith mans a vibraphone for the intro and outro parts of the song to add another interesting layer of complexity on top of sax and piano when doing a readout of a signature Berne serpentine line.
“Lamè #4” is a funkier variation, everyone playing in syncopated lockstep that must be tough to pull off so well live, much less in a studio. When the syncopation is peeled off, the fragile melody is revealed, elucidated by Berne himself, delicately comped by Mitchell and deconstructed by Noriega.
“Lamè #1” sports a feel that’s relatively introspective and circumspect; with drawn-out notes it’s chamber music as much as it is jazz if not for Berne’s impassioned pleadings at the centerpiece of it.
With mastering handled by David Torn, the crowd noise is deftly eliminated, leaving a sonic quality up to par with Snakeoil’s meticulously engineered ECM joints. Just in case you forgot what a badassed band Tim Berne’s Snakeoil was, here’s a not-so-gentle reminder.
Snakeoil OK is out now, from Bandcamp.
*** Tim Berne CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
- Tim Berne’s Snakeoil – ‘Snakeoil OK’ (2025) - March 18, 2025
- Young Gun Silver Fox, “Stevie & Sly” (2025): One Track Mind - March 17, 2025
- David Riddel’s Dr. Purgatory, “The Muddy River to Nowhere” (2025): Video premiere - March 14, 2025
