Most musicians have to wait until relatively late in their careers before they get their hands on a large ensemble for their own nefarious purposes. Wunderkind Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset, however, is not most musicians. Already hailed as one of the brightest hopes of European jazz for his astonishing virtuosity (the late Michael Brecker is most often invoked as a comparison), Neset proves here that his sights are set on higher ground than mere instrumental pyrotechnics. Entirely composed and arranged by the saxophonist for the 11-piece Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Lion is the sound of a young sorcerer testing the limits of his powers and searching for his own voice as a composer. In the TJO he finds accomplices both willing and able to follow where he leads. actmusic.com