The Cologne-based Pablo Held has been wowing critics in his native Germany and beyond for about 10 years now. Even back in 2010, when he was just 23, he was already being dubbed the “German piano wonder” who had “already earned his place in the pantheon of modern day piano trio leaders.” The winner of countless prizes and commissions in Germany, and featured with his trio on radio WDR and national German radio, where he has been praised for “enthralling contemporary jazz”, it was no secret that he was being courted by some well-known record labels. Despite considerable competition for his signature, he opted to sign with Dave Stapleton's Edition label, a major coup for this up-and-coming imprint, since Held's reputation precedes him. Investigations is Held's 10th album with his trio which has been regularly working for the last 12 years. It is a true meeting of minds, having developed a remarkable degree of empathy and understanding that has been forged on the bandstand. Pianist Kit Downes has pointed out that they have developed such a deep empathy that: “All three of them know each others parts for every tune – so anyone can cue any part of any tune by just playing a small part of it (even if it's in the middle of another tune) – so that they then seamlessly link in other material to the mix”. Investigations uses dissonance and angular melodicism to spice Held's vocabulary, which is reflective of his, and his trio's, continued artistic growth. In practice, this means the cultivated lyricism that had been a feature of this trio is now presented with a sharper, keening edge on what is probably his best trio album to date.