Young German jazz trumpeter Matthias Schriefl came to fore in his native land fronting an outfit called Shreefpunk. The aforementioned jazz-punk-groove fusionists may not quite be the jazz equivalent of The Sex Pistols, but this disc, a charming and largely persuasive exploration of Alpine folk music, still comes out of left field. Opening track ‘Der Langenwanger’ is a traditional yodel from Steiermark, while second cut ‘S’Deandl vom Wintergrea' is a Schriefl arrangement based on a traditional Bavarian folk dance which moves between oompah rhythms and more sinuous syncopation; it's unusual, to say the least. Intercalated with the trad tunes are a series of originals that explore the same connections between open-air folkishness and more contemporary, urban sounds, principally jazz, but also classical – and even funky, clubby inspirations aren't excluded (dig ‘S’isch mer alles oi Ding' or ‘Luschtig, luschtig’). Schriefl has assembled a limber, versatile set of collaborators: the instrumentation runs from saxes to alphorns. For a flavour, try ‘Der Vorarlberger Problembär’, a cheerfully rousing original recorded in a mountain hut at an altitude of 1,477 metres in front of a live audience who gleefully clap along. The instruments had to be carried up the mountain on skis, which beats sticking the equipment in the back of an old van any day.