Oslo (with Christian Weber & Eric Schaefer)

With Oslo, pianist Michael Wollny, bassist Christian Weber, and drummer Eric Schaefer stake out new compositional and textural terrain in a collaboration with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble. On three tracks, including the closing epic “The Whiteness of the Whale,” the expanded unit produces a darkly alluring sound, full of power and foreboding. Elsewhere, the trio prevails, mining a loosely funky feel on “Hello Dave,” soaring over complex structures on “Nuits Blanches,” swinging out on “There Again,” or proffering frosty balladry on “Cantus Arcticus.”