I.P.A. Grimsta CD

Keeping an all-star collective ensemble going is a steep challenge in the best of times. I.P.A., a quintet that brings together some of Scandinavia's most esteemed improvisers, has created a striking new album in the worst of times. The group's sixth release overall and third for Cuneiform, Grimsta is an emphatic statement about the ineluctable power of musical communion; it's a project bristling with energy sparked by shaping new works together in real time. After an extended period of not playing together due to COVID, Grimsta captures the quintet's excitement at getting back to work. "The album came about out of the urge to make some new music," reedman Atle Nymo says, noting that almost every piece was a fresh addition to the repertoire. "It felt like a fresh beginning."

1. Ballet 2. Grimsta 3. Stray 4. Epic 5. Flow for Feste 6. Empathy Fog 7. Pop