Living legend of the classic New Orleans piano tradition Henry Butler and prolific arranger and composer Steven Bernstein join forces on "Viper's Drag", leading the Hot 9 in a timeless romp through NOLA jazz with tunes by Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller and originals from Butler. Bernstein's unique arranging style shimmers on this record, bringing a contemporary approach to these historic jazz pieces and linking the past with the present - a gentle reminder that jazz is alive and kicking.

"Brass Bang" is the musical formula implying insanely talented musicians, humor and creativity. This album captures the mind of wind instruments. This album gathers eclectic composers such as Rolling Stones, Haendel, Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington and compositions of their own.

Steven Bernstein first saw the late, great New Orleans pianist Henry Butler play in 1984. "He was genius-level brilliant, man," he says, still marveling. "I couldn't believe there was a guy who could sound like the most ancient music and the most futuristic music at the same time." Fourteen years later, Bernstein took Hal Willner's recommendation and hired Butler to play in the touring band that played the score for Robert Altman's film Kansas City. In 2013, the two musicians formed the Hot 9, the name a tip of the fedora to Louis Armstrong's landmark Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions of the 1920s. They released the acclaimed Viper's Drag album the following year, and toured until Butler's untimely passing in 2018.

Tinctures in Time is the first original music Bernstein has ever written for the MTO, which from the beginning had exclusively been a vehicle for his arrangements of other people's songs, from Count Basie to Prince. Most of the album was composed in 2019, a tough year for Bernstein: Henry Butler had recently passed, and there were serious injuries and death in his immediate family. Like a lot of people do, Bernstein got through it by working.