Falling Up

Pianist/composer Florian Hoefner brings together a working team of Mike Ruby/ts-ss, Sam Anning/b and Peter Kronreif/dr for some thoughtful yet accessible post modern jazz pieces. Except for “Eleanor Rigby” (which is creatively delivered by Hoefner’s fingers), all the pieces are composed by the leader. An uncluttered lyricism permeates material such as “ Stoney Lake” and the gently dark “Overtime” with Ruby’s molasses thick tenor melding the themes together in a rich manner. Some wonderful bass and piano conversations come through on “Black is the Color” while the band drives past Hoefner’s opening to the title track with some exciting interplay. Impressive outing.