Transatlantic Quartet – Live in Basel

Recorded in Basel, Switzerland very near the dawn of 2010, alto saxophonist Pete Robbins leads his band through material familiar and not so familiar. Joined by guitarist Mikkel Ploug, bassist Simon Jermyn, and drummer Kevin Brow, Robbins reintroduces three songs from the former category––“Eliotsong”, “There There” and “Inkhead”, each played with care and ease and a sensibility that proves uniquely European in its sense of playfulness and honesty. Other tracks include “The Quiet Space Left Behind” (written with guitarist Ryan Blotnick), “Hoi Polloi”, an older Robbins composition that is seeing its first official release here, and “Hope Tober”, a new and promising piece that serves as the perfect end note to the album. Robbins once more proves himself an inventive voice in the jazz realm and one that has yet to receive the wider acclaim he so richly deserves.