Jakob Bro: Balladeering

The atmospheric and darkly beautiful playing of Danish guitarist Jakob Bro in the Paul Motian Band and in Polish trumpeter Tomaz Stanko’s current quartet has brought him to the attention of adventurous jazz fans and ECM aficionados in Europe and the States. For his auspicious debut as a leader, he calls on some revered and open-minded elders in drummer/mentor Motian, 82-year-old alto sax legend Lee Konitz, and guitarist Bill Frisell, easily Bro’s most profound influence on the instrument. Along with bassist Ben Street, they delve into the intuitive zone on bewitching Bro originals like the ethereal and aptly titled rubato opener “Weightless,” the simple and delightful feature for Konitz, “Evening Song,” the mesmerizing “Greenland,” and the somber, sparsely meditative “Starting Point,” which begins as a delicate duet between Bro and Frisell on acoustic guitars and develops into a stirring trio number as Konitz enters halfway through (there’s also a bonus electric version that pushes the envelope on guitar effects). Released as an elegant fold-out, three- panel package with slots for vinyl disc, accompanying CD, and bonus DVD (a documentary of the session by Danish filmmaker Sune Blicher), Balladeering is available in the U.S. through Bro’s Web site, www.jakobbro.com.