Surds was conceived as an improvised meeting between bassist Bill Laswell, drummer and pyrotechnician M.E. Miller, and Elliott Sharp on guitars, reeds, electronics. Surds performances included such guests as saxophonist Frank Lowe and on the night of Ronald Reagan's first election, guitarist Henry Kaiser, percussionist Charles K. Noyes, and trombonist Masahiko Kono joined the core (with an audience including Derek Bailey and Evan Parker). On Feb. 8, 2015, M. E. Miller passed away from complications of open-heart surgery.