When you have a winning combination, it's best not to mess with it. When guitarist Pat Metheny hooked up with Brad Mehldau, the pianist's trio was already such a strong, flexible unit that Metheny grabbed it in its entirety for his two-CD project. While the order of events may not be quite the same, Atomic pianist Håvard Wiik and his trio, responsible for the fresh, modernistic The Arcades (Jazzland, 2007), form the core of Motif, a group of young players who've been on the Norwegian scene since 1999. Apo Calypso is Motif's Jazzland debut, and it's a remarkable combination of powerful writing, simpatico free play, and stylistic cross-pollination that's become a defining characteristic of the intrepid, free-thinking Norwegian scene.

Bassist Ole Morten Vågan and drummer Håkon Mjåset Johansen are fast becoming a rhythm section of choice, also working together with Danish-born/Norwegian-resident pianist Maria Kannegaard on the cerebral yet highly evocative Maryland (Moserobie, 2008). Trumpeter Mathias Eick is a new fixture on ECM, working with guitarist Jacob Young, pianist/harpist Iro Haarla and drummer Manu Katché, in addition to releasing his own masterful debut, The Door (ECM, 2008). Saxophonist/clarinetist Atle Nymo may be the least visible of the quintet, but he's racked up some serious accomplishments, including work with Metheny at Molde Jazz 2001.

Together on Apo Calypso, Motif explores quirky, post-'60s Miles Davis swing on the opening "Jump Start," where Eick's purer jazz chops ...

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