Live at the Village Vanguard, Volume III Winter&Winter****

The trio in this remarkable series of live, free-ranging blowing sessions is Paul Motian (drums), Chris Potter (tenor) and Larry Grenadier (bass), augmented on volumes one and two by Greg Osby (alto), Mat Maneri (viola) and Masabumi Kikuchi (piano). Viola and piano remain for this one, which, though probably shaded by its predecessors, contains some gripping examples of the band at a peak, notably And So to Sleep Againand The Hoax.The former is distinguished by the extraordinarily spare lyricism of Kikuchi, who probes deep as if seeking the soul of the song, and the imaginative shadow boxing of Potter and Maneri.

On The Hoax, Potter delivers one of his finest solos, a telling mix of logic and surprise; with Maneri also at his best and the piano-bass-drums interplay so compelling, its rhythmic fluidity and striking sense of colour underline the band's uniqueness. See winterand winter.com