by Jason Ankeny
A group which attempted to find common ground between the polar opposites of notated and improvised music, the New York-based quintet New & Used marked a convergence of players from intriguingly diverse backgrounds. Trumpeter Dave Douglas was the leader of the Tiny Bell Trio and a member of John Zorn's Masada, and played with Mark Dresser, Don Byron, and Dr. Nerve; bassist Kermit Driscoll was the longtime bass player in the Bill Frisell Band and performed with Zorn and Wayne Horvitz; violinist Mark Feldman played with the Billy Hart Sextet, the Ray Anderson Sextet, and Anthony Davis' Epistime; drummer/percussionist Tom Rainey recorded with Kenny Warner, Mark Helias, and the Fred Hersch Group; and saxophonist Andy Laster led his own group, Hydra, and was a member of Lyle Lovett's Large Band.