Tim Berne

• Name — Tim Berne • Born — 16 October 1954 • Birthplace — Syracuse, New York, U.S. • Genre — Avant-garde jazz • Occupation — Musician • Instrument — Saxophone • Years Active — 1979–present • Label — Empire, Soul Note, Columbia, JMT, Screwgun, Thirsty Ear, ECM, Intakt • Website — screwgunrecords.com

• Illustration — Tim Berne Berne was born in Syracuse, New York, United States. He has said that he had no interest in playing an instrument until he attended Lewis & Clark College in Oregon. Hearing the album Dogon A.D. (1972) by Julius Hemphill turned his attention toward jazz. He was a fan of rhythm and blues, and it seemed to him that Hemphill was playing jazz with the soulfulness of R&B. In 1974, he went to New York to find Hemphill, who gave him saxophone lessons and advice on how to manage his career. Berne started the record label Empire Productions in 1979. For Empire, he recorded four albums with avant-garde jazz musicians such as John Carter, Alex Cline, Nels Cline, Olu Dara, Vinny Golia, Paul Motian, and Ed Schuller. His next two albums appeared on Soul Note in the early 1980s. In these sessions he worked with Motian, Schuller, Ray Anderson, Herb Robertson and others. He then got a contract with Columbia and recorded with Robertson, Hank Roberts, Bill Frisell and others. During this time he also recorded a duo album with Frisell and two albums with John Zorn. After two albums with Columbia, he signed with JMT, a label known for avant-garde jazz. In the 1990s, he recorded in the trio, Miniature, with Roberts and Joey Baron, and in the band Caos Totale with Django Bates, Mark Dresser, Marc Ducret, Steve Swell, and Bobby Previte. He led a trio with Michael Formanek and Jim Black, then added Chris Speed to form the quartet Bloodcount (which was occasionally a quintet with the addition of Ducret). PolyGram bought JMT and closed it. This motivated Berne to start Screwgun Records as the outlet for his albums. Screwgun's first release was a 3-disc set by Bloodcount called Unwound, the music of which exemplified Berne's characteristic style of "explod[ing] the walls of traditional compositional form: instead of adhering to anything remotely resembling theme and variations, he intersperses thematic material–sometimes repeated, elongated, or truncated–with the careening pleasures of free improvisation." During the late 1990s he continued to perform with Bloodcount, formed Paraphrase, a trio with Drew Gress and Tom Rainey, and Big Satan, a trio with Ducret and Rainey. In the early 2000s, Berne formed several groups, including the trio Hard Cell with Rainey and Craig Taborn and the quartet Science Friction (Berne, Ducret, Rainey, and Taborn). He also collaborated with members of The Bad Plus for the project Buffalo Collision, with Nels Cline of Wilco for the critically acclaimed album The Veil in 2011, and with David Torn on several projects and recordings. Berne formed the band Snakeoil with Matt Mitchell, Oscar Noriega, and Ches Smith, which released a self-titled album in 2012, and six more recordings, with slight personnel changes, over the next decade. During this time, he has also recorded with members of The Bad Plus as Broken Shadows, and in duos with several musicians. In 2023 he released Oceans And with Hank Roberts and Aurora Nealand. In the late 2010s albums by other musicians interpreting Berne's music have begun to appear. These include Førage by Matt Mitchell, Koi by Gregg Belisle-Chi, Palm Sweat by Marc Ducret, and Oddly Enough by Gordon Grdina.

