The latest CD releases reviewed

THOMAS RÜCKERT
Blue In Green Pirouet *****

Pianist Thomas Rückert's second CD for Pirouet unites him with bassist Matthias Pichler and drummer Jochen Rückert for a marvellous example of trio playing. While the piano is the principal voice - and six originals are by the pianist - it's not at the expense of the trio's discourse, even while the piano shapes the moods and colours of that dialogue. Thus they can handle the intricacies of the pianist's fascinating recasting of the basics of Nardis into a delightful original, Sidran, yet keep the focus clear, logical and lyrical. But they can also take the simplest of motifs, as in Rückert's gorgeous Perpetuum, and build an absorbing performance with equal authority. Old Devil Moon, I Should Care and the title track show the alchemy the leader can bring to bear on more familiar material. Lovely. www.pirouetrecords.com

NATSUKI TAMURA
Nomad No Man's Land **** 

Natsuki Tamura,the extraordinary Japanese trumpeter, gives a very personal response to European folk musics with this second album from Gato Libre, his quartet with his wife, Satoko Fujii (now on accordion), Kazuhiko Tsumura (guitar) and Norikatsu Koreyasu (bass). Though there are elements of flamenco, French musette, Celtic dance and Middle European shadings in these spare "evocations" of sundry cities in various months of the year, too much can be made of them. This is Tamura's music; his huge, mournful sound and sparse phrasing are consistently expressive, with Fujii's equally unshowy accordion adding texture and colour to each performance, and Tsumura and Koreyasu deftly used. A preponderance of slow performances does dilute the impact, but the album is full of striking playing. www.nomansland-records.de   Ray Comiskey

ALAN BARNES
Blessing in Disguise Woodville ***

Barnes the multi-reedman plays alto, baritone and clarinet on this straight-ahead example of mainstream blowing, backed by John Donaldson (piano), Andrew Cleyndert (bass) and Spike Wells (drums). It was, as Barnes says in the liner notes, an off-the-cuff session and, with high-calibre support - the rhythm section is one of the best in Britain for this kind of jazz - it sounds as if everyone had a good time. Several Monk pieces (Monk's Dream, Pannonica, Little Rootie Tootie and Reflections), add a quirky astringency to Barnes's exuberant and often aggressive performance, while on Sonny Rollins's Blessing in Disguise the alto playing is abandoned to the point of catharsis. The gentler side is summoned up on Strayhorn's Day Dream and Thad Jones's A Child Is Born, where Cleyndert's solo is a highlight of the album. www.musicconnection.org.uk  Ray Comiskey