In the 1950s, Denmark was home to a small scale but highly creative jazz scene and talented local musicians such as Max Brüel, Erik Moseholm, and Jørgen Ryg. The opening of the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen in 1961 saw jazz go large scale, with many American musicians playing there and some even settling in Denmark – Stan Getz and Oscar Pettiford followed by Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Sahib Shihab.

As an emerging young drum star, Alex Riel learned his craft playing with many of these Americans, especially Gordon and Webster. Playing in New York, as one of the few European drummers who could hold his own there, had always been something of a dream, realised in 1997 when he assembled an all-star band there to record Unreal! and 1999 to record Rielatin’ which comprise this two CD set. It was the only time Riel recorded with Mike Brecker and Jerry Bergonzi, and is testament to the respect he commanded as a musician. Both albums are congenial blowing sessions with all the spontaneity that implies, in varying contexts from sextet, quintet, quartet, trio to duo, all featuring Riel. Now in his early 80s and still playing, Riel is at heart a bebop-into-post bop drummer, a gifted craftsman, as these sides reveal, his rhythmic feel infectious, spreading a feel-good factor that’s reflected in the music.