Jazz tubaists are a rare breed, so to say that Daniel Herskedal is one of the most innovative might not be saying all that much.
But it's clear from his second album for UK label Edition – the follow up to 2012's excellent Neck of the Woods – that whatever the instrument, here is a player and a composer who is reaching for something fresh.
Sure, there is that spacious, pining-for-the- fjords sound you might expect from a musician born in Norway and based in Copenhagen, but there are also Mediterranean flavours, with Arabic melodies and Balkan grooves channelled through Herskedal’s big, soft- spoken tone.
Pianist Eyolf Dale and percussionist Helge Andreas Norbakken add weight, and the excellent Trondheim Soloists string orchestra give the whole thing a beguiling, cinematic quality.
