October 2025 brought the debut record from an electrifying new trio that romps in the sharp, outer fringes of jazz. They call themselves the Sifters, combining the abundant talents of guitarist Marc Ducret, drummer Kate Gentile and tenor saxophonist Jeremy Viner. If you know anything about the backgrounds of these three musicians then their initial offering Sifters (Obliquity Records) will be an exciting proposition to you.
The guitar/sax/sums combination has been the vehicle for some exciting vanguard jazz; Paul Motian may have even invented the concept when he built a trio with then-unknowns Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano in 1981. Tim Berne took that idea further fifteen years later when he formed Big Satan with Ducret and drummer Tom Rainey; the smaller, more electrified group was one of Berne’s most dynamic and improvisational groups.
Sifters takes more after Big Satan than the Motian trio, not the least reason because both groups share the same guitarist. Despite relying so much on whims and cues, neither bands forsake harmony and everyone plays together as opposed to doing their own thing alongside each other.
If the Sifters can be thought of as part of a lineage emanating from Tim Berne/Big Satan, then Gentile is the perfect fit; her drumming possesses all the complexity and intuitiveness of Rainey and her compositional approach sports elements of Berne’s tangled, architectural and emotionally charged style. The three songs she contributes to this venture does nothing to diminish this comparison.
Her “Flail Maneuvers” is five minutes of jazzed-out rock-noise, commencing with Berne-like progressions and led by the drummer, it deconstructs and swerves but stays on course. “Innominate” goes a while as a Ducret/Gentile encounter, Ducret shredding up melodic fragments and then Viner enters the picture to provide direction until it’s his turn to chop it up. Through it all, Gentile ends up being the guiding hand, telepathically keeping the slippery, jagged cadence from sliding away. Ducret’s virtuosity is on full display to kick off “Cairns” and the implied rhythm of his barded delivery is made explicit by Gentile. Viner joins in and accurately identifies the harmonic counterpoint to Ducret. The middle section is a barren soundscape, all three wringing tonal mélange before regrouping to perform math-y lines in slow motion.
Ducret is a composer to be reckoned with himself, as evidenced on his own solo recordings. His “Tarot” suggests the tradition of jazz with its lazy swing but Ducret’s own guitar line refuses to be tied to a particular style other than his own signature. Viner doubles up with him, clarifying Ducret’s inscrutable motif.
Multireedist Jeremy Viner brings a wealth of diverse experiences to the threesome; a Julliard grad, he’s part of the Battle Trance quartet that combines, jazz, classical and metal with an experimental comportment and been a key sideman for some of Gentile’s most ambitious projects. “Vault” is rich in complexity in both from a melodic and rhythmic standpoint and his standalone feature around the middle of it demonstrates an advanced ability to get the main substance of his composition across with minimal accompaniment. Viner’s “Tenons” has a denser texture, and the group interplay is simply off the charts.
No matter who contributes the tunes, though, it all fits the mission of the trio. No one is diminishing their individuality here — they merely adapt it to the greater whole — and do so with great instincts informed by great fluency.
Sifters is available now, from Bandcamp.
*** Kate Gentile Cd’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
*** Marc Ducret CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
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