I first saw Espen Berg a couple of years ago when he was with trumpeter Mathias Eick. It was a memorable evening because every time Berg took the solo spotlight it was clear to everyone that bit-by-bit he was stealing the show. It seemed as if a new star was in the process of being born. Subsequently, his trio's first album together, Mønster, was hailed as “the biggest and most important discovery in the first half of 2016” in Japan, but while he has accumulated prizes and commissions and toured extensively, he still remains a bit under the public's radar. Bølge is the trio's second album together and is a mature statement from an artist whose personal style, concept and seemingly bottomless wellspring of ideas set him apart from his contemporaries. Though he says this album, “explores the balance between pure math and human interaction”, suggesting his trio is engaging in some obtuse laboratory experiment, what emerges is a lucid and compelling album of nine originals, plus opener ‘Hounds of Winter’ written by Sting. Impeccably recorded by Jan Erik Kongshaug at Oslo's Rainbow Studio, Bølge may be an addition to an already crowded field, but one well worth seeking out.