Fergus McCreadie: The Shieling

Music themed around landscapes and natural beauty is common enough, but it is much more rare for the sheer wildness of nature to come through as much as it does for the Fergus McCreadie Trio. His evolving niche of folk-jazz seems to lean a bit more toward the folky side of that equation with every outing—hearing these hands caper across the piano keys is like watching a wide-screen film camera sweeping across a rugged stretch of hills splashed in sunlight. From The Shieling's opening romp, McCreadie and friends burst out of the gate frolicking as if it's the first day of spring.

The vibe does not quite stay at that peak through the whole running time (a well-paced LP length) here, but the trio never drops the unmistakable spring in their step. While these pieces may have a recognizably jazzy framework, in that there is always plenty of room for the three to unpredictably stretch and play off each other, these are organic structures that feel grown rather than actually written. There are no obvious head-solo-head patterns here, but evocative sketches that groove and flow in patterns amorphous and surprising. "Lily Bay" thoughtfully drifts with the calm of a colorful sunset. "The Path Forks" starts as a simple mantric pattern for the players to feel out and explore before they take it through several loud and soft phases with the changeability of the breeze.

For a trio that seems to be dancing as much as actually playing, it is no wonder the overly folky moments are the delightfully jaunty kind. On more than one occasion, their little cross-country tour ends up stumbling off the trail to discover a trailside inn with a toasty fire. "Climb Through Pinewood" bounces through a step-lively jig rhythm made for getting everyone onto the pub floor; most exuberantly, the flighty "Ptarmigan" ramps the album's late stretch up to a full exhilarating stomp.

It is still hard to top this trio for sheer fun and joie de vivre, and visiting these trails always makes a refreshing reminder that the world is full of happy surprises. May the ramblings only keep ranging wider and wilder.