“My studies of the counterpoint of both Bach and Shostakovich provided me with one important source,” says violinist and leader Florian Willeitner of his fugue-based project with his ‘New Piano Trio’ featuring cellist Ivan Turkalj and pianist Alexander Wienand, ‘but there was another: I was equally captivated by West African groove music. Both, it struck me, involved the highly complex interplay of many layers and the harmonious intertwining of several equal voices.’

Blending the discipline of classical composition and the wild abandon of jazz improvisation, What the Fugue is impressive stuff, working its way through a series of moods and modes. The compositions, mostly by Willeitner, are based on four ‘Keys’: ‘Orient’ is inspired by Middle Eastern music and the work of Tigran Hamasyan; ‘The Super Ultra Hyper Mega Meta’ finds an influence in Jacob Collier; ‘Bach’ draws on The Well-Tempered Clavier – the title ‘JSB on LSD’ captures the mood somewhat; and ‘The Twinkle’ nods towards the mischievous wit of Sergei Prokofiev.