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There is this unfortunate, and almost regular, occurrence of finding a great band that has already parted ways. Phronesis fell into this category briefly. Lucky for us all, Jasper Høiby managed to find Anton Eger on drums and Ivo Neame on the keys. The newest album from Phronesis, Green Delay (2009), is due to be released May 13th… so mark you calendars!

Yes, this trio has two new band members, but the difference between Organic Warfare (2007) and Green Delay didn’t immediately come across to me has a line-up change. The styles provided by Eger and Neame fit so seamlessly with Høiby’s compositions that the line-up change provides very little discontinuity between the albums. The new album’s opening track is a rather energetic composition. However, the rest of the album gives me a seemingly contradictory sense of calm excitement. As Høiby said in our recent interview with him, “…Phronesis [is] a modern and relevant acoustic jazz trio with an energy similar to that of a young rock band.” Green Delay exemplifies that statement, and I couldn’t agree more.

This is common among trios, but I’ve noticed with this album more than most a large sonic distinction between each member while maintaining a very cohesive sense of rhythm. Everyone can be playing something very busy, you can always pick out who is doing what, but rarely does any one member take the center of attention. What’s great about this is that you can actually single out a member and focus on what he’s doing as if he is soloing… only to listen to that song again and do the same with a different member. This is the sort of attribute great compositions have that contain a substantial replay value, especially for musicians. Those who aren’t musicians typically have a difficult time distinguishing one instrument from another, but jazz trios can help develop that skill.

It’s not unusual for jazz bands to attract great drummers, Phronesis is no exception. Now that I have listened to Green Delay enough to really digest it, I had time to pick apart the drums. Eger has this ability to stay busy even when the song is slowing down without blatant contrast. Eger’s contribution is the strongest component of the calm excitement I mentioned earlier as he displays a wonderfully subtle and intricate drumming style.  But make no mistake, Høiby and Neame are nothing to shrug at either.  All three members form a very strong core.

Green Delay belongs in the collection of anyone how appreciates quality modern jazz. To get your fix until this album comes out, make sure you go to the band’s Myspace page for two full length tracks. I look forward to listening to this album over and over until yet another album is released, and I hope to see Phronesis perform over here in States in the near future!