The quintet Pilgrim, founded by Zurich-based tenor saxophonist Christoph Irniger, has become over the years one of the most exciting ensembles in young European Jazz. Their fourth recording ‘Crosswinds’ is a gorgeously considered, but luxuriantly open new recording. Some compositions are freely improvised, while others are completely notated, yet most lie in between, with an elasticity that reflects a life of freedom, where informed choices are made spontaneously. The accompanying soundtrack oscillates between enigmatic reflection and wild eruptions, although the band creates a dense, all-round sound which is hard to categorize.
