Zürich-based saxophonist Nicole Johänntgen has recorded 25 albums over the years and accrued various awards, including the Saarland Art Prize 2022 and the Lichtenburg Prize 2023.

For this new album, she joined forces with tuba player Jon Hansen and percussionist David Stauffacher and played in front of a live audience for the Swiss radio station SRF 2.

The French sousaphone player Victor Hege supplements their number on two tracks. That doesn’t add up to a traditional combination of instruments, and the sound they make together isn’t conventional either, especially when Johänntgen sings too, as on ‘Canyon Wind’. At its best, the effect is both sophisticatedly intricate and spiritedly loose. ‘Goodnight My Dear’ is a delightful tottering lullaby; ‘Get Up and Dance’ gets close to the status of disco banger, in large part thanks to Stauffacher’s energetic, imaginative percussion work, although Hansen provides sturdy bass-like support on tuba. On ‘Little Song for Nenel’, a charming ballad dedicated to her child, Johänntgen performs solo, moving between saxophone and vocals.