Live a the Village Vanguard Enja*****

This gem of a quartet with Florian Weber (piano), Jeff Denson (bass) and Ziv Ravitz (drums), is a meeting of minds in which the great altoist, Lee Konitz, seems particularly energised. The group’s expressively flexible handling of time and their ability to deconstruct familiar standards to build something fresh is remarkable. Their openness radically transforms the repertoire and elicits complex, imaginative and continuously evolving improvisations.

From the raw material of pieces some might think long past their sell-by date, these are wonderfully fluid performances, as rewarding emotionally as musically. Especially memorable is what they do with I Remember You, Polka Dotsand Moonbeams, the standard-based Subconscious-Leeand Thingin'(an alto-piano duet), Kary's Trance(based on a traditional Jewish melody) and a stunning trio version of Weber's Color. See enjarecords.com