VIA

It's been eight long years since this transatlantic chamber trio last released an album, and how the players have developed and grown in the interim. It's perhaps a reflection of that greater degree of maturity that this is a much more egalitarian outing, with the players contributing equally to the writing (in fact, Keezer gets four tunes to Locke and Garland's three apiece). Recorded in the Lake District, this is a deeply evocative work which takes place as its central theme - the title, of course, means 'by way of', and the tracks pay homage to locations that have inspired these traveling musicians' muses. It's also a disc that's unequivocal in its pursuit of beauty - not the most fashionable of ideals these days. Not that there's any lack of complexity of thought or intricacy of playing: try Garland's multi-textured baroque ode to a Tuscan farmhouse, 'Ripertoli', or the exquisite interplay between arpeggiated vibes and piano and dreamily free-floating soprano sax on Locke's 'Snowfall in Central Park'. It's a master class in seamlessly integrating srongly structured through-composition and sinewy improvisation. As ever with great trios, there are no passengers!