The trombonist Samúel Jón Samúelsson’s Big Band take the ice out of Iceland with their slickly grooving cocktail of JBs/Afro-funk, ethio-jazz, dub, stoner lounge music, 1970’s Lalo Schifrin-influenced TV crime theme and psych-mod jazz. Formed in 2000 solely for a series of live performances in their homeland, the band decided to start up again in 2007 releasing their first studio album Fnykur. Meanwhile Samúelsson performed on the international stage with his homeland funk ensemble, Jaguar, which included opening in 2004 for James Brown in Reykjavik. On this new twofer CD set, the 18-strong Icelandic ensemble combines big throbbing funk vamps and grooves with counterblasts of jet-powered horn riffs. Yet for all the impressively taut arrangements and razor-sharp execution, the album sounds a bit too one-paced over two discs. Additionally, the overly clean-cut studio sound seems to hold some potentially fiery instrumental solos a little too much in check. It seems more than likely that heard ‘live’ they would be an entirely different prospect.