You’d think everything that could be done with the standard “big band” format, now getting on for 90 years old, would have been done. But young composers still find ways of making a collection of 16 or so brass, saxophones and rhythm instruments sound unique. Among the latest is Danish pianist-composer Kathrine Windfeld, whose orchestrations display a rare combination of delicacy and strength. Light, airy textures suit her particularly well; a wonderful, impressionistic piece here, called Wasps, would have delighted Duke Ellington. Windfeld’s band of leading young Scandinavian musicians is as tight and sharp as any you’ll hear.
