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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZBERNE, Tim(b 16 Oct. '54, Syracuse NY) Alto sax (also later baritone), composer, leader. Began playing at 19, studied with Anthony Braxton and Julius Hemphill, also probably infl. by Ornette Coleman, and embarked on that genre of 'comprovisation'. Formed Empire label, went to West Coast and recorded The Five Year Plan and 7X with Vinny Golia and others (John Carter on the former), back to NYC for Spectres (with Olu Dara) and Songs And Rituals In Real Time (with Ed Schuller and Paul Motian), all '79--81. Ancestors (live in NYC) and Mutant Variations (made in Milan) '83 were on Soul Note; Theoretically '84 was a duo with Bill Frisell on Empire, later on Minor Music. He gave up for a while, worked in a record shop, was signed by Columbia for two highly rated '87 albums. Fulton Street Maul was prod. by ex-Captain Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas, who'd found his childhood friend working in a record shop and helped get the contract; this was a quartet with Frisell, and Sanctified Dreams a quintet with Joey Baron and Mark Dresser, Hank Roberts playing cello on both, the infl. of Hemphill combined with downtown Manhattan postmodern industrialism. The albums were not promoted and remaindered almost immediately; Columbia dropped him; he worked with John Zorn (Spy vs. Spy) and Marilyn Crispell (duo Inference); formed trio Miniature on JMT with Roberts and Baron for Miniature '88 and I Can't Put My Finger On It '91. More albums: Fractured Fairy Tales '89 with some electronics and plenty of humour, Pace Yourself '91, tribute Diminutive Mysteries (Mostly Hemphill) '93 with Baron and others, Nice View '94 by Chaos Totale with Django Bates. Also co-led trio Loose Cannon '92 on Soul Note with bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Jeff Hirshfield, and three-CD live Unwound on Screwgun by Bloodcount (Formanek, Chris Speed on tenor and clarinet, Jim Black on drums). His improvising trio Paraphrase, with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Tom Rainey, recorded Visitation Rites (Screwgun '97). |