Arild Andersen has long worn the mantle ‘Bass Legend’ with distinction, his playing here as effortless as it is faultless. He has also long been an enthusiastic supporter of emerging young talent, selflessly mentoring a long list of musicians over the years who have listened and learned at the hands of a master. Although this trio is nominally led by drummer Daniel Sommer, Andersen’s hand is also on the tiller because in early 2023, Sommer was participating in the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma Programme at the Danish National Academy of Music, which allowed him to select a mentor to work with to advance his studies. Sommer was then studying with Andersen, who in turn invited Rob Luft to join them to complete the trio for a series of concerts, culminating in this recording for April Records.

They set their stall out with recordings of exceptional sound quality and this CD is a little gem of group cohesion, interplay and well conceived solos – especially from Rob Luft, who holds this ensemble together with his expressive, yet concise contributions. Everything hangs together well on an album that quickly becomes one of those records you can’t help turning to for an infusion of good, well-executed jazz.