As one-third of the fabled Phronesis, Høiby was at the forefront of a mini-movement that championed the unapologetic re-introduction of ambitious complexity into the European scene. Now 15 years on from the release of Green Delay he’s hitting a fresh purple patch. Alongside his Planet B and Fellow Creatures projects, he’s also leading a new trio project under the name of Three Elements, of which this is the first instalment.

The idea as announced is for each release to feature Høiby alongside a different piano and drum team, enabling him to explore into all different corners of his favourite format. For this iteration he’s picked a pair of outstanding young talents: Zeñel keys man Noah Stoneman recently released his debut on Fresh Sound accompanied by Luca Caruso, who makes a welcome return from his duties backing pop stars. Giving such a central role to a relatively unknown pianist is a bold move that pays off handsomely: Stoneman is wonderfully creative, crisp and accurate on the twisty ensemble passages of ‘Love Song’ (a Phronesis original), darkly brooding on ‘Earthness’, moving confidently from delicate introspection through near-free improv to a triumphant climax on ‘Never Forgotten’. Caruso is with him every inch of the way, turning in a superbly expressive set of performances. Høiby’s virtuosic bass never dominates unnecessarily: but his guiding presence makes itself felt throughout.

The intricate, information-dense linear arrangements and tightly plotted rhythm tracks that characterised Phronesis are here relaxed so that the music is allowed to flow and breathe, and the musicians audibly revel in the interplay allowed by this more expansive approach, especially in the short, mood-heavy improvised interludes between the main events.