In approximate order of initial activity • Miniature (Joey Baron, Hank Roberts) • Caos Totale (Django Bates, Mark Dresser, Marc Ducret, Bobby Previte, Herb Robertson, Steve Swell) • Bloodcount (Jim Black, Michael Formanek, Chris Speed, and sometimes Marc Ducret) • Paraphrase (Drew Gress, Tom Rainey) • Big Satan (Marc Ducret, Tom Rainey) • Hard Cell (Tom Rainey, Craig Taborn) • Science Friction (Marc Ducret, Tom Rainey, Craig Taborn) • Buffalo Collision (Ethan Iverson, David King, Hank Roberts) • Snakeoil (Marc Ducret, Matt Mitchell, Oscar Noriega, Ches Smith, formerly Ryan Ferreira) • Broken Shadows (Reid Anderson, David King, Chris Speed) • Capotosta (Gregg Belisle-Chi, Tom Rainey)

• Release date — Album — Label — Personnel — Recording date — Notes • 1979 — The Five Year Plan — Empire — Tim Berne (alto sax), Vinny Golia (woodwinds), John Carter (clarinet), Glenn Ferris (trombone), Roberto Miranda (bass), Alex Cline (drums) — 1979 • 1980 — 7X — Empire — Tim Berne (alto sax), Vinny Golia (woodwinds), John Rapson (trombone), Nels Cline (guitar), Roberto Miranda (bass), Alex Cline (drums) — 1980 • 1981 — Spectres — Empire — Tim Berne (alto sax), Olu Dara (trumpet), James Harvey (trombone), Ed Schuller (bass), Alex Cline (drums) — 1981 • 1982 — Songs and Rituals in Real Time — Empire — Tim Berne (alto sax), Mack Goldsburg (tenor sax), Ed Schuller (bass), Paul Motian (drums) — 1981 • 1983 — The Ancestors — Soul Note — Tim Berne (alto sax), Mack Goldsburg (tenor sax), Herb Robertson (trumpet), Ray Anderson (trombone), Ed Schuller (bass), Paul Motian (drums) — 1983 • 1984 — Mutant Variations — Soul Note — Tim Berne (alto sax), Herb Robertson (trumpet), Ed Schuller (bass), Paul Motian (drums) — 1983 • 1984 — Theoretically — Empire — Tim Berne (alto sax), Bill Frisell (guitar) — 1984 • 1987 — Fulton Street Maul — Columbia — Tim Berne (alto sax), Bill Frisell (guitar), Hank Roberts (cello), Alex Cline (drums) — 1986 • 1987 — Sanctified Dreams — Columbia — Tim Berne (alto sax), Herb Robertson (trumpet), Hank Roberts (cello), Mark Dresser (bass), Joey Baron (drums) — 1987 • 1988 — Miniature — JMT — Tim Berne (alto sax), Hank Roberts (cello), Joey Baron (drums) — 1988 • 1989 — Tim Berne's Fractured Fairy Tales — JMT — Tim Berne (alto sax), Herb Robertson (trumpet), Mark Feldman (violin), Hank Roberts (cello), Mark Dresser (bass), Joey Baron (drums) — 1989 • 1991 — Pace Yourself — JMT — As Caos Totale; Tim Berne (alto sax), Herb Robertson (trumpet), Steve Swell (trombone), Marc Ducret (guitar), Mark Dresser (bass), Bobby Previte (drums) — 1990 • 1991 — Can't Put My Finger on It — JMT — As Miniature; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Hank Roberts (cello), Joey Baron (drums) — 1991 • 1993 — Diminutive Mysteries (Mostly Hemphill) — JMT — Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), David Sanborn (sopranino sax, alto sax), Marc Ducret (guitar), Hank Roberts (cello), Joey Baron (drums) — 1992 • 1993 — Loose Cannon — Soul Note — Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Michael Formanek (bass), Jeff Hirschfeld (drums) — 1992 • 1994 — Nice View — JMT — As Caos Totale; Tim Berne (alto sax), Herb Robertson (trumpet), Steve Swell (trombone), Django Bates (keyboards), Marc Ducret (guitar), Mark Dresser (bass), Bobby Previte (drums) — 1993 • 1995 — Lowlife: The Paris Concert — JMT — As Bloodcount; Tim Berne (alto sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Marc Ducret (guitar), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1994 • 1995 — Poisoned Minds: The Paris Concert — JMT — As Bloodcount; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Marc Ducret (guitar), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1994 • 1995 — Memory Select: The Paris Concert — JMT — As Bloodcount; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Marc Ducret (guitar), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1994 • 1995 — Inference — Music & Arts — Tim Berne (alto