Eyes of a Blue Dog, a name derived from a novella by the Latin American ‘magical realist’ author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is a trio made up of London-based LOOP Collective/Jamie Cullum trumpeter Rory Simmons, Norwegian singer Elisabeth Nygård and fellow compatriot drummer and sonic sculptor Terje Evensen (who plays for Martin France’s similarly electronic-driven Spin Marvel). They are all musicians on a mission to bring jazz and improv into a closer dialogue with other creative contemporary music. Although they are close to taking the exit door here marked ‘alt-electronic pop’, Simmons’ trumpet-led solos and Evensen’s drums are inspired by the Nordic jazztronica scene, chiefly through game-changing artists such as Arve Henriksen. They lend their debut recording Rise a progressive, improvisational edge. A mix of songs, with interestingly enigmatic lyrics by Nygård, and instrumentals by the band, along the way we hear echoes of Miles Davis’ late 1960-70s studio experiments, the maverick angular synth pop of David Sylvian through to bands such as Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada. In balancing the more accessible side of contemporary electronica with a ‘live’ acoustic spontaneity, Eyes of a Blue Dog have succeeded big time.