Since moving to Copenhagen Gerard Presencer has established himself as one of the cornerstones of the DR Big Band trumpet section, which he modestly claims is the best in the world. Certainly on this evidence they’ve got something to shout about, while the band as a whole live up to their reputation as one of Europe’s premier big bands. Presencer’s arrangements have a sophistication in their grooves, which is not incidental to what he wants to accomplish but a persuasive hint that this aspect of jazz is all too often overlooked by many contemporary arrangers in favour of orchestral effect. While he succeeds in his management of moods and textures in the overarching presentation of an album statement, there are moments of what I call the Toshiko Akyoshi effect – where she slices open her orchestration for an over long solo that loses sight of the context from which it has emerged. On the other hand, Presencer, who has reached middle age with his adventurous spirit still intact, shows on tracks such as ‘Blues for Des’, ‘Footprints’ and ‘Another Weirdo’ that he remains an instrumentalist of astonishing accomplishment. It suggests he has finally found a context for himself where his playing assumes the kind of profundity and expressiveness he has failed to find on his previous albums.