Artist

Test

Genre: Jazz
Origin: U.S.A
Listen on Coda
Tom Bruno originated the jazz collective Test. As a drummer participating in the Music Under New York initiative, which assigned performers to the subway stations, he met Daniel Carter at the program's headquarters and chose to collaborate with him despite his usual duo work. The two added bassist Dan O'Brien to form the first trio, though O'Brien departed soon afterward. Matt Heyner replaced him on bass while saxophonist Sabir Mateen joined the lineup at the same time. From the early 1990s onward, the group appeared at least once weekly in New York City's subway system or on its streets.

Heyner, mentored by William Parker, remained the youngest member by at least twenty years. He had previously performed with Dave Nuss in the improvisational No-Neck Blues Band. Carter's background included membership in Other Dimensions in Music alongside Parker, Rashid Bakr, and Roy Campbell Jr. Additional projects featuring Carter were One World Ensemble, Tenor Rising, Drums Expanding, and Post Prandials. Mateen headed his own trio and sustained multi-decade associations with artists including the Raphe Malik Quartet and the Pan-African People's Arkestra. Drummer Bruno died in August of 2012.