For his latest collection, Swisssaxophonist Christoph Irniger re-forms with fellow trio members bass player Raifaele Bossard and drummer Ziv Ravitz for a set that is loosely based on the central character in American writer Teju Cole's novel Open City. In it, the protagonist -a young Nigerian psychiatrist called Julian – aimlessly wanders and dreams through the streets of Manhattan, and it is a similar state of contemplation that Irniger has turned to here. For this date he has also drafted in Cologne- based alto saxophonist Loren Stilman and trombone player Nils Wogram, whose presence adds a rounded warmth to the session. Their influence leaks into the playing of the group's leader on the opening ‘My World’ and the title track, where a sense of thoughtful calm and renewed energy reflects from the piece. Elsewhere Bossard's bustling ‘40 Years of An Old Lady’ is a quirky diversion, replete with a delicate harmonic interlude where Irniger and Stillman's saxophones become engagingly entwined. Equally involved is ‘The New Dope’ where a hint of experimentation breaks through, and the musicians temporarily take off, only to be grounded by ‘Time’, an almost funereal-paced offering that is lifted by the rasp of Wogram's earthy trombone playing.

Overall it is these shifting elements of light and shade in the music that make Open City worthy of exploration.