Danish label Steeplechase specialises in tightly arranged theme and variation mainstream releases that have something to say but rarely hit inspirational highs. Trumpeter Jason Palmer's fourth release almost breaks the mould with a set of strong themes and firm structures inspired by places he's either lived in or visited while touring. The band sound is warm – saxophonists Mark Turner and Godwin Louis compliment each other and guitarist Mike Moreno is always supple – and with drummer Kendrick Scott holding time and spitting beats, the rhythms are tight. The album opens with an episodic peon for the Boston-based Palmer's hometown of High Point, North Carolina. There are elegiac horns and counterpoint lines, a bass solo, and Turner on tenor sax, avoiding the obvious, while referencing the fact that Coltrane spent his childhood there. ‘Falling In’, probably for Paris (the notes are confusing) is playful and ‘Berlin’ strangely low key. Most tunes eventually run through the changes, but there are a capella horns and accelerating tempos to add interest. Turner stands out, oblique and cool on tenor, while alto saxophonist Louis, a new name to me, sounds a bit like an updated Gigi Gryce and is, as they say, one to watch.