Indicum ECM****

Considered one of the greats of European jazz since his landmark recordings for ECM in the 1970s, Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson is a master of the piano trio format. This latest offering from his long-standing trio with bassist Anders Jormin and drummer Jon Fält is another shaft of light in an already luminous discography.

Though the material is diverse, ranging from tunes by George Russell and Bill Evans (the latter a heartfelt tribute to Stenson’s friend and collaborator, drummer Paul Motian) to readings of Scandinavian folk music and wholly improvised pieces by the group, there is a satisfying unity in the trio’s sound, born of mutual understanding and a fearlessly creative approach to improvisation.

Like Evans, Stenson leans into the piano, lost in the music, as if excavating his melodies from the keyboard, waiting for them to happen in the wide open spaces created by his two talented partners. ecmrecords.com