Jakob Bro is a 36-year-old Danish guitarist with a spaciously beautiful electric sound (at times, this set resembles a Bill Frisell album without the backwoods geniality) who has partnered Tomasz Stanko and the late Paul Motian. This refined trio, with American bassist Thomas Morgan and Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen, was formed three years ago. Though the mood here is muted, the ghostly themes are very lyrical, and the group’s closeness unmistakable. Bro is a texture player, often restricting himself to warm, slow-moving chords and gleaming harmonics, and Christensen is an old master of saying everything that’s needed while staying out of the way – so it’s Morgan who is often the busiest presence, pressing quick, high-register countermelodies against echoey shimmers and soft mallet patterns from the others. The title track, with its echoes of John McLaughlin on In a Silent Way, the snowy Lyskastar and the songlike Oktober all establish the group’s quiet fervour; but a touch more of the gleeful grooving they employ on And They All Came Marching Out of the Woods would have been welcome.
