Coming up next week is the release of Viaduct by Marius Neset with the London Sinfonietta. Neset is one of Europe's greatest saxophonists and certainly is one of the few who can be seen as a natural successor to Jan Garbarek.

UK pianist and composer Django Bates has a good case to having been the player to have first championed Neset.

Emerging back at the beginning of 2010s back in 2011 reviewing for Jazzwise I heard the Bergen man appearing for his West End jazz club debut at the Pizza Express Jazz Club with pianist/keyboardist Nick Ramm, first-among-bassists Jasper Høiby, and fellow Phronesis member, the estimable drummer Anton Eger, noting at the time that the appearance showed just what the fuss was all about within minutes of beginning their performance. Neset combined Michael Brecker’s power and Jan Garbarek’s tonal delicacy, dazzling relentlessly on that showing whether on languorous ballads or hymn-like anthems such as the wondrous finale ‘Angel Of The North.’

The brand new record to fast forward was recorded in London at one of the capital's best studios, Air in Hampstead, and is an immersive 10-part suite issued once again by the ACT label, the German jazz indie that has long since championed Neset and nurtured his rising arc of a career as he tours widely and records prolifically.

Originally commissioned for the opening concert of the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2018, on Viaduct Neset keeps up his long time connection with members of Phronesis and while bassist Høiby is not on the record pianist Ivo Neame and drummer Anton Eger are joined by Jim Hart on vibes and another Django Bates connection, from Bates' Bird band, Petter Eldh on bass.

Hear Neset at the QEH during the London Jazz Festival on Thursday evening. SG