sax), Marilyn Crispell (piano) — 1992 • 1996 — Unwound — Screwgun — As Bloodcount; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1996 • 1997 — Big Satan — Winter & Winter — As Big Satan; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Marc Ducret (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums) — 1996 — Alternatively titled I Think They Liked In Honey • 1997 — Visitation Rites — Screwgun — As Paraphrase; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Drew Gress (bass), Tom Rainey (drums) — 1996 • 1997 — Discretion — Screwgun — As Bloodcount; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1997 • 1997 — Saturation Point — Screwgun — As Bloodcount; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1997 • 1998 — Ornery People — Little Brother — Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Michael Formanek (bass) — 1997 • 1998 — Cause & Reflect — Level Green — Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Hank Roberts (cello) — 1998 • 1999 — Please Advise — Screwgun — As Paraphrase; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Drew Gress (bass), Tom Rainey (drums) — 1998 • 2001 — The Shell Game — Thirsty Ear — Tim Berne (alto sax), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2001 • 2001 — Open, Coma — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Hank Robertson (trumpet), Marc Ducret (guitar) with the Copenhagen Art Ensemble — 2000 • 2002 — Science Friction — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Marc Ducret (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2001 • 2002 — The Sevens — New World — ARTE Quartet with Marc Ducret (guitar) and David Torn (guitar, electronics) — 2001 • 2003 — The Sublime And — Thirsty Ear — As Science Friction; Tim Berne (alto sax), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Marc Ducret (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2003 • 2004 — Souls Saved Hear — Thirsty Ear — As Big Satan; Tim Berne (alto sax), Marc Ducret (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2003 • 2004 — Electric and Acoustic Hard Cell Live — Screwgun — As Hard Cell; Tim Berne (alto sax), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2004 • 2005 — Feign — Screwgun — As Hard Cell; Tim Berne (alto sax), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2005 • 2005 — Pre-Emptive Denial — Screwgun — As Paraphrase; Tim Berne (alto sax), Drew Gress (bass), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2005 • 2006 — Livein Cognito — Screwgun — As Big Satan; Tim Berne (alto sax), Marc Ducret (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2006 • 2007 — Seconds — Screwgun — As Bloodcount; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1997 — Includes DVD • 2008 — Duck — Screwgun — As Buffalo Collision; Tim Berne (alto sax), Ethan Iverson (piano), Hank Roberts (cello), David King (drums) — 2007 • 2011 — Insomnia — Clean Feed — Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Chris Speed (clarinet), Baikida Carroll (trumpet), Dominique Pifarely (violin), Erik Friedlander (cello), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1997 • 2011 — Old And Unwise — Clean Feed — Tim Berne (alto sax), Bruno Chevillon (bass) — 2010 • 2011 — The Veil — Cryptogramophone — As BB&C; Tim Berne (alto sax), Nels Cline (guitar), Jim Black (drums) — 2009 • 2012 — Snakeoil — ECM — Tim Berne (alto sax), Oscar Noriega (clarinet), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (drums) — 2011 • 2013 — Shadow Man — ECM — As Snakeoil; Tim Berne (alto sax), Oscar Noriega (clarinet), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone) — 2013 • 2015 — You've Been Watching Me — ECM — As Snakeoil; Tim Berne (alto sax), Oscar Noriega (clarinet), Ryan Ferreira (guitar), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone) — 2014 • 2015 — Spare — Screwgun — As Snakeoil; Tim Berne (alto sax), Oscar Noriega (clarinet), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (drums) — 2013 — Included with book of Steve Byram illustrations • 2017 — My First Tour - Live In Brussels — None — Tim Berne (alto sax), Herb Robertson (trumpet), Ed Schuller (bass), Paul Motian (drums) — 1983 — Digital Only • 2017 — Incidentals — ECM — As Snakeoil; Tim Berne (alto sax), Oscar Noriega (clarinet), Ryan Ferreira (guitar), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone) — 2014 • 2018 — Angel Dusk — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Matt Mitchell (piano) — 2017 • 2019 — Broken Shadows — Intakt — Tim Berne (alto sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax), Reid Anderson (bass), David King (drums) — 2018 • 2020 — The Fantastic Mrs. 10 — Intakt — As Snakeoil; Tim Berne (alto sax), Oscar Noriega (clarinet), Marc Ducret (guitar), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone) — 2019 • 2020 — The Coanda Effect — Relative Pitch — Tim Berne (alto sax), Nasheet Waits (drums) — 2019 • 2020 — The Deceptive 4 — Intakt — As Snakeoil; Tim Berne (alto sax), Oscar Noriega (clarinet), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (drums) — 2017 • 2020 — Spiders — Out Of Your Head Untamed — Tim Berne (alto sax), Matt Mitchell (piano) — 2020 — Digital Only • 2020 — Sacred Vowels — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax) — 2020 — Digital Only • 2020 — Adobe Probe — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax), Shane Endsley (trumpet), Matt Mitchell (piano), Marc Ducret (guitar), Michael Formanek (bass), Dan Weiss (drums) — 2009 — Digital Only • 2020 — Broken Shadows Live — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax), Reid Anderson (bass), David King (drums) — 2019 — Digital Only • 2020 — 1 — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Matt Mitchell (piano) — 2010 — Digital Only • 2020 — Blood From A Stone — Radio Legs — Tim Berne (alto sax), Mark Helias (bass) — 2020 — Digital Only • 2020 — The Cosmos — Screwgun — As Hard Cell; Tim Berne (alto sax), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2007 — Digital Only • 2020 — +Size — Screwgun — As Science Friction; Tim Berne (alto sax), Hank Robertson (trumpet), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Marc Ducret (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2003 — Digital Only • 2021 — Sensitive — Screwgun — As Hard Cell; Tim Berne (alto sax), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2000 — Digital Only • 2021 — Attention Spam — Screwgun — As Bloodcount; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1997 — Digital Only • 2021 — 5 — Screwgun — As Bloodcount; Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Marc Ducret (guitar), Michael Formanek (bass), Jim Black (drums) — 1997 — Digital Only • 2022 — (D)IVO — Mahakala — Ivo Perelman (soprano sax), Tim Berne (alto sax), Tony Malaby (tenor sax), James Carter (baritone sax) — 2022 • 2022 — Tangled — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Nasheet Waits (drums) — 2021 — Digital Only • 2022 — Decay — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Ryan Ferreira (guitar), Michael Formanek (bass), Ches Smith (drums) — 2015 — Digital Only • 2022 — Zone One — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Gregg Belisle-Chi (guitar) — 2022 — Digital Only • 2022 — Mars — Intakt — Tim Berne (alto sax), Gregg Belisle-Chi (guitar) — 2021 • 2022 — One More, Please — Intakt — Tim Berne (alto sax), Matt Mitchell (piano) — 2021 • 2023 — Oceans And — Intakt — Tim Berne (alto sax), Aurora Nealand (accordion, clarinet, voice), Hank Roberts (cello) — 2022 • 2024 — No Tamales On Wednesdays — Screwgun — As Science Friction; Tim Berne (alto sax), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Marc Ducret (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums) — 2008 — Digital Only • 2024 — Lucid/Still — Screwgun — As Oceans And; Tim Berne (alto sax), Aurora Nealand (accordion, voice), Hank Roberts (cello) — 2023 — Digital Only • 2024 — Burning Up — Relative Pitch — Tim