Marius Neset, Southbank Centre: Purcell Room

Scandi jazz wunderkind Marius Neset returns to London to present his latest album, Pinball, available in the UK from February 2015.
Norwegian by birth and now based in Copenhagen, Neset is one of the most exciting young players on the European scene and has been turning heads since the release of his first album, Golden Xplosion, back in 2011.
The visceral virtuosity of his improvisations have led many critics to compare him to the late Michael Brecker, while his rhythmically complex and thrillingly unpredictable compositions display the influence of his mentor and eccentric former tutor, pianist Django Bates.
We last saw Neset at Ronnie Scott’s back in August, performing music from Lion with the 11 piece Trondheim Orchestra. That date was all about brass-led grooves, arresting tempo changes and twisting, folk-tinged melodies. Pinball offers something similar, but the speed and the virtuosity seem to have gone up a gear; the tunes are stronger and more memorable – the best are like euphoric folk rock anthems with fiendish, clockwork, percussion parts and intricate sax melodies broken by jaw dropping solo flights – and the lineup has more in common with that of 2013’s Birds.
Pianist Ivo Neame and vibes/marimba virtuoso Jim Hart both feature, alongside a Swedish rhythm section comprising bassist Petter Eldh and Phronesis drummer Anton Eger. The saxophonist’s sister Ingrid Neset guests on flute, with cellist Andreas Brantelid and violinist Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen beefing up the harmonies and providing new colours for Neset to splash across the musical canvas.
Critics are already tipping Pinball to be one of the best albums of 2015 and we’re counting down the days until we get to see it live.