Mathias Eick Lullaby on LP

For Lullaby, Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick draws on the quartet formation in a program that includes some of his most exploratory and improvisatory qualities to date, with a cast of ECM familiars Kristjan Randalu and Ole Morten Vågan on piano and bass, and new arrival Hans Hulbækmo on drums. There’s a sense of abandon within these deeply melodic songs, as the musicians flow smoothly between harmonies, collectively building momentum from within the forms. Eick’s immediately recognizable and soothing tone is often confronted by Randalu’s in turns lyrical and energetic keyboard flights, soaring above a propulsive, always engaging rhythm section. The album was recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo.