Seventeen tracks over 60 minutes, some barely a minute in length and, yet, Plimley et al succeed in achieving an extraordinary coherence with this album. This Canadian pianist is familiar to me through his involvement with the highly regarded NOW Orchestra. Yet, I have never been more impressed with him than on this showing. Perhaps my closest point of reference – I do mean ‘reference’ not ‘influence’ – would be Paul Bley. Like Bley, Plimley is his own man. Though at times his use of complex clusters of notes hints at Cecil Taylor, there is always a freshness to his playing, almost as if he is constantly reinventing himself. If that makes the music on Hexentrio sound fragmentary, it isn't. It has flow and an internal logic that is both moving and, at its best, majestic. This is, of course, just as much Guy's and Niggli's record and they, as one would expect, contribute great depth and warmth to these pieces. But I’m sure neither will mind my extolling Plimley's virtues. He is a musician who deserves to be as well known here as he is at home.