With some comparing her work to that of Maria Schneider, the Danish pianist-composer Kathrine Windfeld comes with a justified reputation in Scandinavia as an accomplished contemporary jazz orchestral leader-composer. She’s made a few recordings with her contemporary jazz big band, of which Orca stands out, as well as collaborations with the cream of Scandinavian’s most esteemed jazz orchestras.

But behind the scenes, Windfeld has been nurturing her work with small groups, one of them being her international sextet, with Aldebaran being its debut recording. The richly-coloured instrumental arrangements are not only elegantly and urbanely constructed, but have a determinedly strong melodic thrust.

Perhaps inevitably, the instrumental palette here sounds broader than the small line-up might suggest. Piano vamps are the foundation for some on-target solos on the outstanding opener ‘First Speech’ with sumptuous horns and swirling dynamics adding to the music’s intrigue. The ballad ‘Burnout’ hints at Miles Ahead-period Gil and Miles, while ‘Letter to Lviv’ has translucent horns weaved together in an Igor Stravinsky-ish neo-classical style.

While not being a particularly fashionable attribute, Aldebaran is a real grower that reveals more and more of its understated sophistication and emotional depth with every play.