Ten years into their life as an increasingly tight-knit trio and it’s perhaps no surprise that Phronesis have named their latest album after an “apparent displacement of an observed object due to a change in the position of the observer,” or Parallax. Indeed, to an outside observer they appear to be at the top of their game, rising to the summit of the European piano trio pile thanks to consistently incendiary live shows and a string of equally compelling (sometimes live) recordings. Yet it’s tough at the top and the alternative perspective offered up on Parallax is of a band who, far from resting on their laurels, burst out of the gate with a set of nine polished yet propulsive new tunes recorded in a single day at the hallowed Abbey Road Studios. Having been at one of their adrenalin soaked gigs – one of three recorded – that resulted in their previous release, Life To Everything, this writer can attest to the near telepathic empathy that exists between bassist Høiby, pianist Neame and drummer Eger when the red recording light is on. Theirs is a hive- mind that thinks as one and navigates the trickiest of time signatures, displaced beats, lurching unison riffs or swerving solos with ease. The good news with Parallax is that the move to a studio environment has done nothing to dampen the zeal with which they tackle the music, this in part thanks to the band playing the entire album beginning to end three times and then selecting the best takes for the final release. This has brought a strong narrative arc to the songs, with opener ‘67000 MPH’ careering along with freewheeling frenetic finesse. This is among several contrapuntal dust-ups across the set including Høiby’s atypical ‘Stillness’, Anton Eger’s karate-chopping drum capers on ‘Manioc Maniac’, and the hypnotic drive of closer ‘Rabat’. More meditative pieces include Neame’s chiming ‘Kite for Seamus’ and Høiby’s midnight mood on ‘A Silver Moon’. Through it all the band’s willingness to defer individual showboating for a combined sonic attention to detail has rarely sounded better: solos weave into a continuum of sound, never sacrificing a cheap technical thrill for a substantial musical statement. Far from bookending 10 highly successful years together, Parallax opens a new chapter full of musical riches from this most complete and compelling of bands.

Jazzwise spoke to Phronesis about the album

Parallax marks the band’s decade together, how does it reflect that?

Ivo Neame: We recorded it in the studio, but it felt like playing three live sets at Abbey Road. In that way, it reflects the major strength of this band, which has been playing live and generating a connection between the musicians and the audience.

How did recording at Abbey Road affect the energy and ambience of the album?

Ivo Neame: All the equipment in the studio is first-rate and we were lucky to have the opportunity to record there. There’s a good reason why people like Humphrey Lyttleton, Edward Elgar and, er, The Beatles recorded there – the sound of the room is incomparable and all the equipment is amazing.

There are several sections where you seem to be exploring more open, freer territory, did you all feel the need to add some more light and shade to your sound?

Anton Eger: Yeah, that's right. Most writing for this record (except for one tune) can fit on a couple of pages of sheet music, while previous album material often had longer written parts. We wanted to have lots of space for improvisation as the circumstances in Abbey Road were ideal.

The writing and playing seems to have reached a new level of empathy – have all those years touring and recording made making music any easier as a band?

Anton Eger: That's lovely to hear. We think so too! After playing together for so many years, you turn a couple of corners together and some of them are a bit more edgy than others. Nevertheless, it has made us tighter, both as friends and musicians, and has taught us to respect each other’s differences.