Someone recently told me, in essence, that there are a great many jazz reviews here, and that this is somewhat out of balance. I can’t deny that, but there is a reason for it. The 50th Satie and the 5,000th Mozart – that gets a bit stale after a while; pop albums aren’t usually particularly rich in sound, and it’s much the same with rock. So it’s often jazz albums that offer the best ideas combined with great sound. The latest example: Kathrine Windfeld and her new album Salt Sea Atlas.

On Salt Sea Atlas, the Danish artist appears as a pianist, composer and leader of a 17-piece big band that doesn’t sound like a big band at all, but rather like a collaborative little group of musicians who just happen to come together as an orchestra every now and then. That said, some tracks are performed by an 11-piece ensemble, others by a septet and yet others by a quintet. Which ones exactly? The album booklet might explain that, if there were one. Unfortunately, there isn’t, so all that’s left is to trust your own ears.

But that’s no easy task, because Salt Sea Atlas operates with thoughtfulness and discretion, sensitivity and lightness of touch, rather than bombarding the listening space with a barrage of brass. And that’s just as well. Because those who break the rules open doors to new discoveries. For example, the fact that tranquillity and relaxation, as part of the musical expression, run through the eight compositions as a consistent thread. This mood is contrasted by solo passages that never for a second lack a sense of dynamics, drama and character.

Svendborg Silhouette opens the album with a big band that rises slowly and orchestrally, like a sunrise against the backdrop of Windfeld’s hometown. The following Lakeside Lament is an atmospheric and delicate quasi-duet for piano and drums, with subtle saxophone and guitar interludes, before Going Feral delivers its first fanfare – powerful, with a self-assured trumpet solo, the big band spread wide, and a wealth of detail audible. In contrast to this is the rhythmically marching Immortal Horseman, whose brass theme is countered by downright dissonant Stravinsky-esque chords, until a warm saxophone solo captures the unsettled mood.

The majority of the tracks navigate this tension between an indefinite sense of openness, concrete, gripping rhythms and charming melodic lines – Secrets of The Permafrost provides the highlight: first the cool, almost undefined depth, then subtle jazz with echoes of John Abercrombie in the guitar part.

The recordings, which, incidentally, were overseen by August Wanngren at Copenhagen’s The Village Recording Studio, were completed in just two days – Day 1 for the smaller ensembles, Day 2 for the big band. This is impressive, particularly given the consistently high musical and acoustic quality.

And the fact that it has turned out so well is a testament to the calibre of the musicians involved and to Windfeld’s ability to lead them so excellently.

Salt Sea Atlas is therefore, without question, an excellent album. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Kathrine Windfeld, piano, composition & bandleader
Casper Hejlesen, guitar
Johannes Vaht, double bass
Jakob Roland, double bass
Henrik Holst Hansen, drums
André Bak, trumpet
Tomasz Dąbrowski, trumpet Rolf Thofte, trumpet
Jakob Sørensen, trumpet
Peter Dahlgren, trombone
Anders Larson, trombone
Tobias Stavngaard,trombone
Annette Saxe, bass trombone
Kasper Wagner, alto saxophone, flute
Magnus Thuelund, alto saxophone, flute
Hannes Bennich, soprano saxophone