This Swiss trombonist has been in impressive form of late, and his Hatology recordings are an excellent calling card for an obvious talent. While As The Sea showed how effective Blaser can be on long form pieces, where the onus is on sonic density and cumulative layering of ideas, here he takes a different tack. In fact, this new set sees him build a bridge between jazz and baroque music, whose two lesser-known exponents, Guillaume De Machaut and Guillaume Dufay, are reprised alongside a slew of original songs that provide ample proof that the leader is a capable writer and arranger. Particularly effective are the moody, creeping, largely modal numbers that build smartly on Bitches Brew era Miles with Russ Lossing’s keys suitably fraught and rugged. In contrast come more up-tempo numbers in which darting, quicksilver unison lines have a strong flavour of Ornette. While this is an ensemble full of musicians who are all leaders in their own right, it is by no means a vehicle for star turns and certainly the Machaut pieces such as the utterly haunting ‘De Fortune Me Doy Pleindre Et Loer’ excel on the rich harmonies created by the entwining of Blaser’s trombone and Badenhorst’s clarinet. This is as much a work of compositional stealth and sensitivity as it is improvisatory flourish and for his proven ability to create breathing space and light and shade in his scores. Blaser shows that a promising career is moving in the right direction. Producer Benoit Delbecq’s touch is discreet but assured.