Cornetist and composer Kirk Knuffke is an adventurous performer, with an ear for navigating avant-garde sessions as well as post-bop dates. Knuffke initially drew listeners' attention playing with Butch Morris in the mid-2000s, and has worked with similarly inventive artists including Uri Caine, Allison Miller, and Michael Formanek. A recipient of a Jerome Foundation composers grant, Knuffke has received praise for his own albums, like 2008's small group date Big Wig and 2011's duo recording Orange Was the Color. He has also released a bevy of trio albums, including 2015's Little Cross with Hamid Drake, 2017's Cherryco with Adam Nussbaum, and 2022's Gravity Without Airs with Matthew Shipp, all of which display his broad stylistic influences as he touches upon bluesy swing and edgy free improvisation.