A drumless quintet is unusual, as are free-flowing group improvisations marked by tight construction. Peace Flag Ensemble, a new outfit from central Canada, announce themselves with an excellently varied set of nine tracks notable for their concision, clarity and catchiness. The germ of the project came from recorded improvisations by pianist Jon Neher, to which Travis Packer added bass guitar. Trumpeter Dalton Lam and saxophonist Paul Gulheil then made their contribution before producer Michael Scott Dawson refined the pieces, himself adding guitar and electronics. As Neher has observed, this collective compositional process allowed for ‘many kinds of spontaneity while still crafting and polishing a finished work.’

That it is such a success is a tribute to the self-restraint of all concerned and the deft ear of the producer. Without percussion the music is inevitably spacious, and for all that the piano leads it is Packer's fluid and imaginative bass that emerges as the most distinctive voice, at times recalling In A Silent Way era John McLaughlin or even the Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh.

The opening of ‘Hilma af Klint in Ab’ is an excellent example: the piano's minimal pulse leading to a soaring bass construction through which Lam's trumpet weaves a celebratory path to a more reflective second half. The title refers to a forgotten Swedish artist lately rescued from self-imposed obscurity: hopefully not the destined fate for this vibrant and original album.