New Lines is a fascinating collaborative album from Swiss jazz artists Christoph Irniger (tenor sax) and Marc Perrenoud (piano). Both artists are established figures on the international jazz scene and this is their first recording as a duo. The eleven original tracks re-examine the language of jazz standards through a shared compositional lens, but these aren’t just arrangements of jazz classics we all know and love. Instead, the artists took a conceptual approach inspired by Lennie Tristano, taking familiar harmonic frameworks as points of departure and then writing completely new melodic material over them. Not all of the tracks were approached in this way, though, as the pieces later in the album are the artists’ own originals. There is a very wide variety of styles, tempos and moods in the music, keeping it soulful and interesting from beginning to end.

New Lines begins with “Dry Sensation.” Inspired by Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation,” the piece keeps the sax in the lead for most of the piece, but the piano is never far away - a bright and playful start! “Bluesetto” is a reimagining of Toots Thielemans’ “Blusette” and begins with a rather mysterious piano solo before the sax joins in and takes the music in a different direction. “Luce Oscura” also begins with a rather dark piano solo. When it enters, the sax lightens the mood a bit while keeping it soulful and deeply emotional - my favorite track on the album! “Fast Finish” is based on John Coltrane’s “Countdown,” and is bright and lively all the way through! “Abandoned Eggs in a Pan” is one of the more intriguing titles I’ve run across lately, but rather than being a light and humorous piece, it is rather dark and desolate. I really like the deeply expressive quality of this one, too! The mood lightens considerably with the happy and whimsical “Belle.” “Deja Vu” is based on Bill Evans’ “Time Remembered” and returns to a more somber, deeply reflective style - again, very soulful! Despite its title, “Night Owl” is bright and cheerful - definitely not ready to close down for the night! I love the lively good humor in this one! “The Unit” cools down and brings this compelling album to a richly satisfying close.

I guess I never really thought about jazz in Switzerland, but it is certainly in more-than-capable hands with Christoph Irniger and Marc Perrenoud! New Lines is available on Bandcamp and Amazon on vinyl and CD as well as to stream and download; it can be streamed and downloaded on Apple Music/iTunes, and is on many streaming services including Spotify and Pandora. If you’re looking for some music that is truly different, be sure to check this one out!