Berne (alto sax), Chloë Sobek (violone) — 2023 • 2024 — Live At The 188 Club — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Aurora Nealand (accordion, clarinet, voice), Mark Helias (bass) — 2023 — Digital Only • 2024 — Live In Someplace Nice — Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Bill Frisell (guitar) — 1984 — Digital Only • 2024 — Parlour Games — Relative Pitch — Tim Berne (alto sax), Michael Formanek (bass) — 1991 • 2025 — Yikes Too — Out Of Your Head / Screwgun — Tim Berne (alto sax), Gregg Belisle-Chi (guitar), Tom Rainey (guitar) — 2024 • 2025 — Poiēsis — Relative Pitch — Tim Berne (alto sax), Masayo Koketsu (alto sax), Nava Dunkelman (percussion) — 2023 • 2025 — Snakeoil OK — Screwgun — As Snakeoil; Tim Berne (alto sax), Oscar Noriega (clarinet), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (drums) — 2013 — Digital Only • 2025 — In Lieu Of — Screwgun — As Snakeoil; Tim Berne (alto sax), Oscar Noriega (clarinet), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (drums) — 2012 — Digital Only • 2025 — Medium Cool — Radio Legs — Tim Berne (alto sax, baritone sax), Mark Helias (bass) — 1989 — Digital Only

• Release date — Title — Label — Included albums • 1999 — The Empire Box — Screwgun — The Five Year Plan, 7X, Spectres, Songs and Rituals in Real Time • 2007 — Mind Over Friction — Screwgun — Science Friction, The Sublime And *

• Matt Mitchell - Førage (Screwgun, 2017) • Gregg Belisle-Chi - Koi (Relative Pitch, 2021) • Gordon Grdina - Oddly Enough (Attaboygirl, 2022) • Marc Ducret - Palm Sweat (Out Of Your Head/Screwgun, 2023) • Gregg Belisle-Chi - Slow Crawl (Intakt, 2025)

With Ray Anderson • Big Band Record (Gramavision, 1994) With Nels Cline • Angelica (Enja, 1988) With Marc Ducret • Tower Vol. 2 (Ayler, 2011) • Tower Bridge (Ayler, 2014) With Enten Eller • Melquiades (Splasc(H), 1999) • Auto da Fe (Splasc(H), 2001) With Umberto Petrin • Ellessi (Splasc(H), 1999) With Jazzophone Compagnie • Mosaiques (Yolk, 2000) With Simon Fell • Positions & Descriptions (Clean Feed, 2011) With Figure 8 • Pipe Dreams (Black Saint, 1994) With Michael Formanek • Extended Animation (Enja, 1992) • Low Profile (Enja, 1994) • Nature of the Beast (Enja, 1997) • The Rub and Spare Change (ECM, 2010) • Small Places (ECM, 2012) • The Distance (ECM, 2016) • Even Better (Intakt, 2019) • Pre-Apocalyptic (Out Of Your Head, 2020) With Vinny Golia • Compositions for Large Ensemble (Nine Winds, 1984) • Facts of Their Own Lives (Nine Winds, 1986) With Drew Gress • Spin & Drift (Premonition, 2001) • 7 Black Butterflies (Premonition, 2005) • The Irrational Numbers (Premonition, 2007) • The Sky Inside (Pirouet, 2013) With Mark Helias • Split Image (Enja, 1985) • The Current Set (Enja, 1986) With Julius Hemphill • Five Chord Stud (Black Saint, 1994) • One Atmosphere (Tzadik, 2003) With Ingrid Laubrock • Ubatuba (2015) With Mr. Rencore • Intollerant (Auand, 2011) With Hank Roberts • Black Pastels (JMT, 1988) With Herb Robertson • Transparency (JMT, 1985) • X-Cerpts: Live at Willisau (JMT, 1987) • Elaboration (Clean Feed, 2005) • Real Aberration (Clean Feed, 2007) With Samo Salamon & Tom Rainey • Duality (Samo, 2012) With George Schuller • Hellbent (Playscape, 2002) With Ches Smith • Hammered (Clean Feed, 2013) • International Hoohah (For Tune, 2014) With Spring Heel Jack • Masses (Thirsty Ear, 2001) With David Torn • Prezens (ECM, 2005) • Slipped on a Bar (Screwgun, 2009) • Sun of Goldfinger (ECM, 2019) • Congratulations To You (Screwgun, 2020) • xFORM (Screwgun, 2020) • Ozmir (Screwgun, 2022) • Mystic (Screwgun, 2023) • Ravens Low & Ready 2 (Screwgun, 2024) • Candid (Intakt, 2025) With Stefan Winter • The Little Trumpet (JMT, 1986) With Yōsuke Yamashita • Ways of Time (Verve, 1995) With John Zorn • The Big Gundown (Nonesuch/Icon, 1986) • Spy vs Spy (Elektra/Musician, 1989) With GingerBlackGinger • Smalltalk Code (Challenge, 2026)

Tim Berne is recorded as saxophonist, musician and composer.