Album: Jörg Brinkmann Trio, Ha! (Act)

The JBT comprises cello, keyboards and percussion. Nothing unexpected there, then, given the recent Euro-jazz vogue for quirky trio configurations.

And there are moments on this reflective, spacious, decidedly German album of disciplined small-group pieces when the voices cohere and the vision behind the concept is as vivid as any Caspar David Friedrich landscape. But equally there are times when no amount of discipline and reflectiveness can conceal the fact that such a configuration is rather limiting. On those occasions it's a bit like watching Friedrich's paint dry. Enjoyable when it works, though.

Pick of the Album: 'Sirius B': may as well start at the beginning...