Austrian drummer Marktl has assembled a cast of New York heavyweights for this nicely-balanced set of 10 originals. The strong writing delivers a range of moods, and there's enough substance for the soloists to sink their teeth into. Firmly within the acoustic modern mainstream, there are enough original flourishes to maintain interest. ‘Elveen’ is a modal homage to Elvin Jones while ‘Prosit Neujahr’ (Toast The New Year) is an uptempo altered blues and custom built for Joe Locke's searing vibes. In contrast ‘Traffic’ is a tempo-shifting slow burn that captures the frustrations and relief of being stuck in traffic. And though Marktl doesn't stray from established practices, he's no slouch on the drums. He crisply marks stops, changes and turns, keeps solos to a minimum and locks into Raghavan's bass when it's time to stretch out. Best of all, the featured soloists all put in a strong shift. Blake and Ellis are different voices with a broadly common approach and really spark off each other – ‘Nina's Dream’ opens with Ellis on bass clarinet and builds to a climax with Blake on soprano sax; ‘Three Times’ is a twin-tenor joust – and Joe Locke and Aaron Goldberg are equally committed.