Serenity is an apt title for the Bobo Stenson Trio. Swedish pianist Stenson, bassist Anders Jormin and drummer Jon Christensen explore the spaces in between their probing fingers, giving sound and silence equal weight. Stenson has a way of captivating his listeners, coaxing them towards a private melodic terrain. When partnered by Jormin (previously heard with Charles Lloyd and Tomasz Stanko) and Christensen (a Bobo buddy and prolific ECM "house" musician since 1969), Stenson's never forced to re-invent himself or compromise his approach. Band originals dominate the first of this set's two discs, the second opening up to an unusual array of non-jazz interpretations. The trio acts like the limbs of a single being, circling cautiously, completing each other's logical development. All three are perpetually soloing, sliding into the foreground for illuminated moments rather than lunging into the spotlight. Christensen splashes cymbals and patters toms, enjoying a very minimal canvas. Jormin pings his high strings, savouring their ringing tones, then strokes out melancholy moans with his bow. The approach seems more actively engaged on disc 2, with works by Alban Berg, Hanns Eisler, Charles Ives and Cuban songwriter Silvio Rodriguez all filtered through the Stenson gauze, the pianist now favouring bright, chiming phrases, interior harp-plucks or harmonically cheerful progressions. --Martin Longley