Mr and Mrs McLemore (Sunna Gunnlaugs and Scott McLemore) are two important figures on the Icelandic jazz scene, with the Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio establishing a reputation beyond their home shores and into Northern Europe, while Gunnlaugs’ duo in recent times, with the German pianist and ECM artist Julia Hülsmann, has been particularly well received. Here, her association with the Finnish trumpet star Verneri Pohjola emerged from a collaboration at the Tampere Jazz Happening in 2017 (which, it has to be said, is one of the nicest and most congenial jazz festivals in Europe). This album is a result of that collaboration, recorded a few days later in Helsinki. Gunnlaugs responds well to the introduction of a fourth member of her long-established trio; the impression is almost as if the burden of carrying the spark and creativity of the trio (which she takes with the utmost seriousness) has been lifted, allowing her more creative freedom. Pohjola, who can blow hot and cold, responds warmly to the new environment and he too sounds at his relaxed and inventive best. The title-track and ‘A Major Deal’ are especially rewarding, and while both Pohjola and Gunnlaugs have several albums under their own name, the warmth and creativity apparent in their playing here is a perfect introduction to both artists’ work.